#Grumpy Old Me: Redux! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nctinkverse · 1 year ago

Text

Promissa Redux

Pairing: jaehyun x f. reader

Genre: mature, smut, angst, fluff, minors dni.

Preview and plot warnings (I will update as I go): dad Jaehyun, pregnancy, MC is a mom, mature, slow burn, excessive angst, abundant plot, and probably way too much dialogue, exes to lovers, Jaehyun 's family is in this (at least as I imagine they might be), a lot of intimacy, explicit content, swearing, alcohol consumption, mention of exes, heavy make-out session and annoying co-workers.

WC Preview: 1000

WC Total: Not sure, probably it will be 5.000 - 10.000?

Chapter 1 - Shattered promises & Broken vows. Chapter 2 - Valentines Day.

Chapter 3 - One call away is not close enough.

SYNOPSIS: Most of the fairy tales and romance novels, it all seems perfect after the happily ever after. But what if some stories started at the end?

Well not the end per se, nobody was dying.

But you always questioned, do princess get a divorce?

Do female main characters give up the man they fought to love after so many chapters?

At 32 years of age, divorced, mom to an incredible 5-year-old girl who was the greatest thing you and the love of your life ever did, you thought again about the same questions you had when you were 14 and your parents got divorced.

Jung was your last name for 2 years, Mrs. Jung was your title and you loved it, he was sweet, loving, an amazing father and so good to you in bed that you never forgot truly what it felt like to be loved by him.

Your story stated way past the end, the not so happily ever after.

It didn’t have many twists and turns like a superhero movie that keeps you hanging at the edge of your seat for the next plot twist.

In your mind, life was already full of uncertainties, hard decisions, mistakes and paying the price for choosing paths.

Life itself was already hard enough without the responsibilities of superpowers.

So how you ended up thinking about all that again at 32 years old, while holding an engagement ring box you found on your lover’s pocket while picking it up of the floor, it was something you will have to find the answers, probably soon.

------------------------Preview----------------------------------------

You were fast asleep when the phone rang. The name on the screen making you jump, why is he calling at this hour? This can’t be a good thing.

Immediately you laid your back on the headboard and answered the call.

"Hi."

"Jaehyun, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no…" You let out a relieved breath, being half asleep making you grumpy.

"Good lord, Jaehyun, it's 4 a.m!" You said, raising your voice a little.

"Oh shoot… um sorry… I didn’t check for the time zones. I should have called another –

You interrupted his rambling. He’s not usually someone to call, he could just spill so you can go back to sleep.

"Jae, spill, what’s the gossip, huh?"

He let out a little laugh since the gossip joke was an old one between you two.

"No gossip, but I do have something."

"Clearly, it's something good or you wouldn’t be calling on impulse, spill, Jaehyun."

"Yeah right…" He hesitated a bit, his telltale sign usually being him coughing even though there was nothing wrong with his voice. "I got sent this script for this movie, they want me as the main male character..." He hesitated again, which made you ask.

"Jaehyun, what did you do?"

"I sent a copy of the script to your mailbox."

You could feel your sleepiness going away as you scolded him.

"Jaehyun, are you nuts? You can’t ship stuff like this in the mail! What if it gets –"

"It got delivered today." He interrupted, making you stop your thinking.

Scrambling for a thought since he didn’t elaborate, you asked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with it?! I’m not a male actor, Jung."

"Read, dummy, read."

"And do what?"

"Tell me if you want it."

You opened your mouth to be obnoxious, pointing out the obvious, but Jaehyun must have listened to your 'I’m about to give you an earful' breath and went first.

"Listen, it’s an amazing script, just like the ones you used to want to work on. There’s an opening for a cinematographer, and I know you’re a hell of a good one, so if you want, it’s yours." He said in one breath, probably afraid you would interrupt again.

But from all he said, this part really got you confused.

"What do you mean it’s mine?"

"I showed the director your profile and portfolio, and he said yes."

"Fuck, Jaehyun." You didn’t know what to say since he was never one to interfere in your personal life since the D word.

"You’re sleepy, and I know how grumpy you can be at this hour, so… I still have to tell you two more things, the job is in the states, probably 3-4 months of filming, and I am supposed to give an answer on the male character in 48 hours. We would have to work together, and we would probably have to strike a deal with my parents since we can’t pull Junnie out of school, so…"

You understood what he said, but you needed at least a cup of coffee to process it. But before you could say anything, he went off again.

"I can give it up if you want." He said almost like a whisper.

"Give what up?"

"The character."

"You didn’t like it?"

"No, but –

You interrupted again.

"So, if you do like it, why would you give it up?" It made no sense to you.

"For you –"

It still didn’t make sense why he would give it up.

"Give it up for ME?"

"I like it, Y/N, but this script has you written all over it… and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by being there."

Now you got him, yet he was about the last person in this world who could make you uncomfortable.

"Yuno…" You said in a softer tone.

You heard his breath and a soft "yeah?"

"I don’t hate you." You stated in your most soft yet firm tone, it was one of the things he must not forget about you two.

"I know, Y/N, I know."

"I am going to read it and think about what you said, ok? Don’t do anything hasty."

"Ok, I will let you go back to sleep."

"I’m not sleeping after all this, you know right?" You said, letting out a small huff.

"I know."

"What I am about to do is getting up, making some coffee and grabbing the script out of my mailbox, does it sound good to you?" You were being just a bit playful.

"It does, love."

That word made you warm like butter melting on a frying pan. Still, that wasn’t something out of the ordinary for him to call you. So, you let it slide.

"Well, for sure it’s better than staying in bed tossing and turning."

He let out a small giggle, he knew you were one of those to fight a lot with your bed at night.

"Good morning, love."

"Good afternoon to you?" You didn’t know what timezone he was on, so you tried.

"Try again." He said with a smiling voice.

"Good night!" You said like you had guessed the lottery numbers.

He let out a giggle sound and said, "Give little Nari 1000 kisses from me, will you?

"Why just a thousand?" You said with a little pout. You could hear his playful tone.

"Don’t you know our daughter? She might ask for in real life a thousand kisses; since you are the closest parent, you might fall victim to it, so I think that’s a great number for kisses."

You both giggled, Jung Nari, the lily to our garden, was at that phase where hyperboles would be a tough concept for her to grasp.

"Ok, fine." You agreed still giggling.

"I will call… stay safe."

"You too, Jaehyun."

"Bye."

And the line went silent.

#nct #kpop smut #nct series #nct smut #nct 127 smut #jaehyun smut #jung jaehyun smut #jeong jaehyun #nct x reader #nct scenarios #fic:promissa redux

246 notes · View notes

redux-iterum · 2 years ago

Note

not related to warriors or the redux at ALL but i would absolutely LOVE to hear your thoughts on the last of us if you were willing to share!! honestly i don't think i could've ever asked for a better video game adaptation, i shudder to think what the original movie back in, like, 2015 would've looked like

I am very glad you've given me this opportunity. Thoughts under the cut.

So I just gotta say, up front, the story in the game is magnificent. It totally earned its place of being held up as one of the best stories in gaming history. Several scenes still make me wanna weep (I even hear someone say "baby girl" and my heart has a knife-wound immediately). When I heard they were making a show, I was very afraid - I don't think it's controversial to say that games being made into shows or movies just don't work out at all, ever. The Last of Us, the game, is especially one that, if you ruin it, you have fucked yourself over harder than the dudes behind the final season of GoT. I thought that you will never win over people no matter how good the show is, because the game is just so much better.

BOY AND FUCKING HOWDY WAS I WRONG

This fucking show! Is so good! Its version of the story, dare I say, is better than the game! I don't know how they fucking did that. It seems an impossibility. But their additions and translations and pacing are incredible! I'm watching a playthrough of the game right now for the story to compare, and I'm boggled to realize I prefer how the show did darn near everything! These goddamn writers made me care about Bill! How the fuck is that possible!?

They did make changes, but I love all of them. Especially when it comes to characterization. This Joel, I absolutely adore. Which, I wanna go into that real quick, because the comparisons between the two versions interest me greatly:

Joel in the video game was, to me, characterized as he plays in the game - that is, an unstoppable monster that the NPCs should be and are terrified of, because he can and will kill everyone to make things more convenient for himself. He gets stabbed in the gut and as soon as he gets one dose of antibiotics he hobbles out into the snow and the enemies run away from him; the protagonist equivalent of a boss fight just arrived, and they are not going to fucking engage. He is grumpy and stoic and terrifying, and it takes a long time to get through to his actual humanity, what little he has left.

