#they aren't really a focus though so not a lot of thought has been put in so far

[sairenharia]

Why Chloe Deserved A Miraculous

Its a thought that's been stewing in my head and the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. Chloe was entitled to a Miraculous.

From a Doylist Perspective.

When there is conversations of if Chloe was entitled to a Miraculous is always presented from a Watsonian perspective. For those who don't know, Watsonian means the perspective of someone inside the story. A character. Doylist is the perspective of those in the real world. The author and audience.

The problem I see from fandom discourse is how often people don't actually consider the tools in a story. Often they take a Watsonian perspective, talk about what is right and sensible and should be how things work if this was a real situation. But the thing about stories is they have messages. They have tools and metaphors and themes to help display these messages. Sure, shows are about entertainment, but a story always has some kind of point. It may not be a moral lesson, it may not be some grand philosophy, but any story worth telling says SOMETHING. It takes a stance. The Fast and the Furious is all about doing cool stunts with cars, but it also has a message of doing things for family because if you just want to see cool car stunts, just go watch cool car stunts, but no, people want at least a little humanity in the car stunts, so there is a message of family. Sharing is caring, do your best, the heat death of the universe comes for us all, the messages can be vast, but there's some point of emotional reality to invest us in this specific media.

If we talk about Chloe and the Miraculous from a Watsonian perspective, no, she is not entitled to a Miraculous. No one is entitled to an object of power. Not even Marinette nor Adrien are entitled to their Miraculous.

But superpowers aren't real. Superpowers have always been a tool to emphasize a point. The stories of superman only focused on his powers are boring, but when you tell stories of how he tries to fit into a world that is not made for him, stories of how much he loves this world despite how easy it could be to be cruel, it gets interesting. The reason superhero comics started is there was a want to show that there can be incredibly powerful people who choose to be good. To choose to make the world a better place.

Superpowers made just to be cool and show off are boring. There is only so much you can watch a fight with a cool power before it gets dull and repetitive. But you relate the powers, the struggles of using the powers, to the person wielding them, the story has a lot more staying power. The powers say something about the person, and is part of their development.

And honestly, Miraculous is a good case for why this is important.

Because good god, most of the superhero team is boring.

And I don't just mean because they're good people, so there's no spice, though that's also true, but because the powers aren't really used to emphasize anything about the character. Max has portals. Why? His mom wants to be an astronaut, but we never really hear about Max wanting to travel. Doorman is a better example of a portal hero because he loves going to other places and learning about them.

Now portals are good for a tactician....except Max is never the tactician despite the fact we know he's brilliant and is good at video games. He just does as he's told by Ladybug for where he should put his portals. Its so close, but its not utilized.

And that is the case for most of the superheroes. Like the bones are there, but nothing is properly utilized. Sabrina is definitely a dog, good at getting things, and is in fact well practiced in recognizing what things may or may not be important. But we've never actually gotten to focus on her BEING a superhero, she only had a small cameo with the power, basically. Same with Ivan, really. They're pretty perfect for their powers and it suits their personalities, but none of it is EXPLORED. And that's the case with most of the heroes.

Juleka and Rose were pretty good at using the Miraculous to develop more of someone's character and emphasize a strength about another in turn. These are good hero episodes because we learned more about them and their journey.

Kagami's first episode with the dragon showed off more of her, such as she could be reckless, which is new information, but we learn a lot about her without it, and nothing new beyond that.

Luka could have actually been incredibly good because the snake both emphasizes a big part of him, and something he needs to work on. Luka is someone who steps back and watches. He observes. However, he has a problem where he often is too willing to step back. But with the snake needs someone who can observe AND act. So its a Miraculous that uses an important part of his personality, but could have also helped him grow.

And the rest are just...nothing.

There is a little for Nino and Alya. Nino is definitely more bold about defending his friends than he was at first, and Alya learns to be better about secrets, but these are the primary secondary heroes. We should have seen a ton of impact and development due to them having the Miraculous.

Here is the stance Miraculous should be taking in their story.

The desperation of those trapped and the power of being given good options.

Most of the Akumas are people who are trapped. They feel powerless. They are desperate to escape their problem and feel like they have no proper recourse with things are they are. How accurate this is varies, but this is how they feel in the moment, and that is what Gabriel preys on. These people agree to the deal because they don't feel like they will be helped any other way.

Ladybug and Chat Noir are meant to bring hope to those who felt hopeless and chose a terrible way to try and escape. They are support. They are a hand people desperately need.

So by that same token, the Miraculous should be a good way for people who feel trapped to be given an option, OR give those people the ability to extend their own hands to help others.

While it doesn't have to every time, it should often be the case those who are given a Miraculous; A, dealing with a huge problem and the Miraculous helps them solve that problem, regardless to the Akuma being related. Like if Juleka was working on trying to speak up even if the Akuma wasn't her parents and the Tiger still helped her do that. B, they are related to the Akuma and why they feel trapped, so they are working through their own issues with the important person. Like Rose when Juleka felt guilty. Or C, the person wants to find a way to help in general and kind of go how it went with Nino becoming Carapace. Where they were trying to be that hand a person needed, and earn the Miraculous, and that helps them on their journey to provide more support and help.

But its often it is someone they know, but them being the hero doesn't REALLY matter. Penalteam, the people were just there, these specific people didn't matter. Why did Zoe need to be Vesperia? Anyone could have taunted Chloe and she got turned into a banana real fast, her being the Bee didn't really bring a lot, to the bee, to her, or even to Chloe, and then she proceeded to just not bring much as the Bee, to the story, or herself.

Now part of this problem is that Marinette is not allowed to not learn a lesson, and has to be the one to save the day. These heroes do have skills. They have things they could be good at. But often....the plan is just what Marinette says. These heroes are not allowed to have agency.

They can't make decisions on their own.

Often times, they're just bodies being told to do the power without the ability to make the decision how and when. Sometimes they let the heroes do things and make decisions, but nine times out of ten, its Marinette who says who does what and when and her mental health is degrading because of it.

The Akumas are stories that always at least tell us something about the person because we see what problems hit them hard. There is something to learn, a bit of conflict to develop from.

The Miraculous should be following that trend, but in a positive way, but...doesn't.

All that being said.

Chloe was entitled to the Miraculous.

Because here is the stance Miraculous takes.

Someone is trapped in a situation and chooses to lash out violently and while that violence can not be permitted to continue, the heroes offer their support so the victim can feel like they have another option.

This is the story of Miraculous crystalized. People who feel alone and helpless are easily convinced to hurt others until someone is willing to help them despite this harm.

Chloe is the story of Miraculous.

Akumas are a metaphor.

And Chloe is the reality.

A child who is alone. Who feels trapped in her situation. Who doesn't know what else to do. So she does the only thing she knows how. She lashes out. She hurts people. She keeps them distant because then it doesn't hurt as much when they leave, or when they treat her like dirt.

Chloe is an Akuma personified, but her problems are brief moments. They're not a bad day that someone took advantage of. They are ever present and continuous and more over, reinforced to continue.

Chloe knows being a brat gets her what she wants from her father and was never taught to not be like that. Because he didn't discipline her, because her mother acted like that, because all adults around her was staff. Making demands is what she was TAUGHT and learned, through observation and guidance.

A behavior she continued to do with kids, and she found out teachers responded to the same threats and was never properly stopped. Other kids, reasonably, didn't want to deal with her, or submitted to her like Sabrina.

Chloe was not never taught how to be good. She was, in fact, very much taught to NOT be good. Her parents both set a terrible example. Her father is a corrupt politician. He may spoil her, but he we know he bribes and blackmails people, plus, you know, abandoned his daughter and technically kidnapped Zoe. This is not a paragon of a man. Then there was her mother. But she had a choice, listen to the man who had to weasel and cheat and play back handed games to get what he wanted, or the woman who got anything and everything she wanted...of course she would try to be the woman who seemed to get everything her way.

Because if her mother got everything she wanted, if Chloe was like her, maybe she could get everything SHE wanted.

Except it wasn't working.

But Chloe wasn't taught it was because she was cruel. She just started to believe she wasn't GOOD ENOUGH.

Maybe if she was as great as her mother, it would work.

By the time she would be old enough to recognize that wasn't how the world worked...well, by then, most of her peers hated her.

And here is something I think goes under the radar about Zoe.

Zoe knows how to act like Chloe. Audrey didn't blink at it. Zoe defaulted to the same behavior as Chloe. Zoe said she put on an act and she was tired of it.

Zoe WAS CHLOE.

And we know what happened with Zoe. Zoe stopped acting like Chloe. And then she got bullied. People were mean and cruel and put cockroaches in her locker and she only had one friend.

I'm sure that's why Zoe moved to Paris. Zoe went to her mom because she wanted a clean slate. She wanted the bullying to stop.

Even then, she struggled to stop. She defaulted to her habit, and we see that she CONTINUED the act around the hotel for some weeks after, because it was a hard habit to break.

But then...

Zoe got support. A hand was held out to her. Marinette gave her a chance, and so did everyone else, and Zoe took it because she wanted to be herself and she wanted to stop being cruel. Of course she's nice. She was given the space to be so.

Chloe is never given that support.

Chloe doesn't know how to be kind. She doesn't know how to be nice.

But the greatest tragedy is Chloe does know how to be GOOD.

Out of all the heroes, besides Chat, to a lesser degree Alya, and Alix and Luka by nature of their Miraculous, Chloe shows the most agency as a superhero. All the other heroes have their hands held by Ladybug. She tells them what to do, to an overly specific degree, and they are just bodies to use a tool. Chloe? Chloe acts on her own. To good and bad effect. Discounting the whole Queen Wasp break down, just when Chloe is actually acting as a superhero, she doesn't wait for Ladybug to tell her everything all the time. She calls out to her father, which was a mistake, but then there is every other time she's Queen Bee...

And she's fantastic at it.

Miraculer, she almost had Mayura's Miraculous.

Star Train, she gets people away from the Akuma.

In Bakerix, she's the last the to leave the train car.

In Ladybug, she's defending Sabrina.

In Style Queen, played Style Queen in an effort to find a way to save Adrien.

In Heroes Day, she is a great teammate. Keep in mind, everyone on the team knows who Chloe is. Ladybug was desperate and doesn't fully trust Chloe as a general rule. Rena Rouge and Carapace definitely don't trust her at all. Chat Noir is the only one who believes in Chloe as a person.

And yet, throughout the entire fight, Chloe is keeping up and picking up the slack with everyone else. She fights, she keeps civilians from being hurt, her synergy is on fire despite the lack of trust. When Rena Rouge and Carapace go down, she is quick to try and protect them and even after two EXTREMELY dangerous Akuma show up by way of her parents, who are both gunning for her real hard, she holds her own for a while and even then, she had to be mind controlled to stop and to feel negative emotions. It took FOUR AKUMAS gunning for her specifically to corrupt her, akums who are made to mess her up mentally to boot. When they confront Gabriel at the end, she prepares venom without being asked, to have a back up for taking him down. She makes decisions and when she was trusted to act as a hero, they are largely good ones.

And she never once complained about the mental hardship of what she went through. Because that's the thing, all her times as Queen Bee are super intense. They are her loved ones she's fighting, they are incredibly powerful Akumas. She fought a frickin' army.

And everyone...

Just insults her.

She risked her life for people and no one cared.

She fought her family and no one cared.

Chloe doesn't know how to be nice. Nor kind. But she was so good. And while the next day, people appreciated her, it was only a day.

And the tragedy is Chloe didn't immediately go back to being a bully. After Despair Bear, Chloe's bullying habits took an extreme nose dive. We only see her being unreasonably cruel a few times. After Maledikator, the only time is when she bullies Aurore and when she teamed up with Marinette, but also Marinette was with her and they were both doing it for fear of losing Adrien reasons. Not reasonable, but also not just to be cruel and honestly, her plan was fairly benign. She wanted Kagami to leave, not even humiliate her. And even Aurore is because Chloe was reaching the point she did in Miraculer where she was doubting Ladybug's trust in her and as she is want to do, she lashed out.

Most of the time when we see Chloe, what we see is her bragging about being Queen Bee. Which, sure, isn't a great thing...

But better a braggart than a bully. And when things go wrong, she tries to use her status to help reassure and guide people, which is actually a pretty good idea. Akumas are attracted to negative emotions. If she can reassure them, then less likely of them getting akumatized. It may be bragging, but it could help.

Chloe may not have been picture perfect nice, but we literally have an entire classroom full of perfectly nice people. She may not be humble, but bragging is not a damnable offense. But Chloe was legitimately trying to be a better person. She put herself in between others and danger. She had faith and belief that there were solutions. Even without the Miraculous, she tried to help people.

She may have wanted appreciate and gratitude for it, but what's even sadder is she didn't require it.

Chloe believed in Ladybug for a long time. She believed Ladybug would trust her again. She believed she could be given a Miraculous again, and all on her own, ALL ON HER OWN, she was trying to be a better person.

Its actually amazing how good Chloe was being despite the fact no one was helping her.

Because that is the thing.

Zoe got support and help.

Chloe didn't.

Every. Single. Time. Chloe tried to do something different, something not cruel, she is rejected. She tries to join the art club and she's mocked out of it. She tries to be class representative, a job no one else wanted for years, and she loses it as soon as someone did challenge her. She auditions, legitimately, for a music video, with eight years of practice, and she loses it because she isn't nice enough.

She stops bullying, tries to be a reassuring presence, and she is treated with suspicion and derision.

And still.

And STILL.

That isn't what breaks her.

What breaks her is the realization the only time where her efforts were appreciated was taken away. And even then, she holds onto the pieces. Holds onto hope that maybe she would be given a new chance.

Her parents are in danger. The reason she was given she couldn't be a hero is because she and her loved ones would be in danger.

Except her loved ones were in danger.

She was in danger.

Not having a Miraculous didn't change anything. It didn't keep them safe, it didn't keep her safe.

And its only then, after months of no one believing in her for more than two days, of no one holding out their hand, helping her, supporting her, believing her, with the one person she thought DID believe in her proved that she didn't believe in her, and couldn't even give her the safety that not having a Miraculous was supposed to bring.

For months, Chloe only thought Ladybug believed she could be good.

Adrien wanted her to be less cruel, but Chloe knew her being good wasn't necessary for him.

Nor was it for Sabrina.

But Ladybug?

Ladybug needed her to be good to believe in her, and she thought Ladybug did.

Chloe was able to largely bite back her desires to lash out at people based purely on the fact one person, ONE SINGULAR PERSON, needed her to be good, and believed in her ability to be so. It got her derision. It got her suspicion. It got people comparing her to villains. It got her dismissal. But she still tried. She still believed.

A person who didn't really believe in Chloe very much.

And there is also the Watsonian argument that Marinette doesn't owe it to Chloe to help her improve AND THIS IS INCREDIBLY VALID and honestly, in a perfect world, it would be great if it was Adrien who helped Chloe improve.

Or you know, Zoe. Someone who has a clean slate with Chloe and understands where she's coming from and could help her.

But no, this is the Marinette Has To Solve Everything Show.

So from a Doylist view, it IS Marinette who has to help Chloe, but also the Watsonian problem could be helped if it was CLEARLY ESTABLISHED that Marinette knows she doesn't HAVE to help Chloe, and people aren't pressuring her to do so (coughBustiercough) because that is a bad message...

But Marinette can CHOOSE to help her and make that clear.

Because Marinette has seen a lot of Chloe and could understand that she really does just need a little more help. That Chloe needed just a bit more support and help. And, you know, didn't actively encourage Chloe to please her abuser.

But we're going from the Doylist view and we can solve the Marinette being the one to help Chloe problem by not having it be Marinette, but LADYBUG.

And this?

This is why I say Chloe was entitled to a Miraculous.

Because Chloe is the reality of the stance of the show, and so helping her problem with the metaphors would go a long way.

You see, Chloe doesn't know Ladybug is Marinette. And Marinette knows being Ladybug means being the bigger person. Ladybug believes in people. Ladybug helps everyone she can. Its not about the victim helping their bully, its the superhero choosing to help someone who NEEDS HELP.

Chloe is stuck in her situation. Her mother will always be emotionally abusive. Her father will always be an enabler. She can try to change, but no one will BELIEVE in her change. She will be derided and mocked and treated poorly because no one is willing to give her the chance to grow, and they certainly won't help.

Frankly, its a miracle that Chloe's Akumas are so merciful.

Because Banana Queen is the most destructive of Chloe's Akuma forms. Most of Chloe's Akuma forms don't care about HURTING people. They care about WINNING. She either wants to win or for people to just listen to her.

But give Chloe the Bee Miraculous, and suddenly things change.

Chloe feels like she has OPTIONS as Queen Bee. She doesn't feel she has to meet her mother's expectations as much if she's Queen Bee. She has people who trust and depend on her. At least right after she saves people, she gets a little praise, a little belief.

And people may say being a hero for glory and attention is a bad thing, but the thing is, Chloe's need for glory and attention is about being ACKNOWLEDGED. As feeling like people value and care about her. This is a BASIC HUMAN NEED and she doesn't know another way to get it. Its not like she's demanding physical things for her heroics.

She just wants to be appreciated.

By giving Chloe a Miraculous, she is given the tools to try and be good. She is given an escape from her situation. She is given SUPPORT in her efforts because the other heroes have to support her.

And over time...

That trust will grow.

Because what Chloe doesn't know, all her classmates are the other heroes.

And suddenly, all her classmates will see her as a different person. They will see what she's like when the chips are down. How much effort she's willing to put in. How seriously she takes the job.

Is she still a braggart? Sure. Is she still rude as hell? Absolutely.

But she will risk it all to help people, without asking for anything in return except a little faith.

Chloe is entitled to a Miraculous.

Because her story without a Miraculous is a story of a little girl who no one wanted to help, who were unwilling to offer her help because she lashed out while trying to survive a situation she couldn't escape, and because it wasn't super charged by a terrorist, she was deemed unworthy of it and instead deserving of isolation and constant emotional abuse.

But with a Miraculous?

Chloe is a girl who, when given a little faith, a little trust, a little help, returned it tenfold. Who puts her all in trying to be the best hero she could be. Is she imperfect? Sure. But she's giving it her all. (And frankly, she's spicy and it makes for entertaining character dynamics. You can have a character be a jerk and good, tsunderes are popular for a reason.) And as she gets more trust, as she gets more help, as she is offered that hand of help over and over again, she would continue to improve.

And as she's given power, she uses that same faith to figure out how to offer her hand to others. To help them. To spare them the same pain she suffered.

Because that is what given to the Akuma victims. They are given a little help, and a little power to break free of their magically abusive mindsets.

To have someone go from the continuing the cycle of abuse to someone who would save other people from that?

That is a real superhero story.

Chloe is undeserving from a Watsonian perspective.

But she's so very deserving from a Doylist perspective.

