#shinto wedding

[mikurulucky]

I now pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs. Oyama. May your decendents live prosperously and look up to the stars...

[europesroyalsweddings]

✵ October 5,  2014 ✵

Princess Noriko of Takamado & Kunimaro Senge

[moghedien]

all the other girls being like "How dare you desecrate a church!" and Rei having to make it clear to the enemies that she personally doesn't care about the church

[aiiaiiiyo]

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

Yuri!!! On Ice Mythbusting!

Did Yuuri buy one ring or a pair?

There’s this persistent myth going on in the Yuri!!! On Ice fandom that in Barcelona, Yuuri bought only one ring, and Viktor secretly bought the other one earlier, despite the rings being described as a matching pair in the anime. So which one is true?

Let's do some mythbusting!

In her episode commentary for the Go Yuri Go!!! official fanbook Mitsurou Kubo talked about the rings and explained why she and Sayo Yamamoto decided that Yuuri buys a pair. This is a recent translation of this paragraph done by rikeijo:

The rings that Yuuri bought are pair-rings. [I chose pair-rings] because when I did some research I saw they are cheaper when you buy two (laugh) and if they were to have matching items I thought that rings are after all the most fitting item. A lot of real world skaters also wear accessories as protective charms. But more than that, Yuuri, who has surprised Victor many times in the show, wanted one more weapon, or should I say a new item to fight in the final battle. When I proposed this idea of rings to Yamamoto-director, she answered "Yes! This is it!!" (laugh). We started talking like: an athlete in a stressful situation would definitely do something like that! So it was closer to something like "let's wear the same items as members of the same club [bukatsu]", rather than meaning marriage.

(For a full translation of Mitsurou's commentary, please check out rikeijo's blog!)

In older translations like this interview in the 2017/3 issue of PASH! Magazine, she also talks about a pair, and if you check Google, you will find even more translations on this subject. While they all differ in wording, they agree that Yuuri bought a pair. As many characters in episodes 10 and 11 point out, these rings perfectly match each other. In the restaurant scene, Viktor says they’re a pair. As it was revealed after the broadcast of the series, the rings have engravings which, when put together, form the image of a large snowflake and two smaller ones.

If they had bought two separate rings, they would need to go through a lot of effort to make them match (or search all the jewellery shops in Barcelona and hope to find the same design). The poor jeweller would need to adjust the design and engrave the snowflakes—and this is time-consuming and probably expensive. I doubt the rings would have been ready in time for the GPF. It's not an impossible theory, but it’s quite a stretch. I don't see a benefit in this, especially since Yuuri wants an omamori for the Grand Prix Final. Omamori are amulets or charms, which are sold at Buddhist temples and Shinto Shrines. They come in various forms and purposes. An ordinary omamori wouldn't do because Yuuri's skating and feelings for Viktor are intertwined. He has been very vocal about his desire to form an inseparable bond with Viktor at the press con in episode 5. Therefore, the item of his choice must combine all these different requirements. This article gives a brilliant overview of the various kinds of omamori. A certain omamori is for couples who wish to stay together and is sold as a pair. Yuuri thus creates his own omamori, using a matching pair of golden rings.

According to my current understanding of the spiritual aspects, two individual rings would violate the concept of omamori, i.e. would not be able to bestow good luck and thus would be unsuited for Yuuri's purpose.

The multi-layered meaning of the rings has been analysed in depth before. Please check out this fascinating post by sachiro and this no less amazing post by lazuliblade to fully appreciate the value these rings have to Yuuri and Viktor. Two individual rings could never reflect all this.

I suspect that this screenshot, which has confused Western and Japanese fans likewise, is keeping the ring myth alive.

Yes, that's right. This bill says that Yuuri only buys one ring, which is curious because a few seconds earlier he says “Can you show me these two?” But why would the production team change Kubo-sensei’s ideas when she and Sayo Yamamoto were head over heels for it and wove a multi-layered meaning into these rings?*

I suspect that whoever created this bill made a translation mistake because—plot twist—the Japanese language doesn't have a plural form for nouns. Whether it’s ‘ring’ or ‘rings’, it's the same in Japanese. A counter is added to the word if the context requires specifying the number of items. No wonder fans in and outside of Japan got headaches over this!

So, the small but important bit that it’s a pair was likely lost in translation when this bill was created.

I hope I was able to debunk this myth and convey why we can safely say that these rings are a pair! If you know more about the spiritual background of omamori, the making of the scene in the shop, or the creation of the bill, please let me know!

* If you carefully read the interviews in which the rings are mentioned, you can infer some of these meanings (apart from the obvious one meaning).

If you enjoy my meta posts, please consider giving my blog a follow or checking out my works on AO3(link in bio). You will find the results of my meta musings in there!

[chrysocomae]

By そらみみ

[thegoblinwitch]

Shunsen Katsukawa, Futamigaura, 1804, woodblock print, 24.7 x 35.1 cm. 

[takkamek]

this banner is such a let down

[anime-fan-05]

Haikyuu!! ~Proposal and marriage~

Manga/anime: Haikyuu!!

Warnings: slight spoiler of Kenma's future

Requested by: @ritsuk0mwah (I saw her reblog)

Kozume K.

After five years of dating, he'll take all his courage and ask you to marry him (in reality, Kuroo will have threatened him he would take away all his video games if he wouldn't propose to you for about a year)

His proposal will be made in a very special way: he'll ask you to play Minecraft with him and, when you open the game, you'll find a text in water on land which reads: "Will you marry me?"

Your wedding will be celebrated in the Western style, without the typical Shinto wedding ceremony, and totally confidential (in fact, only your parents and closest relatives, his former team, Hinata and your closest friends will be invited); in addition, there will be a small party after the ceremony, but nothing too exaggerated

His followers won't know about your marriage, because he's always preferred to maintain a certain secrecy regarding his engagement with you: indeed, he'll never mention you in his live and wear your wedding ring on his finger, but he'll keep it as a pendant on a chain he'll keep hidden under his shirt (one day, during one of his live, a follower will notice something sparkling under his shirt and ask what it's; Kenma will be silent for a few seconds, and then reply it's probably the light from his computer reflecting on him in a strange way and his followers won't believe it)

Your married life won't be different from your dating life: for instance, he'll always have the same job, which will continue to take up a lot of his time, even if he'll keep doing everything he can to help you with the household chores; moreover, he'll never be too physically affectionate with you, but he'll show his love through gestures, for example by remembering your most important dates (anniversaries, birthdays...) or trying preparing dinner for you if you come home exhausted from work

💮 Rules 💮 Masterlist 💮

[nyaagolor]

