#Kim chi is so awesome why do people not talk about her?

[forkanna]

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NOTE: NaNoWriMo is in full swing! I told you I would try my best to update while it's going on and I will, even though it's obviously not as frequent as other months. Enjoy!

Yeah, I have no idea what went on over at the Chau residence. They took a few pictures of me on their phones to at least have examples ready, but it would have been pretty annoying to stick me in the back of the car — and besides, Stephen made a really good point that I might shatter if they dropped me, so after that nobody much wanted to take responsibility for schlepping the stone girl around.

But I got the general synopsis of what I missed from listening to their chatter. And thank GOD I finally had some entertainment, because lying around in an empty house all by yourself when you can't move is just about the most boring fucking thing ever.

Knives had her mom translate for her, since she can't speak Chinese, and asked her father if he knew any way to undo a spell, or curse, or mutation, or whatever the fuck this was that made people turn into rock-people. At first he said something a teensy bit racist that nobody would repeat, and then he asked for how the symptoms started. When they explained that it started from a feeling, and showed him the pic of my stomach, he kind of figured out what she would need.

Apparently, the house was quiet for so long because they had to go back to that place where Scott got the Soft and head to "Giant World", whatever that means. When they came back, they had another potion that was supposed to do something else. All I got was its name, not what it was supposed to do.

"So once Knives takes the Micron, we'll all stand watch," Steph was saying. Being a little older than everybody but Wallace — when did he show up? — she had kind of elected herself in charge. Also, nobody else wanted to be in charge, anyway. "Take turns. Like, I'm not sure what we can do, but we have to be ready just in case…"

"How long do we think this is gonna take?" Wallace asked, glancing at his trendy chronometer. "I'm supposed to meet up with Mobile at the new club where the Rockit used to be. Supposed to be a lot more catered toward our particular tastes now."

Knives's bottom lip quivered. "You don't care what happens to Kim, do you?"

"In an overall sense? Sure I do… but you guys didn't even remember my birthday. Tit for tat, you know."

"Hopeless," Stephen sighed. "No wonder Joseph hates you."

His trim eyebrow went up very slightly. "That catty bitch hates everyone. Can we get down to business? Kim's life hangs in the balance, just like my punctuality. They're both pretty important. Besides, I'm the only one here who can feed Knives any chi once she's through the gates; you need me as an E Tank."

"Fine!" Huffing, Knives grabbed the potion and downed it in one gulp. There were a few gasps, and Steph said something about "but we weren't through planning!" but it was too late; she had taken the plunge. And I was kinda glad, because at least now I would get to find out what the hell they were talking about, since they were leaving out so many details due to not bothering to include me in their conversation.

Not that I could talk back, anyway. But I could hear.

At first, we thought nothing had happened. Then I could tell something was weird. Everybody in the room was getting taller! Wait, that wasn't it… Knives was getting shorter. And shorter… she was shrinking right in front of my eyes.

"Hurry!" Stephen hissed, and Steph picked her up and sat her on my stomach once she was about toddler-sized. She kept going, slipping down my stomach when she was about the size of a Lego figurine, and then I couldn't see her anymore on the other side of my boobs.

At first, I thought that was it; that she had disappeared, and I felt a panic that I couldn't properly express while held suspended in this pavemential state of being. What the fuck had they done to my girlfriend?! But then I saw Steph bend down and do something else, holding her hand against my stomach.

"Hurry up… oh God, I hope Wallace knows how to use that thing."

WHAT thing?

"Me, too," he sighed as he pulled on the red fingerless glove. "Seems simple enough."

Shit. That thing. And I couldn't even scream as he slapped me in the forehead.

                                                          ~ o ~

When I woke up, I didn't know where I was. I mean, I was definitely nowhere I had ever been before, and I kind of accepted that much… but still, why was the sky all pink? Why was the ground day-glow blue? Why was the path leading into the far distance so gold and shiny? Why was everything moving a little, like I was actually living inside a heat haze? Just freaking psycho crap.

And there she was.

"Knives!" At first she didn't turn around, but when I shouted again, she finally did — and took a huge leap backward.

"AAAAHHH! A GHOST!"

"A what?" Looking down, I saw that I was half-invisible, and my legs disappeared into a wispy thingy. Reminded me of an actual cartoon ghost, but the tops of my legs were still pretty distinct. "Oh. Well, that's annoying."

Her hand reached out, drew back again, and then reached forward to touch my legs… and she passed right through. She shivered as she whispered, "Whoa."

"Yeah, um, don't do that again."

"Okay. Oh, Kim! I'm so glad you're okay! Kind of!" She moved to hug me, then remembered and drew back again. "Oh, oops. Sorry."

"It's okay. God… I'm such a mess, I didn't mean to make everybody… well, anyway, it's too late now. What are we doing here?"

"Huh? Oh, right! You know, that whole thing you told me about? We have to fix that or we can't reverse this, since we didn't get to it in time. So I took the Micron because I'm the one with the most training, and my dad has this thing in Brazil he has to take care of so he can't."

"What? I mean… damn, how long do you think we might be in here?"

Looking apologetic, she whispered, "He said… maybe a couple years?"

"YEARS?!"

"Or not! It could only take a few hours, if we don't get hung up on the Rubik's Cube."

"Rubik's-" Only then did I catch on. My eyes narrowed in utter disbelief, waiting for her to yell "PSYCH" or something, but she didn't. "Wait. You're talking about all that bullshit I spewed at you when we first started hanging out again, aren't you?"

"Yeah! I mean, I'm ready for the rhino and the warthog, I'm pretty sure, but the rest I'll… have to… what is it, Kim?" she asked when she could tell I was even paler than a spirit already would be.

"It was all a lie. I mean… a joke, but I didn't expect you to actually believe me, and I never got the chance to tell you any differently because you ran off." Sighing, I turned away slightly, not wanting to look at her right then. "If this isn't some kind of crazy fever dream, or rock-dream or ghost-dream or whatever, and you're actually trying to fight your way through my body… then I think you're wasting your time. I have no idea what's about to happen to you in here."

"Well, that's okay," she said instantly. "We'll just figure out what the challenges are if they're different. I'm even stronger than I was before, you know; I kept up my training since all that happened at the Chaos Theater. Knives Chau is buff and knows her stuff!"

Gritting my ghostly teeth, I hissed, "Don't you get it? I want you to leave. Stop trying to help me, I'm obviously more trouble than I'm worth. Just… just go."

For a few seconds, everything was quiet. Then I saw her walking down the road into the distance. I was relieved for just a second; relieved and sad. At least Knives would be okay.

Then she called back to me, "You coming, or are you just gonna hang around here in the middle of your stomach?"

Once I caught up, trying not to let my pleased smile be seen by anyone, I asked her, "Stomach?"

"Sure. The portal is in your belly button; the only way in past the stone. Well, we could have tried your ears or nose, but the journey to your heart would have been a little longer, and we couldn't be sure of the path. This seems like a straight shot."

"Oh. Well… I mean, um… I don't really get this. Why are you trying so hard for me? I suck as a girlfriend, and I suck as a friend. All I did was kind of… hang around you and be grumpy all the time. Then statue-ified myself. "

That got her to stop walking and blink at me a few times. "You really think that's all you gave me, Kim?"

"Well… yeah."

"Don't be dumb. You were so sweet."

"ME?!"

"Yes, you," she giggled as she resumed, setting a swift pace. Not that I minded, since floating alongside her didn't seem to make me any more or less tired. "Sure, you tried to bury it under like, your whole 'cool' attitude, but I've… never had anybody make me dinner before besides my mom. And you were always there to talk to and you really listened to my babble, and we could always play games or watch TV, and you were so awesome about not rushing me with sex stuff… held my hand. Kissed my cheeks. Made me feel important to you, even though I could tell it was really hard for you to do that. Gosh, Kim, who wouldn't love you?"

For a few minutes, all I could do was float alongside her. Something about this inner-spirit state I was in prevented me from crying, but I definitely wanted to be. Was kind of frustrating, actually, needing that emotional release and being unable to have it. But I certainly had no words to follow up hers with.

When we got to the outer gates, it looked like a giant walled city, and the multiple colours of the doorframe reminded me of Fruit Stripe gum for some reason. Anyway, as I had been worrying about… there were the guards. Giant mutant animals that just barely weren't copies of villains from an old cartoon I loved when I was little.

"Oh wow, okay," she breathed, whipping out a couple of her huge daggers. "Do you know their weaknesses? Because like, if I can stand on that piece of wall and stab down with my weapon continually-"

"Did you say… you love me?"

"What? Oh, um… yeah, I think I did? Is that okay?"