[captainlexapro]

hang on. I just need to talk about quinn's autograph for a minute because i have so much appreciation for the effort and intention he puts into it. (also i love linguistics/language/writing and how people sign their name is actually very interesting to me)

Been thinking about this (x) article from 2021 (and also very much demko saying "thoughtful" for his one word to describe huggy at the nhl awards this year. demmer u don't understand the implications of what you just said).

teammates chirping quinn for being a slow at signing because it's not a scribble or an unintelligible flourish...but he straight up doesn't give a fuck what they think because HE wants HIS signature to be easily distinguishable for FANS. like the awareness of how special that stuff can be for people. 💙 antoine agreeing that "you should always be able to tell the name without the number." YES!!! YOU GET IT!! (don't get me wrong, there can be iconic autographs that aren't legible whatsoever but idk. to me it's something about how it's a name and i'd like to be able to read it. it's so personal and a scribble doesn't feel personal).

i wanted to see how his signature has changed/progressed over the years, so i dug around a bit to see where he's landed at this point. let's back up to the beginning!

2018 (screenshot from this vid) -

huggy's first official nhl signature!!

his draft day signature shows he's still fully spelling out his first name. it also looks just very. teenage boy who can't do cursive.

BUT the elements are already there - heavy on the Qu, the Hu, (new nickname Q-hoo? like yoohoo? no? fine.) and the s. starting to stylize the gh.

*side notes: Qu is such a rough first letters pairing rip... it's a distinct shape. printing Q doesn't flow easily into the u while cursive Q is ugly (in my opinion) and idk if a lot of people actually know what a true cursive Q looks like (hint: it looks like a 2). also, "quinn" is hard just because it's SEVEN vertical elements back to back. i honestly think doing it in cursive requires more focus than printing. hughes is fun because it has the high and low elements right next to each other, which he emphasizes.*

2019 (nhl debut) -

oh boy. sill very choppy. still have those main elements of emphasis happening.

i feel like he probably hadn't started worrying about his signature yet (this was his first game, to be fair).

not a lot of connectivity (especially in Hughes)

the n has hints of what it will become later, though, which is cool to see!

2021 (from article)-

only writing Quinn now (only one dot for an i). maybe to speed it up, maybe just bc that's the nickname he goes by, maybe both.

seeing the connecting line/stroke between the g and h more prominently

s is looking more stylized as well

i think he's picking up the pen a fair amount still (maybe up to 8 or 9 strokes in this one?). so yeah, i'm sure it took a while compared to others...

2022 (from this silly vid)-

this is kind of not a 'true' signature to me bc 1) given the nature of the video i kind of doubt he would have put 100% effort into it (complete lack of stylized s) and 2) you can tell the surface/pen combo isn't great - see the jaggedness on the gh?

this is the most ~scribbly~ version i saw. like i said, idk if i really count this one but i don't want to dig around forever to find a confirmed 2022 signature

regardless, he seems to have sped it up and is better at the cursiveness aspect. Most of it is connected - i'd guess 5 total strokes for that version.

2023 (from wallpapers on the canucks' insta)-

definitely more committed to a "look"

Qu is kind of aggressive lol and the gh stroke isn't super smooth either. HOWEVER it is 100% a stylistic element he focuses on. also it's fast to connect them, so it probably feels pretty natural. just needed more practice on keeping that stroke aligned.

officially no dotting of the i anymore - just swooping up high (again, probably helps with speed)

we have the fully stylized s! i'm actually very fond of that part because lots of people will let the last letters fall to the wayside and basically just draw a line. he's kinda doing that a smidge with the n. but there's intention on the s and it looks very nice!

2023/2024 (from canucks' wallpapers & inhousemade insta)-

here we have our latest iteration

I reallyyy like the finishing on the n - it matches well with how he does the s, which is so pretty. such a fun letter to write lol

i think the gh line has been fully mastered at this point. and it's a good way to keep his signature legible but still give it a unique flair. not everyone's signature/name has that type of line so ppl can pick his name out rather easy i would guess.

i think huggy's probably settled on autograph style/look at this point. but i will still keep an eye out to see if he decides to try a new element!

thanks for reading and hopefully you found this mildly interesting ☺️

[respectthepetty]

I'm here to report on the colors in episode four of Wandee Goodday, but first a few stray thoughts like I have another image to add to my collection of Yak looking at Dee crazy,

yet still going along with whatever Dee wants.

Also, Yak being bothered that Dee didn't immediately think of him as a friend was a good beat in establishing the "friend" portion of their benefits. They are friends who share their lives with each other and scheme together, and I'm glad the show is explicitly stating that.

Because the way the conversation began paralleled the way Yak wants to approach Taem about their relationship - What are we? "Are we datin'? Are we fuckin'? Are we best friends? Are we somethin' in between that?"

But also the nurse stating Yak must care a lot for his lover to get the vaccine and Yak looking immediately at Dee was perfection because 1) safe sex isn't just about you but about the people you are sleeping with,

2) you shouldn't be ashamed of caring about sexual health, so even if you hide behind queer pamphlets, drink water, get the shot, wear the condoms, and use the lube. Also, PrEP isn't just for men just like HPV vaccinations aren't just for women, and

3) it showed that Yak does care enough about DEE, his lover, to take their sexual health seriously -> Yak is on that Bed Friend's King level of sexy, and I'd go through the entire Kama Sutra with them both once all our test results came back clear.

Translations are always iffy but Ter mentioning that Dee wasn't thinking about his professional persona while Yak reminded Dee to not include his face in the pictures and Yei mentioned his brother being fine with Cher when they first started dating gives me hope that this show is going to lean more into the layers of being out because even though that "666" told me Ter was el diablo, he continues to make comments like that and Golf's other show, The Eclipse (which has been featured often in this show) was very much about (not) passing and levels of outness.

Yei and Yak's dad was a world champion boxer, yet he wasn't mentioned in this mom-focused episode and the mom is the one who opened the gym, so is the space that Cher and Yei are giving Yak to figure his feelings out something they weren't given by the father? Because Cher was worried about the pressure Yei was putting on Yak to move up a class.

And if the gym was the mom's, with all of its yellow, is Yak really like his mom as Dee assumed?

Because putting the opening scenes in black and white is an easy flashback technique, but in this particular story, where Yak and his mom are bright yellow, it was a painfully good choice to take the color and brightness out of the scene.

And it was an even better choice to parallel Dee comforting Yak in the same way Yak comforted him with a warmer (yellow) light than his normal purple one.

Because Dee is already in his feelings about Yak without realizing how deep he was, which is why he is wearing a soft yellow while Yak is wearing Dee's fake blue.

When they practiced what Yak would say to Taem, Dee thought about all their moments together, so he is falling quickly, while the signs are pointing out that Yak isn't there yet.

But I wouldn't be there either if I was still daydreaming about this beautiful goddess who always rescues Yak with her brilliance, sassy personality, singular focus, and yellow folders, but that sounds a lot like someone else.

A Purple Prince who is also brilliant and focused on winning but wild and sassy. Good to know Yak has a type. (Sidenote: the music choices swinging between romantic to tension-filled as the scene flipped between Taem and Dee was another great choice)

Because Taem is taken, even if not officially. She matches her guy. She had on a dark brown and black shirt, so he had on a dark brown cardigan with a black tie.

And she had on a brown-striped shirt with a black star, and he had on a brown jacket with black writing and a black tie.

Then again, Dee is no consolation prize. Not looking like that at least.

No wonder Yak is conflicted about what he feels when he looks at Dee because he most certainly is sexually attracted to him because *duh* who wouldn't be attracted to Dee (TER!), but as they sit in Yak's black and yellow room, it becomes more apparent that whatever he is feeling isn't just sexual desire.

And when Dee scratches his back just like his mom used to while tutoring him, it starts to become clearer that Dee, wearing his necklace, and in orange which is sooooo close to yellow fits easily into his life. (Sidenote: Together with Me taught me that in Thai, being itchy is slang for being horny, so good for this show and its layers)

Dee works so well in Yak's life that Yak is willing to get three shots to continue to have sex with him which can take anywhere from eight months to over a year to complete because each dose is spaced out by at least two-to-six months. Basically, Yak committed to a long-term plan . . . with Dee, who is chilling in his yellow-striped shirt.

So it's not surprising that Yak is wearing a deeper blue next week as he holds Dee on the couch since he is far more invested in this fake relationship than he originally intended.

I could write 5,000 more posts about them and this episode which I probably will.

But know that even though the blue Yak is wearing is getting deeper, I will not be satisfied until it turns into purple.

That's when I'll know they are both in love.

[monalogs]

how about jealously with randal n reader? :3 like reader is jealous that randal is hanging out with satoru more than her while dreaming so reader hangs out with sebastian, making randal jealous ?? sorry for my bad english, its not my first language :))

Jelly | Randal Ivory

➷ Paring - Randal Ivory x Fem!Reader [Randal's Friends / Ranfren]

➷ CWs - master/pet play, fingering, unsafe sex, praise, licking/biting, possessive tendencies, jealousy

a/n - exams have been a bit occupying unfortunately :( i still have a lot of concepts and requests i want to get to, you guys have awesome ideas and i love seeing them in my inbox !! u should see my google docs rn lol

It's hard to not scoff when Randal wakes up and immediately starts talking about his dream. It's become an annoyingly common thing now ever since Randal informed you about his little dream friend, Satoru Tsukada. Even seeming disappointed when he doesn't get a dream with him in it.

Almost every night he snuggles up against you in his coffin, nibbling at your ear and whispering cheekily, “I really hope you come into my dream tonight, imagine the fun we’d all have!” He pulls you closer, elating how proximity raises the chances of this happening.

You suck in any annoyance and nod because you're still his good pet. Though, internally you fight the urge to roll your eyes and admit “I don't really care about that guy.”

A gripping feeling twists in your stomach each morning when you wake up without the shared lucidity, hearing about all the fun Randal had that night.��

Sheepishly, you push it down and let him talk. 

Though, you tune out most of it – for your sake, as an overwhelming feeling of envy washes over you whenever you do pay attention to his words. 

A thought reverberates about not being enough for him. Is the novelty of a new friend enough to push you away? It's not like you don't already share Randal’s attention. Sebastian exists, of course. 

You two got along well enough, much to Randal’s satisfaction. Though, you admit that your focus lied more on the unpredictable gakuran-clad young man.

And despite your initial standoffish attitude when Sebastian was gifted to Randal, you quickly learned he wasn't a threat at all. He just had some unfortunate circumstances and ended up here.  

Therefore, you didn't have to fight for attention and Sebastian seemed to appreciate that you were at least cordial to him. Nobody was in the way.

So maybe this is why you have so much more of a problem with this Satoru character. You don't know him, and the only way you could is completely up to chance. 

How do you compete with that? Based on Randal’s stories, they tend to have a ball of a time. You really try to convince yourself that you're better, that you're overthinking and Randal isn't losing interest in you. 

But at night, when his arms wrap around your body, it's clear his mind is somewhere else. Satoru is a part of him, always in the dream-plane, waiting for him with open arms. Somewhere where you aren't.

Jealousy ten-folds and insecurity festers within as time goes on. Your own stressed voice tells you to relax, but an even louder one continues to complain. 

On a day where Randal is occupied with Luther, leaving you and Sebastian alone in the house, you can't seem to keep it in anymore.

Words seep out of your mouth, “Am I doing something wrong?” It's quiet and Sebastian immediately looks uncomfortable. 

“Um… with what?” He shifts in his seat in the living room, avoiding eye contact with you. He's not to blame, you rarely had conversations that didn't involve Randal. Maybe you should have put more of an effort to get to know him before dumping this on him. Still, you continue. 

“I don't know, what if Randal doesn't like me anymore?” You speak softly, but the candidness is clear. Sebastian isn't used to this vulnerability, he was just brainstorming an attempt to escape (again) but now he has to comfort you… 

Thing is, he doesn't know how to do that. Maybe he would feel more sympathetic if Randal wasn't a complete freak, (he still doesn't understand your affinity for the young man) but you haven't done anything bad to him. He doesn't want to be rude to the only normal enough person here.

“He definitely likes you.” Which is the truth, anybody with eyes could see the relationship dynamic. You always doted behind Randal, doing anything he asked of you. And Randal was more than happy to have you crawl around for him if it meant you’d get a kiss.

It goes to say that you might seem more like a lover to Randal than a pet. He thinks himself lucky for not walking in on you guys yet…

Which might be why he was taken by Luther, Randal probably finds it more fun to torment and bother someone who wasn't as willing as you–

“Wait… I dont– I don't want to steal Randal from you! I actually want to get out of here–” He stammers before you cut him off with a laugh. A change in tone, good sign. “I know that, don't worry.” 

Sebastian sighs and relaxes a bit, but still fidgets with the white sleeves of his god awful outfit. It then clicks it might be about that dream guy Randal hasn't stopped boosting about recently. He almost certainly wants to roll his eyes. “Is it Satoru?” 

Immediately, you jump up and grab at Sebastian’s arms. “You see it too, right?! It's so annoying, I’m so sick of hearing about it every morning! We haven't even met the guy, but apparently they are best friends. Fucking stupid.”

Sebastian nodded along to your words. To him, it was annoying but it also occupied the eccentric weirdo. Better he’s entertained by Satoru than him. Still, he lets you complain, and it becomes evident to just how much this was eating you up inside.

You both don't realize how time has passed until Randal stampers into the room with an ominous black bag that is dripping green slime. Neither of you question it. 

“Whatcha’ talking about?” He swings the bag over his shoulders and nearly falls back with the force, catching himself.

Sebastian notices how you immediately smile at Randal despite the complaining you've been unloading onto him for the past couple hours, how ironic. “O-Oh, nothing much. How was your outing with Luther?” 

Randal shrugs and then drops the bag onto the couch, undoubtedly staining it with the goopy substance. Luther will have a problem with that later. 

“Within bounds. Now I’m just tired… how about we go to sleep!” He says it more like an order than a suggestion.

Your smile immediately drops, “It's like 6PM.” 

“Actuallyyyy, 6:38.”

---

You want to smack yourself for not being more welcoming to Sebastian, he actually isn't that bad of a guy. He’s still a bit awkward, (he seems to constantly radiate it) and he has no shame in expressing to you how he wants to escape the house. You giggle and give him a “good luck with that”

Still, he's easy to talk to with the ever growing free time you have now. Though, despite your attitude, a part of you still craves to be around Randal.

You wish you could prod into his brain and yank Satoru out of there. If he really wants Randal, he can fight you for it. You doubt he’s even strong outside of the stupid dream-plane he lives in. 

Unfortunately, you haven't been paying attention to the conversation with Sebastian, and now he's pausing for your reply. Sweat dropping, you let out a laugh, hoping it fits as a response.

He stares, “You think my goldfish getting run over is funny?” 

“No, no, I don't– wait? Run over? How’d–” 

The bewildered sentence doesn't get the chance to finish before the sensation of oddly cold, but familiar, hands wrap around your waist and drag into an adjacent room. 

“Randal– what do you want?” It comes out more harsh than you expected, and you can see the slight grimace on Randal’s face. 

His hands leave your waist, now folding across his chest, “Long time no see.” You fight the urge to roll your eyes, “Well, you've been a bit busy.”

Randal pauses before letting out a big laugh, “Doll, I always have time for you!” A traitorous blush spreads across your face, huffing, “Doesn't look like it.”

Randal steps a bit closer, “I thought Sebastian was keeping you plenty company.” His lips tug upward, “You two have gotten close, that's cute.”

His eyes contrast his smile, there's a clear coat of irk behind them. Holy shit, is he… jealous? You perk up, suddenly gaining some confidence… and leverage. 

“Yeah, we talk.” You show him a coy smile, his eye twitches for a second. “Awesome… about what, exactly? Tell me all the deets.”

“Oh, y’know.” 

“I don't, I literally don't.”

“What does it matter?” You hum cheekily before adding, “Anyways, isn't it past your bedtime right now?"

It was far too bold, but god, did it feel good to say. Randal reacts accordingly by pinning you against the wall. He's peeved, and you should really be scared, but you can't help but buckle at the proximity.

Randal’s voice is unusually low, his eyes staring into yours, “You’ve forgotten who you're talking to, doll. I think I need to remind you, heheh.”

Your confidence is beginning to crumble, but you still manage to get a reply out through quivering lips, “Sebastian is right outside.” Randal grins, “Good.”

A gloved hand trails your torso before it finds its way under the hem of your shorts and underwear, tugging them down and past your ankles. You have to hold back a gasp when a cold finger circles the pearl of your clit.

Randal draws closer, his hot breath pressed against your neck. A warm tongue laps up and down the side before teeth bite down and suckle on your sensitive skin.

Adrenaline and ache build as the latex of his fingers push into your entrance, pumping in and out of you. “Randal–” A moan gets caught in your throat when he speeds up slightly, angling upwards with his movements. 

Randal rasped, continuing to mark your neck with bites and hickeys, “No-no, pet, you know my name.” 

You do, “Master, please, m-more!” It’s shameless, and it’s aloof to how upset you were earlier. Now, you burn for more, bucking onto the length of his fingers.

You couldn't help but surrender to the overwhelming emotions – the hold he had over you was a force you couldn't deny, and certainly not control. There isn't anything holding you back from this. Not Satoru, not Sebastian, not even yourself.

Randal’s mouth hovers over yours, words tracing quivering lips, “That's right,” He grinds his erection against the tender flesh of your front, “ah–, let me hear those pretty noises!”

His touch only accentuates the pure excitement washes over the both of you, neither being able to remove sweaty hands off one another. 

Randal pins you further, hiking your legs up around his waist. His exposed cock rubs against your slick and pleading heat, relishing in the intoxicating shudder of your body. 

Your head rests on his shoulder, mouth agape as fingers tug at his hair, “S-Stop teasing!” 

You wrap your legs around him tighter in any attempt to heighten the friction, and Randal responds by gripping the bottom of your ass harder, “So needy, aren't you? Is that why you’ve been in such a mood? Can’t– ah, can’t handle not being the center of my attention? So jelly!”

An onslaught of groans fill the room, sputtering and begging for more. Randal grins against your neck, “Hah, how about you show me how much you need me?”

Randal then puts you down and pulls away, ignoring your whines about the wait. He shuts you up by motioning you to where he now sits, legs spread with his cock erect in his lap. 

Sweaty gloves hold onto your waist as you eagerly hover over his lap, “Can I? Can I, master, please?” Randal gives you a dopey smile, leaning to kiss your cheek, “I love it when you beg!” You groan and rut against him impatiently, “Oh, oh, yeah – get to it, pet.”

He’s right, you are incredibly needy. Despite all the sass and complaints, you truly can't help but rut into him. 

For now, you’ve completely given up any resentment towards Randal, instead relishing in the awaited pleasure he's giving you. A choir of slapping skin, moans, and praise cascade on the walls with pure want and need behind them. 

Your eyes never leave his, with Randal out right refusing to blink. He lays out under you, red spreads across his face, whether it blush or blood. His skin also glistens with sweat, downright uncomfortably sticky for any normal person. 

