#I love her passion for the hotpot

[unfortunatelyilikebnha]

LMAO GET HIS ASS TOKOHA

[fragileizywriting]

"we're having hotpot," marinette announces, when no one can figure out what they're eating. "let's just make this easy. adrien wants beef while you want lamb—"

"—i'm not eating lamb," adrien cuts in. "i can't stand it anymore, honestly, that thing just makes me sick—"

"—hot pot," she continues, doing her best not to strangle him. "i'll go make the starter. there's some skewers in the drawer so start skewering all the meats and vegetables. luka's on drink duty."

luka snorts. "as usual."

"as usual," she parrots. "i want something sweet to go with the salt of the broth; i wouldn't mind boba tea."

"ohh, the passion-fruit ones are delicious." adrien grins with excitement, scrambling for the fridge. "lord, do i love being an adult with agency to eat whatever i want."

[blissooya]

[WEVERSE] 231216 슝이🌹 update

Hi Blink! How is everyone doing?? It's really, really, really cold these days 🥶 You didn't catch a cold, right? I'm doing well by preparing for this and that and excercising from time to time! 😊 After seeing BLINKs every day and the tour is over it's weird. As it's become cold winter, I came here to play with BLINK because I remembered the Christmas market that I met every day during the tour! I'm here to shake off(?) the few photos I have!! I think I should take a lot of selfies from now on.. Anyway! I hope you all don't catch a cold and have a warm winter! I love you ♥️ P.S Cheers to your eyes... 🍻✨️

cr. xx_turtle_

👤 : Unnie did you see Rosé season greetings!?

🐰 : I was trying to take one but she didn't give it because she wanted give after signing it.. I'll receive it before next year right? haha

👤 : Jisooya!!! Was today not cold???? Be careful of getting a cold...🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

🐰 : It was suddenly snowing today..! It's so colddd 🥶

👤 : Unnie how much can you drink kekekeke

🐰 : kekekeke oh I found out I can drink beer well so beer is best(?)

👤 : Unnie did you set up a Christmas tree?

🐰 : No.. Ah last time I posted a tree on my story and Lisa also asked if I bought a tree kekeke That's from Korean Air..

👤 : Unnie didn't you say you were bad with alcohol? keke

🐰 : I don't know my alcohol tolerance so I'm finding out as I go.. But beer is just right for me.. I can drink a bit with beer!!!! 🍺😎

👤 : There's only 2 weeks left this year!!!! Jisoo unnie do you have a bucket list for 2024?!!

🐰 : I don't have any.. Just be healthy!! Health is best👍🏻

👤 : Chu I got into college!!!!! It's Chu's strength

🐰 : No it's because Blinks did great!! I'm not going to take credit from you. I'm just a helper(?)

👤 : Noona do you remember? We went to rob a museum together and unnie pretended to be a statue so only I got caught⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐰 : I just imagined it but aren't statues white clay(?) like so I would be too noticeable and probably get caught too

👤 : Jisoo how did you end up dancing the Shinchan dance in front of Chaengie...? kekekeke

🐰 : kekeke after copying something kekeke I was so passionate. I was like "Hey turn on the flashlight and shine it on me!!!" and I danced while getting the spotlight..

👤 : When will Jisoo change her profile picture for wvs next? 😉😊

🐰 : It's not that I haven't thought about it. I want to change it for Weibo, Weverse and Insta but I have no pictures hahahehe

👤 : Do you still play Animal Crossing? I want to visit Jisoo's island

🐰 : I connected it to my TV and the animals were happy to see me haha

👤 : Unnie! Why did you drink? How was the alcohol taste? Unnie what's a tmi lately?

🐰 : I was happy after I was done with work in Paris! Drinking it with hotpot was delicious!! Lately I've been sleeping in!

👤 : Your bangs look so good on you😭😭😭😭😭😭🩷 But is it bothersome if you have bangs? kekekeke

🐰 : I usually don't have my bangs down, so I couldn't even recognize them! kekeke Um.. I do think it's annoying

👤 : Jisoo it's snowing and getting cold so it's time to ride snowboard🏂🏂🏂

🐰 : I really want to rideㅠ!! But I'm scarsd but I want to ride but I'm scare ㅜ

👤 : Jisoo, when are you going to play Kartrider with us? kekekeke I've been practicing a lot so far...!!

🐰 : Ah, do you want to try?!? It's downloaded now, but I didn't practice much ㅜ

👤 : Pants VS a one piece. What will you decide? keke

🐰 : Pants!

👤 : I bought all BLACKPINK kart set!!

🐰 : ㅜㅜ I only bought Jisoo ha Only me just me, Jisoo and Jisoo emoticon and BLACKPINK kart kekekekekekeke

👤 : Are you gonna play Kartrider today?

🐰 : I was going to but I dont know can we play together, it's difficult !

👤 : Make the room

🐰 : It's difficult..

🐰 : Let's go into Kart for a bit kekekeke. Ah... I want Pink Venom Jisoo. I really can't play but I don't know how to make a room kekekekeke

👤 : Unnie do you play Nintendo games ? 🎮

🐰 : Yes! keke I played a Mario game not too long ago hahahehe

🐰 : 지수짱z I'll make the game so if you want to join, join!! How do you do it! No one is joining!!

👤: Ah you have to tell us the custom key on the top left!!!! ㅠㅠ

🐰 : ah ha 178136

🐰 It's so hard. TurtleRabbitKimJisoo achievement award, I acknowledge. The last round I honestly got 1st because I rode the bus

Haha kekeke I'll leave today!! Let’s play kart again next time🤣 haha Please let me take that bus again next time 🤣🤣 Everyone, Blinks, sleep well and dress warmly because it’s cold!! I love you♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[genshin-impacted]

empress of the first water // Zhongli x Reader (4)

Word Count: ~2.8k

Palace/Harem Imperial Drama AU: You are a princess, soon-to-be-Empress, and Zhongli is the teacher invited by the royal court to show you the ropes before you ascend to the throne after a royal tragedy.

Notes: female!reader (she/her), Zhongli/Reader, Zhongli POV, mutual pining ofc, fake politics, can I call this slow burn yet

[Previous] [Next]

Chapter 4 Synopsis: Of the secrets that people keep, how much can they say without saying anything about it at all?

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.

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You are falling for your tutor. That much, at least, is clear to you. Your quickened heart rate, the way your heart flutters when he smiles, and how your mood lifts when he praises you-- if wisdom is to know thyself, then you consider yourself wise enough to know that you see Zhongli xiansheng as more than just a teacher.

But what of him? You wonder, how does he think of you? Does he know what he means to you? Does he feel the same?

“My lady?" Amber asks you, when you dip your head underneath the rose-infused waters of your bath. "What is wrong?”

“Nothing,” you reply back quickly, hugging your knees to your chest. You take a glance at the mauve coat that Zhongli had left on your shoulders and think about how it will still smell like him.

Amber can only look at you in mild concern when you bury your heated face into your hands and try not to think of kind eyes, a warm embrace, and a gentle voice.

(But you do anyway.)

.

.

.

.

Zhongli finds himself talking more freely than ever in your presence, especially now that the two of you have made it a habit of walking around the compound or drinking tea to pass the time together. He talks about fantastical things or expands on random trivia he thinks you would enjoy, even though he finds himself more often than not overindulging.

Your eyes are bright and alert when he tells you about the folktales he had learned when he was younger, so he tells you as many as you can in the cold, wintry months. Under the cozy kotatsu imported over from Inazuma, Zhongli shares slices of mandarin with you as he retells the history of the Qilin to you-- a mythical creature whose stone statues stand at guard in front of the main compounds of the palace.

“In many stories, the Qilin is sacred pets of the gods and rank highly only below the dragon and the phoenix,” Zhongli says, accepting the last slice of fruit you slide into his hands. "It’s said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler."

“I see…” You listen to him attentively, hands absently clearing the table of the orange peels without saying a word. You let out a breath of laughter as you joke, “Hopefully, if I pray hard enough, the Qilin might gift their presence when I ascend to the throne.”

“Nonsense,” Zhongli replies immediately. “If the qilin does exist, you do not need prayer for the qilin to appear before you, as benevolent as you are, my Princess.” He takes the slice and brings it to his lips to taste the sweetness of the mandarin, catching a glimpse at the way you hide your smile behind your hand.

“You have a way with words as usual,” you tell him. “You spoil me with praises, xiansheng; how ever will I survive without them now?” You bemoan, laughing afterwards. Though he knows you’re joking--surely-- he still feels his heart tremble at your words. It is in these moments that he feels keenly how it is to be Amber, abashed by the praise that flows freely from your lips and by the fondness that rings true through the way you speak. To be at the center of your attention is something that Zhongli understands very well to be addicting.

It is only when Zhongli hears the light rapping of knuckles on wood does he realize how long he has spoken and how late it is.

"My apologies," Zhongli says, surprised from his thoughts to bow his head (you fussed at him about apologizing before, but even with your kind reprimands, it is hard for him to kick the habits ingrained in him). "I didn't mean to dominate the conversation this entire time. It's even time for supper--"

"Bamboo Shoot Soup," you pipe up instead, and he can only look up at you stunned as you thank the maid. She sets down the pair of utensils in front of the two of you and clears the table to make space for the large metal hotpot. "It's your favorite dish, isn't it?” You say cheekily, “I thought it was a perfect dish to eat during the cold weather."

What are the protocols to eating dinner with the royal family? Zhongli thinks to himself warily, feeling wildly as though he is constantly stepping out of line despite his learned nature. Still, you would scold him for his distancing, so Zhongli decides to do as the both of you please, as improper as it may be, and waits to be served.

The bamboo soup is beautifully slow-cooked, the broth milky white; just taking a waft of the aroma is enough for him to know that the meat is tender and the bamboo shoots are soaked to the center with flavor. The warmth that pervades is partly due to the fresh heat of the soup but also from the fact that you had remembered a detail he shared in passing. (He says ‘in passing’ but he had gone into detail about where to procure the best ingredients for each component of the meal while you listened to him with eager nods. The bamboo shoots, he recognizes, are from Qingce Village. Did you remember even the smallest details from your conversation when he speaks?) Like many other times before, he is speechless. It seems as though you are constantly surprising him-- for the better.

"What happens next?"

Zhongli blinks, the steam from his bowl rising up to his face. "Pardon?"

"Oh, never mind! We should eat first!" You say, smiling widely in a way that makes his heart leap. You pick up your chopsticks and click them together playfully. "But tell me what happens next in the story later on, Zhongli-xiansheng."

"One day you'll find yourself someone who listens to you and you'll talk their ear off."

Zhongli remembers Guizhong telling him this time and time again, though he never believed in it. He is old-fashioned, he always replies back. He is overly burdened by the expectations of his family and passionate in things that most others cannot care to relate to. How would he know that someday, as proof of the wisdom (or perhaps abundance of hope and love) that Guizhong held, he would find someone who cared enough to listen and look at him as though he knew the meaning of life itself?

The bright-eyed gaze you shoot at him lasts only a moment, and perhaps you don't even know the magnitude of your gesture, but Zhongli feels his chest burn nonetheless with gratitude and soften at the kindness you have shown him. He reaches out to place his hand gently on yours. "Thank you," he says, squeezing your hand. "I'll be sure to not lose my place in the story then so you can hear the rest of it."

