#I need to do my Chinese lesson oops

[furrytism]

୧ Mewo ◞ Jesse ˘˘

* . 17 yrs old ៸ Adhdtism + G.A.D ⟢

⌣⌣ Likes ,, Warrior cats, Wings of fire, Pretty

blood, object shows, Insects /

Animals, Furry art, danganronpa, anime and

more I can’t remember :’( ꮺ

⌣⌣ ⌣⌣ ⌣⌣

Looking 4 mutuals!! I’m kinda shy but I’ll try my best to interact :D

I’m also thinking of uploading my art here soooo idk

◟ check more in my strawpage ,,

[eric-the-bmo]

The Neighborhood Watch, S3 ep3: Who Is She?

[Summary: Markus hangs out with their sister while Song and Louis head back to the casino only to make a discovery. John meets up with Clara and gets caught up in romance, and we learn new things about Shelby.] (this one feels super long btw! It's very detailed bc im insane over the whole thing Oops) @gr3y-plays-ttrpgs

The rest of the Main Cast approaches Marku's house; they open the door, and it smells like weed and Chinese food. Markus lights some incense for Louis (he Does Not like the smell of weed), and a voice calls out from the hall- Markus introduces the owner of the voice as Analetta, their sister who's going to to school in Japan but stopped by to say hello.

We finally get a description for Analetta: She's very plain-looking, with long straight hair and bangs, neutral clothes, etc- a pink hair clip is the most colorful thing on her.

She greets the Main Cast, shaking hands with the newcomers, but her gaze is stuck on Louis. She swears she's seen him before- he looks so familiar, but she can't remember where she's seen him. Louis is confused because they have met before, and comments it's merely a trick of the trade.

Markus complains about the couple who's doing this week-long tour thing for their bug exhibit, but hey at least they'll get money for it. They thank the rest of the Cast for coming over to meet Analetta; Family should meet friends, and Ana's the only family Markus has got. She's emotional over the fact her sibling has friends, finally.

Markus introduces the Cast to her, and I'm mildly offended on John's behalf that his hair was compared to ramen. Meanwhile, Analetta wonders if Markus has mentioned Shelby before- they deny it. Nope, not at all. They've literally never talked about her what do you mean.

Song and Louis mention they should get back home- they've got, uh, cooking lessons. Analette mentions she'd like to try some of the food they'll make, and the others chime in- Louis is internally panicking because they are not doing any actual cooking tonight, but Song remedies this by saying hey, how about Monday instead? She'd also like to use her new kitchen, since her house finally got rebuilt about the Gnome Incident.

There's a knock at the door- Gerald, the guard sent by Song's father to discreetly watch over her, is at the door asking for a cup of sugar with a very bad attempt at an American accent. Markus gives some to him, shenanigans ensue (i was afk </3, but at one point Louis, detecting Gerald's actual accent, spoke French to the man, and Gerald tried So Hard to pretend he didn't know that language) and Markus ends up slamming the door in his face. Song apologizes about the whole thing; her dad is overprotective. She says she'll talk to her dad about possibly lightening the security around her, since she can take care of herself/she's safe around the rest of the Main Cast.

Analetta mentions she ordered more food, but Song and Louis start to head out. Before the couple leaves, though, they take note of what the others like; Markus, with a cabinet full of instant ramen, lies and says Italian- Louis is hyped over the idea of making pasta from scratch. Song puts $50 somewhere Markus can find it later to pay them back for the sugar (50 bucks?? yo???), and the couple heads off.

Shelby notes that John should be heading to that thing he needed to go to; Does he need a ride? John says he'll be fine walking, and he'll let Shelby knows how it goes- he'll try to be safe! And so he starts the almost-hour-long walk, ruminating over everything that could possibly go wrong with it.

---

Shelby heads off to put on some more casual clothes, since she's still all dressed up from the casino- she'll be back in a moment! As she leaves, Analetta is adamant Markus has mentioned her before. She teases Markus about her, while they deny having ever talked about Shelby, until:

["my bugs are very good at getting rid of bodies," Markus states. It's a threat, but in the typical joking manner one has for a sibling. "If you kill me," Analetta responds, "My body will rise up and annoy you forever." "hm nevermind, i don't want that."]

Kyle, the only Doordash guy in town, finally arrives with the food Analetta ordered. Markus gives him a 40$ tip, and assures Kyle they'll be able to eat all of it; some people are coming over anyway.

Shelby returns, no longer in a dress but in a baggy sweatshirt, and she's hyped over the pizza and tacos they've got- there were only alcoholic drinks at the casino. Shelby tries to pay Markus back.

["How much do I owe you for this?" "nothing. you're a friend." "Markus, I can pay you back. I have money." "so do i!"]

Shelby asks how the bug tours are going- horrible, answers Markus. They dislike the fame but they will keep taking people's money. They offer her a joint, and upon her request they go to make brownies instead.

----

John's been fidgeting with his hands, and his phone starts to lag a little bit as he gets closer to the casino. Eventually he spots Clara leaving the building. Oh god, here we go.

Clara gives John that white person smile as she approaches (fuck). They have a short conversation, agreeing to go to the coffee shop in town since the casino is a bit... Well, it's a lot. Clara offers to drive to the cafe, leading him to a motorcycle. John is impressed! She tells him she decided to use her first paycheck to buy her dream vehicle, and tosses him a spare helmet.

["You're going to have to hold on," She tells him as he gets on. "To what?" "To me," She says. "So you don't fall off." "...oh!" Carefully, he does so, trying to be gentle with his claws.]

---

[The bike pulls into the parking lot of the shop; Grounded In Nature, the cat cafe that's also the only coffee shop in town. "You can let go now, you know." "Ah- sorry."]

As the two of them enter, some of the cats run away from them- John apologizes like it's his fault (it is). They sit down, place their orders, and after talking over each other at first, Clara tries again: It was a blur last time she saw him (she was in the forest??), and then there was a lot going on, she got a new job and didn't know how to contact him, and hadn't seen him in town.

Their drinks are brought over- the only employee had spelled their names wrong. A fluffy white cat, brave to approach them, sits next to Clara.

John apologizes for not seeing or contacting her- he doesn't say how he was nervous she'd see he looked different from last she saw him- and they begin to talk a bit more; Clara jokes about her job, John says he loves to listen to people talk about their interests, etc.

And John swears that the cat near her rolls its eyes, like it's tired of how awkward their chat is, and then it jumps up onto the table and knocks over Clara's drink!!! Hey now! >:-0

John stands up, apologizing like it's his fault the cat did that, grabbing a bunch of napkins for her and being like hey?? are you okay??? She says she's okay, it was iced coffee so it didn't hurt, and she needed to change out of her work uniform anyway. Clara looks like she's struggling to say something else, and her gaze locks onto John's.

[Her eyebrows furrow slightly. "...Have your eyes always been that color?"

He looks away.]

She eventually asks if he and Shelby are dating- he stammers out a refusal, saying that while he cares very much about Shelby, he's not romantically interested in her. He leaves out how important she is to him, worrying that would hurt Clara's feelings.

["Okay, got it." Clara takes a breath, and meets his gaze.

"You know I like you, right?"]

There's about three seconds as John's brain catches up with what she said. There's a bit of war in his head- he's thrilled she likes him, but at the same time... there's no way, right? (Oh, the joys of low self-esteem)

[There's a small smile- a mix of disbelief and joy. "...You like me?"]

Clara apologizes for assuming that he and Shelby were together and for assuming he would know she liked him, and John apologizes for being oblivious, saying that no one's ever been interested in him before like this; he doesn't quite know what to do, but he can try this out.

They exchange numbers, and Clara offers him a ride home.

----

Song and Louis enter Lestat's home, and he greets them with a glass of what might be red wine, and a phone to show them all the social media posts people made about them at the casino; it's clear he wants to go there with them. Song and Louis jokingly make fun of Lestat's age and his language about social media apps.

["Lestat," Song asks, "How old are you anyway?" "Old enough," He turns around. "But we're not here to recount tales of the French Revolution."]

They start to get ready, with Song and Louis picking out new suits and dresses for the night.

Song looks out the window, because she hears an engine- and sees John, getting off a bike with a woman! Clara and John hug, and John is made aware of how easy it would be to hurt her in this moment- his small growl is hidden by the engine of her bike.

They pull away, and she drives off with a goodbye. John stands for a moment, reeling, until he sees Sammy and Heath pull up into their driveway- hey, Heath was taken away by the guards, remember? what's up?

So John goes up to greet the couple, asking what happened- Heath tells him that, well, it got loud in the casino, so Sammy had started using ASL to talk to him. The guards thought it was code or something relating to cheating at the casino games, Heath is saying, so they took him away just to look over the security footage. Other than that, they did pretty good at the casino and won some cash, as well as some compensation for the misunderstanding. They decided to go home right after.

John doesn't believe that because I don't, this casino is sketchy as hell, so he rolls to Investigate a Mystery and infers that Sammy seemed to have been in there way longer than it would've taken to just review footage. Suspicious but not knowing where to go from there, he bids them goodnight and heads over to Markus's.

["do you want a joint?" Markus holds one out to him. "No, thank you," John says as he enters. "I'm fine." Weed wouldn't be good for him, given his tendencies. They shrug, turning away. "okay, that's fine. don't eat the brownies, by the way; they've got weed in them." John slowly puts the brownie in his hand back onto the tray.]

The four of them play board games and chat; Analetta shares embarrassing stories about Markus (though she's still confused over how she can't remember the details of them leaving), and Shelby shares some about her and John, mentioning that they met when she hit him with her car.

["How did you manage to do that?" Markus asks. "It was dark!" She said. "I was in a hurry, and he just ran out into the road!"]

John asks why she had been it a hurry that night- this is new to him. It was an unspoken rule between them that they never talked about their pasts, but...

She explains that she's not originally from Greenville; she's from somewhere up East, but she had to get away, so she got in her car and drove as far as she could until she felt it was good enough to stop.

["And then when I hit John, I thought 'Oh, surely this can't get any worse!'"]

John is sympathetic, and Markus offers support. Shelby says she doesn't need to worry about that anymore- and besides, she's got John! He's tough! He jokingly(?) threatens to fight anyone who hurts her, and she lightly punches him in the arm in response.

Markus makes a comment that maybe if they get a divers license, that's how they can get more friends. John responds that maybe Not having one would increase their chances.

Eventually, Markus and Analetta head off to bed, and John and Shelby start their short walk back home.

["That was fun," Shelby said, walking ahead of John, "But I think I'm just gonna head to bed once we get inside." John hummed, a tiny smile at his lips. "So do you want me to tell you the news tomorrow morning, then...?" Shelby spun around to face him. "No no," she said, walking backwards with a grin. "You can't do that- you're telling me now."]

He reminds her of Clara, his old coworker, and that she confessed that she liked him; They might go on a date.

[Shelby pauses from unlocking the door. "That's..." She turns to him. "John, that's great!" "I know, right!"]

The two of them enter the house as John expresses his amazement at this; he never thought that anyone would ever ask him out?? He asks Shelby for advice- because she's gone on dates before, right?

[She winces. "Yeah, uh- I don't really do the whole dating thing anymore. I haven't had much luck with that."]

She suggests the dinner Song and Louis are planning on Monday- unless John wants a private date, something more intimate? But he thinks back to the hug earlier, and says the dinner would be a better idea. He can call them tomorrow and ask if he can bring a plus-one.

Shelby mentions she's going to go to bed. As she gets up from the couch, she puts a hand on his arm. She tells him she's glad he's happy, and heads off to her room.

Markus goes to get water, but the thing is that their window can actually look directly into the window to Shelby's room; They see her close the door and fall onto her bed, sobbing. They pull out their phone and call her. Shelby stops crying to answer it, and they ask if she's okay. She says she'll be fine.

["You know I'm only a phone call away," Markus offers. They watch as she reaches for a plushie and hugs it tight. "...Thanks." She says nothing else.]

---

Meanwhile, the Trio (comprising of Louis, Song, and Lestat) heads back to the casino, dressed in fabulous outfits. Lestat had fed earlier, and due to the life running through him he's able to show up in photos for a bit. They enjoy themselves, and are invited up to the second floor of the casino. It's grand, full of upper class ambience and elegant people at the tables- the Trio doesn't recognize anyone, but heads over to play one of the card games. There's a well-dressed man making his way to each group of people, chatting before moving on to then next group. Finally, he reaches these three and introduces himself as Mr. Grant, one of the people who helps run the Vault Casino. They compliment it, saying it's lovely.

Then Mr. Grant leans forward, asking Ms. Song O'Sullivan if he can speak to her privately- her eyes immediately go up to the security cameras (They're not looking at her). Louis gets bad vibes from this question and asks why can't all of them be there? Grant says its of a private and serious manner. Louis continues to object, and the man says it's about their.. extracurricular activities. (monster hunting?)

Song sends her boyfriends a telepathic message, telling them that if she's not back in five minutes they can raze this casino to the ground. They let her go; Louis starts a timer on his phone. Mr Grant leads her to the elevator, and they start to head up to the third floor- that's normally off-limits, isnt it?

A telepathic message from Song: "Third floor."

Two security guards approach Lestat and Louis, asking them to please come with them. Louis objects and Lestat tries to be civil, but the guards are firm. Lestat also has telepathy, as he had used it last season, and he sends Louis a message: He's trying real hard to not tear these guards apart, as he's working on being a better person, so it would be in both their best interests to comply. Besides, they've worked together before, he and Louis- they can fight their way out later if needed.

The vampire and Southern gentleman finally comply, and are lead to the elevator- but unlike Song, they start going down. Basement One.

Louis mentions they must be getting special treatment, then, if they're heading to an off-limits area! The security guards make a comment implying they've been bringing the supernatural folk (though they didn't quite use that phrasing, it was heavily implied) in town down to the basements- just for a little chat, is all.

["Well," said Louis, "If you know of those kinds of folk, then you surely know what me and my partner here are capable of?"]