That characterization works very well for a game, but the show is not a game. It needs a human being to be the protagonist. No one is going to support game!Joel in a TV show. So they softened him and dented his iron wall a good amount, and I love that. He's a person - he's old enough to have bad knees, his hearing is failing, he damn near weeps telling his brother about his desperation to keep Ellie safe - and what a compelling person he is. I loved him already, but the instant he started giggling over a stupid pun Ellie made, he beat out game!Joel by a wide margin for me. I just adore this version. He's a human being, not a playable character. It's perfect.

On another note, it is INCREDIBLE that I know everything that's going to happen in this show - I have watched multiple people do multiple playthroughs of the first game, I know this shit backwards and forwards - and their little adaptive flairs still make me wanna cry. Sam and Henry in particular killed me (I'll talk about that some other time because this is long enough), and even all these new characters that they made for the show have me so invested that, whether or not I can guess where they're going, I'm desperately hoping for a peaceful end for them. I will say that the scene that I cry at every time (the end of Ellie's confrontation with David) was probably the only thing I didn't find to be better than the game, but it still hurt and I am happy for that.

I have a lot more thoughts, but this shit is a textwall now, so I'll leave it at this: 123/10, will cry again.

#ask #anonymous #not warriors #i speak #readmore #textwall #the last of us #tlou spoilers

14 notes · View notes

lovelyirony · 4 years ago

Note

sweeter than honey (redux)

Pepper Potts did not exactly mean to become a criminal. Really, she still doesn’t think she is.

But here are the facts:

1.) She has broken several laws in pursuit of funds that do not belong to her.

2.) The FBI would like to talk to her about several things and potentially put her under arrest.

3.) She can no longer go to her regular coffee shop because the barista snitched and told them her name, as well as her occupation.

Pepper broke several laws because the company she was working for (Stane International) was technically breaking laws, but laws that do not apply to corporations because corporations do this thing called “funding campaigns” and also sometimes “doing favors.”

She decided to do the same and suddenly she is a criminal. Not her fault she redistributed money back into the community, and now they can’t get any of it back.

It’s just how that worked out.

She’s been staying at a hotel that serves many questionable individuals each month, and it has an indoor pool and a three-star rating on the latest travel website.

It’s nondescript, not her style, and she’s currently in the bathroom having a crisis because she most likely needs to dye her hair.

She’s vain. Pepper knows she is, has known it since high school when she trimmed her hair and cried. Her hair, by all accounts, is gorgeous. It’s a shiny strawberry-blonde that makes her look like an ice queen in winter and a mysterious fairy queen in summer.

She does not want to dye it. But here she is with an eight dollar box of dye and thoughts in her head.

And then her hotel door opens.

Not supposed to do that, but that’s what happens when you’re in a three-star hotel.

She is also in old athletic shorts that have most definitely seen better days and a tank top that was a last-minute buy from the nearest store, and it does not suit her at all.

Facing her is a man with an odd beard, tinted sunglasses, and a graphic t-shirt over a blazer.

“So. You pissed off Stane Industries,” he drawls. “I’m impressed. Usually they just sweep their little problems under the rug.”

“I’ll sweep you under one if you’d like,” Pepper offers, wondering how quickly a blowdryer can knock someone out. She’s not sure how well-made the hotel one is. Probably not very.

“I’m not here to kill you,” the man says. He takes off his sunglasses. His eyes are a nice shade of brown, not that you’re supposed to notice that about a potential enemy. Pepper is just that skilled.

“Then what are you here to do? Make me move to Florida?”

“No, the opposite. We’re staying here. I’m offering you a job position of helping me take down Obadiah Stane and the company itself.”

“Who would I be working with?”

“Anthony Stark.”

Pepper stills.

She read the news when she was in college, same time as Tony Stark. Went missing in the car crash, no one found his body. Temperatures were freezing, he was wearing a tuxedo. The chances were that he froze to death somewhere that they didn’t find yet.

Chances were. What an odd little phrase.

“So, you made it out.”

“Not as hard as people say it seems to be, Virginia.”

“Call me Pepper, my first name disgusts me.”

“Gotcha, Pepper. Call me Tony. You in?”

“Obviously. What do I need to do?”

“Meet the team.”

There is Rhodey, who was Tony’s best friend and sobbed on national television for two weeks until they forgot all about him.

“He’ll cry at anything,” Tony says with a laugh as Rhodey sends him a dirty look. “Just made him think about neon shoes and he bawled like a baby.”

“I did not,” Rhodey hisses. “I was a good crier.”

“You looked like a seal,” Pepper intervenes. “But you played the part quite well. Nice to meet you.”

“Right back at you, Pepper.”

She meets Happy, a man who is all serious and grumpy and “did not want to break the law before forty” but he also gets to watch Downton Abbey whenever he wants, so he’s not doing too bad.

He runs security and also tells Rhodey and Tony when they’re banned from ordering pizza all the time, and Pepper is inducted into the Healthy Eating Committee.

There’s Bruce Banner, who enjoys taking over corporations for fun, and this is his second one. His first was some sort of health insurance scam, and apparently that was just to finish up his thesis for his third doctorate.

“He has seven degrees, he’s weird,” Tony says.

“Oh like you’re any better,” Bruce says with a snort. “You learned twelve languages for fun. Including French, which is useless.”

“French is not useless,” Tony says. “It got us free food in Canada.”

“We would’ve gotten it anyway if we’d done it my way.”

“Stealing?” Rhodey asks.

“Yes!”

Pepper laughs.

Their job is a bit easier than anticipated. They found out from Pepper that getting into the building is stupid easy because no one likes their job and will do anything when bribed.

Tony struts in with a badly-made-employee-ID and talks about a copying machine and coffee and seeing someone next month for dinner. Pepper just keeps her head down and pretends like she’s meeting someone for something. Like usual.

Obadiah Stane is out of the country on a meeting, and his secretary is scared to death of him, so they’re allowed to poke around the office and find some interesting information.

The problem comes when someone recognizes Bruce outside (government watchlists: the most pesky things on earth) and suddenly there’s this huge fuss.

Tony pushes Pepper into an office closet and then promptly asks her if anyone opens the door, if she’s alright with him kissing her.

“Why would you do that?”

“People don’t like watching kissing, too intimate. Also, you have a lovely face and you’re quite funny, and I think it’d be fun and delightful to kiss you.”

“How long have you thought about that?”

“Not going to talk about that, just want an answer. If you say no--and feel free to, there’s no obligation in physical contact right now--it does complicate plans A to D. I suppose we could play the divorced couple route, but I’m not a gigantic fan about that.”

“I mean, I guess? It wouldn’t be bad, and I’m not exactly opposed to it, Would it mean anything later?”

“Do you want it to?”

“Let’s figure that out after we do it.”

“If we need to do it.”

Door swings open.

Oh, there’s a need.

Tony is a particularly nice kisser, Pepper thinks. The thought runs through her head that she’s only kissed two people before Tony, and one was in high school so that doesn’t count, but the other was a secretary at an old company she used to work for.

But Tony is nice. Soft and warm and he grabs her waist and that’s nice.

“Oh my god, sorry,” the employee mutters. “I just, I thought--”

“Occupied!” Tony says, not even stopping as he kicks out his leg and practically stomps the poor other guy in the stomach.

They get out, run, and Pepper laughs as she sees a bit of pink lipstick on the side of Tony’s mouth.

“So, how’d I do?”

“Send me a survey,” Pepper remarks. “Or a ranking.”

“On a scale of one to ten?”

“Seven.”

“I was that bad?”

“How do you rank things? Do you put one as the best?”

“Obviously.”

“No, you’re an idiot. One is always the worst. You’re a nine. It would’ve been higher but we were in a corporate office and in a supply closet.”

“So what you’re saying is, I’ll have to try again?”

“Preferably over a couple glasses of wine and pizza. The good kind, though. Not the garbage Rhodey orders.”

They approach the car that Happy has, with Rhodey and Bruce already leading others on a goose chase.

“You two have too much fun,” Happy mutters. “Boss, you got lipstick on your side. Did you get the drives?”

“Transferred and set to release to every major news outlet tomorrow morning at six a.m.,” Tony says. “Interns are going to curse my name as they’re forced to rewrite articles.”

Pepper smiles.

That night, they have a couple of glasses of wine and Tony orders the good pizza, the kind that costs a little bit too much for what it is, but it’s all worth it in the end.

