#i feel like my inner child all the way up to my senior year of high school i except instead of repressing my emotions and getting shit down | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thisguyilike · 7 months

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3.2 [Send Help]

As the night descends, so does Tea. He throws his own weary body onto his bed. Much has happened today, very much. For once in his life, there is something that keeps him looking forward to attending the school of learning. Just like your typical strat for sorting out your feelings and regrets, Tea stares blankly at the ceiling. The darkness draws in, words begin to whisper in his head:

["The dark lord is coming! The dark lord is coming!"]

He stares back into the dark. His inner hallucinations begin to manifest. There is something very special about Tea, oh so special. With strength the power of a thousand demons, the intellect of a million gods, and the presence of an ancient warlord, he will aid the rise of the Dark Lord™ and succeed his throne as his bequeathed. Rise, rise, rise. The dark lord is coming.

"The dark lord is com—" He stops. He catches a flicker by the corner of his eye. "Ah, I'm tripping again. Let me just stop hallucinating."

Almost magical, his phone rings with an unfamiliar, non-personalized ringtone. He takes his back off his bed, and upon closer inspection, it seems Hyde has done his bidding.

The screen flickers with the words, 'You have been added to the [Send Help] conversation by [?]!'

It seems there were 6 members in the room before his arrival. He sees Hyde's messages alongside a few others with unknown numbers. Tea makes an effort to fill in the names of these mysterious messengers.

[Hyde] Thanks for adding him [?] You're welcome, but who the hell is this guy?? [Hyde] He is my brother ok? [??] Is he as annoying as you? HAHAHA [Hyde] No but he's actually very handsome

"Why would you say that...?" Tea grunts audibly, looking at Hyde's iffy comment that silenced the group for a few minutes straight. His fingers begin to move on their own.

[Tea] Hello. My name is Tea. Please excuse him, he's had too much rice before showing up here :) [??] Hi, it's the guy that ignored my wave. We never had an introduction! [Tea] Ah, yes. I'm sorry for ignoring you. I assumed you were waving at Hyde. [?] Hmph. It's him. [?? → Celeste] I'm Celeste, you can save my contact! [???] who tf dis? [????] Hello, new person! [Tea] Hello :) [Tea] I didn't know you were part of the basketball team, Celeste. Or is this not the official chatroom? [Celeste] Basketball? Pixie was part of it last year, but she stuck with her music. [???? → Pixie] That's me! Music's the ✨life✨ [?] Did Hyde or Celeste force you into this group chat, Tea? [Tea] No, I asked him to add me in. I have no idea who I'm talking to [Hyde] Why do you keep asking questions?! There is nothing to worry about, trust me [?] Hm. What do you think Ana?! [??? → Ana] idk [Tea] Hey, I can be friendly. [?] Hm... I guess ya didn't laugh when I shouted at you... [Tea] Oh, so that's you?

There was a minute of silence in the chatroom.

[?] Well, yeah!! Are ya gonna laugh at me now??

Tea smiles a little. A little thought in his mind:

["It's her! I'm actually going to talk to her now, huh?"]

[Tea] I see. Well, good to meet you. [?] Why did ya ask Celeste for basketball tryouts anyway? We're all thinking of netball, instead. [Tea] I guess this looks more like a group of girls and a man-child than a basketball group. [?] Hah, I knew it! Hyde did trick him! [Pixie] Wait, I'm way past curfew, catch you guys tomorrow!

Tea takes in the messages slowly. It has been a while since he's talked to people his age. Most of his current friends were a few years older than him; seniors of his previous school. They were supposedly easier to hang out with than his peers. This group of people, however, seemed rather warm to him. He familiarizes himself with everyone in the chatroom, only to realize Hyde was secretly cultivating a harem of high school grills. He finds the thought disgusting.

[Tea] Was Hyde the only guy in this group? [Ana] yea celeste insisted [Celeste] Oh shut up Ana!! [Ana] dont worry though nobody here will take your boyfriend away [Ana] before you say anything celeste im talking to tea [Tea] I don't swing that way, but thanks. [?????] how did you guys spam so much?? [Tea] Hello, new stranger. [Ana] hello my waifu [Ana] tea meet my beautiful wife carly [Ana] her family owns a very nice cafe around here [Carly] wassup dud [Carly] yes Ana is my only husband [Carly] but if you're asking for real, I already found my special someone [Carly] lol, sorry that sounds a bit cringe [Tea] ...I see.

Tea acknowledges the chaotic energy this group is built off of.

[Celeste] On a completely different side note guys, I think Pixie had a little crush on Hyde before. [?] You're lucky she's offline. [Pixie] Hey, we don't talk about that here, Celeste!! [?] Hah you dead [?] Oh yeah, there's something I wanted to ask you, Tea! [Hyde] huh?? what crush?? [Hyde] And stop spamming okay?? I cannot sleep [?] Why don't you just mute us then?! [Hyde] I thought you wanted to talk to Celeste, Tea?? [Celeste] Whoa, really? I'm flattered! [Tea] I said that? [Celeste] Wait you can't take that back [Hyde] My God just take your conversation somewhere private!!!!!! [?] Hmph, ass. [??????] ... [Tea] Ah, the last guy. Hello, it's me, Tea! [??????] ...

It seems [??????] has left the conversation!

"Did I offend them...? Hm, she wanted to ask me something too, right?" Tea mumbles to himself in his unlit room. He scrolls through the conversation longingly. The faint glimmer from his phone was the only light source for him. "Wait, fuck. I didn't get her name—"

And as if to curb his dissatisfaction, his screen flickers once more.

"It seems [?] wants to chat!" reads his phone.

"Huh?" Tea leans his face towards his screen, realization slowly hitting him. He straightens his back, hyping himself for the conversation that is about to take place. "Shit. Okay. Let's do this."

[Tea] Hey, what's up? [?] Your dear friend's real mean. [Tea] Personally I'm not sure what's up with him today, but I apologize in his stead. [?] What, no! There's nothing to apologize for. [Tea] I see, then I'm not sorry. [?] Nooo, that's not what I meant! [Tea] I'm just kidding, but I will have to apologize for not ever getting your name. [?] Ooh, you want my name? Ya gotta pay up! A hundred for each letter! [Tea] Trying to scam me? Hm, if you offer a 10% off, I'll fall prey to it :) [?] Awh, did you get your words off a comic book or something? Hehe~ [? → Emmy] My name is as beautiful as the world's most green gem~ I'm only answering you if you call me Emmy, of course. [Tea] A name certainly worth the price, hm?

"Hm, I hope that's not weird to say," Tea ponders casually over his unintentional flirting. "Well, I'm sticking to it. At least I have her name now. She has a pretty name."

Unbeknownst to him, on the other side of the phone, Emmy is rolling in her bed with her face burrowed within her pillow, screaming and relinquishing in her own presumed grave. She has everything prepared: she will have her possessions bequeathed to her own corpse, and her tombstone will read, "To honor the last of her dignity as an innocent, shy girlie."

"AHH!! How can he say something like that so casually?!" Emmy spits out her anguish spitefully, tearing at the arms of her teddy bear. She holds it dearly to her chest and stares at its face. Her brown, fluffy bear which she named, [The Grand Paladin of the Nineteenth Heaven's Decree], short for Sky, was a birthday gift from Carly from a year or two ago.

In contrast to Tea's darkened room, Emmy's room is filled to the brim with trinkets and bits of her personality. Dirty laundry, clean laundry, her beloved table, a dusty piano, and her Queen-sized bed. Right before the events of today, she was going to introduce herself, apologize to Tea and then have a casual conversation with him in the group chat, but Hyde's bothering ass decided it was a good time to sleep at 10pm.

"Hah, why do I act on impulse." Emmy deadpans, staring at their now-private conversation. Upon seeing how delightful it is to converse with him, she replies just as playfully as he does.

[Emmy] Heh, obviously. [Tea] Oh yeah, what was it that you wanted to ask me in the group? [Emmy] God, I can't believe you remember that. [Tea] It was just a few minutes ago, why wouldn't I? [Emmy] Well, I heard you transferred from another school too? [Tea] Yeah, I did. Together with Hyde. [Emmy] Awh, at least you had a friend when you transferred. I was sooo aloneee [Emmy] I only knew Carly, and only because I used to visit her family café everyday. [Tea] Well, I could be a friend.

"Damn, he's fast. I'm jealous. I wanted to befriend him first." Emmy deadpans, once again caught off-guard by her opponent. The graceless sewing job on Sky the Bear's arm begins to unravel.

[Emmy] Hmph, too late! But I suppose I'll give you a special pass~ [Tea] That's very nice of you, don't mind if I take you up on that offer and work from there. [Emmy] You'll need to fight Ana to get any closer than that, heh. [Tea] If that's what it takes to befriend you, I'll fight any buff lady or man. [Emmy] HAHAHA [Emmy] Try your luck on surviving, you idiot~ [Tea] You'd be surprised. I was on the track team back in my previous school, you know? [Emmy] Well good to know those long legs are put to use :D [Emmy] Celeste and Pixie were in the track team too, but now they're looking at other clubs. Netball's one of them. [Tea] Have you got any in mind? [Emmy] Well, at first there's netball, but I don't really feel like going there anymore. [Tea] Oh, did something happen? I hope it wasn't too bad. [Emmy] Yeah... Just some random idiot too annoying for their own good. I want to apologize to you too, for shouting at you and making a scene. [Tea] Huh? No no, I'm good, don't apologize! [Tea] I'm rather happy you called out to me like that, with that I got to meet you now.

Emmy pauses. She isn't too sure where she should go with this comfort, but she does enjoy his company. He's really nice. Her cheeks fluster from the embarrassment, hiding her face against her blankets for a few. Suddenly, she recalls how she actually came to meet him.

[Emmy] Hey, you would have met me if you just looked at me back at the toilet!! [Tea] Man, I really wish you forgot such an embarrassing thing happened. I apologize for that. [Emmy] Don't worry about it! And the same question to you my good sir, any clubs? [Tea] Hm, I'm not too sure. I was more curious about yours. [Emmy] Whaaat, you interested in surrounding yourself with girls?

Tea thinks about his interest in this girl and acts on it.

[Tea] Well, I think it'd be a good way to get to know the girl that boldly shouted at me back at the sports court. [Emmy] You're still on about that?! I said I apologize! Really! Hmph. [Tea] Don't worry about it. [Tea] I don't stay mad at trivial things. In fact, I think you're fun to talk to. [Emmy] Why thank you! I say the same to you~

Their conversations do not end there, however. If any more is to be shown, there would honestly be too much to read. Despite their distance and having barely ever talked to each other in real life, a certain type of comfort and warmth thrives through. Emmy's still rolling in her grave though, and Tea's still trying to explain to her how this Dark Lord™ is coming. It is very hard to say why Emmy still likes him.

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marie-claireart · 1 year

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About Me

My name is Trinity Morgan. Art has always been a special escape for me, like most people. Digital has been my focus as it's easy to pick up and put down and it’s rewarding. I'm currently wrapping up a degree in fine arts but funny thing about college is you don't learn much. I've learnt more from experience and online than in my 3 years of college. My skills aren't nearly where I want/need them to be but this page will be for sharing my artistic journey and learnings so I can look back and see my skill and style progression.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Growing up, my favourite class was always art, and I was rarely ever not singing, dancing or creating. After graduating from my arts high school, I knew I wanted my life to focus on art. After teaching art in my senior year of high school, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

As my art style continues to develop and my artistic taste changes, I've noticed my focus steer mostly towards sculpture, digital art and fine line drawings. My art at the moment focusses on healing my inner child and enjoying the artistic process. My styles tend to swap between very colourful and whimsical, to dark topics with a black and white pallet. I've been focusing on the more whimsical side of my art lately as to heal from the past and focus on the present.

I'm not like many artists who create art all of their art from their stories or emotions. I enjoy creating interesting things that come to mind that I assume will be amusing to create or display. My focus leans towards impressionism. I do not always like creating things the way they are, but I like creating things the way I portray them in my head or the way I wish them to be.

Feel free to send me a message on here for anything!

