#but i'm not in the thick of it so i'm gonna go enjoy some chinese food

[prodyoons]

cheeto dust (teaser) | myg

title: cheeto dust

pairing: yoongi x reader

rating/genre: m , smut , roommates au

summary: during one of your movie nights with your roommate, he denies sharing his delicious cheetos with you so you decide to go for the best next thing – sucking the cheeto dust off of his fingers.

warnings: finger sucking. (just for the teaser !! the warnings for the entire story will be posted when it drops)

wordcount (for the teaser): 1.1k

drop date: still don't know

note: okaaayyyy so this is the first time i post something AND english is not my first language so please be nice !! i hope you enjoy it. <3

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It's movie night tonight.

Ever since a few months ago, every Thursday night you order chinese food for dinner and eat it with Yoongi while you watch a movie together. You're pretty sure Yoongi hasn't even noticed this is already like a tradition for you, he just casually sits with you on the couch to have dinner, ends up paying you for his half and then stays with you to watch whatever movie you decided to play.

It's cold tonight, the early winter making you put a thick blanket over your shoulders before starting to set the food on the table. Just when you're done and finally sit on the couch, you hear the door opening and closing. A few seconds later Yoongi walks in with a plastic bag on his hand.

"Oh shit." He stops walking when his gaze falls on the table.

"What?" You ask him, adjusting the blanket around your body.

"You told me you were gonna be home late tonight so I decided to stop by the chinese restaurant and get the food myself." Yoongi lifts the bag on his hand to prove it and you open your mouth in a perfect 'o' shape.

"Yoongi…" You coo and already see the way his eyes roll back at the tone. "That's so sweet of you." You say with a big smile but he ignores it and starts making his way to the kitchen.

You're not offended at the way he ignores every show of affection anymore. You're already used to it by now. It's okay like this.

"I'll put what I bought in the fridge!" He tells you from the kitchen and you yell an 'okay' in response from the couch.

He walks out of the kitchen and tells you he's gonna go take a quick shower so you nod and decide to check your notifications while you wait for him to come back.

When you hear the water stop running you start mindlessly humming a song while scrolling down the Netflix movie catalog, looking for something to watch, and soon after a showered Yoongi with warm clothes is joining you on the sofa.

"How come you didn't come home late?" He asks as he starts opening the food boxes.

"Oh. I told you I would probably come home late as soon as I saw the busy work schedule we had today, I thought I would had to stay there for longer but I managed well." You explain easily.

Yoongi hums and proceeds to prepare all of the food on the table, quietly placing half and half on each plate and then leaving some other foods inside their boxes.

Living with Yoongi is comfortable. He's quiet but he always shows signs of caring. He always asks you about your day or if you need something from the grocery store but then he's the perfect company for a comfortable silence.

Like right now. You play a new action movie that just dropped and quietly eat your food together. You talk more than him, making a few comments on the movie while Yoongi only hums in response.

You only get up from the couch when the movie is finished and finally clean the table together.

"Are you tired?" Yoongi asks you while you throw the last box in the trash.

"Not really, why?"

"Wanna another movie?" He asks and you look at him. "I'm not tired at all, if I go to bed right now I'll just stare at the ceiling for an hour," you chuckle because you kind of feel the same way. "Also, it is so warm and cozy in the living room right now."

"Okay, yeah, let's go." You nod and walk out of the kitchen, turning around when you hear he sound of a plastic bag behind you.

Yoongi's holding a bag of your favorite cheetos with a big smile on his face.

"Oh, you're so nice. Sharing your snacks with me tonight.." You try to grab the bag from him but he stretches his arm up to put the bag out of your reach.

"Who said I was gonna share?" He frowns and you dramatically gasp.

"You're mean!"

"You did that last time!" Yoongi reminds you and you actually feel speechless.

"I- But I.."

"Yeah, that's what you get." Yoongi walks past you and sits back on the couch with crossed legs.

"I was on my period! I needed those snacks." You pout like it's gonna do something. It clearly doesn't.

"C'mon, don't throw the period card at me. It's not gonna work." He mumbles and opens the bag, reaching inside and taking a delicious cheeto in his mouth.

"You're so mean." You complain and walk to the couch, wrapping yourself in your blanket before sitting back down.

"Play the movie and shut up." He tells you and you roll your eyes back.

"Rude." You whisper but actually do what he says.

You end up missing half of the movie because you keep trying to sneak your hand inside the bag everytime he's not looking only to end up having a stupid fight because he sees you and slaps your hand away with his cheeto dust coated fingers.

"I saw you!" He tells you the first time.

"Why did you even play the movie? You're clearly not paying attention." He complains the second time.

Although every discussion ends up with laughter, him whispering a little 'you're crazy' and you replying with a 'you're old'.

There's a moment where you just accept the fact that he's not gonna let you take any cheetos from the bag so you come up with another idea. Right after he puts a cheeto inside his mouth you quickly wrap your hand around his wrist and bring his hand towards your mouth.

"What are you-" His words die down his throat when you take his middle finger in your mouth.

Your tongue cleans all of the cheeto dust off his finger while you stare at the screen. When you take the finger out of your mouth with a loud pop you turn to him, ready to show him your biggest victory smile, only to find him looking at you with a look in his eyes you've never seen. Only then you process what you've just done.

You're still holding his wrist and his long middle finger is now wet with your spit, so close to your lips.

Your cheeks are starting to burn with embarrassment and you're about to drop his hand and apologize but Yoongi speaks up and decides to take your breath away with a stupid suggestion.

"Go on, you have four more." He wiggles his fingers in front of your face.

