#anyway ni hao

[beneaththemooon]

[bibleofficial]

so the majority of my building seems to be chinese so i’m just going to learn mandarin via cultural osmosis

[occamstfs]

Ni Hao!NYC

Morally conflicted journalist puts off questions of ethics until it's just too late. Finally assigned to put his name next inflammatory content Sam finds himself more than appreciating Chinese culture.

Various white to Asian Muscle growth and racial change ahead!

Like many, I saw the final pictures on twitter and had to do something with them haha! Ended up with a piece just a tad different than usual! Hope you all enjoy! -Occam

Samuel Johnston knew he worked for a rag but as long as the checks cashed he could afford to mute his conscience. They made money not from sales so much as some rightwing think tank who wants their views affirmed in any way they can get it. So he lays low and pens little puff pieces, avoiding anything too controversial and introduces himself as an accountant to anyone he cares enough to lie to.

He’s quite adept at staying out of sight and mind when it comes to the doling out of any especially charged or problematic issues. Making sure to bury his own work any chance he gets, even using a pen name in case someone accidentally stumbles on his writing. It’s gone well enough so far he thinks! Sam tells himself that really working for NY:Red isn’t that bad, surely it’s even good that he’s got the job rather than anyone who believes the shit they write. Right?

No job is without its problems, he tells himself. So far he’s done a commendable job keeping his nose down with an almost supernatural ability to duck away from bigwigs or management. That is until now as he’s summoned by name to his boss’ side. His proficiency at staying off the radar of management has kept him from a one on one with the man in charge for some time, but now he is sitting on the top floor outside of Mr. Howard’s office, surely waiting to be assigned some horrible project.

“Come in!” Sam hears the surly man shout before promptly stepping into the gaudy office. He’s immediately taken aback as somehow the editor looks almost younger than he does in the many pictures Sam has seen. Sam hides his shock at the man’s jet black hair as well as he hides the general fear and disdain that begins to send adrenaline pumping towards his mind. Mr. Howard doesn't notice at least, getting straight to business, “I can tell from yer writing that ya like the city Sam, can I call ya Sam?”

Samuel opens his mouth to reply but the chief just continues on, “Anyway I love all yer little toilet paper stories but how do ya wanna write with the big leagues?” This time Samuel stays strong and gets a word in before being steamrolled again, “Actually I-” “I’m puttin’ you on the most important case we have Sam. Surely ya’ve noticed all this, what's da word, influx? Invasion? Bah. All the Asian shit that’s startin’ ta creep in on our city’s culture!” Samuel makes an awkward face as despite knowingly working for the racist, it’s different to hear the words out loud.

He holds his tongue out of shock or fear and his boss continues on his diatribe, “The last couple a schmucks I had on the beat just up’n left me high and dry can ya believe it! Old friends I thought!” He grumbles as he scratches his chin, moving away his hand it seems his beard thinned? He shakes his head in irritation and Sam would swear he saw his jowls tighten and wrinkles smooth over. “Anyway kid. Go out and do some prelim research. Have something on my desk by Friday or yer out just like those galoots!” Samuel stands for a second unsure if he’s allowed to leave before his boss looks up to glare with eyes Sam would’ve sworn were blue when he walked in.

Sam rushes out the door and to the elevator, riding it back to his floor, debating between writing a preemptive resignation or keeping mum and keeping on payroll for one last week. Profiteering from a culture war he may be but he’s not about to regurgitate genuinely racist talking points. He taps his foot impatiently as he thinks about just how cushy this gig is though. “Fuck!” He decides to call the only other confirmed decent human being he knows here, his friend Nick who works in the fashion dept.

The two go to grab coffee at a chain next door, Sam tries not to notice how they’ve started selling Vietnamese iced coffee. “Fuck man I can’t do it! Literally just one conversation alone with Howard was a wake up call.” Nick smiles like he has no problems with working for the dirtiest rag in the city, “Chill out Sam. Huward had my manager on the same beat and he, uh, Hidaka said that is said to just look busy for a bit and we won’t need to worry about all this racist shit anymore.” Sam squints his eyes at his friend, he’s not usually so easy breezy about work. He also racks his brain trying to figure out who Hidaka could possibly be. That can’t be his boss. No way Howard would let someone not white lead a department.

Seeing Sam lost in thought Nick reaches out and grabs his hand in a way Sam couldn’t imagine him doing before this second. In fact as the second drags on he stares down in the hand in shock, feeling the warm hand squeeze his forearm. He looks up to his friend’s face searching for any clue to the cause of this odd behavior. Sam smiles awkwardly and half-jokes “Hah hah, uh- Who are you and what’d you do with Nick… Hah.” Nick bursts out laughing, patting him on the arm jovially and leaving a hand larger than Sam remembers resting on his own. “Hidaka-san just showed me how to worry less about this job un?”

Sam inspects him closely for anything amiss, it looks like he’s picked up a bit of a tan? His hair is messier than usual and definitely a little darker, his skin is alluringly smooth and Sam can feel the heat his body is generating despite sitting across from him. Looking at his clothes Sam finds another surprise, his shirt almost looks strained! As if Nick has been hitting the gym for sometime, maybe it’s just been a while since he’s seen his friend in person? 

Assuaged in the slightest, Sam ignores the glowering red flags and follows this lede, “Woah Nick have you been working out?” Nick blushes and Sam at the very least sees his friend is as shy as ever. He goes to scratch the back of his head straining his shirt almost to its ripping point as he responds, “Ah a little haha! どうぞ(please) don’t you worry about me. Since you have no desire to write the article, why don’t you go ahead and check out the little Asian market down the street for fun? It was quite a good time when Hidaka-san brought me earlier this week!”

Sam awkwardly smiles as he wonders why on Earth Sam is suddenly referring to his boss like this, it’s almost like he’s performatively speaking Japanese. Taking a second to pause Sam looks at the haircut as hands unseen style it into something fashionable he puts two and two together. Thinking to himself, ah! Nick must just be a weeb! Tension disappears from his body with a sigh of relief as he wonders how he didn’t notice before now. He gets up to follow his friend’s advice, what better way to stick it to the man than support the people he aims to malign right?

He bucks up and grabs a Vietnamese iced coffee for the road, tossing a “Sayonara,” at Nick with a wink to which he perks up and slightly bows. Man, how did he not notice before Sam thinks yet again. Blissfully unaware, leaving just as kanji symbols appear on Nick’s keyboard and his friend responds to an email in a language he didn’t know this morning. Blue eyes growing coal dark as his tanned, increasingly muscular arms tap away at the keyboard.

Sam spends the bulk of his day at the little Asian street fair and has an absolute blast. Any residual stains on his mind from his unpleasant morning absolutely fade away as he goes from booth to booth sampling cuisine and chatting with diasporic cultures the world over. Time flies as he goes into journalist mode and basically interviews first gen Chinese immigrants about their time in the city. He finds himself beyond immersed in the conversation, continuing to learn from the couple as the tables around them begin to pack up for the day. 

He offers to help the older couple pack up and they happily take the aid, striking him bashful as they talk of what a sweet young man he is. “Wa! 哇强 (strong) Too!” The wife chuckles as she jokingly feels his less than impressive arms. He was having a better time at this little fair than he ever could’ve imagined, enough so that he thinks about going to stick it to Huaward then and there. Huaward? Whatever. His mind slightly off put by whatever that was, in an uncharacteristic act of transparency, Sam lets it slip that he works for NY:Red. The expressions on the kind couple’s faces immediately sour and Sam is quite shocked that they even know what the paper is.