You aren't that type of person though, you're better than Satoru or Sebastian, or any other person he can waste his attention on. 

You want him to want you, like how you do him. Truly, you’ll take everything he gives and only ask for more.

Randal’s fingers start to dig into your hips, but he's nice enough to let you keep your own pace, encouraging your incredibly desperate movements. 

“Good pet,” His fingers dig even deeper, his own hips thrusting fervently against yours, “show me how much you want this.” His eyes never leave your body, admiring the way you bounce and quiver. 

Randal finds it addicting and oh-so adorable how he can completely make you come undone around him. He thinks himself kind for letting yourself prove how much you love him, but there really wasn't anything to worry about in truth.

He knows you’re so loyal, constantly aching just for him. But he still saw those sideways glances, how your mouth would pout, and the muttering between you and Sebastian. 

Your pettiness, though annoying, was because you missed your cute master… enough that you confided in Sebastian, leaving him out in turn. 

He can admit he got a bit caught up during his time with Satoru, but he's thankful now that he's reminded that nothing compares to how you surrender yourself to him. Randal knows you are his. He’ll make sure to show you time and time again.

Randal arches and humps into you, licking his upper lip to taste the blood that rests on it. Your own grip lies on his hips in an attempt to keep balance, the pace becoming feverish and hard to keep up. 

You croak out, feeling the knot in your abdomen grow tighter and tighter, “I think–” Randal eagerly nods, the twitch of his cock evident.

Your thighs quake, loud moans echoing off the vintage wallpaper of the room, orgasm ripping through you. Randal pushes his fingers into your hips one last time and follows suit, writhing under you.

Immediately, you allow yourself to rise a bit and lay on top of the young man, feeling how his rapidly breathing lungs press against your own. 

With labored breath, you choke out, “Can you… just spend more nights with me?” It's shy compared to the actions seconds earlier, but you still hold onto Randal’s form with that same desire. 

Randal laughs, slapping your bare ass cheekily, “If you wanted my attention,” He licks your earlobe, a hand resting on your waist, “You could’a just asked, doll.” 

You huff but still lean into his touch, pausing for a second before asking another question,

“...Do you think Sebastian heard us?”

“One grillion precent.”

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA/WIBTA for attempting to learn ASL for a girl I like?

I work at a bar right off campus of my university and regularly perform (sing) when there aren't enough performers or acts to get us through a night. I like singing and making a big show, so this is fun for me. Also, this bar isn't strictly a queer/sapphic bar, but a lot of us are WLW and it's pretty well known around town so performing definitely gets me a lot of attention from a pretty quiet part of the queer community, if that makes any sense.

Anyways, there's this girl who also works at the bar, I'll call her Bri, and she's deaf. She's pretty good at reading lips, so we've had conversations before, but really we just see each other around. She works in the back on like numbers and business stuff (I honestly have no idea what she does) but she'll come out and watch me perform sometimes. She has such a nice smile and the way she's able to focus and pay such apt attention to anything she needs to is so inspiring. Basically, I like her a lot.

I live in the Inland Empire, so getting ASL lessons was super easy. I've been going since the semester started a little over a month ago and I'm really proud of the progress I've made. I haven't attempted to talk to Bri yet, I want to get better, but I've talked to some of my friends/coworkers about how I'm learning ASL for her and am planning on doing a live ASL interpretation of Oh Darling by the Beatles when I get good enough (Bri commented that she liked my performance of the song, so I wanted to bring it back.)

Jesus Christ this is long anyways I was telling people about my plan thinking they'd compliment me for being cute and romantic and like try to help me surprise her but instead, everyone told me I was being insensitive to her disability and tokening her by making her deaf-ness so central to my attraction to her. I didn't think I was doing this, I thought this was more of a gesture to show how I like her despite our communication barrier? I don't know, I've started really overthinking it.

Another thing I've started wondering is if doing this performance (which I've already started working on) would be manipulative since I've never outright asked Bri if she likes me, even though I'm 1000% sure she does, she asks about me and we get along and yeah I'm really sure she does but I guess I don't know for absolute sure so on the chance that she doesn't like me, would this whole thing be a way of me pressuring her into liking me since I've put so much effort in without telling her?

I'm really lost. I really like this girl and I want to do something big and grand. I've also really fallen in love with American Sign Language and the process of learning it. The idea of making Bri uncomfortable because I don't know what it's like to be deaf/have a disability is really making me rethink all of this. Any advice please.

What are these acronyms?

[thesensteawitch]

About Your Future Potential Partner!🌹❤️

Pick A Pile Reading

~valentine's special ✨

(Left to Right - Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3)

Hello, Senstea Souls! 🌹

Thank you for the love you gave to my last blog! I am so grateful for all the reblogs!✨

Now, this reading is about your future potential partner.

This reading is purely based on your current energy. So the partner that comes out is based on your current energy/life situation.

Valentine's day is coming and if you wish to attract the right kind of love then book “finding true love reading” only at $10. Below I am sharing the links:

💌Booking Form|My Rate Card|Tip My Blog💌

Pile 1

Tarot Cards- 10 of cups, The Wheel of Fortune, 3 of Cups, 4 of Wands, 10 of Pentacles, Judgement, 5 of Wands

Hello, my beautiful, pile 1. I literally have tears in my eyes right now! I AM FEELING SO SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU! What I am about to say might feel unbelievable to you too. I just saw 10 of cups I was like wow. And then I saw 10 of pentacles and there was another wow. And then I read in a card, “You're very close to achieving your goals!” And currently, I hear, “I have waited long enough to finally say ‘I do’.....I swear I always knew. It's always been you!” There are other favorable cards too in this pile. So I see one thing very clearly an old relationship or a situation where you already knew this person is being renewed!!!!! My God! And I'll tell you why I had tears in my eyes. It's because I feel you had no hope. For you, it was over. Some of you even felt like or still feel that you have been on a waiting period for a very very very long time now. And even if it hasn't been that long it did feel that way. This person is going to bring the world to your feet. They will be looking for stability and something long-term. You've been in this period of recovery and finding yourself. I see rebirth! Wheels will be turning again and this time will bring a book into your love life. You'll finally have this partner for the long term. The only thing that I feel may stop you is the thought of the past because I see that things didn't go so well with this person in the past. You have so many doubts. You aren't capable of trusting them again. 10s and 20s may be significant. Everything will fall in place with this person again at divine timing. (If any of you guys' relationship has been toxic and you don't want them back in your life then this is not your pile my dear. I suggest you to choose another one.) For some of you, I also see that in the past there was third-party involvement and insecurities from one or both ends. Now let's talk about this person. Though I don't think that I have to tell you about who they are still I'll tell you about their intentions. They are looking for a family with you. They see both of you as an end game. I also sense that they are very emotional. I also sense that they are hardworking and care a lot about financial stability. If nothing's happening right now then know that they are exhausted with their life. But when their true nature is quite playful. I think they are going through something challenging right now and are trying to resolve some things in their personal lives. You're being advised to not think too much and surrender this situation to God. Energetically you need to let go of something from the past to let something new enter. I also hear, “They didn't even put up a fight. They didn't even make a sound. I found a way to let you in but I never really had doubt. Standing in the light of Halo I got my angel now.” You're just not supposed to do anything about this situation. Just focus on yourself. That's what the universe wants you to do. Don't even stay in the waiting energy. Just surrender! Book a reading with me if you want to manifest your true love. The reading is only for $10.

Pile 2

Tarot Cards- The Devil, Knight of Swords, Queen of Swords, 2 of Wands, Page of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles

The first thing I heard was that your future potential partner is not going to make you wait at all!!!! They are going to be so assertive and will follow you like crazy. Don't worry they won't stalk you, haha! They will have pure intentions! But I see they love to talk and love to say things out loud. They will be the kind of person who is always up to something. They will just see you and they will know that you are their person. You will travel with them a lot. They will be someone who takes no pride in going after what they want. They won't be egoistic at all. They can be quite blunt or brutally honest at times. But as quick they will be it will take a lot of time for them to finally have you. Their manifestations take time to come to fruition. They are someone who will have big dreams! They will be quick learners and will have a lot to talk about. They may also be drawn towards spirituality or their path will take them that road. I also sense that they will be someone who is always outdoors, enjoying life. They are so so so outspoken! Their talk will just blow your mind and your heart will race listening about their wonderland. I also hear a message from them, “If we go down then we go down together! We'll get away with everything let's show them we are better.” So I also sense that they won't want anything casual with you. Everyone will know about you and them. Participating in their wildest fantasies might scare you off or put you off guard. I also sense that deep down they have this fear of being left alone. That no one will ever join them in their crazy ideas. They won't be delusional. They will be someone who wants different things compared to the crowd. And it will be a quite transforming journey for you if you join them and I don't think you'll regret it. Their view of the world will be quite different. Though they will be fond of the sun there's a sun burning within them that lights up any room they enter. The challenge for you will also be to understand their wounds because that is what will make you irreplaceable in their lives. I also hear from them, “Nobody ever knows. Nobody ever sees. I left my soul back then and now I am too weak.” Their past relationships were too damaging for them. They can be someone with abandonment wounds. But I see they'll work through all their wounds they just need genuine connections. Because deep down they hold a lot of past wounds and they know what losing people truly means. Nevertheless, they will be a full package of love and light. Book a reading with me to manifest your person. The reading is only for $10.

Pile 3

Tarot Cards- Ace of Wands, Page of Wands, 6 of Cups, Ace of Cups, The Devil, The High Priestess, Wheel of Fortune

Hello, my beautiful pile 3. Silence by Marsmello is your future person's vibe. They will have strong water placement. They are so stuck in their past! They just hold onto what happened to them and only reveal bits and crumbs of their life. They will also have trust issues. I hear from them, “How do I love? How do I love again? How do I trust? How do I trust again? I stay up all night. Tell me I am alright...Every night I am dancing with your ghost.” For some of you, I also sense that this is someone who knows from your past. This future person can be a past life partner too. (If you were attracted to pile 1, do read it. I think it may have a message for you.) This person will look for escape rather than facing their wounds. They will be someone deeply wounded. A wild panther who has been hurt by many people. They can also be an overthinker. They'll be overflowing with emotions but won't know where to navigate them and how to express them. Some days they may burst out with sentimental words and then the other days they may just waste overthinking about every action of yours and theirs. Honestly, they'll be too naive when it comes to love. They will be so lonely and maybe someone who would give in to temptations or will just put themselves into lots and lots of work so that they can run away from their true emotions. You should be cautious dealing with this person, pile 3. There may be parts of yourself that you need to heal to not let this toxicity consume you. Because for some of you, I see that you may end up talking to them because they will be someone from the past, someone who was dear to you. No matter what their experience has been nobody deserves to take in other people's toxicity. So they can be someone who just pulls back their energy as soon as they see a single sign of danger. I do see major shifts happening in this situation when they enter your life. A lesson that you may need to learn from this person will be surfaced. It's very specific but I see that they can be someone who sings or something about their voice will be very captivating. I feel that you'll be someone who will be a blessing from the universe in their lives. They may or may not recognize it. Choosing you will make their lives better but ghosting you and avoiding you will only mean that they are missing out on a blessing they wished to have when they were at their lowest. What a tragedy! You've got nothing to do. You just be yourself. Walk away immediately when you're not valued. Keep yourself elated. You are the light that the world needs perhaps that will be your role in their lives. Wish them well but never let yourself down. Honestly, your light will trigger them because they would have been in darkness for such a long time. Just a warning, that they will change their mind often and you're not supposed to keep getting into on-and-off situations with them. Be very clear while communicating. They may even self-sabotage (already warning you). But it's okay. At least you'll know your answer and walk away. To attract the right kind of connection either through this same person or from someone else book “Finding True Love” reading with me only at $10.

[wiltkingart]

Do you have any advice on how 2 not overwork a drawing? Over-detailing my art (to the detriment of the final result) is a big weakness of mine, and ive been working on it lately, but simplifying my art is way harder than I thought itd be. I keep getting stuck in a mentality that less detail = less effort, even though all my struggling should prove that isnt true lol. & I almost always like my simpler drawings better, even though that makes me feel kinda lazy…as long as it’s fun tho, right? [1/2]

I’m asking here bc one of the things I adore about your work is how confident and striking your paintings feel. I really admire the way colors and shape language interact in your art…I always want to keep looking to see what I can find hidden in the details, but they don’t take away from the main focus of the image. How do you manage to strike that balance? [2/2] (sorry for the long question lol)

honestly this is still something i struggle with at times! but some things that have helped me are:

- identifying which parts i tend to overwork the most. for me thats faces so i have made it a conscious habit to render faces last. that way i can match my level of face rendering to the rest of the piece.

- working on all parts of the painting at once. some artists are able to work on a painting from section to section. this is not me, regardless of detail level. jumping around all over the place keeps me from focusing too hard on one section above others. i even take this one step further by working on 2+ paintings simultaneously but there is something wrong with me for this one i'll admit.

- staying zoomed out for as long i can. this goes in hand with the previous point but when you're zoomed out its easier to lay down the biggest/primary color blocks without the temptation to detail. once the main color blocks are nicely balanced its easier to pick out a few points of interest to add spots of detail to, and restrain myself to them. (easier said than done! but i try!)

- getting comfortable with backtracking / deleting overworked sections and layers. this might seem scary but this has saved my ass more times than you might think. i always save a version of my drawings before i merge everything / start rending so i can always copy over earlier sections if needed.

- cold turkey removing details from the equation for a while. i did this more from necessity than choice, because i was struggling with my health a few years back and had zero energy to sink into art for long hours. but looking on the bright side it helped me realize what details are/aren't necessary and how to build my features from big -> small. this progression of my patho art shows pretty well how i introduced details back into my work over time.

but yeah! sometimes i do still find myself creeping a little too close to overwork territory for comfort, even with all these safeguards in place. in that case i have to accept that not every piece i put out will be my 'best' and that perfection has no place in art. that's not the point of it!

simplifying forms isn't easy, the same way abstract art isn't lazy. but with all things it can be learned with enough practice. and if you decide at the end of it all that you still like drawing a lot details, it might be a matter of readjusting how / where you implement them. best of luck <3

[oreoov]

☆ ─ 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒, 𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 ..?

kazuha x gn!reader / fluffy fluff / modern au <3

synopsis ─ you and kazuha seem to be more than friends, but at the same time, none of you have ever confessed so .. what exactly are you guys ..?

warnings : the word "hell", lots of and lots of teasing, kissing (idk how to put warnings so im just putting anything that sounds bad to some people LMAO)

notes : HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAZUHA!! (im very late but we dont talk about that) btw u guys should read my other kazuha fic because it didn't wanna show on tags and it flopped so bad!!! 🤬🤬

you were confused, puzzled, bewildered. kazuha has hugged you, yes. hold hands? always. cuddled? yes .. kissed ..? maybe once or twice but never on the lips .. but he never confessed or confirmed anything.

or maybe close friends just do that right ..? right .......?????

thats what you were trying to figure out for the past hour in this oh, so boring math class. you were too focused you didn't even notice kazuha staring at your gaze.

"are you okay? you know, its quite strange to me that you've been focusing on class a lot more these past days .." he whispers with a faint chuckle as he continues to look at you with the soft gaze of his.

ah yes, totally focusing in class .. if only he knew what you were thinking about this entire time!

"you should focus too zuha! stop looking at me like that .." you mumbled out quitely, a soft tint of red slowly came to sight on your cheeks.

"mhm .. my bad, its kind of your fault for looking so cute though." he teases you once more before finally turning away from you, proceeding to focus onto class just like what you told him to do.

you blushed even more by the comment .. ahahah .. close friends definitely don't say stuff like that. so why hasn't he said anything about it yet? you wanted to smack kazuha in the face for leaving it so unclear! or maybe you were just blind.

the bell suddenly rang, class was dismissed. both you and kazuha headed out of class, off to the cafeteria. and of course, he interwined his soft hands with yours.

because of this simple action, many rumors about you both possibly dating has suddenly appeared day by day. and yet, even you didn't know the clear answer to that.

the thought of dating him was never a bad idea in your opinion. is he cute, adorable, and handsome? yes. is he loving and caring? yes. is he smart? yes. is he too friendly with others? maybe ... but is he boyfriend material? yes, YES, YEYSYEYSS. (mb for simping)

do you like him? yes ....

"do you want anything? i'll pay for you!" kazuha interrupted your thoughts once again as he asked you with his signature soft, gentle smile that was only reserved for you.

"uhh .. not really hungry right now, thanks for asking though!" you returned a smile to him before looking away into your surroundings again.

"wrong answer, love. ill get you your fav okay? go find a seat while i get your food." oh, what a gentleman, but .. he. called. you. "LOVE"?!?

you wanted to jump out of this world!! your face was so red and your heart is bouta explode! you swear that this is gonna be your last straw and you are going to confront him right now!!!

"u- uh .. oh uhm yeah, ill go sit over there alright? uhh ..." ahahha .. yes, totally confront him ...

you turned back, face was still red as hell as you approached the empty table you're going to sit at. you took a seat and covered your face with your hands.

you need to ask him about all this sooner or later. you couldn't bare another day like this, but what if he actually doesn't like you? and he was just doing those gestures as friends ..?

your mind kept running back and forth from the only two possibilities that there could be ; "hes only doing that as friends ..." or "he literally wants me so bad."

you sighed as you watch him approach you with your food. you thanked him for the food and started to dig in, but he wasn't eating ...

"aren't you going to eat anything ..." i looked at him with a confused and worried look. what a hypocrite smh ...

"im not hungry right now, dont worry!" he responds with his soft smile again which always manages to makes your heart melt.

"y- you ... ughh ... here, lets just share .. you damn hypocrite." you scoffed as you pushed your plate closer to the center of the table.

he chuckles at you, but he accepts the food either ways to avoid you worrying for him. he only a ate a little though .. since he knows you hate sharing your favorite food!

you both ate over with a conversation, talking with him was always so easy. somehow, there was never a time where there wasn't a topic to talk about .. another reason to date him .....

"ah- wait ... i gotta get my book at my locker after this. you wanna come?" kazuha asked as he took his last bite, and so did you.

"ohhh .. sure, actually im gonna get my book too!"

"alright then, let's go" he reached his hand out for you again as he stood up. that simple gesture was enough to make you blush again.

he brought you along the hallways, which was quite empty, as everyone was mostly at the cafeteria. maybe .. maybe this is a proper chance to ask him ..?

your hands started to get sweaty as you got more nervous just because of one simple question. and of course kazuha notices ... because thats just how he is!

"are you alright? you seem quite nervous .." he stopped walking to check up on you.

your heart instantly dropped as he asked if you were okay. this is the chance to confront him, and to get this all over with!! just 1 simple question ... you can do it!!!

"i- uhm .."

"yes? you what ?"

