#barely edited this btw i barely even skimmed it

[serenescribe]

“You’re absolutely incredible, Father,” Silver tells him, a reverence underlying every uttered word. He gazes at him with such awestruck eyes — even now, seventeen years later, long after Lilia had found him tucked away in a cradle, a baby abandoned in the woods, Silver still looks at him as though he hung the stars.

And although Lilia laughs — good-natured and humorous, as is expected of him after all — inwardly, his heart twists itself into knots. A piercing pain stabs through his chest as though an invisible enemy has driven the sharp end of their blade through his back. Bile lingers at the back of his mouth; Lilia does not dare reveal his dissipating magic, for how would Silver react to it? The fact that Lilia had taken from his meagre magic reserves to conjure up a spell with the intentions of helping him out?

Lilia cannot show weakness in the face of his son. He cannot. Silver holds him in such high regards, far, far higher than Lilia believes he deserves; he knows he is the centre of Silver’s world, the core of everything he holds dear, because how could he not be? At the end of the day, despite his encouraging Silver to spread his wings here at Night Raven College, it is always Lilia he comes to for everything and anything — for his advice, as though Lilia were dolling out the words of a wizened sage; to spend time with him, rather than go do something with his newfound friends.

What would Silver say, if Lilia were to reveal his weakening magic?

He cannot bear the thought of the watery pity in those familiar auroral eyes, the wretched pain that shall certainly rupture his features. Lilia cannot bear the thought of stripping Silver of his future by warning him ahead of time that he may have magic no longer — for what if Silver chooses to take care of him, to assist him, so wholly devoted to him?

And this is precisely why he has to leave — the sooner the better. Lilia cannot bear the thought of Silver — and by extension, Malleus and Sebek as well, the two of them also looking up to him for reasons Lilia feels he does not deserve. To have them watch as he grows weaker and weaker, ailing magic failing him for the first time in hundreds of years, his magestone growing dull as no more magic lingers within it…

Within him is a wounded beast, one that shrinks away at the idea of being seen in such a feeble state. To be regarded with such love and compassion, where they will surely do all they can to restore him to a weak mockery of his former glory. But Lilia is old, and even with their help, he is not sure if he will manage to pull through to see Silver grow into such a fine young man, to watch him and Sebek get knighted, to witness Malleus take the throne.

What is the point in delaying the inevitable?

Lilia has to leave. It’s all he can do, to spare them the miserable fate of their own futures decaying, to waste years of their life — Malleus’ and Sebek’s expendable, but Silver’s not — taking care of such a decrepit, dying fae.

It’s a mercy, in the end, one last gift from him to them.

#my writing tag #personal writing #tumblr drabbles tag #twst #twisted wonderland #twst spoilers #twisted wonderland spoilers #twst ch7 #twst fanfiction #twst writing #lilia vanrouge #twst silver #hi. uni is killing me lol i have so much to catch up on #but i spat this out real quick because i jotted down some ideas at 1am last night #hope you are all doing well! #barely edited this btw i barely even skimmed it #sorry if there are errors

[hussyknee]

Put off reading Kushiel's Legacy thinking it would be vaguely racist harem-fantasy BDSM smut in high fantasy dressing. Instead I got feminist George R. R. Martin if he was less racist and skeezy.

You need to take notes to follow all the names and I can barely keep up with who's doing what and the author has never heard of cutting to the goddamn chase, but good God you get so invested in the characters within a hundred pages that it sends you reeling when they die. I'm only at 200 out of 500 pages but I'm so fucking gutted that I stopped reading to skim the rest of all three books to see whether any of my other favourites were going to die and who I should be braced for dying because good fucking god. I'm even heartbroken about characters that died before the book!

It really sneaks up on you because this book is so dense and crammed with so much detail that you don't realize you've begun to really love the characters. The fuckton of foreshadowing probably didn't register because they're front and center like main characters would be, so you're not prepared for them to die in the middle. And Phedre lives such a happy, sheltered life that it's a genuine shock when it all gets blown up.

I want them back. I like Joscelin, but he isn't them. Jacqueline Carey how could you. 😭😭😭😭😭

Oh btw, this series is also gay as shit. Heterosexuality doesn't seem to exist and it's so unremarkable it didn't even occur to me that this is a full-on LGBT series. It's not like in fanfic, when even in stories where queerness is universal and unremarked in-universe there might as well be a giant fuck you rainbow flag over it all. In Kushiel's Universe it's just so matter-of-fact that you realize this could actually have been what society was like in the past when the Church wasn't all up in everybody's business. Sure, in this universe there's a hippie Jesus that followed regular Jesus who was all flower power and free love and founded alternate universe France, so that nobody has any sexual hang ups, homo or otherwise (much like regular medieval France Ig), but even if there were, everybody's either too rich to give a shit or too poor to care (also like regular medieval France). It feels historically accurate somehow. Idk. But this book came out in 2001. Eat that, GRRM, with your two male gays and off-screen lesbians.

Edit: Just checked the AO3 tag and. Sigh. You know a book isn't trashy when it only has 350 works on AO3. Fanfic runs on trash and guilty pleasure, not sensitive and quality story-telling.

#asiof is trashy dont @ me #GRRM might have a meticulously plotted universe but he's also really gross about female characters #and just...trashy. he just dresses it up as Realism™ #killing characters to show that life is small and brutish and everyone is a self-interested asshole is not high art #it's just being an edgelord #kushiel's dart #kushiel's legacy #jacqueline carey #high fantasy #book recommendations #knee of huss

[the-fire-might-be-shooting-at-us]

Hi ! I saw your "Everyone's saying that Robin wouldn't get with Nancy.." post and while i see your point, i saw another post by starry-eyed-steve explaining to anonymous why they don't like ronance and it's really great and makes a lot of sense so i think you should check it out ? You could find the post using the #anti ronance on their blog

Hiii

I skimmed the post you mentioned because I'm heading to bed, but one thing I'd like to point out is that I love the idea of platonic Ronance. I want Nancy to have female friends and to heal from the trauma Barb's death and how it affected her ability to bond with girls her age. Still a huge Ronance shipper tho, it's a big struggle.

One of the arguments mentioned is that Robin is acting differently than she did in S3, and my reasoning for that is she wasn't close to Steve and Dustin. She doesn't know them, and she had a negative view of Steve, so ofc she's going to be on edge and sarcastic all the time. It's not like Robin's all cute and stuff now, she's still sarcastic and unafraid to make fun of Steve and the boys. It's just a little bit more affectionate, less barbed (pun not intended) and on edge.

My argument for Ronance in general: Yes, Robin would harbour negative feelings for Nancy because of the Barb thing, but I feel like in lieu of Barb's death she'd be a little bit softer about it. And I think that they should have added in this little conflict in S4. But the Duffer Bros haven't done the best character/relationship development this season (not with Lucas and Max tho they slayed with that).

I don't believe Steve would tell Robin much about the Stancy era, because Steve loooves to bury anything that hurts him.

And I think it's a very valid argument that Steve plays an important part in both Nancy and Robin's arcs, Robin even moreso. But even then, I feel like to me, Ronance is the ship that understands Nancy the best. Robin hears Nancy, she takes her theories and she not only listens, but she develops them even further. And Nancy demonstrates this sort of belonging and comfort that Robin only experiences with Steve. Also guys they held hands and I really think that's cute.

But at the end of the day none of this matters bc Nancy Wheeler is my wife??? She isn't getting with any of them she's in bed rn waiting for me to shut the laptop and stop spreading rumours abt her love life???

I will add to this later btw, it's really late here and I barely know what I'm saying so I might even edit this whole thing.

#rem does stuff and panics #stranger things #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #ronance

[vydante]

ey babe! i jus wanna ask, how’s restart? ya wanna share any plans you have for it for the future? and btw, i love the story and your writing!

Hi hun!

It’s- honestly?

Ch.11 went a whole different route than what I was planning on doing (hell, I’ll even put the TWO whole ass drafts under the read more; warning, it’s SUPER long and I’m never using it so no losses on my part) but I’m happy it went the way it did haha. I finished it in 2 solid days, even if it took me months to update.

Uhh, as for future plans...?

*SPOILERS FOR RESTART? But not really?*

Next two chapters we (SHOULD BE, NO GUARANTEES) are gonna be dealing with CA:TWS... Then, right afterward, we may or may not have a filler chapter, and then we’ll dive into a certain Sokovian base (wink wink). As for AOU... Hm. ;)

AAAH I have so much stuff I wanna tell you guys about :,)

Well, so far that’s what I (canonically) have lined up.

As for other junk: I have 4 specials drafted, 2 What If’s (not canon, but mainly for filler and exploring unused ideas :D) and like, a couple out of place chapters that I wanna slide in the future arcs.

BTW, I have a question to ask: if I had any trashed drafts or whatever, do you guys wanna read it? I’ll post it all in one post (other than Ch.11, I don’t have any other trash right now, but still), probably here.

Anyways. Below cut is the cut draft PT.1 for Ch. 11. WARNING: it might be super incoherent.

Admittedly, Project Renaissance was a huge file.

Of course, it wasn't just all about one particular thing. No, there were files and files that lay underneath it, but even then each one was just as large as the other.

There were ones like 'World Domination', where it was just filled with new projects and products for Stark Industries, like prosthetics (SI really branched into the medical field after your dad made Rhodey his leg braces) and newer editions of tablets, phones, and laptops, too. Hell, even your car and motorbikes blueprints were on there, too- something SI had never dived into up until you had taken over. Improvements in cleaner energy were also there, but that's been the main target for SI for years, so that didn't really count.

Then there were files like 'Supernova' and 'Milky Way', which were a bit more important than others. Project Supernova had to do with Extremis. You wanted to stabilize it as much as possible, then throw it into the darkest corner possible and never have to look back at it; you only wanted it to serve as a... The last resort, of sorts.

Yeah, sure, Tony had a stable version of Extremis locked and loaded, hidden deep into the Tower's database, but it was barely usable. And as for Project Milky Way, it's more or less a Stark Internship program. It'd be really beneficial to high school (and maybe middle school) students, so you suppose...

("More like an excuse to properly recruit that Parker boy," DAHLIA snarks. Brat.)

But what had your constant attention were the big dogs, which, if you remembered correctly, should be happening quite soon.

Files like 'Snakes In The Grass' (S.H.I.E.L.D.-RA), 'Hot Tub Time Machine' (Sargeant Barnes), and 'On Your 6' (Project Insight) all had your attention right now, and for obvious reasons, as you nervously glance at your calendar.

3 more months. 

That was about all the time you had left before the big day was supposed to happen, and you were nowhere near as prepared as you should be. 

Sure, you had lots of contingency and protocols planned out already, but there was only so much you could predict what would happen. 

God, it sucks that you're not 21 yet, because your mind sure is buzzing for some Jäger right about now. You're not an alcoholic by a long shot but... You glanced at a picture of you and your dad.

You sure as hell understood alcoholics, though.

And for that, you needed to get your hands on B.A.R.F. All you need is to remember that one guy's name...

"DAHLIA, pull up the files for, ah... What was his name? Quin... Quincy? No, no... Gw- Quenti- Quentin Bank- Beck? Beck. Quentin Beck- give me his file."

"I was worried you were having a stroke."

"I will if I don't see his file in T-minus 1 second."

You wiped your jittery hands clean of any leftover muck, definitely feeling 5 shots of espresso and 2 hours of intermittent sleep finally taking its toll. You glanced through the files that she had pulled up. There were the basic files: his biography, works, and reports, but those weren't what you were interested in.