My noncorporeal eyes nearly bugged out of their invisible sockets. She started to look even less sure of herself, glancing back and forth between me and the enemies. So I quickly said, "Yeah, yeah. It's great. I mean, uh… sorry. Just never had anyone… say that to me before. Damn."

"Hmmm. Didn't know a ghost could blush."

"What?!"

"Kidding," she giggled just as my hands went up toward my face. "Come on, let's get this done. I want to help you."

Humming to myself, I tilted my head up in their direction. "No idea. But I have this vague feeling that if we kick one of their asses, they'll both go down. Well, if you do. Not sure I'll be much help like this."

"Might as well try it!" Then she started sprinting for them. "HEY YOU GUYS!"

That… was not how I would have handled it.

                                                          To Be Continued…

[wannabugi]

1. Favorite group? lol nu’est exo bts got7

2. Favorite guy group & bias? um. nu’est jr ; got7 jackson ; bts v ; exo dont evn ask me (yixing??)

3. Favorite girl group & bias? snsd?? taeyeon ; f(x) amber fight me btch

4. All-time bias? um nu’est jr i think i gave my heart away??

5. Favorite maknae? shinee taemin

6. Favorite leader? nu’est jr

7. Favorite song? bolbbalgan4 galaxy heh

8. Favorite Japanese version of a song? bts chi ase namida

9. Favorite English version of a song? uh no.

10. Best actor in Kpop? looool btob sungjae is not bad

11. Best group on variety shows? nu’est, bts, big bag just bc i nvr see them HAHA

12. Best-looking? exo sehun, shinee taemin, ioi doyeon, chungha tbh, nu’est jr im in love.

13. Cutest couple? jren, 2hyun

14. Who would you date? kim jr

15. Who would you date if you were the opposite gender? ioi yoojung

16. Who would you want as an older brother? as an oppa?? hmmmm nu’est aron? exo suho!!! bts rapmon or bts jhope hmph

17. Who would you want as an older sister(s)? f(x) victoria, f(x) amber, snsd sunny

18. Who would make a good husband/wife? kim jr nu’est

19. Favorite album? LOL um. bts wings

20. Favorite solo artists? IU, chungha, jay park, is loco a soloist, DEAN

21. Favorite underappreciated group? nu’est fight me

22. Favorite music video? omf bts mv’s any of them spring day, bst, chi ase namida, ALSO TRIPLE H 365 FRESH I LOVE IT SO MUCH

23. Favorite dance? bts not today, chungha’s why don’t you know (except i dont like the song rip), any blackpink song tbh, also any bts song tbh, shinee’s pretty rad too honestly

24. Favorite costumes/outfits? blood sweat and tears fk me up

25. Favorite remix? uhhhh theres this mashup of 365 fresh and really really i rly like

26. 2NE1 or KARA? 2NE1 but what happened

27. SNSD or After School? snsd

28. f(x) or T-ara? f(x)

29. Big Bang or 2AM? BIG BANG 

30. Dalmatian or TRAX? Dalmatian cus i literally nvr listened to TRAX

31. SHINee or 2PM? SHINee my og’s

32. CN Blue or SM The Ballad? CN Blue.

33. Super Junior or B2ST? uhhh Suju prolly

34. Yuri or Yoona? bruh idk

35. Jonghyun or Key? KIM KIBUM ALL THE WAY

36. Minho or Taemin? TAEMIN my og bias

37. Yoseob or Dongwoon? um. dongwoon

38. TOP or G-Dragon? i love TOP but GD is like god.

39. Kikwang or Hyunseung? kikwang

40. CL or Minzy? CL

41. Dara or Bom? Dara

42. Luna or Krystal? krystal

43. Victoria or Sulli? VICTORIA!!

44. Amber or Amber? i freaking love amber i cannot. 

45. Jessica or Tiffany? jessicaaaaa but look wtf happened to snsd hmph

46. Sooyoung or Sunny? sunny was the first kpop idol i recognized hehe

47. Yonghwa or Jonghyun? yonghwa (but kim jonghyun from nuest heh)

48. Siwon or Heechul? freaking adore heechul what an awesome dude

49. Yesung or Donghae? i like both. 

50. Leeteuk or Kyuhyun? leeteuk~~

51. Funniest girl group & funniest girl in the group? um i think mamamoo hwasa? but i actually dont follow mamamoo haha

52. Funniest guy group & funniest guy in the group? super junior heechul fk me up i love him

53. Funniest group of all? errrrr suju?

54. Funniest person of all? bruh hav u seen heechul.

55. Funniest dance? ok im sry but twice’s choreos r so odd

56. Funniest song? age gag? idgi tho

57. Funniest costumes/outfits? nu’est sleeptalking what the actual fuck

58. Funniest music videos? ummmm 

59. Funniest couple? ??????

60. Funniest parody? infinite’s sungjong and sungyeol’s troublemaker HAHAHA

61. Funniest buffalaxed version? ????????

62. Funniest variety show episode with a Kpop artist? ummm weekly idol when heechul was there LOL

63. Funniest impersonation? ???

64. Funniest face? ????

65. Funniest mistake onstage? ???????????????

66. Do you have any Kpop posters? If so, how many? uh omf too many

67. Do you have any of the actual CDs? too many LOL

68. If you buy any Kpop songs on iTunes, how many have you bought? nope nope

69. Have you ever covered a Kpop song or dance? Have you posted your cover online? yessssss

70. Have you ever participated in a Kpop flash mob? nope

71. Have you ever been to a live concert? nOpE

72. Have you ever talked to a Kpop artist in person? NoPe

73. Do you have anything signed by a Kpop artist? NOPE

74. Do you check allkpop or another Kpop news website daily or on a regular basis? LOL too often

75. Do you have a Kpop tumblr? If not, do you look at other peoples' Kpop tumblrs? uh yes

76. How did you get into Kpop? my bffffffffff

77. What was the first Kpop song you ever heard? either snsd gee or shinee rdd (or suju sry sry??)

78. First group you knew about? snsd/suju

79. First group you really got into? shinee

80. How long ago did you discover Kpop? erm. 2010?

81. Did you like it or dislike it when you first discovered it?hella dislike but that was before 2010 lol

82. Is your current favorite group the first one you discovered? nope

83. If not, how long did it take you to discover your favorite group? i liked shinee to begin with and they were what got me into kpop but its changed over time hahaha

84. First variety/reality show you watched that had a Kpop artist in it? tthis flower boy talk show with park myungsoo???

85. First song/MV/pic/whatever that made you fangirl scream? taemin dancing to juliette

86. Least favorite group & least favorite member?  ????????

87. Least favorite guy group & least favorite member? ??????????????

88. Least favorite girl group & least favorite member? ??????????????

89. Least favorite member of your favorite group? ???????

90. Least favorite song? uhh like pristin wee woo prolly

91. Worst-looking? ???

92. Who would you never want as an older brother? jr cus we are married

93. Who would you never want as an older sister? tbh ill take anyone

94. Least favorite solo artist? ???????????

95. Least favorite music video? pristin wee woo idk y the dance gives me goosebumps i dont like

96. Least favorite dance? prISTIN WEE WOO

97. Least favorite costumes/outfits? nu’est sleep talking

98. If you were only able to say five words max to your bias, what would you say? kim jonghyun i love you

99. If your bias kissed you, how would you react? probably die

100. If your bias asked you to marry him/her, how would you react?  seriously die

[artificialqueens]

Reminiscences (Trixya) Ch.3 -Scoobert

Trixya high school au: so this is set when they’re both adults but each chapter has a flashback to their high school days. It’s loosely based on a song ‘caught in the crowd’, by Kate Miller-Heidke, an Australian singer I really like and saw live the other day. I cried when I heard her sing this and yeah I know it’s a little bit sad but I thought of the awesome Trixya au it could be. The song’s about Kate reminiscing on how she should’ve helped this kid out when he was being bullied in school, so this is basically the extended version of that.

An: Hey guys, I completely forgot an an on the last chapter, so here I am😬. Thanks for all the sweet messages btw, they seriously mean the world and encourage anyone that gets one so much!!! Hope you’ve been liking the chapters so far, this one is a lil dark and sad but it gets more angsty(but also more fluffy) from this point :D

hope you enjoy

xx Scoobert

Chapter 3

Katya POV

As I lined up for the runway, I turned my head back slightly in the direction of Trixie to see her packing up her stand and cleaning her brushes, deep in thought. She shifted her glance to me and I could see the pain in the corners of her mouth, the sorrow in those large round eyes, the tiny scars she couldn’t quite hide with her thick cakey makeup. I couldn’t be mistaken; it was definitely Brian. I could remember that exact face distinctly in my high school memories. I would never forget that face.

