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jaehyun-eclipsed · 4 years ago

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Before I Met You | Thirteen

Updates: Sundays

Pairing: NCT (Jaehyun, Lucas, Mark, Jaemin, Johnny) X Reader/OC

Genre: Romance, Angst, Coming of Age

Summary: Four. There were four people before I fell in love with you… Here are their stories.

Warnings: Some swearing and mentions of mature content

Before I Met You Masterlist

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Choi Jisu.

Interestingly, I don’t actually know Jisu personally. I only know of her. She’s a year older than me and I only recognize her because she was dating an upperclassman from my high school when he became a student here. She was always tagging him in their photos together.

I scoff. No wonder I hadn’t been seeing those lately. She has a new man. I sigh. Small world.

I select her profile and begin clicking through her viewable photos. Jisu is an avid photo taker – and not the artistic kind. She’s the kind that clearly demonstrates the need to post about everything she does for social, and ultimately, external validation – as illustrated by her endless number of publicly available photo albums, allowing me to quickly discover that she participates in beauty pageants… and wins.

And as I juggle all that information, it starts to make sense. She’s used to being the center of attention. In fact, she likes being the center of attention and being treated like she’s important, hence her behavior regarding Jaemin opening the door for her. She has “high maintenance” written all over her.

As I continue browsing through her photos, I notice that all of the pictures she had with the guy from my high school are gone. Jisu clearly likes publicizing all of her relationships while she’s in them… and then quickly deleting any evidence of them as soon as they’re over as if they never even happened.

Wouldn’t that bother her? Having all 700 of her Facebook friends be able to pinpoint when she started a new relationship and with whom. One boyfriend after another – someone who clearly has difficulties being alone. It’s common for a lot of people, but why would you want everyone to know?

Her second most recent album that’s titled “Third Year – Summer” is where I find the photos of relevance – the photos showcasing her new and blooming romance with Jaemin. Most of them are pretty standard: dinner outings and various dates to the park and ice cream parlor.

My nostrils flare as I glare at the screen. That scumbag. Blatantly flirting with me when he has a girlfriend that he has conveniently left out of every conversation we’ve ever had!

I don’t know what to do with this information.

Wow, Jaemin! You probably thought you were so slick – and I’ll admit, you had me there for a second! But you made the mistake of bringing her home and coincidentally, I happen to know her. That last bit isn’t your fault, but really, what are the chances in a school with thousands of people?

I am not okay with this! We’ve already had an experience of a guy with a girlfriend flirting with me and it didn’t end well!

Am I just supposed to back off? But I didn’t do anything. I’m not even supposed to know anything!

I huff in irritation. I genuinely need help in physics and Jaemin has been quite helpful the last couple times I asked him. I conclude that I have two options: continue what I’ve been doing and act like I know nothing or find a new physics tutor.

The first option is purely convenient since he lives right down the hall and I know he can help, but it tests my moral conscience. The second option is more work on my part because I’d have to go through the tedious task of finding a new person and determining whether or not they’re any good.

But then I ask myself another question: am I actually doing anything wrong? I’m not the one who’s flirting. I can’t control how he acts around me. I’m not even supposed to know about this… but my conscience reminds me that I unfortunately do know about this.

Goddamn. Why’d I have to be home at this time?

Screw my conscience, I need help. My grade is more important and the flirting is kind of flattering.

And that’s the thing about the supposed “ignorance is bliss”: it can be taken away from you at any time, without your consent.

Hydroxyl groups are alcohols including methanol, ethanol, etc. They are polar and can form hydrogen bonds. Have the ability to assist in dissolving compounds such as sugars.

A carbonyl group is a carbon atom connected to an oxygen atom via a double bond.

I roll my eyes and chuck my highlighter to the side, sighing in annoyance as I look around the empty dining room. I’m so lame. It’s Friday night and I’m sitting at home studying.

Despite having adjusted a bit better at the beginning of my second year, I still haven’t made many friends that I can hang out with. The “friends” I have are mostly acquaintances – classmates that I could contact if I ever need anything for class. That’s why I was quite thrilled that Jaemin seemed pretty cool and that he actually liked spending time with me. But I’m not sure how I feel about this new revelation. Based on the superficial facts, I have qualms to pick with his moral compass.

So I started contemplating other housemates I was interested in getting to know – people I could come home to and hang out with in the common rooms. Jaemin’s other roommate – Jeno – seemed worth speaking to. Renjun is polite, but he’s built a nearly impenetrable wall to his friendship. Perhaps he’s just more comfortable with guys.

I turn my head when Jeno walks into the dining room. We make eye contact for several seconds before he turns away and continues into the kitchen. That’s how it always is with him. He’s always expressionless when he looks at me, but his eyes appear to betray him with that lingering glance that tells me he knows something.

I hear the opening of cabinets, the clanging of pots and pans followed by the stove fan being turned on.

I don’t know what’s so scary about going up to new people – like you’re constantly afraid of being judged for talking to them. I know they don’t care, but this feels different considering Jeno and I have seen each other many times, never acknowledging each other, just… staring.

Jeno? He’s nice. You should introduce yourself to him!

Jaemin’s encouraging words convince me to get up from my seat and walk into the kitchen. Jeno is standing in front of the stove, cutting vegetables. Slowly, I walk up to him, tilting my head and peering up at him. He jumps a bit when he turns around, startled by my sudden appearance.

“Hi,” I say with a smile. “Um, you’re Jaemin’s roommate, right?”

“Yeah!” He returns a wide grin. “I’m Jeno.”

“Hi, I’m Y/N.”

He extends his hand out to me, barely gripping my hand – almost as if he’s afraid he’ll break it – and lightly shaking it up and down.

“Jaemin told me you’re a chemistry major?”

“Yeah, how about you?”

“Biology.”

We proceed to ask each other the standard series of questions: Where are you from? What classes are you taking this semester? Are you part of any clubs?

And of course, I always mention my struggles with physics because I’m half hoping he’ll have another suggestion in case I decide I want to jump the Jaemin-ship.

“Oh yeah, I took physics last semester,” he responds. “It was terrible because I hate math so I’m taking a break this semester. You should ask Jaemin for help. He’s much better at it than me.”

Goddammit.

“Yeah, I’ve been asking him for help. He’s been helpful…”

A silence passes between us and when I look up at Jeno again, he has this weird look on his face. The corner of his mouth is upturned and his eyes are – well, they look like they’re undressing me. And then I realize that it’s nearly identical to that mischievous look Jaemin has.

Good Lord, do all three of you have the same look?

Actually, you know what? I don’t want to find out.

“I’ll let you get back to cooking,” I say, abruptly heading towards the door. “It was nice meeting you.”

“What were you doing?” Jia asks when I return to our room towards the end of Saturday night.

“I was doing my physics problem set and studying for the bio midterm next week.”

“Ooh,” she coos suggestively. “Were you with Jaemin?”

“No. He’s going to help me tomorrow because went to a football game tonight.”

Hmm… I bet Jisu was there with him.

There’s a stupid grin on her face when I turn to look at her. “Do you like him?”

“No.”

“Really? You guys look like you get along really well.”

“Yeah, he’s fun to hang out with.”

“But you don’t like him?”

“No.”

“But –”

Thankfully Jia’s laptop starts ringing. Her parents are calling her from Beijing. I excuse myself, grabbing my laptop, phone, and water bottle to sit in the little inlet in the hallway until she gets off her call.

I know she suspects something and her inexperience with boys is what naturally makes her curious. According to her, she’s never had a crush on anyone. Not sure I totally believe that. And she’s not aware of anyone who has ever had a crush on her. Actually, she’s never had any guy friends and had once asked me how you communicate with them, her tone almost implying that they were an alien species. Like I said, she’s been quite sheltered most of her life. So she’s slowly learning things. I only wish I wouldn’t have to be the one she asks to tell her what a blowjob is.

When I left my room, I noticed that Jaemin’s door was cracked open. Actually, it’s always cracked open like that. And normally, it’s quiet, but tonight, I quickly learn, is a much different story.

“My girlfriend fucked up the pizza,” Jaemin says disdainfully.

So she was at the game…

“How do you fuck up pizza?” Jeno asks.

“She got cheddar pizza.”

“Cheddar pizza?”

“It doesn’t taste bad.” I hear the microwave door slam. “But it still tastes kinda weird. She also gave me a bunch of coupons.”

“For what?” Jeno asks.

“This one says ‘fifteen minutes of oral.’”

I nearly spit out my water. The hell?

“Fifteen minutes?!” Jeno responds in disbelief. “Can you even last fifteen minutes?!”

“Shut up!”

“Wait, maybe you can see if it can be fifteen minutes total,” Renjun says. “So if it takes you ten times to get to the fifteen –”

“You fucking –”

The rest of Jaemin’s crude response is muffled due to a loud crash. I imagine he threw something at Renjun given that Renjun and Jeno are uncontrollably laughing and I have to cover my mouth to prevent myself from laughing out loud.

“But yeah,” Jaemin continues. “She gives me these coupons like, ‘You win this fight,’ ‘I won’t get mad when you fall asleep on me,’ ‘I won’t complain when you say you say you want to hang out with your guy friends’ –”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jeno interrupts. “She won’t complain when you say you want to hang out with your guy friends? Isn’t that sorta… shouldn’t that be a given?”

There’s a look of horror on my face as I process what I’ve just heard. Jisu sounds… let’s just say I would not want to be dating her.

“Exactly! She’s crazy!” Jaemin exclaims. “If I spend more time with her, I get more of these things and they’re kind of useful. But I don’t want to spend more time with her…”

“I didn’t really talk to her at the game, but she didn’t seem like she was enjoying it much,” Jeno says.

I purse my lips and run my tongue along my front teeth, completely stunned and quite frankly, somewhat amused that I happened to be out here at the time they were discussing this.

Wow, Jaemin, that sounds like a really secure relationship. Congratulations. If you hate her so much, why are you even dating – oh – the fifteen minutes…

All of these revelations were a disappointing confirmation. First, Jaemin actually does have a girlfriend. He said the G word himself. Second, Jisu is just as high maintenance as I had been able to analyze from her photos. And third, Jaemin is a liar! Well, actually, he hasn’t lied to me. He’s just conveniently left things out.

The alarm bells in my head have started ringing off the hook. At first, they were just there in the background, an occasional beep to warn of a possible danger. But I think now is safe to say that he’s a flirt – and he’s good at hiding it. That’s what makes him so dangerous.

The next afternoon after meeting with Jaemin, I had scheduled a call with Mark. We finally managed to figure out a time that worked for both of us and I had insisted that it was quite important. I was quite irked as I had actually confirmed that third assumption from last night.

I walk up the stairs shortly before my call time, taking note of Jaemin’s door slightly ajar again. As I near my door, I pause when I hear Renjun’s voice.

“Where’s Jaemin?”

“I think he’s out with –”

Dammit. Did he say Jisu?

“Again?”

“Yeah, he hasn’t been very happy lately,” Jeno responds.

“He should just break up with her,” Renjun says.

I continue onto my room, trying to make my footsteps almost silent to make sure they don’t suspect anyone is listening to them, but I nearly drop my things after hearing Renjun’s next question.

“Do you know anything about Y/N?”

“I talked to her once. She’s nice. I think Jaemin likes her though. She’s pretty attractive.”

“Do you think she knows about –?”

“I don’t know –

Suddenly, I hear someone coming up the stairs and shortly thereafter, one of my neighbors rounds the corner. I make eye contact with her, realizing how weird it is for me to be standing in the middle of the hallway. Quickly, I begin acting like I’m shifting my things into one arm in an attempt to grab my keys.

– Probably not. Jaemin never brings her here.”

“Hey, Y/N!” she greets.

Fuck.

“Hi…”

I turn away quickly, tapping the key fob against my door and run inside.

“No, Mark, I’m serious! He has a girlfriend!”

“How’d you find out?”

I relay to him my story from last week – walking by Jaemin’s room and overhearing Jisu by happenstance, strategizing my method of figuring out who she was, the Facebook discovery, the coupons…

“And he’s been flirting with you like that? And spending three plus hours with you helping you do your homework?” he asks in disbelief. “Yo, Y/N, this guy sounds like trash.”

“He was helping me with physics today and I asked him who he went to the football game with and he said he only went with his roommates. He lied straight through his teeth!”

“I mean, it’s not like he’d actually tell you. He hasn’t told you before.”

“I kept trying to ask him some questions that would easily allow him to say something about it, but he never did.” I purse my lips. “He’s not stupid though. He probably knew I was fishing for information.”

“Wait, wait, wait, I have another question, Y/N. Who gives coupons like that?!”

“Uh… an insecure person?”

Mark lets out a loud sigh. “I mean – I – I can understand giving out coupons for like… a massage or to cook their favorite dinner. You know? Something cute like that. But these are just weird.”

Clicking my tongue, I respond, “Yeah, that was my conclusion. He doesn’t seem to like her very much though. Not sure why he doesn’t just break up with her.”

“Yo, he’s probably scared.”

“I was just hoping that you wouldn’t also confirm that he sounds like trash.”

“Why? Do you like him?”

“No, I’m not interested in dating him. I think he’s fun to hang around and I want to be his friend, but I feel like that’ll be kinda complicated.”

“Do you know what his girlfriend is like?”

“Only from what I’ve seen and overheard. She sounds –” I scrunch my face is displeasure “– high maintenance. She does beauty pageants… and wins.”

“So she’s pretty,” he concludes.

“Yeah, she’s pretty. I don’t really know why he’s interested me if he’s dating this pageant girl.”

“What are you talking about? Y/N, have you looked in a mirror? You’re really pretty,” he says. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m your friend.”

I’m thankful that Mark can’t see my expression since we’re talking on the phone.

“I met his roommate the other day. I don’t – I don’t know how I feel about him. He was looking at me like he was undressing me.”

“See! I told you!”

“But Mark, he’s a college guy. He’s probably interested in sleeping with any girl that’s at least a seven and is okay with ‘no strings attached.’”

Mark is silent for a moment.

“Y/N?”

“What?”

“You know that you just admitted that you’re at least a seven, right?”

“…your point?”

“I’m just saying! Anyway, you know that there’s only one reason why Jaemin wouldn’t tell you he has a girlfriend, right?”

I have a feeling I know what the reason is, but I entertain Mark’s question.

“What’s that?”

“That he’s looking for someone else… someone else meaning you.”

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Before I Met You Masterlist Masterlist

#nct #nct 127 #nct u #nct dream #wayv #jung jaehyun #jaehyun #nct jaehyun #jung yoonoh #nct lucas #lucas wong #wong yukhei #mark lee #nct mark #na jaemin #nct jaemin #before i met you

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do-your-socks-have-holes-in-them · 6 years ago

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On the Other Side / Ch15: Movie Night

Last / Masterpost / Next

Summary: For the past thirteen years, a secretive organization has been raising two groups of superpowered children. Half of them, since their very first memories, have been told they’ll grow up to be brave and strong superheroes; the rest were taught a much harsher view of the world, and groomed to become villains. Neither group knows of the other’s existence. But when a certain trio of heroes-to-be meets two future villains who really just want to be left alone, they all realize how much they haven’t been told.

Warnings: non-graphic violence, bullying, child abuse, sympathetic/good Deceit (Devon) is a main character

A/N: And I said, "I'll start updating regularly again." You know, like a liar. (but actually tho im doing a big bang so it's unlikely i'll be able to even try to update anything else regularly until the end of summer :/)

Read on AO3

Late Saturday morning, Thomas regarded the trunk of his car skeptically. “I really don’t think we needed to buy so many tiny flashlights and screwdrivers.”

“Uhm, I really think we did. Who’s the more experienced thief here, Thomas?” Remy’s unsubtle hand gestures made it clear what the answer was supposed to be.

“Just because you stole gum from a convenience store when you were thirteen—”

“I’m now a master criminal, yes, exactly. I’m glad you understand. The tiny flashlights are super important, trust me.”

Thomas sighed, amused. “If you say so. You gonna help me carry these bags?”

“Nope.”

“Remy—”

“I don’t have time, hon, I gotta go talk to Emile about all this, remember?” He neatly dodged Thomas’s attempt to foist a grocery bag on him. “I know you’re gonna miss me, but I’ll see you later, babe, don’t worry.”

Thomas scoffed and swatted his arm, which backfired a bit in that it nearly made him drop one of his bags. “I’ll live.” His words may have been dismissive, but he was smiling. That smile was still on his face as he made his way into the building and through the hallways to his own room. Most of the snacks were left there to be distributed later. He took the rest, along with the less innocuous items hidden at the bottom of the bags, and went down the hall to Logan, Roman, and Patton’s room.

“Good morning,” he called, after knocking in a pattern they’d agreed on the previous night so they would know it was him. He set the bags down and pressed a hand over his mouth in an effort not to “aww” out loud when he saw the kids.

They were all piled together in the blanket fort, and it looked like they’d been there the whole night. Patton was still asleep, tangled in a blanket, while Logan used him to prop up the book he was explaining to Devon- who, of course, tried to act like he already knew it, but his eyes were wide with interest. Meanwhile, Virgil was still curled up under Patton’s arm, where he’d become trapped at some point in the night, and Roman was telling him some grand story, complete with illustrations and various bits acted out. The smaller boy looked enthralled, if a little wary of all the wild gesturing. Roman paused mid-emphasis when Thomas walked in, just short of smacking Logan in the face, and Devon reached out and slowly pushed his arm back down.

Thomas smiled. “Hey guys, I brought you some stuff.”

“Ooh! What is it? Did you get good snacks?” Roman scrambled out of the fort and almost tripped on Patton, who had started to wake up. He turned over, holding Virgil to his chest like a teddy bear. The latter made a face and squirmed away, causing Patton to finally open his eyes.

“Oh. Sorry,” he laughed. Virgil waved him off with a shrug.

The kids gathered around, and Thomas started to show them what he and Remy had bought. “Of course I got good snacks, who do you think I am? Most of them are staying in my room for now, though, because I know you guys.”

There was a chorus of “aww.”

“Other than that, I got some clean clothes for you two, so you won’t need to keep wearing the same outfits all the time or borrow from the other kids. But I had to guess at your sizes, so if something doesn’t fit, tell me, okay?”

Devon and Virgil nodded shyly and took the clothes, hiding them under blankets in the fort for now. They would try them on once Thomas was gone; changing with him right there would be embarrassing, even if he couldn’t see them behind the blankets that hung down.

“Now… everybody come close, this part is secret. Remember the plan we talked about?” They all nodded. “I know not all of you were sure if you wanted to help, and I’m not trying to push you into it or anything, but I got you all some stuff for it- if anyone decides they don’t want to come, that just means there’s extras for those who do participate.”

“I’m coming!” Roman reminded him, in his version of a whisper.

Thomas laughed. “You made that clear, don’t worry. So, uh, we’ve just got a few little things that might be useful- most of it Remy insisted on, so don’t ask me what the putty is for.”

“Ooh, you were with Remy?” Patton grinned, clearly believing he was being subtle.

“We were just doing boring work things, so shush- and quit doing that thing with your eyebrows at me, Logan.” Thomas blushed, wishing he knew how to stop letting children embarrass him. The shopping trip may have been a boring work thing, but it was very hard to convince himself Remy hadn’t been lowkey flirting with him the entire time nonetheless. “Take the stuff already and leave me alone.”

“How about this,” Roman offered, “we’ll stop if and only if you let us have a movie night! I mean, we really need to- did you know they haven’t seen any Disney movies?!”

Thomas hummed, pretending to think hard about it. “That sounds like a deal I can agree to. I’ll bring my laptop in here for you later, how about that? I know you’d rather use the big TV screen," he said over disappointed protests, "but I really don’t want to risk having Devon and Virgil leave the room when it’s not necessary, alright?”

“I guess,” Roman huffed. “But that means you have to give us more snacks for it!”

“Whatever you say.”

Movie night, naturally, had to wait until it was at least evening- you couldn’t very well have one in the morning. Roman and Patton spent nearly all the preceding time planning it and gushing about how amazing it was going to be, to the point where the other three almost wished they weren’t having it, if only to get some peace and quiet. By the time Thomas came back after dinner to let them borrow his computer, the blankets in the fort had been rearranged countless times, and the kids had a list of everything else they wanted in order to make it absolutely perfect. Thomas went along with some of their requests, if not the ones like ‘a bunch of plastic balls so we can turn the room into a ball pit,’ and they managed to get everything arranged without anyone yelling at each other.

The movie they’d all decided on for tonight was Sleeping Beauty- they should start with a classic, right? Logan was in charge of holding the popcorn, because he was the only one who could be trusted not to spill it or eat it all himself. During the opening credits, Roman bounced in place impatiently, while Patton carefully arranged his stuffed animals so he could hold them all and none would feel left out, ignoring Logan’s reminder that they were inanimate objects and had no feelings to hurt. When he was finally satisfied and looked up, he caught Virgil staring at him, looking conflicted. As soon as their eyes met the smaller boy looked away, blushing and wrapping the too-long sleeves of his jacket around himself. He and Devon had changed into their new clothes by now, but he’d refused to give up that hoodie any longer than was needed to wash it, and even that had been a struggle.

“Hey, Virgil?”

He looked up again, defensive.

“Do you wanna hold one of my toys?”

Virgil shook his head roughly, retreating into his hood. He didn’t need toys, he wasn’t a baby.

“Are you sure? This one’s all the way on the outside, I’m afraid it’s gonna get lonely… would you mind just holding onto it for me?” He held out a black stuffed cat, clearly well-loved by the fact it was missing an eye. Virgil hesitated, but finally took it, setting it down on his lap just so Patton wouldn’t be disappointed. Maybe it wasn’t too bad to hold it for him, as long as he wasn’t actually hugging it or anything.

“Oh- look, look, it’s starting!”

They both turned back to the screen at Roman’s exclamation. The credits had ended, and the fairy-tale book was opening.

“In a far-away land, long ago…”

Roman watched Devon and Virgil, waiting for them to see how great the movie was. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem too impressed. “Don’t you like it?”

Virgil shrugged.

“It’s kinda boring,” Devon admitted. “Like, oh, there’s a king and a queen and a princess and they’re rich and perfect and everyone loves them- who cares?”

“That’s because this is the exposition,” Logan pointed out. “We need to know who they are before we can get to the real beginning of the story, in which a—”

Roman swatted his arm. “Don’t spoil it!”

The movie continued up to the celebration of the baby Aurora’s birth.

“Those gifts suck,” Devon decided. “Why couldn’t they give the princess something cool? They could’ve given her magic powers and instead they just made her really pretty and good at singing.” Virgil nodded in agreement, making a face. They were both startled out of their snark when Maleficent appeared.

“She’s an evil fairy,” Roman stage-whispered.

Logan added on, “It was a great insult for the king and queen to invite everyone in the kingdom and not her, especially when she’s so powerful.”

It was hard to tell if the intended audience for these explanations was actually listening. They were staring at the screen, wide-eyed, as Maleficent turned around and cursed the princess. Roman took this as a good sign that they weren’t bored anymore.

“It’s just so impractical,” complained Logan, watching the pile of spinning wheels burn. “I mean, has the king even considered what this will do to the price of cloth in his kingdom? Everything will have to be imported!"

“Shut up, it’s a fairy tale,” Roman whined.

Devon looked almost impressed. “You know, he has a point.”

“Oh, just watch the movie.”

The three fairies, at least, were not a point of contention. It was generally accepted that, being fairies, they shouldn’t be expected to make sense- although, really, hiding Aurora away from civilization to keep her safe wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Maleficent doesn’t know anything about love, or kindness…”

When said Maleficent came back, it was hard not to notice the younger boys’ nerves. Logan saw Devon go very still and quiet next to him, no longer making fun even though Maleficent’s weird little minions were objectively ridiculous, and Patton could feel Virgil jump with every angry lightning strike, holding the stuffed cat tightly to his chest.

“It’s okay,” Patton told them in a whisper, “she doesn’t win.”

Roman was beginning to despair. “Don’t spoil it, Pat.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “It’s hardly a massive plot twist, Roman. In movies like this, the good guys always win.”

Thankfully, the tension was dispersed by a transition to a much lighter scene. Even Virgil relaxed and giggled at the fairies’ attempt to create a birthday party. Some of the humor was lost on them, however- they didn’t have the faintest idea how to sew or bake, either. What was a “tsp?” The other kids seemed to know. Maybe it should have been obvious what exactly Flora and Fauna were doing wrong.

