#also like halfway through crime and punishment it’s so fun
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hope you are doin well kashi <3
ohmygod hi ang i am doing well im studying spacial experience design now (it’s like museum exhibitions plus structural architecture) !! and reading a lot i just finished rereading dorian gray & metamorphosis (any book recs !!!!) wbu how’s it goin <3
#also like halfway through crime and punishment it’s so fun#got a bit into the marauders fandom recently too#we haven’t caught up in ages what r u into now !!#asks#ang#eors#rip pltuo
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Happy Birthday and a merry 6 years to TRT! 🎂 🎁 🎈 🎉 🍰
🕯 🕯 🕯 🕯 🕯 🕯
Some FUN TRIVIA FACTS:
TRT's sun sign is VIRGO and its moon sign is LEO!
After 6 years, its current wordcount is 932k words. If you put that in size 12 arial font, single-spaced, this would come to about 2000 pages, and even more if the pages were the usual mass market paperback size!
TRT is now 40 in cat years!
The Man in the White Coat is my tribute to the Mad Scientist trope common in scifi, which is one of my favorite genres!
It is old enough developmentally to tie its shoes! Keep going, TRT!
Ciro is partially inspired by John Marcone from The Dresden Files!
TRT shares a birthday with literary great Agatha Christie! Maybe I'll introduce poison-based murder into the fic in her honor...
The idea of seeing threads came to me after seeing a meme about red threads tying soul mates together. Everything that came after - the other threads, the thread world, how it works, is unique to TRT!
TRT is now longer than War and Peace, and Crime and Punishment combined! So if you've read all of TRT so far, then you have the perfect middle finger to anyone who tries to say you can't focus on longer stories!
The inciting penguin documentary that Foggy drunkenly watched (which led to him declaring Matt and Jane 'penguins') was about Adelie penguins specifically!
Jane has a leather jacket because I love leather jackets and think all badass characters should have a leather jacket! And so you should you! EVERYONE DESERVES A COOL LEATHER JACKET.
The long hiatus between Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 was because I had life things pop up. During that hiatus, I realized the plotline/ending needed some work, so I spent those two years outlining, and I also wound up doing a bunch of additional novel writing classes just because I wanted to learn. A lot of this wound up influencing TRT!
The grey threads are one of the only threads that no one has solved yet!
There are absolutely some bad people working for Cyrus James. There is also a guy named Kyle. He is there not for Evil Purposes (tm) but instead because this was the only place he could work that would allow him to pay off his student loans.
When I started TRT, I thought maybe 5 people total would read it. I was told five people total would read it by some shitty people. So I wrote it expecting five total people would read it, and told myself at least I'd enjoy it, and I could use it to learn. In other words: I had ZERO idea TRT would take off like this. None. Nada. Zip. AND LOOK AT US NOW, BABY. FUCK THE HATERS, 6 YEARS AND GOIN' STRONG.
Based on my outline, we're a bit over halfway to the end!
I hope you enjoyed these TRT funfacts. And I hope you know: this fic isn't just me. It's you, too. This fic has become so much larger than just me. It's the TRT playlist you've sent songs in for that keeps me inspired when writing. It's the fanart I look at to give me a boost. It's your sweet comments and likes and kudos and messages that encourage me when I'm sick or depressed. It's the people who've made friends over this fic, or who've been inspired to write fic themselves, adding beautiful works to the community that we all use to keep going. It's all of this love for both TRT and Matt, and I'm so happy that I've been able to contribute in at least a small way in keeping Charlie!Daredevil love alive even after the show's been gone for years now. I love you all so, so goddamn much. I love this fandom. I love TRT with all my heart. Thank you so much for being a part of these past six years through cancelations, through your high school and college years and beyond, through my ups and downs of moving and sickness and fiberglass and pandemic craziness, through late night chapter drops and wild twists and turns.
And I hope the next few years as we enter the second half of this story are just as amazing!
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Entering (or Leaving) the Garden
Let's talk about Anathema and Adam's first meeting in Good Omens (the book). I mentioned it when talking about Pepper earlier, but as I said, this really deserves its own post.
Adam has come from reenacting his own version of the Spanish Inquisition. He doesn't actually see what's so wrong with witches, in spite of God being "dead set against" it, and the whole inquisition thing seems more like a bit of fun to fill a summer day. But still, Adam's coming away from that feeling like he was just getting into a good rhythm that would fix this witches problem properly and so be for the greater good (though he's not exactly clear on why or how), when his parents punish him for ruining Pepper's sister's dress, and he gets a bad case of the grumblies.
This is just the kind of emotional landscape that gets people to lash out at an easy target. I'm thinking American nativism and racism where people lose their jobs and attack the immigrant they perceive as having stole it, rather than the true culprits. Or the hate crimes against Asian-Americans during COVID though you're Asian-connected neighbors of course had absolutely nothing to do with it, even if a few Chinese scientists did (which, you know, is far from proven). You can probably think of other situations like that. The point is, Adam feels wronged and a the woman he thinks is responsible for that wronging should make a mighty enticing target.
She is one, of course (or nearly), but she doesn't look the part:
"They just better not come running to me when ole Picky is turned into a frog, that's all," muttered Adam.
It was at this point that two facts dawned on him. One was that his disconsolate footsteps had led him past Jasmine Cottage. The other was that someone was crying.
Adam was a soft touch for tears. He hesitated a moment, and then cautiously peered over the hedge.
To Anathema, sitting in a deck chair and halfway through a packet of Kleenex, it looked like the rise of a small, dishevelled sun.
Adam doubted that she was a witch. Adam had a very clear mental picture of a witch. The Youngs restricted themselves to the only possible choice amongst the better class of Sunday newspaper, and so a hundred years of enlightened occultism had passed Adam by. She didn't have a hooked nose or warts, and she was young . . . well, quite young. That was good enough for him.
For her part, Anathema is there looking for exactly who Adam is. She's meant to... what, diffuse some threat about him? Bear witness? Make sure a prophecy is fulfilled in some way? I'm not 100% clear, actually, but she's probably meant to find him. She's in tears because she's lost the Book that would point to him. And there he is, peeking over the hedge at her. But he's also not what she's been primed to suspect, even of the neighborhood ne'er-do-well.
"Hallo," he said, unslouching.
She blew her nose and stared at him.
What was looking over the hedge should be described at this point. What Anathema saw was, she said later, something like a prepubescent Greek god. Or maybe a Biblical illustration, one which showed muscular angels doing some righteous smiting. It was a face that didn't belong in the twentieth century. It was thatched with golden curls which glowed. Michelangelo should have sculpted it.
He probably would not have included the battered sneakers, frayed jeans, or grubby T-shirt, though. "Who're you?" she said.
"I'm Adam Young," said Adam. "I live just down the lane."
"Oh. Yes, I've heard of you," said Anathema, dabbing at her eyes. Adam preened. "Mrs. Henderson said I was to be sure to keep an eye out for you," she went on. "I'm well known around here," said Adam.
"She said you were born to hang," said Anathema.
Adam grinned. Notoriety wasn't as good as fame, but was heaps better than obscurity.
"She said you were the worst of the lot of Them," said Anathema, looking a little more cheerful.
Adam nodded.
"She said, 'You watch out for Them, Miss, they're nothing but a pack of ringleaders. That young Adam's full of the Old Adam,' " she said.
Side-note: Huzzah for Neil and Terry, on that "worst of the lot of Them" line. A++ wordplay, that...
Also: "Full of the Old Adam"? If only; better that than the anti-Adam, really.
But getting back to my main point, I can't imagine Anathema being turned off by him being a hellion. Antichrist, sure, but punk with a reputation of getting the local busybodies' panties in a twist? That seems just the type she'd gravitate toward. He's more sympathetic than even that, though, isn't he? "Like a prepubescent Greek god. Or maybe a Biblical illustration.", indeed.
So not only is she primed to sympathize with him for stirring shit up, he's genuinely charming and beautiful and just plain young. I wonder if Greasy Johnson had come bumbling down the lane, with all his heft that suggests bully even as he seems pretty kind-hearted and gentle for an eleven-year-old boy, how she would have reacted. He seems to fit the stereotype of what Anathema's looking for much more easily. I don't think she would have disliked him for that, but probably also much less intrigued by and friendly toward him. Adam is the Bart Simpson to Greasy's Nelson Muntz, and we can't help but love him for it. At least I can't, and I suspect Anathema couldn't either.
Odd how our expectations and assumptions so easily work against us.
.......
The really interesting question for me is if reality's better or worse for this chance meeting (as they say in Bree). If it had been Greasy who was the antichrist, if they'd been polite enough or even frigid and gone about their day, if it hadn't been Adam who'd been charming and considerate and been invited in. Because something really quite dangerous happens that afternoon beyond Anathema being comforted (to a point): Adam's not only educated a bit about things like the dangers of nuclear power and the lack of space ships in such facilities *g*, his imagination is also awakened a bit.
An eleven-year-old boy playing inquisitor the same way he might play pirate, dunking his friend's kid sister in the water, Monty Python-style, and asking if thyme is a sufficiently witchy herb is pretty cute. Having the actual antichrist think the Spanish Inquisition is all a game – you know, the thing that expressed such terrible feats of imagination it sent Crowley to drinking – then turn around and awaken said imagination by exposing him tl all sorts of knowledge he'd been too hemmed in by his parents' ordinariness to be aware of before?
That's just terrifying; Someone save us all.
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I want to join in the ranking fun so, if you feel like it: acotar characters on a hike?
17. Amren- DID NOT GO
16. Nesta- ALSO DID NOT GO
15- Mor- HIKE???? No thanks.
14.- Feyre- brings a giant pack of her art supplies, sets up in the first nice valley and begins to paint. Yes, paint. Just wants to capture the moment, to soak in the beauty of nature.
13. Rhys- brought a golf cart, wearing open-toed shoes. "What do you mean we're not golfing?" Ends up banned by park service for taking a golf cart up a protected trail, waits in parking lot doing wheelies
12. Tarquin- SO HUMID. Prefers a dry heat, will not stop talking about it. Wants to know if they're ever going to swim, bails early when he realizes the journey is just the walk. NO THANK YOU
11. Gwyn- Two miles max, did not wear adequate shoes. Brought a book tucked beneath her arm to identify plants and birds but forgot water. Identifies zero birds, gets 100 mosquito bites.
10. Jurian- Does not understand point of a hike. Declares the view is not even that good. VISIBLY sunburned a third of the way up, refuses to put on sunscreen. Constantly asking if they're there yet.
9. Helion- Definitely thought there would be more drinking involved. Goes in 70's style shorts so everyone knows how muscular his thighs are. Isn't there for the right reasons. Lots of passerby's distracted when he takes off his shirt. Everyone annoyed by his in person thirst trapping.
8. Azriel- athletic but this is not his preferred form of absorbing vitamin D. Teased the whole time about how much black he wore. Doesn't want to scuff brand new shoes, has one of those backpacks you can slurp water from with a straw, refuses to share.
7. Vassa- Came with the hopes everyone was camping. Hiking with an ARSENAL of gear on her back. Exhausted half way through and FURIOUS when she realizes everyone is done at mile five
6. Emerie- Hiking goddess. Came to snap pictures and she looks good doing it. Long leggings and socks despite heat, does not seem to notice. Carrying on conversation despite ninety degree incline.
5. Eris- brought ALL his dogs. Tangled leashes EVERYWHERE. People constantly asking to pet, of course he says NO. DONT TOUCH THEM. Dogs desperately want to be pet. Carrying around way too many bags of dog poop, is grumpy about it. So worried about keeping dogs from escaping, forgets sunscreen.
4. Elain- Points out all the plants along the way, taking pictures carefully to catalogue. WAY at the back of the group, constantly having to jog to catch up. Came to soak up nature, not to get so sweaty. Wore a too floppy hat she loses in the wind at the very top, forced to go back down without it.
