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canisalbus · 9 months

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IDK if I'm phrasing this correctly, but in my brain, Vasco is, like, the personification (caninification?) of an afternoon chilling on a back porch swing.

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#ah #that's adorable #I can totally imagine him doing that #answered #anonymous #Vasco #to me he usually conjures the feeling of being warmed by sunlight #winters in northern Finland where I'm from tend to be pretty rough at least for me they are #they last about six months or so #sun starts to set earlier and earlier until it gets dark before 2 pm #in december the sun barely rises at all it's like this brief moment of twilight at noon between two 22+ hour nights #it gets harder to wake up in the morning and your energy levels plummet you go into battery saving mode #polar night messes up your brain seasonal depression gets really bad #and the cold and dark goes on and on and you feel like you'll never feel warm or happy or properly awake again #but eventually it starts to veer towards spring and on one day you notice that the sun is shining??!?!#not like bleakly and weakly but proper sunlight with warm hue and capability to actually warm the things it touches #you've forgotten what it looks like when it's truly light outside #and it's the craziest feeling to see bright natural light it blinds you and pierces right through into your very core #being kissed by the sun for the first time in months feels unreal it feels SO GOOD #I don't know it's probably not that big of a deal for people around me #but I personally react to things like changes in temperature and the amount of daylight pretty massively #I like to think that Vasco is a first ray of sunlight hitting you after you've spent what feels like an eternity in someplace cold and dark

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poppyflavour · 4 months

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i'm gonna give you guys some badly drawn incorrect quotes while you're waintin' for that comic, because it's gonna take me some time

#danganronpa #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #drthh #danganronpa thh #art #universe a #Ghost time #leon kuwata #mukuro ikusaba #fun fact Sayaka was supposed to be there too but I didn't have time to draw her #artists on tumblr #art on tumblr #incorrect quotes #sketches #please ignore Mukuro's deformed hand i realised it when i got home and the natural light was gone

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fullscoreshenanigans · 4 months

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Hello friend i am so happy to know that at least one (1) person is out there still talking about Promised Neverland because I just recently fall ass backwards back into it and I am going INSANE about the Everything!!!! I’ve managed to get my hands on physical copies of the first ten volumes. Do you have any physical copies of the manga?

Heyyooo welcome back 😎🤝😎 TPNtumblr is tiny but the tradeoff is it's usually pretty chill and cozy. |3

And I do! I own all twenty volumes plus Kaiu Shirai x Posuka Demizu: Beyond The Promised Neverland with the epilogue chapter in it, along with the art book twice. I also have the blu-rays, which for the first season I think are pretty nifty for the box art alone, in addition to the interview booklet that comes with it.

In regards to merch, my favorites are probably these little Ohiruneko figures of the trio and the exhibition trio plate, but I also adore the album art of the OST, the endings of the first season, and the ending for the second season (still genuinely cannot believe that last one is real), and as a trio enthusiast for aesthetic purposes I'm very happy to own copies of the first and fourth light novels. For unofficial stuff, my small smattering of doujinshi.

#calamitycons #glad you're having fun scrolling through my tags #currently nearing three years of brainrot myself so I feel the feeling insane abt everything #twt is def more active but it would never let me be this organized or asinine #hate the ephemeral nature of social media love being able to archive and find stuff again that interests me/makes me happy #celebrate the time and effort people put into art after having something about the series resonate so deeply it inspired them yk?#I also have those trio death jars keychains that Jasmine posted about a few weeks back that I got as a gift years ago #but I have yet to post them being hit by light from the back they look so nice 💚💜🧡#Norman with the purple looks so good 💜💜#trying to take one for the team again here by buying Japanese copies of the light novels and Kei Toda book #that should jinx things and prompt VIZ to finally officially translate them right‚‚‚</3 #TPN Merch #FSS Asks #FSS Chatter #TPN S1

