#KRS is always looking out for his people

[oseike]

Do you think Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk wanted to drag Kim Rok Soo into farming because they recognized he suffered from trauma as much as they did, but with KRS's personality, was more likely to internalize and never ask for help about it? That they feared if he was left alone after finishing their job that KRS would sink into depression real fast and not have any means of getting out?

Farming or even just gardening, an act that moves the body and results in sustenance or beauty, can be rather therapeutic. Aside from being a family business, I can see CJS and LSH wanting to do it for their own therapy reasons, and then going "Hey KRS needs this too, let's make sure we drag him in. We can keep an eye on him."

[strawbeerossi]

Only Friends

Pairing: Gender Neutral!Reader x Spencer Reid

Description: You and Spencer are best friends who act like anything but.

Content/Warnings: Oblivious mutual pining, kissing, lap sitting, teasing friends, cute little love confession at the end.

Word Count: 1.3K

Anon Request: hiii oki req (if u want pls take ur time) i think this is prob OOC butttttt spence + reader being in love and they don’t even realize it but they still kiss/ cuddle when they hang out and stuff and just say “we’re really close is all” “best friends kiss!” and stuff..

Navigation || Criminal Minds Masterlist || Request

🏷️ @kr-1-sta @iluvreid @nervousmoongiver @multifandom-on-the-side @ferrjulie

Affection in friendships aren’t always the same. Some friends hugged, some friends rarely talked yet maintained a healthy friendship, some friends even showed the smallest bit of intimacy due to their comfortability.

You and Spencer were just a tad different. You two would cuddle, share brief pecks on the lips, as well as sometimes shower together whenever you were in a rush on a case and got a brief break.

It wasn’t anything inherently romantic or sexual, just something that came easy. The team was highly convinced you both had a secret relationship. Which was fair enough, however no matter how many explanations, they never seemed to be enough.

Tonight the team was having a small watch party for a new show at Penelope’s apartment. She’d been so desperate for the team to have something like a show they watched together, or special games to play together. Nobody could really say no.

You had arrived with a handful of snacks just an hour prior, helping one of your favorite coworkers set up her apartment for the night ahead. As expected, it turned from you helping to the bubbly blonde interrogating you over the aspect of a potential relationship.

“We aren’t dating, Pen.” Your head shook as you were filling a bowl with pretzels, taking it to the table in order to place it in the available space surrounded by other snacks. “I saw you guys kiss before you left the office yesterday! What kind of friends kiss each other on the lips?? If this is normal, we need to make Derek aware because I am missing out.” Penelope huffed out of frustration. “Mark my words, I will get to the bottom of this. When I find out that you are secretly dating, I will bring all of the hurt!” The blonde held up her fist while narrowing her eyes in your direction.

By the grace of all things holy, it wasn’t long until the team had slowly begun to show up. There were no more interrogations, not yet anyway. As everyone was piling up on the couch, there was very limited room for you as you walked out of the kitchen. “Fuck.” You groaned, arms crossed. “I am not sitting on the floor!”

“You can sit with me.” Spencer spoke up from his spot at the far end of the couch, his shoulders shrugging as his hand patted his thighs to offer you the spot in his lap. “Come on! This is a family friendly show! None of that.” Emily groaned, which had you rolling your eyes as you were heading over to sit yourself on your best friend’s lap.

“It’s not a big deal.” You protested her dramatics while your body was leaning into Spencer’s chest, your body snuggling closer to his as the show began at its scheduled time. However instead of enjoying the programme, you were too busy ignoring all the curious stares from your friends. “Come on!” You huffed while pushing yourself to sit up. “What is the big deal? You’re all staring like we are animals in a zoo.” In all honesty, you were annoyed with the way people stared. You were friends, doing platonic things.

“Look. Kid, I hate to say it but you two are definitely a little too close for what friends should be. What kind of friends do you know that kiss each other? And yes, I know, they are pecks. I’m just saying.” Derek put his hands up as he broke the silence.

“It’s not a crime to have a crush on one another or to date one another.” JJ added soon after while letting her shoulders shrug. “We aren’t dating though.” Spencer confirmed everything you’ve been preaching while looking at the group in confusion. “Spencer, you haven’t eaten any snacks tonight because all of our hands have been in the bowl. It makes no sense to me that you’d kiss her considering the mouth has like a bajillion germs.” Penelope added.

“Well, the mouth has over a billion different germs and we don’t know the exact amount.” He corrected as he looked up at you for help. “I assumed we were normal?” He spoke up while you nodded in agreement. “I thought we were, too.” You huffed while leaning against his chest.

“It’s not even the hugging, kissing, and lap sitting. You guys just look so head over heels from an outside perspective. I mean, you hang out together all the time, you always room together, plus you guys go out on dates. You may not look at it that way but come on. You are both profilers. How do you not pick up on how you feel about one another?” Emily asked while frowning softly.

The more they were talking and giving actual points, the more you were thinking over the course of your friendship with Spencer. You’d always been close, even after your first initial meeting when you joined the team. You could remember how shocked the team was because the typically quiet and socially awkward genius was the first one to welcome you. You’d managed to become close friends over the course of two weeks. The first time Spencer even hugged you was after a case where he’d been put in harm's way. He came to you for comfort. You.

The first time you started your pecks on the lips, it was due to a complete accident when you tried to kiss his cheek but his head turned to face you. It just seemed.. Right. No matter how flustered you both were or how you felt butterflies in your belly, you just dismissed it. You being lost in thought was concerning enough for Spencer. “Hey. Do you wanna step outside?” His voice pulled you out of your thoughts, your head nodding. “Yeah, please head out with me.”

He helped you to your feet before his hand was gently holding yours, leading you out of the room.

“How much do you wanna bet that they are gonna actually kiss out there?” Aaron spoke up after being silent a majority of the night, the team turning to the unit chief who normally wouldn’t have inserted himself. “I’ll take those odds,” Derek smirked while getting his wallet.

Out in the hallway, you had your arms crossed as you looked away from Spencer. “I know that we are best friends and I promise you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. I just really want you to tell me one thing,” You spoke while turning your head back to face him. “Did you ever, at any point, have feelings for me? Be honest.”

The words had Spencer’s face bright red, his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I’ve always thought you were amazing.” He spoke while offering a shy smile. “I just didn’t want things to get weird. I like our friendship and the relationship that we have isn’t something that could be ruined. Dating friends can get messy and.. I don’t wanna live a life without you in it. I can’t even fathom a reality where you aren’t here.” He responded.

“So you did?”

“Y-yeah. I just didn’t want-”

Your hands were gripping his upper arms while you were gently shaking him. “Why didn’t you say anything?!” You asked while staring at him with wide eyes. “I’ve always been fond of you!” You added, his surprised look making you laugh softly. “God. How are we profilers?”

“You know, I’m not so sure. I think we are rusty.” Spencer responded, a little chuckle leaving his lips. “So.. Is there a chance? You know.. Us?�� He asked softly while you nodded. “I do think there’s a good chance.” You responded while Spencer sighed in relief. “So it won’t be weird if I do this.”

“Do what?”

His hands were gently cupping your cheeks, taking every opportunity to press his lips against yours, much different than you were both used to but it carried the same feeling as all the little pecks have all this time. It was right. Like you were meant to be together.

“I’m pretty sure they are running bets. Do we tell them we kissed or pretend like nothing happened?”

“I want Derek to lose his money in that scenario, so let’s not tell them yet.” Spencer chuckled.

[flwrkisses]

tiktoks enhypen would make with you.

happy 3 years of enha!!! to celebrate here's my first ot7 enha headcannon !! i hope you guys enjoyyyy.

genre: fluff. established relationship.

warning: links to tiktok. i do not know anyone in the videos below. not proof read.

LEE HEESEUNG ‧₊˚❀༉‧

he's not one to outwardly ask to make tiktoks with you, or be really on top of current trends. however, you thought it would be funny to record his reaction to you playing the "water" song associated with the tiktok trend to see if he would look over. it was something most people were doing with their boyfriends and it looked funny. heeseung was well aware of the "water" trend and even did the dance for you one night to make you laugh. however, he did not know people were testing their boyfriends to see if they would look over in attempt to see a girl doing the sensual dance on the screen. so when you take the video you both can't help but laugh uncontrollably. watching him playfully sulk in the corner was also an added plus.

PARK JONGSEONG ‧₊˚❀༉‧

a lot like heeseung, jay is aware of tiktok and maybe some trends however he had never need the lipstick trend you had been dying to do with him. so when you show him the tiktok he can't help but smile a little at the fact that you wanted to do it with him. as you placed the kisses all over his face he giggled and looked in the mirror. it was safe to say that jay had never been covered in lipstick like this before so it made him extremely giggly. even made him want to snap a selfie once you had planted each kiss and made sure the lipstick stain was visible on his tanned skin. you'd have to film the video multiple times because he'd get a little too distracted while looking at you. theres no hiding the love in his eyes for you... fr.

SIM JAEYUN ‧₊˚❀༉‧

he was the one who saw this trend on his fyp and showed you the videos. he thought it was the cutest thing and literally begged you to film it with him. after a couple days on convincing you said yes. so on your way to your dinner date, jake props up his phone on a street lamp and with out rehearsing much filmed the interaction with you. what you didn't expect was for him to lean in and kiss you so passionately and aggressively as he did. in between kisses all you can hear were his happy giggles because he knew he took you off guard in the best way possible. so that one and only take was the one he used to upload, and man he was reaaaaaal proud about it.

PARK SUNGHOON ‧₊˚❀༉‧

you've been dying to post something cute with your boyfriend on social media, however sunghoon is so anti pda and couples content it took him a little bit on convincing. luckily, when you showed him this trend he realized he hardly had to be in the video and the focus was on you, which in his shy nature he really enjoyed. so when you guys went outside to film it, he didn't think about his speed or force. grabbing you to his chest a little too roughly made the both of you burst out into laughter uncontrollably. he obviously apologized for almost snapping you in half in between his sweet smile and chuckles. and when you both looked back at the video, sunghoon begged you to post it because he just thought the end result was way too funny not to put out there.

KIM SEONWOO ‧₊˚❀༉‧

sunoo loves scrolling through tiktok, he's on all the trends and knows all about the "sassy man apocalypse". and is very proud to say he is in fact part of it. he always talks about how you're so lucky to have such a soft, sensitive, and sassy boyfriend to keep it real with you all the time. however, he never thought you would make a tiktok like this and post it. he honestly had no idea why you were filming him while he played on his phone, and of course gave you the hardest side eye on earth. but, later you show hin the video you made and it made him laugh. he knew he had to watch his facial expressions moving forward because his face said it all in that video. yes you have a sassy man but you wouldn't have it any other way!

YANG JUNGWON ‧₊˚❀༉‧

being honest, jungwon has always let you know how much he hates cringy couple tiktok trends and tends to make fun of them. so one day when you're out in the park he sees another couple doing a rather sweet looking trend and it makes him want to immediately make fun of it. so when he gives you the idea of spinning and then running at you at full speed you laugh and agree. while filming you couldn't help but notice his bright dimpled smile coming at you at as he ran towards you. you fought the urge of stopping him in his tracks and kissing his excessively cute face and ran away as instructed. watching the video back, the both of you couldn't help but laugh. it ended up being much cuter than intended but, you guys were always an unintentionally cute couple.

NISHIMURA RIKI ‧₊˚❀༉‧

riki is the definition of your hype man. if you do something he stands and watches happily all the time and usually hypes you up while doing it. so when you pull out your phone and prop it up while on a walk home after dinner, he couldn't help but watch you dance to your little tiktok song. if he's being honest, he's not a tiktok type guy and a little like jungwon finds couple tiktok trends kinda cringy and honestly most tiktok trends cringe in general. he's always in his head about looking cool... but, when you encorage him to dance a little he gets kinda into it making it fun for both of you. looking back at the video he thinks it's funny and actually kinda cute. but he never expected you to post it. it was just a video of the two of you messing around like young people do, deep down however he's actually kinda happy you're showing him off... even if it is on tiktok.

