Hope is Something You Give Yourself

Tae Cho. Flaming hot. Dancing and tatting you up. RP Account

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

josephinevidales‌:

The woman listened closely to the insults that Tae listed away so quickly, head tilting slightly as she wondered how people could be so cruel over things that people didn’t have control over. They were who they were and it was disgusting how in 2019 people just couldn’t be accepting of those simple facts. But as she watched the flame leave his index finger, a smile tugged on her face since that was far more talent than anyone could ever hope to achieve. “I’ll never understand why flamer was something someone would consider an insult considering how in The Fantastic Four the hottest character literally used the words flame on as his catch phrase. But some people are just ignorant in that regard,” was all she chose to say to keep things light but everything was committed to memory.

“Oh, didn’t you know? Josephine Vidales has no insecurities,” she remarked as she tapped her cheek with her pointer finger before pointing towards him even though her words weren’t exactly covered in truth. She had plenty of insecurities but was always the kind to hind them very well. “I will admit that I’m a really sore loser so if I hypothetically was to lose, prepare for a never ending bitch fit that’ll surely follow.” It was a moment like this where Sophie wondered if being what she was now was even a benefit to her life. She’d spent so much time accepting herself but would she ever really understand that this was a lifelong commitment? That life was never going to be as easy as it had been when she’d been human. That she didn’t know. Add on her work stressors and it seemed pointless. Everything seemed worthless. Her eyes had glossed over slightly as she focused her attention on Tae’s words, nodding slowly in understanding. “Sometimes it’s best to focus on temporary solutions, though, because when you try to make it a more permanent thing it just seems far more overwhelming. But I understand where you’re coming from since my abuelita used to always tell me something very similar to that except in Spanish.”

“Yeah well, bullies have been around since the dawn of time,” Tae shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. He’d grown up with the harassment but he also knew he wasn’t alone in the world in that discrimination and intolerance. There was a sense of solidarity in that, knowing it wasn’t really personal. It took him a while to figure that out, to let the insults roll off him like water off a duck’s back. But he found life was easier when you didn’t get hung up on the haters. “I mean, hey, maybe I’ll take that cure stuff and that’ll trim down some of the hate thrown my way,” he joked, rolling his eyes. He didn’t think he’d ever take the cure. He understood why someone would want to, but Tae had spent so long being himself, taking years to accept who and what he was. He didn’t think he’d feel any more comfortable turning into something that he simply wasn’t. “What do you think about all that craziness?”

He chuckled at her comment and nudged her arm playfully with his elbow. “Oh, forgive me, I forgot I was in the presence of greatness,” he chided with a smirk. But he could see the sincerity in her words. Everyone had something they tucked away behind a smile or some other defense mechanism. Tae wasn’t in the business of pulling those curtains back when he noticed them, though. “Uh-oh, sore loser? Maybe I should tone it down on the playful competition. Because newsflash, you’re going to lose,” he joked, quirking an eyebrow at her. When Sophie transitioned to the life advice her grandmother had given her, he nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I guess it’s better to actually try to fix things instead of ignore them. Turn the other cheek and all that. But yeah, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You’re totally right about that.”

[erinbarlowxx-blog]

@Tae

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

erinbarlowxx‌:

Wide blue eyes followed the flames, watching them flicker and dance like they were from a candle and not his finger tips before focusing once again on his face. It was still Tae, she told herself. Like her, but different. Still fumbling over his words, pulling smiles out of her that she didn’t particularly want to give under the present circumstances. He was safe. It was fine.

Dropping her head in her hands, she let out a short, tight sound at his question. As if declaration was her problem. Part of her wished it was. It would certainly be easier to explain away, give her a solid reason for the way she was reacting. She felt a little stupid about it now, like she was overreacting, but it was hard to make sense of something you refused to think about, and she kept it buried underneath for a reason. “I’m declared,” she muttered, finally lifting her head and dropping her shoulders. She frowned at him, at the face he was making at her. Seeing Tae concerned was unusual. It was even worse knowing she put that look there. This wasn’t like them. They were supposed to be nonsensical banter. Flirtation. Not whatever this was. It left a sour taste in her mouth and she found herself desperate to get back to how they were. Even the awkward almost-kiss from the ball was better than this. It would be difficult to get back to how they were, though, given her outburst. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

“It’s not like, I’m ashamed or anything. I don’t think. Not really? It’s… I like being a witch, you know? I do, even if I’m not great at it, but…” Sighing, she twisted her fingers together as she struggled to put it into words. “Look, my parents kinda suck, you know? I love them. Of course I do, but they were not great with the whole my daughter is a witch thing. My mom kind of flipped out. I didn’t even find out I was a witch until I was seventeen, and it was only because my aunt showed up and forced that knowledge on me.”

