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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 1 year

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Genre and Themes

At first glance, indeed, even at second glance, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington doesn’t seem to really lend itself to a specific genre the way The Goonies or The Princess Bride did. Whereas those films positively dripped with the atmosphere of an adventure or fantasy film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is considerably more ‘real world’ than that, without necessarily heading into ‘slice of life’ territory.

If story is the backbone of a film, the underlying solid base, then genre is the trappings, the flavor, the seasonings the writers get to play with to create their final dish. Some stories automatically come with pre-packaged genre, as it would seem, stories like Frankenstein seem little suited to be anything other than a sci-fi horror film, after all, but most, and indeed some would say all stories have the capabilities of remaining solid in their identities, even with a completely different genre than we’re used to.

In the case of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, however, there doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of ingredients to mix.

Officially, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is labeled as a ‘political comedy-drama’, an eclectic mishmash of styles that doesn’t necessarily rear its head too often in the realm of film. Political films tend to be more true stories like All the President’s Men, or thrillers like The Manchurian Candidate. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is neither. However, that isn’t to say it’s not political.

The entire world of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is politics. It lives and breathes the inner workings of American bureaucracy, without either exploiting or sugarcoating it.

It is, at its core, an anti-politics political film. There is no pleasure that the film derives from exposing any corruption, nor does it take pains to pretend that corruption does not exist. It freely paints the politicians and the non-politicians as people, dealing with consequences to their actions: from Senator Paine, the tarnished hero, to Clarissa Saunders, the cynical, worn-out tool of Washington. The focus of the story is not so much on the inner workings of the state and country as it is the people that perform them, that manipulate the cogs of the machine to their own benefit, and those who stand to prevent it.

It’s not a very technical film. You don’t have to have a degree in law in order to understand the film, or allow it to resonate, and that, perhaps, is what makes it so special.

The ‘political’ slant of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington isn’t in the process that Saunders outlines to Jefferson in order to get his bill passed. On the contrary, the bill itself is a minor incident, the catalyst that forces the corruption out into the open. The story isn’t about the bill at all, nor is it even about the plot of the other politicians: it is about the politicians themselves. There are no parties mentioned, no real figures portrayed, no accurate historical events referenced: and yet something about this film did strike a chord in the very real Washington D.C.

Upon Mr. Smith’s release in Constitution Hall, DC dissolved into uproar about the film’s portrayal of American politics, to the point that Alben W. Barkley, the Senate Majority Leader at the time, remarked that it: “makes the Senate look like a bunch of crooks”.

In other words, something about this film struck some people, mostly the people in Washington, the wrong way. And yet, even at the time of its initial release, audiences, the Mr. Smiths of the USA, adored it for a reason.

At its core, chiefly, yes, Mr. Smith is a film about politics, and even history. Every fiber of the movie vibrates with patriotism, with love for America, and with pride in democracy. The film is not a condemnation as such as it is a warning: ‘we will lose what we have built if we think only of ourselves.’ It is a perfect combination of both a celebration of America’s past, and a concern for the future, a notation of the path the nation’s leaders seemed to be going down. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a story about big P Politics, all right, but it is not a scowling, scolding film, pointing an accusatory finger at the little p politicians, the fallen white knights. It is instead a film that holds up a figure of a person who knows on what the country was founded, and believes in it so strongly enough that he forces a change, even if it’s a small one.

And the film is also pretty funny, too.

The genre of ‘comedy’ tends to bring to mind slapstick or wordplay classics, and in the 1930s, the ‘comedians’ definitely had their specific brands: the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and others were taking cinema by storm. Audiences, especially in the middle of the Great Depression, desperately wanted a laugh, and even though there were no pratfalls in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, there is a wry sense of humor about it, particularly near the beginning.

Early scenes in this film play almost like scenes from a ‘fish out of water’ comedy, with Jefferson Smith having no idea how to function in the new, fast-moving, cynical climate of Washington D.C. Other characters, such as Saunders and Diz, exist as quip-generating machines, full of the fast-paced, witty dialogue characteristic of films of the time. Many of the more comedic sequences in the story come about through direct conversation between Saunders and Smith and the subsequent clash of ideas and personalities.

So yeah, Mr. Smith is a pretty funny movie at times. I must admit though, it’s hard to make the argument that it’s a comedy.

Smith’s plight is not comedic, at least, not more than halfway through the story. He is not a comedic figure, nor are most of the characters around him. While one could make the argument that the initial conceit of the story is comedic, I am hard pressed to agree that the story remains a comedy throughout. If anything, the throughline of tragedy seems clearer, notably in the character of Senator Paine.

Paine is what Smith could have been: a noble figure broken by greed, by corruption, by fear, turned into another cog in someone else’s profit machine, willing to throw countless people under the bus for gain. By the end of the story, he is not only guilty, he is convicted, ashamed after being forced to confront what he has become. His story nearly ends in suicide, and it certainly ends in the ruination of his career, after having thrown away belief in all of the words he is so used to spouting. He is the warning thrust up before contemporary Washington’s eyes: the white knight tarnished by greed.

Smith’s story, though uncorrupted, is similarly bleak: unbelieved, unheard, and unable to get the word out, he ends the film exhausted and crushed after hours of seeming futility. The film’s happy ending does not come as a result of all of his hard work, but through the guilt of Senator Paine driving him to confess. Smith does not reach the climax of the film like a comedy protagonist does at all, but like a tragic hero.

And yet, this film isn’t a tragedy either.

So what is it?

I have a theory: that a film’s genre can be best solidified through a few major checkpoints: its themes, and its characters, specifically its protagonist.

The themes of Mr. Smith are obvious ones: duty to one’s country, certainly, but honesty above all. The liars are the villains, and the heroes tell the truth. The story is built around good morals and simplicity, with the center of virtue being Mr. Smith himself.

In another era, Smith himself may have been a knight in shining armor, risen to his position from peasantry to achieve noble deeds. As it is, in 1930s America, Smith is an ordinary man in an extraordinary position: an everyday guy elevated to the position of senator.

Of course, the intention was never to give him any real power, but nonetheless, power he wields. And it’s his decisions on handling that power that set him apart from the other characters. He behaves very much like a normal person, an average citizen in a political jungle with very little navigation. There is no hero’s journey here: if anything, Mr. Smith finishes the story as a broken, more cynical character rather than a triumphant hero. The victory is in refusing to compromise your principles, no matter the cost or circumstance, and there is no dragon to slay here: just men, corrupted by power.

In other words, it’s a drama.

While there are many forms of ‘drama’ in the broad spectrum, typically, the term ‘drama’ means that a subject is more dramatic than humorous, with a primary element of the story being conflict, but not necessarily of the physical kind. It’s a story with more of an emphasis on who the story is happening to, and why, with less concern for what exactly is happening.

Such is the case for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Mr. Smith is a story about real people, people you or I might know, from the virtuous Jefferson Smith to the cynical Ms. Saunders, to the corrupt, but still human, politicians, some malicious, some merely led astray from their previous values. This is not a story of ‘heroes vs. villains’, this is a story about the ‘Right Thing to Do’, and the people with the courage to do it.

And that’s most of its appeal.

Capra’s passion is for people in this film, the everyday, the ordinary, the ‘Little Guy’ who becomes, not a dragonslayer, but a man with the opportunity to truly do some good, faced with tough decisions. It’s a story full of heart, sprinkled with humor, and loaded with humanity as it views, through very human lenses, the world of politics through a protagonist who’s meant to be a fish out of water.

That is Mr. Smith’s legacy.

The story isn’t groundbreaking. The cinematography isn’t breathtaking. The writing isn’t jaw-dropping. But the people, the characters, live and breathe on the screen as people, characters that the audiences love, and cheer for. We root for these people because of the drama of the situation, and the time and care that the film takes to delve into them.

That, more than the politics of the situation, is the reason people return to this film again and again.

And that, the people, the characters, is what we’ll be turning our attention to next time.

#Mr. Smith Goes to Washington #Mr. Smith Goes To Washington 1939 #1939 #30s #Film #Movies #Political #Drama #Comedy #James Stewart #Jean Arthur #Claude Rains #Edward Arnold #Thomas Mitchell #Frank Capra

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barbierpt · 6 months

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ngl seeing people complain about differing levels of admin professionalism makes me want to gouge my own eyes out. just to be clear, adminning is hard. it takes a lot of work and a lot of real world skills. i've gotten very real jobs exclusively from resume experience that was a job-ese way of talking about experience on tumblr. but at the same time, people in this community will really blame admins and rphs for absolutely everything. if there is anything wrong with the group, automatically the fault of the admins. hands down. they didn't know? well, you're supposed to be omniscient and omnipresent because it's your group so it's your responsibility. but then the minute the admin says the same thing these anons do -- it's not a real job, whatever -- within 48 hours, the rp closes because of the sheer amount of hate being thrown at them by shitstirrers and rubberneckers. like, can we honestly pick a lane with this?? because at this point i really do think anyone who thinks admins are being "overly serious" are probably just being purposefully ignorant to the way admins are treated here, or in protest of it. but you can't ignore that admins get literally doxxed for being kind of rude to one member one time.

there's so much truth behind this it's absolutely insane that this is what it seems like the rpc has come to.

like you anon, i can so relate to translating some of my experiences between adminning a tumblr rp and working a managerial position job. being an admin absolutely takes a lot of work in building and updating the main page, developing a plot, promoting the group, reviewing applications, creating graphics for bio and other posts, coming up with and running events and plot drops that move the story forward, and managing the members within it –– all while keeping up with their own characters and activity on the dash. so yeah, in a sense, it is kind of a job but it should be a fun one, in my opinion. more often than not, i've always looked forward to logging onto tumblr and performing my admin duties in my group unless there was, like, a shit storm of drama going on because who honestly enjoys conflict, y'know?? still part of the admin job to handle it which i've learned better ways of managing from both my job and this awesome instagram account that gives some great advice.

i've been here running rps since 2013 and i remember things being so much different back then. it was a community where when admins opened a group they didn't have to clench their buttcheeks and hold their breath praying when they opened the inbox or dms to that one notification that it wasn't anon hate saying they'd been publicly outed for fucking something up like allowing a certain fc they shouldn't have or rightfully kicking out a player from their group. like, this should be fun for everyone including the admins –– they shouldn't have to be stressed out and watching their back for a scorned ex-member (usually unavoidable but typically harmless in most cases) or a fair few of rpc to come running at them.

i really do feel like over the years the rpc has focused more on policing and public callouts than minding their business and communicating privately. like, this is a public space and it's impossible to have that catered to an individual's tastes. this is meant to be a hobby where we all gather around for some interactive creative writing. it's fiction. and yeah, fiction often takes inspiration from real life, both good and bad things, which is important for all writers to recognize and acknowledge the difference when it comes to writing both plots and characters in the latter category. i frankly don't see an issue with there being some variety in plots and rp genres because otherwise i fear that at the rate the rpc is going all we might end up with is a dozen small town slice-of-life rps once everything else has been canceled. if there's an rp out there that you don't agree with or like or find personally harmful, there's no obligation to join it. in fact, i highly recommend utilizing the block button to improve your tumblr rp experience.

look, that's also not me saying that it's acceptable for admins or rps to be purposefully racist, transphobic, homophobic, sexist, or harmful in other ways. rping should be a fun and enjoyable experience and there are certain subjects that are more personally triggering than others and there are certain genres/plots where those topics may be more present. and it's really unfair to expect admins and other figures to know everything that they're unfamiliar with. it's also unfair to attack them publicly for genuinely not knowing. in those cases, i see two options a mature human being can take: they can block it and forget it OR they can privately approach the admins off anon and politely educate them on the issue. public callouts on what i believe are minor issues of unawareness do nothing but spread negativity and hate where i think kindness and compassion can do the job better. this is my observation, but it feels like the rpc has come to rely on immediately taking things public and utilizing the anon feature. and even then when there's an apology and acknowledgment of wrongdoing and promise to do better, there are still people who can't stop talking about the situation that's done and over with.

it's really important to remember that admins and all these voices in the rpc and rpt tags are human beings too on the other side of the screen and i'm sure we all appreciate being treated as such. it's super disheartening seeing so much negativity about what everyone's doing wrong and not enough support for what someone is doing right.

and by the way, there are absolutely some truly problematic individuals and groups out there that are doing those things on purpose that i feel should be called out with proper evidence to inform others. most of the cases i've seen lately in the rpc the last few months i did not think were worthy of being shit on or called out as hard or as long as they were.

i think i've rambled enough but yeah i don't think it's an ignorance, anon, i think most people in the rpc are very much aware and choose to ignore the fact that we're all human and none of us are perfect. it's a choice to be kind, mature, and empathetic or to be negative and hating everyone and everything. no one on this site should have to live in fear of making a mistake and having it haunt them forever when all they were looking to do was have fun in a hobby they love.

#rpt #discussion: rp pet peeves #sorry for the novel lmao i'm just really passionate about admin issues #discussion: admin issues #rpc

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magicaldogtoto · 1 year

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Parallel Worlds Record Chapter Sixteen: I'm Sorry I Didn't Tell You Sooner

Rating: Teen

Genre: Magical Girl, Fantasy, Angst, Drama, Crossover

Word Count: Approx. 6,700 words

Summary: Yachiyo, Uwasa Tsuruno, Mifuyu, Claudine, and Amare, go off to see Glinda the Good Witch. But the road to the Sorceress's palace is lined with all kinds of wonder... and terror.

Author's Note: Thanks again to @celesticnova and @evatriceakiyama for proofreading this for me, as always!

[Also posted on AO3.]

***

[YACHIYO]

As soon as morning arrived, Yachiyo got out of bed and showered. Jellia had helped her pack a suitcase of clothes for the journey to come, while Yachiyo decided to keep wearing the green halter top and dress pants she had been given the day before.

When she was ready, Yachiyo headed down to the dining hall to meet the others. To her surprise, Amare was with them. Everyone was wearing the same green outfits that they had been given.

“Good morning, everyone,” she said when she saw them. The others responded in kind.

Yachiyo turned to Amare. “Amare, I’m surprised you came down to eat with us.”

Amare shrugged. “Yeah, apparently there was concern that I was being too antisocial.” She shot a glance at Mifuyu, who looked away, looking like she wanted to shrink into herself.

Yachiyo noticed this. “Is everything okay, Mifuyu?” she asked as she took her seat.

“Everything’s just fine,” the white-haired girl responded. “Just nervous about what lies ahead.”

“If you’re nervous,” Amare said quickly, “you can go back to Japan. I’ve grown up in the Quadling Country all my life, and can help Yachiyo around.”

Mifuyu shook her head. “No, it’s fine… I’ll get over it. I promised to help, after all.”

Yachiyo thought she could sense some tension between the two. No one really spoke while they began to partake of the food left for them (a hearty meal of eggs and bacon with some finely toasted bread, along with all kinds of ripe fruits). Before she could say anything, Claudine spoke up.

“Tell me, Amare,” the blonde said, “what’s the Quadling Country like? For that matter, what’s Glinda’s palace like?”

Amare swallowed a slice of apple and looked at Claudine. “It’s very different from the Emerald City, or even Kamihama or Tokyo. There aren’t really any big cities there. But almost everything there is red–the homes, the fences, the buildings… the clothing, you name it.” She thought a bit, before continuing. “The palace is pretty big, too. It’s older than the Emerald City.”

“The only castle I’ve ever been to is the one in Kamihama,” Tsuruno asked, nibbling on a strip of bacon. “Is it… really full of only girls?”

Amare nodded. “It is. And many of them are pretty… like my friend Aliss.”

“Aliss?” Yachiyo asked.

“We trained a lot together. She’s… very popular.” She blushed. “The other Yachiyo was very popular there, too. I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you too, Yachiyo.

“Sounds like we’ll have a lot of interesting adventures when we get there,” Yachiyo commented, using her butter knife to slice through her egg. “The journey there isn’t dangerous, is it?”

“It shouldn’t be. We just have to avoid the road that leads to the more dangerous parts of the Quadling Country, the one that has monsters and the like. It shouldn’t be too hard to pull off.” Amare frowned. “What we should be concerned about are the Witches.”

“What are Witches like in Oz?” Claudine asked.

“Just like the ones back home,” Amare replied. “We just need to be ready whenever we run into one. And without the Automatic Purification System, we have to make sure we have Grief Seeds to purify our Soul Gems.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Uwasa Tsuruno said, puffing her chest. “It’ll take a lot to make the Mightiest Uwasa turn into a Witch!”

Claudine made a face. “Must you be so loud this early in the morning?”

Tsuruno turned to her, her magenta eyes fired up. “The Mightiest people are always full of energy as soon as the sun rises!”

“Well, in any case,” Claudine said, patiently, “I’m pretty good at hunting Witches. Next to Maya Tendou, I’m probably the best Magical Girl in Tokyo!”

“Maybe in Tokyo,” Tsuruno said. “But we’re in a new country! One that few people outside of it knows exists! Not to mention that Magical Girls are common knowledge here! It’s the perfect opportunity for the Mightiest Uwasa to prove herself to the people!”

Yachiyo cleared her throat. “In any case, it helps for all of us to be ready to fight. We are Magical Girls, after all.”

“Right,” Amare said.

They continued their meal, and were just about done, when Ozma entered the hall. She was already dressed for the day, wearing a silky gown and holding her staff in her right hand. Her circlet around her head was nicely polished for the new day.

“I trust you all found your breakfast a good one?” the dainty princess asked.

“We did, thank you,” Yachiyo said.

Amare looked around. “Where’s Dorothy?” she asked.

“Dorothy likes to go hunting for Witches in the morning,” Ozma explained. “A lot of Magical Girls offered to give her some Grief Seeds, but she wanted to do things the way others have to. To better understand what it means to be a Magical Girl.”

“I see…” Amare said. “You must worry about her, going out to fight Witches and all that…”

Ozma looked aside. “I do,” she said. “I worry about her a lot. Sometimes I go hunting with her, too.” She straightened herself up. “But if I know Dorothy, I know she’ll be fine. Even before she made her contract, she was already a very brave girl.”

“It must be nice,” Mifuyu said softly, “to have someone worry about you…” She stared idly at the glass of orange juice in her hand as she spoke.

