#Golden Bay transport

[jittersbitters]

The Long Game pt.1 [Doodles]

{Viktor from Arcane Smut Story}

Warnings: Smut, light dom!vik, Fingering, Exhibitionism, AFAB reader, Doodling kink?, Established acquaintanceship so there is some length to this first part, the words- note, pen, doodle, and others associated come up a lot due to the plot, sorry!

Word cound: ~4.5k (25-40 minute read)

Story plot: A holistic healer from NW Shurima works privately for Councilmen Hoskel as a sort of assistant. Viktor and her meet years before the events of Arcane and have an up-down relationship that takes shape over the course of many years. Starting all the way back in their academy years, first knowing each other as respective transcribers for their council mentor/patrons during meetings. Maybe they should have stayed in that room?

Chapter Summary: You work as an assistant for Hoskel and are attending one of the meetings as his note-taker. However, you have a horrible habit of getting distracted during said meetings and not completing notes, instead doodling. Viktor, a peer you have a growing bond with, only within the council chambers, over the last few months decides to try out positive and negative reinforcement. Perhaps taking it to far this time and taking your playful acquaintanceship to a different level.

| Part 1 | Part 2 | • Viktor Masterlist •

MDNI NSFW below cut (Far below)

Spending all day at a council meeting wasn’t the exact plan I had for my day, but it wasn’t the worst place I could be. I could be stuck outside in the winter storms that started to blow in a couple days ago. Instead, I sat in the warmth of the council chamber with lukewarm tea in a paper cup at my feet and a half-eaten cheese bangle on the bench to my right. The council heater was on above us, keeping the chill at bay as the snow outside transformed the red brick and golden frames into a picturesque white wonderland. I could appreciate it from the window rather than braving the elements to run errands for my patron in town. 

However, as the meeting dragged on, my ears began to feel numb—not from the weather leaking in, but from the endless topics blurting through the air. It was one of those informal meetings that seemed to stretch indefinitely, so much to do as the cold months approached with the dauntingnes of the holidays. Salo always complained about how the undercity's activities affected his business, while Medarada would steer the conversation toward broader trade relations. My pen had begun to wander absent-mindedly over the page, searching for blank spots to occupy. While I had come to enjoy my time in the council chamber, I found little interest in the discussions about transportation, ordinances, or tedious changes to department funding. This time spent here had become enjoyable for an entirely different reason.  

As we neared the two-hour mark, doodles began spilling flagrantly into the margins of my notes, my random scratches hidden amongst the sharp sounds of pages flipping and other assistants transcribing. Starting with simple loops and circles in the corners, they quickly grew into intricate flowers with winding vines and leaves that had crawled up the negative space. By now, I had, obvious to those around me, lost track of the meeting entirely, and my attempts at shading the petals were becoming increasingly elaborate. 

 “Don’t you think you’re playing with fire?” a hushed voice broke through my filibustered concentration, an amused lilt peppering the words. I turned to find Viktor leaning into the edge of my metaphorical bubble, his eyebrow raised as he scrutinized my embellishments. His expression blended playful scrutiny with genuine curiosity, much like a cat trying to determine whether a new toy was worth the effort. The way his brows furrowed slightly as he concentrated only made it harder for me to suppress a smile, especially as his gaze danced from my paper back to my face, a weird mix of anticipation and amusement bubbling within me. 

Having becoming Hoskel’s ward a few months ago, Viktor had made it his mission to sit next to me during these meetings. He seemed invested not only in keeping me engaged but also in observing the increasingly elaborate designs that filled Hoskel’s notes, much to the merchant's dismay whenever I handed them in. I still vividly remember my first day—nervous energy radiating from me as I tapped my foot incessantly while the other academy students settled into their seats across the room. I knew no one besides Hoskel, which made me retreat into my own small world, avoiding eye contact and trying to shrink into my bench as if it might protect me.  

By the time the meeting started, I had chewed my nails down to stubs and added the frantic clicking of my pen to my growing list of anxious habits, blissfully unaware of the glares directed my way. I scanned the room, desperate for something—anything—interesting to focus on, completely lost to the mundane political discussions swirling around me. That’s when our eyes locked. I was momentarily frozen by his intense, assessing gaze. Golden pools looking from my shoes to my hair. It wasn’t until he placed a hand on his chest, took a deep breath, and flashed me a reassuring smile that I realized I had forgotten to breathe.  

By the next meeting, he had claimed the seat beside me, casually convincing the girl on my other side to switch places with him. He became my new distraction, despite his best efforts.  

“Chairman Hoskel doesn’t, uh, exactly seem like a pagonia man,” he remarked, head tilting slightly to the notes I had filled with random foliage. 

 I pursed my lips, forcing back a smile as I lightly bumped my leg against his. “It’s begonia. Like the bergenias I drew last week."  

Viktor clicked his tongue before flipping the page of his own notes. “Your language is most confusing. I don’t understand how you manage all the, eh, nuances and rules.”  

I couldn’t help but watch him—the way his jaw tightened slightly before he licked his fingers to shuffle his papers. My thoughts wandered to less than respectable places while I jotted down something about lifting restrictions for a project somewhere. “My language? I learned it on the boat ride over-” I was interrupted by the curt shushing from those around us. I risked a glance across the benches and noticed several peers watching us. I sheepishly went back to my notes, feeling my cheeks flush. Viktor shook his head as he mirrored me, neatly correcting his misspelled words while returning my knee bump, keeping his leg pressed against mine. 

Since Viktor had settled into his spot next to me, we had developed this little game. Whenever I got distracted, he’d give me a little nudge. It started subtly—just a light bump of with his shoe when I stared into space for too long. Soon after, he began tapping my paper with a finger to bring my attention back; perhaps that's when I develop a bit of a staring problem when it came to his hands. Eventually, there came a day where he took my pen away when my doodling became too extravagant. I remember staring at him wide-eyed in embarrassment, but he simply handed back my pen with a clever grin. I was careful to keep my doodles subtle and less conspicuous until a month or two ago, when he leaned over and whispered that my sketch of his boss resembled an ‘overindulgent gerbil’. His word’s not mine.  

After that, the atmosphere in our meetings shifted significantly. The dean’s assistant, whose name I learned through conversations with Hoskel, became increasingly daring with his ‘tactics’, and as the hours dragged on, we began to seek our own ways to pass the time. Our exchanges grew bolder; Viktor’s playful teasing and my daydreaming became hinderances that were hard for either of us to ignore. Each time I got derailed—or tried to—Viktor would lean in to correct me or chuckle at my notes, seamlessly bringing me back into the moment.  

We both knew, in the back of our heads, there were very few ways this was going to end. 

I tried to refocus, again, on the current discussion about suggesting new tax policies— but with the words "withdrawal" and "ordinances" swirling around the room like a fog it wasn’t long before my pen began dancing across the page once more. I’d rather pay more attention to flowers instead of the dull, useless to me, topics of the day that seemed to never end. I tried to hide it for several minutes, drawing tiny butterflies flitting around, like the ones I saw in the courtyard when I arrived this last spring. 

It was like clockwork. As soon as I started to lose track of the meeting Viktor leeeaned in closer, his foot slowly sliding toward mine before lifting up to step on my toes lightly. “If I remember this was the theme for the last meeting, was it not?” he whispered, smirking as he eyed me trying to turn a butterfly into a weirdly shaped lizard.  

“Perhaps,” I replied, equally quiet, “but it distracts from the gloom, though, don’t you think?” I smiled proudly when he chuckled. His gaze lingered on my page; his own notes momentarily forgotten as he rubbed his chin in thought. It didn't take long for me to notice that he was still staring, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his small lecture table. When I glanced over, I caught Viktor, lips relaxed into a half-smile, his eyes flitting between me and…  

...Was he judging my lizard?  

The bench creaked as he scooted closer, his shoulder pressing against mine. The unexpected scent of caramelized sugar wafted as Viktor’s breath brushed down the side of my neck. He craned in, trying to get a good look of my entire drawing. His face was so close that, even as he mumbled to avoid drawing attention from anyone else, I could hear every drawl. I had to force myself not to shiver as goosebumps erupted along my neck, as if his words were grazing my skin. “Is that a... curved... pastry? Odd thing to be in a garden, wouldn’t you agree?”   

Even though Viktor was mummering, I could still catch that sly tone beneath it... He was judging my lizard.  

I shook his foot off mine, willing the slight chaff in my voice to no take over the volume. “No, it's obviously a lizard. Why would there be a pastry-” 

“Will you two please keep it down,” We turned to see our neighbor to my right on the other side of the pew divider, her irritation palpable even through her whispered shout; her expression sour enough to make me giggle nervously under my breath. The sound seemed to shock her even more, compounding my embarrassment. 

“Sorry...” I shifted in my seat, suddenly acutely aware of how much I had begun to slouch and returned to writing. Insecurity creeping into my shoulders and causing some muscle spasms I tried to shake off. He wasn’t usual so talkative or suggestive in his actions, something was different today. Perhaps there was a point to be made about needing to curb whatever this dynamic was... 

Tick... Tock... Tick.... Tock  

Just as my pen started to wander, Viktor seized the moment to step on my toes again. The ever-increasing pressure was a blatant warning this time, igniting a spark of irritation within me that was dangerous when in a pen drop quiet room. If he was hoping to regain my attention, he was failing spectacularly, a gem I made sure to whispered in his direction just to make sure he got the message. 

“You’re still not taking notes” He chided, making me lift my foot and step on his toes like I was a child, a fact that I tried to look past. “Your patron might start to think you’re a bad girl- hamph~” He tried to mask his obvious laugh at my humiliated retaliation - via backhand to the chest - in an ill-timed cough. The unnatural, suspicious sound only succeeded in silencing the room, the discussion between our superiors halting instantly. 

I hadn’t meant to smack him, especially not in a way that drew everyone's attention, but something about those words wrapped in his Czech accent did all the wrong things. It stirred feelings that absolutely had no place in a council meeting. And, oh, the way Viktor smirked, concealing it with his hand—he knew exactly what he was doing, the bastard. 

Always pushing boundaries, and he called me the unfocused one. 

All eyes from the council shifted towards our row, centering on Viktor and me. My patron’s face twisted into a scowl, far grimmer than the Yordle scientist beside him, who regarded his assistant with a mix of curiosity and concern rather than outright anger. I did my best to avoid his probing gaze, focusing instead on fidgeting with the edge of my papers.  

I had become accustomed to this sort of thing after spending nearly six months with Torman Hoskel. Unlike many of the more complex socialites in Piltover, Hoskel stood out as one of the most one-dimensional people I’d encountered, if not the very most. Stubborn and quick to temper, he occasionally displayed brief flashes of hope, only to have them shattered by his narrow-minded perspective. Hot and cold, blunt to snappy—he was like an emotionally detached father figure. One I couldn’t just run away from. 

“My sincerest apologies, sirs, ma’ams,” Viktor began, clearing his throat as he addressed the council on our behalf. I hadn’t even noticed he had stood up, seemingly unfazed by the hushed murmurings from our peers. “Just had a bit of a cough but we—I will remain perfectly silent,” he added, shooting a playful glance over his shoulder, “for the rest of the meeting.”  

“I trust that's the case,” Heimerdinger’s high-pitched voice echoed through the chamber, cutting off the whispers and signaling that the session would continue. He glanced at me, suspecting something, but let it go in favor of moving to the next topic on the docket.  