3. Tamlin- Wants to hike in SILENCE. Brought headphones, defeating the purpose of a group hike. So loud EVERYONE can hear. "Is that Call Me Maybe?" Tamlin pretends he didn't hear.
2. Cassian- BRUTAL PACE. PRACTICALLY RUNNING. OH MY GOD WHAT IS YOUR RUSH??? The rush is to beat the crowd and to punish ourselves for our many crimes against God. Cassian avoids being murdered that day...but just barely.
1. Lucien- Off grid hiking, tracking through woods like a bloodhound. Group? What group? They find him halfway back lounging against a tree looking unbothered. Made it to the top hours ago, just waiting now. There is a shortcut, he claims, pointing to vertical incline nicknamed "SUICIDE CLIMB" Looks like it needs equipment to get up, he claims he used his hands. Perfect ponytail.
#once again#this is objectively correct#as always i have the only right opinion on these characters and how they would behave on a hike#you know im right
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tag game !!! thx @moonheavens
currently reading: crime and punishment by dostoyevsky, also frankenstein by mary shelly, and i just started gideon the ninth
favorite color: this changes a lot but rn sage green
last song: the exit by conan gray (black brothers angst lmao)
last movie: my friends found out i hadn’t read or watched the hunger games so i watched all of the first movie and then fell asleep about halfway through catching fire. i liked the story though so i just read catching fire after, i still haven’t finished the movie though. it was interesting but i don’t think i’m gonna read or watch the third book rip
sweet/spicy/savory: sweet always i crave chocolate like 24/7 i love pastries and waffles and crepes and tiramisu and
currently working on: i really want to explore creative writing, i wrote my first short story last month and it was well received but i think i can do better. i’ve never done creative writing before but i read a lot and have a lot of experience in analytical writing—might give that another go. i’m very tentative about the whole thing (i have a fine arts background so i’ve ingrained in my head that mediocrity isn’t acceptable for me lol, trying to unlearn that and just create for fun)
yoooo thx 4 tag !! not tagging anyone bc this is actually my second acc— it’s a little like a “burner” acc lol bc my main is kinda popular and i don’t wanna clog up ppl’s dashes w whatever my current fandom-related interests are (rn marauders) so i log onto this one when i wanna interact w that content haha
#this was fun tho tyyy#getting tagged in a tag game sent me BACK i forgot abt these#sometimes i like looking back @ my old ones and seeing how my responses would change now lol#tag game
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Tag people you want to get to know better!
Thanks for the tag @briefcasejuice! This is my first time doing one of these tag things, so this was fun :)
Three ships: mattelektra, mattfoggy, and mattkirsten (I obviously have DD brainrot)
First ship: eleventh doctor/river song (or maybe it was the doctor and rose, either way I downloaded tumblr for them in 6th grade and the trajectory of my life was forever changed)
Last song: Bones by The Killers
Last movie: Babylon (it was like if Boogie Nights took place in 1920s Hollywood, but in the most mind-numbingly boring way possible)
Currently reading: Crime and Punishment (the punishment is that it has taken me 2 months to get halfway through this book - I don’t mean that it’s bad, I just mean that I’m dumb)
Currently consuming: nothing right now
Currently craving: Some chai would be nice rn
Tagging: @prettyeyesnof4ce, @certifiedstray, and @murducks! Also no pressure tho :)
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blog no 5 - i love reading so much
as the title says, i love reading. saturday last week (or the week before, i’m not quite sure, my perception of time has been quite warped recently) i went to the mall with my best friend and i bought the virgin suicides and lolita. i’m currently reading both, and i love them so much. lolita is a little harder to read due to the fact that it was written a while ago and it has a lot of words i’d never even seen, but overall is really good. i’ve just gotten to the bit when he’s living in mrs haze’s house and is trying to get closer to lo. the way nabakov writes makes humbert so endearing.
i’m halfway through the virgin suicides, at the bit where lux is having sex with guys on her roof, but i love it. apparently my mother had read it too. the very thought that my mother had her own thoughts and opinions that may have been similar to mine makes me sick to my stomach. but anyways, i think the virgin is a true work of art.
i also read a bit of american psycho, which i am about 60% through this week, i still love it.
unfortunately, i am still overly suicidal, and i don’t think my utter willingness to perish will leave me any time soon. but really, my problem is what is causing my suicidal state, not the presence of suicidal thoughts itself.
moving on, since today almost every store in my local mall had a black friday sale on, i went with my dad and i got two books, the great gatsby and crime and punishment. i’m really excited to read crime and punishment, i will after i finish the virgin suicides. then i’ll probably buy the idiot, also by dostoevsky.
i left yet another friend group and have found a new one, also including my friend group. and my other out of school friend is also getting closer to me, which i love because she’s so funny and cool.
yesterday we had the school known pedo teacher as our replacement teacher as our usual was away, and while he was talking he said something funny and i smiled, he noticed and stared directly at me while he was talking. he gave us some work to do and then said ‘girls in the back’ (which was my and my friend) ‘do you have enough space?’ i said yes and he asked ‘can i trust you to do your work?’. he didn’t ask anyone else this, which was odd, i said yes, and then he said ‘you’d never lie to me, would you?’ i said of course not. weird.
then my friend had to charge her laptop but couldn’t find any charging ports, so she asked him if there were any others she couldn’t see, he moved her to a bench in front of his desk to charge her laptop, then he asked me my name and if i’d like to sit with her. i said yes and moved to her, where he chatted with me (the conversation was always initiated by him) the whole time, and with nobody else. he mostly spoke about how life was before everything was digital. he also had a favourite student (a girl older than myself) who kept coming around and he let her sit behind his desk while we played a game because everyone finished their work. he himself said he was his favourite. at the end he was about to dismiss us and i was holding my books and my copy of lolita, which was on the outside, plain to see, although i’m not sure whether the title could be seen or not. he asked me if it was a school assignment and i said no, just for fun. he said it (reading) was a great way to get my literacy levels up, then dismissed us. other than that, he was normal, and he seems nice enough.
moving on, this may be my longest post yet. goodbye for now
also anyone who read this whole thing deserves financial compensation i’m sorry
#girlblogger#girl interrupted syndrome#gaslight gatekeep girlboss#girlblogging#girl blogger#girl interrupted#coquette#kms#idk what to put in the tags
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How attempted murder freed me from my abusive parents
please check tags for trigger warnings before continuing. also the style completely changes halfway through so have fun with that
Reprimanded for threats I make
Inaction on the crimes against me
WHAT THE HELL AM I MEANT TO THINK
this is ok ?
I repeat and repeat and repeat
No one believed me and when they did? Nothing.
I WILL BECOME THE CONSEQUENCE
I was fully prepared to do the time
Anyone who tells you that you should have called the cops
Anyone who tells you that you should have talked to someone you trust
THEY ALL BETRAYED ME
I was a loudspeaker for the things I lived through
but such things were too dramatic
everyone talks a big game about protecting little girls
who is really willing to take on someone wielding a knife?
someones parents sobbing about how they are made the victim
DENIAL DENIAL DENIAL the most convincing you've seen
The constant looming threats
sob sob please dont say such things sob sob you'll be taken away from me
followed by the horror stories of the system
NO MATTER WHAT I TOLD THEM
but still the pressure from inside that house
the sobbing and begging alongside the beatings and other fucked up things
it broke me
I realized
NO ONE FUCKING CARES
No one was willing to take the steps to save me
So you know what I did?
I saved myself
ATTEMPTED MURDER BUT BITCH I WAS TECHNICALLY A MINOR AND THEY HAD NO FUCKING PROOF
Unfortunately some other adult who was dating my blood relation held me back
I finally got thrown out
with nothing but STILL
from being locked inside and facing extreme punishments for dumb shit to try control me
from only having my school uniform and being BANNED from getting books out from the library
from all of the bullshit
TO FREEDOM
And all it took was for me to enforce consequence
This moment was the single most defining moment in my life
I knew that if someone wanted to do something to me they could
But I also knew that murder was a fucking option and I wasnt afraid to take it
I live every day in terror
I live every day with the consequences of other peoples actions
Right now I still have to maintain tactical contact with some of the family that abused me the most bc otherwise I'll be homeless again (a reoccurring theme) and as I currently am unable to walk thats not something I am ready to deal with if it can be helped
These days I am extremely law abiding most of the time and always try to live my life by what I believe in which is basically the opposite of what I was shown as a kid
I repeat parts of my past often to remind myself that they were real, that I have every right to be hurt angry or whatever. I rely on the reactions of other to put things in perspective. My normal was super fucked up. Even after getting my freedom I had no one so I got hardcore fucked over by others.
I get through life by saying to myself whats the worst that can happen? something I already lived through? Or I could die?
I don't really function dealing with people very well and have basically no (consistent) skills. its really hard because there's basically no way to earn money.
I tried streaming and social media stuff but I always ended up not being able to handle it. It really brings out the worst in people and turns out stalker shit and the way some people react to me existing with my body is fucking terrifying. I have had people try con me into what I am pretty sure is some human trafficking shit. I swear people see desperate girl and assume shes fucking stupid blackmailable. Luckily I was/am way to cautious of people to fall for the bs. Also my sexual trauma generally makes me pretty adverse to sexual shit so just as well in this case.
I really dont want to make everything about my life and mental illness shit but as things get worse again it's getting to feel like it's more and more of the stuff that defines me.
If you're gonna do dumb shit then you might as well work backwards from least dumb to most dumb. Sometimes people get lucky and find help. Sometimes you have to ask for help repeatedly from many places.
#vent#dumpdaily#tw#suicide#murder#abuse#inaction#threats#anger#trauma#childhood trauma#swearing#crime#dissociative#dissociative identity disorder#no i wont tell you who writes what bc its none of ur fkn business#if you want to ask shit the ask box is open
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Sorry but now I need Julieta as a grown ass woman being grounded, just her angry sitting in the corner XD
A visual would be more fun, but I simply can’t do that for you, but instead I can write about it. But also like, this is incredibly rushed and dumb and I definitely began half-assing it like halfway through.
For those who need context, it’s right here
Next part
“Mamá, you can’t seriously be expecting me to do this.”
“They won’t stop complaining Julieta, and to be fair, you did do all those things when you were younger, and they apparently did get punished for at least half of them. Besides it’s only a week and they’ll probably get tired by day three of it.”
They did not get tired by day three.
In fact, the two other triplets were having a grand old time tormenting their sister like they did when they were kids, and Julieta’s patience was wearing thin. There wasn’t much they could actually do to her, other than telling her she had to do all her cooking in the kitchen in her room, rather than the one she usually used, but they certainly found their ways. She had just finished cleaning up dinner for the night, and went to grab a book to read before being stopped by both of her siblings.
“Excuse me Julieta, but I believe it’s straight to bed with you,” Pepa speaks up first, grabbing the book from her sisters hands.
“How long are you two going to keep this ridiculousness up for?”
“Ah, ah, ah, Juli, you did the crimes, you do the time, no statute of limitations here,” Bruno chimes in, and when Julieta doesn’t move, the two grab her by each arm and drag her upstairs. To her relief, Agustín is already there, so at least she has someone to complain to. She swears those two are finding more and more things for the man to do this week, specifically so she had to be alone while she was “grounded.”
He, however, did find the whole situation much funnier than she did, “To be fair amor, you did kind of screw them over at times when you were kids, karma had to come back eventually, huh?”
“Agustín if you say one more word about it, I will not be healing you for the rest of the week.” He knows his wife isn’t too serious about the threat, but he backs off, instead coming up with a different idea.
“Well, if they’re gonna treat you like a teenager again, why not have some fun like one again as well?” He asks, and she tells him to go on, “Well, would you care to sneak out, and sit by the river like we used to do when we were young and first falling so fast in love?”
She laughs, remembering the memories there fondly, and agrees to his suggestion, “I’m starting to think maybe I was a bad influence on you.”
