#i pretend not to see that she disintegrated herself and instead choose to believe she beamed herself tf outta there like narissa did

[vordenburg]

Adelaide Kane needs to reprise her role on SNW (somehow) so we can see her in Romulan tactical gear and with those famous pointy ears.

[izvmimi]

“Thank you for always being so understanding about all of this,” Izuku says between spoonfuls of soup. You look up from your own bowl, then around; Inko has stepped out of the room to use the restroom, and the two of you remain facing each other at dinner.

Tenko hasn’t joined the three of you tonight, citing “other plans”, but you have the impression that nerves have gotten to him finally and Izuku agrees with your assessment. The thought of Tenko, once Shigaraki, being nervous about how the general public will receive him feels somewhat ridiculous, but it is a very fair thing to be worried about given the circumstances.

After all, it’s only been 5 years since the meta war, and even if he’s proven himself to Midoriya and the Hero Commission, he has no guarantee going public in this matter will be well received, even if Deku will be by his side, promising emphatically and empathetically in his own very Deku way to stop him again if things get awry, and the people believe in their Symbol of Hope.

Yet, what Izuku is referencing is something unrelated completely. His hand reaches over the table to cover yours gently, and he smiles warmly at you, and in that look, you remember how happy he was to see you from his hospital bed, adjusting a few flowers and cards on the counters before being startled by the sound of his voice. He was happy to see you intact, safe, despite having gotten precariously close to the main fight. 

Izuku remembers your body moments away from disintegration every so often, the expected turn in his stomach not lessening over the years, and often wonders why you’ve managed to forgive Tenko the way you have, allowing him to crash on your apartment sofa and eat up all your snacks, and to permeate daily conversations between the two of you.

But you, like the people will during the press conference tomorrow, believe in his ability to be good.

Your lips part slightly with the touch as though you were to say something in surprise, but you choose not to, smiling instead, using your other hand to finish your soup. 

The words I trust you and I have hope, are left unsaid.

—

The cameras don’t stop flashing but Deku and Entropy continue to face the cameras politely, smiles matching, Entropy’s not as wide but still warm. The dreaded tomato isn’t tossed at his face and while there are a few insults hurled from the back of the crowd, understandably, they’re easily drowned out by the cheers of support.

The two young men both pledge to keep the city safe.

The trial period of their partnership will be for about a year before they’ll eventually act independently, and while it seems like a sensible idea upfront, you and Izuku find out that the netizens have quite a lot to say about it.

Parole officer Deku…

They’re really running out of new concepts, aren’t they?

Do you think I could turn him back? He might have been sexier before…

That last comment has 200+ replies and you pore through them on your phone while Tenko returns with four iced beverages, three of them coffee and the fourth a lemonade with an alarming amount of caffeine in them. Sparkles eyes his drink, while accepting her latte from him, then shakes her head.

“You know those kill people, right?”

Tenko blinks for a moment, then shrugs before putting the straw in his mouth. 

“I mean…” you pipe up and Izuku gives you a look to warn you not to make the joke you want so desperately to make, and you press a finger to your own mouth coyly.

Sparkles figures out where you were about to go in that sentence and kicks your leg under the table. Tenko sips on his drink and says nothing.

“You guys looked great out there,” you say, instead. “I would definitely trust my life to you both,” you add and Sparkles nods enthusiastically. You watch her pat his shoulder gently, then catch herself, pretending she was wiping off a bit of lint.

You’ll send her a text reminding her she doesn’t need to pretend that he wasn’t with her last night in a couple minutes, but for now you let the two newly partnered pros give their own press conference perspective.

There are many new books to be written and you wonder which page you’ll turn first.

[krackheadkulture]

Saving You

Pairing: OC X Yang Jeongin (Ghost) Word Count: 6k+ Genre: Fluff, Supernatural, Gory

WARNING: MENTION OF DEATH AND SUICIDE

[THIRD PERSON PERSPECTIVE] 

In life, everyone is good at something; they can be good through learning or are gifted at birth. So, it was not a surprise for Jisung to acquire a skill after realising how easy it was to kill another being in order to redeem his freedom from the hellhole of the hotel he had been stuck in for the last decade. All Jisung had to do was wait, wait for that innocent soul to walk into the hotel right before the jury court that only came once every centuries, and finish all his task so he could be released, thus why Jeongin was now stuck in the hotel as one of the last remaining ghostly resident living (or haunting) the hotel.

It had been about two centuries since Jeongin had been left in the hotel, floating past every room for the thousandths or even millions of times. There were nothing in the hotels at all- other than debris, dust and shattered glass. Jeongin was alone, and he watched briefly of how the world had changed around him, evolving and creating- but one thing was for sure, he was still the same.

He could have easily killed someone who entered the hotel to complete his task to be released from the hellhole but it was never easy for him, since no one dared or bothered enter the haunted hotel. It was also a wonder how the hotel had never been taken down by anyone as well. Jeongin had spent years and years, hiding in the basement, pretending to stab the air in case a human decided to appear to prepare.

It only took him about two centuries to have his first visitor, her. She was a broke student in the modern technology world. Recently moving into a foreign city with little to no cash at all, she have decided to live in this rundown and lonely hotel for the internship that she had desperately hoped for. However, even though the internship lasted for a couple of months, the company could not bother to find a hostel or a small room to squeeze her in so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

After about three weeks of research in the comfort of her small home shared between her parents and siblings, the hotel was the only place available- or probably ‘vacant’. Everyone around her had been telling you that it was a bad idea since there were many rumours of dead people roaming around the corridors, scaring the wits of the living. It was also one of the places known to have one of the highest killing streak in the entire world. However, she never listened to them, for one, sh don’t believe in ghosts and two, that city was the only place that held her dream job and she were desperate to not let go of it. She knew if you had that job, she could definitely provide a better living situation for her family and better education for her siblings. And that was when she had made up her mind.