Flashback

I sat in the classroom, thinking about my chat with Brian as well as the way Alaska had treated her afterwards. I wanted to be friends with Brian and help him through whatever was going on with his stepfather. But then again, I was also friends with Alaska and I knew she could be ruthless. If she saw me hanging out with Brian she would be horrified and I certainly didn’t want to break up with my friends over something like this.  Sure it was nice being able to talk about my problems with Brian but then again sometimes I preferred being able to come to school and just ignore it all, gossiping about who had a new relationship and who was annoyed at who.

*Ding dong ding dong

Ugh, school was over. I didn’t really want to go home though, whose house would I go to… neither mum or dad really wanted me there, their weird little disappointment. They were too caught up in their own argument with each other and often took out their anger on me.

I suppose I’d just hang out with Alaska and Ginger or something, better than going home at least. I packed up my books and slowly walked over to my locker, chatting with Violet, one of the girls in my class who wanted to be friends with Alaska and thus was using me to get to her. Hey at least I didn’t have to walk alone.

I got to my locker and waved over at Violet, who had found someone new to talk to already, her back turned.

I packed up my bag and walked over to Alaska’s locker to hang out with her.

‘Hey Lasky, you wanna hang out at the park for a smoke?’ I asked.

‘Yeah sure thing girl, sounds good. Mind if some other people join us? Aaron and his friends have got some booze saved up and might feel like using it if we’re convincing enough,’ she said winking and latching her arm onto mine. We walked over to the park next to the school and were waved over to where Aaron was sitting with a bunch of his friends from the football team.

‘Hey babe’ Aaron called out, swinging his arm around Alaska and her letting go of me, completely focussing her attention on her boyfriend’s lips. I sat down on the grass next to a guy who everyone called Del Rio, who I swear was too old to go to our school. There were a few other who I vaguely knew but I didn’t really pay much attention to them, intent on just listening to the group, laying back on my arms.

‘Ew look at that little faggot on his bike babe,’ Alaska piped out, giggling in that awful high pitched howl of hers. Usually I find it funny but today I couldn’t be bothered and it was kinda annoying. I pulled out a pack of smokes from my bag and lit one. I could hear everyone around me bustling, but made no notice. That was until I heard a scream come from the voice I’d been chatting with all lunch. I finished my cigarette and stood up, looking around at the mess.

‘Ahhh, stop please, I just want to go home, I’m not doing anything wrong,’ Brian called out, the group of boys pulling him off his bike and onto the ground, causing a large gash in his leg to spill with blood.

‘Yeah right you weirdo, what’s this huh, oooh little girly girl and his little gay shirt, wanna look pretty for your boyfriend huh?’ I heard Aaron call out, pulling Brian’s jacket off.

‘Babe, are you kidding, this thing would never have a boyfriend, who’d want to date him, he doesn’t even have any friends!’ Alaska retorted, laughing bitterly.

My eyes widened as the group of burly boys started to laugh and kick the boy lying on the ground holding his stomach and attempting to protect his head.

‘I do have a friend’! he yelped suddenly, surprising the boys who stopped kicking him. They all stepped back as Aaron walked up slowly to the young boy and peered behind the hand that was protecting his face.

‘Yeah fag boy, who then?’ he whispered in a low growl, barely loud enough for me to hear. He leant up on his hands slowly and looked around anxiously. Then his eyes met mine and I screamed internally. No, he was not doing this, I was not saying anything, I couldn’t, I had no idea they treated Brian this way. It was horrendous, the type of stuff you see in movies, if I got involved they’d just make it hell for me, I wouldn’t be able to help him. If I was associated with him, Alaska wouldn’t look at me again except to scowl and shove me out of the way, I hung out with her to avoid my problems, I needed her, even if she was a bit of a bitch.

But as these thoughts raced through, I could see the pain in the corners of his mouth, the sorrow in those large round eyes, the scars spread across his face. And I stood staring at him for a few seconds before Aaron tracked where the boy was looking and looked at me questioningly.

‘You know him Kat?’ Alaska piped up.

‘Nah, nah, he’s just some faggot at school, never spoken to him,’ I returned, my voice trying not to quiver.

‘Good I’d be…surprised if you had’ she said to me with a sly grin.

They all returned their attention to the boy as Del Rio kicked him in the gut.

I quickly packed up my stuff and ran to the bike rack. Kicking up the stand and pumping my legs as fast as they’d go. I chanced a glance back at the park and instantly regretted it.

Aaron and his gang walked away, Alaska slung around him giving him a sloppy kiss. The worst part was Brian though. Slumped on the ground, bloody and holding his stomach, curled in a ball. I instantly regretted my words but I also knew it would’ve been bad for me to say anything else. I focussed on the road in front of me instead, pumping my legs as fast as I could, desperate to get home for once.

End flashback

Now I remember why that memory was locked away so far. It was pretty embarrassing really. I was a fucking selfish bitch, who cares if Alaska liked me or not. I’m glad she’d changed since high school. I desperately hoped Trixie wasn’t Brian but those eyes were just so memorable.

I hadn’t spoken to Brian after that day and for good reason. He’d tried to catch my attention when we passed in the halls but I’d always looked the other way and pretended not to notice. I even changed my bike route to avoid him in the morning. It was definitely lonelier and I’d missed racing over that hill with him.

I had to put all of this behind me and focus on the runway. So I sighed and let out a long breath. Once I’d inhaled again, I had a bright smile on my face and giggled with the other girls who were all fawning over each other and how pretty we all looked.

I strutted onto the runway and did the usual, smiled at all the cheering people and striked one of my unique Katya poses at the end of the runway. That’s really why I got the job, because I have such a different sense of beauty and comedy to the other girls that the inventive modern crowds and fashion critiques liked.

I walked off, happy with my work and changed into my next outfit, I looked around to see where Trixie was, slightly saddened that she was currently painting someone else. I wasn’t left standing long though as Fame quickly pushed me down into a seat where my eye makeup was going to be redone by an eccentric Asian girl, Kim Chi. I continued with a few more walks, each time in a new outfit, none of them done by Trixie. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about this. On the one point what had happened was incredibly awful and I didn’t really want to face it, on the other I longed to see her again, whether it was her amazing body, her friendly, passionate attitude or simply just to reminisce and apologise for my actions during high school. I walked off the stage for the last time, my mind still circling around Trixie.

 I looked around for her but all the makeup artists had left after they’d finished painting us for the last walk. I moved solemnly overt to Trixie’s desk and looked at the signs that she’d been there, nothing. I suppose they didn’t really need to leave anything behind. I grabbed a few makeup wipes and started taking off the makeup that was loaded on so heavy I could feel the wrinkles slowly forming from their weight. I walked over to the group of models sitting on the couch chatting.

‘Hey Kat, wanna come out clubbing when we’re done here, we’re gonna hit up that new one at end of the street.’

‘Ah nah thanks, bit tired today.’

‘What?! Usually you’re always up for a cocktail girl!’

‘Not today sorry, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ I leant down and gave her a kiss on the cheek as I grabbed my handbag and walked out of the studio.

I kept my head down, focussed on my shoes, still thinking about that girl. I was knocked out of this train of thought as I bumped into a mass of shiny blonde curls. I fell backwards onto the ground and heard a sweet voice saying ‘Omg, I’m so sorry, are you okay, silly me for just standing in the middle of the street like this. Let me help you…’ she trailed off as I looked up at her and she realised who I was.

‘Oh ah hey, Trixie was it? Don’t worry I’m fine, um see you’ I stood up grabbing my bag to dash away before she noticed I was acting weird. But before I did, I looked down at her and saw that her heel was stuck in the drain grate. It was one of those weird block heels and it had got caught underneath the bars.

‘Uh do you want some help there?’ I asked although I didn’t really wait for her reply before I was on my knees wriggling her ankle around.

‘Oh um yeah thank you so much.’

Then with a pop her leg was free and she cried ‘Ah you’re amazing, thank you, I’ve been standing here for a while trying to get my bloody foot out. And I only just got these so I couldn’t just leave them or anything.’

‘Don’t worry about it, yeah they’re cute, just like you.’ Her eyes widened by my sudden flirting.

‘Oh ahahaha thanks,’ she smiled sweetly.

‘Um are you…’ I trailed wanting to ask her if she was who I thought she was but being to shy.

‘Ah, errr’ I tried again

I turned away not really wanting to try again because then she’d know who I was and remember how I had left her.

‘Ah, see ya Barbie, glad you got your shoe out,’ I said and I hurried away before she could say anything else.

‘Wait!’

I turned.

‘I know this is random, but what high school did you go to?’ Crap, she definitely knew who I was, too late now.

��I think you already know the answer to that…Brian.’

‘Gosh, only my mother calls me that now.’

