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kitaychan · 3 years

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We need to talk

Summary: After a breakup, Ivan realizes his life was not as fullfilling as he had thought. Reaching out to old friends might prove to be a slow task with interesting outcomes.

Chapter preview: Yao sighed, peering over to the kitchen, he gasped and hurried inside. “How did you set my teapot on fire?”

Ivan could hear Arthur’s alarmed voice and the water tap running. “I don’t know.”

He approached the kitchen, the smell of smoke was stronger and he found Arthur frowning alongside Yao inspecting the blackened teapot.

The brown haired man huffed, leaving the teapot on the sink. “Stop burning things, Alfred is not around, so you can quit gaining his attention.”

“It was an accident and I asked for help, neither of you seemed to notice, are you deaf?”

“You are banned from my kitchen, now. Go and commit arson on your boyfriend’s house, he can manage the fires quickly.”

Ivan let out a laugh. “I am totally going to tell Alfred about this.”

Scrolling down memes on his phone, Ivan glanced at the hour, he had spent at least half an hour just looking at his phone, on the back of his head, deep inside, he knew that he was delaying the inevitable.

He typed out a simple ‘hello’ before erasing it, why was it so hard to start a conversation? Alfred would just send him a random picture and they would talk about it or start a string of random pictures, but now, Ivan found it difficult to send a simple greeting to Yao. What should he say? What if he was busy?

He managed to gather enough words to form a coherent greeting alongside the question of ‘What are you up to?’

Dread invaded him instantly after he sent it. Perhaps that was too vague, or too informal. He sighed, setting the phone aside, it was done and he couldn’t take the message back, that was better, he’d be overthinking the whole day anyways.

This day, he was less worried about the nonexistent alarm that set off in his mind in the mornings, and more focused on the little pang of guilt that told him that he was wasting his time.

He took a breath, reminding himself that he was on vacation, he had nothing to worry about besides his cat and trying not to be a burden to Katya, whom unlike him, had left earlier to give off her classes.

He played for a while with his cat, the entertainment was short as Boris decided it was better to lie on his side instead of hunting the toy, Ivan poked a bit at the fluffy cat to make him move again but it didn’t budge, wiggling its tail.

The day passed rather slowly, Ivan had tried not to go out, not wanting to spend the time by himself in the park again, though the prospect of finding Yao again crossed his mind, he figured the man would be working just as Katya was.

Of course he was, that was probably why he couldn’t answer. Ivan sighed, why did he have to keep worrying about it? this was what he hated about being alone, his thoughts would be nagging at him, he had to find something to do or he would be anxious about a message the whole day.

He sighed, focusing on the lonely plant by the window, he searched around the house, finding some paints. It was time to stop delaying his task and deliver that child’s project.

The base was fairly easy if he remembered well, the background was mostly blue with some clouds around. What worried him was the boat, as he wasn’t used to painting at all, and well, he’d never made a decent boat.

He left the pot aside so the blue paint could dry, perhaps he could ask for help with it later.

Ivan glanced at the clock again, time had passed and Katya would probably arrive soon but he couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed at the passiveness of his day.

His phone buzzed, taking him out of his thoughts. The short message displayed made him pause.

“Hi, sorry, I forgot my phone, I’ve just headed back from work. Do you want to come to my house?”

Ivan had to double check his phone.Firstly, to make sure that it was in fact a message coming from Yao, and secondly, to process the question.

Another message appeared.

“Are you busy?”

Ivan smiled, it’s not like he had anything better to do and at this point he’d be delighted to busy himself with anything.

Feeling less awkward he replied. “Not really, I was trying to paint the boat on the flower pot but I am failing at it. Anyway, yeah it’d be nice to talk”

“In that case, bring it with you, I’ll help. Let’s meet at the park, I have to see Arthur there.”

Ivan pondered for a moment giving out an affirmative reply, he wrote a note to Katya so she wouldn’t worry, grabbed a coat, the flower pot and left.

Once in the park, he went to buy some pastries, it would be mean to present himself empty handed, right? He even got another bottle of wine, to replace the one from yesterday. The cashier handed him everything on a paper bag that he carried quite difficulty.

He sat outside on the same bench, it was indeed a nice place. He could see Arthur and Yao approaching, both of them were wrapped with scarves and heavy coats, the latter was holding two cups of hot coffee.

Yao handed him one of the cups. “I’m so sorry, How long have you been waiting?”

Ivan shrugged, taking the beverage. “Not much.”

“For real, you can be as petty as you want, it was Arthur’s fault that we were held back.”

Arthur, groaned, taking a sip of his own drink. “I only said that they didn’t know how to make iced tea, I thought it was obvious.”

“The barista didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“If they want to make iced tea, they have to make tea, let it cool and add the ice. Not use that horrible mix with water.” The Englishman frowned, observing his drink. “At least they make good coffee.”

“Not really.” Yao let off a huff, ushering them to follow. “Anyway, let’s go upstairs, it is freezing down here. Aren’t you cold, Ivan?”

“I’m a bit used to it, it’s more chilly where I live.” Ivan paused, the englishman seemed to notice his hesitation, taking the paper bag and allowing him to finish his coffee and carry the plant.

Ivan walked with them, taking short steps. They questioned him about the city, about his work, his coworkers, Ivan had to suppress his frown at the last topic.

Yao’s apartment was warm, Arthur stepped in casually, making a beeline to the table while Yao took the flower pot from him so he could take off his coat.

Ivan fumbled a bit with his scarf, leaving it on and approaching the table. There were a few stocks of papers and books scattered on it.

Yao laughed nervously. “Sorry for the mess, I was revising some exams last night.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, setting the bag on the table, the Englishman raised an eyebrow and stared at him. “Yao, did you cook Francis’ recipe yesterday?”

The brown haired man nodded, placing the plant on the table. "Yeah, it took me some time and I had to buy wine because he would not leave me alone until I did."

"You let the frog get away with his quirks, he drinks wine with everything. I hope the dish was worth the expensive wine."

"It totally was." Ivan said, regretting his words as Arthur's expression changed into amusement.

Yao retrieved the books from the table, shaking his head. "Stop staring like that, we met at the store and I invited him."

"Sure… that's why you still have exams to grade, right?" The Englishman taunted, holding out one of the papers.

Yao hummed, fumbling with the papers. “You have delayed exams too.”

"True but why did he bring wine?” Arthur smiled, turning his stare at Ivan. “Are you following Francis’ advice or something?"

Ivan tensed a bit, at this point everything he'd say would be used by Arthur to tease them. “It is polite to bring a present when you visit someone’s house.”

“How dare you speak to me about proper manners,” Arthur chuckled, collecting papers from the table. "Yao has a good collection of books and I need to complain about it, you will help me out, right?"

"Not my fault that you burnt yours to get a date." Yao retorted, laying some brushes and paints on the table and taking a seat beside Ivan.

Arthur gasped. "If you keep that cocky grin on your face, I will kick you out."

Ivan watched in awe as Yao took a pencil, tracing swiftly the sketch of a small boat on the flower pot. "This is my house, you can't kick me out. What books do you need?"

The Englishman stood up, observing the books displayed on the shelf. He turned around with a serious expression on his face “Ivan, have you read ´War and peace’?”

“Uh not really, I have a copy laying around but I don’t think I ever finished it.” Ivan shrugged, toying with a brush.

“What keeps you from reading it? Is it the french parts of it?”

“I am actually fluent in french so...” Ivan saw how Arthur’s smile changed into a grimace, had he said something wrong? He quickly added. “I just hadn’t taken the time to actually read it.”

Arthur grabbed a couple of books, taking a seat. “I remember you once delivered a paper about The great Gatsby, it was very interesting though quite weak at the end.”

Ivan glanced at Yao in an attempt to ask for help but the grin the brown haired man held on his face told him that he wouldn’t get any. He laughed nervously. “I barely remember what I ate for breakfast, I don’t think I will recall something I wrote on highschool.”

Yao’s laughter filled the room, Ivan couldn’t help but stare at him, it was not rare to see the chinese smile, but it was certainly pleasant to hear his laugh, he found himself laughing too, Arthur joining as well.

They shared a glass of wine and devoured the pastries, Ivan painted slowly the small boat and answered more of Arthur’s questions, Yao praised his patience every now and then until Arthur left him alone in order to make some tea.

Ivan watched closely as Yao traced details on the little boat skillfully, silence enveloped them as he finished.

Turning back, he could hear Arthur pacing around in the kitchen but he could not see him.

He took a long breath before leaning over the table, just a bit, in order to gain Yao’s attention, the brown haired man set aside the brush, arching an eyebrow.

“When you invited me over, I didn’t think it would end up like this.” Ivan admitted, smiling sheepishly.

Yao tilted his head, a small smirk gracing his face. “Why?”

Ivan fidgeted with his scarf, he didn’t know how he was able to hold his gaze, he felt his face almost burning with embarrassment but he had already dug his grave so he might as well just die on it already, he reached out to take Yao’s hand, and lowered his voice. “Well… for starters, I didn’t think that Arthur would be acompaining us.”

Ivan considered the idea of not coming back to the town when Yao retreated his hand and chuckled, this was like highschool all over again but perhaps ten times worse because he had hoped to be on the right track just once, and now, he dreaded his sole existence.

No matter how much he tried to shrink on himself, to hide under his scarf, he would not disappear from the situation.

His train of thought was stopped or more accurately, smacked back to reality by a soft hand caressing his cheek. He could barely register Yao’s words. “You are fun to tease.”

Ivan nodded slowly, he was doomed, wasn’t he? He wanted nothing but melt on this man’s hands, he knew he was blushing, but this time, he didn’t mind it.

He gathered enough courage to lean forward, barely brushing his lips with the other, Yao’s hand moved to the back of his head, pushing him lightly so their lips met.

“Bloody hell!”

They both flinched back, Ivan had forgotten about Arthur’s existence, a sense of self awareness flared up in him but it didn’t manage to overcome the annoyance he felt. The Englishman was nowhere to be seen.

Yao sighed, peering over to the kitchen, he gasped and hurried inside. “How did you set my teapot on fire?”

Ivan could hear Arthur’s alarmed voice and the water tap running. “I don’t know.”

He approached the kitchen, the smell of smoke was stronger and he found Arthur frowning alongside Yao inspecting the blackened teapot.

The brown haired man huffed, leaving the teapot on the sink. “Stop burning things, Alfred is not around so you can quit gaining his attention.”

“It was an accident and I asked for help, neither of you seemed to notice, are you deaf?”

“You are banned from my kitchen, now. Go and commit arson on your boyfriend’s house, he can manage the fires quickly.”

Ivan let out a laugh. “I am totally going to tell Alfred about this.”

Arthur groaned. “From everyone you could have chosen to embarrass me in front of, it has to be with the one person Alfred has a direct line with, you are the best of friends, Yao.”

Sending pictures of a burnt teapot to Alfred wasn’t the way Ivan thought his night would end but he was delighted by today’s happenings.

Not only could he get another kiss from Yao before leaving, he had asked him out on an actual date, much to the Englishman's amusement, the remarks the latter made after they left Yao’s house weren’t embarrassing anymore.

Ivan had entered a state of sheepish acceptance, if he had to take on Arthur’s teasing in order to date Yao, then so be it.

#hetalia fanfiction #hws russia #hws china #hws england #rochu #hws rochu #my writing #hetalia

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bag-of-broadway-snacks · 3 years

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My Cats Non-Replica Pt. 1

Here, for your viewing pleasure and no body’s request, I give you- My ideal Cats non-replica production. Now complete with drawings that make eyes bleed! This is a part one so stay tuned and let me know what you think for 2! (Also this is long as fuck sooo)

Overture Okay, so this production is heavily based on my ragdoll au idea from very long ago. Basically, the production takes place in a little girl’s bedroom. During the overture, we see the girl who own’s the room in front of a curtain, playing with a rag doll version of Munkustrap. As the overture ends, the girl’s mother (double cast as Grizabella) moved onto stage and gestures for the girl to follow. So the girl sets her doll of Munkustrap on a chair and moves backstage. Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats So the curtain lifts revealing the set. We can see large window in the background (with functioning curtains). There’s several things around the room, a bookshelf, a toy chest, a lamp, a doll bed, a teapot, a fallen over hat, and a play tunnel.

