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aer-in-wanderland · 3 years

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구미호뎐 | Tale of the Nine Tailed - Lost in Translation EP01

In which my sister and I sat down with a pint of mint chocolate chip and wrote down everything that occurred to us while watching the fan-subbed version of TotNT EP01. Contains mild spoilers.

Prologue

We open with an excerpt from the Hyeonjoonggi (현중기・玄中記), which the internet informs me originated in China sometime between 265-317 CE. In Korea in particular, gumiho are typically thought of as being female, but this is an example of a classical text that says they can be either. From what director Kang Shin Hyo said at the TotNT press conference, the premise of TotNT began with the idea of challenging this base assumption by making the gumiho male and placing him in modern-day Seoul. I would translate the passage as follows:

When a fox becomes 100, it can become a beautiful woman, or become a man who has relations with women. A fox that lives for 1000 years communes with the heavens and becomes a cheon’ho (heavenly fox). Its gifts are like that of a powerful shamaness; it can perceive things more than 1000 leagues distant.”

To my sense, the passage was introduced to show precedent for the existence of male gumiho in traditional folklore, as well as to illustrate that foxes over 1000 (cheon’ho) can be closer to deities than monsters.

On to the show. The year is 1999. I’m surprised the subs left ‘Fox Ridge’ untranslated as Yeou Gogae since it seems like it would be relevant information that the place where the accident takes place is somehow tied to foxes.

When the imposter parents (who I believe are also foxes) chase little Ji Ah up into her room and her not-dad says, “You little brat!” (or at least, that’s what the subs we’re watching say), this is an example of what’s called ‘code switching.’ His phrasing is somewhat old-fashioned, which in this case helps to give the impression that he’s not human since it’s the cant of creatures in traditional fairytales. For anyone studying Korean, the line is, “요 년 봐라,” where ‘nyeon’ might mean anywhere from ‘girl’ to ‘wench’ or even ‘bitch.’

Okay, I have to ask. Does no one else in Seoul drive on Fox Ridge? How did Ji Ah have time to go home, get attacked, and then be returned to the scene of the accident (I’m assuming by Yeon) before anyone came across it?

Also, how did Yeon know where to take her? He tells grown Ji Ah that he just happened upon her after catching the scent of blood, but I get the sense there’s more to the story than that. I feel like this is part of a larger pattern wherein Yeon goes out of his way to rescue someone and then pretends as if he didn’t.

Episode 01 Title Card: What Happened on Fox Ridge

According to Yeon’s alarm, our current timeline begins on Saturday, August 29, 2020, and he has a wedding to attend. 2020 yet no COVID19? I guess this really is a fantasy drama. ;p

The BGM playing while Yeon gets ready is called ‘The Fox's Wedding Day,’ or, more literally, ‘day when a fox goes to be married’ (Yeou ga shijip ganeun nal) and it’s actually Yeon’s theme. I was expecting his theme to be the track entitled ‘Gumiho,’ but I guess not lol

The sun-shower. In both Japan and Korea, a sun-shower is known as ‘a fox’s wedding’ (kitsune no yome-iri/yeou ga shijip ganeun nal), so this is already cluing us in that the bride is a fox (I say ‘bride’ because both these phrasings typically apply to a bride marrying into her husband’s house. The phrasing is different for grooms, who ‘receive’ the bride). This is what Yeon means when he arrives at the wedding hall and says, “That’s because a fox is getting married today.”

It’s strange to me that the bride’s identity has completely dropped out of the subs. She’s Yeou Nui (literally ‘fox sister’), a folklore character of the Brothers Grim-style horror school of fairytales. Her thing is that she’s a gumiho who preys on families with only sons who desperately want a daughter. She insinuates herself into their lives, brings calamity down upon them, and finally, eats their livers. Like most fairytales, there are many permutations of her story, but many of them feature her saying she’s consumed 999 livers. I understand where - absent this context - some people might have seen Yeon as the bad guy here (spoiler: he’s not).

The subtitle here for Yeon’s line says: “But you need to know that changing your identity isn’t as simple as you think.” What he literally says is:

Yeon: How did you go to ground so completely? You think that if you change your face and your identity, your blood-stained past will change too, right? But changing lives isn’t as simple* as changing subway lines. [*Note: ‘simple’ is in English]

This is the first real dialogue we get from Yeon, and one thing it’s doing very intentionally is showcasing just how much he’s adapted to modern life. It does this both with the content of what he says (talking about changing subway lines), as well as with the amount of English loan words he tosses around. So I personally would have kept the bit about the subway in if I had been translating.

Yeou Nui’s line was translated as, “Please forgive me,” but it should more properly be, “Spare me,” or “Let me live.” Yeon is an enforcer, not a judge. (Also, ‘forgive’ is another word entirely).

Yeon’s line that’s subbed, “Listen, you fox. How could you dare dream of having a happy ending after eating so many livers?” is the result of what’s called diagonal translation, which is an unfortunate side-effect of subtitling conventions. What he literally says is:

Yeon: Yeou Nui, after eating the livers of countless adoptive parents and older brothers* how can you dream of a happy ending?

[*Note: The word he uses for ‘brothers’ here is 오라비들, which is a semi-antiquated word, and again, the sort of language used in folktales]

Yeon’s line, “Here’s a piece of advice” is more literally, “Here’s a bit of advice stemming from experience,” which is the first hint we get in-drama that he’s been in a similar position.

Nam Ji Ah

We get our first introduction to adult Ji Ah as she narrates the script she’s editing for her TV program on her way to the wedding hall. When Jae Hwan worries about her changing the script without the writer’s permission (again lol), Ji Ah's response translated literally would be:

Ji Ah: Then let’s go with this. PDs’ livers have to be swollen or coming out of their bodies.

That’s a pretty disgusting image in English, so I don’t blame the subs for changing it to something more sensical and less graphic. But as a cultural note, in Korea and Japan, having a large liver means to be gutsy or brave. Ji Ah’s character description similarly describes her as, ‘a woman whose liver is [so large it’s] coming out of her body,’ meaning she’s about as gutsy as it gets.

Okay, call me a cynic, but I loved Ji Ah’s line about not being able to digest wedding food due to the choking atmosphere of forced happiness pfft

Jae Hwan saying, “Who knows? You may meet your destined partner at a place like this,” as Yeon walks by in the background = Jae Hwan unwittingly hitting the nail of the head #1

Lol Yeon acting like a bored kid held captive at a dinner party while the wedding takes place. Bless Lee Dong Wook because I’m sure it’s all ad libbed. I feel like this could be a game: spot the LDW ad lib.

The Wedding Hall Incident

When Yeon returns to her dressing room after the wedding, Yeou Nui changes tactics from begging to putting her hackles up and challenging Yeon. Linguistically, that’s marked by her code switching to an archaic cant. Yeon, however, remains unfazed and responds with the most modern thing possible, completely undermining her bravado:

Yeou Nui: Oh former master of Baekdudaegan, what authority have you to condemn us?

Yeon: Get a hold of how she’s talking (rhetorical). Hey, if it wasn’t for you I would’ve been watching American TV shows while eating ice cream today!

Okay, I love the way Yeon materializes his sword. I thought he was (un-)transforming his umbrella at first, but he later does it with a plank of wood so I assume he can do this with pretty much anything?

On the topic of his sword, I posted a gif set not long ago referring to it as a sa’ingeom (사인검), literally ‘Four Tigers Sword’ (referring to the year, month, day, and hour of the tiger when such swords were supposedly forged). You’ll notice it doesn’t have a cross-guard since they’re traditionally ceremonial swords rather than actual weapons. The first sa’ingeom were made during the reign of King Taejo (1392-1398), but I assume they gave him one despite it being somewhat anachronistic because they’re also said to cut down evil spirits and ward against calamity. Mostly, though, it looks really cool and is very traditionally Korean.

Not for anything, but I love this BGM track that’s playing during the wedding hall fight (‘The Uninvited’). This short action sequence was so great. I wish we could have seen more of Yeon hunting down supernatural baddies. Also more of those gumiho eyes. More gumiho everything in general.

As he stabs her, Yeon’s line to Yeou Nui in the subs was rendered as, “Don’t do something stupid like falling in love in your next time.” I would have translated this as, “If you’re reborn, don’t do something so [useless] as falling in love.” Again, for anyone studying Korean, the phrase is ‘사랑 따위" (sarang ddaui). ‘Ddaui’ means ‘such a thing as,’ and it’s always used to disparage whatever proceeds it. There’s no good way to communicate that disparagement in English grammatically, so I opted for ‘useless’ in an approximation.

The BGM that plays the first time Ji Ah spots Yeon leaving the wedding hall is called ‘White Pupils’ (or literally ‘white eyes’). The imagery typically associated with that is death, so I’m curious what inspired the track title. Maybe they mean ‘white eyes’ like the fortune teller since it’s used at fateful moments?

“Who knows? That may be the story you were destined to cover.” = Jae Hwan unwittingly hitting the nail on the head #2

“Were they mass hypnotized or something?” = Jae Hwan unwittingly hitting the nail of the head #3. Thank you, exposition fairy. ;)

Okay, when Ji Ah and Jae Hwan examine the scene, Ji Ah’s line is subbed, “I need to see what that woman of this love story looks like,” which is ungrammatical in addition to being wrong. What she actually says is:

Ji Ah: I need to see the face of that protagonist of the Romance of the Age. [And I believe the ‘protagonist’ she was referring to is actually Yeon ;) This is bordering on meta, seeing as he’s actually the protagonist of the epic romance that is TotNT]

Kim Soo Oh

The BGM playing while Yeon sits in the park people-watching and then looks pensively at his hand is called, ‘Thread Rings.’ Between that, what LDW alluded to in his VLIVE, and some still cuts I saw of deleted scenes from EP16, I’m convinced there was something more to those rings that got cut due to time constraints. ㅠㅠ

Fun fact: This scene between Yeon and Soo Oh was the first scene of the drama that they filmed.

When Soo Oh asks Yeon what he’s doing there, the sub for Yeon’s response was, “Nothing other than waiting for someone.” That strikes me as off in tone as well as pacing. I would have translated it as, “Just.....waiting for someone.” (which is literally what he says).

When Soo Oh asks Yeon why he’s waiting, the sub says, “Because a fox can only love one person till death.” I don’t really have a problem with that translation, but what he literally says is, “Once a fox takes a mate they never forsake them. Until death.”

Sub: “How are you coping with that?” / “Not well.” > Literally: “Are you okay?” / “I’m not okay.” I actually like the sub here since it better conveys how precocious Soo Oh appears in this scene. He seems to alternate between precocious and adorably dim throughout the drama depending on who he’s with, though when he’s with Rang, it’s mostly the latter pfft

When Yeon turns down Soo Oh’s offer of friendship he says, “Your nose. I’m not big on men with runny noses. And human lifespans are too short to be friends with me.” Yeon's use of ‘men’ struck me as funny since I guess to someone over 1600 years old, an 8 year old and an 80 year old aren’t all that different. Also, Yeon giving serious life advice to an 8 year old is adorable. He talks to him like he’s an adult.

The Afterlife Immigration Office

Between the BGM and the way the camera pans up the endless levels of shelving, did anyone else feel like Yeon entered Hogwarts for a sec? (not complaining) ;)

For the record, Yeon uses banmal with Taluipa and calls her halmeom (granny). In contrast, Hyeonuiong is pretty much the only character Yeon speaks to in jondaetmal and addresses respectfully as ‘elder’ (eoreushin). He speaks to Ji Ah’s parents politely as well, but it’s mainly because they’re her parents.

The text introducing Taluipa’s character wasn’t translated in the version we’re watching but it reads: ‘The god who rules over the River of Three Crossings (Samdocheon), the boundary between this world and the next.’ The hanja for her name (奪衣婆) refer to her traditional role, namely, removing the clothing of the dead for her husband to weigh on the Uiryeong’su (su = tree) to measure the weight of their sins. This is the same tree that the Uiryeong’geom (the wooden sword that appears in EP13), is allegedly carved from.

Lol Taluipa saying she has to keep up with the times but also using a computer that’s positively ancient (come to think of it, it’s probably from the 80s since that’s her favorite decade)

Again, I’m surprised that Yeou Nui’s character name dropped from the subs completely. The subs here just say, ‘the female fox.’

For Taluipa’s line, the subs say, “You’re to obey the order and capture who you’re sent after,” but that’s a loose approximation. More literally, it should be: “If the higher ups say to bring someone in, then you just have to bring them in.” I’m only mentioning it because the line implys that both Taluipa and Yeon report to someone higher up the chain of command. Otherwise they may be misconstrued as Taluipa’s orders.

Yeon’s line, “My compulsory military service has gone on for 600 years. How could I not go crazy?” is hilarious when you consider that Korean men are required to complete 2 years of military service, and even that often feels like an eternity, so I think for any Korean, the idea of 600 years of it is just exceptionally cruel. The line is iconic enough to have been included in Yeon’s character profile.

I noticed this a while back, but ‘mountain god’ is being consistently translated as ‘mountain spirit.’ Technically, Yeon is (was?) a god, if a low ranking one in the grand scheme of things (the Korean word is ‘sanshin’ where ‘san’ = mountain and ‘shin’ = god). I understand the use of ‘spirit’ though, since he’s not a god as gods are typically thought of in western mythologies.

Lol Yeon sticking his fingers in his ears (I would bet money this was also an ad lib)

Taluipa has a line that’s subbed, “Foxes never stay in debt.” More literally, it should be, “They say foxes repay eunhye no matter what.” You can find my explanation of eunhye here.

Wow, the subs really dropped the humour ball on Taluipa’s line here. First off, she says, ‘Right now’ in English. And while the sub says “Do you want your freedom back?” what she literally says is. “Do you want to be discharged?” (since Yeon had just likened his duties to military service).

On his way out, Yeon actually tells Taluipa, “Halmeom, you’re going to go to hell” (which is not the same as the underworld/afterlife as it said in the subs. Taluipa’s job is literally to ferry souls, so she goes to the afterlife all the time anyway). Also, when he says “I’ll pray for it everyday,” his phrasing is that of an elderly person pfft

As I mentioned, Yeon speaks formally to Hyeonuiong, who in return affectionately calls him Yeon-ie or Yeon-ah, which I find adorable.

Lol I’m not used to Ahn Gil Kang playing such a friendly character. Seeing him wheedle Taluipa with aegyo is hilarious.

Code Red

Somewhat of a side note, I can’t help but wonder, is Shin Joo’s last name ‘Gu’ because he’s a gumiho, a la My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010)’s Gu Mi Ho-ssi?

