#more Ghibli inspired hugs

[iron-sparrow]

Oh hello, will you be mine? I haven't felt this alive in a long time All the streets are warm and grey ♪

feat. @guillotine-of-the-snake

[nightdiary]

txt as moments of intimacy

word count: 2.7k genre: fluff, established relationship, comfort author's note: this is my first published work, so i'm a bit nervous to share it with the world! i'm quite happy with it though, and hope that it can bring anyone who reads it a sense of comfort and warmth. 🤍

✧ yeonjun - washing your hair

when you come home after a particularly draining day, yeonjun's almost too quick to pick up on your weariness even if you're smiling. he instantly notices the tenseness of your shoulders and your bleary eyes when you shuffle up to greet him with a hug, one that's too rigid and awfully telling.

his heart squeezes when he watches you trudge to the kitchen and slump by the counter, dropping your keys and wallet onto it with a sigh. yeonjun likes to think he’s an expert at comforting you, especially after having been together for so long, but on days like this, uncertainness creeps up on him relentlessly.

drawing up beside you, he reaches out to trace a gentle hand on your upper back, eyes softening as you practically melt into his touch. he thinks he hears you mumble an apology, and something in him falters.

"how about i run you a bath?"

and before you can fully process his question, let alone finish saying yes, he's jumping out of his seat and speedwalking to the bathroom.

the bathroom smells like sweet lavender and cream honey when you walk in, and you find yeonjun crouched by the faucet, struggling to make bubbles with the liquid soap. he doesn't realize you're there until you giggle, startling him into nearly falling face-first into the growing heap of pink bubbles.

after you strip out of your day clothes, you shyly shuffle into the tub under yeonjun's watchful stare. you dare to look up only once you're submerged up to your shoulders and find that his eyes are filled with nothing but adoration. if anything, that just makes you feel even shyer.

yeonjun takes care in gently detangling your strands and making sure that he doesn't accidentally tug at your roots. his ministrations are slow, massaging your scalp and letting the blunt end of his nails drag along just the right places. you can almost fall asleep like that, lulled into a hazy doze by his soft humming and the comforting warmth cradling your head.

he takes his time in properly washing the product out of your hair and ensuring that none of the suds fall into your eyes, cupping the area just above your eyebrows with heed. once your hair seems to be all done, his hands slip to your shoulders and begin to knead in slow circles, coaxing soft sighs out of you the closer they draw to your neck.

after you're out of the tub and wrapped up in a clean, fluffy towel, yeonjun will seat you on the toilet lid and blow dry your hair. it's a bit awkward, especially since he hasn't really done this for anyone but himself, but the fondness with which he carefully cards through your damp strands is enough to make you forget all about your day.

✧ soobin - baking together

ever since soobin initially suggested you two bake brownies a month into your relationship, baking quickly became your favorite couple’s activity.

you were never really an expert, quite the contrary, but soobin reassured you that baking required less skill and more love. naturally, you called bullshit on his encouragements. if you couldn’t properly handle a mixer, much less bake cookies without burning them, you were sure it was a sign from the universe to stay away from baking.

and yet, several baking dates later, you found yourself genuinely enjoying the silly desserts you and soobin would curate. you even had a shared pinterest board on which you added any eye-catching recipes you scrolled past, and had gone through a sizable amount yourselves. from chocolate hedgehogs to studio ghibli-inspired creampuffs and outrageously sweet brownie-oreo hybrids, you’d pretty much explored all ends of the dessert category with soobin.

“this looks like a lumpy boob, not a cookie,” you whine loudly and step back from the counter angrily.

you and soobin are currently in his apartment’s kitchen, whipping up cookies for his family to enjoy tomorrow. after you found out they’d be in town, you slipped the suggestion to your boyfriend, who delightedly offered you two take on a family recipe. in retrospect, everything was going to be fine.

until you actually got your hands on the damn dough.

“babe, you have to form it with your palm, not your finger,” soobin giggles. he abandons his own tray to sidle up behind you, grabbing your wrists gently and imitating the technique he’d been using.

“i’ve tried,” you huff. glancing down at your hands, you watch in awe as your boyfriend manages to fix up the shape of the cookies, forming them into perfect hearts and stamping space in their middles for jam.

between the two of you, soobin was by far miles more experienced and adept at baking. you often found yourself frustrated with certain steps of recipes, unfamiliar with more practical methods and tricks that the directions called for. as such, you’d end up partially screwing up, and–

–and each time, soobin would drop what he was doing and come help you. he’d gently guide you and talk you patiently through what he was doing, ensuring that you understood the logic behind the approaches. he never once responded to your panic with annoyance or carelessness, despite the numerous times it’d happened.

without fail, soobin would always knead your worries away.

“there! do you want to go try with the rest of my dough?” you look over your shoulder and blink soobin’s face back into focus. he’s looking down at you with a soft smile, raising his brows when you take a minute to respond.

“yeah, i’d like that soob,” you say. before he can walk away, you spin around and cup his face with your flour-coated palms, giggling at his surprised squawk. pecking him squarely on the lips, you revel in his dazed expression before skipping away smugly.

✧ beomgyu - teaching you how to play his favorite game

despite how cool your boyfriend is, he's also a huge dork.

the kind of dork to geek out over computer games and text you with long strings of excited emojis whenever he progresses to the next level. the kind to facetime you during rounds and send you screenshots with updates, even if you have no idea of what you're supposed to be looking at.

it's really cute, you absolutely couldn't deny that, and it makes you feel ten times more enamored with him, but he is still undeniably a dork.

he's playing something on his computer when you arrive at his apartment for your date. it’s saturday, meaning it’s movie and takeout night for you and beomgyu, so you’ve come prepared (read: a slightly damp plastic bag with several containers of noodles, rice, and various types of meat). you call his name as you slip your shoes off, frowning when all you hear in response is the keyboard clicking from down the hallway.

peeking into his room, you shyly knock on the wall to get his attention. beomgyu almost falls off of his chair in surprise, but he launches up almost immediately to engulf you in an embrace. he asks if you’re okay waiting a couple of minutes for his round to finish, at which you readily nod and proceed to plop yourself down on his bed.

watching beomgyu play through his round is surprisingly entertaining, particularly because you’re not really sure what’s going on in his game. your gaze drifts off to his concentrated expression, tracing his soft features and dropping to his bitten lip with interest. something in your chest flutters, but you quickly push it aside when you see beomgyu lean back in his chair and a leaderboard pop up on his screen.

the game’s over, and yet you can’t help but be curious.

"can i try?"

you think he might laugh it off, might just shake his head and call you cute, but beomgyu's chair swivels around to face you and he looks anything but humored. instead, his wide eyes meet yours and you almost startle at how eager he looks. he nods bashfully, and as you draw nearer, you notice the growing red tint along the tips of his ears.

you're instructed to sit between his legs and rest your arms on his desk cover, hands hovering over the mouse and LED keyboard nervously. they're quickly covered by beomgyu's own, and he situates them on top of the necessary keys as he walks you through the basics of moving around and using items in the game.

it's honestly a bit confusing at first, but you think you get the hang of it when you manage to get through the first level. it's also very difficult to concentrate when you have beomgyu's chest pressed up against your back and his chin propped on your shoulder, so it's a miracle you don't end up sending his character into one of the lava pits from the get-go.

after a few minutes of familiarizing yourself with the basics, you begin to feel a bit braver, so you decide to join the queue of a team round. it isn't exactly the best decision, given the exasperated remarks from your teammates in the chat, but beomgyu cheers you on regardless and claps keenly when you score.

unsurprisingly, you place somewhere right above last place. but beomgyu is sure to give you a congratulatory kiss (or two) when you turn around to grin at him sheepishly.

✧ taehyun - sharing clothes

drip, drip, drip.

the rain outside of your window had measurably subdued, but you were still suffering the consequences of being outside at the wrong time. wrapping the towel tighter around your shoulders, you frown up at the murky sky and slide the curtains closed again.

“you’re going to catch a cold like that,” your boyfriend’s voice rises from behind you, and you look back to find him toweling his damp hair. you also find that he’s not quite clothed, just like you, and resist the urge to scoff despite your reddening ears.

the situation you found yourself in was frustratingly preventable. if either you or taehyun had taken a look at the forecast for the day before meeting for your date, you wouldn’t be shivering or about to catch a cold. you were caught outside when the storm came on, and taehyun’s place was the closest shelter you could take, so you braved through the few minutes of running in the rain to get back.

your heart catches in your throat when he steps closer, and you pointedly look away from his defined torso. he’s smirking, you can tell from your periphery, but you won’t let him win this time.

“and it’ll be all your fault,” you huff. “where’s that sweatshirt you promised me?”

taehyun laughs, and you instantly feel yourself relax despite the way your body's shaking. he gestures for you to follow him, and you watch as he digs around in one of his drawers for the promised snoopy sweatshirt. it’s the one he was wearing when you two first met, and undoubtedly your favorite from his entire wardrobe.

as you’re slipping it on and reveling in the comforting smell of his laundry detergent, you catch a glimpse of a criminally-familiar shade of pink out of the corner of your eye. tugging the sweatshirt down properly, you thank taehyun and watch him pace over to the side of his bed to grab some moisturizer.

while he’s busy rubbing on lotion, you curiously open the drawer again, and– there it is. your beloved hoodie. in all of its stolen glory.

“hey,” you say, furrowing your brows. “isn’t this that hoodie i texted you about? the one i wanted to wear out with my friend? you said you didn’t know where it went!”

picking it up, you hold it out in front of you and frown.

any sound from taehyun’s direction halts and you look over to see him grinning shamelessly. “oops?”

“i’m going to start keeping a lock on my closet,” you grumble. ignoring the flutter in your chest, you haphazardly fold the hoodie back up and toss it onto the bed.

taehyun says nothing, but you hear him approach you and hold your breath, trying to will your racing heart to calm down. except that he doesn’t kiss you on the shoulder like he usually does when he senses you’re upset. instead, you hear more shuffling, and can’t help but sneak a glance over to see what he’s up to.

you’re met with an image that makes your chest feel stuffed to the brim with butterflies. taehyun’s wearing your hoodie, his hair adorably ruffled, and he’s looking up at you with wide, smiley eyes that melt away any last of your resolves. you can’t even pretend to be mad at him anymore.

“you can keep it i guess,” you know your exasperated sigh sounds fake to both of you, but taehyun laughs and kisses you on the cheek for good measure.

his fingers dance along the sleeve of the snoopy sweatshirt you’re wearing, humming absentmindedly as he brushes off any rogue pieces of lint. “yeah? i suppose this is a fair trade then.”

✧ kai - tracing his moles

kai’s bed is cramped. warm, comfortable, but also cramped.

you’ve woken up from your nap because of something poking you in your upper back. you don’t need to turn around to know that it’s one of your boyfriend’s plushies, likely the new pokemon you’d gifted him for his birthday. you were plenty excited when you’d found it in store, absolutely delighted because you knew he’d be overjoyed with it, but you were slowly beginning to strongly dislike it.

reaching back with a wince, you attempt to dislodge the stupid glaceon, prodding and pushing around blindly, but your bicep begins to burn uncomfortably after a few moments.

a soft huff from your front draws your attention away from the pressure against your spine. kai’s face is nestled comfortably against your chest, and it seems like he’s trying to wriggle around and make himself space further up, closer to your collarbones. immediately, any prior negative thoughts vanish, and your heart practically melts.

your boyfriend’s sleepy noises are enough for you to abandon any efforts to move the plushie, so you settle with running your fingers through his hair. it’s blond for now, and surprisingly soft given the intense bleaching process it’d undergone. he stirs in response, but the happy hum he lets out reassures you to continue with your movements.

blinking blearily, you squint over at the blinds covering the windows, where the sky outside has turned a mellow, sunset-y orange. you’d slept through the afternoon it seems, but you have no intention of getting up anytime soon. looking down at the boy in your arms, you surmise kai might feel the same.

his eyes flutter open like he can read your thoughts, and his lips pull into an adorable pout. smiling back, you let your hand gently fall to cup the side of his head, thumbing at the speckled spots you find.