They wait for it to grow completely dark outside, and everyone has retired to the rooms for the night, before quickly creeping out of their bedroom, down the stairs and through the front door, struggling not to fall into a fit of giggles at how silly this all was. There was slightly more risk in waking other’s up, Julieta used to just climb out a window, but didn’t feel quite comfortable doing so anymore, and so through the courtyard the had to go. They make it out and head to the tree by the river that they always spent time at when they were teens, pushing Agustín up against the rough wood and kissing him with the same energy she had so many years ago.
Unfortunately for them, they didn’t make it more than five minutes before the sound footsteps could be heard.
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me,” they hear Bruno remark from only a few feet away, but it’s Pepa who dares to grab her sister by the ear and drag her all the way home. Agustín once again can’t help but laugh at the situation at hand, until Bruno and Pepa tell him to take the couch, and now it’s just annoying to him as they say Julieta’s grounded and clearly she can’t be trusted to stay in her room when influenced by others. But now it’s Julieta’s turn to laugh, and comment on his karma, as it was his idea in the first place to sneak out, before Pepa drags her the rest of the way to her room. They’d later come to realize that they’d just gained the added thrill of sneaking Agustín back into her room just like she used to do.
The next day, ALL of the grandchildren are starting to question what’s going on, huddling in Dolores’ room to discuss where no one could hear them.
“Why are Tía Pepa and Tío Bruno being so weird to Mami as of lately?” Mirabel questions.
“Apparently Tía Julieta was actually a troublemaker as a kid, and the other two got blamed for a lot of it? But she confessed to it recently and the other two made Abuela “ground” her but really it’s just them carrying out,” Dolores fills everyone in.
“So basically,” Isabela begins, “the lesson here is that everything you do that you shouldn’t be doing, you should take it to the grave.”
#ask#myaimwentaway#encanto#julieta madrigal#bruno madrigal#pepa madrigal#agustín madrigal#madrigal triplets
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stargazing | au
pairing: non-idol!mingi x gn!reader
genre: fluff დ
warnings: none
wc: 2.1k
requested: no, but i'll tag @su-lix because she has been waiting for this ♡
net: @ateezlovenet
summary: you met mingi at san's birthday party and somehow you both end up talking throughout the whole party, which led to him (kinda) asking you out.
Last week, at your friend San’s birthday party you met this other friend of his, Mingi, and somehow you two ended up talking throughout the whole party ignoring whatever was going on outside of your little bubble. When you told him you knew the names of the constellations and how to distinguish them, he got so excited about it that he just couldn’t help but ask you to teach him someday.
The party ended, you exchanged numbers to keep in touch and now, nine days later, there you were, sitting on the passenger seat of his car making your way to the middle of nowhere, to star gaze together. You still couldn’t believe you actually went on board with this, considering that you barely knew him, but you trusted San’s judgement just enough and, besides, there was no way this boy would hurt you, even though he was really tall he was just like a kid trapped in a big man’s body, too pure for this world and you could see right through him. And he was hot, you would never admit it out loud but that also had a say on your decision.
You felt really comfortable siting there next to him, windows rolled down, your hand hanging on the outside feeling the fresh breeze hitting you on this warm summer evening, as you watch the sun setting down and the sky turning into shades of orange and pink, the busy city being left behind, further and further away from you at every second.
The twenty-minute drive was made almost in absolute silence, but not in an awkward silence way, just quiet, with soft music playing in the radio, a playlist that Mingi swore he chose randomly, but you just couldn’t shake the feeling that he made the playlist specially for this drive, it just fitted the mood too well to be a coincidence.
“So, we need to establish something first.” Mingi breaks the silence as he stops the car in a small parking lot, with only a couple of lampposts lighting the area faintly now that the sun was fully gone, and you hum in response taking your eyes away from the window and facing him. “Is this a date or is this merely educational? I need to know how to behave.”
“Hm… you were the one asking me to come, so it’s up to you I guess…” you smile back at him, praying that he wouldn’t notice your hands playing with each other, a clear sign of how nervous you got the moment he spoke up.
Mingi chuckles shyly and scratches the back of his head, clearly not expecting his question to backfire at him like that. You felt proud of yourself for being able to keep it cool and avoid the question like that, even more so seeing how you left the boy so flustered he wouldn’t look you in the eye.
“It’s a date then!” He decides after a while, smiling at you but when he was halfway leaving the car, he turns back at you again, “This is, if you’re okay with it.”
“I’m already here aren’t I?” you smile back at him, leaving the car as well, satisfied at how things were turning out, although you had actually thought it was clear from the moment he asked, back at San’s party, that this would be a date, yet you still found it sweet that he had to make sure first.
As you step out you start looking around, unsure about the safety of this random place so far away from the so familiar city. It seems like a small village to you, a very quiet one, the chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs combined with the sound of running water being the only things you could hear, and you realize there’s likely a river nearby which explains why it felt chillier here, making you pull on your jacket’s sleeves so you could cover your hands, still nervously gripping on the other.
Mingi notices your nervous tic easily and approaches you slowly with his backpack hanging from one shoulder, his tall figure right next to you so close that the said backpack is brushing on your arm lightly.
“(y/n), don’t worry about this place yeah? My grandma used to live here, I know this place better than I know myself, it’s completely safe.” He looks down at you waiting for your approval, but you just nod and hum in response, not convincing him. “It’s okay if you don’t feel comfortable here, we can go back to the city and do something else, or I can take you home if that’s what you want…”
“No Mingi, we’re here already let’s stick to the plan.” You look up at him smiling determined and a wide smile forms on his face, and hell that was a beautiful smile, one of those that could wipe all the worries in the world, and you had to look away as you felt your cheeks warm up. “But I would be more comfortable if we stayed close to the parking lot, okay?”
With that said he suggested staying near the closest tree, just close enough to what you considered safe but not too close to the lampposts so that you could still see the stars clearly. He took out a dark blue blanket out of his backpack and as you sat on it, just chatting about random daily life stuff, you began to feel more at ease, finally taking your hands away from each other and resting one on the blanket for support, and the other on your lap.
As Mingi asked you about the constellations, you let yourself fall on your back, getting a laugh out of the boy, while you ramble about how since you were little you looked up more often than you looked down, gaining you a couple of funny falls throughout the years.
“Hey, lay down, otherwise you will hurt your neck.” You chuckled pulling Mingi down by slightly grabbing on his sweater’s sleeve, and he too falls on his back right next to you, your hands brushing every once in a while, sending shivers from the tip of your fingers right into and through your spine. This made you fluster a bit, making you unable to keep the conversation going, so you both just stared in silence into the sprinkles in the sky for a while, until Mingi looks back at you all of the sudden and breaks the silence.
“Is that a constellation?” he points up to the sky, unaware that you had no idea where he was pointing at, his eyes wide open looking at you, excited about the fact that he might have figured something out.
“Mingi, I have no idea where you’re pointing at...”
“Oh, well…” he moves his body closer to yours to try and explain better what he was seeing, your shoulders now touching and he extends his arm right in front of your face so you could follow the invisible line connecting his fingers and the said constellation, “Those five stars connected form a weird «w», is that a constellation?” he looks at you again with expectation.
“Yes!! It’s Cassiopeia!” you grab his arm excitedly pulling it down next to you and, unable to control your nerdy excitement over stars, you start rambling about the said constellation unaware that you were still entangled in Mingi’s arm.
“In mythology, Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus, whose constellation is right next to hers! One day she started saying she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids. One of them was married to Poseidon and so they appealed to him to punish Cassiopeia for her boastfulness. Because of this Cepheus went to an oracle for help who told him they had to sacrifice their daughter, Andromeda, to the sea monster, and so they did; but last minute the Greek hero Perseus showed up and rescued her from the monster. Later, Andromeda and Perseus got married and some other guy showed up claiming to be the right suit for Andromeda, starting a fight. Perseus was outnumbered so he used the head of Medusa which, as you probably know already, turned into stone whoever looked her in the eyes. In this process the king and queen were killed, Poseidon still wanted revenge and so he placed them in the sky, leaving Cassiopeia condemned to circle the celestial pole forever, spending half the year upside down in the sky as punishment for-” you stop yourself from talking as you realise you might be boring him and, worse, you were still attached to his arm like a limp, releasing him immediately and avoiding eye contact, embarrassed by your ramblings and for overstepping his personal space, and finished the sentence weakly, “for her vanity.”
“How do you know all this?” Mingi sits up and he didn’t seem bothered at all, quiet au contraire, he was actually amazed by you and interested in what you were saying. That caught you by surprise since all you were used to was to people telling you to shut up whenever you rambled about things you were passionate about.
“Well, I read a lot about this stuff… I can lend you a few books if-”
“Yes, please! I would very much like that (y/n)!” he says and squeezes your hand lightly in appreciation when you sit up yourself, holding onto your hand a bit too longer than he was supposed to, “Your hands are so cold, do you need another sweater or something? I might have another one in my car.”
As he was standing up to go to his car you grab his hand again, earning his attention back to your face again.
“I know the car is close but-, I don’t want to be left alone here…” You hesitated a bit, but the thought of being left alone there, with his back turned to you, took your mind right to all those crime documentaries you usually watch for fun, but picturing it in the real world doesn’t seem so fun.
“Oh, that’s okay (y/n), I won’t leave you alone. But perhaps we should go back now, you’re really cold and I don’t want you to get sick or something.” Mingi helps you up as you nod in agreement, although the prospect of your date ending didn’t please you that much, but he was right, as the night went on it got colder and you were starting to shiver a bit by now.
The ride back home was a whole different than the one from earlier, your level of comfort with each other went from comfortable silence to an open debate on whether your zodiac sign had a say on your personality or not. No conclusion was taken from it though, since it only led to you getting to know each other better based on the traces of personality you used to prove your own points.
Your trip back home was soon to be over but neither of you were ready to say goodbye just yet, it felt like you’ve just left the city, but you were already back, and it was almost midnight.
“Time really flies by when we’re having fun huh?” Mingi chuckled quietly and you barely heard him, so you assumed he was talking to himself and didn’t say anything. He stopped the car right in front of the pathway to your house, leaning back on his seat and turning his head to face you, “Here we are, (y/n). Thank you for agreeing on this date, I had a really good time.” His smile awakens a warm sensation inside you and you automatically mirror his expression.
“I had a lot of fun too, Mingi, thank you for tonight.”
At this point you knew you should probably say your goodbyes and call it a night, but you just stayed like that for a few more minutes, or so it seemed to you, tracing each other’s features with your eyes, memorizing every bit of it hoping you would dream with each other that night, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed until you became flustered by the boy’s eyes locked on your face.
“Hm, I- I should probably go,” you rush to take the seatbelt off and leave the car, looking back in before shutting the door, “thank you again, Mingi.”
As you were about to enter the house you hear his voice calling you from inside the car, you turn around and see the window from the passenger's side open, his face trying to get a look at you, “When will you lend me that book you told me about?”
You giggled to yourself, seeing this as chance to take control of what should happen next, “Perhaps on our next date, I’ll text you the details!”
He smiled at you and yelled back a “deal” before starting the car and leaving at full speed. You shut your door and lean against it, not quite believing you were actually the one who suggested the second date.
♡MASTERLIST♡
#ateezlovenet#mingi fluff#mingi x reader#ateez mingi fluff#mingi au#ateez mingi au#mingi oneshot#ateez mingi oneshot#mingi fic
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Guess who wrote another silly fic featuring the Immortal Husbands? That would be me.
In which they encounter a very dangerous adversary... an actual baby.
Oh, Baby!
Early morning. The first rays of sunshine have barely just started filtering through the blinds. Joe shouldn’t even be awake, it’s a crime to get up this early, it’s a crime to even think about getting up this early. He stretches an arm with the intention of wrapping himself around Nicky but all he finds is an empty space beside him. He opens his eyes and raises his head from the pillow.
