#i was watching chicago typewriter while writing this so if there are similarities know you know why

[say-the-name-sebongie]

Fighting for Justice

Synopsis: Justice will be given

Pairing: Wonwoo x fem!reader

Genre: angst :)

Warnings: school violence and violence in general

Word Count: 3K words

Getting to school early was only one of the things that made students on campus call Wonwoo a "teacher's pet". That was in addition to his perfect grades, perfect attendance, and perfect school record. He was the top scorer in all exams and never had a graduation ceremony where he didn't walk up the stage with some kind of medal or award. Not to mention the fact that his family sponsored most of the university's endeavors and projects. In the eyes of a teacher, he really was perfect.

If he wasn't in class, people would often find him sitting in the library, quietly studying, or typing away on his laptop. They speculated that it was the side effect of being a teacher's pet. Some pitied him for not being able to have any fun but most people just found his presence annoying. There was no point in studying and it looked like he was just doing it for show. His parents were already paying the professors to give him a high grade. Or so they believed.

Wonwoo could hear their whispers but choose to ignore them. After all, he understood where they were coming from. He felt his phone buzz and started packing his things after reading the message.

As he moved away from the table he was sitting at, Wonwoo's eyes fell on a bunch of "elite students", the ones who paid to stay on top. He knew that bribing people with money was one of the easiest things in the world for those who had an abundance of cash. The names that were at the top with his on the score sheets were printed on there with cash. Children from well-off families didn't need to study for their names to be on top of the list, money got it there for them so there was no need to even lift a finger.

That system of "bribery education" lead to the formation of a secret organization, a rebellion, Laqueus. According to them, their main goal was to expose under the table dealings that robbed hardworking students of their rightful place at the top. They were after justice and a fair opportunity for all students. Your place should be determined by your hard work, not your status in society or the amount of money you had in your bank account. All the students— aside from the ones who bribed their way to the top— silently adored and supported them, though nobody knew who was actually affiliated with the group. In one way or another, having such an organization gave them hope that this injustice would end. They endured, believing that the leader of the resistance was sure to come to save them from their misery.

On the other side of the library, _____ pocketed her phone and sat back in her chair as the members of Laqueus entered their hideout. A file was opened on her laptop, emailed from their leader which contained the meeting agenda he had set for the day. Packaged books were stacked on the shelves surrounding a large metal table where various floor plans for the entire school were laid out. The book storage room at the back of the library wasn't the ideal place to hold secret meetings but it was all they had.

A knock came from the door, making all the members perk up. _____ quietly stood up and motioned for the others to hide. If the faculty found out that they had their secret meetings in the book storage room, their plan of achieving justice would fail and all their hard work would come to nothing.

_____ knocked once on the door. "Fiat Justitia." a boy's voice came from behind the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, she opened the door and came face to face with their youngest recruit.

"Hey, leader!" Chan chirped, beaming at her. _____ sighed. "For the last time, I'm not the leader, Chan. I just receive his messages and deliver them to the team."

She ushered him inside. The boy gave her a smile and limped into the storage room. _____ looked down at his feet and noticed that Chan's right foot was bandaged. She frowned. "You were injured from yesterday?"

"Yeah," he answered sheepishly as one of the other members helped him onto a chair. "I was trying to get away as fast as possible."

_____ could only shake her head. It was normal for at least one of them to get injured from a strike. Preparing the materials, executing the plan, and getting away without being caught was very dangerous work. If any of them had been seen it would mean the end of their school life. Expulsion was the punishment for such an offense against the school and being expelled meant that you couldn't fight anymore.

Checking her phone again, _____ told the members that they would start the meeting once the new recruit showed up. They shifted nervously at the news. Getting new members was risky business. You could never tell who would betray you.

"Don't worry," she assured them. "The leader says that he's a good one."

Another knock came at the door. After making sure that everyone was hidden, the vice-leader approached the door. _____ knocked once. She counted, one, two, three seconds before receiving an answer.

"Fiat Justitia."

A smile formed on her mouth as she opened the door to welcome their newest member, an asset that would be a great addition to their cause. The other members of the resistance gaped at who was standing at the door.

Jeon Wonwoo.

__________

_____ figured that it would take a lot of convincing to get the other rebellion members to stop harassing the poor boy with questions. But she couldn’t blame them, who wouldn't be suspicious? If there was one person who would most likely betray them, it would be the infamous teacher’s pet. She had already brought up this concern to their leader but the head of the resistance seemed to have great trust in Wonwoo.

"And why exactly should we trust you?" Seungcheol demanded, banging his hands on the metal table and leaning close to the new recruit's face. _____ could only smile and stay quiet. After the few conversations she already had with their secret leader, the girl was already convinced that the quiet student would never betray them. From what she heard, his hatred for the unfair system probably amounted to more than hers. Plus, with a mind and bank account like his, their plans and attacks were bound to be more successful. To her, Wonwoo was a force to be reckoned with even if he didn't know it yet.

"First of all," he said in a surprisingly steady voice for someone who was being interrogated, "I already know where your hideout is." Seungcheol's open mouth closed itself. With just one sentence he managed to silence one of the fiercest members of the resistance. "Second, I don't need to be on the receiving end of the injustice to know that what those people are doing is wrong."

"Everyone deserves a fair chance to place on top. The only thing that should get a student's name on the list is the grades that they've cried and bled for. A fair chance for everyone is all anyone is asking for. I know how hard it is to stay on top and the fact that there are people who don't have to do anything to be able to surpass what I've achieved on my own angers me."

Wonwoo eyes looked around at the other members as he spoke. _____ saw a light burning in them and spread like a wildfire to the other members in the room. It looked like she didn't need to step in and convince them to accept him as a member, the new recruit was doing that quite well all on his own.

"We have the same goal."

Seungcheol walked up to him and held out his hand for Wonwoo to shake, his mouth breaking into a proud smile. "Welcome to the resistance."

__________

_____ thought that accepting Wonwoo was proving to be one of the best decisions their secret leader had made. She even considered making him a vice-leader along with her. It was like he was born to be a member of Laqueus.

When there was a hole in their plan, he would always be the first to point it out. Funding for their strikes wasn't a problem anymore with his expendable bank account. It seemed that the thought of him betraying them had already been forgotten. Wonwoo was such a big help to their organization that upon hearing of his acceptance ceremony, the entire rebellion wanted to come.

"It would be too much of a risk." _____ reasoned out with them. "Having a lot of people in one place, especially in a place where they aren't supposed to be, will just put us all in danger of being found out."

In all honesty, the acceptance ceremony wasn't much. It was just called that way to make it seem more dignified.

"You're just here to receive this." _____ said as she handed him a small box. Wonwoo opened it and found a thin red ring inside. "Are you proposing?" he joked.

_____ smacked him lightly in the arm. She raised her own hand and showed him the red bracelet clasped around her wrist. "That's just a way for us to see who's on which side."

"That red band is a simplified version of the blindfold that the greek goddess Nike wears." Jeonghan, the team's Intel, said as he strode leisurely into the storage room with Jihoon and Seungkwan following behind him. "The blindfold means that justice is given regardless of who the person is."

"And why is it red?"

"We're at war, idiot." The girl's voice came from behind him. Wonwoo looked at _____ and smiled when she put her hand on his shoulder. "Red is the color of war."

