#that's still a win for me! murder mv another win!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chemicalbrew · 5 months

Text

2023 game list, part 1: I love complaining!

Once again continuing what has become an honorable tradition thanks to @smash-64 💜

I tried to promise myself I'd be more organized this year, trying to take notes after I beat things, making lists and gifs and everything, as it has become a consistent yearly undertaking. In truth, what happened is that I felt more overwhelmed by this than I did the last three years. The best explanation I can give is a combination of two facts: this year, while not particularly worse than what came before, still saw my confidence in myself tank a bit (i.e. What does this matter when few people read it and I don't bring much things of value to the table?)...

And the fact that I played very few games that really stuck with me, that I enjoyed enough to see through to the end and feel like that had merit, for a lot of the year. When that wasn't the case, it was more than likely I'd been on my nth playthrough of Katana ZERO of the year (more on that in a later post, hopefully).

I probably need help, don't I?..

games I played, but don't have much to say about at the moment without being prompted, aside from 'I kinda liked them, I guess', ordered best to worst:

Purrfect Apawcalypse trilogy (2019-2021) - series of VNs that's genuinely just good fun as you find yourself attached to the characters before you know it. You'll know if this one is for you at a glance. Also, this is how I found out about Panel Royale! LOL

The Witch's House MV (2018) - good old RPG Maker horror with a few decent twists. The remake has good QOL changes.

Gunbrella (2023) - the plot might be forgettable, but you get a gun that's an umbrella! What's not to enjoy?

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) - I played this game, but only in the most technical sense. Literally cheated the fun out of it - either that, or this platformer style is not for me.

Coffee Talk: Episode 2 - Hibiscus & Butterfly (2023) - the most upsetting entry on the list. The writer behind the original game has passed away, and his absence is felt keenly even if you're not aware of the fact - because this sequel lacks charm.

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (2021) - yet another of those cheap and short indie 2D Zelda clones. The definition of the word meh.

Irisu Syndrome (2008) - a unique free puzzle timewaster. Tries to have a story and fails.

dishonorable mentions (the part with the most complaining)

2064: Read Only Memories (PC, 2014) [♪ Home (Not) Sweet Home]

Starts off decent enough, doing the bare minimum to string you along the mystery (which, for most people with standards, wouldn't even be good enough, but I was willing to stick with it for the sake of the neat audiovisual presentation).

As soon as the murder scene is revealed, however, the main plot starts to fall apart, and the longer you spend with the game's writing (which seems to go on and on forever) and characters (about as flat as a pancake fresh off the pan), the more bleak and yawn-inducing they seem (including Turing, who just took longer than everyone else to annoy me).

Do yourself a favor, play VA-11 Hall-A (which this game gratuitously references) instead. You'll get all the benefits of cute pixel art and upbeat soundtrack, but with an actually good story\character cast to match. I swear it says something about 2064 that one of its most exciting moments was seeing throwaway lines from a VA-11 character!

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (PC, 2015) [♪ Climbing the Ginso Tree]

This is a game that won awards back when it came out almost a decade ago. Unfortunately, it feels like it was made to win awards and little more. While the credits scrolling up the screen tried to convince otherwise - with the usual special thanks given to families and pets of the developers - I sat there, unsure of what I was supposed to take from this experience (once again, the less words you try to use to tell your story, the more it usually suffers!).

The heart of any platformer is its movement systems - and, while eventually Ori's tools open up just enough to make you feel at least a little free and alive in its world, they also never go beyond what is almost painfully typical. Double jump, wall climb, ground pound, glide, charged projectile? None of that is going to wow anyone. The way it comes together is not too pleasant, either - Ori's too floaty and the obstacles before him, while painted with a talented stroke, are too unclear in their presentation to make for truly fun traversal. The exception to this is the escape sequences - sure, a lot of the time they're not much less frustrating than the rest of the game, but they're definitely more memorable, to the point where the accompaniment to one was the only part of the soundtrack I could think to showcase.

I don't regret the time I spent on this, per se, but what I can tell you is that it probably didn't deserve the awards. Also, the way the wall jump worked was annoying! Pushing towards the wall to do it feels very counter-intuitive, and with this I found that I much prefer when games have you face away from the wall to register wall jumps, or do not require you to press a direction at all.

Celeste (PC, 2018) [♪ Checking In] + Celeste Classic (2015, played as part of full game) :)

I was in high school when this made waves. I pointedly feigned disinterest as it splashed all over the internet, while making sure to download the soundtrack quickly and listen to it - more than occasionally - over the next three or so years. Lena Raine's work carried me through my school years and empowered me, and all the while I hadn't a clue what playing the game is actually like.

Those were the better days.

Now, the things about this game that seem to appeal the most to a lot of people are how refreshingly simple Madeline's moveset is and how much the game respects your time with death transitions and reloading, and the story it tells through heartfelt cutscenes and gameplay working in sync. To which I boldly say... none of those things are good enough.

Having to climb and manage your stamina adds another layer to navigating the rooms, sure, but to my simple ass, that's one layer too many. To the game's credit, there's a setting to make climbing toggleable instead of requiring you to hold down the trigger, and using that was the only reason I managed to push past the hotel and Oshiro (call me a scrub, it was genuinely overwhelming otherwise), but it still did nothing to change how I feel about this mechanic fundamentally.

I get it, it adds precision and verticality to your movement, and, seeing as you're literally supposed to be scaling a mountain, it's more than a natural inclusion... but its existence did nothing but add pressure for me, somehow. I would frequently forget it's an option at all before realizing the room in question expects me to utilize it. Instead of feeling like climbing expands my options, I felt constricted and awkward.

My second issue is much simpler. I'm a spoiled brat, and Celeste's respawning process involving that annoying whoosh sound effect and a transition that, yes, takes only about a second, but is still not quite instant, was not good enough. I recognize that having it be truly instant would not be ideal, either, but I can't help but wish that was the case.

As for the story... It underwhelmed me even back when I was doing surface level research at the time of release, and it's not impressing me now. It's okay, and I recognize why it would resonate with people - the themes of self-acceptance and resolve are plain to see (and just as plain to mull over). But in my time with the game, Madeline never began feeling less like an avatar for my failures and more like an actual character, never changed into someone I would truly like.

By the time I reached the Mirror Temple, I was certain that this game, in most respects, is just not what I would ever want. I pushed towards the summit anyway, and left it feeling profoundly... nothing.

However... Celeste Classic did not have any of those things! That little prototype gem of a game wastes zero time trying to set the stage and make you feel things with ~a story~, doesn't give you any opportunity to climb whatsoever, and neither does it waste your time having the screen fade to black when you die! And these three things, I reckon, are key to why this smaller version, that's supposed to just be treated as an Easter egg now, a relic of the past, and to be forgotten in favor of the project it grew into... resonated with me so much more! I beat it twice! It's lovely! It's what I actually needed Celeste to be!

IT'S COMPLICATED

AI: The Somnium Files (PC, 2019) [♪ MonzAI] + AI:TSF - Nirvana Initiative (PC, 2022) [♪ Nefarious Institute 1]

You know how they say not to judge the book by its cover? This is a story of me learning (once again) to judge a game neither by its reception nor by the credentials behind it. When I plowed through this duology, I came to understand that sometimes, lightning might strike just the once.

Of course, most of my bitter feelings about it stem from just how miraculous of a fuck-up Nirvana Initiative ended up being as a sequel (it's impressive how much it had to twist everything its predecessor stood for to even have a chance at making a mediocre point!), but a lot of the disappointment came from the way the first game carries itself in general, and maybe even from the presence this game has among fans. 'Oh, if you want more of the magic and mystery that you so enjoyed in Zero Escape, you have to try this! It'll be just as good!'

I should have had my doubts from the start, given how little I had enjoyed the ZE series after 999. AI1 flounders in many things, like its obtuse, deeply unfun gameplay loop - most of which is pressing random buttons until you see the most ridiculous shit present itself. There's also the overt reliance on stale and perverse jokes, and a story that can barely do much except trudge to the finish line and attempt to convince you the journey was worth it with a trite dance number, of all things.

But the thing is… even with all that, the first entry was somewhat compelling during its runtime, though most of that comes from its bold novelty. The idea of taking advantage of the surreality of dreams to find deeply concealed truths is fun to occasionally ponder, and there's just enough fluff to the places you visit and things you do to string you along for the ride (though having to check the same spots for flavor text on each revisit to very little results is a deep annoyance I have with both entries). The characters actually got a chance to grow (if not by much… this series' urge to be immature at every turn is nothing short of ruinous, sometimes), and their designs strike a wonderful line between outstanding and cringeworthy that makes them just… stick out in your brain, you know?

So while I thought the song and dance (both the literal and the metaphorical) were ultimately not worth much, I was still convinced, fooled by the magic just enough to see things come to an end; and the resolution itself was satisfying and believable, if nothing else. And with how exhausted I felt reaching this point, I figured that'd be enough.

To me, AI1 is all about finding shards of diamonds in the rough, and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that its fandom runs away with what little they have to try and improve on it (and often succeed). As such, you'd expect its sequel to take advantage of how much room there is to grow, capitalize on this chance to refine things, and use the few strong themes the original presented (value of bonds and family made both by blood and by choice, finding those you can rely on to carry what you have done forward, etc)... right?

Um, yeah, turns out it twists over itself even more than I'd already thought possible in order to make sense (not to mention seemingly forsaking most of that mess right at the true end in order to approach the established universe from a contrived meta angle). If AI1 can be described as having extremely unrefined gameplay coupled with a decently intriguing story, NI is just about the opposite of that.

While I'm glad they bothered to make exploring the dream worlds enjoyable this go around, there's no way in hell that makes it worthwhile to bear witness to the innumerable ways in which this mess of a sequel sullied the already weak foundations laid down by its predecessor. When I had finished that game, I wrote, on impulse, that 'I haven't been this confounded by a sequel's existence since Chrono Cross'. It just… did not need to happen, like, at all.

Nirvana Initiative posed to me one of the worst questions you can have while playing a game, which is…

'Why am I doing this, again?'

Let's be real, it was mostly for the soundtrack. Unlike AI1, this game had passable music! Though having to watch ANOTHER dance number (like half a dozen times, actually! and no, there's no skip button!) just about had me gagging.

That's not even the worst part about that sequence, no - that would have to be the way it almost actively ruins and undermines what's probably the only passable character arc in NI (and even then, you have to squint hard for it to pass your judgement, given how it starts... gotta hand it to this game for managing to have multiple relationships with genuinely questionable setups involving uncomfortable age gaps).

I wanted to feel touched by the new, somewhat expanded narratives, I wanted to see the world grow a little, despite all the grievances I was certain I would have... But not even halfway through the plot, I realized that my true wish was to just move on. I think that's what I'll do here, as well, as even reminiscing on this chaos is quite dreadful.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch, 2022) [♪ Agnus Colony]

Don't become prey and victim to your own expectations - or to bad advertising.

Xenoblade is a special series, full of wonder and power. Words fail me this year, as they did the year before, when it comes to describing how much of an impact these games - the second entry most of all, a game I think about now and then with a bittersweetness on my heart that I oddly never can get enough of - had had on my mental well-being last year. They might as well have saved me back then, and while getting to experience them was something I'd been planning to do for a while, the specific circumstances it all had happened under were just so special, so exceptional, so wild, that it's hard to think of those days as anything but a gift.

And yet, there are plenty of things in this particular journey I still have to reconcile with. I never settled on what my impression of 1 is, in the end (or, some might say, I never properly played it); I could use a fresher look at 2, and… I never, ever, will finish Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It's a game I once had hopes for, but nowadays don't ever want to think about.

I thought it a privilege, of sorts - the fact that I was there to witness (and acquire) a brand-new release in a series that became dearly important to me. I ended up hearing many things - the trailers, the rumors, the leaks. They all spoke of a definitive resolution to the series, of levels of refinement never seen before, of intrigue so big you can barely take it, of key character appearances we were all dying to see.

Turns out most of what we were so eagerly expecting came with an extra price tag.

The base game of Xenoblade 3 is a mirage, a mere shade of what came before it. The environments are open and vast, but they look more drab than ever - and with the new autowalk feature, it takes even less time to get sick of it. The music takes you on a journey, but you forget what it sounds like far sooner than you'd prefer. The battle system promises lots of options and a nice learning curve, but it only overextends, overwhelms and forces you to grind. The cutscenes look every bit the part of a Xenoblade story, but meander and stretch things out to the point of boredom, which means none of the characters get enough time to grow on the player, either… Though a lot of them would probably go nowhere even given all the time in the world.

And the setting as a whole? Well, it's a simulation, so who cares about it feeling unique or fun? That's the point, the game says, you're supposed to empathize with these characters breaking out of their bonds, out of this miserable existence! Well, I say that things can be made appealing even in decay. You don't have to actively worsen things to make a point.

Future Redeemed is an impressive demonstration of how things could have been. It fixes practically every point where the base game falters - and it is in this part of the game where all those promises that once seemed hollow finally come true. Sort of. The exploration process is smooth as butter in the way none of the games before were, characters are at last back to having defined roles in battle, and all that teasing becomes a thing of the past as 3 acknowledges its own roots and past in full, and you think to yourself… 'If only we'd got this in the base game all along!'

But we didn't. And the credits on Future Redeemed roll far too soon to truly be satisfied. Is this how you wanted the saga to end?

honorable mentions

Butterfly Soup 2 (PC, 2022) [♪ Night Tourist] *I hope you'll forgive me for not finding a GIF for a mostly static VN...

It's so funny. For me it has been two years; for the creator, it'd been five. But I guess time doesn't matter when it comes to maturity, as I feel like both myself and this game have done plenty of growth. And for that, I love it all the more, just as I am now thankful to be able to call Butterfly Soup a short series.

Compared to the first game, the art is more refined, the tone is more consistent, and treatment of serious topics is more grounded - in more ways than one, this sequel is like a fond, yet melancholic look at what you once had, what changed since then, and what you hope to make of things. But between all that, it stays sincere and silly in the best of ways - the ones that make you feel cozy on the darkest of nights, the ones that endear you for a good while yet. Truly, this game was a ray of light in a sea of mediocrity this year.

Road 96 (PC, 2021) [♪ Hit the Road]

Yeah, I know. The fact that I have played a goddamn walking simulator at the behest of a good pal (who might or might not be reading this, hi on the off chance that you are!) is nothing short of a miracle. Not to mention the fact that I ended up having a good time with it!

I'll put it plain: the vibes of this game are almost impeccable. It wastes little time setting things up - it's the turn of the century, and a massively corrupt government is practically folding in on itself as it closes its borders. It's up to you, as you're literally put into a blank-slate teenager's shoes, to go on a desperate journey and see whether or not you make your way out.

Over the course of Road 96, you do this six times, and the people you meet on the way and choices you make with them may or may not shape not just your own future, but that of the whole country. There's nothing for it, then, but hit the road and see what awaits you, as you sit in a car that's probably stolen, blaring music from your carefully curated tapes… or are dropped off on the wayside with nothing but a paltry backpack to speak of… or find yourself biding your time near a gas station… or… whatever it is the game throws at you, as you hope that the strangers you run into actually deign to help.

Yes, the biggest way this game attempts to stand out is with our good old friend, RNG. Even reading blurbs about it, you cannot escape the all-too-typical claims of 'your own personal journey', 'a thousand unique paths waiting for you' and all that… months later, I find myself unable to decide whether this helped the game or harmed it more, as it's definitely smaller than it makes itself out to be.

As a story hook, this setup is clever and delightful, as I tried to illustrate a moment earlier, but the moment you begin to overthink it, you realize that the randomness aspect clashes hard against the continuity the game tries to establish. You, as the player, indeed learn more about the world and colorful characters in it each time you venture forth, but the avatar you control is supposed to be clueless as ever, setting out on a path that is, in fact, not quite their own any more. It's a weird gripe to have, and I found it an easy one to ignore, but I wish something could be done about it anyway.

As for the rest of the plot, let's just say it's... surprisingly binary, and the supporting cast small and not always compelling in turn. The game sacrifices some of the personal intimacy and uniqueness it has built up to make a sweeping, painfully boring statement of 'freedom good, suppression bad' before credits roll, but as damaging as that is to the overall experience, I feel like one can't deny the fundamental appeal of just being asked to go on a journey with sweeping stakes and truly, truly banging music. Seriously, it was meant to be put on speakers and blasted as the world passes you by!

In a word, Road 96 is ambitious, and in a sentence, it is ambitious, yet falling short of itself. Nonetheless, I was impressed by how it managed to worm its way into my heart for a while.

A Space for the Unbound (PC, 2023) [♪ Don't Have Much Choice]

Wouldn't you know it? I had actually played two games involving entering people's subconsciousness to solve their problems this year!

Truth be told, I'd been looking forward to this game for about a year, given that it was published by the people behind Coffee Talk (which, if you recall, I had quite enjoyed). The warm and inviting screenshots on the back-then almost empty store page, showing off awesome art and promising a sweet little journey with slice-of-life tropes and a mystery waiting to be solved… well, to say all of that was alluring is to say nothing, really. I just about jumped when I received a notification for this game releasing at last at the beginning of the year, and wasted little time trying to dive in.

The sad thing is, what you see is not always what you get. The cozy, comfortable, sensible vibes of the early game - running around the city, doing chores at your school, naming every stray cat you come across, watching the protagonist's diary fill up as he crosses all the little goals he had set in life off his precious list… Yeah, those things won't last - definitely not long enough to get you attached to characters living in this world.

As the plot begins to unfold, it fumbles over itself trying to introduce various cliches and supernatural elements, to the point where you recognize the whole experience as a tedious drag as you see exactly where it's heading, and think to yourself that you have heard all this before. It's yet another heartfelt story about self-actualization, and as the game hammers it in harder than ever before, you sigh and wish you could go back to the times of bottle cap collecting and cat petting. Sometimes, simpler is better.

Unfortunately, that's not exactly true when it comes to actually playing A Space for the Unbound. The gameplay is as simple as can be - basically all you do is walk around (quite slowly) and interact with things. I can appreciate how linear the game is, for the most part, but I wish it let us accomplish our goals without wasting too much time! Not to mention, if you try to see everything there is, you have to be prepared to deal with quite a few mind-numbingly repetitive mini-games for far longer than you have to. Don't do that. It'll just sully your impression of the game.

If you're somehow still interested in this after reading this messy opinion of mine, don't be too discouraged - you'll see plenty of beautiful sights, hear some cute music, and, maybe, be affected by the story far more than I was. (Besides, for a cat lover, it's always nice to see others appreciate them!) Just... try not to waste too much time with the game's superficial sidequests.

Tales of the Abyss (3DS, 2011 port of a 2006 release) [♪ The Distribution Base]

There's something ironic in how playing (most of) this game has been one of the best things I have done with my lovely 2DS since I homebrewed it earlier this year... and yet I quite regret not checking how (ahem) easily available the PS2 version is, instead. They may be functionally identical, but the hardware is not - you have no idea how hard some of the goddamn Mieu Fire puzzles become when your character is taking up a mere four or so pixels of an already tiny screen. Man, that was trying my patience at its finest.

These horrors aside, though, what kind of game are we even dealing with here? Well, it’s a Tales game first and foremost. I can’t deny claims that Abyss has a few strengths of its own (most notably, of course, actually bothering to have coherent character development arcs), but it’s not quite enough to obscure the ever-prevalent issues this series has:

exploration and side-questing is still annoyingly obtuse, not to mention traversal is painfully slow in the first half of the game,

some characters (in this case, Anise more so than others, but I'd argue Mieu's whole existence is part of this too) are obligated to suffer because Tales has to meet its unhealthy anime tropes\wackiness quota per game,

the skit system has not, unfortunately, evolved one bit (the amount of times I would skip a skit on accident, because any input halts its playback entirely…),

while I’m inclined to say the battle system is, for the most part, an improvement (the Field of Fonons mechanic is quite a nice change given the foundations of Tales gameplay, I have to admit), any goodwill you might want to give it gets shattered when you realize Free Run breaks bosses in half. And aside from that, it’s just your usual button-mashy fare.

So why did I push on with this game as far as I did, pulling the classic move of quitting right at the final boss instead of, well, any earlier? A lot of that is because I was just in the mood to mash some buttons in bed until I realized I was slightly underleveled for the finale and caught myself groaning at the mere thought of trying to even cheese it. A shame, that, because the ending of this game is pretty wonderful for what it set out to do, and it was the only bit I did not see on my own. It's like my experience with Final Fantasy VI all over again…

That's not all there is to it, though. Abyss has some of what's probably the most involved and curious worldbuilding (once you get past all the awkward made up jargon it loves to throw at you) of any Tales game I know! Not that this says much, because that's a low bar, and I'm not too familiar with the series at large, but it was enough to keep me engaged for a long while. And, as mentioned earlier, it puts in greater efforts than I expected to endear you to the cast as they slowly band together and uncover their own talents, purposes and aims in life - Luke in particular.

I liked him almost immediately - because I'm not too hard to please when it comes to this series, and his design is, I feel, particularly sweet and striking (especially given how nicely the game used the Important Haircut trope with him, and of course, the contrast between him and Asch). But that alone doesn't a good protagonist make - it's the fact that the story allows Luke to make mistakes (from small ones to straight-up catastrophes), get his comeuppance and grow from them organically, at his own pace, that makes him stand out in my mind.

As Luke sheds his sheltered ways of thought and accepts his responsibilities, those that were traveling with him, either out of obligation or by chance, begin to support him more and stand by him in earnest. It all comes together gradually and at a satisfying pace, and is definitely a highlight of the experience to me.

Growth and connection are probably among the biggest themes of the game, so it's nice to see that it applies pretty much equally to both protagonists and antagonists. Sure, it's the job of a Tales' Big Bad faction to be goofy and up to nefarious activities, but beyond that, the group has solid enough chemistry both among themselves and with the party that I actually ended up looking forward to most encounters with them, even if ultimately it felt a little predictable. As an aside, for a game this old, the voice acting was really good and plentiful (though there is none for skits, which sucks), and further piqued my interest in the story along the way.

To conclude, I'd like to say that the biggest thing I learned while playing this game is that I'm a sucker for grounded tales of (ha) self-actualization even this many years later. And also that once you play one Tales game, you truly, to some extent, know them all.

