#I think Beth finally understand that Rio is on her side

[juuuuunaaaaaooooo]

The way they look at each other….Especially Beth in this case!! I COULD CRY <333333

[michelleelizabethtanner]

I love your takes sm!! I feel like so many brio fans are just rio fans in disguise because the hate that Beth receives is insane to me.

Do people not see that (despite him being hot and just the right amount of flirty and very occasionally tender) Rio holds the power in the relationship for about two seasons and a half?And I’m not hating on Rio either! His actions make sense from his pov but so do Beth’s. A lot of the time Rio uses her feelings and insecurities against her in the first few seasons, sure he encourages her and believes in a side of herself that no one else does- he didn’t get a lick of fucking hate for that- but when Beth makes a decision for her family (Ruby and Annie included) she gets hate for not “choosing Rio”, but I know for a fact she would get hate if she didn’t as well and would be called some iteration of the “boy crazy” insult. And I’m not one to defend the shooting storyline, but Rio really fucking pushed her, when there’s even a little bit of tenderness in their relationship, he can’t help but ruin it. Like after the bathroom scene he went and destroyed deans car just to tip the power scales. It’s like she gets punished for him not wanting to deal with his feelings on their partnership.

Season 4 is one of my favourites because, despite all their history, he’s the one to put his faith in her, much like she did in season 1 and 2, but instead of doing the same thing he did to her- generally manipulating and using this against him- she’s a bit kinder and does choose him. Includes him in the people she’s protecting and vice Versa. Sure she teases him- which I love their dynamic in s4 just being her teasing him and him having to just take it because nick has posed a threat to the security of their already fragile relationship.

I’m not sure where I was going with this- I just love them and need a season 5

Hey! Thank you for all the likes and for the follow! I’m so glad my takes work for you. 🥰 I adore Beth Boland. I’m a fan of imperfect female characters all-around, but something about Beth is just so relatable to me. The ways in which she takes back her power are so human and so understandable, despite the preposterous situation. I love Rio, too. They’re so similar to me. They don’t see their own social power and power over each other. I think Rio does realize it more than Beth does, as you mentioned. He knows he’s in control with her, and he continuously reminds her of it. Until she upended all that and equalized their playing field.

And you’re right, Beth got a ton of hate for standing up. I can see how objectively it’s “unfair” and blah blah blah. But as you mentioned, what choice did she have? I had a long ramble about their shifting power dynamics in this post, where I awkwardly tried to explain that men often kill women over hurt feelings. And Beth knew she’d hurt more than his feelings. So of course she had to shoot him! It was either him or her, in her mind.

I mourned a s5 that could have been for a long time. So much so, that I spent a year and a half writing my own. Lol! I did finally let it go and moved past that empty feeling about the conclusion. If nothing else, I have this suspicion that a s5 would have been frustrating and not as fulfilling as we all hoped. So maybe it’s better to leave it in our imaginations.

[imaginesbygrace]

i'm sorry (Rio)

Masterlist

Forgiving Rio was hard. You couldn’t fault him for his past, because everyone, even you, had baggage. But when that baggage comes knocking and asking for a job—and Rio complies—you can’t help but feel a bit annoyed. 

But still, you tried to be understanding, maybe this was just the kind of thing that girls with criminal boyfriends deal with? Still, he made you feel about this small when he couldn’t bother to stop Beth’s shameless flirting and lingering touches. So, you packed a bag and left. And then stayed gone. 

Rio got nothing more than a short two minute phone call explaining that you were done, why and to never speak to you again. He didn’t think you were serious. Yeah, he could admit that he fucked him, and he fucked up bad—-still, he didn’t think you’d ignore him for this long. 

Rio sent flowers to work and your new apartment. He had Mick tailing you everywhere, fixing any problem or issue to come into your path. He complies with your choice to cut him off, verbally anyway. Rio didn’t contact you once, no letters or calls. Mick followed you at a distance, giving you some semblance of normalcy. He doesn’t go near you. 

He sends food from his grandma, all your favorites because he didn’t want you to miss out on them because of him. Sometimes his grandmother even calls to invite you over, promising that Rio wouldn’t be in attendance and she has been true to her word since. 

It took six months before Rio snapped. He decided he was done sitting around and waiting for you to give him the chance to earn your forgiveness, he’d go find you and get you back before that idea even crossed your mind. 

Rio opted to go without any gifts, but with groceries. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t nervous, he was nervous, finger shaking anxious. It took him five minutes of almost knocking your door before he actually knocked on your door. 

The following fifteen seconds were the longest fifteen seconds of his life. Not that any of it mattered when you opened the door, and Rio was shocked into silence while looking at you. It wasn’t that you had changed since he last saw you, it had just been so long since he actually saw you. 

You tucked your hair, which was still wet from the shower you took before dinner, behind your ear. You were in leggings and a hoodie, comfortable and beautiful. “Hey,” he finally spoke. 

“What are you doing here Rio?” He winced. Rio. He wasn’t expecting an endearing greeting per se, but a Chris would’ve been better than nothing. 

Rio racked his mind for his reasoning to break her demand of separation. The weight of the bags in his hands sucked him back to reality: he has to win you back and actually talking would be a good start. So he lifts the bags, “I was hoping I could cook you dinner.” 

You don’t answer, just lift your eyebrows at him in question. Did he really think you’d just forgive him? Finally, with a small huff and all the attitude in the world you answer him, “You must have confused me with someone else.” This time Rio’s brows lift. “I’m not one of those soccer moms you boss around like trash, Rio. I was your girlfriend and I expected you to treat me as such, with respect and as your equal. And if you think some ass kissing, major stalking, or any of this other nonsense is enough without even actually apologizing—” you took a breath— “-then you got another thing coming.” 

With that said, you slammed the door shut in his face. So he tried again the next day. This time, speaking the moment the door swung open. “I’m sorry.” Rio sighed softly. “I ain’t mean to hurt you like that, you’re more important than some old side piece. Business aside, I’ll have Mick do all the drops and have someone else meet with them if they need something,” He promised.” You don’t say anything and he takes it as his chance to continue.

“I brought food again. I owe you dinner, and so much more. Please, mama, give me the chance to earn your trust back.” You stared up at him for some time and Rio’s heart dropped lower and lower with every passing second. Just as he was about to take a step back and apologize, you turned around and walked back inside—leaving the door open. Rio smiled at the empty space where you had stood and quickly followed behind.

[inriospocket]

Would you mind writing this as a birthday present for me please ❤️? Rio and reader are good friends. She’s got a big crush on him but knows he’s never going to go for her. She’s more on the curvier/nerdier side and saw the girls he goes for (not to mention what a lovesick puppy he’s around Beth). A deal goes wrong and she tries to cheer him up and help solve it, but he gets frustrated and ends up taking it out on her calling her awful things. She’s very hurt by his harsh words and ends their friendship and disappears from his life. Once Rio is calmed down he finds a present waiting at his house (she had keys to his house which she also left with the present). It’s a birthday present for him with a card saying very corny loving stuff and a line saying “I wish you would see me and think of me worthy of your love” or something similar. Up to you if you want to give it a happy ending and/or add some loving smut. Thank you and I hope you’ve got a beautiful weekend 😘❤️.

I'm so sorry this is so late and I hope you had the best birthday! When I read your request, just to be completely transparent I was a little skeptical about the idea of the reader giving Rio a gift after he treated her like shit so I twisted it up a bit so it wasn't like she was trying to earn his affection through a present that he never deserved. So I hope you like this anyway. :)

Loving You

word count ♡ 1,032

summary ♡ Rio and reader are good friends until a deal goes wrong and he takes it out on her.

situation ♡ angsty/mildy fluffy

warnings ♡ shouting

-

You’d like to think that you and Rio were good friends. Essentially, you were but from your perspective, you wanted more but never thought he’d feel the same. You were beautiful inside and out but you always thought he couldn’t see it. You pictured him loving another societal norm.

You believed he could have never loved your chubby figure and your spew of random facts and aced trivia as if that should have been an issue at all.

But all in all, you had a great connection and you helped him through his worst and his best but sometimes he did take you for granted.

“Are you okay, Rio?” You asked him as he walked through the door, slamming it behind him. You usually went over to his house earlier because you had a key, waiting for him to get home so you both could hang out like usual.

He went straight to the kitchen to pour himself a drink; something to relax him and help him think or maybe just to forget.

“What happened?” You asked, walking towards the bar. “Don’t worry ‘bout it.” He ignored her, taking a large sip.

“No, you’re obviously upset. Did something go wrong? Was it a bad deal?” You pushed until his loud tone made you jump.

“NO! I said don’t worry about it, whatchu not understanding?” He looked at you, perturbed.

“...I was just trying to he-” You started to say quietly but he interrupted. “I don’t need your help, Y/N. You’re not my girl, and never will be.” He said.

You were taken aback by his statement, not really understanding the correlation. “I never said I was...” You said, hurt.