Yachiyo glanced at her. Ozma for her part just smiled.

“It is,” she said. “I know Dorothy worries about me, too.”

While they had talked, there was a sound like someone wearing metal boots walking up to the door to the hall. Everyone turned as the sound finally got louder, and finally what looked like a round man in armor entered the room.

“There you are, Prin-cess,” the man said in a stilted, emotionless voice as he walked towards the table. “I was loo-king all o-ver for you.”

Ozma turned and smiled. “Oh, hello, Tik-Tok.”

“Whoa, is that a robot?!” Tsuruno asked, jaw dropping.

Up close, Yachiyo could see that the round man was indeed a mechanical man. He had a round body, made of burnished copper. His arms and legs were jointed and hinged, with metal caps over them.

Tik-Tok took off his metal cap and bowed to the girls. “I am a me-chan-i-cal man built by Smith and Tinker a cen-tu-ry a-go in the Land of Ev. I have been li-ving with Oz-ma and Doro-thy for a very long time.”

“You sure do look like you’re a century old,” Claudine said.

“Hey, that’s rude!” Tsuruno said. “He’s a person, too!”

“Oh don’t worry,” Ozma said. “Tik-Tok is meant to run perfectly for a millennia. He thinks, speaks, and does everything except live.”

“I am com-for-ta-ble in not be-ing a-live,” the mechanical man said without a beat.

“Oh… I see.” Tsuruno settled back into her seat, though Yachiyo thought she looked rather upset.

“I came to tell Your High-ness,” Tik-Tok went on, “that the Nome King has a-greed to speak to you. He will be free to-mor-row.”

“Thank you, Tik-Tok,” Ozma said. The mechanical man bowed once more and made his way out of the room.

“Is this about the shield?” Yachiyo asked.

Ozma nodded. “I’ll be able to speak to him from the safety of the palace,” she said. “I’ve learned a few magical arts to help me accomplish that. Of course I won’t tell him anything about the true nature of the shield, but hopefully we can at least talk things through without any threats of conflict.”

“Hopefully,” Yachiyo said. “Thank you… for everything.”

Ozma smiled. “It’s no problem. Now, if you’re all done eating, we can get you all on your way to Glinda’s palace.”

Yachiyo nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. Will we be traveling by horse?”

“Better than that,” Ozma said, grinning. “You’ll be traveling by Sawhorse!”

Yachiyo raised an eyebrow. “Sawhorse?”

***

The Sawhorse was waiting for them out by the Southern Gate when they had left the dining hall. It was a log that stood up on four sticks shod with gold at the ends. On one end of the log was a branch that gave off the impression of a tail, while the other end had a gash through it that looked like an open mouth. On top of the mouth were two knots that resembled eyes, and a pair of wooden horse ears.

“This is the Sawhorse?” Yachiyo asked, looking it over.

“Sure am,” came the voice from the log’s mouth, causing the girls to all jump in surprise.

“I-it talked!” Tsuruno said.

“Of course I talked,” the Sawhorse said. “I’m a magical horse, after all.” He trotted close to them, his shod feet clicking along the stone road. “And between you and me, I’m a lot stronger and faster than those other, flesh-and-blood horses!”

“Oh, well, that’s great!” Tsuruno said, smiling.

Ozma petted the Sawhorse on its wooden head. “The Sawhorse is one of my oldest companions,” she said. “He was the second creature to be animated by the Powder of Life.”

“The second?” Mifuyu asked. “Who was the first?”

“My son, Jack Pumpkinhead.”

“You’re a mom?!” Claudine exclaimed.

“I’ve had a very eventful life, Ms. Saijou.”

Soon the Sawhorse was attached to a green carriage which was then loaded with the girls’ belongings.

“I call the front!” Tsuruno exclaimed, scrambling towards the carriage.

Yachiyo grabbed her by the arm. “I think Amare should sit in the front, since she knows the South more than any of us.”

Tsuruno pouted. “Fine,” she said, getting into the left side of the back. Claudine and Mifuyu got in afterwards, with Claudine in the middle and Mifuyu to the right side of the carriage.

Yachiyo stepped in and took her seat to the left in the front. She glanced to the side, anticipating Amare. Outside, she saw Ozma and Amare hugging each other. It was as if they were saying goodbye, but there was something more to it. After hugging they held each other for a moment, and Ozma appeared to be saying something to Amare. Amare for her part wiped a couple tears from her eyes before nodding and getting in.

“Amare?” Yachiyo asked when Amare sat down.

“Huh?” Amare turned to her.

“... Never mind.”

Ozma walked up to Yachiyo from outside. “Hopefully you don’t run into any Witches on the way there,” she said. “You’ll be there by this afternoon; the Sawhorse is pretty fast. I’ve already told Glinda you were coming, too”

“Thank you, Ozma,” Yachiyo said. “For everything.”

Ozma smiled. “Tell Glinda I said hi when you get there. I’ll get your shield back in no time.”

Soon the Sawhorse began trotting along the road towards the gate, Yachiyo and the others waving and saying goodbye to her.

They traveled through the streets of the Emerald City. Since it was still morning, the sun was rising up from the East, which meant that there were still a few cool, shadowy places among the green buildings of glass and metal. People were already about, heading to work, school, or elsewhere. Nobody noticed the carriage, though, for it was green just like the others. Amare explained to Yachiyo that the Sawhorse was a common sight in Oz that people didn’t pay it much heed nowadays.

“A hundred years ago he was something,” she added. “But now people see him every day in the city.”

Soon they were out of the Southern Gate. They passed by a few suburban neighborhoods that lay just outside of the city walls. These, Amare explained, had been built more recently, since the city’s population was beginning to expand. They passed more green, dome-shaped homes, along with stores and schools. A few had highlights that seemed to indicate the region of origin for the people who lived or owned them–blue for Munchkins, Red for Quadlings, Purple for Gillikins, and Yellow for Winkies.

Eventually they passed the last group of houses, and were now in the wide country of Oz. All around them were fields of green with all sorts of bright flowers growing. There were hills now and then, but the whole area was a peaceful, quiet place. In the distance, Yachiyo saw what looked like a train traveling at a great speed in the distance.

“That’s the Oz Rapid Transit System,” Amare said. “It uses magnetic levitation to travel at high speeds around the country.”

“I want to get a better look at it!” Tsuruno said, eagerly trying to lean towards the right side, where the train had been spotted.

“Hey, stop squishing me!” Claudine protested.

Tsuruno immediately drew back, contenting herself with a far off look. Mifuyu for her part just kept staring out the window.

“Enjoying the scenery, Mifuyu?” Yachiyo asked.

Mifuyu nodded. “It’s so pretty…”

“It almost reminds me of the countryside in France,” Claudine said, looking around.

Since it was going to be a fairly long trip, Tsuruno had made sure to pack snacks for everyone. They dug in as the Sawhorse trotted along tirelessly further South. Amare did her best to explain various things to the visitors, and tell them about different locations and the stories they had, or the people who lived there. She pointed out the walled section that was the home to Miss Cuttenclip, a girl who had remained young, and lived as the sole human in a community of living paper-dolls that she cut individually. In another section they passed by another high wall of white marble, which Amare explained was the town of Bunnybury. Once Bunnybury had been under Glinda’s rule, but had since declared independence and was a happy community of albino bunnies.

“They should be celebrating their independence soon,” Amare added. “It’s a pretty big celebration… well, big for a bunny rabbit, that is.”

Unlike other horses, the Sawhorse never got tired; if it wished, it could have probably kept walking forever, until the very end of time. It never wanted food, nor drink, nor even to relieve itself. “And that,” the Sawhorse explained when the party had to go to a rest stop for a bathroom break, “is why I am superior to all flesh-and-blood horses!”

“It doesn’t bother you to be a copy of a horse?” Tsuruno asked.

The Sawhorse shook his head; which, being a single log, consisted of him moving his body left and right. “Not at all! I do not care what others think about me compared to flesh-and-blood horses!”

Tsuruno seemed deep in thought as Yachiyo walked by them to get into the carriage. When they had all reconvened, they began trotting along once more. By now it was past noon, and the sun was firmly up in the blue sky.

They kept going through fields and hills, until they suddenly arrived at a great forest. On and on the Sawhorse went, trees passing the carriage by as they continued further South. As they traveled on, a few of the trees seemed to wave their branches at them.

“Those trees guard the forest and the road leading to the South,” Amare explained. “They’re kind of like guards. But they won’t cause us any trouble.”

After that they came to a high wall that was pure white, and passed through a gate into a city that was not like anything that Yachiyo had ever seen before. The entire ground was smooth and white porcelain, and scattered around were small homes of porcelain, too. The people were porcelain dolls that were dressed as shepherds and shepherdesses, milk maids and jesters, and a few princes and princesses. All walked around with ease like any other humanoid creature.

“Whoa, everything’s alive here!” Tsuruno exclaimed.

“Like something out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale,” Mifuyu commented softly.

“I wonder if we could take some home,” Claudine wondered out loud as she looked at a porcelain girl with blue eyes, short porcelain hair, and a blue dress.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Amare said. “Anyone who gets taken out of Oz from here will immediately freeze up and be just like any other porcelain doll. It’s best we leave them be.”

That quelled any thoughts of taking them home. Soon they were out through the other side of the white wall and entering another forest. In here all kinds of animals watched them drive by, from small toads to enormous elephants with large tusks.

“We’re definitely not in Japan anymore,” Claudine said. By now, Tsuruno had fallen asleep, and was snoring loudly on the blonde girl’s shoulder, much to her apparent annoyance.

Once they passed that, they were back in open fields, with a steep hill to the left side.

By now Amare wasn’t pointing things out to them anymore. Instead, she seemed deep in thought, fidgeting in place.

Yachiyo noticed. “Is everything alright, Amare?”

Amare stopped fidgeting. “Everything’s just fine.” She looked out the carriage, about Southwest.

“My home is in that direction,” she said after a few seconds. “I grew up on a farm near the Great Waterfall. My parents are probably working right now.”

Yachiyo leaned closer, trying to get a look. “What was that like?”

Amare shrugged. “Boring. Nothing like living in Kamihama. When I finished high school I started working at Glinda’s palace. I was just a common guard, but my mom was happy. She’d worked there too, before she married my dad.”

“If we’re here in the Quadling Country, you should go and pay your parents a visit.”

Amare made a pained expression. “I’m not sure if I should.”

Yachiyo frowned. “Why not? Kyubey said they’d been having a hard time since you left. Don’t you want to tell them how you’re doing?”

Amare looked at her feet. “Trust me, Yachiyo,” she said. “They don’t want to see me. I know they don’t.”

“Really?” Yachiyo asked. “Did something happen?”

Amare glanced at the back, where Mifuyu was sitting. Out of the corner of her eye, Yachiyo saw Mifuyu turn a bit more towards the window.

“... It’s complicated.”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” Yachiyo said. “You helped save Oz, didn’t you?”

“Y-yeah…” Amare took a deep breath. The countryside went by for a few more seconds.

“Yachiyo,” she began, “there’s something else I should have told you earlier…”

Suddenly the carriage came to a halting stop, making everybody jump.

“Whoa!” Tsuruno cried out, waking up. “What happened?! Where are we?!”

“Too. Loud,” Claudine said groggily, for she herself had nodded off. Mifuyu herself looked up.

Yachiyo looked out the carriage at the Sawhorse. “Why did you stop?” she called out to him.

The Sawhorse remained steadfast. “Our path is blocked,” he said.

“Blocked?” Yachiyo asked. “Blocked by what?”

“A soldier from Glinda the Good Witch’s palace.”

Amare was suddenly alert. “What?” She looked outside, and Yachiyo followed her lead.

There, standing a short distance from them in the shadow of a tree, was a girl who looked around their age, with pale skin and dark hair tied into a low ponytail. She was wearing a uniform with a red coat and gold trim, and held a silver sword in her right hand.

Amare spoke up first. “Tara?”

Yachiyo turned to her. “You know her?”

Amare nodded. “We trained together. I was her… her senior.” She got off of the carriage and began working on the dirt road. Her footsteps kicked up dirt.

“Something’s not right,” Claudine said. “Why is she out here by herself?”

“Maybe she’s on patrol…?” Mifuyu offered.

“Or maybe she’s gone out to train on her own,” Tsuruno suggested.

Yachiyo got up from her seat and headed out of the carriage, following Amare. Something about this whole thing did feel strange to her.

By now Amare had walked right up to the girl named Tara. Tara herself remained motionless.

“Amare, what’s going…?” Before Yachiyo could finish her words, Amare spoke up.

“Tara?” Amare asked. “What are you doing out here?”

For a moment, nothing happened. Tara remained still, but her eyes didn’t seem to focus on Amare. They seemed to simply be taking in everything, and nothing. Her pale face seemed to have been tanned by the sunlight.

Amare reached her hand out towards her. “Tara…?”

Immediately the other girl took her sword and swung it at Amare. The dark-haired Magical Girl leaped back, the blade barely missing her. Amare landed some distance away.

Tara advanced on her, sword raised. In that instant, Yachiyo transformed and threw her halberd at the blade, knocking it out of the girl’s hands. Amare immediately got back up.

“Amare!” Yachiyo ran to her side. “What’s going on…?”

“S-she attacked me…” Amare said, her voice shaking.

Yachiyo kept her eyes on Tara. “Why would she attack you? Didn’t you work together before?”

She glanced at Amare. The dark-haired girl had what could only be described as a guilty look on her face. “Yachiyo…” she began, her eyes wandering towards Tara.

Amare took a step back. “There’s more of them?”

“What?” Yachiyo looked.

Four more girls in uniform appeared from behind a hill to the side. They stood on either side of Tara. All wore the same red uniform with gold braid, and wielded silver swords of their own.

“What’s going on here?” Yachiyo asked, gripping her halberd. “Is this an ambush?”

Immediately the other girls let out a cry and charged at them. Immediately, Amare transformed and summoned a length of chain, twirling it and then throwing it at the girls. Instantly the chain wrapped around the five of them, tying them up.

“That should hold them for now…” Amare said. There was a concerned look on her face.

As if on cue, Claudine, Mifuyu, and Tsuruno all leaped out of the carriage, transforming and pulling out their weapons as well.

“What’s going on here?!” Tsuruno asked when they caught up to them.

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Yachiyo said.

“Ozma said that Glinda knew we were coming,” Claudine said. “They should have known it was us.”

Yachiyo walked closer to the bound soldiers. They threw curses at her and struggled in their bindings. She glanced at Tara.

Her eyes landed on the strange marking on it.

“Her neck!” she cried out to the others. “It has a Witch’s Kiss!”

“What?” Amare walked next to her, as did the others.

“Hey, there’s a kiss on this one, too!” Claudine said. “On her cheek!”

“Then a Witch must be close by,” Mifuyu said, looking around.

Amare was looking around, too. “Let’s go find that Witch.”

Leaving the Sawhorse behind, and the soldier girls still struggling to free themselves, the group followed Amare as she used her Soul Gem to pick up the Witch’s magic. They walked off of the beaten path and found themselves walking amongst tall blades of grass, the sound of a brook flowing not too far away from them. In the distance one could make out buildings painted red, and a few bridges. It was a peaceful looking place, so peaceful Yachiyo almost couldn’t believe that there had been a war between Magical Girls here not so long ago.

Soon Amare picked something up. “It’s close by,” she said. “Follow me.”

It took them a few paces, before they found the entrance to the Labyrinth. It was a holographic image showing what looked like a box with eyes peeking out from the lid.

“Alright,” Claudine said, drawing her sword. “Don’t worry, I can handle this Witch easily”

“Who says it’s going to be you?” Tsuruno said. “When it comes to being mighty, I’m the best there is! I’ll handle this Witch, don’t worry, Master.”

“Maybe in Kamihama,” Claudine said. “But in Tokyo, I’m second to my girlfriend. There’s no one else above me!”

Tsuruno smiled smugly. “We’ll see about that.”

Yachiyo rolled her eyes and walked towards the entrance. She turned back and noticed that one member of their party hadn’t moved on, yet.

“Mifuyu,” Yachiyo said, “aren’t you coming?”

Mifuyu looked at the entrance. “Maybe it’s best if I stay behind,” she said quietly.

“Why?” Yachiyo turned so her whole body faced her. “If all of us go in and work as a team, we can defeat this Witch in no time.”

Mifuyu hesitated. “I’m not sure if I can contribute much,” she said. “You know me, I’m weak. When that Witch attacked us while you and Morita-san fought Oriko Mikuni and Kirika Kure, I barely pitched in.”

“She’s right,” Claudine said. “If it hadn’t been for me, she would have been Witch food.”

Yachiyo shot the blonde a brief glare, before turning back to Mifuyu, her eyes softening. “Look,” she said. “I think you’re underestimating what you can do. Your magic is valuable, and the Mifuyu in my world helped me out of a lot of scrapes. I’m sure you did the same for the Yachiyo of this one.”

Mifuyu shrugged. “I guess…”

“Come on,” Amare said curtly. “The sooner we get in, the sooner we can get back on the road. Let Mifuyu stay behind if she wants.”

That seemed to do it. “I’ll come,” Mifuyu said hastily.

Yachiyo wanted to ask if she really wanted to, but Amare soon stepped into the Labyrinth, and so she followed right behind her, the others doing the same.

The beautiful fields and hills of the Quadling Country disappeared, and in their place was a black void, and all around them were large, colorful blocks that formed all sorts of buildings and homes, as well as walls that limited their mobility. A few of the blocks had big symbols of Witch runes on them.

“The Witch has to be at the end of this pathway,” Yachiyo said.

“Does anybody hear that stomping noise…?” Amare asked, holding up her chain.

The noise in question sounded like a dozen or so feet marching in step, like an army regiment. It got louder and louder, until a dozen human-sized tin soldiers appeared. They were dressed in European military uniform from about a century or more ago, tin coats of red and tin pants of blue, with tall tin hats and metal swords by their sides.