I wish the subs had just left ‘Lee Yeon-nim’ as-is, instead of changing it to ‘Mr. Lee.' As a general rule, I’m in favor of preserving character forms of address when translating.

Personally, I would have translated the name of Ji Ah’s TV program as: ‘In Search of Urban Legends’ rather than ‘Unveiling Urban Legends.’

I really like the dynamic between Ji Ah and writer Kim Sae Rom. “Should we fight?” / “Yeah, let’s fight~” How great is it that this drama doesn’t have a single catty, bitchy, stuck-up or otherwise obnoxious female character?

For anyone keeping track, Shin Joo speaks to Yeon in jondaetmal while Yeon speaks to Shin Joo in banmal, underlining their master/retainer dynamic.

Side note: There are actually multiple ‘types’ of jondaetmal: what I think of as ‘neutral polite’ (i.e. simply adding ‘yo’ to the end of all your sentences), the more formal polite (i.e. ending with ~[seu]mnida), that which elevates the subject, and that which lowers the speaker. The interplay of the four allows for varying degrees of politeness. The way Shin Joo speaks to Yeon is pretty much the highest degree. That doesn’t mean they aren’t close. Polite language can indicate distance but also level of regard irrespective of distance. This applies to Rang and Yoo Ri as well.

Again, Shin Joo calls Ji Ah ‘PD-nim’ but that became ‘that female director’ in the subs. PD-nim is a respectful (and non-gendered) form of address, and it’s perfectly suited to Shin Joo’s genial and deferential personality, so I wish the subs had just kept it.

I read an episode recap where the recapper mentioned she wasn’t sure what Shin Joo’s deal was. At the time I was confused, but now I think I get it. In the subs, Shin Joo says, “When I’m a seasoned veteran? I’m now up to the point where I’m wondering if I’ve turned into an actual person.” What he actually says is:

Shin Joo: No way~ How long have I been living in this (the human) world? Recently, I sometimes even have an existential crisis wondering, ‘Am I a person or a fox?’

[So he flat out says he’s a fox here, but that wasn’t reflected in the subs.]

Fun fact: this was Hwang Hee’s first scene that he filmed with Lee Dong Wook, and the BGM as they exit is Shin Joo’s theme.

I love the way Lee Dong Wook played this scene where they pay their tab. That is all.

It’s only as Yeon and Shin Joo exit the restaurant that we see that the sign out front reads ‘The Snail Bride’ (Ureong Gakshi). This is another folktale in-joke, since the snail bride’s whole thing is that she cooks delicious meals for her human husband everyday.

For the record, the Snail Bride (Bok Hye Ja) also uses honorific language towards Yeon and calls him ‘Lee Yeon-nim.’ I just assumed it was in deference to his ex-mountain god status, but it turns out she has a personal reason for holding him in high regard as well that we discover in the final episode.

As Yeon and Shin Joo walk away, Shin Joo’s line is subbed, “That show’s actually quite famous.” Since Korean doesn’t require a subject, the sentence is somewhat ambiguous, but I understood him to be referring to Ji Ah herself rather than the show since he says: “[Something is] really famous around the broadcast station.”

Lee Rang

Lol Kim Beom. How are you 32 years old?

I love how sharp and no-nonsense Ji Ah is. It’s so refreshing to not have to wait for the characters to catch up to what the audience already knows.

Rang’s theme that plays as he transforms back into his suave self is so iconic. The music director (Hong Dae Sung) really is a genius. It’s funny when you think about how different Rang’s theme is from Yeon’s.

Fun fact: Kim Beom shared in his Instagram LIVE that Rang ‘picking the wrong shoes’ was actually intentional. He was testing Ji Ah to see if she’d notice.

Okay, Rang says here that he likes, “everything about her (Ji Ah) from head to toe,” (not in a romantic way but in a grudging respect/she’s fun to toy with kind of way) but what happened to that? Are we supposed to assume that he would have liked her if she hadn’t been the object of his brother’s affection? But he approached her knowing that’s who she was...? I don’t know. I do know I wish they’d had more scenes together. Their verbal sparring is great.

Side note: One Korean fan nickname for Rang and Yoo Ri that Kim Beom liked was ‘Hoket-dan,’ playing off the Korean for pokemon’s ‘Team Rocket’ (Roket-dan) and mashing it together with the ‘ho’ from ‘gumiho’ haha

Yeon’s obsession with mint chocolate ice cream is a hilarious counterpoint to his status as a cheon’ho and his ex-mountain god title. Point to the writer. In Japanese, this would probably be called ‘gap-moe’.

When Yeon tells the man behind the counter, “When I’m indebted to someone, I’m obligated to return the favor,” he’s once again talking about eunhye. As a fox, he’s supernaturally bound to repay good deeds done for him. As far as I’m aware, this is unique to the drama and not part of the traditional gumiho lore.

Yeon eating ice cream like a happy kid XD Lol Lee Dong Wook, how are you 39?

Fun fact: Yeon’s line when he answers Rang’s call, “The number you have reached doesn’t exist, you punk” was an ad lib by Lee Dong Wook. The combination of the formal phrasing found in a typical voicemail recording followed by ‘you punk’ is particularly funny. It’s so witty I actually wouldn’t have known this was an ad lib if LDW hadn’t confessed as much himself.

“Let’s meet.” / “I refuse.” / “I’ll set your house on fire.” Hahaha What is with these brothers? Are they 1600+ and 600, or 16 and 6? Are the zeros silent??

Bus 1002

Ji Ah: “If possible, pick a different dream. I’ve been on the clock for 22 hours straight now.” I like Ji Ah so much. She’s unpretentious, intelligent, honest, driven, resourceful and witty.

Lol As Ji Ah struggles with the old man, you can hear Yeon offscreen urging the driver to get moving. Only he calls him, ‘driver yangban.’ Yangban is originally a word for a nobleman, but much like the word ‘lady’ in English, what was once a term of respect is now...not. lol Also, I’m pretty sure this was another ad lib by Lee Dong Wook since it happens entirely in the background.

This scene with Ji Ah piggybacking the old man is so classic spooky-folktale. I love it.

"You’re the only person I saw.” *Close up of the totem pole* They managed to make that whole sequence creepy despite nothing actually happening. Cool cool cool.

So our old drunkard is revealed to be a Mokjangseung (mok = wood). Jangseung in general are totems that stand at crossroads and the entrances to villages. tvN published some backstory info explaining Ji Ah’s past with this particular Jangseung and why he elected to save her which I translated here.

Aaaand we’re back at Fox Ridge. I can’t believe I only just noticed this, but the episode title could refer equally to the accident in Ji Ah’s past and this bus accident in the present.

Of course Rang staged the accident at the site of Ji Ah’s greatest trauma. Also, the fact that he knows that about her is telling.

Appropriately, the BGM playing as Ji Ah arrives at the scene of the accident is ‘Fox Ridge’ (Yeou Gogae). Iconic.

Back over to Yeon. The first time I watched this I wondered where on earth he was heading in that downpour but it turns out he was in pursuit of Rang, who had given him the slip.

Seeing Yeon limping injured through the rain ㅠㅠ Also, while Yeon later tells Ji Ah he carries his umbrella everywhere because he hates his fur getting wet, he clearly isn’t bothered here, choosing to keep it sheathed on his back instead. I guess all bets are off when he’s in Gumiho Mode.

Detective Baek and Ji Ah speak in banmal and he calls her ‘Nam Ji Ah,’ which I assume means they’ve been friends for a while.

Wow, good for Ji Ah for having made note of the exact number of passengers in the midst of all that chaos. I certainly wouldn’t have.

Hospital Encounter

So after Rang gave his brother the slip, Yeon realizes the next day that he’s at the hospital thanks to the news article Shin Joo reads out to him. Idk but I like that shot of the two of them heading out. There’s something vaguely Avengers about it. Which is maybe not surprising given that was another early influence for the show.

I liked this conversation between Ji Ah and ‘Soo Young.’ We get to see Ji Ah’s own resolve and drive in the advice she offers: “Even so, I hope you’ll become strong. It’s way more fun to be a PD than a victim.”

As with when he arrived at the wedding hall, the cinematography + BGM as Yeon approaches the hospital with his red umbrella is just A++

The BGM playing when Ji Ah spots Yeon approaching the hospital information desk isn’t on spotify or anywhere else that I’ve seen. It reminds me a bit of the ‘Tubular Bells’ theme from the Exorcist (a movie I actually haven’t even seen). If anyone knows what it is, I’d love to know.

“My only talent is my face~” pffft Also, decidedly untrue.

When Ji Ah tells Yeon, “Yes, I’m scouting you, but not for that,” She literally says, “but not for that genre.”

And now the subs say ‘Fox Ridge.’ Okay, then.

When Yeon says, “From the sound of it, it won’t be well made,” ‘well made’ is in English. Again, the peppering of English through Yeon’s speech makes him sound more modern.

When Yeon says, “Plus, I’m very devoted” his line is more literally, “Plus, contrary to how I look, I’m the devoted type.” Are you saying you look like a player? pfft

Yeon is such a big softie, so why does he keep threatening to kill people? Does he not realize they might take him seriously?

For this entire conversation (interrogation?), both Yeon and Ji Ah are switching back and forth between polite speech and banmal, almost on a sentence by sentence basis. On the whole, it gives the impression of a verbal sparring match.

“It’s not as if this was a blind date. No thanks on a second one.” lol I do enjoy cheeky Yeon.

Oh, I love that Ji Ah thinks on her feet. Using her leather bag to lift Yeon’s fingerprints was a smart move. Although, I’m not entirely convinced it would work that well in real life.

The ‘grim reaper’s outfit’ exchange was a coordinated ad lib between Lee Dong Wook and Hwang Hee. I mean, of course it was lol Casting Lee Dong Wook is the gift that keeps on giving.

Was that supposed to be Yoo Ri entering ‘Soo Young’s’ hospital room in those boots?

Minor detail, but ‘Soo Young’ calls Ji Ah ‘eonni’ meaning ‘older sister.’ It’s common convention in Korean to refer to people by familial ‘roles’ that fit their general age range even when you’re not actually related. I could digress, but I guess I just find it jarring when they have her addressing Ji Ah by name in the subs since Ji Ah is older and virtually a stranger.

Okay, when ‘Soo Young’ hears that Ji Ah lives alone, the smile she gives is effectively creepy.

The contrast between ‘Soo Young’s’ narration and the events of what actually happened on the bus that we see as viewers is great. Point to the director.

Wow, Rang really just slaughtered a whole bus worth of innocent people without a thought. I feel like we all managed to forget that about him as the show progressed. Hats off to the writer and to Kim Beom’s compelling performance. I actually worried initially that Rang would remain a one-note character because that would have been such a waste of Kim Beom, who is a fantastic actor. I’m so glad that wasn’t the case.

I love the subversion of viewer expectations when it turns out that Ji Ah knew all along that ‘Soo Young’ wasn’t who she claimed. This is something TotNT does repeatedly and well. We get both the dramatic tension of her being in danger and the satisfaction of her having had the upper hand all along. Point to the writer.

I’m pretty sure Ji Ah knocked that pitcher over with the express intent of using a shard from it as a weapon. Point for character consistency. Past or present, Ji Ah is apparently a ‘stab first, ask questions later’ kind of girl.

The Brothers

“Hey you! I clearly told you I didn’t want a second date?!” Haha Oh, Yeon.

I saw comments from Korean fans about how Yeon burst into her house with his shoes on here, and now I can’t not think of them when I watch this scene: ‘Entering the house with your shoes on...in the Republic of Korea...Ha...’, ‘Even if you bust the whole house apart, you have to take your shoes off before entering...’ lol

I love Yeon’s line that’s subbed as, “As if, brother.” In Korean, it’s “Do you want to die, little brother?” The word he uses for ‘little brother’ is ‘아우야,’ which, while still used occasionally today, is an antiquated word Yeon might just as easily have called Rang 600 years ago. It’s also, in contrast to the first half of his sentence, quite an affectionate term of address.

Rang’s line subbed as, “It’s a long story, but the family has a dirty past,” should more properly be: “It’s a long story, but you might say we come from a broken home.” Saying they have a dirty past makes it sound like they’re the mafia or something. Also, as a fun language note, the expression is literally ‘a bean-powder household.’

“Are you worried I’ll be sucked into the Underworld?” should be: “Are you worried I’ll go to hell?” Not sure where they got ‘sucked into.’ Rang just means when he dies. Also, I wish the subs would do a better job distinguishing between hell, the underworld, and the afterlife. They’re three different words.

“It’s because you embarrass me, that’s why.” Lol at the way Yeon covers his eyes. That’s definitely another ad lib from Lee Dong Wook.

When Rang calls time here, he actually calls Yeon ‘hyung.’ I suspect this wasn’t in the script but rather something that slipped out subconsciously on Kim Beom’s part, since the writer was clearly saving that word for when it would hurt us viewers the most. ㅠㅠ

Yeon’s line is subbed, “Old habits really do die hard,” but it should properly be: “You still haven’t fixed that habit?”

“If you don’t find it until the end of the next month, this woman will die.” This should actually be: “If you can’t find [that] by the next end of the month, your woman will die.” The subject is actually omitted so it’s unclear to what exactly Rang is referring, which is intentional. I also understand hearing ‘your woman’ (ni yeoja) as ‘this woman’ (i yeoja), but when they later flash back to this conversation they use a different take in which the line delivery is clearer and I’m confident it’s ‘your woman.’ This also explains Yeon’s confusion, since at this point he didn’t even know she’d been reborn.

I Waited for You

For anyone wondering how Ji Ah got into Yeon’s apartment, apparently his house code is 0000 lol

From his expression as he discovers and then watches the video she secretly took of him, I feel like Yeon is impressed with Ji Ah in spite of himself and I’m 100% here for it.

For the record, from this point forward, Yeon and Ji Ah use banmal with each other. Ji Ah has a tendency to speak to many of the supernaturals in banmal, which is honestly the opposite of what I would have opted for in her shoes.

Yeon’s question of, “How did you come here?” could mean either, ‘What brings you here?’ or ‘How did you get [in] here?’ in Korean, and honestly they’re both valid haha

Minor note, but she actually says his Korean age is 36, which would be 35 by the typical reckoning...except he’s actually ~1636 so it’s a moot point, really.

Ji Ah’s line, “Now I can proudly say that it’s fate,” translated more literally would be: “At this point, it really is fate and not coincidence.”

I feel like Ji Ah’s strategy of throwing herself off the balcony here is possibly the only thing she does in this entire show that strikes me as dumb. Like, I’m pretty sure if Yeon hadn’t been both benevolent and able to fly (and she had no guarantee that he was either), letting her just fall here would have been the easiest way for him to resolve the matter/the only thing he could have done.