When Tony takes over the company after about six months of legal battles that would probably have drawn on for well over a decade if not for the fact that Tony is one of the most in-your-face-let’s-talk men she’s ever met, Pepper was kind of expecting things to slow down.

Of course not. That’s not her style nor is it Tony’s, although arguably a vacation or a nice spa day would have been nice beforehand.

“We have shit to do,” Tony says. “Rhodey, you need to help me revamp R&D. Pepper, I need to talk to you in the office.”

They’ve already hired a company to completely redesign the entire building and refocus the company’s outlook, starting with getting rid of the disgusting 1970s carpet and chairs. God, it’s ugly. Pepper cried when she saw the office chairs.

But she’s in Tony’s office, and she’s wondering if this is going to be directly related to workplace relationships or not. She’s already prepared an argument as to why she still wants a relationship and just how much professionalism she can exhibit in the face of hardship.

(That hardship being the fact that Tony looks quite good in suits but also has arms that are made for tank tops.)

“I have a problem with you,” Tony says. “And it’s that I want to make you CEO, but I don’t want people to think that you got it just because we’re dating. So we have an issue to cross.”

Pepper was not expecting this. She was expecting maybe head accountant, or head of the PR team. But CEO? That was something that was...wow. Pepper had had a fifteen year plan for working up from wherever it was that she would be at.

She also didn’t know they were dating.

“We’re dating?”

“Did I read the kiss wrong? Oh shit, was the seven secretly the bad seven?”

“No!” Pepper says. “You just never told me that we were dating, we didn’t have a communicative conversation about it.”

“Oh. Well, would you like to go on dates and things?”

“What’s ‘and things’?”

“You know. Sexy times. But I wanted to be a professional about it. But I am not that professional.”

“No, no you’re not. Which is why you offered me the CEO position and why I am accepting it. But I will also date you...and things.”

“Excellent. Have a dinner tonight while we discuss how to do Microsoft Excel?”

“I already know how to use it.”

“Pepper, you are the only woman for me in this lifetime and the next.”

“And the one after that?”

“I’m assuming you’ll get bored of me and marry someone who’s seven feet tall.”

“Seven feet tall? What, am I going to attend every NBA game for the next husband?”

“Maybe, I don’t know what you’ll do. I’ll probably be halfway into a grave over despair.”

Pepper chuckles, dropping a short kiss onto his temple.

“Well, I hope I don’t have to witness that. You want me to make some salad for tonight then?”

“Yes please! We also need to review the decor and see what chairs to order.”

Pepper nods.

“We need to ask Rhodey, he has opinions about design of those.”

“Of course he does, he hates standing too long. We’ll send him some of our options.”

She waves as she leaves the office.

What Tony misses:

Pepper pumps her fist as she leaves the office, nearly stumbles, and is quite glad that no security cameras were installed that day.

What Pepper misses:

Tony spins so hard in his office chair as a celebration that it topples over.

Yeah, they’re made for each other.

#pepperony #tony stark #pepper potts #love this one #i love writing pepper and i don't do enough of it #i really like it when it's clear that they both love each other #bc with a lot of fics it's like pepper being like 'well i guess :/' or she's cool about it #BUT I WANT PEPPER TO BE A NERD!#rhodey #lovelyirony writes

230 notes · View notes

crispyjenkins · 4 years ago

Note

I LOVED the dooku prompt fill! Soft grandpa dooku and smol obi wan is amazing! Not the original prompter, but I'd love a continuation with Jango involved :)

(lmao it took me like thirty minutes to find both the anon prompt and your new user @0ptim0u5e and was worried i’d have to go into this blind without anyone to tag T*T but we here, and bby Obi is as soft and flirty as ever (part one here)

senior padawan obi definitely looks like this, without the scar, of course. imagine releasing that on phantom menace smh. oh also he uses two ‘sabers just to piss dooku off, based off Dooku’s quote:

"What was to become of elegance and gallantry if a duelist couldn't make do with one blade?" from the jar’kai wookieepedia page)

Despite his best intentions, Yan has raised a flirt.

Despite distilling decorum and civility and restraint into the boy’s very bones, when Obi-Wan grows up confident and self-assured, he grows up with a silver tongue and the follow-through to make it dangerous.

“Your hair is longer than I imagined,” he greets the new Mand’alor, charming smile turned up to ten, and Yan wonders if he even knows he’s doing it.

Fett raises a brow, clearly unimpressed, but luckily not so upset that Yan will have to steer his padawan away from another interplanetary incident. “Imagined me often, have you?”

Feeling far older than his seventy-one years, Yan sighs and sends his ire across the rubble to where Yoda is directing a few padawans in their cleanup efforts, because it is the old troll’s fault that he and Obi-Wan are even on Concord Dawn when they should be at the Temple preparing for Obi-Wan’s trials. But, of course, Master Yoda had requested every available hand to aid the Mandalorians following a terrorist attack on a refugee colony, and even his lineage can’t weasel their way out of it.

Yan watches Obi-Wan’s smile slide into a smirk, and bemoans the few quiet years they’d had together before Obi-Wan realised he could wrap anyone around his little finger if he tilted his head just right.

“Well, it was certainly shorter when I’d seen in it last,” Obi-Wan says easily, arms tucked behind his back in a deception of propriety.

“Padawan,” Yan warns softly to deaf ears.

Fett gives them both a little smile of disbelief, snorting as he moves his helmet to his other hip. “And I never forget a face, kih’jetii, and yours is not one I’ve seen before.”

“No, we’ve not had the pleasure to meet before now,” he laughs and dips into a short bow, “but I’d know your beskar’gam anywhere, Mand’alor.”

“Ah, so the cryptic bantha shit starts young.”

“Please forgive my apprentice,” Yan cuts in with another sigh, not at all appreciating the lack of remorse from Obi-Wan’s side of their bond. “He forgets his place.”

“I have forgotten nothing, master.” Obi-Wan smiles up at him, rocking back on his heels before turning back to Fett. “I only doubted that your honour would believe in Jedi ‘bantha shit’, and refrained from opening the conversation with ‘I’ve had precognitive dreams about the length of your hair, Mand’alor.’”

Maker protect him from the idiocy of youth.

“Thank you for your time, Mand’alor Fett,” Yan says, grabbing Obi-Wan by the back of his robes. “I hope our work together will be as smooth as it has been in the past.”

“Of course, Master Dooku,” Fett says, mouth twisted in an attempt to keep from laughing, which only encourages the smug mirth in Obi-Wan’s mind. “Though I imagine you’ll have your hands full with this one.”

“Most do,” Obi-Wan manages before Yan can drag him away.

“I don’t need protection!”

The baby Jedi blinks at him with a polite smile, so perhaps he really has dealt with worse than an inconvenienced Mandalorian, but Jango also refuses to be coddled by magical space wizards on his home planet. Even if they are currently blockaded in the room that had become his office during the relief effort because Death Watch had heard about all the Jedi foundlings running around the remains of Foxsoll and made a play for a redux of Galidraan.

“Consider it assistance, then,” the baby Jedi —Obi-Wan— says, gently pushing Jango around the nearest corner with a hand on his chest, just as the heavy wooden door explodes into splinters. “I’m afraid my master would be very disappointed in me if I disobeyed his orders to stay at your side.”

Jango growls, but jams his helmet on and tugs Obi-Wan further behind the wall. “And I imagine you always follow your ‘master’s orders’.”

The boy’s smile turns sunny as he slips out of his outer robe and pulls two jetii’kade from his belt. “Imagined me often, then?” he returns cheekily, leant far too close against the background noise of three Death Watch commandos smashing into the room, and Jango catches his eyes flicking down to where his lips would be. Kriff, thank the Maker for his helmet.

“Is now really the time?” A little desperate, Jango grabs him by the shoulder and switches places with him so he can lean around the wall and fire his westar at the closest commando, hitting them right between their chestplate and pauldron.

Obi-Wan hmms, letting himself be handled but twisting the hilts in his hands with practiced ease, something comfortable and dangerous in the action. “I suppose not,” he agrees softly, letting Jango take out one of the commando’s legs before leaping out from behind the wall and igniting both his ‘kad like a kriffing lunatic.

Dooku is going to have his balls on a platter if he lets his padawan get himself killed, so Jango has no choice but to follow.

“You age me more than Qui-Gon ever did,” Master Yan sighs, as Obi-Wan smiles unrepentantly up at him and Jango shoves his helmet back on to hide how dark his cheeks have turned.