He blinks when you look at him, frozen and wide-eyed, and that is when he retracts his hand, feeling as embarrassed as you look. "Ah, my apologies again--"

"No, it's-- it's alright," you stammer, looking down at your bowl. Zhongli feels his face redden and he drops his gaze as well. "But yes, you better remember! I'm counting on you!"

"Yes-- yes, of course," he says, clearing his throat. "It would be my pleasure to." Before Zhongli can wallow in mortification, he hears the beginnings of your laugh and looks up to see your smile as wide as ever. And just like that, he can feel himself be at ease again, just as you have always made him feel with your presence.

"Perhaps next time," he says, a small smile dancing on his lips, "my lady can tell me a story instead."

"Only if you fill in the details I missed," you quip back easily, and he laughs.

Even with an impeccable memory, Zhongli still cannot remember the last time he has ever laughed so easily and so readily as though he could never run out of laughter. He thinks of quiet hours in his study, pouring over pages of text without speaking till his voice grows hoarse from disuse. He remembers days of entertaining guests who never truly listened to what he was saying, and he finds that he is the happiest he has ever been for a long time.

He has you to thank for that.

This is why he responds back, with a soft reverence that is reserved only for you. "Of course." He returns your smile with his own. "I would be honored to, my Princess."

.

.

.

Reverence should be a tone well-practiced and used in the royal court, but when Zhongli stands aside during the proceedings, he hears very little of it directed toward you. You have half of the court talking over you despite your grace, and he can clearly see your patience wear thin when your presence goes unacknowledged by one of the court officials.

"My studies have been going steadily," you speak unto the crowd, clearly and powerfully, as though you have always known how to command attention. Projecting your voice, you maintain your gaze on all of them as you speak. Zhongli can see from the way your hands clench at your side that despite your display, fear has not left you, and for that, his pride for you seems to overflow.

"With the xiansheng, I can foresee being able to replace my great uncle for the time before the end of this year," you say. "I will have prepared myself dutifully until the time has come--"

"The end of this year?" One of the nobles exclaims in protest, making you pause. "How would you be ready at the end of the calendar when you have started lessons, not even yesteryear?"

"I can't imagine the magnitude of power placed upon the shoulders of the inexperienced,” another one drawls. “Perhaps, ah, the Princess will consider taking a husband to make up for it?"

Zhongli doesn't realize he's gripping imprints into the palm of his hands until he goes to raise his hand and realizes they have gone numb from his tension. The nerve of some of the nobles-- some of which he can recognize have never sought to be on your side. He wishes nothing more than to be able to provide them a verbal lashing, but he knows that neither you nor he can do anything at this point in time.

With knowledge comes power, and you do not know enough to utilize the title you have nor the inherent authority that comes with it. Though one day, you will, if he can help it, regardless of what has been expected of him.

It makes his skin crawl to know that many nobles look to him and believe he is on their side. How many times have they requested him to keep you away from the main chambers to check on your great uncle? How many times have they hoped he would provide falsities and ignorance in the guise of guidance so that you would never truly ascend to the throne? Even with the promise of power beyond his wildest dreams, Zhongli cannot bring it to himself to manipulate you in such a manner. Even though his hands are clean, he still cannot help but taste sin on his lips for knowing the harm that exists against you without your knowledge.

When is the right time to inform you, if at all? Is it kind or cruel of him to keep this ploy from you? (Is his judgment even sound, as muddled as it is with his rapidly growing feelings for you?)

You narrow your eyes, your lips pressed in a straight line, but you refrain, once again. And Zhongli feels a burst of pride at your show of restraint and composure fitting of a lady of your status. "Yes, this may be one of the things I will take into consideration, and I appreciate--" Zhongli feels himself tense at the way you spoke, "--the counsel of the court, though I still foresee my way coming to fruition regardless."

There is a stilted silence that follows your words, and you look toward the messenger who has come with the land's grievances in letters. "I believe this matter can be discussed at a later time," you say with finality. "Let us look at the first report from the harbor."

Using what you know from your lessons thus far, you guide the conversation towards solutions for the problems brought to the court by the people. You are too inexperienced to make decisions on your own, gathering opinions from your council; corrupt or not, they know more about managing land than you. But Zhongli sees how you watch carefully as the discussion continues, letting the information sink in so that you can utilize it in the future, and he is reminded again of how far you have come from a princess holding that urn to the prospective empress quietly learning how to lead a country.

(Is it any surprise at all that he is enamored with you?)

Court adjourns after hours, and Zhongli follows you as you leave first, your robes billowing behind you seamlessly as you hold your head up high. The guards bow their heads as you pass by them, your ladies-in-waiting slowly retreating from the room when you arrive, closing the door behind them. The moment everyone is gone, you sigh in relief, your shoulders dropping to a more comfortable height as you stretch your arms and legs.

“I applaud you on your conduct during court,” Zhongli says finally, amused by how nonchalant you act in comparison to how high-strung you are in front of others. “That was an impressive display of authority.” He sees your face flush from the compliment as you stammer out your thanks. He chuckles. "Perhaps I should start getting used to calling you 'Empress’ then, Princess.”

"Yes?" Zhongli replies, confused. "Is that not a title you would like to be referred to?"

"'Princess?'" He hears you echo, turning yourself to him, and Zhongli loses his train of thoughts when he sees your expression with brows pulled together, disconcerted. "Just... 'princess?'"

"No--well, yes..." you say, trailing off. Your hand, out of habit, nervously reaches up to fiddle with your brooch. "I was just thinking you would have normally referred to me a little differently is all."

Zhongli tilts his head slightly in thought as he watches you press your lips together in what he assumes to be in embarrassment. Has he been calling you differently without his knowledge? He doesn’t think so; you have always been the Princess for him, and he, your xiansheng.

But, ah, he thinks, he has not always called you ‘my Princess’ has he? (Astonishing what one word can change.)

For a brief moment, Zhongli’s mind wonders whether he has overstepped his boundary, but he quickly reminds himself with your words, that if you truly did not want him to call you by that, you would tell him. The fact you protested at his recent use of your title… It was the slip of the tongue; Amber has referred to you by the same title, and Zhongli has always, in some form, coveted the same level of intimacy that the two of you possessed. His fondness for you must have seeped into his words, and he would never have anticipated having you reciprocate.

That being said, could you blame him for feeling pleased that you wanted to be referred to as his Princess?

“But 'Princess' is fine,” he hears you say, gathering the composure to sweep your hands down your gown and appear nonplussed. You take out your fan and hold it to your face as you begin to walk toward the study. “I don’t mind it. You should call me as you so wish, I--”

Your laughter is enough as a sign of validation, but then he hears you say, shier than you have ever been, “My xiansheng,” and he thinks his heart balloons until it takes up the entire expanse of his chest with how much affection he feels for you.

"It is soon time for our next lessons," he says, following behind you without pause, "my Princess." And he watches, enamored, as you look back at him with a smile blooming on your face. "Is that... alright with you?"

“Yes,” he says to you, feeling as though that is the only thing he can say. You shoot him another captivating smile and turn, and all Zhongli can do is walk only a step behind you.

.

.

.

And he follows you for as long as you will allow him, hoping his choice to keep the darkness at bay is the right one.

[nightingtalehearts]

2Ha Thoughts.

I honestly applaud Chen Feiyu for taking on the role of Mo Ran. It's really hard to act out his character, so I said to myself that I wouldn't have any high expectations for the incoming live drama adaptation. Most people think that Feiyu will act out 3 versions of his character - Mo Ran 0.5, Mo Ran 1.0, and Mo Ran 2.0 - but for me, I like to think that there are 4 different ones.

SPOILERS AHEAD!! BE WARNED!!

First, he'll act out as the infamous Taxian-jun, who is a savage, bloodthirsty, and lustful mound. He is quick to anger and won't hesitate on killing anything that's on his path (except umm..of course, Chu Wanning hehe). This version is the evil form of his emotions, the one that the flower brought out, and twisted himself so hard that he would be horrified by the things he've done if he had any left sanity in him. (2Ha readers would, of course, know this as we experience his thoughts and emotions as he was reincarnated in his second life later on.) Everything this person did was on the image of his supposed lover, Shi Mei. He thought he dearly loved him so held everyone, most especially Chu Wanning, in contempt after Shi Mei passed away.

Second, he'll act out as Mo Weiyu. In this version, he is a disciple of Chu Wanning, the Yunheng Elder, and he is also a cultivator and an acquaintace to others, such as Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si. People see him as a person with filial respect (which WE know will be ironic since he fell in love with his shizun later on, for goodness' sake 😂) and average skills - he doesn't have a spiritual weapon yet, nor does he have good calligraphy or communication abilities. He is a hardheaded person, as we can see from his vehement denial on many things, including his affair with Rong Jiu. At this point, he is slowly "falling out of love" from Shi Mei and he begins his path towards redemption, looking for things and silver linings in every situation.

Third, he'll act out as Mo Ran, which subjectively, is the hardest role yet. Even I can't explain him this well because this version of his character is so complex. It can actually be divided into two parts. The first part: as a child, in his heart, he desperately craves and needs love. Mo Ran was the child that loved his mother, who named her as the first person that he liked the most in the world. He was the child who saw the hope and joy in everything despite all the pain and hurt that the world gave him. He was the kid that was beaten down to the dust, yet when he recived food from a stranger, he held the latter dearly in his heart, grateful for his blessings. He's the teen who entered Sisheng Peak, who immediately picked Chu Wanning because he said that he looks the gentlest and the most easy-going. He's the person who only had the purest love for Chu Wanning, and he's also the person who died just to protect him. (For me, this version of him died when he made Shi Mei take him instead of Chu Wanning. At that point he slowly became Taxian-jun, a puppet molded by Shi Mei.) And let's not deny it: just like how Mo Ran unknowingly loved Chu Wanning here, the latter also unknowingly loved him too. As of that point, they didn't "fall in love" with each other, but they were each other's light - they both gave each other the love they both deserved, so at most, they were each other's precious treasures.

The second part is on his next life. He is now known as the cousin of Xue Meng, the adopted nephew of Madam Wang & Xue Zhengming, the sect brothers of A-Mei and A-Meng, and the unruly disciple of Chu Wanning. At this point, he realizes that he may not have loved Shi Mei that deeply as he thought, but take note that he doesn't think that he is in love with his shizun yet. In the contrary, at this point, he is still adapting to his new circumstances, and he is learning new things as well as patching up misunderstandings. From his past life, his personality drastically changes, as shown from the immense change in spiritual weapons, from Bugui to Jiangui. This goes to show that even if they are the same person, he is a breaker that can lead himself to a different path. (Readers would also be giddy when they find out that Jiangui is similar to Tianwen, which symbolizes the deeply encased love he has. It also symbolizes that Mo Ran is an oblivious idiot periodt.)

Mo Ran is also the version who was conflicted by his own emotions. He is the person who begins to understand and notice some things, the person who finds out that his shizun was protecting not only him, but also everybody all along. It is he who sees Chu Wanning truly, and he notices that despite all the harsh wards and cold persona that the latter has, deep inside, he has a soft heart. It's he who notices everything that went wrong in his previous life, and he's also the person who's confused on his past actions. After Chu Wanning died, through Xue Meng drilling it into his brain, he found out that he was protecting him from the shadows, going as far by carrying him through more than three thousand steps to save him. (catch me crying in the corner I CAN'T WITH CHAPTER 97 HUHUHU) He's the person who regretted deeply.