Viktor sank back into his seat, a horribly satisfied smile spreading across his face. He took my hand gently as he sat, pulling it away from fidgeting and pinning it between our thighs. His thumb pressed against the back of my wrist, his fingers wrapping around my pulse. As he adjusted the scattered pages on his fold-up table, dissatisfied murmurs floated among the council members, but they soon began to find their footing again. I let their words drift through one ear and out the other, jotting down whatever I could grasp, my handwriting becoming progressively less legible.  

I went to lay my arm on my table, getting comfortable again, but Viktor's grip only tightened around my wrist, pressing it firmly into the wood beneath us. “Don’t even think about starting to draw again,” he chided, sliding his fingers closer to the base of my wrist, feeling my pulse quicken beneath his touch. “Or, maybe, I should worry about potential cardiac arrest?”  

“That is yo—” I cut myself off, noticing the smug expectation in his gaze. I wasn’t ready to unpack the tangled feelings our banter stirred up. “I’m not having a heart attack, now let go.” I attempted to snap at him, keeping my voice steady and hushed.  

“No,” he said, testing the limits of my patience.  

"You’re just trying to distract me, now" I shot back, reaching the end of my rope with his antics today. This side of him was new.  

Viktor shrugged, “You need to learn how to focus. It’s an important skill.” 

 “I can focus,” I bluffed, unwilling to let him point it out. “I just… choose not to.” I felt his gaze linger on the side of my head for a long moment, watching my scribbles. His eyes eventually flitted to the chaotic lines that filled my pages, and I could see the way he tapped his pen against his notebook, his jaw tightening with a definitive look in his eyes. 

I was taken aback when his grip relaxed around my hand; I had anticipated a stronger reaction. But it didn’t take long for him to make his move, his hand gliding up to brush his knuckles lightly against my knee. My gaze shifted to his hand as it deliberately nudged the loose fabric of my long skirt aside, revealing more of my bare leg through the split. 

I tried to shift my thigh away, looking up at him, surprised by his boldness - his hand following after. A flush of warmth settled in my stomach, mixed emotions bubbling up my throat as I struggled to swallow them back down. I could feel the intensity of his gaze as I quickly looked back to my paper.  

Viktor turned his hand over, tapping a gentle rhythm on the top of my thigh like he was playing piano. “If you just needed a little motivation,” he started, leaning close as if studying my notes. His taps slowly moved to drag up and down, callouses start to scrap the goose flesh building up as he made sure to linger along the remaining hem of my skirt's slit. His intentions were unmistakable. “Then all you need to do is pay attention and write your notes.”  

I could only swallow hard, aware of the game we'd been playing over the past few months. The exchanged glances, light touches, the foot games, the playful teasing. It all began the day he took my pen, and since then, the tension had only grown, with neither of us trying to pull back, but rather escalate it.  

He kept tapping my thigh, expectantly waiting for my response or a sign.  

I glanced at Viktor again; his golden eyes sparkled with wanton glee, sending my heart racing as I thought of the possibilities and the ramifications of being caught. We rarely interacted outside this room, so I wondered what the harm could be... right? 

I tightened my grip on my pen, my ears red as I tried to focus on the concluding topics of the meeting. I held it over the page for a brief moment, granting myself a fleeting pause before I began jotting down notes. The letters started off a bit shaky as I wrestled with the distraction of his fingers nonchalantly roaming across the expanse of my exposed thigh. He watched me patiently, allowing me time to get used to the feeling - exactly the length it took me to use the rest of my page before I had to turn to the next. 

Viktor's little finger brushed against the fabric, the others following slowly as they curved around the inside of my thigh. He played delicate patterns into the supple flesh, his touch steadily gliding further and farther up. The anticipation swirled in my stomach, it increasingly difficult to breathe unless I told myself to. He closely watched the slight movement of my brows, jotting down short notes —my reactions holding his full attention. 

He was moving at a painfully slow pace, each moment stretching out longer than the last. His carefulness was more distracting than anything else, and being careful not to attract attention to his hand. The thought of being caught sent a bolt of unexpected heat through me right to my core, causing me to bite my thumbnail with my free hand in a desperate attempt to regain my waning concentration. My cheeks were burning as he halted right before where I expected... wanted. My thighs wanted to twitch, to jerk in response. I had to breath, letting out a long breath, as I gradually shift them further apart without making any sudden moves. He smiled, yet remained utterly still, offering me nothing more than his presence. 

I heard a faint chuckle from above, his eyes fixed on me as I began to squirm in place, waiting impatiently. I hadn’t realized I’d stopped writing until his fingers lifted away, leaving the spot cold and making me whimper without meaning to. I quickly stifled the sound, biting my lip enough to cause a mark as I shot a glare at Viktor from the corner of my eye. 

“Try again,” he whispered, tucking his ‘T’ as his fingers gently tracing the skin just above my knee attempting to encourage me. 

I inhaled through my nose, closing my eyes for a brief moment to regain myself - and stow irritation- before writing again. I anxiously waited for his hand to return, ignoring misspellings in favor of getting out as many words as possible in the hopes that it might hurry him along. Coincidence or cause, I still had to stop myself from rolling my hips into his hand when his fingers finally returned, going farther than before.  

At first, his fingers only gently pressed against my covered cunt, experimenting with small gliding motions before gradually increasing pressure. My eyes fluttering a bit, teeth biting down hard at the dead skin of my lip. The split focus between his hand and the meeting was excruciating already; our cat and mouse games from the past meetings winding me up.  

My thigh spasmed a bit as he pushed my underwear aside. I hiccupped out stagnate breath, sniffling a bit, to keep myself as silent when his rough fingers collected the wetness that had been dampening the cotton. Spread it around as I turned the page, feeling the edge of my thoughts become increasingly hazy — exposed by the ink of my words. 

“You’re doing so well,” Viktor cooed softly, almost mockingly. I caught a sparkle in his eye that made my hips roll forward again, becoming desperate.  

“Please,” I begged near silently into my hand, covering my mouth. Viktor seemed as though he wanted to request more, but ultimately settled for this meager display of mine given the circumstances we found ourselves in.  

Obliging finally, he slowly pushed one of his fingers into me with a second following soon after the first knuckle. The sensation, the sudden bit of stretch, making my hips roll and lift slightly from the bench to meet him. I was warned to sit back down with a foot returning to stepped on my toes. Another silent whimper escaped from my throat as I obeyed, tilting my hips slightly to make up for the pressure I lost. 

My mouth hung open, pen cutting into part of my page, as Viktor started to slowly push in and out. Curling his digits and dragging the pads against somewhere that made the muscles in my legs quiver. My struggling breath was hard to hide as all I wanted to pay attention to was the circles Viktor’s thumb drew around my swelling nub, joining the delibrate and leisurely strokes of his fingers. His motions were so methodical it made me wonder how long he had planning this. 

 The first day? Week later? Last month? I don’t fucking care. 

My heart raced, skipping a few beats, while my eyes threatened to close once more. The tightness in my stomach intensified, and I could feel the warmth pooling and spreading through me. My sight starting to blur as my lids became heavy, feeling the fringe right before the fall. It made my knuckles white around my pen as my other nails dug into the edge of the bench seat. I struggled not to clamp my legs around his hand when curled fingers swiped back and forth.  

I was so close; I only needed a little more. 

“That seems to conclude everything submitted for this meeting,” Professor Heimerdinger cheerfully called out as he closed up his file. Glancing around, he spotted what seemed to be his assistant charming Hoskel's new ward. He raised a fluffy long eyebrow, observing their peculiar interaction as Viktor stood. 

My eyes widened as my head shot forward, my palm pressing against my agape mouth. I let out a pitiable moan that came out more like a strangled cough at the sudden absence of Viktor's fingers. Offering me nothing but that infuriatingly smug smile of his while quickly standing to gather his belongings, leaving me feeling cold and vulnerable. I shot him a pointed glare, crossing my legs tightly as I began to pack up, actions expressing my dissatisfaction. I shuffled my papers into their leather binding and stuffed the remainder of my cheese bagel into my mouth to muffle my verbal lashing. 

“Need a hand?” Viktor extended his offer, his eyebrow arched playfully as I squinted back at him. Hesitating as I picked up my now cold tea and rolled my tongue over the inside of my lip, before I took his hand and stood up with a gentle pull from him. Though I found myself being drawn closer than I anticipated as he held onto my hand. The air between us crackling with tension; he leaned down, observing the blush that crept from my cheeks to my ears and raced down my neck. His thumb brushing over my wrist as he turned it over, sending my pulse racing again as his eyes darted across my face, gauging my reaction. “Sense we skipped proper formalities—” 

 Hoskel’s snap of my name cut Viktor short; his approach forcing me to jerk my hand away from Viktor’s. The atmosphere soured further as Viktor took a step back, his demeanor slightly withdrawn now. With a soft huff, I attempted an awkward smile, clinging to the flutter in my stomach as I turned away. Biting my lip, I trailed after Hoskel, who immediately began reprimanding me for interrupting the meeting. Oddly enough, I found myself too flustered to care. 

 I stole one last look over my shoulder, catching Viktor gathering his things again as he waited for Heimerdinger. Upon noticing me, he waved and, before I could return the gesture, he raised his fingers to his lips with a mischievous wink. My breath caught in my throat again as I watched him glide his fingertips across his lower lip, his tongue peeking out just to taste— “ 

I jolted at the sound of my patron screeching my name again, following him as he hurriedly exited the council building, clearly not a man of academics. 

~~<3~~

Viktor hummed, pleased, to himself as he packed the last of his things up. He hadn’t meant for things to develop today the way they did; he had jumped forward in their little game. Not that either of them minded, but it was going to make the next time they saw each other a little more interesting.  

“Viktor, come here.” The elder’s voice brought him back to the present making he straightened. After grabbing his cane from where it sat, he stepped forward — struggling to separate his thoughts still tangled in the recent encounter. As he approached the table, Heimerdinger looked up, his wizened eyes observing the slight differences in his assistant's demeanor. He was no fool, he saw the young infatuation between the two young humans. “I wanted to discuss your latest project before the day leaves us. I’ve heard the most promising feedback.”  

Viktor’s eyes widened, remember something mentioned this morning before the meeting, “Thank - thank you, Professor.” Viktor hurried toward the round council table, snapping open the buckles of his bag again to retrieve the information for this little presentation. “I’ve been refining the prototypes. I believe if I just upped the electrical imput I could, potentially, maybe—” Before he could continue his unpracticed rambling, Heimerdinger peered closer at him. The Yordl looked at Viktor with narrowed eyes, sensing a depth, something different, in him that hadn’t been there before today. Viktor just saw his boss waddle towards him with a (kind?) stare that could unsettle Noxian soldiers. “Professor?” 

 “You seem... distracted. Is everything alright?” The question hung in the air, the short creature watching the seven stages of grief flicker across Viktors face.  

 Viktor’s mind flickered back to their blush, the rush of their connection. He cleared his throat, shaking himself back to the task at hand. “Yes, quite alright, Professor. Just eager to make progress.” 

 With a nod, Heimerdinger gestured for him to elaborate, but Viktor felt the nerves in his stomach tighten. He needed to focus. Perhaps later, once the day’s work was done, he might see where this new... path took him with the ward. But for now, he pushed aside these unprofessional thoughts, diving into the technical matters at hand, trying to channel these intense feelings into the brilliance of his inventions. 

(idk how much I like the name but were going with it because that's what won the google coin toss! Plus if I can make it to the ending I have planned I got a nice piece of dialogue to go with it. Media literacy and symbolism and all that stuff.

MOSTLY I just wanted to right Vik smut!)

