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#always in like movie level horrible situations where i would save him from
beargirl2 · 5 months
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recreation of how i drew my dad 99% of the time as a kid like pretty much exactly this
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winniethewife · 10 months
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You Can’t Always Save Everybody.
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(Miguel O’hara x Spidersona!Scarlette Web)
Chapter 4
Last chapter ~ Next chapter
Words:1276
Miguel and Peter went back to HQ. They were going to need to plan this out. Scarlette Web… He still had a hard time believing that Valentine had turned to the side of evil. He looks at the one picture of her he had. He drags the holographic screen in front of him. She had been in the lab working on something and Layla saw how Miguel was looking at her, her makeup done and her hair pulled up and out of the way. Wearing a lab coat over her dark blue and black spider-suit working away, she was…beautiful. Lyla had taken the picture and showed it to him later. He had been embarrassed at the time, this was a woman who had been widowed, and her husband was him in her universe, he shouldn’t…he couldn’t, but now…He wishes he wondered what would have been different if he had just told her…
“Miguel, we have some more information on Val- Scarlette Web’s location.” Jessica Drew walks in, her slight slip up was something they had all been struggling with. Someone they all knew, turned to the other side.
“Go Ahead.” He says sternly.
“We think we’ve found the Lab where she’s working out of in her universe. Do you want me to assemble a team to do some reconnaissance?”
“No, I’ll go alone, she’s too dangerous to risk a team.” Miguel doesn’t want to go into the real reason. He wants to deal with her alone, See if there’s a chance to get Valentine back.
“Okay…call for back up if you need it.” Jess looks at him with a cocked eyebrow, knowing there’s more to this than danger levels but she wasn’t going to fight him.
~
Miguel watches her from the skylight at the lab as she injects herself. He can’t but cringe slightly as he sees the way her body shutters at the reaction to the drug. He wonders if there’s any way to bring her back from this. To give Valentine a second chance, but was it too late? Miguel watches her for several hours as she works around the lab. Entirely focused on the task at hand, she has no idea he’s there, her spidey senses dulled by the MERCY.
Sometime after the sunset set and the streetlights had come on, Valentine had moved to another room, she was lying in a hospital bed that she had been sleeping in. Miguel approaches the bed and looks down on her. Her raven black hair falls in her face and he has to resist the urge to move it out of her face. She looked at peace in sleep, not at all like the spiteful villain she had become. Miguel wasn’t sure what to do now, does she wake her? Does he take her out? As he’s weighing the options she starts mumbling in her sleep.
“Ngh…Miguel...” Valentine rolls over as she mumbles his name. Miguel logically knows that she’s probably dreaming about her husband but he couldn’t help feel his heart skip a beat. He gets on his knees next to her bed and takes her hand in his.
“Chiquita…I’m here.” He mutters as he runs his thumb across the back of her hand. Her hand was so cold, and small. Miguel takes his other hand and runs his fingers through her dark hair, pretending even for just a moment that everything was normal. Pretending that this moment was the moment he wanted, the moment where she had fallen asleep in his home, after a long night of talking, or watching movies. But that wasn’t was happened, this was a horrible situation.
“Tiger?” Valentine’s eyes fluttered open, in the dark she couldn’t make him out really, and with the drug affecting her mind…was he really there? Miguel hated himself for what he was about to do.
“Hey, Val…Mi amour…How is my precious wife huh?” He asks with a smile, Dear god he’s an idiot.
“Mig…I gotta be dreaming…”
“And if you are?”
“Then…it’s a good dream.” She smiles at him.
“I’m glad…Why are you here? Why are you not in our home, in our bed?” Miguel feels bad as he deceives her in her sleep and drug addled state, but at the same time he enjoys the feeling of her loving eyes gazing on his.
“Tiger…I’ve made…I’ve made some choices I’m not proud of baby…” She scoots over and pats the bed for him to get up onto it. He hesitates but he does, his tall frame not quite fitting on the bed but they make it work, she’s laying on his chest as he cradles her in his arms. He’s thankful he thought to disengage the suit before coming in here, knowing this charade wouldn’t last with his Spiderman logo emblazoned on his chest. A simple t-shirt and Joggers was all he wore.
“I know…Chiquita…Have I come too late? Is there no chance to convince you?” He asks as he caresses her face with the lightest touch.
“I don't think you know...It's... more complicated. I don't know if you really want to hear this”. She sighs and closes her eyes. “MERCY...it doesn't completely take over the brain. It just...gets rid of the guilt of killing. It makes it easier. I still made those decisions Miguel...I wanted to kill those people, I just didn't want to feel bad about it. It felt...good. I liked it. That's what MERCY does...” She clings tighter to him. Tears rolling down her cheeks as she admits the full truth of the situation. “That’s why I can't go back not after what I've done...not after choosing to be this way.” Miguel feels his heart sink.
“I-I see. Oh Valentine. Why? Why would you do this?” He asks as he brushes the tears away from her face. He’s thankful that in the dark she cannot see his own eyes start to well up with tears as he hears the one thing he hoped not to hear.
“I…it’s a long story…” She sniffles.
“Then tell me mi vida…Tell me.”
“After you died…I was recruited to this group, A multiverse of Spidermen and Spiderwomen, and so much more. And the leader…Well, He’s you. But from a different universe. He and I…well we became friends and things were good, but this kid Miles, he comes and things get nasty. Miguel wasn’t the same after that…and Things just…Miles said something to me that I just couldn’t shake. I had chased him all over the damn city and I finally caught him and he looks at me and he said, that if this is what it meant to be Spiderman, why would anyone stick around? And I…I let him go. I didn’t think Miguel even knew but after the whole ordeal was over Miguel…He treated me differently, and I had no idea why. And one day he stopped talking to me, He seemed to forget about my existence and…It was like losing you all over again. I was entirely alone. I couldn’t handle it. The last time I saw him…He just chewed me out for failing an impossible mission and I couldn’t take it. I left and never looked back.” She sighs. Miguel remembers this fight, he remembers how she looked after, the cold dead look in her eyes as she left his office…that was the last time he saw her, before she emerged as Scarlette Web.
“And so…you turned to the side of evil…Because of this…other me.” He whispers.
“Yes, and I have a plan. I’m creating a device…it will separate this universe, from all the others…so that no one will come here again…and hopefully…slowly. It will fade from existence…and so will I.”
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~
Masterlist
tag: @femmeanonymelives
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noteguk · 4 years
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any way you want it | kth | m
— summary; in which your best friend, Taehyung, finds out about your unsatisfying sexual experiences and decides to put an end to that track record himself. 
— contents and warnings; smut, childhood best friends, Taehyung x reader, bigdick!tae, breast play, oral (f receiving), dry grinding, dirty talk, tae has a praise kink, unprotected sex (be responsible!!), rough sex, creampie, multiple orgasms, Taehyung takes things personally but he has good intentions, this is what happens when mutual thirst gets suppressed for years of friendship 
— words; 6.6k
— author’s note; i have no idea why but this fic was so fucking hard to put down into words??? I felt mentally constipated the entire time but it’s finally here 
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Taehyung wasn’t the slightest bit surprised when you called him at almost two in the morning, complaining about your newest nightmarish date and practically begging to come over. Like the good friend that he was, he made sure to tell you that you would be more than welcome to join him in his newest documentary marathon about aliens, and wondered if you could bring him some takeout on your way over there. Like the bad friend that you were, you said no. 
To be fair, the nearest takeout place was across the city from his apartment (about thirty minutes away and in a bad neighborhood), and you were already having a horrible night as it was. Besides, you refused to take part in Taehyung’s search for a high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, arguing that it wasn’t the right time to stuff his face full of hypercaloric noodles. 
But you did pity him enough to comply with his second request: a big pot of vanilla ice cream, which you were sure you’d end up consuming too. You were in a crisis.
As if to prove that the gods above were laughing at you, during the walk of shame to Taehyung’s apartment, it had started to rain (because of course it did), and your umbrella was only able to save you from the shoulders up before it crumbled and flew away from your gasp, rolling on the asphalt like a ball of dirt in a Wild West movie. By the time that you dragged yourself to his front door, you were completely soaked (and not in the way you had planned for that night to end), and about to break down crying. 
Taehyung, like the angel that he was, helped you with your heavy coat and talked you into taking a warm shower before you got sick. He took the supermarket bag from you (where the ice cream had probably already melted) and walked you to this bathroom, excusing himself so he could grab you some dry clothes — and you only saw the ones he had picked when you got out of the shower. 
With a silly smile dancing on your lips, you fumbled with the black booty shorts that Taehyung had jokingly gifted you that past Christmas — one that read “daddy’s juicy butt” in big, bold, neon pink letters over your ass — and then decided that your dignity was already dead by that point, so another kick wouldn’t hurt. Taehyung had also given you one of his favorite band shirts, which he only revealed during desperate times. 