Yeon’s line, “Did you just test me?” is one of the rare instances in which he code switches to archaic speech. I guess using his gumiho powers put him in a Gumiho frame of mind. ;)

On the whole, I prefer the instrumental OST tracks to the lyrical ones, but ‘Blue Moon’ is just sooooo catchy. I wish they had continued using it more.

And that concludes Episode 1. I’ve never posted anything like this before, but hopefully it was at least mildly interesting. Let me know what you think.

#tale of the nine tailed #totnt #lost in translation #I've never done this before so think of it as an experiment #this is what happens when language nerds watch dramas #korean language #korean culture #kdrama #구미호뎐

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cultfaction · 3 years

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Review: Squid Game Ep. 1: Red Light, Green Light

Disclaimer: Similes were hurt in the making of this review. So once again the internet has been buzzing with excited hype and anticipation like a mass swarming desperate, needy bees with the emergence of the latest release from South Korea to hit the streaming world of entertainment- Squid Games. So, what is it? Squid games is written and directed by Dong-hyuk Wang and is the story of hundreds of…

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#Dong-hyuk Wang #Squid Game #Squid Games

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makeste · 4 years

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BnHA Chapter 256: Fucking Superb You Funky Little Hero Eggs

Previously on BnHA: Aizawa and Mic’s frankensteined best friend Shirakumo, better known to us as Kurogiri, had his memories briefly restored through the Power of Friendship, and was all “YO Y’ALLS BETTER GO CHECK OUT THOSE HOSPITALS” before his head started steaming like a tea kettle and he randomly fell asleep. Aizawa and Mic were all “!!” and Aizawa was all “(ಡ ﹏ ಡ)” and Mic was all “Aizawa are you crying” and Aizawa was like “NO!!!” and then they left the prison and Nao called HPSC Lady who called Hawks and was all “eck-chay ethay ospitals-hay” because Hawks, as you recall, is still a secret agent and all that. Anyway so Hawks was all “EUREKA!!” in his head which doesn’t really add up but hey, and then the chapter ended with Dr. Ujiko dancing in sadistic glee as he watched Tomura get all mad scienced. It was pretty freaky. I could use some wholesomeness right about now so let’s see if this chapter will deliver.

Today on BnHA: Class 1-A shows off the fresh skills they learned during their assorted internships, such as “determination”, “enhanced search techniques”, and “becoming a literal blob of acid.” The Wonder Trio is a particular highlight, and All Might is all “my little baby off to destroy people :’)” as he watches Deku shred a robot to pieces using Blackwhip. We then cut to Aizawa and Mic, who may or may not be planning some rogue vigilante style investigations of the whole Noumu thing, or maybe they’re just brooding, but either way they’re interrupted by Mirio and Tamaki who come running in to get them to stop Eri’s quirk from going haywire, which, yikes. The chapter then ends with All Might handing Deku a notebook full of DETAILED, CATALOGED INFO ABOUT THE PAST SUCCESSORS AND THE FUCKING SIXQUIRKS. We just have to wait two more weeks to find out what that’s all about. 2020’s got some fucking zip to it so far huh.

so it’s about a quarter past 7 right now and it’ll be a miracle if I can have this recap up by 10pm tonight. surprisingly the wait for this chapter didn’t really bother me, but this Sunday/Monday release schedule is really doing a number on my punctuality. but anyways we’ll figure it out eventually. if memory serves, there’s about a 90% chance that this week’s jump will also be a double issue, so that gives me another extra week to get my shit together lol

(ETA: so that wasn’t too far off actually! I think a three-hour turnaround time isn’t bad for 3000 words lol. and actually it was more like two hours of reading/blogging and one hour of editing/photo cropping. anyway so in all likelihood either Sunday or Monday night releases will become the norm, depending entirely on how busy that particular Sunday is. not quite the same as getting the chapter on Friday and having the whole weekend to ruminate over it but we will adjust!)

anyway, so I’m somehow remarkably unspoiled for this chapter despite it having been out for nearly a week and a half at this point. so that’s something! let’s see what we’ve got here

yaaaay my babies

All Might was offering free cotton candy, yes? I didn’t expect we’d cut right back to this lol, but you sure won’t see me complaining. I want to see what everyone else learned during their internships, and also what with the break and the last couple chapters being Tartarus-focused, it’s been about a month since I last saw my little hero eggs, and of course I missed them I’m only human

omg

did the original dialogue really reference Skynet. Horikoshi truly gives no fucks about copyright. like one or two episodes ago the anime made some copyrighted reference which you could clearly hear in the Japanese but which the English subs hilariously glossed right over. I’m trying to remember what it was now. damn. anyways we millennials can never resist a good pop culture reference, facts

OH MY GOD AOYAMA

THEY’RE EATING THE COTTON CANDY

TOKOYAMI EATING COTTON CANDY IS THE GREATEST THING TO HAPPEN IN 2020 THUS FAR. LET ME TELL YOU, WE REALLY NEEDED THIS

SHOUTO EATING COTTON CANDY IS THE SECOND BEST THING TO HAPPEN IN 2020. IT WAS VERY CLOSE

I STALLED FOR TIME SO MUCH AND I STILL DON’T KNOW WTF TO SAY ABOUT AOYAMA’S NEW ATTACK OH MY GOD. JUST. I DON’T KNOW YOU GUYS. THIS BOY IS REALLY OUT HERE SLICING ROBOTS IN HALF WITH HIS BRAND NEW LASER PENIS. THE AMOUNT OF FUCKS THAT HORIKOSHI GIVES IS IN THE NEGATIVES I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY

OH ARE YOU STILL GOING

is... what’s... ldkfj okay nothing to see here guys just the naked invisible chick getting all friendly with Aoyama’s beam boner. just manhandling his sparkle shaft. there are children reading this manga. I mean, they’re already mentally scarred from all the dead dogs and child quirk wine and whatnot, but still at what point do we put our goddamn foot down

anyway so somehow she’s redirecting his laser beam?? I guess with her light refracting quirk skills?? great job Hagakure with your help Aoyama can finally shoot lasers at stuff that’s behind him. you’ve mastered the power of making it so that he doesn’t have to turn around great job truly an internship well spent

“now I can yank light and warp it!” you go girl now you can whip that thing around like it’s a fucking fire hose I guess

YOOOOO MINA!!

THIS GIRL LITERALLY COATED HERSELF IN ACID AND DID A FUCKING BARREL ROLL AHHHHHHHHH. NOW THAT’S MORE LIKE IT, NO OFFENSE TO CAPTAIN DISCO DONG AND COMMODORE “I CAN DO EVERYTHING A MIRROR CAN DO” BUT THERE ARE UPGRADES AND THERE ARE UPGRADES, AND LET’S FACE IT, THIS IS THE REAL DEAL HERE

AHAHAHA I LOVE ITTTTT

is it too late for Mina to actually change her name to Acidman. what is she calling herself now again?? Pinky?? come on Mina strike some fear into the hearts of your enemies

and now All Might and the others are applauding. I don’t see Shouto’s cotton candy anymore. boy fucking inhaled that shit

oh wow, they interned under Yoroi Musha? if memory serves me, and I’m honestly not going to bother to check right now, isn’t that the samurai dude who somehow beat Ryuukyuu in the billboard charts? not that I’m still salty about that, oh wait I absolutely am but anyways

OH MY

IS THAT SOME KIRIMINA CONTENT UP IN MY PANELS. hot damn that is some cute fucking shit. Mina better not get any undue hate for this. everyone please remain calm this cute interaction does not threaten your ship in any way (unless you want it to in which case have at!!) and we can all have fun if we just play nice you guys

lmao All Might

“WE’RE ALREADY ON PAGE FOUR AND THERE ARE TWENTY OF YOU, WE DON’T HAVE ALL FUCKING DAY CHILDREN”

so Satou and Ojiro learned how to punch harder and stuff. again, it’s fine, we can’t all be Acid Men. but meanwhile they interned with some lion guy named Shishido whom I INSTANTLY LOVE so that’s badass. only one character away from Shishida though, but that’s Horikoshi for you

OH MY GOD

BLAH BLAH YES ENHANCED SEARCH TECHNIQUES ZZZZZ BUT FUCKING LOOK THOUGH AT THE FLASHBACK OF HIM YEETING THEM, YESSSSSS. THE OLD WAYS HAVE NOT YET BEEN FORGOTTEN, GANG ORCA YOU ARE THE HERO WE DESERVE

meanwhile Sero, Kami, and Mineta learned how to literally kill people with their quirks flkdjsflk

(ETA: btw I really love that Mt. Lady’s internship emphasized teamwork. now there’s someone who’s come a really long way her own self. anyway I stan and she had better join the other two in the the top 10 real soon. come on BnHA society get with it.)

damn Mt. Lady what the fuck. “if you guys work together you can suffocate and electrocute villains to death with ease!” the government’s plan really is working huh; these children have become bloodthirsty, ruthless killers in a shockingly short period of time

anyways so Iida as we all recall learned how to be more footloose and fancy free, and meanwhile Kouda learned “smooth communication” from Wash, the literal washing machine man whom I also don’t still harbor a grudge against for inexplicably beating my dragon queen in the hero polls, and once again that is a lie because fuck you Wash! you’re adorable but fuck you!!

man this is taking forever why are there so many kids in this class. for anyone wondering why Horikoshi doesn’t focus on class 1-A as a whole more often and leaves them as supporting characters, this right here is why. I love these children to death but we would still be stuck in the basement arc. oh my god I just shuddered

Tokoyami mastered “improvement on all fronts” because I guess he kind of peaked at flying when it came to new moves huh. that’s fine for now

and Kiri mastered “making baddies lose the will to fight real quick” which sounds like some bullshit you’d write while desperately trying to pad your hero resume, except that it’s accompanied by this convincing panel of him chomping a steel bar in two or some shit which YIKES

can confirm, if some demonic rock man came trotting up to me and snapped off some railing from some stairs and fucking snapped it like a twig with his GIANT FOSSILIZED DINOSAUR TEETH, I’d lose my will to fight pretty quickly too

and Ochako and Tsuyu learned “determination” smdh. Horikoshi did you fucking fall asleep towards the end of this segment or what

WHO IS MAJESTIC OMG

excuse me did she just create a bunch of fucking dynamites. is that what those are. is my girl encroaching on my young son’s turf. because if she is, ENCROACH, MOMO, ENCROACH! FEEL FREE TO FUCKING IMPINGE, EVEN!! god, and I know I was bitching just a moment ago about these “lessons” becoming increasingly vague and intangible and motivational poster-y, but I read Momo and “predicting and acting efficiently”, and my thoughts immediately ran to Nighteye and Mirio’s fighting styles, and I was like “YESSSSSSSSS” because, I mean. YES, though

meanwhile Kacchan has learned...

this fucking -- I swear -- YOU LEARNED WHAT YOUR FUCKING HERO NAME IS GOING TO BE YOU TROLLING PIECE OF SHIT. oh my god. Katsuki I swear to god I will take your internet privileges. NO SRIRACHA FOR A WEEK UNLESS YOU TELL ME WHAT IT IS

oh for fuck’s sakes

don’t mind him he learned boom with five b’s and three oo’s what did you all do this week. and somehow Todoroki learned how to be even more fabulous

so All Might’s looking on in pride and giving Endeavor some mental props, and waiting for Deku to go do his thing too

sdfkj he’s thinking about the day he gave Deku THE HAIR and that “[it] feels like ancient history now.” DOESN’T IT THOUGH?

OH MY FEELS

“you don’t look back at me anymore... and you don’t need to.” oh Aizawa’s dry eye has spread to me now huh. must be those January allergies. and that’s some nice bloop there kid. great jorb

someone tell All Might he’s not allowed to look on at Deku with this much fatherly love without giving me at least a week’s notice in advance

sigh. now you’ve done it you two I’m going to become a big cat blob of feels right here and it’s all on you. you did this

oh my god a whole big panel of reactions from the other kids and I’m ( ˊᵕˋ )

lol Kacchan can’t agree with anything even if it’s a compliment. and lmao, who the fuck was that who was all “TODOROKI FINALLY YOU’RE A FAST FUCKING HIMBO HUH!” like they really went and put that “finally” in there, like they were so fucking tired of Todoroki Shouto and his LANGUID FUCKING PACE all the fucking time, GOD, FINALLY SOME SPEED BOY WE WERE DYING OUT HERE

Mineta being happy for Deku also warms my heart, ngl. we’ve gone almost an entire chapter with Mineta not doing anything even remotely perverted, can it be, has Horikoshi finally chilled the fuck out. or did I just jinx it we shall see

also love how Deku is just reduced to an inkblot here and it still is him beyond any shadow of a doubt. and poor Sero, you are also being impinged on huh

lmao Mineta’s just socking Deku in the solar plexus out of comradery and Deku’s fucking vomiting on reflex and not even paying the slightest attention wtf

I love this panel there I said it

so he’s going over and thanking Ochako for “that time” and says he’s using Blackwhip a lot better now. I assume he’s referring to when he first unlocked it and went hog wild and she was all “smh” and went and hugged him to put an end to that nonsense

oh, right!!!!

I forgot about those!! looool Horikoshi’s 2020 resolution is to make everyone Spider-Man now huh. hey everyone guess what I LOVE THIS

oh my god this wholesomeness

I fucking can’t?? yo I’m seriously living for this? I don’t get why some people think Deku inhibits Ochako’s character growth tbh. or that her story is becoming all about him. if it is, then it’s in the same way that Bakugou’s is. Deku keeps inspiring her to be better, ain’t nothing wrong with that. yes she has the crush, and she’s honest with herself and in tune with her emotions enough to be aware of it and to acknowledge it, but she refuses to be distracted by it. I actually really like that, because it shows that romantic feelings can actually exist and not be the central focus of a character’s story or their development. and I think the fear is that it somehow will become the focus, but so far I haven’t seen that happening, so it seems unwarranted to me

anyway

shit’s cute

oh no Mineta’s doing something weird I fucking did jinx it I’m sorry guys. it’s a fucking fistbump dude relax

so All Might seems to be dismissing them now, and he’s saying something about how he reordered (?? rescheduled, maybe??) class so that Aizawa can watch later. that’s nice. he’ll need something to cheer him up, and if Acidman can’t do the trick I don’t know what can

and now we’re cutting back to the dorms!! dorm shenanigans yessssss

oh no shit wait

these are not playful dorm shenanigans these are depressed Miczawa shenanigans to bring me down. nnnn

but Aizawa fucking knows something is up now, shit. that’s right son your babies are in danger

KLJKLGLKSH

okay (1) HOW HOT IS AIZAWA THOUGH HOW DOES HE ALWAYS DO THIS

and (2) is “have a karaoke contest” code for “fuck shit up” or what. son of a bitch, having these two so personally invested in the Noumu arc now is such an unexpected and wonderful gift

MIRIO NO

(ETA: but you all know Aizawa was about to say “I’d go and fuck shit up” though.)