Finally, the last version he'll act out is Mo-zongshi. This version started after the death of Chu Wanning, and also when he was about to go to the underworld. At that point, he saw all the instances where his shizun showed his love. He saw the wontons scene, in which he tried his best to assure his shizun that he doesn't need to be sorry, because on that specific day, the very reason why he was whipped, was because he stole that flower just for Chu Wanning, him. (btw all the symbolisms in this novel ARE INSANE like the flowers?? it could be for either the one mentioned or the ones Shi Mei planted. let's not mention the food: wontons, bowl of soup, bowl of congee, EVEN THE DAMN HOTPOT) He's the person who put back the pieces of the one he loves, brought him back to life, and waited five years for him.

He's a man in grief. He's a man in love.

While he waited for Chu Wanning to wake up, he now became the person that he very much wanted to be when he was younger: a hero. Now, he was Mo-zongshi, a famous cultivator known for his strength and bravery. He took on fights and got injured, but he never once stopped because he did it all for his shizun, to make him proud. Unconsciously, because of his yearning (CATCH ME CRYING AGAIN the quote?? "To yearn unwittingly breaks the willow branch." nOO), he copies Chu Wanning, down to his handwriting, his style of fighting, his outfit, and the way he looks. The person that's deeply in his heart is shown outside, so much that even Nangong Si mistakenly thought that he was Chu Wanning. Later, after Chu Wanning wakes up and after certain circumstances, he realizes that he was and still is in love with him all along, not Shi Mei.

At this point, Chu Wanning also falls in love with him. He saw the goodness in his heart, the strength and bravery he had, and the kindness he showed towards others. Aside from the bonus brownie points which is Mo Ran's looks (not blaming shizun, our husky is too good-looking!!), they now resolve their misunderstandings and their relationship turns deeper. When Mo-zongshi finally confesses...incoming fluff all around.

But like the Mo Ran version, his ending is way too sad. He deserves to know that it wasn't his fault that he turned out this way. It wasn't his fault that he turned out to be evil and hurt his lover. I know this, you know this, all readers know this, Chu Wanning knows it, but he doesn't, which is the most painful thing ever, because how much does it hurt for you to think that you abused the man you love in your past life? I was quite literally sobbing when he mentioned that Chu Wanning was his "God", his dragon, who had come to save him even if he felt like he didn't deserve it. He died, and he was the person who Chu Wanning mourned over, because it wasn't his fault, it never was.

(...i'm so empty inside...chapter 279...that chapter legit suffocated me due to my tears...)

But at the end, all those versions of him are, at core, the same. They may not show it similarly, but they are all strong on their beliefs, they are all stubborn and determined, they all love deeply and fiercely, immensely passionate and protective over the ones they love, and they are all a good person, if you look deeply into his heart.

Through Taxian-jun's dreams and his protection of his lover's corpse, through Mo Weiyu's determination on his redemption, through Mo Ran's regrets and understanding, and through Mo-zongshi's grief and love, it can be said that this character is one that you couldn't help but love. It's been so long, but his character really stood out to me from the many novels I read. This character is complex, with different versions of himself, but at the end of the day, it's still the person we love: our very own husky A-Ran.

[nutty1005]

Marvelous City – Chongqing Special

Video Link: https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTA2NzMzODYxNg==.html

Translator’s Note: This is translated off the Marvelous City - Chongqing Special Episode. I wrote it in an article form because of video copyrights issues. This documentary was filmed early 2020, but only aired recently. Xiao Zhan’s episode aired on 12 Jan, this special episode aired on 17 Jan.

Q: What difference do you feel returning to Chongqing this time round?

A: Actually for all my years, I’ve never seriously experienced Chongqing like this. Because when you’re living within it, you will not jump to an outsider’s point of view and deliberately observe places, scenery and food. I grew up with Chongqing and it’s melded within me, hence this time I came back, including the air raid shelters, the local delicacies, or the Xiao Mian, I have a new understanding and knowledge of them. The feeling in my heart is different as well.

Q: What are your biggest takeaway from this visit?

A: As a Chongqinger who has grown up and lived twenty odd years in Chongqing, I realized my understanding of the air raids shelters, I originally thought they were just shelters. But after my discussion with Mr. Xiang, I discovered that there were many stories regarding them. Yesterday, he spoke of an example, an elder he interviewed, and that elder told him that during those years, once there was an alarm, he was actually secretly happy. He would watch for the shelter the lady he liked ran into, and he would follow that lady to that shelter. So you see, it’s that sort of finding joy in their chaotic lives. I feel that that is, very accurately, the description of Chongqingers’ optimism. But actually, it’s easy to say that we would feel like that – since we have to live every day, living a day happily versus living a day miserably, why should we not live happily. But few are able to do that, moreover in such a chaotic environment. So when he told me those stories yesterday, I felt especially touched. I was quite moved, actually.

Q: How was the experience when you previously rode the light rail?

A: The line for Niujiaotuo was especially interesting. To walk from Rail Line 3 to Rail Line 2, it took 15 minutes. If the person in front of you walked especially slowly, plus everyone was going to work in the morning, it’s just shoulder to shoulder crowded. Basically, even if you wanted to run, you couldn’t, you could only push your way through and then run forward. That period was especially weird. I was thinking, why weren’t these ladies and gentlemen in a hurry, then I’d be “excuse me excuse me”, push through them and run forward, then start queuing.

Rail Line 2 would come, because it was suspended between bridges, when the glass door opens you’d have to squeeze your way in, and there would be some situations, like some people with their bags stuck outside, their slipper stuck outside, and then all kinds of stuff, sometimes even their breakfast would be stuck outside. Then there’s like burst soy bean drinks, there’s a lot of situations like this, and actually below Rail Line 2, there was a huge safety net. The net was there because they were afraid of falling objects from great heights, and these might fall and hit someone below. So sometimes, well sometimes in the summer, I would see that there’s some ridiculous things piling on the net, someone’s slipper, belt, bag or umbrella, etc. I don’t know if it’s still there, I guess they would clean it regularly. But I felt that this was especially funny, funny and sad at the same time. I mean who would want to squeeze with people early in the morning, you’d be squeezed half dead, everyone would be angry, and you’d argue in the morning.

But you couldn’t help it, it’s for livelihood, hence that time when I saw that there were many reports saying “it’s so tough, this year is so tough on me”, but then I also felt that actually everyone had it tough. I feel that everyone is moving forward while trying to live, actually we’re like a battalion, and we are all being pushed forward by our lives. We’re already at 2020 and every single day before was tough, it’s all tough, so I feel that we just have to manage and adjust. I feel that our attitudes need to be managed well.

I remember that time, I was squeezed so badly that I was plastered onto the glass door. That glass door, I was literally stuck onto it, and then when I looked down at the Jialing River, because the Rail Line 2 was suspended over it, I just looked at the Jialing River below and thought, actually that scenery was rather pretty. So, I’d just watch the scenery, and when you start to carefully observe, you would feel that it’s actually quite beautiful. In the mornings, there would be elders swimming in the winter, and then there’d be some reefs, because I recall that it’d be dry season during the winter, the water levels would go down and hence the waters would also become somewhat clearer. Jialing River, with those oddly shaped reefs, and then there was all kinds of people fishing, jogging alongside. What also attracted me was the windows, they looked like film, frame by frame, and the windows on the light rail were also frame by frame. And then after night falls, because the light rail was built along the river, the night view by the river, those lights and those skyscrapers would be varicolored, just like a movie.

Q: What do you like about Chongqing?

A: I like its summer and I also like its winter. There’s two sensations, the summer’s passionate like fire, whereas the winter, and you’d feel that the chill seeps into your bones, just you’d feel hurt magically. Hotpot, Xiao Mian, spicy diced chicken, peppercorn chicken, there’s too many of them, I love them all. Double-cooked pork… I feel that these food are something engraved in your bones since childhood. When you mention those food, your mouth instinctively salivates. I already have the taste of peppercorn chicken in my mouth, it’s strange, but I haven’t had peppercorn chicken for a very long time, but now I am just… *swallows saliva*

Q: What is the Chongqing delicacy of your heart?

A: There’s no need to say. I used to go to this noodle stall in the past. It didn’t have a name, it’s just an aunty, and that aunty is especially nice. Because every time I went there I would tell her, aunty, for example I wanted to eat wontons, we call them Chao Shou, I’d say, “Aunty I want less wontons more vegetables”, and then the aunty would put in a lot of vegetables, but she didn’t really remove that many wontons. Every time I went there I don’t have to give her my order, I’d say “the same old”, and she’d know exactly what to make, just put more vegetables inside. So sometimes, I’d just watch her cook, and while watching her busy around, you’d feel especially warm in your heart. It’s just a stall, but every neighbor would be eating there, and they’d be eating there for decades, their children and even grand children would be eating there as well. Slowly, the stall would became a part of their emotional support, like maybe I won’t eat this noodles today, or perhaps she didn’t open today, it would became a kind of concern for that person. Eventually, it’s no longer a matter of a bowl of Xiao Mian, but a habit of life, an emotional interaction. I feel that this is the power of Chongqing delicacies in my heart.

Q: How was your childhood like?

Actually when you talk about my childhood, I really liked the environment I lived in when I was really young. Sometimes I would dream and I often dreamed of that period. When I was young, the early 90s era, multimedia wasn’t as advanced, there were no mobile phones or computers. There were probably arcade centers during that period of time, those that you needed to slot in coins, but children weren’t allowed to go, we had to sneak in. But mostly, it was our neighbors.

As a child, once we finish our homework, we could go downstairs and yell out “So-and-so, come down quickly”, and with a whoosh, all the children in the district would come down. Everyone would play hide-and-seek and then beanbag toss (TN: similar to cornhole), just all kinds of board games, any sort will do. All of these games are interactive. I still remember the shop on the first floor downstairs from my home, he modified the shop to become a snack stop, and all of the kids would buy snacks from him. I remember that real fresh milk was delivered on a bicycle, everyday freshly squeezed, and we would collect from him using our own bags or buckets. It’s just especially down-to-earth. I remember that time at around 5pm or 6pm,you’d hear yelling, as in that sort “selling milk” (TN: in Chongqing accent) and those fat sausages. Over there, fat sausages (TN: in Chongqing accent), all these kinds of finger food, you know? Wow, I miss those days.

And during that period, the smells of cooking would fill up the entire district, whether by mothers or grandmothers, they’d be cooking and the whole district would permeate with delicious smells. It was just especially wonderful, I feel that that period was really down-to-earth, everyone was especially vivid. Actually, I feel that our lives now are a bit cold, just a bit cold. Then, we would know all of our neighbors, but now, I doubt that we understand our neighbors well.

Q: What do you think of the phrase “pa erduo”? (TN: henpecked, literally means to be pulled by the ear)

Pa erduo (TN: In Chongqing accent), it means that the person’s ear is especially soft. It used to mean that the man is some kind of a loser, but I feel that now, this phrase is adorable. I feel that it’s a compliment, it means that Chongqing men treat their wives well, it’s a display of love for their wives, so I feel that it’s adorable. When I’m out, I am upright and indomitable, I can be your pillar of support, but when I’m back home, I will dote on you fully. I feel that it’s especially good, my father is like this. My father is especially cute sometimes, oh dear, I’m going to betray my father. He is especially cute, he would often tell my mother to let him maintain some dignity when they’re out, just especially cute. I feel that as a couple, they are quite good, just very standard, in my eyes, they are the standard Chongqing couple. Because actually my mother doesn’t talk a lot outside, she listens to whatever my father says, but once we are back home, my dad will give in to my mother most of the time.

