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thelittlepoetprincess · 4 years ago

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𝙈𝙃𝘼 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨(NSFW)

Author’s Notes: I promised another one of these so of course, I shall deliver. Also this’ll be a mixture of fluff and NSFW since these are more of the teasers. Please excuse the grammar, Grammarly was not working today. Hawks, Dabi, Overhaul, and Fatgum. SPOILER WARNING FOR DABI’S DANCE IN THE MANGA. If you like the Dabi or Overhaul ones get in the therapy wagon.

Word count: 1,470 words

Warnings: THE SPICE Quirk play, cockwarming, human fleshlight,consensual somno, public sex, sex with an audience, BDSM themes, body worship, hunting, degrading, and also abuse warning for Dabi and Overhaul.

Keigo Takami~Hawks

Pfft, the mans literally never has time for you, like- ever.

He’s working 24/7 so whenever he’s in the area he’s(quite literally) swoop by and give you a kiss or something then dip.

He also has to cut dates or dinner together short for work, or just make it quick. Quickies very common

The whole feather thing is very much real, it helps him keep tabs on you while giving him a way to let you know he loves you when he’s busy.

Often times he comes home to you asleep on the couch waiting for him, and he feels something stirring in him he pushed down a long time ago: Attachment.

If he comes home and he really needs to work one out of him then he’ll ask you can he use you then carry you off and thigh fuck you, but if he’s feeling frisky he’ll stick himself inside you and just feel you clench for that added bonus.

Commitment scares him, but you’re patient with him and he appreciates it. It show when he finally falls asleep around you.

When days get rough for him, you can tell. His clothes and hair are more disheveled than usual, his feathers are spread out, and he has to remind himself not to hiss when you come close(bird shit).

You insist he talk to you but he denies since he always feels he’s being watched and judged. Then you insist he takes it out on you and he refuses even harder, he’s stressed and doesn’t know how to unwind

Then you go for the wings and he will either: dodge you and scold you for trying orrrrrr. . .

Fucking snap on you and rock your shit.

“Oh, now your playing with fire, little birdie. Touching my wings is bold, now don’t regret it. You’ve ruffled my feathers and riled me up.“

Touya Todoroki~Dabi

MEAN, MEAN AS HEELL. HE GIVES ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKS FOR YOU!

Toxic relationship built only on sex and a power complex.

He gives no fucks for you but let him catch you even looking at someone the wrong way and he’d burn the fuck out of you both. Then push you out his way so he can burn the fucker fully to a crisp.

Not gentle burns fucking third degree you need a hospital burns. Also he wouldn’t apologize.

Yandere? Fuck no, he doesn’t care that much.

He’d watch you writhe in pain with tears in your eyes and enjoy it. Then snatch you up immediately and drag you back to the base to fuck your brains out.

Why are you dating him? He loves degrading you, pride? None of that here. You are his to use, break, and throw away as he pleases.

He owns you in his eyes, and if you run your fucked when he finds you

Very much breaking down in front of you but don’t touch him, don’t try to help because again: he will cremate you in a second without hesitation.

He likes to see the fear in your eyes, it lets him know he has power over you.

Big Hunter vibes from him, please do run. He likes the games. He’ll chase you down a dark alley way and take you against the wall once you hit the dead end.

The fucking snarls and growls of this mans, dear lord.

He’ll fuck you literally anywhere, the more populated the better. Try being blindfolded and set on a stage in a club full of villains and have him dick you down for all of them to see. He’s fucked you in front of the League on several occasions.

Your so far mind-broken and gone you won’t leave even if you could. Not that he’d let you walk out, you’re his only form of stress relief. Saves him the time of finding 1 night stands then burning them afterwards.

“You wanna leave, huh cocksleeve? Go ahead, I won’t stop you all you have to do is get off of my cock first. You won’t? Then quit whining and let me break you.“

Kai Chisaki~Overhaul

HE TOXIC TOO JUST LIKE DABI

Overhaul is also super busy like Hawks but you spend a certain amount of time with him since he has his schedule specifically planned out.

You live in the base but he doesn't let you nor want you as a part of the whole Eri thing or any of his work. You are not his equal or lover.

You’re less of a partner and more as a stress reliever, you're like a concubine basically.

He has you take a disinfecting bath before he sees you just to make sure he doesn’t get sick.

Your routine is very strict and you’re guarded, rarely ever changes unless you request it or there’s an emergency.

He's really fucking mean to you and uses his quirk on you to keep you in line, he'll break you and fix you just like he does Eri just to discipline you.

He also fucks you very brutally, like just for no reason fucks you hard. Everyone just let’s it go because better you than them.

The only time other members are nice to you is when they’ve fucked up and you need to either take the blame for them or ease Kai’s anger so they don’t end up dead afterwards.

Your knocked out after every session just because he's very rough with you and doesn't care, and if you don't preform to his standards he'll break you and put you back together.

He has a bad habit of fixing you just to keep going as well.

You’re a kept woman of the Yakuza, so pretty much whatever you want is given to you on a silver plater.

You are not his first lover, and you more than likely won’t be the last.

You clean up afterwards as well. Even more so if it’s in his office.

“What’s wrong? Can’t take another round? That’s alright, I’ll just fix you up good as new and keep going. You know better than to complain, right? Good pet.“

Taishiro Toyomitsu~Fatgum

He’s a good boy, he brings you food all the time and let’s you know when he’s doing something dangerous.

Whatever you wanna eat, name it and he’s got it. Has all the popular food joints on speed dial and gets discounts literally everywhere.

He loves it when you snuggle into his hugs, but he gets worried he may accidentally lose you in his fat you would love this actually

He has no problem fucking you when he’s not patrolling, no one visits the agency often so you two have his entire office to yourselves.

This man is into food play, no surprise there. Eating off you, yes. You eating off him, yes. Food with sex, yes indeed.

The biggest cuddlebug on the planet, he’s so used to being unattractive by most standards that once you two started dating he was so touch-starved he wanted to hug you ALL THE TIME

He’s not-so-surprisingly a good combat teacher.

He’s very vanilla and gentle, he doesn’t want to hurt you but he’s a BIG BOY so no need for the extras to make it super spicy.

All giggles, you guys have tried BDSM before, it doesn’t work he’s too goofy.

The agreed safeword is. . . . meatpie. Yes. He’ll back off and you’ll be laughing to yourself about it just enough to relax once more while he gets ready to praise you like a goddess.

Butterball, butterbean, and love muffin are his go-tos for nicknames. Though when your wearing that outfit he loves so much he has a habit of calling you “Devil’s food cake”, making him want to sin in all the sweetest ways possible.

Into Cock-warming, a lot. Not to mention teasing him will result in a harsher than usual upward thrust from his hips, he’s a bucking mess.

Body positivity king, there is not a day that goes by where he does not praise your figure for hours on end.

Literally fought someone one time because they objectified you and then had the audacity to say you weren't a whole fucking snack in front of him.

Kinkiest thing he’s done: Used you as a human fleshlight, it was only once but secretly neither of you can get rid of the thought.

THE DILF VIBES FROM HIM. Everyone says Kiri and Tamaki are his hero-children, you see it. It’s lowkey highkey attractive adorable.

OH THE AFTERCARE. I’m talking fresh warm baths with your favorite scents, massages for your whole body, and food. Endless amounts of food, cuddles, and praise.

“My little butterball, you look so good. I’m gonna push all the way in now, okay? Heh, no butterbean, I’m just halfway in your little hole. You know the safeword, just say the word if it’s too much.“

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raisinchallah · 3 years ago

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curious about your thoughts on the kirk drift essay genuinely would love 2 read them

hah well get ready for a word wall thank u for asking anon and pushing me to um actually collect my thoughts sorry for the utterly massive word wall that is gonna lie under the cut jklka;jldskfjda im a little crazy i even had to give it paragraph breaks to make it comprehensible its that long so read at your own risk i guess

um i do want to say i find the essay very interesting and though im about to be quite negative i do really like he analysis of like characters that are based on kirk and her analysis of like the cultural perception of him and i do also think her analysis of the positive aspects of his character are pretty accurate and so on and the entire premise of the essay open up a lot of interesting discussion because star trek has had an absolutely massive cultural impact and i do think its super interesting to look at how perception of the show and of kirk himself have changed with it but i think in her effort to push back on the accepted narrative of who kirk is she perhaps goes too far in the opposite direction and erases a lot of the shows and the characters flaws in ways that make it hard to really use it as a baseline for analysis ok so without further ado my critique also warning for sexual assault mention

my first critique is just like structural that i really disagree with her reading of tos as a single unified text with a singular goal and message like tos was made in a very different era of tv and a large percentage of their scripts were submissions not crafted by the shows writing team obviously the scripts were polished and rewritten to fall in line with characterization but like its pretty obvious when you just watch a few random episodes especially in the third season when gene coon and dc fontana were no longer around that the character writing is often not super consistent and can be pretty wonky themes conveyed in one episode are often directly contradicted in another there are plenty of pro war stories as there are anti war stories the man trap which says we must kill this alien to save our lives is in the same season as devil in the dark

i also really question how she sees the womanizer archetype that it would be a character just enthusiastically jumping from one woman to another with both characters having full agency when more often than not its something like say a james bond type or the entire archetype of the femme fatale the women often are portrayed with more power or as dangerous in the beginning of an encounter and she must be subdued and charmed by a man and her poor woman brain breaks and shes unable to go forward with her nefarious plan which i think we can definitely see the parallels to certain star trek episodes from that description ultimately we must view things i guess from both a what is happening to each character way which is very much what the essay and most fan interpretations of the character go with and yes in fact a lot of those scenarios i described above as a character experiencing them would be somewhat of a dubiously consensual situation for both parties but the language of film and way they are presented within the narrative always work to show the woman as like losing in this scenario her power is taken away and she loses far more than the man does who is free to go on his merry way and i think ignoring that framework at the very end and trying to excuse the obvious misogyny in the entire scenario that clearly leads to how people interpret it feels dishonest the reason people see these as conquests is because the woman is left with nothing at the end and has what power she had taken away like she cites catspaw as an episode one would have to twist themselves into pretzels to see as a conquest which i do agree with to some extent but its also one of the clearest demonstrations of the differences between how men who are villains are treated and women who are villains are treated that sylvia immediately after kissing kirk starts losing her confidence and power and wants to run away with him compared to korob who can just be normal evil and defeated in a standard manner retaining his dignity and thats a consistent pattern with female villains or henchmen in star trek like in what are little girls made of kirk forcibly kisses the android andrea until she short circuits essentially because he unlocked her emotions through forcing himself on her like yes in both situations hes very much in danger but when you compare how the female villains are taken down in both episodes compared to the men its pretty stark and kirks the vessel for each of these moments and like theres the ways you would analyze this if they were like real people and the way you would analyze this if you are discussing the meaning and what fictional characters are trying to symbolize and i just think um the layers of this are like more complicated than how they are portrayed in the essay i am also just genuinely baffled by her read on the scene with the slave woman in bread and circuses saying well its implied he feared for his life if he didnt sleep with her so hes equally a victim here but again the power dynamic and the fact shes like literally a slave it feels like such a reach to brush it aside as just yet another time when kirk had no power but like i think the woman had um even less here no point was made theres also just like the fact kirk always has a young female yeoman around that sometimes has like an air of he could be with her i know it was floated to have a kirk and rand romance at one point and theres definitely subtext of that in like miri and at the end of mirror mirror marlena appears as an ensign or the fact that in shore leave his yeoman just jumps to give him a back rub its like weird as hell this is something that is never used again in other star treks and for good reason again these dont necessarily have to impact your personal interpretation of kirk as a character but these are all things that kind of circle around him and hinge on him and became part of the persona in the same way that the script will sometimes give spock quite bigoted lines about a supposedly “primitive” culture or about women being foolish and emotional to try and validate such beliefs by putting them in the mouth of the smartest character similarly these plots hinge around kirk because he is the leading man or the writer sees him as a self insert of some kind which gene roddenberry has definitely written about

i suppose and i guess then jumping off from well the yeoman thing theres of course probably the most vile way kirk ever acts on the show in the enemy within ive seen people attempt to dismiss it as well he wasnt in his right mind but both kirks are portrayed as each half of the regular character and “evil” kirk literally attempts to rape yeoman rand and “good” kirk tells her shes lying about it a genuinely fucking unwatchable episode frankly and i feel like not addressing it leaves kind of a huge hole in the argument kirk is entirely a soft feminist who enjoys philosophy i dont mean to just like list out literally every single awful trait about this character or try and create a list of all his evil ways and say you cant like him its just to say this is a far more complicated picture than the one the essay wishes to paint and especially that the fandom who parrots this essay likes to paint and i just wish again to my first point we could understand that there is such wild variation in tv characters because television is a collaborative medium and there is a whole wide variety of things kirk is used to represent and he can at the same time be the kind and gentle man you see in certain episodes with interesting and balanced relationships with high powered women he respects and be part of all the things i listed above and that what each writer emphasizes and values shows something about the moral and values of the episode and of the writers themselves tbh what i find so compelling about kirk as a leading man and what makes him stand out compared to so many others in the sci fi genre that have followed after him is his humor and the way he can subvert situations and take the power out of nonsense bureaucracy with comedy and that hes not worried about always appearing dignified or powerful and can fake being stupid for an advantage and play with expectations and honestly just doesnt take himself too seriously i think that really take the wind out of the sails of any kind of macho bravado people might try to push on him and well it just makes for entertaining television and truly i know this whole thing feels like suuuper negative but like literally as a fan of star trek i think its completely fine to totally ignore the nastier sides of a character and like just say for example no spock wouldnt say anything bigoted i dont want that even tho he does sometimes say quite weird things as “facts” in canon we can understand these are the agendas and beliefs of writers and as writers and viewers of a character you can reinterpret them and have your own spin on things and i think a similar take can be had with kirk and all the aforementioned shit you dont need to like make this part of his character its awful i am glad we can attempt to excise it but when we are discussing a work from like an analytical angle or critically that just doesnt fly in my opinion and i think this has gone almost too far in the other direction as a reaction to reactions to kirk

also i know i have been like ceaselessly negative here but i do want to add i do actually find like the concept of the essay extremely interesting and i do actually agree a lot with many of her points because like despite everything ive said its like completely a choice what does and does not get emphasized about the character and i havent seen much futurama but i find her assessment of zapp brannigan and like various permutations of the kirk archetype to be quite interesting and seems pretty accurate like you can see the through line into like aos where well if the creepy womanizer idea of kirk remains within public consciousness here are the new ways hes used in a reinterpretation hes an audience insert as the voyeur he makes super creepy comments to uhura in the bar these are like active choices to pick from the wide swath of the character and i do in many way agree with her takes about like why thats ignored and ideals of masculinity and all that its a very interesting essay that can open up a lot of good debate and discussion but i feel like if you start from a place of smoothing over too many rough patches we cant really understand like why there are so many takes on the character or how to hope you can course correct i guess and what fandom can do with all that jfaklds ok sorry this is probably nearly unreadable sorry for the length if u read this far you are so strong thank u for taking the time

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kinetic-elaboration · 3 years ago

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August 21: 3x04 And the Children Shall Lead

Okay, I’m finally going to write up my thoughts on And the Children Shall Lead. I think I’m (mostly) over all of my excessively-strong emotions about this ep lol. Maybe going through my notes will bring them back. Or maybe not. I’ve felt very tired and uninterested in everything today so it’s hard to tell. So far the process is not going well: tumblr ate my first attempt at a post, like literally I wrote a few lines, clicked to a new tab, and when I clicked back the post was empty so thanks for that, and I keep on just generally not being interested in the task. So, we’ll see.

The tl;dr is that I don’t see why this ep is considered one of the worst. I actually really liked it!

Single-color jumpsuits: the fashion of the future.

Another old Kirk friend! (This isn’t even important lol; it never comes up again or matters that Kirk knew this guy, but we must always be reminded that he is the best networker in Starfleet.)

“He’s dead, Captain.” Not “he’s dead, Jim”?? Sounds wrong.

“The enemy within.” I thought that was a S1 ep?

Ah, another bunch of creepy kids. In pajamas this time, apparently.

Kirk is not having fun being the center of their creepy little rhyme.

RIP to McCoy but my diagnosis is “alien shenanigans.”

“I’m sorry, Captain Kirk.” Such a polite little alien.

McCoy corralling the kids

This sounds a lot like Miri, except purposeful—something targeted all the adults but left the kids, just like the virus in Miri affected all the adults, but not the kids.

…A disturbance in the cave!

Lol at Kirk’s anxiety face. I feel you, man.

Spock’s never experienced anxiety? My first thought is ‘sounds fake’ but actually… maybe he really hasn’t.

“There has to be an explanation.” This is the MOST Jim line.

I like these kids. They’re actually pretty cute. Also love Kirk trying to relate to the kids.

Where are they? Is this Sulu’s greenhouse lol? I love it. They should have used this set more.

“That place is for adults.” Gotta say, I wrote this down but now have no recollection what it actually refers to. The bridge? I think it’s the bridge.

Are they performing witchcraft? Intriguing.

“Friendly angel”—nothing creepy about that at all.

Got a little alien cult going on here. Every time I feel anxiety from now on I’m going to assume it’s an alien cultist nearby.

“We’ll pursue this in my quarters.” Wink wink.

Can’t fool Uhura.

Never mind. Yes you can.

For someone who wanted the kids guarded all the time, Kirk sure was ok with them just traipsing around the bridge. I mean the guards are at the door but like…they’re only at the door.

Never really thought about how there’s apparently an…engineering component... to flying the ship? I don’t know, I don’t really get it but it’s cool.

"Evil does seek to maintain power by suppressing the truth." Damn. Great line.

BAND OF MARAUDES. That’s a cool backstory for the dead alien society. Basically, they’re ghosts. Greedy ghosts. Alien ghost pirates.

Great triumvirate scene. McCoy want to protect the kids and Kirk’s like “…but the ship, though?” Which is fair!!

What does the ghost want? Um, a ship to maraud in, were you not listening to Spock’s exposition of the back story?

No don’t beam anyone down!!

Love any time Spock pushes someone else out of the way so he can man the transporter. He’s somehow the second-best expert on it on the entire ship.