Your heart melted with the thought of your best friend trying to comfort you, and pulled the fabric close to your face so you could take a deep inhale, drowning in his scent. It smelled of that stupid cologne that Taehyung had used ever since he hit puberty, and a bit of fabric softener. 
The two of you had an extremely close friendship, to the point that it got kind of strange at times. Ever since childhood, it was joked that you and Taehyung had been long lost soulmates — doing everything together, from going to school to laughing at the same exact jokes during movie marathons, often at the same moment and for the same amount of time. Before puberty hit (and the hormonal rage took over your first teenage years) you couldn’t remember disagreeing with him even once. You two had always been in sync. 
But the uncomfortably close part only hit after you two went to college, and your anxiety for being a virgin in a sea of starving sharks got the best of you. After long conversations, you had managed to convince Taehyung to help you learn a thing or two about the art of naked wrestling. 
Apparently it was weird to give your best friend a handjob and a blowjob for the sake of education. Go figure. 
Regardless, your friendship wasn’t affected by any of that — even if you two had agreed to never mention any of it ever again — and you could always count on Taehyung to catch you when you fell. 
Even if it was at two am on a Tuesday, after one of your nightmarish dates. 
You threw yourself on the couch next to him, hugging your knees against your chest to form a barrier between you and the divine providence that had taken you to that point. You had half-assedly dried your hair, but pools of wetness had started to build on the back of Taehyung’s shirt. 
Instead of accusing you of ruining his favorite piece of clothing, Taehyung reached for the remote and paused his documentary just as the narrator was starting to explain how hieroglyphs were actually part of an alien language. “Just tell me how bad it was,” he said, a mustache of ice cream melting over his top lip.
You took a peek at the bowl of melting vanilla on his center table, and decided that you would probably pass the desert for the night. 
You glanced at him sideways, voice coming out monotone. “You sure you want to go down that path?” 
Taehyung licked his sweet mustache off and nodded, clearly intrigued. “Yeah, hit me with it. You look like you need all the help that you can find.” 
You sighed, turning around on the couch so you were facing him — legs still against your chest. “Okay so… I went to his place...” 
“Yes…”
“And... we had dinner, talked for a bit.”
“How was the talk?” He asked. 
You shook your head, trying to kill the memories inside. “He didn’t let me say a word. He just went on and on about this new website he’s working on, and how expensive his wine glasses were.” You scoffed, angry at yourself for ignoring the clear red flags of an arrogant douchebag. That was what the desperate need for immediate human connection could do to someone, you thought. “Apparently it’s supposed to be the next Facebook or something. Or twitter. I honestly wasn’t paying much attention.”
He chuckled. “Starting off strong.” 
“That wasn’t even the main issue,” you said, lowering your forehead so it was touching your knees. You just wanted the world to end at that moment, so you wouldn’t have to go through those experiences again. “After that, we sat on his couch and started watching a movie. And you know how that goes, we started kissing, he pushed me down and got on top of me…”
“And?” He instigated. 
With a sigh, you raised your head, meeting your friend’s gaze. Taehyung thought he had never seen you look so dead inside. And he had seen a lot from you. “And he humped like… my lower abdomen for about three minutes and came in his pants.”
Taehyung cringed visibly, taking one hand to cover his mouth. “Oh, man. That’s bad.” 
You nodded, strangely relieved at his reaction. Part of you was worried that you were the evil witch in that scenario, that maybe you had done something wrong. “The worst,” you agreed. “Wanna know what else?”
“What? There’s more?”
“He didn’t even ask me if I was satisfied with whatever the hell that was.” You told him, bitterness dripping from your tongue. In the grand scheme of things, that was something silly to get mad over, but the fact that your date didn’t even have the guts to ask if you had gotten something out of that was ridiculous. “Not that I could possibly be. But it’s like he didn’t care and I was just a pillow for him to hump like a… sexually repressed religious teen, I don’t know.”
Taehyung only nodded, realizing that there wasn’t much that he could say to fix the situation. “Was he a good kisser at least?”
You sneered. “I think he was trying to crush my face with his.” You glanced at your friend, only half of his face bathed by the yellow and orange shades coming from the television. Maybe a documentary about ancient history and alien expeditions wouldn’t be so bad. Worst case scenario, it would knock you out, and you wouldn’t have to think about that mess anytime soon. “Also, too much tongue, just… the amount of saliva…”
“Got it. You can stop there.” Taehyung raised one hand, his eyes closing for a second. His palm lowered and met one of your knees, standing there in a silent attempt at consolation. “I’m sorry about your terrible date experience, dude.” 
“If you could even call it that.” You ran one hand through your hair, suddenly overtaken by a wave of anger. “God! I was just… so… ugh! Like… ughhhh!!” 
Taehyung, bless his heart, sometimes couldn’t understand the random neanderthal sounds you threw his way. “So... what?”
At last, your makeshift protection came crumbling down, and you collapsed on the couch dramatically, legs dangling off the edge. Taehyung thought that you were being possessed for exactly two seconds before you started talking again. “I did a full body shave for this night, Taehyung. Do you realize what that means?” His lips fell open, but, before he had the chance to answer, you continued. “It means that I really wanted to get railed tonight. Actually, I wanted to find a guy who actually knew what he was doing for once in my life.”
Taehyung chuckled, trying to disperse the tension in the room. “Come on, the dating pool can’t be that bad.”
“Oh, it’s bad,” you said. 
He wasn’t giving up that fast. “How bad?”
You raised your head to look him dead in the eyes, a silent threat, before finally uttering, “Try no-man-has-ever-made-me-cum bad,” and crashing your head back against the sofa. 
If you weren’t so hyper-focused on your own sexual melodrama, you would have noticed the thick silence that fell between the two of you, Taehyung’s face contorting into fifty different emotions within a few seconds. He thought that he had heard it all — from the secrets hidden in Machu Picchu to the obvious extraterrestrial influence on earthy religion — but no amount of bad documentaries could ever prepare him for that revelation. That didn’t make any sense. 
“Wait. Seriously?” He finally found his voice and managed to push his doubt out of his throat. “You’ve never had an orgasm before?”
You chuckled, humorless. “Oh no, I’ve had plenty of those. Just not from another person.” 
“How’s that possible?” he asked. 
“I ask myself that every single day.” You sighed, forcing yourself to sit back up. Taehyung was staring at you like you had just grown two extra arms, and you wondered what an amazing sex life he must’ve had for that confession to get him so confused. “Guess I’m just really bad at picking partners, who knows.”
There was a soft grunt on your throat as you fixed your position on the couch, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of your entire day piling up at once. Your gaze mindlessly traveled to the TV — a big plasma monstrosity that Taehyung had bought compulsively during a Black Friday sale — looking at a white-bearded man pointing maniacally towards a specific, round-shaped hieroglyph. You didn’t even need to hit play to know that he was making it seem like it was an UFO, but curiosity got the best of you. 
“Can you pass me the remote?” You asked, pointing at the small device that laid beyond Taehyung’s body. “I kinda wanna see what—”
“I’ve made tons of girls have orgasms,” Taehyung interrupted, looking at you like he had just clicked out of a transe.  
You laughed at his monotone voice. “I’m happy for you, Tae.” You leaned over his legs so you could finally reach the remote. “That wasn’t a jab at your masculinity, I’m sure you’re a very caring partner, and I’m sure there’s tons of guys out there that—”
“I can make you cum too, if you want.”
You had just grabbed the small piece of plastic when his sentence hit you like a smack in the face, making you drop the remote back on the couch, eyes widening. “You… what?”
He suddenly broke eye contact, taking one hand to massage the back of his neck. “Did that sound as creepy as I think it did?”
“A bit, yeah.” You forced out a light chuckle, trying to break the ice. There was no sign of mockery in his voice, and you didn’t know how to react. You could not say that the offer wasn’t tempting (you’d be lying if you claimed that you didn’t think Taehyung was attractive), but his proposal was so oddly-placed that it sounded like a joke. “What are you talking about?”
Taehyung sighed, turning his head to look at the television. “I just think it’s really unfair that no one has ever made you cum before.” 
You smiled. “That’s very nice of you, but…”
“And I want to help you with that.” He looked back at you. Oh, he was being a hundred percent serious. There was no longer a single ounce of doubt in your mind. “We’re friends, it’s not gonna be weird. We’ve done similar stuff before.”
“We were a lot younger, though.” You didn’t know why your mouth suddenly felt so dry, your fight or flight response kicking at full strength. You could tell that Taehyung was also trying to convince himself about the strangeness of the situation. “It’s gonna be kind of weird, yeah.”