“Leave this to me,” Claudine said, drawing her sword once more. Before anyone had time to protest, the blonde had lunged at the wave of soldiers, swinging her sword in all directions. She was running as fast as she could, her coat dangling in the wind. She hacked and slashed at the first wave, cutting them down, before going after the second one. One she knocked down and placed her hand on; Yachiyo recognized it as the same thing she did to her before. She was taking some of the Familiar’s energy, before going back to fighting with the strength she stole.

“Well, we can’t just leave her alone to fight them all…!” Tsuruno said, leaping into the fray. Her fans crackled with electricity, and she started swatting soldiers left and right.

“Hey! Watch where you point that thing…” Claudine said. Meanwhile, Yachiyo summoned a few halberds to pierce the remaining ones, while Mifuyu threw her chakram and Amare knocked them aside with her flail. Soon they cleared the pathway and went on running.

“I told you,” Tsuruno said as they ran, “you don’t have to worry when you have the Mightiest Uwasa around!”

“Hey, I knocked that first row out with no problem,” Claudine said. “Tokyo Witches are no slouch, you know.”

“You two, this isn’t the time to argue,” Amare said. Mifuyu remained quiet, while Yachiyo looked ahead, determined to reach the center.

As they ran, more tin soldiers got in their way. The girls made short work of all of them, even if it seemed like Claudine and Tsuruno were doing their best to one-up each other, while forgetting the other three. The path twisted this way and that, and they took a while to turn every corner of colorful block walls.

“We should be at the end by now…” Yachiyo said, just as they turned and entered an open space.

Before them was a huge castle, though it looked to be made of cardboard. In front of it was a large mirror that simulated a lake, with miniature swans moving around. Trees lined around the lake, too. In the center of the castle, in the open drawbridge, stood a figure that looked like a ballerina doll, balanced on one leg. She twirled around slowly, before facing the group. Her eyes were without emotion, like a regular doll.

“That must be the Witch!” Tsuruno said. She ran across the lake, using her fans to swat the swans out of the way. With a surge of electricity, she sent a shock at the ballerina, causing her to spasm as she was instantly fried to a crisp, the only thing remaining being her spangle, which was charred.

Tsuruno exhaled proudly, a satisfied smile on her face. “There! One less Witch thanks to the Mightiest Uwasa!”

The group caught up to her, looking around.

“So, where’s the Grief Seed?” Claudine asked, looking around, sword still in hand.

“It has to be around here…” Tsuruno looked around, then paused. “Hey, wait a minute…”

“If there isn’t a Grief Seed, then that couldn’t have been the Witch,” Yachiyo said. “The Labyrinth should have faded by now, too.”

“Something’s wrong here…” Mifuyu said, holding her chakram close to her.

Yachiyo scanned the area, turning towards the castle. The drawbridge remained open, like a mouth yawning. She found herself staring at the inky darkness.

“Wait…”

“Yachiyo…?” Amare began to ask.

“The Witch! It’s in there…!”

Soon the whole ground shook, causing the group to lose balance. The castle walls fell, like they were made of cardboard. Up from the ground rose up a giant box, which then opened up, revealing a gargantuan monster. It was a puppet the size of a seven-story building, its body and arms covered in black fur, the top of its head all a tangle of hair. It grimaced at them, showing off its dozens of sharp teeth, and its two round eyes seem to bulge out of its monkey-like head. It opened its mouth and let out a wild screech that made Yachiyo think her ears would pop.

Yachiyo stood straight back up and pointed her halberd. “Now that looks more like a proper Witch.”

“I knew that ballerina couldn’t have been the Witch,” Claudine said, casting a disdainful look at Tsuruno.

Tsuruno pouted. “How was I supposed to know…?”

With a giant hand, the Witch swatted them to the side. They all went flying into the trees, Yachiyo crying out as she hit a trunk. She took a moment to compose herself.

“Come on, we need to defeat it,” she said.

“I’ll take the head!” Claudine cried out, running towards the Witch and leaping into the air, sword in hand.

“I got it!” Tsuruno cried out, running out before jumping up in front of Claudine. It seemed she calculated her jump wrong, for the two of them ended up colliding into each other, losing momentum and falling to the ground.

Yachiyo ran up to them. “Are you two okay?!”

Claudine groaned and got back up. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “No thanks to her.”

The Witch roared at them, and Yachiyo sent some halberds in its direction, trying to take it out.

The Witch made an annoyed sound as the weapons struck it, sinking back into its box. The lid shut firmly. No matter what Yachiyo did, the creature didn’t emerge.

“Hold on,” she said after throwing her fifth halberd. “It has to come up sometime…”

She hadn’t finished the sentence when the Witch emerged once more, reaching out with its hand. Yachiyo braced herself for an attack, only to see the Witch pass over her, its hand grabbing onto Mifuyu instead.

Mifuyu let out a cry of shock, grunting as she tried to break free.

“Mifuyu!” Yachiyo ran at her, only to be assaulted by the miniature swans from before, trying to peck her with their beaks. More swans descended, covering Claudine, Tsuruno, and even Amare. They did their best to fight back, but it seemed it only made more come at them.

Mifuyu cried out as the Witch tightened its grip on her.

Yachiyo didn’t give up trying to break through the crowd of swans all around her. “Mifuyu! Use your weapon! You can break free and then attack the Witch!”

Mifuyu seemed to be struggling. “I… I can’t! It’s too strong; I’m sorry, Yacchan!”

“What?! You’re not just giving up, are you?!”

Mifuyu looked at her, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m not as strong as you are, Yacchan… you, or the Yacchan from this world. I can barely keep up with all of you now… I’m sorry…!”

She cried out once more, and Yachiyo burst through some of the Familiars, trying to reach her.

“Hold on, Mifuyu! I’m coming…!”

She was about to run towards her, when something unexpected happened. An arrow of light appeared and struck the Witch in the face, stunning it.

“What was that…?” Yachiyo asked. She looked in the direction the arrow came from.

A figure was flying in the air, straight at them. It was a girl, with wings like a dragonfly and wearing a green leotard with a short, silk skirt that showed off her pale legs and arms. In her arm was a bow whose string she pulled back, firing an arrow of light at the Witch and striking it square in the face. Screaming in pain, the Witch loosened its grip on Mifuyu, dropping her to the ground.

The girl landed beside Yachiyo and the group, her green shoes alighting on the mirror lake. Her platinum blonde hair was as long as Yachiyo’s.

“Guess it wasn’t expecting an attack from above,” the girl with wings said.

“W-who are you…?” Yachiyo asked.

The girl turned and smiled at her; her eyes were blue, but a brighter blue than Yachiyo’s. “I’m Kira; I’m a Magical Girl of Oz.”

Before Yachiyo could say more, the girl fired another volley of arrows at the Witch. The Witch groaned in agony, before retreating back into its hiding space.

“It went back inside,” Yachiyo said.

Kira smirked. “Don’t worry, I let this Witch get away once. I won’t let it get away again. I brought backup this time.”

By now Tsuruno and Claudine had fought back the other swans and rushed over to them.

“Hey,” Tsuruno said. “Is something on fire?”

Before their very eyes the castle began to be engulfed in flames. Mifuyu, who had fallen beside it, suddenly got up and scrambled away from the castle towards them. The entire Labyrinth became warm, and the smell of ash was evident as black smoke appeared.

As the Witch roared inside its box, another Magical Girl ran out from behind it.

“Neseel!” Kira called out. “Over here!”

The girl ran closer, and Yachiyo could see that she was a girl around Felicia’s age, with brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. She was wearing a red coat with white trim and a knee-length skirt. On her chest was the stylized embroidering of a lion’s face, and behind her was a small lion’s tail with a red bow. She ran as fast as her red shoes could take her, and in her right hand was a sword aglow with red flame.

She must have run in while we were distracted by the one with wings, Yachiyo figured.

As soon as the girl named Neseel saw Yachiyo, she stopped in her tracks. “Yachiyo?” she asked. She glanced at the rest of the group. “Wait, Amare…?!”

“H-hey, Neseel…” Amare said. There was familiarity in her eyes. Any other conversation, however, was interrupted when the Witch burst from the box once more, writhing in agony despite being planted in place.

The winged girl turned to Neseel. “All yours,” she said.

Neseel nodded, before holding her sword before her. The red glow burned brighter, and soon a swirling shot of flame shot out of it, headed straight for the Witch. The behemoth was incinerated all at once, its body fading into nothing as it succumbed to the girl’s attack.

Soon the Witch had vanished, and along with it, the Labyrinth faded into the Quadling countryside once more. Yachiyo, Amare, and the others all breathed a sigh of relief that it was over, even de-transforming back into their civilian outfits.

The winged Magical Girl walked up and picked the Grief Seed from off of the ground. “Here,” she said, tossing it to Neseel. “You deserve it.”

Neseel caught it. “Thanks, Kira,” she said, smiling.

She turned her attention to Amare. “Amare,” Neseel began, “is that really you…?”

Amare looked aside. “It is…” she said.

Yachiyo looked on, watching as Neseel ran up and hugged Amare.

“Amare!” the younger girl cried out in joy. “It’s been so long… Aliss and my big sister have been wondering if you were ever coming back.”

“Y-yeah…” Amare said. “Well, I’m here now…”

Kira approached Amare. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said. “Neseel has told me all about you.”

“She has, has she?” Amare asked.

Kira turned to Yachiyo. “And you’re Yachiyo Nanami,” she said. “You helped save Princess Ozma and our home!”

Yachiyo nervously grabbed her arm. “About that,” she said, “it’s kind of a long story…”

Before she said more, Amare spoke up again. “What are you two doing out here?” she asked Neseel.

The younger girl’s face became more serious. “Glinda’s spies gave a report earlier,” she said. “They say that the survivors of Epithene’s army have been spotted, moving about. Glinda was concerned that they might try to sneak back into Oz.”

“No…” Amare’s face turned pale. “Have they been spotted?”

Neseel shook her head. “Not yet. They were last seen outside of Oz, in the Land of Ix.”

“Is…” Amare lowered her voice. “Is Marya among them?”

Neseel paused for a moment. “Someone said they spotted a Magical Girl who looks just like her.”

Amare’s face turned pale.

“Who’s Marya?” Yachiyo asked.

Amare turned to her. “Epithene’s right-hand Magical Girl. She’s a complete sadist, she’s the one who tortured me while I was their prisoner.”

Yachiyo winced. “Ouch. Speaking of soldiers, we should check on the ones we found earlier…”

Amare seemed to hesitate, before nodding. “... Sure.”

By now the soldiers had stopped struggling and were just sitting around. Amare and Yachiyo made it to them ahead of the others.

“Amare, let them go,” Yachiyo said.

Amare looked at the group before them. Tara looked up at her.

“Amare…?” she asked, confusion in her voice and on her face.

“Hey.” Amare waved her hand and the chains binding them disappeared in a flash of purple light.

The soldiers got up and stretched a bit. They turned to the Magical Girls who had found them.

“Are you all feeling better…?” Yachiyo began to ask, before one of the soldiers next to Tara suddenly tackled Amare to the ground.

Amare cried out as the girl pinned her face first to the ground, immediately making a grab for her Soul Gem ring. She held it up as soon as she had yanked it from Amare’s finger.

“I got it!” she cried out, tossing it to another girl. Tara seemed unsure of what to do, even as the other girls began tying Amare’s wrists behind her back.

“Wait a minute!” Yachiyo said, stepping forward. “Don’t you recognize Amare?”

The soldier on top of Amare glared at her. “Of course I do,” she said. The others all nodded.

Yachiyo didn’t avert her gaze. “Then why are you treating her like this?”

The girl frowned. “Glinda told us to be wary of any girls who helped Epithene take over Oz during the Magical Girl War.”

“But Amare helped save Oz! She told me so herself!”

The girls all looked at each other, confused. The one on top of Amare turned back to Yachiyo.

“Amare saved Oz alright…” she said.

“Wait,” Amare said weakly, “let me tell her…”

“But only after she helped Epithene conquer it in the first place!” the girl finished.

Amare had a pained expression on her face. Yachiyo felt like someone had dunked water on her. She turned to the dark-haired Magical Girl.

“Amare,” she said, “is this… is this true…?”

Amare couldn’t meet her eyes. “I'm sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

#magia record #the wonderful wizard of oz #revue starlight #madoka magica #parallel worlds record #my writing #fanfiction #my post #yachiyo nanami #uwasa tsuruno #tsuruno yui #claudine saijo #princess ozma #long post #text

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caxsthetic · 4 years

Text

PHANTASM BLUES • Suna Rintarou x Reader x Kita Shinsuke

Episode 3: From Zero

Type: TV Series (Multiple Chapters)

Cast: Suna Rintarou, Kita Shinsuke

Storyline: There was no good ending when your heart was bound to love more than one. And up until now, you still asked the universe why you have been given such curse.

Genre: Slice of Life, Drama

"I know." He pulled away a little, wanting to see your expression, "It's okay." And he sounded so sincere as he said it, as if he knew it was the price that he needed to pay to make you his, "We have all the time in the world, I can wait."

It felt like a daydream, like when the world took you back to your high school year. Everything felt so warm; however, when you looked around, that was when you noticed something. You were reverted back to your high school self, wearing the Inarizaki jacket that you were familiar with.

The comfort that you had when his jacket wrapped around you, masculine scent that filled your nostrils in an instant, and the initial that was written with black permanent marker on the sleeve, making you sure that it belonged to the middle blocker, your everything, Suna Rintarou.

There was no wind at the place you stood right now — to the point that you couldn't even feel anything that grazed your skin. What was strange was the cherry blossom petals that were swirling in the air, dancing around like there was a wind manipulating them to act like so.

It was strange, and you wondered what kind of sorcery that brought you here. To the first place where you first met him. But more importantly,

Why were you here in the first place?

Panic struck you to the core. You were terrified as you walked around and found out that you were alone. That was when you decided to run, to sprint somewhere, anywhere just to get out from the mysterious place you were currently in.

Your feet brought you to a variety of places. Every time you closed your eyes and opened them up again, you would always stand on different points. There was the train station where you said farewell, then came your graduation venue when he surprised you with his sudden appearance, and there was the place where he kissed you for the first time after years holding back.

But then you stopped running when you saw the familiar house with a sandy beach on your toes. The firepit in the backyard made you realize where you were right now. You finally went back to the real time, you were finally home. And you couldn't help but feel relieved at the knowledge.

Then your eyes caught a familiar dark brown lock, his hair swayed over by the invisible force. And even if you could only see his back as he stood on the porch, you knew too well who the man was. The existence that was enough to make a genuine smile graced your lips.

"Rinrin!"

You called out to him as you ran, to the man that owned your heart since the first time you laid eyes on him completely. He was beautiful, a beautiful creature that always radiated invincibility and warmth whenever you were around.

He turned his face towards you, his face showing you a gentle smile that was only for you. A genuine and loving smile that he had automatically every time his eyes fell on your figure. He opened up his arms, ready to be tackled to the ground; a habit that you had every time you saw him.

But when you were only five feet apart from him, he was gone.

"So, you were going to Tokyo for real, eh?" You repeated the information once again as you plopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling after you helped him pack.

It was the last day he would be in Hyogo. Tomorrow, he would have to go to Tokyo as he was chasing the dream to be a professional volleyball player. Two years you have spent your time together with the middle blocker, you have known that one way or another, the two of you would be apart.

But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt any less.

"Yeah," He answered before he laid beside you, arms wrapped around your figure as he put his head on top of your chest, "I am going to miss you so much..." He whispered softly under his breath, so soft that you almost couldn't hear it.

"I am going to miss you too, Rintarou." Your hands got lost in his soft hair, caressing it as he snuggled even closer, making your heart tingle. "Hey, Rin?" You called out to him, and he just hummed a little, starting to doze off from your touch.

You didn't continue your words, and it made him confused by now as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"What is it?" His lips shaped into a frown as his green orbs filled with curiousity, "Don't 'Hey,' me and then say nothing. It will haunt me to sleep."

"Well the sun still shone, Rin." You flicked his forehead gently, but he hissed anyway since he always disliked it when you did that (even if he actually loves any kind of tease that you threw for him), "You shouldn't have fallen asleep you know."

"I don't care. It's your fault for being here." He shrugged his shoulders a little, making you roll your eyes as he continued to nuzzle his head in the crook of your neck.

You were always getting blamed by him for his sleepiness. Every time you went to his house to help him with some homework, it would end up with him tackling you to the ground and just asking for your little affection. No matter how many times you wanted to scold him, at the end, you would just be there — and sometimes even did his homework if he looked extremely tired after some joined practices or match.

"I am serious though, what is it?" He suddenly spoke up once again, making you jolt since you thought he was already fast asleep by now.

You let out a long sigh, and somehow, it made the middle blocker worried about what you were going to say next. The two of you were always pining over each other, saying the three magical words like it was a habit, without anyone dared enough to say the real meaning behind every affectionate word that was being spoken.

And before he goes, you want him to always remember it.

"I love you, Rin." There was no playful tone in your voice. It was sincere, and his heart stopped once the words rolled down from your lips. He gripped harder on your shirt, biting his lips as he tried not to show any kind of emotion. Either from excitement, or sadness because it was a little bit too late.

From all these years, he always thought that your love towards him was platonic. All the longing feelings, the cold sweat that you produce when he touches you, he kept saying to himself that you only saw him as a best friend, one that you wanted to invite to your wedding.

He was afraid, if he ever mistook your love to be more than that. You may be the only person that he fantasized to be his lover, but he never knew what was exactly on your heart. After all, why would someone as wonderful as you want to be with a man who could not even voice his mind so freely?

But as he replayed the words that you said, he knew for sure that what you felt was more than what a best friend should have. And right now, he cursed at himself as some tears escaped his eyes, without him even realising it.

From all the time he was together with you. He wondered why this realisation happened on the last day he would see you possibly for years. He couldn't pinpoint the right time he would come back. He never knew what would happen while he was away either.

And here you were, confessing your love while it would be the last time you saw him until God knows how long.

"I love you too." So much. "You have no idea..." He trailed his words as he wiped his tears that fell on your shoulders.

"A-Are you crying?" You asked timidly as you could feel how his body trembled in your arms, "Rin... What is it? I am sorry I didn't mean to make you—"

"It's not your fault." He cut you off, sitting straight as his eyes gazed at you. You could see his orbs glistened, bringing a guilty feeling as you knew you were one of the reasons he shed tears like this, "It's just... I will miss how you always say it every day."

