#kb special

[bitterkarmaa]

Recognize

“I came back.”

The pencil freezes mid-word, hovering hastily over the paper as its owner processes the voice, noting how ragged and hoarse it sounds. With a soft sigh, he sets his writing utensil down, letting it roll across his uneven desk for a moment before stopping it with one careful claw.

“You still sound dead, my friend.” He moves the pencil back to its proper place, spinning in his chair to face his other self. His face falls into a frown at the sight of him.

They look more and more alike each time this other version is revived, it seems, as the oil that leaks from his mouth and the open wounds that cover his chassis perfectly reflect some of the more calm Eclipse’s own. It’s unsettling knowing that, in his dimension, he’s done horrid acts so cruel that, even in this state, no one is willing to help him.

But can he blame them? Not really.

The other lets out a raspy, humorless laugh that dies off into a fit of coughs before he can manage to spit out some sort of witty retort.

“Do they know you’re back?” He stands, moving swiftly to catch his counterpart before he loses his balance in his weakened state. Much to his surprise, he doesn’t pull away.

“How could they miss it? I wake up in that damn hall every time I come back! The only way to avoid them would be to prance off into the theater, but what good would that do me?”

With a soft hum, the more scarred of the two leads the other over to his own bed, helping him sit down on the nice, soft, plush surface. He pulls the chair he was previously sitting in over beside the bed, plopping down into it once it is situated across from his leaking, bitter self.

“You said it yourself: you’d be avoiding them.” He quirks a brow at the furious look the other shoots at him, a silent challenge hanging in his gaze, daring him to try and take on an opponent such as himself.

The other backs down with a huff, but makes no attempt at a reply. He keeps his eyes down, focused on the floor, glaring holes into its surface as if taking all his rage out through a single scowl. It doesn’t work; he’s still angry.

By the time he looks up, the vest the calm one wore is draped over the back of the chair, his medallion-esk object laying over it. He has gotten up and crossed the room while the other pouts, gathering a few bandages and other various medical supplies in hopes that easing his pain may make him more reasonable- if that’s even possible for him.

“What are you doing?” He asks incredulously, instinctively leaning away once the one-eyed version of himself approaches with the supplies.

The look he is given tells him that the answer should be obvious. “Helping you.”

His arm is grabbed and pulled before he can think to utter a reply, eyes flying wide as he begins to struggle on instinct for a few moments. A gentle hand comes out, laying on his shoulder, and he startles out of his frenzy just long enough to meet the eye of his better.

“You’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m trying to help.” He murmurs, so gentle, so soft, an echo of the way he wished the others would talk to him, if only for a day. One day. He’s hurt them, he gets that, he always has, but one day of positive recognition would’ve changed that. Just one. Is that too much to ask?

“You’ll hurt me eventually, whether you mean to or not.” He snaps, the twin white flames in his eyes flaring like viberant stars in a night sky.

“I’m quite careful. I don’t make mistakes like that.” His alternate quips lightly, tone both dismissive and reassuring. The injured one doesn’t know how he does that- makes his voice be two things at once. He doesn’t know whether to be offended or not. Could he have been insinuating that he was better than him? That he doesn’t make the mistakes that his alternative self obviously has?

His head hurts. Maybe he just needed to charge and avoid everyone for a while. Deep thoughts like that only made everything worse.

“How long ago did you wake up?”

He is startled out of his thoughts by the calm, curious tone of his better. A frown settles onto his face at the thought of his awakening, still fresh and just as unpleasant as the moment it happened.

“Two hours.” He mutters, refusing to meet the other’s intense one-eyed stare.

“That’s…not long. It makes sense that you aren’t fully functional yet.” The other says in response, beginning to solder the largest holes along his arms shut, wrapping them carefully with bandages to keep the still-mending metal in place and hidden beneath a protective layer of fabric, lest he get himself into more trouble.

“Fully functional? What does that have to do with anything?” He bristles in an almost defensive manner, moving to pull his arm out of his better’s grip. “I’m perfectly fine, thank you very much!”

“Are you?” That single amber eye glints with a silent challenge, the frown set on his face still as sharp as the sneer that reflects back at him.

That sneer falls into a grimace. Another pulse of pain radiates throughout his body, flowing through him like lava, uncomfortably hot. It sends a few more drops of oil down his face, feeling it bubble up in his throat in an all-to-familiar fashion. He’s tired of this. He had thought that pushing Lunar as far as he did would’ve been the end of it. As pesky as that little wretch is, he can’t deny the power he possesses. He had hoped that power would put a stop to whatever- whoever had been bringing him back. He had hoped they’d give up, just like him.

But they didn’t.

“I…I guess I’m not.” The admission doesn’t disgust him as much as he thought it would. It’s embarrassing, and degrading, but…also relieving, somehow. He’s not fine. He’s never been fine. The others back home don’t think he’s fine, either. That’s why Moon is forcing him into that god-forsaken therapy session with Earth once he’s in better health.

He just…doesn’t know what to do about it. Doesn’t know how to handle being ‘not fine.’

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” The better of the two begins, fingers still deftly wrapping bandages around soldered metal plating; “It takes a while to learn that. Even longer to accept it. I admit…I’m still working on it myself. But that doesn’t mean I won’t get there eventually.”

“I don’t know if I want to get there.”

The makeshift-medic pauses in his articulate wrapping. “Why?”

A hand comes out, grabbing hold of the wrist that hovers diligently over his unfinished work.

“I don’t want to go soft, like you.”

Clawless fingers dig into fancy sleeves, pressing into the mechanical wrist beneath. One eye slowly trails upwards until it finds the searing white pair above, staring quietly into that vicious glare for only a few moments before…this grin, wild and deranged, takes the place of the frown on his face.

The other can swear the lava that’s been running through him nonstop since he awoke has finally turned to obsidian.

“Soft? You think I’m soft, do you?”

Those white eyes widen, momentary fear striking him down and holding him in place. He pulls his hand back in one swift motion, holding it close to his chest as if having just been burned.

A clawed hand flashes out, but he…he doesn’t really care. The fear he felt only moments before fades into dull carelessness, hand falling away from his chest, head hanging and eyes closed as he awaits the blow.

Maybe dying in another universe again will finally end this. Maybe he can finally be free.

When the rush of air stops and he is greeted by not even a small twinge of pain, he feels rage instead of relief. His eyes open to find his counterpart…gone.

He searches the room in a deranged frenzy, wild eyes cast in every direction and yet seeing nothing. He doesn’t take in the blankets in the corner, or the desk that sits across the room, littered with disorganized piles of paperwork. He doesn’t take in the bed beneath him, the faded orange sheets or the pile of pillows that lay at its head.

He launches to his feet, balling his hands into fists at his sides, unsteady in every way possible- from his mind to his body, he can’t seem to get a grip.

“COME BACK!!” He shouts, the sound ripping itself from his voice box with a cry of static and exhausted feedback. “FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!”

Silence greets him, stilling the air with its all-encompassing nothingness.

His vision goes black. Flickers between color and monochrome, light and dark.

“The only thing I want from you is to DIE.”

His head shoves memories into his sightline, taking the place of the reality he had been trying to hold onto. Did he really want to hold onto it? Did he want any of this?

“Are you threatening me, Lunar?”

“STOP IT!!” He shrieks, bringing his hands up to tear violently at his eyes, willing them to either turn off completely, or bring him back to the present.

“I’m not threatening you, a threat implies I won’t do something.”

“STOP!” His voice crackles, ripping out of his voice box so painfully that he can feel the gears grind, feel the mechanisms claw at his throat.

“Take your shot you little bastard.”

“SHUT UP!! SHUT. UP.”

“Take your shot you little bastard.”

“SH-SHU-T THE F-CK-“

“Take your shot.”

“UP!”

He hacks up bits of gear and shrapnel onto the floor, oil oozing out of a hole now torn in his neck.

“Looks like I got more than this one life, huh?”

He slowly sinks down to the ground, knees colliding with the hardwood before the rest of his body follows, chest hitting hard enough to make him whimper. He doesn’t want all these lives. He doesn’t want control anymore, either. In all honesty, he has no idea what he does want, other than some peace and maybe a heated blanket to soothe the agony that pulses through him.

Everyone would say that he deserves this. Deserves to die over, and over, and over again. Deserves the hell he’s getting.

Maybe he does. Maybe that’s true.

Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe that’s false.

Maybe he just doesn’t give a fuck anymore. Maybe he just wants to leave this wretched world and all his mistakes behind him.

He hears the door open. He doesn’t care enough to look.

“When the hell did you get here?”

His better, closing the door and ushering others away. How kind of him.

“You- good grief, you’re a mess!”

I know.

“What happened? Did you come back already?”

I thought we already went over this?

“Can you hear me?”

Sadly, yes.

“Eclipse?”

I’m tired.

“Eclipse?!”

Can I rest here for a bit?

“Hey! Stay with me, here- goddammit-“

Don’t worry. I’ll be back. I just need to rest.

“You better not fucking die on my floor.”

I’m sorry.

“I’m sorry, this is gonna hurt-“

I really am.

#karma’s bitter #karmas bitter but so am i #sun and moon show #the sun and moon show #tsams #sams eclipse #kb eclipse #sams au #sams spoilers #kb special #? #yeah the ending is intense <3 #part 2?