Thinking about a Natsuhi-Beatrice concept. Some assorted notes under the cut

One of my hcs is that all the witches are the age when their irl counterparts "gave up". Beatrice is 19 because that's when Sayo decided for sure to commit the massacre, Eva-Beatrice is in middle school because that's when Eva gave up on becoming the family head, and so Natsutrice is 15, mentally stuck in her wedding day when she realized she would not longer be Natsuhi, but a borrowed womb and wife for the Ushiromiya family's successor and not much else

Her outfit is based off 1950s Italian wedding dresses with elements of Lolita fashion (the layers and roses, mostly) but also tinged with red both to show her sins as well as her Shinto background (red features on many shinto wedding kimonos underneath the white). I specifically wanted to have the darkest red on her hands (representing the whole baby cliff thing), her innermost layer of clothing around her legs (fertility issues / womanhood related trauma) and the trail of her dress (always dragging the past forward). Because blood is used as a representation for sin, I wanted to use the red to show both Natsuhi's own actions / philosophies as well as mix it through the western and eastern influences on this design to call back to the ideas of forced assimilation and conquest that Natsuhi represents within the broader narrative. Also bc it looks cool

As for how she would actually act within the narrative I have not thought about that much, but I think because of her obsession with cleanliness and her constantly requesting to cover the deceased's faces during the Episodes there would be at least some aspect of Shinto funeral customs involved. I like to think all the bodies would be laying down + facing north, their faces covered and with piles of salt by the door instead of the magic circles. It's less gory, but deeply unsettling either way

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Hiii could i get a mix of sfw and nsfw headcanons for kaoru hanayama from baki please??

Ah yes, Kaoru my first Baki crush. I've gotchu, fam~

🐉Ah, Kaoru, Kaoru, the gentlest Yakuza in the world, while also being the most sinful.

🐉Kaoru can fuck all women in all the brothels of Japan, and settle down the next day with a wifey.

🐉Just kidding. But he has the stamina for that though.

🐉Hanayama is a bit skeptical at first, getting in a relationship with someone, especially if you're not part of the underworld - But at the same time, he knows he's strong and that he can protect you, so he won't reist too much, if he has a genuine interest in you.

🐉He may seem intimidating the first time you see him, but when he smiles, all your worries disappear from the face of the earth.

🐉His touch is so gentle and caring that you melt with love and nuzzle into his palm like a kitten.

🐉He enjoys cuddles more than he'd ever imagine - Though he's not shy about asking you for it. Or, rather, he just pulls you in his embrace at night and enjoys the peace and quiet.

🐉Hearing your rhythmic heart beat brings him such calm.

🐉And he's also happy that Kizaki is fond of you and already treats you like you're Kaoru's wife.

🐉If his mother was still alive, he'd have liked you to meet her - Instead, he took you to her grave.

🐉The way you spoke to her, how you thanked her for raising such a wonderful son - It made him tear up.

🐉He just loves you so much.

🐉You might go on a double date with Baki and Kozue.

🐉Kaoru knows you're afraid for him whenever he goes to fight, but he reassures you that he won't die, and it's what makes him happy - So you just go there and support him.

🐉You end up so used to it that when you go out with him and he's so bored that he calls Yujiro just for a punch to the face, you merely groan at his childishness.

🐉Yujiro teases you for being a good girlfriend for him though.

🐉The only time you're genuinely worried for him is when he fights Musashi and he gets so injured that you end up urgently calling Baki to come over and intervene, while you stand defensively in front of the injured, heavily bleeding man as Kizaki is trying to keep him stable.

🐉Musashi wants to kill Hanayama so bad though, but he doesn't want to kill an ordinary woman - He finds your reckless bravery in defending your lover rather admirable though.

🐉When Baki finally arrives, you sigh in relief and drag Hanayama to the hospital.

🐉You keep by his bed until he wakes up - When those gorgeous eyes finally flutter open, you start sobbing and kissing his hand, thanking him for waking up.

🐉He's genuinely upset that he cause you such distress, but he's also so touched for you care for him.

🐉He wants to wife you immediately.

🐉And you'll have a small and beautiful traditional wedding at a Shinto temple.

🐉Hanayama's love language is gifts - But that's mostly because he's so busy with the Yakuza thing that he often spends time away from you, and he has no other way to compensate.

🐉But when you spend time together, it's always worth while.

🐉When you do end up getting intimate, well - You're reminded that this young man was capable of tying a cherry stem with his tongue before he even had his first kiss. And that he's very well endowed.

🐉It's actually almost insane how careful and sweet he is with you, always focusing on you and your pleasure rather than his own.

🐉Gentlemen finish last, was it?

🐉He doesn't feel satisfied until he's made you see stars from how good you feel, even if it ends up taking hours.

🐉You're not going anywhere.

[mikurulucky]

With the amount of times Nobotta (and Adachi in Ganso as well, to an extent, but I'll have to look further into that manga) has gotten burned by potential dates in some way, he'd totally be the clingy type.

Took years to notice a pattern, and has gone through some character development after the manga, but also gained clinginess in the process, he would absolutely SAVOR any time he spends with someone, but if someone actually confesses to liking him, not only would it take a hot minute for the fact they like him to sink in, but once he realizes they ACTUALLY like him and want to be with him for once, he becomes like a cat who adopts a human and CRAVE company and physical affection.

Poor guy is affection starved and touch starved, and hey, I'm touch starved too, so... uwu

Like, finally, he gets a break from the years of depression in a rundown apartment.

Also, he could give me the cheapest engagement ring in existence and I'd still say yes if he popped the question. ^w^

[bloomingforerza]

May I please request headcanons for what kind of wedding and honeymoon the Style Five would have?

notes from bloom: hi!!!! im sorry this took so long. ive been stressing out and i could give u all of my excuses and tragedies but instead i’ll reward ur patience with ur request 🫶🏻🫶🏻

also for general notes please know not all of this is 100% accurate to japan’s marital laws and traditions, i just doubt some of our boys are destination wedding type men, and this is my idea of what they would enjoy.

Haruka Nanase

🫧 You better like water.

🫧 Maybe you won’t have to like it as much as Haru does, but be prepared for Haru to argue for the two of you to be wed in a pool.

🫧 Instead, you may settle for a beach. Haru would be able to rip his tux off after the wedding and take a dip, and you’ll join him as his bride.

🫧 It’s something that’s probably not normal for most people, but for those that know Haru, they know you’re partaking for the same reason you’re marrying him.

🫧 Meeting his elusive parents almost seemed like it was something you had only dreamt. It wasn’t like they were bad or weird people, they were just never home.

