#wish tumblr didn't EAT the quality

[bonesuh]

𓆩⟡𓆪

[cryptic-cerulean]

This is the painting I was working on during Skytober for the theme Bloom!

I wanted to spend a bit more time painting it but after getting sick I decided I should just post it how it is as I think it's already good enough

for anyone curious my asks, requests and commissions are all open ❤️

[crescent-blades]

Father!Kokushibo | Part II

Pairings⌇Kokushibō and his child [c/n], & Kokushibō × wife!Reader. Warnings⌇Refusing to eat or drink/starvation, overexertion

A/N⌇If any of you have seen the earlier version of this, you might notice that this is a bit of a repost. The reason I'm sharing it again is that tumblr apparently hates me and won't let me save that post after adding a few things. So, I figured it would just be easier to just put this out there again, lol.

𖤐ˎˊ˗Masterlist ⌇Part: 1

▪︎Kokushibō would begin training his child; being the strongest and most experienced samurai in history, you could bet that the teachings would be of the highest quality.

▪︎Along with weilding the katana, Kokushibō would also be adamant that his child received a proper education. For that, he would entrust you to teach the child to read and write properly, how to write poems [he could step in if you aren't good at it], and whatnot.

▪︎If you had a daughter, Kokushibō would rely on you to guide her in proper conduct. On the other hand, if you had a son, he would take it upon himself to teach him. [Considering his traditional beleifs]

▪︎There would be many things Kokushibō would teach your child—introducing anything and everything he could. One of which included—

"Here.. I wanted to share this with you.."

▪︎'Go'. Aside from all the trainings and whatnot, Kokushibō would enjoy spending time playing strategic board games with his young one. He didn't just play; he carefully watched every move his child made, trying to understand their thought process. This way, he could anticipate their strategies, pushing them further to think even more critically.

▪︎Kokushibō would provide feedback on every move his child made. If there was a mistake, he would express his disappointment, at times suggesting alternative strategies and what else could have been done. On the other hand, if the move was clever, he would offer praise.

▪︎Despite this, Kokushibō always found a way to twist the game in his favour, making it nearly impossible to win against him each time.

▪︎Kokushibō would not only be a father but also a teacher, quick to teach your young one.

▪︎Unlike his own father, Kokushibō would be much more understanding. He would be strict in terms of his child's behaviour, how they conducted themselves, and even in the way of the sword. However, he would also allow them the freedom to explore their interests and to do whatever they wished, recognising the limitations he faced during his own upbringing.

▪︎As for the breathing styles, Kokushibō would ideally want his child to learn sun breathing, but since he couldn't master it himself, he would opt to teach them moon breathing instead. If the child wasn't strong enough, he would be disappointed but wouldn't mind too much. In fact, he would encourage them to perfect their breathing techniques no matter what style they used.

▪︎Kokushibō's approach to training was quite rigorous. He pushed his child to their limits with each exercise, ensuring that consistency and discipline were maintained. While he provided the training, the actual learning and understanding were left to his child. He didn't believe in spoon-feeding knowledge. After all, it was important for them to grow to be independent and make their own decisions.

▪︎Many a times, Kokushibō would take your child to fight demons and train with them [perhaps even fight a hashira if they encountered one]. He would stand back in the distance and observe them silently. He would not intervene in any way; whatever decisions the child made were theirs and not his; each mistake was a lesson, something he would remind them of after the fight, incorporating those lessons into their training for improvement.

▪︎Kokushibō would nurture and raise his child in such a way that they would be disciplined and incredibly determined, striving for excellence much like their own father.

▪︎Speaking of determined, there was a time, however, when your child would not eat or drink, training and pushing themselves to the maximum, which caused you a great deal of concern. Kokushibō, however, appeared rather unfazed by this, expressing that it was commendable how seriously his child was taking the art of swordsmanship and that he even felt moved.

▪︎But then those few hours stretched into many, and nearly a whole day had passed without your child taking even a sip of water. This was the moment when Kokushibō would finally step in—

"Enough.."The demon stood beside his child, his six eyes fixed intently on them. The child was bleeding from their hands, their muscles worn out and pushed to the limit. "No.. I must not give up..!" Just as the child prepared to swing the wooden sword again, before they could even react, the sword would suddenly be snatched and tossed aside, landing far from reach. "There.. is no benefit in continuing. Your body.. has already reached it's maximum exertion. Whatever you are practicing now is pointless.. rest now and continue tomorrow." "But I need to perfect my—" "You are doing yourself more harm than good.. the state you are in.. you will not be able to practice tomorrow.. an entire day.. would be wasted. It would disrupt your progress. Is that.. what you want?"

▪︎In conclusion, Kokushibō would definitely be a strict father . This means you might find yourself being the more nurturing parent.

▪︎But that is not to say he cannot be compassionate; deep down, he holds great love for his child. His strictness stems from the fact that he wants to see his child excel and be the utmost best; even surpass him one day.

[jmdbjk]

Camping: one bed.

WARNING: CONTINUED POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! I may or may not mention "Are You Sure?" scenes in detail and their outcomes during these long rambling messy posts beginning with the next sentence.

I am 100% certain

Snuggle

happened. I need tumblr to make it possible to use different fonts on one line.

But first. Dinner was cooked.

Reminded me of this... sorry to digress.

That darn glare on the camera:

Jungkook immediately washed his hands after touching Jimin's tongue... don't blame him, I really wouldn't want those kinds of cooties from Jimin either. I love you Jimin but I don't want your stomach bug. Sorry.

Whatever the hell this was...

Jimin had a soaking the meat in the sauce scolding from Jungkook years ago. Okay.

Dinner is served.

There was a moment when perhaps an oops was edited out. Did Jimin mention a brand name accidentally?

They got a kick out of whatever he said because then they recalled that time Tae kept saying brand names during their live back in LA.

JK's face was incredulous like "wtf dude shut up"

Some members were called.

There was a comment about making Tae and Namjoon speak to each other... ??? What in the name of spillage of tea and inside jokes was this about?

Jungkook Facetimes Tae.

So is this where Tae finds out Jimin and JK are doing a travel show? And was JK worried Tae would start saying something about not getting to ride motorbikes? HAHAHAHHAAA welp... we don't know what that was all about.

JK hanging up on Tae was priceless.

Tae cusses him out via text and JK tries to de-escalate with "i love you". JK thought it was hilarious. I wonder if it is not often he gets the upper hand in this dynamic? The push and pull has not abated.

Yoongi's deadpan "what?" when Jimin called: tell me you get a lot of frivolous phone calls from Park Jimin without telling me you get a lot of frivolous and pointless calls from Park Jimin.

Some reflecting happens...

Jimin says regardless of how its going so far, he thinks its good he came so Jungkook could travel around and relax as he embarks on his first solo promotions. Jungkook says he is grateful and Jimin says he has regrets and Jungkook brushes it off. Just enjoy it now he says. I think this is the moment they both relax and they are back in their groove. Jungkook really needs quality time with his Jimin. Just enjoy... finally... that's where JK is at this point.

Finally, lights out. There's a camera in there but its too dark... we only hear this:

Jimin: "You seem cold, Jungkook. Come here." (I suspect Jimin may be running a temp at this time)

Jungkook: "I'll sleep without the blanket." (In an attempt to make Jimin comfortable.)

Jimin: "Come here, Jungkook." (insisting)

They were sleeping in very close proximity. It's a miracle if JK did not catch the stomach bug too.

The snoring that is loud enough you can actually hear it even with the music track and sound effects playing:

MMA elbows flew in the night and Jimin got smacked in the nose. It even swoll up a bit. Also, more diarrhea. My man didn't get much sleep. He was miserable.

Crew delivers pepto, JK pours a dose but does Jimin down it? We aren't sure because we don't see it. My man... please help yourself out of this (literal) mess. Though we only see the pepto being delivered I will assume other precautions were taken in that they made him drink plenty of fluids, took his temp, contemplated whether to abort the mission, etc. Knowing Jimin, he declined that last option.

Jungkook: "you came all the way here for nothing but pain."

Jimin: "I came so far ... smacked by your elbow... stomach bug... I can't even eat... and I had a fever, why am I even here? it gets sadder by the moment..."

They were laughing about it. What else could they do? It was a genuine moment.

So Jimin slept while Jungkook made himself some coffee.

Me either, Jungkook. Need coffee.

And spent some time building a rock cairn tower so he could send up some wishes to the universe. That was something else.

It was such a precious thing to watch.

Please no falling in the water, no explosive diarrhea, no broken bones or loss of blood... well... that last one though... little did they know.

In my opinion, even though Jimin was struggling with his illness, the activities were healing and bonding. We'll have to wait for the behinds to see what else happened. I wonder if they will release that this week or wait and drop them after the final episode in September.

Regardless, I am thankful for this window we get to see them together, after two years of knowing Jimin was working so hard and seeing Jungkook light up time after time, wanting to see him, especially the first half of 2023.

They are together right this minute, though they are the most isolated members of the group from whatever is happening. Not knowing how much information they are able to receive about what's going on, I know they will at least have each other to talk to until things get resolved.

On to Episode 2...

