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tau1tvec · 3 months

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“Oh no, not again.”

Obviously the ring spooked her, and suddenly he’d seen this arrangement for the problem it was. However he couldn’t part with the thing, as much as it reminded him of his failures, it also reminded him of a time in his life where he felt at his happiest.

That happiness, sadly, wasn’t something he’d felt a lot of as of late though, and it’d driven out a sort of desperation in him; he only felt lifted from his shoulders the moment he saw her picture on that app.

Beginning to turn away from the table he’d spent a pretty penny reserving for them, he got from his chair to grasp her hand as gently as possible. This drew a rather expected response from her, however, as she glared at him, and pulled her hand away, and all he could do now was throw both his hands up in surrender, as he pleaded with her. “Look, I get it, I should’ve never deceived you, I— I don’t know what I was thinking, and if you decide you never wanna see me again, I wouldn’t blame you.” Sitting down again, he waved over a waiter, and immediately the server dropped what he was doing, and walked over like he’d been put under some spell. “Doesn’t change the fact that I pulled a lot of strings to get this reservation, the least you can do is enjoy a nice, free dinner.”

Crossing her arms over her chest she rolled her eyes as she looked down at him, begging almost, and even she had to admit it was as rare a sight as it was a pleasant one. Wealthy men of his caliber didn’t typically reach out to her, and he did fill out a suit well. So, as the waiter approached to help with pulling out her chair, she sighed in a bit of defeat, and plopped down into it begrudgingly.

“Fine! Dinner, but that’s it, I’m not looking to be someone’s side piece.”

Grinning, quite relieved to see her give in, he picked up his riesling he was sipping on while he waited on her, and took a quick sip. “Dinner and desert, and all the wine you like. Honestly I’m just glad to be having some company that isn’t my client.” Snapping his fingers at the waiter again, that’s all it seemed to take to convince the young man to fill up her glass to the brim with one of the house offerings. “I hope you like fish, I had a fresh Halibut sent in earlier today for the two of us.”

“Well,” she utter, impressed, but unwilling to let it get to his head more than it obviously already had. “You certainly did well for yourself.”

Raising a brow as he set down his drink, he looked at her a bit curious as to why it was she worded her reply like she did. “Oh? Did— did we know one another?”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you don’t remember me” Setting down her purse on the table, she pursed her lips. “Guess I can’t blame you, we only dated because we were desperate for dates to prom.” Smiling, and nodding at the waiter, he returned the gesture, then excused himself for the time being. “You broke up with Corin, and I found you in the empty computer room crying… isn’t all too often you find a high school boy in such a compromising position.”

Smiling widely, Aex scooted in his chair a bit more to get a better look at her in the low lighting. Suddenly it was all coming back to him. Sitting behind her in class, the smell of her body spray, her hair always done up intricately, her scribbling on notes her friends handed to her with a glitter pen while the teacher had his back turned. Those were such simpler times. “I’m surprised you didn’t record me, and post it on the internet.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not an asshole unlike my ex at the time, who also broke up with me. I guess I just empathized.”

“I remember now… we had almost all our classes together but we barely spoke to one another. You were always so quiet though, I never knew whether you just didn’t like jocks, or—”

“Oh I didn’t, I honestly thought you were all assholes, and yet I dated one. Starting to think I just like assholes.” Isa grimaced at the thought. “Though I will say Corin and company took the cake, as far as high school bullies go anyway.”

“Then I guess this is a pretty terrible time to tell you I married her.”

Narrowing her eyes at him, Isa tried to give her response some thought to avoid adding any more tension to the air between them, especially when it’d just begun to thin. “Terrible, yes. Surprising? Hardly.”

Returning with a co-worker, their waiter set down their first course for the evening, then his friend set them both on fire with a blowtorch before she could even attempt to recognize what it even was. Which proved he wasn’t lying about how costly this reservation was.

“You married your highschool sweetheart, you going to tell me what it is you’re doing here then?”

Grinning, even blushing a little as he did, he let the fire go out in front of them, a bit of an on the nose depiction of their conversation, then he fixed his tie, stalling essentially in hopes of finding the right words. “She’s been having affairs with other people, my brother being one of them… and even when I confronted her she seemed so matter of fact about it, as if I was the wrong one for just now finding out, and not taking it well.”

“Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss.” Picking up her fork and knife, Isa examined the plate in front of her trying to find the best point of entry. Too busy to notice the joke had gone right over his big head.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” she replied as she looked up at him, then took a bite of whatever it was the waiter just put down in front of her, only to disappear again like a well dressed cryptid. “Let me guess, she’s given you permission to go and do it too, so she can keep doing it without repercussions?”

The truth hurt, and it showed in his eyes.

“We’ve tried everything.” Picking up his napkin, rolled up neatly into a ring, he slipped it off and set it aside, and then placed the napkin over his slacks. Four years of finishing school having instilled habits in him he did without thought. “Counseling, trips to the alps hoping to reignite something— she slept with her ski instructor you know?”

“Sounds like she reignited something.”

“Supposedly she doesn't do monogamy. Two years of marriage, how am I just finding this all out?”

“I don’t know, everyone else in school knew.” This seemed to insult him, all too obvious in his changing expression, and she wasn’t surprised. Despite all his success, in sports, in school, at his business, when it came to love he clearly lacked all self-awareness, but it wasn’t a terrible thing to lack.

“Look,” setting her fork down, she tried to level with him, if at least to keep him from getting upset over his overpriced appetizer. “You did what a lotta people do. You fell in love with someone, and refused to see the worst in them, ever, you might be an idiot for that, but you aren’t wrong for it.”

“I went through that too at one point,” she add as she let out a sigh.

“Terrible, isn’t it? When you realize you’ll never be enough?”

Isa, returning his stare with her own, wasn’t fond of that question, but knew deep down it was still the right question to ask.

They were both here for a reason after all.

#oc: isa #oc: aex #my writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr

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odanurr87 · 11 months

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Alchemy of Completed 2022 Kdramas - Part 1

Last year I watched a bunch of kdramas, too many for me to properly review at the rate I write about them. As a result, I'm gonna try something different and quickly review those dramas that released in 2022 that I watched, and maybe recommend a few alternatives here and there in those cases where the show didn't live up to the task. Considering it's been a while since I watched some of these dramas, I binged a couple of them again to better inform my commentary. If you're short on time, or just want to add kdramas to your ever-increasing watchlist, you'll find a ⭐ next to the titles I wholeheartedly recommend, and a 💀 next to those I feel should best be avoided, but you do you. If you still haven't watched some of these shows, this list will hopefully give you some idea of whether you'll enjoy watching them (or not).

A brief note on my rating system before we begin. I use bins for my 1-10 scale in the following way:

Anything between 5 and 6 is considered average

Shows between 7 and 8 are considered above average

Shows in the 9 to 10 range are the cream of the crop

Anything between 1 to 4 is considered below average, with the 1-2 range reserved for the worst offenders.

Thus, I have two possible scores for the average, above average, and cream of the crop categories, what I believe makes my life a little easier when rating shows. I have occasionally given half point ratings (e.g. 7.5) to certain shows when I feel they're halfway to a better grade, but that has been the exception rather than the rule.

So without further ado, welcome to my Alchemy of Completed 2022 Kdramas - Part 1!

A Business Proposal⭐

Episode count: 12

Where to watch: Netflix

Rating: 8/10

Verdict: "You know I'm good at a lot of different things, right?"

We start with one of my favourites and the best short romcom of 2022. Based on the manhwa of the same name by Haehwa (original story) and NARAK (art), Taemu Kang (Ahn Hyeo Seop) plays the 'perfect CEO' stereotype who ain't got no time for love so, after several hilarious events, he eventually hires Hari Shin (Kim Se Jeong) to play the part of his girlfriend to fool grandpa. Unbeknownst to him though, Hari is his employee. Will their fake relationship turn into a real one? You bet your ass!

The show ticks almost all of the required tropes, subverts some -what was a pleasant surprise- and entertains throughout, making perfect use of its runtime. The second lead couple, played by Kim Min Gue and Seol In Ah, also turned several heads, not to mention the latter had great BFF chemistry with Kim Se Jeong. Week after week, I was looking forward to every episode of this show, especially considering how disappointing another romcom that aired around the same time turned out to be, and that you may or may not find in this list. You could say this show aired just in time for Samantha and Rachel to cure my FLAWless disappointment.

Again My Life⭐

Episode count: 16

Where to watch: Viki

Rating: 8/10

Verdict: Lawful Lawyer is back!

The better Lawless Lawyer of 2022. Kim Hee Woo (Lee Joon Gi) is a prosecutor who travels back in time to put the people who murdered him behind bars while the audience wonders which female lead he should date. And between Kim Ji Eun, Hong Bi Ra, and Veronica Park Kim Jae Kyung, well, he's definitely not lacking in choices. Fortunately, time travel is merely used as a trigger to tell the story (similar to 365: Repeat the Year in this respect), so we don't have to worry about kdramas' rather abysmal track record with sci-fi. The show keeps you hooked episode after episode, finding a good balance between the scheming, putting people behind bars, throwing some punches (has those trademark LJG action sequences!), all the while going after the next big fish. Last, but not least, it does an incredibly good job at managing an ensemble cast of characters, and there are a lot of them! If you're a fan of Lawless Lawyer or Lee Joon Gi, you can't go wrong with this one.

Alchemy of Souls - Part 1

Episode count: 20

Where to watch: Netflix

Rating: 6/10

Verdict: Watch a fantasy cdrama instead

Alternatives: Fights Break Sphere, Fighter of the Destiny

When I watched the character promos for this show I thought this could be Korea's answer to some of China's fantasy dramas, possibly Xuanhuan dramas, and I was all for it! I liked the male actor, Lee Jae Wook, in other dramas I'd watched with him (he was great in When the Weather is Fine and Search: WWW), and Jung So Min playing a master assassin and mentor in a fantasy drama was quite appealing. Of course, I was a bit worried when the teaser dropped, with its emphasis on some weak comedy, but I decided to give the show the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, Part 1 didn't live up to the task. It meandered a lot, definitely under-using its 20-episode order, focusing on every romantic relationship under the sun and then some, ultimately delivering an unsatisfactory hero's journey for the ML, while the antagonists played ping-pong with the alchemy of souls. At times, I was reminded of Hwarang, a show I have reviewed very poorly and that seems to have relied on the idol factor to garner popular appeal.

