#took an hour of yapping back and forth with an artist friend about how to work with it

[stayatsam]

Late train home

(OC, he/him, 1/2/2025)

[hawklanstargazer]

Fractured Diamond Chapter 3

Mondo didn't know how long he sat there. Judging by the stream of sunlight piercing through the cracks of the curtains looming in the corner of his eye, he figured it must be morning or midday. He was going to miss class. Or maybe he already did. Maybe the morning bell hadn't rung yet. Or maybe he slept through it. None of these thoughts bothered Mondo in the slightest. He'd missed classes before, he was practically known for his tardiness at his old schools, what's one more gonna do? Everything was a kaleidoscope of blurred visions and bad memories all night. Laying in bed with nothing but the company of silence and darkness, for a brief moment, it was almost peaceful. 

Ding dong!

No rest for the wicked, as they say. The chime of the doorbell forced him back to reality like a lasso to a twig. Part of him wanted to just assume it was a mistake, a student at the wrong dorm, and drift back to his trance. The other half wanted to see who it was and what they wanted. Much to his annoyance, Mondo's curiosity got the better of him. Slowly shifting his legs off the side of the bed, he forced himself up and walked toward the door. Before his hand could reach for the knob, he pondered for a bit as to who was behind that door. Maybe it was Taka, ready to yell at him for missing class again. Or maybe it was Chihiro, wanting to train with him. Or maybe it was fuckin' Yamada, wanting to yap about 2D chicks, he didn't know! Anyone but him. Anyone but Leon. He wasn't ready to face him, not after last night. He just wanted to forget it all happened. Hope that they'd forgotten too. But there's no way they could. What if they hated him now? Dammit, why did Leon have to--? Why couldn't Mondo--? These intrusive thoughts were getting him nowhere. Whoever was behind that door, he has to face them eventually. Sucking in a deep breath, Mondo finally opened the door, eyes widened in surprise and curiosity.

"O...Ogami?" 

"Hello, Mondo." Sakura greeted with a half-smile she was used to giving people to assure this was a friendly meeting despite her natural stern look. "May I come in?"

"Uh, sure."

Mondo stepped aside, practically pressing his body against the wall to allow the brawny woman to squeeze inside. 

"Thank you," she said with a nod. 

After Mondo shut the door, he made his way toward the window and opened the curtains, turning his head to help his eyes better adjust to the sudden bright light. When the room was finally illuminated, Mondo took a seat on the foot of his bed, inviting Sakura beside him. 

"So, what is it? Don't tell me Taka sent you to drag me to class." Mondo almost said jokingly, but he couldn't find another reason why the martial artist would want to see him.

"That's not it at all." Sakura barely took a deep breath before what she said next. "I know about what happened with you and Leon yesterday."

Mondo's gut twisted in itself like a vortex. "He...he told--"

"He didn't say anything to me." Sakura assured, "I just happened to be near the gym at the time."

Mondo's body slightly relaxed upon hearing that, but his shoulders were still tensed and he was starting to break into cold sweats. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sakura asked as softly as her naturally gruff voice would allow. "I understand it's none of my business. I just want to help you any way I can." 

Great. The strongest human alive is coddling him like he's a troubled little kid. Just the icing on Mondo's shit cake. He could feel the heat in his cheeks start to emerge. He quickly rested his head on his hands to hide them, or at least create a cover-up for their redness. When he was sure Sakura didn't suspect a thing, he spoke up. 

"There's nothing to..! ...He just..! ...I didn't...! ...They don't und--!  Sorry, I'm having trouble getting the words out." Mondo said with an exasperated sigh.

Sakura nodded. She expected this. "It's okay. I get it." 

Mondo internally rolled his eyes. Sure she does. How could she? She's the Ultimate Martial Artist, the Strongest Human Alive. What does she know about--? Mondo peeked over his shoulder, eyes gazed at the dark markings on Sakura's bronze shoulders and face. 

Sakura noticed Mondo's stare and knew what he was thinking. 'How do you show yours?' 

Sakura took a deep sigh. "I used to be ashamed of my scars too. Thought that if others were to see them, especially rivals, they'd think I could be touched. That I could be harmed." She turned to Mondo, "Is that how you feel about yours?" 

Mondo leaned forward, arms folded and resting on his knees, looking away from Sakura as if hiding any indication she hit the nail right on the head. "It's...different," he muttered. "You're not...you're not like me. You're not a..."

'Just a shiny piece of glass'

Mondo gulped, using every ounce of strength not to waver his voice. "You're not a Diamond." 