[kimseokjinn]

bangtan gif challenge ->

hyung line + blue

#kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #kim namjoon #bts #dailybts #userbangtan #houseofddaeng #cyphernet #mine #jin edit #bts edits #persona comeback special #ly her photoshoot #young forever jacket making #bodyfriend #ly in Seoul md making #run ep 152 #season's greetings 20 #kbs interview 2017 #500

[leedongwook]

KBS Drama Special: Behind the Shadows // 그림자 고백 2023

#kbs special: behind the shadows #behind the shadows #kdrama #kdramaedit #kdramasource #kdramadaily #asiandramasource #asiandramanet #dramasource #boy love #korean bl #Ren #Park Sang Nam #haleysbehindtheshadows #mone #my gifs

[singularityinthemirror]

Here some picture from before the hi touch. I was so close to them, they were the cutest 🥰

#onlyoneof #ooo #KB #Yoojung #Nine #Rie #Junji #Mill #They were unreal #And the sweetest people #During hi touch they make sure you have a special moment with them #Like smiling at you #Looking at you right in the eyes #Saying stuff like hi #Nice to meet you #I love you #It was unreal

[choiliner]

yeonjun my sweetest angel you did so well 🥺 i'm so proud of him

#i'm gonna miss seeing him as an mc :( #but sbs seems to adore him just as much as kbs adores soobin so maybe he'll come back as a special mc sometime in the future #but damn that was so emotional #when jihu started crying it was all over for me i'm so sad

[kookaburra1701]

WIP Wednesday - Ordior Arma

tagged by @dirty-bosmer tyty❤️ tagging @nientedenada and @tallmatcha, @thana-topsy, @gilgamish

Fandom: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Rating: T Category: gen Main Character: Hadvar of Riverwood Genre(s): Coming of Age, Fish out of Water, Special Interest: The works of Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus

Summary: Hadvar of Riverwood arrives in Cyrodiil as an Imperial Legion officer candidate recruit with very lofty ideas about what exactly being a soldier is all about. Those ideals are tested as he goes through the rigorous Legion training school and tries to acclimate to the much more "civilized" Imperial way of life in the Heartland Province. This is scene happens near the mid point of the fic. Zelmog gra-Morkul is an orc recruit in his training cohort. Immunis (pl. Immunes) was a rank in the Roman military that was given to those who instructed recruits in the art of warfare. (It was also given to specialists like engineers, doctors, etc, those who were immune from regular duty like digging latrines.)

Hadvar's eyes widened at the exquisite blade that was revealed as the wrappings fell away. The sword was beautifully balanced, with a dull olive sheen that flashed when the light struck it just right, marking it as made from an orichalcum alloy. Rather than the curved single-edged swords that had sometimes come through Uncle Alvor's workshop for repair, it was double-edged and straight, the broad blade perfect for the stabbing motions the Legion had drilled into them.The handle was wrapped in black and red leather, and the delicate metalwork of the hilt marked the smith as a master craftsman. A large black stone was set into the pommel.

"Zel, it's beautiful!"

"I suppose it is," Zelmog said, her voice quiet. "My mother made it, her mark is here." She ran her thumb over part of the hilt, where a flaming hammer was seamlessly contained in the scrollwork.

"See, you didn't have to worry about your family being disappointed," he said, grinning. "This sword is better than half the weapons I've seen actual Tribunes wearing! I guess you have to use the weapons they say during training but just think of how impressive it will look when we've got our own commands!"

"Yes...proud." Zelmog smiled at Hadvar, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes. Something was bothering her, and Hadvar could not work out what. "That's what this means. She's proud of me." Zelmog sighed and looked out the doorway. "I'm going to go work on that maneuver Master Graccus was showing us. You'd better get back to-"

"Recruits!" Immunis Siccia's voice rang out behind them, Hadvar and Zelmog immediately snapped to attention and saluted, their fists hitting their chests in unison. "At ease." They both relaxed marginally as Siccia approached.

She held out her hands, and Zelmog dutifully placed the sword and its wrappings in her open palms.

"I thought that might be what was in that package, recruit. It's beautiful work."

"Yes, ma'am."

For a few long moments Siccia looked over the sword, testing its balance and inspecting the careful stitching on the leather. Finally she spoke.

"Many of our most distinguished officers wear weapons they received from their strongholds instead of the weapons the Legion issued them. You may do so if and when you wish."

Hadvar was surprised - he had never heard of a recruit being allowed to have their own weapon during training! He shot a happy look at Zelmog, but she was still staring at the sword in Siccia's hands.

"I- I'd like it to be placed with my personal belongings, ma'am." Her voice was flat.

"Of course recruit. I will personally see that it is secured appropriately." Siccia started to turn away, then paused. "You are well on your way to being an exemplary Legion officer, Zelmog."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"As you were."

When Siccia had disappeared around the corner, Hadvar turned to Zelmog with a wide grin. "I bet that's the first time Siccia has ever given a recruit a compliment! I can't-"

"I'm going to go to the weapons yard," Zelmog interrupted him. "I need to be alone."

Before Hadvar could say anything, Zelmog was stalking quickly down the path to the training yard, and he was left with the uncomfortable feeling that he had missed something very important.

#skyrim #skyrim fanfiction #tes v skyrim #wip wednesday #fic wip #hadvar of riverwood #fic:ordior arma #classical antiquity is my special interest and this fic is me ROLLING AROUND IN IT #kb writes #oc: zelmog gra-morkul

[theadusa]

Everything I watch in Jan 2024

I was going to post my annual everything I watched in 2023 post but I feel like I missed my opportunity, so here is my everything I watched in January 2024... (Be Warned there are some spoilers, I do try to mark them throughout the review)

My Lovely Boxer (2023, Kim Min-joo)

Main leads: Lee Sang-yeob, Kim So-hye, Park Ji-hwan, Kim Hyung-mook, Kim Jin-woo, Ha Seung-ri, Chae Won-bin

Country: S. Korea

Run: August 21 to Oct 2, 2023 (KBS2, Monday and Tuesday @21:45 (KST))

Episodes: 12, 70 min

Thoughts: Lee Kwon-sook (Kim So-hye) is a boxer who is forcibly thrown back into the world boxing that she has retired from by a sports agent Kim Tae-young (Lee Sang-yeob). I really liked how they balanced the characters. Lee Kwon-sook is a cheerful girl who is constantly haunted by her past. And she is allowed agency to do what she can do, despite the efforts of others. And the relationship between Lee Kwon-sook and Kim Tae-young, though slightly toxic, works in an odd way. I did have problems with how they reconnected her with her father.I personally wouldn’t have forgiven him. However, I loved the relationship with Han Ah-reum, and just how that story ends. I thought it was done very well. Overall I have really enjoyed this drama. Rating: 

Unlock My Boss (2022-2023, Kim Hyung-min)

Main leads: Chae Jong-hyeop, Seo Eun-soo, Park Sung-woong

Country: S. Korea

Run: Dec 7, 2022 to Jan 12, 2023 (ENA, Wednesday and Thursday @21:00 (KST))

Episodes: 12, 60 min

Thoughts: Oh wow, this is more enjoyable than I imagined. Chase Jong-hyeop as Park In-seong is so fun. He is adorable, down to earth but capable. Jun Se-yeon (Seo Eun-soo) was amazing and I loved her complexities as a character. And the trio of Kim Seon-joo (Park Sung-woong), Park In-seong, and Jun Se-yeon, was so fun and I loved the little family they formed. I literally cried so much during this show for no reason. Like the zoom into the phone literally made me sob each time for no reason. Rating: Who knew electronics can have that much range?

Night Has Come (2023, Kang Min-Ji)

Main leads: Lee Jae-In, Kim Woo-Seok, Choi Ye-Bin, Cha Woo-Min, Ahn Ji-Ho, Jung So-Ri

Country: S. Korea

Run: Dec 4,, 2023 ( U+mobiletv)

Episodes: 12, 35 to 40 min

Thoughts: This started off really good. A class gets thrust into a mafia game to the death. You along with the characters are wondering who is the mafia among the students and who is forcing this game. It is really interesting, but the episodes follow the same pattern. The end you find everything out, and it's kind of stupied. They had a classmate who committed sucide due to a badly edited image of herself on a skimply clad woman’s body. Which is yeah bad. Then her parents take revenge on the whole class. They are placed in this mafia simulator to repeat the game over and over again. It ends with Lee Yoon-seo able to remember everything, but still trapped in the simulator. Like where their parents are. People must be concerned right. Rating: Sisphyus boulder, I guess…

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract (2023-2024, Go Nam-jeong)

Main leads: Lee Se-young, Bae In-hyuk, Joo Hyun-young, Yoo Seon-ho, Jo Bok-rae

Country: S. Korea

Run: Nov 24, 2023 to Jan 6, 2024 (MBC TV Friday and Saturday @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 12, 70 min

Thoughts: This was a cute drama. It starts off with a cute romance between a progressive woman in Joseon and a sick scholar. However, it quickly becomes a tragedy and she is sent to the year 2023 with her hand maid Sa-wol (Joo Hyun-young). It quickly becomes a fish out of water for Park Yeon-woo (Lee Se-young), but luckly she meets the recacrante of her late husband Kang Tae-ha (Bae In-hyuk) and they make a deal. It is a cute drama and I loved the cast of characters. Yeon-woo is easy to root for. Sa-wol is adorable, and adapts quickly. Kang Tae-ha is prickly but has a heart of gold. It's dramatic and fun. It's nothing special, but oh is it so good. My favorite part is Yeon-woo and Sa-wol’s relationship. Literally there is a scene with those two that reflects a romantic scene in Perfect Marriage Revenage (2023) which I can’t stop thinking about. Overall I just really enjoyed my time. Rating: butterflies everytime I think about you…

Joseon Attorney: A Morality (2023,Choi Jin-young)

Main leads: Woo Do-hwan, Bona, Cha Hak-yeon

Country: S. Korea

Run: March 31 to May 5, 2023 (MBC TV Friday and Saturday @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts:  This was a lot like Taxi Driver. In the way you have an episodic feel with a charismatic male lead seeking revenge and helping people. I had a lot of fun with this show, and I don’t use the comparison lightly either. I really had fun with it. The romance was okay, but I liked the different stories, and the main revenge plot was easy to follow along with. Woo Do-hwan is a great actor and meant to be a leading man. It's definitely  not my favorite and there are a few things that needed changing but it was fun overall! Rating: Who do you call?... Joseon Attorney!!!