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divinedeities44 · 2 years

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Dream girl

Im going to have to put a trigger warning on this post. And let me add that God made it clear to me to use names in these stories because I am guided, I have nothing to lose, I have nothing to fear outside of myself and because I was told to make this blog to be raw and real. I also think its important for us to be honest about our experiences with others so we can learn, grow and heal from them. I am in no way trying to throw anyone under the bus, and a person who may have been toxic for me can be a blessing for another. And my shadow self would like to add the fact that I also don’t give a fuck. Shall we?

The first 2 years of highshool were super normal. I had friends. No one bullied me. Thanks to Con high being very diverse. I feel like no one was really judged there because we had the full spectrum of people. They really knew what they were doing when they picked us. I had a friend named Imani. Due to my childhood, I had the super need to fit in and because I was still a kid, of course I didnt know boundaries or red flags. During the first 2 years, our friendship was pretty fun. But even in this moment, Im realizing we had absolutely nothing in common. I wasnt really into dating, plus I was into girls at the time, and she was the fast girl. You know the 15 year old who dated men in their 40s? I think we all knew this type of girl. Im not going to get too much into our friendship it was very basic and surface, we got high together, had sleepovers.. normal teenage girl shit. To this day I call Imani my dream girl because shes always been in my dreams A LOT! Especially in the last 2 years. As I developed my relationship with the higher realms, I asked why I she always in my dreams? She represents my inner child because a big part of kid me was morphed in experiencing her.

I remember this day like it was yesterday. It was memorial day weekend soph hop. In the middle of the celebration, I broke out in hives and an ambulance had to be called to take me to the hospital. The doctors told me I was allergic to something I ate, but I have never had that kind of reaction to food or anything else even to this day. Imanis uncle, Bear, catered the event. He is someone I was familiar with because Imani and I had been friends for 2 years. I was only in the hospital for a few hours before I was allowed to go home. It being memorial day weekend, we had planned to party. So I woke up, called her, and told her I was on my way to her. Whats an allergic reaction to a party when your fucking 15? lol I told my dad I would be staying at her house during the course of the weekend. My dad was thinking I would be under supervision of her mother, but I was really under supervision of myself. We were drinking and partying with her 30 year old sister, her 30 something year old uncle, and her 40 year old boyfriend. You see where this is going? Im not going to beat around any bushes here. We got super drunk and by the end of the night I ended up passed out on the floor. This grown man was penetrating me, and I woke up in the middle of it. I I look over, and I can clearly see everybody there watching. When they saw I was waking up, Imani and her boyfriend had me face down, each of them holding one of my ankles, pulling me up the steps. I fell asleep there and when I woke up, I didnt know if I had dreamt it all or what. But my body told me it was real. The following Tuesday, when we were back at school, this girl acted like I made the whole thing up! That was the end of our friendship. And because we had the same friends, those friends stopped being friends with me. So I was alone trying to put the pieces together. The same guy catered our 11th grade dance and senior prom, and that is the reason I stopped attending school events.

When we came back to school in the fall, I was a loner. And I was proud of it too. I started smoking cigarettes and drinking more often. This is where my unhealthy relationship with substances and my hypersexuality started. Its like I started chasing feeling good to get the parts of me back that I had lost that night and after.I barely came to school and when I did, I did nothing. I had no enthusiasm for school any more. Except English because I loved writing and the poetry team. Writing has always been my preferred method to everything. Senior year I wanted to drop out because I was 18, and didnt need my parents approval. But me and our dean have a really great relationship, so she didnt let me. Instead of going to graduation, I went to the school to pick up my diploma and went home. When I turned maybe 20, Bear the caterer, wrote me on facebook apologizing for what happened that night. I went years thinking I had just imagined it all. But I had finally gotten my AHA moment, although by then, it wasnt worth much.

Ive said this on earlier post, but Im not posting this for an emotional response. Im posting the stories of my trauma, so that you can fully grasp the light that is going to come in once I get you all up to current times. The traumatic moments in our lives play HUGE parts in our self exploration. Trauma is what changes you, trauma is what determines how you proceed. We dont know this early in our lives, so we jump from traumatic experience to traumatic experience until we catch on. Some people never realize that this is how it works. We are here to examine the deep dark parts of ourselves, so our lives can become more fulfilling. We are literally born to experience hard things, so we can become the best version of ourselves. Is it worth it? Stay tuned to find out!

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bo0zey · 2 years

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i hadn’t gone to my gen ed english class in like 3 days n today i finally went n got there kinda early so it was just me n my english professor and i started apologizing for not being there/emailing him/turning my late work and he’s just like “are you okay?” n i’m flustered m like yes but it’s just a lot going on right now—but i hate giving excuses bc in my eyes no excuse is good enough to avoid the consequences to my actions but he kinda cuts me off n is “u don’t have to tell me anything. i just want to make sure you’re okay.” and didn’t say anything abt the missing work MEANWHILE my nursing professor who knows i’ve been going thru it mentally and literally witnessed me start to breakdown in tears when she askef me if i was ok after she’d lectured me and made snide mean comments and jabs bc i didn’t come to her for help for something stupid and she has no idea how hard it is for me to ask for help or extensions because i’ve been taught that in this world i must do everything on my own, alone, and i have trouble asking for extensions bc i feel like they’re gonna say no bc i don’t deserve them bc i don’t have a good enough excuse to ask for one bc i was taught never to give excuses bc i should’ve done something more in the first place and so anyways i missed the extension for turning in the rough draft our big research paper n she emailed me AND CC’the director of the nursing program n was like u automatically get a 0 for the draft and if u don’t turn in ur final paper YOU WILL FAIL THIS CLASS AND WILL NOT GRADUATE…….anyways what im trying to say is that my gen ed english professor isnt. making me out to be a monster unlike my nursing professor who literally has more of a clue abt my mental health than him like???????

#idk if any of that makes sense but i started crying rn so i can’t type anymore without thinking and crying #i wish someone valued me over assignments and grades #i was raised my entire life only ever receiving praise for academics that’s all that mattered to my father #i was nothing without my perfect grades the only way i thought my life had value the only way i thought i could make my parents bally was #if i got good grsddd and excelled in things. i studied for my geometry final the night of my birthday while my mom laid dying #on the hospice bed in our living room after wasting her last breaths to sing me happy birthday #i will never recover from that guilt i will never recover from the trauma of putting school before my mental health again #so now school is hard at least turning assignments in on time now that i don’t hVe the fear of god in me from my dad #and i’m not a person that’s struggling i’m a lazy student who doesn’t do her work i’m worthless without submitting assignments #i feel like my inner child all the way up to my senior year of high school i except instead of repressing my emotions and getting shit down #i can’t stop crying and dissociating and sleeping and forgetting and being anhedonic and having no motivation to do anything but escape #into my head #but my english professor saw me with a gentle not disappointed or accusatory and i immediately started profusely apologizing and trying #trying not to give excuses for my absences n late work even tho i had some but they weren’t good ones #but he just stopped me put his arms in the air like one would to show they mean no harm and said you don’t have to tell me anything #i just want to make sure you’re okay #nobody will ever be that kind and gentle and understanding towards me again no one will ever be there for me to stop me from overexplainjng #it won’t matter to them i won’t have to frantically try to cover every base they’ll just stop me and say it’s okay and ive never had that #i sent him a giant like multi paragraph multi sentences email begging to join his class the beginning of the year bc i needed a third and #his was the only that fit in my schedule but it was full and i degraded myself for not choosing his class earlier but #all he replied to my mini novella was that it was fine with him. and he was very kind to me over email and he let me into his full class #and still instead of being great full and always coming to class and turning my assignments on time i stopped going missed my assignment #i thought he’d be angry and annoyed w me for not being great full #but he was kind to me he treated me like i didn’t owe him anything #i can’t stop crying i have so many big assignments due today that i procrastinated bc i just couldn’t be bothered and now i’m overwhelmed #and the interaction w my english professor just reminded me #of my clinical instructor looking me in the eyes as my eyes started tearing up and glassy and she had the nerve to ask me if i was ok after #she was grilling me and telling me i needed to ask for help blahblabab and she didn’t know how hard it is for me to ask others for help #i’m the biggest burden to everyone everyone suffers bc of me i turn assignments in late when profs are busy grading others #i’m so selfish and self centered. i only ever tnink about myself lazy selfish fuck stupid evil dumb idiot never do anything right fuxk up fu

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randomingoftherandomness · 3 years

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Prompt! WKX is an omega who's been suppressing his heats for years with the help of Aunt Luo. When he leaves the Ghost Valley, his heat comes unexpectedly because of prolonged suppressant use. Alpha!ZZS helps. Smut or not, up to you.

A/N: I see Omega WKX and just like that it’s on like donkey kong 😝 No smut for this one though I may revisit this. I had to take a pause in writing the Smut Dialogue Prompts because I had to work for my Taobao WoH merch money. But keep sending them in!

I place this fic as taking place somewhere on the journey to the Longyue Cabinet.

This fic is longer than I had anticipated...

—

It hits him that he’s out of tea three days into the constant discomfort of aches on the base of his spine, the almost debilitating need to scent Chengling as if he was his young, and the embarrassing urge to bare his neck to the Old Toad Monster whenever they argue. But above all that, the most mortifying thing of all is the distracting awareness of where his Ah Xu was at every given moment and the insanity that rages through him to kneel and submit to him even when the man still looks at him with nothing but a suspicion that makes him want to keen and whine.

Wen Kexing is supposed to be above all this, not just as the Lord of the Ghost Valley, but as someone who is trying to prove to this Alpha that he was the right--

He perishes the thought before it can even finish.

The nondescript brocade pouch is empty save for a few remnant leaves that would barely be enough to tide him through even the first hour of what’s coming next. It’s fine, he tries to reason through the rising panic in his mind that this was missing the mark of ‘fine’ and hitting the bullseye of ‘you’re completely fucked’. This blend is unique to Aunt Luo’s stores and if Ah Xiang was still by his side, she would have a backup pouch for him. As a Beta, she would have no need for it herself.

Unbidden, the memories of the scant few times he had let his Heats run their course comes flooding through him; the pain and ache of being untouched, unfulfilled, the taste of blood and sweat as he rides through the terror of his heart burning through the fever, the fear of that lone door being broken down by some crazed Alpha and being mated against his will. He remembers the rawness of his throat for weeks after, screaming and crying for that boy who balanced a cricket on his head and promised him good food when he could come home with him.

Wen Kexing swallows tightly around the knot of emotions drumming thick in his throat. It’s an old fear and it is the nightmare that he has survived and lived through by the grace of Aunt Luo’s protection. He’d presented early; far too early by the sounds of Aunt Luo’s recollections and the theory was that the trauma of his parent’s deaths coupled with the Mengpo Soup being administered to someone so young, was the cause of things.

“Lao Wen?”

“Hm?” He quickly plasters on a smile, blinking up at his Ah Xu before darting his gaze somewhere over his shoulder instead. This is dangerous.

He’s sweating through his inner robes and it won’t be long now before his scent draws every Alpha in the 15 mile radius from where they are in the forest. He finds himself simultaneously surprised and disappointed that Ah Xu has barely reacted to his scent when the Old Toad Monster had taken a sniff at him this morning and declared that he was taking Chengling along with that strange child-man off their hands for a few days.

It’s ridiculous and he reminds himself that he has nothing to fear when Ah Xu has been nothing but courteous this entire time even when knowing from the beginning that he was an Omega with a bloodlust that could fill entire oceans.

“Lao Wen, are you alright?” Ah Xu asks. Wen Kexing looks at him then; meets his gaze and decides it is all or nothing at this point. Should Ah Xu say no, he won’t press, he won’t push and he won’t beg. His heart will break but that wouldn’t be anything new.

He has survived worse things than a broken heart.

“I’m going into Heat,” He admits, eyes fixed on Ah Xu, gaze strong and unwavering. “It’s going to be bad because I’ve been on suppressants and I need you to know this.”

Ah Xu remains impassive, quiet and still, before he asks gently, “So what are your plans?”

The words twinge something awful in his chest and he forces himself to keep smiling. “Find an Alpha. Pay for one if I must. The last Heat I went through was horrible and I nearly died. I’m not keen to repeat the experience,” He inhales and finds himself stuttering on the sour scent of... Anger? Jealousy?

