#could never even CONSIDER a zyn

[i-love-green]

Fuck you people with good teeth genes that don’t have to worry if they’re bright yellow or not even though you brushed them that morning or have the impending doom of knowing that even though you had braces that your back teeth are slowly rotating outwards or dont have to worry if your teeth look pink because you bit down wrong on something and your gums are profusely bleeding

[esggs]

dealer!Shoko x addict!reader, addicted to Shoko that is, no way jjk society doesn’t have a rampant drug problem, light smut, drugs, tragic yuri <3

“Shoko, I got a boo-boo here.” You tap your lips. “Kiss it away?”

“Just take your drugs and go.”

-----

Shoko is of the variety of women who survive. Born for it, in a way, with her coveted powers. You could fold her paper-hollow bones into a pretzel with very little effort, but nothing could truly kill her. 

It’s not like that for the majority of the sorcerers who file daily into her infirmary. Or the attached mortuary. For them (and you) a little something extra is needed to keep inevitable death from constantly poaching their minds. Yaga looks the other way if a few boxes of Xanax go missing unprescribed. 

But that’s not what you’re sitting on her operating table for. You’re of a more civilised sort: your addiction is Shoko, as you declare while blowing her a finger-heart. 

“And Klonopin.” Shoko deadpans, throwing you two packets of the aquarium-blue itty bitty pills that make your life itty bitty bearable. And then a hard-plastic bottle: “Pass these on to Nanami, will you?”  

“Du-ra-morph?” The print is so small you have to squint to read. 

“Painkillers. He’s always aching somewhere.” That makes sense, that man is worked to the bone. You wonder how much of his paycheck goes to this and the Zyn habit that stayed with him since his investment banker days.

“He’s taking a break after this mission. Shoko, let’s do that too, the countryside is calling.”

It’d be nice to take her out of this sour 9 x 9 mortuary she exists in. You think of the fresh air, swaying red poppies, fish in lakes, open skies up ahead: a water-coloured Ghibli movie. The guarantee of growing old with your loved ones. When you turn your head, Shoko will be right there, right next to you. 

She considers it, leaning on the desk and lighting a cigarette. You pop a pill dry, the foil packet crinkling, watching her. Dark circles that nothing could fix. Eyes red with the constant smoke. Thin wrists, creased fingertips. Gorgeous. 

The clock ticks 2 past midnight. Klonopin isn’t cutting it, especially not tonight: Shoko can tell by the lines on your brow. 

“Want something else? On me.” She leaves her cigarette in the safety of your lips to reach under the desk, pawing for the most expensive lifesavers she hides (she won’t tell for whom). 

You can’t resist it. “Nice ass, babe.”

“I know,” she straightens up, holding the baggie out for you. At first you’re offended– why would Shoko offer you crack as if she doesn’t even know you, but then it clicks that it’s heroin, purer white than you’ve ever seen before. Fuck. That has to be a small fortune, even wedding rings come cheaper.

“Is this how you’re saying that you love me, Shoko? Because I–”

She never gets to know what you’ll say next because you (very rudely, she thinks) blow the smoke in her face. It’s fun to tease Shoko. Keeps morale up and feelings away.  

You gingerly sniff into the baggie. “Don’t kill me, but it smells like your pussy.” Shoko pointedly refuses to reply, busying wiping a glass cup clean with the tail of her lab coat. “Not in a bad way. Doesn’t taste anything like your pussy, don’t worry.”

“When are you leaving?” 

“Relax, woman.” You pull up the sleeves of your blazer– standard Jujutsu High issue, rank stamped on the collar. These smoke detectors aren’t to be fucked with; injection it is. The inside of your pock-marked elbow (your hands shake sometimes) are always itchy. “You’ll cry about me after I’m dead.”

She would. Soon. 

But for now she simply hands you the syringe and the glass: 22,000 yen per uncut gram, dissolved in water. All for you. A token of love. 

Over her long existence (long enough, she says), Shoko Ieri had learnt of the utter uselessness of romance. What good could she do with a flower bouquet, eat it like a horse? At least promise rings  could be resold on eBay. And chocolates end up being saved for Halloween. Looking as good as she did, she never had to go Halloween shopping: the candy accumulated from various stupid men throughout the year was always more than enough. 

Somedays she’d rock back in her chair and count all the beams on the infirmary roof. Name them after the people who confessed their love to her. Yours doesn’t come up. 

But not even Shoko could deny that this was romantic. You always claim that you can’t inject yourself (even though you have no problem doing so on mission trips) and every time you just have to wrap your arms around her neck to steady yourself. Scared of needles, my ass. 

The tip of the syringe at your skin, her hair in your eyes. Pricking. “Distract me.”

You feel euphoria fill your vein the moment Shoko’s tongue warms yours. She tastes of unflavoured Blackstone smoke, depression left untreated for a decade. Poppy fields. The promise of love. You bite her lip, feeling her moan in your mouth.

Breath on cold breath, you know how she likes to be kissed: hold her jaw firm, tilt her head, suck on her bottom lip while you tell her that you missed her. Push your tongue into her mouth. Claw red lines down her neck, into her collarbones. Her heart, pressed against yours, thumps painfully. 

You could press through her unsunned skin and tear it out whole, dissect every inch with her scalpel and yet find nothing but holes in there. Too many cigarettes. Too many friends on her autopsy table. 

Your blood trickles lightly from the puncture, staining her lab coat. Come the news tomorrow, she wouldn’t ever have the heart to wash it out. 

“Here, baby?”

Orgasms that have made you cry, body-shaking and toes-curling, made you fall in love, none of that could hold a candle to the weightless paradise of a heroin high. Warm sunshine. Grass under your feet. One day you’ll get a little cottage with Shoko by those poppy fields, sorcerer business far away from both your minds. 

Shoko’s voice answers like angel-song, “Here, yes.” 

Wind off the cliff you’re standing on whips your skin. Her hand handles your lightheavy head, pushes your face into her tits, shirt tucked up under her neck, her fingers tightening in your nape-hair. 

You’re lying face down on the ground, earthworms and rats scurrying along. Damp dirt. Cool on your cheek. Shoko’s grip stings your scalp. She thinks, moaning, of cutting you when you lick the cigarette ash off the top of her boob. Must be a careless flick that went through her collar. Tastes bitter. Soft dirt. Refuse of the earth. Melting bones, melting muscles, melting skin– all soaked up into the ground you lie flat on. 

You’re too far gone to do anything; Shoko doubts that you can even see her. Your practised hands struggle to pull her bra down, you’re drooling on her tits in what she assumes is an attempt to leave hickeys. Flags pitched on the moon, ‘I was here’. Remember me, please. Remember me when I’m gone.

Rats and earthworms decompose your remains until you return to whence you came from. Peace. Natural death. Order of life. 

It’s soft.

Shoko is still sitting in the cottage, waiting for you to come back. 

She kisses your forehead, letting your faded self rot on her chest. “I wuvv yooo.” It’s comforting, almost motherly, wiping the excess spit off your lips, uncontrollable tears from your eyes. “Sokoo, I wuv yoooo. I’ll commme bak-backk. I’ll come, pwomiseee.” 

Shoko keeps looking around, lonely in the cottage. None of her loved ones are here. Not even you. Shoko keeps sitting alone. Waiting. 

You’re crying hysterically, fully gone. 2.45 am– she manhandles you off her, fixes your clothing, slips you some more Klonopin packets sheathed with emergency aluminium foil.  You’ll need them tomorrow: Shibuya will be difficult. Kisses you good-bye, drool be damned, sends you off in an assistant manager’s car. You keep garbling that you love her and that you’ll come back. 