Next to the toy chest, there’s also a chair, a bigger replica of the one we saw in the overture. Slumped over on the chair is Munkustrap, sitting seemingly still until his cue. On his cue, he perks up, looking a cross between the usual cats make up and a rag doll. He gets up as many other cat/toys appear out of various corners of the room. Before singing ‘Are you blind when you’re born?’ Munkustrap looks to the window as the curtains open, revealing a large moon in the background. Prompting the Jellicle ball. The rest of the song continues as normal. (Because there aren’t changes, the naming of the cats progresses as normal) Invitation to the Jellicle Ball So this song continues normally, Victoria dancing her solo before Misto starting up the song. In this version, I imagine the little girl will be shortly going on a trip and is allowed to bring only one toy. The Jellicle choice is to decide who will go with her. The Heaviside layer in this case being the outside world. The Old Gumbie Cat To start off the night, Munkustrap begins singing the Old Gumbie Cat, this time however, rather then a car Jennyanydots enters through the toy chest. Misto going over and undoing the latches before lifting the lid with magic. Jennyanydots is half swaddled in a large, leopard print blanket thats extremely fluffy but limited in movement. During the Gumbie Trio’s first verse she has her normal interactions with ‘The mice’ on the side of the stage. In the background, the other cats are scattering toys and paper across the stage in chaos. During the Gumbie Trio’s second verse, Jenny turns around and is shocked at the mess the others have made. Ever orderly, she throws off her blanket to reveal a leopard spot dress and a tiger stripped apron. The tap number in this case being replaced with a choreographed clean up of the room. With Jenny’s ‘Cockroaches’ who are clothed with tissue paper wings, pipe cleaner antenna, and big glasses for eyes. Once the room is clean again Jenny thanks them and the song ends.

The Rum Tum Tugger This one may be my favorite. So as Jenny’s number trails off she continues to move about the room and tidy things up. She goes up to a tipped over tea pot, preparing to put it upright before the lid is pushed off, causing her to jump in surprise. Out of the tea pot comes Rum Tum Tugger, a particularly fluffy rag doll. He looks very similar to his replica design with a few differences. His spots are more obvious and patchy looking, giving us the idea that he’s even worn and repaired with leopard cloth by the child’s mother. Around one leg his tied a pink ribbon and his ‘belt’ is actually a girl’s hairband he’s been dressed up with. He’s also wearing a black biker vest that most likely came from a doll of some sort. He runs around the room, riling up the others with his flirting and generally causing his usual chaos. In this world he’s extremely popular, being one of the owner’s favorite toys. Of course, all the fun stops abruptly as Grizabella appears, crawling out from behind the bookshelf. Grizabella the Glamour Cat

The cats quickly scatter as Grizabella approaches. She’s a beat up toy, ragged with stuffing sticking out in different places. She’s been chewed on by a couple dogs after venturing out of the room to try and find a different place. The scene mostly progresses as normal, everyone shying away from her, the kittens trying to get close but being warded off by the elder toys. Munkustrap shows no emotion but does gently gesture for Griz to leave before things get worse which she obliges, slowly walking away while her song is song behind her. Bustopher Jones

The mood quickly lifts as Bustopher Jones arrives! He’s a wind up toy, big because of all his fancy mechanics and not used very much thus looking extremely well taken care off. They all great him as normal, turning over a hat for him to sit on while presenting him with different plastic foods for him to eat. They even use a sock as a napkin for him. However the atmosphere of fun is broken quickly as the hear aggressive shouting in the background. (Which is the distance voice of the girl’s older brother) they scream Macavity before running for the hills, hiding in various places in the room. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer As the stage empties, a large puppet theatre is wheeled out. We hear Rumpelteazer’s laughs before the theatre curtain opens, revealing two stringless puppets, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer leap out of the puppet stage and begin their number doing a healthy mix of acrobatics and tearing around the bookshelf, tossing books around and making a show of stealing things like pens and one sock from a pair. Rumpelteazer is wearing a plastic bracelet as a necklace of sorts. They cause their usual mix of chaos before being found out by the rest of the tribe and chased onto the toy box for the next number.

Old Deuteronomy The next song begins as normal, cats pointing out they sense the Jellicle leader and Munkustrap beginning the song with Tugger and the others joining in later. Slowly, Old D enters the stage. He’s a large, cat themed baby blanket and was the girl’s first ever toy and is thus a ‘father’ to Munkustrap and Tugger. (Who are the girl’s favorites) He greets the tribe before sitting on the chair to observe the ball. The Aweful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles Okay so this basically goes as normal so I won’t describe what happens so much as the designs. So the Pollicles are the toms. They wear dangly earrings hanging off their ears to imitate dog ears, dry erase marker caps on their hands to make their feet, and plastic baggies for their other feet. The Pekes are the queens. They wear socks with holes on their heads, and mittens and bags for their hands and feet. The poms merely have little pom pom hair ties fastened around their ears. Now the Rumpus Cat is the most interesting one here. He’ll be double cast as Admetus and is a nightlight. He has a big Cheshire cat light up mask and a light up chest plate as well with a big R on his chest. Other parts of him will ideally light up as well.

I’m going to skip a bit here, all the way to the second act as there wasn’t much of note during the Jellicle ball portion.

#cats the musical #cats non replica #my ideas #rum tum tugger #jennyanydots #munkustrap #bustopher jones #mungojerrie #rumpelteazer #old deuteronomy #grizabella #jellicle cats #pekes and pollicles #part one #my shitty art #long post

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carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich · 5 years

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So these soulmate headcanons.. WOW, they’re awesome! Please, pretty please make one for Reiji 🙏🙏

So sorry for the wait! I got really carried away with this one and it ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I’ve put it under the cut. I hope you like it ^^

General setup: Set in a universe where everyone has a soulmate and there are various different connections between soulmates. Vampires (and Founders) have been known to have human soulmates. Generally the connection between a vampire/founder and their soulmate will not kick in until their soulmate is born and will fade after their soulmate dies. It considered unusual for a vampire to meet, let alone be with, their human soulmate.

Reiji Sakamaki

Connection with soulmate: youcan influence your soulmate’s emotions when in physical contact with them.

- You weren’t born with any sort of obvious connection to your soulmate. Many people weren’t, but it didn’t stop you from feeling a slight sense of envy towards those with a name or pattern inked on their body that would lead them to their other half. No, you would have to rely on luck to find your soulmate, and you were left with little clue as to what form the connection might take when it showed itself.

- Years passed and all too quickly you found yourself preparing for your last year of school, your connection to your soulmate as elusive as it had always been.

- Just before the start of term, a letter arrived, with an offer to a transfer to Ryoutei Academy and a place to stay while you studied there. One of your relatives had some connection to the politician Tougo Sakamaki, and had apparently been able to pull some strings to be able to arrange the whole thing. Whether you wanted to transfer to the school or not, you were given little choice in the matter, and as all of your friends started back at your old school, you were being driven in a sleek black car to your new home, leaving all of them behind.

- Although the mansion had a dark, unsettling feeling the moment you laid eyes on it, nothing could have prepared you for what lay inside its walls. Vampires, cruel and vicious, some nightmare made flesh, and your apparent hosts. Although captors might have been a more accurate term, all connection to your loved ones had been severed and any attempts to run were met with swift retaliation.

- Reiji had hardly taken a vested interest in you when you first arrived at the house. Your manners and posture left a fair amount to be desired but at least you were slightly better than some of the louder women they’d been sent over the years. Mostly the triplets did with you as they pleased, and he suspected it would not be long before yet another bride would need to be dispatched by the church.

- A few weeks after you first arrived, Reiji was enjoying a rare moment of peace in his room. A pot of freshly brewed tea steaming on the table, it’s pleasant aroma filling the air as he flicked through his notes. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hall and Reiji lifted his head in response.

Moments later, the door slammed open and you tumbled inside, the scent of your fear heavy in the air. Your eyes widened as soon as they found his and you started to stammer out an apology, something about how Ayato was chasing you and you hadn’t realized this room was occupied.

What an unsightly creature you were, your blouse half torn open and your hair in disarray. But he was far from one to refuse such an opportunity.

Reiji set his notes to the side, readjusting his glasses as he noted how rude, not to mention unwise, it was to intrude in such a manner. It seemed that you thought you might be able to leave his room with only a simple chiding. How terribly naive.

He played to your assumptions for a short while, issuing a verbal dress-down that left you slightly red in the face. When he made an act of generously offering you a cup of tea, you muttered a soft yes almost immediately, eyes on the floor.

It was a simple matter to slip one of his newer concoctions into your cup without your notice. A few minutes after accepting the drink, your hand went to the base of your throat and you started to wince.

“Is something the matter?” Reiji inquired, his own cup untouched.

“My throat, it feels like it’s on fire,” you said, your voice hoarse.

“How interesting, I’d hoped it would paralyse the vocal cords completely, but it seems I still have more work to do.”

Your expression morphed into one of horror and you quickly stood and backed towards the door, but it was too late. Only a flick of his power was required to lock the door without him ever actually touching it. In no time, Reiji had you against the wall, wrists pinned by his gloved hand. You struggled against him but it was to no avail, and then his teeth were at your neck.

The moment his lips touched your skin, a jolt of fear shot through him. Some kind of mortal terror, the likes of which he’d never experienced before. He drew back and the feeling vanished, leaving him breathless. What was this? Your scent was that of an ordinary human, you certainly shouldn’t have the power to affect him in such a manner.

Experimentally, Reiji ran a bare finger over the skin of your neck and the same sensation filled him. Flinching back as thought he’d been burned, he tightened his grip on your wrists to the point where you cried out.

“What exactly are you?” He hissed, scanning your eyes for any indication of deception.

“Human,” your voice shook, “I’m just a human.”

Reiji took a deep breath to see if there was anything he’d missed in your scent, but it was utterly mortal, laced with fear. Wait, fear. Those were your emotions he’d sensed, but how? Vampires were capable of many things but this wasn’t one of them. Unless…

An idea of the situation took shape in his mind, and there was only one way to test it. He lowered his mouth to your neck again, ignoring how you flinched away.

The fear hit him again, but this time he pushed back, summoning the sense of calm he felt when left to enjoy his tea in peace. Almost immediately your muscles relaxed, and even as his fangs pierced your skin, you made no move to struggle, nor did you protest.

The moment his skin left yours, you stiffened. The air once again rife with the smell of your fear.

“What… What did you do to me?” You spoke in a small voice.

A connection that flowed equally between a vampire and a human, Reiji had no doubt about exactly what it meant. That a mortal child held such a power over him… It was far from a pleasant thought and no matter what you were, it was not something he would allow you to wield against him.

“Have you truly not grasped the innate differences between us? This is just another one of the many abilities at my disposal, and another reason why you should learn your place in this household. Should I choose to, I could make it so that you begged me to drink from you to the point where your blood ran dry.” You shivered in his hold, and Reiji braced himself for the onslaught of emotion as he bit down over your clavicle.

You were far from what he had hoped for in a partner, but perhaps that could be rectified with a bit of time and training. The nature of your connection to each other certainly held some potential in that regard, although he would need to find a way to keep you from being able to subconsciously impose your emotions on him.

One thing was for sure though, the triplets had had the last of their fun with you. From now on, the only one who would be feeding from you was him.