©flwrkisses ; please do not copy, translate, repost and/or reuse my work without my permission. (2023)

[samberrybay]

This part in 32 chp always felt kind of odd to me and this is the reason why:

The coward wolf boy, Lock. Until Choi Han found him, Lock had been hiding as the chief had told him. The Lock at that point is very much a coward, a weakling, and kind of slow. In simple terms, Lock easily took the position of the character that readers found to be extremely frustrating.

This has bothered me since I first read the novel, and to this day, even after several rereads, it still haunts me.

Cale simply isn't the type of a person to actually call a kid, no matter how they behave, to be "frustrating".

(When the text said "readers" it's damn well obvious of Cale being the one to think so.)

Pondering for some time I can roughly guess why the wording was so unexpected for his character.

At the time of the assassination/kindaping in the village, Lock was only thirteen years old. He also hasn't had his first berserk transformation yet. Therefore it is not surprising that Lock's uncle hid him and told not to go out, saying that everything was fine and he should continue to hide.

Now let's look at the situation realistically.

Lock (in tcf) jumps out of his hiding to protect his younger siblings. The adrenaline and inner Blue Wolf Tribe's instincts to protect turned on his berserk transportation one year beforehand, however if not Rosalyn and Choi Han, who came earlier than in the actual novel, i don't think it would help much.

Lock would possibly be able to kill a few people or at least seriously injure them, but CMON. They killed an ENTIRE village full of berserk Blue Wolf's and with almost-Wolf King (Lock's uncle). Do you really believe that a thirteen years old boy jumping into his first berserk transformation would be able to fight properly against strong organization that had holy water or some sort of holy artefact on their hands?

Again, if not for Choi Han's and Rosalyn's arrival... it would have definitely ended pretty bad.

In TBOAH Lock for some reason didn't jump out. Different circumstances, wrong wroted part in the novel, idk, but the fact is stated: Lock stayed hidden. He also most likely survived only because of Choi Han's help. Just with much worse scenario where he was left alone from the whole village.

And it wasn't Lock's fault yet again. He was a child. No matter if a Beastman one or not, the boy was just an innocent, naive and weak child.

So why would Cale, Kim Rok Soo at the time, find him frustrating? Extremely so even!

The answer is much easier if you think about it.

Because it wasn't Kim Rok Soo blaming a kid for being weak and cowardly in a fearful situation, it was a man who saw his own past that he hated so much.

A coward, a weakling and kind of slow.

For Rok Soo, who blamed himself for half of his life for the deaths of team one members, Lock was like a salt for still open, but ignored wounds.

KRS greatly disliked and maybe even envied Lock for a bit. The boy got a new family, he got friends and some sort of guidance from them even after facing so much despair.

While he was all alone, trying to understand what to do on his own.

It sure is irritating for Rok Soo.

Yet Team Leader Kim Rok Soo was probably unable to fully hate Lock for his weakness, because while the latter was still a kid, the same forgiveness can't be used on him. At least in his own head.

So with conflicting feelings Cale settled on "Extremely frustrating" description.

[dragon-kazansky]

When the raven calls

Morpheus x Female Reader

You, his raven, die protecting Jessamy while rescuing the Dream Lord. When Morpheus returns to his realm, he mourns your loss, only to find a stranger waiting for him in his throne room. The stranger claims to be you, now in human form. He doesn't understand, but his raven will always watch over him.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Chapter Seven - Sound of wings

☆☆☆

Morpheus had been rather down these last few days. He kept mostly to himself. You had spent most of your time in raven form, too embarrassed to appear to him in human form. Even though you had got the hang of changing now.

You looked up at him as he adjusted his coat slightly. "Going somewhere?"

He looked almost startled by you when he realised you were beside him. He looked down at you. "I'm going to the waking world. I'm meeting my sister..."

You cock your head to the side. "Want me to come with you?"

He goes silent for a moment and then answers. "You don't mind?"

"Not at all."

He looks relieved, almost.

You stay on his shoulder as he transports you to the waking world. You take flight over his head as he leads you both to a public park. Morpheus sits down, and you land on the bench next to him.

In his hands is some bread. He statt pulling at it and spreading it on the ground.

"What are you doing?" You ask.

"Trying to blend in."

You look around. There is a lot happening in the park. Some people are playing a gane with a ball. Some people are walking dogs, kr sitting on benches chatting. Some people are playing with children in the distance.

However, as you look back at Morpheus, you can't help feeling he still stands out. No one seems to bat an eye at him.

You look up at him. He looks sad again. "Is something wrong?" You tey and coax him.

"Don't worry about it."

You sigh and hop a little closer to him. "Look, we're friends, right? You've done a lot for me. I want to help you too. You can talk to me about stuff."

He glances at you. "I know. I think... I'll wait until she gets here."

You know he means his sister. You look at the bread in his hands. He seems to notice you watching him. He takes some crumbs between his fingers and then throws them at you.

"Hey!" You look up at him.

He has a smug little smile on his face. You watch him try and do it again, but this time, you fight back and try to nip his fingers with your beak. He flinches his hand back and then throws more bread crumbs at you before sulking again and feeding the other birds in front of him.

You scoff softly and move to stand on the back of the bench.

"Stupid pigeons. They're not as fun as me, you know."

Dream doesn't respond. You wonder what's on his mind. You wish he would talk to you.

A ball comes flying from the game being played, and Morpheus catches it one hand. You look up at him in awe. It makes sense he would be able to catch it like it did, but it still impressed you. Morpheus impressed you.

The young man playing the game came over and apologised. He looks at you and then back at Morpheus. He obviously finds it strange that this grown man is sitting on a bench with a bird, but you talking would definitely make it weirder.

He takes the ball and returns to the game.

You look up in time to see his sister walking over. She smiles at you before taking a seat on the bench. A moment of silence passes between the siblings before she speaks.

"What you doing?"

"I'm feeding the pigeons," he replies.

Death looks at you before looking back at her brother. She can tell something is wrong.

"You do that too much, you know what you get?"

Morpheus shakes his head gently.

"Fat pigeons." She smiles. "That's from Mary Poppins. Did you ever see it?"

"No."

A little girl runs past through the birds and startles them. You watch her go. Death smiles as she watches her go, too.

Morpheus is very silent. Death looks at her brother and asks, "what's the matter?"

"What do you mean?"

"She means she knows something is wrong. Look at you." You flap your wings and land on his head. His hair is soft under your little feet. You look down at him. "You're brooding."

He looks up at you and sighs. It felt strange having you on his head like this. You've never done that before. Perhaps you're getting a little bold these days.

Like when you hugged him.

Death chuckles softly. "Your dear raven is right. I know you, Dream."

"I don't know what's wrong, but... You're right. Something is the matter."

Death sits back and shows him she's listening. You remove yourself from atop his head and occupy the little space between them.

"When they captured me, I just had one thought. Vengeance. It wasn't as satisfying as I'd expected. Meanwhile, my kingdom had fallen apart. My tools long since stolen and scattered. And so I embarked upon a journey to find them. Which I did. I'm now more powerful than I have been in eons. And yet..."

He goes silent. Death understands. She leans forward again. "Here you are, feeding the pigeons."

"You see, until then, I'd had a true quest. A purpose beyond my function, and then suddenly, it was over, and... I felt disappointed. Let down. Empty."

You look up at Morpheus as he speaks from the heart. You feel sad he couldn't confide in you about any of this, but at least he has his sister to talk to. You resist the urge to nuzzle his arm with your head to comfort him.

"Does that make sense?" He asks, looking at his sister. "I was so sure that once I got everything back, I'd feel good. But in some ways, I feel worse than when I started. I feel like... Nothing. There. You asked."

You hop up onto his knee and look up at him. He glances down at you. Death smiles at you. She always knew you two shared a close bond. She can see there's something new in his eyes when he looks at you.

"You could have called me, you know." Death tells him.

"I didn't want to worry you." He says back.

"Oh, I don't believe it. Let me tell you something, Dream." She takes the bread from his hand. You hop off his knee and look up at Death. "And I'm only going to say this once, so you better pay attention. You are utterly the stupidest, most self-centered, pathetic excuse for an anthropomorphic personification on this or any other plane. Feeling sorry for yourself because your little game is over and you haven't got the balls to go out and find a new one. You're as bad as Desire. No, worse."

Death throws the bread back at him, and he catches it. You laugh. Dream looks at you as if you had betrayed him. You stop laughing and look at him sheepishly.

"Has he been like this the entire time?" Death asks.

"Mostly. I mean, he did help me a lot, but even that finished..." You say. "He's been helping me with my transformations."

"Transformations?" Death asks.

"Yeah. I have a human form now." You tell her.

"You do? Interesting." She smiles. "How is life treating you then?"

"Uh, fine. I've... I've been through a lot, but I suppose everyone in the Dreaming has."

Death continues to smile at you and then looks at her brother. She sighs. "Did it never occur to you that I would be worried about you?" She asks.

"I didn't think you-"

"Exactly. You didn't think."

The ball comes flying again, and this time, Death catches it. Morpheus lowers his gaze to pigeons in front of him. While Franklin, the young man playing ball, talks to Death, you look at Morpheus.

"You're as good as your... friend there."

"He's not my friend. He's my brother. And he's an idiot."

You resist laughing while the mortal is present. Morpheus knows you want to react to that.

"I'm just feeding the birds." Morpheus says.

"Look, I can't stay here all day. I've got work to do. You can come with me if you want, or you can stay here and sulk." Death tells him.

"I'll come with you, I suppose." He replies.

"Well, don't do me any favours." She smiles at him. As Morpheus rises she chuckles.

You prepare to fly off back to the Dreaming when Morpheus turns around and looks at you. "Aren't you coming too?" He asks.

You look up at him and then at Death.

"Uh... won't it be strange if I'm flying behind you all the time?"

"You could come with me as a human. You mastered that ability." He says.

"Yeah, but... I... Don't you prefer it when I'm a raven?" You ruffle your feathers.

"I like you in any form." He says to you softly.

"Oh. Uh..."

Death smiles softly. "You're welcome to come too. I'd quite like to see the new you."

You feel embarrassed. There's a look in Dream's eyes that tells you he really wants you to come with him.

You sigh and fly behind the tree nearby. As you come back around, you're human again. You're wearing the clothes Dream gave you. You look up shyly at the siblings.

Death looks really excited at seeing you like this.

Dream looks... happy. His eyes seem to light up.

You follow them awkwardly. As Death says, she'll see Franklin soon.

Morpheus glances at you behind them, wondering if his request for you to join them made you uncomfortable. You look nervous. Shy, even.

Death takes you both on a walk. It's a sunny day, and there's lots of things going on here and there. She stops at a stall and looks at the apple.

"Three please."

"None for me, thank you," Morpheus says.

"You could have it later," Death suggests. He just looks at her. "Just two then."

The vendor chooses 2 apples for her and hands them over. She smiles and turns, holding one out for you.

You look at it.

"Go on, you'll like it." She smiles at you.

You glance up at Morpheus, who watches you silently. You reach out and take the apple. Death smiles and loops her arm with her brother as they continue walking. She bites into the apple.

You stare at yours. You haven't really done anything human. It didn't dawn on you to try. You bring the apple to your lips and take a bite. It's juicy and crunchy. You chew it slowly, tasting it.

You don't miss the way the siblings glance at you before carrying on.

You chew the apple slowly. You like it.

"You are good with them," Morpheus says to his sister.

"Apples?"

"Humans." He clarifies.

Death holds up the apple to him. "Bite?"

"No, thank you."

You take another bite from your own apple, savouring the taste. You may not have experienced a lot of human foods, but you think apples might be your favourite.

"Have you seen any of the others since you've been back?" Death asks Dream. He confirms he hasn't. Death mentions the last dinner they had together.

You continue to enjoy the apple as you look around and follow them. All these people around you were going places, doing things. You were experiencing life in the waking world for the first time properly. Sure, you've been here as a raven, but you never really took the time to just enjoy it. To watch them.

Maybe this human side of you would help you learn more about them.

You hear Death tell Dream he was missed, along with their missing brother who left some time ago. When he keeps quiet, she teases him by pretending he's asking her questions and then she answers them.