‘No wonder, your new name is perfectly adorable.’

‘Ah thanks.’

‘Wanna come round to mine for a bit?’ I asked her shyly, looking down at the ground. I don’t know why I’d asked her that but it seemed like the right thing to do anyhow. She smiled reassuringly and I felt like I’d definitely made a good choice.

We walked the block to my apartment and chatted pleasantly, me asking her about how she’d gotten to work for Fame.

When we arrived at my apartment I grabbed my keys out of my bag and fumbled with them nervously until I managed to open my door. I knew I had to talk to her about it, its why I invited her over for god’s sake, I had to apologise, and I had to do it soon before I lost my voice or avoided the topic completely.

‘Here come in, would you like some tea?’

‘Would love some, milk with 2 sugars please,’ she exclaimed graciously.

I sat her down on the couch and my hands shook, spilling the hot water on my hands as I poured the water over the tea bag. Just go and tell her Katya, say you’re sorry and you’ve been embarrassed about it ever since, she won’t be angry. Okay well maybe not super angry. She can’t be, she’s such a sweet person, with a sweet pair of legs, seriously those thighs must be smoother than milk, and those hips, okay stop that. Just apologise and beg for her forgiveness, hands, knees everything, yup good plan. Okay let’s go, you can do this.

‘Here’s your tea,’ I said handing her the glass.

Time to put the plan into action. I leant down attempting to go onto my knees, but instead, I tripped over the coffee table and splashed my forgotten glass of tea all over the wooden apartment floor. My limbs landed in the tea and I recoiled at the heat, hitting my head on the lamp and cursing as I sprawled onto the ground once again.

‘Oh god, are you okay there Katya??!’

‘Peachy thanks,’ I attempted as I put my arms out and stood up. Okay plan B, just sit down and tell her from there, less chance of messing it up hopefully. This would’ve worked if I hadn’t forgotten about the spilled tea and slipped banging my head against the coffee table, right where I’d previously banged it, causing a gash to form and blood to drip down onto the floor.

‘Oh my, okay. You just stay there and I’ll grab some tissues.’

She dashed off and I was left to sit in a pool of blood, hot tea and newly emerging tears.

[anip-art]

Messenger

Hello! After so so long I’m finally posting another story! This story was co-written with my friend @tomatofox-ship, and beta’ed by @wishfulina and @flautist4ever! Hope you guys enjoy!

AO3          FF.net

USERNAMES (In order of appearance) Lila Rossi: ItsPastaBedtime/WhosThatFoxyLady Chloe Bourgeois: Queen Bourgeois (Admin)/Whatever Chloe's Username Is (Admin) Adrien Agreste: Under Agreste (Co-Admin)/Meow or Never (Co-Admin) Alix Kubdel: LesBeansOnWheels Rose Lavillant: Smells Just as Sweet Nino Lahiffee: DropTheBass Marinette Dupain-Cheng : Bringing DuPAIN/TheOneWhoRisesforMemes Nathanael Kurtzberg: Redheaded Retrospect Max Kante: Max-ium Velocity Sabrina Raincomprix: RainySkies Alya Cesaire: Ladyblogger/All'a'y'all Le Chien Kim: French Dog/Kim-chi Juleka Couffaine: Purple Haired Pansexual Ivan Bruel: RockHard Johnson Mylene Haprele: #whyiseveryonesnameapun

As soon as Nathanael got home from school, he slid into his computer desk and pulled up Skype. The chat was just starting to pick up since this morning, which was fair since they had all been in school. He pulled out his sketchbook, which he had been doodling in during Chemistry, and started talking to his Internet Friends™ while he kept working on one of the designs inside.

When he started doing fashion and design, he hadn’t been thinking of it as fashion design. Fashion design, as most boys his age tended to think, was frilly dresses and girl things. No, he’d stuck his toe in the water by drawing a few costumes for superheroes. Even now, his designs tended to have that flair and extravagance, like something a hero might wear as a civilian. He’d never dare show it to anyone at school--they all thought fashion design was ‘a girl’s job,’ and ‘only gay men would do fashion design.’ Which was preposterous, considering one of the global fashion icons was a very-much-straight (or at least bi or pan, but who knew but him?) man. But he’d stumbled upon this group chat--Central European Time Zone Fashion Club--filled with teens his age talking about fashion. He’d been quiet at first, as usual, but one day daringly sent a few pictures of his superhero costumes. The chat went wild after that, and quickly pulled him into their circle. They were basically the only friends he really had.

He had loved that chat. He loved it even more after Lila Rossi joined. She was a super bold outgoing girl who doesn't take any crap from anyone. She had awesome designs that looked like the stuff that millionaires would wear. Everyone loved her work except Chloe--but she  hates everyone's work. Chloe made it difficult to feel welcome sometimes, but it's impossible to kick the maker of the chat out so they just dealt with it. It was hard for Nathanael at first, but eventually he found her rants about his work hilarious. Most of the time.

ItsPastaBedtime: what’s up French Nerds

ItsPastaBedtime: hon hon hon la baguette

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): oh go back to eating pasta in your gondola

ItsPastaBedtime: yeah sure lemme shove some down your throat first

(Chloe Bourgeois ( Queen Bourgeois ) kicked Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) out of the chat)

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): finally

(Adrien Agreste ( Under Agreste ) added Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) back into the chat)

ItsPastaBedtime: i’m back bitches

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): dammit

LesBeansOnWheels: now now Madame Bourgeois, the daughter of the mayor shouldn’t use that kind of language.

Queen Bourgeois: shut it, Alix

Smells Just As Sweet: can we get along for more than three minutes ever?

DropTheBass: no

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): wow thanks Nino

DropTheBass: just telling it how it is, broham

Bringing DuPAIN: back from school

RedHeadedRetrospect: oh hey same

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): see the name of this group chat?

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): that means we all live in the same time zone

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): therefore, we all get off school at the same time

Max-imum Velocity: well technically

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): quit announcing your back from school or else I’ll kick you

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): shut up Max

Bringing DuPAIN: yeah and Adrien will just add us back

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): ugh you’re right

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): you bet

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): i need someone to be co-admin who’ll lay down the law

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): someone i can trust

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): Sabrina you’re co-admin now

RainySkies: YAY

Ladyblogger: you do realize literally anyone can add people back right

ItsPastaBedtime: I was about to say that

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): shit

LesbeansOnWheels: screenshotted

LesbeansOnWheels: lets see you try to trip me again, Bourgeois

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): doubleshit

French Dog: I leave you guys alone for five minutes

French Dog: and there’s already Discourse

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): go eat your fucking kinchi kim

French Dog changed their name to Kim-chi

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): so did anyone do any actual designing today??

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): because I may or may not have snuck some pics from Father’s photoshoot to show you

Bringing DuPAIN: OOH GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMME

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): but only if someone actually practiced at all today

PurpleHairedPansexual sent five photos

Max-imum Velocity sent two photos

Nathanael sighed and took a deep breath. Everyone else was sharing their work. He took a glance at his sketchbook. None of them were all that great, but he was quite fond of one of his sketches--a suit set that came with a nice cloak. He snapped a photo and sent it before he could convince himself otherwise.

Redheaded Retrospect sent a photo

Bringing DuPAIN sent 10 photos

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): woah mari chill alright I'm sending it

Under Agreste sent 21 photos

Bringing DuPAIN: AAAAA ADRIEN THOSE ARE AWESOME

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): its just what one would expect from THE Gabriel Agreste

ItsPastaBedtime: stfu Chloe he can't hear you stop kissing his ass

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): maybe I just have respect for high quality fashion and their designer unlike some Italians in this chat

DropTheBass: Could you guys chill for once in your life's honesty

Nathanael agreed, they could get out of hand, but he wasn't about to say anything. When those two got to arguing, it was usually best to just stay out of the way.

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): oh my god

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): I just saw all of those designs you sent in and they’re absolutely pitiful

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): I mean just look at Nathanael’s

Bringing DuPAIN: hey shut up, you haven’t sent anything in a month

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): just absolutely trash

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): who would actually wear that anywhere outside of some dumb comic convention

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): um

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): me

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): it looks fake guys i mean come on

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): no one in their right mind would wear something like that in public

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): and that’s the first thing you’ve sent in a week, and that’s what you send?

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): keep at those dumb comics because you clearly won’t get anywhere in fashion

Nathanael sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked at the computer screen. Another glance at his sketchbook, and all of his fears were found to be true. He‘d drawn five little doodles that day, and had sent the best one out of the bunch, and it wasn’t even that great. It wasn’t practical, and it looked horrible. Too many damn stripes, why did he always go for stripes. And the weird green color was just horrible, all of his designs were horrible. He was about to take a pen and scratch out every single dumb doodle in that book when his computer pinged with yet another notification.