The scene with Aurora-slash-Briar Rose and Prince Philip… didn’t go over quite so well.

“Oh, oh, he’s back, look! With a horse! Bet you think he’s cool now, right?”

The prince promptly fell off said horse into a stream, and Virgil snickered, raising an eyebrow at Roman. That was about as clear a wordless answer as he could ask for.

And now, the princess was dancing around singing about love?

“Gross,” muttered Devon and Logan in unison.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Logan continued as the two finally danced together. “I suppose I can understand her falling in love so quickly, given that he’s not only a handsome prince, but also the first person she’s ever met besides her guardians.”

“So you admit he’s handsome!”

“But what reason does Philip have for suddenly loving her so much, he’d rather marry her than become king? He’s only known her for a few minutes, and most of that was just listening to her sing without even seeing her.”

“The fairies did give her a magically good voice,” Devon mused. “Maybe she enchanted him to fall in love with her without realizing it.”

Roman reached over and gave them both a light shove. “It’s romantic, quit ruining it!”

“I think it’s cute…”

”Thank you, Patton!”

If Devon was oddly quiet after that, it was because he was grossed out by the sappy love stuff, and then worried about Maleficent’s bird finding the fairies- definitely not anything to do with the song about dreaming of having a friend hitting just slightly close to home. At least the kings were funny.

“Okay, maybe he’s a little cool,” Devon finally mumbled, watching Philip tell his father he was going to marry the random girl he’d just met. That was still a dumb decision, but anyone who could argue with a king and not be at all scared was at least slightly impressive.

Nobody really liked the part where Aurora was all distraught about not being able to meet Philip, so after a bit of sad silence, Roman took the opportunity to check in. “Do you guys like it so far?” he asked, clearly needing the answer to be yes.

Virgil nodded hesitantly, and Devon shrugged: “It’s… not bad. But I still think there should be less stuff about love, and—”

He gasped and cut himself off when Maleficent appeared in the fireplace. Virgil pressed up against him, eyes almost as wide as the hypnotized princess.

“Should’ve known she could just make another spinning wheel…” He tried to sound cool and unimpressed, and not scared. “Stupid king. She’s magic.”

Virgil whispered something in his ear.

“Oh, yeah- it doesn’t even matter, anyway, right? They can just get the prince to come back and kiss her, ‘cause they’re already in love.” His face scrunched up at the thought of kissing, but it was a solution.

However, as everyone else already knew, it wasn’t that easy.

Virgil sat up so quickly when Philip was attacked and captured by Maleficent’s minions that he would have fallen over, had Patton not been there to catch him.

“But did you see how many of ‘em he fought off before they got him?!” Roman punched the blankets around him to demonstrate, making sound effects.

If Roman was still happy, that probably meant Philip would be fine, right? Not that Virgil cared what happened to some stupid prince in a movie. Maleficent could kill him, for all Virgil cared. …But she wouldn’t, right? No, that wouldn’t happen, Patton and Logan had said she didn’t win in the end.

That reasoning didn’t stop both him and Devon from remaining tense for… pretty much the entire rest of the movie. Even if Philip was okay, they really didn’t like seeing him in Maleficent’s dungeon. At least in the Room they didn’t get chained up- Virgil shuddered at the thought.

“See!” Roman exclaimed triumphantly, when the fairies finally arrived to help him get out. “I told you he was cool!”

“I guess,” said Devon, sounding a whole lot more impressed than he wanted to let on. “Fairies are still doing most of the work, though.”

Then came the most exciting part of all: the final battle between Philip and Maleficent. From the moment she landed in front of the castle and turned herself into a dragon until the end of the movie, there were no snarky comments to be heard, and hardly even any disgusted faces made when Aurora was awakened by true love’s kiss.

“See? You didn’t need to be so worried, good prevailed in the end!” It wasn’t until Roman turned to face the two younger boys, and saw them still pale and anxious despite the movie being over, that he realized worrying about the ending may not have been the full issue. “Um… Guys? Is something wrong?”

Virgil and Devon had a brief, tense whispered conversation before Devon spoke up- very quietly, almost like he didn’t want to be heard.

“Are we evil?”

In the moment of stunned silence that followed, Virgil climbed over him, conspicuously placing himself between his friend and Roman. He didn’t seem to realize he was still clutching Patton’s stuffed cat.

“Wh- no! Of course not!” Roman jumped to his feet to emphasize how serious he was, and they both flinched a little. “Why would you think that?!”

Devon waited for Virgil’s cautious nod before saying anything else. “It’s just- Maleficent… she was evil, and she looked like us, kind of, and- and she could shapeshift like me.” He touched the scales on his face and remembered the dragon. “So- it seemed like… the movie was saying those things are evil. I dunno, it’s dumb,” he trailed off, shrinking behind Virgil. “I- I mean, we already knew we’re villains…”

“No, you’re not,” Roman said firmly. He pushed the laptop aside and sat down in front of them, so they couldn’t avoid looking at him. “You’re not anything like her! You’re not evil, you’re nice and you care about people and- and if anything, you’re more like Aurora.”

They both looked up, if only so he could see their skeptical faces. How did that make any sense? She was a princess.

“No, really,” he insisted. “Because you didn’t even do anything wrong, but the teachers and everyone are trying to hurt you because they’re the evil ones, but now you’re gonna get a happy ending! Because I’m the Prince, and I’ll fight them for you.” He stood again and struck a pose to demonstrate.

Devon gave him a soft, genuine smile, then smirked as a thought occurred to him. “Just don’t try to kiss us.”

“Ew, no!”

Everyone laughed. As Roman sat back down, he almost didn’t feel the tug on his shirt. He looked over to see Virgil looking not-quite-at him, chewing on his lip nervously. Once he saw he had Roman’s attention, he took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut and went for it.

“T-thanks. For saying that.”

In an ironic turn of events, Roman was speechless. Virgil’s voice, now that he heard it, was lower than he would have expected from such a tiny kid, and somewhat rough- maybe because he hardly ever talked. And now he was peeking up through his bangs, waiting for Roman’s reaction, looking like he kinda wanted to run away. Oh, shoot, Roman needed to say something back and not make it awkward, didn’t he?

He pushed through his shock to answer, “Of course. It was all true, after all.” Then he nudged Virgil’s hood back slightly in order to mess up his hair, because he couldn’t let things get too mushy. Virgil hissed and smacked his hand away, and the natural order of things was restored.

“But really though, what did you think of the movie?”

Virgil curled up in the blankets. His heart was still beating too fast just from saying four words- if he talked any more, he was afraid he might die from it. But he gave Roman a shy thumbs-up, and from the grin he got in response, that seemed to be good enough.

#sanders sides #roman sanders #virgil sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #patton sanders #logan sanders #my post #my writing #on the other side

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daydreamjournal · 6 years ago

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Cliché (Sirius Black X Reader)

Author note: Hello everyone, this is my first time writing for Sirius Black so I apologize if he seems out of character to you, other than that I hope you enjoy this song inspired one off.

Word count: 3591

Warnings: None, this is one fluffy boy.

I walked into the room and then I saw your face

Walking into the Gryffindor common room you scanned the room before sighing in relief, it was basically empty except the marauders who appeared to be arguing over something trivial like always. Moving over to the empty couch you sat and allowed yourself to sink into it’s comfort after a long day of classes, with O.W.L’s coming up fast you felt as if you barely had time to breathe with all the homework the professors were cramming down your throats, not to mention you felt like Lily, your best friend, was going to make you study to death.

“Hey (L/N)” A familiar voice called out to you.

You looked me in the eye and I wanted to erase myself (erase myself)

Glancing over your (e/c) eyes were met with stormy gray ones, the eyes that belonged to the famous Sirius Black, fellow fifth year and flirt extraordinaire, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find him attractive. However, except for when Lily was around, you rarely spoke to the marauders so this situation caused you to internally panic and wish you had just went up to your dorm.

“Yes Sirius?” You asked politely trying to keep your nerves from showing through.

A playful smirk danced across his lips which enhanced his handsome features, you felt as if your heart was beating faster from it alone.

“Strawberries or blueberries?” he asked.

You blinked in confusion as your eyebrows knitted together to physically illustrate your emotion “Excuse me?”.

He chuckled “Which do you prefer?”.

“Oh uhm..” you paused as you chewed your bottom lip in thought “I guess i’d have to say strawberries.”.

“You’re a romantic than huh?” James asked looking over to you.

“I don’t see how that makes me a romantic Potter.” you snorted.

“Ouch, why does Padfoot get the first name treatment and not me?” he pouted

I didn’t wanna fall, but then I stepped right in

“I like him better.” you joked laughing a bit as you got to your feet.

Unknowing to you, when you said that Sirius had felt his heart skip a beat.

“I’m heading up to my dorm, try not to stay up too late boys.” you waves a hand as you moved towards the stairs to the girls dormitory.

“Yes Mother.” James called after you.

You listened as the other three boys laughed before shaking your head and heading up, they were immature sure, but they were entertaining.

Stepping into your dorm you noticed Lily absorbed in her studies per usual, quills and parchment scattered around her as she was pouring over her transfiguration textbook.

“Don’t bother trying to talk to her.” One of your other friends, Marlene said from her four poster “She hasn’t moved since you guys got back from the library.”.

Sighing you snatched the book from the red heads hands before holding it out of reach when she tried to grab it “Lils’ you need to rest, your brain is going to be mush if you don’t.”

Lily pouted as she held out her hand to you “Give it back, I just have one more chapter left to go over.”.

“A chapter that will turn into the rest of the text book?” you asked as you crossed you arms.

Groaning in defeat your best friend gathered her things before putting them away “Fine, only because I know you’re right.”.

“When am I not?” you grinned finally handing the book back.

“Don’t push it.” Lily laughed.

I looked down at the ground and I felt it right within

“Where have you been anyway?” Alice, another friend of yours asked sleepily.

“The couch looked comfy.” you shrugged as you sat down on your own bed glancing down at your shoes.

“Did something happen?” Lily asked looking to you.

“Huh?” you glanced up once more not realizing the blush that had spread on your cheeks.

The three girls ooh’d at you and you suddenly felt the burning heat in your face

“Details.” Marlene demanded as the three girls moved closer to you.

“N-Nothing happened! I just talked with the boys.” you shrugged looking away.

Lily smirked “Sirius talked to you huh?.

“Maybe.” you mumbled as you undid your tie “It wasn’t like we had this momentous conversation, he just asked my opinion on fruit.”.

They all looked just as confused as you had been a few minutes ago

“That’s-” Alice began

“Weird.” Marlene finished

“I know, and when I said strawberries James accused me of being a romantic.” you sighed running a hand through your (H/L and H/C) hair.

“They must be planning something.” Lily sighed “Probably a prank.”.

“Ooh fun.” you spoke sarcastically.

“Why would they prank (Y/N) though?” Marlene asked “They all seem fond of her, especially Sirius.”.

It was too late for me (too late for her)

After changing the subject and bit more banter the others and yourself got ready for bed, however as you laid in your four poster staring at the ceiling your mind was filled with Sirius, your stomach was filled with butterflies and your body almost ached or his touch and warmth despite having never felt it before in the five years of knowing him.

‘Stop it’ you thought to yourself ‘Sirius has a reputation, I shouldn’t get my hopes up.’.

With one last soft sigh you drifted off to sleep

You took a step forward and tilted your head, with a curious glance you stared and I felt like dead

Walking down the stairs to the common room you noticed that Sirius was standing at the bottom of them talking to another fifth year girl, you hated yourself for the jealousy that washed over you, it wasn’t as if Sirius was even remotely close to being yours, but to see him talking to another girl stung, nonetheless you continued your way down.

As you approached the bottom you noticed Sirius’s attention turn to you as he tilted his head with a look of curiosity in his gray eyes as he moved towards you closing the distance

Oh my god I think i’m dying

He gave you a small smile that nearly made you melt “Hey.”.

“Hello.” you replied as you two met on the bottom stair

“What’s your name? I’d really like to know about you.” Too bad I stopped at “Hello.”

“Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?” Sirius asked, the small smile still on his face.

You gave a nod “Even if I have to drag Lily by one of her quills.” you joked laughing a bit

His smile grew “Well, I was wondering.” he paused as he gave the back of his neck a rub “If you want to accompany me when were there?”.

Did you ears deceive you? Had Sirius Black just asked you on a date? No, no he had to mean it as friend surely.

“Are James and the others coming too?” you asked adjusting your bag.

“No, just us, a date would be awkward with them along for the ride.” he smirked

I just stared and you grinned and looked right back, it felt like just one big whirlwind.

“A-Alright than.” you managed still completely caught off guard.

He took your hand and placed a kiss on it’s back “See you in potions (L/N).” and he was gone.

You continued to stand there in shock until Lily shook you and brought you back to earth

One big emotional whirlwind.

“Are you alright (Y/N)?” Lily asked as you looked to her “I’ve been trying to get your attention for like five minutes now.”

“I..” you finally spoke “I have a date with Sirius this weekend?” you said still unsure whether if this was real or not

“Wait what?!” Marlene said a she joined the two of you.

“(Y/N) has a date with Black.” Lily smirked looking to your friend.

Marlene wiggled her eyebrows as she walked past the two of you humming about how you and Sirius were sitting in a tree soon to be k-i-s-s-i-n-g

“Marlene!” You whined chasing after her as a laughing Lily followed you guys to the great hall for breakfast.

Over the next few days we got to talking, with every single word I started falling

You sat in the common room laughing quietly to yourself from behind your book as you listened to James try to persuade Lily into a date for the third time that day

“Not in this lifetime Potter.” Lily said as she turned a page in her own book.

“Then in the next perhaps.” James seemed to purr

You snorted as you brought your book closer to yourself to avoid Lily’s glare

“Since when do you purr Prongs?” Sirius asked from beside his best friend.

“Hard not to when talking to someone as purr-fect as Evans.” James winked and the sound of Lily’s gag made you lose it as you completely buried your face in you book

“Someone is giggly today.” Sirius smiled removing the book from your face.

You were still laughing as you smiled up at me “Hard not to laugh when Potter’s pick up lines keep getting worse.”

“Not a bad as Peter’s jokes.” Remus said as he walked through the portrait hole with Peter himself in tow.

“Hey!” Peter huffed which earned a laugh from the five of you

Sirius took the empty seat on the couch beside you and leaned closer “Not a fan of pick up lines?” he whispered.

Fighting back a blush you glanced to him “Depends who is saying them.”

His usual smirk seemed to ooze cockiness “And if they were from me?”

Farther, farther, and farther for you

“Then I might just like them.” you admitted

He gently tucked your (H/C) locks behind your ear “That’s good to hear.”

A clearing of the throat snapped both of your attentions back to James “No flirting while i’m trying to woo my future wife Padfoot.”.

Lily rolled her eyes and grabbed your arm “Come on (Y/N) we’ll just study in the dorm.”

“Oh uhm, alright.” you glanced to Sirius feeling a bit sad before grabbing your book and following her “See you later guys.”.

“Not if we see you first.” Peter called to you and his three friends groaned.

You were so witty, and so charming, you swept me of my feet

However Sirius did up seeing you first, he had snuck down to the kitchen for a midnight snack to see you had done the same, your back to him as you talked to one of the house elves.

Smirking he quietly moved behind you and pulled you into a backwards hug “Boo!”.

You nearly jumped out of your skin as you spun around quickly to see who had scared you “Sirius!” you whisper yelled.

He chuckled “Surprised to see me?”.

You nodded “I shouldn’t be though, even the house elves thought it was you sneaking in when I first arrived.”.

He chuckled as he still held onto you close to him ��yeah I suppose I have a reputation.”.

Reputation, the word that hung in your head every time you longed to get closer to Sirius, the word that kept you from admitting just how you felt about the messy haired Gryfindor who was currently holding you in his arms.

You gently pushed away from him and walked over to a counter hoisting yourself to sit on it “Getting a snack?”.

He nodded as he grabbed a pumpkin pastie and leaned against the counter beside you “Are we still on for Hogsmeade tomorrow?” he asked after swallowing the bite he had taken.

Nodding you sipped your tea “Did you think i’d chicken out?” you joked.

Sirius chuckled “To be honest I was surprised you agreed, seeing as we rarely talked before, though to be honest i’ve always been curious about you.” his smirked turned into a small smile as he looked to you.

You blushed softly “Sirius Black interested in little old me?” you laughed a bit “Why is that?.

“Well.” he moved so he was in front of you, putting his arms on either side of you as he trapped you in your spot “I remember in first year you got lost, but you were too stubborn to ask for directions so, you pressed on and ended up walking into potions with five minutes to spare.”

Your whole face turned red “Gee what other embarrassing thing do you remember?” you snarked glancing to the side.

He chuckled “In third year on our first hogsmeade trip I remember Remus was low on funds so you paid for the rest of his honeydukes for him.”.

“Well that’s-” he held up a finger stopping you.

“Fourth year you stood up for a first year who was being bullied despite the fact that I can tell you hate confrontation.” he continued.

“What are you getting at?” You finally asked.

“(L/N) you are the most amazing girl i’ve ever met let alone get the honor of being friends with, You’re stubborn sure, but you’re also determined, caring, sweet, compassionate...You’re amazing (F/N) and I love you.” he admitted glancing away slightly, a light blush on his cheeks.

You were shocked into silence once again thanks to Sirius, you opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out so you closed it whilst feeling your face heat up so hot you thought it was gonna melt off.

You made me laugh, you made me blush, no one could compete (no one could compete)

“I-I love you too Sirius.” you finally managed after about a minute.

He looked back to you as a wide smile spread across his face “Really?”.

You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips, if you didn’t know any better you would think he was wagging the tail he didn’t have “Of course, I have no reason to lie.”.

Pulling you into a tight hug Sirius pressed a kiss to forehead “You have no idea how long i’ve waited to hear you say that?” he mumbled into your hair.

“How long?” you asked as your head rested on his chest, the beating of his heart soothing you.

“I’ve been in love with you since that day you walked into potions late during first year and asked Slughorn why on earth Hogwarts had a dungeon.” he snorted at the memory.

It seemed to good to be true (It seemed to good to be true.)

“Really?” you asked surprised

He nodded “What about you? How long have you been in love with me? Since puberty?”.

I wanted to be with you (only with you)

You shook your head “Second year actually, we were in transfiguration and another Gryffindor was having trouble and while McGonagall wasn’t watching you helped them out.” you smiled at the cute memory.

He blushed softly “Didn’t think anyone had seen that.”

“You’ll find i’m very observant.” you giggled and heard the clock chime “It’s getting late, we should both get to bed.”

He pouted “I wanna be with you though.”

Your heart skipped a beat as you gave him a small smile “Well if we go to sleep, the sooner tomorrow comes for our date right?”.

“Fair point love.” he sighed as he hung his head in defeat “May I walk you back to your dorm than?”.

You nodded and got to your feet as he stepped back “I’d like that.”.

We clicked like legos, or the clacking of tap shoes

The following morning Sirius was yet again waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs, a smile on his face as you finally appeared

“Hey.” he said taking one of you hands in his

“Hello, how was your day?” you asked glancing to your joined hands.

“Better now.” he replied still smiling as he kissed you hand.

What a cliché, but to be honest it made my day.

The two of you walks around hogsmeade taking in the scene whilst stopping in at places like Honeydukes to get treats and The three broomsticks for a hot butterbeer to warm up from the cold.

“Warm enough love?” Sirius asked as he noticed you pulling your coat closer to yourself.

“I’m alright.” you replied as you sipped your butterbeer “I forgot how cold it is here in the winter is all.”.

Chuckling he wrapped an arm around you as he pulled you closer “That’s what winter does.” he said pressing a kiss to your temple.

“Oh shush, it’s not my fault I get cold easily.” you huffed.

“Than it’s a good thing you have a boyfriend whose a walking heater.”

Boyfriend, the word echoed in your head causing your heart to beat faster. Sirius Black was your boyfriend now.

I didn’t wanna fall, but then I stepped right in. I looked up at your face and those eyes they drew me in

You had almost forgotten how beautiful Sirius’s eyes were as you looked up at him, his face so close to yours that you could feel his hot breath on your neck. He leaned in closer, his nose now brushing yours and making it hard for you to breathe normally

“Siri-” you began, but were cut off my his lips softly crashing into your in a shy yet passionate kiss

It was too late for me

When he pulled away he rested his forehead on yours, his gray eyes never leaving your (E/C) ones “First kiss?” he asked.

You nodded as your fingers absentmindedly brushed over your lips “I’m glad it was with you though.”.

“Me too.” he smirked and leaned in kissing you again though this time with a slight bit more force and greed attached, though you were more than happy to oblige to any type of kisses from him.

He was your first love and it seemed you were his

That’s what we were, a simple cliché, it wasn’t made to work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way (any other way).

Time passed and it became well known that you were Sirius’s and that he was yours, though that didn’t seem to stop girls from trying to steal him from you, not that you could blame them really, he was Sirius Black after all, but as Sirius told them countless times, he was yours and only yours no matter what happened in the end

Sixth year was finally here and you sat in your compartment quietly reading, Lily had left to find the restroom which left you waiting for the others and as per usual the marauders all arrived together, Sirius making a b line for you before pulling you into a tight hug and pressing kissed all over your face causing you to giggle

“I missed you so much.” he said sitting down with you in his lap.

“I missed you too Siri.’ you smiled kissing his cheek

Lily walked in to see this and gave a awe while James and the other look repulsed

You were so witty, and so charming, you swept me of my feet. You made me laugh, you made me blush, no one could compete (no one could compete)

“Oh hush Prongs.” Sirius joked pulling you closer so Lily had room to sit “You too Moony and Wormtail, i’m in love.”.

“Oi i’m in love with Evans too, but you don’t see my kissing all over her face.” Potter pouted

“That’s because if you tried i’d turn you into a toad.” Lily stated with no hesitation.

“As long as princess Evans kisses me and turns me back that’s just fine.” he winked and everyone else in the compartment groaned in protest.

It seemed too good to be true (it seemed too good to be true), I wanted to be with you (only with you).

Time passed on through the school year and you and Sirius were still acting as if he had just confessed yesterday, two touch starved teens always acting as if it had been forever since you had seen the other during breaks despite having classes together and the same common room, nonetheless the two of you were happy/

We clicked like legos, or the clacking of tap shoes

Waking up one morning, your body was tangled with Sirius’s as you caught him watching you

“Hey.” he said as played with a lock of you hair.

“Hello.” you smiled moving up to kiss him softly which he gladly returned.

You thought about the dream you had, you were marrying Sirius, a question bubbled up inside of you “Can I ask you a question?”.

“Of course love.” he said, a hand rubbing circles on your lower back.

“I had a dream that we were getting married and while I love that idea, I gotta know do you feel this way too?” you asked

He smiled as he placed a kiss on your forehead “Yeah, I do, but I was scared of what you might say if I brought it up.” he admitted.

“I would have said that let’s do it, after graduation let’s get married.” you replied and watched as his smile grew wider before he kissed you deeply.

And that’s all we were, a silly cliché

As you stood at the alter saying your I do’s Sirius mouth “I still think you’re cute, but maybe it’s better this way as right now you look beautiful.”.

And before you could reply the priest had announced that Sirius could now kiss his bride and his lips were on yours as soon as the words had been spoken.

“I love you (Y/N).” Sirius whispered as he pulled away

“I love you too Sirius.” you whispered back

That’s okay, we’re just a little cliché, a little cliché, but that’s okay!

#sirius black x reader #sirius x reader #harry potter #sirius black #x reader

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noiksy · 6 years ago

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Kitchen and Moonlight Shadow Book Review

Book Review: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

Date of Publication: January 30th, 1988

Date started: May 15th, 2019

Date ended: May 25th, 2019

Recommended by: Amzy

Beware of spoilers!

