#romance club chitchat

[lavastories]

Discovered New Stories Apps!

Don’t know about y’all but this is so new to me. Never new they existed. So down for people recommending new interactive stories games.

Totally will update my thoughts and experience with these apps! Ahhh! So excited.🥳

[merakiui]

reverse harem, but it's a very silly, shoujo-esque romance where you start a club at nrc called "second choice sweethearts," which is dedicated to helping those feel loved and not be the easily forgotten second choice for once.

to your surprise, people actually pop in for club meetings and activities. some even join! you weren't expecting it, considering it was a dare from ace, who didn't believe you had what it takes to start and run a club. the idea is mostly playful, but then students start committing to it and now you're taking it seriously.

you just wanted to help raise people's self-esteem and allow them to relax for an hour of chitchat and happy vibes. you weren't expecting the members would start falling in love with you. suddenly romantic things keep happening, and you're wholly unprepared to handle them because, like everyone else in this club, you've never been the first choice. and now you are. it's awfully strange.

many thoughts, but the most coherent one is that cater and jade are your first two members hehe. >:) ace also joins, but he claims it's just so he can watch you fail.

[faerii-shin]

Haikyuu - Confessions Pt 1

Haikyuu boys x Gn! Y/N

summary : How they confessed the "little" crush they had on you.

characters: Sakusa, Ushijima, Bokuto

warnings : none

genre : fluff, soft

a/n : Enjoy luvs! Hope you will like it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Sakusa wasn't big in affection nor has he ever had interest in romance before, until he met you. The moment he saw you, Y/N L/N, he immediately fell in love with you. The first ever conversation you both had together, was after one of his practices. Just seeing you makes him feel so happy in a way he has never felt before. That's why, he oh so decided to confess his feelings for you. You were about to walk home, stepping out from the school library. You almost dropped your album full of pictures for the school newspaper and yes, you were the president of the photography club. Until then and there, Sakusa had caught the album for you. He was amazed by your talent and other than that, the pictures you took off the volleyball team were splendid. "Hey Sakusa-kun! Sorry about that and thank you as well." You said to him smiling. "Hi, Y/N and yea- you're welcome. It was no problem at all." "Nice pictures by the way, you're really good." You were shocked by the compliment and simply nodded your head. You then started to walk a way so suddenly to spare yourself from embarrassment. But, Sakusa grabbed your wrist, however it was just a gentle tug. "If it's fine with you, may I walk you home?" He asked politely once you turned around to face him. "Mhm, sure-e!" You replied back stuttering a bit, knowing you've liked the ace for the longest time. timeskip You reached your house and he led you to the front door. "See you tomorrow, Sakusa-kun!" You said to him happily. "I- See you Y/N!" POV: Why can't I just tell her? Come on, you can do this. Right? She won't reject you... "Y/N! Wait!" He yelled. "Yes?" You quickly replied and luckily you hadn't got in yet too. He walked up closer to you. "You might think of me differently, I guess." He started off. *sighs* "I like you, Y/N. I always have. You're just incredible from the moment I met you until now." "I understand if you don't feel the same way and I totally respect your decision if that's the case." You, of course, were stunned with what you just heard. Sakusa Kiyoomi, Itachiyama Academy's ace, has just confessed to you. The quiet, germaphobic boy, who happened to be your best friend has just confessed to you. You both stood there for quite awhile. Till you spoke up. "I- I like you too, Sakusa." You managed to mutter out. He was wearing his mask, though you could tell he was smiling. "Saturday, at 7pm?" "Sure, I'd love to." You responded. "Then, that's a date." "See you, love." He said lastly before parting ways.

With Ushijima, he was just mainly focused on volleyball. Nothing more, nothing less. Never was in love and never thought of getting a girlfriend/boyfriend even once. That is, until you became his best friend a long with Tendou. He didn't notice he has developed feelings for you, actually. At least Tendou told him, bringing it up in a conversation a few weeks ago. "So Ushiwaka, when are you planning to them?" Tendou asked, bringing in a small chitchat since their practice just finished. "I- I don't know, Tendou." He replied looking down on the floor. "Oh come on! You've gotta tell them at some point!" "But I can't. What if they reject me?" He said worriedly. "Don't doubt yourself. You'll do well. Trust me." Tendou reassured him. And there's how it happened, you and him, walking around the park together that fine afternoon. After what it felt like hours of talking and walking, Ushijima offered to get you some ice cream. Seeing that there was a stall nearby. You both walk towards it and place in your orders. A few minutes later, there comes the ice cream. "Nice choice, Y/N. (Name of the ice cream flavor)." "Mhm. It is my favorite after all." "Thank you by the way Ushijima-kun." "Of course, no worries at all." "Now go on and eat it before it melts." He said with a light chuckle. timeskip "Alright. I'm finished." "You?" "Yep! Same here." You say cheerfully, before you two stand up. And at that moment, he musters up the courage to finally tell you. "Y/N. Can I tell you something?" "Mhm. Sure, what is it?" You ask with a curious intention. "Y/N L/N. You're the most amazing person that I have ever met. You're one of a kind and very talented." "Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is..." "I like you, Y/N." "I understand if you don't feel the same way, but...-" You cut him with what he is saying. "I like you too, Ushijima-kun." You reply back. At some point, it was still unbelievable that Shiratorizawa Academy's captain, Ushijima Wakatoshi, has just told you how he felt. He smiles at you again. A much more beautiful smile, that you are sure to have seen only a few times. "Then that settles it." "Come on, it's getting late." He says as he holds your hand. Advancing into the sunset, you lay your head on his shoulder while you walk. Thinking how lucky you are to have him by your side.

Believe it or not, the first time Bokuto saw you, he already knew you were the one. And with his energy levels including his confidence, you may think he had an easy time talking to you. Wrong. Just seeing your face was enough to make him flustered. So with help from Akaashi, you managed to become very close. To Bokuto, you were like an angel sent from the heavens above. And now, at least 5 months after you have become best friends, he's planning to confess his feelings to you. Well obviously, that day he was a shaking wreck. Trying to sort out what to do and what to say, thinking whether you'd accept or reject him. After what I could say would be hours of practicing, he's finally ready. "Y/N-chan!" He called out to you as you were walking out the school building. "Bokuto-kun! Hey!" You replied back with the same exciting tone. "Can I walk you home today?" He said going up to you. "Yea, Sure!" You say, signaling him to come over. As you were walking to your house, Bokuto couldn't help but stare and take glances at you. Beautiful (Eye Color) eyes looking up at the setting sky and a pleasant smile that could light up anybody's day. He loved every bit of you, from flaws to perfections. "Y/N?" He suddenly said. "Hm, Yes?" *sighs* "Y/N I LIKE YOU PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME." He said quickly before turning around to face the other way. You on the other hand, were astonished. Fukorodani Academy's captain, Bokuto Koutorou, has just asked you out. "I like you too, Bokuto-kun and I'd gladly go out with you. You said with a few thoughts still overlapping in your head. "REALLY!? You would?" He remarked, turning around to face you as he held your hands. "Yes, really." You said giving him the smile he always liked to see. "Yay! Alright!" "I can't believe you're mine now, baby owl." He said placing his head on your shoulder. "And I can't believe you're this heavy, Kou." You tell him letting out a soft laugh. "Hmph! I'm not that heavy." He responds pouting. "You are." "Am not." "You are." "Fine I guess I am, but I love you baby owl." "And I love you too, Koutarou."

The End. Pt 2 coming soon.