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queensparklekitten · 8 days

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time princess players how do y'all picture the MCs of every story

like since every set and piece of official art has a different hair colour, length, and style with every picture of them, and sometimes there's descriptions that don't match the images, which one do you go with

and do you make half of them look like your avatar or have your own designs

#dutp #time princess #when playing/viewing it through the ''story traveler'' lens #i often justify the hair colour changes in-universe by headcanoning that it's story kingdom magic that allows you to change your hair colou #by default i make half the mcs look like (taller versions of) me/my avatar (who's designed after me but with purple eyes) to some extent #but there are exceptions #like if the mc isn't white i'm obviously not gonna base her design off myself #except Maybe giving her my/my avatar's hair length #and if a spinoff shows the mc i'll often use that design #i always pictured zoya blonde until the salvia spinoff story came out and showed her with the light brown hair from that one set #it also described zoya as having black eyes which i went with #i didn't have a locked in eye colour headcanon for her before but i didn't really picture her with eyes that dark #probably because none of the album art gave her black eyes #though eye colours tend to be inconsistent in this game #nastia's described with gray eyes but that one album art gives her blue eyes #and on the flipside charlotte's described with blue eyes in one side story but her model doesn't have blue eyes #nor does at least one album art of her #i give virtually every mc long hair just because most of the hairstyles in those sets require it #i always picture cordelia with dark hair and ocean green-blue eyes #like a vivid teal colour. just fits someone whose name means ''daughter of the sea''#and sometimes i have her stop shaving her legs when she becomes a pirate because a) she lives on a boat #and b) representation of her leaving behind that gilded-cage life of fancy etiquette and ''you must become a perfect wife and mother''#in which she did everything society demanded of her at the expense of her own happiness #like yeah after escaping that i Will make cordelia stop shaving her legs. for the symbolism. and the fact that she lives on a pirate boat.#i always give aurora that pastel-almost-white shiny gradient dyed hair #because a) it's in half the sets b) it looks so so so cool c) it looks great next to the companions i ship her with #matches with novi and gives her a light-dark duality with selene's dark purple hair #idk her natural hair colour but i also give her the creepily pale eyes from Silent Night Rebirth #to match the pastel clothes she's so often in. this is not her natural eye colour either. hey that's p clearly a common thing in this city #i strongly doubt that selene's eyes are naturally that bright blueish purple

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totallynotaraccoonindiscuise · 12 days

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currently slaying in the gender department while reading fanfiction

#orange blush right against the corners of my eyes #gold eyeshadow #brown eyeliner on my undereye #and a decorative bandaid on my nose #i daresay i might be hot for the first time in forever #+ i have natural big brown eyes that lowkey glow in light so #im happy :>#no face reveal sorry chat

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sskk-manifesto · 18 days

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:)

#A nice episode :) I have a lot of headache tho and forgot everything I wanted to say #The ss/kk is nice :) It's nice every time Akutagawa spontaneously saves Atsushi seemingly with no reason to #The animation was very nice! It's evident a lot of money and effort went into this season and these last episodes in particular #And I like the art style a lot better than the one in the other seasons. Even season 4 where the animation is comparatively as good #What more. The Kyouka screentime is nice. The whole Guild aftermath celebrations section is very nice and heartwarming to watch #I still take a lot of issues with the entire way Kyouka's entrance exam was conceived but I think they're fairly self-explanatory.#Also fundamentally coherent with b/sd's general worldviews so #But even then there's a line that bothers me to an unexplainable amount from the first time I watched it to now.#The “it hurts” when she's hugging Atsushi. And I've reflected over that line so long from the moment I first heard it...#I think. Its meaning is to symbolize how being in the light sometimes will still result to be too overwhelming for Kyouka–#to the point at times it will still end up hurting her. But that doesn't make it any less worth it #So to say‚ there's no such thing as perfect happy endings. But she is going to be okay nonetheless #BUT IT STILL BUGS ME. I feel like it's part of a school of thought for whom we should just accept the fact that there's evil in the world–#that we can't eradicate. And nothing can be done about it. Which I don't think is a functional or useful way of thinking?#ALSO I know it's. Most definitely‚ 99% not how the scene is supposed to be interpreted #BUT ATSUSHI IS THE ONE HUGGING AND THUS HURTING HER and you know how there is this very slight narrative that seemingly–#frames Kyouka and Atsushi as romantic partners and like... Idk.#In that context the line almost feels expression of a narrative of wives having to bear pain that is natural and unavoidable.#I know this definitely wasn't the intended meaning it's just a bad impression for some reason I can't be able to shrug off even after years #But don't listen to me #I don't think there's anything else to add. Overall a very good episode.#Take a shot every time someone says “all according to Dazai's plan”#random rambles