Perhaps he should feel bad, that his master had searched him out after the battle only to find him snogging another planetary leader against a wall (which, despite Temple rumour, had only happened once before, and it hadn’t even been a good snog, so did it really count?), but despite this being perhaps the most compromising position Yan has found him in, Obi-Wan finds he couldn’t give a flying kriff.

All those holodramas were right, having a grumpy Mandalorian knock you to the ground to shield you from a grenade is absolutely wizard.

“I don’t think that’s quite fair, master,” Obi-Wan says easily, stepping back so he isn’t crowding Jango against the remains of his office wall. “Surely this isn’t as bad as Qui-Gon trying to sneak Flesh-Eating Scorpion Vines into the Temple.

“No, but perhaps it is as bad as Melida/Daan.” With another sigh, Yan hands him the robe he had abandoned in the other room, and tsks as he takes in the minor shrapnel cuts on Obi-Wan’s cheeks, the way the blood is smeared from eager fingers. “I respectfully ask you don’t involve yourself in another system-wide uprising.”

Obi-Wan feels Jango’s bemused surprise through the Force, and coughs in embarrassment. “Master, that’s hardly... I didn’t start the uprising of the Young.”

“Hm,” Yan raises a brow, completely ignoring the Mand’alor to turn Obi-Wan’s hood right-side out. “I’ll attempt to remember that the next time I must rescue you from the Daan’s latest kidnapping attempt.”

And despite Temple rumour, that had only happened thrice, but one more time and Nield is offering him a punch card.

Mando’a: mand’alor — “Sole ruler”, contended ruler of Mandalore. kih’jetii — “Little Jedi”, usually offensive but the relationship between Mandalorians and Jedi are better in this ‘verse so beskar’gam — Armour made of beskar, “Mandalorian Iron” that was actually probably a steel alloy jetii’kad/e — lightsaber/s, lit. “jedi saber/s”

#jango is himbo for one (1) man #demi obi still flirts with everybody with a pulse #prompt fill #fanfiction #jangobi #jango fett/obi-wan kenobi #au #dooku's padawan au #ask #crispy writes #prequel trilogy #pre-star wars: phantom menace #prompt #ask box is always open!#obi wan kenobi #yan dooku #jango fett #0ptim0u5e #anon

274 notes · View notes

dukeofonions · 5 years ago

Text

Reaction Redux (I know it doesn’t make sense but it sounds cool)

Alright, here is my initial reaction to Putting Others First: Selfishness vs Selflessness Redux.

It’s finally here, I’ve watched it a total of two times and currently have it on in the background as I type this, and I have a lot of feelings. All of which would be too much for one post, so after I do this I’ll be making a few separate posts addressing certain points I’d like to expand on further.

So what I’m going to do is have the video playing as I write this out, that way I don’t miss out anything I wanted to discuss. Basically it’s not gonna be a full on analysis, just a lot of random ramblings with what I hope are some insightful gems sprinkled throughout. Consider these my notes for all my future serious analysis posts.

Good? Great. Let’s go. (Also spoilers under the cut)

So, how did I feel as I watched the video for the first time? Well considering I got the notification for the video while I was still at work, I couldn’t get as excited as I wanted to be about it because I didn’t get off until 8pm and had to deal with one too many dunderheads so I was pretty grumpy once I got off.

However, as soon as I got home and retreated to the safety of my isolation fortress (aka my bedroom) I was finally able to get excited as I got on my laptop and pulled up the video and let me just say I was a mess the entire time. I missed my boys!!! I knew they wouldn’t all be present, but I still missed my boys!!! And I loved seeing them again!!!

First things first, that song at the beginning! I think it’s called Review Redux (correct me if I’m wrong) it’s such a freaking bop and I wish it was longer because I could listen to it all day. I loved the artwork and little details that went into their characters, and how each of the circles represented who was singing/talking by their colors. Fun stuff and a great way to recap everything! As well as foreshadow things to come within the episode… “If our goals aligned with his what would that say?” Roman you’re in for a rude awakening bud…

Also, the little moment near the beginning where Patton is about to shut Thomas’ negative thinking down, but stops himself and allows Thomas to explain why he feels that way. Showing that he’s learned to ease up just a little since he learned to do so in Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts. Good for you Patton.

Speaking of Patton, oh he is so confused. I understand where he’s coming from, and honestly everything he said are things I have been taught growing up, and this is something I’ll address in another post because I have a lot of things to say about it. But just know that I adore the development Patton has been going through and watching him grow and mature.

Oh yes, I must mention I was pleasantly surprised to see Logan. I didn’t think he’d show up in this episode, or at the very least have a brief appearance, but I love how he took part and by far the funniest part in this episode (to me) is when he had so much to say in one little post that it popped up and hit Patton in the nose. It was one of the few moments where I laughed out loud and I rewound it a few times on my first viewing.

Plus Thomas being more concerned about the blinds than Patton. My type of humor. And Roman actually gets to use his sword for once, good for him!

(Funny enough as I typed this the video got to that part at the exact same time so I got a nice little laugh again)

Which brings up my next point: Logan getting yoinked after Patton skips his dialogue. No one talks about how he does his little impression of that philosopher, am I the only one who found that utterly adorable?

Let Logan geek out over philosophers please. He clearly loves it so much.

Then we get to Roman believing he’s the one responsible for everything, wanting to give up the driver’s seat to Patton. And just… This exchange of dialogue:

Thomas: “Roman, I only mean well when I say…” Thomas: “That that is the stupidest thing you have ever said.” Roman: “Oh Thomas, you’re just blowing smoke.”

I don’t know why I enjoy this so much but I do. Give me more of this. I crave it now.

And I just need to make a whole post about Patton in this video, there is so much to unpack with him alone.

Looking back and noticing that Thomas only starts listening to Logan after he’s been replaced by Deceit kinda hurts.

Speaking of which, can we appreciate how much better Deceit has gotten at impersonating Logan? Looks like he took Roman’s advice and focused on the little things. Good for him.

Alright, one of my absolute favorite parts from this episode and where things really start to shine: Patton freaks out and turns into a giant frog because he’s so desperate to have an answer for them he flips and honestly, sounds a little crazy. Which, I don’t know why but I find it both menacing and hilarious at the same time?

Also the fact he turns into a frog because he was talking about Frogger earlier, nice touch! (And Lilypadton that’s so cute)

Then we get probably the single greatest character entrance in the history of character entrances. We find out that Deceit finally reveals himself and steps in to stand up to Patton and get him to see how his actions have been having a negative effect on Thomas.

The way his voice changes from Logan’s to his own, his music kicking in, “The Lord of the Lies” oh my gosh it’s all just perfect! Also Roman’s “Reptilian Rapscallion! Reptilian Rapscallion! We’ve got a code yellow!”

And if I may: Roman: “What have you done with Logan?!” Deceit: “Nothing at all and I resent the question.”

WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM YOU SNEK?!

(in all honest probably nothing but what if)

Important to note here that Roman instantly begins defending Patton from Deceit as soon as he accuses him of misleading Thomas. This goes to show just how much Roman views him as a villain. Or in other words: Patton, good. Deceit, bad. A viewpoint he continues to hold onto until the end of the episode, which also deserves it’s entire post because we all know how much turbulence that caused within the fandom.

And to the observant eye, you’ll notice that the cane (or staff) Deceit uses is the same one that dragged Logan off screen.

Frog puns. That is all.

I just, I love Deceit’s dialogue throughout this scene. It’s stuff I need to hear and tell myself on a regular basis. And I’d honestly rewatch this part (along with the rest of what Deceit and Logan say later on in the video) because it’s all something I need to also teach myself. But this ain’t meant to be a personal post so I’ll just move on.

Deceit’s walk towards the camera. I don’t know why. It’s so smooth. He’s amazing. I love him. Snek…

I have problems don’t @ me.

Also no one is mentioning the reference to that one “Turn based rpg” short that Thomas made with his friends and I find that sad because it’s a neat and fitting reference given the theme of this video. Also earlier on when the trolley problem is first brought up all the people on the bottom track are Thomas’ friends. Another neat little detail, though sadly, their digital selves perished.