Eeek, low-key gruesome death there. Look, I know that this is one of the scenes that haters love to point out as a reason to despise the episode but I personally don’t think deeply enough into the transporter situation to wonder how much information they have or assume before they beam people anywhere. Also…weird alien stuff is happening, guys. Just attribute it to that. Also also, if you’re gonna nitpick like that, be prepared to hate all of TOS.

THE KIDS STOLE THE CAR.

“Sulu, what did you to do my ship?”

Uhura’s watching this little witchcraft scene from the background like ‘aw, so cute.’

“Call upon their beasts.” Metal.

“Go to your stations.” This little kid is a future Captain in the making.

SPACE KNIVES

Kirk's like "Oh no, my crew is deserting me, I'm gonna have to fly the whole ship by myself AGAIN.”

“Captain, why are we bothering Starfleet?” Et tu, Spock?s

How did they get to Spock? He doesn’t seem scared of anything…more like he’s under the influence of a general hallucination, like the others seeing the planet on the screen even after they left orbit.

I remember this part, with Kirk freaking out. Spock doesn’t like it one bit.

He’s just being a littttle Dramatique.

Cannot believe that all Spock has to do is say “Jim” in a quiet, intimate voice and Kirk is immediately okay. Just let it out of his system, grabbed onto his friend, heard his own name, and the beast is defeated.

“My Vulcan friend”? Lol.

Kirk’s face when he realizes they’ve got Scotty too…

“Go away or we’ll kill you.” That was legitimately creepy. Scotty gone rogue.

Aw, Spock was worried about him again.

“Without followers, evil cannot spread.”

“Where did you hear this order, Chekov?” / “The voices in my head.”

It’s interesting that Kirk and Spock can’t be manipulated—perhaps because they have each other?

Enough of this—fight time!

That guard sounded like he really liked that nerve pinch; he was kinda moaning as he went down.

“Spock, corral them to their rooms.”

Outta the chair, brat.

Is Kirk going to defeat the alien evil using logic?

Summoning the “angel” by using the old recording is very clever.

When did they decide to start calling him the Gorgon?

“It lost its power in the light of reality” = “I looked into Spock’s eyes and knew myself again.”

HE IS GENTLE. It’s true and you should say it.

And he doesn’t even dispute it. “AND we are ALSO very strong.”

"You are full of goodness. Such as you cannot be changed."

So the girl is Jankowski.

This is very Candyman. The alien needs their belief to live. When they cease to follow him, he literally disappears.

Honestly, this whole alien scheme starts to look equal parts silly and sad, trying to call the crying children "generals.” They’re babies!

McCoy loves to see children in tears lol.

Kirk just hands them all off to McCoy, like ‘well, my work here is done.’

Okay, now we reverse course to pick up those stranded security guards still on the planet, right? Right? No? Okay, guess not.

Uhura, immediately ready with the paperwork lol. Now IS the time.

The end!

Now to try to interpret all of my other, more general notes.

The way I interpreted Spock being able to defy the mind control was that he was affected by Kirk. Because he clearly was affected, but then when he saw Kirk starting to freak out, he looked concerned, and then got them both off the bridge—he had a breakthrough of clarity long enough to understand he needed to get off the bridge. Then he’d be away from the kids, and they wouldn’t have as much control, and he could snap Jim out of it, too.

Like I’m sure his Vulcan resilience could easily have been part of it, too, but that resilience wasn’t enough to keep him from being affected at all—and of course they could have easily written it that way—and it seems obvious that his moment of clarity was caused specifically by watching Kirk starting to lose it. There are so many shots of him specifically watching Kirk and the guard.

The K/S vibes were so strong. Spock was so protective, then they get in the lift and Kirk basically clings to him. All he has to do is say Kirk’s name and Kirk is fine, which is basically the power of true love. And then even outside of that scene… for the whole rest of the ep, they’re a duo. It’s not just Kirk against the Evil of the Week, it’s Kirk and Spock, working together at every turn. Neither of them could have done it alone.

it's a pretty classic trope, in fact, especially in s1, to have Kirk all alone, abandoned by all...where he's the last man standing, the one who has to run the whole ship and save the whole day. Naked Time, This Side of Paradise, and Trouble with Tribbles (kinda) all come to mind. But this time he has Spock! You see the progression of their relationship in that.

I really enjoyed this episode in general. Lots of classic tropes: creepy children; surprise alien; old alien society not as dead as we thought; Kirk has to run the whole ship by himself (with Spock); heroic!Kirk saving the day… It has it all. It’s clearly revisiting some older themes and ideas, but in a sufficiently unique way that it doesn’t just seem like a rehash of an older plot. In some ways, it felt like a Classic S1 episode to me. It has some Miri elements, some Charlie X elements, some Naked Time elements…

I literally don’t understand why it’s so disliked.

Skimmed the wiki and the only specific criticism in there is that Kirk shows an “unmistakable hostility to the children.” Well first of all, he doesn’t. He might not have the best manner with them, but why should he? He’s certainly not mean or cruel to them. He recognizes they’re a danger to his ship, and to the whole planet of Marcos-12, which by the way is objectively true, but that’s not being hostile. McCoy is the one who represents ‘exclusive care for the children’s welfare’ in this ep, but he CAN do that, because he’s not the Captain. He represents that perspective, he gives his opinion, which is both his job on the ship and his role on the show, and then Kirk takes that into account while doing HIS job, which is running the ship. McCoy would have literally let the kids take over their ship and conquer the galaxy as part of their grieving process lol. Kirk was right and I should say it. (Also btw he understands that killing the kids might be an option—but he obviously doesn’t actually do it.)

I actually think this ep is a great example of the triumvirate functioning--McCoy reminds Kirk that the children are just traumatized children, and Spock reminds him that he's responsible for 400+ people on the ship, and Kirk makes the decisions that vanquish the evil, save the ship, and free the kids.

And look, even if you don’t like this episode, you’d have to argue very hard to convince me it’s the WORST, as in worse than Spock’s Brain, worse than The Alternative Factor, worse than Assignment Earth (not even a real TOS ep!), worse than The Omega Glory.

Some stuff I actively liked: the concept of the alien taking over the children specifically (both creepy and…kinda makes sense? That they’d be vulnerable); the message that the followers of demagogues can be both truly dangerous and objects of sympathy; the backstory of the evil empire of pirate aliens—and how greed doesn’t die; the witchcraft aesthetic, ESPECIALLY when paired with the kid antagonists, since kids are so into that like chanting, incantations, rituals thing; that the ep used every single main character (when was the last time a TOS ep did that?). Also I thought the kid actors did a good job!

The theme about the authoritarian and the cult followers was actually quite resonant, I thought; inevitably made me think of Tr/ump and his Tr/umpies. Just like in this episode, you must have some kind of… if not sympathy, at least willingness to do the hard work of deprograming and then bringing them back to the fold, or else the country is never going to heal and it’s never going to be able to go forward in a positive way. It might not go forward at all! But fuck it’s hard to have that sympathy; they’re so abhorrent. Here, you see the terrible things the kids do, and yet sympathy isn’t so hard, because they’re kids. You see how much they are victims/pawns also. And so in that sense, Kirk’s ability to deprogram them is comfortingly optimistic—a little bittersweet, as TOS often is, because the kids have done horrible things and seen horrible things and now they’ll have to live with it, but comforting nonetheless.

I can’t even think of that many things I didn’t like in the ep. Mostly just nitpicky things. Like, was McCoy a little inconsistent in what he thought should be done with the kids? Yeah, but we get the general idea. Did Kirk drop the ball when he let them hang out on the bridge? Yes, especially as he knew how dangerous they were at that point, but I actually don’t mind it so much because they’re kids—it’s understandable that their true dangerousness didn’t fully compute to him. I don’t see that as a mistake or sloppy writing tbh. And was it an amateur hour mistake to beam two people into space? Yes, but it made up for it in being creepy and upping the stakes of the ep.

I guess I could see how the fist gesture could be seen as a little silly. But the other option, having them speak rhymes each time, would have been distracting—and probably also looked silly! Also, as my mom pointed out, it looks like a kid’s game (sorta like the start of rock paper scissors) so it fits appropriately with the theme.

I really liked how they wove in the aesthetic of kids’ games, kids’ manners of playing, into the narrative. Kids can be really creepy! They like creepy things! So the ring around the rosy rhyme at the beginning—a quite disturbing chant, of course, about the Plague, that is also very commonly sung by actual kids—foreshadows the summoning chant that brings the alien to them. It’s all of a piece. And just like the rhyme is just a rhyme, and they don’t know the real meaning behind it, they probably also don’t fully understand the meaning of the summoning chant or the alien that comes with it. It’s all one big game to them.

It’s interesting that the alien seemed to play off their desire both to punish their parents for working too much ("they like the planet, they're always busy") and to have freedom from parental rules (how they react to any instructions from adults, the alien's promise that the whole universe will be their playground, etc.). He really picks their sore spots as kids specifically and turns them into his “generals” accordingly. Like all kids, they don’t think too much about the larger consequences of their game because in some ways, it really is all just a game to them.

I liked how the episode characterized Kirk’s ability to interact with kids. He’s not bad with them at all, but he’s not like McCoy or Chapel either. He “wants to communicate with the future adult in the kid,” as my mom put it, which is perfect. He doesn’t exactly treat them as mini-adults—he doesn’t say inappropriate things to them, and he does simplify his language and his ideas for them—but he does treat them very seriously. And he’s probably best at one-on-one interactions like with Tommy. I think this makes total sense for his character: he doesn’t have kids (David aside lol), he doesn’t have younger siblings, he doesn’t work in a place where he’d see other people’s kids, he doesn’t get to see his nephew much, etc.

…Okay those were all my notes. I know I had other thoughts that were a little less scattered later, but… I’m tired. And most of it is probably in here in some form or another. I also found a list of, like, actual critiques of the episode, and I was considering going through them and addressing them all, and I might still do that. But I think that’s for another day.

#the year 2021 #2021: star trek #2021: fandom thoughts #star trek tos

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semi-imaginary-place · 4 years ago

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rewatching decadence part 2 because part 1 got too long

ep7: Getting to see the game Deca-Dence as a new player would with the opening cutscene, skipping the TOS, character creation and all was a good touch. Also the fact that Kaburagi could look like anything, but he wants to look like mid 40′s dad both times. I wonder who it was that decided Minato should vape. The conversation on the top of Deca-Dence is real interesting because its like only 20% of the actual conversation is spoken out loud and the other 80% left unsaid, so we have to guess what was left unsaid. Minato tells Kaburagi to not make things worse for himself, condoning his actions, but also vows to himself to help Kabu even though it is very dangerous for him. Kaburagi leaves after regretfully saying he doesn’t want to cause Minato more trouble, and yet his current and future actions are and will be doing just that. The obscuring fog in this scene adds to the sense of distance or disconnect between these two. Somewhere over the past 7 years they have fallen off the same page.

This episode again highlights how while for the Tankers this is life and death situation, for the cyborgs Deca-Dence is a game. We get a shot of some Gears lightheartedly discussing how fun the latest game event was, followed right after with what that event meant for the Tankers as we see a makeshift medbay in the streets filled with the dead and dying to really drive home the gap of compassion between the two groups. Minato is one of the few cyborgs we really see besides Kaburagi and the show uses him to show how cyborgs don’t think of humans as people. Humans to the cyborgs are just npcs in a game. Now anime and manga about videogames have been around a long time and were especially popular in the mid 2000s (mmorpgs especially) after which the genre dropped the “in a game” part but kept everything else which were today know as the isekai genre. Hot takes like “the videogame characters are actually people all along” aren’t new either, but Deca-Dence is one of the most successful in generating sympathy and compassion for the Other by flipping the script. Most of those series come from the perspective of the player and show the player coming to care about the npcs. This often isn’t done very well or comes off as patronizing, like the other characters act in service of making the mc look like a good guy instead of actually acting like fully realized people in their own right. (*cough* sao *cough*). In contrast to this, Deca-Dence initially starts from the perspective of Natsume who is human just like us the audience, and thus predisposing us to feeling with and feeling for her. So later when its revealed the humans of this world aren’t seen as people by the cyborgs or the the corporation that rules all their lives, it is granted greater weight in the context of all of us who have played videogames before and met npcs and maybe not cared all that much about them. Decadence places the viewer in the position of the npc, the Other.

Episode 7 is also the beginning of several letters exchanged between Kaburagi and Natsume. Its a presence that lingers long after the person has left and also acts as a contrast to the call/social networking apps of the cyborgs. In episode 5 we saw Kaburagi choose Natsume over following the orders of Solid Quake, but through to episode 7 he still believed in its system. Look even at episode 6 where he still believed that if he worked hard and played by the rules, the system would reward him and everything would be ok and compare that calm assurance in episode 6 to his mountain frustration in episode 7. He’s starting to see how thing are run in Deca-Dence makes life really hard and kind of terrible for the Tankers. This frustration at the system culminates at the end of the episode when he realizes the real human cost of perpetuating this system of oppression in how it hurts Natsume. I mean “Late stage capitalism made my adopted daughter Natsume cry, so I'm going to dismantle it.“ is a joke and pretty funny, but like, that’s what actually what happens. Both Kaburagi and Natsume further the theme of pushing the limits. Kaburagi realizes the limits of his society and why its time to break them down, while of Natsume’s side we see her struggle in the face of things much larger than her. Much like how the cyborgs are stuck in their lifestyles of working for Solid Quake, earning oxyone, and playing Deca-Dence, the Tankers are stuck in their role in society to leave their fates to the Gears and Deca-Dence. So Natsume asking everyone to take charge of their own lives and close that the hole is them stepping out of the comfort of what they’ve always done, which is leave it to someone else (deca-dence administration, gears, etc.). Natsume asks the Tankers to push their limits, the step outside of what they’ve always done and to believe in things they thought were impossible to do. We see Fei representing the belief a lot of Tankers that nothing needs to change, thus nothing should change and they will not act to bring change to their own lives. The Tankers live lives that are decided for them. The Deca-Dence administration controls their population, and the system eliminates any who would disrupt it. They don’t have a lot of control and are resigned to live like that, until Natsume comes along. This episode we see her do what she does the entire series, inspire people to be more. Natsume’s doing alright, she might not be where she wants to be but she’s taken steps in that direction. Where Nstsume is psychologically contrast Kaburagi who’s a bit of a mess realizing he can no longer live under the thumb of Solid Quake’s Deca-Dence system and is kind of floundering about. When kaburagi meets Natsume again... he is so awkward, I’m getting second hand embarressmen. and again the assault jokes have got to stop. The shot of the empty chair calls back to the first episode and another talk between Natsume and Kaburagi. I always love it when an anime plays the credits early.

ep8: again the importance of the individual over the group with kaburagi’s lines at the beginning on why he’s taking down the gadoll factory. I’m just thinking about how kaburagi is certain minato kept his avatar. and everyone just agreeing that minato has that vibe. I really love the avatar retrieval part of the first episode. Its a heist sequence. I love heists!. They also did a good job with pacing and tension in that part. Still can’t believe the creators put a sex toy in this show but at least this joke is actually funny. Oh Minato pulled strings to get Kaburagi out of the poor jail. I missed that part. but now the two of them are not only on different pages, but on different books. Minato doesn’t see the tankers as people and follows the Deca-Dence system on what is good and what is bad, so he can’t comprehend why Kaburagi is throwing away everything the Deca-Dence system values for something the system has deems less than worthless. While Kaburagi has formed a moral compass independent of this system, he sucks at communication and doesn’t explain anything to Minato. Interesting how Minato views bugs as bad but has made an exception for kaburagi and probably did some mental gymnastics to do so. It reminds of those homophobic family members that make an exception for their gay family member. Minato never wanted anything but to be by Kaburagi’s side so he prioritizes Kaburagi above pretty much everything else which is why while he defends the establishment, he also breaks rules for Kaburagi. Their little convo continues the same dialectic, Kaburagi’s been inspired by Natsume to push the limits of himself and society, to choose how he lives instead of letting the Deca-Dence system tell him. Kaburagi underwent character development when Minato wasn’t looking and he can’t recognize him anymore but desperately wants to. Kaburagi moving forwards without him and him realizing that he was never as much a priority to Kaburagi as Kaburagi was to him, means that Minato’s really hurting by the end of the scene, and he doesn’t take it out on Kaburagi, he just leaves. ...if it isn’t obvious by now, minato is my favorite character. gotta love the gay robot having a mid life crisis. (i mean his feeling aren;t necessarily romantic, but you know the joke I’m referencing). Turkey just wakes up and chooses evil every day huh. I predict someone on tumblr with a history of unhealthy relationships is horny for turkey.

ep9: why does the reactor look like a cyborg core? Again. WHYYY does Donatello have a gun??? idiots let him keep a working gun. I love the contrast of the actual pretty gritty situation of the prison riot being represented with super cartoony slapstick animations. This probably saves on frames as well as keep the series from getting too dark, because if you think about it the labor camp conditions are pretty horrifying but its disguised with cartoony designs and wacky characters. Kaburagi and Natsume are doing very important plot things, but the core of episode 9 are Sark and Turkey. Through them we see the same conversation that has been repeated through out the series of conforming to society and staying in line, that things won’t ever change so you should just duck your head and follow order, or the “I’m comfortable how things are” versus you should make your own choices with live life how to want to, to push your limits. Turkey sees the Deca-Dence system as absolute and eternal and thus tries to play by the system and help it continue by selling out everyone else. Sark is passive and doesn't really have an opinion of his own, just following whatever the others are doing whether its Kaburagi stealing his avatar or Turkey in betraying everyone. Sark unlike Turkey isn’t malicious, he wants the best for everyone but also isn’t quite willing to put himself at risk for others. After seeing everyone be destroyed as a consequence of following Turkey however, his new resolve and subsequent suicide bombing is the only reason the plan ends up succeeding. For total destruction of the gadoll factory two things were needed: flipping the kill switch on all the gadoll in the dome, and destroying the reactor powering the factory. We aren’t told how Jill and Kaburagi originally planned to destroy the reactor (like was he just suppose to wander around until they bumped into it?), but Sark’s explosion is what allowed Kaburagi and Natsume to get away from Hugin. Without Sark, Hugin would have totally caught them. So it was Sark taking charge of his own life and pushing his limits that saved them all. That said, if the explosion was powerful enough to reach all the way up the giant tube and destroy the reactor, why didn’t it break the tube and why didn’t it destroy everyone left in the prison? ah well it makes thematic sense so I’ll let this pass.