[strangebasementruins]

Momo & Mineta friendship

until they move into the dorms momo despises minoru, but one night they get to talking over some tea and she finds that they share a lot in common.

mineta is into fashion, shopping, and self care stuff like momo (he thought it'd make him more appealing to girls & he pm has to be bc his quirk relies on scalp health) and while doing this stuff they tend to share a lot more than usual.

minnie tells momo about his anxieties around hero work and how much pressure he puts on himself and momo gets it completely bc these are similar to her insecurities. they work together and hype eachother up as much as possible to overcome this.

mineta doesn't even realize momo likes him until she invites him to go shopping w the "rich kids club" *he thought she was just being civil all that time* a couple days after that he thanks her for her friendship.

mineta goes through a lot of fashion phases. momo laughs at the more outlandish ones, but is supportive of these phases nevertheless.

momo first comes out as a lesbian to mineta and he just replies "that's good bc Jirou has a fat gum sized crush on you".

momo is baffeled to say the least "wha-what how can you tell" and mineta just gives her a look bc he loves all things romance of course he knows who has a crush on who.

the rest of the class is pretty confused by their friendship at first esp bc of their rocky start. iida even asks if theyre a thing and mina swears they are.

momo never hesitates to slap minoru around if he's being pervy.

mineta likes to joke that momo loves all things purple and small (him and jirou). she's figuring out how to make an off button for him.

when todo comes out to momo he starts hanging with her and minnie more. which is funny bc momo never really had guy best friends and now she has 2. todo usually sits in silence when they talk about fashion and stuff but he does enjoy participating when face masks are out. it's a change of pace from the rowdy dekusquad.

mineta is allergic to peanuts so he has never had a proper pb & j. momo makes fun of him accordingly.

when minoru finds out about momojirou he runs around screaming and sticking his balls everywhere till iida has enough and tackles him.

jirou and minoru roast eachother all the time. esp when mineta ends up going on dates with them. they do that more often than they realize. jirou calls him "fruit boy" he tells her that she's "obsolete technology". momo just enjoys the show. she used to try and stop them but its no use.

momo finds herself evenly split and involved in dekusquad & bakusquad drama bc of shoto and minoru (he is basically apart of it bc his besties are sero & denki, ill die on this hill). its equal parts entertaining and exhaughsting.

being the 2 smartest kids in class their conversations quickly sway back and forth between very complicated subject matters and very simple topics. denki says tea with them is a sure fire way to walk away feeling airheaded.

they collaborate and momo is able to create mineta's grape balls with her quirk. it took them weeks & lots of trial by error but when they finally got it they pulled the funniest quirk-swap prank on denki.

mineta sticks himself to a wall or ceiling regularly inorder to scare momo. it works more often than she'd like to admit.

momo and mineta create a sort of secret language using hand signals so they can chitchat and brainstorm during class.

momo always studies and minoru never studies.

momo says that she likes green grapes better than purple grapes and mineta bawls his eyes out in betrayal.

mineta's dirty jokes actually make momo giggle so long as they dont cross any lines and are funny. (sometimes he j be saying shit that is not funny whatsoever).

minoru has a phase where he calls everything sexy as a response and yaomomo hates it bc she picked it up and called an assignment sexy in front of AllMight.

momo quickly finds out that mineta is veryyyyyyy dramatic. like will recite a whole monolouge for no reason levels of dramatic. she runs a secret spam account thats just his dramatics.

yes, yaomomo does randomly take things from minnie and hold them out of his reach. it's her right.

bonus:

class 1a plays hot potato but mineta is the potato.

[lavastories]

I’m going to be real. I love me Lucifer. He had the most developed character depth and arch in RC. I’ve always chosen Lucifer in all of HS series. I’ve always been interested in exploring different LI routes thou. Always thought “What if I choose someone different?”

I know we aren’t done with season 3 yet nor the whole book yet but I chose to replay it this weekend. And I chose Malbonte this time. AND MAN! I think he awoken something new in me haha.

Lucifer & Malbonte are different in many ways. In terms of strength, growth, and mentality. With Lucifer, you’d always be guessing where you stand no matter how close you are. But yet, you’d always know he’ll love you. Choose you. Build a future with you. But sometimes, there will always be something he may choose over you. That left you guessing when that’ll happen. Could be the throne? Hell? His mom? However, in the time my MC has gotten to know Malbonte. It was always a straight path but something more. Plus, I raved for the connection they had. I love that words didn’t have to be spoken to know what was going on. But through it all, Malbonte always had his eyes on MC. No one mattered besides MC—ofc besides his goals. But he was always honest. Feelings and all. Everything was known even when he was keeping things from her. He even let her know that. And I have respect for that. Malbonte…watching as his guard lower for MC. Watching their love story unfold to what it is in the current episode. Enemies to Lovers. It’s honestly beautiful. And for those who chose Malbonte. You know what I’m talking about.

I plan to play this a couple more times and try different LI routes but I’ll be the first to say…it’ll be hard not choosing Malbonte every single time. 😖I’m so sorry Lucifer!😂

[stickcheese8-blog]

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[riskyogurt0-blog]

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[beauvoyr]

Lazy People’s Club for the Sleepy and Tired | 13

flowering | child of cosmogony

Pairings: Noctis/Reader Genre: Friendship/Romance/Friends-to-Lovers Tags: Fluff, Humor, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Abuse, Torture, Asphyxiation, Murder, no beta we die like men, pre-canon a.k.a before FFXV WARNING: This chapter contains murder and violence. Chapter Rating: M Crossposted on: AO3 Summary: Rules to join the Lazy People’s Club for the Sleepy and Tired: 1) One must love sleep. Sleep is love. Sleep is life. 2) One must be tired. Physically or emotionally, both are acceptable. 3) One must love video games. Halfhearted interest in video games will result in immediate termination of membership.

Fortunately, Noctis falls into all three categories.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: White, too, can be corrosive, just like acid.

what happened to mother? you can’t say, for you do not know.

she fades into a distant blur, one of the many paintings hung in the halls of your head. sometimes, your mind is a treacherous friend playing tricks on you. you’d hear her last scream, hidden behind a door. you never dared to open it; if you do, you know you are intemperate, letting your feelings best you at this game for two. so mother remains, at most, locked behind the door. schrödinger’s cat, both alive and dead at the same time.

should you ask byron to quench your thirst?

no.

father’s lesson is still etched on his skin in long, raised lines you memorized under your fingertips. twelve on his front, five on his arms, and many more on his back. you’ve ruined him, you know. the remnants of these angry red lines have faded off into pale pinks on white over the years, as though branches of cherry blossoms bloomed on his skin. something so grotesque shouldn’t be so beautiful, even as you gingerly run your fingers across the patterns. whenever you do, byron stiffens under your touch like he’s afraid you’d dig your nails into the hatch welts.

he doesn’t know your touch is reverential, each brush an apology too late to be given.

and the lingering guilt in your heart paves way into something else.

“YOU AND NOCT REPENTED YET?”

Gladio is a merciless master. In this training room, he is the commander of the battlefield. Noct being a prince doesn’t mean shit to him, as long he knows how to dodge a blow and barrel into safety behind the Shield. Hardy as he is, he’s still got a weak spot somewhere in his heart when the feral glint in his amber eyes softens, coming across you and Noct, sitting together on your knees after getting banished to the farthest end of the hall. Your expression is certainly sorry enough, having repented to Hell and back as you rub your raw knees, and Noct is. Well. Kinda still working on the whole ‘repenting’ part.

“I can do three hours,” Noct grits out, deliberately cocking a brow in challenge. “You up for it?”

And Gladio’s casual smile morphs into something along the cynical lines of you little shit.

Just as quick, your hand flies out to smack him square in his bicep with an affronted, “Prince! Stop! I’m already sorry enough that I’m late…don’t drag me into this.”

Noct’s answer is a light elbow to your side, his grin taking on a criminal edge. “Your fault. Three hours should be good, hmm?”

“Spare me…I can’t even feel my legs anymore, is this normal?” Gladio catches your murmurs buried by your face in your hands. Your voice is certainly apologetic and he knows you’re not the type to piss him off on purpose, but Noct is just the devil sitting on your shoulder. An unrepentant, filthy devil wielding a trident for a spork.

Noct smirks, flippant. For some reasons, he looks oddly triumphant of himself, like he’s reveling that he can last longer than you. Which is technically cheating, in Gladio’s books, ‘cause Noct’s got years of punishment to back his credentials—and this is only your first day, for crying out loud. “It’s only normal when you can’t feel anything from waist down,” Noct says, his smirk turning savage. “If you can’t feel your legs, that means you need one more hour.”

There is a high note tucked somewhere in your following groan. “No, stop, please. Gladio, I’m sorry I’m late, I’m sorry I made His Highness late, I’m sorry we’re late—“

Honestly, you’re kinda pathetic like this.

With all due respect, you could still be King Regis’ illegitimate child or secretly some poetically forgotten Astral and he’d still think you’re pathetic. All the years you’ve been doing with your books developed none of your muscles. Gladio squints a little, hoping to find something to prove him wrong. Nope, not an inch. Ah well, he can’t blame you, not when your situation’s a bit weird like one of those stereotypical romance novels of noblewomen held captive since birth, just waiting for roguish warriors to rescue them. And now that you’re all ‘rescued’ by none other than nth-time Champion of Punishments, Prince Noctis, well—now what?

“Suck it up,” Noct drawls, lips all lazy smiles. “You’ve got 54 more minutes to go.”

Mumbled between your fingers, you resign your fate to the greedy prince. “Gods, I—I’ll do my best, Prince. I think.”