PETER SINGER

Logan doesn’t seem to like Deceit much, not outright hate him or anything, but it’s more like he just tolerates him but doesn’t seek to get on good terms with him. Which is a shame because as both parts of SVS have proven, these two have the capacity to work together. Which is why I hope Logan gets a debate episode with him as well because out of all the Sides, these two have interacted the least and that needs to be remedied (especially when they’re my two favorites)

Deceit is trying to make Roman understand, but he’s so caught up in this black and white thinking that he disregards everything Deceit says! Why? Because the last time he tried to hear Deceit out he was reprimanded. (In other words, I relate to Roman so much in this that it hits a little too close to home and I’m definitely making a separate post about this.

Deceit: *confused* Trees? And I’m so glad I found out I’m not the only dunce who thought Deceit’s name was going to be written on his hand…

But seriously this whole moment, with the buildup, Deceit’s reluctance to share his name, the music, I’d put it up there with Virgil’s “I was one of them” for best Sanders Sides scenes.

Also, Deceit’s name is Janus! I was a little iffy about it at first, but since I didn’t ever really have a prediction for his name, I wasn’t disappointed and the name is growing on me.

And then, the moment of trust is immediately ruined by Roman laughing. Dude, come on. (again though, post for another time because I understand where Roman is coming from here)

In all seriousness though I just love the last bits of this episode. The emotion, the angst, it doesn’t hold back and I appreciate the team taking things a step further than normal. Usually, moments like this are followed up by a joke to play it off, but they don’t do that after Roman sinks out. They stay in the moment until it’s had time to sink in. I wish the episode had ended a little more somberly, but I think this is a good step in the right direction. Showing that there won’t always be a 100% happy conclusion to things. Sometimes you need to take time in between to figure things out.

This line: “Do you think there’s a limit to how many times someone can say sorry before you have to admit that they’re just bad for you?” This line is so important to me within the context of the episode and outside of it. I won’t get too personal but I will say that I was raised to believe that if a person wronged me in any way, that if they said sorry, I had to forgive them. Even if they did the same thing over and over and over again. As long as they apologize, you have to forgive them and move on. And that has messed me up in so many different ways, especially when those people are family.

Janus sums it up best with “It depends” because yes, some people make the same mistakes again and again. But there’s a difference between someone trying to change and accidentally falling back on old habits, and someone taking advantage of your “forgiveness” that they continue to do those hurtful things because they know they can get away with it and not have to change.

Also, while it’s totally fine for people to dislike Patton, I can’t understand how anyone could watch this episode and claim that he’s still the same as he was at the beginning of SVS Part One because he has changed. He has finally realized just how much he’s been hurting Thomas, and even Roman. He sinks out at the end to apologize to him, he recognizes his faults, and he’s seeking to make amends. He wants to do the right thing here, and keep in mind that recently a lot of his views (which are also Thomas’ views) have been flipped on their heads and they both need to rethink some things. It’s part of growing up and becoming your own person.

I need to make a whole post about the more personal things that I got from the last three episodes (excluding Asides) because there’s just so many important things these episodes teach and I feel the need to address them.

Also everyone sleeping on the fact that Leslie Odom Jr. just casually makes an appearance and attempts to start a pilot episode for his own series “Odom Sides” which I wish him luck on. He just wants to be in the room where it happens.

Everything Patton did was for Thomas, so he wouldn’t be left in the dark again. He promised to keep fighting but ultimately, ended up fighting himself. Am I deep yet?

“Those imperfections don’t make you any less worthy of love” can you tell how much this episode means to me yet?

Janus’ “I’ll take care of him.” Ack, he just cares so much… My gosh… Where did this character come from and what did he do with the slimy boi? (I mean that in two different ways)

Oh, there he is. That’s my boi.

“There are smarter ways to get people to do what you want anyway.” “There are much less barbaric, much more fun, forms of sabotage.”

Parallels? Maybe? What the heck I love Janus whether he’s encouraging Thomas to look after his mental health or plot his schemes in the shadows. Do I trust Janus? Oh heck no, of course not. There is something suspicious going on here and I both love it and hate it. More on that in a different post though.

“You’re not stuck with an evil snake boi. You’re just stuck with a snek boi.”

Yes Thomas, continue to overthink every little issue until it results in a mental breakdown. Hm, sounds like what someone with anxiety does… I suppose that’s why this series exists.

Okay call me a bad person but I almost always space out during Thomas’ messages to the viewers at the end of the videos. I don’t know why but I cannot focus on them to save my life and usually end up skipping past them to get to the end card. I dunno, maybe because it takes me out of the moment? Especially during episodes where they don't’ address the audience at all and then suddenly “Oh yeah! This is a Youtube series lol” it just feels out of place in more story driven episodes like this one.

Okay am I the only one that’s kinda creeped out by Lee and Mary Lee? I dunno they just seem, off. Like if they were characters in a horror movie they’d be that overly nice couple that turn out to be the killers. Those are the vibes they give me. Maybe it’s because I have zero people skills due to being homeschooled all my life and the only social interaction I get is with coworkers so I dunno. They still creep me out. They creep me out more than Remus. And he legit freaked me out for a bit before he stole my heart. (I suppose this means I need to make a separate post about these two because I do have some opinions about whether or not it was a good idea to actually include them at the end. When I said I had too many thoughts about this episode I meant it)

And if the end card is any indication, I’m going to assume that the Sides are invisible to everyone except Thomas. Unless they’re just “observing” and not even Thomas can see them at this point, given he shows no indication of seeing or hearing them there. Maybe they get to choose when they’re visible? Or Thomas does? I dunno, the rules of this universe have never been clearly stated and are inconsistent.

I didn’t expect Patton to be the first to accept Janus, and I’m kinda glad I was proven wrong. It does seem fitting with Patton’s growth and I liked their little moment at the end.

And that wraps up my commentary. I hope you found something in this mess of, things. I plan to go more in depth with my separate posts which I’m going to have fun writing, so be on the lookout for those!

Also at the time of writing this I now have 63 followers?! Thank y’all so much! I never thought this blog would get this far and I’m so glad it did because I’m having a lot of fun with it and hope to bring out more content regularly! Again, thank you!!

#sanders sides #ts spoilers #sanders sides spoilers

38 notes · View notes

bonniebennettkingdom · 6 years ago

Text

Our favorite fics published in 2018

I. Story: i don't want a bride, i just want bone marrow by thefudge is grumpy

Kai Parker is the school pariah, the number one freak everyone avoids. But Bonnie Bennett is new. AU.

II. Story: The Reset by StudioEden

Bonkai AU: PART ONE of "The Reset" series. "No matter what I do, I still can't seem to escape that hell..." Set around the events of 6x17. Some part of the 1994 Prison World still clings to Kai after he left. A part of him that he never really took stock in. A part of him that he'd taken advantage of. A part of him that is now his curse.

III. Story: The Gamble BY StudioEden

PART TWO of "The Reset" series. It's been two years since Bonnie left her life behind back in Mystic Falls, attempting to start fresh in Portland. Things with Kai couldn't be better. But she's in Gemini territory now and with that comes a whole new set of problems. Bonnie and Kai's relationship is truly put to the test.

IV. Story: one way or another by Florence930

From the age of ten, Kai knew Bonnie was the one for him. She's his soul mate and they're meant to be together...whether she knows that or not.

V. Story: see that my grave is kept clean by donutworry

Prohibition. Jazz. Money. These are things Malachai "Mally" Parker focuses on now that he's home from the war. These things keep him sane and safe, like smoking his cigarettes and taking care of rival gang members. Kai doesn't count on Bonnie Bennett, a lass he can't help but fixate on, to come through and reorient all that. 3 parts

VI.Story: the purge by Make A Shadow

When Malachai Parker walks into the office building of Gemini Corp in Portland, Oregon, his nose is glued to his phone and he barely notices the woman in the elevator. He wouldn't immediately recognize her and even if he did, he has more pressing concerns. It's the morning of March 21 and the start of the Purge is less than twelve hours away.

VII. Story: it's the insanity eating up the man in me by donutworry

Wanna hear a joke? A hero and a villain fall in love. That's it. That's the joke.

VIII. Story: Mystic Falls Redux by nekilarose

Bonnie dies in her sleep one night. The Bennett line comes together to give her a chance at a normal life...in a parallel universe.

IX. Story: Chaos by fireismyelement97

Bonnie Bennett is a sixteen year old high school student. Half-mortal and half-witch she has to choose between joining the dark coven and leading a mortal life. To make matters more complicated the dark lord is courting her and she wants nothing to do with him. CAOS inspired.

