#tea sommelier girl

[carrotcouple]

Someone I knew fairly well in college went on to get training to become a tea sommelier. I wonder how she's doing.

[pico-farad]

Asuka's problematic trait is that she's a Not Like Other Girls girl.

I love her so much.

This is how I interpret her beef with Rei — it's not jealousy over Rei having a crush on Judai, it's a very typical stage of teenage internalized misogyny where she blames other girls for the way she's been treated under patriarchy.

Rei: *winks at Judai*

Asuka: *malding internally* This is why people think girls only play Duel Monsters to find boyfriends—

girl calm down she's 13

Asuka has a very consistent storyline of having femininity — and by extension heteronormativity — forced upon her by the school, her brother, and even her friends. This is a classic Not Like Other Girls origin story; it's a frustration response from young girls facing insane pressure to conform to traditional femininity, which results in contempt for the feminine altogether. The frustration is displaced on Other Girls, because they're a representation of the traditionally feminine, and they contribute to the pressure to conform, whether directly or indirectly.

A huge part of Asuka's character is how she copes with the systemic pressure that girls face by putting up like five different layers of defense mechanisms, including distancing herself from femininity or even being perceived as a girl at all. Because she just wants to be taken seriously as a duelist in a male-dominated, misogynistic industry.

(the manga canon isn't the same as the anime canon, but I wanted to include it)

She has side-eyed EVERY other female character in GX for being obsessed with a boy — Junko, Momoe, Rei, Tania, that bug girl, the frog princess (I put a whole aside about her relationship with Junko and Momoe below)

Asuka, you're bombing the Bechdel Test.

I know it's bad that GX caricaturized all of its female characters other than Asuka to be boy-obsessed, but, well... it's a narrative that does resonate with the audience of young girls who were playing a card game made for boys in 2004. You can cringe at the bad feminism now, but I think that's the part that's charming and nuanced about Asuka.

Teenage girls mostly grow out of their Not Like Others Girls phase and look back at it with embarrassment (maybe because we turned Not Like Other Girls into another way to shame girls), but it is something that's worth exploring. Asuka is a genuinely kind person, and I think she too will grow up and realize how stupid and reductive she was being.

"a real woman" Asuka sweetie you're going to cringe over this in five years.

THE JUNKO MOMOE ASIDE:

Asuka is nominally friends with Junko and Momoe, but as the series progresses, she spends more and more time instead with her group of male friends. A significant portion of her interactions with them are her showing veiled judgment towards them for fangirling over boys, from tennis guy to Edo Phoenix to her brother.

And when she joins the Society of Light, that veiled judgment becomes unveiled.

Junko and Momoe are in the middle of losing to a sexist wine dude, and Asuka is so furious, her Not Like Other Girls instincts override the Society of Light brainwashing and she takes over the duel for them. ASUKA'S INTERNALIZED MISOGYNY IS STRONGER THAN BRAINWASHING.

Sommelier: Goodness me, I had high hopes for the ladies of Obelisk Blue. But I suppose to you, duels are like making tea or arranging flowers. Just one more skill you learn to land a husband. Just surrender, why don't you? Asuka: Wait! Junko & Momoe: Asuka! Asuka: If you two lose, there won't be any more students in the tournament representing the long-respected Obelisk Blue girls' dorm. I will carry on the duel. Naturally, I will carry on with their life points.

Even though Asuka would win if she used White Veil, the signature card of the Society of Light, she discards it in order to activate Hallowed Life Barrier. Because this is all her, not the Light.

Asuka: (I won't rely on the Society of Light's power. I'll win with my power from my days as a girl of the Blue dorm.) Asuka: Let me show you the power of Obelisk Blue girls. My turn, draw!

Neither of these scenes are girl-power-girl-solidarity moments. It's the opposite. Asuka takes over the duel because she doesn't want their loss to reflect on the entire Obelisk Blue girls' dorm, and all female duelists (therefore her).

When the duel is over, she contemptuously rejects Junko and Momoe, shaming them for being so bad at dueling and victim-blaming them for the sexist attacks they receive. Asuka spent the whole duel defending the Blue girls, but she is NOT one of them.

Junko: Asuka! Come back to the Blue girls! The way you dueled just now was just like old times! Asuka: You're so naive. This is why you get told that you only "practice." Protect your own pride next time. I am a member of the Society of Light.

Everyone who ships Asuka/Junko/Momoe as a default lesbian best girlfriends uwu ship get outta here, those three have BAGGAGE to unpack before any lesbianism can be achieved.

(I have more to say about these three and how it parallels Judai's relationship with Shou and Kenzan, but that's outside the scope of this post)

Anyway, that's why Manjoume is a better feminist than Asuka

[neoninky]

TWST OC Introduction: Astrid Piperita

I already did a speel on my TWST OC Astrid but now that I can draw again - I drew a proper portrait. So do over!

So anyone who saw the picrew I used as inspiration can see I didn't change too much in her design lol. It was one of the rare times where a picrew pre-design hit the mark just how I wanted it except that I did want her to look a little older. Anyhoo-

Name: Astrid Piperita Age: 22 Homeland: The Rose Queendom Race: Human Height: 5'0 First Appearance: 'Her Devoted Shield' (Diasomnia canon x oc) Background: Born and raised in the Rose Queendom, Astrid comes from a family of tea sommeliers who run various shops around the country and provide a direct supply to the royal family. She became interested in healing remedies and medical aid once she discovered her talent for healing magic specifically. Astrid steadied at the same healer mage academy that Reine's father, Revon Elfern, teaches and started practicing within the royal palace. Three years before the story, Astrid met Petra and Tai-Yang once they came to the Rose Queendom to continue their quest of shutting down fae poachers and illegal markets and quickly offered her services as a healer to aid them and the fae they rescued. Skills: healing magic and first aid, herbal medicine, tea making, sewing (both for medical and clothing repair purposes), also knows how to use a crossbow (not much of a fighter but she can at least shoot arrows)

Personality/Quirks: not shy but very soft spoken until she either gets really excited/distressed or goes into ‘work mode’, giggle-snorts often (tries to hide it but fails miserably), very nurturing and understanding, will not tolerate her patients/friends/family not taking care of themselves (woe unto ye if ye ain’t staying hydrated or taking ur meds), looks/sounds like the sweet sister type but is definitely the den mother type when need be. I want to make actual profiles for all of the OCs I introduce in my newest story 'Her Devoted Shield' because there's going to be a lot of them especially when the Zigvolts finally show up. Still, I am also going to draw all my Sacred Crown girls eventually as well. Keep an eye out for those. Likes, comments, and reblogs (NOT reposts) are appreciated and welcomed!

[graincracket]

Guess what people I have MORE OF THESE

Rika Fukujuen, Ultimate Tea Sommelier! She's a unnerving girl, almost never seen without a smile on her face. It's not like she goes out of her way to creep others out, but her mannerisms leave a lot to be changed. Maybe you shouldn't drink any of the tea she offers you, something tells me that it'll be a grave mistake..

[nixielinghui]

Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human? Pointless, really.

Is that NIXIE LINGHUI? A SOPHOMORE originally from FUNAFUTI, TUVALU, they decided to come to Ogden College to study ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING on a FINANCIAL SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE OPHELIA on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

Do the stars gaze back? Now that's a question.

STATISTICS;

BASIC INFORMATION;

full name: nixie linghui. nickname(s): nix. age: twenty-one. date of birth: september 30th, 2001. zodiac: libra. hometown: funafuti, tuvalu. current location: ogden, new hampshire. ethnicity: caucasian & chinese. nationality: polynesian. gender: demigirl. pronouns: she/they. orientation: panromantic & pansexual. religion: wicca. occupation: student & employee at c.ling. language(s) spoken: english, chinese, hawaiian, māori, tuvaluan, semi-fluent vietnamese.

FAMILY;

father: david linghui. marine engineer. born january 18th, 1965. mother: carley linghui. marine biologist. born november 21st, 1968. sibling(s): n/a. children: n/a. pet(s): n/a.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE;

face claim: havana rose liu. hair color: honey brown.  eye color: grey to green. height: 5'2''. weight: 110 lbs. tattoos: n/a. piercings: lobes on either side (multiple).

PERSONALITY;

character trope: the ophelia. additional tropes: the aquaphile, the barefoot loon, the barefoot sage, the beach bum, the dreamer, the effervescent, the halcyon, the manic pixie dream girl, the malingerer, the mysterious waif, the paracosmist, the peach, the traveler. character inspirations: argyle (stranger things), bea (mayday), delirium of the endless (the sandman), dolores madrigal (encanto), lottie matthews (yellowjackets), luna lovegood (harry potter), molly gunn (uptown girls), mr. magorium (mr. magorium's wonder emporium), sarah sanderson (hocus pocus), thomas jerome newton (the man who fell to earth), valerie (valerie and her week of wonders). positive traits: affectionate, extroverted, understanding. negative traits: carefree, indecisive, codependent. skills: forging relationships, mediation, amateur tea sommelier. smokes: no. drinks: yes. drugs: yes, natural substances only.

SCHOOLING;

attending; ogden college. major: enviormental engineering. minor: marine biology. sports: swimming & diving. extracurriculars: renewable energy and sustainability society, rock climbing team.

BACKGROUND;

TW: n/a. ● Nixie's parents met unexpectedly on a ship that her mother was traveling on and her father was working on. It was love at first sight and within four months they were married and Nixie's birth followed an additional seven months later. ● Due to her parents work, they never truly had a set home. Instead, she spent her childhood traveling on ships or boats and visiting exotic and beautiful locations, staying in everything from hostels to hotels and rented out rooms. ● Their education came mostly in the form of homeschooling and lessons taught both by their mother and the various women who helped raise and shape them throughout their childhood, most of their knowledge (and the things that piqued their interest) not coming from the things found in a textbook or classroom. ● It was throughout their travels that they became increasingly aware of the impact of global warming, particularly on the places that they loved to much, and in hopes to make a more impactful change going forward, they enrolled in Ogden. ● They definitely do care about their education and being able to help, but being as wild as they are, Nixie struggles with actually attending classes and staying on top of their assignments, something she too often has to be reminded about.

BIOGRAPHY;

TW: n/a. It had to have been fate that allowed their paths to cross, no coincidence that the ship she wasn’t have meant to have been on broke down while in his zone, that she’d wandered out of her room and into directly into him. It was love at first sight, two people destined for each other, a romance that others might try to simplify but the Linghui’s refuse to view it so plainly. It took a mere four months before they were tying the knot, a wedding some called shotgun soon after the fact, but the child growing inside of Carley was unbeknownst to them at the time, a welcome surprise when that beautiful baby arrived seven months later. To say that Nixie's upbringing was unorthodox would still be managing to down play it. She may have been born in Funafuti but it was never home, pulled to the seas before she was even a year old. In fact, home wasn't a word that they identified in the traditional sense — home was people, it was a feeling, no set place that ever been able to hold them. Nixie spent their time drifting; beaches and islands, boats and ships, oceans and villages that so few people got to experience. There was a plethora of time spent under the watchful eye of local women, incredible elders from varying backgrounds who’d lived and seen so much more than her, who shared their wisdom and stories and helped shape her. Of course, home schooling was mandatory, even with no singular home it was important she learn — and although they passed, it was no easy task, mind drifting and focus elsewhere, always feeling they could experience and learn more from the world around them than any book. While the past two decades have allowed them to experience beautiful and exotic places, they've also forced them to be witness to the suffering of the world — particularly of small islands, populations that have lived there for centuries and are often putting the least strain on the environment, remaining most affected by it. It’s why she’s journeyed to Ogden, the stillest she’s ever been and for the longest extent of time, leaving her skin itching for change. Nixie wants to learn and help the places and people that have come to be so important to her, but don’t be surprised if you find her arriving to class late or not at all, wandering the hiking trails while the skies are dark or laying on the water for so long people begin to worry she’s merely a body.

EXPAND ON HOW THEY EMBODY THEIR SKELETON TROPE;

For perhaps anyone who's appreciated an iteration of Hamlet, the visual is clear — long, disheveled hair and bare feet, clad in a dress and often pictured amidst flowers and water. It's not just the visual of her that takes people's mind to that place, however. They display the same childlike naivety, as if entirely unaware of the harsh realities of the word, a mind that it seems has taken a step away from the real world while at the same instant, holds gently onto secrets that no one else may ever may be privy to the knowledge of. At times it's unclear if Nixie is plagued by an invisible illness or merely not of this world, questions that her unwillingness to answer acts to make her all the more bewitching.