There is a glint in the husband’s eyes as he starts to motion Sam away from any further aid, “谢谢 (Thank you) for your help, Sam. There have been a few, hm, bad men wandering around from that paper and I uh-” He looks around his table and grabs some miijiu they hadn’t put away yet. His wife nods, her face somewhere between rueful and hopeful as she watches her husband offer Sam the glass. “Again, 谢谢, er thank you for your help young man, enjoy this for the road 好的? (Yeah?)” The two turn to each other and begin talking to each other in mandarin alone and Sam takes the hint.

Kicking himself that he fumbled the capstone on such a pleasant afternoon, though finding solace in the rice wine he’s walking away with. He is blissfully unaware as the couple watch him drink and head down the street debating if everyone from that paper really is an asshole. Grimacing as they think about the vitriol spewed at them by NY:Red readers they decide they had no other recourse. Pleasant as he seemed Sam was consciously working on the side of hate and that could not be simply overlooked.

Sam quite enjoyed the rice wine the couple left him with, it immediately smooths over any lasting regret or concern about his interaction with the couple. They don’t know anything about him! He’s nothing like his other coworkers. It feels as if he’s had far more to drink than the small container they left him with should allow, but every time he looks down there always seems to be more mijiu to entice him. It would be impolite not to finish their gift he thinks; his confident stride quickly shifting to a stumble as he wanders home. 

His phone goes off as he gets an email from his boss, Mr. Huang?  Can’t be right. He squints at the email, deciding he must really have overdone it on the mijiu and stuffing his phone back in his pocket. Beyond the obvious difficulties in ambulation being drunk, Sam is unable to notice as his proportions slowly begin to shift. His ever-so lanky body begins to feel dull and heavy as the warmth of the wine fills his chest to capacity and then some as he leans against his apartment door, wiping his feet on an unfamiliar doormat. 

He kicks his shoes off by the door on some new instinct and immediately goes to collapse on the couch. His small sofa creaking as he puts more than his usual dead weight on it. His legs that usually hang off the end lengthen even further as his thighs grow meatier. Pecs press into the cushions as he snores. He is swiftly ushered into an unfamiliar dreamscape, the jubilee of the fair and the bewildering amount of wine he drank produce a vivid carnival of culture in his subconscious.

He sees the old couple at their stand and begins to speak with them in their mother tongue, seeing the delight as a load is taken off their shoulders. His dreamself seamlessly conversing with a fluency unearned. Sam stirs in the waking world as his mind existentially changes to match his morphing body. His blond hair grows thin and longer as its tint stains darker. Twitching in REM the green eyes that he prides himself on speckle with brown before they are entirely overtaken, becoming a rich cacao like the thick eyebrows framing them.

The discomfort of a new language forcing itself into this memory begins to wane as he prides himself on how fluent he is in both Chinese and English. His hand goes to scratch his pecs and he smirks in his sleep as they pulse larger, knowing pride is not the only thing surging within him. At the edges of his mind he feels the memory of learning a language, words written on a blackboard in chalk, English and Chinese both. For the life of him he cannot recall which of the two he’s learning second. An alarm set on his phone blares and he jolts awake to get ready for work.

Throwing on a shirt, Sam freezes as he sees his reflection. Hundreds of little questions seize his mind, those aren’t his eyes are they? Did he dye his hair last night? Are those abs? God his arms look good don’t they!? As they race through his mind and grow rampant they fixate on how attractive he suddenly feels. Rubbing his pecs and feeling them bounce he cries out to himself, “该死！Uhhh, Damn I look good!” He poses in the mirror and takes in every new angle of his powerful body. Taking note as his body hair seems thinner, and decidedly darker wherever it remains. He looks close at his pit seeing his once dense bush of curly hair thin out and straighten, before the memory of even having dense body hair is washed from his mind.

His phone goes off again and his work is immediately brought to the forefront of his mind. “Fuck I didn’t read Huang’s message!” He finds email after email from his boss, only the first few mention the wretched assignment they last talked about. Sam’s eyes widen as he continues to skim through the emails as the topic lines quickly show some drastic re-prioritization from his boss. Only then does he realize that he’s been reading his boss’ name as Huang. His boss is white. Rather his boss’ whole identity is based around being white! Huang isn’t, right? Incredibly he clicks the last email, subject line Vacation, and is immediately greeted with a mouth watering picture of a powerful man. Everything comes to a stop as he can’t help but gawk at this man’s body.

Ni Hao Sanuel- take the day off shi de? Still only half dressed Sam balks at just how bizarre this is, rereading the name Sanuel he is thrown for a loop as his mind reconfigures this. Tearing his eyes from the man’s torso he finally looks at the cocky face and sees a thread he recognizes,  “天啊! (Holy Shit!) That’s Mr. Huang!” He shuts his mouth before he drools like a dog at his boss’ arms. God, this is unlike him though right? He tries to dig through his memories of the editor in chief as the caustic racist he was yesterday, but with each uncovered the image of Huang changes as this dreamboat playboy overrides more of what was.

Sanuel readies to just stay in for this day of assigned vacation before he gets another notification, this time from his friend, Nobu? An image of Nick flashes through his mind, a handprint burns on his arm, and the taste of Vietnamese coffee dances on his lips. “Meet me on the boardwalk うん？” Sanuel rolls his eyes at his friend tacking on Japanese like that, willing his mind not to think about how his friend’s contact ID now says Nobu. Must be one of those, uh, his own thoughts trail off as he successfully abandons concern to head to meet his friend.

Nearing the meeting spot he looks for his usually cleancut friend, the only body present however is a massive Japanese man awkwardly flexing at himself in a reflective surface. Sanuel shyly speaks up, “Ni Ha-, uh Hey? Have you seen a guy named Nick around here?” The apparent bodybuilder beams and goes to engulf Sanuel in a hug shouting, “Oi! Shan! took ya long enough!” His eye twitches hearing the name, as this man effortlessly lifts him off his feet in a hug far too intimate for colleagues, and certainly from whoever this stranger is!

Shan pushes against the massive man, his body heat broiling him on this already warm day. He strains his eyes looking at the man grabbing him and suddenly it hits him, “Nobu?” The man promptly lets him go and pats him on the back with a laugh he would’ve never expected to come from his sheepish friend in the fashion department. “Wanna go have some ice cream or something Shan?” He feels the need to push back against his friend calling him Shan but as he hears it a second time he can’t recognize the names as anything but his own.

Shan pauses as he sees Nobu stop to chat with some Japanese tourists and something about the picture doesn’t sit right. God it’s that talk with Huang getting him all worked up again that,uh, racist? He clutches his head as contradictions between his past and present collide in his head and he slams his eyes shut as he cannot determine what is true about his current reality. Shan falls to the ground with a deep thud, slightly hyperventilating, his body grows larger as he takes deep breaths from the stress.