Pausing, she chewed on her lip as she thought, hating the emotions it brought up to think about her past. It wasn’t the worst, it wasn’t like she was beaten for it. Definitely nothing like what her ancestors had been through, or what any supernatural growing up out in the open had to deal with, but it still sucked. “They basically were like, deny this super important part of yourself or get the hell out. I got out. I had my aunt, you know, so it wasn’t the worst thing, but that kind of, you know, set the precedent for how the rest of my life would go. Turns out people get kinda freaked out by the whole shadow magic thing, too. Which it was great finding that one out. It just–It’s never been good when people find out, you know? So when I moved here I figured, great, fresh start. No one really has to know until like, I don’t know, maybe six months later? I just wanted to be just Erin, not the one loud girl with weirdly cold skin that can make shadows follow people. Which I can do and it’s totally cool, even if the cops in New England didn’t think so.”

Tae’s eyes widened when he realized just how deep this went. In this moment, he truly felt lucky that his parents had been unabashedly themselves. In Korea, the tolerance for witches was far smaller than in America. For them, they felt completely free by comparison, even when the family was harassed and ridiculed. Even though Tae faced discrimination and never had the chance to deny who and what he was, he was raised to be proud of it in spite of it all. His parents modelled that for him and his sisters. For a moment, his heart ached for Erin. 

“That...Fucking sucks,” Tae said, letting out a short, bitter laugh as he shook his head. He moved so he was sitting beside Erin, seeing as she had been vulnerable with him it felt appropriate. Hopefully he wasn’t misreading the moment the same way he had back during the winter ball. “Your parents are supposed to be the people that tell you you’re great the way you are. I can’t imagine,” he said. He hoped it didn’t come across that he pitied her, because he didn’t. He was frankly a little pissed but more disappointed in her parents for being the way they were. Once again, Tae felt grateful he wasn’t born supernatural to bigoted, human parents. But he knew what it was like to be different, and to feel like an outcast. He reached out and put his hand on hers as a gesture of comfort and solidarity.

“I gotta say, E, you’ve got guts. I can’t imagine making a choice like that, to walk away from my family to go be myself. That’s like, super fucking brave,” he said, looking into her eyes earnestly. Her skin was cold, as was typical for darkness witches. Tae was no stranger to the stigma-- being a witch was hard enough, but a darkness witch? The religious nuts loved to have a field day with them. His hand still on hers, he took a breath. “I’m in a coven. Have you thought about joining one? It’s like a family, a magic community...Sorry, am I mansplaining covens? But yeah, you could join mine?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Being alone sucked. Being alone because your own family shut you out? Arguably worse. Tae’s family taught him to bring others up and if he couldn’t, then bring them in. Maybe Erin could benefit from learning from other witches, working with them closely, and having that support network. “Grace is in it, too. You could even figure out what your coven power is. It’s pretty tight.”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

raffeoftheseven‌:

Saints and Sinners was like the dark underbelly of this new world he’d been thrust into. The lights were low and the music was loud, pounding through his chest like a second heartbeat. It was definitely more club than bar, like he’d been relatively used to given his time spent at Flanigan’s. But as he wove his way through the throng of bodies clustered together on the dance floor he didn’t find that he disliked it so much as he just didn’t really fit. 

Although, that could probably be said about any new experience he’d ever had.

The tightness in his back released its tension almost entirely when he saw Tae, his friendly smile like a beacon as he made his way to the bar. He’d actually watched a few episodes of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since he’d been given the nickname by more than one person, and the consensus was that it was to be taken as a compliment. Or, at the very least, it wasn’t an insult.

He took the empty seat next to Tae. “Hey, thanks. I’ll grab the next one.” A dutiful bartender hurried over to them and Raffe ordered himself a whiskey neat, turning back to his company as she busied herself with his drink order. He tossed a meaningful glance around the place. “I had no idea this place was even here. Someone tells you there’s a bar underneath a church, this is not exactly what comes to mind.” He laughed and shook his head. It didn’t particularly feel like Tae’s kind of place, but Raffe supposed he didn’t really know him enough to know that for sure. “Do you come here a lot?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty twisty, right?” Tae agreed, leaning back a little and surveying the club, mimicking Raffe’s own reaction. He leaned back forward as the bartender slid their drinks across the counter to them. “I think it’s pretty hilarious, given how nutty the human pastor is. Can’t believe he never, like, figured out this place was down here? Have you met that looney-tune yet?” 