“Not if we don’t make it weird,” he threw back. Was it bad that you were actually considering it? Maybe it was the piled-up exhaustion combined with the years of sexual frustration, maybe you were finally out of your mind. But you were really considering it. “I don’t wanna pressure you, alright? Just making a friendly offer. If you don’t want it, that’s fine.” 
You kind of wanted it, though. There was too much accumulated libido inside you from years and years of unsatisfying partners, and you trusted Taehyung with your entire heart. It sounded like a safe enough bet: if all went to shit and it got too awkward, you two could just stop, no hard feelings. Besides, you knew that Taehyung cared about you, which was more than you could say about all your dates in the past couple years. 
And the more you stared at him, probably looking like a deer in the headlights, the more you grew soft under his presence. At once, you were hit with desires that you had never considered before: you wanted to kiss those soft lips, wanted to know how his large hands would feel around you. You really, really wanted to know how it was to have a good sexual experience with someone, and you couldn’t think of a better candidate than your best friend. Even if you still thought it could be seen as a little bit weird. 
But you also kind of didn’t care. 
You licked your lips, finally finding your voice after a long moment of silence. “How… how would you do it?” 
Taehyung turned his head and looked at you, noticing the expectation in your eyes. “How would you want me to do it?” He asked. 
You tried to think, but your mind was completely blank. What did you want him to do? What did you like? Suddenly you weren’t sure about anything anymore. “I don’t know,” you admitted, glancing down. 
Taehyung smiled at your nervousness, one of his hands moving to your chin and tilting your head up. “How ‘bout I start by kissing you?” He questioned, gaze flickering to your parted lips. “Is that alright?” 
There were no words in your throat, so you simply nodded, closing your eyes as he leaned in. 
Taehyung’s mouth tasted of vanilla and you thought, even for a moment, that you were in paradise. The second that his tender lips met yours, your anxiety melted away, giving space to a newfound flame of desire. Taehyung kissed you softly, sensually, taking his time caressing your mouth and drowning in your heat. His hand moved to the back of your head, pressing you closer to him and leaning your head to the side so he could deepen the kiss. 
He sighed heavily into your mouth when your tongues met, his other hand moving to hold your waist. The position on the couch was kind of awkward for kissing, with the two of you sitting side by side, so it wasn’t an unwelcome surprise when Taehyung tugged you onto his lap, making you straddle him. 
The kiss was starting to get hungrier, messier, a small whimper dying in your mouth when his palms traveled down to cup your ass, pressing you down against his semi-hard cock. Taehyung sighed and groaned at the feeling of you on top of him, loving the way that your fingers played with his hair, your body so perfectly tight against his. If there was any hesitation before, it had completely vanished by that point. 
It caught you off guard when he suddenly broke off the kiss to ask you, “Do you like any pet names?”
You blinked, taken aback. “Hm? What?”
He placed a strand of your hair behind your ear. “You know, you want me to call you by something?”  
You realized that Taehyung was really taking that personal service to a different level, and you couldn’t say that you were let down by it. If any of your past partners had the dignity to ask what you liked, you wouldn’t be in that position in the first place. “I… like being called ‘baby’,” you told him. 
Taehyung smiled. “That’s cute. Baby it is.” 
Before you had a chance to respond, Taehyung’s lips were back on yours, a dreamy sigh leaving his mouth as your tongues met once again. Only a few seconds passed before he shifted his weight to lay you down, never breaking the kiss as he positioned himself between your legs, hovering over you. Taehyung started trailing a path of kisses down your neck, his large hands slithering beneath your oversized shirt and caressing the skin of your stomach. 
“Can I take this off?” He asked, tugging at your shirt. 
You agreed and, within a heartbeat, that piece of clothing was already on the floor, and Taehyung was diving in to kiss the valley of your naked breasts. You moaned timidly when one of your nipples was wrapped by his lips, his tongue coming out to play with it. Taehyung’s other hand was occupied fondling your other breast, tugging and pressing down on it, and the sensations were taking over your mind. 
“You have great tits,” Taehyung mumbled against your skin, switching to mouth your other nipple. 
“I’m glad you like them,” you teased, playing with the hair on the nape of his neck. You were letting out these cute little whimpers that were making him lose his mind. “Feels really good.” 
“Yeah?” He asked, moving back to kiss his way up your neck. His tongue was hot and heavy as it danced on your skin, and you knew that those sucks he was giving you were surely gonna leave a few marks on your flesh. But you didn’t really care. “Gonna make you feel even better, baby.” 
Your eyes fluttered shut at the pet name — it sounded heavenly when Taehyung used it with his deep, honeyed voice; his warm breath hitting your neck as he continued with his ministrations. 
He kissed his way to your cheek, placing a small pec on your lips before saying, “Can you do something for me?”
You nodded. “What is it?” 
Instead of responding right away, Taehyung’s gaze fell to your lips, and he was once again attacking them. That time, you weren’t able to hold back the whimper that you let out, your panties already glued against your core with how much he was turning you on. 
One of his hands had trailed down your exposed abdomen, teasingly playing with the hem of your shorts. You held your breath when he tugged them down, bringing your underwear with it and throwing them somewhere in the living room. Taehyung grunted loudly when his fingers slipped past your folds, digging into your heat. His brain almost short-circuited because of how wet you were. 
He broke the kiss and looked you deep in the eyes. “I want you to sit on my face, baby,” he said, and his request shot straight to your core. “Let me take care of you, okay?” 
“Are you sure?” You asked. You had never done that before.
But Taehyung wasn’t sharing your reluctance. “Yeah,” he said, voice hoarse and eyes darkened. “Wanna taste you so bad. Sit on my face, please.” 
And you didn’t need any more convincing than that. Taehyung helped you get up from the couch so he could reposition himself on it, laying flat on his back and watching as you settled yourself above him, thighs on either side of his head. The couch was the exact size for that, a little smaller and you’d have one leg dangling off the edge.
Taehyung took his hands to your thighs, running them up to your hips. His eyes were focused on your pussy, and you never felt so exposed when he started pressing you down lightly, guiding you closer to his mouth. 
You held the back of the couch for support and did as he requested, lowering yourself until Taehyung had you flat on his tongue. Your breath trembled and caught in your throat when he licked a thick stripe from your entrance to your clit, humming around the taste before doing it again. Taehyung was an expert at erasing your worries because, with a few more licks, he had you fully losing yourself in his sinful ministrations. 
It wasn’t long until you were whining out his name, your folds lazily dragging against his tongue as you started to grind on his face. “God, Taehyung!” You called out, hand coming down to tug at his hair. Taehyung grunted in satisfaction, the vibrations of his deep voice sending shockwaves through your pussy. “That’s… that’s really nice. You’re really good at this.” 
He moaned in response, closing his eyes at your words. Taehyung was eating you out like his mouth was made for it, like he was starving for your taste and you were all that he could think about. He licked you from your entrance to your clit, playing with your sensitive spots and enjoying the tremors of pleasure that ran through your thighs, his hands locked tight around your hips. You sobbed and cried over him, making special effort to keep your legs steady as you rocked yourself on his tongue. 
It was only when he decided to suck on your clit that you realized how absurdly close you were. You clenched your teeth and whined out, yanking his hair harder. “Do that again, please,” you asked and Taehyung, like the good friend that he was, was quick to comply. Taehyung wrapped his mouth around your clit in a way that had you trembling over him, licking and sucking on your sensitive nub like his life depended on it. “Fuck, that’s so good, Tae. Feels so good…” 
He moaned again, more desperate this time, and some part of your mind understood the pattern that he was presenting you: Taehyung really, really liked your compliments. And you had no problem giving away any more of them. 
“You’re licking me so well, Tae, you’re gonna make me cum like this,” you told him,  meaning every word you said. Taehyung was a Greek god beneath you, staring up at you with those dark, focused eyes as if he dared you to cum on his tongue. “God! You’re so good for me.”
And then your praises ran thin, because your mind was gravitating somewhere else — seeking for the high that was dangerously close. It was only when Taehyung started toying with your entrance, brushing two of his fingers on it, that you came undone, crying out his name like it was a personal prayer. 
There was a smirk on your mouth as you came down, a flooding relief that overtook you. You never thought that you could come so hard in your life, especially when it depended on another person, and you were so, so happy to be wrong that you could cry. 
With shaky legs, you removed yourself from Taehyung’s face, straddling his lap and watching as his lips glistened with your arousal. His pink tongue came out to lick them, a hum on his throat as he took in your fucked-out expression. 
“You did so well, baby,” he said, placing one of his hands on your waist. “Come here.” 
Obedient, you leaned in and sighed as his mouth met yours. This time, Taehyung didn’t wait to eagerly insert his tongue inside your mouth, making you taste yourself on him. 