The sound of a pen tapping on the table made him turn towards his other friends. The core of the resistance looked back at him.

"What's your decision Wonwoo?"

He looked towards Jeonghan and Jihoon who were seated around the table. "Well, we don't have all day."

Seungkwan placed a paper on the desk and tapped it with his finger. Wonwoo leaned over the desk and read the words printed onto it.

Laqueus

Member: Jeon Wonwoo

Position: Vice-leader.

The newest member of the organization picked up the pen and signed his name, the red ink stark against the white parchment. The other members smiled and stood to shake his hand.

"Welcome to the core team, vice-leader."

One by one, each core member came to him and shook his hand. “I hope you answer correctly,” Seungcheol whispered into his ear, patting the boy’s back before exiting the room with everyone else.

_____ was the last to stand in front of him and shake his hand. Wonwoo raised his eyebrows at her, their hands still clasped around each other's. He knew from her expression that she was about to ask him something. She had the exact same expression his professors had before they announced a pop quiz or surprise recitation.

“What is the meaning of our secret code?” _____ challenged him, though she already had a feeling that he knew. Wonwoo was one of the smartest kids after all. It wouldn't be a surprise that the meaning of Latin words was just general knowledge to him.

“Fiat Justitia,” he smiled, shaking her hand one more time. “Let justice be done.”

__________

Wonwoo could only keep silent as he watched the members of the core team pace around at the sudden news. He internally face-palmed himself over and over again for not checking which email he had been using before he sent the plan for their strike at the nearing media conference. He was too coffee deprived last night to even register that he was using his personal email rather than the one he had created specifically to use for things that involved Laqueus. Lying to them about his real identity was useless. They would see right through him. All he could do know was tell them the truth.

"So," Jihoon said shakily, his hands gripping the headrest of the nearest chair. "You mean to tell me that you're our leader? All this time?"

He looked towards _____ who was still staring at the computer screen where Wonwoo's email address was written as the sender of their top-secret plan. Wonwoo didn't answer. Honestly, he wasn't sure if they were happy that he was their leader or not. From the blank expressions on their face, it was hard to decipher what thoughts were running through their heads. He was especially aware of _____, sitting a little to his left with her lips pressed into a thin line. She ran a hand through her hair. "Everybody out."

From the look on her face, anyone could tell that disobeying was not an option. As soon as they were alone, she sat in front of him. After confirming three times that he really was their leader she laid her head on the table.

"Are you mad?" Wonwoo carefully asked, afraid that his mistake would ruin the organization. _____ laughed weakly. "Mad? I'm relieved."

She lifted her head and stared at him as if she couldn't believe he was real. "I'm just so happy that you of all people turned out to be our leader. Man, I can’t wait until the others find out—”

“You can’t tell them,” Wonwoo said sharply, cutting her off. Her big surprised eyes met his own, in disbelief that he didn’t want to share this with the rest of the team. “But they’d be so happy to know—”

“_____,” Wonwoo’s voice was low and quiet. _____ froze under his piercing glare. Never had she seen him this serious, not even during important meetings. “If we ever get caught, it's easier to say that you don't know when you really don't than to lie because you know.”

He bent down to look her right in the eye. “This is my way of protecting them.”

The leader of the resistance walked towards the door and threw it open, revealing the embarrassed faces of the other core members who were caught eavesdropping. He looked back and forth between them and _____. “You will tell no one. That’s an order.”

__________

Sabotaging the media conference was the hardest strike they had ever executed. It was also the plan that got their organization caught. None of them, not even Wonwoo, had presumed that the police would be involved.

As the last of the members were pushed to their knees at the foot of the stage, Wonwoo could do nothing but blame himself. He was ready to face punishment on behalf of the organization. That much he could do as their leader. From his place on the stage, his eyes flickered around, looking at the beaten, bloody faces of his comrades. It hurt to see them look so defeated.

"Who is your leader?" the principal's low voice pierced through the silence. With the media gone, he was free to do with them as he pleased. The blank faces of most students made it clear that they didn't know. The principal took a breath to ask again but he was cut off by a low voice from behind him, from someone on the stage.

"I'm the leader."

Wide-eyed students turned in his direction. The fact that the top student in the school had just claimed that he was the leader of the very rebel group that was going against the system was a big shock to the student body and faculty. Wonwoo held his head up high as the principal stormed towards him. The school head grabbed him by the hair, making the boy look him in the eyes. Despite the fear growing in his heart, Wonwoo glared back at the principal, undaunted.

"You had so much potential. Why did you have to throw it all away for poor stupid brats like them?" the principal exasperatedly hissed into his ear as if he were begging Wonwoo to deny his leadership in the alliance. But Wonwoo was anything but unloyal. Even as he was beaten and dragged off to be imprisoned, Wonwoo didn't deny his identity. He was proud to have led such a noble cause and be followed by such honorable people.

The cries of his comrades when the guards were called to take him away echoed in his ears. They watched as his hands were bound by handcuffs, screaming for the police to take them instead. Without a leader, the members of Laqueus felt like their chance of gaining justice was gone.

"Fight," Wonwoo told them as he passed by. He caught sight of _____'s tear-streaked face, almost making him regret exposing himself and leaving her. But as the leader, sacrifices had to be made.

"Fight," he repeated louder. The spark that had been put out lit up again. A solemn atmosphere spread throughout the room like a fog, blocking the sight of those who didn't have a fire burning in their eyes. His comrades knew what he meant and that's all he needed.

And as the police car that he sat in pulled out of the area, Wonwoo saw the same defiant faces that looked at him when he posed as a new recruit, the ones who were tired of having to be a slave to the unjust system and ready to fight for what was right. He knew then that this fight was far from over.

Even if Wonwoo was gone, the resistance was still at war. His last words echoed in their ears, filling them with determination. Especially _____, who Wonwoo had clearly looked at in the eye as he delivered his ultimatum. She nodded at him, promising to finish what he had started. Their leader had given an order and they would follow through.

"Fiat Justitia. That's an order."

[dreamcatcherjiah]

🌸 the ultimate tag 🌸

Thanks for thinking of me, @bangtan-madi Love you lots, baby💙

Personal

Name: Victoria

Nickname: Vicky

Birthday: November 22

Zodiac: Scorpius Sagittarius cusp

Nationality: Spanish

Languages: Spanish, English, French, Japanese and Korean

Height: 166 cm 

Blog Stuff

Inspiration for muse: Usually (ALWAYS) BTS

Meaning behind my url: in a pic I read back in the day yn’s dreams cot caught in a dreamcatcher and things happened so that + my Korean name Jiah

Blog established: April 4, 2016

Followers: 859

Faves

Favourite animal: dolphins 🐬

Favourite books: The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Favourite colors: emerald green and pastel blue

Favourite fictional characters: Hermione Granger, Will Herondale, Chandler Bing, the Tenth Doctor, Gu Chang-sung (from Hotel Del Luna), Su Hyeon (from Chicago Typewriter) and I could go on listing fav characters from Kdramas, so if anyone wanna discuss dramas hmu🥰

Favourite flower: English roses

Favourite scent: Petrichor

Favourite season: Autumn 

Random

Average hours of sleep: 5-6 hours while studying, but now that I'm on holiday who knows hahaha

Cats or Dogs: dogs, I love cats too, but I'm so allergic being in the same room as one and I start crying and itching all over 

Coffe, tea or hot chocolate: tea, but I can only drink it hot so during the summer I drink cold chocolate milk

Current time: 12:41 pm

Dream trip: South Korea, Canada or Japan non of them planned but more than a trip maybe moving there😅

Dream job: something in marketing or at a hotel 

Hobbies: writing, dreaming, listening to music, watching youtube and k-dramas, cooking, etc. (yeah, I copied you Madi, but we really are very similar so xDDD)

Hogwarts house: Slytherin🐍

Last movie watched: The Hymn of Death (oh boi)

No. of blankets you sleep with: 0

Random fact: my hobby used to be (and still is) learning languages so at some point I could speak German and Russian, but after years of not practising I can only say random words and ask for coffee lmao

I loved this hahahaha Tagging: @mabel-k3 @yoonglesmari @lysjeon no pressure bbs 💋

[djinmer4]

Scarborough Fair (Noir AU)

“Are you absolutely certain this is what you want?” Stefan made no effort to keep his voice down, but the noise of the party easily drowned him out.