Tae liked Raffe. Especially because Raffe knew Grace, who was basically Tae’s third sister. The guy was relatively new in town and Tae was never one to turn down the chance to hit the town with someone. And, objectively speaking, Raffe was quite the looker. In an edgy, sad-boy, kind of way. With Tae as his wingman, Raff would probably enjoy Shadow Falls more and Tae would have a chance with a girl. He took a sip of his own drink and shrugged. “I rotate a lot, it depends. But here’s a good place for dancing and fun stuff. It’s just...The girls here tend to bite and not in my favorite way,” he explained, grimacing playfully. “Like, I get it, a girl’s gotta eat. I’m more a fan of how the succubi girls feed, if you know what I’m saying,” he jested with a laugh. “How’re liking our little po-dunk town, Raff? Gonna stick around?”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

alisonhashart‌:

Honestly, Alison was tired of being tired. The dreams had been relentless. Or, well, the dream. She’d thought that getting out of peds would mean her past would stop haunting her, would stop breathing down her neck every chance it got. She hadn’t gotten into nursing to be reminded every single day of the accident that had ripped away so much from her. But night after night, it returned. It was the same every single time. She was arguing with Ben about something, but she could never tell what it was. The words were muffled, like the teacher from Charlie Brown. Maybe that was because she herself could not recall what the pointless argument had been about. And then the deer in the middle of the road. A flash of light. A telephone pole. The piercing sound of metal scraping metal and folding in on itself. 

It always ended the same way, too. The moment right before she’d open her eyes to see the vampire that had saved her life, she’d jerk awake. Once a face that she never thought she could forget, it had become a phantom of a memory and she didn’t know why. What she did know was that if she didn’t get real sleep soon, she was going to start making mistakes she couldn’t afford to make at work. 

One of the nurses told her about Tae, a witch with an affinity for potions. She’d said that he’d helped her out with a sleeping potion before when she was having trouble sleeping herself and she’d told her he could be found at Tip Toes. She figured it was the perfect opportunity to thank him for her Secret Santa gifts since she hadn’t gotten the chance at the ball. So, armed with a few pieces of paper from the notebook he’d given her, she made her way to the dance studio. 

Luck was on her side, she realized, as she found most of the building empty. He must have been between classes or done for the day. She recognized him immediately as the guy she’d shared a hospital room with at that disaster of a Halloween festival. “Tae?” she asked cautiously, stepping inside a room with an entire mirrored wall. Her voice echoed through the mostly empty space. “I’ve been having a little trouble and a coworker of mine said that you might be able to help.” She reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper. It was from the notebook he’d given her and as she unfolded it, she held it up for him to read: Please? Oh, and PS, thanks for the Secret Santa gifts! And PPS, you’d be my freaking hero.

@flaminghot-taechos

Tae was just collecting the last of his CDs from the stereo in one of the dance classrooms. His after school hip-hop class had gone well as usual, but half the girls had a cheer practice after the class so they let out early. Other teachers would probably have been annoyed, but Tae was paid all the same. He didn’t mind the moments of downtime. But lately, quiet left him feeling unsettled. Maybe it was the political turmoil, the eruption of news regarding a cure for the supernatural gene, or everyone returning to their families after months or years of disappearances. But something in the air felt...off. 

When he heard his name, he turned and smiled at Alison. Perfect. Shadow Falls’ own little ray of sunshine. “Yeah, what’s up, girl?” he asked casually, walking over to her. He beamed when he recognized the notebook he had gotten her for the secret santa a few months ago. Things had been so much simpler back then. Truth was, he liked Alison but didn’t know her all that well. His sisters helped him find some safe gifts, but also something that came across more thoughtful than his original idea to buy just straight up office supplies and shot glasses. He took the paper from her curiously, uncurling the folds and read carefully. He snorted out a small laugh and nodded.

“I’m your man,” he assured, with a wink before crossing over to get his gym bag. “Can’t talk here, let’s go over by my car,” he said, pointing to the door. He held it open for her and guided her over to the parking lot, where his beat-up sudan sat. “What do you need?” He asked, opening his door and tossing his gym bag into the back. “Is this the sleep stuff again or what?”

[kodiaktaylor]

This was ridiculous. In all his years as an Incubus, he had never known a hunger quite like this. His stomach gurgled loudly, as if he’d been starving himself for the past couple of days, instead of gorging on snack foods from the dollar store. So what if he was in the money now? He couldn’t just go flaunting it around, hell no, it’d raise way too many suspicions. Especially considering his new status in town. New bachelor buys out the town of Shadow Falls’ steak and caviar stock? Yeah, no. Honestly, being human sucked ass. Gaze roaming the sidewalk, he approached the first person just a few inches before him. “Listen, we’ll skip the formalities for now. What I’m dying to know, is where can a guy get a good hot dog? And I don’t mean the ‘Oh, I’ll just throw it in the pot of weiner water we keep in the back’, 'cause I know the difference, alright? I mean genuine grilled, packed tight, dripping with relish,” Heaving an exaggerated sigh, he gripped at the jacket material over his stomach for emphasis. “I’m basically starving here, if it wasn’t obvious. Help a guy out, maybe?”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

Tae spun on his heel, grinning because this was probably the most interesting question he’d been asked all day. This, and “hey fuckwad, where do you get off?” which, as it turned out, had been a rhetorical question. Hotdogs were an improvement. The man who had approached him seemed vaguely familiar but Tae couldn’t quite place where.