- The nature of your days in the mansion changed after your encounter with Reiji. Gone were the many hours the triplets would spend bothering you. They still tried of course, but Reiji had an uncanny tendency to interrupt them before they could ever get very far. In fact, you seemed to be able to go very little time without Reiji making some sort of appearance. He’d somehow managed to get hold of your academic record and informed you that it was not fit for a member of the household, even though you suspected it was at least better than some of his brothers.

He seemed to have decided that it was his duty to ensure your grades were up to scratch and, everyday after school, you were to meet in his rooms for tutoring. Sometimes it would be topics you were familiar with, other times it would be extensions of the syllabus and then there were the lessons on deportment. You’d protested that the latter had little to do with your grades but Reiji had shot you a glance and made a scathing comment about how you were in desperate need of them regardless. Since then, you hadn’t voiced any further complaints.

You couldn’t wrap your head around Reiji at all. His punishments for failing to meet his expectations were harsh, as the marks from his riding crop all over your back proved. But he was capable of being pleasant, of offering a kind word or gesture whenever you began to wonder what the point in trying to please a man with such high standards even was.

And, more surprisingly, he had made no move to bite you since that first day. Not once. He’d also taken to wearing two gloves as opposed to the single one he’d worn in the time before he’d taken such an interest in you, as though he couldn’t bare to touch someone of such low worth.

- About a month or so after your tutoring sessions had begun, Reiji had offered you some of his precious tea and you’d known better than to refuse. It was something of a common occurrence. Sometimes the brew would leave a terrible numbness in your limbs, or cause you to feel so hot that you might burst into flames. But then there were instances where it was only tea and Reiji would chuckle as you stared at the contents of the cup in paranoia.

On this particular evening, when you felt perfectly fine after finishing almost half a teapot of Darjeeling, it seemed it would be one latter occasions. Except when you met Reiji’s eye, he was studying you in a way he often did when you were acting as a test subject for one of his potions.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, a slight sense of apprehension clear in your voice.

Reiji took a deep breath and picked at the hem of the white glove on his left hand. In the blink of an eye, he was standing over you, a bare hand gripping your chin and tilting your head to look at him.

“Do you truly feel nothing at all?” He asked, his expression scrutinous.

“N, no,” you replied weakly. “Am I supposed to?”

“Ah-” he withdrew his hand “-it would seem that particular potion is defective. You need not pay it any mind.” Reiji returned to his seat and took a long sip from his own cup of tea before turning his attention to you. “I’m sure you must be aware by now that a full moon will soon be upon us, and as a result, I find that my throat is not soothed by tea alone.” He set his teacup to the side with a soft clink and you swallowed nervously as he approached you once again.

His fangs pierced the skin of your neck, sending pain stinging through you. You braced yourself, expecting him to use that strange ability he had once before to influence your own feelings. But there was nothing aside from the throbbing that accompanied the process of having your blood sucked. And when he pulled back, you could have sworn you saw something akin to a sick sort of glee in his eyes.

- After you’d retired for the night, Reiji swirled the small bottle of clear liquid he’d spent weeks working on. It had worked to utter perfection. Naturally, it’d been prudent to test the potion on you first and when you’d shown no ill effects it had been time to assess it’s true effectiveness. When he’d touched you, Reiji had been able to feel a slight flicker of your emotions. Nothing comparable to that he’d experienced before, so it would seem that for one of you to truly feel the emotion, the other would have to be experiencing it strongly or send it through your connection by force.

He’d tried to send a feeling through that intangible bond between you, watching closely for any sign of reaction from you. There had been none however, and he’d known then that the potion was fit for his purposes. The effects were not designed to be permanent, but by taking a dose of it each day, it ensured he could touch you while his feelings remained entirely his own. You, on the other hand, would feel whatever he sent through your connection.

With a little experimenting he realized he could even cause you to be overcome by pain or pleasure with a simple touch. Your improvements in his lessons were drastic, your feelings apparently a much more powerful motivator than any physical incentive he could provide, and you quickly grew into a far more suitable partner for him than when you’d first arrived at the mansion. In fact, Reiji found that he had almost started to enjoy periods spent in your company, at least more so than he had with any other bride. You were not a poor conversationalist in the right setting, and had even offered more than a few insightful comments without his prompting.

Perhaps you were soulmates for a reason after all.

- In the weeks that followed, you knew something was not right. Emotions that didn’t quite feel like your own would plague you whenever spent time in the company of the second eldest Sakamaki. A flash of disgust when you caught sight of Shu sleeping in some inconvenient location, a sense of discontent whenever your grades were less than perfect and a newfound appreciation for crockery.

But in spite of it, you had come to look forward to the time you’d spend with Reiji, to the point where you were developing feelings for him. Unfortunately however, you were unable to tell whether they were genuine or another result of those awful vampiric abilities of his.

- One day, as you were walking through the school corridors to collect some documents your teacher had asked for, your foot caught on something and you went sprawling across the floor.

“Heh, nice underwear.” Snapping your head back, you caught sight of Shu, one eye cracked open as he looked at the point where your skirt had ridden up exposing… You quickly adjusted the fabric and made to get to your feet. His legs must have been what you’d tripped over in the first place and you felt some lingering sense that you should get away from the blonde vampire as quickly as possible.

A pale hand shot out and grabbed hold of your wrist. “Hold it, I’m thirsty.” You struggled but were ultimately powerless as he lifted your wrist to his mouth. Blue eyes met yours. “You were the one who fell on top of me and exposed yourself, lewd woman,” he said before biting down.

“Stop!” You used your free hand to shove against him in an effort to free yourself. In spite of how much worse it would make the wounds, the feeling of his fangs in you was unpleasant enough to risk it. “Let go of me!”

“Tch, noisy.” He twisted your wrist until it was at a painful angle and bit down again.

“Ah, it hurts. Stop it!” Even though you knew your protests were more likely to end in further injury than anything else, you couldn’t help it. The sensation of his hands on you felt wrong.

After taking a good long drink of your blood, Shu pulled back and sighed. “You’re unusually bothersome for prey that’s been with us this long.”

“If you have a real problem with it, then why don’t you just use your vampiric powers to manipulate my own feelings against me? Reiji seems to do it often enough.” The bitterness in your own voice surprised you.

Shu’s eyes narrowed in what might almost have been confusion. “What are you… He has taken an unusual interest in you.” Something seemed to click, and a cruel smile played at his lips. “You really are an idiot, didn’t you notice that the triplets never did any similar?”

“What… what are you saying?” Now that you thought about it, they hadn’t. But Reiji was older than them, it didn’t seem too unbelievable that he’d have a better handle on his abilities.

“I’m saying, whatever you’re talking about has nothing to do with him being a vampire.” Shu yawned and let go of you. “Enough, I’m sleepy. Go and find somewhere else to be.”

“Wait! What do you mean ‘nothing to do with him being a vampire’? What is it?” You asked in frustration.

“If you’re so dense you can’t figure it out then go and bother him. Although there must be a reason why he hasn’t told you yet.” Shu closed his eyes, a signal that your conversation was at an end.

You stood motionless in the corridor, mind reeling. Something that allowed him to influence you in such an intimate way but wasn’t just another one of his supernatural abilities. There was only one possibility that came to mind and the revelation made your heart stop.

A soulmate connection. With Reiji. And… he knew. He knew but he hadn’t told you, had instead just used it to manipulate you.

Tears welled in your eyes, a mixture of anger and betrayal filling you. It seemed you would need to have a conversation with the vampire that was long overdue.

- Reiji could scent Shu on you the moment you stepped into the limo on your way back to the mansion. The blonde himself didn’t make an appearance, apparently so lacking in energy that he couldn’t even move himself to the vehicle. Pathetic.

It was only the presence of his other brothers that kept Reiji from doing anything during the ride home. No, this matter would be dealt with in private. Shu had trifled with his prey before, but this time felt infinitely worse; a gross violation of what belonged to him. And that you had allowed it to happen…

For your part, you were unusually silent on the journey, your hand subconsciously straying to your wrist every so often, where Shu had bitten you no doubt.

The moment, you arrived at the mansion, Reiji ordered you to his room. You obliged but there was something in your expression he didn’t like, not one bit.

“So,” he said, after his door had closed behind you, “are you going to tell me where that mark on your wrist came from or will I have to force it out of you?” The riding crop in his desk was easily accessible, but it didn’t feel like it would be enough. Nothing did.

You were silent, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.

“Well?” Had contact with that good for nothing really corrupted you to the point where you would act with such disobedience.

“How long?” You said in a small voice.

“I beg your pardon.”

“How long?” You repeated.

“Perhaps if you would care to elaborate, I might be obliged to answer,” he replied, and were he not mired in anger, he might have felt a slight sense of apprehension at your words.

“How long have you known that we’re soulmates Reiji?” You met his eyes for the first time since you’d entered the room.

If Reiji’s heart beat as a mortals did then he was sure it would have stopped dead. You’d found out somehow. Shu! He was going to kill him.

“What did he say to you?” In a flash he had you against the wall, gripping your chin so you were forced to see the fury in his eyes.

“Barely anything, but enough to let me know whatever you’ve been doing to me isn’t a result of any vampire ability as you’d have me believe. Why were you so determined to keep it a secret? Because you enjoyed being able to hold it over me? Because I wasn’t what you wanted so you took to training me like some kind of pet?” You spat, anger overriding whatever self-preservation instincts told you defying him was a poor idea.

“That… That is not any of your concern.” He’d known it was unlikely he’d be able to keep the truth from you forever, but he certainly hadn’t intended for you to find out like this.

“No, it is, that’s the point Reiji! It is my concern! Soulmates are meant to be equals, partners. But instead you’ve done nothing but use our connection to manipulate me.” Raising your voice at him was certainly not a wise idea, but you either didn’t think about it or didn’t care.

“Silence!” His grip on you was bruising. “You truly think we are equals? How terribly childlike, but then what should I expect, compared to me, dear,” the word came out as a sneer, “you might as well be a child. Do not think just because such a connection exists between us that it grants you any sort of rights over me, is that understood?”

A loud slap rang throughout the room. Reiji stood with his head to the side, glasses knocked slightly askew and a faint sting on his cheek where your hand had impacted it. He released your chin in shock and you fled from the room immediately. Ordinarily he would have made a move to stop you, but instead he stood, frozen in place.

It was not the physical contact that had affected him so, no, you possessed so little strength compared to him that the very idea of it was laughable. Instead, it was the flood of emotions that had passed from you to him in the short moment your hand had made contact, strong enough to override the tonic coursing through his system.

Anger was at the forefront, followed by sorrow and number of other fleeting emotions, but the one that lingered, and left him standing while you ran, was betrayal, deep and sickening. The dregs of fondness he’d sensed explained perhaps why it was so strong. After all, the deepest wounds could only be inflicted by someone you cared for, trusted.

Reiji glanced towards the door. He could easily catch you, take you down to the dungeons and thrash you until you screamed yourself hoarse for your outburst. As much as he felt like he should, he was intelligent enough to know it would ultimately do little good. And, if he was even the slightest bit truthful to himself, he knew it would utterly destroy whatever had been built between the two of you.

A brief flick of his wrist and the door closed. He had some thinking to do.

- You weren’t sure what on Earth had possessed you to yell at Reiji, let alone strike him across the face. After sitting in the silence of your room, your anger had faded, replaced with misery… and fear. It had been foolish to allow your emotions to get the better of you in a house full of vampires who could kill you with half a thought, and especially with Reiji of all people.

The longer you spent in your room, the more afraid you became. Your actions certainly wouldn’t go without recompense. Regardless of what Reiji had done and how you felt about it, you’d come to learn that your opinions meant very little in this household.

A sharp knock resounded on your bedroom door and you felt the hair rise on the back of your neck in response. Was this it? Had Reiji finally come to finish you off for slapping him and being unfortunate enough to run into Shu? Or had your soulmate announced that he was done with you and now one of his brothers was outside your door waiting to drain you dry? Then again, if whoever was standing on the other side was really intent on your demise, it was unlikely they’d bother to knock first.