I LOVE YOU BOTH BUT THEY WERE HAVING A SEXY ANGSTING MOMENT, MIRIO CAN YOU NOT READ THE ROOM!! DO YOU NOT SEE THEM BEING ALL ANGSTY AND DARKLY CONTEMPLATIVE!! YOU TWO OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW WHEN LOVERS ARE BONDING OVER THEIR ANGST WHICH ONLY THE TWO OF THEM UNDERSTAND! FUCKING GODDAMN

NO!!!!!

[SLAMS HANDS ON TABLE] HORIKOSHI I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON HER PRECIOUS HEAD

NOOOO MY SWEET BABY GIRL

oh my fuck that sweater is the cutest fucking thing and this girl has had no shortage of cute outfits let me tell you. BUT ANYWAY SHE’S SCARED AND CRYING NOOOO. holy shit her horn is fucking huge now I don’t feel comfortable with this at all, and Nejire is Best Mom for not giving a single fuck and holding and comforting her regardless of the risk, I love her so much

OH THANK GOD

PALPABLE RELIEF. boys I’m sorry it was wrong of me to yell, you did the right thing interrupting their sexy brooding

BREAK ROOM AHHHHH THE SCOOBY SQUAD LIVES AGAINNNN

it means you constantly amaze him!! you have so much potential he doesn’t even know what the limit might possibly be! don’t act like you don’t love it. or stop being so suspicious and trying to look for the hidden meaning and just accept the praise for what it is. you did good. now ask him if he’s heard any news about Best Jeanist :/

that’s right, he was researching and making faces a while back, are we finally gonna find out what all that was about??

DSLFKAJSLDKFH

HE MADE A NOTEBOOK FOR HIM AHHHHHHHH HE KNOWS WHAT HE LIKES THIS IS AMAZING

DOES HIM GIVING HIM THE INFO IN NOTEBOOK FORM MEAN IT’S UP TO DEKU WHETHER OR NOT HE WANTS TO SHARE THIS INFO WITH KACCHAN. HMMM. OBVIOUSLY HE WILL, BUT THAT’S A REAL POWER MOVE THOUGH, DAMN

“PAST SUCCESSORS / QUIRKS” EVERYONE, THIS BOOK CONTAINS THE SECRETS OF THE SIXQUIRKS. AND THE PREVIOUS OFA AVATARS. THAT’S FINE I’M JUST GONNA. ...I’LL BE FINE. FOR TWO WEEKS. FUCK

shit. well I know it was coming, that’s another reason why I didn’t feel particularly rushed to read this chapter lol. I kinda wish I’d had the foresight to save the Korean scanlation though, just to compare. ah well it’s probably still lying around somewhere

and lol and here’s the bonus page, and this one I did see floating around tumblr haha

I’m not sure how the three smartest kids in class are all present and yet not one of them had the foresight to consider that maybe, just maybe, this could be a bad idea. let’s let the kid with the combustible sweat handle the mochi I’m sure it’ll be -- [everyone immediately dies]. anyway so that’s some good friendly advice from Horikoshi there. happy new year friends!

#bnha 256 #midoriya izuku #ashido mina #uraraka ochako #aizawa shouta #present mic #all might #aoyama yuuga #eri (bnha)#bakugou katsuki #class 1-a #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #oh my god I am so tired #I will maybe edit some additional tags later lol #for now I'm gonna go eat dinner

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trainer-stealthclaw · 4 years

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Never-Ending

Summary: A new timeloop draws near, and Shintaro wonders what he will do when the next fated day arrives. (Originally posted on FF.Net in 2017) Genre: Fantasy Word Count: 1905 A/N: Note that this was originally written before the manga finale, thus the Snake of Retaining Eyes’s true identity had not been revealed yet. However, given that it’s from Shintaro’s POV, and with the unforthcoming nature of Snake!Ayano, it can still be read as a counterpart to a recent fanfic of mine, Drowning Through Time, which can be read here or here. TW: Suicide mention, guns

Read on FF.Net

Shintaro opened his eyes, and found himself staring into nothing.

He was surrounded by darkness, an overpowering haze of shadows clouding his eyes. Uneasiness stirred within his stomach, making him feel nauseous. Where was this place?

He squinted into the gloom, trying to ignore the strange sounds clicking and whirring all around. He knew the sound fairly well, having once taken apart a clock as a kid in a fit of boredom. However, it was more than that. Somehow, that sound - it was vaguely familiar, just at the edges of his consciousness. The grinding metal gears in bronze, silver and gold. A familiar clang of bells. The faintest feeling of a memory.

His head felt heavy. He grasped it in his hands, his black hair falling into his eyes. That sound! Make it stop!

The bells were no longer in his memory. They surrounded him. They reverberated through his head. The sound bashed through his skull.

Bang! Clang! Bang! Clang! Ding! Dong!

Each clash of metal drilled into his head and into his mind.

Thoughts, images, phrases, people, laughter, tears, memories. It poured into him until he could take it no more, and as it kept coursing through his mind, he remembered. These weren’t new memories. These were old ones, very, very old. They were his memories, no doubt about that, but they weren’t from this time. They were from another time, and the time before that, and even beyond that.

They were memories of previous timeloops that he had experienced. Him and his friends – the Mekakushi Dan, a strange group they were, but by God, they were there for him and his sister when no one else was – had been repeating the entirety of their lives over and over without realising what was happening, and every single time, it had ended in their deaths on a specific day, August 15th. No, death was the wrong word. In every loop, they were murdered.

Memories rushed to the surface and he covered his mouth, the overwhelming urge to vomit overtaking him.

—

The murderer who wore the face of his friend, a maniacal grin stretched on his lips, pointed at the white-haired girl, Mary, who slumped on the ground behind Shintaro.

The bodies of their friends lay around them, limp and lifeless. Dark red stained the concrete.

He sneered. “How magnificent! Even now, Queen, your ego permits you to selfishly cower behind your “knight” during this “grand finale”. Now,” he extended his hand out towards her, “If you want your little friends to be saved, then use your monstrous power!”

Shintaro glanced behind at his friend. Tears leaked from her wide eyes and dripped down her cheeks, which glistened with the beginnings of scales growing on her skin. Her pupils began to turn red.

“S-Stop…” she croaked hoarsely, “I don’t…I don’t want my friends to die!”

Her flowing hair flared up and broke out into spikes, almost wing-like against her form.

Shintaro didn’t fully understand what was going on, but he felt a rush of terrible foreboding. “Mary, stop!” he shouted.

For a moment, she hesitated.

That moment was where it ended.

“My, my, I can’t have you doing.” The murderer pointed his pistol right at Shintaro’s chest and pulled the trigger.

Intense pain filled him, and then, he knew no more.

—

Timeloops. Constant, circling, weaving strands of time that looped together like knotted threads, repeating events and changing experiences. His memories went so far back that he could barely comprehend it. How long – just how long, had he and everyone else been stuck like this, trapped in an infinite loop? How long had Mary been turning back time to save them?

How many times have they died?

He felt weak at the thought. He tried to take a step forward, but stumbled forward into the darkness. He expected the cold feeling of the gears spinning beneath his feet, but it never came. A pair of pale hands caught him and gently steadied him upright.

“So, you remember everything.” The other person’s voice was high and clear. It was a voice that he would’ve known anywhere.

Shintaro looked up, only to find himself staring into the scarlet eyes of a girl in his old school’s female student uniform. Her brown hair fluttered in the cold air, and she smiled.

Ayano, he found himself thinking instinctively. Her smile was as pretty as ever. His old classmate, his friend, the girl that he had… He reached out reflexively to touch the side of her face, only to freeze and recoil.

Because Ayano was dead.

She had died two years ago, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. Sitting in the dull classroom, like any other day, only to see people carrying white flowers to her desk. He remembered the evening news, which had officially announced that she had committed suicide. He remembered that it was his fault (if only he had noticed her pain).

His mouth was dry. He struggled to get the words out. “You’re not Ayano.”

The girl, if it was possible, smiled even wider, and stepped back, enough for him to get a clearer view of her. “Clever as ever, Shintaro.” She inclined her head, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “How could you tell?”

He scowled at her, pushing his hands into his pockets. “Ayano’s dead.”

“So are you,” she pointed out. Her mouth twitched like she was amused, but her eyes glittered in a way that made him wary. “You’ll have to try harder than that, you know.”

“You’re also not wearing her red scarf. She never went anywhere without the damn thing.” It should have been his first warning sign, really. Then again, he had to admit with a sigh, it showed just how desperate he was. He missed her badly.

The girl in front of him seemed callous to his troubles. She gave a light giggle, in the voice that made his heart ache. “Then, do you know who I am?”

Of course he knew her. He stared at her, and his new – no, terribly old – memories flashed in his head. He knew her, much better than even he would have thought. After all, she was the source of his powers, the reason why he was able to remember everything he’s ever seen.

“You’re…the power that Mary gave me many timeloops ago,” he said slowly. “The Snake of Retaining Eyes.”

As if his words were a spell, the girl form changed shape, morphing into a long black silhouette that curled around him. Its presence was unreal, almost like smoke. Its bright eyes peered at him unblinkingly.

It flicked its tongue. “That’s right,” its voice – still much like Ayano’s – echoed in his head. “It’s been too long since we talked like this. Though it’s unfortunate that it is in these circumstances.” It regarded him seriously. “It’s a pity that your ability was only triggered after the fact. As of right now, the Snake of Clearing Eyes has succeeded in its plan, and the Queen, your friend Mary, is about to reset time once more.”

“The Snake of Clearing Eyes,” Shintaro murmured. “That’s the being who killed me.” He touched his chest, near the area where the bullet had pierced his skin.

“Yes,” the Snake of Retaining Eyes replied softly. “And when you’re reborn, you won’t immediately remember the previous loops again. You’ll have to find a way to trigger your ability, before it’s too late.”

“And if I don’t?” His mouth went dry.

“Then everyone dies.” It said simply, “And the loop continues on. The Queen may reset time, but she never remembers it. There is nobody who can change the future.”

It knelt its head down to his eye-level, and stared at him. Its eyes were deep red, like a burning fire that threatened to turn everything in its path to ashes. “Nobody, that is, except you. It has to be you, Shintaro. You can choose whatever path you wish.”

They stared at each other. The cold icy grip of fear grabbed a hold of him. He had never been a fighter, not in his entire life, and never even in any of the timeloops that now lived in his memories. The thought of what was coming ahead scared him to death.

You know, Shintaro? They say that red is the colour of heroes.

He touched the fabric of his red jacket.

It suits you!

Ayano’s words from long ago echoed in his head. No Ayano, he told her silently, Even now, I’m not a hero. But…

The faces of all his friends came to mind.

They were loud and obnoxious kids. All they did was pull him into nonsensical “missions” like dragging him out to go to the amusement park, when he was perfectly satisfied to just hide in his room and mess around on the internet. They were a pain in the ass, and that was on a good day.

But it was because of them that he was even able to go out at all, instead of holing up in his house. As ridiculous as their gang seemed, they were the reason he could start to look forward to his every day.

A new image came to mind, the image of them smiling and laughing, in spite of the hard times they had all been through.

His Snake urgently hissed and flicked its tongue once again. “Time is running out. A new timeloop approaches. Now that you remember the secrets of this never-ending tragedy, what will you do?”

He clenched his fists. He wasn’t a “hero”, but there was only one thing he could really do. Only one way that this “story” could end.

Shintaro looked his Snake in the eye. “I was given this power for a reason. This time, that Clearing Eyes bastard will be the one to pay. I’ll make sure that this never-ending summer finishes for good.”

The bells around them began to ring once more. Everything began to fade to white, but even in the blinding light, although it was a ridiculous notion, he could’ve sworn that he saw his Snake smile.

“So this is your answer. Your memories may be lost, and this time may be lost, but don’t lose sight of those feelings when you make your new start. Go forth, and don’t turn away your eyes. Face forward, even in the unrelenting summer heat.” And with that, everything was gone.

—

Shintaro woke up with a groan. The alarm clock beeped annoyingly. He fumbled around for the button to turn it off. His eyes took in the date on the digital time.

August 15th.

He didn’t know why, but something about the day filled him with familiar dread.

#kagerou project #kagepro #mekakucity actors #shintaro kisaragi #ayano tateyama #yakitsukeru #ayaki #kagerou day #writers on tumblr #fanfiction #my writings

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romera-rp · 4 years

Photo

3508 years ago, titans ruled Romera. No one knows for certain what wiped them out and allowed the era of small beings to begin, but in the years after their demise, Romera thrived in chaos. No law existed yet, no order, and no control or restrictions on magic. Spellcasters rose to power and used dangerous magic to maintain that power. Magical warlords rose and fell, power-hungry wizards experimented in the forests and fields with terrible results, and sorcerers with little ability to control their wild magic left scars across Romera. The very soil and rock beneath their feet became imbued and steeped with powerful, unstable magic.

The scars, while not easily visible to the naked eye, have lingered for thousands of years. The plants and animals that grow in the scar territory are sometimes… changed. A squirrel may have sapphires growing from its fur, a bird might be singing in Sylvan, flowers that ought to be blue may grow red, or a river might flow backwards for a period of time. People have attempted to map the scars, to avoid building civilization atop the risky fault lines of magic, but they shift and morph. The strange effects are rare and difficult to spot. For the most part, these scars are dormant. Until they aren’t.

IN CHARACTER DETAILS

This event will take place between May 24th to June 7th and your event threads may take place at any point during those in-game days.

TIMELINE

BEFORE DAWN (May 24th) In the wee hours of the morning, before the sun had risen to chase away the morning dew, Romera quaked. Just south of Myrefall, a magical scar erupted. The whole of the city and the surrounding area was struck by an unexpected earthquake. The poorly maintained streets of Myrefall cracked open as the subterranean sewer tunnels and Bashaba tombs collapsed. Undead began to flood the affected streets.

MIDDAY (May 24th) It at first appeared as though the earthquake was the only symptom of the eruption. Researchers were already flocking to the area to study what had happened, desperate to learn about the scars. As the sun rose, however, it became clear that the scar had changed the surrounding earth. The eruption left behind a literal scar in the earth: a hundred foot deep chasm. Sprouting from this chasm were unbreakable roots that clawed into the surrounding ground. Strange flowers that oozed viscous liquid, shot out barbed spikes, or smelled like entrails sprouted from the roots. The grass around it turned all shades of the rainbow and the surrounding trees wilted and re-grew a dozen times in a day. Animals near the chasm exhibited strange behaviour. Deer walked on two legs, squirrels threw insults at the observing researchers, and birds dove into the chasm without warning. These changes weren’t isolated and they began to spread out from the chasm. Very rapidly the strange magic was spreading and infecting.