X. Story: Heart Heart Head by Make A Shadow

Sequel to After You. AU: A year after leaving Texas, Bonnie starts over in a new city with old baggage. For tumblr's BKMay10th event

XI. Story: Marked by kingcobrakai1972

(Redemptive Bonkai/S6 AU) After rescuing Lily Salvatore from the 1903 Prison World, Kai finds himself crashing in the Salvatore Boarding House until an unexpected road-trip with Bonnie Bennett to Portland, Oregon.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12802823

#bonnie bennett #the vampire diaries #bonkai #kai parker #fanfiction #bonnie x kai

79 notes · View notes

theleadbull · 3 years ago

Text

I posted 1,176 times in 2021

8 posts created (1%)

1168 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 146.0 posts.

I added 500 tags in 2021

#video - 142 posts

#lotr - 65 posts

#me - 64 posts

#cats - 58 posts

#art - 33 posts

#ffvii - 32 posts

#nbc hannibal - 27 posts

#nct - 27 posts

#fmab - 27 posts

#bts - 25 posts

Longest Tag: 129 characters

#i was so grumpy because i learned boolean operators in jr high and had been excluding things and narrowing searches all by myself

My Top Posts in 2021

sorry yall i’m rereading lord of the rings rn and it’s maudlin tolkienverse hours until further notice

3 notes • Posted 2021-03-17 04:19:12 GMT

someone invite me to a ffvii Fandom Old discord server so i have somewhere to put all my zangeal feelings

4 notes • Posted 2021-08-29 22:37:02 GMT

this incomplete chart of how authors typecast boygroup idols came to me in a dream, so here it is for your perusal and enjoyment

the 4th category is “dances” but i literally just woke up and my brain is melting

10 notes • Posted 2021-04-03 20:48:25 GMT

tumblr_video

14 notes • Posted 2021-03-08 04:09:07 GMT

you have a masters degree in latin, a DEAD LANGUAGE because of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE FRERARD FANFICTION UNHOLYVERSE BY BEXLESS?

okay so i was really hoping someone would ask about this because it’s a gaud-level anecdote. literally my entire career is because of unholyverse.

tiny 17yo me was in college with literally no idea what i wanted to do in life beyond “teach” but with consistent internet access for the first time (another long story) and finally FINALLY able to use the fabled music streaming services i’d only dreamt of as a wee child. and one thing led to another and i’m deep in a redux of my emo phase, running a bandom blog, and writing and reading mcr fanfiction that is thankfully lost to the void of orphan_account on ao3.

it is from this time period that my career has its origins.

you see, i went to an honors college (of course i did) and it had a hefty 4-consecutive-semester foreign language requirement. any number of languages were offered, but i’m from texas and was a cool slacker my first year before the Frerard Time, so i was planning to take spanish for the easy A+ and just forget about it.

and then i read unholyverse.

another thing you should know about me: i am a huge lore nerd. i have a brain like a magpie that hoards shiny things, and any kind of origin story or mythos just ends up on display in its little autistic brain nest.

so i, raised an atheist, read unholyverse and become absolutely fixated on catholicism. like. obsessed with catholicism. in true high-functioning asd fashion, this blossoms into me taking class after class on ancient and medieval religion. i’m in a roster of classes on medieval islamic and christian philosophy, ancient greek philosophy, the history of christianity in russia, you name it.

but oh, that pesky language requirement.

to properly Study the things i’m studying, you need to know a laundry list of dead languages including but not limited to ancient greek, classical latin, and sanskrit.

so my ass signs up for ancient greek. oh, it’s to meet the language requirement.

but i could. i could do a minor in ancient languages. i could do that.

so i sign up for latin.

at this point i’m 19 years old taking 24 hours of classes. 12 of them are unholyverse, 2 are electives, and the other 10 are core requirements.

i graduate summa with a minor in medieval philosophy, a minor in ancient languages, and having successfully defended my literal thesis on early christian heresy, for which i spent several months of my life slogging through ancient greek, latin, and tolkien (blessedly in english).

i go on to graduate school in classics, where i say “fuck greek” because i’ve decided i want to teach latin, and all the cool courses on church fathers and paleography and whatnot are taught in latin anyway.

i graduate that with a 4.0 and a certification to teach. i am immediately headhunted by schools, including the one i teach at now.

and that is how unholyverse is responsible for my career.

53 notes • Posted 2021-02-16 11:15:27 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #me

1 note · View note

culturalgutter · 6 years ago

Text

Jet ‘s Chang Mo-Kei’s kung fu has been struck by the Jinx Palm, blocking his chi, destroying his ability to perform kung fu and causing him to need constant infusions of chi from Taoist priest Chang San-Fung (Sammo Hung). But Chang can only be cured by a massive infusion of yang energy, which he receives after falling off a cliff and meets a hermit chained to a bolder who teaches him the Great Solar Stance to get back at the hermit’s own enemies. Afterwards, Chang is super-skilled and learns kung fu with the ease of Jet Li. Then things get crazy with everybody flying and chi all over the place, a Mongol princess, the King of Green Bat, all the martial arts schools fighting each other, hundreds of people running around with flags, the not-evil Evil Cult, Hermit Chained to a Boulder Fist. And then, as it gets to the big end fight, it just stops, teasing a sequel that was never made. And I was filled with wonder.

Wong Jing’s Kung Fu Cult Master (1993) is the first time I know that I watched something adapted from a Louis Cha story. It is based on the third novel in Cha’s Condor Trilogy, Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. I probably saw it at the old Golden Classics Cinema in Toronto. It was when I was watching all the Jet Li movies. This one was memorable and, having no familiarity with the source material, I found it difficult to follow. That didn’t stop me from pretending later I had been struck by a Jinx Palm. (What do you expect me to do when you give me charcoal powder toothpaste, people?). I was filled with wonder.

Since then I have made sense of what I saw through translated comics adaptations, in particular Ma Wing-Shing’s Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (Comic One, 2002), the novel Kung Fu Cult Master adapts. It seems fitting that I would first read Louis Cha via the comics of Ma Shing-Wing and Tony Wong’s The Legendary Couple (ComicOne, 2002), an adaptation of Cha’s Return of the Condor Heroes. It parallels how I first encountered him in a way that I remember in Kung Fu Cult Master, rather than Chor Yuen’s elegant Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (1978) or Wong Kar-Wai’s deconstruction and sorta prequel, Ashes of Time (Redux or not) (1993; 2008).

Behold this wonder! Gold Lion and Green Bat in Kung Fu Cult Master

Slightly more elegant Green Bat in Chor Yuen’s 1978 Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre

The comics and the 1983 television adaptations allowed me to become familiar with Cha and these stories. They allowed me start to understand stories that assumed familiarity with the story, whether Kung Fu Cult Master, Ashes of Time, or Jeffrey Lau’s Lunar New Year parody of The Legend of Condor Heroes, The Eagle Shooting Heroes (1993), shot with the same cast and at the same time as Ashes of Time. Please note Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in each film.

As the Blind Swordsmani in Ashes of Time

Suffering from a painful allergic reaction as Duan Zhixing in Eagle Shooting Heroes

In the early 1990s, Louis Cha was what Ip Man movies are now.

I watched some of the 2000s and 2010s tv adaptations in non-subtitled form, but by then I could understand who and what I was seeing. In fact, I was pleased when I could actually get the joke that the landlord and landlady in Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle (2006) were the ill-fated lovers of Return of the Condor Heroes, Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü played by Andy Lau and Idy Chan in the 1983 tv adaptation I borrowed from a good friend and have since gotten for myself.

Andy Lau as Yang Guo and Idy Chan as Xiaolongnu in 1983

Carman Lee as Xiaolongnu, Lois Koo as Yang Guo and giant condor friend in 1995.

Yuen Qiu as Xiaolongnu and Yuen Wah as Yang Guo in Kung Fu Hustle. Ha, I get the joke now! I can laugh!

And it helped a lot watching those shows when I read Tony Wong’s Legendary Couple, because the translations of the names were so different, but I recognized a disreputable Taoist when I saw him.* Sometimes the Wudang Clan is something to mess with.

Cha’s most adapted–and possibly referenced–books are the Condor Trilogy: Legend of Condor Heroes; Return of the Condor Heroes; and, Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. They are sequels, but follow family and kung fu school lines more than the adventures of any one protagonist through three novels. And luckily for us, McLehose Press is planning on translated the whole trilogy into English. The first volume, Legends of the Condor Heroes: A Hero Born, translanted by Anna Holmwood, is now available. No English speakers will ever need to struggle like I did again. The kung fu fantasy works of Louis Cha will be available to us all–or at least some of them.