“Come in,” you called out softly, glancing at the lamp on your bedside table, you supposed that you could at least try to use it as a weapon if it came down to it. Although even then, you doubted you’d last more than a minute.

The door opened and Reiji stepped inside, carrying a tray laden with a teapot and two of his beloved ornate teacups.

Fear shot through you at the sight of him, recalling the last words you’d spoken to him and the large collection of toxins he kept on his shelf gave you an idea of where this might lead; death by poisoned tea.

Sharp eyes shot to you as Reiji set the tray on the small table in your room. “After all the time I’ve spent on you, you could at least try to maintain some semblance of composure. Although I suppose a healthy dose of fear is warranted given your actions towards me earlier.” A hint of a wicked smile played at his lips and an unpleasant shiver ran down your spine.

“Reiji I…” Your voice cracked and you felt vaguely like you might be about to burst into tears.

He held up a hand as indication to cease whatever miserable plea it was you were about to make.

“I will discuss your punishment for your behavior later, for now-“ he gestured to one of the chairs at your table “-take a seat. And do try to put the lessons on posture I gave you to good use.”

You obediently made your way to the chair and sat down, being sure to keep your spine straight. While your anger at the way he’d manipulated you hadn’t simply vanished, your fear was enough to keep it at bay. Whatever self-destructive impulses had driven you to act earlier, now a dying whisper.

Reiji sat in the chair opposite you and poured dark steaming tea into the cup closest to you. As the liquid trickled into the white china, you thought of all the horrors that it could contain. You’d been exposed to his concoctions before with varying effects, however nothing had done lasting damage. But then you’d never pushed him like this.

“I’m really truly sorry,” you began, whether from genuine regret or fear you weren’t sure. ”I shouldn’t have yelled or slapped you but I wasn’t thinking, I just felt so frustrated and-”

“As much as I feel you should show some remorse over your actions, you need not get yourself into such an unsightly state. It is just tea. I am perfectly capable of ending your life with my own hands, and I would not waste any of my deadlier arsenal on a fragile mortal such as yourself.” His words were as clipped and cutting as always. You took hold of the teacup, the liquid rippling as your hands trembled.

“Well, as I’ve gone to the trouble of preparing it for you, you had best taste it, had you not?” A thinly veiled order.

You sniffed miserably into the teacup before taking a sip. All things considered, it truly was delicious. Some rich blend with just the right hint of bitterness. When you glanced up, Reiji was observing you expectantly and you swallowed shakily.

“It’s lovely, thank you.” You tried to offer a polite smile but you were fairly certain it was more of a grimace.

“Hm, well at least you haven’t forgotten basic manners.” Reiji pushed his glasses back up his nose with a single finger but said no more. You wanted to know what this was all about but you really didn’t want to ask him and so instead simply slipped away at your tea. The silence was thick, heavy and uncomfortable, the vampire across from you seeming content to watch you. Or perhaps he was just waiting to strike.

Once you’d emptied your cup, you set it down delicately on the tray, not wanting to add breaking his chinaware to the list of slights you’d committed. Reiji lifted the teapot to pour you another cup, before clearing his throat.

“With regard to the nature of our… connection to each other, perhaps it was remiss of me not to inform you of it sooner.” For once, he didn’t quite meet your eyes, instead focusing on the action of refilling the teacup.

It occurred to you that this might be some poor form of an apology, or at least as close to one as Reiji was willing to give you. You sat there dumbstruck as he continued.

“As you have made such progress in our lessons, I have decided that causing any lasting damage over a single outburst is something of a waste. Once you have been properly disciplined, I plan to resume our sessions together unless-” he finally lifted his eyes to meet your gaze “-you are now so opposed to my company that you would prefer to serve as a meal for one of my brothers.”

“No!” You blurted out. Whatever your feelings, you certainly didn’t want to go back to being the triplets’ plaything. “I would… prefer to resume our lessons.”

“A sensible choice. Well, you should finish your tea before it cools. I don’t have all night and your punishment awaits.” And with the smirk he gave you, you wondered whether you might come to regret your decision.

***

You can find links to my other soulmate AU headcanons on my master list. Feel free to request a set for any of the other boys, you can check to see if a character has already been requested on my current projects list ^^ Next up is Ruki~

#reiji sakamaki #own post #my writing #soulmate AU #headcanons #These get longer every time I write them #this is almost 5000 words #I think it's because I've transitioned from headcanons to a more drabbley style but I really wanted to have some of these scenes #written out properly #Tbf I suspect this may be the longest set because there was a lot that needed to happen before I got to a conclusion I liked #As in both you and Reiji knew and there was something of a positive outcome #I feel bad Shin's was so short so I may write something of an extra scenario for him #after I finish my other requests

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nisaeiam · 4 years

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TIMELESS - an acotar fanfic

After spending her entire life in Cretea, Zivia finds herself in the company of the Night Court, sent as an emissary to help after the war. As she navigates her way outside her once secluded life, she develops unlikely bonds with the people around her - especially with the one wreathed in shadows.

PROLOGUE, CHAPTER 1, CHAPTER 2, CHAPTER 3, CHAPTER 4, CHAPTER 5, CHAPTER 6, CHAPTER 7, CHAPTER 8, CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

Feyre, Cassian and Rhysand were having a conversation in one of the estate's study when a loud crash followed by Elain's high-pitched scream sent them running to the garden. They stopped short at the sight that greeted them.

"What the - ?"

Azriel and Zivia were sprawled among the shrubs lining the fountain, both grunting in pain.

"What happened?" gasped Feyre as she rushed beside Zivia to help her up.

Azriel was quick in getting back on his feet but the shock from their fall made him lose his balance and slip right into the fountain basin, sending splashes of water into Cassian's face, who was extending a hand to him.

"Woah, easy brother," teased Cassian as he wiped his face with his other arm. "Are you drunk?"

The shadowsinger levelled him a look. "We winnowed straight from the Continent!"

Winnowing at great distances messes your orientation and muddles up one's senses especially if done in rapid successions and given the state of the two of them arrived, they were definitely in a rush.

"Let's get you inside," Feyre said, bracing a hand around the Seraphim's shoulder.

They settled in the parlour and she ordered Nuala and Cerridwen to get some towels.

"I'll get some tea," volunteered Elain.

"Okay, so what happened?" asked Rhysand as her sister disappeared into the hallway.

"Our cover was blown," muttered Zivia while she plucked leaves that were stuck in between the feathers of her wings.

"We were found out sneaking to be exact," amended Azriel.

Elain came back with a steaming pot of tea and set it down on the table at the center of the room. She went to Zivia and helped her in cleaning the dirt stuck on her face and wings.

"I'm not entirely to be blamed," Zivia grumbled. "How could I possibly concentrate with you squirming between my legs?"

Rhysand spewed out his drink across the room, Feyre almost dropping the pot and Cassian tried to cough up the liquid that went the other way down his throat as he threw an incredulous look at a wide-eyed Azriel.

"It's not – " He snapped his head to the Seraphim, who was now starting to look as though she would rather be somewhere else.

Cassian barked a laugh, tapping the shadowsinger on his shoulders. "I've never seen you so flustered Az, it's actually refreshing!"

Feyre had never seen the Illyrian look that uncomfortable before and it was something of Zivia to elicit such emotion from him. She suppressed a smile at whatever thought that came into her head at that.

The High Lord cleared his throat. "Uh, any reports then?"

Zivia launched into the story of how they utterly failed in the very simple task of spying without being seen, a portion of which involves having both of them sneakily peek through the mansion's window in hopes of catching whatever they could as the meeting progresses. They were not allowed inside even in the guise of two guards nor two servants nor any other particular individuals for that matter, the meeting was strictly for the lords only – no other else. It ended with Zivia recalling how they made for a quick escape after unceremoniously falling from Azriel's shoulders while trying to reach a better view but instead knocking her head in the glass window hard enough to alert everyone inside of their presence.

"The mortal queens are finally making their move huh," said Rhys after a while, casting a meaningful glance at Feyre.

"But we don't know what they're planning yet," added Cassian.

A pause.

Rhysand thoughtfully tapped his fingers on his cup before downing its contents and said, "We ought to at least be prepared." He put the cup on the table and stood. "For the meantime, we hold back on our negotiations on the Continent." Both Zivia and Azriel gave a subtle gesture of agreement. "I'll send word to Mor." He then proceeded towards the door.

"You can take a rest here if you want," offered Feyre as she too headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Zivia, already finished with removing all the debris from her wings.

"We're having a meeting with the … uh … night court citizens"

The High Lord nodded at her before disappearing out the door followed by Cassian and the High Lady. Azriel lingered for a second, debating whether to stay or join them. He gave a quick glance at Zivia then to Elain, who was standing awkwardly in the corner holding the teapot in her hands. He decided to go with the latter.

**********

"Was this a bad idea?"

Zivia have asked herself that question for the fifth time since deciding to follow Azriel and the others. There was something amiss in her gut feeling but she couldn't quite place what it was, not that going after them would surely answer that question. A pulsing wave of the High Lord's power brought her back to reality. It was coming from deep within the mountains. Veering sharply downwards, she made a quick work of concealing her presence lest the spymaster discovers her sticking her nose somewhere she clearly shouldn't be. As she neared towards the base, she noticed huge stone gates carved into the mountain itself guarded by two impassive looking guards.

So this is it, she thought.

Her parents have told her all about the Night Court as stories ever since she was a child and she could still clearly remember mentions of the City under the mountain. It was her first time seeing it but she knows what to expect.

The two sentinels know better than to think that what they felt was way more than just still silence and a gust of wind. Air drafts rarely reach this part of the mountain, but another surge of power from the inside made their suspicions inconsequential. Zivia carefully made her way past them and deeper into where the origin of the power felt.

The place was so silent she could hear her own breaths within her shield. A little further into the mountain, sounds became much more audible and distinguishable. She could hear unfamiliar voices arguing as if in protest, some kind of music playing somewhere overlapping with their shouts.

"….it's possible….another war…..lost many lives too…"

The High Lord's voice boomed shook the ground. "SILENCE!"

The others were keeping their silence but anyone could point out their extreme presence even from a distance. This wasn't the same people she talked to a few hours ago. Their powers were fully unhampered as if they were gauging for a war.

She was inching closer to have a look of what was happening when a movement in the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Something just walked past the avenue opposite where she was standing. Her curiosity told her to follow it, so against her better judgment, she did.

The pathway was void of anyone else but her and that someone, leading her away from the others and deeper into the heart of the mountain. There was such stillness in the air the she could tell she's following a child by the sound of its footsteps. They were walking around a bend when the child abruptly stopped and turned on his heels. Zivia barely knocked into him and had just enough time to back away but not before tripping on her own feet and landing flat on her behind.

"Ow"

A sharp gasp as her concealment vanished and the child can finally see her. Barely three feet tall, he was staring at her with too-round eyes that were of bottomless black, two hairy antennae on his forehead stood in shock. The mothy wings on his back tucked in tight and trembled in time with his jaw.

"Hello. I uhm, I – please don't scream!"

The child has his mouth open in an unfinished cry for help. Though he appears to be visibly scared, he remained rooted on his spot possibly due to shock. Tears were already pooling on his eyes and his pale gray skin turned more ashen. Zivia pulled herself up, careful not to make any movements that could further scare the little fae.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She reached out for him slowly but he flinched away and she had to withdraw her hand. "It's okay, don't be scared."

The child has found his voice and was able to string out words in between his silent sobs.

"Wh – h – huwaryu?"

It took her a few seconds to figure out what he said.

She crouched down so that she is in level with him. "I'm Zivia, and I'm not here to hurt you. We can be friends." She tried her best to show her good intentions with a smile. "What's your name?"

"R-Rem"

Thankfully, he was no longer trembling and his wings now droop carelessly behind him. He is studying her with large glassy eyes and pointed to her wings.