“I don’t understand your question,” Jimaine carefully brushed a few straggling hairs back into her coiffure.  “My fiancee is handsome, charming, polite and generous.  Plus, Kurt’s our foster brother, we’ve known him for years.  What more could I want?”

“I guess if you’re happy, that’s enough.”  Jimaine held out her arm, but her brother waved her away.  “Go and wow your fiance.  This party’s for you after all.”

She flashed a quick smile and strode into the festivities.  Kurt’s grin dutifully widened at her entrance, and he offered his arm to squire her around.  Stefan remained in the shadows, offering brief smiles and nods at any guests who noticed him but refraining from participating.

As he observed, he found himself being less and less happy about the upcoming nuptials.  On the surface, it was a fairytale marriage, with Jimaine as the golden bride and Kurt as the handsome groom.  And yet . . .

It wasn’t that Kurt was ignoring Jimaine.  He had greeted her effusively when she had entered, catered to her every voiced desire, remained well within view during the whole party.  But Stefan noticed, aside from the first moment, he never really looked at Jimaine.  He answered when she called for him, but he never initiated a conversation with her.  And while in view, he was almost never in arms reach of her.  If his sister wanted something, she had to walk over to him, never the other way around.

“Don’t you want a husband who will actually see you rather than take you for granted?” he whispered to himself.

~~~~~~~

He crouched on a hillside, burying himself in the low shrub.  It was nothing like Bavaria or Winzeldorf or Schwarzwald or any other place he’d ever been hunting.  There were no trees, what little cover existed came from the shadows of hills and rocks and low scrub.  But that meant the same thing for his opponents.  On the battlefield, it was only a question of whose eyes were sharper, whose reflexes were faster.  And so far, he’d been better than all his challengers.

Through the scope, he watched a sparrow land and peck at the frozen soil.  He followed it into the brush, searching for the telltale glint of metal.  He snuggled deeper into the camouflage blanket, letting it obscure the shadow of his body and hold back the biting cold.  He’s the only one on watch this hour, the rest of the squad in exhausted, fitful slumber will eventually end at an officer’s command or the whistle of incoming bombs with the dawn.

Not seeing any threats, he takes a few minutes to pull out his holdout.  He cleans the pistol but refrains from polishing it.  Too many fellow soldiers have lost their lives from either lack of maintenance or from bright flashes of metal in the dark.  An explosion of red breaks the early morning gloom and the silence and he abandons his post, shouting directions to the other waking soldiers.  More explosions wrack the night and they retreat through the trenches, the sand and mud and worse sucking the warmth from their legs with every step.  A man ahead of him stumbles and falls, and he grabs him by the leather harness on his back.  When a break occurs in the artillery fire, he realizes that the man he was dragging was already dead.

~~~~~~~

It’s ridiculously easy to gain access to the cabaret.  Despite being frequented by Weimar officials, it’s not one of the higher quality ones.  The bouncer doesn’t bother to even ask for ID, nodding him through with barely a glance at the crow’s-feet around his eyes and his thinning hair.  He drops his trench coat at the unmanned coat check but keeps his scarf and hat.  Inside, no one even glances as he takes a seat at the corner of the bar.  Two drinks later, and he leaves his seat for the bathroom.

It’s the work of moments to flip his suit jacket inside out, the white lining hastily limned in black thread to imitate the waiters’ uniforms.  His accessories go under the jacket and the blue mask goes his face, hiding the gas scars.  Again, he’s thankful for the target’s poor choice of venue.  The masks are as gimmicky as they come but all the servers are wearing similar ones and with the dim lighting it could be anyone under the fantastical facade.

It’s another hour before the target shows up and Kurt’s reminded why he hates jobs like these.  The music isn’t bad and he’s spent longer on his feet assisting senior surgeons, but suppressing the urge to beat all the rude fools to death is always a chore.  But finally, the officer comes in with about half a dozen friends, including a few working girls.  The loose way they hang over each other could be an issue, but he’s brought enough strychnine for all.

One of the longer, and frankly more interesting acts comes on stage and he makes his move.  About five minutes in, he goes around the table, refilling drinks and dropping quick dissolve capsules in the champagne.  The officer and his friends are too riveted to consume their drinks, and he drops off their meals just as the lights come back on.  Another fifteen minutes of serving, he slips back into the bathroom changing back into his suit.  A couple more drinks at the bar, and then he leaves, just as the first member of the party collapsed.

~~~~~~~

“Jimaine, grab his things.”  Stefan lifted the shorter man by the collar of his shirt and threw him out of the wagon.  “We’ve reached Winzeldorf, as promised.  Don’t let me catch you hanging around here again.”

Kurt brushed himself off, then caught the untidy parcels his foster sister tossed him.  “I’ll pray that God will soften your heart and you will repent this, brother.”

“Pray for yourself, murderer!”  With that, he turned and ordered the caravan back on the road.  Behind them, Kurt slipped on his boots and jacket, gathered his possessions and slipped off into the night.

~~~~~~~

“There’s been extensive degloving across the entire back.”  Dr. Wagner let the orderly clear a path through the busy hallways only pausing when they reached the entrance of the theatre.

“Is there any intact skin?”  He stripped off the scarf he was wearing and the broader man flinched and averted his eyes.

“I-I don’t think so.  The only place that wasn’t shredded was the front of his torso and using skin from there would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul.”  The orderly shot the surgeon a confused look as he reached into a wardrobe in his office.  “Is that a butcher’s apron?”

“I can never seem to remember to change my clothes before going home.  I thought maybe trying to protect my clothes during surgery might at least make me look less suspicious.”  The older man quickly tied the apron strings behind him.  “Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be much to work with.  What about the limbs?”

“Dr. Connors isn’t too optimistic about the results.  He said there’s going to be at least one amputation, maybe multiple ones, although he’s holding off until you’ve patched the torso.”

“In that case, I’ll take the skin from the limbs and try to patch over the torso with that.”

“Uh, are you sure that’s wise, doctor?”