RELATIONSHIP TO GREER;

Their first encounter was unexpected and the ones that followed were even more so. Nixie was an almost impossible person to pin down, floating around with her parents like a piece of drift wood lost to the sea. It was thanks to the beautiful locations that their work took them that she was privy to many experiences most her age were not so lucky to enjoy. The couple may not have been able to afford the luxury of the vacation homes and resorts that the Morrison family could, but the ocean and it's mainland were things trickier to lay claim upon. The same beach at the same time, together and yet somehow worlds apart — though to an outside eye, it seemed the pair were either unaware or unaffected by that reality.

LINKS;

AESTHETIC | FASHION | INTERACTIONS | MUSINGS | PINTEREST | VISUALS

[thelemoncoffee]

haruruma time baybee! it's bubblegum/tea

this one's shorter cause i physically cannot pad this thought out

okay so au Miu likes to critique Maki's tea making skills all the time right? well one day Maki gets sick of it and tells her "if you're such a tea sommelier, why don't you make our tea today".

Miu gladly takes the challange and as it turns out, isn't just bluffing when she boasters her tea smarts. girl can make one hell of a good tea blend with the various loose leafs Maki has, and even puts in the perfect amount of sugar for Maki's tastes. how is she so good at tea making? Maki is still trying to figure that one out

[soyouthinkucanwrite]

Chapter 4 – A new day

Synopsys: The name of the series is super random, don't mind me. Reader is a postgraduate student at NYU, made a docuseries on her research, and the show got picked up by Netflix. She goes on a press tour and meets Tom on a ‘chat show’. They get together and she decides to stay for a few days in London with him. This could be an amazing few days or more? It’s been interesting writing how they’ll deal with distance and tight schedules once ‘honeymoon’ is over...

Heads up: my first language is Portuguese, so that might explain some things here - of course, I wrote thinking about myself hahaha

Warnings for the series: mention of illicit drugs, angst caused by distance, smut (next chapters, very explicit), anxiety caused by paparazzi, and rude random people taking photos.

Other than that, this is just my guilty pleasure writing so lots of caring sweet Tom and fluffiness.

Chapter 1 - A new city

Chapter 2 - Show time

Chapter 3 - Unexpected texts

Chapter 4 - A new day

This is 1.8k words (approximately)

A while after overthinking it you closed your eyes and next thing you knew you were opening them at the sound of your alarm clock. Shit. ‘Should’ve sleept more’ was your first thought but then you remembered why you didn’t. You checked your phone. There was one text from “Tom Holland”, you just loved the quotation markes there, they reminded you of the mess it was your first interaction.

Did he really just Google-translated ‘beautiful’? And are you really swooning over that?

You got up from bed smiling like an idiot and went to get ready for the day. You were getting breakfast with David at the hotel so you had to hurry cause the Breakfast show begins at 7. It was supposed to be a bright sunny (and hot) summer day, which you knew was rare in London. But it was still a work commitment, so you decided on pants and maybe you could change before going to wherever you were going with Tom. Tom! Should you reply to him?

Ok. Play it cool. Now, focus on why you’re here in the first place, will you? You wore capri pants, a t-shirt tucked in with a belt and some stylish shoes. It looked cool, you were comfortable and that’s the best we can expect in a situation like this. No one’s expecting you to show up ready for a red carpet or anything like that anyway. You texted David and he was already downstairs getting some food, so you just went to meet him.

“Good morning” You greeted David at the buffet.

“Someone’s in a good mood. Good morning” He was in a good mood too, probably cause you’ll be going home today. Your good mood had nothing to do with that. If you’re honest, that was a reason for ruining your spirit.

“Uh-hum” You agreed.

“So, I was looking and I think I can change our tickets. You know, for earlier.” He told you as you were sitting in a table at the corner and you couldn’t help but look at him like he was saying something absurd. “Ok, you don’t look so happy about it.”

“No, I was just hoping to see the city today. You know, enjoy it a little bit before going back.” As you said that your phone lit up on the table, it was a text from Tom.

“The city. Right” David smirked at you.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You laughed at him and smiled when you saw the texts.

“Is that ok?” You heard David talking.

“Hum? Sorry?” You were smiling.

“Gosh I can’t with you. I said I might just change my own ticket, would that be ok with you?”

“Oh yeah! Go ahead. I’ll be fine. I have all my flight info.” He looked at you suspiciously.

“Just…please be in New York next week? The meeting is on Friday afternoon”

“What?” You laughed. “Of course I’ll be there. Why wouldn’t I?” He just shook his head and laughed at you.

You finished your breakfast and went back to the room to brush your teeth and get your stuff. 15 minutes later, you were in a cab with David going to the Radio One studios. On the way, you snapped a pic to send him, you know, keep the conversation going.

You rolled your eyes at him but still couldn’t help but agree.

The breakfast show was from 7 to 10 am, but your interview was not until 8 am. So you and David just hang out in the studio in the meantime. “The first hour is mainly for music”, the girl that welcomed you guys explained. Soon after, Greg James walked out to the little reception and greeted you and David. “Hey guys! Thank you for coming! I’m Greg, nice to meet you.” He offered.

“Hi! Thank you for having us! I’m (y/n), this is David.” You replied and gave him a quick hug.

“Hey! How’s it going?” David said and gave him a man’s hug/handshake. Boys.

“So this is basically standard, since it’s a live interview, I like to ask if there’s any topic you want to avoid or something you’d like to talk specially about?” He asked you.

“Oh…I don’t know. No? Just…let’s talk about how great the show is so people want to watch it and we can keep making more” You laughed.

“And it IS great! I’ve seen it, really loved. Congrats!”

“That’s kind of you. Thank you!”

“No problem, so…I guess I’ll just direct it towards the interviews you did, you can tell me some funny stories? Awkward ones preferably.”

“You got it! I’ll give you my worst embarrassment stories, you know, for the good of entertainment” You laughed.

--

A little while later you were sitting in the studio with Greg on the other side of the table. You told him about the show and some embarrassing stories as well.

“So, what are the plans now? Will we be seeing more seasons of the show? Maybe in other cities, London perhaps?”

“Well, I can’t say”

“Oh come on! Is Netflix the next Marvel on terms of keeping secrets?”

“No, I mean, I don’t know. I literally can’t say because I don’t know what the future looks like for us. It’s been so great to go out and talk about the show, and see how much people liked it but I’m kind of just enjoying while I can.”

“No! Don’t say that! They won’t let you get away like that!”

“I hope not! If they want us, I’m all in! I’d love to make 10 more seasons and in other cities, even! Can you imagine?"

“Now that’s more like it! Let’s make a deal, if Netflix don’t renew with you, BBC will take it!”

“Ok! Sure! Are you in charge of it?”

“No really, but that’s just a technicality” He laughed. “Alright, so we’ll play some music and when we come back we’re going to hear some unpopular opinions! Are you ready for it Ana?”

“Sure, yeah! I love the theme song, let’s do it!”

“Do you really? You listen to the show?”

“Yes! I really do, I’m a fan since when I was learning English! I genuinely love Radio 1”

“No way! Just for that, I’ll let you choose the next song"

--

When the song died over it was time for the game.

“Hey! If you need a job, you can just come work here with us as international music sommelier, what you think about it?”

“Oh don’t even joke. That’s my dream job, honestly!”

“It’s settled them” The interview was going really well, and it was almost ending. “Alright, so our time is almost over. Shall we hear some unpopular opinions and send you all to the weekend with a pinch of wrath?”

“Yes please! Let’s hear them” The theme song started to play and you sang along. “Come and give us your unpopular opinion, something up to know you’ve been scared to say”

“That was great! And in the first try! You really are a listener!”

“Told you!”

“Ok so, first on the line we have Maya. Hello Maya? What’s your unpopular opinion?”

“Calling people bestie is cringe” The girl on the line said.

“Uh agreed” You said.

“You agree with her?” Greg asked you.

“Yeah. If it’s not ironically, it’s very cringe. Like calling your husband hubby”

“To be fair, most pet names are cringe” Greg offered.

“True, very true. Hey, love is cheesy. Nothing wrong with that. People in love are just not cool, have you ever met a couple that was genuinely cool?”

“No, I have not. Well, I mean…the Beckhams are cool.”

“Uh good one. I stand corrected. But can you imagine Victoria calling Dave ‘hubby’ or the other spice girls ‘bestie’?”

“Definitely not.” You guys laughed together, you were just being silly. “Good one Maya! Alright, next call is Kyle. Hello Kyle?”

“Hi! Flat watered down soda tastes good.”

“What?” You yelped. “Are you ok, Kyle?”

“And that’s why we call this segment ‘unpopular opinions’” Greg laughed. “Do you want to defend yourself there Kyle?”

“Not really, I just prefer it like that.” Kyle said and you and Greg laughed.

“You know what Kyle? You keep doing you. You might want to try some juice or iced tea, though. But you do you man.” You joked and Greg cracked up.

“That was great, I love it!” Greg said. “That will be all for today, don’t forget to check (y/n)'s new show this weekend and spam Netflix about how much we need more seasons!! And bring (y/n) to London Netflix!”

“Oh my god I loved it! Thank you so much for having me, I had the best time!” You thanked him. Music started to play and you took off your headphones. “Thank you, really. I was great!” You said directly to Greg.

“Oh don’t thank me! I really hope we’ll see you more! Come back always to promote the next seasons and projects!” He offered.

You got out of the studio and greeted David. “That was so much fun!” You told him.

“You’re killing it there ! Mission accomplished, finally! Are you coming back to the hotel or are you meeting with ‘the city’ from here?” He asked you using air quotes for ‘the city’ and smirking.

“I’m coming back to the hotel, thank you very much.” You rolled your eyes, but you knew he was just teasing you.

Chapter 5 it's fluffly london date and it was so much fun writing it, can't wait for you to read!

[a-very-fond-farewell]

The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 19/?

Wedding Planner AU [xicheng edition]: “Chickens on the Loose”

[let me have this]

Jiang Cheng doesn’t believe in love and that’s precisely the reason why he plans other people’s special day. The most extravagant, the boldest, the loudest, the better. Because if there’s something he got to accept over the years is that people aren’t willing to pay for something realistic, but for something unattainable instead. Over-compensating bland, ordinary reality with fantasy and dreams is his job and he’s well aware that no one can compete with his genius. Not with his father owning a catering and food chain company. Not with his mother being the most sought out wedding gown fashion designer on the market. They taught him everything there is to know on how to make other people’s dream come true before the inevitable envelope of a dainty, innocuous divorce application can make its way in a once happy household. Better make the satisfaction last, because Jiang Cheng will only accept advanced payments in cash, no monthly installments allowed.

His sister YanLi may have married honoring tradition over useless exaggeration, but what did her love bring aside from suffering and neglect? Marrying into the richest family in the country to the heir of a textile empire has given her nothing but sorrow and a husband too proud and distant to even visit her regularly. Jin Ling growing up without a father, spoiled rotten by the wrong side of the family who lured him into their shining world of nothingness day after day. At least Jiang Cheng’s family did rise from nothing and learned to trick the rich into relying on useless services soon enough. But Jin ZiXuan and his family had never worked once in their life and didn’t know how to take care of their loved ones. Not that Jiang Cheng’s parents could do any better, their marriage a wasteland where no love could grow, but at least they were honest about it. Better enjoy a dream while it lasts.

That is why if even Wei Ying’s marriage were to turn out to utter shit like YanLi’s, at least it will not be Jiang Cheng’s fault. Everything needs to be perfect, from the vows to the tea ceremony, from the food to the color scheme, from the seat arrangements to the music. Hell, some of his stepbrother’s requests may be too much to handle for most, but not for Jiang Cheng and if Wei Ying wants a parade and a whole week worth of celebrations, Wei Ying will have exactly that.

Hence he will not, under any circumstance, allow anyone snooping around as he plans the wedding of the century. No, not even the fiancée’s overprotective older brother asking people for blackmailing material on Wei Ying behind Jiang Cheng’s back. Not even if he pays him in nature, no ma’am.

... . ... . ... . ...