"kazuhawhatexactlyarewebecauseyoukeepconfusingmewithyouractionsbutyouneverconfessedanythingsoidkwhatsgoingon"

"uhh, sorry but .. could you perhaps .. speak slower?"

you sighed as you had to repeat everything you said to him again!! your heart was beating faster and faster by every second, it was about to explode ...

"w- what i asked was .. what exactly are we ..? you keep confusing me with your actions since you know .. im pretty sure friends dont act like this, right?" you looked down as you were in a blushing mess. he was even still holding your hand oh so gently.

he chuckles softly, he didn't even blink. it was as if he was already expecting this question. and he was waiting for you to ask! "well, what do you think we are silly?" he chuckles again.

"i- i dont know!! thats why im asking you!! you're the one thats silly ..." you scoffed at him as you let go of his hand.

he couldn't contain his laugh as he took both of your hands again. "then ill ask a different question, what do you want us to be ..?"

uh oh ... things were not supposed to go this way and he was definitely not supposed to ask you this question!!! "u- uhm .. i- i guess more than .. friend's ..?"

"oh, come on dear, im not accepting that as an answer. you should be more specific to avoid anymore confusion! tell me, do you want us to be friends, or lovers?" he smirked, he was enjoying teasing you a little too much ...

"y- you ..!! i- i want us to be .. lovers. alright? i said it so stop teasing me now, this is so embarrassing!!" you were surely gonna die from embarrassment, and it was all because of kazuha ...

he chuckles at you, he couldn't help it. "alright, alright ill stop, im sorryyy, i couldn't help it! you were too adorable for your own good ..."

he continues "but, im also sorry for leaving it unclear, my dear." he pats your head softly as he embraces you softly.

"s- so .. were like, dating .. i guess? uhm .." surely it felt awkward for you, but you were also relieved! atleast now you know that he feels the same.

he laughs in amusement because of your constant confusion "yes, yes we are my love. you know what? how about i give you a proper kiss incase you're still confused? do i have your permission to do that ..?"

"f- fine .."

(insert kissing scene cuz idk how to write one LMAO)

[chaithetics]

i absolutely adore your stewy fic and have re-read it 50 times already 😭😭 would love a small sequel based on the 9th episode of him supporting the reader during the funeral and butting in to defend her/hold when she breaks down without caring about what other think, im not kidding when i say i’ve read it 50 times i can’t believe i’ve found a fic this good that’s touched the part of my brain obsessed with stewy and starches it to well i adore you

Don't Let Me Go

Pairing: Stewy Hosseini x f (Roy) Reader

Word count: 2.9K

Author's note: THANK YOU SO MUCH NONNIE! I ADORE AND LOVE YOU! Every time I think about this request or read it, I'm kicking my feet and twirling my hair. This is so sweet and just the highest praise ever! WOW. I appreciate you, it was so sweet and I really hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think and feel free to message me! I love grief-related shows/movies (I love to be in my feels) so this was quite the interesting one. I apologise for any sadness this fic causes. I have more requests that aren't sad dw! Always open to Stewy requests as well. This can be read as a stand-alone/sequel to Furtive Hands. This also HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD lol. I hope you enjoy :)

Chapter/content warning: established/secret relationship, GRIEF, GRIEF, funeral, some fluff but just funeral grief and supportive Stewy.

The last week had been miserable, there was no other way to describe it or to do it justice. It should be raining, that would make sense for the funeral of such a commanding and depressing man, there also should’ve been thunder and lightning. Now that would’ve done justice for the thunderous man that your father was but maybe there was no thunder in the sky because it all left with him. 

You’re sitting in the backseat of the car with Shiv right in front of you as you wait for your brothers, both of the Roy daughters are dressed head to toe in black and a fine picture of grief. You’d gladly taken the backseat, it was worth the small risk of motion sickness, it meant it would be easier to distance yourself from any potential, yet inevitable drama. 

Shiv had a glassy expression that was hard to read, you picked up that there was something there that wasn’t just grief. You sat up a bit and leaned over closer, so your arms were resting on the back of her seat. 

“Are you okay?” You asked softly. 

Shiv’s head quickly turned to look at you, grief was there, some unshed tears in her eyes and she looked like a deer in headlights. Her lip trembled for a second and then she sighed and her blue eyes pierced yours. 

“Full disclosure…?” 

“Go.” You immediately replied and Shiv’s body moved more into your direction. 

“I really uh, fucked things up… Ken found out and Mencken, well he’s a form of stabbing a knife in return.” She breathed out and her eyes quickly left yours as she looked down at her body. “And I’m fucking pregnant, I-I told Tom and well he thought it was a fucking tactic.” She humourlessly chuckles as her eyes move to focus on the ceiling of the car. 

“Holy shit, Shiv.” You moved closer off your seat to rest your head on the top of the back of the seat dividing you two and put your hands out to hold hers, squeezing them softly and doing your best to genuinely smile for her. “I’m sorry, that’s a fucking lot. But congratulations! Congratulations? Should I be saying congratulations? If not we can go and sort it out, I’ll go with you if you want. Anything you need.” 

Shiv nodded as she kept her hand in yours and used her free hand to rub at her face a little. “I thought about it but I’m going to keep it. It’s fine. Thank you though. I’m planning to tell mom and that today so yeah.” 

“Thanks for telling me.” You responded giving her hand another squeeze and she nodded. After a few seconds, she let go of your hand and turned back around in her seat and not long after that your brothers joined you both. 

*******************

It had been an awkward car ride, you’d sunk into your seat, looking out the window as Roman and Shiv argued. You didn’t say a word, Kendall had eventually intervened and called for a truce which was agreed upon. Kendall had discussed Rava leaving the city with the kids which you thought was justified and you struggled to not call Kendall out, having to bite your tongue and fully focus your gaze on the windows. Right now was not the right time for sibling arguments. You’re sure that Kendall saw your pointed expression before looking out the window again. 

This had been tougher than you’d imagined. Roman had immediately broken during the speech, everything that hadn’t come out of him did then. Kendall had taken over, with a speech that had been well received but genuinely made you uncomfortable. Ever since you’d all sat down you’d been close to Roman, one hand gently on his back and the other hand holding his, he had a tight grip on it but he was doing slightly better now. Well, he was visibly. 

Each sentence that comes out of your sibling’s mouths feels like a blow and the casket is haunting you. Not as much as Roman though you suppose, if he wasn’t firmly planted onto the pew and with a pale, iron grip on your hands you thought you’d maybe float away. Or maybe you’d just sink down with the pressure of all the eyes, tears and smirks. 

As Shiv speaks, you know she’s right, her words about being his daughter have never been easy and it’s starting to get hot. Too hot. Sure there are hundreds of people in the church but it’s too hot even with that, you’re starting to overheat and your thoughts are overcrowding your brain. 

You look at Roman, your hand on his back and your other one holding his hand. You bite your lip, trying to force tears not to come. Unsuccessfully though. 

“I’m sorry, yeah, um I’m sorry Rome.” You let go of his hand and quickly move to squeeze past Connor and Willa in the pew. 

All of their eyes follow you in concern, you start to fidget with the corner of your sleeve while trying to regulate your breathing as you walk off to the side of the Church. You don’t know where to go, it doesn’t feel like anywhere is an option but it feels like you just need to leave. Anywhere but here, home or any place that’s ever had that title. Your mind is racing with that train of thought and another million ones, none are easier than the last though. It’s becoming overwhelming,  impossible. Your heart is beating so fast you can hear it and you can feel it beating so quickly it’s trying to carve itself out of your chest. It’s all so claustrophobic.  

An arm grabs you and you turn around to see that it’s Connor. 

“Hey, hey. Are you okay?” 

“It’s just a lot, I don’t think I can be- I don’t really want to be in here right now.” You quietly say, trying not to choke on the inevitable sobs. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” 

Connor’s gaze is focused on you and it’s gentle. Which somehow feels more intense, it amplifies the feeling of being under a microscope. You tug at your sleeve again as you feel the tears starting to get worse, you try to bite your lip as tightly as possible to stop the incoming sobs from arriving, to distract from the emotional pain with something physical. 

It doesn’t work though. 

You start to step away from Connor as your crying can now be heard, Roman stays frozen in the pew still trying to find some of his abandoned composure. Kendall’s noticed that this isn’t a toilet break and that Connor’s intervention isn’t cutting it and starts to make his way over. 

Kendall quickly realises that he’s not the only one who’s noticed and who is making their way over. Kendall’s compassion for you is still somewhat intact but today, controlling the narrative and putting out fires is his priority. 

“Stew, go. People are going to talk.” Kendall sternly whispers with a disappointed look, doing his best to communicate his point without drawing anymore attention to the scene. 

“Let them talk, I don’t fucking care Ken.” Stewy spits out with widened eyes. 

“You don’t want this story to break today, trust me.” 

“If it broke today it would drown in the rest of the funeral, Roman and the fucking GoJo numbers. You know that. Everybody does, it’s why Shiv and Matsson leaked it today.” 

“Follow the money back to your fucking seat.” 

“The money isn’t my priority here. She’s my partner.” Stewy says, Kendall scoffs and they both quietly walk over towards you and Connor. But you’ve been too overwhelmed to have noticed any of that interaction or them joining you and Connor in your weird corner towards the back of the church. 

“I need to- it’s so hot in here. It’s really fucking crowded, I know that you want a good turn out at a funeral but this is- it’s so unnecessary you know?” You cry out rambling and Connor’s concern shows more. You hadn’t publicly broken over your father’s death yet and Connor hadn’t seen you cry since you were a child. 

“Yeah, sure. Sure. A lot of people”

“It’s just so hot in here. I need cold air. Maybe some wine? Do you think there’s uh w-wine around? It’s a church, there’s bound to be wine, it’s Catholic- Holy Communion and all… Fuck.” 

“I don’t think there’s wine here you can drink.” Connor’s voice breaks a little.  

“I can’t do this, I don’t want to be in here. Connor please? Just I don’t know- I don’t fucking know.” You sob out and the tears and sobs just don’t stop. Connor puts his arms around you and does his best to keep some composure for your sake. 

Kendall and Stewy have now come over, Connor’s arms are still around you but you feel a hand on your back. One that rubs a little circle and you recognise that little pattern, the pressure, the touch itself. 

“Stewy?” You whisper out between a little sob.

“Hey, sweetheart.” His voice is soft and gentle as he continues to rub your back like he has a dozen times over the last several days. 

“I just- uh. I just, it’s so hot and claustrophobic. I needed air.” You’ve now left Connor’s arms to press yourself into Stewy’s side, his arms quickly replacing Connor’s as they wrap around you. You’re too overwhelmed to even consider or worry that your tears and makeup might be rubbing on his blazer. 

“I know.” 

Kendall is standing in an attempt to shield the rest of the world from this interaction, Connor’s hand is on your shoulder now. Stewy looks at Connor, tilting his head slightly towards you. Stewy smiles at Connor and nods, silently communicating that it’s okay and Connor can go back, which he does after squeezing your shoulder softly. 

“Can we- can- I need to go outside. I need air.” You muffle into Stewy’s side. Kendall pointedly looks at Stewy. 

“I know baby, I know. But there’s a lot of people outside still and cameras still.” Stewy says, as he rubs at your back comfortingly. Stewy isn’t worried about people seeing you both out there but about people seeing you in this state and it being immortalised in the media. 

“Fuck.” You mutter and the sobs become louder, more painful and desperate. 

You knew today would be hard, nothing was easy with your father. But you didn’t expect today to be so awful and to feel so trapped, he was gone, you shouldn’t feel like this but you just felt vulnerable, like the defenseless kid you were trapped in your childhood. Under a microscope for hundreds to zoom in on your pain, today wasn’t suffering just for your father’s amusement. 

“Yeah. We can get some air at the cemetery and take the long way back to the reception? Stop off somewhere if you want?” He asks softly. 

“We all came together-” Kendall starts. 

“I know-” Stewy quietly interjects. 

“I think I’ll go with Stewy, Ken.” You say quietly, you peek out a little from Stewy, puffy faced and wet with tears. Kendall doesn’t look super impressed at that, you can tell but he just gives a small nod.

There’s something about Stewy, his mere presence is a salve on your soul. Being buried into his side, being able to try focusing on the scent of his cologne instead of everyone and everything else is helping you remember how to breathe again. Your lungs remember how it all works again with Stewy at your side. 

“Do you want to sit down again before it ends?” Stewy gently inquires now that he’s noticed that your breathing is a bit more normal and the sobbing is more contained.  

“Sit with me?” Stewy nods. Kendall scoffs quietly but audibly and takes one of your hands and walks back to the front row pew of Roys, Stewy’s hand is gently on your back as he follows. You sit at the furthest end from Kendall, sandwiched between Willa and Stewy. Willa offers you a small but gentle smile and you press into Stewy’s side as he holds your hand in his. 

“Snot siblings.” Roman says as he finally looks at you, leaning across to give you a tissue. “Courtesy of the old Gerr-bear.” He adds as he refuses to look at the woman behind him. 

“Oh, thank you.” You whisper quietly and he nods looking away, just across from him. 

You’re aware that there’s more attention on you now over your little breakdown and at the development of Stewy coming over and then being at the front Roy children pew, Willa’s there of course but not even Tom or Rava are. You can tell Stewy’s aware of this as well as you look at his handsome side profile, he notices you staring and smiles at you, his arm around you squeezes you softly and he brings the hand of yours that he’s been holding in his lap up for a soft, sweet kiss. 

“Just breathe.” He whispers quietly as your hand in his goes back into his lap. You take a deep breathe, even consumed in your grief and the horror of this day you are so grateful for him. 

Despite the context, there is something freeing and peaceful about that. Being able to hold your hand in front of hundreds of people, kiss it and sit next to you. Stewy feels it deeply in his soul and while you perhaps can’t appreciate that right now, you can feel it too. 

****************

You didn’t stay to receive condolences like Kendall did. You immediately left with Stewy, ignoring the pointed and curious looks from everyone as he had an arm around you as you both quickly walked, he held the door open for you and you both sat in the backseat. 

As soon as you both were in and that door closed, you couldn’t help it. You just started crying. It was so overwhelming. 

“Hey, hey baby.” Stewy whispered into your hair as he pulled you tightly into him, he pressed some soft kisses to the top of your head. “I’ve got you.” He said softly. He was so soft with you today. But Stewy was always soft with you. 

Stewy held you tightly for the rest of the drive and when the car got to the cemetery you tilted your head, so you were still pressed against his chest and looked up. 

“Everybody knows now.” He wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, it was a fact either way. 

“Yeah-” 

“Are you okay with that? I’m sorry-” You asked quietly, letting out a little hiccup. Tears still in your eyes. 

“I don’t fucking care who knows. I love you. You baby. The whole world can know and there’s a lot going on today, I think this will be the least of anybody’s concerns or key takeaways. I just care about you.” 

You lean up to give him a soft kiss on the lips, which he eagerly but gently returns. 

“I love you too.” 

“That always helps.” He says and you let out a dry chuckle at that, as you bite your lip looking out the tinted window. “Should we try one of those exercises?” 

“Exercises? I don’t think we can fuck in your car at the cemetery when everyone is here to dispose of my dad-” You say with another dry laugh but some more tears come to stain your cheeks. 

“No, no, no baby.” Stewy chuckles and flashes you a charming smile. “Those like grounding, breathing, you’re an amazing professional ones? Oh the colour one! Um, what’s something purple you can see?” 

You look at Stewy in awe of his sweetness despite the douchey exterior most have to deal with. Your eyes briefly skim around the car and the sea of people in black outside. 

“We’re at a funeral, everyone’s wearing black… Where’s the purple Stewy?” You ask in a tone as teasing as possible but a small sob comes out of you. 

“Well you know I have nothing against outfit repeating but I’d worn a purple blazer to the wake- that wasn’t even a week ago baby. There’s a line, and it would’ve crossed the line. With the turtleneck and trousers and a purple blazer it would’ve looked like I was wearing the same outfit. I can’t do that, not in a week, let alone for two death-related events. People would know.” Stewy rambles on. 

You can’t help but laugh at his ramble, only he would be acutely aware of that and have considered this all in great detail. You laugh into his blazer and nod. He wears a large smile on his face as he notices that this seems to have cheered you up somewhat. There’s still tears but that’s to be expected, he’s just glad that there’s somehow some smiles and laughs in there as well. 

You press yourself into him tightly, inhaling his comforting scent and presence. “Don’t let me go. Not out there, in here. Ever, please.” 

“I’d never dream of it, baby..” Stewy says softly as he presses a kiss into your head and then you both leave the car holding hands.

[fgumi]

shadows of obligation

｡･:*˚:✧｡ synopsis: taesan faces the growing tension of duty and love, while his heart remains with you.

｡･:*˚:✧｡ pairing: taesan han x f!reader ｡･:*˚:✧｡ genre: romance, coming of age ｡･:*˚:✧｡ a/n: very long awaited, i think. there are jumps in the plot. i didn't reread "whispers in twilight" so i hope there aren't any repetitive scenes. ｡･:*˚:✧｡ word count: 9.6k

✧ comments are appreciated! ✧

The air in the palace felt heavier than usual, as if the tension from the political meeting the night before still lingered in the halls. Taesan had barely made it back after sneaking out to see you, his mind buzzing with everything he had shared. The quiet confession of his feelings, the looming possibility of an arranged marriage—it was all still fresh, weighing him down as he prepared for another day of palace life.

As much as he wished to stay lost in the memory of you, the reality of what awaited him at the palace gnawed at him. The idea of an arranged marriage felt like a storm on the horizon, and Taesan wasn’t sure how much longer he could avoid it—or how he could face the future if that storm overtook him.

That morning, he barely had time to collect his thoughts before he was summoned to another meeting with the royal advisors. His brothers, already seated in the grand hall, exchanged glances as Taesan entered, his tired eyes giving away his sleepless night.

Sungho, ever the one to lighten the mood, smirked as Taesan sat down. "Did the wild boar give you much trouble last night, brother?"

Taesan blinked, his mind still foggy with exhaustion. "Wild boar?"

Woonhak chuckled from the other end of the table. "Yes, the one you heroically battled with the royal spear. Quite the story we had to spin for you."

Taesan groaned, rubbing his temples. "You two really covered for me like that?"

Leehan grinned, clearly proud of their antics. "We had no choice. Now you owe us."

Before Taesan could respond, the door opened, and the royal advisors entered, their expressions serious. The teasing atmosphere quickly evaporated, replaced by the heavy weight of politics and duty.

"Your Majesties," one of the advisors began, his voice formal, "there has been further communication from Gahyeon. They remain firm in their demands for an alliance through marriage. It seems we are left with few options."

Taesan’s stomach tightened as the familiar words sank in. This was what he had feared. He exchanged a quick glance with Sungho, who gave a subtle nod, but Taesan couldn’t shake the dread pooling in his chest.

"The king has asked for further deliberation," the advisor continued, "but it is clear that an arranged marriage may be the best course of action to secure peace. It will not be long before a decision is made."