I wanted to get back into reading, so my dear friend Amy recommended me the book Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. Immediately, I was very attached to the two introductory paragraphs. From the simplistic hook to the tonal shift with the line, “When I raise my eyes from the oil-spattered gas burner and the rusty kitchen knife, outside the window stars are glittering, lonely” (Yoshimoto 2), I knew I would be one of my favorites. I haven’t read much Japanese literature or any literature at all recently. Growing up, I have always been fascinated with manga and anime, especially throughout 2015-2017. For a book project I had at the end of Sophomore year of High School, we were able to choose a book above a certain Lexile level to write a book report on. A few years back, I had ordered a book titled No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai that I discovered from the anime Bungou Stray Dogs. I decided it would be the perfect book to read due to it being so short, and it ended up being one of my all-time favorite books and since then I’ve wanted to read more Japanese literature. And now here I am, reviewing another one! Kitchen is a novel taking place in 1980’s Japan staring the character Mikage Sakurai, a young adult orphan who had recently lost her Grandmother. She begins the story lying on the kitchen floor, contemplating how she ended up where she was. Not soon after that, we are introduced to the male lead Yuichi Tabane who rings on her door and asks Mikage to move in with him and his mother, Eriko. The book is very simplistic in nature, but it is easy to become attached to every character. I am someone who enjoys Boys Love (BL), so to have me so emotionally invested in a heterosexual pairing is amazing. Both Mikage and Yuichi had a wonderful connection! There was immediately so much chemistry between the two that I found myself writing cute little comments such as "Does she fancy (a reference to Twice) him? Ooh~" and "So soft!" beside all their dialogue. I never felt as if there was a power dynamic between the two. The two seemed to genuinely care and understand each other. There is a particular part that stands out to me in chapter 1 when Yuichi asks Mikage to come over (Spoilers ahead!). Mikage commands Yuichi to buy ingredients for dinner and she is helping him bring them upstairs. They stare at the moon and Yuichi begins talking about Mikage’s passion for cooking by stating, “Don’t you think that seeing such a beautiful moon influences what one cooks?” he goes on to say, “You know that I think of you as an artist. For you cooking is an art. You really love your work in the kitchen. Of course you do. Good thing, too” (Yoshimoto 61). These two seem to truly connect with one another on a spiritual level and I am happy the two have each other to lean on, especially throughout the events in chapter 2. I am someone who aggressively ignores synopses. I have a hyperactive mind and with titles, clips, and synopses, I create an image of what I expect a story to be and I am always disappointed. Because of this, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Eriko was transgender! I am not well versed in identity politics in Japan in the 1980s, but even America in 2019 struggle with this! While the characters seem very conflicted on how to identify Eriko, I noticed that never had anyone referred to Chika or Eriko by pronouns other than she/her! Even when stating that Eriko was a man, they still referred to her by her proper pronouns. I didn’t realize how touched I would be by this simple gesture, but it shows the reader just how accepting and loving these characters all are with each other. They truly come across as a family who wants the best for each other. The book is very short and it is hard for me to find someone that I actively disliked. The only thing that bothered me was the introduction of ex-love interests such as Sotaro. I assumed they would be more important than they were, but they definitely give us some background on the characters and helps ground them to reality.

One thing I would critique is the cover. I know people say “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” but I have to disagree. Many may know that I am an artist, while I’m not a designer, composition is a fundamental everyone is required to learn. I have recently become aware thanks to Amy that there are two book covers! I will be critiquing both book covers.

This is the cover that I received when I ordered the book off amazon. I feel like the cover portrays the contents of the book well. I am someone who is not the biggest fan of people on book covers. I am an artist, so seeing illustrations on the cover is always a plus for me. I feel like I would have preferred the cover if the girl was removed from the front cover. I don’t mind her on the back cover, but she almost feels out of place on the front cover? I would never consider this to be an ugly cover, but I am a firm believer that anything can be improved! I do enjoy the color scheme! It feels very carrot-y? It feels very kitchen-esque.

This is the second book cover I have seen. This cover reminds me a lot of No Longer Human, which is another cover I enjoyed. It is a very simple cover with different shades of pink, Kanji, and the English title and author name written in white. I find simplistic covers to be the most stunning, but I almost find the first cover to fit the story better.

All in all, I feel as if this has become one of my new favorite novels! It is very short and bittersweet! I love a nice story where the events are very self-contained, almost slice-of-life like where the events are very personal to the characters. While the incident in chapter two might only affect Mikage, Yuichi, and Chika, they are very personal and develops their characters. Due to this, I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to get back into reading with a very short yet easy read!

Bonus: Moonlight Shadow

Moonlight Shadow is the companion novel to Kitchen. It is the second book in the novel and continues to explore Kitchen’s themes of life continuing after losing a loved one with new protagonist Satsuki. Satsuki has been with her lover Hitoshi for almost 4 years before his tragic accidental death that also took the life of Yumiko, Hiiragi’s –Hitoshi’s younger brother- girlfriend. Satsuki takes on jogging to help her cope while Hiiragi begins wearing Yumiko’s sailor uniform. This story suggests that everyone has their own way of coping and that closure is needed to properly move on.

This book also deals with food bringing people together. when she is sick and tells her to open up to him. Urai first bonds with Satsuki over Pu-Arh tea. Similar to how Katsudon brought Yuichi and Mikage together, it also brings Hiiragi and Satsuki together. Hiiragi joke’s that Satsuki has fattened up, when really, she has lost a dramatic amount of weight. Hiiragi brings Satsuki KFC when she is sick and tells her to open up to him. Urai first bonds with Satsuki over Pu-Arh tea.

In comparison to Kitchen, Moonlight Shadow is a heavier story with a more ambiguous ending. While Kitchen was, for the most part, straight forward, Moonlight Shadow has a more fantastical element with the introduction or Urai. Urai is an intuitive figure whose goal is to bring Satsuki closure due to her connection with the river (Spoilers ahead). While it is never fully addressed how Hiiragi was able to see Yumiko again, the story does end with both characters beginning their journey to move on.

Kitchen and Moonlight Shadow are both amazing stories that deal with various themes of mourning and isolation. Despite both stories having similar themes, I did find myself enjoying Kitchen more. They were both amazing stories, but I ended feeling more connected to Mikage and Yuichi’s relationship. Despite this, I still highly recommend both stories!

#book review #banana yoshimoto #amzy elizabeth #books #reading #japanese literature #japanese lit

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 7 years ago

Text

The debuts for the winter season keep coming, but we’re almost at the end of them with this post.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card 1

Note I don’t have any prior experience with Cardcaptor Sakura aside from 1 volume of manga and watching the show in passing while other people were watching it, plus knowing about a few spoilers and the show’s reputation as a seminal magical show show…then in more recent days, I finished 2 episodes of it (in fact as of the day I’m typing this, I finished episide 2 today!).

This OP makes Sakura look like later-stage Sailor Moon, and I think that’s the point.

Where did the bear in Syaoran’s hand go when Sakura hugged him?

Eriol! I don’t really know much about him, and I knew I should’ve known about him before starting this, but…it was a bit of a shock to see a character I technically haven’t seen the debut of with my own eyes.

I get the feeling these are the “two bears” from the prologue OVA…

Emails! In the world of Cardcaptor Sakura! Wow, I feel old…and I didn’t even grow up with her.

Hot dang! Gimme dat bishie (Yue)! I knew he was coming, but…I still don’t really know how he came to be!

Wow, this Yamazaki kid spouts such rubbish! I’m looking forward to seeing him in the main series now.

It’s pretty obvious I need to watch the original before understanding this fully, so I’m putting it on hold.

Gakuen Babysitters 1

I’m here for my Ume and Nishiyama. I’m not particularly good at dealing with kids, especially younger kids, but this doesn’t make me run for the hills either.

Ryuichi involves the kanji for “dragon” and Kotaro has the kanji for “tiger”.

That man with the hat is so not sketchy…

I’ve never heard of NAS before (but I have heard of NAZ through Idolish7).

That joke Saikawa told actually worked! These shows may all be middling this winter, but I’d be happy with even some of them on my docket. I’ve been pleasantly surprised more often than not that I haven’t found “stinker of the season” yet.

The comedy for this show’s really on point, although the overall design is a tad lackluster.

K-Kamitani?! Apparently Ume-chan’s character is Hayato Kamitani, so that’s how Ume got involved, so to speak. This sudden intro of 4 kids works on a story scale, but not in a way any person can process without pausing the video (or getting individual intros later).

Well, there are those individual intros I was asking for. Spoke too soon.

It’s actually kinda sad and quite telling how independent Kotaro is. (I still find it extremely hilarous Nishiyama – whose first name is Kotaro - didn’t voice Kotaro, although from a practical standpoint I understand why.)

Usaida has such bedroom eyes, it’s hard to ignore (because they make him look like En)! Dangit, I want my En back!

This brings back memories. My mum used to deal with kids all the time, and of course I was in the background for some of the shenanigans.

Dragon puppet symbolism, eh? (see the dotpoint a bit back about Ryuichi’s name)

As soon as this guy (who kinda looks like something out of Haikyuu) started demanding Taka come with him, I screamed. That character doesn’t seem very Ume, but…uh, it’s Ume. Gotta deal with it. Now that I listen to their voices properly though, Ume does have a “big bro” voice and Nishiyama a “earnest young man” voice.

Oh dear. Taka’s imprinted on me already, and I don’t even like boys that age.

I haven’t felt a genuine sense of danger from any of these winter shows until this one, so it seems like it’s one of the strongest debuts. Then again, CCS was my frontrunner before this and YuruCamp the second best, so I guess I can’t talk, eh?

Gah, I feel like I wanna cry now. That is a strong premiere!

I have a real problem with how anime tears come out in globs. Then again, I’m too much of a crybaby, as my notes can attest…so I guess no arguing here.

Should it be “Chairman” or “Chairwoman”???

Tsundere grandma. Now there’s something I thought I’d never think in my life…

Oh, I didn’t realise earlier but Taka = “hawk” and Hayato = “falcon man”. Animal jingoism at its finest!

Whoo, that was a real nice debut. I thought I was too old for this stuff, but it’s a keeper!

Idolish7 3

It’s a good thing I chose to cover episodes 1 – 2 so I won’t have to do them now.

I didn’t notice Nagi getting all huggy there with everyone in range (the first time, at least).

In case you don’t know from all the other idol shows, the centre is the one in centre stage. They’re often seen as the leader, so it’s a very important position.

This song can’t be anything but Monster Generation! Woohoo!

Wow, I haven’t seen one of those “watch from a distance” things in a while. Makes me nostalgic.

“Ichi” would probably refer to Iori, right? (He has the kanji for “one” in his name.)

Wowee, Nagi’s entendre…is really thick. Like pudding.

I agree, brothers can be so strange…

“…spoil me sometimes.” - Laying on the entendre thicker than custard here, Iori!

These boys are so into their Magical Kokona. I want in now.

Tamaki really is an En-chan…En-chan! Come back! (But why does Tamaki have no socks???)

These ED outfits are so elaborate! Ooh! Imagine a gender-swapped cosplay of them, that’s be great!

Who’s that on the edge of the ED video though? (You can see something hopping up and down.)

Zoku Touken Ranbu Hanamaru 1

Can we please just call this “Hanamaru 2” like Crunchyroll? “Zoku” just refers to a continuation…anyways, I got Hanamaru season 1 done last year while dealing with Katsugeki, so…here I come, sword boys!

Didn’t Hanamaru get a dub, by the way? Why would you dub this? For me to criticise it? The Touken Ranbu fanbase is kinda small…

W-Wait, did they just write Yams out of this season? Yams is the protag (if not a protag) here! What did Ichiki do now to deserve this???

It was getting too hard to jump through the proxies to play Touken Ranbu as of late, so I deleted my DMM account. Even still, the sword boys have multiplied since I left! Yikes!

Wow, unexpected 1st person bit there, Kashuu/Masuda. I thought I told the industry to stop doing that…

Exposition wave…I don’t need this wave, but I guess anime-only fans might. Carry on, Heshikiri.

So this multiple Konnosuke thing wasn’t a Katsugeki-only gag? Oh dear, my head’s spinning…

I don’t think I noticed, but Kashuu uses a brush (and not a specialty brush provided in the lid of nail polish). Probably because in Touken Ranbu, plastic isn’t much of a concept…

I still appreciate how Kashuu was this Saniwa’s starter. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy for my own TR days…

Photos are a nice way to recap. After all, 1 picture speaks 1000 words.

Wow, Shishiou’s a real chibi compared to these tachi. But Shishiou’s a tachi too…

Dang, I’m jealous. These bros were around when I was a TR player, and I missed ‘em! Dang Kebishii drops!

So that thing really is a nue. I could never see it on Shishiou’s card, y’know.

Hmm…considering the bros are new swords, the Saniwa’s strategy is to level up them up using the younger bro as leader (remember, the leader gets more experience). I see…

A “pincer attack” is a V shape, so the description fits the Crane Wings formation…

I can’t say I wasn’t impressed by Akashi just then. Come to think of it, he didn’t have any battles in Hanamaru’s 1st season.

A double attack suits a pair like this, of course!

Oh my gosh, they even got two dfferent voice actors for the Konnosukes! LOL!

Hanamaru’s EDs kept changing and it seems like they’ll continue to change, eh? This one looks quite spiffy.

The style of this ED doesn’t look like Hanamaru at all. It was probably done by the original illustrator for the swords.

It’s a great return to form for Hanamaru! I’m sold!

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 1

Another day, another long title…plus this show I would’ve passed on, if not for that resolution…

Michiko Yokote is on a lot of shows I watch. I don’t really know what her influence is, but it seems she’s genuinely competent at what she does.

So…uh, Gendo pose anyone?

I think the teacher is the best part of this. I’ve been a bit of Tonari no Seki-kun, and the pull of that is the sheer ludicrousness of what Seki does with his stuff. However, there didn’t seem to be any intervention aside from Yokoi (I think that was her name)…

Nishikata’s reactions are just way too easy to read…

Well, that was okay, but it’s definitely a show to binge all at once. On to the “on hold” pile it goes.

Wait, but they missed a segment (the 100 yen segment). Gotta skip forward…

I didn’t get any laughs out of that show at all, but it’s still a decent school SoL.

How to Keep a Mummy 1

I have absolutely no experience with this manga, mind you…aside from seeing this tiny mummy on Comico…

Wow, if the mummy can fit in his shoe…how big is it?

The translation of “ready” is surprisingly ganbaru, and there’s a “but” mentioned in the Japanese title missing from the English. Also, “ready” has sexual connotations I’d rather not pair with a tiny mummy…I’d say the translation of the episode title should be something more along the lines of “White, Round, Small, Very Wimpy But [Also] Tries Its Hardest” (“It” being the mummy and not Pennywise…).

Is Dracula even public domain right now? (Does anyone care about the intellectual property of a classic vampire novel anyway? Because I sure don’t.)

Can we please start making jokes about how Sora’s daddy got him a mummy? It may seem childish, but I’m tempted to now.

This mummy is so adorable, I think it even beat out the kids from Gakuen Babysitters! Geesh, I’m spoilt this season! It completely set off my moe senses, and I don’t even have any!

It imprinted on him! Oh wow!

The mummy doesn’t even have a mouth…how can it spit things-oh wait. That’s the joke, isn’t it?

Come to think of it, crybaby characters ae few and far between. However, between this and Devilman…er, Crybaby…they’ve suddenly become popular…I guess?

It’s like a harem, only it’s between a dog and a mummy. Why I never…

One of the best things about anime is that you can learn about other cultures through the things included offhandedly…like that molokhiya thing that Sora mentioned. Apparently it’s a Jewish vegetable of some sort.

Do mummies get jet lag too? I was just thinking how Comico stories, with their full colour and yet simple design (to allow for downward scrolling and intake by the eyes) are perfect for anime.

I listened to the show with volume for once…because Tazuki seems to be the guy voiced by Keisuke Koumoto…and I think I was on the money there. Plus, Sora’s VA really sells the delivery of jokes (although he seems to be voiced by a woman…?)!

Yamanba…like Yamanbagiri’s namesake. The mountain hag, right?

Yep, I was right on the money with Tazuki being Koumoto. Kamitani Tazuki, it seems his name is…

This dance ending��s kind of cute, too. It’s a keeper!

Death March 1

(looks at title just above this dotpoint) C’mon. There’s no way I’m going to repeat “Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody” over and over again for at least 11 or 12 episodes…by the way, I’m here because I was reading a KonoSuba novel and saw an ad for this, just in time for the anime…

“SADA”, my butt…

I love how they almost replicated Windows 8 in this show. Or is it 7, or 10? They don’t show the taskbar, which is the main visual difference between 8 and 10, but either way the Windows replication without being sued is really something…

This OP’s gonna make me dizzy someday…

Classes, eh? So that means Suzuki’s working with an OOP language. Plus you can see Cortana on the computer as the mention of classes goes by, meaning that person’s on Windows 10.

UML.

By the way, Satou is a fairly common name in Japan…at least to my knowledge. But Suzuki is a pretty common one, too, hence the mistake.

The client? Unless Suzuki is referring to the client as in the program, it could also mean the client as in the person/group who wants the game made. Considering what he says though involving a call, it’s probably the latter.

That’s the second show with a lost kid in the first episode. It seems a bit trite, don’tcha think?

According to his phone map (flip phone!), he’s in Akihabara.

FFL…eh? Google says there are multiple Final Fantasy games for Android, meaning I’ve probably thinking of Fire Emblem Fates (which doesn’t match), and there’s no such thing as Final Fantasy 50 (L in Roman numerals) yet.

That’s the second time they mentioned work/daily life being a death march. Can we not???

Come to think of it, Suzuki looks like Nobuaki (King’s Game), which doesn’t bode well for either show.

Apparently you can get Facebook Messenger for Windows 10, which I didn’t know…

“…being a corporate slave.”

C’mon! This ain’t the Animatrix, but still, if you’re trying to make stuff look technological, at least make it look a bit better.

Third time they’ve mentioned “death march”.

It might just be Houseki no Kuni’s fault, but this CGI is really janky.

Welllll…at least it looks like a game.

Welllllllll…at least they knew where to put their money for some sakuga…

This running through fields scene is either a homage to Every Anime Opening ever, or Pokémon. I distinctly remember it being in Emerald’s opening animation, at least.

Dude, if you want to look for a wyvern, do it from the ground where you won’t get injured, dumb Satoo.

Does this look a lot like Berserk (2016) with all its CGI knights…or is that just me?

Zena…? I might be showing how old I am with this (or how much I scour the internet), but…by any chance, do you mean this gal instead?

I think I’ve had enough of this flip for now, so I’m putting it on hold.

#simulcast commentary #gakuen babysitters #zoku touken ranbu hanamaru #touken ranbu #touken ranbu hanamaru #miira no kaikata #how to keep a mummy #death march to the parallel world rhapsody #cardcaptor sakura #cardcaptor sakura: clear card-hen #karakai jouzu no takagi-san #teasing master takagi #idolish7 #school babysitters #Chesarka watches Gakuen Babysitters #Chesarka watches Hanamaru #Chesarka watches Idolish7

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swan-archive · 8 years ago

Note

Because of all the fun he had messing with the British retreat across Sandy Hook Bay back to NYC, Alexfish doesn't REALLY mind when Lafbird and his amazing organizational abilities get most of the credit for mitigating the disaster that is the Battle of Monmouth. Lafbird nevertheless feels compelled to make sure everyone knows exactly how many Redcoats Alex drowned and how hard it is to take on a force of that size by yourself. Alex is touched but maybe also kind of mortified.

would also be thrilled to hear anything on the subject of alexfish and lafbird as military buddies

okay so first of all: itsbeen84years.gif

second of all: i uuuhhhhhhh didn’t really. fill that prompt. at all. yikes.

with all that on the table, enjoy some Wash and Aegisfish!

George takes a deep breath in, lets it out slowly. Does it again. Does it one more time, on the off chance that it will soothe his roiling temper. No dice.

“You were meant to lie low and gather information on the British troops’ movements. That was all I asked you to do,” he says, in a voice already losing its even keel.

“And I did. The British are demoralized—more so after mysteriously losing ships and troops on what should’ve been a routine crossing back into New York. There’s some intel for you. You’re welcome.” Alexander smirks a bit at his own sarcasm.

“You must have a very low opinion of me, if you really think I’m going to fall for that. Or else you must have even less understanding of the ways of war than I suspected.” It’s a low blow, and George knows it; the grin falls off of Alex’s face and he tenses up so quickly George thinks for a second he’s going to throw a punch. His lips curl back in outrage over a sudden mouthful of shark teeth.

“I knew what I was doing,” Alex snarls, “I’m not just a dumb animal!”

“You disobeyed my orders, you put yourself at risk, you could invite a counterattack while our troops are still recovering,” George interrupts, his voice rising, “and for what? A few scuttled ships? Even you must see that’s a poor trade-off.”

“So what was I supposed to do? Just sit there in the harbor, doing nothing, and wait for you to say oh, come on back, Alex, come see what the damage is? Tell me what, exactly, the point of having a mermaid on your side is if you don’t let that mermaid do what he’s meant to do in the first place!”

“I gave you a job so you wouldn’t have to do that anymore,” George grits out.

“Right. Right. A ‘job.’” Alex air-quotes viciously on that last word, and George is going to have a very serious talk with whoever taught him that one. “Don’t insult me. As if there were anywhere else the British would retreat to but New York. As if I’d’ve been any use to you if they’d won, and carried on inland.”

Which is true, of course. Damn it all. In retrospect, George had been far too eager to send Alex off on the eve of battle; even a mermaid without the benefit of Alex’s brilliant mind couldn’t have missed the air of this is to keep you safe, this is to keep you out of the fight in his command.

Or, as long as George is being honest with himself: this is to keep you from killing again.

Alex isn’t finished. “How long are you expecting me to play at being your errand boy? You know I’m more use to you when I’m hunting, why won’t you just let me—”

“Watch your tone, Alexander,” George barks, before this can go any further. “I am your commanding officer, and I will not be spoken to in this manner.”

Alex laughs, a high unhinged sound very far from anything George could conceive of as human. “So, wait, first I was your little exception with a nice cushy vantage point far from the fight, now I’m a soldier who has to salute and stand up straight and mind his tongue? Either I’m your pet, or I’m your monster. You can’t have it both ways, sir.”

And this is how George knows he is not a good man: a good man would forgive Alex his presumption, his full-on insubordination, because of course he doesn’t know any better than to snap and snarl when prodded. At the very least, a good man would pity him for how far he’s drifted away from who he ought to be. All George can muster up at the moment is weariness, and a faint, disgusted sorrow at the blotchy green flush rising on Alex’s cheeks, the color of a waterlogged corpse.

All right, so he can’t swing unconditional acceptance right now. He can at least try for patience, and fake the rest until he can manage it for real. Alexander deserves that much from him, at the very least.

“You are neither,” he says, as gently as he can. “But you are my son, and I would have you safe.”

Alex reels back like he’s been struck. Cold fury in his eyes.

“You—” he forces out, his voice warped with rage. “You don’t get to—not now, not like this—how dare you—I am not—”

“Your Excellency, sir, have you heard the—oh. Um. I am interrupting, I think.”

Alex and George both whip around. Lafayette is standing there in the doorway of the tent with his head cocked to one side like a robin after a worm. Perfect. A witness to this debacle. George kneads his forehead, but beckons Lafayette inside with a lot more patience than he feels. Alex splutters, wrong-footed.

“What are you do—! Don’t let him in, get out, you stupid buzzard, can’t you see you’re not wanted here?”

“On the contrary,” says George evenly, “the Marquis is always welcome to share his intelligences with me. I find his insights most valuable.” And oh boy, is he going to regret saying that, because Lafayette has swelled up so much with delight that you could almost see the way his feathers fluff under his human guise. He’ll…deal with that later. “And if you’ve more to add to our, ah, discussion, I’m sure he will keep anything you say in perfect confidence.” Not to mention that maybe the presence of a third party will cool both their tempers.

“…He’s not even a real Marquis,” Alex mutters. Which is true, but George shoots him a look anyway.

Alex clamps his mouth shut, fuming, and George takes the opportunity to consider both of them: Lafayette, perfectly normal-looking if not for his wide-eyed stare and unnatural stillness, and Alexander, scratching mulishly at a patch of scales that have sprung up at his hairline. Even George, who knows that Alex is the more human of the two, technically, would have a hard time arguing that fact in front of anyone else. Perhaps it’s a matter of nature. Birds and fish are both alien to an earthbound human, but at least birds have warm blood. A point of commonality, if a tenuous one.

