mo-mantai - Tumblr blog

[mo-mantai]

mcfuckin-mctruckin​:

If there was anything that Leon was expecting to find when he got home, it was probably not this.

Because there scrunched up amongst the pillows of his couch with a little pile of random stolen snacks and a game controller in his hands was someone all too familiar.

Though Al makes no move to get up or even explain how he got here, he gives a quick nod of his head in greeting.

“Holy shit, what is uuuuup. Heard you got out of hiding and thought, damn dude, should totally do that too. So here I am, coming out of my cage, doing just fine, you know. The whole deal. Been a while, huh? Like damn, where did time even go. It’s been.. . It’s been.” Giving a noncommittal flick of his wrist, he concludes that thought immediately and instead holds up an empty brightly colored bag that was once one of Leon’s snacks. “Anyway, you’re all out of these. Waited so long that I ended up raiding your cabinets. What are these anyway, they’re bomb dot com.”

Refocusing, he grins.

“Soooo. Wanna hang out?”

Oh what the fuck.

A tiny underwhelming wave of surprise washes over Leon, making him jolt to a halt in his own doorway, after which he recovers his composure basically immediately.  The shock is about as hard to deal with as a gentle ripple of water slapping him in the shins as he meanders along the beach.  Except in this case the beach is the door to his flat and the wave is an outrageously influential nation (one who Leon exists maybe two or three degrees of kevin bacons away from) chilling on his couch and getting into all his shit.

This is basically not even a problem, is the point here.

“Oh.  Hey.  My horoscope warned me something weird would happen to me today.” 

Leon drops his bag of groceries on a little table directly to the left of his front door - already cluttered with a stout electric fan, a half-empty pack of water bottles, and a coat sagging onto the floor.  He finds room for it though.

But on second thought, since Al is flapping an empty crisps bag at him like a shitty crinkly flag, Leon pulls another new one from his groceries bag, which is evidently not so much ‘groceries’ as ‘i stopped by a convenience store on my way home and went sorta bonkers’.

He ragdolls onto the couch at Al’s side, and drops the new bag of crisps on his chest.  “Calbee.  I got the curry one today.  Felt like branching out.  What’re we playing?”

[mo-mantai]

hi yall i am done being very very sick and i am ready to be very very trying to write again

[mo-mantai]

i do enjoy how i can write 13000 words about irl sealand and whats happened regarding it and how its developed but with my HK blog, which is like, a legit really-crucial-history-having place, im just like 

[mo-mantai]

kaltiisms​:

If Fannar was any sort of different person, he might’ve narrowed his eyes towards Leon in a suspicious, playful sort of way, leaning into the conversation more. Maybe even laugh. But he wasn’t. He was Fannar, and it was all he could do not to huff out an extra-large sigh of relief and let his shoulders fall all the way to the pavement as ease rolled over him. No parades. Thank the Gods. ‘I’ll, uh—I’ll keep that in mind for next time…’ he finally said, looking to Leon again with another sorry smile, albeit a little wider than the last. ‘But you will have to do the same if you ever find yourself in Reykjavik. But… I think my home might be a little too slow for your liking.’

He continued on, stepping in time with Leon as he looked about them – peering over most of the other heads in the crowd. He had to think about his options. He hadn’t thought that far ahead into his day – and it was only when Leon continued on talking about food that Fannar noticed the empty feeling in his gut. He was glad, at least, they stood on common ground. ‘I had some… bread. The hotel is not bad, but I didn’t recognise most of what was on the menu. I probably should have asked but, well—I got anxious.’ He shrugged his shoulders, trying not to come to another stop. It was just so hard to walk and think at the same time. Absentmindedly, Fannar brought a hand over his belly. 

‘I suppose I could get some little gifts. Is there anything absurd in the way of souvenirs?’ He wouldn’t say it out loud, but sometimes he liked to send confusing things to England. He was still bitter over the 20th century, and he liked to let the Briton know. ‘… Where would shopping take us to eat?’

“Oh.  Nice!”  A response which, only the most astute of readers might notice, does not actually answer either of Fannar’s questions at all!  But the mere fact that he had asked seemed to answer Leon’s own question for him.  And now that there is an objective in mind, no longer is he just floating along at Fannar’s side, but looping an arm around his and pulling him across the street instead.

“Well,” he pauses, presumably for dramatic effect.  “If you had said no, first of all I wouldn’t have believed you, so I didn’t actually bother coming up with any backup plan.  But you have got to be kidding, did they not give you a menu with pictures where you could just point?  That is so embarrassing for me, oh my god?”