“Why you still here?” He asked, and you felt flustered. “I guess I’ll just go then.” You said, getting your purse to leave.

You couldn’t sleep that night. You wondered why you were never good enough for the people you loved. You were embarrassed, realizing that he knew this entire time how you felt about him and he held it against you to finally push you away.

You took your pillow and held it to your face, screaming into it. You hated yourself for still worrying about him, and for what? What was it all for? Holding him down, being a good friend, putting him before anyone else.

But for once, you took this is as a sign to start new, fresh, finding you and loving you. You didn’t bother texting him like usual to check on him, you deleted his number, quit your shitty job and took the final leap to do what you wanted to do.

Meanwhile, a couple of months went by and Rio continued to grow his business. Money was always coming in, but he still felt like he was lacking in something, or maybe someone. He came home from a long day of work to a package on his doorstep. He didn’t order anything recently so he was skeptical until he opened it. You remembered his birthday, like you always did.

“I’m not a photographer, but I can definitely picture you and I together. Happy Birthday, Rio.” The card read and he smiled, for the first time in a long time but it faded away once he realized how shitty he treated you.

He knew you were in love with him, but he was too busy chasing money and other women. So, he took it upon himself to track you down, and try to win you over in person.

Bouquet in hand, he knocked on your door but was surprised an unfamiliar face opened it. The man in front of him was literally the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. Rio was attractive in his own way that made women swoon but he had to admit, this guy was attractive in a different way.

“I’m looking for [Y/N].” Rio said. The guy looked at the bouquet and then back up at him before calling you.

“Babe! Someone’s here for you!” He called. You came quickly, surprised to see him standing there. You motioned towards your boyfriend to give you privacy and he gladly obliged.

“Hey...” You said, giving him a small smile. He scanned you from head to toe, realizing how attractive you were but he just never noticed. Actually, it kind of surprised him that you still looked the exact same and you were. The only things you changed about yourself were from within, glow ups don’t always have to amount to your appearance.

That was also something you had to learn as well.

“I just wanted to apologize.” He said, handing you the bouquet. “Well...thank you. These are beautiful.” You said, smelling them.

It was an awkward silence until he spoke up again. “I’m kind of surprised you left me that note that was in the package you sent considering...” He started, hinting towards your new boyfriend.

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion until you realized he finally received his birthday gift. “Oh! I’m sorry, I sent that a long time ago so you’d be able to open it on your birthday,” You chuckled.

His smirk fell when he realized that he didn’t have a chance, even before coming to you. He opened up feelings that were no longer there.

“[Y/N]! Hurry up, pizza’s getting cold!” Your boyfriend called. You looked back, grinning from ear to ear.

Rio felt a bit envious of the both of them but was happier for her more than anything. You didn’t expect to find someone new but he stumbled on your path and showers your most vulnerable parts with adoration so why not keep him?

“Thanks for the flowers, I hope you find your happiness too Rio. Just...not with me.” You said.

Rio smirked at how straightforward you were now. “Thanks, mama.” He said, turning on his heels and finally walking out of your life.

Anyone else would have thrown the flowers away with the way he treated you all this time but you kept them.

You watered them, and cherished them but just like some relationships, some feelings even, they wither away and die.

It wasn’t because you didn’t love them; it just wasn’t meant to live for you.

[hypermania]

So how are we feeling about that brio angst?

well. i do love angst. the angstier the better. but to be perfectly honest i did not enjoy that episode at all. it didn’t feel like angst to me. it felt like a non-sensical destruction of 4x06 and 4x07. i don’t understand what the point of putting so much emphasis on the scene of beth making a choice outside of the bank was if she didn’t actually choose anything?? i know we didn’t see her actually make a choice but the implication was that she did. 

last night i was telling someone that my issue with what happened in this episode is similar to what happened in 2x13. beth’s reactions (shooting rio/turning rio over to the secret service) to rio’s actions (kidnapping beth/threatening her family and kids) make sense to me but rio’s actions make no sense at all! it’s bad writing! his actions come out of nowhere. and it makes him look like a freaking lunatic (and consequently beth like a callous b*tch who doesn’t care about him at all).

but with 2x13 i feel like they did a LOT to show how much it affected beth. she came home and broke down immediately and then season 3 opened with her so very clearly struggling with what she did, and she continued to struggle with that. then, we watched for the rest of the season, and even into season 4, as they struggled to get back on to some sort of even footing, and while i did not enjoy the execution of the hitman plot, i do feel like it accomplished that goal. beth and rio were equal threats to each other, both personally and professionally. they were in a good place to move forward with a new dynamic.

and then 4x06 and 4x07 happened and they were so good?? rio finally let beth in a little bit! beth was feeling guilty! they were revisiting their feelings for each other! they were feeling protective of each other! they were finally fucking honest with each other! it was good! it was so good! we were getting somewhere!

and then 4x08 came and was like FUCK YOU NONE OF THAT HAPPENED! and i just?? why? what was the point of doing any of that??

see, the thing is that i don’t think rio would actually physically harm any of beth’s family apart from dean (and maybe stan i guess) so those threats fall flat AND they come out of nowhere. beth and rio are supposed to be on the same side now. rio keeps asking beth to choose him but he doesn’t give her any reason to?? it makes no damn sense (and it doesn’t even compel me!). he doesn’t say “this is what WE’RE gonna do” or “here’s the plan” or “here’s how we’re gonna get out of this.” he tells her to choose him and then hangs her out to dry completely. choosing him seems to mean fucking herself over and that makes no sense!!! why on earth would she choose that?? like at this point it doesn’t even feel like she’s betraying him because he keeps telling her to pick him and then giving her zero reason to do that or even a way to do that. he says pick me. she supposedly does. and then he threatens her livelihood and her family but doesn’t give her any alternative. it makes NO SENSE!! this isn’t season 1 where he’s saying if you want to do crime, you have to actually DO the crime (which was fair! he was right! that struggle made sense!). now he’s just saying “yeah um you should... do... something...” but like WHAT IS THAT SOMETHING SUPPOSED TO BE??? tell her what to do that isn’t screwing herself and her family over and she’ll do it???? I AM PULLING MY HAIR OUT IN FRUSTRATION OVER THIS!! and i’m not actually holding this against rio. i think this is just terrible writing meant to continue to cause conflict but it’s not working because the conflict makes no sense anymore. she chose crime! she committed to it! but somehow it’s the same conflict over and over and over again. it’s stagnant. the only growth we see is that beth is a little less conflicted about screwing him over, and she holds her chin high this time, which, okay fine. if that’s the direction they want to take the show, fine! but then actually take it that way! don’t have rio there waiting for her like “oh my beautiful crime princess now we can rule the world... together!” WHAT??? 

that’s not angst. it’s just stupid. and it’s hella frustrating because i feel like it could’ve been very easily fixed with a few minor adjustments like a reveal at the end that beth was in on it from the beginning. or that she chose him and they made a plan to do something but somehow the secret service were one step ahead and they cornered her in a way that made it so that she really did have no choice. anything but this dumb situation where he just expects her to sacrifice everything for him with nothing in return and then STILL comes crawling back to her after she “betrays” him again. i hate it! i hate it! i hate it!

somewhat related: i’m also having a really hard time with their legal logic this season in a way that is disruptive for me. was it realistic before this season? no. but i could follow the magical tv logic. but now? i don’t know what’s going on! if dean pled guilty, what the fuck would there be a trial for?? he would be sentenced and that would be that. there would be no getting out on bail. why the fuck did they say he pled guilty instead of confessed?!? that’s such a dumb mistake! and it left me confused for several episodes!

and how in the great big dandy fuck does a city councilman have ANY SWAY WHATSOEVER over a federal investigation involving the secret service?? and what do the secret service want with rio anyway? the girls were the ones printing AND laundering the cash. rio’s gang affiliations or what-the-fuck-ever don’t matter!!

AND once they decided he did matter, i thought the whole point was to find out where the money goes?? so how does him sitting on a picnic bench and opening a box of fake cash (not even taking it and getting in his car!) give the secret service anything??? what was the point of spending several episodes trying to get beth to get more information about his operation if all it was gonna take was him looking like he was going to accept that money?? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON ITS SO FRUSTRATING NOTHING MAKES SENSE.

okay. i think i’m done ranting. and since we here at hypermania dot tumblr dot gov value positivity i would just like to say that i very much enjoyed annie’s little nugget of knowledge about occam’s razor. she’s a gem and we’re so happy to have her here.