Meanwhile, Song is on the third floor.

It's dark, with the only light source coming from below them; It's built almost like a balcony, with railings and windows that reveal the lower levels of the casino and everyone milling down below. The ceilings must be two-way mirrors.

There's a flick of a lighter from the far side of the room, and a dim glow as a cigarette is lit up. The lamps follow its lead, turning on and lighting up the place. There's a woman on the far end, holding a long cigarette holder. She's got the beauty of an old movie star, with an elegant red dress, a feathered boa, and long black gloves.

"What's wrong, darling?" She asks Song. Their eyes are the same color; a deep blood red.

"...No hug for your mother?"

Notes/Commentary:

SO MUCH HAPPENED THIS SESSION?? I LOVE IT HERE Also cheer for me, this one was almost entirely off memory. I'm so cool lmao

Why doesn't Analetta remember Louis? The way the DM played it seemed to be supernatural in nature... is it because Louis made a deal with the Devil? or is there something else to it?

Sorry, listen, i know i bring it up every time but Song's house getting blown up by gnomes is so wild to me. I love how that's a canonical thing.

Song with the sugar, pretty much:

"Would Shelby smoke weed?" "So fun fact I keep a list of everything we've ever learned about Shelby because I'm Normal about her-"

Shut up i lost it when Kyle finally showed up. He's only been mentioned and never shown, I feel like i met a celebrity /hj

I started YELLING at the white person smile comment i'm !!!!! OUGH i Knew it wouldve been awkward!!!

Those cats are so sentient. I'm calling it. Also do you think Jewel the employee mispells the customer names so they won't be taken by the fae who runs the cafe?? oh shit what if the cats were people-

During the cafe scene Markus's player sent a message in the chat like "Two autistic people flirting. beautiful <3"

I was so in-character!! /pos Not me going into my pockets like i had a flip phone in there aughgh

John never saying he liked Clara back!!! Only that he would like to try out dating!! bc thats what people do!!!! aaaa!!!!

There's some memory manipulation going on in that casino.

John and the hug was wild bc?? The dm was over here describing how she was small and I was all "well. might as well roll for hunger" and you would Not believe how badly I fucked that up lmao. I was going to spend a luck point; since the dm wasn't expecting me to roll for his hunger, though, he let me off the hook. Thanks DM <3

The "markus getting a car to make friends joke" was originally an ooc bit from earlier and then we just??? Acted it out? Love it here

SHUT THE UFKC UP IM GOING TO THROW MY CHAIR. ROOMMATE DUO ALWAYS HAD ANSGT POTENTIAL AND NOW ITS WORSE.

SHE LIKES HIM???? IM IN A LOVE TRIANGLE-

And Louis's player called it too!!! Like right before the scene that revealed Shelby likes John!!! Aaa!!! [Head in hands]

Also sorry that was Such a shock to me. I genuinely thought she was a lesbian

SONG'S MOTHER!?!?!?

That's why Greyson was doing this job thats why he said it was personal!! THATS HIS WIFE RUNNING THE PLACE!!! I thought she was dead!!!!!

We IMMEDIATELY ran to make theories about Song's mom: is she a demon? Is Song a pact child?? What if her mom's a dragon! Song has a fang earring doesn't she? Is the fact her mom's supernatural why she's so good at magic? What's her mother doing gathering all the supernatural folk anyway? Shaking my computer I WANT ASNWERS /lh

Hey. Hey DM. Is Emmett the AI man okay?? Why did you bring up the fact we havent heard from him in a while in the same breath as mentioning the casino's effect on our phones. SIR??? IS HE OKAY???

[icy-watch]

Like I said, Wukong fanfic trope of a season :D "characters walk through someone else's memory" its great bc we get to learn more about Wukong, who is in desperate need of some transparency here, AND we get to geek out over JTTW references yayyy. Also, I did say I will not be normal when baby Macky is on screen and EEEK look at how friggin SMOL he is just squishy little hiding his shy smile in the corner after Wukong finishes his story, he can't even look at Wukong ughh adorable. Then his "and I oop" face when Wukong says "correction" and gets all up in his face XD "why am I friends with this guy again?" and then the shenanigans promptly fall off a cliff :/ I wasn't expecting it but. Macaque got worried all of a sudden, in a serious way, and Wukong was still goofing off, but that was a fair concern. Also remind you of anything? "Same old Wukong, doing whatever he wants with no regard for others." at the end of S3 special? Yeah. Fascinating, because with how Macaque acts in the present day, I wasn't expecting him to have been Wukong's voice of reason. The other stuff technically checks out, "cowardly of the bunch, slinking in the shadows like a rodent" but he did a pretty good job of covering for it with his viciousness and scary presence in the present. In the past it just sounds like he was the black sheep of the brotherhood XD he is just so. WITTLE. look at his big ol eyes and how soft and smol he looks next to Yellowtusk in the next scene. He's so stunned hearing Azure's speech to Wukong I wonder what he's thinking, like "dang...I need to up my game, he's more eloquent than me." its okay, you evolve into a theatre fruit in the future. I've seen him being here compared to like...when your friend drags you into their college fraternity party and you're just here for the studying. I know putting your foot down in an environment like this is tough, but the story also pretty much tells us that Macky's inability to do so and make his own choices over going with what others do until it blows up in your face is a flaw. it could save everyone the trouble, but I also want to point out Wukong's flaw in his inability to listen to what others say bc Macky was right about that and its interesting BECAUSE its also a lesson he taught MK in the first season with the blindfold. He learned and grew from that I see. Also LMAO at Macky's little frown at Wukong, it's giving that "ahem, aren't you forgetting something" look. Also "Basking in the sun for the rest of forever." hehe. "in the darkness, the Warrior was cast in that shadow." okay let's see where this goes. He looks at Wukong here the same way MK does. same expression. Chinese dub also said something like, "As you wish, Wukong." OKAY BUD. "Basking in the sun." He says, as the screen cuts abruptly to the moon, fully aware of the narrative.

So >:) did we convince you of ShadowPeach? its okay, the cheeky monkeys squishing their faces together gets all of us at some point. if that lil tid bit was enough to make you pause then the special is going to ruin you. It's so utterly cute and sweet, funny af with MK at the start, so incredible with the voice acting regarding *gets dragged off stage* and season 4 villain has dropped some 👌 fire lines.

I loved seeing the younger Mackie.

I mean, it's not hard to like ShadowPeach. And I'm here for the angst.

[mystomachfeelsawful]

3:40

When I remember this year, it's not the triumphs or the wins, it's the oops and the silly mistakes. The weird moments in between when something I thought was supposed to happen happened, but not in the way I expected it to.

Cockfight and Woking went up - two projects that have occupied my heart and head for a while (heartspace with Cockfight and physical time space with Woking). I travelled for work a lot, went back to the east coast for a workshop, did a full season of casting at Stratty. I went to New York on a spontaneous holiday to see a lot of plays.

But these aren't the things I remember the most. Those are here:

1 - I evicted my roommate of one and a half years. Tiffany and I have had tension almost immediately since she moved in. Our communication styles weren't sympatico from the beginning (she was a passive aggressive introvert with a noise sensitivity and a bitter personality, I'm an extrovert with no issue with noise with a bitter personality that I hide behind layers of false confidence), but I held onto living with her because I knew she was leaving in March. I felt that if I just endured the bad thing it would go away - very Chinese. Our relationship hit a tipping point when I closed the door to what she decreed as too loudly in January and she started knocking on my door and swearing. Rather than endure two months more of her, I requested that she leave the next day. I took a bit of an L for this - I paid for her accomodations and her movers and had to find her a place that suited her needs (thank you Maddie), but I think this is the thing I was the most proud of this year. Someone was harming me and - rather than do what I always do and assume that I have to accommodate them as I've been raised - I confronted her about it and removed her from my life. I want to do more of this in the future. I think I yield a lot when something is bothering me because I'm afraid of seeming selfish. I want to be even more selfish in the future and have more confrontations. My home feels like a safe place to live for the first time since she moved in.

2 - In June, I found out we'd won the Audience Choice Dora for Woking Phoenix. I found this out at Fu-GEN's kitchen event (which was hilariously happening at the same time as the Doras) and was told there were tickets for the after party. I was over the moon and ran over to the Winter Garden to see if I could get in. I remember showing the security guard my phone with the award on it and being like "i want to buy tickets to the after party" and promptly being told that I couldn't get in. People tried giving me their tickets and I couldn't get in. So rather than go inside and feel celebrated for winning a silly trophy, I waited outside in what my girlfriend describes as "loser behaviour" for 2 hours saying hi to people as they waited for cabs and ubers. I don't know what the lesson is from this, but it was a wonderfully humbling experience that as per usual reminded me that awards are temporary and humiliation is forever. And it sort of reminded me of my own career - begging to be let into buildings that people were exiting. Thank you for voting for Woking Phoenix though - seriously. This instagram account only speaks for me (as it's mine), but after 5 years of working on the project, winning grants and finally doing the thing - it felt vindicating for the community to have the project's back the same way you all did during the run.

3 - During Annie auditions, my nose bled for 30-45 minutes and then proceeded to erupt on the stratford bus home. I bled for another hour on the bus, over my clothes and on my hands. I did not bleed in front of the children (thank god), but I really need to get this fixed. Camille did not help me on this trip and took a nap.

4 - I know I said I wouldn't talk about the blanket good stuff, but going to New York this year as a knee jerk decision in October felt really fulfilling. Doing a spontaneous vacation as a kind of reward for all the stuff that happened this year, running through Chinatown, putting in 20000 steps as Luke birdwatched felt right. Also seeing theatre outside Ontario. I feel I really grew during this trip and felt artistically inspired in ways I hadn't in a long long time.

5 - In the midst of a year of so much theatre and things that were arguably achievements of mine, I find myself learning the most about what I'm unable to do as a artist at this point in my career. What my own blindspots are. I don't say this as a derogatory, but I think I want to get better. I keep giving direction like "don't push", but what does "Push" actually mean? What does rigour actually mean? What does following an intention to the end of the line actually mean? Am I giving too many notes? Am I giving too few notes? How can I be clearer to designers? What actually makes acting/production/choreography good in my eyes - in understandable words? What is a strong vision? I think this year made me start to see the limits of my own ability to articulate things in clarity - that even if my teams believe it, do I actually believe or understand what I'm saying? Is my desire to keep working with fans who are excited to work with me in part me avoiding clarity with working with strangers who don't understand me, share my sense of humor or don't understand my vision? I'm going to spend 2025 training and working on my craft. I want to enter 2026 a stronger theatre artist than I am now.

I SAW 55 PLAYS THIS YEAR. I LOVED

Sunset Blvd

The Inheritance Part 1 and 2

The Hills of California

Salesman in China

The Diviners

Rat Academy

My favourite video game of the year was Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - a game that I played over the span of 8 months and never felt bored by because I took my damn time.

My favourite movie of the year was Look Back.

I want to have a 2025 where I pick fights, where I don't feel shy, where I participate openly and question everything I do in how specific I can be. I don't want to waffle or suffer in silence. I want to prioritize learning and growing and let my own hunger and curiosity shape my year rather than being shy and waiting for permission.

NOW BACK TO G1 STUDYIN

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa has 8 stories at Gossamer, but there are even more X-Files fics at AO3 and her website. She writes Mulder and Scully in a very lovely way. I've recced 3 of my favorites of her fics here before: Bird in Snow, Fall: East on M St, and Skuamorph. Big thanks to Tabula Rasa for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I'm always extremely pleasantly surprised to get kudos (or, very rarely, a comment) on my old fic, but I'm always happy to see it! I did post them all (I think) to AO3. I'm not surprised people are still reading fic, though. It's an iconic show and now with streaming, it's really easy to watch older shows and natural to want fic about them!

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

XF was my first fandom, definitely my first online fandom, and so it will always have a special place in my heart. Also... I had a great time! I stumbled upon and joined the Scullyfic email list by accident, but it was the best thing I could have done. I learned a lot about how to be a writer and how to be in fandom, and those lessons are still important to me. Foundational. Also, in terms of modern fandom drama, XF was more low-key on the drama (although it didn't seem like it at the time!). But I learned something that's always served me well: find like-minded people, and hang out with them. Don't worry about the rest.

Also... you can't control the show, but you kind of can control the canon.

Because of Scully, I ended up taking a forensic anthropology class in university-- and now I have a Master's in a forensic science! Part of the Scully Effect, and proud of it!

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Definitely mostly email list! I never really got the hang of message boards. Posting fic was exhausting, and tbh I never figured out how to work Ephemeral. I checked it every day, though! I loved, after a new episode, everyone sending in their thoughts and reading everyone's experiences together. Fandom was a lot more work back then, tbh!

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

That fic can be just as good, or better, than traditionally published works. There are works of XF fic that have stuck with me for years now, far more than some books I've read. That fan writers can know the characters better than the show writers. The fandom in general was really smart, and mostly more adult than me (I joined fandom when I went away to college, so I always felt at the younger end of the scale. That was good though!).

Also, my first time reading and writing porn. Not gonna lie, I was shocked the first time I accidentally read smut. But I adjusted fast. lol

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I was still a kid (now we would say preteen) when the show premiered- I think in middle school. But I was already into ghosts, aliens, monsters, solving mysteries, and I'd already imprinted on the dynamic thanks to Square One (really)! I was also just old enough to start developing celebrity crushes. Hilariously, I did not twig to the fact that I'm bisexual the entire time I was in XF fandom, despite having enormous crushes on BOTH Mulder and Scully. Ahhhh!

