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boba-xing · 4 years

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Captivating {Chapter 9}

Fem!Reader x Werewolf!Choi Seungcheol (SVT)

Warnings: none (I'm sorry its short)

Taglist: @suhappysuho @captain-brie @seekerbabygirl @moon8894 @yippee-kay-yay @sehunnies-hunnie96 @lovinggalaxies @brokenbutchocolate @amixoferrthang @onewoowonderboy @3rachatraingoeschoochoo @sksk-x @haluim17 @jelly-fishy-babie @sakura-uji @psshwa @vernonvsblog

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It turns out Jihyun is a life saver, arriving not only to save you from overhanging awkwardness but to gift you your favourite ice cream. “Thought you might need it after last night.”

“You have no idea.” You sigh, bringing her into a hug, “Thank you so much.”

“Its really nothing, and you know if you don’t want to stay here you’re always welcome at mine.” she grins.

“That’s an offer she won’t be taking.” Jeonghan snaps from across the room and you can’t help but wonder what caused his attitude.

“Jeonghan!” you frown, glancing over to the handsome man glaring at Jihyun. Do they know each other?

“Men.” Jihyun rolls her eyes before taking your arm in hers and leading you outside through the patio doors. “So, you and Seungcheol, did you make up?”

“Hey, your supposed to be a distraction from that.” you smile, elbowing her a little.

“Oh, sorry.” she laughs, “What about the other guys? I mean, Jeonghan doesn’t seem that friendly.”

“No, he’s actually really sweet, most of them are.” you nod, “I’m glad they didn’t turn out to be a bunch of creeps.”

“True, well, they could be and they just hide it well.” she jokes, “You know, I really meant what I said, you’re more than welcome to stay with me anytime you need an escape from this place.”

“Well, I’m not just staying here for Seungcheol.” You stop walking and turn to face her, “I’m also staying here to be safe.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m having a bit of a stalker situation, someone has been leaving me weird messages and following me and we can’t work out who it is.” you sigh,

“Oh my god, ___, that’s awful.” Jihyun reaches out to rub your arm, “Don’t worry, I’m sure the police will find out who it is in no time and then you’ll be able to get out of here.”

You glance behind you, eyes meeting Wonwoo’s as he stands inside, looking at you through the window. You would feel uncomfortable but you know he’s probably just following Seungcheol’s orders and making sure nothing happens out of his sight.

“Creepy.” Jihyun raises an eyebrow, Wonwoo scowling at her.

“Do you know any of them?” you ask, confused about the boys’ hostility.

“The guys? No, I don’t think so.” she frowns, shrugging it off, “Guess they’re just rude to strangers.”

Her comment brings you back to when you first met them, and to be honest she’s not wrong - they weren’t the most friendly then either. “We should go inside, I think it’s going to rain.”

“Good idea, I need the toilet anyway.” she follows you inside. After showing her the way you decide to ask the boys about their weird looks and behaviour.

“Why are you acting so strange?” you glance between Jeonghan and Wonwoo.

“We’re not.”

“Yes, you are. You keep giving her weird looks.”

“We’re just keeping an eye out for you.” Wonwoo says, scratching his neck awkwardly.

“I mean, fine, if you want to be rude and then lie to me about it that’s your choice.” you pout, “Guess I’ll just have to tell Seungcheol you’re upsetting me.”

“___!” Jeonghan calls as you rush out of the room, grabbing you by the arm and pulling you into his grip, “Honestly, it’s nothing, we’re just wary after this whole stalker thing.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?”

“I didn’t want to remind you of that stuff.” he sighs, “Better?”

You roll your eyes. “Fine. But just because you're wary doesn't mean you have to be rude."

"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. We'll try to tone it down a bit." He says.

“Did I miss anything?” you both turn to see a confused looking Jihyun only metres away from you.

“Nothing important.” You smile, walking over to her. “Do you want to watch a film or something? We can eat the ice cream you brought.”

“I’m down.” she replies, linking her arm in yours as you both head for the living room.

“Thank you for coming.” you wrap your arms around Jihyun in a gentle hug before she leaves.

“No, thank you. I had a great time.” she grins and says fairwell before scurrying off to her car.

“Did you have a great time?” you jump at the familiar voice behind you and close the front door, turning to face Seungcheol’s form. He's looking somewhat timid but his height makes you feel small, and he surrounds himself with some sort of powerful aura.

“Yeah, it was nice to have someone else around.” you nod, looking shyly away from his gaze.

“Good.” he smiles, stepping closer to you and pulling you into his chest. He places a soft kiss on your forehead as you look up at him and you already feel the butterflies in your stomach going wild. “Do you want to spend some time with me now?”

“I don’t see why not.” you blink, letting him take your hand and guide you upstairs.

When you get to his bedroom, he pulls you onto his lap and lets you snuggle your face into his warm neck. God, you love how cuddly he is. “You fit perfectly in my arms, you know.”

You giggle softly, letting your gaze fall on the bedside table beside you both. It only takes you a moment to realise something’s off...and then you see it. Quickly sitting up, you reach out to grab the picture frame in both your hands.

“Cheol, this isn’t your sister.”

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iammarylastar · 7 years

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1. Father and son.

“You’re doing this damn wrong!”

He yanks the fishing rod from his son’s hands and starts reeling the hooked fish back, lifting and pulling on the rod.

“That fucker is a big one.” He grunts, fighting with Jack’s catch, finally pulling it out of the water.

Jack has the net ready to pick up the fish, but John unhooks the wiggling fish, fighting for its life and throws it back to the river.

“What’s the point with catch and release?” Jack asks, pretty pissed off to see their possibly dinner swimming away. They’re good for another awful undrinkable instant soup tonight.

“The point is to spend time together, not to kill innocent fish.”

Jack sighs heavily, that father-and-son week-end in the middle of nowhere, stuck with the man who fathered him but was more a ghost than a dad, is turning into the worst idea of the century. As promised.

“Like you would give a shit. How many bad guys have you killed by now?” He snorted.

“You yourself just said. They were bad guys. Those fish did nothing wrong. ”

Jack nods his head no, giving up.

“Well … What’s next? Did you plan to massage my feet or something?” He mocks.

“This is what the girls planned. We’re men. We will down some beers and have a talk.” John says, like there’s something they’re used to.

Jack grabs two beers from the cooler and throws one to his father. He somehow would rather share the spa with his mother and sister than having a talk with his so called father.

“A talk? Since when do we talk?” Jack laughs.

“I know, we’re not a very talkative family. But at least we could try.” John says with hope.

“I often talk to Lucy and Ma. But… sounds weird to speak with you.” Jack admits.