Hearing him collapse Nobu runs over to help him up, this time with more effort as his friend’s comatose body continues to put on muscle and grow heavier. Still, having the impressive figure he does, Nobu rather easily gets him on a bench and sits next to him, “クソ野郎？(Fuck dude?) You alright?” Shan slowly nods as his friend throws an arm around him. Looking down at his own arms as they pulse with muscle, he feels his eyes strain as the structure of his face begins to change.

Shan's jawline sharpens and his skin smooths. Stubble that has been a cornerstone of hiding his facial blemishes vacates as his hair stains black and flops longer. He feels clarity grace his mind as he stares at large hands on the ends of pale, hairless, muscular arms and he wonders if he is even himself.

He voices these concerns to Nobu who just laughs them off. “Hah! Of course dude, same Shan I’ve always known!” “那- that’s not my name Nobu.” His friend grins shyly in concern for his friend's mind. “It can't be my name. I’m-” grimacing before he continues as it takes everything in his power to speak against the realities in front of him. Memories of a world quite far away, moving to New York long ago, the youngest in a family of Chinese immigrants, “I’m white aren’t I Nobu?” 

Nobu can’t help but laugh again at the beyond bizarre statement. He jokes about Shan hitting his head when he fell. “You’re the most 2nd Gen Chinese わるがき(brat) I know bro! Imma go get us some ice cream while you chill out.” Shan stares at his friend as he abandons him, feeling his eyes tighten as they shift into the monolid eyes that his memories swear he’s always had.

Shan retreats into his mind racing against his changing memories to find a pillar of truth to grasp on. He sees himself at the gym with Nobu, his black mop of hair flicking sweat into the air as he poses with his bro. He sees just yesterday at the Asian fair, helping an elderly couple pack up their table, twitching as he would’ve sworn that went differently. He remembers sitting at the office getting no work done as he plays on his phone, 是的！that’s it! His job. There’s something there, if only he can remember what the problem was there.

He sees Nobu begin walking back with sweet treats, Nobu works at the paper too. Oh 呃/Duh! He smirks as he goes for his wallet to grab a business card. His eyes see the obnoxious red logo he knows before they read text that will send him irrevocably forward, Shun Jiang - Ni Hao!NYC. His body fills with warmth like a machine overworking as his mind races with information about his new reality. Sweat drips from his hair as he can no longer even struggle to recall his claimed existence as a bystander at the vile paper they produced. His brown eyes steep to a dark black as they glaze over.

“Shan-baka! Here’s a popsicle!” Nobu shouts as he returns to his overheated friend who immediately bursts from his stupor. “混蛋!(Asshole!) It’s Shun- thought we were close!” Nobe smirks as he starts to eat his own ice cream. Unable to recall anything too in depth he feels a pause as he wonders what his Japanese friend is doing working for a Chinese newspaper, before he answers it himself. Clearly his subconscious is more at place in whatever new reality he faces. Their paper is for all NYC’s Asian immigrants. Nobu works writing, or more often modeling, for Konnichiwa!NYC! Huang really was a genius for the idea.

Shun smiles, thinking fondly of his boss as he enjoys the short break from the summer heat that Nobu brought him. Back at the headquarters of their paper everything shifts from the rag it was and into a paper connecting the disparate Asian immigrants of the city, printed in any language they can find translators for, Ni Hao, Konnichiwa, Annyeonghaseyo, Namaste!NYC. Each day striving for a better, more inclusive New York City. Shun beams with his new face, no longer burdened with the just concern of his peddling vitriol, instead possessed with a desire to spread his culture far and wide.

———————————————————————————

As I was writing I remembered a similar series by the now gone Dumb-and-Jocked!

If interested do check out Horizon Zero: One, Two, and Three for quite a different take on a journalism themed Racial Change!

[artsy-dreamer]

So, I was checking out Rin’s page in the Ultra Analysis book 

And I came across THIS: 

I am absolutely reeling at how cute this interaction is??? 🥺🥺🥺🥺 

I can just imagine the context of how it might have happened… 

Rin is in line at a hero meet and greet, tightly clutching an autograph book and wearing his best piece of hero merch, trembling with anticipation as he waits to meet his favorite hero, Ryukyu 

On the outside, he keeps his usual composure (or most of it, anyway) but on the inside, his heart pounds harder with every step he takes towards the front of the line 

And finally, he comes face to face with Ryukyu 

They exchange greetings, Rin muttering a quiet “ni hao” as he processes that oh my gosh I’m talking to my favorite hero right now- 

And after Ryukyu has signed Rin’s autograph book and returned it to him, Rin tries to muster up the words to tell her how much he admires her, how much she’s inspired him in his own journey to become a hero, inspired him to wholeheartedly embrace his quirk and push it to its limits… 

But all that comes out is: 

“Your… your quirk is so cool, ma’am…”

Aiyah! What am I, five? That sounded so lame! 

He quickly perks up when Ryukyu smiles warmly and thanks him, then asks him about his own quirk 

Rin’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree, and he quickly goes into detail explaining how his quirk works and his special moves inspired by her, barely able to contain his excitement 

“You can shoot your own scales? Incredible!” 

Rin’s heart nearly stops- did he hear that right? 

This hero that he admires so much 

This powerful hero in the top 10 

With the coolest quirk he’s ever seen in his life 

Thinks HIS quirk is incredible?? 

HIS??? 

QUIRK???? 

It takes every last bit of restraint Rin has not to break down in happy tears right then and there 

Instead, he sincerely thanks her, his voice a bit wobbly in spite of himself, and when they pose for a picture together, Rin’s smile is bright enough to blind a room 

He leaves the meet and greet walking on air and still smiling brightly, hugging his autograph book close to his chest 

Today was a treasured memory that he won’t be forgetting any time soon

[bluescluesposting]

Wanted to see when most of us watched the show (I was there for Steve's entire run)! Blue's Clues was also known for having older fans even when it was still running, so I included an option for the "pre-Face" crowd who watched Blue's Clues anyway.

[zhounauts]

one hit is all it takes ; k.gyuvin

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

CHAPTER 2 ! my opp (not real)

word count ! 600 something words

prev masterlist next

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“. . .It was pretty funny Gyuvin,” Ricky admits, a small grin on his face. 

“He’s right, I almost shit my pants laughing,” Gun Wook agrees before quickly covering his face to hide the giggle coming up. Ricky and Gun Wook stood around Gyuvin’s bed giggling at the aftermath of the attack. 

“Stop laughing, right now. I’m injured because of her!” Gyuvin exclaims, holding his sprained wrist up. “Look I even have to wear this stupid brace now!”

“Uhm, Gyuvin i’m pretty sure you only sprained your wrist because of the way YOU fell, not because she hit you in the face,” Ricky says. 

“Well she HIT me and I FELL which is cause and effect, and she is the cause,” 

“Why’d you get so smart suddenly?” Gunwook teases “Did getting hit rearrange your brain?”

“Get out.” Gyuvin deadpans. 

“We’re sorry Gyuvinnie, please don’t kick us out, we’re your best friends,” Gunwook says cutely. Ricky giggles before the curtain opens up revealing Zhang Hao and Hanbin.

“Gyuvin! I heard about what happened from Woongki, are you okay?” Hanbin, nice as always, asks. 

“No. I hate l/n y/n” 

“Woah, now that’s strong”  

“Is she your opp now?” Ricky asks.