“Hot dogs? Dude, the Hellmouth has like, a good version of like, anything. Chicago style and all that. Don’t let anyone tell you Devil’s Diner beats it, because it’s highkey townie-horseshit. That stuff’s only good if you’re drunk,” Tae explained, casually slinging an arm around the man’s shoulders. “Speaking of, do I know you, dude? You look really familiar.”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

zekereynes‌:

It still flashed before him, that simple 15 point font message on a gray background. Shutting his eyes did nothing to help him hide from it, it just made it more vivid. Thoughts passed him, but he couldn’t concentrate on any of them. Zeke was a shivering mess made up of fear, memories of old muddling the present until he couldn’t tell which was which.

‘Zeke-erino’. What a terrible name, he didn’t know why anyone would want to call him that, it was inelegant and ridiculous. Really, the only reason he tolerated it was because it was supposedly affectionate. But what had made him think about that now, when he had bigger problems to — wait.

Eyes opening, Zeke came face to face with Tae who was staring at him in obvious concern. Since when had he been here? He shouldn’t be here, it wasn’t safe. “I wish I wasn’t,” he responded to the question that he hadn’t even consciously registered had been asked.

Tae’s jaw dropped when he realized Zeke was having an episode. He had heard that he was prone to them, sometimes. Or something like that. His parents had known Zeke for a long time-- he was an open heart like them and they all liked to take in the lost the needy. Their friendship made sense but Tae had always been a passerby in the dynamic: Zeke was a family friend. He blinked in confusion, having never really experienced this firsthand and struggling to remember what his mother had said about them.

“Well, shit, we can go somewhere. Wanna go somewhere else?” Tae offered, frantically trying to find a solution to the shaking man’s dilemma. It seemed now, that his eyes were open, Zeke was more present than before. Tae sighed softly when he recognized the look in the man’s eyes. “Dude, I’m worried about ya.” He admitted.

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

murphyslawx‌:

Never one to turn down free anything, Murphy was more than happy to give a proper welcome, but when she caught sight of the familiar face she frowned. Their last interaction had not gone over well, which wasn’t all that surprising when it came down to it, but the memory of the exchange was still fresh in her mind. She hadn’t been kind, never really was, but the sudden reappearance and with a peace offering? It usually wasn’t to be trusted.

“That depends. Did you lace it with vervain?” If it was, she knew she’d be able to smell it from here, but it was still satisfying to watch his expression shift at the words and her own lips pulled into a smirk. Play nice, she told herself, eyeing him carefully before folding her legs underneath her. There was no way he was ballsy enough to poison her, and it would look better on her part if she at least made an attempt at civility. Plus, Amari had a point about having a witch in her pocket. Maybe, she mused, he could be of use. “I’m just fucking with you. You’re the witch-dealer right? You ever make up that botched attempt at a sale?”

Tae frowned, puckering his lips out somewhat playfully as if he was seriously considering her question and toying with the implication. “You know what, that would have been a great idea. Wait here one sec,” he said, pivoting on his heel and walking a step towards the bar before turning back around to her with a goofy smile. “Nope. It’s some whiskey-blood thing. Bartender said pale chicks like you like them, sorry.” He said, walking closer and handing her the drink. Tae wasn’t typically a confrontational person and he couldn’t really excuse his outburst from their previous interaction. He also wasn’t well-versed in apologies, but luckily, she seemed okay to just plow ahead. That was more his style-- smooth things over and hope for the best.

“Yeah, that’s what they call me. Other people just call me Tae,” he said with a nod. There, a personal detail to make him more personable. He allowed for a beat where she could introduce herself and they could attempt to talk like normal people who didn’t fight in public upon first meeting. He chuckled awkwardly at her question and nodded. “Yeah, apparently I was supposed to meet a blonde. I eventually found her, but she was definitely not you. Did you ever, uh, I don’t know. Finish going about your day?”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

giannasalsbury‌:

“Well, I’m more than glad that I could have been of service considering they don’t quite teach this sort of thing in the typical american history class. It’s just something you happen to learn by living,” she told Tae with a small one shoulder shrug of her own. She knew plenty of things she didn’t necessarily need to know but it had certainly proven interesting in her time alive. At least Gianna could say that she would be amazing at trivia. An embarrassed look blossomed on the young woman’s face at the fact that he put two and two together just from a simple statement. “I’ve been to my fair share in my life but I feel like I mainly go for the jousting event. There’s something about someone dressed as a knight that intrigues me. I want to go again this year since Nikkie is possibly old enough to enjoy them now,” she paused, laughing softly at his statement, “Wouldn’t quite go that far as a princess I shall never be. Unless you talk to Nikkie who is the only one who thinks otherwise.”