You smile. It must be nice having a sibling.

Morpheus finds it amusing and looks at her, asking, "How are you, my sister? How have you been keeping?"

"I'm worried about my brother." She replies. "And I'm enjoying this apple." She turns around and looks at you. "You enjoying yours?" She asks.

"Oh, yes." You nod. She can see you've eaten more than half of it. She smiles.

"Don't hide back there. Come join us. He has two arms, you know." She chuckles.

You feel yourself become shy again. You're not sure what's got into you. Normally, you don't become so embarrassed. You decide to join them on Dream's other side, but you don't dare touch him.

Morpheus notices this.

As you walk a little further along, you hear violin music coming from an open window above you. The three of you stop to listen.

"I know this piece." Morpheus says softly. "I haven't heard it in 200 years."

"Come on." Death urges him softly to follow her. You fall behind them again, heading inside with the siblings.

You dispose of the last of your apple.

The violin music plays as you enter the apartment. When you reach the room, it's being played from, it stops as the man coughs. Death approaches the man.

"Don't stop, please." She says gently.

You stand behind Dream as you watch her talk to him. The conversation is gentle and warm. You've never seen her at work before. She's so delicate and comforting with them.

She lets the man say a prayer before he takes her hand.

Morpheus looks at you as she goes into the other room with him. You can hear her wings.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

You look up at him. "Yes."

Death returns. You smile at her. She smiles at you. She reaches for your arm this time, and you walk with her back outside.

"Does my brother treat you well?" She asks as you walk along a bridge.

"Yes. He's a very good ruler, and I do my best to serve him as he expects." You say to her.

"But is that all?"

"What do you mean?" You look at her. You're aware of Dream following you both from behind. Surely he can hear you both talk.

"Did you ever question your death?"

You look at her. She smiles.

"Of course I did... I... Alex Burgess shot me. I died. Then I woke up in the Dreaming... as a human..."

Death's smile remains on her face. "That was me."

"Huh?"

Dream raises his head up when he hears that. He was listening.

"You have served my brother since the very beginning. You've seen all he has seen. You have been by his side all this time."

"Yes..."

"He relies on you. He cares for you. There is no bond with the one you both have together. So, how can I ever take that away from him?" She asks.

"I don't understand..."

"I love my brother. I do. I want him to be happy." You wonder if she realises he can hear all this. "Taking you away broke him, so I had to give you back."

You stare at her as you both come to a stop. She begins to remove her boots. You glance behind you and find Morpheus looking at you. You turn away.

Death doesn't say any more on the matter. She leads the way down to a grassy bank. You find yourself walking beside Dream again.

A young man has drowned in the canal. You watch Death do her job.

"Did you know?" You ask, not looking at Morpheus.

"No."

You watch the wife of the man run to her husband's body and cry. People gather around. You drop your gaze.

"But I am glad," Dream says.

You lift your eyes to look at him. The sound of wings flapping in the background.

Death watches you both from where she stands. The way her brother looks at you can't possibly be mistaken for anything else. She smiles softly. You two still have so much to learn about each other.

You end up following the siblings again while they talk. Dream tells Death it was her Burgess was after. She knew.

He then asks her how she's does it.

Death confides in him about how she feels about her role. "I have a job to do. And I do it. When the first living thing existed, I was there. When the last living thing dies, I'll put the chairs on the table, turn out the lights and... lock the universe behind me when I leave."

You listen to her talk. A part of you wonders what it would be like if she were your master. How would you contribute to her role. What would it be like to be there when people die.

"I'm not there for all of them. There are exceptions." She says. "Mad Hettie. And then there's your ongoing project."

You look up when she says that.

"How's he faring up after all this time?"

"Who? Hob Gadling?"

You smile. It's been a while since you saw Hob. You smile at all the times you would have to sit outside on the windowsill listening to Hob and Dream talk.

"I was forced to miss our last appointment." Dream tells her.

"Well, I'm sure he'd love to see you." Death looks at him. "Maybe take her with you. She could meet him properly."

Dream knows Death is talking about you.

"They're never too keen to see me, though."

"Does it not bother you?" Dream asks.

"I actually used to think I had the hardest job in all our family."

"Oh, did you?" Dreams looks amused.

"They fear the Sunless Lands, yet they enter your realm every night without fear."

"And yet I am far more terrible than you." He says.

You chuckle softly. He hears your laughter and smiles softly. He did that. He made you laugh.

They talk some more. A they do, you begin to wonder more about the world and the people. You've seen their dreams. Their hopes and fears.

You wouldn't mind spending more time among them, watching and learning.

You hear Death confess that she had thought about giving up. Dream looks bewildered by her statement.

You follow her into a house and find yourself freezing at the door. Morpheus sees the crib and then looks at you. Death gives you an apologetic look as she picks up the baby.

Morpheus comes to stand in front of you. You find yourself startled as he reaches for your hand. You look up at him.

The sound of wings fills the back of your mind.

Life was unfair sometimes.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

You nod silently.

His hand doesn't leave yours. Not even when you both leave the house with Death. You've fallen quieter than him. He keeps an eye on you as you walk. Your hand in his.

He remains beside you as you continue to follow Death. Dream learns a lot from his sister. He learns a lot about humanity. He learns a lot about you.

The way people react to his sister's gift. The way she smiles and gives them her hand.

Life and death.

He sees the way you watch her. The way you watch the people. Every single one is different. Different backgrounds, different releions, different stories.

He wonders if you like being human, or do you still prefer your feathers and your wings.

Eventually, you slowly start to make your way back to the park. You're wrapped your arm around Dream's, having not let go of him the entire time.

Death walks beside him, talking to him still.

"I used to think I had to do this all by myself."

"But you do."

"No. At the end, I'm there with them. I'm holding their hand and they're holding mine. I'm not alone when I'm doing my job. And neither are you. Think about it. The only reason we even exist, you and I, and Desire and Despair, the whole family. We're here to serve them."

Dream listens to her.

"It isn't about quests or finding purpose outside our function. Our purpose is pur function. We're here for them. Since I figured that out, I realised I need them as much as they need me."

Morpheus seems pleased by her words.

"I've seen so many cool things and people and worlds. I've learned so much. Lots of people don't have a job they love doing, do they? So, I think I'm really very lucky."

You smile. She liked her job. You like yours. You glance up at Morpheus, who looks like he's thinking. You like being his raven, his companion.

"Listen, I've got to head back soon."

Morpheus takes her hand with his free one and looks at his sister. "You've taught me something I have forgotten. I thank you, my sister."

Death smiles at Dream.

"Aw. That's what family's about, little brother."

Death turns her gaze to you, who still slings to her brother's arm. "Look after him, won't you?"

You smile. "Yeah. I will."

She then turns back to Dream. "And you look after her. You lost her once. Don't let her get harmed again."

"I have no intention of it," Dream says. He looks at you softly.

There's a screech of a car, and then Franklin comes over when he sees Death and starts talking to her. Dream smiles and starts guiding you away.

Death calls out to him. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

He nods and continues leading you away.

"Where are we going?" You ask softly.

"I'm late for an appointment, and I want you to come with me." He says.

You smile as you walk with him.

☆☆☆

@missdreamofendless - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @sitkafay - @snowsatsu - @ladyofdreaming - @thoughtsfromlayla - @modest-irish-goddess - @mystic-mara -

[loserlvrss]

face yoon jeonghan (윤정한)

authors note // this story isn't supposed to be very heavy !! something light with an eventual happy ending c: ive been sitting with this idea for literal years, so i hope its good. a full playlist will eventually be made, but kr&b is what i listened to while writing it (along with the chapter songs i link at the beginning)

chapter theme warnings // language, angst, unplanned pregnancy, implied suicidal thoughts, topics of pregnancy & babies in general

word count // 2.3k

prologue: face: songs: 1  2  3  4 

You kissed your child’s head, ruffling the short chestnut locks. Your kid’s hair was slightly different than yours—Texture wise—also lightening or darkening further in various settings. However, you only realized that because you were his mother, and it was basically your job to know everything about your son. 

There was laughter and quieted screams meeting your ears; other children and childcare workers who were playing in the background as you were just finishing dropping him off. 

“I’ll see you after work, Jae. I'll bring you the cupcake you like, okay?” 

Jae grabbed your face with soft hands, pressing a sweet kiss to your cheek and then bringing you into a hug. You stood up and watched as he skipped off, joining a group who he’s expressed (with the confirmation of the childcare workers) are his best friends. 

You were always beyond proud of your son for being able to spread so much love to the world, despite not having the smoothest upbringing—or frankly, an example of unconditional love (despite yours for him). You wanted to feel proud of yourself, but knew that it was all Jae’s interpretation of the world around him. He loved everyone and everything; in the purest form, he found beauty. He was the best kid you’ve ever met, but maybe you were just biased. 

“He’s truly a beautiful kid, looks just like you.” You met eyes with the woman who worked the sign-in and out desk. “Laughs and smiles all the time; Gets along with everyone… Even the kids that people don’t seem to gravitate towards. He hates to see them left out. Good job with him, miss y/n.” 

“Thank you.” You replied, forcing a smile to surface. You couldn’t help the bittersweet feeling that left a lump in your throat. You knew exactly why it always bothered you though; he looks just like you. But nobody knew he looked almost uncanny to his father at this age. He didn’t have your eyes, nor mouth, nor cheekbones. All Jae had, in your eyes, was part of your personality and nose. 

You tried time and time again, staring at your son as he’d nap, to find what people would point-out. But you never did, and that seemed to bother you more than you’d like to admit. So, what should’ve been a compliment was always hard for you to swallow. 

“I’ll see you at five-thirty!” 

She nodded behind the desk. “He’ll be all ready for you.” 

You let the door swing behind you, a slight shake to your hands as you found your keys. It was beginning to look and feel like spring, and soon the cherry blossoms would bloom, meaning you’d have your annual outing with Jae to see them before they fell. You’d take a day off work and keep him home from preschool, taking him out for lunch and ice cream, letting him play at the nearby park after until his little heart's contempt. 

You loved that day, and you looked forward to it all year round. It was peace of mind, and there seemed like little responsibility when it was just you two enjoying life. 

The days seemed to pass slowly nowadays, and maybe that was because now that you were getting older, you were repeating the same routine like clockwork. It was a never-ending Groundhog’s Day, where you could only hope to find the escape to the time-loop. 

The car came to a stop, and you put it in park quickly after. Your head fell atop your chilled hands that gripped the steering wheel still. You let out a sigh, a breath that forever seemed to be stuck in your lungs. As you collected yourself, you also collected your purse from the passenger seat, taking your keys and clenching them tightly. 

The beep of a car locking was familiar to you as it met your ears, causing you to turn and look. Meeting your sights was the black vehicle that belonged to your coworker, as well as said person, who hadn’t noticed you yet.

“Wonwoo?” You asked, slightly confused as to why he was scheduled at the same time as you on a Monday, rather than a Friday or Wednesday; like usual, however, your shifts overlapped quite often. 

His sharp, cat-like features were on full display, glasses within his forefinger and thumb as he cleaned the lenses. He was wearing dark-washed, wide leg jeans, and a white T-shirt—One that looked as if he had bought it recently—His hair was falling effortlessly, only moving slightly with the gentle gusts of wind. 

You always thought he looked like the lead of a drama, a sought after actor that attended fashion shows and got awards, not someone who worked at a bakery, like you. 

You had started working before him, right after you had dropped out of Seoul University, 7 weeks into your pregnancy with Jae. You were a confused, hormonal, soon-to-be mother who had no one to rely on. But you always thought that Wonwoo deserved more than what he was left with, and sometimes you regretted not being that comfort for him, as he always was for you. 

He’d run to the convenience store, mid-shift, just because you kept talking about triangle kimbap or a watermelon bar. He’d cover for you when you’d get ill and run to the bathroom with a hand slapped over your face. And when your due date got closer, he’d walk you to your car just to help you get in comfortably. 