SANABI (PC, 2023) [♪ Warm Hospitality]

Do you want to know why I ended up playing this one? Of course you do, that wasn't really a question. I only bring this up because the answer can be revealed with a single screenshot:

...yep, the inspiration is that blatantly on display. I was expecting it, of course - the Katana ZERO community is the only reason I know of SANABI in the first place, and even as you read people's thoughts on it, the extreme similarity is practically all they ever bring up, be it in a positive or negative light. It pleased me and warmed my heart, while also making me feel wary - it's one thing to be inspired by something, and another to actually carve an identity of your own.

That said, KZ is far from the worst thing to try to replicate, particularly when it comes to visuals - SANABI has some awesome scenery that makes me feel right at home. And while the story at times feels so much like an amateurish copy that it leaves me confused more than anything (I'm sure the awkward English translation sadly does not help matters, not to mention the fact that I'd played this game in an unfinished state - you might expect me to write about it again next year!), the gameplay is anything but.

I'm sure there are quite a few platformers out there that have you use what's essentially a grappling hook to swing through the stages, but SANABI is my first experience with something like this, and in this regard the game absolutely manages to shine on its own. Movement is lightning-fast and responsive, enemy targeting is extremely generous - almost to the point of being handholdy (and, of course, they all die in one satisfying hit - as do you, if you set the game to the highest difficulty. It's nice to be given an opportunity to learn the ropes before engaging with the game earnestly!), and there's something to be said about how the level design has that extreme kind of clarity to it that I always appreciate and favors speed over precision, with how spacious everything is.

My only big issues with how the game plays are how it doesn't seem to be designed with a controller in mind (it is an option, but I found myself moving much more precisely with KBM! Me! Someone who never plays games with that!), and, once again, the just-a-bit-too-long death animation\transition. Being able to skip it helps, but I just yearn for no time to be wasted...

#celeste #aitsf #xbc3 #tales #abyss #zero.txt #yearly game list #flashing gif #.gif

9 notes · View notes

stormyoceans · 11 months

Note

Monica, you can't say you have a list of jimmysea BLs and not tell us about it 😈

SFJKSHFKGSJDGSJ WELL IN MY DEFENSE it's a very messy list and for most of them i don't even have a clear plot in mind, just a vague idea of what i would like to see. they're also all terribly self-indulgent so idk if they can be interesting or good enough to be shared ;;;;;; but since you were kind enough to ask, here's what my jimmysea BLs wishlist currently looks like!!!!

reporter!jimmy/CEO!sea. this is actually the very first scenario i've ever imagined for another jimmysea series and im still ridiculously fond of it. the plot is about sea as a young CEO who gets involved in a scandal about money laundering and jimmy as a reporter who sees this story as a chance to finally make it big. the two of them start out fully hating each other because jimmy believes sea is just another rich guy who thinks he can do whatever he wants, while sea already hated reporters in general but having jimmy constantly poking around his business and even trespassing is making him dislike them even more. except at one point jimmy ends up finding something that proves that sea is innocent so they begrudgingly team up to find the truth. also features guypapang as a side pairing.

and they were roommates. oh my god they were roommates. inspired by the maybe this is love mv, this was originally a very lovely anon's idea which i still really like. it features jimmy as a grumpy reclusive writer with a too big of an imagination and sea as a down to earth sunshine florist. they somehow end up living together and becoming best friends and falling in love. you can read some more details here and here if you want!!

teacher/single parent. im still not sure who i want as the teacher and who i want as the single parent because honestly i feel like both roles could fit either of them really well, but i don't really care about who plays who ALL I CARE ABOUT IS MAKING IT HAPPEN I WANT IT I NEED IT IM READY TO HAUNT DOWN EVERY GMMTV CEO FOR SPORT IF WE DON'T GET IT NEXT YEAR (for legal reasons this is a joke). srsly tho we all saw jimmysea with little chun in our skyy THEY'D BE FOOLS NOT TO MAKE THIS AN ACTUAL THING.

medical drama. something like hospital playlists or a poem a day meets one of those big american medical dramas like ER or grey's anatomy. i don't have much of a plot in mind, but i would love to see a thai BL version of the daily life of doctors with jimmysea as the main pairing but also with a lot of focus on friendships. in my mind we also have forcebook, namtan, jamie and prigkhing in the cast, and it's just all of them eventually forming a big found family and helping each other getting through life (i know that jimmy being a doctor may make this redundant but i still want it!!!!!).

thriller. ONCE AGAIN IM NOT SURE ABOUT THE PLOT ALL I KNOW IS THAT I NEED JIMMYSEA IN DARKER ROLES!!!!!! my very first idea was sea as a boxer who is accused of murder and jimmy as his lawyer, but i thought that maybe it was too similar to the reporter/ceo one (as in, jimmy's characters help clearing sea's name). so my next idea was jimmy as the witness of a murder and sea as the rookie cop who finds himself having to protect him from getting killed. THEN i also went darker and thought about rival assassins sent to kill each other but oops they fall in love??? jimmy as an undercover cop who ends up question what's right and what's wrong as he slowly falls for crime boss sea????? ALL OF THESE????? IDK SOMEONE TELL ME IF ANY OF THESE SOUND GOOD.

reality tv singing competition. this just popped into my mind yesterday and i fully blame the LOL fanfest for it. it's probably not particularly good but.. jimmy as the leader of a rock band and sea as half of an acoustic duo. they are rivals but they get close to each other throughout the competition despite their better judgement (because you know.. there are cameras everywhere and not everyone would be happy about it and someone still has to win).

#SO ANYWAY #i feel so normal about them it's truly insane how normal and hinged and sane and fine i feel about them #if it was for me jimmysea would be booked and busy for the next ten years #anyway!!! thank you for asking me this and wanting to know anon!!!!#maybe let me know if you like any of these?#hope you're having a lovely day!!!!#bl wishlist #bl series #jimmysea #m: ask

7 notes · View notes

canyouhearthevoices · 5 months

Text

'Crazy Form' MV First Reactions

Another comeback, another ATEEZ win in the MV department.

This MV is a great continuation on from the story in the previous MVs - it has aspects from Don't Stop, Guerrilla, HALAZIA, and Bouncy. The MAMA performance showed the direct continuation from Bouncy, and I'll discuss Bouncy and other elements later on.

I liked it, of course, and, although the song still has some growing to do (and the crotch-grabbing and hip thrusting in the choreo needs to go), it's still, as expected, an overall win.

So let's discuss it.

First, I love that the intro starts with a flag - a very ATEEZ thing. The last time I remember flags being this salient is in WONDERLAND - they were in HALAZIA, but they were more like prayer flags there, not these massive 'heralding-the-coming-of-the-king' flags.'

So here we have the city they've been taking over - from Guerrilla, HALAZIA, and Bouncy - the moon (the Cromer takes power from the phases of the moon), ATEEZ flags (of course), and these weird industrial tent things that may or may not be covered in solar panels. The cool thing about the tents is 1) they become more interesting the longer you look at them, 2) they hide even more of ATEEZ's army, 3) they look pretty cool and make a nice, intimidating, symmetrical backdrop, and 4) they kind of look like stadium seating - showing how popular ATEEZ have become.

ATEEZ and their multi-meaning visual language coming back again. As expected.

Of course, we start with our Captain, and, of course, he is wearing his Captain's mark.

I think this move is super goofy and funny but it does do an interesting job of revealing San so I can't fault it too much.

I hope I don't need to tell you that 1) there is some anarchy planning going on here, 2) we are in a futuristic world, and 3) they are back in the shed they do all their planning in.

Also back in circular towers. Is this a prison? Is Yunho breaking out? It's possible... I mean, anything's possible with ATEEZ.

It seems that their shed has had some significant upgrades. Probably coming from the revenue of drug dealing.

Mingi what is the point of looking cool in your car if you then immediately crash said car?

Mingi in bar scene? Check. Which means? He's up to no good.

Now this is really interesting story progression IMO. In Bouncy, we had Mingi in a dingy wild-west bar, murdering people. So here, we see him in a high-end bar, so we expect more murder. But instead, as we would expect with high-class things, he is...

Buying Iron Man's heart? Okay probably not - it's probably some other random high-tech thing they need. But it's not only this that is interesting - it's the fact that in both MVs, Mingi drinks something weird - some chilli cocktail in the first one, and... strawberry milk??? in this one.

Possibly to further show how different ATEEZ are from the rest of the world?

Anyway, strawberry milk is superior to alcohol every day.

Wooyoung's working on something.

Now, interestingly, if you remember back to my post on ATEEZ's positions on their pirate ship, Wooyoung's spot was undetermined. This scene (assuming the director chose this task and Wooyoung specifically, which we should assume) suggests to me that he is some sort of mechanic/dude with technical know-how. Other evidence that he has this, and in general, a supportive role, is how he is often seen backing San up (in general, and especially in Bouncy), and how in Guerrilla, he was involved in hijacking the media systems of the government.

We could perhaps say he is a fixer-upper-er? And I say it like this, because, if we go by the theory that Wooyoung knows Hongjoong is crazy, and is trying to stop him (I presume to fix the universe, save the world, etc), then, this role makes sense for him. He is literally trying to fix the universe and the group, and Hongjoong.

Food for thought.

I love Yunho's reaction. Also, he too is working on something. So maybe it's the concept. Or, it could be related to his role as the Second Mate - whose role is to make sure the ship is going the way it needs to, and who thus, would also be involved in whatever he needs to be involved in to make sure they're going the right way.

In 'Don't Stop' they sent out the unbeatable San-Wooyoung team to do the dangerous gambling, but in this MV they send their precious maknae? Rip Jongho. He does look very cool in this scene, though.

Jongho shows an A card, and, since this guy has a Z card, I assume this is a subtle hint that he's been completely readable and completely under Jongho's control the whole time?

Epic freeze-frame. That looks like Mingi's body and outfit on the right - or am I hallucinating?

Seonghwa's stylists knocking it out of the park yet again. Anyway, he's rocking out. I don't have much to say about that - as the 1st mate, he is the face of the group when Hongjoong is behind the scenes. He was literally framed as THE spirit of ATEEZ and HALATEEZ in HALAZIA. Hence, he's basically their 'headliner' or 'frontman' - hence, he jams out in front of their followers. And punches us.

Not entirely sure what's going on here - is he rising? Falling? Both? Neither? Eh.

Skaterboy Hongjoong and graffiti artist Yeosang AU? :o

Don't ask me.

So, you all know that I usually hate anything crotch-grabby or hip-thrusty - I'm a very, very, deeply ace person. But this is acceptable. Because this shot isn't sexual - this is a hilarious 'haha look how much better than you I am, I'm going to sit on you without a care in the world' kind of shot. It adds character and comedy to the MV, and emphasises how cool ATEEZ are. It also gets even better when you think about how the cameraman had to get down on the ground, and the director had to direct Wooyoung to shove his butt in the camera. They then had to do all the set-up it takes to take a shot (a surprising amount), do the whole 'and... action!' thing, and then take MULTIPLE takes of Wooyoung shoving his butt in the camera. Absolutely hilarious.

I could have told you that. I love the reporter's face in the background. And how Hongjoong still has his Captain's mark. Of course.

Well, buddy, that's what you get for breaking the law.

A lot of people pointed out how he looks actually insane when he's running here - he's got the blend of joy, adrenaline, insanity, and fear going well. And... well, yeah, he is insane. IRL, but ESPECIALLY in the storyline.

He's so insane the police don't know what to do with him...

Here is a cute puppy - a continuation of Hongjoong being associated with animals. I assume this is his dog, since it doesn't have a police dog uniform or anything.

Another great reaction in this MV, and the usual ATEEZ posters.

I love the comic frames, but I'm not so sure what their point is other than to punctuate the song, add visual interest and spunk, and highlight how crazy and villainous Hongjoong is.

Which I guess is a purpose, but I mean STORYLINE purpose.

Perhaps that they are taking over the media? And of course that Hongjoong is crazy.

The insanity's moving down the heirarchy... none of us are safe.

Epic kpop transitions are back. And yes, that was Mingi in the background.

And that's it for this part. See you in the next one where I can share more cool images!

#ateez #atiny #ateez theories #mv analysis #crazy form #the world #the world ep fin #will #the world ep fin: will

3 notes · View notes

dat-town · 3 years

Text

poison like you

Characters: princess!you & guard!Xukun feat. king!Yixing

Genre: historical, fantasy, royalty, bit of enemies to lovers, bit of childhood sweetheart to lovers, bit of i’d die for you, angst with hopeful open ending

Warnings: blood, violence, murder, poisoning and death

Summary: If you wanted to kill the last son of the Dragon Clan, first you needed to get through his right hand man. Too bad he knew you too well but it felt like you didn’t know him at all.

Words: 11.1k

Author’s note: please note that even though this historical fantasy is inspired by ancient China, it is not historically accurate because it isn’t set in any certain era or even at any existing place. the governor structure and politics might be confusing but this is basically about a lot of small kingdoms (called clans) having a never ending war for more power over the area. Chinese mythical creatures exist in this world but have gone almost extinct during the wars. to know how i imagine this world, watch Lay’s Lit mv!

for the one&only @lily-blue 💕

As the only daughter of the Jade Clan's head, you had your responsibilities. To your father, his men and all the people under them. Most importantly, you had to do everything in order to protect the Clan. When the Dragon Clan started expanding its territory, winning over more and more land, becoming more and more powerful, you knew that no army could fight theirs, so you had to go to the war with wits instead of swords.

When your father proposed the idea of a reunion between the two Clans by marrying you to the son of the Dragon, you hated it. The other Clan was everything you despised: ruthless, brutal, selfish and while you knew arranged marriage was your future, you didn't want to rule next to a tyrant. But when your father said that this would be the perfect chance for you to kill their leader and rule over the united clans yourself, it suddenly wasn't that bad of a plan. Although you never wanted a huge empire and you didn't want the responsibility over so many people, freeing them from a bloody rule sounded like the best you could do. Especially now that the man needed an heir to secure his bloodline and power.

It took ridiculously few letters between your father and Zhang Yixing before you were off, on the road with only a chest of your belongings and another one full of gold and other jewels as marriage gifts. You had your most trusted maids and soldiers with you but otherwise you were alone, alone with your plan to poison your husband-to-be. Surely, you didn't think it was going to be easy while being surrounded by his people in a palace but getting there, the dark monstrum of a building wasn't like how you imagined your future to be. Everything wore the pattern of dragon scales, the city burned in the colours of fire and ash, even the waters were dark. People wore black clothes and wore their hair down without many accessories but despite the grayness of the place, the men and women you ran into didn't seem unhappy or living in fear. They must not have known any other life, so you felt sorry for them.

You were escorted to a chamber right away and compared to the light flowery room you were used to at home, this was very different but you didn't complain. Instead you inquired about Zhang Yixing's whereabouts and when you could meet him but the maid told you that he had a meeting with his generals, so you couldn't see him until the next day when you were supposed to have lunch together. You thanked her for enlightening you and after blaming your fatigue on the long voyage, you requested to be left alone. Opening your box of accessories, you pulled out a small glass bottle with yellow liquid inside. A few drops of it was enough to put a man to sleep, a whole spoon was surely death, so your only job was to get time alone with your fiance. Until then, you needed to play your cards well.

You were quite restless and maybe a bit paranoid but you couldn’t sleep during the night fearing that someone might attack you. Even though you knew you were now under the protection of the ruler of the Clan just by being Zhang Yixing’s fiancée, it didn’t calm your traitorous heart. You have seen enemies in every corner and yet, you raised your chin high, confident and proud when you were called to that lunch with your man to be.

Followed by a bunch of maids, you walked to the room on which Yixing decided and you took your seat on the opposite end of the long table full of delicious goods. The young king was already there, his pitch black hair falling into his almond-shaped dark eyes as he looked up at you sternly, eyes narrowing as if he wanted to see through you. His skin was pale against his black clothes that were simpler than you would have thought of a tyrant. You had never met him before but you heard stories of him and you heard descriptions of his looks. However, he was younger than you had expected, only a few years older than you, but with his defined jawline and rigid expression you could imagine him being the one behind the destruction of your neighbours.

He didn’t greet you but signalled that you should start eating and tentatively you reached out for the rice, chopsticks freezing in your hold as soon as he spoke up in a raspy voice.

"It's quite unexpected, your father's wish to join hands," he said calmly and it sounded like a challenge or a test, you couldn’t tell but you didn’t like the tone he was using to talk about your father. As if he was a weakling crawling to his feet.

"Is it?” you raised an eyebrow, daring to look straight into his cold eyes, watching his every move, every twitch. “I think it's a very reasonable timing. After all, you just reached our borders," you explained because he must have known there were not many choices you could take: it was either seeking peace or a war and your nation was a peaceful one, hence you would have done anything to keep it that way.

“Is your father afraid of me?” Yixing questioned and you bet he wanted to believe that, that he could scare the Jade Clan’s head. But your father was a born strategist, he always had a plan.

“Isn’t that why you’re doing this? You want other nations to fear you?” you counterattacked with a question, knowing the lesson yourself as well: If you cannot be loved, you must be feared.

You were well aware that it was a reckless thing to challenge the king. He might have been your fiance on paper but he could have just lifted his hand and have you killed and everybody you had with you to make it look like you were attacked on the road, never reaching his palace. However, for the first time since you had seen him, the man ahead of you looked amused, the corners of his mouth curling upwards.

"You have a sharp tongue for a princess," he said and it almost sounded like a compliment. You took pride in that with a raise of your chin.

"I'm the only child of the Jade Clan's head. I have learned how to wield any kind of weapon," you answered confidently. You might not have been an undefeated warrior but you had learned how to protect yourself and you knew too well that spoken words could cause just as harm as knives sometimes. But still, it seemed to make the young king interested as he bobbed his head towards you, leaning forward with his elbows balancing on the table.

"We could test that. Are you good at archery?" he asked, probably with the intention to invite you for a game. But his smugness irked you because he made it sound like he expected you to lose no matter what. So you did the least princess-like and least wise thing you could have done in that moment: you pulled your hairpin out, letting your long locks fall onto your shoulders before swinging your arm forward and letting the pin fly forward.

In the next moment two interestings things happened. Not only Yixing’s guards weren’t by your side, forcing you down or even killing you for your brazen act but he himself didn’t move. He looked into your eyes without fear and without anger. At the same time, you saw a shadow move so fast you didn’t think it was possible for a human and his sword hit you hairpin out of its path before it could have landed in the painting behind Yixing’s throne, hitting the dragon on it in the eye. The soldier, guard or whoever he was, wore black just like his ruler but there was a textil mask in front of his face, so he must have been a special kind of warrior. Not that you cared, your attention was back on Yixing immediately.

"You tell me... do you think I would be good at it?" you asked, finding the silence a bit unsettling, it was almost like the calm before the storm. But then the king laughed and you were baffled.

“What a bride you will make,” he tilted his head and then finally, you started eating.

You were aware that you were lucky that you hadn’t been executed for that bold move you had made but it only ensured you that Zhang Yixing needed you. Or at least what you represented: the peace deal with your nation and a secured future bloodline. He could have probably forgiven as much. Or was he really that sure that either you miss the target or his guard would save him? You weren't sure but since you needed to know about his most trusted men anyways, you asked your maids about the masked figure. They didn’t know much, so you gave them the task to ask around among the Dragon Clan’s servants. You needed to know who your enemies were and where they laid. You also needed to know the palace as best as you could in case you needed an escape route or a secret passage to get to Yixing faster than anyone.

Hence, your night escapades started: once night have fallen, you pulled out a dark, comfortable clothing usually men wore and tied your hair high to not get into your way as you climb out of your window, up to the roof from where you could see the U-shaped building complex, knowing exactly where you should go: towards the king’s quarters. Running from rooftop to rooftop reminded you of your childhood when you practiced hide and seek in the palace back home. Your father had taught you how important it was to remain invisible and his advice still stayed with you as you made sure to dissolve into the shadows as you jumped to the gardens: step lightly, breath lightly like air in the morning but listen well and open your eyes because the smallest sounds, the smallest movements can be your enemy’s.

There were two guards in front of what you thought was Yixing’s suite but you didn’t care about that. You were more interested in the room where he planned his strategies to see if he really wanted to march through your home and bring war there just to conquer your other neighbours too. But before you could reach for the wooden door, you heard a shush and you crouched down just in time for the dagger to land in the wood instead of you. You bolted immediately, making a run for it, stepping up on a barrel you jumped onto the roof, so you could find a hiding place. You were prepared for such a thing. If things went South, you just needed to sneak back to your room, under the blanket and act alarmed when they banged on your door. You might have been from another Clan but nobody would have disrespected a princess by checking what she wore while sleeping and none of your maids would have said anything against you.

But you didn’t reach your quarters. No matter how lightly and in the shadows you tried to step, the one who followed you must have been really good because from one moment to another you felt yourself being hauled down from the roof, onto the ground. You and the man (based on his build) fell down together and lucky for you, it was him whose back hit the grass first with you on top of him. It gave you a bit of advantage to get to your feet immediately but you didn’t get far away. Dodging the man’s attacks, you had to admit that his training was very good, no fighter made it so hard for you to get even one hit and you grunted in annoyance when your back hit the wall of the stable. It was a full moon, so it was dark, only some tinkling light illuminating the palace for which you were grateful but it also gave you disadvantage because unlike your attacker you didn’t know this place. You felt a sudden pressure on your chest as a strong arm was pressed against it, a blade close to your neck but you only saw a silhouette.

“Speak, are you just a thief or a spy?” he asked, his voice sounding younger, softer than you expected but there was something dangerous to it. You didn’t wait enough to find out what it was. You tightened your grip around the ceramic cup you had picked up earlier and smashed it against his head. You had indeed learned how to use everything as a weapon.

For a moment, it looked as if the guard’s eyes flashed gold in the moonlight but you were too busy running away, into the stable, scaring the horses and hiding behind a straw pile, controlling your breathing until the man who had come after you gave up and left.

You hissed when you touched the wound on your fair skinned neck. It wasn’t deep and didn’t hurt a lot but it was obviously a blade wound, one that a princess shouldn’t have. So to hide it, you brushed your head over your shoulders before you left for your archery practice with Zhang Yixing who wished to see your skills for real. He greeted you with an expectant smile to which you bobbed your head politely.

You didn’t talk much while taking turns, shooting arrows but you carefully and discreetly eyed his guards when it was the king’s turn, wondering if one of them was the one from the day before. Not that you could have told with their masks on.