“Come on Jack, don’t be shy to me. What’s up?” John asks.

“Nothing new. The usual.”

That lame attempt to line up more than 3 words sounds ridiculous and not natural at all.

“Great.” John says, sipping his beer. That’s a good beginning. They never have shared so much.

A weird and uncomfortable silence settles down between the two men.

“Great, right.” Jack concludes, downing half of his beer. He could make it. Glancing at his watch, he quickly does his maths. 36 more hours and he would be free from this stupid tentative of reconciliation. If he manages to over sleep till noon tomorrow, the countdown would go faster.

“You live in a house?” John inquires.

“A flat. I’m away most of the time, remember?” Jack answers sarcastically.

“Safe exit? Outdoor stairs clear? Easy access to the roof top?” John questions.

“John… Beat it.” He suddenly regrets skipping to buy cigarettes. He doesn’t smoke but he thought it could be a good occasion to start. He needs a smoke right now.

“Any girlfriend waiting for you at home?

“Really? John you’re not ready for such a conversation.”

“Fuck off! Son, I’m your dad. I’m ready for worse than talking about your damn girlfriend! I saved your little ass more than once in Russia. Don’t you want to open your heart to your old father before he dies? ”

Jack wishes he was dead. Open his heart to his dad? Why not. But this dad? Bullshit!

“As I said, I’m away most of the time. Not the right job to get a girl.”

“I did. I got a wife and a family. If I could do it, anyone could.” John shows off.

“Yeah, teach me some tips… How manynominations for the Father of the year award did you get?” He snaps. This silly heart-to-heart talk is turning sour; how could it be otherwise?

“I did my best! Do you think it’s easy to be at home pampering or having your homework done whilst running after dangerous rascals?” John argues, his voice reaching its highest perchedsignature.

“Yippee-kay-yay motherfucker. That’s why I won’t have a family. Don’t wanna take the risk to waste other lives but mine.” Jack snarls before emptying his beer in a huge gulp.

“Are you kidding me? You don’t want to raise a family? You can’t be serious!”

“I have thought about it more than once. There’s no better option.”

“So I have fathered an idiot. Building a family is the best thing I ever did in my whole life.”

“If I may… the family patterns I grew up in really cured me of. There is nothing more I want than not being the father you were. You still are.”

“Dammit Jack. You’re whining again. He pauses, downing his beer then asks "Have I been such a bad father?

"You can’t imagine. The worst of the worst.” If he wants to talk, then Jack will tell him the truth.

“I think that’s a little bit of an exaggeration…” John starts.

“John! You sucked. You still suck. You pretend to know me, but you don’t.” John chuckles, ready to prove his point.

“When is my birthday then? You missed the latest 26th.” Jack cuts him off.

“I know exactly when you were born! Molly called me on her way to the hospital; I was speed chasing that guy who robbed the Bank of N.Y. I remember it like it's yesterday, it was a thursday, around June. It was hot as hell outside. ”

“Nice try.” Jack laughs.“I was born in January, the first day of Winter. It was a Monday and it was snowing. You blew up half of Manhattan, and ended up in the middle of the fire you lit, throwing a match too close to some wrecked cars.”

“Yes, that day was exhausting, I needed a smoke. And the fire was to celebrate your birth.” John remembers.

“Which you missed.” Jack glares at his father.

“Yeah, right. But at least I caught the guy …”

“He has been luckier than me then.” Jack whispers.

“Your mom was very upset at me when I arrived at the hospital.”

“Yeah she still is. "Jack chuckles.” You were covered with blood, your clothes torn and half burned and you were yelling like a bear at the nurses to let you in.“

"I wanted to see you. My son.” MacLane leans forward, elbows on his knees.

“Are you going to put on the sob act, aren’t you? I beg you, don’t…”

Jack is not ready to hear his father to open his heart to him. Definitely not. The emotions turn makes him uncomfortable. He thinks for a second he would need a hug. From his mom, who else?

Jack fiddles the corner of the label of his empty beer, then shyly spits out.

“There was this girl… I dated for months… about 5 years ago.”

Shade.

“She…” he fights to say the words. “She made me want to drop everything and settle down with her. You know… like she was the one. We even talked about starting a family but…” he doesn’t finish his sentence.

“What? What happened?”

“She let me down. She left and I’ve never heard from her since.”

John drops his empty bottle and grabs two new beers out of the cooler.

“She didn’t tell you why?” He -for once- sounds compassionate, and hands the cool beer to his son.

“Nope.” He sighs. “When I went back home, she was gone. She tore my whole wardrobe, crushed my TV and my heart in pieces. End of story.”

“Little slut. She didn’t deserve you.” He drinks a sip and goes on. “Went back from what?”

“A mission. The day I planned to propose to her, I was sent on a mission to Germany.”

“Shit! How long were you gone?”

“About 5 months.” Jack’s voice turns sad at the memory. She ruined his love.

“You gave news?”

“You know the rules, John. No calls, no mails, no tracks. The mission first.”

“For God’s sake, are you dumb? I knew I fucked up with you as a father, but you’re way more stupid than I thought.” John scolds his damn son.

“What?” Insults are not what he needs.

“You have left your girl for 5 fucking months? Nearly engaged? With no news? And you dare to say she broke your heart?”

“Because she broke it! I was crazy in love with her and she just… FUCK!” Jack throws his bottle which smashes on a rock. “Drop it. Gimme another beer. No chance you brought stronger drinks?”

“Nah. Your mother made me swear we stay sober.” John shoves his hand in the inside pocket of his jacket and gives his son a flask of whiskey. “She told me I better bring you back in one piece or I’m gonna be in heap big troubles.”

Jack grabs the whiskey and takes a sip, frowning as the amber liquid burns his throat.

“Troubles do know you, don’t they?” He chuckles.

“Fuck they do. So you were in love son?” John inquires.

“Yeah… I’m still wondering why she didn’t wait for me.” He scratches the back of his neck.

“Smart ass. Women will never understand what we do for a living. But what did you expect? It’s like you left her at the altar…”

“She knew my job. She was a cop herself. CIA. Special agent. We met on a mission. And if I remember correctly you did that to mom.” Jack mocks.

“I went to my wedding. Late but on time to say ‘I do!’.”

“Yeah. Mom told me about that. You were pretty late and not fit for a bride.”

“A cop! I bet things worked well between the two of you!” John focuses the subject on his son.

“Fireworks. She had a strong personality. Like mom.” Jack admits.

“McLanes are meant to date bitches, right?”

Jack reaches his beer out, waiting for his dad to cling his own. “Cheers, man. To strong women we loved and messed up with!”

