ALLEGIANCE.

taejun’s character is heavily rooted in the theme of  PROPHECY , with him serving as the almost “guardian” / forefront protective figure and fulfilling the metaphoric role of the prophet / visionary in this connected canon, i thought this to be a fitting first ( and pivotal ) addition to the repertoire of abilities unique to him ; figuratively, it serves a role in initiating the “breakdown” of barriers between individuals, human or otherwise. 

as there are a number of variations in how other media portray this ability in terms of how it is named, to how it manifests and operates ( a lot of which i’d like to deviate from and adjust to suit my muse and universe ) , my detailing of  LIVE / ADAPTIVE TRANSLATION  will based on my own original lore , and the outline of this is as follows .   PLEASE GIVE THIS A LIKE IF YOU’VE READ THROUGH IT  ! 

***  DO NOT COPY / REBLOG / REPOST OR DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THIS :  I WILL NOT TOLERATE THEFT .

↳  001 :  an important preface : this ability is  DIFFERENT  to that of omnilingualism , which entails innate or “instant” fluency in all languages , and should not be confused with it . rather , the ability of adaptive translation serves as a reciprocal ( non-physical ) automatic live translation “device” through which those engaged in conversation with taejun will be able to understand him  REGARDLESS  of any prior knowledge in korean ( or essentially whichever language he may be communicating in ; korean is simply his native tongue and thus, is the language he is most inclined to / comfortable in using ) and VICE VERSA :  he’d be able to understand what is being said to him REGARDLESS of his own prior knowledge ( or lack thereof ) in the language being spoken to him. with those being the basic mechanics, the following explanation will detail the specifics to further expand on this.  

↳  002 :  TAEJUN WILL STILL BE SPEAKING IN HIS NATIVE TONGUE ;  however , to the person listening to him ,  it will sound as though he is speaking to them in  their first language . as an example, if a native mandarin speaker were to hear taejun addressing them , they will simply hear his reply in their native language despite the fact that he’d be speaking in korean in actuality, and otherwise THINK NOTHING UNUSUAL OF THE CONVERSATION ( than perhaps simply be mistaken that taejun is a fluent speaker of mandarin ) . the conversation will still flow seamlessly , as though it is occurring between two ( or more , depending on how many are involved ) native / fluent speakers of the language(s) involved in the conversation . therefore , from this , it will effectively mitigate barriers to communication between taejun and people who are native in other languages in the context of written interactions / threads on this blog .

↳  003 :  from taejun’s perspective , he is also capable of overhearing and understanding whatever is being said in a near vicinity , regardless of what language is being spoken ; the range over which this can occur ties in with his superhuman ability of ENHANCED HEARING , and can span to a large room or even a small building . this also covers NON-SPOKEN language such as sign language or mouthing of words , which he will be able to interpret on sight if he is close enough to be able to see the person who is communicating in those languages, and written information, which is detailed further below . 

↳  004 : there is a small element of  TELEPATHIC / RECEPTIVE UNDERSTANDING  involved in this ability to account for synonyms and homonyms , instances where there is a lack of equivalent direct translation ( e.g. language-specific slang terms ) in the languages involved and the underlying intent behind the words being said ; as such,  LIE / TRUTH DETECTION  is an ability that links in with this and comes into play . this is  NOT  “traditional” telepathy and is more subdued / restricted, as taejun is only able to “read into” no more detail than the context around the words being spoken / communicated to him ( i.e. upon detection of a verbally spoken lie, he could gauge that the other person was lying for the purpose  to conceal their identity , in other words, the reasoning behind it, or connected motives , such as what their real name is , but no more than that ; he would  NOT  be able to directly obtain extensive details from the person by these means, such as their job history, where they came from, their involvement with another specific person, etc. unless  DIRECTLY CONNECTED  and of enough significance to what has been spoken aloud ) .  this part also factors in  WRITTEN EXCERPTS , in which a similar process is carried out by receptive understanding of the text presented front of him by means of sight or physically touching the object involved, such as a book or a mobile device ; a stronger understanding is far more likely if taejun is in physical contact with the object than by sight alone.

“ ... I KNEW I HAD A CHOICE : TO DIE OR TO SURVIVE .  AND SURVIVE I DID .  ”

better ideas for chance encounters than a bar or coffee shop:

a storm is delaying our flight home and i’m afraid of thunder, please talk to me while we wait

we’re both in small claims court and i got into a huge fight with the person suing me but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there

i drove two hours to the closest video rental store that’s still operating and you were checking out the only copy of the movie i was after

i hit you with my car but luckily you’re okay, but we should still exchange information i guess

our friends that we came here with went off together and now we’re making awkward small talk

i was worried about buying something off of someone creepy from craigslist but oh no you’re hot

my friend talked me into playing a drunken game of spin the bottle even though we’re all adults and now we have to make out

we both decided to take a [yoga/fencing/cooking etc] class and we’re the only two assholes not taking it seriously and everyone else is giving us dirty looks but we keep grinning over at each other

my date just made a scene in public and got arrested and now i’m stranded in a city without a ride home

sharing a cab together

you’re trying to get me to sign a petition and i have no idea what you’re talking about

you’re drunk at this festival and dancing on the table and when you eventually fell i caught you

i tried to get a part time job at this place right by my house but they hired you instead and i have to see you every day when i go there now

blind date!

❝   WELL  ,  i guess  not —  ❞   taejun supposes , before falling silent .  as though tethered to the neon splendour that is seoul in its state of stupor , he basks in the  QUIESCENCE  that swathes the city at night— the crisp air nipping at his nape , the neon maze of lights flickering from beneath where he is stood , the stretches of road along which cars hasten towards an unknown destination .  in these things , he finds an unlikely  solace  , yet penitence is never far , ever - persistent . when left with nothing but his own mind for company , he retreats , a prisoner of his own aphotic thoughts in lieu of the steadfast disposition he strives to upkeep— a wavering .  for beneath the stoic exterior that shrouds his being lies a vulnerability he cannot shake . anent this , the heart is but a dam to house memories and feelings alike— there is only so much force it can fathom before it begins to weaken and yield .  supporting the barriers with sheer  WILLPOWER  alone provides no more than a temporary , fleeting fix . 

perhaps it’s her company that he isn’t used to , nor does he know what brings her here ,  but he doesn’t question the ostensible : it provides a welcome distraction , and taejun accepts it with open arms .  people don’t ask , he doesn’t tell :  it’s much better , easier that way .  

he leans forward against the metal parapet , cigarette precariously held between thumb and forefinger ;  the barely-there smile on his lips is a transparent attempt to mask his despondency  as he breaks the silence ,  ❝  i don’t suppose you’ve got a lighter on you ?  i’ve been meaning to get out of the habit for good, but that hasn’t worked out well so far .  ❞ 

@variforme

                ❝  …is this amount of mayonnaise – actually, I prefer not to know the details about what people put into their bodies.  ❞  Exasperated sighs escape her body, as if an exhalation of her very soul – sheer horror painted upon her features. Fingers trail along the surface of her smartphone, the very display of western nonsense. Perhaps, there is a method in their madness — yet, she is much too aware that, is merely, WISHFUL thinking.