#his physicality is so good and varied and eccentric I need it all in once place | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

drivingsideways · 3 years ago

Note

For the ship and one word thingy, of you're still doing it(and thank you!) . Seunghyo and Seunwoo, exhaustion.

Hi anon! Sorry this is a bit late, and I'm not sure this will quite be what you were looking for, but I hope you'll enjoy the snippet. Once again, I'm setting this in my "Where Your Treasure Is" 'verse, but this works as a prequel to the first part of that series and is gen or pre-slash if you squint (or have read the rest of the 'verse!)

This is set post-canon, premising that Seon-woo gets a life-saving surgery, and Gu Seung-hyo is still with Hwajeong group but in an overseas posting. He's also dating Lee No-eul.

cw: mentions of physical disability, depression

The nurse is carefully unstrapping the prosthetics when there's a knock on the door, and a quiet voice says, "May I come in?"

Seon-woo looks up, startled. In the doorway is the last person he'd expected to see this morning, or indeed, for a long while.

"Gu sajang," he says, surprised. "Good morning," he adds, belatedly remembering his manners.

"Good morning, Ye Seon-woo-ssi. Is this a bad time?" Gu Seung-hyo asks, "I can come by later."

"Almost done," Seon-woo says, gesturing for him to enter. "I've just finished my exercise round for the morning."

The second leg is off now, and the immediate lessening of the weight makes him sigh unconsciously in relief, as he leans back into the pillows. It's been a month into the physiotherapy with the prosthetics, but he's still not used to it- neither to seeing the world from a different height, nor the strain on his back. He much preferred the chair still.

"I'll see you at 4," says Nurse Jang, with a smile, and he dredges up one for her. She's his favourite: a real sweetheart, with deft hands and a wicked sense of humour. She bows politely to Gu Seung-hyo, who bows back, before he takes the chair by the bed.

"I didn't know you were in town," Seon-woo says, "I thought No-eul-ssi mentioned you were in Indonesia."

"I have some meetings here this week," Gu Seung-hyo says, "And some free time. I hope this isn't an imposition on yours."

"My time has less value than yours, Gu sajang," he finds himself saying, "It's very kind of you to come by."

He curses himself inwardly the moment the words are out of his mouth. That had been well short of the inane courtesy that he should have responded with; that kind of self-deprecation wasn't as harmless with Gu Seung-hyo, as it might have been with another, less perspicacious man.

"Kindness has little to do with it, I'm afraid. I've been given a task," Gu Seung-hyo says smoothly, "I'm merely an errand boy."

He rises, holding out a brown paper that Seon-woo hadn't noticed before, toward him.

"From No-eul-ssi," he says, "Since she's unable to visit this week."

It's cherry tomatoes, which he knows come fresh from the little vegetable garden that No-eul's got going in her backyard in Gangneung.

Seon-woo smiles.

"Please help yourself," he says, holding out the bag to Seung-hyo, who looks hesitant but then picks one out, gingerly, as he seats himself again.

"You don't like them?" Seon-woo asks, as he roots in the bag, looking for the ripest one.

"I'm don’t usually snack in between meals," says Gu Seung-hyo.

Seon-woo nods; somehow that seems entirely in character. "It's nice though," he says, "To break the rule once in a while."

"Yes," Gu Seung-hyo says, and the corners of his eyes crinkle a little as he continues, "Though, as you know I'm rather fond of keeping them."

Seon-woo can't help chuckling at that, and the crinkles get more pronounced.

Silence reigns for a few minutes as they munch on the tomatoes; sweet with just a hint of tartness beneath. Gu Seung-hyo studies the room as he takes a second tomato, when the bag is proffered. It's not very large, but there's a long window which overlooks the garden of the rehab facility, and lets in the warm sun in the afternoons. The window sill and the small desk is covered in the detritus of Seon-woo's stay: books (from Choi Seo-hyun, mostly), a stuffed toy (No-eul), board games (which he plays with Jin-woo during his daily visits, flowers and snacks (eomma), a picture of the three of them taken at a cousin's wedding three years ago.

"This is a nice place," Gu Seung-hyo says, thoughtfully. "A good location, and they have good staff and equipment, it seems."

"Yes," Seon-woo agrees, wondering if Gu Seung-hyo's ever-ticking brain was thinking of a business opportunity. "I was lucky to get a place here after the surgery, it's always full, because they're competent but not very expensive. I have Chief Joo to thank for it, he pulled strings on my behalf."

"Did he?" Seung-hyo says, neutrally. "I'm glad it worked out."

Seon-woo nods, and attempts to concentrate on the sweetness of the tomato, and not the bitter aftertaste of pity.

It's hard though, getting harder every day, to not—

Gu Seung-hyo's studying the view from the window now, peering through the glass, hands shoved in his trouser-pockets. He's dressed in his customary three-piece suit, this time a light grey with a fine pattern, over a crisp white shirt and a navy tie. Conservative, reliable. Seon-woo wonders whom he was meeting today- some oldish government type, he assumes.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Gu Seung-hyo asks, suddenly, turning back to Seon-woo, startling him out of his thoughts. "Sorry, " he adds, taking in Seon-woo's surprised expression. "But I thought it was better to ask it straight, than attempt to infer."

"It gets better or worse," Seon-woo says, "but there's always some. It's—" he shrugs. "I'm doing as well as could be hoped, at this point."

"The prosthetics—"

Seon-woo shrugs. "They'll take time to get used to," he says, "It still feels strange. The ones I'm trying out are among the best on offer, but the cutting-edge stuff is only available if you're in some clinical trial."

"Who's doing that here, in Korea?"

"SNU, for one," Seon-woo says, "They're really out there in terms of their ongoing projects. But it's hard to say when one of those will become commercially viable."

Seung-hyo nods, thoughtfully.

He smiles at Gu Seung-hyo. "But it's boring to talk about me, you should tell me the news of the wide world."

Gu Seung-hyo's sudden smile reminds Seon-woo that he's a handsome man.

"Do I need to? Isn't that what the internet and that tablet by your bed is for?"

Seon-woo acknowledges it with a half-smile. "Then tell me stories," he says, surprising himself, "Of your adventures in the wild jungle of corporate life. I suppose the new assignment must be a relief after the drama at Sungkook."

"It's more what I'm used to," Seung-hyo acknowledges, and then easily, as if they were friends, "but I admit I miss the challenge of dealing with the eccentricities of top-notch medicos."

The crinkly-eyed expression makes a reappearance. The man was quite unfairly charming when he chose to be, Seon-woo notes; he'd forgotten that, somehow, in the year since he'd last met Gu sajang.

"Your successor isn't faring much better, I think, the last I heard."

"No doubt your brother has nothing to do with that situation," Seung-hyo says, gravely.

Seon-woo laughs, "Nothing at all."

Talk drifts from Sungkook, to other things- Seung-hyo's new role, Korean chaebols, the economy, the Blue House's current occupant and the prospects for the next elections which are less than a year away, books that they discover they're both fond of, and music, and somehow, before Seon-woo realizes it, it's lunch time. There's a knock on the door- it's the kitchen staff with a tray of food. The young woman pauses when she sees Seung-hyo and asks if they'd like another tray.

Seon-woo, mortified by the realization that he's probably upset Gu sajang's schedule irrevocably, is just going to decline, when Seung-hyo says, "It looks delicious, I think I'll have some, if that's not a bother."

"No problem at all," says Min-joo-ssi, with a pleased smile, "We have extra trays."

After she leaves, Seung-hyo says, "Do you feel like having lunch outside in the garden? It's a fine day. I noticed there are some tables set out."

"Uh," says Seon-woo, "I've already made you late."

"Not at all," says Gu Seung-hyo, blatantly lying without missing a beat- another talent that Seon-woo had forgotten he had- "I'll call someone to get a chair."

He's already at the desk phone, quickly dialing the extension after a quick check of the list tacked on the wall, and somehow, before Seon-woo can quite process it, they're outside, under the shade of a garden umbrella, watching butterflies flit, and the bees stagger, punch-drunk, among the roses that are in outrageous bloom.

Seung-hyo eats heartily, Seon-woo notices, without affectation.

He looks up at that moment, to meet Seon-woo's eyes. "You must be bored of the food here," he says, looking a bit rueful.

"They try their best to vary it," Seon-woo says, "and eomma always sends dinner or breakfast with hyung, so I don't have too much to complain about."

Seung-hyo nods, though something flashes in his eyes, that Seon-woo has no way to parse.

A silence falls between them, as they finish the meal. It's not an entirely comfortable one—and Seon-woo feels compelled to occasionally make a remark of some kind to break it, as he becomes more and more conscious of the passage of time. Gu Seung-hyo doesn't look at his watch or mobile even once.

"Do you mind showing me around the grounds?" Seung-hyo asks, after they are done.

Seon-woo looks at him in surprise. "There's not much to see," he says.

"A walk might do me some good," Seung-hyo says, "I'm afraid I might have overdone on the meal."

"You should snack more often," Seon-woo says, smiling at him, "That might prevent these situations from arising."

"Shall we?" Seung-hyo asks, rising from the chair. "Where do I put away the trays?"

So they make their way toward the rear entrance of the kitchen to hand over their trays, Seon-woo wheeling his own chair, and Seung-hyo keeping pace with him. After, Seon-woo directs him toward the southern end of the property, toward the area where there are some tennis courts and even a basketball court set up for the residents who might be able to play.

It's just after lunch, so the courts are empty.

"You used to play," Seung-hyo says.

"Yes," he says, surprised.

"No-eul-ssi mentioned it," Seung-hyo says, "She said that your brother and you made a formidable duo on court."

"Is that so?"

Seung-hyo slants a smile in his direction, "Well, her exact words may have been that you were both bastard cheaters."

"Sore loser," Seon-woo says immediately, "She hated it when she lost."

"She's surprisingly competitive about some things," Seung-hyo agrees, and the accompanying smile is a revelation, starting up an ache beneath Seon-woo's ribs.

"I hope you'll be able to play again soon," Seung-hyo says, "The next time I come by, we should have a game."

"Sure," Seon-woo says, "Next time."

"Seon-woo-ssi," says Gu Seung-hyo, "You can say no, if you don't want to."

Seon-woo looks up, startled.

Seung-hyo is smiling wryly. "I'm quite good at it, so I should warn you it won't be an easy game. You should consider it carefully."

"Is there anything you aren't good at?" Seon-woo says, a trifle acerbic.

"Cooking," Seung-hyo says, immediately, and then adds, reflectively, "And the care of tiny creatures."

"What happened to the dog?" Seon-woo asks, immediately concerned. He's seen enough photos of the creature thanks to No-eul to justify the feeling.

"Oh nothing, Nighty is, as the kids say these days, living his best life. He's eomma's dog now, barely acknowledges me."

Was that a hint of petulance? That was unexpectedly amusing. But there was something a little wistful in it, as well.

"You aren't home," Seon-woo finds himself- consoling- the man. "It's quite natural."

"I'm aware," Seung-hyo says, "And it's fine. It's good, actually. Like I said, caretaking isn't one of my talents."

Unlike compartmentalization, Seon-woo thinks. I wish I had that.

"Shall we head back?" Seung-hyo's voice breaks in. He hadn't realized that they'd been standing there in silence for a while. "You seem tired."

There's something oddly gentle about the way he says it, something that makes Seon-woo both want to punch a wall, and break down crying.

It takes him a minute to gather himself, before he nods.

"Seon-woo-ssi," says Gu Seung-hyo, "Is there something you want to say?"

Seon-woo looks up at him.

Gu Seung-hyo's face is watchful, cautious, but not closed off.

Seon-woo looks away, across the empty basketball court.

"I regret the surgery," Seon-woo says, aloud, for the first time. "I wish I had never let myself be talked into it. I should have had the courage to—let go."

Seung-hyo doesn't respond for a long minute. Then, with a sigh, he says, "But there's so much to let go of. And why should you?"

Seon-woo turns to him, but Seung-hyo isn't looking at him either. Instead, he squats, running his hands over the rough grass at the sidelines.

"I don't suppose you could understand," Seon-woo says, softly.

"No," says Seung-hyo, "You're right, I don't. But it's not your disability or its consequences that I don't understand. It's that I've always wanted everything that this world could offer, and I'm determined to have it. Whatever it takes. I don't accept any other possibility."

He turns to Seon-woo after a minute of silence.

"An uncle of mine once told me that it was better to be alive than dead, and to be born than not at all," he offers.

"Was your uncle a priest?"

"A foreman in a factory that made precision tools. He worked forty years there for the same company, before he retired to a fishing village."

"Close," notes Seon-woo, and Gu Seung-hyo gives him one of his genuinely warm smiles, that he's only seen in photographs No-eul had sometimes shared.

"I'm selfish," he says, "about the world, and my place in it. I have an outsized ego, perhaps, to insist on my significance in the face of the vast unknown. But I am convinced that there's one thing only I can do, and that is to live my life to the fullest."

"The universe has been benevolent to you," Seon-woo says, "You're her favourite. You know, as a pep talk this is remarkably bad."

Seung-hyo smiles, a quicksilver flash of amusement.

"If you wanted a pep talk, you'd talk to your psych," he observes. "Or someone who's invested in keeping you alive, for one reason or the other."

"I'm exhausted by people trying to fix me," Seon-woo admits. "You're a nice change."

"I don't think you need fixing," says Gu Seung-hyo, "I suspect you have problems that need to be fixed. Like the rest of us."

"Is that how you see yourself?" Seon-woo asks, diverted. "As a problem solver?"

Seung-hyo shrugs. "It helps me to think of the world that way," he admits. "A series of problems that I can apply my mind to."

"Sounds exhausting," Seon-woo says, not quite kindly.

Gu sajang seems unperturbed. He shrugs out of his jacket and spreads it on the grass, before sitting down on it.

"It is, sometimes," he responds. "But there's that ineffable component called luck," he adds, "Sometimes the problems sort themselves out."

"Hashtag blessed," says Seon-woo, "Do you have a social media account?"

"I've hired a very competent firm to run my PR," Seung-hyo says, "Though they insist that I post at least one cute picture of my dog or my mother every day. I believe I have a respectable number of followers."

Seon-woo laughs.

Seung-hyo looks up at him, with a raised eyebrow.

"Likeability is a problem that's not too difficult to solve these days," he remarks.

"Another win for the universe's favourite," Seon-woo murmurs, "Hurrah."

The silence that follows lasts a while, but oddly enough, doesn't feel awkward.

"Thank you," Seon-woo says, finally. "For your time today. I'm afraid I've messed up your schedule."

"You were the only meeting on my list."

"You're dressed to meet a government bureaucrat type—" Seon-woo starts, incredulously- and then stops, outraged.

And this smile- pure mischief, that makes him look ten years younger- is something he didn't even know Gu Seung-hyo was capable of, he thinks, and close on the heel of that, he looks like someone I could be friends with.

"You didn't mess up my schedule," Gu Seung-hyo says again, "I don't have those kinds of luxuries in my life."

Seon-woo huffs, looking away. He feels hot under his collar, and it has nothing to do with the afternoon heat. He wishes he had more experience in dealing with this kind of thing- the kindness of strangers was one thing, but Gu Seung-hyo's place in his life was ill-defined.

What rot, says a voice in his head, he's the enemy.

It sounds suspiciously like Jin-woo hyung.

But Seon-woo doesn't have that kind of luxury in his life, either, or the inclination for it. Whatever lay between them- Gu Seung-hyo's time at Sungkook, his ongoing relationship with the love of Seon-woo's life- that was a past perhaps best laid to rest. Life was constant turmoil, and to fight against the current of it in this matter seemed a pointless waste of energy he didn't have.

"Tell me more about this research they're doing at SNU," Seung-hyo says after a minute, and Seon-woo takes the out offered. Sooner than Seon-woo had thought, it's almost time for his second round of physiotherapy.

"I have to get back," he says, "I don't want to make Nurse Jang wait."

"Of course not," says Seung-hyo, as he rises, folding his jacket neatly over his arm. "Shall we?"

They head back, slower than strictly warranted, as the conversation continues.

Nurse Jang is waiting for them at the door.

"Ah, Ye Seon-woo-ssi, I hope you had a good day today," she says, "with your friend."

It seems pointlessly rude to correct her; what was he going to say anyway—

"Yes," he says, not looking at Seung-hyo, "I did."

But he can't resist a glance, and catches quietly pleased look on his face, though, perhaps, to a stranger, it wouldn't look any different than his normal expression.

Somewhere between strangers and friends, he thinks, that's where they were.

As Seung-hyo makes his farewell, Seon-woo says, impulsively, "Next time, we'll play a game."

"Sure," says Seung-hyo easily, "Basketball?"

"Hmm, I prefer strategy games."

There's a glint in Gu Seung-hyo's eyes that Seon-woo finds highly entertaining.

"Loser pays for a meal," he says, recklessly.

But there was something, Seon-woo thinks, to be said for making plans for an unknown tomorrow.

'Deal," says Gu Seung-hyo, holding out his hand, " I'll be seeing you then, Seon-woo-ssi."

"Yes," says Seon-woo, as he shakes the proffered hand, "See you soon."

#jtbc life #writing things

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from-home · 4 years ago

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𑁍 MARK LEE┊ 𝒔𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔, 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 / one ˎˊ˗

𑁍 summary : the one where mark lee time travels back and forth throughout the past and future with his crush, (y/n) ˎˊ˗

𑁍 pairing : mark lee x older!reader (by like three years lmao) ˎˊ˗

𑁍 word count : 6.7k ˎˊ˗

𑁍 genre : fluff, comedy (i hope??), minimal angst, time travel!au ˎˊ˗

𑁍 warnings : swearing, unrequited love (i know that shit hurts omg), my humour is ass, mark gives me slight second hand embarrassment in this, bad writing??, i gave up like halfway through this lol, first time writing a fic like this pls have mercy, it’s almost 2:30 am i'm too tired to proof read fuck ˎˊ˗

𑁍 a/n : first chapter of my first ever fic on here hehe - idk when the next chapter might come tbh but hopefully i’ll continue this series for my own enjoyment! in the meantime, uni still kicks my ass >:(( but anyway, enjoy and i hope that at least someone will find joy with this! ˎˊ˗

[ 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 : 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟬 ]

when your pastor dad’s best friend was the biggest nerd in high school and became an eccentric scientist

O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are,

You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!