When she had first encountered the rundown and dirty-looking hotel, she swore her heart skipped a bit. It did looked like it came out from a horror story- windows were shattered, creaking lifelessly back and forth by the harsh wind, the entrance enclosed by a disintegrating wooden door. The rusting handles was loosely screwed into place. She gulped, thinking about the choices she had made. But there was no turning back, she have came this far already. Taking a deep breath, she carried her heavy luggages and gave a hard push at the door before it finally gave way. She was transported back in time as soon as her feet stepped into the place.

It was actually beautiful, in a victorian way. The staircase was spiral up, leading to the first floor, to the second floor, and so on, until the fifth floor. The furnitures that had been left untouched these couple of centuries were craftily carved and designed. Everything would be perfect- if only there were no piles of dust covering each surface.

She sighed, before grabbing her things to move into the closest room she could find- which was on the first floor. The luggages hit the stairs every time she tried to carry the bags up, creaking every step she made- and this was the first abnormal noise that Jeongin noticed.

He was at the basement again, holding his knife in his hand, slashing the air repeatedly. He was getting bored, but he knew he had to prepare and the creaking sound suddenly gave him hope. He dropped the knife onto the dusty floor before dashing through the floors effortlessly, reaching the source of the noise and found her, still struggling with the bags.

Unknowingly, a smirk formed on Jeongin’s face as he watched her carefully away from a distance. Finally, Jeongin thought to himself. Maybe he was finally going to escape the hotel after all… but that was before she saw him.

-

The first time she had actually met Jeongin was the moment she finally settled into her room- but just a glimpse. He flashed past her eyes as soon as she landed on the creaking bed and she was sure she were hallucinating for a moment but when she started thinking about her internship, you quickly brushed it off her shoulders. It was probably nothing, she had thought to herself… or was it not?

She rolled her eyes. She didn’t believe in ghosts, and she knew she was having delusions. It had been a long 5 hours journey with no help of the harsh weather she faced so the best answer to her troubled thoughts were definitely that she was tired.

She quickly washed up and snuck into the warm blanket before falling asleep, not realising that Jeongin was watching over her. A smile creeping up his lips.

-

It had been a couple of days since she moved in the hotel, and probably most of the time out since she still had her internship. If only she knew she weren’t the only one in the hotel left, she would have wondered why Jeongin had not killed her. It was because he couldn’t. He had spent the few couple of weeks watching her waking up late and rushing out the door with her uncombed hair, her redden eyes and her teeth that had yet to be brushed. She had tripped over her feet as she tried to wear the cheapest pair of black heels she could find out of the hotel, her blurry vision limiting her view from sleeping at at least 3am till 7am, 4 hours of sleep only and she were still functioning. Should he put her out of her misery?

He could not. Partially because he was soft-hearted, and the other half was because she were standing on the edge of her window, gazing down at the busy streets, already ready for death itself. The wind blew past her face gently, her tear-stricken face getting colder. She couldn’t take it anymore. Too much pressure, too much stress… so… so little support from her colleagues, she were never good enough to them, never was. No one was going to miss her… right?

“Don’t,” Jeongin’s lips parted open as he saw her moving an inch forward, out of the window. She paused. She jumped a little. Her heart was beating so quickly, why? Because she thought she had always been alone in this damn torn down hotel these couple of weeks already. And she was definitely sure she was delusional now. “Don’t… don’t you have a family?” Jeongin asked quietly.

She turned around silently, trying to figure out the source of where the voice came from but there was no one. “W-who are you?” She spoke into the air, not sure where the source was at all.

“Promise me you would come down from the window first?” The voice brushed past her ears. She nearly tripped over the window but her hands gripped onto the edge of the wooden frame firmly, her knuckles turning white slightly.

“Why… why can’t I see you?” She asked quietly as she climbed down the ledge. She felt a huge relief as soon as her feet touched the carpeted floor. She glanced around the empty room, trying to communicate with the supernatural being.

“Because I chose not to be seen,” Jeongin replied, revealing himself in front of her. His figure hung translucently, floating up and downwards gently. He gave her a small smile.

The girl could not believe the being in front of her. She was looking at a ghost, but not any scary or intimidating ghosts, he was very handsome. He did not even looked like someone from centuries ago. The eyes that were as translucent as his entire body were gleaming and shining, brightening his face. His teeth, pearl white straight, were arranged neatly behind his small smile. He was the most beautiful being she had ever seen.

Her mouth opened, but no sound was emitted out. She could not scream. She was surprised, but the shock was overcome by the beauty of the ghost. “W-who are you?” She asked quietly.

“Jeongin,” the translucent figure replied with a shy smile. “I have been stuck here since the 19th century and… you’re probably the first person that had step foot into the hotel after me…”

“How are you here, Jeongin?” she asked. She couldn't help but open up to the ghost. She was attracted, interested and invested in the man in front of her.

“I should be asking you that question instead,” Jeongin said. “Why did you think of jumping when you have a future ahead of you? Do you want to be stuck in the hotel forever, without seeing a light of the outside?”

The girl frowned slightly. Fragments of her memories passed her in that split second. “I-I couldn’t help it. Nothing is going right at all, at work and at home.”

“Tell me about it?” Jeongin suggested.

She smiled slightly. “I-it’s nothing big-”

“So small that you think committing suicide is the answer?” Jeongin cut in.

“Well… my family had been threatened to be kicked out of our house because of the lack of money we have and work has been nothing but screaming and mentally abusing me. It’s not even giving me enough money for my entire family so I don’t know what to do,” the girl replied.

“And if you choose this path, wouldn’t your family be even more damaged and hurt?” Jeongin asked. “There are always other ways. You just have to look harder.”

She scoffed, “Haven’t I tried hard enough? There’s no answers to my problem… and what do you even know anyways? You’re… you’re just a gh-” She stopped herself. She knew it might not end well if she continued her sentence.