“weirdo, why are you staring at me while i sleep?”

“your moles are really cute,” you say, ignoring him. tracing the tip of your finger up from his cheek, you tap his temple gently. “they sort of remind me of a constellation. like the big dipper.”

you feel rather than hear the flustered whine that kai makes, right against your sternum. he curls up against your front, and you almost forget about the fact that he’s big enough to have his feet hang off of the end of his bed. his arms and legs wind tighter around you, almost as a form of punishment, and you gasp when you feel his hand flitter up your side threateningly.

thankfully, no further moves to tickle you are made, and you relax again in his hold. he’s warm, pleasantly so, and you can feel your eyelids beginning to droop.

you’re almost asleep when the pressure along your back disappears. you hear shuffling, and then something that feels an awful lot like kai’s arm brushes your side. incoherently, you mumble a soft thank you, and you’re certain he’s understood you when he kisses your forehead and tucks you into the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

[saytr]

hshdngndh okay i hope this doesn’t sound odd but i just need to tell you much i love how you draw like.. contact??

like hugs, hands on faces, cuddles, etc. all look so soft and loving and i just smile every time your art shows up. it’s like that old post about how ghibli movie hugs look so much more real than other animated movies. you’re on that wavelength

anyway your art is so great!! thank you for sharing it with us!! <3

HEYO!!

Absolutly not odd, i get it! Some artists have a specific style which makes you want it tattooed on ya. I have a few of such inspirations.

You putting me in the same river as Ghibli? You arent the first one to say that to be honest. I am ofc honored! Ghibli is such a goal! I am really touched!

Thank you for loving it! ❤️

[thebettybook]

Slices of Leona’s Life

=============================

Strawbetty’s notes:

🍓 Characters: Leona Kingscholar x gn!reader. Other characters are Ruggie Bucchi, Jack Howl, and Cheka Kingscholar (with a brief mention of Farena Kingscholar). Leona and gn!reader are in an established romantic relationship.

🍓 Warning: None, all-fluff short stories (that I’ve been “cooking” for almost two months and finally got around to finishing and posting LOL), enjoy~

🍓 Special note: I got inspired by slice-of-life animes and Studio Ghibli movies where the presence of foods plays a special and comforting part of the stories!

=============================

🍱 A Warm Welcome 🍱

🍱 All his life, Leona ate food served on the most lavish of gilded plates accompanied by the best of silver spoons.

🍱 Meals were often served either in the Kingscholar royal family’s private dining hall or in bed when Leona didn’t feel like eating with his family (which was pretty much all the time).

🍱 It wasn’t until his first day at NRC as a freshman that Leona realized he had to “fend for himself.” Following the tantalizing scent of food, the seventeen-year-old lion beastman entered the Dining Hall, where lunch bento boxes were given out during Orientation Week.

🍱 “What the hell’s this?” Leona peered at the plastic multi-colored boxes that contained a compact variety of dishes.

🍱 “Bento box lunches!” one of the ghost chef beamed at Leona. “There’s Set A and Set B. Set A has sushi rolls, rolled up eggs…”

🍱 “Yeah, yeah, which one has more meat?” Leona leaned in and sniffed at the boxes.

🍱 The ghost chef sighed and handed Leona the Set B Bento Box, which contained rolled up eggs, menchi katsu, tempura vegetables, and chicken teriyaki on a bed of white rice. “Hope this makes you feel a bit at home. Welcome to Night Raven College, kid!”

🍱 Hmph. Bold of the ghost chef to assume that Leona’s home at Afterglow Savannah ever felt like home (the kind that most people would describe as cozy and comforting). Still, Leona was too hungry to snap at the ghost chef, and took the bento box with a mumbled “thanks.”

🍱 Leona strolled into the Botanical Garden (his new favorite spot on campus) with the bento box in one hand, waving his tail in content at the peace and quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the Dining Hall. After sitting down on a patch of grass, Leona broke apart a pair of wooden chopsticks and poked at the contents of the bento box.

🍱 He disregarded the tempura vegetables entirely and picked up a menchi katsu. Leona liked the scent of the ground beef, and bit into the menchi katsu’s deep-fried panko breading with a satisfying crunch.

🍱 A grin erupted on Leona’s face despite himself. It wasn’t long before he devoured everything in the bento box. The richness of the rolled eggs and tenderness of the piping-hot chicken teriyaki enveloped him in a welcoming hug.

🍱 The food Leona just ate was different from the carefully curated food he was served at his home palace. While Leona grew up eating dishes that were of the highest quality, those dishes often felt empty.

🍱 The world-renowned chefs who worked for the Kingscholars only cooked for Leona because they had a job to do; they didn’t know Leona personally to create dishes for him from the heart.

🍱 On the other hand, the ghost chefs of NRC believed that every student at NRC, no matter their background, needed proper nutrition and hearty meals to nurture themselves and reach their full potential. Even if the ghost chefs had a job to do, they did so by always keeping NRC’s students in their hearts and minds.

🍱 “Heh, I can get used to this,” Leona let out a loud BURP and laid down on the grass with his arms rested comfortably behind his head.

🍱 As Leona closed his eyes for an afternoon nap, he thought about coming back to the Dining Hall the next day.

🍔 Magift & MagiDonald’s 🍟

🍔 After every Magift interdorm tournament or one against RSA, Savanaclaw had a tradition where they would go to Sage Island’s MagiDonald’s (TWST version of McDonald’s) for burgers and fries.

🍔 If Savanaclaw won the interdorm tournament or contributed to NRC’s win against RSA, Leona didn’t mind treating his loyal subjects team. After all, the King of Beasts made sure that the trusty animals at the most bottom of the food chain never went hungry.

🍔 This time, Savanaclaw lost in an unofficial interdorm match before the actual interdorm tournament. With all the practices they’ve had since last year’s interdorm fiasco, Savanaclaw was neck-in-neck with Diasomnia during the unofficial match today. However, they still lost. Leona wore a scowl all the way to MagiDonald’s.

🍔 To be fair, Savanaclaw demonstrated a stronger (and more fair) performance compared to last year. Despite all the members pulling their weight, Leona included, they all couldn’t help but feel angry and disappointed with themselves.

🍔 Jack was especially dejected despite being one of the front players alongside Leona and Ruggie.

🍔 It wasn’t until they all stepped into MagiDonald’s that the scent of sizzling hamburger patties and French fries straight out of hot oil made them feel a bit better.

🍔 After ordering and receiving about a hundred double-beef hamburgers and fries, Leona stood up with his hands on his hips.

🍔 As the team leader, Leona cut to the chase and didn’t sugar coat his next words.

🍔 “We ran around like cubs out there. It was embarassin’.” Several Savanaclaw members hug their heads low, some putting down their burgers that they were just about to eat. “The interdorm’s comin’ up soon.”

🍔 “But…” All the members rose their heads in surprise. “We’re doing a hell of a lot better than last year. But ‘better’ ain’t cuttin’ it if we want to win. So eat up and we’ll practice more tomorrow morning. Understood?”

🍔 Ruggie gazed at Leona with wide eyes, surprised that Leona suggested practice in the morning of his own free will. However, the hyena recovered quickly. “Shishishi, you heard the boss!”

🍔 As Savanaclaw devoured their mountain of burgers and fries, Leona munched on his own burger and fries while giving each and every member pointers on their performance strengths and weaknesses.

🍔 “Jack, your defense was great, ya kept your eye on the disc,” Leona pointed a flimsy fry at the wolf beastman. “But sneaky opponents like Lilia can take advantage of that and find an opening or try to distract ya.”

🍔 Jack nodded, appreciating the feedback and feeling comfortable to offer pointers and feedback to Leona as well. Despite their junior-senior dynamic, it fostered discussion between the two and the rest of the team for improvement.

🍔 For what may be the first time, Leona, Ruggie, Jack, and the rest of the members of Savanaclaw learned that they needed to depend on each other’s strengths to survive and thrive in Magift and maybe in school life as well.

🍔 The dorm creed was always “survival of the fittest,” but Savanaclaw’s members wouldn’t improve or get anywhere if there was just one or a few strong key players. They needed to work on and help each other through their weaknesses together.

🍔 If a random passerby happened to walk past MagiDonald’s, they would’ve heard of a bunch of Savanaclaw students’ laughter and loud “Hey, that’s MY burger!”’s. And if said passerby happened to enter the MagiDonald’s, they would’ve seen a team.

🥣 In Sickness & In Health 🥣

🥣 “Say ‘ah’,” you brought a spoonful of chicken and ginger porridge you bought from the Mystery Shop up to Leona’s mouth.

🥣 Leona caught a cold due to the chilly fall weather creeping onto campus. His cold made him ten times more clingy with you, so much so that he even refused to have Ruggie take care of him.

🥣 He chewed on the spoon of porridge with bits of chicken and ginger. While Leona’s taste buds were kind of shot from his cold, he enjoyed the porridge’s warmth that filled his body. It, and the sight of you, made him feel more rejuvenated and energized.

🥣 After finishing the bowl of porridge, you fought the battle that was trying to give Leona his medicine. The dark cherry liquid made Leona positively retch. “Leona, don’t be stubborn,” you frowned slightly as Leona kept twisting his head away from the spoon of liquid medicine you held out to him.

🥣 He quickly turned to face you with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Gimme a kiss first.”

🥣 Your eyes widened in disbelief. “Leona, I can’t kiss you! I’ll catch your cold!”

🥣 Leona crossed his arms and leaned back against his headboard oh-so-casually. “Haven’t ya heard the old saying ‘a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down’? Well I’m gonna need a LOT of sugar.”

🥣 You rolled your eyes and blew him a kiss. Leona scowled, but then obliged to take his medicine. With the tray of a now-empty-bowl of porridge, you turned to leave and return to Ramshackle.

🥣 Of course, Leona wasn’t going to let you leave so easily. The cunning lion beastman wrapped his tail around your hand. “Stay with me, Y/N.”

🥣 “I’d love to, but like I said earlier, I’d catch your cold,” you arched an eyebrow at Leona’s clingy behavior.

🥣 “Ya wouldn’t deprive this sick and lonely lion of your company, now would you?” Leona pouted.

🥣 You couldn’t help but fail to stifle a grin; Leona NEVER pouted. “Who are you and what did you do to my Leona?” you teased, a grin quirking on your lips.

🥣 “So I’m YOUR Leona, huh?” Leona smirked, caressing your cheek with one hand. “Gettin’ braver, aren’t we.”

🥣 You rolled your eyes at him. “I’m going to leave now.”

🥣 “What happened to ‘in sickness and in health’?” Leona waved a hand dramatically to his forehead.

🥣 “Last time I checked, we aren’t married,” you put a hand on your hip, amused by Leona’s antics.

🥣 “Ouch, herbivore,” Leona replied as if he was wounded.