[mego42]

OK but!!! Come over here and randomly sink the 8 ball???? Can we talk about this???? Does rio not understand how the game of pool works??? Was he just hanging out playing against himself prior to this??? Is it a metaphor??? Is 8 the only number he knows???? THOUGHTS????

the fact that we open the scene with a center shot of beth, all bambi-eyes and openly???? letting him see???? her vulnerable????????

the fact that she still sees him as a lifeline and turns to him for help in spite of him being demonstrably useless literally every time she’s asked

the fact that he’s open to it and asks what she needs

aaaaaand then shuts her down when she says it’s for dean

but also is still giving her some p solid, if, you know, a touch sociopathic advice

and then the fact that said advice more or less amounts to please let your ~technical husband rot in jail crime wife

and yes, the fact that he is, apparently just hanging out! in his own bar! after hours! alone! playing pool with himself!

which sounds like it should be a euphemism tbh but no! it is entirely literal!

everyone involved in this show is a lunatic including all of us!

i love it!

literally wtf are you doing rio

i would like to point out he is losing to himself which is fucking hysterical

and also extremely apt, tbh

he climbs up the pool cue when he stands. why. to what purpose.

he told her to be smart before he murdered her co-worker and beth’s like, not even phased at all by that reference

i am teLlinG y’alL murder is their foreplay, the hitman thing’s gonna be fine

if anything he’s gonna be hurt she outsourced it

which, valid!!!!!!

why are his fingers so long why why WHY

every time he lines up and takes a shot i make this sort of garbled hairpin in a vacuum cleaner noise

i didn’t ask to be like this

and when he sees that the please let him rot please please please pitch is not helping beth’s stress level he pivots and like, actually tries to be comforting????????

but is also incredibly bad at it

remember when beth was like my husband took my children and rio was like that sucks, here’s an open tab byyyyyyeeeeee

he is not the best shoulder, is what i’m saying

and yet!! she keeps going to him anyway!!!!

he’s like SIVER LINING MAYBE YOU’LL WANT TO FUCK YOUR HUSBAND AGAIN AND BETH JUST STEAMROLLS RIGHT PAST THAT

it like doesn’t even register

fuck that guy? don’t be absurd crime husband

also like

who exactly might want to hit what again hmmmmmmm HMMMMMMMMMMM

i am just saying it feels like there are some layErs here

he is so satisfied when she points out nothing sticks to him i want to slap him i want to slap myself i want to slap everyone

i gOt lucK oN my siDe / mayBe yoU do tOo

smells like foreshadowing in here

also jumping back the way his smile s o f t e n s when he says maybe you do too

the urge to slap remains strong but now with a side of leave mE here tO diE

(bringing back @pynkhues​ tag meanderings bc it lives in my head now, is this rio’s way of saying he can protect her class please discuss)

and now we arrive at sink the eight ball

i know it’s ridiculous i know but i can’t help it they’re standing there with a the pool cue and the pool table and it’s all weird tangled intimacy that’s about to flip over into intense sexual tension and i am not coping well with this at all

i’m not okay

THE WAY HE PULLS THE CUE AWAY

AND THE WAY SHE’S LIKE THIS MOTHERFUCKER I STG

let beth boland unhinge her jaw and devour the world 2k21 she deserves it

idk what to tell you beth you like it

like let’s pause for a sec and examine the situation shall we? this ep provides some really interesting contrast between beth’s extremely different relationships with the men in her life.

1. we have dean who is, i would argue, shown throughout the ep to be a complete albatross of guilt and long expired, turned toxic gratitude dangling from a rapidly fraying thread called parenting. he’s furious with beth to the point of not wanting to see her while in prison, choosing to stay in prison to avoid coping with how thoroughly their house of cards is tumbling down and the reality of who beth is and who they are to each other that collapse is exposing. 2. we have fitzpatrick who repeatedly tramples her boundaries in a tunnel vision pursuit of the person he thinks she is and his fantasy of the relationship he could have with this person who doesn’t actually exist and we’ve seen how uncomfortable it makes beth to the point that she finally blows up at him, reasserting who she is and it, idk if i would say scares him, but it definitely turns him off. 3. and then we have rio who she is locked in a nightmare game of cat and mouse with, who she has convinced herself is the source of all of her problems and yet when push comes to shove is still the person that she turns to for guidance and support, who she has no objection to sharing physical space with (i hear rumors the pool scene reads wildly divide and yeah i can see how but i am firmly camp they are both experiencing some stupidly complicated emotional upheaval and that’s what that face is, y’all take it how you will), who is also the only person this ep to witness the single, genuine, uncomplicatedly happy glimpse of one elizabeth boland née marks (who can’t help but grin in response to her joy and honestly who wouldn’t she is so gd cUte before he rips the rug out from underneath her)

i got worked up and forgot where i was going with this

something about contrast

but also the like, comfort and familiarity and ease even when Extremely Annoyed

idk i just think it’s neat

let’s see what else happens

oh right they play """"""""""pool"""""""""""

wait no, we’re not there yet

first rio’s gotta do that big-eyed disney princess look he shoots beth’s way from time to time, 209 being the notable example that comes to mind

h E Lp

so now we’re at sinking the eight ball

yeah, no, he does not know how pool works

i’d say it’s embarrassing but what isn’t with them

SPEAKING OF EMBARRASSING

or maybe i mean inexplicable

i tried to be v hardcore on not letting myself speculate about the pool scene and how it would come to be so sexy bc speculation has only ever led to either disappointment or me getting really, really over the top competitive about it to the point where it isn’t even fun for me anymore (which is saying something) but i couldn’t help spinning out potential scenarios bc like why???? how????? the man is draped over her like a blanket and smELliNg heR haiR surely that doesn’t just happen??????

WHAT A FOOL I WAS

LITERALLY FOR NO REASON AT ALL RIO’S LIKE FUCK YOUR PERSONAL SPACE CRIME WIFE IT’S OUR PERSONAL SPACE

AND BETH’S JUST LIKE YEAH SURE CRIME HUSBAND THIS IS FINE AND NORMAL I HAVE NO FURTHER COMMENTARY

LIKE?????????????????????????????????????????

h An dS

hAn D S

H a nD s

anD theN hE smelLs heR hAir like a fuckiN lunAtic

i just

TO WHAT PURPOSE

SCIENCE P L E A S E E X P L A I N

i know we all like to argue until the cows come home over what specific flavor of sloppy the show is and then we argue with the cows but like

this didn’t happen out of nowhere

they’re setting something up

(they fuckin’)

(do not argue with me or my cows)

thE shoUldeR roLl

no thoughts just that

AND THEN SHE MAKES IT

(and everything b o u n c e s)

AND SHE’S SO CUTE????? MY WIFE???????? I LOVE HER????????????

no but literally when was the last time beth was that happy

it’s so pure

and it makes him lauGh toO

s Of t

and then rio’s like no but seriously fuck your husband let him rot in jail and beth’s facce falls and my heart breaks and everyone remembers everything is terrible bc they are absolutely inFURIATING nigHTMARE PEOPLE who caNNOT USE THEIR WORDs

what was the actual question here i don’t even remember

oh right why the eight ball

probs bc it color coordinated with both his and beth’s outfits bc he is A Heaux Like That

[harpersplay]

Genuine non-troll white woman here - you wrote "So I already knew that Good Girls was a white feminism phantasmagoria...But, jesus fucking christ, y'all are just showing your true colours lately. The way you talk about a MOC in relation to a white woman is disgusting." Not asking you to call out specific people or posts or start any kind of flame war but what would be a general example of what you are talking about? I follow a good chunk of people and I'm not seeing this maybe b/c I'm not following the same people, maybe out of willful blindness, maybe I'm not recognizing it - again, b/c of ignorance, etc. Just trying to understand what you mean - and not do it obviously, if I am doing it.

I apologise for taking a longish time to answer this. Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to get into it. Anyway, I'd first like to say that this is all my opinion. What bothers me might not bother someone else. BIPOC are not a monolith. Even subsections aren't. Not all Mexican trans men are a monolith. Neither are all Japanese lesbians. You get the idea. And that's not even including people like Ben Carson or Caitlyn Jenner—people who support and work for policies that actively harm the marginalised group of which they are a part. Secondly, I know this isn't your intention, but asking POC to tell you what is ok to do and what is not is a slippery slope to "my [blank] friend said this was ok." Finally, the fandom is quite small so it is pretty hard to give general examples. I don't know if it's more trouble to quote specific posts or not, because some will think it is about them anyway. Anything I'm going to mention I've seen on Tumblr, Instagram, Reddit and/or Twitter. But there are definitely popular Tumblr blogs that all push the same narrative. Oh, and one last thing, I haven't seen any of what I'm referring to from people I follow.

Ok, let's go. For a very long time, mainly WOC have pointed out the racial problems within the show and the extremely dismissive attitude about those problems from mainly white women. And while these same women have written thousands (even tens of thousands) or words about Beth (it's always Beth) and her struggles and the amazingness of such a complex female character (ymmv), they brush aside commentary about racism as either nitpicking, not understanding the show is about the 3 women (tell that to all the white men with fleshed-out storylines), or misogyny. The last is especially hostile because they are often talking over Black women and misogynoir is a very real fucking thing that couples the fun of being hated for being a woman with the delight of good old-fashioned racism. They espouse the idea that people having a problem with Beth are all covert & overt misogynists. But talk out the other side of their mouths that they can't possibly be racist even when they support racism in the show or ignore concerns brought up by fans of colour. And that is just the absolute height of hypocrisy. Because by the former they acknowledge that people in a marginalised group (women) can still be anti- that group (a phenomenon with which I agree). But in the latter, suddenly they don't understand that concept.