Also, my whole family was into the show, but I was definitely the one with the hyperfixation. I used to take notes and record the episodes as I watched. It just had the right stuff and hit at the right time. And I've always been obsessive.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

As a kid I also really liked Star Trek, and someone had given my dad a book about the history of Star Trek, which I read. This included mentions of fandom and fanfic. As soon as I had a private-- and perhaps more importantly fast-- internet connection (in college), I went looking for XF fanfic, and that was that. Hooked immediately. Also I shipped them A LOT so that's what I went looking for.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I tend to not go back to a fandom once I have a new fandom, so I wouldn't say I'm in it. I did hang around the edges for the revival, of course, because I wanted to experience that with the same people, but since the revival was mostly not that great (with a few exceptions), I didn't get pulled back into it. But I still think of the people I knew in the fandom a lot, and always hope they're doing well.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I've never left fandom, and I've been in a BUNCH: Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Bandom, Supernatural, now CQL/The Untamed and other Chinese-media fandoms, with many smaller ones in between or on the side. I feel like at their core fandoms tend to be similar, although where you host the fandom makes a big difference: Livejournal, tumblr, twitter. I think that because fandoms now tend to be bigger and more diverse (which is good) there tends to be more wank (which is bad). In some of them I was close to a group of people, some of them not. Honestly the best thing is when someone you know from an old fandom is in your new fandom. It's so much fun. I have really good friends thanks to fandom, and I've had them for YEARS. Like. 15 years.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

I tend to focus more on ships than characters, but some of my all-time favs: Scully, Hermione, Sirius Black, Castiel, Lan Wangji, Xie Lian. That's just fandom-oriented ones, otherwise we'd be here all day. :D

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I don't often rewatch episodes any more, although if I come across an ep on tv I might. I definitely still think about them though! For example, I'm a teacher now, and just a couple weeks ago one of my colleagues mentioned he'd heard the students saying they shipped two of their classmates, and he was like "Ship? I don't get it" and I was like "HOO BOY, do I have a story for you!" And I explained how shipping came from XF fandom, and why. That was fun. I definitely still think about Mulder and Scully too-- I mean, they're cultural touchstones, so they do come up sometimes in greater pop culture. Also, I was in Hannibal fandom for a while, and Gillian Anderson is still The Best.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I haven't read XF fic in years, even the ones I remember as being really significant/important to me. I still have my all-time favs saved on an external HD though! Fic in another fandom- every day lol.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Blinded by White Light by DashaK has stuck with me. Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the Ruby-Throated Warbler by I forget I'm so sorry -- that's lasted as my ideal post-canon MSR and as an interesting and different way to tell a story.  [Lilydale note: It’s by rah.] I was always thrilled to see fic by Brandon, JET, MaybeAmanda, Syntax6... and, frankly, everyone on the Scullyfic/ Emuse list. So many talented people in that fandom!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Things Outside, which is the only thing I've ever written based on a dream, and I'm really satisfied with it. It was hard to write but so much fun to revel in the weirdness. I always kind of wanted to write more because I know a lot more about the situation, but otoh, I like the open, ambiguous ending (usually I am very HEA).

In other fandoms, King & Country in bandom (MCR) and in Supernatural I'm very proud of Hope and Clay. I struggle to write casefics even though I love to read them, but that one really worked out.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I don't think I'll ever write something new. There is an old fic that may be done but it was smut so I was too shy to post it at the time. In theory if I find it and it's decent, I could post it!

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I do! I write fic very slowly, but I do write still! I have a million ideas for stories, but I'm so slow at the actual writing part.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I usually take a jumping-off point from canon, or of course, something I need to fix or expand on. Or sometimes I start telling myself a story as I fall asleep and the idea grabs me long enough I can manage to write it.

What's the story behind your pen name?

I was getting into fandom and realized people didn't use their real names. I flipped through my history book looking for inspiration, and decided tabula rasa was a great name for a writer. I tend to add an X because it's rare to get "tabularasa" as a username, and the X is indeed for X-Files (so I'm something like tabulaxrasa most places). I usually go by Tabula Rasa or Tab, though. And I still use it because 1) it IS a great name for a writer; and 2) it's not fandom-specific so I can keep it in every fandom.

I identify with it so much I have answered to this name in class (oops). I have a "Tab" t-shirt (as in the soda, but I have worn it to Comic-Con for ease of ID-- better than a nametag!). And my mom got me a necklace with a "tab" typewriter key as a charm, which I adore. Yes, I have accidental merch of myself.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

As you can tell from the above, my family knows (my family being my parents and sister). They are supportive! I think my mom read a couple stories? But obviously she has to know the fandom to get it... I got my sister into fic, and we even wrote a couple fics together (in Gundam Wing). She's a lot more selective about fandoms, but she's joined fandoms on her own, too. She's just not in one constantly, like me. :p

I tend not to tell not-online friends unless I have felt them out and know they're super fannish, or they bring it up first.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Most of my old fic is now on AO3 and I hang out on twitter a lot, @tabula_x_rasa

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

I'm really glad people are still in this fandom! It will always be so important to me. Thank you Lilydale, for this nostalgia trip!

(Posted by Lilydale on March 30, 2021)

[peekbackstage]

Hello. At first let me thank you for your blog. I mean your posts and opinion as an insider is so interesting to read, it’s like you let us see a little more in this entertainment industry. After reading some posts I can now clearly see why so many stars live hard life, often have anxiety and even suicide thoughts. I mean their life seems to be fully controlled until they become really “someone” in this industry. Does it mean that until it happens they will do anything their company want and have nothing to do. I mean even if they get hate, they should pretend like they don’t care and can’t even say something against haters. My question is so random, I’m sorry. I also wanted to know, why so many singers and idols go acting even if they know many will hate it, they know they will get comments like “idols don’t let real actors to play”. I’m not sure about c-ent as I’m new. But I saw many such comments and reactions in Korean media. So why do they do it? Will they earn more money than being a singer or? Why not to try acting then? Why do they try to become idols? I mean there are so many talented singers and trainees who want ro sing. But eventually we see that many people who debuts as idols soon or later give up singing and try acting. I was just wondering. Thank you in advance, sorry if my question is too obvious. And better late than never. Happy New Year :)

Disclaimer: The following post is informed by my own experience working in the music industry. Chinese industry practices might vary.

In Asia, the world of entertainment tends to be pretty tightly regulated. It’s generally pretty difficult to get a foot in the door and even more difficult to actually “make” it. This post is going to mostly discuss Korea and Japan’s industries, as I am most familiar with those two markets. 

LET’S TALK A BIT ABOUT IDOL HISTORY! 

(Skip this entire section if you aren’t interested in history.) 

In 1962, Johnny Kitagawa, the CEO of the entertainment company, Johnny’s & Associates, launched Japan’s first boy band, Johnnys. While this group saw some minor popularity, it paled in comparison to the group that is often considered to be Asia’s “first” idol group, Four Leaves, who debuted in 1967. 

Four Leaves was a project composed of bishounen (pretty) boys who sang and dance but didn’t play any instruments. They were hand-selected and trained by Johnny Kitagawa himself, who largely focused on the artists’ personalities, attributes, and physical characteristics. 

Four Leaves’ success was so great that Johnny’s sought to replicate it, creating the first idol (aidoru in Japanese) training camp system which is the foundation of all idol companies these days. Just like idol companies today, Johnny’s selected young bishounen boys who were admitted via an audition process, and then placed them in a dorm together. There, they would train as Johnny’s Juniors (aka trainees) until they were ready to debut. 

By the 1980s, Japan had quite a few idol management companies (jimusho) that wanted to replicate Johnny’s success. By that time, the idol industry had matured, and the training camps had become extremely rigorous, Olympic-style singing, dancing, acrobatics, etc. all for the sole purpose of improving stage performances. By the time SMAP debuted in 1988, the system was already in place. But what SMAP did changed the game entirely: they launched their own variety show, effectively putting themselves into every Japanese household and endearing themselves to every single Japanese housewife. 

This caused their popularity to skyrocket, which in turn led to the creation of the ecosystem we now all know: the all-encompassing idol who sings, dances, and acts in tv shows, variety shows, plays, and films. Brand deals and endorsements also really took off during this time, especially with the most popular member, Kimura Takuya. 

(It must be noted that SMAP became very popular not only in Japan, but also all over Asia!) 

By this point, South Korea was taking notice, and by the 90s, debuted their first generation of idol groups, which included the likes of H.O.T. and Shinhwa, who all went through more or less the same style of training that Japanese idol jimushos put through trainees through. 

It must be noted that during this time, South Korea was pretty invested in trying to find the right secret sauce to also debut their artists in Japan, given the mature idol market there. S.M. Entertainment succeeded in doing this with their second generation artists, BoA, Super Junior, and TVXQ, by partnering with Avex Entertainment in Japan. (They even went as far as debuting a visual kei idol group, TraxX, which was actually produced by Yoshiki from X-Japan, to capitalize on the entire visual kei market in Japan.) JYP followed suit with Se7en and Rain, and YG Entertainment debuted BIGBANG and 2NE1. 

During this period of time, it must be noted that the big talk of the town was surprisingly not pop internationally - it was actually Jrock, which had a big surge of popularity in overseas markets between 2007-2009. (Hence S.M.’s desire to debut a visual kei idol band in Japan.) The Hallyu wave hadn’t really started yet, but within a matter of a few years, Kpop was suddenly the hottest new thing just about, well, everywhere.

In fact, it was so popular internationally, that by 2013, Kpop had become the #1 biggest contributor to South Korea’s GDP. It was so important to South Korea that the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism established KOCCA (the Korean Content Agency), which began heavily investing in the export of all things “Hallyu,” but especially Korean music. International industry conferences worldwide suddenly started to see the rise of Korean showcases, which took place literally everywhere. KOCCA was determined to export their idol culture all around the world. 

To capitalize more on international success, companies such as S.M. Entertainment and JYP began to incorporate Chinese members into their groups. This was specifically to give them a foot into the massive Chinese market, which, until the Hallyu ban in 2017, had a massive demand for all things Kpop. 

It was around this same time that TFBoys in China debuted. The industry largely considered them to be the first real homegrown mainland Chinese idol group that rose out of a similar training system used in both South Korea and Japan. 

HISTORY LESSON OVER! 

Why did I feel the need to explain all of this history, you wonder? Couldn’t I just answer the question in a straightforward way? 

Well, not really. It’s pretty important to understand that oftentimes, in the industry, idols aren’t seen as true artists - they are actually seen more as manufactured cultural products. The more products there are (i.e. music, acting projects) the more money there is, which in turn leads to more opportunities. When they are just starting out, idols never get to pick what activities they actually participate in - especially if they haven’t yet established themselves as very successful artists. 

And even when they are established, oftentimes, an idol company will push an artist to try expanding/broadening their various creative outputs with acting. Why only sell music, when you can make money through tv and film? 

Add in the additional benefit of not having any risk at all involved in said tv/film project and it’s win/win for the company - because they aren’t putting up any money upfront to produce and market the project. 

Companies want their idols to pursue acting gigs because it increases the market share for the artist and more opportunities for their artist to create new fans who might discover the artist through the drama or film. This tends to be a big part of the idol ecosystem, though it must be noted that not all idols do go down this route if their company determines that their music products might generate far more money than their acting products. 

This is especially true for rappers in particular, whose solo musical releases might not generate as much fanfare (or as much money) as an acting gig - especially in South Korea, where there is already a very mature, established Korean hip hop genre with plenty of very established hip hop artists. (There’s also a very popular hip hop competition show, Show Me The Money, that regularly features celebrity Korean hip hop artists.) 

Sometimes, it just makes more sense to take acting opportunities, as they can generate better income than music. 

Talented singers sometimes might also choose to go the acting route for the same reason - also because opportunities keep coming across the desks of their managers, who sometimes talk them into the projects. Other times, it may simply be that once an idol tries their hand at acting, they realize they have a real knack for it and end up wanting to pursue more acting projects. 

In any case, there isn’t a single, universal reason why idols choose to go from singing to acting, but there is a universal reason why all idols inevitably do make the switch: money. 

And for companies in particular, acting projects their artists star in are 100% pure profit with zero financial risk. 

In any case, quite a few artists started out in music, tried their hand at acting, and then continued to do both. We see this especially with artists such as Vanness Wu, IU (Lee Ji-eun), and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, who are all still active in both acting and music. 

I hope this massively long post was informative and also helped answer the question, “Why do idols go from singing to acting?” (I also hope I helped explain the way the idol ecosystem works and how it all started!) 

Thanks for the questions and for reading.

Edit: Oops, I totally forgot to answer the question, “Why do some people become idols?”

The answer is pretty simple: it’s really hard to get into the entertainment industry, and many people see idol factories as a straightforward roadmap into a career in entertainment. While it isn’t the only way into entertainment, it often is the path many artists do ultimately choose to take. 

[shiro-0197]

aw shiro, my love, don't worry about it!! i only hope you're okay and safe :d please only reply when you're free, and don't feel bad about it!! >:(

my day yesterday was okay, i've just been relaxing, and studying occasionally. went out to explore a nearby town too, it's so pretty there. and much colder (since it's a highlands) of course!! Today was great too. I bought doughnuts (they're amazing?? I love doughnuts), and I had instant ramen, but it was SO spicy I nearly died. (Three bottles of water later, because someone finished all the milk in the household *cough* me *cough*) and I'm still just reeling. Sucks having such low spice tolerance HAHA. I'm listening to some old school hip-hop rn, while typing this out :D how were your two days?

here are some i'll be using to teach english :d and that would honestly be much appreciated, he's getting on my last nerve rn. (I included the first few, what do you think?)

thats such a priceless feeling i so totally agree. you're so precious 🥺🥺 i'm sure they're prouder thank you imagine. you're so dedicated!! i'm sure all that extra research you've done will definitely pay off. it's good that you know what the job is roughly like, so you'll be really prepared when you finally do start it. you know that one scene, in the 2nd season of the great pretender? when the chinese mafia boss emphasizes the importance of a translator in literally everything? (like that book award example) i may be getting the thing muddled up, but i found that so cool. like yeah, a book or speech could be absolutely beautiful, but if everyone can't enjoy it due to it being a different language, it would be such a shame. i just find translators really important. sorry, i'm really dorky haha 🥺🥺

awww but i think your personality type is wonderful. a lot of my favourite characters are intj (they're all so precious istg grrrr) yes!! i was in a tooru brainrot yesterday too 😭😭😭 (saw a bunch of couples on my walk, and I was like "if only Tooru was real grrrr") and yes?? there'd be so much to learn from each and every one of them. dedication from hinata, savage lines from tsukki, kindness from yams/yachi, how to be a dork 101 from atsumu. aaaah 😭😭i'm sorry they're all so wonderful.