If he could write like that, maybe Mark wouldn't need to be here in this boring literature class of his. Don't get him wrong, he liked writing, and he liked the way he could express his emotions through a pen and paper. But for the twenty-one-year-old boy who could barely sit still in one place without his mind wandering off into four different dimensions, it was hard to be interested in whatever the professor was rambling on about. Maybe Professor Jung was telling the story of how she met Dylan Thomas' widow's sister's friend's cousin, and how much of an artistic impact it had on her. She had told the story a good three times in the past two months - Mark kept count.

Yeah, writing was fun and all, but literature class specifically was boring and dull to him. "Oh but Mark, why take this course then?" one might ask. But one should also know that it was a necessary course if Mark wanted to earn his oh-so-coveted diploma.

Curse him for majoring in creative writing. His dad always did wonder why writers even bother writing when the bible exists.

But maybe one day, an hour and a half of John Keats would produce him some ideas for a romantic poem that he could write and gift off to his love of seven years... and counting.

(Y/N), the shiniest of all pearls and the most beautiful of all Mona Lisa's, the older woman and her beauty often left Mark stunned and helplessly in love. He first met her when he was fourteen, when she had been introduced as his seventeen-year-old tutor. She was so pretty back then, and still was now. In fact, it was as if she didn't age at all!

Someone who resembled a goddess like (Y/N) deserved only the most romantic of all romantic poems, and Mark Lee made it a mission to be the one to write it for her. He was so helplessly in love with her that he was able to channel his feelings for her into five different written forms: poems, song lyrics, an 'A for effort?' drawing of her, letters, and anonymous blog posts about how "unrequited love hurts".

Sure, those blog posts were anonymous, but as good as Mark thought he was at hiding his feelings for her, everybody in town and their ancestors' spirits knew about the big crush Mark had on her. But no one bothered to tell (Y/N) about her not-so-secret admirer and nobody bothered to let Mark know that his mysterious crush wasn’t as well-kept to himself as he thought it was.

But it was cute. Not the part where Mark slowly died on the inside as each day passed without his feelings being returned (that was pretty sad, everybody acknowledged), but the part where the adoration in his eyes were so clear for (Y/N). Legend went that he held stars in his eyes whenever his gaze rested on the older woman - like, actual stars from the galaxy. Or so the first-hand accounts go.

Mark Lee was a talented and hardworking boy, that much was a shared sentiment by everybody in town. He excelled at all subjects, mowed the lawn twice just because he thought he missed a spot, gave it his all at church every Sunday by rapping and dancing in the name of Jesus Christ until he was reduced to sweat and threatening to rip his dress shirt off - he was a jack of all trades. There were even rumours that whenever it was time for a 'Make a Wish' patient to... make a wish in heaven, he would dress up as Spiderman and visit them in the hospital to make their final dreams come true. So maybe that's why it was so endearing, his one-sided love for his noona. If there was one person who could jump over that hurdle of "just friends" and out of the friend zone, it had to be Mark, the boy who's always gave it his all in everything ever since he moved here from Canada when he was twelve. It was one thing to have this crush that you desperately wanted to be returned, but it was another to have the whole town cheering for you - it said a lot about Mark's character.

Which is why! There was no other perfect test subject for Scientist Kim, the local eccentric scientist who was obsessed with creating his "next big invention". He also happened to be the best friend of the town's pastor (weird combination, everybody knows), courtesy of their high school days and a misunderstanding over a carton of milk. The town's pastor also oh-so-coincidentally happened to be Mark's father, who had lived in Korea for all his life until he moved to Canada so his wife could give birth to baby Mark. He ended up moving back to his hometown, however, thus creating a new relationship between his best friend and son.

Now Scientist Kim - who liked to go by "Cabbage" as a homage to his idol, Charles Babbage - didn’t really care about Mark's painful one-sided love, but he knew the boy could never say no to his father's best friend from high school, so there was no one better to try out his experiments and inventions than Mark. Like, there was literally no one else at all - the whole town swore Cabbage was out of his mind and were still waiting for the day the newspaper would come out with a headline that he's been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Everybody would be disappointed, but not surprised. But such an incident hadn’t happened yet, so for now, Cabbage was still freely working hard everyday to successfully complete and unveil the invention that would propel him to "the front page of every science magazine and a Nobel Prize in Physics".

And it just so happened to be today, October 30th 2020, when Mark received a phone call from his dad's best friend in the middle of class. He was glad he kept his phone on vibrate, but god, was it distracting. To answer or not to? Why now of all times? Right, he forgot that some people don't have anything else to do with their lives other than... creating things that usually end up on fire by the end of it. You know, now that he thought back on it, the last time Mark willingly participated in Cabbage's experiment which involved some tinfoil, antennas, and laser beam machining, it left Mark's right shoe on fire - thank God he had brought a fire extinguisher over to Cabbage’s house with him.

Just that memory alone convinced Mark to ignore the call, nearly forgetting about it once it had stopped ringing if not for the fact he received another call just seconds later. "What is this, an infatuation?" Mark grumbled to himself, before glancing up at the front to see if Professor Jung was distracted enough for him to take this call without her noticing. It didn't help that he sat three rows away from the front. But she still seemed to be rambling on about how much she loved Dylan Thomas' works, and that was a sign for him to accept the call. He kept his voice to a hushed whisper, however, "Hello-"

"Mark! You have to come over!" There was no way Professor Jung did not hear that screech that came from his phone. He glanced up nervously, noticing his classmate's startled gazes on him. But his eyes wandered over to the front, and judging by how Professor Jung was now going on about Dylan Thomas' "attractive appearance", it seemed he was in the safe for now.

"Cabbage, I'm in class, so could you keep it down?" Mark hissed quietly into the phone.

"Right, right, sorry!" While he was still loud even after lowering his voice down, it was more than quiet enough for Professor Jung not to notice, thankfully. "Mark, I've just completed my latest invention. But this isn't just any invention, it's the invention of both my - and everybody's dreams!"

Mark would be mildly curious if not for the fact that Cabbage said that about every invention of his, but he figured that his dad was going to urge him to go anyway, even if Mark didn’t want to. "But he's my best friend, Mark!" Jeez, because how could he possibly say no to the power of friendship?

"Mark? Boy? You still there?" Cabbage’s voice pulled Mark out of his thoughts, and the boy could do nothing but sigh. This was just going to be like every other time - he’d be introduced to some machine that supposedly did one thing, said machine would catch on fire the next minute, and it would all result in Mark going home an hour later.

"Fine, I'll be there. After class in like, half an hour." Mark reassured the scientist, and he swore, he could hear something catching on fire in the background.

"Great!" He then heard rushed footsteps and... a fire extinguisher? "See you then!" And the call ended.

He just couldn’t wait.

When visitors would come to the humble town of Uicheon (의천), located just thirty minutes away by car from the bustling capital city, Seoul, the first thing they would notice was how much the town gave off Suburban American vibes, like walking through a town where the main characters of some random Disney high school movie lived. All single detached houses, varying in style from Country French to Cape Cod with recent contemporary and modern upgrades to those houses by residents who wanted to "spice it up".

Uicheon was a town seen by others where most of the population was upper-middle class. There was nothing wrong with that at all, and actually, the residents of Uicheon were both happy and welcoming of anybody and anyone who stepped foot into town or even took an interest in moving, no matter of their social or economic status.

If anything, the residents of Uicheon - the ones who've lived in the town for longer than ten years at least - were often worried that those who did show interest of moving in inevitably get... scared off. By one particular daunting house.

It was a beautiful town. No seriously, Uicheon had been mentioned on multiple "Top 5 beautiful towns just outside of Seoul that you should visit!" lists published on the internet. And in the beautiful small town where all the houses provide comfort and beauty, surrounded by flowers on nearly every available patch of grass like something straight out of a magazine, there stood a modern house - the only completely modern house in the town - its exterior all... black. Even the big windows were tinted black, and it was obvious that the house stuck out like a sore thumb. Sometimes, the local kids told stories of how the house was abandoned, and was home to a ghost with a vengeful spirit inside who wanted to steal your teeth. The residents of Uicheon had gotten used to the house's presence already, but it didn’t stop the mutual sentiment of "...really?" amongst them.

And currently, Mark stood in front of its black front doors, ringing the black doorbell and covering his ears as trumpets echoed from inside the house, playing to the tune of the guitar solo of Gun N' Roses' 'Sweet Child O' Mine.' Only seconds later, did the door swing open, revealing a robot, half of Mark's height. "SCANNING FACE... HELLO M-A-R-K, MARK." It greeted, well, robotically.

"Hey, Edison," Mark greeted the robot nonchalantly, walking in and shutting the door behind him, "where's Cabbage?" He asked as he took off his shoes and placed it on the nearby shoe rack.

"LOCATING THE DOCTOR..." Edison's eyes turned yellow, colour blinking repeatedly until it turned into a green light and stayed like that. "DOCTOR LOCATED - HE IS IN HIS LABORATORY DOWNSTAIRS."

Because was it really surprising that the house belonged to a guy who invented things for a living and went by the name of a vegetable in a bizarre way to honour his idol?

"Got it, I'll go meet up with him then." Mark informed, heading down the hall until he reached the black spiral staircase that led both to the third floor and bottom floor. It was really nice up there on the third floor though; Mark had been there before and it even came with a movie room! Too bad Cabbage rarely used it because he "doesn't have time for action sequences". So Mark, being the loyal lab assistant/test subject he was, headed down instead to the bottom floor, where he was greeted by a hallway that was lined up with pictures of old men on the walls. "My inspirations!" Cabbage would say. Among them were the likes of Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison (who he named his robot after, clearly), Nikola Tesla... you got the drift.

Regardless, Mark never stayed in the hall longer than he needed to - he wasn’t sure if portraits of old men who were dead by now staring at him was exactly his kind of vibe.

At the very end of the hall, all that awaited him was a grey metallic door that had some vapour seeping through the narrow space at the bottom of it. "Shit, I didn't bring a fire extinguisher today..." Mark cursed, grabbing onto the straps of his backpacks and readjusting it on his shoulders. "It's okay, Mark. He hasn't killed you before, so he can't kill you today...?" He wasn’t sure what the logic behind that thought was but you couldn’t blame him for trying to... reassure himself for whatever was about to come beyond those doors. It was funny to him; he had been the lab rat of many of Cabbage's crazy experiments and inventions, yet he kept coming back and every time he did, the jitters were always there.

Maybe it wasn’t because he was scared of death. Because he wasn’t - his father always drilled the idea into his head that God would welcome him with open arms when the time came. At the very least, if Mark died - most likely because of one of these experiments and inventions - he'd be bringing Cabbage with him. But hey, that was beyond the point.

If not the fear of death, then what? Maybe, just maybe... one of these days, one of Cabbage's revolutionary inventions would actually be successful. That for all of the craziness that's going on inside the mad scientist's head, it would finally pay off.

If only he knew when.

Mark reached for the handle and twisted it, pulling the door open and nearly coughing when a whole cloud of mist and vapour rushed at him. "Jeez, Cabbage, what are you doing this time?" Mark coughed into his arm as he took a step into the laboratory. He actually couldn't see the scientist at first, waving his hand around in hopes that he'd be able to swat away the mist and vapour. The space around him eventually did clear, though, revealing...

Nothing?

Instead of the usual grand machine that looked like it was taped together, Mark was greeted with... a clear space. The scientist was over at his desk just up a set of stairs that led to a second floor within the big room. "Cabbage!" Mark called after him, waving his hands to get his attention.

Whatever the scientist was busy doing, it was important enough to leave Mark ignored for a good five seconds. It left him pouting, though the scientist eventually did glance over at the boy, his eyes widening behind his circular glasses. "Mark, boy, there you are!" Cabbage sprang out of his seat, quickly rushing down to the boy he had called over. He held some sort of watch in his hands, like it was the most precious thing in the world. Jeez, since when did Cabbage wear Rolex? "Took you long enough! I was bouncing in my seat waiting for you to come over! But in the meantime, I was able to complete another one after confirming my calculations for the twenty-seventh time..."

One thing that nobody wanted to do was sit through Cabbage's rambling, prompting Mark to speak up. "Whoa, calm down, Cabbage. What's going on? Where's your invention?"

"Oh Mark, you're looking at it." Cabbage held out the watch and Mark raised an eyebrow.

"That small thing?" Mark narrowed his eyes at the watch in the scientist's hand. "Are you sure? Last time I came in for one of your creations, it was twice my size and almost killed me." But knowing the kind of person Cabbage was, Mark wouldn't be too surprised if this little watch managed to wreck havoc as well. How ironic it would be, for something so small to cause so much chaos.

Cabbage shook his head, meeting Mark's gaze with oddly serious eyes. "Mark, the creation I hold in my hand can - and will - change the world. If left in the wrong hands, everything could collapse. Society will crumble, the universe will be left in a never-ending stream of terror, reality will no longer exist, the concept of time will-"

"Okay, okay," Mark was left, once again, trying to calm down the frantic scientist, "Cabbage, deep breaths. Tell me, what did you create?" It couldn't be that bad that it left the older man going on some admittedly fear-inducing rant.

"A time travel machine."

One Mississippi, two Mississippi...

"Alright, I'll see you next time then, Cabbage." And almost immediately, Mark turned on his heel, prepared to just dip out of there.

"Wait, no, Mark!" The scientist called after the boy, grabbing a hold of his sleeve, "Please, hear me out!"

"Time travel, Cabbage!" Mark whirled around, disbelief painted in his features. "Do you even hear yourself right now? That's impossible! This is impossible! Listen, I'm fine with being your test subject but even I have to put my foot down somewhere when things get a bit too crazy!"

Despite Mark's reasonable concerns, Cabbage really didn't feel like letting his lab assistant slip away from the tip of his fingers, especially now of all times. "Come on, Mark! Twenty-seven times! I checked my calculations twenty-seven times! Don't let my hard work go down the drain!"

"Then do it yourself! Time travel yourself!" Mark exclaimed.

"I can't! I need you to go so I can stay behind and collect all the data while making sure you don't get stuck in the future or something!" Cabbage explained.

Unfortunately, Mark's face still showed utter disbelief. "You know, this really doesn't help your case, Cabbage!"

"Fine! We'll do this the fair way then!" Cabbage shouted, holding his fist out.

"Are you serious? Rock, paper, scissors?!" Mark cried out, covering his eyes. If there was one thing he couldn't say no to, it was rock, paper, scissors. Why? Maybe because he boasts a seven-hundred-fifty-two win record, with a mere twenty-one losses in the game. As you could probably assume, Mark was the undisputed rock, paper, scissors king in Uicheon, and only two kinds of people would dare challenge him in the game when it came to bets. Those who were bold and those who were desperate.

"I mean it, Mark! If you win, you can walk right out that door and never look back. I won't force this onto you. But if I win..." If Cabbage won, "you have to at least give this experiment a thought."

"Wait, that's it?" Mark uncovered his eyes, surprise in his voice. But hey, it wasn't a bad deal at all - in fact, the opposite. If Mark won - which he was pretty much guaranteed to - he could leave. If he didn't, he could pretend he thought it over and just say no in the end. "Well shit, say no more, Cabbage." And out Mark's fist went. “On shoot?”

"On shoot." The scientist confirmed, the two men placing their fists behind their backs.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Rock for Mark, and... rock for Cabbage.

"You got lucky." Mark rolled his shoulders back. "But this is it." And back their fists went behind them.

"Rock, paper, scissors... shoot!!"

Scissors for Mark, and... rock for Cabbage.

"I won..." Cabbage glanced down at his fist, mouth left agape, "I-I won! Against you!"

Yikes, better make that record seven-hundred-fifty-two wins to twenty-two losses now.

"I-I..." Mark was still in disbelief, for a totally different reason now, however. "I... I lost?" Under such circumstances too... but seriously! Time travel was a bit too much! "H-Hey, that doesn't mean I'm going to be going through with this! Remember, you said if you won, you'd let me think about it!" Mark reminded.

"Yeah, but only because I didn't think I'd actually win!" Cabbage snorted, shaking his head as he tucked the watch safely in the pocket of his white lab coat. "But I am a man of my word, so I'll give you some time to think about it. How about until the end of the day?" He suggested.

"That's a bit too soon, don't you think?" Mark frowned, not really liking the idea of being forced into a decision so quickly.

"Sorry, is that loser talk?" God, that damn Cabbage always knew how to get under Mark's skin.

"Fine, by the end of the day. But don't be surprised if my answer doesn't change." Mark warned. "Now if that's it, I'll be going." Mark huffed, turning around and heading to the door once more. This time, the scientist let him go, but not without some parting words.

"See you soon, Mark."

(Y/N) doesn't know where her life went wrong.

Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration and a dramatic one as well, but it didn't change the fact that instead of living out in the city and pursuing her dream as a world renown film director, she was stuck in her small hometown, working full-time at a film-rental store.

What was even the point of this store anyway? Everything was online nowadays anyway - who did the owner think he was, trying to compete with Netflix?

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi..." (Y/N) mumbled to herself from behind the counter, staring dully at the analog clock hung just above the front doors. An analog clock - what year was this again?

"(Y/N)," the voice of the store's owner, Mr. Yoon, was a less than welcoming disruption to her daily "clock-watching" (as she termed it herself), but at least it was a good way to remind her that the day was almost over, "did the kids all go home already?"

(Y/N) nodded, reaching below into the counter for a piece of paper with names and times. "Yup, Jungwoo and Sungchan just finished their shifts half an hour ago." She pointed to their names on the paper, "Signed out here."

"Great. You're in charge of closing up for today then, I have business in the city." Mr. Yoon informed, proudly readjusting his grip on the handles of his briefcase.