Lan Huan is the best divorce attorney in town precisely because he believes in unconditional love. That’s why he doesn’t see the point of two people (or three people, on one memorable case in Europe) spending the rest of their life together if change is inevitable and something to be expected. He would much prefer to get the best deal out of it for his clients and prevent children to suffer from it in the process.

Judges fear him and his diplomatic smile that can never hide his tunnel vision drive for victory. His trusty private investigator Nie HuaiSang is equally terrified by his assets, but still feeds him with the juiciest details whenever Lan Huan asks for favors, discreetly requesting the younger man to do background checks on this or that subject. Settlements may be nice, but not if the (soon to be ex) husband or wife in question can be easily found guilty of adultery, gaslighting, or even violence. Not on Lan Huan’s watch.

That’s why his world gets completely turned over the moment his younger brother Lan Zhan announces his intention to marry a man he hasn’t known for a full three months yet. Truth to be told, Lan Huan had never seen him this happy: glowing with something akin to adoration, affection dripping from every pore, love spilling all over just by mentioning one name, Wei Ying. In case this rascal happens to crush his precious baby brother’s heart, Lan Huan needs to find dirt on this man and squeeze everything he has out of his dead cold hands the second his brother files a request for a divorce.

But for some reason Nie HuaiSang cannot seem to be found for the job this time around. Not unlike most of his other contacts and informants, who have seemingly disappeared at the mention of his brother’s fiancee’s name. If this Wei Ying is such a big fish in the sea to make even Lan Huan’s most loyal colleagues dissolve into thin air, then he must find the answers by himself.

And if it means to bomb the wedding preparations to get shit done, oh he will. He’s not above flirting to get what he wants, but if this Wei Ying turns out to be a good person in the end... well. Lan Huan prays things won’t get too messy to proceed with the celebrations in the end. Hopefully, that is.

[fun stuff under the cut.]

NHS went to uni with Wei Ying and he knows LXC won’t find anything on him bc WWX himself is a blackmail master and will 100% diss you in front of your children calling you out on your deepest secrets so no. NHS will not mess with that and he urges to do as much to all LXC’s informants and sources.

JC looks scary but his staff loves how dedicated he is and they make bets on when he’s going to lose it and sleep with someone out of frustration. although they think he gets more turned on by going over every point in his check-lists at times...

LXC’s colleague always ask him if he’s dating anyone, clearly to set him up with someone (who will not be of LXC’s liking, he’s sure). to which he answers by smiling and lying saying he has a terrible personality. since nobody believes him, he asked his friend Meng Yao to make a scene at the firm once: (all too pleased to mess with his bestie’s reputation) Meng Yao murder-walked into the office and demanded to meet LXC, only to cry in front of everyone and smack him across the face for cheating on him. THEN his sister A-Su made her sudden appearance and smacked LXC’s other cheek lamenting the same, ridiculous thing. the two siblings gaped in fake horror at each other before spitting on LXC and storming off of the building.

NMJ laughed his ass off for weeks after the sharade. he started dating A-Su not long after (with both JGY and LXC’s blessings) bc he was mildly impressed by her willingness to jump on the opportunity to make a fool of both LXC and her brother at once. LXC thinks they are a good match, but he worries A-Su might be too tiny and full of undiluted mischief for NMJ to be able to handle her antics.

NMJ used to date LXC, but they were too driven and competitive to let their relationship get in the way and in the end they stopped seeing each other. they still care deeply for one another, but they love their jobs at the firm too much and making things messy at the office wasn’t worth it. A-Su knows about it and doesn’t feel left out because of it, glad that they settled into their respective lives while still being loyal friends to each other.

JGY tries to set LXC up with a new woman every week, saying he would benefit from having a cute wife taking care of him. but LXC doesn’t know what business JGY has to talk about women that way when Meng Yao’s been a raging homosexual since the first time he has landed his eyes on another boy in kindergarten. too many crushes on boys to even be aware of how many hearts he has broken in his life. all those pretty girls falling for his looks, poor kids. only JGY’s younger brother Mo XuanYu could rival his victim count, but barely so.

ZiXuan is secretly keeping an eye on his half-brothers and half-sister while he works as a representative for his family company and this is mainly the reason why he has distanced himself from YanLi and Jin Ling in these past few years. he would like to approach his three half-siblings and maybe have a chance to rekindle lost relationships, but by stressing over it he is losing sight of the found family he actually has. YanLi wants him to come around, eventually, but she knows how lonely ZiXuan has been with no siblings and how secretly jealous he is of the bond that she has with her family. so she won’t pressure her husband, but she feels lonely nonetheless.

the two wangxian lovebirds are too happy to notice the mess LXC is making and they don’t even realize he’s there until like, three days before the actual wedding.

LXC may be a shark but he’s not subtle. JC doesn’t know what he does for a living but he assumes he has too much time on his hands, hence not someone worthy of his time. but LXC always causes troubles on the venue or messes up with the flower arrangements or prods for information to the wrong people and JC is over it.

“if you don’t have anything better to do help me find the sommelier so I can ask him what’s wrong with him and if he studied anything at all” or “if you have so much time to waste be useful and learn how to make flower crowns for the children to play with” or “if you can sit on your ass all day at least look over my nephew while I go look for someone to emotionally bully to let off some steam.”

Jin Ling is five and even more bossy than his uncle and orders LXC around to be his pony when JC should babysit him at work. LXC discovers the boy is JGY and A-Su and Mo XuanYu’s nephew and that JC doesn’t what any of them to interact with Jin Ling. but LXC secretly lets them hang out with the boy when JC is too busy to notice.

JC and LXC get closer the more the latter understands that there’s not much dirt on Wei Ying (aside from some questionable pictures taken during a university party back in the days, but that’s beside the point). LXC appreciates how crafty and ingenious JC is, always helping others around instead of just shouting orders...even if his temper is atrocious at times.

JC forces LXC to take dance lessons with the lot of the main family members and LXC meets JC’s mother for the first time. she is competitive about her dancing skills and Wei Ying tries to win her over by asking her to show everybody how it’s done by leading her ex-husband in a tango. after publicly humiliating her ex-husband (and making him fall in love with her once more), she insists on practicing a waltz with LXC and basically threatens him to cut off his balls if he dares to lead JC on with his charms.

LXC realizes he’s been playing and flirting too much with the man for him not to notice, but JC seems oblivious. no. he’s completely oblivious and kind and beautiful as he dances with Jin Ling and twirls him around in delight. LXC played too hard and now he’s in too deep.

the only source of drama in this would be JC finding out LXC let Jin Ling hang out with his other uncles and aunt despite the warnings. JC was starting to trust the man... and LXC stabbed him in the back. he would have much preferred not to discover it from his nephew (who let it slip that LXC “told him not to speak of his uncles and aunt to Jiujiu”), because he would have given LXC a chance to explain himself otherwise. but no. JC cannot have good things apparently and now he’s heartbroken without even knowing why.

without the lucky charm that is JC (holed up in his flat eating junk food to forget the pain of being an afterthought in other people’s lives), everything goes to shit three days before the wedding: the chef quits, the tea set for the ceremony breaks, one of the maids has accidentally torn apart one set of wedding robes and so on.

the venue gets flooded with live chickens when a truck transporting them breaks down in front of the building and the chicken escape. Jin Ling is loving every second of it, but everything gets destroyed in the ruckus and JC’s hard work is ruined.

Wei Ying is heartbroken and Lan Zhan silently accuses LXC of being the cause of this and urges him to fix the mess unless he wants to receive the cold shoulder for the rest of his days. but LXC is a cowards and spends his time actually fixing the broken things or replacing them or finding seamstresses to help with the garments and so on himself. anything but facing JC and be rejected.

ZiXuan comes to his senses and blurts out that “he really just wanted to have a loving family” the moment JGY, A-Su and Mo XuanYu come check on LXC. they hug and cry and laugh and YanLi gently reminds them that this is not about them right now and that they should help with the preparations if they have so much time on their hands. her mother is very proud of her and nods appreciatively at ZiXuan’s shocked and weirdly intrigued expression after being humiliated so boldly in front of everyone. the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree indeed.

the day before the wedding Wei Ying threatens to call the wedding off if JC doesn’t show up for his big day: not because he’s the planner, but because Wei Ying wants him close on his happiest day and he will not have it any other way.

LXC goes to fetch JC in his apartment himself the night before the wedding and they yell and they make peace and then they make love and then they woke up late the next day and they have to rush to the venue.

Wei Ying is livid until JC appears and then they celebrate the wedding of the century. A week of celebrations later Lan Zhan deadpans that they actually got married already like, one month in after meeting each other, but Wei Ying wanted a big wedding and he didn’t want to deny his husband a single thing.

JC tries to strangle his brother as the last family picture is being taken.

give me an award already.

[my-unruly-heart]

my heart’s at the wheel now

Tag List: @radcowboyalmondtree @annabanana2401 @babeebobo

masterpost

sorry if this is bad, it was kinda just me exploring a different way of writing and how Anne deals with her trauma around the beginning of May. So it will talk about her beheading in passing and there is a minor panic attack.

30th of April

“This quarrel with Norris, and the gossip it caused, may have been the reason for an argument between the King and Queen on Sunday 30th April, recorded by Alexander Ales and written as an account for Elizabeth I, Anne and Henry’s daughter, in September 1559:-”

“Never shall I forget the sorrow which I felt when I saw the most serene queen, your most religious mother, carrying you, still a baby, in her arms and entreating the most serene king your father, in Greenwich Palace, from the open window of which he was looking into the courtyard, when she brought you to him. I did not perfectly understand what had been going on, but the faces and gestures of the speakers plainly showed that the king was angry, although he could conceal his anger wonderfully well. Yet from the protracted conference of the council (for whom the crowd was waiting until it was quite dark, expecting that they would return to London), it was most obvious to everyone that some deep and difficult question was being discussed.”

The queens knew may 19th would be a bad day for Anne but they didn’t expect her to pull away from everyone so early. They had all been at an interview (that seems to be how all these stories start) and it was seemingly going very well, the historian was kind and genuinely cared about hearing the queens’ stories. He also was very aware of the date and before they began pulled Anne aside and told her she didn’t need to answer anything that she didn’t want to, he also asked what topics she would like to avoid. So, all in all, it was a pretty successful interview. 

The feeling of dread Anne had begun to feel that morning was forgotten by the time she had retired to her room that evening. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits as the second queen fell asleep with a smile on her face.

1st of May

“Henry VIII and his second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn, attended the joust just as they had in previous years, but this one ended with the king abandoning his queen unexpectedly. If Anne hadn’t figured out that something was going on before this point, she surely must have been suspicious at the king’s sudden departure.

We know that court musician Mark Smeaton had been arrested the previous day and that within 24 hours he’d confessed to sleeping with the queen. However, Anne was in the dark. Bad things were happening around her, but she did not know what was going on.”

Anne had to drag herself out of bed that morning. The usually energetic girl shuffled quietly to the kitchen where all the other queens were already seated. 

“Morning love,” Catherine smiled at the younger queen as Jane turned to make Anne a cup of coffee, a rare allowance for Anne that early in the morning. “Sleep well?”

Anne looked at Catherine for a moment, blinked a few times then shrugged, “Oui, mais ça n’en a pas envie.” Catherine laughed for a moment before turning to Cathy,

“Do you mind translating love?” Cathy nodded giggling a little at how out of it her girlfriend was, “She said yes, but she doesn’t feel like it.”

The first queen nodded and smiled sympathetically at Anne. Soon all six women had settled down at the table. Kit was talking about something, using dramatic hand gestures for emphasis as Anna laughed at the girl quietly. Anne tried to listen to her cousin but her mind was fuzzy, she was so so tired. Maybe if she just closed her eyes for a minute-

“ANNIE! No sleeping at breakfast!”

Anne looked up blearily at her cousin, gave her a smirk, and dropped her head back onto her arms, folded on the table. The rest of the day went on in a similar fashion and the daze Anne seemed to be in never lifted.

2nd of May

“In “Las nuevas de Ynglaterra de la presion de la Manceba del Rey”, recorded in Letters and Paper on the 2nd May, it reports Rochford’s arrest as being to do with him covering up his sister’s crimes and being an accessory, rather than being one of her lovers:-

“The Emperor has letters from England of 2 May, stating that the mistress of the king of England, who is called queen, had been put in the Tower for adultery with an organist of her chamber, and the King’s most private “sommelier de corps.” Her brother is imprisoned for not giving information of her crime. It is said that, even if it had not been discovered, the King had determined to leave her, as he had been informed that she had consummated a marriage with the earl of Nortemberlano (Northumberland) nine years ago.”