🥣 “If you don’t go to sleep, you can’t get better, and we can’t get married if you don’t get better,” you shrugged and shook your head with a little smile.

🥣 Despite the banter, Leona turned his head to the side away from you. He muttered under his breath in earnest, “Well I don’t wanna fall asleep without ya.”

🥣 If there was one thing you learned about Leona that day, it was that he hated being alone when he was sick. Growing up, his servants and attendants would just bring him food and medicine and make sure to fluff his pillows. They never stayed to read Leona stories or keep him company.

🥣 Sighing softly, you set the tray down on Leona’s bedside table and made your way into Leona’s bed.

🥣 “No kissing tonight, ok? I could catch your cold.” You put one of Leona’s pillows between you and him.

🥣 Leona ignored you completely, grabbing the pillow and chucking it off the bed. He tackled you in a hug and nuzzled his nose into the crook of your neck. “If ya get sick because of me, I’ll just take care of ya.”

🥣 The thought of Leona taking care of you for a whole day made you giggle. “You’ll have to do my homework with Grim too.”

🥣 Leona groaned, but before he could offer a witty response to not do your homework, his eyelids drooped and he let out a yawn. “Thank you, Y/N,” Leona mumbled into your neck. It wasn’t long until Leona was snoring by your side, with his chin rested comfortably on your head and his arms wrapped around your waist.

🥣 But before you could fall asleep next to Leona, you made sure to rub small circles on Leona’s hand with your thumb, reassuring him that you would be here until he got better.

🍊 Apples & Oranges 🍊

🍊 “Oji-tan, I’m here!” A cheerful voice called from outside Leona’s room. His dorm room door swung open to reveal a little cub with bright-orange and fire-red hair and an even brighter smile.

🍊 Leona heaved a heavy sigh, pulling his blankets over his head. That chipper voice could only belong to one being in this world: his five-year-old nephew Cheka.

🍊 “Oji-tan!” Cheka ran to Leona’s bed and jumped onto it. The cub grabbed Leona’s blanket to uncover his beloved uncle. “I missed you! I’m here to help you get better!”

🍊 “Gee, I wouldn’t have guessed,” Leona’s voice oozed with sarcasm as he sat up in his bed. Leona’s sister-in-law Safiya had sent him a million texts that morning of how he should take his vitamins and medicine, and that Cheka would be dropping by.

🍊 Leona almost fully recovered from his cold by now, but still felt tired (more so than on a regular basis). He wished you stayed in bed with him, but it was a school day and you had classes to attend.

🍊 Cheka patted a rather large bag he had brought with him. “Whatcha got there, furball?” Leona inquired, taking the bag.

🍊 “I brought my friends to cheer you up, Oji-tan!” Leona grimaced as he took out a soft giraffe plushie and an elephant plushie. Leona reached further in the bag, surprised to find a thermal cup.

🍊 “Eh? What’s this?” Leona took out the cup and opened it, sniffing the liquid content.

🍊 “Orange juice that Papa made! Papa said that you need more Vitamin C, Oji-tan!” Cheka answered, beaming with pride at the fact that he remembered to tell Leona the importance of Vitamin C.

🍊 Leona rolled his eyes. Ever since Farena became a dad, Farena began lecturing Leona to take his vitamins and take care of his health more. Farena even became a juice-making-fanatic and would make orange juice for the family whenever he got the chance to.

🍊 “Of course he did,” Leona grumbled. “Cuz he’s practically perfect in every way, isn’t he?” Leona mumbled the last part to himself, his mood souring.

🍊 Still, Leona chugged down the orange juice. It wasn’t too sweet and the tartness of the oranges grown from the Afterglow Savannah’s palace gardens reminded Leona of when he would spend his afternoons lazing under the orange trees.

🍊 “Is it good, Oji-tan? Are you feeling better?” Cheka tucked himself and his plushies into Leona’s blankets next to a Leona. Leona answered with a “mm” and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

🍊 “I’m tired, so don’t make too much noise, ok?” Leona mumbled, settling back into bed. Before he knew it, Cheka latched onto him and snuggled close to him.

🍊 “Papa isn’t perfect, Oji-tan!” Cheka giggled, replying late to Leona’s statement. “He accidentally put salt instead of sugar at first, and then Mama scolded him! I had to help Papa make better orange juice for Oji-tan.”

🍊 A chortle of surprise escaped from Leona’s lips. He could picture Farena mistaking salt for sugar, and Safiya scolding Farena for that. Leona would’ve loved to see it.

🍊 “Papa said he misses you lots and that he hopes you get better soon,” Cheka continued, emitting a kitten-like yawn as his eyes closed. Leona sighed; once the cub fell asleep next to Leona, there was no way to get him off.

🍊 He misses me, huh? Leona gazed at the now-half-empty thermal cup. His relationship with his older brother was complicated, given their ten-year age difference and the way Leona was compared to Farena his entire life.

🍊 While the brothers were as different as apples and oranges, people (whether it be distant relatives, members of the court, or even foreign diplomats) compared Leona to Farena constantly.

🍊 While that wasn’t Farena’s fault, Farena realized after he became a dad that he could’ve been there for Leona more. So the orange juice wasn’t just a “get well soon” gift, it was also a peace offering.

🍊 Leona’s phone buzzed, revealing a text notification from Farena. “Leona! I hope you like the OJ!🍊😃 Say hi to Cheka for me! ❤️🦁 Get well soon, brother ❤️.”

🍊 Leona contemplated leaving Farena on read; Leona usually did. Still, Farena DID go out of his way to make Leona orange juice. Leona reached for his phone and went to his messaging app before he could think twice. “Thanks for the orange juice,” Leona typed to Farena, hitting send.

🍊 It only took a couple of seconds for Farena to type something back. “No worries, Leona! Come home soon sometime so we can hang 😃 😎.”

🍊 Leona wanted to face palm himself. His older brother, the king of Afterglow Savannah, really was a dad—the type to use too many emojis and today’s “cool kid lingo” in a sincere effort to be “hip.”

🍊 Leona rolled his eyes and simply “liked” the message, deciding he had enough communication with Farena for the day. He set down his phone, groaning that Cheka started drooling on him. Still, Leona made sure that Cheka and Cheka’s plushies were tucked in properly.

🍊 Maybe one day Leona will choose to come home to see Farena mistake salt for sugar once more. Plus, it wouldn’t be so bad for Leona to laze under the palace gardens’ orange trees with a cup of orange juice (that he’ll help Farena make correctly) in his hand.

=============================

Important:

🍓I don’t own any of the characters I mention or write about; they belong to their original and respective creators.

🍓 All content on this blog is created by me, @thebettybook (excluding posts I reblog that aren’t my own posts and unless I state otherwise). Do not modify, claim, repost or translate my work onto this platform and any other platform.

🍓 Reblogs are appreciated :). Want more Leona romance fluff? Check out my masterlist

=============================

[sagegreenfrogs]

*ೃ༄sage's masterpost*ੈ✩‧₊˚

⭑°⟢last updated: 9/7/2024⟣°⭑

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *°•

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── "a heart's a heavy burden."──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── "destiny is a book you write yourself." ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

-> names: just call me sage!

-> pronouns: he/him, they/them,

-> transmasc, demiboy/mascflux-ish? idk, bisexual, genderqueer, gender nonconforming

⚧☭♞☆☮︎⌚︎☠︎☔︎☾☕︎⚓︎♐︎🃖🀼☞⌛︎♲⇢☺︎♣︎☼⚅♕✎✁

if you post 18+ or sex-related content do not interact with this account!! if you speak to me sexually you will be blocked!!

-> DNI: basic dni (racist, sexist, homo/transphobe, etc.) & ped0/MAP, zo0, TERF/SWERF, radfem, radqueer, zionist, jkr defenders, dream stans, wilbur defenders, zutara shippers, pro-shaladin, pr0shipper (romanicizing p3dophilia and inc3st is awful) etc.

-> current main fandoms: the dragon prince, voltron : legendary defender, avatar : the last airbender

-> other fandoms: jujutsu kaisen, genshin impact, hermitcraft/mcyt, the disastrous life of saiki k, scott pilgrim, evangelion, dead end : paranormal park, kipo and the age of wonderbeasts, nimona, the owl house, amphibia, gravity falls, she-ra and the princesses of power

-> things i'm currently getting into/future fandoms (no spoilers please!) : haikyuu!, bungo stray dogs, hilda, centaurworld, castlevania, spider-man, cowboy bebop, delicious in dungeon/dungeon meshi, freiren

-> Show Netflix that we want the full TDP saga (s8-s10) by submitting "The Dragon Prince: Season 8," "The Dragon Prince: Season 9," and "The Dragon Prince: Season 10," here, and using #giveusthesaga, #continuethesaga, and #greenlightarc3 on here and Twitter!

-> i <3 ghibli films! current watch count : 10/22

-> i'm most brainrotted about sorvus & klance- but other ships make me crazy too! (esp stsg... robbed.)

-> endos and endo antis can interact, I try to remain neutral as I'm not plural and uneducated!! pls just don't involve me in discourse!

-> fanfic reader & author. my ao3

works:

the dragon prince:

all's well that ends well to end up with you. sorvus fluff (sorta fanon s6?) complete, cowritten with @a-very-sparkly-nerd

i shine only with the light you gave me . apollo & hyacinthus au sorvus fic. a passion project of mine <3. complete.

oh, cupid walks right through. sorvus oneshot, inspired by the famous s6 hug screencap. complete.

(more fandoms to come... i have many ideas teeheehee)

personal tags:

#sage yaps or #sage yapping: just me spouting fandom or other-stuff garbage :3

#sage responds: answering from my inbox (pls send asks i love them)

-> alterhuman! antis/antifurs dni

music taste: (i have a lot and it changes often, so beware)

mitski, the crane wives, madilyn mei, sparkbird, hoizer, laufey, beabadoobee, NOAHFINNCE, radiohead, tv girl, lyn lapid, tame impala, chappell roan, siouxsie and the banshees, bauhaus, the oh hellos, etc. my spotify

-> theriotypes: mainecoon cat, north american river otter, american crow

-> questioning: walrus, alaskan malamute wolfdog, raccoon, shark

-> goth babybat! i'm just starting to get into goth music and don't dress in the style yet :3 (learning goth dancing too)

★ my inbox is open if u ever have a question or just need to talk! ★

[newtsnaturethings]

Your Opinion on Ghibli movies.

🔥 🔥 🔥

cracks knuckles

Okay. So I will put the caveat that I stopped watching Ghibli movies after I was sorely disappointed with the Ghibli take on “Tales of Earthsea”, so any of my opinions are gonna be applied to only the ones I’ve actually seen.

Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind: amazing. Soft apocalypse with massive bugs and a spooky jungle. Great environmental message. I would love a pet fox squirrel. Nausicaä is awesome and I want her wind glider. The ending never fails to make me cry. You see the origins of the “girl with strong connection to nature with a guy who loves and supports her” theme.

Castle in the Sky: this one’s one of my favorites. Giant super weapon and soft apocalypse vibes. The protagonists are ride or die. And “girl with strong connection to nature with a guy who loves and supports her”. The sky pirates are wonderful and the villain is so much fun (he’s a complete asshole).

Grave of the Fireflies: watched it once. I’m good.

My Neighbor Totoro: this is the second movie I ever watched. I love Totoro. And the Catbus. In fact I think we should invest in Catbus as a means of public transportation.

Kiki’s Delivery Service: this movie hits different when your an adult. Kiki’s journey and the burn out she eventually gets like. Definitely a comfort movie, but Kiki’s journey resonates with me. Oh and I want to live in that cabin in the woods with all the crows.