You won’t. Shoko has heard this lie many times before. 

a/n: Gojo doesn’t partake in any drugs at all. At the lowest point in his life, Geto smoked a bit, tried Xanax once, but has been completely clean ever since. Gakuganji is fucked up on all uppers man, you don’t become a rock guitarist without cocaine/LSD fueling you. Utahime needs codeine/Xanax/Klonopin to sleep, mixes with alcohol. Yuta smokes, sometimes and secretly. Maki is clean. Kamo keeps a pack of Zyns (undetectable cigs in a way) by his bedside drawer. 

All too often people think of drug-addicts as meth heads lying in the gutter, while it's more common to be a completely normal functioning member of the society whose life rests on the relief that their chosen drugs bring them. 

Because there are kids reading my works, I feel the need to say this. Many people do drugs for different reasons, none of which are for us to judge, especially if they’re strangers. But if you ever feel like ‘trying out’ drugs for any reason, draw Noritoshi Kamo instead. Pick a pencil and paper or your phone and just keep drawing that man. God knows we need more fanart of him. Stay away from all this nonsense, kids. 

[talasterism]

welcome to the very first installement of Winnow Weekly!!

today we meet the (once) noble Den Daev’yana, (Seed of Rebirth version), and Winnow's blood family. EXCEPT! since nine months the Den is considered missing, excepting two people - Zyn, whom Winnow likes the least in the family (he's the most pathetic meow meow but in a deragatory way), and Winnow, who had been in Dwendalian Empire in the time of the Disappearing. AND!! in the first session, upon Winnow returning to Xhorhas, we attend a ball and hear the announcement from the Bright Queen that Den Daev'yana is now officially dissolved since no progress has been made in finding them :') winnow did Not take the news well & now is even more determined to find them. exceeept he is wanted in Rosohna, where the family was last seen, for the murder his mother framed on him. (the family is messy to say the least).

everyones introductions and winnow's love language (nickanmes) below

Eala Daev’yana, she/they, drow (blue), 279 (Misuthar 11th 557 PD)

sweet mother go puhpuhpuh. OG Daev’yana. her favourite snack is toffee and their favourite artform is sculpture. has a very businesswomany clothing style and long hair (with a marriage bead) she keeps mostly free or does a sleek tight braid for Business ™ times. had a very strong tea-fortune-telling phase where she bothered everyone with not throwing away their teas. murderer (accidental? we simply dont know)

Luathi Daev’yana. she/her, drow (lilac), 301 (Cuersaar 20th, 535 PD)

mean toxic mom go brr. winnow always tried to impress her more than Eala & rogued mostly for her. only drinks black iced coffee. very goal-driven. loves to read in her armchair. if she had discord or a mobile phone it would always be on do not disturb. 

Zyn Daev’yana, he/him, drow (lilac), younger sibling early 220s

Sareil Daev’yana, he/him, drow, 98 (738 PD), oldest sibling / adopted into Den

Luathi’s younger brother. He must spend a good fortune on hair bleach and an hour a fortnight to buzz it short again (blasphemy in the family who cares about hair traditions above any others, if you ask Winnow). writes embarassing poetry (in canon it's just taylor swift lyrics). Regularly shows up for family board game nights, and yet almost never wins (because he’s a loser, one could argue).

Sareil is a classic gay romantic whose first love is academia, and probably always will be. He likes to read poetry while looking out of the window in his favourite spot in the tower - especially on rainy days-, and drinking mugs of tea gone cold and magically reheated over three to five open books while hectically noting down questions to his own theories. Winnow and he have a softly quiet friendship, the kind where you talk to each other more through book annotations than with face-to-face words and make the other cup of tea when you make yourself one. Winnow's nickname for him is 2D PhD (cause his previous last name also started w D and he’s a nerd) or Reirei. 

Orlas Daev’yana, she/they, drow, 77 (Thunsheer 1st, 759 PD), older sibling  

FAVOURITE NPC!!! As far as being the firsborn and the oldest child of a noble Den (for a while, at least) goes, Orlas dealt with the expectations placed upon her quite graciously. They were an A student in all aspects and institutions, an excellent notetaker and moderator of meetings between Den Thelyss and Den Daev’yana, and even brought Winnow back home (more on that another time). Coincidentally, they are also the one who told him the truth, and losing a couple of points in their mothers’ eyes along with a promise braid.  Not that it mattered - only those who knew her before Winnow entering their life could see that she had changed since he moved in. Something about them was opening slowly, like a kitten’s eye for the first time, something like happiness and relief.

If Winnow would ever write his own book, he most certainly would start with a small collection of short stories, dedicating each one to Orlas. He calls her l'Orla and cydan (undercommon affectionate term for big sister), or page Orlas in mock fancy tone And an accent, turning it more into Pajeeeh Orleeeh when he teases them. Gender-wise is a sister but not a daughter. 

Garle’as Daev’yana, they/them, drow, 51 (785PD), older sibling

Somehow, from the very first day, Winnow never really liked Garle’as, and neither did they like him back. For the entirety of Winnow’s life in the Den, the relationship between the two was tensely taut, fuelled by mutual jealousy of each other - the new attention Winnow was getting versus the comfortable history Garle’as shared with everyone, the disinclination to share inside jokes, the coldness of shoulders turned to each other in sharp contrast of the warmth offered by the others. With finally more than enough people in his life to love, Winnow was not worried about their mutual annoyance with each other - if anything it’s kind of fun to have a relaxed nemesis, and no efforts were made from either to warm their relationship (except of course, staying civil during dinners and family trips. That mostly involved the mothers strategically placing the children out of each other’s sight and hoping for the best after they learned that chastising Garle’as publicly wasn’t doing any wonders, and it worked surprisingly well). At no point did Winnow think about giving them a nickname, not even a shitty one. 

Ta’nuil Daev’yana, he/they, drow, 17 (819 PD),  younger sibling

Ta’nuil - like most members of the family - has ADHD, except it’s multiplied by being a kid. In the Den, he is famous for changing hobbies every two to six business weeks (well, at least at the ripe age of being 7). Whenever Winnow’s ADHD alligned with Ta’n’s, he accompanied him in adventures of learning new crafts: through vicariously changing hobbies, Winnow has learned about himself that he likes to work with paper - like  scrapbooking, paper sculting, and origami. Winnow’s nickname for them is spindle (cause he likes to spin) and Nui.

Elossu Daev’yana, she/her, drow, 8 (828 PD), youngest sibling

Winnow left when she was only 2, and before her appearance in his life thought himself to hate all babies - until she was the first exception. As a baby she was quite fussy and looking for undivided attention. Winnow liked to read to her. Winnow’s nickname for her is peacheeks (for her soft pinkish cheeks). 

I even came up with Undercommon writing to transcribe everyone's names, but more on that later,,,

[psalacanthea]

Dissonance and Debauchery: The Drama of an Ill-Fated Bard- Ch: 13

A new chapter of the Baldur’s Gate 3 fic is up!  In which Zynatheri’s worst habits come back to bite her in the ass, leaving her with no support as they prepare to delve into the place she hates and fears more than anything-- the Underdark.

...

Astarion slowly glanced over his shoulder, his scarlet eyes pinning hers as they met, brilliant rubies that gleamed with a shocking intensity.