Specific to the post you are responding to, fans that purport to like Brio write about the relationship in ways that reveal how much of their enjoyment comes from Rio being inferior to Beth. It's all about what he can do for her, how he acts against his best interests for her, how he literally denies himself sexual pleasure for her. Those are all meant to show how in love he is with her. But the show never bothers to tell us why. And, no, this is not because the show is so deep. Other romantic relationships they have scenes that are explicit about the characters' feelings. But Rio, after being shot, after being betrayed, after being mocked, is just so in love with Beth....because. (MYSTERIOUS!) And the Beth stans are more than fine with this because they think everyone should be as obsessed with Beth as they are. But it's bad storytelling. And, in this particular case, it gets into very dicey racist tropes. A white women treating her Latino lover like an afterthought is not the same as a white women treating her white lover like an afterthought. It just isn't. And if some of these fans are as smart as they pretend to be, they know that. They just don't care. Much like the showrunners.

There was so much talk defending the drawn-out Boland marriage because why can't we understand how hard it is for Beth—who is, at various times, claimed to be emotionally abused by Dean or staying with him because it is safe and comfortable—and we don't appreciate how difficult it is for her (I may be one of the few divorced people talking about this show on Tumblr, so this has always made me laugh). Yet there was nothing but glee when Rio flipped on his brousin (who was written as both abusive and safe) for Beth. Where was the empathy for Rio and how hard it was for him? Especially because, unlike Beth, he didn't even have one parent? Hadn't the Beth stans used her very tragical history™️ to explain away her every shitty act? idk, not having any parents and going to jail (as a minor?) and being betrayed by your family seems pretty tragic. But I didn't see them all of a sudden excusing Rio's bad behaviour. Because, feminism or something?

What about Beth's feelings? Last season she spent trying to have him killed. This season she spent looking annoyed by him. Throughout both she talked down to him in a specific white woman way that every BIPOC has experienced, even if some of them are cool with it. There were multiple opportunites for Beth to talk about her feelings with Ruby and/or Annie, but the writers made the deliberate choice to always make it about sex (and god, the immature way they had these three grown women talk was fucking obnoxious). She spent the last 2 seasons also wanting him out of her life to the point that a majority of her actions in S4 were motivated by getting to Nevada with her husband and kids. Beth doesn't care about Rio but Rio needs to put Beth above everything because he's just so in love like he's never been before (which is blatant Marcus & Rhea erasure). And anyone who doesn't think Beth would have just as happily been sitting on that bench plotting how to "run the city" (hahahahaha!) with Nick if the situation worked out differently hasn't been paying attention.

So, what do we have? A white woman who is constantly excused (by the loudest portion of the fandom) for all her ill treatment to her Black BFF & her Black husband, her Asian coworker, her Latina "friend," and Rio (among others) because her life is hard and who is not required to even be nice to her supposed "endgame". And a MOC who is expected to accept being treated poorly by the white woman because he loves her.

And, a last thing, this attitude grossly crossed over into talk about real people when the fans—who self-righteously claimed to be above anon sources or talking about the actors—latched on to the narrative and enjoyed blaming the MOC actor for the cancellation of the show, even dragging his insignificant (in terms of influence) Black wife into it. All while conveniently ignoring that the creator/showrunner is a white woman. The star & producer is a white woman. The people making the decisions at NBCU & Netflix were white women. All white women with so much more power than the Latino actor.

Shit, did I answer your question? I know this is a lot. But I could honestly make mulitple posts on each issue I touched on here. Basically, white people ain't slick, be they content creators or fans. We see how & what y'all talk about. We see that Rio not having a last name is not a big deal to you and we know why that is. So we're fucking tired. And we're over a show that had so much potential crapping all over their POC characters to prop up a white woman. And we're repulsed by the white women in the fandom who use their tears to seem oppressed and who toss around the word misogynist because POC dare call a Karen a Karen.

[bethsuglywigs]

Hi! Do you believe Rio is in love with Beth/vise verse? I know some believe they don’t know each other well enough to be in love so I was curious what your take is. (Sorry if you’ve addressed this before).

Yeah I think they’re in love.

I think you can be truly and passionately in love with someone you even if you don’t know that much about them. That’s not a particularly stable foundation for a long-term committed relationship, but that doesn’t make the feeling any less real.

The thing with Beth and Rio’s they do know each other very well. The issue is that they don’t know much about each other.

Rio knows who Beth. He sees what she’s made of. What makes her tick. He understands her. And he loves her. But he doesn’t know why she does the things that she does because he doesn’t know her history. It’s the same with Beth. She sees him. She relates to him. They are two sides of the same coin. But she’s missing his context. She doesn’t want to love him because she’s afraid of what she doesn’t know about him.

I think Rio has always been more aware of his feelings for Beth even if he didn’t necessarily want to feel them. But Beth has always shoved them done. That’s part of the reason I’m so sad we don’t get a season 5 because I think she finally was able to accept both the truth of herself and of her feelings for Rio.

[pynkhues]

I was just watching season 4 episode 7. So Beth had to choose to set Rio up with secret service or not.

Can you Please explain the last scene when she’s in G wagon and he says she’s got the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other what are they referring to and didn’t she ultimately choose him because they turned over that fake jewelry?

Help. I am confused.

She did choose him in that moment, anon, yes! Like you said, they turned in the fake jewellery instead of the cash which undermined Phoebe and Dave's investigation. That sequence can be a little confusing as it's told out of order for dramatic tension, so I totally understand your confusion!

The devil on one shoulder and angel on the other line I think can be interpreted in a few different ways, but I read it as him basically calling her out on the fact that she's still playing both sides instead of making a choice. She wants to be the queenpin (devil), yet she's still talking to the Secret Service and saying that she's a good person (angel). He's telling her she needs to commit, and, more than that, he's asking her to commit to him, something reiterated through the second half of the season as they both really do choose each other over, both personally and professionally, in the final episodes. The beat in 4.07 though I think marks the start of that arc.

[septiembrre]

5 & 13 & 23!!!!

5: Share a snippet that you’re proud of from an upcoming fic/chapter.

Just so you know, I typed this bit up from my writing notebook for you. My notes are a whole mess so this was a labor of love.

This is from the next chapter of Get To Be Mine:

Beth has not had many occasions to visit a lawyer's office over the years. However, like many things, this too has changed recently.

Two months ago, Beth finally found herself talking to Burton Maples, her top option (reputable and affordable) from her list of prospective family law attorneys. Mr. Maples walked her through the anticipated divorce proceedings and in that low, monotone timbre of his reiterated the six-month waiting period again and again as Beth adjusted and readjusted, trying to find a comfortable way to sit on the hard office chair.

Beth didn't think much of it at the time -- the looming mahogany desk, the plentiful grey file cabinets -- but his office looked straight out of a 90s furniture catalog. Beth was there for a purpose, a long overdue one. So, she paid no mind to the clunky bookcases filled with nicknacks and legal tomes looming over their conversation.

Until now.

Today, here, this attorney sits across from them tucked primly behind her neatly organized desk.

Gretchen Zorada is hard to look at. She's backlit by bright floor-to-ceiling windows, the winter landscape framing her and her keen gaze.

Her office is all sleek lines, teak wood, and modern furnishings, in a way that doesn't evoke 90s furniture catalog at all and more like-- like-- loft and a certain someone. And Gretchen Zorada, a tiny slip of a person, sharp-featured and wearing the hell out of her well-tailored outfit, looks effortlessly part of her environment.

Beth's embarrassed, because when she had seen the swirling letter Z on the business card and heard Rio's mention of "his attorney", she had assumed-- Well, she hadn't thought Zorada would be a woman.

And Rio--

Rio keeps calling her "Gretch".

Like when they sat down on "chairs" that by all rights should have been the most uncomfortable places to sit for a client meeting, but were actually... nice (very nice) and Rio said, "Damn, Gretch."

He stretched his legs long, making a show of settling in, as the hairs on Beth's neck already standing on end had twitched. Next to her, Rio grinned wide at Gretchen, "Told you."

I am ~proud~ because yesterday the detail of Rio and Gretchen sharing bougie interior design advice with each other occurred to me and it's giving me such life.

13: Do you prefer writing multi-chapter fics or single-part fics? Do you prefer reading multi-chapter fics or single-part fics?

~I love reading it all~ Multichapter and single part fics suit different needs for me as a reader, depending on how long I want to be enmeshed into a world.

On the writing side, multi-chapters have been hugely beneficial for me. They really push me to work on how to intentionally tell stories. But, damn, I miss the ease of single-part fics.