There’s a new briskness in Leon’s walk, as though both of his heels have got hot coals on them and he can’t rest on them for any amount of time - though he does stop dragging Fannar behind him.  He’ll be fine.  He’s tall as hell so he can catch up in three paces or less, probably.  “Anyway, I think maybe Fei Jie since they kind of have everything and the lines aren’t thaaat bad, they’re like five minutes, unless something else catches your nose first and there’s that nice coconut water place, and then we can go up Temple Street and find some cool stuff for you and I’ll help you carry it even.”

[mo-mantai]

serenesecession​:

[ Watching him ineffectually trying to hide himself, she reaches over to slide a glass of water in front of him as if to help him hide better. It doesn’t. ]

Oh my god, you didn’t.

[ It’s debatable if she understands the faux pas here, but she looks shocked and horrified by his blunder nonetheless as she digs around in her book bag for a fucking pen. ]

I can’t believe you would just say that, out loud, like some kind of madman. And yeah, I’ve got one. It’s got purple ink. Here you go.

[ She does an odd inflection on her voice then which seems to be quoting some meme, but whether or not he’d know that is hard to say. ]

And it was Sea, obviously. He’s got an awfully strong arm, you know. If I could get away with crashing through a zoom call, I would. Alas, I am not so lucky as some.

Are you planning to draw something?

Ohhh yeah.  That makes more sense. 

[ Leon rhythmically clicks the pen a few times, burrowing deep in thought as he stares morosely down at a napkin. ] 

How is that guy.  How is that kid.  How is that kid guy.

[ He doesn’t bother waiting for the answer, though, since he’s Already writing. And if we are assuming she would peek, because of course she does and who wouldn’t, she will see all she needs to know exactly what is going on.  Because it opens with “Last Will and Testament”. ]

I’m leaving you all my stuff, okay?  The only person on Earth who’s ever came through for me when I really needed it.  Right now I mean.  So congratulations I guess?

[mo-mantai]

kaltiisms​:

Fannar looked to Leon once more with a muddled expression, a little taken aback by the laughter that bubbled up from the shorter man, but not in a bad way. He honestly didn’t know what was funny about his question. Maybe he had been foolish to ask it. The blond pursed his lips, shaking his head. ‘I don’t really eat spicy food. It gives me a sore stomach…’ his voice drifted as he spoke, worried to somehow let his host down.

Spicy foods were still new to Iceland – well, Fannar’s idea of new, being over one thousand years old. Before the 1980s, the closest thing people got to spice in their food was salt, cinnamon, curry, and the like; though even those were only used for flavour, not for pure spice. Salty food was Fannar’s speciality. Most people couldn’t stand it, most drinking coffee, or tea after eating Icelandic cured meats.

Chili was still a hard, hard no for the man.

‘… Maybe I can try something? If it’s only mild, of course. I’m not looking to die today, thank you.’ He bargained, offering Leon a gentle smile. He didn’t want to seem ungrateful for Leon’s time, and he was certainly interested in learning about the culture of Hong Kong, and that included whatever street food it had to offer. Plus, Fannar was hungry.

‘Oh, well—maybe you should invest in one of those flashy… uh, tour buses? Trucks? Where you can sit on the roof?’ The Icelander pushed his hands into his pockets. ‘At least you wouldn’t need to push people around then, yes?’

The mere mention of a parade had Fannar’s face alight. Auburn and burning. A fire that raged to the collar of his neck to the tips of his ears. Quickly, he shook his head. ‘N—Nei… No, that—that wouldn’t be necessary… ever.’ He assured, trying to play off his sudden fluster coolly, but it was impossible. The idea alone had his heart racing with anxiety. ‘Sorry, that’s—uh, that’s really not my thing.’

“Whoa, easy!  Just kidding, promise.”  His eyebrows dart up behind his fringe in genuine surprise, and he holds his hands up in a harmless, ‘ok you got me’ sort of gesture.  “No parades.  I swear I swear.  I was just getting carried away I guess.  What I basically meant was like, you should’ve told me you wanted to visit, I definitely won’t throw you a parade but I could’ve picked you up maybe, and then you would’ve had a guide-ian angel way sooner and stressed out way less.”

His energy fades back into a sleek calm, picking their pace back up so they can stop disrupting the flow of foot traffic around them like a big flustered rock jutting out of a river.

“So like, are you telling me you haven’t eaten yet?  Does wherever you’re staying really suck that bad?  Wow.  Hey, are you getting souvenirs for anybody?  Because that’ll single-handedly decide where we’re going for food.  Nothing that’ll make you die today.  Promise.  Too-spicy stuff makes me sort of queasy too actually, I just wanted to show off but that’s actually a huge relief.”