Dr. Louis Cha Leung-yung was born in 1924 in Haining, Jiaxing, China and lives in Hong Kong. That’s right, Cha is still going at 94. He has worked as an editor editor and journalist, but it was his wuxia novels, written between 1955 and 1972 under the pseudonym “Jin Yong,” (Kam Yung in Cantonese) that brought him a tremendous success. According to Holmwood, “sales of his books worldwide stand at 300 million, and if bootleg copies are taken into consideration, that figure rises to a staggering one billion.”

Cha got his start as a copy editor in 1947 at Shanghai’s Ta Kung Po newspaper. He became deputy editor of Hong Kong’s Hsin Wan Po. He left journalism briefly to work as as screenwriter for Great Wall Movie Enterprises, Ltd. In 1959, Cha co-founded Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper. And it was primarily Ming Pao that serialized his fifteen wuxia stories. His first was The Romance Of The Book And The Sword (1955). His last was Sword of the Yue Maiden. He retired from writing fiction in 1972 and he’s been updating and revising the work ever since. There was a time in the 1970s when his books were simultaneously banned in both the Mainland–because it was seen as satirizing and criticizing the Chinese government–and in Taiwan–because it was seen as somehow pro-Communist, anti-Kuomintang and critical of Taiwan’s one-party rule.In 1995, he retired from his position as editor-in-chief of Ming Pao. Cha has been active in Hong Kong politics, helping draft the Hong Kong Basic Law and then working on the Preparatory Committee in advance of the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. And he’s spent much of the new millennium pursuing higher education. He studied at St. John’s College in Cambridge, receiving a doctorate in Chinese history in 2010. And the South China Morning Post reports that Cha (might have) received another doctorate, this one in Chinese literature from Peking University in 2013. Of course, this doesn’t even begin to cover his probable knowledge of martial arts like the Nine Yin Manual and 18 Dragon Palm. One assumes Dr. Cha is cultured in all things.

Dr. Louis Cha via the South China Morning Post

Whenever I think of Louis Cha, I think of Tony Leung Chiu-wai in Wong Kar-Wai’s In The Mood For Love (2000). Sure, there is lovely music and melancholy love with the sartorially unstoppable Maggie Cheung, but it is easy to overlook that not only is Tony Leung a writer, he is a writer of wuxia novels. I’m not saying that Wong made a movie about Louis Cha’s love life, which I hope is less depressing, but I think Cha and writers like Gu Long and Wang Dulu were in the background. Especially after Ashes Of Time. And Ashes of Time is a lot easier to follow if you realize it is a deconstruction of the Condor Trilogy. It relies on the same kind of familiarity that Peter Greenaway relies on people having with The Tempest in watching Prospero’s Books (1991). I love that the touchstones for both extremely artsy-fartsy directors are different. I love that Wong works with a serialized wuxia writer. It would be like Greenaway deconstructing Tolkien or Robert E. Howard**—but all wrapped up together. The high and low brow have a common enemy. God save us from the middle brow.

And Cha is being compared to Tolkien and George R. R. Martin in many of the reviews of A Hero Born. In fact, right on the cover a blurb from the Irish Times reads, “A Chinese Lord of the Rings.” And I get it. It’s short hand. People need some kind of reference before they’ll pick up the book. That’s fine. There will be plenty of time for pedantry later. Once people have read the book and become Cha fans, they can start arguing on the internet, “Hey, Louis Cha is a much more prolific author than Tolkien ever was with a more profound influence on Chinese language literature and readers.”

I would probably make those comparisons myself if my first encounter with Cha’s characters and stories hadn’t been Kung Fu Cult Master. Then again, Kung Fu Cult Master is the first half of a projected two-art adaptation but, like Ralph Bakshi’s animated Lord of the Rings, there was never a part two. So. Yeah. It’s just that I don’t know what other comparison to make.

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Anna Holmwood describes Legends of the Condor Heroes: A Hero Born as “China’s Walter Scott mixed with The Lord of the Rings fantasy things. That’s exactly what it is.” For their part, the SCMP copy editor chose a title comparing the trilogy with George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice And Fire. A Hero Born is wuxia at its best. It’s 1205 CE and the Jin are encroaching on the Song Empire. The emperor is unworthy and the people are oppressed. Itinerant heroes try to make things right. Two of them, Skyfury Guo and Ironheart Yang encounter a grumpy Taoist priest Chu Qiuji*** who, while heroic, is a jerk. He avidly demonstrates why the Wu Tang Clan is nothing to mess with. Guo and Yang become involved in a fight with soldiers and must flee. Their children, Guo Jing and Yang Kang grow up on different sides of the conflict. Plus, there’s Genghis Khan! And a secret beggar sect! And one of my favorite characters keeps his wife’s body in a frozen cave! I wish I could do better, but I’ll just suggest you read the book, read the comics, watch the tv shows and movies.

Oh, yeah, and there’s plenty of fantastic kung fu move and school names and action. Comics, while also working in a static medium, don’t face the same kinds of challenges a novel does in depicting action. Comics creator Ma Wing-Shing in particular captures the force of the martial arts masters moves. I am particularly fond of his chi lines. But Holmwood has some interesting thoughts on translating the names of the various stances, fists and swords as well as conveying the choreography of a fight sans images.

“The name [of these moves] is very evocative and it’s part of the creating of the world, but what really matters to readers is can they follow who is doing what, what the actions are, who is hitting whom, and how they are hitting them,” she said. “When you are translating, you have to read on such a careful and deep level. You are constantly asking yourself: is the hand going there? Is it going up or down? How is this move working? That’s the most challenging part – is to be able to express what the actions are in a way that is going to be vivid on the page and people can clearly understand and follow what’s happening.”

“You can shorten sentences to make the action move, and use some short punchy verbs that make the actions very fast,” she said. “When you want to draw attention to the moment for dramatic effect, you add more details, slow it down, and make the sentence a big longer.”

And I have to say it works. Right from the start of A Hero Born, I easily imagine Chu Qiuji’s unnecessarily brutal fights with the heroes he mistakes for scoundrels. Does it help that I’ve read Ma Wing-Shing, Tony Wong and seen film and television adaptations of Cha’s stories? Maybe. But Holmwood does a good job of taking readers into the martial world. I can’t wait for the next translated volume of Legend of Condor Heroes finally presented if not in its original serial format, something close. McLehose is planning three more volumes of Legend of Condor Heroes before starting on Return of the Condor Heroes–making this a burly “trilogy.”

Ma Wing-Shing demonstrates how to draw punching.

I wrote more about Ma Wing-Shing and his adaptation of Hero here.

*This Taoist is no Chang San-Fung / Zhang Sanfang.