[enmi-land]

⌕ ENFiNiT MEMBERS PROFiLES .. ❞

ENFINIT ❨ 엔피니트 ❩ is a sub-unit of the group ENHYPEN, a nine-member co-ed group formed on the survival program, I-LAND. It consists of the female members of the group, Kiara and Mila. They debuted on November 30th, 2020 with the song, 'Lucid Dream', their contribution to ENHYPEN's debut EP 'BORDER:DAY ONE.’

▞ › #GROUP NAME EXPLANATION﹗▞

ENHYPEN is a mix of an en dash and a hyphen that connects different words to create new meaning, members of ENHYPEN will connect, discover each other, and grow together. ENFINITis a name that combines the en dash with infinite possibilities of the group when the come together as one. Their male counterparts, ENIVERS, is a name that combines an en dash with universe, to show that they are connected by the universe they share together, even when physically apart.

▞ › #ENHYPEN FANDOM NAME﹗▞

ENGENE ❪ 엔진 ❫

▞ › #DORM ARRANGEMENTS﹗▞

❪ 1 ❫ Kiara & Mila

❪ 2 ❫ Heeseung, Jay, Sunghoon & Ni-ki

❪ 3 ❫ Jake, Sunoo & Jungwon All of the members have their own solo rooms

𖦹 ݁ ﹐KiARA ❳ ݁ ⸒ ˚

﹟ STAGE NAME ‣ Kiara ❪ 키아라 ❫ ﹟ BIRTH NAME ‣ Kiara Park ﹟ KOREAN NAME ‣ Park Kyunghee ❪ 박경희 ❫ ﹟ CHiNESE NAME ‣ Pu Kaian ❪ 朴凯安 ❫ ﹟ POSiTION ‣ Main Rapper, Vocalist, Dancer ﹟ BIRTH PLACE ‣ Somerset, New Jersey ﹟ BIRTHDAY ‣ November 7, 2001 ﹟ ZODiAC SiGN ‣ Scorpio ﹟ CHINESE ZODiAC SiGN ‣ Snake ﹟ HEiGHT ‣ 170cm ❪ 5’6” ❫ ﹟ BLOOD TYPE ‣ AB ﹟ MBTi ‣ iSTJ ﹟ NATiONALiTY ‣ Korean-American ﹟ REPRESENTATiVE EMOJi ‣ 🦁 ﹟ SOLO FANDOM NAME ‣ Kiwis ﹟ MiC COLOUR ‣ Gold ﹟ KiARA FACTS ‣

She's the oldest child and has three younger brothers

She ranked 5th on I-Land

Despite being born in America, she grew up in Seoul, South Korea

Training Period: 5 years

She started training to become an idol at 14 and was a trainee at YG for 2 years before auditioning for BigHit

Her parents are very wealthy

She has the longest training period out of everyone in the group

Education: School of Performing Arts Seoul

She is fluent in Korean, English and Japanese

Her nicknames include 'Kiki', 'Mama Bear', 'Golden Girl' (because she was good at everything), 'Ddeonghee’, ‘Music Fairy’ (Behind the Profile Shoot)

Her favourite food is Kiwis

She doesn't like growing her hair past her shoulders

In the 'One and Only' M/V, her Pokémon partner was Umbreon

According to Kiara, Jake and Jay remind her a lot of her brothers, which is why she bickers with them the most

Her closest idol friends include ITZY's Ryujin, IVE's Yujin and Gaeul, Jeon Somi and TXT's Beomgyu

When asked what made her want to be an idol, Kiara said, "I was good at it."

Of all the members, she's the tidiest and always cleans up around the dorms

Kiara doesn't like aegyo because she thinks it doesn't suit her image

Kiara's special charm is that she looks cool no matter what she does

She can have an intimidating appearance at first, but members say that her smile is surprisingly cute

She is a producer in many of Enhypen’s discography and other groups as well, hence her nickname ‘music fairy’

She is the shortest of the group

When asked why she didn’t want to be leader, she claimed she could be very strict as it is and finds it hard to express her emotions at times, so she didn’t want her members to feel like she didn’t care for them

Her biggest inspiration as an artist is RM from BTS

Her Chinese name Kaian was given to her by Mila, and means ‘quiet victory,’ which Mila believed represented Kiara the best

Charming Point: charisma, girl crush, chic visuals, cat eyes (Behind the Profile Shoot)

Likes: cat videos, sleeping in, spas, kiwifruit, short hair, RM, BTS, Enhypen, taking morning walks, songwriting and producing (Behind the Profile Shoot)

Dislikes: aegyo, mess, swimming, vegetables, people who walk too slowly, people who manspread on public transport, wearing skirts to perform (Behind the Profile Shoot)

Motto: "Do what you can do. What you can't do, do better."

Show more Kiara facts . . .

𖦹 ݁ ﹐MiLA ❳ ݁ ⸒ ˚

﹟ STAGE NAME ‣ Mila ❪ 밀라 ❫ ﹟ BIRTH NAME ‣ Milana Bai ﹟ CHiNESE NAME ‣ Bai Minglu ❪ 王明璐 ❫ ﹟ KOREAN NAME ‣ Baek Mirae ❪ 백미래 ❫ ﹟ JAPANESE NAME ‣ Shirakawa Mitsuri ❪ 白川 光璃 ❫ ﹟ POSiTION ‣ Visual, Vocalist, Dancer ﹟ BIRTH PLACE ‣ Sunshine Coast, Australia ﹟ BIRTHDAY ‣ March 31, 2003 ﹟ ZODiAC SiGN ‣ Aries ﹟ CHINESE ZODiAC SiGN ‣ Goat ﹟ HEiGHT ‣ 173 ❪ 5’7” ❫ ﹟ BLOOD TYPE ‣ O ﹟ MBTi ‣ ENFP ﹟ NATiONALiTY ‣ Chinese-Australian ﹟ REPRESENTATiVE EMOJi ‣ 🐼 ﹟ SOLO FANDOM NAME ‣ Miluvs ﹟ MiC COLOUR ‣ Pink ﹟ MiLA FACTS ‣

She was born in Sunshine Coast, Australia but moved to Shenzhen, China when she was 9 years old

She is an only child

She comes from a wealthy family

Training Period: 2 years, 1 month

She ranked 3rd in the final episode with 1,181,289 votes

She isn't a picky eater and can eat almost anything

She did competitive cheerleading for 7 years before switching to dance after a back injury

She ran away from home to pursue her dream of being an idol because her mother didn’t approve

Her nicknames are 'Princess', 'Kirby' (because she eats anything), 'Wildcard', and 'Milana Monroe' (Behind the Profile Shoot and Self-Revised Profile)

In the ‘One and Only’ MV, her Pokémon counterpart was Jigglypuff

Her Japanese name came from the name of a character in the anime Demon Slayer, which fans claim she resembles

She was called a born star by Bang-PD because of her raw talent and fast growth rate (I-Land Ep. 1)

When her grandmother took her to get a fortune-reading, she was told she would be loved by many people

Mila's grandmother is her biggest supporter and has a shelf dedicated to her achievements

Education: Shekou International School, Hanlim Multi Arts School

She ranked 7th on TC Chandler's Most Beautiful Faces of 2020

She has a 03-liner group chat with Le Sserafim's Kazuha and ITZY's Yuna

She mentioned her closets idols friends are ITZY's Yuna, IVE's Wonyoung, Le Sserafim's Kazuha and Yunjin, and Kep1er’s Xiaoting

She is currently learning about producing music from Kiara

Kiara says that Mila and Heeseung have the most raw talent in music that she’s ever seen

Specialty: stage presence, flexibility, versatility, languages, modelling, facial expressions, ending fairy

Charming Point: Pretty smile, visuals, cute laugh, bright personality, hype-woman, starry eyes (Self-Revised Profile)

Likes: Jake (x5), Sunghoon, ENHYPEN, performing, dressing up, eating, shopping, sweets, watching dramas/anime, sleeping in, reading, working out (Self-Revised Profile)

Dislikes: Horror movies, sleeping alone/with the lights off, waking up in the middle of the night, math, sports (Self-Revised Profile)

Motto: "Live each day as if it's your last"

Show more Mila facts . . .

Related: ENFINIT Discography | ENHYPEN Members Profiles | ENIVERSE Members Profiles | ENIVERSE Discography . . .

[goldenherc9]

A Golden Exploration: Part 2

With their mission a success, the trio prepared to transport their findings back to their ship. The abandoned station, once a mystery, now held new promise under the guidance of these golden-suited explorers.

As they began the transfer, the station's lights flickered, and a distant rumble echoed through the halls. “Warning,” the AI announced, “structural integrity compromised. Evacuation recommended.” The team sprang into action, moving swiftly yet efficiently to secure the valuable equipment and data. Ambrose worked quickly to stabilize the station’s core while Brody and Blake coordinated the extraction.

As they hurried to the docking bay, the station began to tremble, debris falling around them. With seconds to spare, they managed to board their ship, launching into the safety of space just as Nebula-9 collapsed into itself.

Breathing heavily, the three men watched the implosion from their viewport. Despite the harrowing escape, they couldn’t help but feel triumphant. They had not only unearthed ground-breaking technology but also solidified their bond as a team. However, as they secured the cargo, Daniel noticed a small, sleek object—a mysterious rubber polo-drone—that had quietly boarded their ship during the chaos. Its purpose was unknown, but its presence hinted at secrets yet to be discovered. The adventure on Nebula-9 had ended, but a new mystery had just begun.

Is this the start of the Polo-Drones or is there something else happening..find out in Part 3 which is coming soon...

Part 1 below

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Come join the Golden Army and Polo-Drones today and be transformed into the best version of a new you! Message @brodygold @polo-drone-001 or @goldenherc9 for your transformation!

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[jumpinguptothesky]

I don't know why I wanted to write this fan fiction. The fact is, I was really inspired and I'm really writing it without being able to stop. The only difficulty is translating it into English as well as possible.

Just goes to show, brain rott is real. Levihan always comes back to my mind, even when I think I've forgotten it. You can find it here.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62060140/chapters/158719963

I hope you'll enjoy it!

His Scent of Tea and Cedar

Summary:

Hange Zoe is a renowned writer. Her editor suggests she write about sexual services for women, but she flatly refuses. However, when she learns that her friend-with-benefits and impresario, Zeke, is about to get married, a creeping sense of loneliness begins to settle in. Craving intimacy, she decides to give the sex therapist service her editor recommended a try. To her utter shock, the man standing at her door is none other than her young and strikingly handsome janitor: Levi.

Notes:

Inspired by Yasashii Milk by Tadaka Rose

Chapter 1: Invisible Fractures

Excerpt:

"You think I’d just let you say this to me like it’s nothing?" Hange's voice trembled with raw emotion. "You couldn't tell me earlier? You had all the time in the world... at the door, when I offered you a drink, when I invited you up. Don't you dare blame me for your cowardice! I can’t believe you’re telling me this after everything... while... while we were..."

The living room was bathed in the gentle light of the morning sun. Golden rays streamed through the vast bay window, illuminating a garden where dew glistened on the leaves like countless diamonds. These almost ethereal gleams brushed the pages of an open manuscript resting in Nanaba's hands. Her short-cropped blonde hair reflected the faint golden beams, and her piercing eyes scanned the lines with intensity. Across from her, Hange sat nervously, shifting slightly in her leather armchair.

She tried desperately to maintain composure, though the subtle expressions of her editor, who had been silently reading for some time, left her feeling unmoored. Each moment felt like an eternity, as always when sharing her work.

