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bondsmagii · 2 years

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On that topic about cults and the need to belong, I do think you're onto something there. I usually don't even want to go out to hang out with my friends and would rather stay home on my own, and the idea of having organized meetings with a bunch of random people is just... not appealing at all.

Add to that my refusal to give money to almost anything and you have a perfect recipe for me never going anywhere near a cult. I really don't think it has to do with me being smarter (in fact I would say I'm too cynical and that is a double-edged sword sometimes!) just that if you're a cult, who are you gonna try to recruit? The people who are predisposed to listen to you due to their personal history and circumstances, or the ones who are very clearly averse to all that you offer?

Point is every time I've been approached by these types they end up leaving me alone because I just don't want to interact. I will block you if you annoy me enough. Even if what you say sounds interesting, if you try to even slightly pressure me, I will leave the conversation, no questions asked.

Anyway: cults. They don’t like hermits.

exactly lmao. I do see a fair few people online getting kind of smug because they didn't "fall" for a cult or something (usually in spaces dedicated to bitching about MLMs) but really it seems to me to be entirely about personality traits rather than any inherent intelligence just allowing you to see through the bullshit easier. I think a lot of people kind of forget that recruiters know exactly what they're looking for, so if they come across somebody who's antisocial and who doesn't part easily with cash, why are they going to waste their time? I've been lucky enough to only run across a few major cult or cult-like groups in my time, and the first few times (when I was younger) it was my lack of need for a community that allowed me to avoid getting sucked in, and when I was a little older and it was more about potential MLMs, the thing that saved me was simply me being like "nah, I am not interested in a 'fast-paced family environment' that I have to pay to attend the training sessions of" lmao.

related cult-adjacent story: I remember when I was about 14, my parents and I went to Florida to do the whole theme park thing, and we were offered free tickets to Disney if we agreed to spend a morning at a timeshare seminar. my parents were like "oh man this will be bullshit" but decided to go anyway because free tickets, and oh my god. it was insane. we were shown around these condos on a lake and they were admittedly pretty nice, and at first it looked like a really good deal, but then of course it's revealed you'll only "own" it for a couple of weeks a year, and there are all these terms and conditions and hidden costs, and my parents were like yikes. after the tour the group of us (there were about 50 people being shown around) were all brought into this huge room and sat at individual tables, and then the salesmen came out in force. for over an hour we had to sit there with this woman who would just not take no for an answer. finally, when she realised that our answer was not changing, she called her supervisor or whoever he was over. this guy was obviously the Pressure Guy, and he carried around with him a little microphone. every time he got even the most vague 'yes' from people, he would announce it to the whole room on the mic, all faux-celebratory as people came out of nowhere with paperwork and the new "owners" had to sign it then and there. my parents had noticed this and as soon as the guy sat down my dad was like "listen, we're not buying this, we'd like our tickets and to leave" and just as the guy launched into a spiel this absolutely massive cockroach crawled across the floor in front of us lmao. like this guy could have ridden the amusement park rides on his own. my mam started kicking off about it being unsanitary and she made such a fuss that we were marched over to the desk, given our tickets, and kicked out. the complex was so huge that we had to hitch a ride on a dude's golf cart because we were so far from the car and it was like 1pm in Florida and we had no water. dude on the golf cart said he actually hung out by that door because they always did that shit to people who refused to sign up, and he made good tips saving people from heat stroke.

a running joke for a few days was that the supervisor dude was so pissed off with our salesperson that he would murder her and chuck her in the lake, and then we saw on the news that a body had washed up from that very same lake, right on the timeshare grounds. probably was not her (we left shortly afterwards so never saw the identification) but if it was, yikes, and if it was not, very glad we did not get a property where bodies frequently wash up lol. Disney also kind of sucked ngl. was not worth the price of four hours in timeshare hell. don't do it kids.

#anon #asks

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kookiepredictions · 4 years

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Jungkook’s Real Personality: Prediction

The main thing to remember about Jungkook’s personality is the word Balance. This means 2 things: 1, he has a very complex mix of many different types of personality traits so it is difficult to categorize him as one fixed personality type because he switches and changes a lot according to the situation he is in. 2nd, he needs to constantly work on maintaining balance between all these different traits, many of which are contradictory in nature. Think of him as a juggler juggling many different objects. It means he is capable of juggling so many things at once but it also means that he has to be always careful to keep them balanced otherwise he will face problems.

How is he different from his on screen persona? 1st, he is a lot more mature and intelligent than he is shown. Remember he has a Virgo sun which naturally makes him very calm and responsible, even without trying. He is a very responsible person. If he’s given a task, he will see to its completion to the point that if he can’t do it for some reason, he will think he is useless. It’s very important for him to feel useful, especially for those who he cares about. Also his Leo moon gives him a protective nature which doubles his desire of being there for his loved ones. He is the type of friend, partner, family who will never leave you alone in trouble, he will always be there for you, even if sometimes he doesn’t need to. But there is 1 condition here. He does not like to be manipulated. He hates manipulative behaviour and this grows bigger as he grows older. Jungkook usually is the type of person who speaks less and speaks last. He will always listen more. He will observe more. If you try to manipulate him, he won’t speak out immediately. He will silently watch you first, be completely sure that you are manipulating him without any instigation on his part, and are showing no signs of changing, then he will walk away from you without even looking back, even if you are so much as dying. In fact he can take this anger so far that he would wish for your harm and be happy at your misery. However, he will never actually do anything to harm anyone, even those who hurt him. His anger comes from a place where he deeply feels it is wrong to break someone’s trust so he would wish for your harm so that you can learn your lesson and never break someone’s trust again. I also feel this part of his personality is changing as he matures. In the near future, he will become more vocal right from the start as soon as he sees someone treating him wrong, and quickly decide to break ties instead of staying silent and seething inside. Once he parts ways, he will also let it go quickly and forgive the person, wish them good luck and move on with his life.

This brings me to the point that he has a short temper. It’s not so much that he is quick to anger, it’s more like he tends to hold grudges for a long time. Most of the time, his anger doesn’t even play out as loud outbursts. He is more likely to express his anger by completely shutting you out. He would refuse to even tell you why he is angry but also want you to coax him repeatedly to share his thoughts. Sometimes he could break this pattern and immediately express his anger even at an inappropriate time, but this happens less frequently. The reason of his anger stems from his perfectionism. We all know Jungkook is a perfectionist. And he expects the same level of perfectionism and dedication from everyone around him. His anger is more of an impatience. I won’t be surprised if he mentally says things like, Why are people so slow and clumsy? Why can’t people see the obvious? Why are people so stupid? Like 100 times a day lol typical Virgo male. So Jungkook really mostly gets angry out of impatience. He is a very sincere and dedicated person and gives his 200% in everything so when someone can’t keep up with him, he gets very impatient.

There is also another thing about his anger. Very rarely will he get angry at your first mistake. For example, if you meet him for the first time and say spill a drink on his shirt, he might get a tad annoyed but he will smile let it go. He will even forgive your 2nd, 3rd, 4th mistakes. The point where he gets angry is the point where you have made several mistakes. So when he gets angry you will tend to feel he gets angry too easily but actually he ignored your mistakes for quite a few times before but you didn’t notice nor did you change your behavior. Jungkook tends to observe people for a while and then classify them into categories. His attitude towards you will depend on how he has categorized you, not on your first mistake. So if he has classified someone as a trouble maker, he will easily snap at them, and if he has classified someone as a good person, he will be more patient with them. This classification is not permanent of course and changes with time as per as your behavior. So if Jeon Jungkook treats you badly, be sure that he had given you plenty of chances to redeem yourself and he probably also has the receipts to prove it lol. This classifying system extends to everyone, whether you are a close friend or a stranger. So a waiter spilling drinks on him will be the same as a close friend spilling drinks on him. In fact, the waiter has more chances of being forgiven because it was a genuine first mistake, but a close friend could get yelled at if they repeatedly did this.

Jungkook tends to have very high expectations from those he cares about. But not in a superficial way. It is actually a love language for him. He puts a lot of importance on self development, which he himself follows. So he believes anyone who wants to do well in life should do this and that’s the advice he gives everyone. Remember when he told us to practice because there’s nothing that gets worse with practice? This is a very strong belief in him. But those around him can feel burnt out by his high expectations because not everyone thinks like him right? Especially not all the time. But he often fails to understand this and gets upset because he thinks they are self sabotaging by not focusing on their self improvement. However, this is another thing I see changing in him. He will gradually learn to be more understanding of differences in nature and opinions of people and learn to guide them without overstepping boundaries.

On the other hand, Jungkook knows and respects boundaries. He does not give unsolicited advice. But with him it’s like, he has to be specifically told what the boundaries are. If you are vague, for example, if you go to him asking for advice, he will take it upon himself to fully transform you and will hover over you, almost forcing you to do things his way. His reasoning would be that it was you who came to him for help and this is exactly the help you need. So you have to always show him clear boundaries. But once they have been set, he will always respect it because he is quite independent himself and respects personal space.

Jungkook has a pretty high IQ and he has a really high EQ. He could even be as book smart as Namjoon but it is something he almost chooses not to do. You will notice that he is really good at memorising English lines, he hardly forgets what he memorises. That’s book smart for you. But it’s almost as if he detests being so. He chooses to be street smart instead. His outfits are a reflection of this. It’s a subtle subconscious act of rebellion against system and authority, which he has always sort of felt oppressed by, since he is a K Pop idol. And since he can’t really quit, he takes every small opportunity to establish his individual choice, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Book smart or street smart, Jungkook is someone very thirsty for knowledge. He does actually read more than we know, but he mostly chooses to get his knowledge through more dynamic methods, one of which is by observing other people.

This brings me to the next point. Jungkook is extremely interested in people. He learns a lot, like new concepts, what is right or wrong, new ideas, etc. by observing people, not just in terms of work, but also personality wise. This is why he is so good at imitating people, which makes me think he could also become an actor someday and be successful at it. His high EQ also makes him understand people more than we know.

Although mature, Jungkook is also very childlike in a lot of ways. Especially when he thinks and acts from his heart. He genuinely loves people even before fully knowing them. He simply loves them because loving people is a good thing to do. His love also comes from gratitude. Which is why his love for Armys is so genuine. He does not fake it because he does not need to fake loving or being grateful. It is only when someone gives him a solid reason to be angry or sad with, that he changes his attitude towards them. Jungkook is someone who you can easily walk up to and he will be very polite and nice to you. However, he is not the type to make immediate close friends because he is very reserved and he will carefully screen everyone before allowing them into his private circle. But he is also the type to always smile at his acquaintances and people he regularly sees even if they are not close friends. He won’t ignore anyone just because he doesn’t know them or because they are beneath his level. In this sense Jungkook is very down to earth. He is also quite righteous. He deeply believes that it is wrong to misbehave with people due to their positions in society. I feel like he might have been mistreated when he was not successful (I mean we all know all of BTS was so it’s very likely) which is why he makes sure he doesn’t do that now that he is successful.

Having said that though, Jungkook is not extremely approachable. There is a certain air of unattainabilty that he deliberately keeps around himself. For example, if you met him at a private party or something instead of a televised BTS event, you will clearly know that he is a big celebrity. He doesn’t misbehave with anyone, he is actually quite polite, but people just feel that star aura. It’s almost like a protective shield for him. You couldn’t approach him unless he clears that air and makes himself approachable. Otherwise you will just look at him from far away, admire him (or hate him) and go away. This is not something he does to belittle others, this is a defence mechanism against those that try to get close to him to get some benefit off of him or manipulate him, which he is actually quite aware of.

Jungkook is not easily manipulated as I discussed earlier. But he always puts up a front as if he is extremely vulnerable and gullible so that people underestimate him and show their true colors quickly. Meanwhile he observes, classifies, and moves on before you could even tell what happened there.

When I say Balance is a big challenge for him it’s because he has many different personality traits that directly contradict each other. For example, he’s a careful planner but he also gets bored of routine very quickly. He takes each decision very slowly but sometimes he will be shockingly spontaneous. He is independent but he is also clingy. All of these are parts of him but it’s almost as if he struggles to keep up with them because he doesn’t know which one will come out when. Achieving balance and control over all of his different qualities will make him a truly unique and unstoppable person.

Besides balance, the biggest challenge Jungkook has is his rigidity of beliefs. He has very good intentions, good energy and drive, but he has to learn to be more flexible and adaptive, both when dealing with his work and people. He also tends to have a scarcity mentality which often manifests his worst fears into reality. The more he wants to avoid certain things, the more they come up in his life, simply because he is constantly living in fear.

