round 05, challenge eight: entry #01
Title: And Onwards!
Fandom and Pairing: Super Junior, bandfic (characters: Kibum, Sungmin, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Hankyung, Eunhyuk)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,498
Summary: Kibum works as a computer programmer for Neopets. Neopets!AU.
Warnings: None.
A/N: I took some liberties with this AU; for instance, the Soup Faerie is female and not male, but I switched it for the sake of the fic. Links to pictures of the different Neopets are at the end.
Sungmin blinks.
He's standing in the middle of a broad green plain, wildflowers nodding in the wind and filling the air with their fragrance. There are buildings in the distance to the east, obviously a city of some sort, and a little brook bubbling at his feet, winding off through the plain until it's a mere silver thread. The place is beautiful, but beyond that, he has no idea where he is at all.
He looks down at his paws, covered in soft white fur, and flops his ears experimentally. They slap against his cheeks, and with a little frown he hops over to the brook where he can bend over to look at his reflection. There he is: white fur, tiny pink nose, big pink eyes.
"Oh," he says out loud. "I'm a Cybunny."
"Sure you are."
He jumps at the voice, and swings around to see a Grundo standing behind him, hands on its hips. The little intergalactic creature is bright blue, antennae twitching furiously, but he's smiling and doesn't seem hostile.
"I'm Donghae," the Grundo says, stepping nearer. "What's your name? Are you new here?"
Sungmin nods cautiously. "I'm Sungmin. I guess I must be new, because I think I'm lost."
Donghae waves a little blue four-fingered hand at him. "Oh, you're not lost. This is where all new Neopets start out. You should probably head to Neopia Central, right over there." He points at the cluster of buildings far off in the east. "It's a good place to start off."
"Are you new too?" Sungmin asks.
Donghae laughs. "Me? No way! I just like to hang out here, because it's pretty." He bends over to sniff at a patch of yellow flowers at his feet - although Sungmin doesn't know how he can smell, because Grundos don't seem to have noses. "Sometimes new Neopets pop up when I'm here, and I help them out." He grins. "Oh look, speaking of which-"
A bright yellow Uni's just appeared next to them, and it shakes back its shining mane, pawing the ground. Sungmin takes a step back, and so does the Grundo - the Uni's large, probably fourteen hands in height, and it looks proud. But it surprises them when it smiles, the corners of its mouth turning up and folding into two deep dimples. "Hello there," it rumbles in a deep voice. "You both new, too? I just got here. What a beautiful place."
"Welcome to Neopia!" Donghae says, jumping to attention. "Well, Sungmin here is new, I'm not. Who're you?"
"My name's Siwon," the Uni says. "Do you know what we're supposed to do?"
"Oh, just head on down to Neopia Central, right over there," Donghae says, pointing. "You can go with Sungmin, so you guys have each other for company. Ask for Ryeowook the Soup Faerie, he'll give you food if you're hungry."
"Sounds good to me," Siwon says, looking down at Sungmin. "Here, I'll give you a ride."
He bends his forelegs at the knee, like a perfect gentleman, so Sungmin can hoist himself up onto Siwon's back with a little boosting from Donghae.
"Take care, guys!" Donghae shouts as Siwon breaks into a trot, and Sungmin waves in thanks.
___
Kibum enters the last few lines of code and stretches in his chair. It's lunchtime, but he stays on, tapping away at the computer, tweaking and rewriting pieces of code, until the tests run seamlessly, and he's able to call Youngwoon on his extension.
"Done, boss," he says triumphantly when Youngwoon picks up. "You can go to the test site now and run the tutorial program. Once we implement this, every new Neopets user will be guided through it so they can learn where to go and what to do."
"Good work, Kibum," Youngwoon booms down the phone. "What about that other program I asked you to write? The one for a new Faerie King quest?"
Kibum groans; if Youngwoon needs it soon, he'll have to put in overtime tonight. "I've been working on the tutorial for the last few days. When do you need it by?"
"I'll give you two more days," Youngwoon says. "Our US office is chasing me hard for it, they want to roll it out in time for Christmas."
"Got it," Kibum says, relieved that he doesn't have to do overtime at least, and hangs up.