ItsPastaBedtime: stfu Chloe. His design is great and I love it and it looks totally great and maybe the color just needs a small tiny bit of adjusting but it’s freaking beautiful you ignorant musk ox how dare you go on insulting everyone's hard work like that. This chat was supposed to be to support each other while we design, yet here you are trying to bring everyone down. At least we’re working. What have you sent in the past month? Nothing.

RockHard Johnson: that was mean Chloe

ItsPastaBedTime: everyone’s designs have been great. Meanwhile the, what, five you send all look like little triangle dresses that a three year old would draw. You think you’re better than everyone else just because you’re the daughter of the mayor of Paris. Well i’m out of your jurisdiction so your dumb pettiness has no effect on me. You bring others down to make yourself feel better, but all it does is show what a bully you are

RainySkies: whoa whoa whoa Chloe isn’t a bully

ItsPastaBedtime: plus I’ve seen pictures of you online. You wouldn’t know fashion if it jumped from the ceiling and hit you in your pretty little face with a folding chair. Your face is all you’ve got, your face and your father’s dumb political corruption. I haven’t even met you face to face but i can already tell you’re despicable. You suck.

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): yeah well so’s your face

(Chloe Bourgeois ( Queen Bourgeois ) kicked Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) out of the group chat)

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): nobody add her back

To say he was touched by what Lila had done was definitely an understatement. Sure, she and Chloe had fought before, countless times even. But usually, when Chloe started railing on him about his designs and his worth as a fashion designer, people stayed quiet. Maybe a few ‘hey that was mean’ messages, or a weak attempt to change the topic. But no one had gone as far as Lila had just then. Sure, it could be said, she had gone a bit too far. Too far, however, was the most he had ever gotten, and sure felt a lot better than silence, or not far enoughs.

He usually wasn’t one to add people back to the chat. He’d wait for someone else to do it first. Adrien tended to take the task onto himself. If he failed to, and no one else did, he’d usually wait until night to re-invite them. This time, though, as soon as he realized Lila had been booted yet again, he typed the quick command to add her back.

(Nathanael Kurtzberg ( Redheaded Retrospect ) added Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) back to the chat)

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): DAMMIT NATHANAEL

Redheaded Retrospect: thank you

Redheaded Retrospect: for standing up for me

Bringing DuPAIN: yeah go Lila!

After that the conversation kinda simmered down and people left to do homework. Nathanael did most his in class today so he tried to design, but ended up drawing her. He's only seen two pictures of Lila but he still draws her and using it as reference. He wishes he could meet her. Her, Rose, and Juleka were his best and only friends. He's never even seen any of them face to face. On this thought he made a bold move.

He turned back to his computer and started a new conversation. A private conversation between himself and her.

Lila looked away from her homework to see she had three new notifications on her phone, which had caused it to buzz on her desk. Homework could wait a few moments.

Nathanael Kurtzberg ( Redheaded Retrospect ) started a new conversation with you

Nathanael Kurtzberg ( Redheaded Retrospect ) renamed the conversation New Conversation to What DOES the Fox Say?

Redheaded Retrospect: hey. I just wanted to thank you for sticking up for me back in the big chat.

Lila smiled softly and typed back a response.

ItsPastaBedtime : of course. I was sick and tired of her going after you all the time.

Redheaded Retrospect : me specifically?

ItsPastaBedtime ; well, I hate her going after everyone

ItsPastaBedtime : but she seems cruelest to you.Can’t stand it. Not like you ever did anything to her.

ItsPastaBedtime : i think she just doesn’t want to admit your designs are better than hers.

RedHeadedRetrospect: : well that’s debatable, really. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder

ItsPastaBedtime ; some things are obvious

ItsPastaBedtime : imagine a bright neon green and fluorescent orange jump suit. That’s clearly not a good idea right? Nobody would wear that.

RedHeadedRetrospect: : well, there’s joggers.

Lila let out a laugh at the message. It reminded her of her weird neighbor, who went out every morning, right when people were getting up and getting ready for work, and jogged laps around the neighborhood in fluorescent sweatshirts, sweatpants, gym shorts--she’d never seen him wearing anything that wasn’t an eye-searing color. She was mildly surprised he hadn’t painted his house neon yellow or something. She was pretty sure the only thing holding him back was the neighborhood rules on Exterior Decorations.

ItsPastaBedtime: That’s true. Joggers are a plague to the eyes.

ItsPastaBedtime: Didn’t Gabe come with a sportswear line? If it weren’t so expensive I bet they’d wear that instead.

Redheaded Retrospect: wait oh my god did you just call Gabriel Agreste GABE?!

ItsPastaBedtime: you bet I did. We're besties me and him. Hang all the all time.

Redheaded Retrospect: haha of course.

This is when Nathanael started freaking out. The conversation was awkward and lulling. He wanted to become better friends with Lila or maybe more, but he can barely think of words to say.

ItsPastaBedtime: well, I’ve got homework to do.

ItsPastaBedtime: see you later

Nathanael sighed but typed back his response. He wasn’t sure if she actually had homework, or if she was getting tired of him, and there was really no way of telling.

Redheaded Retrospect: alright, see you

Even after she had finished her homework and eaten dinner with her family, she still couldn’t get that design out of her mind. Nathanael’s design really was amazing, at least she thought so. And she hadn’t announced it to the group yet, but her father was flying to Paris in a few weeks for business and had invited her along. Maybe, with  a few minor color modifications, and cashing in a favor or two with her friend who actually owned a sewing machine…

“Who are you texting?”

Nathanael looked up from his phone and turned to his desk mate. Today it was a nosy girl named Alice, who was currently leaning over to look at where he’d been holding his phone under the table. She had been awfully loud with her question as well--luckily the math teacher was half-deaf, otherwise his phone would have been taken.

“It’s none of your business. And be quiet.” he sighed. She didn’t seem to listen to his request.

“Ooooh do you have a girlfriend, Nathanael?” she asked. Nathanael felt his face heat up.

“None of your business!”

“Does Nathanael have a crushy-crush?!”

“Shut up!” he growled. But it was too late. Mr. Bunting turned around, eyes aflame with fury.

“Alice and Nathanael! Both of you, detention, after school!”

Nathanael groaned and let his head fall onto the desk. He wasn’t getting his phone taken, at least, but now he was stuck at school for an extra hour and a half.

It turned out to be quick and painless. The teacher was just talking, and he was chatting with Lila and the gang. Sharing designs and listening to Chloe's nonsense while Alice read over his shoulder. It was kinda nice. It felt like he belonged.

It was about a week or two later when Lila popped into the group chat with a big announcement

WhosThatFoxyLady: yo guys guess what?

Whatever Chloe’s username is: did you finally decide to quit fashion?

WhosThatFoxyLady: ha you wish

WhosThatFoxyLady: My dad’s coming to Paris for a business trip or some shit next weekend, we’re going to stay for like three or four days

Mr.TomatoHead: oh my god what

TheOneWhoRisesforMemes: oh my god no way you’re coming to Paris?!

All’a’y’all: Girl, we’ve gotta meet up to show you around!

Meow or Never: I’ll see if I can clear up my schedule enough to come see you!

Mr.TomatoHead: oh my god WHAT

#whyiseveryonesnameapun: look like someone’s excited. ; -)

To be fair, Nathanael was excited. He had been dreaming of seeing Lila in person for awhile now, but he’d never thought it would happen until they were much older. Now his wish was coming true, and in a week.

Shit. one week. He had to get his hair cut, pick a good outfit, plan what they would do, oh lord, it was going to be a mess.

Those thoughts were replaced with new ones as soon as they came though, because he realized the likelihood of him seeing her was low. Painfully low. Like might-as-well-not-be-in-the-same-city painful low. Which made it so much more painful. Not only was Lila in the country, she was in the city! Lila, his Lila Rossi was gonna potentially be a walk away. There was only one thing that could fix this. He's just gonna casually message her in a normal way.

Mr.TomatoHead: hey foxy

WhosThatFoxyLady: hello my tomato boy.

WhosThatFoxyLady: we are we today?

Mr.TomatoHead: im great. just wondering where youll be.

WhosThatFoxyLady: in your heart hopefully ;)

WhosThatFoxyLady: you meant in Paris

WhosThatFoxyLady: yeah sorry I have no clue

Mr.TomatoHead: you're always in my heart Lila

She didn't reply after that. They saw each other in group chat but other that they hadn't spoken. Nathanael was miserable , to say the least, panicked thoughts rushing through his head. Had he gone too fast? Had he made things awkward? Gosh, that was no way to confess a crush; over IM, really?! He could do better!