That gets him gloating more than ever, always a sucker for people obediently obeying his command, feeding his Ravatogh-sized ego. “Good.”

Well—now, Gladio guesses, it’s high time to put you out of your misery. “All right, knock it off. Noct, quit bullying the new kid on her first day.” He claps his hands, subjected to a moody glare from the little punk ass prince since Gladio obviously ruined his fun. “Architect guy, listen up: First rule, don’t be late. Noct can demonstrate what happens when you’re late, since he’s pro at this.”

And Noct, the pretentious prince who thinks he's hot shit, rolls his eyes. “Seniors are pros anyway.”

“Whatever.” Gladio’s way beyond holding up the conversation every time Noct gets all mouthy, being the smart-ass he is. He only holds up two fingers for emphasis. “Second: Don’t expect me to go easier on ya just ‘cause you’re a girl, got it? I’ll adjust your training regimen to start off with the basics, like building on your stamina and strength and flexibility. Nothing too hard, just somethin’ to get those muscles to work. Work hard and you’ll be as good as Iris in no time. All clear?”

You head bobs up and down fervently, wide-eyed. “Got it.”

He nods his approval. Good. You’re off to a pleasant track record if you keep this up, since you’re obviously preinstalled with strong self-discipline, ignited by your own initiative to better yourself for Noct. You look like a decent student in the long run, already managing to survive through two hours on your knees—and then there’s Noct, who’s already stretching out his legs and attempting to massage some life through them. He gets you to unfold your legs too, receiving all pained grunts and suffering moans when Noct taps your thighs, just being the asshole he is. Provided you don’t follow Noct’s bad influence, Gladio supposes you’ll survive through your training regimen with all your limbs intact.

…which brings him to rule number three.

“Third rule.” He clears his throat, drawing your attention to him once more. “If Noct’s being an ass, just punch him.”

“So if you’re being an ass, she gets to punch you too?” Noct asks, sounding all the more impressed with himself for thinking that up. “‘cause I’m pretty sure it goes both ways.”

“Can it, Prince Charmless.”

Little Prince Charmless scoffs at the injustice, nudging you in the rib, even if there’s an awkward reddening of his ears. Yep, he’s trying hard not to show Gladio’s jibe got under his skin, but the proof is right there. You only emit a long-suffering sigh, burying your face deeper in your hands. Nope, too damn late to escape your fate if you’re looking for a way out. Once someone gets involved a little too deeply with Noct, they’re usually stuck in the ride for the long haul, and then some. Noct, the very definition of guiltless and unrepentant right there in the dictionary, hasn’t shown you the fullest extent of his arsenal of assholery yet—oh, Gladio can’t wait for the day you’re gonna be moaning into your hands again as you lament your fate to the Astrals, ‘cause the good stuff is just starting with a bang.

“All right, kids, enough of that talk.” Gladio thumbs over his shoulder where the steel brackets display an array of daggers, swords, broadswords and polearms masterfully crafted from hardwood. “Noct, go do your warm-ups. I gotta have a little chitchat with our resident Architect right here. Now scram.”

Oddly, Noct doesn’t move. He’s regarding Gladio coolly under hooded blue eyes, arms crossed. “About what exactly?”

Unfazed because he’s the bigger person around here, both literally and figuratively, Gladio whistles low under his breath, sassing Noct’s huffy arm-crossing thing. “Didn’t know I needed His Highness’ express permission to talk to her.”

“Yeah,” Noct asserts, like the sky is blue and chocobos can’t fly and you’re all his. “I brought her down here so she’s my responsibility.”

Responsibility, what was that again? Gladio feels his eyebrows shooting up fast enough to launch into outer space. Noct being irresponsible is an ancient prophecy everyone and their grandmas heard of, but Noct being responsible is definitely not written anywhere in the Cosmogony, nope, not even a little footnote tacked at the end of the last page. What is he, some sort of feudal-era dad marrying off his daughter or something? The absurdity of the mental image gets Gladio chuckling a little.

“Responsibility is a big word, Noct, gotta be careful with that,” he points out. “You sure you wanna take responsibility over her paperwork, about two or three whole stacks of ‘em?”

That gets Noct decolorizing faster than expected and he’s all too happy to jump to his feet. “Gonna go get my warm-ups done. See ya.”

And that’s that. Noct betrays you just as easily, stalking off in the direction of the weapons. Gladio’s chuckling dissolves into barking laughter, colouring Noct’s nape with that same awkward red from earlier. Dropping on the polished floor, he snorts at Noct’s direction. “Heh, he freaks out on the big stuffs all the damn time. Chickens out the moment someone says the R word. Don’t let it offend ya, kid.”

“Not offended at all, don’t sweat it,” you answer, plain. There’s a bit of an improvement though, your tone is no longer as monotonous as a machine, sometimes ending in a breathier note, or dropping significantly whenever you’re distressed. None of that robotic rubbish whatsoever, probably thanks to Noct’s constant meddling in your life. “I know His Highness is a busy man, even if he looks all irresponsible. I just wanna be there to support him and the kingdom. It’s my duty as an Andronicus anyway, so it’s no biggie.”

Gladio huffs under his breath and scratches his cheek at the bit on the Andronicus. And that’s another matter altogether when it comes to your lineage. “Yeah… about that, I wasn’t joking about the paperwork. We’ve got whole stacks of them, standard security stuff on your background.” He sees you readying a rebuttal, all the more ready for your responsibility, and he holds up a hand to stop you from going further. “Hold your chocobos. Your situation’s a little difficult than the rest of the usual stuff we’ve got. Y’know what I mean?”

Of course you do, he knows you’re smarter than the average brat out there. The placidity in your eyes is deceptive, gazing unflinchingly into his. With each syllable, your lips curve, adopting a change in your languid lilt. “I’m aware of my unique predicament. I’m always doing things behind father’s back anyway, so it’s not a surprise if he finds out sooner or later. He can’t stop me.” Almost to yourself, your eyes trail aside and you murmur, “He’s long lost the power to control my life the moment I came to the Citadel. He knows he’s losing this war I waged. We’re now playing against time, that’s all.”

That’s—well, a little unnerving to hear.

Slack-jawed, it takes a moment for Gladio to dissociate the groaning, moaning mess curled up apologetically earlier from this conniving creature splayed before him. All lashes lidding low, examining a raveling thread on your thighs with the apathy of a queen, despite having uttered words an average twenty-something wouldn’t dream of a lifetime. How easily you switch depends on the matter, going from the ungainly girleen into this Machiavellian lady in mere seconds. As much as you paraded yourself as a harmless being, there is no denying the Andronicus inside.

And the Andronici are some of the most impersonal, inhumane nobles serving the Lucii Kings.

Gladio shuts his mouth with a hard click, getting his head in the game. He leans forward with a look meant to daunt those who’ve heard of the Amicitia, but you remain unconcerned. “What makes you so sure you’re gonna serve Noct?” he presses on. “What if your dad overrides your decision to become the next head of Andronicus, kid? You got backup ideas ready?”

Something about your illusory indolence feels off, gets his gut feeling roiling inside. “I already have plans in store,” you say. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t involve His Highness in my own mess, you have my word.”

Always answering things in a vague, roundabout way like what Noct complained when he first came across your existence, huh. Unless he resorts to brute force, he doubts he can wring anything from you without breaking an arm or two. Or ringing alarms somewhere else in their pentagonal friendship cycle. Still, as long as you’ve got Noct’s wellbeing as the number one priority in that pretty little head of yours, you’re entitled to your own secrets. You can deal with Quintus however you deem fit, since it’s your domestic problem to begin with. Stepping into someone’s familial crossfire isn’t exactly outlined in his job scope as Noct’s Shield anyway.

Putting an end to this, Gladio pulls himself up and points at you to stay. “Well, your document’s gonna be highly confidential stuff since we’re working against your dad here, so I’ll just bring it up to my old man, Clarus Amicitia, in case you don’t know who he is. Be prepared if he wants to meet you.” He pauses, then finding it appropriate to tack on a grin just for the sake of fucking around with you. “Personally.”

He doesn’t expect you to laugh but you do, a small, high sound that catches him off-guard with the brilliance of your smile.

LATER ON, Gladio chances a glance at your sealed envelopes. All six stacks bear the same name, marked at the top right hand corner in a careful cursive. Andronicus, and nothing more.