You two weren’t even far off in age, and maybe that’s why you knew deep down it was because he pitied your circumstance: Single, pregnant, and borderline suicidal. All your plans had been thrown out like trash the moment you took the test, the moment you fought with your ex, breaking up after 4 years together. 

Every single promise for a better life—A happy life—Was washed away with the rain. And even if you weren’t technically alone, you felt as if the world had shut you out. Now it’s been 4 years, and you’ve gotten used to the feeling of uncertainty. You lived for Jae, and that always should’ve been enough. However, you felt guilty for thinking of a time when he didn’t exist, when he wasn’t even a thought in the back of your mind. If you could go back in time, you were sure you wouldn’t change anything, because Jae was your lifeline, the one thing in this world that kept you going. But, the tears that streamed down your face on particularly painful nights told a different side to you, one that mirrored the 22 year old who got shattered and left to become nothing but dust. 

You couldn’t help but think that life would’ve been easier if you were prepared for it. If you had Jae when you were 26 or 27 like you had planned on. If you had finished your business degree and opened your own company with your boyfriend. Life would’ve been smooth sailing. But instead, you were left with barely enough money to keep the lights on, and many cupcakes to keep a smile on your son’s face after long shifts.        

“Are you okay?” The voice broke you from the painful thoughts that plagued your subconscious. “Y/n? Is it Jae, is he okay?” 

You nodded in an unconstant pattern, slowly moving your head up to level your eyes. Your eyebrows creased slightly, but that was only because you were having a hard time pushing your mind in the right direction.  

“Yeah, he’s fine.”

“Are you?” He approached you as you leaned against the driver’s door. “Did something happen?” 

His concern would’ve seemed out of character if you didn’t know him, but turned down lips and straight faces were only surface level. He might’ve looked cold, but you’ve never met anyone warmer. 

“Just tired, that’s all.” You replied, crossing your arms. Your bag hung against your front and you wondered the time. You weren’t running late after dropping Jae off, but even if you were, your manager for the night was standing in front of you—And, Wonwoo would never write you up. “Been thinking a lot recently… Well, we should go in and help Minjoon before she scolds us.” 

He laughed. “She is a terrifying highschooler.”  

“Scariest I've ever met.” You mimicked a shiver, pushing off the metal and awaiting Wonwoo to join you. “I can already see her glare.” 

He did promptly, holding the glass door open for you. You brushed past him, viewing the many people lined up and a seething highschool girl at the register; Whether it was because you were technically 3 minutes late or because of a customer was up for interpretation. 

You apologized silently as you made eye-contact with the girl, walking around the open corner of the front desk and to the back to put your stuff away. There were various lockers, each having a name for the employees of the bakery—Not that there were that many to begin with. 

You opened the one with your whiteboard-markered name, and put your purse on the shelf. Inside there was a picture of you and Jae as well as an old note from Minjoon that read I hope all is well, but I'm going to kill you, because you were late, much like today. However that day it was because Jae was sick and whining about everything; His babysitter had given him the flu earlier that week. 

Of course though, Wonwoo covered for you when you called in tears. And after he even brought some food to your apartment, which was across town from his own, and let you vent in your dimly-lit kitchen until way too late. He even took your shift when you caught the virus from your son sneezing in your face. 

You sighed again, shutting the door closed with the quiet bang of metal on metal. Your hand clutched where your heart would be if it wasn’t scared out of your chest. 

On the other side was Minjoon, who was leisurely propped against her own locker. “You two came in together. You’re both late… Together?” 

She eyed you as you tried to explain, “We met in the parking lot.” And even though it was the truth, she made you feel as if it wasn’t. Her arms were crossed, looking awfully like your mother would have if she was still around. “We just walked in together, don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Oh, why would I?” She voiced, nose turned to the ceiling. “It definitely wouldn’t be because you two are always together, and Wonwoo would do literally anything for you. No, that would be ridiculous to think.” You deadpanned, knowing it was true, but a misunderstanding. You didn’t like Wonwoo, you don’t see how you could, considering your situation. “If I didn’t know you two I would think Jae was his.” 

Your heart sank, and maybe it was the insinuation of people making assumptions that hurt you. Did Jae need a father to be valid in other people’s eyes? That’s probably not what she meant, but nonetheless it’s where your head went. 

“It’s not a bad thing, but if you two start dating, please don’t let me catch you guys making out in here. I’d have to bill you for therapy, and then quit.”

You mimicked her lean. “God forbid you don’t have any money to buy albums. What would you do without your Jungkook photocards?” 

“Die.” She replied simply. “I’d die.”  

Before you had a chance to call her dramatic, Wonwoo popped through the door.

“Could you guys help me? It’s about to be time for our morning rush.” 

You jumped off the locker, hustling out the door to assist your manager with the heaps of business men and women on their commute to work, or influencers looking for a pretty picture. You rarely had the in between, but sometimes on a blue moon, you’d get the random straggler who just wanted a sweet treat. 

“I rest my case!” You heard being shouted as you let the door close behind you. “It would just be a crazy thought, wouldn’t it!” 

You met his side, taking the filled cup from his hand and putting a lid on it. “Sorry.” You took over the last of the three drinks, thankful it was simply just a black coffee. 

“Gonna have to start writing you up for being so distracting, y/n.” He joked, grabbing a croissant and placing it within a brown wax bag. You smiled apologetically. “I’ll go do the register.”

“Are you sure? I could get Minjoon to do it again.”

You nodded, placing a comforting hand against his arm. “No, it’s okay. I’ll do it, it’ll distract me from my thoughts.” 

Wonwoo reluctantly agreed, because he may technically be your boss but you rarely listened to him, and he knew it was no use arguing if it was only going to lead to you doing it anyway. You appreciated his sentiment, and his eagerness to make sure you were comfortable, however it was almost always at his or someone else’s expense.

You were an adult—A big girl—Who should be able to handle a little bit of stress. But maybe Wonwoo knew you were just a ticking time-bomb, awaiting that last second before you exploded. He seemingly knew you well enough after four years.  Everything might’ve been getting a little too much recently, and yes, maybe you felt lost sometimes, but you, in reality, had no will to give up. Not when it was Jae at risk—He already didn’t have a father, why would you leave him motherless as well? He was just as big a priority to you a little over 4 years ago, as he is today. You’d sacrifice everything for your child. And, truthfully, you didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing.

all rights reserved copyright © loserlvrss 2024

tag list: @yyangj3lly | send an ask to be added! masterlist next part

[weirdsht]

I really love characters with the tendency to bleed and be some human sacrifice. Tysm kdj and krs. 😭 i have a new idea altho I'm not sure if somebody's already done this. Cale and the group with someone who coughs out blood everytime they spill spoilers from the tcf novel? Like she's been transmigrated/reincarnated (whatev you desire (⁠^⁠^⁠). Bro is trying to help so bad bc they hate war so they do it subtly and carefully (imagine having to be careful with your wording, I can't even--) but can't help but shit out blood sometimes or most of the time cos they forget and get frustrated

Forgive me for i love miserable characters...

Hardbound (Paperback pt. 2) - Cale x Reader

notes: I decided to link it to another oneshot I did before because I think it fits. I hope that's okay!

tags: blood, like the whole fic is blood, heavy cursing, Cale might be ooc, NOVEL SPOILERS (near the end of book 1)

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are open and welcome

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Paperback Navigation Masterlist

Crimson, the colour of Cale’s hair.

That was the colour Cale can see right now. However, he is not looking at his hair.

“Ugh!”

Instead, he was looking at the blood dripping from your mouth.

“Stop speaking. This is not good for you.”

“Why not? You cough up blood all the time. Why can’t I do the same?”

You joked lightly but Cale didn’t like how weak your voice sounded. Indeed, he always coughs up blood. Especially whenever he overuses his ancient powers. But the blood he coughs up is dark red. Dead blood from his regeneration powers cleansing his body.

Not the vibrant crimson blood dripping from your chin. Blood from a beating heart, a sign of vitality as Eruhaben would say.

“I need to continue, you need to know about this. We must hurry up so just- ugh… so just listen.”

When you told Cale you were going to pull a “World Tree-nim and a Cale combo”, he didn’t know what he expected. 

It certainly wasn’t you trying to give out spoilers from your beloved book and coughing out copious amounts of blood.

“There will be monsters. Ones too hard to– Ugh! Fuck! I’m sure you understand what I mean.”

Drip

“That’s two out of five. Those things will be in a pit. It’ll look like statues, you will also see… you will also see an altar there…”

Drip

Drip

“You don’t need to speak anymore. Please, the rest of us will figure it out.”

“No, no. I’m fine really… Bear bastard, you know who it is, hostages. He’ll– Ugh!”

Drip. Drip. Drip

“It’s Tasha’s people. For a summoning– Fuck that one really hurts! I'm trying to speak as vaguely as possible already, what the hell…”

“Please… I’m going to tape your mouth shut if you don’t shut up.”

Drip

Drip

Drip. Drip. Drip

“I’d like to see you try. The tape won’t stick with all– with all this blood.”

“Haaa”

“Enough jokes. The fourth and fifth ones are connected. In Endable, watch out for bears and black– watch out for black mages. And avoid– Shit! Avoid using instant. But I'm not sure if it's… if it's possible… I need to speak… to speak to Raon. The last spoiler is for him– ugh..!”

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Cale wanted to refuse. He wanted this to end.

At first, it was just from your mouth.

The blood that is.

Then it started dripping from your left eye. Naturally, your right eye was next.

Then your nose. Then your ears.

Before the commander knew it, your entire face was covered with blood. He tried to wipe it, but they were dripping so quickly that it did nothing.

Cale doesn’t know how are you still conscious. He isn’t even sure if you’re still breathing. That was why he wanted you to shut up. That was why he desperately wanted this to stop.

But it can’t

Cale can’t refuse nor can he end this.

It was because you already made up your mind. And since you did, there’s no stopping you now.

So he gets Raon. Warned the toddler that the sight inside the room would not be pretty, but he must listen. Because their futures are resting upon the words you are about to say.

Upon the words written in your beloved book.

“Human…”

“I know… If you can’t listen I’ll listen for you and rely on the message.”

“No… I’m great and mighty. Because I’m great and mighty I shall listen to this conversation myself.”

Raon flew over to where you were. Placing himself on your lap as he uses his stubby paws to hug you.

“Ah, it feels comforting to have such a great and mighty being comforting me. But you’ll get blood on you– Ugh..!”

Drip. Drip.

The black dragon didn’t care about the blood. He just hugged you tighter at the sound of you coughing up more blood.

“Raon Miru-nim remember this well. Things might get messy and despite my meddling things might still go awry. So I’m telling you right now. In Endable, Cale might become incapacitated to fight– Fuck! Ugh, I promised to not curse in front of you…”

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip…

Drip..

“It will be hard, you will need to do everything yourself, without Cale. In fact, you will have to do his job– ugh… but you must do well. Remember, the first thing you have to do is have Mila-nim on standby. She can heal him.”

Cough

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip

“I want to say more… but I’m reaching my limit…”

Raon tightened his hug and you weakly reciprocated it. You aren't sure if the wetness you feel in your shirt is from your blood or the dragon’s silent tears. Nonetheless, you still tried to hug Raon tighter.

In the meanwhile, Cale was already calling for servants and healers to attend to you as soon as you admitted your limit. His voice was laced with unusual panic. It made the others who didn’t know what was happening move with urgency.

“Raon-nim…”

“Yes?”

“You are strong, smart, great and mighty, always remember that.”

You weakly stroked Raon’s back, trying to comfort him in advance for the things about to come.

“Young master what’s going on–”

Beacrox and Ron stopped in their tracks when they saw the condition you were in.

“Ahahaha, you guys are right on time. I think… I’m going.. To…”

You couldn’t even finish your sentence for you already fell unconscious. Your body dangerously swaying to fall off from your sitting position on the couch. Luckily, Cale was nearby and managed to catch your falling body.

Cale glanced at you, then he glanced at the open book on the table.

As usual, he couldn’t see what was written on the pages. He could only see the cover title at the front and the synopsis at the back.

But that doesn’t stop him from hating that damned book that put you in this state.