“Cheers!” He bangs the beers together.“What’s that man thing? What happened to dad and John?”

“They’re obsolete. You’re growing old, man.”

A cell Phone chirps in the bag that lays between the two men. Jack rushes on his knee and grabs his Phone.

“McLane?” He answers. He listens carefully, nodding his head and humming yes to the speaker.

“OK. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.” He says, before grabbing his bag.

“Sorry John. Urgent call. I have to go back to my office.” He seems released to live his love life there, along with that stupid week-end.

“A mission?” He stands up and starts to gather their shits.

“Yeah. I’m summoned. Too bad for the fish. Let’s pack up and go. You’ll tell me where to drop you off.”

John stares at his offspring and utters.

“Who said you have to drop me anywhere? I go with you. Nobody will waste my father-and-son week-end.”

“But dad! ” Jack objects.

“Dad is back! ” he laughs. “As your dad I want to go with you. Last time we worked together was so much fun!” He walks towards the pickup and throws the fishing stuff in the back.

“You won’t get rid of me son. McLanes are back!”

“Shit.” Jack whispers. “OK! Let’s go ruin someone’s life then.”

Cover by Nancy. @jaihardy @bookwarm85 @kenzieam @oddsnendsfanfics @frecklefaceb @badassbaker @beautifulramblingbrains @societalfailure @jaicourtneyseyes @jaicourtneyforever @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @red-diary @captstefanbrandt

@angaleswannawearmyredshooz

#jai courtney #live and die hard #1 #jack maclane #jack and shade

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metalshea · 4 years

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A Perfectly Doomed Christmas Carol: A Reflection on A Perfect Circle Through Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.

Reflecting on the holiday season, I’m a little surprised at myself. Maybe it’s because the lead up to Christmas was shorter here in the United States than it usually is. The Thanksgiving holiday, our historic kick off for the Christmas season, was very late this year and so in some ways it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas time, yet. And so, I have yet to watch what is easily my favorite Christmas movie, A Muppet Christmas Carol.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a TON of great Christmas movies: Die Hard (YES IT IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE—I WILL FIGHT YOU!), Elf, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, The Santa Claus, Miracle on 34th St., It’s A Wonderful Life, and, of course, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original with Boris Karloff, not that Jim Carey nonsense), but there’s something about A Christmas Carol that resonates so clearly and seems so relevant beyond the holiday season. I can’t say that about many Christmas movies.

Ok, maybe Die Hard. Yippee Kai Yay!

Maybe it’s because I share a birthday with Charles Dickens, but I really love and appreciate his writings. There is a clear moralism running his body of work that is still pertinent even today. He continuously tries to call attention to disaffected working peoples, structuralized disadvantage, and implores his readers to simultaneously feel empathy and outrage. A Christmas Carol does this as well. I won’t spend long summarizing it because, really, who hasn’t seen or read it in the English-speaking world? If you haven’t, go check out A Muppet Christmas Carol, it’s surprisingly accurate to the original text and Michael Caine plays a great Ebenezer Scrooge. Or just read the novella and prepare to be shocked at the surprisingly unsettling atmosphere of the book. What, surprised that the original is actually pretty creepy? It’s supposed to be a ghost story!

“Dude, when are you going to get to the music?”

We’re getting there, I promise!

A Christmas Carol follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a deeply flawed and emotionally insecure man who insulates himself from his insecurities by devoting himself entirely to his business. He takes an “I got mine” approach to life, disparages and ignores the outside world—often at the expense of those in his employ or influence, and in the process begins to literally damn himself. Not to mention his name is literally synonymous with miser. Scrooge’s deceased friend appears to him in spirit form and basically sets him up for a round of speed dating with 3 ghosts who show him the error of his ways by bringing him through his past, the present world around him, and the very not too distant future.

Sounds familiar, right? If you speak English, it should ring a few bells even if you haven’t read any Dickens. The literary device he uses is pretty common in Western literature because it basically invokes Dante’s Divine Comedy: the idea of a character being led by around by spirit and shown a picture of the world around them or the world that awaits them.

“Dude, now you’re shifting to Dante Alighieri?! When are you getting to the metal music??”

Right now.

Just like Dante and Dickens, Maynard James Keenan uses the same literary trope in the writing of A Perfect Circle’s, The Doomed.

Did I just blow your mind?

Before I go further, if you haven’t heard the song, you probably should. Otherwise none of this will make much sense. If you have heard it, give it another listen. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDvfbvuJtS8

When this song dropped in 2018, it immediately resonated with me because of it’s use of religious symbolism, particularly the invocation of the Beatitudes. When I started actually reading the lyrics, I realized just what Maynard did in it’s construction and started to get excited, he basically alludes not only to the Beatitudes, the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Gospels, but the narrative structure of the song alludes to Dante. This religiously-raised, English-majoring musician and metalhead in started bouncing for joy. Not only is the song pretty damn good, but it has a freaking point! Hold me, Maynard!

But it’s Christmas, dammit, so we’re going to ignore Dante for now and instead examine this through the lens of A Christmas Carol.

Truth be told, I actually think A Christmas Carol is a better lens to view the song than Dante, anyway, but I’m pretty damned sure that Maynard wasn’t even remotely considering it when he wrote The Doomed, let alone the absolutely glorious Muppet version. Alas!

Ok, let’s start with the song itself and maybe some context.

The Doomed is a damning portrayal of our current societal state. You could probably make an argument around equality or neoliberalism, Trump’s America or capitalism, or the global refugee crisis, but I don’t think it’s meant to be so narrow a commentary, and for our purposes, I’d rather focus on the religious language at play here.

The song was released in 2018 and was probably written closer to, if not in 2017. At the time there was a growing on focus on the plight of the disaffected and a growing dialogue about how people interact with others with different life experiences. There was a Huffington Post OpEd from around that time that this was likely being written titled “I Don't Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People” that sums up the broader societal dialogue quite nicely. I wonder if Maynard read it as well?

