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coreastories · 4 years

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Lady Noh’s Tea

Part 2 of Little Bean

Noh Ok-nam knew her duty. But she was almost done. She felt at peace. This young lady would never disappoint her. She was strong. Even her fears were the right fears. She was already a wonderful wife and queen. She going to be a wonderful mother.

Even better with:

Three Hours For Chicken

Seo-Ryeong vs Lady Noh

Days and Nights of Forever

Part 5 The Thirteenth Rule

Part 6 The Queen's Horse

And this chapter follows Part 7, The Towelette

On AO3 for kudos and download

Noh Ok-nam was a firm believer in tradition. It was how she made her days useful all her life, what gave her solid ground beneath her feet, and where she could find peace whenever it occurred to her that she might have cheated her destiny.

She rose in the ranks to head court lady in due time, but still too late to be of any use, and tradition and custom was what saved her from lashing out or interfering every time she saw the malice and evil in that illegitimate boy, Lee Lim.

She was thankful for the friendship of Prince Buyeong, and between them, they had guarded the precious little king and made sure he truly survived everything that happened. She had loved Lee Ho, had seen him grow from infant to king and father. He had raised Lee Gon as well as he could, even after his heartbreak of losing his wife.

And now Noh Ok-nam stood poised to see another generation of this royal family she had spent all her life serving and protecting.

She hadn’t escaped her destiny, after all. This was her destiny. To be mother and grandmother and great grandmother to this new young family, one of whom was also from the world Noh Ok-nam had left behind.

The very same young woman now having tea with Ok-nam. It was their little tradition. Whenever their schedules allowed, they had tea in Ok-nam’s room. They talked about whatever came to mind.

Sometimes it was the king. Sometimes it was Korea. And sometimes it was just about the two of them, two women in a different country than the one they knew before.

“Sometimes I wake up in the night terrified that I’ll be sent back,” the queen said.

Ok-nam was astonished but she only nodded. She knew of those terrors. “Drink your tea, Your Majesty.”

“What’s in this?”

“Ginger. Lemon. Honey. It’s good for you.”

“It’s a little strong.” Ok-nam nodded. Maybe it was too late in the day now to serve this tea, when the queen was no longer feeling queasy. She poured a fragrant and mild lemon balm white tea instead. “Does His Majesty wake up when you have those nightmares?”

The queen shook her head as she dipped her head in thanks for the new cup. “I don’t make any noise. I just suddenly come awake and my chest feels like I chased a perp down ten blocks. Did you ever feel like this?”

“Oh yes. In my first few months here. And now and then throughout my first decade. That was usually when I just got up and started work. They all thought I was hardworking but I was just escaping those thoughts of… displacement.”

The queen smiled. “I usually just hug Gon and I’m all right.”

Ok-nam smiled. “That’s good. That’s right. He’s the reason you’re here. Trust that.”

The queen tucked her chin in that beautiful way Ok-nam found so charming, and she was quiet for several moments, staring at her teacup.

When she looked up, she had a hesitant expression on her face. Ok-nam held her breath. Was the queen finally telling her the sweet secret?

The queen took a deep breath and said, “Gon and I are going to the doctor today. And then I want to talk to you immediately after-- after we tell you--”

Someone clapped once, and Ok-nam was horrified to realize it was her. She unclasped her hands and held them out to the queen, this young woman who had come in their lives so suddenly yet so irrevocably. Ok-nam smiled when the queen gave her hands to her. Ok-nam squeezed them.

“I’ll see you as soon as you arrive. Stop looking like you’re facing something dreadful. You are brave. You are the queen. This is your place now, and no one and nothing can take you away.”

When Ok-nam saw tears glimmer in those eyes, she knew she’d said what the queen needed to hear. Ok-nam never had a family while she was here. She had served this family instead, and she supposed her sense of duty filled her days and gave her peace at night.

But what would she have felt if she had planted roots here, roots that she would be terrified of being wrenched from under her?

That was what the queen faced now, what the queen had faced the moment she agreed to marry the king.

No wonder the poor child woke up from it in the night.

Ok-nam only had residual terror at the thought of having to go back to that terrible world she left behind.

But the queen had real terror at the thought of leaving this world because she belonged to another, especially now when she was planting roots, roots that were about to become even more precious.

This realization made Ok-nam drink the queen’s abandoned tea herself. The ginger felt good. Very bracing. And then even as she planned what to say to the queen, her mouth was already pulling up into a huge smile.

It was wonderful!

Those talismans worked so well.

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

Ok-nam was pacing around the king and queen’s study when they finally arrived. They were holding hands, and the queen had to look ruefully at the king when he still wouldn’t let go so she could remove her light coat.

Ok-nam smiled and went over to help. The king turned to her with a beaming smile.

“Have we got news for you.”

“Oh, just tell me! I already know anyway.”

The king grinned. “Tae-Eul is pregnant.”

Ok-nam smiled wider, at the wonderful news, at the culmination of her hopes, and at how proud and gleeful the king sounded. “How far along now?”