What the-

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A/N: thank you so much for reading !!!! i started writing this last year so i've been so excited to finally post it. i hope you enjoyed the lil teaser, i'm still currently working on it because i've been really busy but i'll post the entire story as soon as i can.

feel free to comment or send me an ask telling me what you thought of it <3

have a nice day :)

[heartsunholy]

Holiday starter call? Holiday starter call

Please specify muses on my end as well as yours if you’re a multi!

[watch-grok-brainrot]

GOD I ENVY YOU ajskskks i'm an introvert and like.... i can't start or hold a conversation. mdzs is pretty much the first fandom that made me actually talk to people and get friends? i've got a bunch of mutuals where we don't really talk but y'know we like know, which is cool bcs all of them are intimidating af but i love them. then i got a couple of mutuals that i talk and shit post with and just, talk to? one of them is like.... really late in answering conversations but then again 98% of our conversations is me making her cry over wangxian. so that's fair ig. there's a mutual of mine that is learning my language, so sometimes we'll start talking in it and i will tell her if her grammar or anything sounds weird. (like, we have a formal you and an informal you, she often used the formal you with me which sounds weird bcs we're friends. also bcs this is tumblr. if she uses it with anons it's not that weird but still funny)

last week was great (i watched the tencent awards yesterday but i didn't understand anything they were saying, so yeah.) this week is christmas!! do you have any plans for it? i don't, the only thing planned is the food. which i don't have too cook myself, thankfully. imagine me cooking, the whole kitchen would burn down probably. (i'm decent enough at baking, so that makes up for it)

okay here are a bunch of questions. i'm gonna think of a character and describe them with emojis, you have to guess who it is. this will probably be really easy: ❤👻🎶🎨

which two characters would you like to meet your parents and which character should stay tf away from your parents? ngl my parents would love wwx, i'm not even kidding. as a kid i used to be a lot like him, so yeah they would probably know how to handle him (also i got friends that are energetically? just like him). then probably one of the twin jades, my dad would clash with nmj i think, so that wouldn't work out well. i'd prefer to go with lan xichen tho, since i don't want wangxian to make out 24/7 and ALSO PLEASE SPARE THE GUEST ROOK THE WALLS AREN'T THICK ENOUGH but otherwise i would go with wwx & lwj, if the risk wasn't too high. my parents would like both of them probably. i could also see jiang yanli being adored by my mother and my sister and just... my brother really likes her in the donghua (he doesn't like jc in the donghua, which.... i understand). one person my parents wouldn't get along with is definitely jiang cheng. or madam yu. jiang cheng would just clash with my whole family's temperament and the same goes with madam yu.

if you could meet one character in person, only one but they can be dead or alive in canon it doesn't matter, who would you want to meet?

do you have a favorite adaptation of mdzs? - ❄🐇

no need to be envious snowbunny! i think being an introvert/extrovert and start/holding a conversation are very different things. as an extrovert i just end up awkward a lot. and i start conversations without ever know how i will get received. it’s more about just charging in and hoping for the best. if they hate the way i am, well, uh... oh, well. i didn’t know them anyway. not much loss on my end. and that’s kinda how i made some of my best friends here!

i’m gonna make hotpot and eat with my husband for xmas eve and have leftovers on xmas. it will be good and chill. i have a board game i’d like to play with him. hopefully i’ll get some fandom related stuff i want to get done done. i am SO BEHIND on stuff. I have two fic prompts that i asked for in october that i haven’t filled. not because i don’t want to but because some other stuff came up that took up all my bandwidth. 

love ghost music art? what? if just the first three i would’ve said wen ning... but  i assume you’re talking about wwx. o.O 

i don’t think my parents would care to meet any of the characters? i mean they’ll just be random chinese people... hm.... my mom would enjoy wen qing because she’ll want to learn all the TCM crap. >.> my dad... maybe nhs and my dad can talk classic poetry. or any of the lans... and i think sect leader yao should stay tf away from everyone... so yeah. him. bleh. 

i would want to meet/hang out with wwx. we would drink together. i would make him cocktails and he would get WASTED. it would be a good time. who would you want to meet? 

i have only seen cql in its entirety. haven’t finished the manhua (i stopped following a few months ago... ), donghua, or AD. and the novel isn’t an adaptation. so uh... i guess by default cql. ope. you? 

[etlunainmorte]

A short instruction!

Please, watch the video to get a full grasp of what V would be doing later on in the story.

Thank you so much and enjoy the latest chapter!

***

❄❄❄

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*Chinese Black Tea*

Directions

1. Preparation

Before making a cup of black tea, you're supposed to get a clean tea set ( such as a teapot, fair cup, and cups ), tea, and a kettle of boiling water prepared.

2. Measuring Out the Tea Into the Cup / Teapot

Measure out the desired amount of black tea leaves ( 3 to 5 grams for 150 to 250 ml of tea ) and put them in the cup or teapot.

3. Boiling Water and Pouring It Into the Cup / Teapot

Boil the water and pour it into the cup. If a teapot is used, you're advised to fill 80% of the teapot with water ( to avoid spillage when pouring ).

4. Observing the Color and Smelling the Fragrance

Steep the tea leaves for 2 to 3 minutes. Then you're highly advised to observe the red infusion and smell its fruity fragrance.

5. Enjoy It

As the tea cools down, you can fully enjoy its delicious taste.

*Chinese Walnut Cookies ( 核桃酥 )*

Prep Time - 55 minutes

Calories - 590

Servings - 4

Ingredients

120 grams unsalted butter ( 1 stick / 8 tablespoons, softened at room temperature )

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg ( beaten )

1 1/2 cups all - purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup walnuts ( shelled, broken to small pieces )

Directions

Add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar into a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer on low until smooth.

Add 2 tablespoons of egg. Keep mixing until fully and combined.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until it just forms a dough. Do not over mix. It is okay if there is a bit of dry flour left in the bowl.

Change to a spatula. Add walnuts and add them into the dough.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C ( 350 F ).