Porco Rosso: I too, would rather be a pig than a fascist.

Whisper of the Heart: this one’s just sweet. Like. It’s so cute and wholesome.

Princess Mononoke: look. Look. This movie changed me as a person. I saw this as a kid and boom..that was it. San lives with wolves and lives in the forest. Ashitaka is awesome and badass and rides a deer. Also like. The themes of this movie. It’s got the strong environmental message about the importance of living in community with nature, but there’s a lot of shades of grey. You see all sides of the story and it’s fantastic. I could talk about this movie for hours. And it has that classic “girl with strong connection to nature with a guy who loves and supports her”. Ashitaka and San are looking out for each other and it’s great.

Spirited Away: another excellent one. I think this one has my favorite soundtrack. And Chihiro’s journey to find herself and save Haku. I don’t have much else to say on this one. Go watch it it’s great.

The Cat Returns: it’s got walking cats. What more could you want.

Howls Moving Castle: I have to view this one as a separate entity from the book it’s (supposedly) based on. I enjoy this one as its own thing; the Howls Moving Castle book is like…so good. One of my favs. Anyways. Movie Howl - the feathery hug between Howl and Sophie low key rewired my brain chemistry.

Overall I just love these movies. The art is incredible and remains a huge inspiration to me, and you can see how much love gets put into those nature scenes. I could stare at then endlessly. And I love how Hiyao Miyazaki shows love in his movies, where like. The two protagonists help each other grow and make it a goal to live for each other. They accept each other where they are and are ride or die for each other. I just. That shit gets to me. Love it.

Thanks for the ask (and letting me ramble)🦎

[hezuart]

Heya! Just wanna say I can't wait for more about your au and also what is your favourite L. Game from concept art to design?

Hi! <3 L Game? as in Little Nightmares?

I'll go least fav to fav 3. Very Little Nightmares. Tiny mobile app screen where you tap to control. The screen cannot recognize my meaty fingers's input!!!!! UGH I'm just annoyed with the controls. The story was fine I suppose but felt like it lacked something. Lacked some oomph. Lacked true moments of horror. Not made by the original developers. Was the first LN game to introduce the fact that there are other children out there with scary supernatural powers. This LN game was a side story for the explanation behind the hanging man from LN 1. (At least... kind of.... the hanging man is a weird situation thanks to the comics...) It's an odd Six cop-out. We're led to believe this character we are playing is Six, only to reveal at the end she's a whole different character and then just... immediately killing her off. We can't even figure out who she is as a person. We don't really have any interactions with other characters enough to solidify her personality. I did adore the hidden easter eggs in the game. Nome with a bow was cute. I was curious about the other enemies and their circumstances, like why the butler is handcuffed. Where the girl's mother was. How so many kids end up at the Nest. Really only lead to more questions than answers.

2. LN1 is really good. Heavy Ghibli inspiration. A great introduction to a dark world, a unique dollhouse camera angle perspective style. A slight rocking to the screen to indicate you're on a boat. The amazing lighting. The finale; Six walking off sucking out souls of the guests that chased her to eat her, when she's now eating them. Perfect revenge power trip. Knowing she no longer has to physically consume things anymore. The nome she killed, but all the nomes she hugged still coming over to watch her leave (?) great scenes... The DLC introduced tough water mechanics that glitched out the physics engine but still were interesting enough for the DLC character. Showcasing a true addition to the Maw to peak the interest of viewers. The horrific and terribly sad ending and plot twist that took everyone by shock. Despite its glitches and perspective-deaths, its still overall a solid game. 1. LN2. I'll admit LN 1 is more put together than the second game. The sequel (or prequel rather) seemed messy in development, like they weren't sure where to really go with it. They had a lot of rough concepts and a lot of it seemed to get scrapped mid-production. Seems like they even intended for heavy DLC exploration with other children too. With how it turned out, its a pretty decent game. But knowing the scrapped DLC content and alt. directions the story was gonna take, it feels like a bit of a confused narrative. We got confirmation that the children really do turn into grotesque adults. That there are other children with creepy powers. We know of Shadow Six's origins. We know why people flee to the Maw or other places away from the mainland. The concepts are frankly more fascinating than the finished story, (children plugged into tvs, Mono feeding Six or Six feeding Mono, giant ???? meat baby???? you can't top THAT) tho the finished story is probably cleaner than the latter. Six dropping Mono at the end was so shocking to everyone and after thinking hard about it, I can't find any real logistical or emotional reason for her to do so. I think it was just genuinely a forced in betrayal for shock value. And hey, it certainly was shock value. Despite this game ending in completion, or really, a loop... and despite it being a PREQUEL... I can't help but feel like this game ends on a cliffhanger to me. Like there's more to the story. There's stuff untold about this universe. So LN 2 and LN1 are really close in favoritism. LN2 had the most fascinating concept art ...without Ghibli Bath Houses to take inspiration from like in LN1, so they really took it in risky directions. But I still acknowledge LN1 is more solid of the two. I think I just enjoy the LN2 mechanics a bit more. I like working together with Six, though frankly I was really disappointed learning that LN2 was in fact, not a multiplayer game. That Six gets separated from Mono several times throughout. I have plenty more to say about these games but this is probably the simplest assessment to give right now!

[encrucijada]

wip inspiration tag.

the tag was started by @goose-books

you know i Love to talk. so i might reblog this various times with other wips to show you what inspired them. starting with my current main wip.

i'm kinda bad at keeping track of my inspirations, especially because i tend to take things in parts to inspire my own stories (see: not taking the entire premise of the magnus archives but instead just the concept of things like the hunt or the lonely). so i did my best here!

EVERGREEN LUNG; ezra borja died, then she undied. woke up in the local forest with no memory of what happened and she returns to find out what felt like passing out overnight was a year of being gone, she's missed high school graduation and there is a disconnect now between her and her best friend. with something taking root inside ezra. a story where being aroace is represented through a sentient forest.

HELL FOLLOWED WITH US: i hadn't read hell followed with us before conceptualising the concept of evergreen lung, in part because the book wasn't even out yet. hell followed with us is "queerness as monstrosity for the trans" and evergreen lung is "queerness as monstrosity for the aroaces". both ezra and benji perceived the thing inside them as something separate but we all know that's just a metaphor for who they are inherently. seraph transforms benji's body and the forest makes it so ezra has trouble connecting with people. hell followed with us is just a little more brutal in its body horror because that's part of the book's appeal. but suffice to say i think benji and ezra would get along.

THE RAVEN CYCLE: okay. i would be lying if i said the whole sentient forest idea didn't come from the raven cycle. adam parrish is my favourite character and 90% of it is because he has magic powers linked to a sentient forest. ezra doesn't have psychic powers, though, and her "deal" with the forest has fewer rules and a more blurry line of consent. also not to mention the character of juan diego is adam parrish inspired just because. it's mostly aesthetic though.

MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO & KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE: i included these for the ~vibes~ mostly. my neighbour totoro has some gorgeous nature imagery (that really most studio ghibli movies have i could just include lots of scenery stills from various movies tbh) and i hope to capture that energy of a forest that feels like it could give you a hug. there's also something about the soft and quaint life of the characters. evergreen lung is a very tender book, focusing a lot on atmosphere. ursa from kiki's delivery service is ezra's ideal. both movies also have wholesome family dynamics which ezra has with her parents. you get a sense of how much they mean to each other.

OVER THE GARDEN WALL: there isn't a lot of the vibe of otgw in evergreen lung per se. the vibes of otgw are a little too dark. otgw, however, is the inspiration for the story ezra's parents originate from. so i'm adding it to the roster. i won't be going into detail about what the parents get up to, though those events are technically canon and did happen to ezra's parents. it isn't important and i would rather it stay a mystery you'll only get hints of through the small fantasy aspects of xiomara, katalina and caleb.

tagging: @saltwaterbells @chayscribbles @thelittlestspider @moonssugar @derridaspectres @coffeeandcalligraphy anyone else who wants to do this is welcome to!

[nerd-chocolate]

So I did the some Valentine’s Headcanons for The Science kids and The Austins!! I hope you enjoy them and your having great day even if your single since this post is here to prove that Valentines Day is much more than lovers.

Also I hope you love them @artzychic27 !!

I think the first thing that would happen is that the Science Kids should show their appreciation to Ms. Mendeleiev for being a great and understanding teacher to them by giving her some cards, favorite desserts, homemade gifts, etc. Here is what they end up giving her!

Marc - A little story about a twilight parody with her as the main character

Zoé - A handmade scarf that has stars and spaceships

Aurore - Some beaker earrings that have them have a little explosion

Mireille - A card that has a sci-fi theme to it and it is about how Ms.Mendeleiev was one of the people to be very understanding and kind to her and how she helped with their confidence

Jean - The Toxic Avenger the musical poster and Be More Chill soundtrack CD

Reshma - A handmade lab coat that little stars that glow in the dark

Ismael - A gift card to her restaurant and a card to show his appreciation of Ms.Mendeleiev for being a great teacher

Simon - A music video about her and a playlist of her favorite songs

Denise - A bouquet that fit Ms.Mendeleiev and a book about the history of sci-fi

Lacey - A little drawing of her and her favorite brand of tea

Cosette - A handmade makeup set that twilight zone inspired and Red velvet Macarons

Ms.Mendeleiev loved the gift they brought so they ended up watching an episode of the Twilight Zone (1959) and ended up talking about it afterward. Aka a bunch of nerds talking about a pretty nerdy show.

As for Austin T and his homeroom teacher, Mr.Grotke, Austin would probably get him his favorite dessert which is, mini apple tartlets in a green box, and note that about him being a great teacher to him. Mr.Grotke appreciates the gift and thanks Austin for the gift and says he is a good kid. Austin cries a little from that and hugs Mr.Grotke and Mr.Grotke hugs him back.

As for the other Austins and their teacher, I don’t think they would know their teachers long enough to give them a gift so they don’t get them anything for the holiday.

Platonic Love

As for platonic love, I think the science kids hang out for a little while before splitting up to do their things for Valentine’s Day. They talk about the plans they’re planning to do with their loved ones and tease each other about what they're doing with their respective romantic partner which is mostly about Marc and Jean. They even get some ice cream that is not Andre’s before they go to do their only thing.

Reshma and Ismael celebrate the holiday by having a sleepover while watching some ghibli movies, having anime-inspired food, playing some video games, and doing some cosplay. They even got each other gifts. Ismael got her some new threads and an Utena & anthy keychain while Reshma gave him a new magic kit and handmade cardigan that has a magician aesthetic to it. They love each other’s gifts and said to each other that they’re happy they met each other and became best friends. And they end the night with platonic cuddles as they sleep.

Since the three Austins went to a different school while Austin T stayed at DuPont, they can’t celebrate the holiday together so the video chatted with Austin T to say have a good Valentine’s Day. The three Austins just watch bad Valentine’s Day theme movies or specials while having some chocolate and ice cream and talk about how shitty the movies are.

Familial Love

On to familial love, which isn’t that long but it's worth talking about. Lacey spends Valentine’s Day with her family by giving them cards to show her appreciation to them and gifts as well and vice versa. For example, Lacey probably got Evan a geology kit and Jeremy an action figure based on his favorite superhero. While her grandparents gave her some new rock climbing gear and a Himalayan rock lamp. They also go on a hike and have a little picnic as well and take some pictures to remember the day.