"You're right, I'm not. But we're both human."

'And bones can break just as easily as glass'

"DON'T--!" Mondo snapped, his heart pounding through his chest. His arms reflexively wrapped around his stomach as his heel thumped anxiously against the floor. He scrambled through his mind trying to remember the breathing exercises Taka taught him until he finally found it. It took a few rushed breaths before he was finally able to speak again. "Don't...say that..! It's like yer sayin' I'm weak..."

Sakura thought for a moment, taking in the reaction she just witnessed. It wasn't something she didn't expect. In fact, she was completely prepared. But something was wrong, like a train track missing a piece. Mondo was holding back, burying his emotions, and he needed to let it all out. With a heavy breath, Sakura spoke. "Mondo, your scars don't make you weak." 

"YES, THEY DO!" 

Mondo sprung up from his seat with a powerful stomp. Sakura was grateful the dorms were soundproof, someone showing up in the middle of a good vent was the last thing Mondo needed. She sat and watched as he paced back and forth. 

"Yes, they fucking do! Hate ta break it to ya, Sakura, but your scars are not like mine! When you're a Diamond, you're made to be strong! You can't show weakness, can't let anyone see you crack! You ever seen a cracked diamond? No, because diamonds don't crack! You didn't get captured by a gang because you were too slow! You were never made an example of! You were never broken!" Mondo hadn't realized how hot his face was until he stopped to take a breath. His face was drenched, had he been sweating? 

Sakura hadn't flinched once. She was as still as a boulder, letting Mondo vent out his anger and frustrations. "So, when Leon noticed your...you know..." her voice was soft with empathy. 

Mondo turned his head away from her, wiped his face, and swallowed, hydrating his parched throat before answering. "Yeah." all previous traces of anger on his face had shifted into one of frustrated shame. "They're just a reminder of when I was weak. When I was cracked. I can't ever let myself become that again. I have to be strong for my gang. I have to be strong for my bro. But..." he dropped down on the floor, face buried in his arms, "...it just keeps comin' back."

Sakura knelt before Mondo. She wanted to reach out a hand to his shoulder but quickly decided against doing so as not to possibly trigger any bad memories. "Mondo, you're not weak. You never were. Those scars are proof of that. You can choose to believe they make you weak or you can see them for what they really are; Reminders that you're still alive."

Mondo continued to stare at the floor. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"You need to accept that what happened happened. You can't do anything to reverse or bury it. The only thing you can control is yourself and how you let it affect you. You need to forgive yourself."

"How can I forgive myself if I don't deserve it?!" Mondo snapped, "I snapped at my friends over it, and now they probably hate me. They'd never forgive me, so how can I?"

"Forgiveness isn't what you give as a right, it's a privilege. But with forgiveness comes peace, and peace is what you deserve most. I meant what I said before; Your scars don't make you weak. They mean you survived and surviving means you're strong."

Mondo finally looked up, meeting eyes with Sakura's. "...Maybe." he sighed softly, although it was like removing a massive weight off his chest. 

When Sakura was sure Mondo had eased up a bit, she stood back up to her feet, offering to help him up too, to which he took her hand. He turned and wiped the sweat off his face and eyes before returning his gaze to her.

"Well, I'll be going now. I'm sure I can convince the Headmaster to give you a few mental health days. I can bring you your food as well." Sakura said as she turned to leave.

"Actually, Ogami, I think I'm gonna head out. I got some business I gotta attend to."

Sakura turned to him "Are you sure? It's no trouble." 

"Yeah. Besides, Taka'll never let me hear the end of it if I skipped another class. And I can't let Chihiro skip out on leg day." Mondo said with a half-smile. A sincere one. Sakura returned her own. 

"Alright then. Oh, and Mondo?"

"Yeah?"

"You're friends love you no matter what. Never let yourself forget that."

Mondo thought, then nodded and showed Sakura out. He was left alone again. This time, the atmosphere wasn't so dim. For the first time in hours, Mondo could feel himself breathe again. He couldn't remember the last time he felt a bit lighter. But there was still something gnawing at his skull. It was still weighing him down. Was this really okay? Was this something he was fine with letting go of? Everything he was taught, his brother's ideology? Surely, he can't just throw it out the window. He owed his brother that much, especially after...

Mondo brushed it aside for now and left his dorm. He still had one last thing he had to fix. 