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or prepare a nonstick cookie sheet. Scoop about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cookie dough and transfer it to the cookie sheet, 1 scoop apart from each other. You can also use smaller cookies by using 1 tablespoon dough per cookie.

Once the dough is divided, flatten the dough into a round disk, about 6 - cm ( 1/3 - inch ) in thickness.

Mix the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water to make the egg wash. Right before baking, brush a thin layer of egg wash on the top of each cookies.

Bake for 31 to 35 minutes, or until the cookies are cooked through.

Remove the cookies from the oven and place them onto a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies onto the rack until completed cooled down.

You can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

***

"You said, please, say yes." You excitedly informed him. "And I said, yes! I'm going to the New Year's Ball with you, V!"

It took the poet a full minute before he finally realized what you were talking about. And when he finally realized what your words truly meant, his eyes slowly widened and his mouth fell open in shock. He grabbed his messy hair with both hands and spoke, "That - that's your answer, right? You'll go to the Ball with me?"

"Hahaha! Of course, you silly poet!" You laughed as you threw yourself at him, hugging him and placing a tender kiss on his cheek. Oh, how sweet you smelled. What a nice morning, indeed! "See ya!"

And before V could even reciprocate with a kiss of his own, you took your hands off him, waved, and went back to your house.

"Wow, I can't believe it! She said, yes!" Nico, who was standing for more than a few minutes just outside the house and witnessed everything, said. "Ya know what this means, V!"

"And what does that mean?" V, who was startled and embarrassed when he realized that Nico saw you kissing him, asked, his eyes landing dangerously on hers.

With a huge smile on her face, she went towards the poet, flailing her arms like crazy and sending most of her groceries flying in the chilly winter air just like that day when she found out that Avery commissioned him to drive the restless spirit out of her mansion. V took a few steps back but, he was not able to escape when he has come face to face with the crazed Artisan, herself.

"Dance!" Nico screeched, sending V's ears into oblivion. "Ya must learn how to dance! Just like,... "

And V, who knew exactly what she was talking about, gulped nervously and spoke, "Just like,... ?"

This made the woman's eyes glow with an unexplainable kind of energy. "Oh, ya know! ELVIS PRESLEY!"

***

❄ Three Wishes ❄

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X

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"So, what do ya think, man?" Nico asked V when the video ended. "Ye can handle it, right?"

"Can you do that, V?" Griffon, who was flying just above the poet's head, chimed in.

"Master, can you move like that?" Shadow, whose large paws were on top of the table where Nico's cellphone was, added.

And V, who just saw, in full, excruciating detail, how Elvis Presley moved and wooed the female audiences who went wild for him, drew back and placed a hand on his forehead. "I,... excuse me. Before I,... completely,... lose myself,... !"

"It's too much for Shakespeare!" Griffon, who helplessly watched as Shadow went after V towards the bathroom, exclaimed. "Why does he have to learn how to gyrate and grind like Elvis Presley, anyway?"

Nico hummed, drumming her chin with her fingertips. "I have caught some news that (Y/N)'s stupid ex is attending the Ball."

"Ah! The douchebag ex!" Griffon added, trying his very best to ignore the pitiful sounds of V throwing up in the bathroom.

"Yeah, him." Nico confirmed. "And I bet ya he'll do anythin' he can to shame V in front of many people after what happened in the shopping district, now that (Y/N) has agreed to be Poetry Boy's date."

"Ah! What do we do?! We can't let Shakespeare eat someone else's dust!"

"That's why I'm pushin' him to learn Elvis! I'm a hundred percent sure he'll be a hit with the ladies, and Fleminger, being a huge Elvis fanboy, will surely like him. But, now, that seems impossible." Nico cringed, her nose wrinkling at the disgusting sounds she's hearing from the bathroom. It sounded as if V was emptying his breakfast of eggs, ham, bacon, and fried rice from his stomach in multiple sessions of puke, and she’s starting to pity him. "I mean, how virgin is that man, anyway?"

"Virgin enough!" Griffon snapped to cover up the truth that V have zero experience when it came to relationships and intimacy. "Anyways, look for somethin' less sexual than Elvis! Anythin'!"

"Alright! How about,..."

About thirty minutes later, V came out from the bathroom looking more peaked and weaker than ever before, like he hasn't eaten for a whole day. Despite that, he seemed determined to finally learn the ways of the King Of Rock.

"I'm ready." His voice, despite sounding weak, was laced with utter determination. "If (Y/N) enjoys such move, then I would gladly learn Elvis Presley for her. Anything for my sweet, little - "

Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a special treat for tonight!

I'm gonna call my friend Olly up here to sing to you ladies!

Olly!

Yeah!

Let's go, man!

Okay!

"Hey, man! Ye're just in time. Come here!" Nico called from the living room as some lively kind of music begun blasting from the speakers. The woman was also able to connect her phone to the television via a strange device ( V has learned not to question her regarding things like this and just allowed her to do her stuff ), and a few moments later, he found himself staring at the two dancers in the screen, completely mesmerized of their swift and exact, yet fun and engaging, movements.

My name is Olly, nice to meet you can I tell you, baby.

Look around there's a whole lot of pretty ladies.

But not like you, you shine so bright, yeah!

I was wondering if you and me could spend a minute.

On the floor up and close getting lost in it.

I won't give up without a fight.

V's eyes widened. The couple looked like they were really enjoying the dance! The movements looked snappy and hip, and the fast routine engulfed him whole in an instant! He even felt his toes and his fingers drumming to the beat of the pleasant sound!

He was interested! And this made Nico and Griffon nod in approval. Finally! A dance that was best suited for V, the mysterious one!

I just wanna, oh baby!

I just want you to dance with me tonight!

So come on, oh baby!