So I’ve talked before about how Deca-Dence’s ending could be improved to build on some of the themes established in the first couple episodes. The problem is that this show isn’t pushing a narrative of collaboration and the power of collective bargaining, its pushing an individualist narrative about how each and every person can reach out and better themself. Now I don’t think these two themes are mutually exclusive, but it would take a very delicate touch as well as an attentive and thoughtful audience to successfully weave these two theme together into a nuanced whole. And if a rewrite were to happen with the minimal amount of changes, I think ep 10 is a good divergence point. The final little arc is about the rogue gadoll outside of the Deca-Dence system and the threat of total annihilation by solid quake, and while big kaiju fights look cool, they don’t quite deal with dismantling systems of oppression at the hands of your corporate overlords. So, I would have preferred something like the cyborgs and Tankers coming together to seize the means of production, destroy Solid Quake, and take its assets for themselves. The ideal rewrite situation though would for this all to be 24 episodes and the big gadoll to be the episode 12 climax while taking down Solid Quake happen in ep 23-24. And since we’re doing a rewrite, Natsume kinda drops off as the main character after episode 5 and I’d like to see her back at the forefront of the show.

ep10: If this show had leaned more into the futility of Natsume seeking to improve herself within a system that rendered it meaningless, it would have ended up much darker, but I also think it would have been richer. Ah poor Natsume, she’s at a low point since the context of what she has been doing has wildly changed, afterall, what’s the point of improving yourself if nothing else ever changes and what you do doesn’t matter. The letter writing continues and it is good. So I’m not going to question how the exit tunnel is still intact, but watching into robot kaburagi angrily drive a car and swear is really funny. I’ve been wondering for a while, the humans literally live in a fuel tank, how is there enough light to grow plants in there? Like as part of the post-apocalyptic aesthetic, a lot of Tankers have little house plants which in addition to being inside the fuel tank, are also inside their houses. oh yeah for any who didn’t get it. The reason as a child Natsume went into cardiac arrest and her chip was read as dead wasn’t because of the severity of her injuries, Deca-Dence’s system had deemed her too dangerous to live and flipped her kill switch.

ep11: on a thematic level I might be meh, but the writing and execution are what really pull the ending through. Everything is nicely set up from the mutated gadoll the victim of animal abuse several episodes earlier to fighting hugin in the factory being how hugin finds out about natsume. I think about Jill’s lines here, that no matter how hard you try to keep things from changing, you’re just fighting the inevitable. Also Natsume took Kaburagi’s switching bodies really well like seeing someone you care about die in front of you but then surprise they just got another body would give most people such whiplash. “our bodies are under the system’s control, but our core’s are independent of it” I’m still thinking about this. It makes sense given how the first generation of cyborgs where humans with mechanical implants, but cyborg’s cores are still such a mystery. The things you can’t control are a part of life too. In Deca-Dence bugs are uncertainties that the master control system doesn’t know what to do with. More than just individualism good, here we get a little more nuance to Deca-Dence (the show)’s theme. Jill was one of the creators of the Deca-Dence game (giant mech, control system, and all), and they tried to create perfect system where everything was under its control and order could be maintained forever, and this inevitably failed (the show tells us). Trying to perfectly order everything is to attempt the impossible, disorder will always creep in and those little individual differences should be celebrated. and is to the backdrop of an old Deca-Denca(robot) part that is rusting away, plants and animals overtaking it much like how the Deca-Dence’s currently enforced status quo of the game will fall away in the face of those it deems bugs. wait did we ever figure out what the bug was that jill left in deca-dence? mmmm I’m still thinking about Minato logging out because the system told him to but unwilling to let things end this way so physically going back down to earth in his real body. Facing the possibility of truly losing Kaburagi forever is what pushes Minato to question following the Deca-Dence master control system. He totally became a bug for Kaburagi. I doubt Kaburagi had any idea how much Minato wanted to hear the words “let’s fight together to the end”, but offered the thing he truly desires, Minato probably would have done anything. mmm he’s got it bad. there’s also that linking Kaburagi and Deca-Dence’s core takes two people and yet, Kaburagi didn’t bring anyone with him. Which is terrible planning, but allowed for this really great scene. that he knew Minato would come after him. And then the last thing me sees in Minato. Minato truly is ride or die. literally. He could have gone back to the spaceship so that he’d survive no matter what, but he choose to stay. If the plan succeeds then he will see it through with/right beside/literally inside of Kaburagi, and if it fails and Kaburagi is annihilated when Solid Quake wipes the dome, Minato will also be annihilated along side Kaburagi.

ep12: so kaburagi just straight up demands admin privileges and the governing sys is like “sure”. Yeah pretty sure the governing system convo was a season 2 hook to show the big wigs. The independent all governing system tells Kaburagi that all this, him and bugs are a part of the system’s learning process, to which Kaburagi responds that all that doesn’t matter since he’s going to do what he wants independent/regardless of the governing system. the context in which you do things doesn’t matter. Also I never pointed it out since its like the 4th wall of scifi, everyone is just trained to suspend their disbelief, but oxyone is total bullshit. A non toxic liquid energy dense fuel that can be concentrated into orbit range lasers. The tankers all helping Natsume push the spare part is a feel good moment seeing everyone working together. Its an unnecessarily scene for the purpose of including the tankers in the action, since the part wasn’t ever really needed and the writers didn’t have to have it severed by the laser to begin with. the Natsume montage overlayed with the music is very good. wait. i just realized, limiter release can be reversed. Afterall, Kaburagi released his limiters with his first avatar, and if he had still been fully connected to it when hugin killed that avatar, cyborg Kaburagi should have died too but he didn’t and just immediately logged in on a different account. Kabu-Dence releasing his limits here and literally giving all of himself to destroy omega is fulfilling both for his character arc and on an emotional level. This entire show has been about pushing one’s limits and making your own choices, and it culminates here’s in Kaburagi literally releasing his limiter, thus putting him in mortal danger, and then giving every last ounce of himself to the path he has decided. The destruction of the mech fortress Deca-Dence is also symbolic of the end of the game of the Deca-Dence mmorpg as we know it. wait wait did Kaburagi hold on just long enough to hear Natsume thank him. aaaaahhh and then the ed song plays!! and then the play the new mmo intro scene. Still real weird that they’re using a cyborg brain as a ball.

#deca dence #deca-dence #decadence #deca_dence #anime #reviews

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danyka-fendyr · 5 years ago

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Absence of Good - 9

Chapter Nine: Legerdemain

Hello everyone! As promised, I am posting another chapter of Absence of Good within the same week! I know, I’m kind of stunned too. If it comforts anyone, this is completely unedited, so that’s still on brand for me. I’m really excited for where I’m going to take this series next. I have some ideas for what the plot conflict is going to be now that our two idiots are together, hehe. For now though, enjoy this mostly wholesome chapter (minus the murder, obviously).

Taglist: @dreamwritesimagines @rhabakoli @alwaysadreamingoptimist

AoG Taglist: @pancakefancake @prettyboyspenerrr @youreasnack @alioop3818 @newtslatte @rathersuspiciousbumblebee @andiebeaword @stalker83005

Wordcount: 3206

Warnings: Murder. Some gore. Generally disturbing themes. Mentions of abuse.

“I don’t know what they are called, the spaces between seconds– but I think of you always in those intervals.” ― Salvador Plascencia

You had been on this case for a week now, and it was starting to take a toll on you. Hotch had put you all on a plane about 5 minutes after your confession to Spencer, which at the time you hadn’t been worried about. Little did you know this would be the world’s longest-running case, and you had barely gotten 5 minutes with Spencer.

This was one of those rare times where splitting you and Spencer up was pretty much unavoidable. They needed his brain at headquarters to track this guy and they needed your body out in the field to catch the guy. You and Emily had been teaming up a lot, and while you had learned a lot from her, she was no Dr. Reid.

You missed him. You didn’t realize how much time you had been spending with him until the most you got was a quick, “Hi, how are you?” as you handed him coffee. He had been throwing himself at the books, forgetting to do basic things like eat and drink, so you tried to remember for him when you could. You were all at the end of your rope with this guy.

This unsub, whoever he was, just so happened to be extremely clever. You could only imagine how high his kill rate was, as you were sure this was not where he had started. No, the precision this guy worked with was almost a thing of beauty, if it hadn’t made you want to vomit. Apparently, eyelids were very hard to sew together, but this guy, he was pretty damn good at it.

You climbed up the hill, thighs burning as you approached the top, boots digging into the soft dewy ground. The sun had only just started rising about an hour ago, and you felt your eyelids weigh almost as heavy as your limbs. Emily was right behind you, the ragged pace of her breathing matching yours.

When you reached the top of the hill you couldn’t say you were greeted by your favorite sight.

“Oh. Well that’s just lovely,” you huffed out.

“It’s certainly new.” Emily was turning a little green around the gills.

Evidently, your man had gotten bored of just sewing people’s eyelids shut. This guy had his eyes sewed shut, sure, but he was also cut in half. So that was fun.

“Do you see the dove?” You started scanning for it, knowing it would be present somewhere on the crime scene.

Emily found it first, lying a few feet away from your victim. She bent down to closer inspect the plastic bird, looking for any sign that the killer might have left behind a message or a fingerprint. No such luck.

“Okay, well we know this had to be time consuming, right?” You said.

“To sever a man’s spine? Yeah. That’s no easy task.”

“He’s escalating. Showing off. He’s laughing at us,” you mumbled, leaning over the body.

“I think he’s earned the right to. 5 kills in one week? That’s…”

“Not good.”

“I was going to say scary, but that works too.” Emily grimaced.

“Want to head back to the station? I don’t think we can gather much more from here. We’re better off waiting for the M.E.’s report.”

“Hmm…Sure you don’t have any other reason for wanting to go back to the station?”

“Like what,” you said airily.

“Really?” she said. “You don’t think I’ve noticed you’ve been missing your usual partner? It’s okay, honest. You’re not hurting my feelings any.”

You laughed a little bit, relieved that she had either not caught on to anything or had chosen to keep it to herself if she had.

“Hey, I think you make for fine company. That being said, someone has to watch Spencer. He’s losing his mind right now.”

“Yeah. Hotch had to stop him from throwing a book across the room yesterday.”

“Wait, really?”

“Our resident genius is coming a little unhinged.”

You sighed, beginning the descent down the hill.

“I’m worried about him,” you confessed.

“We all are. He’s taking these deaths too personally. I think he feels like it’s his responsibility to figure this guy out, like he’s the genius and he’s not doing his job or something.”

“He puts too much pressure on himself.”

“You can say that again.” Emily rolled her eyes, but her face quickly settled back into a worried frown. “He always has. This case is just difficult. No pattern with the victims, no obvious clues, and no clear connection between eyes, doves, and now being split in two. It’s just a little mystifying.”

You nodded, climbing into the passenger side of the car. Emily liked to drive, and you usually fell asleep in cars, so in that sense at least you were the perfect duo. You laughed at the thought that Hotch would have paired you up for that alone.

“Maybe something about this will make sense to Reid. Maybe this is the piece we’re missing,” you said.

“Yeah, maybe.”

Emily does not sound hopeful.

As soon as you got to the station you were making a beeline for the coffee machine. It was quite literally the only thing you could think about right now. Selfishly, you got your own coffee first, taking a couple of sips to get your brain and heart working in proper order. You definitely hadn’t been this dependent on coffee before you started this job.

Once you felt like you could be reasonably mistaken for a human being again, you made another cup of coffee, dumping a few cups of sugar in. Just how he liked it. You smiled to yourself, probably looking a little crazy. You had known how Spencer liked his coffee forever, but it just felt different now, more intimate somehow. Stupid human brain with its stupid human hormones.

Spencer was alone amidst an entire library’s worth of books. He was sitting surrounded by them on the floor, some of them stacked up around him, built up like a little castle. You tip-toed your way through the maze, heading towards the oblivious genius who clearly had his defenses and his drawbridge (the meager path you had carved for yourself) down.

“Spence.” Your voice was a soft echo in the room.

He jumped, turning around bewildered and bleary. You took in the site of him, the circles under his eyes that were moats of purple and the way his hands twitched like they were trying to turn a page or hold a shield he had misplaced. Gently, you smoothed out a stray piece of hair that was falling into his eyes.

“Brought you coffee,” you offered, shuffling around a few books to settle down on the floor next to him.

He relaxed, reaching out to take the cup.

“Find anything?” you asked.

“Nope. What about you? Hotch told me there was a new body this morning.”

“Yeah. This guy was chopped in half. We’re waiting on the M.E.’s report. Other than that, nothing new except for me almost losing my breakfast. Not cute.”

“I think you would have been very cute projectile vomiting over a corpse.” He grinned at you.

“Is that what you tell all the girls Dr. Reid?” You raised an eyebrow.

“No. Just you.”

“Hmmm…” You squinted at him playfully. “Then what do the other girls get that I’m missing out on?”

“What if I said there are no other girls?” He raised an eyebrow, but a hint of seriousness crept into his voice.

“Then I would say you’re a liar,” you whispered, leaning forward until your face was dangerously close to his.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said, voice low, eyes lower as they traveled well below your own.

“Oh, do magic tricks for me like one of your French girls, Spencer!” You feigned a swoon, one palm falling back onto a red leather-bound book to support you, the spine digging into the heel of your hand.

“Well, I could. Or I could return your hair tie.”

You glanced down at your free wrist, alarmed to find it hair tie free.

“How did you?”

He just smiled charmingly, pulling it out from behind your ear.

“I can think of other things you could do that with,” you suggested, waggling your eyebrows. “But seriously, how?”

“A magician never tells his secrets.”

“Yeah, well I wish they would start.” You soured again, thinking back to the case. “I would love to know how this guy sawed his latest victim in half.”

Spencer sat up rigid, eyes going blank as he thought faster than you could ever hope to process.

“Spence?”

“We need to get that M.E.’s report right now,” he said, standing and leading a one-man charge out of the hardbound, softcover castle he had built.

You followed behind him, scrambling to keep up. Unsurprisingly, you two ended up at the M.E.’s, who was mid-examination.

“Was the victim sawed in half?” Spencer said, not bothering with any niceties.

“He’s Dr. Reid, we’re with the FBI,” you clarified, confused where he was going with this.

“Umm…” The medical examiner looked a little bewildered but answered the question anyway. “As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure this was the work of a saw. Not an electrical one either. Very unusual. Probably took him a very long time to do.”

Reid spun around, heading right back to his books, leaving you to helplessly follow after tossing a hasty goodbye to the poor M.E.

“Spence, what is all of this about?” You asked once you had wended your way back to where you started.

“Don’t you see?” He asked, a slightly insane light to his eyes. “It all makes sense now. The dove, the saw, even the eyes. It all connects!”

“Spence, I think you need to maybe go lie down for a little bit.” You reached for something he could eat, spotting a box of donuts left half-empty on a table in the office space he had appropriated. “Why don’t you have a piece of bread and maybe you’ll calm down.”

“No, look,” he said, finding the crime scene photos amongst the shuffle of information he had acquired. “What do all of these things mean put together? How saws people in half? Who uses doves as part of their show?”

Finally, it clicked.

“Magicians,” you breathed, Spencer’s energy suddenly becoming contagious.

“Magicians!” He crowed. “Even the eyes make sense. It’s a taunt. ‘Now you see me, now you don’t.’”

“Because he always disappears!”

“Exactly!” Spencer pointed at you triumphantly.

“Okay. Now we just have to find a magician with a bone to pick,” You said, deflating slightly. “How hard could that be in a city of a couple hundred thousand?”

“Better go tell Garcia to start checking Fort Wayne’s yellow pages.”

“Yeah.”

As it turned out, it was apparently not that hard to find a magician with a grudge. For some reason, there were several in this city. However, only a few had the migratory pattern of your culprit, who had been clever enough to cross state lines. He had been playing a long, subtle game before he started to toy with you, but the eyes had always been the same, a very unique touch of his.

“Okay team,” Garcia said, bubbly as ever. “We have learned two things today. One, our guy is probably Larry Harlborrow, A.K.A. Axel Ranger, traveling magician who just so happens to have stopped by all of our unsub’s previous places of residence and stuck around for a while. Two, never trust a magician.”

“Hey!” Reid interjected.

“Never trust a magician whose name is not Spencer Reid,” Garcia amended over the phone.

“Better. Carry on.”

“Anyway, it looks like our guy’s stressor was a messy divorce with his wife. Apparently, the magic business didn’t make him a very good bread winner, and the multiple charges of domestic abuse weren’t exactly a winning point for him either. I suspect it was the latter though that caused her to leave him, taking sole custody of the kids and getting a very neat, tidy restraining order put up against him. More power to her, but that’s where we come to our trigger and coincidentally where our timeline of murder starts. But hey, I’m sure there’s no connection there, right?”

“Address?” Morgan asked.

“Oh, you know I’ve already sent it to your cell, sexy,” Garcia purred.

“Alright, well as grateful as we all are, I think it’s time to hang up while this call can still be called PG-13,” JJ said.

“Good luck my darlings!”

“Thanks baby girl.”

Thankfully for you, it was just a simple snatch and grab, and it was about time you had one. He was at home, so confident in his own skill he didn’t have the slightest inkling you would be interrupting his afternoon. Classic narcissist. The homicide was a fun twist, but you couldn’t call it original.

Morgan kicked down his front door and you burst through to where he was, disgustingly, in the middle of sawing in half another victim. His entire living room was coated in plastic sheets, the kind you draped over furniture if you were painting. You couldn’t say you liked the way blood red matched the rest of his décor.

“Hands in the air!” You shouted, aiming your gun.

For a moment he paused, saw still in his blood covered hands, victim well and truly dead before him. You couldn’t believe he was actually considering not giving himself up.

“Piece of advice? Don’t bring a saw to a gunfight,” Emily warned.

That seemed to be enough to snap him out of it, and slowly, he raised his hands in the air. You cuffed him, trying not to look at the body so close to you.

“Try slipping your way out of this one Houdini,” you growled before starting on his Miranda rights.

After safely stowing your mad magician into the back of a cop car, you made your way back to the station to pack up and get ready to go home. It had been a very, very long week. All you wanted was a shower and your soft, warm bed.

You fell asleep almost immediately getting into the jet, your head resting on Reid’s shoulder. You didn’t even care that the rest of the team was watching. This was innocent anyway, and they were all far too tired to care.