[flowery-laser-blasts]

What are , your Head Cannon , for Drakken and Shego and , Kim and Ron :

Got lots of headcanons so I give 3 random ones for each: Ron - In Pre-K, Ron received a very colorful and glittery friendship bracelt from Kim. He wore it all the time but eventually got bullied for it by other kids. One day Kim noticed that he didn't wear it and thought it was because of the bullies, she decided to not mention it. The real reason why Ron didn't wear it is because the braceltclip broke off, causing the beads to fall everywhere. He spent an entire afternoon trying to find back all of the beads and repair the bracelet, but with his parents being to busy, he placed the beads in a little bag and kept it in his treasurebox underneath his bed, where it still remains till this day. - Ron is smart but it highly depends on what the context is. If you ask him to solve an equation, he'll be having a hard time. But the moment you ask him the same equation but make it sound like it has to do with "figuring out how many coupons I need for Bueno Nacho" or so... he'll solve it within moments. - Ron takes care of his nails and hands, especially since he's into cooking. He doesn't want anything underneath his nails nor does he want food to stick to him while preparing stuff. Hygene is no 1 priority when it comes to preparing food; eating food, however, is a whole different story. Kim - After the Zombie Mayhem tournament, Kim secretely continues to play the video game. She doesn't want to admit it but it was more fun than she expected it to be. She secretely trains in order to surprise Ron with a match someday. - Kim and Ron decided to dress up as Miriam and Jonathan for Halloween Trick or Treating and later on Kim reused the costume for her presentation on Miriam in college. - Kim has become less worried about brands over the years, especially after realising how dumb it was after people wore her mission outfit for a few days, only to jump onto the next best thing. She still is into looking into the latest fashion but thrifts it and tries to make it her own. Together with Monique they started upcycling clothes. Monique has her own business now. Drakken - After Graduation part 2. Drakken started working on improving the quality of the world rather than trying to take it over: Being praised for being a beloved saviour has better gloating perks than being a failing villain that has to hop from lair to lair. Though he does miss the thrill of villainy every now and then. So he sometimes does petty crimes like shoplifting a screwdriver from Planettool or anonymously blaming a fellow scientist for causing a chemical fire that resulted in a three months shutdown..., ...some tax evasion. - Drakken's scar was a result of eyebrow trimming - Drakken has a distaste for okra and bellpeppers and will pick those out of a dish no matter who prepared it. Shego - After Graduation part 2. Shego got tasked to train some of Global Justice's newest agents. She enjoyed it and eventually became an independent hitwoman for a while. After that she just decided retiring early is nice (especially with the money Drakken was making for both of them with his new job). She now does whatever... pretty much what she's always been doing. But also meets up with Kim and rekindled their sisterly bond in stop team go. - Shego is a horrible cook and either relies on someone else cooking for her or having take out/going to a restaurant. However after retiring early, she decided to try and get into cooking... a bit... the kitchen burned down. - Shego hates to admit it but the Snowman Hank song became an earworm. She hummed it once and noticed Drakken smiling widely from the corner of her eye.. or was that just her imagination? She doesn't dare to ask...

Hope it all makes sense. Still recovering from a cold so my typing isn't the most coherend at the moment :')

EDIT: I WISH TUMBLR WOULD STOP SCREWING UP THE COLORS IN THIS POST

[one-green-frog]

Post Surgery Cuddles

Hobie x ftm!reader

Fluff

Thank you for requesting anon, and sorry this took so long as you know tumblr isnt really nice to me rn :)

Y/N spent the day sitting on the couch and being pampered by Hobie, his lovely boyfriend. Just a few days ago, he finally got his top surgery, after many long nights working overtime and saving like a mad man. Hobie, the supportive boyfriend that he is, also occasionally contributed to the funds and Y/N luckily decided not to comment on the not so legally acquired money. Right now Hobie is in the kitchen preparing a neal for both of them, the surgery was draining for both of them. He was worried that soemthign might go wrong during it, but luckily Y/N came out drowsy and disoriented .

"They took my boobs" will forever be ingrained in Hobie's mind, and nothing will stop him at reminding his boyfriend of the many, many embarassing things he said while doped up on pain medication.

Y/N couldn't wish for a better partner in life, Hobie always prioritized him, he even "neglected" his Spider-man duties for him. The pre-surgery anxiety really hit him hard and he is so thankful that Hobie stayed with him all the time. Late night movies that turned into a cuddle session, home-cooked meals that turned into an eating contest, it didn't matter, Hobie was always there to take his mind off of any bad thoughts.

While this was great for Y/N you needed all the support and kind words Hobie offered his absence in a certain HQ caused some troubles. Especially for Miguel. But let's be honest, Hobie wouldn't care what Miguel thinks of him, his boyfriend needed him and that was all he could think about. Although he did forget to mention his leave to a certain group of spider-teens, who decided to take matters into their own hands.

Miles, Gwen and Pavitr all came to Hobie's dimension and started to look for him at their usual meet-up spots, but unfortunately they couldn't find him anywhere. As they ran out of places to look, Pav suggested tracking his watch, Miles was hesitant at first but he didn't have a better idea and they wanted to make sure that Hobie was actually alright. When they pinned down his location and arrived they weren't expecting to look through an apartment window at a romantic Hobie spoon feeding who was presumably his partner.

Sensing some eyes on them, both Hobie and Y/N turned to look out the window and saw 3 pairs of eyes looking back at them. Not wanting to force them to stick on the wall outside, Hobie opened the window for the teens to crawl inside. They stood there, embarrassed for being caught, but also glad that Hobie was still alive and well, the uncomfortable silence growing larger by the second as Hobie just sat down next to his partner again, a smug look on his face.

"Sooo.... uh, we didn't mean to..to interrupt you two, " Miles said awkwardly, removing his mask. "We were just worried since you didn't show up... for quite some time, 0" Gwen chimed in, all the while Pavitr used the time to admire the appartement and talk about how great it was decorated.

"Sorry, but my boyfriend here needed mew and thinking that my sudden absence would also piss of Miguel I killed two birds with one stone. Although I did seem to forget to tell you lads. "

Realizing that Hobie was alright while also hinting for them to leave so he could spend some quality time with his boyfriend, the teens left. Through the window.

Finally getting the peace and quiet back into the apartment, Hobie began to tell Y/N some stories about the gangs adventures while feeding Y/N, who still persisted that he didn't need that much help. The rest of the day was spent with his and cuddles and the occasional pill when the pain from the surgery intensified.

Again I'm sorry this took me so long to finish, i hope you like it.

[longtimespentinagalaxyfaraway]

Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan

As of last night, entires 11 - 15 of my challenge have been completed!

wow tumblr just eat that photo quality i guess. yike

Continuing after the events of Force Storm (with two months between the end of Force Storm and the beginning of this one), issues #1 - 5 of Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan are once again by the Ostrander + Duursema team and published by Dark Horse end of 2012 into 2013.

Overall thunks:

Very much intrigued by the Hawk Ryo and Daegan Lok storyline, I love a good "brothers to enemies".

Missed Tasha this series - felt like she was only in a couple of scenes. :((

As mentioned in my liveblog post I am enjoying the friendship between Shae and Sek'nos.

I do wish we could get some more relationship and character development - it feels like there are so many characters that we are only getting to surface know everyone and I could really use some good digging in. I may have to turn to writing fanfic to flesh out some missing scenes, we shall see.

Trill's look would be so dang cool if it wasn't for that stupid, stupid boob window. It's not even really a window in a way that feels in line with the costume, it feels like someone took an vibroblade to the top of her armor, cut out the WEIRDEST shape you've ever seen and then fashion taped her boobs to the squares.

Seriously. WHAT. IS. THIS. I'm so upset by that gap there too. And her boobs just sit in that metal or plasteel armor and don't get chafed or scratched because they just water balloon perfectly because she's a female duh. Rant is almost over but like her costume could have been so cool except for this absolute nonsense. It's not even sexy or attractive looking. Why are men

Okay, rant over, really enjoying getting the bit more of Tril and Xesh's backstory this time around. And...

(spoilers...)

.

.

.

When he didn't recognize her?? That look on his face where there wasn't even a flash of memory, and then her smile, oooh that was good. Apparently the Rakata messed with his memories - because of course they did.

Boobage rant aside, I am really enjoying this series. The next trade paperback is way overdue at my library so I've got to read and return it soon, so that will probably be either today or tomorrow.

[sylvyspritii]

Perhaps a bit of a vent post?