KBS Drama Special 14 (2023, Choi Ja-won, Yun Tae-woo, Cho Il-yeon, Choi Yi-kyung, Wi Jae-hwa, Kwon Oh-joo,Park Eun-seo, Jo Soo-yeong, Kim Ik-hyun)

Main leads: Lee Jae-won, Choi Seong-won, and Kim Kang-hyeon,  Kim Won-hae, Min Ji-ah, Ahn Se-bin and Park Ji-ah, Lee Min-jae, Kim Hyun-soo, and Kang Na-eon,  Moon Woo-jin, Park Seo-kyung, Park Ha-sun, Kim Joo-heon, Kim Do-hoon, Chae Won-bin, Kim Dong-hwi, Jo A-ram, Shim Yi-young, Joo Seok-tae,  Ren, Park Sang-nam, Hong Seung-hee, Hahm Eun-jung,  Kim Kang-min, Yoon San-ha, Baek Sung-hyun

Country: S. Korea

Run: OCT 14 to Dec 16, 2023 (KBS, Saturday 21:50 to 22:50 (KST))

Episodes: 10, 60 to 80 min

Thoughts: This is a yearly anthogolgy series that follows various characters in various time periods with various goals. I thought a lot of them were really cool and interesting. “Love Attack” was by far one of my favorites, but I also really liked “The True Love of Madam” which was shocking for me.  It was also hard to find any subs for “Overlap, Knife, Knife” so I had to rely on visual cues and the small amount of Korean I know. But I thought this was a fun anthrologie series, and the stories are fun and fresh. Rating: I love getting short and quick stories like this, its the reason I love short films so much.

A Good Day to Be a Dog (2023-2024, Baek In-ah)

Main leads: Park Gyu-young, Cha Eun-woo, Lee Hyun-woo

Country: S. Korea

Run: Oct 11, 2023 to Jan 10, 2024 (MBC, Wednesday 21:00 (KST))

Episodes: 14, 70 min

Thoughts: Apparently it is very different from the webtoon ( which I have never read), but I found it entertaining. It is cute and lighthearted. I always like when its past lives, I think it adds a fun element to romances. Though I do think the schedule of the show hindered my enjoyment, because it would be so long between episodes. They also lost me at the end, I can not lie. Rating/Spoiler: Also I would be so angery if I found out my family curse passed down for generations was over a misunderstanding. I would want an apology, reparations, and revenge. On another note, I would also be so pissed if I killed myself to save my servant's baby; then my boyfriend finished off the dying father, then cursed the child and its offspring. I would be pissed, like my scarfice was for not. Go off mountain spirit I guess…

My 20th Twenty (2023, N/A)

Main leads: Choi Yu Ju , Jung Su Bin

Country: S. Korea

Run: April 21 to may 27, 2023 (Wavve, Friday and Saturday)

Episodes: 12, 15 min

Thoughts: This show was good for what it was. It has the vibe of a college student film with a mix of those youtube series made by middle schoolers back in 2009. And I mean that with the highest praise. The sound mixing was off, they had limited cast (background actors is what you are looking for), no interesting lighting (but very well light- i.e the student film vibes), and the actors new to the scene. I loved every motherfucking moment. It was so cheesy, the script was bad, and nothing made sense. But I knew that it was made with passion. Rating: It would be horrifying being 20 forever

Taxi Driver Season 2 (2023, Oh Sang-ho)

Main leads: Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin, Bae Yoo-ram, Shin Jae-ha

Country: S. Korea

Run: Feb 17 to April 15, 2023 (SBS, TV Friday and Saturday @22:00 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: Back in action the second season is so much fun and entertaining. I actually like it better than the first. And I said this once and I’ll say it again Lee Je-hoon is made to be an action star. He’s as great as Kim Do-gi. I also liked that Ahn Go-eun (Pyo Ye-jin)  had a larger role this season. I also just love the friendship in the Rainbow Taxi service. Just so fun. Rating: imagine being taken down by a taxi service…

Taxi Driver Special (2023, SBS)

Main leads:  Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin, Bae Yoo-ram, Shin Jae-ha

Country: S. Korea

Run: Feb 16 to March 4, 2023 ( KBS)

Episodes: 2, 60 -120 min

Thoughts: This was fun seeing the cast reflect on the episodes and their characters. Its also cool just seeing a reply of everything that happened. You could tell how much Lee Je-hoon loves playing Kim Do-gi. Rating: I am excited for the 3rd season…

Brain Works (2023, Park Kyung-seon)

Main leads: Jung Yong-hwa, Cha Tae-hyun, Kwak Sun-young, Ye Ji-won

Country: S. Korea

Run: Jan 2 to Fe 28, 2023 (KBS2 Monday and Tuesday @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 75 min

Thoughts:This show is weird. I think most cop shows are weird but this one especially. I did like the bromance in this, between Shin Ha-ru (Jung Yong-hwa) and Geum Myung-se (Ch Tae-hyun). I did think neuroscience was weird and defies logic. The only good thing about it was when they didn’t completely vilify Pyschopaths, because it tends to be more complicated than the mainstream likes to show. It still left a lot to be desired but it was there. Also when he lowkey kidnapped and torture that kid, oh my god, like he was a little punk and deserved to go to trail but my god. Rating: This is lowkey giving Minority Report tbh…

My Cuteness is about to expire!? (2022,  Tanabe Shigenori)

Main leads: Yamada Ryosuke, Yoshine Kyoko 

Country: Japan 

Run: April 16 to June 11, 2022 (TV Asahi, Saturday 23:30)

Episodes: 9, 23 to 47 min

Thoughts: Maruya is your typical male narcissist who works in sales. He uses his cuteness to stake by in life, to make up for his average skills. One day he is visited by his future self, whom he deems ugly, tells him that his cuteness is going to expire. He decides, after relizing his crush, the only way to prevent this is to date Sanada, a robotic newbie to the sales team. It is cute and Maruya and Sanada are fun as a couple, plus if you have the time you could watch this in a day. Rating: I’m Ichinose calling every single person every 10 seconds sobbing…

My Dearest Pt 1 (2023, Hwang Jin-young)

Main leads: Namkoong Min, Ahn Eun-jin, Lee Hak-joo, Lee Da-in, Kim Yoon-woo, Lee Chung-ah

Country: S. Korea

Run: August 4 to Sept 2, 2023 (MBC TV, Friday and Saturday 21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 10, 60 to 90 min

Thoughts:  I was not expecting to like this more than I did. The angst in every episode is so insane. Episode 10 was actually unbearable. I also want to take a moment and appreciate Yoo Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin), she is such a complicated  character. She would do anything for her friends, she is willing to do the things that no other women (noble) are willing to do even during times of war. She will stab the man assualting her friend and cover it up. She would cut the amicable cord, she would stab the mother’s hand. She isn’t pure of heart, she neveer claimed to be. I love her so much. And her relationship with Lee Jang-hyun. The ending of episode 10. I was sobbing. Rating: I am trying to hype myself up to watch the next 11 episodes, people had to wait inbetween…

The Escape of the Seven (2023, Kim Soon-ok)

Main leads: Um Ki-joon, Hwang Jung-eum, Lee Joon, Lee Yu-bi, Shin Eun-kyung, Yoon Jong-hoon, Jo Yoon-hee, Jo Jae-yoon

Country: S. Korea

Run: Sept 15 to Nov 17, 2023 (SBS TV Friday and Saturday 22:00 (KST))

Episodes: 17, 70 to 80 min

Thoughts: This was an insane ride. Literally no one in this likeable except for a few, like I didn’t think Min Do-hyuk (Lee Joon) was as bad as the others but oh lordy. It is so melodramatic, which took me off graud for some reason. Going into it I thought it was going to be a serious thriller, but oh boy was I wrong. It was Makjang. Which is fine, and also coming back in style apparently. I’m sat for season 2, but not with much hope. Rating: I actually don’t know the timeline of any of these events, does it expand years months, idk…

My Demon (2023-2024, Choi Ah-il)

Main leads: Kim Yoo-jung, Song Kang, Lee Sang-yi, Kim Hae-sook

Country: S. Korea

Run: Nov 24, 2023 to Jan 20, 2024 (SBS TV,  Friday and Saturday @22:00 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: I was excited for this drama. I really liked Doom at Your Service which promised to have a similar vibe. Which it did to an extent. I actually hate Song Kang in romances and only really like him in nonromance shows. However I think he did really well as Jeong Gu-won. I liked the overall Romance in the show. But I did think the revenge plot got uninteresting and confusing after a while. I do like the ending, I was pretty satisfied with where everyone ended up, which has been a long time since I’ve been this satisfied. 

Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023-2024, Kwon Hye-joo)

Main leads: Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hye-sun

Country: S. Korea

Run: Dec 2, 2023 ti Jan 21, 2024 (JTBC, Saturday and Sunday 22:30 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: This was cute and was far above my expectations. I am always uneasy with Ji Chang Wook, I can’t forgive him for the Melting My Heart drama a few years back, but I would do anything for Shin Hye-sun. So I gave this drama a go, and I liked it. I loved the vibes, and I didn’t mind that revenge wasn’t the main plot. It's like the one line “my enemies will take themselves out before you get a chance to swing.” It was heartwarming and I’m glad that Cho Sam-dal was able to find peace in her hometown. I loved the feel of community. I loved all the Friendships. It was very lovely. And I’m happy at the ending. I will also give my entire heart to Cho Hae-dal and Cha Ha-yul. I loved their mother-daughter relationship. I wanted more screen time for both. Rating: I’m glad there is a little piece of heaven…

 Game of Witches ( 2022-2023, Lee Do-Hyun)

Main leads: Jang Seo-Hee, Kim Kyu-Seon, Lee Hyun-Seok, Oh Chang-Suk. Han Ji-Wan, Ban Hyo-Jung

Country: S. Korea

Run: Oct 11, 2022 to April 14, 2023 (MBC, Monday to Friday 19:15 (KST))

Episodes: 119, 25 to 28 min

Thoughts: *Major Spoilers+ Rant ahead.* This show makes me unneccsarly angery. It is a daily drama and a Makjang to boot, so literally put any and all expectations in the gutter. Everything is nonsensical, and drawn out to reach the 119 mark. Storylines get dropped or move way too fast. It has a strange family tree and for a moment every single person was supposbly related. They have so much evidence agsaint the scheming Kang Ji-ho (Oh Chang-suk) and Joo Se-young (Han Ji-wan) but it goes nowhere. Speaking of Kang Ji-ho, he was just straight up dispicable. I would say more than Se-ypung of Ma Hyun-Deok (Ban Hyo-Jung). He was a terrible partner and father from the start. He literally tossed his entire family out the door for Se-young and eventual power. He only paid attention to his daughter Kang Han-Byeol (Kwon Dan-A) when she was able to benefit him. He was at best neglectful and at worst abusive towards her. Han-byeol was the true victim. Hye-soo (Kim Kyu-Seon) actually had a motive in the beginning. She was just pathetic and weak but once she returned they weirdly sidelined her. Also I don’t know why Kang Ji-ho never got prosecuted for trying to kill Hye-soo. Like I find that to be one of his more egregious crimes. Like that is the mother of your child. You gave your child so much trauma, for what? Power? Like when they tried to redeem him at the end I was just fed up. You can’t make hime out to be the big bad guy for 118 episodes, and then have him do one good thing. He is a bad father, and when Han Byeol grows up she will resent him. Rating: Fuck this show, like actually.