Ah Xu’s tells are still things he is learning but even with this shallow pool of knowledge, Wen Kexing can tell that he is displeased.

His immediate instinct is to go on his knees, wrap his arms around that slender waist and rub his cheek to his belly until that cold, unhappy scent sweetens into something warm again. But he restrains himself, tries to stand his ground even when he can feel the quickening of his heart demanding that he submit, he surrender, he give himself over to his Alpha; to just reach out and touch and kiss and love and be loved--

“Am I not enough?”

The slow enunciation of the syllables breaks through the cacophony in his mind. Wen Kexing thinks he must be dreaming and half convinces himself that this is some Heat wrought dream, and that there is no way that Zhou Zishu would ever--

Careful hands hold him by the cheeks, wrists placed close to the corners of his lips and he can almost taste the way he can be owned and marked and belong to this Alpha. This same Alpha who is looking at him with eyes of liquid gold and is saying, “Lao Wen, please let me share your Heat with you.”

“But you...” He trails off.

“Me?”

“You haven't even reacted to me,” Wen Kexing says a little dumbly, body swaying into the promise of an embrace.

On that, Ah Xu smiles a little wryly. His hands move, trailing fingers southwards to rest right against Wen Kexing’s nape. The heat of his palm, right over where a Bond Mark should be shouldn’t be this thrilling, but the promise that is etched in the heady weight of his gaze is enough to steal a soft whine from the cages of his ribs.

“It’s the Nails. I’m slowly losing my senses. I can’t smell much anymore,” Ah Xu admits with a gentle press of his fingers to sweat slick skin for the briefest of a moment, before pulling away, huffing with fondness. “Was that what worried you? That I wasn’t reacting to you? I thought I’d held your hands enough times and touched you more than was appropriate. Even Senior Ye could tell.”

The gentle whining that comes from within him builds into something needy that bellies the spreading damp on his inner clothes.

“I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to,” Ah Xu says, leaning in to press their cheeks together. When he speaks again, his words come on heated breath that has Wen Kexing spreading his legs, letting him occupy the space between them. “But I can say this. If you spend your Heat with me, I won’t hurt you, I’ll make it so good for you. I promise you won’t remember all the Alphas you’ve shared them with before.”

Wen Kexing bites down on his lip and ducks his eyes. Ah Xu has never been so forward and yet, with just these few sentences, he has turned his entire world axis on its head. “There weren’t ever any other Alphas,” He confesses in a quiet rush. “I...”

“You’ve never...?” Ah Xu’s eyes widen.

“Never. I’ve never trusted anyone enough.”

Ah Xu seems to ponder on this. “And now?”

Wen Kexing closes his eyes, surrendering to the need to press his brow to Ah Xu’s strong shoulder. The need prickles deep in his groin and he knows Ah Xu can feel it even through the folds of his robes. There is no mistaking where this will go and Wen Kexing finds that there is no fear in this desire.

Here was his Alpha, the one who will catch him when he falls. Here is the one he had chosen as a child when the world was bright. Here he is for him to love, to hold, to cherish.

Beyond any measure of rhyme and reason, Wen Kexing knows that even if this is the only Heat he ever gets to share with him, it will be enough. “You’re it for me,” He says softly, pouring every bit of sincerity and honesty into those words. Even if Ah Xu still suspects him, even if he never loves him the way Wen Kexing has loved him for a lifetime, he has been Zhou Zishu’s Omega from the very beginning.

Whatever Ah Xu finds on his face must be enough, because their lips meet, at first, in an inelegant kiss that was too much teeth that clacked and bump, and then again, in a kiss that was half-laughter and many parts delight.

“Then, let me take care of you,” Ah Xu says, thumb tracking the curve of his jaw, pressing his body close.

Wen Kexing shudders, hands moving to hold him by the waist.

“Alright.”

#wenzhou #word of honor #gab writes stuff #wen kexing #zhou zishu #this was hella longer than I had anticipated #it's the heat verse

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maadorii · 3 years

Text

you’re gonna wanna be my best friend— y. itadori x gn! reader

max.note’s: this is my child, my baby and i love it. probably my favorite fic i’ve ever wrote uwu i think the ending is bit rushed but that’s i was writing this at 4am (i’m also trying out a new layout-ish so yea)

synopsis—where you and Itadori came up with the greatest, yet stupidest idea in your lives: getting married to lower your tuition cost. what could go wrong? well, there’s getting caught by the government, and then there’s potentially falling in love with your best friend.

warning/tags: best friends to lovers, mutual pining, characters aged up (18+), high school/college au, modern au, fluff & crack, megumi is the only one with a working brain cell

w. count— 3.1k

“yuuji, what’re we gonna do!?” you exclaimed, pacing around the open space of said boy’s bedroom. itadori groaned loudly from his spot on his bed, tugging at the skin underneath his eyes with him.

looking down at the bright, bold red letters of the opened email on your phone screen, you internally cried to yourself, because… fuck. this is what all the hard work all four-years of high school led up to?

25, 580 dollars worth tuition left to pay, out of pocket.

“i don’t fucking know. ...wait, do you think megumi would have an answer?” he perked up at his own, and quite frankly, idiotic idea like an excited puppy. if you squint you can see a tail wagging behind him. turning around to look at the pink headed boy, you practically leaped across the room to slap him repeatedly upside his head.

“ow– hey... ouch! what the fuck?!” itadori whined, lifting his arms up to shield himself way from your merciless assault. “yuuji, are you dumb? we cannot, for the love of god, ask megumi. he’ll probably tell us to apply for a loan or something.” you snapped.

“we’ll do that then, it can’t be that hard.”

“have you seen your credit? there’s no way we're getting approved for a loan.” you exasperated as you folded your arms across your chest, plopping yourself down next to itadori. and the both of you were left to sit in condemning silence that laid itself like a thick, winter blanket over you. itadori could’ve sworn he heard the gears turning in your head because of the stark silence.

you suddenly gasped, jumping to your feet. it was almost like a lightbulb went off on the top of your head. itadori gaped at you as your eyes lit up like stars, turning to him, it was your ‘aha’ moment. the biggest smile he’s ever seen on your face. he couldn’t help the tinge of nervousness settle in the pit of his tummy, probably for good reason.

“here me out– what if we got married?”

you and itadori meet in the lunchroom on the first day of school your freshman year of high school.

to say you meet by pure coincidence is actually a perfect explanation to describe what really went down. you remember how you sat alone at the lunch table, scrolling through your phone on social media when all of a sudden a rather energetic boy with pink hair crashed into your table. face planted in your bowl of greek yogurt. and it was the fancy kind too.

the cafeteria around you erupted in laughter at the... spontaneous display happening before you. and although you wanted to laugh (in all honesty, it was funny), the boy below hasn’t moved an inch. truthfully, you were worried.

“hey, um, are you okay?” you asked, nudging the top of his head. itadori didn’t show any sign of getting up. you nudged him a little harder, shaking his shoulder. with a gurgled grunt, itadori lifted his head from the bowl and the first thing that caught your eye was the crimson colored blood smeared along the stark white of the yogurt. there was a delirious look in his eye as if he wasn’t completely there in the real world. the laughter has long since died down, only a few strangers coming up to the table to record the aftermath.

when itadori came to, he peered up at you through his yogurt clumped eyelashes and he felt his heart tighten considerably in his chest.

“you okay? you’re... bleeding, a lot.” you asked again, gesturing to the entirety of his face. he didn’t say anything as he wiped around his nose, seeing the blood covered dairy. he looked mortified, now catching onto the stares and cameras by nosy teenagers being shoved in his face. reacting quickly, you reached out to one his unoccupied hand, gently guiding him in the direction of the nurses office. your footsteps echoed as you walked down the empty hallway, itadori following close behind you. neither of you said anything during the trip, nor when you entered the nurse’s office. it wasn’t until you had a warm wash rag against itadori’s cheek, wiping away the food and blood mixture, that he finally said something.

“i’m... sorry, for ruining your lunch...” you stopped in your tracks, left to ponder in your thoughts. he’s sitting here with a busted lip and a shattered dignity... and he’s apologizing for face planting in your yogurt?

“hey, you have bigger things to worry about. so, what’s your name?” you continued to wipe at his face, waiting for him to reply.

“yuuji itadori.” and you saw the slightest glimpse of a smile tugging at the corner of his rosy lips. you returned the smile, teeth showing.

from then on, you two were joined at the hip. there wasn’t anything you didn’t do together.

there was something about itadori that brought out the inner child in you. he was sweet, loyal and compassionate. he was a lamp to a moth– hard to resist. hard to ignore. he was your first taste of an easy going life, being able to enjoy being a kid.

on the other hand, you were the foundation he needed. you were open minded, authentic and grounded. you were the first thing in itadori’s life that felt stable. obtainable. your ambition turned into his drive; he wanted to be by your side for as long as possible.

you both were something– somebody, each other needed the most. it’s like what they say: the best people in your life come when you need them the most.

“are you two dumb or something? now, i expect this kinda thing from yuuji, but not you.”megumi quipped, left eyebrow arched in concern as he gestured towards your direction with his pencil. nobara in a similar state next to him, working on the worksheet the teacher handed out earlier. it was currently mid-way through the school day, you, itadori, megumi and nobara sat at your assigned table in statistics. it’s been about a week since your discussion with itadori about your... rather brilliant idea.

“well, that’s harsh.” itadori grumbled, flipping him off. megumi snorted as he returned the gesture. “okay, now listen! they’re explaining the thingy.”

you cleared your throat, sitting up straight to try to make yourself look dignified. “when applying for financial aid, if you’re married, we’ll be considered an independent on the document. meaning? more money!”

“okay, well that’s great and all but, you do know you’ll be responsible for each other legally? as in, medical and money expenses. what would you do if either one of you dies? ” megumi questioned. you chuckled, wrapping your arm around itadori’s neck. “i’ve been legally responsible for him since freshman year, what’ll be the difference?”

megumi rolled his eyes, burying his head in his hands. “god, you’re both so helpless.”

“you know what megumi? i hope both sides of your pillow are warm when you go to sleep tonight.” itadori gasped in shock, hand reaching up to grip the cotton fabric of the shirt he was wearing. nobara snickered behind her hand to which megumi prompted to shift in her direction, whispering something along the lines of “don’t encourage them!”

“(y/n)! you did not just say that!?”

“i sure as hell did. and i’ll say it again!” you snapped your fingers, jutting out your hip. “and they’ll say it again!” itadori said, copying your actions.

megumi and nobara only watched in pity as the two of you continued to embarrass yourself in the middle of the classroom, other classmates turning to catch a peak of the commotion.

“wait, i got one, i got one! ahem, i hope you pour yourself a nice, big bowl of cereal of— what do you eat? apple jacks? only for there to be no milk!”

you sputtered out a laugh, pounding your fist on the table. itadori was loud with laughter as well, body slung over the back of the chair.

megumi sighed, picking up his pencil to erase a mistake he spotted on his paper. he watched as the eraser smudged the lead on the paper instead of actually erasing it. watching the scene unfold before you, wheezing out another laugh, and clutching on to your stomach for relief.

“shut the fuck up, the both of you.”

graduation was only a month away.

teachers were cramming review lessons left and right. completing any last minute work to turn in. senior activities, trips, prom, and getting ready for what was to be the biggest day of your life. where all your hard work and putting up with the shitty ass public school system for 13 years will finally pay off.

at least that’s how they make it seem.

itadori was currently sitting in megumi’s living room, sprawled out on the floor like a starfish. his political science textbook laid open next to him. he’s been unusually quiet this afternoon, megumi noted when he would glance up from his own textbook in his lap.

“hey, yuuji? something the matter?”

itadori didn’t respond right away, instead, he shifted himself closer to megumi to lay his head on the other boy's lap. caught surprised by his actions, megumi tried to shove his head off but itadori being the stubborn man he was wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“god, you’re so annoying—“

“then why are you still friends with me?” his words were quick and sharp like a kitchen knife. and megumi had to take a second to pause. “is this what this is about?” itadori still hasn’t said anything, his body curling in on itself. eventually, he shook his head no.