Every single one of her senses was screaming danger, and she inadvertently staggered back.  Before she could compose herself, he fixed her with an icy stare.  It was an ordinary sort of annoyance on his face, if not for the way her instincts were clamoring.  

“What?” he asked, voice unreadable.

Ugh, she was too sick for this.  “Whatever it is you want so you stop throwing a tantrum over likely nothing, just tell me so I can give it to you.”

“I beg your–”  Astarion’s shocked laughter cut off, and his voice hardened.  “Right, of course.  You’ve never done anything wrong, have you?  Just go away.”

“Okay, I don’t know what this charade is, but I don’t think it’s very fair after all day annoying me by poking and prodding at me that you turn around and dismiss me.  Please just tell me what to say so this can be over!”  she groaned, pushing her hands into her forehead.  Why did he keep making this complicated?

“Annoying you?  Was that what I was doing?”  Astarion asked, voice full of scornful laughter.

“I kept telling you to stop!” she protested, throwing up her hands.  There was an edge to this conversation that was arguing, not banter, and she didn’t like it.  It should have been bickering.  Bickering was much better than…this.

“And you were the one who told me that stop doesn’t mean stop.”

Zyn’s brain momentarily stopped working.  Okay, well, yes, but…  “That obviously only referred to sex.  Don’t twist things to try and be right.”

“Don’t spend all day rejecting even the slightest hint of camaraderie only to demand my attention the instant people’s backs are turned,” Astarion replied, voice heavy with condescending disdain.  He turned his knife over, staring at it critically as the metal gleamed in the light of the setting sun.  “I suppose it’s my fault, for trusting a single word that comes out of your lying mouth.  Isn’t it, darling?”

She wasn’t sure why he was accusing her of lying, but she didn’t honestly care right now, considering how awful she felt.

“Ooh, my lying mouth, hmm?  Did you suddenly acquire morals?” she asked sharply.  How dare a fucking vampire of all things try to lecture her?  She scoffed, lifting a hand and waving dismissively.  “Conveniently timed.  Don’t put yourself on a pedestal and claim you’ve found moral high ground; righteousness tarnishes when it touches you.”

She almost laughed at the viciously offended look he gave her.  Really?  After what he’d said to her, he had the gall to actually be upset by her response?  Quite honestly, his arrogance was shocking.

He’d been deliberately irritating her all day, and now he had the nerve to reject her when she just wanted some comfort and company?

But she wasn’t going to get what she wanted by antagonizing him, and she didn’t really feel up to this bickering.

“I feel bad.  Can we just stop fighting, please?”  she asked wearily, rubbing her forehead again.  “Have a lie down?”

“Oh, well, of course.  It’s all about you after all, isn’t it?  You really are the most selfish person I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.”

Wait, what?  He was saying that to her?  Rolling her eyes, Zyn shook her head in disbelief.  “I can’t believe a vampire of all things has the gall to say that.”

Silence was her response.

It went on for long enough to make her itchy, but when she finally gave up and glanced at him, his expression stopped her dead.  It was blank.  Completely blank, and not in shock.  No, the pressure of his stare was anything but confused, and despite the lack of expression she could feel a chill shiver down her spine.  Unease rooted into her already queasy stomach, the unrelenting, unblinking stare making her take a half-step back.

The knife in his hand gleamed, fingers poised on the edge of the blade.

“I…”

Her heart froze.

“Shut. Up,” he said quietly, voice sharp with frigid menace.

“Y–”

The tension in the air snapped like a whip, a crackle of violence and impact that forcibly grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her away, staggering.  Instincts, puppeting her body before her mind could do something stupid.  Again.

“I said get away from me!” he snarled, vicious and icy, bolting to his feet.

Some part of her, like a rabbit leaping through the grass, drove her to flee from his presence.  Zyn staggered a couple steps in a panic, before she straightened up, shame overwhelming those baser impulses.  Ah, shame.  

Always first to the party.

[justabadmistake]

Ruhn watches you go and then gets in his ship, making his way back to the Palace.

He meets up with the group that are there for the internship and introduces himself as "Royce". A disgusting name, really, especially considering it belongs to one of the scientists here that Hunter has been after.

Maybe it'll get him some opportunities to meet everyone higher up. Maybe it'll get him closer to Vader. People like when they have matching names. A concept he never really understood but one he'll take advantage of when the time comes.

However, after the brief orientation meeting, Ruhn finds himself face to face with Grand Moff Tarkin. Tarkin, of all people. Of course the clones are being tested on still, when they have someone who hates them in charge of operations. How could his dad let this continue?

Maybe Vader doesn't know. Maybe Vader doesn't know what he doesn't know.

"Welcome to the Imperial Palace," Tarkin greets them. "I'm sure you're all wondering what's in store for you. We have started this program with the intention to create leaders of the next new phases of this Empire. Because of that, you will be meeting some of our current leaders today. As we take you through this facility, do not stray from the group. Some of us here are quite strict. If you are going to work here, you will have to adapt to this quickly. Come along." He turns and leads the group through the halls, hands clasped behind his back.

Ruhn observes everything he can as he goes, trying to figure out how the hell he's going to find Cody and Vader.

Until he no longer has to think about it. Because suddenly, the group is led into a large conference room, where Vader and Cody stand at the opposite end of the table.

His breath hitches, and every student instantly straightens at the sight of the very tall men. Every other leader they spoke to, Ruhn had no interest in. But these two... these were his very targets.

It's... it's almost too much. But he has to do this.

"Cadets." Cody nods once, the title he used for them making everyone grin or straighten even further, their chins lifting with pride. "I see a lotta promising faces in this group. I'm Marshal Commander Cody. This is Lord Vader. There are various career paths you can choose, with this internship, one of them being my assistant. With me, you'll learn all things military. Operations, staffing, assignments, the armory- you name it. Lord Vader also has a position open, but that's a highly competitive one."

"That's alright, Commander," one boy speaks up, his chest puffing out with pride, a small smirk on his face, "Only true Imperials can stand up to a challenge like that."

Cody studies him for a moment. This one's real fun at parties, then. Kiss-ass. "You make a point, cadet. As I was saying. Under Lord Vader's guidance and mentorship, you will learn what it is like to run a place as large as this. An Empire. Day-to-day duties include assisting him in his office, making calls for him, running errands, attending business meetings and mission report briefings-"

Crosshair. Maybe he could find Crosshair, if he can get this position.

You'd think that's perfect, anyway. Assistant to the Lord himself? Obtaining as much information as possible directly from Vader? Oh yeah. He's bringing home the gold.

"Those of you who wish to sign up for an interview for either position, fill in these sheets." Cody slides one out for him, and one out for Vader. "At the end of your orientation tour today, we'll meet with each of you. Prep for interviews throughout the day. You never know when you're ten minutes from greatness."

Several of Ruhn's peers rush forward to put their names down on each paper, and so he does too, wanting a shot to speak to either of them before the day is over. Others stay behind- they were more interested in working for someone like Zyn, or studying the scientific research behind Royce Hemlock's trials. Only evil-born children could be interested in such a thing. Vile fucking souls. Ruhn hopes they all stay awake at night, unable to sleep with the thoughts of how horrible they are.

"Royce, huh?" Cody raises a brow as Ruhn writes his name, having been paying attention. "That'll go over well."

Vader huffs a laugh. "Don't worry, Cadet. He's all bark and no bite."

"...Who?" Ruhn feigns stupidity. "The Dr. Hemlock man?"

Vader nods. "Did you sign up for his program?"

"No." Ruhn can almost see the relief in his father's body language.