I feel like Félice would send Austin Q a gift for Valentine’s Day to show how much he still cares about him and that he is still there for him. Félice probably got him a heart theme shark and his favorite candy with a note saying that he still loves and cares about him. Quinlan cried for a little while since his brother still cares about him.

Armbuster’s dad, Mathis, video chatted with his son and talked for a while and said sorry to his son for not being there for him and wished he was there for him. Armbruster was touched by that and said that after boarding school, he hopes he and his dad get to spend much more time together really soon. They end the video chat with Austin feeling a bit touched that his dad wants to spend time with him but hasn’t forgiven him yet while Mathis thinks of ways that he and his son could spend time together and heal their relationship.

Romantic Love:

And finally, the only love that only most people seem to feel is the only way to spend Valentine’s Day, romantic love!

Mireille x Aurore x Sabrina:

Okay so I couldn’t decide on Mireille x Sabrina or Mireille x Aurore for this post, so I did both! Because it is better, at least to me. Anyway on to the headcanons! They probably have a Disney movie night with them watching some of their favorite Disney movies and favorite movie snacks at Mireille’s house. Aurore gets them matching necklaces that represent a different weather pattern. Aurore gets a sunny cloud, Mireille a rain cloud, and Sabrina a snow cloud. Mireille makes their handmade cards and gets Sabrina a hand-knitted hat and Aurore a blue vintage camera. And Sabrina makes them a scrapbook and already put some pictures of them together to remember those moments and create more of them in the future. They all love each other's gifts and have a good night with Aurore taking a picture of them watching Sleeping Beauty together.

Simon x Denise:

I feel like Simon and Denise would go stargazing and look at the different constellations while having a picnic together. Denise would infodump about all the different constellations and stars while Simon looks at them with love struck in his eyes. Denise notices that they’re talking for a while and apologizes for it but Simon told them that he likes hearing Denise talk and that Denise shouldn’t apologize for it. Denise was touched by that and kissed Simon and Simon almost melted from it. They enjoyed the night together and watched the stars glimmer on a starry night.

Austin T x Jean:

Austin T and Jean would go to a musical, probably one that is the most available during the holiday, like Wicked or Phantom of the Opera. Then take a nice stroll to Austin T’s house. And when they get there, put on some musical songs and start baking together. They wanted to do that for Valentine’s Day since they love to be playful together and no matter what, as long as they're together it is always a fun time. They ended up making cinnamon sugar palmiers that are pink and red for that valentines theme. They save some for their friends and families. And when kissing each other goodbye for the night since Jean had to go home. It doesn’t mean they still kiss each other in the morning because they’re touch-starved with each other.

Zoé x Cosette:

As for Zoé and Cosette, they have a sleepover at the hotel since it is probably the only place where they won’t be bothered that much. They play some video games, do some charades, have makeovers (mostly with Cosette doing the makeovers to Zoé and Zoé not minding it, at all), do karaoke with their favorite songs, and watch some movies. Before they went to sleep, Cosette wanted to give Zoé something and Zoé was curious. Cosette gave her a wrapped present and when Zoé opened it, it was a buff beige drawstring tote bag that had a blue star flower and violet flower drawing on it. Zoé had tears in their eyes and asked Cosette why. Cosette says that Zoé’s old bag was about to break and wanted to do something about it so it made Zoé a new one. Zoé cries her eyes out but wants to give Cosette her gift. So Zoé got them homemade Lavender Honey and Raspberry macarons in a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory decorated box. Cosette was overcome with joy and kissed Zoé a bunch of times and Zoé just giggled and hugged her. They ended up cuddling each other to bed with Zoé kissing its forehead before falling asleep.

Marc x Nathaniel:

And finally, Marc and Nath, and what they did for Valentine’s Day. Marc and Nath finished their Valentine's Day comic special and published it on February 14 and it is already being sold to many. Marc has been planning their Valentine’s Day date since January and hopes to make this the best date Nath ever had yet! Nath was also planning their Valentine’s Day and wanted to surprise his rainbow with the best Valentine’s date ever! When they both surprise each other, they are shocked at first but laugh at the fact, they both try to surprise each other with different ideas for their date. They compromise by going on a nice stroll to find André’s ice cream parlor (Marc’s idea) and then go to the Ferris Wheel and go to one of their houses for movie night (Nath’s idea). They walk for a while and just talk about the things they love and enjoy each other’s company before finding Andrés. Marc got raspberry ice cream for Nath’s hair also because raspberry can be a bit sour on the outside sometimes but it is sweet when you go for it a lot more, blueberries ice cream for Nath’s eyes because the time Marc joys hanging out with him, and Sweet potato ice cream for how sweet Nath can be with red, yellow, and blue gumballs on top for Mighty and how fun and creative Nath can be. While Nath got pomegranate ice cream for Marc’s lips and the desire Nath feels when it comes to his and Marc’s relationship, Black Licorice ice cream for Marc’s hair and he is really sweet but can be a bit sour sometimes when you hurt someone close to him, and Pistachio ice cream for Marc’s eyes and how lucky it is that Nath and he met and how happy they are together with some rainbow sprinkles. They love the ice creams they each got and went to Ferris Wheel next. When they both got on it, they felt like they were alone under moonlight casting a light on them. They felt like they were at peace and kissed. When they stop, they just hold each other close and close their eyes because they love spending time together even if it is quiet or loud. When they got off the ride, they went to Marc’s house to watch some movies which ended with them cuddling with each other.

[aevyk-ing]

Rambling about the Ghibli movies I’ve seen

1. Howl’s Moving Castle

This was my first ever Ghibli movie! And I loved it and I still love it. It was like this amazing discovery and I was hooked on the animation, the character design and the story. There were funny moments, thoughtful moments and even scary ones. I remember thinking Calcifer was hilarious and I watched it dubbed in Spanish and Howl’s voice is the same as Castle/Nathan Fillion, but the VA does a great job. It’s one of my favorites, probably the most.

2. From up on Poppy Hill

Watched it in English and I’ll probably rewatch it that way just for Anton Yelchin. It was yet another surprise. Has a good tone and music and the story is okay until the weird SPOILER “are they siblings?” part END SPOILER. Yep, I get it was because of the war and all that. Anyway, it’s on my top list. Also, I ended up expecting a kiss or hug or something but then I read Ghibli doesn’t portray relationships that way... and I’m okay with that. 

3. The Secret World of Arriety

This movie was so pretty! Well, all of them are pretty, but I really liked the production design in this one. And my first time watching a Ghibli movie in Japanese (Your Name was my first movie in Japanese and I had rewatched Howl’s... with subs before, but you know). It feels like a fairytale and it has great music. 

4. Spirited Away

I guess this is some sort of Alice in Wonderland Ghibli version. And, oh, my, is it bonkers. Lots of creativity here with the character designs, the story is great but it had a lot of WTH moments and I really wanted them to reunite after all that.

5. Kiki’s Delivery Service

This one was a little boring. It looked promising, I love witches and the premise is interesting, but it dragged a little, the boy is so annoying and my favorite character is the cat, so... 

6. Ponyo

The Little Mermaid, Ghibli version (btw, I got nothing against retelling fairytales, because they do it in such a creative way). This was the opposite: weird start, got me hooked. Ponyo is a delightful character. Between my favorites.

7. Princess Mononoke

Loved the idea and the beginning, got weirder and weirder. I get it could be a product of its time, but the story would benefit from a little more work. Although I liked the spirits design and it obviously inspired the creators of ATLA, especially in the creature design for Korra.

8. Castle in the Sky

Another product of its time in terms of pacing and the strange obsession of grown men towards a little girl. It was... nice. Reminded me a lot of Atlantis, so I guess Disney took some notes. The design of the city was good and the lore interesting. And the boy got me chuckling in the action scenes, doing all that barefoot. 

9. My Neighbor Totoro

Talking about cute. This movie is so simple and yet so good. The tiny Totoro has to be my favorite Ghibli creature and it has a lot of charm. 

10. Whisper of the Heart

While I usually hate those kind of endings (love has had me waiting enough), it made me feel hopeful instead of sad. Another movie with a slow pace but a really long scene is just following a cat, so of course it was going to get on the top of my list. Is quite relatable as a writer and I sure hoped I’ve had (or had now) that support from my parents. The scenes of the book look great and even though I already knew what was going to happen from 5 minutes in, I didn’t even care. 

[moonssugar]

wip inspiration tag 🌟

got tagged by @encrucijada​

there are A LOT of places of inspiration for my personal writing project roadtrip! and if i had to list them all i’d have pages and pages of bits of inspiration from so many different places but i think i can gather the core wells of inspiration...

list: the Northern Lights trilogy, the Oh Hellos, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky and Sprited Away

ROADTRIP! : sam, a transmasc youth, and his furry ever-companion soulmate kaid live in sunshine arizona with their new rambunctious friend who moved into the neighboring town a year ago, chelsie who has two furry companions of her own named cosmos and chrysanthemum. high school hell, summer shenanigans, friendships, chaos and fun ensue until a girl named aubry shows up in the middle of the desert following a series of strange occurrences. a week later, the three of them take a short walk and don’t return home. they find themselves in a new world, and, well, quite a few new worlds after that. they need to find a way home and they’re determined that nothing stops them, so they journey into a ever shifting, strange, curious and beautiful multiverse that unfolds before them.

this story is about changes and grappling with them, queerness (trans, lesbian/gay mostly), self discovery and becoming, love, family born into, made and found, faiths, destiny is fake, essentialism is bogus, war is hell, different kinds of trauma, the pace of healing, growing pains, be gay do crime, love for humanity, displacement and belonging, oppression and fighting it, the power in being kind gentle and merciful, and how hugs, hand holding and forehead kisses go a long way. theres a lot more but the hugs are extremely important!

The Oh Hellos

entire arcs in this story have started as seeds planted by me listening to the oh hello’s but especially the albums eurus and the other four winds albums, dear wormwood, and into the deep dark valley. ive got a deep emotional connection to their music and since i found them back in 2019/2020 which happened to be the time i started writing this wip. there are whole albums in my character playlists. they are this music on a certain level. the grip maggie and tyler heath have on me is criminal

HDM

daemons, angels and the multiverse concept not only totally ripped completely off from this series but also extremely yassified and hit with a transgenderification beam. transdimensional travel as a metaphor for being trans. a angel fabricating a physical body as a metaphor for being trans. rainbow colored openings to other worlds hint hint nudge gay. answering the age old question “trans people daemons gender what?!” with “lol whatever i have a 4D understanding of gender you wouldn’t get it”. using daemons as a way to talk about queerness, gender etc etc. also us american evengalicalism fuckin sucks, lets talk about that and religious trauma without demonizing “religion” as a whole!! this inspired me to think about the beauty of faiths instead of its ugliest sides but also honor the horrific trauma a certain brand of christianity causes. also what if this multiverse concept was executed better and the story was actually satisfying??