Q: What is your relationship with your hometown?

To me, I feel that I am just very proud of her, she’s my pride. Maybe there are some youths, actually I was the same when I was a teenager, I thought about whether I should leave Chongqing to a bigger city. At that time, everyone was talking about Bei-Shang-Guang (TN: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou), and I thought about whether I wanted to take a look there, for example design, obviously Bei-Shang-Guang is the forefront of China, spearheading. I thought about it as well, whether I should go and take a look, but when I was studying in the university, and then after I graduated, to me, I was slowly adjusting to the life in Chongqing, so I feel this differs from person to person. Hence at that time I felt that it was also quite fine remaining in Chongqing. If I can’t attain a top leader position outside, or become a highflier, then why shouldn’t I just stay grounded and do well in my own hometown? Actually those were my thoughts at that time, but as fate has it, I still left Chongqing. So I feel this is really just fate, just something mysterious. Now that there’s so much skyscrapers in Chongqing, so many office buildings, so many of them graded 5A, there are so many youths working in there, fighting for their dreams. There may be some people who doesn’t like it, some may be forced to work by their families, or the job was found for them by a relative, but I believe that most youths have an ambitious heart, and they want to fulfill the dreams they had when they were studying, their endeavors, and they are just fighting for their ideals. I feel that every city has its own charm, and Chongqing charm lies in the fact that it’s vivid. It’s very lively, it’s a young city, and everyone is fighting, for their lives, for their ambitions. She is a very lively city.

Q: Do you think you have the tenacity of a Chongqinger?

A: Very tenacious. I feel that I am a very tenacious person. Just when I encounter things, like I’ve lived in Chongqing for 23 years, well-adjusted to the living and working environment of Chongqing, and then suddenly I went to Beijing, to the entertainment business. It’s just worlds apart, two entirely different living environments. And truth be told, that period of time was quite tough. Whether it was singing, dancing or acting, to me those were all brand new things, but at that time I felt, since I’m already here, then I must do it well with all of my efforts. No matter how tough or how difficult, those were my choices, even if I had to crawl I had to finish the journey, that’s how I felt.

[dearestones]

Date Night Deadline (Pupil Executioner x Reader)

Warnings: Fluff, an Akudama attack but nothing too serious.

@hinamh Request: Umm hi, so i want to request reader x Executioners or Pupil x Master, is it okay?

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Kansai was a pleasant city in the evenings, you found. You weren’t all too sure if the horror stories—myths, really—about the Akudama were true, but you did know one thing. You knew that the Executioners were doing more than their fair share of keeping the city safe.

The police and the civil servants of the state were all well and good, but the Executioners were the best. The elite. The cream of the crop.

And you were happily in a relationship with one of them.

Although she was rough around the edges and ultimately a workaholic at heart, she was still passionate and devoted to keeping deadlines. That is to say, she was quite adamant in making sure that made time for you, regardless of workload and presence of Akudama. With that in mind, you were careful to ask her coworkers ahead of time just to gauge the situation and to make sure that you weren’t putting too much stress onto your dear Executioner in training.

Back when your relationship was still in its budding stages, there were nights where she had never shown up and if she did, she was dreadfully late and looked like she had lost sleep. You tried pressing her for answers, but the priorities and the duties of the Executioners were not meant to be shared with the public. You worried, and it showed, but she told you time and time again that she was meant for this job and that she wanted to protect all of Kansai’s inhabitants—including you—from the treacherous and downright lethal influence of Akudama.

After trial and error, it was decided that date nights were ultimately under your jurisdiction unless certain circumstances prohibited such action.

During one date night, you had planned everything beforehand. Given her workload and high expectations from her Master, you usually took it upon yourself to make date nights perfect because, again, you didn’t want to put too much pressure on her.

(Sometimes, though, she would demand that you rest your feet while she treated you out. It was a rare, but beautiful occasion and had you falling for her even more).

On this particular evening, you were busy preparing your dining room table. You set up tasteful decorations and the best plates you had. In the middle of your presentation, you made sure to rest your main course amidst the rest of the dishes: a hotpot with various ingredients spread in a tasteful manner around it.

Just as you were about to take a picture to send to your significant other, you began to hear—

CRASH!

You turned around to see that your window had been shattered into a rainfall of glass and shards. Quickly, you moved up against the wall, eyes wide as you caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a well built person with a sniper rifle over their shoulder.

“Akudama,” you breathed.

The Akudama must have heard your admission because the instant you said it, they stomped towards you, their intent made clear.

You were an ordinary civilian, another faceless person in the crowd. You left your life in the hands of the police force and the Executioners, which included your girlfriend.

You had no experience dealing with such assailants.

Because of this, you could only hold your hands up in what you hoped was a placating manner. Despite your reservations, you cast a glance at your meal.

You hoped that the Akudama would have the courtesy to spare your dinner meant for a beautiful date with your significant other.

As the Akudama stalked towards you, you closed your eyes, and then—

There was a rustle and thud that signaled that there must have been some sort of altercation that occurred while you were unaware. Warily, you spend your eyes to find—

“Are you all right?”

In front of you, your dear Executioner looked down at you with concern in her lovely eyes. She wore her uniform like it had been newly pressed despite the fact that her face shone with sweat and her frame trembled with adrenaline. Your silence must have perturbed her because she immediately began to assess you for injuries, her thin lips curving down into a concerned frown before she asked again.

“Dear?”

Without warning, you surged forward and wrapped your arms around her, relief flooding your system. It didn’t matter that there was a strange person lying unconscious on the floor or that there was glass littering your apartment.

All that mattered was that she was here.

With you.

“Cutting it kind of close, huh?”

She laughed gently, leaning towards you to nuzzle her nose against yours.

“I always meet my deadlines.”

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If you want to donate a Ko-Fi, feel free https://ko-fi.com/devintrinidad.

AKUDAMA DRIVE MASTERLIST

[darling-dummy-blogs]

Lean On Me- Gavin Bai

Thank you @dreamer-hyun​ for helping write Gavin’s lines! I appreciate your help so much! <3

Summary: MC had a stressful day, it got to the point where it is overwhelming her and she ends up crying but Gavin is there to help her relax and make her feel better by watching a movie/show with her 💙

Paring: Gavin Bai x F!MC

Genre: Comfort Fluff!! 

Fandom: Mr. Love Queen's Choice

Word Count: 2k words 

Notes: This was also for our lovely friend @silv3rrin We love you! 

It was one of those days. Nothing had been going right for MC, not since the text from Gavin she’d read first thing in the morning telling her he’d been called out on a short, but urgent mission, and didn’t know when he’d return. They’d had plans together that evening-- dinner at Lynn’s Kitchen, and then a late-night movie, but now it was all out the window. And though hours had passed since she’d messaged Gavin back, and he was normally good about keeping her updated on his mission’s progress, she hadn’t heard from him at all. Which was worrisome.

Not only had that stressed her out, but her company had been struggling as well with their show: There had been many issues filming throughout the day and it had honestly frustrated and brought her to the point where she felt ultimately drained. First, the guest had cancelled on them, then, an hour later, as Anna had been trying to schedule a shoot with their backup, they’d tried to reschedule to the following week, and Minor, who’d been out of the loop, had agreed to it. 

It had fallen to MC to resolve the differences, and she’d ended up apologizing to both the guests. They’d taken it well-- Kiki and Willow assured her she’d done the best she could’ve done-- but she still felt guilty. As if there were words left unsaid on the guests’ end, and they’d now be more reluctant to work with the company again.

Now this wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened. In fact it has happened in the past. However, during those times, MC was able to handle such difficulties. Now.. well now seemed different. It seemed overbearing.  

MC now sat at her desk, her head in her hands as she let out a frustrated sigh. Her head had begun to hurt after running around all day. 

She pulled out her phone, staring at it silently, before turning it on, and pulling up her messages with Gavin. 

Still no response… 

She decided to text him again: 'Hey Gavin.. Is the mission going okay? You haven't replied since this morning… I'm worried.' Before sending. 

A minute passed, then another. Her phone screen remained dark. At this point she was becoming frustrated. She felt overwhelmed, stressed, angry, worried, upset and tired all in one day and she couldn’t seem to take it. 

All she wanted was to know if Gavin was okay, that alone would make her feel at least a little relaxed. But with him not replying, it made her incredibly anxious. She stared at the black screen before turning it on and swiping to Gavin’s number, calling him. It rang… and rang… she held her breath, desperately awaiting him to pick up the phone. “Come on.. Please pick up..” She muttered more to herself than out loud.  

After a full minute of ringing, it finally came to stop, suddenly she could hear Gavin from the other line, “Gavin! Oh thank god you finally answered! Are you okay?? Why haven’t you been answering my texts?” 

She said all in one breath, she could hear the pounding of her own heart from how anxious she felt. 

“MC,” came his reply. “Now’s not a good time. Don’t worry too much. I’ll see you later, alright?”

“Gavin—” she began, but the rest of her worried words were drowned out by the crackle of static and muffled shouting.

“B-7!” She heard faintly in the background. “We need you!”

“I have to go.”

Before she could respond to his terse goodbye, he’d already hung up. She sighed, of course, she should have expected something like this to happen. However his response did not reassure her in the slightest.  

---

As the day progressed, MC could hardly focus on anything. When she still had so much to do, all she could think about was Gavin. She couldn’t stop worrying over him

She still sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen. 

“Boss?” Minor’s voice broke through her stupor.

“Boss?” He repeated more forcefully. “Are you okay?”

She tore her gaze away from the screen at last to see him and Anna standing before her, expressions equally concerned.

She stared at them quietly for a moment, before collecting her thoughts, shaking her head and looking back to her computer screen. She didn’t really feel like in a talking mood. Not when she needed to work. If only her thoughts and worries of Gavin would let her work.. 

But before MC could sink back into her thoughts, Anna laid a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention back up to her and Minor.

“That’s enough for today,” Anna said, voice calm and soothing. “We can take care of the rest, alright?”

“But—” MC started, but Minor cut her off, shaking a finger at her disapprovingly.

“No buts! You’re worried about Gavin-bro right now, aren’t you? I can tell from the faraway look in your eyes.” 

She let out a sigh, “I am… But there is still so much to do… I can’t just leave now..” She stubbornly insisted.

“You’re not gonna get any work done like that, though! So, don’t worry and leave the rest to us, okay?” Minor replied. Then, with a wink in Anna’s direction, 

“I’m super reliable, aren’t I, Anna? Sister-in-Law’s got nothing to worry about!”

“You’ve done a lot already,” Anna said, ignoring Minor, her eyes still on MC. “You deserve some rest.” 

MC took in their words, she looked down, they were not wrong. She’d hardly gotten anything done in the past few hours of working after the too-brief call between her and Gavin. 

Another sigh escaped her, this time a sigh of relief, she desperately needed some rest. Her brown eyes moved up from the floor, to face Anna and Minor. “You’re right.. Both of you are.. Thank you for letting me leave early.” She took a pause before continuing, “But please, let me know if anything happens. I’m just as worried about the show as I am of Gavin.” She gathered her belongings into her bag.  

It felt almost surreal to leave the company so early in the day— she and the rest of the employees had been working late the past week to plan and perfect the shoots for the upcoming episode, and if memory served her right, she hadn’t gone home before ten since last Friday. 