It would have been easier if it had been Lafayette, if you had to have a son who was half a monster… George quashes that train of thought before it can get any further. He has already lost quite enough of his composure to be getting along with. No point in dwelling on impossibilities.

“Well?” he says to Lafayette, a little more sharply than he’d meant to. “What news?” Lafayette looks somewhat embarrassed.

“Simply—ah—I’d meant to see if you’d heard that Alexander was back in camp. Clearly you have,” Lafayette says with an awkward gesture at Alex. Well, there goes the valuable insights angle. Alex makes a great show of rolling his eyes, and George only just manages to avoid doing the same.

“Yes, thank you, Marquis, I am aware.”

“So you’ve already heard, no doubt, of his great victory over the British fleet!” Lafayette smiles widely, in that way he has that looks just a little too far south of human for comfort. “Truly a master stroke, I’ve never heard of one mermaid doing all that by itself.”

“Obviously you don’t know much about mermaids,” Alex grumbles, but a hint of that smug grin from earlier is back.

“It’s true, though! To sink that many ships on your own, I would think you’d need to be a witch to do it. You really didn’t have any help? I know there are, well, not mermaids, exactly, but the river-folk of this country—”

“What do I look like, a hatchling? I don’t need a school to help me do my job.” Alex isn’t looking at George in a deliberate sort of way. Daring him to object to those words, hatchling, school. “All you have to do is figure out who’s in charge, get them locked down, and once you’ve got them, you’ve got the whole operation, more or less. Hey, ram that other ship, that sounds like a good idea, or ooh, that ship over there looks like an enemy, better fire on it, or whatever you like.”

His tone is light, mocking, but with an illustrative thread of Compulsion in it that makes George’s hands twitch involuntarily. Sudden image of a ship’s deck underfoot, a cannon in front of him. “Alex,” he warns.

Alex glances at him, glances away. “Anyway. That’s how it was. I didn’t need anyone’s help,” he says. The ringing silvery overtones have gone out of his voice.

“You’ve gotten much stronger since New York,” says Lafayette approvingly. “I remember when it was all you could do to keep one or two men under your power. These are complicated commands you are giving your sailors now. Very impressive.”

“Well, I was in the water,” says Alex with a modest little bob of the head. “Easier when I don’t have to worry about losing my legs halfway through.”

“I’m sure of it. Easier to make off with your pick of the casualties too, I imagine! You must have gotten more than enough to satisfy, that night. And I know what the appetites of your folk are like, so…”

Alex makes a noncommittal sound. He’s still avoiding George’s eye, but there’s a change in his carriage, an evasive sort of shrinking that makes George’s stomach clench with horror. There’s a high dreadful ringing in his ears, as though someone had fired a gun at him from close range. Perhaps it had been foolish of him to hope that Alex would be able to exercise restraint, but he’d done it all the same, hoped that the damage would be limited to sunken ships and a handful of soldiers drowned in the confusion. But it’s clear now, clear as if Alex had handed it to him in writing.

Alex killed.

Alex ate.

“Lafayette,” George says faintly.

“I know, sir!” Lafayette chirps in delight. “What do we need to waste powder and bullets for when we’ve got Alexander here, eh? Send him off to work and down go their ships and overboard go their generals, they’ll be surrendering by fall at this rate—”

“Laf, shut up,” says Alex suddenly, with unwarranted sharpness, and Lafayette bugs his eyes out at him in reproach. George is already on high alert, but Lafayette launches right back into his excited babble, and it takes George a second to parse out what’s been said to get that reaction. Down go their ships and overboard go their…

“Their generals,” George repeats. Oh. Oh, no. No, surely it was just a turn of phrase, just Lafayette being his usual hyperbolic self. Means nothing at all. He’s overreacting. Please, God, let him be overreacting.

Lafayette raises his eyebrows incredulously, and Alex goes the sick pale green of a frog’s belly, and George knows he is not.

“You mean to say you didn’t even tell him the best part?” Lafayette swats at Alex in a playful way that would get anyone else’s hand torn off at the wrist. “Or were your escorts telling tales? I ought to give them a good scare for spreading lies, I bet the skinny one, what’s-his-name, I could carry him a good ways up in the air, high enough to—”

“What tales, Lafayette?” George asks, unable to hide the urgency in his voice.

“Nothing, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, Laf, will you—”

“There’s no need to be rude, I’m allowed to ask a question, just tell me, is it true what they’re telling the enlisted men or not?”

“They’re telling—? Oh, God. Oh, I’m going to kill them.”

“Yes, yes,” says Lafayette, flapping a hand in supreme unconcern for the escorts’ lives, “but you do not answer my question—”

“Lafayette, what did he do, what on earth did he—”

“Later, Laf, for God’s sake—”

“—is it true, or is it not, that you drowned General Clinton in sight of all his men?”

Alex makes a strangled noise. It’s almost a wonder that George can hear it, over the sound of his own blood roaring in his ears.

“That is enough,” he manages to say, in a voice barely above a whisper.

“They are saying that you kissed him long and deep before you ripped the heart from his chest,” Lafayette prattles on, with that glassily manic bird-smile on his face, “but I think this cannot be true, for one thing, John would be furious, and for another…”

“That. Is. Enough,” George repeats. Not much more volume to his voice, but the tone is such that Lafayette cuts himself off with a small squawk of surprise and recoils from George in alarm.

“I, I,” Lafayette splutters. “I don’t, did I…ah. Oh dear.” Lafayette’s mouth snaps shut, and he droops. “This is, perhaps, one of those human things, isn’t it?”

“…Human things.”

“One of your, your rules for fighting. For when you can kill, and whom, and, um.” If he wilts any more he’s going to collapse in a heap on the floor. “Forgive me, it’s…it’s very difficult for us to remember…we don’t war as your folk do, you see. Don’t have the same rules. Not for things like this.” He glances at Alex for backup. Alex stands as still as though he’d been carved from ice.

George nods curtly. It’s all he has the patience for just now. God preserve him from faery creatures and their thrice-damned denseness, their disregard for any rules but their own incomprehensible ones.

Lafayette is still, somehow, attempting to salvage things. “General, sir, may I just say—it was not, it was never my intention to—”

“Thank you, Lafayette.” George would like to wring his neck. Instead, he gestures sharply at the tent flap. “We’ll speak of it later. I have matters to discuss with Alexander. Good evening, Marquis.”

“Sir—”

“Out.”

Even a faery couldn’t withstand the note of command in George’s voice. Lafayette scuttles off, thoroughly chastened.

Alex remains. His mouth works a little, as though he’d like to argue, but for once, nothing comes out.

“You…” George has to force the words out. “You murdered a general. You murdered General Clinton. When were you planning on telling me this?”

“I didn’t know it was—”

“Do not lie to me, Alexander.”

“…I wasn’t sure which one it was. He was. Not just then.” The feral rage from earlier has leeched out of Alex’s voice. He sounds almost frightened now. “I knew he was someone important. But the name, you humans and your names… He was—in the way. Shouting. I had the helmsman, but he kept shouting, he was going to snap him out of it, he was going to ruin everything. So I told him to stop. And he was strong-minded, I didn’t know how long I could hold him, and the other men too. So I told him to fall. I told him to come to me.” Lantern light flickers in his eyes, black as oil slicks. “And he did.”

“They were in retreat.” George turns away from Alex. Braces himself on his desk. His hands shake. “You said you understood how we do things. The rules of human war. And then you do this? Kill a man—an officer—in cold blood just for getting in the way of your sport?”

Alex flinches at that word, at the naked scorn in George’s voice, but rallies as best he can. “It was just one slip. Just one. I barely even—I let him go as soon as I realized who—”

“And was that before or after you’d torn out his throat?”

Very quiet in the tent, but for George’s labored breaths, and Alex’s shallow, painful ones. “I let him go,” is all Alex says. “I did. In the end.”

George says nothing.

“I tried.” Ragged. “I just wanted to help.”

Silence. This is your son, jeers a shrill, mocking voice in George’s head, this is what’s left of him, this thing wearing his skin and his name and his life is what you have for a legacy. And aren’t you lucky to have found him again? Aren’t you? Aren’t you?

Rustle of fabric, of Alex shifting foot to foot. His feet. They must hurt, after traveling overland from the bay to meet the rest of the army. The pity wells up inside him at last, loath though he is to feel it. Poor patchwork creature. Poor dead child in someone else’s body.

Poor little murderer. George could choke on the ugliness of it all.

He counts breaths again. In and out, in and out. Soothing rhythm, like waves rolling in and washing back. Doesn’t think about blood in Alex’s mouth. Doesn’t think about Alex stretching his arms out of the water, all alluring, and telling a man to come to me, fall to me, let me hold you. Doesn’t think about the harsh little noises Alex is making right now, across the tent, his shoulders tense and hunched to hide the tremble in them.

In and out. In and out. The lump in George’s throat recedes bit by bit.

“There will be reprisals for this,” he says quietly, when he trusts himself to open his mouth without screaming or cursing or weeping. “Undoubtedly so. I’ll expect a full report tomorrow on your doings so our officers can be prepared for the worst.”

“Sir,” Alex begins. George raises a silencing hand.

“That will be all for now, Alexander.” Dismissed hovers on the tip of his tongue, but he can’t spit it out. Not sure what he’s hoping for. A sincere apology, maybe, or for General Clinton to step through the flap of the tent and say I’m terribly sorry, there must have been some mistake, I’m quite all right, or for Alex to slough off his scales and blink his eyes back to brown and magically, miraculously, transform back into the human boy he ought to have been.

Unwillingly, George drags his gaze up to Alex’s face. Alex stares back, the green bleeding in long smears down his cheeks, and then, to George’s great surprise, he sketches a low bow, with as much grace as he can muster up from Laurens’ lessons in human etiquette.

“Please excuse my lack of decorum, sir,” Alex says, his voice shaking. “It was—wrong of me to act without seeking your approval. Wrong of me to speak to you as I did, before. I hope you can forgive me.” He straightens, with a horrible, tentative glint of hope in his eyes that squeezes George’s heart in a vise.

So close to the mark, and yet—

George feels sick.

“Alex,” he says, praying that by the time the name leaves his lips he’ll have found something to say that’s not no, no, no, why does it always have to be so hard, why can’t you just understand for once?

Alex is ahead of him. Something on George’s face or in his tone must give him away. The look of fragile hope evaporates. Pain there instead, in the set of his jaw, in the thin pale line of his lips. Even in those cold flat predator’s eyes of his.

“I’d better go, sir. Too long out of water.” says Alex. His lips twist bitterly. “A shark is still a shark, even if you dress it up pretty and call it son. Isn’t it.” Before George can stop him, Alex has turned away and lifted the tent flap to go.

The back of his coat is already rucked up over the pointed fin sprouting there.

#klaproos #swan talks #hamilton for ts #murderfish au #aegis #me; lying facedown on the floor; having given up on words; aus; fandom; life as we know it;;;#now in base au wash has no reason to want to send alexfish away so alex tags along with john gets a severe case of heatstroke #and eventually meets molly pitcher the amphi-mer when her spring ends up being the only convenient body of water john can throw him in #but lucky you! aegis is the unhappy bad times timeline so that's what we got

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stargleeksil-blog · 7 years ago

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Criminal Minds s05e20 “... A Thousand Words” review - or more aptly named, an episode where I tried eating a pizza, nearly vomited, kept on watching without eating, and loved it XD

Episode 20 - … A Thousand Words

Hey guys! So last episode was really eye-opening to the whole immigration thing going on in the USA, huh?

Well, let’s see what this one has in store.

Oh god, we’re starting with 911 call center. I don’t like this.

“There’s a dead body in the warehouse.”

Wait what now?

What the fuck is going on here?

“Are you sure the victim is dead, sir?”

“He will be in a second.”

Oh fuck.

Did he just fucking kill himself right now? Fuck.

Did that unsub just kill himself? Oh boy.

Wait. So he’s posted all the pictures of his victims already? Oh god.

“Ah, hell, just … send everybody.”

Oh boy.

“Hey, have a good weekend, JJ.”

And, that weekend just got cancelled.

“There goes my beach house rental.”

“And my non-refundable sin to win weekend in Atlantic City.”

Ooh, Emily, you naughty thing XD

“I didn’t have any plans.” Oh poodle.

He fucking tattooed his victims. Shit.

“He called in his own suicide, didn’t he?”

How did ….

“Yeah. How did you …?”

“He staged all this. No reason to put on a show without an audience.”

Isn’t the very definition of the word ‘show’ that you have to have an audience?

“Tell them to leave the body where it is. We need it exactly how he wanted it seen.”.

Oh god.

This is also going to be dreadful. I can feel it.

William Dobell: “A sincere artist tries to create something which is in itself a living thing.”

Huh?

So it’s hot in Tallahassee. Okay.

“You know, it isn’t so much the heat as it is the humidity.”

“At some point it doesn’t matter how you look at it. It all sucks.”

So true!

I love how he always waves when he’s introduced!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My perfect poodle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Hope you have a strong stomach.”

I don’t. why show this to us?

Fuck!

“Talk about staging.”

Talk about how I’m so glad they haven’t invented TV that gives you smell, too.

“They’re always normal.”

Pah.

“Out here in the boonies you don’t get a lot of, uh, record-keeping types.”

“Especially when it comes to cash transactions, I bet.”

Oh dear.

“Most serial killers who commit suicide do it in prison after they’re caught.”

So it is weird.

Duh.

Aw, the deputy is so cute asking about why when women kill themselves it’s clean and men are so messy.

“Women worry about who has to clean up. Men don’t give a damn.”

Wow.

“Look at that. At the turn of the 16th century, rose tattoos were put on men who were sentenced to death.”

Fascinating?

“Yeah, if they escaped, it served to identify them. But now roses pretty much symbolize pure love.”

Not here.

“Pure love. Right before he kills them.”

Reid: “Hey, have you read The Illustrated Man?” “Nope.”

“It’s a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury, based on the metafictive device of a man who’s covered in tattoos drawn by a woman from the future.”

Disinterested Rossi: “Uh-huh.”

“At nighttime, the tattoos come to life and tell a story. It’s pretty awesome.”

You don’t often get to here Reid say the word ‘awesome’. And it’s glorious.

“These do tell a story.”

Not one I’m eager to read/hear.

“Why would he leave that space blank?”

“Maybe the guy’s just a psycho.”

“If it were that simple, we’d all be out of a job.”

What’s a fourth wall anyway?

“Hey, Reid.”

“What’s up?”

“Our man here was a prolific journaler.”

“With teeny tiny handwriting.”

“He probably had counseling at some point when journaling was part of his therapy.”

“That’s what we were thinking.”

“And, uh, well, you know, the two of us, it would take us like three days to read all of this stuff.”

Oh my god, it’s so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“You guys owe me.”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Aw, he’s so cute!

“What do we know so far?”

“He wanted the police here. He wanted us to see all this.”

“And he was definitely a sadist.”

Yup.

“Covering himself with his victims’ likeness is methodical, possessive. He’ll always own them.”

“And the suicide shows commitment. He’s organized and compulsive. The crimes are on an annual cycle.”

Oh god.

He rented the building two weeks ago, which is when he printed out everything.

“And proceeded to move everything into it. It’s a history of his crimes.”

Oh god.

“That’s it … everything. Everything.”

What?

“Reid?”

“Everything. His body, the tattoos, the clippings, the printout, the journals. He moved it all into one room.”

Okay …

“He wanted us to see it. See all of him …”

“His work … the women, he put them in chronological order.”

“He’s screaming, ‘look at me’.”

Right.

“We got all that.”

“No, but think about it. If you take a step back, it sort of makes sense.”

“It’s just a confession. A giant, flashy confession.”

What?

“What would we say if an unsub turned himself in to the police before they were even onto him?”

“That he was trying to hide something.”

“Or someone.”

Whoa.

“He made a mistake … in his third book.”

“I almost missed it, but then I caught it.”

Oh my cutie, rubbing his eyes.

“‘I thought it would take longer, but today was the lucky day. She almost walked right by, almost missed her completely, but at the last moment, we found our latest guest.’”

Oh god. He has a partner.

“He has a partner.”

“He put everything in his room so we wouldn’t look further, wouldn’t dig even deeper.”

“If he has a partner, he’s still out there, and he’s got Rebecca Daniels.”

Oh god, my poodle is the smartest poodle to ever poodle.

Wait. His partner is that pregnant lady? Oh boy.

Hey! That’s Holland Roden! Oh god, I love her so much.

So the cop thinks it’s a good idea to put pressure on the partner?

“If the partner didn’t know about the suicide, he might dispose of Miss Daniels and disappear.”

“If anyone can stop the media from doing something, it’s JJ.”

I hope so.

“So let’s profile the partner.”

Ew.

“Can any of you think of a case where a dominant unsub committed suicide to protect a submissive partner?”

“No.”

“So the partner must be equal in some way, or at least not a competitor, not somebody that he needed to feel dominance over.”

“Maybe it was someone he cared about?”

“It would be hard for a sadistic psychopath to care about anybody.”

“Which would make the partner all that much more important to him.”

“What about the tattoo artist?”

Ooh, they may be onto something there.

Did he just call her ‘Becky’? That’s weird.

“Detective, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Haha, Prentiss and Morgan are like – what the fuck did just happen?

“How much do they know?”

“The troopers told them everything.”

Oh god.

“Agent Rossi, please tell me you called because the case is over”

“And I can erase this freakity-freak off my otherwise uber-delicious desktops.”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I missed my lovely.

“Long way to go, kid.”

“I am into emidermartistry as much as the next gen-x-er, but this guy … eesh.”

“I’m just glad he’s not breathing the same air as you, my fine furry friends.”

I love her so much.

“The state of Florida requires licensing for all skin illustrators, but …”

“And I am not going to elaborate on how I know this …”

“Not everyone in the body-art lifestyle goes through official channels.”

Now I’m curious!

“Epidermartistry?”

Yeah, it’s fine, Rossi, it’s not a real word.

My lovely poodle reading in the speed of lightning XDDDDDDDDDD

He’s so elegant.

“Do you know her?”

It sounds like he does.

“Is there a personal relationship? You’ve referred to her twice as Becky.”

“And nowhere else is she referred to that way. It’s always Rebecca.”

“If there’s something that’s gonna cloud your judgment, I need to know about it.”

As do I.

“Caring about a victim …”

“Personalizing it, can only be stupid if it’s reckless.”

I hope he doesn’t get reckless.

“It’s like 110 out here and it feels like a refrigerator compared to that warehouse.”

Ha.

I love you, Rossi.

“How’s Reid doing?”

“It doesn’t even seem to faze him. He’s just sitting there in the corner, turning pages.”

“Yeah, Reid goes to another place when he reads.”

Don’t we all?

“You want to go check these out with me?”

“Sounds like fun.”

Wow. Sarcasm.

“Prentiss and Rossi are going to check out some tattoo parlors.”

Sounds like fun!

“Did you ask him about calling her Becky?”

So my sensitive puppy picked up on it, as well.

“Well, I hope so. Because we still have no indication that this girl’s even alive.”

That’s also true.

“This guy’s killed all those women?”

“Looks like it.”

Yikes.

“And there’s another one missing.”

“Then he killed himself?” “Yeah, he did.”

“Good. Sort of a public service.”

“I guess that’s a good way of looking at it.”

Yup. Haven’t heard that point of view before.

I guess it’s true.

“You sure it’s okay to move the body?”

“Well, there’s no reason not to anymore. We’ve seen this guy’s show.”

Ugh.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say no one’s ever seen anything like this.”

Hell yes, puppy.

I mean, I get it that he’s into that stuff, but this guy killed himself after killing women, don’t appreciate it, you freaky tattoo artist.

“The illustrated man.”

“Second time I’ve heard that today.”

“The book?”

“Reid mentioned it.”

Yeah, well, if they’re into body art, it makes sense they’ll know the story.

The rose was tattooed over the cross? Why?

“If he did time, that would explain how a fifty-year-old unsub doesn’t start killing until he’s forty.”

True.

“Garcia can track this thorough the biometric recognition program.”

“So there’s, like, no chance of me seeing the dead dude, right?”

“None.”

Freak.

“I thought he was covered completely.”

So the movie deviated from the book. Duh!

“Biometrics?”

“It catalogues all the prison inmates and their tattoos. They have detailed photos of every one on every inmate.”

Damn.

“No, that’s not right. Hey guys, it isn’t the only blank space.”

Oh boy.

“The spot on his chest were we assumed Rebecca’s portrait would go …”

“In the journal he talks about filling in the last space, how once he does that the artwork will be complete.”

“It isn’t the only blank space.”

What?

“In his back, in the middle of that tree is a giant open spot. Why would he talk about completing the artwork when he hasn’t? I need to see the body again.”

Ew.

“Garcia?”

“I ran the covered tattoo through the morpho-tracking system.”

“Tell me you got something, babe.”

“Emily, don’t get ahead of my dramatic telling.”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I’m in love

And shipping the two of them.

“I analyzed a 95% chance it is from one of four major institutions in the northeastern prison system.”

“The string of missings began unbroken from 2000, so I went back from that year, found 53 similar tattoos on forearms. Of those 53, ten were released prior to 2000.”

“Thank you and goodnight.”

“You are amazing.”

“Of the ten, any convicted rapists?”

“Four.”

“Do any of them trace back to Tallahassee?”

“None.”

Oh dear.

“So ultimately I have nada.”

“Bob.”

Who?

“The guy, his name, the guy who rented the property, just Bob.”

Boom.

“Garcia, remind me never to try to hide from you.”

“Perish the thought, mon ami.”

“You know him?”

Oh boy.

He was one of the suspects. And he talked to him. And he alerted him. Shit.

“Did he know you were looking for him?”

“He knew it was only a matter of time before you caught up with him.”

“He wasn’t about to go back to prison.”

Wait. She had the fucking baby and doesn’t want it because it’s a boy? Well, that’s fucked up.

Crap. He’s not in the apartment.

“You know what? There’s something there. I can feel the raised ink.”

Ew.

“Do you have a black light scanner?”

“Thanks.”

“Right there. Feel that.”

Oh god, that is nasty.

“I’ve read about this. Tattoos put on with invisible ink so that no one can see them.”

Damn.

“They lead to the blank spot.”

“It’s an embryo in a womb.”

Oh god.

“Do we know if she had the baby yet?”

“The tattoos have dates, the embryo doesn’t.”

“Dating is prominent in the tattoos and the journals, and they’re calendrical in their abductions. It’s hard to believe the baby’s birthdate wouldn’t be exceedingly important to them.”

True.

“Then she’s probably still pregnant.”

Or giving birth right now?

Yeah.

“Well, he didn’t live here with a pregnant woman. This is a males-only SRO.”

Fuck.

“They kept these woman for a year each. It wasn’t a one-room apartment.”

Yup. A house.

Did they meet in prison? Could be.

“My sweet.”

“Hey, you know the visitor logs from the prison we looked at?”

“Uh-huh. Still have them at the ready.”

“Okay, great, I need you to check dates for me. Were there any women who visited another inmate while Burke was there but then suddenly stopped visiting when Burke was released?”

“Huh.”

“Okay, let me hit you back.”

“Rev your engines, guys.”

She’s got her.

Oh god, it’s the daughter of the psycho rapist. Fuck.

“And she was his primary victim.”

“He raped her and she still went to visit him every year?”

“She’s repeating the cycle she grew up with.”

“And if you want me to slip you some convincers, she owns a house in northern Florida.”

Boom.

Oh thank god, they found her.

So cute.

“Three cards, please.”

“Three cards for the lady.”

“And I’m gonna take one card.”

Is Emily seriously playing poker with Reid? Oh dear.

“Oooh. One card. A straight or a flush, Dr. Reid, what are you trying to fill in?”

“Well, considering the odds of filling in an open-ended straight with one card are five-to-one against, while a one-card flush draw is more like 4.5-to-one,”

“I guess you’d say if I was smart, I’m drawing to a flush.”

“I think I’m gonna go all in on this.”

“So, are you?”

“Am I drawing to a flush, or am I smart?”

“Either.”

“I’m provably a genius, but, uh,”

“Actually, I was drawing to a full house.”

Oh bam.

“I always forget you’re from Vegas.”

“Yup.”

I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Oh, I’m sorry, not so fast.”