“Yes. Yes she is. She is my number one opp, number one on my opp list, my forever opp, my only o--” 

“I think we get it, Gyuvin” Zhang hao interrupts “Also last year didn’t you--”

“NO!”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

y/n's pov

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“The fuck?” You say, looking down at your messages with Hao. 

“What?” Ni-ki asks.

“Zhangho says Gyuvin called me his opp and added me to his opp list?” Ni-ki burst out laughing. 

“Wait he what?” Your best friend Yunjin asks. NI-ki continued to cackle in the background.

“He said I am his number one opp,” you deadpan. Yunjin giggles with Ni-ki.

“What???” She asks through laughs. You glare at your friends.

“Guys this actually isn’t funny, I am genuinely 100% embarrassed about this incident. I want to shoot myself and die in a hole. Do you know the amount of those beefy sport guys came up to me this morning saying ‘nice shot’?!” You exclaim. The giggles continue.

“I hate all of you, I’ve had enough,” you say, getting up from your lunch table.

“No come back pls, y/n we love you,” Yunjin pleads jokingly “we love our little sniper, our little cutie patootie, our little handball champion--” 

“Our bestest friend with the nicest shot!” Ni-ki adds on, cackling as you stand up. “Are you gonna run again?” 

“I hate you, we’re not friends anymore. This friendship? Over. Gone. Our years and memories? Gone. Fuck you both,” You dash away from your friends’ never-ending teasing, cursing as you run, again.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Gyuvin had decided to take advantage of the nurse's office and lay stagnant in his little corner of the room. His tall, lanky legs practically were off the bed, yet that didn't stop him from lying awkwardly sideways. Although he didn't miss the teasing, he did miss the loudness his friend's brought and wished that they would come back. Ew when did I get so sappy nevermind, Gyuvin thinks to himself. Turning around to face the wall, Gyuvin's ears turn red at what Hao had implied earlier in the day before quietly muttering to himself, "She's still pretty though. . .ugh fuck"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

last year or something!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

TAGLIST ! @yeolaegi @soobincantswim @zuzushoner @mposkyje @rosinbae

taglist is open, send an ask or comment to be added!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*・゜゜・．*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

a/n nah cause i feel like this chapter is ass it feels incoherent. watch me rewrite it. . . or maybe i alr am. . .haha. . .uhm rewrote it i feel much more satisfied

+ anyways let me know your thoughts, sorry for the late update. finals are coming up and i will not risk failing. summer i will be more consistent trust 🙏

[capitalisticveins]

D.A.M.N Crew Headcanons Part 3 (Ft. Kody, Xavier, and Avior)

Not as many Kody and Xavier headcanons as I wish there would be, but they’re still there. Enjoy!

- Caelum had his front tooth kicked out by one of his older brothers on accident.

- Freelancer will never let anyone else crack the eggs if they’re baking something. It always has to be them, not even Caelum can do it if they’re around.

- Damien has busted his ass while skating once and never touched a skateboard again.

- Lasko can use a hoverboard but lives every second in anxiety and fear when the low battery sound plays.

- Huxley’s instagram is just full of pictures of his moms and rocks with googly eyes.

- Lasko and Huxley say “Golly” unironically.

- Caelum enjoys chocolate ice cream.

- Freelancer prefers French Vanilla.

- Xavier has sung “Nations of the World” from the Animaniacs perfectly after only watching it once.

- Gavin can do the “disappearing thumb” trick.

- He’s done it in front of Caelum but Caelum started to cry after he saw it.

- Damien can write and speak in cursive.

- Damien can understand Russian script.

- Huxley has always wanted to give Damien a piggyback ride, and only got to do it after they got together. It was the best thing ever. For Huxley, anyway.

- Lasko likes to watch Ni-Hao Kai Lan.

- Whenever someone tells Freelancer to pose, they always do a peace sign.

- Gavin bullies people on Discord.

- When Freelancer and Gavin first met, Freelancer genuinely didn’t know he was getting sucked off until he mentioned it.

- Caelum likes growing his hair out, so whenever Delphinus says it’s time to cut it, he flies to the highest altitude he can muster and just…stays there…until Delphinus gives up. He’s done this for a year and a half now.

- Kody’s eyes are usually glossy, like he’s about to cry. It’s ironic because he hasn’t cried since the 5th grade.

- Huxley has cut his hair into bangs before, never again.

- When Lasko sneezes, it evolves into a series of annoying tiny sneezes that leaves his nose red.

- Damien would rather die than use Airpods.

- Xavier has always wanted a BIG dog, but never got the chance to get one.

- Caelum has his own section in Freelancer’s dorm where he can play and sleep.

- Gavin heard what happened to Avior when he tried to rift back to Aria and said “And people ask me why I don’t rift back home anymore”.

- Gavin has called Avior a “dickrider” before.

- Freelancer is FASCINATED by Vampires.

- Lasko owns a robe that reaches past his feet.

- Huxley belly flops onto pools for fun.

- Damien hates tanning.

- When Caelum heard about the Nintendo EShop shutting down, he begged and cried for Freelancer to hack his 3DS since Gavin and Delphinus had no idea how to. Freelancer had to look up how to do it, and spent the night doing it, but it was easier than they thought.

- Kody randomly walks around his house in jeans and flip flops while being shirtless.

- Gavin believed in the “Talking Angela is stalking you” theory.

- Lasko refuses to download Twitter.

- Freelancer developed their powers in the 6th grade when someone was picking on them, and hid them from their family for 4 years in fear of what they could do with them. Their parent(s) found out after they froze their room while having a breakdown via stress.

- Huxley played spin the bottle at a party with his friends a few years ago, and when the bottle landed on Xavier, they immediately began kissing with no question, hesitation, or awkwardness.

- Caelum hates Baby Shark.

- Lasko has a sleep mask, a bed that regulates temperature, 7 pillows, and a surround sound system that plays rain sounds at night.

- When Damien first came into his room, he was appalled at how comfortable it looked.

- Caelum makes hot cocoa and then puts it in the fridge to cool down.

- Huxley’s moms owns 3 cats. One rarely moves, and the other two are menaces.

Taglist: @morgansplace

[amberrlinaa]

Anyway, Ni Hao. 🥢🖤

[waaydamin]

IG ; jaydacheaves “ANYWAY NI HAO 🥡🥢”

[heliotroplsm]

no one is talking about love in translation and that kinda kills me a little inside. it's a silly little show for me so im just having fun watching it. i really want more people to watch it although you might have to throw away some logical parts of your brain (like how phoomjai using tammy's influence to promote his store which i feel is illegal or how he is being treated like a child by his own family). besides all that, phoomjai isnt that bad, he can make logical arguments when talking with yang or come up with marketing strategies (albeit questionable ones) using social media. i love that they showed how compatible yang and phoomjai are through tammy's 50 facts. i love that they didnt make yang outrightly said it but through the glances of his eyes or through the little decorations in his room. the humor in this show are actually very organic and the play on words of "ni hao ma" and "ni hao bye" in the latest episode was so smart because aparently "ma" in thai means "come" and "bye" which sound like "pai" means "go" in thai. these little things about their languages make it so much more interesting, i found that daou has a lot of ideas regarding wordplay but he couldnt add it in himself due his character's personality so he asked offroad to add it in. anyways, looking forward to the next episode.