Taesan felt as if the walls were closing in around him, the weight of his responsibilities pressing down harder than ever. The thought of an arranged marriage loomed larger, and with it, the memory of the promise he had made to you—the one he wasn’t sure he could keep.

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur, the advisors discussing political strategies while Taesan’s mind wandered to you. He had told you about the possibility of an arranged marriage, and though you had stood by him, the fear of losing you gnawed at his every thought.

The day wore on, with Taesan barely present in his own mind. During lessons, his thoughts drifted back to you, to the quiet moments you had shared, and the weight of the unspoken words that lingered between you. Even his brothers noticed his distraction.

During zither practice, Taesan struggled to focus on the notes in front of him, his fingers moving mechanically across the strings. Jaehyun, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched Taesan fumble through the piece.

"You’re off today," Jaehyun teased, leaning against the pillar. "Usually, your playing has a lot more heart."

Taesan sighed, putting the zither down. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Jaehyun’s teasing expression softened as he sat down beside his brother. "I get it. The talk of the arranged marriage has everyone on edge. But it’s more than that for you, isn’t it?"

Taesan looked at Jaehyun, his shoulders sagging with the weight of everything he had been holding inside. "It is. I told her… about the possibility of an arranged marriage. And now… I don’t know how to face it."

Jaehyun nodded, his expression thoughtful. "You care about her, don’t you?"

Taesan didn’t hesitate. "Yes."

Jaehyun smiled gently. "Then you need to trust that you’ll find a way. I’ve known you long enough to know that when you care about something—or someone—you fight for it. Just make sure you’re honest with her."

Taesan nodded slowly, knowing Jaehyun was right. But it didn’t make the weight of the situation any easier to bear. "I just don’t want to lose her," he admitted quietly.

"Then don’t," Jaehyun said simply, standing up and patting his brother on the shoulder. "You’ll figure it out."

As Jaehyun walked away, Taesan sat in the garden, the melody of his zither still echoing faintly in the air. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and let his mind drift back to you—to the memory of your voice, your touch, the way you had looked at him with such unwavering belief.

In the shop, you were busy at work, your hands moving deftly over the wood of a new instrument. But despite your focus, your thoughts kept straying to Taesan. The weight of his confession, the possibility of an arranged marriage—it had been hanging over you like a storm cloud ever since he had told you. But in your heart, you knew that no matter what, you would stand by him.

Your father, noticing the way you had been quieter than usual, walked over, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. "You’ve been lost in thought these days," he said softly. "Is everything alright?"

You glanced up at him, a small smile tugging at your lips. "It’s nothing, Father. Just… thinking about the future."

He studied you for a moment before nodding. "The future is always uncertain, but we must move toward it with hope." He patted your shoulder reassuringly before returning to his work, leaving you to your thoughts.

Just then, the door to the store opened, and you looked up to see Taesan standing there, his face a mixture of weariness and determination.

"Taesan," you said softly, standing up as he approached.

Taesan smiled faintly at the sound of his name, though his eyes were filled with the weight of his responsibilities. "I needed to see you," he said quietly, his voice tinged with an urgency you hadn’t heard before.

"What’s happened?" you asked, concern flooding your voice as you took a step closer.

"They’re pushing harder for the marriage alliance. The decision… it’s going to be made soon."

Your heart sank, the gravity of the situation hitting you all over again. But you didn’t back away. Instead, you reached out and gently took his hand, grounding him in the moment. "Whatever happens, we’ll face it together."

Taesan looked at you, his heart swelling with gratitude. "I don’t know what I’d do without you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

You squeezed his hand, your voice steady. "You won’t have to find out. I’m not going anywhere."

The two of you stood in the quiet of the store, the world outside momentarily forgotten as you held on to each other, drawing strength from the bond that had grown between you. And though the future remained uncertain, in that moment, there was hope—a fragile, but unwavering hope that somehow, you would find a way to be together.

A week passed after Taesan’s confession, each fleeting moment spent with you etched deeply into his heart. Whenever Taesan was free, he would find his way to the shop, a quiet smile tugging at his lips as he walked through the familiar doorway. With each visit, the air between you grew lighter, the unspoken feelings filling the space with a warmth that neither of you could deny.

The small moments—his hand brushing yours as you passed tools back and forth, the way his eyes lingered on you when you laughed—became treasured memories. You found yourself anticipating his arrival, your heart fluttering in a way that felt both terrifying and exhilarating.

One afternoon, as you were bent over a delicate piece of wood, shaping it for the next instrument, Taesan arrived, the soft jingle of the door announcing his presence. You looked up, meeting his gaze, and felt your breath catch. There was something about the way he looked at you—like you were the only thing in the world that mattered.

"Taesan," you greeted, your voice softer than usual.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I thought I’d come help you again. If you’ll let me."

You couldn’t help but laugh, remembering his last attempt at helping. "You? Help? We both know how that went last time."

Taesan feigned a look of offense, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. "I’ll have you know I’ve been practicing."

"Oh really?" you teased, raising an eyebrow. "And where exactly have you been practicing your woodworking?"

He grinned, stepping closer. "Well… in my head. But that counts, doesn’t it?"

You shook your head, a smile playing at your lips as you handed him a small chisel. "Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got, Prince Taesan."

Taesan took the chisel with a mock serious expression, holding it up as if preparing for a grand performance. "Watch closely," he said, his voice full of playful confidence. "You’re about to witness greatness."

But as he leaned down to work on the wood, you both reached for the same spot at the same time. Your hands brushed against each other, and for a moment, neither of you moved. The warmth of his skin sent a soft tingle up your arm, and when you looked up, his eyes were already on you, his breath caught in his throat.

"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling his hand back awkwardly, though his cheeks had turned a faint shade of pink.

You felt your own face heat up as you smiled, trying to brush off the tension. "You’re always in my way."

"I am not," he protested, though the playful glint in his eyes betrayed him.

"You are," you teased, leaning closer. "And you’re terrible with tools."

He scoffed, placing the chisel down as he stood straighter, his hand over his heart again. "Terrible? I’ll have you know I’ve mastered far more difficult things than woodworking."

"Oh really?" you crossed your arms, daring him with a raised brow. "Prove it."

Taesan chuckled, picking up the chisel again with a grin. But instead of continuing the playful banter, he simply smiled, his gaze softening as he looked at you. "I’ll admit… you’re the master here. I just like being around you."

The sincerity in his voice took you by surprise, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. The air between you grew thicker, more charged, as his words settled into your heart. You felt your pulse quicken, but you couldn’t look away.

"I… I like having you around too," you said softly, your voice barely above a whisper.

Taesan’s smile widened, his eyes sparkling with a warmth that made your chest tighten. There was something about him—something in the way he looked at you, like you were the most important person in the world—that made you feel as though you had found a kindred spirit.

Later that week, the two of you decided to take a break from the shop and walked to the river that wound through the village. The air was crisp, with the first hints of autumn beginning to creep into the breeze. As you sat on the riverbank, watching the sunlight glint off the water, a sense of peace settled over you.

Taesan had brought a small basket of snacks, though you had teased him earlier when he almost dropped it three times on the way.

"You’re hopeless," you had laughed, watching him fumble with the basket handle.

"I’m not!" Taesan had defended, though the sheepish grin on his face told a different story. "I was just… distracted."

You smiled at him, shaking your head. "What were you distracted by?"

He had hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering to you before looking away. "Nothing important," he mumbled, but the soft blush on his cheeks betrayed him.

Now, as the two of you sat side by side, nibbling on the snacks, the conversation turned to more serious topics. Taesan stared at the river, his expression thoughtful as he spoke.

"I want to play for the world one day," he said quietly, his voice filled with a kind of longing you hadn’t heard from him before. "Not because it’s expected of me as a prince, but because it’s something I love."

You turned to him, your hand resting gently on his arm. "And you will. I know you will."

He looked at you, his eyes filled with gratitude and something deeper. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you have more heart than anyone I’ve ever met," you replied, your voice steady. "And when you play… it’s like the world stops just to listen."

Taesan’s eyes softened, and for a moment, he seemed at a loss for words. Then, with a small, almost shy smile, he whispered, "I don’t know what I did to deserve you."

You felt your heart skip a beat at his words, the sincerity in his voice leaving you breathless. "You don’t have to do anything," you whispered back, your voice barely audible. "Just be you."

As the days passed, Taesan found himself visiting you more and more often. Every stolen moment, every quiet laugh shared between you, became a balm for his heart. But as much as he cherished the time you spent together, a part of him knew that he couldn’t keep his feelings hidden from his mother any longer.

One evening, after a long day of lessons and practice, Taesan made his way to his mother’s private garden. She sat on a stone bench, the soft breeze rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. The setting sun bathed the garden in a golden glow, casting a serene light over the scene.

Taesan sat beside her, his zither resting in his lap. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the peaceful silence stretching between them like a shared understanding. Then, without a word, he began to play.

The melody was soft and lilting, the notes carrying with them the feelings he had been holding in his heart for so long. It was a song he had composed in the quiet hours of the night, when thoughts of you filled his mind and he couldn’t help but let those feelings spill into his music.

His mother listened with her eyes closed, her expression peaceful as the music washed over her. When he finished, she opened her eyes and turned to him with a small, knowing smile.

"You’ve found someone," she said simply, her voice filled with quiet understanding.

Taesan blinked in surprise, his heart skipping a beat. "How did you…?"

"I’ve known ever since your music changed," she said softly, her gaze warm and knowing. "It became more lovely. More… heartfelt."

Taesan felt a lump form in his throat, the weight of her words settling over him like a comforting blanket. "It’s her," he admitted quietly. "She’s the one who inspired it."

His mother smiled, her eyes filled with gentle affection. "Then you must hold onto that love, Taesan. Because love like that is rare."

Taesan looked down at the zither in his hands, his heart swelling with both gratitude and a deep sense of relief. "I love her, Mother," he whispered, the truth finally spoken aloud. "I love her more than anything."

His mother reached out and placed a hand over his, her touch warm and reassuring. "Then let that love guide you," she said softly. "No matter what happens, remember that love is the most important thing. Don’t let anything take it away from you."

Taesan nodded, his heart lighter than it had been in days. For the first time, he felt a sense of clarity—a sense that, no matter what challenges lay ahead, his love for you would remain strong.

A week had passed since Taesan’s confession, a week filled with fleeting moments of joy and stolen glances between the two of you. Yet, beneath the surface of those shared smiles, an undercurrent of tension lingered, and Taesan knew that his time was running out.

The announcement came without warning one morning, while Taesan and his brothers were seated in the grand hall, awaiting their daily briefings. The atmosphere was unusually tense, the air thick with anticipation. The king, seated at the head of the room, his advisors gathered around him, addressed his sons with a grave expression.

“Princess Siyeon of Gahyeon has arrived,” the king began, his voice calm but carrying the weight of the news. “She has come with the intention of meeting with you all.”

Taesan’s heart stilled, the words settling like stones in his stomach. Princess Siyeon—the one whose marriage could secure peace between their kingdoms—was here. The prospect of her visit, once a distant threat, now felt dangerously real.

The king gestured toward the entrance, and the doors to the grand hall swung open. Standing just beyond them was Princess Siyeon, a vision of grace and elegance, her gaze sweeping over the princes before her.

"Princess Siyeon," the king said, turning to his sons, "has come to spend time with each of you, to get to know you better. It is expected that you make yourselves available to her and show her the respect her station deserves."

The gravity of the situation was undeniable, but it wasn’t until the king’s next words that Taesan felt the ground fall out from beneath him.

"The hope," the king continued, "is that through these meetings, a suitable union can be formed. A marriage that will bring peace between our kingdoms."

Taesan's blood ran cold, his eyes darting toward the princess. She stood quietly, her expression polite and composed, but the implications of her presence were suffocating. Marriage. It was no longer a theoretical discussion—it was here, and it was happening.

As if sensing his growing panic, Taesan’s brothers all turned to look at him. Sungho, the eldest, caught his eye, his sharp gaze filled with understanding. Taesan swallowed hard, his heart racing in his chest. He couldn’t do this. Not now. Not when his heart already belonged to you.

"You are to spend as much time with her as possible," the king continued, his tone final. "Princess Siyeon will determine which of you is the most eligible suitor, and we will proceed from there."

Taesan’s stomach churned. The idea of courting a foreign princess, while his thoughts were consumed by you, made his head spin. He felt his pulse quicken, dread rising in his throat.

Princess Siyeon smiled softly, her gaze passing over each prince in turn. "I look forward to getting to know all of you better," she said, her voice kind but formal. "I hope to find not just a suitor, but someone whose heart aligns with mine."

Taesan felt his face grow pale, his mind spinning with thoughts of you. He needed to see you. To warn you. To figure out what to do next. But before he could speak, before he could even form a coherent thought, Sungho cleared his throat and stood up.

"It would be an honor to spend time with you, Princess," Sungho said, his voice steady, though there was a glint of something else in his eyes. "I’d be more than happy to get to know you better."

Jaehyun, always quick on his feet, immediately followed suit, his charming grin already in place. "As would I," he said, his tone light. "Princess Siyeon, I’d love to show you the finer points of courtly life here."

Sanghyuk, ever the soldier, stood with a firm nod. "I’d be honored as well," he added, his voice strong and authoritative.

Taesan blinked, completely taken aback by the sudden surge of enthusiasm from his brothers. Before he knew what was happening, Woonhak also stood up, grinning from ear to ear. "And as the crown prince," he said with a playful wink, "it would only be right for me to offer my time as well."

The room erupted into a flurry of voices as each brother made his case for spending time with the princess. Princess Siyeon, though initially taken aback, quickly smiled, clearly flattered by the attention. Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink, and she nodded graciously to each prince.

"I’m overwhelmed by your kindness," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "It is clear that I have much to learn about all of you."

The king, watching the spectacle with mild surprise, turned his gaze back to Taesan. "And you, Taesan?" he asked, his voice sharp. "Will you not offer your time as well?"

Taesan’s heart leaped into his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He glanced at Sungho, who gave him a small, imperceptible nod.

"Ah, Father," Sungho said smoothly, cutting in before Taesan could embarrass himself further. "Taesan has been overwhelmed with his music as of late. You know how dedicated he is to perfecting his craft."

Jaehyun picked up the thread, his grin widening. "Yes, he’s been working tirelessly on a new composition. He’ll need some time to gather himself."

"Absolutely," Woonhak added with a conspiratorial smile. "Taesan’s a bit shy, you see. He’ll need more time to… prepare."

The king raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but before he could press further, Princess Siyeon spoke again, her tone light and teasing. "I look forward to meeting each of you," she said, her gaze briefly flicking to Taesan before returning to the rest of the group. "I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another."

The conversation continued, but Taesan barely heard it. His heart was pounding in his chest, his mind racing with a single thought: he needed to see you. Now.

As soon as the formalities concluded, and the princess was led away by the advisors for a tour of the palace, Taesan turned on his heel and hurried toward the door. He needed to leave before anyone could stop him.

Just as he reached the doorway, Sungho’s voice called after him. "Where do you think you’re going, little brother?"

Taesan froze, his hand gripping the doorframe tightly. "I have somewhere I need to be," he muttered, his voice low.

Sungho exchanged a knowing glance with Jaehyun, who simply smirked. "Go," Sungho said softly. "We’ll cover for you."

"Just be back before anyone notices," Jaehyun added with a wink. "And don’t get lost in her eyes for too long."

Taesan shot them both a grateful look before slipping out of the hall and into the palace corridors. As soon as he was out of sight, he broke into a sprint, his mind focused solely on reaching you.

The market was quiet as Taesan approached your family’s shop, his heart still pounding from the run. The weight of everything he had just learned pressed heavily on him, but there was no time to dwell on it. He needed to see you. To warn you. To figure out what to do next.

He tapped lightly on your window, his breath coming in short gasps. Inside, you stirred, groggy and confused by the sudden noise. When you opened the window, you were greeted by the sight of Taesan—disheveled, out of breath, and clearly panicked.

“Taesan?” you asked, your voice laced with concern. "What’s wrong?"

Taesan struggled to catch his breath, his words tumbling out in a frantic rush. "The princess… Gahyeon… she’s here. They want us to spend time with her. They’re talking about the marriage."

Your eyes widened in shock, the gravity of the situation sinking in. “So soon?”

Taesan nodded, his expression wild with urgency. "They want me to… but I can’t. Not when I…" He trailed off, his voice breaking. "I needed to see you. I had to tell you."

Your heart ached at the desperation in his voice. Without thinking, you reached out and took his hand, your touch grounding him. “Taesan, we’ll figure this out. I’m here."

Taesan’s breath hitched, his eyes locking with yours. For a moment, the world seemed to still, and in that quiet space between heartbeats, he whispered the truth he had been holding back for so long.

"I love you," he said softly, his voice filled with raw emotion. "I love you, and I don’t want anyone else. Only you."

As Princess Siyeon busied herself with meetings and formalities, Taesan took every opportunity to slip away and spend time with you. The moments you shared together, though stolen and fleeting, were filled with laughter, warmth, and the quiet understanding that something beautiful was growing between you.

One afternoon, after Jaehyun had successfully distracted Princess Siyeon with another round of courtly charm, Taesan found himself standing outside your shop once again. The familiar feeling of peace washed over him as he stepped inside, the soft light filtering through the windows casting a warm glow over the wooden instruments displayed around the room.

You were behind the counter, polishing a newly finished guqin, your brow furrowed in concentration. Taesan smiled to himself as he watched you work, his heart swelling with affection at the sight.

"You’ve been sneaking out of the palace a lot lately," you teased, not looking up from your task. "Should I be worried?"

"I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly capable of evading suspicion," Taesan replied with mock seriousness, stepping closer. "No one suspects a thing."

You raised an eyebrow, finally glancing up at him with a smirk. "Really? Because I’m pretty sure I saw your brothers lurking around here earlier."

Taesan’s smile faltered for a moment before he broke into a soft laugh. "Alright, maybe they’re onto me. But they’re not very good at hiding it."

You shook your head, chuckling as you set the guqin down and crossed the room to stand beside him. "So, what brings you here today, your highness? Another attempt at pretending to help?"

Taesan grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Actually, I was hoping we could take a break. Maybe go to the river again?"

You pretended to consider his offer for a moment before nodding. "Fine. But you’re carrying the basket this time."

The walk to the river was filled with lighthearted banter, the two of you exchanging playful jabs as you made your way through the village. Taesan couldn’t help but notice how comfortable he felt around you, how easily the conversation flowed. You made him laugh in a way no one else did, and he found himself looking forward to these moments more than anything else.

As you reached the riverbank, you spread out a small blanket and sat down, the sound of the flowing water filling the air around you. Taesan sat beside you, the soft breeze rustling his hair as he turned to look at you.

"So," he began, his tone teasing, "when are you going to admit that I’m actually helpful in the shop?"

You raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look. "When you actually do something helpful."

Taesan laughed, leaning back on his hands as he shook his head. "You’re impossible."