Jungkook has a very strong heart chakra. He is literally love personified. He loves love. He loves to see it and he loves to experience it. It’s an adventure he yearns for. But his fear always takes him away from it. Either in terms of problems in his relationships or breakups or interferences and scandals. In spite of that, he always bounces back and his heart chakra heals pretty quickly. Not in a promiscuous way where he is serial dating. This is more like his heart is always a place for true love, it does not store any negative energy for too long. This is why Jungkook’s biggest successes will result from decisions he takes based on his deep feelings. This is also because he has a habit of overthinking so feelings can solve this problem. For example, if he has to take a big work decision, he tends to overthink it from all directions and get confused because every option seems right. But if he listens to his feelings about it, he will find the right answer. Operating from his heart chakra will also make him centered and grounded to achieve that required balance between his many personality traits.

Another big tool at Jungkook’s disposal is his throat chakra. Jungkook is very communicative. He believes that the foundation of all good relationships, the solution to all problems is communication. However, he struggles with timing and empathy quite often. He sometimes says the right things at the wrong time creating misunderstandings that he did not intend. Or stays silent that allows people to paint a wrong picture of him. He also sometimes fails to see things from others’ points of view and tends to see his thoughts and beliefs as the be all and end all.

His biggest tools also have the biggest blocks. It’s like his heart chakra is this huge power generator inside him but it’s blocked because he keeps it shut or underutilized and lets his brain do all the work, which is only half his power and potential. And his throat chakra is blocked because he is too worried about other people’s judgement of him which blocks his flow of communication.

However, the biggest strength of Jungkook and my favorite thing about him is that he is very open minded and willing to learn. He is rigid with his thoughts only when he truly believes he is in the right. If you can logically and respectfully show him where he is wrong, he will immediately proceed to change his ways. He is a true lifelong learner and this is what will ultimately lead him to massive success. He is proud only with things that he believes to be right, as he has a very strong set of values. But he doesn’t let pride get in the way of self development, in fact he is always on the lookout for opportunities that will improve him in some way or the other.

#jungkook #jeon jungkook #jeongguk #bts jungkook #bts jeongguk #jungkook prediction

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rankakiu · 5 years

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Rant of the Droid: Miraculous Ladybug Season 3: Love Eater & Miracle Queen

Hello, people from Tumblr! How have they been in all this time? As always, I hope very well ...

Why honestly I am not.

The reason for that is that I recently saw two disgusting chapters that almost make me eye cancer.

Yes, like that!

As you will guess from the title, the chapters I saw early Love-Eater and Miracle Queen, both from the Miraculous Ladybug series and corresponding to the end of the third season.

But before I go straight to the point, I will say the first thing that must be said: If you, reader, hate the character of Chloé Bourgeois or have recently begun to hate her for the chapters they transmitted and think that all this text is to rant in Against her, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you've come to the wrong place. There is a wonderful little arrow on the upper left side of your browser that will take you out of my post.

Second, if you are going to comment on my post, let it be only on the condition that you agree with my posture. Even I know that this is extremist, but honestly, I don't want to and I don't have the energy to argue, just to give my point of view. Now, having said the above I start with my post to rightly discharge my anger.

First, the designs of the two Akumas are simply horrible. We have Love-Eater, having a disturbing design, but not in a good way, but seeing it throughout its chapter makes you uncomfortable. That and that in addition, its power is really pathetic. Miracle Queen better not to speak, in just a stick of accessories from the Akuma Queen Wasp. Astruc, old man, put more effort to Akumas designs, by God! This is just a scam of the greats, their designs are flat and do not impress at all.

Second, the two chapters, although they have a certain continuity, the truth be told, they have a narrative too rushed. Not only that, the chapters feel without substance, lacking in soul, they feel like filler chapters when they should have been more shocking chapters, since they are the ones that give the closing to the third season. On the other hand, the first appearance of Dragon Bug and Snake Noir had no more relevance than that of appearing as fillers, their presence had no impact. In addition, the action feels soporific and well below the level to which viewers are accustomed. Miracle Queen promised to be an Akuma of terrifying powers and in the end, it was only a mockery, since they defeated her in such an insultingly easy way; Only one more Akuma remained from the pile.

Third, and this is where I am going to download all my anger. Basically what they have done was destroyed the development of Chloé Bourgeois. We had little, but it was development after all, where we could see a slightly more human side in her. And with Miracle Queen, they make it a very empty and flat villain. In part, I understand Chloé's frustrations and the motivations for which she acted like this, but even with those, it is quite notorious and irritating that writers have treated the character like that. For a moment, when Hawk Moth convinces Chloé, we see the blonde doubt for a few seconds, for later and from nothing decide to ally with him. That felt too rushed and without context.

Honestly, I am increasingly convinced that they did this on purpose so that the fandom would hate the character even more. And more and more I think that Astruc is really burned to see people in the fandom that they hold Chloé in high regard. Because it is not enough for him to hate her, we all have to share his feeling of contempt so that he feels fulfilled.

Nice try Astruc. Your plan worked ... halfway, but it worked. It worked because I have seen comments from people who have already hated Chloé again and even their hatred increased much more after such a horrible chapter. But, and this is good for me, your plan also failed, since there are people, annoyed like me, of your questionable decisions and how you have ruined the development of my favorite blonde.

Because despite everything, there are some who still love the character in spite of everything. Indeed, we know that Chloé's actions are her responsibility and her alone. But it is her responsibility within her world. Here, in the real world, you and your team are responsible for burying her development. Astruc, dude, I don't ask you to turn Chloé into a Marinette 2.0 or a Rose 2.0, I'm asking for a development to become a decent person! Only that, you only had that job and did it that bad way.

Which brings me to this point: you and your team of screenwriters, with these two chapters, have just shown me that they no longer know which direction to take their work. Each chapter that premiered this season was a chapter that was highly criticized, each chapter contained its good doses of salt in the fandom.

Dude, realize that you and your team of screenwriters are doing things wrong! And the sooner they recognize it, the better they can correct the wrongs that have been sent!

I have reached a point where I no longer know what to do with your series. If I continue seeing it with the vague hope that now you will do justice to Chloé and in general to all your characters equally or if you will continue to make mistake after error that the only thing they generate in the fandom frustrations everywhere.

Do you know something? It is not to show off, but I consider myself a fairly patient person. However, as you will guess, like everyone else, my patience has a limit. And with these two chapters, I have run out of patience ... Not only patience but also the hope that they would do something significant with my favorite blonde. Well, in part they did, but they did the opposite of what I expected.

As a fan of Chloé Bourgeois, I feel scammed. I feel insulted and in fact, those two chapters are an insult to my intelligence and intellect. Basically, it is as if Thomas Astruc had made me a sleeve cut, showed me the middle finger, spit in my face, insulted my parents and not satisfied with that, to kick my dog. Those two chapters, especially the last minutes of Miracle Queen, where they completely destroy my favorite blonde were the most frustrating minutes of my life.

Throughout my life, I have seen many series, and this is the first time it happens to me that I feel cheated.

Considering the spoilers we have from the fourth season, the end of Miracle Queen is nothing surprising. At the moment there is evidence that Luka and Kagami will be akumatized again and I am already imagining the reason: Adrien and Marinette will break their courtship with these two. If my prediction comes true, it would re-confirm my theory that they no longer know how to handle the series or the relationships and dynamics of the characters. That at the end of the fourth season we will know which ship will win: if the Lukanette or the Adrinette.

And damn, we all know that the Adrinette is going to win, and we know it from the “Origins” chapter.

We do not even know the name or the real appearance of the new Queen Bee, but I am already beginning to hate that character since the most certain thing is that the development that Chloé needed, they will give it to her in a tray of silver. That's what bothers me the most when I think of the new Queen Bee. They would be telling me that it is her and not Chloé, the character I must support. Because she is sweet and not evil

Already with Marinette herself, Rose and Mylene we already had enough with sweet girls.

I insist again: what was the use of seeing all those scenes where they showed a deeper and more human side of Chloé if, in the end, they were going to turn her into a villain, what its I least wanted?

Astruc, why did you give me expectations that way, to destroy them in such a cruel way? I would have preferred you to leave Chloé like a flat brat and devoid of personality as it was in the first chapters of the first season instead to make this tremendous crap.

All the characters, at the end of the episode, have their moments of happiness and hope, all, including Mayor Bourgeois and Audrey (that, let's face it, that part of the script was taken from the back). Everyone except Chloé.

Chloé fans are waiting for difficult times. More Chloé salt post. More anti-Chloé post. More fanfics and more fanarts where they do bashing her. More people who will try to convince us to hate the character. More people who will leave us negative comments when we upload fanfic or fanarts where we just want to express our support and pleasure to her character.

I have already lost all interest in the fourth season. If it succeeds or fails, I don't give a damn. What I am going to do will be to look for summaries, in order to save myself twenty precious minutes of my life, and thus not waste them in a series that is no longer worth it to me.

Rankakiu in every chapter of the fourth season XD.

There is something I have to grant them. And they said that the end of the third season would have us crying in mucus. And you know they really did it with me. I have cried ... but from frustration and anger to see what they have done.

There is no more perfect GIF to express what I feel right now XD.

Well, that would be all from me. If you agree with me, do not hesitate to comment, fave or reblog this post.

Now yes, my frustrations have been released.

Greetings

Rankakiu

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han100894 · 4 years

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Spoilers for The Girl Genius Novel 4 –Mostly about Zeetha and Higgs

Okay I’m just going to start and say that so far I, in my obsession, mostly skimmed the book to find the parts with Higgs and Zeetha. So full disclosure there, I haven’t actually finished it yet. I got impatient with waiting for my physical copy and bought the ebook. I’ll read it properly with my physical copy arrives.

So I just have to say I’m really annoyed that the doubled down on the “Zeetha was being irresponsible and overconfident” bit—they even straight up admit that what happened was because of the plant and she was drugged, but still act like it was all her irresponsibility. That’s not how this works. When someone is drugged out of her mind—and to make it clear, yes so was everyone else, but they were aware they were drugged, Zeetha was clueless and so couldn’t fight it nearly as well—you can’t call them irresponsible and overconfident.

Not to mention, she didn’t even really do anything overconfident? She just briefly talks to Tarvek—that’s it. Also Higgs is the first one hit—he gets shoved back before Zeetha gets stabbed. He then also, while fighting very seriously—gets stabbed just like her? What exactly does he think would have gone differently had Zeetha not briefly talked to Tarvek?

And I get and understand that since this was his first wakeup call that he liked her (though I don’t think he actually realized truly realized until he’s on the clank—the way he words it makes it sound like he’s just figuring it out himself that he likes her, and wants her, and wants her to like him to) and so he’s not thinking straight and being overprotective—but I really wish the narrative would maybe point that out? Instead of acting like it’s a fact.

Like even if it’s just Mamma pointing out the he also got stabbed, after the fact, exactly like Zeetha did? Or Agatha tell Zeetha after her apology that no—you were unknowingly drugged—that’s not overconfidence, that’s not how that works?

Plus, honestly I feel that despite the fact he was trying to resolve her guilt when she first woke up, that Higgs focus on her “overconfidence” likely only worsened her guilt. She seems to take his opinion as fact as well…

Actually I think that a good chunk her trying to show off to Higgs is that she’s desperately trying to prove herself good enough after what happened. Both because she likes him and quite possible think all he sees in her is an idiot at this point, but also for her own sake… granted that second part is going into headcanon territory here.

(I have an headcanon/ fanon that Zeetha has a problem with “not being good enough” that comes from being a twin is Skifander, where her achievements were never good enough for a lot of people who saw her as a twin and nothing else, no matter how good they were or even if they were equivalent to those her age around her that got praised—so if that headcanon is true then well… Higgs words may have been a bit of a blow… Also in my fanon it’s her grandmother who is the worst of it too… so double blow?)

I should probably get over it, but it annoys me. I swear there was never anything major that indicated Zeetha had a problem with overconfidence until this subplot, so it still feels like it’s forced, and as the double down it feels even more so? Zeetha already gets to play worf whenever she’s fighting, it would be nice if she could at least not get called overconfident to. Especially in a world of Sparks—who are beyond overconfident and reckless—get to get away with it constantly?

(Yes, with the Horsie Beastie she gets a sprained ankle, but that’s the risk of fighting short ranged—and she was the only one of the group to work with someone else (Yeti) with a plan instead of just stumbling over everyone else. With Passholdt she’s very aware this is serious and they could die, and as she fought Lu in Agatha despite her boastings she was careful, both to test what Lu could do but also to not hurt Agatha to much (A wrong punch can kill someone after all).

Though I do like that it’s implied Zeetha did get Mamma’s blessing to join the fighting. And that other than her injury throbbing (as to be expected) she’s not shown once to actually be struggling with it. It’s not slowing her down, weakening her, or limiting her movements at all. She shows no sign of having trouble breathing, even after fighting or running, despite the fact her lungs had to have been punctured.