Hange attempted to focus on the scenery outside, her hand nervously brushing her disheveled brown hair. She resisted the urge to chew her nails or adjust the frames of her glasses.

“This is incredible, Hange, truly,” Nanaba finally declared, closing the manuscript with care. “Your style is as captivating as ever. Every sentence resonates; every description transports.”

A modest smile graced Hange’s lips. “Thank you, Nanaba. You have no idea how much it means to hear that from you.”

But then Nanaba furrowed her brow, placing the manuscript gently on the coffee table. “That said…”

Hange detected a note of apprehension in her voice. “What? What’s wrong?”

Nanaba shrugged. “You’re starting to go in circles, Hange.”

“In circles?” she repeated, crossing her arms, clearly affronted.

“Don’t misunderstand,” the editor continued, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “Your last bestseller, about that group fighting for freedom against monstrous colossi, was phenomenal. But it feels like you’re clinging to the same themes. Even though each of your stories is different, your topics and perspectives always revolve around similar ideas… You need to try something new.”

Hange narrowed her eyes, skeptical. Her first saga, Wings of Freedom, had been a massive success. Since then, she had continued to write about humanity’s struggles, crafting noble, idealistic heroes. Even when she created new worlds, she returned to the fantastical, translating life’s everyday challenges, wars, and resistance movements into epic battles against oppression. She sank into the couch, rubbing her temples.

“So, what do you suggest I write? Science fiction? Mystery novels?”

Nanaba smirked playfully. “New Romance!”

A nervous laugh escaped Hange. “New… what?”

Full Chapter on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/62060140/chapters/158719963

[tough-n-dumb]

Fic Meme

13. “Ask me again.”

thank you! this one is show!verse, set while inej leaves with the volkvolny crew (or does she...) listen, this one is indulgent and probably exactly what you think it'll be but i Need to fix how the show left them

13. "Ask me again." (Kanej)

This was it. They would leave for Ketterdam tomorrow morning. He had his money; the Ravkan crown in his pocket; his revenge. He should have been satisfied. He wasn't. Because what was waiting for him back in Ketterdam now? A kingdom, yes, but a crooked one, now forever off-kilter. He would be a king without... without... He would be a king, and what else was there to want?

Kaz stood on the roof, leaning against the fort's parapet, overlooking the vast strip of barren land the Fold once dominated. The setting sun turned the sand a fiery, golden hue; an antithesis of the darkness that had reigned there for so long.

He had been up here for a few hours now, avoiding the jovial, adrenaline-fueled festivities in the halls beneath. He'd initially climbed to the roof to watch the small airship take off, transporting the Volkvolny's ever-growing crew to the main ship. He hadn't been able to, receding to the other side of the high walls at the last minute. Just as in the chapel, he couldn't turn around; he couldn't bear to watch her leave. Even the thought of her caused a prickle on the back of his neck, a shiver wrapping around his aching spine.

"Ask me again, Kaz."

Inej's voice was soft, airy, the syllables of his name turning sweet and lilting. It wasn't possible.

Kaz turned, and there she was. He must have been more sleep-deprived than he thought, the visage of her so startingly solid and real. But the way the sun caught on her hair—braided once more—and the light hitch in her breath when his eyes met hers confirmed that she was here: brightly lit and corporeal. Not some specter of loss like Jordie.

"Inej, what are you doing here?" His voice was hoarse and rougher than usual, even to his own ears.

"Ask me again," she repeated.

"What are you—" he began.

"No," she interrupted, drawing closer, the space between them quickly diminishing. "I'm here because I need you to ask me again."

Realization of what she wanted dawned on him and something turned sour in his stomach.

"Why?" he ground out. "So you can tell me no all over again?"

She only stood there, watching him, picking him apart with her dark eyes. He supposed he had been the one to teach her the patience of a thief, after all.

"You were supposed to leave hours ago," he deflected.

"Yes."

"You didn't."

She smiled, the quirk of her lips small and ambiguous. "It appears that way, doesn't it?"

"Why are you here?"

"I told you."

"I'm not going to ask you to stay, Inej. You already made your answer clear." If she wanted to humiliate him, he wouldn't bend.

"Just try."

She was looking at him with the sort of rawness and expectation she had when praying to her Saints—full of hope and belief in something divine.

Damn his pride; damn it all.

"Inej." He took a step closer to her, then another, until they were merely inches from each other. If he reached out, he might be able to touch her. "Don't leave. Come back to Ketterdam and stay with me. Please."

She was on him before he could finish the word, instead sighing it into her mouth that was now pressed against his. She met it with her own, a whispered, yes that buzzed hot against his lips.

Yes.

The word reverberated around his skull while she kissed him and kissed him. Her hands were balled in his coat, his own gloved ones pressed tightly to the curve of her waist. She was so alive in his arms, her lips so soft and warm, even the harbor waters were kept at bay.

Yes.

Too quickly, she pulled away, and he watched as a heavy breath left her pretty, pinkened mouth. Her eyes flitted all over his face, snatching at his tells. He couldn't imagine what she must have found, but it left her smiling big and bright up at him.

"Ask me again," he parroted, thumb brushing against the flare of her ribs.

"What do you want, Kaz?"

"You."

thank you again and thank you for reading!! does this totally fit and seem feasible to where we left them? probably not. but i will take any and every opportunity to me them kiss

fic prompt meme

[bat-under-a-bridge]

more ocs cause i forgor to post

ramble below!

The Watcher

He/Him

Elite scav!!!

Found his way into LFW's can and was given the Mark

It took a while, but LFW's endless supply of pearls and Watcher's really good work at fixing things, the two became really close!

Mainly just chills around LFW's can and fixes where he can

Doesn't really like other scavs, he tends to stay on his own, oddly

Lake of Falling Waters

He/Him

Gen 3 Iterator, conservation/transportation based

Never liked their creators, constantly (on purpose) ignored The Great Problem because he believes it is a stupid thing to fight against

Their group consists of him, No Destination, Brightest Star of Darkest Night, Eldest Tree of Burning Forest, Youngest Tree of Burning Forest, and Finder of Knowledge Known.

Second youngest of the Bay of Golden Land Group

Despite being conservation based, he doesn't enjoy the local wildlife, other than Watcher, though that took a while

LFW can be very pushy and childish when he wants to be. Which is most of the time

LFW never forgave his creators for leaving.

[thatblackravenclaw]

Pen Pals

a/n: you guys know how Andrew Garfield’s parents are British but he was born in L.A. but he still has a British accent that’s not extremely British with a little bit of an American twinge? that’s what the reader sounds like. also, i go by the grades of everyone in the books so Cho and the reader are a year older than the golden trio and a year younger than the twins. 

Blog Details | Let’s take a trip

Fred Weasley x Black!fem!reader (Ravenclaw)

warning(s): british slander bc im a raging american (RED WHITE AND BLUE MF THESE COLORS DON’T RUN BITCH lmfao please believe me when i say im joking), cursing, mention of drugs and alcohol use, tooth rotting fluff

word count: 3.3k

.

.

.

“Are you writing to that British boy again?” I hear from over my shoulder.

“Yes, and have you heard of personal space?” We erupt in giggles as I push her away.

I close my notebook and move from my desk to my bed. The foot of my mattress is barricaded with boxes. I look around and see my childhood home become empty and filled with boxes and buckets. The walls that were once painted with polaroids of my friends and family from over the years is now back to its basic color of brown that was painted when I was born. My desk is no longer covered with knick-knacks and clutter. The room is just empty. I’m happy that my mom got promoted so my dad gets to go back to his hometown, but it’s going to be hard leaving a place I’ve spent ¾ of my life in.

My mom is a Magizoologist. She came to the United States 20 years ago for a business trip. My dad is a Dragonologist. Their paths crossed when she came to help take a look at a sick Dragon. He showed him how their sanction work and over time I guess they became close because 3 years later I was born.

We used to go back and forth between Illinois and England for about 4 and ½ years before mom decided to just move here. I guess the distance was just a little too much for them, so she decided to move here and now we’re moving back.

I lay down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. It’s scattered with glow in the dark stars that I begged for when I was 7 and ten years later, here they still stick. I’ve been asking dad for four years to take them down. He always said he’d get around to it.

The air feels dry, and my throat is scratchy. I’m trying my best to hold my tears at bay. I love England. It’s a second home to me. Whenever I’m out for summer break I go to my grandparents’ house in Norwich. This is different though. I’m going to be living there now. The British accent I had when I was younger has faded overtime to an American-British hybrid. I’ll surely be made fun of for it.

Maya lays down next to me. We’ve been best friends since the 3rd grade. Just the two of us against the world. Now I have to go through the rest of university without her.

“Maybe it won’t be bad. The worst part is going to be eating their food.” Her jab pulls a smile to the corner of my lips.

“I’ve heard the food at Hogwarts is actually pretty good.”

“Not possibly better than Ilvermony.”

“Never!” I dramatize the word with a gasp. Really selling it as if saying Hogwarts food is better than Ilvermony is a federal offense.

The dust settles and a silence washes over us. It’s a comfortable silence. Soaking in our last moments together. I know it’s not forever. I get to come back here on holiday, and she can use the floo network to visit me, but it won’t be the same. This is the person who has a key to my house because she’s considered family. The same person who that brings me an extra banana nut muffin every day before school just because she knows it’ll bring a smile to my face. I won’t get that anymore.

“What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?” Her head turns towards me, but I keep my eyes trained on the popcorn ceiling in fear that the tears I’ve been holding back will give me away.

“Early. I think 6. We’re meeting the realtor with the keys at 7, so we need to make sure that all of our stuff gets transported this in one fell swoop since we’re apperating there and apparently mom came up with a spell to have our stuff apperate to the new house.”

“Hm. Have you told British boy that you’re got accepted into Hogwarts?”

“Fred doesn’t even know what I look like. Let alone that I got accepted to the same school as him.”

“HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE?” I slap my hand over her mouth and shush her.

“Bitch, shut the fuck up. My parents are right down the hall and don’t know I have a pen pal. They said it was dangerous because people pretend to be someone they’re not, but what the hell?”

She pushes my hand off of her mouth and sits up. Her back meets my headboard and she straight ahead at the door.

“Do you know what he looks like?”

I nod my head yes before rolling off of the bed. I feel to the last page of my journal and find and find a polaroid of him and his brother George from when they went to something called The Quidditch World Cup. I do a quick look over before making my way back to the bed and offering my hand to Maya. She looks at the picture and you can almost see her eyes bulging out of their sockets.

“He has a twin brother?”

“No it’s just someone he met at school.” I resist the temptation to roll my eyes at her comment, but the attitude goes completely over her head.

“Is he single?”

“Maya!” I exclaim with my jaw dropped. “What? You can have a twin and I can’t?”

“Oh hush. You said yourself that you don’t even date white boys.”

“That was before I saw this one. Besides, he’s a ginger so he’s exempt from that statement.”

“I’m really going to miss you Maya.” We make eye contact for the first time in a while and her eyes soften.

“I’m gonna miss you too Angel.”

She looks down at her watch and tells me that it’s fifteen minutes to ten meaning it’s almost curfew. We share one last tearful goodbye as she walks out of my bedroom door for the last time.

.          .          .

Sure enough, at 5:45 my dad woke me up and told me it was time to get ready to leave. I had taken one last look around my room and made my way downstairs to meet my mother so we could all leave. Right as the clock struck 6, my parents let me grab the powder and be the first to see our new home.