“the prophecy speaks of a king,” quintus utters, low. “a king who vanquishes eos’ illness. the true king.”

seated behind his impressive desk, against a curtain of crimson, he is the very picture of an imperator. well, byron supposes people do call him quintus the compeller for the very same reasons. standing near a suit of armour, byron pours some gourmet tea as he tries to tune out quintus the same way he tunes out a scream: by stabbing until the scream turns to squelches. he fashions his expression into one of apathy when he brings over the tray, setting it on the edge of the carved desk.

quintus does not wait for him to usher a cup at his direction; he takes as he pleases, tinkling china against china harshly after a deep sip. “what good will there be for a true king to emerge when niflheim is more than ready to snuff us out come tomorrow? rather than worrying about the impending darkness, i’d rather if his majesty would renew his efforts on reestablishing the military.”

this, byron inquires with careful curiosity. “reestablishing the military, sir?”

“he believes it to be futile effort.” quintus clicks his tongue, ridiculing the king’s trite choice of words. he sets down his teacup so sharply until it chips at the edges. “i respect him but i beg to differ, as this is a matter of life and death. our people are dying outside the old wall. daemons, mts, monsters, you name it, we have it. dissolving the military and rebranding it as the crownsguard is a foolhardy move executed by none other than the late king mors’ father. are the people beyond the walls not the people of lucis as well? they, too, deserve the lavish sense of security insomnia affords. if we cannot provide them the crystal’s protection, then we can surely offer them the reassurance of our military’s strength, no matter how little we may have. by ignoring their plights, by letting the imperials run free on our lands, we have abandoned them—no,” he bellows, tensing, “we spat on their faces.”

interesting. byron hums under his breath, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his sentiment. quintus seems content enough to continue his spiel of spite after refreshing himself with polishing off the lasts of his tea, and it has byron all too pleased to pour another cup.

“the kingsglaive may exist to handle our external crises, wars, riffraff, but tell me: how will we survive without them? those serving under our banner are none other than commoners with an aptitude in magic—they live outside the walls, yet, the king forsakes their villages, their tiny towns, just to keep insomnia safe. if we do not protect them, who will protect us once the last glaive dies? no,” quintus shakes his head, fingers laced tightly together, “i will not stand for this any longer. what my ancestors have failed to finish, that is to grant the outsiders equal rights to safety and revolutionizing their technology, i will strive to accomplish during my reign as the head of the andronicus, down to my very last breath.”

how moving. is this the very same man who left his speech on byron’s skin in long, red lines? spoken like a true man of the battlefield, one who operates insomnia the same way one operates a cadaver. he is attempting to reanimate lucis’ corpse by removing its decaying internal organs and swapping them with cables and switches. all the problems infesting lucis will be systematically tackled in stages, starting from the advancement of the army, right until the protection of its people. yet the problem lies with the king and his councilmen, and it is an obstacle quintus cannot resolve without challenging the king himself.

one cup turns to two, and two turns into three. with each cup, byron finds his thoughts swimming deeper and deeper until the dregs are all that’s left in the pot.

“YOU SEE, I DON’T LIKE MESS.” Byron begins, all conversational as he pulls latex gloves over his hands. The elastic snaps when he ensures they are snug around his wrists, and he smiles in satisfaction. “Whenever I see something messy, I get migraine. Long, horrible migraine, like someone sawing my brain. Do you ever feel that?”

A muffled cry.

Byron’s eyes crinkle into crescents at the pathetic sound. “Wonderful, I’m glad you understand. You must forgive me for my crude methods, of course, because it makes for easier cleanup when I’m done. Saved me from another migraine, good chap.”

There is a certain container wedged between blocks of steel that Byron calls his own. Nobody comes to these abandoned industrial dumpsites because who wants to deal with all the acrid stench and squelching maggots underneath their boots? Rusted cars missing their engines and wheel-less trucks are stacked one atop another, a brown stream of waste constantly seeping through decaying bags. Noxious fumes permeate the air, a permanent reminder of his origins: The streets, the sewers, the tin roof for Percival’s hideout and moldy, peeling walls.

Plastic crinkles under his weight, step by step to the table.

In here, everything is clean and white. White plastic tacked to the metal walls, white plastic over steel surgical trolley, an array of knives with white handles arranged in too-straight line. White is easy to stain. He’d know this very well, of course, since he’s been blessed with the very same whiteness. White is beautiful, pristine, the very shade representing purity. Yet, with just a fleck of colour, white stains.

Another muffled scream, and Byron raises his head.

Strapped on a rickety wooden chair, a weasel-looking forty-something man appears to be struggling in his binds. The Informant is trying to escape. Oh dear. He can’t have that, can he?

“It is ill-advised to escape,” Byron breathes out, tipping his chin. Too stoic, too blunt, and too smiling. “You know I’ll come and find you wherever you are, and I’ll make it more painful in our next meeting. Please, for your own good, stay quiet. I dislike rowdiness.”

Goodness, that gets the man thrashing more than he expected, the cloth gag barely muffling all the please and no and stop stop stop stop. Eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, sweat raining his receding hairline, he looks at Byron in what seems to be a mixture of contempt and terror. Really, he should decide on an emotion and channel it properly instead of delivering this half-assed excuse of an expression. Even his apathetic keeper managed better than that.

Byron heaves a heavier sigh, shoulders drooping at the sight. Something pulses faintly at the back of his head. “I gave you your warning, and you chose to disregard it. Very well.”

In theory, cleaving a human involves a body and a knife. Two simple objects readily found anywhere with varying levels of difficulty. In practice, it gets a little more complicated than that. It starts with the selection of tools, finding the best fit for the job. A screwdriver is to stab as an axe is to decapitate. But before all the excitement turns his nerves into jitters, he wants answers. And he wants them now.

“There is a certain dog I’ve taken to feeding, you see, for it is such a wretched, pitiable thing until I can’t bear the sight. In return, this dog carries news for me from far and wide. It’s been the utmost help, of course.” Byron reminds him, latex fingers squeaking over the stainless steel of the trolley. “However, I realized that this certain dog keeps running with his tail between his legs between two masters. A dog certainly has to be loyal to only one master, don’t you think so too?”

He catches the man vocalizing a quiet fuck from his throat.

Ah yes, bingo. Byron’s smile is painfully static as he traces absentminded circles on the tray, watery greys in his eyes turning molten steel. “You didn’t think I’d catch on, did you?”

More cursing, and the man thrashes harder, shaking like he’s got a seizure from just sitting in a chair. His perspiration is rank and Byron has half the mind to skin him just to get rid of the smell, but playing with food is very bad manner for a butler like him. Everything has to be done with clean precision, since he loathes leaving a mess behind.

“How long have you been in this business again?” Byron poses a rhetorical question, knowing the answer better than the man himself. “More than two decades, am I right? You’ve clearly underestimated the people you worked with. They might’ve not noticed your transgressions, but,” he bends at the waist, staring straight into the ruddy redness of the man’s eyeballs, bopping him lightly on his grimy nose, “I did.”

The Informant howls in his face, shivering, tears dampening the gag around his mouth. Awful sound, Byron can’t imagine what it’d be like without the handy cloth muffling his cry. The man breathes hard through his nose, lapsing into hysteric fits and kicking his bound limbs as if they’d come loose like a charming soap opera on the television. It’s useless, he knows that much, but maybe he held a faint hope in his heart that Byron’s overlooked something critical in a moment like this, like the knots are loose or the rope is frayed at the edges. Hope, he can keep hoping all he wants before Byron cuts his life out of him.

Straightening, Byron considers his choices, alternating glances between the knives. Should he go for the standard kitchen set, or the heavier butcher’s piece? Of course, each tool comes with its pros and cons. One is delicate, suited for carving initials into skin, and the other holds only one purpose: To hack meat into cubes. Coming to a decision, he hums and selects the latter. Cold and hefty in his hands, the perfect weight in its build. He runs a thumb over its blade, letting it glint under the fluorescent light.

Please please please stop is scattered between pleas for mercy and cries of apology, and the poor soul might run dry from tears if he keeps yowling like this.

Unfortunately, that is not an answer.

“Careful,” he cautions, lifting the blade to the light, examining its make under blinding whiteness. “The more you cry, the harder I’ll make it for you to die.”

As though Byron’s warning is a hammer to his chest, The Informant heaves and sputters, choking under the gag, swallowing all the noises he made with great effort. The container drops into silence, an overall improvement to the situation, save for stifled sniffling. Good. He likes it better this way. Dropping to his knees, Byron casually drags the knife up the length of the man’s feet—ah, he’s gone ahead and flinched from the cool metal, and now the knife nicked itself right in his flesh. Blood wells up and runs down the plastic. The Informant whimpers, biting off his cry in desperation.