I just want you to dance with me tonight!

"What is this wonderful dance?" V asked as the routine ended.

"It's called Jive, V." Nico answered. "So, what do ya say? Wanna learn it?"

"Yes, please!" V answered with glee as he faced the woman. "But, (Y/N). Does she know how to do this?"

"She does! Actually, I think I've seen her dance that with Roman during his wedding party. You know, the day you wore that little lace garter on her thigh?"

Of course! How could he forget? His fingers gliding against your smooth skin as he slipped the little garter to your foot and wore it up to your thigh. And your shy, little smile and blushing cheeks as you looked into his eyes.

That lovely woman he thought he'd never see again,...

How could he forget?

And now that you have agreed to be his date, he will do anything to make that evening special for the both of you.

He will see this night through, even if it meant he has to learn some moves that could be considered out of his comfort zone.

He will do it for his sweet, little, beloved lady. He will do it for you.

And so, for the rest of the whole afternoon, V did nothing but watch Jive tutorials on the internet to learn the dance. With Nico and his familiars' help, he was able to learn it in only three hours. At least the basic parts of the dance, that is. With a few more hours of learning and practice, V was confident that he could master it in time for the New Year's Ball. He knew he will succeed and his hard work would pay off.

"I,... never really expected that I could learn something like this." The poet confessed as they enjoyed the snacks that Nico prepared for them - some Chinese walnut cookies paired with black Chinese tea ( she said it's for V's vitality, or something ). "It's true what they say: when there's a will, there's a way."

"Exactly!" Nico answered as she relaxed on the sofa, her legs crossed, and her fingers idly playing with the remote as she held the teacup with her other hand. "And with a few more practices, I'm sure ye'll snag the title of King! And (Y/N) will be the Queen!"

"I never wanted to earn that title." V confessed, taking a sip of the oriental style beverage.

"Why not?" Nico, whose eyebrows furrowed at what V just said, asked.

"Her happiness is enough for me. And her smile," V said, his own smile never leaving his gentle features. " ... is more than enough. Her happiness,... means everything to me."

To this, Nico smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Of course. And I'm sure if it's you, she will smile. She will be happy."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah. Wanna bet on it?"

V chuckled. "There's,... no need for that."

"Well, that's - "

Nico was interrupted when a portal suddenly appeared right before them. It was like - !

"HOLY SHEEP! WHAT'S THAT?!" Nico yelled, frightening both Griffon and Shadow, who were minding their own business in one corner of the room.

V, on the other hand, was not surprised. With a knowing smile, he stood and made his way towards the portal, waiting for,... something,... to come out of it.

And when someone finally did come out, Nico, Griffon, and Shadow could not help but be frightened.

"Just in time," V greeted the man who came out of the portal with a slight tilt of his head and a smirk. " ... as always."

"I'm,.... never late." The man with white, spiky hair and cold eyes answered.

"Y - y - you're," Nico stuttered as she pointed at the visitor. She was still scrambling on the floor with V's poor familiars. " ... Dante's twin brother!"

The eyebrows of Dante's twin brother shot up to his hairline at the way Nico addressed him. He sheathed his sword and decided to just let this blunder of hers slip through.

"Vergil." V greeted as he offered his hand.

"You still go by that one letter name of yours?" Vergil, whose presence alone was too much compared to the powers of V and his familiars combined, asked as he shook V's hand.

"Yes, and I prefer it to remain that way." V answered as he went back to his chair and gestured for his brother to sit opposite him. "You being here, I assume you've brought it."

"I'm not Dante." Vergil snapped, his eyes landing on Nico and making her even more terrified. "I always fulfill my duties."

"W - w - what's he sayin', V?" Griffon whispered as he grasped his master's shoulders in fear of the man.

"Master, he might hurt you!" Shadow added as she huddled close to V in fright.

And Vergil heard this. "What hospitality you bestow upon your guests!"

"Forgive them. They are simply," V apologized, and with one swift move of his hand, the two familiars went back to him in an instant. " ... awed,... by your presence."

"Intimidated,... is what you wanted to say." Vergil retorted.

"You know me too well."

“That is a vast understatement."

There was a momentary silence between the men, and a few seconds later, Vergil finally showed V the thing he was holding onto. It was an old and extremely heavy - looking ornate box that seemed to contain something very important. The half Devil placed it on top of the table and effortlessly slid it towards V. The poet carefully opened it under the eyes of the curious Nico, who stood behind him, and soon, their eyes were met not with some kind of treasure but of something that seemed much more valuable.

"Father wore that when he confessed his feelings of love to mother." Vergil explained as V took the old outfit out of the box to examine it. "And that trinket," V noticed the necklace at the bottom of the box and picked it up. " ... was his wedding gift to her."

"Wow!" Nico gasped in awe as V allowed her to touch the golden necklace with the most beautiful sapphire gem on it. "This looks really expensive."

"It is not only expensive. It is more valuable than you think." Vergil answered as he leaned against the table with one elbow and propped his temple against his fist. "You could even say it is more valuable than any mortal's life."

"I did not ask for this." V spoke with utmost sincerity. He only asked for Vergil's help with the vintage outfit. He never expected his brother to do more than just that. He was practically giving away their mother's most prized possession!

"And I did not ask for anyone’s permission or opinion to bring that." Vergil answered truthfully. "You are going to that Ball with the person you loved. If you have no intention, whatsoever, of letting her go, then you better do everything you can in your power to make her yours. Do as father did, and make him proud." And with a slight glance at the plate of Chinese walnut cookies on the table next to him, he added, "And that girl (Y/N) deserved that trinket more than Dante. He will only sell it to pay his mountain of debt, if I may say so."

"How could I ever repay you for this?" V asked as he put the trinket and the outfit back to the ornate box. "I,... don't earn much. At least, not enough to pay for something like this."

