#ah this blog has so many good memories

[judesmoonbeauty]

2025 Mystery Bag Prologue: Lucky Man Competition

This is a fan translation only. Please expect grammatical errors and translation inaccuracies. This is a full translation. Creative liberties are taken for characterization and smoother translation process. Cybird owns everything. Re-blogs are appreciated, but please do not post my translation elsewhere. Thank you for your support! ☾.

It’s the end of the year, it's condemnation, after condemnation, after condemnation.

The busy Crown members also seem to get worn out by the end of the year.

Roger: Ah- I’ve worked hard this year. I don’t feel like lifting a finger anymore.

Harrison: I get what ya mean, the end of the year’s…..gotten worse.

Harrison: Well, Jude’s seems crappier though.

Jude: Those damned average employees makin’ stupid mistakes durin’ the shittiest busiest time.

Ellis: It's true that the busier you are, the more mistakes you make and the more work you have to do.

Alfons: I’ve also been rather busy what with attending parties with Elbie, greeting people, drinking parties, and caring for the cat!

Elbert: I didn’t ask him to care for the cat….but, you saved it. Thank you.

Liam: We’re all exhausted. But we’ve finished our duties for the year, so now we can take it easy to our heart’s content.

William: I agree with Liam.

William: That’s what I want to say, but at times like this,

Victor: My cutie Crown members are all gathered together ~~!

William: This man stirs up a perpetual storm at Crown.

Jude & Harrison: I’m dyin’.

Victor: This is a marvelous and amazing event. Let’s APPLAUSE!

Liam & Ellis: Yay! Clapping!

Jude: If it’s somethin’ stupid, I’ll sink ya in the sea today.

Victor: You’re the stars of 2025! The Lucky Man competition will be held in the UK, WHOOOOOO!

Jude: Tch.

Ellis: Jude, your blood vessel’s about to burst.

Victor: I see, I see! I’m delighted you’re so happy that your blood vessels could burst!

William: This is the first event where Jude is so excited about it that his blood vessels pop, isn’t it?

Victor: This is a project her Majesty has been working on for many years, and it’s being held for the first time.

Victor: Here, let me explain the rules. They’re simple.

Victor: The person who runs the designated course, and reaches the goal first will be chosen as the Lucky Man.

Victor: The Lucky Man is said to be brought to various events throughout the year for good luck.

Alfons: Essentially, it’s a race to determine first place.

Victor: It’s exactly that!

Victor: First, there is a qualifying round. Those whom make it through, will be able to participate in the final match. This means that everyone has an equal chance to participate.

Victor: It’s fun, it’s exciting! Now, all of Crown should join!

Jude: How stupid. Why should I be runnin’ ‘round in this cold ass weather?

Harrison: Yeah, I’ll pass too. Gimme a break, I’m already exhausted.

Roger: I agree. If there were some benefit like money or something, I wouldn’t hesitate to think it over—

Victor: What if, Her Majesty would grant any one wish to the one chosen as the Lucky Man?

Alfons & Roger: Anything?

Roger: Her Majesty’s really stepped up. Victor, I’ll join.

Ellis: Roger’s participating? Guess I will too if that’s the case.

Ellis: Jude?

Jude: If yer sayin’ “anythin’” then that changes thin’s.

Alfons: Just look at everyone declaring their participation one after the other. Elbie, what of you?

Elbert: …..I don’t compete very often.

Victor: Ahhh! Come to think of it, Kate said something like this,

Victor: “The Lucky Man is amazing! I respect anyone tries their best at anything” —

Elbert: Victor, I’ll join too.

Alfons: For cash. I’ll participate too. I adore reveling in drinking sprees.

Liam: Me too, me too! Win or lose, it’ll be a great memory.

Liam: C’mon, Harry you too! I’m sure Kate will come to cheer us on.

Harrison: Don’t hit my arm, Liam. Good grief, I get it……I’ll tag along too.

Victor: Now, that just leaves William. Although I don’t think I need to ask.

William: Of course, I’ll join. The real pleasure of one’s life is to enjoy everything.

Victor: All of Crown, including myself will participate by entering the qualifying round.

Victor: Crown, the townspeople, and the rest I’m certain —

[Transitions to Vogel]

Darius: — Apparently, an event like that is taking place. We three Vogel’s have announced our participation as well.

Nica & Ring: ….Huh?

Darius: Ahaha, your surprised looks are exactly the same.

Darius: It’s at times like this I think you really are twins.

Nica: Your eccentricities are nothing new Dari, but is there any reason for us to participate in this?

Darius: Do you really feel I always say such outlandish things?

Darius: Simply put, choosing a Lucky Man seems amusing, doesn’t it?

Nica: That’s it? Just the king’s whim.

Nica: So, why does my little brother look so happy?

Ring: Oh, um….

Ring: ….Because I’ve always wanted to get excited along with a large group of people.

Darius: See, my lovely Ring feels the same way. Don’t you think?

Nica: Fine, I enter too. Frankly, a wish that’ll come true sounds delicious.

Darius: You’re such good boys Nica and Ring. Oh, just one thing….

Darius: Usage of our abilities are prohibited since we cursed are currently confidential information.

Nica & Ring: Verstanden [Got it] • Understood.

Darius: I wonder who’ll be chosen as the Lucky Man? Hehe, I look forward to it.

[Story Set Master List] Dividers: @.adornedwithlight

Tags list: @sh0jun @theimaginativelyreticent @sapphire-323 @velisle @nateko @greatwitchsongsinger @injudescoat @aeyumicore @complexivelovely @drachonia @cosmowgyral @lunaaka @rosalyne08 @8the-perfect-lie8 @voydsoul

[lucysarah-c]

Following your answer on homosexuality in AoT, how would sexism in AoT be handled on both sides of the spectrum, female and male, on Paradis and in Marley?

Hi, dear! How are you?

Ah, that's such a good question. You know, I did a post about it a LONG time ago, but it’s a topic I touch on a lot in my fics and here from time to time.

I'll set the context of my reply with three ideas. First, sexism or misogyny ALWAYS exists. It exists in our society like oxygen does. In many countries, it’s not the same sexism as in the 1800s, but it still exists. Second, the Scouts PER SE are the "wokes" of their time; they don't have the same views, lives, and beliefs as regular people inside the walls. So I always think that the Scouts are a bit of an "exception" from the rest of Paradis.

Third, and I state this because my blog is Levi-centered, Levi is ALREADY a person, and in particular, a man, with a very different and unique upbringing. I DO believe that Levi has a more "modern" or "woke" view on "women," "women's rights," and "house chores" than the rest of the men. I'll simply say this: a man who saw his mother being treated like garbage because she worked as a prostitute, a man who had to raise himself, and a man who RAISED a girl out of pure heart. I hardly think he judges women on how they dress, who they sleep with, or thinks that "a man shouldn't cook or clean/take care of the kids." So Levi is kind of an exception for me. This doesn't mean he doesn't have internalized misogyny or "micro-sexism" (which I'll talk about later).

Overall, despite both societies allowing "women" in the military, I don't think their views on women or men's roles are much different. I believe there are a few clear examples of this in the manga. If my memory serves me correctly (and take this with a grain of salt because I know that Isayama gave multiple interviews, and a lot of them were edited), he said on one occasion that the Scouts were different because usually, everybody helps with all the chores, like cooking, cleaning, etc., because they work more united and as a family than the rest of the military divisions. Second, he said in one interview right after the manga ended that when he draws "military boards or higher ranks," he always keeps in mind not to add women because they aren't allowed.

Other scenes that quickly come to mind that make me think that Paradis (and I'll speak mostly of Paradis because we don't see much of Marley as a society) is a very sexist society with traditional views:

Most of the time, when we are shown military members from the Garrison OR the MPs, they are mostly men.

Which women are shown that are "recalled" from the Garrison? Riko and Anka… What role does Anka have? Being a secretary for Pixis, more or less, a very stereotypical role for a woman.

A very memorable woman from the MPs is Hitch, and there's a scene where it's clearly said that "there's only one way a woman like Hitch can get into the MPs," basically stating that she made sexual favors to get into that position.

Not a single scene from the military board or higher-up positions shows a single woman.

All the mothers of the characters shown in the story are "housewives" or "stay-at-home moms," which is absolutely fine if a woman decides to dedicate her time to her family as long as it’s a decision she made and not because she didn’t have "other options." Even Eren's mother, Carla, is shown to work as a waitress before she became a mother and a housewife.

All this makes me conclude that probably women inside the military never reach far, either because they aren't allowed (men are preferred over them, offered better positions, promoted first) or because once they get married, they are expected to become stay-at-home wives. I can clearly imagine people thinking that if you get promoted as a woman, it's because you're sleeping with your boss, or if you haven't gotten married and had kids at a certain age, "you're wasting your time" or "a woman's role is to be a mom; they only feel fulfilled like that."

This creates a power dynamic: women are expected to be wives; therefore, men are expected to be the main providers. And this is something I can see men, particularly Levi, being affected by. In my fic, I wrote once that Levi gets very offended when the reader invites or pays for him because she comes from a wealthy family. For Levi, as internalized misogyny, HIS role as a man is to provide. What kind of man is he if he's not paying? Especially for the Scouts' men, it's said that the Scouts have the lowest salaries in the military. If they can't provide, their chances of getting married are probably low. Even today, a lot of men get sensitive or offended if their wives make more money than them. Or men get irrationally jealous and butthurt if their women are more successful than them.

Another way men might get the sour end is in terms of emotional availability. While women's harsh reality is known, men's struggles often aren't. For example (one from Marley), Reiner's mother suffers a lot of social prejudice because she had a kid out of wedlock, and her only "salvation" is that Reiner becomes a warrior. Even today, men struggle with being emotionally available and having more feelings than just "lust and anger." I can totally see men all over the AoT world having to be these "very tough" guys who are only allowed to be "human" when they are alone with "their girl/wife." This happened a lot after WWI; men were sent back home with horrible memories of war and society expected them to just "toughen up and be men." Go, work, and provide for your family; and if you're suffering from everything you lived, then learn to be a man.

It's like I can literally imagine Erwin perhaps complaining that he's having a hard time, and Zackly or any other dude would be like, "You know what you need? A wife; she will take care of the rest."

"I don't have time to dedicate."

"Doesn't matter, a good wife always understands."

"… my salary isn't that good."

"Oh well, you know it's never too late for you to change divisions and settle down." pat on the back lmao end of the advice, and Erwin has the same emotional stress as before.

Overall, I think their views are probably as traditional as they were only a couple of years ago. This is completely ignorable for the sake of fanfiction and having fun; not every piece you write has to send a message or be political. But if you ask me how I think canon AoT characters are, I believe a good part of them, if not most, would be very traditional.

Hope this helps! I tried to cover everything I could remember while being as concise as possible. Thank you so much for your question!

Lots of love!

[coastxlwaters]

Yawns and stretches

Well uh... I wasnt planning on making one of these bc i appreciate everyone so much i cant put it into words... But ah. Lets go

This is gonna be extremely cheesy, also remember im making this half asleep and even fully awake i couldn’t explain how much i care for you all

No specific order, lit just what pops up as moot first:

@escapetheslaughters Hey Ze! I love your ideas and creativeness, even if at times i have to back away due to my uncomfortableness with ykw related topics. You are by far one of my most trusted moots even though i trust all of them with my life, and i wish i could call you my father, but im happy to atleast call you my friend

@eternal-soup Hey soup, god you have pulled me through some rough times without even knowing it. I cant tell you how much i treasure our few and far between interactions but god you are just a great person to call my friend. I cant put it into words for how muchi care for you, but if i ever hear that someone was rude to you i would go to war on your behalf

@eclipsen-smiles Hey Clips Mod, i dont know you too well but you do take up a special place in my heart, you are a very wonderful person with great character building, i wish i could say i knew you more but i respect that you find more likeness in others and not me, im just happy that i know you well enought to call you a friend

@theinfamousmaybelle hi maybelle!i dont know you too much but when we do interact it calms many of my always frazzled nerves!

@im-just-a-dumb-gay Hey Gay, oh god icant put into words how much i appreciate you. You wereone of my first ever moots and i am so happy i have had the fortune to have you in my life

@inkyucu Hey Inky! We may not interact much but i hold you near and dear to my heart, you always know the right thing to say somehow and always make my days better!

@itsahotminuteinbetween hey minute! Oh god, agajn, i cant put it into words but you are a treauredpart of my life i could have never hoped for, as i aslent lurker myself i always understand you not being able to interact much due to social anxiety and i appreciate whenever you become braveenough to interact with me, i am trying to telepathically hug u as i type this i hope you feel it-

@obsessivecelestial i havent known you for long, Celestial, but you make people i care for happier than i ever wish i could, please, please continue to be their friend because you have an untouched power for making people happy

@o-i-w-u hey Charlie! I miss when we were able to interact alot, but i still silentl lurk through your blog for memories of when we would interat alot. You pulled me through one of the roughest times i have ever had and i still appreciate the hand you offered for mine

@potatotato-26 Hey Tato, god, i miss you so much. I think about you every single day, your anxiety about uour art, your little quirks, you bring light to many people and i ask you continue to do so even if ur not in the tsams fandom anymore, u will forever be one of my role models

@strawberry-arrowtip Prime, Prime, Prime, i cant put inro words how much i just LOVE u /p, you have been there for me since my early days under the user of ’CoastxlWaters’ or ’Xellia_eclipse’ you have been one of the best role models for me and i cherish ur existence in my life, though i cant decide whether you are brother figure or father figure <3

@froggielovescoffee Oh Forrest,god your terrifying in a good way, i cant believe i have an amazing artist following me of all people, much less being able to call you a friend!

@h-didanart H, H, H H H H, god I have always loved your stuff and always will your aus fascinate me and your support for whenever I try to do something has never went unappreciated, also, you made one of my absolute bestest of friends as happy as they are, and I think you know who they are, wink wink

@just-a-normal-nova Nova I cannot stress how much I care for you, you are literally part of my family in my head, your older brother btw💥 but anyways, god i hope you get the man ur looking at and i hope you are the happiest you can ever be even if i have to someday leave you behind in my online life

@knizuu Same as your brother, Knizuu, i cant put into words how much i care baout you, i am hugging you and burying my head in ur chest out of appreciation rn

@letthebloodrunlikeariver we dont talk much but for fuck’s sake you are treasured, treasured i tell u, treasured.

@liminal---nightmare-aliza oh Liminal- oh god i miss u so much... I hope you are living a great life even ifim not even noticed in it

@loony2star LOONY, LOONY LOONY LOONY, OH LOONY, GOD I CANT PUT MY APPRECIATION INTO WORDS BUT YOU ARE- SOSOSO- GREAT? AMAZING? TREASURED? SOMETHING LIKE THAT!-

@creaturenamedchoir Choir i literally cant say anything when it comes to you, when i do all i end up seeing in my head is me hugging ur sona with my shark onesie with caption: ’Big brother’

@brightsstar i dont know u that well but ur creations lighten my mood every time i see one!

@multifandomcutie13 oh god u are so treasured in my life i think ill cry if i try to explain, even if u are ominous smt with ur messaging and get the wrong idea you are still an amazing person!

@mellonaide-skys KASHI, I think you know how much i appreciate you, i could make entire posts for every single one of my moots and you would still be in my mind waiting for ur turn to be yelled at with appreciation

@morriganfey i call u every day, u help me through some of the worst times in my life, i cant put my appreciation into words but everytime i hear your voice i smile and my self deprecating thoughts become a little less heavy, i care for you more than almost everyone else on this list. I am sorry for anyone else reading this, but Fey has heard me crying and helped me more than i could even hope for

@capring *sobs into ur chest* i care for you so much i cant tell you how much of an impact you have made on my life and not sound like im overexagerating but you certainly had a huge impact like Fey’s, i care for you deepky and wish i could flick a wand and watch yoir worrkes melt away

@librarian-computer My unbelievably anxious friend, you are treasured and u can talk to me about anything, though i do ask that u message me when u lose motivation for an rp so i can cut it off or try to help <3

@bittyfromquotev you are a role model and i cant say nothing else without sounding really, really crazily happy and i sadly have reputation to uphold

@sunny-inajar ifyou killed me i would die happily/silly but actually, you were one of the biggest motivations in my life and you continue to be, im so happy i have the continued ability to call you a moot

My hands are hurting from all this typing and i know this isn’t everyone byfar but im in more pain than i am in when doing chicken scratches to vent-

I love all of you

So much

I am so tired and slow

I hope i worded this right

But you are truly gifts in my life

Everyone of my moots and people i trust

You are all gifts

[muffinsin]

Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 4: Take Me In

[TWs for this chapter: drugging, dubious consent]

Masterlists Smoke and Mirrors

Overview Smoke and Mirrors

Blog Masterlists 30 likes for the next chapter again

Donna cups her cheeks, her touch soft, but firm, her dark eye set on the bright golden ones of Daniela Dimitrescu. She looks up at her adorably, standing a little lower than the dollmaker despite her very tall height. She looks up at her with wide, loving eyes, her soft, dark painted lips parted in wonder, yet no words come from her.

Like this, it’s immediately clear who belongs to who, with Donna, fully dressed in black and cradling her little doll’s face and Daniela, naked save for her revealing red panties and thin black stockings. She stands on her tiptoes, hoping to reach her lover’s face. It almost looks like an image of worship, which Donna is fully aware of. It seems, Mother Miranda is not the only in the village worth of utter worship. She feels pride and self-satisfaction bloom in her at the thought.

“My love”, Daniela whispers, at last. She’s still as if in a trance, yet sees the dollmaker now, rather than the mere memory of her. She feels her hands- cold- against her warm cheeks. She finds; she feels surprisingly human with her. Through the pink-tinted lenses of Daniela’s delusions, this is romantic. To be held and loved, her lips mere inches from Donna’s dark painted ones. To the normal eye, one would see her with her back bruised up and branded to fit the mark of the Beneviento crest, ghostly hands stroking along her hair as though to lure and calm.

This close, Daniela feels a mixture of love and intimidation. Of course, this is her lover and as such she would think there is nothing to fear, yet there is intimidation there. Donna Beneviento, older, more mature, more powerful, of a higher status than the Dimitrescu even. A Lord of the village. Underestimated, mysterious. She pleads, silently, for Donna to take her. Pleads, she isn’t so young, she’s lived through so many centuries of deception and loneliness. She wants to be hers, special, loved. She’s younger, but she is ready, eager, willing. She doesn’t quite know that the woman has no qualms regarding who Daniela is. She has spotted her, despite her status as another Lord’s daughter. No, the moment Donna’s dark eye set on her, she knew she must have Daniela and claim her. She knew from the very first moment: Daniela is a Beneviento, a doll to be added to the collection of the skilled dollmaker.

Daniela gasps when she feels the hands slide past her back and grip her hips tight, despite Donna’s soft hands still being set on her cheeks. The combination of soft caresses and the bruising grip has her head spin.

“You have found your way to me, little doll”, Donna speaks, her voice low from its lack of use, yet it lures Daniela in all the more. She’s panting lowly, her lips twitching a little. She’s barely aware of her state of undress. All she can think of and register is the woman in front of her.

“Of course, my love”, she answers. She feels high, happy. Through her eyes, this looks like one of the forbidden relationships she has read about in her books. The secret meetings, looks exchanged, kisses shared in the darkness, love letters delivered in secret, the lingering touch of lovers.

She loves it.

Donna hums, watching as Daniela’s eyes slip shut when her hand strokes along her skin and tucks her hair strands behind her ear. So trusting, so naïve. The dollmaker’s core throbs, her entire body aching with the desire to take her little doll already, to snatch precious Daniela wholly.