"You love it," you quipped, nudging him playfully with your shoulder.

He grinned, his heart swelling at the truth behind your words. "I really do."

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Sungho was doing his best to keep Princess Siyeon entertained. They were walking through the palace gardens, discussing the diplomatic ties between their kingdoms, when the princess’s gaze drifted toward the empty path leading to the training grounds.

"I noticed Prince Taesan isn’t here today," she remarked, her tone casual but inquisitive. "I was hoping to speak with him."

Sungho, ever the strategist, gave her a polite smile. "He’s been working tirelessly on his music lately. He gets lost in his compositions sometimes."

"Does he now?" Princess Siyeon mused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I would very much like to hear him play."

Sungho nodded, though inwardly he was scrambling for a way to divert her attention. "Perhaps he could play for you at the next gathering. I’m sure he’d be honored."

The princess smiled, though her gaze lingered on the path for a moment longer before she turned back to Sungho. "Yes, I’d like that."

Back at the riverbank, you and Taesan sat in comfortable silence, the sunlight dancing on the water’s surface. Taesan, ever the romantic, picked up a small pebble and skipped it across the river, watching as it bounced along the surface before sinking beneath the waves.

"You’re terrible at that," you teased, your voice filled with amusement.

"Oh? You think you can do better?" Taesan challenged, handing you a pebble with a playful grin.

You took the pebble from him, rolling it between your fingers before standing up and tossing it across the water. It skipped three times before sinking, and you turned back to Taesan with a triumphant smile.

"See?" you said, crossing your arms. "I told you I’m better."

Taesan laughed, shaking his head as he stood up beside you. "Alright, fine. I concede. You’re the master of pebble skipping."

"And don’t you forget it," you replied with a smirk, turning to face him.

For a moment, the playful atmosphere between you softened, the quiet intimacy of the moment settling around you. Taesan’s eyes met yours, and the smile on his lips faltered slightly as his gaze lingered.

"You’re amazing," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the river.

Your breath caught at his words, your heart skipping a beat as you searched his face for any hint of teasing. But there was none—just the soft sincerity in his eyes, the quiet affection that had been growing between you both for weeks.

Before you could respond, Taesan reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against yours. The simple touch sent a shiver down your spine, and for a moment, the world seemed to still, leaving only the two of you standing there, hearts beating in time with one another.

At the palace, Jaehyun found himself in another meeting with Princess Siyeon, this time in the royal library. They had been discussing the history of their respective kingdoms when the princess brought up Taesan again.

"I can’t help but notice that Prince Taesan is absent quite often," she said, her tone light but curious. "Is he avoiding me?"

Jaehyun, ever quick-witted, chuckled softly. "Not at all, Princess. He’s simply… preoccupied with his music. You know how artists are—always chasing inspiration."

The princess smiled, though there was a glimmer of frustration in her eyes. "I see. Well, I hope to speak with him soon. There’s something about him that intrigues me."

Jaehyun nodded, though inwardly he groaned. It was becoming more difficult to keep her attention away from Taesan, and he knew they couldn’t keep up the charade forever.

Back at the riverbank, the sun was beginning to set, casting a warm golden glow over the landscape. You and Taesan sat side by side, your shoulders brushing lightly as you watched the sunset together.

"It’s beautiful," you whispered, your voice soft in the fading light.

Taesan turned to look at you, his heart swelling with affection. "It is," he agreed, though his gaze never left your face.

You felt a blush rise to your cheeks under his intense stare, but you didn’t look away. Instead, you leaned into him slightly, the warmth of his presence comforting in the cool evening air.

"Thank you," Taesan said softly, his voice filled with quiet sincerity.

You glanced up at him, confused. "For what?"

"For being here," he replied, his eyes soft and filled with emotion. "For making everything feel… lighter."

Your heart fluttered at his words, and for a moment, you couldn’t find the right thing to say. Instead, you reached for his hand, your fingers intertwining with his as you rested your head on his shoulder.

The two of you sat there in silence, the world around you fading into the background as you simply enjoyed the quiet comfort of being together. In that moment, nothing else mattered—just the soft beating of your hearts and the quiet certainty that this love, unwavering and true, was something neither of you would ever let go of.

The palace was filled with a quiet buzz as Jaehyun began another meeting with Princess Siyeon, skillfully keeping her distracted while Taesan slipped away yet again. As soon as he was sure the coast was clear, Taesan made his way to your shop, a sense of excitement and anticipation bubbling up inside him.

He found you outside, tending to a few plants that sat near the entrance of the shop. Your back was turned to him, and for a moment, Taesan simply watched you, a soft smile tugging at his lips. The way you moved with such ease and grace, even in the simplest of tasks, captivated him in a way he couldn’t fully explain.

He cleared his throat to get your attention, and you turned around, your eyes lighting up the moment you saw him.

"Taesan," you greeted warmly, wiping your hands on your apron as you stepped closer. "Back so soon?"

Taesan grinned, unable to hide the joy he felt at seeing you. "I couldn’t stay away," he said, his voice teasing but sincere. "I was wondering if you’d like to take a walk with me?"

You raised an eyebrow, a playful smile dancing on your lips. "Another walk? You’re getting predictable, Prince."

Taesan chuckled, stepping closer until there was only a small space between the two of you. "I thought you liked our walks."

"I do," you admitted, your smile softening as you looked up at him. "I just like giving you a hard time."

"That’s fair," Taesan replied with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with affection. "Shall we go, then?"

The two of you set off on a familiar path through the village, your pace leisurely as you wandered through the bustling streets. The sounds of merchants haggling and children laughing filled the air, but to Taesan, the noise faded into the background as he focused solely on you.

As you walked, your conversation flowed easily, the playful banter that had become second nature to you both filling the space between you. Every now and then, Taesan would reach out to gently brush his hand against yours, the subtle touch sending a thrill through him each time.

You passed by a small vendor selling flower crowns, and Taesan stopped suddenly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What is it?" you asked, following his gaze.

Taesan pointed to the flower crowns. "Wait here."

Before you could protest, Taesan had already jogged over to the vendor, quickly purchasing a delicate crown of white blossoms. He returned to you with a triumphant grin, holding it out for you to see.

"What’s this?" you asked, eyeing the crown with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"For you," Taesan said simply, stepping closer as he carefully placed the crown on your head.

You blinked in surprise, your cheeks warming as you felt the gentle weight of the flowers resting against your hair. "You’re ridiculous," you said with a soft laugh, though there was no hiding the smile that spread across your face.

"I’m charming," Taesan corrected, his voice filled with playful confidence as he admired his handiwork. "And you look beautiful."

Your heart fluttered at his words, and for a moment, you forgot how to speak. The way he looked at you, like you were the most important person in the world, left you feeling both vulnerable and incredibly cherished.

"Thank you," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the sounds of the village around you.

Taesan smiled, reaching out to gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. "Anything for you."

Later that evening, after wandering through the village and sharing stories from your childhoods, the two of you found yourselves sitting on a small hill just outside the village. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over the landscape, and the air was filled with the soft chirping of crickets.

You sat side by side, your shoulders brushing lightly as you watched the sky turn shades of pink and orange. There was a comfortable silence between you, the kind that only came from spending time with someone you trusted completely.

"You’ve been quiet," Taesan remarked, his voice soft as he turned to look at you.

You smiled, your gaze still focused on the horizon. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

You hesitated for a moment before glancing over at him, your eyes filled with a mix of affection and uncertainty. "About how much everything has changed. How much we’ve changed."

Taesan’s heart skipped a beat at your words, and he found himself leaning in just a little closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you regret it?"

You shook your head, your smile softening as you reached out to take his hand. "No. I could never regret this."

Taesan felt a rush of relief and joy at your words, his heart swelling with love for you. "Neither could I."

For a moment, the two of you simply sat there, your hands intertwined as you watched the last rays of sunlight fade into the horizon. And in that quiet, peaceful moment, Taesan knew that no matter what happened, no matter what obstacles lay ahead, his heart would always belong to you.

Back at the palace, Sanghyuk was doing his best to maintain an air of confidence as he sat with Princess Siyeon. They were in the grand hall, a formal setting with advisors and a few palace officials lingering in the background.

Sanghyuk was no stranger to formal meetings, and while his usual conversations revolved around military strategy and the kingdom’s defenses, today was different.

Princess Siyeon, seated across from him, looked every bit the part of royalty. Her gown was meticulously crafted, her posture perfect as she regarded him with a calm, inquisitive gaze.

"I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me, Prince Sanghyuk," she said, her tone polite yet distant.

"Of course," Sanghyuk replied, keeping his voice even. "It’s important that we get to know each other, especially considering the political landscape we’re facing."

The princess smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Yes, I’ve heard much about your strategic mind. Your reputation as a military leader precedes you."

Sanghyuk nodded, though inwardly he couldn’t help but wonder how he had ended up in this situation. "I’m honored. Our kingdom’s safety is my priority."

"And Prince Taesan?" Princess Siyeon asked suddenly, her gaze shifting ever so slightly. "What are his priorities?"

Sanghyuk barely managed to hide his surprise at the question, quickly masking it with a practiced smile. "Taesan’s focus is… elsewhere at the moment. His music has consumed much of his time."

"So I’ve heard," Princess Siyeon murmured, her expression thoughtful. "It seems Prince Taesan has a talent for avoiding me."

Sanghyuk laughed, though it came out more awkward than intended. "He’s an artist. Sometimes they’re hard to pin down."

The princess didn’t respond, her gaze lingering on the empty chair beside Sanghyuk—the chair that had been meant for Taesan.

Back in the clearing, you and Taesan were lounging beneath the shade of the oak tree, the quiet of the woods wrapping around you like a warm embrace. The gentle rustling of leaves overhead, combined with the soft chirping of birds, created a peaceful atmosphere, one that felt miles away from the pressures of the palace.

"You know," you said, breaking the comfortable silence, "I think this might be one of my favorite places."

Taesan glanced over at you, his expression curious. "Why’s that?"

"Because," you replied with a soft smile, "it’s just… quiet. No one expects anything of us here. We can just be."

Taesan’s heart swelled at your words, his chest tightening with emotion. It was true—here, in this small, hidden place, the weight of his royal duties seemed to fade away. With you, he could forget the expectations, the arranged marriage, and the endless meetings. He could just be Taesan, the boy who wanted to play his music and live freely.

"I feel the same way," Taesan admitted, his voice soft. "With you, I can just… exist."

You turned to look at him, your eyes meeting his, and for a moment, the world around you disappeared. There was something about the way he looked at you—so full of affection, so open—that left you breathless.

"Taesan…" you whispered, your voice barely audible over the sound of the wind rustling through the trees.

Taesan’s heart pounded in his chest as he leaned in closer, his hand reaching out to gently cup your cheek. "You’re everything to me," he murmured, his thumb brushing lightly against your skin. "And I don’t know what I’d do without you."

Your breath hitched at his words, the sincerity in his voice making your heart swell with emotion. You had always known that there was something special between the two of you, something that went beyond the stolen moments and quiet confessions. But hearing it—feeling it—was different.

"I love you," you whispered, the words slipping out before you could stop them.

Taesan’s eyes widened in surprise, but only for a moment. Then, his face softened into the most beautiful smile you had ever seen.

"I love you too," he whispered back, his voice thick with emotion.

And before either of you could say another word, Taesan leaned in, closing the distance between you and pressing his lips to yours in a soft, tender kiss. It was gentle at first, a quiet affirmation of the love you both felt, but soon it deepened, the passion and longing that had been building for weeks spilling over into the kiss.

When you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless, your foreheads resting against one another as you tried to catch your breath.

"I think this might be my favorite place too," Taesan said softly, his voice filled with warmth.

You laughed softly, your heart soaring as you reached out to intertwine your fingers with his. "I’m glad."

Back in the palace, Sanghyuk was doing his best to steer the conversation back to safer topics. The princess, however, seemed determined to keep the focus on Taesan.

"I must admit," she said with a small smile, "I find Prince Taesan’s absence quite intriguing. I hope to see more of him in the coming days."

Sanghyuk, ever the dutiful brother, smiled politely. "I’m sure you will. Once he’s finished with his music, of course."

Princess Siyeon nodded, though her eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. His music."

As the sun began to set, casting a warm golden light over the clearing, you and Taesan reluctantly made your way back to the village. The day had been perfect—a quiet escape from the world, a reminder that despite everything, the love between you was real and unwavering.

As you reached your shop, Taesan paused, turning to look at you with a soft smile.

"I wish this could last forever," he murmured, his voice filled with longing.

"Me too," you whispered back, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from his face. "But we’ll always have this."

Taesan nodded, his smile bittersweet as he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to your forehead. "I’ll see you soon."

And with that, he turned and disappeared into the twilight, leaving you standing there, your heart full of love and hope.

While the other princes were occupied with Princess Siyeon, valiantly attempting to divert her attention from Taesan, you and Taesan found yourselves slipping away for another stolen moment. Despite the mounting tension within the palace, these moments were a welcome reprieve for both of you—a way to escape the pressures that threatened to tear your world apart.

Today, Taesan had led you to a secluded clearing just outside the village, a place tucked away in the woods where the air was crisp, and the quiet was only interrupted by the soft rustling of leaves. It felt like a world all your own, far removed from the palace and its expectations.

"You’re getting better at sneaking out," you teased as the two of you settled down on the soft grass, leaning against a large oak tree.

Taesan chuckled, stretching out beside you with a satisfied sigh. "I’ve had plenty of practice lately."

You grinned, shaking your head as you pulled out a small bundle of food you had brought with you—a simple meal of fruits and freshly baked bread. "Well, I’m glad you’re here. I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me."

Taesan turned to look at you, his eyes softening. "Forgotten about you? Impossible."

You felt a blush rise to your cheeks at his words, your heart fluttering as his gaze lingered on you. No matter how many times he said things like that, it always caught you off guard. There was something so genuine, so real in the way he looked at you, like you were the most important person in the world.

"Flatterer," you muttered playfully, though there was no hiding the smile that tugged at your lips.

Taesan smirked, sitting up and plucking a strawberry from the bundle. "I mean every word."

The next day, back at the palace, Woonhak was spending his allotted time with Princess Siyeon. Despite his usual bright and cheerful nature, the weight of the kingdom’s future rested heavily on his young shoulders. Like his brothers, Woonhak understood that the peace of the kingdom—and possibly their survival—could depend on the outcome of these meetings.

Ever the optimist, he found himself in the most awkward situation of all. The princess had asked him to show her around the palace library, a place where he assumed they could talk about books and court life without the conversation drifting to Taesan. But it didn’t take long for Princess Siyeon to bring him up again.

"Your brother is quite the mystery," she said, running her fingers along the spines of the books as they walked. "Why does he hide himself away so much?"

Woonhak, who had been flipping through a book in hopes of finding a distraction, froze. He hadn’t expected her to ask so directly. "Oh, well, he’s… you know… an artist at heart. Always in his head."

The princess turned to him, her expression thoughtful. "Do you think he avoids these meetings on purpose?"

Woonhak laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, no, of course not. He’s just… uh… really shy. Doesn’t like big gatherings."

Princess Siyeon smiled gently. "I see. Perhaps I’ll find a way to make him more comfortable."

Woonhak swallowed, the nervous laughter still bubbling up inside him. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Taesan had once again managed to slip away from the palace, eager to see you. The growing political tension, the possibility of a forced marriage, and the looming presence of Princess Siyeon all weighed heavily on his mind, but whenever he was with you, those worries seemed to melt away.

He found you waiting by the riverbank this time, the soft glow of the afternoon sun casting a golden hue over the water. You were sitting on a small patch of grass, gazing out at the flowing river with a peaceful smile on your face. When you noticed Taesan approaching, your smile widened, and you waved him over.

"You’re late," you teased as he sat down beside you.

Taesan let out a soft chuckle, leaning back on his hands as he looked out at the river. "I had to sneak past a few people. It’s getting harder to escape unnoticed."

"Maybe you should try being less noticeable," you suggested playfully, nudging him with your shoulder.

"Me? Unnoticed?" Taesan smirked, raising an eyebrow. "That’s impossible."

You laughed, the sound soft and light, and Taesan felt his heart lift at the sound. Despite everything going on around him, these moments with you made him feel like everything would be okay.

"So," he said after a moment, glancing over at you with a curious expression, "what’s on your mind today?"

You shrugged, picking up a small pebble and tossing it into the river. "Just thinking about the future, I guess."

"The future?" Taesan repeated, his brow furrowing slightly.

You nodded, your gaze still focused on the water. "Yeah. I mean, things have been… complicated lately. With everything happening in the kingdom, with the princess being here… it just feels like there’s so much uncertainty."

Taesan’s chest tightened at your words. He knew exactly what you meant. The future was uncertain for both of you, and the threat of an arranged marriage loomed over him like a dark cloud. But he didn’t want to think about that right now. Not when he was here with you.

"We’ll figure it out," he said softly, his hand reaching out to gently take yours. "Together."

You turned to look at him, your eyes filled with a mix of affection and worry. "You really think so?"

Taesan smiled, his thumb brushing lightly over your knuckles. "I know so."

There was a moment of silence between you, the only sound the gentle rush of the river and the soft rustling of the leaves overhead. And in that quiet moment, Taesan felt something shift within him—a deeper sense of certainty, of love, that made him realize just how much you meant to him.

"I don’t care what happens," he said quietly, his voice filled with conviction. "As long as I’m with you, I can face anything."

Your heart swelled at his words, and for a moment, you couldn’t find the right thing to say. Instead, you leaned in, pressing a soft, tender kiss to his lips. It was a gentle, quiet affirmation of the love you shared, a promise that no matter what the future held, you would face it together.

Despite the best efforts of his brothers to shield him from the princess’s attention, Taesan knew that it was only a matter of time before the truth came to light. But for now, in the safety of your shop, he allowed himself to forget about the palace, the princess, and the pressures that awaited him.

Here, with you, he was free. And that was all that mattered.

The early morning sun filtered through the palace windows, casting long shadows across the stone floors. Taesan and his brothers stood in the grand hall, summoned by the king. The tension in the room was palpable as they faced their father, who sat on the raised throne, his expression stern. Beside him stood Princess Siyeon, her hands clasped demurely in front of her, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“Taesan,” the king’s voice echoed through the hall, commanding and unforgiving. “It has come to my attention that you have been avoiding the princess’s company.”

Taesan’s heart sank, the weight of his father’s words pressing down on him like a heavy stone. He shot a quick glance at his brothers, all of whom remained silent, their faces carefully neutral.

“Your behavior is unacceptable,” the king continued, his gaze narrowing. “As a prince of this kingdom, it is your duty to honor our guests and represent the royal family with dignity. You will spend the next three days with Princess Siyeon to make up for your negligence.”

Taesan’s stomach twisted in knots. Three days? He had promised you that he would take you into the forest today to search for new types of wood—away from the watchful eyes of the palace. The thought of breaking that promise filled him with dread.

