#I'm guy who writes poems about his cat

[tow-bees]

Here’s an old drawing lol. tag yourself.

[wolfish-trickster]

Choso headcanons

(I'm sorry i just love this gif so much 😩)

General

He likes to listen to indie bands

There's just something about having a band "all to himself" and being the sole fan where ever he goes

But after a while starts to feel a little lonely not having any fellow fans for friends

Doesn't really see the point in people taking care of plants in their home, especially those that only bloom once and then they die

Isn't a dog or a cat person, he likes both

Would want to learn at least the basics of every skill he can find

His favourite day of the week is friday

Stays up super late even thoigh he promises himself to fix his sleep schedual

Spoiler: he never does

Keeps fit and builts muscle to protect his family

If he meets people who are pretty agressive about their opinions and unable to listen to a different point of view he just up and leaves, doesn't want to waste the energy

Doesn't look like it but he's quite artistic, he especially enjoys making his nose mark into different shapes and ornaments to make himself look cool

His favourite part of working out is laying down and letting his body cool

Learned how to cook so he could take care of his brothers

Friendship

At the begining he would be just observing you

Not even trying to befriend you or your friends, nah

Just quietly watching from afar

His brothers would call him creepy for that

But he just wants to be sure you'll be worth the try

Eventually he's betrayed by Yuji who straight up tells you he has been looking at you when you do your thing

He tries to explain that he isn't shy or anything, but yeah, he was pretty closed off from you after you guys started talking

But since he spoke less he heard more and learned all your little quirks

Where others would buy you generic things for your birthday like a book or a mug he would buy you three new headphones becuase he remembered how you complained to him how often they break for you

Or he would give you something you genuenly need in your life and what would be useful

Also he would want to show you his creative side

Sketch you, write poems and haikus for you

He even tried to crochet you a flower but that failed quickly

He made you an origami instead 🥹

As he started to have feelings for you he needed advice from his brothers on what to do

They all just told him to ask you out

He didn't like that idea

What he did instead was collect his favourite hard rock and metal songs about love and give you that playlist on a CD on your birthday

He hoped you would get the hint

Your oblivious ass didn't 😭

He literally had to spell it out for you the next time you guys met

You gladly accepted his feelings (who wouldn't)

He asked you out on a date the very next day

Homeboy had no idea what to do on the first date tho...

So he improvised and went to ask the almighty google

Relationship

He made a list on his phone consisting of advices he took from google and rom coms: first he had to take you see a movie, then go to a theme park, then restaurant and then either take you home or to a hotel

Not his ideal plans for the first date but it's how humans do it apparently

Long story short, it was a catastrophy

As he went to your house to pick you up it started to rain real bad

You guys decided to wait it out in your home

Rain turned to storm

Choso then admited he had a plan written on the phone Yuji gave him

You told him ypu guys cane have home date instead

You and him watched a movie

You guys spent a long time deciding what to cook together but eventually agreed on pasta with some exotic sauce

You had lots of fun

You guys ended the date curled up under your sheet cuddling the night away as the storm raged on outside

Choso found out he loves home dates

He only ever does that from then on

One night him and you decided to take quizes to learn more about eachother

His love language is physical touch

Which makes sense since from his first night of cuddling he has had his hand on any part of your body anytime you guys met

It's like his hand and your body were two magnets

He loves hugging you from behind, shows how much smaller you are than him

Sometimes he likes to lay on your chest and listen to your heartbeat (is what he would tell you but really he just likes to listen to your blood moving in extreme speeds through your body, but he wants to be romantic for you)

Not the one for PDA, will jold your hand at max when outside but inside the house he goes all out

All cuddling positions, all surfaces, all times of the day

Your first kiss happened a week after you had the furst date

He honestly had no idea what kissing was

You introduced him and gave him few lectures 😉

It's safe to say the student surpassed the master

His lips are surprisingly soft and warm

The first time you kissed him he was a little stunned and his nose mark swerved a little

But then he got addicted

Giving you kisses all over your face

He likes the neck the most

Especially the parts where he can feel the blood in your veins

And when he found out tongues can get involved?

He almost didn't let you breathe

The feeling of your soft and wet muscle against his was heavenly to him

At first a little weird but he quickly got used to it

Would chuckle everytime your teeth clinked together

You also thought of introducing him to the concept of hickies but he already figured it out on his own

Doesn't like giving them too often tho, to let your veins regenarate properly, otherwise he would be painting your neck purple every day

He had his time when he read a post on social media about a guy literally dying after his girlfriend gave him a hickie and oit of fear and anxiety refused to give you any hickies for a month

After about half a year of dating he decided to introduce you to his brothers

They already knew all about you

Choso doesn't talk often but when he's in the mood he won't shut up

And lately he has been talking mostly about you

All of them were nice to you and all of you got along super well

Choso fell for you even more

One date night you picked a movie that was a little less innocent than all the ones you watched before

Thankfully you didn't have to explain the birds and bees to choso when a particularly heated scene came on

But you needed to explain to him how to get rid of his very first boner in his life 💀

NSFW

Your first time happened a year after your first date

He wanted it to be special since it's both of your first time

He studied

Aka he watched porn

Didn't get hard from watching it tho, only after he started playing out the scenes in his head with you and him in the actors' places

His first ever jirkoff happened because of this

He made a playlist to get both you and him in the mood

Wasn't needed in the end

After the very awkward first round you went into it like rabbits

Remember what i said about Choso and cuddling? Same goes for positions

All positions, all surfaces, all times of the day

Tho he had his favourites

Among his favourite positions were those he could have you in his lap

He loved it when you could drap yourself all over him

He also like the access to the skin he got

His least favourite ones are where he can't see your face

The different facial expressions he gives with different thrust angles are what keeps him going

His favourite places are the bed or the couch

And he doesn't really care about the time of the day as long as both of you are willing and not busy

The first one to propose oral was him

He was curious about how it tasted down there

He didn't find the taste anything spectacular but could see the appeal

He liked the texture on his tongue more

He also found out your juices taste different during different parts of your month cycle

That way he could keep track of your period better than you

Sometimes after he was done eating you out he mentioned how your time of the month is coming so you should be prepared

Made you chuckle every time with how bluntly he says that

You also offered to give him head

Likes it when you gently drag your teeth along his shaft

Like the feeling when you have an itchy spot and you give it a good scratch, that's the same for him and your teeth

Isn't really sure if he prefers to give or recieve yet

But doesn't mind either way

Period sex is a whole different stuff to him

As soon as he found out coming can help period cramps he was all in

At one point he was curious about what would happen if he pulled out the entire inner lining with his cursed technique

Ended your period bleeding that very day

You loved him even more

Does that for you every single month

But he's not gonna lie, he has a little sadist hidden inside of him

Likes to see blood on his dick

But only period one, as soon as it's real blood from harming you he's out

Doesn't really have any other kinks than that but he's open to explore with you

Would quickly find out he has his horny days too

On those days he would ask you all shy if you two could fuck

You never told him no how could you with those eyes

Long story short he got to try a lot of exciting things with you, for which he's grateful

[vanilladove]

This request is a bit long and specific but I hope that's not a problem efvevefvrgb I'm sorry

So if that's not a problem I would want headcanons for gn reader who is Atsushi's sibling (a year older), has the same ability and also is in ADA and is in love with Akutagawa and he hates them at first but then fall in love. Also reader has very similar personality to Atsushi. (I know, readers description is almost Atsushi, I kin him okay tgbrbrgbrbg 😭)

So fluffy sibling headcanons with Atsushi, romantic (and suggestive/nsfw if thats okay (I'm 19)) headcanons with Akutagawa and also headcanons about dynamics between reader, Akutagawa and Atsushi.

I'm sorry that it's so specific rtgefbefbefg And thank you in advance if you'll write this erfefvvejad ♡

hihi tysm for being my first request, anon! this is actually so cute ahhhhh :,) i felt like keeping this pretty fluffy. engagement is always appreciated (from anyone & everyone:D)! thank you guys for all the support + requests so far ♡

pic creds luvpngs

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ pairing: akutagawa x nakajima!gn!reader

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ genre: fluff + a lil suggestive (hickeys)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ content warnings: none!

~being siblings with atsushi...

Since you're a year older, you've always been quite protective over your younger brother. Despite having very similar personalities, you're a bit more rational and street-smart than Atsushi.

You made him his first ever ochazuke (green tea over rice) at the orphanage one day to celebrate his birthday, and since then it's been his favorite food ♡

You cheer him up a lot and are kind of like his strength:,) After the kids at the orphanage cut his hair, you convinced him it looked cute and yelled at them to never mess with him again.

You always keep extra tissues on you for him bc he’s a lil crybaby sometimes :(

Both of you train together since you have the same ability. Luckily, neither of you are super competitive, so you both are at the same skill level.

You both share one brain cell...

~being akutagawa's lover...

You fell first, but he fell harder :D

The first time you saw Akutagawa, you were enamoured by his beauty. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn't reciprocated since he held a grudge against you and Atsushi (*cough* bc of Dazai bragging*cough*).

Dazai sent you to negotiate with the Port Mafia on behalf of the ADA once, and you saw him again in a meeting. Higuchi was gone, so naturally you sat next to Akutagawa--much to his dismay.

He was side-eyeing you harshly the entire meeting until his lung decided to act up and send him into a coughing fit...

You gave him your untouched cup of tea and fished some cough drops out of your pocket (always prepared bc you're the older sibling lol). This surprised him (along with the other Mafia members).

He didn't have the luxury of declining, so he took them without thanking you and stubbornly looked away (you swore you saw a faint blush on his cheeks though...)

After the meeting, he pulled you aside and demanded to know your favorite café, so he could take you there, warning you, "don't get the wrong idea, I just don't want to owe you". (he's awkward ik :,) )

Somehow your little 'dates' went back and forth as you kept bringing him more things to ease his condition (handkerchiefs, tea w/ honey, medicine, etc.)

Akutagawa fell for your bubbly personality and giving nature (which he would've regarded as weak before). As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was nice to have someone take care of and genuinely look out for him. It's the reason why he secretly hopes he'll never stop 'owing' you.

His love language is quality time and writing you poems/love letters. Anytime he isn't working or with Gin, he spends with you. His go-to is a romantic moonlight walk by the ocean (he def hates water tho and refuses to even dip his feet in--black cat energy hehe)♡

Expect a lot of subtle affirmations from Akutagawa. Not many “i love you”s but a lot of “the moon looks beautiful tonight, doesn’t it?”

Also lots of affectionate head bonks hehe.

SUPER POSSESSIVE!!! Will constantly hold you/your hand when you're alone together or out in public and leaves hickeys to show you're his.

One time Atsushi saw one on your neck and asked about it...you told him it was "from Akutagawa", and he immediately got defensive thinking he'd hurt you. You awkardly laughed and told him it was a "hickey". Poor, innocent Atsu asked Dazai what that was and obviously Dazai's evil ass explained it in the worst, most suggestive way possible :p Afterwards, Atsushi wouldn't look at either of you for a week...

~dynamics between the three of you...

Although at first Akutagawa refused to hang out with Atsushi, he began to tag along more after you expressed that it made you sad to leave him out. When they did fight, you were the middleman breaking it up.

Akutagawa has been nicer to Atsushi lately--scoffing at his jokes instead of clapping back, claiming "it's for your sake and definitely not by choice".

Nicknames! You call Akutagawa "Ryu" when you're alone together. Aku calls you by your name but still refers to Atsushi as 人虎 "Jinko". Tried to call Atsushi by his name once, but it felt wrong, so he never did it again lol.

Dazai likes to tease that you guys are "Triple Black". You're a powerful trio, and you often strategize and provide support to the other two.

Since you guys are so similar, you once asked Akutagawa why he liked you so much but couldn't stand Atsushi...

Mans was absolutely dumbfounded. The question made him realize it was because he loved you, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it flat out. The thought of that made his face red like a tomato. He was so flustered, he couldn't even think of a cute, poetic thing to say.

He brought you close to him in a hug to try and hide his crimson face, burying himself into your neck.

"Your haircut isn't stupid like his, that's all".