"Filter it for anything regarding- uh- B.A.R.F. Like- eh- Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing."

All of the files slimmed up to where it was all organized in one, neat folder. You quickly skimmed through all of it, but it all seemed to be experimental work. For now, anyway.

"Progress on B.A.R.F.?"

"Mr. Beck and his team are currently

There he was, in all of his glory. Though he was immaculately dressed in all black, just as you remembered when you and your dad had to clean up the mess that was the fight on the highway. 

God, he's even bigger in person.

"Identify yourse-!"

As much as you didn't want the room to look like a hospital room, you hadn't exactly had all the time in the world to prepare the room for the man of the hour. 

Still knocked out, 

"Hey, Jon Snow. You 'wake?"

Taking a closer look at him, he looked a lot more worse for wear than you had remembered him being. Then again, the Barnes you saw was completely free of the brainwashing, a-la Princess Shuri and the Wakandan scientists.

(You knew eavesdropping was wrong. It didn't need an explanation as to why.

But despite all that, you made no effort to walk away from listening to the conversation that was going on between your dad and Prin- King T'Challa. It was obvious to you and your dad- along with anyone else with a brain in their skull- that the ex-Avengers (or, at least, Barnes)- was in the nation that was Wakanda. You didn't know how your dad had managed to skirt around that with T'Challa, but you didn't really care.

You just wanted to know what they're gonna do about it.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Dr. Stark? While I know that I, along with Mr. Barnes as well, would appreciate your more than generous offer... I also understand that there is... Tension between the two of you..."

Generous offer?

What the hell is T'Challa going on about? What offer?

"Just... promise me one thing."

"Just... I don't want him to- to try and find me. And if you can't do that- then... Then at least make sure he doesn't get near (Name)."

You bristled.

What?

"(Name)? Your son?"

"Yeah."

"If you could oblige me, may I know your reasoning?"

You strained your ears to the best of your abilities, but even your dad's murmuring was too intelligible for you to make out any words.

"I... I see... If those are your terms, then we will graciously accept the use of your Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing technology for Mr. Barnes's recovery..."

What?)

Your dad was more than happy to not take partial credit for Barne's recovery, so long as it was kept a promise that Barnes stay every little bit away from him (and you, surprisingly enough).

So, it was really unfair that you pitted 2023 Barnes against...

That.

Blank eyes stare directly in front of him, and interestingly enough, he doesn't make an effort to look you in the eye. He's strapped in his chair for extra precautions, but the lingering resignation in his eyes, no matter how blank they are, makes you want to vomit. It makes you sick, knowing that after each mission he's sent out on, he's probably getting strapped back into a goddamn chair and getting his whole hard drive wiped and reconfigured...

You glanced away from him, subtly bringing your hand up to your mouth. You coughed, praying that nothing comes up to your mouth as disgust fills your gut.

"Mission parameters incomplete."

His voice was quiet, for what it was. You weren't sure what you were expecting, but the softness of it was a surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Mission parameters incomplete."

"Ah, man..."

"Yeah, no, how am I not surprised...?"

"Uh, hm. Hm, hm, hm..."

You pursed your lips.

He visibly perked up- either that, or you're kind of losing it.

"Oh well, that doesn't matter, I can fill the air with my gibberish anyways."

No response. Just a bleary and blank stare.

At least he was looking at you.

You smile.

"That's fine. Either way, as long as I have a say in it, you're not going back to HYDRA. I'll make sure of that, Barnes."

#asks #anonymous #trash #restart

[missmeikakuna]

Chad and the Incel Chapter 10

Rated: M

Fandom: Original Fiction (but inspired by the Virgin vs Chad meme)

Relationship type: Male/Male with a bit of Female/Female (the lesbians are adorable, btw) and unrequited Male/Female (in other words, the guys are bisexual).

Description: Chad is, well, a Chad, or at least he looks like one. He’s got his sights set on the cool nerd Becky and enlists the help of her shy incel ex-friend Noah, offering to help him get the gorgeous girl (Stacy) he desperately wants. Noah is reluctant to help, believing that he will be stuck in inceldom forever, but Chad’s interest in his life gives him hope. When their plans go awry, they start turning their romantic attention towards each other.

Content Warning: Given the subject matter, you can guess that this story has dark themes in it, such as suicide and self-harm (plus the mental health issues that often cause them), sexism, slut-shaming homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. There is also swearing and some mentions of sex but nothing too explicit (hence the M rating as opposed to an Explicit rating).

10th Post: [Experiment] (POLL) Should I end it all?

Noah didn’t show up at school, spending all day in bed.

Chad tried messaging him but got no response. As he made his way to his locker during lunch he even tried to call him, but the mocking dirge of four gradually quieting beeps played on the phone.

‘What the hell?’ Chad asked his locker with a hiss. He added, ‘Noah, don’t ignore my calls,’ despite no one being there to hear him.

His shoulders jumped when he felt a slap on the back.

‘What’s up? Hey, where’s your ugly friend?’

Chad whipped his body around and grabbed Tyrone by the collar. ‘Who are you talking about?’ he growled.

Tyrone’s shoulders dropped. ‘Y-you know. Whatshisname, with the weird shirts and the glasses.’

‘Fuck you. You know nothing about him. Absolutely fucking nothing!’

Tyrone held his hands up like a soldier caught by the enemy. ‘Woah, c-calm down, dude! You on your p-period or something?’

Chad raised his fist but didn’t punch Tyrone, opting to drop him instead. ‘You’re not worth it. You’re a pathetic piece of shit who clearly needs glasses himself.’

Now it was Tyrone’s turn to grab Chad by the collar, albeit with a weaker grip. ‘Nobody calls me pathetic. Nobody.’ It took a crack in Tyrone’s voice for Chad to notice that the tiny boy was blinking abnormally fast. ‘And what’s your problem? You were spending all that time with whatshisface and I let you even though you were supposed to be my friend. Why? Because you seemed happy around him. You had this stupid little Grinch-looking grin on your face whenever he came into the room.’

Chad instinctively touched the ends of his lips with his thumb and pointer finger. ‘I did?’

‘Yeah.’ Tyrone let go of Chad’s collar and rubbed the back of his own neck. ‘Look, uh, s…s…’ He took a deep breath before squeezing out what he wanted to say. ‘Sorry for insulting the guy. You know me. I run my mouth a lot sometimes. By the way, what was with the part about me needing glasses?’

‘Nothing!’ Chad croaked as he swiftly turned away from him.

Tyrone shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’ll, uh, leave you to calm down or whatever. I wouldn’t worry too much about the guy. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow. Probably spent all night watching whatever he watches.’

Noah did not, in fact, come back to school the next day. Or the day after that. Whenever his mother tried to get him out of bed, he screeched at her to get out of his room.

He was tempted to use his phone to watch YouTube to pass the time but he kept reminding himself of one word. ‘Cope’. Instead he lied down and thought about everything that had gone wrong in his life, from never having had a girlfriend to Chad finding his incel forum account. Though he refused to admit it even to himself, the latter caused an even greater sting in his heart.

After hours of thinking, he mustered up the motivation to stand up and grab his phone. He put up a post to the forum.

Rotcel2003- (POLL) Should I end it all?

It’s over for me. It was over for me as soon as I was born with this deformed face. And now the one girl who I thought I could be with has found this account and is mocking me for it. Should I just end it?

He checked the poll several hours later and became a mess of tears at the results. He was right.

Yes- 102 votes

No- 28 votes

Someone commented an alternative.

Islavistalol- Go ER and kill everyone. Get revenge on the girl who mocked you. Foids deserve the bullet.

He envisioned Chad’s dying face. He had done this in the past with the girls who rejected him or simply didn’t notice him but, for some reason, this time he felt pain more powerful than any pleasure he could feel at the concept of revenge. There was no way he could even attempt what the infamous Elliot Rodger did.

He added one edit to his post. 

It’s decided. Goodbye, everyone.

Chad was reluctant to check the forum again. He’d already made enough of a mess. However, as he secretly looked at his phone during a boring class,  he gave in and saw Noah’s final post.

‘Shit,’ he murmured as he stood up.

‘Is something wrong, Mr Beaufort?’ the teacher asked but Chad ignored him and raced out of the classroom. ‘Hey, what are you-’

Chad searched through his scrambled mind for a place Noah would commit suicide. Sweat ran down his entire body and his throat felt dry and sore as if he had just screamed for ten hours. His heart felt like it was trying to escape out of his chest and he panted like a wolf in the middle of the desert. 

He got into his car and sped away.

He first stopped at Noah’s house and banged on the front door. When no one answered, he took a few steps back and kicked the door open. Noah was nowhere to be found.

He tried the train station but there was no sight of Noah. He went to a bridge where suicide was common and couldn’t find him there either.

He took out his phone and looked up advice on stopping someone from committing suicide. He only skimmed it, barely able to concentrate as memories of Noah flashed before his eyes. One thing that the boy said stuck out.

‘I’d spend the rest of my life here if I could.’

A thorny bouquet of different curse words tumbled from Chad’s mouth. He turned his car around and rushed to the local library with intentional graffiti.

As luck would have it, the door had a ‘closed’ sign attached to it.

Chad repeatedly slammed his hands against the clear doors and, when no one was there to open them, he looked around. He ran around the library until he was behind it, his heart pounding in his ears.

He saw him, dipping his toes into the lake. Chad shivered even though he wasn’t touching the water himself. 

‘Noah!’

The boy turned his head, tears in his eyes. ‘Leave me alone,’ he spat. ‘I don’t want to fucking talk to you.’

Chad stepped towards him, careful not to step too close and scare Noah even more. ‘But I need to apologise. I get it. I was shitty. Real shitty.  I shouldn’t have tried to meddle so much. But don’t drown yourself over me! I’m not worth it!’

Noah moved out of the lake and stormed up to Chad, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and giving him a murderous glare.

‘You think it’s ‘cause of you? You fucking narcissist. It’s not all about you. I’ve spent years of my life trying to get a girlfriend, and for what? So she can spread her fucking legs for some piece of shit like you? Everyone on that website you fucking spied on me on is right. It’s hopeless for someone like me. I look like shit, and even if I just looked average, girls don’t want an ‘average’ guy. No, they only go for the top 20 per cent of men. Do you think that’s fair, huh? Huh? And don’t try to explain it away by saying, ‘Just have a less shitty personality,’ like you know what oppression is. Fuck off!’ He shoved Chad away.

Chad touched Noah’s arms with shaking hands. Noah’s glare softened at his touch. ‘I don’t know about ‘oppression’, per se,’ Chad said. ‘But I do know what it’s like to be treated badly because of something out of my control. It’s something I’ve tried to keep hidden, so I don’t know what I’d do if I was in your shoes and people found out the truth. That’s why I’m really sorry.’

Noah pushed Chad’s arms away and started walking back towards the lake. ‘I bet your secret’s something small like, ‘A girl rejected me once so I had to go with one of my thirty other options’.’

Chad took a deep breath. ‘More like, ‘I confessed to a guy and got my ribs kicked until they broke and I had to go to the hospital’.’

Noah turned around. He said nothing. He just repeatedly opened and closed his hands as if he was trying to hold onto the air. The wind blew and he wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. Chad stepped closer.

‘And besides, you don’t look like shit,’ he said. ‘I’ve told you this before. You’re hot.’