"So you are more interested in our sector of education," he gestures.

Ruhn nods. "Yes, My Lord. Leadership and strength are my primary interests and priorities."

"We look forward to speaking with you then, Royce." Vader's helmet nods, and he watches Ruhn reunite with the group before Tarkin leads everyone out.

At the end of the tour and information sessions, Ruhn is called back to that conference room, surprised to see they're doing their interviews at the same time. But hey- better for him.

He waits for the three other children in front of him to go before taking a deep breath and walking in, greeting the men with a small nod. "Marshal Commander. My Lord."

"Welcome back, Cadet." Cody gestures for him to sit, flipping to a fresh note page. "Start by just- tellin' us about yourself."

Ruhn thinks it over for a long moment, then loosens a shaky breath. "My... My name is not Royce." He says quietly.

Cody raises a brow slightly, and Vader's head tilts a little.

"Lying on Imperial forms," Cody notes, "How interesting. What's your name, then?"

"You should know."

He's really doing this. It's too late now.

Cody studies him. "What are you implying, Cadet?" Perhaps a child of a family the Empire murdered.

Ruhn lifts a hand, flicking his wrist. The door across the room locks, the deadbolt securing as well.

Vader leans forward. "A Force user. Intriguing. What's your plan here?"

"What's your plan here? Dad?" he breathes the title.

Vader and Cody both freeze. "What did you just call me?" Vader demands.

Ruhn looks to Cody, and it's in that moment the Commander puts it together. The striking blue eyes. Blonde hair. "Oh my gods," he breathes. "Ru?"

Ruhn starts to cry and nods, "Y-Yeah, Uncle C. 's me..."

Vader quickly gets up from his chair and Ruhn scoots his back, ready to get on his feet and defend himself if he needs to. He watches with wide eyes as the tall, menacing man makes his way over and crouches in front of him, slowly removing his helmet.

Vader's glassy gaze meets his own and he lets out a sob, reaching up hold his cheek just like he did when he was little.

"M-My- My son," Vader murmurs, crying harder now, "It's- how-"

"I won't say." Ruhn shakes his head. "Not yet. But I'm- I can't stay," he warns, "But I can com see you."

"Where are you staying?" Vader asks quickly. "Can't tell me?"

Ruhn shakes his head again. "I'm s-sorry-"

"No," Vader shakes his head, "Don't... don't be sorry. You're so big, Ru," he whispers, sobbing now as he runs his fingers gently through Ruhn's curls. "So big and handsome."

"'m four-"

"Fourteen," Vader nods, "You just had a birthday. How- How was it?"

"It... it was okay..." Ruhn nods.

"Did you celebrate alone?!"

"No I had- I had people," Ruhn promises, sniffling, "I had people. But I... I didn't have you," his face crumples, "I could've had you all this t-time. Why? Why did you-"

"A conversation for another time," Vader nods. "When you are older. How- How long can you stay?"

"I... have to leave when the program day is over. But I can- how often does the program meet?"

Vader straightens, eyes widening a little. "Y... You want to come back?" he asks quietly, "You want- to come see me?"

Ruhn nods, "Of c-course I do, dad," he huffs Vader tightly, "Of course. Can... I win your assistant position?"

Cody and Vader breathe wet laughs and Vader nods. "What- did you think that dumbass would get it instead?"

"Yeah kinda," Ruhn admits.

Cody shrugs. "He was a kiss-up. We don't like those here."

"Are you... I have so many questions," Ruhn shakes his head, "But- But I don't wanna know any of it right now. I just can't believe you're alive... I've missed you so much." He starts to cry harder again and Vader pulls him in for a tighter hug, Cody quickly joining for a group hug.

"You... sure you don't want my internship?" Cody teases, giving Ru a wet grin as they look at him like 'really'. "Just kiddin'. Be with your dad kid." He pats Ruhn's back. "Do... do the people you live with... know who we are?"

Ruhn hesitates before nodding a little. "Well- they knew you. They don't... know who you are here. Well they know you, Uncle Codes. But not my dad."

"Is your mother alive?" Vader asks quietly.

Ruhn studies him a long moment, then nods again. "Y-Yeah. Yeah she is."

Vader heaves a sigh of relief. "Where is she? Where do you live?"

"I can't say," Ruhn stresses again. "Please just trust me to come back and keep coming back."

"I don't do so well with trust anymore," Vader starts, but a subtle nudge from Cody changes his mind, "But I'll trust you on this."

Ruhn nods and takes a deep, shaky breath. "How often does this thing meet? How often am I gonna come here?"

"Well I'd like to have my assistant with me twice a week, maybe three times," Vader nods. "Is that something you can do?"

Shoveling intel into his mother's hands three times a week? Hell yeah, you'll be on board. "Yeah I can- I'll work it out. I'll make do. Shift some things around."

Vader shakes his head in awe. "Shift some things around. You sound so grown up. And you're only fourteen."

"Well... I've... lived a hard life," he says honestly, shrugging. "I am a Jedi in an age where that's not okay. It's been stressful. But I've also lived with some really, really wise people. And I've learned from them."

"At least you have a support system," Vader says softly. "That's all I was worried about."

"I'm doing okay, dad," Ruhn nods. "I promise. I'm- I'm keeping up with education, strength training, mind training, all of it. Mom... said I remind her so much of you. She misses you every day," he breathes. "Every single day."

"Ruhn." Vader places his hands on Ruhn's shoulders. "I need you to be honest with me about something. Can you do that?"

"I guess."

"Does your mother..."

Here it comes. The Rebellion question. And he's supposed to know all on his own whether or not it's okay to say anything.

"Does your mother... have a- a new partner?" he asks carefully.

Relief floods Ruhn's body. "A new- oh no," he shakes his head, "No she hasn't- she's not married or anything. It's just us." They don't need to know how many us constitutes just yet. He needs to tread very lightly, here. "Nobody new. I think... she misses you too much."

This is actually happening. He's about to be... like... a double agent, almost. Except he doesn't plan on giving any info over about the Rebellion. He has too many friends and family members in the organization for that, that he needs to keep safe.

But he will continue to see his father. Nobody can stop him. Especially if they don't know that he knows Vader's true identity.

When it’s been the amount of time we agreed on, I speak into Ruhn’s comm, “Ru, it’s time for dinner.”

He might be with other kids his age, so being a mom is probably the best cover I could use with him.

[vivalavili]

Growing up, Vader never really thought he had many friends in the Temple. He really wasn’t sure if he was his own friend, considering how much he struggled with his identity. 

But if he had one enemy worse than all of them, it was you. You, the other perfect little blonde kid who was infinitely smarter than him and had friends of your own- Aayla, Quinlan, Obi-Wan. He never had that friendship with any of them. 

And now, you’re the leader of the Rebellion. The leader. Somehow the people decided that they would all willingly listen to you. And you’ve been killing his men. Destroying his bases.

Now, as he stares at the news story alerting the galaxy of your nearly fatal injury, he can’t help but make sure he’s the first one there. Well, perhaps not the first- but definitely the last one to see you before you end up living in his palace. 

The second he enters the scene, people clear the way for him- whether it’s out of fear or something else, he doesn’t care. He waves off the medical examiners crowded around you and scoops your body up, giving them a nod as he passes back around them to get back to his ship. 

“Gentlemen,” he drawls, “Thank you for your cooperation.” 