23: What’s one piece of advice you would give to anyone who wants to start writing or posting their writing online?

Writing is fun and joyful and you should do it!!

Writing is challenging always, even when you learn more about how to write. However, in the beginning, it felt like such a headache for me, because I was very aware that my early stuff wasn't the quality I wanted but I didn't have the language or tools to really understand why.

But, then you come to a place where you've worked on something to the best of your ability and you get to be done, and then you can work on something else. Little by little you get more comfortable, learn more about what parts of it bring you joy, and then you learn how to lean into them. As you interact with stories, whether on other things you watch on tv, or movies, or podcasts, or books, or articles, or even things specifically on writing craft that move you, you can reflect on them and bring some of that joy and fun into whatever you write next. Then you go back to read the first stuff and you can think, wow, I was doing a good job with the tools I had and now I have more.

I'm going through this right now with fan art where I have a desired, stylized look in mind that I'm falling short of achieving. Not hitting that makes me want to stop because my current efforts make me frustrated, but the only way to get better is really to keep practicing and cutting yourself a break when you publish something that isn't as polished as you would like it to be because you can try again y no pasa nada.

A nice thing about fandom is that publishing things is a lowkey way to practice and get affirmation and encouragement from friends who are invested in your subject. ~Join us~

[jade-marie]

I don't understand the sudden optimism for Brio atm, just because he fingered her doesn't mean everything is ok again. I see some people talking about them getting together again, like do they seriously think that is the showrunners plan? I highly doubt that,they never cared much for this pairing,they only show some Brio action now to get people back on board, but I know already that they will get disappointed in the end.

Yeah... it’s a tough one and I’ve been struggling to get my head round it to be honest, especially because I was obsessed with them up until like 3.04 ish but now I’m like 🥴🤢

I just feel like everything I enjoyed about their dynamic has well and truly left the building, I’m not even feeling the chemistry anymore tbh (and no it’s not because I dislike the show, I’ve been rewatching on FaceTime while my friend watches and s1/2 chemistry was fire) it literally feels like they’re uncomfortable in each other’s presence and I get such weird vibes from their current interactions.

I don’t think anything significant will come out of it because I don’t think the writers see him as anything more than bathroom sex. He’s Beth’s metaphorical roll in the dirt and then she’s gonna go back to her neat and tidy little life, playing criminal on the side because #girlpower.

As for other people’s reactions to brio it seems to branch off into so many different avenues:

Beth vs Rio preference 

Ok so I’ve noticed a massive difference in how people receive brio interactions based on which character they prefer. S1, I loved them both and I just wanted them to partner up in every sense of the word. S2 i was leaning more towards Rio and S3 onwards I was firmly in his corner. For that reason I literally do not want anything to happen between them because I think he deserves better than someone who shot him and left him to die, someone who continually tries to kill him and fuck him over. Seeing them together genuinely makes my skin crawl 🤣

People who favour Beth (even if they don’t admit it) seem to just be screeching about Beth getting some, but there’s zero acknowledgement of all the shit which is still going unaddressed. That whole spiel grosses me out and I’m not gonna go into it much more.

What do they want from brio?

I feel like different people have different expectations of what they wanted the outcome of this “relationship” to be. Some people just want it to be an endless cycle of making up and breaking up, some people wanted them to end up in a more traditional relationship, other people wanted it to be a crash and burn which felt really good on the way down.

Personally, I wanted to see some real development both in their characters and their dynamic, where they naturally progressed away from playing games and fucking each other over to actually working together. Effectively, I wanted them to have a partnership, in every sense of the word. Obviously that’s not going to happen because that wasn’t where the writers decided to go with it and I think it’s a fucking waste but hey ho. 

People who wanted that make up/break up situation probably enjoy what’s happening right now and good for them. 

Shipper goggles

This is the big one for me. I have never seen shipper goggles operating on such an extreme level as I do with Brio. It’s gotten to the point where, across every platform, people just seem to romanticise every interaction happening between Beth and Rio, regardless of the context. If anything, they completely ignore the context of what’s happening in order to make the scene romantic. I’ve noticed it a lot more this season with the pool scene, the wire, everything that happened at his grandma‘s house. 

I constantly see people talk about how hot the strip search and pool scene were but like — 🤯 Those scenes aren’t meant to be hot. They’re not meant to be romantic. It almost feels like people desperately want to hold onto this ship and perhaps acknowledging the context of these interactions makes that more difficult. But that’s another reason why I get so pissed off at these scenes being written in a way that can be interpreted as hot, there are certain situations where there shouldn’t be any room for interpretation. I’m gonna stop talking about that though because if not, I’m gonna get pissed off again lol. 

Anyhoo, everywhere I look I’m just seeing shipper goggles out in full force and it’s fascinating (bordering on infuriating) because I genuinely feel like we’re watching two completely different shows. I’m curious though, like do people genuinely believe that Beth gives a fuck about Rio, let alone that she’s in love with him? Because I can’t tell if people actually believe this stuff or if it’s some sort of denial… the whole thing is fucking wild and I will never understand it 🤣

Either way, it’s probably going to be a pretty rough landing when Bans and Krebs do their usual dance, bait the audience with brio and then snatch it away. Wouldn’t be shocked at Death endgame and Rio in prison for the finale tbh.

[bourbon-ontherocks]

(Previously, on GG (re)watch...)

So I have to say, I haven't seen a really funny episode in that show in a looooong time. I actually didn't even think that would ever happen again. And then entered Carolyn. With a Y.

I'm not particularly a big fan of Dave (I miss misogynist Phoebe buddy!!!), but I have to say, I enjoy this teacher-grounded students dynamic so so much. Also even in my wildest dreams, I didn't expect Annie and Ruby to find out LIKE THIS. Please hold my tea while I roll on the floor. Also Beth trying to deny while she knows she was wired is pure delusion at this point and I love her for that.

I think that Annie mimicking a mouth and fingers job is now my favourite scene of hers of all times

"In his abuelita's house" THANK GOD! Ruby is me. Ruby is all of us.

If Ruby's "this man isn't getting any of that" isn't a premise for a Rio x Ruby enemies to lovers plot twist, then I'll riot. Also Retta's delivery is delightful. I love how everyone, including Dave, is like drooling at Rio's hotness, and she's just, "um, no."

FINALLY someone's calling out Beth's selfishness, and for some odd reason I'm very happy it's Stan. But also I love how he's completely aware that Ruby won't even make it until the end of the episode without telling Beth.

Greg's excuse is sooooo lame... Like, Ben is smarter than him and Annie combined so I'm pretty sure he'd understand if they had a conversation about money and social classes with him. It’s just so obvious he can't afford the school anymore!

Honestly this Boland family is bananas at this point, between Dean figuring tricking fish into mozarella is top-level parenting, Kenny having wizard nails and Beth being like "cool" (he's still in Kalamamzoo anyway, though, who cares??), the battle to decide whose life they're going to swear on (I was so gidddy that even his parents despise Kenny, my gosh), Beth dolling up and dramatically pretending to go to the groceries store, I just... God, I missed this show being actually funny!!!!!

I'm starting to wonder if Rio didn't intentionally call for someone else than the girls for his so-called bank, knowing that Beth does NOT have any other friends and assuming there would be 90% chances she'd bring him a SS/FBI person? So he would know who's on his case?

Rio's flirtation makes less and less sense each episode. I suppose his brain is getting short in blood, because I don't see the point of jeans vs. dress in the eventuality of hiding gang money at your house. This man doesn't even get the concept of innuendos right, they're supposed to have a DOUBLE meaning, not a completely unrelated one, Jesus...

Hey look, for once Phoebe is not eating grossly and I love how they dressed her and untied her hair! Yay! Finally!

I. Just. Love. The. (Soccer) Momming up. Montage. It's hilarious. It's just pretty infuriating how two episodes ago Annie couldn't even take care of a baby and now she’s a competent mom, like, just pick a side and be consistent with it!

Ugh, ANOTHER French pop song...

I have a question for my mutuals with child though: is that a relatable portrayal of modern motherhood, or is this show extremely weird?

So the secret service has time to hide miniaturized bugs in the pepper shaker at ONE specific table, but they can't have a back up house? Or even, let's say, wire Phoebe up??? What are the risks? I assume Rio's not going to finger every lady that crosses his road just to make sure nobody's listening, right? This is just sooooo stupid. But I love how Phoebe is super excited about it, like she planted a mike in the salt, yay, it's Christmas time!

Okay, this is just so weird, in what restaurant can't you just order for yourself and when the last person arrives they order? I mean I would understand to be asked to move if you're alone at a table for ten, but this is ridiculous. No restaurant owner would do that.

Gosh, they're all such terrible liars! Rio cannot not pick up how edgy and fake and bad at it they all are, this is hilarious! And I can't believe they spent all that montage preparing for the big day without even thinking about their backstory. Amateurs!!!!!