"You don't have to." Vergil answered as he stood and made his way to the center of the living room where he first materialized. "I've made myself clear. Make that girl yours and carry on a proper Sparda bloodline. If anyone should do it, then it's you. I can't trust Dante with it, after all."

"What about you, Vergil?" Nico, whose fear of the tall man in blue finally dissipated, asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Aren't you going to the Ball? You received an invite, right?"

"How did you know about that?" Vergil unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the ground, his eyes narrowed at the woman.

"Dante is a chatterbox, ya know what I'm sayin'?"

Vergil's eyes narrowed even more. "What else did he tell you?"

"Yer date dumped ya."

"Well," Vergil turned away from them, raised his sword high up in the air that it almost reached the ceiling, and made a portal that was similar to the one he made earlier to get to V's house. " ... if he really is that interested in that Ball, then I should go directly to him right now and shove those invites down his throat. Maybe then, he would learn that it is foolish to dive his nose on other people's businesses."

"I'm grateful for your help, Vergil." V simply said. "I truly am."

"It was nothing." Vergil answered but, before he could step into the portal, he turned around once more and strode towards the table, making it there in only a few steps due to his long legs. "Can I, ah, have one of those?"

It took V a few seconds to realize that Vergil was actually asking for some cookies, and when he nodded, the intimidating Devil Hunter, who lived a far more decent life than his own twin by slaying Demons and earning more money than him, gingerly took one treat, a noticeable blush creeping up his pale face, and turned around unceremoniously.

And without another word, he stepped towards the portal he made and finally left. But, not before V and Nico hearing the audible crunch of the cookie that Vergil just ate away from their prying eyes first.

***

❄ @la-vita , @dreaming-gamer , @clevermentalitybeliever , @birdgirl69 , and @v-vic . ❄

***

"Ya sure ye wanna watch that Elvis vid?" Nico asked as she stepped out of V's house into the cold weather outside. "I thought ya don't want it."

"I'm pretty sure." V said with a grin. "One song there actually,... lured me in."

"Ah, that song!" Nico thoughtfully said. "Yeah, that was nice. Well, be seein' ya! And don't forget to call if ya need help!"

"I sure will."

"Bye!"

Not a moment has passed after V closed the door to his house when Nico noticed your former lover coming out of your house, looking down and rejected.

And he noticed her, as well.

"What are you looking at?!" Christopher growled at her, making her draw back cautiously. He seemed really mad, and with the bouquet and the box of chocolates in his hands, it only meant one thing: that he tried to win (Y/N) once more but she rejected him. And this made Nico smile from ear to ear.

"Whoa, I'm not even starin' at ya, no!" Nico's sarcastic answer only infuriated Christopher even more.

"You, STUPID BITCH - !"

"AH, AH, AH! Don't try it." Nico warned with a smile, then, she pointed at V's house behind her with her thumb. "Remember that Red Grave Muckspout? The fat bird that tried to kill ya? It lives there now! Ya don't want it to hear ya, or else,..."

"Or else, what?"

Nico placed her hand on her hip and playfully waved at Christopher with the other. "Or else it's bye bye eyeballs for ya!" And with it, she trotted away, humming her favorite song on the way to her ugly white van with a neon sign in it that says, Devil May Cry.

Nico's actions made Christopher look at the house, and there, on that window, he saw the man called V examining a set of vintage clothing that looked far more exquisite than his.

Wait, vintage clothing? 

"Hey, V!" Christopher heard a shrill male voice coming from the house. V was not alone. "Ya think (Y/N) would like that necklace?"

"One could only hope." V answered as he took out an extremely expensive - looking jewelry from an ornate box on the table where the vintage clothing also came from. "But, for now, I want to practice more,… dances,… for the Ball."

"Don't overwork yerself, Shakespeare!"

"So! You're the one who took my (Y/N) away from me!" His teeth gritting in suppressed anger, Christopher threw the bouquet and the box of chocolates away and took out his cellphone from his pocket. Dialing a particular number, he waited until someone answered his call. And with fury - filled eyes for the man who was the cause of his embarrassment in front of you and your grandmother, he spoke, "I have a job for you,..."

You will pay for this, you, bastard!

***

❄❄❄

***

[disemboweled-fish-pastry]

About 20 days twiddling my thumbs frustrated with my latest project, I decided to go ham with Yoosung's room and assume he got a just deserved upgrade to his PC setup. I already drew what is canonically in his room from the game, but because it's from an angle that isn't typically seen, I'm forced to use my imagination. I'm also giving him star shaped fairy lights for the corners of the ceiling, because I can do whatever I want!

Anyone have any ideas for what you think Yoosung might have in the other sides of his room? Or what he might have after getting into his relationship? One of these days, I'm just gonna 3D model his room so it can make things easier for drawing reference...

So far, I've given him a wall shelf to put stuff on. I'm considering giving him a big aquarium, *coughforthecatdefinitlynotjustbecauseIlovefishcough*, a cat tree for Lisa, maybe more cat accessories, maybe a shelf for collectables (I've seen it said that Yoosung enjoys shoujo manga, but I want to find a source. If so, I want to give him some shojo manga and other neat collectables.), I want to give him that signed gaming mouse to use (or perhaps.. would he be too afraid to use it? Still, I'm giving him a gaming mouse!!)

Speaking of cats! I was excited to find that Lisa pretty much lives at the vet clinic, I guess it's common in South Korea too then... Though, part of me is like Iwantlisaathome lol

☆ Cooking nonsense with Puku ☆

On a separate random note. All this time, I didn't fully realize my favorite instant noodles were pretty much a take on Jjamppong. The package always just called the noodles "Udon type noodles" and the flavor was "spicy seafood". I was just a lameass who for some reason thought Udon was mostly a Japanese noodle, not to mention this Korean/Chinese version is similar in texture to the typical Japanese Udon noodle, but quite a bit smaller in thickness. Not as thin as Ramen or Ramyun/Ramyeon, however.

orz All this time I just felt like I was bastardizing japanese udon, but apparently it's pretty common to make the noodles spicy in South Korea. I'm a spicy fanatic so I guess I now know what kind of noodle dish I tend to favor.