I've previously compared Jang Uk's journey to that of Xiao Yan from the cdrama Fights Break Sphere, in that I expected the former, from the previews, to undergo a similar rise to power as the latter, rigorously training under his master, slowly climbing his way back to power, but with the additional appeal of developing that romantic relationship between Jung So Min's character and Lee Jae Wook's, what would've made for a more rewarding journey for both the character and the audience. This is a tried-and-true formula, also used by the popular anime The Rising of the Shield Hero, to mention but one other example. Unfortunately for us, Jang Uk can hardly be bothered to train (supposedly, he "trained" with twelve masters for years and didn't learn a damn), except at the very specific, and limited, times that the script dictates, instead relying on luck and plot contrivances to "skip ahead" his way to power, what makes for far less memorable scenes. Additionally, the cdrama nails the master-student relationship thanks to the great rapport between Baron Chen's Yao Chen and Leo Wu's Xiao Yan, but there's hardly such a bond between Mu Deok and Jang Uk.

In the end, Part 1 of Alchemy of Souls should've been about Jang Uk's rise to power under the guidance of his master, and later love interest, Mu Deok, but it's too unfocused, its attention constantly diverted by comedy, love polygons, or caricaturesque villains doing dumb things under everyone's noses. Perhaps its only saving grace was the character of the Crown Prince, brilliantly played by Shin Seung Ho, who was able to nail both the comedy and the drama when called for. However, if you're looking for a good fantasy drama with a more traditional (or any) hero's journey, watch Fights Break Sphere instead, with the caveat only the first season has been released, and it's doubtful there'll be a second. I'd also recommend Fighter of the Destiny, with Lu Han. It probably doesn't have as good CGI or sets, but it has a better grip on the hero's journey than Alchemy and nails the camaraderie aspects.

Alchemy of Souls - Part 2

Episode count: 10

Where to watch: Netflix

Rating: 7/10

Verdict: Works better as a standalone watch

I should've probably left Part 2 of the show for Part 2 of my list, but I'm going in alphabetical order so that's that. This is one of the shows I decided to rewatch to refresh my memory and, to my surprise, it fared much better the second time around. Why's that? Read on to find out!

Part 2 of Alchemy of Souls starts strong, much stronger than Part 1 did, something many were doubting when the news hit that Jung So Min wouldn't return for Part 2, instead being replaced by the original Naksu actress, Go Youn Jung. Fortunately, she does an excellent job throughout, but especially in the beginning of Part 2, which comes across as more of a fairy tale (Rapunzel's), and where the show decides to embrace some of the typical marriage contact tropes, as Young Jung's character fake-marries the now uber-powerful Jang Uk in order to escape from her mother's tight grasp. Honestly, I wish the show had started with Part 2, in media res, and used the material from Part 1 for flashback storytelling, in a similar vein to how The Untamed did it. God, that would've been so good! Precisely because Jang Uk has become sort of a demigod he can boss around all of the useless supporting characters from Part 1 (I'm looking at you, Pathetic Assembly of Evil), and pretty much do whatever he wants, so it's quite commendable to see him return smarter and more measured in his decision-making.

As someone who watched Part 2 live back then, it started to lose its initial glimmer when an inevitable reveal kept being delayed episode after episode, hinting that it would obviously occur the next one. Of course, this never happened, but what made matters worse was the fact that the ML was kept oblivious while everyone around him found out and chose not to tell him because... reasons? I can understand one person keeping the secret for his own agenda, maybe a couple, but I find it astonishing that even Jang Uk's friends and family shared this same agenda, as they also kept the truth from him. Additionally, the more this delay continued the further the narrative possibilities were constrained and, thusly, certain scenarios conjured up by fans never came to pass. However, this will not be much of an issue for people coming in blind to Part 2 (or with a healthy distance from Part 1). Perhaps even the fact that the noble idiocy card is played, or that the main antagonist is obstinately preserved by the writers until the very last episode to little effect (when he shouldn't have made it past Part 1), won't present much of an issue to newcomers.

Having said this, I still feel the final battle for the fate of the world remains rather underwhelming and anticlimactic, not helped by the fact that certain characters are resurrected right before said battle. After all, if the show outright establishes death is not permanent, minutes before "the end of the world," why should I fear for any of the characters? Even Jang Uk himself, during this final battle, doesn't show an ounce of worry that maybe this time he will not make it out alive, regardless of his powers, making the fight seem entirely mechanical and perfunctory. The writers even throw in some half-baked plot device about the King's Star being powered by seven other stars, and since it had never been explained throughout the show a character has to exposition-dump it on our laps (there's quite a lot of exposition dump going around in Part 2, what helps newcomers to the show). It's a plot device prominently featured in the cdrama Fighter of the Destiny, which I previously recommended, so maybe it was inspired by it?

In the end, if you still want to get a taste of the Alchemy experience, I wholeheartedly suggest you treat Part 2 as the original show, with Part 1 being the prequel made to cash in on the show's success that, ultimately, you may not even need. Thus, as a standalone, I'm revising my original rating for Part 2 from a 6/10 to a 7/10, bumping it into my above average bin.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Episode count: 16

Where to watch: Netflix

Rating: 6/10

Verdict: Better luck in S2

Alternatives: Good Doctor, Again My Life

Woo to the Young to the Woo started off with a bang and had me sold after binging its first four episodes (I had a bit of an offset), making me hopeful this could be one of my favourites from 2022. Sadly, it was thereabouts that the quality of the writing slowly started going downhill for me. Woo lost me on two fronts: the weak framing and execution of the legal cases, and the underdeveloped cast of supporting characters, who were mostly neglected in favour of Park Eun Bin's Young Woo. Don't get me wrong, Park Eun Bin nailed the character, and her conversation with her mom in Episode 8 was particularly poignant and well executed, but it wouldn't have hurt to give characters like Min Woo or Jun-ho a case that resonated with them, like "The Strife of the Three Brothers," which was relevant to Young Woo's BFF Geu Ra-mi.

I'll take Min Woo as an example because, out of the whole cast of supporting characters, he showed the most promise. The show mentions in passing that Min Woo is his family's sole breadwinner, what could explain why he's so competitive and regards Young Woo as a threat rather than a boon, but the show never tries to explore this when it has the perfect medium to do so in the form of the legal cases. So why not give him a case that echoes some of his struggles trying to support his family while making headway into the competitive legal world, thus allowing us and his teammates to get to know him a little better? In essence, show us, don't just tell us. How am I then supposed to buy his sudden change-of-heart in "The Blue Night of Jeju" when you've given me nothing to support the fact he's bonded with anyone in the team? (besides Jun-ho who was already his flatmate) Perhaps not surprisingly, this particular episode throws a bunch of arcs left and right for the supporting characters to try and grab hold of, but too little too late.

As a procedural, I feel Extraordinary Attorney Woo is pretty average. It either didn't know how or never intended to handle its supporting cast of characters and successfully integrate them into the narrative, similarly to how a show like Again My Life did. To draw a curious parallel, the final episode of Again My Life gathers all of "the good guys" at the restaurant of Hee Woo's parents. There are 14 of them in total, not counting Hee Woo and his parents, and I feel like they've truly become one big extended family by show's end. Extraordinary Attorney Woo has a similar scene, gathering everyone at Min Shik's place that is meant to convey the same feeling, but they don't quite feel like a team yet, let alone a family. Maybe in Season 2?

If you're looking for a show featuring another savant autistic lead, but with a better grasp on developing an ensemble cast of characters, as well as a romantic relationship between the leads, then Good Doctor is the show for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for a kickass lawyer, well, you probably already know who I'm talking about.

Fanletter, Please⭐

Episode count: 4

Where to watch: Viki

Rating: 8/10

Verdict: A lot of heart in a small package

The first among three shows in these lists that feature Choi Soo Young and Yoon Park as either main or supporting leads. I'd only previously watched Choi Soo Young in So I Married an Anti-Fan, a show not without its share of issues, but her as the female lead wasn't one. Indeed, she was one of the highlights and I was looking forward to seeing more of her work. As such, I was looking forward to this mini-series, more so when I realised Yoon Park would play the role of a father willing to move heaven and earth for his daughter, what is not a typical setup in kdramas (in my watching experience, mind you). Off the top of my head, I can only think of Marriage Contract and Lie After Lie as similar shows, in terms of how much of a protagonist the child actor is. Both are shows I would wholeheartedly recommend.

As for Fanletter, Please, I was positively pleased by how much content and social commentary this show was able to fit into its 4-hour runtime without harming the storytelling, something that even full-length kdramas struggle to achieve. Having said that, I would've welcomed one or two more episodes to let it breathe a little bit more and, of course, to watch some cute family moments! This is definitely a case of so good you want more of it. Still, Choi Soo Young and Yoon Park make it work within the available runtime, what's a credit to them and the script. CSY was on a roll last year (as you'll find out in Part 2!) so I'll have to keep an eye out for more of her dramas, and it was very welcome to see Yoon Park play this devoted father character after the disappointing Forecasting Love & Weather (though he was pretty good in it). Give me more short dramas!

Forecasting Love and Weather

Episode count: 16

Where to watch: Viki, Netflix

Rating: 6/10

Verdict: Couldn't forecast love and I have my doubts about the weather

Alternatives: She Would Never Know, The Rational Life

I have a soft spot for Park Min Young, having watched romcoms like What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? and Her Private Life, or even melodramas like When the Weather is Fine. And who can forget Healer, where she played the part of Lois Lane to Ji Chang Wook's Clark Kent (watch it, it's a classic). I couldn't remember a drama with her that I didn't enjoy watching, so it broke my heart a little to see what a disappointing mess Forecasting Love and Weather turned out to be. I should've heeded a friend's advice to steer clear of Song Kang dramas, even though the script was clearly the worse offender by far.

The show hooked us in with the initial romcom elements, and then decided to veer into slife/melo territory, as the relationships between the different couples started to fray, with conflict being driven at an accelerated pace by the issues that arose from poor communication, or an outright absence of it, and how the different couples handled (they often didn't) the results of their miscommunication. I didn't much mind at the time because I felt they were being somewhat mature about it without overplaying their hand, and because my weekly romcom fix was being delivered by A Business Proposal, but they were treading a fine line... that got utterly ground into dust in the last six episodes. At this point in the show, the nonsensical drama was amped considerably, to the point it could've given Young Lady & Gentleman a run for their money, setting us up for the inevitable breakup. Why? Because the kdrama gods have written that a breakup must inevitably occur in Episode 14 or thereabouts, and this show is not about to subvert that trope!

Like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Forecasting Love and Weather failed at properly handling its ensemble cast of characters, trying to juggle five relationships to some very mixed results, when it would've been better off simply focusing on the main and secondary couples. As a result, by show's end I could've cared less what happened to the main couple, and was actually a bit more invested in the secondary one, played by Yoon Park and Yura, possibly because they at least tried to talk to each other and work things out. Honestly, Yoon Park's Ki Jun got the better deal out of all the characters in the show. How do you make Ki Jun, the guy who cheated on his fiancée with Si Woo's girlfriend, a more likable, or at least interesting, character than everyone else? You have him grow from an immature baby into a more or less responsible adult. You could argue that the main leads experience growth of their own, but it struck me as a bit aimless, a bit hollow. I mean, 16 episodes for Ha Kyung's boss to tell her you learn more from your mistakes than you do your successes? Seriously? Just go to r/GetMotivated for that.