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the sSky (and some other ghibli movies)

okay nausicaä actually inspired a big latter part of roadtrip, mostly its solarpunk elements and focus on ecology, post apocalyptic world and humanity. and insects! castle in the sky is where i got the floating island idea from. some honorable mentions are spirited away, its one of my earliest memories of other world concepts in fiction i remember from when i was a kid, ponyo which is the favorite movie of my character chelsie + some ocean imagery sprinkled here and there and sam loves princess mononoke (this movie helped radicalize me)

Ari and Dante

the slice of life vibes, desert setting but arizona instead of el paso texas, a mexican main character, just taking it easy and being emotionally honest when writing and telling a story is something i learned from benjamin alire sáenz because its one of the first places in literature it really stuck out to me. that you choose your own methods for writing, whatever works for you even if it strays from ‘traditional’ literature structure. realizing a chapter could be 1 paragraph freed me, but now i wish i’d actually let myself apply the guy’s advice. this book had a profound effect on me when i read it at 17, it got me through a lot and its lived inside my head and my soul ever since. rent fuckin free. changed me on a molecular and spiritual level and im so glad it did

honorable mentions: a bunch of different science fiction media, fantasy media, real life locations like arizona, my own state, cartagena columbia, costa rica, peru and about a thousand other places, ecology and the concept of interconnectedness herself, class struggle, queer history, catholic imagery, ‘80s aesthetics, many romance languages, my friends and their many backgrounds, many different cultures, angelology, world history, revenge and spite but also self indulgence and falling in love with writing

gonna tag: @shapeshiftersandfire​!

[jannatulferdous123]

Kawaii Plush: A Soft, cuddly, and Adorable World

Introduction

In the realm of collectibles and toys, few items can capture the hearts of enthusiasts quite like kawaii plush. These soft, cuddly, and adorable companions have become a global phenomenon, beloved by children and adults alike. With their big eyes, tiny noses, and charming personalities, kawaii plush offer a delightful escape from the everyday world. In this article, we'll delve into the captivating world of kawaii plush, exploring their origins, characteristics, and the enduring appeal that has made them so popular.

The Origins of Kawaii Plush

The concept of kawaii, which translates to "cute" in Japanese, has its roots in Japanese culture and aesthetics. The emphasis on cuteness and childlike innocence is deeply ingrained in Japanese society, and it is reflected in various forms of art, fashion, and consumer goods. Kawaii plush emerged as a natural extension of this cultural trend, combining the softness and comfort of traditional stuffed toys with the endearing features and designs inspired by kawaii aesthetics.  

Characteristics of Kawaii Plush

Kawaii plush are characterized by several distinctive features that contribute to their irresistible appeal:

Large, expressive eyes: These eyes are often exaggerated in size and shape, conveying a sense of innocence and vulnerability.

Soft, cuddly materials: Kawaii plush are typically made from plush fabrics that are soft to the touch, inviting cuddles and hugs.

Pastel colors: Soft, pastel colors are commonly used to create a gentle and calming atmosphere.  

Tiny features: Small noses, mouths, and ears add to the overall cuteness and charm of kawaii plush.

Unique designs: Kawaii plush come in a wide variety of designs, ranging from animals to mythical creatures to original characters.

The Enduring Appeal of Kawaii Plush

The enduring appeal of kawaii plush can be attributed to several factors:

Emotional connection: Kawaii plush often evoke feelings of comfort, happiness, and nostalgia. They can serve as companions, providing emotional support and a sense of security.

Stress relief: The softness and cuddliness of kawaii plush can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Nostalgia: For many people, kawaii plush evoke memories of childhood and simpler times.

Collecting: Kawaii plush have become popular collectibles, with enthusiasts seeking out rare and limited edition items.  

Cultural influence: The kawaii aesthetic has gained global recognition, making kawaii plush appealing to people from all walks of life.  

Popular Kawaii Plush Characters

Several iconic kawaii plush characters have captured the hearts of fans worldwide:

Hello Kitty: This classic character, with her pink bow and simple design, has been a global phenomenon for decades.

Totoro: The gentle giant from Studio Ghibli's "My Neighbor Totoro" is a beloved symbol of childhood innocence and friendship.

Rilakkuma: This bear-like character is known for its relaxed and carefree attitude, making it a popular choice for stress relief.  

Usada: This rabbit-like character is characterized by its big, expressive eyes and innocent demeanor.

Sanrio characters: Sanrio, a Japanese company known for its cute and colorful characters, has created a vast array of kawaii plush, including My Melody, Cinnamoroll, and Pompompurin.

Caring for Kawaii Plush

To ensure the longevity of your kawaii plush, it's important to care for them properly:

Hand wash or gentle machine wash: Use cold water and a mild detergent when washing your plush.

Air dry: Avoid using a dryer, as the heat can damage the plush.

Store in a cool, dry place: Keep your plush away from direct sunlight and excessive heat.

Conclusion

Kawaii plush have become more than just toys; they are beloved companions that bring joy, comfort, and a touch of magic to our lives. With their adorable designs, soft textures, and expressive eyes, kawaii plush continue to captivate the hearts of people around the world. Whether you're a child or an adult, there's a kawaii plush out there waiting to become your new best friend.

[agentnorthdakota]

Cherry, freckles, poppy, buttery, cupcake, honey, mochi, nightlight, shampoo, aphrodite, plush? (Skip any if you don't want to!)

Thank you so much Spencer!! uwu ilu friendo~ <3

cherry - what is your sexuality?

That is a very good question lol. Demi? Pan? idk I’ve been going with one or both of those lately because they feel like the closest fit. But also sexuality is fluid and confusing :p

freckles - most-worn article of clothing?

My two Critical Role t-shirts, the Mollymauk one and the Don’t Forget to Love Each Other one because there are /so few/ things you can find that have the agender flag on them! They’re usually what I wear at home, which means I wear them a lot

poppy - favorite pastel color?

Mmm a nice seafoam green like #9CF3CE, seconded by a nice lavender

buttery - favorite snack?

Does bubble tea count? :p uhh I mean BBQ chips are good, and kettlecorn, and hard candy

cupcake - are you a good cook?

I am O.K. :p I’m good at cooking pasta and stir fry. If you give me a recipe I can probably follow it okay, unless it has meat because I struggle to cook meat correctly (unless it’s in the slowcooker)

honey - favorite term of endearment?

Favourite to use is darling, seconded by sweetheart~ I would call a ton of people esp. friends darling if I knew if they were cool with it. Oh and my dear

Favourite to be called is I guess the same? Also gorgeous, but that’s more of a compliment

mochi - favorite studio ghibli film?

Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke! They live rent free in my head forever uwu Seriously they’re amazing go watch them 

nightlight - do you read before bed?

I used to read fic before bed quite often! It’s been a long time since I read actual books before bed. Now I rarely even read fic though, I’ve developed a tendency to stay up watching stuff/drawing/playing games/etc until I’m nodding off and too exhausted to stay awake, and then I just go to bed. I do miss reading fic before bed tho tbh

shampoo - favorite scent?

If I put it in terms of candles I tend to love more fruity and floral scents! But not overpoweringly so

aphrodite - favorite actress/actor?

Uhhh hmm. I mean I guess I’d say Taliesin Jaffe and Matthew Mercer, because they’re both really important role models and inspirations to me, but that’s through Critical Role and not their more traditional (voice) acting work. David Tennant is also hecking fantastic and I love him (and many other actors from Doctor Who)

plush - how many stuffed animals do you still own?

More than I know to count lol, I also have a few bins of ‘em still. I usually have 2-3 in my bedroom (I have a Terriermon plushie who is perfect for hugging), and then 10-15 that I usually have out ‘on display’ including my three most important stuffed animals from when I was a kid uwu <3

[winryrockbellwannabe]

AJ my beloved <3 how have you been? I don't get to see nearly enough of you on my dash :" I love love love your ghibli challenge, it's so calming and comforting and it always brings a smile to my face <3 and it's so characteristically youuu!!! (when I think of you I automatically envision Kiki xD) and now you're already halfway through the challenge omg! time goes so fast 😩

this ask is kinda overdue atp, we haven't spoken in a while and i just missed you too much T-T so hi 🥺💗 have you been eating well and staying hydrated? I hope youve been taking good care of yourself :))

also! I just saw your bookworm post and I want to ask- 43 and 44! honestly I love listening to you talk about books and media in gen and your tsh rants are 🤌🤌 I'll bombard you with more numbers soon xD

sending in lots of love and hugs, specifically the ponyo kind 💕🫂 love youuu<3

MEG!! hiii, i missed you!! 🥺 <333

(sorry, i also took ages answering this, chaotic couple of weeks)

I've been okay, kinda overwhelmed rn bc ✨exams✨, which also means my bachelor's is almost over???? *panics a little bit*

I'm so glad you liked my ghibli challenge, i was needing a pick me up for the last weeks of classes and i think it was great for it. And i was definitely inspired by your takami challenge! It was so cute, and it really made me want to watch the series so I could understand all the references!!!

(Im so honored to be associated with kiki in your brain, meanwhile I can't watch ponyo rn without thinking of you💞)

Also, dw about the ask being "overdue", honestly you've been hella busy, so don't worry about it - I've been happy just watching from "a far" rooting for you and being super proud!!!💗

Also, you sound like my mom ahahah, yes I've been eating enough. Drinking water too, since my sister got me the cutest water bottle with little daisies in it, it's adorable.

Lastly, ahhhk, I'm honored you like my media rants, most of the time I feel like I'm just saying gibberish ahaha

(answering the question under the break, bc this is getting too long lol)

43. Title of a book you own that's in the worst physical condition you have. Explain what happened to it. Post a picture if you want.

uuh. Currently not that many books are in terrible conditions (not like me and my sister's old harry potter novels - in one of them the cover just fell off before i even read it lmao)

I usually try to keep my book pristine, not folding pages or breaking the spine. BUT, in the Game of Thrones (fun fact, the copy wasn't even mine, it was my sister's) i was getting so frustrated with it, i was just breaking the spine off to deal with my frustration lmao

44. The book(s) whose stories have become part of your very makeup.

Ahh SO MANY. Definitely Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the universe and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Those two are the kind of books you read in 2020/21 that make you feel so seen in those moments that you are so hopeless and alone and ahhh. they really made me feel understood in some kind of way

Pride and Prejudice and St. Clare's saga by Enid Blynton, bc of how long I've been obsessed with them. In the same way, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

The Poppy War and TSH just bc of the emotional damage lmaoo

And that's it!

Now, how are you??? Also, I already gave you a tiny review of you poetry on the reblogs, but gotta say it again, MEG IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! I will stalk your poetry blog once my exams end, so expect excited asks about it in like.... a month? (*sobs*)

gotta go, love youuuu 💗💗💗

[hot-chocolate-rat]

It's 3:35Am, i watched a total of 3 movies while reading Ghostrat's fanfic in the middle of the night

I sure skipped a few lines, lost myself into mt own thoughs and almoust fell asleep quite a few times

I though "oh i'll finish this, read the comics and sleep!", simple, right? NO

CURSE BE UPON YOU GHOSTRAT AND YOUR AWESOME WRITING, DAMMED BE YOU TO INSPIRE ME LIKE THAT, IT'S 3:36AM I'M ON MY GRANDMA'S AND MY SISTER IS SLEEPING IN THE COUCH NEAR ME

I CANT JUST GO AND PUT A CUTE LIL GHIBLI SOUNDTRACK PLAYLIST AND WRITE LESBIAN CUDDLE RN BUT I CANT SLEEP OTHERWISE

Thats why i dont read Ao3, i barely survived the chill on my spine reading something that simply remarked "they hugged and cuddled"

Ps: i personally hate how Aziraphale constantly say "dear", because I constantly say "dear" to everyone (friends, younger people and passive-agressive) i fell called out yk??

Now off i go to probally write while sleep-deprived or read more fanfic, or reread it, idk idc

[sherbet-shark]

I do hope I did this right but when you have time could you do headcanons for how Octavinelle and a character of your choice would react to their s/o choosing to stay in twst instead of returning home! Thank you!!!