You gave him a sad smile at his words, your thumb wiped the tears that slipped from his eyes, down to his skin that felt so velvety.

"There will never be a day I don't say it to you, how about that?" Your sentence was more than just an offer, it was like a promise that you were going to keep, as long as you could.

"What?" Even if he tried not to show how much the offer brought joy, his green orbs wouldn't lie as they shone with excitement, "I would be happy with that, I think. I would feel like I am home every time you say it." He averted his gaze from your eyes, somehow knew that you understood his feelings, "But, are you sure?"

"I am sure, Rin." You giggled at how adorable he looked right now, "Why would I lie? We have been doing it every day, why not for another year to come?"

It was in this particular moment when Suna realised that he needed you. Your mere existence was something that helped him cope. If someone like you could love a man like him, if someone like you could understand him, then maybe there was hope for him after all.

"Promise then, (Y/n)?" He looked straight at you, extending one of his hands for you to take. You chuckled at this, but then turned serious as you shook his hand and pulled him back into your embrace, whispering,

"I promise, Rintarou."

Comfort, it was something that you always felt since you met the middle blocker that day after your club activity. He was your everything, and you were his everything. Both of you were meant for each other, and for nine years, you and him were almost inseparable — even when distance separated the two of you apart.

"Rin..."

You called out, wanting to feel the warmth that was suddenly ripped apart from your being. It was unfair, to be punished for something that you couldn't even control. For loving two men, at the same time. A curse in life that brought doom either to you, or for the two men that were in love with you.

The fact that you made the two of them become distant, worsening the guilt that you had in your heart. You remembered how the captain's name always slipped from his lips, or how his name brought up when you were in a relationship with the gentle senior. They were always thinking of each other so highly, and because of you, it seems like they could not even see eye to eye anymore.

"I am so sorry,"

"Oh..." His voice was flat after seconds he debated what answer that he should give to you— and you knew it was all your fault, "Congratulations, I guess." He chuckled, but there's a bitterness coating the words that he spoke.

"Yeah, I met him around a month ago." You sipped the coffee in your hand as you sat in the café near your college, and didn't realize that your hands were trembling by now. "I never thought I could fall in love you know." Fall in love again with someone else that's not you.

"Then, it needed to stop doesn't it?" There was some lingering hope as he muttered the question, "Our little promise."

It's not little.

You wanted to scoff at him for even saying that your tradition was only a little thing. Because you know for sure, deep down, it was the thing that made both of you sane, even though you never shared the real warmth of physical contact for months.

"No," It was a selfish request, because that means you asked him to still love you. "I will still say it anyway, but—" You let out a shaky breath, hearts pounding as you spill what was inside your heart, "But you don't have to say it back. I will understand."

There was a long silence from the other line. You couldn't blame him for it, and for him, he couldn't blame you for falling in love with another person — or even worse, being in a relationship with someone else that's not him.

"I wouldn't." He said it matter of factly, and right now you could imagine him clenching his hand into a fist out of frustration, "I love you, and only you."

You bit your lips, knowing too well that you couldn't answer him the exact same words. You hid your face behind the menu, tears cascading down your cheeks by now,

"I love you too, Rin." And I am sorry I couldn't love you and only you.

In the middle of the love that you felt, you never thought that you would find someone else that could give you the same warmth like he did. The warmth that once could only be tasted when the dark brown haired middle blocker was around.

It was the college era, when he was far away from you. You were longing for his touch, longing for his existence beside you. The two of you were never a couple from the start, but deep down, you knew the love that you had for each other was something that couldn't die down so easily.

So it was a circumstance that you never thought you could feel in your life, to fall for someone else while you knew for sure your heart still beats for another.

But you didn't know anymore if it was a blessing, to love two men equally, not even once falling out of love from the two. Or call it a curse, because in the end, society would ask you to choose.

"You need to choose him."

The words were ringing around you, never once stopped as you were still here, at the place between life or death. The whispered voice resonated in the empty space around you, it was him, someone who you spent your life with for the whole four years in your life.

"I will be alright."

His voice was always so gentle, reassuring you that everything would be fine, reassuring you that it was alright to leave the beautiful relationship behind. And the voice always ignited some tingle spark inside your heart, but at the same time, overwhelming you with shame.

You were standing in front of his childhood house. Your eyes scanned the neighbourhood while you waited for the door to open. The sun was almost replaced by the moon, igniting an orange hue on the horizon.

The sight made you smile, and it made you calm down by now. You were so fidgety before, afraid that he wouldn't want to meet you anymore. He asked for your love, and you couldn't do that because you belonged to someone else when he asked.

But now, you were standing here as a free woman. This is it, the only chance you got to be with the man who owned your heart since high school. And you hope, you really hoped this one would last forever.

The door creaked open, making you turn your head. There stood the man who somehow still made you feel like a teenager in love with how much butterflies that he put inside your soul. There stood Suna Rintaroy, and your eyes immediately caught every little thing that you could gather from him.

He looked so tired as if he hadn't slept for days. His hair that usually fell perfectly, now unruly, and the dark circles under his eyes was a proof for your previous conjecture. But once his green orbs laid on your figure, fear immediately coat his pupil. And the next second, he slammed the door closed in front of you.

You were taken aback by his motion. But then again, you couldn't really blame him for acting like he just saw a ghost. So you stood there, waiting for him, because you knew for sure he was still on the other side of the door.

After a minute, he decided to open up his door once again. Eyes glossy from all the tears tears that he just shed,

"Are you real?" His voice that was usually low now even sounded like a whisper as he said the words carefully, like someone who was afraid everything was just a mere fantasy, "I haven't slept for days now, I am afraid you are not real."

You gulped down, you never thought all of this through. The thing that you were going to say was certainly bizarre. A proposition that you didn't even think would happen in your life. You wanted to run away, afraid of the answer that may come from his lips.

But if you backed down now, that means you wasted the feelings that someone else had for you.

"We are through." You fiddled on your fingers before looking up at him, "Shin— Kita-san and I, we are through."

You expected him to scoff at you, slamming the door in front of your face once again. After all, your love for him was not whole anymore, why would someone like him want you? A woman who couldn't even choose.

Then again, Suna Rintarou didn't care about that at the moment. He didn't care what the reason was behind the break up, he didn't care anymore at this point of life as he could taste a future where you belong to him.

He immediately pulled you to his embrace, hugging you tight as he buried his face on your skin, thinking that, finally—he would have a chance to be with you.

"I need you." His voice sounded muffled, "I need you because I love you so fucking much, (Y/N)."

You were too dumbstruck to move, but then you made yourself to hug him back; one hand fell to his hair, soothing him with a gentle move.

"I-I have to warn you about something, Rin." He stiffened a little, not ready to hear what would come out from your lips. You didn't want to say it, but if you want whatever is this with him to work out, you have to, "Loving me would be hard, because you know — my heart still beats for him too."

He closed his eyes, knowing for sure that he couldn't have all of your heart. Who was he kidding? Kita was such a perfect fit for you, and he knew how much his upperclassmen loved you at that one time he mentioned about moving in with someone that he adored so much.

However, he was sure that someday, someday he would have it all.

He cupped your face, grazing his thumb on your cheek. His gaze was reassuring, like he was saying that he would love you anyway, even though he had to wait for a while to make you love him and only him.

And by God, how you wished time could solve it all.

For nine years you had been in love with Suna Rintarou, a man that was actually so much more than what his façade shows. When you first met him, you swore that you felt you were in some kind of nirvana — as you never saw someone as beautiful as him.

And when days went by, you unfurled every little thing about him. From why he seemed to always keep his mind by himself, to the reason why he didn't want to have you around at first.

But you stayed, devoting yourself for him as you realised that he was more relaxed when you were with him,

"Give me your hand. I know what to do."

It was the first sentence that you ever said to him on that particular day. The time when he felt at loss when you wrapped the tape on his finger, to have such a foreign feelings with how you made him so secure. And you were there, filling the empty of his life, uninvited.

"It was no use, (Y/n)."

So why would he leave, why for all the years that you spend together with him, he just had to leave you now? Today, the day when everything almost falls into place. Right when happily ever after could be achieved days from now, he just had to turn his back on you.

"Marry me?"

It was around six months after you rekindled with your first love. The two of you were cuddling on top of the couch in the living room, seconds after sharing a passionate rendezvous, feelings like you and him were the only people who live in this world.

Such a fine morning that day, as you cuddled up with him while replaying some of his volleyball matches. One minute you were on top of him, curled up in his embrace. Another minute the two of you warmed each other's bodies as every touch ignited a beautiful spark of love and lust—right at the same amount.

So when the silence engulfed the serene atmosphere, you didn't expect such words to break the quiet space.

"W-What?"

He had this smug look plastered on his face as you looked so starstruck by the question. Something that he believed when he took a look at your face, was how you were too shocked; too happy to answer,

"Marry me? Would you?"

You knew when you came back to his arms, one day, he would ask for your hand in marriage. But you never thought it would be this soon. Your heart was in a state of healing, and yet, he threw you the question already. He looked so fidgety all of a sudden as he gazed deep into your eyes, searching for an answer.

Suna Rintarou could be such an oblivious man. Oblivious, or someone who was so confident that your heart already belonged to him completely. After all, you never once mentioned the name of your old flame, you never showed any kind of sign that you were somehow still in love with his ex-captain.

But that didn't mean your heart stopped beating for the other.

"Y-yes." You couldn't believe your own voice as you answered the question, and you never saw him with a smile as wide as this, "I will marry you, Rinrin."

He was now the one who had a starstruck look on his face. Even if he was sure that you were going to say yes, hearing such affirmation from you made some tears pricked on his orbs. He was grateful that you said yes, because in his mind, that means you were going to love him and only him.

You wanted to tell him about your feelings once more, you really want to. He needed to know that even after six months, your love towards Kita was never once dwindled. But as he kept saying the three magical words to you repeatedly, whispering on your ear about how he would make you the happiest woman alive,

You just couldn't.

It was bizarre as you heard the voices that were ringing inside your head. "I love you, you know that?" Your sight was blurred, you could only see someone with soft dark brown hair, the strands blew with the wind as he had his back on you.

But it all felt like a distant memory by now. You couldn't see his face, and you wondered who the man was,

"I promise I only love you."

The next snippet that appeared on your mind was how you could hear a car engine start, and the white cold sand that you felt on your skin. You could only see some mixed memories, all appeared at the same time. And then at the next moment, it was all gone.

You could see a glimpse of a familiar beach house, feeling someone pulling your body into his embrace. "Hey, my angel." The dark brown-haired man felt like a distant future—something that was only an imagination. "Please wake up,"

And what you could see right now as you opened up your eyes, was your boyfriend, Kita Shinsuke.

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#suna rintarou x reader #suna rintarou imagine #suna rintarou #suna rintarou scenario #suna rintarou angst #haikyuu angst #kita shinsuke x reader #kita shinsuke imagine #kita shinsuke scenario #kita shinsuke angst #kita shinsuke #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu season 4 #inarizaki

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obscuremarvelmuses · 3 years

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Darkstar headcanons: Laynia dresses in primarily dark cool colors with bright accents in the form of trims, patterns, or accessories. Due to coming from cold Russia, short bottoms aren’t in her wardrobe and most of her sleeves are long. She favors high-necked blousy belted tops with sleek pants and functional but pretty boots. Her long blonde is eternally pushed back. by some sort of headband. Cloth, plastic, wood, plain, pearls, bejeweled, patterned, she has them in near every variety possible and they are her most common accessory. She also owns a large assortment of stylish winter coats, scarves, gloves, and hats. Because, again, Russian. She's not much one for bracelets, preferring brooches and pendants more, typically in oval or starburst shapes. She has a love for black velvet, and it will show up for dressy events in forms such as a rhinestone-dotted envelope handbag or round-toed pumps with ankle straps. Laynia collects small antique music boxes and crystal glass figurines of pretty things like ballerinas and swans. She likes black velvet jewel pillows, black flowers and black butterflies, gemstones (clear, black, or yellow) all sorts of museums (but especially art, astronomy, and natural history) and the sight of pure white snow under the street lamps at night before people can ruin it into dirty slush the next day. She listens to classical, romantic, disco, pop, and synth music. Laynia likes sweet delicate desserts like rock candy, powder candy, jujubes, marzipan, and bliny or oladyi with varenya style fruit preserves. She dislikes zhurek, tukmachi and any kind of preserved fish dish (fish should only be served fresh or not at all!) She dislikes being asked about Putin, the Romanovs, etc. Basically, about the only things Americans know about Russian culture. She also dislikes how people don’t know the different between Russian and Belarusian. Her favorite animals are white weasels/minks (because they're so pretty and cute) and wolves (because they're beautiful too, but also such social animals with strong family dynamics) Laynia likes “slice of life” fictional media, such as domestic drama novels or family-centered sitcom shows. These are fantasies for her, these are escapes from what’s “normal” in her life. For the same reason, she avoids spy thrillers and similar genres, no matter how unrealistic they are in their depictions. She delights in mundane tasks. Likes working in small groups (3-6 people counting herself), dislikes working alone or large groups. She anthropomorphizes the Darkforce, calling it "she" and believing it has feelings or at the very least is capable of pain. What she actually feels when she feels the Darkforce in "pain" is due to simply her mental connection to her own Darkforce constructs that allows her to create, maintain, and manipulate them. When they are attacked, dissipated, or changed against her will, she feels that as pain, and interprets it as the Darkforce being in pain "herself" Though not religious aside from a vague conception of Heaven and its goodness/judgement, Laynia is a strong believer in the supernatural, in particular of ghosts. She is not, however, a fan of them, and would prefer to stay away from anywhere that is rumored to be haunted, had a tragedy occur there, or simply feels creepy to her. Due to her isolated upbringing within a lab, Laynia's social skills are rather lacking. She's extremely polite, but there are so many ways that one can commit a faux pas even with perfect manners, and the nuances of how to navigate complex personal situations escapes her completely. Of course, this applies to plenty of people who WEREN'T raised in a box, so she's really doing marvelously, considering her background. Overall, she comes off as well-bred but clueless, and many assume her to just be a naive rich girl cliche. Her Russian accent also helps with this, making many people attribute her social missteps as merely due to being foreign. Laynia gladly allows them to think this. During times of high emotion or action, Laynia's social niceties deteriorate further, and it's at these times she's at most risk of hurting others emotionally---which, also, is a time they'll most likely be hurt, if their emotions are also running hot. Laynia is more than a little bit of a hypocrite with her morals when it comes to violence and killing in the line of duty. For the most part, she'll always use the minimum force needed to accomplish a task, and will resort to lethal means only when it is truly necessary. At least, until it comes to someone she personally cares about being hurt. For instance, she would probably just teleport a group of bank robbers to jail with her Darkforce powers, leaving them unharmed but contained, even if they shot a hostage. But if they shot her brother? Then they would die. Some people might see this as proof of her devotion to her loved ones, and it is, but it also means that she applies special standards to her own pain and loss over others, and loses her morals when they're actually in a position where it's difficult to uphold them. What's worse, she'll actually be downright irrational in these situations; she'd probably not only kill the person actually responsible for consciously choosing to murder her brother directly, but she'd also likely go after the person who sent them on the assignment. Laynia has precious few people close to her, and her mania at the prospect of having them taken away is something both dangerous and easily exploited. Un-hypocritically, she does understand this in others, seeing it as understandable to commit murder in righteous anger, but not in cold blood. She also understands feelings of isolation, alienation, and being kept apart from others. When she sees someone or something (even an insect) kept prisoner, her instinct and desire is to free it, and she will do so if the being asks, even if it is an enemy. She is far from blindly loyal, and will question her own side should they do things she doesn't agree with, and is also capable of respecting her enemy and even considering them possibly in the right. Despite having been raised to be obedient first and always, she has always had a strong conscience of her own, to the point that she will refuse to work with someone should their methods be too brutal, or reject a loved one if they commit a heinous act. That said, she has trouble openly questioning those in positions of authority over her, specifically those of her own country. She is deeply loyal to Russia, and willing to do things she finds distasteful and wrong if it means saving her homeland, such as kidnapping or pressing someone into service. This same loyalty has made it easy for her government to deceive, manipulate, and just plain strongarm her into serving them in ways she finds wrong. Eventually, she is pushed too far and vows to never again serve the Russian government, but she deeply loves Russia itself and seeks to reform it from within, rather than defecting to the US. She’s basically in an abusive relationship with an entire government/country. Since her only peers growing up were two boys that grew into very proud and aggressive men, it’s made her a bit sexist, tending to generalize men as always thinking they know best and as always fighting first without question. She believes in battle-forged trust, and will typically consider someone a friend and automatically trustworthy if they fight on the same side together at any point, even if they don’t actually get to know each other at all, and be offended if they don’t think the same of her. Despite her veneer as the softest member of her squad, Laynia is defiant in the face of torture and captivity—-and as kind as she can reasonably be when she is the captor rather than the captive, which has happened more than once when service to her country required her to commit kidnapping. Laynia was raised only to be concerned with the physical well-being of herself and her teammates. It would not be accurate to say that she doesn’t care about the feelings of others, more that she just doesn’t always prioritize them as highly as she should. Because of this, she can frequently ignore or tread on the feelings of others, giving the impression she’s insensitive or mean. Ironically Laynia actually considers herself quite sensitive and emotionally astute, and would be very surprised to learn of such complaints against her. This is because growing up, she WAS considered the emotionally wise one—but only compared to her brother and Ursa Major! Because Laynia was brought up not to complain, she often won’t express that something is bothering her or that someone has offended her. She thinks she’s doing the right thing, but many people would in fact far prefer that she speak up if she’s got a problem. Laynia lacks a lot of basic life skills because they simply weren’t taught to her in the “school” she was raised in. For instance, what outfits are appropriate where, car maintenance, budgeting, cleaning, and cooking. She was taught how to find and prepare food in the Siberian wilderness should she ever be stranded or stationed there, but not how to go to the supermarket and make a normal meal in a normal kitchen. She knows to turn to Google for most of this stuff, she's not stupid, but it can be surprising to some people what she doesn't know, and she often doesn't even know it's something she needs to know until it comes up. Laynia is automatically inclined to trust and obey doctors, professors, and similar people, as well as military personnel. It doesn’t mean she’ll do or believe absolutely anything they say, that depends what it is, but she gives their opinion and approval more weight than she does other people. Laynia has a hard time making big decisions, and an even harder time sticking to them, frequently going back and forth even after she's made her initial choice. Laynia takes criticism from her superiors very personally, but doesn't show it. Crying every time you get reprimanded of course wasn't something you're allowed to do when being trained by the State, so of course she'd never show it, but she would FEEL it because she was taught that her entire purpose was to serve said State, thus her self-worth hinges on it, and a failure hurts that self-worth. This need for approval from authorities means she’ll try to evade blame when something goes awry, and is loath to step out of line. This can make her a snitch, a suck up, and disliked by her peers for it. Laynia does her best to put up a kind and cordial demeanor to all, and retain a polite decorum even when it’s not returned. This is more to avoid making waves in the team than anything else. If there is discord in the ranks, she refuses to ever be the one to blame for it. It’s not that Laynia doesn’t question orders ever. She does. And she does sometimes find her moral conscience at odds with them. The problem is that she seldom acts on these thoughts, instead proceeding with her missions despite her misgivings.