Would I recommend this show? Unless you want to learn a little about what goes on behind the scenes of a weather forecast, not really, but maybe it's my fault for having high expectations due to PMY. It's not a bad show though, just average. If you want far better executed takes on this concept, check She Would Never Know on the kdrama side, and The Rational Life on the cdrama side.

Glitch💀

Episode count: 10

Where to watch: Netflix

Rating: 3/10

Verdict: Watching an episode of Ancient Aliens on the History Channel would've been more exciting and a lot shorter too

Alternatives: Circle

Can I get away simply by saying watching this show was a glitch? No? Dammit. I should've known better than to watch a Netflix-produced kdrama, even if it does star Nana, 'cause they've all been a bust for me, but Glitch was one of the privileged few shows I watched in 2022 that made me feel I had utterly wasted my time, with no redeeming qualities about it. 500 minutes to tell a story that lacks focus and is all over the place, perhaps stretched thin to meet a Netflix episode quota, with a FL that is not particularly interesting to follow, as she goes through a midlife crisis and teams up with Nana to investigate a UFO cult that may or may not have kidnapped her ex to sell his kidneys. Okay, maybe I made up that last bit about the kidneys.

The comedy doesn't land, the mystery doesn't land, the drama doesn't land, and the UFO doesn't land either. Undoubtedly, the finale is the better episode of the show, not least of why because it marked the ending, but also because the show didn't have any more time to dawdle as it had been doing for the past nine episodes, what gave it some much needed focus. To make matters worse, the surprises and twists at the end of each episode just weren't good enough to keep you hooked, nor, I'm afraid, were the leads. I was tempted at the time to give this show my first ever 1/10 for the way it wasted my time over the span of those 500 minutes, with a story that was infuriatingly inconsistent and lacked a lot of common sense, but it's probably not that bad. Still, I would only recommend watching it to my enemies, probably alongside something like Sisyphus.

Good Job

Episode count: 12

Where to watch: Viki

Rating: 7/10

Verdict: Good fun

Alternatives: Secret Royal Inspector

Another ENA network show, like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, but shorter and more entertaining, as we follow the crazy antics of Eun Soon Woo (Jung Il Woo), a chaebol CEO who doubles as a private detective (think Bruce Wayne/Batman), and Don Se Ra (Kwon Yu Ri), his newly-recruited superpowered assistant, as they aim to solve a 20-year-old cold case while uncovering other, smaller, cases, helping people and rectifying injustices along the way.

Good Job is just a fun ride overall, even if the comedy can be a little hit-or-miss sometimes, especially when it drags on for too long or tries the Marvel route of undermining certain scenes. The writing too could've benefited from another revision, as some events feel gratuitously delayed, like when a character refuses to reveal a certain name only to do so a few minutes later, while others are forced to a head, like Se Ra discovering Soon Woo's batcave. Oh, yeah, he has a batcave, of sorts, and even an Alfred, in the form of Lee Joon Hyuk's Director Hong, whom you may recall from Mystic Pop-Up Bar. He also has a talented sidekick and comedic support, Jin Mo (Eum Moon Suk), both a lawyer and a hacker, who also gets into a romantic entanglement of his own with Se Ra's best friend, Na Hee (Song Sang Eun). This is the mini-Justice League you'll see play dress-up (these scenes are so over-the-top fun!) from episode to episode, as they go undercover to solve cases and get one step closer to their goal. In this sense, this show could be compared to something like Taxi Driver, but, unlike the latter, Good Job doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should you for maximum enjoyment.

While the resolution of the final case felt a bit underwhelming, and perhaps a tad perfunctory (I did appreciate the brief redemption arc for one of the antagonists though), Good Job achieves in 12 episodes what Extraordinary Attorney Woo could not in 16, making its cast of characters grow into a team, one I would not mind accompanying in more adventures in future seasons. Will that happen? Probably not, so if you're looking for more fun adventures of the sort, and don't mind traveling to the past, I would not hesitate to recommend Secret Royal Inspector, with Kim Myung Soo and Kwon Na Ra.

Grid💀

Episode count: 10

Where to watch: Disney+

Rating: 4/10

Verdict: Another nail in the kdrama sci-fi coffin

Alternatives: 365: Repeat the Year, Reset, Circle

Sci-fi is one of my favourite genres, but kdramas have had a rather lousy track record at delivering good quality sci-fi and, sadly, Grid does nothing to change that. Our story starts in 1997, when a mysterious time traveler known as "the Ghost" laves a program for an energy grid to replace Earth's failing magnetic fields. This Grid is now managed by the Administration Bureau who intend to track down the Ghost and unlock the secrets of time travel... eventually. The show's comprised of only ten episodes, yet the pacing of the first half is slower than it has any right to be given the events depicted (hint: they aren't that exciting) and the dialogue isn't stimulating enough to sustain such a slow burner. This "season" could've been compressed into 5 or 6 episodes and it would've been stronger for it. Of course, then it would hardly qualify as a "season" (though Netflix seems to think it does).

The main plot line focuses around this serial killer and the fact that the Ghost is helping him evade capture. Why is this time traveler aiding and abetting a criminal? Honestly, this question was never interesting enough to fuel ten weeks of watching (the pain!) and it shows. Additionally, it is not answered conclusively, although there are some bread crumbs for the viewer to put the pieces together. In fact, this statement captures the show in a nutshell; it raises questions, but never provides any conclusive or satisfying answers, playing on the viewer's knowledge of other (better) time travel stories so they can come up with their own. Perhaps the worst example of this is the season finale, which is only meant to set up events for a possible S2 (in your dreams, or nightmares), thereby raising even more questions.

The writer behind this, Lee Soon Yeon, is apparently quite good, having written for Stranger and Stranger 2. I haven't watched either show so I can't comment on them, but time travel stories aren't for everyone. Having said that, the "mysteries" that are supposed to keep viewers hooked were also underwhelming. I remember reading an article that recommended Grid as a show that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I suppose it's possible to fall off your seat while asleep, right? If you want a show that uses time travel well, though in very limited fashion, merely as a trigger for the plot to unfold, watch 365: Repeat the Year. The cdrama Reset is a great exponent of using a time loop and one of my favourites from 2022. If you want kdrama's best exponent of sci-fi to date, watch Circle (review on the way).

If You Wish Upon Me⭐

Episode count: 16

Where to watch: Viki

Rating: 8/10

Verdict: The genie from Aladdin would be proud

First things first, there is a better version of this show if you take out the gangster storyline, which was entirely superfluous, and better integrate the sister storyline into the main plot. You can also drop the jealous doctor who added surprisingly little beyond being jealous at the required times (what a waste of a perfectly good character). Repackage it all into a shorter, 12-episode, season and this show could've reached 9-10 territory for me. Those are pretty much the weakest aspects of the show.

With that out of the way, it's a very good show. People have compared it to Chocolate given that it takes place in a hospice ward but, for my part, I dropped that show after 5 or 6 episodes, partly because of the ML. No such problem with Ji Chang Wook's character here, an orphan and ex-con with a heart of gold, and a cute dog he's named "Son." Despite all the abuse he's been subjected to throughout his life, he slowly starts to open up as he does community service at the hospice. Paired with Choi Soo Young's flirty Nurse Seo (love her!), these two alone make a powerful case for watching this show. Sung Dong Il also delivers a great performance and has some wonderful exchanges with Ji Chang Wook's character.

The show follows the "case of the week" formula for the most part, certainly during the first half of the drama, as Team Genie tries to fulfill the final wishes of the hospice's patients and often positively impact other people's lives in so doing. Be prepared and have tissues at hand. Beyond the gangster detour that wasted our time towards the end, and drew dangerously close to upending all the good will the show had garnered throughout its run, the final episode really brings it home, coming full circle and delivering a really satisfying conclusion to our story, one final surprise as Team Genie brings down the curtain on their show and bids us goodbye.

In short, yes, it could've been better with a tighter focus but, as it stands, it's one of the better shows to have come out in 2022, and perhaps Ji Chang Wook's best work since Healer (with the caveat that I have not yet watched Suspicious Partner nor Lovestruck in the City). And Choi Soo Young is now 2 for 2! (this girl's on 🔥🔥)

Jinxed at First💀

Episode count: 16

Where to watch: Viki

Rating: 4/10

Verdict: Oh, it's jinxed alright

Alternatives: My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Goblin, Scripting Your Destiny

I had measured expectations for this drama. Na In Woo had previously worked with the same director in 2021's River Where the Moon Rises, a show I enjoyed a great deal, though mostly because it was the first time I delved deep into the history behind the drama, namely the tale of Princess Pyeonggang and On Dal the Fool, and the history of the Three Kingdoms' period. He was brought in late, with production underway, to replace Ji Soo; he barely slept, had to adlib a lot of his scenes, and still managed to have great chemistry with Kim So Hyun and, to my mind, had the better grasp on the character of On Dal. I'd hoped Jinxed at First would give him another opportunity to shine, but, alas, that was not the case.

The first episode alone is a hectic storytelling mess (and, incidentally, River Where the Moon Rises alumni reunion), rushing through a lot of backstory and setup for the rest of the season. We're introduced to Soo Gwang, a bright student with a promising future and powerful friends, whose life takes a turn for the worse when he meets Seul Bi (Seo Hyun), a woman imprisoned since birth by his best friend's dad because of her strange ability to see a person's future through a single touch. Cut to a year later, where we find Soo Gwang working as a fishmonger under a different name, only for Seul Bi to track him down again, determined to remain by his side.

Honestly, I'm not sure what genre this show wanted to be, but I'm pretty sure it failed at most of them. For the first 6 or 7 episodes it tried to resemble something like My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, as Seul Bi is just as innocent and naïve as Miho was (even if Miho sold it better than Seul Bi did, to my mind), and both male leads were resolved to get rid of her. This is perhaps the strongest portion of the show, as Seul Bi adapts to her new environment and neighbors, making new friends while at the same time helping Soo Gwang get rid of his (never explained) bad luck. I even enjoyed some of the comedy. However, unlike My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, there is not enough chemistry between the leads to have them fall in love with each other over the course of 6 or 7 episodes. Well, not in Soo Gwang's case at any rate, as Seul Bi has been infatuated with him for years. Upon falling in love, the trope that naturally follows is a break-up, after which point the show starts to resemble more of a makjang, turning to corporate and chaebol intrigue and infighting. This is also around the time Soo Gwang's best friend, Min Joon (played by Ki Do Hoon, from Scripting Your Destiny), decides he's in love with Seul Bi (what?), something even more out of left field, especially when he's already engaged to Lee Ho Jung's (Soljiwan!!!) charming character, Ja Kyung, who effortlessly stole every scene she was in. Min Joon, if you don't want her, I'll gladly take her off your hands!