A Whisper of the Heart

Author's note: Sorry for the tardiness, my dear anon, but school’s midterms kicked me in the tail fin, but this will be fun. Since this request is more extensive, I will reduce the bullets to five instead of nine. And to celebrate the newest installment of the Japanese game chapter! I will add Idia Shroud into the mix!

I’ve been watching Studio Ghibli and got inspired by how Hayao Miyazaki and his team wrote their protagonists and wished that the trio and Idia’s significant other could exude their confidence in themselves and their decisions at the end of their introspection. Hopefully, I wrote well enough to see the growth within these headcanons while still adding realness to the situations and layers to the characters.

Mild Spoilers: Chapter 6 and small hints to Idia’s past

Word count: 5.1k

Trigger Warnings: Angst to comfort scenarios 

◦ You must have a lot of determination and guile to get this conman to open up his heart to you, after many, many times of you trying to prove your usefulness outside of academia and many hours spent at Mostro Lounge. After some talking and one-sided heart hearts, he found himself festering ideas into his mind of you and him together. Or how you’d keep Azul on his feet with some sarcastic remarks or hearing out his entrepreneurial ideas when he got comfortable enough with you.

◦ You two have been together for a considerable amount of time. The thought of you leaving for your homeworld kept ebbing in the recesses of Azul’s mind. You’d find him working furiously in the private V.I.P room with contracts and schoolwork during those times. You never pushed him to open up, especially when there was a glint of an unfamiliar emotion in his sky blue eyes. Ashengrotto had a facade he proudly placed on himself as did most of the students at the college. But something about him made you interested in uncovering all his sides, of course it wouldn’t be an easy road but you were willing. Azul always kept a close eye on you and had the twins keep an eye on you for him when his bouts of realization wouldn’t go away too, a little paranoid that his Angelfish would disappear.

◦The day came when Crowley, that lazy bastard, finally approached you about finding a spell for your return back home, but it had a time constraint. So you had to think of what you wanted when the month was up. You told Azul later that day with a hesitation laced in every word as you still found this piece of information juxtaposing. You hadn’t come up with your decision yet, but Azul took this surprisingly well. He said that he was glad that you had the opportunity to go back home to your friends, family, and your world. But behind that clockwork smile he gave you, his heart shattered. All the white-haired man could do was watch as you said you wanted some time to think alone.

◦ Your answer was crystal clear to you after introspection and decision-making. As you looked at the Mirror of Darkness, your head held high, Crowley’s almost concealed in the room. He didn’t know your decision but assumed this would end, and he would never forget you.

◦ You said something to Crowley and shook your head. Azul saw that the headmaster looked surprised, but his eyes flew to the second year and back to you. Your figure turns away from the opened portal, walks back to your boyfriend with a familiar determination, and hugs Azul. You knew he wasn’t big on physical touch, especially from strangers, even he was a bit snippy about you getting handsy, but you wanted you to embrace him and that he’d accept your confirmation. Azul’s brow knitted together as his mind scrambled. He automatically braced himself, desperately trying to put two and two together in his frazzled mind. ‘Maybe you wanted to give him a farewell kiss and hug?’ Or perhaps- the octomerman’s flustered thoughts stopped as you tighten your grip on him and lay your head in the crevice of his neck.

“I’m not going away. I came to that decision a while ago. And I don’t want to leave this place, and I don’t want to leave you.”

Azul’s rigidness slowly relaxed as he breathed in your comforting scent and enclosed his arms around you. He closes his eyes, feeling them tingle slightly, and revels in your touch as Crowley closes the portal and leaves the lovers to their heartwarming hug. The businessman surmised that he’d be ok with his lover’s warmth in this instance.

◦ Wow! You captured the ever gentlemanly vice dorm leader Jade’s attention and kept it! Not to mention a clever mind to keep him on his toes or tail fins. That’s a fantastic accomplishment in itself! He doesn’t like being able to predict things and tires of situations and people that are so much like clockwork but well.  Ever since you dropped from the sky, his school, and his personal life, he found entertainment in playing with you. –Subtly poking and prodding at any weak spots, already finding glee in your delightful unpredictable reactions. After a long while of cat and mouse, you and him bonded and somehow made what Jade assumed to be a fleeting interest, but against his power, his emotions deepened and intrigued him more and more. It would take Jade a long while to discuss his feelings and whether they were real. But after that introspection, he concluded that his journey of uncovering who you are was far from over. And perhaps you being by his side would prove intrigued to his life, and it did! 

◦ Jade, along with Azul, knew that the option of your return back to your world was there. At the same time, the fact that you’d be able to return was unknown was something to account for and reflect on. Still, whenever he pondered too much, he’d become even more menacing to outsiders and full of passive aggression. His closed-eyed, pointed smile and aura made the Octavinelle students even more scared to approach the twin. While he’d diligently work as a server and cook, the teal-haired man would sometimes need seclusion tending to his terrariums in the Botanical garden or his shared room with Floyd. You would go to Mostro Lounge to work on your papers and homework in the elegant restaurant and would often notice his aura and the strain in his carefully crafted facade and check in with his well-being. Jade would join you at your table and watch you work in silence under the delicate, soft lights.

◦ Crowley summoned you to his office and informed you that he finally found your way home, but it was a one-way trip. So you had to think long and hard about both of the options before you. Either you could return to your old life and slowly believe that what you went through in Twisted Wonderland was a dream. Or you could throw away all traces of your past in a world that’s still so supernatural with mystical happenings and live out your life with ideally the man that has your heart now or be faced with the fact that you stranded yourself in a world without Jade. The dread and confusion stirred in your heart and mind pounded. Even if you wished and longed for the comforts of your home and people, it must be fate’s punishment for whatever you did in your past life. It felt like something out of a fantasy young adult drama or a book. 

◦You couldn’t bring yourself to tell Jade, but your distant mannerisms couldn’t escape Jade’s everso watching heterochromatic eyes. He cornered you one weekend afternoon while walking to your dorm with his signature intimidating smile. His arms trap you against the sturdy wood of a tree as he starts to interrogate his lover. While he never scared you too much earlier in your relationship, you never forgot what he was capable of, who he was and his motives for certain things eluded you most of the time, but this is one of those times your heart spiked in fear or fluster. As his interrogation continued, you spilled the beans, and his beautiful eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and the tautness of his arms loosened. He wasn’t expecting that and looked at you quizzically as if wanting you to elaborate, and so you do. As he listened intently to your woes about your predicament, Jade hummed in thought and released you from the suffocating atmosphere between the two of you. He apologized for acting previously and asked if you could forgive his actions. You tease the 2nd year and reply, “I’m not so sure I will, Mr. Leech.” You deflect, trying to make light of the situation, and the Eel smirks as he escorts you to your dorm. 

◦ After much thought and assurance by the vice-dorm leader after his words, Jade concludes that the choice is entirely up to you. He wouldn’t tell you what to do, only give you his thoughts about specific options. Soon it was late after dusk, and he had to return to his dorm and kiss your forehead muttering that you have the power of choice, and he’s eager to know your answer. After many sleepless nights and daydreaming about everything, you conclude and ask Jade one day to accompany you on your way to inform headmaster Crowley of your decision. You give no hint to your boyfriend as he could only glance at your surprisingly brave face as the sounds of dress shoes click to their destination. You reach out your hand for his touch, and he notices quietly entwining your fingers in comfort, thus strengthening your resolve. 

       You both enter the office in a blink of an eye, then stand before the enthusiastic yet mysterious headmaster. You take a deep breath with newfound confidence, “Headmaster Crowley, while I’m glad about this discovery. I have decided that I’d like to stay here in Twisted Wonderland. I know that I have a life back home, and I’ll be leaving so many good people, and there’s no guarantee I’m making the right choice. I chose this path before me, and for some reason. I’m not lonely as I initially was. It’s your decision on what to do with the portal or spell. But I’m staying here.”

As you finish up your speech, you gratefully nod to Crowley then look up at Jade to look at his face. Jade was prepared for any of the options you would choose, and either way, would accept his fate, but hearing that heartfelt speech from your lips while still cheesy and made light of many things told him that you would stay in his grasp and his heartbeat quickened as he smiled once more. As you both walk out of the room, Jade grasps your hand and peers down at your smaller form and kisses your hand in true gentlemen’s form, and utters, 

      “While that speech of yours was sweet and cute, I promise you this. By staying by my side, I can assure you that my eyes will never wander, and I will see that your days are filled with a thrilling excitement as payment for the exhilaration you brought to me.”

◦ Floyd Leech is an unpredictable, volatile man both in academia and in personality. The mountains of patience you have must be somewhat on par with Jade’s, that’s for sure. Floyd, along with Jade, got introduced to you when you tried to get your idiot friend out of Azul’s contracts. He didn’t think much of you but was in one of his good moods, and after your friend paid their due, he sought you out. The way Floyd treated you was similar to Riddle. He liked actively pushing your buttons, saying some remarks that at times did hurt your feelings. Floyd didn’t always burst in on your space, nor did the second year always stay. When his moods dropped, he’d roll his eyes, groan and leave abruptly. His unpredictability made you wary, but something about him was appealing, or someone bewitched you. 

Or you’re a masochist. Probably a combination of all three. As he undoubtedly started his routine of messing around with you, you began to notice some things. He was rather intelligent with his out-of-the-box thinking and carefreeness when he wanted to be by himself, yet you respected him and his need for abrupt space or alone time. You never pushed yourself onto him, nor did you expect his moods to become better once you become better friends magically. If his twin brother and Azul couldn’t handle and tame Floyd’s mood swings, why would you, a stranger- may be an acquaintance or a plaything to him have this power over him? And so, you never shackled yourself to his side. 

Instead, you opted to leave him alone to ruminate on his lonesome, and he’d come back chipper and happy on his own. Yet despite his intimidating atmosphere, you found that there were so many sides to him. Every day seemed like it was new and exciting with Floyd around. Luckily, your feelings of interest weren't one-sided, but this still shouldn’t be so lighthearted. Floyd found your fun to be around, and you weren’t much of a stick in the mud. You left him alone when he didn’t want to be around you anymore but still treated him respectfully, which he appreciated while he didn’t show it. He was used to being treated as someone dangerous and didn’t expect anything intelligent, but oddly you would praise him when Floyd’s thinking, no matter how unconventional, helped the situation. He found that praise as something the second year started to repeat in his mind, and he’d be a little more mature with you.

◦ Floyd waltzed up to you one day, squeezed the daylights out of you, and exclaimed he liked you and that you two should date! Squeaking out a yes (your ribs and back were breaking, you swear to this day little bit of your soul escaping like in those anime shows), it was comical to the outsiders, yet it made you and the tall second year happy. Being in a relationship with Floyd Leech wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, but it wasn’t all rainy days either. It was a mixed bag every day, and I hope you’re not the type to put pressure on special days like Valentine's or need regular dates because you’ll get a range of things. From one second, he's as clingy and affectionate as can be the other. He’ll meanly tease you over everything and prod you. Or give you so many kisses and hugs that your friends gag at the sweetness.

 With the teal-haired man, it’s always a wild ride. While Floyd’s carefree nature was calming at times, and he did what he wanted at a fast speed, it didn’t mean he was dumb. Night Raven College did choose him too, after all. Because of this, Leech would sometimes let his mind wander onto the fact that you might leave if that ditzy headmaster of theirs got his shit together. When Floyd’s mind pondered this thought a little too much, his mood would dampen, and this is the only time your presence brings his spirits up and clings to you. No matter if he's working at Mostro Lounge or in class. Other times, his carefree and delinquent-like persona would let this revelation go and leave his mind like how the waves would carry its inhabitants from one place to the other. 