🫧 The wedding reception is super awkward for Haru. After being stared at by loads of people, talking to not just his friends and family about the same things and then to your friends and family about the same things was really socially exhausting for him.

🫧 Especially when his ridiculous best friends put together a speech that was actually pretty embarrassing thanks to Nagisa

🫧 So when it’s time to leave for your honeymoon, he’s more than relieved.

🫧 The two of you planned to set out to Okinawa for your vacation. Not too far from home, but also very beautiful and a great place to swim.

🫧 After getting married and not having a moment alone with you all day, all he wanted to do was swim with his wife.

🫧 And the moment you guys were able to set your suitcases in the hotel room after checking in, you changed and raced to the ocean.

🫧 Haru loves that you can bring a slight child-like sparkle when it comes to normal things.

Makoto Tachibana

🫧 This beautiful man is READY to marry you. He was ready the day he proposed and he couldn’t believe it when the day finally came.

🫧 Mako seems like the type to have a traditional Shinto-style wedding. He’d want to have it at a shrine too

🫧 (But if Mako’s fiance is foreign, he would also want to have a wedding that was traditional to your country.)

🫧 Considering it’s a traditional Japanese wedding, you had found the most beautiful white kimono for your wedding day, and it gave you chills looking at it morning of.

🫧 Ren and Ran were 15 now, so thankfully they were allowed to attend the wedding. Makoto purposely waited until they were older so they could behave they way they needed to (and they did great he was such a proud big brother)

🫧 The gift giving ceremony was definitely the most emotional part for you both. Aside from the goshugi, both of your parents had made you both matching aprons.

🫧 He definitely would love to honeymoon with you somewhere you two can be alone. He’s tired of being bothered by everyone

🫧 Probably somewhere in the mountains, in a cabin

🫧 He seems like the wholesome kinda man that’d wanna go camping, sit by a fire and stargaze with you

🫧 He’d dote on you the entire time, just appreciating the fact that you’re his wife now

🫧 He cooks all your meals for you the entire time you’re out there. He doesn’t want you to have to lift a finger after singlehandedly planning the entire wedding.

🫧 He just loves you so much and wants you to know he’d do anything for you. Never hurt him please

Nagisa Hazuki

🫧 Nagisa would love to get married in a penguin aquarium. He isn’t super religious I would (personally) think

🫧 Which mean’s his wedding would probably be more western style. Most traditional weddings aren’t at the penguin aquarium

🫧 He loves the idea of giving you pebbles like penguins do on the days leading up to your wedding

🫧 He’s so excited. And considering he went with the western style approach, he wanted Rei to be his best man

🫧 He almost said no, but Makoto convinced him with a whole “This is so important to him Rei you don’t understand” argument

🫧 Nagisa’s older sister Nanako is just as amazing as your husband. She offered to do your hair for the wedding; and she helped make your day special.

🫧 Since his parents aren’t always the most supportive of everything or everyone, he’s so happy that they love you. His mom greets you with a “I’m going to have another daughters!” the minute she walks into the room.

🫧 He’s sooooo excited for the honeymoon! One of the best places to scuba and snorkel in the world. Koh Tao, Thailand.

🫧 Between the penguins at your wedding and your deep-sea adventure honeymoon, he’s more obsessed with you than ever.

🫧 He’ll find your cute knickknacks while out and about and just buy them; seashell necklaces, little plushies of sea animals, and even some cool pieces of sea glass he’ll occasionally find on the beach

🫧 He’d honestly love to have picnics on the beach every night of the honeymoon. He always says it’s because ‘loves the view’

🫧 He’s so grateful for you and he’s so happy that he can enjoy the things he loves with the woman he loves

Rei Ryugazaki

🫧 Rei’s the kind of man that would love a destination wedding.

🫧 He’ll work hard for it. He wants a beautiful spot for it, and in his mind the best place for him to marry you in Paris.

🫧 He’s a man of beauty, and I personally feel like he’s an art man. He’d appreciate classic and timeless art.

🫧 I think he’d love to tour Italy for your honeymoon and spent a few days in Paris together. He’d need time alone with you eventually.

🫧 But he would 100% plan sightseeing trips for you and both of your families for your wedding week.

🫧 He would love to spoil you when it comes to the wedding and honeymoon. He’d love to just dote on you and show you amazing sights just to see the look of amazement on your face.

🫧 And when it came to the honeymoon, Rei had planned wine tours in Verona, art in Rome, food focuses in Bologna, fashion exhibitions in Florence, and of course a gondola ride in Vienna.

🫧 He’d tell you how amazing it is to be able to call you his wife now.

🫧He loves you so much and wants to give you the world but he can’t, so he’ll show you everything the world can offer instead

🫧 He wants to give it all to you. He would bring down the stars and hand them to you if he could.

Rin Matsuoka

🫧 Rin obviously wants a destination wedding, no questions asked.

🫧 He’d LOVE a Hawaiian wedding. As cliche as it may sound, he loves the way they look in western movies.

🫧 He’d invite his host family from Australia as well. They played a big part in his life, he couldn’t wait for you to meet them.

🫧 Gou was your maid of honor. Ever since you’d first met Rin, just a little while after he came back from Australia, she was always asking if you were dating her big brother yet

🫧 You both want everything to be perfect. You chose millennial pink for your color theme to match some of the flowers at your wedding. The bridesmaids all had flower crowns if hibiscus, baby’s breath and plumeria.

🫧 The cake was his favorite part. He’d always dreamed of a western style wedding that he had seen in movies, but he never imagined he could live his dreams right here with you

🫧 His mom cried the whole time about how much she’s going to miss her baby boy, but also told you she was glad she was entrusting him to you. She knew she could count on you to make sure this silly athlete takes a break once in a while.

🫧 The honeymoon was set to be in Hawaii, but Rin’s the type of husband who’d love to spoil you. He’ll book a side trip for just the two of you in Bora Bora.

🫧 One of the cute little island houses and everything, with a little wine-stocked fridge. He’d love a night swim with you under the stars

🫧 You’re his real dream come true. Swim is his passion and first love, but he swears you are the key to helping him succeed at everything he does

🫧 He’s going to big spoon you all night, and give you kisses on the back of your head and shoulders before going to sleep every single night he spends with you.

🫧 My personal favorite boy please never hurt him, he would fight off an orca whale for you if it really came down to it

[hourlykibutsuji]

「日本の桜」

Muzan & Annavenn on a jinrikisha after their Shinto Wedding.

“Her blush, her kiss, a cherry blossom blooms. Because of her, I love deeper than the yonder.” — Muzan to Annavenn

Art by @.sunmoo.ny ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵

[neiptune]

I think there's been a glitch

c/w: 6k wc, wedding date trope, friends to (possible) lovers, mentions of alcohol, mentions of cheating, levi's smoothness has your brain short circuiting

Just as expected: you’re hating every second of it.