[mo-mantai]

🏉, 🧭, 🚓, 🥀

[ 🏉 ] would you say your muse lives up to their potential? are they trying to, or could they care less?

Leon is an odd case i think, because he has always had fantastic potential to become something great, and historically hk as a place has always pushed against its limitations, only to break through them and find new, higher boundaries to continue to strive against. But this has always been under the control of a higher power, and it feels unfair to say that someone has reached their full potential if they're stuck in a situation like that. Leon yearns to be in full control of his own fate, even if that same idea is intimidating to him. He can come off as frivolous, spacey, or lazy, but he's actually very studious, sets his bar really high like it's normal, and has always been a bit of an overachiever.

[ 🧭 ] does your muse consider themselves a good person? why or why not?

He does, I think. There are some aspects of his personality he's just accepted are going to be disliked. But deep down he trusts himself to stand on the side of what's right by the people who rely on him - for example he takes his role as a sort of refuge for free speech very seriously. And despite his contentious relationship with their government currently, he worries deeply for ch|na’s well-being and just rly wants his whole family to be at peace. He can act like a bit of a pain sometimes, but he's truly good-hearted when it really counts.

[ 🚓 ] has your muse ever been arrested? if so, what for?

While attending protests, without a doubt yes. And while he wasn't full on arrested at the time, he did attempt to stall the kowloon walled city from being torn down by stubbornly barricading himself inside with the few residents clinging on to the very end, and he had to be dragged out by riot police.

[ 🥀 ] what are your muse’s standards for a romantic partner? are they realistic? why do they have these standards?

The surest thing that will get him to possibly fancy someone is if he considers them interesting - it helps to be very different from him, he finds that intriguing - and if they can surprise him in a good way with their words & actions. As a counterpart to this, he likes to do the same, to be able to show off, entertain, and delight a partner with whatever he can, and will probably try a little too hard to seem impressive lmao. He likes people who are fun and interesting, who also think he is fun and interesting.

He has a bit of a complex re: that he is not fully independent & the frightening uncertainty of his situation, which really cuts down the list of people he could be with and not feel like he constantly has to prove and re-prove himself to them. Esp bc he is so competitive and Constantly comparing himself to everybody else and just cannot Relax

On a related note he is very anxious and pessimistic about his future, and would like to be with someone who can relate to that in some way, so if he ever confides in them about it he won't feel wildly self-conscious the entire time.

I personally do think these standards are fair however they don't leave him with many options! I do think he would consider dating someone, in the 'well why not' kind of way, just because they meet his standard of being interesting and fun. But the rest of these wants are a bit harder to come by & he isn't exactly holding out to find somebody like that again.

[mo-mantai]

🔒

[ 🔒 ] what are your muse’s most negative traits? how do these traits influence their lives? (ex. if a muse is aggressive, they may have trouble forming lasting friendships.)

While it's rly not fair for me to say how other characters react to him, I do think that he has this sort of aura of insubordination, and dry snideness with authority (even while doing as he's told, even towards people he genuinely respects), that does not do him any favours lmao.

The absolute cheek he expects to get away with is wild. Honestly he's the type who somehow sounds even more insolent when he's *trying* to be deferential.

He doesn't usually mean anything by it, in some ways it actually means he's trying to be friendly (by being, in his mind, playful & casual). He lacks the patience or finesse with words to present himself more diplomatically, it just gets lost in translation and he doesn't try very hard to fix that.

-

He builds up resentment silently (most of his negative emotions happen silently, actually), keeping his anger just beneath a placid surface, as jagged and treacherous as submerged rocks at sea.

Because there's not much he can really do about it anyway.

And even if there was, he's so used to not being in control of his own life, that even when given the chance, he used to be too passive and would even opt out of having a say in what happens to him, because it didn't matter anyway. He's fine to just deal with whatever.

He can be infuriatingly vague, distant, and apathetic, especially with people he doesn't know personally or care that much about.

-

He's found more of his voice now, but this has resulted in a weird wildcard game where he'll either just let it slide no matter how he feels about it, OR get super argumentative & desperate to prove his point bc he is so used to being dismissed and that is NOT happening this time.

So he can swiftly & efficiently escalate some truly nasty arguments OR just bitterly accept whatever, without even trying, & let his resentment fester and seethe in silence, neither of which are healthy.