“alright... then what’s wrong?”

megumi watched as itadori twiddled with fingers, reluctant to share his feelings with the other male. you see, the thing is that although megumi and itadori have been friends since middle school, they found it hard to share each other's feelings. especially megumi. they’ve always been the “i don’t know how to talk about my feelings so let me enjoy your company for a while?” type of friends. except for that one time.

“it’s just... i’m not so sure if i want to marry (y/n) anymore...” megumi could barely hear what itadori said, but he caught it. and color him surprised. “have you finally come to senses that it’s a stupid idea?”

“no, it’s not that–” megumi sighed internally, “–it’s just, what if our relationship changes after it’s finalized? we planned to do it after graduation a-and– it’s just a really scary thing to think about.” itadori’s voice began to warble, and megumi could feel his body tremble as the boy beneath tried to hold in his tears.

in all the years they’ve known each other, itadori has only cried once in front of him. and that was the night of his 16th birthday. because itadori didn’t come from the best home, and at the time, only megumi knew of such disclosed information.

“they said it themselves, you guys have always taken care of each other. so why do you think it’ll change things?” he gently tried to coax itadori into calming down, his hand stroking the soft tufts of his hair. thumb caressing his buzzcut. itadori sniffed, and megumi can hear the disgusting sound of snot being sucked back in his nostrils, but he refrained himself from reacting.

“b-because, i just don’t want my feelings to get in the way, ya’ know? this is simply supposed to be platonic, but it isn’t anymore. at least for me.”

and right then and there, megumi’s suspicions were confirmed. itadori did have feelings for you. more than what a best friend should have. “your feelings? and what might these feelings be, yuuji?”

“that i want to spend a very long time with them, by their side. but not as their best friend. something more than that.” he let out a shuddered exhale, and the room was engulfed with silence. megumi took this time to process what itadori said, the last four words resonating in his mind.

something more than that.

megumi shifted itadori’s body off his, moving to sit up on his own. and that’s when he saw his face for the first time; his red-brimmed eyes and how the tears clumped his willowy eyelashes together. the tremble in his lips because, damn, he’s trying so hard to hold it in.

he didn’t have anything to say– there wasn’t much to say to begin with, but megumi wrapped his arms around itadori in a hug. he felt him relax against his body, taking in the cool scent of his sweater.

“it’s okay to be scared, yuuji, but i believe... you’re smart enough to make the right decision.”

standing underneath the blazing summer heat, you stood in front of the court house waiting for itadori to show up. today was supposed to be the day, where you and itadori were to be married. it’s been thirty minutes and no itadori in sight. which is unlike him considering that he is, surprisingly, very punctual. he hasn’t even responded to any of your texts or calls, which also isn’t very much like him.

but those thirty minutes turned into an hour, that soon turned into two hours.

and to say you were angry, was a complete understatement. you were livid. and that’s how you found yourself banging on itadori’s front door, ignoring the stares of the noisy next door neighbor peeping through their window.

“yuuji! open the fucking door! i know your ass is in there, i can see your minecraft lamp turned on from your window.” you shouted, breathing heavily through your nose. there wasn’t an immediate response, only dead silence, which prompted you to raise your fist to go another round of beating up the door until the faint sound of footsteps reached the door. opening with a creak.

there stood the man of the hour, yuuji ita- fucking- dori.

“there you are! dude, what the hell happened? why didn’t you show up at the courthouse today? did you forget or...” you were quick to jump the gun, bombarding him with questions left and right.

“no... i didn’t forget.” was his reply, eye downcast to look at his sock clad feet. anywhere but your face right now.

“then what yuuji? what could’ve been so important that you decided to just forget?” you flayed your arms around like a mad man, the anger rolling off your body in waves. you knew that you weren’t necessarily being fair to him right now, you can tell by his stand-offish attitude since opening the door. but you couldn’t bring yourself to care at the moment.

itadori was reluctant to answer, his legs wobbly with the anxiety running rampant in his system. he was tempted to say sorry and be done with this, but then he remembered megumi’s words.

...you’re smart enough to make the right decision.

“because... because this isn’t a good idea anymore.” now you’re more confused than angry.

“what do you mean this isn’t a good idea anymore,” you asked, placing your hand on your hip. “that's not what you said 4 months ago.”

itadori sighed, starting to feel the twinge of annoyance in the tips of his fingers. he was starting to regret his choice of words. “i know what i said 4 months ago. but now 4 months later, i’ve changed my mind.”

you wanted to laugh, but you couldn’t muster a bubble of it in your system. was he for real right now?

“oh really? and why do you say that?”

“it’ll change everything.” the reply was short. straight to the point.

“what? no, it won’t! don’t be silly, we’ll still be best friends!” you try to muse, but itadori wasn’t budging. his face was disdained, detached from the world. the answer was sitting on the tip of his tongue, but he wasn’t ready to say it. especially in front of you.

taking in his physique, your mind started to slow. you didn’t want to go there but you couldn’t help it. it was only natural, right?

he’s been off putting since the graduation ceremony two weeks ago. he was so bright and happy that day, shoving his diploma in megumi’s face a numerous number of times. you remember the scream he let out when your name was called to walk across the stage of the arena. how embarrassed you felt as you did so, but a twinge of giddy happiness filled your chest. because he was calling out your name. your heart always did leap with joy when his attention was on you, and only you. the way he had you wrapped around his finger, without him even knowing. it takes you back to when you two first met, how you were so captivated by his amber eyes. the sudden urge to be there. to always be there and to be more.

so... “do you not like me anymore? is this what this is about now?” it came out a whispered, and itadori was shocked nonetheless. now what were you talking about?

“what, no! of course i still like you!” you almost laughed at how quickly he responded.

“then why? why did you–”

“i just didn’t want to make things awkward between us! i didn’t want to ruin our friendship with my... stupid feelings.” glancing up, you can see the slightest tint of pink on the roundness of his cheeks. awkward? ruin?

you took a step forward, your hand reaching to hold his. kindly, thumbing his knuckles with your thumb. the way he always liked it.

“yuuji, your feelings are never stupid. i’m your best friend–” with a frustrated huff, itadori ripped his hand away from yours.

“but that’s the thing though! best friend this and best friend that– what if i don’t want to be your best friend anymore, hm? what if–” make the right decision, “what if i want to be more than that?”

more than that?

“you want to be more than friends? is what you’re saying.” itadori can almost feel himself shit his pants.

that giddy feeling that always erupted whenever you were around him expanded ten fold. you’ll be damned: your best friend of four and a half years, was in love with you. the smile that you struggled to fight bloomed with mirth on your face. and itadori followed suit, reaching out to hold your hand once more.

not much needed to be said, the smile on your face was enough for him to put it all together. for once, he was actually smart enough to make a decision. a good one at that.

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #itadori x reader #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jujutsu kaisen x gender neutral reader #itadori yuuji #jujutsu kaisen oneshot #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk #itadori fluff #itadori x gn reader #jjk itadori

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crazyyanderefangirlfan · 3 years

Text

Living up to the Name pt 3

"Out of all possible scenarios, he chose this," Jack grumbled. As he and Ruggie tried to concentrate on finding a familiar smell.

"Don't be a buzzkill, Jack. Besides, she looked excited." The hyena pointed out. Recalling how the girl bounced excitedly at Leona's suggestion.

"Still, This feels wrong." He retorted.

Leona decided to move their training to the forest, in his words 'to give a fair advantage.'

"Oi! Jack, be quiet. You'll give away our position." A jaguar upperclassman harshly whispered. He and two more students were sniffing the air, then the jaguar froze.

"Shit, she-" A kick to his face cut him off before he could finish. The figure leaped up and landed on a tree branch high up.

"You guys have to do better than that to catch me~" A sing-song voice called from above.

Valerie smiled sweetly above them, but her mocking glare proved otherwise.

Thanks to her transformation, all her abilities have been drastically enhanced. She was faster, her kicks were more powerful, and her danger sense, or what she likes to call 'Bunny sense' was dialed up to a 100. Making it easier to avoid predators, aka Savanaclaw.

"Gotta go. I have more faces to kick and prides to ruin." She blew them a kiss and disappeared through the thicket of the trees.

"She's so hot."

Heads' snapped to the bear first-year, whose glazed eyes still stared at the spot she's been on.

"Fangirl about her later! We're still in the middle of something." The jaguar snapped at him. The bear blushed and muttered incoherently under his breathe.

Ruggie ran his fingers through his hair. They need a strategy to catch her, which involves teamwork, and knowing how NRC students are, this will be hell.

"I wonder how that lazy lion is doing?" He mused.

She was better at hiding than Leona gave her credit for.

The first half-hour of their training was spent looking for the girl. Which wasn't hard, with that delightful scent of hers. It leads them farther to the forest, where the foliage is dense enough to hide a dead body.

Clever, Herbivore. But not enough.

Honestly, he was a little disappointed with her idea. He was expecting a challenge since she loved giving it to him.

Tearing through the thicket, he and his dorm mates prowled the area. Each of them in various corners, in an attempt to locater her better.

"Senior Leona." A jackal beastman spoke up.

"What is it?"

"It's miss Valerie's scent. Something's up." He replied, sniffing the air.

Leona took a whiff, and sure enough, it smelled faint and all over the place?

"Masking your scent with mud. Herbivore? Heh, at least your trying."

The lion nodded to his dorm mates, who proceeded to split up and try to find their prey the girl.

The jackal perked up when the sweet aroma was much more potent. Nudging to a leopard beastman who seemed to realized as well.

As quietly as they could, they snuck up to a large hedge that permeated with her scent.

They crept closer and closer and closer...

They pounced. Once the students felt something soft, their hold tightened.

Leona paused from tearing another bush. Happy shouts were clear as day.

Good, they found her.

He jogged his way over to his fresh babies. However, as he got near, there was a change in the atmosphere. Silence replaced the noise; it was almost ominous.

Valerie's scent changed the most; it was so faint and different.

He finally reached the clearing. Their backs were turned to him, and he couldn't see what they were holding.

"Oi."

The jackal and leopard rapidly turned to face him, hiding their captured prey behind their back.

"S-Senior Leona!" The leopard stammered.

"What's up with you two? Didn't you shout you have her?"

"Uhh...W-wait! Senior Leona!" The jackal exclaimed in surprise when the lion marched towards them. Pushing them aside to see the girl-

That's not Valerie.

In front of him was a large and plump brown rabbit, and it was wearing her vest.

Everything up till now began to make sense, causing Leona to chuckle.

"So that's the real plan, huh?"

His ears twitched as the wind picked up. His eyes narrowed.

"Move back!" The lion ordered. Jumping to the shade of the trees.

But it was too late. The freshmen were down before they could do anything. Standing on top of their bodies was the very girl they were chasing.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out. You really are losing your edge, Kitty."

Valerie giggled at Leona's snarling face. She tugged her vest off the rabbit; before disappearing.

Leona could feel his blood boil. From frustration or excitement, he wasn't sure at this point, but he does know one thing.

Valerie just cemented her role as prey.

-----------------------------------------

It's been hours, and not one of them had a chance to catch her. There were a few close calls, but she always managed to be two steps ahead of them. It doesn't help that she mocks them for every failed attempt. One of them got angry enough a tried to bite her, but Valerie kicked his jaw before he could.

On the bright side, the boys could feel their bodies improving. They still have a long way to go, but it's progress.

Valerie nimbly landed on the ground, catching her breath. It's been a long time she did something like this.

A wistful smile formed on her face as she remembered the times she and her mom played tag. Her mother used the game as a form of training for her speed, stamina, and agility. Being a competitive child she was, she got too into it.

'Thinking about it now, mom used a lot of ordinary games as a form of training.' The opal-eyed girl mused.

Wiping her brow, she glanced at the sky. She couldn't tell how much had passed, but she could guess it was nearly noon.

Suddenly, her ears stood up. There was aloud howling in the distance, followed by more animalistic sounds, till it became a wild symphony.

"The hell?" The brunette muttered in confusion. She winced and held her head. The downside of having enhanced hearing is that everything is louder, and this wild symphony giving her a headache.

"Pull it together, Valerie. You dealt with worse." She mumbled, even slapping her face for good measure.

With new vigor, Valerie pushed forward through the forest, even as her whole body screamed to find somewhere to hide.