Wait. What?

“I, too, have a boat. Jacks over threes.”

WHAT?

“You drew three cards to a full house? That’s like 100-to-1 against.”

FUCK

“97-to-1.”

“Looks like you’re out.”

I LOVE YOU EMILY!

“Hey, Prentiss. Sin to win.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Come on, now, I gotta know. What the hell is a sin to win weekend in Atlantic City?”

“Derek, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you,”

“But there are some questions that if you have to ask them, it means you probably couldn’t handle the answer.”

“There is a whole other side to that woman.”

And don’t you ever forget it XD

“I never lose.”

Oh my baby.

“A whole other side.”

Yup.

Mohandas Gandhi: “I have seen children successfully surmount the effects of an evil inheritance. That is due to purity being an inherent attribute of the soul.”

So to sum it up, this series is fucking perfect, I love every aspect of it, even the ugly and the weird, and the parts where they don’t follow up on possible subplots (hello, Morgan/Garcia much?) but I love it nonetheless, and that’s why I keep watching and doing this. I can’t believe we’re about to finish up season five. HOLY FUCK.

I’ll see you all next time, lovelies, it seriously warms my heart whenever I see those little popping digits that indicate another like XD I LOVE YOU GUYS! <3

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accidentalnewsiesblog · 6 years ago

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“The King of Brooklyn” and other monikers (Chapter 6)

I’d love you forever if you read this on ao3 but I’d also love you forever if you just read it at all

~3200 words

The Poker Player

1893

TW: gambling, minor swearing

The selling day had gone by quickly for Spot and Race, not only because of the easy-to-sell headlines but also because of a surprise Piker had promised them at the beginning of the day.

“Be back by dinner,” Piker’d said before they’d left. “I got somethin’ special for ya.”

So now Spot and Race were on a carriage back to the Heights, making conversation with the driver who had been kind enough to give them a ride from the racetrack.

They arrived at the stop nearest the lodge around thirty minutes later to find Piker sitting on the floor of the common area with a book. Spot had no idea how she could afford the collection of dime novels she seemed to have on hand. She was always reading something new. This one was orange, an elaborately-illustrated image of a cowboy leaning on a rifle on the front cover.

“Pike!” Spot called, but Piker waved her off.

“Almost done with this chapter! Go grab some dinner. I’ll be right down.”

And so they did. They sat with Hank and some of the younger boys who sold near the lodge, including a newcomer named Lucky Lucy who, like Race, had an affinity for gambling. Unlike Race, however, Lucky always seemed to bet on the right horse. Hank and Spot’s bunkmates joined them, a couple of ten-year-olds called Myron and Hot Shot. Hank suddenly became outnumbered at the table by younger kids and started on his well-rehearsed rant about how Mrs. Kirby should comp his rent because of how often he had to nanny the kids.

Piker had clearly told most of the lodge about her surprise, as her entrance into the dining hall was marked with a chorus of newsies joyously welcoming her.

“What is it, Pike? The suspense is killing us!” Hank called over the din.

“I got somethin’ real good for poker night!” came her response. “That is, if you think you can beat me.”

“You’re on!” Lucky accepted.

As the others also accepted the challenge, Spot turned to Race. He wasn’t looking at her, but around the room, presumably at his competition. His eyes were alight and Spot could see his mind running a mile a minute.

“You in?” she asked, calling his attention.

“Oh, yeah.”

She should’ve known. Race rarely turned down a challenge, especially when it came to gambling. In fact, he was already reaching into his pocket and thumbing through his earnings for the day.

“What’s the ante?”

“A nickel!” Piker told him as she headed for the dinner line.

“You sure you want to bet your earnings today?” Spot asked. “You never played with these guys. They’s ruthless.” She nodded over her shoulder. “Hank’s pretty good. He’s good at hedging his bets. Then Pike,” she pointed across the room, “she plays like she’s got nothin’ to lose.” She leaned in closer and whispered to him conspiratorially. “The one you really gotta watch out for is Lucky. The fellas think she cheats but I really think she’s just that good. Before you know it, you’ll be left with empty pockets but still be lookin’ for somethin’ to bet against her.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he responded with a wink. “What about you?”

“I’m thinkin’ about it.” Spot raised her voice. “Maybe once Piker tells us what she’s got up her sleeve!”

“All right! All right!” she responded as she sat across from them. “You want to know what I got to bet?”

Piker reached into her pocket, then a coin was flying at Spot’s face. She caught it one-handed and turned it over. A shiny silver dollar. A whole dollar coin.

“That enough to convince you, Spottie?” Piker smirked across the table.

Spot chuckled. “I ain’t wastin’ my hard-earned money for that!”

She felt Race elbow her in the shoulder. “C’mon, Spot! Play one round with us. Just a nickel!”

The others at the table egged her on as she briefly mulled it over. “Fine. One round.” Piker cheered in response. “But only one! No way you can talk me into gamblin’ a day’s earnings just to lose it all.”

“Wanna bet?” Lucky quipped as she snagged the silver dollar from Spot’s hand. The coin made its way around the table, Piker’s watchful eye aware of it every step of the way.

After dinner, the group made their way to the barrack where everyone collected the various decks of cards hidden throughout the building. Mrs. Kirby didn’t like gambling and so confiscated their cards when she caught them playing any kind of poker, which meant everyone just had to be sneaky. They collected three decks total, and the twenty or so players divided up into groups.

Spot found herself in a group with Race, Hank, and a few younger boys that Spot knew were really no threat. Myron had volunteered as their dealer and shuffled the cards while the rest of them procured the required ante.

Race was a better poker player than Spot had thought. Within minutes he’d knocked everyone out of the game except for her and Hank. Spot had played with Hank enough to know his tell — he nervously tapped his fingers against his cards when he was bluffing. But she couldn’t figure out Race. Any tic she thought could be his tell was just part of how he acted. He was always cocking his head or twitching his nose or doing things that would surely indicate bluffing in anyone else. But that was just how Race acted regularly.

Spot knew her own tell. She chewed the inside of her cheek. She used to chew on her lip when she bluffed, but it was such an obvious tell that she had to forcibly modify it for the sake of easier lying.

“I raise,” Hank said as he tossed a penny into the pot, fingers tapping nervously.

“Call,” Race responded as he stared him down across the circle.

Spot’s hand had been shit and she’d folded earlier on, so all focus was back on Hank.

“Raise.” He added another penny. He tapped against the cards in his hand.

Race simply added to the pile, nonverbally signalling his call.

The tapping stopped. Hank stared pointedly at Race, who didn’t back down. He’d clearly figured out Hank’s tell and was tempting him, as he’d temped the others, to bet it all.

He was good. Spot would give him that.

Hank only had two pennies left. He’d dipped further than a nickel into his earnings, betting almost twenty cents in total on the game, and Race was now calling his bluff. He had to hold up or back down with his tail between his legs.

Race, however, very much had the upper hand. He’d collected the majority of Hank’s twenty cents and knew the last few were very much within reach. Spot tried to identify if he could also be bluffing. He was leaning forward, not breaking eye contact with Hank. He was sitting with his legs crossed, elbows leaning on his knees. His right hand held his cards almost upside down, and his left hand was laid nonchalantly over the right. He raised his eyebrows as though to dare Hank to make his move.

He just sighed. “All in.” And Hank added his last two pennies to the pot.

“Call.” Race tossed in two of his own.

They both laid down their cards face-up. Race had a pair of eights. Hank had nothing. Race collected the pot as Hank sighed.

“Who let the Manhattan kid play?” he joked. He was only half-kidding.

It was down to Race and Spot. Whoever won would compete against the other groups’ winners for the whole pot, including Piker’s silver dollar coin.

The two tossed in their initial blind bets as Myron dealt their hands. Spot had pretty good odds and so raised by a penny. Then Race raised by a nickel.

Spot looked over at him. He was making eye contact. Leaning casually on his elbows as before, seemingly apathetic in the way he held his cards. Either he wasn’t bluffing or he had lying down to a science. She didn’t like being on this side of that look. She folded.

“Damn!” Race chuckled as he collected the pot. “I wanted to see if you’d bet more.” He tossed down his hand. Full house, tens and aces. Not bluffing.

Spot won the next hand, her own two pairs beating out Race’s nothing hand. Spot kicked herself for not noticing what had been different when he tried to bluff.

But after a few crappy hands, she was in the doghouse, close to out of money. Then she raised when she probably should have folded. She felt herself subconsiously bite the inside of her cheek, hoping Race wouldn’t notice or hadn’t yet figured out her tell.

Race looked at his own cards, then at the pot, then at Spot’s remaining change, then at Spot herself. He scrutinized her face as he called her bet. After a moment of tension, Spot raised again. Race called. Spot raised. Race called. Spot went all in. Race called. They finally laid down their hands.

Both had shit hands, but Spot’s high card of an ace outranked Race’s nine. Hank let out a dramatic gasp. They’d both been bluffing. Relieved, Spot collected the pot as Race continued to scrutinize. Spot had no idea if he’d found what he was looking for, but she once again had a fighting chance of beating him.

But he worked her down bit by bit until they were the last group still playing. The others watched from a distance, waiting to see who would play the other groups’ champions — Piker and Lucky Lucy, no surprise to anyone — in the final round. Hot Shot, who’d clearly been eliminated earlier on and volunteered to deal the last game, was absently shuffling a deck of cards as he watched the drama unfold.

Spot had three Jacks. Could go either way. Race was staring her down, waiting for her to call his bet or to fold. She called. He looked at his cards, then back at her. He raised by three cents. She glanced down at the last of her change. Three cents would leave her with one penny. She folded. Race collected the pot and set down his cards.

Nothing. He’d had absolutely nothing. The bastard had been bluffing.

The others chorused an “ooh” and Myron’s eyebrows shot up. For a dealer, he wasn’t very stoic.

Spot went out not with a bang but with a whimper. After the drama of Race bluffing her down to four cents, she couldn’t get any traction and lost her last penny on a hand where her high card of seven lost to Race’s ten. Still, she’d lasted longer against him than she thought she would, and she was itching to see how he would fare against the more seasoned players of Brooklyn.

The three champions circled up, Hot Shot showing off some fancy shuffling skills as everyone else settled in to watch the match.

“Hey!” came a voice from the end of the room.

Everyone turned to see Shiner and Tiny in the doorway, Shiner’s arms outstretched in a questioning pose.

“It’s almost midnight. You kids shoulda been asleep hours ago.” Shiner was right, but noises of disappointment rang from the peanut gallery anyway.

“We just got done with preliminaries!” Lucky protested. “We ain’t even dealt our first hand!”

“Then take it elsewhere. Everyone under the age of nine’s gotta go to bed. Nine and older can do what they want so long as you ain’t bein’ disruptive.”

It was a fair enough arrangement. The younger kids slunk off to bed, and everyone older migrated to the third floor hallway, far enough away from the barrack that they could play without disturbing anyone.

Piker had several tells. She tended to be confident and reckless in her bets, but only until an opponent starts taking her seriously. Holding up against her bets made her react one of two ways — if she had a good hand, she would continue to bet without question, but if she had a bad hand, her bets were often less confident and she would take a longer time on her turns. Her eyebrows were also very expressive, giving her away when she didn’t realize her tell was showing. It wasn’t long before Race clearly caught on, and he and Lucky together knocked her out with ease.

Lucky, like Race, was hard to read. She was stoic and played the part well. Something that would have been a clear tell in anyone else could go either way with her. She was known to fake a tell to trick her opponents, and it often worked. Playing her was the most Spot had seen Race struggle the whole night.

“Ya know,” he said after losing a close hand, “it’s a shame we ain’t met before.”

“Yeah?” Lucky responded. During poker, she was a lady of few words, but outside of cards no one could get her to shut up.

Race on the other hand was always a loudmouth. “If I’d known there was actually some good poker players in Brooklyn, I’da stayed late more often.”

Hot Shot dealt the next hand. The players took a look at their cards.

“I’s surprised to find out there’s actually good poker players outside of Brooklyn,” Lucky sassed back. “Check.”

“Raise you two.” Race added two pennies to the pot.

Without looking back at her cards, Lucky mirrored him. “Call.”

Race cocked his head. “Check.”

Lucky knocked on the floor, her nonverbal check. She returned two of her cards to Hot Shot, who dealt one card to burn then dealt Lucky two. Race’s eyes did not leave Lucky’s face as she picked up her new cards and added them to her hand.

Race glanced at his own hand then traded out three. His expression didn’t change, but he leaned forward and spoke again. “You ever bet on the races?”

“Only once.” Lucky tossed a couple of coins into the pot. “Won a pretty penny.”

“Hm.” Race absently traced designs on the back of his hand, his cards dangling from his fingers. “Beginner’s luck?” He raised the bet by a few cents.

“I suppose.” Lucky called his bet.

“Or maybe you’re just that good,” Race echoed Spot’s earlier comment as he raised the bet further. Spot could tell he was toying with Lucky but she couldn’t figure out how.

Lucky’s glance darted briefly to Race’s, which was unwavering and almost effortless. She silently called his bet.

“You good at runnin’ numbers?” He tossed another penny onto the pile.

Lucky smirked, a subtle flash that disappeared as soon as it was even noticeable. “What do you think?” She bet another penny.

“What about countin’ cards?” Another penny on the pile.

“We don’t do that here.” Call.

Race hummed as he bet another penny. “Spot counts cards.”

“Hey!” Spot retaliated, indignant. “I do not!”

Lucky raised an eyebrow at her and called Race’s bet.

“If I could count cards, you think I’d let you beat me?”

“I think you let me beat you ‘cause you think I’m just so handsome.” Race gave her a shit-eating grin as he raised his bet. Lucky called.

“You better watch it or you’ll be trekkin’ to the Bay all by your lonesome, Higgins.” Spot shook her head at his audacity. “Spreadin’ lies ‘bout me ain’t gonna win you no friends.”

“No.” He raised, and Lucky called. “But it could help me win a round.”

He turned his sights back on Lucky. The pot was now piled high with coins. Nobody had gone all in, but it was about to be a big payday for someone. Race took another look at his cards, then he shrugged.

“All in.”

Tension filled the air as Race added his last few coins to the pile, including the silver dollar he’d won from Piker. It would wipe Lucky out to call his bet.

All the same, she was considering it. Lucky stared him down, clearly searching for any sign of weakness or uncertainty. Perhaps she found one, as she said, “Call,” and submitted the last of her earnings to the pot.

Lucky laid down her hand. A modest two pair, Kings and Queens. The peanut gallery let out an “ooh.”

Race nodded to himself and pursed his lips. “Nice hand, Lucky.”

But it wasn’t over, Spot thought to herself. She never bet on the races at Sheepshead, but she surely would bet on Race at poker night.

Race sighed. “I gotta say, you’s a tough one. But you oughta make a little eye contact, and not just when you’re bluffing.” He laid down his hand.

Three Jacks. Just barely outranking Lucky’s hand.

The crowd erupted in disbelieving cheers. Lucky gawked at the cards as Race collected his winnings and the crowd began to disperse.

“Damn!” Lucky shook her head. “You got balls, Manhattan. I respect that.” She offered her hand for him to shake.

He took it with a gracious nod. “I meant what I said about you bein’ a good player. You oughta come by the Manhattan lodge sometime. You could give the fellas a run for their money.”

“Damn right I could.” Lucky stood. “We need a rematch sometime, Higgins. Just wait till I figure out what makes you tick.”

Race laughed. “Sometime soon, if we’re lucky.”

Lucky snickered at the joke and headed off to bed, waving to the rest of the crew as she disappeared into her room.

Race turned to Spot.

“Good game,” she congratulated him.

“Here’s your ante back.” He offered her a handful of pennies. Before she could refuse, he said, “I talked you into playing and roped you into that last hand with Lucky, so just take your damn nickel back. It ain’t like I’m makin’ you take half or nothin’.”

He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so Spot pocketed the coins.

“You think I could stay the night?”

It was almost one in the morning, so it was probably for the best if he didn’t have to walk the Bridge so late in the cold and potentially in the snow. Spot nodded. “You can sleep in my bed. Most everyone is doubled up anyway on account of the cold.” She had planned on sharing with Piker that night due to the freezing temperatures, but she was fine to share with Race if he wanted.

“Sure,” he accepted, then offered her another coin. "Penny for your trouble?”

"Don't tempt me.”

She led them down the hall to her room, where Hank was already wrapped up in numerous blankets and snoring like a horse. Myron and Hot Shot were doubled up in one bed, cocooned in the blankets and pillows compiled from both of their bedding.

Spot had begun sleeping with a second blanket in recent months so that Race wouldn’t ever have to borrow from anyone else, which proved a great decision when the cold front moved in. Spot set her hat and boots aside and shrugged her suspenders from her shoulders.

It was cold enough that she left her flannel on as she climbed into bed. Race did the same, claiming a blanket and a corner of the pillow and quickly drifting off. Race’s warmth and the subtle movement of his breathing lulled Spot to sleep soon after, forgetting that only a few hours later they would be awake and back to work.

#newsies #newsies fic #monikers #spot conlon #race higgins #racetrack higgins #fem!spot #fem!spot conlon #genderbend #platonic sprace #hot shot #hot shot newsies #literally just the briefest of mentions in this chapter

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comicteaparty · 6 years ago

Text

September 27th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on September 27th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Heart of Keol by keiiii.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Heart of Keol by keiiii~! (http://www.heartofkeol.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Respheal

Any scene where Lu has reason to go "Ethan no"

Kabocha

....That's really accurate...

Respheal

Ain't it though xD(edited)

Kabocha

I'm still laughing at "What A douchebag"

SevereWxEddie

Lu sure says "Ethan, no!" a lot

Kabocha

http://www.heartofkeol.com/eng/002-06/ Yes, Ittan Nohm~ :3

Kabocha

@keii4ii -- how does that phrase break down? Is it just... ......................... an entire phrase? Or is one part of it clearly douchebag and the other the "what a"

Respheal

I think there was a bit on the train in particular where it was like "this is just going to be their relationship now huh" xD Ethan being a doofus and straight-faced Lu just "no. why. stop"

Draco Plato

I really liked how the action scenes have been handled, the effects are gorgeous

keii4ii

Ittan is a derogative uhhh.. what do you call it, determiner?

Nohm is a derogative pronoun

Megaparsec

Yeah every scene with a wyrm is just so awesome

Respheal

The wyrms are super pretty

SevereWxEddie

Oh, speaking of the train, have to say...I was very impressed with how you drew the rail infrastructure! The rails and tracks themselves looked very good.

Darkhalo4321

I loved that scene

Kabocha

Yesssss

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

Hi I dropped in, realizing I wasn't in this discord before

keii4ii

Thanks! The railroad provides lots of opportunities to do some fun perspective stuff

Mharz

My favorite scene is the geoduck scene that was really hilarious. I like Ethan and Lushaka's chemistry.

Tenor | Shinavar

Fav scene: Glowing toilet Also really gotta admire Ethan can apparently use the bathroom and hold a conversation with someone - I have kids and I can't do that

RebelVampire

i like any scene with hoodie kid. because i love the background illustrations and color work. theyre always so off putting. like when hoodie kid has all the red magic stuff surrounding and is just like "woo ethan come on lets burn things"

Kabocha

YES GEODUCKS

keii4ii

Though I'm glad most of that arc happened on a bridge, because at the end of it, I learned how much pain it is to draw the pebble variety railroad

SevereWxEddie

Ballast is...tedious

Kabocha

I always have a hard time writing that word because I wanna type "gooeyduck"

Darkhalo4321

Pyromaniac warning I guessss

Mharz

I like how Lushaka nonchalantly draws it.

And Ethan was like oooooohhhh

Draco Plato

all of the glowy effects are super cool, any use of power was just gorgeous

Tenor | Shinavar

Lushaka believes children need to be taught right, clearly /shot

keii4ii

The stick figure art was a collaborative masterpiece with Ethan adding the belly buttons

Respheal

Ahahaha makes sense that Lushaka wouldn't think to add belly buttons....

Mharz

Yeah

Megaparsec

Oh also the scene with the young Rencho and Ethan being like "OOH can you be a kitten?"

keii4ii

Not shown in the comic, but canon: the stick figures were vandalized by Danbi who returned to that spot while the others were away slaying the big jaguar

Darkhalo4321

Makes sense though- size and all?

Mharz

That scene where Ethan was pointing out he has no belly button is so fun

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

Agreed, I love the scenes where magic was being cast. And the one where it was with that Lady and the Master was quite intense. I thought the Master was going to be done for. Reason: the angle of how the fight was commencing(edited)

keii4ii

Danbi didn't want Hana to see them

Mharz

Lol danbi

keii4ii

TBH Master wouldn't have survived if Adela didn't go easy on her, out of her disdain for human suyori

RebelVampire

yes the master and adela's fight was beautiful @Joichi [Lavender Tea] like everything about the effects

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I agreed! I need to catch up on more HnK

Mharz

I think that was the first time I saw Danbi really angry. The part when Ethan pointed out Lu has no bellybutton

Kabocha

...Oh, yeah, that... part...

Respheal

Can't really blame him though....?

Kabocha

XD He was gonna be all sympathetic for Lu and then

nawp

Respheal

I don't think Danbi's in the right, but he was (afaik) lied to there sooo

Darkhalo4321

I kind of laughed? Because he doesn't know anything about the world really and his first reaction was the belly button -

Respheal

The anger is understandable

keii4ii

Yeah, I'm partial to situations where both sides are right and wrong at the same time

Mharz

That makes me question tho, are Renchos suppose to not have that?(edited)

Megaparsec

One of Ethan's most endearing traits is his... not innocence but excitement about everything everyone else takes for granted

keii4ii

No belly buttons for Renchos!

Mharz

I-I'm curious

I mean the other thing

keii4ii

...barbs?

Mharz

rolls

Tenor | Shinavar

Mharz: He's not supposed to - he's wearing the mark of castration when he's not, if I followed the story right

Respheal

Well the tentacle's got barbs for days

Kabocha

Geoducks

Tenor | Shinavar

hence the being 'lied' to

keii4ii

Oh yeah, the dingly-doo

Tenor | Shinavar

Er, Danbi being lied to

Mharz

I should've googled that word's meaning

keii4ii

Cat Station

Mharz

Lol

SevereWxEddie

LOL!

Draco Plato

they took away his cats

Tenor | Shinavar

TBF castration is only removal of the nuts.

So even if he didn't have it I don't imagien Ethan would be any wiser

RebelVampire

they took away his cats to work on the railroad

hence the term cat station

Draco Plato

they are now the train masters

Tenor | Shinavar

wheeze

Respheal

Kinda makes me wonder how Renchos are born.....since that'd be the umbilical cord

Mharz

Oh okay

Respheal

Eggs

Mharz

My english is dumb

keii4ii

XD The eyeballs in the emoji kinda look like eggs

Tenor | Shinavar

Octopii style :D

Darkhalo4321

That's my question

Tenor | Shinavar

Lots of little litters in sacks in the water

/shot

Mharz

Pft

keii4ii

I will say Renchos are indeed born in litters

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

now I am curious about Renchos xD

Respheal

Ethan's pure curiosity is good though hahahaha

Darkhalo4321

It is

Mharz

Yeah

keii4ii

And their home world is mostly ocean dotted with small islands (well, the parts they inhabit anyway. I'm not sure if there's a huge land mass away from where they live)

Darkhalo4321

He's very curious about the world, the people there, it's good.

Mharz

What a douchebag is a pure souI I love him.

Kabocha

Oooh

Tenor | Shinavar

Oh gonna share this bc I can: 100% kept forgetting Danbi was a boy every time Ethan was shirtless bc I'd be mad he was so disrespectful

OTL

keii4ii

Poor Danbi

RebelVampire

i love how giant ethan is compared to pretty much everyone. like you get tricked sometimes cause of the closeups, but then theres those nice long shots where youre like "wow ethan you sure tower over everyone"

Sophie

Ethan's like an infant, excited about everything! It's adorable

Mharz

You know, keiiii my reaction is the same with Ethan's when I found out Danbi's a guy

keii4ii

Bwahahaha

Darkhalo4321

The Bull in a china shop comes to mind

Kabocha

How tall is Ethan, anyway?