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adore-gregor · 3 months

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ugh

#altough it got better in a way my self confidence is still so bad :(#some days it's worse than others it changes with my mood or idk #just lately i have been feeling kinda down about myself #i just have never been this naturally confident person and i feel like i'm not enough or not doing enough a lot at times :/#when i was younger it was even worse and i thought of myself that no guy would ever like me bc i'm so not good looking #obviously that was not true and guys do like me and i would not go that far anymore but often i look at myself and think average at best #even though that might not even be true and sometimes i like what i look like in a mirror but i think to myself just good lighting or sth #and so often when i see a bad picture of myself i feel so ashamed like i'd just wish i looked differently #and when guys tell me i'm pretty or also other people i find it so difficult to believe that like i don't see that in myself #but it does not make a sense i know others don't think of me like that also guys i think of as a attractive but i don't see myself like that #but it's not just that i often also feel doubtful i will ever achieve much #i always think i should be finished with uni already or have better grades #and mostly that i'm not smart enough in general #but my grades are not even bad and i'm not failing any classes #like i just got another a in that class (i'm actually really happy about that one) but then i think okay but some people have all a's #like i could do better i could study harder #unfortunately i'm a master of procrastination as well 😅 and quite good at lol #what i mean is that i manage to study very little compared to others and still get good grades - sounds good but keeps me lazy 😅#and i also think when i achieve a good grade often that i don't deserve it that much because i could have studied more #and that i just got lucky which is not very rational i know 😅#or once i actually just passed an exam (i studied the night before) and i though yeah the teacher just felt sorry for me and let me pass #realistically i don't think it was like that #and at uni i studied for big exams which were feared by students for 2 days and got a b #which should indicate i'm somewhat smart but i think i just know the right study techniques and got lucky again #altough i do know good study techniques i think :))#buuut sometimes i do things which are so dumb like i do have these moments my mind is going like blank #and it's not difficult things even #like in football we did this exercise of a series of passes and everyone got it but me until a few tries like how is this harder #i'm just kind of bad at envisioning like this series 3 dimensionally in my mind idk i usually get it once i do it and remember the movement #what it feels like

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yotd2009 · 3 months

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no one has my back the way the guy at the local boba place has my back

#every time i come in he makes some sort of comment about liking the way i dress which is hilarious 2 me bc i . hate the way i dress #so i've been forced to come to the conclusion that i am. in fact. naturally stylish. i just happen to be a bit of an eccentric and have #grown very tired of my standard tshirt + jeans + docs + some sort of jacket combo.#i waltzed in there in my lain replica hat and my vivienne westwood orb and my long light pink winter coat (zipped up bc cold)#(+ jeans and docs) and he said something about it being rlly cohesive. which is funny bc i was wearing a fucking genshin cardigan and a mcr #shirt under the coat and like. two of those things don't match anything at all. but i'm happy that the lain hat matches my coat as well as #it does. n e ways. boba place guy got to be the first to hear abt my most recent college acceptance. and then i went to the comic book stor #down the street and the guy there was talking abt someone else buying the same manga as i was and mentioned that they asked him to order th #next few volumes and uhm . i've now discovered that the selection of manga at my fingertips is not limited to what they choose to stock and #i can ask for things from my reading list so that's going to be. very bad for my wallet.#romeo.txt

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thatscarletflycatcher · 4 months

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If Percival and Nadine was to have a contemporary ya romance name (the typical of non-fantasy, non-myth retelling, non-spec novels, I mean), it would have to be something involving a metaphor of light.

That dark neo-noir radio drama starring David Morrissey (it IS really dark. The lengths I'll go to just hear the interpretative power of his voice. Anyways), called Don't Hold Back the Light keeps coming to mind again and again. The imagery of dawn and sunrise keeps coming to me, in part through the songs I feel fit the story in partial ways (Keane's Bend and Break, Rick Astley's Rise Up, James Blunt's Bonfire Heart, even the melody of Lionel Ritchie's Stuck on You), but also because it feels thematically pertinent.