When Noah put his foot in the water, Chad felt a painful bolt of electricity in his veins telling him to run forward, but he reminded himself of the consequences of trying to rush this. 

Noah sighed. ‘Do you think I want to hear that from you? Guys want everything. They’d fuck a walking table if they could. Hearing stuff like that from a guy isn’t the same as hearing it from a soft, feminine femoid…’

Chad had to tune out when Noah started describing the ideal woman. He pictured Noah having sex with a woman and felt like he was going to vomit.

‘… so I don’t want to hear it from a degenerate like you.’

‘Degenerate?’

‘You just told me you’re a faggot.’

Chad felt like slapping himself when his blood started to boil. How could he want to punch someone who was on the verge of suicide?

‘I’m not a faggot,’ he murmured with his head down as he shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘I liked Becky, remember?’

‘I bet that was just a cover-up.’ The more Noah explained, the weaker his voice became, as if his own mind was already arguing with everything he was saying. ‘You just wanted to cope with your degeneracy by acting like a normal person so you could bang a bunch of other Chads behind the scenes. Knowing you it worked. You probably get to sleep with ten men a night just like a femoid. And me? I get to spend the rest of my life not knowing the love of a woman. Or maybe you’re really straight and you’re just coping with Becky rejecting you so you pretended to like me. You wanted to convince yourself you’re happy when you’re really miserable.’

Chad took another step. ‘Is that last bit how you feel... about yourself?’

Noah released a single quick laugh. ‘I’m eighteen for Christ’s sake. Guys half my age are already having sex.’ Chad winced at the thought. ‘If these are the best years of my life, I may as well die now. No femoid is going to wake me up with a kiss and tell me the kids are already up, excited for their Christmas presents. No femoid’s going to cook my favourite meal when I come home from work upset at my boss. And no femoid is ever going to tell me she found this goofy-looking tie and thought of me so she bought it. If I stay alive, I’m going to be a virgin at fifty and everyone’s going to look at me like a worthless waste of space. Humans are supposed to reproduce, right? What’s the use of a man who can’t do that? I’m going to die alone. I just know it.’

Noah submerged his ankles in the water, then his shins. Chad grabbed his arm. ‘What’s your favourite meal?’ was the only question he could come up with in such a short amount of time.

Noah bit his lip. ‘Meatloaf,’ he whispered, looking away from Chad. ‘I know it’s normie shit but Mom makes it with this weird spice that makes it ten times better. I’d… love to ask her what the spice is so I can tell my future wife and she can cook it for me.’

‘You can’t do that if you’re dead.’

After Chad said that he rubbed the back of his own neck. ‘Look, I really hope this doesn’t look like I’m insulting you, but I don’t see the logic in what you’re saying. It seems like you’re taking one thing that’s happening now and convincing yourself that it’s the end of the world. The steps between you not getting laid right now and you dying alone don’t seem to connect. And it’s not like you’re a virgin anymore since we, you know….’

Noah stepped further into the water and Chad pulled him back. ‘Wait! I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry. I’m not trying to, you know, downplay what you’re feeling right now. It’s just that it doesn’t seem very rational and I know you’re the kind of person who believes in logic and reason.’

‘I’m not… rational? I’m very rational. I understand more about the world than some Christian who probably tries to pray the gay away.’

‘That may be true, but right now you’re not acting very rational. It’s like someone’s possessed you and put these thoughts into your head against your will. You’re not really like this, Noah. I know you’re not.’ 

Chad wiped the tears that were beginning to surface in his eyes. ‘And, to be honest, I’d like to wake you up with a kiss and tell you our future kids are already up for Christmas. I’d like to learn that meatloaf recipe and make it for you after a hard day’s work. I’d probably skip the middleman and ask your mom directly. And I’m probably not good at picking out ties, but I could buy you one if you wanted me to. I’m sure by then I’d know you well enough to know which one to pick. 

‘Actually, you know what? It doesn’t matter what I want right now. You’re right, I’m a narcissist. Even if we never got together and I saw you going out with some chick, I’d be happy enough. I’d survive. Even if we never had sex again and I never had sex with anyone else, ever, I’d be okay. Even if I’m fifty years old. If someone looked at you funny for being a fifty-year-old virgin, you know I’d punch their lights out.’

Chad lowered his hand from his tear-stained face and smiled at Noah, pulling him just a little bit closer. He himself stepped closer, trying his best to ignore the coldness circling his feet as the water seeped into his them through the holes in his socks. Noah’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes grew several sizes, his lips pursed and his limbs stiff.

‘You see, even if you don’t get a girl, you’ll still have friends, family and all that good stuff,' Chad assured him in a soft but firm voice, brushing his fingers against Noah’s cheek. 'You’re not a waste of space. It’s just whatever’s possessed your mind telling you that.

‘Look, I’m not too good at talking about this kind of thing. I’m not even sure if I should really be arguing about this with you instead of just listening to you. Maybe you should talk to someone who, I don’t know, gets paid to listen to people going through what you’re going through. They should have better advice than me. Please, just talk to someone about this. 

‘And not that forum. I know I don’t know what I’m doing, but I sure as hell know more than those idiots who told you to kill yourself. It’s not like they’re people who have gotten out of your situation. It’s like going to a support group for alcoholics run by someone who’s still an alcoholic and hasn’t gotten help themselves.’

Noah’s mouth opened but he didn’t say anything. His eyes moved from side to side as he contemplated what Chad said. Tears spilled out of his eyes and made his cheeks sting. His nose started to run and he put on a tiny smile. He looked into Chad’s eyes. When he realised that his fingers were still on his cheek, he pushed them away and stepped back. He gasped when the wet earth underneath him started to shift, pulling him into the water. He instinctively reached for Chad’s hand and inadvertently dragged him down with him.

Both were surrounded by pitch black. Noah closed his eyes, tears joining the lake water. Once the shock wore off, Chad looked up at the surface, which had a light he could just barely see. He wrapped one arm around Noah’s waist and when he did so, Noah opened his eyes as if waking from a nightmare. The two swam up together.

Loud gasps for breath echoed throughout the area. Chad hauled Noah onto land and Noah, in turn, pulled him up. They lied down, shivering, on the grass. They breathed heavily as they looked at the sky.

‘I think I should take you to a hospital,’ Chad suggested.

‘Why? I’m not injured.’

‘That’s good to hear. But, I mean, you’re still injured in the mind.’ Chad took his phone out of his pocket and tried to turn it on but the screen remained black. ‘Shit! So, I was on a website that said people who attempt suicide have to go to the hospital, even if they’re not physically hurt.’

‘So I can be shipped off to a madhouse and feel even worse?’

‘Not really. They’ll just check up on you and keep you safe for a night or two. Then we can find you a therapist.’

‘We?’

Chad’s eyes went all over the place. 'Well, yeah. Like I said, even if you don’t want to date me, we’re still a team. I won’t try to meddle too much since you know how that turned out, but you can always talk to me if you don’t like the therapist or whatever, and we can switch ‘em.’ He stood up and held out his hand. Noah hesitated but took it, and as soon as he stood up he started sobbing loudly into Chad’s chest. His shoulders relaxed when Chad put his arms around them and patted his head. 

The two walked like this, with Chad still holding Noah close and whispering words of encouragement into his ear. Chad helped Noah into the car and drove him to the hospital while Noah relayed to him the various reasons he attempted suicide. Chad knew most of this, but he listened anyway.

When the doctors took Noah away, Chad sat in the waiting room with knees that repeatedly bounced up and down. He looked around him and felt fear strike his heart when he noticed how plain and lifeless the white walls were. Was this the right environment for Noah?

This fear clawed at his heart for a good half hour until a doctor called out to him and took him to Noah’s ward.

‘You should feel proud,’ the doctor said.

Chad raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m supposed to be proud? What was I supposed to do? Let him die?’

The doctor chuckled. ‘I suppose you’re right.’

‘Am I really allowed to see him this early?’

‘He wanted to see you. He said he’d attempt suicide again if I didn’t let you in.’

Noah’s face was already fresher, though his eyes were still red and puffy. He gave Chad a small smirk.

‘Do I look sexier now in a blue gown?’

Chad sighed in relief. ‘Please don’t tempt me. You’re doing surprisingly well if you can joke like that.’

Noah scratched his cheek. ‘I thought about what you said and you were right. That forum just made me worse. I… I feel like a class-A moron.’ He let tears escape from his eyes.

‘You’re not a moron. You just got sucked into it.’

Noah wiped his eyes and raised his head at the doctor. ‘Uh, can Chad and I speak privately?’ The doctor nodded and closed the curtain. ‘Can you come here?' he asked Chad, who obliged. He held his arm up and, after a few seconds of curling up his fingers, cupped Chad’s cheek. 'Thank you for putting up with me.’

‘I’m not ‘putting up with you’. People don’t just ‘put up with’ the ‘people they love.’

Noah averted his gaze. ‘Love, huh?’

‘Uh, well, um, I meant… I meant to say ‘like’ but I just blurted out that word and I didn’t mean to come across as creepy or too forward or anything like that, uh, so…’

Noah choked out a laugh, his smile like that of someone who had been shot by an arrow that just missed a vital organ. He shifted his hand until it was under Chad’s chin, pulling him a tiny bit closer. 

‘Why’d it have to be a guy?’ he grumbled. ‘I never saw my future self liking, or loving, or… whatever... another guy.’

A big, dumb smile adorned Chad’s face. Noah slowly and tentatively pulled him even closer and brushed his lips against his. As he closed his eyes he initially envisioned smoke, but the image quickly evaporated. The kiss was fleeting, but it was enough for now.

#chad vs incel #chad x incel #bisexual #incel #romance #drama #original fiction #breaking stereotypes #lesbian #Chad and the Incel

[ryukoishida]

QZGS Rarepair Week 2018 | Day 4: Cooking | In which HST and ZZK are popular food vloggers.

QZGS Rarepair Week 2018 | Day 4: cooking / thunderstorm / battlefield

@qzgsrarepairweek

Title: Of Dumplings and Secret Admirers Fandom: The King’s Avatar / Quan Zhi Gao Shou Character(s)/Pairing(s): Zhou Zekai/Huang Shaotian (featuring Jiang Botao) Summary: In which the two food vloggers bond over their love of dumplings. Rating: PG A/N: Just a quick note – because there are so many types of “dumplings” in China, I will be using the Chinese names/pinyin to differentiate them! I’m craving xiao long bao now, btw. Damn.

Writing Commission | Editing & Translation Services

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“Speaking of dumplings, does anyone know the origin of this tasty, tasty food? No? Well, let me tell you this heart-warming story!” the young man in the video was talking with such enthusiasm that it was emanating from the brightness of his eyes and his excited hand gestures.

The video then shifted to a short animation of stilled drawings as he continued with the story.

“According to legend, during the end of Eastern Han dynasty, many people were sick and dying of epidemics, but there was a brilliant doctor named Zhang Zhongjing, who not only had excellent medical skills but also treated both the poor and the rich. So anyway, after he retired and returned to his hometown, he saw that many of the townsfolks were suffering from starvation and the cold, even their ears had become frozen and infected. That sounds absolutely nasty, doesn’t it? In order to treat them, he had his assistants cook a big pot of soup made with lamb meat, chili peppers, and medicinal herbs that helped deter cold. The cooked ingredients were then chopped up, wrapped with dough shaping them like ears, called “jiao er” — or “delicate ear”, and were cooked once more. After people ate them, their bodies quickly heated up, their blood circulation became more efficient, and their ears instantly felt warmer. And after eating these “jiao er” for a while, their infected ears were healed! Isn’t that amazing?”