“Nicky?” Joe half yawns.
A quick inspection reveals Nicky is not even in the bedroom. Joe is about to head to the kitchen when he hears voices. Nicky seems to be talking to someone at the door, he sounds happy. By the time Joe puts a shirt on, whoever came calling is gone and Nicky is standing in the living room facing a window, his back to Joe. Joe smiles and takes his chance to hug his husband from behind.
“Good morning, my love.” Joe nuzzles Nicky’s neck.
“Good morning.” Nicky turns around to give Joe a soft kiss but he doesn’t lean completely into him. Joe looks down and sees why: Nicky has something in his arms. Someone. A tiny someone.
“And who is this?”
“Someone left him at our door, so I guess he’s ours now.” Nicky smiles at Joe. Joe is speechless for a full minute before Nicky bursts out laughing. “I’m teasing you, he’s Nicole’s baby, you know, the nice woman from across the hall? She has a job interview today and couldn’t get a babysitter, so we’re taking care of him for the day.”
“We are?”
“Yeah, our neighbor needs a favor, it’s the kind thing to do.”
Joe feels a familiar warmth spreading in his chest. Yes, his Nicolò is kind, even if his memory is not the best. “We were supposed to join Nile at the museum today. Remember? The last day of that exhibition she wants to see? She is sure she can point out which sketches are mine.”
“Oh, right.” Nicky’s face falls a little.
“Well, I suppose we could take him.” Joe points at the baby and lets him grab his finger.
“Nicky.”
“Yes, you, but also him.”
“His name is Nicholas, he’s baby Nicky.”
“Of course he is.”
“And no, we cannot take him because what if his mother comes back early and we’re not here?”
“Alright. Let me call Nile then,”
“No, go with her, Joe. I’m going to be fine by myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Go. I’ll be fine.” Nicky smiles. “Really, how hard can this be? He’s 1 year old, I have over 900 years on him.” Baby Nicky blew a loud raspberry.
If Joe doubts his husband's skills as it concerns childcare, he does not mention it. He goes back to the bedroom to take a quick shower and get ready to go.
When he comes back out, he finds Nicky busy in the kitchen, holding baby Nicky in one arm and mashing a banana with the other, humming a cheerful little tune.
“Nicky?” Both Nickys turn around to see Joe.
Joe raises his eyebrow and chuckles. “I’m leaving now.” He leans over the counter to kiss Nicky goodbye. Baby Nicky doesn’t take kindly to the interruption of the melody and starts crying. Joe leaves Nicky rocking the baby.
A couple of hours later, Joe gets a text “Come. Now.” Fearing the worst, he cuts the museum visit short not before apologizing profusely to Nile. Halfway home Joe wonders if he should’ve brought Nile along, maybe she has actual babysitting experience.
Nothing could have prepared Joe for the absolute disaster zone he walks into. The kitchen looks like a tiny tornado just blew by: there’s cereal scattered all over the floor, small puddles of what appears to be milk and indistinct fruit mush, a smashed bowl and a broken mug. The living room doesn’t look much better, there are baby clothes and toys on the couch and the coffee table, as if Nicky had emptied the contents of the baby’s diaper bag haphazardly and forgotten to put everything back in. There were tiny handprints on the wall and the carpet. Joe bites his lip trying his best not to laugh. “How hard can this be, indeed?”
Joe enters the bedroom, thankfully everything looks normal here. Nicky is sitting on the bed, cradling baby Nicky in his arms. The baby is fast asleep.
“What…?” Joe asks. Nicky raises his eyebrows at him menacingly. “What happened?” Joe continues in a whisper.
“He crawls.” Nicky hisses. “And walks.”
Joe looks at Nicky, not quite understanding what he means.
“I thought he would sleep all day. I’m telling you, this child is not normal.”
“He seems to be calm now.”
“Yes, he’s exhausted after he’s been wreaking havoc all morning.”
“That reminds me, is that paint on the wall?”
Nicky rolls his eyes. “I thought it would be a fun thing to do.”
“And the kitchen?”
“Let’s just say breakfast and lunch didn’t go quite as planned.”
Joe grins. “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day when you’d tolerate a kitchen that is not spotless.”
“How am I supposed to do anything when I’m holding him all the time?”
“You can put him down…”
“He. Cries.” Nicky sighs. “Or crawls away and hides. I spent fifteen horrible minutes looking for him because I put him down for a second to clean up the spilt milk and he went and hid under the bed.
Joe laughs, forgetting for a second that they’re trying to be quiet. His laughter is interrupted by a loud wail, baby Nicky does not appreciate being awakened so rudely. Nicky looks mutinous.
“We need professional help.”
Thirty minutes later, Nile is knocking on their door. “So you two, immortal warriors cannot even deal with a small child? For shame.” She takes over from Nicky with the baby, feeds him and bathes him while Joe and Nicky clean the apartment. By the time Nicole comes back to collect baby Nicky, they are all sitting on the couch waiting for her and there isn’t a single thing out of place. Nicky gets up when the doorbell rings.
“I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble, he only just started walking,” Nicole says, taking baby Nicky and the diaper bag from Nicky’s arms.
“Not at all, he’s an angel.”
Joe and Nile snort in the background, oh they will make Nicky pay for this one of these days.
“Eeky,” baby Nicky babbles.
Nicky ruffles the baby’s hair and bids his mother good evening. The look on Nicky’s eyes when he closes the door makes Joe think that maybe he won’t be too harsh with the punishment. Maybe.
#the old guard#joenicky#immortal husbands#kaysanova#tog fic#fluff and crack#team baby nicky#likes and reblogs are much appreciated#swq writes#my tog fic#everyone is a nicky i don't make the rules
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Post finale thoughts: I watched live, I never do that since I am usually spending time with my partner on Monday nights, and he doesn’t watch the show. I pulled the ‘it was just my birthday during the plague card’ and won. (Or lost?? hahaha) Anyway. Long rambling thoughts under the break.
It’s like they heard my complaints about the pacing of 2x11 and 2x12, and said “hold my beer” for 2x13. So much happened, and happened so fast, I could barely get invested or get mad about it. Is that a victory? Are we not allowed to sit and breathe in any of the emotionally destroying scenes?
I listened to malex shippers through this season say “don’t worry, Miluca is breaking up in the finale” and I kept shaking my head going, “No? Like they seem solid? They really care about each other?” and then it actually happened- immediately after an “I love you” exchange no-less... and I’m like, what the hell? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that’s over but it still felt emotionally empty. But no time for that feeling because there’s more to go---
I absolutely loved the 1947 stories though, and now I wonder about Tripp. He really loved Nora. How did he survive watching her pace the cage in Caulfield? Pre-season 2 I was very meh about the flashbacks because I had enough to feast with the main cast, but now, I take it all back. I would have loved more of ‘47 and less of the Stef storyline. I want to know how long that skeleton was there. Do we have only Jesse’s word that Tripp was an old man in 1987? Does Arturo remember him? Also Harlan is a moron because a body under a wooden floor would have had some significant decomp smells for weeks and months. I guess no one walked by the shed while that was going on....
ETA: Okay Alex told Michael when the shed was built by Harlan when he was 70, so what year was that ? Tripp was alive in 1987 according to Jesse but I still don’t trust anything Jesse said about Tripp being factual since he was only sharing that to manipulate Alex into trusting him (and somehow getting the ship piece from Michael). I want to like Tripp but....yeah.
Liz- I love her and still do, but I was rather waiting for the hubris of science experiments to come into play and I felt rather robbed it didn’t materialize, that the conflicts between her and Max were very set in the relationship dynamic? Wanting to know who she was outside of him? Lots of build up over ethics and exposure, but then it came down to it, it was boundaries and preservation of self while in a soulmate relationship....Though if anyone studies Stef and her recovery too closely, that hubris card will still be in play.
Other things I was looking forward to and was left a little empty by- Jesse Manes dying. It was... very quick and I could barely enjoy the moment. I will have to re-watch the town gossip scenes to figure out how a veteran getting shot during a fire is dying a hero? Was Michelle Valenti just so happy Jesse was dead, she didn’t investigate the discharge of a firearm? Again, I’m happy he’s dead although it was something I didn’t anticipate happening with how the show was trending toward redemption messages. Jesse was a lost cause, but Flint is not? Both radicalized young but one you still have time to save? Okay.
I absolutely loved the shed scene. Michael going for the hammer, Alex still flinching a bit away from it, before he is reassured by Michael? I could have lived in that scene. Maria sending Michael with food- what a choice, bringing a casserole to the family of the man who killed yours- I loved that growth for Michael. He showed up for Alex and for Gregory. Good god I would have loved the look on Greg’s face when Michael shoved a dish in his hands, “thanks for killing him but also I really wanted to do that myself, here have this meatloaf?”
As for the song and the ending Malex scene, I enjoyed it. I didn’t want Michael hopping from one relationship to another, so I get why he didn’t immediately drop to his knees with a marriage proposal. I do wish he had stayed in the bar, listened to the song, let Alex know that he was still working on meeting him halfway.
And the Forrest stuff? So I dunno if this is unpopular or what, but I do not ship it for the same reasons I never shipped Maria and Michael. I am an OTP diehard, cosmic soulmates or bust. I blacklisted Forlex last October once his name was released and have no intentions of whitelisting it. With the departure of Jesse, there’s room for a reoccurring guest star, and as much as I would love Gregory Manes stepping in, I am pretty sure those minutes are going to go to Forrest in S3. My pre-season 2 thoughts were, “okay they can both date other people at the same time and move back together when the time is right” and now it’s shaping up to be another round of “watch one date and the other be alone” ? Do not want. I didn’t like it with Alex, and I don’t like it with Michael.
Also some of the discourse around that final scene- the whole “good it’s time for Michael to pine” or “Make Michael stew in jealousy” - makes me intensely uncomfortable and it’s directly counter to what Alex wrote in his song- he doesn’t want to keep score anymore with Michael. So can we just stop with that idea that Michael needs to be punished while he sits on the sidelines during this whole Alex dates Forrest thing? I get why people want it, because that’s how fandom saw Alex while Maria and Michael dated but it’s not what the character Alex Manes wants?
Anyway, still have no idea what this show is supposed to be about. Is it cosmic soul mates with alien imprinting? Is it you can love many people at the same time? Is it have fun with someone else until you settle down forever?
Final thought- Listen, I can write a fixit with a dead girl coming back to life and Noah getting flambéed. That fit very nicely with a crime story/investigation frame. What am I supposed to do with clone (?) Max? Or Max’s dad? How am I supposed to make that make sense?
Staring down the barrel of a long hiatus with the carrot of “happier and lighter Malex” in s3 held out in front again, with the whole promise that Carina wants Malex’s reunion to be emotionally earned.... and 2x13 is littered with unearned plot resolutions. So. Still a clown I guess. Still here.
#basic malex trash shipper#roswell new mexico#rnm season 2 spoilers#2x13 Mr Jones Thoughts#this is neither a yay or nay post#i'm tired
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IM SO SAD DORIAN IS ENDING TOMORROW ,, also could u recommend us books that hyunjin would read???? i’m currently read the portrait of dorian gray cuz i didn’t understand why hyunjin called jeongin dorian (now i understand even tho i’m only on chapter 2 haha)
i'm sad too! it's one of my favourite stories, and probably the last thing i'll post for a few months due to academic commitments. but i'm really happy that you've enjoyed it so far!
i can absolutely recommend you some books! a few of them will be ones that i've mentioned within dorian, because i like them a lot, and they fit the vibe well.
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe: this book contains a few short stories, all of which are well-written and have a nice gothic vibe. also murder.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. this one is a bit heavy, both in terms of writing style and subject matter. there's more murder. there's a lot of philosophy about whether the murder was ok. it has... not exactly a happy ending, but the happiest ending there could be given the circumstances. don't go in expecting a light read, but it's worth it.