This leaves us wondering whether George Boleyn was arrested first and then the charge of incest made up later, a shocking and horrific allegation which would turn everyone against him and his sister.”

The show that night went well, it was one of those nights where everyone got really into it, including the audience; and for what it was worth, Anne was in a good mood. The second queen joked around with the others, although she stuck close to Maggie’s side the two seemed to be in better form.

The queens and ladies in waiting were all well aware of the date and were frankly quite shocked at how well Anne and Maggie had been handling everything, considering the mess the year before had been. When the group of 10 Tudor women got home that night the adrenaline from the show left them all awake. After some friendly banter back and forth it was decided they would watch Moana.

It was about halfway through the movie when Maggie and Anne began talking amongst themselves, “à quoi sert le crabe ? Je suis désolé de ne pas l’avoir, il se sent un peu plus”. (what's the point of the crab? I'm sorry I just don't get it, he feels a little bit extra)

“Je suis désolé a fait Anne 'Kitty est triste alors j’ai besoin de lui obtenir un chat' Boleyn juste tout un film supplémentaire ?” (I'm sorry did Anne 'Kitty is sad so I need to get her a cat' Boleyn just all a movie extra?) Cathy looked up and laughed at Anne, “Vous n’avez pas de place pour parler, mon amour” (you have no room to talk, my love)

The three girls laughed before turning their attention back to the movie. As Anne got ready for bed she smiled, it had been a good day.

4th of May

“Sir William Kingston, the Constable of the Tower of London, was ordered to make regular reports to Cromwell regarding Anne Boleyn’s imprisonment in the Tower. Obviously, Anne could say things that her enemies could use against her and for that reason her ladies in the Tower were appointed by Cromwell and were also ordered not to speak to Anne unless Lady Kingston was present to remember or record what was said.”

For the next few days Anne seemed to be glued to either Maggie or Cathy, it wasn’t surprising for anyone really so they all went on as normal. It was around this time that Anne and Cathy began going on walks more. No one asked about the change as it wasn't hurting anyone, but it was the first sign of the storm that was brewing.

  The show that day had gone well and they had rehearsals for some events afterwords. The girls were all goofing around on the stage while the directors took a few notes,

“See here’s the thing there is no way to know that we all see colours the same!”

“Anne, I thought we had a no talking nonsense at rehearsal rule,” Aragon looked over at the girl and sighed, “stop mumbling to yourself.”

Anne just stuck her tongue out and leaned back onto Cathy who was braiding the girl’s wild hair. She looked up at her girlfriend, smiled, and gave her a quick kiss. The rest of the day carried on in a similar fashion, although Anne couldn’t ignore the heavy feeling in her stomach.

15th of May

“On the 15th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn was tried in the King’s Hall in the Tower of London. The trial was to be a huge public spectacle, attracting, according to Chapuys, around 2,000 spectators, so Sir William Kingston had arranged for a “great scaffold” (platform) to be erected in the middle of the hall, benches and seats arranged for the lords, and benches along the walls of the hall. Alison Weir writes of how a special throne for the Lord High Steward, the Duke of Norfolk, was placed on the dais at the end of the hall, underneath the canopy of estate which bore the royal arms – the Duke of Norfolk was to represent the King and would have to put aside the fact that Anne and George were his niece and nephew.”

Five out of the six ex-wives of Henry VIII were awoken by a shrill scream from the loft bedroom. A conversation wasn’t necessary to make the decision that Jane and Catherine wouldn’t be any help, try as they might to help Anne. Kit and Cathy went up the stairs while Anna went to help the other two girls make tea for everyone (“no Cathy you do ‘t get coffee until breakfast and that’s final.”) 

When the girls got into the room Anne was thankfully awake, and she wasn’t scratching at her neck. Instead, she was just sat staring at the wall opposite her bed. “He was innocent you know” Cathy frowned as she sat beside her girlfriend, not really knowing what she meant. “Can I touch you, Annie?” Anne nodded before continuing her thought as she curled into Cathy’s side and Kit played with her hair. 

“Why’d Henry feel the need to go after George?” Kit sighed, she wasn’t annoyed at her cousin, she just didn’t have an answer for her. Cathy looked at the youngest queen for a second before turning her focus back onto her girlfriend, “No one knows Annie, but it wasn’t your fault.” Anne shook her head and sat up straight, pulling her knees up to her chest. Anna returned at this point, handing everyone a cup of tea before sitting down to join the conversation.

“I know I don’t deserve forgiveness, but I like the idea that some people think I might” It was Anna who spoke this time, after a few moments of stunned silence. “How do you KNOW you don’t deserve forgiveness? What did you do wrong?” Anne just looked at her, part of her agreeing with Anna but the ‘what ifs’ were loud and overbearing. 

After a few moments of silence, it was obvious that Anna wanted an answer, “Nothing.” It was meek and not very convincing but it was a start, and that’s all anyone could ask.

[romyxzhao]

[ ROMILDA “ROMY” ZHAO. 23. CISFEMALE. SHE/HER ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 20 YEARS ] and are originally from [ LONDON, ENGLAND ]. They are a [ TEA SOMMELIER / BUSINESS OWNER ] and in their downtime love [ GARDENING ] and [ COOKING ]. They look a lot like [ JESSIE MEI LI ] and live [ IN OASIS APTS ].

- B A S I C S -

FULL NAME: Romilda Ashana Zhao NICKNAME(S): Romy, Ro AGE: 23 OCCUPATION: Tea Sommelier at The Teahouse - a tea shop that she co-owns with one of her cousins. BIRTHDAY: February 28th ZODIAC: Pisces BIRTH PLACE: London, England CURRENT RESIDENCE: Silver Lake, CA (Oasis Apts) HOGWARTS HOUSE: Ravenclaw

- F A M I L Y -

FATHER: Fai Zhao - Financial Advisor MOTHER: Eileen Fitzgerald-Zhao - Runs the local daycare, ABC Kids COUSINS (Father’s Side of the family): 2

PET: Guinea pig, named Chújú (Daisy)

- P E R S O N A L I T Y -

(+) Friendly, Hardworking, Studious, Creative, Nurturing (-) Withdrawn, Evasive, Bossy, Stubborn, Overprotective

Romy has the potential to get along with just about everyone, so long as they don’t piss her off or come after one of her loved ones. She’s very protective of her family and friends and would not think twice about seriously hurting others if it meant to protect them. 

She’s an introvert by nature, and can sometimes seem a little withdrawn from the crowd, but she doesn’t typically hesitate to engage in conversation if the situation calls for it.

- L I K E S -

Cooking

Baking

Gardening

Embroidery

Sketching and Painting

Arts & Craft

Swimming

Playing with her guinea pig, Chújú

- B I O G R A P H Y -

Born in London, England to a Chinese father and English mother. When she was a baby, she and her parents moved from London to Fujian, China for three years, in order for her father to take care of his ailing brother. 

They stayed there for nearly three years, up until her uncle sadly passed away.

When Romy was three, the small family, along with her two cousins (the children of her now deceased uncle), left China and took up a more permanent residence in Silver Lake, California. This is where Romy and her two cousins grew up together, raised as siblings. 

All three of them were around the same age, give or take a few years, so it was easy for them all to acclimate themselves to their new surroundings.

After high school, Romy decided to forgo college and instead began proper training to be a tea sommelier, with the end goal of becoming an expert on all things tea-related. It took five years and a lot of studying and dedication, but she finally earned her certification. 

While she was studying, she also took up two part-time jobs: a waitress position at Lotus, and as an assistance at her mother’s daycare, ABC Kids. This was so that she could pay rent for her apartment and so she could save the money she and her cousin would need in order to open up the tearoom that they had dreamed about running together for years.

As of February 2021, they managed to do just that, with a little financial help from Romy’s parents. Their shop, The Teahouse was their baby, their pride and joy - something the two girls had worked extremely hard for.

- W A N T E D   C O N N E C T I O N S -

Cousin #1 - The oldest of the two cousin. (age between 25-28)

Cousin #2 - The youngest cousin, and the one who is closest to Romy in age, preferably even the same age as her (age between 23-24) and the one that she is generally the closest to, period. They graduated around the same time, and now are co-owners of The Teahouse (an Asian-themed tea shop).

Childhood Besties - She grew up in Silver Lake, so she has to have made at least a few friends along the way.

Inner circle of friends - friends she knows that are just a phone call away if she ever needs something (or vice verse); her party squad

Bad Influences

Crushes / Love Interests

Flings / One-nighters

Neighbors (Oasis Apts.)

Roommate(s)

Literally whatever! I’m down for pretty much anything.

[kangjaehyun]

The Christmas Chronicles: Episode I

For Seokjin, Christmas holidays are synonymous with constant back-and-forth traveling, last minute shopping, the festive aroma of freshly-baked goods, booming laughter and warmth, and his mother's half-yearly attempt at taking the matters in her own hands to play the wingwoman for him.

He doesn't remember a single Christmas holiday after his fourth year—or what his mother affectionately likes to dub as coming-of-age year—that he could spend peacefully. According to Joohyun Kim, Seokjin's spontaneity directly translates to indecisiveness and a constant dilemma over what he wants to achieve in life. It is frustrating to say the least, really.

So, when she excuses herself in hopes to steal him away from his clique of friends, Seokjin is quick to understand her intent.

“𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵—” He starts, but before he can say anything in retaliation, she wraps her hand around his arm and raises a finger at him.

“Oh, don't give me that look. Just meet her once and you'll see what I'm talking about—”

“I don't want to meet anyone, mum,” he murmurs in a low grumble, like he is already tired of the conversation despite it beginning not even a minute ago. “Why can't you just leave me be?”

“Oh, hush,” his mother shushes him, with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Merlin knows how disastrous you'd be if you're left to your wits to fend for yourself.”

“That's ��𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 an excuse to—”

“—You brought 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 stray kittens home last year just because—”

“Those babies were 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥,” Seokjin reasons, emphatically. “And adorable.”

The middle-aged woman turns to him with a sigh, long-suffering, and he can tell she is exasperated by the way her breath crackles. She makes a faintly disparaging clucking noise, like she's planning to argue with him some but holds it back, saying, “Come on now. Remember Eric's youngest daughter? The one who was transferred to Beauxbatons in her fourth year after he got himself a posting in France? She is your age now. Expensive education, high ambitions. Beautiful, passionate, soft-spoken...”

As she drones on and on, Seokjin tunes her out, putting on a smile to hide his exasperated expression as he gets dragged across to the room to meet what he knows for a fact would be the reason for his premature death.

“Remember to behave,” she whispers conspiratorially to him, just before tapping on the shoulder of a slender, unknowing girl clad in a white dress, making her turn around.

“Yes? Did you want something, aunt Joohyun?” The girl asks, with a smile, as she stands up straight and throws her shoulders back. She's holding an empty wine glass in an immaculately manicured hand, with short, glossy, pearl-pink nails. She has a tinkling charm bracelet dangling from her slender wrist, and the barest hint of sleek, curly light-brown hair tumbles forward from her loose ponytail as she glances at him for the briefest of moments.

She is a neat girl. Pretty—dare he say—but, well...

“Lisa,” Joohyun says, affectionately, beaming. “I want you to meet my son, Seokjin. He is currently enrolled in Hogwarts, studying in his sixth year—just a year away from graduating, actually.” She then turns to face Seokjin, saying, “Remember Lisa Robinson? She used to play with you when you both were kids. Ah, good times. I think you'll find you both have a lot in common.”

“Hi,” Seokjin says silkily, smile too bold and well-practised as he extends his hand for a shake. Lisa accepts it, not missing a beat.

“Hello,” she says, the faintest of pink appearing on her high cheekbones.

“Oh,” Joohyun says, dramatically, and Seokjin tries not to roll her eyes at her theatrics. He knows his mother too well to know that she would be thinking of an excuse to leave them alone to socialize. “I think I forgot to check the stove—don't want to serve the guests burnt treats on a lovely occasion—you both enjoy yourselves, okay?”