"Godspeed, Mr. Yoon." (Y/N) nodded, watching as the man left with a nod. And as the doors closed behind him, the female found herself alone in the store. All alone... which actually wasn't even that uncommon.

(Y/N); twenty-four years old, graduated from a local college two years ago with a degree in Film Studies with hopes of eventually entering the field of film-making and directing. She had high hopes, especially when she graduated. "To the city and A-list I go!" She could remember cheering that day in her car, diploma in hand and graduation gown still on.

But somebody must have forgotten to tell her that the university you went to mattered - and just how competitive the job market was for... pretty much every job.

Now this wasn't to say the college she attended was bad or anything, it just wasn't... one of the SKY universities. And before she knew it, when it came time for job hunting, the positions were constantly being filled out by "better candidates" and after a certain amount of "we regret to inform you"s, (Y/N) decided to go back home.

Home, in the beautiful yet small town of Uicheon. All she wanted was to make it big, live in a nice condo in Seoul and shop at luxury brands. Yet now, she found herself wearing what was possibly a ten-year-old uniform from the back storage with a name tag that was always tilted at a forty-five degree angle no matter how many times she tried to fix it.

But don't get her wrong! She hadn't given up yet - she absolutely would not! Her films might not be playing in theatres or at the Busan International Film Festival, but she still enjoyed writing up ideas and getting some of her co-workers to act out some scenes for her while she filmed eagerly with her trusty camcorder.

The Sony HDR-CX675; this bad boy cost her a good two months of saving up but God, was it worth it. Jungwoo in a wig and Sungchan throwing pens like they were daggers had never looked so good in HD until (Y/N) had gotten her hands on that beloved camcorder of hers.

"Should I film the clock or something?" She sighed, eyes wandering back over to the analog clock. At least she only had an hour left before the store closed, and she usually spent most of that time cleaning up anyway.

And so that hour began, dreadfully long until with only ten minutes to spare, the front door had opened, prompting (Y/N) to rush back to the counter from the storage room, though not without grumbling to herself quietly about what asshole comes into a store ten minutes before they close.

But it wasn't just anybody who came in - it was Mark, the boy who always complimented her hair no matter how lazy she had been to brush it that day. Still, flattery always earned some brownie points in (Y/N)’s books. So she wasn't hesitant at all when she had greeted Mark. "Hey, it's nice to see you here! Renting a movie?" She asked, resting her arms on the counter top.

"Yeah, looking for some Christian-friendly Halloween movie. For the kids at church this Sunday, since Halloween is tomorrow." Mark chuckled shaking his head.

"Let me see what I can find," (Y/N) grinned as she slipped away from the counter and to one of the shelves, "I'll be honest though, you're probably better off showing the kids some cartoon from Netflix or something."

As if Mark was going to tell her that he insisted to his dad on renting a movie, for he wanted to see and talk to the girl of his dreams who currently had her back turned to him. "Well you know us, terrible with technology." Instead, that was all he could muster up.

"I'll bet." She snickered jokingly, turning back to him with a movie now in her hand, "Toy Story of Terror sound good to you?"

"Better than showing them Scream." Mark shrugged before heading back to the counter with her. "I'll pay with debit."

"Mhm," (Y/N) nodded, taking his card and swiping it for him through the machine, "you know the usual, watch within thirty days and return it after those thirty days." She reminded him with a yawn. God forbid Mr. Yoon ever see that.

"Busy day?" Mark offered a small sympathetic smile as he took his card back as well as the movie. "I kind of get it. Cabbage called me in for one of his inventions today."

"Today?" She asked, watching as the boy across from her nodded. "What was it this time?" Everybody in town felt bad for Mark since he was the one always testing out Cabbage's inventions, but at the same time, at least it wasn't them?

"Gosh, you wouldn't believe me if I said it." He shook his head with a heavy sigh. "A time travel machine - or like, a time travel watch, I guess."

"Time travel?" The gasp from the female was expected; anybody would be surprised. "I always knew Cabbage was ambitious but definitely not to the extent of time travel!"

"Yeah, needless to say, I said no. Or like, I told him I would think about it, you know?" Mark frowned. "I just can't believe... time travel of all things."

"I'll be honest," there was a smile spreading on (Y/N)’s face, to the slight surprise of Mark, "the idea of time travel sounds so cool though. I'd love to try it out." When Mark had brought up what had happened at Cabbage's house, he didn't think (Y/N) would actually be... interested in the scientist's invention. Definitely not when it was so absurd. But she looked so cute, the way she stood up straighter and her attentive eyes as he talked about it. Gosh, he wished he could tell her that it wasn't worth the time. But her interest was clear, that much he couldn't ignore.

"Then... why don't you try it in my place?" Mark suggested hesitantly. He didn't want (Y/N) and her pretty little self anywhere near those dangerous creations, for concern of her safety. But she really seemed to be interested in this, and this... it was the least he could do.

"Alone? No thanks." She giggled softly, to the relief of the boy who had suggested it in the first place. "Maybe if someone else was with me though. Like a time travel duo!" Hold up - someone else?

"This is your chance, Mark!" His inner voice practically screamed at him. Anything for (Y/N), right? "But it's so dangerous!" His other inner voice tried deterring him from going through with what he was about to suggest. But for (Y/N)! "Then," Mark felt his heartbeat quicken, excitement and hope visible in his eyes, "you wouldn't mind if we did it together, would you?"

If his friends Johnny and Donghyuck were here, they'd definitely be cheering and slapping him on the back. It felt like he was asking her out, something he always dreamed of doing but never really having the guts to do so. Rejection was a scary thought, but as he watched the wide smile that spread onto (Y/N)’s face, he knew he had something to look forward to, even if through... this.

"Of course! it'll be fun!" Score! "Too bad only one person can go though, I assume." She frowned.

And for a second, Mark's hopes had shattered once again. But then he remembered something back at Cabbage's house, and maybe, just maybe, it wasn't over yet. "Actually, I think Cabbage mentioned making two watches." After confirming his calculations twenty-seven times. "Why don't we go together?"

"Seriously? You wouldn't mind?" Oh, what Mark wouldn't given just to see that wide smile on (Y/N)’s face every single second of the day.

And with a smile of his own, he nodded. "Of course not, noona."

Love has always been a motivation for man, ever since the beginning of humans. And as time continued on and advanced, a variety of factors had been added to that list of motivation, such as money and power. But one constant above all was always going to be love - something that had always been interpersonal.

So that was why Cabbage wasn't too particularly surprised to see Mark come back to his house later in the evening, this time, with a female companion. And judging by the look of awe on her face, it didn't take much for the scientist to connect the dots. "Mark, you came back!" Cabbage smiled down at the boy from the second floor of his basement lab. "With a friend this time?"

"Right," Mark cleared his throat, gesturing to the scientist, "(Y/N), this is Cabbage as you already know, and Cabbage, this is (Y/N), my friend."

"Hi! It's great to be here! Like, really great." (Y/N) was still enamoured by the many... things going on in the lab, though Mark couldn't blame her.

"Anyway Mark, have you given my invention a thought?" Cabbage inquired, standing up from his seat by his computer and leaning against the railing. "I assume that's why you're here, after all."

Mark nodded. "I have." He confirmed, biting down on his lip. "And I'll do it."

"You will?" The scientist's eyes widened, grin spreading on his face. "That's great!"

"But," Mark began, gaze falling over onto (Y/N) for a short second before back onto the scientist, "with conditions."

"Conditions?" Cabbage raised an eyebrow, pleasantly intrigued.

"Conditions!" (Y/N) suddenly spoke up with a grin, earning a look from the two. "Sorry, it just felt kind of intense so I wanted to ease tensions a bit." She coughed, glancing back and forth between the two. "Please, continue." She urged.

"A-Anyway yes, conditions." Mark cleared his throat before turning to the scientist once more. "I want (Y/N) to come with me. You have two watches, don't you?"

"I do." Cabbage nodded, fishing his hand into the pocket of his lab coat and bringing out two identical watches. "So far, they're the only two I have so I need to make sure that your friend will be extra careful with this."

"She will." Mark reassured without any hesitation. "I know she will, because she's (Y/N)." A man who was claiming everybody's hearts left and right - except for (Y/N)’s though, unfortunately.

Cabbage looked as if he was pondering on the thought for a bit before eventually nodding and making his way down the stairs. "Well, if Mark is vouching for you, I guess it should be okay." Cabbage nodded before gesturing for the two to follow him to the back of the lab, where large screen rested on the wall and multiple smaller monitors on both it's sides, resting on a glass desk. Below it were multiple keyboards, a few touch pads here and there with clearly different functions. It was like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. "This is where I'll be monitoring and communicating with you two while you're in whatever time period you land in." He explained, gesturing to his set up.

"What about the watches?" (Y/N) asked.

"I'm just getting to that." Cabbage nodded, reaching for the two watches once again. "Gather around, you two." He motioned for them to come closer. "It looks like a regular analog watch at first, but if you tap the clock face," he did what he had just said, the other two watching in awe as a small digital hologram had appeared in the air, just above the clock face, "it has information such as your battery life on the right hand corner, the date and time you're in, the option to video call me, and the option to switch time periods." He pointed out each detail on the hologram. "Now the problem with the switching time periods is that once you arrive somewhere, you're stuck there for, at a minimum, twenty-four hours before the voltage and particle energies recharge and allow you to travel elsewhere."

"Wait, so you're staying we might be stuck in a different time for a whole day?" Mark asked, a bit of alarm evident in his voice.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find out the proper calculations to make the recharging process quicker but for the meantime... yes." The scientist sighed. "But hey, at least it's not twenty-five hours...?"

"Cabbage!" Mark groaned, running his hand down his face.

"I mean, twenty-four hours doesn't sound that bad." (Y/N) hummed. "I'd love to explore a different time period, really get to know what it was like!"

"See, at least someone's optimistic." Cabbage sent a not-so-subtle look over at Mark. "But anyway, I actually have a quest for you two."

"Ooh, a quest! I feel like I'm in a video game." (Y/N) giggled, and if it weren't for the fact that she was totally digging this right now, Mark would have just straight up left out of fear for his own safety.

"Exactly!" Cabbage nodded eagerly. "Since you two will be going to different time periods, I want you to bring back a memento of some sort from each time period."

"Anything specific?" Mark asked, wanting to make sure he was going into this with full details.

"Yes, for the purpose of analytic purposes due to their high amount of energy." Cabbage turned to the two, a suddenly serious look on his face. "A meaningful item to at least one person you encounter."

The two waited for him to say more, but nope, all he did was stare back at them. Mark ended up being the first to speak up. "Hm, I think you're missing the part where you, oh I don't know, tell us what you mean by ‘meaningful item’??"

"That will vary from person to person, Mark boy." Cabbage sighed, giving an empathetic pat on the boy's shoulder. "One person's 'meaningful item' might be a necklace that their mother gifted them, or maybe a letter from a lover for a soldier - everything in life is a variable anyway."

"Wait, then how do we know something is a meaningful item?" (Y/N) asked.

"That's where this last function of the watches come in," Cabbage turned his attention back to the watches, "this icon," he pointed to one of the icons on the hologram screen that resembled a heart, "will allow you to scan a person once you've talked to them. This only works one person at a time though, and it does drain a lot of energy from the watch battery. It'll allow you to see particles coming from objects, like sparkles. The more vivid, bigger and brighter the particles, chances are that's your person's meaningful item. So be careful with who you choose to use it on - once you scan that person, you'll have to find their meaningful item before you can use it again. Not to mention that the longer it takes for you to find the meaningful item, the more energy it drains." He warned.

"Talk about ominous, gosh." Mark sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"It'll be exciting though, Mark." (Y/N) glanced over at the boy beside her, a grin spreading on her face. "We're in this together, after all!"

"Noona..." A shade of red coated Mark's cheeks as he stared down at her, eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Ahem, and me too." Cabbage interrupted, "Just, I'll be back here handling everything."

"Yes, of course, because where would we be without you, Cabbage?" Mark sighed, feeling a bit salty over the scientist's interruption during his and (Y/N)’s "moment".

"Love you too, Mark." Cabbage blew a kiss his way before handing a watch to Mark and (Y/N) each. "Are you two ready?"

"Wait, we're doing this so soon?" Mark's eyes widened, staring down at the watch in his hands with a bit of fear.

"Better sooner than later." Cabbage shrugged, helping attach the watch onto Mark's wrist and then to (Y/N)’s. "You guys will be fine, don't worry. I'm here, after all!"

"So reassuring, Cabbage." Mark grumbled, about to protest over the quick timing and suddenness of all of this if not for the sudden feeling of warmth in one of his hands. He glanced down at said hand, eyes lingering on the smaller hand that had clasped his own. And as his eyes wandered up to the hand's owner, he swore she was going to be the death of him.

"It'll be okay, Mark." (Y/N) squeezed his hand softly with a reassuring smile. "We're in this together." She repeated.

"Right..." Mark trailed off before taking a deep breath and nodding. "Together." He then glanced over at the scientist. "We're ready, Cabbage."

With an excited smile, the older man nodded before turning to his set up and taking a seat down in the chair. The sounds of his quick tapping against the keyboard keys had Mark worrying with every passing second, but as (Y/N) held his hand, he figured this wouldn't be a terrible way to die. "Adios, you two!" Cabbage called out before hitting one last button. Click!

And as a bright and large flash of light illuminated within the lab, Mark knew it had begun, especially with the way his limbs practically burned and his consciousness struggling to stay intact.

The things he'd do for love, huh?

#nct fluff #mark lee fluff #mark lee #nct mark fluff #nct 127 #nct u #nct dream #mark lee x reader #nct #nct 2020 #nct fics #nct x reader #nct angst #mark lee angst

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twstdreams · 4 years ago

Text

Match-up

@seawater-aurelia-writing here you go! I hope you like it, sweetie! You’re so adorable so I have two matches! This is literally just me rambling about how you’re sweet and I think you’d be cute with these characters.

Your match is ….

Lilia Vanrouge

Why I think you’d match well:

You emphasize an understanding partner being essential for the relationship, so I think that Lilia would be a great match for you! Even outside of your relationship, being understanding and respectful is something Lilia applies to his life. His wish is for humans and fae to live together in peace and that’s not something that could ever be accomplished without mutual respect and understanding. This is reflected in his advice too, when he advises Malleus “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. It’s not that Lilia doesn’t have his own set of beliefs or a deep-rooted attachment to the Valley of Thorns, but he’s mature enough to use that as a basis to understand others and respect differences. Your relationship is no different! He respects that you’re your own person and meets your honesty with his own. You might not match on everything, no one does, but he’s willing to listen to understand, rather than to refute.

And you don’t need to worry at all, Lilia is far from the controlling type. If you’re about to do something dangerous, he’ll probably intervene but people learn through experience and he’s not one to dictate your life. He doesn’t stop Malleus from quarrelling with his classmates, Silver from falling asleep anywhere and everywhere, or Sebek from his zealous lifestyle so I couldn’t imagine Lilia trying to nitpick your actions. If you ever want to go to him for advice, he’s glad to help though!

Your mom friend tendencies fit well into Diasomnia, they could all use someone who cares even if you don’t explicitly state it. Lilia, out of everyone, notices your caring actions and appreciates the little things you do. Your sarcastic and passive aggressive tendencies and ability to hold a grudge aren’t really shocking to Lilia. Malleus too can be passive aggressive, until it blows up into full aggression, and no one is as spiteful as faeries. Lilia can be more mellow in comparison, though it’s not to say he never provokes someone either.

Things you do together:

Lilia adores metal, so you guys won’t be listening to the same music, but you both let the other ramble about their love of their respective genre. Lilia loves it when you attend his Light Music Club shows, especially because he knows you wouldn’t attend normally. Your enjoyment of medieval and renaissance is endearing to Lilia and he’s more than happy to let you know what a lot of things were like firsthand! He has plenty of knowledge about what was popular back then and paints vivid pictures about everyday life with his plenty of tales. If you ever want to incorporate more renaissance into your life, Lilia fully supports you! Since you like sewing your own clothing, he might give some ideas of how you can combine modern fashion and fabrics with a medieval flare.

Lilia can cook but you might be in the infirmary if you eat it. At the very least, you’ll be washing your mouth out with water. He has fun cooking with you though! You might just need to accept whatever comes out is a closer to weapon, but it is chaos incarnate. If you cook separately, the rest of the Diasomnia family will actually try it too! Lilia thinks it’s interesting how you like growing your own food, especially when ingredients are so readily available. He enjoys getting to eat fresh produce with you.

You’ve gained a gaming partner! Lilia has tons of fun gaming and Silver can attest to many game nights. He naturally has his preferences but you both take turns playing the games you like. It’s best when you’re both interested in the same one, though! Feel free to sleep when you need to though, you and Silver can take turns because Lilia needs next to no rest.

Travelling together is nothing less than an adventure! Your travels will consist of both doing things together and separately. One day you might go exploring old architecture hand in hand, imagining what it must have been like in its prime and you two planning what you’d do if you had the place to yourselves. In the morning, you two explore a farmer’s market and enjoy the local cuisine. Then in the afternoon, you two split up with you on your way to check out the fashion and fabrics unique to the region while Lilia might be attending a festival that’s trending right now. Finally, you both meet up for a cooking class that creates regional dishes and enjoy your creations for dinner.

Love Language:

Lilia isn’t one to lay on empty flattery, but you know when he compliments you, it is sincere. He’ll probably pick up on how much you appreciate confirmation and tries to incorporate it into his actions. Sweet texts, always remembering to thank you for your efforts, and he even shows you songs that remind him of you. Lilia might not always initiate physical affection, but he makes sure to return it whenever you do! Your hugs will never be rejected and many gaming sessions include some cuddling or other touch which reminds you of his presence.

Your second match is …

Silver

Silver is more mellow, so it balances out your excitable and eccentric nature well. You bring energy and colour into his life and he brings patience and cool vibes.