The Great Gatsby! it's a classic.
my favourite book of all time, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. it's frankenstein. i don't know what else to say. no happy ending though.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë! this very much ties in to hyunjin's obsession with romance 'like the kind they have in books'. it's a good love story with a very strange twist. happy ending for the main couple!
realistically if i'm recommending Jane Eyre i should also recommend Wuthering Heights, written by a different Brontë sister. hyunjin would definitely enjoy it. but i couldn't make it halfway through because the main characters are both such awful people.
and finally as a tiny spoiler for tomorrow's chapter title, Come Close by Sappho. not a lot of her poetry survives, but the fragments within that volume are some of the most beautiful things i've ever read.
this ask was so, so fun to answer! thank you so much, and thank you for reading dorian <3
#asks#i just started vibrating as soon as i read this#i get to recommend books#i am a book nerd#so this is good#ao3 author#stray kids fic#dorian#hyunin
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Review #19: Alice in Wonderland
Post #22
6/18/2020
Next up is 1951′s Alice In Wonderland
Enjoyment : [3]
I did not have much fun watching this movie. I almost quit halfway through to watch 1988′s Alice out of pure boredom. This movie is charming when it is being artistic, but there is very little to hold onto in terms of story or character. I understand that the source material is very unstructured and more a series of short vignettes, but that style brings out the very worst in Disneys narrative laziness. Characters show up, contribute nothing, and then leave. Alice has no clear goals for a majority of the movie, her chasing of the white rabbit isn’t even prompted by anything. A simple scene showing that the rabbit dropped his handkerchief and Alice was trying to return it would have improved my investment 200% at least. Alice only seems to be motivated by boredom, and because she treats this world as a dream with no consequences there are not stakes until the red queen shows up. The visuals are great but not enough to make me care about it.
Quality : [4]
The animation is standard for Disney. The colors and character designs are closer to movie quality than the anthology films, but there still isn’t on the level of Bambi or Snow White. Some characters are wonderfully animated like the playing card guards and the signing flowers, but other characters feel very... how do I say this? It feels like Disney saw the word “mad” in the original book and just replaced it with “stupid” Characters are drawn with big noses, droopy eyes, speak with lisps, have their tongues hanging out and their words are slurred. The world of Wonderland does not feel like a surreal dream world running on moon logic, it feels like a bunch of drunk assholes breaking stuff as they stumble back home. The story structure is non existence and there is next to no set or pay off for anything or anyone, resulting in a movie that feels immature, not mad. The tone of Alice in Wonderland is the key component, since the story is just “Alice encounters someone wacky, continues walking, repeat.” The tone of this movie is more annoying than it is silly and that makes for a very poor viewing experience.
Hold up : [4]
Right away I noticed how limp the morals behinds this story were. Alice is framed as a ditzy dreamer who wishes for excitement and the world to be a bit more ‘mad’. Normally that would be sort of a monkeys paw situation, where she gets what she wants and learns it isn’t so great. But Alice is not be unreasonable, from what VERY little we see at the beginning her life is a bit boring and she is a bit distracted. Even if it is all a dream her being punished with decapitation for the crime of ‘being a bit bored one day’ seems a little harsh. It also feels very odd for the moral to be “don’t daydream kids, do your homework and don’t ever wish for anything out of the ordinary” coming from a company trying to build a brand on whimsy and fantasy. The movie has nothing too offensive beyond that, but there really is not substance to this movie at all, and that is disappointing. A message about the importance of imagination would have been so easy to push but they don’t even do that.
Risk : [4]
I will give Disney credit, Alice in Wonderland is a risk to adapt, and telling a purely visual story with such unique imagery was a leap of faith. The setting lends itself to great visuals but Disney has not had a great record telling compelling narratives and this was never going to be a movie that highlighted their strengths. I think Disney was too safe and too afraid to really go all out with this movie and thus is ends up feeling cute rather than stunning. They needed to take bigger risks and make this movie really unusual if they wanted to make it their own.
Extra Credit : [4]
I will give credit to the flower song, the cheshire cat, and the animation of the card guards. Those three moments were stunning and Disney really showed what they can do with their movies. However those were maybe 10 minutes total of a 75 minute movie and the rest was just boring.
Final thoughts:
I will state again, Disney replaced ‘Madness’ with ‘Stupidity’ in this movie and it dragged the whole project into the mud. Characters who should be acting strange just act annoying. Moments that should play as silly instead play as obnoxious. A good Alice in Wonderland story should feel like a waking dream. Colors flow into each other, things feel comforting and scary at the same time, snippets of larger places whizz by before we can register them... This movie was just a bunch of cartoon characters shouting really loudly while hitting things with hammers. I cannot stress how many times a character will just be ‘stupid’ and nothing else. It was genuinely weird to see how many characters were animated with their tongues sticking out as they flopped around and made fart noises. This does not feel like madness, it feels like the movie doesn’t care. You can have a movie with stupid characters, the important part is to not treat your audience like they are stupid as well. I was really disappointed with this movie since so many scenes are still vivid in my memory. I am sad to say it isn’t worth revisiting and you can skip it.
Total Score: 19/50
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#I watched Every Disney Movie#every disney movie#reviewing every Disney movie#Alice In Wonderland#Alice in Wondeland 1951#Alice 1988#Alice#Disney#late stage disney#capitalism#late stage capitalism#movie review#Movie Reviews#animated movie#movie theory#Film Theory#movie ranking#Rey Rapids#Louise Carroll
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Birds of Prey Review
Comic book movies don’t have a great history with fight choreography.
Okay, yes, there are some spectacular fight scenes in Marvel movies, but seriously, how many of those are done with actual fight choreography? With actual actors or stunt people and not just CGI models? Because the most awesome fight scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are mostly CGI involving powers or lasers or the like. When it comes to actual hand-to-hand combat, Marvel movies are sorely lacking. I mean, yeah, those scenes exist, but they’re not good.
Take the fight in the street in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s full of close-ups and shaky cam, so you only have a vague idea of most of the moves they’re making. The first time it’s exciting to watch but every time afterward I remember thinking, “Wow, this fight scene sucks to watch.”
And to be clear, Marvel isn’t the only one to do this. All of Hollywood was doing it for about a decade, and DC movies did it too. The fight scenes in The Dark Knight don’t exactly show off choreography well either. I think that the comic book movie with the best fight choreography was, until this point, Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Until Birds of Prey that is.
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is a female-led comic book movie. Basically, because Margot Robbie’s got enough clout and her take on Harley Quinn was the most popular part of Suicide Squad, she helped put pressure on studio execs to get this movie made. So not only does it star Harley Quinn, it stars one of comics’ most well-known female superhero teams, the Birds of Prey. And it’s directed by a woman, Cathy Yan, which means that DC now has TWO released comic book movies starring and directed by women and Marvel hasn’t done that. Unless you count Captain Marvel, which had two directors, one of whom was a dude so I don’t really count that.
I’m not sayin’ anything, I’m just sayin’...
The Plot is a bit like this: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) broke up with the Joker. Thing is, her relationship with the Joker is part of what’s been keeping her alive, as no one would bother her as long as she’s attached to the clown who scares the stuffing out of everyone. At the top of the list is Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), aka Black Mask, a crime boss who runs most of Gotham’s underworld. Tangled up in this are Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), a grizzled detective that’s building a case against Sionis, and Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollet-Bell), the singer at Sionis’s club who becomes his driver after he witnesses her beating the snot out of some crooks. Sionis is after a specific diamond which contains the secret to the Bertinelli crime family fortune, but that diamond gets jacked by a teen pickpocket named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), and now everyone’s after her. And then there’s someone (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who is taking out prominent mobsters in Gotham City and everyone assumes is working for Sionis.
It’s a bit of a tangled Plot with several characters, and in truth it’s not helped by the fact that it’s told a bit out of order. Our narrator is Harley Quinn, and she tends to forget details, so she backs up and explains them in a way reminiscent of someone telling a story. And that makes sense, especially because Harley Quinn is explicitly an insane woman. But it can be a bit hard to follow who is doing what and when until it all converges about halfway through. It’s not a bad plot either, though its structure and shape kind of screws some of the characters in terms of screen time and character development.
Because, at its core, this is Harley Quinn’s movie. She gets the most screen time, narrates the story, and it’s mostly about her trying not to die. Which isn’t bad at all, but I would have liked to have seen more of Huntress, or watched Montoya solve more crimes, or Cassandra’s home life. There’s enough in the movie that you don’t feel like they’re ignored characters; they all have good scenes and distinct personalities, but I don’t think that they’re used to their full potential. It is slightly frustrating, because Harley Quinn has little to do with the comic book version of the Birds of Prey. But I can’t fault the film too much; Margot Robbie lobbied to have this film made, after all, and without her involvement as Harley I don’t know that it would have been greenlit.
What makes this movie stand out is that it’s got fantastic fight scenes. I mean, spectacular fight scenes. Chad Stahelski (as in, the guy who directed John Wick) was brought in to work on them, and it shows that they put a lot of work into them. They’re over-the-top, yes, and not like the gritty and rough action scenes you’d see in John Wick films; but they are glorious to watch and oh so much fun.
And this is a film where these sorts of scenes work. Part of what makes comic book movies not really conducive to great fight scenes is that they’re almost always about the fate of the world or some such thing; we don’t need kung fu, we need lasers and explosives and crap! But this is a film about taking on a crime lord who has a city in his pocket. It’s more low-key, and so of course we believe that a bunch of women who know how to kick ass can take down our villain and his minions.
Margot Robbie is loads of fun as Harley Quinn, which was expected I think, by most people who went to see this movie. As to the rest of the cast:
Ella Jay Basco injects a lot of likability in Cassandra Cain; she’s an in-name-only adaptation of the character, but despite that and being a pickpocket she shines as sort of innocent in the moral swamp that is Gotham City. Rosie Perez is a fantastic Montoya: a grizzled cop who wants to help but is limited by the system that rewards others for her work, and grew up watching way too many 80’s cop movies. Smollet-Bell does great work as Dinah Lance/Black Canary, a woman who wants to do the right thing but also knows that it’s not in her best interest. Mary Elizabeth Winstead does great with what she’s given, as the angry vigilante, but I really would have liked for her to have more to do.
As for our villains, Ewan McGregor is having a ball in this role. He’s a bit over-the-top and I think maybe it goes too far at times, but a terrible sleazy hate sink of a mob villain is the sort of antagonist a movie like this needs. And his right-hand man, Victor Zsasz, is played by Chris Messina with a lot more depth than I would have expected, but you still want to deck him because he’s a creep and a monster.
What makes this film really stand out though is that it feels like it was made by women. That’s a difficult statement to qualify, but watch the movie and you’ll see. There’s no objectifying shots of the camera lingering on cleavage or a woman’s rear end. The villains aren’t just violent mob criminals, they’re sexist creeps; and yeah, some of the behavior is exaggerated, but not all of it, and there’s a lot of problems that women deal with every day, like Montoya not getting credit for her work while her male partner did, and Sionis acting like the women in his club are there for his enjoyment, or no one taking Harley seriously unless she’s attached to a man everyone’s scared of. And hey, there’s a fight scene in which Harley throws Dinah a hair tie so that it doesn’t get in the way while she’s fighting.
But even if that all goes over your head, this is a great film. It has likable characters, fantastic fight scenes, and while there are some intense scenes (usually involving Sionis murdering or torturing people), it’s a fun movie. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to pull a twist on its audience, play with your expectations, punish any of its lead characters, or deconstruct anything. It’s straightforward in what it wants to do and what kind of audience it wants to be shown to.
If you like comic book movies, or superhero, please check it out. If you love action scenes, you have to check it out. I know this movie might not appeal to everyone, but to those that it does, it’ll be fantabulous.
#Birds of Prey#Movie Munchies#Movie Reviews#Harley Quinn#Black Canary#Cassandra Cain#Renee Montoya#Huntress#Roman Sionis
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Sincerely, Yours - JJK
For the @btswriterscorner - Amor Fabula Launch Project in celebration of the month of Valentine’s Day!