 My Dearest Part 2(2023, Hwang Jin-young)

Main leads: Namkoong Min, Ahn Eun-jin, Lee Hak-joo, Lee Da-in, Kim Yoon-woo, Lee Chung-ah

Country: S. Korea

Run: Oct 13 to Nov 18, 2023 (MBC TV, Friday and Saturday 21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 11, 60 to 90 min

Thoughts: More devastating than the first part. Gil-chae is probably my favorite character I have watched. Her journey in this part is absolutely devastating but she survives. I enjoyed the refutement from blame, that people who experienced the worst horrors known are somehow blamed. Gil Chae pushes back on this sentiment herself. This entire time I just wanted Jang-hyun and Gil Chea together. Which took the entire part for them to finally be happy. I do think the ending was kind of wobbly, and they only really needed 10  episodes not the 11. But who am I to say? Anyways I enjoyed the show overall. Rating: My Dear Husband… 

Kokdu: Season of Diety (2023, Kang Yi-heon, Heo Jun-woo)

Main leads: Kim Jung-hyun, Im Soo-hyang, Kim Da-som, Ahn Woo-yeon, Kim In-kwon, Cha Chung-hwa

Country: S. Korea

Run: Jan 27 to March 24, 2023 (MBC TV Fridays and Saturdays @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: You must be wondering why did you watch this? It only has bad reviews- which is a lie, it is actually a polarizing show. And I can understand. If you go into this show with the lowest expectations imaginable and it might be fun. The scenery is pretty and they make decent use of it. Main Romance is actually not good, I felt no chemistry between Kim Jung-Hyun and Im Soo-hyang. I did like the romance between Tae Jeong-won (Kim Da-som) and Han Cheol (Ahn Woo-yeon) other than that The show overall fell flat. I did like the scenery and the setting. I thought it was fun. Also episode 16 was the most enjoyable episode, which is good for an ending. Rating: I would skip…

I am currently watching:

Marry My Husband

Doctor Slump

Because of Love

Do You Like Brahms?

The Real Has Come!

If you have any kdrama recommendations, please let me know!

#kdrama #kdrama thoughts #kdrama review #my lovely boxer #unlock my boss #night has come #the story of park's marriage contract #joseon attorney #KBS Special 2023 #a good day to be a dog #my 20th twenty #Taxi Driver s2 #Brain Works #My Cuteness is about to expire #my dearest #The escape of the seven #My demon #welcome to samdalri #Game of witches #Kokdu: Season of Diety

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Like Otters (2022 KBS Drama Special)

Two lonely and neglected high school seniors find friendship, love and a family in each other when their respective difficult circumstances bring them together. The tittle comes into play as they study otters in the biology class and they learn how when adrift in the ocean, otters hold hands to be less scared and stay together.

It's the perfect metaphor for our leads and what they are going through. For them life is as big and scary as the ocean, and the lack of support from their respective families leaves them to be adrift in it, with no one to turn to when things go from bad to worse. So when at first glance this might look like a story about teenage angst, it couldn't be more far from it. Neither of the leads has a safe place to go or a sense of what a true family it's like until they find each other.

The performances are really good. Shin Eun Soo delivers a strong performance as the always in the move kinda of character, for her this is essential because staying put means thinking how bad things are for her at home. On the other hand, Kim Jae Won delivered a great deal of contained emotions. His performance is more subdued, until it comes to a turning point. Both actors share great chemistry and managed to make me believe their character's instant connection through shared pain and frustration that slowly becomes something more positive, full of warmth and eventually love.

Most of the drama was shot at night, under cool tones, which fills the story with dark vibes and sometimes a gritty feel. It gives us a glimpse at a time of day that doesn't seem fit for two kids to be walking around the city, delivering alcohol and condoms. Which is exactly the point the drama it's trying to make visually: the world these kids live on is cold and dark. Except for the scenes at the school, when they can disconnect from their families and connect with each other. Those scenes are shot under a warm color palette and full of light, sunny and happy days.

The conclusion of the story is somehow bittersweet because in order for our leads to be happy, they have to come to terms with the fact that family is not always the one you were born in but the one you choose. Abuse it's not always physical and people need to recognize this in order to move forward and start holding on tightly to those who care for your well being and happiness.

#like otters #kdrama #review #drama review #drama recommendation #shin eun soo #kim jae won #kbs drama special #2024

[what-breaks-my-heart]

Overlap Knife, Knife is a lot more mind-boggling than I thought it would be! The twist after twist after twist after twist got my jaw dropping to the floor!

#overlap knife knife #kdrama #2023 kbs drama special #kbs drama special

[crehador]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: ヒプノシスマイク | Hypnosis Mic (Albums) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aohitsugi Samatoki/Yamada Ichiro Characters: Aohitsugi Samatoki, Yamada Ichiro Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Fluff Summary:

Samatoki comes home early, planning to surprise Ichiro, only to be greeted by something of a surprise himself.

#crab writes #hypmic #ichisama #be normal about kbs challenge FAILED #kitchen singing fic refused to leave me alone after all #super special bonus detail for tumblr only: i like to imagine ichiro is wearing one of the ridiculous new rhyme anima hair clips in this lol #the one with samatoki's face

[sarangkstars]

Short Kdramas/Drama Special/Web Drama

Part 1

From time to time I go through the well-known "drama hangover". Even if I try to balance my backlog, don't start too many dramas with diversified stories at the same time, even if I choose only one favorite to follow... it doesn't matter, the routine will run over all my plans and I end up not having the courage or the will to watch anything. Usually when this kind of thing happens, I look for short dramas, with plots that I don't need to think too much, just watch, smile, fall in love and that's it, move on. So I remembered to list these short dramas I've seen and give my recommendations.

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Splash Splash Love

Splash Splash Love, the 2015 minidrama with only 2 episodes made me so immensely happy. The story is about a high school student Jang Dan-bi (Kim Seul Gi). Running away from a maths test she finds herself in a playground. Unconsciously, she goes into a puddle and is suddenly transported to the Joseon period. There she meets King Lee-do (Yoon Doo-joon). My review here.

After the Rain

Kim Kang Woo is my soft spot and this 2 episode drama special seemed to call to me. And good thing too because this show is excellent. This is a comedic human drama about Bong Gil who is forty years old, single and tired of taking care of his 90 year old father. My review here.

The Reason I'm Getting Married

Two very good reasons to check out this drama - Song Jun Ho and Hong Jong Hyun. 😍 The story is about a woman (Park Hee Bon) who is about to marry her long-time boyfriend and meets a friend from the past who has a crush on her. My review here.

Came to me and Became a Star

This story is about Gang Seok (Kim Ji Suk) and Ha Jin (Jung So Min). Both are struggling to stay afloat in life when they meet and fall in love. Review here.

Review Notebook of My Embarrassing Days

Another KBS Drama Special starring Jeon So-min and Park Sung-hoon. Do Do-Hye (Jeon So-Min) is a mathematics teacher and has an overly honest personality, which makes her face embarrassing moments. She keeps a diary where she writes down all these embarrassing moments and reflects on herself. My review here.

Handmade Love

Because this web drama has Lee Soo Hyuk as the lead actor, I had to go see what it was all about. This is about Woven (Lee Soo Hyuk) who is a god who sinned by touching the coat of a goddess and his punishment is to live on Earth and make clothes that cure humans of their sadness.

I think Lee Soo Hyuk is perfect for the role of a god with that perfect elegance and ethereal looks. And I want to thank whoever thought he should wear high collars and fluffy pullovers. ❤️

The first thing that struck me was the luxurious appearance of the small shop. The clothes were beautiful and the furniture looked wonderful and magical.

I liked the stories of the humans he had to heal as they seemed solid and with good messages but I also felt they were rushed, maybe because it was only 8 episodes. So the concept was very cute but the execution was not very efficient.

The Universe's Star

"The Universe's Star" is written and directed by Kim Ji Hyun, known for "Splash Splash Love". That, and having my beloved Suho/Kim Jun Myeon in the cast made me want to watch this drama. This is the love story between a talented singer-songwriter Woo Joo (Kim Jun Myeon) and Byul (Ji Woo), a 19-year-old student who turned into a grim reaper after dying in an accident.

This show has stayed in my heart forever because although it only has 6 half hour episodes, it has more depth than some regular length dramas. Each episode had the ability to make me think and feel, and themes such as the meaning of life, self-worth or appreciating the present came up regularly in my thoughts.

While I can't say that the acting of the main actors was excellent I really enjoyed the OTP arc. The ending is quite emotional and moving and although it left me crying it also left my heart full.

I also have to mention the friendship between Byul and Gakshi (ghost). Though they should be "enemies" a friendship is formed and it is a pleasure to see them together.

Queen of the Ring

It's a cute and romantic mini-series of only 6 half-hour episodes. It's perfect for those who don't have time to devote to an entire series of 16 episodes or more and the content is light and heartfully.

Story is about an ugly girl, Nan Hee (Kim Seul Gi) who one day receives a ring that holds a family secret. Due to the magic ring, she dates Se Gun (Ahn Hyo Seop) who is a handsome guy but has a cold-blooded personality and struggles to see her as his ideal type.

I have a crush on Kim Seul Gi and I thought she gave Nan Hee a spunky personality even though she's so insecure about her physical appearance. And, as always, the emotional moments of this drama were delivered by her in a touching way.

I didn't feel very good about the premise of this drama and the idea of the "ugly girl" liking a boy who was only interested in physical appearances was not winning me over. However, the drama showed me that it had a message behind the original idea that left me quite satisfied with the end result.

Romance Full of Life

It's about In-Sung (Yoon Si Yoon) who is preparing for the exam to become a police officer for 4 years. He fails the exam 8 times, but he still has a positive personality. He then applies for the high paying part-time job which is titled "Full Life Experience". And then his life changes.