Her head tilted as she slowly began to nod her head, “Nicole does a little too well with ensuring that I get my exercise in. For some reason, she enjoys running up and down the stairs in my home when I’m trying to give her a simple bath that you’d think she’s part cat from how much she hates them. But even before I had Nikkie I was not the biggest fan of exercise unless it involved going for a swim at random moments to pass the time.”

“Dude, they teach jack in American history classes. I didn’t know what the Trail of Tears was until I was like, sixteen. From school, anyway. Britain was probably better about stuff like that. Like, pointing out bad parts of history,” Tae rambled. Though he knew he probably didn’t have a shot with Gianna, imagining the hot, single mom dressed up like some sort of Daenerys goddess definitely gave him enough creative thoughts to keep him occupied for some time. His eyes were probably glazed over as she spoke while he tried to picture that in his mind. “I’m sorry, back-track: when did you get into this stuff and are you like, a certified nerd-girl but hot? Because that’s like, super rare.”

Tae, being a man in his early twenties, began to tune her out again. Kids were fun and fine, he taught them to dance for a living, after all, but what they did outside of his classes was where he began to lose interest. He nodded vaguely, smiling politely. “Yeah...I’m pretty into fitness. Comes with the job and stuff, got a lot of pent up energy otherwise I just spaz out all day.” 

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

josephinevidales‌:

Smiling softly, the girl offered a playful roll of the eyes as she narrowed her eyes, “Well, you’re gonna have to audition out in the woods or something ‘cause ya girl is tired,” she teased with a dramatic flip of the hair. As he carried on, that was when the true intrigue set in for the detective since it made her wonder what else someone had to say about him. He was a bouncing bubble of energy and happiness, what was there to say? “Oh, now you have to tell me what the other stuff is ‘cause if you don’t I’m about to get hella disappointed that it wasn’t number one. I feel like at this point in my life, I really could care less about what people have to say about me. It’s like, in through on ear out the other ‘cause it’s always the same. The only one that’s ever bothered me is when someone called me a slut in high school just for offering to tutor some guys on my schools basketball team. Clearly some people don’t value their education like my nerdy ass did.”

“If you even had a chance of winning,” she clarified lightheartedly, smiling at the fact that he was truly taking his time to think it out as much as possible so she had to admire that level of dedication. Even if it was over something like bedding a friend. Laughing, Sophie moved the straw of her drink around as she took a few sips, “Oh, boo boo, I don’t think you’re going to get anywhere close to an ass like Nicki ‘cause not even I can manage that. Plus, it doesn’t go with your proportions so you should shoot for something more like a Chris Evans booty.” As he turned the conversation towards a more serious route, Sophie inhaled slowly as her cheeks puffed out in the process, slowly emptying as she shrugged her shoulders. “I appreciate it, I really do. I’ve just never been the kind of person to do that kind of thing, you know? I’ve always had this ‘i’m a big girl! i can do anything myself’ kind of mentality until it just.. explodes in my face,” the corners of her lips flipped into a faint smile as she placed her hand on his forearm, “But it’s sweet of you to offer. I’ll let you know when that day comes even though you’ll probs be able to tell straight up.”

Tae tilted his head and chuckled softly. Supernaturals, especially ones out and open like Tae, often faced a lot of ridicule and harassment. The intersectionality of being Korean, the child of immigrants, and a witch in a predominately white, Southern town, had it’s downfalls. Tae grew up with a target on his back, but he learned to grow thick skin fast. Laughing about the pain was the easiest way to deflect any real damage. “No, necrophiliac is number one. Flamer’s a funny one, because--” he raised his index finger, spun it around once, and a flame flickered to life, hovering just above the skin. “--you can make fun of me for being ‘gay’, because that’s an insult, apparently? And the witch thing. Then there’s gook, fish breath, Chinese-fucker. I get perv, failed-frat-star, shit like that. Hard to be a womanizer,” he teased, playfully sweeping his short hair back with his hand to mimic Sophie’s own hair flip. 