Plot: Jeon Jungkook hails from humble origins, his family ranked as Laborers. Since he is the youngest of three children, his time for the lottery has not come. But when it does, he refuses to conform to society’s system and runs away. Disowned, he’s now become a fugitive, taking on odd jobs here and there as a “runner-for-hire”. What he doesn’t realize is that he will find love in the most unexpected place.
Rating: PG-13 // SFW
Genre: dystopian!au/dystopian themes | angst | romance/fluff
Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Female OC (Nikita Meyers)
Warnings: Strong language, vandalism, violence, interracial/intercultural relationship
Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]
Word Count: 7,607
AN: This is the companion piece to my first story, Touch In The Dark. This is the “rebel” view of what transpires in the world that I built. In all honesty, I think I may like the MYG version a little more, but I think it’s mostly from my love of hurting my own feelings. I still had a lot of fun with this one and I hope you all enjoy it. Writing for Jungkookis is always a good time. All reblogs, critiques/reviews, comments and affection are accepted! Happy reading!
© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.
~ j.j. ~
Jungkook swung his legs back and forth as he sat on the edge of a nearby building. He whistled a tune to himself, a song from a life he could barely remember these days. A former Laborer, now turned Runner, Jungkook could say that he left a life that he knew wasn’t meant for him. The Class system was such a bogus way to create order and balance in the world. The Blue Bloods stayed in the upper tier and those born in poverty or with lesser means were meant to work for the rest of their days. Throw in The Lottery Bill and that was just the cherry on top of a fucked up sundae.
A soft breeze pushed against his form as he watched the sky transform into a mesh of warm colors: pinks, purples, oranges and yellows. The sun was starting to set and the world’s light would dim, blanketed by the cobalt sky littered with the few stars he was only allowed to see as he ran from rooftop to rooftop. Running free, no longer tethered to the rules of the world that dared to shackle him to a life of meaninglessness.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he scrolled through the messages and noticed the priority one at the very top. Brushing his fingers through his hair, he sighed quietly as he glanced over the message. His newest client was scheduled to meet him in an hour. It was a standard escort job. It wouldn’t be too hard and the pay was decent.
In their society, it was a crime to “fall in love” with anyone. Period. Not even the spouse that was chosen during an individual’s Lottery drawing. Love fueled emotions that often led to the ruins of others. Passion had the potential to overshadow logic and reason. When logic and reason were cast aside, only terrible things happened. Emotions were just bad things and led to bad times.
Jungkook didn’t buy into that horseshit.
It was the main reason he abandoned his station in life and lived in the moment. He didn’t worry about yesterday. He could care less about tomorrow. Today was all that mattered and all that would matter when it was finally said and done.
He slid his thumb over the screen, dialing the number of his new “job” detail. The man answered quickly, interrupting the second ring.
“Is this Jeon Jungkook?”
Jungkook smirked at the hushed tone in the man’s voice. “It is. Is this Min Yoongi?”
“Yes,” he replied softly, as if trying to gauge Jungkook’s own tone, “were you able to secure safe passage for both my wife and me?”
Clambering to his feet, he dusted off the backs of his weathered jeans and knocked a bit of dirt off his boots. “That’s not my area of expertise, I’m afraid. That was taken care of by a different handler.”
He knew he was being a little shit, but sometimes it was all about asking the right questions.
There was a semi-long pause from the other end of the line, followed by a slow sigh of what could be presumed as mounting exasperation.
“So why was I directed to you?”
Jungkook’s grin grew a little wider. “Because I’m the one who’s going to get you out in one piece.”
“I see,” Yoongi said, as if he was mulling over something, “so you’re a Runner.”
It wasn’t a question.
“That’s right.”
“I just hope you’re as fast as that mouth of yours.”
He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. “I’m faster, trust me.” Pushing back the sleeve of his jacket, he spied the time. “I’ll meet you at the Square in half an hour. Don’t be late.”
And without waiting for a reply, Jungkook ended the call. Pulling out his earbuds, he connected the jack to the phone and slipped the buds on. It didn’t take him long to find the song he wanted, cranking up the volume as the intro crescendoed slowly. Inhaling lungfuls of air, he stretched his arms out wide and then raised them up so they were parallel with his head. Once he loosened up the muscles, he rolled his neck and hopped up and down - shaking his arms for good measure.
He always had to psyche himself up for things like this.
As soon as the balls of his feet hit the ground, Jungkook lunged forward. Up and over the edge of the roof. The world rushed by him in a blur of motion, his dark hair flying off his forehead. The night was cool, but the wind stung his eyes - making them water. He quickly wiped at them, curling his body inward and then extending his limbs. The concrete scraped at the pads of his fingers, but it didn’t take him long to realign his body, forcing his lower half to swing off to the side so that he could catch the railing of the fire escape.
The bars rattled violently when his heels planted themselves onto the platform, but he was already climbing up the bars to reach the next rooftop. Once Jungkook made it over the edge, his legs pumped the ground in tandem with his heavily beating heart.
Unconsciously, his mouth spread into a wide open smile.
Free-running. They couldn’t have called it something better if they tried.
Sweat broke out across his brow and the pulse of the song’s bass seemed to reverberate throughout his entire body. With every jump, lunge, catch and pull he performed, Jungkook’s elation only seemed to climb. It would be too soon if he could never run as free as he was now.
Heaving and halfway covered in perspiration, Jungkook arrived at the designated meeting spot within fifteen minutes. It gave him just enough time to grab a bottle of water from a nearby vending machine, emptying half the contents over his head and soaking his hair. Onlookers peered at him curiously, but he didn’t pay them any attention. He almost never did. He drained what was left in the bottle, savoring the feeling of re-hydrating himself.
Craning his neck, he located a nearby waste bin and was about to toss the bottle into it - arms stretched like he was shooting a basketball into a hoop.
He stumbled forward suddenly, his body pushed forward from an unexpected impact. Grunting, he quickly pivoted on his heels to see who was responsible, but all he caught sight of was a ball cap flying in his line of sight as auburn curls flew past him. Jungkook reached out and snatched the hat out of the air as the owner turned to catch a glimpse of him.
Her dark gray eyes glared at him, catching Jungkook off guard. Despite living in South Korea, Jungkook was used to foreigners. But he certainly didn’t remember seeing someone with those eyes and soft caramel skin. Her hair looked dyed, but it strangely suited her.
Jungkook took a step forward, holding her hat out to her. Instead of taking it back, she continued to shift her gaze from him and then to the hat. He grinned.
“Not even a thank you, huh? You don’t want this back?” He waved the cap back and forth, as though he were trying to keep a cat’s attention on him. “Is this mine now?”
He hadn’t seen her move. In fact, he didn’t even realize she’d closed what small distance existed between them. Not until Jungkook felt a soft burst of pain near his stomach. The wind was knocked from him almost immediately and all he could manage was a wide-eyed stare at her.
She grinned, twisting her fist into his stomach a little more. “Not a chance, you fucking tool,” replied the girl.
Jungkook collapsed to one knee when she took a step back, her hat not back in her possession. He struggled to reclaim what air was stolen from him, one dark brown eye glaring up at her. Not to say that women were weak, but he hadn’t expected a punch from a pretty girl to hurt this much.
Hopping back on one foot, she waved the hat at him in a farewell gesture before sliding it back onto her head. She turned and bolted from the square without so much as a second glance at him. He coughed, rubbing at his chest in an attempt to regulate his breathing again.
Wow, what a bitch, he thought, but Jungkook found himself smirking once the pain subsided.
Maybe he was a glutton for punishment.
“Are you alright?”
The voice jarred him from his thoughts and he quickly scrambled to his feet. He was face to face with his temporary charge, Min Yoongi. Standing beside him was a woman with dark brown curls, hazel eyes, and mocha skin. She peered at Jungkook curiously, her hand laced through Yoongi’s. She was also a foreigner from what he could tell, and well-known through the news as the “Charity Selection” picked from The Lottery two years ago.
He folded his arms across his chest. “This might be a little difficult.”
Yoongi lofted a brow. “And why is that?”
“Well,” Jungkook began, taking a few steps toward them before circling around both of them, “your wife’s kinda popular.”
The older man narrowed his eyes. “So you’re not going to be able to help us?”
“I didn’t say that.” He held a hand up and then waved it through the air, as if shooing away a gnat. “I just said that it’ll be a little difficult. Not impossible.” Jungkook met their gazes and grinned. “I got this. Trust me.”
~ n.m. ~
“Nikita, that was reckless.”
Removing the baseball cap, she roughly ran her fingers through her curls while scoffing. She carelessly tossed the parcel onto the table. “What does it matter? I got you what you asked for.”
The man seated at the table steepled his fingers, dark eyes peering over his knuckles at her. Nikita waited for him to say something, but he merely sighed and began to untie the twine wrapped around the brown paper packaging. It was his way of dismissing her, but letting Nikita know that she wasn’t completely off the hook. He’d find a way to pay her back and it wouldn’t be pretty.
She knew this because it wouldn’t be the first time.
Not wanting to press her luck, Nikita quickly vacated the office and closed the door behind her. She rested her shoulder against the door frame, mentally kicking herself for what she’d said. She knew she didn’t mean it, and yet she continued to come off as cold and unfeeling in these situations. Nikita was about to slam her head into the door when someone suddenly cleared their throat beside her.
“Keep it up and you’re going to put Minjae Hyung into an early grave.”
Craning her neck, she cut her eyes at the shaggy-haired individual - his shit-eating grin never failing to irritate her.
“Shut-up, Taegi-ah,” she snipped, walking past him. Predictably, he followed but Nikita ignored him, focusing her attention on the warehouse.
“Aw, don’t be like that, Nikki-ah,” he whined at her back.
She rolled her eyes. Nikita hated that nickname and he knew it. She also knew that he didn’t care that she hated it.
Because that was the kind of person Yoon Taegi was.
A pain in her goddamn ass.
But she couldn’t hold it against him. Because he was the one who helped her break the chains the world decided to put on her the day she was born. Without him, she knew she would still be living the life of a woefully ignorant aristocrat - blind to the truth of society’s agenda. Nikita lived in a castle made of glass and didn’t understand her purpose outside of being a breeding agent for some future husband she would never be able to relate to.
When the day came for her to be matched with her significant other, Nikita was ready to accept that lot in her life. She was prepared to walk down the path that she was groomed for. What reason did she have to believe otherwise; to be aware that there was something else beyond the veil?
The truth wasn’t known to her until she saw a couple being arrested on the streets - cuffed and pulled away from each other. They screamed until their throats were raw, and then continued yelling for each other. They managed to share one final kiss until each were thrown into separate police cars and driven away to be incarcerated.
Their fates were declared on international television.
Taegi was the man she’d seen carted away and three months later, he broke out of prison. As punishment, the woman he loved was put to death. It was their attempt to shatter his spirit, to break him.
They failed.
Sighing, she looked at Taegi’s smug expression and couldn’t help marveling at how far they’d come. A loaf of bread, cheese and meat was all it took to barter for the truth. Taegi gave it to her and Nikita knew she could never go back to her life of privilege. Not if there were people she could help in the process. It didn’t take her long to find herself pulled into Rebel circles - all of them graciously accepting her into their fold.
hree years passed since then and Nikita didn’t regret leaving her family or her “duty” behind. She was free and she was fighting for a cause that meant something. Even if she’d never experienced it for herself.
Love.
Sliding the metal door aside, Nikita stepped into the warehouse. The smell of gunpowder and kerosene instantly filled her nostrils - causing her eyes to water slightly. She quickly wiped at them and sniffed, fishing through a crate on a nearby table. Her hands stilled momentarily as she felt Taegi’s palms slip over her shoulders. He squeezed them gently and she sighed, hanging her head a measure as her eyes stared into the box of homemade pipe bombs and hand grenades.