Though her injury… or rather her treatment… While it’s not confirmed here it is heavily implied she got the draught which, I mean yeah in canon it’s canon but still. I’m still not thrilled with the idea. Zeetha had been worfed so often that it just feels cheap—and kinda sad—that going forward she’ll likely win not through her own power (or even choice, she didn’t get to make the decision to take the draught after all) but through a mcguffin.

I would have also liked to see her power up come from either herself (Whether her keeping up as a badass normal, or some kind of war spark (I still hold onto the theory she had like, half the spark gene, and she had a psudo breakthrough when killing Bang’s fleet that maybe she’ll one day be able to control) or from something related to Skifander (since it is her character’s plot, and a huge part of her life.) Instead she once again kind feels like she getting overshadowed, whether by her connection it Agatha or her connection with Higgs. I like Ziggs, and it’s potential, a lot but I don’t want Zeetha downgraded to being basically Higgs girlfriends, which a lot of what has happened so far has felt like…

Well I’m just not thrilled.

I am hoping that her odd reaction (Two and half years in she’s neither mutated, or shown any enhanced ability in toughness or strength) to it is eventually going to mean that no—she didn’t react to the Jägerdraught in any normal way and isn’t becoming a Jäger. That her Skifandrian heritage (Which likely has something similar to the Dyne considering the connection of the Queens, and needing that power to become one…) basically neutralized it beyond taking the dyne water in its energy to heal her… or something. So she can get a proper power up through something else.

(I mean, I like the idea that Higgs won’t lose her to old age, but also kinda wish that a different method would be used to stop that… God Queen anyone XD. Though if all it did was make her un-ageing and that her power up comes from something else, I’m okay with that to.)

(…I still love the idea of God Queen Zeetha though… I mean, she almost more than Agatha has connections to that plot line thanks to Skifander.)

Also it’s confirmed she did die, briefly, which like… um, if she was that bad off maybe Higgs should have walked a little faster through the Castle, or let Agatha actually set her up on life support or something. They had set on Von Pinn rather quickly after all I mean… but whatever. They wanted her to die, for some reason. Probably to try and drive the overconfident point home… or something. (Or maybe to go God Queen you have to die, take the dyne water (or equivalent, it’s the energy that matters I think) and then get electrocuted… while the electrocution takes several years after the others that has all happened to Zeetha like it did Agatha…just saying…)

Also I’d like to say that Higgs stealing her swords was still a shitty thing to do. An understandably shitty thing to do, but a shitty thing to do regardless. While he may not know that, they are very important to her (they are the only thing she keeps in good condition before she meets Agatha, even her arm bands are grimy) and most importantly she’s an adult. Maybe take them away, still shitty but sure, but actually hiding them is infantilizing at best. Again him acting unreasonable because of sudden case of feeling, but I wish something had been made of it.

Also I want to make it clear, I’m not upset with Higgs actions. It’s great fodder for misunderstandings, a bit of angst, and grounds for them to have a good long talk that will end with their relationship growing stronger as well as character development. I’m just a bit annoyed with how the narrative as a whole is viewing them as well as… honestly… I no longer have much faith of the Fogilos when it comes to character three dimensionsness and development. So I’m… leery…

But enough of that, another thing to wonder

Who the heck is Omeetza that Zeetha briefly thinks is Higgs? IS this going to be a Time travel thing? Are the group going to end up in the past and become legends in Skifander? That would be hilarious. Makes me wonder what the “drive and burning singlemindedness” is about if it is/ will be him. 10 digibucks it has something to do with helping Zeetha. (Hopefully without overshadowing her though, please let the Skifander plot revolve around mostly her side of things, she’s been overshadowed so much.)

The other two options is that Higgs is just vaguely resembles a legendary figure, or that he’s been to Skifander in the past. The first one is boring, and also unlikely because why bring it up without fully explaining the legend then, and the last one I hope not, though, he does have an odd reaction when looking at the swords… so maybe he’s seen them before?

To be fair I understand him keeping that secret much more than him not telling Zeetha about the draught, he couldn’t answer that one as easily without letting his secrets go—plus knowing Zeetha he has no idea just how bad not knowing where Skifander is hurt even three years later. Though you would think that would have come up now that he’s confessed. And also I have a harder time think Zeetha would just let the fact he knew that go as easily. She might understand but I can’t help but feel it should hurt.

Alright back to a little salt though, I swear if it comes out that Zeetha wasn’t at least aware Higgs was a high ranking Jäger, if not a general or spymaster (though even those would be nice) then I’m gunna riot. The novels are even more clear how suspicions she is of him, and if Gil and Tarvek can figure it out—so can she. The Spark doesn’t help with noticing things like this (In fact I’d say generally it makes it harder) and Zeetha has just as much royal training as both of them. It would make no sense if she didn’t figure it out but let the secret lie until he told her. The only reason would be to make Gil and Tarvek more special in the main characterness, I swear…

#girl genius #zeetha #airman higgs #ziggs #skifander

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sunshinebunnie · 5 years

Text

Who’s A Chicken Now? (CampRiverdale—Theme 6)

Wanda licked the drop of blood off the side of her mouth as she crossed the floor of the empty dance pavilion at Turkey Point looking for Cry-baby and the rest of the gang. She’d stopped at the Five-and-Dime on her way over after getting out of detention--Mrs. Smithers just had no sense of style in her full skirts!--and had run into no other than Cherry-bomb Blossom herself. The crazy red-head was standing right in front of the lollipops, refusing to move even though she knew that’s what Wanda was trying to get to. There was no way she could get away with stealing her ever-present sweet treats if the crazy chick didn’t move, so she’d hip-checked her...hard. Although she’d counted on the girl making a scene, she hadn’t figured on her swinging on her right in front of the soda jerk. As the red-head’s fist made contact with her mouth, Wanda’s hand had flown out in an attempt not to fall into a rack of comics. Unfortunately, she’d knocked the lollipop display over the back of the soda fountain counter making her distraction completely for naught. Grabbing a handful of fiery locks, she tugged sharply on the other girl’s hair as Cherry-bomb screeched, “No one insults a Serpent! Name a time and a place, Wanda!”

The Drapes and the Serpents normally kept the peace pretty well--so long as they each stayed on their own turf. There had been a time, before Cry-baby’s daddy got sent away, that rumbles and car races were an almost daily occurrence between the two gangs. Then the Squares got fed up. Started arresting any member of either gang on sight if they were wearing their colors and they weren’t on the South Side or at Turkey Point. Eventually, so many of the gangs’ members were in juvenile hall that there simply weren’t enough people around to disturb the peace. The members that remained on the outside got used to not always looking over their shoulders wondering if a cop or a switchblade might be waiting for them around every corner. And so, there was peace.

Every now and then though, especially during the hot, sticky months at the end of the school year and throughout the summer, there’d be flare-ups. Usually, they involved younger members--like Ricky--who weren’t old enough to remember what it’d been like before the peace was reached. Occasionally though, it was members like Wanda and Cherry-bomb--people who knew better than to stir up trouble, but wanted to cause mischief anyway.

“So what’s it to be, Wanda, knives or chicken?” Cry-baby asked with his usual snarl after she’d finished explaining the cause of her fat lip.

“Chicken,” Wanda said, popping the bright pink watermelon lollipop Pepper had handed her out of her mouth with a distinct flourish. “Down at the old quarry. Tonight at sundown.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cheryl was looking at her red nail polish with a bored look as the Serpent King droned on as usual about her reckless ways. She waited until he took breath to build up some more steam for his tirade when she pinned him with a glare and asked, “What is the first law, Jones? A Serpent never shows cowardice. I followed our laws. Don’t give me shit.”

It was the gang leader’s turn to level an equally harsh glare at his most troublesome member. He was half tempted to run her over with Reggie’s car himself if she kept up her reckless disregard for the rest of the gang. There’d been a stifling heat wave going on all week, and he just knew Sheriff Keller and his deputies were looking for any excuse to start cracking a few skulls.

He let out a tired sigh. “Where are you even going to find a mechanic this late to check everything on the car?” he asked, half afraid of her answer.

“Betty,” the red-head replied pertly.

“No,” he said with finality. He’d known who she was going to suggest before she’d even opened her mouth, but he’d still given her the benefit of the doubt that she might’ve picked a name, any other name, out of thin air instead.

“Why not? She’s my cousin, and she’s good with a wrench,” Cheryl replied testily.

“Because she’s a Square!” he’d practically shouted, the ferocity of his sudden outburst startling Kurtz from the nap he’d been trying to take in a back corner of the Whyte Wyrm.

Cheryl propped her perfectly manicured hand on her hip, unfazed by the Serpent King’s tantrum. Raising an unimpressed eyebrow, she taunted, “And who’s fault is that?”

Jughead glowered at her. If not for the fact that Toni’s “friend” usually wound up bankrolling bail for all the Serpents who would otherwise get sent to juvie, he swore he would’ve exiled her years ago for her blatant disrespect. ‘No Serpent stands alone,’ he silently reminded himself. ‘At least she only challenged Wanda to a car race and not a rumble.’ With a final glare at the resident Serpent trouble maker, he reiterated, “Find another mechanic, Cheryl,” before he sent her off to let Reggie know she was commandeering his car for the race.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No one was quite sure how the old quarry became the de facto track for all chicken contests. Some said it was because it was half-way between the South Side and Turkey Point on the far side of town away from where the Squares frequented. Others said it was just the flattest strip of dirt with no stop lights or street signs. Whatever the reason, there were now cars and motorcycles of all makes and colors lining the entire length of the dusty mile-long corridor, headlights on to illuminate the course.

Wanda and Cheryl stood in front of Allison as she said, “You both know the rules. Each of you starts from the opposite end of the quarry. When the flag drops, you take take off toward each other as fast as you can. The first person to turn her car away to avoid crashing is a chicken.” The polished blonde looked meaningfully at each woman before she asked, “Any questions?”

Cheryl gave Wanda an arch look as she pursed her lips before saying tartly, “Yeah, why do you get to set the rules?”

Allison gave her a confused look even as Wanda said, “‘Cuz she’s a Square, and Squares don’t pick sides.”

The unimpressed red-head scoffed. “Square? Isn’t she Cry-baby’s girl?”

It was Wanda’s turn to look unimpressed. “Like you’re going to complain? You brought your own Square!” she said with a head bob toward where Betty was bent three-quarters of the way under the hood of Reggie’s car.

With a flip of her hair, Cheryl said dismissively, “Whatever,” as she turned on her heel and stalked back toward her borrowed ride. She was almost back to the car when she saw Jughead striding purposefully toward her. The red-head rolled her eyes already hearing the lecture before the young gang leader even opened his mouth. As he got closer, she said, “Before you say anything, she’s the best mechanic I know, and she won’t say a word to the cops.”

Jughead ran an exasperated hand through his inky hair. “Not another word, Cheryl,” he said with an annoyed grunt as he waved her away from Reggie’s car. Although she bristled at his dismissive attitude, she knew deep down that the only reason she even had access to a car was because of Reggie’s deal with Jughead. If she smarted-off to her leader too much, he could just as easily tell Reggie not to let her drive, automatically causing her to forfeit the race. Even though it was an outside chance, she’d seen him do it before--once, when Kurtz particularly got on his nerves, to teach the other young man a lesson in humility. The shame and malice that the odd Serpent had carried around for weeks afterwards had put the whole gang on edge. She gave the Jones boy a curt nod of acknowledgement before spinning effortlessly on her heel to find her best friend, Toni.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He tried not to let his eyes linger too long on the denim-clad rear end of the blonde buried in the car. Squares like Betty didn’t belong with delinquents like him. Ever since the first time he’d seen her having a strawberry milkshake at the soda shop with Archie Andrews and the rest of her little Square friends, she’d pulled at the edges of his mind, drawing his eyes toward her whenever she was near. He’d earned a split lip from his old man over it along with a stern warning to “keep your goddamn eyes off Squares like Betty Cooper!” It was the first time he’d ever openly defied F.P. about anything. Instead, Jughead kept looking, in the hopes that eventually, one day, Betty Cooper might look back.

Then, Toni had recruited Cheryl to be a Serpent.

Shortly afterwards, there’d been a chicken race set between Milton and Kurtz after the Drape claimed Kurtz made a pass at his girlfriend, Hatchet-Face. Sweet Pea was normally the Serpents’ go-to mechanic, but he’d been sick with the flu and in no condition to be anywhere near anyone even vaguely resembling a human. Jughead may not have liked Kurtz a ton--or even much at all, really--but he was still a Serpent, and as his leader, he wasn’t going to put him in a car that hadn’t been okayed as safe to race.