Jeongin gave a sad smile in return. “But I was once human, I know human feelings like it’s on the back of my hand,” he replied, frowning slightly. “But it has been long… since I…”

“How long had it been since you died? And what brought you into this wreck place?” The girl asked. She rubbed her tear-strikken face and blinked her eyes.

“Since the 19th centuries?” Jeongin glanced around as he answered her. A sad smile formed on the corner of his lips as he remembered every details of his journey far away from home into the hellhole. “I was… a foolish boy,” he started.

Jeongin was now the oldest he had ever been in human form. A skinny and scwanny 18 year old boy deciding to move into a new city to better his life. He never had an eye for fashion but for such a handsome young youth such as him, the worn out second hand beret tucking his hair neatly into the small hat and the old fraying vest he wore over a simple shirt made him look gorgeous. Everyone’s eyes were on him whenever he went.

He skipped from town to town, by every transportation he could find- be it trains or buses, there was always a way for him to head to his direction. He was stepping into his final transportation by the fifth hour of the day since he had headed out. Hitching a ride for Jeongin was one of the easiest way of getting people to stop their cars for him since he was indeed a handsome young lad.

“Where you’re headin’, young man?” The person whom had let Jeongin into his car asked as the 18 year old boy carefully buckled his seatbeat.

“Somewhere close by,” Jeongin replied with a smile, showing his beautiful rows of pearl white teeth.

“Watcha doin’ there?” The man continued.

Jeongin this time, gave a slight smile. “To achieve my dream,” he replied.

“In the big city huh? It’s gon’ be tough and hard, but I know that a young lad like you have the potential to survive through this strict system and be a leading example for the future,” the man grinned.

Jeongin smiled and said nothing. He leaned against his palm that was resting on the window. He stared out into the big void of the night. The neon signs illuminated across his face and blinked in different lights, but they were soon gone after a couple of minutes later.

The car was finally leaving the busy city when Jeongin’s lips parted opened. “I shall get down from here now.” The man next to him immediately pulled up but he stopped moving as he stared at Jeongin curiously.

“You sure, lad?” The man’s grunted voice came from underneath his bushy beard, still staring at Jeongin. “It’s in the middle of nowhere and there’s only this hot-”

“That’s where I’m going to,” Jeongin cut in, glancing from the driver to the overlooming hotel in front of him, standing grand and old. It looked ancient, but its structure was sturdy, too sturdy to be sure. “It’s… cheap and close to the city,” Jeongin continued, grabbing his small suitcase inbetween his legs as he unbuckled the seatbeat. He hopped off the car and waved with a big smile at the person who was willing to hitchhike him. “Thank you for that ride,” he thanked.

“Any time,” the man replied with a wink before driving off into the darkness, leaving Jeongin alone in the middle of the night. There was no turning back anymore since he was already here. With a deep breath of the cool night, he tighten his grip on his suitcase and walked through the doors of the hotel, not knowing that he would never come back.

“Why did you stop there?” the girl asked as soon as Jeongin stopped speaking for a while now. She frowned slightly. “Come on! It was really getting more and more interesting!” Her eyes were glistening with curiousity. All the past events she had done was erased, now only focused on one thing; and that was Jeongin’s story.

Jeongin still saying nothing, gazed out of the room to the only cracked window. The sun had long set since Jeongin started his story. He pointed a ghostly finger at the window. “It has been a long day for you and you should get some rest. Maybe… if you still managed to keep yourself alive, you’re able to hear the complete story.”

She gave a small smile and rolled her eyes. “Wow, I was not expecting a cliffhanger like this,” she sighed before nodding her head in resignation. “Yeah, you’re right, I should…” she sniffed a yawn. “Really get a good sleep for tonight.” She stood up and snuggled herself within the duvet of her bed. “Thanks… thanks Jeongin for telling me your story… even if it… it… it was… only… a small… part.” She drifted off into sleep right immediately as the last word dwell.

Jeongin stared at her sleeping form for a couple of seconds before zooming out of the room. It took him no longer as soon as he was out of her shabby room when he stopped himself. He frowned immediately. He never knew that she would be that open to him and how he would be that open to her… for the first time in Yang Jeongin’s life, he had never felt that… warm. Now how was he going to be willing enough to kill her? They still had a story to complete anyhow.

-

“Good morning,” a voice called out as soon as the girl stretched her arms as she woke up. It was a Sunday and she did not have any work at all, so it was her free day now. She glanced around and found no one by her side. She raised her eyebrows but said nothing.She glanced out at the window. The sun was pouring into the room, illuminating the room brighter, partially blurring her vision.

“Jeongin?” Her mouth immediately formed the name as soon as she heard those words. She was not even crept out even though it had only been the second day since she realised that she was not the only one in the hotel anymore.

She froze shortly, feeling a light presence behind her. She quickly turned around to find Jeongin grinning from ear to ear as he tried to scare her. But in return, she just gave a tight smile before letting out a big yawn again.

“Good morning to you too,” she said as she finally and reluctantly gotten out of bed. “How long have you been staring at me for?”

“Long enough to know that you drool in your bed,” Jeongin replied as he floated beside her. “Do… do you have any plans for today?”

“It’s my free day so I don’t have to work,” she replied as she took her toothbrush and brushed her teeth.

“Well, aren’t you… going to meet up with your friends or something?” Jeongin asked.

“I don’t have friends anywhere near here so I was… just probably planning to head over to the city to get some food- but,” she quickly turned around to look at Jeongin with a cheeky smile. “Why not we just spend the entire day listening to your story? It was definitely uncool and uncalled for you to end the story in a cliffhanger, man.”

Jeongin chuckled. “Well, if you don’t mind, we can always continue the story right now or… until you’re free.”

“Which is right now!” She chuckled as she chugged her cup of water and spit out the foam of the toothpaste. She quickly jumped back onto her bed, waiting for Jeongin to join her so that he could continue the story. Jeongin chuckled at the girl in front of him before opening his mouth. The words flow out immediately.