Tae’s jaw dropped in mock insult and he coughed out an ‘insulted’ laugh. “Oh, ho ho ho! Cocky, are we?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. “Because it sounds like a way to mask your true insecurities about losing,” he taunted. A little competition was healthy and Tae didn’t mind indulging. Sophie could dish it and take it, and so could he. He shifted into his ‘Dr. Phil’ mode, which was really just listening without interrupting to joke. Maybe he wasn’t a tough guy himself and maybe his life was two turds short of a shit show, but Tae knew what it was like to hide your true feelings. To stuff down emotions until you don’t really feel them anymore, or even know how to name them. He nodded empathetically. “My mom used to tell me this Korean saying: usneun eolgul-e chim-eul baet-eul su eobsda. It means you can’t spit in a smiling face or something like that,” he said with a shrug. “That’s how I deal with stuff. People hurl things at you, but if you don’t let it get you down, it won’t. But it’s like, only a temporary solution.

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

xtillinorwood‌:

Mattie was finding it harder to stop laughing the more she talked to him. It was such a nice change from the usual grumps she crossed on the street. If he could make her laugh this much, she was definitely going to find him again. “Hey you need the talent before the costume. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have a business.” Mattie shrugged, her smile never fading. “I’ll let you know about how well it works. I’m not worried, just real excited!” She began imagining how it would help around the shop and how she could send some home to her dad. The possibilities were endless now that she had a friend with the connections.

“Whatever you’re charging is fine with me,” she said as she counted out the money. “Back home there’s no magic, which is pretty weird actually. I figured people would be everywhere by now.” Mattie caught herself before trailing off too far and shrugged to herself. “Anyways, magic is rare, right? You could be charging hundreds of dollars and it would seem normal. At least to out of state folk like me.” She doubled checked her money before handing it over. 

For a moment Mattie froze. Did she really spend all this time with him, talk about wearing silly clothes and all, and never learn his name? Innocent Mattie would not know what was normal for secret, illegal transactions; so for her, no introductions was a bit embarrassing. “Oh gosh, I didn’t?” She had an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m Mattie. What’s your name? I don’t want to call you glitter trench coat guy forever.”

Tae couldn’t help but laugh along with her. Mattie’s smile and giggle were infectious and her reactions only fed his ego. Most people bought their potions, kept their heads down, and left. There were a few who would invite him to hang out of courtesy when they bought hallucinogenic potions, but that just made him feel like some cheap weed dealer. “Next time you see me, I’ll pull together a glittery costume just for you. We probably won’t meet in broad daylight though, but that’s the sacrifice you gotta make,” he joked.

He tilted his head curiously. “Really? Where is ‘back home?’ Mars?” He asked, scratching the back of his head. There was a good chance there were witches but they were probably driven to the shadows, closeted users of magic. Or the government drove them out, or the hunters. He shuddered at those possibilities. “Well, I won’t overcharge you. Yet. You did just play those cards now, though. I could sell you glorified chapstick for eighty bucks.”

“Mattie. Short for Madeline?” He guessed before laughing at her comment. “Hey, Glitter Trench Coat Guy works. It’s what all my fans call me. But you can call me Tae. It’s this weird name my mom picked out and put on my birth certificate. I guess it sorta stuck,” he joked, rolling his eyes humbly.

[kihong-source-blog]

kihonglee: I’m loving katsu.sando at smorgasburgla Might have to go again this Sunday! #katsusando

[landscapeconeybear-inactive-dea]

Me, listening to 7 Rings

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

@raffeoftheseven

It had been about a week or so, Tae wasn’t sure, since he had met his strange new friend, Raphael. Or Resident Ninja Turtle, as he had listed as the man in his phone. Initially, Tae had been wary of a stranger in town who openly admitted to murder, but after knowing he knew Grace and after spending more time with him, Tae resolved that the man was good people.

So of course, what better way to welcome someone to town than to try and get them friggin’ schwasty? Tae invited Raphael to meet him at Saints & Sinners. Flanigan’s was too casual (not to mention Erin was there and Tae didn’t need some hotter guy getting all the attention) and Neverland had more of a human vibe to it. Tae sat at the bar with his gin and tonic, perking up when he saw Raphael walk through the door.

“Hey! Ninja Turtle!” He greeted, waving his hand. “Come on over, man, first round’s on me!”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

murphyslawx‌:

Friday nights at Saints and Sinners were always busy, at least that’s what Murphy had assumed from her recent trips to the club since her arrival. It was full to the brim with workers, men and women showing up to destress from a hectic work week. Murphy was among them, but certainly didn’t count herself one of them. She only picked up a couple shifts at Grave Desires that week, and she sure as shit wasn’t here to let off steam. 

The argument, the hunters. It was all more than enough to have her even more on edge, and Murphy had made it an effort to ignore those events as much as possible. Avoiding her problems was probably one of her specialties, if not the thing she was best at, but because of this she found herself exhausted on a Friday night, with almost no energy to indulge in well, anything.