You love your family, you really do. Doesn’t matter how loud and overexcited and nosy they are, it’s always nice to take a few days off to travel back home. Sometimes it’s for birthdays, minor special occasions, surprise visits. Nothing was spontaneous about this specific occasion, though. Train tickets were bought months in advance, your dress picked facetiming your mom (she insisted), your arrival highly anticipated by aunts and uncles and cousins and old friends all coming together for the most significant event of the century: your little brother’s wedding.

To be absolutely honest, the day had a good start. Waking up at dawn didn’t bother you, not with the nutritious breakfast your mom had prepared and the excitement stirring behind your brother’s tense smile. The wedding was agreed to have a mix of traditional shinto-style (to please the bride’s family) and more laid back, western-style influences, something your family has always been accustomed to, given your dad’s roots.

The ceremony held at the shrine was emotional even for you. Hiromi looked gorgeous in her uchikake, gold threads and foil with motifs of waves and cranes standing out on a bright crimson base. You watched them drink the sake and exchange cups first, then vows and wedding rings. It was so hard to process than the man getting married was the same kid who once pooped himself in his crib at daycare and then proceeded to take off his diaper to play with the poop like it was play-doh. Sweet, sweet memories.

Everything started going downhill at the fancy hotel where the reception was set to be held.

The convention room is blinding in its beauty: white pillars, draping fabrics, pretty fairy lights and elegant floral arrangements compliment the venue and the minimalist but luxurious style your families decided to go with. You’re not foreign to wealth, your parents have worked hard to grant you and your sibling a comfortable life and you’re grateful for them. What you don’t like about your family, is how for your aunts and uncles and cousins, everything should constantly be tied to money and profit. Which is why they all turn up their noses when you reply to the dreaded “what’s your job again?” question. Which is why, at every family reunion, you’re forced to sit with your younger cousins and take part in the salary conversation (they could literally compare and brag for hours about raises and bonuses and working overtime and paid vacations). Which is why Aiko, already CEO of a join-stock company at her young age, had first introduced you to one of the employees from the financial department.

Floch Forster was certainly attractive, a real gentleman who’d take you out for fancy dinners, casual dates and fun rides on his flashy, red porsche cayenne. You liked him but your family had always liked him more, your brother going out for drinks with him, your dad inviting him over more and more frequently to watch baseball games or ask for help for the restoration of his old kawasaki ninja, a project he’d been working on for a while.

In the end, the relationship simply didn’t work out and you broke up with him in the most amicable way possible, the time spent together still worth cherishing. You were just too different from each other: his interests not matching yours, his friends way too stuck-up, his parents looking at you like you were some kind of gold digger.

But that’s when he became petty, cruel even, mocking your dreams, deriding your aspirations, sharp edged phrases and words thrown your way so harshly they still dance around your brain from time to time.

Are you surprised by his presence at your brother’s wedding? No. You knew he’d be invited, they’re still friends and you never really told your sibling how the separation actually went down. Is it shocking that he’s here with a pretty brunette anchored to his arm? Also no. He might be an asshole but he’s hot and rich, two qualities weighing pretty damn heavily on the bachelor scale. He’s also the main reason why you’d asked your painfully stoic, blasé friend to accompany you to the reception.

Yes, it was both a childish and desperate move, but you were willing to take drastic measures to save face before your very much extended very much elitist very much expectant family after the fatal phone call with your mom where you’d suddenly blurted out that you’d bring a special someone with you to the wedding.

Your love life (aka currently a big big void made of emotional unavailability & crippling loneliness) was yet another topic open to be attentively scrutinized by those around you. Normally you don’t mind, you really don’t, but just this one time you wanted it to be different. As much as you try not to let it get to you, the facts are that your younger brother is now married, your hot rich ex boyfriend has probably already proposed to his new girlfriend, you still haven’t been given the raise you were expecting and it plainly just sucks to be alone at weddings. It’s the fourth one you have attended on your own now and you can tell by your aunt’s sympathetic gaze and your cousins’ knowing giggles that you’re not gonna be able to push the he had to attend an emergency meeting with external partners lie any longer.

Frustration makes your stomach churn. Why couldn’t he have indulged you just this once?

“Oh, come on”

“No”

“Please!”

“Still no”

“I can beg”

“You’ve been begging for the past ten minutes”

“I can beg better?”

Levi’s resolute glare didn’t soften like it did on the rare occasions when he accommodated your requests.

“Why do you even need this?”

You heaved a deep sigh over his obstinacy, index finger lazily tracing the edge of the steaming cup in front of you. You’ve always been a coffee person but his is the only tea you’ll drink.

“D’you want the honest answer or the pathetic, moping one?”

He raised an eyebrow with a far too evident interest that had you rolling your eyes.

“Both”

“Well, if you must know, it’s because I’m a lame, lonely, disappointment of an adult who’s scared of facing her family’s overcritical comments and knowing glances at her younger sibling’s wedding” you paused to take a deep breath “that and the fact that I already lied and said I was gonna bring someone and my perfect ex everyone loves so much is gonna be there”

Levi slowly took a sip from his own cup, the classic bergamot flavor notes lingering with tantalizing velvety softness on his tongue.

“They both sound pathethic and moping to me”

You shrugged with a weak smile.

“They’re both honest, too”

“You’re gonna be fine” he pushed the little plate of shortbreads towards you.

“Did you hear the part about my perfect ex?” nevertheless, you accepted the cookie offer and, much to your friend’s horrified expression, dipped one into your tea prior to taking a bite.

“Give him my love” Levi ignores your frown and, more importantly, the annoyance he felt listening to you belittling yourself so blatantly.

“Okay” a defeated sigh leaves your lips as you take another cookie “not sure why I thought you’d get it”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Mouth still full, you gestured vaguely with your hands, tiny crumbs attached to your fingertips catching his attention for a split second before you speak again.

“Why would you? You’re a functioning adult. Should’ve asked someone as fucked up as me, maybe Reiner from the marketing department will—”

“A functioning adult?” Levi cut in, tone oozing with skepticism “that’s new. You usually refer to me as the clean freak with a stick up his ass”

“Which you are�� your clarification is met with another glare “but you wouldn’t understand what being lame means”

“How so?” he challenged, eyes narrowed and some sort of weird warmth in the pit of his stomach he didn’t know how to shake off.