Even though the incident had happened a couple of centuries ago, it still remained as fresh as Jeongin could remember- every moment, every minute of it… it had always remained in Jeongin’s mind.

He remembered the days he had cried in his bed, muffled under his blanket, trying to block out any reminders of his supposingly ‘dream’ job. It was all a scam and Jeongin had spent his entire life chasing after it to only realise that dreams are only meant for dreaming… not for chasing. He remembered how he had stopped eating, attempting any possibly of suicide or torture… until a group of humans appeared before him one day.

He was shocked to hear voices across the lobby of the rundown hotel. It had been so long since he had heard any laughters or noises for a couple of months now. His crying stopped, his head was no longer under the blanket. Instead, his legs were now on the ground rushing towards the source of noise, his hands wiping aggressively the tears that had flown down his face. His hand reached the doorknob just to hear to scream erupt from below. Jeongin halted immediately in front of the door before running back to his bed, his safe haven. The screams lasted for a couple of minutes before it finally died down… for a couple of days.

“Suggestion,” the girl interrupted Jeongin midway. “Do you have any titles for this story? Because if you don’t have one for this really interesting piece, can I give you one? I have made a couple as you spoke.”

Jeongin raised his eyebrow at the girl. He never knew she was this bright, happy and cheery since all he had seen of her was always rushing out of the hotel quickly and coming back after hours exhausted and drained of energy and this continued for so long… too long. “Hit me with your best shot,” he said.

Her eyes gleamed again. “How about… The Haunting Adventures of Jeongin? Oh! Or-or… or, Following Jeongin into the lives of a ghost? Or-”

“Let’s get back to the story shall we?” Jeongin cut in before she could push in more ideas that was surely going to make Jeongin’s head explode. And that really did shut her up… for now.

Jeongin was sure that the people whom had moved into the hotel shortly just before the screams erupted were all dead. He had no idea who they were or how they had died since there were no bodies- gosh, he was even paranoid to be thinking it was all in his head and there was nothing going on. But the thought of the people moving in were erased from his head soon after and he did want it to remain it that way but everyone knew, it was impossible to get anything you wish for.

It happened one day… maybe in the early December, a few months after he had moved into the hotel. He was coming back home from his destressing work. The stairs creaked under his weight as he stepped across the stairs, heading up to his room. It was all normal- until he touched the doorknob to his room. The door was ajar. It was definitely weird, since it was never ever opened at all.

Jeongin froze. Should he go into his room? Or should he just dart back from where he came from- too late. The door swung opened before Jeongin. Jeongin’s eyes widen when he looked at the person in front of him. The white ghastly eyes of Han Jisung stared back at him.

His hair, messy and unkept, was how he used to keep it when he was human. His skin so transluncent that Jeongin could see past through into his room. Jisung gave a small smile before lifting his hand up. “Hey,” he greeted. “My name’s Jisung and I’ve just came across your room.” And that was before Jeongin let out a shriek, loud enough to shatter glasses; only, there were not any glasses in the hotel at all.

-

Jeongin had stopped his story from there. He had never decided to continue past this point anymore, because it was where it would end the most cruel, too gruesome for one, especially for her, his only listener.

As soon as Jeongin stopped his story, he quickly excused himself and disappeared on the spot, leaving the girl as confused as ever. No one had ever tried to stop a story at all for her and everyone knew they should always finished their stories and for that, she was sure she was going to do everything that she could to make Jeongin continued the story.

It started off as a one time thing, that soon turned into a daily basis. As soon as the girl reached home, aka the hotel, she would shout the first words that got into her mind. “I’m home, Jeongin!” She smiled at the empty and cold air as she stride towards her room. Sometimes, Jeongin would be waiting for her, other times, he would be at her bedroom. And they would talk about almost anything. It was definitely a joy to her to be talking to Jeongin. They were somehow very similar to one another, how they ended up at the hotel, their dreams and families, but there was only one major difference: one was a ghost and the other was just a helpless human being.

The girl had gotten used to finding Jeongin waiting for her whenever she came back, but it was one of those odd days where she came across no one. The wind was howling outside, the storm was spitting everywhere, she was drenched cold and the last thing she had wanted was Jeongin ignoring her.

“I’m home, Jeongin!” Her teeth chattered as she stepped into the old and dim hotel. No answers. She rolled her eyes and headed up to her bedroom. She expected to find Jeongin perhaps seated on her bed or examining the books she had brought along from home, but he was not there either. She raised her eyebrows. It was weird, something was off.

She let out a heavy sigh before stripping the wet coat off her shoulders. After a quick sip of her water, she exited her room and started exploring the hotel for the first time ever since she stepped into the ancient building. It was scary but there was only Jeongin and her left in the complex and she needed to find him. She want to, she had to, and most importantly, she needed to.

-

She started from the highest floor, the fifth floor. She had no idea that the roof had holes and cracks in them until splatters of water dripped into the house, some hitting her as well. Eventually, she found nothing and headed to the fourth floor, decending all the way to the ground floor, but Jeongin was still nowhere to be seen. She frowned. She needed to look for Jeongin but she was exhausted and distress after looking for a straight three hours now. She had had enough, so she decided to retire back into her room.

The footsteps towards her room were heavy, all filled with unknowing sadness and darkness. Maybe… maybe it was time to give Jeongin a little time. She entered her room slowly, slidding her feet across the wooden floor, until she stopped. Her foot had hit something and she knew it was not there before. She glanced down to find a panel ajar in the middle of her room. It was well hidden and she knew she would not have found it if only she hadn’t slid her feet across the floor.

Immediately, she crouched down and pulled the plank up with her short fingernails. It took some work but she managed to eventually. She was surprised to find what was revealed underneath the wooden panel. It was a small vertical tunnel, extremely dark but there was a long ladder attached to the side of the wall. The ladder looked old but trustworthy and sturdy enough to be climbed down from. She took a deep breath before wiggling herself into the small hole, climbing down and down in the darkness, not knowing when to stop until it was actually time to stop.