Both find themselves in night, not only in the despair, and tiredness, and hurt and brokenness, but on the idea that they had their day in the Sun, as life is metaphorically a day, and that it is over, and yet they linger. BUT where they are at the beginning, the idea of a new day sounds scary. And exhausting. There's a sliver of hope deep, deep down, like a candle on a window in a faraway house in the middle of nowhere. But for the most part, they'd like to hold it back if they could. And yet that feels wrong to them.

#look I'm not saying the idea or the imagery aren't like... extremely common #but they feel fitting #have been thinking about this within the frame of It's a Beautiful Life #Nadine is a bit like Mary in the way that she had a dream and a goal and she was laser focused on achieving it #but in her case it all went wrong really fast so what now?#Unlike George Percival has no sense that he has done more damage than good #he was a good son! he made his parents happy! but they are dead #he was a good brother! but his sister is married well cared for and far away #as the heir of Avensley? well does that mean anything at this point? it was already a dying relic by the time his father inherited it #he thinks himself too broken in mind and body to be a good husband and father in the future #sure there's a death of his own professional dreams #but they aren't renunciations from his pov #the alternate good was such a clear direct personal duty that it isn't like there was an alternative for him #not to count the things prevented by things completely outside his control like war #he's passively suicidal because he thinks of himself as just having outlived his usefulness #so anyways it is all about new beginnings and therefore naturally about dawn and light #incidentally I have been obsessed ever since I watched The Lake House with the idea of Architecture being tied to light #and the concept of a LI that is an architect which is such an unexplored concept?#and I feel it is very interesting in terms of how precision and the mastery over force are crucial to i #but also the idea of the builder of home and shelter #unfortunately it has made me realize the unintended implication that James as an aviator destroys shelter #and Percival as an architect builds them #which cannot be helped at this point but is definitely not a sort of love triangle thing #James was essentially a good man in his time and place and not a bad husband for how long their marriage lasted

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randomthunk · 2 years

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Me sitting here like "yeah that's right, Dob wished for a dream wedding in the wizard's book and Merilwen was the one that objected to his marriage to Katie Pearlhead at said wedding" and feeling validated in it all.

(And while I always recommend this, I would like to add “please full-view” to this one since the internet doesn’t show landscape pieces at their best.)

#oxventure #dob #merilwen #team nature #dobwen #kat arts #fanart #ox fanart #I am so happy with how this turned out ;;;;;#the lighting and such was a very fiddly thing #hope you guys like this more than Instagram does! 8);;;;#lack of engagement is going to be the death of me a whole lot faster than time will

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glacierbash · 1 year

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Our dnd group is back after a 3 month break and it feels so GOOD to be back

#there’s nothing more natural than slipping into my warlock #she’s comfy she’s home she now can shoot a gun #im so glad my dnd group are also like. some of my best friends cause it just makes the banter so easy #I got light headed from laughing several times and then BAM we switched back to normal AND ONE OF MY OTHER CHARACTERS SHOWED UP #what a TREAT #dm I blow you a little kiss. this is So Good and im So Exicted #we need to HURRY up and KILL A GOD #Us: what if it’s a lich?#dm: :)#I’m rambly I’m just so happy #first ever dnd campaign and it feels GOOOD to come back to these characters

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quicksilver-daydreams · 2 years

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hello im here to visit once again

#im doing a little staycation with a buddy and im so happy about it but also scared it's not going to be everything i want #I've been dying to feel and overwhelming sense of peace like i did ony birthday a year ago #my friends took me to the river where we swam and ate fruit and drank wine #they are such beautiful lights in my life i have neon signs for friends #anyways i want to feel that again and im SO happy a friend of mine was able to take vacation time JUST to spend it with me #'just' maybe i should think more highly of myself #again anyways we're gonna stay by a lake and smoke and drink and i just want it to be perfect #although im trying not to set any expectations in stone like i just know what vibe im trying to achieve #sometimes i lose sight of the fact that people do hold space for me in their life and that's very sad i hope i stop doing that #anyways heres to eating fruit and drinking wine in a natural body of water i hope you all try out my heaven one day

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alsikeclovers · 2 days

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I keep making one of my dearest, most joyful oc's CRY :((((

WHY DOES SHE GO THROUGH SO MUCH????