The king led the queen to a chair while he answered. “Six weeks. We first found out four weeks ago and we confirmed it with Dr Chae two weeks ago, but we wanted to keep it to ourselves for a bit. Everything’s good. She has a touch of anemia. That’s why she feels cold sometimes. She just needs to eat more red meat and eggs and green vegetables. I’ll take care of it. I want more fresh edamame and spinach in my kitchen. Collard greens. Sweet potatoes. Anything dark green. And I’ll ask Noona how often you can eat liver without negative side effects. Do you even like liver? Maybe you can get your vitamin A from cod liver oil instead. Why aren’t you talking? Are you feeling alright?”

Tae-Eul just stared at him and then exchanged a wry look with Ok-nam, who found herself giggling. Giggling!

The happy news had caught up with her, and she was giddy and delighted. Both the king and queen watched her as she laughed. She shook her head at them fondly as she finished. She sighed. She was happy.

“Calm down, Pyeha. I’ll take care of the kitchen supplies. And you, Mama, we’ll take care of you.” She went to the queen and boldly took the young woman’s hands without asking first. Hands that were a little cold again.

“You have made us so happy. May the heavens bless you and this child with a thousand blessings.”

The queen bowed to that formal blessing, exchanging a smile with the king behind Ok-nam. Ok-nam felt her heart grow warm when she felt the king’s arm around her shoulder.

Then the queen said, “I need to talk to Lady Noh for a second. Can you excuse us?”

The king hesitated only for a second, then Ok-nam felt him kiss her temple, and then the king went to his wife and did the same to her. “I’ll be back with a snack. Anything you have in mind?”

“Fried chicken. Can you do that?”

The king looked a little dubious. “I’ll see what I can do.”

When the king was gone, the queen sighed. She was still holding Ok-nam’s hands like a lifeline, and now she squeezed them.

“What is it, Your Majesty?” Ok-nam asked.

“Oh, I hope he pulls it off. Maybe he can find a recipe online. He can just order it, of course, but I don’t like any of the chicken places here.” Ok-nam blinked. “I mean, what is troubling you, Your Majesty? You said you were going to talk to me as soon as you returned.”

The queen blinked back. “Oh. Oh yes.” And then she spoke in a rush as if the words had been going over and over in her mind and it was a relief to let them out.

“This is all right, isn’t it? You’ve lived here for decades and you were fine. Seo-gyeong is in New Zealand and she’s fine. I can have a baby, right? Nothing bad will happen to this baby because his or her mom isn’t supposed to be here? I’m already anemic. I’ve never been anemic before. What if I’m not supposed to do this? We know the worlds weren’t supposed to intersect, and Gon and I have already dared so much, but then he deserves to be happy after everything he’s done, and I’m not going to leave him. But what if we were too selfish? When I married him I already knew I wanted a family with him-- but-- but--”

Ok-nam let go of the queen’s hands so the queen could wipe the tears that had escaped down her cheeks. When she was done, Ok-nam took her hands again. “Your Majesty. Tae-Eul-ah. Look at me.” Standing as she was, and with her height decreasing with her increasing age, she was eye to eye with the seated queen. Ok-nam loved those eyes. They were so open, and this meant the queen was open to everything, including fear.

“Your Majesty, mild anemia is very common in pregnancy. It’s because all your blood is growing this new soul. I’m sure Dr Chae told you that. If you forget anything your doctor says, call her. Ask her.”

She squeezed the queen’s hands. “We won’t announce the pregnancy until it’s at twelve weeks. That’s tradition and custom. It’s to make sure we don’t insult any deities with lack of respect at their power during the first twelve weeks. You’ll be fine. We’ll take very good care of you.”

Ok-nam already had the right talismans in mind, and she would call the shaman as soon as she was done assuring her queen.

“You belong here. You are supposed to be here. You are the queen of the Kingdom of Corea. You are the mother of the next kings of Corea. After I first saw you, do you know what I dreamed about that night? A crescent moon. A crescent moon turning into a brilliant, blinding sun. It was such a clear dream and it kept returning to me for several nights, and it was what I dreamed of on the night of your wedding-- What is it? Why do you look like that?”

The queen was staring at Ok-nam with her mouth agape. She closed her mouth. She looked a little pale. “I dreamed of a crescent moon too, just before I came here-- and it did turn into a sun. I thought it was night turning into day, which was just how I felt because I would no longer have to leave Gon.”

Ok-nam smiled and moved her hands to the queen’s cheeks, half in fondness and half in an attempt to bring color to those cheeks.

“Do you know what it means? The shaman told me that it means new beginnings. The crescent moon is either waning or waxing-- it means change. It means dreams turning into reality. And if it turns into the sun, it means glory and power. Someone achieving their destiny or dream.

“Does it feel like that for you? It does for me. Because with your coming and with you becoming queen, it certainly seems like I’ve fulfilled my destiny of taking care of the king. My work is done and he is no longer alone. You will care for him next. And that means you belong here. You are the queen. This is your place, and becoming a mother is one of the sweetest parts of it. Do you understand?”

The queen was gently crying now, but Ok-nam wasn’t worried. She heard relief and joy in those soft sobs.

Ok-nam wiped the tears and did something she had only dared twice before: once when eight-year-old Gon was asleep absolutely exhausted from grief, and once when twenty-two-year-old Gon was asleep and about to leave for the Navy the next day.

She kissed the queen’s cheek.

The queen smiled tremulously and also kissed her on the cheek. Ok-nam smiled. She felt at peace. This young lady would never disappoint her. She was strong. Even her fears were the right fears. She was already a wonderful wife and queen. She was going to be a wonderful mother.