[kneelingshadowsalome]

So~ Arab!Reader has been living in my head and heart for a while now so I wanna share some Reader-isms that are closer to my own cultural experience (ignore this if it's annoying btw no hard feelings whatsoever)

-Her love language is arguing, has not met a hill she wouldn't die on. will sometimes get on the table or ask him to crouch down so they can look eye to eye as she fights tooth and nail over something she stopped caring about like 10 minutes ago but she's having too much fun. calls him "your majesty" or Sultan/Sheikh sarcastically in every argument.

-He told her to just buy candles instead of burning incense that produces so much smoke since "they do the same job anyway", she reacted like he just insulted her ancestors.

-Not a drinker but has a minor coffee/tea addiction, knows every cafe nearby by heart and has a whole set up at home, loves making him try new drinks she found online or from her childhood.

-Will take a million pictures of everything and especially him, doesn't matter what's happening, it must be recorded "for our grandbabies, habibi🥺"

-Desert camping trips!! König can start the fire while she's in charge of preparing tea and coffee. she's mostly excited about finding a dune buggy to rent for a day that's actually comfortable for his size, they ride until sunset when both of them are a sand covered giggling mess. finally they get to cuddle and star gaze, keeping each other safe from the cold desert nights.

-if they ever get married this is an inevitable conversation:

"Liebe, you said we are having a small wedding"

"Mhm"

"the guest list is 600 people minimum..?"

"...yes?"

poor guy, his saving grace is that men have a very small role in weddings here, just sit, take pictures, cut cake, then leave with your bride. no need to write vows, dance, or even kiss in front of people.

-NO PDA!! hand holding is the most they do in public and even that's scandalous sometimes. he tried to kiss her hand in a shop once and she pulled it back so fast he was pouty for like two days after the fact. He learns to appreciate this though because he can clearly tell when she's feeling possessive in public when she clings to his side, loves to tease her about it; "a hand on my lower back, schatz? how indecent of you"

-Cat-calls him as he's going out of the shower but only in Arabic, so he doesn't know how to respond to the wolf-whistles and enthusiastic yelling, the only reason he's sure it's positive is that he gets his face squished soon after, he can at least make out the stretched out word 'Habiiiibiiiiiiii~" Cue flustered mess König

-calls him her Antara, one of the most famous and celebrated warriors in Arabian history, who was also a great romantic and wrote so many poems about his beloved Abla. (Antara Ibn Shaddad, if anyone is curious)

Oh god I'm going feral I’m not even kidding ❤️‍🔥💀

The arguing thing would get soooo interesting because I think that König has an anxious/disorganized attachment style so he’d try to avoid any kind of arguments and disagreements with his woman. If König can’t tame his darling, he’ll just let her have her way so that he doesn't have to suffer from the sudden tightness in his chest.

But... If she’s doing shit like climbing on the table to stare him down, König wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. He'd soon relax into the situation and then start to tease her about her temper. Corrects his posture so that he's still taller than her, and gives her a warm, knowing smile :) His Liebling is so cute when she's angry.

And lol König would be suspicious about the incense, he’s not used to that kind of stuff at all, but he’ll be damned before he says anything. Discreetly tries to open the window sometimes but closes it immediately if darling walks into the room (no use, she already saw him and he's going to get an earful).

But omg no pda??? Very hard for König but he will respect your wishes in this. You can see it in his eyes that he’s being a bit of a sad sulking puppy about it, of course it all dissipates if you put that hand on his lower back... This will be like foreplay to him, you're a forbidden fruit until you two are behind closed doors, and if you “break the rules” while he’s playing nice then whoo. Prepare to get your guts rearranged when you get home!

Still, if König can’t kiss his bride at the wedding he’ll start a war. 600 guests is negotiable, as long as he can kiss her in front of everyone and declare her as his own.

[steakout-05]

i drew my babygirl Jon Arbuckle :)

his ass!!! it haunts me!!!! i tried to draw him taller but he just kinda ended up looking really stocky and i don't know how that happened,,, man's like 6 foot canonically. i think i was too focused on his ass and making his legs look cute lol

speaking of ass, i don't know why Jim Davis decided to give Jon such a dumptruck but i'm so glad he did. ever since the very beginning of Garfield in the 'Jon' strip, he's had a fat ass and i absolutely love that. it's just a cemented part of his character now and always has been XD

i drew 1978-1980 Garf from memory!! one of my absolute favourite things about classic Garfield is just how arch-shaped he is. he's just a fat little cat guy and i love him :) i always make sure i draw the arch shape when i draw Garfield sitting cause that's one of my favourite parts about drawing him

also here is Gnorm :) for those unaware, back in the very early 1970s, before Garfield was created in any form, Jim Davis made a little comic strip about bugs called 'Gnorm Gnat'. it was mainly about the little bug dudes getting into silly relatable little antics with snappy punchlines. it's got a few characters like Gnorm, a fruit fly named Freddy, a slug named Cecil, a smart worm called Dr. Rosenwurm and Drac Webb to name a few. for something so early, it actually has quite a few familiar aspects of what would later become Garfield. the same writing style, a similar art style to early Garfield/Jon, occasional references to Peanuts (a comic Davis grew up with), the German doctor character who later appeared in the 'Jon' strip, heck there's even a goofy bug named Lyman! additionally, the name "John Arbuckle" shows up in a strip where Dr. Rosenwurm reads a piece of poetry written by him (which was recycled into an actual early Garfield strip where Jon Arbuckle reads the same poem). in fact, it's so mildly familiar that the entirety of the September 9th, 1978 Garfield strip was recycled twice, first in Jon and then in Garfield!

unfortunately, Gnorm Gnat only ended up getting published in the local newspaper, Pendleton Times, following several rejections from various syndicates for the fact that bugs just aren't as relatable or funny to a lot of people as Jim Davis thought they were. of course, i think Gnorm Gnat is something very special to the history of Garfield and i quite like it for its significance. i think it's a cute little bug comic and i hope it gets rebooted someday :)

[poetofthedyingstars]

mammon’s love letter | litera scripta manet

note: kind of ooc-ish but not really coz mammon wrote down his feelings remember??? he wrote everything he felt because he can't say it directly and forwardly. so that's that. hmp. ngl went crazy writing this. giggling and almost tearing up and shit. love this guy so much.

warning: slight angst, implied lesson 16 accident, fluff, mammon being open with his feelings. ENJOY READING!!!!

Dearest MC,

Ya have to know that I'm not as good with words as my brothers, unlike Lucifer or Satan or your favorite writers and poets. I ain’t a poet, MC, I’ve never written a love letter in my entire life. I’m just me. I’ve never had anyone like you or felt what I have for ya with anyone else but know that it is the most genuine thing in all three realms. I’m just so scared that eventually you would believe what my brothers say about me. That I’m a lying, cheating, good for nothing scumbag.I know I’m not perfect but I’m trying so hard to be good enough for you. Ya deserve everything nice the world can offer and I don’t know if you can find that with me. I just love ya a little too much and I kinda suck at expressing that.

You drive me crazy, you know that? I want to tell you how much I love you but you make me malfunction so much, I get shy. You’re so annoying. Why’d you have to be so perfect anyways?! Your smile is perfect, your laugh is perfect, you’re perfect and everybody loves you. You just have to make everybody else fall for you and THAT scares me. It horrifies me, MC. What if you realize that they can offer you a better life? With a pool of choices that have my brothers, Lucifer especially, Lord Diavolo, Solomon and an angel like Simeon, would you still see me and choose me? (erased: I could only hope ya do, I’m your first man after all!)

You know that one poem you read to me the other day? About the one baring your soul naked and being scared of being loved and all? I want you to see me tough, someone who could protect you, someone you could count on and someone who can love you unconditionally. I already lost ya once, I wouldn't be able to bear it again if I lost you. I have no idea how you see me, you’ve a very unique way of looking at things but if I tell you that my soul is rotten, would you still love me? I’m a demon after all and there are some things I won’t be able to change. Will you put up with my bullshits? Stupid schemes and all that?

I’m trying my best to be better for you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for ya so just ask me, come to me for comfort, when you’re having your nightmares, when you need help with your homework - I may not be the best at it but it’s important for me that you know that I’m always there for you.

I love you, MC, more than words can contain and there’s no one else in this world I’d rather be with forever. You’re all I need. The greatest treasure in Devildom, Human World and the Celestial Realm. You.

Fuck you for making me love you too much. You made The Great Mammon sweep off their feet so don’t go looking at anyone else anymore, just me. I love you.

Yours, always and forever,

Mammon.

reblogs are more than appreciated, please do. comment are welcome as well so please leave some. also i know i said mammon wrote a three-page love letter but this is kinda short so i'm sorry xD just feel the rest of the letter ok?

[id: three photos aligned with each other, the first one with two ginger cats facing each other, the other leaning in for a kiss, the second photo is mammon from obey me who looks sexy, the third photo is a bunch of flowers scattered in an opened book's page. the last photo is a cropped photo with the text: “darling” in it. /end id.]

masterlist

[ayoharuko]

Valentine Oneshots with the Luxiem boys~! (Part 4)

Heyy, its officially the end of Valentines (where I am) and I hope you guys had a wonderful one :)

Reader is gender neutral~!

Btw I used some Swedish nicknames that I think he'll call you as, I'll tell you guys the meanings at the end of the oneshot :3

REMINDER: Please know that I'm only writing about their persona’s and not the people thats behind them! This is also a work of fiction so please try not and take this too seriously :)

A little suggestive but nothing too much~

''The next short novel I'm working on right now is...inspired by us''

~Ike Evevland~ (Novelist)

For you and your dear Novelist Boyfriend, Ike Evevland. How you both spend your Valentines is going out to a cat cafe, petting the cats and just chatting, and then going back home to just chill.

Basically quality time that you both don't get that much since you both were streamers.

''Ikeyyy is the popcorn ready?~'' You ask whining from how long he was taking.

''Its almost done Älskling...patience..'' Ike said while taking out 2 cokes from the fringe.

After a few more minutes Ike finally came out of the kitchen and set down the popcorn and 2 cokes, you smile happily and took the remote asking him what he wanted to watch.

''Anythings fine, Raring'' Ike responded opening his coke, you think for moment and then put on classic 'Your lie on April' because you feel like crying with Ike this Valentines.

Ike looked at you with wide eyes and just slip more of his coke...

- Minutes later -

''Ikeyyy...why does it hurt so much!?'' You cried out sniffing, snuggling onto Ike's arms. ''Käraste...you were the one who choose this..'' Ike said sighing while petting your hair.

''But...I-i thought you'd cry too...'' You said looking up at him, Ike just smiles gently, ''I've watched this movie almost a million times, I'm used to it by now'' Ike said just smiling.

You pout and Ike just kisses you, you kissed him back forgetting the thing he had just said earlier...

'This cheeky novelist' you thought.

Soon after, you both started a makeout session, completely forgetting about the movie that was playing in the background.

Ike carried you to your shared bedroom, laying you on the bed and looking at you with love in his eyes...

''I love you my Skatten..'' He said before leaning in to kiss you more..

You nod into the kiss and just folded your arms around him, letting him take full control.

This valentines was the best. I mean yea you couldn't walk the next day and was sore but Ike also surprised you with flowers, a poem nd a short novel he wrote...

Just for you~

Done! Hope you guys like this~, now the nicknames mean-

Raring: Darling, Älskling: Loved one & Skatten: Treasure.

Byeee~

Reblogs and Feedback/Comments are always appreciated! :3

[sips-tea-cutely]

love grows, where my rosemary goes

a gift to the mods, who have done nothing but support me. thank you so much for everything, i truly appreciate it. i'm sorry if its inaccurate (the character writing) im not big on these fandoms :D also, random headcannons whwhwh!!

#dazai

he loves your smile, and your curiosity.

someone to match his energy is someone he truly adores <3

putting ale into root beer? that's unique, your so smart !!!

its his fav drink now, he would love for you to make it for him :)

you like eating spicy noddles? that sounds like a torture method. you still eat it even though it burns your tounge, and thats just so admirable of you~ ur amazing<3

you do the most silliest things, and ofc hes joining you!!

he likes teasing you about this, but you seem to tease back as well.