No pftttt I totally feel you. I saw some people without masks today and I was like "bro wtf" and just really loudly said "I sure hope everyone starts following the rules so the cases don't increase" because I'm a lil bitch like that xD

awww okay!! I'll definitely keep that in mind. Mayo makes everything better, tbh >.< aww that's understandable! I don't have specific preferences but hearing the phrase "soggy cheese" makes me want to cry somewhere :( I don't like nuts in chocolate. I'm very passionate about that? XD ikr??

I'm surprised too, I usually never pass on murder, but I guess you're just special like that 👉👈 sir I'd get married to you as many times as you'd like 😼 oops sorry for being cheesy, but—you like cheese ;)

U

I won't ask why, don't worry. Since I kinda feel the same about Malaysia tbh. It's a love hate relationship, I think HAHA but yeah 😣😣 i don't look up to US at all, and it sucks because people generally do. And I'm just like ;-; why (no offense to Americans tho lol)

is that even legal omg they're so chaotic?? XD how cute tho. Angel does stuff like that all the time too, but I'd never know that when I first met her (she has the most perfect exterior, and then when you get to know her; she's the biggest dork) Schools opening on the 20th, I can't wait to see her then :] (I can, however, wait for the exams which are scheduled for the 25th ugh)

peanut butter is indeed yellow, not up for discussion hehe :) here's my favourite hues!! I love gentle, soft hues like these (pastels) , for yellow; I don't have a favourite. they're all wonderful

ahhh no that's so precious of you!! :)) I'm smiling rn.

yeah skdhskdjsk I'M JUST SO GRRR. Whenever someone goes "hey Ari can you ______" and we both respond?? The tension?? In the air?? Bro skdjskks. 😔🤚 You share a name with one of the most precious characters too tho!!;

This is Shiro from Voltron hehe. I love him so much, just like I love you (tho I'm sure we both know I love you more <3)

I share a name with a book character. His name is Aristotle Mendoza, but his crush-turned-boyfriend calls him "Ari" (which has been my nickname since I was 12). Reading it for the first time was the BEST feeling ever. It's also my favourite book, "Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe".

—Ari :D (no pfttt I love the tag so much. I have my own tag, that's like the best thing ever 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺)

Heyyy I'm so sorry for answering so late!! I know you said not to apologize but..... well hmm no excuse I just feel like apologizing, but either way thank you for your patience!!♡ This is the third time I'm rewriting this, and this time I'm doing this in my notes because fuck it😔

Im glad to hear that!! Highlands are always so pretty. Wish we had those here, but it's only steppe here:( Boring~ ooh, donuts!!! They're really good. I havent much, but I tried them like 3 times and they're so good. I really hope I will get to eat more<3 also WHAT'S THOSE NOODLES' NAME I WANNA KNOW- Are you feeling okay now, though? XD

My days were nice!!! Felt as if I had been hiding three bodies, but I've been feeling better lately. We had online school yesterday so I'm excused from the errands for the half of the day, thankfully. But your messages make me very happy. Though I dont always feel like writing a response (or I get stressed because it doenst save) so very sorry for that😔

Ohh those look so pretty!! I'd totally join to just look at them. The colors are so nice🥺 it looks like one of our olympiad prep slides, though better. I dont have the screenshots sadly😩 Either way I really love the little details like the squiggly thingies or the Ж .... they seem unnecessary but the energy changes a lot without them hehe

I really hope they will be🥺 that'd mean a lot to me. And I'm also really hopeful itll work out. I really don't wanna disappoint my family, which is literally just one person. The less people there are, the more it hurts, you know?

Yeah, that scene meant so much to me!! I dknt remember much, but I was very happy they said something like that, because I've been told being a translator wont work out for me. Now look at me, I'm about to tell them to fuck themselves<3 I was also so surprised to see Laurent know that many languages ..... I aspire to be like him😩 And honestly, I havent though so deep of that but you opened my eyes and now I'm about to float off into the next universe😭 dont apologize though, its very cute!!!♥︎♥︎

Heheh, I guess you're right.. every single anime INTJ is a silent sexy mastermind and I love them . ... YEAH every single time I see a passing couple i cry because I dont have anyone 😡💔 and sometimes when I see people doing something amusing (which includes people failing cuz I'm evil) I just imagine one of the characters doing that and I smile all the way xD Honestly, I'd sell my father on black market for a single day with one of them:( though that may sound like a really low price because his cigarette filled lungs wouldnt cost a lot... I sound like my 7th grade self again I'm so sorry

BAHQHHANEJWJD I HOPE THEY WERE EMBARRASED. I HOPE THEY FELT AWKWARD AND OTHER PEOPLE DID TOO, they deserve it. Like, learn your lesson bitch, it's been a year!

Yeah!!! I love mayo, not to the point where I would gulp it down from the package, but it does make dishes taste good. Same, soggy cheese on itself sounds like a dish served in the ninth circle of hell. You should try nuts in honey!! Like, just straight up dip them in honey. Sounds weird, and it doesnt always taste NEJFJKSKF (depends on the honey)but I think it's worth trying xD Walnuts are the best with honey I think

That was so funny ... TOO FUNNY, I LAUGHED FOR LIKE . 3MINUTES STRAIGHT and I do not laugh when I'm tired. You really are special 😭😭😭😭 cheesy ... HAHRNFJJSF

I'm so sorry for being a bully like that but it's so funny how you left a single U there . Its so mysterious, was it in purpose? Or were you lost in the excitement if messaging me?

I was one of those people, honestly 😭 but mostly because I wasnt aware of its political condition, I guess. Maybe theres more than just politics that's bad about US, but honestly, it has more opportunities than this hellfire. Though now I'm more into Norway and Japan. Really wanna travel there :(

Heheh, yeah, we never really show off to strangers at first. I dont know what exactly I mean by we, but you get my point ♡ Good luck though!! I hope it goes well for you<3

Oh they looks so pretty!! They're really wonderful. Like bubblegum and cotton candy and literally anything sweet... it's so cute !!! And I totally agree, there isnt a bad yellow.

HAHAH, honestly, that reminds me of how there were 4 people with the same name in my class, and whenever the teacher did the attendance thing, they would all stand up. Teachers usually dont say the last names, so we always gotta ask which person they mean if theres more than one person with that name, so yeah.. That happened on accident at first, but then they just did it for trolling xD

OH MY GOD HES SO PRETTY? HES SO PRECIOUS?? HUHHH??? I gotta thank Kuro for this wonderful opportunity of sharing a name with someone like .... him🥺

Oh that's so cool!! Also, he has a boyfriend ... I really need to start reading xD it's so cute though! It sounds like such a good book, I'm glad you share a name with him, hehe!!

I also share my real name with one of the characters in a kids' show, and its SO ugly, I'm in pain. Every time my friends see one of those on TV they go

Which is a pain in the ass, it's so embarrassing...........

Awh, okay!! I'm glad you love it, cuz I do too. Because it's your name.... cuz I love u. That was so lame PLEASEJWJDJSJF I HOPE YOUR DAY WAS GREAT !!! LOVE YOU

[voemae582]

Fools Fall in Love

Short Fic. 

Marinette has been thinking of him non stop for days and days. While she's alone, or at least thinks she is, her heart begins to sing about her longing feelings. After she's finished a shadow reveals himself seeing her in a new light. Is this the one she's in love with? Does he like her more then just a friend?

The school bell rang and Marinette shuffled out of her class with her best friend Alya. They went to their lockers and chatted with friends in the common area. After a while the students slowly dispersed and went home for the day. Marinette was standing at the entrance with Alya and Nino. The couple invited Marinette to watch a movie with them, but she had other plans.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with?" Alya asked Marinette.

She shook her head. "You two go, besides, I've got some stuff to do. Have fun."

"If you're sure?" Nino questioned.

"Yeah, I'll text you guys later." 

She waved them off and once they were out of sight she turned around and went back into the building. Her hand slid up the railing as she stepped up the stair case. She hummed to herself and walked along the side of the railing on the second floor of the building. Looking down at the empty court yard made her feel calm. The fact that she was alone other than Tikki sleeping in her purse made her comfortable. At least for a while it gave her time to think of him.

She always liked him, she always enjoyed being around him. But she wasn't good at expressing herself. Anyone who knew her would tell you she's a mess when it comes to boys. After a few minutes she made it to her destination. The art room. 

Before she could twist the knob, the door opened. Marc and Nathaniel came walking out. Marinette yelped a little at the sudden surprise. Nathaniel and Marc were always in the art room doing little projects together but them suddenly popping out scared not only her but them. After the shock wore off in a second, they laughed.

"Hey Marinette." Nath said.

"Sorry for the shock, we're just leaving." Marc added.

"Hi guys, done already?"

Nathaniel clenched his sketch book in his arms, "Yeah, we're going to Marc's to finish it up. I've got a good feeling about this story."

"It's all thanks to your art." Marc mentioned. Nathaniel smiled wider.

Marinette loved seeing them so happy. "When it's done, maybe I could read it? I bet it'll be amazing."

"Sure, we'll see you tomorrow."

Marinette waved bye to them and entered the classroom. The lights were off but there was so much natural light that she didn't need to turn them on. She set her bags on a table next to an isle and positioned a sketch pad on it. 

After ten minutes of rough sketches she began humming to herself again. On the white piece of paper she made light lines and strokes making up the structure of a face. Her humming got more soft and gentle as she drew the details of the eyes. His face was detailed in her mind and she expressed her feelings with her pencil. Before she knew it there was one song in particular that rung in her head.

Meanwhile at the front of the school Adrien was getting out of his car. "I'll be right back, I think its in the classroom." Earlier that day Adrien forgot his Chinese book at school. He ran into the building and jogged up the stairs making it to his homeroom classroom. He grabbed the door and jiggled it. It was locked. "Locked?" He jiggled it again to no prevail.

Plagg flew out with his arms crossed. "So you miss a Chinese lesson, what's the harm?"

Adrien gave him a stern look. "You know what my father will say if I miss Chinese. Or well, it's more of a disappointed silence, which is worse." He looked around and saw no one. "There has to be someone here who has a key. Maintenance or a teacher?"

"Lets just-" Before Plagg could finish they heard the sound of something dropping a few classrooms away. Plagg hid in his master's bag and Adrien walked over hoping it was someone who could let him in. 

The art room door was cracked open and he peered inside. His hand slowly pushed the door a little more open. No one was in sight, until he saw Marinette stand up. She had bent over to grab a pencil pouch she dropped. When she stood up quickly Adrien instinctively hid outside the door. He didn't know why he was hiding. 

Marinette reached to put the pouch back on the table and some pencil's accidently rolled out and on the floor. She tried to catch them but fell in the process and Adrien heard her gasp as she slipped. When she tried to stand up again she hit her head under the table and a big thud echoed the room followed by a groan from the girl. She slowly stood up rubbing her head with one hand and placing the pencils on the table with the other.

Adrien couldn't help but giggle at her clumsiness. Even when no ones around she still trips. He thought of the saying, "If a tree falls and no ones around to hear it, does it really make a sound?"

"Marinette? Wow she really is clumsy..." Plagg blurted.

"Plagg, Shhhh!" Adrien hushed him.

While Adrien was arguing with Plagg, Marinette made sure the pencils wouldn't fall again and stood in front of her portrait. Tikki popped out of her purse, "Are you okay Marinette?"

"Yeah, sorry did I wake you?" She smiled at her sleepy kwami.

"No it's alright." She flew up and examined the picture. "Wow, Marinette this looks great."

"Thanks Tikki. I'm not quite done yet. It'll be a while longer, so if you want to nap some more you can."

"Just a few more minutes." Tikki kissed Marinette's cheek and snuggled back into her purse.

Outside the door Adrien was whispering to Plagg. "I should say something."

"Why? She doesn't know you're here, watching her all creepily." Plagg laughed.

He looked back into the classroom and before he went inside he was mesmerized by her. The look in her eyes, the focus and determination she had. He didn't want to bother her. He was about to leave but heard her start humming.

It was soothing.

He gazed back at her soft blue eyes. And she started to sing.

"Wise men say, Only fools rush in, But I can't help falling in love with you" She swayed to the rhythm. "Shall I stay? Would it be a sin, If I can't help falling in love with you?"

He leaned against the wall and rested his head against the door side.

Her lips formed a sweet smile. "Like a river flows, Surely to the sea, Darling, so it goes, Some things are meant to be."

He could watch her for hours.

"Take my hand, Take my whole life too, For I can't help falling in love with you. Like a river flows, Surely to the sea, Darling, so it goes, Some things are meant to be.."

At this point he desperately wanted to see the picture she was drawing with so much passion.

"Take my hand, Take my whole life too, For I can't help falling in love with you. For I can't help falling in love with you..." Once she was done singing she started to hum.

"Wow..." Adrien whispered. He stood straight and knocked on the door before pushing it fully open.

The knock  made Marinette jump and fall on her butt. "A-Adrien!?"

He ran over to her to help her up quickly. "Marinette!? Are you okay?"

She got up as fast as she could so he wouldn't worry. "No! I-I mean yes, thank you." She cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, uh, I forgot my Chinese text book here and I saw the door open." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I see..." She purposely stood in his way so couldn't walk around the isle and see her project.

Adrien awkwardly looked around trying to find anything to say. "Marinette, um, would you like to-"

"Marinette?" 

Adrien looked behind him and saw Luka standing in the door way. "Luka?"

"Hey Adrien!" Luka waved.

"Luka, you're here already? Time sure flies by.." Marinette laughed.