He pulled away leisurely, his voice hoarse. “Can you taste how sweet you are?” He asked. “I loved making you cum on my tongue, baby. You looked so pretty.” 
Taehyung breathed out, planting kisses on your neck, one hand trailing down to squeeze your ass. You whined at his tight grip and pressed yourself down on him, feeling his hard cock poking out against the fabric of his sweats. 
Taehyung groaned at the stimulation, pressing down on your asscheek again. You rolled your hips on top of him, wincing in sensitivity as his member brushed your clit. “Loved your pussy so much, baby,” he continued, sounding like he was lost in a daydream, “I can’t wait to be inside you. Bet you’d be so tight for my cock, hm?” 
“Yeah,” you managed to speak. Even if you had just reached your orgasm, you were still aching to feel something inside you. You wanted Taehyung more than you could understand. “I want you to fuck me, Tae, please.” 
He breathed out, his hands tightening around your flesh as you rolled your pussy against his cock once again. Taehyung looked like he was one heartbeat away from completely losing his self control, and hearing you beg for him to fuck you wasn’t doing him any favors. “Gonna need to lie down for me, baby,” he asked. 
With a few more shifts on the couch, Taehyung had you beneath him once again, your legs open for him as he removed his shirt and pants. It wasn’t long before his cock sprung free from its confinement, standing erect. You licked your lips at the lustful sight, pussy clenching in anticipation as you took him in — Taehyung was big. Bigger than anyone you’ve ever had, that’s for sure; long and thick and already leaking for you. 
You would’ve cried out in need if he didn’t interrupt you. “What are you looking at?” Taehyung asked, the ghost of a smile creeping up on his lips. 
Your stare oscillated toward his own. “That’s why you have such a good track record, your cock is huge.” You bit your lip, thinking about how good he would feel inside you. You didn’t know how it was possible, but you were pretty sure the last time you’ve seen his cock — back in the dark ages of your freshman year of college — it wasn’t as big as that. Or maybe you just didn’t have anything to compare it to. 
“Hey, I just used my tongue on you, don’t ignore my efforts,” Taehyung teased, wrapping one of his hands around his member so he could pump himself a few times. The playful atmosphere swiftly shifted back, and, when he spoke up again, his voice was deeper. “You think you can take it?” 
“Yeah, I can,” you said. You couldn’t be sure, but you were sure going to try. 
Taehyung hummed, moving a bit closer so he could brush his tip against your pussy, coating it with your wetness. You closed your eyes in expectation, knowing that you’d love the stretch he would give you. 
“You want it?” He asked, a touch of desperation covering his words. Taehyung was nearing his breaking point, and the fluttering of your pussy on his cock was making him go insane. “Want my cock inside your tight little cunt, baby?” 
You nodded, frantic. The brushing of his thick tip on your hole was becoming too much, your walls clenching around nothing, seeking for something to fill you up. “Yes, fuck, I want it so bad.” 
“Are you tight for me, baby?” He was trying to prolong that moment for as much as he could, keep the pretty face you made when you pleaded for him to fuck you burned in the back of his head. Making you cum once was a victory he would take forever, but making you cum around his cock might as well be his life’s biggest achievement. “Ready for me to fuck you?” 
You cried out when he started pressing himself inside you, guiding his crown inside your pussy, then stopping. “Yes, Tae, just put it all in, please,” you whined, hands fumbling for support on his broad shoulders. Taehyung already had you clenching around nothing, you didn’t know what else he wanted from you. “Please, please, fuck me.” 
Taehyung chuckled, looking down at where you two met. He was only human, and his self control was short lived. “Since you asked so nicely…” 
Your back arched off the sofa as you felt the delicious drag of his large cock inside you, opening you up gradually, taking its time before filling you up to the brim. You gasped and sobbed at the overwhelming feeling, nails digging on the skin of his back as Taehyung groaned besides your ear. 
“Fuck, that’s so good.” He let out a shaky breath, and you swore you never heard his voice get so husky before. “I just slipped right in. You’re so fucking wet.” 
Your mind was an apocalypse of confused thoughts and forgotten exclamations, eyes fluttering shut as you dove into the sensation of Taehyung inside you — his hips angling backwards, tilting up just enough so he could move himself away from you core, only to come slamming back inside. The stretch of his cock was amazing, it was making you drunk, and all that you could think about was how much pleasure it was giving you. 
“So-So big—“ you muttered, half aware that the words actually left your lips. 
“How do you like it, uh?” Taehyung asked, his voice dripping sin and hunger. You could tell that he, too, was getting carried away by the feeling, his hips rutting themselves against you at a lazy pace. “Gonna give it to you any way you want it, baby.” 
You bit your lip, a small moan leaving your mouth when Taehyung leaned closer to you, distributing hot kisses on your neck. You swore you’d be happy if you died then. “I like it rough,” you answered. 
He groaned, apparently satisfied with your response. “Whatever you want.” 
Taehyung got to his knees on the couch, deciding to put one foot on the ground for support, his hands raising your hips to help him reach even deeper inside you. Faster than your brain could compute, the shallow, lazy pace he had sat was being replaced with a harsh, fast pumping that made you cry out his name, eyes closing in sheer bliss. 
“Tae! Yes, yes, just like that,” you sobbed, running one hand through your hair. You felt like your body was floating, every cell of your body overheating with the amazing pleasure that Taehyung was giving you. You never had someone fucking you so hard, his cock pistoning inside you, your body bobbing up and down on the couch. 
Taehyung’s eyes were glued to the bouncing of your breasts as he continued to fuck you, a deep groan leaving his chest. “That’s it, take it,” he moaned out, quickening his pace even more. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head, mouth opening in a silent scream.  “Gonna make you cum so hard around my cock, baby. Gonna fuck you until you cry. Want that?” 
“Yes, yes, please,” you moaned. “Feels so good, Tae.” 
“You like my cock, baby? Like it filling you up?” He asked and you could only nod pathetically, your entire body too fucked out to even respond. “F-fuck, your pussy is so good. Tell me that you love my cock.” 
“I love your cock,” you whined, feeling like a complete hot mess under his thrusts. “I — fuck! — I love your cock so much, Tae, it’s so big.” 
Your words motivated him to fuck you even harder, his member hitting even deeper inside you. Taehyung was getting lost in the stretch of your pussy around him, the glorious sounds you were making, the lust that coated your face every time you called out his name. 
“Shit, I don’t know how anyone could look at you like this and not want to see that pretty face cum.” He was breathing out hard, grunting every time your cunt tightened around him. Taehyung wanted to see you like that forever, taking his cock like a good girl, creaming all over him and begging to do it again. You were wrapping around him so perfectly, taking all of him so well, that he didn’t think he’d manage to move on from that anytime soon. “So fucking hot.”
Taehyung chased after your high like a starving man looking for food, experimentally changing the angle and force of his thrusts to see what would get the best reaction out of you. At last, after a pathetically loud cry from your part after he raised your legs up, it seemed as if he had found it. “I bet you’d be so tight cumming around my cock, baby,” he was thinking out loud at that point, trying to make sense of the pretty sounds and expressions you were giving him so eagerly. He wanted nothing more than to see you cum — it was personal at that point. “I wanna feel you cum around me, baby. Wanna feel it so bad.” 
“I’m c-close.” Your nails dug into his shoulders, eyes closing tightly. There was a light heat in your cheeks and sweat on your forehead that was making Taehyung wonder if you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. “You’re so good, T-Tae, you’re fucking me so well…” 
Taehyung thought that he could cum right then and there, pushed over the edge with those sweet words alone. He loved being good to you, loved making you feel things that no one else managed to before. He was intoxicated by that sense of superiority, drowning in your praise. He wished that he could fuck you forever. 
“Cream my cock, baby, come on,” he pushed you on, his words hanging somewhere between an order and a breathless plea. You were getting so tight around him that it was making him crazy, your wetness coating his cock and dripping down between your legs like his own personal brand of aphrodisiac. “You can do it, come on. I wanna see you cum so bad.” 
You smiled at him, a cute, fucked-out smirk that made Taehyung go to heaven and back. “So good for me, Tae, you’re so big,” you said, your voice so needy and high-pitched. Your orgasm was looming over you, pressing down on your lower body and making you see stars. It was only a matter of time before Taehyung got you crying out his name, back arching off the couch and mouth falling open in delirium. “Tae! Fuck! Don’t stop, please, I’m gonna—“ 
But your warning came a second too late, because you were already spasming around his length, body shaking as Taehyung thrusted hard inside you. Just as expected, you were absolutely fucking gorgeous when you came — all quivering lips and rolling eyes —, and Taehyung was beyond satisfied to know that he was the only one who saw that pretty face of yours. 