I stood in the foyer and tried to convince myself that it isn’t the best house I’ve ever seen. It’s got a cottage core vibe going on, on the outside. It’s cozy, but big enough for all of us. I wanted so badly not to like it. We went to the backyard and there’s a small river filled with a family of ducks. To the right there’s something that looks like a shack, but bigger. My parents then explained to me it’s my own apartment. That’s when the smile broke across my face. I was finally getting my own space.

The house tour didn’t last long due to the tight schedule we are on. I ended up just waving my wand and letting the magic unpack my stuff as we were right back in the fireplace. Why? Because tomorrow is the first day of school and I have not done any school shopping. The stuff on the list differs a little bit from the shopping list we had for Ilvermony so dad thought it best to wait until we got here. We had to go to Diagon Alley anyway for everyone to open up a bank account.

Now, I’m standing in Madam Malkin’s getting measured for everything. Once I’ve been basically poked and prodded all over my body with clothes pins, I stare out the window and watch everything and everyone pass by. As if someone had played a slow potion button, I see a whole family of red heads walk down the cobblestone and sure enough one of them is Fred. I snap my head down and try to cover my face with my hair. I don’t know why I did that. Once again, he has no idea what I look like.

“All done. You can step down now.” I look over to Madam Malkin and grab my uniform and robe out of her hands. I thank her and rush out the door. Thankfully my parents are done with their list too so we decide to go home.

.          .          .

The next 18 hours go by quick. I didn’t get a chance to really enjoy my apartment or decorate it due to packing up my trunk since we once again left early in the morning for transportation.

The train ride was painfully boring. No one told me how long it is from England to Scotland. I sat with some mundane people whose names I don’t remember. They were also half asleep and exchanged pleasantries only out of politeness. We bought some stuff off of the trolley and then went back to our own worlds.

At one point it became a little suffocating and I needed to pee so I got up and started walking through the cars when I heard a “Have you heard from her yet, Fred,”. I had stopped before becoming visible to their compartment. He told them no and that he was a little worried. That’s when I remembered that Maya distracted me so I never got to finish the letter.

At the moment, I’m standing at the front of the line of 1st years because I’m new as well but I’m older so I get to get sorted first. My hood is up and I’m looking at the ground, suddenly interested in my shoes. Professor McGonagall informs everyone that I’m a new student from the American wizarding school and I feel my face heat up, knowing the amount of comments I’m about to get from everyone.

She calls my name and I carefully walk up the stairs. At this point my hood is still up so no one has gotten a clear view of my face. I want to do a big reveal of sorts. I sit down and let the hood slide from off of my head. There’s gasps from all across the hall. Some whistles from a few guys. Whispers from a few girls. A handful of people conveyed nonchalant expressions which I greatly appreciate over being fawned over. My eyes gravitate toward the Gryffindor table and I catch Fred already looking at me. His friends are nudging him with an elbow while also looking at me. I guess that answers the question of if he told his friends about me or not. I can’t decipher how he feels, but the adoration on his face calms my nerves enough.

I break our eye contact to look back down at the floor as not to fall off of the stool. I make haste to the Ravenclaw table. I greet everybody and they instantly start asking questions. I laugh as I can’t understand them all at once, but it’s funny hearing them squabble like seagulls. A hand is placed over mine and I look in the direction of where it came from. A beautiful Asian girl gives me a small smile.

“Hi y/n, my name is Cho.” I return the smile and tell her that it’s nice to meet her. A silence washes over the table. I become befuddled and look around to distinguish if I did or said something wrong.

“I thought you were American?” Someone says from the other side of the table. I don’t catch sight of who said it, but respond, nonetheless.

“I am. Well, I’m half. My mom is American and my dad is British. I was born in Manchester but was raised in America.”

An understanding nod is shared amongst the table in hearing vicinity and the conversation ceases as someone else is sorted into Ravenclaw.

.          .

After dinner the prefects give the first years a quick tour of the castle and show them to their houses. Cho snuck me with the other 5th years. I’m thankful as I far from want to be touring the castle with a bunch of children. Besides, I have a map of the school and I’ve created a spell that can bewitch the map to help me find my classes.

We make our way up the many staircases and are faced with a large door with an Eagle head as the knocker.

“The only way to enter the common room is by answering a riddle. If you get it wrong, then you have to stand here until someone else comes and says the correct answer or until someone from the inside opens the door.” She says to me. I nod my head in understanding.

“Wanna try it?” Another Ravenclaw asks me. A male. I believe his name is Talbott. I nod my head again and step closer to the door.

“When young, I am sweet in the sun. When middle-aged, I make you gay. When old, I am valued more than ever. What am I?” The voice bellows as the Eagle moves its beak. It shakes my core a little bit.

I look around at the other Ravenclaws. Some with quizzical brows. Some with a knowing look. Others just looking and awaiting my answer. The answer would have caught me up if it weren’t for the last clue; “When old, I am more valued than ever.”

“Wine.” There’s a click sound as if unlocking a lock, and the door slowly opens. Smalls cheers are shared as we walk in.

I’m stuck at the entrance of the threshold inside by the sight in front of me. It’s probably the most gorgeous room I’ve ever seen. The ceiling is coved and gives the illusion of a clear night sky. Stars litter the ceiling and give off the effect of actual twinkling. A blue velvet couch sits in front of a fire, with matching chairs on either side. What really catches my attention is the enormous statue of Rowena Ravenclaw in front of a bookcase. We never had anything like this at Ilvermony. Our emblem was a serpent and we would just have those displayed in various parts of the common room. I watch as everyone goes to various parts of the room while some go behind the bookcase. Cho grabs my hand and also brings me behind the staircase. She shows me that behind this staircase is where the dorms and bathrooms are. I follow her up the staircase and to a dorm. The rooms inferior to the common room but not any less gorgeous. The beds align with the wall as each dorm is in the shape of a tower.

“I see you got the middle bed. Seems fitting as you’re new.” No malice in her tone, though I can see in some way it might have seemed like it.

I sit on the bed and exhale. Truly exhale. This whole journey has been happening too fast. Now that I’m sorted into a house, everything else seems easy. I went over my schedule with Cho and we have all the same classes except Defense Against The Dark Arts. I guess I’ll survive one class without her.

“Well come on lazy bones.” A different girls says to me. Anastasia I believe.

“What?” I sit back up and ask with pure curiosity.

“It’s time to get ready for the party.”

“What party?”

.          .

The beginning of the year party. The party where everybody gets blacked out and regrets it in the morning since we start classes at 8 am.

I believe I heard someone earlier yell about flower. A Hufflepuff I believe. I had put on the sluttiest thing I owned and made my way down to the party with everyone else. None of us wear heels, as not to be caught by the caretaker.

The party is in full swing when we open the door the ballroom. The lights are dimmed, but the strobes of light are pungent. We barely make it to the drink table without bumping into everyone on the way. At the drink table is a tall red head with another tall read head which I can only assume is me about to be dealing with the consequences of my own actions.

“Excuse us,” Cho exclaims at the two while trying to push our way to the punch bowl. They look our way and go to move but freeze when they set their eyes on me.

“Y/n?” Fred asks/yells.

“In the flesh,” I yell back.

His smile reaches his eyes as he pulls me in a hug. My face in brought into an awkward place where it’s not quite his chest but not quite his stomach either. I wrap my arms around his middle and hug him back. He smells like cinnamon. I welcome in the scent as we hug for a few more seconds. I can only imagine what Cho is thinking right now.

We pull back at the same time and he begins to speak again. I can’t really hear him over the noise of the ballroom. I look in the direction of the entrance of the room and point to it. He nods his head and we walk towards it, hand in hand.

The door closes behind us but we still stood with our hands intwined.

“Pen pals for 4 years and you didn’t tell me you were transferring.” He exclaims while keeping his voice down.

“I wanted to surprise you.” I say sheepishly.

“Considered me surprised.” He smiled no longer reaches his cheeks but its more somber.

We hear footsteps coming from the far end of the corridor. He pulls me and we start running. I don’t know where we’re going but I trust him. A giggle threatens to out my mouth as we are going up the maze of stairs.

After what feel like forever, we make it to the floor that the Ravenclaw tower is on. I see that Gryffindor is also on this floor. In the middle of both is a spiral staircase. Great. More stairs. He leads us up to a room that looks like a classroom with multiple astronomy tools and an openness to the outside.

“Welcome to the Astronomy classroom.” I unknowingly let go of his hand as I look around in amazement. There’s a celestial sphere with all the constellations on it. A fancy telescope by the balcony. It’s quite literally the Ravenclaw common room in classroom form.

“Gods, this place is gorgeous.” I walk onto the balcony and stare up at the sky. All the stars twinkle and the moon is full.

“As are you.” I turn my body around and face him. He walks up next to me without breaking eye contact.

“Not a disappointment, am I?”

“Only a little. I expect more of an American accent.” I laugh at this before looking down at my shoes.

“You and everyone else. It’s there a little bit with certain words and phrases.”

.          .

I sit on the ledge and we talk for a bit. Not much to tell considering I know almost everything about him and vice versa. We talk about school and the people here which eventually leads to the topic of dating.

“Anyone here you fancy yet?”

“You could say that.” I look into his eyes and see if he’s able to read in between the lines.

He leans in and I hear my breath hitch. My fingers grip the railing. His eyes jump to my lips and back to my eyes.

“Who is it?” We both know.

“He’s in Gryffindor. Tall red head with freckles. His brothers are also in Gryffindor.” We inch closer.

“I might know him. What’s his name?” 3 inches apart.

“Ron.” He rolls his eyes at the answer with a chuckle.

“Shut up,” and then he kissed me.

.

.

.

Fred Masterlist | United Kingdom

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

CHICAGO, Illinois  — Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down as part of a coordinated day of action against Israel’s war in Gaza.

In Chicago, protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 leading into O’Hare International Airport around 7 a.m. in a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade to free Palestine,” according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organizers.

Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was snarled for hours as demonstrators shut down all vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement across Interstate 880 in Oakland.Kibbutz Nir

Similar protests were held across the United States and around the world, after the group A15 Action called for coordinating a “multi-city blockade… in solidarity with Palestine.”

“In each city, we will identify and blockade major choke points in the economy, focusing on points of production and circulation with the aim of causing the most economic impact,” the group said on its website.

Protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down traffic on the major highway for about 45 minutes. Protesters also blocked roads Monday in Philadelphia, and anti-Israel rallies were held in Los Angeles and other locations.

Demonstrators chant slogans at an outdoor shopping mall in downtown Los Angeles during a “Strike for Gaza” protest calling for the US to stop funding Israel and for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, on April 15, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Robyn Beck / AFP)

Near Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation said a demonstration closed the main road to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Social media posts showed people holding a banner and waving Palestinian flags while standing on the highway, which reopened about three hours later.

Protests were also planned in Canada, Italy, South Korea, Colombia and Belgium, while the X account for A15 posted photos of demonstrations in Greece, Spain and Australia.

[deifuriae]

Unlike all of the other presents Michael has sent out, there is no package sneakily snuck into her home when she is turns about. Michael appears at her door personally in the evening, knocking gently, steadying himself with a breath.

“Oriana.”

He begins to speak as soon as she opens the door, as though he might lose both his words and his nerve if he hears her voice. Metal rubs against metal in his clenched fist, and the other takes her hand, ensconcing it within his own, squeezing gently.

“I…I have never had much trouble with words, or at least I do not think so. But when I am near you, when you touch me, I…my voice fails me. All of these years, I have never met anyone like you. None so dear, none so bright. I could not fathom what I could gift to you, so…I went to Uriel.”