See, I was just but a lameo who just took Nongshim Neoguri Spicy Seafood instant "udon type noodles" and threw them into a pot, adding separate purple cabbage/bok choy/brussle sprouts/other cabbage, spinach, wakame seaweed/nori/knotted kombu, octopus tentacle parts, dehydrated mini shrimps, sometimes bacon for the fatty pork and oil taste, cut or chopped habanero/ghost/Carolina reaper peppers for extra heat, hot chili oil, more crushed red pepper, a bit of Fiesta "Very hot" cayenne pepper, course ground black pepper, shiitake/oyster mushrooms (I grew and dehydrated them myself ♥). Otherwise, really just whatever I feel like that I have lying around. If possible, I like to add fish cakes like narutos, soft boiled egg (Recently learned how to soy sauce marinate soft boiled eggs! yumyumyumyumyum), etc. Adding radishes and daikon is good too! Sometimes beansprouts, sometimes mukimame, sometimes cucumber slices, etc. I've bought frozen seafood variety bags and that will work for protein as well. I think it's actually pretty common for oyster to be used in jjamppong, too..

Anyway I've rattled enough about my abomination noodle soup I could eat forever if I could only eat one thing... >__>

[gaycrystalfemme]

Power Couple

Chapter 2: Flashbacks

I can't wait forever.

With that thought, Blue got distracted from finishing the last article of the thick law book she had been studying. She'll be taking the bar exam in a few weeks and getting held up over such irrelevant thoughts were detrimental.

Bzzzzzt!

Her phone vibrated. A message. It read:

"Honey, your whereabouts? I'm at the Stardusk café, currently. Would you care to join me?"

Blue started dialing Yellow's number. Before it was answered, Blue gently cleared her throat and adjusted her voice to a whisper. "Yellow. Yes, darling, I... Oh. Yes, as of the moment, I am at the library. I'd love to join you but what time will you be.. Oh. Yes, okay."

Yellow. She had fancied Yellow for the longest time since they were younger. And yes they were both female, but that did not deter her from harboring romantic feelings towards Yellow.

Not straight, huh? Oh, but there is no other way. There is no one else I'd be with if not my Yellow!

Blue would have this dialogue in her head every time she found herself questioning her feelings for Yellow. A glorious day it was when Yellow finally confessed. It was one of Blue's most prized memories.

~ ~ ~

Years Ago

"Blue, I.. Can we speak after etiquette class?"

Summer time, it was supposed to be leisure time for normal kids. But they were not normal kids. They were members of the handful elite.

Young Yellow is studying culture, languages, and etiquette over the summer. Her friend, Blue, is also doing the same. They were in different classes though.

They spend the few months at a prestigious academy, known only to the very wealthy, honing and learning new skills. However, what mattered most was their status, their image, the expansion of their empires, their ability to lead. They had to be perfect.

Blue could not concentrate. Ra, La, or was it Fa? She was looking at Chinese characters but nothing seems to click in her head aside from what Yellow left open-ended earlier.

What is she going to tell me? Could it be that she has a boyfriend I don't know about? Did she agree to date the guy who owns the winery? Or the son of the owner of the Yacht club? Or worse, could White have set her up with a groom of her choosing?? Should I confess my.. Oh my lord, what am I gonna do?!

Over the years of befriending and getting to know Yellow, Blue gradually saw her as more than a mere friend. She began seeing Yellow in a romantic light. Perhaps due to their conversations, maybe their shared appreciation in fashion, maybe Yellow's hidden compassion.

One time, Yellow shared her juice box with Blue just because she knew Blue loved that so much. From then on, Blue felt a spark. It's like she's a person and not just some elite being. An equal to Yellow. On other occasions, Yellow would touch her shoulder or her back as a sign of camaraderie, and she'd have thoughts of their hands intertwining. Before she knew it she was secretly pining over Yellow.

By the bench at the school park, Yellow was seated waiting for Blue. She was usually stiff and serious even at a young age, but today she was obviously restless and sweating.

"Yellow, have you been waiting long? Sorry, I just got out of language class. I came as fast as I could."

"It's fine, Blue. Let's.. walk, shall we?"

Blue was nervous herself. Both of them walking side by side but awkwardly. Yet neither could take notice as they were both immersed in their own heads. There was an unspoken presence between them. Doubts, fears, uncertainties, feelings..

"Blue, I.."

They had been walking for a while, perhaps about thirty minutes, until they stopped in an empty and secluded patch in their academy. Since only very few enrolled during the summer, it seemed like the place was entirely theirs. Yellow held Blue's hand and, with all her might, looked Blue in the eyes.

"Blue, I have.." Yellow gripped Blue's hand tighter.

"Yellow? What.. What are you trying to say?" Blue's chest tightened with Yellow's grip. Flutter, uncertainty, confusion: all at once.

Yellow could no longer contain herself. She was always the type to attack. At that moment, she deemed words would be insufficient. She decided, instead, for a grand approach.

With her right hand still holding Blue's, Yellow stationed her other hand at Blue's shoulder for anchor. She pulled her subtly trembling body towards Blue. Their faces had never been this close. So close, she could smell Blue's breath and their noses could touch. Yellow closed her eyes and softly, for the first time, kissed Blue in the lips.

"Blue, I've.. I have feelings for you! And if this.. information would terminate our friendship, then so be it."

"Yellow.."