Hello everyone I know i don't usually like, make actual blogposts But lately, things have just been very hard (NOTE: IF YOU ARE A MUSIC CLIENT, OR A POTENTIAL MUSIC CLIENT, STOP READING THIS RIGHT NOW AND PRETEND YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS EVER) You know what really sucks? Work life seperation When you're a freelancer without a working location, you have to do everything at home, but my apartment is a mess, and i keep being disturbed Lately, i've been feeling worse Not just with work i mean, but like, in general, mentally speaking, i've felt like i've been struggling hard, especially with my ADHD lately, it feels like i've been in a state of "overwhelmedness" for the past 3 weeks or so (NOTE TO THE CLIENTS OR POTENTIAL CLIENTS WHO DIDN'T LISTEN TO THE FIRST WARNING: THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU, DON'T FEEL GUILTY, I CAN SCHEDULE MY OWN WORK HOURS AND THERE WILL BE NO ISSUES) Like, basically, i've been feeling like i've been having a constant state of more than 30 thoughts at once, all at the same time, and they consist of various things; daydreaming, loud sounds, worries, fears, music, guilt, and so much more, it's like, a constant state of being overwhelmed and overstimulated, and i'm so worried about resting and cancelling stuff or regressing in my attempts to improve my sleeping, eating, and work schedule (which are the things i priortise), it's all been so complicated lately, not because things are /actually/ complicated, but because i experience everything to be far worse than it actually is right now, and i'm having a lot of trouble finding the right things i "need" to focus on when i have these constant barages of thoughts and overstimulation inside of me It's been really difficult... I know i appear weak by saying things like this, it's VERY unprofessional (CLIENTS AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS, IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS; AGAIN, THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU, DON'T WORRY, I WILL FINISH EVERYTHING IN TIME AND DELIVER THE QUALITY I PROMISED, STOP READING THIS) I just wish i could like, stop time, and like, transport myself to a different dimension, something less cruel than our world, because that's another thing i'm struggling so much with right now; all the worries about how fucking cruel the world is, it's really overwhelming Don't worry, i do have medicine and other professional help and stuff, but like, still, i remember, you know, back in the old days of Tumblr, where i would actually be honest sometimes, and right now, i just feel like it could be nice to have a bit of that feeling, that feeling that perhaps some of you understand There's too much wrong right now, i don't know where to begin describing everything, but i'm doing my best, and there's no need to worry too much about me, i am an adult and i can recover from this, but i need time, and some patience perhaps I'm doing my best okay, i really am, and i'm sorry for not being perfect, i really can't be

[brb-on-a-quest]

I actually have something for this! (Sorry for the late response, @igotthisaccountunderduress, but it only just now occurred to me that Tumblr would be at least vaguely interested in one (1) possibly edible item found in my stocking).

My family didn't do a lot of presents this year in favor of bigger items (gift cards to places we liked, etc.) but my four siblings and I each got identical stockings filled with approximately the same things that are not at all geared towards particular flavor profiles to keep things equal (the youngest siblings are 7 and 11 and are very much in favor of keeping things fair). This normally isn't a problem at all because it's just different varieties of Amish Discount Store Chocolate that's probably expired and from a different holiday set (Because it's an Amish discount store you can get so much stuff in bulk and I do mean *in bulk*- I worked at one for a summer, and we sold marshmallow fluff only 5-gallon buckets, probably because they buy all of it cheap from big retailers trying to do quality control or something? Someone explained it to me once, but I just shrug and enjoy getting 3 pounds bags of off-brand M&M's for maybe three dollars, last I saw it).

The point is you'll find a lot of weird things in these Amish Discount stores (I really wish someone would make a YouTube channel about it just taste testing it all, but it will not be my calling) and by some divine stroke of fate, this ended up in all our stockings Christmas Morning:

(Image: a pack of orange-flavored Twizzlers that are filled with orange cream pop stuff. They claim to be low-fat, but that's probably because I doubt anyone actually eats them).

This becomes slightly more tragic when you have the additional context of 1) I can't stand Twizzlers due to a very vivid dream I had when I was very young and was convinced Twizzlers were food for horses and Not Fit For Human Consumption for about fifteen years of my life. 2) I despise artificial orange flavoring with every fiber of my being because it reminds me of medication I had to take when I was a kid that was vaguely orange flavored. This quirk is very low-level lore about me, so I'm very surprised that it turned up.

This leads me to classify this package as a crime against the culinary arts and candy making in general, and I have already pawned it off to someone else who may enjoy it more than I would (sorry, Mom, but in my defense, she doesn't remember buying it for us, and she also hates it).

Hope you enjoyed, sorry this turned out longer than I expected, I ramble a lot at 2 a.m., but thanks for the tag!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I thought this could be fun and we could start a post of what we got for Christmas! So I’ll go first and tag some people. No pressure if you don’t want too!

1. I got lots of candy!

2. I got new hoop earrings and a tshirt of my fave singer (and the group he’s in)

3. I got this green cargo jacket and my first pair of converse shoes

4. I got the Black Dahlia Necklace that MJ gets from Peter and hopefully I’m getting this adorable Spideychelle loungefly! I haven’t been able to get the bag yet but hopefully my mom found it and it’ll be here soon!!!!

Tagging: @accidental-spice @aintinacage @kanerallels @aeterna-auroral-avenger @dragonrider9905 @indoraptorgirlwind @cyphers-and-sunspots @igotthisaccountunderduress @miinsie and anyone else that wants to join in. Again no pressure but I’d love to see what you all got for Christmas if you are willing to share!

[tiredandsleepyx]

A Game For Two

Chapter 1: get married, they said

Wolf Boys Royalty Au

"I am well aware of what I am speaking about, Mother. I have told you numerous times that I wished to marry for love. Not to marry some dumb oaf whose only good quality is that he is a king with considerable wealth and power," they said, looking pointedly at him.

Dumb oaf? Only good quality being that he was king? 

Him?

-_-_-_-

Pairing(s): David/Angel, implied Asher/Babe

Content: enemies to lovers, fluff and angst, romantic comedy, squabbling, arranged marriage

A/N: I posted this yesterday on tumblr and ao3 but tumblr eated it </3 so here is the repost. Thank you to my beta reader @yaegashi and @zozo-01 for helping me with my ideas 💕

Read On AO3 <333

-------

David Shaw was used to all eyes being on him. 

It was only natural for the only son of one of the most powerful and influential kingdoms to be under constant scrutiny from the general public. Yet even after all these years of being king, ever since the passing of his father and the beloved previous king, he could still feel the weight of the world sitting on his shoulders. 

David swore he wouldn't crumble under his responsibilities.

The room fell silent as soon as he walked in. David recognized most of the faces of the people looking at him in the room; among them were courtiers, advisors, and nobles. David not only commanded respect with his title: he had proven he deserved it through his actions while ruling. But today, there was more than admiration in the gazes of the people watching him, and the room was so tense that David could feel himself suffocating under everyone's calculating stares. 

Did they think that just because he was being asked to marry someone for the sake of the kingdom, he'd strangle the lot of them to death? It sure seemed like it, with the way they all seemed afraid to even breathe too loudly. The only sound that echoed across the hushed room was the quiet rustling of papers.

As embarrassed as he was to admit it, David had never actually met them before, them in this case referring to the particular individual he was to marry. They had arrived at his kingdom a week prior to the meeting, yet David had been so busy that in his place, he'd had one of the nobles greet them and get the family situated. From what he had heard, they had spent the entire week making friends with the noble heirs, so much so that now they had a gaggle of giggling noble scions who could always be found having a good time in the vast courtyard. 

As David took his seat at the table, their parents, who had arrived far earlier, informed him that they should be arriving any minute now. He could barely hear the chatter and the rustling of the papers over the pounding of his heart.

David Shaw would have rather been fighting a war than sitting in that chair, nervously waiting for the person he was to spend the rest of his life with.

The doors burst open, and David watched as a figure giggled and shooed away their little entourage of noble heirs. They promptly closed the door behind them with a soft click and turned around, letting David catch a proper glimpse of them for the first time.

They were beautiful. Their clothes were perfectly tailored to compliment their body in every way possible, and their hair was mussed just enough that it made them look both roguishly charming and still presentable.

They would have been even more attractive if they didn't look like they wanted to tear his head off his shoulders.

Their scowl could kill thousands. David could physically feel everyone in the room shiver under their chilling glare. 

The sound of their father clearing his throat was what brought David back to reality. Apparently, it did the same for them, because when he looked back at them, he caught the last remnants of a reproachful glare before it quickly faded into a pleasant smile.

"Greet the king first," their mother reprimanded, giving them a look.

They turned to face David before flashing him the most dazzling grin he had ever seen. 

"Good afternoon, King David," they said politely, and David had to remember to greet them back just as courteously, too distracted and disoriented by their presence. 

As the room started to discuss the marriage between the two, David noticed that everyone kept asking for his opinion on the arrangements, never theirs. The sun had started to set and the room had grown colder and colder yet they had barely said two words the entire time. Their parents and everyone else seemed to ignore them, creating plans of their own.

It was nearly dinnertime when they finally spoke again. The planning had just started wrapping up and a courtier had turned and told them that they were probably very happy to be marrying David. As everyone laughed at the statement, their voice rang out, loud and clear.

"I do not wish to marry him. I'm only doing so as I am being forced for the sake of the kingdom."

Their parents whirled around, thunderstruck, and immediately apologized to him, saying that they had no clue what they were talking about. David watched as they rolled their eyes at their parents' pleas, taking up that same casual, almost flippant tone again.

"I am well aware of what I am speaking about, Mother. I have told you numerous times that I wished to marry for love. Not to marry some dumb oaf whose only good quality is that he is a king with considerable wealth and power," they said, looking pointedly at him.

Dumb oaf? Only good quality being that he was king? 

Him?

The silence from when he entered the room was incomparable to the silence that followed their words, the temperature of the room plunging even further as he stood up. It was so still, it seemed like the world had come to a pause, everyone gathered there waiting with bated breath to see how David would react to such a slight. The summer crickets were deathly silent, the ongoing wind seemed to have halted, and the uncomfortable tension in the room was so palpable it could easily be cut with a knife.