“Have you heard of the death by a thousand cuts? No? That’s okay. Here, I’ll show you, though—“ Byron stops short with a soft laugh, “mine will contain a slight variation to accomplish my mission. Do forgive me for being unable to stay true to the original.”

A butcher’s knife is not meant to saw through meat. There’s no harm in trying anyway, so Byron sets to work. He drags it up and down across the little toe like he’s playing a violin, streaking steel in scarlet. At the back of his head, someone screams. A mindless hum, so he ignores it. The flesh gives way so easily under his ministrations, slowly but surely, and soon enough, there’s a satisfying friction once the blade reaches the bone. Here, Byron supposes, is where his experience tells him to hold enough pressure just to get it to yield. Tedious job, murdering someone. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone searching for a pretty Credit.

Putting his bountiful knowledge to the practice, Byron grips the hilt tighter and applies just enough pressure with every push and pull of the knife. A raw scream, eyeballs rolling back, jerking with every grate. Please no is back again, this time punctuated by heavy sobs tearing out of his chest of how I’ve got a wife and my kids are gonna starve without me and bla bla bla, Byron’s heard this shit before, heard this too many times on the dull phonograph, seen the heavy wife scolding two scoundrels drawing on one of the many walls near the squatters, and then she gathers them into her arms with a weary sigh and—

—a satisfying crack, and the little toe rolls on the plastic.

Oh. He must’ve applied more pressure than he thought. That won’t do.

Fuck it hurts rips from the man’s throat, Martha Joseph Alvin is recited as final prayer, and Byron feels the pulsing in his head budding into the beginnings of a migraine and why does the damn man care so much for his family when Percival never gave a fucking shit whether Byron’s got anything left in his hands? No fucking mother to coddle his cries, no fucking father to catch his back, no fucking friend to care if he’s not breathing six feet underneath Duscae, turning into fertilizer for the wildlife. Nobody gives a fucking shit about him, not even Quintus, not even—

He raises the knife high and brings it down, a butcher and his meat.

Crimson all over the plastic, such satisfaction, but it’s not enough. Half of a foot is on his chopping board, the white of the bone peeking through meaty red. It’s not fair Byron’s going through this shit alone. Should he amputate the man just so he’d suffer Lavinia’s fate in Titus Andronicus? Cleave off his tongue, sever the joints of his arms and legs, leaving only his torso behind? Someone should suffer the same fate, shouldn’t they? Someone tangled too deeply in the Andronici’s mess deserves to live through the very same tragedy, don’t they?

Yes, he decides in morbid fascination, they should.

The knife is raised high once more.

WHITE, TOO, CAN BE CORROSIVE, just like acid.

o'er rotted soil, under blighted sky a dread plague the wicked has wrought. in the light of the gods, sword-sworn at his side 'gainst the dark the king's battle is fought. from the heavens high, to the blessed below, shines the beam of a peace long besought. "long live the line, and this stone divine, for the night when all comes to naught."

cosmogony: 15:2, nadir.

YOU ARE SORE ALL OVER thanks to the brutal beating of your first day. So sore from your third rep until you marvel at how dedicated Noctis can be, never breaking out of his stance as he took on Gladio in training. By the time you’ve wrapped up your set of push-ups, vision blurring and head spinning, he’s still parrying Gladio’s unforgiving strikes, quicker on his feet to match Gladio’s hulking brawn. He bursts in and out of the fight—warp-strike, he calls it—as flickers of magic drift around him like shards of broken mirrors, illuminating the floors in fractured blues.

Now, seeing him sprawled over the stretch of your bed sheets and comforters, he is an entirely different being from the aggressive prince prowling the training halls. Here, he is the lazy prince, one who conquers sixty percent of your land and demands more than fifty percent of your pillows. A conqueror through and through. If you listen hard enough, you can hear a small buzz in his breathing. His beautiful, expressive eyes are closed, dark lashes a stark contrast against his porcelain skin. Arm half-raised over his head and another resting on his chest, the comforters long gone and kicked off his body, tangling around his ankles.

Limber limbs, agile body, an unrelenting strength.

Your king is a pretty, pale prince, all ink spattered on snow.

Sitting up halfway, you unravel the twists and turns of his comforter and gently draw it over his body, letting the familiar heaviness cocoon him. It falls in the dips between his legs and arms and neck, but you’re careful enough to smoothen the fabric in all the nooks and crannies to ensure nothing’s exposed. It won’t do to have him catching cold limbs in your workspace, hindering all his princely progress if he falls ill. You’ve barely finished tugging the comforter over his feet when he shifts under you, rustling the sheets.

“Mmmh?” A voice thick with sleep. Noctis struggles with holding up his head, the hand over his hair catching a long yawn. “What’re you doing…?”

Patting the finishing touches to his feet, you drop onto the last forty percent of your land with your pillow. Comfort can be subjective when it comes to layered sheets playing the part of a makeshift mattress, but Noctis hasn’t complained thus far. The thought has you burrowing deeper into your own nest. “Nothing, Prince. Go back to sleep.”

Sleepy as he is, he still studies you how one reads a menu, head all full of delicious thoughts—and perhaps still basking in the afterglow of delicious dreams. The beautiful blue of his eyes are the skies across Galdin Quay, resting heavily on your face. So beautiful, you catch your fingers almost touching perfection. “You sure it’s nothing?”

No.  You lick your bottom lip to divert the thought, ducking your head when Noctis drops his gaze to the flit of your tongue, staring at your spit-shiny lips. All traces of sleepy blue are erased, waxing interest in its stead. Interest that you are unwilling to entertain, lest he demands your thoughts. “A thousand times yep.” Shoving your discomfort into the distance, you turn your back to him. Face buried in your pillow, you await suffocation to claim you into slumber. “Gonna get some sleep, see ya.”

“Hey.”

Noctis is saying something, inexplicably intent on preventing you from having the last word.

You pretend you’re fast asleep, emulating an even breathing just to get him to stop. What other choices do you have left? This is bad. You should sleep. Sleep always rids you of your apprehension the same way Byron rids you of your nightmares. Sleep should soothe your aching calves and twitching thighs, a restful balm meant to rejuvenate those who are weary. Sleep should distract you from this—whatever it is you’re thinking, whatever it is the prince wants to do with you.

“Hey,” he tries again, a touch louder this time. “Your hair is in my face.”

You give a start—really? Only to realize a second too late that he’s nowhere near your hair, nowhere close enough to breathe down your neck. What he’s looking for is the startled jerk just to see if you’re awake, and you fell for it. Drat. Knowing he’s bested you this time, you clear your throat and tighten your hold on the pillow. “Turn the other way round then, Prince.”

“Don’t wanna,” he says, voice gone quiet. “You turn around.”

That’s unfair. That’s unfair because he knows you can’t say no to him. Who are you to deny what the prince wants?

Resigning to your fate for the second time today, you finally turn again. Noctis is still where you last saw him, lying on his side, the comforter you pulled hanging off his shoulder. It gets your fingers scrambling for your own, tugging the weighty cotton over your head, leaving only a loose gap around the edges of your face. Trying to find something to distract you from thinking about the weight of his gaze, or the lazy drag of his eyes from your lips to your neck. Trying to string a sentence or two about something—anything, as long as he doesn’t look at you like this.

After a while, he snorts inelegantly. “You look like an egg.”

A what?

“An… egg?” The words are already out from your mouth before you’re consciously filtering them.

Noctis mimics what seems to be wrapping his head from a blanket of air, a live demonstration of his meaning. “Yeah, an egg,” he explains matter-of-factly, dropping his hand to the sheets once more. “Y’know, hard-boiled egg. That stuff. Your comforter’s all white and your face is just—“

“—the yolk,” you finish for him, almost incredulous, almost borderline wanting to smother him under your pillow if you could. Here you are, worrying if he’s read your thoughts, and he comes up with this? “Really, Prince? An egg?”

“Yep.” Remorseless, curling his bottom lip, nodding all the same. “Got a problem?”

Incredible. All you can do is to gawp at him, wordless. An egg, really? An incredibly specific egg—a hardboiled egg? With your face for the yolk? Precisely at that point in your life, you realize Noctis can be quite trying at times. Is that why Gladio was grinning all morning long? Just waiting for you to be suckered into his same experience? You’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, seeing how your morning routine tumbled into a disaster with him by your bedside, hauling you to an unannounced training session, and then tapping your thighs when you experienced excruciating pins and needles from sitting on your knees for too long.