"Oh yes. They've become dirty now, haven't they?"

Rem shook his head. She looked at him in question when he opened his own wings and hovered a few inches above the ground then again pointed at her.

"Wings? yes. They're wings, I use them to fly too."

"Bird?"

"No. I mean a little like that but of course different."

The child surely had a point but being compared to a bird doesn't sit so well with her. She gave him a somewhat forced smile nonetheless.

He blinked at her, non-existent brows furrowing in thought. "Chickens?"

"Definitely not! I'm a Seraphim," she snapped. "Very much similar to Peregryns and – wait…"

The boy's face crumpled in much more confusion at the mention of the two words.

"You – you haven't heard of us?"

A slow shake of his head.

"Well," she angled her head in thought. "Has no one ever told you about us?"

Another shake.

"Don't you ever go outside this mountain?"

"Mother told me never to go out."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

He sounded just as confused as she is. Being locked inside this place and not being able to go outside, she felt pity for the little boy especially for someone given with the gift of flight. Their kind was supposed to be free to roam the skies, whenever they want for as long as they want.

"Can't you ask Lord Rhysand for permission?"

Worry flashed across Rem's face at the mention of the High Lord's name. He frantically looked around as if someone might be spying on them.

"It's alright. Nobody's around."

He looked at her, mild fear still visible on his face. There was obviously something that is keeping him from answering or he's too uncomfortable talking about it that she felt the need to change the topic.

"So where are you headed to?"

Rem perked up, suddenly remembering that he was here for a reason and that he actually has some place to go. In response, he scampered off giving Zivia a gesture to follow. He led her into more darkened alleys and past stone archways. She could hear the faint sound of running water coming from where they were apparently headed and it was getting much louder with each passing step. After squeezing through one particularly tight opening, Zivia found herself standing in a cliff within the mountain and sure enough, a waterfall gushes across from them spouting dark blue water that cascades down into the deep chasm below. There was an eerie feel to it but she couldn't deny that this place is quite beautiful.

"It's scary back there," said Rem, voice barely a whisper.

He was sitting on the far edge of the precipice, arms reaching out trying to catch some of the mist from the falls. She remembered the pulsing anger of Rhysand's power.

"Is your mother back there?"

His hands froze mid-air. "No. she is…not there." He pulled his hands back and wrung his fingers together in hesitation. "She went with the others to the war. She didn't come back."

Tears were threatening to gather on his eyes again and she inched closer to touch him. This time, he let her.

Zivia wasn't sure what to say to a young child who just lost his mother so she did what she does best and hoped it will help soothe the pain even just a little. With a flick of her finger, a butterfly the size of her palm appeared fluttering before them. Rem's building sorrow turned into juvenile fascination as he watched it float around him and mischievously landed on his nose.

"Where I'm from, there's a belief that when these creatures appear, it means that a lost loved one is making their presence felt."

He looked at her in surprise and gently scooped the butterfly into his tiny hands and bringing it close to his heart as if to embrace it. It broke her a little to know that even though it may look very real to this child, she couldn't make it any more so to let him feel it.

The butterfly floated above Rem's head, circling him and urging him to play. He was merrily chasing it around when Zivia felt his arrival and his close presence even before he showed himself.

Rem stopped short at the sight of Azriel and it was now true terror showing on his face. He stumbled and fell on his back, rapidly gasping as if completely out of breath. Zivia quickly rushed to his side.

"What are you doing here?" Azriel's voice is sharp and cold.

She turned around and faced him, placing a protective hand over Rem and looked at the spymaster appallingly. He was in his full suit armour, seven gleaming siphons on display and shadows were curling around his feet. Though he appeared slightly surprised at her presence, he was quick to mask it away and instead turned his attention to the young fae.

Rem squeaked and hid behind Zivia, squeezing himself in between her wings. At that, the Illyrian dropped the oozing viciousness around him and opted for a more toned-down ruthless demeanor, but still one that would make anyone take precautions.

Nevertheless, Zivia knew better. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

She threw him an accusatory glance before helping Rem onto his feet. The poor child is still shaking and he clutched her arm so hard his nails dug deep in her skin that it would surely leave prominent marks. Despite her reassurance, she could feel his doubt as much as she could feel his grip on her.

Azriel took a deep breath behind them and started walking away. She watched him disappear into the darkness, leaving nothing more than smokes of shadows in his wake.

"Let's go." She took Rem's hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "Don't be scared, I'm with you. Okay?"

He managed to give him a wobbly nod and they followed the shadowsinger towards the others, hand in hand.

They stopped infront of a large carved door which appears to be a side entrance to the throne hall. Azriel had already reverted back to his lethal bearing before walking through. As soon as the door opened, a scream cut through the air that sent chilling echoes bouncing off the cavernous ceiling of the room. The shadowsinger was unbothered and kept walking. When they were close enough, everyone's attention fell to her, watching her every step towards the dais where Cassian stood as well as Feyre and Rhysand, who were sitting on their own thrones in front of the crowd, all looking utterly surprised.

"Father!"

Rem broke free of her, shouting and ran directly towards a man lying down at the High Lady's feet. He was clutching his head and is in visible pain, traces of vomit staining his shirt and the floor around him.

The intent look of every person in the room didn't concern her as much as seeing them did. She did hear the dark stories of the real Night Court but nothing of her expectations come anything close to this.

She leaned closer to Azriel, lowering her voice to a point where only he could hear, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on Rem and his father.

"Care to explain what in the Cauldron's sake is happening in here?"

**********

Back at the House of Wind, Zivia slumped down on a settee situated at the corner of a veranda overlooking the city of Velaris. Rhysand had just left after explaining to her everything about the Hewn City. It answered some of her questions, though it didn't satisfy her curiosity as to a lot of why's about that situation.

"Don't look at me like that," she muttered to Azriel, who was lingering near the rail ready to take flight. "I already apologized and I didn't even mean to interrupt your – well, whatever you guys were doing down there."

He gave her a look as if to say it wasn't what he was referring to. Huffing, she stood and walked towards the railing too, stopping close beside him, the tips of their wings almost touching.

"I won't go back there," she assented. "At least without permission."

The shadowsinger didn't say anything. They both stood there in silence, watching dark clouds bear down all around the city, a shifting sea of rust-colored sand.

"I just couldn't quite understand," Zivia said after some time. "It's just that . . . " She looked sideways at him. "Aren't they a citizen of this court too?"

A bobbing of his throat was the only reply she got. He didn't even look at her and instead continued looking faraway, his face of perfect solemnity.

"The Hewn City is a very brutal place full of wicked people that would give no second thought on doing all the worst things imaginable."

"There are children down there, Azriel."

The anger exuding out of him faltered. He tore his gaze away from the city and looked down at his scarred hands.

"Rhysand has his reasons."

"Don't you think that the High Lord, of all people, should know that goodness can come even in a place as dark as that?"

He finally faced her, eyes gleaming in the setting sun. His thoughts seem to be at war inside his head, skeptical as to what he should feel and he looked away.

"Why do you sympathize with people you barely know?"

Zivia thought for a while, staring at the shadowsinger's profile before looking back at the distant landscape.

"Hmm." She opened her palm and out bloomed a beautiful butterfly atop it. "Maybe because it's what I'm good at."

She extended her hand over the ledge and turned it over and together, they watched the creature fly deep down into the ravines below. As she looked at it disappearing beyond the darkened nooks of stone walls and cliffs, she remembered the words Elain said to her in the garden.

When there is darkness, light will always find its way

#acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acotar fanfiction #rhysand #feyre #Cassian #Nesta #Azriel #acotar seraphim #Miryam #Drakon #prythian #cretea

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vinodiriso · 5 years

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Kou/cha. [HANMEI]

@mita-rashi requested a HanMei drabble, something like two weeks ago. This is my headcanon of how they first met. Enjoy.

NOTES:

1: Mei in Chinese can be written with either the character 美 (meaning ‘beautiful’) or the character 梅 (meaning ‘plum’, Japanese: ‘ume’).

Hanzo had already done something for that woman in the handful of months he had spent in the Overwatch base, after the night he faced Genji in combat. Most of the times, it was heavy lifting... literally. He was used to carry around boxes of stuff from his sea days, and he always managed to come across the lab when there was some weighty science machines to move. He never actually cared about it, it was just some minor chores and nothing was ever so hefty to trouble him.

The archer didn’t give much thought to the white-coat-wearing people that needed his help, the only thing that stroke him as odd was how nice one of them was to him. It was not like she was baking him cookies, that be written down, but at least she didn’t shoot him those sour looks he got from various other agents, like that cowboy wannabe or the punk hairdo.

That afternoon, Hanzo was coming fresh out of the shower after an entire morning of shooting practice. He made his way into the base’s small kitchen and started looking for his secret stash, until he heard a voice from behind him: “please, can you take the box on the second from top shelf?”

Hanzo complied without further questioning and grabbed it. He turned to give it to the person requesting it, only to be met by one of the scientists he had helped various times. He didn’t remember her name… not like it was news. He was bad with names, with memories, everything was always a blurry fog.

“There you go,” he mumbled, his words were gentle but his tone wasn’t. She didn’t seem to mind.

“Thank you. Can you make a little room for me too?”

Hanzo stepped to the side and the woman entered the small kitchen. Hanzo returned to his activity of retrieving his belongings. Finally he found the box he was looking for, behind a can of coffee (ugh, he hated coffee). He uncorked it and the amazing, full scent of tea leaves invaded his nostrils.

It was really hard in their days to find actual tea leaves and not extracts, or flavoured tea bags. Agriculture was on the brink of collapse after ways to create synthetic food with cheap processes were invented. Real food costed a hell of a lot money nowadays, and those tea leaves were a most expensive treasure for Hanzo; he rarely shared it with anyone.

“Bai Jiguan, right?” the woman commented with a giggle. “You have a good taste for tea.”

“Huh,” Hanzo commented. “You recognized it by smell alone?”

“My family was in tea shipping when I was little,” she explained, “I was basically raised drinking tea. A habit that stuck. You?”

“My mother,” he said, simply. Why was he even replying to that? It was a personal question.

“I see. And what teas do you enjoy?”

“Huh,” Hanzo was really not used to speak that much. “Oolong tea and… black tea.”

“Oh, so you gonna love this one!” the woman chirped as she opened her own box. Hanzo inhaled the beautiful scent in a deep breath.

“Golden Monkey.”

“That’s right. I’ve never met someone that could guess by scent and not taste, haha!”

Hanzo nodded. He didn’t know what to reply to that, so he didn’t.

“By the way, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Mei-Ling Zhou, nice to meet you, Hanzo,” she didn’t actually say ‘Hanzo’, in her mouth it sounded something like ‘Bhanshoo’. Still, Hanzo could pick up his name even if it had been butchered by a person that clearly couldn’t pronounce it.

“How do you know my name?” Hanzo’s eyebrows furrowed.

“You are Genji’s brother, right? I have never seen him under the mask but I have always imagined he would look something like you do. And McCree said that Genji’s brother always has this… very… troubled face. You fit the description.”

Hanzo doubted someone like McCree would ever say ‘troubled face’, let alone when referring to him. Still, as much as he was irked (for no reason in particular, really, he should have expected to be a juicy piece of gossips for Overwatch agents after his arrival), she tried to soften the blow. She didn’t call him ‘asshole’ face-to-face; Hanzo appreciated tact, even if affected, even if Hanzo himself wasn’t the most tactful person around.

“Mh,” he replied. He rummaged his mind in search for something to say only to be met with failure. Without anything else to add, he just stuck to filling the boiler. Mei was measuring her serving of dried leaves: she dropped three teaspoons of Golden Monkey in a small porcelain teapot. It looked extremely frail and extremely precious. Hanzo did not have to wander off with imagination to guess it was a real Chinese handcraft. After all, her name was Zhou, was it not?