#and yes #I realize that I am the one putting her through this #and her reactions are a natural response to the hardships she goes through #but look here!!!!#I genuinely want her to feel happy! and loved! and at peace with herself! to belong to a good family and not worry for the future!#she just has a lot to grow through before she gets there #and the way she responds changes the people around her for the better #*sigh* I do realize the parallels to how people go through life irl #maybe this says something about me being a melancholy writer #I need to practice writing the peaceful happy scenes now!#I want her Skipping in a meadow or seeing the light across the ocean by this time tomorrow!#oc vibes #ash darling #writing

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sourlove · 26 days

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YANDERE JOCK 🏈

TW: OBSESSION, YANDERE THEMES, STALKING, MILD HARASSMENT, IMPLIED MURDER

(FEMALE CHEERLEADER READER)

Yandere! Jock who is convinced that the two of you are dating.

Yandere! Jock who is like a golden retriever but is a freaking beast on the field and absolutely crushes every game because he sees you cheering on the sidelines for him. When asked how he gets his wins, he says, "My girl is watching. Can't let her down."

Yandere! Jock who blows you kisses and waves even when you ignore him. He just loves you so much and is so happy when he spots you. Sure you might not always respond but the just means he has to try harder next time.

Yandere! Jock who doesn't care when you tell him to leave you alone. You're probably just in a bad mood but it's okay! He'll make you feel better!

Yandere! Jock who has the school also convinced that you guys are dating. He follows you around like a puppy and he always calls you 'my girl' so people naturally assumed you were together. Whenever you try to squash the rumors, he amps it up again.

Yandere! Jock who loves when people think you're together. He begs asks you to wear his letterman jacket so you have his name on you. He literally lights up if you wear it because it's cold or you want him to stop pestering you.

Yandere! Jock who only messes up during games when he stops to watch your cheer routine. If you're on top of a pyramid or some other dangerous stunt, he's rushing off the field to catch you. The football coach has since banned you from participating in any stunts.

Yandere! Jock who is glued to you so much that you slowly start to get used to his presence. He takes advantage of your indifference and tries to do more stuff to get you to acknowledge him. He carries your stuff, buys you lunch, drives you home and even walks you home when you don't want to enter his car. Sure, you don't exactly know he's walking with you but he's just looking out for his best girl!

Yandere! Jock who is so eager to see you, sometimes, that he's waiting outside your door first thing in the morning. What you don't know is that he's been there all night, staring at your window and waiting for you to wake up.

Yandere! Jock who bribes the cheerleaders to wingman for him. All of a sudden, your team is telling you what a sweetheart he is and how you guys look so great together. With all these people on his side, you have to give in sooner or later, right?

Yandere! Jock who finally asks you to be his girlfriend officially and is over the moon when you agree. If you thought he was clingy before, just wait. He's started leaving his things around for you to wear or carry like he's staking his claim on you. You have to explain the concept of personal space and alone time to him but he just stares at you in confusion. Why would you not want to be around him all the time? He loves being around you!

Yandere! Jock who runs up after every game to hug you, despite your protests because he's so sweaty. It's like a dog being so excited they just jump on you and lick all over you. His teammates have to drag him away to his dismay. He just wanted to give you a little kiss, why's everyone keeping you from him?

Yandere! Jock who let's you take charge, in and outside of the bedroom. Boy's just happy to be there.

Yandere! Jock who is clingy even in his sleep. He likes to lay on top of you so you can't slip away and leave him all alone. He's huge so it's like sleeping under a giant space heater. If it's too hot to cuddle, he pouts and whines when you tell him not to touch you at all. He still finds a way though, and sometimes you wake up to him holding your hand from across the pillow wall.