Jughead had been as shocked as anyone else when his newest gang member had piped up that she knew a good mechanic, who’d be only too happy to work on the sly. The night of the race, the Drapes and the Serpents had all shown up at the quarry, and Jughead kept watch, looking for a greaser he didn’t recognize, to bring over to Reggie’s car. He’d been stunned when he’d happened to incidentally glance over at Reggie’s car to see a pair of black pedal pushers and some pristine tennis shoes sticking out from under the grill of the Mantle boy’s car. Stomping over to the car, he’d kicked the sole of the nearest tennis shoe with his boot, beyond irritated that some hapless Serpent was screwing around with Kurtz’s ride right before the race. He’d just about died of embarrassment when he heard a young woman’s shriek of pain from his foot accidentally connecting with her ankle only to find out soon after that the injured woman was none other than Betty Cooper.

Even though Cheryl swore by her cousin’s mechanical competence, Jughead couldn’t bring himself to trust Kurtz’s safety to an untested Square female. Instead, he’d made up an excuse about the erratic Serpent and forced him to forfeit the race at the last minute.

It was the first--and last--time Jughead had allowed Cheryl to make any kind of mechanic recommendation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He didn’t know how long he must’ve been standing there, gaping like an idiot, but he figured it must’ve been for more than a couple minutes if Betty’s face was anything to go by. Her impossibly green eyes were staring at him with open expectation, and it wasn’t until he caught sight of her partially-raised arm that he realized she must’ve introduced herself. Grabbing her hand, he gave it a quick, but firm, squeeze as he said, “Jughead Jones.” He couldn’t help the smirk that crawled across his face as a delicate pink blush suffused the perfectly unblemished apples of her cheeks.

Her eyes dropped to her hand as she said quietly, “I know who you are, Jughead.”

The soft admission caught him off-guard, and for a second, he struggled with what to do next. As his mind was casting about for something to say, he found himself vaguely taking notice of Cheryl, which in turn reminded him of the fact that the bewitching blonde in front of him wasn’t even supposed to be there. With rakish bravado, he said, “I’ll pay you two dollars if you cut the brake lines.”

Betty’s tinkling laughter washed over him like dappled sunlight and warmed some dark recesses in his soul that he’d forgotten even existed. Her delicate hand made contact with his leather-clad shoulder and gave it what he imagined was her attempt at a playful shove, but which felt more like being batted at by a kitten. Turning a blinding smile on him, she said, “Save your money. Given the lack of maintenance that seems to be done on this car, there’s a good chance the brakes will go out no matter what I do.”

Jughead instantly sobered up. Sure, he had his disagreements with Cheryl, and she was admittedly the biggest pain in his ass, but he was still the Serpent King, and making sure all of the Serpents were protected was his job. If he allowed the Serpent Cherry-bomb to race a car he knew wasn’t safe, and something happened to her because of it, he knew would be beyond unforgivable in the eyes of the gang. Gripping the young woman’s shoulder, he made sure he had her undivided attention before asking seriously, “Is the car safe to race?”

He had to admit, he was impressed by the thoughtful way she mulled over his question, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she weighed her answer carefully. Eventually, she gave him a quick nod followed by, “Yeah, although it should have a full look over after this race. The shocks are starting to go. I’ve got some serious questions about the muffler. There are couplings that are coming loose, and I couldn’t even tell you the last time the clutch plate was replaced.” Jughead had her an impressed look to which she just shrugged.

“You’re an enigma, Cooper,” the young man said as he back away from the car preparing to go look for the mechanic’s cousin.

She almost blinded him with her megawatt smile.

In that moment, Jughead decided he didn’t even care if the Serpents had to suffer a cripplingly embarrassing chicken loss, if it meant he could forever remember how it felt to have the full force of Betty Cooper’s happy excitement turned toward him.

#riverdale #campriverdale #riverdaleevents #theme 6: cry-baby #betty x jughead #cry-baby

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higuchimon · 3 years

Text

[fanfic] Smoothing Over

Something wasn’t right. Jun wasn’t certain what it was, but she knew that something had changed and it had done so all but overnight. Tiny memories of whatever it was flickered through her thoughts, nothing lasting long enough for her to be sure of what they were – only vague impressions. Impressions of a pair of large blue eyes staring up at her, of a different pair of eyes and a laugh that annoyed her and reminded her of home at the same time. None of those stuck around long enough for her to truly say she remembered them from one moment to the next. But just long enough for her to be aware and uneasy.

She pushed the food around on her plate and raised her head to stare across the table, lips parting to ask if she were the only one to feel this way.

Only there wasn’t anyone there. She sat alone at the small table in her tiny dining area.

Of course there wasn’t. She was twenty years old – she lived alone in her apartment, far closer to her college than her parents’ apartment. Who else would be here?

And she’d been glad to get out on her own. She loved her parents and she loved being an only child but she reveled in this freedom. There shouldn’t be anything unusual at all about not being there, about being free and able to do what she wanted, when she wanted. Sure, she had classes at the university and she and – she and -

Sharp pains began to shoot through her head, and Jun pushed her plate aside to lay her head down on the table, hoping that they’d ease up. This had been happening more often lately. Elec – someone had been worried about her.

She grappled after the name, but it slipped out of her hands, and the way her head thudded only increased, until she stopped trying. It left a lot better not to even think about it. Maybe not to even think at all.

Maybe I should go back to bed. That wasn’t such a bad idea. Her head throbbed and something inside of her throbbed and there seemed to be the faintest hint of unease that she couldn’t shake. If she’d been able to put it into words, she might have thought that someone called her name. But she heard nothing.

Slowly she stumble to her feet and cast a brief glance around the room. Everything seemed as good as she’d left it the night before. Nothing really seemed off – except everything, in a way that she couldn’t understand or really get a mental fix on. There was an empty corner in the bedroom. Hadn’t he had a cushion or a bed there?

No, why would she? She didn’t have any pets. She’d never been fond of dogs and she’d never met a cat that she really liked – and she wasn’t sure if her lease would allow one in the first place. They’d argued about Ele – another sharp stab through her head and Jun almost fell down, gasping in pain.

What was that name? She came so close and every time she felt it within the reach of her thoughts, that sharp stabbing pain tore through her, preventing her from remembering it. Preventing her from even wanting to remember it, because remembering hurt so very much.

She managed to get on the bed and shoved her head under the pillow, blocking out the light that seared into her head. She hoped she’d be able to fall asleep soon.

Perhaps she did. She wasn’t ever certain. But at some point later, the light wasn’t as harsh and the annoying sound of Momoe’s ringtone jangled for her attention. Slowly she grabbed for the phone and mumbled.

“This better be good. What did I drink last night?” She didn’t drink all that often but had she had something at all? That might have contributed to her condition right now.

Momoe let out a heavy sigh. “No idea, but I probably had some of it. My head’s been throbbing all day and things are just weird.”

Jun rubbed her forehead. The headache had eased off a little, though she could still feel it waiting to pounce on her again.

“You have no idea,” she groaned, leaning back and considering burying her head under the pillows. She doubted it would do anything to help but she’d never know if she didn’t try.

Momoe made a commiserating noise before she sighed deeply. “I keep wondering if I’ve forgotten something. There’s nothing missing; I’ve checked for all of my stuff, but sometimes – sometimes -”

Jun frowned slowly. “Sometimes it’s like you turn around and what you expected to be there isn’t – only there isn’t anything that should have been there.”

She could all but see Momoe jerking up at her words. “Yeah. That's it exactly. You too?”

“It’s been going on since yesterday, at least.” Jun draped her free hand over her forehead. “Did we catch something? Is there anything going around?”

She could hear the faint sound of Momoe’s fingers tapping. “I don’t know for sure. But – Chizuru is feeling the same way.” A brief hesitant. “No one else I know about. But – I keep feeling like I should ask someone else.”

Jun worried at her lip. “Who?”

“I don’t know.” Momoe sighed. “I hate feeling like this. It’s like something huge is missing but no one else knows about it and I don’t know what it is, just that it’s not there and it should be.”

Jun could not have agreed more. She winced as her head throbbed again. “Maybe we should all get together and try to take notes or something? Maybe then we can figure it out.”

It would almost be like when they were kids again, making plans to go to a concert together. They’d done that a lot – though or the life of her, Jun couldn’t remember any of the bands they’d gone to see. She vaguely remembered the fact they’d gone to concerts, but which ones?

Meh, it couldn’t be that important. Concerts three years ago, or more, with bands that had probably broken up already, weren’t as important as figuring out why all three of them felt as if they’d spent way too many nights out on the town, when they clearly hadn’t.

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll grab her and we’ll come over,” Momoe promised. “Be there soon.”

Jun bid farewell, breaking the connection, and dragged herself more firmly under her pillow. She knew she should get up, wash her fae, and get ready or her guests, but she didn’t. All she wanted to do was stay where she was and possibly fall back asleep.

He’d call me lazy...

The thought floated through her head, there and gone in a second, leaving behind only the faintest impression. She didn’t even know who the ‘he’ might be. She’d admired a lot of guys over the years, but she’d never been close to any of them..

The faintest flicker of cinnamon red hair just like her own danced through her head, vanishing when she tried to grab it, and in moments she didn’t even remember she’d thought about that in the first place.

Slowly she dragged herself to her feet and made her way out of the bedroom. Momoe and Chizuru didn’t live that far away so they’d be there soon. She managed to get drinks ready, then flopped down on the coach and waited. Almost as soon as she did, her mind more or less blanked out, only somewhat aware of the passage of time.

When the knock came she remembered she had to pull herself up and unlock the door. She cursed herself for not remembering to do so before she sat down, even as she made her way over.

Momoe and Chizuru greeted her as she let them in. Neither of them looked much better than she did right now. Chizuru looked as if she’d just managed to get a shower before they came over, but her hair was still limp and lifeless, while Momoe wore her glasses instead of her contacts – she’d gotten the contacts just a year earlier but Jun had almost forgotten what she looked like with them all.

“Hey,” she greeted with a nod, closing the door. “I got drinks.” She waved one hand towards her fridge. “I’d ask how you’re doing but it’s pretty obvious.”

Momoe nodded as she took a seat. “Glad we didn’t have to walk for too long. I just feel horrible.”

Chizuru brought their drinks over and settled down next to her sister. “So do I. I think Mantarou has a touch of whatever it is too but he wasn’t answering his phone.” A vague frown flickered over her lips. “I – I thought I was going to call someone else and ask them but I couldn’t remember who I wanted to ask.”

Jun leaned her head back. “It’s – it’s -” She knew she should know this. They had most of the same friends, if not all of them. But none of the names she could think of seemed right. Slowly she shook her head. “Don’t know.”

Momoe supped at her drink. “So if we can’t remember, then what do we do?”

Jun didn’t have the faintest idea. Planning hadn’t ever been her strong suit. She thought she was better at it than she’d been a few years earlier but this wasn’t something she had any experience with. No one she knew did.

“It’s probably nothing,” Chizuru said at last, drinking her dink. “If it were really something, then wouldn’t everyone be feeling it?” She tapped her fingers on her drink can. “I mean, what are we really feeling? Headaches.”

“Lack of energy,” Momoe added.

Jun nodded. “And kind of feeling like things aren’t – right.”

“But they are right,” Chizuru pointed out. Jun knew that she intended to study psychology or psychiatry or something like that when she got to college. Sounded like she was getting an early start. “If we were missing something, we’d really see it. It wouldn’t be a feeling. There’d be gaps in places that aren’t there.”

Jun considered that for a few minutes. Her headache eased up enough so she could do that, for which she found herself quite grateful. I think she’s right. Jun wanted her to be right. She wanted this headache to pass, all of these bad feelings to pass, and to have everything back the way that it should be.

But somewhere in the very back of her mind, the faintest hint of a whisper said that things weren’t right and they weren’t going to be right until - until – she didn’t know. But wasn’t sure what was wrong or how to fix it or even if she could fix it.

Slowly she leaned her head back. From this angle she could see the place where she’d vaguely thought a cushion might fit. Maybe she’d get one, if she wanted one there so badly.

A nice reddish-brown one, like – like -

Jun winced, pressing one hand to the side of her face. Words choked in her throat and she swallowed hard, straining for anything that might make sense. So far as she could tell, neither Momoe nor Chizuru noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Then, almost at once, the headache passed. For the first time in a day and a half, she could actually think clearly. She raised her head to look at her friends, who also looked as if they felt better.

She couldn't remember just why they’d come over, but she liked having them there regardless.

“Hey, are there any good concerts in town? Let’s hit one up, for old time’s sake,” she suggested. Chizuru brightened.

“That sounds like a good idea. I think Knife of Day is playing this weekend.”

Jun started to open her mouth to agree. She thought she liked Knife of Day – then she stopped and shook her head.

“No, not them.” Her nose crinkled. “They’re not what I’m in the mood for.”