When she pushed open the company’s front doors, she was greeted by the bright afternoon sun, the sight of autumn leaves dancing through the crisp air, and, leaning against a familiar motorcycle, looking as tired as she felt—

“Gavin?”

His head turned in her direction at the sound of her voice, and a smile broke across his weary face.

“The wind told me Minor and Anna convinced you to go home early,” he said. “Need a ride?”

“Gavin!” 

A moment later, she was hugging him, burying her face deep in the warmth of his chest. Tears welled up in her eyes, the worry and anxiousness she felt immediately washing away the moment she pulled him into a hug.  

She held back a sob, sniffling slightly, as she closed her eyes, holding onto him tightly. Scared as if she let go, he wouldn’t be there. 

“Hey,” he murmured, resting his head atop hers. “I’m back, Pumpkin. I’m alright. I’m sorry I worried you.” 

MC sobbed quietly, shaking her head, “P-Please don’t ever do that again.. You don’t realize how worried I felt..” She sniffled, “I felt so anxious, I-I couldn’t work at all..” She looked up at him, her eyes still watering as tears stained her cheeks. 

He pulled her closer, rubbing soothing circles into her back.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” he said after a long moment. “I thought the more you knew, the more worried you’d be. But I was wrong. I’m sorry. I won’t do anything like that again.” 

“T-thank you.. I’m just glad that you are okay and that you are safe.” She gave him a gentle smile. 

“Mm.” He made a noise of assent, stroking her hair. “It wasn’t a dangerous mission this time. Only— I rushed it. I think Eli’s mad.”

“I just wanted to come back to you sooner,” he admitted with a small cough. “We had dinner plans, didn’t we?”

She didn’t have to look to know there was a blush spreading across his cheeks, and she felt her own face warm in response.

“We did,” she replied with a laugh. “It’s a little early for dinner, though?”

“The movie, then? Or, anything is fine, as long as I’m with you.”

“Hm.. Instead of a movie.. Let’s go watch something together at home? I don’t really feel like going out.”  

“Alright,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s go home. I’ll order us takeout from your favorite oden hotpot place when we get hungry later.” 

--- 

Once they arrived home, MC settled herself between the many cushions of the couch, scrolling through Netflix shows while Gavin disappeared into the bedroom to change out of his uniform. 

She finally found a show that she hoped both of them would enjoy: Attack on Titan. 

Kiki and Minor had made her watch a few episodes from the first season together with them a few months back, and now that the fourth season was out, they wouldn’t stop talking about it during breaks at work. 

And while she hadn’t especially enjoyed how gory some parts were, she’d fallen in love with the characters and plot and though she had secretly been looking for an excuse to continue watching it, she thought Gavin would appreciate the battle scenes and the main character’s drive and passion.

“What’s this?” Gavin asked as he took a seat on the couch beside her, his shoulder warm against hers. “Attack on Titan? Isn’t this the show Minor won’t shut up about?”

“Yes,” she began even as Gavin shook his head with a sigh. “But! I promise.. It's a very great show! I didn’t think I would like it either but after watching it, I now love it!” She reassured, giving him a bright smile.

“If you say so,” he replied, unconvinced. 

“You’ll see,” MC said with a laugh, then proceeded to press play, starting off the episode. 

For the next twenty-four minutes, Gavin was completely silent. Though she was worried he’d fallen asleep, when she snuck sideways glances at him, she saw he was completely engrossed.

“Next episode?” She asked as the credits rolled. 

“Next episode,” he agreed. 

Just as MC was about to play the next episode, she hesitated, looking at him, “Shouldn’t we order dinner now?” She asked, feeling slightly hungry. 

He stared at her blankly for a moment.

“Gavin?” She prompted. “Dinner?”

“...Right,” he said at last, shaking himself a little, as if emerging from a daze. “Dinner.”

She grinned, reaching over to flick him on the nose.

“Don’t tell me you liked the first episode so much you forgot! Wait ‘til Minor hears—”

“Minor,” Gavin interjected, “is not going to hear about this.”

She pouted.

“But now I definitely want to tell him!” She playfully pouted

“Don’t,” he warned. “Otherwise, you’ll have to order the oden hotpot yourself. Or we’ll just have to eat instant noodles for dinner.”

“Is that the worst you can think of?” She asked with a laugh, reaching to flick him again. This time, he caught her hand in his, pressing it to his lips with a small mischievous grin of his own.

“It’s not,” he replied. “But if that won’t convince you, maybe a kiss will?”

In the end, not one, but several kisses did. Once their takeout had been ordered, and she’d assured Gavin Minor wouldn’t ever know how much he was enjoying the show, they settled back to watch the next episode, both their cheeks warm.

The second episode passed in a blur, followed by the third, then the fourth— Before the two of them knew it, they had finished the entire first season and started on the next, unaware that their dinner had arrived over an hour ago.

MC’s stomach rumbled halfway through season three, loud enough to drown out the character’s dialogue. She paused the episode, blushing, as Gavin gave her a concerned look.

“You sound hungry— shouldn’t our food have arrived by now?” 

“It should have.. Maybe we should check?”   

It had— in fact, it seemed it’d arrived over an hour ago.

A moment of silence passed between them both as they stared down at the hotpot gone cold. 

MC spoke up again, “One more episode?”

[liminal-storage]

Layers: Okuni

LAYER ONE: THE OUTSIDE

Name: “Okuni Tomioka. Those closest to me tend to call me either Oku or Kuni.”

Eye Color: “Black, with bright red limbal rings.” 

Hair Style/Color: “Usually worn loose. Sometimes in short layers, sometimes long and wavy (from sleeping in braids). It’s a deep black with a very subtle greenish sheen, like a crow’s feather.” 

Height: “Five fulms.”

Clothing Style: “Mostly tailored, form-fitting items? I prefer darker jewel tones or pearlescent colors. Usually I tend to mix up more dressy and practical clothing, and I seldom go without boots of some kind.”

Best Physical Feature: “I’ve never really thought about it. My legs, probably?”

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE

Your Fears: “Extreme heights, being abandoned, being forgotten, falling short of expectations…”

Your Guilty Pleasure: “Either smutty pirate romance novels or the amount of money I spend on expensive lingerie just to have it to sleep in…”

Your Biggest Pet Peeve: “Egomania, lack of empathy, people who completely miss the point when you’re speaking…”

Your Ambition for the Future: “To remember *how* to live freely, without remorse for who I am.”

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS

Your First Thoughts Waking Up: “Ugh, dry mouth.”

What You Think About the Most: “Probably how unfair and fucked up the list of Priarch’s problems is. That or what I’m going to have for lunch.”

What You Think About Before Bed: “Maybe I can get a full night’s rest this time.”

You Think Your Best Quality Is: “I’m not really sure. Empathy, perhaps?”

LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER?

Single or Group Dates: “I suppose that depends? Both could be fun.”

To be Loved or Respected: “Both, without question. I will never ever put myself in a position where I get one over the other. Not ever again.”

Beauty or Brains: “Trust and companionship."

Dogs or Cats: “Cats.”

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?

Lie: “Anyone who says they don’t lie is a liar.”

Believe in Yourself: “Ha! Sort of? Not really. Getting there.”

Believe in Love:  “Yes.”

Want Someone: “Yes, but there are...reasons why I haven't told them. Why I probably won't for a while unless I'm confronted with it. I'm trying to focus on just...being for a little while."

LAYER SIX: EVER?

Been on Stage: “Once or twice, for little storytelling circles and a sort of group…singing thing.” 

Done Drugs: “It’s called ‘self-medicating,’ and it’s for stress management.” (Note: She does occasionally indulge, but most of the time she simply uses a medicinal liquid that somewhat inhibits her stress responses, cause girl needs it.)

Changed Who You Were to Fit In: “A complicated question. Yes and no. I do not wish to go into specifics or we’ll be here all day.” 

LAYER SEVEN: FAVORITES

Favorite Color: “Red.”

Favorite Animal: “Cats.”

Favorite Food: “Winter hotpot.”

Favorite Game: “Mmmm Triple Triad maybe? I’m decent at it at least…”

LAYER EIGHT: AGE

Day Your Next Birthday Will Be: “19th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon…I think.”

How Old Will You Be: “Thirty. This boggles the mind.”

Age You Lost Your Virginity: “Seventeen.”

Does Age Matter: “In what context?“

LAYER NINE: IN A BOY OR GIRL

Best Personality: “Adventurous. Fun. Passionate. Maybe a little dorky in a way too. ”

Best Eye Color: "I do tend to have something of a preference for bright, striking colors. A brilliant blue, a vibrant gold, a mesmerizing silver…“

Best Hair Color: "I honestly have no preference, so long as it has enough length for me to wrap my fingers up in it. ”

Best thing to do with a Partner: "Something fun. Something adventurous. Learning how to do something new together, or doing something out of the norm together. And cuddling. Copious amounts of cuddling. “

LAYER TEN: FINISH THE SENTENCE

I love: “Seeing the world from other perspectives."

I feel: "Conflicted.“

I hide: "The things I want."

I miss: "My brothers.”

I wish: "I could let go more easily. “

- - - - - - - - -

Tagged by: @dawning-star 

Tagging: anyone who she didn’t get to tagging first :p

[niobil]

Ok so apparently I need to explain my sorting of team Gai into certain Hogwarts houses. These days I'd rather not start long conversations about HP but here goes nothing.

- Neji: Slytherin

Resourceful, learns a lot of the Hyuga's advanced techniques through observation alone

Ambitious, constantly trains to become stronger, vows to never lose to anyone (post battle with Naruto)

Has leader qualities, decisive but always counts the merits before taking action

Preservative of traditions. Makes efforts to uphold his clan's image

Priotizes looking out for his own kind, evidently Hinata (post battle with Naruto)

Has a handful of people he truly cares for but would give his all for them

A likely alternative for his house would be Ravenclaw because he values wisdom and is a rather analytical person, but a lot, if not all of the canon Ravenclaws have certain quirks/eccentricities to their personalities that I feel like Neji would have very little tolerance for.

- Lee: Hufflepuff

Hardwork and dedication is the forefront of his character

Values fairplay a/o general fairness in everything

Is very accepting of other people regardless of their background or oddities (likely due to his own circumstances)

In tune with nature (I feel like if you know Lee at all I won't have to explain this, just.... look at him and what he does)

Is irrefutably loyal to his friends and causes

Loves food, all kinds of them

Again he can arguably be sorted into Gryffindor cause he can be brave to the point of recklessness (i.e. going after the Sasuke retrieval team immediately after surgery) and his determination is pretty much unrivalled, but I feel like his general characteristics fall more in line with Hufflepuffs.

- Tenten: Gryffindor

This one was rather tricky for me because I usually go by the traits of canon house members for analysis, not just the overall description of the house, and Gryffindor is largely a hotpot of all kinds of characters if I'm being honest, but here goes.

Bold, refuses to conform to social norms for women and general look-down of kunoichis as shinobis in particular

Determined, never deters from her dream of being a powerful kunoichi despite not possessing the same qualities as her initial role-model

Honest, speaks her mind liberally, can come across as blunt at times but not with malice

Passionate of her interests (weapons, fuinjutsu)

Values friendship, is incredibly supportive of her teammates

Bonus: She looks damn good in red

I know a few of these traits can be contributed to other houses but as a collective I feel like Gryffindor would be the most likely fit for her.