Sigh, prey instincts.

Though she kept her opal eyes ahead, she in-tuned with her surroundings. Her ears now worked as antennas, constantly on high alert to warn her of predators.

Her ears twitched; she jumped left just in time to dodge a pouncing jaguar beastman. A low growl escaped the jaguar's throat and pounced again.

Valerie waited till he was near enough and delivered a front kick beneath his jaw. He staggered back in pain, giving her enough time to rush forward, and low swept him. He groaned in pain once his back felt the impact.

"You predators are really losing your edge if you kept getting your asses beaten by a rabbit. But then again, it's me" The girl deviously smiled at the fallen student.

The girl sensed another presence behind her and jumped to the trees. She narrowed her eyes at the culprit.

"Such an arrogant statement coming from a tiny herbivore. Looks like we have to put you in your place."

Leona emerged from the thicket with a cocky smirk in place and an unreadable glint in his eyes.

Valerie remained silent, simply assessing the number of beastmen present. There were seven of them; easy. There was also no sign of Jack and Ruggie, but they could be hiding.

"How can you call my words arrogant? I'm simply stating the truth." She retorted, smirking down at him.

"Let's just see how true your words are when I have my fangs on your neck."

"Before that, perhaps should I suffocate you between my thighs?"

"Heh, only after I crush your legs."

"Are...They flirting?" Questioned a bewildered ocelot beastman.

"I thought she was stupid when it comes to romance?" Added a dingo.

"Try not to think about it." Advised a lynx.

"Sorry, kitty kay, I may have agreed to help you guys in training, but I'm not going to bow down to you."

"Likewise, Herbivore."

A mischievous smile formed on her face. The girl launched herself out of the tree and aimed a kick to his face, but he blocked it. Valerie quickly switched to jabbing his left side.

Leona slammed his eyes shut, a deep growl resonated within him. He attempted to grab her arm. But she leaped up and delivered a front kick to his chin, pushing him away from her. However, she was now surrounded by other beastmen.

Valerie avoided an oncoming punch from the dingo and delivered one to his gut. He recoiled in pain and clutched his stomach. Her ears twitched and sidestepped, just in time for a charging lynx to crash into him.

Twitching again, she turned around and caught the ocelot's leg; she spun him around while knocking out three more before throwing him.

Satisfied that she took care of the beta males, she turned her attention back to the alpha. Only to realize that he disappeared.

Her whole body was on high alert. She took a battle stance, surveying her surrounding. She cursed herself for being so careless; he used them as decoys. Like she did.

"Touché, Kitty." She muttered.

Deciding she stayed long enough, she ran in the opposite direction.

Valerie bit her bottom lip once she heard footsteps behind her.

He really wanted to turn this into a real hunt.

Fine, she'll give him one.

Increasing her speed, she sprinted through the area utilizing the trees as boosters.

She glanced behind her and clenched her jaw. Leona was nowhere in sight. She had two ideas: Either he took a detour and was waiting to pounce on her or, she lost him; she hoped it was the latter.

Biting her inner cheek, she was about to take a turn when she heard footsteps. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding a claw to her face.

"I was wondering where you were, never thought you actually risk an ambush." The opal-eyed girl remarked as she kept her distance from him, taking up a fighting stance.

"If I'm up against you? I'll try anything." The male retorted mirroring her movements.

The wolf and rabbit glared at each other, waiting for one of them to make a move. It was as if the area went still around them, blocking out all noise; only the thumping of their hearts was heard.

Jack was the first to move. He ran forward with the girl following the suit, but once close enough, she leaped up and stomped on his head. He staggered back, gritting his teeth and holding his head. Valerie landed behind him, giving a swift kick to his side; the wolf fell to his side, hissing at the impact.

A deep growl escaped his throat when he heard her laughter; he swiped underneath her legs. The girl fell back, wide-eyed, and internally cursed herself for letting her guard down.

Picking himself up, he grabbed her ankle and flung her to the trees. The girl shrieked in pain, coughing; she found specks of blood on the ground, her blood. Although she struggled to stand up, she had enough energy to avoid Jack's next attack.

Jack swung his fist to her face, but she intercepted by grabbing his arm and flipped him to the ground. He grunted in pain when Valerie placed her foot on his chest.

"I thought I might return a favor fluffy." She smirked at his fallen body. He glared up at her. She was about to make another comment when her ears twitched, frowning; she leaped up to the trees and glared at the intruder.

"Damn, and here I was going to surprise you. Then again, those ears of yours work just like satellites, shishishishi." Ruggie laughed as she strolled through the area.

"I keep getting more surprises."

Just like lighting, she sprung herself out of the tree and delivered a direct kick to Ruggie's gut. The poor hyena coughed up blood upon the impact and curled up into a ball once he fell on the ground. All the while groaning in pain.

"And here I thought he would at least withstand half of it, oh well." She ducked down, already sensing Jack's incoming punch, and kicked his chest.

It knocked him a few feet away from her; Jack felt something dribble down his chin, wiping he found bits of blood coating it.

Clenching his fist; a low growl erupted his throat; charging, he swung his fist narrowly, hitting her face. Valerie responded by front kicking his chin; Jack grunted but didn't falter in his movements.

Valerie unleashed a barrage of kicks, driving him back until he felt the tree behind him. Jack gritted his teeth but bared with it; he waited until he found an opening between her kicks. She paused for a second, but it was all Jack needed. He socked her in the gut, successfully pushing her back.

She gasped at the impact, wincing at the pain on her stomach that she failed to notice Jack grabbing her body and slammed her to the ground. He reached to grab her ears, but the opal-eyed girl rolled away and swiped under his legs. Jack fell back, glaring up at the now standing girl.

"You know you can't beat me." She panted.

Blood was dripping down at the side of her face. The sun was behind her forming a shadow over her eyes giving them a glow. She looked like a predator.

"I know, but he can." He countered.

Before Valerie could decipher his words. She was lifted up again, but this time pinned to the ground.

"Looks like you forgot something, Herbivore." Hot breathe tickled her face as familiar hands kept a firm grip on her.

"A lion always waits for their prey to lower their guard."

________________

"Ughhh, it hurts." Ruggie groaned. He laid on a bed with an ice pack on his stomach.

He and the rest of the Savanclaw students are in the infirmary. Each of them was the victim of the girl's brutal beatings.

"How the hell is someone so tiny is that insanely strong?" The leopard beastman muttered, nursing his jaw.

"The question is, is she even human?" The ocelot commented, bandages covering his body.

Speaking of her...

Valerie hissed when the ghost rubbed a special ointment of her back to heal the swelling. She was behind a curtain, giving her the privacy she needed.

"And there we go, you can put your shirt on and make sure to not put too much strain on yourself, young lady. I heard from the ghosts in Ramshackle you're the reckless type." The ghost gave her a mirthful smile. She chuckled.

"Yeah, I will."

"No, she won't." Grim chimed in.

He sat next to her on the bed and shot the girl a knowing look, to which she laughed nervously.

"I promise, really."

"You better, and you call me troublesome."

"Okay, okay, let's go." She picked him and stepped out of the curtain. She winced a bit when she saw how badly bruised they all looked.

"You really went all out on them." The cat monster commented; almost half of them were covered in bandages and band-aids.

"You know me, I always love a challenge." Her grin was filled with mischief.

She walked up to her favorite Savanaclaw trio. Jack was getting his face treated since she kicked there the most while Leona sat next to Ruggie since he had minor injuries.

"Hey, guys, who are you feeling?" She asked.

"Like a truck ran me over." The hyena retorted. The girl nervously laughed.

"Right, sorry."

"Don't be. You went all out; it's insulting if you didn't." Jack interjected. He hissed when the swab touched his hips lower lip.

"Don't talk, young man." Scolded the ghost.

"You were pretty good out there, Valerie. But you let your guard down too soon. Your lucky it was only training. Otherwise, you would have gotten eaten up." The lion smirked.

"As if I let you." She huffed.

"But, it has been a good experience. Might as well do this again next time." He added.

"Sure, I love to kick your butts and win next time." She gave a devil-like smile.

"Anyway, I have to wash up and head to Heartslyabul." She turned around, only bumped into the beastmen.

"Ah, I'm sorry-" She didn't get to finish when he briskly walked past her. Valerie observed his appearance; he had a pumpkin-colored reptile tail with burgundy fins and bronze horns. His body was wrapped in gauze and had bandages covering his arms.

"Don't take it too personally. He's still not used to being beaten by a woman." Leona spoke up.

"Mm? What do you mean?" The girl was puzzled.

"You see the guys with dragon tails?" He asked. Glancing around, she did notice a few of them. She locked eyes with one, he immediately looked away.

"They're from Cloud Valley; in their culture, women are treated lesser than men, always expected to be submissive, fragile, and obedient. The complete opposite to the women in the Afterglow Savannah." He elaborated.

"So it's a big shocked for them to know such a tiny prey can beat them so easily."

That filled her with pride. Her family raised her to be independent and strong; and above all, never take shit from misogynists.

"Oi! Kemonohito!" A voice boomed. Valerie winced at the frequency of his voice. Everyone's heads turned to see a dragonkin with a scarlet tail and white fins standing in front of her.

"I demand a re-match! Your abilities were just enhanced because your half rabbit. I refuse to acknowledge defeat by a woman!" He boomed.

"Maybe next time." She simply replied.

"Oh? What's this? Already backing down? Expected for a female to be too scared-"

"No. I already have plans this afternoon, not to mention your too injured. The opal-eyed girl interrupted, taking note of his bandaged face and body.

"This is nothing! Fight me!"

"Young man, no shouting." One ghost staff scolded, quickly leading him away from the girl and her monster.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna go. See you guys."

________________

Valerie hummed a random tune as she dried her hair. Thanks to Amane giving her his credit card, she was able to buy the things she desperately needed, such has extra cleaning supplies , bathroom necessities and a hair dryer.

Putting the hair dryer down, she examined herself on the mirror. She wore a Heartslyabul uniform, switching out the pants with a pleated thigh length skirt, a white thigh-high on her right leg, a white crew length sock with black diamond pattern on her left and red and white sneakers. She also tied her ears with a black ribbon around them.

"Are you almost done?" Grim lazily drawled. He was sprawled on the bed, his pudgy stomach on display.

"Already am." She answered.

"Good, cause your phone was ringing." He rolled to his left, revealing the girl's phone. Picking it up and opening it to her messages, the sender read 'Braincell 1'

'Yo Val, you and Grim have to walk here by yourselves. Me and chicken boy can't pick you up cause we have an emergency and it requires all dorm members cooperation.'

She texted back

'k'

Picking up her little gremlin, strolled out and headed downstairs.

"Where Ace and Deuce?" questioned Grim.

"They have an emergency which required all dorm members." She answered, walking out of the house.

"Huh, probably something related to food." The cat proclaimed, as he climbed up to her shoulders and draped himself there.

She merely hummed.

They arrived in mirror hall. As she stepped in, Valerie almost got knocked down by a rushing students.

"S-sorry, miss Valerie." He apologized before running again.

Glancing at each other, the Ramshackle duo continued their journey, all the while watching students tripping over their feet looking for something. It wasn't long before they spotted a familiar redhead and bluette by the bushes.

"Damn it, where are they? They couldn't gotten that far." Ace muttered.

"Maybe we should try a different spot." Suggested Deuce.

"Guys?" A feminine voice snapped them out and turned around.

Their eyes bulged out when they saw her ears. A palpable silence overtook them, until...

"Pffftt-"

All eyes turned to Ace as he covered his mouth with right arm, and shaking. Finally he blew up.

"HAHAHAAHA! Oh great seven this hilarious! You're an actual rabbit!" He kept on laughing. Deuce had small blush on his face when he stared at her, she looked like a porcelain doll.

"You know very well I hate those." Valerie monotonous voice rang out. A displeased look covered her face from being compared to an item she hated the most.

Crap, he thought out loud.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!" Deuce bowed, which made Ace laughed louder.

"Its fine." She huffed. "Anyway, what happened? What's the emergency?"

Ace shut up and Deuce tentatively bit his lower lip.

"Its the hedgehogs, they broke out in their cages again. The unbirthday party will start soon and no one has found them yet." The peacock-eyed boy answered.