Ah, but she has time, and no interruptions. Daniela is hers, will be hers wholly, with no one to interrupt and intervene, no one to take her doll and snatch her again.

She allows her lips to brush against Daniela’s softly, an unspoken promise of a reward for good behaviour. The auburn haired woman shivers. She wants to press up against the rough, bitten lips, yet when she does, she feels a sting of pain as the phantom hands grip at her hips and hair and force her back down, her soles back on the ground after she’s been on her tiptoes for so long.

Her eyes are wide, a little teary, as a yelp escapes her. Again, pain greets her in the form of her hair being tugged backwards. She squirms uncomfortably when her head is forced back, the ceiling of the cellar workshop and the lamp along it blinding her. She presses her bright eyes close instantly, feeling tears form already.

For a moment, the pain rips her from her delusions and the haziness, allows her to worry: where is she? How did she get here? What about Bela, looking for her all alone in the woods? She should turn back; tell Donna she needs to go. Maybe she can visit her at the castle soon.

Then, in an instant, the dollmaker moves behind her, phantom limbs, ghostly hands, replaced by real ones that tug again for the younger woman to open her eyes again.

Haziness and the pollen’s influence takes over again, has her thoughts fade away as she looks up at Donna’s black eye and the scarred one.

So beautiful. So graceful. So demanding. So loving. So perfect. Correcting her mistakes; she only wants her to do better, of course. Because she loves her. Cares for her, no doubt.

Daniela feels her tears be brushed away, feels the ghost of Donna’s lips against her forehead, right where the rose tattoo still adorns her skin. The dollmaker secretly seethes at the sight of it. A reminder, a constant one, that Daniela is born a Dimitrescu. A sudden urge to grab a scalpel or scissors from the workshop rises in her, to hold her doll down and cut the symbol from her, but she knows it would be no use. Being born with it and specifically given this symbol, it would merely regrow with Daniela’s skin, she is sure. Alas, she only eyes it angrily, before she sets her eye on Daniela’s and her look softens slightly.

“Don’t yell, little doll”, she speaks, and momentarily Daniela’s eyes widen when the voice comes not from her lover’s lips, but from the inside of her head.

Then, a voice shrill and loud, that makes her wince a little. “Donna doesn’t like loud noises”

Much to Donna’s satisfaction, Daniela looks up at her through her adorably teary eyes and wet eyelashes, her lips parting gently as a silent apology comes from her.

The poor thing doesn’t recognize that she only yelped because Donna hurt her, because she intentionally caused her pain to punish her for- according to her- bad behaviour. She only smiles happily when she feels the ghostly lips press to her wet, soft cheek again. Her lover always is so loving and gentle! She already feels so much less lonely.

Allowing the younger woman back up again, she lets go of her hair. When she attempts to turn to face her, she finds the phantom hands back at her hips and feels Donna’s hands keep her in place. Having learned her lesson, the Dimitrescu stands still.

She, at last, realizes she’s in a workshop, doll parts- wooden ones, this time- and tools hung up on the walls. She finds benches and cabinets, boxes of wood ready to be carved, porcelain and colours, brushes and scissors, fabrics made to be cut up and sewn together to make the tiny dresses.

Then, finally, she notices her state of undress when Donna’s hands reach forwards and cup her large, perky breasts in her hands. She squirms and gasps, overly sensitive. She doesn’t understand, squirms helplessly as her cute, pinkish nipples are grasped and tugged. She’s never been this sensitive! Ah, it must be her lover! It must be the love and desire they share, that simply makes everything feel better!

Poor, naïve Daniela simply gets more and more lost in her delusions.

Donna gropes eagerly, feeling the perky nipples and hearing Daniela’s cute, girlish moans and whimpers in return. She’s perfect to her, truly, the most adorable little gem found near and far by the village, and entirely hers.

“A-Ah!”, Daniela whimpers, the volume of her moans, groans, whimpers, squeals even all as low as she can manage as to please her lover. For this, she finds herself rewarded as more and more pleasure spreads in her. She gasps when ghostly fingers belonging to a phantom hand slide teasingly across her soaked panties. They’re dragged up first, bringing the sensitive woman back up to her tip toes. Between her legs, her panties are tugged up harshly, exposing the pink southern lips below to the greedy dollmaker. Then, they let up, and she feels a finger slide into her. Fingered against her lover, Daniela feels the pleasure is almost too much. Not a dream, reality, in which she is so clearly dominated and toyed with, loved and taken care of.

She squeals when her nipples are pinched, and again she almost feels the urge to return to the castle, to reassure her family she is safe, until pleasure takes over and the poor thing drowns in a river of desire and faked love.

She moans and gasps, the finger rubbing up against her G-spot with every thrust, another slipping under her panties to rub at her pearly, sensitive clit.

Upon looking down, the finds her panties bulged, yet finds not the hand bulging them. When she feels the dollmaker’s teeth graze against her neck, her legs nearly buckle beneath her.

Daniela doesn’t notice she is walked forwards, inch by inch, until she stands directly by the workshop’s table, where multiple dolls are set up.

Accompanying their mistress and the phantom hands conjured up by her, Daniela feels littler hands on her body. She squirms and gasps when they reach up to her breasts, to rub the nipples when Donna’s hands slide to her ribcage and mark it up with her fingernails. For a moment, she tries to squirm away, tries to escape the touch of the smaller dolls, tries to raise her hands when the phantom hands slip from her core and grip her wrists with bruising strength instead.

She cries out, too loud for Donna’s liking clearly, for the small wooden hands slap against her stomach and thighs with surprising force next, turning her pale flesh a light pink. Tears rush from her eyes again, conflicting emotions rising within her.

She wants- no- yes- no- she doesn’t- but it feels so good- it doesn’t feel good- she doesn’t want to- she wants it, needs it- she needs to be good, needs to obey- she needs to go, needs to find her sister- can’t go, isn’t meant to go

Another bite at her neck has her body tremble lightly. She’s shivering, feeling the woman’s skilled tongue dip into the mark created by her teeth. If she wasn’t so distracted and hazy, Daniela might have noticed her choker missing for the first time in her life.

She feels the wooden fingers by her clit, rubbing what she wants- doesn’t want- want- need- refuses- gets. Her clit is hypersensitive, her pussy drooling into her panties. More small hands grope and touch, whereas her wrists are held so tight they’re certain to bruise- not that poor Daniela even notices this. All she can think of, feel, want, is the pleasure her lover grants her.

She gasps helplessly, her face flushed and chest heaving. She looks beautifully weak, her wrists bruised, her panties torn slightly and her pussy drooling for Donna only. Her head is a mess, her vision blurred slightly. She feels so comfortably warm, feels only the pleasure and love only her dollmaker could provide. She’s hers, Daniela feels it, knows it. It’s good she didn’t tell Bela, good she will not take her lover from her, she thinks.

 As such, she cums eventually, her orgasm overwhelming. She gasps as her knees eventually do buckle and she falls forth onto the workshop’s table, her eyes heavy, her back burning when Donna’s hand moves across it. She finds, it’s a comforting kind of burn…

[antialiasis]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: all of my thoughts (part 2)

Once again, this is me watching my way through The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) and commenting on everything that comes to mind as I go. Where we last left off in part 1, Blondie and Tuco had just each learned half of the secret to a the location of a cache of Confederate gold, forcing two men in a thoroughly adversarial relationship to collaborate. This time, we get to see the two of them begin to bond, in the most delightful, complicated, bonkers sort of way.

The checkpoint

Another Extended Cut scene. Sad Hill Media's blog post on the Extended Cut scenes suggests the only conceivable purpose of this scene is to establish Tuco wants to go to the San Antonio monastery and that it's entirely needless because we can just figure he knew it was nearby. I do think there's a little more to it than that: this checkpoint is presumably why Tuco and Blondie actually dress up in Confederate uniforms, which is otherwise a pretty random thing for them to do (and is an important plot point a couple scenes later); it's where Tuco presumably gets the idea of actually pretending to be Bill Carson (without this scene, he's just using Carson's eyepatch randomly when they get to the monastery for unclear reasons); and more specifically it establishes that Tuco knew the monastery existed but was kind of surprised to learn they were in the vicinity of it, which adds some context to why Tuco hasn't visited his brother before in those nine years -- he hasn't been in the area before, just vaguely knew of it being near Apache Canyon. But it is undeniably a very functional sort of scene with not a lot else going on, other than Tuco's amusing assertion that "If I were a Yankee you wouldn't have time to ask me that!" to a whole encampment of Confederate soldiers, as if he'd have just taken them all out single-handedly.

Speaking of dressing up in Confederate uniforms, either Blondie was conscious enough at some point to change into the uniform or Tuco dressed his unconscious self in it to sell that he's a dying soldier to these guys. I suspect the latter.

The monastery

Tuco asks for his brother right at the start, but unknown to Tuco he's already gone to visit their dying father. Big, painful dramatic irony there on a rewatch.

Once again, we have wounded soldiers, many with lost limbs, filling up the monastery -- and once again it is a mere backdrop to our protagonists.

Tuco of course acts like Blondie is a very dear friend, like a brother to him, specifically when the monks are within earshot and then immediately drops it when they aren't. What a guy.

(He asks frantically if Blondie has said anything -- mainly thinking of if he said anything about the name on the grave, of course, but also, Blondie could theoretically tell them any number of things about Tuco that might get him kicked out of there.)

Meanwhile, even though nobody's looking (he checks!), Tuco gets down on his knees to pray. Totally sincere in his religion, praying that God will let this man live so Tuco can have his $200,000. I love this fascinating plot-irrelevant character trait.

Once the priest has told him Blondie will recover, he's thinking for a bit about next steps before he goes into the room. Everything would be easiest if he could just get Blondie to tell him what the name on the grave was, and then he can just kill him, or at least ditch him -- he's not too keen on actually having to haul Blondie around to find the treasure, after all.

Tuco starts off by telling Blondie, "The old father tells me you'll be up and around in a few days!" and then this hilarious thing of "You were very lucky to have me so close when it happened!" Ah, yes, when "it happened", this mysterious thing that caused Blondie to nearly die in the desert, how lucky that Tuco just happened to be there. Clearly this is going to work on Blondie himself. (Maybe Tuco could be banking on the possibility Blondie might not have a clear memory of the whole thing, but honestly it's perfectly in character to do this nonsense either way, because Tuco is Tuco.)

He goes on with this approach about how they're all alone in the world and have only got each other, suggesting he doesn't have any family. This is of course a blatant lie, as we'll learn in a bit -- Tuco believes he still has both parents and a brother, even if he hasn't seen them in a long time -- but right now it seems convenient to pretend he has absolutely nothing and no one, in case it will help him earn Blondie's sympathy and trust, so all alone in the world it is.

But then he changes tack again! Come to think of it, maybe it'd be easier to convince him to tell if he thought he was dying. So nah, now he's sad, devastated, that Blondie's dying and it's all his fault. :'((( (He looks around first to make sure none of the monks are around to contradict this, but he already contradicted it when he himself told Blondie just earlier that he'd be up and around in a few days. Tuco just does not keep track of his lies, at all.)

Love the shot where he's looking through his fingers, trying to gauge if this is working at all, and then turns it into wiping the definitely real tears from his eyes. He's trying so hard.

In Blondie's place, he would tell about the gold! (He would not tell about the gold.)

If he gets his hands on the $200,000, he'll always honor Blondie's memory! (He will not.)

Oh, Tuco, totally buying it when Blondie beckons him closer only to get coffee in his face because of course. The combination of absolute unrepentant lying and swindling and naïveté is so endearing, in a terrible way.

Blondie is so smug about "I'll sleep better knowing my good friend is by my side to protect me" while Tuco is pointing a gun at him (upside-down) and it's great. Tuco having him at gunpoint is simply not a threat anymore, because Tuco now wants him to live more than anything! He will protect him! Just in his best interests that Blondie survives!

(And the funny thing is Blondie can probably entirely legitimately sleep a little better with someone else actively invested in his survival than he normally does as a lone wolf drifter, even though the guy actively invested in his survival now also happens to hate his guts. We see him later being a very light sleeper who keeps his hand on his gun, suggesting he's kind of used to expecting someone might attempt to kill him in his sleep; Tuco would never let anyone kill him in his sleep, not while he's the only one who knows the name on the grave.)

Notably, Blondie isn't angry in this scene, as much as he has every right to be when Tuco's being an absolutely shameless little shit about trying to manipulate him, after a lengthy bout of straight-up torture. Instead, Blondie seems more amused by his utter ridiculousness, now that Tuco is harmless and in fact warpedly helpful to him. He's enjoying every minute of the reversal of fortunes here, and in the process Tuco's Tuco-ness has just become kind of entertaining. This is an important little development for how their relationship evolves from here.

After the non-obvious timeskip, Tuco's fetching water for Blondie, grumbling all the while about if I get that name from you I'll give you water, and calls him a dirty skunk, kicking his foot -- notably, not keeping up the pretense of being his friend even a little bit unless the monks are around anymore. Presumably, in the time we skipped over, they've had some talks about how they'll proceed -- Blondie naturally not even considering telling Tuco the name but agreeing to accompany him so they can find the treasure together, Tuco reluctantly figuring yeah, fine, they'll do that, but he doesn't have to be happy about it. He feels free to be an ass to Blondie, even though he can't lose him, because Blondie also needs him to get the money, and at least to Tuco it's unthinkable he would just skip out on $200,000, so it probably has not crossed his mind at all that Blondie could just decide once again to ditch him if he got fed up with him.

Most of the analyses I've read on this movie emphasize that all three main characters are motivated by greed in their pursuit of the gold. But Blondie has never actually felt all that invested in the gold per se to me. Throughout the movie he's mostly being pulled along on this treasure quest by either Tuco or Angel Eyes; I don't think he ever even mentions the gold in any context that's not about how it's something the others desire, and he doesn't take much of any active action to facilitate finding it, other than being along for the ride as the quiet inevitable kingmaker. Instead, whenever it's actually Blondie's choices driving what's happening (which isn't too often, mind; he spends a lot of time quietly going along with the others and biding his time), his motivations are distinctly about something else, as far as I can tell. My overall read on him is that his chief priority is his own survival, and while the treasure hunt has his interest piqued it's almost more for the interesting puzzle of how he's going to come out on top at the end of this than out of desire for the money, though the money certainly doesn't hurt. I think I read something somewhere about the never-produced sequel proposal involving Blondie having given his share of the gold to the monastery, and honestly, I don't know if that's true or if I'm remembering right what I read, but that checks out to me.

At any rate, what I'm saying is I think Blondie is not so invested in the gold that he has to stick with Tuco for it, the way Tuco has to stick with Blondie; Blondie has all the leverage and is enjoying it, and he almost certainly did give some thought to whether he should just try to get out of there if he gets the chance. But ditching Tuco would inevitably mean Tuco just comes to track him back down again, even more fiercely, after already finding him once -- and Blondie is almost certainly already sketching out a plan for when they've reached the cemetery. Tuco is probably planning to try to kill him as soon as he shows him the grave, after all, and Blondie is going to have to make sure he's fully in control of the situation before he reveals anything. And then he's going to make Tuco put his head in a noose.

Tuco mentions the wounded are just pouring into the monastery so they'd better get the hell out of here -- that war sure is still intensifying in the background, and the main characters still want no part of it!

Blondie silently hands Tuco his still-lit cigar here just as Tuco's been insulting him; Tuco just drops it on the floor and steps on it, not keen on sharing. Again, we see how Blondie, when he has this leverage, is completely unruffled by Tuco's toothless hostility, and in fact is just having fun being friendly in an ironic sort of way in return, knowing this annoys Tuco. This is a very fun little contrast to a little later, when Blondie gives him a cigar with a more genuine sense of sympathy, and Tuco actually accepts it. I didn't actually even notice this bit for the longest time, but yes, good.

When Tuco learns Pablo is back, he just tells Blondie that This is something I have to look into, not wanting to tell him anything about his family -- though of course, it wouldn't be hard to guess that "Father Ramirez" is related to Tuco Ramirez. And while Blondie probably does muse on how he could just go out and grab the wagon that's already ready to go (though he would probably ultimately dismiss that either way as discussed above), he must be curious -- and also realize that understanding more about how Tuco ticks might be useful later.

This whole sequence is quite funny, showing off a lot of Tuco being Tuco, while we get a good look at the fundamentally changed dynamic between Tuco and Blondie now that Tuco needs Blondie alive. So far, it looks like Blondie having great fun rubbing in the leverage that he has, completely and unshakably confident that Tuco won't touch him now, while once Tuco understands he's not about to convince Blondie to give up the name, he's nakedly hostile -- but Blondie just finds his hostility amusing now that it doesn't actually represent a threat. We don't spend a whole lot of time on this stage of the dynamic, but it's still pretty important that this is where it has resolved to at this point.

Tuco and Pablo

Tuco is initially obviously wary and nervous about approaching Pablo but then puts on a cheerful smile before he says anything. He probably knows Pablo might not be super happy to see him, but he's going to live in his best world and doggedly pretend this is a normal cheerful family reunion.

Initially the smile falters when Pablo turns around without acknowledging him, but he forces it back up again. "Don't you recognize me? It's me, Tuco!" Surely it's just because he didn't recognize him with the eyepatch, right?

He goes in for a hug. Pablo folds his arms. Tuco decides this is totally just because maybe that's not appropriate with a monk - "I don't know the right thing!" he says before getting down on his knees and kissing the knot of his rope instead. It is Definitely Not that Pablo just does not want to hug him, nope.

Pablo's fed-up eyeroll on "I wonder if my brother remembers his brother" is very good. I can't believe these actors were each speaking a language the other didn't understand and just waiting for the other to pause to say their next line (Eli Wallach brings this up specifically as a really tough scene because of this). Talk about acting with a handicap. I take every hat off for how well they absolutely pulled it off -- this is honestly one of the best scenes in the movie.

"Did I do wrong?" he asks, like he's almost considering whether maybe Pablo thinks it was wrong of him to come here, but then nah, it doesn't matter! He's very happy!

"You have seen me, Tuco." Ouch. Implied, so goodbye. Tuco chooses not to take it that way!

All in all, Tuco's face for this whole thing is great, the genuine awkward reactions always dissolving into undaunted cheerful smiles as he keeps going, insistently trying to make this interaction normal. Eli Wallach is so good.

Pablo just stares him up and down after "I'm very glad I came!" "Oh, my uniform! It's a long story!" Yup, definitely just wondering about the uniform.

Tuco's trying so, so hard to bring back some long-lost brotherly dynamic that they used to have, sometime. "Let's talk about you, it's more important! You look well! A little thin, perhaps, but you were always thin, eh, Pablito?"

And then he asks about their parents. "Only now do you think of them." Pablo's so cold about it -- even though really Tuco hasn't mentioned them until now because he's been trying so hard to connect with Pablo! This is probably part of why Pablo's been so cold for this whole conversation; it's got to sting extra hard for him that Tuco's there playing up this cheerfulness when both their parents are now dead and he wasn't there.

Tuco is still trying hard to salvage this and be cheerful about it after Pablo tells him it's been nine years and it aches. Nine years! How time flies, ha-ha!

Instead Pablo tells him their mother's been dead for a long time, and also Tuco only just missed the death of his father, who had specifically asked for him. I'm pretty sure the implication is they've been at the monastery longer than the few days since his father's death, so theoretically he could probably have made it, if he'd known. Instead he's been here, grumbling about having to fetch things for Blondie. Oof.

Finally Tuco's resolve to be cheerful and normal about this is broken. I like how we don't really see him cry, just him turning away at the wall and the slight movement of his shoulder and tensing in his neck and the sound of his breathing. Any open display of emotion from Tuco would come across as pretty suspect, but it's precisely the fact he's hiding his reaction that drives home that it's 100% real.