After practice (you lost but only because you didn’t try too hard), you went to eat fruits in the gardens and you learned that Yixing was about to leave to check on his Eastern borders. He would be away for at least a week but promised to get the wedding preparations started with his servants. You knew that was why you came but still, it made you nervous as it meant you had less time.

“Princess!” A sudden, unexpected voice called after you when you were ready to leave with your maids. Nobody other than Yixing had initiated a conversation with you since you arrived, everyone waited for you to step first. So you were curious what this man, one of the king’s closest guards, could have wanted from you. Turning around, you saw him holding out your hairpin, the one you had thrown towards Yixing the first time you had seen him, the one someone dodged, could it be…

You looked up at the young man, his hair, somewhat ruffled in his forehead, mask covering his face under his eyes. He didn’t look at you, he casted his eyes down like a good servant would.

“Thank you,” you spoke up, a bit uncertain and there was a flicker in the guard’s eyes the moment he glanced up at you after his gaze lingered on your neck: something familiar yet scary but you blinked and it was over. You took the hairpin and left, your dress sweeping the floor behind you. That guard made you feel uneasy for some reason.

The next day Yixing indeed left and when you didn’t bump into the man from the other night for the next three days you were starting to think that he went with the ruler as well. It was only after you managed to sneak into the king’s room and out when you had to realize just how wrong you had been. You knew something was off the moment you stepped into your quarters. Your guards weren’t outside of your doors and the candle you left there lit up burnt out. It was already cold to touch when you lit it again which meant it must have blown out when your intruder opened the door earlier. You pulled out your sword and pointed it ahead of you, alarmed. Your shadow danced on the walls as the candle light flickered.

“It’s been a while… Princess,” the intruder spoke up much too calmly for someone who broke into a royal’s room. You could have gotten him killed for that but you froze. Not only because he must have known about your night adventures but because the playful tint of his voice was somewhat familiar.

The shadow stepped out from the corner, hands held up, defensive, revealing the guard from earlier. You furrowed your brows, not lowering the sword, not until the other pulled down his mask and the man you faced made you gasp.

“Xukun...” you whispered, almost whimpered, and you felt your knees weaken. But he– you thought he was dead.

“I think we have a lot to talk about,” he suggested with a hint of a smile and you couldn’t agree more.

You could still barely believe that it was Cai Xukun in front of you, alive and grown up unlike the boy you had last seen him as. The boy you practiced fighting with, the son of your father’s general, your childish first love. He had never known, of course, you never had a future to begin with but still. You remembered being sixteen and so in love, secretly gushing everytime he had brought you wild roses saying they reminded him of you. But then at eighteen, he had gone off to a battle and never came back. You remembered the crinkle around his eyes as he joked, telling you not to worry, he wasn’t that easy to kill. Apparently, he was right but you didn’t understand what he was doing in the Royal Palace of the Dragon Clan as one of the high rank guards when he was supposed to be back at your home. If his father still lived, what would he have said about his son becoming a traitor?

“I knew it was you,” he spoke up, eyes a mixed colour, mouth in a thin line. You looked at him questioningly. Then he pointed at your neck without a word and you reached for the now scar on your throat. “Obviously, I didn’t know then. Sorry.”

“Why didn’t you report me then?” you asked directly, looking straight into his eyes and you let your gaze linger on the slope of his nose, the corners of his mouth, the sharp line of his jaw. He had grown up, he was more handsome than ever. “Or why didn’t you kill me during the past two days when you were following me?”

“So you knew,” Xukun nodded at you, impressed but you just raised an eyebrow. You had a guess. Everything was too easy, too quiet. When you didn’t answer, the once boy now man standing in front of you sighed as if he carried the weight of the world with him. “You should know I would never hurt you.”

You scoffed at him. You would have been naive to believe him and you weren’t a child anymore. Hell, you came here to kill the king.

“How could I be sure? It’s been years, Xukun, and you were nowhere! You gave no signs that you were alive and here you are, in an enemy clan serving their ruthless ruler?!” you spat at him and you knew that your words were harsh, that your tone was cold but honestly, you knew a barely 18 years old boy and not the young man who was in front of you. You were conflicted to say the least.

“Zhang Yixing isn’t ruthless,” Xukun corrected you. Of all things you said, he found this the most obnoxious thing you had told him out of all, he decided to correct that. You wondered why. Why was he loyal to him? Why when you had only known him to be a murderer and someone who dared you to show him her best shot?

“Isn’t he? Then how does he keep destroying these nations around us? He burnt the Moon Clan to the ground for the deities’ sake!” your voice rose by the end and you had to remind yourself to stay quiet. It would have been a scandal if someone knew you had a man in your room while your fiance was away. Your whole plan would have gone down the gutter if your reputation was ruined just like that. But you heard all the stories: the massacre in the West, the burnt towns in the South, the sunk ships at the sea. They were his doing or so people said.

“That… that wasn’t him,” Xukun objected, so sure of himself that it almost made you feel sick. “And it’s a war either way. There are no saints here. Your father isn’t one either.”

You knew how wars were fought, you knew that everybody including you was a sinner, you had both grown up in a world where you knew nothing but neverending fights, losing loved ones and never knowing safety. Yet, when the boy who your father thought of fondly dared to call him out, anger flared in you.

“My father sent his only daughter to marry a tyrant to save his people from suffering, so don’t talk about him like you knew him!”

Maybe it wasn’t what you said but how you said it, the sword you still hadn’t let go of trembling in your hand but Xukun paused, licked his lip in consideration and his voice was softer when he continued:

“I can prove that Zhang Yixing isn’t as ruthless as you think he is,” he claimed but you didn’t really care about that. You wanted to know why he was there, in the Dragon Clan instead at what you had known as a home.

“Does it have something to do with why you never came back? Like you promised,” you reminded him, sounding bitter at the memory. Gosh, you had been such a child. But who could have blamed you? He smiled and it tipped your whole world back then. But he just visibly gulped now, so you must have been right.

“I owe him my life,” he said curtly and you sucked in a breath, wondering whether he meant it figuratively or literally. You didn’t have to ask, Xukun kept talking as if now that he started, a river flood. “When the Phoenix Clan attacked us 5 years ago, I was captured. They must have known that my father was a general and they wanted to get to him. When they took me in front of their leader, Yixing was also there, barely a boy not much older than me, caught while sneaking into the tent while stealing maps on a mission for his father. They confused him for someone from the Jade Clan and thought he came for me. They let him go to pass a message to my father and then they left me in the desert far enough from the battlefield with an open wound. I was so sure I would die.”

You had imagined before how it happened. How he died, or so you had thought. You’d had nightmares about it. Seeing his beautiful eyes wide open in shock and pain. You’d imagined it on the battlefield but his body was never found. The nearby river had been red though, so you thought maybe… But it was all wrong. He was never really there.

Xukun unconsciously touched his abdomen with a grimace on his face and you wondered whether he felt the phantom pain of the stab but he kept talking without addressing that.

“The next thing I remember is waking up to being carried on horseback and Yixing yelling for a medic. I wouldn’t have thought he would come back for me, we didn’t even know each other after all,” he stopped short at that as if he was still dumbfounded that the heir of the Dragon Clan saved him then. Honestly, in his place you had been too. Maybe Yixing hadn’t had his reputation back then but you were still enemies. “When the royal medic told him I’m a lost case, he took me to a shaman and they made me drink something that cured my wound by the next day.”

“Dragon blood,” you whispered in shock when Xukun gave you a meaningful look.

There was no other way but the magical powers of dragons. Although there were more rumours than credible sources on that, nobody denied that any essence of the heavenly, snake-like creature could save lives. But there were too few of them, maybe exactly because humans dared to hunt them down for either their scales, antlers or their blood, you wouldn’t have thought it was still possible. Yixing must have paid a fortune to save someone whom he barely knew.

“See why I can’t go back home?” Xukun asked and mouth open in agapé, you casted your eyes down.

Such medication… such witchcraft was illegal in Jade nation. He would have been branded as a monster and exiled even if he went back. Dragons and creatures like that were considered sacred in your home.

“Where did they even get dragon blood from? Nobody has seen a dragon in years,” you took a shallow breath, trying to work through your messy thoughts.

“What do you think caused the fire at Moon nation?” Xukun asked knowingly and with hope in his eyes resembled the boy you had once known. He hoped you would believe him and you did but it wasn’t easy to digest all this new information.

The two of you just looked at each other in silence, a heavy one, before the sounds of the midnight patrol startled you. Hushed, you blew out the candle light, leaving you in the dark, speaking in hushed voices.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do but… please, don’t go against Yixing. I might not be able to save you then,” Xukun spoke up, his deep voice echoing in the room, you clenched your hands in fists. As if he was there to save you in the last years when you would have needed him.

“I don’t need you to save me,” you told him, hurt clear in your voice but he didn’t say anything. He left without saying a word, wind whizzing into your room as he became one with the shadows outside. His last words left you wondering. Would he have died for Yixing, even in his place even if the weapon was in your hands?

You told yourself it wasn’t because of Xukun but you didn’t sneak into the king’s quarters in the next few days. Instead you wrote a letter to your father telling him about recent events and what you have found out about the Dragon Clan’s plans based on what you had found in the strategy meeting room. You entrusted one of your best guards with the letter and sent him home.

Days had passed uneventfully then but only until Zhang Yixing and his men came back with news that knocked air out of your lungs: the Eagle Clan attacked the weakened eastern wing of your nation. You knew they had become daring lately no matter how your father wished to keep it a secret from you but it was still all too sudden. Your army wasn’t ready to not only stand guard in case you got attacked from the South but now from the sunrise side as well.

“You cannot tell me to just wait it out!” you rose from your chair at lunch when Yixing told you the news. You felt offended at how calm he was. It must have been just another attack for him, but for you, it was your home.

“What else could a princess do?” he raised an eyebrow at you challengingly and you would have liked to sneer at him.

“I’m not the type of princess you think I am,” you claimed, hating that he probably thought you were used to letting other people fight your battles for you. Just because your father didn’t let you go into the war because you were the sole heir of the clan, it didn’t mean you couldn’t have. But now, as Yixing’s fiancée you didn’t even have much choice. You knew you shouldn’t go against his words or he might dance back on his agreement with your father. But you panicked, so you did the only thing you could possibly do in such a situation. “What do you want? Do you want to marry immediately, so you would help? Or would you let them destroy my home even then?”

You were desperate, so you would have agreed to anything only if he sent a handful of soldiers to help your people. Hell, if you had become the queen you could have commanded them yourself. But the king seemed to have different ideas.

“I will help. On one condition,” he said slowly, tasting every word and you were holding your breath, waiting for him to reveal what he wished from you. “Show me what type of princess you are then. Let’s not lie to each other about these things, Princess.”

Well, you certainly did not expect that.

“What do you mean?” you stuttered and your heart skipped a beat when the man slid an overly familiar envelope onto the table. You were smart enough to not be obvious about what you wanted to discuss with your father but there were still hints in your letter about things you shouldn’t have known if you were just picking flowers and practicing embroidery like an ordinary princess would have.

“You don’t want to marry me,” the man said and even though it was an accusation, he didn’t make it sound like one. And yet…

“You don’t want to marry me either but it hardly matters what we desire. We come from the bloodline of royals, we have our responsibilities to our people. And my people need me,” you slammed your hand on the table, spilled rice wine pouring like melted snow. You caught one of the masked guards - probably Xukun - turning his head towards you at that.

“You don’t want to be a princess,” Yixing continued and it baffled you. As if you had a choice! “You have the heart of a warrior.”

Well, you couldn’t argue that, so you just gulped, looking over the table, at the man who was a mystery to you. What did he want you to say? You couldn’t possibly admit that you planned to kill him.

“Come with me,” the king said as if it was his ultimatum and there was something knowing in his dark eyes when he explained: “Come with me to the front. Fight with me and then I’ll help the Jade Clan.”

His offer was an interesting one, you didn’t quite get his reason but you nodded anyway. You were ready to fight alongside your people but you didn’t even have to look at Xukun to know he was frowning.

You left the next day, at dawn. You took all your guards with you and Yixing added his own as you departed towards the North… your home. You wore your comfortable man clothes, hair swirling in the air around you as you galloped on your horse next to the others. It took about two days to reach the endangered border, so on the night when you had to set up a tent you could be finally alone a bit. Since you were the only woman you got a separate place and nobody should have bothered you but the tent wasn’t empty when you got in there. Gosh, were your guards so imcompetent or how?

“Reckless of you to sneak into my tent. What would your king say?” you asked, words a bit biting. You didn’t have a chance to talk with Xukun ever since that night in your room and you knew, it could have been indecent to exchange words in front of others even if you explained that you knew each other from before.

“I came exactly because of that,” the once boy explained, sitting near your small table as if you had invited him over for tea. Only because you had known him before you noticed his fidgety fingers as a sign of nervousness. “Did you write about me in the letter he got his hands on?”

Oh. So that was what he was worried about. Disappointment made you taste bile in your mouth. You hated this feeling.

“I’m not stupid,” you told him curtly and turned your back on him to indeed pour some boiled water over tea leaves to soothe your nerves. Honestly, you thought about telling your father about Xukun but then you realized you didn’t know what to write. You weren’t sure what you should have. It wasn’t your place to decide and maybe it was for the better if your father still thought that he was dead.

“He… he has a man watching you. He told me he can’t trust me with that,” Xukun who once had jumped to hover above you when a wooden house fell upon the two of you during a heavy storm sounded pained admitting that. You gulped hearing his words and the worry lacing through them. You didn’t want to think of him caring. He disappeared from your life years ago, he didn’t get to worry about you now.

“Why are you telling me this?” you asked, slowly, tentative as you sat by the table across him, putting cups of tea between you. Xukun waited until you looked up, into his deep brown eyes that had the most beautiful golden specks in them you had ever seen. Maybe it was just the lights’ doing but he still took your breath away, unfairly so.

“You need to be careful. He knows you’re up to something,” he pressed, desperate and you forced a smile, a charming, confident one. Oh, Zhang Yixing had no idea what was coming for him if he betrayed you.

“If he helped my people, our people, I wouldn’t have a reason to plot against him, would I?” you voiced out your thoughts, the decision you made on your own. If the king proved to be not as ruthless, just as your old friend claimed, maybe he deserved another chance. So you meant it but Xukun didn’t look convinced.

“Princess, I have something to discuss,” the cold, authoritative voice of the Dragon Clan’s head could be heard from outside and the pace of your heartbeats picked up, whipping your head towards the entrance of your tent then back to Xukun… or where he had been just before. Now, nothing but a smell of smoke lingered after him. You had no idea how he did that.

As it turned out Yixing wanted to discuss the reports he had gotten from the battle and if he had noticed the two cups of steamy tea, he didn’t make a comment on it. The situation was quite bad, the enemy had already gotten over the walls you had pulled up all those years ago. He had already had a man of his own let the Jade Clan general there know that Dragon soldiers were coming to rescue and not to attack, so if things worked out, you could crowd out the attackers from two sides. If you were lucky enough you could bait them towards the river where they were more vulnerable. It didn’t sound like a bad plan at all and hearing Yixing’s strategies, you understood why he had won so many battles but what surprised you was that he didn’t intend to drown everyone in the river or kill them on the spot, he sounded like he hoped they would give up and retreat. You wouldn’t have thought that of the ruthless Zhang Yixing.

Knowing how wars worked was different than being there, in the middle of a battle, sweaty, limbs tired, blood dripping from the end of your sword and a painful bruise blossoming on your left shoulder. You saw red and adrenaline carried you as you shouted and attacked the next man with mace in his hand coming at you.

“Princess!” Someone screamed and you dodged the sword aiming at you just in time but its owner stepped closer, pushing you backwards on the slippery ground. You weren’t strong enough to push him back.

“Princess, huh? How interesting,” the man, covered in dirt and blood not his own, grinned at you, a hand clasping his hand around your throat, squeezing hard. You gasped, clawing at his arm with your free hand because he pushed the one that held the sword close to your chest with his. For the first time in your life, you felt powerless even with a weapon in your hand. You tried to kick and get away from the soldier but you couldn’t and felt disgusted by the names this disgusting leech called you.

You didn’t know how long you had fought back but the noises of the battle started to fade out when suddenly the man was yanked away from you but you still felt his blood splatter across your cheek as a sword pierced through his chest. Panting, gasping for air, you stared at Xukun behind the fallen soldier and he stared back at you, eyes glowing dark and golden. You smelled something burning...

You heard the screams before you had seen the source of sudden panic and shock.

You looked up to where everybody was pointing while running and you had seen a huge dragon appearing above the walls of Jade. Its fur and scales were dark like the night sky except a few gilded ones that looked like burning fire from afar while his antlers were long and ivory. It was terrifying yet beautiful. Its honey-coloured eyes gazed down upon you mere humans and it seemed to have a concrete target in its mind as it flew above you rippling the water and air behind.

Xukun grabbed your arm, trying to pull you away but his touch felt burning too and you couldn’t take your eyes off the dragon that halted in the air, levitating just above the ground, its huge head merely an arm away from Zhang Yixing who stood there alone, unmoving. It reminded you of the day when you threw your hairpin at him, how calm he was and you still couldn’t believe what you saw when the Dragon Clan’s leader lifted a hand and put it on its head as if he was trying to discipline a dog.

Thunder roared above and Xukun managed to pull you away now that everyone had scattered all over hell's half-acre. He took you farther, inside the wall of your nation and you only noticed that he must have been hurt when he stumbled and you had to catch him before he fell.

“Kun!” you shrieked, scared, the old nickname slipping naturally as you put his arm around your shoulder and pulled him inside of a half-destroyed house nearby. Your hands trembled as you let him sit down and then looked around to look for a lantern to light it.

In the dim lit room you kneeled next to the guard, his clothing soaked with his blood and you could see sweat forming on his forehead. How did it happen, you questioned, but it wasn’t the important thing. With a shaky breath, you reached out to peel off the bloody material from his chest to see the sword cut across one shoulder. You hissed seeing the fresh wound and all that blood. You cursed in frustration.

“Shh… it’s okay,” the boy whispered with droopy eyes, taking your hand, weakly pushing it away from the cut.

“It’s not okay,” you argued and you could feel tears in the corner of your eyes. Did he get hurt while trying to get to you? Did he forget to pay attention to himself because he saw you? You felt guilty and you hated that, you didn’t want to be the reason why he was hurt.

“There’s something you should know…” Kun coughed and grunted at the pain flashing through him. He had his eyes shut, teeth clenched and it hurt to look at him. “I– I heal faster than normal… The dragon blood that saved me…”

“I know,” you cut him off, not wanting him to exhaust himself with speaking. You could see him struggle, his eyes bright gold when he opened them briefly. His blood was working its magic.

To be honest, you didn’t know, you just had a guess up until now. His golden flashing eyes, the warmth radiating off him, how fast and soundless he could move or disappear leaving only smoke behind… It was because of the dragon inside of him.

There were legends saying that if a person spared a dragon, it would be bound to him for life and the blood of an alive dragon in a human would create a connection between the two. A connection that could call the other half if one felt threatened. Although it was just a theory, with the intensity of Kun’s eyes on you, the beautiful burning fire in his pupils made you believe you were right, that the dragon appeared because he feared for you.

There was a short cut growl leaving the boy’s mouth and you grabbed his hand, letting him squeeze yours while you could see his skin basically knitting itself back together, the wound closing in as if it had never been there. It might have been only a few minutes but it felt too long with how much it seemed to hurt the boy you had just saved your life. When it was over and he opened his eyes, they were plain brown again – your favourite though – and he looked tired.

Oh, thank the deities, you let out a relieved choked sound and you didn’t even notice you had been crying until Xukun didn’t wipe your tears off your cheek. He looked at you as if he had seen you for the first time, properly at least and you felt your lips tremble. Heavens, you had mourned him once and now you almost lost him again. Suddenly, a rush of emotions rippled through your body, your fingers tentatively touching the freshly healed skin.

“You’re so warm,” you whispered in awe since his skin was hotter than expected and you knew it wasn’t fever caused by the wound.

“Princess...” he muttered oh so gently and his hand, wet with your tears, slipping from your cheek to your neck, caressed your skin just like his voice caressed your soul.

“No,” you stopped him firmly and when confusion flashed in his orbs you told him to call you by your own name. It was a command, a request, a plea. It was everything and a sweet little nothing at the same time.

Kun’s eyes widened at the permission but pushed himself away from the wall to lean closer and he sighed your name into the seam of your mouth. You closed your eyes feeling his hot breath tingling on your lips and when he kissed you, you melted against him like wax melted near fire.

Once the storm passed, you could still feel Kun’s touch on you. It was like a vivid memory and it tasted sweet on your tongue even if you knew you were being naive.

You didn’t talk about it. About what it meant because you both knew you couldn’t. But you were stupid enough to forget about your other problems when you had seen the retreating army. Your people could be a bit more safe at least for a little while.

“Cai Xukun!” Another guard called out when he caught sight of his comrade next to you. He looked panicked and it scared you. What now? The man walking up to your duo looked at you warily before answering the question about his worried expression. “The king is injured.”

Oh. Interesting how it was what you had wanted since you had left home but now that Zhang Yixing was bedridden, you found yourself worrying and by the looks of it Kun too. The two of you were escorted to the king who lay on a makeshift bed, chest wrapped with a cloth that he had already bled through.

“What happened?” you questioned, looking from one soldier to another. This didn’t look like something caused by the dragon’s claws or teeth, it was definitely a human-caused injury and your guess was confirmed when one of the men told you that while he was trying to calm the dragon, someone from afar shot an arrow through him. It made you anxious because what if they captured the dragon? What would that have meant to your people, to Kun?

“And the dragon?”

“It chased them away and is probably in the mountains,” the man said and that made you a bit relieved even though you weren’t sure you were allowed to feel that while your fiance was bleeding out only a few steps from you. You nodded in acknowledgement and made a hand movement to excuse the soldiers. Soon, you were left with only Xukun in the room.

“Why isn’t he healing? Doesn’t he...” you looked at the boy, not understanding why the injury took its toll on the king when Xukun healed within an hour. Was it some kind of special arrow damped in poisonous liquid? Was it...

“No,” The guard cut your words off but you could already tell by the look on his face that it wasn’t how you thought. “He saved the dragon and it now serves him but he never got its blood and I… I think the dragon is hurt, too.”