...well! why don't we have a eating competition!? >:D

the both of you almost burn your tounges in having one, so you both get coffee in the end.

the both of you would bicker on who would win, but later he insists that you won and he'd pay for anything you want. he loves the proud grin on your face, its adorable!!

in the end, he just loves seeing you have a smile on you face. wether it be from anger, sadness, happiness, pride, it never fails to make him happy. it gives him motivation to go through another day, to just see your smile once again.

#fyodor

he loves that you reassure him everystep of the way, compliment him any chance possible with happy eyes.

i think he likes associating songs with you, if hes with you, he will play those songs to show how much he loves you<3 hell he'll even play THOSE songs ON the cello for you.

he just wants to hear your compliments to him :)

it it will take a while for him to get used to physical touch, he strives me as the person whos not a fan of touching people.

but he tries to learn, he tries hard to learn for you.

everntually, he'll end up enjoying the littlest of things, like holding hands, you combing his hair, or just small smooches he gives on your hands <3

i think. i think you guys both visit operas.

He always brings you roses in hand before the opera. the gift drastically changes, from a pearl necklace, written poems, chocolayes. all gifts are symbolic, and represent an espect of you.

#xiao

HE !! LOVES !! QUALITY !! TIME

wont say it to your face though. he enjoys every time you are with him, wether it be sad and painful or chaotic and joyful.

he loves it all. he loves the gifts you give him as well.

i think this guy spends majority of his time trying to find things he think will look good on you.

smh everything will look good on you. /srs

from ruby rings, to crystalflys for your hair, he wont hesitate to bring you rich and expensive things.

of course, all of them are well thought out as well.

i hes confused at it first, but he goes to people for advice like the traveler and madame ping for help.

just like fyodor, hes trying pls :(

he may seem cold art first but eventually he'll soften up for you<3

omg he'd go wherever u want :D preferably somewhere with a really calming atmosphere and lanterns<3

in the end, you guys are eating desserts, tofu, or whatever while looking at the sunset/bright moon :)

#juono

he loves that you dont judge him for being blunt/straightforward, and acept his opinons without saying "wtf shut up i dint ask for this."

hes also, a very good judge for ur clothes and perfume<3 if you need someone, who will tell which one looks better on you then HERE IS YOUR MAN. /srs

oh my god you are going to be spoiled by him so bad he looks loaded PROBABLY IS LOADED ?

MAKES SURE HIS S/O IS LIVING IN COMFORT <33

You need his opinon? ofcofc hes there.

you want a cat? meow, meow HE IS ONE. /j /Ih just kidding ofc he'll get you a cat<333

you wanna get married? hes already on one knee with the box open showing the ring and all you have to do is say yes.

he doesnt strike me the type to be jealous/angry. but when he does oh my god you are IN big trouble.

he'll spoil you even more.

like

way way more.

honestly its cute<33333

[the-cat-chat]

February 17, 2024

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

A high-school boy, Cameron, cannot date Bianca until her anti-social older sister, Kat, has a boyfriend. So, Cameron pays a mysterious boy, Patrick, to charm Kat.

JayBell: I don't know if it's the nostalgia, but it seems everyone everywhere loves this movie. So since I had never seen it, I was excited to finally watch it for V-Day 2024. And I was shocked.

So here it is: 10 Things I Hate About 10 Things I Hate About You

Heath Ledger's character. It has almost 0 redeeming qualities. Not only is he a deceptive liar, the movie never gives him a sympathetic reason for him to accept money to date Julia Stiles' character in the first place. I kept waiting for the movie to say he was poor or he needed the money for school or a sick mom to help us think better of him. But no. Also, when Julia's character is suspicious, he gaslights her into thinking she's an insecure bitch for questioning his motives (like what???). Why do we like him?

The inability of any character to apologize. Heath Ledger is the one in the wrong. But in the end, Julia's character gives this "romantic" speech as if she wasn't the victim of the plot? And his apology? Oh yeah I bought you a guitar. AND instead of apologizing at one point, he just tries to force kiss her? Also where is the sister's apologies?

The physical gags. Why were they in the movie at all? The bike accident, the gym teacher getting hit by an arrow, a guy getting hit by a golf ball, the dad throwing the exercise equipment into a neighboring yard. WHYYY. It wasn't funny in the slightest and felt out of place.

The dynamic between the sisters. At one point, the sisters get a nice moment of vulnerability where Julia Stiles' character reveals something significant. And her sister is an insensitive, uncaring brat about it. And then the movie never shows their "reunion" or a moment where they actually come to an understanding. Instead the sister is selfish, cries about it on a swing, and all is better.

David Krumholtz's character. It hurts me to say cause I was a Numb3r's fan, but wow was his character not easy to watch in this movie.

The entire plot. Okay I get that they were adapting Shakespeare. But the original deal is that the girls can't date until they graduate. And then the dad's like nevermind it's when your sister dates. The change makes no sense. Why does everything depend on the sister? How is that fair?

The English teacher's behavior. He has it out for Julia Stiles' character because she has opinions? Anyone that engaged would normally make a teacher happy. Also he kicks her out of class after like 2 minutes multiple times for seemingly no reason which is so odd.

The flashing scene. I think the fact that her character would do that is so weird. I know this is probably an outdated "joke" that just doesn't resonate today. But the idea of flashing your teacher and whole class is just gross to me and not funny in the slightest.

The guidance counselor or principal or whoever she is. Why is she so horny? This might be another case of humor not aging well cause none of her actions or jokes quite landed.

The relationship between the sister and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character. JGL falls for the sister on first sight and defends her to everyone. I wish that JGL wasn't a new student but a guy who had a crush on her for a long time. I think that would give more weight to their feelings.

Now that I'm looking back at this list, maybe I just hated all of the characters, the jokes, and the entire plot? Which is crazy for how much people love this movie.

Rating: 3.5/10 cats 🐈

Anzie: I was going to be cute and make my review like the little poem and like 10 things blah blah blah. I can’t. I honestly can’t. Every time I’ve thought of writing my review my mind was entire overwhelmed by how physically affected I have been by Heath Ledger’s hair in this movie. God rest his soul but I want to go back in time to this movie set with some shampoo and a hair brush. I know he’s a rebel but plllssss does that mean his hair has to be greaser than the rats hanging out in the Burger King dumpster???? Anyway. I feel better now. And I’m sooo peeved bc Heath Ledger!!! Little baby me loooved Heath Ledger. And Julia Stiles. The Prince and me??? Hheeeeelllo??? Gawd I’m an idiot we should’ve watched that. Ugggg. Okkk. Baby JGL???? Forget it. Okkk. I have to say- I never read the entirety of The Taming of the Shrew, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say even in Shakespeare’s day it wasn’t this offense. Bc it is. And I now know that the odd feeling of false memories that I had “seen” this- weren’t “false” at all it was my sweet, kind brain once again trying to protect me from myself. Okkk so now that that’s out we’re speed running the review.

1. Pls let me shampoo HL’s hair.

2. The guy from Numbers. no. It’s a no. I can’t stand him. Idk why. I can’t. I think it’s Santa Clause related- can’t be sure.

3. What is the dad’s actual malfunction? He needs therapy and chill pills. Bc his obsession over his daughters becoming pregnant is so insane.

4. Also no back story really on the mom leaving thing??? Right? I’m sure it’s totally related to the dad’s nutso thing.

5. Everyone needs to lay off Kat? Like seriously. And the teacher??? Bc she’s got an opinion? And the stoopid model guy. And her sister?

6. Yes model guy gets his own spot.

7. Yes her sister gets her own spot? How could she not?

8. And this whole plan???

9. And the whole reason she hates model guy??? I’m sure you’d tell your sister that if she actively going after him???

10. And the whole Kat finds out/peter buys her love and forgiveness back/ but at least they’re self aware about it????

Ga. Oh make it 11 things I hate.

11. The scene where her and her sister “fix” things??? Just non existent- but sure show us numbers guy flying off the hill with his scooter.

Gaaaaa.

12. We can’t forget Ms. Perky. Whyyy??

13. The more questions the more I honestly fell I need to read taming of the shrew just to understand.

14. Ohhhh. And how did it literally take to the last scenes to learn HL character was called Peter?? (Patrick). Is that on me or was it never talked about? I’m sure it’s me.

Gaaaaaaa. 14? 😬

Rating: 4/10 Cats 🐈‍⬛

[shipcestuous]

Valentine's Day Event Submission

My submission for the Valentine's Day event/challenge described here.

(The prompt was: How the incest pairing of your choice ended up on a date on Valentine’s Day. The general idea is that they’re not an established couple and this happened accidentally or through a series of unforeseen circumstances. Or it’s not supposed to be a date, but by the end of the night it basically was one. Not a date but totally a date.)

I meant to write a summary of events and it became a whole story. Oops!

Heart-Shaped

The valentine had been tucked into the front pocket of Fiona's backpack. She didn't keep much in the front pocket, just lip balm and lotion, and she couldn't remember how long it had been since she had last opened it - at least two days. Which meant she had no idea when it had been slipped in there and had no clues about who might have done it.

It was anonymous. Handmade. Heart-shaped. There was a short poem about how he had admired her from afar. How much he liked her smile and her hair, and how pretty he thought her eyes were. And there was an invitation - to meet him for dinner on Valentine's Day at 7 o'clock at Ernesto's. (Big spender, for a high school student.) If she was interested, she was supposed to draw a lipstick heart on the window of the side door that led out of the gym so that he would know she was coming. At the restaurant, she was to go to the table next to the fountain, the one with the empty seat waiting for her, with the pink rose resting on it.

Like in elementary school, there was candy taped to it. Elementary school also happened to be the last time Fiona could remember having received a valentine. It was a roll of Smarties. "Your favorite", the note said. Smarties weren't her favorite, but she ate them anyway, pondering with excitement who her secret admirer could possibly be. She really didn't have any idea.

The following morning, she drew the heart on the window as instructed. Why the hell not? It was better than watching a movie by herself on Valentine's Day. “Take A Chance On Me” by ABBA kept playing in her head.

Valentine's Day was a full week later, but it had not been enough time for her to figure out who had sent her the valentine. Her friends had not been able to help, they had never noticed anyone staring or asking about her. Fiona was constantly looking around her, wondering who it might have been. But she didn't catch any smiles or nervous head-turns. She wished she had a little more information, but had decided that at least a bad date was a date. There had been far too few of those.

She spent too long on her hair, to the point that she ruined it. Then she had to start over and was going to be late. Her dress didn't feel right, it was all staticky and kept sticking to her legs. I shouldn't be this nervous, I don't even know if I like him yet. But she had spent all week anticipating this. Growing fond of this shy guy who liked her smile, and his adorable corny tactics.

Soundtrack Insert:

The fountain was in view long before the table was. She turned the corner, and there it was. The empty chair, the rose. But he didn't even have to turn his head, she could already see who it was. "Brighton?!!"

Her brother looked towards her and took her in with dismay. He shooed her away: "Get out of here, I'm on a date. What the hell are you even doing here? Never mind, I don't care. Goodbye."

"What do you mean you're on a date? Where is she? Why are you at this table?" She glanced around. Surely this was the only one the valentine could have been referencing. And the rose...

"She's not here yet." He shooed her again, like she was a cat hanging around the bird feeder.

"Oh my God." Fiona brushed the rose off the chair and plopped down dejectedly, pulling the valentine out of purse and setting it down on the table between them.

He stared down at it with wide eyes. "What are you doing with that?"

Fiona sighed heavily. No secret admirer. No shy guy. Just an idiot brother. "I found it in my backpack. Don't tell me I was supposed to deliver it for you. You never told me to."

He picked it up and regarded it with horror. "She never got it? That means..." His eyes glazed over. "That means she's not coming, and she never agreed to go out with me."

"Who was it for?"

He didn't want to tell her, but she just kept staring at him and he caved: "Ugh, fine. It was for Megan Cartwright."

"I didn't know you liked her."

"Why would you know?"

"So how did it end up in my backpack?"

"I don't know! I slipped it into her backpack during lunch like a week and a half ago."

Fiona shook her head. "Well, you must have put it into mine. Smooth move, Romeo."

"No. You have that ugly yellow backpack with the penguin patches. I think I would know that wasn't hers."