The camera focused on the young man again, who now had a plate of what seemed to be boiled jiao zi in one of his hands. He carefully used a pair of chopsticks to pick up a dumpling, cooked to perfection with its delicate, ivory outer layer, and dipped it into red vinegar before taking a bite.

Some of the juices ran down the corner of his mouth, which he quickly wiped clean with the pad of his thumb while trying not to laugh.

“Mmn, that is a damn good dumpling,” he nodded appreciatively after eating the rest of that dumpling and continued with a sunny smile, “so for the next… hmm… few weeks, I’ll be making a series of videos completely focused on the best variations of dumplings that are popular in different parts of China, including several recipes and restaurant recommendations! I hope you’ll all be able to join me on this soulful dumpling-searching adventure! And remember: The Q&A live stream will take place tomorrow at 8 p.m., so have your questions all ready to go, and I’ll try to answer them as best as I can. Bye for now!”  

Just as he did every time he finished watching Troubling Rain’s videos, Zhou Zekai clicked the ‘Like’ button at the bottom of the screen the moment the video ended and leaned back against his chair with a soft sigh.

“Xiao Zhou, you’re watching Troubling Rain’s channel again?” Jiang Botao asked from behind and leaned in a little to see the content of Zhou Zekai’s screen.

“Mn,” Zhou Zekai nodded once, probably not realizing that there was a hint of a smile hidden in the curved corner of his lips on his usually impassive face.

Though Jiang Botao saw the subtle expression, he knew better than to bring it up. After all, he and Zhou Zekai had been childhood friends since elementary school; now they attended the same university — though in different faculties — and rented an apartment complex together.

The smile, however, quickly disappeared as Zhou Zekai suddenly remembered something, and he turned his panic-stricken gaze towards his friend to speak with a soft but urgent tone, “Jiang, his Q&A tomorrow.”

“Ah, you said you have a group project tomorrow evening, right? Is the Q&A session happening around the same time?” Jiang Botao immediately comprehended Zhou Zekai’s concern despite the minimal number of words the dark-haired young man had spoken.

Ever since they were young, the adults had called Jiang Botao’s ability to understand Zhou Zekai’s intentions when others around him could barely grasp what the quiet-spoken boy meant “mindreading” when really, Jiang Botao just happened to be a person who paid special attention to other’s facial expressions and body language.

And perhaps there was something to be said for growing up together, but Jiang Botao never had any issues getting along with Zhou Zekai, who, to someone who’d never interacted with the boy, might appeared to be unfriendly, stuck-up, or even downright hostile just because of his placid nature and sparse explicit display of emotions.

When Zhou Zekai nodded in the affirmative, Jiang Botao basically knew what his friend wanted to ask of him, and so he continued with a knowing smile, “want me to record it for you?”

“Please,” Zhou Zekai’s gaze could only be described as grateful.

“As long as I get to keep the leftovers of whatever you’re making for your next video. It’s matcha green tea cookies, right?”

Zhou Zekai nodded again.

“Do you still need help with filming your next video, then? I have some time now, but I need to head out in two hours and won’t be back ‘til late tonight.” Other than best friend, schoolmate, and roommate, Jiang Botao was also Zhou Zekai’s voluntary cameraman for his vlogs.

Speaking of his vlogs and channel, one might think it strange that a quiet man like Zhou Zekai — though having been voted the handsomest male student in their university’s campus for three years straight — would want to be in front of the camera and be the focus of attention. It all started with Jiang Botao’s casual request that one time: one of his female friends wanted to learn how to make the strawberry cupcakes that Jiang Botao brought to school, so he asked his friend to make a video tutorial. What Zhou Zekai didn’t realize was that Jiang Botao had uploaded the tutorial onto the school’s online forum, and from there, the popularity of the “cute college boy baking cupcakes” video just spread like an uncontrollable wildfire.

There were tons of cooking videos on the Internet, but what made Zhou Zekai’s stood out, at least according to Jiang Botao, was the fact that he never spoke in his video — not even once; instead, he filled the silence with grainy, lighthearted jazz music in the background, which made the entire mood of the tutorial somewhat more… aesthetically-pleasing and intimate.

Zhou Zekai wasn’t sure what his best friend meant by that when he tried to explain to him the amazing reactions he was starting since the video was posted; he was just glad to help out. Baking and making sweets had always been Zhou Zekai’s favorite way to relax, and since he started learning by watching and helping his mother in the kitchen at a young age, his interest in the culinary arts had been carried on to his adulthood. Making professional-quality videos, however, was mostly Jiang Botao’s idea; Zhou Zekai just sort of followed along.

Besides, having Jiang Botao, one of the top students in their school’s multimedia design department, filming and editing his videos was the icing on the already very appetizing cake.

Zhou Zekai nodded again in response to Jiang Botao’s question, and the two men started to get to work. Soon, their shared apartment was filled with the gentle sweet scent of baked sweets.

-

It’d been about fifteen minutes into the Q&A live stream, and Huang Shaotian was having the time of his life answering his viewers’ questions, which ranged from actual queries about culinary skills and methods (“Best way to make the silkiest steamed egg custard? Oh man let me tell you how Mama Huang make hers. Usually you’d just mix water or broth with eggs and beat them and then pour the mixture directly into the utensil, right? Wrong! The most important step to achieving that silky smoothness of the custard is to use a fine mesh strainer while you’re pouring the mixture through — the smaller the holes are, the better! And then! Let it settle for a few minutes so any bubbles will rise to the surface, and then you can skim them off with a spoon. Voila — egg custard as smooth as a baby’s butt!”) to inquiries about his personal life and interests (“Do I have a girlfriend? Come on! I expect more creative questions from you guys! Anyway, I could have a boyfriend, couldn’t I? By asking that question, you have offended all the potential boys who could have been interested in me. Shame on you!” he said, and laughed at all the exclamation marks and colorful emoticons that followed his answer.).

One of the questions flashed by in the lively chat and Huang Shaotian caught it right away, his eyes flashing in excitement for a moment. “Oooh! Someone just asked whether or not I’d be interested in working with other vloggers again. Yes, I would as long as that person is not goddamn Lord Grim, who — if you missed the video that bastard had posted on his channel a while ago — almost murdered my taste buds. Just because I’m from Guangzhou doesn’t mean that he should take advantage of my intolerance of spice! So rude, so rude! Never again, nuh-uh!”

The viewers on the chat who knew what Huang Shaotian was referring to expressed their amusement of the hilarious aforementioned video, in which Lord Grim — real name Ye Xiu –who was a good friend of Huang Shaotian’s in real life, challenged the popular (both for the variety of his content and the cheerful chattiness of the vlogger himself) foodie to the notorious Fire Noodle Challenge.

Huang Shaotian had initially ignored him because he knew his stomach was sensitive to spicy foods in general, but him being him, he could never backdown from a challenge, especially when Ye Xiu was practically verbally rousing him up in all the right ways. In the end, Huang Shaotian realized belatedly that this — eating this insanely hot and spicy Korean ramen that had numbed his entire mouth and lips, the spiciness having exploded exponentially after Ye Xiu “helpfully” gave him a glass of water — was a mistake. Needless to say, he’d completely embarrassed himself in front of his audience in that video. At least most of them found it hysterical, and the rating and number of viewings had only increased.

“Other than that asshole friend of mine, who else would you like to see me collaborate with?”

The chat flooded with usernames; some he didn’t recognized while others he knew and were mutual followers of each other’s’ channels. One name did stand out amongst others: Cloud Piercer. Unbeknownst to his followers, Huang Shaotian was a bit of a fanboy of Cloud Piercer and his calming cooking videos and had started following his channel with his personal account some time ago. The vlogger rarely showed his face on his videos, and even when he did, it was mostly blurry so all that could be seen was his dark hair and the vague shape of his face, but just watching those elegant hands meticulously measuring ingredients and kneading dough was enough to make Huang Shaotian’s imagination wander at times.

“You guys want me to collaborate with Cloud Piercer?”

Lots of ‘!!!’s and variations of ‘yes’s’ flurried past the chat, which made Huang Shaotian grin because he’d finally found the perfect opportunity to approach the vlogger he’d been admiring from afar for far too long.

“I’ll try to contact them and go from there!”

-

And this was how two weeks later, Huang Shaotian travelled over 1,100 miles on the high-speed train and ended up in the city of Shanghai.

Their first meeting, which took place at the busy Hongqiao Railway Station, was an awkward one. Through the exchange of their emails in order to arrange this meet-up, Huang Shaotian would have never guessed that Cloud Piercer — or Zhou Zekai, as he soon found out the vlogger’s real name — was such a reserved individual. After a quick introduction, which involved a brief greeting and exchanging their real names, Zhou Zekai decidedly started walking in the front to let Jiang Botao do all the necessary talking. What Huang Shaotian missed — and Jiang Botao definitely caught from the corner of his eye — was the hint of blush that tainted Zhou Zekai’s cheeks right after they’d shaken hands.

Still, after that initial greeting, Zhou Zekai didn’t say anything more as they winded and dodged their way in between locals and tourists. Not that he was rude or cold or anything like that, Huang Shaotian observed while he allowed Zhou Zekai and Jiang Botao to lead him out of the station to get on the public transit, but when he tried to initiate a conversation, all he received from the dark-haired man was prolonged “……”, nodding, or shaking of his head, with the occasional nervous smiles that vanished whenever Huang Shaotian looked at him with genuine curiosity.

He glanced over to Jiang Botao, who was comparatively easier to communicate with and seemed like an amiable person overall, with silent plead in his eyes, as if he was asking, “what am I doing wrong? Why is your friend ignoring me? Why is this happening??? How do I talk to him???”

To that, Jiang Botao only chuckled in response and patted Huang Shaotian’s shoulder in consolation, “Xiao Zhou takes a longer time to get used to people he’s not familiar with. Don’t take it too personally. In fact…”

He paused and quickly checked to see if Zhou Zekai was looking at their direction before he leaned closer to Huang Shaotian and whispered covertly, “…he’s a huge fan of yours, actually.”

“No way! He is?” Huang Shaotian frowned in confusion, once more fixing his attention onto the man walking a few steps ahead of them. His frame was lean and tapered from the well-fitting jeans and black leather jacket he was donning, and at his full height, he was at least a few centimeters taller than him, which made the man slightly intimidating, even if he had the most dazzling ash-grey eyes and cheekbones sharp enough to shred paper-thin slices of prosciutto, but that had never stopped Huang Shaotian before.

“Sure is. So, imagine how surprised he was when he saw your email,” Jiang Botao continued, returning to walk beside his new acquaintance, “he could barely talk — he was that excited.”

“Huh,” Huang Shaotian made a non-committal sound and stared at the back of Zhou Zekai’s head. He wanted to say something like “you mean the guy’s capable of talking even less than this?” but he didn’t because that would be incredibly rude and he wanted to be on his best behavior during this short trip in Shanghai. It wasn’t as if he was trying to impress a certain someone… Oh, who the fuck was he trying to fool?

“Anyway, we were thinking that we’d let you rest during the afternoon, get something to eat together, and then start filming the first section tonight. We already have all the ingredients that you’ve requested prepared at our place. What do you think?”