Knowing the owner had its perks, and because of this Murphy took advantage. Stretching herself out along one of the many plush couches, she sighed in satisfaction. Several empty glasses sat on the floor instead of on one of the many tables, and she let her finger lazily drag around the rim of the only one that still had amber liquid in it. With her stomach flat against the cushions and eyes on the teeming dance floor on the lower level, she didn’t see her visitor, instead hearing their arrival with a scuff of shoes on the carpet. She didn’t bother raising her head or turn to look. “Seat’s taken,” she said, just loud enough for even a human to hear over the loud music. “And yes, I mean all of them.”

Tae approached Murphy with a drink for her in one hand, and his own drink in the other. Their last encounter had been, well, less than amicable. He called her a racist and she handed his ass back to him and wasn’t exactly wrong for doing so. Still, she was hot and had that sassy vibe about her that Tae was both terrified of and attracted to simultaneously. His best bet was to smooth things over because if he was at least not going to have a shot with her, he’d also like for her to not take shots at him.

She laid out on the couch of the club like slinky cat in the sun and he stopped for a moment to gaze in awe. Wipe the drool off your chin, dude. He closed his mouth, his peace offering in his hands.

“Oh, really? I’ll just take this drink I brought over for you and, I dunno, drink it myself, I guess,” he teased, rolling his eyes.

[erinbarlowxx-blog]

@Tae

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

erinbarlowxx‌:

This was not part of the plan. Erin thought, her fingers twisting around themselves as she fidgeted in her spot. Her normal upbeat, cheerful attitude was stripped away, leaving her feeling uneasy. Worried. Part of her was even afraid. Not of Tae, of course, but of what he could say. If the cops caught wind of her practicing her magic out in the open, so far from a full moon, it’d be her neck on the line. She’d had enough run ins with law enforcement in the past. Shadow Falls was supposed to be a new start. She promised.

“I swear if you get me locked up, I am so never sneaking you my discount again.” She tried to play it off in her usual joking manner but even she could hear how flat her words were. Nerves twisted her stomach up into knots the longer she sat there until she couldn’t take it anymore. “Fuck, fine. Yes. Me, witch. Erin is a witch. There. It’s out. You can tell people if you want. I guess. I don’t know. Please don’t?”

Erin liked keeping this to herself, like the sort of anonymity it gave her. Sure, she knew that there were probably loads of people that passed by her in her day to day life that could probably sniff it out, but they kept their mouths shut because she kept hers shut. It was better this way, for now. Having Grace was more than enough for her at this point, with Emmy as an added bonus. It was only because of her aunt that Erin even told Grace in the first place. Something about trusting those who worked at Madame Zeroni’s. Erin couldn’t remember. Her aunt told her a lot of things.

She let out a long breath, slumping back down onto the stack of crates. She hadn’t even realized that she stood up, let alone that she had been pacing. She raked a hand through her hair and sighed. Tae was trustworthy, she told herself. A regular. She could even consider him a friend at this point. He was fun to be around, always made her laugh. Cute, but awkward. Maybe he tried a little too hard sometimes, but honestly who didn’t? She decided she was being ridiculous. Tae was harmless. He was harmless. “Sorry,” she finally muttered. “I kind of freak out when people find out without me like, actually telling them. I don’t even know why.” She sucked in a deep breath to calm herself before finally meeting his eyes. “And what do you mean by “too”? Did you–Are you–Damn. I’m an idiot.”

Tae froze when he noticed how jarred Erin seemed to be at his discovery. Her words were still very Erin, but their delivery was flat, almost worried. He could pick up on it. Sure, Tae had grown up knowing who and what he was. He was declared. His parents were. They taught him everything he knew and the most importance was pride. Pride in being a second-generation immigrant. Pride in being Korean. Pride in being a witch. The idea of hiding who he was seemed laughable, even when he was taunted and teased on playgrounds. Even when SONS OF WITCHES and BRING SALEM BACK was spray painted on his garage door or on his mother’s car. He knew why people kept to the shadows, but it never really seemed like an option to him.

He pinched his index finger into the tip of his thumb and mimed zipping his lips sealed. “Hey, if it means no more happy hour prices all day, you have my word,” he said, keeping the words very Tae but the tone more serious. He walked over to where she was sitting on the crate and sat beside her on a different one. Leaning forward with his hand, he snapped his fingers, igniting a small but steady flame from his fingertips. He cocked and eyebrow and smiled at her.