Before going too far down that particular rabbit hole, let’s actually break down the lyrics. The vocals open:

Behold a new Christ Behold the same old horde Gather at the altering New beginning, new word And the word was death And the word was without light The new beatitude "Good luck, you're on your own"

To my eyes, the song opens from the perspective of Dante’s Virgil. Or, since this is Christmas, the Ghost of Christmas Present (GCP). In my head, I picture the scene where Scrooge and the spirit stand outside the window looking into the Cratchit’s kitchen. The spirit explains to Scrooge what he is seeing, an impoverished family making the best of what they have. In Maynard’s retelling though we aren’t greeted with a touching Christmas scene, but rather a new Sermon on the Mount. In the opening lines of the song, he immediately calls to mind the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. But it is the last two lines of the verse that are the most striking and set the tone for the rest of the song:

The new beatitude "Good luck, you're on your own"

For those who are not Christian, or for those Christians that never learned about The Beatitudes, it helps to have some extra context. The Sermon on the Mount is a scene from the Gospel of Matthew and elaborated on in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus Christ gives a lengthy sermon to a crowd and during this famous speech, he issues The Beatitudes. You can kind of think of them as the New Testament’s answer to the Old Testament’s 10 Commandments and be kind of in the right ballpark. For all the hype and focus in Western society on the 10 Commandments, the Beatitude are often overlooked by a lot of Christians. Which is kind of bonkers if you think about it and may hopefully become more apparent by the end of this article.

Christianity is big on layering imagery and call-backs to earlier Biblical writings. Seriously, Christians love that shit. It adds a feeling a depth and purpose to The Scripture. We can sort of view the weightiness of The Beatitudes through the doctrine of the Trinity. Basically the idea that The Son, The Father, and the Holy Spirit are all one in the same being. Ergo Jesus Christ is the literal physical manifestation of God. Just as God the Father literally wrote the 10 Commandments in stone, Jesus Christ, The Son, issues a new set of Commandments, The Beatitudes, in the Sermon on the Mount.

Yeah, they’re supposed to be THAT important.

Most Christians can name probably 6-7 of the 10 Commandments without too much thought, but they probably don’t know The Beatitudes, at least as a term. That being said, almost everyone would recognize them:

Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are the patient; they shall inherit the land. Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for holiness; they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful; they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart; they shall see God. Blessed are the peace-makers; they shall be counted the children of God. Blessed are those who suffer persecution in the cause of right; the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are you, when men revile you, and persecute you, and speak all manner of evil against you falsely, because of me. (Matthew 5:3-11)

The Gospel of Luke, a later chronological writing than the Gospel of Matthew, further expounds upon The Beatitudes, adding a bit more flavoring and essentially turns them into action items rather than just virtuous states of being:

27 And now I say to you who are listening to me, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who treat you insultingly. 29 If a man strikes thee on the cheek, offer him the other cheek too; if a man would take away thy cloak, do not grudge him thy coat along with it. 30 Give to every man who asks, and if a man takes what is thine, do not ask him to restore it. 31 As you would have men treat you, you are to treat them; no otherwise… 36 Be merciful, then, as your Father is merciful. 37 Judge nobody, and you will not be judged; condemn nobody, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and gifts will be yours; good measure, pressed down and shaken up and running over, will be poured into your lap; the measure you award to others is the measure that will be awarded to you. (Luke 6:27-31, 36-38)

Luke also offers a complimentary set of warnings to accompany the Beatitudes, known as the 4 Woes:

Woe upon you who are rich; you have your comfort already. Woe upon you who are filled full; you shall be hungry. Woe upon you who laugh now; you shall mourn and weep. Woe upon you, when all men speak well of you; their fathers treated the false prophets no worse. (Luke 6:24-26)

When I was growing up in a very devoutly Catholic household, I remember my mother telling me that as important as the 10 Commandments are to the foundations of what was then my faith, The Beatitudes were absolutely critical to my being a good Catholic and, what’s more, no person could ever hope to have a shot at entering heaven without ascribing to them.

Something about a rich man, a camel, the eye of a needle, and the prosperity gospel, amirite? But I digress.

It’s funny, re-reading the Sermon on the Mount and Luke 6, after I don’t know how many years, I really am struck by how the Beatitudes really are positive action items. The quotes I provided above don’t really delve too deeply into how the broader context of the Beatitudes demand positive action. This is article is going to be long enough as is without dissecting the full text of the Sermon on the Mount from both Gospels of Matthew and Luke, but they’re interesting pieces to read from a moral philosophy perspective even if you’re not religious. Where the Commandments say essentially, “Don’t do this or else”, the Beatitudes basically say: “Do these things, act this way, and you will be rewarded; don’t do them and you won’t be”. That is a MARKED difference in tone from the Commandments, and it is baffling why as a religion Christianity focuses so much on the consequences of negative behavior as opposed to the positive outcomes for good behavior.

Getting back to the song, it is through the Beatitudes that all people are called to approach and treat others with compassion and empathy. As the GCP shows us though, this is no longer the case: you are no longer expected to care for others, and you should not expect them to care about you. You’re on your own now.

As The Doomed progresses, we get a better picture of scene the GCP shows to Scrooge. The underlying music shifts to more of a march feel. There is a call-and-response at play between an unnamed preacher, the New Christ, and his followers, The Same Old Horde:

Blessed are the fornicates May we bend down to be their whores Blessed are the rich May we labor, deliver them more Blessed are the envious Bless the slothful, the wrathful, the vain Blessed are the gluttonous May they feast us to famine and war

Maynard covers a lot of ground in these two short verses. He’s alluded 3 Gospels already--2 of which we’ve dug into, I’m not getting into John here, but yeah that allusion to the Word comes from there (among other places… Christianity is big on scriptural call-backs, what can I say?)--and now he’s inverting the Beatitudes by referencing the 7 Deadly Sins and even the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Damn. Maynard’s smart.

Like the Beatitudes, the 7 Deadly Sins are familiar to most Christians, but they’re fundamentally misunderstood. They are not explicitly Biblical, and their legacy mostly comes down to us through early Christian mysticism and through the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. They are: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. What sets these apart from sin as it’s normally understood is that they are not actions. According to Aquinas, sin is a moral evil that is not in accord with reason or Divine Law and it fundamentally requires some type of decision and action. The 7 Deadly sins are more states of emotional being that lead us to moral evils. Through wrath and anger, we’re prone to violence and poor decision making. Through sloth, we’re prone to inaction in the face of evil. And so it goes.

The 7 Deadly Sins are inherently selfish mindsets. They are considered so in Western culture because allowing ourselves to fall victim to our lust or greed is the same as saying that we are sating ourselves potentially at the expense of others. Such a mindset is in direct conflict with the words of Christ vis-a-vis the Beatitudes. The contrast is so strong that, in a way, you could look at The Beatitudes and the 7 Deadly Sins as extremes on the end of a spectrum. It is the human condition to err towards the Sins, but it is imperative for all humans to move towards the Beatitudes, not only for their salvation but for the betterment of society (anybody else catching a whiff of Freud here? Id/Ego? Just me?). Maynard flips the script: the worst impulses of humanity now guide us.