When he finally turns away from the wall, it's to tell Pablo, voice cracking, that he didn't just have one wife, he had lots. He can find them wherever! He's doing great! (Normal people who are doing great definitely have lots of different wives they've run off from.)

He dares Pablo to preach him a sermon about it, but Pablo doesn't take the bait. Tuco wants to hear him do his usual thing of judging and condemning him so he can throw it back in his face right now.

Instead, Pablo goes, "The Lord have mercy on your soul," and Tuco responds that while he's waiting for the Lord to remember him he'll tell him something. Another great little bit that's effective because we've seen him being sincerely religious in his own Tuco sort of way, but of course really this extremely down-on-his-luck bandit feels pretty forgotten by God, even if he's only properly voicing it when he's just learned both his parents died in his absence.

In response to being judged and disdained for his (genuinely bad) choices all the time, Tuco has built up this whole defensive self-image of how really he took the harder path and Pablo's just a coward, and I love that a lot.

Pablo left to become a priest, while ten-or-twelve-year-old Tuco was left alone with his parents; the way he emphasizes that he stayed suggests that he felt he was there for them where Pablo had simply abandoned them. And yet, "I tried, but it was no good." The banditry probably originated out of desperation as a way to earn money to support his parents, or at least support himself without burdening them. And yet he ended up alienated from all of them as a result (of course he did, he's a wanted criminal). Oof.

Kind of fun how these two brothers hitting each other in the heat of the moment are actually possibly the most convincing physical strikes in the movie.

We only see Blondie watching now; we don't know exactly how long he was watching or how much he saw, whether he heard Tuco's whole backstory. But he definitely saw them come to blows, which is the really important bit about him watching.

The way Tuco helps Pablo up and then immediately turns away before Pablo can say anything more or make eye contact is a really good, painful acting choice.

Pablo saying his name, and Tuco stopping for a moment, starting to turn around, and then tossing his hand behind him and leaving anyway is also a really good, painful choice. They almost got to have what might have been a more reconciliatory conversation (Pablo says, "Please forgive me, brother," after he's gone), but Tuco was just expecting more judgement and hostility and decided not to bother.

This scene is so good. Tuco was already the most colorful character in this movie, but there's a huge amount of depth added via this conversation with Pablo -- not just some token effort in the form of the fact his parents are dead and he's sad about it, or the explicit exposition about him growing up in poverty and becoming a bandit because the only ways out were banditry or the priesthood, but all the little nuances and implications and Eli Wallach's performance of it all. Tuco's insistent way of looking for alternative explanations for Pablo's coldness at the start; his dogged, desperate efforts to lighten the mood; the particular genuineness of his reaction to the news about his parents and the way he then deflects all those feelings into anger at Pablo and at God; the painful, painful way that they part. It's such excellent character work, and it makes Tuco really, properly sympathetic, where he's been serving a pretty villainous role so far.

Nothing like a good cigar

Tuco silently joins Blondie on the wagon, obviously in a pretty sour mood, and Blondie doesn't say anything either as they set off. I expect at this point Blondie is fully intending to just not comment on what he saw. (Tuco, of course, doesn't realize he saw anything at all.)

But after a moment, Tuco decides to live in his best world. His brother is so great! He was just having soup with him! He never wants Tuco to leave when he visits! Earlier he expressly didn't want to let Blondie know he was going to see his brother, but now he says casually that oh yeah, his brother's the one in charge there, like he just sort of happened not to mention it before. His brother's very important and also crazy about him, and the great thing about having him is he'll always be there for him to give him a bowl of soup if he needs it. This is definitely what actually happened and not a bald-faced lie-slash-fantasy in which Tuco's fine and loved and appreciated and has a robust support network. (This lie, of course, very directly contradicts Tuco's previous lie to Blondie about how he's all alone in this world. He's so consistently shameless about not being remotely consistent with his own lies.)

(And, notably, the way Tuco's treating Blondie has abruptly shifted, too, even though no one's watching -- he's just having a casual chat, smiling, lightly bumping his shoulder at "Bring your friend, too!" Tuco is feeling shunned and rejected and needs a friend right now, and Blondie's the one guy he's got, who has been acting basically friendly to him, not returning his hostility -- so Tuco's just choosing to at least for a moment live in the world where yeah, sure, they're the best of friends and always have been.)

We may not know exactly how much Blondie heard, but he knows at minimum that actually they were not having soup, that Tuco's brother slapped him, and that he punched him in return. So he knows exactly how bullshit all of this is. And yet, he actually has a little smile at it and chooses not to contradict him, but instead to actively play along with the lie by telling him, "Well, after a meal, there's nothing like a good cigar." (There was no meal, after all, and Blondie knows it; he could have offered him a cigar without actively playing along with that bit, but he specifically chooses to do so.) In spite of all Tuco has done, Blondie hears his pathetic bullshitting about his brother and it actually endears him to him, makes him human.

It's very possible he heard more of Tuco's backstory, too, and perhaps developed some sympathy for him based on that, the way we have -- but the particular reaction he's having right now, the smile and the cigar, is a reaction to Tuco telling him this. It's such a blatant, pointless, specific lie, delivered with such a bizarre change of attitude, and all by itself it says so much about Tuco: that he craves positive relationships he doesn't have, that he was hurt enough by this encounter he doesn't want to admit or sit with how it really went, that he uses lying as a coping mechanism, that he lies to himself too, that ultimately he loves his brother and would rather talk him up and lie that they're tight than just complain about him, that he really needs a friend right now and Blondie is all he's got so he's just discarding the hostility to do this. It's pretty sad, and it really is very endearing. Look at this miserable little man and his pathetic, absurd ways of coping.

And the reason this works is Blondie was already honestly a little endeared to Tuco, in a strange way. Tuco had stopped representing a threat, and his Tuco-ness had become entertaining -- initially because Blondie was just having fun rubbing it in and watching him flail in his unique way. But it's not that far from there to seeing his humanity, and this bit of more obviously desperate Tuco-ness will do it. Tuco still tortured him, and Blondie has not and cannot forget that -- but alongside it he's starting to get him, a little bit, and it makes him sympathize with him.

(Blondie doesn't look at him while offering the cigar, though. Not getting too sentimental about it.)

Tuco looks at him for a long moment after taking the cigar, perhaps realizing Blondie might have seen or heard something (even Tuco suspects it's not that he just genuinely bought all that and wants to give him his cigar because it's good after a meal; this looks suspiciously like a gesture of sympathy). But then he just puts it in his mouth, and shares another brief look with Blondie, and then we can see this great progression on his face as he actively psyches himself up into one of his normal grins (love Eli Wallach so much, what a great actor who makes this film), just as we shift from the somber Father Ramirez music back to the upbeat main theme. Tuco is fine! Blondie is living in Tuco's best world where they're friends too! Everything is great!

This is another great, fascinating little character interaction. Tuco has a great need to create his own reality and act fine at all times (unless acting otherwise serves some other goal he has, of course), because actually his life kind of sucks, and lying and pretending, to himself and others, is just how he copes with everything. He didn't need to say anything to Blondie at all -- he didn't ask what Tuco was up to in there and wouldn't have asked -- but it just makes himself feel better about it to go rewrite reality into what he wants it to be and then affirm it by telling somebody else about it and acting like they're totally friends. And out of it comes this weirdly cute little bonding moment where Blondie's beginning to understand Tuco, and feel kind of sorry for him, despite everything. I love them.

The map

One more brief Italian/Extended Cut bit. Tuco's reading the map, looking at where they're going; Blondie asks about where they're headed, and Tuco catches himself and tells him he'll tell him when they get there. Dead soldiers are lying around; Blondie notes they're not worried about anything anymore and asks again about where they're going because they might get caught up in the war as they go on. Tuco, defensive, says they're going towards $200,000.

This mostly serves as the first ambiguous sign that Blondie has some sympathy for the dying soldiers, even though he's mentioning them briefly in the service of making a different point, while showing Tuco's still wary of telling Blondie anything that would render him unnecessary, afraid that then Blondie would just kill or ditch him and go for the gold himself. It's not a very important moment and the film wouldn't lose much without it, though I don't think I agree with the idea that Blondie's expressed sympathy for the soldiers here is too much for where we're at -- it's not exactly an outpouring of sentiment, just an observation about why the situation is dangerous that happens to involve him noticing the dead soldiers, and it certainly worked as a part of his character progression for me, though I also think it would work without it, with the prison camp being the first thing to spark his sympathy.

The one thing Blondie does do in the movie that sort of seems like he's invested in claiming the gold for himself is these intermittent moments where he asks Tuco about where they're going. But I'm not sure that's actually what's going on in these moments either. They're very casual and understated and, especially as the movie goes on, grow to feel more like he's trying to catch him out for his own amusement than any serious hope that it will work. And in the end, when Tuco does tell him the name of the cemetery, Blondie then does not in fact ditch or kill him to get the gold first, even though he easily could have. So all in all, it doesn't actually sound like he really hoped to learn the name of the cemetery so he could go find the gold himself without Tuco, even though Tuco obviously fears that.

So I think his stated reason for asking at this point is basically genuine. He's agreed to accompany Tuco, but they could be about to get themselves into danger, and it really might be less dangerous if they both know where they're headed. It's very understandable why Tuco won't, though -- Blondie's not telling Tuco anything for the same reason, after all -- so ultimately he can't insist too hard.

How do you do fellow Confederates

When Tuco spots troops he wakes up Blondie and is preparing to just take off his uniform immediately -- it's Blondie who asks if they're blue or gray (Tuco looks at his own uniform for a moment like he needs to double-check which arbitrary uniforms they have again before he looks off at the soldiers, enjoy that), and that's when Tuco figures well, okay, they're gray so I guess we don't need to. In other words, this is actually Blondie's fault, inadvertently; Tuco by default would have played it safe and gone with being civilians. (Though obviously Tuco's ridiculous over-the-top yelling did not help.)

"God's not on our side, 'cause he hates idiots also." Blondie is calling them collectively idiots. Blondie is a very smart guy but I enjoy how willing he is to include himself in that.

All in all, this silly scene is great because it's hilarious, but also just very fun about how utterly arbitrary the Civil War is to the main characters. It's just blue versus gray, yell out support for whichever color they're looking at while unclear on what the generals' names even are, whatever. Tuco obviously doesn't really know or care what the whole thing is about at all. Blondie is probably a little more familiar -- at least he knows what the generals are called -- but still only really invested in keeping himself out of it.

Of course, they sure do get caught up in it anyway. Off to prison camp!

Batterville

Time for the war to start to get a lot more prominent!

The wide shot of the camp as they're marched in shows gallows in the background, just where the framing draws the eye, with a man still hanging from a noose. We don't see any executions happening at the camp but we're sure incidentally shown that those also happen.

Love that moment of Wallace reading out "Bill Carson" and Angel Eyes turning around to reveal his face. We had no idea he'd be here, but the moment he shows up, it's what we've been waiting for all this time, and then he goes on to deliver by being magnificently striking in the whole camp sequence. Angel Eyes is somewhat underused in the movie overall, in terms of screentime and development, but half of the bits he does feature in just go so hard.

Kind of insane that he's a Union sergeant now; presumably he got promoted quickly for being amazingly competent, I guess (and I suppose once again it's very hard to actually get a grasp on the timespans involved).

Tuco, again, clearly has a bit of ambiguous history with Angel Eyes, compared to how Blondie and Angel Eyes are only really indicated to know of each other. I kind of enjoy that the movie doesn't get into exactly how any of these guys know each other at all and just leaves it up to implication and the viewer's imagination.

Tuco doesn't seem to have noticed and pointed out Angel Eyes until after he's turned around, so they probably have no reason to think Angel Eyes knows anything about Bill Carson. So when Blondie then suggests Tuco be Bill Carson, I think what he's thinking is that the guards are trying to identify who the prisoners are for purposes of arranging prisoner exchanges later, and that their best shot at getting out of here is to be identified as actual soldiers that might be exchanged -- obviously the Confederacy is hardly going to actually choose to exchange prisoners for people who were not actually soldiers. Bill Carson is the one name they know that's definitely not going to turn out to be somebody else present (and Tuco's already wearing his eyepatch while Blondie could never pass for him if there were any kind of physical description involved), so Tuco had better pretend to be him, and Blondie will cross his fingers for a different name coming up on the manifest later that no one else responds to that he can assume.

The other possibility for what's going on here, though, is that they do catch Angel Eyes reacting to Bill Carson specifically, and Blondie is gambling that Angel Eyes taking an interest could be a ticket out of here for both of them. That's a very interesting possibility, but I can't get it to make quite as much sense -- surely, if Blondie knows anything about Angel Eyes, he would probably know that being somebody Angel Eyes is looking for is probably a bad thing, and if he and Tuco know each other, then Angel Eyes presumably knows Tuco is not actually the Bill Carson he's looking for, so pretending to be Bill Carson doesn't seem like a super productive idea in that case. I can still see it being the intended reading, though -- notably, Blondie doesn't actually suggest Tuco be Bill Carson until after Tuco points out Angel Eyes even though Wallace had read out the name several times, which is the main evidence in favor of this, but that could also just be due to taking a moment to think and evaluate.

Either way, we cut briefly to Angel Eyes smirking at Wallace punching Tuco in the stomach for not saying "Present." Whatever sympathy he might have had for the soldiers back at the fort, it definitely does not extend to Tuco even a little bit. I think their ambiguous history might have something to do with that smirk.

On the other hand, he does then tell Wallace that that's enough when he's getting ready to beat on Tuco some more; probably he wants to save it for the actual interrogation. Angel Eyes enjoys violence but only really employs it in the service of his agenda, rather than pointlessly for the hell of it, as the plainly sadistic Wallace does.

(Blondie looks rankled at Wallace's abusiveness, and smiles a little as Tuco fires back at him.)

Tuco sounding earnestly excited about Angel Eyes saying they should get "good treatment" is painful. Blondie is decidedly less excited about it, and when Tuco sees that his expression changes as well -- enjoy him taking that cue from Blondie.

Angel Eyes justifies his treatment of the prisoners to the commandant first by saying there are too many prisoners and he needs to have respect and then by saying well, our men aren't treated well at Andersonville camp. I doubt either of these things actually has much to do with it; really he's probably torturing prisoners mostly because he wants info on Bill Carson and the treasure, and is obviously robbing them simply for monetary gain, but to his superiors he'll coolly rationalize all this with something that sounds less self-serving. I went down a bit of a Wikipedia rabbit hole about Civil War prison camps, and it sounds like "Confederate prison camps keep prisoners in terrible conditions, so we should be equally cruel" was genuinely an argument used to push for abusive treatment of PoWs in the North.

The poor gangrenous Union commandant is such a good, decent guy, bless him -- "I don't give a God damn what they do in Andersonville." Most genuinely moral person in the movie, probably. Unfortunately, though, although he is nominally in a position of power, he's basically confined to his room, and all he can really do about the malicious takeover of the camp by Angel Eyes and his abusive cronies is giving him stern talks that he blithely ignores.

When he says the prisoners are not to be tortured or cheated or murdered, Angel Eyes just says, "That an accusation?" Obviously he's been doing all that, but he knows the commandant can't prove it. Technically he just takes prisoners into his cabin while the band plays some lovely music! Maybe the injuries they walk out with are because they just happened to have a fall.

"But as long as I'm the commandant I won't permit any such trickery. Am I clear?" "Yes, sir. Just as long as you're the commandant." A lot of people seem to interpret this as Angel Eyes planning to kill him, but the way I read it is that he's making an oblique reference to how the commandant is not really commanding anything at this point; Angel Eyes is already, for all intents and purposes, running things. He doesn't need to kill him. I think that aligns with the fact we then see Angel Eyes just wish him luck on proving his abuses (God, he's such a smug bastard), leave, and then tell his men to lay low for a few days -- just don't give the commandant the chance to find the evidence he's hoping for, the gangrene will take him eventually anyway, and then probably Angel Eyes might get to officially take over after him, without all the potential complications of actually murdering him.

Angel Eyes truly marks his return to the story in style. Him being effectively in charge of the camp, and thus having absolute power over our now-imprisoned protagonists, while Tuco's blissfully impersonating the very man Angel Eyes has been after, is just such a delicious, exhilarating development and creates an enormous amount of dread and tension for this whole sequence.

Tuco's interrogation

Tuco's clearly nervous being brought in to Angel Eyes' cabin. Then Angel Eyes is being friendly, just offers him food -- so he excitedly sits down and brings a spoonful to his mouth, only to stop, suddenly worried that it's poisoned. So Angel Eyes spoons some off his plate and eats it himself, and Tuco smiles and laughs, going, "I knew it! I knew it!" We may never learn exactly in what capacity the two of them knew each other, but this progression tells a lot, delightfully: Tuco thinks Angel Eyes is somebody who might poison his food, but also goes "I knew it!" when he's shown he didn't, as if he'd never had any doubts. Odds are Tuco does have good reason to be distrustful of Angel Eyes, but once again he likes to live in his best world where people actually like him, so if Angel Eyes is acting friendly, and hasn't poisoned his food, then sure, Tuco will act as if they are the best of friends and he trusted him completely all along. Enjoy this being established implicitly via Tuco's reactions, without having to exposit anything.

The minute he saw him, he said to himself that Angel Eyes never forgets a friend! (He plainly did not say this to himself the minute he saw him.)

"It's good to see old friends again. Especially when they've come from so far away and have so much to talk about. And you do have a lot to talk about, haven't you?" I love the way Angel Eyes does these pre-interrogations, so surface-level friendly yet distinctly threatening. Tuco has a lot to talk about, doesn't he? If he talks enough, Angel Eyes might even not torture him. (But he'd probably still send him to be executed. No reason not to claim that $3000 bounty!)

Tuco smiles and chuckles about how hard it was crossing the desert, especially with nothing to drink. It sure was a hard time for somebody but it wasn't you, Tuco.

Tuco deflects the question about why he's using the name Bill Carson into simply a general rule of not using your own name, which is funny when Tuco is the one main character here who does explicitly go by his actual legal name and also routinely refers to himself in third person.

Enjoy Angel Eyes clapping his back just a bit too hard, as the tiniest taste of what is to come. At this point Tuco's definitely starting to have some creeping doubts about where this is going; we see his eyes flick to the side at it.

Tuco's eyes also shift distinctly back and forth after saying music's very good for the digestion. Definitely catching on that Angel Eyes is driving at something very different and trying to work out what, for all that he answers in a friendly and cheerful way. (Tuco started to question this a little bit when Angel Eyes asked why he's using the name Bill Carson, then a bit more so at the back-clap, then this.)

Once again, once Tuco starts actively refusing to answer Angel Eyes' questions, that's when he casually shifts into torture-mode, stands up to signal for the music to start, and then offers him tobacco only to clamp down on his fingers. The very smooth shift, without much of a real change in demeanor, is part of what makes Angel Eyes so striking as a villain. What a memorably fucked-up guy.

Tuco tries admirably to fight back against Wallace at the start, even with the disadvantage of being handcuffed to a chair the whole time. When Blondie was being tortured he was very calculated about quietly going along and taking it until he believed he had an opportunity; Tuco being tortured is so much messier, full of screaming and struggling, though as it goes on he becomes less able to fight back.