Luka stood next to her. "You two going to hangout?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, I'm teaching her guitar. You want to come over too?" Luka offered.

"Sorry, I have Chinese lessons..."

"Well maybe next time then. Ready to go?" He grabbed Marinette's bag for her and they started to leave.

"I'll see you in class Adrien." Marinette smiled.

"Y-yeah, see you tomorrow." He gave them a weak wave as they exited. As soon as they left Adrien let out an irritated sigh. "Marinette's just a friend."

"Sure kid, whatever you say." Plagg flew out and patted his cheek.

He noticed she left her sketch pad on the isle and walked around to see it. "Amazing..." The portrait was of Luka. His detailed blue eyes and wild hair. "Of course it is..." His finger tips caressed the surface of the page and he traced lightly not to smudge it the lines she was so focused on. "Lets go Plagg, the Gorilla's waiting."

"What about your book?"

"It doesn't matter." He was passing the isle and accidently bumped it, making the sketch pad fall. "Oops!" He knelt down to pick it up. When he flipped through the pages to find Luka's portrait he froze. There were portraits of him in it. From many different angles she drew him as well. Not only him there was at least a few of Chat Noir too. "Plagg do you see this?"

"So?"

"She drew me. Me! Adrien, Adrien and Chat Noir" He flipped through them and near the end his disappeared and Luka's began. "Wait, why did she stop?"

"That's what happens when you get a new muse. Sorry kid, but looks like she found a new tune."

"Tune?"

"Goodbye pianist, hello rock star!" Plagg played air guitar.

Adrien put it back on the isle and walked out of the room. "Let's pretend we didn't see it after all." He started plotting down the stairs melancholy and saw Marinette running in the building. She ran up only a few steps above him and looked down at him as he looked at her.

"Um, forgot something." She shrugged.

"It happens to the best of us." He smiled. She giggle and ran the rest of the way up the stairs. He watched her go into the art room. "I'm such a fool." And he walked out of the building.

[vulpes-incendium]

From Leon to Matthew 

For @aphrarepairweek2020

June 17: Letters

Pair: CanHong (as brothers)

Warning: historical references, hints of current events

Summary: Selections of letters from Leon to Matthew (1867 - 2020)

============================

 9th December, 1867

Matthew 哥哥,

Where are you? When you back home?

Why you no back home? I miss you! I miss panncakes!

Arthur say my english better. I need practise. You come home and practise with me!

See you Chrissmas!

I very miss you!

Leon

============================

 3rd October, 1914

Dear Matthew,

    How are you?

    I heard about the war, Arthur would not let me listen to the radio nor read the papers, but I knew. Neeraj, Jett and Noah were all being called away, Michelle, the others and I were left alone at home. Still quite crowded, but not quite the same. No more pancakes in the house, no more pretend-ice hockey games, no more of your English lessons. You are not the loudest in the house, but it is not the same without you.

    I know war, I have seen them, I know how it is like. Please take good care of yourself. I know Arthur is strong, Neeraj is always there to help, Jett is determined and Noah is trustworthy, but I know they depend on you a lot. So promise me, be safe. I promise I will stay safe too, I will keep the house tidy and take care of the others, so do not worry!

    Miss you and waiting for you to come home.

Love,

Leon

============================

 17th June, 1942

Dearest Matthew,

    I do not know if this could reach you, we are not allowed to contact anyone outside of Japan. Anyway, how are things going on with you?

    I am sorry. I could not save your people, and Arthur's and Neeraj's people. It breaks my heart to hear how they were treated in the camp, at a place where children should learn without worries, on my land. Families, children, friends were separated, in a foreign land, buildings were torn apart. My people are forced to learn yet another new language. They are being taught to hate you, Arthur, Alfred and the others. They were promised a “family reunion”, yet all I see was the opposite.

    I apologise for being so useless. My people are trying hard to help them at Stanley, but Kiku's people would not allow it. I will try my best to learn Japanese to appease them, though it feels different than when I first learn English. The words are similar, yet it feels so foreign. I do not know what else I could do other than listen, obey and adapt, as I always do. I will keep on going, but I am tired.

    Why do these people, sharing the same eyes, same hair, same skin as me, feel so different to me? Why do these people, who are supposed to be my brothers and sisters, act nothing more than a stranger? Why do these people, whom I should call family, separate me and my family? Does blood really disconnect people from each other? Brother, I am frustrated, confused, lost... I just want to come home, to Arthur, to you, is it too much to ask for?

    Sorry for lashing out my feelings onto you, you are the only person I believe who could truly understand. Please do not worry about me, I will go through this with my people. I am not sure if I could see you again, or if the war is going to end, or if I am ever coming back home. I miss you, Arthur and the others. Please take care of yourself and remember that my heart will always be by your side. I miss you.

With all my love,

Leon

============================

1st July, 2020

Dear Matthew,

    I could have texted you, but I wanted to keep our tradition of writing letters. So, how have you been?

    I hope your people are doing fine, mine are relatively healthy, not quite happy though. I feel alone from time to time, sometimes I'm jealous of you. You and your people always seem so peaceful. Yes, I promised you not to make an invisible joke again, but I do, truly, wish I were like you sometimes, not standing in the centre of attention all the time, being argued over for, tossed around like an object. I just wish I would be like you someday, able to satisfy your people's wants.

    Please send my regards to Alfred, I'm seriously concerned about him and his people now. It's not an easy time for him at the moment, the illness, the anger, the chaos must be boiling up for him. I would love to know if I could do anything to help. We live so far away from each other, but I hope you'd know my heart is still with you all. 

    You can't imagine how hard I tried not to put slangs and acronyms in, I guess this is the reason why you keep on insisting that we continue exchanging letters, I can still speak proper English and I still remember how to write a letter. I could imagine Arthur lecturing me if I messed up any of those and your disappointed face after all those years of tutoring lol. (Oops, I finally did it. Can't help it.)

      And of course, Happy Birthday! Miss you. (Wow, that's really cheesy, have we always been like that?) No in all honesty, I miss you so much, so very much.

From your brother with love,

Leon

============================

 A/N: 

哥哥 = big brother

Neeraj = India

Jett = Australia

Noah = New Zealand

Michelle = Seychelles

“The others” would mean other British territories which were not involved in the war, such as Singapore, Jamaica and Bahamas. They are not named because they are not canon characters.

~

Stanley Internment Camp was used by the Japanese imperial forces to hold non-Chinese enemy nationals. St. Stephen's College was used for the camp, located next to Stanley Prison, where Japanese authorities used to hold those whom they considered “criminals”. About 2800 men, women and children were held there, majority being British.

I'm sorry I have to bring the bad history up, Hong Kongers don't hate Japan (maybe older generations do, not sure), but history is history and should be told.

~

I can't believe this is the very first writing I post on the internet! And the first non human AU! I have a couple fanfic I'm writing but I'm not secure enough to post them. Look what a challenge could do to you! I even tried editing a cover!

Sorry for the quality, it was a bit rushed, I learnt about the event like 2 days ago and I thought about not joining. “Letters” immediately caught my attention coz I can't draw or edit, and I have always wanted to write something for my BrOTP CanHong (even though I have prepared something for their birthdays). One of my headcannons is Canada was the one who taught HK English, as England would always be away at those times, hence the English lesson references.

Alright, let see if I could still manage to squeeze out another one in time. (I have 2 more pairs I want to write about for “Thunderstorm” and “Magic” respectively.) Consider this an early present for the two! Oh wait, Happy Birthday to you too, Iceland!

Leon's words to Alfred is also mine to the Americans, stay safe ❤️

[lesmiserabby]

Tagged by @queen-paladin, thanks for the tag!

1. what is the color of your hairbrush? Red

2. name a food you never eat: Oh there are so many.... But the no bacon and no poutine seem to be horrifying to my fellow Canadians

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? Too warm is the one I actually notice so I’m gonna go with that

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? Practicing piano

5. what’s your favorite candy bar? I’m assuming this translates to chocolate bar in Canadian and I’m not super big on chocolate... I enjoy the occasional Snickers though.

6. have you ever been to a professional sports game? Canada vs someone in Fifa over ten years ago, it rained a lot which was unfortunate because soccer is very much outside. It was fun enough, but I’ve never been super into sports, my dad and sibling loved it though.

7. what is the last thing you said out loud? Not counting humming along to my piano, I said goodnight to my mom.

8. what is your favorite ice cream? cookie dough or butterscotch swirl.

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? Sodastream orange soda

10. do you like your wallet? Very much, it’s BB-8!

11. what is the last thing you ate? spaghettini smothered in parmesan cheese

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? nope

13. what’s the last sporting event you watched? I dunno, probably some bits and pieces of hockey or soccer on tv?

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Very specifically love the cheddar from this local place, absolutely fantastic, 10/10. Also love Smartfood white cheddar and also just regular popcorn with melted butter.

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? my boyfriend

16. ever been camping? yes, so many times growing up, used to go at least once every summer. I miss it. 

17. do you take vitamins? I try to, I have forgotten for the past month or so, they are definitely needed courtesy of my inability to eat a lot of things.

18. do you regularly attend a place of worship? Sort of, I try to, I’m a preacher’s kid, but I also get bad insomnia - like went to work on less than an hour of sleep the other day bad - and accidentally sleep instead. It was very pathetic that I couldn’t even get myself out of bed and into the kitchen when we were doing our services as livestreams from home.

19. do you have a tan? No, I kind of did this summer but it’s gone again. Generally I try to cover myself in sunscreen and avoid tanning because I have the complexion of an anemic vampire and I don’t tan, I just burn and then it fades, and I HATE it. 

20. do you prefer chinese or pizza? Pizza, 

21. do you drink your soda through a straw? Depends on how coordinated I’m feeling, but probably should use my straws more often, regardless of what I’m drinking. I frequently spill water on myself when I try to drink.

22. what color socks do you usually wear? black

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit? Occasionally a couple kilometers over by accident, mostly I just walk places since I don’t have my own car. (do have my full G, cars are just too expensive)

24. what terrifies you? So so so many things. Spiders, being abandoned, losing loved ones, bitchy customers at work who don’t know how to read a menu

25. look to your left, what do you see? my wall

26. what chore do you hate most? Currently hating packing and I haven’t even started really beyond taking empty boxes from work oops

27. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? Ok so 99.9% of the time wen I hear an Australian accent it is Siri on my boyfriend’s phone acting as a GPS and he likes to pretend to fight with Siri and be like “don’t tell me what to do” so I don’t really think anything so much as internally have a deep sigh and kind of laugh to myself. I love him.

28. what’s your favorite soda? Don’t really have one any more, used to be all over Pepsi but I’m trying to have less caffeine because insomnia and hoping cutting out caffeine helps (it hasn’t yet but oh well) so....

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? I usually only ever really get fast food when I’m at work and it literally is my workplace so... I’m just already there, inside, behind the counter.

30. what’s your favorite number? A nat 20 on a D20 when playing Dungeons and Dragons.

31. who’s the last person you talked to? Not counting texts to my boyfriend, my mom

32. favorite meat? Chicken and fish, for fish specifically walleye/pickerel (ideally from NWO) and salmon

33. last song you listened to? So Soon by Marianas Trench because that piano part with Josh Ramsay’s vocals is just beautiful

34. last book you read? Currently working through Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis and Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J Anderson for physical books and listening to Clash of Kings for audiobook.

35. favorite day of the week? Monday because that is my therapy and piano lesson day, the one day a week I always consistently know what I’m doing, other days are uncertain because work schedule is different every week.

36. can you say the alphabet backwards? I can barely say it normally.

37. how do you like your coffee? Nonexistant, the smell makes me nauseous.

38. favorite pair of shoes? My new work shoes, specifically because they’re new and therefore not falling apart.

39. time you normally get up? Depends on what my work schedule is.

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? sunset

41. how many blankets on your bed? 5? I think? If I counted right.

42. describe your kitchen plates: white

43. describe your kitchen at the moment: An island, cupboards, a stove, a dishwasher, a fridge, usually the dog is there begging for treats because she knows exactly where they are. I dunno, it’s a kitchen

44. do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? Mike’s Hard Lemonade is always good, I also like mixing Sourpuss with Sprite or ginger ale, I like both the raspberry and green apple. 

45. do you play cards? No.

46. what color is your car? My parents have a white car, I am helping my boyfriend pay for his truck, he calls it our truck but it’s really his, the truck is silver

47. can you change a tire? I helped my dad change one once way back in high school, haven’t done it since, definitely don’t remember.

48. your favorite state or province? Gonna sound so Ontario-centric if I say Ontario but yeah.... But not south Ontario, specifically northwest Ontario, which really should be its own province. Manitoba’s nice too. Like I live here now but not big on South Ontario. Niagara is kinda pretty but please just send me back up north.

49. favorite job you’ve had? Honestly my current job. Like there are times that it sucks but I’ve been here over a year and the competition is housekeeping (dead body, deer skull, people getting drunk and puking all over the bathrooms) and that time I got screamed at by an alcoholic woman when I was 17 for “blowing off shifts” that I wasn’t even scheduled for when I had a throat infection and then asking for time off when my grandpa died (literally screamed at me day of) so like... yeah, McDonald’s is actually heavenly in comparison.

Tagging @autie-j and @bb8-boppity-boo

[language-and-stuffs-i-guess]

new years resolutions 2019 (langauge edition)

i finally figured out what i want to do this year (language-wise), so here my plan

i want to get to B2 in spanish and spanish 3 at school. for korean, i want to get to B1 and unit 4 on howtostudykorean.com.

i really want to get to N3 in japanese buuuut...japanese isnt really my strong suit...i need to work on kanji lol

for asl, i want to get to level 3, which i dont think will be too difficult (hopefully)

in chinese, i want to get to hsk 3. honestly chinese is such a fun language?? and im progressing a lot in it so far

i want to get to level 3 in hawaiian and finish all the hawaiian lessons in duolingo

last but not least, i want to get level bet in hebrew. hebrew isnt too difficult of a language, but i dont have that much time to learn it, so i dont really progress much oops

as for starting any new languages, i dont think i will this year, and if i do, it’d will probably be only one and towards the end of the year. i mean, in 2018, i started learning 5 languages soooo....yeah lol

what are your langauge resolutions for 2019??