“You have your shit together, Levi. M’sure your family wouldn’t shoot sympathetic gazes your way if you showed up to your brother’s wedding on your own”

“I don’t have a brother”

“Not the point” you let out an obnoxious groan as you slightly pushed the empty cup away and dropped your head to rest on your overlapped arms, forehead pressing on the soft fabric of your sleeve. Levi sat still, grey eyes fixed on you.

“You’re not lame, idiot” no one else would’ve been able to tell that his tone had gone softer “I’m not dating anyone either and you still think I’m a functioning adult”

Exasperated, you turn your head so that your cheek is now pressed to your wrist as you glare at him.

“But that’s your choice. You don’t like anyone. While I had three of my coworkers come to my desk just to ask who the handsome dude passing by to bring me a homemade bento box was”

Half a smile dripping with smugness tugged at his lips, one that caused you to roll your eyes again.

“Don’t even” you warn, already gagging at the idea of him considering to visit you at work more often “forget I said anything. I’ll handle it”

As Levi inched across the table to flick your forehead and then got up to collect your cups, you had to quickly whisk away the thought of how much your family would have genuinely liked someone like him too.

On second thought, it’s not really fair to blame him. You might not be a greatly functioning one, but you’re still an adult. You can face something as trivial as the disappointment of multiple generations of your family, right? Either way, it would’ve felt wrong. It would’ve been awkward. Levi is stiff, way too cold, the opposite of cordial. He would hardly be credible as the good friend he actually is, let alone pass for a boyfriend. Has he ever even dated someone? You’re sure he has, given how weirdly popular he is. Yeah, there was one girl, what was her name again? Petra? Ugh, he hardly shares anything truly personal with you anyway. Sure, you can guess he’s a good partner. Handsome, kind, talented enough to cook killer meals, maybe even good in bed. It just wouldn’t hurt him to be a little more… amicable. But maybe that’s what women find attractive? The fact that he’s like this weird, interesting secret thing to continuously discover and unwrap until it suddenly turns into the perfect, passionate lover any woman wants to end up with?

The champagne you’re downing at the hotel bar is proving to be a wonderful ally, although your mind currently seems to be wandering a little. Or it was, at least until a familiar, awfully close and quite frankly unsettling voice causes a harsh return to the pathetic reality you’re trying to escape.

“Drowning your sorrows in alcohol? You haven’t changed at all” the venomous smile on his face is so painfully familiar it has your insides twisting right away.

“I’m really not in the mood, leave me alone” you mutter, not even sparing him a glance as you stubbornly focus on the golden bubbles popping in your freshly filled flute.

But Floch takes a seat right next to you and elegantly orders two martinis.

“Shaken, not stirred” he adds, to live up to yet another clichè. You can hardly suppress a snort.

“I would argue you already are. Alone, I mean” the rhythmic drumming of his fingers on the mahogany counter distracts you for a few seconds. When your gaze finally meets his, the fake sympathy glistening mischievously in his amber eyes almost has you barfing on the spot.

“Where’s your trophy wife? Is she even legal?”

Unperturbed, Floch smiles sweetly at you.

“She reminds you of yourself, doesn’t she? A young dove in need of rescue, held captive by the wrong guy” he inches closer, smile growing wider “but she’s nothing like you. You’re too exhausting to love, no one in their right mind would choose that”

And just like that, memories that cut as deep as razors make their way back to you right then and there.

If you really want to lose weight you shouldn’t eat the free bread at restaurants.

I feel like you’re faking this just to make me feel guilty.

You’re not that attractive anymore, you know that?

I’m sorry you feel that way.

Could’ve done so much better than you all this time.

Now I don’t feel so bad about having cheated.

The flute in your hand might very well shatter from how tightly you’re holding it, knuckles white as two drinks gracefully slide in front of you. This is exactly what you wanted to avoid, not him entirely but letting him know that he can still get under your skin.

“Fuck you” in a final, desperate attempt at playing off your discomfort as indifference, you hold him level in your gaze, a boldness so weak it has him chuckling.

“Am I interrupting something?”

You both turn to your right, the shock laced into your features comical enough to be met with a patient, slight smile.

Levi looks nothing less than dashing in his black suit, hands buried in the pockets of pants you wouldn’t even think he’d own. Since you’re pretty sure the alcohol has you hallucinating at this point, you open your mouth to voice your surprise, Floch’s presence long forgotten and filed away at the back of your mind. But right before you can sabotage yourself with dumb, unnecessary inquiries, Levi takes a step forward and with one, swift motion, cradles your cheek in his hand to gently press his lips to your forehead.

“Sorry I’m late” he murmurs, fighting back another smile before the dumbstruck way you keep looking at him.

“We haven’t met” Levi’s eyes follow the voice and flicker to the person sitting next to you. That’s when you snap back to reality once again. Goddamn, maybe the champagne wasn’t that good of an ally after all.

“We haven’t” he replies and Floch introduces himself, offering a hand that never gets shaken. Levi gives him a nod instead, a silvery gaze cold as steel you’ve never seen him direct to anyone. Perhaps that’s why it makes you shiver.

“Should we go? I’d like to meet your parents” his voice is kind as he looks at you again and you accept the support of his hand to hop down from the barstool. He doesn’t let go as he guides you away from the hotel bar and lightly squeezes your hand even if it’s cold and clammy.

“How are you here? When… why?” you whisper, still unable to shake off the shock of his sudden, unexpected presence.

“Stop asking dumb questions and play your part”

That’s more like it, you think. Thank god for the infuriating, irritating tone and impatient glare. Their familiarity will certainly be enough to ground you despite the warmth you can still feel on your forehead, right where his lips were pressed a few seconds earlier.

But then he looks at you again, head slightly tilted to the side, eyes slowly taking in your figure so blatantly, in a way so uncommon for him, it has the same warmth from before exploding in your chest as well.

“You look very nice, by the way”

Fuck being grounded, apparently.

The champagne is no longer buzzing in your veins but it might as well be since your mind feels all over the place and you haven’t had a single second to collect your thoughts. Not in the middle of so many introductions, your mother’s obnoxious questions, your very much tipsy aunt’s inappropriate jokes, the microphone you had to approach and the speech you had to give in front of hundreds of people, one of them always focused on you with such intensity you won’t have to rewatch the videotape at family reunions to know that words came out ungraceful and wrong.

To be honest, the most unsettling thing is how smoothly the whole thing is going. It’s not weird, it’s definitely not awkward and he seems to be in complete control. Staggered, you’re left watching with wonder floating in incredulous eyes, a Levi you don’t think you’ve ever met before. It’s so effortless, the way he speaks to people he’s never met before and manages to come off as interesting, witty, charming. He’s smiling, he’s even respectfully offering elegant chuckles to uncomfortably personal questions and stories you just know he doesn’t actually think are funny.