I love the buildup of this scene: the timing of the music swelling before Tuco's first scream; the way you gather the music is to drown out the noise, but the distraught looks of the musicians gain new meaning when the old man tells Blondie how so many of them have had a session in there; the violin player on the verge of tears suddenly cutting out and looking away and being snapped at to continue; all intercut with the movie's bloodiest scene. And, of course, the dissonance of the song they're singing itself, which sounds almost like a lullaby (only if you actually read the mostly-unintelligible lyrics, it's actually about war and all the pointless death involved: Loud roar the cannons till ruin remains / Blue grass and cotton burnt and forgotten / All hope seems gone, so soldier, march on to die; There in the distance a flag I can see / Scorched and in ribbons, but whose can it be? / How ends the story, whose is the glory? / Ask if we dare our comrades out there who sleep). This whole scene is so striking and so good; lots of movies have torture scenes, but the way the band is used makes this one so much more memorable.

(Blondie is silent as ever, but doesn't seem super comfortable there lined up on the other side of the walls staring over towards the cabins, gathering Tuco is probably being tortured in there, that other prisoners already have been, that he might be next.)

Angel Eyes smiling and leaning in as Wallace puts his thumbs on Tuco's eyes is such a touch of sadistic bastardry. (Interestingly, this footage is apparently not in the Italian version, and we instead cut back to Tuco there and actually watch him with Wallace's thumbs on his eyes screaming that he'll talk -- it was reedited to be slightly less violent for the international market, and the Extended Cut kept the international theatrical version of this scene because the only available Italian prints had weird abrupt cuts in the music that presumably resulted from the original version of the scene there getting cut down post-music placement. I do always enjoy more torture, and it's a shame they felt the need to censor it, but I think this shot of how much Angel Eyes is enjoying this is actually very good and effective.)

The two instances of Angel Eyes torturing people for information (first Maria and now Tuco) both end with them giving truthful information, though in neither case is it obviously a violation of the character's deeply held principles or anything (we don't really know much about Maria or her relationship with Bill, but as much as Tuco wants the money, he has every legitimate reason to be more invested in keeping his eyeballs). On the other hand, in order to facilitate this, Angel Eyes kind of just magically knows exactly when they've told all they know and their "I don't know" has become genuine (we can see on his face that he can tell immediately that Tuco means it this time). In real life, torturers generally have no actual idea when their victims are lying even if they think they do, which is one of the several reasons torture is a terrible way to obtain information. But I suppose I will file this with other instances of Angel Eyes being implausibly competent to make him scarier.

Tuco keeps muttering Blondie's name in a bit of a choked-up way after giving him up, which gives the sense that he feels a bit guilty at this point for condemning Blondie to what he assumes is the same fate -- though he's not going to show it later, of course, filing it away where he probably locks all other times he might have felt kind of bad for a thing.

All in all, what a good, brutal, memorable torture scene, A+. The whump as whump is one thing and not necessarily my favorite whump ever or anything (many of the strikes here don't look super convincing, for instance), but as a scene it's just such effective filmmaking, and the particular bloody brutality of it compared to all the sanitized gunshots we've had is such a stark and evocative contrast.

The war is over for you

I love the cut to Blondie being shoved in there just after Tuco has given him up (though alas, he will not be tortured this time), and then the bundle of clothes getting thrown at him from offscreen. The old prisoner told Blondie what goes on in the shack, so as he was sent in there he was fully expecting to be about to get beaten bloody for several minutes. Instead he's… being told to put on some clothes? Huh.

Blondie is amused when Angel Eyes announces he knows the name of the cemetery now and Blondie knows the name of the grave. Here we go again! I think initially he assumes maybe Tuco had just freely told him after all, looped him in on the treasure in exchange for letting them go. After all, Angel Eyes does not seem inclined to torture him at all, they couldn't hear much of anything over the band, and it gets implied later that at some point Tuco told Blondie he and Angel Eyes were old friends, which Blondie obviously would not have put any stock in initially but might seem to check out now…

…But then, as he's taken his hat off, getting ready to just shrug and comply, he eyes the blood on the floor, verifies with his foot that it's still fresh. An uncomfortable confirmation that no, Tuco did not in fact just casually spill the beans.

He asks, "You're not gonna give me the same treatment?", because that seems genuinely odd. If Angel Eyes did get the cemetery out of Tuco by force, why isn't he trying to get the grave out of Blondie? But he's noticeably feeling a bit for Tuco and what he implicitly suffered here; the lingering on the blood on the floor and his expression are pretty telling.

Angel Eyes notes that he figured Blondie wouldn't talk, not because he's tougher than Tuco but because he's smart enough to know that talking won't save him. Very true -- Blondie's calculated enough to figure once he gives up the information he's given up his only leverage, and by that point Angel Eyes would have zero reason to keep him alive anyway. Tuco, though, isn't quite as stupid as Angel Eyes thinks -- he does in fact end up both living and keeping his eyes, simply because talking when he did ultimately paid off by buying him time and opportunity to get free and kill Wallace later (though at the ostensible cost of giving up the money and probably getting Blondie tortured too, of course). Tuco couldn't have known that was likely to work out for him, but while he's there in agony and Wallace is threatening to put his eyes out, he'll take that chance, play it by ear and see what happens. That's not really how Blondie operates: he figures the information is the one thing what makes him valuable and if he wants to survive he needs to safeguard it at absolutely any cost. Angel Eyes understands that, and so he doesn't bother with trying to beat it out of him and just skips straight to the taking him along -- once again, his violence is in the service of his agenda, so if it wouldn't accomplish anything, why try?

(Of course, Blondie being smart enough to know talking won't save him is also why Blondie's smart enough not to lead them to the correct grave later. Foreshadowing!)

Blondie asks if Tuco's dead, hesitant, stopping before the last word. Perhaps this is the moment he realizes he actually hopes he's not.

Angel Eyes is in friendly mode with Blondie. It'll be easier with two of them! Even gives him back his gun -- Angel Eyes presumably figures he's not in danger from Blondie because, with Tuco gone, Blondie needs Angel Eyes to get the money, and obviously he wouldn't just squander that opportunity for no reason, right? Even so, when Blondie unholsters his gun, Angel Eyes slows down as he's putting on his jacket, watching him, probably prepared to react if Blondie were to point it anywhere unexpected.

But he doesn't, of course. Blondie is always one to wait for the best possible chance; if he were to shoot Angel Eyes in the middle of the prison camp he runs, it'd just alert the guards and get him killed. And of course, usually he wouldn't do it until such a time as Angel Eyes is getting ready to shoot him.

(Angel Eyes insists he's not greedy and only taking half, as an incentive for Blondie to actually come along and guide him to the correct grave, but once they do get to the grave, he of course just pulls a gun on Blondie -- he never actually intended to keep that promise.)

When someone at the train station (another injured soldier, missing an arm) asks where Wallace is taking Tuco, and Wallace says to Hell with a rope around his neck and a price on his head, Tuco adds, "Yeah. $3000, friend! That's a lot of money for a head. I bet they didn't even pay you a penny for your arm." It's extremely Tuco that as he's being taken to be hanged, with no Blondie to shoot him down, he's choosing to live in the world where this just makes him impressive and important.

Man, Wallace is so pointlessly violent with Tuco even when he's not even being ordered to torture him specifically. Very understandable how much utter loathing Tuco has for him in particular.

Wallace calls Tuco lucky compared to the Confederate spy who has been tied to the front of a train, because at least he's going to go relatively quickly. Jeez. Striking background elements.

Wallace also makes a quip about how there isn't any partner this time to shoot Tuco down -- he must've heard about the con he ran with Blondie from Angel Eyes, who witnessed them doing it together that one time during the second hanging.

All in all, we've just had yet another shift in the situation! Angel Eyes is now taking Blondie along with him towards the cemetery, while Tuco has been sent off to be executed. We've still got two guys who each know half of the secret -- but at this point, we're all rooting for Tuco to escape, aren't we. We've also got some very important signals here about Blondie's growing empathy for Tuco: the lingering look at the blood on the floor, how he hesitates asking if Tuco's dead. One way or another, he's grown to care for the guy, in spite of everything.

The perfect number

Blondie sleeps with his hand by his pistol, of course he does.

We see his eyes flick open briefly at the sound of footsteps, then he closes them again, and then a few seconds later after the camera has panned back to his hand, when the footsteps have already gone quiet, he suddenly grabs the gun and shoots. This suggests he wakes up at the noise but only decides to fire a bit later, after pretending he's still asleep for a bit. Initially I took it he'd just shot basically on reflex after hearing something in his sleep and then put together that it's someone Angel Eyes instructed to follow them, but on a closer look it doesn't actually look like that's what's going on. Instead, presumably Angel Eyes had told his guys to stay hidden, and this guy only stepped out into the open because Blondie was asleep -- only Blondie is a light sleeper, noticed, took a moment to think, and then decided to go for it.

I think his thought process must be essentially this: first he deduces this guy must be working for Angel Eyes -- either recognizing him from Batterville or just noting that he seems totally unsurprised to see him and Angel Eyes sleeping there. And while traveling to the cemetery along with one guy gives Blondie a pretty good chance of making it out of this alive, Angel Eyes having hidden cronies following them in the shadows is plainly designed to stack the deck hopelessly against him. Blondie is never going to survive this if there's going to be a hidden assassin or more lying in wait (obviously he's not buying that Angel Eyes is doing this just to fairly split the gold with Blondie and then let him go). So he makes a snap judgement to take down at least this one and call Angel Eyes out, knowing once again that because he knows the grave he's too valuable to kill right now.

(This is definitely the most unprompted murder Blondie does in the movie, though -- this guy definitely wasn't drawing his gun, just existing as a future threat to Blondie. RIP.)

Either way, "If your friends stay out in the damp, they're liable to catch a cold, aren't they? …Or a bullet," is a fun one-liner. Blondie shooting them is just something unfortunate that might happen, the way catching a cold happens. (But really, he's warning Angel Eyes that he's on to him with the hidden assassins and he will shoot if he catches any more sneaking around.)

Angel Eyes just looks amused and impressed that Blondie just killed one of his men. Normal reactions that normal people have.

Presumably Angel Eyes tells his men to come out because Blondie just threatened to kill them if they stay hidden, hoping to pacify him. But Blondie still has his leverage, so he just as good as announces airily that he's still planning to kill them all. Angel Eyes may laugh, and be willing to call his bluff as far as his own self is concerned due to the Blondie also can't get the money without him thing, but his poor lackeys must be sweating -- Blondie is running around with a gun, he's just promised to kill them all, and Angel Eyes almost certainly wants the money, and thus Blondie alive, more than he cares about the lives of any of them.

I guess the lackeys aren't too keen on their prospects if they were to attempt to disarm Blondie right now, and if anyone actually dared to shoot him before Angel Eyes' say-so, they could expect his wrath. It's sort of surprising none of them attempt to just get the hell out of there at this point, though -- everyone just shrugging after this while Blondie is there with his gun and a designated bullet for each of them sure is something.

Blondie may in fact have been going for trying to scare off the lackeys. He does not actually think he has much of a chance alone against six men -- hence why he doesn't in fact make a move until he manages to team back up with Tuco later.

He does also say, "Since we're all going in the same direction, might as well go together," which vaguely suggests he's not planning to murder them all right now or anything -- which gives them a bit of time to desert Angel Eyes, if they're going to.

Sometimes the phrasing of lines in the English dub is kind of funny or off, and I just write it off because it's a live-action dub trying its best to vaguely match the lip flaps (sometimes pretty successfully, sometimes a lot less so). But Blondie explicitly spelling out that six is the perfect number because it's the number of bullets in his gun is one instance where I feel like the writing itself is legitimately just kind of clunky in a distracting way. The line about six being the perfect number is good and fun, if the audience is trusted to infer what he means; the spelling-out is unnecessary and exacerbates the sense that Angel Eyes and his men are kind of idiot balling here (you mean to tell me that Angel Eyes, the picture of hypercompetence and master of threatening insinuations, heard him go, "Six. Perfect number :)))", just after shooting one guy and then reloading his revolver with another bullet, and couldn't tell what he meant?).

(Also, why does Blondie say he has six more bullets in his gun. That would imply it's six in addition to the one he's just fired, but no, the one he fired left him with five and that's why he just had to replace that one. Surely the sensible line would be to just say he has six bullets in his gun, no more.)

Incidentally, six really is what is called a perfect number in mathematics (it equals the sum of its integer divisors). Obviously this is not what either Blondie or Angel Eyes is talking about. It might have made at least somewhat more sense if Angel Eyes had said something about the actual concept called a perfect number of which six is genuinely an example (it would still be implying Angel Eyes is somehow enough of a nerd about math, and thinks Blondie is enough of a nerd about math, to think of that first, but at least it would be an explanation for him taking it to be anything other than a reference to the number of bullets in a revolver), but no, saying three is the perfect number rules out that Angel Eyes knows about perfect numbers, because three is not a perfect number. Terrible.

All in all, "Isn't three the perfect number?" "Yeah. But I got six more bullets in my gun," is definitively by far the worst bit of dialogue in this movie on several different levels, thank you for coming to my TED talk.

This one's another Italian/Extended Cut scene, and while it has a couple of fun lines, and fun implications about Blondie's normal paranoid existence, I think it kind of raises more questions than it answers. I suppose the reason it's there originally is that without it, Angel Eyes explicitly says to Blondie that there's going to be two of them at Batterville only to have five additional guys there next time we see them with no comment; we can pretty easily infer that these are the same crooks he was working with for the smuggling operation at the camp either way (that bit isn't even mentioned in this scene anyway!), but the explicit presentation of it initially as a two-person operation becomes a little strange if a bunch more people then appear for it with no explanation at all. That's a valid concern, I suppose, but meanwhile this scene has that straight-up bad bit of dialogue, and while its implications for the metaphorical chess match between Blondie and Angel Eyes and his men are interesting (I kind of enjoy how confidently both Blondie and Angel Eyes call each other's bluffs here), they're a little nuts, and the movie is probably more coherent if we skip this scene and are left to assume Blondie's simply biding his time and Angel Eyes and his men fully assumed he was willingly cooperating and on board with accompanying them all to the cemetery, even if Blondie's initial reaction to Angel Eyes going, "Oh, by the way, these five guys are coming along too," somewhere offscreen is left to the imagination.

Tuco escapes

This is another bit of Tuco being very resourceful and thinking on his feet. Originally he was trying to reach for the gun in Wallace's holster, but when Wallace catches him he immediately comes up with wanting to take a leak. Gun doesn't work to shoot the chain? Try using it as a hammer, and then a different rock, and then try using a train as a bolt cutter, and then jump onto the train while he's at it.

Wallace already looks unconscious by the time they've rolled down the hill away from the train -- Tuco's just making sure he's very, very dead. The smashing his head into a visibly pointed rock several times is very brutal and also kind of drives home all that Wallace has done to him, which is clearly fueling Tuco in his fervor here.

I enjoy that Tuco briefly looks at the blood on his hand after doing it and then just dries it in the sand. I wonder if he's killed anyone quite so directly with his own two hands before. Either way, though, he is not one to linger on it.

"You made a lot of noise, my friend, huh?" he says, calling back to his little seething remark from the first scene where Wallace beat on him about liking how big, fat men like him make more noise when they fall and sometimes they never stand up -- another little bit tying it more directly back to Wallace's abuse.

I enjoy how Tuco is tangibly pretty scared to be up there so close to the moving train, but he sure is still doing it.

Most brutal fate in this movie is definitely Wallace. Pulled out of a moving train, head bashed several times into a pointy rock, then laid down on a train track where he gets dragged along the track for a bit. Eeesh. Certainly a very conscious choice that he's the most violently sadistic character here; Angel Eyes, again, may be an evil bastard, but all of his violence is serving some purpose for him, whereas Wallace has constantly been pointlessly violent just to be cruel.

The ghost town

This movie being very striking even in an incidental scene: the guy made to carry his own coffin to his execution. His crime is explicitly, according to the sign he's also been made to carry, just that he's a thief. What a horrid, awful little background event.

(In this movie, there are six different scenes involving executions or something resembling them in some form, legal or extrajudicial: Tuco's two hangings, Tuco trying to hang Blondie, Shorty's hanging, this guy being executed by firing squad, and Blondie hanging Tuco at the end. In addition to all this, there's how Tuco is going to be hanged when he escapes, and then there's the background gallows at the prison camp. As someone with a thing for executions in fiction, I am truly, shamelessly feasting here. There are many, many other reasons I enjoy this movie, 30k+ words' worth as I am currently demonstrating, but "several hangings and a firing squad" definitely does not hurt.)

Tuco has new clothes here, so clearly we've had some time in between where he managed to get new ones -- he didn't just step off that train he caught or anything. Very reasonably, I assume he ditched the Confederate uniform as soon as possible after what that got them into.

Man, this town really is shot to hell and back. Very tangible sense of how the war has just utterly destroyed it. And yet, once again it's not the main characters' biggest concern, really. It's just a place they're passing through.

Tuco, choosing to just casually use someone else's abandoned bathwater and pour the entire contents of several jars of different bath salts into it. Likewise with the multiple times he licks soap. What a madman.

I love that the purpose of the one-armed bounty hunter is just to be somebody for Tuco to shoot in this town so that Blondie can recognize the sound of his gun and come find him. That's literally all this means for the plot, but they just make a hilarious little sequence and continuity gag out of it, with Tuco being his delightful self with the "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk!" line, and that's an iconic choice.

(Tuco, as ever, applies pretty different standards to himself -- he sure could've just shot Blondie on multiple occasions if he really wanted to, but first wanted elaborate revenge, then hesitated, took the time to say goodbye, and then ultimately got interupted. But it's all very personal with Blondie. Random bounty hunter #3? He's just shooting. Bet it was very personal on random bounty hunter #3's end too, though.)

Likewise, Blondie has befriended a tiny stray kitten, who probably just happened to wander into his hat, and calls the kitten 'large one'. It's adorable, and instantly makes Blondie 500% more charming, and also its actual purpose is that there is no way Blondie would explain out loud for the benefit of the audience here why he's standing up to find Tuco unless he had someone to say it to who isn't Angel Eyes' men. Solution? He says it to a random kitten who's there now. A completely shameless approach that totally serves its purpose and adds to the characterization in the process: like Tuco's religiosity, it doesn't mean anything for the plot per se that Blondie is somebody who would see a stray kitten climbing into his hat, gently lift it and pet the kitten and address it by a cute ironic moniker and tell it what he's thinking, but it just adds a little bit of charming extra dimension to him. (And it reinforces the capacity for empathy that he has but has been very quiet about showing so far.)

(Incidentally, even though he was genuinely speaking English on set, you can tell Clint Eastwood's lips aren't totally in sync here, and I gather the Italian line here is just something closer to, "Every gun makes its own sound, and I recognize that one." Is "large one" a product of Mickey Knox doing a rewrite but trying to match it to the lip flaps of a line that originally ended in "that one"? If so, truly the best dubbing choice of all time. The kitten is already adorable, but Blondie calling them large one, my heart.)

That's not to say they couldn't possibly have conveyed that point in a different way, mind. We could see Blondie look up silently and walk away and then tell Tuco when he shows up that he followed the sound of his gun (definitely wouldn't be unreasonable or out of character for Tuco to ask about that). It would have been a little awkward, though, since the actual trigger for him silently getting up would have been taking place a little before the cut to him doing so (and we can't cut straight after the gunshots, because then we would lose "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk!", which we definitely cannot). Instead, kitten. Excellent.

(On the other hand, I am very sad for this stray kitten wandering around a ghost town as all the people are leaving. Noooooo please tell me Large One is okay)

(If Tuco has the same gun as before, that must mean Wallace had and was carrying Tuco's gun, and then he took it with him before catching the train, after initially throwing it away in frustration? I don't know guns well enough to tell if it's genuinely all the same gun.)