[officialleehadan]

Masterlist 09/02/2018

Hello Darlings, here is the updated masterlist as of 09/01/18

If you want to blacklist these posts, which will update every other week or so, the tag is Lee Hadan Masterlist

All the stories here are arranged by series, and the stories are arranged chronologically within their series. If there’s only one story in a series, I already have continuations written (or planned) and more will be coming soon!

EDIT: There seems to be some technical stuff going on, on Tumblr’s end, because the links here are not posting up on the Desktop version of Tumblr. I’ve already submitted a report about it, but if you’re having trouble seeing links on this post, that would be why.

+++

Support me on Patreon

My Tip Jar

Books on Amazon:

Goblin Armor

There has never been much in way of peace between the Faerie Realm, and  the Shadow Wold of the Goblins. Generations of hostility and mistrust  will do that. Still, for two generations, the border has been quiet, and the fearsom Goblins hidden away deep in their dark forest. Until now.  With the Goblins on the march, and Princess Snowbell’s king-father  flying to meet them, it is all Snow can do to keep her family, and her  Realm, from falling to treason, and murder. 

Return Again

I thought my father was normal. The kind of dad who deals with work, and homework, and the troubles that come with being a single father to a   seventeen-year-old girl. I didn’t know he went to a different world when he was a teenager. I didn’t know he was the Chosen One of a magic   sword. I didn’t know he saved a whole kingdom, maybe their world, before he was twenty. That was thirty years ago. Now they need him back, and   I’m going with him.

The Idol of Astre: ($2 a month on Patreon)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

The Unsettled:

Handful of Salt

Critter Jar

Appropriate use of Craft Glitter

Unafraid

The Ghosts of Pinewood Estate (Patreon-Only!)

This Old House:

Experienced Home-Buying

Living Negotiation (Patreon-Only!)

White Roses and Deck Railings 

Twins Together:

Brothers Apart

Sanctuary Always

Twins in Crime

Twinning Disagreements

Bond of Brothers

One Mind, Two Heads (Patreon Only!)

Deities and Demigods:

Boredom

Inconvenienced

Luck’s Chosen

Golden Apples

Brewer’s Glass (Patreon-Only!)

Apocalypse:

Come Again Another Day

Invasion from Below

War-Beasts

Four Horses

Four Horsemen

Horsemen Four

Mercy Mercy Mercy

To Save a Bird

Together Time (Patreon-Only!)

Breaking Waves:

After the Storm

Winter Wind

Storm At Sea

Uncollected Faeries:

Faerie Ring

Glitter Poo

Skitter

Wine-Dark

The End of Indian Summer

Purple Handed

At the Sign of the Silver Rose:

Cold Iron Buckshot

Troll Market

Selkie Skin:

Seal Coat

Over the Sea (Patreon-Only!)

Uncollected Dragons:

Exploration by Wing

Iced White Wine

Mine to Hoard

Hoard of Memories

Uncollected Witches:

Best Served Cold

Casual Friday

Exotic Components

One Eye on the Other Side

Spelled Cooking

Thyme can Heal

The Lightning Witch:

Static Charge

First Strike

Black Lightning on the Horizon

Storm Breaking

Copper Pipes

Crash Down

Husband to the Queen

When the Wolf Star Rises

Treebrothers:

Snow Elf

Wild Roses and Birdsong

Bare-Handed

Spider-Eating Elves:

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Introductory Trouble

Lady of Grace

Lady of Stone, and her Girlfriend

Lady Retrieved

Monsters on the Wing

Spiderwebs and Cookies

Royal Match

Lines in the Sand

Worldbuilding Essays:

Blood Magic

Elf Forest

Green Magic

Forge Magic

Thread Magic

Dragons

Light and Dark Magic

13 Moons

Frost Moon

Blue Moon

Jasmine Moon

HGE - Human/Alien Relations

Get That OUT of Your Mouth

Medical Attention

Claws

Ingenuity

War and Peace

Echo-Folk

HGE - Invasions

Invasion Denied

Blood Will Tell (What Waits in the Dark)

No Moon

HGE - The Others

Through Shattered Glass

Sea and Sky

HGE - Mismatched

Death Valley Sand

HGE - Conflagration

Fire District

HGE - Smoke before Fire

The Legend, The Rumor

Deep Water and Scales

Black Scales and Open Spaces

Screams in the Dark

Warning Lights

Into the Wild

Nobility and Flames

Packmates

HGE - The Maw

Back Room Handshakes

New Understandings

Poker Face

Brassy Secrets

HGE - Learn to Fly, Learn to Breathe:

Red Sun

Red Baron

Red Prince

Red Sky

Stone and Intuition:

Pack Hunters

Attack Droids

Dragon Bones

Dream of a Desk Job

BulbasaurBot

Explosive Foolishness

Inferno Grenades

Married Life

The Hand of Bone:

Death’s Kiss

Death’s Glow

Supers Beyond

Card Shark

Heroic Rescue

Housekeeping Before Villainy

Jet Fuel

Lobster Bisque

Opposing Elements:

Cold Front

Elemental

Reality at Will

Altering Reality

Reality Bent

The Pen is Mightier

Will of Fire

Chinese Pepper

Firepower

A Moment’s Peace

Burnout

Doctor Rimeheart (Supervillain Coffee Shop)

Handicapped

Power Rests in the Eye

Nuclear Option

Incidental Villain

Second in Command

Cut a Deal

First Summon

Even Supervillains run from Fangirls

The Blackest Coffee

Deal with the Devil

Opportunity for Advancement

Fear and Coffeegrounds

Personal Space

Broken Countertops

Christmas Cookies

Revealed

Wannabe Wannabes

Home Life

Shadows Unleashed

Old Villains (Patreon-Only!)

Higher Being Housemates

Bright Red Panties

Black and White Feathers

Demonic Comfort

Demonic Intervention

Unwanted Attention

Magpie Wings

Don’t Fall

Sparklers and Demon Smiles

Holy Words

Uncollected Demons:

Accidental Oops

Bloody Mirror

Brimstone Portal

Burn My Body and Bury Me Deep

Holy Protestation

On Repeat

The Gunsmith

The Wrong Victim

Over the Edge

Sinners

Seven Sins

House of Demons

A Deal Once Made:

You Scratch my Back

Contract Lawyer:

Blue Frosting

Fine Print

Uncollected:

Awaken History

Command.Awaken

Isle of Monsters

One Punch Man

Stonebreaker Caldera

Hot Potato, Hot Potato

Vigilante Vampire  

Crawlspace

Blood on the Walls

Between Us Girls:

Surprises Abroad

Uncollected Fantasy:

Below the Fog

Glitter Bold

God-Touched Tide

Into the Darkness

Turn Me

Wolf Moon

Blood Moon

Hallowed Halls Memorial

A Kiss to Heal a Broken Heart

Cursebroken

Nothing but Trouble

Build a House of Paper

Unspoken Words

Imagine Reality (Patreon-Only)

The Mistlands:

Foolhardy Errand

Letters Sent

Desert Glass:

Spellborn Lost

Smoked Glass

Books and Shared Experiences

Burned and Blasted

The Rise to Power:

Behind Closed Doors

Two Minds as One

Political Assassination

Gates Torn Down

Heaven’s Gates

Counter-Code:

Code for Magic

99 Shiny New Bugs

Blood Magic:

Blood Fire

At the Last Moment

Healing Touch                                                                                            

Unbound, Unbroken

Student Discovered

Claimed as Ours

Never Free:

Round and Round Again

Mistaken Step

Spinning Wheel

Stronger Together

Tea and History

Girl Talk

Golden Scales:

Tigerfish

Riverside

Blood and Passion:

White Marble

First Negotiation

Blood Summit

Blood Claim

CovenHold

Wolf Club

Blood-Traitor

Slow Burn:

About-Face

Dancing Lessons

Guiding Stars:

Procyon Moon

Altair Chariot

Vega Dignity

Secondhand Souls:

Partnership of Flames

+++

[altonajitzu]

[Oneshot] Worthy of Headlines

“Look, Tzuyu-ah. We’re at the airport already.” Sana said excitedly, pulling Tzuyu from her thoughts.

“Oh? That was fast.” Next to her, Mina was still dozing off. TWICE’s resident penguin had had a rough day. Well, technically they all did, spending a larger part of yesterday attending the GAONCHART awards ceremony and not going home until late at night. While admittedly fun, it was no picnic for the more introverted members of TWICE- suffice to say, Mina and Tzuyu were beyond exhausted thereafter. The Taiwanese, fortunately, managed to catch a few hours of shut-eye prior to their trip to Gimpo airport, having prepared her luggage beforehand.

Tzuyu took a glance around the bus she and the J-Trinity were riding in. They were given relative privacy, sitting in the middle of the vehicle with a distance of two seats from their entourage. To better identify, all bodyguards wore uniform black parka, along with- to distinguish from other black wearers- a ridiculously bright yellow cap. What a great way to avoid attention, Tzuyu snorted inwardly. Still, she was not one to question how bodyguarding worked, so she let her mind wander other things instead.

Not yet Tzuyu, don’t go there now. Tzuyu shook her head.

At the two seats on the other side of the bus sat Mina and Momo, who were engrossed in conversation. Rather, it was mostly Momo talking animatedly in Japanese while Mina just sleepily nodded along, occasionally giving curt answers. Such was the dynamic of the couple’s relationship, one being a boundless source of energy while the other being silent and attentive. The scene certainly reminded her of a certain relationship she had with someone.

No! Stop thinking. Talk. Distract yourself. Tzuyu decided not to butt in for now, opting to focus on the remaining member of TWICE on the bus.

“Sana-unnie.” The Japanese girl looked up from her snack.

“Yeah?”

“What are you planning to do when you get back to Japan? I mean, aside from reuniting with your family.”

“Well, we do not really have much time for other stuff, do we?” Sana replied, an uncharacteristic wistful expression present on her face. “I mean, I do want to visit many friends and other relatives too. But given our limited time, I’d rather stay with my family as much as possible than make many pointless short trips.”

That was true for in all their cases, Tzuyu thought sadly.

“What about you, Tzuyu? Tell me you have something different in mind.”

“I actually have to do something else unnie. Do you remember I posted about an earthquake back in my home country the other day?” Sana nodded. “Well, I’m supposed to travel to Hualien city. You know, to pay homage to families of the dead and injured.”

Sana gasped, recalling the pictures she saw on the news. While not particularly devastating, the disaster left several buildings in a highly volatile state, and there had been no updates on the situation since then. “You’re going to travel there, Tzuyu? Isn’t that dangerous? I don’t want you to get hurt.” She dramatically grabbed the younger girl’s hand, giving her a lost puppy look.

Tzuyu laughed a bit at this. “Don’t worry too much Sana-unnie, they already dealt with most of the damage. There won’t be any building falling over me… I think.” This earned her a swat from Sana.

“It’s not a joke Tzuyu! You might really get in danger.”

“But, I’m not alone, remember? I have the bodyguards with me always, and I believe in them.”

Sana still did not seem convinced. She opened her mouth to say something more, then- as if remembering something, she promptly shut it again. “… Oh.” A mischievous smile suddenly crossed her face. This did not go unnoticed by Tzuyu.

“What does that mean Sana-unnie?”

“What does what mean? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You just smiled. You’re hiding something from me.”

Again, Sana was about to retort, but thought better of it and sighed. “You’re good Tzuyu-chan.”

Tzuyu shrugged. “What can I say? The silent ones know the most.”

“That I can agree.” Interrupted Mina, who somehow managed to catch what the Taiwanese girl said just now. “The more you talk, the less you know.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Shouted an indignant Momo, and everyone laughed.

With the other two Japanese joining in, the members of TWICE shared a pleasant conversation until they arrived at Gimpo airport, and Tzuyu was all too glad for the distraction.

______

“… And that’s why I think, they have to straighten up the building BEFORE demolishing them.”

They were now sitting in the boarding area, surrounded by a dozen of their bodyguards. Tzuyu had mostly forgotten about whatever Sana was hiding, and was now engrossed in a discussion about the outcome of the earthquake.

“But how is it even possible? I don’t think there’s a machine big enough to just push the building back to its place…” Mina was interrupted by the announcer, calling for passengers on the next flight. “Oops, that’s us. Let’s go guys.”

Even though it was yet her turn, Tzuyu still stood up to give her unnies a round of goodbye hugs.

“See you again next week guys. I’ll miss you.” With her longer arms, she managed to round all three Japanese girls up in one group hug.

“Don’t forget to take pictures Tzuyu! We’ll call you as soon as we arrive.” Said Momo, her voice muffled amidst the bundle of thick clothes they were wearing.

“Stay safe Tzuyu. Happy new year.” Mina said simply, her smile warm and reassuring. Tzuyu smiled back.

“Happy new year to you too unnie. Too all of you.”

“Happy new year! Here, put this on.” Sana chirped, whipping out a yellow cap- the exact same model worn by their escort. Sensing Tzuyu’s distaste, she quickly added. “So you won’t mess up your hair when you fall asleep on the plane or something.”

Tzuyu sighed. That was a valid point.

“Okay Sana-unnie, might as well. My flight isn’t for another hour anyway, I would hate it if I nod off and wake up with tangled hair.” Tzuyu actually took great care of her hair, and only thanks to her meticulous work did it manage to always appear silky smooth. She took the cap and put it on her head. Sana beamed happily.

“Good girl. Here’s your reward.” She leaned in and gave Tzuyu a quick peck on the cheek, making the younger girl blush furiously despite the cold weather.

“U-unnie! People might see us!” She could already hear some excited murmurs from the crowd, as well as the clicking sounds of photos being taken.