The next day, Marinette and Alya had worked together to create a list of the best places in Paris to visit. They discussed it over the group chat, when and where to meet up so they could all greet Lila and show her their beloved city.

Nathanael breathed a sigh of relief. The two girls, it seemed, had already solved the problem of not being able to see her. Now everyone was discussing gifts to give Lila, so she would remember them and Paris. He mulled over her favorite things in his head. Foxes, the color orange, olives, fashion… what was he going to get her…?

Lila grinned at the group chat as everyone excitedly chatted about where to go and what to bring. She had been hoping she’d be able to see her friends in the city; now it was near guaranteed. Thank God. All that work she’d put into her outfits would have gone to waste otherwise. Especially one she was certainly fond of...

The alarm blared beside him, waking him up with a groan. He ran a hand through his horrendous bed head as he stared at the dark window trying to figure out just why the hell he had set his alarm to wake him so goddamn early in the morning.

Then he remembered. Lila Rossi was probably boarding a flight any moment now, and then she’d be checking into a hotel room and meeting up with them--the entire Fashion Group Chat (or the Meme Green Fashion Team, as Adrien had renamed it)--by the Louvre for a day seeing everything Paris has to offer. He was going to get to meet her-- in person. He’d woken up early so he’d have time to freak out.

After pacing the room and panicking for a full thirty minutes, the sun was rising and he was feeling a bit better. Just a little bit. Enough to focus on doing his hair and grabbing a small breakfast.

Now, the outfit. What would he wear?! He looked good in black and white stripes, but also purple, but also orange?!?! Should he go for casual, formal, preppy, lazy--what was he going to do?! He decided that since none of them know how he normally dresses it wouldn't be weird if he dressed to impress. he looked through his closet for something believably casual, but also would make him look good. He ended up in a weather appropriate blazer jeans combo that wore way too often but whatever he gets compliments on it almost all the time.

Oh God, his nerves were weak as hell today. He’d felt full before, but now he was hungry again, he was burning so much energy through worrying. He was going to need some more toast.

She was listening to her music and sketching out some designs in her sketchbook when her father tapped her shoulder from beside her.

“We’re here, hun,” he said quietly, gesturing to everyone else on the plane gathering their things and getting off. She quickly tossed her things into her carry-on bag and waited until her father was ready, rocking on the balls of her feet. He grinned as he watched her waiting impatiently. “Excited?”

“Yeah, duh, dad! I get to see my friends--and Chloe,” she stuck out her tongue in disgust at the thought of seeing the blonde.

“And that redhead?”

Lila’s cheeks felt like they were on fire when her father waggled his eyebrows at her. “A-And Nathanael--stop looking at me like that!”

“I sure hope you two won’t be up to any trouble while I’m in my business meetings, hm?”

“We’ll be fine, Dad!! We need to check into the hotel now!”

“Well, you’re in quite the hurry,” he said jokingly, but took his briefcase and headed towards the exit.

As soon as they were in the terminal, she sent a text in the group chat.

WhosThatFoxyLady: Guess who just landed in Paris!

Bringing DuPAIN: Oh shit I gotta get ready or I’m gonna be late!

All’a’y’all: But you’re always late.

Bringing DuPAIN: but this is a special occasion!

Lila grinned. Hell yeah, it was a special occasion! Lila Rossi was here to see the sights and kiss redheads--and her hotel already had a view of Paris.

They got their bags and headed out front to catch the shuttle to their hotel. The ride wasn’t long, at least not unbearably so, because her pent-up excitement was making the time fly by.

Nathanael wasn't the first one there; Rose and Kim were already there. It was strange because Kim was was so big it was scary and Rose had the eyes of an anime character. As they got there he noticed those “things” about each of them. Those defining things. Like for Mylene it was her height and colorful hair. Max it was his stereotypical nerd outfit. Ivan was big, bigger than Kim. Sabrina had giant glasses and cute orange hair; the definition of a ginger. Alix had pink hair with one half in a pig tail. Adrien was a model boy, clearly, the damn kid practically glowed. For Chloe most people noticed the hair or the “rich girl” aura but Nathanael was focusing on her weirdly thin lips and her face--she looked like Barbie. Nino’s was his red cap and headphones; he was able to spot him from across the plaza. Juleka was a perfect stereotypical goth. Alya was the definition of “strong independent woman” in the best way. Marinette looked tired like she hadn't gotten a full night's rest in a year. And Lila...

Was wearing his design.

Nathanael’s heart thundered in his chest when he saw the taxi pull up to the plaza, and it damn-near stopped when Lila stepped out, whisking her cape out the car behind her. She’d modified the outfit a little--it was more of an olive-green than the strange lime his color pencil pack had provided him--and had added a pair of brown heels to match. But she looked gorgeous, stunning, amazing…

“Oh my God, Lila! Hi!” Rose squealed, running up.

“Is that Nathan’s design?! You look amazing!” Alya added, following Rose.

“Is that Nathanael's design? Ugh of course you would pick his to wear.” Chloe said, trying to hide a grin as Sabrina shadowed her, openly smiling.

“Good to see you too Chloe.” Lila said. “It's good to see all of you face to face!” She finished as Rose let her go from a hug that Lila pulled her back into as everyone else piled into a giant hug. Some people were crying.

Eventually they let go and started wandering the city all of them saying things about various buildings that they had connections with, sometimes taking breaks because a lot of the girls were in heels. It was perfect except for Nathanael hanging in the back. She wanted to talk to him alone. She needed to talk to him alone. It's all she could really think about that this might be her only chance to see him and he has hardly spoken.

She let herself fall back in the group until she was close, then leaned over. “Hey,” she greeted. Nathanael’s face erupted into a mad blush and he quickly looked away.

“H-Hey,” he stammered out.

“Oh, not as charming in person as you are over text, are you?” she teased. He blushed more before grinning.

“I-I mean, do you want me to be?”

“You’re just… you’re being quiet. For a second I thought you weren’t excited to see--”

“O-Of course I’m excited to see you! I just--I am--I was--well, I’m--shy.”

“I can see,” she said with a giggle. He pouted a moment before hesitating.

“...you really liked that design, didn’t you? To wear it here in the middle of Paris.” he asked quietly, brushing a bit of hair from his eyes. She smiled.

“Of course. I loved it. It may not be Chloe’s style, but her designer wear can be a bit plain. I like my clothes to have a bit of flair, if I weren’t too shy.”

Nathanael laughed a bit. “You? Shy?”

“Hey, I’m not as shy as you are, tomato, but this fox is still a bit shy. I can’t exactly wear a cape and heels to school.” she grinned, flourishing her cape.

“So… it’s what you would wear, if people didn’t judge so much, and you had the money and budget and confidence to do so?”

“...yeah. Like that.”

Nathanael smiles. “Well, this was really a nice surprise. I’m really glad you’re here, foxy.”

“Me too, tomato boy,” she looked up as they reached the Eiffel Tower, smiling as she took the red-head’s hand in her on before kissing him on the cheek. “Me too.”

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 23

(aka the royalty AU story)

Updates will be slower now because I’m all caught up with posting and might not have time to write more (I’M SORRY I’VE BEEN WRITING SO FAST) :P

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22] [AO3]

At some point during the month of May, a change occurred in the royal class. The previous Viceroy of the Rossi City-State had passed away, and in his place the father of one of the noble class was appointed to take the role. This noble, Lila, was a mere “Marchesa” and was not descended from royalty, but through some rule loopholes she was allowed to move into the royal class due to her father’s new position.

“A viceroy is a representative of a nation’s sovereign monarch despite being appointed the role rather than inheriting it,” she told the class during her introduction on her first day, “and therefore, being the daughter of a provisional monarch, that makes me a rather unusual, unique type of princess. My formal title is still marchesa, though. I’m just special.”

Lila looked around the room at everyone watching her, trying to size them all up in her mind. She already knew Alya, of course – she was part of her spy ring. She recognized most of the others too since the nobility had all been given special classes on recognizing the royal class members and how to properly respect them. It would be so exciting to be one of them instead now. Everyone would look up to her.

Her eyes went straight to Imperial Prince Adrien, sitting near the front, watching with polite interest. Ah yes, he was the highest ranked out of all the boys here, wasn’t he? Not to mention rather stunning in looks. All the nobility were always secretly fawning over him. If Lila could just get him to fall for her, well, wouldn’t that make her the absolute best? Then no one would judge her for being out of place, a noble amongst royals. She would really have earned her spot.

As soon as the lesson was over, she went directly to Adrien, curtseying and then gently taking his arm in her hand.

“It’s ever so nice to meet you, Your Imperial Highness,” she gushed. “May I just call you Adrien?”