He reached back into the ward to pull out the black leather bag containing his personal equipment.  “The man’s as good as dead anyway, so this is the perfect time to experiment.  If he lives, all well and good, if he dies, that’s what everyone was expecting anyway.  Really, there’s nothing to lose in this case.”  He replaced his scarf with a new surgical mask and also put on a new pair of thin rubber gloves.  “Now go start the carbolic spray.”

~~~~~~~

“Do you ever think about leaving the city?”

Kitty had spent the past 2 hours staring at her typewriter and welcomed the interruption.  “Leaving New York?  Sometimes, I think it would be nice to live in Boston or DC for a change but I’m pretty happy here.  Definitely not going back to Chicago though.  Too close to my parents.”

“Not what I meant.  I mean something like going out to New Jersey.  Or Ridgewood or Greenville.”

Her lips twisted down.  “Ugh, no!  I hate the idea of living in the countryside, I’d be so bored.  Why do you ask?”

He shrugged and then waved a hand in the air, dismissing the subject.  “I’ve been a little homesick.  Missing the woods of Winzeldorf.”

Kitty lay her hands on the keys, but didn’t apply any pressure to them.  “I’m telling you right now, if you’re planning that we get married and move out to some pastoral green acres, I’m giving back the ring immediately.”

His laugh turned into a snort turned into a brief coughing fit.  Once he got his breath back (after Kitty fetched him a drink of water) he demurred.  “Not right now, certainly!  If nothing else, I’d make less moving out of New York.  But maybe in a couple of decades, after I retire, would you consider it?”

The frown melted off her face and was replaced by contemplation.  “I’ve got to admit, it still doesn’t sound good to me but who knows how I’ll feel in twenty years.  Ask me then.”

~~~~~~~~

“There’s another one gone.  That’s the third one this year.” Dr. Connors was back from probation (or maybe more accurately stated, he was back on probation).

“Who’s gone?”

“Another one of the nurses.  Bertha, I think her name was.  They all swear they’re single when they first start, but six months later they’ve gotten engaged to some patient and they’re gone.”

Dr. Wagner looked up from the desk where he was writing case notes.  “That’s no good.  We can’t stop them from falling in love, but we’re short-handed.  Can’t they at least have the decency to tell us when they’re getting engaged so that we have a few months' notice to hire a replacement and train her?”

“Even if the girls are too silly to think of that, you’d think the patients would.  But it’s out the door and straight to the chapel.”  Connors took a sip of his coffee and grimaced.  “Still, it gives men like you a much-needed advantage.”

Blue eyes narrowed above his mask.  “What does that mean?”

“Well, I suppose the fact most of your patients are under ether makes it difficult for you to impress them.  Still, I’m sure that a few of the lady patients have thought even you to be as hotsy-totsy as Valentino.  Or maybe you’ve had a few shebas in the linen closet?  Either way, it’d be a sockdollanger for you.”

Kurt took several minutes to untangle the slang that Connors was using.  Once he did, he straightened up like a poker had been rammed up his backside.  “I’m married, thank you very much.”

The other man simply grinned at him.  “Is she from Canada?”