___
They find the Soup Kitchen easily enough, tucked at the end of a winding cobblestone lane in the marketplace. The Soup Faerie looks up from the enormous cauldron of creamy soup he's stirring, and smiles at them. He's tiny and pretty, dressed all in blue, and has a pair of translucent yellow wings that makes the world turn a pretty yellowish tint when Sungmin looks through them. They're huge though, dwarfing the diminutive faerie, but he looks happy enough, humming a tune as he stirs a large wooden spoon around and around.
"Welcome to the Soup Kitchen!" he says, fluttering his wings. "I'm Ryeowook, and I run this place. Are you both new?"
"Yes," Sungmin answers; Siwon's mouth is hanging open as he stares at the soup bubbling away, and Sungmin doesn't think he's able to say anything until he's gotten some of it into his stomach.
"Well then," Ryeowook says cheerily, "here you go!" He plucks two large blue bowls from a stack teetering next to him and fills them to the brim with steaming hot soup, handing them to Sungmin, before directing them to rows of benches and tables set out in the field behind him, where lines of Neopets are already seated and slurping away. "Enjoy!"
They find seats next to a bright green Mynci named Hyukjae and a red Scorchio called Hankyung, and spend an enjoyable hour chatting about the sights of Neopia while eating. Hankyung's a little older than the rest of them, and describes the places he's already heard about from more seasoned travelers, to rapt attention.
"We should go exploring together," he says. "What do you guys think? Four heads are always better than one. It's safer if we stick in a group."
"Wait, wait," Siwon says, holding up a hoof. "We can't just go wandering about Neopia unprepared. Don't you think we need to get some money, at least, before charging off adventuring?"
Hankyung deflates. "Yeah, we do," he sighs. "I'm not sure how, though. I heard that you can get money from quests, but I have no idea where or how to find one."
"I'm sure Ryeowook would know," Sungmin says thoughtfully. "Why don't we ask him?"
And so the four of them trots back to where Ryeowook is, still hard at work with his cauldron. Sungmin taps one of his wings gently, and he turns around, smiling when he sees them.
"Hello!" he says. "Come for a second round? My soup is rather good, isn't it?"
"Uh, no," Hyukjae says, and Ryeowook's face falls; Hyukjae hastens to reassure him.
"No, I mean, it was good! Really good! But we're all full now, we just need to ask you something." Next to him, Sungmin, Siwon, and Hankyung nod, mumbling "Yeah, it was delicious" and "Best soup ever".
"Oh, fine then," Ryeowook says, brightening. "What did you want to know?"
"We want to do quests to earn money," Siwon says. "Can you tell us where we can start out?"
Ryeowook thinks for a moment, tapping a finger against his chin, before he smiles and nods. "Oh, yes. Just go to Faerieland, head to the palace, and look for the Faerie King. He gives out quests sometimes."
"Thank you!" Sungmin says, beaming at his new friends, and they grin back, their faces alight with excitement. Finally they have a place to go and something to do. "We'll head there now."
"Be careful though," Ryeowook says. "He can be temperamental, and his quests are extremely difficult. But the rewards are wondrous, or so I've heard."
"We'll be fine," Sungmin says confidently.
The four Neopets thank Ryeowook before turning and going on their way - to Faerieland, the Faerie King, and an adventure that will earn them the fortune they need. Sungmin, hopping along beside them, is very glad that he's come to Neopia and made these friends, friends whom he's going to explore the world with. He's never felt so happy in his life, even if -
___
Kibum stops, and looks at the clock; it's almost seven, and suddenly he feels very tired, his eyes aching behind his glasses from an entire day's close scrutiny of blocks of code on a computer screen. Sighing, he shuts off the program, making sure his half-finished work is saved.
He pulls a notepad towards him and writes in large letters: New quest for Faerie King Heechul - get storyboard from designers first!!!, before taping it to his keyboard so he'll see it first thing in the morning.
Yawning, Kibum shuts down his computer and stands up, looking forward to dinner and a good sleep. It's been a long day.
A/N 2: This is how Sungmin (a white Cybunny) looks.
This is how Donghae (a blue Grundo) looks.
This is how Siwon (a yellow Uni) looks.
This is how Hankyung (a red Scorchio) looks.
This is how Hyukjae (a green Mynci) looks.
This is how Ryeowook (the Soup Faerie) looks - or would look, if he was a girl faerie.