Truth to tell, she couldn’t even remember what they looked like or what kind of music they played. There was just a strong feeling that she didn’t want to go there and see them. Maybe another time.

Chizuru shrugged. “Got anyone else in mind?”

“What about Imagination Moment?” Momoe suggested. “They’re getting pretty popular and they’ve got a great sound.”

Jun couldn’t remember having heard them before. That already made it interesting. She thought about digging her old autograph book out and seeing if she had nay space left in it – if it were still around. Had she even remembered to pack it when she left home?

Meh, it didn’t matter. She’d rather enjoy the music than squeal over the musicians these days. She wasn’t a teenager anymore.

“They’ve got Hush Dream opening for them,” Chizuru said, a smile flickering over her lips. “They’re amazing.”

Now Hush Dream she had heard and seeing them live had been on her to-do list for a while. Especially now that she actually felt like going out instead of stuffing her head under a pillow.

“All right, let’s figure out when we’re going to go,” Jun said, brightening up. Whatever had been going on, it had passed now, and everything already started to look so much better.

The prospect of a concert and perhaps a meal out with her friends cheered her up even more. If there was anything missing – and everything Chizuru said meant that there couldn’t be – then it would just have to take care of itself.

Somewhere in her deepest heart, so deep that Jun couldn’t see it and wasn’t even aware of it right now, a tiny emotion twitched. Perhaps it was grief. Perhaps it was something else – loneliness, the reaching for a companion lost and unable to be found.

And somewhere else, somewhere where she and her friends couldn’t see, held in the grip of those who cared nothing for the bonds they broke so long as it served their preferred means, five small devices beeped ever so faintly, their light faded away, and five eggs quivered into silence.

Notes: Back before Tri and Kizuna, there was an audio drama released in 2003 that stated Jun, Momoe, Chizuru, and Shuu were now Chosen. But along with so much else, it seems Tri decided that hadn't happened. But that's too much fun for me to just leave. So I decided that their memories got erased and their partners - and all memories of their siblings and those partners - were removed. The same goes for Iori and Ken's parents, except without the Digimon partners.

The five Digivices/eggs belong to Jun, Momoe, Chizuru, Kido Shuu, and someone I haven't decided on yet. Might end up being an OC, if I continue this rather bitter angsty storyline. Time will tell - and interest. Also, I haven't decided if this is a breeds AU or not. It could go either way.

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #digimon adventure 02 #digimon tri #motomiya jun #inoue momoe #inoue chizuru #a touch of saltiness about tri in general

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guardian-of-the-thunder · 7 years

Text

Baby Girl: Chapter 7

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke watched as little Sakura ate her soup silently on the kitchen table. It was relatively early for dinner but they decided to eat instead. They also had to remind themselves that she just transformed herself into her younger version earlier this morning and she was probably one or two years old at the moment. And by the run of things, Sakura's definitely changing way too fast and was getting younger by the minute, but when Naruto couldn't stand the deafening silence, it was him who broke the silence.

"Uhh—Sakura?" the pink-haired shinobi hesitantly lifted her lashes as he watched Naruto and the two others who took the seat opposite her. The blonde ninja kept on alternately pointing at the two others beside him.

"Don't you remember this one?" he pointed at Sasuke. "He's the hard headed, petulant bastard whom we kept getting back, and…" he pointed next to Kakashi, "…our super ecchi teacher who's always late and loves reading porn in public? Don't you remember?! Don't y— ow!" Both ninjas beside him reached to smack Naruto on the back of his head.

"So much for an introduction huh, Naruto?" Kakashi said, a vein ticking on his forehead.

"And who told me to watch my words again? Stupid dweeb." Sasuke muttered.

But when they all turned to look at Sakura, her attention was already elsewhere. Naruto slumped his head on the table and sighed.

"I don't even think she heard me the first time."

Sasuke followed where Sakura was looking at and saw that she was staring at the can of milk they left at the kitchen counter. He tried getting her attention with it.

"Sakura? Would you like some milk?" Sasuke asked the little ninja who swiftly turned her head towards him and nodded. He faintly smirked and smacked Naruto once more.

"Hey! What was that for, Teme?" He asked, clearly annoyed. Kakashi, who was on the side, only sighed at the scene in front of him and started cleaning up the table.

"Bring Sakura to the living room and watch television." Kakashi ordered and Naruto's ears perked up.

"Oh, yeah! Would you like to watch television with me, Sakura?" without waiting for a reply, Naruto picked the little ninja up from her chair and brought her to the living room of the east wing. So far, so good, Sakura had not shown any protest. She just let herself be carried away by Naruto. When they were finally out of sight, Kakashi spoke.

"I think it would be nice if we went to an onsen, tonight."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, quietly thinking about his former sensei's out of the blue suggestion. He looked at the milk bottle he was holding at the moment, letting it cool down a little bit.

'An onsen would be nice, considering all the stress we've been through lately.' He thought.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke called his former sensei's attention as the silver-haired shinobi faced him with a crinkle in his visible eye.

**********

"Okay kids, we are going to an onsen." Kakashi announced as he made his way to the living room.

Naruto who was multi-tasking in watching the television and playing 'grab the finger' with Sakura, shot up with excitement upon hearing the word onsen and started chanting in a sing-song manner.

"Yay! We're going to an onsen, we're going to an onsen!" but eventually stopped when he realized that the nearest public onsen was actually quite far from the Uchiha manor.

It was one thing to use chakra to travel and another thing to enjoy walking under the moon light, and they also have to consider that they have Sakura with them and her unpredictable mood swings. So, Naruto stilled himself. "Wait…but the distance…and…and we have Sakura…"

Naruto trailed his eyes towards Sasuke as he approached Sakura who was lying on the sofa and gave her a baby bottle, half-filled with milk. The little girl grabbed it from Sasuke's hand and immediately placed the rubber nipple in her mouth.

"Thank you, Sasuke." she whispered.

The three of them stilled at what they heard from the little girl who was busy drinking her milk while watching television.

"D-did I hear that right?!" Naruto swiftly went back to Sakura's side. "S-Sakura, do you remember who we are now?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Naruto?" she asked with a quizzical look on her face, still sucking through the bottle which muffled her baby voice, but her eyes were devoid of the confusion and unfamiliarity she had a while back.

"Who am I?" Naruto tested again.

"You're Naruto." She answered.

"Who's he?" Naruto pointed at Kakashi who was standing at the foot of the sofa.

"Kakashi-sensei." The silver-haired shinobi smiled upon hearing his name.

"Okay, last one." Naruto added, but even before he could ask the final question.

"He's Sasuke." Sakura smiled.

The three of them felt relieved when the little ninja named them correctly.

"I guess she just got a little confused when she woke up." Kakashi commented.

"That's probably because Naruto startled her with his ugly face." Sasuke commented.

"Hey! I heard that!"

But all of them laughed all the same.

**********

"Whoa, Teme! You really do have your private, open-air onsen, and you never even thought of inviting us even once?!" Naruto complained as they made their way to the private onsen the Uchiha manor has.

It took them a while to prepare the place because even though Sasuke maintained the onsen to a pristine condition, nobody really used it, except now.

It was also kind of awkward for them to bring Sakura along as the three of them were wrapped with towels only on the lower half of their bodies, except for Kakashi, of course, who still had his mask with him, but eventually they realized that they had no choice. Furthermore, while they were able to manage to wrap the whole of Sakura in a towel, the towel had the tendency to slip off, so Kakashi secured the cloth with clothe’s pin on Sakura's back.

"I guess we better get used to this huh?" Naruto asked as Kakashi finished semi-swaddling Sakura with a towel. Kakashi and Sasuke nodded.

There was no more room for blushing and being uncomfortable every time they change her clothes or diaper. This was probably how they are going to be if ever Shikamaru's team fail to come back. But they had to hope for the best and just enjoy what moment they have with the Sakura who still vaguely remembered them right now.

The three of them gingerly went into the hot spring, with Sakura on Kakashi's arms. Naruto brought a relatively wide, wooden bucket with him so they could place Sakura in it as they relaxed. They started filling the wooden bucket with water and placed Sakura inside. The bucket somehow kept floating.

"Will you be okay in there?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes." Sakura answered, smiling up to him.

Naruto even gave the little ninja a wooden bath brush to serve as her paddle. The three of them watched as Sakura paddled her way around the family-sized hot spring.

"I'm feeling kind of guilty for relaxing like this, but I have to admit that I kinda need it." Naruto said.

"We all do." Sasuke commented back.

"Well, we can't do anything at the moment but to wait for Shikamaru's team to get back." Kakashi said.

"Sensei?" Sakura suddenly asked. They all turned to watch her paddle back towards Kakashi. When her bucket was close enough, the silver-haired shinobi pulled her closer.

"What is it Sakura?" Kakashi asked back.

"Why are you wearing a mask? It's gonna get wet." The little ninja asked, which alerted Naruto and Sasuke, perking their ears up, thinking that maybe…finally…he'd reveal what's behind his mask, the pink-haired shinobi only had to ask the right question. Both of them gulped in anticipation.

On the other hand, Kakashi's visible eye crinkled into a smile, remembering that they've been in a similar situation before. 'I guess she couldn't remember that far back, huh?' He thought.

"Well, you see, it's my fashion statement!" Kakashi chirped happily.

"Oh please, we all know that, that's not the reason why you're wearing a mask." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Naruto." Sasuke called. "Sakura, doesn't need to know the truth about it now."

Kakashi looked at his former students, then back at Sakura who waited patiently for another response. Of course, the child that she is now couldn't possibly understand what really took place in his life, and like what Sasuke said, she didn't need to know. So he settled on the usual thing he always did when people got curious about his mask. He lifted Sakura off the bucket.

"Would you wanna see what's behind this mask?" Kakashi asked the little kunoichi on his hands. Naruto and Sasuke stealthily moved closer to his side to have a better access on the view.

"It's a mouth of course!" Sakura exclaimed which made Kakashi smile, while Naruto and Sasuke remained skeptical.

'Hn. We still don't know if he has big lips.' Sasuke thought.

'Or buck teeth!' Naruto thought the same as the two of them stared at each other, their thoughts communicating. Sakura spoke once more.

"But your mask is really going to get wet Sensei." She added.

"Would you want to pull down my mask?" He asked, the pink-haired ninja nodded and Naruto and Sasuke were much closer than before.

'Or he probably has thin lips!' Naruto's and Sasuke's heads had already bonked together, their thoughts resonating that of the other.

It was clear that the two ninjas were already at their wits' end. They just had to see it, and Kakashi knew this perfectly, so he just had to get them one more time...just for the fun of it. The silver-haired ninja chuckled deep inside.

Sakura reached out her small hands to clasp the corners of Kakashi's mask. Kakashi pulled her closer to his face so she could better reach it, and so he could better see her reaction after finding out that what's behind his mask was another mask. But Kakashi had not anticipated what the little ninja would do, nobody did. Because for the several seconds that Sakura's face hovered over his, the little ninja kissed the tip of his covered nose which made him blush and blink in rapid succession.

"Hey! That's not fair! I want a kiss too!" Naruto rowdily exclaimed as Sasuke tried his best to pull his best friend back down into the water. The simple kiss made Sasuke blush too, and maybe he was a little bit jealous that he wasn't the one who had received the kiss first, but a child is child after all, and maybe that's how the child Sakura really was. Sweet and charming and…

"Sensei, I feel like pooping." Sakura suddenly bursted the words out which of course made the three adult ninjas scramble out of the hot spring and onto the nearest bath room. But one thing was for sure, all of them were smiling, and all of them were happy.

**********

After changing into fresh new clothes, Kakashi was able to pat Sakura to sleep. Once again, they all made their way towards Sakura's room and made a human barricade around her as she slept soundly.

Nobody wanted to admit it but no one really wanted to go to sleep. Deep down the recesses of their thoughts, the three felt scared, because maybe, just maybe, in the blink of their eyes, Sakura might ultimately disappear.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi all faced Sakura's sleeping form. Kakashi brushed her pink bubblegum hair away from her cheeks, Naruto gently tucked the blanket tighter around her, while Sasuke held her hand, smiling softly as Sakura's tiny hand reflexively tightened her grip around his index finger even when she was so fast asleep.

"I can't believe it. She has us all wrapped around her fingers." Naruto whispered.

"She always has, Naruto. She's the saner part of this team after all." Kakashi commented.

"That's why she can't disappear." Sasuke said.

"She won't disappear. Even if it means raising her on our own." Naruto said firmly. "Kakashi will be Hokage soon, and I'll be a jōnin. Of course I want to be Hokage too, but it's still kinda early, then I'll wait for Sakura at the academy! She'll probably end up in my team." Naruto stated, his resolve could strongly be felt in his words to which Kakashi couldn't help but smile because of his statement.