As you dine at the table filled with curious old friends and noisy cousins, for the first time able to stay silent as all the attention is directed towards someone other than yourself, a weird thought crosses your mind. Levi, your friend Levi, fits so well. He’s perfectly at ease around chatty strangers, bold roses, tea lights and candles in clear metallic holders. How’s that even possible? The Levi you know, your Levi, curses under his breath if his usual barista tries to make small talk. He grunts if the cashier at the cinema chirps an overly excited hope you enjoy the movie, sir. You literally know he’s once replied to one of his clients’ email with please stop hoping your email finds me well, it never does.

So who’s the person sitting next to you, warm knee flush against yours underneath the table, features relaxed, pink tinted cheeks, courtesy of the cabernet sauvignon you’ve been served? It has your head spinning, the thought of him enduring a 4-hour train trip (he hates trains) to reach a town he’s never been to (he hates Kobe and its humid, subtropical climate) to attend a wedding (he hates social gatherings) as your date. What had him changing his mind? When did he change it? How is he so good at coming off as this bundle of… of… confidence and magnetism and graciousness?

He’s been impeccable so far, going as far as to bring a shugi-bukuro envelope with 50.000 JPY inside as a wedding gift.

Isn’t that what they’d expect from the groom’s sister’s partner?

Clearly, you have every intention of giving him that money back. As soon as you recover from the sudden and absolutely unexplainable embarrassment you feel every time his eyes flicker to you during a conversation or the shudder that runs down your spine when his hand gently presses on the small of your back to guide you from one table to the other, as different family members and friends of yours excitedly motion you to approach them.

It doesn’t have anything to do with him specifically, you tell yourself. It’s just the shame you must be feeling at carrying out such a pathetic act in front of everyone, it’s the awkwardness of having forced one of your closest friends to go out of his way to support your stupid, childish plan that now has you feeling all weird and vulnerable. Levi is not being his usual self and that makes you uncomfortable because you’re not allowed to be your usual self in turn. No sarcastic remarks, no witty comebacks, not a drop of the usual teasing you enjoy annoying him with.

It’s not him, it’s the whole setting. That’s what you tell yourself when Levi asks you to dance.

“Why?” you come off as defensive and he furrows his brows, confused.

“Because it’s what couples do at weddings?”

“We don’t have to” you’re not sure what you’re doing at this point “you can’t even dance”

He huffs at that, inching a little closer to casually lift the strap of your cocktail dress, cool fingertips barely brushing the skin of your arm as they guide the thin length of fabric up to your shoulder. The simple, intimate gesture stirs something in you.

“Are you coming or not? He’s watching”

You follow his gaze and meet Floch’s, three tables to the left. At this point the thought of him seems so worthless, so distant in time, you don’t even care about his judgmental glare anymore. But you don’t have the chance to make that clear, because your date whispers a soft “come on” so close to your ear his voice seems to trickle down your spine just to make you shiver and then offers his arm as an invitation for you to get up.

Regular you would’ve mocked the gesture, called him a victorian ghost or something. Current you, on the other hand? Apparently she’s accepting the support of his arm and can barely register Aiko’s excited squeal as she follows him all the way to the different couples already filling up the middle of the convention room, too disoriented to even remember she is the one who can’t dance. Still, the upbeat rhythm of the song being played is familiar enough to give you a false sense of security: you can wing it. Until you can’t. Because right as you position yourself in front of your friend with a tense smile, the familiar beat is abruptly taken from you. The music doesn’t stop, it just has the audacity to change into an excessively romantic, exceptionally slow, sappy track.

But Levi doesn’t look as dazed as you. He doesn’t waver as he pulls you close with one swift motion, right hand warm on your back while you barely have the time to balance yourself, fingers tightening around the fabric of his jacket, right above the shoulder.

“You’re being weird” he clasps your other hand, one eyebrow raised in that overcritical way of his.

“You’re being weird” you parrot back.

“What d’you mea—fuck” he curses as quietly as possible when you stomp on his foot, looking down for the first time to notice how weirdly and out of step you’re actually moving.

“Shit, sorry!” you, on the other hand, are not as quiet and attract the unwanted attention of the couple dancing nearby.

“What exactly are you doing?” Levi’s tone is familiarly mocking, which takes some of the weird awkwardness away.

“I’m not really good at this, okay?” you retort, praying your harsh reply remains private this time. Amused, he hums.

“No way”

“Shut up” you whine and accidentally step on his expensive leather shoe again, hard enough to make him hiss.

“Just follow my lead” Levi gives your left hand an impatient squeeze and you scoff with a theatrical ugh.

“Sexist”

He rolls his eyes but says nothing because you comply and honestly try to keep track of how he’s moving, intensely focused on not trampling on his foot again.

“Hey” his voice is dangerously soft once again “eyes on me”

Reluctantly, you look up from your feet and take a deep breath.

“Why are you this tense?”

“M’not a good dancer” you blurt the words out, as if to convince yourself. He’s noticed, of course he’s noticed. Idiot.

“Okay” Levi stops for a moment and gently grabs your wrists to guide your arms around his neck. He then positions his hands on your hips and applies the slightest pressure to guide your movements. “Better?” he asks and you know he’s just wondering if this is easier for you, but the dryness of your throat seems to be taking over your ability to speak. You resort to a simple nod as he sways to the beat, feet barely lifting while stepping from side to side. You get accustomed to the movement after a while and manage to move your body slowly back and forth, the comfort of not feeling like a wooden block allowing you to relax a little.

“How are you so good at this?” it almost sounds like you’re accusing him, must be why he cracks a smile.

“Took a few classes with Hange, they were obsessed and had no one else to go with”

You’re finally able to let out a genuine, incredulous laugh.

“I’m sorry, what? So you just joined? Goodness of your heart?”

Levi shrugs.

“They had to buy me lunch for a month. Totally worth it”

There’s mirth glistening in his eyes when the pressure of his hands changes slightly, the left one tightening on your waist to subtly guide you in the opposite direction. Has he danced like this with Hange as well? If yes, did they feel as flustered and ridiculous as you’re feeling? Probably not, because they’re friends and friends should not experience the weird body reactions you seem to be having at the moment, goosebumps blossoming underneath his fingertips, the staccato of your heartbeat, blood wooshing in your ears. Fuck.

“Tense again” his eyes are narrowed now, but not in his usual, threatening way. He’s studying you, looking for something he can’t seem to pinpoint amidst your dazed expression and sweaty hand. He would’ve been grossed out by anybody else’s palm but this is you, so Levi can’t really bring himself to give a shit.