The German refused to dignify that with an answer, instead just dumping the remaining paperwork on the other doctor’s desk and walking out.

~~~~~~~

“Dad sent you over a Christmas gift.”

Kurt looked up from the journal he was reading.  “Your parents don’t celebrate Christmas.”

“Yeah, I know.  But I think they’ve finally resigned themselves that I’m not going to move back to Chicago and marry a nice Jewish doctor the way they want me to, so they’re at least acknowledging your existence now.”

“Does it help at all that at least I am a doctor?  Even if I’m not very nice. ”  He carefully unwrapped the fire-engine red wrapping paid and set it aside.  Inside the matte velvet box was a pocket watch with the Star of David emblazoned on it. “What’s this?”

“It’s the bare minimum.  I think they’re lying to their friends, telling them the reason I’m not coming back is that I really did marry a nice Jewish boy from Queens.  If they really accepted you, Mom probably would have pushed that we do another wedding ceremony in Chicago.  I suppose I should just be grateful she didn’t sit shiva for me.”  Kitty slid down the side of the armchair to curl into his side.  “That’s a Pryde family heirloom.  It’s been passed down from father to son for about five generations now, but well . . . Dad always said he’d give it to the guy I’d marry.  So there’s that.”

He set the journal on the coffee table and pulled her into his lap.  “I suppose it would be rather difficult for you to run away now.  No one’s going to believe you if you say I’m a bigamist or cheating on you.”  He slid his hand around her side, down over her ribs.  “And I’m definitely not impotent.”  

She giggled at the tickling sensation.  “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in exchanging you for a new model, even if your hair is vanishing faster than a dewdropper’s scratch on a bangtail.”

A brief pause.  “I have no idea what you just said.”

She chortled again, leaning up to kiss the crow’s-feet around his eyes.  “It’s not important.  Just be glad at least one of my parents has accepted our marriage.  Albeit dragging his feet all the way.”

He thumbed the lid of the pocket watch, tracing the Star with his nail.  “Still, it takes a lot of bravery to step out of your comfort zone and let your daughter make her own decisions on these things.  Such courage should be rewarded.  Do you think he would take it amiss if I returned the gesture?”

She squirmed around until she was lying crosswise in his lap, the cold point of her nose touching bare skin just above the collar of his shirt.  “I think that would be a bad idea.  He’s gone out of his way to follow your culture this time, now it’s your turn to show that you respect his traditions.”

Kurt sighed, the sound slightly muffled by the mask.  “I can’t exactly go back in time and ask his permission to marry you again.  And Hannukah’s already passed . . .”

He felt more than saw her shrug.  “Dunno.  But Dad always did want a boy . . . “

“Well, I’ve never had a father.  Maybe we can bond over that.”

[supaliaxpress]

hey do you know any good kdramas about friendship?

OMG I’m so sorry for not answering this sooner! I’m currently going through my inbox, so please be patient with me.

Hmmm, good kdramas about friendship… I actually have quite a few to recommend! Just to note, this list is not in any order of ranking… just writing as I’m going and thinking of dramas. Hopefully you find drama(s) to your liking!!

1. A Gentleman’s Dignity

If you haven’t seen this drama… then YOU SHOULD!!! If you’re looking for a drama that focuses more on the friends than the romantic relationships, then this drama is the one for you! It’s about a group of guys and their hardships, relationships, challenges, etc. I thought I wouldn’t really enjoy this drama since it was different from the typical kdrama, but I was totally wrong!! At first, I only watched it for Jonghyun from CNBLUE, but then I ended up loving the drama for what it represented and showcased. This drama is very heartwarming and one of the most memorable friendships I’ve ever watched in a kdrama.

2. Reply 1997 or Answer Me 1997 (The Reply series in general)

Oh man…. I love this drama SOOO MUCH! UGH, so much of my childhood in one drama lol… I don’t want to ruin it for those who haven’t seen it, so all I’ll say is that this is a classic drama about friends growing up together. You get to know each of the characters and how they struggle with growing up, relationships, personal identity, etc. The friendship aspect is just as important as the romantic aspect in Reply 1997. There’s also a very nostalgic and realistic feeling to this drama that will make you feel like you’re growing up with the characters too. I also recommend to watch the other dramas in the Reply series too (1994 and 1988).

3. Shut Up Flower Boy Band

Tbh, I thought this drama was going to be the typical cliche and sickeningly romantic teenage drama… but I was totally wrong, lol. This drama was actually quite deep, despite the funny drama title, that is about a group of boys in a rock band. Likewise, this drama is similar to Reply 1997, in which it’s a coming of age drama that focuses on friendship, relationships, growing up, dreams/passions, and music. I particularly recommend this for those who like Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and Flower Boys Next Door.

4. Coffee Prince

How can I not mention Coffee Prince? Lol. Well, even though the main focus of the drama is more of the romance, the friendship quality in this drama shouldn’t be overlooked either. Tbh, the friendship aspect is really important in this drama because it introduces the love aspect. I’m not just recommending this drama because of Gong Yoo, but honestly, Coffee Prince should be watched by EVERYONE. This drama tackled such important topics and ideas that are important in our society today. Yeah, it has the cliche setting of the super rich kid and normal girl, but this drama dives deeper into the main characters’ relationship and how it came to be… how to form friendships and understand each other — also… most importantly… Gong Yoo.

5. Dear My Friends

Okay…. so I learned of this drama because it got the “Best Drama” at the Baeksang Arts Awards…. and I was SUPER stingy because I really wanted Goblin to win, lmao. (I still kinda think Goblin should’ve won but that’s another story ahahahaha) Anyways, I HAD to watch this drama to figure out why it won, and omg… it’s such a good heartwarming drama that gives you all the feels. It’s about younger and older people coming together and how they face their challenges, becoming friends, understanding each other, and overcoming their obstacles together. This drama touched on a lot of important topics such as age, abuse, illness, family, and — obviously — friendship. I really liked the realism of this drama, which I believe was the selling point as to why this drama won the “Best Drama” award. The story is very well thought out and propels you to keep watching the next episode. I think this drama was worthy of the award it won and I can kinda understand why it beat Goblin… So give this drama a try :D

6. Chicago Typewriter 

Do I need to say anything when I have clearly expressed my love for this drama in my review?? Lol… all I can say is that this drama is the definition of friendship, love, and loyalty. I freaking balled my eyes out, not because of the romance, but because of the friendship!!! PLEASE WATCH THIS DRAMA OMG. This drama is about a writer who experiences a “slump” while writing his book, but two important people come into his life and help him write it… while also a bit of reincarnation and time traveling to the 1930s during the Japanese occupation in Korea. If you’re interested, please read my review on this drama to see whether it’s your cup of tea… but be warned of spoilers… 

Special Mentions: (Dramas I’ve watched but not going to give a brief description)

The Time that I Loved You, 7000 Days

Beethoven Virus (Yo… watch this if you love Classical Music *.*)

Man of Equator

Cheese in a Trap (Watch it if you love Kim Go Eun!!!) 

You’re Beautiful (Honestly watched it for Yonghwa and Hong-gi)

She Was Pretty 

Blind Recommendations: (Haven’t watched the drama but other people have recommended it to me lol)

Operation Proposal

Heirs (Maybe I’ll watch it someday for Minhyuk…) 

School 2013 

[overthinkingkdrama]

Jona Spoils Chicago Typewriter

[The following review liberally spoils the ending a plot details of Chicago Typewriter. I recommend watching the drama before reading.]

Yet another drama that I took my sweet time finishing after it had officially stopped airing, and yet unlike with MoonClouds or Goblin,  I really felt like CT was worth my time. At the very least, an interesting break from the norm, and one that deserves a bit of a closer look.

Chicago Typewriter is a supernatural reincarnation romance that spans over two timelines. The majority of the drama focuses on Han Se Ju, a novelist in modern-day Seoul, his devoted literary fangirl, Jeon Seol, and a quite literal ghost-writer, Yoo Jin Oh, who has been haunting the titular typewriter for the past 80 years. In their former lives the three were passionate freedom fighters in occupation-era Korea. The hypersensitive, hopelessly self-involved Se Ju as gotten himself a wicked case of writer’s block right at the beginning of a hugely lucrative project. Yoo Jin Oh offers to assist him in finishing his book through supernatural means, but that will mean compromising his principles and passing off someone else’s work as his own. It will also mean drawing closer to Jeon Seol, as the three are pulled further into the web of memories from their past lives, toward a shared fate.

When we were still in the early buzz phase, the first thing I noticed about this drama was the casting, which is fantastic. Im Soo Jung is an actress I’ve only seen twice. Once in the movie Time Renegades and once in the perennially relevant I’m Sorry, I Love You. The idea of a Kim Go Eun-esque advent on television after a career that’s focused largely on movies I’ve historically had a hard time watching through legal means was exciting to me. Add to the fact she would be playing opposite the exquisite Yoo Ah In and rising star Go Kyung Pyo who very recently upgraded in my estimation cute to smoking hot, and I was totally there for this. Plus, the story boasted a novelist entangled in supernatural events and occupation era period elements. All of which is very, very much my speed.