Of the Three Colors of Fantasies trilogy, this was the weakest for me. What I liked: I loved Yoon Si Yoon in this drama. I thought he looked adorable as a geek with those chrome glasses and that ruffled hair.

I liked that he turned into some sort of superhero and stopped being a weakling but I hated some of his actions and the way it changed him for the worse.

The OTP was okay.

Two Lights: Relumino

For three years Seo In-Soo (Park Hyung-sik) has been facing partial blindness. Looking for a new leisure activity, he joins a photography club for people with visual limitations. That's when he meets Ahn Soo-Young (Han Ji-min) - a young woman who is part of the group of students.

The story shows the daily struggles each has to go through due to their physical limitations, as well as the bond that is developed between them as they get to know each other better.

This short film is to make people aware of Samsung's Relumino device so the running time of the film is only 30 minutes, so the story is developed quickly but manages to be sweet, sensitive and beautiful.

And I liked the message of hope, inner strength and independence in the midst of darkness.

#splash splash love #after the rain #the reason i'm getting married #came to me and became a star #review notebook of my embarrassing days #handmade love #the universe's star #queen of the ring #romance full of life #two lights relumino #short kdramas #kbs drama special #web drama

[bitterkarmaa]

-The Temptation-

|~This one-shot contains strong language and explicit scenes of blood and violence. Themes of horror are also used. Reader discretion is advised.~|

The fury in every fiber of his being lay dormant, a hungry beast, fit for a killing machine. A vengeful creature, bitter and cold, unwavering and interested in every move he makes. A shadow that makes the same movements, yet plays a far different game. Something he swore never to release, never to nurture, as that would drive an irreversible rift between himself and the others.

The others.

Oh, if only they knew.

He glares daggers into the clock, willing it to go faster as the others begin their nightly routines that will, eventually, lead into silence as they separate to charge. The hesitation lingers in his chest, as brutal as the first time he felt it.

The Star hates when he does this.

But it knew, same as him, that this was the only way he could manage himself without lashing out at one of the others. Undoing all his progress when he has a (somewhat) healthy outlet seemed ludicrous at best, and stupid at worst. It let him do as he pleased under the guise that, if he went too far, it would put him back in line.

He accepted that.

Though it was hard to accept that The Star had a collar around his neck and a leash to accompany it, he knew that he’d be dead without it, so he’d just have to deal with the consequences that came with its presence.

His claws tap away at the paneling on his leg, having switched from his normal attire to something with more…maneuverability. He admits that he hates these clothes with a passion, as, with them, come the memories of the forest with its cold grass and harsh winds. Wearing these cursed clothes feels like he’s digging up those long-buried feelings all over again, and he hates to admit just how much fear it strikes into him.

However, he knows these thoughts will have little to no effect on him when he finally begins the trek to his…outlet. Nothing really mattered to him then, other than completing the journey and fulfilling his desires in what Sun would call a ‘disgraceful’ way.

So what? He’ll be a disgrace if it brings him comfort. Sun can’t fault him for that.

By the time that his musings finally come to a close, the world outside his room is silent. Blood Moon is curled up in their nest, a stuffed bat that Lunar gave them tucked against their chest, held tightly in both arms. Eclipse slips off the side of the bed as quietly as he can, slinking over to Blood Moon’s side to pull a blanket over them as they give a slight stir and groggy blink in his direction.

“Hey, Dad.” They murmur, voices slurred by exhaustion. Eclipse gives them a small smile.

“Hey boys. I’m going to go out for a walk, alright? I’ll be back before you wake up.”

They give him a hesitant look, clearly still torn over past events. “You sure? We could come with…”

“No need. I’ll be just fine.” Their father assures them, and they finally give a small nod before settling back down, beginning to drift off as Eclipse stands at his full height once more. He watches them for a moment longer before turning towards the door, claws clamping down around the knob.

The excitement that twists within him is almost unwelcome in its intensity. He pushes it down, willing himself to keep calm as he pulls the door open, slipping outside and closing it behind him with a soft ‘click.’ The main part of the attendant’s room is dark, save for the soft light that peeks out from Moon’s room. He’s probably helping Lunar get situated for the night.

Sun is sprawled out across the couch, as usual, snoring softly, limbs stuck out at odd angles. Eclipse has always wondered how his counterpart can possibly find a position like that comfortable, but he’s in no place to judge. If they have one thing in common, it’s their horrible sleeping patterns and uncanny ability to squirm like snakes in their slumber. It’s horribly embarrassing, really, though Eclipse would never admit to it aloud.

Rays is neatly curled on a few spare cushions and pillows behind the boxes near the ladder, a single blanket cocooning him. Eclipse casts a faint frown in his direction. He offered the other more things to lay on, and more blankets, but he refused. He said he was comfortable, but it’s awfully hard to believe watching him sleep like that. However…Eclipse doesn’t tell him how to live his life, and he doesn’t plan on starting now.

So, instead, he moves on towards the door that leads out into the theater. The door shuts behind him with a soft click as he exits.

The trek out of the pizza plex is quiet, but that doesn’t help to quell the anxiety that stirs in Eclipse’s chest. He feels the heat of The Star become more and more intense the further he goes from the Daycare, and he knows that’s it’s last attempt at luring him back- a warning, clear as a summer day. He struggles to ignore its call, knowing that this is for the better if it distills his need for violence.

His feet guide him to the front doors easily enough, but his mind isn’t truly in the walk. Letting out a heavy sigh, he gazes up at the shutter that comes down to cover the main entrance. Freddy smiles back at him, but he knows the real Glamrock Freddy would do the exact opposite if he knew where Eclipse was going. His claws curl into his palms, and he finds it unfair that the pain is less jarring than the paranoia that gnaws at his head.

Even so, he moves forwards, placing his hand onto the shutter. With a creak and whine of mechanisms overdue for maintenance, it slides upwards and away from Eclipse’s lightly glowing hand. Only after he has slipped outside does it close once more.

He takes in a deep breath of the chilled air, letting it soak into him and ease the warmth his panic had produced. The nearby trees sway gently in the light breeze, and Eclipse watches the moon claim dominance of the sky overhead. It’s ironically peaceful, despite the acts he intends to commit.

His walk begins, and leads on into the later hours of the night. By the time he approaches the rusted door that leads into the ring beyond, the time blares threatening numbers at him from the corner of his vision.

1:20 AM.

He approaches the doorman, even so.

“Back again, I see?” The gentleman greets, flashing Eclipse a sly smile. The animatronic gives a swift nod.

“Who’s in it for tonight?” Eclipse asks, rays shifting with soft clicks that seem to amuse the man before him.

“Rodger. He’s got some new toys, so I’d be weary if I were you. Beth said she’d have a little fun, too, but she seemed tired- I doubt she’ll be down for an entire fight. Cole and Amy managed to get the okay from their doc’s, so they’ll be back in it too. A few newbies showed up earlier, but I doubt they’ll do anything serious. They’re young, and probably just here to impress some friends or somethin’. Go easy on ‘em, will ya?”

Eclipse cracks a smile of his own, at that, giving the doorman a slight chuckle as he brings one hand up, tapping at his chin in mock consideration.

“We’ll see. Depends on if they say the right things. If not…they’re pancakes.”

The doorman hears the amusement in the animatronic’s tone, and he barks out a laugh before swooping in to grab the door. He opens it and urges Eclipse inside.

“The fight starts in ten. You know the drill.”

Eclipse gives him a swift nod, then ducks inside. The darkness beyond fills him with unmistakable dread, but that only fuels his desire to get in the ring and expel all this energy. He makes his way around the outside, scouting out everyone himself- he trusts the doorman, sure, but not enough to let all precautionary measures go in favor of sitting back and waiting for the fight to begin.

“Always be sure to make judgments yourself. You don’t know what you’re up against until you’re face-to–face with it.”

KillCode’s words are like parasites, stuck in his head for as long as he can remember, no matter how much he would rather learn his own lessons instead of sticking to the ones that traitor put in his mind. It’s hard accepting the fact that KC will be a part of him, somehow, someway, for the rest of his existence. Hard to live with that knowledge after his abandonment.

“Look who it is! I was wondering if you’d show.”

Eclipse stops and turns, facing the owner of the voice with a plain look on his face, giving nothing away. Rodger stands in front of him with a big, cocky gin, as usual. A glance down tells Eclipse that said ‘new toys’ are a pair of daggers, custom made and flashy as a new porsche.

“I thought weapons weren’t allowed?” He comments mildly, giving the man a dubious look. Rodger scoffs, waving a hand dismissively.

“I’m not gonna bring ‘em in the ring, dumbass.”

Eclipse narrows his eyes, the iris of his blind one glowing a faint amber, barely visible amongst the abyss of blackness around it. Cole comes up, then, shoving his elbow into the side of Rodger’s rib cage with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Be nice! The dude can flatten and flip you like a pancake!” He comments, rolling his eyes as Rodger mumbles under his breath. Cole then gives Eclipse a warm smile.

“I was hoping you’d be here on my first day back. I’m looking forward to that rematch.”

Eclipse chuckles. “How’s the hand?”

“A lot better! I got my splint off about a week ago, and the x-rays confirmed that it was all healed up. Just a little sore now, but nothin’ major.” The young man explains, keeping Eclipse’s attention just long enough for Rodger to raise a fist. His hand comes out for a cheap shot, but Eclipse catches his fist before it makes contact, raising an eyebrow as Rodger gives him a nervous smile and chuckle.

“This is why you didn’t graduate, Rodger.” The animatronic quips casually, releasing the easily broken flesh and bone in his grasp.

“Shut the fuck up, frisbee face.” Rodger snaps, but Eclipse simply smiles, revealing his sharp teeth. They gleam with a type of malice that seems obvious enough to make the man back down like a scared puppy. Cole turns to give the older man a frown, looking him up and down as if wondering what to comment on first.

“You’re a mess, man. You gonna be okay in the ring tonight? You know what anger does in there, dude…” He looks away at the last sentence, looking over to Eclipse as if searching for his support.

“You do seem more short-tempered than normal.” He adds curtly, and Cole nods.

“None of your business.” Rodger glares at the both of them, and Cole backs off with his hands raised in a show of innocence.

“I’m just worried about you, dude! We may be opponents in the ring, but that doesn’t mean we have to hate each other outside of the ring, too.”