David stood at his full, towering stature and narrowed his eyes at them, expecting an apology for the insult. Their parents grabbed their arm and tried to force them to apologize to the king but David watched as they wrenched their arm from their mother's grasp and strode up to him.

They marched right up to him, barely leaving an inch of space between their bodies, and fixed him with a glare so cold that it made David shiver internally. 

Then, they smirked.

"What's the matter, Your Highness? Don't like it when people speak their mind? Better get used to it, because you'll be hearing it from me for the rest of your miserable life."

David's mouth dried up as they smiled thinly at him and started fixing his tailored suit, dusting off his chest before turning back to their parents.

"I agreed to marry him. I never agreed to love him. Do not put words in my mouth."

It was then that David lost all hope for salvaging what would be their marriage and the rest of his life.

The next six months passed without a hitch for the royal court; however, David was starting to understand what they told him about leading a miserable rest of his life. 

He had spent half a year trying to get to know his fiance before they were wedded, yet in all that time, every single conversation he'd had with them had devolved into an argument. And, most infuriatingly, they always won. Rain or shine, David was always on the receiving end of that shit-eating grin. It was like they were trying to get a rise out of him, test his patience, and bring him to the breaking point. They always had some sort of ace up their sleeve, no matter what, and David was losing sleep at night thanks to that smirk of theirs.

Any normal person would call off the wedding. If they couldn't get along before marriage, there obviously wouldn't even be a chance after marriage, right? But it was for the betterment and expansion of his kingdom, and more importantly, his way of honoring the kingdom his father had nurtured and developed, so it had to be done regardless of David's feelings on the matter. 

Their fleeting touches and lingering gazes didn't help either. Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether they hated him or not. They were always looking at him with disdain, but, on occasion, David would see another expression ornament their gorgeous features. But it was always gone the moment they caught him watching them, the sour look returning with renewed vigor.

David caught himself looking at them quite often, actually. He had passed by them in the courtyard, surrounded by their noble friends on the way to a meeting. It was the first time he had caught them completely enjoying themself. A gentle breeze brushed through their hair as they threw back their head, their laughter filling the courtyard. It rang through every well kept bush, tree, and blade of grass, and David watched as their friends joined in, looking at them with a sort of admiration. He went to bed that night wondering what wrong he had done in this life or any previous ones to be hated by one of the most well liked people in the kingdom.

By the time their wedding rolled around, the ceremony was the talk of not only his kingdom, but also many neighboring kingdoms. Prince Asher, Prince Milo, and several other princes and princesses with whom David had grown up playing were attending the celebrations. To no one's surprise (and very many people's dismay, David's most of all), it was named the biggest event of the year.

Colorful banners decorated the entirety of the kingdom. The city square was bustling like it had never had before; smells of fresh food and the chatter of the attendees filled every square inch of the place. 

The night before the big day, David, Asher, and Milo took a carriage to the tailor's, where David had to pick up his wedding suit. 

In the end, David had to drag Asher, who was chatting up the royal tailor to no end, away from the small shop once he'd picked up his clothes. 

"Well, best friend duties call, gorgeous," Asher finally called to the tailor with a wink, watching as they let out a soft huff of laughter before seeing them out and giving him a small wave. Neither theirs nor Asher's blushes went unnoticed by David and especially Milo, who teased him the entire way back to the palace. As much as David rolled his eyes, it was comforting to have them by his side during this stressful time.

The following evening, half the kingdom and many friends from different realms attended the showstopping celebration. 

When David caught his first glimpse of his betrothed in their wedding attire, he briefly forgot how to breathe. They were… well, they were nothing short of a bombshell, commanding everyone's gaze with effortless ease. 

David's world came to a pause in that moment, because it seemed as though he had been sent an angel, one who would take up his every thought and feeling with the warmth of their embrace.

They stood by each other as they took their vows, and David couldn't help but keep glancing at them, trying (and likely failing) to be subtle. Gorgeously decked out in a perfectly tailored gold and pink outfit that matched his, they looked stunning. It seemed David wasn't the only one who felt that way, either, if the envious whispers of the crowd were anything to go off of.

"You look stunning this evening," David attempted in a whisper.

"Thank you. I wanted to wear blue and silver," they whispered back, not even giving him enough face to look at him while speaking.

Wait a minute. 

David had been told that they'd selected the colors of the wedding theme and outfits. If they hadn't liked the appearance of the clothes and venue, then… who had selected them?

"Odd… I was told you had selected pink and gold because it was to your liking," he mused. 

David had never seen them whip around so quickly, nor seen them look so incredulous and indignant.

"Me? My parents said you wouldn't marry me unless we went with pink and gold," they muttered back under their breath, quickly letting their lips curve into a beautiful grin to cover up the mid-vow conversation.

"Why would the color matter to me so much that I would choose not to marry you?" David asked, genuinely perplexed.

Before they could answer though, the officiator prompted them to exchange their vows.

They hesitated for a moment, and David's heart dropped. Evidently, they didn't like him very much, but were they really about to embarrass him in front of thousands of people? 

"I do."

David let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and went in to give them a quick kiss as asked of him by the officiator. They returned the kiss with ease, but broke off fairly quickly in favor of a quick chat with their parents. David could sense some tension as they approached them, so he followed in quick, easy strides.

"Why is this wedding pink and gold?" they questioned their parents immediately with a jabbing finger at him. "He said he didn't care about the colors and that you said that I said that I wanted gold and pink. You know I hate pink."

Their father frowned. "Don't cause a scene at your own wedding. It will reflect badly on the family, so fix your facial expression.  We will discuss this later." 

This was how their parents treated them on their own wedding day? David knew if his own father had been alive, he would have tried his very best to make this the best day possible for David and his new mate. He opened his mouth to speak up for them when they grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dance floor with a huff.

"Ignore them, we have to hurry up and get our first dance over with," they grumbled, grabbing his hands and placing them on their body. David stared at them, trying to figure out something to say to them to lighten the mood.

"Plan on dancing or just staring at me like a creep, your highness?"

David snapped out of his thoughts and was once again met with a shit-eating grin from them, as if they knew something he didn't. He rolled his eyes and took the lead, spinning and twirling and dancing the way he had been taught for years. They mirrored his movements with ease, as if this was what they had been meant to do the entire time. Dance the night away under the stars, as if no one was watching. 

The sounds of conversation, tinkling of glasses filled with rich drinks, and the whispers of the evening breeze all faded away until it was just him and them.

They pulled away as soon as the song was over, as if to remind him what they had was just a publicity stunt and solely for convenience, nothing more. He watched as they went to talk to their friends, grabbing the group and bringing them to the dance floor. They looked like they were having the time of their life with their friends surrounding them, swinging each other around and singing along to the songs. The tension in their stance had completely evaporated, completely unlike when they'd had to dance with him. 

Before could brood any longer, two pairs of hands grabbed him and dragged him to dance. It was his wedding, and Asher and Milo would absolutely not let him off without several dances.

The rest of the night was a blur. David danced and drank with his best friends. He let the stress of his position go; for one day in his life, he put down his title as king and enjoyed himself as David. 

When David returned to their shared room, they were already getting ready for bed. Before he could say anything, they were already spilling some choice words out to him.

"If you say anything about consummating our marriage I will pick each of your eyebrow hairs off individually and force feed them down your throat. I won't be caught dead sleeping with your ass."

David narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

They finally turned to look at him, a sickly sweet smile plastered on their face. "I don't like you. I don't like this marriage. Tomorrow my parents are going to ask the very embarrassing question of whether we did the deed last night like we are required to, and you are going to say we did. You are going to look bashful and they will be satisfied. Then you do whatever it is kings do. Sleep with other people, entertain better people, and ignore me. Got it?"

David could feel a headache coming on. He had been a fool to think this marriage could ever work out.

"I want to sleep on the right side of the bed," they said pointedly, giving him a look.

Of course they wanted the side David slept on.

"What if I wanted to sleep on the right side?" David retorted, raising his eyebrow and returning their look with a glare of his own.

"Then cry about it and sleep on the right side of the floor," they replied, getting under the plush covers of his king sized bed on the right side. David listened as the rustling of the sheets was quickly replaced by the soft snores of his mate. His haughty, disagreeable nightmare of a mate.

The floor was cold that night, even with the extra comforters and pillows he'd laid out for himself. David looked out the window for most of the night, watching the full moon and wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into.

As he finally drifted off, David decided that if they were going to make his life miserable, two could play at that game.

[falcqns]

hey darling, i love your writing very much! your blog is pretty much my safe place here.

Could i perhaps request a scenario like this one?

“little!reader being absolutely awed by bucky’s metal arm but bucky is like “😬umm🧑🏻‍🦯get away from me….” ( you can choose if it’s ws bucky or tfatws bucky!) but he later feels bad and make/buy little a teddy with silver sleeve”

𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫

✰ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: post Endgame!TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x little!Reader

✰ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you meet Bucky after the death of your former caregiver, Natasha.

✰ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: fluff, mentions of endgame, natasha's death (splatasha) [sorry], slight angst.