[0ne4them0ney-2f0rtheshow]

lifeline extras: going back to spain.

Dear Architect Natasha Kim-Choi,

We are delighted to invite you to the International Festival of Architecture and Design, the premier international event showcasing the work of renowned architects, designers, and innovators from around the world.

This year, the festival takes place from May 1, 2024 to May 10, 2024.

We have been following your remarkable work in the field of Architecture with great admiration. Your creative approach and dedication in the field has been truly inspiring, and we believe your presence would be invaluable to the festival.

Please let us know if you are interested. We have reserved _ tickets for your firm.

We hope to hear from you soon!

------

DK was supposed to go to Natasha's office to congratulate her as the four of them, Natasha, DK, Mingyu and Minghao received the said e-mail. However, he received an e-mail from Natasha. It seems like she forgot to remove her friends in cc.

It states: "Thank you for the invitation and for your nice words. However, I will not be able to attend such festival for personal reasons. With that, I would like to still avail such tickets for the other architects and designers of our firm."

Nakita niya ang kaniyang kaibigan, from the glass window of her office, who's currently staring at the e-mail she just sent.

It's been almost 10 years since the Spain era ni Natasha. The era where everything went wrong. But ever since the day she got back, she's been trying to improve herself for the better. And this e-mail? Triggered some of the bad memories that has happened before.

DK then immediately messaged their group chat, the one without Natasha.

tatlonghari (aka no natasha gc) DK: Huy! Nabasa niyo 'yung e-mail? Mingyu: Gagi, oo! Putek, magrereply pa lang ako na i'll go, tapos ni-reject naman ni Natasha. Anyare? Hao: Ano pa nga ba... DK: Na-trigger ata, pre. Nakatitig lang ngayon sa screen ng laptop. Mga 20 minutes na. Hao: Spain ba naman. Mingyu: Shet, sabihan ba natin si Cho? DK: Wag muna siguro. Tangina, naaawa naman ako kay Natasha. Hao: Office pa ba kayo? Di ko maiwan si Chi. Umalis si Fan eh. DK: Oo, dito pa kami. Parang di nga ako nakikita eh. Mingyu: Mapapansin 'yan ni Cho. Pag nagmessage na lang sa'yo, DK, sabihin mo na lang. DK: Sige. Si Bee pala? Mingyu: Tulog pa, masama pakiramdam eh kaninang umaga pa. Hao: Wow, domestic. Mingyu: Ulol, mas domestic ka, binahay mo agad si Fan! Kailan mo papakasalan? Hao: Si DK muna :p DK: Tangina niyo? Lol Mingyu: HAHAHAHA gagalet! Anyway, brb na. Magluluto pa ko. Si Nat ah. Feel ko pupunta nanaman 'yan sa condo niya dati. Hao: Lah, kala ko binenta niya na 'yun? DK: Afaik, andun lahat ng drawings niya pre-Spain era eh. Diba, Gyu? Mingyu: Oo, gags... ang dami niya talagang Romanesque drawings, pati plates niya nung college, Spain-inspired talaga. Kaya kahit papano, alam ko galit pa din 'yan sa sarili niya for what happened eh. Hao: Tangina kasi eh. Hay, nakakainis naman talaga nangyari non, pero wala, that's her lesson... DK: Grabe 'no? Her dreams shattered because of that... Hao: True. Pangarap talaga niyan maging Architect sa Spain. Pero ang gaga, hay. Mingyu: Di niyo ba pansin? Never na siya nagdrawing or gumawa ng plano ulit ng Spain-inspired? Ang daming clients na gusto ng ganong style tapos binibigay sa ibang Architects sa firm. DK: Triggering talaga 'yung Spain sa kaniya, I would say.

DK went back to his office room and waited for Natasha to come out of her office. She only smiled at the staff and went out. He followed her location, tama nga si Mingyu, she's currently on her way to her old condo. Nasa parking na sila. He saw Natasha went out of the car and he then messaged her, "Nat! Saan ka?"

He saw her open her phone, tumigil saglit para magreply. Pabura-bura ng message, but still, she replied, "Bahay na! Whyyyy"

"Wala, wala. May naiwan kasi ako sa office!"

"Nandoon pa ata 'yung secretary mo hahaha"

"Ayt. Btw, is everything okay?"

"Oo naman. :)"

She sighed and went inside the elevator. DK waited inside his car, and messaged their friends, "Yeah, nandito nga siya sa condo niya."

---

Ever since she got back from Spain, binaon na ni Natasha sa limot ang Spain, and everything that goes with it. It was one of the best things that's ever happened in her life, pero sinira lang din niya. Everything went down the drain when she trusted the wrong persons, she almost lost everything, her friends, her family and even her life.

Spain was her dream. The freedom, its gothic-style buildings, the life, everything. But Spain became her nightmare.

As soon as she stepped inside her condo unit, she was welcomed by her old self. She even saw her board na may note: "Spain, please come thru!" "Spain, baka naman! Ako na 'to!"

Bukod sa notes, naka-frame pa ang iba niyang plates na Spain-inspired.

She sat down on her sofa, nakatitig sa painting that her mom gave her when she received the news that she's going to Spain. Hindi niya namalayan na umiiyak na din siya. Her dreams that turned into nightmares.

Every now and then, she tries to go back to her condo, to try and see for herself kung naka-move on na ba talaga siya. Truth be told, hindi pa din talaga. Regrets are always coming back to her. Masakit.

She can't even mention this to her friends kasi alam niya na hindi maganda ang nangyari noon. It's been almost 10 years but the pain, regret, and fear of losing everyone is still there. Alam naman niya na it was her fault. Pero ang hirap lang din na wala siyang mapagsabihan tungkol dito.

She can't even say this to her therapist, fearing that she will just open something that shouldn't be opened and seen.

She's keeping all these to herself, she's trying to bury this part of herself.

Her phone rang and it was Seungcheol. She wiped her tears and gulped, then answered the phone, "Hi, love! Napatawag ka?"

"Love, tuloy pa ba tayo tonight? 8pm kasi 'yung dinner with the Ortegas. It's 7:30pm na din..."

"Oh my, sorry! I got caught up sa meeting. I'll see you there na lang, love."

"Okay lang. Ingat sa pagddrive, okay?"

"Ikaw din. I love you, Cho." She hung up the call.

Next time ulit? Sana sa susunod kaya ko na. She said to herself, everytime she goes out of this condo. She's trying but still, the ending? She tried.

Pagbukas ng pinto, she saw her friend, DK, who's sitting outside her unit. "Hi."

Namutla naman si Natasha, "Bakit..."

"How long have you been hiding this from us?"

He then hugged his friend, tightly. And just like that, Natasha broke down in his arms, "I'm sorry, DK. I'm sorry."

Pati si DK ay naluha din, "Shhh." Using her phone, he messaged his friend,

DK to Seungcheol: DK 'to. Pwede rain check muna si Nat? Seungcheol: Ha? Anong nangyari? DK: Ako, ako may problema. I just need a friend. Okay lang ba? Seungcheol: Okay, sige. Di ako naniniwala. Okay lang ba si Nat? DK: Honestly? I think she was never okay. Seungcheol: Nasan kayo? DK: Sinundan ko lang siya, nandito siya sa condo niya nung college. Seungcheol: Ano nangyari? DK: Ask mo na lang sila Hao or Mingyu. Just–wag susugod agad dito. I don't think she even wants someone to know this side of her. Seungcheol: Okay. Please, update mo ako. DK: I will.