When you touched down, you were still so blurry you weren’t sure you could be trusted behind a wheel. Thankfully for you, Spencer noticed.

“I’ll drive Y/L/N home. I still have enough coffee in me for that I think,” he said.

“Okay. I’ve got Emily,” JJ said, supporting her equally sleeping friend.

Spencer bundled you into the car and once again, you were dead to the world for a while, until he was waking you up again to lead you into your apartment.

“Will you stay?” you asked, lazily fumbling for your keys and allowing him to open the door for you.

“Of course,” he said, tucking you under one arm and guiding you inside.

“That was such a long case,” you groaned, stretching out your limbs.

He nodded, setting his satchel down in your doorway.

“Yeah.” A beat. “I missed you.”

You felt everything in you soften at those words, a gasp of relief that it wasn’t just you who had been feeling like this.

“I missed you too. So much.”

He crossed the distance between the two of you in your tiny apartment, wrapping you up in his arms, and you breathed the scent of him in. There was something deeply comforting about this, about the soft material of his sweater and the tickle of his hair brushing against your nose. It was starting to get long again.

“You need a haircut.” Your voice was muffled by his shoulder.

You could hear the frown in his voice. “You don’t like it how it is now.”

“No, I do.” You reached up to play with the longer strands in the back. “Actually, I think you should keep it this way. If you change anything you might get sexier, and then I’ll never be able to focus on cases.”

“Hmm, maybe I will cut it then.”

“No,” you whined.

“I think you need to go to bed.”

He combed a hand through your hair and you sighed blissfully.

“Are you offering to take me to bed Dr. Reid?”

“Something like that,” he said, scooping you off of your feet.

You let out a surprised squeak, wrapping your arms around his neck. The alarmed beating of your heart woke you up a little bit more, enough so that your brain could process the full implications of the fact that Spencer could pick you up with ease. You filed that information away in your brain for future use.

You let him settle you down gently onto the mattress but refused to untwine your arms from where they rested. He tried to move away, but you stopped him.

“One kiss.” A soft, tired plea.

He hadn’t kissed you in a week, and you were starting to forget the way it felt. You never wanted to forget that, the absolute rush of it. Little did he know you had been obsessing over it, pining after him the entire time you had been on this case. You could still focus on your work, but you had always had him in the back of your mind somewhere, holding you, kissing you, making snarky commentary. At some point, Spencer had become an integral part of your life. Without him something important seemed to be missing in a way you couldn’t explain.

“One kiss,” he agreed, leaning down to brush his lips softly against yours.

A shuddery little sigh unwound in your lungs, fluttering out of your mouth to meet his, and in response he deepened the kiss. One hand cupped your face while the other buried itself in your hair, and you loosened your grip on his neck so that your fingers could trace his face. They danced across his features as his lips danced against yours.

You loved the way he kissed. Every time he did it, it was with his whole body. Like it was the only thing he was thinking about, like it was the only thing he would ever think about. The way he curved into you, the furrow of his brow that you traced with the tip of your finger. You almost wanted to open your eyes, to immortalize this moment, but you couldn’t. You were too absorbed by the feel of him.

All of the effort, the concentration that Spence put into his kisses paid off. He was absurdly good at it, stealing your breath away, making you forget that there was anything else in the universe. The flick of his tongue against your lower lip was positively indecent, and you arced into him, pulling him closer.

Disappointingly, he pulled away, breathing hard. You realized you were doing the same, having forgotten about paltry things like breathing while he was kissing you. He walked around to the other side of the bed, toeing his shoes off and coming to lay down beside you.

Gently, he laid a kiss on your forehead. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

“if only these treasures were not so fragile as they are precious and beautiful.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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darkestwolfx · 5 years ago

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Up From the Depths P.2 - Re-Review #33

Look at that scenery! It gets me every time, I will be honest.

“This is Thunderbird One in immediate pursuit of The Mechanic.”

“I’ve got you Thunderbird One. Thunderbird Five is tracking you at a thousand metres and closing.”

“The TV-21... I haven’t seen it since I was a kid. It’s just as cool as I remember.”

“Please use caution, Scott. The Mechanic must be piloting remotely. That means he’s got nothing to lose.”

“Except Dad’s old plane he’s carrying.”

“Scott, there’s a safe area up ahead. You could knock out the TV-21 and bring down the plane with zero civilian causalities.”

“No way, Thunderbird Five. That plane belongs to us and I’m going to get i back in one piece.”

And that decision causes a load of problems - but had Scott not made that call, the episode would have been quite a bit shorter, and Scott probably wouldn’t have met Ned - and I wouldn’t have been able to write a fic about called ‘When Scott met Ned’, so I’ll go with it.

“Scott, when I designed the TV-21, you’re Dad wanted all the thrust I could give him. That booster is the most powerful I’ve ever built.”

“More powerful than Thunderbird One?”

“Well... yes.”

“Thunderbird One is going down!”

Grandma being able to give Scott those instructions makes a lot more sense now the whole series has aired. When we first saw this episode, I was a little bit like.. explanation please? (Because based on TOS Grandma; she didn’t seem the type to fly). But, it’s okay, they came through and gave it to us.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let the TV-21 out of my sight.”

We know you won’t John.

“Thunderbird Shadow moves fast and quiet. He won’t hear me coming.”

And another Kayo ‘I can totally manage a solo mission moment’. Yeah, remember one of the last ones? As in the nearly dying part (’Touch and Go’)? Clearly not. Is it just me, or is that getting a little bit repetitive and annoying now? I really found that Kayo had an attitude in this two-parter.

I for one, am very glad Grandma called in some assistance.

“Hello, Dear? Are you busy?”

“Never too busy for you, Mrs Tracy.”

“How would you like a second chance to get The Mechanic?”

“I’d enjoy it more than Parker likes complaining about the weather. Scotland, Parker.”

“Right haway, M’Lady. hOf hall the places to ‘ide hout ‘e picks the rainy hone.”

Parker, I’d like to claim that such might actually be me, down here n the South West coast. Hello, always rains down here... except it’s actually really nice right now. I claim it’s the lack of pollutants affecting the air quality and atmosphere. But’s that’s just one girl’s theory.

Look at his face, his poor little face. Thunderbird Four really is in a state though...

“What do you think?”

“I think we have a lot of work to do.”

Scott looks so sad, sat back at his dad’s desk, bless him. Knowing him he’s probably reliving the fact that he failed to get the TV-21 back. He’s always too hard on himself. Anyone else remember the events of ‘Recharge’? Virgil, come give him another talking to, please.

“I get that everybody loves the TV-21, but it’s just a plane.”

“It’s also a symbol of your Father’s determination. Ever since he was a boy, your Father dreamed he’d be the fastest pilot who ever flew.”

“So he and Brains built the TV-21?”

“It was beautiful! Dream come true!”

“Until The Hood crashed it.”

“But he didn’t crash his dream. Your Dad didn’t care about being fastest anymore. He only cared about being first. First on the scene when people need help. First to act when someone’s in trouble. And instead of one ship to do it all, he built five. The TV-21 was the beginning of International Rescue.”

“We need to get that plane back!”

That’s the spirit, Alan!

I’m loving all these scenes on Tracy Island in this episode just to say. Definitely another reason why it makes it into my favorites. It’s an episode which really succeeds in making the boys both human and heroes and I will endlessly love how well written this family was in this two-parter.

“What’s the situation, John?”

“The Mechanic’s craft has stopped over the GDF’s high security iridium vault. The GDF are responding now.”

Because we all know how well that will go down...

“All personnel have been evacuated, Colonel Casey. Except one.”

“Well get him out of there.”

“He said he won’t leave. He’s afraid of losing his job. Oh, and he told to say ‘Gladys won’t go either’.”

“What’s his name?”

I think we already know the answer.

“A crewman. Tedford. Ned Tedford.”

“Oh boy.”

Called it!

“No one’s stealing the world’ supply of iridium, Gladys. Not on our watch!”

That’s right everyone! It’s our favourite gold member of the Rescue Club! Ned Tedford and Gladys!

“Phew, Gladys. I thought we were in trouble there for a second.”

Yeah, Ned you kinda are... See I told you, never leave the GDF to handle things. I bet Colonel Casey is really regretting allowing Virgil to convince her to give Ned a “nice cozy desk job” with the GDF.

I love how Colonel Casey just says “there’s a worker inside” - she knew it was Ned, she could have told them it was Ned - it’s even more comical that she chooses not to.

“It’s never even been tested!”

“Brains, whatever it is, will it help us stop The Mechanic?”

“Conceivably.”

“Then we’ll take it!”

Good choice.

Maximum Max is a brilliant new development and one I think Alan really loves - it was like giving the kid more video games to play with. And it gave Scott a chain to go and rescue Ned! Hooray!

“It’s game time!”

Yeah it is! And just look at them go.

In my opinion, this goes down as Scott’s best ever entrance to a rescue.

“It’s International- Arrgh!”

*Has iridium thrown at him*.

Definitely the best entrance.

“Keep your dirty hands off this iridium!”

“Ned Tedford?”

“Oh, it’s you! Sorry about that!”

I think that was meant to be Scott’s line. And the fact Scott can reognise Ned (when we know Colonel Casey didn’t give a name - well, that we heard), means he must have been told a lot by his brothers. Or, that’s the assumption I’ve always made.

“Why am I not surprised? I need you to climb into the airlock.”

“No way! I was told to watch this iridium. I won’t let it be stolen!”

“Uh... it’s already been stolen, Ned. You do realise you’re in space, right?”

I mean, I would hope the floatiness gave that away...

“Hmm... That does explain the floatiness.”

Or apparently not. I am proven wrong. Again.

“But it does not change anything! I’m not going anywhere without this vault!”

And there is another decision that sets the path of the episode. If they could have just rescued Ned and Gladys... I can’t help wondering if they would have stood a better chance at recovering the TV-21, or if it still wouldn’t have made a big enough difference.

“Alan, we’re gonna’ have to retrieve the iridium as well.”

“Scott, that isn’t the mission!”

“It wasn’t, but it is now.”

Always listen to your field commander, Alan, and today that is Scott, and he’s made the call. Whatever you and I may think of it.

The International Rescue theme played on bagpipes was absolutely wonderful!

“hIt’s been cloned! That’s hone hof the ‘ood’s hold tricks!”

“Where do you think he got it from?”

That is a new one... Another thing to add to the list of connections between The Mechanic and The Hood, because that implies a more long term connection than we might have first thought.

And all I have to say here, is poor hAlice! May she rest in peace.

“But it’s Dad’s plane!”

“I know, Alan, but it’s not Dad.”

That quote, will always get me.

Remember what The Mechanic said about taking what he wants? Yeah, well he very nearly took Thunderbird Three down with the TV-21.

“Sorry Dad.”

I think he would always have rather had his sons, than his old plane, sad as it is to have been so close.

“The TV-21 was so close!”

“Dad really loved that plane.”

“Ah, in the end the TV-21 was just a bunch of steel and rivets. Your Father would never have risked failing a mission just to save it. What he really loved was us. All of us. His family.”

So, after all that, Thunderbird Four is fixed, and everyone has gathered together (even John) for a bit of well earned family time. Yep, there are hundreds of reasons to love these last two episodes.

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pixel3603 · 4 years ago

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Hiiii. I dont usually send asks but I see you post a lot about Star Trek and was wondering if youd mind suggesting a good place to start? (I've not seen any of it as my family are hard-core starwars stans) but looks like a cool show and I don't know where to begin

Okay first off oh my god, someone came to me for advice, thank you

Now, the actual advice (just in writing it I’ve realised how long it is, but you asked so...)

I’d start of with the original series, it’s, well, the original and you’ll get the main premise for the show, and be introduced to the grandad(s?) of slash fic, Kirk and Spock. (if that’s what you’re into you’re anonymous so I’m kinda covering all grounds) plus there’s Uhura and she’s awesome so, yeah.

Then I’d go with the next generation or deep space nine, both are set around the same time but DS9 is set a few years into TNG, so there’s that, both I’d say are regarded as ‘the best’ and if you read a few ‘all Star Trek shows ranked’ you’d probably see DS9 or TNG at the top.

If you want you could watch all of the animated series in a day as watching it all would take like, ~6 hours? The storylines are pretty cool but the animation is... ehhhh? Some scenes cause me physical pain but it has a certain charm to it only achieved by 70s cartoons.

If you want to buy the movies, I would, most of them are good, but ‘the final frontier’ really proves spaced’s line about every odd-numbered Star Trek movie being shit. The voyage home is probably my favourite movie of all time though.

I haven’t watched much of Voyager or enterprise but from what I have seen I can tell they aren’t as good as the others, so far voyager isn’t too bad, but I can’t vouch much for enterprise.

Lower decks is either loved or hated, personally I love it, it really takes the piss out of every aspect of Star Trek at once, but I’d definitely watch this one after watching most of the others as it has spoilers, so I’d watch TOS, TNG, the TOS movies (at least up to search for Spock, the third one) before watching it because you won’t get the references. Also there’s a reference to enterprise but you just need to watch the first episode and understand not many people like it unironically to get the reference (or any episode really, it references the theme tune)

With Discovery I’ve watched exactly 2 episodes and when I first watched it I turned it off straight away because the graphics are ‘too good’. What does that even mean? I haven’t watched Picard either but it looks good.

Also there’s AOS which is alternate original series which has three movies so far, and might get a fourth, I’m not sure, I know the second and third movies are included with prime but not the first one. I hope you like lense flairs.

So yeah, that’s my recommendations for Star Trek, all the series I mentioned apart from lower decks, Picard and AOS can be watched on Netflix (in the UK anyway, if you live somewhere else I’m not sure)

#star trek #asks #I hope this helps #dm me if you want any more help I guess

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thetollofthebells · 6 years ago

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repost, don’t reblog !

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME. Quasimodo [ surname is technically Frollo, though he has a hard time saying that himself. ] PRONUNCIATION. Kwah-zee-mow-doh NICKNAME. Quasi, which he usually prefers from friends. GENDER. Cis male. HEIGHT. 5′2″ when at his normal height, but if he were to stand up completely straight, 5′8″. AGE. 20. ZODIAC. Capricorn. SPOKEN LANGUAGES. French, Latin, English, and a bit of written German. [ Frollo was good for something mumble mumble. ]

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOR. Red. EYE COLOR. Green, with a hint of blue. SKIN TONE. Pale. BODY TYPE. Burly. Heavily muscled legs and arms, barrel chested but lean abdominal muscle. ACCENT. French. VOICE. Light and soft. Though he does have a stutter when he’s nervous or excited. DOMINANT HAND. Left hand, though he’s ambidextrous. POSTURE. Welllllllllll, he ain’t called ‘the Hunchback of Notre Dame’ for nuttin’. He’s hunched over and pigeon-toed. Because of the uneven distribution of weight, he walks with a noticeable limp. SCARS. On his back, some lines are still pink and tender. Also on his hands, his callouses have bled quite a bit and the tips of his fingers from his carving knife. TATTOOS. None, he’s Catholic ;] BIRTHMARKS. None. MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S). Oof. So, of course it’s hard to ignore his physical appearance, his back sticks up due to his spinal column which is twisted up under his shoulder blade. His left brow is swollen over [ I head canon that it’s actually an issue with his skull, like a piece has fragmented ] and he has large front teeth. His hands are very large and usually can swallow up any other’s, and his arms and legs are extremely muscular and strong. Quasimodo does have super beautiful eyes, green when you first look, but some blues when the sun catches them.

Mostly, people notice that despite his immense physical strength, he’s very timid and quiet. While he has the ability to destroy many things with his hands alone, Quasimodo takes care in that and will usually handle things with great care; ie his carvings.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

PLACE OF BIRTH. Whooooooo knows. HOMETOWN. Paris, France. BIRTH WEIGHT. 8 1/2 pounds. He was a dense baby. BIRTH HEIGHT. 15 inches. Poor thing was very oblong. MANNER OF BIRTH. Natural, though his biological mother died during his birth. FIRST WORDS. Frollo never told him what his first words were. SIBLINGS. None that he knows of. PARENTS. Claude Frollo, adoptive father [ ish ]. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. Quasimodo was an illegitimate child between a Romani woman and a Scottish nobleman. During childbirth, his biological mother passed away giving birth to him. A close friend of his mother’s was terrified that the child would be killed if left to an orphanage so she took him in. Her and her husband took care of him for a few months as a newborn, but grew worried that something further may be wrong with him besides just his physical appearance. They attempted to travel to the Court of Miracles for assistance in Paris, but we all know how that went.

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION. Bell ringer of Notre Dame. CURRENT RESIDENCE. Paris, France. CLOSE FRIENDS. Esmeralda and Phoebus and the freaking gargoyles. RELATIONSHIP STATUS. ALWAYS SINGLE PRINGLE He’s got some upcoming relationships in some threads! Which I am thrilled about because he’s such a sweet and precious angel. And there’s Madellaine of course [ @immortalxdreamers we’re gonna have to revive her when you get more comfortable at work <3 ], and of course my OC from my fic. FINANCIAL STATUS. He’s okay. The Archdeacon insists on paying him for his services, though he does give a lot of it back to the Church and takes only what he needs for food and sometimes paints. DRIVER’S LICENSE. OBVIOUSLY NOT. But in modern verse, Frollo never allowed him to drive. CRIMINAL RECORD. Clean, other than that whole fiasco that happened is Esmeralda oops. VICES. None more than any other human.