-

It took about ten minutes for her to touch the concrete ground at the end of the ladders. Slowly, and carefully, she made her way down, making sure her two feet touched the sturdy floor before walking aimlessly in the dark. She knew nothing about this secret passage and she was sure she was not able to identify her surroundings if she went deeper, but she did anyways.

Her heels clicked on the ground softly every step she took and it took very little time for her to find herself faced with a door, a door that still looked new, as if it was preserved throughout the centuries. She placed her head to the door, trying to hear any odd noises but there were none.

She stepped away from the door and reached for the doorknob, twisting it open quietly. The door made tiny groaning sounds as it opened slightly. She peeked inside and was expecting nothing. But there was the person- or ghost, she was desperately trying to find. A smile brightened on her face. She wanted to call out to her friend, but stopped herself.

Jeongin had his back facing the girl. He was talking in hush voices to someone whom she could not see. So, she tried to reached her head outwards, trying to hear his conversation.

“I… I can’t do it,” Jeongin’s voice trembled a little. “I… I have never felt this warm at all… when I was alive or even dead? Never. How am I supposed to do it? I- I know… it’s almost the end of the century again before the jury court starts. Should I… should I just stay here for another century then? If… if it really means to spend more time here?”

She froze. What did he mean by that? She could not even try to ask him at all because that would betray his trust on her. Without a second thought, she turned around and ran back towards the exit.

-

“Jeongin? I know I haven’t even asked you to continue your story for a while now… but would you mind if you… you did continue it?” She asked one day after her job. The two of them were laying on her bed- or maybe only her as Jeongin was still floating through the mattress. Jeongin raised his eyebrow but said nothing. “What?” She giggled. “I’m curious! I have been ever since you stopped it all of a sudden! You have no idea how long I was dying on the inside trying to wait… and wait… AND WAIT!”

Jeongin chuckled and sighed, not talking for a while. He was deep in his thoughts… and made eye contact with her, giving the girl a smile. “Okay,” he whispered.

Jisung… that was the name of the ghost boy Jeongin had saw. The one whom he had desperately tried to run away from but he would appear beside his side whenever he was the least suspicious. It scared the wits out of Jeongin but he kept quiet and silent, trying to ignore the fact that there was a supernatural being standing dangerously too close to him. His patience had stayed for a while, before it finally ran out in the end.

“HEY YOU! YES YOU GHOSTIE! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU NOT LEAVE ME ALONE?” Jeongin screamed as soon as he entered the hotel from work. His index finger pointing everywhere else around the hotel’s empty air. It was trembling terribly but he tried to remain calm.

“What?” Jisung suddenly appeared in front of Jeongin, only leaving an inch gap between them. Jeongin gasped, jumping back and ended up flopping onto the ground in the process.

“You!” Jeongin’s index finger went shooting up again, now pointing at Jisung. “Get away from my sight! What’s wrong with you anyways? Why are you always trying to stick to me like a damn leech?”

“That’s so much questions asked in the time I had only gotten you to speak to me, boy,” Jisung raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong with me trying to be your friend since you’re the only being left here?”

“Only being left here?” Jeongin repeated.

Jisung chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Yes, and that’s you, pretty boy. It’s… it’s pretty lonely around here until I realised you exist! What a joy it is!”

“How… how are… GHOSTS DON’T EXIST!” Jeongin shouted.

“Then what am I?” Jisung raised his eyebrow and rolled his eyes. “Your imagination?” He asked, tapping the translucent skull of his. He sighed. “I wish.”

“Then… then how did you become one?”

“Gosh, pretty boy,” Jisung sighed. “For someone who had been screaming for me to get away everytime I get too close, aren’t you a little too bold to be attacking me with questions in this short span of time?”

“If you don’t wanna answer it, you should’ve said so,” Jeongin grumbled.

Jisung rolled his eyes again. “What a feist boy you are,” he gritted. “Fine, I’ll tell you if you told me your name and once your name is told, we’re officially friends.”

“Aren’t you a little too high maintenance?”

“You were the one who started questioning me in the first place, for your information.”

Jeongin bit his lower lips before sighing. “Jeongin, Yang Jeongin,” he replied in a whisper.

Jisung smiled in reply. “That’s a nice name, pretty boy,” he chuckled. “And now it’s time for your reward,” he flashed a small smle at Jeongin. “I was killed by one of the people I was travelling with, his name is Kim Seungmin. He was a ghost before me and before that, he was killed by Lee Minho… probably because I was one of his precious boys and he couldn’t kill me and probably because Seungmin insulted Minho when he was in ghost form… thus, why I’m here.”

“But why do they kill one another in the first place and where are all of them now?” Jeongin asked and only earned a small smile from Jisung.

“That’s all I’m telling you for now,” Jisung replied before disappearing away from Jeongin.

“That’s all?” She asked, staring at Jeongin. “W-what about t-the rest of the story? You can’t end it like that!”

“Well, too bad,” Jeongin rolled his eyes. “That’s all I’m telling you since that was the last memory I had in human form.”

“Wait, so you’re saying you died right after that?” Her eyes widen in disbelief. “That simple?”

“Nothing is ever simple at all, please,” Jeongin mumbled. “Anyways, I have to go now. Bye!” He disappeared once again, leaving the girl alone with her many questions still left unanswered.

She watched the space that Jeongin had left behind before disappearing. She knew that there was something to do with killing another human being. She was not able to ask Jeongin anymore, but she could only predict, and this time, she knew she had to do it fast, otherwise there were not any time left.

-

It was the third last day before the jury court, and Jeongin could feel the tension arriving sooner than ever. He tried to resist it, but nervosity got the best out of him. He tried to act normal in front of her but it was impossible, so he tried to stay away from her as often as possible without her feeling suspicious. He was going to tell her eventually the completed story, only after the jury court.