“I’m sorry” you murmur and the sudden, sheepish route catches him off guard. You’re avoiding his gaze, eyes focused on something, somewhere over his shoulder.

“For what?”

“This whole charade” you whisper the last word, head hanging low just an excuse not to look at him “I’m so pathetic you felt bad enough to drop all your plans, come all the way here, be perfect and nice to everyone, spend so much money and I can’t even dance…” you sniffle, horrified by the sensation of being on the verge of bursting into tears in the middle of the dance floor.

Levi is silent long enough to prompt you to timidly look up from your shoes again. You’re worried he’s gonna be mad because what the hell, this is what you wanted. You asked him to do this for you and now it’s too late to whine about how sorry you are. But he doesn’t look mad. His features are unreadable as you return his gaze, which stirs a whole new kind of nervousness in you.

“I’m going to twirl you” the gentle warning takes you by surprise as Levi takes your hand from behind his neck, steps back a little and lifts your arm above your head. A bit stiffly, you turn around under it.

“Again” he prompts, arm already guiding you through another twirl. You comply, so clumsily a chuckle slips past your lips and Levi cracks another smile as you balance yourself against him, arms around his neck once again.

“See? You can dance” he mutters with a tone so soft it makes your heart squeeze.

“Please” you scoff, voice still a little broken that just won’t. Do.

Levi hums to himself, like he does whenever he’s trying to come to a decision.

“Let’s dip”

Your eyes comically grow in size.

“Let’s not?”

“I’ll do all the work” he playfully gives your hip a light squeeze to emphasize his words “you just have to let go”

“I’m not exactly good at letting go” you hope he can sense the warning in your tone but all you get is another eye roll.

“Yeah, I noticed” his tone, unlike yours, is weirdly serious “d’you trust me?”

Oh, well, putting it that way surely isn’t fair.

“Unfortunately, you’ve given me a reason or two to do that” you heave another sigh, defeated. Another smile tugs at his lips.

“I’m gonna do it slowly” he reaches behind his neck to grab your hand again, while his fingertips rise from your hip to your upper back.

“Twirl” Levi gently spins you again and his touch is featherlike when it glides down your side, grazes your stomach and settles on your lower back as you turn around, warm palm pressing firmly against it. The hand holding yours anchors your arm around his neck, then finds place on the nape of yours.

“Now, relax” it’s barely a whisper, so close you can’t hold back a shudder he pretends not to notice.

You soften your knees and then, with a movement so swift and natural, you’re turned to the side and pressed flush against him for a second, nestled in his embrace before you shut your eyes and Levi gently dips you, one of his strong arms secured around your waist to support your weight, the hand sustaining your neck tightening around your hair for a moment so brief you think you’ve imagined it.

He pauses as if you weigh nothing, then slowly brings you up again and you open your eyes, brows furrowing right as he lets completely go of you and the warmth of his arms is taken away so abruptly.

“You okay?” you didn’t think you’d be the one asking the question but something seems to be bothering him as he returns your confused gaze.

“Yeah. Can we take a break?” still weirdly well mannered, you find yourself thinking as you agree to make your way to your table again. Only he stops you right before you can take a seat next to Aiko, who’s blatantly gushing over you’re not sure what, precisely. Is it him? Or the weird dance that had you looking like a complete fool in front of everyone?

“How long before the cake?” he politely asks your cousin and she shrugs, not even attempting to hide the wide grin stretching her lips.

“Maybe around ten minutes”

“Permission to steal the groom’s sister for around ten minutes?”

Aiko’s chuckle isn’t enough to distract you from the tightening of your chest, something not entirely unpleasant swarming around in your stomach when he slips his fingers in between yours.

“Permission granted” she winks and you still, for the life of you, cannot understand why your heart flutters as you follow him outside the room, away from the party and the music and the chatter and all those happy, proud glances you’re no longer able to return because of how embarrassed you are by your own lie.

“Where are we going?” you bring yourself to ask, finding it exceptionally odd that he’s waiting for the elevator.

“My room”

“What? Why?”

Levi turns his head to look at you, eyebrows furrowing at your strangled tone.

“I forgot the wedding gift on the nightstand”

“Oh” you let out a nervous chuckle “right. And why d’you need me for that?”

“You look like you’re about to throw up, thought you could use a few minutes away from the crowd”

Well, he’s not wrong. But that doesn’t mean he gets to know.

“Dunno what you’re talking about” you flash him a fake smile and he skeptically hums as the doors open and you step inside.

Of course his room is located at the top floor of the building, where all the suites are. One thing about Levi is that he likes treating himself: whether it’s shopping from brands that produce top quality loose leaf teas, selecting premium suiting fabrics or always ordering the most expensive red wine at a restaurant, his taste is impeccable. He travels first class and only stays at 5-star hotels, so you really shouldn’t feel the guilt pangs stinging like needles in your throat when he swipes the key card through the magnetic reader and swings the door open. You shouldn’t feel so bad while taking in the king size bed, the LCD tv, the additional area with armchairs and a whole sofa, the private balcony. But you do. And when he turns to look at you, still standing by the door with a heartbreaking, bashful expression taking over your features, Levi clenches his jaw.

“What are you doing?” you ask as you watch him slide the balcony glass door.

“So many questions” he prompts you to precede him with a slight tilt of his head.

“What about the gift?”

Levi hates seeing you so defensive, so upset. He’s not used to that weird self-consciousness, not when you’re with him at least. Didn’t he come to obtain the exact opposite of what he’s getting? Isn’t he here to shield you from embarrassment, uneasiness? Why are you persisting in your stubborn shame?

“I get around ten minutes, remember?” he attempts a smile your tense features choose not to mirror. You sigh softly instead and, still uncertain, accept his invitation.

Outside the air is cool, a balm for your feverish skin. The balcony furniture includes two wooden armchairs, one small coffee table and a small couch. You plop down on the latter, not even having the energy to properly appreciate the beauty of a sparkly Kobe right at your feet, silhouettes of skyscrapers standing out against the night sky, the flickering lights of the harbor shining in the distance, tower so familiar you’d recognize it from a mile away. It’s home.

“So” Levi makes himself comfortable next to you, the breeze gently combing his hair back “wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

Plenty is wrong, the most urgent matter being the overpowering attraction you’re feeling for one of your closest friends. It’s fine, no use lying to yourself any longer. Maybe it’s always been there, underneath all the teasing and the jokes and his rare smiles that always felt like small victories you got to collect and preserve in your memory at the end of each day, when  you’d often replay the hours spent together as pretty movie frames in your mind right before drifing off to sleep. But it’s easy, playing weird feelings off as regular familiarity that comes with friendship. You just didn’t think this night would make things feel so different, so good.