“Father,” Taesan began, his voice steady despite the rising panic inside him, “I—”

“The three days begin now,” the king interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You are dismissed.”

The room fell silent as the king’s words hung in the air. Princess Siyeon glanced at Taesan, her expression unreadable, but there was a hint of excitement in her eyes. This was what she had wanted—a chance to spend time with him.

Taesan, on the other hand, felt his heart drop. Without another word, the king rose and left the room, signaling the end of the meeting.

As the brothers turned to leave, Taesan grabbed Jaehyun’s arm, his voice low and urgent. “Jaehyun, I need you to go to the shop. Tell her I won’t be able to make it for a few days. Please.”

Jaehyun’s playful expression softened when he saw the worry etched on Taesan’s face. He gave a small nod, his hand patting Taesan’s shoulder in reassurance. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell her.”

At the shop, you were busy preparing for your trip to the forest, excitement buzzing through you at the thought of spending the day with Taesan. The zither you had been crafting was nearly complete, and you were looking forward to showing Taesan the new types of wood you had been experimenting with.

The soft sound of footsteps outside caught your attention, and you looked up, expecting to see Taesan. Instead, it was Jaehyun who appeared at the door, his usual grin in place, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Jaehyun?” you asked, a slight frown tugging at your lips. “Where’s Taesan?”

Jaehyun stepped inside, his smile faltering. “He’s not going to make it today,” he said softly, his voice gentle. “The king has ordered him to spend the next three days with Princess Siyeon.”

Your heart sank at the news, disappointment washing over you like a cold wave. You had been looking forward to this day, and now it was slipping away.

“I see,” you said quietly, trying to mask the hurt in your voice. You understood the burden of duty—after all, Taesan was a prince, and his responsibilities came before anything else. But that didn’t make it any easier.

Seeing the sadness in your eyes, Jaehyun’s playful facade softened. He stepped closer, his voice low and sincere. “I know this isn’t easy, but trust me, he’s completely and utterly in love with you. He hates that he can’t be here.”

You looked down at your hands, feeling the weight of his words. “I know,” you whispered, though the ache in your chest remained. “It’s just… sometimes I wonder what things would be like if we had met sooner. Before all of this.”

Jaehyun smiled softly, his eyes filled with understanding. “It’s not about when you met. It’s about how you feel now. And I promise you, Taesan feels the same way.”

You nodded, grateful for his reassurance, though the lingering thought of what could have been still gnawed at you. “Thank you, Jaehyun.”

He patted your shoulder gently. “Take care. And don’t worry—these three days will be over before you know it.”

The first day with Princess Siyeon was nothing short of unbearable for Taesan. Though he tried to remain composed and polite, his thoughts were miles away—back at your shop, imagining the trip you had planned, the time you were supposed to spend together. It was as if his heart had split between the duty in front of him and the longing to be with you.

The princess, to her credit, did her best to engage him in conversation, but Taesan’s mind kept drifting. Each time she asked him a question, it took him a moment to snap back to reality, his responses curt and distracted.

“Prince Taesan,” Princess Siyeon said, her voice pulling him from his reverie. “Are you quite alright?”

Taesan blinked, realizing he had been staring blankly at the garden pond for the last few minutes. He straightened, offering her a polite smile. “My apologies, princess. I’m afraid my thoughts were elsewhere.”

She raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a faint smile. “I see. Perhaps I’ve been a boring companion.”

“Not at all,” Taesan replied quickly, though the lie sat heavy on his tongue. “I’m simply… preoccupied.”

The princess gave a small nod, though the glimmer of curiosity in her eyes suggested she knew there was more to his distraction than he was letting on. Still, she didn’t press the matter, and Taesan was grateful for that.

As they continued their walk through the palace gardens, Taesan forced himself to focus, answering her questions with the proper decorum, though his heart remained firmly with you.

Back at your shop, you tried to focus on your work, but your thoughts kept drifting to Taesan. You knew that his duty as a prince was important, but the ache of missing him was harder to ignore than you had anticipated. You found yourself wondering what he was doing at that very moment—if he was thinking of you too.

As you polished the wood in your hands, Jaehyun’s words echoed in your mind. He’s completely and utterly in love with you.

You smiled softly to yourself, the warmth of that thought easing some of the pain. No matter how much time passed, no matter how many duties pulled him away, you knew that his heart was with you. And for now, that would have to be enough.

The rest of the day dragged on for Taesan, the hours feeling like days as he tried to maintain the facade of interest in the princess’s conversation. But his mind remained elsewhere, replaying the moments he could have spent with you—the laughter, the easy conversation, the warmth of your presence.

As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the palace grounds, Taesan’s thoughts drifted back to the promise he had made to you. Three days, he thought to himself. Three more days, and I’ll be with you again.

And until then, he would hold onto the memory of you, the one thing that made the burden of duty just a little lighter.

｡･:*˚:✧｡ taglist: @astrae4

disclaimer: this, in no way, reflects the idol. this is purely fiction. m!list | previous | next

[eregyrn-falls]

Organizing a Stan Twins-centric Multi-Artist Lyric Comic!

There's a song I've always wanted to see as an AMV or a lyric comic for the Stan Twins, and years pass, and I've never been able to tackle a project that big. So, I wanted to try to organize it as a multi-artist lyric comic!

The song is "Trouble", by Avicii. (See below.)

What is a multi-artist lyric comic? One where people sign up, and each artist is assigned a line from the song. Artists will then do 1 page for their line, and at the end, it's all put together. Here is an example from GF fandom in 2018. (Here is a video version that someone put together with the music.)

This song has 28 lines of lyrics, but it also has some instrumental breaks, and I've thought of a way to fill those that would allow more people to participate (particularly if someone was unsure if they could take on a full page).

Here's the song:

There's a lot of details to go into, so to keep this post from taking up too much dash real estate, I'm going to put more detail below a read-more.

Here is a link to a Google form you can fill out to indicate interest. (But we do urge you to read over the details below!)

The goal would be to complete this in time to make it public on August 31st or Sept. 1st, 2023 -- in line with the actual last days in-story of the show. Therefore, the due date for final art will likely be around August 15th or 20th.

I hope folks will find this intriguing! I think it could be a lot of fun!

@mercury-falls and I are the point-people for this, at the moment!

All right -- the way I've always seen it, the first verse of the song is very Stan-related, and the second verse is very Ford related.

Here is a Google Doc with the lyrics.

My idea for the instrumental breaks was to have people contribute smaller pieces of art that look a bit like Polaroid snapshots. If we can get the lyric comic combined with the music, think of the collection of Polaroids accumulating the way they do at the end of the show's opening credits.

There are two main ways artists can contribute to the project:

For lyrics, full landscape illustrations (which include color, lettering, and a background)

For instrumental breaks, polaroid-style illustrations (smaller, simpler pieces in square format). We will use these in a video edit of the comic and have them accumulate like the show’s intro during the breaks. (We will also figure out a good way to display them in the lyric-comic post itself.)

Your art should be canon-compliant, and can depict any time period of the Stans’ lives (past, present, and near-future)! Do with your art as you best see fit with your lyrics, but keep the focus on the Stans and their relationships with each other and other GF characters. Both original content and screenshot adaptations are welcome!

We also welcome collaborations between artists on full pages! We encourage every artist in the project to help and support each other if they are comfortable. On the interest form, you can tell us if you are interested in volunteering to help others with inking, coloring, or creating backgrounds! Or, you can tell us if you think you will need help.

On the form, you can indicate your preference towards the Stan or Ford verses. But once we have the team of artists doing lyrics chosen, we will randomize the list and then contact people in order, to ask about preferences for lyrics. If you aren't chosen for one of the full pages, we would still like to have you involved for the Polaroids! (And you can indicate willingness to be called on to do a page if others drop out.)

We will have check-in dates through the summer, with goals for people to report on the subject of their piece; to have a sketch or layout ready to show; and to show progress closer to the end.

We will be setting up a Discord server to help share information, and to allow people to post WIPs or just generally discuss things, and keep motivation going. If you really don't use Discord, though, and don't want to sign up for it, that's okay. We will put whatever instructions and details we have in a Google Doc, and will share that link for reference. And we can always communicate via email.

I (Eregyrn speaking!) have been involved in a LOT of fan projects over the years. One of the key things to ask of people who sign up for a project is: communication. That is, if you're having difficulties, just let us know! If you need to drop out, just let us know! Don't feel guilty that you signed up and then had to drop out. The thing that is hardest on organizers of projects like this is when people sign up, but disappear and don't answer DMs or emails. Believe me, I've been in that position where you feel guilty and don't want to admit that you have to drop out -- but it's always much easier on the organizers if you just let them know, instead of keeping them guessing! This is just something to keep in mind when you're signing up -- life happens! It's okay! But please try to let us know if something comes up and you have to bow out.

Here is the link to the Google Form, that you can fill out to indicate interest.

[aihoshiino]

chapter 139 thoughts

Because of the content of this chapter I will unavoidably have to discuss CSA and topics related to it, including grooming, emotional abuse and sexual assault. I do not discuss them in great detail, but if you very understandably just aren't in the headspace for that, no hard feelings - look after yourself and I'll see you next time.

Gonna say up top that my review of this chapter is probably gonna read more negative than it necessarily is, because I do not think this was an Actively Bad chapter. It was, however, a deeply frustrating one and it's because of a lot of small things piling up that are starting to really grind my gears.

ai eating sweets with that head empty expression again makes this a tenouttaten chapter regardless of anything else i say here btw

As was foreshadowed by Kamiki's appearance last week, this time we're finally diving into some of the details around how Kamiki and Ai met. I'm a little surprise by how… I guess, unceremonious it is? This is the catalyst for the entire rest of the story, after all. It's the first meeting between the twins' parents and the first time Ai comes face to face with the man who will eventually kill her. Even given to us secondhand, this should be a pretty weighty, dramatic moment but…

there's no diplomatic way to say this so I will say this the undiplomatic way: I really kind of fucking hate that a moment this meaningful was undermined by flaccid incest bait jokes again lmao. I absolutely loathe that any kind of complexity the mutual past life reveal could have introduced to the twins' dynamic and any potential exploration of Ruby's feelings on the matter has been completely tossed by the wayside in favor of just having her splooge about her oniichan every time they're together. I've said before and I'll say again: I think the idea of Ruby developing confusedly romantic feelings for Aqua in the wake of realizing he was Gorou is a deeply compelling one and I would be on board with Oshi no Ko exploring that dynamic if it was actually going to explore it. The way Oshi no Ko leans into and explores the discomfort and dysphoria caused by the friction between the twins' past lives and their current selves is incredibly compelling when we actually get it and it's so baffling to me that one of the biggest, most braindead opportunities to continue doing this has not been snatched up.

We are approaching 20 chapters worth of time, in and out of universe, since this reveal happened and almost nothing has come of it. The most exploration we've gotten of how this changes things is in Mengo's interlude chapter for the twins which just feels all the more jarring in hindsight when the main story has been so stuck on using it for this incredibly tired and worn out incest bait comedy. Like, come on, man. It's 2024. What are we even doing here.

Bitching aside for the time being, I did really like the little scene between Taiki & Aqua, though. Both of them are dealing with some deeply heavy material and portraying real people they themselves both have a lot of baggage with so I appreciate they're given a moment to breathe and get those feelings out. Though again, we are given frustratingly little insight into whatever is going on with Aqua's head right now and given just how much weight and focus was given to Ruby coming to understand Ai and get into the right headspace to act as her, it feels really jarring and conspicuous that we have absolutely no idea how he's done the same for Kamiki.

H O W E V E R. I think this scene does contain a fascinating and potentially huge reveal that can easily be missed if you let yourself be distracted by Ruby; Kamiki, at least as portrayed by Aqua at this point in time, has white stars in his eyes. While I don't subscribe to the idea of In Depth Hoshigan Colour Decoding that's common elsewhere in the fandom, this does undeniably put middle school Kamiki in a closer emotional headspace to Ai than his present day self. Given what we see of the black hoshigan in other characters and knowing that this is Kamiki in the thick of his abuse at Airi's hands, this implies that despite all the horror he's been subjected to thus far this is still a Kamiki who has some light left in him. In fact, everything about Aqua's portrayal of him here suggests a certain sense of kindness and innocence that has yet to be ripped away from him which is very, very interesting. This is, after all, a hateful work written to kill Aqua's father. So this disarmingly likable and sympathetic portrayal of him as an undeniable victim throws a lot about the movie's intentions into question

what i'm saying is even aqua is furthering the kamiki hikaru babygirlification agenda. so true, king.

That said, this scene also comes with its own nits to pick, which is the reveal - or I guess. the confirmation - that Ruby does in fact know who her father is. While we don't know exactly what and how much she knows, I think it's reasonable to conclude that she's been brought on board with at least everything about him the movie confirms. And like… man… wouldn't it be really great to have seen Ruby learn any of that information on screen? Wouldn't it have been really interesting to see Ruby learn literally any fucking information about this revenge quest and the man who murdered her beloved mother and to have to work out how to process all that? Wouldn't it have made a kickass arc for Ruby to learn that even the man she despised for killing her mother was himself a victim of the entertainment industry, to see the damage that can be caused by a relationship between an adult and a child when she herself was innocently fantasizing about a similarly huge age gap between her and Gorou and to perhaps go through some conflict and internal growth based on all this?

but no. splooging over her brother is a much more important use of page time. i guess.

speaking of airi. the image of her carrying around the baby she conceived by raping eleven year old boy, right in front of him at the place she is continuing to abuse him is so incredibly foul and rancid i kind of want to throw up about it. on god i hope hell's hot enough.

It's pretty short, but the montage of Ai and Hikaru spending time together and him gradually softening and opening up to her a little more was really sweet. I've been super interested in the HikaAi relationship ever since we learned who Hikaru even was so even these little tidbits filtered through 15YL's portrayal are really exciting to get. It also lends some credence to something I've been theorizing about why Ai specifically wanted to be with Hikaru - she seems to understand and relate to his experiences with objectification at the hands of the adults and people around him and to feel some sense of solidarity with him as a result. In terms of theming, I always expected the HKAI relationship to contain echoes of AquKana and AquAka - Hikaru is a dark mirror to Aqua, so it makes sense that his relationships would be so as well - and in this sense, I think we can see an echo of the AquAka romance there. In Hikaru, Ai begins to believe she can find a person who can understand and accept her. … or that's my theory as of now, anyway.

And that final scene between Airi and Hikaru… whoof. Genuinely blood curdling. In general, the reveal of just how long Hikari was being actively abused by Airi made my stomach churn - for some reason, it had never occurred to me that it might have run parallel to his meeting with Ai but the idea that this wasn't just a one-off incident, but active grooming and abuse that Airi got away with thanks to her position of power and authority over this child in her care for years… genuinely revolting and I do mean that in the best possible way.

CSA is such a heavy topic and quite frankly, anime and manga are not historically delicate or tasteful in its portrayal - especially when it comes to male victims of assault. Ever since we were told what had happened to Hikaru, I was really on the fence about whether this was something OnK could tackle in the way it needed to be. So far, though, I think its portrayal and indictment of Airi's abuse is excellent. It is not allowed to be a spectacle, and we are shown just enough to understand the nauseating scope of the horror Hikaru has been subjected to. I'm hoping Aka and Mengo are able to keep this up.

No break next week! Maybe one after next chapter, though? 140 will be the final chapter of volume 14 and I'm curious to see what note it's going to end on.

[missingkittyfan]

YANDERE BARISTA OC X GN READER

warnings: yandere themes, mention of death (the loss of a family member), mentions of depressive episodes, obsessive thoughts, unhealthy mindset

Aaron let out a quiet sigh as he prepared the coffee for the customer, tiredly looking at the glass window - it's been a stressful day so far since he's been dealing with grouchy, unreasonable customers. Getting complaints about their drink not being done right even though he does it by order, making sure the ingredients are correct. He wished this shift could be over already, not really wanting to do anything else for the entire day. A lot of things were on his mind and he didn't know how to deal with this crippling loneliness ever since his mother had unfortunately passed away. Her death being for some reason unknown, no one really know what had happened to her exactly.

He walked over to the counter before setting down the warm cup of coffee down, glancing at the person and giving them a polite yet slightly strained smile. "Here you go, that will be $3.65." He stated, awaiting for their payment although the customer seemed to be- hesitant..? Aaron looked away for a moment as the two stood in silence. Finally, the male let out a nervous laugh as he scratches the side of his cheek. "Oh- err.. well, I- only have two bucks so.. maybe I can just give it to you now and next time give you the rest?" He replied, smiling awkwardly.

Aaron however wasn't amused, his smile twitching a bit but still tried to kept his composure.

"Ah- I'm sorry sir but that isn't.. allowed. You're supposed to pay full price now." he said, "I can just discard of the coffee and you can come back later and-" The man cuts him off by abruptly grabbing the cup, spilling some drops of coffee onto the counter. "Great! I'll see you tomorrow then. I promise to pay you later." With that the man exited the building leaving aaron with a baffled expression. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fist as he watched him leave. He was so close from just busting out of here and strangle him - dealing with parasitic people like him infuriates him. He hated his time being wasted.

He sighed, he shouldn't feel like this. Just one more hour and he'll be free to go! It's not like everyday this doesn't happen.

Aaron rested his arm onto the counter, almost hoping one person doesn't walk into here.

That was until his eyes lingered towards someone.

And that someone in question was you.

Of course usually he wouldn't focus on someone's appearance especially since he didn't quite have the luxury to focus on pursuing a relationship. He didn't really bother trying to. he thought himself as a unlovable person, likely to die alone and never having to live the life that he truly wanted. Not really having a goal and rather went with the ride.

It was sad, really - but he tried not fuss himself too much about it.

He continued thinking about what should he do besides laying onto the bed, feeling hopeless and miserable most of the time. The brown haired male watched you entering inside the café before giving him a warm.. smile.

A smile that he swore he felt his cheeks reddening up but brushed it aside and kept it professional as he greets you. "Hey, welcome! Is there anything I can get you on this fine afternoon?" He asked as you walked towards his direction, "Thank you and yes! I'm on my break so I would just like a iced latte, not really looking forward into eating something at the moment. Caffeine is all I need," you answered, laughing. "It's a slow tiring day don't you think? My dear co-worker has been kind of salty, giving me the cold shoulder. Some days aren't your day I guess!" You realized you were rambling, quickly becoming silent for a second. "Sorry- I've came here for a iced coffee not small talk .. I shouldn't put my problems on a hardworking barista like yourself, you seem tired and stressed even. Are you- okay?" You frowned, noticing the dark circles underneath his eyes. He looked like he hasn't been getting enough proper rest.

His eyes widen a bit, snapped out of his thoughts to realize your concern for him before shooting you a smile. "Ah- no no! it's fine, i'm fine.. I appreciate your concern. It's not often we get people like you so it's really.. refreshing. Thank you." he said, "I'll be on it now, don't wanna waste your time." He grabbed a plastic cup - preparing your drink as you patiently wait. You stared at the busy traffic in silence, watching few people on the sidewalk having a phone conversation.