“What?” you were dumbfounded how he could tell something like that when you had left the field together, so he couldn’t have known about this. Not by seeing it happen. But as Xukun clenched his hand in front of his chest as if he was hurting, you started to understand. They were indeed connected after all.

“I can feel it. I can’t explain but its energy...”

A hurt dragon in the mountains. A hurt king in the desert. Gosh, things really weren’t on the path you hoped them to be. You suddenly weren't sure what worried you more.

“Do you think the dragon is in danger?” you turned to Kun, fingers fidgeting with the handle of your sword by your side. If those from before knew that they managed to wound the creature, were they looking for it? Anyone who got control over a dragon could have immense power, you didn’t even want to think about it. Especially the dragon that had this special connection with the boy beside you. “Go then. Help the dragon!”

He seemed surprised and conflicted at your nudging. He didn’t move, eyes flickering to the bed behind you.

“But Yixing...” His protest fell short when you quickly explained:

“I will stay with him and wait for the medic,” you promised but weren’t sure Xukun trusted you with something like this until he reached out to take your hands in his. His palm was warm like every other part of him too, his fingers felt nice against your dirtied, dry skin. He squeezed your hand gently in agreement.

“Call for a shaman, too,” he added and you nodded with a lump in your throat. You needed to get prepared for any kind of situation.

You could have been called a loyal fiancée based on how you spent day and night next to Yixing, watching over his recovery. However, he didn’t get much better over the course of days and you didn’t hear about Xukun either. The only reassuring thing was that you weren’t attacked there, at the border of three Clans. You couldn’t leave either way because the king wasn’t well enough for such a long voyage and you wanted to be as close as the mountains anyway.

The medic said the arrow hit Yixing so close to his heart that it was a miracle that he was still breathing and it scared you more than you had expected. You let him change the bandage and stayed by the unconscious man, putting fresh wet cloth over his feverish forehead.

That night, marking the third without Xukun, the king stirred awake.

You looked up from your place beside his bed, startled. It was the first time he seemed more conscious than just to drink a bit of water or ginger soup because his eyes looked alert. For the first time since you had met him, he seemed scared.

“The dragon...” he croaked out with a hoarse voice due to not speaking for days.

“Xukun is looking after it,” you told him reassuringly and held a metal cup to the king’s chin, urging him to drink a bit. He gulped down the fresh water as if it was healing potion and once he finished with the entire cup, he fell back onto the sheets with a painful sigh. Closing his eyes, he traced his ribs until he reached the bloody bandage over his wound and hissed. He must have suffered more than he showed.

“I would have never thought I would have my fiancée look after me after a battle,” the man whispered, deep voice weak and uncertain, a little playful though. Although his words were conveying the truth, it made you feel like someone who committed adultery. You knew you didn’t swear either loyalty nor love to each other with the king but after learning how he had saved your first love from certain death, you didn’t want to do something like this to him. You needed to come clean even if the timing was quite off.

“With all due respect, Zhang Yixing, I’m afraid I can't marry you,” you said quietly, expecting a frown or a scolding but none of it came. Maybe because he was injured but he didn’t react at all and for a moment you thought he had fallen back asleep but then he slowly opened his eyes again and turned his head to be able to look you in the eye.

“I had a feeling,” he nodded calmly. He didn’t seem angry nor disappointed. He had already said your father’s proposal was an odd one, one with interesting timing. There was nothing interesting about it, it was just a strategy, a plan you didn’t want to follow anymore. But before you could have spoken up, to apologize, to ask whether it meant your alliance was off, Yixing continued: “Xukun treasures you too much. He was the one who urged me to trust your father.”

“He… Did he tell you about me before we met?” Words stumbled out of your mouth before you could have stopped them. You were more than dumbfounded to know that. Had Xukun known about your father’s wish to marry you to Zhang Yixing even before he agreed? Was it him because of whom the king agreed at all? And here you thought that he had been just another guard, loyal to his king until death.

“He talked about you all the time,” the man reminisced with a faint smile on his lips as he stared at the ceiling. “He always says how I saved his life back then but with him here, not being able to return home, I feel like I have taken his life instead. Taking you from him would have been even worse.”

You cast your eyes down bashfully as you listen to him talk. Yixing’s side of the story was an interesting one as well. Learning how he didn’t save Xukun out of the kindness of his heart but because he wanted intelligence was something you could understand, something you could relate to as you lived in a world like that after all. You couldn’t even be angry, not when he told you how they had become friends over the years. As the king drifted back to sleep, you thought that maybe you could become friends as well, maybe you could still be allies. You didn’t necessarily have to be enemies.

But once being enemies, it was hard to forget and not everybody had the same insights as you.

You woke up to a small noise, only to open your eyes to see one of your own soldiers from Jade Clan stepping inside the tent. You had always felt safe next to your guards but this time, something was off.

“What are you doing here?” you questioned as you sprang to your feet from the seat you accidentally fell asleep in.

“Princess,” the guard bowed with respect. Though, he was clearly surprised to see you still there and you could see the hint of hesitation in his eyes before he answered. “I am here as per your father’s wish.”

You furrowed your brows. You hadn’t been notified of anything like this.

“My father’s wish?” you raised a brow, looking at the man expectantly but he didn’t reply, not with words at least. Instead he took out a small glass bottle with familiar yellow-ish liquid inside. It made the blood freeze in your veins.

“That wasn’t the plan,” you reminded the man even though you hadn’t even known your father told anybody else about it. Didn’t he trust you or…

“It wasn’t your plan but your father had doubts whether you could do it with a cold heart. That’s why he sent me,” your guard informed you dutifully and your brain kept coming up with reasons why this was a terrible idea. It would have been much easier if Zhang Yixing was indeed the tyrant you had imagined him but after learning about his personality and starting to form an amicable acquaintance with him, it just didn’t make sense.

“I’m not the queen yet,” you objected but the guard didn’t seem to care.

He explained how the public sentiment had changed in your favour just because you stayed with the injured king in the last few days and there was something in his explanation that was quite logical: if Yixing passed away now, nobody would have looked for a murderer because he was already on his deathbed. Nobody would have known he didn’t die from the arrow. Nobody needed to know. But… it wasn’t the plan. If he died then, without a queen or heir, the Dragon Clan would remain without a leader and neighbouring nations would all want their pieces of it. If they got to know about the dragon too…

“It’s a chance we can’t waste. We need to prioritize the safety of Jade Clan,” your guard reminded you and for a moment you were stuck. If it hadn’t been for Xukun, you might have done it within a heartbeat, not even considering other options because Zhang Yixing was a dangerous man but now… you were torn, unsure what to believe. Your uncertainty must have been written on your face because your guard pushed the bottle into your hands, encouraging you to make a move and you gulped, too busy with your internal turmoil to react fast enough when you got company.

Four of the masked guards of Yixing stepped into the tent, one of them immediately slicing the throat of your man which made you scream. Two guards held you back from behind, not letting you move, to get any weapon while another one walked up to you, his dark eyes trained on you, his bloody dagger aimed at your throat. He forced the little glass bottle out of your hands.

“There was always something off with you, Princess. You should have been hung the moment you dared to fling your hairpin at the king,” he said, disgusted and you couldn't quite blame him. You raised your chin though, proud because as a royal it was expected of you even when you looked into the eyes of death. You weren't afraid of dying, you had walked out to the battlefield earlier with that mindset too, it was just… you wished you could have said goodbye to Kun.

You knew that the only reason the guard didn't kill you off like he did with your man was because you were a royal. If you died by a hand of a guard of the Dragon Clan, you knew your father would have gone to war against them and you also knew he would have lost which broke your heart even more.

"So what now? Will you kill me too, in the name of justice because one of my men blabbered? You have no idea what we even talked about!" you accused the guard of making a scene over nothing because as of now prolonging the conversation was your best chance. Either Yixing could wake up and stop them, if he believed you didn't want to hurt him any more, or your other guards could show up as well.

"I have a good enough guess, Princess, but of course, you can prove your innocence by drinking this. If it isn't poison, you have nothing to lose, am I right?" the man turned the small glass bottle between his fingers. You didn't show reaction to that even though you knew you were going to die if you drank it all. But at least it was said to be a fast killer. You were contemplating whether you should have taken it and then spit it out saying it was bitter for your 'princess taste' because he wouldn't have been able to prove anything then. He could still kill you though but maybe it was worth a chance.

However, before you could have decided the tent's entrance flew open and a very dishevelled looking Xukun showed up. He looked like he was running and hadn't slept properly in days. The presence of guards, his comrades, seemed to surprise him, the dagger at your throat even more.

"What's going on here?" he asked in an authoritative voice even though you weren't sure he had a bigger rank just because he was friends with Yixing.

"The princess and her guard were caught trying to poison the king."

"That's not true!" You protested heavily looking for eye contact with Xukun, hoping he would believe you. It was all just a terrible misunderstanding. Once you might have wanted to cause harm but you had no reason anymore, not if you signed the Lotus pact with Yixing like you had agreed. When you met Kun's gaze, it was confused but not unkind.

"Then prove it, Princess," the older man said and pushed the blade closer to your neck where your earlier scar was still visible. The situation seemed to scare Xukun but you didn't want him to save you again, you only needed him to believe you. He seemed to think differently though.

"Let her go and lower your weapon, we don't have time for this," he stood in front of you pushing the man's hand away and flashing his golden eyes at the guards you kept you caged. Their hands immediately loosened their hold as Kun lifted his bag. "I have the dragon blood. Where is the shaman?"

One of the guards ran off with the bag to fetch the shaman but you could only breathe peacefully for a moment. Then the masked man with a slit across his eye crowded you and Xukun into a corner.

"My bad. Why would I have thought that you of all people can be rational? Do you think you were so discreet about disappearing, just the two of you? Are you maybe in it too? Did the two of you, Jade bastards, plan to get rid of our king to take over?" With each of his words, he poked Kun's chest with his index finger until the younger swatted his hand away. His voice didn't waver as he answered:

"If you really think that after all the fights we fought together, I feel very distraught," he said with his voice so cold like you never heard it before. Xukun's pride must have been on the line with his loyalty being questioned just because of his connection – maybe affection? – to you because the next thing you knew was him grabbing the glass bottle out of the other man's hand. "You know what? I'll prove it to you!"

“Kun, no!” You grabbed his hands in panic, closing your fingers around his, so he couldn't lift the poison to his lips. Was he crazy? Did he want to die just for you to follow?

Or oh… he believed you. He really believed you and that it wasn't poison in the first place or maybe he believed you had nothing to do with it and knew nothing of it because when his eyes locked with yours, he seemed surprised that you stopped him.

You were both startled when the shaman arrived with the finished potion but before he could have stepped to the injured king, the man in front of you lifted his hand. Although you couldn't see his mouth, you would have bet he pulled it into a malicious smirk.

"Ah look at that, trying to save him from harm, how touching," he tsked, mocking before he pointed at the potion in the shaman hands and then at the bottle in Xukun's. “How about this? One cup has dragon blood that could save the Dragon Clan’s last son. The other which you claim isn't poison was retrieved from your room by your own guard. Choose wisely, Princess, what to give our king because your hero will drink the other one.”

“Why are you doing this?” you shrieked, having enough of this mind game of his. You knew he was just a loyal guard of Yixing and you couldn't blame him for not trusting you but did he have to go this far to make you suffer?

“I cannot let the filthy Jade Clan take over the Dragon Clan. So you either save him or be executed for killing him which was your original plan, wasn’t it?”

"Save the king, Princess," Xukun told you, determined and maybe he had a plan, a better one than you or at least you hoped. You looked him in the eyes mouthing Please don't at him but he just smiled. How could he act so nonchalant? "Trust me," he whispered.

You let go of his hands and maybe it was a mistake because he had told you: he owed Yixing his life. You barely stepped to the bed of the king, lifting his head to help the shaman give him the potion when you heard glass breaking. When you lifted your head you saw Xukun swaying, barely grabbing on a chair to stop him from falling and the broken glass was by his feet. The liquid from inside was nowhere which meant…

"Kun!" you screamed trying to run up to him, to help, to do anything but the guards turned towards you with their sword out and you could only do one thing, listen to the boy who had once saved you when the stable's roof collapsed onto you, he hovered over your body with his to save you from the impacts of the falling pieces. He always did.

So when Kun told you to run, you ran. Back to your own tent to get your sword to be able to fight off and it was ridiculous how only a few days ago you fought alongside these men but now they wanted to kill you. Oh, how fast the tables turn but maybe you deserved this, maybe you deserved to die for killing the boy you loved since you had been 16 and had given him your first kiss under the stars. You might not have a future but you wanted to believe nevertheless, but you ruined it all.

You felt tears running down on your cheeks as you dodged the daggers and swords coming your way, hissing when one managed to cut your arm. You ran, you didn't look where, you just wanted to get away. If you killed Yixing's men, peace wouldn't have been an option, so you needed to escape, that was the only way to stop another war.

You stumbled when a huge shadow overtowered you and heard the scared muffled sounds of the soldiers following you as well. Gulping, you looked up at the majestic dragon in front of you, its nostrils flaring and smoke coming out of its mouth as it huffed. It stood above you, staring at the soldiers behind you as if… as if it was protecting you. It made you feel safe, like Xukun, and gosh, you just cried harder because he was trying to save you even now. You fell onto your knees, not knowing what to do with this information and then…

"It isn't nice of you to chase my fiancée away from me, is it?" Yixing roared in a forever calm voice and through your tears you could barely believe your eyes when you saw him walk towards you. And not just him, it was Xukun who helped him move because he must have still been in pain. But how?

The masked guards seemed just as flabbergasted as you were. But Kun, oh the deities, Kun looked almost smug as he passed by them after Yixing pushed him towards you. Then he ran, ran until he knelt next to you, taking your face into his hands. You touched him as if you didn't believe he was real.

"I didn't want to…"

"I know," he assured you with a stupid smile on his stupid face like he did back in that ruined house where he kissed you like you were his life line.

"I can't believe you drank the poison! How could you be sure your blood would fight it off?" you whisper-yelled at him, hitting his chest all too weakly and he laughed, too. The nerve of him!

"I wasn't but Princess, I would drink poison over and over again if it tasted like you," he said with a smirk and you would have bet Yixing told him about your agreement because otherwise he wouldn't have been so daring. Or was it the near death experience? Or the thought of losing each other all over again? The wars might have been still messy, politics stressing, but in that moment, you didn't care, you just closed your eyes and kissed Kun back when he pressed his lips against yours, happily burning with him.

#cai xukun x reader #xukun x reader #cai xu kun x reader #stories #fantasy au #royalty au

52 notes · View notes

newsagogos · 3 years

Note

ummm the girl. also cherri (as yr serious interpretation of it, not whiteboy cherri) nd party poison (you dont have to do all 3 tho)

thank you jam<3

the girl:

First impression

oh a kid? okay cute

Impression now

as a kid: oh that’s my cute kid! (not my but yknow).

as older: oh fuck yeah swing that bat bestie! rightful and unrightful fury for the win!!!!

Favorite moment

canon is like shooting the bazooka i think

Idea for a story(these are probably not gonna be very serious and definetly thought up of on the spot)

hmmmmm i think she should start a zone band. that’s the story.

Unpopular opinion

i think she is not a like. calm kid. if we’re going with canon, she has her mom’s anger. so she throws tantrums, holds grudges(the way kids do). gets frustrated, has shitty days. yknow, like a person.

Favorite relationship

her and kobra. they <3

Favorite headcanon

i really like your name hc for her (bottled andromeda)

cherri cola (the cool one):

First impression

comic cherri: oh okay who? why? okay sad guy. oh he’s dead now? tragic

twitter cherri: *mcr voice* this girl’s not right in the brain!(complimentary) yesss killing violence murder!

Impression now

yesss killing! violence! murder!!!!! it’s fucking awful!!! (complimentary as well)

Favorite moment

“look like a million bucks, who wants to date me? “ from the twitter canon ofc. but also i love a similar moment styxx wrote from the event let me find it hang on. “ Eyes on the prize, motherfucker! I know I'm pretty, but this isn’t the time for ogling,” fucking love the cocky motherfucker

Idea for a story

yeah i’ve got nothing

Unpopular opinion

uhhhhh not white? not the comics one? twitter cherri but still writes poetry (i think i talked about it in that one hcs post but i’m not gonna include here for tws reasons)

Favorite relationship

i like it and newsie, weird siblinghood

Favorite headcanon

mine<3 it/its cherri

party poison

First impression

hell if i remember. but probably something along the lines of. ass shot? oh fun hair. furry head? ans something about whatever is on his neck towards the end of the mvs like huh okay yeah that’s pretty

Impression now

asshole (affectionnate)

Favorite moment

that moment insing(the director’s cut) where he takes the drac’s mask off. a cool moment if you ask me(which you did)

Idea for a story

party poison gets stranded somehwere and has to hitch a series of increasingly bizarre rides

Unpopular opinion

fat! (teeth art teeth art teeth art!<3) (aso sidenote. a lot of people draw them extremely thin in a way that borders on uncomfortable. nope. it is extremely uncomfortable. all of them but that’s something for another day)

Favorite relationship

i like him and jet. like in a friendship way. it’s a cool dynamic in a way i can’t explain

Favorite headcanon

asshole! nah. not the leader

Send Me a Character!

#weight mention #body image #i think?#ask to tag #jg piff #long post #ask games

12 notes · View notes

hrodvitnon · 3 years

Note

In a continuation of my previous post-ask, how would everyone react if the 'Heisei kills MV Godzilla' happened in the Coexistence Route?

I'd image everyone...and I mean EVERYONE gunning for Heisei's head and will want revenge for him killing their mate/father figure & Heisei himself being a little unerved that all the Titans of that world now wanting him dead.(Though I want to see what you think.)

As for the other route-I think there needs to be a reason why Heisei would want to kill his MV counterpart in the first place....and that is Heisei- seeing this guy who looks like himself slaughtering humans in the masses whilst also angrily yelling at "those two sadistic brothers" to stop fucking with him while looking quite insane-like in the process; thinks that he needs help and tries to calm him down, only for MV!Goji to attack him(thinking that he was Ichi mocking him in a form like his own). He fights back and it escalates to a fight to the death that the latter wins...and from Heisei!Goji's perspective he was putting his alternate self out of his misery and finally ending his hallucination-based torment[the others would think otherwise]. And when he sees the reactions of his counterpart's family will feel some remorse killing a kaiju who had his own loved ones....

Heisei!Goji:I'm so sorry for doing this...I didn't know he had....family...(remembers his Junior).

As for the aftermath of 'Heisei kills MV Godzilla' in the Genocide route, how would everyone cope with Godzilla's death? And who would take his place as Alpha?(Kong would likely decline the role out of respect for his deceased friend).

In the instance of a Coexistence Goji Gets Dead, I don't know how much more different my take would be from yours. Granted, the troublemaker Titans like Tiamat and Scylla would have ambivalent feelings about it; on the one hand they have problems with authority and wouldn't mind not having a boss with Balance Maintenance Compulsion, but on the other hand they're not happy losing one Goji for another Goji. Rodan has a "THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO KICK HIS ASS IS ME OR HIS MISSUS!" reaction, Madison (regardless of whether she's still human or Biollante-ified) completely rejects Heisei Goji, Mothra and Junior and Shin do the same, and Monster X goes full Keizer/Executioner and has to get knocked out before they try to dive down Heisei Goji's jaws and rip him apart from the inside (and they'll keep trying every time they see or smell him). Suffice to say, Heisei Goji ain't a welcome figure in the Coexistence Route, which leaves him confused and stuck; he's already got humans wanting revenge on him for whatever reason in his own earth, so why is he even here?

In the Genocide Route, the reaction isn't quite as near-universally reviled because of the whole "destroying most of mankind and losing almost everyone's trust" thing. Junior outright despises Heisei Goji for "murdering his daddy," Shin is equally upset and glowing purple but manages to keep his head on straight, Mothra is torn between demanding why Heisei Goji did what he did when MV Goji's family was only trying to help him heal from his emotional/psychological scars and flat-out ORDERING Heisei Goji to leave; and Monster X still goes Keizer/Executioner because despite what happened Goji was still a mentor/father figure/god to the Vivienne half, and now they can't help him get better or find closure. Heisei Goji tries to explain how sorry he is and how he didn't know, but two of them are currently trying to kill him so he's forced to make himself scarce.

Junior wants revenge and Shin has to explain how that's not going to end well since Heisei Goji mentioned having a son of his own, Monster X is dangerously close to going full Kaiju-scale Joshua Graham revenge crusade on Heisei Goji's ass, and Mothra takes Goji's place (she is an Alpha Titan after all).