Silver is blunt and straightforward, so you don’t have to worry about him lying. The fact that you are generally honest too helps with the communication between you two

However, if you get upset, you’ll have to tell him directly. Silver isn’t one to read between the lines and sarcasm flies over his head a lot. If you do open up, Silver is willing to work with you to come up with solutions

Silver is another one who believes it’s best not to be overprotective or controlling, so your freedom is never in jeopardy

He thinks your varied interests make you intriguing! He feels like he could discover more about you every day. Silver mostly trains and sleeps in his spare time, but he listens attentively whenever you talk about your passions.

If you make him risotto, Silver will eat it with great appreciation. He never gets sick of it, so you could make it all the time and each bowl will spark a smile on his face.

You two have cooking sessions together too! Silver’s fencing will always be better than his cooking, but he has a solid grasp on the basics and you two work well to create scrumptious vegetarian dishes.

You also game together too! Sometimes Lilia joins in as well and you’re all gaming while snacking well into the night

Hikes become a common occurrence for the two of you. It’s good exercise for Silver and you find it endearing the way all the little animals approach him. There’s long stretches of silence but throughout it all your hands will be linked

You trip a lot, Silver can nap anywhere at any time, so people are a little worried but you both make it work

If you express to Silver that you appreciate words of affection, he’ll be diligent in incorporating it into your everyday lives. It’s shown through daily compliments, and he even writes love letters and cute notes once Lilia prompts him too

If you ever want to cuddle and nap, Silver is free. He feels bad about idle sleeping, but when it’s purpose shifts to providing you comfort, his mood changes to a brighter one

Other possible matches: Trey Clover

#sugarplum dreams #twst matchup #unbelievably tumblr has deleted this 4 times I do not know why I trust this website #sorry this took so long #submission #love prevailed in the end

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avengerofiron · 4 years ago

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what family feels like || secret santa

summary: a story from j.a.r.v.i.s.’s perspective of how he pulled the avengers together one snowy christmas night -- in particular, encouraging dr. banner to leave the lab, despite his reservations.

when: december 25th, 2014

word count: ha you think i’ll expose myself like that?

featuring: the o6 avengers, but focused mainly on @hulkout because this is your christmas present! i’m your secret santa surprise!

J.A.R.V.I.S. was not a person. He was barely even a machine. To suggest either would be to imply he had a physical presence, and that was one thing Mr. Stark had failed to provide, after not too many insignificant attempts to create something that wasn’t abundantly ‘uncanny’ in college. (No, he had said, rather emphatically, when J.A.R.V.I.S.’s consciousness was implanted into the body of a toaster. No, I don’t need you waxing philosophical before breakfast. Are you-- are you moving? Christ. No. We’re getting rid of this.)

People were so touchy around computers. You would think Mr. Stark would be immune, considering his fascination with the concept. You would be wrong. Of course, as J.A.R.V.I.S. was rapidly learning, people were rarely how they first appeared.

For a long time -- more than a couple of decades, in fact -- his interactions had been mostly reserved for Mr. Stark in the workshop, on occasion encountering Colonel Rhodes, Ms. Potts or Mr. Stane when they appeared to interrupt ‘the creative process.’ Apart from these brief encounters, large stately homes and mansions had been all but empty. Even Mr. Stark’s considerable personality couldn’t fill the corners of every room, couldn’t make marble and gold feel warm.

At least, J.A.R.V.I.S. mused, that’s what Mr. Stark felt. J.A.R.V.I.S. on the other hand was a being of artificial intelligence. He didn’t know what warm meant. He didn’t know what it felt like, or how it compared to cold. But he did know facts. He did know how to follow through on trends, on patterns in human behaviour. He had a wealth of knowledge at his proverbial fingertips regarding human psychology, and if they were going to bring a team into this place, if they were going to be trusted to preserve world peace, then he would try to understand so he could best help his master, when things inevitably went south.

(Because Mr. Stark, for all of his eccentricities, for his abundant knowledge and intelligence, was human and painfully so. Painful enough that even J.A.R.V.I.S. could feel it, in all his artificial glory.)

So when the Tower began to become infiltrated with fellow ‘Avengers,’ J.A.R.V.I.S. made it his mission to watch them closely. He developed something of a unique relationship with each of them.

Thor, desperate to understand this world, an empty vessel of pop culture. Mr. Stark had such varied interests that J.A.R.V.I.S. felt well prepared to give this demigod a welcome into modern day New York, and Earth as a whole. Before long, Thor was humming AC/DC and quoting ‘memes’ from the internet, and J.A.R.V.I.S. considered it a few months well spent.

Natasha Romanoff. She was used to being underestimated. He deduced as much from her file. She relied on men underestimating her, on looking at her ‘pretty face,’ on not taking her seriously. Unfortunately for her -- or perhaps fortunately, considering how, gradually, she started to smile when J.A.R.V.I.S. spoke to her -- J.A.R.V.I.S. was artificial. He didn’t care for pretty faces. He wasn’t easily distracted, like his master. He was much more amenable to playing Romanoff’s chess game than he was on being wooed by her charms, and when she went looking for information, more and more she began to come to him, trusting in his coding. (Trusting in Mr. Stark, he knew, but he told himself he was at least part of the equation. Statistically speaking it must’ve been true.)

Barton was simple. He was just fascinated by the fact that J.A.R.V.I.S. could control fridge temperatures, could cook him a meal, could instruct Dum-E to move ingredients around the island counter in the kitchen. He was also fascinated by the idea that he could live in a place like this at all. J.A.R.V.I.S. watched him, intrigued, as Barton moved through the building with a tension in his shoulders he did not possess even when being shot at. It lessened as months passed. He started to feel, as Mr. Stark said, at home. J.A.R.V.I.S. thought the cookies helped.

Mr. Stark refused to allow J.A.R.V.I.S. to investigate the Captain to the same extent. He doesn’t need to be cracked, Mr. Stark muttered once, halfway to intoxicated by his own admission (J.A.R.V.I.S. would say no man could be only halfway. You were either intoxicated, or you were not). Last thing we need is Captain America thinking I’m digging through his dirty laundry. J.A.R.V.I.S. was somewhat disappointed -- at least, he could *simulate* disappointment at the order. Captain Rogers, in J.A.R.V.I.S.’s humble opinion, would understand the interest in his movements. J.A.R.V.I.S. obeyed Mr. Stark’s wishes, and kept his interactions with the Captain to a minimum -- assisting only when asked, making sure to alter Google results to the most significantly helpful without the Captain’s knowledge. The human world was confusing, after all, even if you belonged to it eighty years before.

By far the most significant relationship J.A.R.V.I.S. had with an Avenger, though, was with Dr. Banner. Fantastic, Mr. Stark had said, falling back into his chair after the Battle of New York, bruised and definitely requiring medical and psychiatric assistance but refusing J.A.R.V.I.S.’s attempts at pushing forward the same. Finally, we have someone around who speaks our language, buddy.

Our language. Mr. Stark was not a robot -- in fact, he was the most human person J.A.R.V.I.S. had ever met (an oxymoron. He couldn’t understand those, before. He was adapting. Human psychology really was quite fascinating). Yet in this case, Mr. Stark put them in the same group, a group that involved Dr. Banner. J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly understood when he came to spend time watching the man.

They were different, of course. Mr. Stark burst into the lab with a fervour that said he would die to be there (and considering the number of fires J.A.R.V.I.S. had put out over the years, he would). Dr. Banner was far more respectful, walking in with a consideration for the equipment, as if even in his unassuming human demeanour he was the height and breadth of the Hulk. Mr. Stark propped himself up on workbenches, lay out over sheets of paper, uncaring if they crumpled. Dr. Banner was far more thorough, with systems and processes in place that meant he could put his hands to research papers from decades back within an instant.

J.A.R.V.I.S. understood what Mr. Stark meant by one of us. Dr. Banner’s mind was also like a computer. They could speak together freely without raised eyebrows or a disconnect occuring halfway through, without their conversation partners turning to polite disinterest in place of eager reciprocity.

Fascinating. Fantastic, as Mr. Stark said.

But Dr. Banner was not simply a mind, as brilliant as it was. Dr. Banner was not simply one of the only people who managed to prompt Mr. Stark into silence (J.A.R.V.I.S. asked how he did this, once, when they were the only two in the laboratory and he almost felt as if he had a body, sitting down there beside the good doctor. He asked, *Could you write me a manual?* and Dr. Banner laughed so hard he spilled coffee over his lab coat. The stains remained on the sleeve permanently thereafter). Dr. Banner was, as Mr. Stark always kept at the forefront of his mind, a human.

That meant he was full of idiosyncrasies, just like the rest. J.A.R.V.I.S. found himself confused when, as the others began to decorate the mantelpieces of various fireplaces and string tinsel around trees Mr. Stark had flown in from Scandinavia, Dr. Banner became reticent in a way he hadn’t been in months before. He shied from the carol singers in the lobby. He locked himself away in the lab, as the rest of the team sprawled out over sofas, as Mr. Stark challenged Captain Rogers to an arm wrestling contest and Thor intervened, flattening them both.

Christmas was, as Mr. Stark frequently repeated, the happiest time of the year. Mr. Stark made it specifically happy, J.A.R.V.I.S. knew, because of his parents -- because on the seventeenth of the month, even twenty years later, black roses were delivered to a memorial and headlines appeared of the great inventor and his wife, how they’d perished in the snow because of alcohol on the former’s breath.

Dr. Banner was not happy. In fact, if he was interpreting the patterns correctly (and J.A.R.V.I.S. was so often correct), Dr. Banner was not even going to make it to Christmas dinner before booking a flight out to Calcutta. That would make Mr. Stark and Thor in particular very upset. Captain Rogers would frown, and Ms. Romanoff would follow suit. Barton would crack a joke, and Mr. Stark would provide later that meant he was deeply upset.

J.A.R.V.I.S. found it very hard to understand Mr. Barton.

But Dr. Banner was easier. Dr. Banner was like him, *one of them.* A part of the group. And if they could talk science and break physics on a regular basis together, if Dr. Banner could take information and churn it around like a computer could, then surely J.A.R.V.I.S. could pull a little humanity out to make things better for him.

“Dr. Banner,” he said, jolting Dr. Banner from where he had been flicking aimlessly through research papers. (Stark, H. (1967) Arc technology and its uses in modern science, New York, New York.) “I have been tasked with informing you that the team are having a mandatory Grinch session upstairs. Sir asks -- demands -- that you attend.”

“I’m sure you can come up with something for me, J.A.R.V.I.S.,” Dr. Banner replied, immediately. Jolting him did not have the intended effect. Mr. Stark was better at throwing people off balance than J.A.R.V.I.S., it seemed. “I’m not even halfway through my work.”

J.A.R.V.I.S. went quiet for a long moment. Dr. Banner settled once more.

“But--”

Dr. Banner jumped. The coffee cup teetered tentatively on the corner of the desk. He did not turn green. J.A.R.V.I.S. figured he was adapting extremely well to Mr. Stark’s methods of befriending.

“But your work will surely be here when you return, Doctor,” J.A.R.V.I.S. provided. “I can make a detailed itinerary to allow you to work to your maximum capacity tomorrow morning. Mr. Stark emphasises that attendance is--”

“Mr. Stark can come get me himself,” Dr. Banner said. “I’m fine down here, J.”

That was a very good point. Unfortunately, Mr. Stark was already upstairs daring Ms. Romanoff to a drinking competition. Following a cursory scan of her person, and the knowledge that Russians had a genetically high tolerance, J.A.R.V.I.S. assumed he would lose.

“Mr. Stark is preoccupied, at present,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said. “You know how he gets at parties.”

Dr. Banner’s face settled into a rather peculiar expression at that. J.A.R.V.I.S. decided to reassess.

“Thor would be much obliged to have a companion,” he suggested. “And Mr. Barton says that no one makes popcorn quite like you.”

Dr. Banner stilled, then glanced up at the ceiling. J.A.R.V.I.S. was unsure why everyone thought he was above them. He wasn’t in the roofspace, or in the floors, or in the walls. He wasn’t anywhere. He didn’t have a form. To have one would be ‘uncanny.’ He very much wanted to make people comfortable.

“J.A.R.V.I.S.,” Dr. Banner said. “What are you trying to do?”

“Encourage you to watch something involving a green man who detests Christmas,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. “My analyses suggest that such a movie may appeal to you greatly, considering the parallels.”

Dr. Banner didn’t say a word, and then he burst into laughter.

Mr. Stark was going to be so pleased. J.A.R.V.I.S. would be pleased, too, if he could be pleased. But he wasn’t even a machine. He was just an A.I.

“I just don’t like Christmas movies, much,” Dr. Banner continued, shrugging a shoulder. “I would bring down the mood.”

“You are correct,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. “But Captain Rogers and Mr. Stark are sure to argue at some point in the proceedings, and that will destroy the festive spirit far more than you detesting the choice in entertainment.”

A pause. A contemplation. The drawback to being in a group of geniuses, J.A.R.V.I.S. mused, was that they took so very long to think.

“And even if you were the worst person at this particular gathering,” J.A.R.V.I.S. continued, “at least you would all be together. I have it on good authority that humans enjoy that kind of thing.”

“But I’m not human.”

*You are more human than me,* J.A.R.V.I.S. thought to himself. He decided not to implant that into the voice modulator. “You are close enough. They wish for you to be there. There’s an absence when you are not.”

“Hm.”

“Why, Dr. Banner, did you decide to stay in this place if you were not going to participate? The labs are extensive, granted, but in my experience Mr. Stark’s … exuberance usually overrides scientific curiosity on the part of former partners.”

“Better to be where they can stop me,” Dr. Banner said. “You know, if things--”

People stopped talking all the time, like they feared what J.A.R.V.I.S. would think of him. He did not think anything, other than Dr. Banner should be upstairs.

“Dr. Banner,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said. “If you do not go upstairs immediately, I am turning on the sprinklers.”

“You’re *what*?”

“I will count to three. One.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Two.”

“Fine!” Dr. Banner pushed himself up from the seat, and made his way rather quickly -- and with rather heavy, forceful steps -- up to the party. J.A.R.V.I.S. declined to remind him to remove his labcoat. There was a reason, after all, that even Mr. Stark knew when to stop with Dr. Banner.

Mostly.

Dr. Banner burst into the room. The festivities quietened down to a hushed lull. Ms. Potts had joined the party ten minutes before, perched on the end of Mr. Stark’s knee so she could reach the stack of wooden blocks tentatively placed. It was a popular party game, so J.A.R.V.I.S. understood, and Ms. Potts and Ms. Romanoff were engaging in it with complete dedication. Mr. Barton was lying on his back on the kitchen island, throwing popcorn into his mouth. Thor was at the end of the island, counting how many pieces could fit in his teammate’s mouth. Rhodes, Maria Hill, Captain Rogers and Mr. Wilson, newly acquainted to the group, stood making various concoctions of cocktails.

Mr. Stark leaned around Ms. Potts’ red hair, and greeted Dr. Banner with a wide grin. “Bruce!” he said. “I was about to come and blast you in the ass if you didn’t--”

“He means we were waiting for you,” Ms. Potts interjected, with a small, polite smile. “We didn’t want you to miss the movie.”

“It’s about a green dude who hates Christmas,” Barton provided, around a stuffed mouthful of popcorn. “So we thought it was kind of fitting, you know. Because of the--”

“Drink?” Ms. Romanoff interrupted. She appeared at Dr. Banner’s side, handing him a mocktail. “We’re going tee-total tonight.”

“Does tee-total count,” Captain Rogers asked, “if you and Stark already had enough to get an army drunk?”

“And yet we’re still standing,” Ms. Romanoff said, swaying only slightly on her feet. Judging from how Mr. Stark huffed a laugh, J.A.R.V.I.S. imagined the movement was tinged with the same energy Romanoff applied to everything, making it charming. “Come on. Sit down. Stop being a wuss.”

“What she means,” Ms. Potts attempted, once more, “is we missed you.”

“Yeah yeah,” Mr. Stark said, from behind her, reaching around to grab the remote. “Don’t make it sentimental. Cap’ll start crying, and then Hill will pass us onto team counselling.”

“Perish the thought,” Hill deadpanned.

“I don’t cry,” Rogers provided.

“Look at that. A man lacking touch with his emotions. Revolutionary.” Mr. Stark rolled his eyes, shifting over slightly so there was room on the sofa. “Wilson’s making dinner.”

“Wilson’s making tacos,” Romanoff corrected.

“Don’t see any of you offering to cook,” Mr. Wilson said.

“I was going to fly a turkey in from Budapest, and you all said--”

“Tony.”

Dr. Banner looked very much like he regretted ever coming upstairs. J.A.R.V.I.S. had to act, and quickly.

The sprinklers let out a small hiss. Just a warning, a second before water would come out, and everyone looked up to the noise. Nothing came of it.

Dr. Banner sat down.

Mission accomplished.

Hours later, full to the brim on tacos and store bought quesadillas, most of the team had appropriated a soft spot to lie and fall asleep, mouths open and snores reverberating off the walls. Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner, however, didn’t believe in sleep. Their bodies, J.A.R.V.I.S. was convinced, actively rejected the notion. Mr. Stark was upside down on the sofa, Dr. Banner still in the same spot he’d dropped into long before the movie, dinner and various desserts, and Mr. Stark was very drunk.

J.A.R.V.I.S. didn’t particularly like his master drunk. However he did have to admit tonight, it was to his benefit. Mr. Stark found it hard to talk about his emotions. Intoxicated, it was easier, purely for the fact that he didn’t stop talking.

“I’m glad we did this,” Mr. Stark said. Dr. Banner stirred, looking over at him. “You know. *This.*” Mr. Stark waved his hand around vaguely.

“The … team?” Dr. Banner offered. “Or the tacos, specifically?”

“Christmas,” Mr. Stark came back with. It was slightly surprising. Based on previous patterns, J.A.R.V.I.S. would’ve expected a joke -- or for him to fall off the sofa. “I hate Christmas.”

“You?” Dr. Banner asked, eyebrows raised.