If today’s a sneak preview for your future, who knows what’s in store many more weeks after?

Trying to gain a semblance of rationality, you nod—then shake—before settling on a nod again. “Yeah. Yeah I’ve got a problem. Your comment failed to crack a smile on the Egg Queen's face. That was ineggscusable. Good night, Prince.”

“What.” Noctis deadpans, obviously not expecting that to backfire on him.  “Want me to snap a pic for proof? You gotta see it to believe it.”

Yanking the rest of the comforter over your face, you decide it’s best to spend the rest of your evening with a nap.

“Go to sleep, Prince. If you'll eggscuse me, I bid you a very good night.”

[tbc.]

Notes: 

this chapter isn’t particularly my favourite and a few things felt awkward/misplaced, but i think my editing skills have gone down the drain and i couldn't particularly make anything work. ( ´△｀) i’m sorry sometimes my writing just goes down under and doesn’t wanna come back up. i’ve been awake for the past 31 hours now and i’m absolutely planning to pass out after this.

but yes, thank you for still sticking around and reading this update! and thank you for sending in messages and asks on my tumblr about my current job, even though i couldn’t reply much on time (especially with the asks) while i was away abroad. it’s been really nice chatting with some of you readers and you kind anons as well ❤ i’ll be called for another flight sometime soon seeing how november/december schedule is really packed (holiday season actually stands for…horrible season), but i’ll still do my best to have a consistent update (or update you readers on the status on my tumblr).

i hope life treats you well ❤ here’s a preview on the next chapter!

PREVIEW:

As usual, Noctis doesn’t seem to exist in the equation. Not that he’s surprised, he’s long classified Byron as one of those cynical bastards thriving on treating others as though their collective intelligence is on par with five-year-olds. Scoffing under his breath, Noctis folds his arms over his chest and follows you this time around, letting you lead the way to your room. Byron is all fancy bows as though he’s mocking Noctis for some reasons, throwing the door open with an exaggerated flourish and shutting it behind him once they’re all safely inside.

°˖ ✧◝(○ ヮ ○)◜✧˖ ° and also just because i was editing chapter 23, have a super-future preview of chapter 23 as well!

PREVIEW | 23:

“You wanna tell me what it feels like to have someone else on top of you?” Noctis murmurs.

[empaths-hsp]

The Flirting Styles That Work Best for Highly Sensitive People

These two flirting styles are better suited to HSPs who crave genuine, long-lasting connections.

When I started looking for love, I noticed that one of my friends who always got dates had the opposite personality that I had. He was very assertive, even in situations I would find overwhelming. When he flirted, he was aggressive and made the conversation overtly sexual very quickly.

That’s not me at all. I’m a highly sensitive person (HSP), and my flirting is reserved and gentle. After watching my friend succeed time and time again while talking to women, I became afraid that I would have to change my personality to be more like his if I ever wanted to get a girlfriend.

So I tried to behave more like my more assertive friend. However, I didn’t achieve any success, even though I was basically doing the same thing he was. I also felt like I was acting — not being the real, true me — by going against my personality.

HSP dating shouldn’t be this hard. What was I doing wrong?

The 5 ‘Styles’ of Flirting

What comes to mind when people talk about flirting? You probably think of stuff like winking, sideways glances, small touches, and double entendre.

It’s true that these types of signals can be considered flirting. However, these only describe one kind of flirting. In his book, The Five Flirting Styles: Use the Science of Flirting to Attract the Love You Really Want, Dr. Jeffrey Hall identifies five different types of flirting:

Playful: Flirting for fun without any expectations that it will lead to sex or a relationship

Physical: Flirting through body language and sexual communication

Polite: Flirting through proper manners and nonsexual communication

Sincere: Displaying sincere interest in the other person to develop an emotional connection

Traditional: Displaying interest through traditional courtship rituals and behaving in ways that are “gentlemanly” or “ladylike”

(Note: You can take an online test to find out which flirting styles you tend towards here.)

So what’s the problem? A lot of flirting advice is centered on the physical and playful styles. There’s a lot of readily available advice about how to approach someone in a bar or club, or what pickup lines to use, or how to get touchy-feely with someone you’ve just met. These styles work well for people who are looking for short-term romance or who are just trying to have fun.

However, this way of flirting can be unnatural for highly sensitive people (and also for introverts, which also describes me). We’re not fans of using the bar and club scene to find love. In general, we care more about having real relationships as opposed to many short-term romances or casual flings. When it comes to sex, we’re usually more interested in doing it with someone we really care about. Since we view sex as something that is mysterious and powerful, many of us “sensitive types” dislike crude or dirty ways of flirting.

Which Flirting Styles Are Right for Highly Sensitive People?

This is going to vary from one HSP to the next, but many highly sensitive people feel most natural (and have the most success) with just two flirting styles:

Hall connects the “polite” style of flirting as better suited for considerate, empathetic people — like many HSPs. About people who are polite flirts, he writes, “They are concerned about their friends and make sure that they are there in their time of need. They are also a bit introverted. Polite flirts don’t need to be the center of attention. In social interactions, they would prefer things to be a bit more controlled and formal.” That won’t describe all HSPs, many of whom are extroverts, but this “polite flirt” description sounds a lot like me.

The “sincere” style is also well suited for highly sensitive people. We prefer conversing about meaningful topics instead of making idle chitchat (sound familiar?). We’re private people, and we tend to only open up to those we fully trust. And, as people who can get overstimulated easily, many of us look for smaller, more intimate gatherings and a sense of deep connection. Thus, this type of flirting coincides well with our nature.

But: this is a personal choice. The “best” way to flirt is the way that will attract the love you desire and be most authentic to yourself.

Some people enjoy flirting for its own sake or are looking to date a lot of people. You might see them in bars using the physical or playful styles — and that’s totally fine. On the other hand, the polite and sincere styles of flirting are more suited for those of us looking for long-term relationships.

How to Flirt Sincerely as a Highly Sensitive Person

Flirting sincerely involves talking to people in the way Dale Carnegie writes about in his book, How to Win Friends & Influence People. This means talking in terms of the other person’s interests and listening to them when they talk about themselves. This shows you’re interested in their values, attitudes, experiences, and beliefs. You’re interested in who they are as a person, which can be a real turn-on, especially to a fellow HSP.

Try to find something they would enjoy telling you about themselves. A great way to do this is by asking open-ended or “why?” questions. When they tell you something about themselves, listen to what they say, then ask follow-up questions based on what they just told you. Or try relating it to yourself.

If they are interested in you, then they would probably like to learn more about you too. Do you have an awesome job? An adventurous story? Have you read something unusual recently? Tell them about it!

When you’re talking to someone you’re interested in, pay attention to their flirting style as well. Try to mirror their style while still being true to your own personality. For example, my girlfriend took the flirting styles test and her results were playful, physical, polite, and sincere. My own style is sincere and polite. Since we’re both sincere flirts, we both enjoy a deep emotional connection. She is very touchy-feely as well. Even though I’m not normally as touchy-feely as she is, I do make an effort to give her a surprise hug every so often because I know that she appreciates it.

However, if you’re unable to mirror the other person’s flirting style without being authentic, or if your flirting styles are drastically different, then you may want to consider whether or not you are a good love match.

Like what you’re reading? Get our newsletter just for HSPs. One email, every Friday. Subscribe here.

The Power of Authenticity

So, what was I doing wrong that my assertive friend was doing right? As it turns out, women could sense that I was being inauthentic, and they were turned off by it. Could the way my friend hit on women be considered sleazy? No doubt about it! However, he was being honest and I wasn’t. The way he acted made it clear that he’s only interested in casual sex rather than a long-term relationship. His behavior was congruent with his intentions, which appealed to certain women who were also looking for casual sex.

Similarly, I found myself succeeding when I behaved authentically. As a highly sensitive person, I care more about developing deeper, meaningful romantic connections than I do about short-term flings. And I was able to succeed when I stopped trying to be someone I wasn’t.

If you’re interested in more dating advice for sensitive and/or introverted men, check out my website www.quietlyromantic.com.

You might like:

12 Secrets About Dating a Highly Sensitive Person

12 Reasons You Should Date a Highly Sensitive Person

Are You ‘Too’ Sensitive — Or Is It Time to Disconnect From Toxic People?

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A version of this article originally appeared on our partner site, Introvert, Dear.

The post The Flirting Styles That Work Best for Highly Sensitive People appeared first on Highly Sensitive Refuge.