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Demisexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. Heteroromantic PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE. submissive | dominant | switch PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE. submissive | dominant | switch LIBIDO. Slightly lower than average. TURN ONS. Patience, gentleness. And as much as it horrifies him, praise. TURN OFFS. Rushing, and as silly as it sounds, too much touching from partner to him. LOVE LANGUAGE. Quasimodo is never one to initiate affection. He always lets the other person decide when they want it, but does really like lacing his fingers with someone else. He’s also really skittish about PDA, but of course, likes to cuddle in private. RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES. Once he’s got any type of feelings for someone, he’s steadfast devoted. He may seem needy/dependent to some, because that’s the only relationship(s) he’s ever really had, but he does it more so out of showing affection than anything. Also he’s a stage 5 clinger, hello

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG. Out There, of course! HOBBIES TO PASS TIME. His carving and some glass work. Quasimodo also really likes to experiment with melted metals, though he usually saves that for patching the bells. MENTAL ILLNESSES. Depression and anxiety are the biggies that have affected him most of his life, though post-movie, PTSD. PHYSICAL ILLNESSES. He’s a pretty strong dude, but since he’s spent so much time away from people, when he firsts starts venturing out of the bell tower he was prone to getting colds. LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. Right-brained. PHOBIAS. None really. SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. Lol. I almost want to leave it at that. For obvious reasons, the poor boy doesn’t think that he’s worth a damn in any sense, physically or emotionally. He bases his worth off of what he can do for others and how they are feeling around him. If someone around him is upset or unhappy, he can’t help but blame himself. Any compliments he gets, he takes to heart. Perhaps too much. Unfortunately, he’s just always going to be dependent on others to make him feel good about himself. VULNERABILITIES. Quasimodo has a difficult time when it comes to his emotions. They scare him, and he never really knows how to process them. There are times when he’s just unbearably sad, gets excited over something incredibly menial, or is blindingly angry. To be honest, when he saved Esmeralda, he doesn’t even remember breaking through the chains, almost like he didn’t come to until he had her in his arms. That scares him a lot, because he’s not a angry person by any means, but isn’t sure how to fix that about himself. His emotions are easily played off of, which was a big reason as to why Frollo had such an easy time manipulating him.

Stolen from: @murroyilodel tagging: I’m not gonna tag anyone because this is a big ol’ hulkin meme that took me hours to fill out. But if you wanna share some of your back stories DO EET. <3

#[ 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖞𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗; ❝ about Quasi ❞ ]

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douxreviews · 6 years ago

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Star Trek: Discovery - ‘Brother’ Review

"Space: The Final Frontier. Above us, around us, within us. We have always looked to the stars to discover who we are."

By nature I love brevity: Star Trek: Discovery takes a long, clean breath of fresh air in this big, bold premiere that sheds the burdens of Season One and lets them roll down the hill behind.

Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled in 2005. And in the Fall of that year, as shows premiered, fans were faced with a sad reality: for the first time in 28 years, a new season of Star Trek was not among them. And for 12 years, this continued. And then we Discovered a new frontier. Breaking the silence of more than a decade, Star Trek: Discovery was a sign that Trek was not dead.

But of course, it was not without its flaws. Discovery Season One had issues with its tone and its dialogue. The crew, above and beyond their stilted, grandiose speech, rarely seemed like a family, or even a group of people who like each other. And the levels of anxiety and brooding were at dangerously high levels. We're talking Superman from Batman v. Superman levels of anxiety and brooding.

The fans pointed out these issues, though the good parts still remained (excepting the 'fans' who actively went out of their way to be openly hostile towards the series, its creators, and its viewers). And the team behind Discovery listened. 'Brother' benefits from a light and relaxed tone that feels like the lifting of a heavy curtain. The crew speaks in a generally human and natural manner, and they work together like a tight family. Brooding is nowhere to be seen, and the anxiety present is of a different sort than the cloud of deep worry that permeated Season One. Instead the viewer felt more of an empathetic concern about the characters and their lives.

The first and most immediate effect of 'Brother' is, in fact, to distance the show from its past mistakes. Associating these issues with the influence of Captain Lorca makes a lot of sense from a story perspective, even if the creators' insistence that all the darker elements were only a result of him doesn't quite sit right. From the outset, Captain Pike makes it clear that he is very different from Lorca. Everything about his manner and bearing suggests a completely different man from Jason Isaacs' power-hungry warmonger. But Pike is no Kirk, either, as one might anticipate. Anson Mount gives his Pike a humility and a grounded feel that Kirk never quite developed.

The other proverbial elephant on the starship is the presence of Spock. Though the adult version of our beloved half-Vulcan does not appear, his importance in the events of 'Brother' and the impact the mere allusion to the character has on the series is clear. We learn that he and Burnham's strained relationship is the result of her decisions, not his. It's clear she views him and his legacy as an oppressive force in her life, perhaps as a standard she could never live up to? There's a great shot that really sums this up, when young Spock makes his holo-dragon. The dragon moves toward Burnham, and roars at her, and Spock walks in through its mouth. I think that's how she sees Spock.

Sarek and Burnham's conversation about reverence also factors in. This show has decided to include a character that most fans undoubtedly have a lot of reverence for. But to make him a useful character, with an arc and a purpose, reverence is not enough. The massive weight of Spock's impact on Star Trek and the fans' adoration of him will be a problem that Discovery will have to deal with.

Moving to our regular cast, I loved how they were dealt with here. The other side of Lorca's effect on the Disco crew is that such a major and personal adversary has brought them together and made them rely on each other. All of the returning cast felt like a family around each other, and their interactions made the ship feel like a real workplace run by a real team. This is a major improvement from last season.

It looks like Burnham's journey this season will be thoroughly intertwined with Spock's. I look forward to seeing her relationship with him and how it develops, but I do hope they give her a role to play apart from and outside of the shadow of her foster brother. Likewise, Stamets seems overshadowed by the impact of someone else. Everything around him reminds him of his lost love Dr. Culber, and he's having a very hard time dealing with it. It seems like the end of this episode was enough to get him at least a little bit excited about science again, though it's unlikely that this is the end of his plotline about leaving the ship. With Wilson Cruz brought on as a full cast member for this season, it'll be interesting to see where this goes.

Tilly and Saru don't seem to have much in the way of an arc yet, but I'm sure this will change. I expect most of Tilly's story this season will have something to do with her enrollment in the Command Training Program. Saru mentioned his sister Siranna, from the Short Trek 'The Brightest Star,' and the showrunners have stated that we may see other Kelpians this season, so expect to see a visit to Saru's home planet of Kaminar sometime in the future. Maybe siblings will continue to be a theme this season.

Overall, 'Brother' was a pretty epic way to kick off the new season. It's fun and engaging, with a lot of potential. I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Strange New Worlds:

This section will record the planets the Disco visits and the places they go. Not a whole lot of that in this particular episode.

New Life and New Civilizations:

Here I'll keep track of all the new species, ideas, and cultures the crew encounters. Again, nothing in the way of that here.

Pensees (Thoughts):

-Mia Kirshner (Amanda) looks a lot like Amy Adams. She also really resembles Amanda from TOS, so that's nice.

-Stamets has a botanist friend aboard the Enterprise.

-In keeping with the Trek tradition of altering the intro, we have some brand new graphics added to the opening theme.

-Regulation 19, Section C allows a higher-ranking officer to take command of a starship in one of three contingencies: 1. An imminent threat; 2. The lives of Federation citizens are in danger; 3. There is no more qualified officer available to deal with the situation.

-I love Doug Jones' Saru walk. It's just so much fun to watch.

-That's the first shot we've gotten of a turbo lift running through a starship in all of Trek, if memory serves. Pretty cool, too.

-Another Alice in Wonderland nod. Also, holo-candles.

-Sarek mentioned that he's reached out to Klingon High Chancellor L'Rell (Mary Chieffo), and she had no explanation for the red bursts either.

-The Captain goes on the away mission, in true Trek tradition.

-There was a bit of Spock's Jellyfish ship from Star Trek (2009) in the design of the pods they flew.

-How cool was the pod sequence? Also, it was admittedly rather satisfying to see Olson Connelly get his comeuppance when he failed to pull his chute crashed and died because of the dumb risk he took.

-One of the ads loaded at the wrong time when I watched this the first time. The long ad break split a shot in half.

-I liked Reno (Tig Notaro). The idea of using an engineering approach to medicine is interesting, although I wouldn't want to be one of the first patients it was tried on.

-The Red Angel is still very much an unknown. I partially expect it will have something to do with the Klingons, if not only because they seem from the trailers to have a big role to play.

-The asteroid material wouldn't beam up. That's intriguing. It may be the key to fixing the spore drive, too, as it looks from the trailer that we'll be jumping again this season.

-'Not every cage is a prison, nor every loss eternal.' That's very interesting, and it has a lot of significance for Pike.

-It makes sense that the crew of the Enterprise would have issues with sitting out the war while on their five-year mission.

-The Disco's new Doctor is named Dr. Pollard.

-One of the names in the credits was 'Matt Decker.'

-A lot of references to faith/religion and related subjects in this episode. I don't think it's necessarily significant, but I thought it was worth noting.

-Alex Kurtzman directed this episode. I thought he did a great job; maybe he should stick to that instead of the whole coming up with ideas thing. I'm still baffled by the seriously weird and unsettling bits about Klingon anatomy from Season One.

Quotes:

Amanda: "I bless you, Michael... all my life."

Pike: "Do not covet thy neighbor's starship, Commander."

Pike: "Why didn't we think of that, Connelly? Think of all the syllables that gave their lives."

Pike: "Sometimes it's wise to keep your expectations low, Commander. That way we're never disappointed." Advice to the audience, perhaps?

Tilly: "I put her in a Utility closet, and I put you in there. I'm drunk on power."

Stamets: "Tilly, you are... incandescent. You're going to become a magnificent Captain because you do everything out of love. But I need you to repeat after me. I will say..." Tilly: "I will say..." Stamets: "Fewer things." Tilly: "Fewer thi- okay."

Sarek: "Spock has great reverence for his mother, but reverence tends to-" Burnham: "Fill up the room." It's the shot of Burnham's fairly empty quarters just as she interrupts that sells this one.

Pike: "Detmer - fly... good."

Pike: "I was expecting a red thing. Where's my damn red thing?"

Pike: "Spock asked the most amazing questions. It's completely logical, yet somehow able to make everyone see that logic was the beginning of the picture and not the end."

Burnham: "There are so many things I wish I'd said to you; so many things I want to say now. I'm too late, aren't I? I can only pray I don't lose you again... brother."

A strong, solid premiere. 5 out of 6 damn red things.

CoramDeo is interested in things.

#Star Trek #Star Trek Discovery #Michael Burnham #Saru #Sylvia Tilly #Paul Stamets #Christopher Pike #Spock #DIS #Disco #ST:Disc #Star Trek Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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kinetic-elaboration · 3 years ago

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100 Days of Writing: Days Twenty-Two - Twenty-Four

Going to try to catch up on at least a few of these 100 Days of Writing Questions. Not going to talk about specific fics because I’ve gotten distracted by work and life and stress and being tired so I haven’t done any writing this week, and decreasing amounts of thinking about writing. Mostly just obsessively thinking about old projects and tying myself into knots about them... The creative process continues to intimidate me WAY too much. Not good lol.

Tagging @the-wip-project and fellow participants @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold, @thelittlefanpire @hopskipaway @easilydistractedbyfanfic @dylanobrienisbatman.

22. Tell us about a scene you’re most looking forward to writing in your current project.

For the Sleeping Beauty AU: ...the last one? So it’s done? That’s probably a really bad answer and too indicative of my negative feelings.

More specifically, I do want to start on Chapter 6. I planned Chapter 5 so long ago, and it’s been in limbo for so long, at this point there’s not a lot of big-picture creative thinking going on with it. It’s just me writing out the plot points I decided on ages ago, which feels like (and possibly reads like) a slog. I’ve had a few new thoughts about it but not many. Chapter 6 was also outline ages ago, but in a much more general way... basically just me figuring out if I could actually bring it to a conclusion, really general plot strokes and so on. The most excitement I’ve felt for this fic this year was me figuring out some new ideas for that outline and picturing some specifics for scenes in it, so it would be nice if I could actually write that and see how that works out. Plus, those scenes have some different characters in them, which might be nice.

That said, I’ll probably freak out about actually writing Ch 6 too.

Outside of Sleeping Beauty...I don’t even know what I’m looking forward to or what I want. I’ve been mentally poking at some possible projects, ideas, old stuff and new. I can’t really say these thoughts are “fun.” But maybe something nice will come of them at some point. It’s so hard for me to TRUST any excitement I feel because there’s some dumb voice in my head that always says “You think this seems like a good idea now but you’ll avoid actually writing it because it will be too hard and then you’ll harshly judge it and probably hate it so what’s the point?”

Wow I’m really down today. A real downer on this positive question.

23. Have you ever read a thing in a book or seen in a show/movie where you thought: "Oh, this is bad, I can do this so much better!" What was it?

....Well. I mean one answer is that I don’t engage in fandom if I’m 100% happy or satisfied with the canon because then I don’t need transformative works. At this point I’m SO critical of my main fandom that I’ve gone too far in the opposite direction, I think...there’s no longer that balance of critique and love.

I feel like that’s not what this question is about, though.

The only experience I can think of that really fits this, and actually fits it really well, is watching STB. I love the AOS verse as a whole and I find it very inspiring (I’ve never written TOS because it’s too good and I’m afraid haha), but the only movie that’s actually good is ST09. And Beyond is like.....really, really bad. But there are only 3 films so like... I gotta watch it sometimes, there aren’t a lot of options.

So last February my mom (who is in fandom and knows I’m in fandom too) and my friend B (who afaik is not in transformative works fandom), and I watched Beyond together over Skype and afterwards my mom and I basically rewrote the whole film. It does have some good ideas! But wow does it suck at executing them at literally every turn. So glad people were paid huge amounts of money to produce S**** P***’s first draft submitted at dawn after an all nighter lmao. Anyway, we fixed it problem by problem and I saved all the notes and a part of me kinda.... wants to turn it into a whole-ass outline and then write it, fic-style. A dream!! A dream.

24. Have you ever read a thing in a book or seen in a show/movie where you thought: "Oh, this is good, I'm gonna steal that!" What was it?

Not anything specific-specific, but I’m basically mining everything from RL experiences and moods to books and tv and movies and music, for inspiration at all times, so in general, yes. Usually, I’ll watch (or read) something that I really like and that makes me feel a certain way and I think “I want to create something else that will make me--and others--feel just this way.” Like “that was a good, creepy atmosphere in that film. I want to write something creepy too.” Or “oh the nostalgia of adolescence! let’s write a high school AU.” Basically just a childlike scream of “I want to do it too!!! Let me play too!!”

I also do this to some degree with themes... like I finished Roadside Picnic and pretty much immediately stole the concept of the final chapter for a fic I planned out but didn’t write. Part of the reason I didn’t write it was intimidation at attempting to come at the same question/concept in an even halfway decent way--even though the point wasn’t to copy but to engage in a different and deeper way with the original text. Like, it gave me so many thoughts, I wanted to get into those thoughts using, instead of a discussion or a piece of meta/essay writing, a different fictional universe. In other words, some works make me really engage in a particular question and I want to think more deeply on that question in an entirely new fictional story I write myself.

I really do have a long habit of engaging with art through other art but I feel like I’m...losing that a little, in the sense that barriers like a hyper-critical attitude and low self esteem are keeping me from doing that right now. I could describe it a million different ways but basically... I don’t believe I can do it, so I psyche myself out.

#100 days of writing #my 100 days of writing #100daysofwriting

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sshbpodcast · 3 years ago

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This Star Trek chair made out of 100% recycled material (Part 1)

By Ames

After a couple weeks of A Star to Steer Her By testing out the comfiness of all the Starfleet command chairs (see Part 1 and Part 2 here!), let’s move our butts over to the alien side of things and inspect where all our allies and enemies are putting their fannies. I complained earlier about how chairs in Star Trek change with every single movie and several times per season, and we’re actually seeing the opposite with all the non-human races: they use the same couple of chairs over and over again! There must have been a sale on Ferenginar or something.

It’s gonna be a hell of a road trip as we sit our way across the galaxy. This week, we’ll just cover TOS through TNG since even though a lot of these are going to look familiar, it’s still a lot of different chairs. See them all below and follow along with our banter on this week’s episode (Blogtivity starts at 58:40).

[Images © CBS/Paramount, Ex Astris Scientia, various auction sites, probably others]

First Federation: Fesarius

The Original Series: “The Corbomite Maneuver”

TOS really obviously had next to no budget to speak of, so we almost never even got to see alien ships, let alone what was inside of them. One that we do get to tour is Balok’s ship the Fesarius, and it’s about as whimsical as you’d expect for this childlike explorer. Balok’s chair is all pink pillows and comfy cushioning. It’s like a chair out of a kid’s playroom, with a crescent-moon shape to keep things unusual and interesting. Considering it’s one of very few alien ships we see the inside of, I’d say they did a good job with it!

Romulan D7 Akif-class: ChR Memenda

The Original Series: “The Enterprise Incident”

While I don’t know if I’d call the Romulan Commander’s chair from “The Enterprise Incident” a command chair, per se, it is the chair that she commands from and I couldn’t not include this one. That’s how much I love this chair. It’s made of really cushy black leather. The shape of it is like an oversized baseball mitt. The Commander can’t help but splay every moment she’s in that chair because it just looks so comfy and badass at the same time. I badly want this chair for myself.

Klingon K’t’inga-class: IKS Amar

The Motion Picture

In The Motion Picture, we get a great Mark Lenard sighting as his ship the Amar is exploded utterly by V’Ger, and it’s a shame because it had a pretty interesting command chair in it! Klingon chairs in the future movies and series aren’t going to look this plush and regal, so it’s hard to really judge it since that’s not how the Klingons are usually depicted, but I’ll admit the shape of this one is quite neat. I do lament the severe lack of armrests though.

Klingon B’rel-class: IKS B’rel

The Search for Spock

Kruge’s chair in the third TOS movie is an evolution of the TMP chair: still very big and well cushioned, but now it’s got some pretty teched-out armrests and a heckin’ chonk of a base. That base is so big, it looks like Kruge actually needs a little applebox to get up onto it. Things are definitely looking a lot more Klingon in here: sacrificing comfort for the appearance of strength.

Klingon D-12-class: IKS Okrona

The Final Frontier

Jump ahead to the fifth movie (we’ll go back, but I’ve got a theme building here), we see Klaa’s ship the Okrona has the aesthetic that we associate with the Klingons moving forward. Mostly because it clearly served as the origin of the prototypical Klingon chair we’re going to look at a lot in these screengrabs. Overall, it’s pretty stripped down in terms of comfort: just a solid metal-looking frame with blocky-shaped seat cushioning. There aren’t any doodads on the armrests like Kruge’s chair had, so there’s less to do while sitting, but what Klaa does get is a missile periscope that fits right over the chair and seems to snap into place. Now that’s a good design!