He holds you the entire ride back to the palace, deciding that he’s earned the right to stare at your unconscious body since you’ve made his life a living hell for so long. In fact, he gets so enamored with your beauty - which he now recognizes as genuine beauty - that when he lands back in the hangar of his palace, he doesn’t want to get up. But he does anyway, because he wants Kix to check you out. A hit to your head that hard surely means you’ll have a severe concussion, maybe even… amnesia. 

“Kix,” he greets the man as he finally makes his way into the medical center just a few minutes later, “I have a task for you.” 

“Anything,” Kix shrugs.

“Do a full examination on this woman. Find out everything that’s wrong with her- particularly focused on her head and memory,” Vader nods. “If she doesn’t remember anything… good.” 

He leaves you with Kix for however long it takes the man to do a full checkup on you, grinning sharply to himself as Kix makes the call that you do in fact have severe damage to your memory. Apparently you’d already woken up and told him you barely remember anything. Time to enact his plan. 

When he arrives in the medic center and finds your room, he gives Kix a nudge with the Force as a warning to not act surprised. Because the next thing he does is give you a fond smile as he hurries to sit next to your bed, taking your hand in his own. 

“My love,” he breathes, brows furrowing, “I’m- I’m so sorry. Are you… feeling better? At all?” 

Step two of his plan, if you fall asleep soon, will be to contact Zyn and let her know she has some homework from him. And then Cody will help him enact the rest of his plan, when it comes to alerting all the clones that you will be joining them for now. 

Oh! And Ruhn! What an excellent idea to bring someone into Ruhn’s life as his mother. The two of them could use a female figure in their home- even if it means bringing in his enemy. But you deserve it. You deserve this torture and punishment. This is all for you. If this is the last thing he’ll ever do, it’s worth it. 

Gods, Cody is going to love this plan. And so will Ruhn. Ruhn has actually been asking about a mama, even at his cute little young age. He’ll have to bring Ruhn in when you’re more rested. 

I stare at him in confusion, frowning, “what- what? I’m sorry. I don’t know you.” I carefully try to pull my hand from his.

[elellan]

Chapters: 31/? MYTHAL’ENASTE

CHAPTER 31 . THE END OF THE PARTY

Riwan relished the fresh feeling of the night’s cool air on her face. She had gone to their rooms and freshened up, took off her heavy jacket and remained with a shirt and her light, leather breastplate. Luckily, she had brought her Dalish powders with her, and she had rubbed plenty of them on her sweaty body. Celebrations had been held to seal Celene and Briala new alliance. How much she rejoiced in having put Briala in a position of power! Gaspard had been sent to jail - she had to beg Celene not to execute the man, it seemed too harsh a punishment. Or too soft, some may say. Then, Lady Morrigan had been recruited and was now preparing her luggage to travel with the Inquisition back to Skyhold - Leliana seemed skeptical, but Riwan didn’t mind having another expert mage in her entourage. And now that all the formalities had been dealt with, new toasts and dances were held in the ballroom. But Riwan didn’t attend them - sick of ceremonies and nobles, she walked with her party towards the gardens, the ones in front of the palace - the ones that hadn’t been covered with corpses by their own hands. They sat on the marble benches covered by roofs of leaves and flowers, the faint sound of music reaching them even there, and the stars dotting the blue velvety sky like diamonds. And the breeze, making her breathe again after she had been suffocated by her helm for hours. No, but the formalities hadn’t ended yet. Announced by the sound of paces on gravel, Cullen reached them, escorting Gerard by his elbow. His face was livid with anger - and with pain for the cut on his forearm, but he would never admit it. “Inquisitor, he’s all yours,” he said, pushing the chevalier towards Riwan. She looked at Cullen with a mildly angry look - there was no need to treat the young De Chalons like that. But Vivienne hastily got up, “Come, Commander. Your arm is paining you, let me help.” Cullen sighed. “This time I’ll have to oblige you, Madame De Fer.” They walked towards a bench nearby and Vivienne cautiously started to heal Cullen’s wound. Gerard stood still in front of Riwan, not daring to look at her. “Will you not sit?” she asked. She felt strangely serene after all they had gone through and she felt capable of big gestures and grand words. She looked around her and Varric nodded before moving towards a farther seat, so as not to disturb them. Gerard sat beside her and still said no word. “My dear Gerard, I know exactly what you could do, if this solution pleases you. Mind you,” she added, “that what happened tonight was my decision only, I conducted the peace talks by my own accord, I did not reaffirm Celene to please you.” The man only laughed under his breath but didn’t look at her. Riwan sighed and went on. “Since it appears that you don’t really like to be a chevalier, even if a captain, what do you think about working for me? You will still hold your role in your legion, but you’ll become my agent too. You’ll have more chances to travel and to carry out diplomatic business. Of course, you should stay in Skyhold at first, your position in the army is a little compromised now, because of your uncle’s imprisonment. And you’d have to comply with Commander Cullen’s orders and tasks. What do you think about it?” Gerad’s face lit up as if the moon had risen only to touch him with its rays. “Is- is it really possible?” he said. He looked at Riwan in amazement and he put his long, black hair behind his ears. “It is, if we manage to convince the Commander that you are a trustworthy soldier. You didn’t make the best first impression on him. But you are trustworthy, aren’t you, Gerard? Plus, the Empress would be really pleased by this arrangement.” Gerard took Riwan’s hands in his with a quick movement and clutched them to his breast. His eyes glistened with tears again. “My life is in your hands now, Inquisitor. I was ready to throw it away tonight and I couldn’t wish for a better outcome. And if Celene’s wishes so, I will comply,” he solemnly said, a tremor in his voice. He kissed her hands, making her laugh uneasily - she was not used to such shows of devotion. “Such gratitude is not needed, Gerard,” Riwan said. She retrieved her hands from his grasp and smiled. “Now I’ll have to convince the Commander…” Gerard tried to say something and moved closer to her, but she lifted an admonishing finger. “Leave it to me. In the meantime I suggest you prepare your luggage and send for your things, you could travel back to Skyhold with us. Or reach us as soon as possible, if it fits you-” “I’ll leave immediately, Inquisitor!” he exclaimed. He got up, took a few steps and then, thinking better of it, he went back and knelt in front of her, making the onlookers chuckle under their breath. He kissed her hand again and said: “I swear loyalty and honor to you, Inquisitor. You have my sword and my life.” Then, he marched away, soon running through the flowerbeds and bushes.

“Aren’t you going to mark your territory around your man, Riwan dear?” Dorian said. Riwan didn’t know how the mage had managed to bathe and redress himself in plush robes before showing himself again at the party. Some of the Inquisition soldiers had managed to carry out trays full of pastries and glasses and jugs full of wine and they were eventually enjoying the reception. Zyn was sitting on the ground, beside a bench were Cassandra and Blackwall were, and they were talking heatedly, the two men clearly drunk. Varric and Bull were entertaining some young damsels not far from them, while Leliana and Josephine were talking with the latter’s sister, Yvette, and with Lady Morrigan, whose pale skin seemed to shine in the night light. Riwan, on the other hand, was occupying the largest bench of all, Dorian and Vivienne at her sides and the tray of pastries in front of them. Vivienne, showing great composure even after their battle, had eaten only two and had declared herself satisfied with the meal. Dorian alternated a grape to a sip of wine and was soon feeling dizzy, while Riwan was eating like a hungry bear who wakes up from hibernation and ready to put on some fat. “Where is he?” she answered, feigning indifference and chewing a cream eclair while picking up another one from the tray. “I left him on the bench under the gazebo. He seems quite beaten,” Vivienne said. “Of course, he doesn’t enjoy our frivolous company,” Riwan bitterly replied. Now that the mission was over, his decided refusal to her dancing proposal was making her burn with rage. She had had to dance with everyone except him and he had barely considered her even during the peace talks. “You seem quite angry, my dear-” “Yes. He refused to dance with me as if I had lice!” “Oh, so you don’t have them?” Dorian said, a mocking smile on his lips. Riwan snorted and the mouthful she was chewing got stuck in her throat and made her cough. “Darling, you are disgusting…” Vivienne said, grimacing and swiftly handing her a handkerchief. “Besides, I think it was a hard evening for him too.” “It seems that every orlesian noble took his time to harass the charming Commander!” Dorian laughed. “I should have joined the group too!” “I am serious!” Vivienne protested, raising her voice over Riwan cough and laughter. “For someone so Fereldan as he is this soirée must have been a total nightmare.” “This is true…” Riwan said, still amused. She sighed, “I’ll go and fetch him, so he can bring some joy and sunshine to our company!” Dorian laughed at her comment and drank the rest of his wine. She got up and put some snacks in a handkerchief, stuffing one in her mouth before walking away.