He never saw Natasha cry like this. Kahit noong ikinasal siya kay Seungcheol, she never cried like this. And it pains him to know that while everyone moved on with their lives, Natasha's still stuck in the past. They never knew this side of her. Not until now.

Akala nila she healed from that past. It's clear that she never did. And no one knows about it.

[mingi-bubu]

little bit, a little bit, in love with you

For the Carat’s Cloud server’s Inaugural Secret Santa!  My giftee is the delightful and lovely Eishi @cherrybxmbby!  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I hope you enjoy~!  This is like, one of three different ideas I had for what I wanted to write.  The title is from Lykke Li’s “Little Bit” which honestly I really feel like does add to the vibe of this

f!reader x minghao, minghao + reader + mingyu best friends, mingyu actually like takes up a good portion of this but it’s for the #bants, uni au, mentions another svt uni au currently in the works, ~1.6k/words

You wave at the rest of your group mates as they gather their things and leave the library, a tired (and somewhat forced) smile on your face.  Mingyu ruffles your hair as he passes behind you, and you slap at his hand.  You know he’s doing it just to make your smile a bit more genuine.  He’s the easiest to read of your friends, and you know he worries about you.  Granted, the late nights you have, because you lose track of time studying, do give cause for concern.  But still, you do appreciate it.

“Are you staying here then,” he asks, hovering while looking like he’s trying not to hover.

“Yeah,” you say.  Well, it’s more of a resigned puff of air than an actual hard agreement, but details.

“No café today?”  His tone is casual, but you know him better than that.

You raise your eyebrow.  “Is there something you want to tell me, Gyu?”

“I- no,” he says.  You watch as he grows fidgety.  “Okay, yes.  Are you not going because of Growly McWhines?”

You snort at the newest sobriquet he’s gifted your friend and his partner for a different class project.  “Why you don’t just tell them that you’re interested rather than furthering the animosity between you two is something I’ll never understand.”  You shake your head slightly and continue, “But yes, I’m not going to Carat Cloud because of Growly McWhines.  I would appreciate just one day when I don’t have to hear one of you complain about the other.”  It’s so obvious that you guys are into each other anyways is something you decide can stay in your head.

“I would,” he says, “honestly, I would.” You give him a flat stare, not believing him in the slightest. “We can talk about it later.”

You nod and assume that that's the end of it, turning back to your notes. You were wrong.

“Ni Hao, wo Ming!” You don't need to look up to see the stupid grin on Mingyu's face. You do look up anyways, because this greeting can only mean one thing.  Xu Minghao was approaching.

It wasn’t like it was a new thing, him hanging out with you and Mingyu.  After all, the two of them have known each other since high school; Gyu’s family was Minghao’s host family when he came over from Liáoníng to study.  They are, for all intents and purposes, brothers in everything but blood.  So yes, you know Minghao.

… You like Minghao.  And honestly… what about him isn’t to like?  You like that he is generally calm and collected, a contrast to Mingyu’s energetic puppy aura, but he also knows how to let loose.  You’ve seen him go from zero to a hundred during some go-cart competition that his dance team was having.  And on-stage… in those performances and competitions?  God, it’s like he’s possessed by some other entity.  It’s as if Terpsichore herself has descended from the cosmos and made Minghao her vessel to humanity.  (Or, well, everyone who fits in the auditorium that the competition is held in.)

He is immeasurably kind and has hosted finals cram parties (wherein all you do is study with what feels like several dozen non-alcoholic drinks and snacks like carrots and apple slice bunnies within easy reach) for your group of friends.  Sometimes, if he knows someone in one of his classes is really struggling, he’ll invite them as well.  And he’s just so worldly.  He memorizes poems and historical anecdotes and recites them at the drop of a hat.  He stays up to date on so many different topics.  He is endlessly interesting to talk to, and you know you could spend all night staying up with him, just… just talking about anything and everything, if you let yourself.

“That joke was barely funny the first time, and it gets less funny as time goes on,”  Minghao says, though the smile he wears belies his true amusement.  “How are end-of-semester things going?”  He shifts the strap of his backpack, pulling the hood of his coat out from underneath it.

“They could be better,” Mingyu allows, a tiredness he hadn’t shown before seeping into his voice.  You and Minghao glance at each other; the both of you have a fairly decent idea as to what could be better.

“I agree,” you say, joining the conversation officially, “this group project is slowly sucking the life out of me.  Like, don’t get me wrong, I love Joshua, and he’s been my lifeline for this class.  But…”  You lower your voice, glancing around to see if anyone else was listening.  “Okay, is it necessary to bring a color-coded spreadsheet for the second actual out-of-class meeting we’ve had?  We just decided on what topic we’re going to cover.  How does he have a spreadsheet already?”

Minghao huffs out a laugh at your complaints.  Mingyu snorts and then slaps a hand over the lower half of his face as if it would prevent anyone from having heard it.

“So you’re both showing up to the cram parties then, I take it?”  He asks rhetorically.  “I talked with the owners of Carat Cloud, and they said we could hang out there to study.”

“Sounds good.  Message me the rest later?  I gotta jet,” Mingyu pulls out his phone, checking the time.

“I will,” Minghao says, “I’ll probably just send a message into the group chat.”

Mingyu nods, pockets his phone, and then ruffles your hair again before walking quickly out of the library.

You scowl after him, and then shake your head with a small smile.  You don’t bother to fix your hair again.  You turn your gaze to Minghao, taking in his outfit, well, the parts of it not covered by his coat.  He has on his so-called “grandma glasses”, chain and everything, and you can see the ends of his hair peeking out from under his speckled gray knit beanie.  It’s been permed and colored for his competition this weekend, a bluey-purple mix that you’re definitely interested in seeing more of.

Minghao pushes his glasses up from where they were sliding down his nose.  “So, um.”  He pauses.

You frown at the odd behavior, not really ever knowing him to not be confident in what he was saying.  “Is everything okay?”

He blinks a few times, as if getting his bearings after suddenly being woken up.  “No, it’s fine.  I’m fine.  I just.”  Another pause.  “So you know how I have the competition this weekend?”

You smile, more of an amused uptick of the corners of your mouth than anything else, but reply, “Yes.  And even if I didn’t, the hair sort of gives away that you’re going to be doing something soon.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he jokes back.  The small exchange seemed to help, and you can see him become himself again.  “I was wondering if you would also help me record a solo tape?  There are some dance troupes who have shown some interest and I want to make sure I have something prepared for when, or if, they ask for more.”

You flip open your cartoon frog planner and check your schedule.  “When were you wanting to do this?”

“I was thinking after the competition would probably work best since the building where we’re going to perform at has a few dance studios the next floor up from the auditorium.”  He says, sketching a rough diagram in the air.

“Yeah, I can totally help with that!”  You agree.  “Let me write it down, make it all official and everything,” you tease, pulling out the blue gel pen you use for personal events in your planner.

“I was also thinking that maybe we could get dinner after,” he says, and his voice sounds forcibly casual.