The music shifts again, this time to something more innocent sounding, and we hear our Scrooge speak for the first time:

What of the pious, the pure of heart, the peaceful? What of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful?

It’s a little difficult to tell if it’s our Scrooge or GCP who utter the next two lines, I like to think it’s the latter, but the sentiment is the same either way:

All doomed All doomed

In this new world, those that embrace the values and actions embodied by the Beatitudes are left behind.

The music picks up again and the GCP again address Scrooge. The atmosphere almost feels more somber and reflective:

Behold a new Christ Behold the same old horde Gather at the altering New beginning, new word And the word was death And the word was without light The new beatitude: "Good luck"

This repetition of the earlier verse brings us back to Dickens’ scene outside the Cratchit’s: The spirt echoes the earlier words of Scrooge while Scrooge solemnly considers Tiny Tim’s health: “’If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.’”

The music shifts, again, this time back to the innocent, meek section we heard earlier in the song. Scrooge interrupts GCP:

What of the pious, the pure of heart, the peaceful? What of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful? What of the righteous? What of the charitable? What of the truthful, the dutiful, the decent?

Once again Scrooge directly references the Beatitudes, but this time he expands beyond them, alluding to people that embody other parallel virtues to those referenced in the Gospels. There’s a sense of pleading and desperation to his words as Scrooge tries to capture the gravity of the implications of GCP’s descriptions.

The music shifts again to the marching beat, with a dissonant guitar lead, purposefully played off key. GCP is becoming angry and annoyed. “You’re not getting it, stupid”. He responds through Maynard, who now sings with a clear edge to his voice:

Doomed are the poor Doomed are the peaceful Doomed are the meek Doomed are the merciful

For the word is now death And the word is now without light The new beatitude:

GCP directly calls out a number of the virtues of the Beatitudes, but this time his cynicism is crystal clear. He finally exclaims to Scrooge, anger boiling over:

Fuck the doomed! You're on your own.

Again, I’m reminded of Dickens and the final exchange between Scrooge and GCP. Scrooge laments the state and health of those whose lives he has just seen. The sprit, angry that Scrooge still seems to be missing the big picture—that Scrooge bears responsibility for their state, let alone their opinions of him—uses Scrooge’s own words to drive the point home: “’Are there no prisons?" said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses?’". It’s a final, damning rebuke for Scrooge to ponder before being confronted by the most terrifying spirit of the night. Just as we are left to ponder the implications of the “New Beatitude”.

See, I told you there was a good reason to use GCP as the narrator as opposed to Dante.

Plus, Christmas.

So there.

Some final thoughts:

I’ve been struggling how to relate the two children that accompany the GCP in A Christmas Carol, named Ignorance and Want, back to “The Doomed”. In some ways they could be tied into the 7 Deadly Sins as they are both expressions of pure human selfishness, but, you know, square peg/round hole. Still food for thought though.

Even as I have moved in my own faith journey from Catholic to absurdist (a la Albert Camus), I still refer to myself as “philosophically Catholic”, and have been known to reference Luke’s version of The Sermon on the Mount in casual conversation, specifically this gem:

By what right wilt thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me rid thy eye of that speck, when thou canst not see the beam that is in thy own? Thou hypocrite, take the beam out of thy own eye first, and so thou shalt have clear sight to rid thy brother’s��of the speck. (Luke 6:42)

I love that image.

The Beatitudes, The Woes, the 7 Deadly Sins, and their larger roles as measures of personal morality are really meaningful to me. Even though I don’t consider myself Christian, I still ascribe to them. They are guideposts towards achieving The Golden Rule—if such a thing could be considered a state of virtue—and in their broader context they are calls for us to engage of certain types of action, especially considering Matthew 25:36:

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Re-reading The Beatitudes for this post, I’ve also been so struck by how little sense of primacy there is in them compared to the Commandments. There’s no explicit demand that we follow the Christian God, but that we embrace the Beatitudes and their broader contexts as moral bedrock. Christ reflects later in the Gospel of Luke that not using them as the basis for our personal morality would be like building a house in a flood zone on dirt instead of bedrock. There’s a lot of truth to that, and that message transcends a lot of the nonsense that tends to lead people away from the religion.

I think Maynard might be coming from a similar viewpoint. The values that we are supposed to espouse and embody are outdated in this New World. Kindness is obsolete. Those that embrace virtue are kicked aside just as readily as those that we would otherwise consider to be lesser than ourselves. The Doomed urges us to reflect on this and consider how we view the people and world around us. Like Scrooge, in order for us to make a substantive change in ourselves and around us, we need to really consider what we’re seeing before us in the present moment.

And it’s not a pretty picture.

But it’s not all bleak. The last line of the song uses the conjunction and pronoun “You’re” and “your”, respectively. Both variations of “You”. We could spend hours discussing and dissecting the grammatical implications of the lyrics, but suffice it to say: as much as a condemnation as the last line is, it’s also a recognition that it’s on us to act. No one else.

I’ll end this 3500-word beast on that note.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Let’s do a little bit better every day.

Shea \m/

#a perfect circle #a christmas carol #maynard james keenan #eat the elephant #charles dickens #Christianity #sermon on the mount #beatitudes #seven deadly sins #heavy metal #metal #alternative metal #catholicism #thomas aquinas #aquina

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anyorderofus · 7 years

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Famous last words.

Evening all!!

We hope you’ve had another positive week and are ready to start the next!!

As it’s our penultimate week (I know...madness) we thought we’d let our entries do the talking!

Next week, for our final blog of this project, the title shall be...wait for it...yes you guessed it...Elton.

You have no idea how much we wish this week’s had been next week’s but, therein lies the beauty of life. The surprises and sudden unexpected finales, now, please enjoy this week’s entry!

Nico&Alexandra|Alexandra&Nico

NICO

I want to play a game. I decided to list some famous last words from movies. I mean the words themselves aren’t famous in some cases, but the fact they’ve been heard by millions of people and have echeod through pop culture history makes them pretty famous right? Now there are tonnes of blogs (I couldn’t say literally as I don’t know how much a blog weighs) regarding last words by characters in movies, I haven’t checked BUT what I hope will make mine more interesting is I’ve turned it into a quiz! I’ve put the quote now it’s up to you to remember which movie they’re from and which character said them! Now don’t worry, it is challenging, and I don’t necessarily think these are the best movie deaths ever or anything, just 10 that are from movies most film fans would have seen, also naturally they’re very dramatic, otherwise we wouldn’t remember them. I made a rule also that I had to remember them myself before double checking to make it fair and make sure it’s possible. Hopefully there’s a good mix in there too, family films, cult films, blockbusters, etc, but they’re all known.