Then I found out who the writer was and had to backpedal a little bit.

CT comes to us from the same writer as Kill Me, Heal Me a melodrama with a psycho-fantasy premise which I wasn’t precisely thrilled with. I don’t think KMHM represents everything wrong with this world or anything like that, but it’s one of those vastly popular dramas within fandom that I had a lot of issues with. From a story and pacing perspective I found it to be quite messy. Adding pacing issues and a writer with an inability to edit her ideas to the all too prevalent tvN bloat is a recipe for disaster. *cough* Goblin *cough*.

While CT does fall into some of the same pitfalls as KMHM, I think the material plays more to the writer’s strengths. Jin Soo Wan is better suited to out and out fantasy with a dash of period romance than psychological dramas. Her flair for the melodramatic felt somehow more appropriate paired with the fantasy premise of CT, and thus while far from perfect it felt more refreshing and frequently less forced than her previous drama.

So now to get down to the nitty-gritty, starting discussing the details of the drama…

The biggest strength that this show has, I believe, is its casting. A good performance and a charismatic lead can cover a multitude of sins, and nowhere is that more apparent than with our leading man, Han Se Ju. Se Ju as a character is at times so insufferable that I think in the hands of anyone less capable than Yoo Ah In, I would have been forced to hate him. But YAI’s intensity, grin, almost whispering line delivery punctuated by frequent freak outs, made the character more appealing and sympathetic than he otherwise would have been. There’s just something about that boy.

Go Kyung Pyo does smoldering and mysterious very well, as he demonstrated in Jealousy Incarnate, and he’s pulling out a somewhat similar performance here, but to his credit it works very well for his character. Im Soo Jung switches between bright and bubbly to soulful very well, though I can’t help but wish that she had been given a little bit more substantive to do as Jeon Seol. Other than acting as a walking a plot device, occasionally disseminating key information regarding her past life, and being thrust into unlikely situations with Se Ju, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of reason for her to be involved in the plot.

This criticism does not extend to her 1930s persona. Ryu Soo Hyun is so much more interesting to me than her modern day counterpart that it’s really a shame that the format of the show didn’t allow us to explore her character a little more thoroughly. What we get of her is so intriguing. Her loyalty, her ruthlessness, and her commitment to the cause rivaled that of either of her boys. The drama spent so much time building up the mystery of who Jeon Seol had killed in her past life that I was worried they wouldn’t be able to make the scene as impactful as it needed to be. Boy, was I wrong.  And then her cold-blood rampage at the end of the drama absolutely caught me off guard and gave us a far darker and more poignant ending than I had ever imagined.

And that’s basically where we start running into problems with this drama. The 1930s segments of this show are so much stronger on the whole than the modern day stuff that it really makes you wish the entire drama had been a period piece. Or at the very least there had been a little better balance between the two. The lion’s share of the last two hours of this drama take place in the past, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they are two strongest episodes of the show. With the exception of Yoo Jin, all of the characters in the present were weak and unsubstantial compared to their 1930s counterparts. Han Se Ju isn’t a terrible character in my estimation, but he becomes so much diminished when you hold him up to his Scarlet Pimpernel-esque resistance leader, Seo Hwi Young.

^^YAI somehow managed to upstage himself in his own drama.^^

And it was clear also that the writer didn’t know what she wanted Jeon Seol to be, other than love interest. She couldn’t even settle on one occupation for her (Olympic marksman, delivery girl, veterinarian, editor). The modern day stuff lacked focus and direction.

Another issue is the fact that there are once again too many characters in the drama and not all of them have a clear function in the story. Why is the Italian chef even in this drama? Why did we spend so much time with shaman and her daughter when they have so little impact on the story? Did the writer not think we had enough comedic elements in this drama?

^^This drama?^^

As for the modern thriller aspects: Why did we both with the copy cat killer/revenge crazed stalker character arcs? Was Tae Min and his dangerously sociopathic behavior not enough? There was a perfectly viable subplot about a sibling rivalry between two writers–the legitimate heir unhinged by jealousy vs. the gifted son of his fathers mistress who will always outshine him–that could have offered more than enough suspense and interest if it had been developed better. Not only that, but Tae Min’s character has a connection to the 1930s setting that those other character I’ve mentioned don’t. That plagiarism plot and family drama should have been the main source of conflict in the modern day, but it often got lost in the shuffle of stray subplots. It’s this everything-and-the-kitchen-sink style of writing that I had problems with in KMHM.

That being said, there’s still a lot here to appreciate here, and I’m not ready to throw out the baby with the bath water. At it’s heart, this drama is about the bond between our main triad, and their love and sacrifice for each other is what holds the story together. 

I remember when my mother was watching this, she was far more diligent about watching week to week and finished it before me. When we discussed it afterward she said that she found the ending somewhat confusing in that, “It was hard to tell who was in love with whom.” And I told her that was because the three leads were all in love with each other.

There are several points at which lip service was paid to a traditional love triangle, but it came across as equivalent of pasting a hasty no-homo over a poly relationship. “This is totally binary, guys, we swear!” I didn’t buy the binary relationships they were peddling, and I don’t think the writer’s heart was in it either. It was everywhere evident in the writing that the only happy ending for these characters was one where all three of them were happy in one place, with no patriotic duty to sacrifice for and nothing forcing them apart.Together as friends and–yes, I do believe–as lovers. A true 0T3.

Their tragic fate in the 1930s and the bitter sweet one in modern day was really sold me on the show. And the way that the leads played it with such warmth and sincerity absolutely struck me to the heart. When they were hurt and broken, I cried with them. And that’s what I think makes this evidently imperfect drama something truly special. There are some really good ideas here and if there had been a little more focus and some paring down of ideas, CT would have made an even bigger splash in the fandom.

I give Chicago Typewriter a strong 7.5/10 along with my recommendation to give it a try. It’s flawed, certainly, but it breaks away from the typical and ending sings. It’s really ambitious, and that alone made it worthy of my attention.

Jona

[caroline-in-wonderland-blog]

Violeta y Rojo (Violet and Red).

Salellite by Saltnpaper

*This is a short story I wrote some time ago, ispired by a box of old Typewriter Ribbons I bought, because I love old things and I have the idea that they can tell stories. Now I’m watching this amazing korean drama “Chicago Typewriter”, and it has all the things I really love: antiques, past and writing. I remembered this humble and simple story, and I tried to translate it into English. If someone read it, I hope you like it. And please, run to find this drama, becasuse it’s gorgeous and awesome (it has wonderful music too).

Violet was a joyfull and independent girl, who despite her youth had very clear goals and objectives. She worked as a secretary at the Rochester, New York ‘s post office.

Violet was advanced not only for her age but also for her time, since in that moment, 1934,  there were very few women who worked and finded their place in a world ruled practically by men. "The great depression", from which the country was barely recovering, forced women of that time to be creative and do the impossible to save the little money they had; That's why Violet found in her work the perfect way to collaborate with her family and enjoy her valuable independence at the same time.

His father worked as butler in the house of a wealthy businessman who was casually the brother of the post office director, and thanks to this coincidence he had managed to get that job to his daughter, after making sure it was a safe place for her.

The enthusiastic girl, so young as seventeen years old, was working there for several months, where she slowly became the center of attention of the office.

Her joy was spread wherever she went and her freshness rejuvenated even the most unfriendly octogenarian, of those who entered and left during the busiest hours and who were surprised to see that smiling beauty, similar as a flower borned in a crack in the middle of a paved street; rough, gray and lifeless.

Her fingers flew and glided like dancers on the hard keys of the typewriter, which she learned to master quickly, leaving everyone amazed. Her speed and competitiveness was so welcome, that by the second month she had already received a raise, in addition to praise, and sometimes even a gift, accompanied by the unnecessary flirtation of a gentleman delighted with her beauty and talent.