Seemingly having exhausted the depth of its narrative well, the show dragged its feet for several episodes, eventually deciding the story was better served by turning a character into a psychopath, who also wanted Seul Bi for himself and was willing to kill anyone in the process, an eye-rolling set of circumstances eventually resolved thanks to Seul Bi's expansive (aka nonsensical) repertoire of supernatural powers. And, of course, in a show of this caliber, the amnesia trope could not be absent, a card that is dealt in the very last episode and resolved at the very last minute. What a payoff.

When I first learned of this drama I recall reading an outline that went something along the lines of, "Unlucky man meets a goddess of luck." Would it have been too much to ask for a show fitting that description, but in the vein of the excellent Goblin instead? Or maybe something like Scripting Your Destiny, which is certainly not as good as Goblin, but is still way better than this, and much shorter too. If you want to watch a show that features a romantic relationship between a god and a human, I encourage you to give those a try instead, as well as the aforementioned My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.

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blarrghe · 9 months

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Hey! Would love to hear about the super secret birthday epilogue, for the WIP Ask meme! And if you can share a little snippet of it, even better 🥺

Thank you ❤️

Hi Cat! Thanks!

Super secret birthday epilogue is a little something I am writing for me, for my birthday, to epilogue the longfic saga of Matchsies/A Complicated Match. My birthday is at the end of August and I plan to post it then but I'm almost done with writing it and just dying to share lol. I almost did post a snippet on WIP Wednesday this week but then I forgot. Anyway, this is pure sweet sappy self-indulgence for a finished fic (spoilers) and a pretty big snippet so uh, not-so-secret epilogue thing starts like this :)

It felt so strange to be back. Dorian tapped his fingers impatiently against the bartop at The Rest, then swirled around the drink in his glass before taking the last of it to his lips. He swallowed the sweet, strong, biting mouthful with a sigh. Whiskey and cola; he’d long since given up on having anything top-shelf at this pub. And yet he knew he was going to miss it.

When he’d missed Ferelden before, those six-odd months in Tevinter, he’d mainly missed Taren. He’d missed The Rest, the shop, the cold grey coast and the sprawling underground, yes, and after a couple months he’d even missed his dingy little office and the brown brick and scraggly vines of the university buildings, but mainly, just Taren. It wasn’t going to be like that, this time, and suddenly he was seeing everything in a new light.

He gave the bartender a nod to refill his glass, and watched the patrons behind him in the dimly lit place as they drank their drinks and threw their darts in the reflection of the dusty mirror behind the bar, his own face frowning. Dorian heard the door to the pub open, and turned on his stool to see Taren silhouetted against the fading daylight outside.

The elf shuffled in, grey hat over his crop of not-quite-shoulder-length auburn hair, unceremoniously crushing down the curls so that they whisped out about his chin. He unzipped a too-large fall jacket, something built of army-surplus canvas and patched up with punk band logos and bright pins. He spotted Dorian, smiled a leaning smile, and waved.

Dorian’s frown disappeared. He raised his glass, gestured him over, and stood. He ordered him a pint before Taren could get to it himself, putting it on his tab and pushing a tip across the bar. Then they took up their drinks and found a booth. The same booth. He wondered if Taren noticed.

“How was the shop?” he asked conversationally, as Taren settled himself across from him.

“Oh, you know,” Taren shrugged. “It’s weird, I guess.”

Dorian nodded, and waited. There was a contemplation on Taren’s face, more coming through that he was still working out how to say.

“Sera’s still mad,” he said.

“She’ll come around.”

“Yeah,” Taren sighed, frowning a little as he took up his beer for a sip. He put it back on its coaster and leaned back in his seat, glancing to the side and taking in the rest of the bar. “And I keep looking around like — seeing things, I guess, feeling like it’s for the last time.” He smiled slightly, but not happily. More as though to apologise. “I’ve never had this much warning.”

“It won’t be the last,” Dorian promised. “And you’re still allowed to change your mind —”

“— stop.” Taren shook his head. “I’m not changing my mind. I’m just… going to miss it.”

“So am I.”

“How was the university?”

“All settled. And I have some paperwork for you, too.”

“For me?”

“Your letter of course completion from Montilyet.” Dorian fished the document out of his bag as he spoke, and slid it carefully across the table.

“Oh, thanks.” Taren picked it up and examined it before sorting the letter away to his own bag. “I was - I was going to pick it up.”

Dorian shrugged. “I was there.”

“So that’s everything? I mean, all your paperwork is in, too?”

“That’s everything on this side.”

"Right. Shit. Ok,” this time, Taren really did smile at him, “guess I should finish packing.”

He took another sip of his beer. Dorian watched him as his eyes strayed back into the bar, contemplating the dartboards and faded sports posters and chipped paint. Then he looked back at Dorian, his smile lopsided and his eyes still thoughtful.

“You know this is the same booth?” he asked, “from when we met.”

“We should get married,” Dorian blurted out in response.

#wip game #ask me things!

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asdfghjklartblog · 1 year

Text

Sure this is an art blog but is writing not just another form of art? Anyways take this it’s not finished but I think it’s cool!

Eustass Kidd x Usopp one shot fic, whole fic is in Usopp’s POV,

The idea of having four crews of the worst generation on one island was a terrible idea, however it couldn't be avoided. Sanji needed to restock on spices and meat, Franky wanted to dock somewhere to work on the ship and repair some things, even Usopp had things he needed to do on the island. But the thought of seeing Law's crew sounded like a pain in the butt while running into Hawkin's or Kid's crew sounded more like a fight waiting to happen.

"Usopp I don't like the sound of this either but the next island is about a week away, and unless you and Luffy can consistently catch a ton of fish. Luffy might start thinking about eating one of us."

"I would not!"

"Yes you would Luffy."

"Hihi! Yeah I would!"

"B-But, Nami... Please!!! I'd be fine if it was just Law's crew but-"

"Torao is here?!"

Nami turns to glare at Usopp. Shit. "That settles it! We're docking at the island then! That's alright right Nami?"

If looks could kill Usopp would probably be dead. Nami gritted out in a sickly sweet tone " Yeah, sure Luffy! I'd love to dock at the same exact island that three other dangerous crews are on!"

Luffy stared at Nami with a blank face, not quite getting that she was being sarcastic.

"..... Great?"

She sighs, she's been trying to help Luffy understand more social cues as well as when people are being nice versus when people are being rude. It looks like it's not working very well though.

Nami turns to Usopp, " This is your fault."

And truth be told, yes it was his fault that Luffy heard that Law was at the island but it was not his fault that they ran out of food to keep their ship crew fed. For the most part. Okay maybe he and Luffy one too many midnight snacks. Fine, more like 10 but who's counting.

Usopp heard a chuckle coming from Robin lying in the lawn chair and reading. " Well perhaps we'll run into a bit of fun? Maybe one of us will be framed for murder of a rival crew member?"

Franky comes out to the deck to reply, "Don't scare Nami and Usopp too much, plus I think it'd be a lot more entertaining if it actually was one of us! And it was like some kind of revenge plot or something!"

Robin looked at Franky with admiration and love, then proceeded to say "Isn't that a bit too cliche, Flam?"

"Well, I gues- wa-! Robin! You know I hate being called that!" Said Franky with a small pout on his lips. As Robin started to chuckle again.

"God they're so fucking sappy and cheesy, it's so cute and I'm really glad they're happy together but like god damn!"

"You're so right Nams, look at them all happy and shit. Absolutely disgusting."

"Girl, don't agree with me. I hate you right now, now we literally have to dock on this shitty island because you couldn't keep your voice down."

"You KNOW he has selective hearing, he would've heard anyways!"

Zoro interjected with "You know he wouldn't have heard anything if you both had shUT THE FUCK UP! NOW-"

"GO BACK TO SLEEP MOSS HEAD!"

"YOU SHOULD GO WANDERING OFF INTO THE DAMN OCEAN AND DROWN ASSHOLE!"

And Zoro immediately butt out of the argument as he got hit by both Nami and Usopp.

"Anyways, both of you are on dish duty for the rest of the week."

"You can't do that!"

"I DIDNT DO SHIT!!"

"Too bad, now get ready to leave the ship. You're also both on grocery duty."

The two men groaned as Nami walked away in a huff. Zoro looked at Usopp in the eye and sent him a little glare.

"Don't look at me like that. Look I'll buy you some good sake alright?"

"... I want two bottles of good sake."

"Ugh, deal."

With a little grin Zoro went back to relaxing, or maybe to maybe have a quick nap before going. Either way he was resting. Usopp walks down to his workshop to double check what parts he already has and which ones he needs and made a checklist of them. As he was about to go to ask Franky if he also needed any parts or what not he hears a knock on his door. Usopp opens it to find Sanji.

"Dish duty and grocery duty huh?"

"Man, shut the hell up."

Which earned a small laugh from Sanji.

"I'm gonna go wake the Marimo up now so you better hurry before we leave you."

"Wait, I gotta ask Frank a couple of things before I go."

Franky then pops his head from his workshop and proceeded to ask, "What do ya need to ask me?"

Usopp was surprised to see him there, not that it was irregular to see him in his own room. It was just that Usopp didn't expect him to be here. He thought he was still with Robin or something. He probably just didn't hear Franky coming down because he was so focused on his supply check.

"Since I'm going shopping I wanted to know if ya wanted me to get you any parts before they sell out of what we need or something."

"Aw, thanks little bro! I need like about 20 of the 35-67-20 seals and 10 of those 45-80-12 seals and about 100 or maybe even 200 nuts and screws of all the standard sizes and also three bouquets of Tulips, Rhododendrons, Zinnias, Plantain lilies and Day Lilies."

"Three?"

"Yeah, I looked for some flowers that were safe for deer and people and I'm giving one bouquet to Robin, Chopper and Nami to brighten their rooms a little!"

"Aw that's sweet! But don't you think Chopper might eat those? Considering that those flowers are safe for deer to eat? Although he isn't technically a deer but a reindeer."

Franky answered stood there in silence along with Usopp and Sanji. All of them ponder the question that was just asked. Franky then started to leave as he said to Usopp "So the seals, nuts and screws! Get 'em for me will ya? Thanks little bro!" And proceeded to go to the deck, probably to question Chopper whether he likes to eat flowers or not. Sanji then mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that Sanji?"

"Nothing, just wondering what I should make for dinner, anyways now that that's over with come on."