"Riddle almost lost control when he found out, and its not getting any better." The cherry-eyed boy added.

"I could help." The girl offered. "My ears are practically antennas, and they've been a great help in dealing with Savanaclaw, I think I can find the hedgehogs in no time."

They seem to contemplate her words, before nodding to each other.

"Alright, Princess, we're counting on you." Ace grinned.

The girl gave a mock salute before taking Grim off her and dropping him on Ace. She sprinted away, she picked a small clearing.

Valerie crouched down and closed her eyes. She blocked out the noise surrounding her, focusing on the chitter and footsteps of the hedgehogs. Breathing softly she waited for even the faintest noise.

Instantly her ears twitched, perking a bit she turned to the left. Sprinting off she found a red and blue hedgehogs under a tree. Valerie slowly made her towards them and crouch to their height.

"Hi." She gently called out. Slowly reaching her hand out, it sniffed it before coming near and rubbing itself on it.

"You guys are bunch escape artist huh?" She mused, delicately picking it up. Her ears perked up, catching a faint conversation. Following till she found herself with two mobs.

"M-miss Valerie!" They exclaimed in surprised, especially to her ears.

"Here." She placed them on their hands.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now if you excuse me, I got more to find."

She did this a few more times: She would listen to the hedgehogs, find them and give them to a nearby Heartslyabul student. So far she found at least 20 or so for half an hour.

Valerie huffed and fanned herself using her shirt, she having a particularly hard time in finding these guys. The tiny things were master on invasion and giving her a good challenge. Inhaling she concentrated once more, walking silently as she did in hopes to hear the better.

Finally, soft rustling in the bushes caught her attention. Nimbly making her way to the source, she pulled it back to to find a red, green and orange hedgehogs staring up at her.

"C'mere." She scooped them up and made her way to the nearest students, whose hair perfectly matched the hedgehogs she's carrying.

They blinked at the sight before them, heat rising to their cheeks at the adorable sight.

"V-Valerie." Riddle stuttered, clearly didn't expect this.

"Yeah, hi." She sheepishly grinned.

"This is an interesting turn of events?" Commented Trey, fixing his gaze on her ears.

"Vally, you look so cute!" The strawberry blonde gushed, taking out his phone and snapping pictures of the girl.

"Haha, thank you Cater." She did cute little poses. Holding the hedgehogs up to her face.

"#Cutie! #Rabbitears #foundthehedgehogs #livinguptothename." He quickly uploaded it.

Riddle quickly regained his composure and took the hedgehogs out of her hands.

"Thank you, Valerie now we can resume the unbirthday party."

"So." Deuce started. "What happened to you?"

After placing the hedgehogs in their cages, everyone was seated on the tables and enjoying the party, and were quite curious of her ears.

The girl summarized on what happened yesterday and this morning. Ace snickered at the end of her explanation.

"Jeez, Val, your a total disaster magnet." He ran his finger on her ears.

"It gets worse when I'm with you guys." She teased.

"Your so mean, Princess!" Ace dramatically placed his hand over his heart, 'hurt' by her words.

"But you look so cute! Look how much likes your photo is getting." The leaf-green eyed male showed her his phone, which was gradually getting likes.

"They don't make you uncomfortable, do they?" Trey asked, as he handed her another strawberry tart. Which she gratefully accepted.

"Besides having more sensitive hearing, I'm good" She replied. She moved her hands up, away from Grim's greedy outstretched paws. Trey handed him a blueberry cheesecake.

"This transformation has been a great help, especially when dealing with Savanaclaw. You should have seen the amount of students I sent in the infirmary." She added with a giggle.

"There was even a dragon there that wanted to challenge her. But he got dragged off." Grim chimed in, taking large bite of his cheesecake.

"A dragon?"

"He brushed off my abilities because of the potion." Just remembering his words gave her a headache.

Ugh, if mom was in Cloud Valley she would have made every man there submit to her.

"But in the end, you still sustain injuries." Riddle interjected, examining her bandaged arm. He sipped his tea as the girl's face flushed.

"T-that's a mistake in my part. I got ahead of myself, I would have still beaten Leona if I had been more aware of my surroundings." Frustration crinkled her eyes, with those ears of hers should would have heard him and at least give him a black eye.

Mom would have scold her for her carelessness.

"Aww, don't make that face Vally; let's just enjoy the party." Cater coaxed bring her and Grim for a selfie, which was soon joined by Ace, Deuce and Trey who grabbed Riddle with him.

"Say cheese!"

________________

"Miss her ears already." Deuce mumbled, as he stared at the girl.

As promised, Crewel gave her the antidote and she reverted back to her normal self. Although, some were beginning to miss her ears.

They just looked so cute on her.

It was P.E and they were doing some warm up stretches. Valerie was just doing splits when a shadow fell over her.

"Kemonohito! Re-match now!"

This guy...

"We're in class. Can we do this later?" She reasoned.

His face twisted in anger, before a whistle blew.

"Alright! I prepared an obstacle course! Whoever reaches the finish line first in the shortest amount of time will receive a plus points!"

One by one the boys took the course, Vargas always saved Valerie for last cause he knows that she might destroy everything.

Vargas focused his gaze on Valerie.

"Kemonohito you're up!"

As she took her position, she examined the field. High walls, mannequins, vaults and beams, perfect for her rabbit self, but it wasn't there anymore. She shook her head, she trained for years, she didn't need it.

The whistle blew

She blurred through the field. Destroying the mannequins and jumping over the high walls with ease. By the time she finished it, she left a path of destruction.

"2:05s! The fastest one yet! Fantastic job, but next time don't destroy everything. Seriously I just got this raise." The man grumbled more as he scribbled on his clipboard.

Meanwhile, her idiot trio stared at her, shock written on their faces. When she walked up to them, they bombarded her with questions.

"How did you do that!?"

"Can you teach me!

"I thought you weren't a rabbit anymore."

All she could do was shrug.

"Maybe I got the leftover DNA. But whatever the case is, I love it."

She had a wide smile on their face, oh this was going to be good.

A/N: Cloud Valley belongs to @phoenix-manga

@poisonapplecakes1312

#twisted wonderland #twst #valerie kemonohito #twst grim #ace trappola #deuce spade #cater diamond #trey clover #riddle rosehearts #leona kingscholar #jack howl #ruggie bucchi #heartslabyul #savanaclaw #divus crewel

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emergingsentiments · 3 years

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Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: Episode 10 (Repost)

Loneliness must have drawn you back here, says Hwajung to Chohui. But these could have been words for Dusik and Hyejin, too. The past and current entanglements of Gongjin’s love affairs, after all, run parallel to each other. For Chohui, her mother’s death and her brother’s migration left her solitary, so it only seemed natural to return to somewhere familiar. Hyejin, on the other hand, visited the seaside town to reclaim the memory of happier times, when her mother was still alive. Dusik’s reasons are still obscured but the glimpses into the wakes he’s stood vigil by are compelling reasons behind his return.

Home, as I observed in the first episode of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, is where the heart is and the hurts are.

Episode 10 unfolded like the turning point that it is. As the previous chapters tackled the inner workings of all our characters, especially the progress of Hyejin and Dusik both as individuals and in their romantic engagements, we saw how people began to confront their fears. Whether it’s Cheonjae’s anxieties as a has-been singer and as a single father to a rebellious Juri or Gamri’s quiet suffering in her empty nest, the melancholy that undergirds the town’s surface pushed each one to face their scars and losses. For all the comic relief she brings, even Miseon had to brave confusion and rejection.

In this page of Gongjin’s tale, however, the theme of battling life’s greatest antagonist is truest among Dusik, Hyejin, and Seonghyun.

Poor Seonghyun, so new to the town yet so quick to have been thrown into the maelstrom of Gongjin’s charms and tragedies. His greatest fear was being late. He missed opportunities before, including in the postcard-perfect moments of his youth. Always an observer but never the one observed; always watching over Hyejin but always a step behind others in the line. If he were dancing, he’d be out of rhythm, too busy trying to memorize the choreography.

He has rehearsed his lines a thousand times. Will they come out right? Here, Lee Sang-yi gives Seonghyun his most graceful and yet graceless moment. Making an abrupt u-turn on his way to Seoul, he returns to Gongjin — late once again. Hyejin, attacked by a wandering sexual predator in town, has been saved by Dusik. If the shock of the night’s crime were not enough, he confesses the next evening to a Hyejin that had just mistakenly implied her growing affections for Dusik. She’s just had dinner, too.

Full and formal, Hyejin listens to Seonghyun’s lonely and tense confession. Sangyi delivers the lines Seonghyun has held onto for years. It’s a speech marked by jitters, fretful glances, and a slowly growing blush. Once out, he tries to stop the tension by marking the scene as a take. But the clapperboard humor isn’t enough. Hyejin watches him eat alone. She has no appetite.

Hyejin, for her part, couldn’t be blamed. She never really saw Seonghyun other than a senior to be admired. Yes, he’s saved her from a jerk before. But years of absence have made the heart grow duller instead of fonder. She’s also just come from an equally awkward dinner with Dusik, who is celebrating his grandfather’s death anniversary. There is no room for another meal. The night before — the night of the attack — she had slept in Dusik’s home for the third time as well.

At the first visit to his home, she kissed Mr. Hong on impulse and alcohol. On the second, she carried the weight and fears of an inebriated Dusik. On the third visit, she is traumatized from the night’s break-in, so now slips in to Mr. Hong’s clothes and stays over, unable to sleep unless Dusik’s around with poetry. He reads to her...It is my job to fall in love with you while waiting for you the next day. The antidote to Hyejin’s fear, after all, is Gongjin’s son.

But what does Hyejin fear? Well, it’s simple. She fears what she lost — her childhood, to be who she is. As a young girl who lost her mother, she had to grow up fast given her father’s alcohol-tinged coping mechanism. As a young woman, she had to build walls after a harsh rebuke of her lowly appearance. So she covers her scars with pretenses — and fancy shoes. Her clothes are her walls. Her life has been planned out. She steers this career with distinct professionalism and ambition. But it’s never ruthless. A woman-child, her core reveals a soft, compassionate heart.

This is what Dusik brings out in her. It’s not something Dusik necessarily gives. The two, after all, have their losses but they are whole persons, too. Dusik’s unconventional lifestyle and ways have eroded the surface of Hyejin’s fortress. Like salted sea slowly breaking down cliffs. With Dusik, she regains the lost child, the one who laughs when pieces of crab meat are flung to Dusik’s face. If that was Seonghyun, Hyejin would have been profusely apologetic and formal. But Mr. Hong is different. Around him, Hyejin can be unguarded, vulnerable.

Dusik, on the other hand, always saw her in a different light. Carrying the weight of unexplained grief, Dusik knows exactly what’s hidden behind Hyejin’s front. But for all his bravado, he’s afraid, too. The people he loved the most have left him, leaving him with an unimaginable sense of guilt. It’s what keeps him tethered to the idea of boundaries. He only likes Hyejin as a friend. But his eyes, his actions — they speak otherwise. If he admits to loving Hyejin, then the prospect of fresh losses cripple him. He’s an engineering graduate, so he has made the calculations. And yet, this strange woman who has returned from a childhood memory is urging him to take those risks and forget those probabilities.

He took a stab on the shoulder, one that nearly cost his life. Isn’t that love — or even the semblance of it? Why does Dusik need to certify his affections with assurance? Gamri, Gonjin’s wisest daughter, sees through Dusik’s barricades. Life’s brevity, she says, demands risks but most of all, honesty with oneself.

These are words worth ruminating in the evening breeze at the town’s breakwater.

It’s the same place where Hyejin finds him.

After a trip to Seoul to forget the town’s powers over her and Miseon, she realizes the city’s offerings were no longer attractive. Everything reminds her of Gongjin. She can’t stop thinking of Dusik. As a grown-up, Hyejin had sought security. Her instinct of self-preservation made her hard. Drenched in a sudden downpour in Seoul, she remembers her rain-soaked self with Dusik at the beach. It is enough for her to understand.

These realizations surge from Hyejin’s adrenaline-filled confession. Unable to deny her growing affections any further, she takes the plunge.