#wagrilous 23 #post abraxas genocide route #post abraxas coexistence route #the one where goji kills goji

4 notes · View notes

kayascodelorio · 4 years

Text

10 songs i can’t stop listening to right now

thank u to my loves @emisfritish and @gmmtvmother for tagging me!! ♡♡♡

these days i’ve been mainly listening to my long ass playlist of over 100 songs on repeat to get through all of my exams and assignments, so this might b kinda boring. would have posted this on my sideblog but we’re on break rn so i’m sorry kdhfkjdhkf

flower - code kunst ft. jay park, woo, giriboy // so code kunst’s album came out last week and it’s been on constant repeat since then. he said that he knows we’re all having a hard time w the virus going around but that he hopes that listening to this album makes us happy, and boy, does this man never disappoint. i have a soft spot for this song the most bc the mv is just so aesthetic, gorgeous, and made me smile. amazing lyrics, the best boys on the track, and jay’s falsetto. this song is def helping me get through these tough times!!!

joke! - code kunst ft. c jamm, simon dominic // i’m gonna spare y’all so i won’t list all the songs from this album after this, last one i promise!! anyway, this one is a whole Bop and my man sam d absolutely killed his verse. this mv is... yeah... but what sends is simon in the driver’s seat of the car trying to Look like a badass when we all know he can’t drive lmao, thank u for the laughs

drifting apart - nell (cover by kang seungyoon of winner) // i’ve always LOVED the original version so much, but not that long ago my boy did a cover of it on king of masked singers and it’s truly Something Else. i had actual shivers. also i listen to a lot of live performances (more than recorded songs bc they’re superior, fight me) so this is very on brand for me lmao

being left - zico ft. dvwn // my number one Sad song since it came out last year. if i don’t listen to it at least once every day, i have a bad day. the lyrics, their voices, the mv... everything just has a way to hit me right in the feels. really one of those songs i can relate to and can’t get enough of!!! also the live performances are horrible for my heart and make me cry ok

color blind - maddox // i love this man and his falsetto to death. yes i’m still bitter he didn’t win sign here but alas, their loss. such a stunning song and soothing mv. he’s underrated af

eyes, nose, lips - taeyang // a timeless, legendary song even years later. if i had to listen to only one song for the rest of my existence, it would b this one, hands down. there have been so many versions and covers of this song, and all of them are out of this world. #1 vocalist, my boy, 10/10. also the story behind the song murders me every time. this is also our family song (not even joking) and my dad said he wanted it to play at his funeral. ok i’m done djhfkd. also just for @emisfritish: legendary versions you are welcome

fanxy child - zico ft. fanxy child // this whole song is a meme and always sends me. dean’s ‘we make make pancake’ and ‘different r&b’ have more impact than some ppl’s whole discographies. pls stan them

meteor - changmo // a whole BOP, it’s just so catchy!! this makes me wanna slam my head in a wall. the other day i wrote a paper w this song on repeat the whole time and i was really feeling myself ngl

just do it - gray ft. loco // gray telling me to just do it is also very helpful, thank u kings for creating another legendary song to jam and write papers to. my procrastination has been found dead in a ditch thanks to it. 10/10 would recommend on a study playlist

all i wanna do - jay park ft. hoody, loco // another bop. it’s just bop after bop after bop w me, what can i say. also u can tell i am biased but shhh. it’s just such a fun song to listen to, i can’t help it. the korean version is so cute and then the english version is like the complete opposite jdkhfjdh

anyway, i tag @sarawatine, @pallyson, @functionalasfuck, @bl-fan, @1akorn, @purnotas

#tag game

5 notes · View notes

ljfeed-spn-j2-bigbang · 6 years

Text

2018 Masterlist

Here (finally!) is the 2018 masterlist. If you see any errors, please let me know. Extreme thanks to

firesign10

for coding this!

JARED/JENSEN

Fic title:

Steal Me With A Sinful Swoon

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

lullysg

Artist name:

kaelysta

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

46K

Warning:

just for burglary

Summary:

It looks like the beginning of a bad joke. Two guys break into a house to burgle it at the same time, but that’s about the only thing they have in common. Jared is a spoiled, rich, brat who is too bored with his perfect life and decides to have some extra fun. Jensen is trying to get his hands on something that will help him to buy a meal for himself and his younger sister. What happens when these two completely different realities collide? It’s a whole new world.

Fic title:

A Star In Somebody Else's Sky

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

soy_em

Artist name:

mangacat201

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17 Fic, PG Art

Word count:

40K

Warning:

attempted/implied sexual harassment/assault (not graphic), homophobia (not from a major character)

Summary:

When Jared gets the news that he’ll be auditioning for the role of Sam Winchester, it should be the happiest day of his life. Auditioning for the lead role of his own tv show, competing against just one other actor - it’s his dream come true at last.

Until he finds out the other actor is Jensen Ackles.

Winning the role, acting alongside Jensen, brings back a flood of memories and long-repressed emotions. Jared and Jensen will have to find a way to resolve their shared past if they are to make a success of their new show.

Fic title:

Into the Light

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

twoboys2love

Artist name:

darklittleheart

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

34K

Warning:

Bottom!Jared, Top!Jensen, Hurt!Jared, attempted assault

Summary:

Danneel works at “The Dead Reckoning", a nightclub owned by small-time mob boss, Jared Padalecki. She also brings people in to stay at the club's rooms who need help getting off the streets. Jensen is down on his luck and ends up staying at the club. From the moment he sees Jared, Jensen wants him. But Jared is used to being in control, being alone and being guarded. It doesn't take long for Jensen to realize he may be in over his head.

Fic title:

Our Love Was Made for Movie Screens

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

sometimesalways

(cherryvanilla on AO3)

Artist name:

beelikej

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

33,000

Warning:

Summary:

It’s 2012, and brick-and-mortar chain bookstores aren’t the powerhouses they used to be in the 90s -- thanks to Amazon -- but Morgan Books is now in its 70th year and has still managed to prevail. When the superstore announces their intention to locally expand by buying out and demolishing a few cherished shops on a quaint Seattle block, independent bookshop owner Jensen Ackles is having nothing of it or the company’s obnoxious CEO, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. In the midst of this, Jensen has found himself interested in dating someone, for the first time in a long time. Of course, he hasn’t exactly met Bookman66 yet, but Jensen’s pretty sure the guy he’s been talking to online recently is just about as perfect as they come.

Jeffrey, meanwhile, has developed feelings for Shopguy78 -- a member of the online book club he joined on a whim -- despite his own cutthroat exterior and less-than-stellar relationship track record. Now, if only he can stop thinking about the fiery shop owner he's attempting to put out of business...

Loosely based on

You’ve Got Mail

, which was loosely inspired by the wonderful

Shop Around the Corner

Fic title:

Holding On With A Heart That's Still Beating

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

whisperedstory

Artist name:

dancing_adrift

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

43K

Warning:

some violence, past and present minor character death (depicted, but not in graphic detail), some off-screen torture

Summary:

The first children with the mutant gene, which gave people superhuman abilities, were born in the late 70s. Feared, abused and soon shunned by the general public, they gathered together in small groups and built camps on the outskirts of society.

Decades later, Jensen leads a small camp of mutants hidden in the mountains of Oregon. It's a peaceful, uneventful life—until Jensen finds a hurt young mutant in the woods outside of the camp. But unlike the rest of them, Jared wasn't born with the mutant gene. Kidnapped off the streets, he was experimented on, changed into a mutant by force and then left to die in the forest when his powers appeared to be dormant. Jensen takes Jared back to the camp, offers him a place to stay, to heal, and a home with them in the mountains. Jared quickly becomes a part of their little makeshift family and an even bigger part of Jensen's life.

But then they find another changed mutant and unwittingly lead the people responsible for what happened to Jared right to their camp. And it turns out Jared might be the one who can save them in the end.

Fic title:

Lamb

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

trishabooms

Artist name:

tx_devilorangel

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

64, 814

Warning:

Violence, brief bestiality

Summary:

The results of a recent blood test see accountant Jared Padalecki summoned to the CDC for tests, only to find that things are far from what they seem. Jared is a candidate, sought by a race of aliens. If that wasn’t bad enough, there are other countries who will go to any lengths to ensure that their candidate is the one, even if that means murder. Rescued, by who he believes to be Secret Service agents, Jared is whisked away to a house in Montana, owned by enigmatic billionaire Jensen Ackles and his unusual ‘family’. Who is Jensen Ackles anyway, and why is he so interested in Jared?

Fic title:

Rhythm Of My Heart

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

herminekurotowa

Artist name:

dollarformyname

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

20,000

Warning:

angst, angst, angst

Summary:

This is not The Bodyguard. Jensen's a rockstar and Jared's in love with him. Misha's a bodyguard and there's a stalker threatening Jared, but this is not a movie.

Fic title:

Tempting Jensen

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

hpjk_addict

Artist name:

winchestergirl

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

53K

Warning:

none

Summary:

England, 1815

Jensen is an extremely pious young man. He is determined to live a life of purity, devotion, obedience and self-denial, devoid of all passions, pleasures and diversions. His one and only ambition is to become a clergyman. His mission in life is to atone for his mother’s sins that broke apart his family and caused his father’s death when he was a child.

However, his plans are irrevocably ruined when his guardians’ son, Jared, returns. Jared disrupts his daily life, disturbs his peace of mind, makes him feel things that he has never felt before and challenges all of his notions about himself. He overwhelms him with his liberal touches, embraces and caresses, makes him blush at his unabashed nakedness, makes him laugh, teaches him to enjoy life outside his studies and gradually seduces him into his bed.

Following his desires for the very first time in his life, Jensen agrees to accompany Jared to London in order to explore their forbidden relationship that, should it become public knowledge, will destroy them both – unless, of course, Jared’s past affairs, youthful indiscretions and a terrible secret that he intends to keep from Jensen will tear them apart first.

Fic title:

Sleeping with the Enemy

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

tammyrenh

Artist name:

fridayblues

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

not listed

Warning:

none

Summary:

Jared has a secret that his long hair is hiding, the half moon birthmark on his neck is proof he is the ailing King's illegitimate son. When the King dies, Jared and his best friend Chad, have to make it to the castle undetected, because the King's brother is executing anyone that stands in his way of becoming King. They end up joining the King's army, Chad as a soldier and since Jared can't cut his hair and really like sex, as a companion. Much to his surprise/chagrin, Commander Ackles takes him on as his personal companion. Now Jared has to figure out how to make it safely to the castle without his secret being revealed and without losing his head or his heart to the Commander.

Fic title:

Freewinds

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

weefoal

Artist name:

winchestergirl

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

55K

Warning:

Top!Jared, Bottom!Jensen, Abuse by Religious Cult Leaders (Psychological Manipulation, Physical Assault, Gaslighting, Imprisonment, Implied Forced Abortion, etc), Suicide Attempt, Homophobia

Summary:

It's 1993 in Los Angeles, California and Jared Padalecki is going to save the world. After spending his teen years in the Church of Scientology, he gets recruited for the elite Sea Organization, the paramilitary clergy tasked with "clearing the planet" of Ritalin and homosexuality.

Jared's unwavering commitment to the Church, however, is thrown into question aboard the training ship

MV Freewinds

, when he starts to fall for one of the Sea Org's Action Chiefs: the mature and enigmatic Commander Jensen Ackles.

Amidst a crackdown on "Suppressive Persons," will the Commander and the Cadet be able to keep their illicit relationship a secret? Or will the Church stop at nothing to silence them?

Fic title:

Beyond Survival

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

gluedwithgold

Artist name:

bluefire986

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

24K

Warning:

slavery, physical and sexual abuse (not by main pairing characters)

Summary:

When vampires take over the country, Jared is forced into slavery. After nearly two years, he can't take the abuse and humiliation any more - Jared runs. Can he make it to the border and the safety of Canada? Or will his life change forever when he comes across a handsome stranger in the woods?

Fic title:

In That Most Awful Stillness

Link to art:

Embedded in story, no separate post

Author name:

pinkisgoth

Artist name:

abnidk

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

55K

Warning:

Attempted suicide. Knife attack, though not graphic. Rape accusation. Discussion and description of self-harm (related to illness). Serious chronic, pain-based illness.

Summary:

Four years ago, almost to the day, Jared and Jensen both experienced major life-changing events.

Jensen, a professor, is abruptly fired. In the immediate aftermath of the firing he discovers he has a serious chronic illness that is slowly seeping his life away. He buys a huge house in the country and takes up photography.

Jared, a bestselling horror novelist, is brutally attacked by a demented fan at a convention. Though he recovers physically, he is left with crippling PTSD and anxiety that has led him to become a total recluse, speaking only to the man who runs errands for him, his literary agent and his therapist. During his recovery, he was encouraged to take up sketching, and on the recommendation of his therapist, he has started posting his pictures on The Artist's Cave, a Deviant Art-style site. One day he comments on a photo posted by Jensen and the two begin communicating - at first through the comments and messaging on the website, then through email.

Their lives take another unexpected turn when Jensen’s roommate, Jeff, sends Jared an email: Jensen has collapsed and is in the hospital, would Jared be willing to call? This phone call will set the stage for a series of events that will lead them to the point where they are willing to risk the safety of their isolation to help each other heal.

Fic title:

Jared and the Undead Bartender

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

tsuki_no_bara

Artist name:

cassiopeia7

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Word count:

30K

Rating

NC-17

Warning:

Superhot chile peppers. Crossword puzzles. Bits of history and traces of Chad.

Summary:

Jared has only been in Boston a few months when he walks into a bar called Abigail's and meets Jensen, the bartender. Jensen likes crossword puzzles, old movies, and superhot chile peppers, and they become friends. Jared thinks a road trip to New Mexico to find the world's hottest peppers would be a great idea, but Jensen has a secret – he was born in colonial Boston, he's over 260 years old, and he's a vampire.

They go to New Mexico anyway, encountering fellow travelers and ghostly horses and the highway at night, and learning more about each other. It turns out that crossing the country in a camper with your best friend is a great way to fall in love, even if one of you is undead. Who knew?

Fic title:

The More You See (The Less You Know)

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

zubeneschamali

Artist name:

dollarformyname

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

32,236

Warning:

body modification (small implants, artificial arm), brief mind control

Summary:

Sequel to "They're Advertising in the Skies (For People Like Us)." Jared is on the run from the powerful company that claims he's stolen their technology, although they were the ones who stole his life first. Jensen's on the run with him, determined to get to the North where he can do more to fight the corporate system than just poke at it the way he has been for years. First, though, they'll have to make it to the border through hazardous territory by trusting a network of strangers—and learning to trust each other.

Fic title:

Compulsion

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

candygramme

and

spoonlessone

Artist name:

dun

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

29K

Warning:

Show level violence

Summary:

Special Agent Jensen Ackles is up to his neck in trouble, and he isn't sure if the rookie agent the Powers That Be have saddled him with is going to help him or just make things worse. It's not that the kid isn't eager to please, it's just that he's totally clueless about what he's up against. It doesn't help that Ackles isn't quite sure either! Fortunately, or maybe not, he has a couple of other allies, including a brainwashed pathologist, a weed smoking techie, and a truly innovative medic from Walter Reed. That ought to be enough to save the world as long as the ghosts keep away.

Fic title:

Mr. Darcy 1.1

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

romachebella

Artist name:

thruterryseyes

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

Word count:

56K

Warning:

none

Summary:

Jensen is 24, has a shiny college degree in graphic design and advertising, but good jobs are hard to come by when you don't want to move three states over - which explains why he's still living with his parents and juggling a couple of his old students´ jobs to get by. It´s not ideal by far, but at least he's there for his family, can work on his secret project, and has all of his friends close by. But then the calm town life he's so accustomed to gets stirred by the arrival of one Mr. Misha Collins, heir to the one big company (and employer) in town; this man´s decisions will affect the lives of pretty much everyone around, after all. He's also single, attractive as hell, and charmingly enthusiastic. And then, there's the friend he tags along: a man who's as tall and hot as he seems haughty and arrogant. No wonder Jensen calls him GrumpyGiant, right? Especially after he´s been given a harsh brushoff at their very first encounter!

Or: I might´ve read (and watched) "Pride and Prejudice" one too many times...

Fic title:

The Bonnie to Your Clyde

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

blackrose_17

Artist name:

emmatheslayer

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

Word count:

24,944

Warning:

bottom Jared, possessive Jensen, attempted sexual assault ( not by either J's), threesome

Summary:

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki couldn't be more different, one is the enforce to Mob Boss Jeffrey Dean Morgan as well as his lover and the other is a struggling college student who wishes for a better job. A one night stand leaves a mark on both Jensen and Jared.

Mob Boss Jensen Ackles isn't sure what to think when the owner of the cat who has been stealing his underwear is Jared Padalecki the young man he spent one weekend with and had never been able to forget. Jared isn't sure whether to thank his cat or be embarrassed that his cat was stealing underwear of the one man he has longed to see again. Who needs a fairy godmother when you have matchmaking cat, even if they do like to steal underwear to get the job done?

Fic title:

Beware the King's Harem

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

whiskygalore

Artist name:

sillie82

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

33K

Warning:

Younger Jensen, bottom Jensen, minor violence, mentions of castration but absolutely no junk is harmed!

Summary:

When one of King Jared's more eccentric judgments backfires and he suddenly finds himself in possession of eighteen year old farm-boy Jensen Ackles, he decides that Jensen, who is quite the prettiest thing he has ever seen, would be best suited for a position as his attendant. He doesn't however count on Jensen being quite so innocent, or so damned stubborn. Or everyone in his court interfering. Jensen, meanwhile, is quite sure the king is an insufferable ass, until he realizes he’s not.

Fic title:

Kinsukuroi

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

sanshal

Artist name:

bflyw

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

63K

Warning:

a/b/o, alpha!Jensen, omega!Jared, h/c/, past abuse, (Off-screen) death of a child, physical,emotional and psychological abuse, social divide, facial/body disfigurement of major charater (in final chapter), slow build, slow romance. More detailed warnings in tags (on AO3)

Summary:

Kintsukuroi is a Japanese word that refers to the act of repairing broken pottery by filling in the cracks with gold. Instead of trying to hide the damage, kintsukuroi illuminates it.

Because, mending is an art.

Because, there is beauty in the broken places.

Because, every scar has a story.

Jared’s world shattered when his young, healthy mate died unexpectedly during a holiday back with the pack that raised him. Tasked with raising a child as a single omega while trying to escape life in a traditional pack, he wasn’t sure if he could ever be whole again. ... Jensen, orphaned at six, had given up his dreams of ever having a family of his own and joined the Guards when he was barely in his teens. It was Fate that brings these two men together...

Fic title:

Unwanted

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

jdl71

Artist name:

bluefire986

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

42,037

Warning:

A/B/O, Alpha Jared, Older Jared, Top Jared, Omega Jensen, Younger Jensen, Bottom Jensen, Angst, Hurt & Comfort, Mating, Knotting, Claiming Bite, Mpreg, Mating Bond, Childbirth, Were-Creatures

Summary:

Unwanted, that's how Jensen felt because that's what he was. Jensen, an omega is mated to Jared, an alpha. Jared isn’t just any alpha, he’s the alpha, the pack leader. Jensen loves Jared, but he’s come to realize that Jared doesn’t love him, doesn’t want him. Jared wants someone else, a beta named Sandy.

Fic title:

Those Who Show Up

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

dugindeep

Artist name:

matchboximpala

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

50,000

Warning:

Infidelity on an OFC (Jared cheats on his wife). Everyone is aged with respect to running for office (Jensen and Jared are mid to late 40s, everyone else around them is respectively older). Set in an alternative timeline (2020 U.S. Presidential Election) where politicians are better received/respected than they are today.

Summary:

Jared Padalecki is the latest politician to throw his hat into the Presidential Race. As a Texas Senator, he's well respected by the Republican Party for upholding the values of the GOP. But his earnest, can-do attitude only gets him so far when it comes to the American public.

Enter: Jensen Ackles, a renowned strategist who resuscitates fledgling campaigns and wins political races. Over the course of a year, Jensen and Jared struggle to see eye to eye even as they're both hell bent to win in November. If only Jensen could figure out what skeletons are in the Senator's closet so he can get ahead of a scandal before it breaks.

Decisions are made by those who show up - Aaron Sorkin, The West Wing

Fic title:

The Teacher Lounge Diaries

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

heyobrothers

Artist name:

tx_devilorangel

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

54K

Warning:

Unrequited Love, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, Scene of Violence, Smut

Summary:

Jared is the new first year teacher at Northside High School. He's excited about starting his new job, his new life. Years of schooling finally paid off to do the one thing he loves to do - teach. The first day of school is already nerve-racking enough for students and teachers alike but when Jared literally runs into the incredibly charming and equally as stunning Mythology and Folklore teacher, Jensen Ackles, the nerves only increase tenfold. The friendship that formed afterwards formed quickly and without struggle, like they were meant to be friend but then things get more complicated when Jared starts to develop all the wrong kind of feelings for his co-worker. Jared never thought that he would have to relive all the feelings of a high school crush but when the crush start to turn into something more, something much more real, Jared finds himself just as lost as the kids that he teaches.

It took years of schooling for Jared to get this job and then just one night for Jensen to mess up every single one of Jared's carefully laid plans.

Fic title:

The Battle-Born Highway

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

wetsammy

Artist name:

marietwist

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

26K

Warning:

Violence, Attempted Sexual Assault

Summary:

Ex-soldier Jensen lives a nice life - a safe life - with his sex-bot and only companion Dani, but when she breaks down, he needs to stop hiding in his high rise apartment and start facing up to his past.

Tracker Jared is everything that Jensen hates - messy, impulsive and cocky with a loud muscle car to boot - but he knows his way in and out of Zone Seven, which is exactly where Jensen needs to go if he’s gonna fix this.

Fic title:

Muse

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

locknkey

Artist name:

dephigravity

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

40,500

Warning:

Explicit sex

Summary:

In a universe a little bit sideways from ours, the fates still throw Jared and Jensen together. Jensen is on his way back to Texas after his new pilot gets tanked, but Jared intervenes with plans of his own.

Jared is in desperate need of a pretty male model for his next big gig. Next thing he knows, Jensen is living with him, working with him and it feels like he’s known him forever. More unexpected is his attraction to Jensen, an attraction he can’t admit, even to himself.

Jensen accepts Jared’s offer to be his muse. He promises himself not to fall for his super hot boss with the pretty girlfriend. The thing about promises is, they’re simple to make and hard to keep.

Fic title:

The Frozen Ocean

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

kelleigh

Artist name:

quickreaver

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

50,700

Warning:

Brief mentions of depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation. Temporary character death. Minor character death. Action-movie level violence and injury.

Summary:

Three years ago, the world lost one of its heroes. Jensen Ackles, known to most as ‘Reactor,’ gave his life to save thousands, perhaps even to save our way of life. Jared Padalecki was there that day, amidst the ruin and rubble of battle, holding Jensen in his arms as he died. In the aftermath, as society mourned the loss of their superhero, Jared buried his husband on a quiet Texas hillside.

Now, Jared’s living as a shadow of his former self, unable to move beyond his loss, when the arrival of a strange object from deep in outer space sets in motion a series of events that challenges everything Jared thought he knew about Jensen’s past and hoped for their future. From old friends showing up at his door in Vancouver to a secret military base in the middle of Texas, Jared will go and risk everything, including his own sanity, to get Jensen back. But is Jensen still the same man he loved for so long, or will Jared lose him all over again? This time, the battle isn’t about saving the world - it’s about saving what they had.

Fic title:

Slipped Inside Your Left Front Pocket

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

oobydooby67

Artist name:

dollarformyname

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

30K

Warning:

alpha Jensen, omega Jared, a/b/o verse, explicit sexual content, past history of substance abuse, fatphobic remarks, PTSD

Summary:

Seven years ago, Jensen met singer, actress, and all-around legend Cher in a Manhattan lounge called Intime. After he played a set, she approached him, impressed, and they hit it off. With her guidance and connections, Jensen started to create a life outside of his job as a 911 dispatcher for the NYPD. He didn’t have to ask clubs to let him play; they started to call him to play for them.