"How 'bout you, Teme?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"I'll probably do the same." Sasuke answered quietly. "I'm done with my travel of redemption, so I'll stay…and look after her."

"And all of us will protect her." Naruto stated once more.

"Because she's Sakura." Sasuke added.

"Because she's our Sakura." Kakashi ended.

The three of them nodded after an unspoken pact had been built amongst them. Their words were carried by the breeze of the night as all of them settled on Sakura's bed, a silent, calming feeling enveloping them as they started to drift off to sleep. Nobody really wanted to, but their unspoken promise made them feel at ease.

As the Hokage said, nobody really knew when Sakura's final transformation would take place, but as the moon above the sky disappeared and the light of the dawn emerged, Sakura took her final form. Changing silently, slowly, turning her into a much, much younger version of herself, and finally bringing her back to infancy.

The three adult shinobis remained asleep, unaware of what just transpired, but Sakura already changed and her clock already started ticking.

----------

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16095212/chapters/37591655

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thestoryweneededtowrite · 7 years

Note

spot and race defs get their shit together bc they start sexting as a joke but then realize both of them are SUPER into it

I’m not sure if this is a headcanon or a prompt so yes I support this and also I wrote a thing.

R: I wnt to touch u

The text message came through when Spot was staring angrily athis stack of reading as if that was somehow going to get the job done. Welcomingthe distraction, he scooped up his phone and read the message. The sender almostconfused him more than its content. Tony Higgins, who everyone seemed to callRace for a reason no one could explain. He was in one of Spot’s seminars andthey’d been paired together for a presentation, prompting the exchange of phonenumbers, but beyond that they’d nothing to do with each other. And now Race waspropositioning him? Spot texted back anyway – as weird as this was it was moreentertaining than Derrida.

S: How drunk are youright now?

The reply came almost instantly.

R: 4

R: On a scale 1 to 4

Race’s answer was evident in his poor logic and lack ofgrammar without the need for words. Spot was no stranger to guys who turned queerafter several drinks; it seemed university was full of people who got handsywith whoever was closest regardless of gender after a beer or two. It was finefor anyone straight. They could, and did, just laugh it off the next morning –if they even remembered what had happened at all. But Spot reckoned queer folkshad a lot more to lose by getting together with someone on a night out sincethere was every chance that person might turn around and say they weren’tinterested once they were sober. Spot was pretty such Race was one of thoseguys who just got too affectionate after some alcohol. He wasn’t going to playalong just to be mocked the next day.

S: Go to sleep Race

He hoped the text sounded as final to Race as it did to him,but a few seconds later another reply buzzed.

R: Cnt. At pary

Either Race was currently in a sword fight with someone, orhe was at a party; either was possible from his vague attempts to spell wordscorrectly. Spot decided the latter was probably most likely. He bristled at theidea of his texts being shown around a group of drunk, laughing people and wasglad he’d decided to largely ignore Race’s message. Had he been drunk himself,or had Race been queer, he might have responded in kind. When attractive peoplerandomly sexted you out of nowhere sometimes it was just good sense to go withit. Now was clearly not one of those times.

S: Oh

S: That explains alot

S: This is a dare?

Either alcohol or peer pressure had to be behind this.

R: Had t osext sum1

Clearly it was a little or both, but from the sounds of itRace was message hadn’t been solely concocted by his own brain and some beer.Spot gritted his teeth. He’d hoped uni would be the end of the pranks andteasing and joking around with him because he liked guys. Race seemed like adecent guy, in the little time they’d spent together, and Spot couldn’tunderstand why he’d willingly join in with what amounted to little more thanbullying.

S: And you pickedme…???

R: Random

R: But I’m glad u

Spot stared at the second message when it appeared on hisscreen. The tone seemed to have changed; he would have bet anything that Racehad stepped away from his friends and whatever game he was playing to continuethis conversation. It didn’t seem like something you’d want people reading overyour shoulder for.

S: Right…?

Spot typed back, his fingers shaking ever so slightly. Hewas still determined not to look like he was encouraging this, but he didn’treally want it to end either. Why was Race glad it was his name that had comeup? Because he knew Spot wouldn’t take it seriously, considering it was comingfrom a, presumably, straight guy? Or was there another reason?

R: I do wan to tocuhu

R: Yor’e hot

It took a couple of seconds for Spot to decipher Race’sdrunk texting but once he did he just blinked. And then confusion quicklyturned to bitterness and he tightened his hold on his phone. It was cruel tomock him like that just because he was out and proud. He could imagine Race onthe other side of the conversation, laughing to himself as he drunkenly decidedit was okay to say those things.

Spot typed out three last messages, sending them one afterthe other, before setting his phone aside screen-down and turning over to go tosleep.

S: And you’re drunk

S: Leave me alone

S: Go back to yourparty

The next day Race woke up far after his lectures had begunand ended. His head was still pounding and everything was a little blurry.Reaching for the headache tablets he kept just beside his bed for time likethese, he swallowed two of them dry. They scratched at his throat as they wentdown but he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand up to get water until he startedto feel a little less ill. To pass the ten minutes he had to wait for thepainkillers to take effect, he grabbed his phone and tried to assess the damageof the night before. Texts and snapchat replies and tweets were usually goodstarting evidence to work out what he’d done. The name at the top of his recentcontacts list chilled him to the bone. CuteIrish Seminar Boy. Otherwise known as Spot Conlon, the infuriating boy withdistracting cheekbones and a smirk that Race swore would have turned him gay ifhe hadn’t already played for both teams. Oh, this was not good. He prayed toany deity he could think of before he opened up the message log.

Reading it through he had to admit it could have been farworse. The truth or dare game came back to him, albeit slightly hazily, and he vaguelyrecalled being happy when it was Spot’s contact that had been chosen for him tosext. He could probably alleviate most of what he’d written by blaming alcoholbut there was still the underlying problem that he’d admitted to attraction. Andfrom Spot’s responses he was hurt by the conversation – that wasn’t how Racewanted to leave things. Swallowing his pride, he typed a quick apology.

R: I’m sry

R: Abt last night

He didn’t know how to go into detail. I’m sorry I hit on you. I’m sorry you were the person I had to text. I’msorry I hurt you?

It was only a second before a little bubble popped up totell him Spot was replying. He held his breath and waited for the dots in thebubble to change into letters, hoping the message wasn’t going to be one ofscorn.

S: Wow

S: You’re almost asbad at texting sober

It broke the tension, if that was what Spot was aiming for.Race managed a small laugh, surprised and relieved when it didn’t result in himwanting to throw up.

R: Shut up

It was a poor reply, but Race didn’t know what else to do.He was leaving the ball in Spot’s court – something that would turn out to beone of the best decisions he’d ever made.

S: So you want totouch me, huh?

S: Didn’t know youswung that way

Race liked where this was going. He wasn’t in the closet,exactly, but he was out on more of a need-to-know basis. Right now it seemedlike there was something intriguing to come of Spot knowing. Race knew he was gay,so if he was interested then… He typed a reply before he could talk himself outof it.

R: I swing evry way

R: & sure

R: U may be a dickbut u r attractive

It was a couple of minutes before Spot replied and Racemanaged to convince himself that he’d made a huge mistake. He could see thatSpot went to type something several times, but kept deleting it and leaving nothing.When a reply eventually came it was more difficult to interpret than Race wouldhave liked.

S: Thanks I guess

Still, that wasn’t a negative response. And Race figured hehad nothing to lose.

R: I wdn’t say no

S: Well I might

R: Wld you?

S: Are you stilldrunk?

Race snorted. He hadn’t had that much to drink. He was stilla little foggy but his headache was mostly gone and the room had stoppedspinning. If Spot was worried about taking advantage of a drunk guy then theydidn’t have a problem.

R: Hungover, nt drunk

S: And will you typein English?

R: Fine

It was an annoying condition to agree to – text speak wasn’tthat hard to understand and it was far quicker to type, Race was adamant – but itseemed like a small price to pay for whatever might be about to happen. Therewas no delay in a reply this time.

S: Then lock yourdoor and take off your clothes

There was a chance this was all a joke. Spot could beleading him on with the intention of humiliating him as retribution for themessages the night before but Race was hungover and he just couldn’t think itthrough without the world starting to tilt.

R: You serious?

He hoped the question would be enough to give Spot an out tofind some morality if this was all a big joke, but instead he got a far betteranswer.

S: No Skype no phonecalls no photos, just texts

S: But yeah, I’mserious

S: I need to get off

Race groaned. Given the choice he’d rather actually get tosleep with Spot but he wasn’t going to turn down the proposition. He wasn’twearing many clothes after the night before, he’d probably find them scatteredacross his room from the door to the bed, but he slipped off his boxers. If hewas going to do this, he was going to do it right.

R: Same

S: Clothes off?

R: Yeah

S: Tell me whatyou’re doing

Sometimes Race felt like he was in a polyamorous relationshipwith two other people: Spot, and Spot’s job. He was proud and supportive butthat didn’t mean he didn’t miss his boyfriend when he was away on businesstrips that lasted too long and were too frequent. They’d been together forseven years and Race had grown to love the domesticity and comfort – even ifthey’d started as friends-with-benefits who weren’t even really friends.

Thinking back over their relationship made him miss Spoteven more and soon he was subconscious reaching for his phone and sending atext.

R: Hey

Spot knew Race well by now. ‘Hey’ didn’t mean ‘hi’. ‘Hi’would have meant ‘hi’. ‘Hey’ meant ‘I want to talk to you.’ The message he sentback was an answer to the statement Race didn’t even need to say.

S: What’s up?

R: What are you doingright now?

Spot took a moment to appreciate the fact Race’s text speakhad gotten better over the years before looking around his rather Spartan hotelroom and sighing. He wanted to be home. Meetings were important for his job andhe knew that, but Race was important for his sanity.

S: Prepping for ameeting

It was partly true. It was what he was supposed to be doingbut he was more than grateful for the distraction Race was providing from staringat the ceiling and wishing he wasn’t in a the hotel of a conference centerseveral hours from home.

R: Want to prep forsomething else?

The insinuation seemed clear but they hadn’t done this sincethey’d officially gotten together and Spot wanted to make sure.

S: Race…?

R: You’re in yourhotel room?

S: Yeah

R: Lock the door andtake off your pants

The words had Spot grinning. It was what they’d alwaysmessaged each other with years ago when they’d wanted to start something. Hisdoor was already locked and he hadn’t bothered to get dressed that day yet, buthe still appreciated the old phrase. Even though he was far too far away fromRace, it meant him feel closer.

S: What are we doing?

He was being coy at this point. He knew exactly what theywere doing, but Race went along with it anyway.

R: Reminiscing. Forold time’s sake.

That was definitely something Spot could get on board with.

#newsies #newsies fanfiction #sprace #spot conlon #racetrack higgins #spot/race #prompt #anonymous

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calcinators-blog · 7 years

Text

FN-2187, TR-8R

I can’t tell you what it was like. And by it, I really do mean all of it.

“Indoctrination” was one hell of a thing. But then, well… back then, I didn’t know any different. It was all one way up until it wasn’t, until Dr. Thos pulled me out of my mental stasis and I could really think for myself. Do you understand what I mean?

I guess that’s maybe not for me to wonder in the first place; I know your mind has been yours the whole time. I know you choose this and you know I couldn’t. Insinuating it’s possible for you to place yourself where I’ve been is out of the question, not that you wouldn’t try to because I know you well enough, but I couldn’t explain even if I had all the time in the world to. And I don’t.

I’m still coming to terms with it. I know that we’ve already said goodbye. Maybe I’m only talking myself through because it’s too quiet and no one else has said anything to me in hours. Maybe because I still feel like I’m going to see you later and I’m practicing re-telling this story.

If you could hear me, right now, I don’t even know what would I say to you. Maybe that watching the hatch seal over your face was death enough for me. But that’s not the important stuff that I should have said. The one chance I had, I kept it back. Everything. All the nitty-gritty details, the stuff that a part of me would rather get vaped than admit to you. I wanted to come clean, really, but I just couldn’t burden you like that. I held my tongue then and I hold it now, inching closer to the great wipe.

Being reconditioned feels like a joke. But, I’m not laughing.

As I was saying, I broke out of it all, sure, then came pretending like I hadn’t, which was easier than you’d think since you can never really forget what it’s like. I mean, it was both a barrier and an alarm. It was an invisible wall blocking a spectrum of thought, protecting me from revelation and natural impulse. It was an inaudible siren, influencing my brain to duck and run or stand in line. To lay my life out for the cause and all that.

In time, you can imagine, that you’d grow to tolerate it. And I did. Fighting against it only makes headaches. Real bad ones. Ones that grind and pound at your brain like it’s the Resistance itself. I think it’s because our minds were conditioned not to do what they want to do.