"Ugly? It was a great backpack. A great backpack that I haven't used since before Christmas - the zipper broke. You haven't noticed? I have a black Jansport now. Oh! Just like-"

Brighton's head fell heavily into his hands. "Just like hers. Oh my God."

"And we did eat at the same table last week. I got up to buy a cookie. Aaaaaand we both have Bigfoot pins that Ellie was selling.” Fiona made a pitying face that Brighton did not see. His arms were crossed on the table and he had faceplanted into them. "I guess you're not such an idiot."

"You didn't call me an idiot."

"I did in my head."

He lifted his face to look at her with surprise. “I didn't know you were into Bigfoot.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, a little.” A wry look crossed his face. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing. I just thought it was so charming and quirky of her. I didn't realize the entire sophomore class had them!” He groaned.

“They don't,” Fiona replied with dignity. “I think Ellie sold three of that kind. She's really good at making enamel pins. She's got an Etsy.”

Brighton sat up and shook the valentine at her. “Why did you think this was for you?” he demanded.

She took it from him, laid it open on the table, and pointed at the various words: “Great hair? Great smile? Pretty eyes? Of course I thought it was about me.”

He laughed and rubbed his eye. “Right.”

“I guess the Smarties should have been a clue. Anyone who liked me would know my favorite candy is-”

“Reese's Pieces,” he finished for her.

Fiona glanced around the restaurant. It was busy - almost all of the tables were full - but quiet. Mandolin and accordion music was playing gently over the speakers. The lights were low, with candles at each table. The beautiful flower centerpiece was very fragrant. Violets and primroses. She looked across the table at Brighton. This was...surprising. Learning Brighton had a romantic side would be like learning that their mom liked to go to the skate park after work to shred pavement with the boyz.

She gestured at him. “I didn't know you had this in you.”

“Oh God,” he said, embarrassed.

She laughed. “No, it's sweet. It's cute.”

“Oh God,” he repeated.

“My older brother. The romantic.” He had done himself up well, styling his hair with gel and wearing slacks and a blazer, with a white button-up shirt underneath. He even had a flower tucked into his breast pocket. She pulled her phone out and snapped a picture. He tried to cover his face, but was too late.

Their waiter came along a second later, and laid down a hot plate of mozzarella sticks, or whatever fancy name Ernesto's used to describe it. “I already ordered an appetizer,” Brighton said with regret, leaning back in his chair and sighing.

“A pound of fried cheese. Erotic.”

“More for me,” he said, pulling the plate towards him.

She reached out and stopped him. “I didn't say I didn't want any.”

The waiter bent over and picked up the rose that she had discarded. He pulled scissors from his pocket and snipped the stem, then pulled off the remaining thorns with his nail, and handed it to Brighton. “A lovely flower for a lovely lady. Put it behind her ear,” he encouraged. Brighton stared at him blankly. “Go on! It's very romantic.” The waiter obviously thought Brighton needed some help wooing his date after the appetizer misstep. Brighton glanced around. A few couples at other tables had turned to look. They were all couples, at every table. He bowed to the pressure, darting the waiter a forced smile tinged with ingratitude, and then he reached across the table and awkwardly tucked the rose behind Fiona's ear. The waiter clapped, and then pulled out his pad. “A drink for the lady?”

“The lady will have water,” Brighton answered sourly.

“Sparkling water,” Fiona added, grinning wickedly at Brighton.

“It's probably ten dollars a bottle for Perrier here,” Brighton said, after the waiter had departed.

“You shouldn't have asked me out to such a nice place.” She laughed and then picked up a mozzarella stick, or, rather, they had come in cube form, with garnish. “Let's eat this while it's hot and then we can go.” She regarded him with a sigh. “I'm sorry, Brighton. You'll just have to ask her out again. Why didn't you just do it to her face?” It was hard to imagine someone rejecting Brighton, even if he did wear basketball shorts and a hoodie most days.

Soundtrack Insert:

“She probably gets asked out a lot. I thought this would make me stand out.”

“You really like her?”

He shrugged. “I guess I don't know her that well. But I wanted to get to know her. So, do you think she's out with someone else tonight?”

“I don't know. Maybe.” Probably. “Not here, I hope.” Fiona combed as much of her hair as she could to the side of her face and then pivoted her chair away from the main part of the room.

“What are you doing?”

“You realize that everyone here thinks we're on an actual date. What if someone we know sees us?”

“Oh shit.” He scrambled to angle himself away from the prying eyes of the crowd.

“Can you imagine trying to explain what happened?” Who would believe it? And if they didn't believe it, then they might think...

...Well, it's not likely that brother and sister were just grabbing a quite bite to eat together on Valentine's Day of all days at Ernesto's, of all places. Her cheeks reddened as she thought about it. Please, God, let no one see us.

In whatever the opposite of an answer to prayer was, an older woman came over from her table and gave them a big smile. “My my, aren't you just the cutest couple. Would you like me to take a picture for you?”

“We're not-” Brighton began, with Fiona offering up the beginning of a similar protest, but the woman did not let them finish. She reached out one hand for a phone and used her other hand to gesture them to move closer together.

“Scooch on over, dear. Get close to him!”

Fiona decided the fastest way to get rid of her without embroiling themselves in an awkward explanation of why they didn't want a picture was to just play along. Fiona got the camera ready on her phone and then passed it over, and she scooted closer to Brighton. “Thanks so much,” she said weakly.

“Say, 'Happy Valentine's!'” the woman ordered. She took several photos, the flash lighting them up and drawing an unfortunate amount of attention.

*

As the woman wandered back to her table, Fiona looked at the pictures. “What filter should I use before posting this to Insta?” she joked. “Hashtag hot date, hastag cupid's arrow.”

“He's got shit aim,” Brighton mumbled.

When the waiter returned with her drink, they asked for the check, and Brighton paid while they finished the rest of the appetizer, fighting over the last piece. As they stood, Brighton scratched his forehead. “I just realized that you came here thinking you were going on a date with a secret admirer. I'm sorry.”

She shrugged. “It's OK. I figured there was a decent chance I wouldn't really be into him anyway. I didn't figure he would be my brother, but...”

“You look really nice.”

Embarrassed, she touched her hair. “Thanks. Uh, thanks for noticing. You clean up pretty well, too.” Outside, Brighton helped her load her bicycle into the trunk of his car. Then he opened the door for her, like a gentleman. She laughed and climbed in, moving aside a shoe box that was on the seat. “Your bowling shoes?”

“Yeah. I was going to take her bowling after dinner. If she wanted.”

“I would love to go bowling.”

He studied her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They were at the bowling alley for a few hours, longer than she thought they would stay. They bowled a few games and then moved over the arcade, breaking for hot dogs in the middle. On the drive home, he brought out the chocolate-covered strawberries he had bought for Megan, which they devoured. They parted ways in the upstairs hallway at home.

“When I left tonight, I was worried that it was going to be a bad date,” Fiona admitted, smiling at him. “It wasn't really a date, but it definitely wasn't bad.”

“No, it wasn't.” He kissed her on the cheek, which she couldn't recall him ever doing before. And then they said goodnight.

As Fiona crawled into bed that night, the rose having found its way to her bedside table, her first thought was, another Valentine's Day spent single. But instead of the usual aching emptiness, she felt ooey gooey and warm.

(I also posted this to AO3.)

(*AI did the heavy lifting with this art. There are many excellent reasons for objecting to AI art as it is currently playing out, but in this context, which I see as fun among friends, I hope it will be forgiven. )

[foreveranevilregal]

Can you please write about either Dolores and Isabela using Dolores' gift to blackmailing someone for favours or Dolores and Pepa blackmailing someone, I think it could be funny. BTW you're the best writer.

Thank you so much! I'm very flattered. And yes, flattery does work on me.

Let's go with Dolores and Isabela for this one.

Most of the time, Dolores’ gift felt more like a curse; constantly exposing her to sounds, both pleasant and unpleasant. Although she’d acquired a measure of control over it throughout the years (thanks to countless nights spent straining to hear Mariano’s voice as he read aloud the poems he wrote), much of it was still out of her control (Dolores did not need to know that her parents weren’t quiet in bed). All in all, her gift was kind of a mixed bag.

Sometimes, though, it presented her with golden opportunities.

She had been sitting with Isabela in the courtyard. They were discussing Dolores’ relationship with Mariano, which Dolores was all too happy to do. Her nose crinkled as she reminisced about their latest date. Isabela had been sitting there, listening attentively, and Dolores didn’t want to monopolize the conversation. After all, Isabela had recently begun her own romantic relationship.

“So, Isa, how are things with-“ She stopped abruptly. Her ears prickled and were soon filled with a cacophony of noise. Wooden table legs creaking, something heavy and fragile hitting the ground, and a tinkling noise as it shattered into pieces. Her eyes widened.

“You okay, Dolores?” Isabela looked at her with concern.

“Sorry, Isabela; I just heard something breaking.” She cocked her head towards the door, concentrating. She heard Camilo swear under his breath. So he was the one who broke…whatever it was that had broken! Dolores let out an involuntary squeak.

Isabela’s eyes lit up. The two cousins shared a weakness for gossip. “Do you know who did it?”

Dolores nodded. “It was Camilo.”

“Ooh,” Isabela squealed. “Was anyone else around?”

Dolores shook her head. “Just him.”

Isabela’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She was like a cat, ready to pounce.

Dolores grinned. “Sure am, prima. Come on.”

Quickly, they headed inside; beelining straight to the room where Dolores had heard the object break.

Inside was Camilo, still staring at the shards of broken vase (oh, Camilo would be in so much trouble!) in shock. He looked up at them as they entered. “Hey guys, a little help?” He gestured to the rubble.

“What happened, Camilo?” Isabela made no effort to help him, choosing instead to lean against the doorway.

He sighed in frustration. “I was in a hurry and bumped into the table. The vase fell and it broke. Can you guys help me clean this up before mamá sees?” He begged.

Dolores examined the pieces, which held a familiar pattern. “That was mamá’s favorite vase,” she noted.

Camilo tutted impatiently. “Yeah, which is why I need you to help me clean it up before she sees it!”

“Why should we do that?” Isabela was totally relaxed, toying with a peeling scrap of wallpaper.

“Out of love for your favorite hermano and primo?” His voice took on a frantic edge. “Come on, please,” he implored them. “She’s gonna be home soon!”

Too late. Pepa had come thundering in. “You would not believe the idiotas I had to deal with today, mamá,” she called into the kitchen. Clearly, she was already in a bad mood.

Camilo had fallen to his knees now, begging the two girls to help him out before his mamá saw, but it was too late.

Walking into the room to find her favorite vase in pieces did not help her bad mood. She let out a small scream. “What is going on here? What happened?” Her eyes drifted from one child to the other, glazing over Isabela by the door. She kneeled down, careful not to cut herself on the sharp edges, and touched the fragments of what used to be her favorite vase. “Which one of you broke this?” She looked up at her children again.

 Camilo deflated. Sighing, he opened his mouth to confess, “It was-“

“It wasn’t us-“ Dolores interjected. Her eyes burned into Camilo, willing him to play along. Not that she needed to; he was already staring at her incredulously. She flashed him a warning with her eyes. Don’t give away the game.

Pepa frowned. “Then who was it?” She started collecting the larger pieces into a pile. “This was my favorite vase,” she said to no one in particular.

“One of Antonio’s animals ran through the room. It must’ve bumped the table,” Dolores improvised quickly.

Camilo stared at her in disbelief but managed to mask the look before his mother lifted her head.

Pepa let out a drawn-out sigh, closing her eyes. “If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a thousand times.” She stood back up. “I’m going to have to talk to him about letting animals run loose through the house. We all can see what happens when you let them run amok.” She swept her hand behind her at the mess.

Camilo groaned, trying to play it off as a yawn. He stretched his arms exaggeratedly.

Pepa tilted her head in concern. “Are you alright, Camilo?”

He nodded, his eyes glossing over Dolores and Isabela before coming to rest on his mother. “Sí, mamá; just feeling kind of tired.”

(Dolores thought that drooping his eyelids was a nice touch. Really sold the act.)

Pepa clicked her tongue sympathetically. “Were you helping the new mamás again?”