THE MORNING AFTER (May 25th) Everyone who remained in the affected area overnight wake up changed. Every individual’s race has changed without warning, without reason, and with no patterns. A family of elves will wake up as an orc, a goblin, and a gnome while a dwarf might awaken as a dragonborn. The shift is painless and abrupt. Clothes and other worn items don’t change shape or size with the transformation. (More information for this portion of the event are below in the OOC section.)

By the next morning it’s clear that the strange and infectious magic has spread into the city. The undead that still flood the street are covered in beautiful blooms or toxic mushrooms. Some have begun to sing. Strange occurrences and changes are evident throughout the city and continue to happen with spontaneous magic surges. There’s no rhyme or reason to the surges and they range from minor irritants, such as someone suddenly going color blind or all glass windows turning opaque, to mildly catastrophic, like a building collapsing under the sudden weight of millions of thorny roots or all metal becoming red-hot in an instant. Someone began to float quite suddenly and did, unfortunately, float away before anyone could catch him. Someone else keeps coughing up diamonds.

THE AFTERSHOCKS (May 26th to June 5th) Myrefall appears to be cursed. The magic surges continue constantly, day and night. Havoc reigns and chaos conquers as strange happenings continue to… happen.

The Temple of Doom and Despair has been entirely enveloped in sweet-smelling flowers and vines. The once imposing building is now quite inviting and nice and the clergy aren’t sure what to do about it. Stray cats and dogs, many of which are also strangely affected by the magic, have begun to flock to the once glum and frightening place.

The Catacombs are still unstable and are now infested with more than just the undead. Terrible, horrifically morphed animals have made their way into the dark, potentially from the original chasm that now marks the eruption site. Birds with the call of weeping children swoop overhead, rats crossed with bears in the worst way lumber in the shadows, and squirrels now have venomous fangs and some raccoons now possess minor fire magic. Many big game hunters and researchers have set out bounties for the acquisition of these strange animals, dead or alive.

Unfortunately, the Whitewood Psychiatric Institution has suffered greatly. Specifically, part of it exploded for an unknown reason and many of the patients have escaped. The guards have put out warnings regarding these escaped patients. The doctors of the institution are now advertising room availabilities in the institution.

The children residing in Mercy’s Home, Myrefall’s orphanage, have taken advantage of their new races and easily disguised identities and have fled the clutches of Matron Keyzana. The matron in question has been frozen in place within the orphanage’s primary building, fully conscious, but paralyzed. She’s currently only capable of moving her steely eyes.

Despite the sudden and severe upset, The Velvet Curtain remains open and offering despite some employees having found themselves in new and unfamiliar bodies.

Dongorzal, owner and operator of Myrefall’s favorite burlesque bar, The Inferno, has decided that the chaos needs one thing: a never ending celebration. From dawn till dusk, and then also from dusk till dawn, the bar remains open and booming. Magic surges are met with resounding cheers from the party goers and the revelry doesn’t stop even for catastrophe. Drinks are half-off for anyone who has changed races and are free for anyone with further afflictions like sparkling skin or sneezing bubbles because it amuses Dong.

Grimfell Alley, where the desperate and the terrible go to shop, has become flooded with phony chaos cures. Merchants offer anti-eruption potions, wild magic resistant armor, and special glasses that claim to be able to show the wearer the locations of spots that are vulnerable to further magic surges. Unfortunately the alley was one of the streets that was most damaged in the initial earthquake and is persistently flooded with the undead. This makes shopping rather difficult. Anyone who enters the alley and then leaves no longer has a shadow.

Among the more affected buildings is The Silent Conclave. The nice, normally neat building has been entirely infested with bubbles of all colors and sizes. They flood out of the doors and windows and into the street. When popped, the bubbles scream, sing, yodel, or otherwise make very human-like noises at incredible volume.

Gang wars have gotten out of control in the Lictomp Yard. With new-found abilities in many of the members, the violence has only escalated. Several of the mansion and mills that line the river have been completely decimated in the conflicts. The river, normally well-contained, has spontaneously flooded several times, wrecking foundations and sweeping gang members and homeless away. A herd of magically rabid strays have also taken to lurking in the unused buildings and attacking anyone that remains outside after dark.

RETURN TO NORMAL (June 6th to June 7th) The magic surges have decreased in frequency and the strange effects have slowly receded back to the chasm. Spontaneously grown plants have withered and disintegrated, animals have reverted back to their usual shapes and abilities for the most part, and any acquired abilities or afflictions have ceased. At dawn on June 7th everyone whose races were changed by the eruption have reverted back to their original race with no lingering side-effects. The city is working semi-diligently to repair the damage done to public buildings and the tombs. The city is calling for volunteers to help remove the remaining undead and offering monetary reward for their eradication.

OOC DETAILS

In real-time this event will be taking place from May 24th to June 21st, at which point event threads should be wrapping up.

The worldbuilding post for Myrefall can be found here.

In your threads, you may use and experience any of the magic surges and effects listed above, but we also encourage you to use your own magical surge and wild magic ideas. Lists of wild magic surges are available on the internet for inspiration. If you’re unsure if your idea is appropriate or too overpowered, ask an admin and they’ll help you decide. The goal of this event is to have fun, so be destructive and be creative.

OOC DETAILS FOR RACE SHIFT

We have two different race tables available for the race-shift portion of this event. One includes the more common and more playable races and the other includes all allowed races. We’ve done this so that no one, unless they want to tempt fate with the second table, ends up as a Kenku with limited speech ability or a race which has water dependency that might be less enjoyable to play. The safer chart may be found here, while the riskier one is here.

You may roll again for the race shift, but if you roll a second time you have to use your second roll. Any roll that gives you your character’s starting race doesn’t count, unless you would like to choose a different subrace, and you may roll again. You don’t have to roll twice on the same table. If you want you can tempt fate on the full table and then roll again on the “safe” table.

For races with multiple subraces, such as a Dragonborn where you might be a green or a bronze, you choose which subrace your character becomes.

If you want to, you may create a second character sheet with your character’s temporary race, but this isn’t required and you may continue using your normal sheet and normal stats for this event.

If your character has a secondary race, i.e. is a revenant or a lycanthrope, that secondary race remains. By extension, there is no option to roll for these “races” that are conditional. Revenant, vampire, and lycanthrope are not options. Likewise races that were created, like the warforged and simic hybrid, aren’t options.

Remember, you aren’t required to participate in this portion of the event if you don’t want to.

#romevent #dnd #dungeon and dragons #fantasy rp #magic rp

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festiveferret · 5 years

Text

Once Upon A Time (Steve/Tony)

This is for my “Secret Admirer” Square, featuring a fairy tale style and outsider pov. Thanks to @tinyfurycloud for last minute beta!

Once upon a time a very bad man wanted Tony Stark.

But he didn't want him for a bad reason. He was in love with the iron-clad engineer. The way his suit of armour worked, the amazing weapons he built, and his devotion to his inventions - the bad man loved them all. He was determined to make Tony his, no matter what it took.

The bad man wanted to court Tony, show him how much he cared for him, but he wasn't sure how. He searched the internet high and low and decided to send Tony a present to show him his regard.

At the tower, Tony Stark arrived home from a long day in board meetings and conference calls and went down to his workshop to find a box sitting on his desk. The box was wrapped in shiny paper with a huge bow on top. "JARVIS, where did this come from?" Tony asked.

"It was sent by a private courier," the AI replied, and Tony was curious.

The bow came off, followed by the paper, and Tony pulled a smaller box out of the bigger box. He snapped the box open and found a shiny, gold watch inside. It was a beautiful watch, ornately decorated with little stars picked out in silver and twinkling precious gems. Tony turned the watch back and forth in his hands, admiring the pretty surface. The stars made him think of someone - someone he thought of often.

Tony turned the box this way and that, dug through the paper, and ruffled through the bow's elaborate curls, but there was no note, no card. Who was the fancy watch from?

Later that day, the door to the workshop opened, and in walked the man with a star on his chest. He greeted Tony softly, then asked what he was looking at.

Tony picked up the watch. "Someone sent this to me, and I don't know who."

The man with the star, Steve, watched Tony's graceful fingers pop the watch box open and flash it in the light. "It's very beautiful," he said.

As Tony turned the watch in his hands, something occurred to him. The watch should be with the man it reminded him of. Then, maybe, it would make him think of Tony the way Tony thought of him. "You should have it."

"Oh, I couldn't!" said Steve, wishing desperately that he could. The watch was beautiful, and it meant a great deal that Tony would want him to have it. But it was so expensive! So fancy! What a gift to give a friend. "It's too much."

"It isn't," Tony insisted. "It's just right." And he reached out and took Steve's hand. He uncurled Steve's fingers, lay the watch in his hold, then folded them closed again. "Please take it. I like the thought of you having it." Steve's skin gave off a tiny spark as they brushed fingers and Tony felt it zigzag like a lightning bolt down to his heart, stealing one of its beats.

"Thank you, Tony." Steve gazed at Tony, unable to look away from his beautiful face. He would cherish the watch forever. And perhaps… maybe? It might have meant something more than friendship.

Up in the tallest tower, on the farthest island, under a dark storm cloud, the very bad man was very angry.

He shouted and stomped and threw every plate from his cupboard on the floor until they were all smashed. Up on his screen, his secret cameras were supposed to show Tony admiring the watch, putting it on, hoping to find the one who'd sent it and thank them. But instead, he'd given the watch away, without even wrapping it around his wrist. The nerve!

The very bad man was angry for a long time, but once all the plates were in pieces on the floor and he grew tired, he sat down, drank his tea, and vowed that his next plan wouldn't go so awry…

Ding dong!

Tony startled up. "What was that?" he demanded. JARVIS had never made that sound before.

"There is someone at the door downstairs, sir," the AI helpfully informed him. "I was trying something new."

Tony rolled his eyes and made his way to the elevator. He didn't know who could be at the door that JARVIS couldn't take care of himself. When he reached the downstairs delivery door, Tony pulled it open only to be met with quite a sight. A man in the fanciest clothes imaginable stood with a gold platter in hand. On the platter was a crisp white envelope with Tony picked out in shiny, silver pen. The man raised a tiny trumpet to his lips and played a few notes.

"For you, sir," he said, bending into a bow and extending the platter to Tony.

Tony eyed the envelope. "What could this be?" He lifted it, turning it over in his hands. It was a bit suspicious, rather unusual, to have something sent to the tower in that manner, but Tony didn't find any reason to fear. He tore the envelope open and inside was a ticket, decorated with swirls of red and gold, for the opera, Carmen, one of Tony's favourites. The show was in two nights. What a lovely gift, Tony thought. He would very much enjoy the show. "Who is this from?"

The man tucked his platter under his arm and shook his head. "My apologies, sir, but I've been asked not to say. It's a gift," he explained, "from a secret admirer!" His eyes danced with amusement and Tony found himself intrigued.

He laughed and clapped the man on the shoulder. "Thank you. Your performance was delightful. I guess I'll just have to wait and see who it was from. I hope they make themselves known to me soon. I'd very much like to thank them."

The delivery man left with his platter and his trumpet, and Tony returned to his apartment, excited about the show in two days time.

Upstairs, he found someone he had not expected sitting on his couch. "Steve!"

Steve turned, surprised, when he heard his name, and jumped to his feet. Tony's smile was infectious, and it wasn't long until he was smiling too.

"You'll never believe what happened," Tony said. "I was just giving a ticket to Carmen two days from now. It's such a good show."

"Oh, how nice." Steve's stomach was all in knots just from being around Tony. "I've never been to the opera.”

"Never been to the opera? That's a crime. You have to come with me!"

Steve protested, desperate to go but not wanting to ruin Tony's evening, until Tony picked up his phone and called to order another ticket. To their delight, they were able to get the seat beside Tony's so they could sit together and watch the show. It was sure to be a wonderful evening.

Two days later, the very bad man was dressed from head to toe in his finest clothes. Tonight was the night he would finally have his date with Tony Stark. He had the ticket for the seat beside Tony, and after a full night of wonderful opera, he would admit that he was the gift-giver and Tony would be so grateful they'd go out for coffee after and Tony would fall in love with him. It was the perfect plan.

The very bad man arrived early, settled in his seat and waiting. And before long - there! Tony appeared, looking stunning in a perfectly fitted suit. But a moment later, the bad man wanted to scream. Tony had brought a date of his own! Captain America, no less! How dare he.

Even worse, as Tony and his date slid into their seats, they swapped places, without realizing, so it was Steve seated next to the bad man and Tony on the other side.

The bad man had never been so enraged! He spent the entire show staring at the side of Steve's head, thinking of the ways he could get rid of him - drop him in a volcano or built a robot to shoot him with lasers.

When the show ended, Tony and Steve dipped their heads close together, sharing their excited reviews, and the very bad man stomped off, tripping an usher on his way out.

Why wouldn't anything go to plan?!

The very bad man thought and thought and finally he came up with a plan.

He would just have to go to Tony himself and explain why they should be together. This plan was failsafe! He put on his best suit, combed his hair and brushed his teeth, then admired himself in the mirror. Perfect.

The very bad man had a very bad robot and he used it to fly across the city to his love. One look at him and Tony would realize how in love he was and then, finally, they would be together.

When the bad man arrived at the tower, he found the door locked. That wouldn't do at all. He used his robot to pick the lock and bypass the AI that didn't want to let him in. It just didn't understand that this was about true love! The bad man wouldn't let anything stand in his way.

He found his way to Tony's lab and burst through the door. "Tony Stark -!" he started, but before he could finish, the Avengers came flying down the hall and collided with him. No! They didn't understand.

The bad man tried to explain - he was merely here to collect the love of his life - but the Avengers wouldn't listen and he had to fight back. The bad man pushed them away over and over getting more and more upset when they refused to back off and let him have what was rightfully his.

Finally, frustrated and exhausted, the bad man got one more hit in, knocking Captain America to his knees, then fled. He burst out of the tower and flew all the way home. It wasn't fair! The Avengers were keeping him and Tony apart. But Tony had to love him back; they just didn't understand.

The bad man nursed his wounds in dark solitude, thinking about how much better his life would be with Tony at his side. When he could stand it no longer, he turned on the secret cameras he'd hidden in the tower.