◦ Crowley had met you one day in your dorm to inform you. After months of searching for your home and how to return to you, Crowley found an ancient spell. His glowing yellow eyes seemed to be taunting you with the “kindness” of his stare, expecting a range of emotions. He was met with a startled look and a fallen crested expression painting your face.

 “My dear prefect! I would have imagined that you would be leaping with joy! Is this something you didn’t wish for before this year? However, this grand discovery has an inconvenience attached: you will forget everything you’ve experienced here. The friends you made. All you know of Twisted Wonderland will slowly disappear, and these memories will erode.” Crowley tilted his head curiously, but his enthusiastic voice rang out into the dorm Lounge. Dread filled your lungs, and your hands trembled at his warning, and with Crowley-like style, he had to hurry on his way back to his office to take care of “business.” Leaving you to your thoughts in the Lounge. You felt like crying and laughing as you reached for a nearby pillow to scream. 

◦ Fate must love hurting you. Because after that more or more miniature bomb, you became more antsy, jumpy, and more miserable in general. Floyd finally saw that even when he didn’t try to scare you with pranks, you just seemed blue. He gruffly marched to where you sat at the lunch table, unceremoniously plopped his bum before your vision, and narrowed his eyes in frustration. 

“Hey. Why so blue, Clam Cake? It’s starting to piss me off.” Floyd bluntly remarks as he stares a 100-meter long gaze right through you. He was always blunt, but he started to treat you more kindly as your relationship progressed. Today wasn’t one of his happier days. Glancing at your friends, you stand up and take Floyd by his arm and into the hallway. The taller man followed you behind while groaning. Why did you have to be so stupidly secretive? As you illustrated, your problem Floyd’s annoyed demeanor changed into a starstruck expression as he raised his eyebrow, asking if you were pulling his leg.

You weren't, and he dragged you outside of school so you could both talk. At this time, you could care less about the school, and you wanted to talk to him. Floyd quietly spoke as he recalled the side effects if you left. He felt a hole grow in his heart as the teal-haired man gave his piece. “Listen, Clam Cakey. I won’t tell you what to do, but I’ll miss you if you leave. If you don’t go then. I’d be really happy if you did.” He rested his head on your shoulder as you sat on the grass. Your boyfriend wrapped his hand into yours and sighed. As he napped in the afternoon sun, it left you with time to think. Raising your joined hands, you kiss his hand and ponder everything. 

◦ After you told Floyd everything, you saw that he was more attentive and helpful to you. You stuck with him a little more, wanting to savor everything and ponder everything in the Mostro Lounge and your room. In the early morning, you thought everything through and then some. Calling Floyd, praying to whatever deity was up In Twisted Wonderland, he was up, and he was! Floyd sleepily picked up the phone and answered lazily. After you plead with him to come with you to tell Crowley what your answer is. He nodded and agreed as Leech got up and ready for the day. He had a pep in his step; Floyd met you outside the office, but before you'd say to the headmaster. Your boyfriend scooped your tired body up in the tightest, most affectionate-filled hug, but there was tenderness too. You know Floyd profoundly cares about you despite his acts while he was clumsy in your relationship. You were too. But you both still got up again, and you loved Floyd for who he is. 

“Clam Cake… I’m so happy right now,” Floyd brightly smiled, his sharp teeth gleaming in the dark hallway as he clung to you. He pressed kisses all around your face, and you hugged back. The second year's heterochromatic eyes closed as he savored the feeling of you. “I'll make sure you won't get bored by my side. After this, we should skip school and celebrate.” The eel-mer continued as he held you close, then rapid tapping on his arm brought his head out of the clouds, and he gently placed you down to the floor. Hand in hand, you and Floyd headed into the unknown, but you had each other.

◦ Idia Shroud is ever so elusive and somewhat odd 3rd year; even you had to admit that. He was hard to pin down outside of the comforts of his dorm or physically. But you made do with it when you would see Idia; you'd be calm, cordial with the nervous 3rd year. Which he appreciated, but he had to wonder if this sunspot had any ulterior motives to get to the man. He was skeptical about your so-called kindness, but he was grateful that you weren't too over-excited or an extrovert. Idia never cared for those stereotypical types. Instead, he found these types to be immense pain in the ass. Don't even get him started on people that try to widen their social circles and butt their snobby little noses into other businesses. Great Fire. Those people. Ugh, Idia can feel his blood pressure skyrocket when he has to interact with those newbs.

But moreover, after grueling moments of trying to open Idia's walls and prove yourself to Ortho, you won over Ortho's trust and, more importantly, Idia's. He still was nervous about showing you his hobbies like anime, pop idols, games, coding. But still, he would update you if you asked about his hobbies in a calm voice. His nervousness didn't mean you'd be safe from his sharp tongue, not quite the opposite. He'd openly sass you and be a little more snippy, even if it was through a floating iPad. Ortho would brightly beam as you became good friends with his older brother. Yet there was something you couldn't explain if you did anything harmful to Idia. You thought the robotic boy's protective and loving nature he had for the older Shroud was sweet, and you'd extend the exact nature to him. After all, the little boy had your respect and your platonic affection. Like the other students enrolled in Night Raven College, Idia had no shortage of secrets, and honestly, you respected his privacy. You would flip if he pushed you to your boundaries.

◦ After a lot of bonding time and thinking, you found that you liked each other. However, one thing that made Idia stop acknowledging that the platonic relationship you had grown was, aside from his anxious nature, was the strange idea of your departure from Twisted Wonderland and, by extension, him. He knew it was a stretch, yet Idia was the dorm leader of Ignihyde and his parent's company for a reason. He was hesitant, but you weren't at this point and asked him face to face in the comforts of his dorm room if he'd like to date each other. You said that he was charming in his way and an intriguing person that you wanted to know more about. With crimson red cheeks and a beautiful cacophony of red oranges, Idia danced in his fiery blue hair and quickly nodded—hiding his face with a cartoon pillow.

◦Idia is a pessimistic but reasonable man, and as the relationship deepened, his trust issues and insecurity about himself would flare-up. Cueing a small heart-to-heart, you and Ortho would try to get him out and about in public. Initially, he found it annoying, but he liked it if it was a quiet place and secluded. He enjoyed every second of his time when it was just you and him in his room playing games, or you'd do your thing, and he would do his hobbies but at night and sometimes during the day when he was alone. The older Shroud started a new project if Crowley ever did find a way back to your home. Creating a virtual reality where you were still here with him and responding to his questions was a complex situation. But this would be a cakewalk once he got all of the small details of your face, personality, the way you spoke. Anything to make this virtual you. Seem more like the real thing.

Idia's pessimism was correct to start this project as he saw the headmaster of the school waltz his way into a classroom with barely any students left in the room. Crowley beckoned you to the outside of the hallway, and when you returned, pack up and continue your conversation with your boyfriend. That familiar and pretty gleam in your eye and demeanor dimmed. He could only assume the worst as the 3rd year watched you leave for your next class with a weak farewell wave and smile glued on your face.

◦The third year grew somewhat distant from you as he devoted even more time to perfecting his project. Idia's sudden reclusiveness made Ortho act. As the robotic boy tried and failed to coax his brother out of the recesses of the high-tech room, you appeared with a steward face and apologized for making Ortho deal with his big brother's relationship problems. As you explained yourself to the younger boy, he nodded and did a full-body scan to see if you were telling the truth. The boy was pleasantly surprised as he asked more in-depth questions and if you would leave the Shroud brothers and this world behind. Shaking your head, the memories of you holed up in your bed covers, thinking and mostly sulking away. What the headmaster told you that day was surreal, as you left to attend the remainder of your classes for that day, but in all honesty, you were drifting in each period. The professor's words fell to deaf ears. Too busy weighing your choices.

Finally, walking alone, you texted Idia that you wanted to be alone for a while and had a lot of homework. You took a couple of walks around campus, allowing your thoughts to flow through clearly, and emotions were high. As you overthought and found yourself at your dorm, slowly walking past the door and into the Lounge, you sat down on the couch. The dormitory ghosts appeared and asked you why you looked so overwhelmed, and you told them everything. The spirits, while quirky, they grew on you and vice versa. After telling them everything and asking for advice, they looked at each other and back to you. They asked if you wanted to leave and if you wanted to stay if you correctly understood the pros and cons.

After a moment of silence, you came to your decision and walked to Ignihyde to speak with your boyfriend. You didn't see for a while but wanted to dispel any misunderstandings between you and him.

◦ Leading you to your current circumstance, as you looked at Ortho, it looked like his bright eyes were watering if that could be possible. He has never met a person dedicated to his brother just as much as the young boy. He stepped aside and let you open the door into Idia's room, the two of you slowly listening to the rapid taps of his keyboard and multiple monitors strung up, illuminating the otherwise dark room. You could see bases for a figure in one monitor, and the other looked like background programming. Calling out to the young man hunched over his cluttered desk, he looked too deep into his work, but you persisted.

You call out to him and think of what you said to the ghosts moving forward. "I feel... I want to. I wanted to stay here, thought about this, and swore that I wouldn't make many friends. Because I'd leave on the bright side, but now that I've met so many people, I have gotten used to this world. Fell in love with Twisted Wonderland and Idia- I. I know what and who I'll leave behind back home, and I don't know if this hole will be filled. I doubt it will, but I know that they want me to be happy, and while it had its massive ups and downs, that's all I've felt here. I've been so happy." Crying into your clammy, sweaty hands. The ghosts came to your aid and soothed your soul. They didn't speak, but as you said, it slowly came into place for you, and you raised your head to meet their coal eyes.

“ Idia, I had a feeling that you know what Crowley said. But I'm here now, and I wanted you to hear it–.” You were cut off as a familiar voice came over the speakers.

"Idia Shroud, I think you're an exciting guy, and after hanging out with you a lot. I want to try my shot at confessing to you. You were an unexpected person in this whirlwind of an experience, and I told myself that I wouldn't have a lot of friends here after learning about my situation. But you. You made me want to know you more, you're so charming, and I know it's stupid. I want to try dating you. I like you, and I don't care about what-ifs when I'm with you. I just want to know more about you."

Was it your confession to him?! How did he get that? You did confess to him at his dorm, but. As the recording cut, his gaze finally met yours. The molten gold eyes you always loved looked fearful, just like how you first met the third year. Idia was waiting for the other shoe to drop and say you were leaving him. You were freaked out about the little project he started. He was waiting for a disgusted look painted on your pretty face, but it never came as you slowly enclosed your arms around the chair and placed your head on his flaming head. The monitors showed a pixelated version of you but didn't judge you a little freaked out, but at the same time, you were heartbroken. However long he created this project, the idea was looming over his mind. That much was apparent.

"Idia, I'm not leaving. I'm staying, and I'm so sorry for not talking to you about what that bird told me, but I was so confused. I know now that I want to stay here, you as I walked over here and thought about this for a while. I- you inspire me so much. You inspire me to live this crazy life with you." Idia's heartbeat sped up as he quietly turned his chair to look at his lover and little brother, watching as the words left your lips. The third year felt like he was in an anime or an Otome game, and he unlocked a secret ending. His ending, but he still couldn't believe it as Idia opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Pale cheeks and hair burst into reds and oranges.

"I'm... what about your family, you... You're something. So this is what that old saying means, 'people do crazy things when they're in love.' huh..”