✰ 𝐚/𝐧: thank you for the request, and I hope you enjoy! I used post endgame and tfatws bucky (the beginning takes place at Tony's funeral, the rest takes place during TFATWS). i changed it a little, i hope that's okay!

don't forget to read and reblog, and i do not give permission for my works to be posted anywhere other than tumblr. thank you.

Bucky remembers seeing you for the first time. it was at Tony's funeral, and you were stood, holding Wanda's hand as you watched the arc reacted float off into the lake.

your eyes were puffy, and you were chewing on your lip, clearly trying not to cry. you continued to hold Wanda's hand even as the funeral ended, and everyone began to converse, and catch up after 5 long years. she tried to get you to eat, but you shook your head as him and Sam approached them.

Bucky flexed his metal hand, looking down at his feet as Wanda and Sam spoke. he was barely listening as it seemed that Sam and Wanda were figuring out care for you, which confused him. why would you need care? as far as he could tell, you were an adult, despite looking a little sad.

"i wish i could care for her, but i'm still struggling with V-Vision's death," Wanda stuttered carefully, glancing at you. your eye was locked on Bucky's newly revealed arm, as he took off his jacket, feeling warm in the spring air surrounding him. she looked back at Sam.

"i don't want to hand her off to some government caregiver, but i also don't want to keep her with me, and she not get the quality care she needs." Wanda explains, and Sam nodded.

"yeah, makes sense." he said, and glanced sideways at Bucky before answering. "well, i'm headed back to Louisiana tomorrow, so i can take her with me. the change of scenery might do her some good." he said, and Wanda nodded.

"yeah, that's what i'm thinking too." Wanda said, and they both looked to the side as Bucky made an weird noise, and yanked his arm away from you.

during the conversation, you had slowly moved closer to Bucky, and had reached out for his arm, which startled him, and caused him to jump back. you, however, couldn't understand why he didn't want you to touch him, and your chin wobbled as your eyes filled up with tears.

before either Sam or Wanda could say anything, you took of running towards the forest behind you, leaving Wanda to chase after you.

"oh shit," Bucky said, wincing at your retreating back. "i didn't mean to upset her, she just scared me, is all. wasn't expecting to see her standing there." Bucky said to Sam, and Sam nodded, patting Bucky's shoulder.

"i know, don't worry." he said. "she's a little, and Natasha was her caregiver for many years." he explained, but stopped seeing Bucky's confused look. "age regression. its commonly a therapy technique where someone reverts to a younger state of mind. she's age regressed, and she also just lost her caregiver after not being alive for 5 years. she's confused, and emotional, so don't worry about upsetting her, she just needs some time."

it was 6 months later, and Bucky hadn't stopped thinking about you. he knew that you were living with Sam, and that he was taking care of you, but he hadn't seen you or talked to you since you ran away from him at the funeral.

despite working with Sam on defeating the Flag Smashers, he only saw you again after Karli's death. he had briefly seen you during the party at Sam's, but you had only come out of the house to talk to Sam, and then disappeared once more.

today, however, Sarah had taken the boys to see some relatives, so you and Sam were the only ones left in the house today.

"bubba!" Sam called through the house. he was in the kitchen, preparing a snack, while you were up in your room, playing with your Barbies. "snack time!" he said, and then smiled when he heard your feet run across the floor upstairs. you came bounding down the stairs, but skidded to a stop when you saw Bucky in the room.

"h-hi." Bucky said, seeing the fear in your eyes. he hated that that fear was there because of him, and he wanted to make it right. his eyes followed Sam as he placed the plate with your snack down on the table, and backed out of the room. "i- uhm." he stuttered, placing a large gift bag on the table. "i know we didn't get off on the best foot, but I want to make it right."

you tilted your head at him as he continued. "i didn't mean to make you think that I hated you. you just scared me, is all." he explained. "i was going to come after you, but Sam told me not to. I know it doesn't fix the fear you have of me, but i thought maybe this," he slid the bag toward you. "would help."

you took the bag tentatively, and opened it. there was a bear inside, from build a bear. one of the arms was grey, and had the design of his arm on it, while the rest of the bear was black.

"i thought that would substitute for my arm when I'm not here. also," he said gesturing to the bag as well.

you looked at him confused, but opened the bag again. you gasped as you saw the other bear, that was clearly dressed as Black Widow, your mama.

"m-mama!" you said, and hugged the bear to your chest. you broke down in sobs when you heard the feminine voice of your mama float through the bear.

"i love you, my sweet, sweet girl."

you squeezed the bear tighter, and sobbed. Bucky came around the table and opened his arms, letting you fall into them and sob at the sound of your mama's voice.

"miss mama," you sobbed into his chest. "so, so much."

"i miss her too," he said, and rubbed your back. "she made that bear for you during the Blip." he explained as you pulled away from the bear and looked at it. "it was in an indestructible, fireproof box, and it was one of the only things that survived the destruction of the compound. she also left you this letter." he said, handing you an envelope.

you took it from him, and opened it, smiling through your tears when you saw Natasha's handwriting.

'my sweet baby girl,

not a day goes by where i don't miss you with all my heart. i often think about how scary it must have been, in that Wakandan castle, all alone with I fought for you.

because its true, i didn't fight for anyone, but you. you were the only thing on my mind the entire battle. i cant even imagine how confused and scared you were, seeing yourself turn to dust.

the only thing keeping me going anymore is the thought that maybe, someday, somehow, i'll get you back.

i haven't touched your playroom in our old apartment. i haven't touched anything there, because i know you'll freak on me if i touch your baby dolls.

i made you this bear in case you come back, and i'm not here. even if i am, i want you to know i am always with you.

you are the light of my life, baby girl, and Mama can't wait to hold you, nurse you, kiss you.

i love you.

- Mama <3'

"i can't bring your Mama back, or fix the heartbreak your feeling, but i was thinking maybe, eventually, i could be your caregiver?" he asked. "it doesn't have to be right now, but i know that you don't have one, and that Sam is only temporary."

you nodded, and fell back into his arms.

"it's on your terms. whenever you feel ready, you tell me, okay?" he asked, cradling you against him.

"otay." you whispered, snuggling up to him.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

(this is a comfort ask because its happening college and is 100% not fun) How would the main skeles and the toriels comfort and help their friend if its several weeks into college and they just feel really lonely because they haven't made any friends still? As its just really hard for them to talk to people they don't know. In the sense they just can't talk to them unless they either know them, or have something in common EX: liking video games

Undertale Sans - Don't worry, your cool pal got this. Who cares about other humans when he can introduce you to some monsters he already knows and share the same interests? That's how you found yourself head in head with Monster (not so) Kid (anymore) talking about your last video game's session.

Undertale Papyrus - He can still coach you ! He's good at that ! He's getting all his friend dates manual out of the hole behind the sink in his kitchen, full of dogs praying another little white dog. You're not sure what is surprising you the most in all this. You can train with Alphys and himself and roleplay ! It's terribly awkward, but it kinda works ?

Undertale Toriel - How about you and her talked this out around some pie? Toriel is a patient listener and she is a very good advice. She might even propose you to go see Papyrus so he can coach you since he is really good at this.

Underswap Sans - The next day, your face is on pieces of papers everywhere on the campus with a "WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE MY FRIEND ? PLEASE CALL" with your phone number. Welp. That's your life now. It's kinda work, everyone knows who you are now.

Underswap Papyrus - "let me introduce you to my lord and savior tumblr". Who needs friends in real life when you can chat with online people all day long when class is boring? Honey is very popular on the site and will literally ask all his followers to come and say hi. You never had so much PM before in your life.

Underfell Sans - "Show them you're stronger! Hit them in the face!" Yeah, no. You're planning to do exactly the contrary of that. Red is not exactly a good advice. He has no idea how you make friends either, it sorts of happen to him by miracle. And anyway, you have him??? Is it not enough or something?

Underfell Papyrus - He has no idea either. Copy him ? He doesn't do anything and it's working. The next day, you embraces the edgy style with black clothes, black make up, spikey collars and all. Edge feels offended the second you try to imitate his voice. He's sulking all day long. Red thinks it's the funniest shit he had seen in his life and that you reminding him of teenage Edge, all "I TOLD YOU THIS IS NOT A PHASE" while crying because he was way too emotive. Edge is even more pissed off now. He takes his cat and goes to scream in a pillow in his room like the edgy dramatic not-so-teenager-anymore he is.

Horrortale Sans - :( He doesn't like to see you like this, and he doesn't have any idea to help you either. So he'll do the only best medicine he knows : a session of cuddle inside his hoodie. You can talk to him, he's listening.

Horrortale Papyrus - Well, first of all, you're not giving up! He taught you better than this! Second, he's going to coach you the best he can, and last, he helps you to open a club. You like video games right? Well if you're opening a video games club, people who likes video games will come! Up to work! He's doing the flyers! He's even going to be your first member. You can't say no.

Horrortale Toriel - Well they don't desserve you. Do you wish her to poison them ? She's good at poisonning people. You are a bit concerned and asked for a hug instead. Thankfully she accepts. Though, the next day, she gives you suspect cookies to give to people who says no to your friendship, while insisting a lot about you to not eat them. You decide to gently discard them in the nearest bin.