“Sometimes I worry that the fighting is never going to end,” Nikita said softly.
Taegi rubbed her shoulders in a comforting motion before moving away from her to lean against the table. He folded his arms across his chest, his face lifting to the ceiling. “It’ll stop one day. We just have to stand strong and in solidarity.”
Nikita shrugged, pulling out a few pipe bombs. “I just hope we’re around long enough to see it.”
She checked the fuses, gauging their length, before placing them back in the box. She set one hand grenade out, flicking a finger over the pull pin. After making sure that it was secure, she dropped it into her messenger bag and moved to the next crate. It contained knives of varying shapes and sizes. She opted for a switchblade of decent length, slipping it into her back pocket.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling it out, she scanned the message on her screen. It was from Minjae, as expected. He was sending her on another assignment. There was another potential ally they could have on their side versus running amok on the streets.
Turning to move to another table, she felt Taegi’s hand grasping at her arm. She looked at him and saw the worry lines etched across his forehead. Nikita couldn’t help but smile at him.
“You just got back and you’re already prepping to head out again.” He frowned. “You’re like a machine, woman.”
“Can’t help it,” she said, chuckling slightly, “I’m not one to sit around and do nothing.”
“It’s not about doing nothing. It’s about resting. You’ve been gone for three days.” Taegi sighed, releasing his hold on her. “Hyung can’t pass this off to someone else?”
“Nope.” Nikita shook her head. “Recruitment’s my main gig. You know this. Besides…” She paused, meeting Taegi’s gaze, her own expression softening a bit. “...if we don’t have more people on our side, what good is any of this? It’s never going to stop until every last one of us are either dead or re-educated. Numbers mean everything.”
Looking back at the phone, she opened the file Minjae sent her. It was the most current dossier on a person willingly living off the grid. They had been for some time now.
She recognized his picture immediately. He was the guy she’d run into earlier that day. The same guy she punched in the gut for teasing her when she was in the process of playing “courier” for their group.
Nikita couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped her. Taegi looked at her curiously but she shook her head, slipping her phone back into her pocket. This was going to be interesting. Maybe he’d hear her out despite the terrible first impression she’d given.
My job just got a little bit harder. Great.
~ j.j. ~
Jungkook lazily sprawled himself out on the largest branch of an old tree near the edge of town. Swiveling a toothpick between his teeth, he looked around at the people who passed below him obliviously. It amused him, in a way, how they could mindlessly continue with their lives. They were like sheep to the slaughter, unaware of the truth of things.
Then again, he didn’t really know what the “truth” was himself.
All that mattered to him was no longer having a label stamped on his body as though it were a badge of shame. Society deemed that he was destined to be poor. Society claimed that his ideal match would be someone of their choosing. Society was right and the average person didn’t need to question this.
Well, society could go eat a bag of dicks.
Again, his phone buzzed. He picked it up from where he had it laying on his chest to stare at it - the screen illuminating his face in the shadows. It was another job forwarded by his employer. Sighing, he opened up the dossier of the person he was sent to help this time. When he saw the picture, however, Jungkook sat up so fast that he nearly fell out of the tree.
It was her. The woman who nailed him in the gut without batting an eyelash. The woman whose dark auburn curls and gray eyes failed to vacate his mind.
He was immediately suspicious.
Normally he would forward a job he didn’t want to another Runner. It wasn’t like Jungkook was hurting for money. In fact, he was planning on taking a small vacation soon - taking himself off the grid completely for a few weeks before coming back. But his curiosity was a damning thing and he didn’t mind being damned if it meant knowing who this woman was.
Nikita Meyers. 25. Former Blue Blood. Currently wanted by authorities due to her association with various Rebel factions throughout the world.
Blinking, he read through the short blurb again to make sure that he wasn’t misinterpreting anything. But what was there to misinterpret? This woman had it all and threw everything away to be a fugitive? Like him? He didn’t get it. Wasn’t the high life a life of pleasure and carefree days?
Why would she ever want to toss it away for the gritty life?
Jungkook frowned, thinking back on the life he left behind. He refused to conform to society’s whims and ran away from home when it was time for him to have his partner chosen through The Lottery Bill. He didn’t know what love was and he wasn’t sure if he wanted any part of it if the government was hell-bent on minimizing it throughout the globe. Jungkook could admit that he did stupid things when he was emotionally unstable, hence why he was living the life he currently was in the first place. But he also wasn’t too keen on the idea of bending to the whims of others.
Even so…
Sliding his thumb over the screen, he dialed the number his contact provided for him. It rang three times before someone answered. Her voice filled his ears and he leaned his back against the trunk of the tree as he listened.
“Jungkook-ssi?”
He smirked. “Oh, are we using polite words now?”
He heard a sigh from the other line. “I won’t apologize for what I did. I had my reasons.”
“Sure you did.” His tone dripped of sarcasm, but Jungkook felt his smile growing wider. “It’s alright. I forgive you anyway.”
“You’re so gracious. So, are you gonna help me or are you gonna pass me off so I’m someone else’s problem?”
His lips formed into a small ‘O’ while he scratched the side of his nose. “Is that normal for you?”
Nikita scoffed. “I don’t make it a habit to become a problem for anyone in the first place.”
“That’s a shame,” he replied while shifting his position to stand on the tree branch, “it’s fun to be problematic.”
“I’m sure you’d know that.”
“Of course. That's why I said it.”
“Are you going to help me or not?”
Jungkook was going to help her. He’d made that decision the minute he saw her picture on his phone as the next job he was supposed to take. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have fun with her about it.
“Well, you’re in luck. I happen to have some free time slotted in my schedule.”
“Good. Now come down from that tree and meet me face-to-face.”
His smile fell from his face and he sat up again, looking around in every direction. He quickly craned his neck down and saw she was standing below the tree he was currently perched in. For a long moment, the two of them just stared at each other - each of them holding their phones to their faces; listening to the other person breathing.
Then he saw her smile up at him. It was a smile that clearly said that she knew more than he did; that she’d gotten the best of him. A smile full of secrets, daring someone to try to discover them.
It was a smile that made his heart twist sharply in his chest.
Hanging up the phone, he slid it into the inner pocket of his leather jacket. Without batting an eyelash, Jungkook effortlessly hopped off the tree branch, landing with an unnecessary flourish in front of her. Nikita slid her phone into her pocket as he slid his palms over the thighs of his jeans.
Again, neither said anything. They just took in each other’s presence.
Now that he got a better look at her, Jungkook was at least half a head taller than her. The strap to a dark gray messenger bag was pressed across her chest at an angle, enhancing the swell of her bosom. Other than that, there was nothing else about her that would elicit inappropriate thoughts. No skin showed outside of her bare neck, face, and thin wrists peeking out from the sleeves of her dark green field jacket. She wore charcoal gray cargo pants stuffed into a pair of shin length combat boots. A black newsboy hat adorned the top of her head this time.
“So,” Jungkook said, finally breaking the silence, “where am I escorting the lovely lady?”
“We’re too exposed here.” Nikita moved past him and he pivoted on his heels to follow after her.
They were heading back into the city.
Just as he was about to suggest they could go somewhere a little more private to chat, she hopped onto a nearby dumpster and scaled up the fire escape as easily as snapping her fingers. Jungkook slowly arched his neck, watching her fling herself up one iron landing until her body swung in a half arc to allow her the reach she needed to grasp onto the edge of the building’s rooftop. Her booted feet scraped over the brick, crumbling small bits to the ground until she disappeared over the edge.
“Well, I’ll be goddamned,” he mumbled, his smile returning. This woman was just full of surprises.
“Are you comin’ or not?” she called down to him.
Not like he needed to be asked twice. Jungkook made a game of it, determined to scale the building in half the amount of time she had. Once he reached the top, he pulled himself over the edge in time to see her running at full speed across the building.
“Hey!” he shouted after her, his own legs eating at the ground in hot pursuit, “Wait a minute!”
But just as he was starting to close the distance, Nikita jumped from the building and curled her body inward. Jungkook was almost to the edge and was preparing his own dismount when he saw her successfully clear the gap. She grabbed onto one of the metal pipes and swung herself into an open window. Jungkook didn’t have a chance to relish in the adrenaline pumping through his veins, his eyes memorizing her movement patterns so he could follow the trail she was leaving for him.
Dust filled his nostrils, causing him to cough from the onslaught to his senses. The room smelled of old wood and mold. The building had long since been abandoned and there was clearly no interest in changing its state of disrepair. The boards creaked under each step that was taken and Jungkook mentally worried if the floor would crack and collapse right beneath him.
A beam of bright light blinded him and he hissed, moving his forearm to cover his eyes.
“Yo, what’s the deal?!”
His words sounded snappish, which hadn’t been his intention, but what did anyone expect when suddenly rendered unable to see?
“Sorry,” Nikita said, lowering the light to give him a chance to adjust to the darkness, “I wanted to make sure you were right behind me.”
Jungkook rubbed his fists into his eyes gingerly, shaking his head to blink the golden spots away from his vision. “It’s fine.”
She gestured with the flashlight toward the stairs. “Follow me. And watch your step.”
Everything in the building seemed ancient and forgotten. Jungkook swore he heard it groan in response to their presence there. It gave him an eerie sort of vibe that he wasn’t sure he wanted to really wrap his head around.
Once they reached the ground floor, Nikita disappeared through a door to the right. It looked like an office building of some kind now that he got a better look at it. He could hear her roughly pulling at drawers from what he assumed were old metal filing cabinets. Jungkook took a lean against the door frame, folding his arms across his chest as more dust flew in the air from Nikita’s manic investigation methods.
“Need any help?”
She slammed a drawer closed and yanked at another one, fingers dancing over the folders. “I’m good.”
He shrugged, even though he knew she couldn’t see it. “So what is this place?”
“Used to be a Public Records office until everything became digitized and moved to the various data hubs all over the globe.”
“And now?”
Nikita pulled out a folder and sifted through the papers inside. “Now it’s a place for squatters and a go-between for Rebel units.”
Jungkook hummed in understanding. But something puzzled him.
“So why are we here?”
Turning to face him, she waved the envelope at him. “Gathering intel for another client.”
“Wait.” He stepped inside the room. “This isn’t an escort job, but a recon mission?”
Nikita grinned, shutting the drawer closed with her hip. “Yup.”
He frowned. “Then why was I hired for this? You do know that I’m a Runner, right?”
“I know.” She stuffed the envelope into her bag, using the beam of her flashlight to rifle through whatever contents were also inside. “I know exactly who you are, Jeon Jungkook.”
Jungkook didn’t know why, but he didn’t like what she was insinuating with those words.
Nikita pulled something else from her bag, but it was too dark for him to see. Using her other hand to secure the bag’s clasp, she stepped toward the window and slid it open. Jungkook watched her poking her head out, presumably to see if anyone else was coming. It was dark and most people had normal work schedules so there wasn’t a chance for anyone to be out after midnight.
Well, except for them.
“It’s a waste.”
“What?” Jungkook slightly tilted his head, confused. “What is?”
“You left everything behind the same time I did, but all you’ve done is float through life without a care in the world.” She glanced at him from over her shoulder. “It’s a waste.”
Rolling his eyes, he frowned. “What the hell do you know?”
He didn’t appreciate her judgmental attitude toward him. It wasn’t like she knew him. It wasn’t like she understood what he’d gone through up until that point. Living off the grid wasn’t easy and it wasn’t for everyone. Sure, he could have gone back home and ponied up. He could have turned to those fighting against society’s rules and regulations, seeing refuge from a dying world. But he wasn’t about to let himself become dependent on anyone. Being dependent on others equated to marginalized freedom and Jungkook didn’t want that either.
Even if it he had to remain alone to maintain it.
“I know you’re a Runner,” she said, flashing a shit-eating grin at him, “so I suggest you do what you’re good at. Running.”