And before Seokjin can say anything, she has already jostled her way past the mingling guests in the warmth of their parlour.

Imagining multiple ways of staging his own death, he turns to the girl with a smile, trying to think of ways to make the awkward silence go away. Fortunately for him, Lisa spares him the embarrassment and beats him to it.

“I like your shirt,” she says, conversationally, as though she has barely stopped herself from commenting on the weather as a way of staring the small-talk. Talk about white Britishers and their awkward conversation starters. “Orange is my favourite colour.”

“Thanks,” Seokjin says, with an edge to his tone, glancing down at his feet before he looks up with a nonchalant shrug. His biceps bulge as he raises an arm to scratch at his nape. “This is actually tangerine.”

“Oh,” she murmurs awkwardly. “Alright.”

Seokjin catches himself just in time before he can mumble an apology. As a gentleman, he is not used to being dismissive, but he figures this is the only way he can make her dislike him in some way and help him plan his own escape.

“What are your interests?” she asks him. “Aunt Joohyun mentioned we have similar interests, so... I take that sommeliering interests you, too?”

“Sorry?”

“Sommeliering. Studying the different varieties of tea,” she explains, gesturing around with her free hand.

“Ah, no. I play Quidditch,” he says in a voice he hopes does not give away his discomfort, with a shake of his head. His face is deliberately neutral as he shoves his hands inside the pockets of his trousers. “And I have an interest in something along the lines of curse breaking. Tea, though?”

“Yes, that's one of my elective courses,” she says, with a small laugh. “I want to open open a tea shoppe outlet one day. Sommeliering is fascinating, you know? There are so many varieties to study. Oolong tea, earl grey, chamomile tea...”

As she blabbers on and on about her specialization, Seokjin zones out of the conversation, looking desperately around the room at the merrymakers. He has to find a way to tell his parents about his long-found epiphany — and soon.

It is not that he is actually too scared of it. After all, they are liberal-minded people, his parents. They have always taught him to accept diversity in all forms and love himself for who he is. This really shouldn't be that hard.

“—you think?”

Seokjin makes a distracted sound, turning back to Lisa with a blink, staring back, until her smile fades. “Ah, yes? You were saying?”

“Do you drink tea?”

“No, actually I'm an alcoholic,” he answers, with a simpering smile. No, he isn't, but 𝘴𝘩𝘦 doesn't need to know that.

“I'm—excuse me?”

“I can't sleep at night if I don't get drunk. Cannabis are a great help at times, too,” he explains, swiftly. “Actually, I'll just go get myself a beer or something. Do you want anything—”

“No, it's fine. I think I can help myself. Thanks,” she says, with a forceful smile, sniffing in what Seokjin assumes is disdain. He can imagine a plethora of rumours regarding him circulating amongst the guests in the room already, but he cannot really bring himself to care.

“Alright. Good talk,” Seokjin says, unable to stop himself from sounding rather relieved as he nods at her in acknowledgement and excuses himself. “See you then.”

He must talk to his parents tonight.

[libertasrpg]

We welcome Fiona Prentice to the city. She’s 30 years old and is a Sommelier. Fiona is often mistaken for Isla Fisher. She’s open.

→ Background Information

Born to a comfortably wealthy family, Fiona could have chosen any career path or school and would  have been just fine. She’s always been a bit of a homebody but she isn’t afraid to step out of her comfort zone to make a first impression. Her parents almost sent her away for school and to live away but they eventually realized how much they loved having their little girl home. She went to school to study culinary arts, and took some kickboxing classes on the side. After a while she moved in with her roommates and it was nice. But after four years and many sleepless nights - all for fun, or studying, Fiona ended up back at home while in between jobs. It was then when she met Lucas Farquaad that things changed drastically. The couple was married and spent five years as such before Fiona finally came to her senses. Fiona worked as an hors d’oeuvre chef at his winery and eventually climbed in the ranks as a sommelier. She ended up back home and for a brief few weeks dated Preston. Finally, following the all too messy divorce with Lucas and short and sweet breakup with Preston, Fiona is back in her home, working as a sommelier with her dear friend Delilah.

→ Relocation Explanation

The divorce with Fiona’s ex-husband, Lucas was without a doubt one of the biggest headaches she had ever faced. Being the owner of a world renowned winery, the prenup was the first thing Fiona had to sign and despite that, the redhead felt like she had to jump through a multitude of hoops following the couple’s breakup. She couldn’t take it any longer home, so she packed her bags and while in search of a fresh start, found a new city to call home.

→ Living Situation

After spending the first twenty years of her life living with her parents, when Fiona was finally allowed to move in with roommates in college she was delighted, it was like a whole new world, uncharted territory. There were years with roommates, and then the years with her now ex-husband. Fiona was finally able to find herself a studio apartment space following the divorce and now resides in a tiny one bedroom town home with her cat Smudge and many house plants.

→ Her Personality

Fiona is a spitfire in every sense of the word. She’s as quick on her feet as she is with her words, and if you’ve done something out of line or have crossed her or a loved one she won’t hesitate to call you out. Fiona has spent a good deal of her life worried about her appearance, at some points even hating her firey red hair, but over the last few years she’s learned to love it. She’s accepting of people from all walks of life and loves her job the most because it gives her a chance to meet people like that.

→ Her Qualities

Ethical, Loyal, Open Minded

Competitive, Confrontational, Proud

→ Her Relationships

Lucas Farquaad (Ex-Husband): Lucas and Fiona couldn’t have been more true to the definition of love birds when they first met and began to date. Fiona was entranced by his winery and shared love for the vine. She was savvy in business and that was a plus for him and little to her knowledge he used her to gain momentum. Once Fiona realized this she quickly cut him off. In all honesty Fiona’s got no desire to see him but knows it could be inevitable given her line of work.

Shane Shermann (Friend & Possible Love Interest): Shane and Fiona met once when Shane had been meeting with Lucas to make a sale on some of the grapes from his family farm for the winery. Though engaged at the time, there was something about Shrek that Fiona couldn’t forget. He had a charm about him. So to run into him following the divorce, well.. she wouldn’t hate it.

Preston Prince (Ex-Boyfriend & Potential Love Interest): Preston wasn’t Fiona’s best decision, but he also wasn’t her worst. Models aren’t exactly her cup of tea, and she found that out the hard way, but he wasn’t a bad companion, and he enjoys the same wine Fiona does, and that’s always a plus. The two have a weird relationship but there are no hard feelings following the breakup.

Delilah Drago (Best Friend & Co-Worker): Delilah has been the saving grace for Fiona and finding life following her divorce and second big move out from home. Unlike Lucas, who comes from a family who owns a world renowned winery, Delilah started from the ground up with her small farm winery and when Fiona caught wind of it she had to visit. The two became fast friends and Delilah couldn’t help but ask Fiona to help right away. Outside of all of the wine they drink together, the two also get around to seeing Broadway shows and hitting up the gym.

→ Possible Connections

Paxton Bernard (Friend): Paxton leads several kickboxing classes and even offers lessons on fencing and stage combat. They’re a person of many talents, quick on their feet and a dancer. They met Fiona during a class she was taking and the two hit it off right away.

Donovan Drake (Friend): Don is the best friend of Shrek and his right hand man. He was there for the meetings with Lucas at the winery, but aside from that Fiona knows little about him.

→ Faceclaim Change:

Allowed | Not allowed | POC must | Discuss with admin

Suggestions: TBA

Fiona is based on Princess Fiona from Shrek.

[aliesteem]

An Immensely Through Fine Dining Experience from the Brokest College Student Ever.

I’ve recently broken into my old, student email and was reunited with the dozens and dozens of papers I’ve written about dining in Culinary school. These papers scored me A’s and made me realize I possibly do have a future in writing. I’m still proud nearly two years later so I thought I’d share. Enjoy!

Introduction

I am a college student and with that, it’s practically needless to say that I am also broke, very broke. I, however, through great resilence have maintained my champagne dreams enough to actually see a fine dining experience. This is NYC, there had to be one I could afford. In my heavy search the top, three included Tocqueville, Del Posto, and Le Bernardin. These three I took into consideration because of there more affordable price range, beautiful display, and interior design I’ve seen online and (or) its popularity online. It was  Tocqueville that caught my eye. Located 1 East 15th Street in Manhattan, NYC. Tocqueville was most affordable as if they were thinking of college students like me who dreamt of a mouthful of caviar. The others came with a hefty price tag, ones that honestly made very nervous. To me, a $10 burrito Chipotle sounds like a luxury so you can imagine my reaction in finding out Le Bernardin restaurant that costs over $87 for its pri-fixe menu. It doesn’t sound like a shocking expense to some but on this side of the fence, it is.  Del Posto was a little more affordable at $50 but it still wasn’t in my price range.  Luckily, Tocqueville provided the most inexpensive pri-fixe menu only costing $36 for a three-course menu. I felt relieved. I decided this restaurant is my final choice.

Tocqueville, named after the French political sociologist and theorist is owned by husband and wife Marco Moreira and Joann Makovitzky who also own new restaurants 15th East and The Fourth in the same city. With no trouble found I found that the Chef is Jason Lawless on StarChefs.com. He has managed the kitchen since August 2011. The restaurant itself has been opened since 2000 and in seventeen years it has built its reputation of being one of the most innovative French-American restaurants in New York City. You can see from how modern chic yet classic they truly are by their restaurant design. From the photographs provided on the official website, tocquevillerestaurant.com - the look of the restaurant is a cool but clean creamy white and black color scheme. I can tell it is a place that provides excellence a traditional fine dining restaurant would hold but pulls themselves away from being boring and ordinary. I adore the minimalistic and classic take. Their dishes and plating looked absolutely sparkling as well. The picture heading the page of their menu category was the Grilled Filet of Beef. A pearly white plate of succulent meat topped with small diced tomatoes, red onion and herbs were appetizing enough for me to set a reservation for a party of two with a close friend.  

`Making the reservation was fairly easy. Once I called a person who sounded to be a young woman answered sweetly. I asked to make a reservation and she was very quick and efficient. There wasn’t any of the run around that I had anticipated. The space I wanted was open. It didn’t take any more than say four minutes. I was surprised. I expected the restaurant to be packed with reservations especially on a Friday. We talked for a short while after about what will partake once I arrived. The phone call was my first experience with Tocqueville’s true hospitality. It made me all the more comfortable with coming in and dining.  

My expectations in visiting Tocqueville are sky-high. For one, it is a fine dining restaurant. I’ve never been to one. This is exciting, I want it to be fascinating. Above all, I am looking forward to the food. Since I’m a meat and a wine lover the Red Wine Braised Short Rib sounds appetizing. I cannot wait. There is a bit of nervousness about the way the employees will treat me, however. I am visibly very young and a person of color. I sometimes feel when I enter nice places that I’m not supposed to be there. I feel like the oddball. In past experiences the waiters did nothing to eliminate that feeling, making me more unsettled with long stares and awkward treatment. Other guests dining had body language that expressed that I was ruining the atmosphere for them.  I hope that doesn’t happen this time but as always I am remaining positive. From what I know now Tocqueville is a beautiful restaurant with a kind, warm friendliness. I’m counting down the days till the visit.  

The Visit

I woke up a Friday morning with a Ferris Buller-type charisma and energy. I was going to visit a beautiful fine dining restaurant in the city! I have never been to a French restaurant before much less one that was seemingly so elegant. I had the jitters. What should I wear? How should I do my hair? Which train should I take? Is my friend going to be on time? Did I give her the right directions? A million and one questions running through my head. I thought I ought to relax my nerves before I begin my day. I snugged my feet into my orange fluffy slippers and made my way to the kitchen. I picked a Lavender Jasmine mix tea from my collection to boil. Tea always soothes the soul. I brought my mug to the window and looked out for a moment. The day was chilly, sunny but very chilly. “How am I going to dress nicely and still be warm?” I asked myself then take a short sip. I was still nervous but pushed to let it go and know everything will go well.  