Darkhalo4321

but a polite bull

keii4ii

6' 5" and not done growing

Respheal

Oh man I loved Ethan's reaction

SevereWxEddie

Ooof

Kabocha

NOT DONE?!

Respheal

HE BIG

Mharz

I was like dang danbi's so pretty. :y(edited)

Darkhalo4321

He'll be 10 feet when he's DONE

Kabocha

Danbi's charming, I think.

keii4ii

At full size, he'll be 6' 7" and also beefier

Mharz

I still like him tho

Ooh more beef for Ethan yes

keii4ii

There was actually a doodle of maxed out Ethan (like 6-8 years older?) that I did a while ago

Draco Plato

he has to be a big cat for lushaka

keii4ii

Slightly older Ethan

Mharz

Lu will be really pleased

Draco Plato

must be really hard to get shirts

Respheal

XXXXXL

Tenor | Shinavar

YAY NO WASHBOARD ABS.

keii4ii

He's got a little squishy over the abs

Darkhalo4321

He has REAL STRENGTH

Mharz

Yas

Tenor | Shinavar

REAL STRENGTH YES HHHHHHHHHHH <3

Darkhalo4321

he's not no gym floozy(edited)

keii4ii

Lu has enough washboard for the both of them

Respheal

True

Mharz

Perfect strong body

Draco Plato

Lu has beautiful abs

Tenor | Shinavar

Lmao

RebelVampire

ethan will be charged double for tailored clothes because of the sheer amount of fabric required

Tenor | Shinavar

After learning how you get washboard abs no ty, gimmie da meat /shot

Rebel: LOL

keii4ii

Yeah, you either gotta win the genetics lotto, or ... do some insane diet control for a six pack

Tenor | Shinavar

Better take real good care of those clothes

Diet control to serious unhealthy levels. You're supposed to have fat over the abs to protect them - so it may look nice but 9/10 you're actually super weak in real life applications of them so yeaaah

I HOPE KITTY BOI IS OKAY D:

keii4ii

He's okay. If he starts putting on fat, he'll start putting them on his already massive thighs first

(they have different fat distribution patterns, lol)

Tenor | Shinavar

wheeze

Fair!

SevereWxEddie

So those abs would not in fact be rock hard and a punch to them would be really bad, then?

Tenor | Shinavar

So- can he crush a melon with dem thighs

asking for a friend >> <<

Mharz

He has tentacles tenor he's fine

Tenor | Shinavar

/Almost made a hentai joke

/Gunna go get a drink lol

Megaparsec

On a totally unrelated note the Lu-catfish was hilarious

keii4ii

X'D derpfish

Mharz

Lol

keii4ii

Not as derp as puffer, but hey

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

@RebelVampire haha I was wondering when the tailors have to charge Ethan for the clothes he has to be handmade for him

keii4ii

It wouldn't be as bad as it would be for Lushaka, if he lived in our world

Mharz

Pft

keii4ii

I'm pretty sure his thigh circumference > his waist circumference

Respheal

Oh geez yeah

Mharz

Heck yeah

His thigh is really big

Never skip leg day folks

Draco Plato

yis

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

i always like that aspect of Heart of Keol, that you designed Ethan that he is drastically different from the rest of the people. Other than Lushaku, i think hes sort of muscular too

keii4ii

Yep, Ethan is beefy

Beef filled cinnamon roll

(sounds like a Middle Eastern food...)

Mharz

Mmmmm

Draco Plato

yeah the different body shapes are really cool to see

Sophie

Very diverse cast, yup!

Mharz

I really like how Keiiii pulled that off :3

keii4ii

I'm glad to hear! I have a lot of fun drawing the different bodies

Tenor | Shinavar

I love it too~

keii4ii

like they're ALL various types of "conventionally attractive" bodies, but still different

Mharz

Yasss

Draco Plato

yeah that is really neat~!

Sophie

Everybody is so easily to read and keep apart from another. It's really great!

keii4ii

I had readers point out Adela's boobs helped them remember who she was, when she reappeared in chapter 16

Mharz

Pft

Draco Plato

omg XD well they do help

her hair and ears is how i recognized her at that point

Mharz

She does have really huge boobs

Draco Plato

and her shoes

Mharz

Same draco

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. Within the comic, Ethan has a plethora of mysteries surrounding him. What do you think happened to Ethan’s dad? Does Ethan’s Dad’s disappearance have some connection to Keol, or is it unrelated? Who is the child-like figure who initially sends to Ethan to Keol? Why send Ethan to Keol in the first place? What is the figure’s interest in Ethan? Is Ethan somehow special, especially in regards to his apparent powers he unlocks? What do you think the child figure’s connection to the Queen might be (if any)? Does it have something to do with the Queen’s missing mate? Lastly, do you think Ethan will get home? If he does, do you think he’ll regret it?

keii4ii

Yeah, I have to draw her body without boobs first, and then add the boobs in order to avoid anatomy disasters

Mharz

By the looks of it, the hooded dude is his Dokkabi?

Respheal

That's the gist I got

The fact that his dad was scared of outlets--what was up with that O.o

Darkhalo4321

Makes me wonder-

Respheal

I mean...PTSD, but....outlets?

Tenor | Shinavar

2: Ethan's dad was a Prisoner of War - and suffering from serious PTSD is my bets - assuming the whole sory isn't some metaphysical message in Ethan's head ofc <_< I feel Hooded kid is the Dokkabi, too, since there's a symbollic pattern. BUT the curiousity is the Queen because she has the symbol, too, but that's explain away her immoretality - so my theory is the kid is the queen calling Ethan to her side.

SevereWxEddie

Electircal based "aggressive interrogation" techniques?

Darkhalo4321

I was thinking Light too? He was in the corner if I recall-

Tenor | Shinavar

Resp: TOrture technique

SevereWxEddie

Electrical

Tenor | Shinavar

The buzzing of lights can be used in torture

Mharz

Also yeah I'm curious what happened to Ethan's dad. He was scared of the electric socket which makes me wondered if he was electrecuted or struck by lightning

Tenor | Shinavar

and outlets can carry that sound

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

wow that is alot of questions to answer, like 8 Qs XD

Respheal

Well, I did guess that, since he seemed to also be scared of lightning

Aaaah true

SevereWxEddie

Is it ever explicitly stated which war Dad went off to?

Respheal

The minute buzzing

keii4ii

@Joichi [Lavender Tea] Combo attack

Respheal

For real xD

keii4ii

@SevereWxEddie Nope!

Draco Plato

wondered if his dad was in the world ethan is in now

SevereWxEddie

.....

Draco Plato

went through the red gate

SevereWxEddie

Oooo. THERE'S a theory

Tenor | Shinavar

I do think Ethan will make it home however I hope i's not too soon because as it is right now I don't think Ethan could handle leaving his new friends behind lol

Megaparsec

How long was he gone? Does it match up with the opening frequency?

Draco Plato

it actually didn't sound like people were really able to get back since they were there awhile

the people who'd gone through the gate

Tenor | Shinavar

But tbf, how would they know they did get back?

And not just went missing?

SevereWxEddie

@keii4ii does it matter which war it was, as in plot-relevant, or is it more of a "this happened in the story past?"

Tenor | Shinavar

Unless they reversed fireballed into the sky /shot.

Mharz

Must have something to do with the Heart?

keii4ii

@SevereWxEddie The latter

Megaparsec

Oh never mind the Red gate opens every year

Tenor | Shinavar

I liiike the idea his dad went into the world though because that would mean there is a way to get back

Kabocha

So, I was thinking hoodie kid was actually like................. ...................related to the empress

Draco Plato

the heart is the titular character

Tenor | Shinavar

somehow

Draco Plato

so i mean

Sophie

I'm wondering what people back are thinking Ethan is doing? I mean he's been gone for a bit by now...

Draco Plato

i wonder if time passes differently

RebelVampire

maybe nobody cares ethan is gone.

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

that's an interesting discussion on whether the travelling MC will go home, probably that's the end solution. But I'm definitely intrigued where the father went, the idea of war and torture sounds likely.. gosh that is so sad. I was debating whether his father had been struck with a deep mental illness, maybe even dementia

SevereWxEddie

It could be like Narnia all over again

keii4ii

@RebelVampire

RebelVampire

are just like "i guess thats one less mouth to feed"

Draco Plato

oh no not narnia XD

Tenor | Shinavar

Rebel: I hope not

Mharz

Tenor | Shinavar

Getting tired of reading that lmao

Draco Plato

well when he was going through reasons to go back it didn't really sound like he needed to go back

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

aw that is so sad Rebel, its like turning Ethan's story to the angst teen comic D:

Mharz

Lol

Draco Plato

like maybe my grandad will remember me once isn't a great reason to go back probably if he builds a life with friends and family in the new world

Tenor | Shinavar

Kabo: /Delayed: How would you reckon, if kid is related to the empyrss, how hey avoided being seen so far only by Ethan?

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

hmm my theory is, if I know about alt world travelling, probably time is different? OR or what if Ethan's family has 'missing poster' signs when he gets a glimpse of his world?

Mharz

I think it's a Dokkabi thing, tenor

Becos he saw the one with the lady

Tenor | Shinavar

Yeah but that wyrm wasn't as developed as the kid

Though hey carried the same symbol, the lady didn't have that symbol the wyrm did

Sophie

I could imagine red riding hood is some sort of gate keeper for the red gate?

Tenor | Shinavar

versus the wueen

omfg I can't type I'm so sorry lol

Kabocha

“Kabo: /Delayed: How would you reckon, if kid is related to the empyrss, how hey avoided being seen so far only by Ethan?” @Tenor | Shinavar -- magic.

Tenor | Shinavar

I mean- fair -

Kabocha

or a spiritual connection, but you know, teh dokkabi theory is solid

RebelVampire

maybe ethan did eat a wyrm but it was on earth so he didnt know. and the kid is the mental manifestation of said wyrm(edited)

Mharz

I do like his rainbow eyes tbh

Draco Plato

that'd be interesting rebel

Tenor | Shinavar

He though it was a octopus

Draco Plato

maybe it's the kid he didn't know he had

Mharz

Pft

Kabocha

Are we going to imply that this is all a bad food poisoning trip

Respheal

YES

Kabocha

and Lushaka is just his guilt for eating bad octopus

Respheal

Mharz

Lol

RebelVampire

that is my second crazy theory. ethan is the destined queen's mate and hoodie kid is their future child who astrally projected themselves there for mystery reasons

Draco Plato

hurt a cat once and ate an octopus

Respheal

kabo no

Tenor | Shinavar

Lushaka is the local stray

Draco Plato

omg rebel mine too

Kabocha

@RebelVampire SEE THAT WAS MY THEORY

Draco Plato

legit thought that

Kabocha

BUT NOT A CRAZY THEORY

Respheal

Y'KNOW

Yeah soon as I heard "destined mate"(edited)

I was like

Tenor | Shinavar

Personally I'm hoping 'destined mate'is like 100% a misunderstanding

Draco Plato

yup, was like oh hey must be ethan, that you ethan

Kabocha

Or Danbi.

Tenor | Shinavar

and the wyrm-queen can only be freed by being tied to someone so she can gtfo

Draco Plato

yeah could be danbi

Respheal

I imagine if that IS the case I imagine it'll get subverted

Megaparsec

Supposed to be a Visitor I think

Respheal

Yeah

Sophie

Eyes overloading....

RebelVampire

the plot twist is the queen has been dead for years. everyone just assumes shes alive because theyve been receiving orders from someone behind a curtain.

ethan must expose the wizard of oz essentially

SevereWxEddie

Ooo

Draco Plato

i wondered that one too rebel

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

lmao the wizard of Oz reveal

Draco Plato

if she was really dead

Kabocha

See, I had also initially assumed the Queen was the kid

Respheal

saaaaame

Darkhalo4321

SAME KABO

Tenor | Shinavar

Saaaam

Darkhalo4321

But someone stole the JOB

Kabocha

......................Yes?

Draco Plato

yeah, cause of the tattoo on their face

Megaparsec

Still could be, with shapeshifting or whatever

Darkhalo4321

TRUE-

Mharz

Yeah

Megaparsec

or astral projection

Respheal

The tattoo is different though

Slightly

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I thought the red hooded kid was a mysterious figure and immortal xD I might be simple minded.

Respheal

But they're almost certainly related

Does that make the queen a dokkabi...spirit....thing?

Kabocha

GASP!

How long do dokkabi live for

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

yeah I'm thinking about that once..

Mharz

It's a wyrm god

Draco Plato

they could be world hoppers too, ones that can control it

Tenor | Shinavar

Oh god

Respheal

It's never explained what world the queen comes from, and there's just the three gates

Tenor | Shinavar

-Might have caught on to Kabo's gasp-

You thinkin she needs new bodies to stay immortal/controls hrough them?

mathtans

mk, I'm here... couldn't seem to get off the first page of the comic though, nothing would load. (j/k)

I did only manage to get to the end of 8 though. Busy week. ^^

Kabocha

Is Ethan... the new Queen

keii4ii

And how does the Elyeo eugenics thing figure into all this

@mathtans XDDDD

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

PFFFTT Ethan the queen?(edited)

Mharz

Gasp

Tenor | Shinavar

Well considering everything we've been told has been unraveling, we don't acually know what's fact with the Elyeo

so I don't trust shit lol

Respheal

all hail the new Father King Mother Queen

Darkhalo4321

same tenor

mathtans

The Queen is actually a dude. Calling it now.

Kabocha

well, I mean, like If the queen is a Dokkabi and Dokkabi need a body... ....And hoodie kid is somehow related to the queen...

Draco Plato

maybe their hair is the secret to the red gate

keii4ii

That's a good attitude probably at this point in time not trusting shit

Kabocha

and ethan has a dokkabi...

RebelVampire

well if were going through the life sucking or body sucking then it seems likely the elyeo magic is needed to sustain that. dont elyeo live super long?

Megaparsec

At first I wondered if the Elyeo died in childbirth

But that's been mostly disproven

Respheal

Okay but also Ethan using the magic stuff was pretty awesome

Darkhalo4321

yes ^

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I'm intrigued with the Elyeo lore too, as well as the Renchos

Tenor | Shinavar

Yeeee

Respheal

BUUUUUUURRRRRRN(edited)

keii4ii

ACTUALLY ------- ... ... (minor spoiler but I should still refrain)

Darkhalo4321

REFRAIN

Respheal

BE STRONG KEIIII

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

poor Keii, can't reveal anything yet

Mharz

Rencho lives longer iirc

Than elyeos

Tenor | Shinavar

Also I'm mad at everyone in that party when they had Hana and didn't think of finding a way to hide her ears while travelling. innocent babies asking for trouble ((I'm sure KittyBoi let i stay out for the trouble. He's a cat.))

keii4ii

Yeah, Lushaka is older than any Elyeo could ever be

mathtans

As to fave scene (again, only through the first 8), I kind of liked the dawning revelation of gender on Ethan's part. Just cleverly foreshadowed by the townsperson, then interesting graphics as the lightbulb went on.

The fight scenes were amazing too though.

Kabocha

Re: burning https://youtu.be/LH-QwK4v0ZI?t=88

Respheal

Kabo no

RebelVampire

@mathtans great scene choice math

Mharz

I like the gif on that

keii4ii

@Tenor | Shinavar Her ears were actually hidden when they ran into those bandits! The dude was just feeling for her ears just in case, out of the assumption that a white girl = potentially Elyeo

Darkhalo4321

oooo

Draco Plato

yeah her hair was covering her ears

keii4ii

Schrodinger's Elyeo

RebelVampire

ah thats right. but rencho probably dont make good body double things. cause if i was a body stealing "immortal" queen, id picked the bodies that could do the magic plant shit

Kabocha

^ YES 100%

I'm onboard with this.

Mharz

I mean yahhh

Draco Plato

plus plants are symbolic of new life and renewal

keii4ii

Yeah if you're immortal and you can steal bodies easily, longevity of the target body probably isn't a big factor

Tenor | Shinavar

I couldn't tell sorry :(

keii4ii

Though if it's difficult, that changes things

Megaparsec

Especially if you have a whole bunch of them right there

Tenor | Shinavar

But tyty on the heads up~

Kabocha

So... You know, maybe... Danbi's mom is now the Queen.

Temporarily.

mathtans

I found that whole 'listening to plants but being unable to talk back' aspect of the world building really neat.

Tenor | Shinavar

Makes me wanna punch them more lmao

Mharz

Kabo

Darkhalo4321

OH That's a good plot twist Kabo-

Draco Plato

forgive me danbi i must leave you to rule the world

Mharz

Rip

Superjustinbros

HAI

mathtans

"Am I not part of the world? Rule me."

Mharz

His mom seem to be a special kind of Elyeo

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

ohh I was wondering where her ears were, i didn't even see them in the comic

Tenor | Shinavar

Nah it's Danbi's mom but not her mind. Danbi gonna run up and hug mom and mom's gunna have a twisted smile on her face like 'Lol oh dear this is a problem"

RebelVampire

now tbf, maybe she didnt leave to rule the world. she went to help the queen and the queen keeled over. and danbi's mom is nothing if but an opportunist

keii4ii

@Joichi [Lavender Tea] They actually braid her hair around her ears

Mharz

Pft

Kabocha

Danbi's certainly an oddity though, being a male Elyeo...(edited)

Superjustinbros

Sorry I'm late, got caught up in this one thing I was doing

Mharz

He's half human tho

Draco Plato

looool

Tenor | Shinavar

Hana's braids pop up and twirl with her ears. Lil helicopter blades

Draco Plato

i would love that if the mom was just an opportunist

Mharz

Lol

Megaparsec

Well normally half human elyeo are just elyeo

As far as we know

Tenor | Shinavar

Annnd now stuck with Hana's braids spinning like the leek song, I'm off to feed my children brb

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I'd love to see a twist with Danbi's mom, whichever it'll be!

Respheal

“ Does Ethan’s Dad’s disappearance have some connection to Keol, or is it unrelated?”

I don't remember seeing this answered yet--I'm gonna say no. Ethan's flashbacks and dreams have sorta had Keol elements to them, but I'm attributing that just to him being in Keol and probably some of the Dokkabi influence. I don't think his dad is connected to Keol

Mharz

The thing is Elyeo's are all women

mathtans

Oh, and that braids thing! With the one braid meaning available but more meaning not ready for a relationship, that was fascinating to me. We need a system like that on Earth, maybe.

Kabocha

Ethan's dad is just baggage

Mharz

Which makes Danbi real strange

Draco Plato

is danbi trans

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

oh YES, I really like that culture too about the braids @mathtans I'd wish we had that system too(edited)

Draco Plato

if they're all women

keii4ii

He's cis

There was actually a bathhouse scene that got canceled

that would've answered that question

Draco Plato

so then he's a one of a kind

Megaparsec

As far as we know...

Draco Plato

yis

Respheal

If elyeo have a son with a human, the child is a human though right?

Darkhalo4321

Bathhouse sceeeene

Draco Plato

no they're supposed to be elyeo still i thought

keii4ii

@Respheal We may find out soon-ish!

Mharz

No I think they'll be elyeo

keii4ii

"soon-ish" in webcomic time terms

Kabocha

NOOOOOOOOOOO

Superjustinbros

Can I just jump in and say I like the art style/setting of this comic? It definitely hits the asian/oriental theme perfectly.

Kabocha

Soon TM

Draco Plato

five years from now we will know

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I thought Danbi simply dressed in women's clothes because of the job as a Sayori (?)

Megaparsec

It's been said in story that they would be elyeo, might be inaccurate though

Mharz

Tbf Danbi is wearing pants(edited)

RebelVampire

the specific wording was that daughters are guranteed to be elyeos

it said nothing about sons

keii4ii

It's been said their daughters will be Elyeo! But nothing's been said about sons

Mharz

Gasp

Megaparsec

Ah! Did not notice that!

keii4ii

Actually

The Korean version had Master say something about the sons, haha

Mharz

Me neither

Gasp

Kabocha

Since it was stated in the Korean version, can you... spoil us? :3

Mharz

Must. Learn. Korean

mathtans

SJB: Yeah, blows my mind about there being a Korean version that's translated. I wonder what gets lost in transition.

SevereWxEddie

Ditto

Superjustinbros

inb4 no spoiling

oh snap Korean owo

keii4ii

Elyeo sons all take after the father species (which makes sense if you think about how they reproduce in their home world: they reproduce with plants, not only continuing their own species, but also continuing the plants' as well)

mathtans

Cool plan about the speech balloons too. Lots of little touches like that. Makes me wonder what it looked like before apparently some edits were done on earlier pages.

Superjustinbros

That's cool seeing comics getting translated into asian languages(edited)

Draco Plato

oooooo

Megaparsec

HMMMM

But not entirely, because he has the funny hair color

mathtans

"That guy is a wall flower." has a whole different meaning on other worlds.

Latisha

That's interesting

Mharz

Come to think of it, we dont know who Danbi's dad is either

keii4ii

@Megaparsec Yep, the hair could still be an anomaly even with this new info!

@mathtans

So I don't know if I mentioned this in the authors' notes anywhere, but Elyeos are never heterosexual because they come from a world with no humanoid males.

Respheal

I got the gist that Danbi might have the genetics of an Elyeo, but the phenotype (since he's male) is....mostly human xD

Superjustinbros

Ooooooooh

So we're talking, 100% lesbian?

keii4ii

Some lesbian, some pan

Danbi's mom was pan

Mharz

Superjustinbros

At least you're not forcing les or pan pride down the reader's throats like what I see in a lot of things nowadays

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

awesome, I wanted to ask if there were queer characters in HnK that's a nice explanation too

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Danbi, who inevitably starts Ethan on his quest to the Heart of Keol, has plenty of his own mysteries. Do you think Danbi’s Elyeo heritage will get the group into trouble somehow? What do you think happened to Danbi’s mother? Is she at the Heart of Keol, or is something else going on? Do you think she’s even still alive? Do you think she was taken away, or did she perhaps leave by her own choice? Do you think Danbi will manage to locate her? And if so, what do you think will happen? What do you think Danbi will do if he reaches the Heart of Keol and finds out she isn’t there? Speaking of which, what in general do you think the Queen’s interest in Elyeo is?

keii4ii

@Joichi [Lavender Tea] The Dokkabi lady is also ace/aro! There's at least one other queer character who's been introduced, but I... may keep that one secret since it's a secret for her

(queer other than Elyeos, that is)

Mharz

He did dye his hair, right?

Superjustinbros

Ooooooo~

keii4ii

(Elyeos AND Renchos)

mathtans

Danbi's mother is new Queen. Calling it now. ^^

Latisha

I think it will bring trouble sometime later

Mharz

Renchos are all men, correct?

Superjustinbros

tfw I just remembered Queer and Queen rhyme

Respheal

I wonder if that's the transgender character you mentioned early on

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

@keii4ii aw thank you, no problem, glad to have that confirmed ^^

keii4ii

@Mharz THERE WAS THAT GIRL!

Mharz

Oh yeah dang

Wooops

keii4ii

Though I guess it could've been a boy wearing a skirt

Superjustinbros

SPOILED

keii4ii

Naw, the Rencho girl is cis

Mharz

Sorry that slipped my mind lol

mathtans

Gotta have a girl somewhere. Only guys are disposable.

keii4ii

It's fine! She hasn't had a lot of screentime

Superjustinbros

lmao

Mharz

I'm curious if Danbi dyeing his hair works

Superjustinbros

Would Danbi get powers of he deyed his hair(edited)

Respheal

Elyeo hair doesn't seem like it....glows or anything

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I want to believe Danbi's Mama is alive now everyone's theories make me have a feeling she may make a return. I mean at first the implications seem like she was taken away.

Mharz

At least he doesn't have ears

Respheal

So I can't imagine it'd show through the dye

Mharz

That made sense tho why he's braiding it

mathtans

Maybe Ethan will have to make a choice between getting back to see his Dad and saving Danbi's Mom.

Superjustinbros

Just maybe(edited)

Mharz

Becos there's their tradition about hair

Tenor | Shinavar

3> Yes, Danbi's already causing problems just due to how careful they have to be. I believe mom originally went to the heart but if she's still there is up to debate. I do like the concept she left of her own choice - mostly because I'm exhausted of constantly reading about bad parents and it's been getting hella isolating so the idea she'd have gone willingly, to protect her children, is really want I hope for.