The look that Rodger gives the younger man makes Eclipse uneasy, so he steps between the two before a fight can break out prior to the scheduled one that begins in about two minutes.

“You really think he’s that unstable tonight?” Cole leans forwards to peer around the animatronic that plays sentinel between himself and Rodger, looking up at his protector anxiously.

“I think you should sit it out tonight.” Eclipse says instead, watching wearily as Rodger turns on him.

“You ain’t gonna think shit about me, robot! You don’t get to order me around! You know what? If you’re so worried about what I might do to little ole’ Cole, how about you duke it out with me? Right now?” The enraged man shoves Eclipse back, and he staggers, if only out of shock due to Rodger’s unexpected reaction.

“Hey! Rodger! Leave him alone!” Cole shouts, moving forwards to push Rodger back before he can truly begin to bear down on the animatronic. Beth and Amy perk up from across the room, stopping mid-conversation to watch the situation unfold.

“Whatcha gonna do if I don’t? Push me ‘round a bit, little guy? Try it, see what happens.” Rodger snarls, advancing on Cole right as Eclipse comes back to his senses. He looks over to the girls and gives them a pleading look, and Beth is the first to get up despite her obvious exhaustion. Amy isn’t far behind.

“Leave the kid alone, he’s been doin’ well despite his age. Don’t pick fights where we don’t need ‘em, either, Rod.” Beth interjects, beginning to gently urge Rodger off towards one of the seats that are kept against the wall for viewing. Amy checks in with Cole, who simply waves her off with a gentle, “Thank you, I’m fine, sweetheart.”

Eclipse turns his attention to the doorman. He watches with a curious expression, then motions outside to the crowd awaiting a place within the audience. Eclipse gives him a nod, then urges both Cole and Amy off towards the rooms in the back used for prep. Within ten minutes, Beth and Rodger join them. A few new faces arrive, as well, just like the doorman had said- but he’s right, they do look young and scared. Eclipse has half a mind to tell them to leave, but knows that they’ll refuse. The younger ones are usually here for a reason, whether it be to get a girl or impress a friend.

Cole grabs his gloves and tugs them on, the blue fabric sliding easily over his skin. Amy does the same with her own red variants. Rodger grabs his yellow pair, and Beth, her green. Eclipse disconnects the tips of his claws and slides them into a pocket in his pants, slipping on his own orange gloves as the newbies decide on which color they want. One of them chooses purple, another pink, navy, white, and, finally, brown. There are more new arrivals tonight than normal, but Eclipse isn’t worried.

“Do we know the pairings for tonight?” Beth asks tiredly, rolling her shoulders.

“Uh, yeah- I got the list right here-” Cole cuts in, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. He tosses it onto one of the benches, and everyone else gathers around for a look at who they’ll be up against.

Eclipse searches for his name, and wishes he skipped this night when he finally finds it. Rodger. Of course, he’s against Rodger tonight. He has another fight near the end with one of the newbies, too, and the poor guy looks about ready to piss himself when he reads the same thing. Rodger narrows his eyes at the paper, a sly smirk spreading across his face as he slowly raises his head towards Eclipse.

“Looks like I’ll get that fight after all.”

Eclipse looks away, his oil boiling. He storms his way over to his locker, grabbing the orange, tattered shirt within before quickly stripping his fancier shirt and vest off. He practically throws his nice clothes into the locker where the shirt just was, a wave of guilt washing over him as he stares at his garments not long after. He slips the worn shirt over his head after retracting his rays in order to make sure he doesn’t ruin it more, then carefully folds the clothes within the locker into more organized and respectable piles. Once satisfied, he closes the door, slipping the lock back into place.

“Hey, um…Clippy?”

The timid voice behind him makes him turn, giving Cole a curious look. Odd. The children used to call him that when he was a daycare attendant. Then again, it’s just a nickname, right? Lunar gave him one, too.

He wouldn’t be so bothered by it if Cole didn’t seem so alarmed that he actually responded.

“Yes, Cole?”

Cole startles, at that, giving him a grateful smile. “I um…I wanted to thank you. For...sticking up for me. Or…protecting me? I don’t know. I wanted to thank you either way.”

Eclipse reflects the young man’s smile. “I could say the same for you. You got a lot of guts.”

Cole lets out a laugh. “I don’t know if I’d call it that! Maybe mock confidence? I’m not usually one for confrontation…”

Eclipse leans down, eye-to-eye with Cole. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m not sure you’d be a good fit for ring fighting then.”

Despite how intimidating him being so close to Cole would normally be for anyone else, the boy seems everything but scared. In fact, at the animatronic’s remark, he begins to laugh again. Genuine laughter, tears of joy coming to his eyes that he swipes away once he begins to calm down.

“Maybe you’re right. But I gotta get some money, and this is a pretty effective way to do it quickly.” He explains, and Eclipse leans back at those words.

“What’s the rush? Why not just get a normal job?” He asks. Cole brings up a hand to rub subconsciously at the back of his neck.

“I have one. I gotta be waking up in six hours for it, actually. Money is just…worth less, these days. I want to…” Cole pauses, at that. He remains silent for a few moments, then lets out a breath.

“I want to buy my childhood home before it’s demolished. It’s set to be taken down next summer, and I wanted to buy it so that Amy and I can settle down in a quiet neighborhood. There’s not much around the house anymore, since that side of town has been abandoned for quite some time. It would be great to start a family in, now that all the crime has moved on to places that have more to offer.”

Eclipse catches the slight wobble to Cole’s voice, and he feels a pang of sympathy for him that The Star latches onto, creating a dull pain that urges him to ask more questions. Such a sucker for drama.

“Shouldn’t you have inherited it?”

Cole shakes his head. “My older brother did. He wanted to start a family of his own, so he sold the house because he couldn’t pay for all the repairs it needed.”

Eclipse remains silent, then, in a solemn voice, he asks; “And you can?”

He immediately regrets asking that, because the tears that Cole had been holding back now begin to drip down his face. “No. But I’ll find a way. That's all I have left of my parents. I have to restore it. If not for them, then for the childhood I partially missed out on.”

Without much thought, Eclipse reaches out a hand and carefully lays it onto Cole’s shoulder. A frown is set on his face, listening to the soft sniffles of the young man before him. He shouldn’t have to struggle like this…not at such a young age.

With a joyless laugh, Cole wipes his tears and musters up a sad smile. “Oh, what am I doing? Spilling my life story to someone I barely know- I’m so sorry. None of that should be your problem. Sorry for dumping it on you.”

Eclipse shakes his head. “No. Thank you for telling me. I’m honored you trust me with all that.”

Cole’s smile slowly begins to warm up, but he brings a hand up to playfully punch Eclipse on the shoulder before he allows himself to spill anything else. “Thanks, Clippy. I appreciate it.”

Eclipse opens his mouth to reply, but Cole’s name is called alongside one of the newbies before he can. He gives Cole a simple nod instead, patting him on the back, nudging him towards the entrance to the ring.

“Show ‘em what for, kid.”

Cole gives a firm nod and jogs over to begin his first fight of the night. Eclipse watches him go with a smile.

-

When Cole returns, it’s obvious who won. He only sports a few bruises, while his opponent is covered in cuts and bleeding from his nose. Eclipse can’t help but grin, giving Cole a thumbs up as he crosses the room and settles at Amy’s side once more.

Eclipse then sits down on one of the benches and begins to patiently wait for his own name to be called, nervously keeping track of the time as he does so. He catches Rodger stealing dirty glances at him, but pays no mind to his aggression. He’ll get his revenge in the ring, surely.

It feels like forever before he is finally summoned alongside Rodger, but he knows it’s only been thirty minutes, says the clock in his head. He takes a deep breath and lets it out to calm his nerves, knowing that it’ll do little in the long run. He only hopes that he can keep his temper in check for whatever Rodger tries to throw at him. He can’t lose his cool in front of a crowd.

He gets to his feet and makes his way towards the entrance to the ring, giving a quick wave to the audience as they begin their cheers of excitement once again. The betting board that hangs over the door tells him that this crowd has a lot of confidence in him, and he wonders momentarily what they would do if he let them down. He hasn’t thus far, and doesn’t plan on starting now, but…the other fighters are adapting to his presence, and, thus, getting better at fighting him.

Before he can get himself prepared and situated to start the fight, the bell rings. He stands idly for a moment, brows creased, as if wondering if he had heard it right.

Then Rodger’s fist connects with his back, and he staggers, having been caught off guard by the sudden attack. His hands catch on the cords that run along the edges of the ring, and he can’t help but stay put, frozen, before he feels another fist collide with the back of his neck. It sends a jolt of pain throughout his body, and the instinct to protect himself overrides the fact that this is, in fact, not a truly deadly circumstance.

He ducks under the next blow, grabbing Rodger by the wrist as his arm extends into the place Eclipse just stood. With one sharp tug, Rodger’s face connects with the metal joint of Eclipse’s arm- where the elbow would be, for a person. Eclipse can’t help the wicked smile that crosses his face as his opponent staggers back, holding his nose with one hand, eyes wide and wild with a mixture of different emotions.

Eclipse advances on him before he can recover, just as Rodger had done earlier. He balls his hand into a fist, pulls it back, and throws it full force into the man’s stomach. Rodger doubles over, crumpling to the ground once Eclipse removes his hand. Satisfaction soaks into the animatronic as he watches the wretch tremble pathetically on the floor.

Until he’s not trembling. Until his leg flashes out and, in one swipe, he somehow has Eclipse on the ground.

He pounces on the stunned animatronic before he can even think to react, alarm flashing through his eyes before everything…goes dark. He knows he’s still awake, he can still feel his limbs and hear the whirling of his fans struggling to keep up with his panic, but…

He can’t see.

He lashes out, shoving Rodger off so hard that he hears the man collide with the cords on the other side of the ring. One of his own hands comes up to gingerly brush over the remains of what once was his good eye, horror seizing him as he feels bits of glass fall away beneath his touch. He blinks. Once. Twice. Three times.

Still nothing.

He hears Rodger getting back up again, stiffening as his careless, cocky footsteps slowly make their way towards him. What is he supposed to do? Fight blind?