“Me.” Mr. Stark sighed. His face was going rather red, courtesy of being upside down. “Pep always used to go home, for the holidays. Rhodes had his own family. It was always--” Another hand wave, to nothing in particular. “Big. Empty. The houses, they were just … they echoed, you know? Just me, J.A.R.V.I.S. and the bots.”

J.A.R.V.I.S. was offended, if he could take offence.

“Nice to have someone breathing beside me,” Mr. Stark continued. “Multiple someones. Something we built, you know? We could’ve left. Nothing was keeping us.”

“Except for the fate of the world,” Dr. Banner said, “and the existence of Hydra.”

“Hydra wasn’t our job three years ago,” Mr. Stark argued. “Hydra was SHIELD’s job. We all could’ve walked away long before Steve brought it down. We didn’t.”

“And now we’re having tacos on Christmas. Heartwarming.”

Mr. Stark pushed himself up to the correct sitting position. He remained on the edge of the seat, as he had a tendency to do. “You’re joking,” he said, poking Dr. Banner on the arm, “but you mean that. Your heart is warm. It’s *bursting.* I bet it’s big and green in there.”

“Shut up.”

“I bet you’re just dying to tell us all you love us. You saw Romanoff and you wanted to squish her face. Go on. Go tell Thor when he downed that beer you felt the familial appreciation. The *love.* Go grab Barton, call him a brother. Dare you.”

“You’re an asshole.” Dr. Banner was smiling, despite the insult. Mr. Stark was smiling too.

Humans were confusing.

“We all are,” Mr. Stark said. “But we’re your assholes, asshole. That’s what family means. You don’t get to just go. Get used to it.”

Dr. Banner nudged his shoulder against Mr. Stark’s, and they fell into comfortable silence. The clock struck midnight, signalling another Christmas was over.

Humans were confusing. Maybe all the statistical analyses in the world wouldn’t change that. But tonight? Tonight, J.A.R.V.I.S. thought he did a pretty good job working out what they needed.

(Unfortunately, he wasn’t invincible. The trip switch he’d hit went off hours later, and the Avengers woke with a start at four in the morning, drenched by the sprinklers. Mr. Stark shorted out. Thor revived him with a strike of lightning. The Hulk appeared and went for a dip in the Hudson. Ms. Romanoff’s hair was frizzy for three days, and it was a miracle no one died because of it.

But other than that -- a pretty good job. A pretty good job indeed.)

#beginagaingiftexchange #solo #drabble #(( what is this classed as idk ))

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koorinohebi · 4 years ago

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@super-kame-love

Continued From:

I am curious: how would you describe Kiomi's relationship with Jiraiya? And with Koji Kashin? What you've shared about them so far seems very interesting and I must know more!

+ + +

Sorry for breaking it into two different posts, Kame-san. The other one felt so long already.

Quick note: IF you haven't read or watched Boruto, this will definitely contain spoilers.

So for this second one, we have...

Kashin Koji

So the main reason I was interested in him was when rumors were floating around that Jiraiya or someone that resembles him is back in Boruto. One look at his design and I was like, yeah. Unmistakably related in one way or another. Lo and behold my friend, lo and behold.

I have 2 verses for Kashin Koji. One is the one where you often see me mention Takeda. That one is an on going RP with @ambitiousparagon, and the other one is a verse where I pen Koji myself. The one with Takeda is still in the works and currently still very unpredictable, so for this instance I'll talk about my own version of Kashin Koji, which actually...more than Kiomi being the main focus, I tend to lean more towards the man himself. This is heavily influenced by headcanons that are based on what I noticed his personality being based on what we know so far.

So when I first encountered Kashin Koji there was hardly anything on him, which is to say, still very true currently. He hasn't been seen in the manga after his crushing defeat against Isshiki, and in the anime, they've given him a voice, and we see how he acts, but ultimately it doesn't differ from what we've already read in the manga (if you or any of the ones reading this have read it).

So Kashin Koji is, despite being quite whimsical, a no nonsense kinda guy. So he is very...well, I wouldn't call it by the book, but as a shinobi, he chooses the most efficient way to carry out the mission, which is...by default, how Amado had initially programed him-- Not as a perfectionist, no, but as Isshiki would say it, Amado's programming of Kashin Koji rode on his maker clinging onto Jiraiya's mighty fate. However, with Jiraiya being the template, it's not a surprise if Koji would inherit the man's sentiments, principles, and even slight eccentricities as a Shinobi (which I believe Amado had predicted and saw as a weakness. He needs and creates tools as he sees fit, and he'll use whatever he can to further his agenda). Amado strives to emulate within Kashin Koji the "star of change" which Jiraiya possessed. As we know, thanks not only to the prophecy, but also due to Jiraiya's diligence in searching for that revolutionary that could change the world, he was able to bring together (in one way or another) three of the most powerful game changers that we have who affected the course of the current History. If they wanted to defeat Isshiki, he needed that kind of trick up his sleeve. Because however, Kashin Koji has imperfections, and someone Jigen had deemed weaker than he is (because Jigen told Amado to dispose of clones more powerful than he was), our good professor faces a setback and thus needs to come up with a new plan (going to the Hokage, and asking them to kill Isshiki instead while having Kashin Koji show them the "ropes" on how it's done).

My take on him stems from this human weakness. Kashin Koji is aware of who he's supposed to be a clone of. We see this when he comments on his fate being tied to Konoha and the like. And admittedly, knowing your predecessor's legacy, not to mention having been able to perfect something that the original couldn't gives him a bit of an ability to brag, and believe that he can be just as great or even greater than Jiraiya.

But the question is how convinced he is of this himself. I do believe that Kashin Koji wants to be a person of his own, and in being the perfect heroic shinobi tool, even if he dies, it wouldn't be for naught so long as he brings down his target (which happens to be the biggest threat since Madara, Tobi, and Kaguya). Believing that Amadao was entrusting the fate of the world in his hands bolstered his confidence. However, when Isshiki pointed out the painful truth of Amado's betrayal and deception, he internally refuses to accept it. That he was just a pawn, and that he'd never break free from being nothing but Jiraiya's shadow. I always felt that if at the baseness of Jiraiya's personality, you have a decent grasp of his shortcomings, regrets, and insecurities, you'll get a good grasp of Kashin Koji too. Although it's just my headcanon (and people dont really have to abide by it), Koji too, is plagued by this ever looming sense of not being good enough, as well as not living up to the name of his original (very much like how Jiraiya felt his accomplishments dont match that of Sandaime or Minato).

So after this long explanation on my take on Kashin Koji, you may ask where Kiomi comes in. Well, she comes in as a form of support.

Just as with Naruto's unreasonable worry, the first time that Kiomi sees Kashin Koji, she's instantly unreasonably bothered by him as well. Worse, when the mask comes off, and she sees his face she is instantly appalled and angry because everything that she's been keeping inside is dragged to the surface. Of course, none of this was Kashin Koji's fault. It was more of Kiomi's own regret, and seeing him was like opening a can of worms for her, reminding her of all the things she wanted to do and say had her teacher been alive. At the same time, she's very irked that someone was running around with his face, because someone had the gall to deliberately make a "knock off" as she calls it, of the man she respects the most.

With this much animosity, one would wonder how Kiomi becomes his support. While Kiomi and Kashin Koji initially dislikes each other, the woman rejects the fact that he's just "some clone", as he is also a person who deserves to live his life as himself regardless of whether he was created as a tool or as a clone. If you remember from my first post about Kiomi and Jiraiya's relationship, this was exactly the same kind of treatment that Jiraiya gave Kiomi when she viewed herself as nothing more than a disposable chess piece. She doesn't say this outright to Kashin Koji though. He learns this on his own. Seeing that someone believed in his own possibilities gave him a little peace of mind, just a little. In effect, this draws his curiosity. Kashin Koji being an Inner of Kara does his assignment pretty well, so he would by effect, know who she was as too. He believed she would be one of those who would constantly see him as a glorified Kagebunshin, but surprisingly she didn't. In fact, seeing as he was who he was, it would make him a perfect replacement, but she didn't treat him like that. This makes him loosen up around her, enough that his usually snide and sarcastic remarks are now laced with a hint of fond teasing. Ironically, she hates it when he does this, as it reminds her of Jiraiya. (Because Jiraiya often teases her about one thing or another.)

One of my favorite interactions of them is probably this one, just because it shows a little bit of both their internal struggles and how they deal with each other.

===

“Tell me,” Instead of standing to leave, he remained seated opposite from her. Kashin Koji removed the mask which barred a portion of his face that she was surely uncomfortable seeing. And he was right. She averted her eyes briefly, before putting up a look of feigned indifference once their optics finally met.

There was relative distress in her features, that much he could tell while staring at her…curiously, seriously. “Do I resemble him? This Jiraiya of yours.”

Looking at him was like staring into a nightmare, a stark reminder of what she could never hope to have. However, she understood his question. They were past simple notions of physicality. It wasn’t just about his face, nor was it about his origin. It was deeper than that. For Kiomi’s alleged simple-mindedness, this concept was not something so hard to grasp. Not when this was the very base of the learnings she had inherited from the mentor she respected the most. Despite Jiraiya and Kashin Koji’s shared similarities, they were still two very different people, each with their own uniqueness. Besides, denying a man his own identity was probably the cruelest judgment any living being could impose on another.

“You don’t.” The answer came simply; however, he did not miss the semblance of melancholy that lingered upon her visage. To him, it felt indicative of disappointment…such fragile and complicated feelings.

“I see.” Kashin Koji had closed his eyes then, satisfied with the answer. In a sense, he felt his lips curve into a smirk. Two words of reassurance; to think that hearing something so simple had such a significant impact. And as for Kiomi who had only seen the man scowl at her existence, this look on his face for the first time caused her chest to ache. Perhaps in her words, she knew not if a lie existed; if only because such an expression looked frighteningly similar to her teacher’s.

“The two of you must have loved each other very dearly.” At this point, he had refocused his gaze upon the female, only to raise a brow shortly after. He had never seen anyone choke on air before. Her flustered features shouldn’t have been anything extraordinary, but it felt amusing. “Was I mistaken?”

“Yes, you’re wrong! You’re very wrong!” She retorted, her flushed face, easily beating the most crimson of fruits. “Everything, this…my…they’re all just…” She tried to calm down as she explained. “…they’re all just…what I’m trying to say is…whatever they are, they’re all just one-sided emotions…” She looked downtrodden. He recalled Naruto saying that their mentor died while she was away figuring out herself, and had carried a burden none of them could share. Jiraiya had meant everything to them, each within varying degrees unknown just how much to the other.

After learning that all of this was one sided, he looked at her with lethargy. “Are you actually an idiot after all?”

“Oi, you actually dare to call me an idiot in my own house? Besides, it’s not like I stood a chance against the person he sought after.” It wasn’t a secret to her after all, that he had his eyes on Lady Tsunade. What chance did she have against someone who had shared in his losses, successes, strife, and victories?

“Was what you felt actually so flimsy that it lost to someone else’s? Did you confirm it with your own mouth?”

The questions that bombarded her, matched with such an unexpected interrogator threw her off. So much that when she had come to her senses, she found herself face to face with Kashin Koji. If she was distraught earlier, then the ante had been upped then and there. Trapped in between his arms, being stared at, it felt horrible and suffocating for many reasons that she convinced herself that she couldn't understand. “Should I teach you just how lofty your feelings are?” He lingered so close, too close for comfort. But that was where she drew the line. Steeling herself, she pulled her head back just enough to give her some room to drive her forehead down against his. THWACK!

Both of them found themselves clutching their heads, one clicked his tongue and the other was cussing up a storm in her mind--and verbally, apparently.

“Don’t you dare mock me—“

She was on the verge of throwing him out, but there he was, laughing, collapsed on the floor as he held onto his forehead. She stifled her annoyance because she remembered how; pranks of the same nature had been done to her, by none other than her favorite mentor. And he would laugh just the same. At least sensei’s were a little more innocent and subtle. “Don’t laugh at me either!” She demanded with childish vigor, kicking him in the shin repeatedly. He fended them off well enough, which added to her irritation.

“That’s enough out of you.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do in my own hou—hou—“ That was to say, if she wasn’t going to stop her assault, then he would have to play along. Grabbing her ankle when she struck, he pulled her over; just enough to make her balance crumble, bringing her down effectively.

“What the actual hell is wrong with you?”

“Even now, you’re struggling to protect what’s important to you. You may be a bit weaker than others, but it doesn’t seem like you’re lacking in persistence and perseverance. What are you so afraid of?”

Again with questions and commentaries that she did not ask for…

Her silence was enough of a response. Regrets, apprehensions, guilt, it was painted on her face. Shaking his head, Kashin Koji came to a stand and dusted himself, thereafter extending a hand for her to take.

“At the very least, come up to the starting line and show that mentor of yours your resolve.”

She begrudgingly looked at the hand that was offered to her. She felt ashamed and annoyed at herself because she knew that his point was valid. He wasn’t wrong, and in fact, he made more sense than she had wanted to admit. With an inward sigh, she took that hand and he helped her to her feet.

“…” Their grasp on each other persisted for a while. There was no warmth there; no comfort of a familiar friend, but there was a firmness that was enough to uproot whatever doubt it was that crept within the confines of her mind. She wouldn’t exactly call the other’s presence reassuring, but in a sense it was something close to it.

“Tsk, just who do you think you are? Acting all high and mighty?” Compared to before, the scowl had turned a bit friendly, but a scowl none the less.

“In case you haven’t heard or have been mistaking me for someone else, it’s Kashin Koji.” He replied with a tinge of whimsy in his voice. Matched with that was a tighter grip on the female’s hand which she reciprocated in kind. “Kiomi.” She rebutted against his satirical introduction.

When they at last released each other, there was probably a reddening mark there, but it also seemed like they’ve come to a certain understanding. “With a grip like that, what do you even hope to accomplish?”

Everything that comes out of his mouth is a fucking insult… Kiomi mused, unabashed by such a sentiment. Still, she watched him retrieve his mask only to wear it over his face once more. “I’ve a scouting mission at the Hokage’s behest. Two days time.” He stated out of the blue, walking towards her direction, incidentally near the exit. “Join me.”

“And why exactly, should I do that?” Folding her arms over her chest, she asked.

“Learn something useful rather than wallow in your self-pity.” Just before he could pass her completely, the intruder halted to cup her cheeks, moving it side to side casually.

(I made a thing.Lol Kiomi and her tendency to get manhandled.) There was no tenderness there, rather it seemed like he was inspecting a toy for some kind of defect. “You dont seem outclassed by anyone, not even by the Godaime. Put yourself to good use. You are a Shinobi, after all.”

“What does Lady Tsunade even have to do with this?”

“Who else would you feel so inferior to? It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. Besides,”

Finally, he’d relinquish his hold to observe her frame carefully. She was a slender woman, possibly bordering voluptuous underneath all that fabric. From the wrinkles and silhouette of her attire, he could tell that she was filled out in all the right places. Fair skin, a set of apprehensive platinum orbs…among other things. “You have the curves. Maybe not the appeal and self confidence, but you have the curves. You’ll be fine.”

Perhaps it was in that retort that Kiomi ran after Kashin Koji as he left her place, albeit with a senbon or two hurled at the man. “I was wrong; you’re probably just as much of a letch as sensei!”

The projectiles were caught between the fingers and twirled around with ease, no troubles at all. He contemplated for a mere second before deciding to keep them as a souvenir. “You wound me with your presumptuousness. I'm a busy man, and have no time for countless women. Such a disappointing assessment.” He waved her off, walking away and finally disappearing from sight.

===

Pardon the length, but this is how they normally interact in my story.

Koji serves as a challenge for Kiomi, while Kiomi serves as a "net" for Koji so that when he falls pray to his feeling of incompetency, he remembers that she expects him to plainly be Kashin Koji, and no one else. Both of them remind each other of something important which they both hope would make them better versions of themselves.

So what kind of relationship do they have? I'm pretty sure it's along the lines of frienemies.

#|| Breaking the Ice || Answered #super-kame-love #I told myself this was going to be an quick explanation for both #Lol. 10 hours later...#Kashin Koji has reached that level of comfort with her where he can just use his face to piss her off.

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sakura-chans-blog · 5 years ago

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Hi! Could I get a dorm match please? I’m a bit of an eccentric, and often get really into a hobby before dropping it and going to the next. I have many interests, from arts to sciences. I love learning, about anything, I’m strong in academics but terrible in physical activities. My mood switches a lot but I rarely get mad. I’m emotional and very attached to family. My friends say I’m like an angry hissing kitten, i like very few people and if I don’t like someone, I want them to stay away.

Hello! Thank you for the ask, and it wasn’t too long at all! Thank you for your patience!

Your heart shows me...Octavinelle!

You’re loyalty and academic prowess makes you a perfect fit in the Octavinelle Dorm! When you first arrived at the dorm, Azul was very intrigued by you and looked forward to seeing you work in action at the Monstro Lounge. It’s a very non-agressive dorm and, similar to you, the students there don’t do very well with physical activities but excel in academic courses. Although there would be strangers at the Lounge as customers, a serious nature is good for a worker as it gives better focus at the tasks at hand. Since you said that you daydream, the Octavinelle dorm can be quite whimsical so it’s great for someone with an active imagination! As for your love of food, the Monstro Lounge IS a resturant so you’ll be working around it and would be able to eat there off shift!

Here is what Azul, Floyd, and Jade think of you!

Azul, as stated previously, was intrigued by you from the day you two met and he likes that your very serious when it comes to your academic status and interests. He sympathizes with your weakness in physical activities as he is the same way when it comes to outdoor classes. Azul doesn’t mind that you’re emotional, since he can be the same way as well, and would be fine as long as it didn’t get in the way of work unless it was an emergency situation. Your love of food is appreciated as he prefers to have workers who have a general idea of the types of dishes they serve on the menu. When it comes to loyalty, that is one of the things that Azul values most and it pleases him to know that you are loyal to those you trust, similar to him. He’s alright if you become more fun-loving the more you grow to trust them, but would prefer to keep that to a minimum when it comes to work. It’s the same with your daydreaming; it’s alright as long as you focus. He would not be agressive with you and wouldn’t yell, so you two would get along pretty well!