SevereWxEddie

@mathtans ooo, that's mean

keii4ii

We writers are a mean breed

Darkhalo4321

WE ARE

RebelVampire

im torn on what i believe about the mom. i expect a subversion of them finding her at the heart though. so not being there, was there but died of something unrelated, going somewhere entirely.

Superjustinbros

>giving your characters in your stories hell The truth, keii

RebelVampire

maybe ethan is wrong, a gate opened on his world, and danbi's mom was on earth the whole time.

Mharz

Gasp

mathtans

Nadeko agrees.

Maybe Danbi's mom is the mystery woman who sent Ethan?

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

@Tenor | Shinavar I agree with the bad parents, and the neglectful parent trope

Megaparsec

Ooh do we have evidence people get pulled out of this world too?

I don't think anyone's said anything but I guess they wouldn't know

Tenor | Shinavar

Joi: I'm okay with it once in a while but honestly it feels like it's been nothing but everything I've read lately to the point I think I'm getting sensitive to the topic lmao

Mharz

Not yet at least

mathtans

There's no evidence to the contrary. ^.^

Mharz

Tho I think it's a possibility.

keii4ii

There's something I wanna point out, and it's been shown in the comic, but merely pointing it out might count as a spoiler

Tenor | Shinavar

lulll

Megaparsec

I wonder if the linked worlds get portals between them too

Mharz

That ppl can go from keol to earth.

Tenor | Shinavar

^It would support the "Dad went to Keol" theory

Superjustinbros

oh boi spoilers

Tenor | Shinavar

and backs the chance Ethan can get home

bc tbh, I think he needs to go home. He doesn't have closure

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

*half reading the rest of the comic, half responding.

Tenor | Shinavar

and the idea that he'll just up and abandon his dad feels off

Mharz

Yas

No he does intend to go back

Tenor | Shinavar

I understand he doesn't have the best life but considering how absorbed and protective he is of his faher, I can' imagine him leaving that just because he made some friends

keii4ii

Yeah

Darkhalo4321

What if he could go home, but go back?

I'd be okay with that-

Mharz

Remember the first time he heard of he heart is that there's a way he can go back to Earth there

Superjustinbros

The power of friends.

Mharz

Why he agrees to come with Danbi

Tenor | Shinavar

True

SevereWxEddie

Very true

Respheal

I don't think they know there's a way back at the Heart

Mharz

He clings to the hope his dad will remember him

Respheal

Just that, if there IS a way, someone there would probably know

mathtans

waits for keii4ii to point out the thing...

keii4ii

Not sure if a good idea

Mharz

Lol

Tenor | Shinavar

See I'm more curious: Is it dad doesn't remember him, or is dad locked into a level of traumatized dellusion to the point he doesn't see Ethan is there

Superjustinbros

@mathtans

mathtans

Thing about Ethan going home is I feel like that would be at the end of the comic? Since him coming started it all off.

Tenor | Shinavar

Because in war PTSD you can relive that moment over and over and over-

(Assuming it's that ofc)

Mharz

He thinks Ethan is his dad tho(edited)

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

right now its just fan speculation, I don't mind if the author prefers to show it in the work

Tenor | Shinavar

Mharz: That can be a triggering thing happening still

SevereWxEddie

@Tenor | Shinavar

Mharz

Yahh

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

yeah I agree with Mathtans, I typically expect it to be at the end, or near the end

Superjustinbros

PTSD sounds scary though

Mharz

It does

Tenor | Shinavar

A friend's father who had severe PTSD thought he was someone in the army he faced down

Respheal

Since it's mostly guessed at that electricity might have been a torture method resulting in Ethan's dad's current state, it's also possible the electricity literally fried his brain a bit (edited)

Superjustinbros

Christ

Tenor | Shinavar

He's been beaten up by his dad in those moments because he's mentally not there

I's horrifying and TBH If it IS that, I feel SO MUCH for Ethan and his mother especially

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

yikes that is really hard to live with..

Mharz

Sorry I have to step off early. It's gym day today. I'll answer the rest of the questions later. :'3

Tenor | Shinavar

Bai Mharz~

Superjustinbros

Alright, cya

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

see you Mharz

Superjustinbros

What a hard life these guys have lived

Tenor | Shinavar

Resp: Could also be Ethan looks like his dad, too, since Ethan got raits from his dad

so it just who he assumes it is?

Respheal

Oh true

keii4ii

Someone in the comment section noticed in the tentacle market scene, that Ethan acts like someone who had a lot of experience caring for a person with serious triggers (since he was kinda assuming the sight of tentacle food = triggers for Lushaka). I was so happy that they noticed it (•̩̩̩ ᴗ •̩̩̩)

Draco Plato

the electricity could relate to something on keol since their glowy powers could be seen as that

Superjustinbros

lol

Kabocha

I had... assumed that would be the case too XD

he was like "NO LU, THEY'RE NOT TRYING TO EAT YOU"

RebelVampire

tbh though what happens if ethan goes back on that vain hope his dad will recognize him and nothing of the sort happens? i feel that would be horribly traumatizing for ethan, and the situation probably is already traumatizing

Respheal

@keii4ii that was so cute

keii4ii

@Draco Plato And if they can "burn," who says that can't include frying things with electricity?

Draco Plato

yus, exactly

Tenor | Shinavar

Rebel: If he's matured enough to accept what's happened, he could theoretically find peace

theoretically

Superjustinbros

That's actually pretty clever

Tenor | Shinavar

Big emphasis

mathtans

So, about Danbi, will there be a scene where he has to go undercover as a woman? (seeks a more lighthearted thread)

Tenor | Shinavar

Because that'll depend a lot on how he matures, if he matures

SevereWxEddie

Maybe, but that would sound like it could be a very downer "ending"

keii4ii

@mathtans Technically he is unintentionally doing that 24/7

SevereWxEddie

@RebelVampire

RebelVampire

i do not look to ethan as my beacon of potential maturity yet XD

mathtans

@keii4ii This is true... intentionally then?

Draco Plato

I wondered if ethan was something other than human too and that he has a deeper connection to keol

Tenor | Shinavar

Plot Twist: Ethan is the one who has to go undercover as a woman

keii4ii

Actually there was a canceled arc

Draco Plato

that'd be a very Thor mythos moment, lol

Kabocha

All hail Queen Ethan?

Darkhalo4321

OOooh- That's an interesting twist @Draco Plato

keii4ii

where Danbi had to pose as a female suyori

But he didn't want to

SevereWxEddie

If Ethan comes back and nothing has changed that would be a very downer ending. If he comes back and his adventures help him find peace in his situation, I suppose that would be bittersweet?

keii4ii

So Ethan proposed that he (Ethan) and Lushaka also dress as women, for morale

Superjustinbros

Did Draco just pull a twist?

keii4ii

So the three of them show up at the destination wearing feminine clothes

Tenor | Shinavar

Lushaka was the prettiest, I bet /shot

RebelVampire

this sounds like a good arc.

keii4ii

and the local head suyori (the person they were attempting to deceive) instantly picks out Lushaka, not Ethan, as a man in disguise

Draco Plato

wouldn't his hair give him away

cause of how it grows in

Tenor | Shinavar

...would it? Cause we only know how boys grow, not girls

Draco Plato

we saw the little girl's hair tho

Tenor | Shinavar

If it's not the same then yeah

Draco Plato

and it grew all around

keii4ii

because she assumed someone who looks like Ethan would have to be really dumb to try to pass as a woman, so Ethan must be an ultra-masculine woman

Tenor | Shinavar

True - I just assumed she was longer furred and was using that lmao

Superjustinbros

How common are ultra-masculine women in this world anyways?

mathtans

So Ethan has to dress up like a woman and is mistaken for Danbi's mother. Hijinks ensue.

Superjustinbros

Kinda curious now

keii4ii

Naw, the little girl's hair was also short on the sides. But her ear fluff covers her head too much

Draco Plato

oooh okay

keii4ii

Also remember she asks Lushaka if he's "secretly her age" based on his hair

So the hair thing is more related to physical maturity

Tenor | Shinavar

Ahh ok

keii4ii

Like a lion mane

Draco Plato

which made me wonder if girls get hair all around sooner

and that his height difference should have been a tip off to her that he was older

keii4ii

Hence "secretly"

"are you actually a kid who happens to be super tall and uh... not very kid-looking"

Draco Plato

do girls get hair all around sooner than boys do?

Superjustinbros

"Maybe."

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

aw I would have love to see that arc where Ethan and Lushaka dress as women. Since I see Danbi as Danbi being cute, because he fits in any clothes

keii4ii

@Draco Plato Yeah. Girls grow faster

Draco Plato

so then you could identify lukasha as a boy by that at his height and apparent age

Tenor | Shinavar

LOL

Omg Luk on stilts

wheeze

keii4ii

Not really, he's not supposed to have that kinda hair when the rest of his body is clearly adult

RebelVampire

i want the arc mostly for ethan trying to pass as a woman. cause literally danbi, why would you think thatd work at all

Superjustinbros

"Drag time, you say?"

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

yes, I really like that twist!

mathtans

Would Ethan wear one braid? O.o

Tenor | Shinavar

C-Can he wear a braid?

Or would it be an amazing wig?

Superjustinbros

This would be a fun twist~

keii4ii

Maybe they can make a baby braid out of Ethan's floof

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

it would probably be a wig XD

Draco Plato

technically ethan could pass as a woman in the sense they have different species passing through the red gate regularly and he could just be a new species

should just tell them that

Tenor | Shinavar

True

mathtans

"I'm actually a mineral."

Respheal

A very, very big species

Superjustinbros

Interesting

RebelVampire

touche, he is the new giant species

Tenor | Shinavar

Ethan just pulls out all the cultural knowledge he knows from America to try to make up a new species from the Red Gate

keii4ii

He's not a human, he's a Murican

Draco Plato

I am cowboy

Tenor | Shinavar

MURICAN AKSJDHKALSD

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I'd love to see him put fruit in his robes, and try to pretend having big melons

Respheal

OH NO

Superjustinbros

"MERICAN! #*&@ YEAH"(edited)

Tenor | Shinavar

Bombs, for best reference

plz bombs

Kabocha

He puts on his robe and wizard hat...

Superjustinbros

YES BOMBS

*explosions everywhare

Tenor | Shinavar

Kabo: sTOP MAKING ME FEEL OLD

Respheal

Kabo no

Superjustinbros

KABO WHAT ARE YOU DOIN

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I don't know what's happening anymore

mathtans

"Your fruits are unbalanced."

keii4ii

I'm sure he would've loved to put on his robe and wizard hat when he first met Adela

Superjustinbros

"fix your fruits please."

Kabocha

He sure was going there with Danbi

mathtans

"Wait, that's not a wizard HAT...."

SevereWxEddie

Why am I now reminded of that scene from "Robin Hood: Men in Tights?"

Superjustinbros

>Men in Tights

RebelVampire

the idea of ethan trying to fight adela in a wizard robe and hat is too funny

Tenor | Shinavar

Though speaking of Adela, I'm curious on her role. I know she serves to bring in others of her kind but it makes me think how bad it is ifor them there if she's willing to do it

Like, is she getting something out of it? Does she feel the outside world is worse?

RebelVampire

well the outside world is filled with hunters

Respheal

MMMMMMMMM just because you're part of a group doesn't mean you won't do nasty things to that group

mathtans

Less of a minority?

Kabocha

It's safer for sure

Maybe she wants to be next in line for empress

RebelVampire

but also what res said

Tenor | Shinavar

Resp: Tis true, I'm just curious if she is or is she doing it as a sense of righteousness

An evil for the greater good or however the statement goes

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Plenty of other events in the comic still have their own needed answers. Do you think Lushaka has an ulterior motive for traveling with Ethan and Danbi? Do you think Lushaka will be able to get his legs healed, or will he be suck with the poison? What about Adela? Do you think she’ll manage to overcome her head injury to hear the plants again, or is something else going on? What does Adela have to do with the “song” Danbi remembers hearing in the past surrounding his mother? World wise, what do you think is going on with the people of Xi? Will their outrage affect Ethan’s group in some way? Lastly, due to the similar Korean language, do you think there’s a hidden connection between Keol and Earth?

Respheal

Certainly she thinks it's probably the best choice, but maybe based on incomplete information

Superjustinbros

Get them healed

I doubt medical services are that primitive(edited)

Kabocha

Give Adela 2 or 3 years, she'll be fine. I think. I mean.

Respheal

My guess re: language was that one of the first Earth people to get sucked into the red gate was probably Korean?

Kabocha

....Eventually she'll be okay.

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I really like Lushaka and how we're not sure about his motives. Probably just want to get his legs healed(edited)

Tenor | Shinavar

4> I think the song Danbi heard is the plants' natural song around a mature of their species. I hope Adela + Luk both don't get fixed so they can fuck with each other like old war vets for that stint lmao.

Long old!married couple levels of bickering

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

I'm not always good at thinking up head canons(edited)

Superjustinbros

Me neither, tbh

mathtans

There's a lot that happens after part 10. ^.^;;

Kabocha

@Joichi [Lavender Tea] the secret to head canons is to extrapolate to the most logical but bizarre outcome

eg: The Queen is a Dokkabi. Maybe.

Superjustinbros

Thanks for the strategy @Kabocha

Kabocha

The trick is it needs to be somewhat plausible.

Respheal

But that's completely plausible

mathtans

Maybe the plants are just talking at a different pitch around Adela. Doesn't hear certain frequencies. Could hear... dandelions? (They're significant and all...)

Tenor | Shinavar

On the people of Xi: Sounds like some seriously oppressed shit - like, for comparison, the levels of xenophobic hatred similar to America and Muslims right now.

(Just with more severe repercussions)

(Or actions, anyway, considering the deahs mentioned)

keii4ii

Yeah, it's really bad to say the least

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

thank you Kabo and Keii!

SevereWxEddie

I wonder about the connection to Earth! Especially the existence of the railroad. It seems like technology levels vary wildly across Keol: where Ethan landed, there were simple farms all around, and he and the party boarded a sailing boat. Now their destination has a railroad (with what looks like a diesel locomotive) and all of the tech that requires. I wonder if the railroad is around because of its proximity to the city with all the Red Gaters? Those who come through the Gate bringing their knowledge with them?

Superjustinbros

oooooh

RebelVampire

adela and danbi's mom are sisters

Tenor | Shinavar

Oh god

RebelVampire

my plausible but crazy theory

Respheal

So the gates do space AND time shenanigans? Are the time flows of Earth and Keol linked?

keii4ii

The tech disparity was largely inspired by the situation in Korea in recent history! Countryside vs cities had huuuuge differences, like different worlds

Respheal

Or will the gate sometimes grab a person from like....the distant past or future

mathtans

Oh, I like when the real world is mirrored in ways one doesn't necessarily realize.

RebelVampire

that is a good question res

SevereWxEddie

@keii4ii ahhhhhhhhhhh

mathtans

Res: Maybe Ethan returns only to become his own dad?

Superjustinbros

Now I want to see that happen

Oh snap

Tenor | Shinavar

Math: GGGGGGGGG

I debaed that once but I couldn't work it out

Superjustinbros

Paradox, much?

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

@Respheal that is a good question, makes me think about portal travelling in a new way

keii4ii

That actually has huge implications with THIS story

Not canon but if it were

Ethan being his own dad, I mean

Draco Plato

that'd be awesome

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

LOL why does it reminds me of.. a film somewhere. can't remember it. Maybe I'm thinking of Back to the Future

Superjustinbros

"My future self is my daddy"

keii4ii

"When I grow up, I wanna be just like my daddy!"

Superjustinbros

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

then oh shit... wished too hard

Superjustinbros

Pretty mcuh that

Draco Plato

you are your daddy

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

NOOOO *epic screams

Draco Plato

then you're like damn i sucked as my own dad

and now i have nobody to blame but myself

Superjustinbros

This talk

Draco Plato

that sounds like something i'd write, lol

Superjustinbros

@mathtans you are so good at this

RebelVampire

haha im gonna be honest, i entertained the idea of ethan being his own grandfather for a bit

as a theory

Draco Plato

i did too for a moment in the beginning, lol

Tenor | Shinavar

Futurama proved it can be set up ?shot

RebelVampire

but i was like "no no its probalby just ptsd. probably"

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

omg.. I love how this convo became a paradox XD

Draco Plato

and then i thought naaaaaaah they won't go there

Respheal

the cats in the cradle with the silver spoon, l-little boy blue...and the--the--

Kabocha

Ethan's real name is Fry.

Superjustinbros

inb4 let's paradox this world even further

SevereWxEddie

YAAAAAASSSSS

keii4ii

My brain is exploding

Superjustinbros

Boil, Grill, or fry?

RebelVampire

i did wonder if keol was just korea of the long forgotten past though. as a theory to explain the connection

Draco Plato

ah that could be

Superjustinbros

Maybe, i'd believe it if that was the case

SevereWxEddie

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey shenanigans ensued? I thought that at first too.

keii4ii

I haven't shown the map yet, but the geography is very different

Superjustinbros

oooh!?

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

Hmm that is plausible, if Keol is an ancient Korea.. although I have to look it up

mathtans

Originally as I started reading I did wonder if it was still like Earth. But enough stuff happened pretty soon to dispell that notion.

Superjustinbros

I googled Keol and I jsut got things related to music

keii4ii

Keol is way bigger than Korea ever was, for one thing

mathtans

That language connection thing is really interesting though. I wonder if humans get sucked in who don't speak Korean and are kind of screwed.

keii4ii

Yeah, Ethan would've had an even harder time if he didn't speak any Korean

Megaparsec

I suspect most of the people here did cross over from Earth at one point, because of the language and physical similarity. Possibly some kind of super-Gate pulling in a whole group of people?

Joichi [Lavender Tea]

YESS, i thought about that too, going; dang I envy you Ethan. I wouldn't be able to speak to ANYONE at all if I were in Keol

Megaparsec

In the far past of both worlds

Kabocha

Did the Rencho also speak Korean?

SevereWxEddie

@mathtans yes, didn't the lady with the M&Ms say she had that problem? (Her actual name escapes me)

keii4ii

Renchos speak their own languages in their home world, and have to pick up Korean when they come to Keol

Superjustinbros

lol

keii4ii

Same with Elyeos

Though Inductors are required to learn at least some basic phrases in the most common Elyeo language

Tenor | Shinavar

Yeah like 'You're under arrest' /shot

Superjustinbros

Do there exist translators in Keol?

RebelVampire

darn you geography. maybe keol is another dimension of earth where history took a different course entirely

keii4ii

I'm sure there are some?

mathtans

SevereW: I think that's later than I got to. ^_^;

keii4ii

like Lushaka still speaks the Rencho home world tongue, and could interpret if needed

SevereWxEddie

Ah, that'd do it.

keii4ii

The blue speech balloons were the Rencho language

when he was talking to Mr. Jaguar

Superjustinbros

oooh~

do I hear exparimenting with speech ballons with different visuals?

RebelVampire

on a side note i was sad for ethan that he found a fellow earthling...only they didnt really speak english

Superjustinbros

I always like when comics do that.

RebelVampire

that would be such a huge letdown for anyone(edited)

keii4ii

Note he had to switch to Korean for "arrows" and "archers" because Renchos don't have those words in their native languages

Darkhalo4321

ooooo

Kabocha

Yeah, I notice Ethan's text color changes if he needs to use an English word too

SevereWxEddie

That's a really neat method, by the way

Kabocha

and then Danbi's got a wispier textbubble to indicate his voice being very.... I dunno, soft? Scratchy? In my head it sounds somewhat raspy.

SevereWxEddie

Of telling readers what language is being used

Draco Plato

danbi's smoker voice XD

Superjustinbros

lol

keii4ii

Danbi is special

mathtans

Agreed. In the Korean version, is just the English words used, I wonder?

Superjustinbros

What would a speech bubble of someone sleepy look like(edited)

keii4ii

@SevereWxEddie Thanks! It's not a perfect solution but it works, and I'm happy enough with that

SevereWxEddie

You're welcome!

keii4ii

@mathtans I used a different font for English words in the Korean version. Wasn't doing the color thing at that time

Superjustinbros

oooh

mathtans

Before we close, I just want to say the colouring and shading and stuff is freaking amazing. High frequency of posts but also such quality.

Superjustinbros

Seconding this.

SevereWxEddie

Thirding

keii4ii

Thank you!

SevereWxEddie

The art is freaking gorgeous!

Superjustinbros

I'd like to say in personal thoughts- good luck with the story, @keii4ii. You got some really awesome plotlines and setpieces backed up with some great characterization and character designs and I hope it only gets bigger form there.

keii4ii

wait

Are CTPs allowed to end without a ship discussion

Superjustinbros

Especially something with lots of themes based on Korea.

Kabocha

OMG!

Darkhalo4321

I HAVE A SHIP

Kabocha

Lu/Ethan

Superjustinbros

I HEAR DSHIPS

Darkhalo4321

YES

Superjustinbros

FOUR MINUTE SHIP DISCUSSION

Tenor | Shinavar

I can't ship Ethan

keii4ii

The naval forces have been summoned

Tenor | Shinavar

It hurts too much

Darkhalo4321

Yeah, Ethan is a bit.... Not shippable RIGHT YET

Kabocha

Well, the naval was what he was focusing on

:'3

Darkhalo4321

But he's growing and I'm excited for the man he'll be later on!

Tenor | Shinavar

EXACTLY

HE'S TOO INNOCENT

SevereWxEddie

Well, the lack of navel forces was apparent in that one comic

Darkhalo4321

for now

keii4ii

Ethan's not quite emotionally ready for a long term, committed relationship yet

Kabocha

ANYWAY, ETHAN/LU IS THE SHIP I AM ON BOARD WITH

yet

Darkhalo4321

yet

Tenor | Shinavar

TBH I enjoy the idea of Danbi/Lu

Respheal

yet

Tenor | Shinavar

Super passive with a fucking troll

Superjustinbros

Shall we set sail? ;3c

Kabocha

Rebel it is super important that you italicise those yets

Tenor | Shinavar

+ Lu would protect Danbi who may be doomed to a life in prison

Tenor | Shinavar

he's already a dick who doesn't listen to orders

mathtans

I wondered if Ethan and Danbi would go somewhere. Maybe ship Ethan and the Queen? Calling it now.

Tenor | Shinavar

Just pocket the boy and go bouncing speedily away once healed /shot

RebelVampire

i sit on the Lu/Ethan ship myself. dont care about ethan's innocence the googly eyes are there

Kabocha

Math, you missed the Ethan is the Queen theory

Respheal

The "Ethan no" moments

Kabocha

or will be the Queen

Tenor | Shinavar

...Lu leaning on Danbi with this knowing ass smile at Ad, too like "Yeah. I know what he is. Does it bother you we're dating?"

Draco Plato

i was more for danbi/ethan but super don't think that's going to happen now XD

Respheal

But also catching Ethan when he was passing out after accidentally dokkabi'ing himself?

mathtans

Kabocha: Oops. Ethan shipped with himself then.

Tenor | Shinavar

-Talking myself more into this ship, fuck-

Darkhalo4321

YES ( to res's comment)(edited)

Tenor | Shinavar

-I can't draw this, the pain is real-

Kabocha

lmao

Superjustinbros

Heehee~

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to keiiii, as well, for making Heart of Keol. If you liked the comic, make sure to support keiiii’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://www.heartofkeol.com/

keiiii’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/keii4ii

keiiii’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiiii4

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about Finding Home by Hari. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, October 4th, from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: https://tapas.io/series/FindingHome

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #heart of keol #keiiii

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leighleighpresents-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Diana Anaid Interview (2010)

GQ: Hi Diana, how are you today?

DA: Fantastic, thank you!

GQ: It’s now been about 6 years since your last studio album, Beautiful Obscene, so how is it to be back in the studio?

DA: It’s fantastic to get back on the road with the new tunes, I can’t tell you. I’m loving playing with the band …

GQ: This is the first album Craig (Latham, bass player) has played on, isn’t it?

DA: Absolutely, yeah. Craig’s on a few of the tracks, not that many, but he’s having a shot at it, haha! We started recording with him, then he got called away for Uni, but we finished the record, and I added a few new tracks since then, including some that aren’t on the record, did the album cover, but Craig’s really excited about it all. He’s been working on the songs, and rehearsing them with us, and looking forward to coming down for the millionth time.