[mypersonmyg]

Reader keeping secrets from ________ Reader leading a double life a an underground artist and ________ has no idea but is a fan? Sorry that’s all I can come up with on short notice lol Hope you have fun writing whatever you work on! 😀

Pairing: Taehyung x tagger!reader

WC: 1.7k

Genre: artist au

Rating: pg

Warnings: None. 

A/N: I may do a part 2 if you want. Idk, I’m just tired.

“Did you see?” You glance up  from your laptop as Taehyung walks through the front door, eyes glued to his phone. When you don’t respond he looks up expectantly and you shrug your shoulders with a tilt of the head. “Purple Panda tagged last night and it’s all over my feed.”

“Oh, cool.” You glance back down at your laptop, never interested in having lengthy conversations with your boyfriend about his favorite local artist and their hidden identity. “I’m kinda feeling pizza tonight, are you in?”

“Did you hear what I said?” He takes a seat on the arm of the couch and presses a kiss against the crown of your head. You hum continuing to type against your keyboard without pretense.

“Yeah, artist, tag, social feed. I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with this person,” You lower your screen and angle yourself toward him. “Sure they’re amazing at what they do, but what they do is also pretty illegal.”

Taehyung pulls his lip into a contemplative pout, his hands coming to massage your shoulders, the feeling relieving the tension that had taken over your muscles. The two of you sit in comfortable silence, the sound of Yeontan’s feet patter occasionally across the floor. 

“Why don’t you like them?” You’re caught off guard by the sudden question, never having said anything about your personal feelings. 

“What do you mean? I never said that.”

“True, but you’re always telling me that I shouldn’t invest so much time in this and you can’t help but to constantly point out the lack of legality in their work.” You huff, pushing yourself from the confines of the couch cushions and onto your feet. Taehyung is hot on your trail as you head to the kitchen, grabbing your keys from the counter.

“I don’t hate them, I just don’t think you should invest so much time in trying to discover a person who doesn’t want to be discovered. They have a pseudonym for a reason and that reason is not for you to try to expose their true identity.” It had become a sort of hobby for Taehyung to try and crack the code of Purple Panda. He enjoyed their art so much that he figured finding them would be next best to actually creating the pieces himself. 

He followed every lead that filled his social feeds and he even roped Namjoon and Jimin into the whole ordeal. You on the other hand were content with knowing nothing of this person aside from what they paint on buildings. You’ve tried and failed to get Taehyung to let go of this idea that he could find the elusive artist, but he just poked fun at you for being jealous or asked questions like this one.

“I’m going to go and grab us some pizza, why don’t you watch a movie or something, hmm?” You pat Taehyung’s arm and peck his cheek, your purse being thrown over one shoulder. 

“Yeah, sure.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets and watches you walk out of the house, the door clicking shut behind you. He walks to the front, pacing back and forth near the window to allow himself to watch you pull out of the drive. When he’s sure that you won’t be pulling back in he makes a beeline to the hall closet, Yeontan hot on his trail. “I think I know why she hates Purple Panda so much, Tannie.”

The dog yaps, jumping around Taehyung as he bends to the ground pulling at a box that’s stuffed deep in the junk filled closet. Yeontan nips at his pant legs, like he’s trying to stop Taehyung from completing his task, but Taehyung simply scoops the dog up and cuddles him to his chest. He manages to wrestle the box out with his one free hand and he places Yeontan back into the hall where the dog trots away indignantly.

Taehyung had grown increasingly suspicious of your behavior in the past few weeks and had taken to keeping a close eye on you. His first avenue was to assume the worst, the odd hours in which you’d claim to have errands or plans with friends not making the choice difficult. It was Namjoon’s comforting voice of reason that had talked him down from that ledge and since then he’s been grasping at anything to connect your behavior. 

The latest in his growing suspicions is the way in which you disregard his excitement for his most recent favorite artist. Purple Panda is a tagger, an expert in Taehyung’s opinion, and has been running throughout the city making their mark for the better part of a year now. The first time he’d come to you with full cheeks and his phone resting in his palm you’d been just as excited as him. The new artist becoming a popular topic of discussion between the two of you. 

That had all changed after the first month, when Taehyung had decided that he wanted to meet this infamous tagger no matter what it took. It was a usual night, the two of you cuddled up in bed when he’d shared his plans with you. The way you had stiffened beneath him should’ve been his first clue that something was wrong, but he’d thought nothing of it, the chill that often filled the room a logical enough explanation. 

Now, he had taken notice of your hasty subject changes and how you avoided fully answering any questions he had pertaining to the Purple Panda. In fact, it seemed that the more he dug in the more annoyed you got with him. You weren’t snapping, but there was definitely a slight edge to your voice when you would issue him a response. 