They walked out over to the deck to find Zoro, not where he was before. Or any of his usual sleeping spots.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!"

"God fucking dammit. He probably thought we left him or some shit. Fuuuuuck."

"That damned moss head, it's like he literally has moss in his head instead of an actual human brain. I'd say I can't believe this, but this is pretty on par for that dumbass."

"Should we split up and look for him before we go shopping?"

"We can't, we need to buy the groceries before the good shit is all sold out to the other crews, that fucking bitch is gonna pay if that happens!"

"Okay so what's the plan? Just buy the groceries?"

"Usopp look, I'm gonna need you to buy everything on this list I made for you. I'll handle half of the Marimo's list and you get the other half, can I count on you to buy the best ingredients you can find for as cheap as you can?"

Usopp smirked and replied confidently, " Nami ain't the only that can get a good bargain!"

"Hell yeah, go! Make me proud!

Usopp was arguing with a lady about the rice that Sanji needed him to buy. He heard from another vendor that he gets all his rice from here because her rice was high quality and delicious. So he did what he had to do to get the rice.

"My final offer! 10,000 berries for 160 kilograms of your finest rice!"

"Hah! The lowest I'll go is 16,000 for 30 kilos."

"What if I said please?"

"Hmm, 15,500 for 30."

"And if I said I'd help you repair your food stand?"

"Now you're talking! 12,500 for 30!"

"Deal! Pleasure doing business ma'am!"

"Like wise."

As Usopp shook her hand he felt proud of himself, he could understand Nami in a way. Getting a bargain did feel pretty good. But then he realised his mistake. He can't carry all this rice. Well technically he could, but that would take around two or three trips. Not only that but it's starting to get dark and he hasn't bought what Franky needs yet. He starts to think hard on what to do until he hears a loud yell from across the street.

He looks over and, oh. Oh no.

"Hey! You're the sniper for the Strawhats aren't ya?"

OH NOOOOOOOOOO

"Where's that shitty little kid anyways?"

This was not a good day for Usopp.

"Hey! You ignoring me or something you brat?"

"W-Who're you calling a brat! I'm only four years younger than you!"

Shit. As soon as Usopp finished his sentence, there was a murderous glint in Kidd's eye. He started to walk over to Usopp.

"Oh really? So you're the same age as that stupid captain of yours?"

"If you hurt me, uh. Luffy will come after you!"

He's getting closer he's almost right in front Usopp.

"Who cares about your captain? He ain't here now. What I wanna know is, what you would do."

What?

He leans over and whispers into Usopp's ear, "What would you do to me, huh?"

He then pulled away and smirked at Usopp. Taking in his flushed face.

"So you want help?"

"W-Whuh? Um. I-"

Kidd sighed and said, "THE BAGS? Do you need help with the bags? You know, the shit you have in your hands?"

"Oh! Uh I mean. I guess. Fuck! Yes, I mean yes I. Haha sorry. Just. Gimme a moment."

Holy fuck? What the fuck was that? What the FUCK was that? That was so fucking hot and terrifying holy shit what.

"Could you, h-help me with the rice? That'd be really helpful and um."

Kidd looks at Usopp, and asks with an aggravated tone, "What?"

"My name is Usopp. Uh, yeah."

Kidd raised an eyebrow and looked him dead straight in the eye. He laughed, and replied with a smile "I know."

This man is going to be the death of him. He didn't think it'd be this kind of death but nonetheless a death.

"So where do you need to go?"

"Well I need to go to the parts shop and maybe the junkyard if we have time."

"Sick. So which way?"

"Well a vendor I talked to before said that the parts shop should be further down a couple of streets and that I'd need to take a right turn at the red bar then proceed down that street and then we'd find it."

“Well then hurry up, I ain’t got all day you know.”

The walk was quiet, and quickly turning into an anxiety churning venture. He didn’t understand what was happening. Sure, he understood that he was shopping for groceries and then Kidd came into the picture. He invited himself in on this little adventure or whatever just as suddenly as he arrived. Usopp still wasn’t really sure what happened between that. That must have been a joke or something right? Or maybe this was a dream? Maybe he’s actually on the ship! Unconscious from Nami’s punch! Maybe-

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vyglitchcraft · 1 year

Text

TF141 x Indo!Reader

Purely self indulgent and also i want more Indonesian stuff in COD and I wanna meet more fellow Indonesians so yeah! These are just basic HCs, no NSFW just pure shitposting

They struggle to say your name and its HILARIOUS like even the most BASIC ass indonesian name like Putri or Resta or Radit like you know SMAN names? Yeah they BUTCHER it especially your last name. We have like 3-4 names and it gets complicated. Soap in particular like imagine him saying shit like "hey Sargent Soetomo come here!" in the thickest Scottish accent imaginable? Yeahhhh. Price resorts to call you by your rank and Ghost just uses your nickname (or makes his own if its hard to pronounce, or just calls you by your rank, depends), i think Alejandro is the one that gets the closest to the actua correct pronunciation

Saying stuff in Bahasa Indonesia would confuse the everliving FUCK out of them especially if you talk very Medok or you're Javanese and you talk in Bahasa Jowo, if you're Betawi then they'll also get very confused. God help you if you're Papuan because i know yall use the same words to describe a lot of things, the opposite of Javanese because we have like 7 words for falling. Yes 141 would get confused, all of em

"ANJING BEGO GUE HAMPIR KENA YA ELLAHHHH" "ENGLISH Y/N"

"dasar lu, bukan karena gue ya gue kesandung terus ngglundung jadi nyungsep ye" proceeds to mention every animal in existence "Anjing, bebek, babi, etc etc" in the corner Price is rubbing his temples trying to comprehend what you just said. Ghost is just yelling "ENGLISH DAMMIT" at you

Oh don't forget the weird ass humor us Netizen got. We gonna put hard dangdut on the speakers on full volume making everything shake and straight up blowing everyone's ears off. Like seriously, all ages, if you've ever been to an Indonesian party, you know what I'm talking about

Food? You have everything to yourself because nobody else can handle the spice (except Alejandro but he's a respectful mf, he ain't gonna steal any of your food) like you be eating seblak, ayam bakar, bebek goreng, nasi campur or something else and they're just eating their depressing no seasoning fish and chips (or Haggis for Soap ig)

Introduce em to Indonesian food and they would be HOOKED. Ghost is currently eating three packs of Indomie Goreng in the corner, Price is eating nasi lemak while smoking Gudang Garam, Soap is drinking bir Bintang, Gaz is steeping a nice cup of Sariwangi or Tong Tji jasmine tea. You better introduce em to babi guling or soto or something too

Formal wear? Suits are just way too plain, kemeja batik is where its at

You're probably from Kopassus or Densus 88 if you were able to join Task Force 141

Oh and if you're able to marry one of em, they would be shocked but pleasantly surprised. Our weddings or atleast Javanese or Sunda weddings are fucking BIG and a straight up party. Ghost would hate it but I'm sure one of em would like it

If you ever drag one of em to visit, don't let Price on the goddamn road. He is RAGING at everyone. "how the FUCK is this place WORST THEN FUCKING ENGLAND? Wait YOU CAN'T CUT IN FRONT OF ME LIKE THAT! WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE PEOPLE DOING? Those damn motorcycles too"

Also the visible confusion on their face when you go say shit like "hmm tu kan" when you warned em and they still did it and they ended up getting in trouble. We don't like ribet with those long ass words ok? Ghost might learn some stuff from you too! He's probably gonna say "yaudah lah" all the time now because of you. Also teach Soap some Indonesian insults and swear words too

Comment down more HCs and I'll add em here lmao

#simon ghost riley #call of duty modern warfare #captain price #john soap mactavish #task force 141

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buttdawg · 4 months

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Bang Bang Scissor Gang

I'm not sure how to feel about this "supergroup" business. I mean, the crowd loves it and it sounds like it'll advance the plot, so it's probably a good thing, but it seems a little off somehow. I'm going to write about it for a bit and see if I can sort this out.

So I guess the main issue here is that Bullet Club Gold doesn't feel like it's been around all that long, and now they're combining with another group. Also, it's unclear whether Gold is an official wing of the main Bullet Club, or some sort of renegade unit, like the nWo Wolfpac.

My pet theory is that AEW is just getting as much out of the Bullet Club IP as they can while they have this agreement with NJPW to use it. Eventually the deal will end or be renegotiated, and New Japan won't let them use the name anymore, which is why AEW keeps referring to the group with the nickname "The Bang Bang Gang." If something falls through and they can't call it "Bullet Club Gold", there's a backup name ready to go.

Actually, maybe this supergroup angle is that scenario finally playing out. They're not calling it "Bullet Club Ass Boys" or "Scissor Club Gold". They're calling it "Bang Bang Scissor Gang". I was sort of wondering if this means Billy and the Acclaimed have joined Bullet Club, but this may actually be a transition to get Jay White's group away from BC altogether. If and when this union ends, Jay can just start calling it "The Bang Bang Gang" again like that's what it was always called.

From a storytelling perspective, I'm not sure why they're setting up two trios to join forces against a group of just four guys. Undisputed Kingdom is their common enemy, but right now it's just Wardlow, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett. Adam Cole's injured, but even if he gets cleared, they're still outnumbered. Maybe Kyle O'Reily or Bobby Fish will join at some point? Oh, and I forgot about Juice Robinson. Assuming he's on board with the merger, that puts BBSG up to seven guys. Then you factor in Cardblade and Juiceboard and things get really nutty.

The motives are bit wonky too. On paper, Bang Bang Scissor Gang's main purpose is to take on Undisputed Kingdom, to avenge all the beatdowns they got during the "Who is the Devil?" storyline. Except, Undisputed Kingdom doesn't seem to care much, since their goal is to capture a bunch of titles. Which works out, since BBSG holds the AEW and ROH trios belts... except UK doesn't seem very interested in trios gold.

On the other hand, BBSG wants more titles as well. Tag titles for the Acclaimed and Gunn Club, a singles belt for Billy, and nothing short of the AEW world title for Jay White. This sounds a lot like Adam Cole's manifesto when he did his first promo to introduce Undisputed Kingdom. He didn't just want belts, he had specific titles picked out for specific guys on his team. Taven and Bennett are already ROH tag champs, so they're covered, then he wants the International title on Roddy, and Warlow's job is t become AEW world champ so he can hand it over to Adam Cole when Cole's cleared to wrestle again.

So that's a cool way to keep this rivalry alive. They're two big groups who already have titles and crave more, and they can challenge each other or interfere with each other's ambitions. The grudge that started all of this is fine, but it's hard to recall those beatdowns from last year, especially when everyone was blaming it on MJF at the time. Billy taking an International title shot from Roddy keeps things fresh. Plus they can swap the tag and trios belts that both sides already control.