CONTINUE ON AO3

[grey-eyed-menace]

"...do you have any insight into this, Feyre?"

There was a set to Feyre's jaw that unsettled Sona, his shoulders a rigid line. Usually, she wouldn't consult him for anything less than ritualistic magic, as it was his families favored speciality, what they dealt in, (what they despised, he had told her once, quietly), but...

This was a situation where they couldn't afford to ignore another angle. Another advantage. Another way to see the battlefield.

Sona cared for Rias, she did, and the other woman deserved a life where she was more than some over jumped trophy.

And, if that meant trusting in something as flimsy as the toted power of prophets...

Well.

Sona would keep that close to her chest, just behind her very heart.

Yet, as Feyre's grip on the table tightened, she knew she was going to dread the answer.

"He's an absolute idiot," Feyre begins, the table splintering, "fucking nuts, and maybe that's part of the reason why I didn't try to snatch him up, because I knew it'd be better if he took Rias's offer, kinder even, we'd force him into situations he wouldn't be ready for, nor want to be apart of, far to early."

Sona allowed herself to admit, silently, that he was right. Sona and Feyre were active participants in both the political scene of the Underworld and the Rating Games as a whole, Rias prefered to stick to her more personable relationships and through them their own political contacts, and her Peerage was to small to account for the ranking she'd be given to start with as the younger sister of Sirzechs, and the Heiress of Gremory.

[Dragons, by nature, were creatures of sin. They did nothing but want and take. And maybe it had scared Feyre, just a bit, to have to deal with another. To temper both Zyn and Issei in equal measures, always making sure they never clashed.

Zyndra already guarded Kuoh, and the three Peerages that resided within it, as though his very life depended on it. It was his, he had quietly admitted, his, something no one else could take from him...

It scared Feyre to think of the futures where their home was threatened, where Zyndra fought with bloodied claws, and jagged teeth.]

(At the same time, he wouldn't have regretted taking Issei into his Peerage, as his final member, as the last piece of his family, he saw laughter and friendship down that path, comraderie, a much smaller harem on Issei's part, if three thousand versus ten thousand could be considered as such in laymen terms, which he would have guarded with his dying breath.

It would have been an easier adjustment than Urisha, who still flinched and hid away, but at the same time he saw more hardship, if he had taken in the Red Dragon Emperor he knew the next decade, as Issei came into his power, would be nothing but an endless fight. He was nothing compared to the Sitri and Gremory clans, his family name was only as respected as it was due to their power of prophecy.

He wouldn't be able to protect Issei like Rias could, or support him like Sona.)

{He could see Urisha almost seemlesly find her place alongside Rias as her first Pawn, and it almost made him jealous, to see it unfold. The gentle smiles, the quiet conversations. He could only help that his selfish decision, to take Uri for himself, wouldn't be in vain.}

"...he's going to lose," He admits, after a few moments of silence, "badly. And there's only so many ways this can play out. I'm willing to exercise my right to challenge Riser for Rias's hand, we are direct cousins, even if my mother did take on my father's last name, but that would lock is both into a situation neither of us want. And, to be quite honest, I don't find Rias romantically appealing. Period. And Ayaka would find a way to kill me, and get away with it, if our wedding was put on hold for a divorce."

"...would Lord Zeoricus be willing to negotiate a marriage between Rias and Sylvanus?" Sona proposed, her brother was thirteen, it gave them time at the very least.

"Lady Serafall would sooner ride into battle against the combined might of Lord Sirzechs and Lord Ajuka than have you or Sylvanus put in a marriage contract against your wills," Feyre looked mildly disturbed at that line of though, and then flinched when the corresponding vision came in, "yeah, definitely ride into battle. Good God, I haven't had nightmares about the Civil War timeline in decades, this is gong to be a fucking night..."

Another wince from the use of 'God', and then a soft sigh.

"For now, let's bank on my ability to terrify the ever loving fuck out Yubelluna, and move forward." Feyre finally amended.

"I'll see if Shax is willing to put her lot in..." Sona muttered.

[sarahinzhuhai-blog]