#laynia hcs #history hcs #food hcs #music hcs #hobby hcs #laynia psyche

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somegirlsnerdywords2 · 4 years

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Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a U!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Uchuu Patrol Luluco (Space Patrol Luluco):

Genres: TV Short, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Space

Synopsis: Living an abnormal existence in Ogikubo, an intergalactic melting pot of humans and aliens as well as the only Space Immigration Zone on Earth, Luluco is a bubbly middle school girl who just wants to be normal. One morning, however, her father, who works at the Space Patrol, eats a volatile sleep capsule by mistake and is frozen solid! To make matters worse, Luluco accidentally breaks him, so she hurries off to his office for help. There, the chief of the Space Patrol, Over Justice, hires Luluco as a space temp worker for undercover investigations, so that the institution may crack down on crime within her school. Made to don the Space Patrol suit and sent on her way to mete out justice, Luluco attempts to maintain the image of a normal girl who does not stand out in any way. But she soon discovers that with the automatic systems and inherently zealous judiciousness of the Space Patrol suit, continuing to be normal will be more difficult than she thought. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 13, 7 minute long episodes.

My Thoughts: Ridiculous, short and fun. It’s a tv short so there isn’t all that much to write about but it’s certainly a fun ride and has a distinctive style!

Ulibyeol Ilhowa Eollugso (Satellite Girl and Milk Cow):

Genres: Comedy, Kids, Magic, Romance, Films

Synopsis: An adventure by Il-ho the Satellite Girl and a shy cow to save the world from a black monster. "The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow" is a debuting animation by Jang Hyeong-yoon who is also known as the 'genius director' for his achievements in the omnibus movie "Indie Anibox: Selma's Protein Coffee" and others. (Source: HanCinema)

My Rating: 4/10

A film released in 2014.

My Thoughts: I know i normally say that every anime film is worth at least a single watch but this one is not. I’d pass unless this looks like something that would really interest you.

Umi ga Kikoeru (The Ocean Waves):

Genres: Drama, Romance, School, Slice of Life, Films

Synopsis: Ocean Waves is a high school love story set in Kochi, Japan. Morisaki Taku and Matsuno Yutaka are best friends when a girl from Tokyo named Muto Rikako transfers to their school. Excluding herself from group activities, she's eventually labeled a snob. Matsuno has a crush on Rikako, so it's no surprise that he gets a little jealous when Morisaki and Rikako start spending more time together. The rumors around school get worse, but Morisaki still insists there is nothing between him and Rikako. (Source: ANN)

My Rating: 7/10

A film released in 1993.

My Thoughts: Another film that I found pretty soso. Better than the milk cow one but not as amazing as some in my opinion.

Usagi Drop:

Genres: Josei, Slice of Life

Synopsis: Daikichi Kawachi is a 30-year-old bachelor working a respectable job but otherwise wandering aimlessly through life. When his grandfather suddenly passes away, he returns to the family home to pay his respects. Upon arriving at the house, he meets a mysterious young girl named Rin who, to Daikichi’s astonishment, is his grandfather's illegitimate daughter! The shy and unapproachable girl is deemed an embarrassment to the family, and finds herself ostracized by her father's relatives, all of them refusing to take care of her in the wake of his death. Daikichi, angered by their coldness towards Rin, announces that he will take her in—despite the fact that he is a young, single man with no prior childcare experience. Usagi Drop is the story of Daikichi's journey through fatherhood as he raises Rin with his gentle and affectionate nature, as well as an exploration of the warmth and interdependence that are at the heart of a happy, close-knit family. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 10/10

Finished airing in 2011 with 11 episodes.

My Thoughts: Cute, soft and dreamy with tons of feeling. Highly recommend. Also has special episodes to watch after!

Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love 1000%:

Genres: Reverse Harem, Music, Comedy, Romance, School, Shoujo

Synopsis: Haruka Nanami, an aspiring composer from the countryside, longs to write music for her beloved idol, Hayato Ichinose. Determined to accomplish this goal, she enrolls into Saotome Academy, a highly regarded vocational school for the performing arts. Upon her arrival, Haruka soon learns that everyone on staff, including the headmaster, is either an idol, a composer, or a poet. To top it all off, she is surrounded by incredibly talented future idols and composers, and the competition among the students is fierce; with the possibility of recruitment by the Shining Agency upon graduation, the stakes are incredibly high. As she strives to reach her dream at the academy, one fateful night, a series of events lead Haruka to a mysterious man standing in the moonlight, and he seems a bit familiar... [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2011 with a total of 13 episodes.

MY Thoughts: It’s a reverse harem so don’t expect much in way of character development and such but the first installment was at least pretty sun and enjoyable to watch.

Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love 2000%:

Genres: Comedy, School, Shoujo, Reverse Harem, Music, Romance

Synopsis: Entering her Master's course, Nanami Haruka is facing an even more difficult time. And she isn't the only one. The main six members of Starish are assigned new seniors to watch over them! But the seniors aren't having the best attitudes about it. Watch Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love 2000% and find yourself completely engaged in a whole new adventure mixed in with comedy and romance!

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 13 episodes.

My Thoughts: Pretty well the same as the first. Nice art/ animation.

Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love Revolutions:

Genres: Music, Romance, Shoujo, Comedy, School, Reverse Harem

Synopsis: The third anime adaptation of the otome game Uta no☆Prince-sama♪. Starish are given new assignments in newly divided teams, and they do their best in order to try and impress Shining Saotome into allowing their entry to SSS, a top level music contest. Meanwhile, Haruka works with the Quartet Night.

My Rating: 5/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 13 episodes.

My Thoughts: It just keeps going and it’s getting worse... or maybe just the lack of character development or anything look like a plot makes it seem as though it has gotten worse.

#uchuu patrol luluco #space patrol luluco #anime #tv shorts #ulibyeol illhowa eollugso #satellite girl and milk cow #films #umi ga kikoeru #the ocean waves #usagi drop #uta no prince sama maji love 1000%

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sawdustandgin · 3 years

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A Year of Happiness, Joy and Sarcasm: My 2020 in Review

Absolutely nothing needs to be said about the year of our lord 2020 that hasn’t already been shouted from every social media platform like a shrieking alarm alerting us that the ship is sinking. We know. We’re all wet.

I will not remember 2020 as mask-clad because I didn’t take any photos while wearing one.

Every December, I reflect on the year through a short essay, allowing myself many opportunities to gush about the music that I didn’t include on my best-of lists but that I still loved dearly. (Though I guess I skipped last year. I found an abandoned draft the other day…) And consistently, I have regarded each year as one of transition.

I don’t have clear career aspirations outside of wanting to engage with music as deeply and personally as I can; my only concrete life plan is to profile small towns across the country through the lens of its local music scene. So, with this nebulous image of a future endeavor, I have had a tumultuous time with money since losing my job two years ago. I realized fairly quickly, after only a few months of foundering at it, that I was unable to freelance my way to a liveable income. And in all honesty, this was for the best—nothing hurts worse than realizing the activity you are most passionate about has become a chore. I stopped worrying about pitching editors and trying to rub elbows, and I got to work applying for jobs. I, incredibly luckily, secured one after a few more months. The adjustment to being unemployed was a leap for me and my deep desire for a routine, but the adjustment to being employed and trying to maintain a balance between day job and side gig was even harder.

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Then I loosened up a bit. Toward the end of last year, I tried to make a vow to be more consistent with the blog, but instead, I prioritized sleep. At the time, I didn’t realize that it was an either/or scenario and probably would have made a greater effort to avoid my television if I had. But ultimately, I had to accept that my relationship with music journalism was on my terms. And regardless of how [in]frequently I ‘discovered’ new artists (for myself), I wasn’t ‘missing out’ on anything.

And let’s be real, I wasn’t overly eager to listen to new stuff starting around April. I put so much energy into not losing myself in quarantine that I tuckered myself out before shit really hit the ceiling. When I began thinking toward my year-end lists in November, I began to worry that this would be my most deflated best-of season in recent memory.

That’s ok, Zoë, no one really cares about top ten lists, I can hear you thinking, colored by a fascination with my determination. But as a double cancer and pisces moon, I like to cling to the art that moves my soul (read: ~nostalgia~). And so I take great joy in spending all of December and most of January repeatedly listening to my favorite music until I conjure a partially arbitrary ranking system and create playlists galore. It really is the best time of the year.

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Of course, there are always a few titles that need no additional spins, whether due to automatic disqualification or simply because I listened so much that I know it intimately. The automatic disqualifications this year were particularly striking.

A few easy omissions were Chromatica, Positions, and Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Lady Gaga delivered her skip-less album around the time when it became clear that the pandemic was not even somewhat close to containment; my roommate and I cooked to Chromatica every night, singing along to every word. With each new record, Ariana Grande becomes a more graceful songwriter, and it also helps that Positions is a plain ol', boot-knockin’ good time. And the raw power Fiona Apple wields in Fetch the Bolt Cutters would be frightening were she not the perfect vessel to deliver it to us.

Then there is the category of albums that simply didn’t need my (albeit dim) spotlight: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, græ, and KicK i are each masterpieces in their own right. They each move purposefully through diverse landscapes, each song a new adventure not bound by genre or expectation. Interestingly, Perfume Genius and Moses Sumney were never mainstays in my music rotation, while my love for Arca is unquestioned.

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That leads us to Re-Animator, I’m Your Empress Of and The Mosaic of Transformation, all of which I actively feel bad for disqualifying. I’m too much of a fan of Everything Everything to impartially write about their new album, though it was one of my most frequently played. I have been writing best-of lists for six years now and I would prefer to write about a constantly expanding, diverse group of artists. That means I can’t keep doting on Empress Of, despite her status as one of our best contemporary artists. Me and Us were truly just prelude to her 2020 record, whose title is a formal introduction. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is also the most talented analog synth musician that I personally have ever engaged with, and her latest album is everything I could have wanted.

It took some self-control (aka strict time management) to not write a few thousand words about The Ascension. Let’s recall my massive thesis on Carrie & Lowell… Yes, I am a former Catholic who thrives in the ambiguous invocation of Scripture, especially from a songwriter who quite literally shaped my taste in music. Luckily, I’m not nearly as pent up with anger and existential dread as in 2015 when I was, for the first time, processing the physical and emotional distance from my family. This elongated emotional breakdown was spurred by drama between my parents, but was also due to an irrational fear I held about my own mother’s death. Listening to Sufjan Stevens forgive his mother on her figurative deathbed has stayed with me.

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The anxiety I felt about 2020 was almost entirely external, so the gorge formed from the current of The Ascension was not nearly as deep a canyon in my heart as C&L, though it is still an affecting 80-minute journey. Stevens’ production, when coupled with his lyricism, is a breakthrough, though I do hear murmurs of folktronica from earlier in the decade. (I’m begging everyone to listen to Under Our Beds by Consilience.) And for perhaps the first time, there were songs that I occasionally skip. If I still had to commute to work, I bet they would have grown on me. In fact, this would have been a perfect driving album—one that wouldn’t cause me to weep while on the interstate. (oh Carrie. oh Lowell.)

Then there was VOL.II by my dear friend Lauren Ruth Ward. She gave me an opportunity to write a unique interview with her about the record to be printed on the inside of the gatefold, making it a permanent fixture on this most exciting of sophomore albums. I could not justify writing anything more about it, if only to preserve the sanctity of that interview, which I gave more effort and attention than any other piece of writing I had done. It was a wonderful and inspiring experience that I hope to replicate. The most heartbreaking part of the pandemic’s onset, from a social perspective, was not being able to visit Lauren after the record was released.

With all that said, 2020 was about so much more than the music I listened to. All the digital replacements for physical intimacy during lockdown made me realize that my legacy (aka all my music writing) is fragile, locked into the impermanence of the internet. So I took it upon myself to build a physical archive; in the fall, I finalized a zine template, and the first eight issues are in the can. (So far, I have 19 zines planned. Email me if you are interested in having one!)

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I’ve also been living without a front tooth since mid-March. On one hand, it’s been convenient to wear a mask to hide the hole in my mouth, but on the other hand, all I want to do is bite into an apple. (For almost two years before I even knew I had to have my tooth removed, I had been forced to slice apples before being able to eat them. The abject humiliation.) The journey with my dentists and oral surgeon has been excruciating, to say the least. Who knew three people in the same medical practice could have such mightily different styles of care? [Author’s note: I got my crown after writing this essay! :grinning-emoji:]

In sum, it was my image of myself that I was able to see a bit clearer this year. Each year I think that I’ve figured something else out about myself, which had always led me to believe that I am a most-complex, divine being. But I think a more accurate interpretation is that, put simply, I am not static. My thoughts and emotions adapt to life and life doesn’t seem to stop throwing me around like sneakers in a tumbling dryer. My pronouns are now they/them and while I don’t have many specifics as to why, I just know that this feels right.

I hope your year was at least acceptable; 2021 promises a host of new challenges, but I think we can take ‘em.

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#year in review #best of #best of 2020 #music blog #music review #Lady Gaga #Ariana Grande #Fiona Apple #Perfume Genius #Moses Sumney #Arca #Everything Everything #Empress Of #Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith #Sufjan Stevens #Consilience #Lauren Ruth Ward #2020 #year in review 2020

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dangermousie · 4 years

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All the 2020 kdramas I am interested in (and a few I am not)

DEFINITE

365: One Year Against Destiny (MBC) - I am excited to see Lee Joon Hyuk get a lead role and Nom Ji Hyun needs to work more. Plus, time travel!!!!

Alice (SBS) - Joo Won is back in what looks like a complicated tale of love and time travel and noona romance. YESSS!

The Allies - Time for a Green Hero (KBS) - weird title, but a sageuk about the hero growing into a leader against the Japanese invasion sounds up my alley before his, I am sure, inevitable demise.

Can This Person Be Translated (tvN) - Hong Sisters dramas don’t always work for me, but they always get an automatic look-see.

Eighteen Again (jTBC) - I love Kim Ha Neul and I hope it’s a steamy romance for all those “she is tooooo old for her leading man (Lee Do Hyun)” naysayers.

Half of a Half (tvN) - Park Hae Jin and Chae Soo Bin as an OTP yesss.

Here - Noh Hee Kyung is beyond amazing as a writer and the cast (Lee Byung Han, Han Ji Min, Shin Min Ah, Nam Joo Hyuk) is insane!

Hyena (SBS) - Joo Ji Hoon!!!!! And the teaser looked slick.

Idol Doctor - an idol who sleepwalks and his doctor is a premise that would have made 14 year old me scream in glee.

Itaewon Class (jTBC) - I have developed quite a thing for Park Seo Joon recently, I love revenge, and there is gonna be food! Bring it on!

I Will Find You On a Beautiful Day (jTBC) - Park Min Young, Seo Kang Joon, Lee Jae Wook? I need to look no further. But it also sounds like a healing slice of life romance, yum.

The King: the Eternal Monarch (SBS) - Lee Min Ho in a heroic fantasy tale penned by Kim Eun Suk, and also with Kim Go Eun and Woo Do Hwan in the cast? It’s my dream come true.

Memoir of the Man (MBC) - I like the leads a lot (Kim Dong Wook and Moon Ga Young) and I have discovered that romances with odd premises (he remembers everything, she forgets most important moments) tend to work really well for me.

The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (tvN) - second chance romances with older protags are my fave thing, and when it stars Lee Bo Young and Yoo Ji Tae - my heart!!!

Oddball (MBN) - description is hella confusing but I always check out all the sageuks.

Psycho But It’s OK (tvN) - “ A man who denies love and a woman who doesn’t know love defy fate and fall in love, finding their souls and identities in the process. “ Yes please. Also, Kim Soo Hyun doesn’t do anything for me (I know I know) but he always picks good dramas.

Sandbox (tvN) - Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk in what sounds like a sweet romance. I happen to like both - they have a warm on-screen vibe and good chemistry with their costars. Also (and that is not a slam), a sweet-natured romance sounds like something that plays to their strengths and avoids their limitations (thoughts of either in an intense melo or sageuk would give me hives, but there they will be perfect.)

Ssanggab Cart Bar (jTBC) - a food stall for the dead? Color me intrigued enough to want to check it out; plus Hwang Jung Eum usually has a very good taste for picking dramas.

The Story of Gumiho (tvN) - Lee Dong Wook as a male gumiho! Jo Bo Ah as his eventual lady love! Fantasy and romance and a very happy Mousie!

Superstar Miss Lee - heroine and another lady swap souls, there is a chaebol possibly played by Yoo Seung Ho, etc etc. Sometimes I am just in the mood for a good, old-school crazy drama.

Train (OCN) - yes, an OCN drama made it on the list, is it a parallel world? Nope, but a parallel world where OCN makes romances may be involved since it stars Kim Jae Wook (OMG yes) as a detective trying to protect his dead love in a parallel world where she is alive. Will miracles never cease?