The child faces reality with simple acceptance. In the presence of a vulnerable Hyejin, things freely move and are themselves. The effects are immediately clear. Like any sensible woman, Hyejin knows Dusik could all but reject him, too. Who drives back from Seoul to rant about love, right? But Dusik understands. The hours waiting for her return were sooner than he had anticipated. But the man had made his calculations. The formulas are no longer useful.

True to himself, Dusik fulfills his new duty. It is my job to fall in love with you while waiting for you the next day. So he returns the confession with the most reasonable declaration: a kiss, first tender, one that leaves Hyejin breathless. He speaks but yearns for more. So he lets his lips touch hers for a second time. A kiss now free from all the tentativeness of the night.

A few weeks ago I read several criticisms about Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. It’s cliched. People only watch it because the actors are popular. There’s nothing exceptional about a love story.

Cliched, true. But there is a reason why there are cliches because they are true. Do people only watch because the actors are popular? Perhaps. Perhaps not. A love story doesn’t hold a candle to the more intellectual and uncomfortable narratives available for consumption, right? You know, the stories that deal with war and violence, politics and its lack of virtue, the more profound tales that explore humanity or its degradation. But I fear this is an effort to leave the commonplace, the domestic, and the personal materials unattended for the sake of what seems profound. Yet, the production of these “better” and more profound stories does not offer any solace from suffering.

For over a year now, we’ve been fighting the wrath of an invisible virus. It might even be true to say that for many of us, we’ve lost someone dear, someone deeply loved. If not, we know someone who has dealt with these losses. Given the lockdowns and restrictions, even grieving has been abbreviated. Our reality is sobering. We fear many things. So while I don’t hold it against people to choose the more elevated tales, it would be a shame to dismiss those who gush over a love story as uncritical and frivolous.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha resonates with and appeals to many because it reminds us of the things we’ve lost to the pandemic. Face-to-face conversations. The stability of a job. Family. Friendship. The pat on the back. Our grandparents. Our first love. A hand to hold. Dinner with friends under the warmth of incandescent light. Office conversations. Senseless chatter. The thrill of falling in love. The smell of the sea, and the sand on our feet. Our best friend. The normalcy of a leisurely walk. Dancing in the rain. People. Our community. The words we wanted to say. A kiss.

In a world where physical intimacy and closeness are dangerous, we feel our lips with our fingers watching Hyejun and Dusik kiss. And we remember the way we were. Kim Seon Ho was right in saying Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a healing drama. To love and be loved, after all, remains the ultimate catharsis.

#hometown cha cha cha #kim seon ho #Shin Min Ah #kdrama #korean drama #갯마을 차차차 #writing #love #drama #homcha

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lilyginnyblackv2 · 3 years

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Fruits Basket The Final - Episode 2 - Thought Post - SPOILERS!

Listen, before watching this episode I made myself a cup of tea and ate some ice cream, lol. I was prepared for the drama and it did not disappoint! 🍵

I'm not a fan of Akito and Shigure's relationship, personally. I feel it veers too much into child grooming and this episode made that feeling intensify even more (Akito sounds like a little child, which she is there, and Shigure's voice has already dropped - then he even gives her a kiss on the cheek...Just...no...). But, I've talked about that before, and I don't feel like talking about all of that again. I'm also not here to drag on that pairing, because this episode was excellent! Honestly, it is truly a measure of Fruits Basket excellent character writing that I would like an episode so much despite my disdain for one of the pairings that is primarily focused on within it.

The voice, both in the Japanese and English, for Akito and Shigure were phenomenal! Though, I want to give extra kudos to Akito's English VA, Colleen Clinkenbeard. She put so much into Akito's lines this episode! It was fantastic. Like usual, I found myself preferring the dub script/translation over the sub. I felt they made certain lines clearer (such as Shigure's line to Tohru about how they will be seniors soon and Momiji's line about him having thought of staying back, but then clarifying that it wouldn't matter anyway, because Momo is so much younger than him).

Speaking of Momiji, this will be the last time that we see him pre-glow-up! I really loved how they lingered for just a moment on Momiji letting go of Tohru's hand. I think it highlights a lot of things - how disconnected and alone Tohru feels in this episode as well as alluding to Momiji's feelings for Tohru. Moving away from those heavier moments for a bit, the comedy was well executed and I just really like how they did the transition from Tohru's inner thoughts to the Prince Yuki Fanclub, lol. (They look extra ridiculous when you take a still image of the transition scene, haha).

I've already expressed some of my own personal thoughts on the paper flower scene with Kyo and Tohru, but I'll just say here that I love how they did that scene justice and the way Kyo is so animated is just so precious! I loved the Yuki and Machi scene too. The VA delivery, for both the Japanese and English, were both excellent there and really elevated both scenes. I've also already made a post talking about Ren and the imagery that was used for her in that one still frame shot, so I won't really be talking about that.

Keeping things light still, the scenes when Yuki is patrolling around the school and offering help really touched me. I never worked at a high school, but I did work at a junior high school, and the process and atmosphere is the same. It just really made me miss those days when I would help the students decorate the classrooms for the graduating third year students. In the dub, one thing that I really liked, was how some of the students used senpai with Yuki's name, one just called him Yuki, and another called him Sohma. This is really accurate to actual Japanese schools. Some students take formality seriously, others don't, and still others are somewhere in between. So it feels more authentic. I can't remember if it was the same in the actual Japanese, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

I also just love how we see their school life going on as usual. Many of the students in the school are shown just having fun and relaxing. Enjoying their school life and not being burdened by the Curse or other heavy thoughts. I think this moment really highlighted that, and I loved its inclusion.

It’s just one of those small moments that make the school feel alive and real, you know.

Transitioning away from the school antics and back to the darker stuff in the episode, the way they had Tohru focus on the birds in the sky and then lead that into her thoughts on Kureno was great. Also, seeing Mitsuru again was so nice, as was the mention of Ritsu! I know both were in the manga too, but it is still nice to *hear* Ritsu actually get referenced. Ritsu has such few moments, I take what I can get. Ah, and we finally get Shigure talking about Akito's age. Akito is definitely only like 21 here, but the actual Japanese that he uses is 二十歳すぎるはずだけど (hatachi sugiru hazu da kedo). The use of "sugiru" means "over 20" and "hazu" means "should be." So that solidifies that.

There is just one small detail I want to point out before I wrap up this post.

And then, we have Shigure covering up Akito. It's a nice call back to Episode 10 when Hatori told Shigure to not let Akito catch a cold.

Next week we'll likely have a Yuki and Machi focused episode, based off of the Episode Title Card! I'm looking forward to this episode a lot, mostly because I feel we saw quite a bit of this episode through things like early sneak peeks and such, so next week's episode is going to have a lot of scenes that we haven't seen animated at all yet, and that should be quite exciting!

#Fruits Basket #Furuba #Fruits Basket The Final #Tohru Honda #Momiji Sohma #Kyo Sohma #Yuki Sohma #Machi Kuragi #Shigure Sohma #Akito Sohma #long post #image heavy post #Fruits Basket spoilers #Furuba spoilers #FB spoilers #Fruits Basket manga spoilers

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jean-kayak · 3 years

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Chapter 1

Summary: A relaxing summer at home after your second year of college sounds nice, until someone comes back and makes it anything but

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x black!fem!reader

Chapter Warnings: cursing, a lot of sexual tension lmao

Word Count: 2139

A/N: Alright, here it is! I’ve been working on this for a while now, if you’ve been following my shitposts, and I’ve been really nervous to post it, so I would like to thank @styxtm for reading this chapter and giving me the confidence to post it! Hope you guys like it!

Tags: @her-majesty-kiara, @germfart3, @styxtm, @iwascrybaby

Chapter summary: Someone you’d never thought you’d see again literally walks back into your life

"When are you gonna be done? It's hot as fuck out here," you complain, waving a hand in front of your face, but it doesn't anything to cool you down, instead spreading the humid, sticky air across your face.

You hear Jean groan as you set down the tray of nails you have in your hands on the ground, throwing your hair up in a bun, getting the curls off of your neck. "Stop complaining. It's not even that bad."

"You chose to build a storage unit during one of the hottest days so far in the summer," you respond, and he just chuckles as he blindly holds his hand out. You pick through the different pieces, finding the one he needs before dropping it into his hand.

"My mom wanted it built, and my stepdad's been too busy, so I offered to do it."

"You offered to do it. I just came over here to hang out," you say, sighing heavily as you rest a hand on your hip.

You've been best friends with Jean since you were kids, growing up in the same neighborhood, literally living right next to each other, and when you graduated high school, you both ended up going to different colleges.

You had decided to stay on your college campus for the summer after your freshman, not ready to go back home yet. Now your sophomore year of college is over, and both you and Jean ended up coming back home to do who knows what, but ever since you both have come back, you've either been over his house or vice versa.

Both of your parents always joked about how it seemed like you two were separated at birth, constantly attached at the hip, and sometimes it really does feel like he's a brother to you. He was always there for you when your other friends weren't, and since you were an only child, he saved you multiples from boredom due to not having anyone to spend time with.

"I'm almost done, I just need you to help me hold this last wall." You walk over to where he's standing, resting your back against the wall as he screws in the last few nails. "Okay, I think that's it," he says, and you both walk back as you take in the new building.

You both tilt your head, the building finally seeming to stand upright. "How'd you manage to make it slanted?" you ask, and Jean sighs as he lets his head fall back in annoyance.

"I don't know," he says, looking through the instructions, and you look to your left as you scoff lightly.

"Well, those look like the foundation pieces," you comment, pointing to the plates that the building is supposed to be on top of. "You did good though, I just don't know how long the building will last."

"Whatever, I'm done. It's hot," he sighs and you bristle as you both start walking towards his house.

"Says the one who said it wasn't even that bad," you argue, and he waves you off.

"That's because the clouds were providing shade." You huff lightly at his weak counter.

"Yeah, okay." Your body nearly goes limp as you feel the cool air wrap around your body when you step into the house, Jean sliding the patio door closed, cutting off the stifling heat. You plop down on the loveseat, sinking down into the plush leather as it cools your heated skin.

"Heads up." You open your eyes in time to see Jean throwing you a bottle of water, and you catch it easily, opening it as he sits down on the couch. "What else are you planning on doing this summer?"

You shrug lazily. "I don't know. Party?" you try, and he raises an eyebrow at you.

"You want to spend the whole summer partying?"

"There's nothing else to do, and Ymir always finds the best parties." You had been friends with her since high school and by your senior year, you were joining her at a different party almost every other weekend. You wouldn't really say it was the best time of your life, but it definitely gave you a distraction from the current dilemma you were having at the time. "Pretty sure there'll be one soon since everyone's coming back. Unless you have any better ideas."

"I guess I'll go to a few, but I don't--"

The sound of the front door opening and an awfully familiar voice cuts Jean off. "Damn, it feels good in here." The dilemma walks into the living room, stopping when he sees you and Jean. "Oh, shit, what're you doing here?"

"At my house? I could ask you the same thing," Jean shoots back at his brother, and you feel a strong urge to leave, running back to your own house. "I thought you were staying in that city, why are you here, Eren?"

Eren fucking Jaeger. The stubborn dilemma you had to deal with all of your life, but it especially got worse to deal with once you got to high school. Probably the textbook definition of a bad boy, the sleeves of tattoos you can see on his arms and the piercings solidify it.

Oh, and he's also your best friend's older step-brother.

He shrugs. "Dunno. Guess I just wanted to come back, glad I did though." You look away when you see him smirk, knowing that last bit was geared towards you.

You stand up quickly, drinking some water in hopes that it hides your nerves well. "I'm starving. You got any food?" you ask Jean as you walk towards the kitchen, purposefully walking the long way so that you don't have to go anywhere near him.

"I don't know, you can look," he calls after you, and you can feel Eren's eyes on you as you walk, suddenly feeling very naked in your shorts and cropped tank top.

When you're in the safety of the kitchen and you hear the conversation between the siblings start, you sigh heavily as you rest your head against the counter. Of course, it would be just your fucking luck that he would come back.

You groan softly in frustration as you lift your head up and grab an orange, peeling it a little more aggressively than you should as you hop onto the counter. You huff slightly as you put a slice into your mouth. This is a total wreck in your plans.