My reservation was at 12pm sharp for lunch. It was already about 8am and I know how slow I can be with getting ready in the morning so I start right away. I jump into the hot shower, brush my teeth and prep my skin with scrubs and cleansers for makeup. I hop out, dry off, put most of my day’s clothes on and begin to do my makeup. This takes the longest out of getting ready. I try to see if I can get it done within 30 minutes' time. Nope! It took me almost an hour because I kept messing up but luckily I started early so I was still in good time. I decide on a long, oversized, grey sweater that flows over my black leggings. I pair it jet black heels. Next, was my hair, I have natural, kinky curly hair that usually needs lots of attention but yesterday I braided it up. All l had to do now was unravel them so they can come out fluffy and defined. Once all my clothes were on, fully moisturized, fixed my hair and makeup done and feeling confident to step outside it is 10am. I get a text from my friend, who I invited to dine with me.  “I don’t know what to wear!” she texts. She thinks she’s going to be late. I knew it but I didn’t stress. I tell her don’t think too much in it, just wear something nice but no jeans or sneakers. She tells me she’ll figure it out. I just hope she makes it on time. I make sure everything around the apartment is tidy and in order before I head out the door. I text my mother that I am leaving to go to the restaurant since she’s already at work. She texts me “Good luck!” and I’m out the door.  

I live on a very popular, main street in Brooklyn. It’s loud and lively this time of day. People are heading to work and school in droves. Walking down the block to catch the A train I run into a family friend I haven’t spoken to in a long time. So long, in fact, I can’t even remember her name but her face is vivid in my memory. She asks how I am. I tell her about school and how much I love majoring in Hospitality Management since I’ve transferred from the old school. I keep in mind the time and explain to her I’m on my way to somewhere important and have to get going. She reminds me to say hello to my mother for her and I rush into the train station. Luckily the train arrives immediately. I’m not a train girl not in the least. I know it’s the New York way but I love traveling on an empty bus as oppose to a crowded train with performers yelling “It’s Showtime!” in my ear. It’s not my cup of tea. While I’m on the train I read a Pete Wells article I’ve pointed out. I need to know his review for a class. I’m really into it because I’m a fan of sushi. It’s one of my absolute favorites. The good read distracts me from the groups of people stuffing themselves into the cart along with the street entertainers swirling on poles above my head. I’m thankful.  

My stop is a Fulton Street which I switch over to a 4 or 5 train because it gets me to Union Square under ten minutes. Once I climb out of the train station I check my phone. There’s a text from my friend she says she needs more time but is about to get on the train now! It was 11:23am and we planned to meet at 11:30am. I guessed she lost track of time. I decided to find a way. I am kind of scared to walk in so I wait right outside the restaurant to wait for my friend meanwhile taking a few pictures of my own. It’s nearly 12pm but she is nowhere in sight. 

I go inside to introduce myself to a woman who I believe is the Maître d’ of the restaurant. I tell her my reservations and how I am a student doing a report. Her face suddenly gleams in a huge smile and asks if I talked to Roger. I express I don’t know who Roger is even though I feel I should know. She tells me to sit down which she gets him for me. In a few minutes, Roger is in front of me. A short, well-suited older man with blonde white hair. I don’t recognize him but he says he’s a professor at my school. He begins to ask me questions about wine. I was taken aback a little because I wasn’t expecting it. I tell him my Wine & Beverage professor that I’m taking now, Professor Aliah. I convey how much I’m enjoying her class and all the elements in detail there is to wine-making. It turns out Professor Roger is a Master Sommelier. I wished I said more about wine to him but I was so nervous I’m not used to settings like these.  My friend still wasn’t there after the talk with Roger. I told him I’d wait a bit longer she is supposed to come any second and he told me to take all the time I need. In the meantime, I took pictures and looked around the restaurants outside and the entryway. The name of the dining establishment is printed white on a black sight like a tent over the sidewalk.  The door where the guest enter is made up of all glass. It is chic, modern and simplistic. The Maitre D’s desk in the reception appeared tall, sleek, dark wood tabletop with a shiny, brown wooden, dimmed lamp. There are also award plaques and photos framed all along the wall. Their awards included the 2016 Forbes Magazine’s Restaurant with the highest rating. Best of Award of Excellence 2016 by Wine Spectacular and a 4.8 out of 5 from Zagat 2017. The restaurant is not just popular but highly respected and celebrated, making its way to more great success is that they’ve been recently recommended by the Michelin Guide in 2016.  

-

 I looked at the time on my phone and it said 12:30am. Since I was already checked in I figured I was safe from losing my reservation but I opted to seat in the dining room than to take up space in the front seating area any longer. To get to the dining room one needed to pass by the bar. The bar designed with a black and silver color scheme was the most modern section in the restaurant. On the bar top sat a huge marble vase filled with light blue, yellow and pastel green orchids that touched the ceiling. Soothing French jazz spilled gently out of the above speakers. The ambiance, graceful and contemporary. I was in awe. I actually hoped I could have my lunch there.   As soon as I sat down Roger offered me water and the front server – who name escapes me handed me a menu. I told him I wanted to wait for a friend. He was very kind and understood. Pouring the water I realize the glasses were short, open chalice glasses, still easy to hold by them small stem. It was fifteen minutes later when I heard my friend’s voice speaking to the Maitre D’ in the reception area. Seconds later she came walking in the dining area and sat down. She apologized for the lateness. I’ve been late to her events before so I could only be so upset. Seconds later the front server returned to hand us menus.

-

The menus were the longest menus I’ve seen. The outside a smooth olive green, the outside a yellow and cream menu with a folder style with all its printed dishes in bold and script. The front server in his black and white uniform finished with a sharp blue tie read over some of the meals that were listed. I appreciated his attentiveness. His body language was confident, alert to where I was impressed by his time and time again throughout the service. He was very efficient when scanning the room and our table. I took the opportunity to ask him the style of the napkin fold, neither did Professor Roger. “We simply make up the style,” he told me. The back server then came up to us from a side station behind the elongated gold curtains and offered bread. I was watching his Frenching style closely. He did it so quickly, it looked easy for him. When I attempt it in class I often lose the stability of the utensils in my hand. I chose the focaccia which was scrumptious. It was dense but not overbearing with flavor. The focaccia was filled with olives, spices, herbs and was beyond incredible with the home-made butter. I asked for another.  

-

My friend and I talked about our morning getting ready and caught up with each other’s lives since we haven’t talked in a month. In perfect timing, the front server came to take our orders. We picked two courses from the pri-fix menu. I ordered the Organic Potato and Baby Leeks Soup as an appetizer and a Red Wine Braised Short ribs entrée. As we waited for our meals and the back server pointed each of our tables I observed the dining area. The dining area was mildly lit from the light gold, sparkling crystal chandelier from above. The walls were a warm yellow with rich, gold curtains to match. The seats were made up of a comfortable cool silver, velvet. My attention was grabbed by the gigantic paintings on the wall that was created by an artist named Cheryl Roy Starer. The abstract art stood up on the walls so stunning with its blends of green, blue and white. It was a conversation piece definitely.  We were met with a unique hors d'oeuvres compliments of the Chef. It’s a fresh new take on the Southern-known treat. It’s a toasted golden brioche topped with the cooked yolk and whites of a quail eggs and finished with Alabama caviar.  The deviled eggs we centered on an all-white porcelain dish designed by Bernardaud Classic Silverware. This was my first time having caviar. The flavors delicate and salty reminded me of sardines in a way. The texture was cold creamy goodness. I wished I could have more. As we scrapped the crumbs from whatever was left of the exquisite deviled egg dish the back server approached us again to offer more bread. This reminded me of my Dining Room class where we service almost the same exact way, consistently offering our guest all the bread and quail eggs whites hard-boiled finished with Alabama caviar.  The deviled eggs centered on an all-white porcelain dish designed by Bernardaud Classic Silverware. This was my first time having caviar. The flavors delicate and salty, reminded me of sardines in a way. The texture was cold creamy goodness. I wished I could have more. As we scrapped the crumbs of whatever was left of the exquisite deviled egg dish the back server approached us again to offer more bread. I was waiting. 

-

This reminded me of my Dining Room class where we service almost the same exact way, consistently offering our guest all the bread they’d like. It was nice to be on the other side of the service. I chose the focaccia again. I could not get enough. This time however I was able to dip it into the Potato Leek soup which arrived moments later. When I first saw the bowl it was only filled with sautéed’ black mushroom and a miniature leek in the center of the bowl. I thought to myself there must be a mistake. Turns out the front server came prepared with a tiny creamer pitcher and poured the creamy soup into the bowl right in front of me. It was original and added a special touch. To be completely honest, I was expecting the soup to be bland. I’ve had potato soups so lackluster I pushed myself to finish a bowl. This wasn’t the case. The soup was luscious and silky, earthy with just enough seasoning. The soup was so harmonious with my pallet I was tempted to lick the bowl. I reminded myself I was in a very classy place but it was difficult not to, simply divine! When the entrée arrived I was the most enthusiastic. I am a huge meat lover. Anything meat I am a fan of. I’ll choose it over anything in the menu. I looked at the plate in front of me. The dish appeared kind of odd. My image of short-ribs wasn’t this. The dish came in a wide, circular plate. The meat of short rib formed in a rectangle, an island centered in the middle of potato puree. The short rib was glossed over with a deep brown red wine sauce that resembled chocolate. A lady sitting across from our table asked what dessert we ordered. We told her it was actually an entrée and she was surprised. On top of the short rib sat a roasted pearl onion and cylinder chunks of buttered carrots. The short rib melted on my fork as I cut through it. It was wonderfully tender, I didn’t need a knife. The flavor was robust, the sauce adding a vigorous taste of richness. Swirling a piece of the meat through the potato puree and putting it in my mouth it felt like I was eating butter. It has to be the most well-presented, heavenly dishes I’ve experienced in recent years.  Unfortunately, I was unable to order a dessert since I was on such a strict budget. Next time I’d make sure to experience the sweet parts of their cuisines. 

-

It took a while before the check came and I appreciate that. Usually, the front server passes the check to me as soon as the last fork bite leaves my mouth and I find it disrespectful. It hints that the server wants you to hurry up and leave completely killing the feeling of hospitality. My friend and I were fully ready to go when the bill came. It came up to $63.15 for both of us, not too pricey. We decided to tip 20% then we were on our way out but not before I could check out the bathrooms. There were three available bathrooms in the restaurant. One upstairs, one ground level and the other downstairs. I chose the downstairs bathroom. The staircase down was dark with small, glowing gold light to lead the way. The bathroom was covered in light and dark brown marble. The look gave a beach house theme added with the beige weaved baskets and dried plants spray painted gold. The vases were filled with white seashells. The walls were a sexy, dark gold against a shiny, wide mirror. The light was too dimmed, however. I couldn’t see myself as clearly as I would like. The bathroom was also extremely clean, immaculate even. I could tell the restaurant as a whole took tidiness and organization seriously.  I enjoyed myself thoroughly at this restaurant. The ambiance and décor gave me what I wanted, fully satisfying my eyes as well as mouth with every savory dish. I’m glad I decided to come here as opposed to other establishments. It was affordable yet delivered an essence of great fine dining. I plan on going with another friend for a celebration. I’ll try everything I had my eye on the second time around. The restaurant met all expectations and taught me an extra thing or two about quality service. It ensured a tranquil sense of hospitality and an intuitive and refreshing strategy in service. I’d recommend the restaurant to absolutely anyone.  

[docholligay]

She is a Diamond

A release from the Patreon vaults! @madegeeky was given a fic gift for New Year's from a very fine sponsor (Whose name I gave to geeky privately in case she didn't want to be revealed) and this was her prompt to me:

“And you, my glittering girl, are a diamond. Stone cannot love flesh. It can only bruise and break it." ---apparently a line form both me and Carmilla teaming up, as Jet pointed out.

Anyway, 2000 words, I hope you enjoy!

Michiru did not think herself sulky, in the least, and any sulkiness she might have had as a child had been taken out of her through good manners and etiquette and the gleaming veneer of perfection she was forced to put over everything, a white coat of paint covering every chip and crack and mural that might be there, leaving only a plain perfect base of elegant nothingness.

All that being true, there was a certain kind of low hurt and anger that settled in her whenever Haruka was treated cruelly by her family, and if they were so uncharitable as to call it sulkiness, she was plenty happy to take up that particular mantle.  

She’d left, tonight. She didn’t always. No, sometimes, she stayed through the assault, sometimes she would nibble on crostini as Michiru’s mother and father and siblings all fenced with the subjects of her education, her class, her occupation.