If only you haven’t read that book before coming here.

If only there wasn’t a restriction placed on you by that damned book.

If only…

“Fuck, after this war is done I’m going to try and burn that shitty book one way or another. I don’t care anymore if it’s your favourite.”

note: in case it wasn't clear, the placement of the drips signifies how fast the reader's blood was gushing out

[amarylliasky]

Aaand number 1 is a sorta crack au post?

Au: Everyone’s a Regressor!

- Just what the title says. Everyone (except the villains ofc) is a regressor. Including Cale. Who just happens to be a regressor, transmigrator, and reincarnator. Basically the same plot of Cale lived his first life in tboah and then reincarnated as krs before regressing and transmigrating into his original body after dying as krs. Plot twist though, most everyone else is also a regressor and he has no idea. He has memories of his first and second lives. Including the novel he read before he died, and doesn’t know why everyone is acting so different from what he knows!

- Why is his family being so nice and talking to him?! Why is Ron giving him so much lemonade?! Why does that Punk Choi Han act like he knows him already?! He and Ron and Beacrox know each other?! When did they meet this early?! Who are all these people in his house?!

- Okay? So his father is reinforcing the walls and they are making a navy in the Ubarr territory??? This is great. The heroes and his family are preparing for the war and he doesn’t even have to lift a finger!

- He does still carry out his plans though. Getting the ancient powers, saving Raon and coincidentally finding On and Hong, and helping Taylor and Cage. Speaking of which, Taylor stops his search for the vitality of the heart and just relaxes in Puzzle city with Cage for a bit before they meet Cale. Of course, the god of death still tells Cage abt the benefactor, who was not present in their past life. Cage is shocked to hear from the one who abandoned them in the last life, but still listens to him for Taylor’s sake.

- Deruth doesn’t want to send either of his sons this time, but he is shocked when Cale offers to go. Despite both his parents and Basen trying to deter him, he convinces them to let him go. They agree, only because Choi Han and the Molan duo will accompany him. Deruth doesn’t like the idea sending the person who beat his son to protect him. Much less the ones who betrayed his son to go off and play hero with the offender; but he knows how strong they are. If anyone can keep Cale safe, it’s them.

- Choi Han doesn’t hate Cale, but he doesn’t really like him either. He’s come to respect the younger during the time they spent as allies during the war, but the Cale right now hasn’t faced his future tragedy yet. He’s still young and immature, and acts like trash….right..? Wait- not right?! What is with this kid? Why does he act so different from before?! By all means, he should still be trash, soo why is he acting completely different from their past life? And why does he know things he shouldn’t know at this point in time? Or any point in time for that matter?

- He doesn’t seem to remember their life before, so why is he acting so strange?

- Cale is just trying to make it seem like he doesn’t know half these people so he won’t look suspicious, but why is everyone acting like they know him? He knows he’s never met the crown prince in this life, so what’s with that melancholy look?

- Meanwhile, Choi Han is just trying to find a way to find Rosalyn and Lock without seeming too suspicious. Luckily, Cale sent him away first.

- The vow of death never happens.

- “ I can’t tell you everything, but I can share two truths.” “Oh, there’s no need Cale-nim. I trust you.”

‘Wha..? How can you trust me? We’ve only known each other for a few weeks.’ “Don’t you want information on that secret organization?”

“It’s alright, Cale-nim. I’m sure we’ll run into them again soon.”

‘This punk…Does he know something?’ “Choi Han, do you know something about them?”

‘That’s not possible. Choi Han should have only encountered them once by this point.’

“No. I. Don’t. Know. What. You. Are. Talking. About.” ….

‘Was Choi Han always such a bad liar..?’

- Cale doesn’t get the annual rings right away. Why? Idk, consistency with Tcf plot?

- Everyone knows that everyone has regressed except Cale. Bc it’s funnier that way.

- So we got all his family members tiptoeing around him, trying to see if he remembers but also trying not to jog his memory if he doesn’t. They know the last life hurt him and they don’t want him to have to carry the burden of their deaths. (He does. And he’s not gonna make the same mistake twice).

- The Radish is still a hassle to deal with. Obviously they didn’t see all his powers from the last life as they were completely overwhelmed by the enemies, but with Cale’s help and their experience from the past, they are much stronger and more prepared. By the time the Indomitable alliance comes to the Henituse territory, there are even more secret weapons coming out of the woodworks. Seriously, the enemies are so confused. So is Cale. So is everyone else. Clopeh never stood a chance. It’s like the pointing Spiderman meme. And the enemies are a bonfire in the middle; being reduced to ashes while everyone else is being stunned by each other’s collective strength.

- The only enemy they have a bit of trouble with is the White Star. Not because he’s too strong, no, he’s already no match for Choi Han, Rosalyn, and Lock fighting against him altogether, but with the aid of Eruhaben, they now know that he’s a reincarnator. They have no idea how to kill him for good.

- So basically, they keep encountering him and injuring him further while trying not to actually kill him. Of course, that’s not to say that the rest of the WS allies are a joke, rather, they are just slightly challenging as literally everyone in the two continents speed runs getting stronger to prepare to combat his forces.

- To make it even more fun, none of the enemies retain their memories. Also, the citizens are random on who has memories of their past. Some do, some don’t. It creates chaos.

- Adventurer Bob remembers his past life where he died on his first adventure. He doesn’t know how he came back to the past, but he’s determined to use his knowledge of the future to his advantage! (What knowledge? Bro literally died on his first expedition).

- A middle aged baker in Rain City vows to live his life to the fullest this time! He’s going to build a Wyvern bunker! He’s going to save up funds! And he’s going to make up with his daughter who ran away to become a sword master! He’ll support her all the way this time. They may not be enough, but even if she doesn’t reach that level, who is he to stunt her only chance at survival in the upcoming war?

- Rookie Knight Jeffron has had quite a strange day. He woke up only to hear three of his comrades spouting nonsense about wars and fire and wyverns..? Just what is a wyvern? Must have been quite the nightmare. Psssh! As if! The Henituse territory would never fall to enemy soldiers! And attacking from the sky? Yeah right! What’s next? The Sun god accepts the darkness attribute? Hah! Jokes these days…

- Really, half the city seems to have had too much to drink. Or too little…? What has happened to Young Master Cale?! Some citizens could have sworn he had still been trash in the past. So what has happened to make their young master change so much? He doesn’t seem like he remembers? He doesn’t…right?

[dropthedemiurge]

Love for Love's Sake | Things You Didn't Notice #3 | Learning Korean with the boys

I have (barely) emotionally recovered after the ending of this series, and so I'm back with my usual translation notices and cultural specialties posts ^^ Long post ahead!

// Read previous posts with translations & comments I pointed out //

This time I'll look at the Episode 3 [Yeowoon's Affection level from 0 to -99]. Disclaimer: I'm not fluent in Korean but I've been learning it for years and I've lived and studied in Korea for a while. However, in particular Sangwon and Sia annoyed me so much this episode because their banter is so funny but I cannot decipher their wordplay 100% by ear without KR subs so I have to skip over their dialogues %)

Anyway, there's still some fun language stuff to point out!

- "You're late, Senior (hyung)" - "Senior? (Sunbae?)"

Fun fact: Sangwon, who's the same year as Yeowoon, addresses Myungha as "hyung". Meanwhile Yeowoon addresses Myungha only as "sunbae". Hyung is a term guys call their older male friends (if you're familiar with Thai BLs as well, it's same as "Pi"), meanwhile gender-neutral sunbae means senior, someone who's been longer than you in the industry or some institution (like school).

If I remember correctly, Yeowoon keeps calling Myungha 'sunbae/senior' until the very end of the show. Even when they are sleeping over in the same house after school hours, Yeowoon doesn't call Myungha hyung but sunbae only. In Korea, you use titles or formal full names to people older than you or acquaintances, and you usually use names with the people younger than you. That's why, if you think about it, there wasn't a moment in show when Yeowoon says Myungha's name :D Only sunbae. And that's normal. (this is also why Myungha never mentions Writer sunbae's name at all)

Also, we'll return to Myungha's usage of Yeowoon's name a bit later.

"Keep doing it if you want to die young, Sangwon-ah." "*gasp* You call me by my name when you're mad?"

But Sangwon is talking to Myungha in a very familiar way, using 'hyung' instead of 'senior' every time, making it feel like they are friends (and most of their interaction this episode revolves around Sangwon trying to make Myungha talk to him like a close friend as well xD).

Why is Sangwon so thrilled every time Myungha calls him by his name? Because there are many other Korean words you can use for people, especially if you're angry with them (ranging from the impolite 'this guy' to swearwords). But every time Myungha gives a casual warning to Sangwon who's annoying him, he still says "Sangwon-ah", which is how you'd call your younger friend who's just being a brat. No wonder Sangwon keeps pushing Myungha to get his attention and affection^^

On the topic of names and intonation: I noticed Myungha uses aegyo (acting cute) often when he talks to his grandma. However, with other school students, like I mentioned in my previous language posts, most of the time his speech feels like a patronizing talk of a 29-y.o. adult.

But! I found that one scene when Myungha is deliberately using aegyo with Yeowoon! The reason for it is that Yeowoon finally responded and wanted to meet up after avoiding him for so long, and Myungha is extremely excited.

"Yeowoon-ie, you're waiting for hyung?~" "Don't use that voice".

Two things: Myungha calls himself Yeowoon's "hyung" which feels closer than "sunbae", he wanted to take the next step and make their communication less formal. And instead of saying friendly "Yeowoon-ah" like he always does, he changed the pronunciation of his name to "Yeowoon-ie" — which is, together with the playful intonation in his voice, is so. fucking. cute. However, Yeowoon instantly rejected his aegyo and Myungha returned to the way he always spoke x) RIP.

I already pointed it out briefly in another post but – Myungha cooked a curry rice for dinner with Yeowoon. It might not seem like anything, but I thought it was an amazing detail to show later in the series that even when Yeowoon almost forgotten about Myungha who disappeared, he kept bulk buying rice with curry (yellow packages) for his dinner.

"You act like you're my parent (guardian)." "Well, you're not wrong."

I thought that Myungha telling Yeowoon he's not wrong about him being his "parent" was a bit weird, and indeed, the word they are using here is 보호자 (bohoja), which is "guardian". It can be said about parents but also about anyone who's protecting something or someone as well. Which is exactly what Myungha is striving to do in this world and in this game. To protect and take care of Yeowoon.

"My mom split (ran away) but my dad said she died." "I wish I could split (run away)... I kept running around the field because I felt frustrated. But how could I run away?"

Here I'll need some help from native English speakers, which I'm not, can 'split' be used in this dialogue with the same connotation? Because in Korean, Myungha clearly says "My mom ran away", to which Yeowoon responds "I wish I could run away" and immediately remembering about the reason why he became a runner. And I just loved the accent the show made on this word, which got lost in Gaga subs.

"Don't slack off because you think no one sees." "Maintain your image (Do some mental training)"

This one is surely a mistranslation. The coach says "Do Image Training", in Korea and in some other Asian countries, as far as I encountered this term, this basically means "mental training", or "meditation" and has nothing to do with maintaining one's reputation.

Think "breathe in, breathe out and think how well you'll do and imagine yourself running that race before it starts".

Yeah, probably no one cared about that dialogue or scene anyway, but I hope you're still enjoying my hyperfixation on this show xD Anyway, it's been a long post and I'm done for Episode 3 — but as a bonus, let me share bonus with one of the Sangwoon x Sia scenes.

+

I tried hard to figure out the word that Sia uses when Myungha pleads her to get rid of Sangwoon, and the closest I could get was 분력 (the power of Buddha), but one thing for sure — following Myungha's begging, Sia cross-sprayed Sangwoon with perfume like holy water and ordered him like "Begone, demon!". Lmao :D

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Young Master Shield's Chapter 209

TL;DR - Lily worries about failure and disappointing her family. Everyone reassures and supports her. Cale meets academy staff and is overwhelmed by the welcome. Effric keeps saying stuff that makes Cale embarrassed. Sui and Alberu laughing at Cale's situation. A wanderer gatecrashes the event.