But Violet had no head for anything other than her job and her dreams. Her greatest desire was to be able to raise enough money to, once she had helped her family, travel the world and to know all those wonderful places of the postcards she collected.

She loved the exotic, the strange, the complex, the incomprehensible. Rochester was too small for her and the people in that place too flat, simple and boring.

One day there were whispers in the office. The director was soon to retire, and his replacement would come in any moment. No one knew or guessed who  would be, until that day, in which a tan skinned, young, tall man with gummed black hair and good bearing, arrived with an energy and personality rarely seen in Rochester. He entered like a blast into the director's office along with other men, and the door closed behind him.

Violet, who has sat up from her seat, stood there, motionless, breathing the perfume of the newcomer that was suspended in the air and filled the environment.

"He must be the new director", said Alfred, one of Violet's coworkers.

"I heard that he is not from here, that he is a foreigner, and now that I saw him, it’s evident that it was true" Brandon, the parcel boy murmured, while making a gesture of wonder mixed with disgust.

"Did you see how he came in? And the perfume he uses smells cheap, is more than clear that…"

And suddenly the gossip was interrupted when the director’s office door opened again.

"Hello everyone", the newcomer finally said, walking a few steps toward the center of the room. "My name is Diego Rojo and I will be the new director of this office. I hope we can work as efficiently as with my kind predecessor, Mr. Keelox ...”.

The stranger continued his speach for a couple of minutes, which seemed eternal to the young secretary, and when he finished talking, in an English with a pronounced accent that was annoying for almost everyone, he turned to Violet - the only woman present - greeting her slightly with his head, showing his white teeth in a wide and charming smile.

Violet, who had witnessed everything as a movie viewer, and in slow motion, finally heard the ambient sound, which until then was the romantic song that accompanied the film.

When she finally woke up from the trance she sat back in her place and tried to resume her work where she had left it but her fingers didn’t respond and she had to rewrite the same document a dozen times.

“Concentrate girl!”, Alfred reproached her when he noticed the pile of crumpled papers that were already overflowing the paper bin.

Finally, when she was able to finish the transcript of the document, she discovered that she had spent all the ink - what she would have spent in another two days if she hadn’t suffered that knockout by the foreigner with a strange name, charming smile and cheap perfume.

Violet stand up then, and looked for another box of typewriter ribbon. Desperate, she discovered that there wasen’t more typewriter ribbons tin boxes in the box where they keep them along with many other office supplies.

“What can I do now?” Violet wondered for herself, worried, because she still needed to transcribe several copies of the same and others documents.

Just that day, with him, the new director there - and what a director! - she was going to spend the biggest shame of her life, or even lose her job; and what was worse, she would not see him again, nor would she be able to know how her name, Violet,  sounded pronounced by his lips.

The young woman was already walking the entire office, thinking while nervously hitting her hands. She wanted to disappear, to hide under the desk like a child who did a mischief and fears being reprimanded.

“What do you think you're doing? Get back to your place!”, Alfred, a forties with lack of patience, challenged her, seeing that she had left her place in front of the typewriter.

Just when she was going to excuse herself, almost on the verge of tears, the new director appeared in front of them and asked what was happening.

"I...I make a mistake and I've run out of typewriter ribbons, sir",  Violet explained sincerely and with all the shame in the world; In her innocence blushed, resigned and expecting the worst.

“I'll take care of disciplining her, sir ..." Alfred began to speak.

"There is no reason to do so, return to your work, and you..." said Diego in his English with an accent, addressing Violet, "Wait here for a few seconds, please".

After entering his office, the new director Diego returned with a small box of typewriter ribbons.

"I thought I saw one checking the desk, and I was right. Here you have, you can use it, it’s not the end of the world”, said the foreigner, as he placed the little box in her hand, staring into her eyes, with tenderness, admiration — seeing her fight at such joung age in such a hostile environment — and sympathy.

"Thank you very much, sir," said the atonished, almost a child shy girl.

"You're welcome ... What's your name?" Diego asked surprising her again.

“Violet”

"You're welcome, Violeta ..." And he said it as the color in Spanish, his mother tongue.

If she felt like in a movie before, now she was flying through the clouds, traveling without need of money. Finally they didn’t fire her and she could even hear her name on the lips of that exotic and atractive man, in his own language. Because you never know what kind of things can destiny prepare for you, when you have the courage to dream and fight for your dreams.

And if this is the end of my simple story, for Violet that was just the beginning.

The End. :P

*Please, forgive any inaccuracies and translation mistakes. XD

M.C.

[kalinara]

Do you think Rip is going to be written of the show ? I have this feeling that him and Amaya are going to be written off. Amaya's arc is probably going to end and she's going to go back and have her family and Rip is probably going to go off and time travel solo to try and make amends or something like that.

Short answer: No.  Not remotely.

Long answer:  If they were going to write Rip off the show, they had the perfect opportunity after Out of Time.  He had a perfect heroic sacrifice, a good bye message, and an open-ended exit that could facilitate guest appearances at any time in the future.

But they didn’t do that.  Instead, they made his disappearance a plot point.  They mentioned him in every single episode that he was gone.  And they literally put the metaplot on hold until he came back.

But really: If you look at season 2 as a whole, you can start to see how the entire season so far has been basically a fairly epic deconstruction of Rip Hunter’s character.

Out of Time gives us the baseline Rip Hunter: which shows us Rip Hunter as a Time Master: confident, capable, with more than a little bit of swagger.  This is a Rip who’s had some time to heal since season 1, and thus a glimpse of the man he was before tragedy ruined him.  This is the man that the pirates feared.  He keeps secrets from his team, and he basically tries to sacrifice himself to save them.

JSA through Chicago Way have done a really interesting job of deconstructing Rip through his absence.

JSA showcases Rip as a leader, by showing us how the team is floundering a bit without him.  There is no real question that Rip Hunter could have gotten the JSA to listen to him much faster than the team did.  Look at how he managed to recruit the team in the pilot, after all.  The man’s done this for a while and knows how to dramatically prove his case.  And Rex Hunter would likely not have blinked at dealing with a youngish, experienced male leader.

While the show itself usually showcased Rip’s flaws as a leader more than his strengths, Martin’s tenure as leader did the opposite.  It was easy to miss how, despite his secrets and tunnel vision and general inability to keep the team in line, Rip DID usually manage to keep them all focused in a crisis.  He was very good at taking clear, decisive action.  And he was also equally as good at taking criticism from the team and adapting his approach when he made mistakes.

Shogun showcases Rip as a Time Master, and his ability to remain focused on the overall goal.  Sara is a good leader who cares about her team and she shows that here.  But the way she dives into the protect the village/defeat the Shogun fiasco, without any real concern about what effect these actions might have on history, shows that she isn’t used to thinking of the timeline.

The man who spent the France mission focused intently on whether or not Louis XIV was conceived would never have been on board with any plan that led to the possible death of an important historical figure ten years early.  Admittedly, they might not have had a choice in the end, but we would have seen him checking the after effects, at least.

Compromised: set up a situation very similar to the second half of the pilot: Martin Stein fucking around with his past.  We saw how alarmed and intently Rip paid attention to Martin’s behavior in that episode, even finally repairing his relationship with Clarissa.  Now that doesn’t mean Lily Stein wouldn’t have still happened (Martin is a stubborn fellow after all), but Rip would have likely caught it sooner because he knew what to watch for.

Abominations and Outlaw Country: The team did really well here, (despite the loose end of the missing time pirates).  But the reason they did well, arguably, was because they were taught well.  

I don’t think Chicago Way is much of a deconstruction, but then they leads into the actual metaplot, and Rip’s return.

But then we have Raiders of the Lost Art and Legion of Doom, which gives us Phil Gasmer.  And Phil is amazing.  He’s bumbling and nervous and has no idea what’s going on.  But he’s brave, courageous, honorable and clever.  He tries to protect George Lucas, when supervillains attack.  He puts himself in direct danger to try to save the team that kidnapped him and insulted him to his face.  He wrote a screenplay that seems to be a love letter to his team.  And he managed to endure torture and terrifying experiences, and then still read a room well enough to spur his captors into mutiny.