Swapfell Sans - Nox didn't take well the fact you are lonely. What a bunch of peasants, not to see your qualities! Darling, if you want to be respected, make them kneel in front of you. You tried being nice, now it's time to be bad to the bone. Luxury cars and suits, diamonds as teeth, personal sniper guard (which is just Rus with sunglasses talking with an british accent), money raining all around you. Well... Everyone is kind of speechless. You are not sure of how you look right now, but at least you're having fun.

Swapfell Papyrus - Aw :( He's going to the closest guy. "you! like video games?" "... Yes?" "good." Then he knocks them out and puts them in his car. See? He's going to lock you up in a room with them until you are friends. You try to explain Rus it's called kidnapping and it's illegal. "it can't be illegal if i can't read the law". You threat to call Nox. He throws the guy away with blue magic and sulks in the car now.

[king-maven-calore]

annie just so yknow... i would eat up your 10k essays on ANYTHING about rq (actually i should write one when i'm free and reread the series again)

i'm not really on booktok, booktube or booktwt but when i am, oh boy it makes me wish i never delved into them in the first place bc... the amount of rq hate is just disheartening, esp from someone who went through a difficult time and learned to heal bc of the series (it makes me biased but whatever). there are ppl who haven't read the books at all or gone past the first book which is so 😶🤧

like i've heard ppl say it's boring and predictable, esp the latter, and i'm like hm... i haven't read thg or s&b at all so maybe that's why i don't get it?? i also went into rq fully knowing the plot twist and i still enjoyed it so???

sighhh honestly i'm glad that i still have this side of the fandom bc i definitely would've questioned myself and my taste in books bc of what i've seen. if i didn't have a few ppl loving about rq, i probably would've shut up about it forever so i don't get blasted 💀

I guess that bc I follow VA on tiktok, I'm on the RQ appreciation side of it so I don't get negative reviews or hate 🤔. After all, it's a matter of perspective. From what I gather based on the notes on tumblr posts when the series was being published, it did receive a lot of love from bookblr in its time. Don't question your taste in books so harshly 👏

other popular book series such as THG resist the test of time and criticism to an extent bc they were quite revolutionary in terms of themes and being genre-defining. S&B persisted bc it's in a world that still to this day gets new books, and now bc of the show, not bc of story quality (In my personal opinion, the S*x of Crows' good fame rubs on the underserving S&B shitshow of a story). The RQ world is quite formulaic and follows these other two footsteps, especially in the beginning, but that can be said about literally any piece of media.

For me, that's the fun part of media criticism: learning to identify as many components of a story as you can, finding patterns and deviations, and finally seeing how it all works together, while also identifying what parts tickle your fancy, and which ones are negative to you. The reason that makes me love Glass Sword, is the same reason that made my sister hate it. It's fine.

Ultimately, you can defend the books you like if it's like an interesting discussion with another reader, and y'all are being respectful, but at some point, we need to be able to acknowledge that sometimes we like crap. That's also ok 😂.

[snowberried]

Akihiko Sanada dating hcs

(A/N: My first post on Tumblr, starting off with best boy! Hopefully this is good enough for a first post!)

- Character: Akihiko Sanada

-- Fandom: Persona (3)

--- Gender: Neutral (A little bit more feminine, but anyone can still read!)

---- Includes 13 seperate lines for if you have a persona.

----- Spoilers: Yes (Pass by if you don't want to see spoilers!)

----------------------------------------------------------

• Akihiko and you probably met at school, same class (or if you're younger) maybe just passing by the halls.

You not being in his fanclub was a relief to him, finally not some weird fangirl, he wished he wasn't bombarded by a group of girls and could be a normal high school student, and you made him feel that way.

He could hang out with you and not feel awkward, could actually do activities with someone not swooning over him (well, not immediately).

When you do actually start dating, I feel like he'd be the one actually confessing it, probably like the p3p confession, he wouldn't exactly do it in the most romantic way.

If you confess, he'd probably pull you straight into a kiss, a gentle one, he has this huge though soft smile on his face.

He looks like a dork.

"Y/N- I've- felt this way around you.. I think it may be love.."

He would probably take you to Hagakure's ramen shop after he gets done training, sometimes even treating you.

This man would treat you right, hang out with you and buy you things. Ultimate ladies's man. Well- that is if he was actually good at flirting.

This man is also horrible at flirting, awful.

"Uh- the sunset is almost as pretty as your- smile-??"

Actually he's pretty cheesy.

Whether that's cute to you or not is your choice.

Finding it funny and joking about it would make him feel comfortable flirting, him liking to see you laugh, he hasn't been able to do that to much people.

Actually thinking it's cute would fluster the heck out of this boxer champion, him? Being cute? You must have the wrong person, right?

Call him cute, he'll essentially break down, well- him trying to hide it.

He wouldn't try to look flustered, you started dating him because of his strength, yeah, most definitely, just look cool.

Although he would be horrible at trying to hide it, stuttering a bit on his words, and just shutting down quiet style, hiding his face subtly.

You tease him about it? Even more flustered. He'd say things like "Shut up Y/n-" or just telling you to stop. (Well, I mean the joking manner.)

You'd only stop when he'd literally offer you food to stop.

So now y'all asses at Wild-duck Burger, Akihiko ready to cough up some money.

If it wasn't obvious, Akihiko likes giving you gifts, his love language would be gift giving... Well if it wasn't for quality time.

He loves spending time with you! Jogging especially, although it doesn't have to be anything active, it could be baking, or knitting for all he cares. Well- maybe not knitting, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd like knitting.

I'm sure one time he took you to train with him.

If you enjoyed it, cool! Something else to do that you both enjoy.

Though I'm guessing you wouldn't, and in that case, he understands, he'd enjoy coming home from training to see you sitting down or laying on the bed, cuddling with you.

"You're always so cold in bed.. do you wait for me or-?"

He'd probably play with your hair a lot, long or short.

You'd probably go to some of his boxing events, and he gets really happy when you do. Secretly trying better to impress you.

He wouldn't flat out say in the ring that he was trying for you, but later in private he probably would, although kinda bluntly.

"I tried to show off for you y'know?"

After all the boxing matches, you'd be the one to patch him up most likely. Your pretty much a makeshift doctor in the comfort of Akihiko's room.

Speaking of Akihiko's room, you two sleep in there most of the time, though you give it your own touch.

There's all the times your boyfriend won boxing matches, and there's one right near the middle of you winning a spelling bee, or the winner of a 2nd grade art contest.

"I think any accomplishment is good enough!"

"Aki I won that 10 years ago!"

Also of course you're allowed to call him Aki, he finds the name cute, the faintest little blush in his cheeks whenever it's said. (he denies it though)

Hope you don't mind the constant smell of protein while sleeping, he most of the time has 2 whole buckets worth of it at all times in the corner of his room.

He offers you some everytime you eat together, saying it's helpful for if you'd wanted to jog afterwards.

declines everytime.

~It is now angst time~ (Final spoiler ahead warning)

You remind him a lot of Mika.

You know about his past, about Mika. You try to comfort him about it when he gets sad over it.

You knew Shinjiro because of Akihiko, you knew they were great friends, they treated each other like brothers.

So obviously, he didn't take his death very well, or at all.

You were the only one to see him cry, he was in his room sad the entire day. You convinced him to open the door, and you immediately hugged him.

He was devastated, and just started crying on your shoulder. He didn't fight them back or anything. You patted his back and brought him to his bed, and laid down with him.

He thanks you so much for that, saying when he gets better he'll make it up to you. If you try to protest, he'll just kiss you and shake his head.

So you'll eventually wore down and accept.

He promises he'll protect you, if it's the last thing he does. He can't lose 3 people.

~If you have a persona~

Obviously you'd join S.E.E.S. and honestly, Aki is all for it, who wouldn't wanna see their partner kick ass?

Just more time to train together?

At Dark Hour you're suddenly woke up by Akihiko every night.

"Aki it's 13 at night-"

"C'mon! Can't we can get a little training in at least-?"

In Tartarus, although not noticable, Aki does try to protect you if you're ever in critical health.

He'll purposefully make Polydeuces keep Dia just in case you may need a heal.

Yukari and Ken wondering why they can't just heal you.

If one of you is sick or tired, the other won't go to Tartarus, simple as that.

You'll stay at the dormitory and help the other get some rest, laying down with the other and singing lullabies to the other.

Akihiko will offer soup, which if Shinjiro is alive, he'll cook

Though if he isn't, Aki will just try to make it instead, it's always better than you'd thought it would be.

"Have a great night Y/N."

----------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I am finished!!! I hope it was alright for my first headcanons.

✿ Have a great day!! *.✧

[ladyriot]

Here we go again. Oh my. 6x05. I was sad about what happened, of course, but then she used the Anne of Green Gables phrase and I was immediately holding back tears.

Did the writers do something consistent and interesting and meaningful here? I'm going to choose to believe they did.

Can I just say the writers did something so interesting in making Maura's favourite book Anne of Green Gables? And especially in bringing it up in this episode (5x12, yes I'm watching this show very fast; sue me, it's the weekend). The undercurrent it gives knowing that story while watching this one blows my mind.