Blue was undeniably shocked with what just transpired. It took a few moments before she could grasp the situation.

"I feel the same, Yellow. For the longest time! I'm beyond the stars just knowing you feel the same way for me!"

"Blue, would you mind if we be exclusive?"

"I.. I love you, Yellow!" Blue sloppily and ungracefully lunged towards Yellow's face and sealed her response with an inexperienced kiss.

~ ~ ~

At the Stardusk Café

Where the hell is Blue?!

Yellow grew impatient by the second. Her temper was easily thrown off the window. Sometimes it was her weakness, sometimes her strength. She tried her best to manage it though, especially whenever the situation involved Blue.

While Blue was busy with the upcoming bar exam, Yellow was busy negotiating with various clients. She was expanding her business in Asia. And though they had been together for a while, it had become more difficult to see each other. Especially since they were building and expanding their careers.

Yellow's hotheadedness was mainly caused by the excitement and frustration to see her darling, Blue. She wanted to see her, to be with her. But there was too little time.

"Honey," Blue had finally arrived. Yellow's temper melted with the sight of Blue.

"Blue, you took long enough."

"What?! You told me eight. And it's just five minutes before eight! Pearl drove as fast as she could. Anyway, can we eat somewhere? All the studying left me famished."

"Okay, Blue. But I need to get home by ten. Ten thirty at most. I'll be meeting a client early tomorrow. You know, with Mr. Cho. It's a make or break for the company, so.."

"Yes, darling. I get it. I have to be early too. I'll be speaking with the current chief executive lawyer of the firm and review a few contracts so the turn over would be smooth once I pass the exam."

"Yes, of course."

They steadfastly left the café and went to dinner at the nearest fancy restaurant. After dinner, it was already past ten. So in compliance to Yellow's assigned curfew, they decided to go home. Yellow's assistant was driving them as Blue sent hers earlier after dropping her at Stardusk.

First route was to drop Blue off, then to Yellow's house. In the backseat of Yellow's gold car, Blue closed her eyes and rested her head on Yellow's shoulder. Yellow held Blue's hand.

"Yellow, this is becoming more difficult. We barely see each other and when we do it's always in a haste."

Sigh. "I know, darling. But that's how it's supposed to be. We both have huge responsibilities."

"But maybe we don't have to haste every time. Maybe we could still be influential figures to society and still have time for ourselves. Yellow I want to spend more time with you."

Yellow kissed Blue's hair, "What are you suggesting?"

"You might think I'm silly but.. I want to marry you, Yellow! I want to be married to you, I want you to be my wife. I've thought about this and probably we can get to spend more time at least. You would come home to me, I'd come home to you. Life would be.. perfect."

Blue had sounded casual even if she may have wanted to inject more emotion to what she had just confessed. She had began to feel the fatigue of the day's work.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Yellow was in awe with what she just heard. Gently she pulled Blue away from her shoulder so they could face each other. It was obvious in her face that she was blushing.

"Are you suggesting.. we get married, Blue?!"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Of.. of course. That is unheard of!"

"But Yellow, it isn't. You know that. I don't suppose you enjoy our quick dates, do you? And what are we after this? It feels like we're just dating. For the next eternity, will we still be just dating? I want to be your wife! Do you not see that?"

Blue now all fired up with frustration from Yellow's response. She thought Yellow would want the same. It seems otherwise.

"Sorry if I lashed out like that. I'm.. I'm just.. tired," Blue submitted to defeat.

"No, Blue. Don't be. I'm sorry. Please know, I do want to be married to you too. We'll have to plan this, however."

"Yes, I know."

They arrived at Blue's mansion. As they approached the driveway, Blue tidied herself a bit before alighting the gold vehicle. There was a certain weight in the air from what they had just discussed.

She pecked Yellow goodbye but before she could turn away, Yellow whispered softly to her, "Blue, I.. I want to.. touch you."

"Oh. Then, uh, come. Stay with me tonight," she smiled softly but tiredly.

"Pearl, go home. I'll call you tomorrow when I need you. Be up early." Yellow took off with Blue, taking her fancy purse and laptop bag.

"Yes, Ms. Diamond." With that command, Yellow's assistant drove home without her.

"Do you have everything you need, honey? Paperworks? Contracts? Mr. Cho, tomorrow?"

"I believe everything is here," Yellow subtly tapped her laptop bag. "I'll just have Pearl bring whatever I left, if there is any. Perhaps a set of clothes! Is.. is it okay if I stay tonight? I feel like we need to.. talk."

"Pfft! You know it's fine."

This wasn't the like usual nights they'd have. Usually these quick dates would end up where they both go home separately. Occasionally, they'd come home to one's home and spend the night. But when and if they do, it had to be scheduled. Finding time for such an activity weren't as easy given the things they have to deal with on a daily basis.

Yellow suddenly felt the urge for Blue. Perhaps due to the pressure of her company's expansion. Perhaps due to Blue's upcoming bar exam. Or probably due to the marriage bomb Blue had just dropped earlier in the car. She wanted them to connect physically that night.

They both started making out and undressing each other once they reached the master bedroom. They couldn't stop touching and kissing each other. Not being able to do this for a while had its perks. They took a bath together, and, after doing so navigated to the bed.

Now, the only universe that mattered was theirs. They melted into each other's love and smooches and caresses. They moaned and screamed like there was no one else in the world. Blue had particularly felt like being on top was appropriate that night, so she took the role and made Yellow feel ecstatic beyond the heavens. After Yellow reached her peak, she made Blue feel heavenly as well. From the moment they reached Blue's room, it took probably two or three hours before they both finished.

Panting, both now sweating and were facing one another. Yellow cuppped Blue's cheek and softly kissed her.

"Blue. Let's.. get married."