Your hand freezes, the tip of the gel pen still pressed into the paper, the ink pooling slowly around it.  “As a,” your voice cracks, and you shut your eyes in embarrassment.  You swallow and try again.  “Are we meeting up with everyone after we finish recording?  Mingyu or Chan or?”

“I was thinking of dinner as a date.  Personally, I think inviting my not-brother and my co-captain might ruin that atmosphere.”  You open your eyes and see the little quirk up at the corner of his mouth.

You make a noise between a scoff and a snort, “Yeah, I think that would just about do it.”  You bite your lip, looking down at the box for Saturday, where “Minghao Dance Comp” and “Help MH Record After” were written next to little bullet points.  “Are you serious about this?”

You really, really hope he is.  He doesn’t seem like someone who would ask you out and not mean it.  But your anxieties eat at your perceptions anyway.

His voice is gentler than before, but firm in its intent.  “I do.  I am, I mean.  Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure out how I wanted to ask you out now for a while.”

You feel your heart flutter at that.  “Oh?”  A smile you didn’t even realize had started appears on your face.  “Well, we can’t put all your planning to waste then, can we?”

Minghao watches as you write into the planner, right under the previous two notes, “Date with Minghao <3”.

You can’t wait for the weekend, and from the way Minghao tucks a loose strand of your hair behind your ear before he leaves you to study, neither can he.

[archertofus]

clouds ☁️ unang salaysay

sa apat na taong pamamalagi ni zhang hao ft. ang kanyang mga pagka-cute cute na mga pinsan (sobrang cute gusto niyang tirisin) sa paaralang ito ay kabisadong kabisado na siya ng mga kaibigan nya.

matthew and taerae have been his friends since 9th grade. well, they're not exactly this close noon because transferee lang naman si zhang hao sa institusyong 'to dati. maging si matthew. so kumbaga, taerae already had his own established circle of friends nang tumungtong siya dito tapos sila ni matthew ay ang mga bagong salta.

at syempre sino sino pa nga bang magtutulungan kundi sila sila lang na mga hamak na transferees hindi ba?

so, matthew had him figured out like the back of his hand for 2 years and when senior high school came, doon na pumasok si taerae sa litrato kung saan ang binata ay nabahagian ng iilang facts and trivias about hao. parang open book na tuloy siya sa kanyang peers (peers being 2 people), dahil nga kabisado na nila lahat ng galawan nito.

to simply put, wala na siyang kawala.

tulad ngayon.

the 4th rule in the zhang handbook is if he goes missing immediately after class, matic may ayaw 'yang pag usapan. at matic mahahanap mo lang yan kasama ng mga pinsan nya.

it's not that hao's aloof kaya wala siyang ibang circle of friends. hindi rin naman siya suplado. he wouldn't be elected president of their club kung madaming may ayaw sakanya. ang katotohanan lang diyan, medyo wary sakanya 'yung mga tao because he's just... something else.

eh siya din naman hindi siya kumakausap ng kung sino lang. unless he's been approached beforehand you won't catch him talking to someone randomly. habit na din siguro nya na maging skeptical.

after all, this place is not his natural habitat. he grew up in palawan, a part of him died in palawan, and in his heart and mind, palawan will always be his home.

which explains why he's only made plenty of connections instead of friendships in this place. at least a guy knows how to plant his own roots diba?

and anyway, andyan naman nga ang mga pinsan nya so why bother pa? para sakanya matthew and taerae are enough. other people are just collateral damage. ansaveh.

yun nga lang, there are times when he wishes na hindi nalang nya kaibigan 'tong mga dakilang epal na 'to sa buhay nya. those times being now.

"so, dahil nga sa sinabi ko kaya ka nagpa-lista?" matthew inquired at talaga ginigitgit pa sya sa upuan nya, a habit na alam ni matthew ay ikaiinis ng kaibigan nya to the point na he would fess up.

but not today.

medyo in a deep thought kasi sya because of sung hanbin. and the convo that transpired between them just hours ago.

as if on cue naman, dumating din si taerae. "hi everything!" ganadong greetings pa niya kay ricky at gyuvin na may pinagtatalunan nanaman kaya hindi siya pinansin so dedma, tumabi nalang siya kay hao.

"sabi ni matt sasama ka na sa prom, kelan ka magba-bayad? magbayad ka na ha! wala nang atrasan 'to gago. rehearsals na next week! magkikita kita tayo lagi sa audi kasi kami 'yung magdedecorate ng venue." paglalahad niya with a smile pa. yung labas dimples.

sometimes they doubt talaga na taerae only joined the sc for clout. super passionate kasi nya sa role to the point na sometimes it's inspiring to witness it firsthand.

"huy oo nga pala! what changed? si pres ba? kinausap ka ni pres? si pres noh? nag-reply ka sakanya sa twitter umamin ka!" sunod sunod siyang inintriga ng kanyang friend with matching duro duro pa sa kanyang braso subalit tanging kunot ng ulo lang ang binigay nya dito.

"tangina anong problema nito?" tanong ni taerae asking for help na kasi hindi sila kinikibo, but matthew only shrugged habang may nakakalokong ngiti sa labi.

hao would punch his face if he could.

matthew knows him too well minsan it's creepy. what if he can read minds?

pero thanks to matthew's stupid face na mukhang in the mood for chika ay sya nalang ang iniintriga ni taerae.

"nakita mo tweet ni pres? sino kaya ininvite no'n sa prom?"

okay maybe he's not so thankful pala. tangina. ayan din yung iniisip nya kanina pa.

what did that asshole mean when he said he was interested in him?

ano siya item sa facebook live na pwedeng i-mine?

it's so weird because it's so out of the blue.

and what's weirder is how the guy boldy confessed to having zhang hao occupy his mind from time to time. what do he do with that information?

bakit para siyang kinakabahan?

bakit parang sasabog yung dibdib niya?

at bakit may nagba-badyang ngiti sa mga labi niya?

putang. ina. mo. seok. matthew.

in zhang hao's mind he's still blaming matthew for putting ideas inside his head. kung ano ano tuloy dumadapo sa utak nya!

he was at peace. and then he wasn't.

ngayon ang gulo lang.

at lalo pang gumulo when taerae suddenly uttered sung hanbin's title.

"pres!" eskandalosang pag-sigaw nito turning a couple of heads on his direction. "uy pres, tara dito maluwag pa!" eme pa nito akala mo jeep lang.

unfortunately for zhang hao talagang tumayo pa si taerae para ioffer ang upuan niya kay hanbin at ang the rest, kay jiwoong at gunwook!

pag minamalas ka nga naman.

well, fortunately for gyuvin, tabi sila ng crush nya.

at least someone's winning at this round table.

"hi." pag-sabat agad ni hanbin sakanya pero on a soft tone. you know, yung hi na may kasama nang ngiti sa labi? ganon. and the best part, hanbin uttered his hi in a way na si hao lang ang nakarinig.

"huy pres, pano mo napapayag sa prom si hao?"

"HUH?"

"ha?"

they said in unison. at kung una ay kay taerae pa sila lumingon, ngayon ay nagka-tinginan silang dalawa. si hao obviously annoyed, si hanbin naman has an amused expression on his face.

"pumayag ka na pala sa'kin? bakit sa iba mo sinabi?" panimula nito which made the whole table frowning at their direction. mga mosang.

but then again, bakit ganyan siya makatingin? and also, baliw talaga si taerae, zhang hao would definitely kick his ass for this.