Well, I’ll call them headaches, but in truth, they were more than that. The programming and programmers, the ones who do this to us, they are not our allies and they are not our friends.

The end feels all too similar to the beginning. I blame the hallways. The repetition of steel and stone. These worn down boots of mine are ticking like a detonator against the floors, slick with polish. I’m amazed I can walk without falling on my ass.

Hell, now I can’t see anything but Slip’s face. I’ve been in my share of accidents but he was by far the clumsiest trooper I’ve ever seen. I mean it lovingly when I say his dexterity was fictional… ‘Cuz he was also as sharp as a sarlacc’s tooth and that’s why they kept him around. Slip, walking to reconditioning and tripping on his way, would have been the greatest “fuck you” to the General over here. I’m sure it’s a mood killer. It’s gotta be.

Anyways, he’s at my left and a psytech I can’t recognize is at my right. So, there’s a black coat on one side and white at the other. It feels almost like a devil and angel on my shoulders but neither is interested in mercy.

I should also mention that Hux here, has been staring at the back of my head so intently I can feel his glare burning away at my scalp. On one hand, I want to ignore it but on the other, I can’t help but feel he’s annoyed that my hair is redder than. I must have established myself as the alpha. And I say that as if, wherever you are right now, you’ll stop what you’re doing and laugh– or at least roll your eyes in that way you do when I say something unbelievably corny. I know this look well from too many sour jokes.

I think suddenly to when you told me my hair was as red as poppies. I’m not sure why, but it’s always stuck with me. Maybe I liked the association to something organic and innocent, maybe I just liked how your face lit up when you told me. I think about how you had mentioned they would stain your palms because you would hold onto them, collect them. Keep them close.

I hope I haven’t left a mark.

Everything aside, I just wish you could hear me. You know, even still, as I march on knowing what’s coming, I don’t think I can take this moment seriously. I don’t think so, but it sneaks up on me. I’m fine in one step, a mess in another.

I contemplate decking the General, then running as he’s stunned. He’s confident that I won’t. I don’t have cuffs. But where would I go then?

It’s hard to stomach how close we were to— it. I guess the absolute worst thing that I could do is measure the distance between here and freedom. I’ll forget about freedom soon enough but damn, if I wasn’t right there.

It’s just ahead now. I’d be lying if I told myself that I didn’t feel scared, or worse, alone. It’s intimidating to know I’ll be fine on the other side or that I won’t remember this moment of not being fine.

I’m not okay right now. I’m the exact opposite. I’m shaking under these outer plates. I feel it breaking like sheets of ice, shifting and crackling along moving water. This armor, my second skin, won’t prevent what they plan on doing to me. Can’t.

I always imagined, in the end, you would show me your home world. I thought about what it would be like to see it with order restored because that’s why you were here. In some vague, ridiculous way, I’m thankful that it pushed you here. I’m not, for one second, pleased that your planet is suffering now but we met and that’s something I would never regret. The universe is too big to not host such happy coincidences and if my memory serves me right, you did say I was like your brother.

Yeah. Happy.

Starkiller isn’t going to get some ceremonious goodbye from me. No one did– not even my Captain. She handed me over; they must have not trusted that I could do it myself for sending her as a chaperone. She came to collect me before any of the others had woken up. We marched soundlessly from the barracks to the main bridge all to find the General waiting for me, sipping tea and reading something on his holopad. He gave me this look, like I was a dog on a leash or something, and told Captain that he was “sorry it came down to this.”

Sorry... Can you believe that? That he was sorry?

She didn’t.

We didn’t have to talk, you know. I mean, I respect the hell out of that woman– under the armor, I wouldn’t be surprised if her flesh was also chromed– but she was thrown through a loop. I don’t think I’ve ever been so quiet; maybe she was waiting for me to brush it all off my shoulders. She didn’t think I could bear the weight of it all without comedic relief to shake the tension loose. But I did.

They’re connecting me to the machines now.

They’ve kept to themselves how potentially dangerous this procedure is. They haven’t warned me that it’s excruciating, that I might wake up in the night with sweat-soaked sheets from nightmares of this life. Dr. Thos forewarned us. You know if it were simple, being reset, they would have done this to me the moment I started laughing more than I blasted things to bits. They don’t do this to wise-mouths; only turncoats… and I wouldn’t have made it as an FN without faking my undying devotion. I’ve never shown that my allegiance is outside this white skeleton.

They look at me, close-lipped. No one has explained to me why I’m here. The only disclaimer they’ve made is that this is what is going to happen. I’m lead to believe our secret is about to make itself known if they do not already know. But I don’t want to entertain that. Thinking about the others… They just can’t.

I’m suddenly terrified of what will happen to the rest. I can’t do anything, secured tightly to this chair, each limb pressed down to the surface. I can only blink and move my head. Neither action is sufficient, so I do nothing.

I put so much belief in the plan. I depended on inertia, and maybe to a fault, that it would just keep us all creeping forward undetected. I never thought I’d be halted. I’m trying to be okay with it. If the skifflin is out of the sack, I only hope it means that you’re right on the edge of figuring it out too.

Damn.

I just couldn’t risk it though. I couldn’t include you in it all when I knew how unsafe it was to house these thoughts. Sometimes I would rip myself out of sleep and have to fight not rocketing down the hall to tell you… It’s just that there is so much happening beneath.

Maybe I should have told you– I should have said something, right? I can’t say anything now. No. Nothing. Not in a metaphorical sense either. Stars, they’ve tied a strip of ashen, flimsy fabric over my mouth. It tastes like gauze and I can’t help but think of being stitched up in the medbay a few cycles back for being a little too reckless. I can’t help but think while I still can. I can’t help it at all. I’m not going to make a sound– untie it. Please, General. I can’t go through my final moments like this. And why do you have to look at me like that? Like I’m a wounded animal about to be put down. My limbs are transformed to claws and wings. Let me go. Let me go.

Am I awake for this procedure? There was no countdown. It’s happening. God. I can feel parts of me going numb and cold. It’s a submersion into ice water. I’m not ready. I’m not ready. I don’t want to forget your face. I’m thinking really hard about you. I’m not ready to give you up. They can try to steal you and everyone else from me but I refuse to let you go.

I feel something moving down the pathways of my memory. There’s no way to describe this feeling, only that I’m all too aware of something slithering about inside my head. Starkiller is absorbing my mind in preparation for total annihilation.

I won’t forget you. I won’t forget you when you had been watching the interstellar dust. We had everything then– the one last perfect moment.

General Hux has his hand on the controls. I can’t see much but I see him from the corner of my eye. The techs, in ghostly white robes around him, are supervising. He must think he’s deleting the problem; that it began and so dies with me.

I can only hope this buys you enough time.

Whatever happens after this, you’ll make it out. I know you will. You’ll go back to your planet and see the poppies. I don’t know where I came from but I trust you don’t mind if I go there too. It feels like it’s home enough for me. I hope you know my consciousness will be there, preserved and flowing through the stems of every single flower, bursting into petals you used to admire.

We’re all finally free there. Everyone. Please, you have to keep holding on.

You just have to.

I wonder if they can see it in my eyes, the brilliance of the view we had. I’m thinking about it hard enough that I’m surprised that my skin hasn’t become one with the darkness we hang in.

You’re here. With me. You’re next to me. I feel our last hug become our last once more. I feel you holding me together, but you’re fading to quickly to keep me in tact. But I’m not ready to let you go.

The fabric over my mouth slips; it falls down my chin and hangs at my neck like a noose. This vision of you, the last I’ll see of you and know who you are, but I whisper to you regardless:

"We will escape. We will all escape."

The man with red hair, whose name and face have left me, cannot control his rage. He slams his hand on a button and I’m shocked with so much invisible electricity that I–

#fn-2199 #nines #tr-8r #star wars fanfic #general hux

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wetkn33s · 4 years

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Makona Anka, Alistair

TW FOR DESCRIPTION OF MURDER AND DISTURBING SCENES

(Feel free to criticize! Since I’m a beginner, it’s like free food for me)

It had been going on for days now. Syn did not anticipate that he would make it this long. Even in death, the bastard just wouldn’t quit.

Everytime Syn saw him (which was thankfully, very rarely), a huge shiver ran up his spine. It made a fear and great discomfort settle in his gut. His hair was a rats nest at this point, and his skin had gone ashy, the shine in his eyes gone. There was a small pin point in his neck that all of the toxins were sprouting from. All the strange green marks came from that spot. It was where he had injected himself. That was the worst mark, in Syn’s opinion, but it was not alone. It came with plenty of actual battle wounds, ones that he had caught in the fight against the sentries only days ago. A large, gnarled scar ran across the back of his neck down his back. Syn would have liked to meet that talented bastard that nailed that one. Alistair had demanded that he stitch it up himself, but upon remembering that he couldn’t reach it (he was never one for common sense) he had let the medics suture him back up, launching himself back into the fight (Syn didn’t understand why he fought them himself, he was never ordered to).

Syn tended not to interact with Alistair’s creations, but it was mandatory those few days. The queen had put the planet on lockdown, and sent her entire personal guard to wipe them out. Alistair's creations had gained consciousness and started an uprising. It took only two days for every sentry to be wiped out. Syn almost felt sorry for the poor creatures, but he had known that they were doomed from the start. He had a premonition that told him so, and he trusted himself more than anyone or anything else.

Just like the sentries, Alistair's time was limited. But unlike the sentries, Syn could not for the life of him, see Alistair’s demise. It was his biggest fear, and annoyance. He hated not having the upper hand.

It had been a week now. A week of hearing the clinking of bottles in the lab. Syn didn’t dare speak to the husk of his former lover, but rumors were saying that he was looking for what went wrong with the sentries, what made them turn tide and try to kill him. There was no word of him trying to find a cure for his condition.

And yet, he didn’t eat, didn’t sleep, and seemed better than ever, at least according to the other alchemists. It was almost like he was enjoying his condition. He was definitely getting the most out of it, since he had been at work for a week with no end. It was driving Syn crazy, he was certain. He was certain he was hearing the clinking of bottles in the middle of the night, quick little footsteps and thumps in the night. Alistair almost scared him. He pitied the poor fool.

But he also missed him. He would never admit it, though. He missed the annoying jokes. He missed the warm touch. He knew it would be cold now. He was afraid to approach Alistair because he didn’t want to see him in his state of freezing, chilling mania.

He gave in. By the morning, he was still awake. He slipped into his robe, slipped on his shoes and pulled his hair back with a deep sigh. He stepped out of his quarters, and began to make his way to the Alchemy lab. There was a deep shame, and a sinking feeling of guilt as he took the stairs two at a time. Shame because of his desperation to see the husk that was his boyfriend, and guilt because he had not come sooner. Two steps turned into three, and just as he was approaching the door of the lab, the queen appeared in front of him. His posture straightened, his chin came up, and he held himself with as much fake pride as he could muster.

“Good morning, Your Highness.” He said in a smooth, calm voice. It was all he could do at this point.

“Good morning, Dearest Gypsum. On your way to the lab, I see?” She almost looked amused. Syn could see now that he could not fool her. He sighed and nodded, giving a small grin as his stomach dropped.

“Yes, Your Highness. I am here to check on our Head Alchemist. I am a bit worried about his condition as of late.” He said, explaining himself in the most vague words that he believed she would allow. And, like a miracle from the gods themselves, she simply nodded.

“Alright, Syn.” She said with a cold chuckle, and like that, she was gone down the hallway, swift as ever. Syn let out a breath he did know that he was holding.

He shivered as he opened the door to the lab. It was colder than usual, and smelled faintly of the acidic solution that you put in baked goods. His face scrunched up slightly at the sour smell. It seemed as though the other Alchemists either didn’t notice the smell, or had become used to it. They still worked in their regular position, suggesting that even in death, Alistair still held his position as head. Which meant he was in the station positioned in the back of the room. Syn inhaled deeply, then regretted it, and began moving toward the back. The alchemists that were in at that point didn’t look up from their work, and he didn’t look at them. He kept his eyes, all four of them, fixed on the ceiling.

And when his counted footsteps came to a stop, he finally looked down. And inhaled deeply, yet again. The smell was even stronger now. Oh no. Oh no.

There were more stitches now. They ran all over his hands, and they looked home-sewn. There was a hole in his cheek. Syn did not want to ask. So he didn’t. He just stood there staring. This wasn’t right. Why did everyone let this go on? There was no soul in his eyes. His movements were mechanical, and his brain whirred like the winds in a storm. His eyes were wide, so wide, and bloodshot. It didn’t look like he was blinking. Whatever this was, was not Alistair. This was a monster. Why had no one showed this poor man mercy?