Fandom and Pairing: Super Junior, bandfic (characters: Kibum, Sungmin, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Hankyung, Eunhyuk)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,498
Summary: Kibum works as a computer programmer for Neopets. Neopets!AU.
Warnings: None.
A/N: I took some liberties with this AU; for instance, the Soup Faerie is female and not male, but I switched it for the sake of the fic. Links to pictures of the different Neopets are at the end.
Sungmin blinks.
He's standing in the middle of a broad green plain, wildflowers nodding in the wind and filling the air with their fragrance. There are buildings in the distance to the east, obviously a city of some sort, and a little brook bubbling at his feet, winding off through the plain until it's a mere silver thread. The place is beautiful, but beyond that, he has no idea where he is at all.
He looks down at his paws, covered in soft white fur, and flops his ears experimentally. They slap against his cheeks, and with a little frown he hops over to the brook where he can bend over to look at his reflection. There he is: white fur, tiny pink nose, big pink eyes.
"Oh," he says out loud. "I'm a Cybunny."
"Sure you are."
He jumps at the voice, and swings around to see a Grundo standing behind him, hands on its hips. The little intergalactic creature is bright blue, antennae twitching furiously, but he's smiling and doesn't seem hostile.
"I'm Donghae," the Grundo says, stepping nearer. "What's your name? Are you new here?"
Sungmin nods cautiously. "I'm Sungmin. I guess I must be new, because I think I'm lost."
Donghae waves a little blue four-fingered hand at him. "Oh, you're not lost. This is where all new Neopets start out. You should probably head to Neopia Central, right over there." He points at the cluster of buildings far off in the east. "It's a good place to start off."
"Are you new too?" Sungmin asks.
Donghae laughs. "Me? No way! I just like to hang out here, because it's pretty." He bends over to sniff at a patch of yellow flowers at his feet - although Sungmin doesn't know how he can smell, because Grundos don't seem to have noses. "Sometimes new Neopets pop up when I'm here, and I help them out." He grins. "Oh look, speaking of which-"
A bright yellow Uni's just appeared next to them, and it shakes back its shining mane, pawing the ground. Sungmin takes a step back, and so does the Grundo - the Uni's large, probably fourteen hands in height, and it looks proud. But it surprises them when it smiles, the corners of its mouth turning up and folding into two deep dimples. "Hello there," it rumbles in a deep voice. "You both new, too? I just got here. What a beautiful place."
"Welcome to Neopia!" Donghae says, jumping to attention. "Well, Sungmin here is new, I'm not. Who're you?"
"My name's Siwon," the Uni says. "Do you know what we're supposed to do?"
"Oh, just head on down to Neopia Central, right over there," Donghae says, pointing. "You can go with Sungmin, so you guys have each other for company. Ask for Ryeowook the Soup Faerie, he'll give you food if you're hungry."
"Sounds good to me," Siwon says, looking down at Sungmin. "Here, I'll give you a ride."
He bends his forelegs at the knee, like a perfect gentleman, so Sungmin can hoist himself up onto Siwon's back with a little boosting from Donghae.
"Take care, guys!" Donghae shouts as Siwon breaks into a trot, and Sungmin waves in thanks.
___
Kibum enters the last few lines of code and stretches in his chair. It's lunchtime, but he stays on, tapping away at the computer, tweaking and rewriting pieces of code, until the tests run seamlessly, and he's able to call Youngwoon on his extension.
"Done, boss," he says triumphantly when Youngwoon picks up. "You can go to the test site now and run the tutorial program. Once we implement this, every new Neopets user will be guided through it so they can learn where to go and what to do."
"Good work, Kibum," Youngwoon booms down the phone. "What about that other program I asked you to write? The one for a new Faerie King quest?"
Kibum groans; if Youngwoon needs it soon, he'll have to put in overtime tonight. "I've been working on the tutorial for the last few days. When do you need it by?"
"I'll give you two more days," Youngwoon says. "Our US office is chasing me hard for it, they want to roll it out in time for Christmas."
"Got it," Kibum says, relieved that he doesn't have to do overtime at least, and hangs up.