“Then let them. Doesn’t hurt to give our fans something every now and then, no?” Said the ever-flirtatious Sana. Not nearly as talkative and quick-witted, Tzuyu chose to narrow her eyes and pout at the older girl rather than replying.

“Just hurry up guys. Don’t be late. I’ll see you soon.” Tzuyu bid her farewell. The Japanese girls all reciprocated with appreciative waves, before heading towards their terminal.

______

As she looked at Sana, Momo and Mina’s figures blend in the crowd and eventually disappear from sight, a growing sense of anxiety sprouted within her. Sighing, she sat down on the metal benches. Leaning back, her head awkwardly knocked against someone sitting on the adjacent seat.

“Oops, I’m sorry.” She hurriedly apologized. The other person did not seem to mind though, as he was immersed in something. He was wearing a black karpa (yet another, thought Tzuyu), obscuring his identity for the most part. With his back to her, Tzuyu could not see what it was, and decided against being nosy.

Settling back into her original position, the young Taiwanese thought back to Sana’s secretive smile. It did not feel good to have someone know something about you that you yourself didn’t, it never did. Therefore, it troubled Tzuyu a bit, seeing she never got Sana to spill the beans.

I sure hope it doesn’t have anything to do with Jihyo-unnie.

As soon as her leader’s name popped into her head, Tzuyu sighed yet again. It had taken all she had to avoid daydreaming about Jihyo, and most of it was thanks to external diversion. Now that she was alone, her mind would invariably drift back to the gorgeous older girl, and she both loved and dreaded it.

It did not take long for Tzuyu to develop feelings more than friendship towards Jihyo. Since the very first days, when she was just fresh off the boat and could barely exchange a word with any other trainee, Jihyo had been the first to extend her greetings. And in Mandarin, no less. Their first conversation was awkward as hell, both stumbling with their respective foreign languages, but she enjoyed every second of it. Throughout the period when Sixteen was recorded, they met up in private a lot- whenever they were tired from practicing, and in need of mental relief. Jihyo seemed to have taken a particular interest with Mandarin, and she urged Tzuyu to give her quick supplementary lessons, something the younger girl was all too happy to comply.

Days went by, with Tzuyu improving in Korean much faster than Jihyo in Chinese- which was understandable, seeing as she also had proper Korean lessons with designated tutors courtesy of JYP. Still, she was yet to feel comfortable to share anything more than small talks in Korean, so she treasured every moment she got together with Jihyo; before she knew it, she started to disclose more and more about herself- albeit in simplified sentences, so that Jihyo could follow. Being able to share personal emotions brightened her mood dramatically, helping her to open up to other trainees as well. Despite that, Jihyo remained her first and closest friend.

When Sixteen was finished and TWICE officially had their debut, all members moved to live in one common dorm, something Tzuyu was really looking forward to. Free from the stress of competition, Jihyo underwent a miraculous transformation- gone were the old chubby cheeks, and in came a body of godly proportions. With that- alongside her relentless training and her motherly act towards other members, Jihyo became a figure of admiration and respect for them all.

Except for Tzuyu.

_____

She snapped her head up, realizing she’d been dozing off. Looking at the watch, Tzuyu sighed when there was still another half an hour before her flight. Her mind had wandered back to the past all that time. What happened after that had not been a pleasant memory, Tzuyu thought. She remembered the mental struggle when seeing Jihyo grow more and more beautiful each day. She had felt incredibly guilty that her feelings toward Jihyo was gradually growing into something else entirely. She did not think much of it at first, but as time went by, it started to creep its way so deep inside her heart that she could not deny its presence anymore.

It embarrassed her to recall, but she had lusted over Jihyo for such a long time she lost count. Every minute spent in close proximity with Jihyo felt like torture; her body would heat up uncontrollably, every time they touched felt like an electric jolt, and she found herself stuttering on virtually anything she said. For fear of ruining the group’s dynamic, Tzuyu actively distanced herself a bit from her leader, spending more time with her fellow maknaes instead, hoping the inappropriate feelings would go away.

They didn’t.

To her dismay, Jihyo was unbelievably oblivious to what she felt. She was not about to let any beloved members of TWICE drift away from her too far, so Jihyo made sure to give extra attention to Tzuyu- joining their arms on public trips, pulling her in for Vlive sessions, and so on. It annoyed Tzuyu to no end, and- if she was being honest with herself- incredibly happy. It had not felt right, giving someone you loved the cold shoulder, so Tzuyu just threw caution to the wind and erased the distance between them that she’d created earlier. For a while, she was at peace.

Then something else happened.

Observing Jihyo closely, Tzuyu bitterly realized she was not special. Jihyo tried her damndest to spend time with every member of TWICE. She had walked into not one, but many private conversations where Jihyo was acting like a perfect therapist- listening to problems, offering solutions, and most of all, offering a shoulder to cry on.

It made Tzuyu extremely, utterly jealous. She was not one to go to others about her problems, but she seriously considered breaking this creed of hers for the sake of being comforted by Jihyo.

And she did.

_____

“Jihyo-unnie.”

“Tzuyu-ah.” Jihyo replied, not looking up from her work. Her dainty hands moved rhythmically, forming stitches after flawless stitches on the purple scarf.

“Who is it for this time unnie?” Tzuyu asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“It’s for Dahyunie.” Answered Jihyo with a fond smile. “She wants one before going home to her parents. You know, where she lives can be really cold in winter.”

‘She did not offer to make me one’, Tzuyu bitterly noticed. Still, she came to Jihyo with a purpose, and she would accomplish it. Mentally barring the negativity from taking over her mind, Tzuyu took a seat next to her leader and gingerly rested her head on Jihyo’s shoulder, lest the older girl be disturbed and hurt herself. Fortunately, Jihyo did not seem to mind.

“I want one too unnie.” She said in a low tone, but Jihyo heard it nonetheless. She stopped to give her a questioning look. “Taiwan is freezing too. Aren’t you afraid I’ll catch a cold?”

“Well of course Tzuyu. But… you’re leaving for your hometown the day after tomorrow, aren’t you?” Jihyo asked. “That’s too little time. Tell you what, let’s go out together later and buy you a pretty…” She was silenced by Tzuyu’s finger pressed on her lips. The younger girl stood up and crouched down at her, their forehead almost touching. To Jihyo she looked deadly serious, scary even.

“No unnie. I really want you to make me one.” Pausing a bit, she added. “Just as much as I want you for myself.”

With that she rushed off, leaving a flabbergasted Jihyo behind.

_____

She didn’t. To her distress, she did not even see Jihyo the whole day after, nor when they left the dorm for the airport. Granted, they had to leave quite early in the morning, but still… she was being ignored, a righteous treatment to her recklessness and inconsideration.

Tzuyu coughed into her mask. It had gotten colder than when she arrived, and the overcoat was doing a poor job at covering her throat. Another painful reminder of the scarf she would never receive on time.

As she pulled her luggage to depart, she found that it would not budge. Tzuyu tried harder, but to no avail.

“Ugh, what now…” She looked down to the luggage handle, only to see it held back by another hand from hers. Looking up, a shocked gasp escaped her lips.

In front of her stood stood Park Jihyo, her sheepish smile visible beneath the fluffy black hood. 

“... Hi Tzuyu.”

The woman that plagued Tzuyu’s mind every waking moment was there all this time, discreetly putting the finishing touches on the scarf she was holding in her hand while disguising as another bodyguard.

The image of Sana’s wicked smile appeared in her mind. So she knows. But there was no time to dwell on this right now.

“… Jihyo-unnie? Why are you here?”

“Y-you said you want your scarf before leaving for Taiwan, so… here it is.” Jihyo hesitantly wrapped said scarf around Tzuyu. “I finished it just now, s-sorry if it does not look pretty.” Tzuyu could not care less about how the present looked, as her heart was now filled with a burning desire to engulf Jihyo in a crushing hug.

“Jihyo-unnie… if you don’t tell me to stop, I’m going to kiss you.”

That earned her the reaction she had anticipated. Jihyo’s arms went limp at her sides, and she simply stood there slack-jawed, with a flaming blush that went all the way to her ears. Before long, she struggled to reply.

“B-but, there are so many people here, and you hate scandals and compromising pictures, and…”

It was adorable how the ever-talkative and eloquent Jihyo became a stuttering mess when it comes to romance. Seeing her beloved in this state flipped a weird switch within Tzuyu, and she put on a sly smile.

“You did not say no.” Observed Tzuyu. This only helped to deepen Jihyo’s blush, if that was even possible.

“Tzuyu-ah, I don’t like the way you’re looking at me…”

“Doesn’t hurt to give our fans something every now and then, no?” Tzuyu mischievously said, repeating the exact words Sana had said to her an hour ago. Leaning in close, she boldly whispered. “Let’s give them a story worthy of headlines.”

Chou Tzuyu, the visual of TWICE, the third most beautiful face of 2017, the innocent angel to all, was known for never showing affection, be it verbally or physically.

But she would break down every single wall of hers, if it meant she could get Jihyo.

Wrapping her arms around the astonished Jihyo, she sealed her lips with a passionate kiss.

Tzuyu was on her way home, but at the same time, she was home.

[lordsicheng]

Crush du Jour: Pt. 1

Ong Seongwoo x OC

g: schmoop? fluff?? idk 

summary: after graduating college, you decided to go on a break for a few months. you then suddenly realize you’ve been rather lazy on doing anything so you decided to enroll in a class that helps you learn on making some of the more popular desserts and pastries in French cuisine, only to find out you’re gonna be paired up with one of the most attractive students in the room.

a/n: stay tuned for the second chapter i suppose? ;^))) :)

After being free from college and being jobless for the past few months, you decided to spice up your routine by looking through the daily newspaper for discount classes. You fixed your glasses as you focused on the different lists, trying to find the top three you were most likely going to take. You crossed out the harder ones you thought didn’t fit with any of your interests to learn and encircled the ones you were most likely going to take. Your mom arrives from grocery shopping, wondering why you looked so serious on finding classes while on the dining table. She walked over to you and leaned in as she stood next to you, trying to look at what you were reading

“You want to take jazz dance classes?” she squinted as she looked over to your encircled choices

“Why not? I’m not a bad dancer to begin with.” you raised a brow, still looking at the lists on the newspaper

“Well you should take something that could help with your adult life.” she chuckled lightly as she walked away, grabbing all the items from the grocery bags and arranging them

“Ugh, mom. I don’t know what I want to do with my life.” you pouted as you put the newspaper down and rested your chin on the table

“Y/n, you graduated with a degree in business. At least take something that’s inclined to it.” she smiled as she looked at you

“I don’t know which of these are inclined with business! It’s all more of like hobbies.” you sighed as you looked at the newspaper again

“Let me take a look again.” she said as she looked at the newspaper

“So the ones you circled are the ones you want to take?” she asked

“Yeah, I guess so.” you shrugged

“Hmm, you definitely can’t take jazz. You can take calligraphy next time since it’s only a two week program compared to the others. So that leaves…” she smirked as she turned to look at you

“Cooking?” you looked at her confusedly

“Why not? You can learn other stuff to cook other than Korean food, too.” she grinned

“It says enrolments start tomorrow. Are you sure I’m not gonna end up chickening out?” you questioned

“It’ll be great! Plus you’ll be able to meet new friends.” she ruffled your hair lightly as she walked towards the sink, making you stare at the details for the said cooking class as you grabbed your phone and saved the contact number

-

You took a deep breath as you stood outside the door to the office of the cooking class you wanted to enroll in, slowly opening the door as you walked towards the receptionist

“Hi. I’m here to enroll for one of the cooking classes?” you inquired

“Okay. We have only one month long classes, so which one would you like to take?” the receptionist smiled as she rummaged through some papers under her desk

“Well, what programs do you guys offer?” you tiptoed a bit to see what the receptionist was grabbing

“We have classes for traditional Korean cuisine, Italian cuisine that specializes on pasta, Traditional Chinese cuisine, and French cuisine that focus on desserts and pastries.” she said as she spread out a few brochures in front of you, making you even more interested

“Take your time.” she nodded

You decided to sit on the sofa nearby trying to pick which class you wanted to take. After a few minutes while deciding, a young man arrived the office, smiling as he walked his way towards the receptionist. You looked at him in awe, amazed by his features and tall height. Even the receptionist was in admiration towards his presence, making you shake your head and chuckle lightly

“May I help you, sir?” the receptionist asked shyly

“Ah, yes. I would like to enroll for one of the cooking programs.” he nodded as he put his hands on his hips

“Which one would you like to take?” the receptionist asked, and you stood up to go to the receptionist as you finalized your decision

“I’ll take French cuisine. Desserts and pastries, right?” you smiled as you grabbed your wallet from your bag

“Sounds sweet.” the young man nodded as he looked at you, making you look back at him

“What’s sweet?” you asked as you smiled

“Desserts and pastries. That’s a pretty good class to take if you ever want to own a café.” he chuckled

“I suppose you were a business major?” you tilted your head in curiosity

“Correct. I graduated a few months ago.” he beamed

“Me too. Anyways, I’ll enroll for this class, miss.” you said as you gave your payment and she handed you the enrollment form, immediately jotting down your name

“Y/n…” the young man muttered, making you turn slightly and look at him while smiling

“Oh, I’m Seongwoo.” he grinned as he pulled his hand out for a handshake

“Nice to meet you.” you held his hand for three seconds and pulled out immediately as you continued to write on the form

“I’ll take that class as well, please.” Seongwoo looked at the receptionist as she gave the form to him as well

After you both finished the enrollment together, you both went downstairs back to the street. You looked at Seongwoo, who smiled as soon as you turned to him

“So I’ll see you next week?” you grinned

“Okay.” Seongwoo nodded as he smiled. You gave a small wave from your hand as you turned to walk the other way to go home

“Hey y/n.” Seongwoo called after you took a few steps and you turned to look at him with a raised brow

“It was a pleasure to meet you.” he chuckled

“You too.” you gave a small smile as you waved again and turned back to your way, suddenly giggling to yourself as you felt your nerves tingle from his friendliness