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[achrafchachi]

7 Ways To Make New Friends More Easily.

Sense, making new friends is not the easiest thing to try to, especially once you hit adulthood. The coziness of university dorms and College Night pubs has come and gone, and now you discover yourself back reception in mom's house or squirreled away in your first adult apartment, wondering the way to assemble a squad out of nothing. you'll wait at the bar such as you want to, but what happens when you are not an outgoing extrovert, and would rather walk into

 traffic than weakly throw an "ice breaker" at a stranger? you'll make pals together with your co-workers too, but what if they're all Dwight Schrute's and you only do not have that "let's grab dinner" jive? It's tough times out there, and next thing you'll know you will be asking your mom to line you up with a pleasant girl you'll get champagne brunches with (because, #desperation.) To avoid that awkward request, let's break this whole friend-making thing down. Yes, it'll require you to stay out your neck touch and be vulnerable, and yes it'll also require you to urge off the couch, but everything is possible! I'll explain what I mean - below are seven ways to form friends easier. 1. Do belongings you Love how wonderful wouldn't it be if you'll find an individual you'll sit down with at a coffee and talk for hours and hours about poetry or Bob's Burgers? It's people with similar interests that we're after, and a sure-fire thanks to finding them is that if you frequent classes or events that revolve around them. Business writer Stephanie Vozza from entrepreneur site Fast Company offered, "... join groups that meet daily, like associations, networking groups, book clubs, classes and workshops. "So waits for the comedy club and mingle at the bar, search local poetry readings or see if there are any frozen dessert making classes or beer tastings happening tonight. They're chock-full of potential pals you'll connect with. And bonus: You have already got an ice breaker! 2. Show Your Real Side We fall crazy with people's quirky imperfections, their idiosyncrasies. It's what makes them stick call at our minds and makes them feel more relatable because they're slightly weird, a bit like us. So once you meet a replacement potential friend, don't attempt to put an ideal foot forward. Rather, attempt to share that offbeat-ness right off the bat. Lifestyle writer Paul Sanders from self-development site Mind Body Green wrote, "All you've got to try to do is disclose something quirky or funny about you; any imperfection will do. this is often how to point out to the people you meet that you're human like them. " believe it: Would you much rather hear about how an individual has taught their dog to skateboard, or hear about them mention their boring commute to work? Share the weirdness. 3. retreat From the tiny Talk Rather than going over what weekend plans you've got or how brisk it had been this morning, move that conversation onto more personal grounds. nobody likes chitchat anyway, so why bother with it? Instead, take the lead and offer more personal things about yourself, and ask them meaningful inquiries to get like-minded answers. If you would like to create an actual friendship, you are going to possess make yourself dig a touch deeper. Lifestyle writer Shana Lebowitz from self-development site Greatist offered, "Once you two are talking for a short time, try what researchers call the “Fast Friends” technique — basically each party gradually discloses something meaningful about him or herself." Share how you've got a crush on the reception boy at work, and ask if they've ever had a piece wife/husband. once they answer, gradually keep that conversation going deeper. 4. Treat 'Em Special Everyone likes getting pursued, and if you stick out your neck a touch and show someone you enjoy their company, you'll not only give all of them the great feels but will make them want to ascertain you more often. So how does one pursue them? Invite them bent that fun local show you are going to the present weekend, see if they need to satisfy up for drinks with you and your friends, ask if they need to urge sandwiches during lunch, drop that you're within the mood for frozen dessert — you get the thought. Lebowitz explained, "For example, send the person an email asking them to lunch or a coffee date next week, and follow up afterward to mention you had an honest time." Just treat them special and allow them to know you're interested, and therefore the rest will follow. 5. Use Your Instagram You're on the thing all hours of the day anyway, so might also make it work for you, right? There are plenty of interesting people posting their coffee drinks and city shots all around you, so why not strike up an Insta-friendship and eventually ask to satisfy up for coffee? Lifestyle writer Olivia Adams from lifestyle site Brit & Co suggested, "Follow hashtags associated with your area and begin some conversations with people. Who knows, you would possibly find your new Insta-bestie!" Imagine all the likes your romance will get. 6. Be the sort Of Pal you want to possess You know the sort of individuals that you simply like, so why not channel them? the likelihood is that they're all types of amazing: Funny, thoughtful, hospitable new experiences, the sort of person you'll sit down and chat with for hours on end. Channel that sort of individual and be that for others — they'll come flocking. Journalist Lynze Wardle Leino at career development site The Muse explained, "...ask yourself, 'Would I would like to hold out with me right now?': If the solution is not any, pep yourself up and convey the energy — make yourself into the sort of person you'd want to lock down into best-friend-dom. 7. Introduce Friends to every Other When thinking of what to try to a Saturday night, likelihood is that your mind goes thereto one friend that always knows the simplest bars or can compile the foremost fun group. Be that person. Make friends by introducing your friends to them, creating a much bigger, more dynamic group. That way you do not need to get Manhattans with only one pal, you'll roll up with an entourage six deep and have a fun, silly night. Sanders suggested, "I recommend that you simply start introducing friends to every other, albeit you simply have a few, and albeit you’re just going to know them. This group-effect will make them want to call and make plans far more often." If you give your new friend a taste of how fun and interesting it's to hold out with you and your squad, they'll be more inclined into applying to hitch. So you see, making friends in adulthood isn't impossible. It just takes a touch strategy and a few efforts. So get out there and obtain all the coffee dates your calendar will allow!

[brittanyyoungblog]

How to Date in a Small Town

You arrive in a small town and, naturally, you want to know where the single people are. But wait a second—you immediately notice that dating in a small town is a lot different than dating in a big city. For starters, everyone seems to know each other in small towns. While in major cities, there’s a sense of anonymity and serendipity that exists when you’re bumping into strangers during rush hour. Anyone of these people that you pass on the street could be your soulmate! However, in a small town, your options are way more limited. There aren’t as many people to have your random “meet cute” moment with. 

So what do you do when you’re single and you’ve newly arrived to a small town?

Join Everything If there’s a local gym, sign up for a membership. If there’s a local knitting club that piques your interest, sign up for that too. A local soup kitchen asking for volunteers? Tie an apron on and grab your ladle. The point is, get out of your house and get seen. Small towns are usually very community-oriented, which means there’s bound to be a number of events going on, and events equal people. Even if you don’t lock eyes with a handsome stranger at your knitting club, maybe you befriend a sweet grandmother who has a single grandson. You never know! Expand your network to better your odds.

Let People Know You’re Single Meeting potential dates within your new social circle is a good place to start because people in small towns talk. A lot. They pretty much know your personal business before you do. Anyway, word spreads fast in a small town, so if you’re single and ready to mingle, don’t hesitate to let people know. Of course you don’t want to open with that. You don’t want to come off as too thirsty, plus you should definitely vet the people with whom you share your personal life. It’s best to establish relationships and connections with people first so you can trust their judgment and know they have the best intentions for you.

Talk to Strangers Yes, this is probably the most awkward thing to do in the age where we glue ourselves to our phones in efforts to avoid just this very situation from happening. Fortunately for you many people from small towns like to chitchat, especially to people who are new to town. Townies are nosy, and will probably strike up a conversation with you first, wanting to get the downlow on everything, including your love life. You never know where chatting up strangers will get you. It could land you a date with the grocer’s daughter, or at least a discount on cheese.

Travel Okay, you just moved to the new town, so why would you want to travel? Well, traveling gets you out of your headspace, and if you’ve been striking out where you live, it might be a good idea to leave in order to experience new people and opportunities. Often times when we travel, we open ourselves up in new ways and feel a little less uninhibited than we do when we’re on familiar territory. This new feeling might attract you to a potential partner, or it could even lead you to explore something different that will expand your world even more. This isn’t to say that you should consider packing up and leaving your home; traveling gives you the freedom of options when you might be feeling a little stuck.

Take Things Slow Life in the big city might be on hyper-speed but taking things slow is a small town’s jam. Try to see your experience dating in a small town as a delicious three-course meal: you want to enjoy every bite, letting things digest and settle, before you move onto the next dish. Take your time establishing connections with new people, investing in friendships, and experiencing new things that bring you joy. Joyful people are usually magnets for love, and besides, love is one of those things that is truly better when you slow it down. Rushing into a full-fledged romance seldom works out.

Finding a some you’re interested in is highly likely in a small town. Most people pretty much marry from birth. But don’t let that take the wind out of your sails! There are some hidden gems waiting to be discovered by a city mouse like you. Dating in a small town might be a different experience than dating in a large city but it’s one that has the potential to be meaningful and long-lasting. After all, like most things in life, quality trumps quantity in love. Because it only takes one.