“Yeah.” Camilo latched onto the explanation gratefully. “Didn’t get to sleep enough after dealing with the crying babies.”

Pepa crossed over to where he was standing. “I’m going to have to talk to them about working mi bebé to the bone,” she resolved, pinching his cheek affectionately. “My poor Milo is losing sleep to help them out. Un niño bien criado.” She pressed a juicy kiss to his cheek.

“Ugh, mamá!” Camilo rubbed his cheek in disgust. “I’m too old for that.”

“Nonsense, you’re never too old for your mamá to show you how much she loves you.” She crushed him in a hug to prove her point. Everything seemed alright for a moment, then she glanced over at the ground again. “I better clean this up. I don’t want you kids cutting yourself on the edges.”

Camilo nodded, slinking towards the wall. “I’m sorry, mamá.”

“Sorry? Why are you sorry?” Pepa looked at him quizzically.

“Uh, because it was your favorite vase, and now it’s broken.” Camilo chuckled nervously, slipping out of the room ready to break into a sprint down the hall.

Unfortunately, he ran straight into Dolores and Isabela. They looked at him with twin expressions of satisfaction.

“Your papá bought me that vase.” Pepa’s forlorn voice carried through the hallway. She seemed to absorbed in her reminiscence to realize Camilo had already left.

“Hear that, Milo?” Dolores prompted. “That vase was a gift from papá.”

Camilo groaned. “Let’s not draw this out. You guys didn’t rat me out, and you could have. So what’s this going to cost me?”

Isabela smiled triumphantly. “Well, since you mention it… there are some things you could do for us in return.” She crossed her arms.

Camilo huffed. “Fine, what do you want, Isabela?”

She paused, savoring the moment. “I was thinking it was a nice night to go for a walk.” She exchanged a look with Dolores. “I want you to cover for me if anyone asks where I am.”

“And where will you be?” Camilo asked suspiciously.

“That, primo, is absolutely none of your business.” She ruffled his hair.

“Are you sneaking out to see someone?” The flush on her face let him know he’d stumbled upon the truth. “You are, aren’t you? Who is it?”

“Don’t worry about that.” She waved away his question, then leaned into his ear. “I know I can count on you. I know you won’t rat me out. Otherwise, I might let it slip that it wasn’t actually Antonio’s animals that broke the vase.”

Camilo shuddered. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m gonna have to pretend to be him for mamá’s epic lecture, or he’ll blow my cover.”

Dolores let out a faint laugh at the thought. She’d definitely need to protect her ears for that one.

Camilo turned to address her. “And you, Lola? What do you want? You can see your boyfriend whenever you want. Unless you have a secret boyfriend too.”

She giggled with Isabela. “No secret boyfriend, hermano. Mariano and I are very much public.”

“Then what do you want?”

Dolores tapped her chin, pretending to think. “Well, now that you mention it, I would like to spend some more time with him. Pity I’m so busy with chores all day.” She let the implication hang in the air.

“You want me to do your chores?” Camilo looked bored. “For how long?”

“Oh, until I’ve decided that it’s enough.”

“Dolores, that’s not fair!” He protested indignantly.

Dolores paused, leaning her ear towards the door. “Papá got that vase for their anniversary. You broke something priceless.”

He scowled. “Okay, Dolores, I’ll do your chores.”

She beamed. “Gracias, hermano.” She kissed him on the cheek.

“Gracias, primo,” Isabela echoed, kissing his other cheek.

He retched, wiping his cheeks. “Why do you all want to slobber on my face today?”

“Because we love you,” Isabela said, her voice cloyingly sweet.

Camilo rolled his eyes. “Are you two done extorting me now?”

“Are we?” Dolores looked at Isabela. “Yeah, I think we are.”

“Great.” With that, Camilo left.

As soon as he was gone, Dolores and Isabela clasped each other’s hands, squealing giddily.

“You’re brilliant,” Isabela gushed.

Dolores shrugged modestly. “Sometimes my gift is okay.”

“Okay? It’s amazing! Ahh, thank you for tonight!” She wrapped Dolores in a tight hug.

Dolores smiled. Yes, sometimes her gift actually seemed like one.

[balladofthewhitehorse]

Hi! Tell us more about The History of Romance, A Cat Named Hilda and The Longow please!

Of course!

The History Of Romance

Okay so, this idea came to me when I was reading about the invention of the telephone if I remember correctly. One thing led to another and I was wondering how people would send messages to one another over long distances. I love England and Portugal, and how their relationship is tied together with their alliance; I also think that their personalities - while sometimes clashing, mesh well together, and therefore I was like: 'How does this effect how they talk to each other?' So essentially, I'm thinking that it'll go from things like portraiture (which appearantly the big thing to do for nobles in love was to commission and send paintings of *yourself* to the person you loved, which is. wild to me. it's like the old version of the dick pic). To letters and poems. To telephone calls and telegrams. To the *text message.* Plus, I think England and his attitude towards technology is something I need to desperately write more of - cos essentially, I think he bemoans the invention of the mobile phone and signs them off like he's writing a letter. like 'Dear Portugal, I love you. I am hoping you're looking forward to the resturant this weekend and I have brought a new shirt for the evening. Miss you, *please* reply as soon as you see this and *not* a few days later. Sincerely and best wishes, Kingdom Of England' (Kingdom of England being the full name of the country in *technicality*, England's strange like that.) While Portugal replies 'ILY2' (not to say that Portugal doesn't love England! In this situation, it's more likely Portugal was the one who came up with the idea of going to a resturant *and* Portugal will turn up with lots of love to give! He's just not very talkative over text and I think he fell hard for those wonderful acronyms <3)

A Cat Named Hilda

I have the Sims 4 and the only expansion I got with it was the cats and dogs expansion pack. I decided to make England in the game (his human name is Edmund Sharpe - I do not like the name Arthur Kirkland, it's a personal opinion thing) and he adopted a cat while in the park. The cat was called Hilda and looked to be a point of some kind, and was described as 'troublesome, affectionate and curious'. Oh, and she was scared of the TV for some reason. Wonderful <3 England in the game, by the way, had anger issues. He would vent so angrily and stomp around the house - but kept stopping to randomly pet the cat. So you had this angry man, grumbling and having literal *steam* coming out of his ears, stopping to *tenderly* pick up his cat and cuddle it. He would also talk to the cat, gesticulating wildly. As you can imagine, I was inspired. The idea of this moody, stormy and quite frankly - arsehole, of an immortal being - being so gentle and kind to a random stray cat was so endearing to me. I might change the cat's name to something else (as in the game, she was already Hilda - but I'm not sure *why* England would name her that? I want it to be something that makes sense for the guy - so suggestions would be appreciated <3)

The Longbow

This behemoth I've rewritten already. I actually had a chapter 1 of it posted on my blog (I *think* I deleted it - I can't remember) as well as AO3; But, my HCs changed a lot since that chapt so I decided to scrap it and try again. Each chapter is going to start with some information on *longbows* - which, while you've likely heard of *English* Longbowmen, the actual invention of the longbow goes to the *Welsh.* The Welsh were already famous archers and they were used during the Hundred Years War, where the English started to use the longbow - and then the English obsession with them cranked up a notch. For a while, every Englishman was required to know how to draw a bow and it was *strictly* enforced to the point where the bones of English archers began to change! Hell, we almost ran out of yew-trees cos of HOW many we needed to make the longbows themselves! So I thought it was an apt weapon as a connection between England and Wales - a Welsh creation that was taken up by England. Wales teaching England to draw a bow - something that would *save his life in many situations.* Here's a snippet:

‘’What are you apologising for?’’ Cymru murmured as they stepped into the threshold of their small, hunting shelter; Beams of yew and oak criss-crossed the ceiling, herbs hung in aromatic bundles as tools and weapons were tucked far above prying, juvenile hands (she had not forgotten the day that England had cut the tip of his finger off, grasping at an axe that he was never meant to get his hands on). ‘’Is it about the rabbit?’’ She breathed out, tilting her head inquiringly as she set herself before the firepit; Arms opened to receive him - teary eyes and all. ‘’For God’s sake, I was just-’’ Cymru shook her head, hugging the boy close. ‘’Eng…’’

England slumped against Wales, sniffling noisily as he shook his head. ‘’N-nothing to do with the rabbit.’’ Honestly, he’d forgotten that they had been hunting at all on the way back home. It was hard to bite back the tears, budding forth like a spring meadow. Rubbing his eyes furiously, England looked up hopefully at Wales - dredging up what little courage he had, words heavy in his throat as he shook his head furiously in the end. Wales was the one with the beautiful voice, always braver with words than he ever dared to be - and England felt sheepish at once, a red-hot flush travelling up his neck as he swallowed a lump in his throat. 

He grasped the edge of his tunic, the rough wool rubbing against the palm of his hands. ‘’Let's talk about something else.’’ England mumbled softly, guilt laden like a stone (like a sword, heavy at his hip). There was a soft crack, the first embers taking hold in the firepit as the shelter grew a little lighter - chasing shadows into spidery corners. ‘’I-I forgot what it was.’’ England murmured lamely, pushing his forehead against Wales chest and sighing. ‘’Sorry.’’

Cymru knew at once what England had meant. She sighed, feeling her heart get a little heavier and sink to the pit of her belly, shadows drawn into deep furrows as she frowned. He felt light in her arms as she drew him closer, gaze trawling to the dark corners of their little shelter - as if she saw Wessex, propped up by a bloodied sword. ‘’Hm, fine.’’ She replied tersely, stroking England’s hair gently. ‘’Let’s talk about how you missed that rabbit then.’’ He squirmed in her arms, grumbling something or other about how she’d put him under pressure and made him muck it up, bottom lip pushed out moodily. ‘’Stop grumbling. This is the third time…I can’t possibly be distracting you that much-’’ 

‘’-But you are!’’ England bleated defensively. Cymru sighed, frustration clawing at her ribs as she felt her cheeks pink. ‘’Do you ever practise?’’ She retorted, glaring at him. ‘’Wessex should be teaching you these things-’’ Why on Earth she was the one saddled with England was lost on Cymru, who found herself equal-parts enamoured and enraged towards the small boy in her lap. It was never simple, a mantra that Cymru found herself repeating over and over, a mantra that Gwynedd had taught her a long, long time ago. A mantra that Cymru found herself repeating more often. 

‘’Hey-!’’ England squeaked, whirling around to grasp Wales’ hands as she snagged his hair. ‘’I do practise-!’’ Cheeks ruddied with embarrassment, he slowly pulled himself upright and crossed his arms - chest puffed and bold. ‘’And Wessex teaches me loads-!’’ England insisted, watching as Wales slowly stood up - and suddenly, England felt very small indeed.

‘’Right,’’ Cymru snorted, eyes narrowing as molten iron poured through her veins; Liquid malice as she looked at the boy and saw Wessex’s eyes staring back at her. Mercia, Kent, Northumbria…how many were there again? Too many, Cymru thought resentfully, and he was just one more trouble piled atop many - and so young too, not even a true country yet. It wasn’t too late, the warrior mused, he could still be defeated - and the firepit was so hot. ‘’Like what? How to fail at catching rabbits?’’ Cymru ground out, hands balling into fists as she drew in a deep breath, shaking her head gravely. Someday, he’ll catch one and it’ll be too late. His people still quarrelled, Cymru knew that - From across the border, just past Offa’s Dyke were whispers of conflict and complex politics (all of whom she doubted England understood). They rallied like quivering spears, liable to be knocked down by a gale - and if she was to be that errant wind, then so be it; Better him, than her.

[the-almond-and-the-apple]

you (caden's version)

hi, you.

I started this on September 1st, and it's updated day by day, like a diary.

Please read the whole thing lmao cause there's a lot of shit in here that is later explained and it won't reflect my current feelings unless u read until the end

Bold of you to assume I could sit and write (however many lines of poetry this is) in one sitting.

:)

***

I guess I figured

That I'd end up being

That Guy™

Who writes shitty poems

Instead of saying what I really want to say

I just never figured they'd be about you

You. God, you.

You think you're so Unloveable

Told me that you believed it

That you'd been told it by the people

Who were supposed to bring you up

Not tear you down

And you told me that because that's what friends do

They share stories and cry about their shitty lives.