Oh, they have a problem with you being a lesbian? People asked, guessing at what the problem might be, and oh, if it were only that banal. They had a half dozen young women to line her up with, all of the appropriate breeding and the appropriate emptiness, vases to be filled with the flower of the seasons.

The party had ended, and Michiru pretended to be very interested in one of the lilies perched in a cold crystal vase, waiting for leave to be given, to return to her home with Haruka, that penthouse her parents threatened to take away whenever she displeased them, the trust fund and the cars and the very life that offered the only thing she truly had to give Haruka: A promise that she would never again know hunger, that she would wear new clothes.

“Michiru, my dear.” Her mother’s voice was firm and flowing and in French, a woman proud of the sense of the exotic she brought to the Kaiohs, the daughter of a fine textiles merchant who had raised her children in Japan and on the continent and never allowed them to belong to either.

“Yes?” She did not look up, simply pretended to be re-arranging the flower, the way she had been taught in her finishing lessons.

“I trust you will have a cordial with us in the salon. To close out the evening. I daresay the party was a rousing success.”

“Oh, I don’t know, mother,” She gave a weak smile, “I’m feeling rather tired, and must beg off to retire.”

Her mother returned the calculated smile. “Please don’t think me simple, Michiru. You’ve been sulking since that girl took her leave.”

“Her name is Haruka.” She crossed her arms. “We have been together for better than a year, and at some point you and father will need to simply accept that. This...casual cruelty, and whatever amusement you derive from it, will have to cease, unless your wish is to make every party ever after a testament to awkwardness.”

Her mother took a took a hydrangea and arranged it next Michiru’s lily. “My dear girl, I know you are of a certain age, and rebellion is a very tempting affair at this time in your life, but it can only bring ruin.”

“It would not bring ruin, if you and father were not so given to unkindness.”

“Perhaps you are unkind in your own way, Michiru,” Her mother looked at her, “To bring her into this world. To bring her to you.”

“Whatever do you mean by that?”

“Haruka is, I assume, a good girl. She probably watches baseball, and drinks beer with her friends, and reads car magazines and all such manner of things. I’m sure she is very sweet, and I have seen the way she looks at you. She does adore you.”

“But you, my glittering girl, are not like them. You have never been like them and you will never be like them. They are lovely, average, people. You, Michiru, are a diamond. You are a crown jewel, unique and talented and poised and cut and shined into such finery. You know this to be true, you are no great fool. You have known this all of your life.”

Michiru looked down at the wood of the table, suddenly interested in the way the grain flowed across the table.

“A stone cannot love flesh, Michiru. It can only bruise and break it.” She gave a chuckle. “Can you really not see that is all you shall do with her, in the end?” She shook her head. “You act as if you are the first woman of breeding on earth to fall in love below your station. It’s a cliche, Michiru.You would do well to note how those stories end.”

Michiru was not unaccustomed to trading barbs with her mother. Too much alike, maybe, her father had once opined, and the thought of it, and that terrifying shiver in the back of her mind that it might be true, haunted her still. Early on in life, she had discovered she was hardly going to fit in, and so she may as well lean into it, and while her brother Ryuji had tried to prove himself to be the most Japanese boy who ever lived, and simply tolerated his fencing lessons, Michiru had sighed through her tea ceremony lessons and asked to take traditional sommelier technique as a reward.

Maybe it was that Ryuji had been so good at being perfectly Japanese, and she hated him.

Maybe it was that she was so good at being perfectly French, and he hated that.

Maybe it was that no one in either place would ever let them be both. God knows Naoko had tried, that sad middle sister who simply managed to make a pig’s ear of both cultures.

In any case, Michiru thought, very often the whys of how our lives turned out were irrelevant to the reality of them. She was a strange diamond in this land, who knew now that she could not leave it for Paris as she’d planned when she came of age, who was trapped here by her duty and now foisted upon the country as a whole.

The Hope Diamond was French once too, wasn’t it? Beautiful and glittering and cursed, only fit to sit in a museum and never be owned by flesh.

“Michiru,” Her mother called her out of the docent’s tour of her childhood, “I tell you this from my own experience, you know that, yes?”

She had not, and yet it seemed foolish that she had not considered it. The tiny voice, the one in the back of her head that said she was just like her mother, laughed and whispered its terrible prophecy, the one that saw her marrying a fine girl and living in a penthouse so much like this one, the one that saw Haruka marrying a girl like her, a perfect blue collar wife who would laugh with her coworkers in dark bars over beer and snacks.

The one that said her mother was right all along.

“In any case, if you were seeking my leave, you have it,” She nodded at Michiru, “I will tell the others you’re a bit tired. But think on what I have said Michiru. However long you intend to toy with the simple girl, a fish cannnot fly with a bird, however it tries. She will never be like you.”

“Goodnight, Mother.” Michiru walked to the entryway, on autopilot as one of her servants helped her into her coat and called down for the car to take her home, whatever home was, just a place where she lived with the girl they all felt temporary.

It did not matter if she was in herself or not, as she was driven. Driven. Taken. She was a passenger in her own life, under glass, and maybe it was true what Mina had said of her, that she had never known what pain was, really, in her life, and so she’d never understand Haruka, not ever, and all the bringing Haruka bags of groceries and buying her clothes would never change that, it’d just make it more obvious to Haruka that Michiru didn’t know what it was like not to have those things.

It had been said in anger, but that didn’t make it untrue.

The car came to a stop in front of the fine apartment building with her fine apartment where the girl she was destined to destroy lived full time now, no longer carting a bag back and forth between Michiru’s upscale palace and the tiny place she shared with a mother that never noticed if she was there or not.

Parents that noticed every movement, and parents that noticed nothing at all, and the both of them feeling all the more unloved for it. What a pair.

Michiru paused outside the apartment building, the drizzle on her skin shining with the light of the streetlights, forcing that diamond sparkle to come alive, the glitter in that cold and painful way and show every facet of what she was.

The driver was still waiting, and she stepped inside the lobby.

“Good evening, Miss Kaioh.” A recorded response by those of the flesh, those who would never know what it was to be carved, a block with all that was not wanted stripped away to make you into a beautiful thing, cold and perfect.

She nodded, the only thing she could think to do. That had been carved, too, and she blended into the marble of the lobby as she walked through it, the pale of her skin becoming marked by the grey straitions of beautiful, perfect stone. As she stepped into the elevator and nodded to the attendant, the one whose name Haruka knew but Michiru realized she did not remember, she felt her hair intertwine with the wrought brass of the elevator door, following its curves and whorls perfectly, elegant and cold.

She touched the cool metal of the doorknob to her home, all a part of her, her purse hung on the wrought iron rack, which smiled beneath her hand, the travertine beneath her feet bending to its sister. The silk of her nightgown cushioned the gem of her body, keeping it from the slightest smudge or fingerprint, never a thing to be touched.

The bedroom door was still open a crack, the light peering into it, just a beam through the darkness.

Haruka lay asleep on the bed, the rain beading on the window, those same treacherous streetlights covering her body with a thousand tiny bruises in perfect circles. Glittering and bruised, two of a pair, but not two of a kind.

She sat down on the bed next to her, the plush of it cushioning each facet. Haruka rolled over and mumbled sleepily, her hand resting on Michiru’s knee, the warmth of it running through Michiru like Celopatra’s snakebite, a poison desperately desired.

Could her mother ever know what they had been through together? The fear, and then the love, and then Michiru, oh she had already broken Haruka to save her, and she touched the raised scar on her chest as she thought of it, that one way in which they were, in fact, matched.

Her mother had given her the number of a plastic surgeon. She had tossed it away. There was something, something, that she and Haruka would ever share.

She reached over and ran her fingers through Haruka’s hair, the boyish softness of it drawing her in, and she snuggled in next to Haruka, placing her hand in Haruka’s. There were callouses there, drawn across her palm. She was used to handling rough objects, wasn’t she?

Haruka sighed against her and pulled her closer. “I love you.”

Michiru touched the soft flesh of her cheek. Even the Velveteen Rabbit became real, once loved enough. So who was to say it was not beyond her, under the strength of Haruka’s belief.

Perhaps a fish could not fly with a bird. But she was the sailor of the sea.

[crosbys-guccifloral-crocs]

Helloooo, please can you write an imagine where Y/N and Harry were best friends at first then were a couple for almost 1 year and a half but break up and she’s now in relationship with a guy and he told her at a family dinner that he still loves her but she told him smt like “You were my real first love and love story, and I love you but I love him more. He’s the man of my life. But we can still be friends.” Something like this❤️

Warnings: not proofed. Angsty as hell, teen!harry, X factor!harry, best friend!harry.

 *** 

 Y/N and Harry shared everything: a street, toys, friends and even a birthday (Feb, 1, 1994) just as their mothers had. Given that they were also childhood best friends. Y/N and Harry had been friends for years — but then, the X Factor happened… Y/N hated those 3 words. They were the words that had changed the entire dynamic of their relationship; as both friends and as a couple. Well… as much of a “couple” as love sick 16 year olds could be. They’d dated for just over a year before he auditioned for the X Factor. They had been each other’s first everything: first kiss, first real person, first time and of course, first heartbreak. First he broke hers. It happened when news broke that he had made it past the first round of auditions.

“I made it, Y/N.” he’d said. It was totally casual and caught her by surprise. They were lying in his family’s living room in Holmes Chapel watching The Notebook with Gemma, Anne and Robin.

She shot up straight from her position on his lap.

“W-what?” She gasped.

“I made the X Factor.” He said, sitting up to pause the film.

“O-oh. That’s great! I knew you could do it, H!” She stammered hugging him close.

“We’re moving to London.” He mumbled.

“Wait… what?” She questioned.

“We’re moving to London, Y/N. as long as I’m in the competition I need to be on set, and because I’m not 18 mum and Robin need to be with me on set.” He murmured.

“Oh… well London’s only 3 hours away. I could come visit on weekends.” She quipped.

“I don’t know, love. That’s a pretty big commitment. We can’t even drive yet, and that’s a lot to expect from your parents.”

“You could just tell me you don’t want this anymore Harry. I don’t need your pathetic excuses.” She cried rushing out of the living room.

“Y/N, honey! Come back please!” Anne called out.

“BABY PLEASE!” Harry cried running barefoot down his cobblestone drive. But it was no use, she was gone.

Over the next few weeks before he left for London, H made every attempt to contact Y/N. He waited for her at her locker at school, outside of her classes, showed up at her doorstep every morning before school with his famous iced tea that she loved so much and everyday she would walk right past him as if he were some stranger passing her on the street. She’d even resorted to blocking his number on her mobile and not allowing her mother to answer their home phone when his number showed up on the caller ID.

Eventually he learned his lesson and stopped attempting to contact her. But not before he could leave a note in her locker before he left for London.

“Y/N,

I’m so sorry baby. I didn’t mean what I said the way it sounded. Please let me explain.

I love you,

H.”

——

It had been nearly 3 months since Harry had made any more attempts to contact Y/N, and she had made no attempts at all to reciprocate those attempts. But nonetheless, it still broke her heart to even think about Harry in the arms of another girl — let alone an older woman… not to mention a woman 14 years his senior! It was sickening. She tried her hardest not to pay attention to the rumours and wanted nothing more than believe they were false, but when every media outlet in the UK was reporting about the supposed relationship between “16 year old X Factor contestant Harry Styles and the host Caroline Flack, aged 30” the rumours became rather hard to ignore. But she had to see for herself, so one weekend, close to the show finale, she decided to take Anne up on one of her multiple offers to make the trip to London because “Harry was dying to see her.” She, Anne and Gemma decided to surprise Harry and meet him at Nando’s one evening to surprise him with her visit, only to see him show up hand in hand at the restaurant with her.

That’s when Y/N truly decided to let Harry go. She no longer tuned into the competition, deleted him on all social media and no longer hung-out with the friend group they shared at school. Instead she became a secluded introvert, only going from school to work.

—— 8 years later (January, 28, 2018) ——

It’s been 8 years since Harry and Y/N had physically laid eyes on one another. Not even at Robin’s wake or service. She went of course she did. He was almost as much of, if not more of a father to her than her own dad, she just sat in the back and only made her presence known to Anne and Gemma when Harry was no longer in the room. She decided to unblock his number for a short while and send him her condolences on Robin’s passing, but then she was back to ignoring him. That doesn’t mean that she’s a stranger to her ex boyfriend’s crazy success and scandalous relationships. She’s run into Anne now and again when she was out and about in Holmes Chapel visiting her mother. She also still had the occasional girl’s day in London with Gemma whenever their schedules meshed properly.