So in this episode, Maura has to connect with her own childhood to access a connection with Jack's daughter and it so clearly digs up some things for her. She wants to impress her.

If you can't tell by my spelling alone, I'm a Canadian. And I studied English in university, so of course I've looked at this book in academic context before. Anne of Green Gables is something that gets analyzed as queer, as neurodivergent, and as trauma narrative. And oh my gosh is that interesting in the context of a character like Maura.

Maura who, like Anne, has a lonely childhood where she feels unwanted. Anne whose upbringing as an orphan is really tough with early guardians who only see her value in what she does for others and not who she is herself. Anne who combats that loneliness and darkness in part by trying to be unique, who loves flowers and beautiful things and wants nothing more than a specific cut of dress she's never had before and to be liked and wanted. Anne who creates this rich inner world and daydreams all the time to avoid the realities of her life (anyone remember Maura's wedding fantasies?). Anne who gets mocked and teased at school, but also has an imaginative side that draws in a whole host of friends too. I can see Maura wanting that part, seeing a beacon of hope in her because she's different but she's loved.

And, oh, could I go on. Anne whose trauma and neurodivergent traits have her constantly assuming her new guardians don't want her every time she makes a mistake or makes a mess of things, who constantly sees herself as bad, who can so easily see herself as trouble, as someone who only gets to ruin things and doesn't get to have things (some possible rejection sensitive dysphoria in that). Uh, big Maura vibes. I talk just a little about Maura being similar in this post here, but I could go on with that too.

Maura is still insecure. She still immediately assumes people won't like her, that Jack's daughter won't like her. That nobody wants her for real or for very long or when she can't give them something. She talks about being a weird kid in this episode. She tells Allie this:

I've seen literary analysis suggesting Anne might have possible ADHD, possible autism or cptsd. Maura, are you sitting over there and relating? Anne socializes differently. Anne gets caught up in all sorts of trouble because she thinks and acts differently, interacting with the world in a way unlike she's always expected to by others. Anne goes on long winded asides, giving stories to nature and ordinary things to the annoyance and/or affection of the people around her. She's constantly seeking out "kindred spirits" who get her even though she's different... like Maura does, like Maura probably wanted very much when she was young and reading this. Like Maura probably still does as she goes on her 'joy of science' asides.

And, Anne's often read as queer due to her almost overly dedicated friendship with Diana. For instance, Anne goes into this melodramatic tirade when Diana's parents don't want them spending time together after an accident with alcohol, with an over-the-top apology and very very mushy goodbye. They refer to each other as "bosom friends" and hold their friendship above all their others in a way that often reads queer. Now come on, this is Rizzoli and Isles, Jane and Maura. If you don't want me to read Maura as queer, Anne of Green Gables is the worst story to say is her favourite. And the worst story to bring up in this episode.

This is such an interesting choice for the storytelling to take. I just can't let it go as coincidence. I just take it as confirmation that Maura saw herself in all these aspects of Anne's character. Which, all in all, makes the end of this episode even more cutting. This is Maura watching her bosom friend, her kindred spirit, her Diana jump off a bridge and leave her alone.

And oh my god is that compelling.

[loveisneurotic]

Kaguya-sama Blind Reaction/Analysis: S1E1

Hello everyone, this is my blog which I am currently using to react to and analyze Kaguya-sama: Love Is War much more seriously than I should analyze any romcom.

I have only seen the first episode of the anime, which this post shall explore using far too many words. If I'm feeling particularly motivated, I may read the manga as well.

My analysis will contain spoilers. If you're thinking of watching this show and haven't seen it yet, I recommend you at least go check out the first episode yourself before reading any further. I don't know what the rest of the show is like, but what I've seen so far has been both entertaining and thought-provoking.

I'm going in mostly blind, but not entirely blind. There are a few images of the anime and manga that I have been exposed to, although without the attached context. Due to cultural osmosis and the sheer popularity of this work, perhaps that was almost inevitable.

Figure 1.1.1: Why did this guy write an essay about a single episode of an ongoing romcom?

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

Season 1 Episode 1

I Will Make You Invite Me to a Movie / Kaguya Wants to Be Stopped / Kaguya Wants It

Power dynamics in relationships

Figure 1.1.2: Immediately, the mangaka's tastes become clear.

I heard a saying once that really stuck with me: "The partner who cares the least has all of the power."

In the world of dating, I often sincerely believed this saying. You may yearn for someone's affection, but the other person need not give it to you until they are willing and ready. No matter how much you want it, you can't make someone more interested in you, unless you resort to being roundabout, such as adding some mystery and intrigue to your courtship. But is that excessive?

I once felt a potential lover slipping through my grasp, and before I knew it, I found myself chasing after them. As I was yearning for their attention, I felt as if I'd lost my dignity. It was humiliating. Painful. Was it just that they weren't the right person for me? Or was I not funny enough? Not charismatic enough? Not interesting enough? Too clingy? Too talkative? Should I have been more distant and given them more space? Did I seem too weak? Too eager? How should I have maximized my desirability? Regardless, I had surely lost. Perhaps they wanted the satisfaction and validation of conquering me. Playing me for a fool and asserting their superiority by being so distant. Isn't that right? Or is that just insecurity speaking? At what point is it ideal to cut one's losses and walk away?

If someone desperately wants the object of their affection to desire them, does that make them pathetic? Does it make them a loser? If you show more vulnerability and desire than the other person, does that truly make you the weak one in a relationship?

These questions plague our two protagonists and seem to be a driving force behind the main conflict. Since I have also grappled with how much to reveal my own feelings of desire, I find Kaguya-sama: Love Is War to be a particularly fascinating show.

Desire without action

Figure 1.1.3: Our protagonists are gifted with impressively high academic intelligence paired with impressively low emotional intelligence.

The show wastes no time in introducing us to our two main protagonists. Kaguya was born into a family of high stature (and says "ara ara" frequently enough to power a small country of weebs), whereas Shirogane is a "commoner" (Kaguya's word, not mine) who worked hard to reach the pinnacle of the student body. Like timid schoolchildren, they're crushing on each other, and yet they refuse to admit it due to their pride. Instead, they focus on getting their "opponent" to confess their love first.

What stuck out to me immediately is how they both have different ideas of what their relationship would be like. Shirogane envisions Kaguya as blushing, shy, and conventionally cute, whereas Kaguya (thankfully) envisions herself taking absolute dominance over Shirogane (which plenty of people should see coming as a character trait after the anime's very first scene). The bad news about this is that their two fantasies are at odds. The good news about this is that the mangaka has fantastic taste -- you can learn a lot about a storyteller based on the characterization of a love interest or lead character of the author's preferred gender.

In the event that the two of them become an actual couple, I wonder how on Earth they'll reach a compromise as to how they'll treat each other. Perhaps they will have to figure that out before they can even get that intimate.

I appreciate that we get to see both of their perspectives. It hammers home how everyone has a different truth in regards to what they desire and what they experience, and the show does not hold back when it comes to showing just how different these truths can be -- such as a certain lunch-themed sequence that I will talk about later. This works to great dramatic and comedic effect.

That said, when you spend your time fantasizing about what could happen instead of actually taking action, time is not so friendly to you.

Half a year passes.

Figure 1.1.4: Two geniuses dedicate their pride to wasting their life and energy.

Immediately, I got the impression that whoever wrote this segment of the story knows what they're doing. This is too real. And by "too real", I mean I very much appreciate the realism. How many of us have waited for ages (or for eternity) to confess our feelings to a specific someone?

This is the curse of having a crush and being incapable of acting on it. It's also why I hate having crushes.

Manufacturing affection in others, AKA the extraction of vulnerability

Figure 1.1.5: A plan is devised to weaponize jealousy in the name of affection.

To express your truest feelings means being vulnerable. That implies taking a risk and feeling responsible for any potential consequences of rejection, as well as putting our dignity on the line. It would be so much easier for the object of our affection to make themselves vulnerable instead. So instead of being direct and honest, we act indirect. We drop hints. We act suggestively, but not explicitly. We may even place them in situations where we think they are more likely to confess. If they don't pick up on it, we can pretend we didn't mean anything by it. That way, we don't have to risk our dignity. We can just wait for them to make the move.

It sucks.

Incidentally, it sucks even more when both you and your love interest are thinking that way.

It sucks infinitely more when both you and your love interest are COMMITTED to thinking that way.

Someone has to break the deadlock, whether that's immediately or eventually.

If this show isn't one of those romcoms where the status quo never changes ever (judging by the quality of writing, I have faith that it isn't), then at some point, either Shirogane or Kaguya is going to have to be explicit about how they really feel. And it's going to feel scarier to them than anything else they've ever done.

It's gonna be great.

If we could all grow up and live in environments where it's safe and encouraged for all of us to be honest about how we feel and what we want, surely love would be much less painful for so many people.

Chaos theory

Figure 1.1.6: If your prospective lover won't protect you, then your friend definitely will.

Chika is the ideal wild card and agent of chaos in this arena of love.

From a writing perspective, Chika is immensely useful. The mangaka probably could have gotten by without a third character in the mix, but she serves as a catalyst and an unknown element, able to create unpredictability and subversion of expectations. For a comedy-oriented story, this is invaluable.