"I'll never be loved," you say, "I'm Unloveable."

And I know you believe it, misspelling and all.

But I don't

How could I believe it?

I'm sitting here writing poetry about you

For Gods sake

You're the poet out of the two of us

Not me

What am I doing?

"I'm good enough to be Likeable, but not Loveable." You say

You are so unbelievably wrong

Hell, you play music

On the weekends

For fun.

You wait for me after every class we have together

I can't help but smile when I see you

Leaning against the wall

Looking for me.

We text each other compliments

Constantly

Back and forth

But that's just something we do, right?

It doesn't mean anything.

That doesn't change the fact

That whenever i see your name with the words

"you're spectacular, I'm so proud of you!" attached to it

My heart skips a beat

You skipped a lecture on Wednesday

Just to come to snack time with me

Even though that lecture was a one time event

Even though you hate sugary foods

Even though it was out of your way

Even though you dislike crowds

You still went with me

You light up

When you talk about

What you learned in psych last period

You're so excited to share this random information with me

That you stumble over your words.

Yesterday, you told our lit teacher, randomly,

A concerning amount of knowledge

About the pressure points in our body

"Hear me out. I know what I'm talking about."

You could barely contain your laughter.

I spend an hour and a half texting you yesterday

All because you said you wanted to get a cat

We're co-parenting him, apparently.

You suggested we name him Martele

After the joke our orchestra teacher made

Now, every time I say his name, you grin

I caught you staring at me during orchestra today

You were trying to catch my eye to laugh at something our teacher said

How I hoped you were staring just to look at me.

"You're playing with your ring," you point out at lunch today, "what's making you nervous?"

I brush it off, laughing, and blame it on my anxiety disorder

How do I tell you that you're the one making me nervous?

How do I bring up the fact that you usually spin your pen when you're around me?

You smiled at me today

To show me the tooth that sticks out when you grin

"Look," you said through your teeth, "isn't this unfortunate?"

As long as you're smiling at me, nothing is unfortunate

Least of all you

You put your arm on my head today

As we were walking from lunch

"It's because I'm tall," you said, "I've got power over you."

You do have power over me

You just don't know it

And not because you're tall

"Am I reading this wrong?" I ask you on Friday night

"Is this platonic?"

And you say no, I'm not reading this wrong

You say you've liked me all along

And I call you an idiot, jokingly

Because apparently trauma dumping does count as flirting

At least with us

The compliments? They did mean something.

Skipping that lecture? You did that because you wanted to spend time with me.

Staring at me in orchestra? It was genuine.

Being all touchy feely with me? That too.

Laughing at everything I say? Yep.

Waiting for me after every class? That as well.

And then we get to talking:

"I get that we have a mutual fondness for each other, but

is this a relationship?" You ask

What a wonderful question

I tell you that I'm asexual

That I dislike physical contact

I should have mentioned that I'm on the aromantic spectrum too

But I didn't

Because I was worried it would scare you away

"That's okay," you write, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"We don't have to do any of that."

But physical touch is one of your love languages

Who am I to deprive you of that?

The more we talk, the more the pit in my stomach grows

We want different things from each other

Something that the other can't give

You could give me what I want, sure

A best friend

Someone I can spend time with outside of school with

Someone to walk to class with

Someone who makes me laugh

Someone to tease

Someone who loves me for who I am

And for who I'm not

And never will be

Because I'll never be that person

Someone who can run up to you and kiss you whenever I want

I won't want that, most likely

From anybody

I tried to imagine us cuddling on the couch

Watching the Disney movies you've never seen

(which is most of them)

And I feel like I might vomit

And I'm sitting at my computer, crying

Sobbing

Writing this

Because I care about you so fucking much

But in a different way than you care about me, I think

My stomach itches

I pull up my shirt

To reveal anxiety hives covering my torso

I haven't been eating as much as I should

My mouth is so dry that everything feels and tastes like cardboard

My stomach hurts too

Fuck.

I should ask you

"hey, what did you mean when you said the word relationship?"

"what does that mean for you?"

"this is what it means for me."

But I can't bring myself to ask.

Why? I don't know.

Maybe it's because I know I have to see you tomorrow

And you'll probably say something sappy

Call me perfect, one more time

And I'll cry

Again

Because of you

I'm crying now, sitting here, watching the rain

You're probably watching it too

Maybe you're playing your balloon guitar

(you still need to show me that, by the way)

Or looking for the murder of crows that lives by your house

I don't know why I'm writing this

Maybe it's because I hope you have a Tumblr,

And that you'll see this.

Maybe I just need to get my feelings out.

Maybe I'll end up sending this to you, if everything works out

God, I hope it works out.

I really really hope it does.

I'll never delete anything on this poem,

Never alter a stanza, never change a spelling

Because I want it to reflect the emotions I felt while writing it

Maybe not the best artistic decision, but hey

Who cares?

It's my art

Is it our art, because it's about you?

And I realize, now,

After I saw you today

I fucked up.

I fucked up, for real.

I was scared of being loved

Because I didn't think I deserved it

I didn't think I needed to be loved

I do need it.

"Literally nothing changed," you told me after orchestra today,

"We're still friends. I don't hate you."

But I can see the sadness on your face

Hear it in your voice

This is Tuesday, for future reference

The day after our roller coaster of a weekend

(you'll know what I mean)

I wish I could go back and change it

I regret what I said

I do

Truly

But the damage has been done, hasn't it?

I can't go back and alter the past

Can't unsay what I said

We'll stay friends, sure

That I'm not worried about.

But what if I don't want to stay your friend

And you don't want to stay mine?

We both want something more

(I think)

But we're either too shy or too stubborn to admit it

Homecoming is coming up in October

Maybe I'll ask you to that

If I have the guts

If I do, I'll probably send you this poem as well

Not as a declaration of my love (or whatever)

But as a sentiment:

"you make me feel so many things that they refuse to stay in my head, they demand to be written out."

I wrote poetry for you.

I hate poetry, but not when it's about you.

Or, if Homecoming doesn't work

Maybe I'll just ask you over for Halloween

You've never participated in it before

Why not start this year?

With me?

Even if none of this works out

Even if we stop talking completely

If I can make you laugh one more time

A real, genuine, laugh

I'll be okay, I think.

Maybe that is love

The fact that I'm writing poetry about you.

Not saying that we're going to get married

Or get together

Or whatever else that could be interpreted as

Maybe love is just saying hi in the hallways

Or teaching me how to flip your pen the way that you do

Or checking up on each other constantly

"u ok?" "how was ur day?" "got any memes?"

"say hi to the crows in ur yard for me."

What if you've changed your mind about me?

What if I sent one too many apologies

Or asked you one too many questions

I think that's why I don't say it

Because I'm afraid of the answer

So very afraid

I think I believe that I have to constantly be doing Things

To deserve love

Be it romantic or not

Hopefully I can get rid of that feeling soon

Because I want to be loved for who I am

Not for what I'm doing

If I do end up sending this to you:

Hi, you.

It's still Tuesday.

And I still regret not trying to hold your hand at lunch today

No matter how you would have seen it

Romantically or platonically

I wish I had

It would have been worth it just to see the look on your face

(I'm laughing about it now, you'd have looked so surprised)

You tried to steal my pencil from me

I don't know if you remember

It was the first time I made you laugh since what happened

It made my day

That sounds stupid, I know

But it did

It feels strange, writing this to you as opposed to it being for you

There's a difference, I guess.

The fact that I know you'll read this one day scares me

"oh shit, what if he realizes I'm not a robot devoid of emotions?"

That sort of thing.

How could I be devoid of emotions when you make me laugh the way that you do?

At lunch today when you said "the only By I am is By Myself."

What I should have said was "give me some time, I'm still figuring this out."

What I ended up doing was making some random joke

I regret that, too.

The look on your face would have been priceless.

Seeing the hope in your eyes would have been even better then hearing your laugh

If you do end up reading this,

You'll probably have all sorts of critiques

Complaints about how I broke up the stanzas

Or capitalization errors

(Am I supposed to capitalize every line?)

But secretly, you'll be pleased

That I don't only give you the time of day

But that I take time out of mine

To write about you

If I had to guess, knowing myself,

Considering nothing changes for the worse

I'll send this to you right after school

On the Friday before break

That's only 17 days away

17 days since we met, too

Funny how time works like that

You know what?

I think I might do just that

Considering nothing changes for the worse,

I'll ask you to Homecoming

And send you this

And hope I don't fuck this up

Again

"Is this a...Date?" You might ask, "are you asking me out?"

"you decide," I'll say, "consider it an olive branch."

"I'd like it to be one, but I'm also cool just going as friends."

"I can bring some of my other friends along so it won't be awkward, if you choose the latter."

"no pressure."

I think I owe you that choice

Maybe, if you say yes,

I'll wear some 5 inch heels

So I can be taller then you

Finally rest my arm on your head comfortably

I should ask you in person,

If I end up doing this at all

But I won't

We're both too awkward to handle whatever the answer may be

And if your answer is no,

I'll be okay.

Really.

I'll be disappointed, sure, but

Mostly, I'll feel guilt

Because I know what we could've had

And I'll know that I messed that up

And if your answer is yes, hell

I don't know what I'll do

I haven't allowed myself to hope

If I send

"hi. i fucked up. let me try to fix this?" with a link to this attached

What will you say?

If you decide to shun me, okay.

I hope you don't shun me, though

If only to get feedback on this poem

Because I know you'll be the only one to ever see it

You're the only one I've ever written poetry for, anyways

If you decide to say "maybe, lemme think," okay.

If you decide you just want to be my friend, okay.

if you say yes (!!!), okay.

Most likely, you'll be embarrassed that I'm writing this for you

Hopefully for a good reason

But, no matter what your answer is,

I hope you can tell me what you truly think about This Whole Thing

Because we're nothing if not good communicators

And I don't want that to change because I wrote this

Hell, I'm embarrassed too

I'M WRITING POETRY

P O E T R Y

ABOUT Y O U

I'M EXPRESSING THE DEPTH OF MY FEELINGS FOR ANOTHER HUMAN BEING THAT ISN'T IN A JOKING MANNER

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING

Gotta love that for me

Please don't think that I have the ability to just hit send on this

When I do, I'll yeet my phone across the room and not check it for 72 hours

Out of pure embarrassment

Because this is, quite possibly, the most vulnerable and open thing I've ever done.

That's what poetry is, right?

Vulnerability on a page.

Or a website, in this case.

But I've already made myself a promise that you're going to see this

Sooner or later

So, I might as well go ahead and hit send

I didn't start writing this as a way to tell you I like you

It's turning out to be that, but that wasn't the original purpose

I just wrote it to get my feelings out.

I felt like I was too awkward to say it in person or over text

So here I am.

This isn't meant to be some sappy love poem

I beg you

I implore you

I plead with you not to see it as that.

It's a diary.

You just happen to be in it a lot.

I guess it functions as one, though

One that says:

"hey, I like this person and I hope he doesn't hate me for it."

"I hope things don't change too much."

It's just a shitty poem, that's all

I find it so much easier to express my feelings in writing

There's no chance for buffering that way

I guess that's partially why I wrote this

It's easier for me

I stutter too much when I'm around people I like

It's a wonder I didn't start writing earlier

Even though it's a shit piece of poetry, at least it's a start,

Right?

I'm a sappy person, apparently

Something I didn't know about myself before I met you

Maybe I'm even as sappy as you

Today is Wednesday

I realized that fact at precisely 2:16am

When I woke up from a dream

You were in it, of course

You've been on my mind a lot lately

It's no surprise that my subconscious picked up on that too

We were in Home Depot, I think

Buying potted ferns for whatever reason

There was a Starbucks inside it, too

Suddenly, you weren't by my side

(Foreshadowing? I hope not.)

I texted you:

"oi, ask me out already."

You responded immediately:

"MY LOVE,

THEY HAVE EMANCIPATED FRANCE."

I'm laughing about it now as I'm typing this

Because of course dream you would bring up this totally random information

That had zero relevance to what the conversation was

It's something I like about you both in real life and in dreams

I thought about telling you about my dream today

If only because of the rush of disappointment I felt when I realized

That you didn't actually say that to me

That we weren't actually together

I'm glad I didn't, though.