Angel Eyes sending only one guy after Blondie really makes considerably less sense with Blondie having explicitly threatened to kill all of them in the perfect number scene, doesn't it. Without that scene, it checks out that Angel Eyes wants to keep an eye on Blondie but doesn't immediately have any particular reason to think he's about to betray them or liable to attack anyone; with it, it's a wonder Clem doesn't protest.

RIP Clem. Blondie may jump him when he turns a corner, but even he has his hand on his gun before Blondie actually shoots him, though he freezes and stops drawing it before Blondie actually shoots. (Would he have even gone on to actually shoot Blondie if he'd gotten the chance? Well, Angel Eyes still wants him alive… but perhaps Clem might have tried to shoot him somewhere debilitating but not fatal, which is a thing that generally never happens onscreen in this movie but is clearly something that hypothetically can happen, what with all the injured soldiers with lost limbs.)

Things were once again looking pretty bleak for Blondie here. It was always extremely unlikely he could take out six men on his own, even if he did threaten to do so. He could create an opportunity with Clem, because Angel Eyes sent one guy after him, but it's doubtful he'd ever have been able to pull that more than once; all in all, all roads seem to lead to inescapably getting killed at the cemetery while outnumbered. But then he recognizes Tuco's gun. And if there were two of them, maybe they would have a chance at whittling down Angel Eyes' men. Regardless of anything else, he can easily assume that Tuco will agree to join him: that gets Tuco back in the race for the money.

So why was hearing Tuco's gun perfect timing, anyway? I'm enjoying the thought that Blondie was actually starting to consider attempting something foolish on his own by the time those shots rang out. If what I think I read about the Italian line is accurate, perfect timing is an English dub only thing, but it does create some fun potential implications.

Reunion

Love Tuco playing with the bubbles in the bath; what a ridiculous lovable problem man. Sometimes he's not only naïve but outright childlike.

"Just give me a little time to get dressed and I'll open up!" says Tuco, presumably assuming it's more people here to kill him and hoping he can get the jump on them if they think he's oblivious and are expecting to wait. Instead, it's Blondie on the other side of the room, pointing a gun at him, having distracted Tuco with the front door while coming in from the back -- much like Tuco did to him back at the inn. Parallels!

Blondie opens by telling him to put his drawers on and take his gun off. Instead, Tuco takes his gun off but then gets distracted by wait, how is he here, so he just stands there stark naked for this whole bit and Blondie just takes it in stride without comment. Amazing.

Presumably, Tuco's assumption here was that after Wallace took him away from Batterville, Angel Eyes would have had Blondie tortured as well, and then either killed him too or just kept him locked up. (Naturally, though he seemed to be feeling a bit of guilt about giving up Blondie in the wake of the torture, by now he has suppressed any sense of guilt or regret for this.) Blondie instead being seemingly alive and unscathed and out of there is suspicious.

Blondie says he's here with "your old friend, Angel Eyes". We didn't actually see Tuco talk to Blondie about Angel Eyes on-screen, only "Hey, Blondie, isn't that Angel Eyes?", but it tracks that Tuco would have told him they were old friends, because of course he did because they were definitely friends, and of course Blondie makes a little ironic jab at it now, after Angel Eyes cold-bloodedly had Tuco tortured.

Tuco sounds legitimately angry at the thought that Blondie talked, despite that he himself talked, and gave up Blondie specifically. Very Tuco moment. As ever, he just applies very different standards to himself, who will just do whatever he needs to do, than to others. And I think he legitimately hadn't expected Blondie to talk. How dare he give Angel Eyes the secret when he wouldn't give it to him?!

Blondie could so easily make at least a bit of a jab at the fact Tuco not only talked but obviously gave up Blondie specifically, too. But instead he chooses to completely ignore that bit and just say nah, he didn't talk, and I love that. Blondie does not want to get on his case for whatever he said under torture, and the blatant hypocrisy is just Tuco being Tuco, something that he understands and expects and tunes out by now.

Tuco is so happy when he realizes Blondie is the only one who knows his half of the secret and he's choosing Tuco, and it kind of breaks my heart. In his naïve way, he just figures Blondie wanted to find the treasure with him rather than Angel Eyes, and he's just over the moon about it -- Blondie likes him! Actually went out of his way to come find him!

I love "I get dressed, I kill him, be right back." Obviously if Blondie came here with Angel Eyes and then ditched him and came to Tuco instead, Angel Eyes has got to be seeing red and looking for Blondie right now, and he's a loose end generally, and in Tuco's elation about being Blondie's preferred partner, going out and casually killing Angel Eyes just seems like a simple no-big-deal task! He'll be right back!

When Blondie says there's five of them, Tuco's face falls, because oh, that's not quite a simple no-big-deal task even in his current state of inflated confidence. And then, when Blondie confirms… his eyes narrow a bit. "So that's why you came to Tuco." In other words, not because he just likes Tuco better and wants to share the treasure with him instead, but because if Blondie tells them or shows them the correct grave, he is absolutely 100% dead if he's up against five guys. It's a practical calculus after all, when Tuco so plainly wanted it to be because Blondie just likes him better.

But then he just goes, "It doesn't matter! I'll kill them all!" He's going to prove his worth to Blondie, by singlehandedly killing those five dudes, and thus render himself irreplaceable again. He can totally do that. Definitely.

This may be one of my favorite scenes? I love Tuco playing in the bath, Blondie sneaking up on him in the same way as Tuco snuck up on him at the inn, the way Tuco starts at the sound of his gun cocking, the delightful comic energy of Tuco forgetting that he's still standing there naked for this whole conversation, Blondie quietly choosing to let "You traitor, you talked!" go, Tuco's emotional progression and Eli Wallach just being an absolute joy in his portrayal of him as usual. It's so revealing how thrilled Tuco is about thinking Blondie would just rather find the treasure with him and how he shifts when he realizes that's not actually why -- but Blondie genuinely does kind of like this ridiculous man in spite of himself, even though there are cold, practical reasons behind why teaming up with Tuco again is his best bet. I love this complicated, fucked-up, utterly fascinating character dynamic and how we're still adding more delightful layers to it two thirds in.

Two against five

Angel Eyes is still maintaining he wants Blondie alive to his men, but they're free to kill Tuco.

Blondie lets Tuco go out there, determined to do this on his own, before actually joining him. When Tuco notices him, he's watching him there and just smiling, marveling at this guy. Tuco really is fully planning to just go and singlehandedly confront Angel Eyes and four other men. Plainly something Blondie himself would have been too methodical and careful to even attempt under most any circumstances (which is indeed why he came to Tuco), and yet Tuco's just unquestioningly doing it, choosing to live in the world where this isn't almost certainly going to get him killed.

"Were you gonna die alone?" is just cute. Blondie really wasn't expecting him to go do it alone -- the whole point was they'd have a chance if it was the two of them together. It's pretty likely that they'll die anyway, but they really do have the best shot working in tandem.

I enjoy how you can see how it takes a moment for Tuco to even parse what he means, but then comes that cautious bit of a smile and the theme music kicks in, and awww yeah! Look at them, working together!

Tuco gets the first guy before Blondie notices him, and Blondie gives him this slightly impressed look, and Tuco crosses himself because of course he does and then moves on, and we see Blondie smile a little bit at that too before they continue. Just Tuco things. Blondie's missed him a bit, hasn't he.

I can't believe the two guys who are behind them with a pretty clear line of sight but don't shoot, and then a rogue cannonball kicks up dust so they can't see and then Blondie and Tuco take them out in succession by drawing their attention and then shooting. I guess they were too distracted hearing the cannonball falling by the time the camera made them fully visible.

Tuco's little wink after that one is a delight. He's just having fun.

In terms of the actual action, this sequence isn't that interesting -- Angel Eyes' men are not really characters and don't feel very competent or threatening at all, there's never a real sense that Blondie and Tuco are in serious danger, they barely even actually get shot at, and every time they shoot they just instantly kill the other guy, with not much real tension about it. But really it's a sequence about Blondie and Tuco genuinely working well together. First Tuco kills one Blondie didn't notice, then they each get one in a coordinated effort, then Blondie gets one Tuco didn't notice. They make equal contributions, compensating for each other's weaknesses, and it all works out smoothly, where they cover each other and enhance each other's skills rather than getting in one another's way.

Tuco says Angel Eyes is his and Blondie just says, "All right," a little sign of respect. Angel Eyes did have Tuco tortured, so it seems only right. (Later, though, when it really matters, he will absolutely not leave Angel Eyes to Tuco -- too careful.)

Love Tuco stumbling over reading the word "idiots". He grew up in poverty and probably had zero formal education; he's obviously learned the alphabet and can theoretically read, but for anything but the most common words it clearly takes him a bit of trying to sound things out. Another character trait that's not necessary for anything but it's just fun and adds even more flavor and texture to him, like his religiosity.

Blondie reading it for him and then going "It's for you" and handing it to him is a great gag and also reads fully as good-natured ribbing at this point and it's great -- Tuco doesn't even react to him making that joke, just tears up the piece of paper.

(On the other hand, the Doylist reason he doesn't react is that, as Christopher Frayling's commentary points out, you can tell from Clint Eastwood's lips that on set he said, "It's for us." Again, I love "It's for you"; it's definitely a funnier line, and the comic timing with Blondie handing Tuco the paper is perfect, and the sense of friendly ribbing is great. But what I do enjoy about "It's for us" is that it calls back to the other time Blondie called the two of them collectively idiots, namely, "God's not on our side, 'cause he hates idiots also," and I really do enjoy Blondie calling them both idiots as a pair being not just a somewhat ambiguous one-off thing but a habit. I will take on board the fun implications about his character while considering "It's for you" canon.)

One sequence and the movie has successfully sold us on Blondie and Tuco collaborating in a perfectly genuine way. Last time, we ended on the delightful moment where these two guys who hate each other are going to have to set it aside and work together anyway; by now, an hour later, I was sincerely rooting for them to both make it out of this alive and actually split the treasure together, and that's a marvel after how the entire first half of this movie went. It's just an all-around delight and their dynamic is so much fun. I love them.

(Concluded in part three! Thanks for reading if you have been.)

[of-time-and-space-itself]

(chanting growing gradually louder) wheeeres conductor my boy conductor. wheeeres conductor my boy conductor. wheeeeres conductor my boy conductor. wheeeeres conductor my b

Ah...yes.

I knew the day would come where I would have to address the Conductor/Dj Grooves shaped hole in the blog feed.....

Sooo....where do I begin with this one...

Okay, so - something I haven't mentioned too much is the division of the kingdoms. I do plan to make a more in depth post about it, but the basic idea is that some characters are considered people of Time, and the others are people of Space. People of Time are usually more glamorized/dramatic with their outfits, and people of space are more nitty-gritty/neutral/casual with their looks.

I don't know if you can see where this is going, but uh-

The Conductor (and Dj grooves, but that's a topic for another day) is a bit of an interesting case.

Because, you see...The Conductor's design is kinda perfect as is. And I promise you I thought about this A LOT.

I-.......This man has given me a run for my money in the design department. The amount of internal turmoil he has inflicted on me is unreal.

At first I waited for something good to come to me. It didn't

So I thought, 'maybe I'll look at old train conductor outfits and something will click'. Didn't work.

Then I thought, 'steampunk conductor would be pretty cool, right?'. But then, that might be too glamorous for the people of space, so I threw the idea away.

Randomly, mid-plotting, I got struck in the brain by that old Disney choo-choo song thing(and that was like a really repressed memory), I don't fully know what that had to do with The conductor, other than after the fact I kept debating adding stripes to his outfit. na-da.

And all that to say, I got immensely distracted and started thinking about how many coats he has in his closet and if all of them are identical.

And then I think I realized(after I made this doodle), that my brain was slowly rotting and I wasn't getting anywhere. I find myself thinking that his core design is just perfect, I can't seem to think of anything unique or interesting that wouldn't over-exaggerate him.

If anyone has any ideas-

PLEASE. PLEASE TELL ME. IT HURTS SO MUCH, PLEASE-

The Conductor is currently in development hell, so you won't be seeing him for a little while.

Sorry. :(

[onyourhyuck]

MRS NA? | NA JAEMIN. | PART ONE.

— Prologue: “Why do i have so many children?” + “Well you strapped me to the bed, you know how that went.”

— Summary: Wherein Go Yeeun wakes up from a coma and meets Na Jaemin claiming to be her husband and have five children together.

— Genre: jaemin series. Romance. Found family. Mystery. Smut. Crack. Fluffiness.

— Notes: THIS IS A JAEMIN SERIES ON MY BLOG. reblog and follow me for more daily updates.

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Go Yeeun's eyes softly wake up from what felt like a deep dream. It felt surreal to wake up surrounding seeing everything go white. The walls, the bed, the blanket were all matching colours. Next to the bed was a young man half asleep on the chair with a denim jacket over the body covering like a blanket.

The young woman sat up holding her head suddenly when a striking breeze hit the head. She groans out. "Ah fuck..."

The man removes from the chair walking to the side. "You're awake, nurse! nurse!"

She looks up seeing how he held her and she stares him down with her eyes clench at the unfamiliar feeling. "Who are you?" He looks down at Yeeun sitting on the bed now.

"I'm Jaemin. I'm your husband.”

A pain hits her heart at the centre of the chest and he saw her grab the hospital gown with a balling fist. Yeeun can't remember anything not a single memory running in that moment.

"I have a husband?" Yeeun saw Jaemin give her a nod. "Yes honey we are."

The nurse comes through running in with a white check board. Looking down she calls out her name. "Na Yeeun? Can you remember anything." The nurse gently asked, with black hair. Yeeun looks around murmuring.

"What happened... why am i here?"

The doctor appears behind the nurse coming forward he opens the flashlight holding out Yeeun's face and flashes it in the eyes.

"You had a car accident and your husband brought you to the hospital. You've been unconscious for a day and a half. I'm surprised you regained your consciousness that quick." He hums putting it down. Yeeun pulls her face away looking at the hospital gown she wore and the bed she's in.

"I was in a car accident..." she murmurs softly. "Then... when can i get my memories back doctor?"

He explains. "It's only a matter of time. Memories will come back soon you won't even realise it."

Jaemin looks at the doctor. "When can she be discharged?"

"We will check more of your stats but if they are doing good we don't have a reason to keep you here. Just make sure to give us a visit every two weeks for a check up."

"Will do Doctor. Thank you." Jaemin bows the head as the doctor and nurse leave. He would turn around to Yeeun.

"How do you feel?"

Yeeun looks down. She was confused if anything. "I don't know. What's your name?"

He smiles. "Jaemin. Na Jaemin."

'Na Jaemin. So he's my husband.' Yeeun couldn’t believe it nonetheless the handsome man standing there was her husband.

Hospital doctors were shocked to know how well Yeeun’s stats were being monitored so well considering the accident only just happened, the woman’s body was adjusting quite well. It was a good sign. It felt like a miracle to witness such good status enough to let a patient leave the next day just like that. As they were discharged Jaemin lead Yeeun inside the car in a truck shape. At first she tried to remember this car but she couldn’t find a single memory in that brain of hers.

Jaemin drove Yeeun away from the hospital after discharging the woman. It was amazing how the doctors were able to let her go after seeing such good stats. Yeeun truly has a fast healing body.

When driving in silence Yeeun trails thinking. "Can you tell me about yourself?"

The young man at the wheel driving chuckles. "Well what do you want to know?

She spoke out against the wind coming through the open window. "Everything."

Somehow a little panic struck Jaemin but he squirms in the seat sighing. He thought wondering what he can say to her. "I am your husband. We met in high school, I love peaches but i despise strawberries because i am allergic to them. My birthday is 13th August."

"Well... I don't know what to say anymore then that." Jaemin would explain shrugging.

Yeeun turns to look at him. "Whens my birthday?"

Jaemin nearly forgot but remembered after. "You're the 27th of April honey."

Yeeun murmur. "It's June this month. My birthday past already."

"How did we start dating?" She came up with another question so quickly.

Jaemin kept the eyes on the road. "I don't remember honestly."

She exclaims. "You don't remember?"

He goes quiet and Yeeun turns around staring at the front trailing. "I was a homewrecker weren't I?"

Jaemin's face swung to the side stuttering in panic. He saw how fast her expression went from blank to absolutely depressing.

"Uhm— no no I didn't mean..." oh god Yeeun totally misunderstood him right there.

"I was a whore wasn't I?" Yeeun turns around blurting out. She really was thinking about it deep. Jaemin blinks down at the woman turning to the road.

She waits for an answer but Jaemin’s silence was enough to answer every little assumption she had about herself.

"Yeeun honey it doesn't matter right? We are married now and we have children today."

The confused woman paused. Yeeun turns to him hearing the world simple alert her.

"We have children?" Yeeun retorts shocked.

The house in front when the car parks right outside was a house nearing the forest behind as well as a farmland.

Yeeun getting out the car and looking around she saw horse stables, she saw pig pens and cows. Moreover chicken coops too. She couldn't remember a single thing about this place .

Jaemin brings his hands on to Yeeun and pulls her to the side so they can walk to the house together. He opens the door and Yeeun looks around the house.

"How many children do we have?" She asked.

"You'll see now." Jaemin smirks.

The man whistles with the hands and instantly a ruckus upstairs were heard. Two younger boys around the age six slide down the stairway railings jump down. They wore identical blue overalls and a loose shirt underneath them.

A young girl slightly older comes down wearing a pink floral dress with a toy bunny in her hand.

Jaemin turns an eye on the three children. "Where are the other two troublemakers?"

Yeeun felt her face widen when an older boy jumps down from the railings landing on two feet right in front of her. She screams going behind Jaemin.

"ah there he is!" Jaemin taps the older boys shoulder. He looked to be the eldest amongst the others. He also carried a younger boy to be an infant, the youngest child.

She heavily exclaims. "I have four children?"

Jaemin points at the baby. "Nope five honey. Don't forget Yongsoo."

"Why do i have so many children..." 'did I not know condoms existed? What the fuck...'

She nods looking at them. None sparked a memory to her and she look about the house. Neither did the inside of the house spark a memory.

“Well you strapped me to the bed, you know how that went.” He pops in a flirtious joke leaving Yeeun stunned to stand there. Seriously in front of the kids?

"What are there names?" She'd whisper to Jaemin and he turns around nodding. "I'll introduce them.”

Yeeun nods listening to Jaemin when he approaches a taller boy, he wore a loose red shirt and denim shorts. The hair was nearly brushed back. "This boy right here is Hanuel. He is the oldest son. Does the name ring any sparks to you?"

She shook her head.

Jaemin turns around to the younger girl in pink floral dress. "Okay maybe Haewon will. She's our only daughter."

Yeeun said nothing and Jaemin took it as a no. He turns to the twin boys with a large smirk lifting them up.

"These are the twins. The one with a lisp is Insu. The one with wider ears is Insung."

She stares at them nodding giving an awkward wave. Yeeun feels like she's never been around children ever in her life.

"The last child is Yongsoo. He's the baby." Jaemin puts the children down and picks up the infant he puts it in her hands and she shakily held the child.

Yongsoo looks at Yeeun before pulling on her hair and she pushed the child back into Jaemin's hands.

"Maybe you should hold him for now. I'm going to take a look around the home." Yeeun states walking around the house.

The house was on a farmland. It clearly had been occupied by animals outside in the stables and the barn. However, Yeeun never felt like she would be working here. Imagining living here with a full household it just didn't click to be her thing. Soon after Yeeun walks upstairs checking the rooms.

The children shared a giant room all together. They had a bed next to another. They had a little corner full of books for children.

Then Yeeun moves to the room next door it was a double bed with a small bathroom in it.

The children had their shared bathroom on the same floor. Downstairs it was a large living space, with a small broken down tv from a super old brand. The kitchen was spacious too but it was linked to the living room space too.

She holds her head sighing. "What even is happening..."