The post How to Date in a Small Town appeared first on The Date Mix.

from Meet Positives SMFeed 8 https://ift.tt/2NwFEzS via IFTTT

[inloveandwords]

For those of you who are new around here, TeaChats are a monthly post that I do in which I pretend that you and I are going out and grabbing a cup of tea (or coffee or wine) and we’re chatting about what we’ve been up to lately.

Let’s chat!

Today was such a nice little family day. We went to see the mermaids and play in the spring water at Weeki Wachee. The girls absolutely loved it. My 3yo is starting to get to the age where she’ll actually sit through an entire show or movie without getting too restless.

Last night my sister and I spent the entire night reading A Court of Frost and Starlight together! I’m going to keep my thoughts on the book to myself until I write an official review, but it’s definitely coming!

Because of that, though, I’ve been in epic reread mode (rereading Mist and Fury right now and will likely reread the rest of the series right after), so my count will definitely be down this month, but whatever! I’m a mood reader and I’m in the mood for ALL the Sarah J Maas.

I’ll be ending the night with a family movie night (which is really just an excuse for me to drink wine and eat popcorn and peanut M&Ms — is that a weird combo? Oh well.)

Anyway… onward to the usual TeaChat updates:

At Present I Am…

Reading

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Mass (reread) | Company Ink by Kat Colburn | Drunk Dial by Penelope Ward

  Writing

I’ve been terrible about writing. I’m even behind on reviews!

  Watching

I’m ashamed to say that I’ve somehow developed a fascination with Muckbangs. It’s so shameful!

For those that don’t know, Muckbangs are “eating shows” in which YouTubers eat a ton of food while talking with friends or the viewer. It sounds awful and it kind of is, but I still love watching them for some reason.

99% of the Muckbangs are with food that is terrible for you and the chitchat is usually so stupid, but I can’t help myself!

I need an intervention.

  Consuming

I discovered the most delicious hot sauce!

A coworker turned me on to it and now I can’t stop putting it on #allthethings. I’ve seriously been planning my meals around what I can put this hot sauce on. It’s the exact level of spicy that I love and it has a delicious hint of lemon.

I bought the four pack on Amazon a couple weeks ago and I’m already through a bottle and a half.

  Listening to

My 3yo and 5yo are just as obsessed with Panic! at the Disco as I am, which means we’ve been listening to the new songs on repeat.

Yes, even Silver Lining that has the word f*ck prominently in the chorus, but when they sing along to it they skip that word. LOL!

  Obsessing over

Honestly? I’ve been obsessing over that hot sauce. LOL!

  What’s Next

Lots of celebrating! My niece is having her graduation party, my other niece’s birthday is on the 8th, and my good friend is doing her first triathlon. It’s on the beach so I’ll probably go cheer her on, then have a beach day.

I also have my romance novel book club at the end of the month. We finally decided on a name that we based on shirts that we all ended up buying. Our book club is called, “Talk Darcy to Me.” It’s perfect since we read romance novels 🙂

  Tell me… what have you been up to lately? What’s up next?

      Let's chat over on the blog! For those of you who are new around here, TeaChats are a monthly post that I do in which I pretend that you and I are going out and grabbing a cup of tea (or coffee or wine) and we’re chatting about what we’ve been up to lately.

[lavastories]

Who remembers the feelings they had when they heard this sound track🫢😏

If your like me and chose the Killian route. 😍😍 Every moment shared was so worth it. Let’s reminisce. 😩

[datingadviceonreddit]

When I first started looking for love, I noticed that one of my friends who I always saw getting dates had the opposite personality as I did. He is very extroverted and he loves to surround himself with people all the time. When he talks to women, he is very aggressive and makes the conversation overtly sexual very quickly.That’s not me at all. I’m introverted, reserved, and gentle. After watching my friend succeed seemingly all the time while talking to women, I started to become afraid that I would have to change my personality to be more like his if I ever wanted to get a girlfriend.I tried to behave more like my friend. However, I didn’t achieve any success even though I was basically doing the same things he was. I also started to feel like I was being an actor by going against my own personality.What was I doing wrong?Why a lot of flirting advice falls flat for introvertsWhat comes to mind when people talk about flirting? Stuff such as winking, sideways glances, small touches, leaning inwards, and double entendre.It’s true that these types of signals can be considered flirting. However, these only describe one kind of flirting. In his book The Five Flirting Styles: Use the Science of Flirting to Attract the Love You Really Want, Dr. Jeffrey Hall identified five different types of flirting:Playful: Flirting for fun without any expectations that it will lead to sex or a relationship.Physical: Flirting through body language and sexual communication.Polite: Flirting through proper manners and nonsexual communication.Sincere: Displaying sincere interest in the other person to develop an emotional connection.Traditional: Displaying interest through traditional courtship rituals and behaving in ways that are “gentlemanly” or “ladylike”.There's a Myers-Briggs esque online test to find out which styles you tend toward hereA lot of flirting advice is centered on the physical and playful styles of flirting. There’s a lot of readily available advice about how to approach women in bars and clubs, or what pickup lines to use, or how to get touchy-feely with someone you’ve just met. This kind of flirting style works well for people who are looking for short-term romance or just trying to have fun.However, this style of flirting can be unnatural for introverts and highly sensitive people. We’re not a fan of using the bar and club scene to find romantic connections. When it comes to sex, we’re more interested in doing it with someone we really care about. Since we view sex as something that is mysterious and powerful, we dislike crude or dirty ways of flirting.Which styles are better suited for introverts?In his book, Jeffrey Hall identified the polite style of flirting as better suited for introverts. He says about polite flirts, “They are concerned about their friends and make sure that they are there in their time of need. They are also a bit introverted. Polite flirts don’t need to be the center of attention. In social interactions, they would prefer things to be a bit more controlled and formal.”The sincere style is also well suited for introverts. We prefer conversing about meaningful topics instead of making idle chitchat. We’re private people and we only open up to those that we fully trust. As people with limited social energy to spend on other people, we look for a chosen few who are worth giving our time and attention to. Thus, this type of flirting coincides well with our nature.What is the best way to flirt? The best way is to do so in the way that will attract the love that you desire and that is the most authentic to yourself. Some people enjoy flirting for its own sake or are looking to date a lot of people. You might see them in bars and clubs using the physical or playful styles and that’s totally fine. On the other hand, the polite and sincere styles of flirting are more suited for those of us looking for love and long-term relationships.Flirting as an introvertFlirting sincerely involves talking to women in the way that Dale Carnegie writes in his book How to Win Friends & Influence People. This means talking in terms of the other person’s interests and listening to them when they talk about themselves. This shows you’re interested in her values, attitudes, experiences, and beliefs. You’re interested in who she is as a person.Try to find something that she would enjoy telling you about herself. A great way to do this is by asking open-ended or “why?” questions. When she tells you something about herself, listen to what she has to say. Then, ask some follow-up questions based on what she just told you or relate it to yourself.If she is interested in you, then she would probably like to learn more about you too. Just like how we looked for things that she would love to tell you about herself, she will be looking to talk to you about the things that get you excited. Do you have an awesome job? An adventurous story? Read something unusual recently? Tell her about it!When you’re talking to a woman you’re interested in, pay attention to her flirting styles as well. Try to mirror her flirting style while still being true to your own personality. However, if you’re unable to match her flirting style without being inauthentic or if your flirting styles are drastically different then you may want to consider whether or not you are a good match.Authenticity and flirtingSo, what was I doing wrong that my extroverted friend was doing right? How come he was getting a lot of dates by being particularly aggressive and makes the conversation overtly sexual very quickly while talking to women, but when I tried doing that I ended up being unsuccessful?As it turns out, women could sense that I was being inauthentic—and they were turned off by it. Could the way that extrovert friend hits on women be considered sleazy? No doubt about it! However, he was being honest and I wasn’t. The way he acts makes it clear that he’s only interested in casual sex rather than long term relationships. His behavior is congruent with his intentions, which appeals to other women who are also just looking for casual sex.Similarly, I found myself succeeding when I behaved authentically. As an introvert and highly sensitive person, I care more about developing deeper, meaningful romantic connections than I do about short term flings. And I was able to succeed when I stopped trying to be someone that I wasn’t.If you're an introverted guy (like me!) feel free to check out my own website http://ift.tt/1HU1AwQ for more dating advice around introverts. Cheers! via /r/dating_advice

[lavastories]

It be that time y’all 🥳🥳❤️

[lavastories]

Get ready for the rush y’all!