Welcome (KBS) - and the award for the most insane premise goes to!!! L is a cat (!!!!) who, and I quote, “mastered the art of transformation into human form.” He hooks up with his owner (!!!!!????!!!!) There is so much insanity in this, that I am already riveted, though not necessarily in a good way.

Youth Report (tvN) - I know little about that one but Park Bo Gum has consistently picked dramas I like.

MAYBE

City of Stars: no idea if this one is happening but Ji Chang Wook playing an astronaut sounds interesting. Though he doesn’t always pick the best dramas (hello there, the awful Melt Me), he’s always fun to watch!

Danjong, the Young King (MBC) - any sageuk is at least a try but I literally found zip about this one.

The Game: Towards Zero (MBC) - honestly, the yes/no will depend on whether there is a romance. Someone who can see a dead person’s last moments pairing up with a lady detective to solve serial murders is very far out of my jam (and someone give Im Joo Hwan a leading role dammit, the man is wasted playing the inevitable serial killer) but Taecyeon is adorable even if not the best actor and I would brave this genre if he and Lee Yeon Hee (an underrated girlcrush of mine) are allowed to be a couple.

Late Night Snack Man and Woman (SBS) - bizarre title but I am fond of Sung Hoon despite his less than consistent choice of projects and a conman (who hopefully gets redeemed) sounds fun. I also think the hero pretends to be gay (!?!?!) which I haven’t seen as a major plot point since Personal Choice which could either be fun or bad, who knows.

Memorist (tvN) - I like to watch Yoo Seung Ho but I don’t care for mysteries. Still, it’s on tvN so maybe there will be romance.

Money Game (tvN) - banking and money scheming rarely works for me, but sometimes can be a smart thing, plus I have got to check out Go Soo being back on my screen!

Penthouse (SBS) - the insane writer of The Last Emperor and Temptation of Wife. An experienced cast of my favorites with Lee Ji Ah, Shin Sung Rok and Eugene. It will most likely be a trainwreck I will ditch halfway but hope springs eternal.

The Search (OCN) - the star of Nokdu in the DMZ? Yes!!! But OCN does no romance so my enthusiasm is diminished.

Secret - I like Park Hae Jin and Jo Bo Ah well enough, but mainly because I am damn curious if this baby will ever air!

So I Married an Anti-Fan - this a prefilmed drama that seems to find a home nowhere which means its probably not good, but the premise of an idol having to shack up with his anti-fan for publicity is too amusing for me not to at least want to peek if it actually does air.

Touch (Channel A) - I have an oddly hormonal attraction to Joo Sang Wook (I love the really sexy middle manager look, sue me!) but idols and make-up artists and all that are not necessarily my jam. It depends on the execution.

Unique: Chef Moon - I love Eric to bits but when I start reading the description of a chef dedicated to organic cooking, I start to fall asl...zzzzzzzzz.

WHHHHYYYYY

Hi Bye Mama - I adore Kim Tae Hee, but the premise of a dead wife and mother who comes back for 49 days to her grieving family, presumably including sad children and husband who is only now beginning to recover sounds like one only a genuine masochist could love.

My Holo Love (netflix) - a lonely woman hooks up with an AI. Between the fact that Absolute Boyfriend poisoned me for an AI romance forever, the fact that the heroine has face blindness (isn’t that so 2018?), and that the description includes the extraordinarily maudlin “drama is filled with stories of heartbreaking loneliness and tear-stained love,” I will pass.

Que Sera Sera - out of sheer trainwreck curiosity because I adore the original and why remake a drama that’s only a bit over a decade old, and with relative newbies.

What’s Happened in Bali - if it ever gets made that is (please no.) The original is amazing but they are not repeating the Jo In Sung - So Ji Sub - Ha Ji Won casting miracle and there is no need for a remake; plus this drama is something that makes sense in 2005 but less so in 2020 and just generally leave a classic alone, people.

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shesquiinnsane-ar · 4 years

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HOW DOES BLUEBELL RUN THIS THING?

BASICS

NAME/ALIAS: Fern / Bluebell HANDLES/NICKNAMES: Blue, Bella OVER 18?: yes | no MUSE: Harley Quinn / Harleen Frances Quinzel MUSE OVER 18?: yes (majority of verses) | no | verse dependent (minor in Circus, DC Super Hero Girls and Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass) BLOG ESTABLISHED: June 29th 2017

WRITING

THEMES YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING? (not triggers) no ( I mean incest isn’t liekly to happen here anyways and ew...but given what’s happened to harley in her presumed past 90% of the time I wouldn’t leave anything else out) | sometimes | yes | [ rape / incest ]

HAVE ANY TRIGGERS? HOW DO YOU LIKE IT TAGGED? no triggers | tw: trigger (this is how I tag, you want them tagged a different way let me know) | trigger cw | [ add your own ]

SHIPPING

TAGGING

TAGGED BY: @amazongoddcss && @imperialkingpin TAGGING: whoever wants to steal this!!

#DASH GAMES.{you got tagged; pass the game on}#QUEUED.{serving time in arkham; looking for an escape}

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clevernewdimension · 5 years

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Polaris Part Eleven

Parts: Preview, Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve (Coming soon!)

Genre: Action, drama, romance, sci-fi, etc.

Paring: Jongin x Character

Word count: 7.3

A/N: A rare update it feels like. I’m sorry guys, my IRL life is just shit at the moment, but I’ll update when I can!

It felt as if everything was moving around me a hundred times faster than normal. The royal guards mostly emotionless, spears in their hands ready for a fight at any moment. Glorified attack dogs, basically, since it’s rare for royalty to even be in a room with someone without a mark. No need for them if you can command them to stop. Rhys’s personal body guard in the room with him as he, Minseok and Krims were speaking. He was probably twenty when I first met him. His head shaved with golden metal parts on him. He was cyberneticly enhanced, something that happens for the personal guards of the royal family. Can happen everywhere but looked down upon. His eyes yellow, looking around like a hawk to make sure nothing happens. A passing glance would make anyone think he was an honorable man.

The memories of him tying me to a bed for the prince’s pleasure and sedating me so I couldn’t move said otherwise. Worse that with the mark, that shit wasn’t actually needed at all. Fucked up asshole and his heartless sidekick.

The door opens, Krims angrily shaking his head. “The fact of the matter is, any Tribian in the Syndicate legally absolves themselves of their citizenship in order to join.” He turns, glaring at Rhys’s face, “No amount of a royal hissy fit will change that, your highness,” He says, practically spitting the words.

The mask was up. He looked unbothered to most people, but you could see the small movements if you knew where to look. “And If they chose to leave,” He asks, following. He was angry. The sliver of his eyes looking even crueler the angrier he got.

Minseok follows behind, “If they choose to leave the Syndicate, they will be stripped of their ranks and allowed to go anywhere they wish. They wouldn’t not automatically have to go back to Tribil.”

Theo smirks, the crown on his head still perfectly in place. The perfect picture of royalty. “Something tells me they will want to come back home.”

My blood runs cold, knowing what he means. The command. He expects to command us back, and those who are not myself or Yixing will have to follow them. It took everything I had not to let the bile rose up my throat and out of my mouth with just the thought. A small gasp leaves my lips, as a few glance to me. King Theo Rhys looks over, eyes meeting me. A smirk rises on his face.

“Like you,” He says smiling. The clothes he wore proper black and gold, the cape with LED micro particles that makes it shimmer and look like glitter. His eyes on me as he walks up. “Come back home,” He says, looking me over. “Tribil will gladly have a hero like you. We could use more hands working on our new technology and jobs at the mines always, sadly, open up.”

Memories flash in front of me, making my eyes water. I felt so fucking weak as he just stared at me. His laugh echoing in my ears as I blink and I see Yixing stepping in front of me. I could feel his burning hatred without having to look at him.

“We’ll pass,” He says, smirking. “We know the Syndicate is good now that the disease has been cut out. It would be a shame to work so hard just to throw it all away after all.” Yixing stands up tall, not bowing likes you should. Yixing almost looked arrogant, as he stood up to Rhys. “So we’re declining, your highness,” He says, the biting tone of sarcasm was sharp, and definitely would be noticed by all those who heard.

There was a moment where Rhys’s face was complete emotionless. A trained response to rejection. No signs of weakness, and if there was, I think it would be confusion of how we are able to not be commanded. “Then I suppose we should speak about our continued relationship with the Syndicate,” He says, as if he’s clenching his teeth together.

The door bursts open and I see Jongin, Sehun and a few other pilots walk in. He looked angry, and when he looked at Yixing and I in front of Rhys, it just got worse.

The way he walked had an air of anger. The bodyguard stepped in front of him, ready as Jongin looked truly pissed. Jongin looked past him, towards Rhys.

“Why the fuck are we not allowed to fly,” He asks, glaring at him.

King Rhys turned, looking at Jongin. “With all the commotion and infighting going on, my security personnel though it best to have all spaceships grounded until further notice. For all I know traitors will use them an attack my the small fleet we have waiting just outside the atmosphere.”

“We need to go and survey the surrounding area to make sure it’s safe,” Jongin says, daring to stand up to a monarchy that would destroy him if he wished.

“My security detail is taking care of it,” the King says, looking past him and at Sehun. The trained calm face dropped instantly. He glares, “You’re awfully brave to show up here, King killer. Should I be worried? Will you kill me too?”

“Your father liked to fuck children and hurt them,” Sehun says, face blank of emotion other than his eyes. They were a burning inferno. “I’d say that the only reason you’ve have to feel unsafe is if you are also a pedophile and a rapist. If not, you have nothing to fear.”

The anger making his silver eyes glow, “I could have you killed for telling such lies about my father.”

The guard moves his spear, pulling it to Sehun’s throat. The Etheron doesn’t move, just stares boredly at him. “It’s not a lie. And you’re also complacent if you knew about it and did nothing.”

Theo pushes the guards arm, trying to make the blade slice into Sehun. Jongin’s hand reaches out and grabs the spear, holding in in place. For the first time, I’ve noticed Jongin really tap into his Etherion strength to snap the end of the metal spear off. Most of the time, it’s held back. After all, no need to snap a steering stick in half when flying.

Jongin glares, dropping the end of the spear to the ground. The sound of the metal clanging against the floor was almost too much as the two were silent, staring at one another intently. Jongin just shakes his head, “I suppose I’d be worried if I was you, too. Since you’ve known about what’s been going on in the Syndicate after all.”

King Rhys’s eyes widen slightly. Weakness. Perhaps fear. Too quick to tell before it was gone again, but it was there.

Minseok shakes his head, “It doesn’t matter right now anyways. Effective immediately no one can leave this planet’s atmosphere any longer. We are holding elections for the new heads of departments soon. No one leaves, royalty or not,” He says, looking over at Rhys. “You are to remain here. No leaving this island as we can not promise you protection from assassins or what have you anywhere else. As of now, the head of this base is in jail and has relinquished the need for the head manor. You and the people you brought can stay the the head’s manor as it’s one the best guarded place in the entire planet.”

Theo looked back to Sehun, eyes showing nothing up hate. Face blank besides that, before he speaks. “Thank you for your consideration,” He says, his eyes not leaving Sehun.

“After, we’ll have the executions,” Minseok says. He looks over at Jongin. “You can fly your ships. Krims has people already watching over this galaxy to make sure nothing happens. However, unless another attack is coming, you are to remain within the atmosphere.”

“And what will be done of the Krytons,” Rhys asks, eyes still burning in anger.

“That will be sorted out after we get our Heads of the Syndicate elected.” Minseok speaks eloquently.

King Rhys nods, moving past Sehun and Jongin with ease. “Should you need me, I’ll be in my quarters.” The door shuts behind him and his group. I see Minseok let his shoulders fall as he just leans against the wall. The stress has to be getting to him.

I feel a hand on my shoulder as I see Jongin looking at me with worry. “Did he do anything to you?”

I shake my head, “No. Bu now he knows our marks don’t work.”

“You and Yixing are the only Tribians in the Syndicate on this planet,” Minseok says, rubbing his head from what I could assume was a headache. “The rest that are in the Syndicate are currently having the nanotech removed.”

“That’s covered it, then,” Yixing says, “No one escapes Tribil unless they join the Syndicate. Everyone else who tries to leave get the mark and are told to stay.” He shakes his head, “If you’re joining the Syndicate, an officer oversees you leaving and they can’t tell you to stay. It would look too suspicious if there are some so adamant to leave and then they suddenly change their minds.”

“Speaking of,” Minseok says, “Effective immediately, Yixing and Lyra are not allowed to be alone. Since pilots can’t fly, I’m ordering Sehun and Jongin to watch over them” He looks at us, “Besides, with everything going on, who knows if we have all the traitors caught. I have to choose people I trust for this, and I know the two of you care more about them than anyone.” Minseok looks at Yixing and I, “Not that you both need it, but something tells me he isn’t happy seeing you both without a mark.”

“Have either of you come into contact with him personally before today,” Krims asks, knowing the full situation over on Tribil now.

Yixing shakes his head, “I’ve heard talk from others who worked at the hotel. Seems like he’s only into women. Though the things I’ve heard don’t paint a pretty picture. They said he was sadistic, loved hurting people.”

Krims looks towards me.

I just nod silently, not knowing what else to say. Thankfully, the head of the Judicial branch understood that it was a sensitive topic. “I may wish to speak with you about that. In private. I won’t record it if it would make you feel better.”

“If it helps to bring him down you can record it,” I was fidgeting with the end of my shirt, looking away. “Just tell me when.”

Minseok looks at Jongin, who was looking at me with worry. “You make sure he doesn’t get near her. Both of you are being moved to the private officer section. He has access to the manor but not unlimited access to the base. There you will be safer. Last room on the left.” He pauses, before looking at Jongin again. “I may have to send you to be a liaison to the UN. Switzerland. I’ll probably send Lyra with you just to be safe. You can take your fighter or you can take a actual plane.”

The pilot pouts, “Really?”

Minseok nods, “They want to talk about to the hero that brought down the bomber. Also, get her away from him for a while, which will be good.”

Jongin just nods, “Tell me when.”

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I look up and see Yixing.

“Do you want to talk about it,” He asks in Tribian. The language was harsh, sounding sharp. A direct opposite to Etherons smooth and silky sounds.

“You heard other women talk about it,” I say back in Tribian. The language sounding harsh to the ears after such a long time. “That’s about how it always went. Sometimes it would get worse when he was particularly angry, or if he wanted to celebrate.”

“I’m going to watch them, make sure they aren’t doing anything suspicious,” He says, nodding.

I just nod. “You do that, spy. Funny how Minseok didn’t have to tell you to room up, hm?”

I see everyone around us looking, very curious about our conversation. No one really hears this language unless they’re on Tribil, after all. So the use of it is strange, and not many know it as the knowledge of how to speak it rarely leaves the planet.

Yixing’s face turns a shade of pink. He just shakes his head, “At least I’ve let my feelings be known. Have you even tried?”

I shove him, “Not that simple, you know that.”

“But it could be,” Yixing says, putting a small hand on me and giving me a pat on the arm. “Tell me if you want help with that. Jongin can be a bit of an idiot, after all.”

I just roll my eyes, “Yeah, whatever. Now let me go, I finally have a day off and I have some shit I have to do.”

Yixing laughs, before patting my shoulder once again. This time, he speaks in English, “If there’s anything you know that could help me on my spying, let me know.”

“Sure whatever,” I say, before watching him and Sehun leave. I smile, watching them lace their fingers together.

“You have anything you have to do today,” I ask, looking at Jongin.

He shrugs, “Dinner with my Mom later. I was scheduled to do a scouting mission but looks like that’s not happening.”

“Well, I have a few errands to run,” I say, “Got to go into the city and get some clothes. A lot of mine are getting ruined in these battles and pretty soon I’ll only have a uniform to wear. Besides, if we’re going to Switzerland during the fall, I didn’t exactly pack for that.”

“Well Sehun has told me I’m very honest when he drags me along to get clothes with him.”

“Unlike Sehun I couldn’t give a fuck if other people like it,” I say with a smile, “I’m just… sorry you have to get dragged along. I’m sure it’s going to be boring.”

“Not as boring as talking to the UN,” He mumbles, rolling his eyes. “They’re worried we’re in over our heads. I’m mostly going just to tell them it’s all fine, explain that we’ve gotten everyone involved and that we’re stabilizing our authority with new elections.”

“Sounds like fun,” I say, laughing at the miserable look on his face.

Fight as we leave the building, Jongin smiles. He blocks his eyes from the sun, letting them get adjusted for a moment. The walk to the base exit was quick, people at the beach having fun. The sound of the waves was pleasant, nice and soothing. Didn’t help me from keeping my head on a swivel, though. I could see some of the guards that came with Theo walking around, taking in the life here.

First stop was clothes. After that was to the on base bank where I could, finally, pay off loans. I had a lot of debt from Tribil (Which they give to everyone who leaves as an added fuck you) that, with this last payment, would finally be paid off. Between that and saving for a vacation, I was left with nothing most of the time.

I walk into a store, just grabbing things as quick as possible. Most of my wardrobe was shorts, so if I was going to a place where it’s cold, I need pants. Three pairs of jeans, two black one dark blue. After that a few shirts. Sleeveless ones, because I’m a bit more muscular than women my size and it it just more comfortable. Two sweaters, one black and one dark purple and a jacket that seemed like it would be warm. I put them on the counter, telling the woman I would be adding more. She just nodded, reading the latest on whatever app he was focusing on.

The whole time Jongin followed, sometimes looking at something that caught his eye. I feel my face flush, looking at him. “Um… Can you-”

“Those jackets are suddenly calling my name,” He says with a small smile, walking away.

I quickly pick up a few pairs of new bras and underwear. Since it seems like we’re not leaving any time soon, I get a couple of sports bras as I only brought one with me. Finally I grab a pack of socks and I was done. I get to the check out to find the woman rang up the rest of my things, getting the last few rang up.

“If you let us scan your Syndicate I.D., we’ll have them dropped off at your base and taken to your shipping room,” She says with a smile. “We do that for pretty much all Syndicate members.”