She’d moved there 6 years ago when she was 18 after being accepted to Oxford for (your choice in major). She decided to stay in town after she graduated, she received a job offer with a salary that was impossible to pass up just weeks after graduation.

Soon after she started her new job was when she met Kyle. The way they met was kind of serendipitous, if you will. She’d literally spilt her iced tea on him after they collided turning a corner on the street. They’d been inseparable ever since. He’s been her everything for the past 6 years. Which is amazing, considering she never thought she’d feel this way about another man ever again. Not after he broke her heart all those years ago. Anne and Gemma were happy for her, but would be happier if it were Harry she were still with. They liked Kyle enough though, he treated her well and that’s all they ever wanted for her.

Now, four days before their shared 24th birthday she’s sitting on the sofa in the flat she shared with Kyle trying to get Gemma off the phone.

“Gem, how many times do I need to tell you I. Don’t. Want. A. Party. 24 is no special occasion. I’m not 16, or 18 or 21. ‘M just another year older. Can’t we just go to Greece for a weekend? Just the 2 of us and the mums?” (Anne and Y/M/N). Y/N begs.

“Ugh. Fine. I guess, if that’s what you want. But are you sure you don’t want anything on your actual birthday? Y’know like dinner or summat?” Gemma questions.

“Um, no. I think Kyle’s taking me to Gordon Ramsey’s new restaurant in Chelsea that night. Think he wants it to be a surprise though. I over heard him making the reservation a few weeks back.”

“Oh yeah, I know the place. Fancy little bloke inn’he?” She giggles finding her own sense of humour rather amusing.

“Ha ha, Gem. Laugh it up. S’more than you can say H—-“ Y/N stops herself just before her friend’s brother’s name leaves her lips. “Never mind. Sorry. I didn’t mean that.” She retracts.

“No, Y/N, S’okay. I get it. Know he’s m’brother and what he did was a while back but it still makes him a wanker.” Gem agrees.

“Okay. I’ll call you in a few days to sort out the details of the trip, Gem. Talk soon.” Y/N smiles.

“Laters, baby.” Gemma laughs.

—4 days later, Birthday evening (Feb, 1, 2018) Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant.—

“Wow, Ky. This place is amazing, you shouldn’t have.” Y/N gasps as the hostess brings them to their table and informs them their server will be by shortly to take their orders.

“Course I should, love. S’not every day the girl you love turns 24.” Kyle smirks.

Just as the sommelier (wine expert) approaches their table.

“Excuse me, are you Miss. Y/L/N?” He questions.

“Um yes? What is this about?” She asks sheepishly, confused. Kyle himself seeming just as clueless.

“This is for you. Compliments of the gentleman over there at table 4. Enjoy your meal. This pairs lovely with the prime rib, if I do say so myself.” The wine master smiles as he departs from the table.

Y/N looks over Kyle’s shoulder to see the one and only Harry Styles smirking at her from across the dining room. “Happy Birthday, love” he mouths, lifting his own glass of wine in a “cheers” salute.

“If you’ll excuse me, Kyle I need to take care of something really quickly.” Y/N says, giving her date a tight lipped smile before marching over to Harry and hauling him up from the table by the cuff of his Gucci suit jacket.

“Oi, love. That’s no way to greet an old friend on his birthday is it?” Harry jabs as she continues to maneuver them out the main doors of the restaurant.

“First of all a $300 bottle of wine? Are you freaking kidding me, Harry? Second of all… s’tha’ all I am to you, an’ “old friend?” And third, how the bloody freaking ‘ell did you find me? Especially tonight of all nights?” She whisper yells as they gat far enough into the parking lot.

“One, happy birthday. I know you love that wine. He probably would’ve ordered you some cheap $50 merlot. Two, no love, yer much more to me than just and old friend. S’what I came ere to tell yeh. And three, I’m Harry freaken Styles, love. There’s nothin I can’t do. Not to mention Gordon owed me a favour after I performed at his daughter’s graduation last year. When Gem told me yer new bloke was bringing yeh ere tonight I decided to call in that favour.” Harry smiles, taking in the appearance of the girl he’s loved for the last 20 some-odd years of his life. The same one he hasn’t seen in nearly 8 years. But seeing her here, tonight looking gorgeous as ever in that tight black dress and killer Louboutins, with him?? Well that was a hell of a kick in the nads.

“Why did you really come here, Harry? Because I know it wasn’t just to give me expensive wine and say happy birthday. But if it was, happy birthday, Harry. Goodbye.” Y/N mutters, shaking her head and walking away.

“N-no, baby please! Don’t walk away. Not again.” He begs grabbing at Y/N’s wrist and pulling her into him. “Please, baby. I love you. Don’t walk away again. If you do, I don’t think I can take it.” He says, full on sobbing now and literally begging on his knees outside the busiest restaurant in the Chelsea district, not caring who sees him.

“Get up, Harry. You’re making a scene. Im not your baby anymore. I haven’t been for the last 8 years. And that was your choice. I loved you, but I love Kyle, now. I’d still like to be friends though, yeah?” Y/N says in an attempt to plaster a fake sad smile on her face and look away from Harry to wipe her own tears.

“Not Harry to you baby. ‘M anything but. What happened to H or babe or love or handsome?? Anything but Harry. That makes it too real. You know we can never be friends. We’ve been through too much.” He sobs, standing up to hug her again.

“M’sorry, H. I love Kyle and he’s inside waiting. I’m sure I’ll see you around yeah?” She says, releasing herself from his embrace and kissing his cheek before reentering the restaurant and leaving Harry out in the cold.

——

Fin?? But could definitely see this being a small series if you all like it! There are plenty of places I could go with this! xx M.

[tgcf-en-abandoned]

Chapter 6

Translation at Sakhyulations! Spoilers through chapter 10 for this one.

We resume our route back to the backlog. Chapter six is the start of the "The Ghost Holds a Wedding, The Crown Prince Climbs Onto the Marriage Sedan" mini-arc! It's an intriguing title, and while the latter part is purely descriptive, the former is more poetic.

We resolve our cliffhanger with the reveal that the "bride" whose head fell off was just an effigy. It's a remarkably good way of trying to trick the ghost bridegroom to come out – it's not likely to succeed, but it's a good first step that doesn't risk any poor girl's life. Too bad these guys' effigy disintegrated...

In heightened tensions, a scream would cause chaos to erupt, yes, since all these wandering white knights want to be the one to vanquish the ghost bridegroom. In such heightened tensions, it's also reasonable that a sedan bearer would scream when stepping on an arm, even if it's from the effigy. Even if the effigy isn't life-like enough to win Fu Yao's approval.

Our tea sommelier helpfully infodumps to us that the crowd is there because a missing bride's father is offering money for clues on finding his daughter. Good customer service even towards people he considers bugfuck insane! Well done, tea sommelier. My favorite bit part so far.

Then, he heard Fu Yao speak in a repulsed manner, “If I was the ghost bridegroom and someone gifted me an ugly thing like this, I would just wipe out this town.”

Fu Yao is a bit alarming here. Given that he's from Mu Qing's very status-conscious palace, I think he's picked up a bunch of his superior's hang-ups. Xie Lian was right to reprimand him, though WTF is up with Fu Yao constantly rolling his eyes. Like. "Only five times a day" ? And then Nan Feng snipes at him with “Even if you give him a goal of rolling his eyes only fifty times a day, he still wouldn’t be able to accomplish it!”

Had there not been a youngster interrupting them, Fu Yao and Nan Feng would probably have argued with each other again, but the youngster points out that they've failed with the effigy (reasonable) and then calls for them to storm the mountain. This will probably fail, too, since the ghost bridegroom kidnaps the brides, not the rest of the wedding procession.

Fu Yao is remarkably good at alternate viewpoints – before, he pointed out that the bridegroom might actually be a woman, and now he points out that the reason for a face covered with bandages might not be overwhelming ugliness, but rather overwhelming beauty... Hm. (Also, given what we know as of chapter 10, could he perhaps have known more of what was going on than he let on?)

Little Ying establishes herself as a voice of reason early on (and tries to protect the boy she's protecting, the foreshadowing is real). The youngster establishes himself as sexist early on, too! Also brash. Huh, they asked Little Ying to sit on a sedan chair as a fake bride? I suppose that shows how ... disposable they consider her. Also no wtf dude why are you shoving her so much, asshole move.

Ah. This was the one who tore open her dress. He's certainly enough of an asshole to do it. Note how he goes for the "you're so ugly no-one would want to rape you tear open your dress" argument? Asshole.

Nan Feng is about to interfere, but Xie Lian gets there first! Well done, kicking the dude over and then inviting Little Ying to enjoy your protection!

Huh, the demonic arts are known here as well, but they can distinguish those from the divine power Nan Feng displays to collapse a pillar. Quite a wise choice to go for property destruction to cow them. And Fu Yao tries to introduce Nan Feng as being from the Tremendous Masculinity (Ju Yang) martial god's entourage. I just. No. LOL. No wonder they started fighting again.

The "remember to pay for the pillar" bit is hilarious, but also good, since ... that pillar must've been expensive. Someone put months of labor into that pillar! It was probably there for a reason beyond decoration!

Xie Lian is very tactful. Had Ling Wen asked me how the two small martial gods were doing, I'd have said that they needed management or something, not “Each of the two small martial gods have their own merits, and they’re both capable individuals.” Mu Qing apparently stalks the spirit communication array 24/7 just so he could snark at Xie Lian at any opportunity, which, lol. Very petty. Apparently Fu Yao didn't inform him of this adventure. Intriguing.

Finally, an infodump on demons' and ghosts' ranks! Fierce < Severe < Wrath < Devastation, or capable of killing a person, a household, a city, or a country, respectively. Our ghost bridergroom is a Wrath, aka a city-killer. This means all the stories of "I totally saw the ghost bridegroom, honest!" are false.

Ooh, conditional hurting. Interesting. Also appealing; threats that are selective in what they target are much more intriguing and scary than rampant destruction that cares not one whit what it's destroying.

Fu Yao does have a point that Ling Wen Palace Hall is being ... slow. Intentional sabotage? Sheer incompetence? Busy?

On a first read, Fu Yao and Nan Feng appear pretty indistinguishable, but they do differ. Nan Feng is much less willing to treat people as disposable/cares about people as people. Fu Yao ... rolls his eyes. Their argument over whether or not to hire a woman as a bait is illustrative.

The one thing they do agree on is that Xie Lian would be willing to disguise himself as a bride, lol. Too bad he's terrible at it! A proper and handsome boy in a woman's wedding dress, and Nan Feng cannot take it, this is too much of a transgression. Fu Yao just goes “If I was the ghost bridegroom and someone wanted to gift this kind of woman to me […] I’ll just kill this woman.”

Huh, some heavenly officials can transform their appearance. I'm 99% sure this'll come up later in some capacity.

At the other end, Nan Feng returned to the temple with a green face. After he finished cursing, he had cooled down a considerable amount, a habit that was almost exactly the same as the General he served under.

Hmm. Nan Feng is quite similar to the General he serves under, and when Mu Qing snarked at Xie Lian earlier, it was Nan Feng giving Xie Lian the spiritual energy, leaving Fu Yao to do whatever. Interesting. Let's see if we see Mu Qing and Fu Yao, or Feng Xin and Nan Feng, onpage at the same time.

The woman this dress was originally intended for had been quite petite. When Xie Lian wore it, although the waist area was unexpectedly quite fitting, […]

Lolwut. Xie Lian isn't that short (178cm), and petite woman would be like ... well, let's go to Body Visualizer. Assuming she's 150cm and 40kg (eyeballed based on making the figure look petite), she'd have a waist of 58cm. Putting that on the male body ...

Yeah.

Anyway, Little Ying is here to make Xie Lian look less like an alien! Or, well, return Xie Lian's outer robe, and then decides she might as well help Xie Lian with his "hobby". (It's actually hilarious how Xie Lian hurriedly reassures her he doesn't have this kind of hobby.)

Little Ying saves the day/night, and they set off into excitement! Xie Lian emerged veiled, and his little martial gods decided not to peek, lol. Save your sanity, kids.

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