Jack is disenchanted and disappointed.
As exciting as it was to talk to Tiny Can, he'd expected more of the AI Therapist.
Sai went back to sleep again, he's exhaused from crying and reliving his worst memories.
And Ji Ho and Jack decided to play a bit.
But the only 'game' available is a boring puzzle...
Jack: "Oh my, I don't know what's more boring. This puzzle or our therapy... Have they never heard about gamification? Or fun? Or to make it a bit more interesting?"
Ji Ho agreed. Though the insight about Vlad and his own locked away feelings was interesting. Maybe he should follow and explore these thoughts a bit deeper.
Suddenly Saiwa was wide awake: "What did you just say, Jack?"
Jack: "Uh - probably something wrong? You finish the puzzle, Ji Ho, I go and run."
Saiwa: "No! That's actually brilliant!
Gamification! The Game!!!
We combine the AI with our game and make it a Therapy Game!"
Jack and Ji Ho: "..."
(Haha you can see how Jack and Ji Ho's brains are working ^^')
Saiwa: "And not just for us - for other creatures too! This would have been so helpful when we'd been so scared and alone! And who knows? This could be a sucess and we'd make money to pay Rubyn and the others back!"
We barely get to see Saiwa this excited ^^'
But here some of his main interests meet, his love for games and computers - and being there for others and help them.
Vlad went back home to grab Saiwa, Jack and Ji Ho's content they'd already had created for their game over the last months and then they started their epic gathering to develop the:
For the computer game they'd planned, Jack already made the concept art and design, Vlad wrote and Ji Ho composed the music and soundscapes.
They are going to feed all this to Tiny Can and see what kind of 'gamification therapy' he'll create. How exciting!
(For me it really is! Imagine this: a game that also is a therapy - supported by an AI! How amazing would that be if you could see the things that make you suffer from a distance and you'd find solutions for them by doing insightful AND funny AND interesting quests! You'd gain helpful new habits and get rid of unhealthy ones by playing a game!
Where I live it's so hard to find a therapy place. We have to wait up to a year -.- I do have high hopes in AI. You could go by your own pace. And you wouldn't even have to leave the house!)
After a very long gathering, Ji Ho and Jack relaxed in the hot tub. Jack's pain is thanking him.
They sat silent for quite a while, lost in their thoughts.
Very unusual for Jack, but his brain is running on hyper speed now. He's so excited :3
And Ji Ho was pondering about his locked down feelings.
The Bond made it easy for him to love Luci. They had a whole different approach to each other. While his relationship with Vlad was doomed from the beginning (their story in (kind of ^^') short -> here).
The only ocassions where Ji Ho was really comfortable with Vlad was, when they touched and made love.
And this is also a benefit of the Bond and Luci because Ji Ho hated being touched in the beginning. After all he'd seen at the House of the rising Sun in the slums of Sulani. But Luci had approached him slowly and tenderly.
Ji Ho shared his thoughts with Jack: "Do you think this might be a way to become more comfortable with Vlad and finally be able to love him? And to find my buried down feelings?"
Jack: "I think that's brilliant! At least one of us learned something in that therapy. When you charge the Bond later, just try a bit more and we'll see how it goes."
A little later Vlad came down: "Uhm, I'm leaving now. The Bond..."
Ji Ho left the hot tub and went over to Vlad to charge the Bond - and try his new theory...
They embraced each other as usual and then Ji Ho tried to kiss Vlad.
But Vlad moved his head aside and whispered:
"I want nothing more than you - but not like this." Vlad's breath ghosted over Ji Ho's still wet skin and made him shiver.
Vlad still has his principles - not to forget his foolish pride.
No way he's going to have a plain physical relationship with Ji Ho - without love. There is no 'two out of three ain't bad' or 'it's better than nothing' in Vlad's world ^^' Only 'it's all or nothing'. He would do anything for Ji Ho, but he won't - and can't do that. It would break him apart.
That does not mean it was easy for him to not give in and leave.
Vlad really is the master of self control ö.ö
And then Vlad left.
Ji Ho seems a bit piqued after Vlad's rejection ^^'
'I can't stop this feeling
Deep inside of me
Girl, you just don't realize
What you do to me
When you hold me
In your arms so tight
You let me know
Everything's all right
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me'
Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
from the OST of Guardians of the Galaxy I
Outtakes
He will be mine, oh yes, he will be mine.
Yang Mal: "Can we grill our corncobs now?" 🌽
Saiwa: "Uhm - sure ö.Ö'"
Ji Ho checking the mail... 📬 Who might have sent that letter when Ji Ho looks like that?
Tyalindo watching the sun set 🌅
From the Beginning ~ Underwater Love ~ Latest
🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here
📚 Previous Chapters:
Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28
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Steve and Eddie have a fight and give each other the silent treatment for eight days. Within the week, Eddie is arrested on a multitude of bullshit charges and Uncle Wayne has to pick him up from the sheriff’s department every other day, each time progressively more confused and exasperated. Who the fuck could get arrested for disturbing the peace four times in the same week and why was it apparently Eddie?
Eddie has no idea what he did to warrant all the arrests and assumes that Officer Callahan is on some sort of weird power-trip for that entire week. He doesn’t notice that it stops as soon as he makes up with Steve.
It’s only when he sees Officer Callahan, Officer Asshole as he lovingly refers to him, at Steve’s Christmas dinner that he discovers that they’re brothers. In hindsight, it makes all of Callahan’s hatred make a lot more sense.