I don't think I would have been able to make you understand

Just why it meant so much to me

I hope that you know I still like you

That I still want This

I'm just a coward

Because if you Have something, then you can Lose it

And I don't think I could lose you

(Sappy me, blah blah blah. I know, shut up.)

(Blame it on the muse.)

It's easier to pretend I don't care

But I do

I should probably tell you that

But I won't

Not yet

Because you haven't texted me first in a couple of days

And I don't want to seem needy

Am I overthinking it?

Probably.

There's not much else I can do

Except do homework and write bad poetry

And hope that you'll text me soon

I'm realizing now that you don't know this

Because it's all in my head

So how could you know?

I've only said this to two people,

Only one of whom you've met

You sit next to them at lunch.

Maybe if they mention how I feel

Everything will go away

I'd rather it come from me, though,

Even if it is indirect

And even if it is through a poem

(Is that a rhyme?

Maybe I'm better at this than I thought.)

Should I send this to you now?

Right now?

At this very moment?

Walk in to the kitchen, grab my phone, and say:

"hey I lost a bet and now I have to send u this, enjoy."

Maybe that would be the better option

Because we did say we were going to figure it out

But what if this all comes too soon?

I don't mean to be pushy, really,

(no, really. I mean it.)

I just don't have any other way of putting this into words

How I feel

Both my admiration for you and my guilt about this past weekend

I'm not saying that I'm In Love™ with you

Please please please don't take it that way

I use that word extremely loosely and I use it quite a lot

I Love my parents,

My friends,

My dog,

My plants,

Big comfy sweaters,

My books,

Making people laugh,

Hiking,

My cousins,

The city of New York,

Waking up early to see the sunrise,

Traveling,

Archaeology,

Stargazing,

Music,

My cello,

You.

You get the picture.

I cringed writing that last stanza

Doesn't mean its not true

(It is)

I just wonder how you'll take it

Because, like I said before,

This isn't some gross sappy love poem

I'm not saying, "marry me."

I'm saying that I care about you

That's all this is.

And it's easier to say it like this

Instead of on the way to orchestra

Or to math

Where there's more of a chance of me getting it wrong

When there's more of a chance of you making me laugh so hard that I forget what I was saying

Where there's more of a chance of me stuttering and stumbling and buffering over my words

I hope you're just being awkward

I hope that's why you're acting different

I'd even take you believing I didn't like you back

As opposed to you losing feelings for me

Because this will be really, really, really awkward

If you've lost feelings at the same time I've finally come to terms with mine

And if you're reading this, cringing, thinking,

"Ohh, yeah, I never actually liked you," or

"This is super weird and I am Not Looking Forward to seeing you on Monday," or

"I just see you as a friend after what happened," or

"Writing poetry?? Cringe. We're in highschool, dipshit, this ain't a Disney movie,"

Or anything else that I'm afraid of you saying

Then I'm sorry.

I know I told you I don't understand social cues,

But you probably didn't know just how much I meant it.

I could be completely overstretching my bounds and I would have no idea.

Or you could find this cute, who knows.

Knowing me, with my luck, it'll probably be the former.

That would suck.

Happy Thursday, you.

I texted you late last night to clarify my feelings:

"Just because I have anxiety doesn't mean that I don't like you back. I do like you back. It just means that I have anxiety."

You were nice about it, of course

Reiterated the fact that you're okay with us staying friends

Maybe you were a bit too enthusiastic about us staying friends

Now that I think about it

Should I have seen that coming?

And just like that,

What little conversation we had today was strained

For the first time since I met you, I walked alone to math

You didn't sit with me at lunch today

Or walk with me from lunch to our next class

I feel better about This Whole Thing, though,

Because at least I was honest.

I told you how I felt, and now the ball is in your court.

There's no hard feelings, at least on my side.

I hope it's the same for you.

I won't mention This anymore, at least until you do

Because I've said my piece, right?

There's nothing else I can do, even if I wanted to.

I'm still your friend (if you'd like me to be),

I'll still walk with you from class to class (if you'd like me to)

I'll still talk to you in lit (if you'd like that)

I'd still let you play my cello (if you'd like to try)

I'd still like to see your balloon guitar,

To have you visit me at work,

To have you teach me how to spin your pen,

To smile and to laugh with you.

I'll still ask you over for Halloween

Along with a big group of my other friends

Because even though things have changed, I still care about you

You don't have to come, obviously, but sometimes,

It's the thought that counts.

The thought that says, "hey, come eat sugar and watch bad movies with us,"

The thought that says, "you're wanted,"

The thought that says, "you aren't alone,"

Unless you want to be alone, in that case,

Go for it.

I'm not going to be the person who shatters your personal space bubble.

I'd just like to be the person who opens mine to you.

As long as you know that I still care about you

That I still want you to love and be loved

That I still want you have the happiness that you deserve

I don't care what happens.

That sounds dramatic and kind of mean

But it isn't meant to be

Whatever happens with Us, I should have said

Whether we stay friends, go out, or somewhere in between

Even if we stop talking all together

As long as you know that I'd still give you the time of day if you asked,

As long as you know you can still walk up to me in the hallway,

As long as you know that there's still a place in my life for you

(Now, whether you want to take that place is up to you. It's there, though, and it's there to stay.)

I'm okay with it whatever happens

***

Happy Friday.

Is it appropriate to say that I miss you

When you're right here next to me?

When we have three classes together?

When we text each other every now and then?

When we have some of the same friends?

No matter if it's appropriate or not, I do miss you

I miss making you laugh

I miss you making me smile

I miss our late night conversations about nothing at all

(Again, a rhyme? Not bad.)

I miss when you'd crouch by my desk

Rest your elbow next to my water bottle

And ask me how my morning was

"Yeah?" You'd say, "Well, in psych..."

And you'd go on and on about it

(Not that I minded)

Sometimes, I'd catch you glancing up at me

Just to make sure I understood your joke

Or that I was enjoying the conversation

Every time our eyes would meet, you'd stop talking

For a split second

And pause to shake the hair out of your eyes

To see me better, maybe

Or maybe you were just self conscious

Sometimes, I'd glance backwards at you during class

Right after you went back to your desk

And I'd get to see you smile to yourself

About some joke I'd made the minute before

I realize that I could be idealizing this

I know it wasn't all flowers and daydreams and laughter and teasing

But it doesn't really matter, does it?

I had fun.

I think you did as well.

Doesn't change the fact that I still grin when you do

Doesn't change the fact that I wish we'd hang out more

I still see things that remind me of you

And wish we were close enough for me to show it to you

Without getting a one word response

I know the best solution to this is,

Simply enough:

Talk to you

I don't want to invade your personal space

If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine

I still text you first, though

Still smile at you in class

I hope that says, "Hi. You can talk to me if you want. I want to talk to you."

But I'll let you approach me first

Because I've already texted you about This

Now it's your turn

I'd like to think that you're just scared to bring it up

Not that you don't care about me anymore

That very well could be wishful thinking

(I did say like to think, didn't I?)

Knowing me, though

With my everlasting optimism

I'll assume the best until proven otherwise

I'll just assume you're being awkward

Or shy

Or anxious

Even if the signs are there that you're done

Done with me

***

It's Saturday, this time

And I have a thought

That thought is this:

I'd rather have you hate me than feel nothing towards me

Because the opposite of love isn't hate

It's apathy

Hate means that I'm still in your mind

But apathy?

You'd never think of me again

***

Sunday.

I've done this before, actually.

Being friends with a guy,

then the Talking Phase.

When we inevitably grew apart,

It didn't bother me

Because I didn't know what I was losing

I didn't realize that I was flirting with him

And he back at me

I just thought that was what friends did

I figured it was normal

So when we got our schedules

And I moved up a level in orchestra

Without him

Leaving him behind

And we realized that was it

I grinned at him, made a joke, and moved on

It was easy for me to let him go

Because I didn't realize the importance of what I had

But with you?

***

You walked me to orchestra today, Monday

And then walked me to math

You sat next to me at lunch today

And walked me to chemistry afterwards

That's all I have to write for today, really.

You spent time with me, it made me happy.

Hopefully it made you happy too.

I got to make you laugh for the first time in a while.

Don't have much else to say.

***

It's Tuesday.

Theoretically.

Nothing much changed.

I've got nothing to write.

I should be doing homework.

***

Thursday.

I just read this in it's entirety for the first time since writing it.

Yikes.

I am one sappy, dramatic motherfucker, aren't I?

Not saying that what I wrote isn't true

(It is)

But goddamn if I can't crank out some damn good poetry when the need arises

No, I mean it.

I think this this might be the best piece of writing I've ever created.

Blame it on the muse.

I'm over this whole Thing, really.

I'm done being sad and writing poetry and crying about It

I'm tired of being so upset over something I can't contol

Notice how I didn't say I was over you?

Cause I'm not.

I still feel all that guilt I mentioned,

I still miss you,

I still want to make you laugh,

yadda yadda.

Sappy shit.

I'm not upset about it anymore, which is good.

I've come to accept the fact that we aren't going to go out

Unless you have a plan to hand me a small creature of questionable cuteness and use that to ask me to homecoming

(I'd say yes)

We're friends.

I'm genuinely happy with that.

Are you?

I don't want to you to alter how you feel about me just because of this extremely long and wordy poem

Yes, I'd accept if you asked me to homecoming

No, I'm not planning on asking you (at least at the time of writing this.)

No, that doesn't mean I've lost feelings for you

Yes, that means I'm happy where We Are and I don't feel the need to change This

Yes, I still want to be your friend.

Yes, I am nothing if not confusing.

***

Friday.

A week before I'm supposed to send this to you.

And I've had yet another thought:

(Surprising, right?)

It isn't my responsibility to maintain relationships.

That isn't a dig at you, or at anybody

It's just something I realized. 

I'm not a focal point in other peoples lives, however much I would like to be

And because of that, I don't have to go out of my way to keep them in my life 

If they don't want to be close to me, I don't have to go chasing after them 

I'm not required to jump through hoops just to stay friends with somebody 

It's late, past midnight

(Goodnight, by the way. I didn't text you to say goodnight for once.) 

And I don't know how I'll see this when I wake up the morning 

If I'll wake up and worry about whether or not you'll be offended by this 

It isn't a dig

Honestly 

Just one of the points 

On this journey called September 

That I deemed important enough to write down 

And to share with you, apparently 

To show you I'm growing,

Thank you for that, by the way 

One of the many positives of having people tell you that you're perfect

Is that, eventually, you start to believe it

I don't believe I'm perfect, of course 

I'm not 

I'm too much of a coward and too annoying and far too selfish to be perfect

But I do feel a lot better about myself 

And I attribute that partially to you

***

Saturday.

I really am selfish, aren't I?

Thinking that I matter enough to people

For them to text me first

Or to hang out outside of school

Because nobody ever does

And that would be fine,

If I had enough self awareness to realize that people don't actually want to be around me

But here I am, ever the optimist

And I keep going after people who don't want me back

Not even with romance, I feel this way about friendships too

I've realized I've done that with you

Because if you wanted to talk to me, you would

Wanted to hang out, you'd ask

If you wanted to be around me, you'd make an effort to be

And I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it

Now, that isn't to say I don't want to be around people

I do.

But, like I wrote yesterday,

Friendships are two way streets.

If my car is ready to go and your motorcycle is firmly parked, that's fine

I just wish I had realized it earlier

That's a weird analogy, but you know what I mean.

Hopefully.

It doesn't matter how strong my desire is to have a particular relationship with someone,

Because if they think I'm annoying

Or clingy

Or weird

Or not smart enough

Or that my voice is too high

Or that I've got too much of a baby face

Or I that have too many weird hobbies

(or not enough of them)

Or that I'm too quiet

I can't force people to care about me.

So I just...exist.

On the edges of friend groups

Hoping that maybe I'll be able to make somebody laugh

Or maybe I'll bring someone a mint, as a show of kindness

Grab a ruler bookmark off a table for them

(I grabbed one for you because you mentioned you wanted one. It's in my folder if you still want it.)