Lily's Worries The first quarter of the chapter was about Lily. She was happy that her brothers were attending, but also worried about her future. Like what if she failed? Fortunately, everyone was supportive of her.

CH said with a sincere and gentle smile that he couldn't study and was bad at it. Basen told her that he was bad at swordsmanship. And Cale told her that it was fine to fail. Her family would not be disappointed in her even if she failed. Awww~ 🥰

Effric's "Attacks" on Cale The entire chapter after Lily's part was so hilarious. Effric, the president of Roan Academy, dealt several blows on Cale that made him feel so embarrassed. And Raon's comments that his human's eyes kept shaking added to the fun. 😂

Effric: *bows at a 90 degree angle* It's an honor to meet you, LORD CALE! Cale: ... Various deans from other departments: IT'S AN HONOR TO MEET YOU! Raon: Human, your eyes are shaking! Effric: A lot of people wanted to hear your speech, and we barely managed to reduce it from the tens of thousands who wanted to. Cale: (Huh? How many thousands?!) Effric: We cleared all schedules today for your speech! Hahaha! Raon: Human, your eyes keep shaking! Effric: I'm sure you'll be a great role model for the students. And for us adults too! Hahaha! Raon: Human, why is your smile like a shrivelled persimmon? Effric: I am looking forward to it, Lord Cale. No, Commander Cale. Hahaha! Cale: ...Yes... I'll do my best...

Cale: *sees the academy plaza* Effric: What's the matter? Cale: It reminds me of the capital's plaza. Effric: You're right. It was modeled after the capital's plaza. Cale: *freezes* Effric: *smiles* I guess you remember that time. Cale: ...Pardon? Effric: Where the legend began. Cale: *freezes again* Effric: *talks more about Cale's shield legend in the capital plaza* Cale: *awkward smile*

Embarrassed Cale Next part was funny. The way to the podium had a red carpet laid on it, and Cale felt embarrassed walking on it while thousands of eyes were watching him. Raon's comments weren't helping him either, especially the one about how Sui kept laughing for some strange reason. Cale could only mentally curse and hold it in. 😂

Cale was dressed in his black commander uniform, so the students were very excited. And when Cale met eyes with a knight student, the "Shield" chant began and spread all over the plaza. Cale was embarrassed again, and Raon made it even funnier again.

Raon said that Alberu had arrived and was laughing out loud at Cale... 🤣🤣🤣 Poor Cale... 🤣🤣🤣

We did get some thoughts on Cale about his past. His KRS self found school life as dull, and he found speeches boring, so he decided to keep his speech short. And also a line about original Cale not having gone to school because he was busy acting like a trash.

Speech Curse is Real We were all expecting the speech, right? Unfortunately, Cale's speech curse is back! 😂 Anyway, we find out that CJS actually headed back to report to GoD after his time on the Central Plains. Cale had messaged GoD, asking to send CJS and reporting about his finding of the Five-Colored Bloods being like wanderers, but GoD ghosted him... 😂

As for the speech curse...

Cale to the students: Nice to meet you. Raon: Human, CJS is here! Cale: (Okay, I just greeted them...what now?) Raon: CJS said it was urgent! He said he could sense another wanderer nearby! Water AP: The sky is strange. Cale: *looks up the sky and sees an incoming black dot* Cale: (Is that a person? A wanderer? No, why is this always happening to me?) Cale: Damn it.

Ending Remarks I loved today's chapter. Reading about an embarrassed Cale is so fun~! 😂 And the speech curse at the end! 🤣🤣🤣 Given the chapter title, I guess we'll see the return of Cale's shield legend next chapter. I can't wait for Friday to come!

[luciusime]

Kr & S1

In the early days of his creation when he was still small and had extra fat clinging to his cheeks, the pains of growing spreading all over his body, Kr was not surrounded by blindingly red walls that looked too much like flayed open flesh and the smell of ozone and formaldehyde. His first lab was plain, and he couldn't name more than half the things in it. Hell, he couldn't even speak or retain consciousness very well. He was like a newborn baby, and like a newborn, he picked up on the things around him.

The walls always crackled with the bright hum of electricity, grating annoyingly at the edge of his hearing in a fuzzy sort of way. The lights always flickered too dimly and at a speed too fast for normal people to see, but it irritated Kr's eyes. Several doors down from him one of the scientists repeated the same mumbled words over and over again every day,

" Our Father, who…"

And a couple of levels into the basement, there was a perpetual screaming. It didn't have a schedule, unlike the scientist. He'd float into the waking world sometimes and it'd be silent, and sometimes the screaming was so loud it made him cry tears of pain.

It was one such time when he was crying- wailing with all his limited lung capacity- when a scientist, not the Our Father one, stormed in and demanded he be silent. When words failed, she simply turned on the components of his first chamber that filled the tank with stasis fluid. As the charmer filled and he was forced to sleep, the scientist mumbled to herself.

" The first clone is a screamer and the second is a crybaby, go figure."

He didn't really have time to think about those words when she said them, but when he woke up after a week and heard the whispers, there was no forgetting them.

The voice in his ears was soft, warm even, but something about the rough and wet sound made Kr squirm.

" And so that's why Orion is named as it is. I'm not sure where we are, so I'm not sure what the sky looks like over us, but I'm fairly sure that if you looked into the endless expanse of the stars from here, you'd be able to catch a glimpse of it."

Kr wanted to ask what a star was, and what expanse meant, and what a sky was. He did nothing as the other boy continued on. Space, aerospace, science, mathematics, English, and various other subjects were all he would talk about during the first few days after Kr was awake. He'd paint pictures with his words, stumbling through descriptions of little lights dancing and fiddling across the sky, the layer above the earth that reflected light and protected the thing on the planet from the sun, a really big star. He'd ramble on about aerodynamics and the requirements for a functional spaceship, giant flying metal constructs meant to take people into the sky and then far beyond it.

Kr hung off his every word, cooing whenever the older boy went over something particularly interesting, like biology or engineering. When the lights went out into the lab and only the soft hum of the low lights and the older boy's words filled his ears, Kr was at peace.

Of course, peace never lasted after the lights came back up. The only upside to the screaming was that Kr learned to control his tears, dampen his hearing with a constant stream of his own noise, and speak. He spoke about nothing, mostly listing off the things in his little lab, listening as the older boy gave him the names of the things he described.

"The walls are grey in here, and there are…"

His voice trailed off as he searched for a word he could not find. The older boy held in a strangled cry and waited patiently for Kr to continue.

" It's shiny, and I can't move my head enough to see it, but it shows me the floor, even though it's on the ceiling."

" Mirror, aus." the other whispered back, barely moving his mouth at all as he strained against his restraints, the reinforced bonds creaking loudly with his every effort. Aus, that had started happening recently too, that word he couldn't define and the older boy hadn't gotten the chance to explain.

He repeated the word, mirror, then told the other about the things he saw there. He trailed into things he could feel as he started to repeat items he'd already listed.

" The pod is still cold as ever, and the metal isn't all that nice to be pressed against."

He kept making noise. When he ran out of words he hummed, cooed in that oh-so-familiar way that always made the other boy's chest rumble when he was pleased with Kr. He did so until the screaming subsided and they moved the older clone back to his own containment unit. Kr let the humming and cooing taper off as he waited for the other to say something.

" When I was little, still a fledgling, only about 2, and I looked it too, I managed to slip away from here. I ended up somewhere far, and a little redhead girl and her parents found me."

Kr wondered what spurred this particular story, but instead of asking, he cooed and settled himself to listen.

" The redhead, Jazz, she became my older sister. A female born before you sharing the same parents. Her parents were my parents, but more than that, she was my whole world for a while. We were close, and I was safe with her. She was the first one to ask me my name, and the first to give me something so precious so freely. She gave me Daniel, Danny."

A soft rumble echoed through the halls of the facility and up through Kr's chamber, shaking nothing but Kr's bones.

" I wish you could have met her aus, she was the smartest person I ever knew, probably still the smartest person I ever met too. Maybe, when I figure out how to get out of here again one day, I'll take you home to meet her, how does that sound?"

Kr cooed, no words coming to him in the intense emotion that swelled up from his chest and clogged his throat.

Of course, getting out again was a pipe dream for Danny, afterall, he couldn't do much with the whole basement level he was kept on bathed in ectoplasm inhibitors, low level kryptonite, and blood blossoms, preventing him from regrowing his arms and legs or breaking his bonds. But his precious star child little brother didn't need to know that. He also didn't need to know about the transfer order to move him to a new facility, the order that would leave Danny trapped in the basement with his precious star none the wiser of his existence.

" Alright star, I'll let you meet Jazz one day, it'll be fun."

[foundfamilymylove]

Imagine the chaos if the people in the indignity test suddenly came into the LCF world-

Dodam calling Cale 'the terrible bastard' while everyone is confused

Raon is happy knowing that even in another world, his human will always save him, just like he promised

Maybe even them fighting for Cale's attention

Both CHs look at each other warily but bond over the confusion that is known as Cale Henituse. Also, CH promises to teach indignity test CH how to become stronger to protect his new-found family. Cale is scared at this, as always

Alver laughing with a refreshed smile, while the younger him wonders if he's gone crazy when he sees how much paperwork he has.

Tiny Alver being happy when he sees that the dark elves, and them too, have been accepted by people. It only reaffirms the fact that he didn't make the wrong choice.

Baby KRS who is wary at first and sticks to CH like glue, however soon opens up with the help of the children. I can imagine Alver going 'Aigoo, why can't I have such a cute dongsaeng?'

However it's ruined when they teach baby KRS how to scam with a bright smile to get money (a critical hit to Alver)

(If you want angst then they wonder why KRS is here when he's so young, however they see how skinny he is still, his footsteps too quiet to not have been learned, the way his eyes were always looking for escapes and he hated people getting too close. The way he dissociates sometimes, just staring blankly at the wall. It's... unnerving, to say the least, to watch a child go so blank and unmoving.

It's clear that something terrible had happened, but both CH, KRS and Cale (to Alver) hold their silence, so all they can do is treat him with care.)

Tiny KRS and the children bonding.

Raon being taught by Eruhaben and Rosalyn.

If they still had the cintamani, maybe they could also dote on baby KRS and how cute he was as a kid, asking 20yr KRS why couldn't he smile at them like that and how such a cute kid turned into such a grump- (tsundere-

Them helping each other out for the future, and sharing concepts/ideas from their worlds.

Vicross having to babysit but he doesn't mind

Ron noticing the similarities between KRS and Cale and deciding to pay more attention to the two of them

Anyways, wow. This got way longer than I expected-

[canonicallyobserving911]

9-1-1 Episode 8x4 Review

It's been a few days since I watched the episode but I took some time to gather my thoughts about it because I wanted to provide a fair and balanced assessment. I rewatched it more than once but truthfully, it's been a long time since I've done that with any 9-1-1 episodes because I haven't been impressed for a while, especially after seasons 5, 6 and 7. The last episode that I rewatched more than once was 6x13 "Mixed Feelings" and that was because Buddie and the Buckley-Diaz Family were heavily focused.

However, since that time, episodes have been lackluster at best, the pacing, timing and continuity were off and they didn't feel like the old 9-1-1 of seasons 2, 3 and the first half of 4. Whole seasons could have been yeeted to the sun and I wouldn't miss them one bit but most of episode 8x4 was surprisingly good and I appreciate them for trying to find their footing and returning to their roots. There were a sufficient amount of emergency calls and the personal storylines were nicely intertwined. Since I didn't see KR's name in the opening credits like it was in episodes 8x1 - 8x3, it appears she's gone and she took her horrible pacing, bad timing, retconned characters, the redeeming of underserving $hitty parents (Margaret and Phillip Buckley, Helena Diaz and Sang Han) and her ability to let important character development happen off-screen with her (looking at several missing scenes from seasons 5 and 6). Hooray!

Before I get into this, I have to mention my favorite parts of the entire episode were... everything that included EDDIE DIAZ!