“Sounds good!” Huang Shaotian’s grin returned, vibrant and infectious, and Jiang Botao could understand a bit what his best friend saw in Huang Shaotian despite his chattiness and almost too-cheerful persona that he presented in front of his audience in his vlogs.

-

“Hello everyone, this is Troubling Rain of the Blue Rain Eatery channel! Guess where I’m currently at? This is Cloud Piercer’s apartment! Can you believe it? Yeah, me neither. But as promised, the two of us are collaborating for the next two videos. This first one will be posted on my channel, where, with the assistance of the wonderful and beautiful Cloud Piercer, I’ll be making a Cantonese style-fried dumpling — gok jai. In the second video, Cloud Piercer, who’s born and raised in Shanghai, will take me to his favourite restaurant to try one of the city’s most well-known delicacies: xiao long bao. So, without further ado, let’s welcome our special guest: Cloud Piercer!”

Huang Shaotian clapped with as much enthusiasm as a child being told that he could run free within a candy store.  

The camera panned out to reveal Zhou Zekai, wearing a simple black long-sleeved t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a light grey, yellow-trimmed apron, standing adjacent to Huang Shaotian. He gave a slight wave and a small but sweet smile, and introduced himself with a soft voice, “Hello, I’m Cloud Piercer.”

“You Cloud Piercer fans should thank me,” Huang Shaotian faced the camera and said with mock seriousness, “apparently this is the first time the man is willing to show his face properly in front of the camera. Oh my, I think I could hear your fangirls and fanboys screaming in the distance, Cloud Piercer.” He grinned slyly, aiming the teasing expression at the dark-haired man who only scratched his cheek bashfully, grey eyes darting to the side with a helpless but adorable smile.

“That’s…not nice,” Zhou Zekai managed three words — an actual complete sentence, even if it was a rather short one — but it was more than Huang Shaotian could ever hope for.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It was meant to be a compliment, I swear!” Huang Shaotian burst out laughing when he saw Zhou Zekai’s expression.

“All right! Let’s get started! Since Cloud Piercer here is too shy to speak, he’ll be doing all the hard work while I do the talking. First, let me just say that we’ll be making the sweet version of this tasty dumpling, which, granted, is usually only served during the New Year, but what the heck, I heard this man likes his desserts so that’s what we’ll be making. Also, the original recipe calls for deep-frying, but I know all you ladies out there are probably weeping about the oil and cholesterol. Don’t worry! We’ll be baking ours instead! So, have as many of these as you want!”

“But too much…” Zhou Zekai, to Huang Shaotian’s pleasant surprise, spoke up again, and if he weren’t wearing a lapel microphone on his apron, his voice would definitely have been lost, “…unhealthy.”

“True,” Huang Shaotian nodded in agreement, and began to list out the ingredients and the required amounts of each. While he talked about each step with a flurry of hand gestures and animated, rising and falling tenor, Zhou Zekai followed along silently in graceful and efficient movements beside him, adding dry and wet ingredients into a glass mixing bowl, combining them thoroughly with a wooden spoon, and then kneading the dough — already a nice, golden shade from the egg yolks — until it transformed into a smooth, glistening sphere.

All this time, Huang Shaotian made sure that he wasn’t talking too fast, as he sometimes had the tendency to do when he got too excited, but he realized that he’d been worrying over nothing because as little as Zhou Zekai seemed to speak in words, the man carried himself in the kitchen as if he owned the place, and the ingredients and pieces of equipment were under his perfect control and manipulation.  

It wasn’t the first time Huang Shaotian watch Zhou Zekai cook (let’s face it, he’d watched some of the videos more than once… fine, more than five times) but seeing him on screen and being there with him were two entirely different experiences. While Zhou Zekai’s videos were mostly peaceful, calming, and almost therapeutic, standing beside him while he was preparing the ingredients and gradually assembling them was strangely intense and entrancing; in fact, Jiang Botao had to wave at him vigorously to get Huang Shaotian’s attention because the blond had been staring at Zhou Zekai rolling a small piece of dough into an almost-perfect circle without the use of a cookie-cutter, quickly placing a spoonful of peanut and coconut filling in the middle, and folding the edges together into an elegant border of flourished twists.

Zhou Zekai’s fingers, slender and pale with nails trimmed neatly, were precise in measuring out ingredients and kneading the dough for only as long as necessary, like a gunner flawlessly hitting his intended targets, yet laced within that precision was a kind of grace found only in an artist’s bones.

“Uh, yes, um, so keep repeating these steps,” Huang Shaotian blinked and forced himself to turn away from those attractive hands before continuing in a more steady tone, “don’t worry too much if your first few don’t look as perfect as the ones Cloud Piercer’s making right now because hell, I don’t think I can make them that pretty myself, and put them in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees Celsius, for 18 to 20 minutes or until the surface looks golden-yellow.”

By the time the baked gok jai had been cooled down enough, Huang Shaotian picked up one of the golden dumplings, baked to a crisp and warm to the touch, with his thumb and index finger, and offered it to Zhou Zekai.

“Taste test time! Go on then, Cloud Piercer, take a bite!”

Zhou Zekai’s gaze strayed from the dumpling dangled between Huang Shaotian’s fingers to Huang Shaotian himself, who was giving him an encouraging smile almost too bright for Zhou Zekai to handle; his gaze landed back onto the dumpling, which was held only an inch away from his mouth that had sudden gone very, very dry.

“……”

“Come on, man, don’t be shy now,” Huang Shaotian misinterpreted Zhou Zekai’s hesitation, though he wasn’t really that far off.

“…you first,” Zhou Zekai finally spoke, his voice so small even his microphone was having a hard time capturing what he’d said.

“Oh nonono, I insist you should take the first bite,” Huang Shaotian shook his head vigorously, his fluffy blond hair flying every which way so that it reminded Zhou Zekai of a golden retriever shaking himself dry. The image almost pulled a smile from his lips, but he somehow managed to control himself. “You did all the hard work, so you deserve to have the first one. Now be a good boy and open your mouth — say ‘ah’.”

His face remained impeccably neutral, as if he wasn’t about to be hand-fed by someone whom he might consider to be his online crush, but the red tinted at the tip of his ears, thankfully concealed by his dark hair, betrayed his troubled thoughts. All too aware of the camera’s lens focusing on him, Zhou Zekai just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible; he swiftly lowered his head and bit a small mouthful before pulling himself straight, one hand politely covering his mouth while he chewed.

The crispy texture was utterly mesmerizing, but when combined with the chewiness of the wrapping and the crunchy sweetness of the filling, Zhou Zekai’s taste buds were very blissful indeed.

“How is it? How is it?”

Since Zhou Zekai was still chewing, and he honestly didn’t trust his voice at this point, the best he could do was to give a thumbs-up at the camera to show how much he enjoyed the taste.

Without even thinking about it, Huang Shaotian popped the remaining of the gok jai into his own mouth, and Zhou Zekai could only stare at him as the blond mumbled with his mouth full of the dumpling. Meanwhile, Zhou Zekai’s brain was running wild with the colourful comments from the viewers, especially those very zealous fangirls, this video was about to be consumed by.

-

“It’s too bad Xiao Jiang can’t join us for dinner,” Huang Shaotian commented as he placed his phone down on the table after watching the video they’d filmed and edited two days ago. He grabbed the menu to inspect it even though they’d already placed their order about fifteen minutes ago, but he couldn’t let Zhou Zekai see the blush spreading on his cheeks.

What the hell had he been thinking? Huang Shaotian’s mind was running a marathon — a marathon of a never-ending circle. Hand-feeding Zhou Zekai like that as if… as if they were anything more than acquaintances! He hadn’t been thinking — that was the problem. He’d been so distracted by Zhou Zekai’s presence that he thought nothing of the gesture until after Jiang Botao shouted “cut!” to end their filming session and the man sent him an amused but knowing grin.

He tried to redirect his attention to elsewhere: the reaction had been even better than both vloggers had expected, and that gave them the motivation to film the next video as soon as possible, which was how they ended up in a hole-in-the-wall diner in one of the back alleys in the city near Zhou Zekai’s apartment.

“God I haven’t had xiao long bao in ages. You have no idea how long it’s been! Like, you’d think Guangzhou would have some good restaurants that serve half-way decent xiao long bao, but they’re either way too expensive or way too overrated,” Huang Shaotian rambled on until he felt like he was about to be suffocated by the way Zhou Zekai was staring at him with those ash-grey eyes and slight curve of his lips. “So, anyway, uh, I just wanted to thank you again for accepting my invitation to do this collaboration! It’s been really fun, and I can’t wait to try the food here. Here’s to another successful video from us both!”

Huang Shaotian raised his tall glass filled with beer and clinked it against Zhou Zekai’s, the foam overflowing the rim and sliding down the glass in rivulets of white.

“Mn.”

Zhou Zekai sipped his liquor in a slow and steady pace but Huang Shaotian seemed either very thirsty or very nervous, for he gulped down three-quarters of his beer in one breath.

Since they’d settled into their seats, Zhou Zekai hadn’t really spoken other than placing their orders. It wasn’t like he was ignoring Huang Shaotian though, because the blond could tell that the other man was listening to him attentively and gave the appropriate responses like nodding in agreement, or tilting his head to the side in puzzlement, or even occasionally giving one-syllable replies.

Before he allowed the silence to get any more insufferable, however, Huang Shaotian began to fiddle with his camera and tripod. Since their voluntary cameraman was not available today, Huang Shaotian had taken on the responsibility to record their session tonight.

When the dishes they ordered finally arrived, Huang Shaotian released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. With another one of his signature sunny smiles, he turned to Zhou Zekai and asked him if he was ready to start.

Sitting inside the bamboo steaming basket was the star of the video, the piping hot xiao long bao — the soup dumplings with their pale-yellow skin, glistening with moisture, the crown cascading with spiraled ripples, and their bodies plump with meat and stock inside just waiting to be bitten into. Huang Shaotian positioned the basket between himself and Zhou Zekai while moving the other dishes out of the way; they’d have to enjoy those a bit later, unfortunately.

“Welcome to the second installment of Cloud Piercer and myself Troubling Rain’s collaborative video about one of China’s most delectable and versatile food — dumplings! Today, Shanghai local Cloud Piercer takes me to his favourite restaurant in town that serves excellent xiao long bao, ta-dah!” Huang Shaotian tilted the basket to display the jewels towards the camera and continued, “And of course, when we’re eating these delicious little things, there are some courtesies that must be followed so that you can enjoy the dumplings with maximum level of scrumptiousness and minimum level of danger, i.e. accidentally letting that hot soup burn your tongue!”

As they’d discussed beforehand, Zhou Zekai took the cue and carefully picked up a xiao long bao with his chopsticks, placing the dainty dumpling into his soup spoon, which had already been filled with a dash of black vinegar.

“First, if you don’t dip your xiao long bao in some black vinegar, that should be a food crime and you should be put into food jail! Shame on you! The sourness of the vinegar and — yeah, don’t skip out on those ginger either!” Huang Shaotian added as Zhou Zekai delicately topped the dumpling with some finely-chopped ginger slivers, “the sourness of the vinegar and the mildness of the ginger will balance the slight saltiness and oiliness of the pork filling, so remember—”

What they hadn’t discussed, but what Zhou Zekai was currently doing, was the dark-haired man holding the dumpling a few inches away from Huang Shaotian’s lips, his eyes expectant and the corner of his lips slightly tilted upwards in what seemed to be a teasing smile. Maybe.

The scene was all too familiar.