And there was his love, Tony, sitting on the couch of the workshop in the dim light of evening. But he wasn't pining over his lost chances, instead he was sitting next to Steve Rogers! Argh!

Steve had his hand in Tony's lap - and oh, the audacity! When the bad man looked closer, he saw that Tony was holding Steve's hand, carefully wrapping gauze around bloodied and battered knuckles.

The bad man looked down at his own bruised hands. Why couldn't Tony be doing that for him?

In the tower, Tony and Steve whispered to each lowly, sitting close together. Steve winced as Tony treated his wounds, but Tony's fingers on his skin made the pain worth it. "Thank you," he said, when Tony was finished.

Tony didn't let go of his hand. "You're welcome."

"This won't do at all!" cried the bad man. If gifts wouldn't work, and talking wouldn't work, he was going to have to turn to magic. It was clear that Tony loved him back, he just wouldn't admit it, so the bad man needed to give him a little push.

The bad man had a huge cupboard at the end of a long hallway, with tall shelves. And every shelf was full of different magical potions. He walked along the shelf, reading each label with a "no, no, no," until he came to the right one. "Ah, yes!" He clapped his hands together. "Fall In Love. Just what I need." After drinking this, Tony wouldn't be able to disguise how he felt anymore.

The bad man put together a basket, with fancy chocolate. He wrapped a new label around the potion label to make it look like a fancy, exotic drink, then tucked it in among the food. Perfect. He sent the basket to the tower with "Tony" written on the card in ornate gold lettering.

Tony wasn't surprised when the basket arrived. There was always someone trying to court his business, earn his attention, from small startups to huge international corporations. They loved to send fancy gifts and food - though there had been more than usual lately. Something interesting must have been happening in the stock market, he supposed.

So he thought nothing of opening the basket and taking a bite of a luscious chocolate bar. It was so good, he couldn't bear to keep it all for himself. Tony picked up the basket and carried it upstairs to where his teammates were gathered in the living room.

"A gift!" he announced. "For all of us." He tore the tag off and tucked it in his pocket.

"Ooh!" they chimed, descending on the basket.

Everyone took a treat - cookies or candy or chocolate - and Tony watched, helplessly charmed, as Steve wrapped his lips around a bottle of bright purple soda and took a sip. "Delicious," Steve said, turning his smile to Tony.

Together, they ate everything in the basket, leaving a trail of packaging and a pile of happy, full Avengers covering the room. Thor stood first, collecting the wrappers and tossing them back in the empty basket.

"You don't have to do that, Thor," Natasha said. "We'll all help."

"I don't mind." Thor made his way around the room. He lifted the glass bottle from Steve's drink. The label was peeling a little and underneath he could see a second label - the real label. He tugged the fake label off and read what was underneath. "Fall In Love: This potion will amplify all feelings of affection the drinker has until they are so in love, they won't be able to hide it anymore."

Thor looked across the room to where Tony and Steve were sprawled on the couch. Steve was gazing at Tony the same way he always did, chin resting on his arm, nodding along while Tony described his latest project in detail. "Steve?" Thor asked, breaking into the conversation. "Do you feel alright?"

Steve tilted his head with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Thor held up the bottle. "This soda had - uh - an unusual fruit in it, from another world. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't distressing your digestion. You feel the same as always?"

Steve nodded, turning back to Tony, and earning a smile. "I feel exactly the same as always,” he said, sighing softly. “Perfectly normal."

Thor grinned and tossed the bottle in the garbage.

They would figure it out in time.

"That's it!" the bad man cried. "I'm done!" He couldn't remember ever being so angry before. He wanted Tony Stark, but Tony just wouldn't notice him. He had one last thing left to try: if Tony were in mortal peril, and the bad man saved him, surely he'd have to notice him. He'd have to give him a chance.

The bad man hauled out a very heavy book full of very dark spells and started a chant. After a few minutes, a demon appeared in the middle of the room and snarled at him.

"I need a spell cast," the very bad man said.

"Okay," said the demon," but then we're even!"

"Deal."

The demon shimmered with magic, and a moment later it stilled and nodded. "I've cast your spell. You'd better not call me again!" And with a poof it was gone.

The bad man immediately set off for the place he knew Tony would be: at the top of the tallest tower, in his penthouse apartment.

The bad man flew up very high and snuck in through a window, as quiet as a mouse. He found Tony's bedroom and there he was, deep in a magical sleep, arms folded graceful over his stomach, chest rising and falling evenly. Only True Love's Kiss would wake him. And that was exactly what the bad man had to offer.

He straightened his clothes and walked across the room then settled on his knees beside the bed. This was it - he'd finally have the love of his life all to himself!

The bad man leaned over, smoothed Tony's hair back, then pressed their lips together.

Nothing.

He frowned. Then leaned in and tried again.

Still nothing.

"What!" he cried, pounding his fist on the floor. "How?!" He was tired, angry, and so, so sad. He loved Tony, so how could this not be True Love's Kiss? He sat there for a long time, watching Tony's magical sleep remain undisturbed. Then he turned and, dragging his feet, left the bedroom.

Magic didn't lie. If he and Tony weren't meant to be together, well, there wasn't anything he could do about that. He'd have to go home and find a way to get over him.

Heartbroken, the bad man flew away.

An hour later, a soft knock on the penthouse door failed to rouse the sleeping Tony. Steve knocked again, louder. Still nothing. He called out, "Tony?" then pushed the door open. They'd had an agreement to spar in the gym, but Tony hadn't shown.

Steve searched the apartment, but it seemed Tony wasn't here. Then he saw the light spilling out of the bedroom door. "Tony?" he tried again, pushing the door open. And there was Tony, laid out on his bed. He was unnaturally still, not curled in a ball like Tony normally slept, but sprawled out on his back, arms folded over his stomach. "Tony!"

Steve ran across the room and fell to his knees beside him. He found Tony's breath his pulse, and both were normal, but he wouldn't wake. Steve yelled, he shook him gently. He tried everything, but Tony wouldn't wake.

A single tear tracked over Steve's cheek. What if Tony never woke?

"Tony, please wake up," he begged. Unable to bear the pain any longer, Steve leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against Tony's forehead.

Tony's eyes sprung open and he sat up with a gasp, lurching into Steve's arms. Steve cried out and held him close, sobbing with relief.

"You saved me," Tony whispered, holding Steve close. And he kissed him, so full of love it almost hurt. Steve kissed him back, and he was never going to let Tony go.

The End.

Or is it?

Back at the very bad man's lair, he kicked off his boots and pouted his way down to to his secret lab. His heart was broken. How could it be that Tony wasn't his One True Love? He'd tried everything, but it seemed that it was not meant to be.

The bad man slumped down in his chair, ready to eat an entire pint of ice cream, but when he turned in his seat, he saw something on his desk. It was a box, wrapped in shiny, red paper, and on top was a big, fancy bow.

What could it be?

The bad man lifted the box and turned it this way and that. It was heavy, and pretty, and brought a smile to his face. There was a small card tied to the underside of the bow. He turned it over.

For: My love From: A secret admirer

#stony #fanfiction #my writing #happystevebingo #fairy tale #once upon a time #outsider pov #secret admirer #tumblr only

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rickstexaschick · 5 years

Text

Road Trip

Here’s the full edition of this 3 chapter little off-shoot of “Rick’s Texas Chick”, based on a request from an anon. I’m reposting all three chapters here, as well. This is also posted on A03 at:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16741282?view_full_work=true

Chapter 1

They had been living together for several weeks when Harley suggested taking her on a motorcycle road trip. Growing up, road trips had been the only kind of vacation her family took — mostly just to visit her grandparents out of state — apart from the odd day trip down to the beach on The Gulf. It was her favorite kind of vacation. Just driving along, enjoying the scenery, talking as a family. Fast food restaurants weren’t as prolific then, so her mother would pack sandwiches, chips, and cokes.

Entertainment was pretty elementary. Video games didn’t exist yet, neither did the internet, of course. So they played the old fashioned car games — making a competition of counting things like cows, horses, windmills, and barns…Played “slug bug” during the day, and “Popeye car,” if they were still on the road after dark. Radio stations were few and far between — usually her dad kept the radio tuned to one of the larger AM news/talk stations which broadcast its signal for hundreds of miles in all directions.

Before he went down to the shop to get his bike, Harley had told her to pack light — which made her roll her eyes, telling him, “Thanks, Captain Obvious.”

Even so, when he returned to the bedroom a little while later he immediately opened her small duffel bag, which was sitting on the bed. She watched while he wordlessly rooted around in it briefly before he took out a pair of her panties and a t-shirt. He opened her small toiletries bag and extracted her toothpaste, toothbrush, and hairbrush, laying them on top of her underwear and shirt.

“There. Now you’re all packed.”

“But...you took out, like, my basic things.”

“Because, ding dong, that’s basically all you’re taking. I told you to pack light…”

He went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of black boxer-briefs and another blue t-shirt for himself and tossed them onto her small pile. Then he went into the bathroom and returned with his toothbrush, a hand towel, and the bottle of his shampoo.

She watched, dismayed. Words like “hair conditioner” and “skin moisturizer” were on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she opted for her old standby: sarcasm and irony.

“You know, I don’t know why you’re being all squeamish about it — we could just share a toothbrush… And we’re probably going to sleep naked, anyways, right? So we could just hand wash our underwear and shirts each night, and then we won’t need a change of clothes at all…”

She took the clothes and her toothbrush away from the small pile. “And who needs shampoo when we can just stand in a river and rub ourselves clean with sand and gravel? And then, afterwards, we can sit in the sun, to dry. So, that takes care of having to pack a towel, too…”

She had her hands on the shampoo and towel, when he came up behind her, sliding his hands around her waist.

“You little sassy ass…” He pulled her against him, pressing his lips into the side of her neck, sending tingles of pleasure down her spine.

She giggled, shivering, then turned around in his arms, looking up at him with a cheeky grin. “Well, make up your mind. Am I a sassy ass or a ding dong?”

“If I’m ‘Captain Obvious’ then you’re definitely ‘Sergeant Sassy Ass.’ But I may have to demote you to ‘Corporal Ding Dong’ if you keep this shit up.”

She laughed up at him. He kissed her, briefly turning it into a deeper kiss, holding her up against him and massaging her ass before reluctantly pulling away.

“Come on. We need to hit the road if we’re gonna get where I want to be before sundown.”

He dug around in the back of the closet before emerging with a worn, black leather jacket, which was much too big for her.

“Rick’s,” was he laconic reply to the unspoken question on her face.

The leather was soft and it did indeed smell of Rick. She slipped it on and pulled it around herself and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes with a look of pleasure. Harley watched her with a small smile.

Rick’s scent had that effect on him, too.

He refused to tell her where they were going. He did make her wear a helmet, donning one himself, as well. He had to adjust the straps and use her spare T-shirt as packing to make it fit her small head. The helmet must be Rick’s, too, she mused silently, looking up at Harley’s face as he adjusted the straps under her chin and checked the helmet’s fit.

She found a pair of gloves in one of the pockets of Rick’s jacket, stuffed them back in. In the other pocket was a small baggie with what looked like a couple of joints. Harley was busy loading their remaining things into the two saddle bags, so she just put the baggie back in the pocket without saying anything.

She’d smoked pot only a handful of times in her life — could literally count the number of times on one hand. Almost of all them were back when she was in college. After that, there was always the fear of surprise drug testing by her employers, and she didn’t want to risk losing her job or, worse, her nursing license.

But now, who knew when she’d be going back to work? So...fuck it. Maybe they could smoke these on this trip. She couldn’t tell how old the joints were. Did pot go bad? She had no idea… She wondered when was the last time Rick had worn the jacket. Fingering the baggie inside the pocket absentmindedly, she thought about all the facets of Rick’s and Harley’s relationship that she didn’t know about, and wondered when she’d have the courage to ask more questions...

“Hey. Space Cadet. Are you ready?” Harley had finished loading the saddle bags and was watching her as her mind wandered off to God-knows-where.

She nodded and smiled up at him, her head swamped by Rick’s helmet. Harley checked the fit one more time, then, satisfied, he lifted her onto the motorcycle’s pillion seat.

“You know,” she said to him as he mounted in front of her, “I really do think I could manage to get up here on my own…”

“Sure you could, honey. With a good running start and a pole…” He switched on the ignition then kick-started the engine with a powerful thrust of his body, before settling back down in the seat.

Since he wouldn’t be able to hear her retort over the sound of the engine, she just reached under his jacket and gave him a little pinch in his side as her response, then she slid her hands around his waist and folded them across his flat stomach. She pulled herself up against him snuggly. In reply, he reached down and squeezed one of her hands with a lingering caress, then they set off.

Chapter 2

They’d been riding north for a little over an hour when Harley noticed the storm clouds forming over the mountain range.

Well, fuck, he thought.

It wasn’t supposed to rain for the next few days, although mountains were notorious for creating their own weather. They still had a couple more hours to go before they’d get to their destination. Clearly the storm was going to cross their path along the way.

He scanned his memory for any towns or rest stops in between, where they could hole up while the storm passed. The nearest place he could think of was a truck stop in a small town, twenty miles away...

Ten minutes later they crossed over a mountain pass and were descending a winding road into a long, narrow valley when the rain overtook them, falling lightly at first, but he could tell that it would soon become a downpour. Fuck. Up ahead he saw the overpass of a small road crossing over the highway, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was better than nothing. And it would have to do.

They pulled underneath the protection of the overpass just as the rain really started to come down. He parked the bike beyond the shoulder, to keep them away from the spray of passing vehicles, then rolled it backwards onto its kickstand. She pulled her helmet off, laughing.

“Woo, doggie! You sure know how to show a girl a good time! What’s next? A flat tire?”

He scowled at her as he got off the bike. “Bite your tongue — or better yet, let me do it for you.”

Harley never joked about shit happening when he was on the road — it just invited all sorts of bad karma, as far as he was concerned. Rick always laughed at him and his penchant for being superstitious.

But he did have some good data points. Based on past personal experience, unfortunately...

She couldn’t know that, of course…

He took her helmet from her, hooking the straps back together and using them to hang the helmet from one side of the handlebars. Then he did the same with his, hanging it from the other side. He sat back down on the seat, facing her. She was shaking her hair out, combing her fingers through it. He took her hands in his.

“D-Don’t make jokes like that, honey.” He searched her eyes, his expression serious.

“Oh...OK. I’m sorry...” The smile melted off her lips when she caught his dark mood, and she felt sincerely sorry. And chastised. Then she realized how dumb she’d been.

It was the same as making a comment about how quiet things were on the hospital unit during the shift — as soon as the words were out of your mouth, you wanted to take them back, knowing you’d just asked for something bad to go down. She didn’t know a single nurse or doctor who wasn’t superstitious about that.