“It’s a family heirloom,” Mei stated, looking back at him. She didn’t mention the fact she had perceived Hanzo’s gaze or his interest in that tiny object, but still it was worth of praise to be that keen-minded. It took him by surprise. “I always have it with me, wherever I go. My father had it made for me when I was born.”

She showed him the Chinese characters painted on the side.

“Oh, so it’s ‘Mei’ as in ‘beautiful’. I thought it was ‘plum’.” 1

She widened her eyes at his reply, regardless of how stoic. “You can read Chinese?”

“Yes, I picked it up… on the road,” he didn’t mention his life in Taiwan. Too personal.

“How do you read this in Japanese?”

“Uh… ‘bi’. It means ‘beauty’ in Japanese.”

“How do you say ‘beautiful’?”

Hanzo puckered his lips as he recalled the word. It had been such a long time since he had spoken his native language. “Mh… ‘utsukushii’. But it’s the same kanji. It’s… complicated.”

Mei giggled. It was a surprisingly wholesome sound. Hanzo was confused. “I guessed so. Careful, I think the water is ready.”

Hanzo resumed from his deep thoughts of how weird her laugh had him feeling. He grabbed his own tea box, ready to just drop a spoonful in his cup, but Mei stopped him. “Huh-huh. If you are having tea with a Chinese person, I will have you follow the rules. Here.”

She gave him another teapot she recovered from one of the lower cabinets. It was much less fancier than her one, it was a faux terracotta-looking steel thing, but it would have served its purpose. “Do you know how to do it?”

Hanzo nodded. Yes, his mother had taught him many years ago. On top of that, he had seen many people do it. Three teaspoons inside the pot, then fill it with hot water, not boiling. Wait 5 seconds, pour, and throw the water away (the taste is too strong and, at the same time, not rich enough, it’s a bad batch). Refill the teapot, wait 20 seconds (or 40, if one likes a very strong flavour) and eventually pour the serving.

They completed the process in utter silence, without saying a word, almost in symbiosis, so coordinated were the two as they performed each action. It looked very mechanical, on Hanzo’s part, Mei on the other hand was more relaxed and her gestures were a display of an ancient art. Sure, that wasn’t the sophisticated tea ceremony Kung-fu masters invented millennia before, but it was still core to their countries’ traditions. A waste to let it go forgotten, as far as Hanzo was concerned.

“I love this smell,” Mei eventually broke the silence. “Isn’t it… gorgeous?”

Hanzo had to agree. It was one of the few things he enjoyed the most, a moment for relaxation he was used to consume alone, but Mei’s company was strangely… not-unnerving. It wasn’t as peaceful as the solitude of his home, solitary and companionless, but it was a little warmer than his despondency. Soon, Hanzo abandoned that road of thoughts: Mei was a little too perceptive and he didn’t want her to get inside his mind that far.

They sat at one of the table in the dining hall, facing one another. Hanzo wasn’t looking at her, he was quietly sipping his tea. She was squirming a little, as if she was trying really hard to find something to say. It was annoying, how some people couldn’t appreciate a moment of silence. It was rare for that room to be soundless, empty. The mere grazing of their mugs on the table and the soft drinking sounds were a balm for a… troubled mind. He used her word. So he did have a troubled face, after all, if those were the thoughts springing behind it.

Yet, despite of Hanzo’s unappreciative judgement, Mei did not speak a word for long. However, he could feel her gaze on him, studying him, curious as everyone of the freak that killed his own brother. That’s why he preferred staying alone. It wasn’t as annoying when he was the one to despise himself.

“Is it good?” Mei asked.

“What?”

“The tea. You’re glowering.”

“I always look like this,” was his reply. Quite impolite.

Mei gave him a little scorned smile. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have pried. It’s just that… it seems a little counterproductive to drink tea only to be sour, no?”

Hanzo wasn’t pleased by her statement. Maybe because she was right? “The way I drink tea is none of your business.”

The woman did not answer at his rude shutdown. Hanzo looked at her. She was so normal. Brown eyes, brown hair. She wore glasses. She had dainty little fingers wrapped around her cup, tapping on it so gently. Her hairpin was fashionable and elaborate, with a dangling little snowflake charm. The way she blew on steaming tea was cute.

She raised her eyes only to encounter his, staring. She smiled again. “You really like the teapot, don’t you?”

“Huh?” right next to her cup, there it laid her teapot. She probably misinterpreted the direction of Hanzo’s look, which was a blessing: too many things to explain if she had guessed the archer was indeed observing her. “It’s a fine piece of art.”

The smile on her lips grew a little larger. “Yeah, it’s very cute.”

Mei looked up, her brow creasing as she was trying to recall something… “kawaii?”

Hanzo huffed instinctively in a diverted manner. That was so random it amused him, even if it was really not that cultured humour; her pronunciation and the nonsense of the situation turned it comical. And that expression too, he admitted, was funny.

“Oh, so you can laugh,” Mei teased him. “I thought you were paralysed with that grimace. You should laugh more often. There is a glitter in your eyes when you do. You look… less troubled.”

“You can see people right through, can’t you?” Hanzo was sarcastic.

“I guess it’s what happens when you don’t stop at the surface and bother trying and understand the person you are talking to,” Mei was serious. “Do you ever try, Hanzo? To understand others?”

Oh, that sting. He was immediately thrown back at how he thought it would be hard for her to stay quiet, but she did, then even earlier, how he assumed she knew about him because she had gossiped about him. Maybe, just maybe, she remembered his name from when he had helped the other scientists.

All of a sudden, it became harder to look back at her. Coward.

“Mei!” a panting white coat came in running. “Jackson…!”

She sighed. “Got it. I am coming.”

She took one long sip, then she came to her feet. She looked back at him, biting her lower lip, as if she wanted to add something else. Hanzo prayed she didn’t, he couldn’t bear more humiliation, even if it was unintended as hers.

“See you around?” Mei murmured, giving him yet one soft grin.

“Ha,” Hanzo replied. And, for once, he really meant it.

#okay to reblog #hanmei #hanzo shimada.#mirin writes #( a cold blessing for a lost wanderer ; pray has life stopped being cruel? ) hanmei.#long post

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kantinela · 7 years

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From 'The Dharma Bums' by Jack Kerouac

So we unpacked our packs and laid things out and smoked and had a good time. Now the mountains were getting that pink tinge, I mean the rocks, they were just solid rock covered with the atoms of dust accumulated there since beginningless time. In fact I was afraid of those jagged monstrosities all around and over our heads.

'They're so silent!' I said.

'Yeah man, you know to me a mountain is a Buddha. Think of the patience, hundreds of thousands of years just sitting there bein perfectly perfectly silent and like praying for all living creatures in that silence and just waiting for us to stop all our frettin and foolin.' Japhy got out the tea, Chinese tea, and sprinkled some in a tin pot, and had the fire going meanwhile, a small one to begin with, the sun was still on us, and stuck a long stick tight down under a few big rocks and made himself something to hang the teapot on and pretty soon the water was boiling and he poured it out steaming into the tin pot and we had cups of tea with our tin cups. I myself'd gotten the water from the stream, which was cold and pure like snow and the crystal-lidded eyes of heaven. Therefore, the tea was by far the most pure and thirstquenching tea I ever drank in all my life, it made you want to drink more and more, it actually quenched your thirst and of course it swam around hot in your belly.

'Now you understand the Oriental passion for tea,' said Japhy. 'Remember that book I told you about the first sip is joy the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy.'

'Just about old buddy.'

The rock we were camped against was a marvel. It was thirty feet high and thirty feet at base, a perfect square almost, and twisted trees arched over it u and peeked down on us. From the base it went outward, forming a concave, so if rain came we'd be partially covered. 'How did this immense sonumbitch ever get here?'

'It probably was left here by the retreating glacier. See over there that field of snow?'

'Yeah.'

'That's the glacier what's left of it. Either that or this rock tumbled here from inconceivable prehistoric mountains we can't understand, or maybe it just landed here when the friggin mountain range itself burst out of the ground in the Jurassic upheaval. Ray when you're up here you're not sittin in a Berkeley tea room. This is the beginning and the end of the world right here. Look at all those patient Buddhas lookin at us saying nothing.'

'And you come out here by yourself ...'

'For weeks on end, just like John Muir, climb around all by myself following quartzite veins or making posies of flowers for my camp, or just walking around naked singing, and cook my supper and laugh.'

'Japhy I gotta hand it to you, you're the happiest little cat in the world and the greatest by God you are. I'm sure glad I'm learning all this. This place makes me feel devoted, too, I mean, you know I have a prayer, did you know the prayer I use?'

'What?'

'I sit down and say, and I run all my friends and relatives and enemies one by one in this, without entertaining any angers or gratitudes or anything, and I say, like 'Japhy Ryder, equally empty, equally to be loved, equally a coming Buddha,' then I run on, say to 'David O. Selznick, equally empty, equally to be loved, equally a coming Buddha' though I don't use names like David O. Selznick, just people I know because when I say the words 'equally a coming Buddha' I want to be thinking of their eyes, like you take Morley, his blue eyes behind those glasses, when you think 'equally a coming Buddha' you think of those eyes and you really do suddenly see the true secret serenity and the truth of his coming Buddhahood. Then you think of your enemy's eyes.'

'That's great, Ray,' and Japhy took out his notebook and wrote down the prayer, and shook his head in wonder. 'That's really really great. I'm going to teach this prayer to the monks I meet in Japan. There's nothing wrong with you Ray, your only trouble is you never learned to get out to spots like this, you've let the world drown you in its horseshit and you've been vexed ... though as I say comparisons are odious, but what we're sayin now is true.'

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connorrenwick · 5 years

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A Dozen Design Gift Ideas for Dad

My dad was amongst the special breed who always insisted we forgo spending anything for him for Father’s Day. Every June he’d indubitably find a way to turn away the limelight from himself, ever insistent he didn’t need anything. “Family is enough.” That is, until one year I found out what he truly wanted (and could eventually afford with my first job) – a digital satellite cable system – a gift for the lifelong cinephile and sports fan. And that’s the challenge when it comes to finding a gift for dear old dad, teasing out what he wants, yet rarely reveals. Hopefully something in our roundup of gift ideas below makes the father in your life as surprised and pleased as mine was that memorable Father’s Day.

Bang & Olufsen Indigo Blue E8 2.0 \\\ $350 These Bluetooth 4.2 wireless earbuds are notable alone for their understated Danish design, but also add a Qi-certified charging case wrapped in genuine leather with tasteful aluminum inlay, offer 16 hours of playback, and come equipped with a cool Transparency Mode that permits ambient sounds admittance with the tap of left ear bud.

KNNOX Lighter \\\ $319 I never liked that my father was a lifelong smoker, but I did come to covet his cool collection of lighters that would light up with a push of a button or strike of the flint wheel. He would have appreciated this non-disposable design intended for a lifetime of use, specifically its handsome brass finish that will patina with every passing year.

Bambino Plus Espresso Machine \\\ $500 It’s not unlikely you harbor memories of dad sipping coffee before heading out for his 9-5 job. Upgrade his drip machine for something a bit more refined. The compact size of the Breville espresso maker belies its serious capabilities for pulling shots quickly and consistently without the fuss of other machines.

The Transit Arkiv Laptop Brief \\\ $255 Mission Workshop makes some of our favorite backpacks, messenger bags, and briefcases, like this weatherproof laptop briefcase designed for the double duty of work and travel. It’s outfitted with more than sufficient storage for the gent who aims to always come prepared. A cool extra feature for dads who cycle to work: the briefcase is designed to attach onto backpacks for easier and more comfortable commutes.

Grovemade Brass Key Ring \\\\ $59 Maybe your dad was like mine, always happy to greet the weekend with a bottle of his favorite beer in hand. His memory came to mind with sight of this compact bottle opener, one featuring a particularly refined form and function capable of popping off caps with ease, while also designed to hook onto a belt loop between bottles. Gift dad one of these with a case of his favorite beer(s) and he’s apt to toast you in thanks.