***Or finally making my long hoped for film, Peter Greenaway’s Batman and Robin.

*There is one disreputable Taoist and then there is Chu Qiuji, who is extremely reputable, but incredibly judgmental and harsh. I am afraid to think of what Chu Qiuji might be without Taoism.

~~~

Cured of the Jinx Palm, Carol Borden has retired to Peach Blossom Island to study Nine Yin White Bone Claw.

The Many Forms of Louis Cha’s Condor Heroes Jet 's Chang Mo-Kei's kung fu has been struck by the Jinx Palm, blocking his chi, destroying his ability to perform kung fu and causing him to need constant infusions of chi from Taoist priest…

1 note · View note

nctinkverse · 10 months ago

Text

Promissa Redux - Chapter 3

Synopsis: A life-altering phone call from Jaehyun prompts reflection on your personal life and career choices. Despite initial confusion and concern, he surprises you with a movie script offer. Memories intertwine with present decisions, revealing a longing for closeness. Accepting the script becomes a opportunity to have your best fried back, you miss the banter and tender moments you had with him more than you thought you did.

Warnings: minors do not interact!, for this chapter we've got a little angst, smut and crude words.

Pairing: jaehyun x f. reader

Word count: 1.760

Autor note: This chapter takes us back to Jaehyun call we saw in the preview of Promissa Redux, some parts are a little more detailed and at the end, there's a flashback were we get a glimpse of what their relationship as a married couple looked like. Sorry for taking so much time to update and enjoy!

Unauthorized copying or translation of this work is strictly prohibited.

-------- Preview with all the warnings and Chapter 2 -------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3 - One call away is not close enough

A call two years later changed everything.

Your career…

Your personal life as well.

You were fast asleep when the phone rang. Jaehyun’s name on the screen made you alert, is he alright? Did something happen?

Laying your back on the headboard you answered the call.

“Hi” he said using a normal tone. That made you a little less worried.

“Jaehyun, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no… I’m sorry… I didn’t check the time difference. I should have called another-

“Jae…spill, what’s the gossip, huh?”

He let out a little laugh since the gossip thing that a old joke between you two.

“No gossip, but I do have something.”

“Clearly, it’s something good or you wouldn’t be calling on impulse, spill, Jaehyun.”

“Yeah right…” He hesitated a bit coughing a bit, his telltale sign that he was nervous.

“I got sent this script for a movie, they want me as the main character…” He hesitated again which made you ask.

“Jeong Jaehyun, what did you do?”

“I sent a copy of the script to your mailbox.”

You could feel your sleepiness vanishing as you started to scold him.

“Jaehyun, are you nuts? You can’t ship stuff like this in the mail! What if gets – “

"It got delivered today." He interrupted, making you stop your thinking.

Scrambling for a thought since he didn’t elaborate, you asked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with it?! I’m not a male actor, Jung."

"Read, dummy, read."

"And do what?"

"Tell me if you want it."

You opened your mouth to be obnoxious, pointing out the obvious, but Jaehyun must have listened to your 'I’m about to give you an earful' breath and went first.

But from all he said, this part really got you confused.

"What do you mean it’s mine?"

"I showed the director your profile and portfolio, and he said yes."

"Fuck, Jaehyun." You didn’t know what to say since he was never one to interfere in your personal life since the D word.

"You’re sleepy, and I know how grumpy you can be at this hour, so… I still must tell you two more things, the job is in the states, probably 3-4 months of filming, and I am supposed to give an answer on the male character in 48 hours. We would have to work together, and we would probably have to strike a deal with my parents since we can’t pull Junnie out of school, so…"

You understood what he said, but you needed at least a cup of coffee to process it. But before you could say anything, he went off again.

"I can give it up if you want." He said almost like a whisper.

"Give what up?"

"The character."

"You didn’t like it?"

"No, but –

You interrupted again.

"So, if you do like it, why would you give it up?" It made no sense to you.

"For you –"

It still didn’t make sense why he would give it up.

"Give it up for ME?"

"I like it, Y/N, but this script has you written all over it… and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by being there."

Now you got him, yet he was about the last person in this world who could make you uncomfortable.

"Yuno…" You said in a softer tone.

You heard his breath and a soft "yeah?"

"I don’t hate you." You stated in your most soft yet firm tone, it was one of the things he must not forget about you two.

"I know, Y/N, I know."

"I am going to read it and think about what you said, ok? Don’t do anything hasty."

"Ok, I will let you go back to sleep."

"I’m not sleeping after all this, you know right?" You said, letting out a small huff.

"I know."

"What I am about to do is getting up, making some coffee and grabbing the script out of my mailbox, does it sound good to you?" You were being just a bit playful.

"It does, love."

That word made you warm like butter melting on a frying pan. Still, that wasn’t something out of the ordinary for him to call you. So, you let it slide.

"Well, for sure it’s better than staying in bed tossing and turning."

He let out a small giggle, he knew you were one of those to fight a lot with your bed at night.

"Good morning, love."

"Good afternoon to you?" You didn’t know what time zone he was on, so you tried.

"Try again." He said with a smiling voice.

"Good night!" You said like you had guessed the lottery numbers.

He let out a giggle sound and said, "Give little Nari 1000 kisses from me, will you?”

"Why just a thousand?" You said with a little pout as if he could see.

You could hear his playful tone in reply.

"Don’t you know our daughter? She might ask for in real life a thousand kisses; since you are the closest parent, you might fall victim to it, so I think that’s a great number for kisses."

You both giggled, Jung Nari, the lily to our garden, was at that phase where hyperbole would be a tough concept for her to grasp.

"Ok, fine." You agreed still giggling.

"I will call… stay safe."

"You too, Jaehyun."

With that you decided to get up put some warm clothes, while the coffee maker did her job, you went downstairs to get the script from your mailbox.

When the coffee was ready you got back to your room and pulled the curtains up letting a little of the city lights get into your room. Turning on your lamp you seated yourself on your favorite chair.

The script was big, over 200 pages, there was no way you would finish it before Nari would wake up, but when you reached page 50 you decided it was okay to close it.

Jaehyun was right, it was exactly the type of script you wanted to work with. You were deeply touched he even remembered you talking about it…

-----

“I believe in you.”

“You do?” You asked raising your head from Jaehyun’s chest so you could look at his eyes. “I don’t think I can do it, I think it’s too late”.

He was already shaking his head even before you could finish.

“It’s not late, if you want to change careers you know what to do, I don’t doubt for a second, you’ll get there.”

You were deeply touched by his words. It’s not like you thought he wouldn’t be supportive, you just never imagined needing to hear his genuine tone, the way he looked into your eyes ensuring you could perceive every feeling he conveyed.

Raising your head a little, you gave him a kiss. It was a sweet ‘thank you’ one.

When you disconnected and snuggled even more close to him on the couch, using your leg over his hips to feel every part of you against his comfortable warm body.

“So, I’m curious, if you could pick a type of movie to work on, what it would be like?”

“An 80’s movie for sure.”

“Why baby?”

“Well, you know they are my favorites, the whole boombox thing outside a girls window it's a classic, I also like Ten Reasons Why I Hate You, I love the whole enemies to lovers it’s an amazing plot if done right.”

“I don’t think you can work on movies like enemies to lovers, you might get a crush on Heath Ledger and I could lose my wife.”

You smacked the upper part of his butt for the almost funny insult.

“I do not have a crush on Heath Ledger!”

“Oh yeah babe, you do, you have all his movies.”

“Yes! Because he was an amazing actor!”

“Are you sure he’s not handsome?”

“No!”

“You literally drool when he is on screen baby…”

“Fine! That’s just because he has dimples!”

“Oh, I knew it!”

“You have dimples too, so shut it, Jae.”

“Oh, you’re soo nervous, you’re-

You stopped his sentence with a kiss. A warm one this time, you were trying to make a point so he would forget about stupid cute Heath Ledger and just kiss you dumb.

It took only a few seconds to feel his tongue invade your mouth, playing with yours, his hand that was on your lower back traveled to your butt check and he pressed your body even closer to his.

You moaned, his cock pressing very close to where you needed him, he lowered his lips to your neck. Using your hand, you guided his head to the spot you needed him, your fingers right over one of the dimples you loved so much.

“Yuno…I don’t like other man’s dimples, I just like yours…” You said between breaths.

Against your neck he let out a small laugh.

“Yeah baby, how much?”

“I like it so fucking much I want you to pass it on to our kids.”

“Oh, kids.”

“Yes, kids.” You also replied with your body undulating against his, all tingly with excitement.

He left your neck to tease your lips with his.

“Plural. Interesting.”

You just nodded pleading with your eyes for him to kiss you fully.

“So, you like the idea of babies…

“Not really the point.”

“So, what is the point?” He kissed you a little harder for a few seconds but pulled away again.

“I like trying to make babies with you so much, I know one day I’m going to go insane and tell you to forget the condoms.”

“Or maybe one day I will fuck you so hard and soo good the condom would break.” He completed.

“That’s exactly my point. Now stop being a tease.”

He laughed but finally went back to kissing you.

------

You shook your head so the memory would go away, Jaehyun was the love of your life, your already happy ending was Nari.

But you missed your best friend.

He had a strange sense of humor, was calm and knew what to say every time you needed him.

You missed him so much, so that’s how you convinced yourself to accept the script. Maybe it was a way you could also be close to your best friend again.

---------------

Taglist:

@dulyrana @clblnz 💚

@electric-hearts @hyuukah @baeseungcheolie @girlinbangtan @johnbanana @fashion-addictedd @peachfulnight @angel63715 @daegalismybiasinnct @chloemargaret @phattyboo90 @oyasueme @peachfulnight 💚💚

@lijennoow @crazywittysassy @matchaforyanna @ihrtsolana @the-universe-in-you-jjh @iarayara @mrsuhnshine @dilfjohnnyaf @xuyiyang @monstanctiny21 @jccv @peachytokki @jaescafe 💚💚💚

The ones in bold are the ones I wasn't able to tag and will be sending the update in priv.

This chapter was a pain in the &&& to post coz tumblr keeps NOT letting me post anything so it's missing spaces and format so so sorry about that.

Tysm!

#nct smut #nct x reader #jaehyun smut #jeongjaehyun #fic:promissa redux #jaehyun fluff

45 notes · View notes