Jaemin plops behind Yeeun without realising and she jolts up screaming. "Whoa whoa! It's just me." Jaemin says.

She turns around heavily breathing. "Do you always creep up on people?"

He smirks flirtatiously leaning down. "Why do you think you fell for me huh? You loved me creeping up on you."

'What on earth was I thinking back then.' Yeeun looks away glaring.

Jaemin seems satisfied seeing her reaction and he clears his throat looking at the time. "Let's get the children to sleep because they have school tomorrow. Me however I'm leaving."

"What!.."

The young woman grabs Jaemin's forearms in worry when he was leaving downstairs. He moves his eyes to watch the hands stopping on tracks.

Yeeun bursts out hushing. "What do you mean you're leaving me with the kids here."

He shifts. "It's what I always do, go to the bar meet up my friends, have a beer or two. It never bothered you before."

"But... won't you sent them to bed too?"

"Nope you can handle it. They understand."

She gulps. Mentally prepping to be alone with five small children wasn't good for her and unfortunately it looks like her husband wasn't bothered nor caring for how much it made her feel anxious. Jaemin slammed the front door leaving them all alone.

Yeeun deeply sighs.

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@onyourhyuck please refer from translating and copyrighting my work thank youu! Reblog and follow me for more updates on this series it helps a girl out <3

[the-himawari]

A3! Spotlight Event Translation - Spotlight (Secret): Ikaruga Brothers & Hyodo Brothers & Shadows in the Moonlight (3/19)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

~Shadows in the Moonlight Side~

Chikage: So, what are you thinking about?

Hisoka: You see, for Christmas at Guy’s bar—.

-pause-

Chikage: I see. And your idea right now is?

Hisoka: My first choice was to choose a concept and serve the customers like the Actor’s Café. By the way, I’ve already rejected the idea for poetry reading.

Chikage: I can… tell easily whose suggestion that was.

Hisoka: You work for a trading company, so you’ve met a lot of people and seen a lot of different plans. Do you have any good ideas?

Chikage: …You should start by thinking about why they chose Journey for their Christmas plans.

Hisoka: The reason they chose Journey…

Chikage: It’s because they like Journey they way it is, right? They purposely chose it because they like the atmosphere, customer service, and the drinks there. Making a huge change would miss the point.

Hisoka: …I see. I guess you’re right.

Waiter: Thank you for waiting. Here is your hot chocolate.

Hisoka: Thanks.

Waiter: And here is your seasonal special blended coffee. Right now we’re serving La Magie du Noel… We only serve this during the Christmas season. Please have these with your drinks as well. I hope you relax and enjoy your meal.

Hisoka: It’s gingerbread. It’s not covered in sugar, so even you can eat it, right?

Chikage: It still looks sweet though. And the smell of your hot chocolate is making it worse.

Hisoka: What was the name of your coffee again?

Chikage: La Magie du Noel. It means “the magic of Christmas” in French.

Hisoka: The magic of Christmas—. … “If the falling snow was warm like the sun, and the chimes of the bells ringing through the town were words of love—"

Chikage: “Then the world would be a kinder place.”

Hisoka: …You remember?

Chikage: Of course. I was told not to forget.

Hisoka: That brings back memories. …Remember, back then—.

*flashback starts*

August: Welcome.

Child A: Hello!

Child B: Which one should I get~.

December: …There’s a lot of customers today even though the Halloween season is over.

April: It’s his fault for making up that “cookies that grant your wish” thing. Who knows when he’s going to get sued.

Child C: Misha! Are you still selling the cookies that grant wishes?

August: Yep. Which colour would you like?

Child C: Pink!

August: Alright, here you go. Do you have a love you want to come true?

Child C: Fufu. I only have eyes for you, Misha!

August: Oh my. What an honour. But alas. Apparently I’m a bad guy who’s going to get sued someday, so it’s better to give up on me.

Child C: There’s no way you’re a bad guy, Misha! Who said that about you?

April: …Don’t go off and exaggerate.

December: …Marshmallows…

April: Oi, how many pieces is that now? It’s your fault that the shop is going to run out of marshmallows.

Child A: Ah~, someone’s angry~.

Child B: He tried to eat them secretly, but he got caught!

August: He has to do it better next time, right?

Child C: Ahahaha.

-pause-

August: Thanks for your help, you two. We had a super busy day again today.

December: Zzz, zzz…

April: *Sigh*… I’m sure it’s not a good idea to stand out this much.

August: Well, I guess that’s true. But—. A life spent solely stealing, hiding, and being hated gets lonely. Even we can make someone smile, right?

April: Make someone smile, huh… …But more importantly, how long are we going to be this freaking busy?

August: We’re entering the holiday season, so I guess it’ll continue being this busy until the new year.

April: You’re kidding. This is a hindrance to our mission…

August: It’s Christmas already~. What if we go out on a limb and sell cakes this year?

December: I’m down.

April: Oi, you were listening? In any case, customer don’t come to all the way to a candy shop for cake. They’d buy one at a cake shop.

August: You have a point… hmmm…

April: Give up and just sell candy as usual.

August: Oh, I know. That would sell, wouldn’t it?

April: …I have a bad feeling about this.

December: *Yawn*…

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previous | next

[b-blushes]

As a quasi "goal" this year I want to let people know about the things that make me happy/joyful. So I think your blog is neat and I am especially obsessed with the bird and fish suncatchers you posted. Big inspo vibes there; and I'd love to know how you started making them :D Hope you have a good day~

ah that's so lovely, thank you! i think i've posted all of the suncatchers i've made now, but i have 2 more specific ones planned to make in the next couple of months >:3 they came about when i was thinking about christmas gifts to make for friends last year. in 2023 my friend @/hierophant-mean made me a digital drawing (and stickers from the drawing!) of a coelacanth (my beloved) for my birthday, and then in 2024 i made them a embroidered hoop based on the drawing for their birthday~ (their drawing has a coeacanth swimming through clouds, i called mine 'star eater)

i can't honestly remember how i jumped from this to the suncatchers! 2024 was really 'year of me adoring looking at fish' and atm i'm not really feeling drawing/adjacent techniques either traditionally or digitally, so i wanted to make something about them (fish) in a different medium for my friends. i have a couple of rainbow-maker window stickers, and several suncatcher crystals hung up in my kitchen, and i loooooooove when it's rainbow time!!!!! so i think i just connected the dots between components. also i was trying to make gifts out of things that i already had, and i had sooo many sequins left over from making the above hoop :P and lots of felt leftover from various felt projects in years previously (last year i made felt 'gingerbread house' style ornaments for christmas gifts), although I did end up buying some more of certain colours! first fish project i made/ first double fish project/ first 'fish-adjacent' project:

can't share the 'actual' first ornament fish project as it's yet to arrive at another friend's house, but second ornament fish-adjacent project:

it was really fun iterating on these, and on the process of making them! i digitally drew all the patterns myself from references, and it was tricky but fun to problem solve how many of each pattern piece i would need. it was also fun but challenging picking subjects - my criteria were things like - striking colours but with minimal patterning due to the limitations of adding small pieces in felt - challenging medium as it kind of. fluffs apart if you do too much to it? (also darker colours show more rainbow contrast with the iridescent sequins, but on lighter colours they have more of a 'scale' type effect, fish style) - distinctive outlines that make them pleasant overall shapes to look at - not too fiddly shaped due to aforementioned felt challenges - something that had a personal link to either me or the recipient, or symbolised something i wanted to say to that person (like, i wanted it to be something that felt like it came from me, so it was a bit more personal, even though either way i was making them from scratch! bonus if it was a thing that we both shared a memory of)

construction wise, i made the first (my pink trout-style fish who hangs in my kitchen window) by sewing the four base colours of felt onto a fabric backing in an embroidery hoop, then cutting them off the fabric, but this was not the ideal way of doing it. after completing it i noticed some things i wanted to improve on, such as no visible stitching on the back, fewer gaps between felt pieces, and an overall 'easier' process. that one took me a month to make, between - digitally drawing out the pattern - picking colours - figuring out how to cut and layer the felt pieces to create something that was a 'nice' thickness - figuring out the order that all the pieces needed to be assembled in - actually making the stripes fit together (drawing around pattern pieces on different pieces of felt inevitably meant they ended up slightly different shapes than a flat digital drawing) - working out how to attach the fins (and sew details through a single layer of felt without disintegrating it) - how to do a nice eye - how to construct the thread of star sequins that they hang on etc Once i'd completed that one though, i actually had something to work with and edit, both process wise and materials wise. I ended up discovering the existence of 'double sided interfacing' and learned how to use that as i went, making it much easier to add backs to everything to hide visible stitching, to cut out pattern pieces (you iron it to one thing, then iron that thing to another thing, so then the felt is a bit less susceptible to fraying when you cut it out) and to add small details (although i did add tiny stitches in colour-matched thread to most added parts to reinforce them, and also strategically placed the iridescent sequins so i could sew through multiple colour points to 'connect' them more where applicable)! At times it was veryyyy frustrating because i imagined them so the only person i could ask about the instructions was ME! and i had no clue what to do :P but it was also extremely satisfying solving the problems! in the end they were taking me a few days to make instead of a few weeks.

this was probably waaaay more detail than you wanted hahaha i know you said 'how you started making them' instead of 'how you make them' i'm just jazzed to talk about FISH PROJECT! :P thank you again for such a lovely message!

[inseasofgreen]

TOP 10 OF 2024

tagged by @thecomfywriter

used this website

Literally doing this made me realize how much i popped off in August and then slowly lost traction in October before absolutely scraps in November and December. Here's to hoping that changes in the new year 😔

10. Chapter 1 - Zemorri

I honestly forget this is even posted oop. It's the current first chapter in POTO but I already know it's going to need heavy editing as it includes someone *cough*ivyr*cough* who has once again been scrapped from the series. At lest from what was her role. That makes it two times for her for the same reasons. Ouch.

9. Writers tip 1037

Ah yes, one of my many shit posts. I made this as a way to kinda shame myself into writing - didn't work.

8. I'm a writer

Pretty sure my brain repressed the memory of making this. I wish it had stayed repressed because what in the actual fuck. Anyway yeah another shit post. I know it's not the last to appear in this list.

7. Failed ask meme

I say failed because current day tumblr doesn't know ask meme etiquette but no one's ready to have the conversation. Truly an L

6. POTO (re)introduction

It's not my current one but it is still good. I believe my current is the same with a few addons.

5. Blog Masterpost

Old and outdated. Though I prefer the pictures I used here over the POTO themed ones. But changes are coming so I'll probably be making a new one

4. OG POTO Intro

Outdated but seeing me list Zemorri first and Sciosa second really speaks volumes about how much I favor him over the literal star of the show. POTO has an ensemble cast so while there is no actual "main character" Sciosa is the most important to the plot.

3. Failed ask meme 2.0

I think this one did better than number 7 but either way I don't want to talk about it.

2. Calling all active writeblrs

I made this because I kept following inactive blogs but wowie didn't think it was going to get this much attention.

Shit post from hell

I remember this was Sciosa's doing and then only for Zemorri to come around and make me have to rewrite all of what I had. What really gets me however is that it's gotten so big. Bitch is still getting 5 notes every other day. Which is fine but whenever I check my notifications for tags or comments there it is. Haunting me.

I'm going to tag @willtheweaver @tildeathiwillwrite @drchenquill @rhikasa @winterandwords

[judesmoonbeauty]

Fairytale Final Assessment 1st Anniversary SE: Jude Jazza's POV Chapter 2 ཐིཋྀ

Fan translation only. Not 100% accurate. Please expect grammatical errors. Cybird owns everything. Feel free to re-blog, but please do NOT post my translations elsewhere.

Translation notes are marked with *** Alternate translation is marked with/// Hour Glass Banners Credit: @/natimiles ཐིཋྀ

I glared at Kate at a distance where the tips of our noses touched.

(Ha…….Really, not good.)

(Her eyes.)

Despite being pinned down and being shown the overwhelming difference in power, Kate’s eyes never gave up.

She glared at me too straight on, with a glow in them. 

(……Ah, something like this happened before.)

She was kidnapped on my birthday, and had collapsed because she didn’t leak any information about me.

When I saw her injured, my core went completely cold. 

FLASH BACK TO HIS BD STORY

Jude: As ya said, I'm threatenin’ ya now.

Jude: But ...... I could snap your neck in an instant. Besides, the people I'm dealin’ with won't even hesitate.

Jude: If you're aware that you're being pushed away, I'm sure a smart young lady would know what to do.

Kate: I would have stayed out of it if I could have.......

Jude: But?

Kate: Every time we go on a mission together or escape from a predicament, I realize various things and change.

Kate: I don't mind that kind of change in myself.

FLASH BACK ENDS

I don't remember being kind to her or taking care of her carefully.

There have been times when she looked at death.

She has learned so much that she can no longer be called a “naive young lady.”

Despite this, she is a brazen woman with annoying eyes who maintains her clean side even when she knows of dirty maliciousness.

(I know I like this girl.)

(It’s interesting to see the fighting spirit that comes from her, but…)

(If I don't kick her out now... one day...she’ll die.)

(Then, why don't I draw the line here?)

I put my hand around Kate’s neck and squeeze it tighter than I did that day.

Kate: …..Ts…….ah.

Jude: I told ya before that when your carotid artery is constricted, ya instantly can't breathe.

Jude: Are ya scared? Is it painful?

Jude: If you're going to give up here, I'll make it easy for ya, but what are ya goin’ to do?

Kate: Oh……ugh.

Jude: I can't hear anything. Could ya speak more clearly?

When I applied more force and tried to knock Kate unconscious, Kate’s arm suddenly pushed me away.

Kate: Cough….cough……

Jude: Ha, you’re so powerful.

Kate: Again, please!

Jude: ………

(This girl, really?)

After that, Kate kept coming back to fight again and again.

Perhaps Ellis couldn't bear to see it, and suggested another game, 

Even so, I still ate many episodes…..***

Kate: …….

Jude: Ha, ya look exhausted.

Jude: There's no need for me to sign the consent form. Why don't ya give up quietly and pack your things?

Kate: There's still time until today ends.

Kate: I won't give up until you sign it.

Ellis: Kate…..

(She really is a stubborn woman. There's no end to it.)

It's not that I didn't imagine this would happen.

Jude: I don't want to be with ya forever. Let's go settle the matter. 

Kate: This is the port where you manage the logistics depot, right Jude?

Jude: As ya know, we rent our warehouses to others with interest.

Jude: There was a man there who was making a living doin’ bad business.

Kate: I'm sure... something like that happened before, right?

Kate: He was using Jude's warehouse for human trafficking...a man with a bowler hat!

Ellis: That's when Kate was with Jude for the first time.

Jude: What a good memory!

Kate: I was attacked and almost killed, so even though I hate it, I will never forget it.

Kate: So, since you brought me here, you're trying to make me do something, right?

Jude: There’s a guy who has done something similar to that man in the bowler hat.

Jude: He’s got some classified documents hidden somewhere in a warehouse up ahead.

Jude: Get me those classified documents and then we'll talk. 

Kate: I’ll find the classified documents that’ll benefit you, Jude.

Kate: If I find them, will you sign it?

Jude: That’s what I’m sayin’.

Jude: I’m not patient, I’ll only wait until midnight.

Kate: I understand. Your promise is absolute.

Ellis: Kate, so you want me to follow you?

Kate: Thank you, Ellis. But this is my game, and I'll do my best on my own.

With that said, Kate ran away from the scene.

Ellis: A guy doing bad business in a warehouse who is hiding classified documents. Just like the one I killed yesterday……..

Ellis: Jude, no way!

Jude: No, of course not. There is no such person or classified document anywhere.

Jude: She’s gonna keep looking for something that's not there, and at midnight, I'm gonna call it a night.

Ellis: It's like Cinderella in bad taste.

Jude: The best fairy tale mistake.

Lighting a cigarette, I inhale the smoke deeply into my lungs, and exhale.

(Now she’s washed her hands from Crown with this.)***

(This is a happy ending. It's a lukewarm happy ending that suits her.)

He tossed the shortened cigarette to the ground and stomped it down with his foot.

The on-site supervisor came running towards me, the color of his complexion changed.

Supervisor: Mr. Jude, why are you here? I’ve been trying to contact you! 

Jude: What happened?

Supervisor: You remember that guy you sent to the lab for illegal human trafficking here before.

Ellis: Is that.….that's the guy in the bowler hat who Kate was talking about earlier, isn't it?

Supervisor: That man escaped from the lab and attacked a weapons store. He killed the clerk and stole a gun...

Supervisor: As he was escaping he said he was going to kill Jude Jazza!

Jude: ………

Supervisor: The man's goal is revenge against you. Please run away and hide yourself quickly…..

FLASH BACK

Jude: We had a contract that said you couldn't buy or sell humans, right?

Bowler Hat Man: I'm hoping you'll let me off the hook there.

Bowler Hat Man: Well, even poor people can sell at a good price.

Bowler Hat Man: It'll line your pockets and clean up this docklands cesspool that is the Port of London.

Jude: ……….

Bowler Hat Man: You, who love other people's misfortune and money, will let me off the hook, won't you?

Bowler Hat Man: If you agree, your lover will be returned to you unharmed.

FLASHBACK ENDS

(He’s seen Kate’s face.）

Jude:…..Damn, how bad can her luck be?

Supervisor: Oh, hey, Mr. Jude, where are you going?

Ellis: Jude!

Running through the bay, I opened the doors of the warehouses with a fine-tooth comb.

(……Where the hell is she?)

Then I heard a noise in one of the warehouses.

When I opened the door to the warehouse, I found-

[Previous] [Bitter End] [Premium End] [Master List]

***HELP! I could not t/l this line to save my life! It’s a simple sentence (?), but it literally said he was consuming editions. I managed to t/l it into “episodes” after a lot of research. I believe he is implying that because Kate keeps coming back to spar with him, he is comparing each fight to an episode and consuming it as his win and her loss??

*** 足 denotes leg or foot. 洗 denotes cleansed, scoured, wash. So, I decided to nix leg/foot and use hands as an alt since westerners are more familiar with that term.

[oldeazeroth]

I was hearing a lot about the Hardcore WoW challenge & decided to give it a try. I wanted to share some of my thoughts here because I think some of the people who follow this blog might enjoy the experience as well! The post ended up being kind of long so please feel free to ignore if you’re not interested.

For those who don’t know, Hardcore Classic is a fan-made game mode in the same spirit as an ironman challenge. There are several rules but the main ones are 1) character death is permanent 2) you cannot ask for help or group with others (outside of very specific circumstances), and 3) you cannot trade, mail, or use the AH. Everything you use must be found in the world, crafted by you, or bought from a vendor. There is an addon that can be downloaded to verify your run. It can be played on any server, but many people chose to play on the public WoW servers that fans have adopted for the challenge, because you can only complete dungeons and raids with other HC players under the HC rules. More info can be found here - https://classichc.net/

At first I thought it sounded nuts, but gave it a shot because I had nothing to lose. I created a character with the exact same class/race as my first WoW character (I was even able to snag the same name), and as I spawned into Mulgore I almost immediately understood the appeal. There were so many other players around doing the same challenge. The game felt shockingly alive because of how active the server was. But what was really amazing was how the hardcore restrictions changed the way I experienced the game & took me back to the first time I ever played.