Cardassian Galor-class: CDS Trager

The Next Generation: “The Wounded”

Jump ahead with me for just a second: We see this chair get reused pretty obviously in “The Wounded” on Macet’s ship. We don’t get the best view of it because it’s all dark and limited to the viewscreen, but this chair obviously got around.

Klingon B’rel-class: IKS Dakronh

The Undiscovered Country

Okay, get a good look at Chang’s chair in The Undiscovered Country because this one is going to pretty much be the Klingon chair moving forward. We basically took Klaa’s chair and put different, very boring leather cushions in, shrunk down the size of the headrest, and put it on a similar but much chonkier base. Otherwise the frame of it appears to be pretty much the same… maybe a little less angled inward. Regardless, it says “Viking throne” a little bit to me, and that’s Klingon enough for snuff.

Klingon Vor’cha-class: IKS Bortas

The Next Generation: “Redemption”

Like I said, we’re going to see this chair a lot since we decided this is how Klingons do. Here it is under Gowron’s butt in “Redemption”.

Klingon K’Vort-class: IKS Hegh’ta

The Next Generation: “Redemption”

We see two different chairs on Kurn’s ship the Hegh’ta in “Redemption”. Maybe one is the command chair and one is in the ready room, I dunno. So part 2 has the normal Chang chair that we’re going to see recycled over and over again throughout Deep Space Nine when we review them next week. But where did that chair in part 1 on the left come from…

Klingon B’rel-class: HMS Bounty

The Voyage Home

…well, from what I can tell, it’s the same chair we saw if we look back at the Bounty in The Voyage Home. And follow me here because here’s where it gets interesting. Why doesn’t the Bounty just have Kruge’s chair? Well, like I said in our Starfleet chair discussion, the production teams change out their chairs with every single movie because they had the budget to do so, but if we want an in-world answer, the crew must’ve installed it on Vulcan when they basically renovated the whole interior of the B’rel. Sure, why not?

The chair itself is very obviously pulled directly out of a racecar or some other vehicle and then crammed in this metal frame. It’s unclear to me if the designers were trying to make this base look Klingon because it’s a Klingon ship and assumed audiences would have forgotten what it looked like in the previous movie, or what. It’s sure not a Vulcan chair because it doesn’t strike me as terribly logical. The frame is chunky as hell. The seat cushions look cheap. The buttons on the armrests are back and in prime put-your-coffee-down-and-go-to-red-alert positions. I’m left a little confused by this chair and even more confused since we are going to see this one recycled all over The Next Generation. So we saw it on Kurn’s ship above...

Klingon K’Vort-class: IKS Pagh

The Next Generation: “A Matter of Honor”

We see it on Kargan’s ship in “A Matter of Honor”, proving to me that the designers originally seemed to visualize it as a Klingon chair until we got to TUC.

Romulan D’deridex-class: IRW Haakona

The Next Generation: “Contagion”

We see it on a Romulan ship in “Contagion”. Sure, the Klingons and Romulans obviously traded in technology, so why not chairs too?

Pakled Mondor-type: Mondor

The Next Generation: “Samaritan Snare”

And we see it on a Pakled ship in “Samaritan Snare”! Sure, you can say that the Pakleds probably tricked someone out of this chair at some point, but all I can see is lazy design. Of all the chairs across the galaxy, this one was just nonspecific enough that it fit any need for when an episode needed to see the interior of a ship. Sure.

Ferengi Na'Far-class shuttlepod: Barzan explorer

The Next Generation: “The Price”

Okay, the next chair we’re going to see recycled all over the place I first spotted in “The Price” on the Ferengi shuttle. And unlike the boring Bounty chair, this one is so detailed and unique that I actually find it surprising that we see it so much. The radiating starburst is pretty alien in shape. I wonder if this used to be part of a dining chair or something. But then they wrapped it in this black plastic tube that some of us find disjointed, though you’ll see some of your hosts are into that kind of thing when we look at them all together next week. It does a good job saying “alien” but it also does a good job saying “cheap”. If this was all we saw of it, I’d just say Ferengi have a very specific aesthetic, but…

Romulan D’deridex-class: IRW Decius

The Next Generation: “Future Imperfect”

We see the same exact chair complete with black tubing in “Future Imperfect” on a Romulan ship that turns out to be Barash’s illusion. What? Barash, you’re into some weird shit if you thought this up. Maybe he tried to play with some Ferengi at some point and they didn’t get along, because I don’t think Riker even saw these chairs on their shuttlepod. This just brings up more questions.

Romulan D’deridex-class: IRW Goraxus

The Next Generation: “Redemption”

But apparently Barash wasn’t far off because we see that same chair backing on a real Romulan ship in “Redemption” but painted some fun new colors and with the black tubing removed. We only catch a glimpse of it over Sela’s shoulder a couple of times, but the new paint job is noticeable. Its turquoise and clay combination says either “Arizona rest stop” or “Caribbean resort” to me, though I don’t really know if it says “Romulan” in any discernible way.

Yridian trader ship

The Next Generation: “Firstborn”

A much more samey paint job lets us see the same chair over Yog’s shoulder on a Yridian trader ship. This time it’s all tan, probably because the team didn’t want to draw attention to that same chair again but still needed something for the actor to sit on and maybe thought enough time had passed since we saw it last.

Romulan D’deridex-class: RIS Terix

The Next Generation: “All Good Things…”

And yet we also see a glimpse of it over Tomalak’s shoulder in “All Good Things…”, this time with a little framepiece which might be the best new part. We’ve seen this version with the frame before…

Ktarian starship

The Next Generation: “The Game”

…in “The Game” of all places on a Ktarian starship. Now take note of yet another paint job in silver and also you can see a new orb-shaped adornment that we’re going to get a better look at…

Romulan D’deridex-class: IRW Khazara

The Next Generation: “Face of the Enemy”

…in “Face of the Enemy” (and also briefly in “The Next Phase” but I don’t need to show you yet another slide)! Of course, it’s yet another Romulan ship chair, but it’s the most complete version of it we get to see, so let’s really scrutinize this thing. Not only can we see the full back section of the chair now, but also the cushions, the base, the dopey little arms with buttons on the ends. The colors look more reminiscent of those we saw on Sela’s ship, so there’s a little bit of consistency here, but the little orbs (even on the back!) give it a more interesting and more alien feel to it that also makes it seem kind of like a toy. The chair piece itself looks really narrow and possibly came directly out of a sedan.

Tarellian plague ship

The Next Generation: “Haven”

Another design we see reused a little bit is this whimsical chair art that we first spotted in “Haven” and will see for the rest of TNG chillin’ in Worf’s quarters. The multiple punching bag–like protuberances are just so attention-grabbing and strange that you can’t help but look at this thing. And we get the impression that there are so many options for how to sit in it – some unnatural, some comfy, some just alien – that we can’t help but appreciate the choices it has to offer. If anything, the team found something perfectly alien here and we must thank them for it.

Tamarian Darmok-class: Tama

The Next Generation: “Darmok”

That’s about it for chairs that we are sure we see reused a lot in TNG, so here are a couple quick one-offs. Captain Dathon’s ship gives just a quick glimpse of a very simple back of a chair that’s almost certainly just an office chair if you could see all of it.

Gomtuu

The Next Generation: “Tin Man”

Impressively, in “Tin Man”, Gomtuu makes a chair out of themself to offer to their new occupant Tam Elbrun, which is a very nice gesture if a very ugly and uncomfortable chair. It’s a chair that’s made out of muscle lining and biological stuff, protruding out of whatever cavity of Gomtuu we’re in. Which means it doesn’t swivel and has no tech. The shape also looks more like a bassinet than a chair; I can’t imagine where my legs will dangle out of to sit in this thing. Maybe Gomtuu gets better at being a chair with time, but for now I guess it’s the thought that counts.

Yridian shuttle

The Next Generation: “Birthright”

Mostly just to show off that I checked this episode, I found some mere glimpses of the chair on Jaglom Shrek’s ship in “Birthright”. We never get a good look at either his or the copilot chair, save to say that they look cobbled together from stuff taken out of an airplane cockpit. So you know what, that works out just fine for an information dealer.

Virayllan-class raider: Fortune

The Next Generation: “Gambit”

Phew, one left for today. Arctus Baran’s ship has this ergonomic chair that the characters spend most of their time standing in front of instead of sitting in for some reason, possibly because it’s not actually tall enough to see the console it’s positioned at. So that’s already a strange choice. The chair itself has a futuristic but very simplified look to it – you know, for your no-nonsense mercenary on the go who doesn’t need to sit at all most of the time. The angles of it, the way its arms are one extension, the little seat that tips forward to dump you out of it, and the semi-transparent material in the stand are kinda neat, but overall it looks like it’s too small and too clumsy to really be interesting. No wonder it’s empty most of the episode.

—

That’s all for today, so be sure to come back next week to check out the chairs we’ve found in the TNG movies and in Deep Space Nine (spoilers: there will be even more recycled chairs!). Surely I’ve passed over many throughout the series, so let us know if you’ve got a cool alien command chair to look at! Make sure you’re keeping us with us as we fly through the Delta Quadrant on SoundCloud, hail us on Facebook or Twitter, and didn’t we see this chair before?

Shout out to Ex Astris Scientia for this excellent collection of chairs spotted throughout the show. Star Trek sure is good at finding incredibly weird-shaped chairs, so check ‘em out when you’re looking for somewhere to rest your rump.

Names of most ships that were not explicitly stated in episodes were mostly found on Memory Beta.

#star trek #star trek podcast #podcast #aliens #command chairs #Klingons #Romulans #Cardassians #Ferengi #the original series #the motion picture #the search for spock #the voyage home #the final frontier #the undiscovered country #the next generation #butts

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calliecat93 · 3 years ago

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ST: TNG S5 Watchthrough Episodes 14-17

(Trigger Warning: The episode Ethics contains the theme of suicide. While I will try to not go too in-depth, as it is part of the episode I will be discussing it. If this topic makes you uncomfortable or is triggering to you even in the slightest, please skip the section of the watchthrough. Thank you)

Conundrum: So we have us an amnesia episode. Who’s the poor individual who gets hit with it? Everyone! Yes, some weird scan thingy causes everyone to lose their memories. They still know how to perform their jobs and all that, but otherwise, they remember zilch. I’m kind of mixed on how they did it. Overall, they are intelligent and calm about the situation, which on the one hand feels unrealistic. You’d expect far more panic and tension if you suddenly found yourself on a ship among people you don’t know. On the other hand at this point even without their memories, they’re probably used to weirdness like this (the S4 episode Clues had a similar thing happen) and it’s kind of refreshing to see people handle a situation without becoming paranoid assholes. Also… they make some kind of awkward Troi/Riker/Ro love triangle. Troi has some familiarity with Riker due to their past, which makes sense… but why add Ro to the mix? The only time they really interacted outside this episode was Ro’s intro, where Riker was a hypocritical asshole who made her take her earring off. They really don’t seem to agree and I guess the writers went ‘well they argue… so it must be love’! Which… no, going with this with Ro makes zero sense and it really makes it feel like Riker is playing both women, which both feel OOC for him, and even taking amnesia into account makes him look worst. Why does S5 want me to hate Riker? Otherwise, it was fine. Just kind of eh. Again we kinda sorta did this plot already (differently but still) and it doesn’t become hard to figure out who the one behind this is when you realize that they’re the only one getting prominent screentime who isn’t a pre-established character. Still, it’s just alright, but yeah that love triangle nonsense, while by no means the worst I’ve ever seen, really was unnecessary. 2.5/5.

Power Play: In this one, Troi, Data, and O’Brein get posessed on an Away Mission (Riker almost did as well, but it flew away before it could posess him). They take Ten-Forward hostage which includes Worf and Keiko, and later Picard. This had to be fun for Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, and Colm Meaney since they ge to act all evil… though Spiner’s already done it with Lore, but still XD So it was fine. It was tense and had some disturbing moments like Posessed!O’Brein forcing himself on Keiko. Dear God I hope the Enteprise has a counselor (aside from Troi since she was partially involved in this) cause neither of them deserved that. It was also scary to see Data acting like… well, Lore pretty much. Seeing Riker, Crusher, Geordi, and Ro trying to figure out how to save them without anyone getting killed was also interesting, it’s the first time we’ve seen a hostage situation like this in a ST show (Space Seed in TOS kinda counts, but that was an entirely different scenario and was more ‘hostile takeover’ than ‘hostage situation’). That’s honestly all I’ve got/ IDK, S5 has just been painfully average thus far where none of the episodes have been particularly bad, but only like… three so far (Ensign Ro, Disaster, Unification) have kept me interested. Maybe that’ll change here soon bu it’s just like ‘…it’s fine but I feel nothing otherwise’. 3/5.

Ethics: I again point to the trigger warning above. The episode contains the theme of suicide (though it is NOT carried out) so if this topic at all is uncomfortable/triggery, please skip this section. So what happened? An accident has left Worf paralyzed. Crusher has called in a neurologist while Worf, believing that he can no longer be a warrior in his condition, wants to be killed. Needless to say, we’re dealing with some heavy stuff in this one. We kind of have a similar thing going on as in Half a Life where Worf wants to die as according to his Klingon beliefs, his life is over since he is paralyzed. He asks Riker to help commit it as he’s his friend and naturally Riker is appalled at this. Picard breaks it down for Riker and that while we don’t understand it we should respect it… but again we’re talking about assisted suicide. I get what Picard is saying but just… no. The episode makes it clear that we’re supposed to be conflicted, however, and in the end, Worf decides against it due to both an experimental procedure and because Riker uncovered that Alexander would be the one who’d have to assist in the suicide if Worf did it. Needless to say, Worf ain’t letting that happen. It does make Worf’s feelings clear, however. His anger, his fear, it’s very hard to watch Worf in such a state. The neurologist, Dr. Russell, offers him a procedure that may work… but it’s a procedure that is still in the experimental stage and turned down by Starfleet Medical. Needless to say, Crusher’s not exactly happy with the idea of using a medically untested procedure on one of her patients… but to be fair, Worf has refused all other treatment and the use of implants and with suicide the only other option, I can see why Russell would be willing to offer. But at the same time, it does come across her just using this as an excuse to use said treatment which also has plenty of risks on said patients life/further well-being, and Crusher telling her off repeatedly is very satisfying especially at the end when Worf almost died due to her, and she seemed more concerned with noting it than what her actions caused and said that Crusher was jealous. Yeah, Russell sucks. It does bring up a lot of medically ethical questions, however: is it right to use an experimental procedure on a patient when all other options have been turned away or are available? Especially when said patient is suicidal or when it comes to said patient's beliefs? I side with Crusher at the end of the day especially since Worf is very lucky to have survived/recovered his mobility afterward, but the questions are still ones to point out. Then there’s poor Alexander whose on the verge of losing his father and Worf not wanting him to see him like he is and… God yeah. Just as I complain about the lack of impactful episodes, this one comes in. It’s a very tough episode with everything going on with Worf, the theme of medical ethics, and it’s heavy on the emotions. IDK how well I can say that the episode portrays it, but it certainly hit hard and brings up a lot of questions for the viewers. It certainly reaffirms how much I love Crusher XD 4/5.

The Outcast: /sighs/ Okay… how to go about talking about this one? In this episode, we meet a species of aliens that don’t use gender identity, and if they show signs of identifying as male or female, they undergo ‘treatment’. One of these individuals is Soren, who identifies as female and falls in love with Riker. So… there are many things that this can be associated with, but this was made as a gay rights episode. Now… let us remember when this was made. S5 was airing during the early ’90s. This was not a good time for gay individuals. We were very much anti-LGBT+ in those times and the AIDS epidemic where they were scapegoated as a public menace still being rampant didn’t help. In many ways, doing this episode was a bold move and I can respect them for at least is trying to tackle the topic seriously. If there’s any franchise that you’d expect to tackle these kinds of issues it would be this one. But the question is does it hold up 30 years later? Well… unfortunately, no. First, if they really wanted to get the gay rights message across… why was Soren played by a female actress? Maybe it was the only way they would have been allowed to do this, but because of it, it keeps a heterosexual angle that causes the message to be lost. We also don’t have any regular/reccuring characters as queer which would be pretty important to have in this episode. Considering that TOS took the risk with making PoC equal to white people at a time it wasn’t at all welcomed, TNG not doing so with LGBT+ individuals is rather unfortunate to put it nicely. Not to mention it sticking to standard male/female stereotypes as the norm when breaking them down to Soren, as well as Worf’s sexist/bigoted comments. That’s no even going into other identities such as transgender and non-binary. I’d really like to know what they think of this one considering the themes. As I am a bi/demisexual cis woman and this was meant to be a gay rights episode I will look at it as such and from that POV, the episode does not at all look great in a modern light.

Maybe I’m just far too nice and should be harsher on this, and I’m not gonna lie I’m horrible at addressing these things so I apologize if any of this came out wrong. But between this and The Host, it’s clear that the show was ill-equipped to handle LGBT+ topics. But at the same time, back then even considering addressing the topics in any way would have been risky. I do believe that there was a good faith effort and maybe in some ways, it helped when we improved later. It’s always hard to say if people should tackle topics they don’t understand or not. Naturally, it’s rage-inducing when they get it wrong, but it can also open the door to getting people to learn and to improve. Maybe this was needed in the ’90s and they did it the best way that they could, and maybe the fact that we can look at it and go ‘we know better’ is a sign that we’re better than when we were 30 years ago… or again, I am far too nice/too much of a doormat and I give the benefit of the doubt way too much. People who are more knowledgeable/know how to address this far better than I have here have likely done so and I’d encourage others to read more into those perspectives. Regardless, the episode overall is okay I guess. I certainly felt horrible for Soren at the end as she’s taken to undergo ‘treatment’ and Riker trying to help her get out of it. Her speech, wanting to just be treated as a person and not be treated as horrible due to who she is during the trial did really hit me and is why I think that the show did mean well. If she wanted to identify as female and be with Riker, she should be free to and then how she was forced to conform to her society’s views at the end when Riker tried to save her, it’s just... hard to watch. I wish that the ending was more optimistic/hopeful but I can’t say that the message wasn’t loud and clear. It very much reflected society at that time, and in many ways it’s still relevant today concerning how society treats those deemed outside the norm. But it also has issues due to the execution as I already mentioned, and I can only hope that Modern Trek (Discovery, Picard, soon SNW) and whatever they do in the future are/will be better at handling these kinds of themes because there’s no excuse to get it wrong in today’s time. 2.5/5.