“What did you do to her?”

Ok-nam startled a little when the king came striding over, abandoning a trolley at the open door. He was looking incredulously between the two of them, and he went straight to the queen. “Why are you crying?”

“I’ll tell you later. Do you have my fried chicken already?”

“It’s coming. I brought Lady Noh’s tea first and some sweets. Do you want some while we wait for the chicken?”

“If you had them order the fried chicken, where did you order? Because I only like the one in Seoul here.”

“It’s the same chicken in the branches in Busan.”

“No, it’s not. I told you--”

Ok-nam poured the tea and then left them alone. The king already had that look on his face that said he needed to be alone with his queen and everyone else had better scram or just face what they witnessed.

Ok-nam made a mental note to ask about that chicken the queen liked from Seoul.

But first, the shaman.

#CoreaFiction #CoreaNews #RoyalBaby #the king eternal monarch #the king: eternal monarch

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artificialqueens · 4 years

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A Vampire in Paris: Part 3 (Gigi/Crystal) - Chae

A/N: well this took ten times longer than i expected… so sorry for the wait! (was anyone waiting? idk) hopefully I can update this at LEAST once a week for now ee. anyway thank you all so much for the support on the first two chapters, i’m so glad people enjoy my wacky fashion-vampire fantasy

Summary: Gigi has an… interesting encounter with the supermodel trio and makes some big changes with Crystal

—-

Well, this was a situation.

Gigi broke out into a slight sweat as Aquaria, Naomi, and Valentina peered right into her soul at the cafe. She smiled awkwardly as she took a sip of water, seemingly the only one who actually drank… or ate. And she was eating a salad! In Paris! What the fuck were they looking at her like that for?!

The youngest model was still tired from the previous night, trying to push down her discomfort with happy thoughts of kissing Crystal. The ginger had tried desperately to look her best for her lunch date with the supermodels, shocked that they still didn’t seem impressed. After a long bout of silence as the three older girls eyed Gigi eating, Valentina piped up across from her.

“Gigi… what’s that short for?”

The aforementioned girl swallowed a lettuce leaf. “Genevieve. Genevieve Regina Goode.”

“That sounds like a movie character,” the tan beauty laughed. “I like your name.”

“Thanks. How did you get Valentina?”

“What do you mean? That’s just my name.”

“Oh,” Gigi cringed internally.”What’s your last name?”

“Hm, it’s been so long I don’t remember,” the girl smiled dopily as Aquaria slapped her arm next to her, annoyed. Gigi raised an eyebrow and Aquaria smiled fakely.

“We don’t really use our last names, except for Naomi because hers is easy,” the blonde said through her teeth, glaring at Valentina. The latter looked, confused, between Gigi and Aquaria. From next to her, Gigi could sense Naomi giving Valentina a look as well.

“Oh!” She finally said, her face contorting into realization. “Yeah, we don’t use them,” the latina nodded.

Gigi looked down, feeling as if she’d stumbled onto something she shouldn’t have—which was exactly what she wanted. Maybe she should press further…

“Why haven’t you guys eaten? These salads have a lot of good vitamins and stuff. I know we’re pressured into being like a size-negative-ten but what you ordere-”

“We already ate,” Naomi interrupted. “And if you feel self-conscious, sweets, don’t. Salads are good for you.”

“And you won’t have to worry about it much longer,” Valentina added earnestly. However, her kind… sentiment (?)… was not appreciated by the other two.

“Oh my god, shut up!” Aquaria whacked her on the back of the head. “You wanna get fired or something?!”

“I’m sorry guys,” Gigi tried to stop the drama. “I didn’t mean to intrude on whatever is happening-”

“No, no no! It’s not your fault,” Naomi explained, placing a freezing cold hand on Gigi’s shoulder. “It’s just that Valentina…”

“Valentina doesn’t know what she’s talking about, doll,” Aquaria smiled.

“Guuuuys I’m sorry!” Valentina whined. “I just keep forgetting she’s not a va-”

“Member of our team!” Aquaria shouted. “She’s not a member of our team,” the Italian jerked her head to the side, leaning towards Valentina and whispering something in her ear. The brunette’s eyebrows curved upwards as she whispered frantic sorries to her friend, who appeared absolutely venomous. Naomi rolled her eyes.

“We should head out and do some shopping, no? Maybe Val will be distracted by all the shiny things,” Naomi got up, rifling through her small purse for cash. Gigi nodded, just wanting to get out of this situation as soon as she could.

Soon enough, they were browsing at a beauty store—and yes, Valentina was distracted by the sparkly eyeshadows (go figure). Gigi wandered away from her ‘friends’ to the hair section, nearly passing by the dyes before a thought popped into her head. She grabbed two boxes of color and a toner off the shelf and smiled, paying for her items before finding the rest of the group.

“Bought stuff already?” Aquaria looked at Gigi’s bag quizzically.

“It’s not makeup or anything, just had to restock,” the redhead lied.

“Oh, nice,” the blonde turned back to the lipstick she was trying on. Gigi filled the silent air by perusing the makeup counters, trying to not look too interested.

Naomi was texting someone with a coy smile plastered on her face, causing Gigi to remember something else odd she hadn’t addressed yet.

“Aquaria?” She asked.

“Hm?”

“How did you get my number? I never found out.”