“S’ok, honey. Just — it’s just a little rule I have…” He reached down below her leg and unzipped the saddle bag, taking out a flask.

She watched him take a very large drink, then he handed it to her, his expression still dark and remote. She took the flask from him and drank a small sip, desperately searching her mind for a way to recover the happy mood from earlier.

“So, how long do you think this rain will last?” She shivered a little, unintentionally. Her torso was toasty and dry, thanks to Rick’s jacket. But her jeans were damp. Soaked through, actually. Fortunately her feet were fairly dry inside her boots.

“Hard to say, being stuck down in this valley.” He stuffed the flask into an outer pocket of his jacket and pulled her down the pillion seat into him, resting his hands on her waist. “We’ll just have to wait it out.” He still looked a little grumpy.

“That’s ok. I’m happy being here with you.” She smiled up at him, reaching up to brush his hair off his face. “I’ve got my love to keep me warm.” She sang the last sentence to the tune of the old 1930s song by the same name.

He smiled down at her, his mood lifting a little. “Well, look who can carry a tune...”

She smiled a little coquettishly. “Maybe I could have been one of your back-up singers…”

He gave a small laugh. “Hardly.”

“Oh? I wouldn’t have been good enough for The Great Motherfuckers?” She leaned away from him, a look of mock outrage on her face.

“No, honey,” he laughed, “I just meant that you would have been about ten when we were touring…”

She didn’t think he had the age difference right, but at least he was smiling and laughing again. And that’s all that mattered.

She leaned into him, slipping her arms around his waist, underneath his jacket. She wriggled herself closer until she was up against his chest and buried her face in the warmth of his shirt, sighing with contentment. His hands slid down around her butt, pulling her hips in closer and lifting her thighs so that they draped over his and she was basically sitting on his lap. He kissed the top of her head and held her close, his large, warm hands cupping and caressing her ass.

The rain intensified and it was quite dark underneath the overpass. There wasn’t any traffic to speak of. Lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a slow, rolling boom of thunder which traveled across the valley, echoing loudly in the cavernous space around them as it moved overhead.

“This could be really fun and romantic…” She trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

“If we weren’t out in the middle of it, you mean?” He tipped her chin up to him, his mouth turned up in a lopsided grin. “We’re still safe and dry, hon. What else do you need?”

A nice warm bed, some candles, and a bottle of —

He interrupted her train of thought with a kiss which quickly deepened, slipping his tongue into her mouth, teasing against hers. He reached up and held her face with one hand while he kissed and tongued her mouth, until she was quivering and sighing in his arms.

“Oh, Rick…” She wanted him to drop his lips lower and nip and suck…As if he were reading her mind, he slipped his free hand underneath her shirt and bra to pinch and roll her nipples, which had already tightened into stiff peaks. His other hand slid around the back of her head and he buried his fingers in her hair, gripping her scalp while he continued kissing her.

She clutched his shirt, moaning. He wanted to ravage her mouth, but since they were limited to what they could do, he took his time and held her close while he gave her long, sweet, soft kisses that made her melt in his arms. Sitting together on the bike in the dim shadows of the overpass, they made out like they were teenagers in the backseat of a car.

He kissed her until her lips were swollen, then he trailed his mouth down her neck and settled in that ultra sensitive spot just at the base of her jaw. She shivered, giggling, and he nipped her lightly in response. He breathed into her ear.

“God, I wanna make love to you…”

In reply, she rubbed her crotch against his, making him groan and he pulled her down onto him. They kissed and ground against each other, panting and moaning into each other’s mouth. He kissed down her neck, biting and sucking her skin, leaving a trail of light red marks that made her shiver and sigh. He was on the verge of throwing caution to the wind and fucking her up against the bike when a pickup truck drove by, honking loud and long.

The vehicular equivalent of being told to “get a room, assholes,” she thought to herself, bitterly.

“Jealous asshole,” muttered Harley.

“At least he didn’t splash us as he drove by,” she said. There was a time when she would have been too afraid to make out in public like this, it would have embarrassed the crap out of her, but being with Rick and now Harley, with their highly active libidos and “don’t give a fuck” attitudes, she was slowly turning around.

“The rain’s mostly stopped at any rate. What say we get started? You ok with a little roadspray?”

“Sure! My jeans are still wet, anyway. What’s a little more? How much further do we have to go?”

“A bit,” he answered, still refusing to give her any idea of where they were going. He reseated himself, facing front on the bike. Soon they were on their way again. The lightness of the rain and their speed kept them from getting too wet. The lack of traffic also helped. They were out of the rain by the time they got to the end of the valley. It would have been chilly sitting in the wind with her wet jeans, but Rick’s jacket kept her warm and the sun soon dried their clothes.

The sun was setting behind the mountains when they exited the highway onto a narrow blacktopped forest road. She just managed to catch the first part of the street sign: Ketchican. She wondered if it was this dimension’s equivalent of a Native American tribal name. It certainly sounded like it could have been one in her dimension.

The road wound slowly up the side of the heavily forested mountain, sometimes hugging uncomfortably close to the edge. She closed her eyes a few times to avoid looking at the drop-off, and held onto Harley more tightly. Eventually, thankfully, they pulled off the road into a small, gravel parking lot with a log cabin style building. A wooden sign hung from the eaves of the front porch.

Ketchican Hot Springs.

Hmmmm, she thought, this sounds like fun!

“Come on.” Harley got off and removed his helmet, then waited for her to get off the bike. She’d allowed as how she could do it without any help, so here was her chance to prove it... Her feet were so far above the ground that she almost fell off while sliding off the seat, barely catching herself in time. He smirked and coughed like he was clearing his throat in a very poor show of hiding his laugh. She scowled up at him, taking off her helmet.

“Don’t you say a word…” She glared at him.

He just smiled knowingly, shaking his head while he hung their helmets on the handlebars. Taking her hand and squeezing it, he led her up the steps of the cabin.

Chapter 3

The interior of the cabin was part office, part living space. It was basically a front desk, like a check-in desk at a motel, with the area behind it converted into a private den, complete with tv, an easy chair turned to face the tv, and a pot-bellied wood burning stove with a small cooking surface on top. The cabin smelled like greasy, old food, and she immediately remembered her mother’s advice to her about staying in hotels or motels with lobbies that smelled of old, cooked food.

“Don’t.”

An elderly gentleman got up somewhat slowly from the depths of the easy chair, disturbing a large orange tabby cat which had been sleeping in his lap.

“Hey, Pete,” began Harley.

The man put on a pair of glasses and suspiciously peered at them for a moment, then his eyes brightened with recognition.

“Harley! Well, I’ll be… Sandra told me that you’d called earlier this week. She didn’t tell me you were headed up here, though.”

“Yeah, Pete. I told her not to tell you. Wanted to keep it a surprise. She should have the cabin ready for us, though. Reservation’s under Katherine Sanchez.”

She'd only been half-listening to the two men talking while she looked around, inspecting the cabin as unobtrusively as possible. Her mother’s advice was still echoing in her head, making her feel a little leery about staying there. But when she heard her middle name coupled with “Sanchez” her breath caught in her lungs and a huge wave of mixed emotions shot through her. Her heart started racing, making her lightheaded. Her mouth dropped open and she made a small sound of surprise as she reached out and grasped the counter to steady herself.

She’d resumed her maiden name long before the divorce with Ricardo was final, hoping to put that whole sordid chapter of her married life well behind her. She never expected to hear, much less go by, her married name again.

She’d completely forgotten that it was Rick and Harley’s last name, too.

Harley silently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she sagged into him slightly.

“You okay, young lady?” Pete peered down at her through his glasses, his face full of fatherly concern. She smiled at him weakly.

“We’ve had a long ride, got delayed by the weather. You think we could head on up to our cabin, Pete? Sandra said she’d give me the usual one and have it ready.”

“Oh, sure, sure. Right away, Harley. Just sign the ledger, here, while I get your key for you…”

Harley completed the registration for their cabin and took the key from Pete. He steered her out of the cabin and onto the porch. It was full dark out now, the parking lot lit by the orange glow of a single sodium light off to the side.

“You ok, Kat? What — what happened in there?” He had walked a few steps ahead of her down off the porch then turned around to look at her so that they were a little closer to eye level.

She had a far-off look in her eyes and looked pale and vulnerable in the orange lighting.

“Yeah,” with an effort she put a smile on her face and tried to snap out of it. “I’m just still not used to going by that name.”

Which was true in both the case of her middle name and with ‘Sanchez’, but with luck he wouldn’t ask her to elaborate. She was sure he hadn’t realized the effect it may have on her. Maybe he thought she’d like the idea of them being presented as a couple. A married couple. The thought did sound nice, and made her smile more reassuringly at him.

He studied her for a moment then took her hand. It was cold and he squeezed it. “Come on, hon, you’ll like this…”

They rode the bike about a quarter mile further up the road before pulling into a small clearing. The bike’s headlight swung around the trees and illuminated a log cabin nestled in the forest, its small porch light turned on in invitation. Low lights shone from behind the two curtained windows flanking the front door. Once inside they were greeted by a charming, cozy scene.

A fire crackled away in the large fireplace which took up one wall. Across the room on the opposite wall was a large rustic style wood-framed bed covered in a “wedding ring” design quilt. The lamp standing on the bedside table was switched on, providing additional soft lighting. A sofa, coffee table, small recliner, and a floor lamp occupied the space in between. Along the back wall was a small galley kitchen, with a bar style counter separating it from the rest of the cabin.

“Wow,” was all she could muster.

He grinned. He knew she would like it. This place was special to him. He and Rick had been coming here together quite often over the years. He would never tell her that, of course. Not right away, at least.

She was the only other person he’s brought there.

“They call this the Honeymoon Cabin…”

She threw a look at him, blushing. He just winked at her in reply.

She wanted to pee and freshen up, and he said he’d unload their things in the meantime. Behind the closed bathroom door, the running water camouflaged the sounds from the den. She couldn’t hear the distinctive whirring or see the flash of green light while she washed the road off of her face and hands. When she came out she saw her duffel bag sitting on the bed and a large cardboard box was on the kitchen counter. Harley was partially blocked from view by the open refrigerator door as he put things inside. The light from the refrigerator illuminated him with a soft glow.

“What...When did you...How…”. She’d stopped in her tracks.

He turned and looked at her, grinning. “You forgot ‘who’, ‘why’ and ‘where’…”. He shut the refrigerator and strolled over to her and took her in his arms. He loved the look of surprise and delight on her face. And at how well his little joke had pulled off. She was so fun to tease.

“I-I knew you wanted all that stuff. I had more shit, too. Plus some food and booze. There’s no way to pack all that on the bike. So...I portalled back and got it.”

She grinned at him. It’s something Rick would have done, for sure, but Harley didn’t use his portal gun as much. At least, not in front of her. Rick, she was certain, would just portal back and forth from the house to the shop, instead of walking back and forth through the field, like Harley did. Same as how he portalled back and forth across the street between their two houses. She wouldn’t say he was lazy. More like, Rick doing what he thought was more efficient.

Or more Rick-like.

She put away the rest of the food while Harley fixed them drinks inside a couple of heavy duty plastic tumblers.

“So, the owner knows you, and I get the feeling that you’ve come here before. A lot…” She didn’t know how to go on, ask the questions she wanted to ask. She kept her head in the refrigerator, pretending to sort and organize the food, in an effort to avoid looking at him.

“Uh-huh.” He waited for her to continue, knowing where this was going. He kept his face blank and leaned against the counter, sipping his whiskey while he watched her.

“And you said that this was the...ummm...Honeymoon Cabin…”

“Yeah…” Now he wanted to grin at her but managed to suppress it.

She straightened up and looked at him. “Well, have you been on a lot of honeymoons, or what?”

“Nope.” He paused and took a sip of whiskey, still keeping his face neutral. “Rick and I have been coming here a lot over the years, though.”

“Oh.” Her eyes grew wide and her voice was small. Her face immediately turned cherry red with embarrassment before she dove back into the refrigerator. She’d completely forgotten about that. Them.

“You gonna just hide in the fridge all night now?” He walked over to her with her drink and set it down on top of the refrigerator. “Honey, you’re just gonna have to accept -- face the fact of Rick’s and my relationship sooner or later…” He pulled her away from the refrigerator and shut the door, then turned her to face him while he held her hands.

She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I know...I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

“Well what, then?” He tried to tip her chin up to look at him but she turned her face aside.

“I thought you were going to say that you’ve come here on honeymoons, or...or had been here a lot in the past, with other women, or something…” Finally she looked up at him. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears and she blinked to keep them back.

He huffed out a small laugh. “You’re the only other person I’ve brought here, come here with. Just you and Rick. OK?” He gave her a brief hug of reassurance, then handed her drink to her. “Drink up. You look like you need it.”

She took several large sips along with some calming breaths. Knowing that he’d just been coming here with Rick wasn’t so bad. In fact, it made her feel a whole lot better. She watched him silently while he took off his jacket then sat down on the bed and took off his boots.

“Are you getting ready for bed?” It was still early. Too early to go to sleep, at least, she thought.

“No. I’m gonna take you to the hot springs outside and we’re gonna sit and soak. Are you trying to get yourself demoted again?” He stripped his clothes off, leaving them in a heap on the floor and straightened up, looking at her, smirking. “Well, what are you waiting for? Pete to come give you an invitation?”

“But...I don’t have a bathing suit. I don’t want to sit in front of a bunch of strangers butt naked!”

“First of all, it’s dark out and we’re out in the middle of the woods, and in case you didn’t notice, Corporal Ding Dong, this place ain’t exactly a beehive of activity. And, secondly, this cabin has its own private hot spring and pool. That’s why your birthday suit will be juuust fine.” He bent down and picked up his clothes and dropped them on the foot of the bed.

He went into her duffle bag and took out a pair of her flip flops, the ones she liked to wear around the house, to keep her bare feet off the cold floor. He pulled out a pair of men’s old, leather flip flop-style sandals which she’d never seen him wear. He must have put both shoes in the bag before he portalled back with it. She didn’t think he was gone that long -- or that she was in the bathroom that long, whichever. He tossed both pairs of shoes onto the floor and started to step into his but paused when he realized she hadn’t moved.

“You gonna stand there all night, or were you wanting some help gettin’ your clothes off?”

He smirked at her, then it changed to a leering grin and his eyes darkened. They did have some unfinished business from their hiatus beneath the underpass, during the storm. He moved towards her, the idea of stripping her down and fucking her, first, suddenly held greater appeal to him at that moment. He put his hands on her waist and slid his fingers underneath the waistband of her jeans and panties, sending tingles up and down her spine. He undid the button of her jeans and opened the zipper, kissing her all the while, then he pushed her jeans and panties down to the floor.