“That’s it, baby, fuck.” Taehyung was starting to feel his own high approaching, called by the delicious tightening and releasing of your pussy around him. His thrusts were messy and harsh; his sweaty hair falling over his eyes like a cascade. “Can I cum inside you, baby? Can I fuck you full of my cum?”
You noticed the desperation in his tone and, with the throbbing of his member inside you, you knew that he wasn’t far. “Yes, please,” you said. “You were so good for me, Tae, you can cum wherever you want.” 
And it was that final taste of praise that pushed Taehyung over his limit; waves upon waves of cum filling you up as he rode out his high. “God— fuck!” He cried out, drunk on the feeling of your walls milking the last drops of cum out of his cock. A few lazy pumps later, and he was collapsing on top of you with a mumbled, “F-Fuck.” 
There was an instant of silence after his orgasm, the quietude only filled by Taehyung’s heavy breathing. You took one hand to his head, caressing the strands as a smile blossomed on your lips. “Well, I believe you now,” you said playfully. “I’m sure you made a bunch of girls orgasm.” 
Taehyung chuckled, breathless. “Thank you, I try,” he said, looking up at you. The darkness in his gaze was gone, and it was just your best friend staring back at you. “You alright?”
“I’m great,” you admitted. You never felt so good in your life. “You?”
“Fantastic, thanks for asking.” He leaned back so he could sit up, running one hand through his disheveled hair before saying, “I’m gonna grab you a towel, hang on.” 
Taehyung left you for a couple minutes before coming back to clean you up, tenderly wiping away the mess you two had created. After he was done, he discarded the towel on the floor and crawled back to rest on your chest once again. 
There was a comforting quietude that floated in the atmosphere, only filled by the muffled buzzing of his freezer and the vague sound of raindrops drumming on the window. You didn’t really know how to deal with that entire situation, didn’t know how things would stay between the two of you. But, at that point, you made the decision to keep those worries for the following morning and, instead, just enjoy his warmth radiating all around you. 
The glorious silence, at last, was broken when Taehyung started mumbling against your breasts.  “Hey, ___?” He called. 
“Yeah?”
“How many dates have you been on?”
You hummed, thinking for a moment. “Ever?”
Taehyung made a clicking sound with his tongue. “I don’t know, like, this past year.”
“Uh… like… five or six? I think?” You answered, looking down to meet his gaze. You knew that wicked expression very well. “Why?”
He smiled. “Because we have a lot of shitty dates to make up for.”
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shangchiswife · 3 years
Note
I saw you where seeking requests from people, so here I am >:D
I can't get this one prompt out of my head. I need someone to make something of it for me. Obviously a Doc Ock x Mute! Hero! reader, I don't care for gender. I am very iffy with Goblin, he's all scrungly and crusty unlike dear Otto, so no norman. Plus I just had to request for the octopus man with the pretty eyes.
prompt in question is below 🔽
“You can’t just keep using the *I don’t like talking* excuse, hero. I know I told you I enjoy a good monologue every now and then, but… You aren’t actually mute, right? Because… I mean, if you are, I can learn sign language to make this work…”
I don't think I'm forgetting anything, let me know if I forgot to add something to my request, thanks in advance!
hi sorry this took so long I had a virus on my computer so i couldn't write for a few days. anyways i hope this is what you wanted!!
warnings: none
word count: 876
It was an uneventful night for you being one of New York’s many heroes- or vigilantes as Jonah Jameson liked to call you all.
You had switched on the tv and flipped through channels until you stopped on a movie you liked.
A bowl of popcorn settled in your lap as you cuddled against a blanket, a small smile forming on your lips at all the comfort you were feeling all at once.
It was nice for once not having to save the day and come back with aching bruises and deep cuts that took weeks to heal.
Suddenly, the channel was interrupted by breaking news.
“Breaking News, Doc Ock has been seen leaving the bank with large bags of money in his hands,” a newman came on screen, with worry present on his face.
Despite the horrible situation, you felt your heart speed up.
As “evil” as Doc Ock was, you enjoyed the battles that you had with him. And you think that the feeling was mutual because he would always have a genuine smile on his face when he saw you.
“The police tried to thwart his robbery but were all taken down by the tentacles of this menacing man! Where are you, heroes? We need your help desperately,”
The news cut off and the movie you were initially watching appeared again.
There was a heated battle scene going on where the protagonist was kicking ass.
Really right at the good part? You thought.
You weren’t complaining though, you got to see Octavius.
Once you finally located where he was, you suited up into your gear and got all of your necessary weapons. You never really hurt him too hard, just enough to get back whatever he was stealing.
Right when you arrived at the battle scene, you immediately noticed chaos.
Wherever Otto Octavius walked, chaos ensued.
People were fleeing all around and screams were heard.
Lovely you thought with a thin-lipped smile as you glanced around for any sign of Octavius.
Suddenly you felt something grab onto your shoulder and then spun you around.
“Hello dear,” the voice of Otto filled your ears.
His tentacles held him upward towards the twinkling night sky.
You got into a fighting position but before made a grabbing motion to the bags of money he had in two of his tentacles.
A deep laugh came from him.
“Really, you want this to be an easy fight? That’s not going to happen,” he tilted his green lenses down so that you could meet his flirty gaze.
You shrugged your shoulders and then used your powers to spring you up so that you were level with him.
You always won these sorts of things with villains since your powers could end them all if you wanted.
You tried to grab one of the bags clutched in the tentacles but was interrupted by another one of them grabbing you gently and flinging you out of the way.
Otto started the other way, a smug grin on his face.
You saw him look back almost as if he was waiting for you to fight back which was exactly what you were about to do.
You flew at him with high speed and flung your arms around one of the tentacles and forced it open, making the bags of money drop onto the street.
From below you, you heard a loud screech from an old woman.
“Well that’s not very friendly of you,” Otto huffed as he pushed you away once again, this time a touch harder.
You stopped your movie just for this. To get pushed.
Now slightly vexed, you got into his face and put on a taunting smirk and waved mockingly making his mouth turn into an o shape before his tentacles tried to take you down.
“You know over this wonderful relationship you haven’t said a single thing, hero. You can’t keep using the ‘I don’t want to talk’ excuse since there is plenty to talk about such as how you always seem to get the best of me in battle,” he breathed as his tentacles continued to try and push you away.
You were quick with your movements however and swerved away from every single one of the tentacles.
“I know I told you I like a good monologue every now and then but…wait,” a sudden realization flowed through his head as for a split second his tentacles stopped attacking.
His chocolate eyes looked at you whilst you listened to him and tried to get the bags of money from his other tentacle.
“You aren’t actually mute, right? Because I mean if you are then I can learn sign language to make this work,” he said looking to you for a reaction.
You smiled at the villain and nodded eagerly.
That would make this relationship so much easier…and fun.
“Yes that you’re mute and I should learn sign language?” he questioned.
At that very moment, you stopped the tentacle with the rest of the money and forced it open.
You gave him a quick nod before leaping down back on the deserted streets.
You gave him a sweet wave before you started in the opposite direction, the bags of money in your hands.
“Until next time, dear,”
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Text
An Angel and A Demon ~ Pyramid Head x Reader
Update 2: My laptop restarted when I was in the middle of writing this, and trust me when I say it, I am positively pissed off, and I want to end my days, that's how bad of a day this was.
And I didn't leave the house.
That says a lot about today...
Update 1: But, without further ado, I was half-way writing this story, and I received this ask, and let me tell you...
helloooo, i absolutely adored the fanfics you wrote about kazan and danny🥺 could i request one where pyramid head is just really whipped for and in love with the survivor! reader but he doesnt know how to announce it to them so he brings her random ,,gifts" in and outside the trials and protecting her bc well, im pretty sure he cant speak so he doesnt really have any other options on how to express his feelings??
I live for it.
Bless you for sending me this, it's the reason I'm still sane right now.
I love you, baby-cakes.
Update 3: I want to kill myself so bad. Just smash my head on a wall until it explodes or sth. I was so happy with how this imagine turned out, only fuck fucking tumblr to just fucking delete EVERYTHING just as I was about to put the last gif and hit POST NOW.
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For the 5th time writing this :
FUCKMEDADDY - but this time - FUCKMYBRAINSOUTPLEASEIWANNADIE
Thanks.
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Hell - What was that place, anyway?
Some would describe it as an infinite ocean of flames and lava, where it's eternally melting-hot, and a bunch of hooved, horned, tailed red demons torture you with acid, with their red pitch forks, or boil you alive in their cauldron for soup. Or maybe you just get tortured by Stalin, who knows?
But never would have anyone thought that 'Hell' could look so...Normal. Well, normal in a very demolished, desolate, ravished way, but still...Normal, by human standards. Albeit, the never-ending loop of madness, anguish, agony and desperation of getting killed in different gruesome ways or fleeing for their lives and feeling a myriad of emotions pumping adrenaline through their veins so badly that their anxiety-meter skyrocketed to abnormal levels.