Even after he finds out though, Phil still arrests him for various charges whenever he hears that Eddie pissed off Steve. Disturbing the peace, gross negligence, making Phil’s life harder; all reasons that Eddie has been arrested for but never charged with. And yet, the Munson idiot that Phil’s brother is in love with hasn’t yet learned his lesson. Luckily for him, Phil will keep it up until he does.
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"I should've seen the signs" I feel like Stoick was basically reliving the way he lost Valka.
To him, after a lifetime of wanting nothing but to kill a dragon, Hiccup's suddenly and inexplicably changed his mind. To him, Hiccup saying he can't kill them is just like when Valka refused to and tried convincing others as well, then as a result was 'killed' by one herself.
To him, way Hiccup tossed his weapon and shield to the side then approached Hookfang while speaking about how dragons aren't what people think they are probably bares an uncomfortable resemblance to the way Valka put down her weapon and stared a dragon in the eyes and as a result was taken.
To him, attempting to do anything but preemptively defend yourself against a dragon will only end in tragedy, so he has to do anything he can to stop Hiccup before it's too late.
(And just like with Valka, he unintentionally escalated the situation by trying to protect Hiccup but only agitated the dragon, causing it to panic and react, inadvertently putting someone he loves in danger. again)
Stoick of course, wasn't acting rationally, but it makes sense when you think about how traumatizing Valka's 'death' must've been for him (and how much Hiccup reminss him of her); he watched her get taken, presumably killed, and couldn't do anything about it.
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The Boys rode through the pouring rain across the Bridge over to Koh Sahpa.
And the horses stopped by a stilt house.
Jack: "Are we going to stay here? Woah! When I showed Ji Ho the beach after he arrived we saw a stilt house and we talked about how awesome they are and we asked Arturo if we can buy a lot here to build one..."
Vlad: "Arturo told us. Kiyoshi, Jeb and I built it to make it up to you. It's not finished yet. You were only supposed to see it later. "
(So that was their secret project!)
So Kiyoshi built this house. For Jack.
(Even Lunatic is stunned ^w^)
So Jeb built this house. For Saiwa.
Sai had put all his hopes in that circuit board because he has no idea how he is supposed to look Jeb in the eyes again after they 'agreed' that Sai should give in to a fake relationship with Kiyoshi to bring him back from the tree. Because they thought Kiyoshi is Saiwa's fated mate. But he wasn't.
Saiwa stared into nowhere...
Before Sai could follow these thoughts further he got distracted by the noise of the singing birds. Why are they so loud? Bird...
(They really are so loud here ö.Ö')
He has no idea how to go on.
Vlad: "Look after them and try to finish the rest."
(Yeah I know. Who would trust crazy Jack with looking after anyone? Usually he is the one they need to look after and care for. But Vlad trusts him. Because he knows the Jack behind his disorders and antics (and the ones who know adult Jack from our other stories know it too :3) And he knows that he can rely on him when it comes to it.)
Jack: "You're leaving? What about the Bond?"
Vlad: "Jeb and Kiyoshi need me. They are broken too. I will feel it when it's due to charge the Bond."
Jack: "When you feel it Ji Ho already suffers. He has the deeper connection to the Bond. Don't let him beg for it. The intervals are always the same when you don't use it's magic. Just come here in time and do it."
Vlad: "Uhm. Ok."
Vlad and his foolish pride and reluctance. Luci had been bolder... And Ji Ho often said that he doesn't mind physical intimacy with Vlad.
Then it was time for Vlad to leave - to look after Jeb and Kiyoshi...
He is hesitating.
And Jack took Saiwa inside to give them time to get their stuff together. Oh my, after all they already did with each other they still behave like this...
Vlad: "The Bond. I will be back before..."
Ji Ho: "Ok."
They held on to each other a bit longer than usual. Maybe the Bond hates it to see them apart or maybe they will miss each other. Who knows?
Vlad left and Ji Ho went inside.
Ji Ho: "Oh. He's already sleeping. I hope he changes his mind about Tiny Can. I could really need some help from a therapist. Even if it's only an AI."
Jack: "An AI is even better! He knows everything and is always up to date with the latest research and discoveries! He must have scanned countless articles, diagnoses, therapy approaches, research papers... I'm so ready to try it and get stuff fixed in my furry brain."
They sighed and turned around to take in the view.
And just across the river there was the stilt house they had admired a few weeks ago.
Just the one Kiyoshi, Vlad and Jeb built is so much more beautiful. Because they built it with love 💞
'There's a message in the wild
And I'm sending you this signal tonight
You don't know how desperate I've become
And it looks like I'm losing this fight
In your world I have no meaning
Though I'm trying hard to understand
And it's my heart that's breaking
Down this long distance line tonight
But I ain't missing you at all
Since you've been gone away
I ain't missing you
No matter what I might say'
Missing You - John Waite
Link above leads to the MV on youtube
From the Beginning ~ Underwater Love ~ Latest
🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here
📚 Previous Chapters:
Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28
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dunno if anyone else has said this yet but man this short makes me even more curious about the other actor’s reactions to Bob attacking Streber!! Like they all seem VERY close, and I don’t think joking about it earlier that night would make it any better for them when it eventually does happen for real
Oh yeah though!!! Even if it’s comedic foreshadowing if I learned my friend had his arm brutally ripped off after joking about it I would feel a bit horrified to say the least HSBCJDB
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