Yandere! Jock who is actually pretty harmless. He's like a giant puppy and isn't violent with the people around you. All he wants is your love and attention 24/7 and everyone is pretty much used to his antics to know where the line is drawn. That is, until a new person comes to school and starts making moves on you.

Yandere! Jock who is usually very friendly but is cold with only them and refusing to leave your side when they're near you.

Yandere! Jock who is in a great mood when they suddenly disappear without a trace.

FIND ALL OTHER PARTS + MY OTHER WORKS HERE

A/N: Please leave a like, comment and reblog if you enjoyed this! I personally this character he's adorable. If you want any headcanons or special requests, leave an ask too :)

@justabratsworld @pinkrose1422 (i feel like you'll like this oc lol)

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toji-girl · 1 month

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tw for angst + you're mommaguro | part two

"I hear mommy crying every night." Megumi's little voice spoke up as he and Toji stood in line at the grocery store after he picked his son up from your studio apartment that wasn't far from his school.

Toji's eyes shifted down to the little boy who looked so much like him, feeling his heart twist at the thought of you so torn up over it all.

Once everything was on the belt and his wallet was pulled out, Toji looked at his son with a soft expression, unsure what to say or how to explain to him that he was the reason for it all.

Toji tried to be the best husband and father, but it seemed his family's shortcomings didn't cultivate a good childhood for him to learn how to be the man you needed him to be, and that killed him.

He followed his nature unknowingly, ruining his relationship with you, and now he was struggling with how to reply to the bomb that was dropped on him in a public place.

Being only eight years old, Megumi was attuned to his surroundings and had a sharp eye when it came to stuff like that with you, all in all, he's a momma boy, and seeing you like that hurts his little heart.

You always waited until he was asleep, or so you thought before breaking down into a fit of tears and not letting your weathering storm get him wet as well.

It's only been less than a year since the divorce and you still spent your time healing from it and the loss of the man you learned to love despite the sharp edges he still held up in defense even though you were the only person who was never against him, always for though.

Toji's scars were too deep to heal fully and even though you tried to bandage him it held up for a little until it didn't. "How about we go back and see mommy for a little bit? That would make her happy."

Seeing Megumi's face light up knowing he would see you again made his heart ache with jealousy.

You've always been the default parent even though Toji tried to help his best, it seemed his son really didn't care for him, just his momma.

Twenty minutes later Toji stood at your door knocking on it as Megumi held the bags hearing you shuffle and sniffle as you came closer to open the door seeing your ex-husband and son holding a few bags that were filled with all your favorites.

"Momma!" Megumi cried as he dropped his sack to wrap his arms around your legs hugging you tightly as you looked at him then Toji who shrugged wanting to reach out to comfort you, instead another voice came from behind you, a very familiar one too, his co-workers.

#toji x reader #jjk x reader #toji fushiguro x reader #toji x you

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irndad · 2 months

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won't you be my sunshine-a.h.

a/n: runner!hotch x sunshine!reader !! sooooo fluffy, first hotch fic of mine so be gentle with me! lots of pining and happy end <3 happy to continue with these two in an au!

Aaron Hotchner is not a particularly emotive man.

This is a skill he has honed, a cherished quality that was not born of luck or of natural ability, but a skill that he has honed down to a fine tip point. He needs to be, in this job. It’s cost him things, of course, but for the most part, Aaron is happy with his choices. He takes a firm line with people he works with, and does not always let up in his personal life.

The only time this sometimes causes a hitch, is in his romantic life.

Which isn’t to say that he has one.

There is a woman who reads in the park every morning. Aaron affectionately thinks of this bench as her bench, as it is marked by wisterias and hyacinths on either end of it. It’s something of a ritual, after his runs, that they talk.

It’s fun. He doesn’t have a lot of space for fun. He’d collapsed on the bench one day after siphoning his anger at a particular case into a difficult run. He’d crashed onto the bench, sweaty and exhausted and hadn’t even seen her there. Which is a bit impressive, as she’s hard to miss the sight of. It is also in equal measure embarrassing. It’s not every day you collapse in front of a gorgeous woman, disturbing her from what is likely a lovely afternoon in the park.