Which isn't to say he can't talk about shit in a healthy way, bc he can, it's just easy for him to slip into one of these bad reactions if he gets too upset.

-

Also he is addicted to retail therapy and impulsively buys shit he doesn't even still want after like a week so then he gifts it to other people lmao

[mo-mantai]

QUEUED SOME ASK RESPONSES ✨✨   IM GOING 2 BED

[mo-mantai]

»        headcanon memes inspired by things i like, part 3           inspired by little hope

send in a symbol i’ll answer the corresponding question about my muse!

[ 🫀 ] does your muse make decisions with their head or their heart? perhaps a bit of both?

[ 🏉 ] would you say your muse lives up to their potential? are they trying to, or could they care less?

[ 💥 ] is your muse protective of those they care for? if so, how do they show it?

[ 👓 ] does your muse tend to judge others, or are they more open-minded?

[ 💍 ] does your muse have trouble committing to others? are they comfortable being this way, or would they prefer to be different?

[ 🏛 ] does your muse have any strange interests? do they keep these interests to themselves, or are they comfortable sharing them with others?

[ 🧭 ] does your muse consider themselves a good person? why or why not?

[ 🚓 ] has your muse ever been arrested? if so, what for?

[ 🧬 ] how important is family to your muse?

[ 💀 ] does your muse tend to blame themselves or others?

[ 📖 ] does your muse keep a diary or journal? what do they, or would they, write in a journal?

[ 👻 ] what decisions have your muse made that they regret?

[ 🤱 ] does your muse want to have children? why or why not?

[ ⏰ ] does your muse tend to cling to the past, dream about the future, or look to the present?

[ 🚌 ] what haunts your muse? is there any event in your muse’s past that they can’t move past?

[ 🥀 ] what are your muse’s standards for a romantic partner? are they realistic? why do they have these standards?

[ 👊 ] does your muse favour nonviolence? will they be violent if needed? do they revel in violence?

[ 🩹 ] does your muse prefer to keep the peace or rock the boat? are they a mediator, or do they tend to make others upset?

[ 🌊 ] does your muse have any specific fears? is there a reason why they fear these things?

[ 🏭 ] is your muse happy with their job or career path? why or why not?

[ ✈️ ] does your muse like to travel? have they travelled in the past? where would they like to go?

[ ⚰️ ] does your muse believe in an afterlife? if so, what do they believe the afterlife would look like?

[ 🦁 ] is your muse cowardly, or courageous? what would it take for them to act heroically or selflessly?

[ 🔒 ] what are your muse’s most negative traits? how do these traits influence their lives? (ex. if a muse is aggressive, they may have trouble forming lasting friendships.)

[ ⛓ ] has your muse ever felt trapped? by what?

[mo-mantai]

serenesecession​:

Right, I don’t care. It was funny.

And I suppose if you want to be at my mercy, I’ll grant it. Lucky as you are to become my plus-one.

[ She swirls her drink around as if it’s alcohol, because really, who doesn’t wish they were drinking at a time like this? Looking over at the table he escaped and then back to him, she nods as if she understands his pain completely. ]

It looks like you got out just in time by the sound of it. I take it you got dragged here by the scruff too, yeah?

Huh?  Who dragged you?  I thought your whole thing was that you’re like, kind of gate-crashers?  I mean, that’s cool and all.

[ He hunches his shoulders, like he’s trying that cartoon-character-hiding-behind-a-skinny-tree thing.  It isn’t working. ]

Like, I just mentioned offhand by accident picking the fish roe out of siu mai because it’s gross and then it turned into a whole thing.  Do you have a pen.

[mo-mantai]

@bayofsmoke (cont from here!)

“Okay, not that I don’t feel like - you know that feeling when a stray animal senses your golden heart and inner worth, and trusts you and comes over so you can pet it? It’s not that I don’t definitely feel that right now, because I totally do.”

He presses his hand down hard onto Eiki’s shoulder, completely ignoring his own discomfort of being squished for the sake of the bit.  Listen, if gravity is increasing on you then fucking COMMIT! 

“But, okay, I got it in my head the other day to fill up a pillow with...”  He pauses, stumped, mouthing the word silently, and coming up totally empty handed when he just can’t remember the English word for them.  Oh well.

“With like... these seeds, they’re supposed to calm the mind and fix your circulation and the flow of energy in your body and that stuff.  So it’s like, a beanbag except it has magical properties for making you chill out.  I think it’s been working.”