"Yellow I thought-"

"Everything you said earlier in the car, I want that too! To come home to you and you to me, yes, I would love to be able to do that. I've always loved you, Blue. I don't think I can ever be with anyone else! Please, will you be my wife?"

"Yellow, I.. Yes! Of course!" Blue bursted in tears, but that of joy. Happiness she couldn't contain.

Yellow pulled Blue closer to encapsulate her in the warmest most loving hug. "It's settled then. We'll only hire the best."

A wedding was on the way.

Mrs. Diamonds. It sounded perfect for them both.

[liu-anhuaming]

Do you have any tips for studying a large amount in a short period of time? Because I have been learning chinese for 2 1/2 years, but i really haven't gotten far and this August 29 (50 days!!) I'm leaving for a 10 month exchange to ZhengZhou!

i’m gonna start out by saying there’s really no fun way to cram a bunch of knowledge into your brain in a short amount of time (i know this really well bc i was a shit student in high school and i still a shit student now, even though i have improved slightly)

but here are my suggestions:

make some kind of schedule. if you do this you don’t need to have a super regimented study plan but just have an idea of what you need to study and make a basic timeline. you leave in 50 days, so that’s about 7 weeks. while you don’t necessarily need to know what you’re going to study every single day, maybe have a general idea about what you want to cover each week so that you can have a general idea of what your goal is

if scheduling isn’t your thing (cuz it sure as hell isn’t mine), form a list of what you want to accomplish in these 50 days. gather up the resources you’re gonna use (i’ll put some suggestions for that below) and figure out what you want to accomplish with them. this list can be as general or specific as you think it needs to be.

whether you make a schedule or a list is really up to you and how you prefer to study and stay motivated, but it’s important to remember to take a few days off (at least once a week). 50 days of straight studying is not an easy thing and if you don’t rest in between you’ll eventually burn out. so yeah, take some days off. but if you still want to get some mandarin practice in, listen to music in the background. here’s some links to music master posts, as well as my mandarin music tag (my personal suggestions for music are, naturally, 苏运莹， 张震岳 （AKA A－Yue，Waa Wei, Hello Nico, Haya 乐团, Frandé/法蘭黛, and 宇宙人). also take a look at the blogs @chinese-lyrics and @fyeahcindie. they have a bunch of great music that you can look through 

so now that you know what you’re gonna be doing, here are some suggestions for how to drill vocab and grammar:

the first is memrise. there are a bunch of memrise courses for mandarin that cover useful vocab from every level of the HSK among other things. since it uses spaced repetition it’s a great resource to help beat vocab into your brain. it is, however, not the best for grammar (imo)

if you need to, take sticky notes and label everything in your house. and make it really visible. when i did this, i didn’t write the pinyin on the sticky notes, just the tone marks but if you feel that you need to write the pinyin, then go ahead and do it. when you do this, you are forced to see the vocab every day and will learn it after having seen it so many times

it is my opinion that the best way to learn vocab (and their corresponding characters) is to write. when i study mandarin i always try to write out my vocab lists and then use this method to practice the characters. depending on how long your vocab list is, this can be an incredibly time consuming method (i’ve had lists that have taken me an hour and a half to finish drilling using this method) but it really pays off

for grammar i’d use websites like this one or this one bc they give examples of the grammar in use. also, the first one (allset learning) has their grammar organized up to B2 (HSK 4) so it’s easy to find grammar by HSK levels. the second one is also organized by level, but they don’t have as many articles yet. if you want to practice by making your own sentences but are afraid of messing up, just hop on over to HiNative. you can ask native speakers of mandarin if something you wrote in mandarin sounds natural or correct, as well as ask for help with translating difficult words or sentences and more.

more than anything, i recommend you find some resources created by native speakers to help you learn

slow chinese 慢速中文 is a podcast series written by native speakers for people learning mandarin. they are a few minutes long each and are spoken at a slightly slower speed than normal, and they cover a variety of topics including chinese culture and food. you can download the podcasts on iTunes, but you can also find them online along with the transcripts. it’s an amazing resource

快乐汉语 (this playlist only goes to episode 75): this is a video series created by CCTV for mandarin learners. it’s basically about an american girl who runs away from home to stay with her family friends in beijing. the acting is super cheesy and the plots are downright weird at times, but it’s an excellent resource because the videos are subbed in both mandarin and english. since susan (the main character) is american, there are a bunch of episodes where the family explains chinese culture to her so it’s pretty cool. warning: a lot of the characters have thick beijing accents, so just watch out for that. they also have a couple of short breaks in each episode to explain certain grammar or vocab that was used in the episode

what i’d do with these and any other native resources you find (song lyrics, blog posts, books, etc.) is break them down sentence by sentence and study the vocab and grammar. once you get that vocab, drill it like you do with all of the other vocab. what my teacher would have us do with 快乐汉语 was listen once nonstop, then go scene by scene and write down what the characters were saying using what we could hear and the chinese subtitles. we’d then go over the scene and find any vocab and grammar patterns that were new to us and make notes on them. once we’d finish with that, we’d listen to the scene once more.

after we’d done that for every scene, we’d watch the whole video again and again to get the hang not only of the new vocab but also of the way the characters said each sentence. when learning a new language, a lot of what makes someone sound unnatural is not only accent, but also rhythm. so my teacher would have us listen to the video over and over and then make us perform certain scenes. she did this so we could practice listening not only for pronunciation but also for the rhythm of each sentence. so i highly recommend you try this (sans the performing). you can just pick a scene or two and listen a bunch and eventually try to repeat after each character until you feel you’ve got the rhythm down.

so that’s really all i can say for now. cramming requires a lot of work so what you’ve got to do is find a way to apply the methods that work best for you and keep plugging away at them until the very end. i hope this helps you in some way, and i hope you enjoy your time in china! 加油!!!