Eddie's my favorite character and after 7 seasons, he's FINALLY being given the individual screentime he deserves. His storyline covered everything that makes Eddie spectacular including his time in the Army, his combat medic skills, the fact that he's smart, talented and sexy as hell. Furthermore and most importantly, he's a great dad! He loves Chris and he'll sacrifice anything for him including his own happiness. Also, he encouraged people the way he always has. I'm so happy and excited that his storyline IS NOT attached to his deceased wife or her doppelgänger! After the way season 7 ended, hopefully, it's been dealt with and his character won't be regressed to relive it yet again.

RG is an excellent actor and he's finally getting the attention he deserves!

Now back to the regularly scheduled program!

Even though I enjoyed most of the episode, it wasn't all sunbeams and moon pies. Therefore, I'll start with the things I didn't like first and continue with the things I did.

Dislikes

The Gerrard redemption was ridiculous 🙄 and IMO, it shouldn't have ended that way. His character was completely changed from the racist and bigoted captain that Chimney and Hen endured during their begins episodes and was made into a hard nose captain who got an undeserved redemption arc. Do people change? Yes, they do and can but it's difficult to connect how they got there when it isn't shown or addressed in CANON. Viewers shouldn't have to do mental gymnastics to figure out what happened to them and it appears whatever happened to Vincent Gerrard is a direct result of lazy writing. They could have easily brought in a different captain if they weren't going to address his past and especially if they weren't going to let Hen and Chimney remind him of it so he could explain that he was different but I digress. (I have an idea that involves why the character received an attitude transplant and his demeanor was changed but I'll include it in a different post.)

Overall, the way the Mara storyline was handled wasn't the best and I don't like how Madney's storyline was connected to Henren's. I get it, they became foster parents at the end of season 7 to help but something about the way Maddie and Chimney never had an on-screen conversation with Hen and Karen before they did it doesn't make any sense. This has partly to do with the fact that in 6x5, Maddie and Chimney hired Magda as Jee's nanny but after Maddie let her go, Chimney said they were back to the friends and family plan for babysitting. Well, the Lees were already helping them with that so whenever Maddie and Chimney were at work at the same time (like they were throughout the first 4 episodes), who was assisting them with Mara's care. I know this is a TV show but there should be some logic and reality based in it. Finally, I didn't like how there was supposed to be tension between Madney and Henren but it appears that storyline was ixnayed or it was changed and I'm glad.

Madney not having a storyline of their own since their wedding in 7x6 is not cool and I really don't appreciate it (also, it focused entirely too much on Doug instead of the bride and the groom). Let's be real, at this point, if all they're going to do is write them in a way that just allows them to support the other main characters then... WTF are the writers doing because they should have their own storylines just like everyone else. It seems like they don't know how to write them now that they're married and that's just ridiculous because there are lots of storylines they could have.

Metro Dispatch is heavily focusing on Maddie and I've posted about it before but things there are completely unbalanced when they didn't used to be. Now they have Maddie as the center of attention with Josh standing behind her or across from her but where is everyone else in dispatch? I'm not talking about the background characters; I'm talking about Linda Bates and Sue Blevins. IIRC, neither of them have been included in any episodes thus far in season 8. Dispatch was a lot more balanced with them included so it would be nice if Maddie's allowed to interact with someone other than Josh.

Bathena's at home arc was interesting and it's unclear what exactly the writers are trying to show with it. For starters, they've had communication issues since they began dating back in season 2 but after 7 seasons, they should be past this stage by now. Their whole cruise ship arc demonstrated how they needed to learn how to talk again but for some reason, Athena didn't consider Bobby's feelings about the old house and Michael before she contacted him. Even when they were viewing the new home, it appeared they weren't properly communicating. It just doesn't make any sense and even though it's a TV show and it's all about the drama, there should be some realism. Additionally, the way they're being portrayed makes it seem like the only time they talk is when they're about to lose each other forever, i.e. Bobby getting shot in season 4, Athena needing Bobby's help after Jeffrey kidnapped Harry in season 5, Athena catching Junior in Florida in season 6, the cruise ship in season 7 and the airplane landing in season 8.

Henren needs a break from their children being traumatized. They just got Mara back and now Denny's going to be hit by a car on Halloween and I have no words. Can the show please give them some good storylines for once? Even though Karen's not a main (she should be after 8 seasons), she's a rocket scientist and they should find a way to incorporate her job into the show the same way they did Michael's. He's an architect but that didn't stop them from having Bobby call him in 2x15 to get the blueprints for the bank.

Likes

Ortiz is finally gone and that's all I'll say about the character and hopefully, she'll never return.

T.K. 2.0 wasn't in the episode. 🥳🍾🥂 Hopefully, Buck will dump him in 8x5 and it'll be his last.

The emergencies were good. I really liked the one with the tiger even though it was horrible CGI. TM posted the tiger is real but clearly, everyone watching could tell the tiger wasn't in the actual apartment with Patty, Buck and Hen.

Brad Torrence's comment about everyone else on "Hotshots" thinking it's an ensemble cast was funny.

The overall message about them being a found family again HAS BEEN LACKING FOR A LONG TIME but 8x4 appears to have brought it back.

The ending montage was great (except the Gerrard part) but I'll do a separate post about it to share more thoughts.

Chimney doing the rope rescue and being competent with that dart gun was fantastic and he looked sexy as hell doing it. I love it when they give Chimney a good storyline that demonstrates his skills and hopefully, it'll remain this way. He's an excellent paramedic and his experience should be highlighted more.

Eddie was so great in this episode (see above) and seeing him go out of his way to help another father because of his own experiences with both his dad and his son was excellent to see. As mentioned earlier, Eddie gives good advice to other people, he always has but now it seems like he's applying it to himself and he might be finally getting ready to move on from his past.

The Buddie moments were THERE like they have been since TM (showrunner) returned and it was great to see Buck and Eddie being setup for the start of Buddie CANON. I've done a lot of character analyses and posts about Buddie so IMO, the way they were portrayed in this episode is leading to one thing and one thing only, CANON BUDDIE!

The pacing and timing elements were great and if they keep it up, future episodes will continue to feel like the original 9-1-1.

All and all, it was a good episode and it was one of the best that they've done in a long time. There's still more work to do but hopefully, it'll include some professional development for the mains. I've been posting about this since season 6 but for some reason, TM is focused solely on their personal lives but that's not realistic because people apply for job promotions all the time. The day will come when Bobby has to retire for good so he should be training his replacement and Athena should be doing the same. Hen and Chimney should be moving forward on the paramedic side since they've been with the department for more than 13 years. Maddie should be a senior dispatcher by now but she isn't and it doesn't make any sense. Eddie should be a certified paramedic and Buck should be training for his next role too.

Hopefully, 8x5 will include more good emergency calls because currently, I don't want to see Denny get hurt. #TheWilsonsDeserveBetter

[haru-s-afterlife]

[KR Translation] AfterL!fe Drop Event Story

♡Disclaimer!♡ This post contains the unreleased event story from AfterL!fe.

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ A winter’s day dream, SeolMong

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ From Chapter 1 - 2 ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆

⋆❆⋆ Preview: The 14th department is suffering from extreme cold due to the climate in the otherworld. While everyone is having an equally hard day, Verine suffers from the flu and can barely fall asleep. However, in his dream, Verine discovers a secret to treat this cold….

✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺

⋆❆⋆ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 : 𝐀����𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞

Verine: *cough cough*

[Due to the current abnormal climate beyond the underworld, severe cold waves have been plaguing daily life. Elderly people or people with weak health status are advised to refrain from going out, and pay special attention to maintaining their body temperature and their overall health.]

Quincy: “Ugh seriously! The sound of you coughing is so loud I’m gonna die!”

Verine: *Cough cough!* “It’s not like I want to cough either!” *cough cough*

Quincy: “Like this, this weakling is gonna pass his flu to me. I’ll have to change rooms or something!”

Verine: “Yeah yeah, you can move rooms as you wish-” *cough cough*

Quincy: “Oh? Even if I wasn’t allowed to, I would still do it!”

Verine: “Instead of being concerned that I got flu, he rather scolds me…..”

Verine: “I’ve been shut here for days and these moths…I’m so sick of it I can’t stand it.”

Verine: (....Let’s do some reading then.)

Mori: “Freeze! Why are you moving, Verine?”

Verine: “....Why I’m moving, you ask? Now I can’t even move freely in my own room?” *Cough cough cough!!!*

Mori: “Don’t tell me you’re coming my way?”

Verine: “....There’s a bookshelf behind you. I’m bored and wanna read some books but why are you-” *cough cough cough*

Mori: “Oops! Wait a second! I’ll first move to the other side and give you a sign, then come along, got it?”

Verine: “?!?!”

Mori: “Could you please keep a safe distance? Isn’t it too pitiful if I got the flu from you because we’re dormmates?”

Verine: “This really is annoying….”

Verine: “Forget it. I don’t even wanna read books anymore-” *cough cough cough*!!!

Verine: “Should I just disappear or something…”

Verine: (This is the worst….and the only person who truly cares for me is no one else but just Miss Manager- *cough cough!!* )

Verine: (But even she got sick and is resting….I’ve got no one now)

Even if I can’t open my eyes tomorrow, no one will care….

Because I’m useless no matter where I am anyway….

I wish I could just disappear like this

Verine: “Huh….where am I….”

Verine: “Ah..! The whole world is covered in snow….a dream?”

Everett: “How is it? Doesn’t your body feel much lighter?”

Verine: “Uh…who is this? Since you mentioned it, my body does indeed feel light.”

Verine: “I’m not even coughing…! I’m not even cold! What is happening?!”

Everett: “The effects of the ampoule appears immediately. People who used to be in poor health feel changes more quickly.”

Verine: “Ampoule?”

Everett: “Yes, it’s thanks to that ampoule you’re holding. With just one drop of this mysterious ampoule, you can overcome cold forever.”

Verine: “I can’t believe this…you’re saying it’s all because of this ampoule?”

Verine: (If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.)

Verine: “I only have painful memories of my life. Wherever I went, I was looked down upon as a nuisance….”

Verine: “Even if this is a foolish and vain anticipation, it is what it is.”

Verine: “I’ll do anything to not be in pain like I always do. That’s why please…help me.”

Everett: “Is that so? Then please remember that I shall call you from now on.”

Verine: “!!!”

*Ssuk- ssuk*

[T/N: dream sequence ends, back to dorm]

Mori: “Ugh….who is up this early in the morning….”

Mori: “....Mr. Verine…?”

Mori: “Is he planning to spend this month so diligently?”

Mori: (This is my first time seeing him with such a serious expression….What on earth is he planning?)

*Ssuk-*

Mori: “Hmm, this is the note Mr. Verine was writing this morning. No one’s here so it’s not bad for me to take a peek, right~”

Mori: “Huh? What is this…”

35, 22, 34….

I can’t remember the last number, what was it again….

If I find out, I’ll be free from this tedious pain

Mori: “A lottery number?...Did Mr. Verine dream of the right number coming out…?”

Mori: “Or is it about a treasure hidden since a long time….”

Mori: “Oh well...smells like money, smells like money.”

[T/N: scene switches to the portal room]

Verine: “Cough, should I just type it here….”

This location is not registered in the portal. Please verify and re-enter.

Verine: “Ugh….I don’t care. I’m going anyway.”

Verine: “I’m done with people who don’t consider me, it’s over! C’mon, c’mon!”

Beep!

The portal is open. Caution. Unverified forced action may be considered as policy violation and may result in disciplinary action.

Verine: “Phew….finally now….”

Mori: “Where are you heading in such a hurry, Mr. Verine?”

Verine: *!!Cough, cough, cough!!!*

Verine: “Ack- hey- you scared me” *cough cough cough!!!*

Mori: “Why are you so scared? You hiding some treasure somewhere?”

Mori: “You’ll be free from pain if you go there, huh….”

Verine: “You read my notes?” *cough!*

Heading towards unregistered destination. Countdown 3- 2- 1-

Mori: “Mr. Verine, I don’t think it’s the time to be angry with me, portal’s opening soon.”

Verine: “!!!”