It would mean that he would have to stay for another century in the hellhole but if that was what it would take to protect his friend, he would gratefully take it.

“Come on Jeongin!” The girl whined as the duo walked down one of the many corridors of the hotel. “Why wouldn’t you complete the story? You’re not fun at all! Stop making up so many damn cliffhangers!”

Jeongin chuckled quietly. “Okay okay, calm down,” he replied. “I… I will tell you eventually! Meet me in two more days, at 11:30pm, at the rooftop. I’m sure you would be able to find yourself up to the rooftop without my help,” he winked before disappearing for the nth time.

For Jeongin, it might look like a mere friendly midnight talk, but for her, she knew her time was running out fast, and she had to do something quick.

-

The two days rolled by incredibly fast and it was already the last day before the jury court- only to Jeongin- and as what Jeongin had said, the girl did managed to find her way to the rooftop quickly. Jeongin was waiting for her as she climbed up, and settled nicely beside the ghost, wrapping herself in a thick jacket she had brought from her room.

The both of them said nothing at first, only admiring the city night with only the cold breeze blowing past them. “Isn’t this nice?” Jeongin broke the silence, his gaze still fixated to the most amazing scenery he had ever seen. “It has been… so… so… so long since I’ve stepped out of the hotel to just get a glimpse of the city life and the cooling breeze. It scares me, how fast the world changes beneath us.”

“Why haven’t you been out here anyways? It’s… so calming,” she asked.

“Too many reasons… scared? Fear? Anxiety? Everything scares me nowadays. What if I’m not good enough for the world outside when-” Jeongin stopped himself shortly before continuing awkwardly. “If I ever got out of the hotel. What would I even do?”

“Well, can you get out of the hotel if you could?” She continues with her questions as usual.

“There are rules… but I will… tell you… very soon,” Jeongin said.

“But if you ever did… get out of the hotel, I mean, what would you do?”

“Probably complete my bucket list? Travelling across the world to explore the different wonders the world could offer? That’s… that’s probably one of the best gifts I could ever receive,” he explained. “But that’s probably not possible.”

“Well, do you believe in the impossible?” She asked, now looking at the sadden ghost beside her. Her hand crept towards Jeongin’s translucent hand and grabbed it. Surprisingly, it felt warm in hers as if she was truly grabbing onto the human Jeongin’s hand. “Because if you do, trust me on this one… please?” The last words that came out from her mouth ended as a small whisper.

With the other hand still kept deep in her pocket, she pulled out a sharp silver tip and grabbed Jeongin’s hand. Trapping Jeongin’s hand in between the dagger’s handle and both of her hands, she dug the knife straight into her heart.

Her eyes widen as she let out a gasp as the tip pierced the tip of her skin, plunging deeper and deeper down her chest. The crimson thick liquid started spilling out, first flooding the front of her shirt before dripping down her hands, onto the roof. The colours on her cheeks started faded out as her eyes started to fluttered weakly.

The painful memories of Jeongin’s last few days started flashing back, pulsulating front and back immediately as Jeongin continued to stare at the girl who was holding his hand as she plunged the knife deep into her chest.

All he could remember was his death as well. Jisung… and him were getting as close to one another as Jisung started approaching Jeongin in a much friendlier way. They were as close as ever, just like how the girl and Jeongin were. But in the end, as the jury court arrived closer and closer, Jisung just had to plunged the knife straight into Jeongin’s chest when he was asleep, causing the sleeping boy to jolt awake, screaming in pain as Jisung thanked him and apologized with him. He knew Jisung never met for things to go on like this but as Jisung disappeared slowly from his view for the last time, Jeongin felt anger rushing up to him. He could not help it; because one of his closest friends he had ever made or felt so close to, betrayed him in front of his face and that was when Jeongin knew why Jisung had not left like the rest of the others, because he still had one last task to complete, and that was to kill Jeongin.

Now he was looking at the same scene, but this time, the girl he had met sacrificed her life for him, a complete stranger she had no idea who he was. The anger he had felt when he saw her entering the hotel was turned into disbelief and surprise. They were so much similar than they had expected and that was what kept them closer as ever.

“W-w-why… why did you… why did… you… do this for me?” The words stuttered out of Jeongin’s lips.

The girl gave a soft smile. “Because I care about you, Jeongin. I want… I only… want… you… to b-be free again…” It was surprising how quick a person can drop everything just to protect the person they cared for and the girl in front of Jeongin was a pure example. “Jeongin… go live your life now please. Don’t… don’t stay in this hellhole anymore please.”

“B-but… y-you didn’t have to do it…” Jeongin whispered. A tear dropped from his face. He could feel himself pulsating in and out of vision.

“Hush, Jeongin. Just listen to me once okay? Go tell your story to everyone you met! You have… you have suffered… t-t-too much already. But just remember that, I am the one… giving the… title to this… story,” the girl whispered. She was running out of breath really quickly now. “This… this story is called… c-c-called… saving you.”

With her last breath and smile, she finally closed her eyes for the last time before Jeongin disappeared from existing. He was finally free and she was now trapped in the torturous dungeon.

A/N: Hello guys! I’m so sorry for the lack of stories being posted but I am back to being motivated! I might or might not have rushed this since I want it to be ready for Jeongin’s birthday (unintentionally) and this piece has been something I have worked on since last month but gave up for a moment. And it is not your usual fluff story. I wanted to try something new but I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did writing it! Anyways, 

Happy 18th Birthday Yang Jeongin! I love you so much and thank you for not giving up your dreams on becoming a singer and being a part of Stray Kids! Thank you for always improving nonstop and for being all of Stays sunshine and happy virus! Hope you have a great birthday ahead of you!

And as for all my followers, thank you so much for supporting me and for reading my story! Have a nice day and I hope to see you again! (I will also be editing this story once again soon!)