“Oh, um, of course!” Adrien replied, smiling nervously. “Nice to meet you too, Lila.”

“I’ve heard so many tales of your politeness and how wonderful you are.”

“Really? Thank you, I had no idea–”

“In fact, back in Rossi being polite is a very respected trait. That’s why my father was chosen to rule – he’s ever so polite. I’m trying to be the same way so I can make a great leader too one day.”

She stepped a little closer and leaned forward, hoping he would be able to smell her perfume.

“So Adrien, could you show me around? I already know what the noble areas of the school look like, of course, but now I want to see the royal areas too. I especially wore my most regal dress to make sure I fit in. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”

Giggling, she held out the skirt of her dress so that the intricate design was in full show. Adrien took a small step back and gave her a thumbs up.

“Yes, that’s a nice dress,” he said. “And, uh, I would absolutely love to show you around, but…”

“I know, I know, your father wouldn’t approve of you associating with a member of nobility, would he?”

“It’s not that, I don’t mind that at all! It’s just that I have some homework I need to catch up on so I was planning to go to the library first and do that, though of course I can show you around later if you like.”

“Why don’t I just come to the library with you? Two people working on homework together would be much better than one.”

“Oh, um, alright!”

Lila linked her arm up with Adrien’s and let him lead her to the library, where he set out all his papers and began working.

Hmm… they were alone in here, weren’t they? It certainly seemed like that. Perhaps now would be a good time to make a move. After all, that was the sort of thing Lila was good at – flirting, getting people to like her, falling under her charismatic spell.

“So, since you’re royalty, are you betrothed to anyone yet?” she asked, placing her hand over his and inching her chair a little closer. She knew perfectly well that these days people didn’t tend to get betrothed so young, royalty or not, or at least they would have some say in it. But it was a good way to broach the subject.

“Not exactly,” Adrien said, leaning away just a tad.

“What do you mean, not exactly? Is there someone you’re under pressure to end up with?”

He sighed. “Kind of. I mean… it’s not really a big deal. But Bourgeois is the other big empire in the world, so a lot of people expect that… Chloé and I… well…”

“You know, a girl doesn’t have to rule a big empire to be considered an ideal match.” Lila batted her eyelashes at him and put on her most winning smile. “Even smaller countries can be wealthy. Even city-states can be wealthy.”

Yes, she was being incredibly obvious. People always called her a fast-mover. But at least it tended to work! How were you ever going to get anywhere with anyone unless you put yourself out there and really went for it?

“It’s not wealth I’m after,” Adrien said. He rested his head on his hands and gazed off into the distance. “If I’m going to get engaged to someone, I’d want it to be someone I like. Someone who I get along with, can call a friend, who makes me happy to spend time with…”

Lila frowned – Adrien was definitely thinking about someone in particular, but who? Who in the class could he have possibly fallen in love with?

Never mind. She would just have to work harder to win him over, that was all. If she spent as much time with him as possible, surely that would bring him around.

Kim soon received a letter from home. How could that be possible? Weren’t there border problems preventing mail from getting through? He had a read of it, skimming over the boring bits.

We have sent this letter by messenger pigeon to the postal centre in Cheng, where it will go by traditional mail to the school.

Oh, that explained it then.

Speaking of Cheng, if the situation here does not improve by the time your summer holidays begin, you are to go and stay with Princess Marinette’s family as their guest. We have already corresponded with them and they have accepted that this would be a good idea. You will be staying in the royal palace in Cheng, rather than Dupain, as it is much closer to Lê Chiến. This way if things improve while you are there then it will be easier for you to return home quickly, and we will be able to keep in touch relatively easily too.

Not bothering to read the rest, Kim grabbed the letter and rushed out of his room, heading straight for Marinette’s dorm. It appeared she had the same idea as they ran into each other halfway.

“I might be staying at yours for the summer!” Kim said excitedly, waving the letter at her.

“I know, my parents just told me too!” she squealed, holding up her own letter. “I’m so happy!”

“I know, right? How fun it this gonna be? I love visiting Cheng, your parents are awesome – you guys are like a second family!”

“That’s exactly what I thought!”

“I can’t wait!”

Marinette suddenly cleared her throat, looking a lot more serious. “But I do hope whatever the situation is in your country, it clears up soon. I would hate for there to be any danger or permanent problems, and I’ve heard that you haven’t been home in a while so you must be missing it…”

“Oh, yeah…” Kim had forgotten about that in his enthusiasm. “I can’t get home because the only routes go through Agreste territory, and apparently those areas are really unsafe right now for some reason. Something to do with rising hostilities. I don’t know, no one ever really tells me anything properly.”

“I hope it gets sorted out soon. I mean, I am very excited that you’ll be coming to stay, but the stability of your kingdom is more important than that.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Kim had a quick look at the rest of the letter, but there didn’t seem to be anything of interest. All of a sudden it was hitting him how much he did miss his kingdom – it wasn’t perfect, but it was home, and it had been months and months since he had been there. What if the hostilities took a long time to clear up? What if he couldn’t go back for years?

Marinette gave him a poke in the arm, and he saw that she was smiling up at him reassuringly. “You know, we haven’t hung out in a while. What do you say we have a tennis match?”

Oh, classic Marinette. She always knew how to make him feel better. A tennis match against his old friend would be so much fun.

“Good idea, let’s go!”

Over the course of that week, Lila had somewhat managed to figure out that Adrien was very much crushing on Marinette, who seemed to like him back, though with both of them blissfully unaware of the other’s feelings. Lila would have to get Adrien to fall for her as quick as possible before he or Marinette made a move. At least she had been talking to him so much this week, surely he had to like her at least a little bit by now. After all, he was definitely interested in girls. This would not be an impossible task.

“Adrien, I have to ask you something,” she said to him one day, sitting with him outside on the bench by the moat. It was a bright sunny day, with flowers blooming everywhere, and she had managed to get Nino to go somewhere else so that it was just her and Adrien alone.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “What is it?”

“I’m new here and I always wondered whether I could fit in, despite being from the noble class… do you think I fit in?”

“Of course you do!” His tone sounded rather surprised. “Lila, you fit in very well indeed! Everyone loves you.”

Obviously they did, she had made sure of that. Everyone in the class had been enthralled by her tales of life on the lavish, luxurious island of Rossi, even though she may have spun some of her stories a little more than could be considered truthful. Especially since she had never actually spent much time in Rossi, more often being back in the Marca Volpina on the Italian mainland. It didn’t matter, no one would ever find out.

“And what do you think of me?” she asked, lowering her voice to a sultry whisper. “Do you like me?”

He turned to face her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Yes, of course I like you, Lila. You’re so nice, and you’ve always made sure to chat with me a lot and spend time with me… I guess it’s like having a sister.”

That was so nice of him. He was ever so sweet, and–

Wait, what? A sister? How could he possibly…?

“Lila, are you okay?” he asked, seeing the tears start spilling out of her eyes suddenly.

“You said that on purpose!” she snapped, enraged. “You knew perfectly well I’ve been hitting on you this entire time, you just never bothered to tell me outright that you don’t love me! You’d rather just break my heart by telling me I’m like a sister, because you don’t have the guts to do it properly! Isn’t that right, Adrien?”

The words came gushing out before she could stop them. It always made her so irrationally upset when people didn’t love her the way she wanted them to, and she could never figure out why, nor could she control it. She didn’t want to lash out at Adrien like this, but for now she couldn’t stop herself.

“Um… well… okay that’s true, but…” Adrien was looking embarrassed.

Lila let out a sob, turning away. “I thought we had something special! We’ve been on so many romantic dates this week together!”

“What? Romantic dates? I was just being friendly!”

“Well don’t bother to lead me on next time. Just forget about it!” She stood up and ran off, ignoring Adrien calling after her.

What could she do now? She had spent all that time and effort courting Adrien, just to have him state his disinterest in her upfront. It was so humiliating! She was supposed to be good at getting people to fall in love with her, that was her speciality! How could she have failed on such a dashing imperial prince like him?

Still in a half fit of rage, she made a rather rash decision. The Agreste Empire was enemies with Lê Chiến, right? In that case she would go for Prince Kim instead. After all, she had almost caught the guy under the mistletoe back at the winter party that one time, though she had managed to brush it off when he said that he was waiting for “someone else”. It was fairly obvious that “someone else” was the tiny little pharaoh he spent a lot of time with, but Lila could tell that wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry, especially since said pharaoh was too oblivious to see past her own nose.

No, it would hopefully be easy to snag a brainless, athletic pretty boy like Kim. And it would be the perfect way to get over Adrien.