All this darkness, this hatred, this...Everything...It changed all the survivors. They became selfish, stubborn, rude, some even went as far as to sacrifice their fellow survivors in trials, just so they could survive. It was a complete mayhem that defied all kinds of reason, normality, morality or even ethics. Everyone became devoid of any laws that used to bind them to their humane sides, and now, you weren't sure if the killers were saner than the survivors or not.
But even in this abyss where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your very eyes, there was a little star - A beautiful angel radiating brightness and warmth, someone who was somehow able to guide everyone's straying souls with her benevolence.
In reality, she was merely a survivor, not the little lantern from an angler fish's head, but she treated everyone with such an untainted kindness...It was beautiful, and yet, unrequited for most parts. Everyone was still putting their own lives above all - And who could condemn them? - Perhaps their cowardice, for the girl preferred to save her fellow survivors as much as possible, even if that oftentimes assured her place on the hook, to be a sacrificial lamb for the Entity.
On the other hand, she rarely ended up on the hook - Most killers prefer to kill her themselves, instead of letting her become pray for the horrible Entity who tortured so many of them for refusing to cooperate - The Trapper, Evan MacMillan - He knew the best, with those hooks digging into his flesh, impossible to extract. He was the first to protect this girl. It wasn't much, but if he had to, he'd rather give her a swift, painless death, than seeing her without that serene, angelic smile on her face, as the Entity feeds on the last bits of her soul's beauty, the last parts of her humanity.
The other Killers were confused at the Trapper's actions, but little by little, they began to understand why this girl was so precious and special - And this domino effect hit Rin Yamaoka next, with Y/N stopping in the middle of a chase and taking off her jacket, just as Rin was about to butcher her with her katana, and she smiled, extending it to her. 'You must be cold' she said, realising that the Spirit was merely wearing a few bandages, not even her school uniform, or her kimono.
The ghost girl was shaken up by this, and told the others at the killer camp, but they just shrugged it off - Rin was a little girl who faced close to no kindness, they weren't surprised she was so taken aback by such a feat. That is, until Adiris, in a particularly terrible day, when everyone at the camp was staying away from her, as her profane censer wasn't able to cover the stench of rotting flesh - Y/N came over, taking out a small yet elegant glass bottle with pink liquid on it, spraying some on her - And now, The Plague smelled of roses and vanilla - 'You can come to me for perfume whenever you want, I always carry some with me!' she grinned at the Babylonian High Priestess, before leaving back to the survivor's camp site, leaving the ancient God symbol to stare with her mouth agape at the girl.
These words began to spread, and it was no surprise when the killers saw Susie clinging and begging her Legion friends to spare Y/N, for she was there to hug away her worries more than once, to tell her sweet words, to play with her hair and play the guitar whatever songs she wanted to hear, to get reminded of her home - She was so home sick that she freaked out, but now she was better, thanks to Y/N - 'I know you miss home, but sometimes, home is where your best friends are, and all three of them are here!' she tried to encourage the cute pink-haired girl who could only squeal and hug her new friend.
Even Ghostface wasn't exempt from falling to her charms, and they would often take silly selfies and mess around, making fun of the old horror movie tropes and doing lots of puns and pranks - So much that she even got his trust to be told about the Danny/Jed thing, and how he began his killer profession - 'You're a very talented photographer, Danny! You deserved all that recognition you got, both as a journalist, and as a killer!'
And very soon, Y/N found herself in the crushing arms of an overprotective Anna, humming her mother's lullaby together with walking through the forest, Y/N making flower crows for all the female killers at the camp site, and little by little, she somehow managed to worm her way under everyone's skins.
Y/N was the survivor with the highest survivability percentage, and maybe the Entity sometimes got pissed off, but at least she still got killed sometimes, so who cares? Well, that was soon to change as soon as a new Killer was added to this sick game - Pyramid Head, the terror of Silent Hill, as Cheryl, the new Survivor, called him - or The Executioner, as he was known now. He was ruthless, merciless, grotesque - He had his own criteria of killing, his own moral compass, ethics, conscience and understanding of the concept of life and death. Nothing that could compare to the visions of humans, clearly - Everything was gravitating around Divine Retribution and Justice, but the from the outside, he was nothing but a killing machine.
He would kill everyone and anyone that crosses his path, without fail.
Y/N felt like her fortune ended completely the second she found herself in the new, overly cramped map, with Pyramid Head as the killer - She couldn't help but run around like a spazzic meerkat, trying to find and fix as many generators as possible, without having to get face to face with the walking hazard...
Only to run past a stuck Pyramid Head.
Slowly backtracing her steps, she saw the mountain of a man with his metal pyramid stuck in the frames a low window which he tried to walk over. He was trashing like a raged bull trying to attack a matador, but it was clear he was getting nowhere with this.
"H-Hey, u-uhm...Need some help?" she asked in a soft, careful voice, almost like a meek cat trying to test the waters, but in return, he started groaning even louder from the wrath he wanted to unleash upon the whole world. "Okay, uhm...I think I saw a can of vaseline in one of the chests around. I'll go fetch it and I'll come back for you. Don't move." she said, only to then realise how horrible that sounded, considering the situation, and it only seemed to anger the killer. "...I'm sorry, ignore me, I'm an idiot." she slapped herself pretty harshly before bolting out of there trying to find the chest.
However, Y/N cursed herself for not having perfectly memorised the whole map by heart already, since she found the vaseline can after the 3rd chest, and then, it took quite a while to find the bloody window that got the killer stuck - And by the time she got there, she was dead tired. "Okay, I'm here, I found the vaseline! Let's try to get you out of here." Y/N muttered as she put her feet on the low window pane to get to his level. "If it's not too much trouble, could you please hold onto me? I can't balance myself with both hands occupied, and I'd rather not fall." she explained as she opened the vaseline can, only to shiver as she felt two big, strong hands getting a firm grip on her hips. It was almost...Endearing, were she not too busy trying to get the killer unstuck. She kept massaging the metal edge, trying to push and pull, also praying to whatever deity that existed in her human world that she had her tetanus shot done on time - Until finally, she was able to get hear a loud screech, like a pop, and the killer got unstuck, and in the process, he stumbled backwards, while Y/N fell down on her butt.
"Ouchie..." she muttered, rubbing her back and sides to take away the pain surging through her body. "Are you okay?" she asked, almost intuitively, without realising it at first, until she heart a low grunt that brought her back to reality. "O-Oh...! You have glass shards stuck in your side! And you're bleeding too! Hold up, let me help." she hurried to his side, while the killer merely stiffened, feeling her delicate, slender fingers tracing his body, while he heaved and slouched his shoulders from the repressed wrath. "It may sting a bit, and I'm really sorry, but I promise it will be better soon." her voice was so motherly and warm, which also resonated in her actions, as she gingerly took a water bottle and imbued some tissues with it, to wipe away the blood smearing down his skin as she extracted the glass shards, and then..."This is grandma's marigold ointment. It's really good, and it smells nice." she explained as she carefully smeared a thick layer of the yellow ointment on the biggest wounds, while the little ones were covered by smiley-flower patterned plasters. They were cute, and colourful, and they never failed to make her smile. "Okay, there we go, all better! I hope you'll feel better very soon!" her voice got a tiny bit more cheerful and upbeat.
It made the Killer think about a trillion things, as he stepped in front of her, towering over her like the Empire states building next to a smiling pomeranian. What was with this girl? Why did she help a killer? And why did he feel so...Warm inside? He could sense a foreign kind of luminosity, a naivite and innocence that he only witnessed in children and animals. This woman in front of him was untainted by the darkness and evil of the world.
It didn't matter how many hardships she's been through, or how much sadness she had to endure - Her soul remained as pure as any snowdrop, as the first snow of winter, as the fleece of a baby lamb who let out its first 'meeeeh' to its mamma sheep.
He couldn't allow this human to be maimed in any way - Not by the world, not by the Entity, and certainly not by him. - Screw the Entity, Pyramind Head kills by his own rules, and now, he was blessed to be faced with a human who bore no real hatred for her peers, or for the world, despite the horrible situation she was thrown into.
He didn't understand, obviously, especially as he remembered the myriad of abominations that lurked through Silent Hill, all of them created by the torment of humans - The very torment that distorted their own reality, which resulted in him needing to solve the purpose as The Executioner - Eradicating the world of all evil.
"Th-This sword is so heavy...H-How can you carry this around like that...?! Your muscles must be so strained and sore...Y-You really need a massage, I'm sure." she stuttered as she tried to lift the much taller and heavier sword from the ground, only for the brute to simply bend and pick it up with extreme ease, putting the girl to shame with her complete lack of strength. "Hehe...You're really strong. I'm embarrassed now." she chuckled softly, scratching the back of her neck.