He’d be a great actual date, a wonderful actual boyfriend too, probably. He’s already a wonderful, actual friend. One that dropped everything to rush to the rescue of annoying, silly you, seemingly an adult but really a scared excuse of a grown up who can’t confront her family on a matter as trivial as not being in a relationship. It’s mortifying, really. You wouldn’t think it’d feel that humiliating, especially not in his presence.

Slender fingers delicately close on the fist you don’t realize you’re clenching. They’re warm as they try to make their way underneath yours, a silent plea for you to let go of the fabric clutched in your hand.

“I already told you” your hand lets go at last and slips easily from underneath his touch, the silk of your carefully picked cocktail dress wrinkled already.

“You feel guilty about me dropping all my plans, coming all the way here, beng perfect and nice to everyone, spending so much money…” he’s being playful but the teasing doesn’t elicit the eye roll or chuckle he was hoping he’d get. Your head just hangs lower, chin almost pressing to your chest, as if you’re trying to curl into yourself.

“About that, you’re gonna accept a complete refund. Train tickets, this room, wedding gift, everyth—”

Levi cuts you off by grabbing your jaw and turning your head towards him, eyes narrowed in a familiarly impatient gaze. He can’t believe the nonsense you’re sputtering out, the weird formality of it all.

“Stop that” his voice vibrates with determination and words are forced to die in your throat as he inches closer, grip loosening ever so slightly “you keep looking at things and seeing the opposite of what they are”

“So what, you didn’t spend a fortune to be here?” you challenge and he sighs, as done as a person can humanly be.

He lets go of your jaw but you don’t pull back.

“You asked me to be here”

“And I’m trying to apologize for it!”

God, you’re wearing him out.

You get up from the couch and, out of frustration, rest your back against the railing, palms behind you pressed on the cold, metal edge. Levi is looking at you so intensely you’re tempted to turn around and just take the view in to calm yourself because this is going downhill enough to become a fight and fights with Levi are never pretty. You should know.

“Remember the reasons you put forward to try and convince me to come?” his calm tone is such a sharp contrast to his hardened features, it takes you by surprise.

“Pretty sure I called myself lame and pathetic quite a few times” you shoot him a frown.

“Yeah” he gets up as well “then I end up actually getting here and guess what I found?”

You let out a dry laugh, one with not an ounce of humor embedded in it.

“A version of me worse enough to be brought in your room to hide?”

Two well measured steps and Levi is in front of you right as you cross your arms in defense.

“The version of you I already know” he retorts, exasperated “beautiful, intelligent, clumsy. A functional adult with a family that loves her very much”

“You’re drunk” you breathe out but it’s yours the head that’s spinning. Somehow, Levi knows. At least that’s what you guess when he steps closer, arms effectivey caging you against the railing as he slightly leans forward.

“Hardly” he mutters, pensive, and you swear his eyes flicker to your lips for a second “you don’t see things for what they are. I didn’t see a perfect ex, just a self entitled asshole. Didn’t meet hypercritical family members, just old-school people who are unyielding in their affection for you. I could’ve stayed home, honestly, you seem to be bothered by me the most”

“I’m not bothered by you, don’t be fucking stupid” you blurt out, saliva levels down to zero at this point. What is he even doing? Why is he so close, why does he smell so nice and where the fuck is that wedding gift?

“Ah, there she is” Levi offers a soft smile “had me missing her all night”

He then moves a strand of hair away from your forehead and the pads of his fingers linger on your temple, then barely graze your skin as they travel all the way down to your cheek and along your jaw.

You’re unfamiliar with this version of him. It’s a version that compliments the one that’s met your family and friends, the wedding date you’ve been lucky enough to score. This version knocks the wind out of your lungs and has your knees weak.

But then something happens, the snap of invisible fingers and, just like that, the magic wears out. Your skin is left burning and his arms set you free as he takes a step back and shoves his hands in his pockets.

“I had a good time so enough with your guilt-ridden bullshit”

You’re barely able to catch your breath, still dizzy from the change of the overall mood. Perhaps he’s right and you’re the drunk, hallucinating one.

Levi slides the balcony door again but goes back inside first this time, leaving you little to no time to pull yourself together or calm the pounding of your heart. He collects no envelope from the nightstand before you both leave the room, a burning sensation churning in your stomach as you follow him down the hallway, feeling utterly boneless when you stop in front of the elevator. Maybe that Petra girl did have a point.

“There’s still one thing you probably haven’t noticed about me” right as a ding echoes in the empty hallway he turns his head to look at you, standing a few feet behind “I’m a terrible fucking liar. Wouldn’t convince anyone if I tried”

[miumiumanzo]

Designing Beelzebub's kimono based on @the_graceful_dahlia 's fic I also posted the timelapse to this on toktok

More about the kimono under the cut

To summarise; Gabriel and Beelzebub went off on a honeymoon in Kyoto and Gabriel miracled them kimonos to wear -- consciously putting Bee in a tomesode, a type of kimono reserved to a married woman noticeable by its shorter sleeves with patterns appearing only below the obi. The black tomesode, or the kurotomesode is considered the formalest out of modern kimono, usually bearing family crests and it's typically worn by married women in an important family events such as weddings.

Essentially; Gabriel miracled Bee a clothing that indicates this particular demon is married. To him specifically. This lil' bit fries my brain.

As suggested by the fic, Bee wears a kurotomesode with purple and gold adornments. I take this as a symbol of Gabriel becoming an important part of Beelzebub's life (also to match Gabriel's own lavender kimono). I take some flower patterns often appearing in kimono to represent both Gabriel and his love for Beelzebub. Peony (botan) for grace, beauty, and honour (pretty much what Gabriel is), Chrysanthemum (kiku) to represent Gabriel's status as a prince of heaven, and Bellflower (kikyo) for his undying and loyal love for Beelzebub. There's also bits of Wisteria (fuji) which signifies love and nobility as well. I added geometrical pattern like shippo; for harmony and good relationship, tatewaku; another pattern that indicates high status (supreme archangel and prince of hell and whatnot), and kikko... because I just feel like it. Last but not least; there are two cranes which symbolise a happy marriage.

Bee wears a burnt orange obi -- their sash colour, which I added higanbana to it to signify they're a creature of hell and there's also a subtle river patter to symbolise the river of hell -- according to most myth (but since this is Japan, so it incorporates Shinto and Japanese Budddhism underworld myth), there is a river in hell, so there goes a river in Bee's obi.

Pretty much what goes to my thought process designing this. My plan is actually to draw proper illustrations of said fic, most likely featuring both Gabriel and Beelzebub strolling in their kimono 🥰