"I can't talk shop on an empty stomach"?????? Mhhhhh, Rio??? Got something to share with the group? Who said that word for word, again??? Yes. FITZPATRICK. Coincidence? I don't think so... Next line Rio's going to reveal he's a Dolly Parton enthusiast and I'm gonna die.

Also I for one don't read too much into the BLT/rosé bit? I mean, I'm 99% sure Beth does drink rosé and just told Rio she didn't to contradict him, just like he probably said he wasn't into sandwiches to avoid embarassing her any further given the awkwardness of the moment?

THEY ARE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER UGGGGGGHHHHHHH

Smurf hat!!!!!! I just love this item of clothing so so much it's my new favourite! Dean's fluffy robe + Rio's smurf beanie on the same person (anyone) when?????

Why does Phoebe look scared when Rio knocks the door for her? It's not like she doesn't know Dave's inside, he texted her the adress, so... Also is Dave carrying a spare robe in his trunk at all times?

Stan bullshitting a story about martyr deers and entincing everyone into trying cheese has directly landed in my top five of GG's funniest scenes... Ugh, I've missed THIS show!

Seriously, Rio's just complete bananas in this episode, like, who just help themselves in other people's fridges with expired juice??? Is he going to comment on the backsplash as well????

Also I think the "not your right" joke would have been much funnier if it had been the other way around? I mean if someone tells me "on the right" I assume it's THEIR right they're talking about.

I'm sorry, but even if they'd bugged the house, has Rio said anything incriminating here????

I'm very ready for this Ruby-centered spinoff where Beth and Stan fight to decide who comes first...

"Way to take a finger for the team." Best. Ruby line. Ever.

I agree with @sothischickshe​ , Rio definitely says "I just THOUGHT things were different" and not "noticed", there's a subtitles problem I guess? Or maybe Manny just made up his own line and since he's mumbling anyway nobody noticed on editing?

This gun bit is absolutely ridiculous, do they think it's a James Bond movie all of the sudden??? At least that explains why Rio didn't put music on during the infamous car ride. He doesn't actually own a car radio

Rio putting back his ridiculous smurf hat on while exiting the bank makes me giddy inside

I don't see the point of getting Beth and Rio arrested after the drop? When they assumedly don't have anything compromising with them anymore? Isn't flagrante delicto a requirement to charge them with anything? Shouldn't they have done that before or during the drop? I don't get it

Okay, that's two mentions of herpes in the span of a season and a half. Someone in the writers room definitely has it.

Gene thinking of himself as the new Jeff Bezos is objectively hilarious. I hated this character at first but I must say I'm starting to really enjoy his scenes.

"That fool's going down". Ruby is in killer mode and I am just HERE for it

Dean x Nancy love-at-first-sight-in-a-bad-investors-support-group-storyline when?

There is so much to unpack here, I just... Dean got shot less than a year ago apparently (lol) so where's this scar tissue, huh??? Also who has a hot tub so big indoor?? Like, in the middle of the living room? This is so weird. Also who wants to come home to a goofy Dean in a hot-tub? Ew. And why is Beth going in all clothed? That's absolutely not comfy and we KNOW she's pretty quick at stripping down, just saying... Or maybe Rio's the only one allowed to see them titties, what do I know?

I love the idea that Beth's convinced she's damned either way but in this case, why not choose the devil and have some fun????Also I’ll come back to this in the next rewatch post, but I just hate the “I didn’t have a choice” thread so sooooooooo much.

Bonus: This is literally the whole show summed up in one picture

Bonus 2: Actual footage of Dean living the life in his Aqua Joy 7000 or whatever number that thing has

[goodgirlsfanficawards]

This week for Motivation Monday we’re featuring five new authors who write steamy E rated fic and we can’t get enough!

Briology (tumblr: @itsbriology​) posted their first Good Girls fic posted May 2020. They specialise in kinky, canon divergent PWP.

‘Til you’re burned out

25 Nov 2020, E, 2.5K, 1/1, 113 kudos

GG Kinkfest 2020 Prompt #63 - Beth and Rio like to dry hump. Sometimes fully dressed, sometimes in just underwear, and sometimes totally naked. That’s it. That’s the prompt.

A little bit dangerous, but baby, that’s how I want it

21 Nov 2020, E, 2.4K, 1/1, 105 kudos

A collection of established relationship E-rated Brio one shots.

So Damn Bad

29 June 2020, E, 1.6K, 1/1, 191 kudos

Rio has to go out of town and Beth welcomes him home, wink wink.

misslucyfierce started posting for Good Girls in May 2020. They write Rio/Reader smut featuring Boss!Rio that's gentle and loves to take care of his girl. 

Love.

12 Jul 2020, E, 1.2K, 1/1, 46 kudos

Rio sunk into the passenger sheet as Mick merged onto the freeway - the glittering horizon flying past as the SUV traveled at blinding speed. The night felt a million years long after drops and exchanges, and for once, Rio just wanted to be home. The faint sound of vibration brought him back to reality as he slid the phone from his pocket - your face gazing at him from the screen. “Hey mama.” His voice soft and smooth as he pressed the bridge of his nose - the sound of your voice easing his tired soul. “Yeah, I know. I’ll be home soon. I love you too.” The call ended quickly as he exited the car for the final stop.

NSFW Alphabet - Rio.

09 Jul 2020, E, 1.8K, 1/1, 21 kudos

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Rio lives to take care of you. You hold him down and after sex, he’s just as gentle and compassionate. He will wrap you in his arms and remind you all the reasons that his success is yours too. A warm shower and a cold drink await you after most sessions complete with take out from your favorite restaurant.

Tik Tok Challenge - Rio

01 May 2020, E, 728, 1/1, 26 kudos

The tension hung in the air as you sat on opposite sides of the couch in the still room. You and Rio had argued all day and now, as night crept in, the quiet was deafening and you were tired. Rio sat in stone - looking up at the mounted TV, engrossed in high-jacking a car at the stoplight as his friends whispered in his ear.

wakeupflawless (tumblr: @wakeupflawless​) started writing in April 2020. Their fics feature a lot of dirty talk, BDSM elements and are mostly set in AU universes.

Earned It

21 Oct 2020, E, 8.9K, 2/2, 255 kudos

“You don’t make the decisions around here, sweetheart,” he replies, and his eyes linger on her chest for a split second before snapping up to meet hers. “I’ll decide when you get a cut again. Til then, you owe me a debt.” “Rio, please,” she pleads, planting her hands on the edge of the desk desperately, “You can’t punish me like this.” He leans back in his chair, contemplating, eyes scanning up and down her figure once more. His gaze burns her to the core, and she feels her cheeks heat up. They must be nearing the color of her dress by now. “And how should I punish you?” he asks softly. OR Beth gets robbed at Paper Porcupine. Rio offers her a choice.

Where You Belong

12 Sep 2020, E, 25K, 2/2, 403 kudos

“Marriage?” The question sits heavily and unanswered in the dusty air of the warehouse. One of the men scuffs his boots against the floor, another fumbles with a cigarette lighter. Rio looks around, unimpressed at the group of men he calls his inner circle, his dark gaze finally landing on his right-hand. Mick clears his throat. “To his daughter, an alliance and whatnot.” Unable to contain his laughter, Rio guffaws, shaking his head. He looks amusedly at Mick, who does not offer anything more, and the serious look on his face makes Rio take pause. “You serious?” he asks, still half-believing that this is a practical joke his men are playing on him. “As a heart attack,” Mick answers. Arranged Marriage AU.

Halo

02 Jul 2020, E, 7.5K, 1/1, 389 kudos

It's a normal night at the ER until it's not. When Beth saves a mysterious patient from a gunshot wound sparks fly.

whiskeyjack (tumblr: @whiskeyjack​) first fic posted their first fic, a PWP plot set in a canon universe, in December 2020.

Favour of Denial

31 Dec 2020, 1.9K, 1/1, 55 kudos

Beth needs Rio’s help and he suggests she find a way to earn it, and here we are. May have some non-consensual elements to it, bc these two are complete idiots. Also I really don't know how tagging works I'm sorry.

Fei (tumblr: @lanafannabanana​, twitter: @nice_Diva) started posting in July 2020. They have two fics, one featuring car sex and the other featuring drunk sex, both set in a canon universe.

Let's All Get Drunk And Go To Heaven

01 Sep 2020, e, 3.4K, 1/1, 145 kudos

Beth knows it’s a bad idea, she will regret it in the morning. Or sooner. The promise of his eyes, however, is good. She knows exactly how good it is. It’s both her blessing and curse. She remembers the way his body is able to shatter hers; you don’t walk away from that without a feeling of losing a limb. Or the whole body.

Shut Up And Drive

06 Jul 2020, E, 2.2K, 1/1, 291 kudos

She can’t say if he is pissed or impressed. He rocks his jaw but his look is so heated she doesn’t know what to think as his gaze drops down her body. Although no. She does. Because she knows that look way too well. She just doesn’t understand how they can go from fighting to that in two seconds. And it’s always like this with him.