Week 1

Yo, it's ya girl Srah, back at it with another blog post...I'm going to try to do these every Sunday (no promises). So much happened this week that I could write a novel, but I'll try to give a good summary of what has happened so far during my time here. // 周一 (Monday)：The week started off auspiciously when I missed the bus with my mom because the driver decided not to stop at my stop that morning. In a frenzy, we took the next bus that came, got off at a seemingly random station (aka at that point o was completely unaware of how the city worked), then waited as a corner as she summon the mysterious car that took us to school. I only arrived about 10 minutes late, but everything was OK since it was the first day. I went into the room that I was told to go into, and found out that I got placed into the highest class. Yay! Our teacher, 车老师 (Che Laoshi), is the b e s t and I was very excited. At that point, we had six people in our class: me, XY, Maya, Shayley, Isabel and Alec. Our class also has four TAs, two of them come every day. The first day, like every other day, classes went like this: three hours of language instruction with 10 minute breaks, A half hour of time with language partner to review and practice, a two hour lunch break, another hour of instruction, and another half hour with the language partners. To my delight, class was taught ~90% in Chinese, which is very different from my class at home but is very good for learning. The first day was a review of Pinyin and tones, which we all already knew. That being said, I have a very hard time differentiating between second and third tone when I listen, and my pronunciation is a disaster, so the chance to practice was welcome. My language partner (语伴), Zhang Yini, is very nice and very patient with me. Over the week, I found out that we have a lot in common (in addition to having the same last name). The first main bonding point was that we both watch the same Chinese variety show (Go Fighting)--we found this out when I forgot the name of the show and did the main gesture/punch line from it and she instantly knew what I was talking about. In addition to being all around awesome, she is also very patient with me--she knows I want to practice pronunciation and tones, so she is always willing to help me and repeat things/tell me the tone numbers to help me out!!! After class got out, ZYN had to take another final (her second of the day), so somehow I ended up hanging with Matthew and several 语伴s including: Caroline, Outing, Haoxi (aka BBC, a nickname earned because he speaks very very good English but with a British accent), Lili, Chris, Caroline's friend Erin, and possibly others. We took the ecart to a place called mango paradise, where I couldn't read the menu but it didn't matter because everything had names like "Snow White" but with no further explanation of what eating Snow White would entail. So we got Snow White and Mixed Fruit, and ended up with a fruity shaved ice and a fruit in cream deal. Both were pretty good, but I'm still not sure what they were. I had a great time and found out BBC likes Lana Del Rey as much as, if not more than, I do. After, Outing, Caroline and Erin took us home on the bus (which was incredibly kind of them, especially since Outing had an Ancient Chinese final the next day that he needed to study for), and then I went home. I was absolutely exhausted. After dinner, I fell asleep on the bed and could barely wake myself up to shower and brush my teeth. // 周二 (Tuesday): After Mondays bus debacle, my mom drove me to school on Tuesday. In class, we started learning new characters and really getting into the swing of things. We have a dictation every day--the teacher says something and we write it. Tuesday mornings was writing the pinyin for what the teacher said, and since I'm terrible at tones, it didn't go so well. Every other dictation of the week was much better because it was writing characters. Anyways, many of the new words on Tuesday were words I had learned already, and the others we wrote so many times while talking in class that I had memorized them by the time the day was over. After lunch with ZYN and maybe some others (I can't remember, oops), we had an hour of class before it was time to talk with our 语伴. We played a legendary game called 谁是卧底(who's the spy). I would describe it as a mix of Taboo, Mafia and Spyfall, and it's a riot when you're not using your native language. We played this game every day from Tuesday on. My favorite game was the one that lasted the entire hour in which I played the whole game thinking I was the spy only to find out that I was not and had lost. Oops. After school, me, ZYN, Maggie, Reyna, Matthew and another 语伴 went to a "fried yogurt shop" (I'm not sure that's the name). Anyways, they were out of what we meant to get so instead I ordered rose froyo that came in chunks. The most notable part of that experience was that the store, named Ecup, was boob themed. Not subtly so, we're talking nipple pillows and two boos in the logo. One of the signs says you're not supposed to say you've been to ecup, so this blog can be our secret I guess. Then we rode the bus home, I studied a bit for the next days dictation. // A few general things about the week: I still can't really understand my dad but writing this on Sunday night, I have been able to understand a little bit which I consider to be a major accomplishment. Another thing: tensions have been running very high in my family this week because my little sister has to take finals tomorrow and Tuesday. I won't publish conversations or specific events because they have a right to privacy, but this has been different from my American home. For starters, in America, 9/10 year olds don't have to take finals, but this has also been my first time to first hand experience the "tiger mom" (I'm not sure if that's a proper term to use, please let me know if it isn't) approach to parenting, and it's been a bit of a shock. But since my sister has been so busy, I've been staying out of the house a lot after school. Another thing: except for before lunch sometimes because I have a hard time eating breakfast, I'm almost never hungry here...my mom always ensures I am v e r y well fed. Okay, back to the blog. // 周三 (Wednesday): As predicted, this dictation (and every other one this week) went much better than Tuesday: 100%! Yay! More practice with my 语伴 and another harrowing round of Who's the Spy made for a fun day of class. Wednesday's class centered more around grammar from the dialogue and some cultural/historical words, and the language learning accompanied learning about cultural customs, which I liked. For lunch, me, XY, Shayley and our 语伴s took a pass on Canteen 1 and decided to go to a 饺子 (dumplings) store on campus, per alumni recommendation. The store didn't look like much, but the food was delicious. A lot of places are like that here. I watched them make some of the dumplings and then I ate a ridiculous amount. After lunch, we hit up the supermarket and ZYN taught me about different snacks. After normal classes let out, we had a culture class (we will have one every Wednesday). Todays was 书法 (calligraphy) and 国画 (traditional Chinese painting). Because of time constraints, everything felt a bit rushed and I can't say my skills improved, but I still enjoyed both classes. They both had a competition element that I didn't really like (and I voiced that concern later when asked about it), but all in all, still had a good time. Both clases were taught by TAs, 语伴s and maybe others. I don't remember who was the primary teacher for calligraphy, but Haoxi/BBC/Ou Laoshi taught the painting class. Since class let out late and I helped clean afterwards, I decided not to go out after school and instead went home. When I got home, I thought I forgot my keys so I waited outside for my mom to come home for the better part of an hour and got destroyed by mosquitos. I also saw two little dogs without owners, and then had a successful conversation with a local with little to no difficulty when I was expressing concern about the dogs (at the time, I had only seen one, but he told me that the owner lived in a nearby building and the dog always went around by itself... :/ ). After I got inside, I realized I had in fact NOT forgotten my keys. I decided not to tell my host parents that. // 周四 (Thursday): More classes and another successful dictation. Lunch on the second floor (oh boy) of Canteen 1 with BBC and David, which was very entertaining. After food, ZYN took me to the library, which was very nice on the inside. I found some pretty interesting things, including a Hilary Duff All Access book, several books about Extraterrestrial Life, and then on a more serious note, several books on queer theory and sexuality, which I wasn't expecting to find, even if it is a university library. After classes were over, Richa, XY and I went to YoungMix (扬名), a gigantic multistory mall. Highlights from the trip included: 1) riding a completely empty bus from school to the transfer station. I mean empty; we were the only three. Everything you've heard about Chinese buses is true during rush hour on some lines(and I've had the pleasure of experiencing that on Monday morning), so this was very exciting. 2) At the mall, they were having the fashion show of traditional clothing. It was really cool. I took some pictures and then some of the ladies who ran it started talking to me. I mostly used my smile-and-nod-and-pretend-you-understand-strategy, but I eventually realized they they were trying to convince us to spend 1000-2000RMB to get pictures done with the clothes at their company and we were out of there. 3) I had a very very good waffle. 