SBB 2016 ENTRY #16: AFTERLIFE (8/8)

[replaymods]

Title: Afterlife (8/8)
Pairing: Minjung/bigender!Jonghyun
Rating: R--NC-17
Genre: Angst / Horror / Sci-Fi
Warnings: Character death, gore, body horror, prescription drug abuse, suicide attempt, mention of self-harm, mentions of food
Final Word Count: 74,000~

Comments

[soypants]

“Like...I don’t know,” Taemin said. “We were eating dinner and he looked sorta dazed, you know? But I just figured it was the heatstroke. I kept telling him to drink water, since that’s what the doctor had said. And then he said he was tired, and wanted to go to bed, so he got up and carried his dishes to the sink and then, I don’t know, I guess he fell or something? And I ran over and he was just lying on the ground, and shaking all over--”

ah yes, the return of Panic

He smells really bad--I think he shat himself

Okay this is so gross but these details are my fav like this just involves you so much more in the realness of the illness

“Oh hey guys,” he said, managing a half-hearted smile when they approached. He waved the empty cup at them, and Minjung could see a tiny spoon rattling against the side. “Got my ice cream.”

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

shiny with oozing pus.

: )

It looked soft, almost juicy, like an overripe plum, and it smelled horribly. Splotches of reddish purple had appeared on his shin and calf, and were already blistering and oozing.
: )

“I’m saying you’re going to need a double amputation below the knee,”

: )

“No, really,” Minjung fed a five dollar bill into the machine. “Pick something.”

i love minjung;;; i love taemin;;;

The video froze on the same frame, with the mouth on the pixelated face opened in a silent scream, and the unmistakable stumps of two legs, amputated just below the knees

this is so casually horrifying i love it

“How scared they must have been, as they watched their own bodies rot in just a few hours.”

i love

“I have to,” she said reluctantly. “I already called in sick once a couple of weeks ago, and I’m going to suddenly be ‘sick’ again for all of next week as we travel. I feel like I can’t leave them in the lurch like that. I wanna work ahead a little. Give them a boost for next week.”

I love minjung's need to carry on with her routine its a very nice detail

“His duties?” Jonghyun laughed again. “That will take like, five seconds. ‘Taemin, please watch our house. Try not to destroy it while we’re gone.’”

rip okay but this is taemin we're talking about jonghyun

“He’s my child,” Jonghyun sniffed. “All good moms are trash for their children.” He tapped out another text. “I’ll tell him we’ll pick him up tomorrow afternoon.”

I just love jongtae's relationship;;;

absently picking a wedgie on the way
Im Sobbing

“I don’t blame her,” he said. “I think I would too. Except not an oven. I’m...I’m scared of being burnt. But I’d wanna go before--before it got too bad, you know? Before it went too far.”

~foreshadowing~

he sent a shamefaced smile in Junghee’s direction. “Like I said, I haven’t showered since Thursday.”
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But Taemin was not interested in a relationship, with them or anyone

my aro babe;;;

[soypants]

“Not really,” Sooyoung said, bluntly.

ouch

“When I’m with boys, sometimes I just feel so gay, like I’m the gayest gay boy in the world. But sometimes when I’m with girls, I feel like such a girl.” He gazed across the crevasse at the opposite wall. “I love girls,” he said, wistfully.

i, a small emo

Minjung stirred on the doorstep

the transition from the memory is so jarring but in a good way i love it

where she stole another glance at Holly and Indira. Both of them still had their backs turned to her, and she snatched several bottles: a few narcotics, some strong antibiotics. She dropped them into her purse, grateful that the security cameras in the grocery store could not catch every recess of the pharmacy.

minjung is just;;;; so fantastic i love her;;;;

“Don’t fuck up our Netflix queue,” Minjung warned.

r i pppp

“When is he gonna visit?” Taemin whined, in the plaintive voice of a child begging for a snack, or asking if they could leave timeout early.

Ah, yes. Impending doom.

“Who said anything about leaving him?” Junghee replied. She unbuckled Taemin’s seatbelt, and eased his body down sideways until his head was pillowed in her lap. “I’m not leaving him.”

these characters are so R e al im sobbing

“Help me,” he sobbed in panic, as he tried again and again to rip his own arm off, only managing to tear the skin into shreds.

jesus

It gave easily under her knuckles, his cheek caving in as he staggered to one side and fell to the floor. He squirmed, rolled over on his stomach, and tried to get back on his hands and knees, but she took a step back, and reached for the heavy table lamp they kept on one end of the sofa. Her fingers curled around the slender neck, and she wrenched it free of the wall with one strong tug, swung it back over her head, and then brought the base down with a sickening crunch onto Taemin’s head, smashing his skull like a rotten gourd.

i physically recoiled from this awesome job

Junghee just looked at her. “But I wanted to die,” she said flatly. “I want to die. Why did you bring me back?”

;;;;;;;;;

“I would never do that to you,” she repeated, and she knew it was true. She could never do anything to harm Junghee. She would never do anything to shorten the last few minutes she might have. Death was the final separation; she would not hasten it.

this is so well written;;;;

[soypants]

“Oh,” he said softly. “You’re on the edge of your worst nightmare? How terrible for you. You’re right. Nothing I dealt with compares. I’m just actually in my worst nightmare. Two of my friends died. No biggie.”

Okay so one of my favorite things about this fic is that all of the characters are so real and imperfect and so relatable like this argument doesnt feel forced or implausible and i just really admire your ability to write things that are that believable

Jonghyun stood back, breathing heavily, and dropped the stool. “Killing’s easier than I thought it would be,” he muttered.

omg

Her bruises and her lingering terror felt like a kind of penance for what she had done to Taemin. Her guilt eased a little.

noooooooo;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

The same hands that had clung to Minjung last night were now curled into fists in Junghee’s lap, and the same small body that Minjung had held close was now turned away from her, hunched in a ball in the passenger’s seat. The car was tiny, but Junghee seemed very far away. Minjung’s day dimmed a little. The sun above shone on with the same warmth and brightness, but it no longer warmed her as fully.

a really beautiful passage

“I want to break up with you,” Junghee said.

w h a t

Before the world ended, Minjung had always dreamed that she and Junghee would be together forever. A vague dream that she had never really fleshed out, built on the imagined security of a future she had not yet lived. She knew now that she didn’t have forever. She’d never had forever. But she had this moment, with Junghee’s hand in hers, as the sun set over the canyon. And it was enough. Nothing else mattered.

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[soypants]

Okay so final thoughts:

I think that the aspect of this fic that is so entirely all consuming is that your ability to not only construct characters that are complex and interesting, but are so real and tangible, is so masterful and compelling. Every part of this fic flows seamlessly into itself and the slow crawl of raw emotions like despair and loss is so wonderfully written that it not only sucks the reader into this world that you've created, but it becomes one in which the reader cannot simply separate themselves from the complex emotions that you not only encourage the readers to feel alongside your characters, but that you demand of them.

I really enjoyed the horror aspects of this fic and while I am verrry squeamish I think that those details are what really makes this fic for me. You didn't shy away from writing the messy parts and I think that's what makes you such an incredible author. You weren't afraid to present disease as disease. You didn't need to hide behind flowery words.

Overall this story is incredible and the amount of dedication and work that must have gone into something not only very long but incredibly complex both narratively and emotionally is beyond commendable. You should feel incredibly proud of what you have accomplished with this fic.

Thank you so much for writing this story!