To anyone else, it wouldn't seem like a big deal, but your history with Eren isn't the greatest. Maybe starting with the fact that you started to have a crush on him which ended up only blossoming once you got to high school. And the worst part was that everyone knew it. You know they did, but it's not like you were discreet about it.

You were just a naive teenager that was stupid enough to fall? Maybe not fall for him, but you definitely were stupid enough to think that he could possibly be into you.

Your inner turmoil is only fueled when he walks into the kitchen, you failing to notice that the conversation had stopped. You look down at your legs, swinging them as you continue to eat the orange, trying to focus on anything but the suffocating awkward tension in the room.

You can see him lean against the counter across from the one your sitting on, crossing his foot over his ankle. When you find yourself staring at his thighs and how tight his shorts are, you quickly look away. "So, how ya been?" he asks, and you find yourself rolling your eyes at his poor attempt to make small talk.

"Good," you answer, not even looking up, patting a simple rhythm on your thigh, his strong gaze on you making you feel some type of way. "College was fun," you add.

You hear him chuckle softly. "Yeah? Looks like it treated you really good."

You feel your face flush warm as you look up, and you hate your body still reacts the same way it did years back. It's your turn to take him in, and you bite your lip hesitantly, noticing that college treated him very well.

He does more than fill out his clothes, they're practically like a second skin the way they stretch out over his body. Your eyes trail over his inked arms, trying to make out everything that you can see. He's grown his hair out, it's longer now, opting for putting his hair up in a high bun, the silver piercings shining in the light when he turns his head slightly. Your eyes catch the simple gold chain around his neck, and you realize that you've been staring for too long.

"So, what are you doing here?" you ask, and you're genuinely asking because according to Jean, he wasn't supposed to be here, and you thought this summer was going to be smooth sailing.

"A little birdie told me that you were here, so..." he trails off with a shrug, and you squint your eyes at him.

"So, you came back just for me?"

"What if I told you I did?" You scoff as you toss the orange peel in the trashcan, putting the last two slices in your mouth.

"I would tell you," you start, finishing the slices. "That you're ridiculous." He hums as he smiles at you, moving away from the counter, standing in front of you.

"So, what's the deal with you and my brother anyway?" he questions suddenly, and you shake your head slowly.

"You mean like if I like him or something?" You scoff. "He's my best friend, and he's into someone else anyway."

He nods, his eyebrows creasing as he thinks. "Oh, yeah. That Mikasa chick, right? She's kinda hot."

"What do you want, Eren?" Now you're getting annoyed, and you hate how you feel that tiny fire of jealousy burning in your chest at his comment. He moves closer to you, and you don't even realize that your legs spread to fit his frame.

"There's a lot of things I want," he answers, resting his hands dangerously close to your thighs on the counter.

"Is one of those things to annoy the hell out of me?" you joke, and he chuckles as he nods his head.

"Maybe. That's one."

"A lot of people don't get what they want."

You feel your breathing hitch when he leans in closer to you, close enough that you can feel his breath fanning over your face. "I got all summer to get what I want."

You gulp harshly as you find it difficult to tear your eyes away from his. "What is it?" you ask, your voice a lot more airy than you want it to be.

He tilts his head to the side like he's thinking as you try to find a way out of this situation. "It's more of a who than an it," he tells you, and try to slow your breathing which you didn't even realize had picked up. That's how much of an effect he has on you, and you hate it.

"Well, I hope you get who you're looking for," you respond, but he doesn't move when you shift.

"Eren, leave her alone, she doesn't want anything to do with you," Jean yells from the living room, but Eren's eyes never leave yours as he grins.

"I think you beg to differ," he whispers, and you scoff.

"You would be terribly wrong." And it really is hard to lie when your body is screaming the truth.

"I would?" he questions, keeping his voice low, and you glance to your right, seeing that Jean can't see into the kitchen, and you jump when he pulls you into him by your thighs. Your lower half is touching him, and if you move your legs, they'll tighten around his waist, so you don't move. "You're not a very good liar," he says, his lips just in front of yours, so close that if you even lean in a smidge, you'd be kissing him.

"And that means?"

"Getting you right where I want you won't take all summer." Your mouth falls open slightly as your body goes warm all over. You need to get out of here before you do something you shouldn't.

"Eren, what the hell are you doing?" Eren gives you a wink before he moves away from you.

"Nothing, man. Just making small talk." He crosses his arms as he leans back against the counter, and you find yourself glued to your spot before your brain tells you to move, hopping off the counter, not giving him another look as you walk out of the kitchen, feeling his gaze burning into you.

So much for a relaxing summer.

|Masterlist|Chapter 2|

Taglist: CLOSED

#nothing changed #eren jaeger #eren yaeger #eren jaeger x reader #eren yaeger x reader #eren jaeger x you #eren yaeger x you #aot fanfiction #snk fanfiction

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nutty1005 · 3 years

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Uniquely Him – Xiao Zhan: The biggest monster to defeat is himself

Translator’s Note: This article comes from ELLE Magazine 2019 Jan Issue.

He learned drawing since elementary school, drawing planets and monsters were his obsession, firmly believing in the existence of aliens. As a lively, vivid and exemplary person, he radiates a sense of security from someone dependable, and yet he has a worldly wisdom of one who knows the ways of the world but prefers not to practice it.

He learned drawing since young, drawing planets and monsters were his obsession. When he watched Martians in movies as a child, his wild imagination gave him a battle with monsters. At that time, he was a boy who was especially fascinated with space, and believed firmly that aliens existed. When he saw news on UFOs, he was excited, curious, but also afraid – would the aliens be friendly with us?

After he read “The Three-Body Problem”, this feeling grew stronger. While exclaiming the broadness of the author’s imagination and how grand the universe is, he researched on the theories and explanations in the novel, as well as on astronomy. Xiao Zhan also imagined how the subjects in “The Three-Body Problem” would look like, “looks like an engineer, perhaps he wears spectacles, he must have a highly progressed mind, great mechanical skills, but probably useless in everyday life, just like Sheldon in ‘The Big Bang Theory’.”

The cruel logic behind all the glitz

Seated in front of the window in the hotel room, his long narrow eyes, puffy and red, Xiao Zhan just finished a day’s filming, and was accepting our interview in a layer of thick winter coat. His attitude was polite, and all around him was the vividness of youth – this made a huge impression.

He had his own studio when he was in year 2 of university, and became a designer after graduating – exemplary student Xiao Zhan’s most glorious moment was being able to design logos in projects with his seniors while he was still an intern, and the client eventually chose his design. Life as a designer lasted until 2015 – his university teacher recommended him to participate in “X-Fire” (TN: A talent search variety show) and he debuted, and since then, his life went onto a different track, becoming one of the hottest idols currently.

Actually, the challenge of becoming an artist is not much different from fighting monsters – since you receive flowers and applause, you would also receive gossip and rumors. His life had been smooth sailing till this, and this confused him for a while, “When the competition ended, there was some dissenting voices, I didn’t quite understand then. Now I’m more at peace, because when you choose a career, you need to learn to accept it. People will like you, and there will be people who won’t.”

However, the cruel logic behind all the glitz was something he could not have imagined. “Audiences do not see what you’ve experienced along the way, they would only judge you based on the final results.” He was filming his first period movie, being outdoors in the mountains at -10°C+ was a daily norm, “We’re filming by the river, everyday we could see the ice slowly form up, today the river is totally frozen, we could walk on it. Basically after every scene I have to cover my face with a warm water bag, otherwise my face would be numb from the cold and become uncontrollable.” And because today there was a scene to scream and shout, Xiao Zhan’s voice was already hoarse.

Xiao Zhan could overcome all this suffering and exhaustion well, the biggest monster he wanted to fight were his self imposed restrictions. “Just now I was thinking while doing make-up, that actually celebrities are like a product, packaged by make-up and styles in order to polish this product. I will bring forth my best to my audiences, but yet I don’t want to over package myself, the real me needs to be in it. I wish that everyone, while accepting my glorious exterior as a celebrity, would also accept my flaws and quirks, since after all, I am a vivid person.”

This sincerity and clarity is where Xiao Zhan’s wisdom lies.

“There is no grandiose in my life”

2018 is the year of rapid growth for Xiao Zhan, he had main roles in various dramas, such as “The Wolf”, “Joy of Life”, “The Untamed”, etc – honing his acting and radiating his presence.

As the lead actor in “The Untamed”, Xiao Zhan’s load was heavy and his filming schedule was tight – filming under the ceaseless summer heat in Hengdian, his mind was always tense. The temperatures in the set was as high as 50°C, the make-up could not stay on, and he filmed most scenes barefaced. The most unforgettable scene was a crying scene – Wei Wuxian, portrayed by Xiao Zhan, had an explosive emotional scene after the massacre of the Jiang family. This scene started filming in the morning, he and Jiang Yanli started crying since 7 a.m. and after they were done, their eyes were as swollen as that of goldfishes. Before this, he was filming “The Wolf” – he systematically took performance classes and grew rapidly in during the filming. “Familiar set and environment, learning to adjust to the nerves and tension, especially since there were hundreds of people servicing you on set, you can do no mistakes.” Xiao Zhan radiates this sense of security from someone dependable. “The Wolf” was his first time as a main supporting role, and he was under tremendous pressure during that period, he often dreamed of acting on set. After every scene he would request for everyone to provide feedback, and then he would learn continuously, analyze and quickly adjust.

After that he had his first cat of his life, a munchkin named Jianguo (TN: Jianguo means nut). After the performance teacher learned about this, one of the homework he gave Xiao Zhan was for him to observe his cat. As a cat-lover, he reveled in the it, “I found out some things that I overlooked, like you will find out that when she’s angry, affectionate or hungry her expression and calls are different.” Xiao Zhan was exceptionally loving to his cat – the first thing he did when after a day’s work was to go home and play with his cat. His private life was quiet and simple, he just stays at home. “The feeling of staying at home is like falling into a cloud, you could roll around as you like, there is no pressure.”

“There is no grandiose in my life.” This was what he felt that gave people the sense of security. His parents, while supportive of his career, were also worried, hence Xiao Zhan often communicated with them, sharing his career successes, helping them be at ease.

In the whole conversation, Xiao Zhan had the purity and enthusiasm belonging uniquely to a youth, and there was this sense of extraordinary realness in him. “Whether or not I want to be an idol, I don’t actually have a choice, the label of an idol is already on me, just that I want to slowly shed off the label of an idol, and become an actor accepted by audiences, so that they can see more of my inner self.”

“I especially dislike public proclamations, you have to pace your life.”

ELLE: What type of boyfriend do you think you are? XZ: I am the boyfriend who is more considerate of the other person, if there were to be my other half in the future, when she’s busy, upset or happy, or wants me to do something, I’ll try to accompany her the way she likes it.

ELLE: Are you the gentle puppy type of boyfriend? XZ: There’s definitely a dominating side, but if you were to be dominating everyday, how do you live? When you have the other half, the most important things are responsibility and trust. (After having a cat, do you think you’re a good dad?) I feel yes, from taking care of my cat.

ELLE: What type of girls do you most want to date? XZ: In many interviews before I spoke about warm, gentle and family-loving girls, but I feel that it still comes down to chemistry, and this is something unpredictable.

ELLE: If you are currently dating a girl, how would you hope to spend Valentine’s Day? XZ: Stay at home, and cook together. There’s a phrase about when you love the right person, every day’s Valentine’s Day, why do you have to spend that day in the crowd with everyone. Being an artist is quite particular, and quite tiring, I have to go back to live my life. If everyday has to be vigorous and stirring, there’s no way to live. No one can act everyday, I especially dislike public proclamations, I feel that you have to pace your life.

ELLE: If we give you a holiday now, what would you do? XZ: Go home and rest, with my parents, and then play with my cat.

ELLE: Are you a typical Libra? XZ: I don’t think so, I don’t have difficulties in choosing, when I spot something I want to buy, I’ll just buy. But sometimes I’ll be stuck in things that I care about, for example the scene I did today, if I’m not satisfied with it, I will think about it from morning till night, and annoy the others around me with my nagging.

#xiao zhan #sean xiao #xiaozhan #肖战

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