GQ: On the new album, you do a cover of “What’s Up”. Have you had any feedback from Linda Perry about it?

DA: It’s really weird actually, cos she really loved my song “Last Thing” from Beautiful Obscene, and she wanted to do some songwriting with me, which I was so incredibly touched about, and just honoured that she would even like any of my songs, but that never actually eventuated, and I do know people who work with her, and I’ve asked them to PLEASE show her this version that I’ve recorded, and they said they will, but we’re talking about an incredibly busy woman, and she probably costs like $100,000 an hour or something to sit with, so I haven’t heard back from her yet, but all my friends and fans seem to love it, and say that it really rocks and I’ve done it justice, so that’s cool.

GQ: When I first heard it, that was on your tour from last October, and I was like “wow”, and I was so glad when I found out it was going to be on the album.

DA: I know, and it’s the first cover I’ve ever recorded, and it’s definitely a hats off and kudos to Linda Perry, who I absolutely dig and love as a songwriter. I love what she did for James Blunt and Pink, so thumbs up, she’s amazing. This is definitely my way of giving her kudos. I mean, we just performed it at the Caxton St Seafood and Wine Festival in Brisbane, just to kick off the tour, and the crowd loved it, like, there was I Go Off, and then that song, and it was just so cool.

GQ: The new album is quite different to your previous albums, and you sound more empowered now. What made you take that direction with your writing?

DA: I think it’s definitely a factor that it’s now been over a decade that I’ve been in the industry, and done a few records. I’ve done a lot of exposé’s, a lot of soul-searching interviews where people have gotten to know a little bit about me, but this record is letting people know a little bit more. My son’s gotten older, so I feel like I can be less censored now, and so they’re more personal lyrics. It has been over 10 years, so I want people to know I’m the sort of person you can relate to, and have as a part of your life, and to show that I’ve gone through hard things, so, if I can make it through it, then you can as well.

GQ: That’s what I love about songwriting, when people can relate to you, even when the subject you wrote about is totally different to what the listener is thinking of.

DA: Oh, definitely, and that’s where music got me from the very first day that I can remember. I was like 4 or 5, and the radio was telling such important stories in the songs, and I was motherless, and when I was like 4 or 5, he was already in gaol, so I was in a foster home, and sometimes the radio held some very powerful, emotive moments that took me through difficult parts of my life, and I know that happens to so many people, and that’s why I got into music in the first place, so I can try to make a difference to people that don’t have it easy.

GQ: Yeah, that’s for sure. One of the songs on your album, Trophy Wife, talks about being an LA trophy wife. What’s the meaning behind that particular song? Would you ever move to LA?

DA: Well, in LA, you see a lot of elderly ladies who look like they’re in their early 20’s, and they’ve had a lot of work done, and I don’t think they even have a day job, it’s like their job is just to make themselves look pretty. Like, they’re old, but they’ve got the plumped up lips, and the blonde hair, and no weight on their body, so they probably don’t even eat. They’ve obviously got a Mafia boyfriend or Italian boyfriend, or something there to make it worth hanging in for, and actually making that change worth it. I’m talking about those thin, blonde, pouted-up-with-collagen, plastic surgery, and just really plastic people that you find in LA. They’re not all around America, it’s just in LA. We have them in Australia too, up in the Gold Coast. It’s just a strange thing that’s funny to see, and I thought it’d be funny to write about.

GQ: There’s a few songs coming out now that are quite cynical about “plastic people” …

DA: I think there was definitely a period in LA where famous people and beautiful people, even fake songwriters were quite respected and loved, and but when you dig beneath the surface, which is what people are doing these days, you really wanna get back to the basis of it all, and that’s what I’m getting at when I say I was born in the wrong time. When you look at Woodstock and the ‘60’s, the whole thing with those musicians is they were out there trying to make a change. I mean, I don’t think Paris Hilton is out there trying to make a change, and I don’t think she should be releasing a record.

GQ: Haha! I think a lot of people might agree with you there. Random question for you: with all your records, if you had to choose just one song to keep as your own, which would it be and why?

DA: Ooh, well, when I was really little, I wrote this song called “Sent By A Dove Was Love”. Of course, the dove symbolised peace, so it was like a reference to that, and I realised, after writing that song, it wasn’t the best rhyme I could do to illustrate what I was trying to say. If I hadn’t written that song, I would never have realised that the best way to say things is really “I go off, and if you don’t believe that, I’ll go off right here, right now.” Very simple, haha!

GQ: And that’s probably one of your best known songs too!

DA: Exactly! And “we’ll have a dog instead of a kid, we’ll be the perfect family” . Now, my kid is almost 17, so that’s another one of my best lyrics, everyone relates to that lyric as well.

GQ: Oh, I don’t know, the way my dog is acting at the moment, I’d happily swap!

DA: That’s not nice, haha! What about “it’s the last thing I need right now, no way, no boys allowed”? You wouldn’t happen to relate to that one, would you?

GQ: I can get in my moods with that, especially after 4 years …

DA: Haha! Nah, I couldn’t live without any of my songs. The record label that signed me up in 97, Origin Records, the manager of that label loved my song Forola, and no one particularly knows that song, that’s why I called my record label Forola Music, because there was an emotional impact with that manager, and that was a beautiful thing, it’s great for someone to have a connection with a song.

GQ: With Forola, that’s one of those songs that actually sounds better live than it does in the studio. I heard it on the single for Don’t Believe In Love, I think it was…

DA: I think that was the Live At The Wireless recording from Triple J. That was a really special moment for us, because, as a band, we had an incredible night that night, and we really enjoyed playing the songs, and definitely came across perfectly, the way we wanted it to, so it probably does come across better live than on the recorded version. To be honest, they have that touch and that connection with the audience that can only come across with less distance and more intimacy.

GQ: That’s true, but even in terms of the music side, Forola came across more grungy live, which suited it more.

DA: Oh sure, well that’s normal with a band that’s always half-pissed and lacking asleep. You call that grunge music, I call that terrible, hopeless, bloody pathetic!

GQ: Don’t forget, you’re talking about yourself here too, haha!

DA: Oh yeah … no, I’m the only one that’s alive and awake and being fantastic. But yeah, we do try to bring across a bit of grunge. I mean, look at your (chat)name, “veruca_boi” … Veruca Salt, fucking PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, The Pixies, I mean, bring it back as far as you want, Jimi Hendrix … we’re definitely more into the grungy stuff than the pop or simple rock.

GQ: Yeah, well there’s more emotion in distorted guitars …

DA: There’s definitely more emotion in distorted guitars. I mean, on our records, we layer our guitars, and this record that we’ve just put out is the least layered of all of them. I’m a layer fan from way back, you know, 20 layers on each track on I Don’t Think I’m Pregnant … no I’m joking with you, but at least 10.

GQ: Yeah, you can tell some of the songs are pretty heavily layered … but I guess one of your own songs that would definitely describe you would be Blaring Out …

DA: Absolutely. That’s the thing, I’ve always been loving my music loud, and opinionated people, different people, you know, rebels, people that are just trying to fuck with the trend of society, they’re definitely more interesting than the average run-of-the-mill person.

GQ: Oh, I can so relate to you on that! Now, from one guitarist to another, I have to ask: how many different tunings do you actually play with on your songs?

DA: Hehe … well, I Go Off is CCCGCC, and then I Don’t Think I’m Pregnant is FCCGCC, then Love Song For A Girl is DADAAD, then Last Thing is EAC#AAE, and some of my other songs are EAEEBE, then Don’t Believe In Love and Make Me Change My Name are something else, then just go to straight Dropped-D and you get Perfect Family, Addiction, Blaring Out, Dumb Opinion, Fill Me Up, and a few others, then in standard tuning, you get What’s Up, Nothing Special, and a few others as well. I used to carry around like 5 guitars on tour with me, and I still couldn’t do everyone’s favourites, but now I have an electronic guitar called the *insert name here* which I’ll show you when I come down, and it’s a fantastic guitar that can have 16 different tunings programmed into it, and I have 10 programmed in now, so in a 15 song set, I have 10 different tunings.

GQ: At least now I can work out how to play them, now I have the tunings!

DA: Well, keep checking out my website, cos next week I’ll be putting up the tablature for I Go Off, and I’ll be putting more up in the near future for the old songs, and some of the new songs over the next year while we’re promoting the new cd. But I can say, with all honesty, I can play all my songs with flying colours at the moment, the band and I are so excited to be coming down to Melbourne, and the last two gigs we did in NSW were like a warm-up …

GQ: Haha, oh, I feel so special now! So is Stone (Diana’s son) going to get into music, do you think? Or just stick to the circus stuff? Maybe you should bring him down to perform while you’re playing … possibly during Cynical On Waking?

DA: Well, the show on the 15th is his 17th birthday, so I’ll be celebrating in my own way. He’s really good at the circus stuff, and has performed at Splendour On The Grass, it’s his second performance as a juggler/circus performer, but he’s also a really good musician, he’s done some really fantastic performances, mainly with hip-hop, he’s a great spokesperson for hip-hop … no, I’m just joking. He did a couple of really good hip-hop things when he was in school, but now he’s focussing on his HSC studies, so not a lot of time for music, he doesn’t want to drop out like his deadbeat mother did, he’s going to finish school.

GQ: Well, I guess if he does decide to go into music, he has a label to go to! Have you signed up any other artists with Forola Music yet?

DA: I’ve got a couple of interested people, I’ve just got to bring in funds so I can promote them properly, but I’ve definitely had some REALLY good people send in their material wanting to sign up, but I’m still learning how to do it all myself. I’ll be the guinea pig, give it a couple of records, and then hopefully I’ll be able to help other people, but yeah, there’s seriously some talented people out there.

GQ: This is the 3rd disc you’ve released under the label so far, right?

DA: The first one was Live At The Bush Theatre, and then there was Cheatin’ On Me, and now this album. There was also the Cynical On Waking single, but that was digital only.

GQ: Why isn’t Cheatin’ On Me on the album?

DA: That was a special track. It was more of an interim track between Beautiful Obscene and the new album, and when I release something like that, I don’t usually include it on the album that follows. It’s the same as we did with Oh No in ’98, just an interim track between the debut and I Don’t Think I’m Pregnant, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be on a future release, cos I re-recorded Oh No for Beautiful Obscene, so a re-recording isn’t out of the question. I LOVE that song, love the film clip, and really dig the tune, but this album was something different. We recorded it in it’s entirety in 2 weeks, so we didn’t want to include anything old, we just wanted new tracks recorded in that session.

#Diana Anaid #GenQ

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eschapters · 7 years ago

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Chapter 33: Eye?

"This was a stupid idea..." Etalt was now saltier than she ever had been throughout the whole trip, if Alair completely leaving her out in the rain and not being there to prevent her accidents wasn't counted. Salty didn't even begin to describe it. It was pure resentment. The five were now on the way to the other end of Glister Bay. Although Alair, Logan and Hugo had insisted on stopping by a store first, both Etalt and Fabian ended up having to drag them to the entrance by foot. However, Hugo wasn't dragged due to happily complying nonetheless. While the two boys were being dragged, they all had gotten looks from the passing people. "Hah, weak," a passerby had chuckled, "Let himself be beaten by a girl." Fabian turned, and screamed as the man who had said that had been blown right off the ground and into the sky. Hugo laughed loudly before he took a bite out of the apple he held. The rest of the passing statements were either questioning who the group was, where they were from, why they were here or other unnecessary things. For instance, one would question how Alair wasn't suffering from the pressure of his bag. Another was questioning the device that Logan held and Fabian's sunset colored eyes. Of course, people questioned Etalt's clothing choices. Hugo was the only one who was really spared from the people's judgement. Right when they had hit the other end of the town, Etalt had dropped Alair's leg. The same couldn't be said for Fabian, who was as gentle as a summer breeze. In front of them was a mechanic gate that towered above all of them. There was nothing special to it other than it being tall enough to almost block out even a Godzilla-sized creature. "Okay, so... Y'know what to do," Etalt mumbled. Hugo went up to the gate and pressed some buttons within a small dial. He backed away and waited. There was a short interval where everything seemed motionless before the gates had started to shift. Soon, the gates had spread apart, allowing for anything to get through. "Gotcha!" Hugo walked along, seeming amused with himself. Logan was leading, with Fabian trailing close behind. Both Alair and Etalt were at the back. "So... How long has this kid's parents been gone?" Alair had asked. "Longer than you know," Etalt whispered. "Huh? Why the whisper?" "You'll see when the others can catch up to us by then," she looked towards the plump child, "Hey." Hugo looked back, still appearing excited, "Yes?" "Why don't ya pass time by telling little Earthling here about the creator's dilemma and all?" "Ooh! Can I?" The statement alone had made Hugo become even more excited than he already was. He cleared his throat as if to put out a dramatic effect, "You were brought here for a reason!" "Of course! To find the creator!" Alair stated. "No, ya nerd. He means this world," Etalt said. "Oh... I was?" "Yeah, man! You came when you went to a house, right?" Hugo asked. "Yeah." "Well, it turns out that you may or may not have something the creator wants!" Hugo flashed a strong smile, "They said that the house you went to was the creator's. If you go in, then the creator might be able to see you easily." "And if they do sense you...?" "They won't do anything..." Hugo stopped to give off a small soundless interval, "...Unless they somehow find interest in you or you've been in this world before."

Logan looked at Alair, "Hey, you said you've been seeing things before... right? Like memories?" "Mhm... Well, because of the Anamnesis Pearl... Speaking of that, I wonder what memory would pop up if I held it right here?" Alair bent down, setting his bag on the ground. "I suggested that before," Etalt said, tucking her arms into her pockets, "The Anamnesis Pearl, or specifically the Reminiscence Pearl, doesn't make up memories. There should be something to explain that." Alair looked up as he pulled the orb out of his bag, "Wouldn't that mean I would've met everyone by then?" "I can't be sure about that," Etalt turned to Fabian, seemingly telling him to speak out his thoughts. It appeared that Fabian had a difficult time trying to speak, "W-Well... I don't... remember...?" "There's only one way to find out, I guess," Alair muttered. He held the pearl close. They waited. One minute... Two minutes... ... It seemed like thirty minutes had passed by when Alair had slipped the Anamnesis Pearl back in the bag, "Huh. Nothing." "Well..." Etalt reached into her jacket before pulling out a watch, "Five minutes. That's good amount of time wasted." Alair pulled the bag's straps over his arms, "I thought it'd really work... But I guess not." "Guess that's one thing off our checklist," Etalt patted Hugo on the back, "Hey, kid. I need you to continue the story." "He didn't remember anything?" Hugo had asked. "Sorry, Hugo... I didn't," Alair smiled only a little bit. "It's okay! You wanna hear a story?" "Uh... Sure." "One time, there was a guy who went here and became friends with the creator! But then the guy locked the creator in this world and now they want revenge!" "Wow, what?" Alair was now more interested than shocked at the notion, "How'd they even do that? They're not the creator, so... how...?" "Easy! The guy just... I don't know! He just did!" Alair looked at Fabian, "Do you know?" Fabian, who's attention was focused more at the gems within the snow, had jumped a bit when he had been called, "H-Huh? Me...?" He then shook his head. "Etalt?" "Even if I did, you wouldn't even get any valuable information from me." Alair raised an eyebrow, "Really." Etalt shrugged, "Can't you take a joke? Of course I didn't mean that, but I really don't know anything about it." Alair had only given her somewhat of a sideway glance before finally looking at Logan, "How about you?" "Nope... But I have some kind of thing I made up," Logan had allowed the device in his hands to hover in front of them as a screen had popped up in front of them. The screen was translucent and blue, having an illustration or a graph. There were two spheres, as well as some knots and twists piling up in the middle of them. The edges of the screen were filled with numbers and words that could only be slightly read. "This is what I thought that the overview of this world, your world and the space between it would've looked like. Look here," Logan had pointed his finger at the pile of twists, which looked like a colorful mess of auroras, "This is the boundary, or what I and a few others call the Veracity Borderline. It leads from your world to this, and vice-versa." Alair had tried to study the graph for a bit, "Huh? Then that means..."

"Yeah. That's where you went through to get here. People can come in, but..." Logan had panned through the screen with two fingers, allowing for the view of the image to make the pile of auroras appear closer. While they all seemed to be spreading apart, there was one small part that had been tight and compacted, "This is the exit of this world. You can go back through here. To repeat Hugo's story, someone came to this world and sealed it so that the creator wouldn't have been able to leave... But if you look closely..." With a tap, some lines had came into view, "There's something here that seems to be keeping it closed... And I'm pretty sure that Fabian and Etalt know about it." "W-Well..." Fabian started, fiddling with his hands once more. "Okay, ya caught us. We know about THAT," Etalt said. She stepped up to the screen, "May I?" Logan now seemed less cautious for some reason that Alair couldn't quite grasp, "Sure." Etalt moved her hand over the screen, scrolling through it until a black line had appeared. It was almost as if it were a freshly made gash. "Here. It's shut off because of the Mutilate Seam," she stated, "In case ya don't know, the Mutilate Seam is what keeps the Bounded Viabilities imprisoned but the world in tact. It's also what keeps the Veracity Borderline shut." "A-And... I-If the sssseam snaps... then the world might collapse..." Fabian added in, "And... If it does, then.... Your world might collapse, too... There'll be nothing left..." Alair spoke, "Hey... Not to interrupt the serious topic, but... I can still leave, right...?" Etalt immediately answered, "Since you just came a while ago, of course y-" Fabian interrupted, "But he-" "You can." "He can?" "Yes, he can." "Perfect!" Alair exclaimed, "All I gotta do is find the creator, right? And then I'll be out?" "Of course," Etalt said, "But only if you survive. It ain't just a walk in the park, though. You've gotta gain their trust, too." He saw it coming, but he groaned anyway, "Are you serious??" "Hey, I don't make the rules around here, do I? 'The creator' does." "I guess," Alair muttered. With a swipe of his hand, Logan had returned the screen to his device, "Now that we're done explaining, I guess we can continue. Come on."

They all continued to walk for a while. Of course, they held conversations so that the time wouldn't pass too badly. Logan actually had a lot of stories to tell, much like Etalt did. The two mostly told stories, often looking at each other while doing so as if they were going to tackle each other down and strangle the other. They had finally gotten to a cave, which was strangely encrusted in green rather than blue like the previous cave. "Alright. Another cave..." Logan muttered, "Come on. Stay close, everyone." Logan stepped in first, and then Hugo. Fabian followed after, leaving Alair behind him with Etalt at a certain distance. "Hm. This reminds me of something..." Etalt muttered, "Hey, buster... Ever heard of A.I.?" At the mention of the name, Alair was already able to sense Fabian's fear a mile away. "...'I'? 'Eye'...? 'Aye'...?" "A.I." "Ai? As in the letters; A.I.?" "Yes." "Oh. I did hear Fabian screaming about them when I went to find him... and then you guys mentioned them a few times... How would I not?" "Just making sure," Etalt responded, "Since you've survived up to this point, I guess you're finally ready to hear about 'em." In front of them, Hugo had to put an arm around Fabian... or tried to. Height was still a problem, especially since Hugo was still young. "A.I. is actually... more of a rumor or legend, I guess. There's been sightings about them, but I've never heard about em since you came around or so," Etalt said, "Well, they were actually revered as Glister City's hero, I guess. There's only such an event that'd actually get A.I. to talk to you." "So, A.I. is basically Glister City's introverted guardian?" "Yep. They don't talk to others much... But they were reported to be talking to children occasionally... I don't know. A.I. is just a rumor, probably... But some people think that Raika just wants people to love her, so she just made 'A.I.'" "...A.I. sounds a bit familiar... I might be overthinking it, though..." Alair had said. "Don't think too much... I mean it. The creator probably can sense what you're thinking... Maybe. Not sure." It was quiet for a bit, until Alair had asked a single question that probably would've set everyone off... Almost. "Hey, are you guys sure that there's only four of you?" He was waiting for someone else to speak. That is, until he heard a sniffle come from in front of him. "Oh..." Hugo muttered, watching Fabian. Etalt had elbowed Alair with some force, "Shh! Why would you ask that?!" She whispered. "A-Are you implying there is?!" Alair had exclaimed. "It's... Probably best if you two don't talk about it while he's around," Logan had called from the front. "He's... sensitive to it," Etalt sighed, "Sorry. That's gonna have to wait til later." "That's fine... Heh, sorry."

The rest of the walk was almost completely silent. There would be only occasionally some conversations that took place. Otherwise, no one really wanted to speak... Except for Hugo. He was loud for the most part. Finally, the sentence that everyone had wanted to hear came along. "Hey, we're here." Logan's voice had caught everyone's attention. "You know what this means?" Etalt muttered, still seemingly sour. During that whole time, Alair was filled with concern to some degree. He gulped before answering, "...What?" "...Last one there is a Jerry." "Wait, what?!" Etalt had ran on ahead, but not before shoving Alair a bit. "SLOWPOKE!" "HEY! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Alair had started to laugh before giving chase. They both had rushed ahead, leaving behind the others. Etalt was now out of view and Alair was unable to see her. He rushed ahead and right out the exit. Soon, he found his face within the freshly fallen snow. "Slow." Alair had lifted his face up just in time to see Etalt sit on the snow before laying back on it. She seemed relaxed, more than he ever knew. "You had a head start!" A frown had immediately formed on Alair's face, "Seriously, that wasn't fair!" "Come on, I thought you were atheletic," Etalt snorted, "Oh wait... Nah, you're not." "At least I'm not short." "Are you seriously bringing up my height again?" Etalt sighed, "It's a blessing to be short. At least I don't bump into ceilings or doorways." "Being tall is a blessing. At least I can easily reach stuff." "Oh shut up," Etalt huffed before gently punching his shoulder. "Is someone salty?" Alair couldn't help but chuckle a bit more. "Nah, just..." Etalt looked back at the entrance, "Wait... They might take a bit to get here. You still interested in hearing that thing about the Bounded Viability?" Alair had propped himself up into a sitting position, "Of course! Why would I ask if I didn't?" "Alright... Well, there actually was another Bounded Viability..." Etalt sat up as well, looking up at the sky, "His name was Darren... Only a few years older than Holly. He came from... Russia...? Malaysia...? From either of those places. He was innocent... until he became the being of repulse... or commonly just disgust. Not sure." "Wasn't I... supposed to find him before coming here, then?" "About that... We would've gone to him before Raika because his area is really close... But he's gone out of the radar for a while. No one knows what happened to him, but... I do." "...What happened to him, then?" "He kind of... Got beheaded." Alair's face had both doubt and confusion, "Only a few years older than Holly, right? Why would someone do that?" "I'm not sure either... but..." Etalt had reached into her pocket. She brought out her hand. There was a small gemstone on it, which appeared to be a like gem that was edged with pink. The gem had quite a simple shape to it, resembling a rhombus. Gold had cladded the sides as if to protect it. There was a light that brightened, and then dimmed as if a signal was being sent from a lighthouse.

"Is that..." "It's a Viability Fragment. I grabbed it before anyone else could," Etalt had dropped the gem back into her pocket, "Look... No one knows about this yet, but... you shouldn't tell anyone or else I'll be jumped." Etalt flopped right back on the snow as Alair sighed. "Alright, I won't." Alair decided to look up at the sky as well. The colorful strings of an aurora had waved around in the night sky and left a light glow with each move. "Looks nice, huh?" Alair asked, "Funny... I could've sworn I..." It was as if he had sunken right into a dream. A realistic one at that. "Okay... I'll admit. It does look nice," Alair muttered. When Alair looked to his side, Etalt was no longer there. He looked over to his other side. There was a small person sitting next to him, still with the black coat. "Told you! It's only like once in a lifetime that you get to see something like this!" "Right, right..." Just being with the unidentified person was quite comforting for some reason. However, there was a twinge of regret for something that couldn't be thought of or seen. "...Hey... What happens once I go back?" Alair had found himself questioning, "You won't be alone, will you?" The person sighed, "Nothing big, I guess... I kinda want you to remember my real name, though." "You have a real name? Why didn't you tell it to me?" "Listen... My real name... It's probably not gonna leave such a nice aftertaste once you hear it. Still wanna hear?" "...Mhm." "Alright... Alright... Well... My name is..."

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