Taehyung had again expressed his beliefs with Namjoon who told him that the best way to find out the truth would be for him to confront you directly. That was when Jimin had opted to butt into the conversation and tell Taehyung that was the worst idea.

“She’s not just gonna come and tell you flat out. You have to be smarter than her, do a little sleuthing and wait until you have proof.” This idea sounded much more appealing to Taehyung, perhaps because it allowed him to put his detective skills to the test though he would never admit the underlying excitement. So he’d taken to paying extra close attention to you when you left and when you came home. The way you reacted to different questions and conversations.

When he’d spoken to you today he noted a twitch in your nose, a tell-tale sign that you were keeping something from him. Over the past weeks he had picked up on your routine. You would come into the house and sometimes immediately open the closet door before coming to greet him and oftentimes open it again before you left. One of these times he stepped into the closet and looked for any sign that you’d disrupted one of the multitudes of storage boxes piled into the tiny space.

He’d spotted a box slightly protruding from the back and pulled it out immediately to find that there was nothing inside save for an old dirty rag. He figured that whatever you were taking whenever you left the house must be kept in that box. If he was as good a detective as he liked to believe he guessed that the box would be filled with spray paint. He intended to sneak out of bed tonight to see if his assumptions were true, but your sudden decision to leave the house gave him a window of opportunity. So here he sits, the box before him, filled with what he hopes is the answer to his mystery. The box is much heavier than the first time he’d come across it which he found a good sign.

“Here goes,” He says to no one in particular, his hand coming to lift the cardboard flap that hid the contents from view. His eyes had involuntarily, his nerves getting the best of him. If what he finds isn’t what he’s expecting he isn’t sure what it could be or how he’ll react.

He takes a deep breath and peers into the box. 

“Gotcha,” He smiles from ear to ear, half used spray paint cans stuffed into a worn duffle greeting him. He lifts one of the cans, a purple one adorning the name of your chosen pseudonym and he smiles at his excellent deductive reasoning. 

When the shock and triumph wears off  he begins to wonder why you would hide something from him. But more importantly how you got into tagging in the first place. You’d told him plenty of times that there were many dangers that came from this form of expression and he can’t imagine a reason why you would put yourself in danger of getting caught. 

He slumps against the wall, tossing a can back and forth between his hands while he thinks. His head snaps toward the front door when he hears you struggling on the other side, the ruffling of your purse and the mumbled obscenities almost bringing a smile to his face. He glances between the door and the paint, contemplating his next move.

Confront or let it go?

He wants nothing more than to confront you, make you tell him why you’d kept it a secret from him, but he’s also certain that there had to be a logical reason and he doesn’t want to pressure you. Just as you’re sliding your key into the door he makes the decision to stuff the paint back into the box and the box back into the closet. 

“Hey, the line was so short today. Lucky us!” You hold the pizza you’d purchased out and he takes the box with a smile. “What have you been up to?”

“Nothing, just trying to find out more about Purple Panda.” He watches you visibly flinch, covering it with a smile as you lead him to the kitchen. “I was kind of thinking you’re right though.”

“Yeah? About what?” 

“If they want to be discovered then they’ll do it in their own time.” 

“I’m glad to hear it.” You send him a smile and slide the pizza onto the table. Taehyung slides into his chair and grabs your hand placing a gentle kiss against your knuckles. 

“And I will wait forever if that’s what it takes.”

[goodallan]

Last year was made exclusive for the students, when they opened this year I grabbed it–I made it in TEDxXavier School 2017: Spaces.

Last 2015, I was impressed on how they organized a TEDx event so I got excited when they opened it again this year. The theme is Spaces where speakers shared their spaces and how they used their space to bring change to society.

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Stephanie Yap shares her experience when she went to Antarctica with the 20141 Foundation whose advocacy is about climate change. She recounts how she was amazed with the huge boulders of ice and how rich nature is thriving on this side of the world–leopard seals, crab eating seals, antarctic fur seals, penguins, whales. And while she realized there is a proliferation of life here,

she realized how she was only a guest paying a visit, and the animals are the true inhabitants of this world.

This is the moment she realized that staying there for research and travel was just temporary, that we have to take care and act on the world we are living in.

Miko Espiras shares his space in the kitchen–where he makes something out of nothing. He never really rests because after making delectable desserts in Le Petit Souffle, he goes home and continue to think what treat he will create. And as he shares his presentation, your taste buds will tell you how much you crave for visual and enticing desserts this humble chef made.