“Yeah, ‘too.’“ He repeated with a nod before waving his hand, fanning out the flame until it was gone. “You’re in good company. We’re the same, except I’m a flamer. Not like, a gay dude, but like. Fire. Witch. Magic stuff.” He said with a small smile before sobering up again. He always knew he liked Erin, but they had never gotten deep. Not like this. He supposed apologizing for the kiss would have been the deepest conversation they would have had, but then this unexpected discovery fell upon him. She was like him. But she was what, ashamed? Embarrassed? He couldn’t understand.

“Why does it freak you out?” He asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. If she was a fugitive with faked papers, or none at all, he would understand. But if not, what was it? “You’re declared, right?”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

zekereynes‌:

Dark eyes flitted about wildly, unable to understand what they saw in their owner’s current state. Where was he? It didn’t matter, it was unsafe. There were too many people and he didn’t recognize any of them, stumbling past them with his usual grace missing. A detached part of him realized he was having a panic attack, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember how to make it stop. This wasn’t like him, Zeke would never show vulnerability like this – but then, he wasn’t Zeke, was he? He was just Eli and the real Zeke was long gone. Why did he have to steal his name? Look where it got him.

Unsafe.

He shakily managed to make his way over to a park bench and collapsed on top of it, not checking whether there was anyone already sitting next to him.

Tae had been wrapping his favorite Saturday routine-- juggling balls of fire in the park while passerbys dropped spare change into a hat he had set on the ground before him. Being a witch wasn’t illegal so long as you were declared and Tae definitely was; why no capitalize on it by appealing to the public? He didn’t make much more than chump change after a few pyrokinetic tricks and shoved the money into his pockets when he saw an old family friend make his way to the park bench nearby.

“Zeke-erino!” He called, trotting over to the man, oblivious to what was happening. As he drew nearer, he noticed Zeke was shaking. Tae’s grin dropped and he rushed to the man’s side-- he had seen this before but still didn’t know what to do about it. Emotional support wasn’t something he was known for. “Whoa, dude, hey, you here, man?”

[flaminghot-taechos-blog]

josephinevidales‌:

“I mean, I’ve been working non-stop for well over two years, almost three so you could say that it’s about time that I use it. The amount of time I spend stuck at a desk or answering the most basic of calls this town has to offer is obnoxious. Who needs to call the cops because their neighbor is singing in the shower? Who?” Annoyance was laced in her tone, the use of her skills almost become useless given that she wasn’t even allowed to investigate - which was her literal job description - anything in town that didn’t benefit the humans. As if they were so fragile the moment they pull out a gun and point it towards an innocent person who just happens to have a different genetic makeup than them. Her nose scrunched in disgust at his words, shaking her head, “Nope, you can’t take it back now. You already said it and I’m going to remember it forever, Tae Cho. It’s gonna be up here,” she paused to tap at her temples, “that you would become a necrophiliac thanks to me. But I’ve heard people say way worse.”

Eyes flickered to his hand as her brow raised but she chose to shake his hand either way because this could at least make her life more interesting. After all, what was the difference between someone she knew versus a random she met at a bar? “I mean, I am a coffee addict so you’re just fueling my addiction but we can go to a bar another day. S’not like there’s never gonna be an opp since I’m always down for distractions,” shrugging her shoulders, the wolf slowly moved her straw around in her cup before saying, “You’re more than welcome to come to the gym with me, dude. I’d totally bust your balls by making you do my work out but who said guys can’t have sick butts?”

Tae burst out laughing at her rant, in only slightly in disbelief at the ridiculousness in people. “Jesus Christ, for real?” He asked incredulously, still snickering. He sobered up for a moment, putting his hands over Sophie’s. “In my defense, I was practicing for my American Idol audition,” he joked before pulling his hands back. When she honed in on his very unfortunate choice of words, he rolled his head back and groaned. Smooth move, Cho. “God dammit. Well, maybe it’s not the worst thing someone’s called me? Necrophiliac? Nope. Probably top of the list worst,” he sighed before chuckling, showing he wasn’t taking things too seriously. “What sucks is that people have said worse to you. Remind me to never work on the force. Or be a hot girl.”

“Right, bar another day. Coffee gets me all wired then I’ll really go bananas with the shots and that’ll minimize my chances of winning,” he strategized, tapping his fingertips together as if he were a cartoon villain scheming. He picked up his mug and took another sip. “I’ll take you up on that. Gym-Buddies 2k19, for the win! I want an ass like Nicki.” he chuckled before collecting himself and switching gears. “But yeah, shit’s getting wild out there. I know we keep doing the distraction thing, but like, if there’s anything you wanna actually talk about, I’m more than just an insanely-hot dancer dude. I can also be an insanely-hot dancer-dude emotional support,” he offered, toning down a little to be more genuine. He meant it. Tae might not have been known to be in touch with his emotions, but growing up with two older sisters, he learned how to be a good listener. He could flip that switch on and all Sophie had to do was give the word.