___
They find the Soup Kitchen easily enough, tucked at the end of a winding cobblestone lane in the marketplace. The Soup Faerie looks up from the enormous cauldron of creamy soup he's stirring, and smiles at them. He's tiny and pretty, dressed all in blue, and has a pair of translucent yellow wings that makes the world turn a pretty yellowish tint when Sungmin looks through them. They're huge though, dwarfing the diminutive faerie, but he looks happy enough, humming a tune as he stirs a large wooden spoon around and around.
"Welcome to the Soup Kitchen!" he says, fluttering his wings. "I'm Ryeowook, and I run this place. Are you both new?"
"Yes," Sungmin answers; Siwon's mouth is hanging open as he stares at the soup bubbling away, and Sungmin doesn't think he's able to say anything until he's gotten some of it into his stomach.
"Well then," Ryeowook says cheerily, "here you go!" He plucks two large blue bowls from a stack teetering next to him and fills them to the brim with steaming hot soup, handing them to Sungmin, before directing them to rows of benches and tables set out in the field behind him, where lines of Neopets are already seated and slurping away. "Enjoy!"
They find seats next to a bright green Mynci named Hyukjae and a red Scorchio called Hankyung, and spend an enjoyable hour chatting about the sights of Neopia while eating. Hankyung's a little older than the rest of them, and describes the places he's already heard about from more seasoned travelers, to rapt attention.
"We should go exploring together," he says. "What do you guys think? Four heads are always better than one. It's safer if we stick in a group."
"Wait, wait," Siwon says, holding up a hoof. "We can't just go wandering about Neopia unprepared. Don't you think we need to get some money, at least, before charging off adventuring?"
Hankyung deflates. "Yeah, we do," he sighs. "I'm not sure how, though. I heard that you can get money from quests, but I have no idea where or how to find one."
"I'm sure Ryeowook would know," Sungmin says thoughtfully. "Why don't we ask him?"
And so the four of them trots back to where Ryeowook is, still hard at work with his cauldron. Sungmin taps one of his wings gently, and he turns around, smiling when he sees them.
"Hello!" he says. "Come for a second round? My soup is rather good, isn't it?"
"Uh, no," Hyukjae says, and Ryeowook's face falls; Hyukjae hastens to reassure him.
"No, I mean, it was good! Really good! But we're all full now, we just need to ask you something." Next to him, Sungmin, Siwon, and Hankyung nod, mumbling "Yeah, it was delicious" and "Best soup ever".
"Oh, fine then," Ryeowook says, brightening. "What did you want to know?"
"We want to do quests to earn money," Siwon says. "Can you tell us where we can start out?"
Ryeowook thinks for a moment, tapping a finger against his chin, before he smiles and nods. "Oh, yes. Just go to Faerieland, head to the palace, and look for the Faerie King. He gives out quests sometimes."
"Thank you!" Sungmin says, beaming at his new friends, and they grin back, their faces alight with excitement. Finally they have a place to go and something to do. "We'll head there now."
"Be careful though," Ryeowook says. "He can be temperamental, and his quests are extremely difficult. But the rewards are wondrous, or so I've heard."
"We'll be fine," Sungmin says confidently.
The four Neopets thank Ryeowook before turning and going on their way - to Faerieland, the Faerie King, and an adventure that will earn them the fortune they need. Sungmin, hopping along beside them, is very glad that he's come to Neopia and made these friends, friends whom he's going to explore the world with. He's never felt so happy in his life, even if -
___
Kibum stops, and looks at the clock; it's almost seven, and suddenly he feels very tired, his eyes aching behind his glasses from an entire day's close scrutiny of blocks of code on a computer screen. Sighing, he shuts off the program, making sure his half-finished work is saved.
He pulls a notepad towards him and writes in large letters: New quest for Faerie King Heechul - get storyboard from designers first!!!, before taping it to his keyboard so he'll see it first thing in the morning.
Yawning, Kibum shuts down his computer and stands up, looking forward to dinner and a good sleep. It's been a long day.
A/N 2: This is how Sungmin (a white Cybunny) looks.
This is how Donghae (a blue Grundo) looks.
This is how Siwon (a yellow Uni) looks.
This is how Hankyung (a red Scorchio) looks.
This is how Hyukjae (a green Mynci) looks.
This is how Ryeowook (the Soup Faerie) looks - or would look, if he was a girl faerie.