Basically, Phil Gasmer is a deconstruction of Rip Hunter at the core of who he is.  So we can appreciate the man beneath the skills, experience and knowledge.  And bonus: a fantastic opportunity to exploit Arthur Darvill’s exquisite comedic timing.

And we have Turncoat and Camelot which gives us Rip Hunter with his experience, skills, and knowledge, but without his kindness, compassion, and spirit.  We get to appreciate exactly how scary a man with Rip Hunter’s abilities can be, if his humanity weren’t holding him back.

Everything that Broken/Evil/Legion Rip does is something that our Rip has always been able to do.  That capacity has always been with him.  And as much as people who hate Rip like to claim that he cares nothing for the team, that he’d stop at nothing to achieve his selfish goals…this arc proves how untrue that is.  If Rip were TRULY willing to stop at nothing for his goals, if he TRULY did not care about his team, it would look, well, like this.

But while Broken/Evil/Legion Rip is what our Rip could have chosen to become, it’s not who he is.  Eobard Thawne had to fundamentally alter our Rip, the core of who he was, to make this possibility happen.

So this arc deconstructs the man further: we now appreciate his abilities and how terrifying he can be, but we also appreciate his humanity, and the way that keeps him from ever choosing to be this man.  (And it lets Arthur Darvill show off his ability to play evil.  The man played Mephistopheles at the Globe, after all.)

And of course, the episode coming up will give us a look into Rip Hunter’s mind.  And presumably, will culminate in his return.

This sort of deconstruction arc isn’t easy and it’s not accidental.  This takes a lot of work to set up and plan.  And as much as we might compare them to monkeys at a typewriter, the fact is, they’ve always done a phenomenal job with Rip Hunter’s specific emotional arcs.  (I suspect someone could write a fantastic analysis of season one specifically from the perspective of the stages of grief.)  This is where they show their work.

I find it extremely unlikely that the show would put this much effort into deconstructing a character down to the fundamental elements, and putting it all on display for us, if they intend to jettison him by the end of the season.

[supaliaxpress]

Chicago Typewriter Review Episodes 2 - 4: In my novel, why do you keep appearing?

Episode 1 was a great opener with introducing the main characters and setting the pace for the story… obviously this drama has a lot going on and it can sometimes get confusing with the length of the episodes. Episodes 2 - 4 served to delve deeper into Se Ju’s thoughts and challenges as a writer and introduce the supernatural occurrences surrounding him. As well as, Se Ju and Seol grew closer as their paths intertwined. We also learned more about Se Ju’s family and how they’re not so happy and perfect after all. 

After Seol saved Se Ju from the stalker, we see a strange “light” exit from the dog that miraculously brought our two main characters together… obviously hinting that some supernatural stuff (or a ghost) was the reason for all the strange things that were happening around Se Ju and Seol. (But real question though… WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOG!!!! POOR PUPPY T.T) Anyways, despite saving his life, Se Ju was still very suspicious of Seol (That’s just who he is)… but we see that she starts to grow on him (which was why he fed her ramen and allowed her to help him type his manuscript). Though very subtle, Se Ju is subconsciously drawn to Seol, which was the same for his past life. Similarly, both present and past Se Ju gazed at Seol with light shining on her… such as when the the moonlight was shining on her face (This scene was so cute… I love how he doesn’t even notice that he smiles when she’s around >.<)

Se Ju’s step mother obviously doesn’t like him and has a grudge against him for being an illegitimate child of her husband’s first lover. It’s kinda sad and touching how Tae-Min was trying to bring his family together and even by working at the same publishing company as Se Ju. However, it was hinted that Tae-Min was struggling as a writer and hasn’t written a good book since his debut of “Destiny.”  It was pretty clear to see that he took it kinda personal when Seol told him she really loved his first book, “Destiny,” and he asked if she liked any other books. Unfortunately for Seol… due to Se Ju’s suspicions… he thought she was the one who leaked the info about the stalker’s emails and he hurt her feelings greatly, while also not be appreciative of her help. Who would have thought that Seol’s words to Se Ju that day would describe all of his problems in the next few episodes, “When that day comes, look around you. No one will be there.” 

Se Ju’s struggles as a writer started when the stalker killed himself… causing Se Ju to feel guilt… and especially when the stalker told Se Ju that they were similar to each other. With all of the turmoil around him from his child hood, the media, and the stalker, Se Ju’s mental state broke down and he got writer’s block due to all the stress and depression. He attempted to type on the typewriter… but instead he couldn’t write anything and saw another flashback of the past of him with the past Seol and another man dancing at Carpe Diem. But what drove him crazy was when he tried to light a cigar with a box of matches that had the name of the 1930s club Carpe Diem written on it… and he got into a car accident… but what was interesting was how, at that very moment of his death, he started to question his life and how it would be a waste to end it… how it would be a waste to give up on his gift… and look who came to save the day? JEON SEOL!! She’s definitely his muse. Also, we were finally introduced to a mysterious man who typed on the typewriter… the same man from Se Ju’s dream. 

I wonder…. perhaps Se Ju’s past life did something bad??? :O

In episodes 3 and 4, some questions were answered… as well as more questions were made… especially regarding why Tae-Min was in a slump. We learned more about Seol’s childhood and how her father had a huge impact on her. Her father taught her to, “Live being true to every minute, every second of your present,” which explains her current lifestyle. I especially loved how gentle Se Ju was in these episodes towards Seol… and he kinda opened up about his past to her. And no matter how much Seol gets hurt by Se Ju… I just admire her kindness and pure heart in wanting to wish him success… it was so selfless of her to go out and get help to save him. I was really glad that he finally remembered where he first met her at Subway. Probably the most shocking revelation, aside from who the mysterious ghostwriter is, was that Se Ju was a ghostwriter for Tae-Min… or to be more exact Tae-Min stole Se Ju’s story. This makes a lot more sense as to why Tae-Min has been in a slump and why his father told him to stop, “copying Se Ju’s writing.” This probably explains why their mother hates Se Ju and is out to ruin his name (I just can’t believe she paid that Reporter Soong bastard to ruin Se Ju’s career… I will gladly volunteer myself to punch some sense into that woman). 

I also love how the flashbacks become longer and realistic with having Se Ju become apart of the dreams… it almost seems like time travel. I was screaming when she kissed him… like damn girl. Speaking of time travel, the mysterious ghostwriter Yoo is most definitely a GHOST (so he’s literally a ghost-writer, lol). Various hints throughout episodes 3 and 4 kinda point to Yoo being a ghost… such as: 1) how he escaped the ropes, 2) how the Seol’s veterinarian friend just walked past him without acknowledging him though he was approaching her clinic, 3) Se Ju commented how tacky his clothing was, 4) the Bell Fairy said that there were two dark auras… but specifically one of them was really different, and 5) he has no where to go or stay. Now, they did really well to make us think Yoo and Ji-Seok were partners, but we find out that was not the case. And as to why Bang-Jin can see Yoo? I honestly don’t know yet (haven’t watched the next episodes), but I’m assuming it’s because she’s the daughter of the Bell Fairy, so she can see ghosts… which may explain how Seol didn’t know that Yoo was following her because she can’t see him. I think Se Ju is the only one who can actually see him because of the typewriter and they have a shared fate… So I think, at the end of episode 4, his dad was actually upset when he saw the first manuscript of “Destiny.” 

Overall, I really liked the development so far of all characters (they're becoming 3-dimensional and we’re beginning to understand their actions/decisions… why they say certain things… and how they’re changing). I also love how subtle the hints are in this drama (ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT GIRL MADE A GOBLIN REFERENCE OMG). I kinda would like for the romance between Se Ju and Seol to blossom a little more… but I also smell a love triangle? Or maybe a love rectangle? Cause it’s definitely confirmed that Yoo likes Seol and Tae-Min is also attracted to her as well… COME ON SE JU, TIME TO UP YOUR GAME LOL. But I love how he doesn’t realize that he loses his self-control (and gets really jealous lol) when it comes to Seol… such as when he just blurted out to her after running away from the reporter (which was basically a reenactment of the past experience too when they ran away), “What are you? What are you to keep showing up around me? In my head. In my novel, why do you keep appearing?” Easy answer… she’s your muse…. ya’ll were fated bruh. ^_^ 

Also, the watch is definitely important to the story… especially with how it started to tick again when Se Ju got it back in his hands… this means that time is moving forwards again and the past will come to the present. I wonder why Seol’s father found it in the snow… perhaps Se Ju’s past life died there? 

I was screaming a bit too much when he said this…. lmao… KYAAAAHHH!!!

Other Reviews: 

Episode 1 | Episodes 2 - 4 | Overall Review Rating