He shares how he really love what he is doing and he remembers the first day he worked as he carries heavy sacks and when he meets his previous workmates, they barely recognize him. But working for 10 years in the kitchen, he will not stop creating even circumstances might have changed. He shares,

“If you make your work, a place to thrive out of nothing, you will surely create something glamorous.”

So he reminded that the next time you take a dish, take a moment and appreciate what went behind the dish.

Ricky Dee started from scratch. For years he has been striving with the restaurant that he manages until this 20 year old guy meets Henry Sy. He got a call that night that they have to close late to prepare a dinner for Henry Sy. From then on, he never stopped and soon, he successfully brought here Michelin starred restaurants, Tim Ho Wan, Todd English, Food by David Oldani. He tells,

“The world is ready for the Filipino dish, that is why we have to think global. From one space to another, do not stop from there.”

Gabby Malvar would want to call himself a storyteller. He is a celebrated photographer, producer, director and travel writer. Back when social media was not the main channel to communicate,

“stories were conveyed through a limited number of channels and in magazines. Stories come in different forms and platforms.”

But now, with the age of social media, what used to be 12 stories, you have to encapsulate everything in one minute. It should resonate. Stories are fictional or non-fictional, but for Malvar he prefers the real world,

not on created narratives but actual happenings by documenting. No need to create a dilemma nor create characters.

The real world is a space, no need to compel but to create stories.

He shares his travel in Mindanao where stories about Mindanao was about how they were defined by constructs. There are negative connotations about constructs in the Philippines just like in ARMM. As he went back and forth with this travel, his space has expanded. As he took photos of Sulu, Yakan and the Tausug (tau-people, sug-current), he learns more not as what the media has brought out there. He emphasizes,

Learn more from the narratives. The more I learn, the lesser I know. Thirst for more culture as there is a gap that needs to be bridged. For lasting peace to happen, we need to understand them more and more.

Richard Heydarian shares his experience as a policy adviser and as a professor. Universities, he shares, should be an open space to express ideas. The protection of common space should be observed. Currently, social media and the issue in South China Sea is the common space that should be treated as public good and should be non-exclusionary.

Social media is a double-edged sword and can build polarization. We should be critical with what is real and what is not. Fake news provoke emotions and therefore, we should we guard our own biases not to take over other biases as well.

With the power of social media, it should not be a legacy of likes, a shallow solidarity but a true social revolution. As he reminded everyone, it is high time that we make our voices heard as Heydarian shares what Thomas Jefferson said,

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Marika Constantino shares her passion for giving lives to spaces. With her group, 98B, as a collaboratory visual artist and curator, they search for spaces that could express through arts.

From Cubao, they moved to Escolta where art thrived during heyday. Last weekend (February 18-19) was when they celebrated Escolta week where there was a street art performance overflowing with poetry, music and arts

to incite conversations and provoke dialogue. We want to promote collaboration through experiments and exhibits that are accessible and will create a community.

Their group aims to revitalize the street where first things happen in the Philippines.

Karen Davila shares how she manages her space on a daily basis as a journalist. As there are digital natives spending 3.2 hours a day, we have

broken into each other personal spaces. But that does not mean you have to lose yourself.

She recalled the latest national elections where she interviewed the then presidentiable Rody Duterte. She delivered questions like what they usually did in their show, Bandila where there is a segment of asking questions in one minute. After that, a friend told her to check her Facebook account and she was shocked to see negative comments about her and even threatened her life and her family. “Was I wrong in asking those questions? But it’s part of the course,” she shares. It is a fact that

26% of Filipinos wrote a negative comment to people they have not met.

But it was already obvious that time that Duterte will win the highest seat in the government. “When you’re bound to win, you are supposed to be ready to face the toughest issues.”

Davila urges everyone that the space that we share, we should be sharp to know what is false.

Go with your mind. Value your personal space where you were taught good values. Stick what is real and true.

===

It was a productive day and really great to start the TEDx experience this year with this one. I define space as overlapping circles or eccentric circles. We are the circles and no circle that can exist alone because no matter what we think of our own welfare, we create a ripple–we affect others with what we do. This is what we should consider, that our spaces are not like bubbles that will not pop because the moment we interact with others, the more we learn from each other. With this the world is more informed, more understood.

Overlapping Circles (TEDxXavier School 2017: Spaces) Last year was made exclusive for the students, when they opened this year I grabbed it--I made it in