“Uh, hmm? Cloud Piercer, what’s up?” Huang Shaotian didn’t dare back away but he was raising one of his brows in bewilderment.

“…”

The spoon with the plump xiao long bao sitting snugly in it was moving a degree closer, Zhou Zekai’s intention clear as day.

“F-for me?” Huang Shaotian wanted to be sure anyway, because what if he misinterpreted the whole thing and made a fool of himself in front of this gorgeous man? …Again?

Zhou Zekai nodded with a faint smile, and Huang Shaotian gulped noisily.  

And since, as previously mentioned and demonstrated, Huang Shaotian was an infatuated fool who was too easily distracted, all his attention was focused on how pretty Zhou Zekai looked with a smile on his face, how sincere he seemed in offering him the first dumpling, and how insanely long his eyelashes were, a perfect frame for his ash-grey eyes that were also smiling warmly at him. His attention was so askew that he forgot about the one taboo any experienced xiao long bao-consumer would never commit: he took the entire freshly-steamed dumpling into his mouth and sank his teeth into it.

He regretted it instantly.

“Huang Shao!” Zhou Zekai yelped in forewarning, the loudest Huang Shaotian had ever heard from him. His eyes were widened almost comically, but it was too late.

Scalding, fragrant soup filled Huang Shaotian’s mouth, the heat of the stock burning its way around the tender flesh of his oral cavity and the back of his throat as he tried to swallow as quickly as he could without choking himself in the process. He coughed in the most unbecoming manner, soup dripping down his chin messily, his eyes turning red and watering from the heat, “Fuaaaah! Shit, shit, owwwww…”  

Armed with several napkins, Zhou Zekai leaned in to dab Huang Shaotian’s chin and cheeks dry, his movements nothing but gentle, all the while his brows frowning with obvious worry, “…hurt? Need ice water?”

His face was only a few centimeters away from Huang Shaotian’s, and he was too preoccupied by his task of cleaning the blond up to realize that said blond was staring unabashedly at him.

‘Too close,’ Huang Shaotian thought to himself, blinking slowly and appreciating the flawless cheekbones and rosy pink of the other man’s lips in such close proximity. ‘Oh god.’ He had a feeling he was about to do something he was going to regret again.

“Water would be nice, but…” Huang Shaotian finally located his voice, slightly raw and hoarse from hot soup sliding down his throat just minutes before, and he glanced up to maintain steady eye contact with Zhou Zekai, his topaz irises blazing with a sudden burst of daring, before the words rolled out of his mouth, “a kiss from you might be better though.”

“…….”

At Zhou Zekai’s pause, though his hand remained on Huang Shaotian’s chin with a clean napkin, Huang Shaotian’s cheeks began to grow warm and he wished the ground would swallow him up already because hadn’t he embarrass himself enough in front of this guy today?!

“I-I mean— mmf?!”

His lips were warm, was Zhou Zekai’s first thought as his eyes fluttered close when their lips touched tenderly for the first time, warmer than expected, and so, so soft, like the fluffy chiffon cakes he liked to bake. On the other end, Huang Shaotian’s lips felt oversensitive due to the burning soup from the xiao long bao, but the slight tingling verging on numbing sensation was addictive, and he found himself leaning in closer, his arms hanging loosely on Zhou Zekai’s shoulders to keep him in place, their breaths gradually becoming more and more unsteady until Zhou Zekai pulled himself away and opened his eyes.

They were dark but glimmering with the kind of desire not unlike wanting to swallow his favourite dessert whole.

Huang Shaotian’s breath stuttered at the sight, but he still managed to grumble convincingly with an accusative tone, “Zhou Zekai, you realize we’ll have to film this from the beginning again, right?”

“Worth it.”

#qzgs #quan zhi gao shou #tka #the king's avatar #huang shaotian #zhou zekai #bowie's crappy writing #I think this is my fave so far #and I'd totally write this ship again because omg the cuteness potential is so there

[shorthaircutsmodels]

Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles - 25+ - https://shorthaircutsmodels.com/kim-kardashians-short-haircuts-and-hairstyles/ - Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, is an American reality television personality. Socialite actress businesswoman and model. Kim Kardashian's hairstyles are on a sustained roller coaster-style journey. Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles Wide range of hair styles and hair colors over the years, from Platinum yellow to ponytails and bobs to black. Their hairstyles are inspiring because they have a unique and stylish sense of style. View yourself with Kim Kardashian hairstyles. Kim Kardashian's Haircuts and Hairstyles Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, It provides you with tips on how to style your hair by letting you know which facial shape matches your hair texture and hair density as well. Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts Buzzy beauty brand, which has gained 112 million followers on Instagram, accepting Influencer Awards and having its own namesake game on the app Store. In fact, when it first premiered with the Kardashians, we could watch it back a decade in 2020. Kim Kardashian's Short Hairstyles Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Since then she's been inspiring new trends, whether she's taking semi-nude Instagram selfies with her famous sisters, sporting something called a vampire face, or applying contour wearing her wet-looking hairstyle. Kim Kardashian's Haircuts Whether any of these trends die out in popularity is irrelevant because the woman behind them is certainly not. So so far it seems we should be editing the old adage trends come and go but the Kardashians are forever. Kim Kardashian's Hairstyles Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, While most people focus on neutral but bold fashion statements or her perfect makeup we've always had a special appreciation for her hair. Raven black platinum blonde or bubblegum pink. Kim Kardashian's Short Hair Kim K and her hair stylists know what they're doing. Every time he steps out we look for another new 'inspiration. Keep scrolling to see our 15 favorite hairstyles that Kim Kardashian West hasn't worn yet. No one takes glam as seriously as Kim Kardashian West. Kim Kardashian's Hair Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, And the mogul only proved it when he decided to get a haircut in a parking lot. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star found herself in the middle of a hair emergency while driving Wednesday so called. What does Kim Kardashian use on her hair? Her trusty hairdresser Chris Appleton for an impromptu flooring at an apartment complex on Hollywood Boulevard. Today Kim Kardashian West asked her instagram followers at the start of the new season a question that women everywhere ask each other. Kim Kardashian Hairstyles, Hair Cuts and Colors Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, should I cut my hair? She posted a survey of her Instgram stories asking fans to weigh in on whether hairdresser Chris Appleton should cut her Bob shorter. Kim Kardashian's Makeup and Hairstyles Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Kardashian's hairdresser Chris Appleton shared a photo of herself wearing a new look as she stepped out of a limo in Manhattan. How often does Kim Kardashian wash her hair? Sophisticated and stylish in the classy new cut Mandy Moore has Kardashian on the same sheet of hair as celebrities like Ashley Tisdale and Jordyn Woods. We said We cut @KimKardashian yesterday as soon as we ever did Appleton. Whether you stay or not. Um this is a big one go on. Kim Kardashian Best Hairstyles And Looks Of All Time Kim Kardashian's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Take a closer look at Kardashian's new bob haircut. Cutting your hair is a vicious cycle. You're nervous about taking the plunge first and it takes a while to get used to it when you're making fresh cuts at the end. But once you get familiar with Bob's bad chicks you hit a slippery slope. Kim Kardashian hair 2020 - 2021 There's an itch to go shorter and shorter and it intensifies as time goes on. Kim Kardashian West is proof of this cycle. The reality star, who is currently promoting the launch of her new shapewear line, appeared on the Today Show yesterday to discuss her underwear. She also revealed a new stylish bob that fell right above her shoulders. Kim Kardashian natural hair color Hoda Kotb revealed in an interview with Kardashian West that her stylist Chris Appleton chopped her hair before her appearance. Kim Kardashian, 39, has a bold new look. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was spotted. What is Kim Kardashian hair color Kimberly Kardashian West's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Heading into Granville restaurant in Studio City with brave new bob. Kim's black hair was super short and barely grazed her shoulders as she stepped out in a fluffy coat prepared for the cold weather. The reality star fashioned her hair to be quite straight for her dinner meeting and pulled off perfectly as she framed her face with the appropriate angle of cut. Kim Kardashian hair extensions youtube The mother-of-four was reunited with her sister Khloe Kardashian for lunch while the duo filmed a new episode of KUWTK. Although it's a new look, it's not a big departure from Kim's iconic style. A month ago Kim sported her long locks at the people's Choice Awards where she and her family accepted a number of awards for her work at KUWTK. Kim Kardashian hollywood brooklyn hair salon answers On the show Kim wore a skin-tight dress with a snake as the pattern throughout. At the time, Kim's hair had so far gone beyond her own waist. Looking for fashion for winter might be an alternative look from bob kim. While the style is completely new. Kim Kardashian wow hair products It's nothing quite shocking for fans. Who of course put in a very interesting look, including one between February 2020-2021. Months ago the reality star took to Instagram to show off her daring red hair for her fans and followers. Kim Kardashian hair color black In the clip of her latest appearance, which she posted to social media, kim was literally in red. The mogul not only had red hair but also wore a red body suit and enjoyed a red lollipop. But Kim Kardashian West has taken it to the next level with a spontaneous. Kim Kardashian's New Bob Is Her Shortest Haircut Yet Kimberly Kardashian West's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Haircut as she may decide to change her look for the last seconds by wearing a different necklace as she runs out the door in the morning. The reality star and make-up mogul stopped by today and revealed she chopped off just 2 inches before her morning show appearance. The 39-year-old reality star sported a very different new look as she shopped for son Saint's fourth birthday in LA's Agoura Hills yesterday. How does Kim Kardashian curl her hair? If you read the books–which I never had–you always learn more from your 'mistakes' about being a billionaire. If you learn from your mistakes then I told a f*cking genius Kanye Westonce. The same can be said when looking at his wife. How do you get your hair like Kim Kardashian? Kimberly Kardashian West's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Kim Kardashian's hair history. In the 90s and early 2020, there was no such thing as balayage there. Everyone needed to know about it if it happened. They were brave they were stocky and they were very Rachel Green from her friends. Times We Bowed Down to Kim Kardashian's Hair Kimberly Kardashian West's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, And this hair color trend looks about to resurface after Kim Kardashian sported a nostalgic 90s style in her new KKW Beauty Mattes campaign. The Reality TV star unveiled a new hairstyle on Instagram. Kim Kardashian's Short Bob Haircut Photos The mattes collection shared images of several shots, including a shot that she highlighted alongside a chunky caramel choker and brown-toned lipstick. What Color Is Kim Kardashian's natural hair? So 90s chic. Hairdresser Andrew fitzsimons the brains behind the styling lamented that this beige brunette created last summer Kim Kardashian West shared a picture on instagram writing for @KKWbeauty campaign obsessed with chunky 90s donkey highlights. How do I curl my hair like Khloe Kardashian? Clearly having her hair cut above her shoulders. But while he's growing up a bit and has a lot of regrets in extensions, he seems to have a whole new attitude about bobs this year. She was recently seen wearing her hair in a chic lob. Kim Kardashian new haircut Kimberly Kardashian West's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, And while she has not only sported a freshly cut bob during a recent Today appearance she later cut it even shorter afterwards. Despite most fans, Kardashian said West should not explicitly let Appleton do what he wants. Kim Kardashian hair routine A few hours after her Today appearance she was seen attending the S by Serena Williams fashion show in what may have been her shortest bob which is definitely not a lob at all any more. Now it's all a length straight mid-piece style curves a. Kim Kardashian hair color brown Little below the ends that almost brush the jawline. While chatting with Hoda Kotb about her new shapewear line Kardashian West Skims her latest look above stylist Chris Appleton revealed it was the result of a slightly longer short lob cut just before her. Kim Kardashian hair straightener He's here for an interview. In fact, it's no different from the look Appleton gave to Jennifer Lopez recently. But apparently Appleton didn't cut as much as he wanted because Kardashian West took to Twitter to tell his followers btw Chris wants to cut my hair another inch. We gotta call it. Best Kim Kardashian Hairstyles Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian West and Justin Bieber sometimes prove that a simple new hair color can be enough to make a total transformation while others such as Miley Cyrus and Keke Palmer take a hard approach that makes an even bigger impression. What is the best hair waver? Then actors like Alexander Skarsgård and Kate Hudson made drastic changes to their hair to get into character for their latest roles. Here are 28 celebrities who look completely different after changing their hair. When it comes to looking at your hair. Kim Kardashian hair extensions There's nothing like a fresh chop, just ask Kim Kardashian. In recent years, Kim Kardashian's hair has changed her look many times. Indeed her fans could see her with her long brown hair and even testing her blonde hair. How many hours a day does Kim Kardashian work? Then he cuts her hair and completely changes her face. So for this new year the star has once again changed her look and she is brilliant. A few hours ago, Kim Kardashian announced new photos on Instagram. So we find a series of photos with short hair. What face shape does Kim Kardashian? Kimberly Kardashian West's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, The star appears to have a long square and even rocked her hair. It suits her perfectly, and Kilm Kardashian's wife appears to be fulfilled in the photos. So Kim Kardashian once again changed her hair look and the result was successful. Indeed many of her fans loved. Kim Kardashian haircut 2020 - 2021 Her new cut and even preferred short hair. Even in a casual outfit, the star sparks on social networks and fans fall in love. He left many comments and praise. I love her short hair, one fan said. I really like that hair look said to another fan. What Jeans Does Kim Kardashian wear? Kim Kardashian therefore appears to be unanimous with her new haircut. It actually received more than 1.6 million likes in just a few hours. But nothing says the star will keep her hair Square for long. Indeed, she always seems to go back to her long brown hair. What foundation does Kim Kardashian use? Kimberly Kardashian West's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, One of our favourites is kim Kardashian's fierce new look, a gorgeous blunt bob that is the perfect inspiration for anyone trying to get shorter and sleeker in the fall. See for yourself. The Keeping Up All Stars 38 and Scott Disick took a break from. What time does Kylie Jenner go to bed? Mother duties after meeting Psalm with Khloe Kardashian during a shopping trip that showed Chris Appleton West Pro fresh to get a haircut by his fourth child. It was a constant reminder of her Armenian heritage, and the fact that all girls had the same hair. Kim Kardashian Hair Style File Really emphasized her sister vibrations. Though she has since changed as much as almost every sibling do her 'over and over again whether she went super short or extensions on the platinum blonde with a heavy nod. Kim Kardashian hair treatment Especially Kim who changes her hair a bit but she always goes back to her signature dark brunette strands and while she still loves a long wave she's been serving up some very short hair moments recently. Kim Kardashian West is making a habit out of getting. How do I look like Kim Kardashian? A summer haircut. He chose a lob that had a long bob in May last year and is now pulling the same move. Kardashian West unveiled her much shorter hair on Instagram while driving around with her sister Kourtney Kardashian. Kim Kardashian new hairstyle While Kardashian West has so far only shared her latest lob selfies with a baby-faced filter you can clearly see how different she is from her more recent long waves. Fortunately for those who don't want to wait for Kardashian to share an unfiltered look. Kim Kardashian hollywood hair salon At West's new haircut, there's still photographic evidence of her latest lob. Back in August she posted a photo of her husband lob with a caption composed of a lyric from Kanye West s song I thought I'd kill you on last year's Ye. Kim Kardashian hollywood hair salon answers It is the first time she has debuted a super stylish short hairstyle as she paired this hairstyle with Yesil contact lenses. Last year Rita Ora was given a haircut by celebrity list hairdresser Chris Appleton for cutting the lengths of Ariana Grande. Kim Kardashian hollywood brooklyn hair salon Katy Perry and Christina Aguilera. If Kim Kardashian were to name all her talents she got very OK. basically changing your hairstyle every week will be at the top of the list. It's not all Kim red-haired silver-haired shaven head really but Kimmy keeps her fans on their toes when it comes to her hair, and her latest look is no different. How to get Kim Kardashian hair These days, keeping up with Kardashian West's hairstyles is a business in itself. Back in March she wore pastel mermaid waves with the help of hairdresser Chris Appleton behind her lob last summer. Kim Kardashian got another haircut yesterday. Does Kim Kardashian wash her hair? The Kim Kardashian brand is arguably going stronger than ever. And the Kim Kardashian person has tried to partially shape the latest iteration of her brand with her new aesthetic, both on Instagram and on the red carpet, especially as she shone strikingly and minimally. Kim Kardashian haircut Compared to her more personal era past. Kardashian is also developing a similarly subdued signature hairstyle with slightly more modest silhouettes along with muted shades of restraint in her newfound style. super stylish shiny stick straight hair. Yeah, the kind you wear at an early age. But it's definitely more stylish. What shampoo does Kylie Jenner use? We'll credit the lack of ribbon y Zebra highlights for helping to achieve this. What's more, Kardashian, who has been known to frequently wear extensions and wigs, has recently turned fake hair in favor of a more natural look. Kim Kardashian hair removal That's what happened when Kardashian appeared on Ellen for the famously emotional interview discussing her attack in Paris, according to hairdresser Jen Atkin. yes this is Kims hair and yes this is healthy she wrote on instagram. Kim Kardashian hair slicked back He said last night with Carla. it's not going to be a real scandal to create things we can't verify. Kim Kardashian often changes her haircut and loves her long hair. The Starlet has just changed her look and she is brilliant. Kim Kardashian hairstyles 2020 - 2021 Only Kim and Chris know for sure though and most of us are actually all just that he is 5. you must marvel at how he can pull off the style he wears in class. Kim Kardashian hollywood game hairstyles In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Kardashian's hairdresser Chris Appleton shared a photo of herself wearing a new look as she stepped out of a limo in Manhattan. In any case he is brilliant and we suspect there will be many of his fans wanting to love this cut. Kim Kardashian hairstyle tutorial Then on Sunday, she looked at Kylie Jenner's early birthday party at Nice Guys in West Hollywood, which doubles as a launch party for Kylie's limited edition birthday-themed makeup collection, which is on sale today. Is that a new haircut. Kim Kardashian long hair New makeup for you. What will the Kardashian Jenners bring us today? Dark extra long hair is Kim Kardashian West's MO so KKW Beauty founder's usual center when we watch out swaps reserved butt-grazing waves for something different. Kim Kardashian hairstyles ponytail Tuesday's Instagram Stories showed a new style but focused on her chiseled bob with celebrity stylist Chris Appleton as the reality star and daughters North and Chicago West had fans pointing out a clear resemblance to new mother of just four Kim Kardashian West. It's not the first time KKW has traded her Cher-inspired hair for a blunt look. Kim Kardashian hair short She last wore chin-length hair in 2020 - 2021. Since then however we've seen him wear a variety of ultra-long styles almost exclusively. Deck Instagram looks like the real deal but Appleton revealed on KKW, thanks to a brief interlude it is possible given his knack for wearing a wig. Big share for Kim Kardashian today. Kim Kardashian hair stylist Who likes short hair. valence bass summer .Miz. It's no surprise that he chose a bob to change things. His shoulder-grazing style is not only fashionable but also suitable for new mums, there's no doubt that KKW's glam team aren't too far behind in shaping him as they look to kiddos. Either way, Kardashian West's new look is more motivation to get. Kim Kardashian hair dryer The Bob you crave to call and try your stylist. Oh we've been waiting for months for Fashion Week but when five or more busy days finally came to an end we were so relieved by the event of the season. And while we share that definite sentiment, we can't deny this going, we should be watching some pretty amazing celebrity looks that will be. Kim Kardashian hair wedding Loving for many fashion weeks. The 37-year-old is not afraid to take risks with her signature hair as she plays platinum blonde and millennial pink hair but her recent appearance is something we have seen or seen before. L. on Wednesday A was spotted Kim sharp with her new angled bob haircut. And as soon as I see your hair. Kim Kardashian hair waves Taking to the Instagram story crazy filter, she brushed aside the new look, which showed off a sleek jaw-grazing bob that perfectly framed her face. Hair stylists unfortunately don't count as core businesses at the moment. As a result most of us found our hair to be long irregular and mop-like. But don't be afraid. Kim Kardashian hair products Chris Appleton hair stylist to the stars and most notably J. The man behind Lo and Kim Kardashian's luscious locks is here to help you learn how to cut your hair, assuming you want to do more than a pair of hair clippers. Kim Kardashian hair highlights But assuming you want a more sophisticated cut, Appleton posted a video showing how to cut men's hair fast and, perhaps more importantly, without damning it beyond all recognition. In the Instagram video, which clocks in at less than five minutes, Appleton uses only scissor-scissor cutaway clips and a hair comb. Kim Kardashian new hair Whatever detention parent takes over hair cutting duties for the family may want to check this out. Sophisticated and stylish in the classy new cut Mandy Moore has Kardashian on the same sheet of hair as celebrities like Ashley Tisdale and Jordyn Woods. Kim Kardashian hair ponytail Everyone knows kim K changes her hairstyle and colour very often so it's no surprise her fans don't believe her latest dramatic cut isn't real. Celebrity celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton posted a photo on Instagram of kim K rocking her new bob. He made moves. big cut for @ kimkardashian today. Who likes short hair. Kim Kardashian haircuts styles We said We cut @KimKardashian yesterday as soon as we ever did Appleton. Whether you stay or not. Um this is a big one go on. from us. Take a closer look at Kardashian's new bob haircut. And he's doing less in 2020 - 2021. This may be a new chop for Kim but she certainly shook up that style on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show and at a charity poker tournament last July. Kim Kardashian hairstyles short Kim Kardashian is no stranger to a hair transformation when she once went from her mermaid length silver hair to deep black lob for a day. But the mother of four often doesn't cut her hair much shorter than the shoulder length thing that changed overnight when she took a poll on her Instagram about chopping her locks off. Kim Kardashian short haircut Chris Appleton 38 took a mirror selfie asking if the celebrity hairdresser needed to cut shorter than his dying Bob do. Despite most of the fans voting No 56 per cent to 44 per cent of Yes Chris should do it anyway and then debuted her new look on the Today Show. Kim Kardashian haircut tutorial While a guest on the morning show confirmed kim cut her hair by two inches as she was styled sleek and straight and flicked at the bottom. The cut now hits just below his chin, and it's the shortest sign we've ever seen him go with a bob. Kim Kardashian hair salon Kim Kardashian West changes her hair so much that honestly keeping up with her is the hardest thing. If you don't understand these KUWTK words, that's fine, I'll see myself. If you haven't seen Kim Kardashian's latest short bob haircut, it's not a great wig this time, it's actually a real deal haircut twice. Kim Kardashian hair layers Yes apparently Kardashian cut her hair twice in one day to get the perfect ultra short bob and applauding her encouragement to consider a big haircut was enough to send me into a spiral for weeks. Plus look at bomb amnesty. When the Kardashians first rose to fame they looked like their forever thing with long dark hair. Kim Kardashian hair blonde This time she cut her long hair thin, which was a kind of lob even by lob standards, and took off her extensions to reveal a chic shoulder length condition highlighted by the fact she wore the pin straight.side. Days after showing off some beach waves that passed behind Kim's back, her hairdresser Chris Appleton revealed Kim had a big haircut for. Kim Kardashian hair color The summer. In the picture he shared you can see who is wearing some of what to do next to Jesus point but certainly noteworthy tracksuit and he's rocking a short bob that goes a bit over the middle part and his chin. While Chris called it a big cut, some of his followers weren't convinced and said he probably wore extensions and wigs before and how long his hair actually lasted. Kim Kardashian has adopted a brand new haircut. Kim Kardashian hair spray The star appears bright and with her brand new look. He first showed his eye above on snapchat Sunday morning. And many are never one to shy away from a new style while saying not a haircut but a wig she says in the clip below I cut my hair from the bright Ebony waves of Kim Kardashian West in poker straight platinum hair. Kim Kardashian hair mask No stranger to the red carpet, chic ballerina buns sported wet-looking curls and shoulder-skimming bobs everywhere from London to Los Angeles and is an absolute professional when it comes to extensions. Here Vogue traces her hair history in pictures. It's like he's barely grazing his shoulders. I almost don't believe it. But it's true. Kim Kardashian hair colour We all know she loves wearing her extensions from time to time but she must have cut her real hair quite recently because we would have noticed so anyway. Update. Kim just posted this Instagram to her account. I cut my hair short today. Kim Kardashian hairdresser A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West on @ kimkardashian 2022 PST do you think this is part of her new look for 2021? Either way, I love him. There's nothing to be ashamed of here, there's always going to be and there's always going to be a big Kim fan. Kim Kardashian officially made the transition into summer with a stylish haircut that is quickly becoming her hottest month hair go. Kim Kardashian hair braids Tuesday's instagram instagram reality star debuted a neatly cropped bob while playing with this creepy new baby filter in Los Angeles and via Instagram. There's nothing like a new hairstyle to completely overhaul your look, and celebrities are masters of changing their looks flawlessly. Kim Kardashian hair style While Kim Kardashian stayed true to her signature look consisting mostly of form-fitting frocks sky high stilettos and commercial-worthy raven locks she became known for changing her image here and there. Kim Kardashian hair up By making a quick change to her enviable tresses her. Unless you've been paying attention to social media for the past eight years, you already know some of Kim's most memorable hair transformations. Kim Kardashian hair long He played with color that could forget the bleached lob from Paris Fashion Week. she tried out bursts that she doubtless regretted and even used the magic of wearing a wig when she decided not to go blonde in 2020. Kim Kardashian hair clips If you've ever wondered Which of Kim's mane moments let your curiosity among her favourites fade because the Kardashian Beauty revealed to the reality star during an Instagram takeover for her hair in her 15 favourite styles. Kim Kardashian hair care Snapchat and Instagram's Kim Kardashian was making fun of the baby filter yesterday, just like girl Chicago but I'll take that in a second. Fans noticed him rocking his goooorgeous blunt new bob look and he was out for the other day or two so it could be a. Kim Kardashian haircut short Big change for the star. And I absolutely love it first. Kim clearly digs through her extensions wigs and other fun hair changes altogether but it feels like a simple low-maintenance cut that makes things a little easier as bob warms the air. Kim Kardashian hair bob It's long enough to wear if he wants to but short enough for a great summer. The hair may be a wig but it is also possible to actually think its true hair could be TBD. I look like the only one growing their hair in the summer but this is a whole other situation. Kim Kardashian hairstyle Late last night Kim posted an Instagram photo that did not show. The new cut and she has not made any changes to her feed. Yet so hopefully she hasn't guessed herself in the second. She captioned the photo date night. Kim Kardashian hair now Glam and is wearing her more traditional long mermaidy extensions. Now it's not entirely clear whether the picture was from last night. Or who posted it now, the latter would make sense. Big cut for @ kimkardashian today. Who likes short hair. Appleton wrote on instagram