I have a distinct memory from my first character, a Tauren Druid, and leaving Mulgore for the first time to make the trek to Crossroads through Camp Taurajo. That walk felt so intimidating, seeing level ?? thunder lizards standing off the side of the road. I feel like I probably held my breath until I finally made it to Crossroads. Today, if I were to create a new Tauren on a classic era server, though I would have to make that same walk, I would not feel that fear because the game no longer has that same mystery for me . The thunder lizards are only level 20, and if I die, it’s no big deal to corpse run and try again. But under the Hardcore ruleset, that’s not an option. If I die, that’s it. I found myself making that run with the same level of caution that I gave it during my first ever playthrough, keeping my eyes peeled off both sides of the road. And feeling safe when I finally got to Crossroads. That alone was an amazing feeling to experience again!

As I started to level up in the Barrens, I reached a point where the quests were starting to out level me and decided to make the trek to Silverpine to continue. I was level 13, making my way to the Sepulcher. I was nearly there, and went off path to gather some herbs. Out of nowhere, a Son of Arugal, a level ?? elite, appeared. It was over before I could react and I felt so defeated.

A few days later, I got the motivation to delete the character and begin again. Another Tauren Druid. I leveled my way back to the same point where I left off in the Barrens and thought, either I can play it safe here and grind a level or two, or I can head to Silverpine again and be on my guard this time. I opted for Silverpine to prove to myself I could do it. I got there and completed some quests, constantly watching my back the whole time. As I walk towards a cave I saw him in the distance once again, the Son of Arugal. I noped out of there immediately, ran halfway across the zone and grinded out the few bars I had left to level. As soon as I dinged, I hearthed out of Silverpine for good. It left me excited though, that I was able to face Silverpine once again & learn from my mistake the first time. It was not only exciting to navigate around it, but it made the zones themselves feel like unique places once again, each with their own obstacles & traps.

I’m only level 14 now, and I’m realizing every zone from here on out will likely have it’s own Son of Arugal lurking in the shadows. I doubt I will make it to 60 because I don’t have a ton of underlying knowledge about the world, but for the time being the experience so far has been worth the time. It’ll be painful when my character inevitably dies but at that point I’ll feel okay putting away hardcore mode for a bit.

I don’t intend on writing posts like this in the future, but wanted to share because I know there are so many people who feel nostalgic about the game. This game mode really has the potential to bring some of those feelings back into the game, and at least for the time being, the servers are well populated and feel just as alive as they did back then. Anyway, thanks for reading!

[justajsworkshop]

You have no idea how much your answer helped me. Truly, thank you so much. I was so so stressed. I really want to manifest my dream life but it seemed so far fetched and I was not making any kind of progress, despite being here for years now. It felt like I was just consuming info. I just realized that I’ve come across Be Something Wonderful several times but I never checked it out because the thumbnail and title felt kinda gimmicky and law of attraction-ey. But I will watch the videos you’ve suggested.

I used to struggle with ‘feeling it REAL’. I see every states based blog talk about making it feel real and it made me question if I was doing it right. Another thing was the emphasis on invoking the feeling of being calm and knowing that comes once you’ve shifted your state and made the state your dwelling place. I felt like I was forcing fulfillment. I agree that ed art definitely interprets Neville really well but I struggled to apply the info. And even Neville, towards the end talked more about faith and focusing on who you are. So it confused me when everyone made so many rules about what to feel.

Thank you for hearing me out. I was so confused and was response has helped a lot<3

ah, i'm so glad to hear that helped!

yeah, neville even says that when he talks about feeling, he's not speaking of emotion but of the acceptance that your desire is yours, but even that can feel unclear at times that acceptance has to "feel" a certain way in terms of sensations in the body and mind. and i have 100000% been there where i've been obsessed with what's happening "inside me" and seeing it as something that needs fixing because i struggled to believe, have faith, accept, etc. and that just turned into a downward spiral of me judging myself as unfulfilled.

then i once heard tom talk about the difference between confidence and conviction, and i realized i was always chasing the emotional high of "feeling good re: my desire." but when you focus on being convicted that you are your desired self, that knowing is immovable. and sure, you can have doubts, limited thoughts, and blegh feelings that move through, but you know that these are always changing, so you don't have to get attached to them. i used to remind myself a lot, not every feeling needs a narrative. not every sensation i'm having needs a whole story wrapped around it and lord alive, especially not one of nonfulfillment!

tom's video today talks about the difference between being a prophet, someone who can speak the law but feels separate from it, versus being the messiah, someone who is one with the law. and it made me think of your first ask, tbh. his content focuses on the law above all laws, even above the law of assumption, and that's the law of being: who and what are you conscious of being?

the good news is that you, the son of god who is one with all possibilities and all moments in the divine mind, can choose who you are, and it will instantly be so. remember, there's only one divine moment that our awareness is seeing from infinite vantage points. memories are just imaginal acts, and imaginal acts are just memories of the allness that you already are. so, there's no horizontal linear past of "failure" and nonfulfillment that you have to attach yourself to. there's no 4 years of struggle unless you continue to call it forth and place it here as part of your experience here and now.

you can decide and declare in this very instant that you've always been perfect at executing the law because you are the law. you've always been fulfilled and living your dream life because you are already all lives and all possibilities. an affirmation i've been loving recently is "i am that i am, who is living their dream life." because i am! i am the i am who is living the life of their dreams! because i am all dreams.

feelings are irrelevant to your fulfillment because your fulfillment just is—it's all that is. there are no conditions that must be fulfilled. no great subconscious that needs to be impressed. no higher power that must be appeased. you are eternal, absolute, and total fulfillment because your I AM awareness guaranteed that. that's the real power of robotic affirming. it's not about being mindless or affirming in vain; it's about choosing to be who you desire to be regardless of the emotional activity happening within the physical body and mind.

you got this! you always have. you've always been fulfilled. you just have to remember yourself as you desire to be. :) no go enjoy your dream life!

[hyenahunt]

Saga: Rivals - 12

Writer: Akira

Season: Winter

Characters: Tori, Chiaki

Proofreading: moricchiichan (JP) & Peace (ENG)

Translation: kotofucius

Tori: I want to hear it from you, senpai; from someone who wouldn’t call Eichi-sama an angel or a devil, but a friend.

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: Corridor

Tori: (humming♪) I spoke with Prez during lunch break! This is the best day ever!

Chiaki: Fufu. You sure love Tenshouin, Himemiya. Good, good. I’m glad he has a protege who adores him…

Tenshouin loves to go out of his way to play the villain — It’s hard to watch sometimes.

Tori: Yeah… That’s surprisingly perceptive coming from you, Morisawa-senpai.

Chiaki: He and I are friends, after all! He might’ve denied it, but it doesn’t change that I consider him so.

Tori: …I didn’t get a good answer back there, but are you really friends with the Prez, Senpai? How? You guys look like total opposites.

He mostly calls everyone except Long Hair and Vice-Prez by their surname, but he called you “Chiaki”… and acted pretty familiar with you, too.

Chiaki: Yeah. I only realized a while after entering this academy, but we’d actually met a couple times as children.

Tori: Huh, so you’re his childhood friend, like the Vice-Prez?

Chiaki: Ah, no. We met and spoke in our hospital rooms, but I can count how many times just with my two hands.

Tori: Hospital…?

Chiaki: Yeah. I was frail as a child, and I’ve always been one to get injured often even then, so I had many trips to the hospital.

I ran into him sometimes, since he got hospitalized often, too.

We’d completely forgotten about such an old memory, though. But after reuniting in Yumenosaki and speaking to each other a few times, the memories came back to us.

I only introduced myself as “Chiaki” as a child, so I think calling me that just feels more right to him, over “Morisawa”.

Tori: Huh… I think I get that. It’s hard changing how you call someone. I still call Prez “Eichi-sama” too, sometimes.

Chiaki: You’re a big fan of his, after all. You can call me “Chiaki-sama,” too! ☆

Tori: No way~ I’m not even your fan, senpai.

…But you know, for two people who just met a few times as children, you were kinda overly familiar with each other… like real, good friends.

Chiaki: Well, he helped me out a lot when I got promoted to the Captain position in Ryuseitai.

Alone, I might’ve failed to keep Ryuseitai together and ended up putting an end to its long history…

I owe him a lot. He told me he was just paying me back for when I saved him in the underground livehouse back then, but…[1]

Seeing the state of affairs then, I don’t think he had the leisure to do that.

Yet he helped me, taking a risk he didn’t have to.

That was a kindness only possible when you didn’t look for anything in return. No, he might deny it, but… it was friendship.

He isn’t a cold, calculative machine. I want to believe that he isn’t as bad a guy as everyone makes him out to be.

But I don’t have to tell you that, Himemiya, do I?

Tori: …No. Actually, I've been feeling uncertain lately. I love Eichi-sama, so I’ve always snapped back each time someone spoke badly of him….

But in Starfes, I came in contact with a fragment of the darkness he was hiding…

Eichi-sama wasn’t the shining, perfect angel I thought he was.

There’s no smoke without fire. There is a reason behind everyone’s badmouthing of him — something cruel…

I can see it. I’m not a child.

Tori: Say, Morisawa-senpai. What happened in Yumenosaki Academy in the past? What did he do? What for?

Even though I wanted to know, I was too scared to ask more, so I couldn’t step into it all this time, but —

Tell me, even just within the scope of what I’m allowed to hear, but without lying or glossing over it. If I take it too slowly, Eichi-sama will graduate. I’m running out of time.

I want to hear it from you, senpai; from someone who wouldn’t call Eichi-sama an angel or a devil, but a friend.

Because I want to be close to him, too.

He’s cold and shivering up high in the sky, all alone. I came to see him because I wanted to nestle close and be by his side.

But he’s still a little far, so I need to fly even higher and get closer.

Getting too close to the sun melts away wings made of wax. But, he’s always told me that my wings are real and warm.

[ ☆ ]

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →

Translation Note:

[1] Chiaki is referring to what happened in Crossroad.

[onyourhyuck]

MRS NA? | NA JAEMIN. | PART FOUR.

— Prologue: “I’m not your servant, I’m your wife Jaemin.” + “Okay, I sense I may have said this wrongly to you.”

— Summary: Wherein Go Yeeun wakes up from a coma and meets Na Jaemin claiming to be her husband and have five children together.

— Genre: jaemin series. Romance. Found family. Mystery. Smut. Crack. Fluffiness.

— Notes: THIS IS A JAEMIN SERIES ON MY BLOG. reblog and follow me for more daily updates.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Go Yeeun walks down the plains of the farm. The animals were groomed and dressed into newer coats. The different hairbrushes for the horses had to be used which took longer than doing a simple hairstyle for yourself. Taking care of a farm alone was no joke a very hard job and task. Many of the animals were very important and so Yeeun had no choice but to take care of them, because her lovely husband who works a 9 to 5 job couldn’t do that. Yeeun doesn’t remember anything to say to Jaemin. She doesn’t know if she actually agreed to these chores, to do them. But she took a wild leap and believes her so called husband.

Was he even a husband at this point? Yeeun has been stuck for two months trying to regain her memories of Jaemin and the five children. Nothing came to mind. Sometimes her dreams feels like a puzzle more than a dream with no meaning.

At this point the young woman feels so misplaced. Like a red wine bottle placed between two beer aisles. She feels like a stuck out sore thumb that you can point out in a second. Something about this place doesn’t feel like home. This place feels new and foreign to Yeeun.

And she cannot believe she chose a life like this? I mean a farm? Chores all day? Take care of children all the freaking time and when the kids go to sleep, Yeeun has to deal with an emotionally unavailable husband who barely makes an effort to understand her? This life sounds far from perfect. Far from normal. Far from what Yeeun believes she would have wanted in the past before her memories were erased from her mind.

Opening the backyard door, the young with the black long hair stuck in a messy bun wearing rain boots and overalls sweating from head to toe because she was doing everything to make the animals happy and all fed and cleaned, the overalls had stains of mud and reeking of cow’s straws from the hay. Not expecting anyone to be home. Yeeun’s round beautiful shaped eyes resembling a diamond nearly widen at the sight of the man with a slight tone and muscular build in the kitchen making himself a hot coffee. He wore a reddish and white flannel with crossed squares, a white tank top that make his muscular chest and pecs visible at times.

As much as Yeeun was shocked she was slightly confused too. Why was he back so early? He only left three hours ago.

The woman takes off the boots and then comes forward watching him sip the warm coffee. “What are you doing here back so early?” Yeeun questions with an eyebrow raise and he looks back seeing that Yeeun was already finished with her chores. He smirks raising his eyebrows at the question. “Oh hey bunny lips.” He smirks twirling around like a jelly bean with his body.

Jaemin leans against the counter as his eyes watch Yeeun’s figure. She looks slightly exhausted from doing chores all morning until afternoon. It makes him become smug as he saw Yeeun sit down with a groan as she looks at him.

He turns around when Yeeun was waiting for his answer clearly and he opens his mouth. “Ah. I’m just so good at my work that I finished early. Aren’t i a good husband my darling wife?” The tone he used was somehow mocking and a bit condescending.

Yeeun frowns but doesn’t say anything. She already feels slightly annoyed at him since the last time. They haven’t really spoke much. Not like they had much to talk about unless it’s about children. “Right…” Yeeun trails as she sighs. “Why don’t you help around the house then if you’re so good at your job?” She now blasts an invitation to Jaemin, that wasn’t so much of an invitation.

She is tired of doing chores all the freaking time. Jaemin should take some responsibilities around this household too.

His expression fell down. “But Yeeun that’s your job.” He expressed with an obvious hint that he won’t be doing that since it’s meant to be ‘hers’ to do and not Jaemin’s end of the deal.

The woman wasn’t pleased with the answer and any minute now Yeeun feels the boiling pent up rage inside her stomach aching and screaming to come out and tell her so called husband off right now. Yeeun would’ve divorced him by now, just saying she would’ve picked those papers up in a heartbeat. But Yeeun was thinking about the children and so she didn’t do that; the children matter the most. So Yeeun feels only more and more angry and frustrated at Jaemin’s lack of responsibility.

Yeeun slants upwards on the chair at the table as she takes off the boots now, with a stomp on the ground now. It’s clear that her body was showing anger but her voice was silent. He could imagine fire burning on her eyes whenever Yeeun looks at him.

It is also slightly misogynistic isn’t it? Yeeun is a woman so why is she doing the womanly house chores in the house? Surely Jaemin is a bit more modern than that considering his not so-fatherly acting decisions.

“Look are you here to just come and go? You’re meant to be here in this house too and as long as you’re living here you should do some chores around to help.”

There was a moment for their eyes to make contact. Jaemin stares at the woman telling him now this as she’s staring back at him unamused by how his blank eyes were slightly different than before. He looks like he didn’t want to help at all but when Yeeun phrased it like this he feels like he has no choice but to do it? He just never did a single chore in his life. Jaemin opens his mouth to say something but nothing came out so he closed it, and he raised his finger and puts it back down when his lips sealed. Yeeun’s voice comes off as a tired and annoyed sigh.

“I’ll be fair on you. You can wash the dishes on Saturdays and Sundays. And you can also do the laundry on those days too.”

Really? Jaemin couldn’t believe it you’re seriously giving him chores to do on his alone time! On his weekend where he doesn’t have to go to work. It’s the only time he can relax without the children wanting his attention too. And usually he would be at the bar or hanging out with his friends too.

He gave a slight frustrated fake smile at his wife. “Yeeun can you be slightly more lenient on me? I work. I want my alone time too.”

“Funny. I want my alone time too but I don’t get any at all.” Yeeun shot back and Jaemin felt his brain shutting instantly down. Fair enough, it looks like Yeeun has him cornered.

Hands running through his hair as he stares back at Yeeun and he gives her a slight nod as he sits down now in front of Yeeun as they’re at the table watching their faces. He was staring at her as he spoke now with a perusal sweet smile. “Alright how about just Saturday and i clean the dishes.” Jaemin now asked with both of his eyebrows turning up raised, as his voice was clearly trying to convince and change Yeeun’s decisions.

But she was too stubborn and Yeeun wasn’t the type of woman to fall for Jaemin’s tricks from getting away from doing his own chores. Yeeun was fair considering she does everything around here so it was fair. Jaemin was just avoiding her and her demands as his wife.

She leans forward and slams her hands in front of the table shaking it a bit which then flinched Jaemin as he wasn’t expecting Yeeun to really be this commanding and close to his face when shaking that table that held their elbows together on it. “I’m not your servant, I’m your wife Jaemin.”

Yeeun’s words echo in his ears. She feels more like a servant than a wife right now, and Jaemin’s eyes widen a little.

He groans a bit back at her words but he was now truly feeling like there’s no way he can get out of this now. Jaemin sighs.

“Okay, I sense I may have said this wrongly to you.” Jaemin replies to her as he looks at Yeeun again and he finally nods, without much choice, he doesn’t like this at all. “I’ll do the chores on Saturdays and Sundays.”

He then adds quickly causing Yeeun’s expression to falter downwards. “But on one condition.”

Yeeun has a bad feeling now that he’s saying one condition, and she can only think of bad things right now. “What condition will that be?” She sighs.

Yeeun’s expecting the worst.

He smirks leaning closer. “I take you on a date how about that?”

She furrows her eyebrows. “Why a date?” This was very sudden and somehow when Jaemin always suggests something there will always be some weirdly suspicious motive behind it all. Yeeun can’t help but shake this off.

He hums a bit. “Do I need a reason to take my wife on a date away from the kids?” He now stated and it makes Yeeun silent.

He had a point and she has no comeback to say to counter this so Yeeun trails quietly. “Have we went on a date before then?”

There was a little silence as Jaemin smirks and leans closer nodding. “Oh yeah. We did before once. You can tell how that went.” He states with a flirtatious laugh and smile as he’s now suggesting something completely different.

What did he mean? Yeeun thought.

“How did that date go?” She said confused and Jaemin found it surprisingly very innocent reaction of hers. He leans a bit closer and wraps one arm around Yeeun as he shifts her weight and chair to move even closer towards him where he sat in the chair. His playful eyes never leave Yeeun’s confused and curious eyes. It’s clear that she has no clue, and of course she has no clue.

She has no memories. No recollection. It just makes this more or so funny for Jaemin.

When their faces are even closer he whispers to Yeeun’s ears. “How do you think we made Yongsoo, bunny lips?”

The heart raced like crazy. The eyes widen like sweats coming down the Iris pupils. She grew redder on her complexion now and Yeeun snaps away from Jaemin as she scowls now. “Oh god do you have to say this to me?” Yeeun complained, it was unpleasant and it made her flustered. Embarrassed.

Jaemin on the other hand was loving her reactions. He just loves it when she rejects him so equivalently to how much she’s squeamish at the thought too.

It only takes more for Jaemin to throw in a baby-making joke there and there to have his wife Yeeun leaving him alone.

“You asked. Don’t be complaining to me.” Jaemin smirks as he looks back at Yeeun caressing some of the strands behind her ears.

He took a moment to admire her red cheeks. Somehow she has a feeling there’s a bigger motive behind his ‘date’ he’s asking her to go on right now. “So is that a yes then?” He now asked her again with a playful smile. “Don’t leave your husband hanging here, Yeeun.” He sweetly adds.

She groans mentally. Yeeun looks at him with a flat expression between her eyebrows and eyes. “Okay I guess we can go on a date.”

“Perfect. Thank you, Darling. Get ready because we are leaving at 6.” Jaemin remarks standing up and leaving the kitchen which makes Yeeun widen her eyes.

She wasn’t expecting it to be this quick? Now she’s left thinking what was his whole deal with this deal thing. They really haven’t been communicating much to be going on a date despite having children together. Yeeun sighs. This is going to be a long day.

The children were all rousing up at their father when they now were told they won’t be home with Yeeun or him. They were shocked at first. Haewon, the cute little girl with two braids holding her bunny plushie was the first one to speak out with a pout clearly not liking this. “Awh I want mommy. I don’t want uncle Jeno. He’s not fun at all. He thinks he’s funny like Kevin Hart.”