Or... this just peters out with BBSG imploding and setting up some trios feud with Billy/Acclaimed taking on Jay/Gunn Club for one or both sets of trios belts. That sounds fine, but I feel like that already happened at some point? This supergroup could be a way to build to a more epic six-man tag match later, and that's fine, but I really hope it doesn't play out that way. I guess that's what makes me apprehensive of this storyline. Like, if they're only building up this supergroup just to set up a trios title program a few months from now, then it'll feel like a real waste. They could do BC Gold vs. Scissor Party whenever they want. Both sides are pretty eager to issue and accept challenges.

This seems like a long term story. Both groups have declared their intentions very clearly, and yet they've both taken their time on achieving those goals. It took like three weeks to get Jay on board with BBSG, and Warlow isn't exactly calling out Samoa Joe. So it feels like a potboiler, except it also feels very thrown-together, like they took a bunch of guys and threw them together into this supergroup war that would probably need most of a year to do properly.

But I guess that makes sense, considering how this all started with Cole and MJF, and they're both out of action for a while. Whatever the original plans were, the new plan has to involve different players, and everybody in BBSG is a solid choice for that. Well, everyone but Juice Robinson, that guy sucks. I hope he comes back with some new personality where he took an oath of silence or something. Also, he should wear a luchador mask so I don't have to look at his goofy face.

I guess my feeling here is "cautious optimism", because this angle looks really promising and could lead to a lot of great matches, but it also could get really dumb if it ends too quickly or suffers from poor planning. But AEW did just book a round robin tournament, so I guess I shouldn't be too concerned...

#aew #bang bang scissor gang #bullet club gold #the acclaimed #billy gunn #what happens to those pink scissor club shirts now?#do they all come to the ring wearing those from now on?#so many questions

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goldemas1244 · 2 years

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Being a travelling sorts of person means you get to pick up dialects.

And for no reason entirely I've developed a personal Sabahan-Indonesian-Kelantanese-Terengganu/Johorian dialect.

Which means I'm able to say shit like 'Gue dok biso nok mnahe glenya hokmung nido bah, chenggini kito wak la bai, gi MAMPOIH lu rene nge ikang ko udank ko aku dok kyesoh gi balik umoh, langsat!' and I'm the only one who gets what I'm saying.

As a translation, 'I just can't hold your horniness, this is how we'll do it, go DIE you swim with the fishes or with the shrimp I don't care go back home, langsat!'

Langsat in this context is used as a censor for Bangsat (somewhere around the fucker spectrum). Langsat is actually a fruit.

#midnight rambles #Language is beautiful

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lazyrants · 10 days

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Rottenbeard (prod 119)

Original airdate: October 4, 2004

Story by Magnus Scheving

Written by Noah Zachary, Cole Louie, Ken Pontac, Magnus Scheving

Directed by Magnus Scheving, Raymond P. Le Gue

Executive producers - Magnus Scheving, Ragnheidur Melsted, Raymond P. Le Gue, Mark Read, Brown Johnson, Kay Wilson Stallings

Starring Magnus Scheving, Stefan Karl Steffanson, Julianna Rose Mauriello

Puppeteers - Ronald Binion, Gudmondor Thor Karason, Jodi Eichelberger, David Matthew Feldman, Julie Westwood, Sarah Burgess

YOU ARE A PIRATE! The famous song featured in today's episode of LazyTown, but is it good enough to get me to pirate it?

The episode begins with Sportacus eating his 'Sportacus Club Special' which is just a regular boring ass lettuce and tomato sandwich. Come on bruh. Put some meat on that thing.

While this opening sequence reminds me that this show never talks about meat other then Let's Go, LazyTown! (1997), it does at least technically put eating wheat based foods in a positive light.

It's a beautiful perfect sunny day in LazyTown, and Sportacus decides to take a look at what the kids are doing. Stephanie is in a pirate costume and yelling for help.

Sportacus thinks she is in trouble (why didn't the crystal beep.. hmm??) and goes to town to save her. He cartwheels over those weird yellow walls and jumps over signs to save her. But Ziggy tells him he is in the water and he has stepped on Stingy's fish.

Trixie then tells him that they are playing pirates and Steph is walking off the plank. Cue a hilarious argument between Stingy and Trixie about who's captain. Stingy wants to elect himself because he has the piggy-parrot, but Trixie has promoted herself because she has a hook. There's no challenge here. Sportacus says goodbye and runs back to the ship (nobody's gonna steal it man), then Stephanie walks the plank. Meanwhile, Robbie is in the lair talking about those 'rotten kids' and how they do nothing but make noise. Remind you of someone? Robbie then grabs his largest pair of noise cancelling headphones but he can still hear them. LOL. Now Ziggy has a sword.

Pirate Ziggy is talking about how you should give him your loot, and by loot he means caanddyy. AAAHRGH! LOOK AT THAT BALLOON SWORD! TAKE ALL MY FUIT GUMIES!!1!1!!! Anyways, Ziggy dives to the floor once he sees Mayor Milford and sneak attacks, 'ballooning' his face.

Milford politely asks him to stop it and Ziggy tells them they're playing pirates. Then he takes the kids to his office to tell them all about LazyTown's very own real pirate named Rottenbeard who spread his meanness all across the town and took everything he wanted. Stingy is excited mainly at the word 'took'.

Rottenbeard took a lot of things, except the famous 'LazyTown stone', which is the secret to living in LazyTown. I think the secret is 'balance', guessing that's what the whole show is about. Anyways, they all walk outside to find it, and the stone says 'LAZyToWN SHOULD ALWAyS BE'.

Now everyone is kerfuffled (it's so simple, the secret to living in LazyTown is ) about what the secret is, and Milford says Rottenstein broke it and stole a piece.

Robbie is watching and he has another amazing idea - to make a fake stone, knowing that they'll have to do whatever it says on it. He quickly crafts a new stone (HOW DOES HE DO IT!!!!???) and tries to replicate the broken piece. He carries the stone, but it is deemed too heavy for him and he falls down. Then he gets an EXACT REPLICA of the broken piece in his hand. HOW????

Meanwhile, Milford is reading the kids a chapter about a hero who stopped Rottenbeard's Lazyways. Does this remind you of anyone..? No.. okay. He jumped off a wall and landed on the ground, somersaulted behind Rottenbeard, crawled between his legs, and defeated him.

Rottenbeard promised to himself one day he will return (a new generation of him will). The kids decide to dig for buried treasure chests, and while they're having fun to pretend being pirates, a new friend joins them - Robbie Rotten in his newest disguise as Rottenbeard.

He's talking to them about a buncha stuff about pirate business, I don't know, it was about 30 seconds, I skipped it. So, Rottenbeard gives Stephanie a piece of paper and it reads Robbie's grocery list. LOL! He takes it back and gives her a map of where to find the 'precious booty'.

Then they all get on his boat and perform 'You are a Pirate', which I didn't really care for excluding Stephanie's verses. Meanwhile, the kids have been digging for what seems like forever, and Ziggy is right in front of the X. Robbie tries hinting to dig down by saying 'you have to look under your nose sometimes, look down' and he doesn't get the hint.. gosh. Then Ziggy finally sees the X (Are we talking about THOSE films or the letter..?) and Trixie gives Stephanie a toy shovel to dig with.

She finally finds the treasure chest and opens it. It is the fake missing piece Rottenbeard has made. Nobody has noticed what it says though (the characters in this show have some very strange brain capacity), but Stephanie so happy she sends some mail to Sportacus.

The letter reads 'We found the LazyTown stone. -Stephanie' and Sportacus instantly knows what she is talking about. He takes two tennis rackets and rides to town. Milford deems this a historical day in history (no, I didn't stuff that sentence up, LOL!!). Sportacus blows the dust off the missing piece, and it now reads 'LAZyToWN SHOULD ALWAyS BE LAZy'. Everyone is pretty disappointed and sad that they have to lie around and do nothing now. But, this is exactly how they were like years.. before Stephanie came

Trixie is flipping through the 'History of LazyTown' while Stephanie is over at the stone, sulking about how she has to spend her summer doing nothing 'all because of some stupid st-', just when she leans on it and the desk it is on falls over. Then she finds another treasure map and shows the kids.

So, while Ziggy and Stephanie are the only ones digging, Trixie is reminicising how she is the captain because she has a hook AND the map, and Stingy is singing Wonders on the Sea.

Robbie hears their racket and goes back to stop them from finding the real piece. For the laziest guy in town, he puts on his disguise pretty fast. But it's too late, they've already found the treasure chest.

Rottenbeard says it's impossible to find treasure when you're tied to a tree.. then he ties them to a tree. LOL!! Sportacus does an astonishing frontflip onto the treasure chest. Oh, boy, get ready for this awesome G-rated fight scene directed by amazing action movie legend, Magnus Scheving!!

Rottenbeard steals Stephanie's sword and he swings it over his legs, but Sportacus dodges the attack with a jump. Reminds me of when Bruce Lee did the same move in 'Fist of Fury'. Robbie swings again, but he flips onto the ground. Rottenbeard swings forward and Sportacus rotates his leg. Sportacus retalliates by.. throwing the treasure chests in Rottenbeard's hands..? It works, because he falls to the ground. LOL!!

Stephanie manages to read the books with her leg, and Trixie tells Sportacus to grab a sword. He grabs his tennis rackets and whacks him straight on the butt. LOL!! Then he steals Trixie's sword. The two circle each other and Sportacus twirls his tennis rackets. Rottenbeard twirls his balloon swords, but they decrease in size all times (LOL!!) until he gets it juuuusssstttt riiiiiigggghhhhhttttt..

Sportacus jumps on the wall like the hero in the book did (who strangly looks like the "Robbie Rotten Comes to LazyTown" (1999) counterpart of Sportacus) and Robbie nearly falls into the hole the kids dug. Then he charges at Sportacus, and Sportacus steps to the side. Then he falls over the wall.

Sportacus flips over Rottenbeard and whacks him on the butt again! Then he slides over his legs, reluctantly "gives him a little push" (softly kicks him), and Rottenbeard has fell into the kids' dug hole. Jacky Chan who? This is the epitome of foreign fight scenes. Then Robbie's disguise is revealed and he has a bunch of dirt in his mouth (haha!).

Sportacus unties the kids and he takes the treasure chest over to the rest of the LazyTown stone. He blows the dust off the REAL missing piece and it says.. "LAZyToWN SHOULD ALWAys BE.. FOLLOWING THE LAZyRANTS TUMBLR ACCOUNT".. nah, just kidding. It actually says that 'LAZyToWN SHOULD ALWAyS BE HAPPy'.

And everyone is supper happy about that! Milford says it'll be especially easy because they just have to smile. Then they perform Bing Bang.