He makes sure his systems are set to reboot either eye as soon as possible, then carefully stands up. The rush of air is Eclipse’s first sign to move, and he quickly side-steps before Rodger can land the hit.

Eclipse grabs hold of Rodger’s arm and uses the momentum produced by the man’s movement to trip him up. Once he knows his enemy has lost his footing, Eclipse brings his own leg up and shoves his knee into Rodger’s ribcage.

The loud cracks and snaps radiate around the room in a sickening manner, but he can see none of the reactions, nor the damages he has done. He stares blankly downwards, off to the side, not quite towards where he assumes Rodger now lays, but not quite away from him, either. He can feel the oil leak down his own face from his newly blinded eye. All remorse he might’ve felt flees the moment this sensation begins.

The room is silent now that the rush has begun to fade. Not one word is said. No whispers, no gossip, no one making a move to call 911. It is dead silent. It reminds Eclipse of the day he lost himself, lost his job and his mind. How none of the children cried or began to scream.

They were all quiet, for the first time since he began.

Then, the room erupts into cheers. Eclipse lifts his head, soaking in the praise as a way to avoid the guilt that gnaws away at his insides. Yes, he won. That’s what he came for, right? To win?

Why doesn’t winning feel right?

Eclipse’s eye that has so long been his bad one begins to flicker on. The colors of the room are all washed out, the people around him blurred and disfigured, but it’s better than no sight at all.

Rodger lays at his feet, eyes glazed over, mouth still hanging open in what Eclipse assumes is an attempt to scream. Blood leaks out in a pool around him, merely pixelated red dots, like a 64-bit horror game in the eye of his killer.

One of the man’s daggers lays off to the side, soaked in oil from tip to hilt.

Eclipse convinces himself that he had this coming, but he has trouble believing it fully. As he steps away and begins to trail back towards the back room, he hears chatter of nearby patrons, so excited in the face of such carnage. This is what they came for. Not the fighting. Not the thrill of betting who’ll win.

No, they came to see people die. That’s what they’ve always been here for.

Cole is in front of him before this night has even begun to sink in. He has tears streaming down his face, old and new mixing and making him look like a mess.

“I knew he’d pull out a knife, I just knew it!!” He shouts, moving back from Eclipse just long enough to tear his gloves off and slam them down onto one of the benches.

“Cole-“ Amy begins from the background, but Beth lays a hand onto the younger woman’s shoulder as a ‘let him feel this out’ gesture. She does just that, but still seems worried.

Eclipse remains silent, shock forcing his mouth shut. He feels as if his throat is full of oil despite knowing there’s nothing there.

Cole’s hands are clenched into fists at his sides. “You’re not going back out there tonight. No way.”

Eclipse lets out a strangled noise. He brings his hands up to the sides of his face, tugs on his rays, and tries again.

“I have to. I have another fight.” He grits out, slowly lowering his hands once the tugging becomes painful.

“Can you even see?” Cole asks in exasperation.

“Sorta.”

“Sorta isn’t good enough.” Cole snaps, quickly making his way over to his locker.

“What are you doing?” Eclipse asks, voice wavering.

“Putting my shit away. I’m taking you back to wherever you call home.”

Eclipse’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head, waving his hands in a frantic motion.

“No! No, no. You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine, really. The other guy’s a lot worse, lemme tell ya-“

“Yeah, he’s dead. He would’ve made sure you ended up in his stead, trust me.” Cole tosses his gloves into his locker and pulls out the shirt he came in with, discarding his tattered, blood-stained one in return.

“No, Cole. I’m not leaving.”

The boy stops, letting out a heavy sigh. His hand shakes as he grips his clean clothes, one still loosely holding the locker door open.

That one is shaking, too.

“Why? Why?? He would’ve-“

“Killed me, I know.”

“No, you don’t know!” Cole raises his voice, but it cracks, and Eclipse feels his chest ache again as tears begin to fall down the young man’s face once more. “You don’t know what he’ll do! He’ll kill you and walk away like nothing happened! He’ll be proud of it! He’ll kill again, and again, and again, and he’ll never be held responsible because that’s just part of the sport. But it isn’t! It isn’t part of the sport!”

Eclipse has stood and watched Cole fall apart long enough. Rattled as he is, he steps forwards and wraps his arms around the boy, surprised when he immediately hugs him back and sobs brokenly into his chest.

It’s so…familiar. Familiar in the worst way, holding Cole like this.

“Why do his actions bother you so much?” Eclipse asks with slight hesitance, and Cole sniffles in his arms.

“He’s done a lot of bad things to a lot of good people. I’m glad he’s finally paid for it.”

“Is one of those ‘good people’…you?”

Cole remains silent at that question, and Eclipse is fine with receiving no answer, of which he doesn’t.

It takes what feels like no time at all for Eclipse to be summoned for his second and final fight. He can’t exactly say he’s as ready as he was for the first one- and, honestly, he wasn’t ready for that one, either. However, he soaks up the cheers in place of his own confidence and decides that will do for now.

His stunted stare darts over to the entrance to the back room, giving Cole a reassuring smile despite his own hesitance. It seems to calm him, if only slightly.

He then focuses back onto his opponent, straightening himself out. His shadow falls over them like a wolf over an unsuspecting rabbit, but, judging by their expression, Eclipse knows that their attack won’t be as sudden as Rodger’s was the first time around. The slight tremble to their entire body gives away everything that the animatronic needs to know. Some part of him is baffled that he allowed Rodger to get such a jump on him, as the man was maybe half Eclipse’s size, just as this new challenger is.

He won’t allow himself to be overpowered- not again. Not by a human, a mortal. In their eyes, he could be considered a god. In the place of easily torn flesh is reinforced metal, a core of infinite power hidden just behind it. Hearts ripped from their chests, while his own would scorch the hand of whoever dared try to harm him in such a way.

The shouts behind him are drowned out, the bitterness rising like a tidal wave within him. The poor scrap beneath him takes a single step back, just enough to portray how out of place they truly are here: in the lion’s den, where people like them go to die.

But they laid their life down before him, and who would he be not to accept it?

The grin that had begun to grow on his face twists into a sneer.

He lunges, barrelling into his victim, forcing them down onto the floor of the ring within the blink of an eye. They had no time to react, really, and they were at a disadvantage from the start. This whole fight was unfair from before it even began.

He pulls his fist back, preparing to pummel the practical kid beneath him. In one swift moment, his hand comes down, connecting with the cement floor just beside their small, squishy head. They flinch and let out a small whimper, cowering away from him, but he finds no satisfaction in their fear.

“Be still,” He hisses, slowly moving back to tower above them. More cheers erupt behind him, echoing around the room, and he soaks them up as his challenger falls limp as a corpse. Although there is no blood on their head from the supposed hit, there is still blood from Rodger’s death on Eclipse’s hand, which should look convincing enough.

The praise warms his chest in a far more satisfying manner than anything The Star could provide. He raises a hand into the air, feeling the power of a thousand gods settle within him as the shouts raise in volume and begin a whole other wave of celebration. Celebration, all for him.

He then steps off to the side and grabs hold of his opponent's leg, dragging them out of view of the patrons. Immediately, they sit up, trembling from head to toe.

But Eclipse pays no mind. Instead, he lets out a steady exhale and slowly begins to slip his gloves off, relieved to have finished his final fight for the night. It usually energizes him, to engage in such things, but…the washed out colors in his one barely functioning eye distill any remaining energy he may have.

The gloves come off easily enough. He tosses them onto the floor at the foot of his locker, popping it open after unlocking it to begin changing back to his regular attire.

As he dons his vest, his finger slips into the pocket. The soft crinkle of paper meets his audio receptors, and he winces as he realizes what he’s just touched.

The wrapping paper, from all that time ago. It feels like yesterday, having just started his journey towards what the others have begun to call his “redemption,” but being here is proof of just how little progress he’s made. He knows he’s changed, but…to what length? How much of him is doomed to stay locked in this cycle of madness, always craving just one more victory amidst the defeat of everyone else?

As he finishes straightening out his clothes, he feels sick. Sick of himself, of others, of the world that molded him into something he can no longer break out of. Like a butterfly trapped in a cocoon with just enough room to move, but never enough to fully spread its wings.

“Do you want me to walk you back?”

Eclipse glances over his shoulder, still fixing his cuffs as his dimly lit eye settles onto Cole’s worried figure. It’s odd, turning his head in the direction that he’s grown so used to avoiding.

“No. I’ll be fine, Cole.” The animatronic says lightly, turning away before the pleading look the boy is giving him manages to sway his decision.

“But you’re hurt.”

Why did he have to say it like that? Voice all sad and wobbly and- FUCK, so VULNERABLE.

“I said no, Cole.” Eclipse insists, pulling his claw tips out of his pants pocket to begin realigning them on his hands. “Why does it matter, anyways? Shouldn’t you be scared of me? I killed Rodger. Killed him, no ifs or buts about it. Doesn’t that unsettle you? Aren’t you scared?”

Cole stays silent for a moment. He looks down, away, gaze darkening as if having just been possessed by a shadow.

“I know what Rodger has done. I don’t know much about you, but I do know that you stuck up for me against someone that you knew had weapons. You put yourself aside in order to keep me safe. That tells me that, whatever you are, whatever you’ve done, is redeemable. I’m not scared of someone who was just as much of a victim in that ring as the man that you managed to kill- to end his reign of terror.”

Eclipse…doesn’t know what to say to that. He desperately wishes there was something astounding he could say to make himself look more equipped for a situation such as this, but he’s just as lost as he was when blinded. He remains silent.

“I know I ain’t holdin’ it against you. He raised hell, and by god, it burned him.” Beth cuts in from her seat against the wall, and Amy nods in agreement at the older woman’s side.

Some of the other contestants give quiet nods or begin to whisper amongst themselves, trying to stay out of it as much as possible. Most of them came for a good fight, not to talk about the death of another competitor.

“So…can I walk you home?” Cole repeats, and, much to Eclipse’s dismay, he almost finds himself relenting. Key word being almost.

“No, Cole. It’s…dangerous.”

Cole stares up at him for a few more moments after the rejection, then lets out a heavy sigh that nearly tears the animatronic in two.