He turns up her palm, and in it he deposits a locket. The purest holy steel found in Heavens clouds, the chain simple, the locket itself in the shape of a dove. He unlatches it as it rests in her hand, and it is not a picture or a poem that rests inside.

It is the softness of a nestlings down against her cheek. It is the small joy of catching fireflies. It is her arm in his as they walk the golden streets. It is the feeling of her head on his shoulder as they listen to the choir sing. It is the skin of new fruit breaking beneath her teeth. It is the feeling of little bodies piled atop them, exhausted from play. It is the laughter of children.

Their children.

Memories. He had gone to Uriel for his memories. Had his brother distill them, the seer pouring all of that warmth, the laughter, the love remembered, into the little piece of jewelry. All of those little moments, the life that so often seemed so distant. The memories of the man that she made him want to be.

He closes her hand around the locket, and it snaps shut once more.

“I…I think I always thought of you as a man must think of his wife, Ori. But I never told you how much I love you. I love you so much.”

Numbness had become the norm in her little, sequestered bubble, floating unseen and untouched just outside the reach of the greater universe which she had once been a part of. In the name of survival, her grief and her loneliness could not be permitted to sit front and center in her mind. She'd become good at it; squashing it all down, putting on a smile for the few who knew of her, exuding warmth when all she felt was tepid listlessness, keeping her arms open when she'd prefer to curl in on herself and dissappear from view.

It's so much harder with him. Every word, every touch, it piles in her chest like firewood, adding fuel to all those feelings she'd worked so hard to keep at bay. The good. The bad. The...confusing.

"Michael..."

A slow blink, and eyes decend to peruse the amorphous gilded object he'd placed in the palm of her hand. It feels cold at first, like metal, moulded and engraved in a way she soon comes to recognize as avian in shape. Beautiful, in and of itself, but it's not the tactile sensations which cause her eyes to brim with heavy reservoirs of soon to be spilled tears.

In her hand, he had placed a time machine, and as he pops open its blessed chassis, she is transported back to a place and a period where peace and joy did not elude her at every turn. Her lip trembles something fierce, as she cradles the locket close to her chest, soaking up every bit of that domestic serenity she had long since reconciled that she would never feel again.

Tears fall in steady streams down her pale face. Without thinking, Oriana reaches out, grasping the seraph by his robes and tucking herself in close, shoulders hunching, shaking with the weight of a millenia's worth of so much love and so much hurt.

"Please..."

She whispers into the threads.

"Please...don't let anything tear us apart again..."

Voice cracks and breaks like frangible ice over a stream.

"...I have been...terribly lost without you...horribly...I need you with me, Michael...I need you...so much..."

[pureamericanism]

One of the great tragedies of the Rust Belt* is that it did not define itself as a distinct cultural region until well after its great era of flourishing was over. For the century from about 1850-1950, this area was not merely the industrial heart of the nation, but also its cultural center. And yet the inhabitants of the area, if they thought of themselves as having a regional identity at all, it was as inhabitants of the generic ‘north’. Its status as a center of cultural innovation was pooh-poohed by the fact that the nation’s political and intellectual elite was, even as it is today, strongly based to the coastal northeast, and this Eurocentric elite had a very different set of priorities than the cultural avant-garde of the as-yet-unRusted-Belt. This area produced little in the way of ‘high art’ in the expected form of novels, symphonies, and oil paintings. But what it did produce...

In 1900, Chicago was the occult capital of the nation, a hotbed of wild theorizing and underground publishing of all manner of Theosophical weirdness. Meanwhile, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright were producing the first wholly indigenous tradition of monumental architecture, setting a pattern for all of urban modernity. The Dayton, Ohio based Wright brothers - often abused in pop-historiography as some sort of rude mechanicals - were slowly and methodically systematizing the science of aerodynamics in preparation for the first ever instance of heaver-than-air flight in human history, with world-shaking consequences. And up in Detroit, Henry Ford was not merely revolutionizing transportation and manufacturing, but setting a standard for industrial relations that would create an unbelievably influential model for decades to come. It might sound strange to modern ears to cite Henry Ford as a bleeding-edge figure, but Fordism served as an inspiration to both Bolsheviks and Fascists, as well as to domestic New Dealers, while simultaneously pleasing and alarming old-fashioned Anglo liberals. The Long 20th Century is a series of footnotes to the Rust Belt Golden Age.

As can be seen from this too-brief summary of the luminaries of the epoch, it was a deeply unique Golden Age, characterized by cultural traits all its own. Technical prowess, utopian visions, and thorough systematization were its characteristics, as was a sense that a lone individual or small group could, through sheer innovative genius, change the world. While the archetype of the Mad Scientist is based on Mitteleuropean models, it was here in Mittelamerika that it achieved its apotheosis. The definitive cultural history of this region and era has yet to be written**, which just shows how underappreciated the underlying unity still is, but it in a large part contributed to the dynamic optimism that we all now take for granted as distinctively ‘American.’ But as the area felt the collapse of the long bubble economy that funded its flourishing, and its brightest sons and daughters fled west to contribute to the explosion of creativity along the Pacific slope that is now likewise collapsing, it finally awakened to a sense of unity that had previously been hidden by arbitrary State boundaries.

That, at some point, this area will again be the center of some sort of vigorous culture seems an inevitability of human geography, but will it again share the same features of optimism and technical prowess, or were those mere incidental features of a bunch of people with a Protestant work ethic suddenly getting access to the tremendous wealth provided by a vast agricultural base + fossil fuels? Man alive, I don’t have the slightest clue, but I hope that there is some sort of afterlife or metempsychosis so I can find out.

* here roughly defined as the geographical area constrained by an irregular polygon whose points are Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Davenport, Green Bay, and Flint.

** unless it has and i’m just ignorant of it, in which case please let me know so i can rest easy that i don’t need to do any work and can just sit down and read the thing. honestly, even tangentially related book recommendations are appreciated.

[henrisims]

Today I'm going to start the long-awaited tour of Old Dixon Gardens!

Three-quarter rear right view

This is a former Dixon family home, built in 1900 to permanently move from the Apple Hall plantation to the city, when it became more "civilized" to live in more elegant homes in urban centers. However, its use as a main home was short-lived when in 1919, Margot Dixon, the family matriarch, decided that they would move to the summer house at Brindleton Bay, which in theory was less opulent and could enjoy a more "simple and quiet" life away from the hustle and bustle of the "Roaring Twenties".

In a letter to her brother, Margot tells about the new address and, among other things, says:

We moved to escape the "Glamour of this time"; all this modernity, wasteful ostentation and extravagant, noisy and extremely theatrical parties, it frightens me, I want to keep my family away from this "golden chaos".

The Carolean Revival-style estate, situated on a hill in the Valle Del Sol, has stunning views of the city and features 17 rooms, including 6 bedrooms, 4 state-of-the-art bathrooms, a kitchen, a writing room, a living room, a dining room, a library, a ballroom, a parlor, a foyer and an event courtyard adjacent to the ballroom, a full pool cottage and the carriage house, which was later modernized in the 1930s to accommodate more modern transportation.

In the photo you can see the three buildings that make up the estate

We start with the Pool Cottage

From here I can see the house as well as the spectacular view of the sky at night.

The pool chalet consists of a kitchen, two changing rooms and a living porch in addition to the pool, of course.

Now let's go to the stables...

It is immediately clear that there are no horses or carriages here anymore

It is admirable that they have kept the building standing with the same characteristics as when it was built, of course with some modifications to the interior.

On the second floor we have an attic, a bedroom and the stablemaster's office (both deactivated)

At the back we have a closed patio, which was previously used for maintenance of the carriages and movement of the horses which came from the other stable behind (today the staff quarters of the house).

Well, that's all for now, folks. In the next post we'll go up to the house to see what the inside is like.

[catdotjpeg]

[Dozens] of Bay Area residents shut down the San Francisco #GoldenGateBridge in response to Israel’s bombing of #Rafah, to demand that President Biden stop supplying Israel with weapons and to call for an immediate #ceasefire.

-- Brooke Anderson, 14 Feb 2024

The protest, which began shortly after 7:30 a.m., halted traffic at the mid-span of the bridge for approximately 20 minutes and was cleared just after 8 a.m., according to Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, director of public affairs for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District. Chanting “Free Palestine,” protesters locked arms across all lanes of the bridge and unfurled a banner that said “Stop Arming Israel” and “Hands off Rafah.” “Our security staff were on scene within minutes and the protesters cleared soon thereafter without incident,” Cosulich-Schwartz said in an email. “No arrests are currently being reported by CHP.” A California Highway Patrol official added that there were “some possible scuffles between motorists and some of the protesters” but said no injuries had been reported.

-- "Golden Gate Bridge Briefly Blocked by Activists Calling for Cease-Fire in Gaza" by Juan Carlos Lara and Matthew Green for KQED, 14 Feb 2024

[blaze-aus-steam-lover]

The Paddlewheeled Tugboat Eppleton Hall

Above photo is from Kevin Blair unknown date

The Eppleton hall was built in 1914 by the Hepple and company in south shields England for the Lambton and Hetton collieries Ltd. the Eppleton hall was named the Lambton family's ancestral home. she was built to tow ocean going colliers (vessels that carry coal) for wharf to sea on the River Tyne and to tow new ships out to sea. with a speed of 10 knots (19km/h or 12mph), her engines could function independently to help with maneuverability has she came in at 30.6 m (100.5 ft) in length.

continued below the cut

The Lambton and Hetton collieries Ltd merged with the joicey Collieries in 1924 to form the Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd. in 1945 sometime before the collieries where nationalised and operated by the national coal board, Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd where sold to the France, Fenwick Tyne and Wear Ltd. in 1952 she was modified to obtain a passenger certificate, so that she could transport officials from newly built ships after their sea trials.

Above photo is from Kevin Blair unknown date

In November 1964 France, Fenwick Tyne and Wear Ltd got rid of their last paddle tug the Houghton (built in 1904 by Hepple and had been once owned by Lambton Collieries and was scrapped) and the Eppleton hall was sold to the Seaham harbor dock company where she worked alongside the reliant (built 1907). She was sold to the shipbreaker's clayton and cavie Ltd for scrap in 1967 and was left sitting on a mud bank in Duston. As part of the scrapping process, she was set on fire to help the process. she would remain there for 2 years partly flooded and rotting away.

Above photo of EPPLETON HALL lying at the breakers is copyright of Malcolm Donnelly sometime between 1967 and 1969.

The news that the sale of the last steam paddle tug still in service anywhere in the world the Reliant had reached Karl Kortum, who was then the director of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Karl's friend and museum trustee Scott Newhall was informed about the sale. Scott flew to Newcastle, England to obtain the Reliant for the museum. this plan was met with opposition as the British National Maritime Museum had prior claim to the Reliant, as they planned to scrap the hull and preserve one or both of the Side Lever engines and perhaps a paddle wheel. 3 times did the British National Maritime Museum stop Scott from getting the Reliant, the last attempt Scott even hired people to collect the tug, who pretend to be representatives of the British National Maritime Museum. This attempt apparently failed when the police were called.

The day after his last attempt Scott when to have a look at the Eppleton hall, he was surprised that she was mostly whole. that night from his hotel room he called the shipbreaker's clayton and cavie Ltd and brought the Eppleton hall. she was rebuilt at Bill Quay, near Hebburn at a small shipyard from sometime in June 1969. she was modified to help her cross the Atlantic Ocean under her own steam. modern navigational aids, radio, a new wheelhouse saved from a fishing trawler, 2 masts for sails and she was had a conversion from a coal burner to a diesel oil firer. this cost $150,000 at the time. she Templary become the SS Eppleton Hall for this crossing and was re-registered as a private yacht so that the Uk broad of trade cerftion for the crossing.