Two years later, Jensen had to leave the city. He had to get out. And out meant back to Texas. When his cabbie got lost on the way to LaGuardia, he wandered back to Intime. Cher offered him another place to go.

Jensen arrived on a remote island in the South Pacific five years ago and never left.

Life was as steady as the ocean and as slow as a turtle named Diego. Until Cher sent her nephew to the island as part of a creative restart.

Then everything changed--possibly for the better.

Fic title:

Like A Music That Holds My Hands Down

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

saltandbyrne

Artist name:

beelikej

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

22K

Warning:

BDSM, romantic comedy, misunderstandings, fluff and smut, kid fic

Summary:

Perpetually-single pediatric dentist Jared lets his best friend Misha talk him into going to an anonymous BDSM party. Jared hooks up with a gorgeous stranger, but panics after their encounter and leaves before he can learn more about him. A year later, Jared is stunned to recognize Jensen Ackles as the father of one of his new patients and the guy from the best one-night stand of Jared’s life. With some encouragement from Jensen’s co-parent Danneel and Jared’s plucky office manager Genevieve, Jared realizes that he and Jensen might be perfect for each other

Fic title:

Retrain

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

nerdypastrychef

Artist name:

emmatheslayer

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

31K

Warning:

dubcon, non-con, underage, bad bdsm etiquette, watersports (mentioned), collaring, sexual abuse, general abuse, age gap, barebacking, dom!bottom!Jensen, sub!top!Jared

Summary:

Jensen Ackles wins teenage submissive Jared Padalecki in a poker game run by Stephen Amell. Jensen doesn’t know anything about being a Dominant or taking care of an abused kid but he can’t let Jared go, he has to help him learn who he was meant to be.

Fic title:

The Scars of Time

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

cleflink

Artist name:

ameraleigh

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

Word count:

35,250

Warning:

a little bit of violence, mentions of past homophobia and child neglect, abandonment issues

Summary:

Jensen works as a Chrono Tech, which is just a fancy title for being a time-traveling mechanic who fixes holes in the fabric of history. It's not exactly glamorous, but Jensen has learned to be content with his lot in life. Then he meets Jared and, suddenly, there's so much more to his life than just being content.

But Jensen's first loyalty must always be to the integrity of the time stream. And when Jared's very existence threatens to turn all of history inside out, Jensen is faced with the only decision he never wanted to make.

Fic title:

The Citadel Codex

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

paleogymnast

Artist name:

merakieros

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

24K

Warning:

graphic depictions of violence, cybernetic and biotech modifications (consensual and nonconsensual), graphic sex, mentions of genocide, flashbacks, body horror (see Author’s notes on fic for more warnings)

Summary:

1,500 years ago, the founders of Citadel—a peculiar binary planet—set out to establish a new colony far from the reaches of the galactic powers, the Central Empire and the Republic. Their colony would redefine life as we know it. 15 years ago, the rival galactic powers waged an all-out war on Citadel in search of her secrets. Citadel was lost and with it the sum total of her knowledge, research, history, and discoveries… or was it? Rumors persist that Citadel’s knowledge was scattered to the Cosmos, hidden, but not lost, if only one lock and one key can be found. As the rival superpowers compete to find the secrets of Citadel, a man alone who will search to reclaim his history. But as Imperial and Republic spies threaten to expose his secret and destroy the promise of Citadel once and for all, who the mysterious Jared whose side is he on?

Fic title:

Obscura Rasa

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

nyxocity

Artist name:

swan_song21

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

127,400

Warning:

Mild violence and gore

Summary:

Jensen is a man on the run from his past and the strange ability he possesses to see other people’s memories. Jared is the seemingly perfectly normal owner of a night club in Washington DC called the Hall of Doors. Jensen rents an apartment above the club on a temporary basis, and through an encounter with a mysterious stranger with powers like his own, finds himself embarked on a quest for answers to what he is. Jensen and Jared begin to fall for each other against Jensen’s better instincts, and along with their friends, find themselves pulled into a secret world filled with perils and more questions than answers. Through back alleys, clubs, magical places and spaces between worlds, Jensen discovers what he is and becomes hunted by otherworldly creatures, including one terrifying adversary bent on destroying reality as they know it. Jensen may be the only one with the power defeat them, but true power always comes with a price, and the cost may be Jensen’s life—or something far, far worse.

Fic title:

Imaginary Friends

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

timehasa_way

Artist name:

cherie_morte

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

21,479

Warning:

Borrowing the Glory/Key concepts from Buffy, but not a true crossover; this fic assumes the show/storyline never existed, with no main Buffy characters or settings involved. Betrayal, angst, depression, violence, suicide TW, hurt!Jared, hurt!Jensen, hurt!Misha, temporary major character death. NC-17 for blowjob/handjob/frottage.

Summary:

When a strange monk shows up in Jensen's trailer during the filming of season nine, he and Misha learn that Jared isn't the person they thought he was. In fact, he may not be a person at all. According to the monk, Jared was created as a vessel to protect a Key that opens gates to other dimensions. The god seeking him out poses a threat not only to Jared, but to the world. Having just crossed over from friends to something more, Jensen struggles with the fact that his first five years of memories with Jared have been implanted in his brain and goes down a dark path. Misha struggles to keep them both safe and sane during the hiatus, also putting himself in harm's way as they hide out in motel rooms, Winchester-style.

Fic title:

Winner Takes All

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

junkerin

Artist name:

blackrabbit42

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

30K

Warning:

graphic rape, non con

Summary:

On the run to freedom Jared relifes his past:

Turned against his will into an omega, raped and abused he never lost his will to fight.

Starting a new life is hard especially if the assigned help (Jensen) looks like your former alpha. With Jensen´s help and another dramatic change, Jared is on his way to a new start

But will the shadows of Jared's past destroy the new life he has started to build?

Fic title:

Hold Your Head Up High In Disgrace

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

ashtraythief

Artist name:

blondebitz

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

45K

Warning:

show-level violence

Summary:

If you ask Jensen, Jared is a punk-ass little thief who’s not as irresistible as he thinks he is. If you ask Jared, Jensen is a mean, vindictive bastard, who’s definitely not as handsome as he thinks he is. But the world of intergalactic smuggling is small and Jared and Jensen keep crossing paths.

Just when they’re about to admit that maybe the other isn’t so bad after all, their pasts rear their ugly heads. When the stakes are their lives instead of the next shiny object, Jared and Jensen have to decide how far they’re willing to go to save themselves—and each other.

Fic title:

Lost And Found

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

angelzfurys

Artist name:

thruterryseyes

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen

Rating

Word count:

60K

Warning:

This does have a few mentions of self-harm but just in passing, not too serious like real suicide. Some abuse of power and people by authority figures.

Summary:

After Jensen is struck by lightning he finds himself with the power to find anyone. At first he's not sure what to do with this new power besides pass on what he knows. But after a run in with the FBI he finds himself caught up in the sights of a secret group who are not so happy to share his power so freely. With his crush Jared helping him out of one jam and into another he's not sure if anyone should benefit from his powers or if anyone should even have them in the first place. After all, what's missing should not always be found.

Sam/Dean

Fic title:

The Skin of the Beast

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

entropy_red

Artist name:

phoenix1966

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

30K

Warning:

Body Horror, Canon typical violence, Sex with sentient animals, Dubious Consent

Summary:

Find Dean, find Jack, fix it. Sam's mission should be simple, but after a mysterious storm transforms ordinary people into hideous creatures, Sam finds himself struggling to hang onto his humanity and stay alive. Joined by an enormous wolf, Sam sets out across a new and dangerous landscape trying to balance the draw he feels to the wolf and his need to complete his mission. Find Dean, find Jack, fix it.

Fic title:

Walkin' the Tightrope

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

non_tiembo_mala

Artist name:

stargazingchola

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

25K

Warning:

Show-level violence, sibling incest, explicit sexual content, bottom Sam, top Dean, reference to/implied weecest

Summary:

It’s 2036, and twenty years since Sam and Dean called it quits on hunting to take up a secluded, quiet life. Maybe Jesse and Cesar gave them the idea, but after Amara, they realized they’d done enough. And they wanted a proper life together even more.

Known as Sam Wesson and Dean Smith to the residents of the nearby town they call home, Sam and Dean keep mostly to themselves, their immaculately kept ‘67 Chevy Impala, and their cabin in the woods. That is, until someone from their past tracks them down, desperate for help.

Sam and Dean can’t say no, not when it’s their dear friend Jody Mills in deep trouble – she’s missing – but the wedding bands they wear make going back to their old life just that little bit more complicated…

Fic title:

Nothing Else Matters

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

angelus2hot

Artist name:

siennavie

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

33, 341

Warning:

Vampire/human sex(Dean/Sam), bottom!Dean, Implied/past relationship(Dean/Benny), Character turned into a vampire(Dean), Character turned into a monster(Sam), Original characters, Original monster, Violence, Coarse language, Angst, Romance, Coerced sex/Non Con sex(but she's in human form, Maerysa/Sam), Dubious Consent, Monster/human sex(but she's in human form, Maerysa/Sam)

Summary:

It was supposed to be a simple case, save the little children from the hideous monster before it was too late. But instead Sam was taken by the same monster they were hunting. As usual Dean will do whatever he has to do in order to save his brother and with help from Garth, Crowley and even Benny he does just that. But once Sam is rescued the price he had to pay may well be too high.

Fic title:

Rule of Thirds

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

firesign10

Artist name:

cherie_morte

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

39,177

Warning:

show-level violence/blood

Summary:

Victor Henriksen survived Lilith's blast at the Monument police station. He returns to the FBI after his hospital stay, but can't reconcile his past world view with his knowledge of the supernatural. Enter Sam and Dean Winchester, who invite Victor to join them, starting him not only on a journey of hunting, danger, and life on the road, but one that will lead him to explore who he really is.

Fic title:

And the moon became as blood

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

zara_zee

Artist name:

milly_gal

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

49,500

Warning:

m/m incest, boys raised apart, show-level horror and violence, apocalyptic themes, religious themes, permanently-injured Dean, powers!sam, AU world

Summary:

Dean Winchester is a Preacher, from a long line of Preachers. He believes unreservedly in The Revelation of The End Times; he sees the evidence of its truth in the desolate dying world all around him every day. The End is coming. It is unstoppable. Humankind’s destiny is a foregone conclusion.

And then a Hunter arrives at Dean’s Church and asks him a frightening question: What if the future isn’t set? What if The End of Days can be stopped?

The Hunter’s name is Sam and he speaks Heresy. But he also knows Dean far better than any stranger should, and Dean quickly finds himself captivated by the man’s vision of a better future.

And so begins an epic quest across the Badlands: a quest for knowledge and truth; a quest for freedom; and, ultimately, a quest for humanity’s very existence.

Fic title:

Ordinary Magic

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

storyspinner70

Artist name:

yanyann

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

23,500 +

Warning:

top!dean, bottom!Sam, mpreg, brief mentions of suicide attempt and ideation, wincest, language, explicit sex, canon level violence, angst, magic, fae and other creatures.

Summary:

The day started like any other, but ended with Dean having to save his brother from the evil clutches of – fairies? All Dean wanted was some beer after a rough day. What he ended up with was his brother pregnant with his child. Constant brotherly bickering, a haunted house that landed Sam in the hospital, a hunt where Dean was assisted by some sort of creature he’d never seen, and general panic at the upcoming birth of their child nearly tore the brothers apart when even heaven itself had failed. Could a world survive if the Winchesters hated each other, or will they finally discover what it is they both truly want?

Fic title:

The City of Brotherly Love

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

runedgirl

Artist name:

milly_gal

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

21,400

Warning:

none

Summary:

No one is more surprised than Sam and Dean Winchester that they’ve managed to survive long enough to settle down. Sort of. Sam is maybe a little more okay with the whole aging thing than Dean, so when Sam is hit with a spell that makes him younger and younger until he’s about 20, Dean doesn’t cope well. When the same spell turns Dean into a twenty-year-old, both of them have to cope with all those forbidden feelings about each other that they never acted on at that age. If the de-aging spell is going to keep going until they don’t exist, which could happen in a matter of days, what’s stopping them from acting on those feelings now – especially when they look like that?

Fic title:

Just Ghosts

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

excoyote

/ brokenlittleboy on AO3

Artist name:

be_my_precious

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

55.3K

Warning:

Mentions of rape, depictions of violence and torture

Summary:

Sam is brought back from hell broken into parts, memory gone, and fragile. He and Dean recuperate at Bobby's, and Dean teaches Sam how to be Sam. Having no memory is frustrating, and with a weak body, too, Sam finds himself leaning on Dean more and more. Something is wrong--Dean is conversing with Sam in a language Sam doesn't speak, pining after something they had that Sam doesn't have a name for. Sam's memories lurk around every corner, surprising him at random. He discovers an entire part of his identity, a happy, self-assured woman, has been deleted from his memory, locked behind The Wall due to a dangerous connection to Hell, and Dean was desperately in love with her. Sam struggles to come to terms with his identity and takes terrifying dips in icy Hell memories, watching herself get torn apart, but never him. Only her, until her very core was wrapped with the devil's, with pain. Despite the inevitable danger, Sam tries to make himself whole again, falling in love with Dean and descending deeper into the rabbit hole.

Fic title:

Turnabout

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

roxymissrose

Artist name:

yanyann

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

44,358

Warning:

none

Summary:

Sam's been the quiet one all his life; the shy, steady one. Until his whole quiet, ordered life spins out of control with the appearance of the brother he hadn't seen in years, not since he'd been locked up for the murder of their father...and the attempted murder of a young Sam.

Fic title:

Finding Your H(e)aven

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

winterwolke

Artist name:

sandy79

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

56K

Warning:

A/B/O-dynamics, Alpha!Sam, Omega!Dean, slightly dub-con due to heat encounter, strongly hinted non-con but no graphic descriptions, dark beginning, fluffy end

Summary:

Though The Change made Alphas, Betas and Omegas equal, Omegas still struggle with being accepted by society. Sam and Dean are working for an Omega Rescue Unit at Quantico, Virginia, fighting evil in the form of human trafficking rings and their ominous leader, El Lupo. When a case ends differently than expected, both have to fight for what they want most - each other.

Fic title:

Hidden In The Right Place

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

smalltroven

Artist name:

amberdreams

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

30,348

Warning:

Vague season 13 spoilers

Summary:

A demon the Winchesters haven’t encountered before escapes from Hell to kidnap Dean because she has a plan. One that requires at least one of the Winchesters to help her to complete it. Will Dean cooperate with her even when she’s made Dean forget himself? Will he break and give in before Sam can save him? How far will Sam go to rescue his brother?

Fic title:

Under a Spell

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

annie46

Artist name:

cherie_morte

Genre:

Wincest

Pairing:

Sam/Dean

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

21K

Warning:

Bottom!Sam, Magically induced amnesia, Mute!Sam

Summary:

Sam and Dean are hunting for twenty people who have gone missing in the same area in the last two years; none of them were ever found. No bodies, no clues. The only thing Sam has found is three trees in a perfect triangle with sigils painted on each one. When the Winchesters stumble on the sigils they are sucked into a totally different world.

All of a sudden Dean is Dean Campbell who has lived in Llepsarednu all of his life; (Llepsarednu is an odd town, there are no children, no one gets sick and everything is in its place). Dean is a mechanic with a lovely little cabin in the woods, a dog and an easy – if routine - life. One day he stumbles upon a tall stranger who appears to have no memory and can’t speak. Dean is instantly drawn to him and he takes him in and hides him from the townsfolk who are insanely suspicious of anyone who isn’t from their town.

It is now obvious that both Sam and Dean are under a spell; despite the fact that they appear to be strangers to each other they share a bond and, eventually, they fall for each other and become intimate.

What will happen if and when the brother's regain their memory and can they ever get back to just being 'brother's' again?

Fic title:

Out Of Nowhere

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

amypond45

Artist name:

kuwlshadow

Genre:

SPN AU

Pairing:

Sam and Dean pre-slash

Rating

PG-13

Word count:

22,361

Warning:

underage (16-year-old Dean has a fantasy about 12-year-old Sam), boys don’t know they’re brothers, sibling child-abuse (not between Sam and Dean)

Summary:

A hundred years ago, in an alternate United States, monsters and humans have been at war as long as anyone can remember. John Winchester raises his sons in a world already overrun by the supernatural, in which humans are often on the defensive, pushed ever further west. Against this backdrop, Dean and foster-brother Sam grow up relatively carefree on a ranch near Lawrence, Kansas, protected and heavily warded, until the day Dean learns the truth about his mother, the mysterious hunter who abandoned her family when Dean was four. With his new knowledge, Dean figures out even better ways to protect his family and his home. But will it be enough?

Gen

Fic title:

Circum Erotico

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

deceptivemirror

Artist name:

lightthesparks

Genre:

Gen

Rating

Word count:

22,235

Warning:

some gore, lots of nudity, graphic depictions of crime scenes and simulated sex acts, discussion of sex and sexuality, and religious themes

Summary:

A mysterious string of random deaths plague several cities across the United States, and Sam and Dean are called to investigate. After some sleuthing, they discover all the deaths occur at the times Circum Erotico, a traveling troupe of sexy, daring performers, are in town, and that the murders appear to have been perpetrated by a demon.

The plan itself is flawless. Infiltrate the erotic show, find the culprit, exorcise, burn, and be on their way. The execution...is less than flawless.

Dean's task is to make handling weaponry look sexy, and Sam becomes a strongman for suggestive dances and acts. Sooner or later, they'll stumble on the murderer...if the crowds hungry for more of their skin don't devour them first.

Jared/Jensen/Misha

Fic title:

I Want To Love You (But I Better Not Touch)

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

seawitch27

Artist name:

imogen_lily

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jared/Jensen/Misha

Rating

NC-17

Word count:

60,234

Warning:

Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, mentions of past consensual incest, attempted non-consensual sex, self-harm, minor character death

Summary:

When Omega-Prince Jared of secretive Alyonis travels to decadent Val Deauvin on a diplomatic mission, the last thing he expects is to fall in love - and with not one but two alphas. Prince Jensen of Val Deauvin and Prince Misha of wintry Montisierre (and Ward of Val Deauvin) are the last people that Jared should want to mate. As he spends more time with the alphas, though, two questions begin to emerge:

One, is it possible to have two mates?

And two, is there any way that Jared's going to be able to keep them?

As political forces plot against them and their three kingdoms prepare for the possibility of war, Jensen, Jared, and Misha must decide what they're willing to give up to be together - while the true enemy lurks in the shadows and may be someone they never suspected... (Part One)

Fic title:

Prodigal

Link to art:

Here

Author name:

fufaraw

Artist name:

lilaeth

Genre:

RPS

Pairing:

Jensen/OCs

Rating

Word count:

45K

Warning:

A/B/O dynamics, noncon, dubcon, kidnapping, rape, attempted rape, mpreg, underage

Summary:

Jensen was kidnapped at fourteen. He escapes at seventeen, and contacts his dad. He has to recover and discover how to live with the changes in his life.

from Supernatural and J-Squared Big Bang Challenge! https://ift.tt/2MtP3b2

#supernatural #J2 #big bang #spn-j2-bigbang #livejournal #fanworks

26 notes · View notes

ihobii · 6 years

Text

Battle Cry

Fandom(s): NCT

Type: One-shot

Part: Whole Story

Summary: " ‘Charge!!!'A battle cry was suddenly heard signaling the start of the war. At the sound of the cry both sides immediately sprung into action. Numerous shouts can be heard from the warriors. “

Or in other words two teams made up of NCT members end up in an ultimate battle with one another.

(Members may be ooc. Location is the house in NCT Life in Paju. Loosely based on NCT ‘Switch’ MV.)

Third Person Pov:

“Charge!!!” A battle cry was suddenly heard signaling the start of the war. At the sound of the cry both sides immediately sprung into action. Numerous shouts can be heard from the warriors.

In the center of it all two leaders approached each other. Ten from the south side and Taeyong from the north. Full of tension, their intense stare off could only be legendary for stories to come.

Staring into each other’s eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. Liquid from the warriors soaking them to the core, while bodies continue to fall left and right from attacks.

Then, suddenly, one of the warriors miscalculated their aim and ended up shooting towards the face off. Alarmed, both leaped towards cover to not get hit. Thus signaling the official start of NCT’s annual water war.

Ten Pov:

Taking cover behind a tree, I observe the situation at hand.

Mark and Haechan are nowhere in sight. Slightly alarmed, I put up my guard wondering who is going to be on the receiving end of those two little devils pranks.

Last year those two manage to trick Taeil-hyung into their little trap by Mark pretending to be hurt then promptly soaking hyung with water once he got close enough and proceeded to signal Haechan to do his part which was to dump a bucket full of glitter on him.

A classic prank. He still finds glitter in the oddest places to this day.

Looking around the clearing while still on alert I spot one of the most comical sights I have ever seen. China-line, the most fluffiest of people, in an ‘intense’ battle against each other. Renjun and Chenle vs Kun-hyung and Winwin.

Continuing my observation I see Taeil-hyung, Hansol-hyung, and Jaehyun vs Johnny-hyung, Doyoung-hyung and Yuta-hyung in one of the most vicious battle with water balloons I have ever seen. Shivers run up my spine as I witness their intensity making me glad I’m not in it.

“Ahhhh!!” Hearing a yell, my attention was brought to porch of the house where I spot Jaemin and Jeno attacking Mark and Haechan. Haechan must’ve been the one to scream once realizing that their hideout was blown.

Pride came over me once I saw how my teammates Jaemin and Jeno managed to sneak up on Mark and Haechan thus starting chaos from the pranksters.

Looking around for a certain dangerous duo and not spotting them makes me get on high alert as they can be anywhere.

Hearing a rustling sound from the bushes in back of me, I immediately turn to face it while bringing my weapon up to protect myself. A second later the deadly duo appears. Taeyong-hyung and our maknae, Jisung. The latter looking paler than usual.

Jisung Pov:

Once Taeyong-hyung made it back to our side, I left my spot which was behind Jaehyun-hyung. Making my way over to my favorite hyung meant that I would have to go through the middle of the epic 3 on 3 water balloon battle so I tell the hyungs what I was trying to do.

Seeing that they weren’t listening I got up from my crouched position and did a gesture to the other team as to say 'What? You going to hit the maknae?’.