Meanwhile, Robbie is in his lair, trying to take Milford's advice to smile, but the mirror breaks. A little bit harsh, but kinda funny.

THE END.

10/10 episode if I must say. Stephanie's verse is pretty cool in the featured song, and it also features the closest thing we'll ever get to a LazyTown fight scene.

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thedeepspaceuniverse · 2 months

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X goes down slowly I gues with the Rafayel to our fish birthday boy posts

I just be the Zayne fangirl oops but Rafayel be his cute own way too.

Since I am a hobby artist can not really decide from the two.

#kyo diary #love and deepspace

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ambrosiasaladofthebrain · 2 months

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Chapter 4: If you’ve found the cure to aging could you share that please

Jake chuckled, “No.” he shook his head slightly, “Not possible.”

“I’m not lying, it is 3169.” The boy pushed.

“No no no no no, cause that would make me, 24? No?” Jake did the math again, holding out his fingers to double check then shaking them aggressively when it came out the same. “No, that’s wrong, I’m 13, not, not 24!” He started to shake his hands him as he tried to process the possible whys and hows.

“Oh, um, no, I don’t think you look 24? I mean, you're really small for a 24 year old,” the boy tried, straightening his back but slouching when his attempt only maybe Jake give a small whine of misery, “Uh, ok, uh,” the boy held out a hand to seemingly touch Jake’s shoulder then seemed to think better as he brought his hand back.

“I’m not 24,” Jake tried again, as if saying this again would magically make his hair shorten and his clothes grow and his sister reappear; “An’, an’ that would make Zoey, oh stars, is she even goin’ to be alive? Did she wake up? When, when she woke up did they ‘ave to tell ‘er I went missin? Did she think I ran away?”

“Hey, hey wait, no, listen. Just take a second, look at me,” the stranger waved his hand to gather Jake’s watering eyes, “You still have to breath, please breath.”

Jake tried to listen, inhaling like a broken vacuum with holes riddling the tube and screws jittering in the container, choking on his attempt he tried to release what he had caught but it came out too fast and now he needed more oxygen.

“Oh,’ the stranger mumbled, “No, uh, follow me ok, just, do what I do.”

He started to inhale, his left hand tapping a beat in the dirt. Jake tried to follow along, but how had he gotten outside? How had he forgotten so much? His whole personality revolve around remembering, he couldn’t just forget, what if- “Hey,” the boy knocked on the ground gathering Jake’s attention again, inhaling and nodding for Jake to do the same;

“In,” Jake tried to breath in but couldn’t copy the boy’s fluid breath, “one, two, three, four. Hold,” Jake could feel the air caught in his tired lungs burn and he was about to cough it up like a liquid when the boy continued.

“Out, two, three, four, five.”

Jake released his breath as it clung to his throat, he started to tap his fingers together, what if Zoey was also out here?

“In,” the boys said a bit louder, when had he gotten so close to Jake? They were practically sitting with their knees touching now, but he listened, breathing in and collecting the aciding air as the face mask folded inwards. It had gotten so hot and moist and he wanted to rip it off but then he’d be breathing the normal air and that was possibly worse. Was Zoey breathing this air?

“Out,” the boy instructed again, he was tapping the ground right next to Jake’s foot now and if Jake focused he could feel it reverberating through the dirt just slightly. “There you go, just like that, yep,” The boy encouraged, like Jake was actually following along and not imitating a dying fish.

“I ha- I have’ta find my sister,” Jake weezed.

“And I’ll help you, promise.”

“R-realy?”

“Sure, I have got nothing better to do. Tell you what, once you calm down a bit more we’ll leave, right away, no waiting until morning. I’ll take you back to my place, which, by the way, has filtered air and we can get your injuries really taken care of, then we can look for your sister.”

“Yer- yer place?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not close to here, wich was why I thought I’d wait until morning, but we can make it before the sun sets if we really try I guess. We’d have to move fast.”

His gaze flicked to Jake’s ankle.

“But, I don’t- yer a stranger. Stru-stranger danger says to not follow a person you don- don’t know.

“Uh, well, I gues you could stay here but I have a laptop and, well, resources, plus there will be others.” Jake made a face that hopefully portrayed that that didn’t mean anything to him. “Uh, ok, what if I give you something sentimental of mine. That way if I do turn out to be a bad person you can threaten to break it.”

Jake made another face. Who would put their own personal item in danger like that? But the boy was already reaching for his neck and pulling out a silver chain followed by a small silver dog tag stung through it. He handed it to Jake who took it in somewhat shaky hands.

“Why w-”

“Insurance. Now I can’t try anything without hurting myself too, see?”

Jake looked down at the small tag that had nothing but the number 1 engraved on it in the smallest font in the top left corner.

“H-how, do I knu-know this isn’t some prop? There's nothin’ on it?” Jake questioned.

“Oh, uh,” the boy tilted his head, rubbing the back of his neck, “It does have sentimental value to me, even if it is not too flashy or anything.”

Jake squinted at the strange boy, he seemed hesitant to share the sentiments but he did seem honest, his hand kept slightly twitching towards the pile of silver in Jake’s hand and it seemed like he wasn't even aware of it as he talked.

“Fine,” Jake shrugged, unclasping the clip and slipping it around his neck, “but, this doesn’t mean I trust those other people, I can’t expect everyone ta give me an ‘insurance item’,” Jake lazily held his finger quotes up, then seeing that his hands were still shaking, shoved them into his lap.

“Well, I will just never leave your side,” the boy shrugged.

“Ever?”

“I mean, in limitation, obviously. I’m not gonna go to the bathroom and get changed with you.”

“Yeah, I figured that's what ya ment.”

“Here,” the boy held up his pink, “I promsie to never leave your side and protect you from anyone who does try anything.”

Jake squinted at the outstretched pinky; “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why help? What do you want in return?”

The boy lowered his pinky an inch, “Uh. I wanted to help since it looked like you could use it.”

“Yeah right.”

“Uh well, I want to help you because it makes me feel better. Does that not count for something?”

“So yer doin it t’feel better about yerself?”

“Sure. I help people to feel like a good person, that is what I want out of it.”

Jake squinted at him a moment longer; “You can’t leave my side; and you have to keep me safe; and help me find my sister.” He restated.

“I promise,” the stranger lifted his pinky again.

Jake lifted his hand, extended his pinky, and after a moment of hesitation, wrapped it around the stranger’s.

Pinky promises were so childish yet Jake felt a sense of security with the lock of their pinkies.

The boy’s was bigger than his, slender and cold. Unlike Jake’s hands he didn’t shake. It was like touching marble.

It wasn’t much but he had the dog tag as well and sitting here wasn’t going to help him anyways.

“Alrighty, let’s get out of here before the sun sets on us,” the boy smiled as he stood, lifting Jake with their still connected pinkies. Jake wobbled as he stood, wincing when he put too much weight against his ankle. “Thats gonna be our biggest problem.” The boy snapped a pointed finger to Jake’s ankle.

“Sorry,” Jake mumbled, pulling his hand out of the boy's grip to lean against the wall.

“Nah, it’s not your fault you got hurt. Not like you did it on purpose.” The boy shrugged, “I think if I leave first I can pull you up so you don’t have to put any excess weight on your ankle.”

He wasn’t planing on leaving Jake behind was he? If he left first he could just walk away and Jake would have to find some other way out. Maybe he’d had enough of Jake. One of Jake’s foster parents had done that, left him in a pit he’d fallen into so he’d learn to ‘fend for himself’. He’d been in there two days when a random passerby helped him out then robbed him.

“No, I- I think,” Jake’s eyes scanned the small area, looking for a different solution, “If you give me a step up by clasping your hands together I can use my good ankle to jump out. “

“You sure?” The boy tilted his head, but Jake was already wobbling to the exit, “Ok, yeah, hold on,” the boy hurried, quickly locking his hands together for Jake to step up.

The part Jake hadn’t considered was needing to put all his weight on his bad ankle first to then jump off with his good one. He inhaled as he leaned further on his weight and felt fire stab up his leg but it was better than being left so he quickly planted his foot into the boys clasped hands and jumped.

The dirt wall honestly wasn’t that tall, if Jake hadn’t been hurt he’d have been able to get out by himself with no trouble. As it was now, he jumped out and landed face first in the grass, dragging the rest of himself up and out then turning in time to see the boy jump out with ease.

“You good?” He asked, lended Jake a hand up.

Jake ignored it, pushing himself up and leaning into his good leg; “M’fine. We should get goin before the sun sets, like ya said.” He pointed to the sky that had already darkened a shade since he’d climbed out of the hole.

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go, here,” the boy made to lend his shoulder to Jake to lean on but Jake shuffled away.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I think it would be faster if-“

“I’ll be fine.”

“It’s gonna be a long walk, and we are trying to hurry.”

Jake stared at him a moment, going through the possible outcomes. The boy could suddenly punch or push him but that would only slow them down and he seems to genuinely not want to be out in the dark.

He could be trying to pick pocket Jake but Jake didn’t think he even have pockets, the only object he had was the lighter, still tucked behind his ear and hidden by hair.

For a moment Jake toyed with the idea of an attempted kidnapping but the boy would have had better luck subduing him back in the hole first.

None of the outcomes seemed worse than wasting time right now so he sighed; “Fine.”

He hooked his arm around the boy’s shoulder as the boy smiled like he’d won an argument of some kind.

“Alrighty, let’s get this show on the road,” the boy began as they started to walk into the wood, “For the most part we can walk like this, I think there’s an entrance to a place around here. When we get close though, you’re gonna have to wear a blind fold-“

“What? Why would I do that?”

“Well, the people I live around are very secretive, they don’t like anyone knowing where they live, and I mean anyone.”

“You do realize how suspicious that soun’s right?”

“Yeah, I’m really sorry, really, but they are all a bit paranoid. They are scared of getting attacked so they hide underground.”

“What’re they scared’a attackin ‘em?”

“The normal things I guess.” He shrugged, “Other groups, animals, one of Akuno’s little groups.”

“Akuno’s lill groups?”

“Yeah, ever since this one time, everyone’s been absolutely terrified of the idea of Akuno finding us.”

“What’re you guys doin?”

“What do you mean?”

“Only people breakin the law would hide from the government.”

“Well that depends on your version of the law.”

“I’m not goin anywhere that could get me in trouble with the law.”

“I hate to break it to you but by being here you already broke it. If Akuno found out you had been out here he wouldn’t let you back in.”

“No, people used to leave and return all the time.”

“Was that, earlier?”

Jake scrunched his brows at that and hummed.

“The only illegal thing we’re doing is living out here. Besides, if we don’t live in the cages how can their rules apply to us.”

“Akuno would let me it. Once he hears my story he’ll agree this was all one big mistake. Honestly, I’m sure my story won’t even make it up the chain ta him. I’ll just go to the door and talk to the guard there and if anythin it’ll be a local issue, at most I’ll talk to a district representative.”