I smile, “That would be great!” I say. I let it scan my thumb print, as most places have that to track your money and see it take out of my account. I sign my name, confirming it’s me. I see Jongin put a jacket down on the counter. Black leather, shiny and new. The inside lining was a dark blue, and it looked like one you’d see in the movies from the 1980s or from old shit with motorcycle gangs.

“Going to be cold,” He says, before quickly paying for his.

“Well,” She says, smiling. She leans over just a bit so you could see a bit more of her cleavage, lips in a small smirk. “I think this is going to make you look even more handsome. Would you like me to have it sent to your room?”

Jongin nods, ignoring her flirting. “Thank you.”

I roll my eyes, turning towards the door. Before Jongin could speak, I say “Got to get to the bank.”

“What for,” He asks, falling into step with me. The streets are emptier than normal as kids and teens are at school. The flashing hologram adverts are still bright an annoying, though, trying to get your attention.

“Tribil gives you a massive debt if you leave,” I say, stopping at the crosswalk. Cars and bikes hovering over the ground a few inches speed by as I wait. “Just for shits and giggles I guess. More money to fuel their gluttony while they starve people. Either way, if you don’t actively try to pay them off, they will declare you a felon. That happens and your ass is getting shipped back no matter that the Syndicate wants.”

“The more I’m hearing about these assholes, the less I like them,” He says, shaking his head.

“Well, plus side is this is the last payment and that threat no longer looms over me,” I say, a small smile coming to my lips. “Which means that unless I assault any of them while they’re here, there is nothing they can do that can make me come back to them.”

“If you would have told me that I would have paid it off,” He says just as the crosswalk turns. The glowing lights on the ground go from green to red, meaning they are not allowed to be driven over, but walked on.

“It was a lot of debt. Would have been weird to take that from you.”

“If you say so,” He says, “But I think it would have been worth it if that means you never had to go back.”

“You’re getting soft, Kim,” I say, smiling.

He laughs, “Truth is, I’ve always been pretty soft… well, once I was away from him. All of us Kim’s you know are, actually. Though Jongdae would deny it until he’s blue in the face.”

Once we get to the bank, it was almost jaw droppingly huge. A building with no signs other than the name. Syndicate Credit Union. The building all white, except the dome was massive and made of what looks like gold. Jongin opens the door, letting me in ad we see a pristine room. I get to the table at the front, seeing a woman sitting there. Her eyes orange and hair the same as she smiles. “Hello what can I help you with?”

“I’m here to pay of a debt,” I say, smiling.

She gestures towards the right, “Area one is what you are looking for. Are you with her, sir?”

“Actually, I’m like to transfer some money to someone else,” He says, looking around.

“That is area two, to the left. Thank you for banking with us today.”

We nod walking away from one another. Thankfully the process went by quickly as I explain what I wanted to do. The person there smiled, “Congratulations on being debt free,” He says, nodding.

“Thanks,” I say, nodding. When I turn, I see Jongin waiting at the door for me, his eyes looking around, always ready for danger.

“All done,” I say, as we walk out. It was probably noon as I glanced around. The streets busier as people are going for their lunch breaks. I see a few kids from the high school at a fast food place, probably allowed to leave for lunch if they want. Hover boards in their hands as they wait in line.

“I didn’t know Tribil had its own language,” Jongin says, mind clearly back when we were at the headquarters.

I nod, “It does but it’s not like others. It’s very… harsh. Most royalty no longer knows it, so it’s become a commoners tongue. There are no words in it for things like ‘love’ and ‘friendship’. Instead we have to just substitute those words with English.” I glance over, seeing him looking at me, paying full attention to what I was saying. “The highest compliment you can get in Tribian is roughly translated to ‘I wish you well and your battles won’.”

“Sounds like the exact opposite of Etherion,” He says, with a sad smile. “A very flowery language.”

I know, remembering how he said those words to me yesterday. How musical they sounded just being spoken. Etherion is, like it’s people, very lovely and exceptionally beautiful. I smile, looking around before I see a person being us. They were making a very bad attempt to follow us without being seen.

“I saw,” He mutters, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Just act like everything it fine. We can go back to base and lose them where they don’t have access.”

“Didn’t take him long,” I mutter, frowning.

“Nothing will happen, Lyra, remember? Iz wha tri monsil, tri kree tu mo,” He mutters, arm moving from around my shoulders. His fingers lace with mine, holding tightly as a reassuring gesture.

“Is the workshop open to them,” I ask, watching as a pair of them pass by the two of us.

“Only with permission,” Jongin says even quieter. “We can go there, exit out the back and go behind the buildings there and enter our housing building from the back North side entrance.”

I nod, following him as we both, with our badges, let ourselves into the base. I could smell the grease and oil and hear the sound of welding from here. It was as comforting as it should be with someone following us. We walked in, closing the door behind us. I was glad that the large bay door was shut right now as we walked around. I see Chanyeol there, looking over a bomber. He glances over, a smile on his face before I hold up my finger to my lips.

He just nods. I’m not even sure if he knows the situation or not, but I’ll be sure to tell him later if he isn’t aware. We quickly slip out the door just as we hear knocking at the door we came in at.

Here Jongin picks up the pace, the both of us jogging as quietly as possible. A quick turn and a few more yards, he scans his hand and the door opens. I quickly go in, watching him close the door behind us.

“Fuck,” He mutters, shaking his head. “They really want you and Yixing back.”

“The fact that our marks don’t work is a threat to their way of life,” I say, nodding. “Think about it, they probably assume we haven’t said anything since no one is arresting them.”

“So eliminate the two of you and there is no problem according to them.”

“They would rather remark us,” I mutter quietly. “They keep records of our… work. They would know that we could be useful. Last resort would be killing us. And the Rhys’s… they don’t like losing anything. The only reason why I was allowed to leave at all was because someone from the Syndicate oversees the process and not someone from Tribil.”

Jongin goes quiet. I could see him tense as he just starts to move to our door. When he opens the door, I walk in and see it looks like a standard apartment. A kitchen, a living space, a small dining table.

“I thought my father was bad to us,” Jongin says, letting go of my hand and going to the small couch.

“From what I know, he was bad to you all,” I say, looking at him confused. “Abuse is abuse. Using your power to corrupt is still corruption. Just because one place is evil doesn’t erase the evil of another person.”

Jongin was silent, crossing his arms and putting his feet to rest on the table. I could see a conflict in him as I just move, sitting down next to him. I place my hand on his shoulder, my heart hurting to see him look like this. He looked over to the window, voice a lot harder than before. “My father trained all of us to be his tools in specific things. Minseok in politics. Junmyeon in manipulation and intel gathering. Jongdae in corruption of justice. Minjung was the one who was taught to be analytical. For most of them, they were taught by manipulation. Emotional and mental abuse. I was… different,” He says, his voice sounding a bit higher. I could tell emotions were overflowing right now.

“I was the weapon. The killer. The one who would brandish the knife and get the secrets out if need be. If he wanted an assassin who was discrete and silent or if he wanted a warrior who was brutal and bloodthirsty, that’s what he taught me. And you… you don’t teach your weapon by mental and emotional abuse only.”

I hold onto his shoulder tighter, “You don’t have to tell me.”

“I trust you with this. Besides, you’re life story is everyone's knowledge now. Might as well even it up,” He says, looking back to me. “The first thing they ever taught me was how to throw a knife. Any knife. Anytime I didn’t hit the bullseye I got a cut.” His eyes were a bit misty, unfocused staring. Memories undoubtedly coming back to him. “But I wanted to make everyone proud. Then I was taught a gun. I use to have amazing aim all the time. Now it only shows up in life or death situations. When the shots really count.”

Jongin laughed, though it was dark. Sarcastically. “The worst lesson was when they left me in a room for three days. Pitch black with no sounds. No food. One of those rooms where it’s so quiet it’s actually in negative decibels. I went insane. All I could hear was the sound of my heart beating. After a while, part of me thought if I killed myself the sound would stop.” He smiles, “After, I got to rest for a day, then back to work. I was fragile. Perfect for manipulation. I wasn’t allowed to see my brothers or sister. After, I was dragged into a room where they played me a video of my father saying all I should do is strive to do his wishes. Over and over.” He laughs, “And thus, the brainwashing was essentially complete.”

“That’s so fucked up,” I say, frowning. I place a hand on his, giving it a squeeze and lacing my fingers with his. Trying to give him some sort of comfort.

Jongin just laughed, “Yeah… yeah it is. After that, I was his mindless puppet for a few years. Then, the last time I ever saw my Mother, she… she told me to break away from trying to make him proud. That I wasn’t meant to be a mindless and heartless weapon. She told me I was meant to fly.” He smiles, “I was always fascinated by ships and flying. Be in in space or on a planet. When I was a child, before my father got his hands on me, I would look out the windows of the station and spend hours watching cargo ships come and go. Her telling me I was meant to fly… that she loved me and she wanted me to do what I wanted broke that. It’s funny how absolute and strong being under someone’s control feels like… when it could be broken by just a few words.”

“I wish that was the case for us,” I say, frowning.

“I can’t imagine how that is,” He says, looking at me, “Being trapped in your own brain like that. You are fully aware, but you can’t stop if you wanted. I was just… unfeeling. Unaware.”

“Well, I’m glad that the sick fucks who did that to you are going to face justice.”

“Yours will too,” He mumbles, looking up. He smiles, “I’ll make sure of it.” He nods, “Now, this room only has one bedroom, but it has two bed. So… do you want the one by the door or by the window?”

“Window,” I say, nodding with a small smile. “And thank you. I’m sorry you have to babysit me.”

“If it means you’re safe, then there is no question,” He says, smiling. “After all, you saved my life. I owe you one.”

“You forgave me for almost killing you, so we’re even.”

“There is nothing to forgive,” Jongin just says, rolling his eyes. Something about him now makes me smile. He doesn’t hold on to people’s mistakes like that forever. He forgives anyone if they’re a good person. I literally tried to stab him in the stomach and here he is, just acting like that was no big deal at all.

“Whatever you say,” I mutter, trying to ignore the butterflies I feel in my stomach. I let go of his hand, shaking my head with a smile. “I think I want to take a nap. I’m oddly exhausted.”

“Emotional distress is very exhausting,” He says, “Or, at least that’s what my therapist told me.”

“You saw a therapist?”

“My brothers and I did… still do sometimes. Not as often, though,” He says, “I needed it. To be reprogrammed… or unprogrammed, I guess is a better way to put it.” Jongin smiles, “Don’t worry, I’m here. Sleep well. I’ll wake you for dinner, if you want.”

“Thank you,” I say quietly. “For this.” Before he could speak, I move into the bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

Jongin frowns, reading news around the galaxies. A lot of people distrust the Syndicate now, which makes sense. Seeing the riots and the protects make him sad, though. It’s not like all the people who joined wanting to protect everyone knew about any of this. He just wanted to keep people safe.

But, being the son of the man who was doing all of this didn’t look good. Now people were questioning. Seems like most of that is passing, however.

A knock at his door makes him jump. He moves, grabbing the laser pistol from his belt. His fingers on the door surface, turning to the side. A small one way window showed up, allowing him to look out. He sighs, tension falling away as he sees Yixing.

The door opens and Yixing moves inside. He stops Jongin, pushing a vial into his chest. “This is it. You want to know how she feels, give her this. Tell her, though. Don’t be a creep about it. I’m sure she’ll agree to use it since you seem to be such an idiot.”

“A truth elixir, really,” Jongin asks, frowning. “I don’t want to drug her.”

“Did you miss the whole ‘tell her’ part of my statement or are you just ignoring me?”

Jongin shakes his head. “You both seemed very chatty earlier.”

The spy smiles, “You’re jealous.”

Jongin knows there’s no reason to deny it. Yixing is almost always right about things like this. He looks away, pretty much admitting it to the eagle eyed spy.

Yixing takes his face in his hand, moving it to look at him. The Tribian smiles, “Fear not, Jongin. She’s all yours... if you’d ever make a move.”

“She seems to trust you more,” Jongin mutters.

“We both feel shame for what we’ve been though. Telling more people makes you feel… disgusting,” Yixing says, frowning. “It doesn’t matter what anyone says, you still feel it. It’s one thing if you CHOOSE to sell your body. It’s a noble profession and the oldest one there is. If it’s consented to then why not. But we were tricked,” He says, “We never wanted this. She talks to me about it because I wouldn’t judge her because I’ve been though it too. She’s probably scared of what you’ll think about it.”

Jongin looks down. There’s nothing she could tell him that would change how he sees her. “I guess that makes sense…”

“Besides,” Yixing says with a smirk, “I’m to busy fucking your best friend and being madly in love with him to steal your girl.” He says with a laugh, “However, both of us are down to do a threesome if you’re into that.”

“I’ll remember that, “Jongin says, his face flushing. “I feel like an idiot."

Yixing smiles, “Just tell her. I promise you it’ll be fine. And hell, that threesome could become a foursome.”

“Goodbye Yixing,” Jongin says, pushing him towards the door. “Where’s Sehun, anyways? Aren’t you both suppose to be with one another?”

Yixing sighs, “He’s with Krims. They’re going to strip his father of his awards and honors. He’s dead, obviously, but it will tarnish his legacy, which I think Sehun really wants. After all, people from Etherion still think him to be a good man. There’s no place safer for him to be right now than there.”

“I think he’s safer with you,” Jongin says, “At the very least, he feels he is.”

The softness and affection in Yixing’s eyes when he said that made Jongin smile. “Get back to him.”

The spy didn’t need to be told twice. Jongin shakes his head, taking the vial and putting it in his pocket. The liquid was thicker than water but not by much with a golden hue. It was cold to the touch, naturally cold. Jongin didn’t know if he even wanted to know the truth. Perhaps it would stop him from pining senselessly, but he knows the truth. He’s only ever romantically loved one person and he thinks it will probably be only one person for the rest of his life.

A few days and I was already pretty sick of being watched. Not because I didn’t like Jongin around, but because I feel like this massive burden. I’ve seen Rhys a few times. Thankfully we haven’t been close to one another. I sigh, feeling exhausted as stretch, seeing Jongin looking over his Fighter. Beside him was his mother. Her eyes bright with love as she listen to Jongin who was explaining about how things worked.

I look at myself, seeing a pilot jumpsuit on over my uniform. Today we’re leaving for Switzerland. He already loaded our bags into a small pocket of space used for things. Usually it’s guns that are taken in there, so that you could land and hand them out. In my hand was a helmet, oxygen hose fairly long and almost touching the ground.

“It’ll just be a few days,” Sehun says beside me.

“Of dressing like an absolute fucking doll,” I mutter, pouting. “I can’t believe I have to wear a damn dress tonight.”

“You’re going to dinner with the people who oversee this galaxies trade and traffic security. Kind of important,” He says, shaking his head. “You’re just lucky we have Mrs. Kim here to pick one out for you.”

“You would have done me proud and picked a suit, though,” I whine.

Sehun chuckles, “I would have picked the same thing she did. Though, for different intentions.”

“Something tells me I don’t want to know.”

“I would have picked it because I know that Jongin will have trouble keeping his hands off you,” Sehun mutters quietly in my ear.

“I fucking hate you.”

“You’d thank me when you’re finally getting di-”

“Ready,” Jongin calls over, looking back at me. He had climbed onto the wing of the fighter, his helmet already inside. I just looked at him for a moment, seeing him smiling, standing up on his new pride and joy. The light wind making his hair even more messy as he leans down. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

“Alright,” I say, looking at everyone who’s gathered. Mrs Kim was smiling, walking towards Yixing as Sehun moved towards them too. Out of the take off zone. Jongdae was there, next to his mother, smiling as she hugged him tightly.

I walked over, handing him my helmet. He took it, tossing it it gently into my seat. He leaned down, arm outstretched as I jumped, grabbing it and the wing. He pulled me up as I got my foot up there, careful not to damage anything.

“After you,” He says, letting me get into the more cramped smaller seat. I hooked my oxygen tube up just in case, putting the helmet on. The radio on as I see him get into his seat, quickly doing the same as if it was second nature to him.

“ATC, this is Captain Kim reporting. We are taking a scheduled trip to Switzerland,” Jongin says, and I could hear him clearly in my ear thanks to the radio.

“Officer numbers,” I hear a male voice.

“0307KJI88,” Jongin says clearly.

“0307LLI36,” I say.

“Matches our scheduled flights. Fly safe and good luck,” He says calmly.

“Preparing for takeoff,” Jongin says, “We’ll be there in ten minutes, Lyra.”

“Ok,” I say, looking out the window and waving at everyone.

I never will get use to the force a fighter gives when taking off. In a blink we are sailing into the air. This wasn’t even as fast as it could go. I decided against talking, letting Jongin concentrate on what he was doing. He probably misses flying, anyways. Most pilots talk about it like an addiction, how it gives them a rush. How much they crave to be in the air or among the stars.

The time blew past, and Jongin announces we are landing.

“Captain Kim,” A voice says in heavily accented English, “This is air traffic control of the Payerne Air Base. The Syndicate informed us of your take off and said to expect you. The runway is at the south east side of the base. Land there, and fly your fighter into the hanger labeled seven.”

“Will do,” Jongin says, “Thank you for clear instructions, over.”

We land quickly, doing as instructed. My legs feel a little like jelly once we hop down from the ship, I see a man standing there in a uniform. “If you follow me, we have a portal directly outside Geneva. There you will be staying in The Ritz-Carlton. Today you have nothing to do until the dinner tonight.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jongin says, nodding.

We quickly get our bags and are led inside. A few people looking at us as we walked. He opens a door. The portal is made of metal, looking like a clear pool. The other side had a bustling city, the hotel we’re staying at on the other side.

“Just show them your Syndicate ids and you’ll be taken immediately to your rooms,” He says, stepping aside.

“Thank you,” I say, nodding. One step and we were in Geneva. It was afternoon. We had a few hours before dinner as we walk forward. I let Jongin do the talking to the front desk as I smile, out the doors. This city was a mixture of pretty old architecture and new tech. Holograms for building signs, robots cleaning any mess in the city, and hover cars that run on no fuel at all. For some reason I wasn’t expecting this of Earth.

I feel a tap the the shoulder as I look, seeing Jongin glancing at me. He hands me a small tablet. “Scan your hand. That’s what we use to open the door.”