They, meaning Yuta-hyung, Johnny-hyung and Doyoung-hyung, seized fire just as I thought because they don’t want to face the wrath of Taeyong-hyung if I were to get hit.

Thinking back on why the hyungs were so scared of Taeyong-hyung I started to laugh a little.

*Flashback*

It was three years ago. That time it was Mark-hyungs team against Haechan-hyungs team. I was Haechan-hyungs team while Taeyong-hyung was on Mark-hyungs team.

At the time, I was trying to sneak past the battlefield so that I could get a good shot at Jeno-hyung. What I didn’t expect was Hansol-hyung to tackle Johnny-hyung and for them to come crashing down on me.

If that wasn’t already as bad as it is. Chenle-hyung and Renjun-hyung both just had to jump in the mess. So that made it 4 people who were on me and 2 of which were full grown adults!

No one apparently felt that I was under them so it was a few minutes before everyone got up. I was only 11 at that time so I was still small. So imagine all that weight on top of someone who isn’t even 100lbs yet!

Once they got up and saw that I was still on the ground they got a little scared thinking they might’ve broken one of my bones. Which at that time it sure felt like it!

So it’s me on the floor holding my arm while curled up in a little ball. Tears started to form in my eyes due to the pain making all the hyungs start to panic. They were never really good with tears in the first place.

It was not until I let out a small whimper that everybody else realized what was going on. Everyone had froze for a few seconds until the groups 'moms’ started to rush over.

“Aigoo!! My baby! Are you okay!?! Who do I need to hurt!? Who hurt my baby Jisung!?” Taeyong all but shouted while pulling me onto his lap and cradled me like you would a baby.

“What happened?! Who did this? Do you need to go to the hospital? Did anything crack? Who do I need to punish?” Doyoung asked while trying to pull my arm from where I was cradling it.

“H-h-h-hyung i-it h-h-hurts!!” I hiccuped. As soon as I said that Taeyong-hyung immediately looked at my arm and then back up to the offenders.

“If I find out that my baby got hurt, I’m gonna add 3 hours to your dance practice for 5 days. Oh so help me lord if I ever cook for you guys in the next month.” Taeyong-hyung had threatened all the while keeping me in his lap and comforting me.

*Flashback End*

I wasn’t hurt that day except for a few minor bruises. After that day, everyone was careful around me especially the more bigger hyungs because they didn’t want to go without Taeyong-hyungs cooking as it was everyone’s favorite.

Coming up to Taeyong-hyung, I give him a little hug as a greeting. (Anyone else do that when they greet their friends?)Hyung then ruffled my hair and told me our plan.

“Ten is going to be behind one of those trees across the yard. So what we do is we hide behind those bushes and move as carefully as possible to wherever he is then attack. Arasso?” Nodding along to the plan we quickly and stealthily moved towards the bushes.

Finding Ten-hyung quickly, we moved to the bushes right behind him. Crouching down I started to feel a ticklish feeling on my arm. Turning my head to see what it was I was hit instantly with fear. There. On my arm. Crawling. Was a huge spider.

Freezing on the spot I try to signal hyung to save me.

Taeyong Pov:

When we separated I immediately went for cover. Looking around I spot Jisungie heading my way. Taking this time to actually look at him I couldn’t help but get all nostalgic at how fast he’s growing.

Soon he wouldn’t need me that much anymore like he did all those years ago. It’s a sad thought but he’ll always be my baby.

Once he reached me we hugged and I then told him my plan to win this battle.

“Ten is going to be behind one of those trees across the yard. So what we do is we hide behind those bushes and move as carefully as possible to wherever he is then attack. Arasso?” Seeing his nod we preceded to rush towards the bushes so there’s no one that can spot us.

Getting to the bushes it was quite easy to spot Ten as he was wearing a bright orange jacket. I mean really if you’re gonna hide in between trees at least wear something less noticeable. But as he is my enemy at the moment anything to help is best.

Crouching down just a few feet behind him I felt Jisungie freeze up. Looking towards him I see what got him to act like that was just a spider. Cracking a barely audible laugh I swat the thing away. I must’ve hit Jisung harder than I thought because not a second later he lost his balance and fell into the bush.

After making sure he was okay albeit looking a bit pale we both stood up knowing our cover was blown.

Third Person Pov:

As Taeyong and Jisung stood both holding their weapon. Ten had also brought up his own weapon. The offenders proceeded to dive into a tense standoff.

Suddenly before the duo could process what had happened, Ten had shot Jisung with his water gun. All the while Taeyong was too shocked to even move.

Jisung clutched where he was hit while pointing at the offending hyung. Then preceding to fall down to act the part of being shot.

“You!!” He had shouted. At the shout everyone had paused their own little mini battle to look at where the shout came from.

After all it wasn’t everyday you hear the normally shy maknae shout.

Taeyong by then had finally gotten out of his shock and stared at Ten like he just murdered his puppy.

Ten Pov:

Seeing the intense stare that Taeyong-hyung was giving after I shot Jisung I tried to negotiate.

“H-hyung let’s talk this out, yeah?” I tried to question with a nervous laugh only to be met with a smirk.

“Oh we’ll talk this out alright.” He answered in a mischievous voice.

Getting nervous I tried looking around for any help from my teammates only to be met with sympathetic smiles. Obviously everyone was wondering was hyung was gonna do.

While doing so Taeyong-hyung had tackled me to the ground. In the suddenness of the tackle I had dropped my water gun leaving me defenseless although I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway since my arms were pinned to my sides by his knees.

Who knew hyungs legs were so strong?! I’ve tried to wiggle my way out but my attempts were futile since hyung wanted revenge for Jisung. I swear he thinks Jisung is his actually son, Jisungie returning the affection is no help to that either.

Then Taeyong-hyung threw his water gun on the floor next to us and looked me straight in the eye. He raised his arms up in a surrender motion but I knew he wasn’t surrendering. I was proven right when he wiggled his fingers and gave me a smirk. With an evil glint to his eyes he moved his hands closer and closer to me.

As his hands moved closer to my stomach I realized what he was trying to do. Once his hands were on my stomach he started his attack of tickling me knowing that I’m very much ticklish.

“AHHHH HYUNG!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA- stop I can’t breathe! HAHAHA Taeil-hyung-HAHA-I’ll never call-HAHA-you short again can you -HAHAHA-help me?! HAHA Johnny-hyung?!? Hahahahaha-Mark-ah come-HAHA- save me-HAHA-from this devil!!! Anyone?!” I tried asking but seeing no one coming to my aid I had to go through the torture. Traitors.

Seeing hyung not stopping anytime soon I finally relented. “HAHAHA! STOP HYUNG!!HAHAHA!! OKAY OKAY I GIVE!! HAHAHAHA-HYUNG!!! STOP!! I GIVE UP!! HAHAHA-I’m sorry I-HAHAHA-shot your-HAHAHA- precious Jisungie!! YOU WIN!! HAHAHA-NOW GET OFF OF ME-HAHAHAHA!!” Even as I pleaded hyung still didn’t stop so I had to deal with the attack for about five minutes until hyung decided to give me mercy.

When he got up I stayed on the ground gasping for air while glaring at the onlookers. Pabos didn’t even help me.

Getting up I looked to my team members while huffing.

“And you guys couldn’t have helped your leader because?” I asked.

“We like Taeyong-hyungs cooking.” Was all they replied. Deciding that it was a reasonable answer we took our loss and decided to take a break.

Third Person Pov:

Soon enough everyone was laying on the grass all mixed together. China-line were all together sitting on back porch while talking about something in Chinese. Mark and Haechan were again arguing whether or not the reason they were caught was because of Haechans loudness or Marks poor choice of a hideout. Jeno, Jisung, Jaemin, Taeil, Yuta, Doyoung, and Taeyong were all on a picnic blanket eating a snack. The latter two of the bunch having an argument about some random thing while Jisung cuddled up to Taeyong. The last 4 of the group, Johnny, Hansol, Ten, and Jaehyun were just throwing a frisbee around occasionally earning a scolding from the oldest hyung about almost hitting everyone else.

Thus concluded NCT’s annual water war. When two teams are against each other at the moment of it all but at the end of the day they are one group; a family. They are NCT.

2 notes · View notes

taepott-archive · 7 years

Text

bts theory

okay, this is my first time ever posting a theory, so i’m going to go ahead and start from the bs&t jap ver and explain as i go. i apologize in advance because it kind of jumps around from mv to mv and doesn’t really go in a particular order.

there’s also a lot of screenshots from multiple mvs to make it easier and simpler to understand/visualize, which is why this seems a lot longer than it really is.

the beginning of the bs&t jap ver. mv, guk gets up from the bed, just like he does in his short film, begin. but when it first starts, he has his hands crossed on his chest like a corpse. so, in this universe, jungkook is dead.

here’s the bed from begin.

back to bs&t jap ver., once he’s sitting up and the camera pans out, the walls look very similar to the walls in the room hoseok was in in the mama short film. but while the paint in hoseok’s video looked crazy and out of control, jungkook’s looks like a pair of wings.

then we get jungkook looking back, and there’s a pair of wings where his back was painted on the mattress.

the two wings references here the bed and the paint tie back to his short film, where at the very end he has a pair of wings in his shadow. so all of this points to the idea that jungkook died in inu when he gets run over by the car.

i’m gonna skip to jimin next, where he’s seen in a room by himself, with an apple. we all know that apples are supposed to symbolize temptation, the forbidden, and knowledge.

he’s also wearing the same shirt here as he is in parts of his short film.

he also, later on in the jap ver. of bs&t, bites into the apple the same way he does in the short film. this would be jimin unable to resist the temptation of the forbidden, which could be knowledge of the other realms/worlds.

in both versions, yoongi covers jimin’s eyes multiple times.

yoongi covering jimin’s eyes repeatedly in both of the mv’s means he’s trying to protect jimin from seeing what’s happening and gaining that knowledge. at first, i thought he was trying to cover jimin’s view of what was happening to lead him astray, but in the jap ver. everything seems to be upside down, so yoongi is trying to shield him from the knowledge, to keep him in “paradise” forever. biting into the apple means that jimin gained the knowledge references of eve and ultimately destroys everything. (i’ll get into that later, for now i’m going to focus on basics of everyone in the mv.)

yoongi in the mv is protecting jimin and jungkook, or at least trying to, from seeing what’s happening around them. he seems to succeed in the kor ver. of bs&t but in the jap ver., his actions are misunderstood and he isn’t able to stop jimin or jungkook.

here, jimin leaves after seeing yoongi, who was covering his eyes and standing by his piano which is the same one from the short films, that burned.

he’s also in the same room as jimin, which is also what we see in the kor ver. of the mv.

now, we have yoongi trying to help jungkook after namjoon gives him the drink (absinthe?) and he starts to hallucinate and throws up in the bathroom.

but then jungkook pushes him away, not letting him help. in run, yoongi is the one that’s losing it and jungkook tries to help him, but he gets shoved away and yoongi breaks the glass. so the world in bs&t is “upside down” or inverted from the hyyh videos.

after this, you see everyone partying while jungkook is sitting by himself, but then it pans out again and he’s alone.

i’m still going with the idea that jungkook is alone because he’s dead and is the first one who dies. so he couldn’t help yoongi, and in begin, he’s sending warnings to try to help the others which i’ll get into later.

namjoon in the mv is just like yoongi, but the roles are reversed. he was trying to help at first aka his short film, when he got jungkook’s “warning” and couldn’t answer the call from taehyung.

so namjoon is basically being protected in the other universe, but in the bs&t one, he is keeping jungkook on the absinthe and causing his hallucinations though i’m still not sure if that’s supposed to mean he’s helping the other boys “sin” and in that sense, aiding taehyung. this is, again, two versions of them inverted, where jungkook was protecting namjoon in one world, and namjoon is doing the opposite for him in the bs&t jap ver. universe.

bs&t, especially the jap ver., is an alternate/parallel universe to the one from hyyh, where it shows us everything that happened as a result of their actions in inu, prologue, and run.

so in inu, jungkook dies, and taehyung sets off the beginning of the cycle, while jin becomes slowly aware of everything that’s happening to them. at the end of run, jungkook looks back at the car, which jin is still inside of, and looks relieved that jin isn’t following them—this is because the rest of them are following taehyung into “evil” and jin is the only one who has resisted which is also why jin is always alone and not participating with everyone else.

okay, so now on to jin, who is basically the centerpiece of this whole theory. him and taehyung are tied here, so i’ll be jumping back and forth between them.

both the kor ver. and jap ver. of bs&t start with jin looking at a painting, which is the painting “the fall of the rebel angels” and even by the name you can tell it’s the struggle between “good” and “bad” angels; it’s also symbolizing the internal struggle between good and evil in all of the boys.

then he looks into the glasses that hoseok had in the kor ver. of the mv.

once jin looks at the painting through it, it warps into a view of the statue from the kor ver., which is when jin fell into temptation by kissing the statue after taehyung covered his eyes.

in this, the statue is supposed to be taehyung, or “lucifer” and often times a kiss is used to “seal the deal with the devil” and right after this shot, we get to see taehyung with scars on his back where wings would be, smirking. i’ll get into why taehyung is lucifer later, but i’m pretty sure we all know why.

i’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the reason hoseok is the one to shoot taehyung metaphorically in both mvs is because of the glasses. once jin looked through them, we saw everything warp, and then a wormhole opened up on the floor near the end; what if when hoseok looked through it in bs&t, he saw the same things as jin?

in this universe, jin becomes completely aware of everything and then is able to go back to the hyyh universe to prevent things from spiraling out of control and leading them to this eventual ending.

now, to taehyung and hoseok and still some jin, because he’s connected to taehyung’s parts as well.

in inu, taehyung loses it after seeing his dad beating his mom, and he kills him with the bottle.

this is what sets everything off, in terms of losing innocence and committing sins, and is also why taehyung is later on depicted as lucifer or just a fallen angel, if you don’t want to go that far. when this happens, we also get a shot of jin crying, so he’s still somewhat aware of something going wrong in inu, even if he’s not fully aware.

in the prologue, it starts off with taehyung calling someone (i’m assuming it’s either namjoon or jin, but most likely jin) after he murders his dad. (i think he says “hyung, i missed you” please correct me if i’m wrong.)

here’s another shot of jin recording everyone instead of being in the moment with them.

basically, the prologue is all of them having fun and being together, with jin still being slightly aware that something is going on that none of them are noticing. taehyung goes up onto a higher piece of cement than the rest of them, and they all gesture for him to come down.

then, later on, after we see all of them being happy together and having fun, they go to the beach and taehyung climbs up again and actually jumps this time. i’ve seen some people say he survives and it’s a portal to another universe (the bs&t one), but i think the jump kills him, hence the water sequences in the run mv.

okay, so this is what sets off the jin/taehyung storyline. jin feels guilty over taehyung’s death, and he’s the only one who is aware of what’s happening between the lines, as all of the others are blinded by taehyung’s temptations. in bs&t, taehyung is constantly covered by a white sheet, which is hiding him as “lucifer” to the others; it represents innocence.

later in the mv, taehyung covers jin’s eyes and when he removes his hands, we see the statue, which is supposed to represent taehyung as the fallen angel or the devil, hence the black wings.

once jin stops resisting and gets tempted by taehyung, the white sheet gets taken off of him, basically revealing him and ripping away the mask of innocence that he had for the others.

in this universe, everything breaks apart and gets destroyed after jin kisses the statue. this is symbolizing that taehyung “wins” in this universe and everything goes to hell, basically.

in bs&t both versions imo hoseok also knows what taehyung is and is attempting to “shoot him down.” in the kor ver., hoseok has the bow and arrow and when he shoots the arrow, we get a splatter of color across the sheet in front of taehyung. i’m gonna say that the splatter of color is similar to a splatter of blood across taehyung’s face, though in these universes, the only one who can really end the cycle is jin; but he doesn’t.

while he doesn’t shoot an arrow at taehyung in the jap ver. of bs&t, he does have a dart that he’s getting ready to throw at him. jimin and jungkook are holding him still while hoseok gets ready to throw the dart, so that might be that they’re trying to help stop the cycle of pain and death that’s been happening since hyyh era.

we also get another shot of hoseok from the kor ver. shooting the arrow, so it’s assumed that it’s supposed to be at the same time that hoseok in jap ver. throws the dart at taehyung.

then we get another color splash instead of seeing the dart hit taehyung, but the colors are inverted from the colors from the kor ver. which is consistent with the theory that the jap ver. is another universe from both the kor ver. and hyyh itself.

after this, we get to the jin x taehyung fight. this universe’s jin is aware that taehyung is the start of everything turning sour in each universe, since he’s seen them all, and is trying to stop anything from happening in this universe, or just stop taehyung altogether.

jin stops punching to say “sorry” to taehyung, which then sets off taehyung to begin the cycle again, meaning jin couldn’t stop him in this universe either. taehyung basically loses it and either kills or injures jin the same way he killed his dad in the inu mv.

there’s another parallel with taehyung and the sheets, even though they aren’t white in the jap ver. but that could be because everything seems to be inverted in this universe. taehyung walks up the stairs and to the roof of a building, paralleling another “fall from grace” after he commits another sin, which would be killing/hurting jin in this universe.

in this shot, i think what taehyung’s jacket says is “dispater” though i could be wrong, i can’t see it clearly. “dispater” is a roman god of the underworld, and is associated with death itself, so in a more religious sense, dispater would be the devil or a demon.

then we get a shot of taehyung looking up, and there’s green smoke in the sky, which would be absinthe based on the other stuff that happens in the mv. but, when we look down from, i’m assuming, what taehyung can see, the sky looks normal—this could be that taehyung doesn’t realize what he’s doing, or he’s deceiving himself into thinking that everything is okay, ignoring what he’s done.

it’s also important to note that taehyung’s jacket says “lone wolf.”

okay, now i’m going to start.... reaching a little bit, lmao.

if the parallel/alternate universes theory is true, the corridor jimin enters looks like the same corridor that jin leaves in the awake short film.

so, if the corridor is supposed to be an entrance to a different universe, this would be jin leaving the universe to go to another one, and jimin coming into this universe, which would be the one from bs&t. but, jimin’s outfits have been very consistent to each era in all the videos, except for this jimin. his outfit reminds me more of spring day jimin. it’s not the exact outfit, but it looks more like this era than the others.

once this jimin walks down the corridor (conveniently paralleled to how jin left this universe), he sees himself, which would be bs&t jimin, even though yoongi tried to prevent him from seeing himself.

after this, everything in this universe gets destroyed, which is what opens the wormhole where jin is standing by himself, surrounded by green smoke and the painting.

it actually looks like this jimin gets torn apart in the universe he doesn’t belong in, and then he gets shoved back through time and space though it looks like a bad acid trip.

then we get glass shattering here by jin, which could signal portals into the world are being destroyed or their world itself is being destroyed.

then we see namjoon surrounded by broken mirrors and cuts on his hands. mirrors are usually used as a way to travel between different universes/worlds, so jimin seeing himself from another universe set off their world destroying itself, and all of the “gateways” (the mirrors) into their world being destroyed along with the other jimin.

then there’s all of the rooms they were in, empty. i’m going to say that the rooms were all in that one corridor, and wherever that corridor is was that alternate/parallel world for bs&t.

we get another shot of jin with glass breaking, which is just another signifier that that particular world has been destroyed, but jin had that wormhole, so he’s still able to travel, probably. i’m gonna say that he actually left through that hole in the ground, and it took him to another world.

here we see flower petals falling, which is the same as the intro to inu. the fact that it ends with the same intro as the mv that started the theory means that the jin from the bs&t world, who is aware of everything that went wrong and knows everything, got taken to the hyyh universe, where he can then change what happened to them; like a second chance.

then namjoon sees jin at the gas station, where he gives him a green lighter. there’s two ways to analyze this; it could be showing us that even though jin is aware of everything and could stop it, he’s actually what starts the cycle by giving namjoon a lighter with absinthe; or, it’s just a normal lighter and jin’s about to do some bad assery and end the cycle of all of them dying or being in pain.

and his line at the end, “it’s been a while” makes sure we know that this jin is actually the jin from the bs&t universe. we all know that the 7 of them were always together in hyyh, though we saw them all separately in bs&t, especially the jap ver. of the mv. so the “it’s been a while” is only relevant and makes sense for jin, since he hadn’t seen namjoon in a while; but namjoon would have surely seen jin in inu early enough that there would be no need for him to say that to namjoon.

AND finally, that’s the end of the theory. that was a lot, wow.

159 notes · View notes

kpoprambles00-blog · 5 years

Text

(G)I-DLE ((여자)아이들) - I made (2nd Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]

Rookie debuts are always an interesting thing to keep an eye on. But what's even more interesting is seeing how a group follows up on their debut - do they keep a steady sense of momentum? Or do they leave listeners disappointed? I'm sure a lot of people can agree that one group who've absolutely kept their momentum is (G)I-DLE - following up "Latata" with "Hann" is still one of my favourite decisions a rookie group has made. I love "Hann" to death. I can't even tell you how long I had it on repeat for.

But now, the girls have made another comeback, and this time we got a full-fledged mini album and not just a single. So I was interested to see if it was in any way similar to "I am" (what with its similar name and VERY similar album art), or if the girls had evolved and started to find their own style. Let's have a look at the album as a whole and see if I think that's the case!

1. SEÑORITA [TITLE]

youtube

To start off the album, we have the title track, "Señorita". And hoo boi, this is a big diversion from what we've seen from (G)I-DLE in the past - and from what I've seen, this song is fairly divisive. Some think it's just the right mix of sassiness and charm, others think the song is both too short and repetitive.

But if you're asking me, it's... pretty fucking great, honestly!

It's catchy, sticks in your head almost instantly, and has this amazing salsa/rumba vibe with the trumpets, stilted piano line and castanet touches. It reminded me an awful lot of Soyu's amazing "All Night" from last year - but it's as if (G)I-DLE's producers took "All Night" and mixed with the charisma of "Latata" to give us "Señorita". So, basically, it sounds very nice in my earholes and I'm a huge fan of it.