-

After a few days, it was finally Monday. Which meant classes were to start as well. You hurriedly walked towards the door of the venue of where the class was to be held, seeing some of the other students already on their apron as they walked towards the counters. You looked to the side as you grabbed an apron and tied it on yourself immediately, grabbing your bag as you tried to look for a free counter

“Over here!” Seongwoo called out from the front, making you beam as you walked towards the counter where he was in

“Thanks.” you said as you put your bag to the side and started tying your hair

“No problem. They said two students per counter.” Seongwoo chuckled

“Alright, everyone. Good morning.” the pastry chef slash teacher greeted as he arrived and faced everyone in front

“Good morning, chef.” everyone greeted in reply

“Welcome to French cuisine class, where we will be learning eight different pastries and desserts in a span of four weeks, meeting four hours a day, four days a week.” the pastry chef smiled before he could continue

“I am chef Lee Sangjin. I have studied many different pastries, confectionaries, desserts, and more from many other places in the world, including France. I lived there for over six years, studying their cuisine. So for today until the final exams, you will be partnered up with whoever is with you at your own counters.” he chuckled as he walked his way to his desk counter, bringing out ingredients for your first lesson

“Today, we will start with something simple. We will be making the oh so famous, crème brulee.” he smiled as he showed the ingredients, gesturing everyone to grab the small baskets under all the counters

“This seems nice.” Seongwoo nodded as he put his basket on top of the counter

“Alright. So you all have ingredients enough to make a dozen pieces of this fine dessert. But, I will only need two of your best batches. Shall we start?” the pastry chef clapped his hands, making everyone nod in agreement

“Ready?” you smiled as you looked at Seongwoo

“Always.” he winked back and chuckled as you both turned to look at the chef explain how to properly make the perfect crème brulee

It took a few minutes for you to realize that making crème brulee was an easy task for you. As soon as the chef told everyone to practice making the first batch, you focused on the proper measurements of each ingredient to make the perfect crème brulee. Seongwoo was also as focused as you, often glancing at you at times while smiling. You caught him a few times, smiling back as you both worked on your own before teaming up for the second batch

“Alright, we will have a break for now before we start with the making of the second batch and judgment of your final production.” the chef announced as he walked out of the room, leaving all students to check up on their creations

“Yours look really nice!” Seongwoo gasped as soon as he saw you bring a tray of your trials of the dessert

“They may look appealing but I’m scared of the flavor.” you put the tray on the counter in front of you and wiped your hands on your apron

“I’ll try one for you.” Seongwoo smiled as he grabbed one of the small bowls of crème brulee and grabbing a teaspoon

“It’s still hot, be careful.” you warned, but you were too late as Seongwoo almost spat out the teaspoonful of your crème brulee from being too hot

“Oops.” you pouted as you pat his back lightly

“I’m kidding, it’s good.” he smiled widely as he looked at you and you slapped his shoulder from your surprise

“You scared me!” you chuckled

“I wanted to make the atmosphere fun.” he shrugged as he put his tray to the side

“Let me try yours.” you said as you grabbed one of the bowls from Seongwoo’s tray, and he gave you another teaspoon to try it out. Once you tasted his creation, you were blown away by how the flavor was spot on to the one the chef made and let everyone taste earlier

“This is really good?” you nodded as you looked at Seongwoo

“How can you mess up crème brulee anyway?” Seongwoo chuckled as he began cleaning up the counter a bit

“True. But yours is definitely similar to Chef Lee’s.” you complimented

“Alright, everyone start on your second batch with your pair. It’s currently 10:30am, so I would like it if you all were finished by 12.” the chef announced as soon as he came back and walked around to check on all the students

“Ready?” Seongwoo asked as he pushed the small basket of ingredients towards you

“Always.” you grinned, making him laugh in return as you both started making your final batch

-

“Alright, it’s 12 now and I see everyone is ready to have their final creation judged.” the chef smiled and nodded as he walked towards the center

“Let’s start. Miss…?” he looked at you

“Y/n.” you nodded

“Ah. And your partner?” he turned to look at Seongwoo

“Seongwoo. Ong Seongwoo.”

“Alright, Ms. y/n and Mr. Hong.” he clapped and walked towards your counter

“Sir, it’s Ong, not Hong.” Seongwoo corrected politely

“Gong?” the chef raised a brow

“Ong. Ooooong. Like Ong Bak.” he grinned

“Ong… that’s interesting. Anyways, let’s see your final output.” he eyed the tray in front of him

“How long did you prepare and leave this in the oven?” he asked as he slowly grabbed a teaspoon near the tray

“10 to 20 minutes preparation and around 40 to 45 minutes in the oven, chef.” Seongwoo replied eagerly

The chef then tasted your crème brulee and nodded, looking at you and Seongwoo becoming nervous

“Very good. Great job.” the chef smiled as he walked over to the next counter, making you and Seongwoo let out a sigh of relief and hi-5 each other

“I’m still nervous, what if he’s just saying that to not make us feel bad?” you looked at Seongwoo worriedly

“Think positive. Chefs are pretty honest. Look at Gordon Ramsay, for example.” Seongwoo laughed

You and Seongwoo looked at the chef as he walked towards all of the other students, saying positive words to all of you in the end

“Alright, everyone did a wonderful job. Class dismissed, and see you all tomorrow. We will be making croissants and éclairs.” he clapped as everyone took off their aprons

You immediately cleaned up the table and put the apron under your counter as you looked at Seongwoo who was already done with his side of the counter

“See you tomorrow?” you chuckled

“Wanna get lunch together? My treat.” he smiled as he walked closer to you

“Hmm, I don’t know.” you smirked

“Come on, I just wanna get to know my partner more.” he pat your shoulder, making you giggle

“Alright then.” you grinned as you walked first, Seongwoo following you as you both walked your way out of the studio.

[rkjieqiong-blog]

✺  ˚.   »  in celebration of our return from hiatus, i’ve put together some plots / ideas to get things started up again ♥ feel free to look through these and hmu if something catches your eye? ( also cool with brainstorming if nothing suits your character! )

»  k e y  ●  strike = taken

»   c o n n e c t i o n s

▫  learnt from the best.  (  her students  ) ⁇.  needing some extra cash, jieqiong decided offering some chinese lessons wouldn’t be a bad idea.  ▫  rip. ( ex teammates ) ⁇.  jieqiong used to be a member of sopa’s volleyball team before she graduated. the team may have one less player but the memories are still there.  ▫  oh, juliet.  (  high school sweethearts  ) ⁇.  jieqiong had a crush on you 90% of high school and would you look at that, you started dating senior year! it was short lived, for whatever reason, and you both agreed to break it off not too long after graduation.  / ~  open to any sopa student who graduated this year.  ~ \ ▫  sista sista.  (  parents are best friends  ) ⁇.  between countless family get togethers and parties, you became the sister jieqiong never had. ▫  do better. ( past dance rivals ) ⁇.  there was always an argument over who was the best dancer at the studio. of course it was jieqiong - she refuses to believe otherwise. / ~  attended the same dance studio in the past. either her mother’s studio or soundbox.   ~ \ ▫  child’s play. ( admirer ) ⁇.  you’re younger than jieqiong and you’ve proclaimed your love too many times to count. she just can’t take you seriously, you’re just too cute! / ~  anyone younger than her.   ~ \

»   i n t e r a c t i o n s

▫  bruised and beaten.  you punched me in the face while gesticulating wildly to a friend. ▫  rap staaar. we had an impromptu rap duet in the middle of the party and i know i suck but i’m gonna beat your ass. ▫  sleeping beauty. ( muse must be a trainee. ) jieqiong may or may not have fallen asleep before her last vocal lesson and was possibly the body lying in the middle of the floor that caused you to trip? oops? ▫  press your number. @kihyunrk i sent a selfie of myself in the tub to the wrong number and you responded back with another selfie. holy shit you’re really attractive. ▫  innocent until proven guilty. you look a lot like her friend so without thinking, jieqiong gave your ass a quick slap. words on the tip of her tongue, she’s ready to apologize except you interrupt her with an accusation other than harassment. oh, c’mon? pick-pocketing you? seriously? ▫  wild child. the skirt is short on purpose. jieqiong has adopted the habit of maybe having too much fun on the weekends. it’s late, she’s drunk, and the club is playing some pretty good music - have fun fending her off. ▫  2am thoughts.  i’ve been texting my friend for about a week now and they don’t reply but turns out i was texting a random person and there was some deep personal stuff i sent oh my god why are you just now telling me? ▫  hey there.  you’re sitting in front of the only plug in this entire coffee shop and not using it. i don’t care who you are, i’m sitting at your table because i need that plug. ▫  four eyes. @hoseokrk you run into jieqiong, causing her glasses to fall from her face and onto the ground to be crushed under your shoes. she wants to tell you not to worry about it, that they’re fake anyways, but you're cute and she doesn’t want to say bye yet. ▫  dark times. @rkmalie it’s half past midnight and she made the mistake of watching a scary movie - alone. so she facetimes you from under her covers because she’s scared and maybe the monsters won’t attack her if she has a witness. ▫  bookworm. @rkmg although not her favorite place, jieqiong frequents the library for some peace and quiet when completing assignments. you see her there often and you figure she must be smart so you approach her in need of help with a math problem. how dare you approach me with such monstrosities?

[stephanine-sims]

♡ fifty questions you’ve never been asked tag ♡

I was tagged by @soleilsim. Thank you bby!!! 💕 These things are so much fun to do hehe

1. What’s your favorite candle scent? Eh, I don’t care much for candles? But I used to burn vanilla scented once in a while! 2. What female celebrity do you wish was your sister? Emilia Clarke maybe? Because she seems like a really sweet lady 3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother? I have no clue lmao!! 4. How old do you think you’ll be when you get married? I’m not really thinking about marriage whatsoever.. but if I ever get married, it’s gonna be when I’m 30+ :-) 5. Do you know a hoarder? No 6. Can you do a split? Not even close haha 7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike? Oh boy.. I don’t remember my age? But probably around 4 or something 8. How many oceans have you swam in? 2? I think? I don’t really like swimming is oceans 9. How many countries have you been to? Answered this here. :-) 10. Is anyone in your family in the army? Nope! My dad used to be in the army when he was younger though 11. What would you name your daughter if you had one? I’d probably go for something short and sweet.. like Nina ;D haha 12. What would you name your son if you had one? Eli.... 👀 13. What’s the worst grade you got on a test? I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten a 1 out of 10 before.. which is the lowest grade possible haha! But shoutout to my younger self who managed to get a 1.1 on a German test :-) It was a bad time tbh but I’m still laughing about it now.. Like, how do you manage to answer just enough questions correctly to get a 1.1? *slow clap* 14. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child? Powerpuff girls were PRETTY cool I have to say!!! But Pokémon was v good too!! 15. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight? I’ve never dressed up for Halloween because we don’t celebrate it here :’) 16. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series? Yes!!! I’ve read the first 4 Harry Potter books, all Hunger Games books and the first Twilight book 17. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent? American, 100%.. I don’t like British accents, oops. (plz don’t kill me, my British friends) 18. Did your mother go to college? Yah, my mom is a chemist like me!! :-) 19. Are your grandparents still married? Yesss! 20. Have you ever taken karate lessons? Nop 21. Do you know who Kermit the frog is? Of course!! 22. What’s the first amusement park you’ve been to? I don’t remember the first time.. but it was probably the Efteling :D Best theme park in the Netherlands!! 10/10, you need to visit if you’re in NL!! It focuses a lot on fairy tales, it’s so cool and magical 23. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in? Korean!! Chinese would be useful too! Or Spanish?! 24. Do you spell the colour as grey or gray? gray 25. Is your father bald? Nope 26. Do you know triplets? No I actually don’t! I know a lot of twins (there’s even twins in my family) but no triplets 27. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook? Titanic I guess? I’ve never seen The Notebook 28. Have you ever had Indian food? Yes.. but I don’t care much for it tbh 29. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant? It’s a Greek restaurant not that far from my place called Akropolis! Good food 10/10. It used to be a Indonesian restaurant called Sarinah.. but they had to close :-( 30. Have you ever been to Olive Garden? What even is that lmao 31. Do you belong to any warehouse stores (Costco, BJ’s, etc.)? I don’t even know what this means.. haha 32. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender? Omg they would’ve named me Jasper... No thnx 33. If you have a nickname, what is it? Steef is the most common nickname for me :-) 34. Who’s your favorite person in the world? My bunny? Um, my bf!!! 35. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs? I’m a city girl, and I think I’ll always be one? 36. Can you whistle? Yep.. not very good tho!! haha 37. Do you sleep with a nightlight? Nope 38. Do you eat breakfast every morning? Yes, I do! I’m always super hungry in the mornings 39. Do you take any pills or medication daily? I do 40. What medical conditions do you have? I don’t have one ;)  41. How many times have you been to the hospital? Once, I think? I had a pretty bad lung infection when I was younger and they did some scans of my lungs. 42. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? I have!!! I’ve seen Finding Dory too 43. Where do you buy your jeans? I buy them at a store called C&A!! They just have a lot of choice and the prices are really good :) 44. What’s the last compliment you got? My friends were ‘making fun’ of my city, as the city I come from is known for the redneck accent.. 😂 But I told them ‘No, my city is cool because it has me’ and they agreed :-) 45. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning? Not often no. When I do, it’s always bad though 46. What flavor tea do you enjoy? I like mint tea a lot! And fruity teas 47. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own? Oh boy.. I think I have like.. 10 pairs? And I only wear 1 😁 48. What religion will you raise your children to practice? None at all 49. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real? I never believed Santa was real, but I believed Sinterklaas was real.. I think I was around 6-7 when my parents told me.. I spent the rest of the day crying in bed, 10/10 👌 50. Why do you have a youtube? To subscribe to people and watch their videos????

I’m tagging @mysteriousdane, @purrsephonesims, @nooboos, @thesadnesshotline and @alyssasprings. :D