“Right. I asked Adore.”

“Adore doesn’t have my number…”

“Adore has everyone’s number,” she snapped, clearly looking annoyed. Gigi shrunk back and bit her lip. “The bitch has her ways,” Aquaria added.

“Can’t Fame access everyone’s data n’ stuff?” Valentina said offhandedly.

“What? Fame? Like Miss Fame?”

“Valentina, I’m going to rip your head off and smash it with my stiletto,” Aquaria threatened.

“I thought Fame was… dead?” Gigi pressed.

“She is.”

Both Naomi and Aquaria looked the new model dead in the eyes, not a hint of intonation in their voices. Valentina, once again, looked at them confusedly, but held her tongue. Gigi felt the same glare that Raven had pierce her soul once again, and decided that enough was enough of these creeps. She stole away into the next aisle and ordered an Uber to pick her up ASAP. She peeked over the display and told the girls she was going to the bathroom, to which they nodded in unison without leaving their tasks. On that note, Gigi slinked out of the store and as far down the street as her heeled feet would take her.

She texted Crystal as she waited for the Uber, impatiently tapping her foot on the concrete ground.

Sexy Robot🥵🤖

heyyy, wanna meet up at your place? i have a surprise

Hot Clown🤡🔥

DUH OMG u know I can’t wait

when are u comin?

Sexy Robot🥵🤖

I’ll be there in like 20 mins

Hot Clown🤡🔥

I can’t wait to see u🥺🥺🥺

Sexy Robot🥵🤖

keep your panties on, boss

Hot Clown🤡🔥

Don’t ever call me boss again you whore

Sexy Robot🥵🤖

only for u ;)

Gigi smiled as her Uber finally arrived, excited to talk to Crystal after what happened the night prior. She’d not only had a steamy makeout session with a hot designer, she’d kissed the girl she liked when they were both semi-sober-ish. Her happiness was short-lived, though, when she received a text from Aquaria on a group chat she’d been added to. She exhaled nervously as she shut the car door, telling the driver where to go.

Hottest Hoes in Paris⭐️⭐️

Aquafina

Has anyone seen Gigi?

You’ve been in the bathroom an awful long time bitch

French Vanilla Fantasy

no :(

did she leave?!

GIGI WHERE ARE YOU

Bebe Badde

aaaa sorry guys I wasn’t feeling well!

LegsLegsLegsLegs

Awe babe you should have told us

Feel well soon

French Vanilla Fantasy

i send all my love to you!! 💛💘💚💘❤️💝💚💞💓❤️💘

Aquafina

Ya feel better!

Gigi sighed, having successfully escaped the strangest outing she’d ever been on. The drive to Fatelle was shorter than she’d expected, the model barely realizing she had reached her destination before paying the driver and nearly leaping out of the car. She sped into the lobby, saying hi to Adore before bounding to the elevator. She was almost giddy at the prospect of seeing Crystal again, unfamiliar with having a crush this strong. Gigi felt like she and Crystal fit together like puzzle pieces: anything she didn’t have, the designer did, and vice versa. But they still came together in the same picture, with the same values and dreams and—gosh, they were a match made in heaven.

Gigi gripped the shopping bag as she reached Crystals floor, finding her room (Crystal had texted her where she lived a few days prior) and knocking on the door. It opened almost immediately to a grinning Crystal, dressed in cute casual clothes and fluffy ugg slippers.

“What’s the surprise?” She said right away, letting the younger girl inside.

“First of all, hi,” Gigi rolled her eyes, giving the shorter girl a quick peck on the cheek. “Second of all, you’ll see. Third of all — you will not believe the day I’ve had.”

“Dang, it’s two PM!”

“And shits wild!”

“Spill.” Crystal plopped on the couch, motioning for Gigi to join her. The ginger kicked her shoes off and made herself comfortable, propping her tired legs on the coffee table.

“So I met up with Aquaria and Naomi and Valentina…”

“No way!”

“Yes, Aqua invited me. And it was insane.”

“How?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I think Fatelle is the Illuminati?”

“Honestly, with some of the shit that’s been going on…”

“Right?! Okay, they literally kept saying Miss Fame might be alive?”

“She’s alive in my heart, but… it’s been a whole century.”

“And they acted like it was real! And then Valentina said that I wouldn’t have to eat soon?“

“What? Why?”

“Like I wouldn’t physically need to eat.”

“That’s fucking weird.”

“It was the strangest thing. Am I in the Twilight Zone?”

“Maybe you’re in the Twilight! Edward or Jacob?”

“Edward.”

“Good choice. Edward.”

The two shared a chuckle, Crystal’s eyes flitting to the bag Gigi had brought.

“Is that the surprise?”

Gigi smirked, getting up and pulling out a box of bleach, purple toner, and a box of natural red dye. “Don’t think I didn’t remember what you said!”

“No! Oh my gosh you’re the best!” Crystal grabbed her dye and grinned widely, eyes crinkled in a cute way. “We have to do this now.”

“Raven’s gonna be pisssssed,” Gigi remembered, not really caring anyway.

“Raven is basically Edward’s cousin, who cares?”

“Oh shit she is like Edwards’ cousin! Bitch looks all pale and dark haired and ooky and spooky.”

“My mind.”

“Your mind.”