“What are you doing?” she giggled, hanging onto his shoulders.

“Need to give your birthday suit a test drive…” Was all he whispered in her ear before he pulled her top over her head, then undid her bra and slipped it off her arms, dropping everything to the floor. His voice had become deep and rough with need.

His lips returned to her mouth and he kissed her hungrily, all the pent up sexual tension and desire from before was now returning with full force. Her giggles changed to sighs and moans. His cock was rock hard and erect between them and she reached down and started stroking it. He groaned and lifted her up and laid her on the bed, crawling on top of her, grinding himself against her belly while pushing her further up the bed towards the pillows.

“God, you make me horny as fuck, baby girl,” he growled into her ear. “I just want to drive myself into you and screw your brains out until you scream.”

“Then why don’t you?” she said breathlessly, looking up at him and getting more and more excited as he loomed over her. The whiskey had made her tipsy and bold.

She reached down and guided his head so that it was up against her entrance. Then before he could say or do anything she wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed him into her while she pulled his hips in close with her legs.

As if his body was on auto-pilot, he lost all self-control as soon as he felt her warm, slick folds around him. With one hard thrust he drove himself all the way inside her, closing his eyes and groaning with pleasure at the feel of her tight walls along his length. For whatever reason, maybe it was because they hadn’t done any of their usual foreplay, but her sex wasn’t ready for him, and she gasped loudly, crying out in shock and pain. She squeezed her eyes shut and tears of pain leaked out from the corners. She shrank away from him on the bed, her fingers clawing into his arms and back on their own volition as she struggled to hold back whimpers of pain.

His eyes popped open when he heard her cry out, realizing her distress, and he held still inside her.

“Sshhh, baby. I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

He murmured softly in her ear, kissing the tears on her cheeks as he pushed himself off her, supporting his weight on his elbows, and gathered her in his arms. He held her close, inwardly cursing himself for acting like an inexperienced kid without any self-control and forcing himself into her.

“You weren’t ready for me. I’m sorry, baby girl... I’m sorry...I’ll make this good for you, I promise…I’ll take care of you...Just relax...Ssshhhh...Baby girl, ssshhh...”

He continued to soothe and whisper to her while he kissed her cheeks, her eyes, then moved to her lips. Gradually she began to relax in his arms as he kissed and tongued her mouth, slow and soft. He deepened his kiss and flexed his cock slightly. She sighed, mewling, and her fingers relaxed their death grip. He flexed his cock inside her again, this time rolling his hips slightly, and she moaned into his mouth. It hitched into a whimper, now one of pleasure, when he flexed his cock inside her again.

He pulled his mouth away and whispered in her ear. “I would never hurt you, honey, you know that, right? I love you too much…I love you, so much...” They both knew he was talking about more than just sex...

A sob hitched in her throat and she tightened her hold on him, this time in a hug, no claws of pain. Slowly, he began to rock against her, his pelvis rubbing up against her clit. She moaned into his mouth as he ground against her, gently rolling his hips. Her voice rose in pitch as her orgasm grew close and he increased the pressure against her clit, steadily rocking against her. Her body shuddered and she whimpered and made small mewls of pleasure. He held her tight while her orgasm washed over her in waves and she spasmed around his cock.

“That’s it, baby girl. That’s my sweet girl…. Now you’re ready for me…”

He buried his face in her neck, kissing her softly and sucking on her skin, whispering encouragement as he slowly stroked himself in and out, going deeper each time and gradually built up his rhythm.

“Wait, stop…” she gasped in his ear.

“What? What’s wrong, honey? Am I hurting you?” With great effort he forced himself to stop moving inside her. Now he was practically panting with his sexual needs as he fought to hold himself back. He looked down at her.

“I...I still want you to...to…” she couldn’t bring herself to say it, but it was written on her face, in her eyes.

He grinned down at her. “You want what, honey?” He moved inside her, slow and deep, rolling his hips.

She moaned and closed her eyes. He did it again, sliding one arm up behind her neck for better purchase and to hold her in place. He leaned down and kissed her, sliding his tongue over hers while he slowly drove himself in and out of her hot, wet folds. She groaned into his mouth, clenching herself around him. Every beat of his heart sent a thrumming jolt straight into his aching cock. He dropped his head down into the pillow, breathing hard with the effort to go slowly. Then she whispered in his ear.

“Make me...make me scream, Papi.”

“Fuck, baby…” It came out as a near-strangled groan.

“Do it. Just like you said…. Just screw me senseless and don’t stop until you make me scream…”

“Christ…”. He still hesitated. He didn’t want to hurt her.

“Please, just fuck me and make me scream. Don’t stop until you’re done.” She squeezed around him as hard as she could and lifted her hips up against him to make her point.

He sat up and moved away from her, wincing as he pulled himself out. “Come — come here, baby girl…”

He moved off the bed and motioned to her to come closer to him. She scooted down to the edge of the bed, smiling with anticipation and spreading her legs. His breath hitched at the sight and his cock jumped. He slowly stroked himself, precum dripping over his hand, as he stood there looking down at her.

“Roll over, baby, on your knees for me…”

Suddenly, unwanted images of her ex flashed into her mind, completely out of the blue. Her smile faltered slightly and a trace of fear showed in her eyes.

“I won’t hurt you, baby…. Come on.”

He leaned down and kissed her, slid his hand up to gently run his fingers between her slick folds and slowly stroked in and out while his thumb circled on her clit. She mewled into his mouth and spasmed around his fingers.

“Christ, honey…”. His voice was hoarse with restrained need. His rock hard cock throbbed and had turned deep red, the head almost purple, and the veins ran prominently down the shaft. He was going to have a severe case of blue balls at this rate.

Maybe it was the almost desperate tone in his voice, or the fact that she trusted him, utterly and completely. She cast aside her nervousness and rolled over and got on her hands and knees, spreading her thighs wide and presenting herself to him.

“Fuck, baby. You’re so fucking gorgeous…”

He cupped her ass with one large hand, stroking it then sliding his hand down her cheek and softly caressing her, before slipping two fingers inside her and slowly stroking in and out. He reached forward with his other hand, running it up her back to her shoulders.

“Down in front…” He whispered hoarsely, as he gently pushed her shoulders down until she was resting on her forearms.

He stepped forward and rubbed the head of his cock against her wet opening. She trembled in anticipation. Then she felt his velvety soft head press against her slick folds and he slowly pushed himself in. He was hot and hard and she dropped her head, moaning softly.

“OK, baby girl?”

He slowly moved in and out with shallow thrusts of his hard cock, waiting for her to protest or pull away. She nodded her head and moaned again while she pushed herself against him and squeezed her walls around him. That was all the response he needed. He took a firm hold of her hips and started thrusting in and out, deep and slow. The angle had his hot cock immediately stroking across her sensitive bundle of nerves and she cried out with pleasure. He drove deeper and harder, gripping her firmly and pulling her against him with each thrust of his hips.

“You like that, honey? You like my cock nice and deep in you like this?”

She couldn’t answer him. Instead she dropped her head down between her arms onto the bed and moaned and sobbed. The sounds came out of her of their own volition. She couldn’t help it, couldn’t hold any of it back. It felt so good, what he was doing to her. As he picked up his rhythm, driving deeper into her with each thrust, her moans became keening wails that went on and on, occasionally punctuated by a sob whenever he thrust into her particularly deep and hard. It was like her body had taken control of her and was now operating on instinct and the primal need for pure sexual pleasure. Her back was arched, every muscle in her body growing taut as her orgasm built. She couldn’t even move against him, she was almost paralyzed with how good he felt, as his hot cock thrust deep and hard into her.

She felt the nerves in her body concentrating down in the depths of her belly, tensing up like a tightly coiled spring. Then they suddenly exploded outward, sending wave after wave of the most intense feelings of sexual pleasure she’d ever had. She did scream. She wailed and cried out Harley’s name. Hot liquid gushed out of her, coating his cock and pelvis, and her walls gripped his cock with tight spasms. Her orgasm went on and on as he continued to pound into her, chasing his own release.

His thrusts became choppy and his breathing more harsh. Then with a hoarse cry he came, calling her name and cursing. He reached down and wrapped his arms around her belly to hold her more tightly as he thrust one last time inside her then stayed there. His cock throbbed as he shot hot spurts of cum deep inside her. He continued to hold her up against him as his body shuddered with one of the most intense orgams he’d had in a long time. She keened and sobbed beneath him, shaking as another orgasm rippled through her body, making her tremble in his arms.

He pulled out of her then laid down on the bed next to her, barely able to keep himself from actually collapsing on top of her. He pulled her into his arms.

“Oh my fucking God…” She was limp as a noodle and sweaty and breathless. Her thighs were slick with his cum and her juices and she felt more seeping out of her. “I don’t want to mess up this nice quilt…” She tried to push herself up, but Harley tightened his hold on her.

“It’s...It’s ok, honey. Don’t worry about it. They don’t call this the Honeymoon Cabin for nothing. It’ll get washed…”

Harley eventually did move them all the way to the top of the bed where the pillows were. He pulled the covers back and she crawled underneath them gratefully. The cool, smooth sheets felt good against her skin. He climbed in next to her and gathered her into his arms, then he pulled the covers over them.

“What about the hot springs?” She asked him sleepily.

“They can wait. They’re not goin’ anywhere.” He mumbled his reply. He was barely conscious and was ready to take a nice long nap with her in his arms. He didn’t want to get up, and he didn’t want her to leave his side.

They both fell asleep, but not for long. Practically every light in the cabin had been left on and it penetrated Harley’s brain. He blinked his eyes open and stretched slightly, feeling relaxed and refreshed. She lay draped across him, an unmoving warm body cuddled up against his. Her head was cradled on his chest, one hand curled around his waist and her leg across his muscled thigh. She always seemed to cling to him in her sleep, as if her subconscious was on alert for some hidden danger and needed him beside her while she let her defenses down in order to sleep.

“Wake up, love…”. He stroked her back and kissed the top of her head. She mumbled and stirred briefly before settling back against him with a soft sigh. He slid out from beneath her, pushing the covers off them both of them. The chilly air would help wake her up.

“Man…” she made a whining grumble as she blindly reached down for the blankets while keeping her eyes squeezed shut against the lights.

He smirked down at her and smacked her lightly on her ass, making her sit upright, gasping and blinking irritably.

“Come on, honey. Let’s go take a soak. You’ll love it, I promise.” He pulled the sheets and blankets down to the bottom of the bed as a deterrent to her going back to sleep, then he went into the bathroom to take a leak.

She came in while he was finishing up and wordlessly stepped into the bathtub, pulling the curtain around and turning on the water.

“You’re taking a shower before you go soak?”

“I’m washing off all our sex...stuff,” she called out to him. “So it won’t go in the water. Haven’t you ever heard of hot tub folliculitis?”

He pushed the curtain aside and reached down and turned off the water. “You’re a prime example of too much knowledge isn’t always a good thing. Come on.” He held his hand out to her so she could step out, then handed her a large folded bath towel.

They slipped into their shoes and he handed her drink to her, then grabbed a flashlight from a cabinet and his own drink. Clutching the towel and her drink, she followed him out the door leading off the kitchen. He led her down a narrow path that went through the woods and down the mountain. The path had steps made of old timbers, worn smooth by the weather and years of foot traffic. A handrail made of rough hewn fence rails followed it down.

It was intriguing, walking down the mountain path in the dark with just Harley’s flashlight for light. All her other senses were heightened to make up for it, and she could hear and smell the springs before they came upon them. The faint but familiar scent of sulfur wafted up through the trees. She could even feel the damp heat in the air as it was born up on the wind currents. But the roiling and churning sound of water echoing up to them sounded much louder than any hot springs she’d visited before. She wasn’t sure what to expect.

Finally they turned a corner around a low, rocky outcrop and Harley’s flashlight shone upon a small pool nestled partly inside a shallow cave. A pile of rocks at the back covered the source of the spring. The water bubbled out over and through the rocks with occasional hissing bursts of steam which reverberated noisily off the walls of the cave, amplifying them, creating the sounds she’d heard.

“This way, hon, watch your feet.” He aimed the flashlight along the edge of the pool, a natural depression in the rocks surrounded by a low wall of flat stones. “They damned up this spring years ago, turned it into a pool. The bottom’s all sand. Step down in it.” He went in first then turned around and helped her step in where small boulders were laid out like steps, leading down into the water.

The water was hot, but not too hot. The night air was chilly, so this was nice. There were large, flat rocks placed on the bottom along the wall, for them to sit on. He guided her over to where a couple of large, flat rocks placed on the bottom were at a good height for the two of them to sit. The water was still a little high on her, coming just above her shoulders.

Soon they were settled in, drinking their whiskeys. He put his arm around her and she nestled into him, sighing with contentment. It had been a long day, and while riding the motorcycle was fun, she wasn’t used to being on it for such a long stretch of time. Her body was sore and tired from hours of sitting upright, her legs straddling the seat.

“Not too bad, huh?” He kissed her cheek. She hummed in response, her eyes closed.

“I’m not carrying your ass back up that trail, just so you know.”

“M’kay.”

In the end he did carry her back, piggy-back style, with the towel draped over her while she clutched the two empty tumblers in one hand and had the other arm wrapped around his shoulder. She lost a flip flop along the way but he refused to stop and look for it. When they got to the cabin he dumped her down on the bed then took the glasses and towel from her.

“Get under the covers, love. I’ll join you in a minute.”

Without arguing, she pulled everything back up to the pillows and buried herself beneath them. If she was a limp noodle before, now she was completely boneless. Harley moved quietly around the cabin, closing things up for the night. He banked up the fire with a few pieces of the split hardwood logs, then turned off all the lights before finally climbing into bed beside her. She moved towards him, draping herself across his body almost exactly like before.

“Thank you, Papi. This was a wonderful day. I love you…and...I’m not a ding dong...” Her words were drowsy and quiet, softly spoken into his chest.

“I know you’re not, honey. And I love you, too, Kat…”. He kissed her head, then slowly stroked her back as she drifted off to sleep.

On the other side of the cabin the fire had taken purchase of the fresh logs, and now it crackled and popped quietly with new life, sending soft flickers of light onto the walls and ceiling. He shifted slightly, turning partially onto his side and holding her against his chest while slipping one long thigh between hers. Then he fell into a deep sleep.

***********

“Kn- Knew I’d find you two here…”

To be continued in Rick’s Texas Chick...

#rick and morty #rick sanchez #rick and reader #OC Rick #Rick's Texas Chick

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