Above photo is from Kevin Blair unknown date

On the 18th of September 1969, she set sail on the first leg of the journey to San Francisco via the Panama Canal. Sailing via Dover, Lisbon, Cape Verde, Georgetown, via Panama and San Diego to name a few of her scheduled stops. she did have some problems during the journey: she ran out of fuel in the Bay of Biscay, her vacuum pump failed in the middle of the Atlantic, she helped rescue a fishing vessel off the coast of Mexico and nearly sunk in a storm near San Diego on the final leg. she passed under the golden gate bridge in late March of 1970, making the journey a 6 months and 9 days long adventure for the 12 man crew on broad. Scott wrote the book: the Eppleton hall, which tells the story of the discovery and restoration of the ship, the events about the reliant and the 11,000 mile journey to bring her to San Francisco. she was donated by Karl Kortum to the national park service in 1979.

photo taken by Wingsdomain Art and Photography in 2012

Today she is berthed at the Hyde Street pier at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. she was restored to look like her refurbishment for France Fenwick, Tyne and Wear Ltd post war in 1946.

photos are from Eppleton Hall 1914 (tynetugs.co.uk)

for more information about the Eppleton hall;

Eppleton Hall History - San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

The FULL Story of Eppleton Hall’s Transatlantic Voyage — Newcastle to San Francisco (1969-1970) (youtube.com)

In the British TV Show TUGS a sister show to Thomas and friends, there is a paddle tug named OJ, who is based on the Eppleton hall.

[magician-kitty]

Minor Scale

Ice constricted around her wrists and waist. Her legs were somewhat free but with the heavy body on top of them, all she could see was Darkness, hearing the constant sound of eerie whispering.

"Why so sad, little one?" A voice said. Bai-He looks up from her imprisonment to see none other than the one who's currently taken over her body.

The Lady Bone Demon.

The Lady Bone Demon is a demon with white skin, red eyes, and prominent cheekbones. Her hair is white and a part of it tied into a bun while the rest of it is straight and loose. She has magenta lips and medium blue eye shadow.

She wore a black dress with purple around her upper waist, gray designs at the sides, and white long-sleeves, a white chestplate with one row of rib bones at the bottom and a gold half circle at the center, as well as sharp purple shoulder pads.

The young girl glared silently toward the bone demon.

"There's no need for that face child, this is a day for celebration," She smiled. "Destiny is upon us." She cooed.

Bai-He held a deadpanned expression on her face. "You know, Dad said you were crazy. But I didn't think you were a complete psycho!" She yelled angrily.

Lady Bone Demon frowned, "I don't expect a child like you to understand, but no matter. In time this world will cease to exist, and a new one shall take its place."

Bai-He scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah you say that now, just wait until they come and save me, you're gonna wish you'd- " Lady Bone Demon grabbed onto Bai-He's face, digging her nails into her skin. Bai-He grunts, attempting to push the demon off her, but the chains held her tightly.

"I think your sassy little mouth is starting to irritate me," She growled, eyes flashing red. Lady Bone Demon then lets go of her face, stands back up. "But no matter."

Bai-He raised a confused brow. "Why?" She asked. The bone demon smirked, leans down and whispers something into the girl's ear.

Bai-He gasped, a feared look spread on her face that send shivers to her spine. "No...y-you wouldn't..." She trailed off.

Lady Bone Demon just smiled eerily, "Now if you'll excuse me, my destiny awaits." She gave the girl a bow before walking away into the darkness.

Bai He attempted to stand, but the more she struggled the more the chains held onto her tighter. "Wait! No! You can't, leave her alone!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep within of the Lady Bone Demon's old lair, the two monkey demons were dodging traps, as they looked for information on The Lady Bone Demon. Monkey King grunts as he holds up a spike ceiling trap threatening to crush him, "Baby! A little help please!?" He shakily asked for Macaque's help.

"Hold on for a second, Peaches!" He yelled, as the shadow trickster was dodging traps himself.

"Any minute now, Honey!" He exclaimed, quickly pushing the spike ceiling trap above him away. Macaque dipping himself and his husband into a shadow portal transporting them to the outside of the throne room.

Wukong pants, sighing in relief, wiping away sweat. "Thanks hon. I told you this place would be full of traps," Wukong grumbled.

"I know. I'm sorry, okay?!" Macaque whined, tail drooping as he followed his husband.

Monkey King turned and caressed his mate's face. "Macaque you gotta calm down, I know you're worried about her, we'll get her back." He reassured him.

"I know, Wukong..."

"It'll be okay...~," Monkey King smiled, giving his husband a quick peck on the lips. All of a sudden a golden projection of MK appeared. "Monkey King, it worked!" The teen cheered smiling at her achievement.

"MK?" The husbands gawked in surprise. "Hey guys! I finally got a hold of Astral Projection," She smiled. "And it only took five nosebleeds!" MK grinned wiping the thin trail of blood from her nose.

"What!?" The husbands screeched in horrified unison, their tails puffing up.

"But that's incredibly unsafe!" The Monkey King said in a worried tone.

"Aw don't worry you two!" MK said in a reassuring manner. "Im fine, right guys?" As soon as she mentioned the shadow twins, they appeared on the Astral Projection. "Father!" The two greeted, their tails wagging happily.

"Hey there little ones," The shadow demon smiled gently, yelping as he had to duck, not realizing that he'd set off another trap.

"Is everything okay?" Savage asked in worry. "Are we distracting you?"

Monkey King shook his head. "Nah you're not, just more dead ends," The Monkey King sighed. "But hopefully, this old lair will give us something we need."

Macaque's six ears perked up, hearing the sound of eerie whispers. "Wukong..." He trailed off.

"Uh bud, I'm afraid I'll have to cut this a bit short," Wukong spoke up, giving the trio an apologetic look. "But! I do have some new lessons for you guys to try."

This make them excited. "MK, keep working on shrinking and growing yourself." MK nodded, "You got it!" Macaque then turned to the twins.

"Savage, I want you and your sister to practice summoning your own weapons. You're going to need them sooner or later, okay?"

The twins nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Oh! I just remembered something, MK got kissed by a boy!" Savage suddenly blurted outs

"Say what!?" Monkey King yelled, causing his husband to cover his ears.

"Uhh, i think we have a bad connection, Kay bye!" MK waved as the projection ended. MK groaned, glaring down at the little monkey.

"What, I'm right ain't I?" Savage asked, looking innocent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile in the Sewers, The little girl held up her arms, she was still currently creating the mech. The powerful artifacts that were needed hovered next to it. "I don't know who taught you to take revenge, but it ain't normally this boring! Can we hurry this along?" Spider Queen demanded, hanging upside down her arms crossed.

The girl blinked, her eyes focused on the hologram. "With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown." she said as she spun a small part of the projection in front of her. "There are still more items we have yet to add to the furnace, destiny cannot be rushed my queen." the little girl stated.

The Spider Queen huffed in frustration. "So you keep saying, well my patience is growing thin little miss mystery." She rolled her eyes. "At least lighten up a little, your creepy whisper business is getting on my nerves."

The little girl turned her attention back to the furnace uninterested in her patience. "Let me out, let me out of here!" Bai-He voiced echoes through her head, making her run her head in frustration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MK let of a sigh of exhaustion as she mopped the floor for the third time. "I'm finished, Pigsy."

"Thanks kid," Pigsy sighed in relief. "This place needs to be spick and span! I got a very special guest coming!" Pigsy said as he cleaned every surface, organized everything so it was perfectly in line.

"Did someone say free noodles for a special guest?" a voice said making Pigsy and MK looked towards the entrance, seeing Tang leaning against the door as he pushed his glasses up.

"Im sure it ain't you hon, if that's what you're wondering." Pigsy growled as Tang took a seat. "Honey, that anyway to speak to The Golden Cicada Yum yum?" Tang asked smiling at his husband, Pigsy huffed.

As the two husband argued a bit, MK's mind wandering back to her lesson. 'Shrinking myself huh? How the hell am I supposed to do that?' MK's thoughts were cut short as her body started to glow. She let out a shrieked before she started shrinking.

She fell through the pipes, hitting against the side at every turn before finally falling to the ground in a large cavern.

"Ow! F**k that hurts!" MK groaned standing up rubbing her sore head but the looks down at herself. "Hey, I did it. I shrunk myself!" She exclaimed.

The poor girl realized that not only she finally shrunk herself, but she shriveled up in fear when she recognized she's back in the Spider Queen's lair.

"No, no, no, No! The Spider Queen's lair" She trembled in fear as her arachnophobia started kicking in. "Not here, not now, come on!" MK yelled, her voice echoing throughout the lair walls.

Spider Queen perked up when she heard a familiar voice echoed the the walls. "Ah, The Monkie girl!" Spider Queen grinned, landing back on the ground. "My day just got a little more interesting. She said with a smirk.

The little girl sighed, "My Queen, perhaps you should-" The Spider Queen interrupted her.

"Sorry! Can't hear you over the sound of me rushing destiny, kay bye!" Spider Queen taunted, swinging her web MK's location.

'Hm, perhaps I can use this to my advantage' She thought, The little girl smirks, her eyes flashing blue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, MK continued focusing on her breathing, trying to calm herself. "It's okay, it's going to be fine! I'm going to be fine!" She panicked.

She looked towards the viewers.

"It's finally gonna happen! A spider's gonna wrap me in its web and eat me!"

She shook her head, "No! I am the Monkie Kid, I ain't gonna keep being terrified of spiders my whole life!" MK said clenching her fists. "I can do this, I can get out of here!" She shouted before closing her eyes and focusing.

Before she knew it, MK turned back to her normal size. "Yes! I'm normal sized again!" MK cheered. The teen froze when she heard the sobbing of a little girl. "Hello?" MK called out slowly walking towards the sound pulling her staff out in case it was a trap, she peaks around a corner and sees a little girl sitting between some rocks. Her hair was rolled up around a jade green bun holder that curved up into sharp tips on its ends.

She's dressed in a qixiong ruqun with a standing collar. The ruqun consisted of a white top that secured the right blue trimmed lapel using two blue bone-shaped buttons, and a long, flowing black skirt.

"Stay back!" The girl cried out, flinching and frantically backing away from the MK.

"It's alright, I ain't gonna hurt you. I-" She stopped as she started to recognize her. "B-Bai-He?" She stammered.

"Monkie Princess?" She said in disbelief, "I-It's you..."

MK let out a sigh of relief, a smile spread across her face. She couldn't that she's here, and okay. "I can't believe it- you're-" But before she could finished "Bai He"quickly hugged her. "I knew you'd come!"

"I'm so happy, I-I thought-"

"Please, you have to help me, there's not much time!" She said looking terrified, she gasps as she heard whispers coming from the pipe.

"What was that?" Bai-He asked curling back to the wall sobbing.

"Hey, it's okay. I get it, it's scary being alone," MK said kneeling down to her, trying to ease her sorrows. "But you're not alone now, I'm here now. We'll find our way out together," MK said, smiling. "I promise." MK held her hand out for her.

Bai He started to reach out to her but stopped. "Wait! If you're here then that means..." she muttered, Her terrified face turned into a determined one as she quickly got onto her feet.

"This way! You have to follow me!" Bai He exclaimed running off, in the direction of Spider Queen's lair.