If you know of anyone’s tumblr/twitter and we haven’t found it or tagged incorrectly, please send us an ask to let us know.

[mego42]

Are you working on any brio fic that we might get soon? :)

hey anon! unfortunately, i have some p crazy life stuff going on rn and haven't been able to write for a couple off weeks now for a bunch of reasons so i am currently effectively dormant, though hopefully not for long.

but here! have a (rough) (totally unedited) (nsfw) snippet from the thing i was working on before i took a break that may or may not make it into the final fic if i give in to my urge to do a total mulligan (i won't) (probably) (i don't think) (that would be insane) (laughs nervously)

“You still locked in for that seat on the Port Authority board?” Rio asks, his own voice light, almost giddy, making Beth’s pulse trip in response.

“Announcing it on Monday,” Beth breathes, and it hitches a little on the end when his hand slips between her thighs, gently nudging them further apart.

“Then we’re set up,” he says, his fingers ghosting over her swollen clit.

Beth sighs, her eyelashes fluttering. Her hips rock, chasing his touch. “So, what’s my cut?”

Humming, Rio answers her by pressing down, his fingertip circling, and Beth swears she hears static crackling in her ears as she jerks against him. “Li’l late to be negotiation’, ain’t it?”

“Please,” she gasps. “It all falls apart without that piece of paper. I can’t think of a better time. ”

He laughs softly and Beth can hear the warmth in it, the pride and approval making her glow, the firm, steady stroke against her clit setting her on fire.

“Thinkin’ fifteen percent, yeah?”

Beth’s eyes fly open and he’s grinning, his teeth bright white, pressing into the lush pink of his lower lip, and it’s only the repressed laughter sparkling in his eyes that keeps her temper at bay.

“You’re funny,” she says, the effect of her deadpan tone almost ruined by the whimper she just manages to swallow back when his hand slides lower, parting her lips.

“What? You want thirty?” The very tip of one finger teases her entrance, the heel of his hand solid against her clit, giving her something to grind against, and when she does, shuddering at the sharp, zipping bite of the friction across her over-sensitive skin, he smiles wider.

“Try again,” Beth says, her hands flexing against the sides of the tub, fighting the urge to grab his wrist and hold him against her, to beg him to stop playing with her, running his fingertips along her, around her, carefully staying just shy of what she needs.

“Forty’s pretty steep, ma.” He dips the very tip of his finger inside her, then out, drawing a straight line up to her clit and tapping lightly. When he scrapes his nail ever so slightly across the nub and not even her locked jaw and clenched teeth are enough to stop the thin, high-pitched noise that ekes out.

“Nope,” she says, still managing to pop the p.

Rio pulls back and Beth has to bite her tongue to keep from making a sound when his hand recedes. Arching an eyebrow, he purses his lips, mock stern, but Beth can see the way the muscle at the hinge of his jaw twitches, can tell from the gleam in his eye that he’s holding back a grin. This isn’t a new game, not really, they’ve been playing a version of it more or less since they first met—though it’s never been quite as fun as it’s become recently.

“Fifty for a piece of paper?”

“A piece of paper that leads right back to me.”

There’s something birdlike about the brightness of his eyes, in the angle of his head cocked head when he looks down at her. “Oh yeah? You puttin’ your name on it?”

Beth wrinkles her nose. “Deborah’ll know who asked for it.”

Now he’s shaking his head slowly. “Told you, darlin’. It doesn’t matter what they know, only what they can prove.”

The smile playing around the corners of his mouth just knowing enough that a lick of genuine irritation has Beth straightening up, the water sloshing against the sides of the tub as she reaches for her drink.

“Legally,” she snaps, taking a sip. “Knowing’s enough to make it hard to ask for favors.”

His shoulder lifts, drops, the slightest acknowledgment of her point at odds with the utter lack of concern in his tone. “Everyone’s got a price.”

“And mine’s fifty.”

The click of her tumbler against porcelain seems to echo, underscoring the finality of her offer. A sharp contrast to the soft lap of the faint currents his arm drags through the water as he runs his fingers along her inner thigh.

“Fifty’s a big number.” His eyes are dark on hers as his hand slips back between her legs.

Beth swallows back a groan as he strokes gently over her clit. “Not for a partner.”

“Kind of a one-sided partnership when you take into account who’s doin’ all the legwork.”

“Not my lane,” Beth bites out, the strain equal parts from his fingers—dipping lower, closer to the pulsing center of the fire crackling inside her—and the bright grin that flashes across his face, the victory of turning his words back around him, of him recognizing it, stoking the heat just as much as his touch.

“You need me,” she reminds him, her eyes darting back and forth, tightly focused to catalog every micro reaction. And she sees it: the way his eyes change, the deep, dark brown turning almost black, liquid, fathomless.

“Yeah,” he says, the low rasp of his voice as tangible as the rough scrape of the callus at the base of his thumb against the soft skin at the very top of her thigh. “I do.”

Then two of his fingers are inside her, a husky cry ripping free of the back of Beth’s throat as her back arches, sending water sloshing over the sides of the tub, dark patches blooming across Rio’s shirt and jeans. Her hands scrabble, slipping off the slick porcelain, as he slowly pumps them in and out.

“So, we have—” Beth breaks off with a ragged gasp when Rio hooks his fingers up, pressing into that one spot he’s so, so good at finding, but doesn’t let him deter her. “We have a deal.”

His teeth flash, bright and white and sharp, his knuckles pressing into the soft curve of her thigh as he re-angles his thumb, pressing it down on her clit. Beth’s pulse pounds and eyelashes flutter, everything in her begging her to let her eyes shut, her head fall back and give in to the electric heat spiking through her, but she refuses to look away until he says it.

And he knows, of course he knows, because somewhere along the lines they’ve started learning each other. It’s such a jolt every time, something bubbling, sparkling, rising inside her stomach, her chest, her throat, warming her from the inside out whenever she realizes it��that he sees her, knows her, understands her.

“Yeah mama,” he says, his voice a deep rumble that rolls over her, stroking her and setting her alight just as surely as his fingers working inside her. “We have a deal.”

[missmaxime]

how do you feel about the show making rio so unlikable? is the backstory a fix it?

Let me start of with that I don’t think the show is making Rio more unlikable. I don’t know if you mean that they are visibly showing him committing more violence and crime. But I’m assuming this is an ask in response to the wire-scene from Sunday’s episode.  Watch me under the cut go through the past three seasons and a little some season 4 to tell you how I see Rio’s character progression. I’m not really sure if this is what you’re asking an answer to, but if it’s not tell me! * Rio’s (non) POV * Escalation in violence * Different views on S3 * More into the wire-scene * Prediction for 4x06 / Backstory