Handpresso Auto Set \\\ $310 The Handpresso looks like equipment intended for deep sea diving, but it’s actually a capable portable espresso machine. The hand-sized machine produces an astounding 16 bar of pressure in just 2 minutes, resulting in quick and delicious cups using freshly ground beans or E.S.E. coffee pods. If you’re going the extra mile, pair this set with a coffee subscription to optimize the experience.

Tineco Pure One S12 \\\ $599 For the gent who loves their tech and admits to a neat freak streak [raises hand], the Tineco Pure One S12 stick vacuum is an enticing proposition and probably an unexpected gift. The vac’s LED display keeps tabs on the amount of dust being sucked up, battery level, and suction power at a glance (which can be further enhanced with integration with an app for anyone who wants to be that informed and diligent with their cleaning duties). There’s also an extra battery to pop in whenever a cleaning session runs long, while a dual charging wall mount keeps batteries and three other accessories neatly stowed away and off the floor. Get this for someone who fancies a Dyson, but who might appreciate a more sophisticated design with quieter operations.

Supply The Single Edge 2.0 \\\ $79 A simple but efficient tool engineered for the ritualized pleasures of shaving with a straight razor that also offers the precise, ergonomic control of a disposable razor. Each set comes with a 6-month supply of injector-style blades, the anti-thesis of cheapo drugstore brands.

Teenage Engineering OP-Z Portable Multimedia Synth \\\ $599 Dads with a musical gene and a penchant for synth-based tunes will flip their receding hairline wigs when they get their hands on one of these portable all-in-one music making machines produced by Swedish design studio, Teenage Engineering. The “multimedia synthesizer and sequencer” empowers experimentation, with a 2-octave keyboard, built-in speaker, microphone, headphone jack/audio out port, and USB-C port. Pair it with an iPhone or iPad and you’ve got a live performance electronic instrument that can practically fit into a coat pocket.

Yaki Yaki San Smokeless Grill \\\ $180 + Holy Steak Grail Steak Co. Wagyu Steak Flight One of my personal favorite cooking tools, this earthenware clay grill always seems to impress guests with its ability to sear meats with those satisfying grill marks, but without an excess of smoke whether indoors or out. The Japanese design is timeless, as is the grill with fastidious clean and care. The obvious pairing: genuine Japanese Wagyu beef, a delicate and intensely flavorful meat that benefits from the controlled heat of this cook top made with 4 million year porous clay.

Wabi Sabi Glass Teapot \\\ $55 Don’t front, a lot of gentlemen out there prefer tea over coffee. Pietro Russo’s ‘Wabi Sabi’ tea filter and pot combination designed for Ichendorf combines Italian design with Japanese functionality into the sort of everyday object that brings daily joy with every pour, regardless of which tea he prefers.

Veark CK01 Chef’s Knife \\\ $165 When in doubt, get dad a knife. A really sharp one and ideally a chef’s knife – the most versatile and easy to handle size. Forged in the town of Solingen, Germany, Veark blades retain sharpness for longer due to their hardness score of 58 on the Rockwell scale, and keep an assured grip thanks to an ingenious channel along its handles for the thumb.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/31/a-dozen-design-gift-ideas-for-dad/

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entirebodyexercise · 5 years

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6 Metabolism Boosting Drinks for Weight Loss

6 Metabolic process increasing drinks for weight-loss that assist you shed weight rapid strategy in order to help clean your body, accelerate your metabolism and also dropped unwanted weight.

This Is my collection of This Perfect metabolism Fostering drinks For weight reduction. Inside this informative post are all-natural body weight-loss boosters which can be cheap, basic making, taste tasty, as well as give your weight decrease an added boost!

Did You Comprehend large Degrees of water help to Optimize your Metabolic process? (Inch)

This Report is devoted to lugging the metabolism fostering Properties of water to an additional location thing, by the addition of herbs as well as fruits that have actually been understood to advertise metabolic rate and improve energy.

I comprised Apple Cinnamon-water and Mango Ginger-water, also as They're my most popular drinks to boost metabolic process.

Additionally, I included a number of new dishes and also Simply a few De-Tox teas. Sip these Metabolic Price fostering drinks daily, and also prior to you recognize it, that the Pounds is likely to soon melt off!

For all these teas, after that you additionally have a couple of choices: A Mulling seasoning owner, reusable tea totes or all you need to do is steam the blossoms. I Like tea bags as tidy up my tea pot is simply a great deal of deal with me personally.

6 Metabolic rate improving drinks for weight loss

Apple Cinnamon Water

Were you aware both the apples and cinnamon increase your metabolic procedure? Take to this currently renowned drink and also every day could really feel as though fall (two).

Fuji as well as Honeycrisp apples run well as they're the sweetest. Keep in mind that this metabolic rate cultivating drink has just an indication of Flavor. In case, you would love to purchase more powerful, add even more rubies or slit them thinner.

1 apple, thinly sliced

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups ice

Water

Dip apple Pieces in the base of the bottle (Rescue Several For your personal glass later). Cover with leading and also ice with water. Place in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.

When the water decreases to 1/4 complete, refill with water. You can certainly do that a few days to help keep the taste. Shop in the fridge To obtain as numerous as 2-4 hours.

6 Metabolism enhancing drinks for weight loss

Mango Ginger Water

Irrespective of its natural metabolic procedure boost, ginger serves as an all-natural discomfort reliever.

Ginger also aids in reducing morning illness, nausea, and also nausea or vomiting plus definitely will offer your stomach body, memory, as well as libido a welcome boost.

That one little beverage is going to carry out a great deal for your entire body, hence make a major pitcher now and revel in.

I strongly encourage that you utilize fresh ginger. The powdered substance simply will not taste specifically the specific very same and also definitely will glob on your very own water. Assess the farmer's market or perhaps the produce area of your grocery store for the ginger. You have the ability to place it in a fridge freezer to make it lasts more.

Makes 2 liters

½ inch ginger root

½ cup frozen or fresh mango

2 cups ice

Water

peeler. Simply pair off the part which you're going to be utilizing, probably not the entire lot. With a sharp blade, then slit 5 or 4 g sized pieces. You would certainly like them in concerns to the measurements as well as deepness of a coin. Dip in your pitcher and after that insert the cherry.

Top with ice hockey, after that pay with water. Place on your refrigerator On the other hand, slice up a Number of fresh strawberry portions As well as throw from the fridge freezer. When all set to drink, then dropped the freezing cherry bits to some Pretty glass in order to help maintain your beverage cool.

When the water is down to simply 1/4 filled from the Bottle, clean with water. You could definitely do that a few days to keep your taste. Store in the fridge for up to 24 Hrs.

6 Metabolic process improving beverages for weight loss

Berry Blast Metabolic Process Boost Drink

Berry Blast Weight Loss Capacity BoosterThis is Simply One of my Handiest Metabolic rate cultivating drinks.

Get a bag of icy berry collection in your Neighborhood grocery shop Store and also you're mosting likely to have all 3 berries all set in an immediate's notice.

Only some create a fat loss beverage!

Insert some tasty citrus - such as orange or lime Pieces - as well as you'll have added a strong dosage of Vitamin C right into this mixture.

Makes 2 liters

1/ 2 mug of berries: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries

1 lime, quartered

1 orange, sliced into eighths

2 cups ice

Water

1 Port of Berry Collection and Lemon Ice-cubes

In a large bottle, then include the orange as well as lime pieces while Gently pressing simply a small juice beyond these. Then, add the berries. It is possible to choose your preferred mix below and make creative!

Top with ice hockey and subsequently water. Allow the mix sit from the

When the water decreases right into 1/4 saturated from the Bottle, laundry with water. You can absolutely do that a few days to keep your flavor. Shop in the fridge for up to 24 Hrs.

Read Even More About: How to Boost Metabolism

6 Metabolism increasing drinks for weight loss

Apple Blueberry Cinnamon

Metabolism-boosting Apple Blueberry

My extremely dear close friend Kate obtains the most effective apple pie at the World, frequently adding blueberries within an all-natural sweetener.

In accordance with Kate, the blueberries include a great deal of candy taste, She does not have to integrate as much as right into the mixture.

Since the blueberries and also apples are a video game made in Heaven, I chose that I had a taste of the scrumptious combination whenever I desired. Subsequently, I created this fat decreasing, metabolism booster beverage.

Blueberries have just among their Biggest antioxidant capabilities Of all fruits. The plant chemical flavonoid Seems to be the beginning of this Vast bulk of the anti oxidants( 4).

I love to make use of icy tomatoes with this specific Metabolic process cultivating drink recipe. I catch them from the freezer and also heat them Upward from the microwave to much better release their juice. I prefer Fuji and even Honeycrisp For the bulk of the dishes, they're the sweetest.

Makes 1 Pitcher

1 apple, very finely cut into rings

1/4 cup blueberries

2 cinnamon sticks

2 cups ice

Water

In Instance your blueberries are Put on hold, Warm them up in the Microwave for 1025 mins to much better discharge their juices. In case the blueberries are fresh, after that squash them at the base of the pitcher having a fork or muddler.

Add the apples along with the cinnamon stick, then high with ice lotion as well as water.

When the water goes down right into 1/4 filled from the Pitcher, laundry with water. You can absolutely do that a few days to maintain your taste. Store in the fridge for as much as 24 Hrs.

6 Metabolism enhancing drinks for weight loss

Hot Apple Cinnamon Tea

Metabolism-boosting Apple Cinnamon TeaOne of the Really famous Drinks is my very own Apple cinnamon-water. Throughout summer time months, I enjoy to ensure it is being a popular tea. The flavor is much more durable and also oh so yummy!

Additionally, they Have a plant chemical referred to as Polyphenol, that may have great deals of wellness advantages consisting of lowering blood circulation Stress and stroke danger (6)).

Makes 1 teapot

1 cinnamon stick

1 apple, thinly sliced

Cup method: Include all active ingredients to cup as well as top with warm water.

Teapot approach: Include all active ingredients to a teapot as well as cover with water. Bring to a boil and also serve.

Add the cinnamon and also apple to your teapot or cup.

Keep refilling when the mix is midway consumed. The flavor will remain strong for approximately 8 cups!

6 Metabolic rate increasing beverages for weight loss

Gingerbread Tea

Metabolism-boosting Tea

This basic, three-dimensional tea will certainly increase your metabolic process, also

It is suitable to obtain a freezing wintertime day instead of java at the Day or via your 4 p.m. java break.

If You want to take this with each other with one to work, simply Fill your traveling coffee mug with all the active ingredients without the alcohol consumption water. If your Associates venture out for coffee only request some sexy water then load' er up.

Makes 1 teapot

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp fresh ginger, thinly cut right into coins

1-inch piece of vanilla bean

1 lemon, sliced into rings( optional)

Cup technique: Slice vanilla bean lengthwise, leaving the seeds. Add all ingredients to the cup as well as top with warm water.

Teapot approach: Put vanilla bean lengthwise, which makes the seeds. Add all ingredients to your tea pot and also cover with water.

This dish could be truly as simple as making tea. The vanilla, ginger, and cinnamon will certainly float into all-time low of your cup. It's possible to go on to clean your mug once the mix is halfway eaten.

The flavor will always be solid for as much as 8 cups!

#best workout #best workout routine #weight #wellness #workout

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marulikestea · 7 years

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8th Anniversary: Van Gogh Is Bipolar

For our post commemoration of our 8th anniversary/valentines as a couple, we went to this place called Van Gogh Is Bipolar, located at Teacher's Village in Quezon City.

As you may have noticed, our previous anniValentines was also related to Van Gogh (Sip & Gogh). That’s because I wanted to achieve a form of continuity and relevance in our celebration, especially since this would be our last one before we tie the knot. I wanted all of our actions to mean something, even the most minuscule ones, and connect it to the final page of a chapter in our story that would symbolize its worth to us, as two beings who fell and are in love, and everything else in between.