"Señorita" has got this fantastic sultry vibe to it that the girls match excellently, since they sing in their lower range for the verses - every single member sounds phenomenal here, no joke! Soojin in particular is absolutely MURDERING it this era. Goddamn, who knew she could look and sound so good?! She's by far the star here, and her performance is the standout of the song for me. (As well as Yuqi. I didn't think I could love that girl any more, but oooooooooh man this comeback has proved me so wrong.) As well as all that, Soyeon's off-kilter rap is honestly a stroke of genius. It catches you so off-guard with the rhythm that it gets your attention pretty much instantly, which Soyeon pretty much does on her own with her charisma anyway. It's excellent.

That mysterious/slightly sexy vibes comes across SUPER well in the lyrics, too! The lyrics are honestly really damn interesting for what could've been a simple love song. They've got such a great sense of curiosity to them, but it's a very mature curiosity that honestly took me by surprise. Whatever sort of relationship that's going on here is progressing very quickly, and yet the girls are willing to dive in head-first. And hey, who knew they could pull it off so well! The sultry vibe really suits them.

My dear, why are you coming so close? There's still so much we don't know What should I call you?

And yet, after all that, we still have the choreography to look at! (Yeah, I know I have a lot of opinions on this song. Bear with me.)

[Unfortunately I can’t include the choreography video here because of the video limit! Here’s the link though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhBa2_-qw00]

To be honest, while the dance isn't going to blow any minds, it's an example of what I'd consider a very well put-together routine. I don't think there could be a routine that fits Señorita any better than the one the girls are doing here. It matches the ebbing and flowing of the song's instrumental VERY well, with some really nice formation and position changes to keep you interested. There's also a slight change here from the choreography originally shown in the MV; in the second half of the chorus, the girls' arm positions now alternate between up and down instead of everyone's arms being up; there's also an extra move or two added in. That was a much needed and very well executed change, since it makes that entire section waaaaaaay more satisfying to look at. And hey, this choreo really picks up the pace in that final dance break, and I'm all for it! It's the cherry on top of a really nice routine.

(Also I've said it earlier and I'll say it again: SOOJIN. UGH. JUST YES. She embodies this fucking concept and I love it.)

All in all, this is a damn solid title track. It's got sass, charm and some really great details that just make it very high-quality. Considering I was so nervous to see how (G)I-DLE progressed, I couldn't be any happier with "Señorita" - I don't quite like it as much as "Hann", sure, but it's damn close! But hey, that's just the title track - we still have the rest of the album to get through...

2. WHAT'S YOUR NAME

youtube

Moving on to the side tracks, we start off with "What's Your Name". And considering I never got to listen to "I am" in its entirety, this is pretty new territory for me. I wasn't sure what to expect going into (G)I-DLE's side tracks - would they be experimental or more similar to their title tracks? Would they even be worth listening to? And after listening to "What's Your Name", I can say that they're certainly a little bit experimental, but definitely worth listening to!

Honestly "What's Your Name" reminds me a lot of "Latata" in terms of its style. There's a great buildup from the verses to the choruses here, with some futuristic synths serving as a base to the instrumental. The verses have a very grand atmosphere and vibe to them too; the pre-choruses in particular feel really anthemic. And that's particularly fitting for how explosive the choruses are - the synths from earlier are blown out and loud, but in a way that gets you energized, especially when you've got Soyeon's vocals layered on top. They're very addictive if you ask me, which is evidence of how much this song has actually grown on me! I was very unsure of it at first, but after repeated listens, it's certainly a good song in my eyes.

But y'know what I still don't like? Those trap breakdowns with Yuqi's vocals.

I know. NOT liking some of my bias' lines. Blasphemy. But let me explain.

With those breakdowns after each chorus, the great momentum and sense of explosivity I brought up earlier just... stops. It grinds to a halt in favour of an eight bar drop that's trying so damn hard to be edgy, sexy and memorable. It feels out of place from the beginning, and the song would've honestly been better off without it - hell, if they weren't there, this song would be title track worthy if you ask me! But they are there, and they end up leaving a really sour taste in my mouth - especially since it's how the song ends.

Lyrically though, this song is... weird? I went into this expecting it to be a party anthem about meeting someone new, but... no, this is a breakup song. A very different one, that's for sure. It's full of metaphors and flowery language in places that made it very hard to find a good translation, but once I did, it's... certainly interesting! They honestly subverted my expectations a lot, but I can't shake the feeling that they don't fit the tone the song is going for very well at all.

Set it down, forget about it, like a midnight dream "We" and "you", we're going to have to talk about all those beautiful words

In the end, I can't help but feel like "What's Your Name" has a little bit of lost potential. Yes, the song is certainly good, but both the unneeded trap breakdowns and the... slightly confusing lyrics hinder it a bit - which is a major shame. I do still like it, though, and I've found myself listening to it a lot more than I expected to!

But on the note of breakup songs... do you want to hear an absolutely heartfelt, amazing and beautiful one? WELL, SAY NO MORE CAUSE (G)I-DLE HAVE YA COVERED.

3. PUT IT STRAIGHT (싫다고 말해)

youtube

It takes a lot for a song to elicit an emotional reaction from me. Yes, songs can make me happy (very much so, my love of music is why I started this blog), but... an actual emotional response? Like goosebumps or tears? That's rare. But it's something I treasure when it does happen.

But oh my god. This song.

This fucking song.

I got chills. EVERYWHERE.

If y'all haven't been taking Jeon Soyeon seriously as a composer and lyricist, then you'd better fucking start paying attention, because she composed and wrote this almost entirely on her own. She only had help from one other person, and that was on the composition side of things. But... if this is the talent that she's got? Holy FUCK. Now I get the buzz. Now I see what people were saying about her - that she's the next big thing, that she's more than just an idol. And this song proves it. The hype is real, big time.

"Put It Straight" is... emotions. It's just emotions in musical form. To get all waxy and poetic myself for a minute, it's the feeling of a call with no response; the feeling of a tug of war you can't win; the feeling of tears forming but not quite being shed. It's gorgeous. It's seriously one of the most atmospheric ballads I've heard. I'VE NEVER EVEN BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP AND THIS SHIT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN THROUGH A FULL-ON BREAKUP.

WHAT.

The stopping and starting of the instrumental in this song's verses is really ballsy, and ties right back into the metaphor of emotions I just talked about; you feel like you don't know what's going to happen. The song could explode with emotion and intensity, or it could just... fizzle out. And that'd be it. It's very touch-and-go in a way that's reminiscent of anxiety and uncertainty for me. (This is pretty clear in the transition from Miyeon's lines to Minnie's lines in the first verse - the song feels like it's building, and building, and building... and then it stops.) It's honestly fucking stunning. Combine that with the little added effects, like the echoing vocals or that faint sound of shattering glass during the second verse, and you have an example of how a minimal breakup ballad should be done, K-Pop or not.

That's just the song though - I haven't even BEGUN to talk about the lyrics. And yeah, they're just as much of a masterpiece as the song. They're insecure, they're fragile, and they're symbolic of a relationship on the verge of collapse. This song is honestly so well put together and the lyrics are just the final touch to make it perfect. They're drop-dead gorgeous, and so damn heartfelt to boot.

Just say yes - no, I mean, say that you're in love with me Just like the old times Now, can't you love me?

If you're asking me, I'd say this album is worth a listen for "Put It Straight" alone. It single-handedly makes this album worth your time. And from a musical standpoint, it's the best song on the album, hands-down. PLEASE let them have another song - god forbid a title track - like this in the future, because I'm on board from day one if it's as much of a masterpiece as this.

But... regardless of its immense quality, it's actually not my favourite song on the album. 😉

4. GIVE ME YOUR (주세요)

youtube

That would be this! Yes, I love "Put It Straight" a LOT, and it's the best song on the album, but "Give Me Your" is my favourite song. Let me explain why, though.

Heads up: this explanation is probably going to seem... very, very weird, and it's probably going to sound like the ramblings of a crazy person, but BEAR WITH ME, OKAY.

"Give Me Your" is a song that's almost reminiscent of something you'd hear in a coffee shop, in my eyes; it's something you could listen to whilst drinking tea, coffee, or some other fancy hot drink on a summer day. It's laid-back, chill and very relaxing to listen to, with its twinkly pianos and staccato rhythms. But... even with this image in my head, I found it hard to sum up this song's style in a way I was happy with. The coffee shop metaphor works, yeah, but it's still not perfect? I had a really hard time describing it.

And then, over the course of a few weekends, I sat down and played a video game. And that game summed up this song PERFECTLY.

LAYTON'S MYSTERY JOURNEY: KATRIELLE AND THE MILLIONAIRE'S CONSPIRACY.

...yeah, I know, my nerd is showing. BUT HANG ON, I'M GETTING TO THE POINT, I PROMISE.

Long story short, the Layton games are a childhood favourite of mine, but I had never got around to playing Lady Layton (which is what I call it, because good lord that title is WAY too long). But then I did. And OH MY GOD. If this game had a movie-style soundtrack with a bunch of different celebrities doing the songs, "Give Me Your" would be on it.

FUCK, IT'D BE THE LEAD SINGLE.

It's light, it's cheery, and yet it's spunky and tongue-in-cheek; it carries that feeling of an extra spring in your step when you're in a good mood. All of this matches Lady Layton (and specifically the main character Kat) perfectly. I couldn't get over how well it coalesced. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't help me enjoy the song more! I already loved it as it is - it was already my favourite song on the album - but this just made it better. Now, I highly HIGHLY doubt (G)I-DLE even know this game exists, but y'know what? Let me dream. Let me be my nerdy self. Okay? Okay.

This Lady Layton/coffee shop vibe carries into the lyrics as well, which are light-hearted, lovey-dovey and actually quite comical in places! They legitimately got a chuckle out of me, and they're so damn charming that I couldn't help but smile whilst reading them. They focus a lot on the singer's imperfections, and how they're amazed that their partner is interested in them - but they also touch on that relatable feeling of wanting to crawl into a hole and die when someone sees you looking like a mess. That shit's real.

A silly face with glasses, I can't believe I woke up from sleep [like this]

[...]

Alright, I think I'm going to go die now...

All in all, I love "Give Me Your" to bits. Light-hearted lyrics, a really nice instrumental and a theme that I admittedly adore - yeah, it's awesome. (G)I-DLE are two for two - first "Put It Straight", now this! What about the final track, though?

5. BLOW YOUR MIND

youtube

"Blow Your Mind" was a song I was admittedly interested in from the beginning, considering Minnie actually had a part to play in the songwriting/composition (as well as Soyeon, of course). Of course, I was also interested to see just how well it would hold up in comparison to the other tracks in this album. And after listening to it a lot, I can say it's a pretty alright song! I want to say it's great, but... it's got a major problem that bugs me, similar to "What's Your Name".

Let's focus on the positives first, though - this song has Soyeon's best rap on the album. It's fast, it's charismatic and it's another great rap from her. No surprises there. I also really liked the staccato pianos that are in the choruses, since they give the song a surprising amount of energy and vibrance. It's a very fun, bouncy rhythm for sure! I feel like all of the members have great parts here, actually; Minnie and Yuqi have that great lower-range introduction, Soyeon's got her rap, Soojin's sounds amazing in the chorus and final bridge, Miyeon's got her amazing adlib, and Shuhua has... well, Shuhua's being Shuhua and not getting a lot of lines. But once she's more comfortable with her Korean, that'll change! 😊 Regardless, everyone really does well here, and the abilities of each member are shown off really nicely.

But... like I said, I do have one big problem with this song - the "drop". Can we call it that? Is that the right term? I don't know if something that takes away so much momentum could be considered a drop. Whatever that vocal sample is, it sounds awful - it drives the momentum "Blow Your Mind" has going for it right off the nearest cliff. And that's a damn shame, especially after how good the choruses are! This song, similar to "What's Your Name", would've been title track potential if not for that one blunder... except with "What's Your Name", the trap drop is at least listenable. The drop in "Blow Your Mind" is not. It's grating, annoying and out of place, to say the least. It's very much like the seal that's pointed out in the music video, but... not in a good way. At all. It's annoying and I wish it wasn't there.

Lyrically, though, the song's nothing special. It's just one of those "I like you, you like me, let's hook up" sorta songs. Nothing too mind-blowing (heh) here. (It's amazing how all of the lyric videos I could find on YouTube were wrong, though... and I'm not talking about the English lyrics being wrong, I'm talking about the KOREAN lyrics being wrong. Which... is weird. Oh well.)

Don't wanna be unsteady, don't wanna be uncertain I just want to stay calm I'm like your painting

Also, I know there's a dance to this song - I'm not going to talk about it. The performance felt very rushed to me, and while I don't think it was as bad as a lot of people say it is, I feel like it would be unfair to review something that felt so thrown together. It's not a title track anyway, so it's not a big deal. It was nice to see it done live, though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So yeah, this... wasn't the best. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed with it when the album ended. "Blow Your Mind" let me down a bit, admittedly, but the rest of the album certainly didn't! There are some absolute gems on "I made", and if I had to guess, I'd say you might see me talking about them again in the future - I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up on a year-end list or two. 😉

ALL THE CREDITS FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW: Señorita What's Your Name Put It Straight (싫다고 말해) Give Me Your (주세요) Blow Your Mind

COVER IMAGE CREDITS: Señorita MV screencaps by bbyhyuck on deviantArt

#sfw #(G)I-DLE #(여자)아이들 #senorita #i made #comeback review

0 notes

suga-ssi · 7 years

Text

BTS You Never Walk Alone - Spring Day MV Theory: The Untold Story

by: @sugasuite (edited: 170222 for pt 7)

Whose story is often unheard and untold?

The Discriminated… The Minorities…

When Kim Namjoon said You Never Walk Alone was the Untold Story… He wasn’t kidding. BigHit has done it again! Though this MV also fit the story of the boys’ journey, they still managed to discuss an underlying controversial issue.

SYMBOLISMS:

1. OMELAS: DISCRIMINATION OF THE WEAK

In case you haven’t read the story… Here is a rundown

First of all, let me say, this story is riveting in both its simplicity and complexity; and you could finish it in less than 15 minutes. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is an award winning short story written by Ursula Le Guin. The story starts with the narrator describing a utopian place called Omelas as the Summer Festival starts. Everything about the city is idealistic and the narrator even invites the reader to imagine his/her own utopian scenario and imagine that to be Omelas because Omelas’ perfection and happiness was hard to simply describe. The narrator claims that the people of Omelas were not stupid, that this was not the reason why they were happy, but he also states that the people of Omelas lived without guilt.

As vague and hard as it was for the narrator to describe Omelas, her description of the small, frail impoverished child was vivid. People of Omelas knew about the child’s existence, locked in a small basement but none of them helped or saved the child. The narrator believes that the child served as reminder for the people of a world opposite to what they have. The absence of the child makes what they have pointless and therefore the child’s existence was poignant for their system.

The more incredible part though, the part that got the narrator amazed, were the people who left Omelas. Those who chose to walk alone away from the surfaced perfection toward the unknown when they have seen the child.

In the MV you can see how their initial excitement of being in Omelas slowly changed. As if taking in what Omelas truly was.

Kookie goes to the desolate Omelas where ironically the No Vacancy sign was still lit. Like how minorities are refused entry when clearly there is still room.

In the end, unlike in the book where the citizens who face the realities of Omelas left alone, they all left Omelas together.

2. Snow Piercer: DISCRIMINATION OF THE CLASSES

Snowpiercer was a movie released in 2013. in the movie, the world was set into an infernal winter after an experiment to solve global warming backfires. The remaining survivors were those on board the Snowpiercer. By 2031, segregation was eminent. Elites inhabit the extravagant front cars and the “scum” inhabit the tail in squalid and brutal conditions. Under watch by guards, they are brought only gelatinous protein bars to eat and kept in their place in the social order by Minister Mason, while sometimes small children are taken away.

RICH SECTION:

POOR SECTION:

Kinda Hunger Games-ish huh?

Rebellion broke out because it seemed like the oppressed have finally had enough. Many died due to the rebellious attacks and the head of the keeper of the peace for the Snowpiercer told the leader of the revolution that it was he who planned the rebellion to reduce the population and maintain the balance of the sealed ecosystem, and subsequently orders the elimination of 74% of the remaining tail passengers. He explains the importance of using fear and chaos to maintain a necessary order and leadership on the train.

The leader of the revolution almost accepted the offer of the head peace keeper to lead what remained of the Snowpiercer but decided to continue the fight when he learned that small children from the tail section are being trapped as replacement parts for “extinct” machinery and that those in the tail section were literally being kept alive for spare parts.

In the end, an explosion happens that causes an avalanche. The train gets derailed and only two survive, one girl and one boy. They alight the train and see a polar. They learn that life was actually possible outside the oppressive train.

In the MV, Kookie and RM is shown riding the train but they keep entering the doors at the back. The train traverses a snowy terrain.

When the line stops, they all go down together and see a dying tree amidst a grassy field. It was the only semblance of life present, but it was enough to hang their shoe on it and mark the place as theirs.

3. Safety Pin Earrings: FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION

“#Safetypin I’m an ally… All those exposed to hate and violence, you’re not alone….”

No, it’s not a fashion statement, there is a deeper meaning.

4. Laundromat/ Segregation: RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Honestly, where else can the term segregation be used that seems publicly acceptable?

Whites separated from colored.

This reminded me of a racial case I studied in law school, Yick Wo vs Hopkins 118 U.S. 356 (1886) (Who the F? would have thought I’d use that shit here?)

The immigration of Chinese to California began in 1850 at the beginning of the Gold Rush. As the Chinese became more successful, tensions with Americans grew. Californians were wary of the cultural and ethnic differences.

Yick Wo, was a laundry facility owned by Sang Lee. After twenty years of owning the facility as an undocumented immigrant, provisions set out by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors said that he could not continue to run his business due to an ordinance that was evidently racially targeted against all Chinese business owners.

This case was the first case where the United States Supreme Court ruled that a law that is race-neutral on its face, but is administered in a prejudicial manner, is an infringement of the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In the MV you can see that the blacks and whites inside were mixed. Whites, Blacks, toss it in! They’re one and the same.

5. Mountain of Clothes: ALL EQUAL!

In 2010, Christian Boltanski created a 40-foot-tall art installation at the Park Avenue Armory.

For Boltanski, clothes are simply a placeholder for 6000 real human beings who lived real lives. He told a journalist, “In my work there have always been a lot of photos of people, heartbeats of people—for me the clothing are people.” The magnitude of the pile illustrates the heaviness of all the hearts now lost.

In this work, Boltanski said that the mountain was an eternal afterlife of sorts, where every individual rests after death. In Boltanski’s view, we are all mixed together in death, no longer the distinct individuals we were in life. We become part of a great pile, individual pieces that have lost their minute details — a single, colossal entity.

This piece of art has been made in various cities all over the world.

BTS made themselves part of this mountain, a symbol of unity in lives lost due to discrimination.

6. Nods to the Sewol Ferry Tragedy: INJUSTICE

So many questions about these shoes. What I know… Jimin picked it up from the shore… and looked pale, kinda like he drowned.

It could honestly have so many meanings…

But given that this is an injustice close to their hearts, they might be giving nods to the Sewol Ferry tragedy.

The Sewol Ferry was a passenger ferry that capsized on 16 April 2014, killing 304 of the 476 people on board. More than 300 passengers were Danwon High School pupils on an organised trip, but only 75 students survived.

Months later, the captain of the ferry escaped the death penalty and has instead been sentenced to 36 years in jail for his role in the tragedy.

Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty and before the trial even started, President Park Geun-hye made a public statement condemning the crew’s action, saying that their decision to abandon ship had been “tantamount to murder”. The sentence means that the captain, aged 69, is likely to spend the rest of life in jail. In protest, friends and families of the victims laid out the shoes of the victims along with yellow cards and ribbons.

In December 2016, it was brought to light that 9000 artists were discriminated and blacklisted for criticizing the government and having a dissenting opinion in the Sewol case. In January, media leaked that Bangtan and Bighit donated money to the families of the Sewol family victims.

In the end of the video, Jimin is again looking sullen and holding the shoes.He was looking at the tree as if deciding what to do with it.

Another symbolism with a lot of interpretations in the video is the “shoes on the wire”. One other possible meaning for this is to give honor to the memory of a life lost.

7. The Yellow Ribbon: Symbol of Hope and Unity

The yellow ribbon has been used as a symbol of hope all over the world for a multitude of causes. From the desire for the return of American hostages held in Tehran between 1979 and 1981 to a fight against a dictatorship from a 21 year long regime in the Philippines in 1986.

The L finger symbol stood for the Filipino word “LABAN” which means FIGHT

For some it became a symbol of home coming and being reunited, hence the famous English song with lines that go, “Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree”. It symbolizes the hope of freedom, justice and return. This yellow ribbon has held different meanings to different groups of people but in all those times, it served one purpose, to be a symbol of unity for those part of a cause.

In South Korea, the yellow ribbon started as a symbol of hope for the return of 9 missing children from the Sewol Ferry Tragedy but it slowly grew to be more than that. It served as a reminder that the families that sought justice did not stand alone. The government slowly saw this as a symbol of rebellion and defiance. In truth, it sent a silent but unified message against the people who were the source of the injustice committed.

In the MV, you see Kookie having sole awareness (my obnoxious way of saying he was dead ass staring at the camera) while everyone was a moving blur.

After a while, he seemed to slowly realize that everyone else was moving around him and he joins the crowd.

Two possible meanings. First, the pessimistic view, is that Kookie was the one aware of the issues but no one else was. Everyone else was going about their own business and eventually Kookie joined the crowd…

The second possible meaning? The one I prefer. The more optimistic view, is that due to the movement of everyone around him, Kookie became aware of the need to move and act and joined the movement for the yellow ribbon cause.

Though sometimes you feel like you stand alone in the crowd fighting for something… look around, look closely… there are more people who understand your plight. Never stop moving. Eventually, if your cause is truly powerful, more people will move with you.

CONCLUSION!

Bangtan’s message was clear. For those who suffered injustice or have been discriminated against for being part of a minority, we know your untold stories. Your road may be unknown but YOU NEVER WALK ALONE

From the Book: The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas

Each one goes alone, youth or girl man or woman. Night falls; the traveler must pass down village streets, between the houses with yellow-lit windows, and on out into the darkness of the fields. Each alone, they go west or north, towards the mountains.

“They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back. The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.”

From The Movie Inception:

Cobb: You’re waiting for a train. A train that’ll take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you. But you can’t know for sure. Yet it doesn’t matter. Now, tell me why? Mal: Because we’ll be together!

See the difference? :)

5K notes · View notes