So there’s no eye-rolling these are selected by the context of their death in the original narrative. If they come BACK as ghost, as a vampire, as a cyborg or just miraculously with a new hat in a sequel, reboot 40 years later, sidequel, prequel, reimagining, TV show (clues clues clues!) they ended their lifespan, within the context of the original material, after saying these words. Example, the T-100 dies at the end of both Terminator 1 & T2, different characters, even though same actor same model robot etc. Also if you don’t remember from these quotes, you just don’t remember, and that’s ok.

AND to help you narrow them down if you’re completely stuck, I’ve put them in order of release date so you can have a bit of a hand as I want this to be fun, not a massive headache finishing in you kicking yourself…in the head. Again, I’d like to point out, original release date, not cinema re-releases, ‘definitive cuts’, remastered versions etc etc (more clues clues clues).

Ok! So here we go, ten famous last words!! Good luck!

1. Secure our turf…BECAUSE IT’S ALLL OUR TURF!!

2. …and all these moments will be lost in time…like…tears…in rain. Time…to die…

3. You were right…you were right about me…tell your sister you were right.

4. You think you can kill me with bullets!? I take you’re f*****g bullets! Go ahead!

5. What was it you said to me before? Yippee-kai-yay...mother-f****r?

6. Now the light she fades…and darkness settles in…but I will find strength…I will find pride within… because although I die…our freedom will be won…though I die…La Resistance lives……..on.

7. Shadows and dust.

8. I feel......cold.

9. It’s been a funny sort of day, hasn’t it?

10. It’s ok boss…this was never going to work…unless they had something to…

ALEXANDRA

I don’t need my last words to be famous but I want them to be extraordinary.

I make no secret of wanting to see my name at the top of a poster on the walls of the National Theatre one day in the not too distant future and I guess I have always imagined my last words being said on stage.

Imagine:

The year is 2207. I am approximately 190 years old and starring in yet another key role on the NT Stage in a play that is yet to be written*.

*I know, one day a lady over the age of 45 will have a key role in a stage play. Another blog perhaps.

My character’s granddaughter comes in and asks me a profound question about life as a human in a world of robots, probably – because it’s 2207. She will ask me something like, ‘Were we always this obsolete?’ to which I will give an equally profound answer.

My granddaughter will continue to talk but, awaiting my next line, the actor playing her will look at me, repeat her line and think, ‘Oops – perhaps she’s fallen asleep again’. But nothing. Eventually, she will touch my cheek – still warm – and feel my last breath leave my body. As she lets out a small gasp and a single tear, Gary will let the safety curtain down and –

BOOM! The lights dim on Broadway, in the West End and even at that little regional theatre I toured to in my late twenties. The headline of The Stage will be the last line I said and soon become a trending hashtag on the 2207 equivalent of Twitter.

I’d get two ‘last words’ in if I died on stage, wouldn’t I? The lasts words as me and my last words as me in character. That would be extraordinary.

And if that doesn’t happen, which it very well might not, and if instead, my last line happens in a futuristic nursing home as I reminisce over whatever life I’ve had, that would be okay too. Because I suppose it’s really more about who you say your last words to than what they are. It’s about who you leave your legacy with.

Even if ‘Yes please’ to, ‘Do you want Countdown on, love?’ are my last words, at least they will be polite.

If they are ‘I’ll have a coffee and a chocolate digestive, thanks Carol’, at least they will have shown me to be decisive and have had good taste.

And if, in or out of character, my famous last words are ‘No dear, we were extraordinary’, then I could always be remembered as that.

And that would be okay.

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claro3goesfullfandom · 7 years

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On the subject of the suace fiasco, and also on the subject of the Pick Rick episode: Die Hard does not end with Holly throwing herself into John's arms and apologizing for not seeing him for the badass he is, and giving up her career to move back to New York. The emotional/character arc of the movie is quite different. It's genuinely adult, unlike Rick, or the kind of fan bullshit that's all over cons and forums and, now, McDonalds' restaurants, and gives fandom a well-deserved, totally earned bad reputation. The abusive, pseudo-macho self-indulgence of Rick's behavior and the weird, totally un-self-aware cult/mob behavior of fans over the Szechuan sauce are basically the same, and they're a microcosm of what's wrong with geek culture: people who watched Die Hard and quote "Yippee Kay Yay," but fundamentally don't understand why John apologizes to Holly at the end. I'm just gonna white-knuckle my way through Ready Player One and hope this smug, stupid, adolescent bullshit ages out of fan spaces someday. Or maybe it's a bigger culture problem? I mean, look at Congress.

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boba-xing · 4 years

Text

Captivating {Chapter 7}

Fem!Reader x Werewolf!Choi Seungcheol (SVT)

Warnings: swearing, dark themes/mentions of torture

Tagged: @suhappysuho @captain-brie @seekerbabygirl @moon8894 @yippee-kay-yay @sehunnies-hunnie96 @lovinggalaxies @brokenbutchocolate @amixoferrthang @onewoowonderboy @hhhhwww7 @9rachacha @sksk-x @haluim17 @jelly-fishy-babie @sakura-uji @psshwa

You’re sitting on Seungcheol’s bed, a glass of water in your shaking hand, barely able to speak. Your mind is flooded with a mixture of fear and wonder of what is happening downstairs. Since Seungcheol carried your frozen frame upstairs a silence has passed over the house.

Said man is currently sitting opposite you, at the end of the bed, clearly concentrating hard on what he should say. After what feels like hours of waiting he finally speaks, “You said you were interested in mythology...vampires and stuff like that.”

He’s looking at you now, analysing your fearful expression as you nod.

“Well, vampires don’t exist, of course.” he nods, “But, werewolves, well, they d-”

“You’re telling me that was a werewolf?” you breathe,

“Y-yes, yes it was.”

“In your living room?”

“It’s more complicated than that though.” he scratches the back of his neck, “You see, it’s kind of hard to say. I’m not sure if you’re going to believe me.”

You just stare at him.

“Well, me and the boys, we’re a pack...um, a pack of werewolves. We can turn into them, it’s just, well, that really.” He bites the inside of his cheek, blinking at you,

“What?”

“We’re werewolves.” he repeats, “I’m the leader of the pack, I’m an alpha and that’s why I have such authority over the others. And the blood on the shirt you saw on the first night you came here, that was from an attack...another pack.”

You look at him for a moment, taking in everything he’s saying and trying to understand what you think.

It’s bullshit.

You slam the glass down on the bedside table before storming out of the room and down the stairs, Seungcheol following close behind you. You turn around once you’re outside the door. “I’m not taking part in your sick fantasy! What the actual fuck is wrong with you? Is this some kind of furry convention or something?”