[mo-mantai]

the Wong Kar-wai aesthetic

[mo-mantai]

kaltiisms​:

Looking down at Leon with a puzzled expression, Fannar opened his mouth to question the younger man, but then Leon was jumping out in front of him, and Fannar was almost startled to a halt. He blinked, though the surprise in his features was quickly replaced by an easy smile, and the blond even laughed.

‘Did you really put it on your resume? What kind of job would that be good for? I don’t think they hire bodyguards your height.’ His smile almost, almost flickered into a smirk, but the stoic, flat expression was quicker to return. He peered out over the sea of heads, pulling those same thin lips into a line before he turned grey eyes to Leon once more.

‘It is… a little. I—I really don’t do well in these places.’ Cities had set him on too many bad spirals in his past. They were too fast, too crowded, and too noisy. He could barely hear himself think. But Leon was a safe distraction for the Icelander, and Fannar didn’t feel that he was close to losing his head in the mess. Not yet at least. He would feel more at ease with his music, but he had left his headphones at the hotel. ‘Are you known for your street food? I would love to try something new.’

Fannar, oh my god.  Do birds fly?  Does grass grow??  Does sun shine???  Sure he is!  Of course he is!  And the apparent sincerity of Fannar’s question rips a snort laugh right out of Leon.  He recovers quick, and coughs, watching out the corner of his eye.

“I got you.  Can you do spicy, or what?  I swear they’ve got something that’ll put everything right into perspective, you’ll be so afraid for your tongue that you won’t even be able to feel stressy about the crowds or... whatever.”

Leon almost says more, but stops himself.  But, it’s always people like this, isn’t it?  People with wide open skies, that actually slow down and chill out, while totally being at one with pristine nature or whatever, who have such a hard time in his city.  A funny look crosses over Leon’s face - but what he actually says is completely different.

“And you were close.  Not a bodyguard.  Tour guide.  Same thing.  I thought they were super relevant talents, at least.  Oh well.  I can still live out my dream even if I’m not getting paid about it. Hey, which reminds me!  You should’ve warned me ahead of time you were coming, there would’ve been a parade for you.”

[mo-mantai]

hey so the last thing i did on this blog before evaporating for a month was rb an ask meme and then immediately dip and idk who wants to continue those or who is like "statute of limitations just rb a different one" so IG LIKE THIS IF I ANSWered one of those for u and u want me to continue it

[mo-mantai]

kaltiisms​:

‘A power move?’ Fannar asked, turning his attention down to the man beside him. He wasn’t sure he had heard that phrase before. Still, Fannar smiled, breathing a soft laugh through his nose. ‘I’m worried I would look blind if I had sunglasses on and you helping me around.’ He said, shortly humming, ‘though I suppose that would make the crowds move out of the way for us.’

Fannar turned his eyes back up to the lights, only then noticing the lack of stars. He supposed with a city so bright, who would need them? ‘If we’re both wearing sunglasses, we’ll look like we’re part of some top secret organisation… like those men in black suits from the movies.’

“But we already are.”  His grin broadens, and he slips his hands into his pockets as they walk.  “The top secret organization of actually being cool to be around.  We just need some trained doves to fly out form behind us when we show up somewhere.  But, hey, if you’re thaaat worried about the crowds, then, y’know... don’t be?  You have the perfect guardian angel of precision elbow jabs and umbrella swordsmanship, lucky you.  I put that on my resume once but they ignored me.” 

There’s a pause, and Leon quickens his pace just enough to get ahead of Fannar and turn to look at him better, trying to snag enough of his attention to pull him back down to earth.  “Is it actually, like, actually bugging you though?  Sometimes it actually is bugging people for real and I can never tell the difference.”

[mo-mantai]

kaltiisms​:

‘It’s so bright here… I think I could still wear sunglasses even now.’ Fannar said in momentary awe, wide eyes scanning over all the bright lights and signs strung up on the buildings and billboards. He didn’t go to big cities often, and for good reason – it was taking everything in him not to cover his ears and retract from all the sounds. His own home was nothing like this. ‘Doesn’t it hurt your eyes after so long?’

@mo-mantai started following you

“What? No.”  Leon sighs out a laugh, shimmery around the edges.  “You’ll get used to it though.  I get that a lot.”

He pauses, looking up and around at the mantle of lights that dazzle so many of his visitors, wondering for a moment what it looks like to them - before shrugging the thought away.

“But you can put sunglasses on if you want.  Kind of a power move actually.  And I can follow you around and keep you from falling over the railing.”  He mimes a sick flip with his hand, with a little ‘splsshh’ at the end, presumably the sound Fannar might make crashing into the harbour.  “Maybe I’ll start doing it too and it’ll catch on.”