“I don’t know, I haven’t heard of those doors opening for anybody unauthorized in ages, even before the closing.”

“It’ll work.”

“Sure, I’ll take you to the doors as soon as you heal enough to stand on your own. Deal?”

“Fine. A sprained ankle should take 3 to 4 weeks to heal to the point of being able to walk on them again. In that time, you’ll help me find clues some other way.” Jake paused, realizing he’d just demanded instead of asked, technically this was the deal they had already come to but he should be nicer about asking in case the boy became angry at being bossed around. “I mean, that is what we discussed earlier at least. If yer still ok with- I mean you can’t take that back now, right?”

“Course, I’ll help you in the mean time.” The boy’s mouth flicked somewhat up into what was probably meant to be a reassuring smile.

“Anyways,” the boy said, looking up at the sky and re-adjusting his shoulder, “you’ll have to wear a blind fold until we get to a holding room. Basically we’re going to enter this room we’re I’ll talk to the guards, if they talk to you you can talk back if you want. After that the room gets scanned to make sure you’re not hiding a tracker or a chip or a bomb or something. I don’t really know what they’re looking for honestly. If they find something they don't like they send someone in to A: get rid of the item or B: investigate the item. The scan also checks you for illness so you’ll know if you do have stardust pretty soon I guess. Depending on what they find they put you in a specific room. I’m guessing since your not sick but your wearing uh, something often worn by, um, test, subjects, they’ll put you in a quarantined room. This would probably be where they’ll try to separate us but don’t worry, I wont let them.”

“But what if I need to be quarantined?”

“Well, I’m already sort of in contact with you, so if you did have something I probably already caught it. Besides we’ll know that bit when they scan us.”

“What did you mean by I’m wearing test subject stuff?”

The boy was silent a moment, tilting his head and squinting his left eye. For a moment Jake thought he wasn’t going to answer but then he tilted his head the other way and opened his mouth;

“Just that, I mean, have you looked at your, cloth? Your, outfit? Your, hospital gown?”

Jake looked down at his breezy outfit as if verifying the cloth was still in tact.

“Yeah, it’s sorta gross. I thought I was wearin it because I was a hospital patient, maybe I caught stardust and fell asleep like my sister, ‘sept somehow I got tossed in the woods.”

The boy chuckled, “What, the hospital was just like, ‘oh no, no more room, gues we’ll let Mother Nature deal with them’?”

“Well when you put it like that,” Jake grumbled.

They stepped in silence a moment longer before the boy spoke again.

“Test subjects, varying from the ages of 5 to 20 somethings, actually no wait, babies? I think the animas can be found younger than 5. Anyway, young, people, who are found wearing hospital gown aren’t usually hospital patients. All over the forest are hidden facilities that use humans as, well, test subjects. So, accounting for the memory loss and adding the hospital gown, they’ll most likely think you were a test subject.”

Jake didn’t know how to respond to that. What was he even supposed to say? 'Wow that sucks that people are being tested on, anyways i want to go home because I'm sure that wasn’t me.' That wouldn’t fly. Maybe he should show compassion, but saying “oh that sucks” didn’t really feel sincere enough.

There was also the insinuation that Jake had been a test subject or other but he thought asking about himself seemed too self centered at the moment. Before he could say decide on what to say the boy moved on.

“So depending if the scan finds anything they might send you to a doctor, we need to get you to one anyways so it works. If they don't think it's urgent they'll send you to an interview room during the interview we can ask them to see if you sister ever came to one of our cities. If she did she’ll be in the system, if not they’ll try to find her online for you.”

“So basically just put up with answerin questions ‘n bein poked ‘n prodded?”

“Yep,” the boy pointed at Jake, drawling out the e before popping the p. “Anyway, I think it’s blindfold time.”

He untangled his arm from Jake to start digging in his bag again.

“Here we are,” with a dramatic wish of his wrist he displayed the purple cloth.

“Feel that?” He held the end out for Jake. “That is the good blind fold material right there, none of that amateur, scratchy stuff.”

“Do you normally carry a blind fold on you or...” Jake chuckled nervously.

“Nah, this is the one that group used on my, I stole it cause I’m petty. Ready?”

Jake exhaled, looking at the sky that had deepened to a red, “Yeah.”

The cloth was soft, a silky textured that Jake could imagine being used to coat District 1’s eye masks. Jake had seen those on a tv show once and had tried to make one with one of his foster parents. They’d used an old pillow they’d found in the road but when Jake tried to use it he’d hated the texture of it rubbing against his eyes and hadn’t gotten any sleep that night.

They’d ended up burning it and roasting hot dogs in the fire. That guardian had been arrested for arson not so coincidentally.

“Ok, can you see anything?” The boy asked. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Could I just lie to you and tell you the wrong number in purpose?”

“Oh yeah. Hold on.”

Jake listened to the sound of shuffling a moment, then it stopped, followed by the swish click of a switchblade.

“Is that a switchblade? Oh, I knew it! I’m gonna die! Yer tryin t’kill me! Why didn’t y’jus’do it earlier? Issit a game? Issit a game fer ya?”

“What- what are you? You can see!”

“I can’t!”

“Then how’d you know I had a knife!”

“I heard you open it!”

“That could have been anything!”

“No! It sounded like a switchblade opening!”

“What does that even sound like!”

“Like, like, I don’t know! A switchblade! Opening!”

“Ok, yeah, I did pull out a switchblade!”

“T'stab me with?”

“No! I was gonna pretend to stab you.”

“That doesn’t sound any better!”

“If you flinched or pulled away it would be because you could see!”

“Why didn’t y'jus pretend t'punch me like a normal person!”

“You could have felt the air change!”

“Really, I promise, I can’t see.”

There was silence for a moment;

“Ok, I believe you.”

“You jus pretended t'stab me didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Jake sighed, lifting his arm in an invitation for the boy to lean back in and re-start the walk. A moment later he felt the boys arm re-wrap around his back.

“Ready?” The boy asked, and Jake hadn’t realized he could feel the vibration of the boy’s voice in his own chest until now. He hummed a confirmation, letting his own voice vibrate back.

With the loss of his vision the rest of his senses oddly heightened. The trees were rustling in the softest breeze above their heads. What he could only gues where animals made odd calls among the foliage. Each step he took rustled the grass and thumped in an unnatural fashion.

He listened for the boy’s footsteps that he could feel from the way they moved and huffed when there a barely audible step. Jake focused on the boys breathing, in, out. Steady, confident breaths that only made Jake more aware of the cloth covering his lower face and the way it was hotter than the rest of his face.

Jake listened again. Trying to imagine the boys feet hitting the ground to the rhythm of his movements. Left right, left right. Suddenly they were ducking and Jake could feel the sun slip off his face for a second before splashing onto his face once more.

“Sorry, fallen tree.” The boys explained.

And there was that odd fact again. Without any facial expressions Jake really couldn’t tell anything by the boys odd sleepy voice. But his shoulders hadn’t tense and he hadn’t unintentionally turned away from Jake as he said it so he probably wasn’t lying.

“So weird.” Jake grumbled, turning his face away from the boy.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Ok. Anyway, we’re almost there, remember to just answer their questions to the best of your ability and stay calm and you should be fine.”

Jake hummed a confirmation. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea actually. What if they locked him up for some reason. If they hated Akuno and all then maybe they’d hold him hostage or kill him as some kind of warning. But this boy had said he’d protect him. But he could easily have been lying. Then why the necklace, unless it was a false pacifier.

No he’s already decided it wasn’t.

But how could he know, he hadn’t even known the boy that long. On that note he didn’t even know the guys name. How could he trust someone if he didn’t even know their name.

Fine then, he’s just make sure he knew this guy before any-

“And, here we are.” The boy said, the sound of a door creaking following his declaration.

Jake froze at how fast that was. He hadn’t even gotten to ask for a name yet!

The boy either didn’t notice Jake’s freeze or didn’t care because he dragged Jake along. Jake’s foot met a hard floor as the sound of a door echoed shut behind him and he realized it was far to late for any of his icebreakers.

The boy jiggled his shoulder, squeezed his shoulder as the sound of a static click echoed from somewhere.

“Hello?” A new voice filled with grain and static and electric annoyance filtered in.

“Hello Camp Rivestone, I’m requesting entrance with a new party of one in need of assistance.” The boys voice followed, echoes of voices chasing each other round the room for a moment before being cut down by the next static question.

“Assistance?”

“Medical and physical.”

“Hold for a scan.”

Something clicked to life and began to wir and hiss a moment before shutting down again.

“Black hair, what’s your name?”

Jake straighted his back and drew in a breath; “Jake Lunes.”

“Middle name?”

Jake paused, a sliver of panic sliding under his nails. A middle name? Was that really necessary? Legally speaking he supposed so, but- he scanned through his memoirs, trying to remember any birth certificates or official paperwork he’d seen before.

Surely with all the foster parent transfers he’d had to have seen his legal name somewhere. He couldn’t remember it, no one had ever told him. How had he never realized that.

“Middle name?” The voice asked again in, was that annoyance? A lull to the end of the words. A tilt in vowels, that’s what annoyance sounded like, right?

“Uh, E.” He muttered.

“E?”

“That’s, all I can remember. Sorry”

It was silent a moment before the voice spoke again.

“Please present your watam to the scanner.”

There was another click hiss and the boy shifted for a moment before a beep that sounded like confirmation and the hiss click disappeared.

“You-“ the static began in confusion before clearing its throat and continuing in the professional yet annoyed voice. “I’ll contact your guardian.”

“You really don’t have to do that.” The boy said in what was almost a pleading voice.

“He’s already in town anyways.”

“What? No.” The boy whined. “Why?”

“Ask him when he gets here Wonbe.”

The boy exhaled in a controlled manner before inhaling as if drawing confidence from the air, “Fine. Thank you.”

There was another pregnant pause and Jake started to worry they weren’t going to let him in but then the voice clicked on again.

“Entrance appeal accepted, please follow the escorts to a holding room.”

“Hey hey!” The boy, was it Wonbe? Shook Jake’s shoulder softly. “We’re in.”

As the last word left his lips a grand hiss and grind rumbled the room and Wonbe quickly straightened out.

“Please follow us.” A woman’s soft voice joined the echoes and Jake took a shuffle to what was hopefully a good decision.

Chapter 1 / Chapter4 / Chapter 5

⭐️I'm a day late but shhh, anyways we finally made it into the tunnels raaa, I'm excited to write more Wonbe and other characters and flesh out the story now that the introduction is kinda endin 🌙

#oc #original character #original story #dystopian #dystopian story #oc story #lore #oc lore #creative writing #chapter 4

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