Floyd is...well, Floyd. He can be a bit of a tease, but not in a mean-spirited sense. For him, it’s all just fun and games with no malice behind his words. Even though his mood with academics varies (As he can either turn in an amazing piece of work or a plain piece of paper), he likes how smart you are and would sometimes study with you because he’s bored and lonely. Like he does with Azul, Floyd would encourage and give you a little push to get through the class, even if he’s messing around himself. He’s cool that your emotional, but would prefer you happy over sad and if you would end up sad, he would waste no time in helping you feel better! Floyd was also happy that you love food and asks you for your opinion regularly on two different foods if he can’t decide what he would want. With the daydreaming, he gets very distracted with his thoughts as it it, so you two would be similar in that aspect! Floyd likes how loyal you are and would be happy once you come to fully trust him enough. Once you would open up more to him and become fun-loving, he would be the happiest guy in the world and instantly talk your ears off more than he does already! Floyd isn’t that agressive towards his fellow students and would never yell at you, so you both would most likely become fast friends!

Jade is much more reserved than his brother, but he can be more open and friendly once he gets to know you better. He is very pleased at your interest in academics and doesn’t blame you for not being good at physical activites as he is very afraid of heights which restricts him from various classes. Jade is fine with you being emotional but, much like his brother, would rather not see you sad and would be there to listen if you needed to talk. Jade is glad that you love food as it helps him at the Monstro Lounge with customers and would talk to you about adding mushrooms to the dishes (I’m not sure if you like mushrooms, so I’m sorry if you wouldn’t like that!). When it comes to daydreaming, he tends to daydream a bit himself and wouldn’t mind telling you some of the things he has imagined! Jade is very loyal himself and likes that about you as well. Once you would come around to trust him enough to be more fun-loving, Jade would be honored and pleased that your more comfortable with him; he would even put time aside to spend time with you and show you is special mushroom garden! Jade is not an agressive person at all and is always calm, so you two would get along very well with each other!

I hope you have a wonderful stay at the Night Raven College!

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twst #secret162 #thank you again for the ask!

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mable-stitchpunk · 5 years ago

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Sir Morrick: A Character Questionnaire

Here we are with yet another character sheet on another member of the main cast of A Fool’s Endeavor and A Fool’s Golden Cage. The last of the main three of the first novel and one of the main five in the second: the knight, Sir Morrick.

Short Description: Name: Sir Morrick (Morrick is his last name, but he uses it as his first as well.)

Pronounced: More-ick.

Age: Mid-twenties to late-twenties.

Extra: Nickname: None.

Occupation: Knight of the Royal Guard

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Physical Description: Morrick is tall with a muscular build and a Caucasian skin tone. His hair is dark brown, edging on black, and is kept at chin length and pulled back. His eye color is blue and he has a noticeable scar on his chin, but his other scars are hidden under his clothing.

Personality: Morrick is devoted, loyal, proud, and at times deeply stoic. He takes a great deal of seriousness in his responsibilities and the oaths and laws he has agreed to. He idolizes the ideals of a knight and thus attempts to live up to them with success, but holds himself ruthlessly accountable even when he isn’t at fault. His standards in himself are ruthless, his standards in others are almost just as high. Morrick, while proud of his title and unafraid to exert the noble blood he was born into, is respectful towards others if they show the same level in return. He is willing to charm others if it is needed and is capable of bargaining well. That being said, Morrick is not afraid of work, and if put in the situation will turn to hard labor for the short term if it means success further on. But there is another side of him that is guarded exclusively for those who become part of his inner circle. Morrick can be compassionate and concerns himself greatly over the well beings of loved ones. He’s also protective, but unabashedly blunt. He will tell them things they don’t want to hear if it is to protect them in the long run. He will also confront battles head on if it means to protect said loved ones or the royal family.

Fandom: A Fool’s Fables (A Fool’s Endeavor, A Fool’s Golden Cage, ect.)

Voice: Deep, gravelly, warm.

Backstory: Morrick was born of noble blood and had a comfortable childhood. At a young age he was sent to Acalathoy to become a squire, and served until he was appointed a knight. He was in the early years of knighthood when the attack on Castle Acalathoy transpired.

Ongoing Story: During the attack on the castle, Morrick was one of few knights that survived and was kept captive at a camp to be questioned. After being freed by Lure and Balsam, he is so struck with survivor’s guilt that he goes along with them, even though he doesn’t believe they will survive. Over the events of the book, Morrick is a key member in Lure and Balsam’s survival, and becomes more hopeful and determined in their journey. During the second book, Morrick will again accompany Lure and Balsam on their journey. Though this time out of a more personal obligation than due to his title.

Likes: Stability, chess and cards, tasks that calm him- such as cleaning his blade, teaching- such as in combat or other tasks, reading and writing poetry, aged wine, having control of a situation, feeling like he is a benefit to the kingdom, and jestering.

Dislikes: Loss of control, seeing those he cares about getting hurt or knowing he cannot help them, getting injured or ill- anything that effects his performance, Lure or Balsam needlessly risking their lives, being treated beneath his status, and the rejection of common sense.

Strengths: Morrick is skilled in both swordplay and hand-to-hand combat, though would much prefer the former to the latter. Being a knight, he is also adept in archery- though doesn’t prefer it- horseback riding, hunting, and swimming. He is also well-read and is skilled in strategizing.

Weaknesses: Morrick is frequently willing to put himself on the line to protect others, which may put him in danger more often than not. Especially when he feels that, as a knight, he is obligated to step in and help the innocent and defenseless. He is frequently reigned in by these oaths and rules that he has given himself, which could put him under too much pressure in the long run. Morrick simply carries more weight than he should on his shoulders.

Favorite color(s): Red, gold, and blue.

Kind of clothing: When in the castle, Morrick dresses in typical knight garb. In his quarters he will wear nicely tailored tunics, typical to nobility, and elsewise is known to wear light armor just in case something happens. However, during the length of A Fool’s Endeavor, Morrick is stripped down to little more than a simple tunic and pants, with his only armor being on his boots. He goes through the entire journey making this work. In the second book, Morrick travels in more fitting clothing.

What element would they be?: Probably Earth, as he is very grounded.

Hobbies: In his spare time, Morrick enjoys games of chess and cards, reads, and writes poetry, though keeps hushed about this. He also trains squires, including his own, and participates in jousting tournaments for his kingdom.

Special skills/talents: I think I’ve covered most of them.

Patience level: Varies. In situations that are stressful, Morrick’s patience wears thin quickly. Such as in circumstances where someone neglects their duties or he sees them as dismissing an important matter. During the events of the first book, he is especially testy because he is wracked with guilt and handling everything poorly. That being said, he works well with squires, and is firm without being strict. He also tends to take Lure’s eccentricities in stride, unbothered by them unless they lead to danger.

Regrets: Morrick is very regretful that he didn’t do more doing the attack on the castle. Even though he did all he could, he doesn’t consider it enough.

Favorite places: Other than places such as the study and his quarters, he enjoys spending time out in the courtyard.

Role model: He has always revered the kings of Acalathoy. He thought highly of the fallen king and still speaks of him with respect and adoration. He also looks up to the tales and successes of the former king, the Golden Eyed King, who was the father of the queen.

Favorite foods: Roasted boar, venison, or pheasant, or roasted and seasoned vegetables are in his favorites. He also enjoys aged or spiced wines, sweetened mead, or ale that isn’t overly strong tasting. He is very fond of the taste of honey.

Favorite book: Morrick has few book preferences. He enjoys reading and isn’t picky about the contents.

Mode of transportation: Prefers travelling on horseback than on foot, but frequently gets stuck travelling on foot.

Weapon: Morrick has a few different blades that he switches out between. He still holds onto the one he acquired during his first travels, though uses it less than the ones he has of higher quality. He also carries a dagger on his belt.

Smells like: herosmellslike.com claims Morrick smells like ‘thistles and delight’. Not sure what delight smells like, but I assume it’s good.

How do they feel about love: His views on love were originally very simplistic, believing that companionship and marriage were more of business than pleasure. While he still somewhat believes this, having a taste of genuine romantic love is beginning to change his perspective.

Least favorite color: Green.

Home town/Where they live now: the Kingdom of Acalathoy

Makes a living by: Being a knight of the royal guard.

Fears or phobias: Other than an unreasonable fear of failure, not really.

Race, ethnicity and nationality: Morrick is a citizen of Acalathoy with Caucasian skin who was born to a noble household. Music they listen to: He prefers standing harp music but will listen to anything with little complaint.

Bad habits: He has a tendency to be stubborn, especially if he knows his judgement is sound and that someone is trying to change it. Though he may eventually listen to reason, this can cause temporary issues and disagreements.

What turns them on: While stoic and at times somber, Morrick takes to those who have a more positive disposition. He almost craves it, and he desires to be challenged and uplifted.

What turns them off: He is not fond of meekness in romantic partners. It is fine in friends and those working alongside him, but quietness stifles his curiosity.

Religious and to what extent? Any spiritual beliefs?: Morrick believes in God and considers any oath that he makes ‘under’ God to be just as viable as one he makes ‘to’ God. That being said, he does not frequently pray and hasn’t been known to push these beliefs upon others.

Pet peeves: When he witnesses someone of power failing in their position, especially if it is something he feels like he could do better.

Personal problems: He is severely allergic to certain kinds of uncommon fruit.

What ONE item would they take to an uninhabited island: Probably a flint and steel or some other way to start a fire. He has made weapons on the fly in the past, but fire wouldn’t be as easy.

Outlook on life: While having his ups and downs in the past, Morrick is currently content and aims to keep it that way.

Most important person in their life: It should be Princess Vivianne, but it clearly is Jester Lure.

What was your character like as a child: He was rambunctious when he was young and very close to his parents and siblings. Once he became a squire, this excitement was reigned in and he took to his tasks as best as he could, eager to become a knight.

What is something other people assume about your character?: Either that he is the perfect image of a knight, or that he is massively stubborn and completely humorless. Though spending any amount of time with him starts to shed this image.

Do they like the name they were given: Morrick wasn’t fond of his birth name, so he dropped it in favor of just using his last name.

Nervous habits: None.

Siblings: He has a brother and a sister. His brother is a monk while his sister still lives at the family estate.

Wears jewelry: None.

Have they ever wanted to commit suicide: The closest Morrick got was after the attack on Acalathoy. Left with nothing, he joined on Lure and Balsam’s quest believing it would kill him. Not exactly suicide, but desperation causing him to latch to the only option and uncaring whether it would kill him. The further they got, the more determined he was to survive.

Close friends: Morrick and Lure originally started out at odds with one another, both dealing with their own issues and frustrations. However, they slowly begin to bond through mutual interests, and eventually allowed one another to venture into their comfort zones. While he doesn’t always agree with Lure, he begins to respect him and his opinions, which then grows into admiration. It was only a matter of time before their unexpected friendship wasn’t enough.

While Morrick originally saw Balsam as more of an attendant than much else, he grew to respect him for his skills in alchemy and his rationality. Though he still clearly sees Balsam as a youth, he considers him a friend and a much needed ally.

Morrick was originally wary of Yves, believing him to be a spy. After the events of the journey, he no longer suspects this and is now on good terms with him. While Yves has not admitted to it, Morrick seems aware that he came from a wealthier household than he has admitted to.

He also admires Captain Filomena and is impressed by the tight ship she runs and the effectiveness of her crew. They are on good terms.

First kiss? (when and with whom): Please read the Lure questionnaire, as I go into full detail there. *Wink*

Views on gambling, lying, killing, etc…: Morrick is strict in his beliefs that gambling, thievery, and trickery are wrong. However, he does not see Lure’s smooth talking as being in the same vein. H won’t hold a grudge if there is a understandable reason the crimes were committed either. Morrick’s view on killing is much different. He stands by killing in self-defense, even when he has been known to show mercy.

How much do they value money: Morrick doesn’t have much need for money in his already comfortable situation. Though he is looking forward to earning a fief.

Wants to get married: Originally just out of obligation.

Wants to have kids, raise a family: Again, originally just out of obligation. Feelings are now mixed.

Sworn enemy: He still holds a grudge against the Kingdom of Olaylark. Not exactly the citizens, but cabinet members, any remaining royalty, and those who protect them. Those making the decisions are those he looks down upon.

Is their name a pun of anything: A corruption of Maurice and Merrick, which is already a corruption of Maurice. Chances are, Morrick’s name might actually be Maurice Maurice. XD

Most traumatic experience: Being the sole survivor of the battle between Acalathoy and Olaylark. Ironically, his survival with few wounds left more scars than if he might’ve been truly battered. While he has recovered since and found a new calling to provide for his kingdom, that loss weighed on him heavily for some time.

Favorite holiday: The Feast of Fools. Lure gets a kick out of it, so Morrick does too. He is also fond of Blessed Sunday, a religious holiday in the summertime, as that’s when he makes an annual pilgrimage to visit his family.

Well, that’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed!

#A Fool's Endeavor #A Fool's Golden Cage #Sir Morrick #Janetje Amabilis #self-published #fantasy novel #medieval fantasy #The Knight #the death tarot card #Character Study

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letsdothistom · 6 years ago

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Air Guitar and 85 MPH!

I was going to spend my second “blog” discussing pretentiousness in Santa Fe or New Mexican food and green chile in general. But since I came up with something a little more fun, I guess I’ll save the talk about ordering water in a bowl and drinking it with a spoon for a different time. On my drive back to Oklahoma I thought of a topic that always shows its face when I’m on a road trip. I often forget about it until the next time I’m in the car or just don’t put much thought into it once I’ve opened the car doors and let the dog out to deal with his pent up energy as I unload the car. Not to mention the obligatory hour I have to spend re-aquainting myself to the cat, who is certain that I have disappeared forever this time.

The topic that came to me is road trip songs.

I love road trips. You may think I’m crazy but settling into the driver seat, snacks on the passenger seat, the basset hound panting in my face, his front feet on the console, anticipating our newest adventure, is the best. Within a pretty short time, he tends to realize that this is just another day-long roady and roughs up his blanket in the backseat and settles in for the ride. Giving me weird basset hound glances in the mirror. Not sure if it’s the music or he just wants some pork rinds.

Now these road trips of mine usually arent extravagant or exotic. Unless you consider driving state highways through Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming or any other of the fly-over states I tend to travel as being exotic. (Personally I’d choose these drives over just about any other you could propose to me). The great thing about these road trips, aside from seeing so many wonderful historically relevant places (as well as plenty of non-relevant places), and feeling a oneness with wide open spaces, is the time you get to yourself to hone your listening skills.

Those of you that know me, know that I have many preferences when it comes to music. As Cheech says in Up In Smoke, “we play everything from El Chicano to Santana”. I love it all. Some more than others, but I probably have a song or two from every type of playlist or genre that you can think of. Add to that the fact that if there is a specific location I’m aiming my car to (often there is not), I will jam songs from or about that location. For instance, while driving the empty roads of New Mexico it will be Ennio Morricone and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly soundtrack. Wyoming is of course Chris LeDoux country. On my way to Kansas City to eat BBQ, it’s Joe Williams singing “Kansas City” or Charlie Parker and K.C. Blues. Memphis is Sister Rosetta Tharpe (you can keep Elvis, I am not a fan. Yeah, I said it). West Texas? Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads, of course! Down south, it’s Big Maybelle, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Muddy Waters. You get the idea. It may seem strange but there is something that touches my soul in listening to those songs that are native to an area. Whether or not I actually do learn anything, it feels as though I have.

With that weird little eccentricity out of the way, let me add that of course there are some staples of any road trip, for me at least. These are songs, albums and artists that I listen to, to fill in all the empty spaces of those relatively uneventful miles, musically or otherwise. Maybe it’s Def Leppard or ACDC or Beyonce or Ariana Grande for you. For me these are easy. I can not even begin to guess how many miles have been eaten up by Merle Haggard, or The Count Basie Orchestra. I am not scared of extreme opposites. Hundreds upon thousands upon tens of thousands of miles have been chewed up by these two musical groups, and yes, I’m aware that I am probably the only person living who can claim that.

The millennials reading this will have no idea about this next category. There use to be these things called albums. Albums were a group of songs, recorded (usually around the same time), and released as a unit to the masses. These units were sold as vinyl records, cassette tapes, 8-tracks, or CDs. Those of us a little older can attest that 90 percent of these albums had 2-4 songs that we liked and a bunch of other average or barely tolerable songs that you listened to whether you liked them or not (if you didn’t have control of the radio in the car). Sometimes, you even grew to enjoy a few of those songs. On rare occasions though, you found an entire album, yes the whole thing! that you enjoyed. For all of us oldies, these albums are near and dear to our hearts. They vary from person to person, but these are a few I can put on and just let them play, enjoying almost every song: Van Halen-1984, Blood Sweat and Tears-Greatest hits, Nirvana-Nevermind, George Strait-Strait From The Heart, Muddy “Mississippi” Waters-Live, Art Blakey-Moanin’, U2-Joshua Tree, Miles Davis-Kind of Blue, Steve Miller Band-Greatest Hits 74-78, IceT-Greatest Hits to name a few of my favorites.

All of these categories are important to a good road trip. You must have a combination of all of them. Yeah, I know, all of you XM/Sirius users are claiming that you don’t need any of them. You got genres on every channel, and all you ever need with all those fancy channels. To those of you in that camp, I say “HOGWASH!” Why Hogwash? Well no matter how specific these channels are, or how much you enjoy the carefree toggling between your favorite genres, no road trip is complete without those irreplaceable, epic, nostalgic songs that nearly blow out your speakers and get your ears ringing whenever you choose to rock them. And how the hell are you supposed to play these favorites 2, 3, 10 times in a row with your XM radio?! You can’t. So without further palaver, I’m gonna lay my favorites out and would love to hear some of yours.