And realistically no one would have the entirety of their personality fit perfectly into one house, so everything's up for intepretation and everyone can have their personal opinions. These are just my reasoning for the houses I sorted them into. I mean, The Sorting Hat also takes into account one's preferences, so just go wild people lol.

[cxsmicmyeon]

ugh no my parents treated me like a baby. they allowed 0 independence. i think even til this day i have a lot to learn in social skills 😂 i'm too shy to start a conversation but if someone approaches my first then i can keep it flowing? so excited for you for when you're able to leave!!

OH MY GOSH STARRY I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!! 😧🥺 it isn't a pleasant thing to talk about regardless i should have chosen a different word 😭 HAHAHAHA no it made me chuckle out loud!! 🤣🤣 got some questioning looks from my son but yes 😂😂 these days i struggle to not hear exo things in my head.. everytime i see or hear "we are one" i hear myeon screaming exo SARANGHAJA wildly in my ear 😂🤣

looks like we're not the only ones that need to learn basic social skills and etiquette. but at least we're self aware!!

yep i originally came here to quietly exist and read fics and save some exo pics 😅 then i felt guilty so slowly started liking and reblogging. and now you've got me tagging! maybe more than needed but still 🤣 this is as close i get to being a fic writer. like youtube reactions but..tumblr? that makes you a tumblr influencer!! 😝

omg i used to be sooo obsessed with being a particular size in clothing. even now sometimes it affects my decision when buying clothes. i keep having to remind myself that the size is just a guide and it doesn't matter. i worked in retail for a long while so i was constantly surrounded my model-esque people 😔 i feel that too!! i came across a little documentary a while ago about autism in girls and the reason why statically boys are more likely to be diagnosed on the spectrum compared to girls is because girls actually "mask" their symptoms better? so pretending things are okay and trying to behave 'normally'. it's pretty interesting! i feel like it's the same for other mental health conditions. we should allll be screened just so we can get the right help! ooomygosh that sounds so sweet 🥺 minseokkie when is this happening!? i'm ready for you 😫

OMG STARRY! maybe a small exo series about first dates using these? 🙏 they're all so cute!! 🥺 but wait WHAT!? you haven't had kbbq or hotpot!? they're my favourite things in the world 😭 along with boba omg i'm obsessed with boba. i want to get another pet and name it boba 😂 SEHUNS DATE ALSO NEEDS BOBA!! 🧋🧋🧋 omfg if we weren't in pandemic times i would fly there and take you to get kbbq and hotpot 🤣

HAHAHA JUNMYEON WYD HONEY, WIFE HER UP SO Y'ALL CAN REPRODUCE SOME GORGEOUS BABIES!! but same i'm constantly being questioned how old i am and get all these judging looks from people when i'm out with my kids 🙃 i'm 27 okay not 16, relax 🙃🙃🙃 yes LOLL he was the ultimate geek ceo in that series 🤣

my dad hates tattoos with a passion and i know it's my body my rules but i just don't want to deal with the headache that it'll bring if i got one? like it just isn't worth. so i said later on down the track it'll happen, just not now. but the temptation to actually go and do it gets stronger every single time i talk about it 😫

SINCE U BEEN GONEEEEEE I CAN BREATHEE FOR THE FIRST TIME!! yeah f u c k them!! thank u NEXT!! hahahaha in that case you and me both 😂

lolll it was so hard to ask my parents to hang out with friends🙄🙄i never went out bc it was such a hassle😔😔but yes i suck when it comes to starting conversations but if someone else reached out first i can talk to them!!

don't worry about it l!! i should have said something somewhere lol but u know now that's all that matters!!! agh i loved when jun said "we are one exo saranghaja" i love imitating it it's hilarious🤣🤣yes i quote "shut up and go away" a lot when i get angry and every time i hear an english word that was in an exo song i always think of the song!!

agh i came to tumblr bc i read so many exo fics on here before making my account and i wanted to try out writing for exo and here we are!! 103 followers :DDD i'm so happy thank u all followers <33 and yes i love reblogging gifs and stuff it's a way to save it! omgg i'm a really small influencer loolll

i honestly have been a large for years so i've accepted being that size lol, although a couple times in high school when we had to order shirts/sweaters for events/clubs and i said large i got really insecure bc most of the people were healthy weight and stuff✌🏻oh wow masking symptoms? i don't think i really do so i feel i'm pretty expressive in my emotions and whatnot but i want to mask it when around others bc i don't want to show people how i feel esp if it's in school or something! and yes mental health awareness is soooo important! it's just as important as physical health!!!

WAIT??? THAT MAY BE A BLURB/DRABBLE SERIES??? YES??? OMG UR MIND!!! and ofc how could i forget sehun and boba? and AGH i want to go to get korean bbq and hotpot so bad!! maybe i'll go with my best friend they said they had korean bbq before and they said it was good!! omg boba is fantastic!! just the other day i had lychee green tea with lychee bubbles and it was the best thing ever!! lychee is so good😫😫

ugh i hate getting disapproving looks🙄🙄people suck sometimes,, but fun fact i did all my growing in middle school and when i was a freshman someone thought i was a junior🤣🤣🤣but i've basically looked the same since i was 14 loool (except i got longer hair and fatter)

ugh same my parents hate tattoos (and piercings, i want a nose ring and a belly button piercing lolll) but honestly i don't care because they'll be small so easily covered lmaooo,, my cousins have tattoos and piercings despite their parents wishes so why not follow suit? my cousin even joked about taking me to get my piercing🤣🤣 and when the time comes i may ask my cousins how it was to get tattoos and stuff lol!

[cuteyongs]

boyfriend!winwin

a/n: i’m bacckkkkk !!!!!

winwin!!! i love

he’s probably the first one to approach you-- whether it’s at the café, a friendly party, the mall, mutual friends... whatever it is

he’s like ‘oh! she seems nice i’ll go talk to her’

and you’re just super sweet and everything he’s been looking for in a partner starts planning out the wedding

after hanging out a couple more times he would officially take you out on a date

instead of casually asking you out i feel like he’d want to make the moment special right at the perfect moment

he’d hold your hand with hope in his eyes

‘y/n, will you be my girlfriend?’

it just makes it 10x cuter

first date is most likely going to be eating hotpot

it’s pretty often when y’all go out to eat for most of your dates

he’s more on the shy/quiet side,, but he would much rather prefer listening to your voice and how your day was :^)

he’s that cheesy dude that just stares at you with a smile on his face as you talk nonstop and brushes your hair back teehee

he likes buying you gifts

whenever they travel somewhere to perform/touring

he brings back presents even if they’re just small

still-- things that reminded him of you <3

attempts on trying to cook for you but oh well he fails 

chinese takeout it is!!

he’s a bit on the messy side

so if you have a problem with that

well you won’t be able to nag/yell at him bc he’s such a flipping pure angel and he never gets mad at you ??? so how could you-

one of those guys that text you back pretty darn speedy quick

a huge cuddler

be aware

he doesn’t say anything when he wants to cuddle he just makes sure you’re in a good mood and pulls you into his arms and closes his eyes

favorite time of the day is cuddling

he loves having his own personal teddy bear

spoils you

randomly brings burger king or baskin robbins when showing up at your door in short notice

then eats with you and c u d d l e s

cuddles all around i guess

not a single second he’s not smiling when he’s with you

get you a man that looks at you like winwin would

heart eyes all the time-- the whole relationship is basically the honeymoon phase 

oh boy

when he introduces you to yuta

yuta will actually sit you down privately to talk to you

‘so, y/n, i trust you won’t hurt my precious winwin, but if you do-’

yikes

yuta luvs you

he’s like your older brother

anyways back to winwin

he really hopes to take you to his hometown one day and feed you all the food you can eat 

he likes kissing you too

innocent kisses

not like tongue ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

hugs

side hugs

front hugs

back hugs

hugs everywhere

hugs of passion, warmth, emotion, and love-- because he loves you and he just never wants to let you go 

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

[kayeeblog]

"Our Shining Days"

In a music school, the students of Chinese orchestra and Classical orchestra don't get along with each other and fiercely separated.

Chen Jing, is a student of folk music who is talented in playing yangqin, initially doesn't care about the rivalry.

The handsome Classical Music student Wang Wen, practising at the piano one day, Chen Jing immediately falls for him.

However, Li You his guy bestfriend reminds her that the two music departments are perpetually at war, so romances are banned. They are always eating in a room which is against the rules. They turned the dispenser to a hotpot and the electric hair straightener for roasting a beef. Chen Jing doesn't know that his best friend Li you was secretly loves her.

Despite the rivalry, Chen Jing volunteers to be Wang Wen’s page-turner at a concert in Classical Music department. When she declares her liking for him, he callously rejects her, saying he hasn’t even heard of the instrument she plays (the yangqin).

She was annoyed at his ignorance and prejudice toward Chinese instruments, she is determined to prove herself to him by forming her own ensemble, which consists of her best friend who secretly loves her and four Otaku girls whom initially only agreed to join because of Chen Jing's promise to buy them expensive action figures.

They named their concert band "2.5 Dimension". She went to Wang Wen's dormitory and confessed her feelings again. Li You help her in making the decorations and ideas, even though it was against his will. Her love confession scene was courageous and dramatic. She arranged a hundred of candles in a shape of heart, lit them all up, in the flickering flames. She stood in the middle. Quite romantic, isn’t it? She shouted out her love publically to the piano player. Li You leaned his back to the wall and sighed, waiting for Chen Jing to finish her confession. Wang Wen went out but only threw humiliation on Chen Jing in return. Wang Wen publicly rejects Chen Jing and traditional Chinese music. This arrogant man grab something on someone's hand then poured into the candles which create a big fire that everyone made shocked. Chen Jing is inside of that fire, until Li You fought the fire and save Chen Jing. He advised and threat the man who almost killed his love one.

Chen Jing felt blue for a day or two, thought about quitting yangqin once for all. She almost give up the yangqin because she taught it was the reason why Wang Wen rejected her love, but her mother tells her about how the yangqin is a part of her and that she can't give up playing it without its permission. The head of the school announces plans to cancel the Chinese Orchestra but the original members of 2.5 Dimension are joined by other students to protest. After the head of the school continues to refuse them, they organize a music competition with the Classical Orchestra.

An inspector comes to the school and both orchestras play their music, but the classical students are unable to keep up with the Chinese orchestra, and so lose the competition. The Chinese orchestra then enlist the help of the Classical orchestra to sneak in and unofficially play after their performance, which is being broadcast live.

They play right at the end, and are met with high praise. Li You confessed his love to Chen Jing after the performance and became lovers after.

Guide Questions :

1. What life lessons can be learned from the movie?

Learn to just embrace who you are while learning more about who you are as a person.

Friends with all their difficulties teach you one extremely important lesson – this world needs you.

2. What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Why?

After the head of the school continues to refuse them, they organize a music competition with the Classical Orchestra. Because it made me laugh and cause me to tear up at parts. The friendship of this group of weirdos form for the sake of music. It's just amazing to watch them to defend each other because they are kind of weird but they are on a shame of what is just heartwarming.

3. Who was your favorite character in the movie? Why?

Female lead: Chen Jing.

Male lead: Li You.

She is funny and bold. She certainly doesn’t like to wait for her chance. She takes every measure to secure her love obsession. She plays yangqin, not out of love or passion. Her love confession scene was courageous and dramatic. Quite romantic, isn’t it? but only recieved humiliation. Then, miraculously, she bounced back emotionally and psychologically.