Before she could leave or do anything else, Pyramid Head picked her up by the throat, careful not to hurt her or restrict her air intake - I mean, how else was he supposed to carry her so he wouldn't hurt her with his metal head or sword? - and it was pretty clear she didn't feel any malevolence from him, as she clinged on his forearm, trying to keep herself up, only to be dumped on top of the hatch, as the killer pointed towards it, so she would leave.
"O-Oh...! Thank you so much! You're really kind! I really appreciate this...I-I know it probably doesn't matter much to you, since you'll be doing this over and over again with all the survivors...But I really appreciate you for your kind gesture, and I appreciate you for being so nice with me. Thank you. Take care!" her dazzling smile lit the whole place up, but he couldn't talk, nor could he tell her how he should be the one thanking her for showing him that, despite the hundreds and thousands of years he had to roam the 'Earth' and execute the injust, miracles still existed.
As soon as she reached the survivor's camp, everyone cheered for her, asking how in the world could she have escaped the wrath of the butcher. "Oh, but he wasn't that bad. In fact, he's much more humane than I anticipated! I think he has a beautiful, blooming heart!" okay, she's lost it - the other survivors thought - but even so, she's always been a bit...Out of it, so who cares?
It took quite a while for the other three survivors to reach the camp, all bloody, in fact, like the new killer, who dragged himself with the same menace to the Killers' camp. "How the hell did you manage to survive?!" they yelled at her in utter shock, seeing that she got out of there unscratched. "Oh, you see...I found the hatch." she shrugged simply, not wanting to give away that the person who massacred those three was a soft one and he basically threw her down the hatch to her safety.
As she took a twig to roast a marshmallows, she noticed how Pyramid Head was standing much farther away from the rest of the killers - She knew that silent killers were bound to stay away from the more obnoxious one, remembering how Michael Myers almost killed Ghostface and The Legion at least a dozen times - But this time...He seemed kinda...Lonely? So Y/N took the matters into her own hands, roasted another marshmallow in another twig, and when it was done, she went to the killer's camp, calling out the lonely one's name - She has no idea why, but he actually followed her, pushing her further deep into the forest, until he was sure nobody was going to hear, see or interrupt them...
"Hey. You seemed pretty lonely out there...I thought you could use a friend. Thank you again for what you did at the trial...Here, this is a marshmallow. I don't think you've had many before...Cheryl told me of that horrible place you had to live in...So I hope this will make your day a bit better!" Y/N extended one of her hands towards him, so he could take the marshmallow - And a long, black tongue erupted from underneath the pyramid, snatching away the fluffy marshmallow and gulping it in one go.
What the hell was he turning into?
A towering man built of pure muscle, wrath and divine justice, with a pyramid representing the evil of humanity burdening his body, and a sword taller and heavier than the average human being constantly dragged in one of his hand...He now was a slave to a cute, innocent girl who was putting flower plasters on his minuscule wounds that would heal in a heartbeat regardless - He saved this girl who was now offering his these soft, squishy things that tasted overly sugarly, just like her upbeat and cheerful personality - If he could eat her, he was sure she would taste even sweeter than this - A sickish kind of sweet, that is.
She was indeed a beautiful angel in this tragic hell. But he didn't wait to snatch the second marshmallow either.
"Ah...! You liked it, didn't you? Well...Next time, I promise I'll give you more!" she grinned at him the same way a princess would to her chivalrous knight who saved her. The since he couldn't talk, silence took over them - It wasn't an uncomfortable one, per se, but it made it feel as if the conversation was over. "W-Well...I'll guess I'll see you around! Take care and I hope to see you again soon!" she waved cutely, trying to turn around back to her camp, only to feel a rough hand on her shoulder, turning her around and urging her to stop and wait for him and he went deep into the forest, leaving her alone and undefended by the potential malevolent forces of the forest.
When he returned, however, he stepped right in front of her, creating the perfect shade as he towered over her - Then he kneeled in front of her, so he would reach her eye sight, then he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and put a beautiful pink flower - As pink as the blush that started creeping on her face - He wanted to see her luminous face better, to highlight her dazzling smile and her glimmering eyes as the warm, silver light of the mother moon caressed her face.
Y/N felt her heart picking up the pace - It was beating so much faster than ever before - But this time, it wasn't out of fear or anything negative...It was something good. Something she never felt in her life, especially with her human acquaintances from back home. None was as chivalrous and gentle with her as this butcher of tormented souls - The bringer of justice, the merciless Executioner who was supposed to end the life of every living being that would cross his path.
It was insane how every Yin finds its Yang, even if that comes in the form of a little lamb of a small, frail girl, and a huge abomination of a brute man who knows nothing but death, bloodshed and carnage. It was truly crazy how opposites attract, and here she was, holding the killers large hands and gingerly putting them on her face, leaning into his touch - She felt safer now than ever in her life - Now, in the arms of an ancient killer.
An Angel and A Demon brought together in a perfect union.
As she leaned down, she touched the metal of the pyramid where she anticipated his forehead would be with her own forehead, and closing her eyes, she finally felt herself calming down. There was no need for words, actions spoke louder than anything, and she appreciated it...She appreciated him.
"Thank you." she whispered to him, knowing that yes, even though nobody else would hear it anyway, it was much more intimate than anything she ever experienced.
She was hooked.
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Hope you liked my completely shameless pun, I couldn't stop it, especially after the pain I went through trying to write this...3 freaking times.
Yay.
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uozlulu · 2 years
Text
Black Clover chapter 336 reaction and spoilers
I like that everyone is varying stages of grief, anger, and concern over Asta’s disappearance. It really underscores not only the gravity of the situation but also how far Asta’s come in his relationships with all of these people since they met. I also like how Nero, Noelle, and Mimosa also have prominence here.
We gain insight into how Nacht’s shadow magic works. It’s interesting that it can’t move freely through the ocean to anywhere in the world.
Yuno points out that there might be a rift between this world and the underworld, although I’m still curious how many devils escaped when the wege were open and just exist in the moral realm now. I’m also curious how far the wege extended throughout their planet. That said a rift is also likely especially since that’s how Liebe entered the mortal world years ago.
Yuno has some kind of injury to his left hand and arm. Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to need constant elevation.
I’ve always liked that Yuno is the “chosen one.” He’s always leveling up and being put in difficult positions. It also wears on him like how he shifted his entire personality as a child when he realized how vulnerable Asta was with no magic during the pendant incident. It’ll be interesting to see how Yuno’s chosen one storyline continues now that Asta isn’t there especially since I think Asta’s disappearance is going to motivate Noelle, Mimosa and Nero to also grow stronger. It’ll be interesting to see if they become some kind of team in Asta’s absence or what choices they make to fill that void.
I am beyond excited for the end of this chapter. I cannot begin to convey to all of you how excited I am for this because this is something that I thought was only a far off hope or a movie plot. I mean look at the sand, look at the way the branches grow on the tree, and look at that outfit on the shadowy figure. Asta totally washed up on the shore of the Sun Kingdom (or Fire Country since it’s Hi no Kuni in Japanese). I would bet you anything. World building! Yami’s homeland! A chance for Asta to grow outside of Clover Kingdom! I am hyped. I am pumped. Even if it turns out to not be Sun Kingdom, I’m still hyped and pumped for Asta to have an opportunity to learn and grow outside of Clover especially since he wants to be a leader someday. I mean if there’s a Fire/Sun Kingdom then there’s probably an elemental themed group of countries where Yami’s from, but Asta ending up on a beach in the Sun Kingdom makes the most sense, though I am horribly biased about this. 
Not only that, but what I really like about this is that Beezelily sent Asta here so that could indicate that Sister Lily is in there somewhere and just might be able to be saved. I’m curious if sending him to Sun Kingdom was intentional or if there’s some kind of dimensional rift between the countries already. I mean it is possible Yami got to Clover Kingdom on a tsunami, but it’d be interesting if there’s some sort of natural mana reason or other. Though I wouldn’t need it explained.
I can’t wait to find out what awaits Asta next week. I’m so beyond ready to learn about countries outside of the Shuffle Kingdoms. I’m also ready to see the others grow and change because of everything that’s happened too. This arc is off to such a great start.
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creepypocky · 3 years
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Hello dear! May I have a romantic and Nsfw creepypasta match-up please? Feel free to ignore this if they are closed but if you do choose to do this then thank you so much! I hope you have a great day/night!
