#hshqtask047

it really is no surprise that a child of people with important and demanding jobs would show and receive love mainly through quality time. in the first few years of her life, henrique wouldn’t let barbara out of his sight; too protective to do so. having a child had been his wish, why would he want to be away from her when he finally got barbie ? it was when he dropped everything to sit in the middle of his office and play with a two year old that she felt the happiest. that she felt loved. and that’s the sentiment she tries to replicate and inflict on others: barbara isn’t one to speak of feelings, let alone confess them, so words of affirmation could never be her thing. physical contact for her is strategic, it’s done when she deems necessary. acts of service can’t be done when one barely has the time to breathe. now if she finds being with you is more important than whatever is pinned and marked on her schedule, that’s how you know you’re loved by barbara. but she can’t always be there, dropping everything is easier said than done — that she learned from her mother — so she makes up for it by giving you something that will have you know she cares. a birthday might be missed but the birthday present will never be forgotten. she couldn’t make it to an important night ? you’ll get the biggest congratulatory present. and it was never about the present itself but the time and effort she puts into finding a way to say she loves you into an object: a personal one that shows she knows you. 

GIVING: 

i. QUALITY TIME. 

tekla is a woman on a mission, always has been !  when she was younger, time management wasn’t exactly her strongest suit, and there was apprehension on coming off the wrong way or offending people — she wasn’t as good at saying no as she is now. her time is extremely precious to her, especially the time that she carves out of an already busy schedule. if she takes the time to spend with you, it really means you’re special. this goes for friends, family, and of course, especially @thcrc. 

with thore, they are both busy, they both have separate lines of work that don’t always converge — when they do, she’s all business. but it’s in the evenings as they’re winding down for the night, the mornings when they wake up, when they’re getting ready to go somewhere, when they plan something together or when she begs him to take her somewhere on a respite from their life, even if it’s just for dinner is, when she makes the effort to be completely and absolutely present. she cherishes that. it strengthens their bond, it gives her life.

ii. PHYSICAL TOUCH.

her physicality speaks volumes. tekla has a sinuous and fluid form, it’s often easy to tell when she’s completely relaxed around a person. she’ll touch friends on the arm or elbow while talking, nudge them playfully, lean on them if they’re sitting next to each other, squeeze them when she gets excited, clasps their hands in hers sincerely when she is listening to something deep, loops their arms with hers when they’re doing something mundane. with the best of friends, this happens a little more in subtle ways — part of it is a sense of belonging and safety, it not only bolsters her emotionally and psychologically, but it’s something she wants known. her friends. her favourites. it is less about being possessive than it is about love and pride.

with family & thore, hugs are plenty, but she is careful not to overstep. nilsa of course gets the full brunt of her urges. she doesn’t love being attached to thore at the hip during events, it’s counterproductive, but when they are in safe, familiar territory, some part of her body is always touching his: whether her hand rests on his lap, or their knees are pressed against each other, or she is absentmindedly rubbing his arm, or has her fingers laced with his. in a way, he is like her social power battery, she feels him around her and a surge of energy boosts her to carry on doing whatever she’s doing. i don’t think i need to explain how physical tekla is with thore when they’re alone together ;) , she loves playing with his hair, it’s one of her favourite things and can be annoying about it sometimes. 

RECEIVING

i. PHYSICAL TOUCH. 

this is really not as relevant for platonic relationships as it is for thore & her family. as far as romance goes, nonsexual acts of physical touch were not as important to her from a romantic partner until thore — she can’t explain it, and neither can i. it’s this inexplicable form of comfort and need for it that drives this. if he doesn’t reciprocate the way she touches him of his own volition then what’s the point ?  

ii. ACTS OF SERVICE.

i feel like this is self-explanatory. loyalty and understanding are two things that are very important to her, and people with both tend to get into her closer circles very quickly. this is because these are the types of people who learn what she needs the quickest and are there before she even realises she’s bitten off more than she can chew, or might need a little boost. 

just look at the important people in her life: 

thore, because he’s been raised to treat women the way they want and need to be treated. the croÿs may be problematic, but they are loyal and it is the occasional lack of support in actions that sometimes make her struggle to feel valid despite @fannicroy‘s sweet words, @olimpiacroy’s praise and @lcvcntc ‘s occasional acknowledgement. @ebbv got her through a very trying time in her life when she was entering into the glücksburg clan officially without tekla ever needing to ask and surpassed nearly everyone in her wedding party. she will return the favour or die trying ( or lavish time & attention where ebba needs it because it’s how she gives love best: see first section ). i’m mentioning very very few people — there are a few more, but i am tired and lazy and very sorry about that.

BONUS !   HOW KWON YIHWA PERCEIVES   ‘ V-DAY ’  !

Michael is incredibly sensitive about touch. He’s not entirely sure where it came from but he knows it started before his father started hitting him. Not that that helped. He find physical contact to be an incredibly personal and intimate thing and does not share it likely. So anytime he does so, it is incredibly special. 

PDA is very uncommon for Michael so when photos started showing him holding hands with Parker, the press knew it was a big deal. People hardly even see him hugging or being close to his sister, even though he was famously protective. That’s what started the rumors of him being unaffectionate. Cold. The opposite is truth, Michael is merely private. He saves his hugs and shoulder squeezes for when he’s alone with someone. 

When Michael wants to convey support or comfort he will grab someone’s hand and squeeze. His grip is always firm but never domineering. Michael likes to leave space for other people to be, he knows he has power and tries not to overwhelm people, he wants people to have the space he never had. 

Because Michael is so reluctant to touch and be touch he is also touch starved meaning then when you touch him he’ll lean into it. He does this mostly with Parker, leaning into touch and sinking into being cuddled like a man taking a drink of water after wandering in the desert.