He is loyal, smart, funny, self-sacrificing, diplomatic, and capable of problem solving. When he was offered a chance to stay in the band with his idol, he chose to be on Chen Jing’s side instead. Although, that had been his dream. He is a character who brings so much warmth into your heart and so much laughter into your belly.

4. Did anything that happened in the movie remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or someone?

Proving my worth to someone.

I also tried secretly liking a guy who doesn't like me back. I have a huge crush on him for 8 years but was immediately stop when I heard that he was already sometimes property. I also tried being left by someone without any reason. I makes me realize that these 2 persons was for me. There was a guy who always motivate and support me. I didn't expect that I would fall for him after he confess. He is my shadow everytime I feel empty. Just like Chen Jing and Li You. I fell inlove with my bestfriend. We became lovers after.

[emmaswanchoosesyou]

CSBB: Part of the Narrative (8/17)

Emma Swan just wants to write the follow-up to her bestselling debut novel, that’s all. But when she gets off to a rough start with her new editor, Killian Jones, she knows it’s not going according to plan. Then, an unexpected figure from Emma’s past reappears and life begins to mirror the crime thriller she’s penning. Suspicion and secrets abound–but love might too. A writer/editor AU with a thriller twist.

Rated E. Story warnings: sexual content, kidnapping, some gore, violence, and minor character death–not to mention salty language! On Ao3 here.

Chapter warnings: Profanity, discussions of past relationships and canon pregnancy-related issues, and some snogging.

I hope you all know that your comments and likes and kudos and reblogs have been cherished and squealed over. Thank you to all the wonderful peeps at @captainswanbigbang for all you’ve done to make this possible, and all the support you’ve given. Sophie @shady-swan-jones made the delightful banner and another photoset that I adore. Kayla @bleebug did some incredible art for the first and sixth chapters, which you can check out here and here. And all the love and thanks to Kris @sambethe for beta-ing this and making it a ton better.

[Ch. 1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Chapter 8

Emma comes clean to Killian about her past, and they bond during their second date.

Killian

Killian stared through the small window at the front of his oven, hoping the conversion to Fahrenheit hadn’t utterly destroyed his mother’s recipe for Lancashire hotpot. He stepped back and glanced out the window above the sink. Even through the dark, the grey of the clouds promised snow, and it was already colder than he’d like. So this would be perfect, provided it cooked properly.

In the meantime, this cooking adventure was distracting him from his nerves about the night’s plans with Emma. He knew they needed to talk--they truly did--but just the thought of seeing her filled his stomach with butterflies, in the best way. In a manly way, as he’d told Robin.

Aye, manly butterflies.

It had only been a few days since he had seen her, but he missed her. They had texted over the last few days, which had been pleasant--excellent, in fact--but it wasn’t the same as being in the same room as her, holding her in his arms or seeing the light in her eyes while she talked about the things she was passionate about.

He was just so…excited to see her again, to have dinner with her, to talk, to… snuggle. Or, perhaps more than snuggle. Either way, it would be good.

Obviously, they had a fairly heavy conversation ahead of them, but he was optimistic. In the days since their date, he hadn't heard from August. Nothing. Not a word. And, frankly, Killian was relieved. He was in no rush to hear from his current boss and former conspirator. He had actually emailed him the other day with an update from the next chapter Emma was working on. It was the exact sort of thing he should be talking to August about. The exact thing a publisher needed to hear in the earlier stages of developing a novel, and not what he had asked Killian to do.

And what a chapter it was! The story was starting to unfold, and Killian was hooked. They had finally met the protagonists, a social worker and the child she was trying to help get out of the foster care system.

He couldn't help but see the parallels to Emma's own life, and to Henry. And he was thrilled. Not only was Emma clearly drawing from her own experiences, but she was painting them vividly. It left Killian feeling he knew her a little better for it and knew it would draw others into the story.

A knock at the door interrupted Killian's musings, and he gave a sigh of relief. Not that he wasn't enjoying contemplating Emma and her story, but maybe the butterflies could actually settle down now that she was here.

"Just a minute," he called out, pulling the dish out of the oven. He straightened his vest over his shirt, ran a hand through his hair, and went to the door.

He opened it to find Emma's beautiful face, her small, crooked smile betraying how glad she was to see him too. She was carrying a bottle of wine and shifting her weight as she stood up on the tips of her toes, her nervous energy soothing him and putting him at ease even as his heart skipped a beat. At least he wasn't alone in this.

"Good evening, Swan. You look delightful," he said, brushing a quick kiss across her cheek and taking the wine from her.

Emma blushed, but eyed him hungrily. "You look good too." Then, her eyes drifted away from him as she sniffed at the air. "Okay, that smells fantastic."

He held the door open and motioned for her to come through. "Well, then come in and let's get us fed."

He watched her as she moved past him, her cream-colored sweater and figure-hugging pants making her look delectable. The style made her seem soft, approachable, while also unaccountably badass when coupled with her knee-high boots, and he couldn't wait to continue what they had started on Friday.

Killian shook his head and idly thumbed at his mouth, hoping he hadn't been drooling. He let his prosthetic hand drop to the small of her back, guiding her into his flat. "Would you like the tour, or would you like to eat first?"

She turned and offered him a smile. "Tell me what that delicious smell is, and then I want a tour. I know your tour of my place was interrupted, but I'm curious."

He smirked at her as she peered over his shoulder back into the kitchen. "Then all in good time, love. Our dinner will be a Lancashire hotpot. My mother's recipe."

Emma softened. "That's great--what's in it?" Stepping back and turning to stand beside him, she kept her eyes on him.

"Traditionally, it's made with lamb and local vegetables, but I used beef, as lamb… well, it takes a fair hand to cook, and I’ve only got the one. I also didn't imagine slaving in the kitchen for hours would fall under the terms of 'casual' we agreed upon for tonight."

"Well, regardless, I can't wait to try it. Now show me your lair," she said, grinning at him.

He raised an eyebrow and set the wine down on the counter. "Lair? Do you see me as the sort that would have lair?"

She waved his question aside airily. "Lair, berth, dwelling...whatever."

"For starters, my 'lair' has this kitchen, and a cozy living room," Killian said, gesturing to the room in question.

Emma smiled, eyeing his well-worn and well-loved chair, the one he had brought across the ocean in spite of--no, because of--its odd appearance.

"At some point I'll tell you about my chair, that is if you tell me about yours," she said, turning away from the chair to face him.

"Deal."

"Shall we continue?" she asked, starting down the short hallway.

"Aye, we shall. As you can see, this is the hallway, and the bathroom. And through here is my bedroom."

She followed him into the room in question, running her eyes over the grey and navy striped coverlet, the sea chest in the corner, and the anchor and ship painting on the wall, the room’s feel neat and organized. Emma looked around almost wistfully. "It's very… nautical. And grown-up."

"What were you expecting? A single bed with posters from popular films?"  His gentle tone belied the biting words a little.

"No, I just… well, my place stays fairly orderly too, but that's because I don't keep much there. And I totally drop my clothes on the floor."

Killian laughed. "Normally that might be the case here, but there's this lovely writer who promised to come over for dinner, so I may have put things in order."

She smirked at him. "Hmm, feeling hopeful, were you?"

"Always," he said seriously, meeting her eyes.

She didn't look away.

&&&

After they finished their meal, Killian poured them each another glass of the wine Emma had brought.

She smiled up at him and took a slow sip. "That was delicious. Your mom's recipe totally holds up."

"Doesn't it? I'm glad it worked out over here, even with the adjustments to American ovens and measuring systems," he said happily.

"Maybe sometime you'll show me how to make it?"

He paused, seeing the hopeful look on her face. His heart beat faster, the idea of working side-by-side with Emma in his small kitchen--in either of their kitchens, really--the very opposite of vexing. "Certainly, if that's something you wish to do."

"I...I really do," she said, reaching across the table and taking his prosthetic in her hand. He patted her hand with his and let her continue. "I...so, yeah, I really enjoy spending time with you. I also realized that I want to get to know my son, and it seems like a lot all at once."

"I would hope you wouldn't consider me a burden, love," he said, trying to keep his features schooled, not wanting to place any sort of expectations on her even as he felt a twinge of disappointment.

She looked surprised for a moment, then rushed to reassure him. "No--Killian, not at all. But I think there are things you should know before we make any decisions." Her brow was furrowed in concern.

“I’d be happy to listen to whatever you want to tell me.”

“I know you were upset that I hadn’t told you. I could tell the other night, and I--just, well--I don’t owe you my story just because you told me yours,” Emma said, her voice low and intense.

Ouch. He knew her words were harsh, but also fair. He considered his own before nodding, acknowledging his silent display of frustration from the other night. He lifted his hands at her in supplication. “You’re right. You don’t owe me anything, but know that I would like to get to know you, and your story. So when you are ready to share, know that I’m all ears.”

She smiled at him, accepting his unspoken apology. “I was sixteen. I’d been in the foster care system my entire life, and I’d just run away from my last home. The Dixons...well, Mr. Dixon was interested in me in ways he shouldn’t have been, and Mrs. Dixon didn’t believe me. So I ran.”

“Christ, Emma, that’s awful,” he said, reaching for her hand again.

She didn’t pull away, instead she threaded her fingers through his and took a deep breath before continuing. “I went to Portland. The one in Oregon, that is. It seemed as far away as I could get. And, well, I was a sixteen-year-old with no skills, so I stole. Usually just small stuff, but I won’t lie, I was stealing more and bigger things as time went on.”

Killian rubbed his thumb over her wrist and nodded at her, encouraging her to go on.

“So I saw a car. A yellow VW Bug...”

“The one you have now? You still have a car that you stole?!” His voice was incredulous but tinged with amusement, and his eyebrows skyrocketed up toward his hairline.

“I’ll get to that, Jones, but yes,” she said, the exasperation in her tone lightened by the smile she gave him. “Anyway, the car was old enough that I knew it wouldn’t have anything too fancy to deal with in terms of alarms or locking mechanisms. So I got in and got the car going.”

“Next time I need to hotwire a car, I know who to turn to,” he teased.

Emma smacked his hand in mock reproof. “Nope, you’d pick something new and shiny. It’d be awful, and we’d so get caught.”

“I’ll have you know that I was a very good thief as a twelve-year-old,” he said, smirking at her.

She shook her head in response before taking a deep breath and continuing. “Well, I got in the car, and then I got the shock of my life when some guy popped up from the backseat.”

“Ah,” he said, the pieces coming together for him, “Henry’s father?”

“Yeah. His name was Neal, and as it turned out he had just stolen the car.” A melancholy look crossed her face, but she pushed it away. “He was older and had that irresponsible, easygoing vibe that screamed bad boy. So, naturally, my sixteen-year-old self fell for him immediately.”

He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“We decided to team up. There were a lot of cons that were easier with the two of us, and we made our way from Portland to Arizona. We were together by then, and I was crazy about him. He said he was crazy about me. We had even started talking about going straight together, doing the right thing somewhere with a nice view of the beach. We were thinking Florida,” she said, her lips turning downward with a wry twist at her youthful naivete. “We settled on Tallahassee, not realizing it doesn’t have access to the beach.”

“What went wrong, love?”