Oh wow how awkward Jaemin thought, he wonders what his best friend has told his children last time when telling a joke considering they all find him extremely unpleasant right now, or maybe they want their mother so bad they don’t want anyone else right now. Usually the boys like Jeno when they get babysat by his friend.

But now? Yeeun completely changed them. Jaemin was left there trying to make his children calm down and not be so disappointed. He didn’t expect the children to be so attached to Yeeun but hey, they are and they really look up to her so much.

“Dad can you take Jeno on the date instead? Mommy can stay with us.” Insu the one with the slight wispy lips on his words whenever he talks now said tugging on Jaemin’s wrist.

Jaemin laughs a little. “Come on what will me and Jeno do on a date if we go together? Anyways we won’t take too long.” He said now as he would huddle the kids as he kneels down. “Be good to Jeno, kids, and I mean it.” When he brought them in a circle to tell them the rules again. He was serious with them now and he spoke with intentions of not having them repeat what they did last time to Jeno…

He starts to list their mischievous pranks they always do and get in trouble for when they get babysat.

“No paper bombs.”

“No filling the water tub until it overflows.”

The boys whine when he said no more pranks with the bathtub. Hanuel was enjoying that one, especially when it was his idea. Despite being the eldest he was a genius at pranks.

Jaemin looks back at Insung, the twin with the wider cute ears sticking out. He flicks his son’s ears warning. “And that counts no playing with fire, Insung. I mean it.”

The boy nods slowly, he looks disappointed when his father said no to fire. Jaemin really doesn’t know how these kids came up with these ideas.

“Alright. Be good kids. Mommy and i will come back home soon.” Jaemin said now and the front door revealing their mother coming out wearing a new outfit that they never once saw on their mother before. She looks more dressed up and she even put on makeup?

Haewon gasps wowing first as behind Jaemin Yeeun was walking outside the house. “Whoa mommy you look so pretty.” Her daughter exclaims and she was literally eyeing her mother as if Yeeun was like a real life-doll.

The eldest boy Hanuel and the twins Insu and Insung were watching their mother with a jealous eye. Why did their mom go with their dad? She was meant to be with them watching their new episode of their cartoon show on tv!

Yongsoo was already crying. “Mommy nooooo nooo don’t goooo.”

The children didn’t want their mother to go and have fun with their dad because let’s be honest, they love Yeeun too much to let her go right now and their attachment issues? Are severally attached. They like Jeno but they can’t compare him to their amazing mother who does everything for them. She knows everything they like. Meanwhile Jeno doesn’t know anything except bad jokes and he ends up getting pranked by them.

The last time Jeno actually babysat them, he woke up ducktaped in the pig pens. He spent the next hour that day with the pigs, his entire body covered in the grey thick duck tape. And the kids were all making a mess at home too with the freedom they had back then.

Yeeun was surprised to see her children so unhappy and it somehow made her heart beat so much. She gives them a loving smile all and hugs them all in a crowding manner and a huddle. “Oh you guys, I’ll be back soon and I promise when I come back I’ll buy you your favourite ice lollies on the way yeah?” The children seem a little more obedient and happy with that deal.

The two men, Jeno and Jaemin now make eye contact as they try not to smile too much. Jaemin has to give it to Yeeun. She has found a bond with the children he couldn’t do at all. Yeeun was so good with them now.

And not to mention how beautiful Yeeun looks right now Jaemin found his eyes stuck on Yeeun. The short sleeve top with slight pale-ish green colour really goes well with that milky soft complexion. The little handbag strand on her arms and the long flared jeans with the boots? It was definitely an outfit that he likes. It shows off every curve and every beautiful detailing Yeeun so much.

Yeeun sighs and looks at Jaemin who she saw staring at her in a very obvious and different manner and direction.

“What?” Yeeun blurts out confused, she looks down at her outfit and then back at her husband. “Do I have something on my face?” She half panics and Jaemin shakes his head. “No, no,”

He clears his voice. “Nothing. I was zoning out.” He brushed away the own thoughts of Yeeun looking beautiful. “Get inside the car Yeeun, we gotta go.” The woman was brought to reality and she nods getting inside the passenger car.

The car clicks and she looks out the window waving at the five children. “You sure your friend can handle them?” Yeeun would ask looking at the driver seat where her husband was sitting now starting the engine with the key in the car hole and they soon drive off slowly leaving the farm and their house property. The drive in their town roads were slowly coming into view and Jaemin let’s out a soft laugh at Yeeun’s question. He trusts Jeno. They went through high school, through kindergarten. They were friends since they were very small at this point Jaemin would put his life on the line for Lee Jeno.

With one hand Jaemin would drive the steering wheel on the car turning round the corner while his left hand was now moving forward to hold Yeeun’s hand softly. He looks back at her for a second only because he needed all his attention on the road as he was driving. “Don’t worry about them being okay, yeah? Jeno is someone I trust with all my heart. He will take good care of them until we go home.”

The hand contact was something new it made Yeeun’s heart race as she saw their hands touching now a lot longer than a second too. She sighs. Jaemin was right this was a date and not a worrying therapy session about her children. “You’re right. So where are you taking me then? Some fancy restaurant?” Yeeun smirks guessing.

She hopes it’s a fancy restaurant where she can have steak or something like that. It would be a perfect date in her book. If Yeeun had to pick. The steak and wine combination for a date at a fancy eloquent restaurant would be an amazing date to go with Jaemin at.

The mention of a fancy restaurant makes Jaemin laugh and shake his head, he was amused to say the least that his wife has high expectations. Well. He’s about to lower them and say goodbye to a fancy restaurant idea. “Oh no no darling. No fancy restaurant.” He smirks.

“I’ll be taking you somewhere more fun and traditional bunny lips.” He smirks wiggling his eyebrows forward which makes Yeeun already think something so bad.

She shouldn’t be having negative thoughts but the way Jaemin was lowering her expectations of what their date was gonna be like. Well. Yeeun was seated in the far tightly as she lets her husband drive them to the secret location.

The drive to the place Jaemin was taking Yeeun to was a bit far from their home but not that far if you don’t walk. By far it was a decent drive. He would come out of the car and Yeeun opens her car door by herself. She wasn’t even sure why she expected Jaemin to open the car door for her, he was walking ahead and when he saw behind that the woman was not following he yells in front motioning a waving hand at her to follow him. “Come on, we can’t miss this tickets!” He yells.

‘Ugh he can’t even open the door and wait for me?…’ Yeeun sighs in her head thoughts.

The area they lived in was always the countryside and almost kinda poor-like with working class. So when she starts to walk following Jaemin behind who bought their fair tickets. It was like an open fair that opened up today. He took her to a local fair with many running games available to do. They walk side by side and Yeeun’s eyes widen at how many rides there was too.

It wasn’t something Yeeun expected, that’s for sure.

He saw her expression searching everything she’s seeing as if getting information where she was at. Jaemin smirks and grabs her hand now. “Come on, don’t get lost. Take my hand.” The man lead her and Yeeun let’s him taking her hand as they held hands while walking amongst other people.

Somehow the warmth in her heart grew when Jaemin was holding her hand so tight leading her to a certain stand where it caught her attention. They were selling all sorts of prizes if you manage to shoot the running duck toys on the wall with the shotgun that has pebbles in it.

Yeeun raised an eye at one of the prizes. It was a a bracelet made up of string but it had a little gemstone in the middle, it was something the young woman noticed first.

Her husband looks at Yeeun and stands behind her to see what she was watching so intensely. “Ah you want the arm bracelet, Yeeun?” Jaemin smirks and he thinks it’s an easy one way job to get for her right now.

He didn’t waste a second but motions to the stand owner. “One shot gun. I want that bracelet up there as the prize. How much do I need to shoot?” The stand owner looks back at the prize and then looks back at Jaemin. “Five ducks.”

‘Five… there’s no way he can manage to shoot five ducks right?’ Yeeun wasn’t sure actually. She can’t remember if he was good at shooting or if he knew how to work it out.

When staring at the man grabbing the shotgun and getting it ready with a proper aim at the running ducks on the walls. It’s like goose hunting. He was chasing the ducks with the aim trying to get one. He was silent and focused when Yeeun was watching him and it feels almost intense right now. Even the owner of the stand was now watching Jaemin with not much expectations.

But even if no one was believing in him. Jaemin shown no fear and no mistakes. The shotgun runs up and he ends up getting the first duck. It struck so quickly that when Jaemin reloads the shotgun it makes Yeeun’s eyes widen trying to make sense of how quick the pebbles were shot at the duck.

He got one, and that one duck turned into four other ducks as he manages to shoot all five remaining ducks to win the bracelet prize.

Jaemin smirks as he takes the bracelet and puts the shotgun back. He then whistles approaching Yeeun on the side. “What’s with the surprised look?” He laughs a bit seeing Yeeun pale as she wasn’t expecting her husband to be so good at aiming with a shotgun.

“I didn’t know you knew how to shoot?” Yeeun said back with a laugh. Jaemin’s smirk never leaves his face as his big round eyes and his long fluttering eyelashes poke at Yeeun’s expression when taking a step forward holding out her arm. The softness of his touch makes her heart race so much more prominently; and his breath was deep as Jaemin’s soft still eyes looking down at her wrist as he tied the bracelet on her wrist finally. “There is a lot of things you don’t remember about me, bunny lips.” Jaemin’s deep and low voice spoke with a smirk as Yeeun looks up at him taking back her wrist when he was done putting on the bracelet.

There was silence between them but Yeeun and Jaemin were brought back to reality when the smell of food passing the fair streets makes her stomach tingle. The growling sound makes Yeeun feel slightly exposed.

She completely forgot to eat earlier today. Jaemin looks at Yeeun with a soft laugh when seeing her become slightly shocked to hear her stomach make such a loud sound. “Hmm, hungry Yeeun?” He grins and she looks at Jaemin with an eye roll. “No, I’m starving.” She emphasised.

There was Yeeun again, with her little eye rolls thrown at his words as he asks the most obvious questions. They begin to walk somewhere more quiet. The fair was getting quite busy the later it gets and so on. Jaemin didn’t really want to eat dinner filled with crowds. And he most certainly prefers some alone time too with Yeeun. It’s a luxury to be alone like this after all. They might as well make most of it.

There was the coastal sea and the brick walls that you can watch the sea crashing against. Yeeun puts her handbag down on the brick wall as she leans with her elbows forward watching the ocean waves crashing down, back and forward, upwards. It sounded so magical to be close to the sea like this and Yeeun closed her eyes inhaling the air.

It feels so cold and refreshing. It makes Yeeun’s body feel so much better. Currently she was alone waiting for someone to come back. Jaemin told her he’s getting food so he told her to wait here for him until then.

When Yeeun was wondering where the man could’ve gotten lost Jaemin appears behind her and leans on the brick wall. He takes out a foiled food. Yeeun was expecting something cleaner, less greasy. The sight of the filled up sandwich with chopped up meat and melted cheese makes Yeeun salivate but also, she wasn’t expecting to be eating greased up meat and cheese.

Jaemin hums taking a bite of the sandwich too. “Here you take a bite you’re hungry aren’t you?” She scowls and shakes her head. “I’m good, you eat up. I’ll eat at home.”

The words she said makes Jaemin smirk as he took another bite and puts the sandwich under Yeeun’s nose which makes her smell how good it actually was. She was just stubborn to want to take a bite out of something that’s greasy and more un-healthy in her eyes.

“Come on, Bunny lips. Don’t be stubborn. One bite?” Jaemin urgently said as he watches her fighting her inner urges and conflict.

Yeeun murmurs. “No I’m fine, not hungry anymore. Looks unpleasant.”

But the moment her eyes were watching the sandwich Jaemin takes a bite out again she couldn’t help but gulp. Her hungry stomach was growing more hungry watching Jaemin eat and she slowly comes closer.

“Fine. Give me one bite…” Yeeun trails as Jaemin smirks giving her the sandwich in the foil paper. When he saw the girl take a bite out of the sandwich it fills his loving eyes on her. He loves seeing Yeeun try the food he eats only.

It’s something he’s used to. Yeeun wasn’t so used to this kind of food, but when he saw her obvious reaction it was clear that she loved it. The moment the bite she took from the sandwich Yeeun let’s out a soft moan and nods as she ate. “Mhmm…” It was clear that his wife loved it, and she was wrong about this food. Jaemin smirks. “Is it good?”

She gulps down chewing the sandwich, she takes another bite going back for seconds, it makes Jaemin almost proud he introduced Yeeun to some good culture over here. “Oh god how come i didn’t find this earlier?”

Yeeun exclaims.

He chuckles and he motions his hands to the sandwich. “Let me take a bite too—“ Yeeun moves her hands away and she shakes her head. Jaemin laughs as she moved away. “Okay okay you eat up, it’s good you’re eating.” He states giving up. It’s obvious she won’t be sharing as it’s too good to her right now. Like a new addiction probably.

Yeeun and Jaemin turn to the ocean view as it was nighttime with a cold breeze running against them and their clothes. She finished eating the sandwich now but Jaemin and Yeeun continue to watch the waves crashing.

“Hmm did you ever travel, Jaemin?” Yeeun asked the man and he softly smiles. “No, but I wish I did.” He sighs.

“Many people born in these deprived areas don’t have the money to travel.” Jaemin started to state the facts. The poor people stay poor.

Yeeun looks at Jaemin softly and she gives him a gentle smile as her hands brush over his hand intertwining their fingers together. Somehow holding hands became natural today. They never held hands before until today.

“Someday we can travel. I’ll make it a promise.” Yeeun softly said to him. She spoke in a soft spoken tone that Jaemin couldn’t even imagine to hear from her ever.

It was different. They’re now speaking openly with softness. It wasn’t like before at all.

Jaemin’s eyes watch Yeeun’s as she said that she would make this come true for him and it made his lips seal together in a thin line.

Sometimes he can feel this invisible thread pulling him towards her heart even more.

The pull, the rough drag, the urge to kiss Yeeun too. Deep inside beneath his harden skin and his high iron walls Jaemin keeps up, there was this heavy heavy gravity of Yeeun’s words resting at the end pit.

And it’s changing him very slowly, breaking at the iron walls he keeps on.

Their bodies were still but Jaemin’s head tilts on the side and softly moves closer letting their lips touch softly. The kiss feels like standing on top of the finest silk or on top of a cloud. Yeeun’s eyes closed and Jaemin’s hands brushed up on her face caressing his thumbs down her cheeks, deepening their soft kiss, she feels the hitching breath stop and her cheeks growing warmer.

The sound of their lips leaving, it was like a wet soft small sound between them that their kiss made when it came off. Jaemin looks down at Yeeun and he slowly brings his hands down her face, admiring how beautiful Yeeun looks tonight.

“I want to apologise for you know…not helping around the house and for not being there for the kids.” Jaemin trails awkwardly. He wasn’t the best at making apologies but it was his goal to give one to Yeeun.

Yeeun was the most shocked though. An apology from Jaemin?

Perhaps Jaemin was changing, Yeeun thought. “Thank you, Jaemin…”

Meanwhile back at home the children were having the time of their lives with their uncle Jeno. But it must be the opposite for their uncle right now, because this feels like utter hell on earth.

Jeno was tied against the stairway railings now with his hands handcuffed by dog leads. One of the children, he can’t remember who, managed to tie his hands with dog leashes!

“Whoever tied me come untie me! Your parents will be hearing about this.” Jeno warns as he sighs, he wishes judgement day came and took him now because he can’t deal with babysitting five rotten devils.

Hanuel the eldest was watching tv with a tub of ice cream and a large spoon. “Uncle Jeno you should really stop shouting, it’s pointless.” Hanuel smartly suggests.

“Be glad you’re not stuck with the pigs like last time.” The older boy said again with a smirk as Hanuel went back to eating the ice cream.

Jeno wants to roll his eyes at the boy’s smart-ass attitude. This kid is meant to be the oldest but why was he the meanest?

Then the twins, those twins were making a mess in the kitchen playing with pots and pans. They rattle and rattle everywhere. Meanwhile their older sister Haewon was trying to bake a cake right now. She’s making the cake batter.

‘Oh how brilliant,’ Jeno thought. Jaemin and Yeeun are having the time of their lives but back home it was chaos running wild like a spreading fire.

Then Jeno’s thoughts stop when Yongsoo was by the top of the stairs with a skateboard. The youngest boy was there ready to roll over with a skateboard down thinking it’s going to be a smooth ride, but Jeno was there in the way and he will be crashed into.

“Oh… Yongsoo! No! Don’t slide down.” Jeno shouts but he came too late to warn the boy as he rolls down with a skateboard and crashed into Jeno’s back knocking Jeno out cold while Yongsoo was sliding down with a little ‘Weeeeeeeee’ happy sound coming out of the boy’s lips.

Jeno will never be babysitting here again, even if Jaemin paid him like this time! He won’t do it again!

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Sorry this took so long, chapter 5 is coming out this week too!! I decided to release 2 parts this week because I was very far behind this series </33

@onyourhyuck please refer from translating copyrighting and plagiarising my work thank youu! Reblog this fic and follow me for more updates on my blog this is a series!

[the-himawari]

A3! Citron - Translation [SSR] MANKAI Memory (2/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

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Citron: (There’s an old cassette tape here…) (…As I thought, it looks the exactly like the cassette tape I left in Zafra.)

*flashback starts*

Citron: <…Phew. This book was also a page turner.> <Which novel should I read next…> (…? There’s something that’s not a book at the end of the bookshelf.) (These are… I’ve seen them in a book before. Let’s see. I think they were called a radio cassette player and a cassette tape.) (They should be able to play music. Gee, I wonder what kind of sounds are on this cassette tape.) (…Just a little bit won't hurt…)

Citron: <I think you insert the cassette tape into the radio player. Where do you put it in? Hmm…> <Maybe you press a button? Here… or maybe here? Ah, it opened!> <Huh? The cassette tape won’t go in. Maybe it’s facing the wrong way? How about this? Or like this… yay, it went it.> (This has to be the start button. Let’s try pressing it.)

Radio cassette player: “That’s easier said than done!”

Citron: <…! Wow, it’s Japanese…!> (Several people are talking. Are these voices… acting?) (That’s so cool…!) (They’re talking so fast, I can barely keep up. But I’d like to be able to understand what they’re saying.)

-pause-

Citron: (…Okay. Let’s listen to the Japanese cassette tape again today.) (Ever since I found this radio player and cassette, I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to it between my royal studies.) (I’m listening to it in secret just in case. But no one has seen me, and I’m sure I won’t get in trouble.)

Radio cassette tape: “Yes, leave it to me.”

-pause-

Citron: (It was worth listening to this tape so many times. I’m beginning to understand it little by little. Fufu, that makes me happy.)

Radio cassette player: “Roger that!”

Citron: <Japanese has a lot of interesting words.> (…No one’s around, right?) <Alright… ahem.> That’s… breezier said than done!* <Ohh…! My pronunciation was pretty good there, was it not? Alright, next is…> You… you can’t bite on an empty stomach!** …Fufu! <I’d love to go to Japan one day…>

*flashback ends*

Citron: (I owe a lot to that radio player and cassette tape.)

Guy: <Citronia. Is there something that caught your interest?>

Citron: <…Yes. I have something I’d like Mika to find quickly. I must contact him right away.>

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*The original phrase is そうは問屋が卸さない (souwa tonyaga orosanai: that’s easier said than done). Instead of 問屋 (tonya), Citron says うどん屋 (udonya)

**The original phrase is 腹が減っては戦ができぬ (haragahettewa ikusaga dekinu: you can’t fight on an empty stomach) . Instead of stomach (腹: hara), Citron says chives (ニラ: nira)

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