4) there was a bunny mall (recommended to me by ZYN) inside the mall and the cages were not very clean but the bunnies were very cute.5) A family was holding a vigil in the middle of the sidewalk and a crowd had sort of gathered around. They were clearly very distraught and I didn't know what to do as I passed by. 6) I successfully navigated home from an unknown place on an unfamiliar bus line. // 周五(Friday): My mom got rear ended (driving here is insane--people merge with like 2 inches to spare, so I'm not surprised that this happened) so I was ready to take the bus, but then some guy came and drove me to school. It was a very quiet ride because I didn't know what to say and when we did talk I mostly couldn't understand him. Also, my dad told me to sit in the backseat but the back seats here often don't have seatbelts, so that was stressful. I arrived at school in one piece. More classes and another successful dictation. During third period, 车老师 had to go to a meeting so the TAs ran class. They gave us a talk (mostly in English) about Huitong Village (the place we would be visiting Saturday) and interesting places in Zhuhai. Some of my friends were talking a lot and the room is very echoey, plus I was annoyed because we were speaking a lot of English (I feel like I've been speaking far too much English this week), because I couldn't hear because it was loud and because I was exhausted, so I was sort of in an awful mood. Then we practiced calligraphy on the water sheets, and after talking with ZYN I was in a much better mood. Lunch was at canteen 1 (second floor again), with a bunch of people but again at the same table as BBC and David. It was a shortened lunch (the second of the week, the first was on Tuesday to have a debriefing session) in order to have a meeting about the next day's cultural excursion and to receive our stipend. Most of my friends had long ago spent the stipend from the week before. I still had more than half of it left... The second half of classes was fun (oh yeah, Josh and Richa are in class 3 now-yay!), and then we were free for the evening. Me, Garrett, Sydney, XY, Maya, Anthony, Isabel, Katie, Alec, and Reyna went to find a place called Beeplus, which we had learned about during third period. It's a place made entirely of boxcars/storage containers. We had heard it had a lot of fun places inside, ranging from office spaces to restaurants, so we went to check it out. It was hard to find and not what we were expecting, but it was pretty cool. After awkwardly walking in and out of the restaurant, we meandered into an office space to ask about the building and ended up getting a tour guided by a guy named David (who spoke English). He showed us the office spaces, let us onto the roof garden/bar to check it out (even though it was closed to the public at the moment), and told us about the building. Apparently it was constructed in only 2 days and is a collaborative office space for entrepreneurs and startups to operate. For about 100-150 American dollars a month, they get 24 hour office access, including printing, electricity, AC, water, etc. David was very helpful to our group and complimented my Chinese. While the building wasn't what we were expecting, I thought it was cool to get a look into some of the new things that are happening in China's business world. Also there was a slide. After, we explored Tangjiawan (a mini city in the north of Zhuhai). Finds include: a supermarket that looked very small on the outside but ended up being three stories tall, and an alley with lots of little stores that looked to be in bad shape but were okay in the inside. We found a store that taught little kids piano and a pizza shop that some of us ended up eating dinner at. I went home for dinner instead. I wasn't expecting to do anything after, since my sister was still studying, but after dinner my mom took me to a tea house that her friend owned. We had tea with the friends whole family (husband, toddler daughter and elementary school son, and father), and it was very, very good. On the walk back, the streets were very busy with people out to eat. This city feels a lot more alive than my city back in America--there are way more people out and about, which is cool. // 周六 (Saturday): Saturday was wild. First, I arrived at the bus stop with 30 seconds before my bus arrived. Before I realized Alec was on the bus too and went to sit with him, I had an interesting "exchange." I was sitting in the front of the bus facing back, and noticed a guy my age in the back kept looking at me. So I decided to look at him too. Then I smiled and he got very flustered. Alec does not think this actually happened. Anyways, after we got to the university, we met up at the hotel (which I still associate with all the negative feelings I've ever had on this trip...oops) and then got on the bus to Huitong village. I'm very confused about the history of the place (since it was given to us during that third period class on Friday), but I think a rich guy (Mo [Mu?] Huitong, except I don't think Huitong was his real name) helped his friends (?) build this village...? Anyways, it's still standing and there are a lot of very old buildings, including two watchtowers, ancestral halls (one of which we got to see), and this place that was called the Fairy Hall (or maybe Fairy Building, which we didn't get to see) that had a love story associated with it. The ancestral hall was beautiful (and had a lot of interesting architecture that carries more meaning than met the eye), and we visited a cute coffee shop that had cats in it, but the most meaningful experience of the day was when an 80+ year old woman invited a small group of us who were walking around the village to come into her house (or into the courtyard of her house) to sit with her. She was very concerned about us being comfortable and talked to us for a while (luckily, one of the language partners was there and could understand her better than I could). She talked about how her family had lived in the village (and on that very house) for four generations and how she had had multiple strokes and been robbed multiple times. At one point, a group of people came by and stared at us because we were a group of foreigners and asked us (in Chinese?) if we needed a translator...odd. Anyways, Outing found us and then we left and he stayed back to briefly speak with her since they both speak Cantonese. As we walked out, someone assumed i wouldn't be able to speak Chinese and commented about how my hair was ugly, if I heard correctly (I was wearing braided pigtails, which is not common here). Like with all incidents where someone stares/comments, I ignored them and moved on. Then we walked around, saw a snake, XY and Anthony dared each other to eat loganberries off a tree, and then rested for a bit. We found these pretty white and yellow flowers (they 语伴s were calling them eggflowers in Chinese but I have no idea what the English name is), and first Outing and Anthony were ~~stylin~~ with them but then Outing let me have his. On the walk back to the meeting spot, we stopped at a small shop. I had some sort of snack with red bean in the inside, and then we headed back to the university. I went to lunch with several 语伴s/TAs (including BBC, Emily, Lili, and someone whose name I am forgetting right now), Tully, Sydney, Lexi and I. The lunch was at a fancy restaurant and very good, and my hair was again the subject of many patrons' attention. At lunch, BBC commented that I look like Emma Watson (and others agreed), which was very flattering. After, Lexi and I stayed back with the 语伴s/TAs and hung out on campus. We goofed around on a playground and generally had a good time. We also talked to this American guy who has been living in Zhuhai for 10 years and teaching at the University. He gave us some language learning tips. After I got home, my mom taught me how to roll out the wrappers and make dumplings . I had dinner (part of which was spent watching the big show on TV for the 20th anniversary of HK rejoining China) and then I was off to calligraphy class again. My sister didn't come this time, so in the little kid section it was just me and the girl from last week who couldn't understand me and stared the whole time. I spent the whole class trying to perfect the horizontal stroke, and the teacher and little girl were both very patient with me and my lack of calligraphy and Chinese skills. // 周日 (Sunday): Today I got to sleep in until 9, when my sister came in to practice piano before her lesson. During her lesson, I got to practice for the first time in several days (she's been studying so I can't disturb her with piano). Not knowing how to start a conversation with my host dad, I wrote some characters to review from this week, listened to recordings of the song I was practicing and fell asleep again. After I woke up, still not knowing what to talk about, I tried to read Harry Potter in Chinese until my sister came home and we ate lunch. After lunch, I took the bus to the university to meet up with some of the kids from Class 3 and some of our 语伴s and TAs for KTV (although first, ZYN and I played a game of pool). KTV is like karaoke except better: you get a private room and pick whatever songs you want with your friends. We did KTV for about 4 hours (yes, 4), and it cost less than 2 American dollars per person. We sang e v e r y t h i n g. A bunch of American songs, some Chinese songs I knew and some I didn't, some kpop (on Friday during lunch, I showed ZYN BTS and so today she showed me that I could sing their songs at KTV. I picked a few of my favorites but then some of the 语伴s queued up their own kpop favorites...BIGBANG was their popular choice and they were very impressed when I could sing most of Eyes Nose Lips), some Spanish songs and even some Japanese and French ones. The last song we JAMMED to was BIGBANGs Fantastic Baby, which was iconic to say the least. After KTV, I had a late dinner, found out what my dads job is from my sister and had a very brief conversation with him about it (admittedly, the questions I asked were kind of dumb and he thought they were funny), and then just rested. I'm not sure I'll have a voice tomorrow after today's KTV adventure. Tomorrow and the next day, my little sister will take her final exams! Hopefully she will do well and I can do more fun things with my host family in the weeks to come. // Some parting notes: 1) I am squatty potties' number one supporter now. They are great and anyone who disagrees can square up. 2) Alec was commenting about how, even though we are surrounded by people here, it feels lonely. I have to agree--I don't know what it is but there's definitely a sense of isolation that I get here and I'm not sure it's all just because I'm a foreigner. 3) It rained a lot today for the first time. Spicy stuff 4) Funny story: here when something is good/awesome you can just say "Liu" (six) a bunch of times so imagine my confusion when someone commented 666 on my post . 5) Another cultural difference that made things weird is when I didn't know that they wait to open gifts until after the giver has left. Oh well. 6) one of the days this week, I had a really fun time where my whole family watched TV together and my sister and I goofed around. It was a very good time and one of the few times we have a interacted together. My sister and I both did this balance exercise and she also gave me a circus hat and stuffed animal snake to try on, which I donned dramatically while saying "model" 7) Yesterday night I taught my little sister some ballet. 8) I'm sure I forgot a lot of stuff but it's very late and I have to wake up early to catch the bus tomorrow, so this is all for now. ✌️️