Rio has always been shown to be a ruthless and violent criminal. In the beginning of S1 he had no problem murdering the girls, and has made death threats ever since. He shot Dean, killed Eddie, had Turner assassinated and murdered Lucy in front of the girls. I don’t know how people can see him any other way, it’s not something that was ever hidden by the show. He’ll go through every length to protect himself and his business.  We know Beth has been a soft spot for him since Season 1 too. In the beginning because it was a fun and interesting business opportunity, but we’ve seen their relationship develop for better and worse across seasons. I think we have to keep in mind that Rio is a character we’ve seen almost exclusively through POV that aren’t his own, and mostly through Beth’s. And we as viewers see a limited amount of information about him, that we translate in our own ways. I’ve seen people interpreted the 2x01 scene where Rio shows Marcus to Beth through such rose-colored glasses for example. I can see how a viewer, and Beth, could see it as a scene that would frame him as more likeable. But I also see how that was exactly Rio’s point; He wanted Beth to see that it’s not just her who has kids on the line with her crime-life, as a way to invalidate her constant argument of ‘being a mom’ and ‘having a family’ as if that would make her special or something. She’s a drug dealer and counterfeiter like him, not a criminal with a heart of gold because they happen to have a child. Season 2 really started unpacking Rio’s character more. In Season 1, if the whole Rio/Beth – CH/MM chemistry hadn’t existed, I could definitely see the character of Rio being done late Season 1/early Season 2. But that’s not what happened, so now Rio had to become a person with connections and feelings and deeper motivations – but it’s still a character that’s in the base there to drive Beth forward as a character and deeper into crime. Which is a tricky balance, and I don’t think the show always made that work. Obviously the most clear example of that is the loft scene in 2x13. Now there’s more than one thing to be said about that scene, but I’m focusing now Rio himself. It’s the big finale, a lot of things needed to come together here and explode. Overall I don’t think the build-up was executed well, but it doesn’t help that we have no Rio POV here. His decision to kidnap Beth, confront her with her lack of taking responsibility and lying about her rotten eggs, and his complete oversight of her response to being pinned his fall guy really dropped out of – maybe not completely thin, but at least barely medium thick – air for me. Concerning the racial element I think THIS POST by @septiembrre explains this much better than white, non-American me ever will.  Regardless of the fact if the racial element of 2x13 affects a viewer, this poorly executed finale left lots of people unsatisfied at best. When Season 3 started we did start to see more Rio POV, or parts of his story told through Rhea, even though it was limited. I know there’s a lot of critique on the S3 we got, that I personally don’t understand – I loved it, it was so amazingly angsty, especially the Beth and Rio interactions were so loaded and simmering with guilt and anger and sadness and desperation – but if you’re searching for catharsis in a way of Rio coming back with a vengeance with guns ablaze, then that’s really not what you got. What Season 3 did do was putting the violence and cruelty Rio is capable of more on the forefront, and making us feel the weight of it more (I don’t know about the rest of you, but in the previous seasons I felt they really underplayed a lot of it). Rio had competing gangs taken out through Turner, has Turner assassinated along with a lot of other FBI agents, he fully intended on killing Beth before the pregnancy lie, kills innocent Lucy through Mick and disposes her body gruesomely, has the girls deliver Boomer with all intention of harming him (if not murder) and full on frames Beth for Lucy’s murder with her prints on the gun. I don’t think these kind of actions weren’t going on in the previous seasons, but now it’s more on display because Rio made Beth a part of this side of crime (and with that, us the viewers). In the beginning of Season 4 I feel like we’re making a bit of a jump when it comes to Beth and Rio’s relationship, maybe one that’s a little too big compared to the distance we ended on in Season 3 (even if they seemed friendly in their last Boland Bubbles scene). Lucy’s body is found and we learn that said gun was also used to taking out some gang member of an opposing gang of Rio’s, so after Turner’s sweep he apparently wasn’t done. That gun now becomes a much bigger thing to hold over Beth (and I’m speculating because we don’t know for sure, but we can guess that now Annie’s prints are on it – which is an ever bigger press on Beth because she won’t let her little sister take the fall, while she would do so herself. And I think she’s up for a rude awakening that while she’s under the impression that Rio has always employed the three of them, what was actually going on is that Rio employs Beth, and he sees Annie and Ruby as Beth’s employees and thereby offers them zero protection). So her counter with his print doesn’t come a moment too soon. I feel like Beth asking him to murder ‘Dave’, albeit with a lie about his identity and not as straightforward as Rio might wish, is a positive shift for him. She might not pick up a gun herself to do the deed, but much like Rio has Mick shoot Lucy, she very deliberately gives a killing order through him. And with a very drama heaux set-up we see him personally – and he has no reason to not have Mick do it – shoot Fitzpatrick. Aside from the fact that I have no doubt Rio may not have knew the specifics but he knew Beth had something orchestrated, the fact that some sniper dude was the target has it really drive home to him that it’s something else than Secret Service, and that they are still active around Beth. So we’re finally here, 4x05 The Banker – which I’m gonna guess was the reason you send this ask in the first place. In particular the wire-scene. In the first scene we learn that Rio has found the tracker on his car, and he turns it off or breaks it – so he knows he’s still being watched. It makes the most sense that even if he takes the leap that he put down a Secret Service agent, that they just replaced them and Beth is likely still working for them. He meets her in her kitchen – which isn’t that common at this point, last we know he was there is after the failed hit on him. And she doesn’t even jump when she sees him, just accepts it. He motions for her to be quiet before slowly stepping into her space, and she very logically responds with a ‘what are you doing?’, and he stares back long and hard to say that he means business. He has all the reason to suspect her wearing a wire, even if this wasn’t a planned meeting, and it wouldn’t be the first time she lied to his face. It’s clear to me (but I’ve seen this interpreted differently) that Beth fast finds a solid stance in this powerplay. Rio doesn’t seem happy about the fact it has come to this, and neither does she. I’m not sure if you send me this ask because you have negative feelings about this scene, but I can tell you I can’t answer those. This scenario could have been portrayed so wrong with any other actors or the way they shot it, but I feel like they delivered superbly on it. It’s in no way sexual or intimidating like I’ve seen some posts suggest, I just see two brokenhearted people who see the little trust they rebuilt fall apart in in thirty seconds. At the end Beth ends up winning, a bitter win maybe, this confrontation. Rio’s obviously still suspicion, but she also gained some trust with her asking him to kill ‘Dave’, so setting her up as The Banker is some sort of twisted reward and punishment and test at the same time. It’s not explained, but I think ‘The Banker’ might have been a hidden figure before Beth stepped up to show her face (before her flunky’s came to collect in name of The Banker) – making this an even better set-up if it’s so because that takes Rio out of the equation altogether even. We end the episode on the note where Rio tells Beth he has people he answers to, and that they want to meet her. Which, again, sound like both a reward and a punishment and a test. We’ll have to see next Sunday what it really means. IN this episode we’ll meet some of Rio’s family, likely his boss(es) and get backstory on him. I don’t see that as a fix-it, but mostly because I don’t see anything needed of fixing. I’m glad we’re getting an insight into Rio’s past, and I love that it likely will broaden his backstory and motivations more. But I feel like the way Rio’s character and the amount and the way of it seems very fitting to the story and the perspective it’s told through. I’m not sure if this is an answer to your question, so feel free to send me a more specific one if you want to!

[lexxierave]

Unlikely Source - Rio

Welcome to the....Break up! 

If you’re a little lost it’s the continuation of Found Out

You loved having Rio back with you but refused to have all that if all you were was some easy rebound because a basic bitch flipped him.

"Why'd you show up here?" You questioned him. It might not have been the best choice but you had to know either way before it ate you up inside. "Why now? Why me?"

Rio's eyes bore into yours and your heart felt like it could pound out of your chest at the intensity.

"You know you're right. I don't know why I showed up here. Clearly it was a mistake." He coldly said as he stood up. 

Your heart dropped as you watched him pick up the duffel bags.

This isn't what you wanted to happen. You cursed yourself for questioning his intentions but you need to know these things before you could continue on this path with him.

You couldn't get your mouth to say the words your mind was screaming. It was like you were stuck on pause as you watched him walk away from you again.

"Do what you want with my things. I won't be back." He venomously said before he slammed your door shut.

The emotions that were swirling around inside you grew to be too much and you broke down into deep sobs.

~~~~~~~

 You fucked up. You knew you did but you couldn't help the questions that left your lips.

And after Rio left it seemed like bad luck filled his void. 

You had gotten jumped and your car got jacked. You later found yourself seated at the same cafe where you had talked to Beth. Your face was bruised and scratched up from your fight with the carjacker and you just wanted to be left alone while you nursed your coffee.

But of course, the universe had other plans as someone slid into the seat across from you.

"Hey, you're that chick that was talking to my sister before, right?" An energetic voice inquired.

You looked up from your cup to see a bleach blonde in front of you. Her face turned to concern when she took in the marks on your face. 

"Hey, are you ok?" She asked, reaching her hand out to touch your wrist. 

"I'm fine." You replied, pulling away from her reach.

"Look if you need some help I'll help you." She quickly offered you but you just shook your head "no".

"I'm fine. Just a rough string of bad luck." You replied with a mirthless laugh.

"Oh yeah, I totally understand the whole bad luck thing. Why don't we swap stories? I'll tell you my bad luck story and you can tell me yours." She offered.

You knew she was genuinely trying to help and even though you wouldn't normally share with a stranger you felt somewhat at ease with her.

She told you about her sorted affair with her ex-husband and how she felt terrible about it and how his current wife was pregnant and all that was a mess. And the eccentric way she told it made you laugh at her exaggerations.

So when it was your turn to share instead of turning her down you decided to only share small details. She accepted that and rushed off shortly afterward when she realized she was late to be somewhere important. You left not long after that and finally headed home.

~~~~~~~

Rio sat off to the side of the room waiting for the smallest of the pains in his ass to show up. 

He was about to tell Beth to make a call when she came running through the door.

"Bout time you showed up." He greeted wanting this headache to be over with. "Now let's get down to business. "I figure you guys owe all the money you made while I was away plus 30% interest by….let's say next week."

"That's unreasonable." Beth quickly spoke up.

"That's unreasonable?" Rio asked thinking for a second before standing up, "Yeah you're right. Make it 60."

"That's crazy!" Annie cried out in outrage.

"Nah. This is me being merciful. Kill you three before then would be bad for business" He reminded them as he started to head to the door.

"If you're so pissed off that you can't kill us I..uh..know of someone who could...use some vigilante justice." Annie quickly called out.

"Do I look like the fucking hired help?" Rio questioned turning back towards them.

"No.No of course not. It's just that my friend y/n got jumped and...uh….if you were really in the mood to off someone you could totally off him." She quickly offered.

Upon hearing your name Rio's eyes darkened as he stared down Annie. He needed to make sure she wasn't playing him. Nah, that's more Beth's style.

He licked his lips before turning to Beth, "You best get to work." 

He'd have to check on the story he was just told.