- Xin

[pass-the-bechdel]

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

No.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

One (7.69% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Twelve.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Film Quality:

Excellent! Full of as much heart as action, the film takes on the complicated task of delivering a Captain America for the modern world, avoiding jingoism while also acknowledging the origins which brought the comic-book hero into being. Against the odds (and my personal expectations), it is a sound success, and I consider it easily the best of the Marvel franchise’s early films.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Obviously, that didn’t happen.

Female characters:

Peggy Carter.

Male characters:

Johann Schmidt.

Steve Rogers.

James ‘Bucky’ Barnes.

Howard Stark.

Abraham Erskine.

Arnim Zola.

Gilmore Hodge.

Chester Phillips.

Brandt.

Fred Clemson.

Timothy Dugan.

Nick Fury.

OTHER NOTES:

I’m mad about the Hydra symbol being the coolest insignia in this franchise. I would wear the heck outta some Hydra merchandise, if it weren’t for the, y’know, evil Nazi fascism stuff. 

I love little Steve. They pulled that off so well.

I don’t love that Peggy’s introduction revolves around her being disrespected by a guy and then knocking him on his ass. It feels far too prescribed, too Strong Woman Cliche, so expected as to be rendered essentially meaningless. It implies that these are the most important things about the character - she’s a woman and she’s tough - and it panders to the sexist perspective by requiring Peggy to ‘prove herself’ upon arrival in a traditionally-masculinised way. They could have handled this introduction much better.

Man. This movie has such a good cast. The goodness of this cast has no chill.

“So many people forget that the first country that the Nazis invaded was their own.” This the good shit.

“Go get him! I can swim.” Snort.

Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, ‘Star Spangled Man’ plays over and over again in my head. That’s probably why I can’t sleep.

“Do you...fondue?”

The thing where someone gets hit and they fly off-screen in an exaggerated fashion is never not funny to me.

Characters surviving explosions without a scratch, however, is never not rubbish to me. 

A super-soldier is never late, Peggy Carter, nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to.

Steve really isn’t very precious about choosing his team: they’re all just Bucky’s friends. He basically just went “ok, show of hands, who loves Bucky Barnes? Good, you guys are with me”. I mean, it’s solid reasoning - he trusts Bucky, and these guys have Bucky’s endorsement, and that’s good enough for Steve. I note that only one of the other guys on the team besides Steve and Bucky is a white American - the other guys are a black American and an Asian-American (and I see you there, recognition of racism against Japanese-Americans which led to their incarceration during the war, etc.), and then there’s a French dude and a Brit. That’s Captain America’s elite team: not all-American, and racially inclusive. I DIG that subtext.

*hisses* why is this whole Natalie-Dormer-mackin’-on-Steve thing even here? It’s a useless contrivance, plus I am extremely displeased at having Peggy being so petty in her jealousy that she actually fires a loaded gun straight at Steve. I sure hope she heard Howard’s explanation about the properties of the vibranium shield, or that she already knew them, because otherwise this is completely outrageous, but even then: what if the shield hadn’t performed as advertised? What if a bullet ricocheted and hit someone else? This is such a dangerous thing to do, and did I mention it is in service of a useless contrivance anyway? Peggy deserves better writing.

Lemme tell ya straight up: I thought I was gonna hate this movie. I mean...it’s Captain America. I expected cloying patriotism, a blandly self-righteous hero, probably some good ol’ war glorification as well. What we got instead was a film that barely even mentioned the good ol’ USA outside of the (explicitly recognised as) propaganda rigmarole that Captain America slogs through - a tool used to excellent effect to acknowledge the character’s history (the comic was created as propaganda during WWII in real life) while also carrying through the idea that what Captain America stands for is something far grander than nationalist fervour - and Steve himself is imbued with unassuming charm, fueled by the strength of his personal convictions but never forcing those convictions upon others in a show of moral grand-standing: an essential facet of the character is that he’ll pursue what he believes to be right regardless of whether anyone else follows him, and he accepts that there are consequences to his actions; he never props himself up with holier-than-thou declarations, he never shames anyone for disagreeing with him, and he never claims any kind of superiority over others (an important distinction when you’re juxtaposed with a Nazi Ubermensch villain). Other characters are inspired by Steve, but the film wisely never positions them as if they were weak or wavering without the symbol of Captain America to unite them: the war is a grindhouse, and they know the only way out is through. No one is fighting because they perceive battle as a great and noble cause, nor because they are righteously empowered; they fight because their enemy is too terrible to let pass, and there is no room for glory in that.

I can (and will) still quibble about the representation of war in the film: while the fact that it is sparingly shown does help to avoid the glorification of violence and death in battle, it also undersells the horror of war, which runs the risk of looping back around to glorification by making it all into fun skirmishes with faceless goons and glow-weapons. Additionally, Captain America clashes exclusively with Hydra and its operatives; while Red Skull severs his ties with Hitler early on through the welcome disintegration of a few Nazi representatives, the film cannot entirely distance itself from Hitler’s legacy (which Red Skull actively takes on for himself), and I take long-standing issue with anything which uses Nazis as an evil catch-all but fails to acknowledge and respect the victims of their reign. After Steve’s heroic nose-dive in the Valkyrie ends Hydra’s campaign, the film cuts to celebrations of the end of the war; they don’t actually state that it was Captain America who just defeated the Nazis by taking down Red Skull (despite the fact that Hydra’s soldiers with their fancy tech and also, um, actual-Hitler and his armies, are all still out there), but the implication is there, and it feels a mite bit insensitive, to say the least. I do think it is better that Steve has his own corner of the war to fight, rather than taking on the whole thing and battling actual-Hitler in the end (now THAT would be insensitive), but I do wish that the destruction and evil of the war at large were the backdrop of the film, rather than the comparatively sanitised Hydra operation that we see.