Blissfully unaware of the mental turmoil that plagues our two lovesick dorks, she is able to unintentionally invalidate whatever schemes that Kaguya or Shirogane spent so much mental energy on, which adds extra comedy and tension for the audience. She is also an effective vehicle for Kaguya's jealousy and projection, as seen in the lunchbox scene which I have so graciously foreshadowed.

Figure 1.1.7: We have confirmed visual on an unidentified fourth person. Chekhov would love this. From their posture, I wonder if they'll be a gloomy character?

Misunderstandings and assumptions

I've heard that most interpersonal conflicts in life emerge from misunderstandings. In the absence of communication, assumptions are born and give rise to misunderstandings.

You may know where I'm going with this. Let's talk about the lunchbox sequence.

Figure 1.1.8 (not pictured because tumblr wishes to deny me of my image spam): Kaguya is too prideful to admit she thinks that a couple is doing something cute.

Figure 1.1.9: Pride is considered a sin for a reason.

From a writing perspective, I was impressed by the lack of romantic intentions in Shirogane in this whole sequence. Not once did he try to get Kaguya to show vulnerability to him. Instead, Kaguya is the only one spinning the situation in a romantic way, while Shirogane's driving force is the misunderstanding that Kaguya is looking down on him for what he eats. Because of this misunderstanding, Shirogane doubles down and makes his food even better, making the situation even more complicated and more stressful for Kaguya. This was definitely my favorite comedy sequence from the first episode.

I appreciate that the show has demonstrated the ability to create these scenarios where one of the characters doesn't even have love on their mind, but there are still romantic thoughts coming from the other character which drives the drama. It gives me a lot of faith in the variety this show will have to offer, and makes me excited to watch more.

When it comes to comedy rooted in misunderstandings, it is important to have miscommunication or lack of communication. In order to resolve a misunderstanding, you need to talk about it. For a pairing as dysfunctional as Kaguya and Shirogane, expecting healthy communication sounds highly unreasonable, which makes them prime material for a whole world of misunderstandings.

Misunderstandings are rooted in assumptions about what the other person meant when they said something or made a certain gesture or expression. When Kaguya glared at Shirogane and his food, he didn't even think to ask "What's the matter?" He just made an assumption about how she felt. I wonder if trying to understand Kaguya's feelings would be considered a sign of weakness by Shirogane?

A prerequisite to initiating an emotional conversation is the desire to understand or be understood by the other person -- assuming that your assumptions haven't already built a narrative for you. It is far easier to make assumptions than it is to attempt any sort of understanding.

In the end, Shirogane fled, unwilling to confront or attempt to understand the intense and passive-aggressive Kaguya. Kaguya feels that she cannot directly ask to try his lunch, so perhaps this is the closest she can get to initiating such a conversation with him at this time. Despite their mind games where they imagine the reactions of their opponent, they still have a lot of difficulty understanding each other.

I am curious to see if this prospective couple's communication skills and emotional intelligence will improve over the course of the story.

The burden of potential romance

Figure 1.1.10: Even the infallible genius Kaguya succumbs to superficial jealousy. It's "mind over matter" versus "matter over mind". That's how the saying goes, right?

Chika is a free spirit, able to ask Shirogane for whatever she wants without being neurotic. That is the power of not being bounded by a crush. Kaguya, who lacks that degree of freedom, briefly loathes her for experiencing something that Kaguya cannot ask for. It's amazing how much someone's feelings for a friend can change without a single word being spoken between them. All it takes is an action, unintentional or not, combined with the raw strength of insecurity. Just as quickly, the status quo can return back to normal too, with the act of properly making up.

To Chika, asking for food from someone doesn't mean anything at all, whereas with Kaguya, it is an admission of defeat. In that sense, a relationship that will only ever be platonic brings peace of mind, whereas a relationship that can be potentially romantic brings leagues upon leagues of anxiety if the outcome is of great concern.

Love is neurotic.

Is love worth the pain? For some people, it is not. For others, the reward is immense -- but only if you can make sure your relationship with this person doesn't end up being a nightmare for your emotional health.

Love and self-identity

The final scene of the episode surprised me in a good way. It's a brief departure from the comedy, and reveals a more heartfelt side of the show.

Kaguya's servant asks her an insightful question. It is substantially more insightful than I would expect from any romcom: "If you fell in love some day, would you wait for that person to confess their love, like now? Or would you confess your love?" I found myself immediately curious to hear Kaguya's answer, since I knew it would be highly informative about her character.

"If that time comes, I would consider the risk of someone stealing him first and come to the one rational conclusion." Even in the realm of love, Kaguya seems precise and calculating. It's as if she hesitates to give a straight answer, but then she confirms: "Of course I would go."

Figure 1.1.11: "Please understand."

It is not embarrassment or rejection that Kaguya fears; it is the absolute destruction of her identity and sense of self. Kaguya is the daughter of a family that practically runs the country. In her mind, everyone yearns for her and wishes to serve her. Turning that around and reaching out to another person to express her own desire would be a direct contradiction of that. It is probably a similar situation for Shirogane, where the infallible self-image he has built up is being put at risk during his romantic duels against Kaguya.

Kaguya clearly feels trapped. She and Shirogane see each other as threats to be conquered, but in reality, they both share a mutual enemy that is much more imposing and insidious: their own simultaneous disgust at the idea of vulnerability.

Their freedom is dominated by their insecurities, and so, even despite their impressive stature, they are still very human. Their upbringing that has lead them to become so accomplished may be more of a curse than a blessing, due to the resulting pride and self-image they likely feel pressured to uphold.

It is hard to cast aside a lie that you have bought into for your whole life.

If our two protagonists wish to have a chance of establishing a healthy romantic relationship, they have a lot of their own demons to overcome first. If they cannot set aside their pride and reach mutual understanding, they have no hope.

Until then, they will both remain trapped in a hell of their own design, however tragically comedic it may be.

My hopes for this story's future

I can tell that the mangaka, unlike far too many writers all over the world, actually seems to have a solid understanding of romance and the conflict that arises within. I've watched too many anime that place huge focus on the "will they or won't they" crap which never runs any deeper than one or both of the characters being too embarrassed to just say what they're thinking, without any sort of convincing mental blocker. In that case, it's clearly just manufactured drama which is designed to pad out the story and waste your time rather than pose interesting questions and themes. In the case of Kaguya and Shirogane, the two of them have substantial communication issues which are depicted in a comedic yet mature way, which I have found engaging.

I very much hope that the show will more deeply explore the themes and questions surrounding the ideas of vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and superiority within relationships. Kaguya and Shirogane have been set up to be great vehicles for such exploration, and I hope the mangaka can capitalize on that, especially if our protagonists can confront these issues directly.

My impression is that the ending will make or break this story. If the mangaka can pull it off well, I can already believe the payoff will be hugely satisfying.

Of course, in order to get to that point, we'll have to see a certain something. It has to do with the most sacred word amongst romcom enthusiasts: "progress". Indeed, after spending chapters upon chapters watching two characters bumble around amidst the same exact status quo, those little signs of advancements in a relationship are highly rewarding.

Underneath all of their aggression, if we can see Kaguya and Shirogane slowly open up to each other and realize the benefits of vulnerability, I think we could witness something really beautiful and really emotionally cathartic.

I've still only seen one episode, but I believe the mangaka has laid a fantastic groundwork for a series and can do a great job developing upon what I've seen so far. On that note, I will surpass our prideful protagonists by opening my heart to this story and entrusting it with my vulnerability, believing it can deliver satisfying development and resolution. You can do it!

Closing thoughts

I did not expect to write so much about a single episode of an ANIME of all things, but here we are. If only I could conjure this kind of power back when I actually needed it in high school English class!

The first episode alone is already so rich with characterization and themes that I managed to find quite a lot to talk about. Given how much I found myself relating to the characters and some of their situations, it's clear to me how this show became so popular. Not only are the animation, direction, and writing excellent, but also many people can probably relate to love feeling like a battlefield.

I do not want to believe in the idea of winners and losers in relationships. That idea creeps into my head whenever I'm having trouble keeping the interest of a new date, and I find myself wondering where those thoughts even come from. Lately, I have been reflecting on the way I relate to other people. Perhaps I've started experiencing this show at a time in my life when I most needed it, and that's why I felt driven to write such a large analysis.

This show poses some very interesting questions about romance that I do not actually know the answer to at the time of writing. I do not know yet how much the show is actually going to explore these themes. Regardless, I appreciate how this show is helping me reflect, and I am curious to see if and how the mangaka will answer some of the questions brought about by the story's themes.

This is a show that I'll most likely have to pace myself with. There was so much to process in this first episode alone. If I went any faster, I'm not sure if I'd even catch all of the details and character moments. I'm excited to move onto the second episode soon.

A highly subjective footnote about my cultured tastes

I'm glad that Kaguya is a sadistic dom with a gentle and vulnerable side, solely on the basis of that being my favorite personality type in a love interest. It also helps that it makes Kaguya's fantasies that much funnier with Shirogane acting so out of character. I feel like this show was made for me.

What was I writing about again? Oh yeah, writing a gigantic wall of text about an anime romcom. Somehow, I spent an entire day on this essay. Hopefully someone got a kick out of it.