"pumayag saan?" pag-singit ni jiwoong. "huy, bro don't tell me—" alternately tinuro nya si hanbin at zhang hao with matching takip labi pa bago tumingin kay taerae, mentally asking kung nagegets nya ba ang kino-conclude ni jiwoong.

it took him a few seconds to finally mirror jiwoong's gestures. ngayon pareho na silang nakaturo sa dalawa. habang ang iba sa table nila ay nakangiti na naguguluhan sa mga nangyayari.

"NAYAYA MO NA SI HAO SA PROM?" si jiwoong.

"PUMAYAG KA?" pag-dagdag ni taerae.

"PUPUNTA NA TAYONG PROM?" sabat naman ni gyuvin.

lahat sila ay nag-aabang sa confirmation pero to their disappointment nagtaas lang ng pakyu si zhang hao sakanilang lahat at itinuon ang atensyon sa pagkain leaving his friends and cousin hanging.

being respectful of hao's decision to not disclose anything, nag shrug nalang din si hanbin at may ngiti parin sa labi.

jiwoong could almost throw up kasi kanina pa siya ganyan. big smile plastered on his face since this morning, maski pagre-recite nya may ngiti parin.

but he chose to pay no mind. kung gaano kakapal naman kasi ang mukha ni jiwoong sa socmed eh kabaliktaran sya in person. he's surprisingly decent and behave. yari nga lang mamaya sakanya si hanbin who's now observing zhang hao's way of eating.

the meal of the day: giniling.

a more sophisticated name for giniling? picadillo.

korek, yan lang naman ang parehas nilang ulam.

and shawn right here notices a small quirk of zhang hao. the latter separates the olives from his food. and if you watch sitcoms, you'll probably share the same mind as hanbin right now.

"ayaw mo ng olives?" tanong niya, stalling zhang hao from inserting a spoonful of rice in his mouth. "can i? take it? mahilig ako sa olives."

share mo lang? hao wanted to blurt out pero sumenyas nalang sya kay hanbin to go ahead and just pick the damned olives kasi alam niyang pinapanood parin sila ng mga kasama nila.

"are you familiar with the olive theory?"

zhang hao heard a snort coming from matthew kaya napa-react na din siya. "ano?"

"olive theory. compatibility test 'yan. they say na two people would be perfect for each other if one loves olives and the other person hates them."

"anong konek?" pakiki-sawsaw ni taerae.

"wala naman." sambit ni shawn, shrugging after drowning a glass of water.

"i'm just... implying na, you and me—we might make a perfect couple you know?"

dagdag pa nya sporting a smirk towards hao's direction bago nag iwas at nagpatuloy sa pag-kain na parang wala lang.

everyone on the table had malicious smiles displayed on their faces.

and hao should be smoking mad dahil napagkakaisahan siya right now but instead he's not.

one thing's for sure.

sung hanbin. shawn. or whatever the fuck they call him. he's confusing zhang hao. big time.

[lithiumseven]

Ok so one of my old teachers whom I still talk to (let’s call her Mrs. D) is a white lady and her neighbors are Chinese immigrants. They’re pretty good friends with each other and the neighbor couple have a little girl. Anyway the other day Mrs D saw the little girl in the yard with her parents and said “ni hao” to make the kid smile. The girl’s eyes got huge and her jaw dropped so Mrs. D got worried, turned to the dad, and went “oh gosh did I say it wrong?”

He just shook his head and went “nah, you’re good, she just didn’t know white people could do that”

[log6]

anyway ni hao. who the fuck told bitches they was me now

[x-lovely]

11/24 & 11/25

went on a “date.”

TLDR: date with a dumbass who had many red flags (bad breath, lied about age, cocky, arrogant) so not interested in him anymore

he was 6′2, paki, glasses, looked charming, honda civic, “director” of the hospital, great smile. his profile said he was 29. 

we met up and just chatted. the amount of arrogance and cockiness threw me off immediately. he was down for marriage and children in the long run, laid down his plans for his future wife and what he wanted. i was just vibing. 

eventually, i got into his car and we talked some more. i eventually asked to hold his hand (consented). nothing much happened. we just teased each other verbally through dirty talking. i was mainly quiet. i hated his energy. he made me feel weird and i couldn’t breathe. it’s weird. i wanted to be there but at the same time, i didn’t want to be there. he just kept questioning everything and had weird responses to what i said and his facial expressions were throwing me off. he made me feel on the edge, like i was walking on thin ice. it reminded me of my korean ex from 2019 who emotionally abused me. anyways - 

eventually, things got heated and i asked him to kiss me (consented). sweet jesus, when i say... his breath smells like ass.... it smelled like ASS. it smelled so fucking bad i wanted to fucking vomit. he had the nerve to throw in some tongue. i had to back away. he leaned in for more but i played it off. his breath smelled so fucking bad. he had black coffee and vaped something before we kissed. my energy was not there anymore. bad breath is something that turns me off so easily. 

we talked some more. eventually, i wanted to go home. we got out of the car, he towered over me and leaned in for a kiss (jesus fucking christ, his breath still smelled horrible). gave him a quick peck and left. 

i was incredibly horny the morning after so i would still rate the “date” a 5/10. 

11/25

went to eat kpot with him. sat in the car again. he was on his phone. kept saying weird dumb shit and comments about my responses. said ni hao. i don’t like that shit. i’m asian, sure but don’t say ni hao. he was confused why i got mad. he called shows like greys anatomy and game of thrones dumb. gave me a half ass hug. lmao ok. we went in to kpot, i did all of the cooking (he had said prior that he usually does it, but idc). he asked me my salary. asked about my personal relationship with my sister. uh, not really any of your business yet. he paid the bill. i had offered twice to split or cover tip. thank you for that. I OFFERED HIM A MINT AND HE DIDN’T TAKE IT. eventually, i said i felt awkward and tense with him and once again, he questioned it and said i need to figure out what it is or else it won’t work (something along those lines). then he had the nerve to say “if you didn’t read the first line of my bio, i’m actually 24″ i’m like HUH? IT SAID 29. HOW CAN YOU LIE AND SAY 24. Then he was being defensive saying is age really a problem? i’m like, uh it’s not but like if i filtered my searches for someone older, then i kinda fucking expected someone older than me. either way, he gave me a kiss goodbye (his breath didn’t smell, thank god) and i went home. 

i would rate that date a 3/10. the texts are also hella dry. 

red flags: his BREATH, his personality and his lies? he would say one thing and then it turns out to be something completely different. he sounded so cocky i hated it. “i work when i want. i work 100+ hours. i drive a lambo, jk shows up in a honda civic. i work more than you. i make more money than you. i love myself so much.” LMAOOOOOOO okay eventually, i realized he was ugly as fuck and looked like a character from the veggie tales. and he was like “there goes your awkward laugh again” well maybe because you make me feel awkward

after meeting him, i realized something. i do not know about marriage, i do not know about children, i like to be independent, his breath smells like fucking ass, i smelled fucking great and i knew it, and it was soooooooooo not worth it. in the long run, we will not work out and i’m glad it will not. he poked at my insecurities and was super sarcastic. not interested. good luck to him with everything! 

anyways - back to grey’s anatomy & cuddling with my teddy bear <3