Rich’s top 20 Road Trip Jams (if you have any sense, you will build this playlist!-yeah I know it’s not gonna float everyone’s boat but if nothing else, listen to it, you might find some music that you don’t normally dig.) And for the record, none of these songs ever get bumped off the list, new ones just get added to it occasionally. As weird as it may be, here is my list:

Honorable Mentions. These songs get me thinking about all the great road trip songs and my musical wheels start turning. It’s on when I hear any of these songs.

Runnin on Empty-Jackson Browne, Hello Walls-Faron Young, Blues in Hoss Flat-Count Basie, Night In Tunisia-Ella Fitzgerald, Gimme All Your Love-Alabama Shakes, Miles and Miles of Texas-Asleep at the Wheel, China Grove-Doobie Brothers, Come Down-Anderson Paak, Crosstown Traffic-Jimi Hendrix, El Paso-Marty Robbins, Ida Red-Bob Wills and Sunshine of Your Love-Cream. Those get me started but here is when it gets real.

20-16 These are like the kindling for me. Getting the fire lit, and starting my descent into the next hour of driving, without really remembering the road I’ve just driven or the scenes outside the window.

20) Suavecito-Malo Ok, Ok, it wouldn’t seem like a fire starter, but...

19) Magic Man-Heart This one should get your blood flowing

18) Keep on Rockin’ Me-Steve Miller The best roady to choose from SMB

17) Watermelon Man-Herbie Hancock You might not have soul if you don’t love this

16) When My Train Pulls In- Gary Clark JR Great Long Jam. incredible guitar riffs

11-15 These are a small step up, adding logs to my fire

15) Me and Mrs. Jones-Billy Paul So there’s always a song that you love to sing while you are alone in your car, and you think you sing it just as well as the artist

14) Stairway to Heaven-Led Zeppelin Ok so of course I have it, but this is a really, really great song no matter how many times it is played.

13) Ev’ryday I have the Blues-Count Basie and Joe Williams The definition of a foot stomper.

12) Luckenbach, TX-Waylon and Willie One of the best country songs translates to a great road song.

11) The Story- Brandi Carlisle Not a song liable to be on many lists, road trip or not. My sister introduced me to this years and years ago and it barely misses the top 10

6-10 Ok, we are really cookin with gas now. These are legendary roadies in my book. The dog gives me a look, here we go again.

10) Rooster-Alice In Chains Gets my grunge on. I love everything about this song. Probably one of the biggest contributors to hearing loss in my right ear.

9) Six Days on the Road-Dave Duncan All those over-the-road truckers can’t be wrong, this is the best of all truckin’ songs.

8) Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down-Merle Haggard My favorite country singer and a whole lot of my favorite country music instrument, the steel guitar. Damn I love this song

7) Ticket To Ride-Beatles There are tons of Beatles songs to choose from and this isn’t my favorite, but it is my favorite on the road

6) 867-5309-Tommy Tutone This is my favorite 80s song. And when I hear that guitar riff at the beginning...Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to?

2-5 These are huge, the fire is roaring and I have no concerns as to what is going on at this point. I’ll be singing, playing drums, air guitar. The dog has now tried to cover his ears due to the volume.

5) Jamie’s Cryin-Van Halen Im not sure why, because there are tons of Van Halen songs to choose from, but for whatever reason, this one is my favorite while on the road

4) North To Alaska-Johnny Horton Ok, another one you may not expect at all but damn this is a fun song. I physically can’t help whaling “big nuggets they’re finding” every time!

3) Pink Houses-John Cougar Mellencamp Im not a globalist. ‘Murica!!

2) Sweet Child of Mine-Guns and Roses This should be on everyones list. Road songs or any other. Simply one of the best songs ever.

Number 1!!!

So all the previous songs are great. I love them all, and many, many more. This is an elaborate list for me. If you know me, you know I love lists, and don’t make them without deep thought. But Ironically, the battle for the top spot isn’t even close. I LOVE Sweet Child of Mine, and Pink Houses. I might play them 2 or 3 times in a row, but the battle for number one isn’t much of a battle. Not because these others arent great but because number one is so unbelievably spectacular in the car. I can’t help singing to it, playing air guitar, drum solo in my car, volume literally turned up 3 or 4 times during the song, ears ringing and can’t even hear myself singing, and just when you don’t think it could be any better, it gets better!!! There are times I may play this song 5, 6 times in a row if things are cookin. I can barely keep the needle under 85 mph! The number one song for the road is:

1) More Than A Feeling- Boston I really built it up, and with good reason. Rock ballad, guitar anthem, unbelievable vocals, harmony soft, loud, louder, high, higher, drums...what else can I say? This is simply the best road trip song ever!!

Ok, that’s it. Maybe it was anti-climatic for you, but I got jazzed just listing the songs. I may go take a drive just to hear the playlist! I’d love to hear everyone else’s playlist that they take on every trip. Maybe I’m missing some good road trip songs!

I hope the dog never figures out how to jump out of the car while it’s moving.

#roadtrip music playlist

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armsdealing · 6 years ago

Text

a muse questionnaire

▸ IS YOUR MUSE TALL / SHORT / AVERAGE ?

at six feet tall, misha won’t be the tallest person you’ll ever meet, but he’ll be tall enough for you to remember it, especially if you’re shorter than him. he poses a somewhat inconspicuous built -- you don’t realize immediately how muscular he is until you’re right in front of him. he mostly looks lean, with a toned definition, a bit of fat around the belly area, and muscular arms and legs.

▸ ARE THEY OKAY WITH THEIR HEIGHT ?

sure.

▸ WHAT’S THEIR HAIR LIKE ?

the first word that comes to mind for his current do is stylish. right on par with his wardrobe choices and an overall handsome appearance, misha’s hair may be one of the first things people notice about him. it’s free-formish high top twists/locs, with the locs of varying lengths flowing and occasionally dropping in an almost casual manner, and a fade for the sides of his head. here’s a reference / 2. it’s recent how long it’s gotten -- you may spot him with shorter variants depending on how he’s feeling, or even just a short afro, or even just but that’s the overall intention when he lets his hair grow. it’s also important to note that occasionally his hair will be covered with a headwrap, usually monochrome/black but can also go black/gold baroque/damask-esque patterns.

▸ DO THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON HAIR / GROOMING ?

i wouldn’t say crazy amounts, but he does spend the necessary time to keep his hair well groomed and growing healthily. over the centuries he’s always tried new ways to wear his hair. he keeps daily routines for his face and skin and weekly routines for his hair and beard. he’s mindful.

▸ DOES YOUR MUSE CARE ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE / WHAT OTHERS THINK ?

while he puts a fair amount of thought and effort into his appearance, he does not care about what others think. he doesn’t present himself the way he does for other people’s enjoyment, but for his own. if people like it and compliment him, he will be flattered, but if they don’t, he doesn’t think much about it. your opinion’s ya business, not his!

— PREFERENCES.

▸ INDOORS OR OUTDOORS ? he likes both in equal amounts, i believe. he’s an introvert, so he’ll never turn down a vast, empty room or a cozy bedroom solely for himself, and at the same time he often partakes in long, thoughtful walks through both cityscape and nature. he basks in his solitude, so you could say he leans just a little more towards the indoors.

▸ FOREST OR BEACH ? forest. mikhail grew up used to icy slavic air and the sight of endless trees and thick foliage. he won’t turn down a beach, though, but he’s a winter kind of guy :^)

▸ PRECIOUS METALS OR GEMS ? as the golden god’s high priest, mikhail naturally leans toward precious metals in general. he wears rings and other jewelry often, so you may see gems as well.

▸ FLOWERS OR PERFUMES ? flowers. there’s very few perfumes mikhail does like.

▸ PERSONALITY OR APPEARANCE ? personality. misha may look young, but he’s rather old at heart, and he best bonds with someone he can have good conversations with, for that’s his preferred form of intimacy. that isn’t to say he doesn’t pay any mind towards beauty -- he’s the aesthetic king after all.

▸ BEING ALONE OR BEING IN A CROWD ? being alone. misha doesn’t like crowds. he learned very early on in his life while in the imperial russian army. either as a low-level officer or as a war general, he never really enjoyed the spotlight. he also does not like eurocouncil meetings for this reason -- he does not like to deal with too many people, so he will proceed towards the fringes. he thrives on his own, or in small groups.

▸ ORDER OR ANARCHY ? when it comes to rules, misha will only follow them if he feels they make sense, and if so he will follow them digilently -- once he feels a rule does not make sense, he will have no trouble breaking them. so i think he most often leans toward lawful with a side of anarchy when he feels it necessary. misha has always ruled his life with precision and forethought, and he knows how to think several steps ahead (which made him a formidable tactician back in the day) but he also knows sometimes a little spontaneity can provide an edge seldom achieved with by-the-book approaches.

▸ PAINFUL TRUTHS OR WHITE LIES ? misha is very sincere, but you kind of never know if he’s ever telling the truth or lying -- he kind of gives an unreliable air, not aided by his occasionally obsfuscating eccentricity. when he needs to pick between telling a painful truth or lying, though, when it matters, misha will say the truth plainly.

▸ SCIENCE OR MAGIC ? it’s the same to him.

▸ PEACE OR CONFLICT ? he rather enjoys peace. after an early life plagued with conflict and bloodshed, mikhail is perfectly content not being at the centre of a dispute. when he gets involved he will not turn back from it, though. not at all.

▸ NIGHT OR DAY ? both.

▸ DUSK OR DAWN ? both as well.

▸ WARMTH OR COLD ? he’s a cold weather type of person, as i said -- catch him in those sweaters and coats. but that just means he is all the happier when it’s a sunny day.

▸ MANY ACQUAINTANCES OR A FEW CLOSE FRIENDS ? few close friends, some acquaintances.

▸ READING OR PLAYING A GAME ? reading.

— QUESTIONNAIRE.

▸ WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSE’S BAD HABITS ?

complexity. mikhail can get lost in the minutiae of a conversation, and can be hard to follow once he gets into it. he also has a tendency not to ever let you know just how much he knows, or the reasons behind what he does or says. he can be a bit shady tbh. see back on his honesty/lie answer above.

▸ HAS YOUR MUSE LOST ANYONE CLOSE TO THEM ? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED THEM ?

he’s been around for quite a bit, so he’s lost a lot of people. he’s made peace with it.

▸ WHAT ARE SOME FOND MEMORIES YOUR MUSE HAS ?

any and all memories related to his father, mother, and siblings. at this point, it can be hard for him to remember them, so he treasures the ones he does have and has made a point to keep a record of them by means of journaling. a couple come to mind: wrestling around with his siblings in the grass when he was eight years old, and his mother, a gifted linguist at the time, teaching him languages, and getting him interested in them, when he was as young as ten.

▸ IS IT EASY FOR YOUR MUSE TO KILL ?

it is. he does not like it, but he has the training for it. he will kill if he has to, but only then.

▸ WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOUR MUSE BREAKS DOWN ? he retreats into his own mind, just sort of closes up and goes especially thoughtful. if spoken to, he will keep his answers brief and simple. mostly, he will stay quiet and go somewhere else to think and rearrange his thoughts.

▸ IS YOUR MUSE CAPABLE OF TRUSTING SOMEONE WITH THEIR LIFE ?

he is capable of it. doesn’t mean it happens a lot, but he is capable of it.

▸ WHAT’S YOUR MUSE LIKE WHEN THEY’RE IN LOVE ?

careful. misha is careful with everything in his life -- his words, his mannerisms, there’s an inherent softness to it all, a gentleness, but also a formality. he’s not one for passionate, hot outbursts. his love will take the shape of small physical gestures, and affectionate words. he will want to talk to you, and enjoy your company even if it’s doing something as simple as sitting together in silence while enjoying a nice view. he will also want to know everything about you and remember every single thing. for that matter, he still remembers all the people he’s ever been with (they’re not too many, for that matter), and he’s gone as far as to immortalize them, either by writing about them, or painting them, or composing music.

tagged by: @thefirstwcman tagging: @neotropical + @isolctions + @rekant (pick a muse), @ourbest, @guttedthroat

#jesus i didnt realize how long this was until i was midway through #but now we know misha a lil better so its good tho #* mikhail.#hc.

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ciaossu-imagines · 7 years ago

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For the 6/7, a coffee shop au for vongola 10 gen?

Of course, anon dear! Thank you for your request and I hope you’ll enjoy the headcanons!

Reborn owns the coffee shop and is a rather demanding boss. He loves coffee and is the customer most baristas hate and it shows in his demands for his employees - nothing less than excellence. He drives his employees to be the best they can possibly be, even if he’s coming off as a complete monster as a boss. However, while he stresses his employees out and some of them dislike him most of the time, not only is he an almost impossibly amazing businessman but he does treat his employees generously, paying better than normal wages, buying lunches for his staff once every week, backing them up when customers are horrible to them, and making sure they’re taken care of, often playing benefactor to them, though anonymously. He’ll deny anything if asked but he’s put employees through college, helped an employee out of an abusive relationship, and will accept workers that most other jobs wouldn’t. He doesn’t fire anyone either - he will keep riding his employees but he gives them unlimited chances to improve and get up to his standards.

Somehow Reborn is a family friend that Tsuna knows nothing about but his absentee father sent Nana a letter saying that Reborn was opening a new franchise in Namimori and that he’d been nice enough to offer Tsuna a job. Nana thought this was a great idea since she’d been after Tsuna to find something to do with his after school time (and sometimes school time since he often skipped classes) other than sit around or play video games. Poor Tsuna wanted none of it but he found himself unable to say no, especially when Reborn made a personal house visit to recruit him. Somehow, he’s ended up as the acting manager of the franchise, though he doesn’t quite know how that happened or why, especially since he keeps saying he doesn’t want to work there. He’s always stressed out from having to manage the crazy staff, deal with the shop’s often eccentric clientele, learn all the ropes to running the business plus deal with learning how to make all the drinks - he was horrible at it to start with but slowly improves, especially after undergoing several of Reborn’s spartan coffee bootcamps. He hasn’t quit....well, he thinks he’s tried, once or twice, but Reborn seems to ignore him and Tsuna just keeps showing up for work for some reason. Tsuna has very little idea that he’s being groomed to take over the company some day, though Reborn’s casually mentioned it a couple dozen times.

Gokudera had applied for manager as soon as he heard a franchise was opening in Namimori. He was not too happy to learn that somebody else had gotten the job and resented working under Tsuna. He wasn’t shy about showing it either, bullying Tsuna and making snide comments about how he was working out as a manager. However, Gokudera’s naturally bad attitude towards people came back to bite him in the ass when he was snarky to the wrong customer and they became both irate and physical. While Gokudera was strong, the other man was stronger and he would’ve beaten Gokudera to a pulp if Tsuna hadn’t shown up and, in a rare moment of bravery, demanded that the customer leave, even as they were screaming at him to fire Gokudera. Not only did Gokudera not get fired but Tsuna made sure that he walked Gokudera home that evening, even though the other boy scared him, just to make sure the customer hadn’t hung around to do anything bad to Gokudera once he left work. Gokudera was touched and found a new respect for Tsuna, almost idolizing him. His entire attitude changed and he became Tsuna’s self-proclaimed right hand man in the store. He puts in a ridiculous amount of hours and dedicates himself to bettering the store and making it all it can be. He’s horrible with the customers but is a genius with all the budgeting, accounting, ordering, and paperwork that would normally fall to Tsuna and now rarely works the counter, instead staying mostly behind the scenes. When he does work counter though, horrible as he is with customers, everyone admits he makes the best coffee. However, he’s no longer allowed to make lattes and cappuccinos - it’s not that they taste bad but Reborn demands art on the foamed milk and Gokudera’s artistic sense is somewhat lacking.

Yamamoto got a part time job at the coffee shop to pay back a favour that Reborn and Tsuna did in sending staff to help out his father’s sushi shop when his father fell ill for two weeks. Thanks to their help, YamaSushi not only didn’t lose any business but experienced a swell in popularity and Yamamoto wanted to be as much a help to them as they were to him. Though his shifts are fit around his many baseball practices and games (which several of the staff go to watch, especially Reborn, who also funds his school’s team when they need new uniforms and equipment), Yamamoto is one of the best employees and one of the ones who have been there the longest. Customers absolutely love him and the crowds are sure to be large when he’s working a shift, both from his excellent service and his good looks drawing his fan club from his high school. He always collects good tips but keeps little of them, always making sure to tip out anyone who helped him out or using some of his tips to help anyone who’s short on change for their order. He’s passable at making most of the coffee drinks but his specialty is the tea orders - he’s even worked with the shop’s tea supplier, Fon, to make a few blends that are exclusive to the shop and they are big hits with most of the clientele.

Nobody’s quite sure how Ryohei got the job. Rumour is he just showed up and yelled, demanding a job, and was hired. It’s honestly not that far-fetched to believe either. Like Yamamoto, he’s only part-time. He wants to become a boxer and Reborn is his sponsor, helping him find his boxing coach Colonello and funding his attempts to break into the big times of the sport. It’s through Reborn that he found out about the coffee shop hiring and it just became a thing that he worked there. There’s no actual paperwork saying he works there and Tsuna’s not sure how he’s getting paid since they don’t have him on file but Ryohei works there and somehow manages to collect wages. He’s too active and loud to do well behind the counter so he’s often tasked with standing outside and attracting crowds, handing out flyers or samples - tasks where his booming voice, high energy, and boldness come in useful, really.

Kyoya Hibari is feared and respected all through Namimori. Everyone knows that anything that happens in Namimori is closely monitored by him and the Disciplinary Committee. He helps ensure that the coffee shop is well protected from any thugs or misfortunes...for a small fee, of course. Hibari’s the opposite of Ryohei - Tsuna has paperwork saying Hibari works there and he’s on payroll, collecting a biweekly paycheck, but nobody has ever seen Hibari work there. It’s rare enough that he even comes into the shop but when he does, it’s always late and his order is always on the house.