I hope that I addressed things properly concerning the last episode. But it’s now done. We have nine more to go for the season. Let's see how it turns out.

#st watchthrough

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caricatlc · 4 years ago

Text

BASICS –

full name: alice marisol romero

nicknames: none

birthdate: 4 august 2025

birthplace: plattsburgh, new york

ethnicity: columbian, cuban, and caucasian

nationality: american, english

languages: english, spanish

accent: slight bronx accent

APPEARANCE –

hair color & style: dark brown, usually kept waist-length and wavy, with green tips after breaking up with nigel

eye color: dark brown

height: five feet five inches

build: thicc. muscular but also hyper-feminine

skin tone: olive skin that rarely burns and tans well

personal style:

grunge lite. alice prefers to be comfortable above all else, so soft fabrics and denim are her go-tos. when she dates nigel she adopts a more instagram ho aesthetic to match his, but her heart isn’t really into bodycon dresses if she cant accessorize them with doc martens and a flannel.

distinguishing marks: expressive face

tattoos: ‘esforzada’ on back of neck ( x ), ivy on left wrist ( x )

piercings: two piercings in both lobes, helix piercing in left ear, daith and industrial in right ear, belly button

FAMILY –

parents: noah romero and lia villace

parental relationships:

while seth is more gregarious, alice is a quiet reflection of noah. as a result, their relationship deals largely in companionable silence. he’s not one to gossip with but always good help for moral quandaries. he’s also more likely to catch alice in the middle of doing something wrong, but mostly just offers gentle advice and hopes for the best. alice really hates to disappoint her father.

lia is a fun parent. alice almost always has fun with her mother, even if the interaction ends on a sour note. she can run a lot of day-to-day thoughts past her mother-- lia is kept mostly in the loop about the goings on in her daughter’s life. however, some compulsion leads alice to remain silent about her love life as it seems like it would be much easier to let her mother believe that everything is going fine.

siblings: rex, seth, and michael romero

sibling relationships:

when rex came into their lives, alice understood the difference between her twin and an actually older brother immediately. she enjoys spending time with rex, and ever since she was young she was always content to tag along with her ‘fun’ brother.

what can alice say about seth? they know each other better than anyone else, and speak almost exclusively in snark. but opposites don’t always attract, and their very big, drastically different personalities clash and erupt frequently. when times are good, though, they’re each other’s biggest hype-man as they snap another selfie.

michael is a strange one, but alice will always hold a tenderness for her little brother. she’s helped house dozens of wild animals and filmed a vine or two in her time. while she’s not keen on him bringing insects into the house it’d certainly be difficult for her to turn him down for anything.

birth order: only girl, younger twin, middle child

status in family:

alice likes to think that she’s practically invisible in her family. she’s not as rebellious as rex, or as obnoxious as seth, or as rambunctious as michael. but alice is a quiet ride-along for almost everyone in her family-- she really holds good relationships with everyone in the house. for the most part, it really seems like her parents and brother just want the best for her.

distant relations: bash romero, second cousin

pets:

wells and bilbo, the dogs, are always happy to see her, but she’s also conditioned them to remain quiet if they want a treat from her nightly comings and goings. felix, the cat, is a good companion on a gloomy day, with alice finding comfort in his rumbling, sleepy purr.

FRIENDS –

close friends:

alice has known ellie albright since birth. or even before that since ellie’s parents attended the same birthing classes as alice’s. the albrights returned to italy for a few years shortly after ellie’s birth but the two girls were paired up again before they could even tie their shoes. they’ve been best friends ever since. ellie brightens alice up to draw out a softer side than alice rarely presents alone. alice makes ellie more assertive, unafraid to stand up for her friend if she thinks ellie needs help.

it took rumi thatcher a bit longer to enter the picture, but she’s not going anywhere. rumi’s dead-pan sense of humor endeared her to alice immediately after she moved into town in the forth grade. ever the calm logician, rumi finds great amusement in tempering alice’s hot temper. they share a mutual love of nature that often leads them to dreamy afternoons surrounded by beautiful woods.

technically considered a cousin through brotherly love, dallas hong is probably the only boy that alice can completely get along with. he’s certainly the easiest to get along with out of her brother’s crew, with his laidback guy’s guy charm. while she’s annoyed at how tall he’s gotten as they age, she knows that his easygoing personality won’t ever change on her.

tensions:

adam hudson has been seth’s best friend for years, but his and alice’s interactions have always been tentative. he has a way of confronting her with the truth when she’s least likely to accept it. their relationship is hard to define, atleast on alice’s part.

alice and dapne newcomb used to be friends, much to the chagrin of ellie and rumi. the brash blonde wasn’t always a good influence, and they tended to clash over their many differences in opinion. it wasn’t until alice supposedly ‘stole’ nigel chadwick-wembley from daphne that their relationship fractured completely. daphne is the root cause for much of the suffering alice experienced in high school, so she’s not at all keen to rekindle the friendship.

if there’s one person that alice could do without ever seeing again, it’s nigel chadwick-wembley. he was her first real boyfriend, but the supposed fairytale beginning led to nothing but trouble, even if alice did her best to keep anyone from finding out about the more controlling aspects of his personality. they were on-again off-again for so long, but alice finally broke it off for good and never looked back.

there’s nothing wrong with ruby robbins-- in fact, she’s perfect. alice has always felt like she was competing with the other girl, even if that’s hardly true. they share similar interests but ruby’s easygoing demeanor makes everything seem so effortless in a way that alice can’t help but envy. she does consider ruby a friend, though, and would do anything for her if she asked.

crushes:

so much of the tension in alice’s relationship with adam hudson stems entirely from their mutual attraction. when they were much younger she was aware of it but content to ignore it, but as they’ve grown older things have changed. alice finds herself at odds with his ill-suited girlfriend and with him over it. ever since she kissed him on christmas, the muddled emotions there have only gotten worse.

the first boy that ever had alice truly starstruck was leo robbins. the definition of a cool, older boy, leo’s appeal quickly passed but she remained impressed by his sense of style and teenage rebellion. in fact, alice was quick to take up his mantle selling weed to a few of their acquaintances when leo decided to move on from the business.

as a friend:

alice is a friend like batman-- she’ll come if you send out the signal. anytime anywhere, alice will be by your side if you’d let her. she’s fiercely protective of them and will want to help them achieve their goals no matter how trivial. she can be too blunt at times, which tends to rub people the wrong way if it’s not quite what they want or expect to hear. but she’ll have your back until the end, without saying ‘i told you so’ to anyone but seth.

PERSONALITY –

positive traits: enterprising, candid, empathetic

neutral traits: self-sufficient, meticulous, noncommittal

negative traits: volatile, withdrawn, self-involved

astrology sign: leo sun / gemini moon, the confidence man ( x )

mbti: istp-t, the virtuoso

theme songs: i’m not okay (i promise) by my chemical romance / agnes by glass animals

aesthetic:

dyeing your hair in the bathroom, guitar calluses, jumping off the porch roof, lilac bushes, the solitary silence of 4 am, soil between your fingers and toes

LIFESTYLE –

partying habits:

a stoner to the max, alice deals quite literally in weed, inheriting a small client base from leo robbins. when she first started dating nigel, alice found she didn’t mind the party scene. there’s always fun to be had, and she can handle her alcohol. she’s also not necessarily opposed to experimenting at parties-- if there’s a good time to be had, alice will try a sporadic drug or two without feeling particularly inclined to do these things later on her own.

smoking habits:

directly inherited from her father, alice took up smoking as an act of teenage rebellion and favors menthol cigarettes. she finds it calming to smoke late at night when no one is around, or whenever she is overwhelmed by the situation at hand. finds it to be a handy tool to escape social situations if things aren’t going well.

eating habits:

growing up in a four-child household has definitely made alice a bit food aggressive. she eats when the opportunity presents itself but doesn’t pig out very often. snacks usually seem like a good idea, and alice is content to bring healthy options when she can. late-night meals are a staple in her diet. salty-sweet combinations are her usual favorite.

excercise habits:

alice has been practicing aikido and tae kwon do since she was young, and as a result has adopted a fair amount of exercise and weight training into her daily routine. mostly she just works to maintain equilibrium and not lose any muscle mass or physical ability, but if she’s feeling particularly stressed or upset she’ll throw herself into her workouts.

work ethic:

it’s alice’s belief that she can work hard and play hard, so long as she meets the deadlines set out for her. she’s got decent time management skills and works best with a loose schedule where she can make the decisions about what to do, when. when it comes to school work, alice is content to maintain her good grades in order to fly under the radar with her parents.

sleeping habits:

when alice feels tired she can fall asleep anywhere, but her penchant for the peace of nighttime usually finds her awake well into the early mornings. she is a deep sleeper, but an agreeable one. sharing a bed with her is not a bad experience as she’ll typically move wherever she is prodded without much fuss. she usually prefers to sleep with a loose comforter and top sheet and will cocoon inside. waking up outside of her typical routine can be a challenge, but once alice wakes up she is awake for good.

ideal living space:

alice’s bedroom at home is well-lit and cozy, with an abundance of houseplants in any available spot of sunlight. her walls are filled with things she likes looking at: posters of her favorite bands, watercolor prints she and ellie made, and endless photos of herself and her friends. she usually takes time once a week to clean up, as she has a tendency to drop clothes or books wherever they lay as she moves onto something else.

quirks:

despite being a fan of all things spooky, jump scares always get her good. she’s usually the middle person in the haunted house group, and subsequently is always getting picked on. she will let you borrow anything she owns, but it’s of utmost importance that you ask first.

INTERESTS –

hobbies:

alice has been playing guitar and practicing martial arts since she was very small. her love for plants wasn’t fostered until later in life, but she prides herself on rehabilitating various wilted houseplants she happens upon. she loves a good smoke session and will make a whole event out of some rolling papers and a gram of fresh weed. she’s usually a pretty willing participant in any photoshoots that ellie cooks up.

best school subject:

science has always been a passion of alice’s. she’s a stem student through and through, excelling in maths and sciences from a very young age. through high school she took college level chemistry and biology courses.

worst school subject:

history always presented its challenges, but as alice grew older and her inability to learn much hands on coupled with the fact that most schooling was a little on the white supremacist side of the situation, alice tended to skip these classes as much as possible or spend as long as she could backtalking a teacher just trying to stick to curriculum.

opinion of education:

alice doesn’t mind school itself-- college classes are perfectly designed to give alice all the free space she needed in a high school curriculum. but her not-so-stellar experience with the allegedly popular social scene made her more than ready to finally be free of high school.

career aspirations / achievements:

a perfect overlap of her loves of science and nature, alice dreams of becoming a bioengineer. she’s well on her way to it, quickly showing aptitude for higher-level stem courses from an early age.

favorite things:

her guitar, family breakfasts, american beauty, ellie & rumi, pop punk music, hand-rolled joints, ghost adventures, her freshly-made bed, chocolate covered pretzels, restarting the bell jar, when plants grow new leaves, her led zeppelin shirt ( x ), god of high school

boredom cure:

driving then walking, or just walking, as far as you can in silence, discovering a beautiful spot to watch the sun set, or rise, depending on when the urge strikes.

#character sheet #alice romero

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citious · 7 years ago

Text

CHAPTER 2

Characters

Main: Song Jiwon, Yoon Jinmyung, Jung Yeeun, Yoo Eunjae, Jo Eun, Kang Yina, Im Sungmin, Kwon Hochang, Jo Chungwon, Seo Janghoon

Note: If you haven’t read the first chapter, you may do so here –> First Chapter

In a nutshell: It all happens in one day, so it’s gonna be quite a long journey ahead. Follow the Belle Epoque girls’ journey in celebrating their loneliest, to the most memorable Valentine’s Day of their lives.

Rating: M

After dropping Jiwon off at Belle Epoque, Sungmin went back home to rest.

When he laid himself on the bed, the conversation he had with Chungwoon last year came to his mind.

5th October 2017

Chungwon: Hyung, you like Jiwon-sunbae, right? Then why aren’t you guys dating?

Sungmin: Is being in a relationship better than being friends?

Chungwon: Eeey, Hyung, what happens if Jiwon gets herself a boyfriend? It’s not that you don’t like her, but you’re scared of confessing to her, right?

This statement really made Sungmin’s blood boil, he cursed at Chungwon for lecturing him on his love life.

Sungmin pretended to sleep, but he was kept awake all night, thinking about the possibility that another guy might really like Jiwon and take her away from him.

Honestly, some of the things Chungwon said was right, but his pride and ego as a guy refused to agree to it.

Sungmin himself is a motae solo. He doesn’t exactly know how to approach the opposite gender, and he’s THAT awkward when it comes to romance and love.

He does watch a lot of romantic films, dramas, and even read the most cliché romance novel out there, but theory and practice are two drastically different things.

So, putting all the things he learnt through watching all those cheesy romance on screen together with his current state of friendship with Jiwon, is challenging.

For the first time, Sungmin actually put much thought on his feelings, even though it stays as a monologue, at least he’s being honest with himself.

Jiwon is my precious friend. I honestly don’t know how she feels about me. I’m afraid that she’ll reject me and we can’t get back together as friends. Even if she accepts me and be in a relationship, what will happen if we breakup? Can we stay as close friends again? I’m so afraid to lose her. More than being selfish, I’d rather have her beside me as a really close friend.

Sungmin paused his monologue as a notification came out on his phone screen. He opened it and saw messages from Jiwon.

‘Is this even real?’ Sungmin thought to himself. Sungmin was startled and he hesitated a lot, but he agreed to go anyway. ‘It’s in a 5 Star restaurant’. The place itself is already suspicious, ‘oh well… Maybe she really wanted to thank me.’

14th February 2018, Morning at Belle Epoque

8.00 a.m.

Yeeun woke up to her morning alarm she set at 8 a.m. She reached out for her phone and swiped the off button to make the alarm stop. She sat down on her bed and stretched her body with a smile on her face.

She saw Jiwon who’s still fast asleep on her bed and quickly grabbed her towel and clothes she has prepared the night before, and went to the bathroom to get ready.

Yeeun wanted to doll herself up cause she’s looking forward to her date with Hochang. She doesn’t know where he’s gonna take her, but she does have high hopes.

As Yeeun did her makeup, Hochang messaged her to meet him at the subway station, in which Yeeun replied: Ok ^.^

9:33 a.m.

Back at Belle Epoque, Kang-eonni called Jiwon early in the morning that she has set her up for a blind date with an acquaintance.

Jiwon: Hello?

Yina: Annyeong, good morning!

Jiwon: Why are you calling me so early in the morning?

Yina: I’ve set a blind date for you today with my acquaintance

Jiwon: Is he handsome?

Yina: More than handsome, I think he will suit you perfectly.

Jiwon: Arasseo. Where is it?

Yina: Villa Sortino, 8 p.m.

Jiwon: That 5 star restaurant?!

Yina: Eo, what’s wrong?

Jiwon: Ani, I’m super excited! Kang-eonni, yeokshi… you’re the best!

Yina: Arasseo, have fun! Thank me later. The table is reserved under your name okay?

Jiwon: Hm…

10.00 a.m.

The doorbell rang as Jo Eun who just went out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth, opened the front door without looking at the monitor.

She almost fainted as she realized who’s standing in front of her. It’s Seo Janghoon in his military uniform and cap.

Before Janghoon could say a word, suddenly the door in front of him was slammed hard and it closed.

Eun who’s inside didn’t know what to do when she found out her boyfriend is standing just outside. She rubbed her eyes to check if she’s actually dreaming, but she’s not.

She opened the door again and asked coldly,

Eun: Why are you here?

Janghoon: Is that the first thing you have to say to your boyfriend who’s been gone for 5 months?

Eun: I freaking missed you. You! Why didn’t you call me? I was waiting for your call day and night.

Janghoon who couldn’t stand looking at Eun who was sulking, tip-toed to kiss her lips.

Janghoon: I missed you too. Should we go on a date today?

Eun’s expression instantly brightened when Janghoon said that, showing her excitement for their Valentine’s day date.

Janghoon: I’ll wait for you downstairs. Call me when you’re ready.

Eun: Arasseo. See you later!

Subway Station

11.25 a.m.

Yeeun sped up as she saw Hochang waiting in front of the station, looking more stylish than usual, still with his glasses on, though.

‘He looks great,’ Yeeun thought silently.

Yeeun wrapped her arms around Hochang’s and asked

Yeeun: So where are you taking me?

Hochang: It’s a secret. Let’s go eat first! What do you want to have?

Yeeun: Anything!

Hochang: Wanna have beef stew? I know a famous place people have been recommending.

Yeeun: Hmm, okay, we can have that

Hochang led Yeeun to go down the subway station as they head for the restaurant.

Restaurant

12.08 p.m.

As it’s a very famous place, all the tables are occupied, but luckily Hochang and Yeeun secured a table.

Hochang: Eat it deliciously, okay? I wanna see you eat a lot today, it’s gonna be a long day.

Yeeun: Since when did my boyfriend become this caring? Arasseo, I’ll eat well!

‘Forget about diet,’ Yeeun thought. ‘When I eat with Hochang, I never had a problem enjoying whatever’s in front of me.’

As Yeeun ate from the bowl of beef stew happily in front of Hochang, he smiled…

After lunch, Yeeun initiated that the two of them watch a movie

Yeeun: Can we go watch a movie? I’ve been wanting to watch this movie.

Hochang: Of course we can, let’s go!

Movie Theater

14.05 p.m.

Hochang: What movie is it?

Yeeun: The new movie of 50 shades.

Hochang: What?! Are you sure? (Hochang asked as he felt awkward watching that kind of movie with his girlfriend)

Yeeun: Eo, I’m sure. You’re an adult already. There’s no need to be so scared

Hochang: (He tried to give in, as all he wanted to do that day is to make Yeeun happy). Arasseo, I’ll buy the tickets and snacks.

Theatre Room

14.30 p.m.

The lights went off as the screen started to play advertisements for a long 15 minutes….

…

The scene in the movie showed the main characters’ passionate lovemaking. Hochang swallowed his saliva and clenched his fist hard, as he’s not used to it (well, actually who doesn’t watch that kind of movies? But Yeeun is beside him, so he’s oddly nervous).

Yeeun who saw what Hochang did, quickly grabbed his right fist and held it to assure him that it’s not a big deal and that he’s gonna be okay. Hochang who realized Yeeun’s gesture loosened his fist.