Or print out some sheet music I know they'd like

Bring a deck of cards to lunch to make people feel less alone

I do all of those things, and I genuinely enjoy it

Seeing people smile is the highlight of my day

Knowing I made them laugh is even better

I just figured I would've found somebody who'd bring me a mint

Or go out of their way to make me smile

Or send me a picture of something I like, just because

Hell, I'd even settle for a, "this remined me of you." text

Because if somebody sent me that, it'd mean I was in their thoughts

Again, this isn't a dig at you

Or at anybody

I'm just ranting

There's a kind of comfort in being sad, isn't there?

You brought that up a while back

Said you believed the worst because you could only be pleasantly surprised

I see the appeal of that mindset now

Maybe it's the undiagnosed Whatever that I have,

But I don't see how people can care about each other

Without actually showing it

I care about you,

So I show it.

I text you memes,

Make jokes,

Walk you to class,

And write you poetry.

It's as simple as that.

I actually enjoy writing poetry when it's about something l like

Who knew that someone would be you?

[tackyink]

Ehe (you can delete my previous ask, because I'm back ♡)

Can I say how much I love the change of povs?? Beginning the chapter with the chaos trio pov was a power move, because nostalgia hit like a train ngl you always have a way to write their interactions with one another so well, it makes my heart full (comfort characters go brr).

These parts?? Chef kiss (uh, spoilers?)

I just love them okay? The fact that Kurama is the one to negotiate because of his pretty face will always be hilarious for me. And the fact that both Yusuke and Kuwabara are a little bit 🤏 scared of Kurama makes everything funnier.

With the whole conversation and shenanigans in the forest, my first thought was that my girl wouldn't be able to do this sober. And I was right! I would also want fried chicken and croquettes. She has a superior taste.

Also, I find her, like Makoto, quite funny. This line:

Wakaba is torn between underpaid-workers (non-paid-workers?) solidarity and not wanting to deal with this bullshit any more than what she had. I respect that. I want to get tattooed the 'these guys were more than just a little pathetic' line /j. (Whoops, just realized there's a typo, after reading this thrice. I am not beta-reader material and it shows) Anyways!

Now, with that left behind, I was a bit surprised about Wakaba's powers, or at least the spiritual awareness (well, not quite, as after the first chapter, it would have been weird she didn't have spiritual awareness), but a welcomed surprise! Even more with the actual nature of her powers (see what I did there? No? I'm sorry I will stop). It was cool, like, really cool. And I am also happy that she did indeed had some ties to the forest!

Also, a silly little question, on my line of silly little questions: does the poem at the beginning have a japanese counterpart? I mean, it's a silly question alright, because japanese poetry is like,, waiting for death to come. But I thought I would ask. It's ok if it is not, I'm just a geek about these sort of things ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)

Looking forward to see how these pathetic men (affectionate) deal with everything now ahaha. Thank you for the chapter <33333 I enjoyed it lots!

Hehe, I'm not deleting it, I'm keeping it for posterity.

I didn't plan it this way, but I think beginning with a more somber Kuwabara was a good contrast with the chaos that was about to ensue for the rest of the chapter. Despite how funny the situation is looking at it from the outside, everybody is so done.

Throwing Kurama to the lions and him suddenly getting a nat 1 in a diplomacy check while the other two are giggling around the corner is probably my favorite part of the chapter. Yusuke made a tactical error anyway, because while people do find Kurama more attractive, out of context Kurama is a highly unnerving person and everybody who's spent two minutes with Kuwabara thinks he's a sweetheart.

Slave labor. It's slave labor and she already doesn't like Koenma. asdfghjk I had to reread three times to catch it, fixed it!

I can't comment on Wakaba's powers without spoiling future stuff, but for all intents and purposes right now she's a regular human having a crisis of, uh... not faith. Atheism? Something like that. Girl's cursed by the supernatural-adjacent.

It's a good question! I've been turning the poem over in my mind since before I began writing the fic proper, but I'm not confident enough in my Japanese to write a haiku and not murder it, and I can't translate it back to Japanese without losing critical info in the process because I wouldn't be able to keep the 5-7-5 syllable format. Take for instance the first verse, "flame lights the last path" (5) becomes 火は最後の道を照らす ("hi wa saigo no michi wo terasu") (12). I'm sure someone with a good handle on the language could come up with something, but that's not me. (ˉ▽ˉ；) I can tell you, however, that the "young leaves" mentioned in the poem are written 若葉 and pronounced "wakaba".

The end of this chapter truly was Sad wet cat of a man (x3). Thanks as always for your lovely comments, they make me so happy! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

[euphoniouspandemonium]

What's the thing you're most excited about for each wip? :D

Welp, it's time for a list, and it's gonna be a long one. You have been warned.

Cotton Mendings: I am absolutely hype about like. Literally Everything. Right now I am especially excited about 1) exploring the relationship between Willie and Edward (they're side characters, Willie is Salvatore's elder brother) even though I know it is going to make me cry so much 2) literally everything about Percy but especially his backstory, which is also going to make me cry so much and already has and 3) this one side character who is a close friend of Percy's - their name is Kaspar and they're a magician. Also they're nonbinary and German. I would die for them. OH and! I think I'm gonna make a (much more in depth) Power Point Comic Sans reintroduction, which is also really exciting <3

Putting the rest under a cut!!

Clarity Is Blood On A Murder Weapon: COMMUNISM. A CHAOTIC WHOLESOME QUEER FRIEND GROUP. VERY SAD BACKSTORIES. ROCK MUSIC REFERENCES. WACKY 1960S FASHION. MURDERRRRRRRRR- also like there's several scenes that happen in bathrooms and they range from wholesome and cute to so fucking gay and tender they make me want to break down sobbing on my bedroom floor. And I can't wait to write said scenes. And everyone's dynamics??? I am just. Obsessed with these stupid queers.

Tuned Teeth And Sour Symphonies: well for one thing I get to cowrite something with the most darling person in the world (@writing-is-a-martial-art <3)- and. Our characters are so interesting and I would like to put them under a microscope. And hurt them, mentally and physically. OH OH and the PLOT is SO FUN and our prose and the themes are so >>>>>> and the BACKSTORIES!! Oh lord the backstories. They are very sad but. Writing about them is so >>>>>>>>>> AND THE SYMBOLISM *screams*

Okay okay now WIPs that I haven't really talked about-

The Art Of Devouring: this is actually a short story/prose poetry collection and I've posted three of said stories/poems!! The Moon Was Eaten Last Night – Whatever Will Happen To The Tides, What To Dream At World's End, and How To Lose Your Corpse To The Sea (they're all linked in my pinned post!). AND. I am very excited about the other ideas I have for it. I started a story about lesbians and consensual??? cannibalism a while ago. The first line is "you are my apple of Eden", which I think is quite cool. There's probably also gonna be a story about dramatic eating of a peach because I feel like I am devouring god whenever I eat peaches so.

And Bleed, Like Hydrangea: it's about three queer theatre kids who find the memoir of a gay man from the Victorian era and the things that happen in the memoir parallel the stories of these kids and it switches between a) epistolary (the memoir) b) third p present tense narration of the teens' narrative and c) a screenplay based on the memoir. LIKE WHAT'S THERE NOT TO BE HYPE ABOUT. (This is my most ambitious project and it terrifies me.)

Earl/Edith WIP: it's literally a story about a bisexual genderfluid criminal mastermind. Like what's more exciting than that. Also there's moth and butterfly symbolism and two borzois named Frankie and Lola.

Claude WIP: TRANSGENDERISM AND SCIENCE AND FEMINISM AND HOMOSEXUALITY, NEED I SAY MORE. Need or not I will because I want to. It's set in the 1840s and the protagonist, Claude, is a trans guy (but he doesn't know that yet) and he adores science and wants to be a scientist but he gets arranged married with a (very gay) scientist dude who's pining for his best friend from college. Also Claude's sister is a raging lesbian scientist and her shitty husband died of mYstEriOuS cAusEs a while before the main plot. And did I mention everyone loves science.

The Kraken WIP: it's set in the 18th century and there's pirates in it. The imagery is probably gonna be rather fucking ethereal. Also I think there's a fucked up little sopping wet cat scientist guy. And it's historical magical realism which is >>>>>>>>

She's A Femme Fatale (???): (female) detective falls in love with a femme fatale who murdered her husband. And it's got strong noir vibes. That is very fucking exciting I think.

Alright my unhinged ranting is over now. Have a good day, my dear Inara!!

[mediocre-daydreams]

Hi lovely! if it's alright could I ask for an 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞? For the marauders, and i'm bisexual.

I'm Ivy(i'm assuming you know that but whatever) and i'm an introvert until I get to know someone and then all hell breaks loose. I sing, I play piano, and I really want to be able to play guitar. I love reading and writing and I also love ranting about random topics? I'm 5'6 and my style is mostly very comfy until I get a random boost of confidence like once every 2 weeks and I decide to dress up. I could not draw or paint if my life depended on it. And I love candles, cats, , annotating books, and rain.

idk if that's enough but thanks anyways <3

ivy!! ~ your touch brought forth an incandescent gloooow… tarnished but so graaaand…

hey beautiful!! i think you belong with remus.

everyone has this conception that remus is shy, but my guy is a marauder. i think remus is similar to you in that way. he’s introverted, but that doesn’t mean he’s not confident and bold like his friends. when he’s with the other marauders, he’s just as much of a menace—if not more. he’s the mastermind behind all the prank executions, and he never gets caught.

maybe you and remus would have classes together, though he wouldn’t notice you at first. unlike lily who raised her hand at every question or james and sirius, who shamelessly chatted through boring lessons, you weren’t one to draw unnecessary attention to yourself. you were simply a good student with good friends; a good person.

remus would truly notice you when lesson topics became more complex and you were the only person who could understand the material. thanks to the fact that you were one of the only people who actually read the textbook, you were suddenly thrust into the star student position. you’d hand in all your essays on time and professors wouldn’t be subtle when hinting about your Os to the rest of the class. remus, who prided himself on academics, was slightly miffed intrigued and impressed.

he’d probably come up with some excuse to talk to you along the lines of asking you to be his tutor. it was absolutely not because he thought you were cool and smart and pretty and passionate and kind and talented.

he’d hyped himself up all morning until he finally saw you in history of magic, your shared class. he was about to approach you, but damn, he was not prepared for what he saw. see, remus spent a whole week overthinking and planning and stressing over how to get you to say yes to being his tutor, but he had not prepared for you to show up all dressy and beautiful and he was also not planning on the other marauders catching him drooling.

if remus wasn’t able to muster up the courage to ask you out to be his tutor, the other marauders would start meddling. they’d steal your annotated books and put them in places where remus would find them, knowing you’d be searching for it instead of getting a new book, since you’d already annotated your copy. one time, they got a little overzealous and put a sappy love poem between the pages of your book for you to “find,” but remus spotted it in time and then placed all the marauders on a chocolate ban for the next three weeks.

you guys had a lot in common and quickly became friends. sometimes remus felt like he would spend more time with you than his other friends. the marauders didn’t mind all too much; they thought it was pretty obvious that there was some mutual tension going on. you and remus both chalked it off as “the nature of your friendship,” but the marauders didn’t think it was very platonic of remus to have sleepovers in your dorm under the guise of “petsitting your cat.” watching him hold your umbrella in the rain, seeing as he was much taller than you, was no longer platonic once he began strategically holding the umbrella so he had a hand free to hold yours.

remus definitely has musician hands. i think you’d play piano duets together and you’d sing along. remus didn’t consider himself a “singer” by any means, but you thought his deep tenor voice was a perfect accompaniment. remus knew you wanted to learn guitar, and he had an old, beat up one under his bed from when he was a kid. he was nervous to show it to you at first, since it was in rough condition, but you adored it. it was a great excuse for him to cozy up to you as he pressed his chest to your back and reached over your shoulders to teach your chords.

remus is an old soul. he prefers staying in over going out and partying, so he’d love nights where the two of you burned your favorite candle and read together. he loved afternoons where you’d lie on the grass near the black lake, when he could listen to you ramble about your new interests and admire your smile. i think he’d confess his feelings to you by giving you an annotated book, and on the inside would be notes of little things that reminded him of you, scenes in the book he’d like to experience with you, etc.