Jungkook wasn’t sure what she was getting at. But before he could question her further, something fell to the ground. It rolled across the floor and into the sliver of light that leaked in through the window from the streetlamp outside.
It was a hand grenade.
“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” Jungkook barely heard his own voice through the panic cadence of his heartbeat.
Nikita reached out to grab his hand, pulling him toward her. “RUN!”
They both tumbled out the window, rolling onto the grass in a tangle of limbs. They dislodged themselves from each other, frantically scrambling to their feet as they hurried to put as much distance between them and the building as possible. The heat from the explosion pressed against Jungkook’s back, forcing his body to lurch forward. Something cut the side of his face and he grunted as his shoulder collided with the concrete. He thought he heard someone calling him, but it was hard to make out from the soft ringing in his ears and the alarms going off.
“Shit,” he muttered as he sat up on all fours, shaking his head back and forth to chase away his rattled nerves.
Someone grabbed roughly at his jacket, yanking him up to his feet. His face was inches from Nikita’s, her stormy eyes reflecting the fire and smoke eating away at the building behind him.
“Come on,” she said, her hand reaching out to grasp his, “we have to go!”
He didn’t have time to yell at her. He simply followed her direction. Besides, he knew better than anyone that he couldn’t just walk away from this. Jungkook was an accomplice - willingness be damned.
He was a Rebel now.
~ n.m. ~
She’d be lying if she hadn’t planned it out that way. Nikita never had any intention of outright asking Jungkook if he would join their cause. Instead, she chose to be a dirty bitch about it - forcing his hand and leaving him no other option but to stand at their side. The Rebels weren’t necessarily losing, but they weren’t winning, either. The more skilled people they had on their side, people like Jungkook, the more likely they would win against society’s preconceived notion of what “success” and “happiness” was.
Nikita did it because she knew that they had to have him. That she had to have him. She didn’t feel guilty about taking him away from the life he’d chosen for himself.
A month later, however, the guilt started rearing its ugly little head. Usually in the dead of night; when the urge to smoke overtook her. She puffed on a cigarette, her thoughts swirling around in her head like a busted washing machine in desperate need of repair. Minjae told her that she didn’t need to tell him the truth about that day; what her intention was. She normally never questioned Minjae or his motives.
Now? Another month passed. She wasn’t so sure anymore..
A strong gust of wind pushed up against her body, causing her to take a half a step forward. The wind was always powerful the higher a person was. But the rooftop of their hideout was the only place she could find any solace. More and more people were joining their cause, but more people meant less space. Maybe it was the former high-privileged snob in her, but she liked being able to have a little breathing room in her life.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were here,” a voice said from behind her.
She turned to glance over her shoulder, seeing that it was Jungkook. Her brows furrowed, a soft ache building at the center of her chest. But she didn’t say anything. He took a step back, his hand reaching behind him so he could push the door back open.
Nikita exhaled a thin stream of smoke, tapping the ash off the side of the building. “Stay if you want.” She shifted her gaze back to look at the twilight sky. “You don’t have to leave.”
The door closed, but the sound of feet shuffling closer toward her caused her to release a silent breath of relief. She didn’t want the awkward feeling to continue between them, and in the last month Jungkook proved himself useful. He never demanded to leave, because the people around him wanted him to stay. It made Nikita wonder if he’d never felt a sense of community before now; if he’d always been alone.
She was decent enough not to ask.
“No assignments. That’s rare.” He said it so easily, like he’d been a Rebel for years.
Shrugging, she lifted the cigarette to her lips. “Can’t be busy all the time. Batteries need charging and all that shit.”
He chuckled, sidling up beside her but giving her at least three feet of space. Nikita cast him a sidelong glance, watching him lean against the railing with his forearms.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Jungkook reached into his pocket and pulled out a toothpick. She raised a brow, unable to force back the smirk forming on her face. It was a habit she’d never understand, but it strangely suited him. She shook her head as he clamped his teeth over the twig, making it swivel back and forth with his tongue.
“What about you?”
He shook his head. “Nah. I’m heading out in two days.”
Nikita wouldn’t ask him where. It was better if she didn’t know. The less she knew, the less likely Jungkook would be compromised should something happen while he was away.
For a while, neither of them said anything. She finished her smoke, tossing the cigarette butt off the edge. Jungkook was focused on the starry night sky, so she knew he didn’t notice her looking at him. His hair shifted in back and forth motions from another gust of wind. He looked so lost in thought, yet completely relaxed.
Anything could happen between now and tomorrow. Jungkook could turn his back on them and possibly reveal everything he’d learned to the authorities. Or he could just get captured or killed. There were no guarantees in the world they were both fighting against and fighting for.
“I’m sorry,” Nikita said, surprised at herself with how suddenly the words came tumbling out.
“Huh?” Jungkook straightened up to his full height, flashing her a confused look. “What for?”
“I put us in that situation back then so that you’d have no choice but to come with us.”
He appeared to not understand what she was getting at. Was he really so gullible? Or was he just that innocent? How had the world not broken him?!
Nikita closed her eyes tightly, biting her lower lip that was already beginning to tremble. “I purposefully set you up. I forced you to become a Rebel.”
She couldn’t see him, much to her relief. But the sound of her heart hammering roughly against her ribs drowned out the sounds of the city. If he was saying anything at that moment, Nikita was confident she wouldn’t have heard him.
“I know.”
Those two words pierced through her loudly pounding heartbeat. Opening her eyes wide, she jerked her head to face him. He was closer to her now, but still wearing that gentle expression. The one of someone who understood something that she hadn’t been able to glean. The kind of expression that told volumes about a person’s life.
About the pain they were forced to endure.
“I know you did. And that’s okay.”
She blinked up at him, gobsmacked by his words. “Wh-What?”
How could he say that it was okay? What part of what she said was okay? As far as Nikita was concerned, none of this was okay!
“Because it was only after being here, I realized why you did. To me, that’s all that matters.”
Nikita’s brows furrowed in disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was like she’d lost the ability to speak or even formulate coherent phrases.
He continued.
“I’m a Runner. You said it yourself, running is what I’m good at. People only ever needed me to run for them. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
She watched him take a step toward her.
~ j.j. ~
Nikita looked like a deer caught in headlights.
Jungkook felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach; like something was fluttering inside of it. He wondered if he looked the same. If he had that same expression on his own face. Jungkook hoped he didn’t, but he felt weirdly calm. He couldn’t quite place why, other than he believed everything he was saying at that moment.
And he believed that Nikita would hear him; truly hear him.
Because for damn near two months, Jungkook couldn’t get Nikita out of his mind.
“My family didn’t care about me running away from my responsibilities. If they did, they would be looking for me now.”
He took another step forward, his eyes flicking downward to see if Nikita was going to take a step back. She didn’t, and that strange feeling in his stomach intensified.
“My two siblings are making up for my shortcomings. They’re happy and so I kept running. Here. There. Everywhere. It never mattered where I was or how long I was gone. Because running is what I do.”
Nikita looked like she was really listening to him. He knew it because of how focused her eyes were; shaking.
“J-Jungkook,” she stammered.
He knew he should take a step back. Reassess things and think about just what the hell was tumbling from his mouth. It wasn’t like he’d planned this and he hadn’t expected for her to apologize for making him a sucker. One day was all he needed to figure it out. After the initial internal battle he had with himself died down, Jungkook was planning to get the hell out of that place. He would play nice and then bounce. Simple as that.
But one day turned into one week. Then two. Then three.
Until a month passed by.
He realized it hadn’t bothered him as much as he initially thought. Because in that short amount of time, he saw Nikita in ways that he was sure she didn’t realize was being showcased. Jungkook discovered every nuance about her as their paths crossed every single day. From the way she preferred hats with bills than beanies, to how she would scratch at the bridge of her nose when she was annoyed. She preferred dogs over cats, but had a special kind of love for horses. She liked dark liquors and she hated beer. Nikita hated mornings, but she would always get up early to see the sunrise before going back to sleep.
And she was one helluva free runner.
Taking one more step forward, there was now less than a foot of space between Nikita and him. Again, he looked down to see if she would step back. And again, she didn’t.
“For the first time in a while, no one wants me running anymore. And when I have to run, I know I have a place to run back to. Because there are people waiting for me.”
He reached out to grasp her wrists, feeling her pulse jumping with life beneath his palms. For a split second, he suddenly felt self-conscious that his hands might be cold, clammy, or all of the above. But Jungkook selfishly refused to let go. He would apologize later for it if she shoved him aside.
Or off the building.
He waited - the soft clouds of breath meeting hers as she breathed out in sync with him. Nikita didn’t move or was thinking about what to do at that moment. Jungkook knew he needed to hurry and say what was churning inside of him.
What he’d been wanting to say for almost a week now.
“Because people like you are waiting for me.”
His hands moved from her wrists, slowly gliding up her arms until his palms slid over the delicate curve of her shoulders. Jungkook even knew how strong she was under all the bulky clothes she wore. It was how people kept underestimating her. It was how she survived.
But even under that strength was a gentle and compassionate woman. A woman who cared about the people around her. A woman who decidedly left her comfortable entitlement to help anyone suffering under the injustice of the world’s system. A woman who cried in mourning for those who could not be with the ones they loved.
Jungkook’s hands cupped her neck, using his thumbs to stroke over Nikita’s jawline. He gently pressed them to her chin, lifting her face to his. He could see the tears forming in her eyes and he paused, feeling his own hands trembling. Could he afford to hesitate? Could he really let this moment pass by, only to fade away into the darkness where it would never return to see the light of day?
He had to keep trusting her. Trust that she would keep listening.
“Jungkook, what are you--?”
“I love you.”
Jungkook felt like his insides were going to fall straight out of him. He said it. His nerves felt liquefied, but he said it.
“W-What?”
“I love you, Nikita.”
Not wanting her to push him away, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her gasp in his mouth and he waited for her to retaliate. To kick and scream and threaten to toss him over the side to his death. He would have deserved it. His death would be justified.
But Nikita didn’t shove him to the side. No. And he lifted his lips from hers when he felt her hands cupping his elbows. What tears were in her eyes spilled down her cheeks. Jungkook saw her brows furrow, but there was a watery smile now on her face.
And then he kissed her again, harder. His hands left her face so he could wrap his arms around her, fully pulling her up against him. He needed her close. Closer than he’d ever been able to get to her. The need was terrible and he didn’t want to chase it away. He sucked in air through his nose, drinking in the subtle smell of her shampoo. Nipping and tugging at her lips between his teeth and tongue, he relished the soft taste of ash from the cigarette she smoked earlier. But there was a hint of peppermint. Nikita always ate a peppermint before smoking because she despised the taste.
Jungkook would continue his mission of getting her to quit.
They parted the kiss long enough to get air. He could just barely see her through the clouds of their breaths. Even in the dark, her eyes seemed to glow. He loved how Nikita always looked like she could see right through him.
“I fell in love with you. I don’t know how. I don’t know why.” He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers as their noses touched. “I just did. I just do.”
Turning to bury his nose into the curve of Nikita’s neck, he smiled against her skin.
“It’s okay if you don’t right now. We have as much time as we need to figure it out. Until then, just let me keep loving you as you are now. As I am now.”
Her body shook with how roughly she was nodding her head. Jungkook pressed his fingers against the back of her neck as he held her aloft. And for awhile, that’s all they did. Hugged each other. He could feel how hard their hearts were hammering against each other. All the anxiety and hesitation felt like it was bleeding out of him.
Nikita laughed a little. “Damn,” she whispered.
Jungkook smirked. “What?”
“Guess this means I love you too.”
They shared a laugh. He leaned forward to pull her into a hug. Jungkook appreciated how good it felt to know her arms were around him. It may have been a selfish beginning, but it wouldn’t be a selfish end.
He knew things would get harder from now on. But that was okay. Because the hole in his heart was full.
Because he loved this woman in his arms.
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