“___, I swear to god I’m not making this stuff up! I’m being serious.” he says, clearly frustrated.

Instead of answering him, you scurry down the driveway. You have absolutely no idea where you’re going to go considering you’re basically surrounded by woods with no transport. You pull at your hair, arm forcefully grabbed by Seungcheol to pull you back in his direction.

“For fucks sake, ___, I’m not playing. I know this is hard to believe, but don’t you feel bad for me? Even a little? I can’t help being like this. The boys can’t help being like this! This is just how we were born.” His eyes are wet with tears, “Please, just hear me out. We’re not going to hurt you, I’d never hurt you, you know that!”

“You’re crazy!” You rip your arm out of his grasp and rush away, legs carrying you as fast as you can down the driveway. You manage to pull your phone out, slowing down as you realise Seungcheol is no longer following you. You call Jihyun, your friend from work, and she kindly agrees to come pick you up.

You can feel Seungcheol's eyes on you as you wait for her to arrive and you already know he's going it'll only be a moment before he comes over.

And it is.

As he draws closer you see the tear stains on his cheek, and the determination on his face to pull himself together. "___, please listen to me. I would never lie to you. And I'm not crazy, even if I am, at least I care about you."

You look away from him.

"I know it's hard for you to understand, but I just want the best for you, I want you to be safe. I want you to be loved, and happy, and with me. I care about you, so much, please don't cut me off because you don't understand something." He begs.

Headlights drawing near catch your attention and you stand up as the car approaches, Jihyun's friendly face appearing in the window.

"Bye, Seungcheol." You say quietly as you get in the car.

---

“Please, please, let me go.” You beg, arms yanking at the handcuffs in hope you’ll somehow break free,

The dark figure in front of you just laughs, completely warped and unrecognisable.

“Please.” You cry, hot tears streaming down your cheeks as you pant, breathless, “I’ll do anything, whatever you want! What do you want from me? Please!”

“Maybe you should’ve listened to him.” the voice cackles,

“Listened to who?” You sob, letting your head fall down to face your shaking legs,

The voice doesn’t reply and instead you hear heavy footsteps drawing closer. You jump as a hand finds your neck, gripping it tight and squeezing, squeezing until all the air has left your lungs.

You wake up drenched in sweat, body shaking as you try to calm your breaths. Taking a moment to pull yourself together, you sit up and glance around the dark room.

You don’t like the dark.

With a sigh you make you your way to the bathroom and wash your face with some reluctance. Although startling, the cold water clears your lungs and calms you down.

You draw yourself over to the kitchen, grabbing yourself a glass of water. You only take a few sips before placing it down on the counter, realising you forgot to close the curtains. A chill runs up your spine. Someone could easily be watching you right now.

You hesitantly make your way over to the window, glancing down at the street. There’s one car you recognise, and as your eyes meet the driver you realise he was already looking at you.

Slipping on a coat and shoes, you scurry down as fast as you can, rushing over to the car as soon as you’re out of the building.

“Joshua?” you ask,

“Get in.” He says after rolling down the window, “Not to go somewhere, just to talk.”

You nod, hopping in the car and shutting the door securely. “What are you doing here?”

“Watching.” he looks at you, somewhat serious, “In case anyone tries to get to you again.”

“Let me guess, Seungcheol sent you?”

“Well, yes, but I’d like to think I would’ve done it anyway.” a small smile forms on his face, “We’re friends.”

You nod, glancing down at your hands.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” he asks with a frown, “Not tired?”

“I slept terribly.”

“I don’t blame you, after tonight I wouldn’t sleep well either.”

You rest your head against the headrest.

“Listen.” He begins, “I know you don’t want to believe it, but the whole werewolf thing is true. And if you just gave us a chance, maybe you would realise we aren’t the man-eating monsters everyone makes us out to be.”

“Werewolves aren’t real.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you think they’re real or not, you like the fantasy, that’s why you drown yourself in fairytales and folklore. Sure, it’s not as scary, or as sweet, as it’s made out to be. But how can you run away from something you’ve dreamed of?”

“I watch horror films, that doesn’t mean I want to be in one.” You sigh,

“It’s not like a horror film.” he groans, “Sure we turn into big, dangerous wolves, but we’re still human. We’re still people.”

You look up at him.

“What is it you’re afraid of?”

“I don’t know any of you, like really know you. I’m supposed to be staying in a house with a bunch of men, who are apparently werewolves, with a...I guess...boyfriend? Who scares the living shit out of me when he gets mad and apparently knows exactly where I am all the time. It’s weird?! What part of that sounds appealing to you?” you explain, “And to add to that, I’m being stalked by some creep who drugs people close to me.”

“I know. But ___, just give us a chance, okay? Seungcheol really cares about you and he only wants you to be safe and happy. Come back home with me, and we can sort things out.” he pushes, knowing his next sentence would have him thoroughly beaten if Seungcheol knew he said it, “If you go a week and realise you don’t want to be around us, that’s fine, you can leave.”

This whole situation is crazy. You never signed up for this. You want to go back to your life before this, curled up in bed, single and eating pringles, but you know you can’t....and there’s a small spark of hope in your heart that maybe, just maybe this whole situation could work out? Maybe Seungcheol could be the one for you, and maybe this whole werewolf situation is real...but safe? You know you won’t be able live with yourself if you don’t follow this path. You need to know what happens.

“Please?”

“O-okay.” you nod, Joshua instantly beaming at you,

“Thank you!” He laughs a little, slamming his hand down on the steering wheel,

“I’ll be back in a second, I’m gonna go and get my phone.” you say before moving swiftly out of the car.

You make it back up to your apartment, rushing to your bedroom to grab your handbag and phone before scurrying back out to Joshua’s car. Of course, you fail to notice the previously full glass of water you left on the counter is now empty, and your purse is home to a small, bitter note.

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boba-xing · 4 years

Text

Captivating {Chapter 5}

Fem!Reader x Werewolf!Choi Seungcheol (SVT)

Warnings: vague mentions of alcohol/drugs

Tagged: @suhappysuho @captain-brie @seekerbabygirl @moon8894 @yippee-kay-yay @sehunnies-hunnie96 @lovinggalaxies @brokenbutchocolate @amixoferrthang @doyouknowkpopp @hhhhwww7 @9rachacha @sksk-x @haluim17 @jelly-fishy-babie @sakura-uji

“Hey.” Seungcheol greets you with a warm smile, gesturing happily towards the closet he’s already put the majority of your clothes in. You’re hit with slight embarrassment when you realise he probably put your underwear away too, but you brush it off when you remember he’s too much of a gentleman to be bothered by that (and he helped you pack it anyway). Joshua gives you a nod before heading out.