That’s how it started, anyway. She doesn’t run, so each break is punctuated by her company. He’s actually not sure if they’re flirting. He’s not very good at that- the last time he has to he was 17 and so full of unearned confidence, he lucked into a partnership.

Now, he’s a bit older and a lot more scarred. She’s younger than him, not by much. She laughs with her whole chest at his dry, glib humor- and this is something Aaron had forgotten. The joy of a beautiful, wonderful woman’s company beside you.

He feels a little out of place next to her. Romance is not something he does. Ever thought he’d do again, really. That’s not to say that this is romance. Their romance is almost entirely hypothetical. He thinks of her at work, which is a monumental development in and of itself.

“So, how was the paperwork? I know you’ve been taking a little more on since your colleague had a baby. It’s so kind of you to do it.” She asks him on a beautiful August morning.

He fights off a blush that she remembers what he’s done for JJ. He’s not big on mentioning his own good deeds. Aaron believes that this would cancel it out. Still, her praise is a warm balm to the exhaustion that plagues him. It’s hedonistic, the way he wants her to say more about him. He wonders absentmindedly if she knew everything about him that’s hard to love, she’d still paint him with such a light and warm glance. She’s bright enough, he’s tempted to tell her everything about him just because she asks.

“It was…alright. My team is excellent. I’m lucky to work with people like them, it makes the process better. I couldn’t ask for more.”

She giggles a little at this, and there’s that roar of affection.

He feels a sense of ease around her, one that is suspicious for him. He tries not to romanticize, but this connection is hard not to. She’s beautiful- this is obvious to anyone who meets her, a simple truth of her. But Aaron is trained to notice things little factors that show the truth of someone.

He likes to watch her- it’s a pleasant thing, getting to be in her presence. It’s a little addicting, the way she looks at him. It makes him feel like all of the things he knows to be true of himself- his relative failures, the closed-off nature of his demeanor- are things that not only can be overlooked, but don’t seem to be in her line of sight at all. It’s an honor, to have her doe eyes rake over the sight of him, to meet him with gentle conversation.

He tries not to notice that she is gorgeous. Aaron has been around beautiful women, of course- this is not something that should surprise him. But there’s something effervescent about her, something that his him wondering if it’s possible that she might feel the same way about him. He knows that he used to be a more attractive man, but now. Well, he’s a bit bruised, both metaphorically and physically.

It feels odd to even think of this happening. She’s just got a warm, sweet tone and he replays what it’s like when she greets him. She smiles her brilliant grin and sometimes hugs him. It’s embarrassing how much he likes the feeling of it- soft curves against hard muscle and scarred skin. She always smells wonderful, and he wonders how nice it would be to have more of this.

“I like your new shirt, by the way.” She smiles at him, and his heart jumps. It feels juvenile, but- she’s wearing a new lipstick, it seems. Her beautiful pout looks awfully tempting.

“I like the lip color,” he tries to compliment back amenably, but that doesn’t stick. Instead, it comes out too earnest. He’s hyper aware of the fact that she’s right by him. She flushes, and Aaron feels a surge of pride.

“Thank you,” she says, voice softer and flattered, and isn’t that a pretty sound? He’d love to do that for her, make her feel seen, make her feel like she’s as beautiful as she is, “I thought you might like it.”

It’s her directiveness that breaks the seal, he supposes looking back. Because she wore the lipstick for him. That’s just about the only thing it can mean, and he is struck with a particularly sensory fantasy of what it would be like to slot his mouth against hers- he gets the feeling it might be worth it even if he gets the color on his mouth.

He’s a gentleman, though, he decides after a decidedly ungentlemanly amount of time spend staring at the gorgeous curve of her lips.

“Would you want to get dinner with me?” He hears himself say it before he’s processed it, and then it’s out into the world. His heart is hammering and he’s blaming on the run, when god, it’s absolutely about how breathtaking she looks, the sunlight reflecting off her hair like a halo. When she beams back at him, she looks particularly angelic.

It’s then, she leans over and kisses him on the cheek.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

(Months later, when she is sitting on his kitchen counter and he is standing between her legs, gazing down at her with unabated fondness because he is entitled to that, he reflects on this moment and thinks god, how lucky am I, that I ran past that bench?)

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