The two made their way to the bathroom, opening their goodies and setting up to do each other’s hair. Crystal wrapped a towel around Gigi’s shoulders, knowing her process would be much more time consuming.

“Have you done hair before?” The model asked as Crystal mixed up the bleach.

“For sure, I dyed my hair back to brown so I could look professional when I came here,” she laughed. “I had neon green before, remember?”

“Right!”

Gigi couldn’t say she wasn’t nervous when Crystal began applying the dye to the ends of her hair, but trusted the designers judgement and vision. It was her fashion show, after all. The older girl worked quickly, yet thoroughly. She was used to working with her difficult curly hair, so it was easy for her to comb through Gigi’s nearly-straight locks. Strand by strand, she painted the bleach on with her gloved hands, unaware that her work was nearly causing Gigi to fall asleep at the calming feeling of her hair being lightly tugged. She model nearly dozed off when Crystal started massaging her scalp to make sure the roots were coated. Finally, Crystal was happy with her work, snapping Gigi back into reality when she placed a shower cap over the models head.

“Sleepyhead, you’ve gotta do my hair now,” Crystal discarded her latex gloves, brushing the back of her hand against Gigi’s cheek. “In half an hour you gotta take a shower with the toner, and then when you’re done, I take a shower and then we both have new hair!”

“I have a suggestion,” Gigi yawned. “Why don’t you keep giving me a head massage and I go to bed?”

“If you want your hair to fall out, sure.”

Gigi rolled her eyes, getting up to open the red box dye. She took out the components, following directions to mix the bottles together and shake it up. Apprehensively, she started squeezing the fluid all over Crystal’s hair and running it through the coils. “Is this right?”

“Just make sure every strand is coated, but yeah!” she smiled at Gigi through the mirror, and Gigi smirked back.

“So, do we need to talk about last night at all?” the model asked as she worked.

“Do you think we need to?”

“I mean, if we’re on the same page, no.”

“Are we?”

“What’s the definition of the same page, then?”

“Um… I liked kissing you?”

“Good, then we’re definitely on the same page,” Gigi blushed. She looked in the mirror for a second and laughed. “I look like a lunch lady!”

“Shush, you look pretty no matter what.”

“Says you, Crystalline Elizabeth.”

“Says the model, Genevieve Regina!”

“Oh. Well.”

“You bitch! You’re supposed to tell me how great I am.”

“Crystal Methyd, you are perfect.”

“I know I am.”

“Who’s the bitch now, bitch?”

This went on as Gigi finished applying the color to Crystal’s hair, placing her own cap over the voluminous mass of hair. Crystal checked the time. “You should go take a shower, Gi. And make sure to leave that toner on for ten minutes!”

“Got it,” she replied as Crystal exited the luxury bathroom into the bedroom.

“I’ll leave you out some comfy clothes, hm?”

“What, you wanna cuddle and watch movies with me later?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Thank god. I’ll see you soon,” Gigi leaned in for another quick peck on the cheek, a new habit she’d grown quite fond of. She shut the door and turned on the tap, waiting for the water to warm up before undressing and stepping inside.

Gigi was tired, but the steam against her skin helped balance her energy once again. She removed the shower cap, eyes widening at how light her hair was. She was used to her red hair turning almost-black when wet, but it was now a dirty brown color under the water. The dry strands were a nearly-white yellow. This will take some adjusting to, she thought as she quirted a glob of toner in her hands. She worked it through her hair for a couple minutes, careful to get every last bit. The next ten minutes were spent trying to keep her head out of the shower whilst keeping her body in, which was a difficult task that often left Gigi shivering without the warmth of the water on her body, only to put her arm or leg back in.

The model stepped out of the glass shower into the bathroom that was nearly identical to her own. She wiped the fog away from the mirror and stood, as she did, scanning her body. She was healthy, but extraordinarily petite. Many her size would have bones jutting out, maybe even appearing emaciated, but not Gigi. Her figure was all smooth lines and gentle curves. She had a waist and hips, but they certainly weren’t defined. Her breasts followed the outer curves of her chest, small and close together. She was a model. She looked like a model.

Gigi grabbed a towel once she noticed the goosebumps on her arms, using it to dry off and then wrapping it around herself. She decided to use the hairdryer as well, since apart from her hair taking forever to dry on its own, she wanted to see what it looked like now. As her locks returned to their normal state, Gigi could see that Crystal did a near-perfect job. Her hair was evenly colored a light-barbie-doll blonde all around — not too yellow, not too silver. She certainly looked like a barbie doll. She felt like one.

The girl exited the bathroom into the attached bedroom, calling out to Crystal that she was done. She found a set of satin pajama shorts and a shirt, surprised that the designer owned something so fancy. She changed quickly, feeling more than comfortable in this outfit.

As Crystal took her time in the bathroom, Gigi grew… bored. She felt lonely scrolling through Instagram all by herself, so she shut off her phone and sank back into the couch. Her eyes flickered from the ceiling, to the window, to the TV, and finally, to the bedroom entryway. Gigi wasn’t really the mischievous type, but hey, when in Paris. She smirked as she got up, starting by looking through Crystal’s dresser. Nothing of importance, really: just makeup, underwear (oh hey, those were garters… she wondered what those would look like on Crystal…), stacks and stacks of jewelry. So the model opted to look through the closet, a favorite activity of hers. Crystal’s wardrobe nearly burned Gigi’s eyes out when she first opened the doors. Colors and patterns everywhere, unorganized platform shoes falling over the floor. It was so bad, it was beautiful. Gigi began with the shoes, definitely wanting to steal some of them for herself.