*Sssing-*

Verine: *cough cough cough*

Verine: “Ahhh-”

*Verine passes out*

Mori: “Ah, Mr. Verine, wake up!”

Mori: “Sigh….as expected, it’s gonna be a lot of work.”

Mori: “Even so, gotta be patient for a while until he leads me to the treasure at least.”

⋆❆⋆ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐 : 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝

Verine: “Ugh….*cough* my head…where am I….”

Verine: (Oh my! It’s the place I saw in my dreams….it really is a real place!)

Mori: “Are you back? You were asleep for a while there.”

Verine: “Mori…? You followed me to here?”

Mori: “Follow? Mr. Verine should be grateful to me. What would you have done if it weren’t for me? You’d be already eaten by monsters.”

Mori: “This Mori has come here unnoticed.”

Verine: “You really followed me just because you thought you might find some sort of treasure here?”

Mori: “I wonder what unfortunate things you’re saying? I simply came here because I was afraid Mr. Verine would be stranded alone in a foreign land.”

Verine: “Sure….like weren’t treating me like a contagious bacteria just because I was coughing.”

Verine: “.....Forget it, what’s with the white outfit? Even a hood on your head.”

Mori: “This? We were wearing this as soon as we arrived here. Everything changed. Like a protective color barrier.”

Verine: “Protective color?”

Verine: (Now that I think about it, even in my dream, I was wearing white clothes like this……)

Mori: “Look around, this whole place looks like it’s filled with snow entities. We have to protect ourselves here.”

Mori: “That’s why, tell me the real reason you came here, Mr. Verine.”

Mori: “You have to tell me your purpose so I can help you with all I can.”

Verine: “.....”

Verine: “....Ampoule.”

Verine: “It’s because of the ampoule.”

Mori: “Ampoule?”

Verine: “I saw it in my dreams. If I went to the location of this coordinates, I could get an ampoule that will keep me out of cold forever.”

Verine: “Mori, just what are you thinking….”

Mori: “That’s all?”

Verine: *cough cough* “What did you think it was then?”

Mori: “Aha….”

Mori: “No, it’s nothing….”

Mori: (Now that it has come to this, I guess I’ll have to wind up something with ampoules. It looks like a seasonal business, if this climate continues….the profits might not be bad.)

Verine: “What is that smile…creepy.”

*step step step*

Verine: “Slow down! Slow- *cough cough*”

Mori: “Are you afraid the monsters will notice you? If it weren’t for the coughing, it wouldn’t have been very noticeable.”

Verine: (Ugh, look at this. He acted like he was caring for me but after finding out it was simply because of ampoule, he immediately shows his true colors. Give me a break.)

Verine: “Seriously so insensitive.”

*step*

Mori: (The monster turned its head…!)

Verine: *cough cough cough*

Mori: “It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming.”

Snow monster: *roar*

Verine: *cough*

Mori: (!!Mr. Verine!!)

Snow Monster: “Who are you…I’ve never seen this face before…”

Mori: “Please, please, please…!”

Verine: “Oh, hello- *cough* we came from an ice cave in the far north.”

Verine: “We’re not here to harm you, just to ask for help….can you help us if you don’t mind?”

Mori: (No what the heck are you thinking reaching out to a literal monster?)

Snow Monster: “That….”

Mori: “He's still?”

Mori: “He grabbed his hands?”

Snow Monster: “You don’t look like a danger….good.”

Verine: “....Thanks, *cough cough*”

Mori: (Friends all of a sudden?)

Mori: (No wait..! Where is the monster he’s supposed to be?)

Verine: “...Then can you guide us the way to the ampoule?”

Snow Monster: “I understand. Follow me grr….”

Mori: “Mr. Verine, wouldn’t it be better if you tell me that you already saw this in your dreams?”

Mori: “Who knew there would be such a non-aggressive monster?”

Verine: “Just because there’s no aggression towards some people doesn’t mean it doesn’t hold any aggression at all *cough cough*”

Mori: “Hah, is this what they mean by monsters also discriminate?”

Mori: (Great. Since it has come to this, I have no choice but to make the monster join my side too. Cooking up such a one-dimensional monster is a piece of cake for this Mori.)

Mori: “Mr. monster? It seems fate has made us meet like this. So, let’s be close buddies from now on, okay?”

Snow Monster: “Grr…go way!”

Mori: “Ack-”

Mori: (He’s even gritting his teeth.)

Verine: (...I wonder if even monsters can sense someone’s real intention. Right, those true colors- *cough cough*)

Mori: “Uh….”

Snow Monster: “Here grr…..”

Verine: “Wow…it’s an ampoule tree…”

Mori: “Woah, it looks much dazzling than I thought, huh?”

Verine: “It’s blinding *cough cough*”

Everett: “Hello. I heard you were looking for this ampoule.”

Verine: (It’s the person from my dreams..!)

Verine: “Yes, that ampoule- *cough cough*”

Everett: “Now, take this.”

Verine: “....You’ll give it to us this easily? Not even knowing who we are?”

Mori: (What are you doing, Mr. Verine? Don’t just touch a suspicious thing.)

Everett: “However, you look pretty tired. Where did you come from?”

Verine: *cough cough* “We came from an ice cave from far north….”

Everett: (Hmm, as far as I know, there’s no one there?)

Everett: “Ah, is Mr. Elliot okay there? I heard he was involved in an accident some time ago, I don’t know if he even recovered well. What kind of accident was it…”

Verine: “....accident…”

Mori: “Ah~~ Yes, now that you said it, we haven’t seen Mr. Elliot in a while. We’ll let you know about him as soon as we get back.”

[T/N: oh my god this liar hahaha]

Verine: “...Well then, I’ll gratefully accept the ampoule.”

*Everett grabs Verine*

Everett: (Wait, these guys are outsiders.) Verine: “!!!! *cough cough cough* !!”

✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺

Next parts are still in wip but i'll update as soon as i can ! sorry for disappearing and thank you to who are still here <3

[isthe-protag-cluelesstho]

Okay, probably not a hot take, but imma scribble about it anyway,

I honestly think Cale Hetinuse/Kim Rok Soo has chronic pain/fatigue.

Like, everybody loves the whole coughing up blood/wet meow meow thing he's always doing, but personally? People who are that nonchalant about Shit Happening To Their Body, are typically people who are waaaaay too used to Fucked Up Shit Happening To Their Body,

It's just a head canon, but as someone who is chronically in pain, I absolutely do some of the stupid shit CH/KRS does, like carrying stuff I should NOT be carrying, or continuing to Do Things even when I should be sitting and resting. I also know several people who (like me) can be experiencing level 4-5 pain and not show a hint on their face/through their actions besides maaaaybe moving a bit slower/stretching more

And we know KRS has been on his own since he was itty bitty... And then he grew up in a world hell bent on killing everyone. I can't help but think that a tiny child with no one to help him with the general cuts/bruises/little hurts of childhood would 1) have zero frame of reference for what "okay" actually looks like 2) probably has never really received medical care beyond emergency assistance (which does jack for chronic conditions) and 3) has NEVER really had someone in his life long enough for them to catch his way of coping with pain (my very close friends can hear when I'm hurting/tired, everyone else only notices if I am visibly incapacitated)

So, Kim Rok Soo ends up in a world/body that "technically" hasn't experienced his life, HOWEVER fibromyalgia and PTSD are like goddamn pb&j. It's a condition that is deeply tied to a body's stress response. And what does Cale say once he has the Heart? "I feel BETTER"

And that just speaks to me of a person who is so used to pain, that it no longer really registers... I had daily headaches for 7 years, it wasn't until I moved and got a new primary that I found out that more than 4 headaches in a month was considered a concern... I got on some migraine meds and actually stopped having that daily headache, something id just accepted as "how my body works" gone,

I personally don't consider pain at a 1-2 as particularly bothersome, it's more like a general annoyance. Onces it's up to 6-7 it's hard for me to move, and yet I often will still do so, despite the pain. It's only at 9-10 so I stop moving entirely and focus on just weathering it. Usually when that happens, I sleep so much after as my body tries to recover.

And when I read Cale, so casually continuing forward, despite the work he takes on himself, after the constant planning and prepping and ass kicking, all I see is a person who has lived so long with his body's suffering that it's just background noise. Yeah, he coughed up some blood, but the pain is back to "normal" so how can he raise a fuss? He killed 3 monsters with a dislocated shoulder that one time, this? This is easy. And despite claiming his body is weak, he refuses to truly accept the help and rest he needs because (like I used to) Cale thinks "this is just how my body works"

Sometimes, I cannot remember how I lived prior to my pain. Sometimes, I cannot imagine a world where I do not spend half the night attempting to force my muscles to relax, so I can actually sleep. I cannot imagine a world where I am able to do everything I want in a day and not collapse at the end. And I see so much of myself in how Cale continues to move despite the weight of the ancient powers, the expectations of the gods and his own personal hopes. He seems like a character doomed to continue walking, his bones broken but refusing the care because whats the point if everything still hurts the same way in the end?

Anyway, Raon should invent a cure for chronic illness and force Cale into a year long sabbatical

[anrisimps]

Dodam being obsessed over Cale and trying to fight Raon for him, leading to lots of crying, kicking and screaming, involving a lot of blowing things up. And then at last Cale does manage to pacify him but that doesn't mean he is going back with dodam

Dodam was going to be alone - so alone, just like always. This human was a bleak ray of sunlight, a beacon of hope in his dark and miserable life, someone Dodam thought of as his but as it turned out, the terrible bastard ( who wasn't so terrible anymore) was not his at all, he belonged to another version of himself who seemed to be living a life completely different compared to his own.Where Dodam had barely met this human for weeks, Raon had him for years

They looked close, so close as if there was no space for dodam in the human's heart. He wondered briefly if he should be glad that he wasn't named Raon just like this dragon whom he loathed so much, with every fiber of his being for stealing the terrible bastard away from him, for stealing all the love, affection and warmth that could've been dodam's had it not been for Raon.

When Dodam leaves, he does so with a resolute expression as if he never had any hopes of taking Cale back with him. He smiled despite all the storms raging inside him bcoz that made the weak bastard happy. He smiled when dodam smiled and it was the second  most beautiful thing the little dragon had seen since he had been freed from his cage

He wanted the weak bastard to hug him one last time, before he went back. Dodam craved the warmth that was freely showered over his other self without restraint. But he did not ask for a hug. He knew he would never end up leaving if he was engulfed in that warmth once again.

He won't be able to part with it, with his weak and not- so wicked bastard, with his (Raon called him papa...did that make the human his papa too?) 

So he didn't look back as he went. Didnt look back at his other self, surely gloating at his victory, didnt look back at his papa terrible bastard or his siblings or Choi Han and disappeared in a whirl of dust. No one would miss him here.They already had one black dragon, who was so much more powerful than himself. Fighting with him just drove the fact home that Dodam was a weakling, nowhere near as strong as his other self.

-

He finds a krs who hadn't read tboah and is freshly grieving the death of his hyungs in his world. Dodam doesn't know how he knows, but he is 100% sure that this person was his terrible bastard, his human, his- Well, they could establish relations later on. 

Dodam also knows this human is even more fragile than his terrible bastard and the thought calms him down. Somewhat. Now both of them, Dodam and this human, were similar. So weak yet bullheaded enough to not give up. Dodam saw how the weak human maneuvered his way through life, lying and scamming like the terrible bastard and yet not so proficient like his other self. Dodam felt secure in the knowledge that they could learn and grow up together. That this human wont leave him like the other one. This human wouldn't have any expectations from Dodam either. He hadn't met Raon and the thought brought him unexpected joy. Both of them had flaws but they also had each other. 

+1 Dodam falling in love with red bcoz of Cale and then reverting back to his "black is the best" belief bcoz now both him and his papa have black coloring. And choi han too. Dodam thinks he has a real family now. 

+2 Dodam and Rok Soo running away after a failed attempt at scamming with hordes of people after them with pitchforks and swords lmfao. They aren't as adept as their other selves at this scamming business but they vowed to get better at it.

(Choi Han left them alone for 10 mins. And later, when he came back, he had to fight hordes of people who were after his husband and child-)