[airbnbseo-blog]

Listing 2

Listing 2

WELLCOME TO LAGOM HOME HUE

Lagom Home is a brand new destination in Hue - where you can find the spirit of Ancient lands through space and in every experience. The house is built on the spirit of harmony with local nature, in which the main axis is the Perfume River. Within a radius of 3 km around Lagom, you can reach to destinations that should not be missed while in Hue, such as Hue Citadel, Dong Ba Market, museum system, ... If you are a food lover and want to discover the famous local cuisine, you can experience them at her kitchen Lagom with 2 little owners who love everything that belongs to Hue. Superhost Verified Superhost Verified

Lagom Home - Perfume Riveside View Whole House ​

Starting from $43 per night

Lagom Home - May Troi room Perfume riveside view

Starting from $18 per night

Lagom Home - Beo Dat shared dorm free dinner

Starting from $10 per night

52 Reviews

December 2018

Thank you for hosting us. We got a good time there, and had experienced with local people. Many interesting things we learned from the hosts, they shared useful tips from natural materials and meals were cooked very delicious. Hope to be back soon. Kim Thuyen

February 2019

It’s like a dream. I love the location, the hospitality and the breakfast options. The building is well maintained, the ladies are so lovely. Only issue is the internet connection, it’s not so strong in the room. The next time I visit Hue, im definitely coming back here. Kudos to Van for her hard work. Quinny

December 2018

Great place to lay back and relax in Hue! We were warmly welcomed with a cup of tea and ginger, the house is very comfortable and has a nice view on the river. Emmanuel

January 2019

Vung's home is a beautiful retreat in the middle of Hue. She is so kind and generous and shared delicious food with us each morning we were there. We are so thankful for her gratitude. Mackenzie

September 2018

Lagom Home is truthfully one of a kind destination when I visit Hue. The house’s decoration is what I have to so-called “The Spirit of Hue”. Every corner of the house reminds you how Hue is and how different between Hue and others city in Vietnam. Van is an awesome host, I don’t have to say much but her hospitality. She took my family to places where are so unique and really “local”. Beo and Hien is the other hosts that I called her “The Maker”. Why? Cuz she made all the things that you can find in the house. From handmade soap, handmade incense oil to handmade laptop bag which I personally like the most, and for sure I got one for myself. Two days stay in the house seem do not enough for my family, from the ice cube they made to the food they cooked, it shows how the hosts are really in the game. I definitely recommend Lagom Home when you guys visit Hue, good location; good food; friendly; comfy and cozy are what I’m talking about. Duy Xem chi tiết tại: https://airbnbseo.com/listing-2/

[vivianstravelblog]

~ Warning! Spoilers! Halfway Asian Drama Review: “Descendants of the Sun” (Ep 1-8) ~

Backstory

There was a long period of time where I went through this k-drama slump. It probably started after freshman year of college. I just was not watching Asian dramas / variety shows as religiously as I did in high school and middle school probably because I have seen too many and needed a break. Also, my college years were when the golden age of Western TV started. I kept hearing how this Korean drama is really good and how that Korean drama was super great, but my heart wasn’t in it. However, recently, I slightly jumped back on the k-drama train. It started with “Scarlet Heart” and “Goblin”. “Goblin” really reminded me why I go into k-dramas in the first place. It was such good story telling. I knew then that I needed more k-dramas in my life and will now go back and slowly watch all the high rated stuff I missed during my long slump. The first on my list is “Descendant of the Sun”.

Summary

Yoo Si-Jin (Song Joong-Ki) is the captain of a South Korean Special Forces unit. He meets Dr. Kang Mo-Yeon (Song Hye-Kyo), and it is love at first sight. They start dating, but their busy schedules and different views on life and death drive them apart. Deported to fictional country, Urk, Yoo Si-Jin does not think he will see Kang Mo-Yeon again, but fate would have it that she would be sent there to do volunteer work and the pair reunite. Now, will their love survive this second chance? Meanwhile, Yoo Si-Jin’s comrade, Seo Dae-Young (JIN Goo) is forced to break up with his girlfriend, military surgeon, Yoon Myeong-Joo (Kim Ji-Won) because her father, a high rank military official, does not approve of this match. Headstrong Yoon Myeong-Joo does not want to give up on their love, but will Seo Dae-Young be able to choose her over his military career?

Thoughts/Review

The first episode kicked it off with a bang. It opened up with a knife action sequence to keep you on your toes as you witness Si-Jin get cut. Then, we get this awesome phone flip / catch. How epic was that? Plus, we get to see Song Joong-Ki naked and in uniform. SHIT! I’m dead. Finally, there was one of my all time favorite song, “I’ll be Missing You” playing in the background. Was this not an amazing first episode? A lot happens in the first episode and in the next, but then it sort of slows down. It’s not a terribly bad thing, but it did lower my enthusiasm.

The kiss in the fourth episode was fast for a k-drama, and it was also a bit unnecessary. Let’s be honest, Si-Jin and Dr. Kang is a tad insta-love. It’s not boring because they have some of the best banter which is extremely fun to watch, but it does seem unreal at first. Then, the problems in their relationship make them seem a bit more real. I kind of enjoy the secondary pairing a little more. Who doesn’t love a doomed from the start relationship and this twist of girl chasing after stoic-ish boy? Their scenes are so cute and so heart breaking like that silent phone call. I am getting sucked into their love line.

When it was mentioned that the reason why Myeong-Joo doesn’t like Si-Jin is because he looks like a girl. I can see how this drama was well casted. You have flower boy, Song Joong-Ki and then you have manly man, JIN Goo. The two main girls are also tremendously beautiful in their own separate ways especially since their characters differ so much. On purpose, there’s a different eye-candy and personality for everyone to pick and love. The drama does that well.

I have to say that as an American, I was not fond of how obnoxious and arrogant the American military men were portrayed. I know that’s the stereotype, but do we always have to see this stereotype? This is the same writer as “Heirs”, and in that drama, the first few episodes take place in California, and the first American we get introduced to is a crack head white boy. Come on! But, I will admit that this is just me being nitpicky.

Talking about “Heirs”, I could not tell Myeong-Joo is portrayed by the same actress who played Rachel in “Heirs”. She looked so different, and then when I saw her with her long hair down for the wedding, I was like oh, it’s her! We see other secondary cast members from “Heirs” and “Goblin” in this which kept making me go ‘aww’. I won’t list everyone though.

Crazy observations about Dr. Kang: First, she has too little delivery pamphlets for someone who claims to order food often. Second, she recovered way too quickly for someone who just fell off a cliff into the ocean. Third, after the scene of her breaking off the heel from her show, she is now a revered bad ass in my book. Hollywood, are you taking notes?

The family photo scene stabbed me in the heart. I like these whole sometimes life is just fucked like that. The two people in the armed forces are still alive, but the mother had passed away. Then, so much of life and death is explored through the earthquake. My heart was breaking so badly during all the earthquake episodes. RIP, Manager Go.

Here are some random questions that popped up while I was watching this drama. 1) Nowadays, CPR doesn’t require mouth to mouth, right? 2) Can you really hear better with a stethoscope?

I know I am a bit all over the place with this thoughts / review portion, so let’s end it on a happy note. How cute were Si-Jin and Dae-Young when they wore those matching striped shirts? Plus, that confessions at the end of episode eight made me so giddy.

Predictions

I have been spoiled a little as to what will happen in the future, but with these eight episodes and those little spoilers I have seen, I will make my predictions.

I predict a happy ending. I will see Si-Jin and Dr. Kang end up together. She will have her clinic, and he will probably slow down his work load due to a promotion.

I want a happy ending for Dae-Young and Myeong-Joo so bad. I think Dae-Young will finally confront Myeong-Joo’s father and will somehow get his blessings. It would be cute if they got married, but I am being too optimistic. Let’s get stick with they end up together.

There will be a battle of sorts between Si-Jin and the super-villain, Agus. I can’t believe Si-Jin saved his life and lost his sunbae in return just so he can turn bad. Grrrr!

Onew’s character, Chi Hoon, will get another rude awakening when he returns to Korea but will end up being a good husband and father.

The young military kid who was an ex-pocket picker will be the next ‘hell instructor’ taking over the spot for his beloved sunbae. He will probably achieve some academic achievement. Nothing big, probably, get his GED.

Since this is a drama about men in the armed forces, I expect to see more chocolate abs but I expect to see more blood and tears. I am pretty sure Si-Jin and Dae-Young will get hurt even more badly in the episodes to come.

Well, that’s it. Time to go back to watching and finishing the second half of this drama. :)

K-Drama Halfway Review: Descendants of the Sun (Ep. 1-8) ~ Warning! Spoilers! Halfway Asian Drama Review: “Descendants of the Sun” (Ep 1-8) ~ Backstory There was a long period of time where I went through this k-drama slump.