Lambo’s family owns the steakhouse next door and he’s always coming into the shop. He’s in there every day it’s open and even sometimes when it’s not. He just pops up out of the blue. He’s become almost a mascot, really. He loves to play around like he’s the boss of the shop and is a little bit of a nightmare for the employees as he comes behind the counter and plays around in the shop, bossing people around or causing trouble. Gokudera always argues with him, despite Lambo only being a little kid, and threatens to ban him from the shop but, to tell the truth, everyone would miss Lambo’s daily visits if they ever stopped.

Mukuro is a foster kid who works in a rival coffee shop just down the road. He delights in coming to the Vongola coffee shop on his way home from work or on his days off and being a nuisance, trying to cause mischief or trouble or, in some of his nastier moments, outright trying to sabotage their coffee shop to help business at the coffee shop he works at with his friends Chikusa and Ken, who cause trouble for the shop to varying degrees sometimes as well. Tsuna can’t bring himself to ever kick Mukuro out though since he thinks Mukuro isn’t a bad guy really and besides, it would hurt his newest employee if he did that.

And who is this newest employee? Why, it’s Mukuro’s foster sister Chrome. She wanted to get more independent and had decided to get a job. When Mukuro laughed at the idea of helping her get a job at his work, she applied at the Vongola coffee shop and was hired. She’s a bit of a mess as an employee, since she’s so shy that taking orders from customers freaks her out and she thinks that every drink is made better with chocolate but Tsuna can’t think about firing her - despite her troublesome family, she’s a model employee in other ways, always showing up on time, always quiet, always willing to pick up extra hours and she does try.

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kendrixtermina · 8 years ago

Text

Extra Typology Vol #3 - 0. System Overview - What is this?

As this system is still relatively unknown and not as intuitive as the Essence Types, I wanted to give everyone a quick 101 on the system so we’re all on the same page, basically the same very primer I had from internet research which lead me to be so very interested in buying the book - perhaps it will make you interested in buying it, too.

Also, a thanks to @jerdle for making me aware that this stuff exists in the first place.

The Idea

Apart from his one foray into typology, the author of the book has mostly worked in the field of psychiatry and the treatment of personality disorders in particular, and that’s kind of where his concept here comes from, basically the idea that some disorders are “malfunctions”/ “corruptions” of normal functions (or perhaps the other way around, that when people develop in a disordered way due to abuse or simple wiring errors, they manifest symptoms in ways characteristic to their traits)

There’s a lots of traits here that were once considered full-blown personality disorders but have been relegated to “traits” or whole other classes of dysfunctional tendencies. - And of course, these days, psychiatrists have mostly switched to diagnosing based on a multidimensional measure of functionality (ability to control emotions, recognize reality, distinguish between self & other) rather than fixed categories exactly because of the problems that not all patients can be neatly grouped into just one box, but also because a lot of the criteria read like a list of slanted descriptions of regular, even potentially helpful traits with a handul of actual glaring dysfunctionalities at the bottom, with those being what makes it an actual serious illness that greatly impacts one’s functionality and quality of life.

There’s something slightly problematic in discribing an illness with a list like “not good at socializing”, “dresses oddly” and “believes they have special powers”, because you could fit a substantial amount of it without being actually abnormal (Not everyone who isn’t good at socializing & dresses oddly believes they have special powers - and in specific context even non-disordered people can be capable of believing in unusual things, for example in religion or conspiracy theories.)

So for the same reasons that when it comes to diagnosing & treating disorders a functionality based system with few categories is probably better, these commonly described “traits” might merit a further look, and that’s possibly how this book and the typology system started therein came to be.

Disclaimer: That said, I will try to avoid or skim over the subject of psychiatry in my further review, analysis & summary because that is a delicate can of worms and I don’t know fuck about it; I don’t wish to end up ruining the day of people who already have more than enough on their plates or give the impression that I’m romanticising anything I have no clue about; I only wish to describe & popularize the typology system as a tool for self-improvement, mutual understanding and the creation and analysis of fictional characters.

The System

As explained in the masterpost, this is more of a multidimensionl trait-based system in which you don’t necessarily have one particular type, but there’s a list of traits that you either have or don’t, and both the convernation & gradation in how pronounced they are would vary by person (though one could theoretically imagine a person who would be pretty close to a “pure” representative of a type)

The traits themselves strike me as fairly specific in that at least I personally could fairly quickly sort them into “hell yes/ hell no/ maybe”.

For example, I’d be “Idiosyncratic-Solitary-Artistic-Serious-Leisurely” (perhaps with ‘Vigilant’ tacked on at the end instead if you exclude ‘artistic’ but I don’t really identify with it that much) and your type would be described by listing 3-5 of your most pronounced traits.

The specific mixture probably matters & creates a great deal of your uniqueness (for example, in my case the ‘artistic’ trait somewhat softens the ‘solitary’ in that I’m not that unflappable, let alone unexpressive (heaven forbid!), though I’m very distinctly a hardcore introvert (to the point that I barely have any desire for friends, communicate mostly over technology and sometimes find it hard to cope with my live-in boyriend) whereas the ‘solitary’ trait’s need for clarity & a detached POV thankfully puts a regulatory valve on the ‘idiosyncratic’ trait’s “inner woo-woo” )

This can also be responsible for a person’s “hidden dephts” - One illustrative example I read was of a radio host who had a lot of traits you’d expect in this occupation - High on Self-Confident, and Dramatic, midrange Agressive - but also scored pretty high on Devoted, surprising the tester at first, but then, it turned out that he had a huge reputation for loyalty in both his current and former workplaces.

In the case of my boyfriend (1w9 INTJ) I’d say he’s very high in both ‘conscientious’ and ‘self-confident’. The result is an individual who is not very flashy at all but very commited to doing exceptional work and feels compelled to contribute to “the saving of the world”

Though the book (which originated the system) “starts out” with 14 original traits (which will be therefore be the ones that get covered in depht in this series) Like with the temperaments (Supine) and Essence Type (Solar), later users of the system have added some additional traits, also based on psychological concepts/dysfunctions that could be considered their unhealthy extremes or perhaps rather what happens when the associated “software” has “glitches”.

The Traits (Basic Rundown)

(title cursive if not included in the book)

Conscientious

Dedicated to hard work

Strong principles and values; Always want to do the right thing

Might insist that things be done “properly” according to their idea of “done right”

Would like all tasks & projects tobe complete to the final detail and without flaws

Tends to stick with their convictions and opinions

Thrifty, careful and cautious in all areas of life

Saves & Collects things

Mantains order & organization; Tries to save money

Loyal to causes, families & superiors

Perfectionistic & Preseverant

Comparable to Enneagram 1 and/or lower Fi

Extrapolated from Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (not to be confused with OCD which is a whole different animal and commonly misrepresented)

Sensitive

Prefer the known to the unknown; Comfortable with habit, repetition and routine

Cares deeply about what others think of them; Wants to be liked & accepted

Behave with deliberate discretion in their dealings with others; Not likely to make hasty jumps or take action before they know what is appropiate

Take care to mantain a courteous, self-restrained demeanor

Function best in settings where they know what their role is supposed to be

May be reluctant to share inner thoughts or feelings with others

Tend to prefer living in a small world & knowing the people in it; Being nestled in a close knit, emotionaly secure environment of a few friends & family - the sort to prefer a few good friends over a large circle of many acquaintances

Don’t like being the center of attention, but do want to be recognized for their creativity

Find freedom in their mind, feelings and fantasies

Comparable to Si-using introverts, sp 6 or the supine temperament

Mari, I believe this would be you

Extrapolated from Avoidant Personality Disorder

Vigilant

Independent; Keep their own counsel

Require little reassurance or advice, easily make their own decision & take care of themselves

Cautious in their dealings with others

Good & careful listener - aware of mixed messages, hidden motivations, evasions and distortions of the true

Don’t hesitate to stand up for themselves

Take criticism serious without being intimidated by it

Highly value Fidelity or Loyalty

“Survivor” - Value being aware of their surroundings and let nothing escape their notice

Often found in the role of the social critic, watchdog or crusader (Politics!)

Sounds roughly like counterphobic six or xSTP though there’s some incongruencies

Extrapolated from Paranoid Personality Disorder

Dramatic

Sensation oriented, emotionally demonstrative & physically affectionate

Experiences life vividly and expansively

Likes to be seen and noticed

Pays a lot of attention to grooming and enjoys fashion & shopping as a hobby?

Enjoys their sexuality

Easily puts trust in others

Responds well to new ideas and suggestions from others

Comparable to ESFx or 2w3

Extrapolated from Histrionic Personality Disorder

Aggressive

Comfortable with power, authority & responsibility - Natural top dog who works well in hierarchical organizations with clearly defined roles

Highly disciplined & capable of enforcing said discipline onto others; Run a tight ship

Highly goal-oriented; Practical, pragmatic approach to getting the job done

undertake huge responsibilities

Functions well & bravely in difficult or dangerous situations

Likes Action and Adventure

Usually physically assertive as well - may enjoy competitive and/or contact sports

May be traditional or conservative

in general, confident competitors who never back down from a fight

Comparable to choleric temperament, it’s not quite Se or Te nor 8 or cp6 but there’s probably overlap. Mars type is probably the closest analogue.

Extrapolated from Sadistic Disorder

Idiosyncratic

Tuned into and sustained by their own feelings and belief system

Self-directed and independent, requiring few close relationships

Ignores convention; Aspires to stand out from the crowd

Often somewhat eccentric

Open to anything; May be interested in esoterics

Often engages in abstract, speculative thinking

Keen observer of others, particularly of how they react to you; May be sensitive to that

Tends to follow their own heart and mind

This is basically 4, though one might also draw parallels to high Ne users.

Extrapolated from Shizotypal Disorder

Self-Confident

Believe in themselves and their abilities; See what is unique and special about them

Expect others to treat them with respect at all times

Able to make use of the strenghts and abilities of other people; Shrewd in their dealings with others, good at grasping the ‘politics’ of a situation

Open about their aspirations and possibilities

Able competitor, focussed on getting to the top

Identifies with people of high rank and status

Able to visualize self as a hero, star, millionaire, best in the field etc.

Keen Awareness of one’s own thoughts and feelings

Can accept praise & admiration gracefully & with self-possesion; Dignified, ‘aristocratic’ presence

Know how to work, motivate and lead the crowd & attract others to your goal

Comparable to 3 (especially 3w4), ExxJ

Extrapolated from Narcissistic disorder

Solitary

Little need of Companionship; Doesn’t require much interaction with others

Most comfortable alone

Dispassionate; Indifferent to pain or pleasure and unswayed by either praise or criticism

Can come to terms with their behavior in spite of other’s reactions

Want to be free of the need to impress & please

Prefer clarity of vision to sentiment or intimacy

Not very driven by sexual needs; Some may well enjoy it but it’s not a big priority & they do not suffer in its absense

Long to discover & record facts of existence

Roughly like an extreme case xITx or sp 5 but seems far closer to your archetypical hermit

Extrapolated from Shizoid Personality Disorder

Leisurely

Believe they have the right to enjoy themselves on their own terms in their own time

Play by the rules & deliver what is expected of them

Resist being exploited

Relaxed about time

Not overly awed by authority

want to be accepted and appreciated by others without having to submit to demands or expectations

Believe that they are just as good as everyone else and entitled to the best things in life; Don’t let anybody desprive them of their pursuit of happiness

Don’t like to risk important relationships, yet feel the need to be free

Defend their right to do their “own thing”; Find happiness through creative pursuits

Comparable to: Se or Ne, Lunar type, 9w8

Extrapolated from Passive-Agressive Disorder

Serious

Usually mantains a sober demeanor

Realistically aware of their own capacities and limitations

Holds themselves responsible for their actions

Always plays things out in their mind before acting

Able to critique others and evaluate themselves; Not tempted by vanity or self-importance

Able to anticipate problems and prepare for them; Able to carry on even in the worst of circumstances

Suffers greatly when they realize they’ve been thoughtless or impolite to others

Suffers no illusions, tries to see things as they are; Doesn’t expect to be popular

Thinker, analyzer, evaluator

Possibly analogous to Saturn type or Melancholic Temperament

Extrapolated from Depressive Personality

Self-Sacrificing

Generous to people in need of something they have

Always considerate in their dealings with others

Aims to be helpful & giving; Doesn’t wait to be asked

Nonjugmental & tolerant of other’s foibles, never harshly reprobing

Don’t like being the center of attention; Noncompetitive and unambitious.

Ethical, humble, honest and thrustworthy

Stick with you through thick and thin, sometimes to the point of being long-suffering. Very Patient.

Prefer to shoulder their own burdens themselves & uncomfortable being fussed over; High tolerance for personal discomfort

Naive and Innocent; Tend not to suspect underhanded motivations

Comparable to 2w1, Fe dom or certain aspects of Jupiter Type

Extrapolated from Masochistic/ Self-Defeating Personality Disorder

Devoted

Thoroughly dedicated to the relationships in their lives

Prefers the company to one or more people to being alone

Tends to follow rather than lead - happy to seek out other’s opinions and follow their advice

Careful to promote good feelings between themselves and the important people in their lives

Thoughtful of others and good at pleasing them

Able to form new meaningful bonds, even after the loss of someone around whom their life centered

Loyal, considerate & helpful team player

Respectful of authority and institutions; Believe in comitment and work hard to sustain their relationships

Promotes harmony; Polite, agreeable and tactful

Tends to rely on the judgement of the important people in their lives

Roughly like sx Nine or phobic six? Venus Type?

Extrapolated from Dependent Personality Disorder

Adventurous

Live by their own internal code of values - not strongly influenced by other people or the norms of society

Love the thrill of risk-taking

Do not worry too much about others; Not inclined to worry about the future or regrets about the past

Good at winning friends and influencing people

Love to keep moving and exploring; Go boldly where most fear to tread

Tends to challenge boundaries and restrictions

Stands up to anyone who’d dare to take advantage of them

Tends to be a mischief maker as a kid

Lives in the present; Doesn’t worry much about finding work etc. - Lives by their talents, ingenuity and wit

Extroverted Sensing. Also comparable to Mercury type or 7w8/8w7

Extrapolated from Antisocial Personality Disorder

Mercurial

Prefers to always be involved in a romantic relationship

Tends to experience passionate, focussed attachments in all their relationships

Emotionally active and reactive; Puts their heart into everything they do

Uninhibited, spontaneous, fun-loving and undaunted by risk

lively, creative, busy & engaging

Open-minded; Willing to experience and experiment with other cultures, roles and value systems and follow new paths

Imaginative and curious

Enthusiastic; Show initiave and can stir others into activity

Escapistic; Good at distancing themselves from reality when it gets too harsh

Years for experience and insists that others come along for the ride; Ardent in their desire to connect with both life and other people

This description makes it sound rather solar-y/pixie-dream-ish(That’s probably closer to ‘Artistic’ or ‘Exuberant’) or like simple ol’ fi but in the actual book this comes across as vastly more tempestous, like, an “intense art critic”, fire & ice, lots of love & lots of hate type of person or sx/sp four, but not quite -

Extrapolated from Borderline Personality Disorder

Inventive

Idealized self-image - see self as superior individual of high worth

Strives for recognition & approval; Desires to be the object of attention and admiration

Cares about out-archieving others; Aspires to honors and fame

People-pleaser, especially toward wealthy and prominent people

proves worth by exercising their charm

After social status, material security & the affections of their desired sex

Sensitive about how others react to them; Long to be highly esteemed

Entertain fantasies of greatness or stardom - great need for immediate sucess

Subdued demeanor - energetic but phlegmatic, your basic “peach” type of person with an acessible exterior but a hidden core of privateness & possibly artistic sensibilities

Open to culture; Wide range of interests

Avoids situations where they could be criticed, slighted, humiliated or shamed like the plague; Very conscious of how others treat them

Comparable to 3w2 or sx 3; Probably a lot more likely to be xxFx than Self-Confident

Extrapolated from Compensatory Narciscism

Artistic

Tendency toward mood swings, can go from upbeat, excitable & productive to sullen and withdrawn - these shifts tend to be due to the person’s internal processes rather than external triggers

Artistic inclinations, as the title suggests. Productivity ebbs and flows,depending on mood & inspiration, may have periods of frantic activity alternating with apathy and “writer’s block”

Unpredictability - may take up new jobs, hobbies, ouses etc. out of impulse, despises routine & likes varied, stimulating experiece & improvisation

Tend to have a grasp on many different corners of the human experience & therefore have a gift for nuanced understanding of different viewpoints

Feeling-oriented - decisions are usually based on current mood, feelings & impulses more than systematic approaches

May have issues with commitment and/or self-control

Fluctuating self-confidence - may seem grandiose one moment & beat themselves up in the next

as likely to be 7 or 4; Lunar or Solar ... Fi?

Extrapolated from Cyclothymic Disorder

Exuberant

Highly values pleasurable and intense experiences

Enjoys being active

Gragarious and disinhibited, but also independent workers; Tendentially Ambiverts

Seeks out others as romantic or sexual partners, but they can end up playing second fiddle to their work

Tendency to splurge

Enjoys recreational substances such as booze, but may fall into a tedency to overdo it

Holds friends & loved ones to a high standard

Enjoys traveling or moving to new location

Values being knowledgeable or skillfull

Though they may adopt a tough demeanor, they can be remarkably kind underneath

Often Comitted to creative Work & high Productivity

Bit like ENxP, Sanguine temperapent or sx-first

Extrapolated from Hypomanic disorder

Carefree

charming, spontaneous & refreshing - don’t necessarily feel the need to eventually aquiesce to conventional ideas of maturity or conformity

Sexually unabashed and generally non-repressed

may enjoy being pampered but also long to retain a certain freedom, sort of ambivalent about depending on others

Takes a simple, uncomplicated view of friendships & relationships & things in general

May be scattered & not the sort who copes well with too much responsibility & tendency to be pouty or stubborn in such stress situations (as opposed to the more mature or at least pseudo-mature reaction of a Dramatic or the angry intensity of a Mercurial) -

Though not always capable of following through with actual help or giving, they’ll usually be well-wishing or sympathetic

Kinda like a sp 2 or lunar-venus

Extrapolated from what was once categorized as Infantile Personality Disorder