As she got lost in Crystal’s fashion tastes, she failed to hear the shower shutting off and Crystal entering the bedroom, the newly-ginger letting out a yelp as she realized Gigi was there. The younger girl whipped around to see Crystal attempting to cover herself up with her hands, flustered beyond belief at the fact that she was…

butt naked.

#rpdr fanfiction #gigi goode #crystal methyd #crygi #aquaria #valentina #naomi smalls #lesbian au #supernatural au #fluff #a vampire in paris #chae #concrit welcome #submission #s12

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mikachu1122 · 4 years

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rules:tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better! thanks for the tag @devllishy

top 3 ships: Klance (unfortunately sdakhf), Percabeth, Rinshi (is that the right name?)

last movie: Venom, i wasnt sure how it was going to be, but i LOVED it

lipstick or chapstick: chapstick, ya girl needs it in the cold weather, aslo because i play reed instruments i cant wear lipstick to concerts so i just dont have any *shrug*

last song: Cold Youth - Nearby

reading: nothing right now. i need to read the third book of magnus chase i just havent had the motivatonnnnn

watching: a few new animes like The Ascendance of a bookworm and SAO (i know, but like, alicization has been pretty good), but also My hero academia! i love it so much!

totally spies or powepuff girls: totally spies 100%. i never really got into powerpuff girls.

tagging: @o-i-have-too @oresha23 @loganthehippie @chae-the-cat @frigidlyauthorial @princess-kidatheart17 @aim4dream @ginger-le-gay @mobilesuitgundam79

#dont feel pressured to do this if you dont want!#also whoever wants to join in totally can!#tag game #mika babbles

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16-233 · 6 years

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On whether Only “Chinese/Chinese-American” actors should play “Chinese” characters

I see this discussion come up very often in the casting stage for shows, such as the debate of the father role in ABC's Fresh Off the Boat being played by a Korean American Randall Park, and how Jamie Chung wanted to audition for Crazy Rich Asians but was turned down because she wasn’t Chinese.

So first of all, unless a segment in the show/movie requires the actor to speak Mandarin/Canto to his family, and the actor utterly fucking failed at the task and broke immersion for the viewers who speak Mandarin/Canto, the fact that he "looks not Chinese" would not fucking even matter.

I’m only speaking for the Chinese “ethnicity/identity” here so don’t take this as me justifying Chinese actors taking Japanese roles if Japanese people have a problem with it. (Even though usually it’s because Japanese ppl looks down on Chinese and think we are unworthy of playing a Japanese person, but let’s not touch that for now)

It is possible to be ethnically “Korean” or a myriad of other things (such as Russian) and be Chinese.

In the instance of the father in Fresh off the Boat, 朝鲜族 (Korean Ethnicity) is one of the 56 ethnicities officially recognized by the Chinese government, and there's almost 2 million of them in China (mostly in the northeast, but people migrate to Tier1/2 cities all the time).

They've been living in China since the fucking Qing dynasty (and possibly earlier) and identify as "Chinese".

“But the family in the show is Taiwanese not Mainland Chinese!!” you say?

Well, guess what, there's been this thing in the 40s called the Chinese Civil War. Like a bunch of people escaped to Taiwan with the KMT because the commies won and pretty much it's the entire fucking reason Taiwan and China are separate entities. People of all ethnicities were in the KMT army dudes. Do you know Qi Yu and her brother Qi Qin? If you are Taiwanese, ask your parents who they are, they probably know. They are both ethnic Manchus. If there are Manchu people in Taiwan (who may or may not have--but most likely have--immigrated there with the KMT because the ancestral land for the Manchu people are way up north... in fact, there’s a border dispute between South Korea and China because the Korean “holy mountain” and the Manchu “holy mountain” is the same thing) then there's no reason why the father in the show couldn't be ethnic Korean. (Even if during the war, most ethnic Koreans sided with the Communists... according to the Communists. lol.)

Plus, it is completely possible for a Taiwanese person of Northern Chinese descent to have Korean blood in them and still be unaware of it and identify as Han or Man.

由于地缘和中国与朝鲜半岛历史上的紧密关系，朝鲜族长期在中国东北地区或聚居或与其他民族杂居。早期到来的朝鲜人多汉化或者旗化，归化为汉族或满族。中国现代朝鲜族大多是19世纪后迁入中国的朝鲜族人的后裔。

Due to proximity in geography and the close history between China and the Korean Peninsula, Korean people has been living in the Chinese Northeast in self-segregated and integrated communities for a long time. The earliest arrivals had mostly assimilated with the Han or Manchu, and identify as ethnic Han or Manchu. The contemporary "Ethnic Koreans" are often descendants of the immigrants that came after the 19th century.

(x)

This is not a case of "all Asians are interchangeable", that's equivalent to, like, casting a Han Chinese person to play an Indian person (or a Malaysian or Filipino, but that gets messy because there are actually people of Han Chinese descent living in those countries) or casting a Korean person to play a Thai character (also can get messy because there are a good number of pale Thai people... but you get the gist). A korean person playing a Chinese character is no different from a British person being cast to play a German, or a Swede being cast to play French--or some other generic "white" nationality.