In this context, the weight of the war and the toll that it takes on the psyche of those suffering through it is carried almost exclusively by Bucky Barnes, who emerges from the unseen tortures of a Hydra work camp changed, his buoyant enthusiasm from the beginning of the film subdued, locked up behind the shattered look in his eyes and the fragile way he carries himself, determined to see this thing through to the end so that he can fall apart later, if he makes it that far (he doesn’t). Fandom has made much of Sebastian Stan’s understated performance, and with good reason: despite a minimal number of scenes there is a richness of detail in Bucky’s character, and as the emotional sinking ground for tragedy - both as the personification of the war’s devastation, and as a personal loss for Steve Rogers - Bucky’s narrative importance belies the amount of time dedicated to him in-text. Fandom has also made a strong point - with which I agree entirely and for which I will not pretend to take unique credit for noticing - that despite expectation, Bucky’s archetypal function in the film is not as the Hero’s Sidekick; he is, in actuality, fulfilling the cliche of the Love Interest, not in competition with Peggy Carter but instead of; Peggy, likewise, is not an archetypal Love Interest at all, because she’s the Hero’s Sidekick.

I am entirely of the opinion that this is an essential part of what makes Peggy - the sole named female character in town - work out so well, against the odds. As Steve’s sidekick, Peggy’s primary functions are to support him and give him advice; the sidekick is traditionally a rational role, someone who keeps the hero grounded and helps them to make the right choices, especially when they are emotionally conflicted. The Love Interest compels the hero’s emotions, sometimes (often) framed as driving them to acts of recklessness, to joyous heights, and depressive lows. Bucky is Steve’s damsel in distress; Steve is compelled to act when he learns that Bucky has been captured by the enemy, action which is tempered and assisted by Peggy’s influence and which ultimately brings Captain America out of propaganda mode to practice what he has preached, and be the soldier Steve always hoped to be. When Bucky falls, Peggy is there to talk to Steve, as a friend, and help him stop wallowing and concentrate his grief into the resolve which carries him through the climactic confrontations of the film’s final act. I’m not going to argue that Steve wanted to join the army just to be with Bucky (presumably that was a factor to some extent, but to call it the primary motivator would be to ignore the value set which made Steve into Captain America in the first place), nor that he was willing to sacrifice himself in the end because Bucky was gone (Steve’s mourning for Bucky certainly played a role in his mental state at the time, but ultimately, bringing down the Valkyrie was a practical choice, not an emotional one), but undeniably, Bucky was either integrally or tangentially attached to all of Steve’s major decisions across the film, as is common for a Love Interest, whereas Peggy consistently filled a support-and-guidance role, as any good sidekick should.

This is not to imply, by any measure, that Peggy can’t or shouldn’t be seen as a viable (lower case) love interest (or that Bucky’s time as a hero’s sidekick somehow doesn’t count as what it is); actually, I think that both character’s relationships with Steve benefit from being framed in this switched fashion. Bucky’s lifelong friendship with Steve comes across stronger and more meaningful due to the emotional pitch, allowing it to resonate as something deeply significant to Steve despite the limited exposure we have to it in action - extra important considering that Bucky is also fulfilling that sacrificial-character role. For Peggy, the fact that she is presented as a love interest but coded as a Hero’s Sidekick is even more important in its effect: since she is the only woman around, we have been taught by approximately All Media Ever to perceive her as the Love Interest from the second she steps on screen, and with that perception we are also encouraged to devalue her character as essentially existing for no other purpose than to be an attractive female prize for the Manly Male Hero to win by story’s end. By reinforcing Peggy as a friend to Steve, we subvert the expectation that she has no real function and/or that her personality is irrelevant, because narrative coding has taught us that sidekicks (almost exclusively male) matter, they have things to say and their influence on the hero is meaningful. Whether they are stalwart sidekicks, or bumbling fools, comedic, or secretly-insidious, a sidekick should be noted, because they’re a lot more likely to have something plot-relevant going on than a boring old Love Interest. Being presented as a helpful, sympathetic presence in Steve’s life who also Has Her Own Shit Going On allows Peggy to meet Steve on more even ground, and her interactions with him are not built around being romantically or sexually available: by having a working relationship built on a foundation of understanding friendship rather than attractive chemistry, the development of feelings between the characters comes across more as extraneous and organic, rather than a prescribed cliche. It still is a prescribed cliche, but it’s not one that compels Steve to do dumb stuff or that undermines Peggy’s relevance as a person in her own right, and that makes it a much more palatable romance than what we usually get.

This is also why that idiotic ~jealousy~ contrivance I flagged earlier is so out of place - I mean, it’s out of place because it’s idiotic, it has no impact on the story in any way and its an insult to the characters and I don’t know why it exists or why they kept it in the final cut of the film because it’s asinine rubbish, but it’s also out of place because it approaches Peggy as a Love Interest, scorned and emotionally lashing out, an attempt to generate Love Interest drama where it has no place in the movie, for the characters as the people that they are, with the established dynamic that they have, or in the context of their situation. Throwing a misunderstanding and some hurt feelings on top of a relationship which has worked refreshingly well thus far because of the honest and open conversations the characters have shared is utterly tone-deaf, and it’s one black mark on what is otherwise a shockingly strong and tonally-consistent film. She may be all alone in the movie, but I will happily argue that Peggy is the best, most-rounded female character in the MCU at this early stage, and she’s playing across from an eminently worthy leading man in Chris Evans’ charmingly-sincere Steve Rogers. The supporting cast is there - Seb Stan, of course, but also Stanley Tucci! Tommy Lee Jones! HUGO WEAVING! - being wonderful and engaging across the board, and there are no weak links (except Natalie Dormer, but that’s not her fault, and at least the misstep is brief and POINTLESS so that it doesn’t taint the rest of the film). Captain America: The First Avenger may not be absolutely perfect - nothing is - but it is a great ride, sometimes surprisingly nuanced, sometimes intriguingly subversive even while it plays straight with the expectations of its genre. I went into my first viewing of the film just hoping it wouldn’t make me mad, and I gotta tell ya: I ain’t mad at all. As far as I’m concerned, this is the platonic ideal of superhero films.