[the-iris-of-goostly]

Oh Well, (original writing)

AN: This is not what I expected to happen, I’d started with a generic writing prompt that sounded pretty fun and just went waaaaaay off course with it. not to mention it’s double the size I expected it to turn out to be. Anyway, this is unedited/beta-ed and I’m about to go to sleep so enjoy this beautiful mess (the past tense of all of the narration is intentional BTW, I may decide to fix it later though if I find it annoying when reading it over and editing).

I fumbled with the handle of the door but it was locked, I dunno why, I don't remember locking it up. I thought I'd left it unlocked 'cause my keys aren't on me. Oh well, I smoothed my hand across the top of the door frame, looking for the key but it wasn't there, weird. The garage door's still busted so I could probably get through there. I fell over the wooden railing of the porch and onto the rose bush, mom'd pry be mad at me if she saw, hope it wasn't too bad. I checked my shirt for holes, it got a big one up the side, broke skin a little too. I touched it and it stung. I would bandage it up once I got inside. The garage door, that's right. I walked over to the garage and tugged up at the second indent from the bottom, it ran up with nearly no effort on my part, I wasn't expecting it and fell on my ass. I flopped back onto the driveway, then lifted my head to rub at its back where I'd smacked it against the concrete. I left my hand under my head and relaxed my neck, I allowed my head fall back against my hand. I looked at the stars and thought only about how much I should have admired their beauty. My hand began to feel stiff so I flexed my fingers slightly and felt an almost crunchy sticky feeling. I sat up and moved my hand away from my head feeling a few stands of hair pull away with it. I brought my hand up to my face and smelt it but didn't smell anything so decided to lick it, it tasted like iron and a hair stuck to my tongue. I licked around my mouth trying to locate the hair and when I did I reached in and attempted to grab it. It got away so I repeated the process. after the second failed attempt I gave up and attempted to swallow it. I half succeeded, what felt like approximately an inch of the hair went down my throat, the remainder of it had somehow managed to wrap around one of my teeth. I skimmed my tongue over my teeth and felt the hair wrapped around one of my bottom molars. I pushed at it in attempt to loosen the grip with which it held to my tooth. in doing so I managed to pull on what of the hair was down my throat, tickling the tissue it came into contact with and causing me to vomit down my chest. I rubbed at the liquid on my chest instinctively before pulling my hand away in disgust. Glaring down at the mess on my chest that I could barely tell was multicolor in the light from the neighbor's porch even with the context of the sweet taste in my mouth and the memory of the gummy worms I'd purchased after leaving the club. I removed my shirt quickly before the vomit cooled and threw it onto the grass next to the driveway. in the back of my mind, I hoped that the silk would remain intact through the stomach acid but knew it to be unlikely. I laid back against the cool concrete, which felt somewhat sticky against my hair but I didn't care, I crossed my arms over my chest and closed my eyes, falling into a shallow sleep... I woke to sirens that sped down the road before turning toward me and stopped in front of me with a light which shone through my eyelids. Soon after the light became brighter, I opened my eyes wondering what was happening. The sound of the siren stopped but the car still had blue and red swirling on top of it. I heard a door open and slam, followed by a sigh. "what're you doing out here, ya know ya don't live here no more. Really covered in blood an' ya shirt off. what the hells wrong with ya." "What'd you mean I don't live here? Mom said I could move back in like, months ago dude." "Yeah, but that was before the foreclosure and her getting committed or don't you remember, you need to go to the looney bin too kid?" Oh, that's right... "Fuuhhhhck." "Hey, watch your language son! Now c'mon, I'll take you to the station, get ya cleaned up and put some coffee in ya and get ya back to your place." Why'd this happen, "I don't wanna go to the station, just take me home!" "Sorry son, can't do that, Mrs.Tran called all worried and kicked up a stink and you know how she is. If this doesn't at least go on your record she's gonna make it everyone's problem, and I know ya don't want that to happen just to get an hour of extra sleep tonight." why is she always such a hard ass? "It might have something to do with what happened between you and her husband but that's nona-my business." ... "Did I say that out loud or can you read minds?" "you said it out loud." ... "okay but just to be safe: whad'm I thinking right now?" "I don't know 'cause I can't read minds" ..-"Fine, but if I find out you're lying to me I'll never forgive you or trust you again. If you fess up now I might forgive you though." "I don't got a thing to fess up to. now come-on, up in in the car before I gotta cuff ya." "Geeze fine," I attempted to stand and stumbled toward the passenger side door. "oh no ya don't, in the back kid. I'm not geddin' in trouble with the chief just so you can have a comfy ride." I groaned, "Fine have it your way," stumbled to the back door of the cruiser, tugged on the handle, and collapsed onto the seat, eyes closed. I heard the front door open and close followed by a seat belt clicking, jingling keys, an engine turning, and beeping. "doors gotta shut before we can go anywhere and the sooner we go the sooner you're home." I reached for the door and slammed it shut. "Come-on, seat belt too, I'm not your nanny." "exactly, you ain't my nanny so shuddup and drive." "fine, it was worth a shot though" he muttered as we moved backward out of the driveway.

#drunk #my writing #writing #i'm not sure this is funny #someone will think it's funny #i'm not sorry

[colorisbyshe]

I'm writing an essay for class and it's hard to come to terms with certain sources you gotta use? Like, I know that sometimes agreeing with ideological opposites is basic shit, but still... Any advice on how to be as sure as possible that you're getting the best source? Ugh, I'm having a hard time agreeing on a certain topic with a pos. (btw, my English is passable but i'm still trying for its nuances lol so sorry if this was unintelligible)

I’m gonna be like... real honest. I have procrastinated on every paper I have ever written in my entire academic career from kindergarten to my senior year of college. I barely even put in the quality control of editing and revising my papers for grammer, let alone verifying I have the best sources. Plus, a significant portion of my papers weren’t research based, so I didn’t have to cite too many sources.

So, I don’t think I’m the best person to help you with your homework. Honestly, if your school has a tutor, you’re probably better off asking them.

I am the definition of a student who scammed their way through schooling. I’m the English major who didn’t read a single assigned book in its entirety. I barely fucking read the sparknotes. I got by because I participated a lot in class, I happen to have a writing style professors flock to and think of as Legit Shit, and I’m really, really good at skimming and figuring out what is necessary vs unnecessary information and bullshitting a thesis around the like 2.5 facts I know on a subject.

I am a mediocre researcher. My only skill is skimming and checking multiple sources to compare and make sure their facts mostly agree, which I guess is what I’d recommend. The best source is multiple sources.

The Best Source is also probably from organizations/authors you can verify are are least somewhat respected and seen as legit in their field, which is something you can check on your own, idk.

I know this isn’t helpful but like... I wasn’t a good student. I was a good bullshitter whose only skill was figuring out what the professors wanted and how to offer it. I can’t offer technical skills beyond that. I never learned how to study and retain information in any meaningful way. I just learned how to lie. This isn’t a brag or a humble brag, this is me being very, very honest about my shortcomings as a human being. I don’t have any of the skills you need right now.

Also, in general, don’t rely on random internet people whose grades and academic history you have exactly zero information on. For all you know, I could have failed every research paper I ever passed in. Actually, there is a semester where I failed 3 coursed in one fell swoop because I didn’t pass in any of the finals.

I am not your gal, anon.

#tbf #i was depressed and suicidal and didn't intend on living to see the next semester #when iddint' pass in those finals #but then i was given an extension on all of them #adn still didn't do any of them #so #yeah #i can give like... surviving advice #for college stuff #like 'here's how you make a calendar to keep your shit together!' #but actual like... academic advice? #nope #Anonymous