...

Also because I've always wanted to eat here ever since I've read about its uniqueness and quirkiness from 2 or 3 years ago. Lol.

Yes, I’ve waited TOO long for this.

THE HALLWAY OF DOORS

Arriving at the destined location, we got confused at first as to where the entrance to the establishment was. Sure enough, there was a small (and easy to miss) signage at the lamp post that read "Van Gogh Is Bipolar", but the door to the place was, unfortunately, obscured to our naked eye.

But then there were 2 sets of wardrobe closets that were begging to be opened.

Curioser and curioser.

So Ian opened the first closet, which actually led to this hidden garden right beside the building.

THE QUEEN’S GARDEN

The door to Paradise. Reminds me of Narnia. :P

The garden, which looked like a small haven of reprieve in the middle of the otherwise busy streets of urban life, had small tables and chairs installed that invite customers to stop and have a short break. An old double deck bed frame was reused to serve as roof from a makeshift (bar) counter and a convenient storage of whatnot at the top bunker.

The garden. Prolly looks better at night, with all the lights and whatnot.

Collection of old shoes. Perhaps abandoned by their previous owners.

Across the makeshift counter was a collection of old shoes strung together to serve as a wall to obscure the view from outside. It looked pretty eerie and post-apocalyptic, now that I think about it.

Statue of a man. Is this St. Joseph perhaps?

At the corner, stood an antique wooden statue that looked like it had seen better days during its years of its former religious glory.

There was also a mural painting on the wall that depicted a woman on a mask.

The white queen.

Having scouted the entirety of the surroundings, we approached the second wardrobe door and opened it... to reveal yet another door inside.

To Wonderland.

The guardians at each side of the entrance.

I didn’t know if Ian had knocked or turned the knob open, but soon after, we were greeted by a female employee and welcomed us inside.

After instructing us to remove our shoes of course.

INTERIOR

Even before stepping inside, I knew that this private space exuded an otherworldly feel... like an Alice in Wonderland kind of realm where everything is a touch of creativity and madness.

The left side of the room.

WHY IS THE RAVEN LIKE A WRITING DESK?

Near the entrance of the room is a white desk where customers would leave “love letters” or feedback to the personnel of Van Gogh is Bipolar.

This is also where they stash their guide books, as well as menu papers for the customers to fill up as they go along their journey here.

Can you spot the “hidden” Van Gogh?

I would love to have this mori-looking clock in my unit. X3

THE QUEEN OF HEART'S DOMAIN

Just beside the white desk is the Love Red Wall , the lover's area famed for its crimson color, vandalized walls of love messages and kiss marks, and seats that are only good for 2.

Upon closer inspection, the tables were former vintage luggage converted to what they are now, with glass panels placed on top to reveal the many letters, stamps, pictures old money, and other papers underneath.

“LOVE alone is worth the fight.” - Switchfoot

“The Love Red Wall”, it says.

A painting of a woman; The red and white queen as one entity IMO.

THE HATTER’S SHOP

Not far from the love red wall area were shelves that boasted of many different vintage tableware, old decorations, and broken antiques.

A Pinocchio wooden puppet.

In particular, was a collection of hats and other masks and head ornaments that lay at the at the bottom shelf of the tea counter section (to be tackled on later) . It can be worn and borrowed by customers during the duration of their stay inside the premises.

An array of headgears that can be worn while staying at Van Gogh Is Bipolar.

My personal mad hatter. Kyuuu~ <3

Not one to pass such an opportunity, Ian tried on an officer’s hat. It suited him very well, if I do say so myself. The look reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki’s male protagonist from “From Up the Poppy Hill”.

As for me, I picked a flower crown of red and pink to match my outfit. Gotta uphold the fairy/nymph vibe you know. *_*

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

On the other side of the vicinity is a whole new flavor to take in. Slightly parted by a curtain, the previous dining area is now adorned with mirrors, broken clocks, and self portraits of the man himself.

The supposed dining area before it was converted into a restaurant.

Can you spot us in this image? ;P

Through the looking glass; Our only couple shot in this place, unfortunately.

“Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.”

DRINK ME POTION

Similar to the Drink ME! Potion from Alice in Wonderland, there are 4 bottles of liquid placed on top of the long table for customers to try on their mouths. Supposedly said (not sure if I got this right) to have calming or healing properties of the sort, one is suggested to have at least 2-3 drops on the tongue.

Choose your own poison.

Ian and I both tried the baking soda and the coconut oil. The former tasted sour while the latter one, as expected, tasted of coconut.

THE DARK ROOM

Lastly, is the dark room which is also the comfort room, where a resident skeleton guards the main door to the sanctuary.

Similar to the red wall, its walls are also vandalized with messages from customers, and is even made more prominent due to the black light used to illuminate the room.

Left: A skeleton illuminated by the black/purple light.

Right: Ian ❤ Maru :Our own mark inked on its walls.

This reminds me of the game Alice: Madness Returns, wherein everything is all big and purply when you drink the potion that turns you smaller in order to see the hidden clues within the game.

Now that we had a tour of the area, let’s proceed to our main agenda of the day: food.

A map from their guide book. The circled part became our territory for that day. :P

BTW, To those who wanted to know which area we occupied during our wonderland experience, we situated ourselves at the red wall lover’s area. Because that was the perfect seat for us in every single way, don’t you agree?

FOOD

What’s unique about Van Gogh is Bipolar, aside from the fact that their food is organic and mostly anti-depressant, is that you have no control on what food you will get. They don’t provide you with a menu of fixed food to order, but rather a paper to answer based on your preference with food (and a guide book of Van Gogh Is Bipolar Experience).

Their menu paper is as vague as it gets. Similar to the time when we had dinner at Dinner in the Dark.

We chose the Lovers feast (meat preference), with Ian’s preference to spicy food and less rice whilst mine is my hatred for fat and love for herbs.

This set was also the most expensive one (at whooping P3,500), its serving being good for two, with complete meal courses.

A MAD TEA PARTY

After ringing the bell and submitting our menu papers to the kitchen counter hidden among the shelves, our server told us that we can brew our own tea depending on our mood.

But first, we had to choose our own teapots first from their existing gallery.

A variety of teapots to choose from. Which of these call to me, I wonder?

After acquiring our pots, we proceeded to the tea counter section and started our tea alchemy session.

The counter where you do tea alchemy based from your current mood.

A simple instruction on how to make your own tea.

The mood wheel.

I didn’t have any specific strong emotions at the time so I decided to go for stressed, anxious/worried and agitated ergo Happy Chill, Light Chill and Soothing based from my usual feelings at work and wedding planning lol.

Oh, and I also added a bit of Extra Calm too, just because.

Added sugar and hot water afterwards.

Jar of tea leaves: Extra Calm, Soothing, Extra Upper, Upper, Happy Chill, Light Chill

So vintage~

Here’s a closeup view of our chosen teapots by the way: A simple black teapot for Ian and a brown floral one for me (again, to match my current vibe).

Not long after we made our tea, our soup was already ready for consumption.

A POOL OF TEARS

According to our server, our soup is called Virginia Woolf Tears; a veggie based soup with various herbs and a cheesy flavor similar to Parmesan, which I could be wrong. Haha. Ian's bowl was marked with more chili compared to mine, as indicated in his preference.

Also included is Courtney Love's Potion: a bottle of mango shake and coconut water.

HUMPTY DUMPTY

For our next course, we got an Axl Rose’s Organic Egg Shot for our appetizer.

It's basically a shot glass of black sauce, organic egg (yolks), chili, sea salt and Jagermeister. Maricar was the one who prepared it for us, and while she did so, she told us how the owner was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and deviced a diet to encounter depression. Later on, his friends told him, “why not sell your diet to others?” and that was the start of everything.

Maricar also told a little about herself, and that Van Gogh Is Bipolar is already on its 8th year.

HUH!!!

What were the chances that we celebrated our 8th Anniversary on 2 Van Gogh-related establishments, with the last one on its 8th Anniversary too?

It’s destiny~ *coughs* 82∞ = eighth to infinity *coughs*

Raw-organic egg served with herb-liquer

After the mixture was done, we gulped our appetizers in one shot...

...But not before saying our cheers in Russian.

One of Van Gogh is Bipolar’s tradition is to say cheers in another language before taking a shot. So after Maricar taught us the Russian word for cheers, we raised our glasses in the air and uttered, “Na Zdorovie!” (На здоровье)

THE TALKING FLOWERS

For our salad dish, we got Larry Flint’s cabbage Experience, which is a beautiful plated dish, adorned with edible flowers picked from their backyard garden.

Freshly boiled whole cabbage served with fresh herbs and fruits and other healthy organic fresh kitchen ingredients.

This meal was particularly messy to eat, because it involved a hand-on experience in pulling the cabbage leaves and using it as a wrapper to hold the other ingredients in place (ala Korean style) before dipping it on the sauce and eating it.

Don’t let its looks full you, because this dish will fill up your tummy in no time. And this is only just salad.

LOVER’S FEAST

For the main course, we got the Lover’s Feast, (I forgot what it’s actually called), which was a series of all things meat (salmon belly, chicken, lamb, pork, beef), black rice, vegetables and fruits all served into one big platter. If that wasn’t enough, it also accompanied 2 glasses of organic red wine, which tasted strong in my opinion.

WHO STOLE THE TARTS?

Finally, for our final course, we got our dessert. Contrary to the header, our dish wasn’t tarts. Lol.

We actually got 2 variants, which were referred to as the wholesome and the sinful desserts.This reminded me of 707′s Valentine After Ending in mystic messenger (white and bitter chocolate) lol.

Wholesome - Sliced organic ice candy with fruits Sinful - Mel Gibson's Darkest Sin

Similar to our Axl Rose appetizer, the sinful delicacy needed certain preparations, so this time, Daniel was the one who did it for us, since Maricar hinted that this was his favorite part of serving.

Basically, the sinful dessert, which was also called Mel Gibson’s darkest sin, contains Van Gogh’s favorite drink: the absinthe. Mixed in with sugar and fire on a glass tea kettle, our server displayed a fantastic reenactment of Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire.

After pouring back the alcohol (now darkened by the burned sugar) on the shot glass, Daniel taught us the French term of cheers (à votre santé) and left us to enjoy our drink, with chocolate as our chaser.

ADVICE FROM THE CATERPILLAR

Our stay in Van Gogh Is Bipolar, to say the least, has been a tremendous and extraordinary experience.

Almost like a metamorphosis of the soul.

This place provides an environment that lets us be detached with the real world for a short while, a small respite from the stress of everyday life.

A secret hideout of lost sheep if you will.

Though similar in some aspects that some establishments have offered, there is something strange and special about Van Gogh Is Bipolar that the others could not replicate: Madness & Beauty.

From its artistic vintage style to its nostalgic paraphernalia of the past, old souls like us are hooked to such aesthetics like moths on an open fire.

What's also amazing about this shop aside from its homey yet impressive display of interior design, is that their food reflects the same high caliber to which its walls and its very atmosphere emanate. Not only do they give customers like us an experience unique from the traditional ways of conventional eating, they also make sure that what you consume is healthy to your mind, body and soul. And that, in my opinion, is very laudable.

Except for that sinful dessert. That alone felt like a punch in the gut. >.<

Overall, eating at Van Gogh Is Bipolar has given me a benchmark of a private world that I want to make with my future husband. ❤ ❤ ❤

To end this post, here’s the final curtain event that happened before our departure from Van Gogh Is Bipolar:

DATE WITH THE CHESHIRE CAT DINAH.

Ian’s actual date, lol. How dare you two-time me, you fiend! XP

P.S.

We spent almost 3 hours inside, can you believe it? XP

#food #anniversary #8th #van gogh is bipolar #philippines

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