He glanced at you for a moment, admiring your features. His lips curled into a slight smile, you were so sweet and graceful with your words and actions. Your charm beginning to draw him in, and yet- he didn't want to admit it nor deny.. but he knew for certain he was intrigued and wanted to know more about you. Wanted to know what's your name, your interests and dislikes.. and maybe more. "So, uh.. feel free to not answer but how come I've never seen you before? You look like a new face in town," he chuckled before muttering to himself. "A pretty one at that.."

You looked at him before a smile formed onto your lips once again, "Oh! Yeah- I've actually moved here a week ago believe it or not. It wasn't long before they had recommended this place that serves good coffee. The atmospheres looks so nice! I really love the aesthetic so I'm assuming they must be right after all." You replied, almost going on a tangent.

God your voice was soothingly pleasing to listen to, he could just hear you talk endlessly without getting tired of hearing it. You had such a way with words, he tried not to urge himself into trying to hear more from you after all you were just a customer. It would seemed weird if he had try getting more information as possible.. right? He wasn't that kind of person, if he wanted so bad to get to know you better he could actually just.. ask you if he can spend some time with you and not be creepy about it.. He didn't want to come off too strong already but.. this feeling, it was overwhelming and he couldn't get enough. He wanted more.

He wanted you. It was complicated and too much for him to take in.. is this what love actually feels like? The feeling of wanting to feel your embrace, your scent, and hearing his name flow off your tongue. If so, this felt amazing to him.

Aaron had finished making the iced latte, setting the cold drink down onto the counter. "That will be $4.65." He said before you nodded in response, taking out your wallet and placing the exact amount. He grabbed it from you and puts the cash into the cash register. "Thank you, I hope you enjoy your drink and have a wonderful day!" He smiled.

"You too!" You practically yelled, leaving the place as you took a sip of your coffee.

He placed his hand onto his cheek, watching you walk away out of view before coming into a realization. His smile slowly turned into a melancholic frown. "Ah- I haven't.. asked for their name." He sighed, "shit- why do I have to mess things up? I loss my chance.. what if they never come back again?" He looked down at the counter, staring into the reflection of himself. "I hope that's not the case.. I want to get to know them. I need to learn much more about them.." He said to himself. Aaron had himself found a new fixation, a goal.

And that goal was to make you fall over heels for him as much as he did for you - to make you his and him yours.

[shunnedmorlock]

Hi! What are your opinions on each of the greens ?

Have a good day/night!

Otto: I think he gets a bad rap, not in absolute terms but relatively to the people like Viserys and Daemon. If you hate Otto for pushing Alicent to marry Viserys, you should hate Viserys much, much more. Otto is "merely" complicit in what happened. There was no one Vissy could've said no to more effectively than Otto. It just goes to a double standard you see a lot with these farcical black-green debates where people change their opinions on whether it's ok to judge people by in-universe standards depending on what "team" they're a part of. He has a habit of telling unfortunate truths that get him in trouble, but most of the things he says are just, like, objectively true, but people don't want to hear it. Daemon is actually a danger to the realm and his brother, Rhaenyra does actually have to give the scions of great houses a hearing, Daemon did actually groom Rhaenyra to claim the throne, Alicent's children do pose an inherent threat to Rhaenyra by their mere existence.

From a Doylist perspective, like many other things, I think episode 9 really butchered Otto's character. All of a sudden the guy who has been working hand in hand with his daughter for the past few episodes didn't tell her about the plot to seat her son on the throne??? And now the guy who got fired by Aegon for being too slow and measured in his war planning is pushing to kill Rhaenyra immediately? And he wants to send the Kingsguard to do clandestine assassin work? And he's reluctant to ban child fighting pits for like no reason? I'm sorry, you don't have to be a feminist to not like that!

Alicent: I have talked about her at length. Nixonian Queen. I kneel. The war will make her worse, and I enjoy it. One of the characters I think on-balance the show improved.

Criston: Not a good guy by any means, but dismissing him as just a resentful incel is just boring. It's very clear he was, at best, conflicted about his tryst with Rhaenyra to begin with - he liked her, they had a lot of chemistry, but he does genuinely believe in his vows. The marriage thing is obviously silly and naive, but from his perspective it's him trying to do right by her (and also preserve himself and his soul), which puts him a step above many other Westerosi men who canonically often feel no obligations to the women they sleep with outside of marriage or the children created. There is a real difference in values between him and Rhaenyra that goes beyond him hating women, even if his values aren't strictly speaking good. I'm sorry, but the fact that a Westerosi man is as sexually repressed as an average Westerosi woman is genuinely a point in his favor! I sincerely hope he and Alicent make each other worse. Substantially improved by the show.

Aegon: This is going to be controversial, but baffling/over-the-top/ill-thought-out decisions like Dyana and the child fighting pits aside, I much prefer this version of Aegon to F&B. I don't care that he's kind of pathetic, that's fun, that's drama, that gives room for character development and growth into the king he ends up becoming. It's clear the writers do want Aegon to be kind of sympathetic, but it seems they didn't consider what stuff like Dyana would do to that, which to me indicates they meant the focus of that scene to be Alicent and her behavior, not Aegon. Which is stupid. One of the worse victims of inconsistent characterization, switching between vaguely sympathetic drunken frat bro to outright sex criminal every episode, or even in the same episode.

Helaena: I like what they've done with her. It's more interesting for her to be a doomed neurodivergent prophetess than just a little dumb, even though she hasn't done a ton so far. Similarly, in an RP I was a part of, Jaehaera was depicted as not simple, just autistic and it was much more interesting.

Aemond: BORING! Don't care about this guy, sorry. Maybe I'll like him more when he is pathetically down-bad for Alys Rivers, but right now he's just like budget Daemon to me, who I also find boring. He was more interesting as a bullied teen.

Larys: He's a tough guy to adapt because his motivations are kind of nonsensical behind a vague idea of getting back at Rhaenyra (?) for dishonoring his brother (??) by putting his children in line for the throne (???). The foot thing is kind of gross and I do wish they'd have given him an actual motivation but whatever. The actor's good and I do like him and Alicent on balance. Improved by the adaptation.

Tyland: We love our little bureaucrat don't we folks? Hope he gets more screen time later on.

Jasper Wylde: FUCK YOU SHOWRUNNERS WHY IS THE GUY WHO HAS HAD ONE LINE THIS ENTIRE SEASON PART OF THE COUP BUT NOT ALICENT FUCKING HIGHTOWER??????

[kiwinatorwaffles]

hmm. i'm usually not one to post about these topics but i think i've gathered enough thoughts on wilbur's abysmal apology towards shelby to form a cohesive message.

WARNING: the rest of the post will discuss abuse and also a lot of my personal experiences as someone who has hurt other people in the past. obviously not to the extent that wilbur has, but please move on it you don’t want to see it. thank you and stay safe.

being stuck in a hard place, whether it be living conditions, mental conditions, or any other factor, will naturally hurt the person going through those tough times. and hurt people hurt people. but i think there's a pretty Big Fucking Difference between doing bad things in the past and actually owning up to your actions after regretting it VS doing bad things in the past and turning a blind eye against those you've hurt to wallow in your own ego and misery.

i’ve experienced my fair share of abusive friendships, but when i was fifteen, i WAS the toxic friend. (yes, i’m aroace. friendships aren’t the same as a romantic relationship but they can be just as strong. i value my platonic bonds as much as allos value their marriages or date partners.) i was going through a huge depressive episode. it was tough for me, but during that time, i made fun of my friends' interests to their faces because i couldn't personally understand it, and i also vagueposted about the little things they did that ticked me off right where they could see it. it got to the point where they had to make a separate group chat to talk about their interests where i wouldn’t see it. i hurt all of them, and it ended in them confronting me about my actions. they put me in my place and called me out for my horrible attitude.

after seeing my friends' perspectives, i realized just how awful i was to them and sincerely apologized to each of them. i recognized their feelings towards my actions and didn't make excuses. even though i was going through a hard time myself, my abuse towards them was absolutely NOT justified. as i recovered, i made sure not to hurt them any more, and years later, our friendships are still going strong.

my experiences aren't nearly as extreme as what wilbur has done to shelby, but i think it's pretty fucking clear that his apology was flaming dog shit served on a trash dump. like, i was a fifteen year old. he's a Grown Ass Man with a big platform. he dug his own grave by talking about himself first instead of actually addressing his mistreatment of shelby first and foremost. he didn't even MENTION shelby by name. talking about his "strides to betterment" without even directing his apology towards the person he actually hurt is just pathetic. that whole spiel about how he "thought" the whole exchange was consensual is fucking wild. he didn't even apologize for that; he moved on right afterwards.

we can infer that wilbur has been struggling with being a person who has done bad things through his songs and lovejoy's music. he might have been going through a hard time and maybe even regretted it (though his apology really makes it seem like he's just doing it for damage control), that STILL doesn't validate any hurt he might have caused. the least he could’ve done is to sincerely apologize to shelby, even if she didn’t accept it. but he couldn’t even do that.

it's just disappointing that, as someone who has a platform of millions of followers, he displayed an act of shallowness. in the end, his attempt at sincerity fell flat and benefited no one, especially not the people he abused. if he had properly apologized, even if his apology wasn't accepted, it would've shown people in a similar situation how to apologize to the people they hurt in the past in a mature and sincere way.

so, yeah. FUCK wilbur soot. focus not on the fact that he has done bad, but that the one he abused didn’t get a proper apology. support shelby and other victims of abuse. listen to their experiences and spread awareness of these cautions. uplift their voices, not his.

for those who have connected to his and lovejoy's music that have gone through a similar dark time in their lives, i also extend my heart out to you. it must also be hard to see someone who reflected your struggles of betterment reveal himself to be someone who really hasn't gotten better at all.

but you don’t have to be like him. you don’t need to follow in his steps as long as you own up to your mistakes, even if you can’t talk to those you hurt anymore. in the end, what matters most is that you apologize in a sincere way and make sure you don’t repeat those mistakes going forward.

you CAN get better. if anything just so spite that british boy’s ass

thank you. kiwi out ✌️

[yuri-is-online]

Hi Yuri! I hope you are doing well<333 I really enjoy reading your writing and I am always more fond of reading the little octatrio fish gang! I dont really know how this usually works because I never send in any asks at all nor do I see your rules list or anything but if you dont mind I would like to make a request<3

A mc who finds an out of tune and old piano and fondly remembers that they used to play piano back in their world. And perhaps Azul hears in on this and despite the piano being old and out of tune, it is rather beautiful how you play it because of how imperfect the notes are being played out. (SORRY I WAS LISTENING TO FALLEN DOWN AND THE FEELINGS WERE JUST SURGING AND THE BRAINROT WAS TOO MUCH)

You dont have to force yourself or anything! Please take care and dont feel too pressured! <3

The Most Romantic of All Arts (Azul Ashengrotto x Yuu)

Hello dear friend and I am doing quite well thank you! I'm pleased you like my writing; the octotrio is what finally cracked my resolve to check out Twisted Wonderland and put FGO on the back burner so I suppose I shouldn't beat myself up too much for writing about them so much. I am sorry I caused you stress with my lack of rules, I don't usually send requests or asks myself, so I felt really bad to have frightened you. Not too sure if this will end up being what you had in mind, it got away from me a bit.

Also when you say Fallen Down, you do mean the Undertale soundtrack piece right? It's a soothing song I listened to it while I was plotting this to try and get into a similar headspace.

notes: they/them used for Yuu, header taken from the painting Spirit by George Roux (1885) which I found on this wordpres blog article I took the title from, it's a neat painting, Azul learning to find beauty and love in imperfections is important to me ok? Other works can be found on my masterlist here.

Sometimes you wonder if Ramshakle is sentient. The old building has more rooms than you know what to do with, and lovely as the ghosts are they don't fully remember what they were used for, if they remembered in the first place. But still there was something about those rooms that seemed to love you; he guest room almost built itself up around you, the kitchen had only needed some basic repairs before it was ready to help play host again, and no matter where a fire place was found it was always eager to burst to life and warm you and Grim.

It does not have the same love for Azul, he'd complained as much when you talked about just what it was he wanted with the building after the events of his overblot had cooled between you.

"It's got a graveyard in front of it, though?" That really had been the crux of your whole argument. It was hard to be annoyed with his laugh when it sounded so nice, the genuine amusement a refreshing difference to his previous performitive indifference.

"Yes," he muses, sipping at his real before he continues, "I'm not bothered by that much, ghosts and grave ships aren't uncommon sights under the sea, but I always forget how unusual humans think they are."

"There's a lot of superstitions about places where people are buried." You mean it as an explanation, but it brings an odd look to Azul's face, like there's an emotion bubbling beneath his surface he doesn't want to acknowledge but is too strong to suppress. It settles over you both, as you try to focus on drinking your tea while your host seems content to let his grow cold.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing that ruin isn't really sentient." He sounds almost bitter, disappointed in how long he has let his drink cool you decide as he reaches for the pot and warms it with some fresh tea. "Otherwise, I'd accuse it of trying to keep you."

It's a silly thought, but the sight of this latest discovery really does have you wondering. You are supposed to be in that wonderfully accommodating kitchen making snacks for when Azul decides to "coincidentally drop by" later this evening to "go over the Lounge's expenses" in your guest room. On a Tuesday. When it was almost guaranteed business would be slow enough to keep anyone from wondering too hard about where he'd gone or the twins from being too upset about running things. But instead of "just wanting to try" a new recipe, you are here, tucked in a room just a bit further down the hall from the guest room watching Grim give his best impression of Ace after completing a magic trick. Because stars know he has never seen any other magicians.

"TA-DA!" He puts both of his paws out to really sell the piano at the window. "See, I told you I had a great surprise!"

"I'm sorry for not believing you." You say and try not to laugh with just how much more proud that seems to make him. "But where did you find this? Or how I guess, unless you moved it?"

"Nah." He shakes his head before remembering he's supposed to be the "great" Grim. "I mean I could have! But I'm just so cool I managed to find a piano here already, so all I had to do was clean it up instead! You're welcome henchuman." You scratch just behind his ears and politely ignore his purrs as you examine the piano and its bench. They're old, likely just as ancient as everything else in the dormitory and likely extremely, achingly out of tune. But the mere sight of it makes your fingers itch, and Grim barely has to whine "Well ain't you gonna play somethin'?" Before you're at the bench, experimentally pressing the keys to try and sound out something.

Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are-

You hum it rather than sing, irrationally worried Grim will somehow figure out it's a lullaby and complain that you're babying him instead of cutely dancing along with the music like it's one of the cassettes Deuce let you borrow. He cheers for another, and you oblige, letting your muscle memory carry you as far as it can as you try searching your brain for just what it was you wanted most to hear from yourself after all this time being unable to play.

And missing the click of a heavy door down the hall in the effort.

Azul hears nothing at first, and though it does disappoint, it does not bother him. He's had a long day, one about to be made longer still by the grey zone already draping itself around his thoughts as he shrugs his blazer off to his shoulders while en route to the Ramshackle guest room. He pauses, for what he tells himself is only going to be second, at the kitchen door and is left unrewarded for his detour.

You aren't there: and that does bother him somewhat, even if it should not if his pretext is to be believed. These visits were too commonplace to be random, but maybe you'd made plans, deciding not to look past his excuses for the evening. Maybe you were asleep, tired of the day or just plain tired of him. But there is a kettle sat on it's base, mercifully not on just yet, but two mugs and the pour over cone set next to as if it was expecting company. The nerves remain knotted in his stomach, though the cause shifts towards something more welcome.

So you do have a mug purposefully set aside and designated just for him, and is that a little recpie card with notes on coffee taped to that tin? These things should worry him, the picture he snaps and immediately hides in a folder should be for a purpose. But it's separate from those ones, labeled something inane and barely full with how careful he is to have his longing remain unseen. He wonders, briefly if it would be an intrusion to make the drinks himself. If it would reveal to much to show outright he knows the way you take yours instead of just saying it in time with your order, but knows that would not be the exact issue here. He is a guest, and guests limit themselves to the halls and that room he forces himself, with haste that would be noticeable if you were there to see it, back down the hall and back towards the guest room. Azul has work to do, he can content himself with the warmth the mental image the cups on the counter produces until something forces him to pause at a door once more. The piano is old, droning out a tune that is unpolished and rusty from the player's lack of practice but filled with such a specific sort of joy it has him actually running towards it.

You sit at the bench, a serious look of determination on your face so unlike the usual Yuu it can't help but be cute. Grim sleeps contentedly on your lap as you continue searching for the threads of melody still trapped inside your head from years of only occasionally reluctant practice. It's an unfamiliar tune in composition, but not in feel. There's words to this song, maybe not in the form of lyrics, but there all the same for him to stumble even closer to as he comes to a halting stop just behind you and the music ends in a surprised crash as you whip your head around to see him.

"Azul!"

"Very sorry to interrupt." He holds up both hands in surrender, composure only just maintained as you check to see Grim still asleep and laugh nervously. "I didn't know you could play."

"Can't really." You say somewhat bitterly and more confidence comes to Azul as a slight plan froms in his mind. "I'm really out of practice ugh. I know it shouldn't annoy me! But with how everything's been since I showed up, it's just not been on my mi- Oh hello?"

Azul fully removes his jacket and sets it on a side table close to where he had been satanding, moving to sit on the bench next to you. He has enough mercy not to loosen his tie or do anything else scandalous, but the close examination he gives to the keys could have fooled you. "Pity it's so out of tune, this is a nice piano."

"I know right! I'm really happy Grim found it." You resist the urge to poke his cheeks some and Azul lightly, trying not to too openly relish in your surprise reaches one arm around your back to place his hands into a similar position as you had been earlier, tucking you close to his side.

"May I?" He's smug. Too smug it's robbing you of sanity.

"What's it going to cost?" You try too hard not to sound like you're flailing as you look to see your question hasn't even phased him at all.

"Oh normally I wouldn't dream of charging for a performance," he clearly lies "but it's been such a long day I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee." And he's off, music only marred by the off key of the piano in a clearly purposeful display of talent meant to sear itself into your mind enough that you don't think about his request too long. You and he are from two different worlds, but he knows that music has a way of gapping that if the stories of the mermaid princess told him anything at all. So when he purposefully slows the song at its end, he knows you know, that tricky smile he swore once he'd always hate kicking his heartbeat up again as you lean fully against his shoulder.

"Beautiful." You say, not bothering to give the compliment direction as he can't help but agree. "We should play together next time."

"I-" You pick yourself up and what he wants to say slows when you pick up his jacket for him and hold out a hand. Later, he all to easily decides. Later, without Grim and with specific time set purposefully aside so you know just how much it matters. "I would like that. You'll have to show me the songs that you can remember from your world." And he takes your hand just to soothe some of the ache, trying and failing not to show just how happy he is when you keep it.