“Hi. Wow, I didn’t think you’d put it all away too.” you smile back at him, “Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem, I want you to be as comfortable here as possible.”

“It sure seems that way.” You sit down on the bed and he follows your motion,

“I do have to say though, the boys and I tend to go out for drinks and meeting other friends every few nights, so I’m sorry if we wake you up or anything.” he says, “The boys can be very loud and chaotic, so it’s best if you stay in here so you don’t get caught up in the mess.”

You’re a little confused about his sudden statement, but it occurs to you that you should respect his lifestyle, they are of course kindly letting you stay in their home. “Okay, that’s fine with me.”

He wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him and pecking your lips, “You’re so wonderful.”

Your cheeks tint pink as you kiss him back, “And so are you. Really, I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

“Hmm, maybe just more kisses? I feel like now we’re past that milestone I should be getting at least twenty a day.”

“Twenty a day?!” you laugh,

“Thirty it is.” he chuckles and you smack his chest,

“I don’t think your friends would appreciate that.”

“I don’t care.” he smiles, “If they had a girl like you they’d want it too.”

“Oh my god.” You hide your face in his shoulder, “Can we change the topic?”

“Fine.” he grins, gently stroking your hair, “What did you think of the guys?”

“They seem...interesting.”

“I know.” he looks down at you, “They’re honestly not half as bad as they seem once you get to know them.”

“They don’t seem bad. They just have a range of personalities.” You glance back up at him, “I was kind of expecting them to be more annoyed that a stranger is coming to live with them. I mean, I would be...”

Your eyes scan across the room.

“I feel like...this is all so fast. I met you - what - less than a week ago? And now we’re here.” you question your own sanity slightly, but having spent a night with Seungcheol (in a vulnerable state) you can’t help but trust him and that he has good intentions. For some reason you have a strange feeling he would never hurt you.

“I know it’s soon.” He gently clasps your hand in his, eyes flickering back to yours, “And I’ve never been in this position before. In fact, this whole dating thing is new for me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the last romance I had was with hair gel when I was twelve.” he chuckles, “I’ve been too busy to focus on a relationship.”

“Busy? With what?” you smile,

He hesitates for a second and you notice a millisecond of changed demeanour that you could’ve missed in a blink. “Just...things were always difficult growing up, I wasn’t the average kid, and that’s why I’m so glad to have found such great friends that have the same struggles. And, I hope one day you’ll accept me for who I am too.”

“Cheol.” You lean over, wrapping your arms around his big frame and suffocating him in a hug, “I’ll always accept you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

That night you find yourself accompanied by several other men while you and Seungcheol watch a soppy romantic comedy. You were also somehow convinced into getting them all popcorn (which of course they couldn’t pick a flavour for and you ended up making several different batches) and drinks (involving a variety of spillages from a large boy called Mingyu). And, even though you’d been hoping for a romantic night with Seungcheol, you found yourself almost enjoying the banter shared with the boys.

“Why do they kiss like that? There’s so much tongue!” Soonyoung, who has been talking over the entire film, complains, “Eugh, he’s literally consuming her face.”

“Shut up!” You toss the pillow next to you at the noisy man and he smiles cheekily back at you.

“Don’t be mad because she’s getting more action than you are.” Chan teases, quickly finding himself being smothered with said pillow.

Your phone buzzes in your pocket and as you unlock the screen your smile begins to fade.

Heyy ___ canaj yiu paick me ump?

21:52

You stare down at your phone for a moment, shocked at the text you just recieved from Minhyuk’s number. Is he drunk? Did someone drug him? What if he’s in danger? You’d spent the whole day trying to distract yourself from his disappearance but what if this whole time he’d been fine. Or what if he hadn’t?

With quite some force, you jump to your feet, dragging Seungcheol out of the living room by the arm. You show him the text, practically hyperventilating.

“Do I- do I call him?” You ask, panicked.

“___, breathe, okay, just- let me do it, I’ll find out where he is and then we’ll pick him up, okay?” Cheol has both hands steadying your waist and he gently takes the phone from you, pressing the call option. Stepping away from you momentarily, he breathes a sigh of relief when the call is answered. “Are you alright?”

You can vaguely hear Minhyuk’s drunken questioning through the phone.

“I’m her friend, Seungcheol, she’s with me, don’t worry.” He explains, “Tell me where you are...you’re lost? What’s around you?...Okay, I know where that is, I’ll see you soon, alright? Don’t move.”

He hangs up and gently hugs you.

“Don’t worry, baby, I know where he is. Go and get in the car and I’ll tell the boys we’re going out.” He presses a kiss to your head before disappearing back into the living room.

Moments later you’re met back at the four-by-four by Seungcheol...and Chan?

“I’m afraid he wants to come with us-”

“-I’ll be your bodyguard, Miss ___.” he jokes, taking the seat in the back,

“Right.” You laugh, quickly returning to your thoughts.

If Minhyuck was alright, where was he this entire time? And why would someone sneak into your apartment to leave a note if they were just going to set him free? What if you went to pick him up and the stalker was with him - gun to head? And if so, did they drug him out of his mind so he wouldn’t be afraid?

Your thoughts were getting worse and worse, you didn’t quite understand why you were experiencing so much concern for someone who had so little for you, but your panic is clearly obvious as Cheol places a consoling hand on your thigh. “It’s alright, love, he’s going to be fine.”

Time seems to accelerate and you begin to find your surroundings familiar. Your eyebrows furrow as the car pulls in to the place you met Seungcheol - the launderette. And when you make out a familiar figure in front you practically leap out of the car (followed heel-to-heel by Chan) and grab the man in your arms.

He, himself, stumbles, clearly under the influence of something. “__-________, loooong time no seeeeee.”

“Are you okay?” You scan his body for any damage but he seems fine, and Seungcheol quickly grabs him, yanking him in the direction of his car. He wasn’t exactly expecting you to hug him like that, and even though he wanted the best outcome he wished you hadn’t been quite so happy to see your roommate.

“He’s fine.” Seungcheol nods, getting Hyuck in the back with Chan. “We can get Shua to run some drug tests when we get home, he doesn’t smell much like alcohol so I doubt he’s drunk.”

“R-right.” You nod, looking back at Minhyuck as you get in the car,

“It’s best to get out of here as quickly as possible, love.” Cheol adds, “If something sketchy’s gone on we don’t want to be involved.”

You nod your head in response, quickly shutting the car door, completely unaware of the eyes still watching you.

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