"Wait, Bai He, Stop!" MK cried out, rushing after the child, trying to stop her from getting hurt. "Not that way!"

"We really shouldn't be here!" MK panted, finally caught up to her. "We can't go yet. Spider Queen is building something...evil." she said pointing at the giant blue hologram of a mech suit.

"Whatever she's planning, it has to do something with that," she told her pointing at the furnace. "I-I've seen you use your staff, surely you could use it to smash that thing?" She suggested.

MK stared at it, staff at the ready "MK, you have to do something. Don't let her hurt someone else, please?" She begged.

MK turning to look at her. "Okay, you might want to stand back though." She told her, watching her take a step back as she prepared her staff.

"Here..." she launched herself forward with her staff. "Comes..." she pulled it above her head. "Monkie kid!" She was about to hit the hologram.

Until she saw her reflection in it, begging her to stop. "Don't do it!" The reflection told her. MK stopped right on her tracks, "Wait! Is this...this is the trigram furnace! From the celestial realm! How-"

She gasped as blue spirits came out from under the furnace, whispering quietly. MK gasped, recognising the whispers from when she fought the Demon Bull King.

'No, it can't be.' She slowly turning around as she remembered everything she'd seen and it sends chills up her spine.

The sound of Cackling came from "Bai He"a light blue storm of spirits surrounding her as her true form was revealed.

MK yelped and backed away, hitting the furnace, dropping her staff. "It's you- you're-"

"I am the Lady Bone Demon," "Bai He" chilled whisper rang in her ears as her head started to hurt, the pain getting stronger as the seconds roll by.

"You...you tricked me!!" MK growled out, clutching her head, breathing heavily.

"My, aren't you quite the observant little girl," she started, getting closer to her with every unstable change of scenery. "MK, I do apologize, but I need to take that staff," She demanded. MK, in a panic, quickly got to her feet, collected her staff and tried to make a break for it, but with every step she took, the pain kept growing bigger and bigger.

"Calm yourself," A whisper came from behind him, "It is pointless to deny me," MK couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and aimed her staff towards the girl, her not even flinching, stood there with a calm collected smile.

"What going on, W-Where's Bai He!?"

"Bai-He?" She questioned, tilted her head to the side, "Oh yes, the little girl. Quite clever is it? This body is useful...for now." she said smiling.

"Body? What do you-" She stopped, she remembered what Macaque had told her before they left.

It was her all along. She's the one that took her.

"Let her go! She's just a little girl!" Lady Bone Demon stood there for a second before she began to giggle.

"It's so cute, you really think you can stop me," LBD cooed mockingly at the girl, who groaned in pain as her vision flashed blue once more, the world around her glitching sporadically.

"I'm not going to let you win, Monkey King and Macaque will stop you and-" She gripped her head more as the glitches continued.

"Monkey King? Do you really think he can stop me? Curious that he is not with you now? Perhaps that he made the wrong choice, he picked the wrong successor" her voice seem to come from every direction,

"You were right you know," His attention was drawn back to the bone witch, holding her hands in front of her as his vision switched from her host form to her true form. "It's scary being alone!" She whimpered in the little girl's voice before her eyes were shadowed. One glowing a bright blue as she grinned. "I do pity you."

MK gagged as the Lady Bone Demon slowly started to rise out the ground below her, grabbing tightly onto her neck as she smirked at her.

"You're just a piece in a game you simply cannot possibly comprehensive." she grinned squeezing tightly, MK tried to loosen her grip but to no prevail.

Then, an explosion shook the room behind MK, making her let go and MK left gasping for breath as she dropped to her knees, her eyes filled with fear.

The Spider Queen cackled as she slowly made her way through the hole in the cave she'd just exploded, grinning. "Monkie kid! Im done waiting! I'm going to enjoy this!" She said happily, launching herself at her.

"Think little!" MK shrieked as the Spider Queen hurtled towards him at a frightening speed. She quickly managed to shrunk herself.

The Spider Queen was sent flying with a huge wave of energy, slamming into the wall and creating a shockwave. MK took that chance to retreat into the rubble, all the while gasping and trying not to trip over her own feet.

The Bone Demon watched her leave with glowing blue eyes and a satisfying expression. "It would seem that she has left you little girl..."

'No! Wait! MK, don't leave me. I'm here! MK, come back!' Bai He's voice screamed, calling out for her.

Run…

Run along as you wish, Destiny will find you soon enough.

[goldenhourindhaka]

Beef Tehari: A Taste of Dhaka’s Heritage on Every Plate

As a Dhaka native, my love for Beef Tehari isn’t just about the taste—it’s about the cultural memories and deep connection to the city where I was born and raised. For many Bangladeshis, and especially for those from Dhaka, Tehari is more than food; it’s a treasured part of our heritage. This fragrant, spiced rice dish, with its unmistakable aroma of tender beef and spices, transports me to the vibrant streets of Puran Dhaka (Old Dhaka), where Tehari recipes have been passed down through generations, each plate telling its own story of tradition and family.

A Flavor Rooted in History

Puran Dhaka is iconic for its culinary treasures, with Tehari at the heart of it all. The small Tehari stalls lining these old streets carry with them recipes that date back hundreds of years, kept alive through family legacies and shared with a love for good food. Walking through Puran Dhaka, you can smell the Tehari cooking from blocks away—its rich spices perfuming the air. Tehari here isn’t just made; it’s crafted, with each vendor carefully preserving the recipe techniques that have been passed down through generations. It’s the kind of food that draws people in, locals and tourists alike, all eager to get a taste of authentic Dhaka flavors.

Culinary Influences from Across Continents

Bangladeshi cuisine is a beautiful blend of indigenous spices and cooking styles enriched by influences from Persia, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. Tehari embodies this fusion, merging Mughal cooking techniques with local ingredients like mustard oil, green chilies, and our beloved spices. While similar to biryani, Tehari stands apart in that it doesn’t involve marinated meat; instead, the beef is cooked directly with the spices, allowing the rice to soak in the rich oils and flavor from the beef. The result? A dish with an irresistible depth of flavor, distinctly Bangladeshi in every way.

A Symbol of Togetherness in Bangladeshi Culture

In Dhaka, sharing a plate of Tehari is like sharing a piece of our culture. It’s a meal that brings people together for every kind of celebration, whether it’s Eid, a family gathering, or even an everyday meal with friends. As a Dhaka native, this dish has been part of nearly every special occasion in my life, connecting me to my heritage with each fragrant, flavorful bite. The process of preparing Tehari can be almost ritualistic, with every family adding its own touch. For me, Tehari is a taste of home, a reminder of all the times I’ve shared it with family and friends.

Here’s My Recipe for Authentic Dhaka-Style Beef Tehari

If you want to experience Tehari the Dhaka way, here’s an authentic recipe that captures the flavors of Old Dhaka. Cooking Tehari might seem complex, but trust me, it’s worth the effort. Each bite will bring you closer to the heart of Bangladeshi cuisine. I am also going to include a video that shows the cooking process in detail so that it is easier for you to recreate this at home!

Ingredients:

1teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon coriander 2-3 stick of cinnamon, 2 inches each 3-4 green cardamom 5-6 black pepper ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon mace ¾ cup Mustard oil 1 cup Onion, sliced 2 lb Beef, small pieces 2 tablespoon ginger paste 2 tablespoon garlic paste ½ cup yogurt 2 bay leaves 6 cups water 1 cup milk 3 cups basmati or kalijeera rice 8-10 green chilies Salt, according to taste

Instructions 1)Take cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg, mace and grind. 2)Wash the meat and drain all water. 3)Take the pot where tehari will be cooked. Heat oil on medium flame. 4)Add thinly sliced onion and sauté until fragrant and golden brown. 5)Add meat, ginger and garlic paste, yogurt, 1-teaspoon salt, bayleaves and the ground spice. 6)Cook in medium heat for about 25-30 minutes until beef is cooked and tender. 7)Add a cup of water little by little and stir the meat occasionally. 8)Separate meat keeping the gravy and spices in the pan. Set aside meat. 9)Add remaining water and milk to the pan and bring to boil. Add salt. 10)Add washed and drained rice and cover. Once the water boils again, add the whole green chilies and cook in medium heat. 11)When rice is about 50% done, add the meat. Mix carefully so that rice does not become smashed and cook covered in medium-low heat. 12)Turn off stove but keep lid on for 15-20 minutes before serving. 13)Serve with salad, kabab and chutney.

The Dhaka Experience on a Plate

Serve your Tehari with a simple side of fresh yogurt based salad (raita), or chopped onion bits for an authentic Bangladeshi touch. There’s something deeply comforting and nostalgic about this dish. Every time I take a bite, I’m transported back to the bustling streets of Puran Dhaka, where Tehari has been perfected over centuries.

Beef Tehari isn’t just food—it’s a taste of my heritage, my memories, and the stories of generations before me. It’s a reminder that I’m part of something bigger, a rich cultural tapestry woven with flavors and shared meals that make us who we are.

[kayleerob23]

Must Have Custom Content Part 3 UPDATED

~ Vixonspixels

Default infant bath sponge - vixonspixels

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Default Sturdy Infant Back Carriers - vixonspixels

Default Ice Skates - vixonspixels

Restaurant default menu - vixonspixels

Default pencil override - vixonspixels

~ Oni

Oni's Recipe Pack_custom food mod_24.08.08 - Oni

Zoomers Delivery Plus_23.08.05 - Oni

Oni's Custom Grocery Mod_24.06.08 - Oni

All Recipe's By Oni

~ Somik and Severinka

Functional Champagne "Golden Edition" and Gift Box "Ferrero Rocher" - Somik and Severinka

Restaurant dishes - set 2 - Somik and Severinka

Healthy Breakfasts with Avocado - Somik and Severinka

Delivery - Healthy Food, Part 1 - Somik and Severinka

FUNCTIONAL WINE BOTTLES - Somik and Severinka

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Gourmet dishes for the restaurant - Somik and Severinka

~ Apricot Rush

Dinner Foods Retexture - Apricot Rush

Offer Rose Default Replacement - Apricot Rush

Phone Case Default Replacements - Apricot Rush

Fabulous Spray | Default Cleaning Spray Replacement - Apricot Rush

Breakfast Food Overhaul - Apricot Rush

Scrub Father Sponge Replacement - Apricot Rush

Pizza Party Retexture Pack - Apricot Rush

Food Retexture Pack 3 (Lunches) - Apricot Rush

Kitchenware Retexture (*UPDATE*) - Apricot Rush

Food Retexture Pack 2 (Quick Meals) - Apricot Rush

Food Retexture Pack 1 *Fixed Lighting Bug* - Apricot Rush

~ vyxated

active obj retexture - vyxated

CAS Lighting Mod - set 02 - vyxated

SimCity Transport - City Taxi - vyxated

Build Buy Gizmo Overrides - vyxated

Tram Override - vyxated

TS4 Font Replacement - Handwriting style - vyxated

~ LargeTayterTots

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Minimalist CAS Organizers by LargeTayterTots - LargeTayterTots

My First Calvin Set - Default Underwear Replacement by LargeTayterTots - LargeTayterTots

My First Calvin Set - Default Underwear Replacement by LargeTayterTots - LargeTayterTots

Coffee To-Go Cup Override by LargeTayterTots - LargeTayterTots

Functional Magazine Mod by LargeTayterTots - LargeTayterTots

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Folded Laundry Default Replacement - LargeTayterTotsLaundry Pile Default Replacement - LargeTayterTots