“Neal had some watches he’d lifted a while ago stored in a locker in Phoenix. We were going to grab them, sell them and use the money to start our new life. But when we got there we found a bunch of wanted posters with Neal’s face on them. So I volunteered to go get them.” She paused and he squeezed her hand. “We were going to meet up afterward and head out of town.”

Killian winced, imagining all the ways that could have backfired. He wondered which way it had.

Emma didn’t let him stew in his curiosity for long. “I picked them up without a problem and went to meet Neal. Only he didn’t show, a cop did. Said they’d gotten an ‘anonymous tip’ someone would be making a grab and running with them.”

“Bloody hell, an ‘anonymous tip’? He--” Killian cut himself off, heat blooming in his cheeks as fury bubbled in his chest at the man who had so betrayed Emma. He was so appalled that he pulled back, disentangling their hands.

“Yeah. I think even the judge felt bad for me. My sentence wasn’t as heavy as it could have been, and they made sure I got resources so that I wouldn’t turn back to theft when I got out,” she said, fiddling with her napkin and not meeting his eyes.

He reached for her again and squeezed her hand, overwhelmed at what she had gone through.

She looked up at him, smiling sadly, a bitter twist to her mouth. “Two months into my year-long sentence I found out I was pregnant. I had just barely turned seventeen, I was in jail, and I--well, I couldn’t even fathom being a mother. Even if it meant I had to do the one thing I’d sworn I’d never do to my own child, I knew he deserved better.”

“And so did you,” he whispered, his heart breaking for her.

“Does that make me selfish? It’s just that what was best for him was also best for me, or so I thought at the time.”

“Of course not. Or rather, if it is...it’s the most understandable thing I can think of in your situation.” He lifted her hand to brush a kiss across her knuckles, then furrowed his brow. “Did Henry say something?”

“He wondered about why I had given him up. I told him the truth, and that I don’t exactly regret it. But I also told him that I do want to know him.”

Killian smiled at her. “And hopefully he wants to know you. If not, he’s missing out.”

She blushed but returned his smile. “Thanks. We talked last night on the phone, and we had a good chat on the way to Portland. I think… I think it’s going to work out.”

He desperately wanted to pull her into his embrace. “Thank you, Emma, for telling me about your past.”

She looked at him, something shy and earnest in her gaze. “Thanks for listening. I don’t generally talk about this stuff with, well, anyone.”

“I’m honored to have your trust,” he said honestly, even as the guilt of his work with August knifing through him even as he smiled. It was an honor, even if it was one he didn’t deserve, but he would endeavor to be worthy of it.

She didn’t seem to notice anything was off, and Killian let out a silent breath of relief. She didn’t ever have to know about his past behavior, especially since it was no longer an issue. Killian leaned back in his chair, shifting his hand to lift hers, thumbing at the top of her knuckles as he did. “Well, love, would you like me to pour us another glass of wine? We could do that and watch something, if you’d like,” he said.

Emma slumped her shoulders in relief, clearly relieved to have the more serious portion of their conversation over with too. “That sounds great.”

They settled onto the couch, Emma sitting comfortably beside him, his arm draped over her shoulder, as they watched Parks and Recreation. He wasn’t entirely sold on the American comedy, but Emma assured him it would change his life. He was willing to give it a shot, especially with such a glowing recommendation, and if it meant it was something they’d have an excuse to continue to do together outside of the office.

Honestly, though, he stopped paying attention to the show about the same time Emma’s hand started caressing his thigh. He tightened his hold on her, the chamomile and sunshine scent of her hair bewitching his senses.

She turned to look up at him, and he wasted no time capturing her lips with his. His tongue traced along them, begging entry that she granted. Their embrace grew more passionate as she turned to face him, her legs straddling his. She pressed against him, her fingers cupping his jaw as his hands slipped under her sweater. He lightly traced nonsensical patterns up her back with his hand and his prosthetic, letting them slide against the softness of her skin and moaning against her mouth as he did.

Killian’s moan seemed to startle Emma, and she pulled back. He was gratified, though, to see she seemed to have trouble catching her breath. As she paused but didn’t pull back further, he pressed open-mouthed kisses down her throat to her collarbone.

She arched into him again and sighed before finally pulling away. “Hey, Killian--can we--can we stop for a moment?”

He closed his eyes but nodded, acquiescing. Lowering his hands and removing them from under her top, he looked up at her above him, her long hair flowing over her shoulders. She looked like a goddess of sunshine, he thought, his brain still somewhat fogged, not receiving all the blood flow it normally would.

“Sorry, I just… well, a lot is going on right now, and I want to see where this goes. But I also want to slow down a little,” she said apologetically, her cheeks red--with either embarrassment or arousal. Possibly both.

He smiled, and pressed a chaste kiss to her nose. “You have nothing to apologize for, Emma. We can take this as slowly--or as fast--as you’d like. Whenever you like.”

“I just… well, you’re my editor.” She gave a small shrug and looked away a moment before returning to look directly down at him. “I want this to work, I really do. But if it doesn’t, we still have to work together.”

“I understand. Truly, lass,” he said, beseeching any god who might listen to please help it work out. He reached out and touched her chin, kissing her again, trying to keep it from becoming too desperate a thing.

[zukalations]

Flower Troupe Report - February 2017

In each Kageki, there is a ‘Troupe Report’ where someone from each troupe collects funny or interesting anecdotes or does Q&A with other members.

The February 2017 Flower Troupe Report was written by Nana Kurara, and has some winter seasonal questions as well as discussion of Golden Desert and the 2016 Takarazuka Special.

Flower Troupe Report - February 2017

Hello, everyone 💖 Once again, it's time for 'Troupe Report'!! Thank you for sending so many questions this month ✨ In order to get answers to all your questions, I went around to interview the Flower Troupe stars 🌸 Enough of that, let's get started!!

🌸 Asumi-san, Serika-san, Yuzuka-san 🌸 For the cold winter, nabe[1] is just the thing. What is your favorite kind of nabe to warm both bode and soul? (O-Nabe) Sayumi-san (Asumi): "I love nabe 💖 I like all kinds of nabe, but recently the one I've eaten the most is 'onion pork shabu-shabu[2]' ✨ It's packed with onions and pork is cooked in the soup shabu-shabu style, and it's all brought together with soba noodles!! Onions are good for the throat, and it'll warm you up nicely 💕 " Kiki-chan (Serika): "That crab nabe that Taso (Tenma Michiru) made was so delicious~ 💖 " Rei-chan (Yuzuka): "I love yosenabe[3] and chankonabe[4]!!! You can't forget to include Maroni brand nabe noodles and Schau Essen weiners!!!" she declared passionately, with sparkling eyes.

🌸 Asumi-san 🌸 Asumi-san loves fried chicken but has issues with birds. In Golden Desert a really large bird turns up; were you okay!? (Wild Turkey) Giy (Asumi) doesn't have scenes interacting directly with the bird so that was fine but...during the Tokyo dress rehearsal, when she was going to her standby spot in the wings, she saw a strange shadow... 'Oh gosh, is that the giant bird!?' She didn't want to look again, so she picked another route to reach her standby spot 😣 That's the story she told me 🐣 That giant bird...really had a big impact, didn't it. Even though I watch it fall out of the 'sky' every day, I'm honestly not great with birds... The first time I saw it I unthinkingly was like 'Gahh!' and it was really hard to get through that scene 💦 I really respect Rubaba (Marika Yume) for being able to pick up the giant bird!!

🌸 Minami-san 🌸 I was stunned by how beautiful Maittii (Minami) was as a woman in the 2016 Takarazuka Special[5]. Did you all decide on your hairstyles yourselves? (Chibirin) "We all designed our hairstyles ourselves!! Actually, before settling on the one in the show, I went through 3 versions... 1: Cute long hair, like Elisabeth. But it didn't fit the song we were dancing to... 2: A woven arrangement. But that seemed a bit off too... 3: An updo that left my neck clear ✨ I thought that one was best so I used it in the actual show!! I'm really grateful to have been in the special and perform with so many people, surpassing troupe boundaries 💕 " is what she said. Maittii is usually so handsome, but she made a massive transformation into a beautiful lady~ 💖

That's all for this month! I hope you'll look forward to next month~ 💖

1. nabe is the term for a large variety of hotpot dishes.

2. shabu-shabu is thinly sliced meat or vegetables that are flash-cooked in boiling broth directly at the table.

3. nabe with many different fillings cooked together in broth.

4. traditionally served to sumo wrestlers for weight gain, it has more ingredients than other varieties and a higher calorie content.

5. For the purpose of understanding what’s being discussed here, this is Maittii’s look in the special (the only picture of it I could find...):

[eclair]

Taking a break from scribbling, I answer the tag thing from @ashiiblack :)

The questions I need to answer:

My questions: 1) What got you into fandom?

Pretty boys and nice quotable lines. :P Well, I do love anime in general so I am into a bunch of shonen anime and some shoujo too. (Used to be more shoujo than shounen but blame sports anime.)

2) If you could switch places with a celebrity who would you choose?

I dunno. I don’t think I’d like to switch places with a celebrity and have to deal with too many people.

3) How do you deal with conflict?

^ As with the above answer. I can’t people much so... It honestly depends on how I am. These days I just shut down. Not the best way. But it’s either that or I get so furious and it’s really bad when it happens. And I hate it when it does happen.

4) What’s the best thing you’ve created? (if it’s fic or art, link please!)

A crocheted toy for my kid’s daughter. XD It’s funny how she refers to it as cat-bear-dog. My friend sent me a picture last week of her daughter (now much older than when I gave it) holding cat bear dog. I am a proud auntie. 

5) Who is your favorite YOI character and why?

Just one?! It’s hard. It’s Otabek and Yuri. Not just because I ship them. I just love the way they are both driven and passionate about figure skating. How Otabek is possibly secretly very extra (because of Park Guell) and how Yuri is possibly a soft-hearted boy who is just very tsudere.

6) What was your favorite playground game as a kid?

I wasn’t really into playgrounds. We used to go outside the house to play sometimes though. It would be a local version of hopscotch.

7) What is your Hogwarts House?

Ravenclaw.

8) Who do you most want to cosplay?

These days? Mari Katsuki. <3

9) What fictional character are you most like?

Probably Asahi of Haikyuu. Not that I am an ace player. I am not but the personality might be closest.

10) If you could visit anywhere, where would you go?

Japan. All the food, all the manga, all the art supplies. For real.

11) What is your favorite restaurant and thing to get there?

Four Seasons. I love hotpot and it’s just so nice and comforting. <3

Time to ask 11 questions:

1. What song would always get you into a good mood? 2. What is your favorite memory from your childhood? 3. Do you have a signature dish or favorite dish to make? 4. Is the tumblr name you have something that you’ve always used or you’ve changed names over the months/years?  5. Which do you prefer writing with on a daily basis? Pencil/pen/marker/something else? 6. If you could travel to a different era, what era would it be? 7. What is the most memorable name you’ve given to a pet/doll/thing? (Example: Laptop named Picard, pet dog named Sherlock, etc) 8. What color dominates your wardrobe/clothes? 9. If you can have a superpower for a day what would it be? 10. When it gets so stressful, what do you do? 11. What project do you want to do but never could seem to find time for it? Tagging these lovely people to answer the questions I wrote: @n3rdlif343va, @magical-mistral, @lecheesie, @d2diamond, @madamredwrites, @ellipsesarefun, @maddcocoa, @tootsonnewts, @seththeshallow But if you don’t feel like it, it’s ok. No pressure. :)