It's different than casting an Indian actor to play Han/Han-resembling Chinese... which would be like casting a fucking ginger to play someone from the Mediterranean.

Let's not pretend Koreans aren't already playing people of Han Chinese descent in CHINESE dramas. There's 蔡琳, who actually changed her name from 朴蔡琳 (Park Chae-rim) so that her name would sound more "Chinese" to get her career to take off in China. And I really dunno why she chose to do that because Park Hae-jin did plenty well (he was in a couple of Chinese dramas in 2011, before he did My Love From The Star) without changing his name. Then there's Choo Ja-hyun and many more lesser-known Koreans working in the Chinese entertainment industry.

On the reverse, there are also tons of ethnic Han Chinese actors working in Korea, like Song Xi and Han Geng.

So the precedent has already been set and it wasn't set by white people.

Chinese people don't all look like what the Han ethnic look like. China is a civilization-state made up of 56, again, 56 different ethnicities. Someone can appear middle-eastern and be Chinese. Someone can appear Persian and be Chinese. Someone can appear white and be Chinese.

See this person?

She doesn't look "Chinese" does she? Well she is. She is a Tajik living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and before you say "Xinjing is not part of China"... if she doesn't identify as Chinese, then why the fuck is she working in the Chinese police department (anti-terrorism division)? It's perfectly normal for someone to be Tajik or Uyghur and self-identify as Chinese, just like its normal for someone to be ethnic Han and believe in Uyghur/Tibetan Independence. (Though the Xinjiang situation is WAY messier because there are many more ethnic minorities in that region, not just Uyghurs, and the Uyghurs are laying claims to certain lands inhabited by the Kazakhs and Tajiks, plus some Uyghur identify as Chinese (for example, the capital Ürümqi is divided between two sides, the south side is inhabited mostly of Uyghur with separatist sentiments while the North is inhabited by people who believe in unity with China.))

The tajik people look like this:

More photos from an English source here, and their histories here.

If you are Han Chinese, they probably look nothing like you, but they are not LESS Chinese than you. Their ancestors have been living in the land that's been under the rule of Tang, Yuan, Ming, Qing, and People's Republic of China.

In fact, the Tajiks are actually famous for being extremely patriotic since the Tang dynasty. They were autonomous but was akin to a vassal state and kept their sworn oath to the Emperor of "China" during many foreign invasions.

Speaking of Russians... It's also possible to be ethnic Russian and be Chinese. Guess what, "Russian" is one of the 56 ethnic groups! They live in northern China and mostly Northeastern China, however, there are groups of them in the Xinjiang region.

(look at dat Haier brothers sticker on their cabinet XD dat is so 90s Chinese...)

The ethnic Russians first came to China in the 18th century, and more of them came in the 19th century due to turmoil in their homeland. Some of them married with Han or Mongol and became more mixed, while some of them still looks... Russian.

The Tartars are also an ethnic group living in Western China.

So if a show was about a girl from the far north or northwestern China and they hired a Russian girl, if she could speak fluent Chinese (with Dongbei accent =w= ), it’s not AS problematic as, say... Emma Stone playing a white-passing hapa in Hawaii.

What about South-east Asians playing “Chinese”?

These are the Wa people of southern China. Who looks like this:

(more on google image)

A southeast Asian actor could probably play a Wa Chinese (who would be from southern China), because there are Wa people in Thailand and Vietnam and Myanmar/Burma.

For certain ethnic groups, sometimes they identify with their ethnicity first. So say a Wa person moves to America, he or she might identify with other Southeast Asians of the same descent and simply say she's "wa" instead of "Chinese", while some will say they are Chinese. I've seen Hakka Chinese from Fujian identify as Hakka first when asked, instead of Chinese, even though the Hakka people are often regarded as the "purest/oldest" Han-Chinese lineage in China (because northerners mixed with the Xianbei people before Tang and Mongol/Manchu people after Song and Ming).

Using "Chinese" as a racial signifier to mean "Han and Han-passing ethnic groups" when you are Han Chinese is as messed up as a white person saying his "race" is "American". "Chinese" indicates where you come from and it's an indication of culture sphere/assumption of lineage (again, it is the ASSUMPTION of lineage. It's like picking out a dude in a crowd and using "he" pronouns for him because cis people account for like over 90% of the population). It is NOT the end-all be-all of one's outward appearance and ethnicity.

The actual Chinese word for "people of Chinese descent" is 华裔. It comes from the world 中华, which is derived from 华夏. "华" started as Han-exclusive, and it was meant to contrast against all other groups of people who were given derogatory names (such as 蛮夷, 鞑子, etc) because they were considered barbaric and uncivilized. (i.e 服章之美谓之华,有礼节之大故称夏)

This word hasn't been Han-exclusive since Han people started assimilating other ethnic groups (we were doing white people shit before American white people did white people shit) during their expansion or when Han people are conquered. (For example, a group of Xianbei people conquered the Han people but their leader commanded his people to learn the Han language and culture and pretty much assimilated his people with the Han, the same group of people went on to become the Sui and Tang dynasties.)