I do so quickly at the woman at the front desk smiles. “Pleasure having you, if you need anything, feel free to send us a message or call us using the communicator in the room.”

“Will do,” I say, nodding at her.

“Thank you,” Jongin says, as we take our bags with us and head to the room.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” She says, as I turn back. “The dress and suit! They were bought and will arrive to your room at seventeen hundred hours on the dot.”

“Thank you,” I say again, before turning.

When we entered into the elevator, a prompt came up on a screen to the side. ‘Hello Jongin and Lyra, where would you like to go?’ And under it listed the gym area, the restaurants and our room. I reach over, touching room and the elevator moves. It was swift, moving quick that all it took was a blink and the doors were opening.

“That was easy,” I say, before stepping out the door. “Which room is it?”

Jongin just shakes his head, a small smile on his face. “Come on,” He says, turning and walking. I follow, only for him to open the second room we pass.

“There’s one bed… so I’ll sleep on the couch,” Jongin says, looking around. “We have a view of the lake.”

“I can take the couch,” I say, “I’m smaller, so I’ll probably fit better.”

Jongin sticks his head out from a door he went into, eyes narrowed.

I roll my eyes, “Whatever. If you want a back ache, be my guest.”

“Seems like My mother and Sehun had other things brought to the room,” He calls. “To help you get ready for dinner tonight.”

“Let me guess,” I say, moving there. I see the large bathroom, with a door that leads out into a small balcony, “Makeup and hair shit?” I look, seeing the tub with a smile, “I’m wearing heels tonight, so I’m taking a bath.”

Jongin just nods, looking out the door to the view of the lake. “We should both shower before we go,” He says, looking over at me. “We smell like fuel and grease.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ll smell like that forever, honestly,” I say, “You go first.”

“What are you going to do,” He asks, with a small smile.

“Watch some hair style tutorials since all I know is how to braid our put it up in a bun,” I mumble, moving out the bathroom. The bedroom is nice, with another larger balcony. I set my bag on the desk, before getting my reader out of it. The videos say it’s simple but they look difficult to me. I frown, before finding one of a simple elegant bun with some small, lightly curled strands hanging down.

Just as I was about to set my reader down, I see a message from Sehun pop up.

‘Bra-less for the dress. It has the support you need.’

I frown, letting out a small groan of frustration. It didn’t take long before Jongin was walking into the room, hair damp as we wore some pants and a towel over his shoulders. He chuckles as he looks at me. “I think I still smell like fuel.”

I just smile, before looking at the clock. “I suppose I should start getting ready.”

“Good luck,” He says, “I’m going to have to come in and do my hair in a bit. I’ll knock.”

“Alright,” I say, before grabbing my bag of small toiletries. The shower was fast. Making sure to shave and scrubbing really well to try to make sure I don’t smell like fuel. A quick towel off, I put on one of the robes. After brushing my teeth and putting on deodorant, I look at myself. With a sigh, I try to give myself encouragement as I grab the hair dryer.

I’ll have to thank Mrs. Kim and Sehun for getting pretty much everything I would need. With my hair dry, I put it up in a bun and pinned the hair into place easily. The curling iron I lightly curled the strands that hung down in my face.

I hear a knock on the door as I sprayed hairspray all over, covering my face with my hand. I pause, “You can come in,” I says, before giving it one last spray. I see Jongin in the mirror, as he smiles, quickly grabbing the hair dryer. I pout, seeing how quickly his hair was drying compared to mine. He just laughs.

I look at the makeup, seeing not a lot of a choice for a look. Probably something Sehun did on purpose. I get it, quickly looking at it. Thankfully it just seemed like eyes and lips. I quickly do my eyebrows, remembering Sehun practically sitting on me and forcing me to do this once before. After they were done, I get the eye shadow and do the basic brown smokey eye. Thankfully it didn’t look tragic, as I look over, seeing Jongin running something through his hair, styling it back and up.

I pout, grabbing the eyeliner. It was a simple wing, something that Sehun told me I was actually good at, shockingly. I quickly get the red lipstick liner, quickly lining my lips before getting the liquid lipstick. It was matte, a darkish red. I nod, before looking over and seeing Jongin gone. I grab the jewelry that was left, getting the silver earrings. They were chains, with a diamond at the stud part, one in the middle and one at the end. They were about three inches long, and hand a necklace and bracelet to go with. The necklace I got on easily, the bracelet was a bit tough by myself but still managed.

I look at a bag handing on a hook, before walking to it. I sigh, ready to see the fate that they chose for me. I pull the zipper, seeing the dark blue fabric. It was so dark it looked almost black. “So far good start,” I say, taking off the robe. I see a pair of blue underwear in there, that I quickly slip on. They fit perfectly but as I look at myself in the mirror, I see how it showed a lot of… well, cheek. I roll my eyes, knowing that was probably a Sehun addition. There was a box of shoes on the ground that I open. Silver heels. Very tall. Great. I slip them on, suddenly getting four inches taller. “This is just going to be fucking fun,” I growl under my breath. I take the dress out, stepping into it and pulling it up. I frown, seeing the lack of straps. I reach, trying to get the zipper before muttering curses.

I hold the front part to my chest, before moving towards the closed bathroom door. I open it shuffling out the door. I see Jongin adjusting a tie. I let out a small cough. He looks up, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

“Um… I can’t zip it up,” I mutter, feeling my face getting red.

He blinks, a blush on his face as he moved, “Um… let me.”

I turn as he walks around the bed. One of his hands takes the two sides, holding them together as his other hand moves the zipper up. The second the zipper goes up, I see small twinkling start from the dress. “Oh,” I say, looking down. “I guess it’s one of those fancy LED dresses,” I say, looking at myself in the mirror. It looked like I was wearing the night sky, as I look up my self. “I guess I don’t clean up too bad.”

“You look just… w-wow,” Jongin says, looking at me with wides eyes. He looks at me, and I could see his blush darken before turning away. His suit was black, his tie the same color as my dress. He pulls on his suit coat, adjusting it all before buttoning it up. He looks at me, smiling. “I guess we can clean up well.”

“I never thought I’d ever look like this,” I say, looking at myself again. “I look… sophisticated. Like I’ve never touched a wrench in my life.”

“You look beautiful,” Jongin says, nodding. “Though… I think you look better when you’re actually happy and comfortable.”

“Just make sure that if I fall I don’t drag you down with me,” I say.

“I’ll fall too, that way you’re not the only one,” He says, laughing. “Better the both of us.”

I shake my head, “So who are we dining with, exactly?”

“Arham and Celieste Winters,” Jongin says. “Both of them work together. They rose to be heads of Traffic and Security respectively. Worked together and ended up getting married.” He glances over, “They are, apparently, nice people.”

“Are we meeting them there?”

He nods, offering me his arm. I slip mine in it, before taking a deep breath.

“Ready,” I mutter, nodding.

Jongin nods, as we walk, opening the door and ready to face whatever this could possibly

#exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #kai fanfiction #kai fanfic #jongin fanfiction #jongin fanfic #kim jongin fanfic #kim jongin fanfiction

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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December 25th-December 31st, 2019 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from December 25th, 2019 to December 31st, 2019. The chat focused on the following question:

While being respectful, what’s a comic you think is objectively great but is just not to your subjective tastes?

carcarchu

the first one that comes to mind is purple hyacinth https://www.webtoons.com/en/drama/purple-hyacinth/list?title_no=1621&page=1 by all means i should love this series. i think the art and premise are great but for some intangible reason it just doesn't jive with me for some reason. i still recommend it to others and it's not like i don't read it but personally it just didn't make it feel anything

snuffysam

Honestly? Most of the comics I've read as part of #week_long_bookclub and #comment_storm fall under that umbrella. The vast majority of comics I've been introduced to through the CTP activities are really quite good (there's been exactly one in the book club that I couldn't stomach, and it was because of content/writing i personally found overly edgy & distasteful) - but for one reason or another, they're just not the type of comic I want to keep up with regularly. Too slice-of-life-y, too sad, i couldn't visually distinguish the characters that well, a super-sporadic update schedule/is on hiatus/is getting rebooted, the parts of the story I liked are clearly not things the author wants to focus on moving forward, a non-functional/poorly organized website, etc. All very good in their own right, but for one reason or another is not something I'd want to read one page at a time.

Eightfish

@snuffysam I feel similarly that most of the comics in the book club are not my cup of tea (haha). I wonder if it would be different if some of the comics there were reader suggested instead of author suggested?

keii4ii

I think CTP should remain author-submitted. Readers could suggest to the authors to submit their comic, though.

the majority of comics I encounter everywhere aren't my bag of tea, TBH. And that's probably a big part of the reason why I'm making my own. Gotta feed my inner reader's needs, one way or another

A lot of Western-written comedy, specifically, are lost on me for cultural reasons. Often they seem to be referencing something that I'm not aware of. Or they have to be read in a specific tone that's lost on me, and probably would make a bit more sense to me if voice-acted. Things like that.

Cronaj

For me it's usually art style. I'm pretty picky about art style, and I know for a fact that I'm missing out on a lot of good comics simply because the art styles are not to my tastes. Any style that's too cutesy, simplistic, or "generic" anime just doesn't call to me. There have been outliers that have managed to draw me in anyway, despite the art style, but not a lot. I also just tend to not like gag-a-day comics or slice-of-life. If there isn't a larger story, I get kind of bored. That being said, I also don't tend to enjoy most superhero/ strictly action comics, simply because I can recognize the tropes from a mile away. Not that they're bad, just... outdated? In fact, I LOVE superhero movies, but most superhero movies have adapted the tropes into a new form for the big screen. Here's an example of a comic that I've seen around, laughed at a few of the jokes, and then never felt the desire to consistently read it, just because it's not my style. Brutally Honest: (https://tapas.io/series/Brutally-Honest)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I find myself having the same problem with webcomics that I do with other media - I like to feel like I’m escaping reality. Stories set in our world are hard for me to sit through comfortably. That automatically makes general slice-of-life and romance stories hard for me to get into, unless there’s a strong fantasy/supernatural/sci-fi element to them. That already puts a lot of webcomics out of my range. Because there are SO MANY high school slice of life romance drama webcomics out there. Some of which I know are very highly rated and probably great. They’re just not what my brain craves

Tuyetnhi

strangely enough anything with western high fantasy elements I usually don't read as much compared to romance or slice of life comics lmao

kinda in the same spot to what keii said: a lot of western themes get lost for me and I feel like I need to put my own spin on things if that make sense

Nutty (Court of Roses)

To be fair and honest... I don't really have comics I don't enjoy, or I guess fall too far outside my tastes? Out of the ones I've read, anyways! My reasoning is that I just don't have TIME to read too many comics out there, so when I decide for myself that yes, I'm going to sit down and commit myself to this comic, I look for and find things to enjoy about it, even if it's not normally my cup of tea. The story, the art, the style, the jokes... I try to keep an open mind and enjoy whatever I have the chance to get into, because as an artist I think about the person behind the comic and what kind of story they're trying to tell. I just... really like comics ahahah I wish I had more time to read more!!!!(edited)

FeatherNotes

I agree with @LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) on the 'set in our world ' bit! I find it difficult as well to immerse myself im stories that are in our world with exceptions of an alternate reality or large enough twist that would really differ from what the setting is. Slice of life doesn't really appeal to me, mainly because many comics don't have very stand out designs/personalities for characters that i would gravitate to. To be more specific to the question however, there are certainly quite a few amazing looking comics that don't really float my boat simply bc of style or execution of story or whatnot! Ive been reading one recently that hasn't really stuck to me or left any impact character/story wise, but.....im still reading it! so there def must be something!

Octoflamingo

There are a lot of comics I like but I find myself not reading them after I get to where they last update. I just rarely check in afterwards and usually by the time I do I’ve forgot the plot. I feel that every time I go back to a comic I have to read it all over again to get back to where I was. That can be really time consuming the longer the series is. I also try not to pick up long story oriented series if they aren’t finished because I know I’ll never get to the end of them.

Bear

I say this as a person in the LGBT+ community: I’ve become very tired of comics that centre around a person coming out. Which sucks because they’re super important! But I’ve lived the struggle, everyone close to me has lived the struggle. It’s tiring. What I want is genre stories where the characters are LGBT+, but that’s not necessarily the focus. Luckily in webcomics that’s easier to find. I still have to dig through coming out stories to find them though.

Deo101

Gotta say, super agree with that one Bear.

Eightfish

Same. I like stories where characters are just casually LGBT. Even to the point where they won't even mention that they're gay or lesbian and instead just show up in a gay relationship or naturally bring up their attraction to the same sex. Steven Universe does this really well, I think.

Oh and speaking of suggesting authors to sign up their comics, I think I could have a lot to say about @LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) 's Phantomarine (: Maybe in a few months when the comic gets a little more ahead in the plot?

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

@Eightfish I may submit it after this chapter is done around the beginning of February! I do wish I were further ahead, but there will still be plenty to say after this one wraps up. Thank you for the encouragement!

RebelVampire

If I'm just speaking in general, usually comedy and slice-of-life comics will fall into this category for me even if they're fantastic. I am very, very particular about comedy and slice-of-life. Especially comedy, as I'm usually very specific about the sort of stuff that actually makes me laugh and entertains me. So honestly, a lot of comedy in comics is just not my jam. In a more specific comic sense, Kamikaze to name just one of many: https://kamikazeanimated.com/comic/ The art in the comic is fantastic, the characters really fleshed out and interesting, and even some of the comedy I like. Objectively, I think this is a fantastic comic with a ton of effort put behind it and one everyone should give a chance. That being said, for me personally, I just can't get into the pacing. It's a bit too slow for me even if I think objectively it works fine. So while it's a comic I might enjoy in bulk reads, as a page-by-page thing I just can't do it.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

To be honest, I can’t really name any comics? I tend to like just about any comic that’s really well done. Obviously I have my preferred genres, but I simply don’t seek out comics that aren’t my thing. If I do read past the first few pages of an objectively well-made comic, chances are I’m going to stick around snd keep reading.

Eightfish

Maybe my own comic? Not that I think it's objectively great, but it is of course more completely to my own taste than any other comic out there. Yet if I try to read my own comic I can't glean any enjoyment out of it over the overwhelming feeling of hearing my own recorded voice played back to me. Anyone else?

keii4ii

That's an interesting answer! I can't say I feel 100% the same, but I can relate to perhaps a facet or two of it.

I don't really read my comic either, after all, even though it's an honest reflection of what I want to read.

Eightfish

Thing is I have another short comic from about 6 years ago that I am now far removed from enough to read objectively. And I notice things I think are well done that I didn't notice before and big flaws that I haven't considered 6 years ago. So I'm worried since I can't read my current comic objectively I don't know what I need to improve on

keii4ii

That's definitely a struggle for me as well. It's what constructive critiques are for, BUT it's not easy finding someone willing, able and well suited to critique your work.

I used to actively solicit concrit on my comic. While I appreciate that every critic spent their time and effort genuinely trying to be helpful, the actual critiques weren't always helpful. You have to be a good critic (it takes skills), and you have to be the right critic for that specific story.

🌈ERROR404 🌈

I totally agree on that keii, a lot of people see concrit as the solution for every issue, but that's just bound for trouble. There are a lot more bad and mediocre critiques than well stated and usable ones

keii4ii

Yeah. There's a reason why the services of a good editor are so highly valued!

Cronaj

I think the problem is that most people who offer critiques are trying to shape the story in a way that they themselves would enjoy more, and not necessarily an objective improvement to the existing story. Offering a critique that also preserves the essence and heart of a story is extremely difficult.(edited)

Eightfish

Also when critique is contradictory- " I love how your comic gets right into the interesting part" vs. " I was really confused by the intro " But I don't know what side I would be on if I was a reader because as the author I would never be confused by my own story.(edited)

keii4ii

Yeah, and even when you get two crits on the same "side" it's possible that it's just skewed data due to small sample size. Like, maybe both of the critics are simply not your target audience. I've found that it helps a LOT if you ask specific questions, instead of just asking for a concrit. Coming up with good questions can be very difficult, though! One I've asked in the past is "did you lose interest while reading the comic? If so, at what point(s)?" and I got helpful answers from that, even from people who weren't the target audience.

Kelsey (Kurio)

I admit, I’m not the best at critiquing, like trying to bring to mind things other than “art looks nice” or “I like that joke” or whatnot

Though I guess it gets easier the more I read and mull over something

🌈ERROR404 🌈

it's sometimes hard to find something good and worthwhile to critique LOL

Kelsey (Kurio)

And of course, how does one define “objective improvement” with works of art/media? Outside of things like improving grammar, but what about in cases where it’s like that on purpose? It’s real hard to be totally objective with criticism when you think about it, even when you try to be objective

keii4ii

This might be getting off topic for the channel, but I think it's better to think of it as "effective for the goals of this work" rather than "objective." If you do X in your work on purpose, but X is not appealing to your target demographic, that's not effective. You need to either not do X, or re-define your target demographic. (Not necessarily the only options in that situation, but you get the point.)

Cronaj

I definitely think that "effective" is a better word for what I meant. It's all about intent. For example, most people generally agree that art style should be consistent in a comic, BUT in some cases (especially in comedy) switching up the art style for a scene or a panel to emphasize a point or subvert expectations (thus making the scene potentially funnier) is a very "effective" inconsistency. Basically, if something is effective for telling the story or instilling a mood, the objective view basically becomes null.

DanitheCarutor

I can get into almost anything, there are very few stories I have trouble with, even if it's a genre I wouldn't normally like. Although there are a couple that I'm really picky with, and that's gag-a-day comics or general comedy. The only ones I can think I've actively read off the top of my head are Oglaf, Perry Bible Fellowship and more recently, Woman World. Other than those few the genres never catch my interest, I'm more for story/character driven comics, with plot and stuff like that. Sometimes a comic doesn't click regardless of genre, for example: Homestuck I tried sooo hard to read this one to see what the hype was about, but the farthest I've ever gotten was maybe 50 pages after several attempts, and that's not because it's bad! The comic just didn't click, and regardless of my taste I probably would recommend it to someone who likes those types of comics.

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #comic tea party #ctp #reader favorites

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