Syn turned around and walked out. He was devastated. He needed to lay down, he needed to cry, he needed to do something. He stormed to his room, and when he closed the door, he simply sat on his bed, and sighed. And inhaled deep. And started to plan.

He knew what needed to be done. What mercy needed to be shown. He waited until the dead of night, until the moons were high in the sky. He prayed to them for light, and for luck, and for Alistair. Poor, forsaken Alistair. He inhaled, grabbed his dagger, and made his way, swiftly and quietly to the Alchemy lab.

He inched the door open slowly, and quietly made his way to the back. He didn’t even know if it would matter. His heartbeat was thrumming through his body like a bass line. He wondered if Alistair could hear it. In the moonlight coming from the window, he saw him. Alistair, doing the exact same thing as earlier, his head stuck in a map with paper and blueprints for his sentries strewn about his desk. Syn could hear his tapping against the table as he murmured to himself. His voice was hollow and airy, cracked and broken.

Syn snuck up behind him until his shadow took over the light from the moon. He knew Alistair noticed him now, but he didn’t seem to do much about it. Syn removed his dagger from his sheath inside of his robe, and as he was preparing to strike, Alistair managed to croak out, “Hello Makona.”

Love. That was love in Lananandran. Syn let out a small sob. And another.

And quickly dragged the dagger across Alistair’s throat.

He heard an inhale, a sob, a cough, and a gurgle.

He wrapped his arms around Alistair.

“My baby, my baby, goje, darling, shhh…” He tried to calm Alistair in his last moments. He began to sing a lullaby, mostly as a comfort for himself as he wiped the blood from Alistair's lip.

“Alha, gonje mara youghe lavae.” He whispered a soft prayer as Alistair slowly choked to death. Tears flooded both of their eyes but Alistair did not struggle. He simply curled up. He didn’t try to stop it, and that hurt Syn greatly.

“Makona Anka, Alistair.” I love you, Alistair. It was the bit of Lalanandran that he knew. And like that, Alistair went limp in his arms. And Syn cried. He buried himself into Alistair’s shoulder and sobbed. He screamed, and tried to keep quiet but he couldn't help himself. He eventually took Alistair to a nice plot in the back of the palace cemetery, and buried him himself. This was seen as the highest honor on his home planet, and it brought him comfort. He drove Alistair's scythe into the earth as a marker and sat down. He sat for a while, and watched the moons leave the sky and let the warm light of the Halipricum turn the sky. He sighed and went inside to clean.

And everyone noticed. And not one person said a word.

GLOSSARY (since this is set in an alien universe)

Tyran - The planet they are on, and on which they work and live.

Lalanandran - Native language of Lalanandra, Alistair's home planet

Wixan - Native language of a forgotten planet, Wixa Toran

Makona Anka - Lalanandran - I love you/Love is you.

Goje - Wixan - One that is dear to me, a subject of my love.

Alha, gonje mara youghe lavae - Wixan prayer - Goddess, light be with him on the way

#somskanii #oc #my ocs #original writing #writeblr #short story #alistair mecaiuh #syn gypsum #zalia remora makes a bit of a cameo #tw death #tw murder #tw knife #tw #tw violence #tw blood

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thekoreanlass · 5 years

Text

‘Devilish Joy’ boasts of familiar faces, great acting, beautiful cinematography, a mix of romcom plus melodrama despite being a bag of cliches.

This recently completed series from MBN has captured my heart by its heartwarming story that started from love at first meet and miraculously ended happily without much complications in the story line. Though it’s filled with bordering cringey sweet romance that will definitely result to a toothache, you won’t be able to get enough of each episode.

The Story

This drama is about a genius doctor who has “Cinderella Memory Syndrome” and falls in love with a has-been actress.

Gong Ma Sung (Choi Jin Hyuk) is the successor to the Sunwoo company and is a genius doctor that excels in his field that involves the human mind. He is well respected by many and is known widely in the world.

However, on his trip to Hainan he meets a woman whom he falls in love with. He spends the entire day with her until she has to leave. They promised to meet again an hour after they parted, but Ma Sung isn’t able to keep his promise after getting involved in an accident that changes his life completely.

He loses the ability to remember what has happened to him in a day after he’s gone to sleep at night and the next day it’s as if yesterday didn’t happen. To cope with his daily living as Gong Ma Sung and memorize what happened the day before, he makes sure to note every important event from that one day into his journal and reads his notes the day after.

One day, however, he meets Joo Gi Bbeum, a has-been actress and singer that was loved by all three years ago. Her career fell apart because of a false accusation of murder that turned her into the most hated person in just one day. Since then, Gi Bbeum has been living a hard life trying to bring bread and butter to her family’s table despite her life still continuously crumbling because of her unfortunate fate.

Once their worlds collide, Ma Sung realizes that even if a day or two or three days has passed, he remembers this one face that won’t seem to go away. Her. And as he tries to remember her and figure out who Gi Bbeum really is, Ma Sung falls in love with her.

But how do you love someone when you will end up forgetting this person? And how do you love a person who keeps forgetting you? Heartbreaks are bound to happen, but is it worth taking the risk?

Review:

The Good

Despite a mix of cliche themes in the story, it pleasantly managed to surpass my expectations. They used the poor girl and rich chaebol trope really well and it has effectively managed to create conflicts that people can sympathize with. It gave the female protagonist, Joo Gi Bbeum, a really good lesson about life, that despite her A-level status before, she didn’t turn out to be one of those annoying has-been actresses that still has their noses up despite their unlikely style of living. It gave her more dimension and it showed us a vulnerable side of her despite her toughened exterior.

On the other hand, Gong Ma Sung was a really perfect man when Gi Bbeum met him in Hainan, but because of his mental condition, he felt more human to me. Despite his prickly personality that keeps him alive while being surrounded by vipers, it made Ma Sung more vulnerable when he’s by himself. All throughout the drama, I felt all his emotions while going through the hardship of facing his illness alone as his world has it forced on him.

The build up of their story wasn’t abrupt. It has gone through a really hard process that will make you believe they are so in love with each other because of what they went through together despite disappointments in the relationship–being stood up in dates, secrets, and when you know soon enough your boyfriend is not going to remember you–and struggles because of their personal troubles–villains trying to bring your life to bedrock bottom, an aunt who’s just waiting for you to be dead, and a million anti-fans.

It has gone from really romantic, to comedy and then full throttle drama that will wear out your tear ducts and will really make you think whether their love is really hopeless or by some miracle it’s still gonna be a happy ending. I’m just glad that despite the unrealistic turn of events, the drama opted for the ‘happy ever after’ the character deserves, wherein Gi Bbeum pursues her dreams of getting herself out there in front of the camera and gaining back her popularity despite her longing for Ma Sung, instead of wallowing in her misery after a lost love and not doing anything to uplift her family’s living condition. It’s also good that Ma Sung is recovering from his illness, but that they didn’t completely make him fully recover from it, but at least that there is hope he would and he’ll be healthier.

Let’s not forget the interesting plot as a whole. You get a whole package that’s gripping until the end, and that you won’t easily get tired of. Plus, it has done really beautiful cinematography that all throughout the scenes are food to the eyes. Each of them situated at really good spots thoughtfully decided on to give more highlight to important events especially for a sweet kiss, a reconciliation or meeting after so long. The songs are really cute and catchy too.

And let me tell you, you will definitely get enough of the kisses you don’t see in other dramas. It’s to the point you’d wonder whether they are truly dating because it’s as natural as real couples would do. With raw emotions displayed by the actors, you’d be touched by what unconditional and timeless love really is.

As a bonus from the drama, though Gi BBeum’s drunk father’s poetry seemed misplaced in the beginning of the drama, he managed to create poems that are befitting to the mood of some scenes and made them even more touching or poignant to a point it would make your heart cry. It was as if I am somehow watching ‘A Poem A Day’ all over again.

The Bad

I have a lot of praises for this drama. However, talking about shortcomings of course this one has it’s own share:

The villains are portrayed as one dimensional characters: as examples, Kim Beom Soo and Ma Sung’s aunt are shown as really bad people that only wishes bad things to both protagonist. They don’t show any other kind of emotions like guilt or sorrow and doesn’t have a rich backstory as to why they hate Ma Sung or Gi Bbeum with a passion

Though it’s nice the conflicts with the bad guys are resolved without complications, I felt like it is so good to be true that it is done fast and without struggle, that there are times when I wondered whether they will somehow appear somewhere at the ending, but of course they didn’t. Plus, it’s as if they aren’t punished enough after all the bad things they’ve done. They easily got away from killing someone by getting locked up and the story being vague as to what happened to them after that.

I’ve also expressed disbelief with some takes of the story to sort out matters: (1) Sung Ki Joon is like a ball of sunshine that’s ultimately the definition of immature, that’s why I still question how he’s able to run Sunwoo group in a year without plummeting; (2) How Dr. Yoon is able to treat Ma Sung despite of his deteriorating health that made us all think he was gonna die, when he isn’t able to do anything like that as a doctor in the beginning of the story; (3) How Ma Sung is able to recover when they’ve described his condition as something degenerative like ‘dementia’

I think that a relationship should always be a trusting one, so I didn’t like it that Ma Sung kept things from Gi Bbeum even when she knew already of his condition. He should have at least been honest when he’s in pain so that she could care for him when nobody’s there for him, because that’s what a relationship is. It is a two way road where two people share all their happiness and pains. If a relationship isn’t a give or take thin and only flourishes in joy, then how will it withstand extreme hardship in the future, right? I mean, I get it that Ma Sung grew up doing everything on his own that’s why he must have acted as if he should carry his own burden, but what does that make the other party feel? Insignificant because she didn’t even know he’s about to die? Well, anyway that’s just my take on this part of their relationship.

Characters

All of the good characters has portrayed a flawed side that really made them more relatable and three dimensional unlike the villains who were rather one dimensional. This is nice to know even though you can tell the writer’s biased opinion about their characters. Protagonists are given more importance while the villains are left unpolished. Not saying it’s super bad to the point it sucked, but I think even villains deserve a back story and a real reason why they are doing things.

Nonetheless, besides Gi Bbeum and Ma Sung, I came to love Gi Bbeum’s family, Nan Joo, Woo Jin, Ki Joon and Ha Im, especially as their personalities evolved as the story progressed and as I came to understand the magnitude of their care for both protagonists and warmth they showed outside their more unlikable traits displayed during the first few episodes.

Acting

I believe that the drama is able to shine because of Choi Jin Hyuk’s superb portrayal of Gong Ma Sung’s character and how he’s able to show layers of his personality throughout and also Song Ha Yoon’s acting that made Joo Gi Bbeum as relatable and touching as she can be. The raw emotions she displayed felt all real that not a single moment with her went dull. She’s a really good actress and hopefully she gets more lead roles like this that will show her different colors.

Ending

The ending is really good for people like me who loves happy endings. It has given justice to the frustration I felt while watching their romance unfold and fall apart continuously. Plus, I really like how Ma Sung didn’t fully recover from his illness, it keeps things more at bay and not overly done when everything else is already ‘overly’ made, yet they also give us hope that he will recover soon and that to keep it that way, Ma Sung and Gi Bbeum marries each other week after week (since Ma Sung allegedly always forgets he’s already married to her). It gives a dreamy feel to their relationship, which is perhaps still in the honeymoon phase. But admittedly, it feels unrealistic to hold a wedding of their caliber each week, not unless your chaebol like Ma Sung. If that happened to ordinary people I think one could only dream. Yet, the concept is refreshing just like their enduring relationship that goes beyond borders.

Someone more realistic, however, will take this ending wrongly. I mean, it’s too good to be true. It takes away the rawness of Ma Sung’s situation wherein we’re already shown the fact he has a degenerative mental disease showing signs like dementia and that in reality a person cannot recover from that. Pallative treatment is perhaps the best solution to these kind of people and yet by some miracle Ma Sung is going to recover from it? Wow. That’s the power of fiction. Really. Anything can happen, but it’s as unrealistic as it can get. It would be more believable if he just went senile and Gi Bbeum still loves him and cares for him, but I know either way, people won’t be happy as well with this kind of ending. So, better yet just stick to the happy ending, right?

And well, that surprise at the ending is a real icebreaker. lol. Watch it to find out what I’m talking about!

Rating:

Cliche, but raw and beautiful unconditional love story to the finest. So, I’m giving it 4.3 out of 5.

[Completed] Drama Review on ‘Devilish Joy’ 'Devilish Joy' boasts of familiar faces, great acting, beautiful cinematography, a mix of romcom plus melodrama despite being a bag of cliches.

#2018 #Choi Jin Hyuk #Devilish Joy #Hoya #kdrama #Lee Ho Won #Lee Joo Yeon #MBN #recommended #review #romcom #Song Ha Yoon #thekoreanlass

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