“华人”一词最初指汉族，但随着华夏文明扩展到全国各地，“华人”的概念渐由当初单指华夏族，扩展到受中华文明影响的周边少数民族身上。并成为了全体中华民族之人的代称，其下包括了“中国人”以及海外“华侨”。

"Hua ren" at first meant the Han ethnic, but as Chinese (Huaxia) culture spreads, the definition of "Huaren" became inclusive to the minority ethnic groups that were influenced by/assimilated into the culture, it became an identifier for all who identify as Zhong Hua Min Zu (Chinese National or of Chinese National Origins).

Like literally the meaning of “Chinese” in the Chinese sense is super blurry and made even blurrier in English because there just isn’t the vocabulary for it. In the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋), the definition of being “Chinese” is literally: ”夷狄用諸夏禮則諸夏之“ (If a barbarian uses the etiquette of the Chinese nation, he is Chinese) So like, according to this definition, if a white person who follows Chinese customs in life can self-identify as Chinese. I know some people must have an aneurysm with this but like, I didn’t make the rules.

Words like "Chinese American" "Chinese Singaporean" and "Chinese Indonesian" indicate where one's ancestors came from. One can be Miao (note here for Hmong readers) and "Chinese Singaporean", one can be Buyi and "Chinese Indonesian".

If you use "Chinese" to signify something specifically Han, and especially in a context regarding one's appearance, even if you don't mean to be racist (because remember, the original Han-exclusive definition of "hua" automatically assumes superiority over other ethnic groups, and the whole reason Hmong people outside of China would like to be referred to as Hmong instead of "Miao" has to do with this exact issue) and exclusionary, it can be racist and exclusionary. Either you use "Chinese" to mean all people who identify as Chinese and are recognized by the Chinese government as Chinese, or you say "Han Chinese" or "Hakka Chinese" or "Hmong/Miao Chinese" instead of using simply "Chinese" when you mean han + han-passing.

It's exactly like saying "Asian" when you just mean "just East Asian, not the brown people", like... just don't.

#chinese culture #chinese media #chinese ethnicity #whitewashing #diversity in media #randall park #jamie chung #representation in media

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unwritrecipes · 3 years

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Chicken, Snow Pea and Cashew Stir-Fry

Dropping in here mid-week to make your life a little easier and more delish with this Chicken, Snow Pea and Cashew Stir-Fry. Tonight, it’s take-in!!

Stir-fries are just perfect for weeknight dinners. I’m a huge fan of them (see below). Sure, you do have to spend some time chopping and mixing, but the actual cooking time usually only takes a few minutes and you don’t have to put on the oven (good for right now!!)

Plus, if you put up a pot of rice to boil as you begin your prep, you can generally make both come out at the same time. Gotta love that multi-tasking!

They’re also extremely flexible and versatile—another big win, when you’re busy and can’t just run out to the store.

Here we’re combining tender white meat chicken with crisp-tender snow pea pods and crunchy cashews, but the truth is that you could swap in almost any veggie you prefer or have on hand and sub in different nuts or leave them out entirely and the dish’ll still be delicious!

And this concludes my mid-week contribution—add stir-fries into your regular repertoire and watch all the happy faces around you, including yours!!

Looking for other stir-fry ideas? How about giving one of these a try? "Noodle-Free Soy Glazed Beef, Green Beans and Bean Sprouts, Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli in Garlic Sauce, Stir-Fry Chicken with Cashews, Dates and Basil, Easy Chicken Pad Thai, Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry with Green Beans and Mushrooms, Mango Chicken and Pepper Stir-Fry, Chicken, Asparagus and Mushroom Stir-Fry, Sweet and Sour Pineapple Chicken, Thai-Style Stir-Fried Eggplant with Garlic-Basil Sauce, Portobello, Carrot and Sugar Snap Peas with Maple Soy Glaze, Jap Chae, Chicken and Basil Stir-Fry, Thai-Style, Spring Veggie Stir-Fry, and Stir-Fry Chicken and String Beans.

Chicken, Snow Pea and Cashew Stir-Fry

Makes 6 servings

You will need a large skillet with a lid that fits tightly.

Prep Time: Under 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided

4 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 rounded teaspoons cornstarch, divided

Kosher salt and black pepper

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

4 tablespoons tamari

4 teaspoons sherry

4 garlic cloves, minced

About a pound snow pea pods, ends trimmed

½ cup roasted and unsalted cashews

The Recipe

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, along with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Add the cubed chicken and toss. Let the chicken sit for 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the broth, tamari, sherry, remaining tablespoons of soy sauce and remaining teaspoon of cornstarch and set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet over high heat. When pan is very hot, add the chicken and all of the marinade along with it and cook the chicken until it is almost cooked through, tossing. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds, so that it does not burn. Now add in the snow peas, toss to coat and cover the pan for about 5 minutes, until the snow peas are cooked but crisp-tender.

4. Stir in the broth mixture and let simmer, cooking for a couple of minutes, and stirring every now and then until the mixture thickens. Now stir in the cashews, let cook for another minute or two and serve. Naturally this is great with rice!

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Chicken Night by Kate McMillan. I subbed in snow peas for the broccoli, doubled the chicken and all the sauce ingredients, cut the ginger, and used tamari instead of oyster sauce.

#Boneless Chicken Breasts #Soy Sauce #Rice Vinegar #Cornstarch #Kosher Salt #Black Pepper #Chicken Broth #Tamari #Sherry #Garlic Cloves #Snow Peas #Cashews

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