16.40 p.m.

Yeeun and Hochang walked out of the theater, and when Hochang became aware that it’s still 4.40, he thought, ‘oh shit, it’s only 4.40?! What to do…’

Yeeun: What are we gonna do now?

Hochang: …

Yeeun: Mwoya, I thought you had everything planned?

As Yeeun criticized him, he scratched his head and got a little nervous.

Hochang: Yeeun-ah… Actually…

Before Hochang finished his words, suddenly someone called Yeeun and Hochang from afar.

Yeeun: Eunjae-ya! Eun-ah!

Eunjae: Sunbae! What are you doing here?

Yeeun: We just finished watching a movie

Eunjae: aah, okay…

Yeeun: What is this? Now you guys are having a double date together? Janghoon, how come you’re here? I thought you’re in the army?

Eun: Eo, Yeeun-sunbae, Janghoon received a 5-day off holiday. Isn’t it so cool?

Yeeun: Wah, you’re so lucky!

Janghoon scoffed: Hahahahah, I know. She should be thankful that her boyfriend is working so hard so that he can go home to meet her before the 2 years period.

Eun glared at Janghoon for his petty statement.

Chungwon: anyway, Hochang-hyung and Yeeun-sunbae, do you want to follow us? We’re going to the amusement park.

Hochang: It’s a great idea. Yeeun-ah, do you wanna go with them?

Yeeun: well, alright!

Eunjae: Let’s go!

Maybe God is with Hochang this time. Without meeting the two couples, Yeeun’s mood could’ve gone down in a slope now.

Amusement Park

17.20 p.m.

While the girls walked in front hand-in-hand, being excited with the occasion, the guys walked together behind, staring at their girlfriends’ backs.

Hochang: Hey, what to do… I have a reservation dinner at Namsan Tower today at 8 p.m.

Chungwon: waa Hyung, you prepared a lot for today, huh

Janghoon: Gwaenchana, you can stay here for about 1.5 hours and just take taxi from here. It won’t take long, 30 minutes I guess. Check the map.

Hochang: But isn’t 1.5 hours too fast to spend in here?

Janghoon: don’t worry. We’ve got your back.

Chungwon: Eo, anyway Yeeun-sunbae would be tired already since she already watched a movie with you, no?

Hochang: Arasseo. I’ll rely on you, ok?

The couples rode so many attractions at the theme park, and Yeeun couldn’t believe the awkward Hochang that she knew is actually an extreme-ride maniac. He’s so fun when it comes to amusement park activities.

Chungwon and Eunjae came back wearing couple head bands, those cute ones that could pass a children’s accessories. Eun and Janghoon stared at the sight with total awkwardness, as they both thought those matching things are cheesy and childish. But what to do, they’re inexperienced when it comes to dating, so they don’t know exactly what to do.

By now, the couples have separated from each other and are now doing their own things..

Janghoon grabbed Eun by her hand and said,

Janghoon: Eun-ah, let’s go ride that (while pointing up)

It’s a ferris wheel.

Eun nodded and held Janghoon’s hand tight as they walked past the sea of couples who seemed to be enjoying themselves at the amusement park too.

The sun has set and the sky has gone darker at 6.30 p.m.

Eun and Janghoon queued in line, waiting for their turn to hop on the ferris wheel. As they reached the front line of the queue the operator told them to be careful as they step onto the capsule, because it’s not gonna stop.

Finally, It’s just the two of them. For the past hours, they’ve been hearing loud noises of people in the amusement park. People screaming, laughing, and talking casually.

Eun: It feels nice, and the night view from here is so pretty.

Janghoon: are you happy?

Eun: hm…

Without them realizing, they’re reaching the top of the ferris wheel, and without notice, Janghoon told Eun earnestly,

Janghoon: Eun-ah…

Eun kept her eyes on Janghoon, waiting for what he’s about to say.

Janghoon: Saranghae.

Janghoon leaned towards Eun who was sitting in front of him, and kissed her as the capsule reached the highest peak of the wheel.

It was delicate and pure, reminding Eun of their first kiss outside Belle Epoque.

19.00 p.m.

Hochang: Yeeun-ah, are you tired?

Yeeun: A little…

Hochang: Actually, I still have something I wanted to do with you

Yeeun: what is it?

Hochang: Let’s go.

Hochang and Yeeun rode on a taxi outside the amusement park, heading to their last destination of the special day.

19. 45 p.m.

Yeeun: Namsan? (she asked with a big smile on her face)

Hochang: Hm…

Hochang held Yeeun’s hand and headed towards n.Grill, a French restaurant located at the top of Namsan Tower.

Hochang made a reservation in this restaurant from a month before. That’s how much he put his thought to give Yeeun a nice Valentine’s day experience.

As they reached the restaurant, the waiter showed them to their table. The view was so breathtaking. Yeeun’s face was bright in awe of the night view of Seoul, she couldn’t feel any happier.

Yeeun: Kwon Hochang…

Hochang: ?

Yeeun: I’m delighted. I didn’t expect you had prepared this much for today. I’m sorry if I hurt your feeling today after the movie.

Hochang: Yeeun-ah, no, you don’t have to feel sorry for anything.

The food that has been ordered in advance by Hochang came out not long after they arrived.

Eating in a fancy restaurant isn’t a rare occasion for Yeeun, but that night was special, because she could be herself in front of Hochang. She doesn’t have to suppress her desire to eat, unlike when she had to do it in from of her mom.

Moreover, Seoul’s night view and the dots of lights painted the glass window beautifully, as Yeeun and Hochang had their first and most romantic dinner.

19.40 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae was about to head home when she had the time to check her kkaotalk messages.

Jaehwan:

I’m sorry.

I can’t go to Seoul today,

I know it’s a special day

I’ll visit on the weekend.

Love you ❤

Jinmyung understood how difficult it is for Jaehwan to visit her in Seoul. The last time she met him was during New Year’s celebration over a month ago, where they went to a countdown show together in the cold, cold winter. She missed Jaehwan so much, but she knew distance is there to halt them from meeting.

Jinmyung types on her phone before finally sending her reply:

Jinmyung:

Gwaenchana-yo.

See you this weekend ❤

Jinmyung kept her phone back in her blazer pocket and forced a smile, before walking outside the office to go back home.

Villa Sortino, Seoul

19.45 p.m.

Sungmin arrived at the restaurant first. He parked his car on the side of the road and went in.

At the reception

Receptionist: Yes sir, how can I help you?

Sungmin: There’s a reservation under the name Song Jiwon?

Receptionist: Yes, there is… For two people? But you came alone?

Sungmin: Ah, yes… She’ll come later

Receptionist: Okay, let me take you to your table.

Sungmin sat down at the table while waiting for Jiwon. He turned his head left and right to observe the restaurant.

10 minutes later, he saw a figure he couldn’t recognize approaching the table with the receptionist earlier.

As they got closer, Sungmin couldn’t believe his eyes as the girl he’s known for his whole uni life is standing in front of him, probably looking the prettiest in the course of her life.

Her hair was straight with waves at the bottom, and the dress she was wearing was pink, decorated with delicate floral embroidery. Not to mention, she smelt so damn good.

Sungmin’s zoning out moment stopped as Jiwon exclaimed

Jiwon: Ya! You! Why are you here?!

Sungmin: Me? You’re the one who invited me here. What do you mean?!

Jiwon: What? What are you talking about? I never— Aish! Kang-eonni!

Jiwon grasped that Kang-eonni must’ve set her up with Sungmin. ‘Why?’ Jiwon thought hard to herself.

Sungmin: are you disappointed?

Jiwon: I don’t know.

Sungmin: Just sit down.

Jiwon followed Sungmin’s words as he told her to sit opposite him.

Sungmin: What do you want to eat?… Steak?… Pas-

Sungmin was about to say pasta, when he remembered what Jiwon said about pasta last year when he caught her outside the restaurant, spying on him.

‘Do you think pasta is just a meal? What is pasta? It’s a meal for a couple.’

Jiwon: I’ll just go with Pasta.

Sungmin gulped in nervousness as Jiwon decided on that. But in the end, Sungmin ordered pasta too, for don’t know what reason.

In the middle of eating…

Jiwon: Well, since we’re here already, why don’t the both of us just do what people do during blind dates?

Sungmin, who doesn’t know what people talk about in blind dates (as he never went to one), responded,

Sungmin: What do people do during blind dates?

Jiwon: Well, they ask about each other’s interests, hobbies, what kind of food they like, what countries they’ve been to… Things like that? But for me, I like to make it extra special. Drinks!

Sungmin: Forget about those background checks. Think about this. What do I not know about you? and what do you not know about me? Can you think of any?

Jiwon: (Jiwon hesitated a lot and said), well, we’ve known each other enough to know everything about each other.

Sungmin: Right? Okay, let’s go get some drinks, then.

Jiwon: ooooo, Im Sungmin, did you get striked by a lightning? you’re so lively now.

Sungmin just smirked as Jiwon commented nonchalantly.

To be honest, he just wanted to spend Valentine’s Day together with Jiwon for a longer time, that’s why he asked her to go have some drinks.

As they both finished eating their pasta, they headed to the cashier to pay the bills.

Sungmin grabbed his wallet from his pocket and paid their meals in full. Before they left the restaurant, the receptionist commented.

Receptionist: You two look good together. I hope you’ve enjoyed your date on Valentine’s Day. Hope to see you again on your next visit. Thank you!

Jiwon thought, ‘Valentine’s Day?’

Jiwon: Today’s Valentine’s Day?! (Jiwon asked Sungmin as she just realized the date).

Sungmin: eo, why?

Jiwon: Then what am I doing?! I should be doing something romantic with a guy now.

Sungmin’s heart plunged as he heard Jiwon’s statement. But he quickly brushed it off.

Sungmin: Let’s go have some drinks. And what’s with that pout? You look ugly.

Jiwon followed Sungmin as they headed towards the car.

21.58 p.m.

Sungmin parked his car in the basement of a high-end apartment complex.

Jiwon: Ya, where are we?

Sungmin: It’s my place.

Jiwon: are you rich?

Sungmin: no, my parents are.

Jiwon, who just found out about this, nodded in acceptance.

She thought she knew everything about him, but no, actually, she doesn’t. It made her realize just how mysterious Sungmin is.

Jiwon: But why are we at your place? Aren’t we supposed to have some drinks?

Sungmin: I have lots of soju and beers at home

Jiwon: You brat, why did you never ask me to come have a drink at your place?

Sungmin: Molla. Let’s go.

Sungmin and Jiwon went inside the apartment building’s lift, and Sungmin pressed the level number ‘25’.

…

Sungmin entered the passcode to his apartment door, and when the door opened, Jiwon was in awe at Sungmin’s luxurious apartment.

Jiwon: Do you live alone in here?

Sungmin: Hm...

She put her bag in the living room, walked around the open space, and even went inside every room she could find in that enormous apartment.

Jiwon: Ya Im Sungmin, how come you never had a girlfriend? If you told them you live in an apartment like this, girls will line up for you everyday.

Inside Sungmin’s heart, he thought, ‘you dense girl, it’s you that I like. How am I supposed to be with another girl?’

Sadly, he couldn’t say it out loud. Yet.

Sungmin left Jiwon to wander around the apartment, and prepared the drinks and glasses from the kitchen counter. Sungmin put the bottles of soju and beer on the coffee table in the living room.

Jiwon came out of one of the rooms and joined Sungmin who was already sitting down on the carpet in the living room.

There was silence between these man and woman as they realized that they’re the only ones in that place now, isolated from any other human beings and disturbances.

Sungmin poured himself a shot of Soju.

Seeing this, Jiwon gave him a word of critic.

Jiwon: ckckck, how old-fashioned. Here, I’ll make you the best somaek (soju + beer) you’ll ever taste in your life.

Sungmin kept quiet and let Jiwon mix it for him and herself.

The two hit their refreshing glasses of somaek before gulping it down in one shot. They let go a sigh of satisfaction from the burning sensation.

Sungmin: You’re good, (while smiling).

Jiwon: See? What did I tell you?

Sungmin: hey by the way, how long have we known each other for?

Jiwon: We first met during orientation, so 4 years?… It’s been 4 years already?! Why is it so fast… I feel like I just met you a few months ago.

Sungmin, realizing that they’ve known each other for 4 years, thought about how long it’s been since he literally never landed another woman except Jiwon in his heart.

The two kept drinking and drinking while at the same time sharing so many stories they have yet shared in those 4 years.

Maybe it’s the magical effect of alcohol, but Sungmin never felt this comfortable in his life. He never shared so much about his experiences with anyone, no one but the beautiful woman who’s sitting next to him now.

For every glass of somaek Sungmin drank, he became more and more honest each time.

Jiwon, who’s quite a strong drinker, laughed as she witnessed the rare sight of her quiet friend acting funny.

Jiwon: Im Sungmin, I didn’t know you’re capable of making jokes like that, Jiwon complimented Sungmin with laughter.

Sungmin who heard Jiwon, gazed at her eyes.

‘And it happened yet again…,’ Jiwon thought. Just like the day before.

Flashback

In Sungmin’s car after the trial

Jiwon was thankful towards Sungmin who’s been there to support her in investigating Mr. Han’s case.

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah… Thank you.

The car stopped as the traffic light turned red. Sungmin who was looking at the road now has his eyes on Jiwon’s.

As they’re both now locking their gaze, Jiwon felt a weird feeling she’s never felt before. She tought, ‘what the hell is this? Why does my stomach feel funny? And why is my heart beating like this?’

Luckily, there were sounds of cars honking at the back, so the two got back to their senses.

When Sungmin dropped Jiwon off at Belle Epoque, she touched her heart to feel it. She laid herself down on the sofa and murmured to herself.

Jiwon: Do I… like him?, while staring at the ceiling.

Flashforward

Sungmin’s Apartment

The two are still gazing at each other’s eyes. At that moment, both of them totally forgot what’s happening and what they were even doing in the first place.

Sungmin who’s a little tipsy and Jiwon who’s completely awake approached each other’s lips at the same time.

As their lips touched, Sungmin cupped his right palm on Jiwon’s left cheek and his left palm on Jiwon’s neck.

He felt their lips and tongue danced in synchronization, as he let his suppressed feelings for Jiwon all out. He couldn’t hold it in any longer, as this long overdue kiss was all he’s been longing for.

Jiwon got more and more immersed in the intimacy, and squeezed Sungmin’s loose shirts around his waist.

She could feel Sungmin’s soft lips playing with hers gently and full of passion. Honestly, it felt so damn good. It’s as if the world belonged to her and Sungmin.

Sungmin pulled out his warm lips and detached it from Jiwon’s, stood up from his position, and carried Jiwon’s light figure, heading towards his room at the end of the hallway.

While Jiwon was carried by Sungmin, she thought, ‘so this is how a real kiss feels like. I want more.’

Sungmin pushed the door to his room with his back, and closed it with his feet as he approached his bed to lay Jiwon down on the mattress, caressing his lips once again on Jiwon’s soft lips that he’s gone familiar with now.

The burning passion of the two equally lustful man and woman continued. As the rhythm got stable, Sungmin unbuttoned his shirt one by one, with the help of Jiwon who’s in the mood. Sungmin then dragged down Jiwon’s dress zipper in a moderate speed and pulled the dress off her body.

Jiwon switched her position, and now she’s on top of Sungmin, who has his back on the sheets.

Jiwon who’s left with her matching lacy black underwear on, kissed Sungwon’s neck and traced her lips down to Sungmin’s hard chest, all the way to his sculpted muscles on his belly part. Both Sungmin and Jiwon could feel the sensuality created by their strong affection for one another.

As Jiwon reached his lower body, Jiwon said.

Jiwon: Wait, where’s my bag?

Sungmin: Outside, why?

Jiwon: Protection.

Sungmin: Thank God. You carry it with you?

Jiwon: Of course. Who knows when I’m ever gonna do it, right?

Sungmin: Ah, sorry I’m so bad at this

Jiwon: ssshhhh. that’s not important now.

Jiwon hurriedly ran towards her bag in the living room, took it with her to Sungmin’s room and reached out a packet of condom. She jumped back to the bed and instructed Sungmin,

Jiwon: Take it off, (while pointing at his pants)

Without further ado, Sungmin removed his pants and tossed it to the side of his bed.

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, are you sure?

Jiwon: Shut up.

Jiwon who couldn’t resist Sungmin’s charm, pulled his body up such that her legs are now wrapped around Sungmin’s waist.

As they gazed at each other’s eyes for a moment, they attached their foreheads together, put on a subtle smile and let their lips lock again. The kiss was deeper this time.

Sungmin’s fingers reached out to Jiwon’s back to unclasp her bra and reached her lower waist, as he removed whatever was left on her, Jiwon did the same to Sungmin as she helped him take off his boxer.

Jiwon tore open the packet she took earlier with her teeth and gave him the night’s savior, the protection she’s been keeping in her bag for the longest time.

As they’ve reached this state now, there’s no going back.

Sungmin and Jiwon continued on as the night of privacy and intimacy between them developed into a dangerous yet romantic moment they’ve never experienced in their life before.

‘So this is how it feels,’ Jiwon thought to herself. It’s so good, and it made her happy. ‘But I’m sure, I can feel it this way only because it’s Sungmin.’

As they reached the peak, they laid themselves facing each other and covered themselves with a warm blanket.

A moment of silence was created as the two locked their gaze, Jiwon’s eyes was shining, and it was focused at Sungmin, whose eyes were full of his affection and love for Jiwon.

Without them realizing, they both closed their eyes in sync, lips hooked while letting their gut feelings and reflex guide them to the deepest French kiss they’ve only witnessed in those Western movies.

They weren’t exactly sure how much time has passed, as they both tried to catch their breath from kissing. They stared at each other for a moment with sweet smiles on their faces.

They gave each other one last goodnight peck before getting into a comfortable cuddle position – Jiwon placing her head on Sungmin’s broad chest, and Sungmin hugging Jiwon tight in his arms, as they both head over to dreamland.

Thank you for reading.

Read the next chapter:

Chapter 2.5

#ssongsungmin #age of youth #age of youth 2 #age of youth season 2 #im sungmin #song jiwon #fanfiction #park eun bin #son seung won #kdrama #korean drama #the beginning of something unexpected

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