“Oka-“

“Fine! You can come, but be quiet and leave at the front doors.” Eclipse cuts in sharply, hating the way his core melts at the grin the boy gives him. With a quick nod, Cole turns to finish tossing aside his fighting gear and give a quick word to his girlfriend, of whom seems immensely worried once she has caught word of his plans.

“He’s a robot! You don’t know what kind of hell-hole he lives in!” Amy hisses under her breath, but Eclipse can hear it clear as a summer day. She isn’t exactly subtle about her more than mild panic, as she waves her arms too and fro like a bird doing a mating dance.

Eclipse finishes attaching his claw-tips and finally deems himself ready to depart from this dreadful night, already stalking towards the exit as Cole gives a quick farewell to Amy before breaking away to trail behind the animatronic.

The first block or two is spent trying to get his bearings, as Eclipse’s limited sight makes it much harder to differentiate where he should be putting his feet. The darkness clashes with the washed out colors in a way that makes it nearly impossible to tell dark sidewalk from dark street. The only guidance he has is the streetlights, which are few and far between on this side of town.

Then Cole begins to hum, tapping Eclipse’s arm whenever the animatronic begins to stray too far into the road. Although the message is subtle and makes no sense to him at first, he catches on before too long.

“You said you live at the plex?” Cole asks quietly after about twenty minutes of walking, earning a conflicted look from his robotic companion.

“Yes. Why?”

“I’ve heard good things about it. What’s your job?”

Eclipse looks away. “I…don’t really have one anymore.”

Cole stops, furrowing his brows as he gazes steadily at Eclipse. The rays click and twist around his head, and he struggles to keep his composure the longer Cole remains silent.

“Anymore?” The boy asks after a long pause, and Eclipse almost winces at the question.

“Just, uh…lost it, a while back. No big deal.” He stutters out, wishing he could find some way to sound more convincing or dignified.

“Why’d you lose it?”

“Enough questions!” Eclipse suddenly snaps, baring his teeth like a frightened animal before beginning to walk again- albeit faster this time around. More of a jog.

Cole catches up with him easily enough, giving him a concerned look that Eclipse can’t bring himself to meet.

“Do you plan on continuing the fights after what happened tonight?” He asks instead, and Eclipse relaxes slightly at the less sensitive subject presented to him.

“I think so, yeah. It’s a good outlet, no matter how toxic it can be.” He explains, and Cole nods understandingly at his side.

“You only do it for the stress-relief, huh? Maybe you should try knitting, instead.”

Eclipse can’t help but bark out a laugh at that, almost doubling over in his fit. He steadies himself before he attempts to talk again.

“I don’t have enough patience for that.”

It’s Cole’s turn to laugh, then, and Eclipse’s face breaks into a soft smile. Something about this kid just…makes him feel at home. Makes him feel…safe. He had almost forgotten what that felt like.

“Fair, fair. Say, maybe you can put in a good word for me? I’ve been trying to get a job at the plex for a while now.” Cole remarks offhandedly, and Eclipse gives a slight pause before his reply.

“Why would you want to work at a place like that?”

Cole looks up and smiles once again at the animatronic. “To pay tribute to an old friend, I guess.”

Both bot and boy fall into a comfortable silence, after that. Their walk is filled with lighthearted jokes the rest of the way back, playful teasing from Eclipse as he lifts Cole over a stray puddle- antics fit for friends, rather than ring rivals.

As they finally stand before the pizza plex’s main entrance, gazing up at its gigantic sign and its large, dim letters, Eclipse can’t help but feel…sad, almost, that he has to say goodbye to the young gentleman at his side. He knows he’ll see him again, but, for once, that reassurance isn’t enough. He doesn’t want Cole to leave at all, because he fears the moment the boy leaves his sight something terrible will happen to him. All the other times this paranoia has spoken to him, it has been right. He’s turned it down every time.

He won’t let it happen again.

“Here-“ Eclipse begins, reaching into his pants. He brings out his wallet from his pocket and grabs a bit of cash, giving it to Cole with a soft, yet intense smile on his face. “Take the bus back. It stops here every hour on the hour, so it should be arriving shortly. Sound good?”

Cole gives him a nod. “Yeah. Thanks a bunch, I was worried about walking back alone.”

“It’s a valid concern to have.”

The two wait for the bus to arrive, and Eclipse looks through his wallet as he waits. He looks through his old cards and notes that remain from his time spent lurking as the deranged killer he once was, and comes to the conclusion that it’s about time he empties out all the things he no longer needs.

Before he does that, though, he pulls more money out and offers it to Cole. He stares at it dumbly for a few moments before slowly trailing his gaze up to Eclipse’s face.

“This is enough for the bus.” The boy says, motioning to the money Eclipse had already given him.

The animatronic shakes his head.

“No. This is for your childhood house. The one you wanted to restore.”

Cole’s eyes widen, and he quickly shakes his head. “I-I could never accept money for-“

“Take it. Make your parents proud, alright? That’ll make it up to me.”

Cole’s mouth snaps shut, and he carefully reaches out for the money as if worried it may simply vanish before his eyes. Eclipse shoves it into Cole’s hand as the bus screeches to a stop beside the sidewalk’s edge.

“Put that away and board before it skedaddles. Catch you later, kid.”

Eclipse playfully ruffles the boy’s hair, and turns to make his way back inside before Cole can even think of trying to return the money to him. He ducks under the shutter as it shakily creaks itself open, then lets it slam back down once he has safely made it inside. His gaze darts over to one of the many windows of the plex, watching vigilantly as Cole stands motionless for a few more moments before shaking himself and rushing off towards the bus.

Eclipse makes his way back to the daycare as the sun begins to peek over the horizon, filling the air with birdsong and the promise of rain later on.

And, just as he’d promised, he makes it back before Blood Moon wakes up. Although, there are a lot of problems he needs to fix before they do actually awaken.

Starting with his shattered eye. Such a pleasant outing.

-

The AO3 link, for anyone with lorge thoughts

#karmas bitter but so am i #karma’s bitter #sun and moon show #the sun and moon show #tsams #kb eclipse #sams eclipse #kb blood moon #kb rays #kb drabbles #kb special #kb moon #kb lunar #kb lore #kb sun #kb Cole #dunno if he’ll be a one off or not yet #what do you guys think? #anyways #draw or write what you enjoyed most! #I’ll be reposting all of them :))

[asian-cine-phile]

"It took me 8 years to read him. How long will it take... to forget him?"

KBS DRAMA SPECIAL: THE LONG GOODBYE 이토록 오랜 이별 (2018) dir. song min yeob

#the long goodbye #KBS Drama Special 2018 #lim ju hwan #jang hee jin #asiandramasource #asiancentral #kdramadaily #kdramasource #userdramas #dailyasiandramas #cinephile #contemporary #relationship #love for passion #이토록오랜이별 #장희진 #임주환 #asian cinema #korean movie #dailycinema #korean cinema #south korea #love story #mubi #kdramas #short dramas #2018 #2018 dramas

[leedongwook]

"Thank you for meeting me. I have a person to marry. I know that. I hope your feelings aren't too deep. I hope you don't feel too hurt."

KBS Drama Special: Behind the Shadows // 그림자 고백 2023

#kbs special: behind the shadows #behind the shadows #kdrama #kdramaedit #kdramasource #kdramadaily #asiandramasource #asiandramanet #dramasource #boy love #korean bl #Ren #Park Sang Nam #haleysbehindtheshadows #mone #my gifs

[kimchislaphearts]

Let’s Meet In An Unfamiliar Season (2022)

Genre: Romance, Drama

Plot: 

A drama that tells the story of COVID-19 confirmed patients in 2020 who enter a residential treatment centre, communicating through windows and comforting each other during unfamiliar and fearful quarantine times.

Cast & Crew:

Han Ji Eun as Oh Hee Joo

Kim Gun Woo as Myung Ki Joon

Supporting cast - Go Ae Ri, Oh Ji Yeon, Lim Ye Jin, Lim Hyung Joon

Director - Lee Min Soo

Screen Writer - Yeo Myung jae

Music:  

This drama special had a couple of really nice OSTs, 낯선 고백 (Strange Confession) by Ra.L and I Can’t Stop Thinking About You by Lee Joon Hwa. The use of music throughout was well done, I especially loved the use of Sunwoo Junga’s Run With Me. 

Overall: 

This drama special totally had my heart fluttering. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. 

This drama special tells the story of two individuals who meet as next door neighbours in lock down. Stuck together in a residential COVID treatment facility in Seoul, in stuffy rooms with windows that open mere centimetres that allow them to interact with one another. The female lead is quarantined after testing positive as a close contact and the male lead tests positive upon arrival at Incheon Airport from Australia. On his journey to the centre his phone was smashed so he has no ability to contact the outside world or access to news or entertainment. This is the catalyst for our leads to “meet” and become each other's confessional, close confident, friend, and more. 

The storyline is super relatable since we’ve all been through the pandemic and experienced the fear and stigmatisation of people with the virus from some perspective. At some point in our lives we have most likely experienced the sensation of utter boredom. It served as a sweet romance but also a thank you to the people on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. 

It took me a minute to realise the male lead was the hot douchebag from The Glory AKA Kim Tak Soo from Fight My Way. So this was the first time seeing him in a not complete-douchebag role and he pulled it off! The female lead is the very adorable Han Ji Eun. They both did a great job bringing their characters to life. 

The story used the short time frame well to tell the story and encapsulated the fear, boredom and budding friendship of the two who had never met face to face. I loved them going all analogue with a string telephone. The female lead picking the red string (of fate) from her handmade blanket to join the paper cups was a strong visual metaphor.  I also loved the journeys they took through their imaginations. They had me smiling and crying along the way. 

I enjoyed it a lot and would watch it again. 

If you’re looking for something short and sweet or have been waiting for the COVID romances to roll out this is your moment. 

Rating: 9.5/10 Watch it:  KOCOWA and Viki in selected regions

#kdrama #review #kbs drama special #2022 #The Stranger #Let's Meet In An Unfamiliar Season #낯선 계절에 만나 #Han Ji Eun #Kim Gun Woo

[kollectorsrus]

#adult collectors #adult collectibles #collectables #toys #action figures #figures #aliens #queen facehugger #comic book #trading cards #rhino alien #card art #scorpion alien #snake alien #facehugger #special edition #pop 3D action mail away #KB Toys Exclusive #kenner