Zodiac sign: Leo sun, Aries moon, Leo rising
Personality Type: ENTP
Pronouns: She/her
Sexuality: Straight (For now might be bi but i'm going with straight)
I'm 5'4 and I have a very tiny body frame so i'm extremely petite and pretty small. I'm not very curvy and I literally have the body of a cereal box...lol but its fine because I have nice hips and thighs. I have thick brown hair that goes down to my back and it gets tangled pretty easily but its kinda fluffy. I have brown eyes and tiny freckles all over my face and body. I also have a very strong grunge style, like Flannels, band t-shirts, combat boots, leather jackets etc. But i'd also always enjoy a nice oversized sweatshirt or hoodie with a pair of skinny, ripped jeans and some converses or something along those lines.
For my personality.....this is where things get interesting. At first people find me very intimidating due to my resting bitch face and cold exterior but I promise i'm not like that ALL the time. When you get to know me, i'm a big extrovert, goofy and about everything that comes out of my mouth is sarcasm or some dry humored joke. I'm also that one friend in a group where they literally will do the stupidest shit ever like for an example one time it was super dark outside and my other friend was there, while I was trying to climb a tree and I failed and fell out of the tree, and landed on my back. I got straight up after that somehow it didn't hurt.....like at all? But yeah i'm super reckless and sometimes people have to save me from myself if you get what I mean. I also have a very strong "I don't give a fuck" attitude and I will not hesitate to stick up for myself or my friends....like i'm the type of person where if someone glares at me, i'll glare right back. I can have bad anxiety and I can be very self destructive. This is where my feisty, stubborn, hardheaded side comes in. If I want something then i'll fight for it even if it hurts me and i'll get into a bad cycle of putting myself down and trying to do better even if I did great the first time but I always push myself too far and other people have to stop me because I usually can't see it when its happening. I also cover my emotions up and I have a lot of trouble talking about whats bothering me or what problems i'm having emotionally so I put up a wall and I act tough, or happy and sometimes i'll be the exact opposite but I try to hide it.
Weird things about me: I've grown up in the south all my life so sometimes when I talk a few words they'll come out sounding WAYYY more country and southern then I wanted, I don't have an accent but sometimes my words just come out that way. I also love the smell of cigarette smoke....let me explain. When I was a kid my parents smoked a lot and I was used to smelling it and now it reminds me of home and is sort of comforting.
Things I like: I love swimming (I was on a swim team for about 9 years), I love horror movies, I like rain and the sounds of thunderstorms because its calming to me, I also love the smell of rain, I like cloudy days, cooking, listening to 80's and 90's rock but mainly 90's because 90's is the best, My favorite bands are Bush, Audioslave, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkoln Park, Pearl jam but i'm pretty open to anything. Things I dislike: Spiders.......I will scream if I see a spider.
So for the nsfw part.....I'm very shy and i'd like it if someone guided me. But i'm 100% a Bottom and I love praise and maybe a tiny bit of degradation. I also have a big ownership kink like if someone tells me that i'm their's....then I might die. Also if they told me that they "Needed" me I would also die on the spot...in a good way. I'm also a sucker for marking like lovebites and hickies? Yes please. But please tease me and edge me because I prefer not having control so someone else being in control is just...lovely. Also pet names! Like Sunshine, Babygirl, Doll....AHHhh I might melt. Things I don't like are impact play or the whole "Daddy kink" It kinda just makes me cringe
I also don't think I really have a type but.....I do tend to love people who are brooding, and intimidating on the outside but a big teddy bear on the inside because that's how I am sometimes. I hate people who are fake or just passive aggressive because they are super annoying to deal with and honestly if you have something to say then just say it to my face rather than behind my back.
Hello :)
|| I enjoyed reading through this. I'll definitely work on it now. ||
I match you with ~ Jeff The Killer!
First off, he really likes your size and style, he has a think for small girls that can still be tough and that’s something he loves showing off when you get together lmfao, he’s like, “Yeah, my girls strong. Fuck you gonna do about it?”
Now, Jeff is a really unstable, violent guy. A lot of people (even me) don’t even see him ever being interested in being in a relationship, so when the creeps saw Jeff with his arm around you, they were immediately baffled by it.
The truth is, though, this man totally wants to have someone by his side, someone that accepts him even though he’s a killer. Someone that’s open to his feelings and is willing to look past all of the horrible shit he’s done.
You’re like that to him, it took him a very long time to get used to how he felt for you at first. At first he thought his brain was just being stupid, but Jeff isn’t dumb. He knows what these feelings feel like, and he recognized them almost immediately after that.
Jeff is really insane, and he constantly leans on you for support and depends on you to keep him leveled at times. It can get pressuring, but despite it all he always makes sure to not blame you if he ends up doing something dumb because he knows it’s not your fault.
He finds your clothing style pretty hot, he really loves badass kind of outfits with leather and band names, because as I said, he loves to show off that his girl is “cool” or something.
He thinks your resting bitch-face and cold exterior is really badass too, being around you always gives him so much confidence and its a great change from the usual fake confidence he has around everyone that he keeps up as a defense mechanism when in reality he was always pretty insecure.
I honestly think Jeff is an extrovert too, like he loves being around people and interacting with them (When they’re not normal people and don’t think he’s hideous, that is). I canon this mostly because when hes alone, then he’s also alone with his thoughts and his thoughts always end up wandering to his insecurities and what he hates about himself, but you often catch him during these times and you reassure him that everything will be okay and that you still love him.
He totally relates to being the friend that says stupidest shit, you two will often just go up to one of the creeps and just start spouting random shit. He honestly fucking loves being goofy with you, and you two are always creating awesome memories together when you prank the other creeps and sometimes each other and he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.
When you do stupid shit that gets you in trouble or puts you in danger, he’s always quick to get to you and make sure you’re okay, he would probably panic a lot though. Like, “What the fuck, dumbass?” “How the HELL did you do that???“ as he’s frantically trying to solve the situation. Will most definitely sit there and laugh at you for a good 5-10 minutes once the whole thing is dealt with though.
You being able to stick up for your friends is one of the great qualities about you that he absolutely adores, especially since before he became a killer he would always get bullied and nobody would ever stick up for him, so one day when you defend him against a bunch of assholes it just warms his heart up and makes him feel so loved, but he most likely wont admit that.
He’d let it slip eventually though.
When you’re feeling self-destructive, he is 100% there for you. Although he’s not really the best at giving advice, he’ll still sit there with you and let you talk your heart out and will listen to every single word because he wants to show that same contribution towards you that you’ve shown him. He’ll constantly reassure you that not everything is your fault and that you’re strong, and he’ll make little promises to you.
If it was a person in particular making you feel that way though, he’d definitely make sure to pay a visit to the motherfucker.
He admires your determination to fight for the things you want, but to an extent. He hates it when you overwork yourself or push beyond your limits to the point where it destroys you, and he wants you to know that you’re not alone and you can ask for help, you don’t have to destroy yourself. He’s more than willing to stay right there, by your side.
He understands hiding your true emotions, because well, he’s had to do it a lot around the other creeps and around his family when they were still alive. So he won’t ever push you to talk about somehting if you don’t want to, but he doesn’t want you to pretend to be okay either. He’s more than willing to just lay with you and do whatever you want if it would make you feel better.
He honestly likes how you have a southern accent at times, when he’s feeling upset or like his sanity is draining, your accent really soothes him so sometimes he’ll ask you to lay it on thick because he could honestly listen to you talk to him and listen to your accent all day if he wanted to.
It’s good that you like cigarette smoke because I canon this man smokes very often.
When it storms at night, he’ll always hold you close to him with a blanket and just listen to the storm sounds with you because it soothes him too. This man is really pent up from feeling driven to constantly murder and just sitting with you listening to the rain and thunder is one of the main things that level him.
He’s really not the best.... at cooking.... but, this means you can cook often for him since he won’t for himself. B)
He will just put you in a car and drive for hours to no destination and blast that 80s and 90s music just to see that smile on your face.
This man will 100000000000% destroy any spider within a 10 mile radius of you.
He understands not liking people who are fake because there were a lot of people who talked shit about him when he went to school, and when he has a problem with someone he will always say it to their face and make them understand that they’re a piece of shit to him.
NSFW:
You like being dominated and guided? Good, because this man is at least 95% a top. He thinks it’s adorable that you’re shy and will most definitely be willing to guide you through the whole thing and tell you exactly what to do for him.
Jeff is really possessive tbh, so when he’s fucking you he will constantly say shit like,
“Fucking mine”
“You’re nobody elses“
“You belong to me, only”
This man will definitely bite you everywhere, he lives to just throw you down onto the bed and start biting everywhere on your body and making sure to leave marks just so you know exactly who owns you.
Don’t worry honey, he will spend hours just filling you with his cock and telling you that you cant cum unless you beg more, or he’ll just pull out right when you’re about to cum on him and just slap your folds with his fingers as a way to make fun of you.
He’ll call you things like, “baby” “dollface” “darling” when he’s feeling passionate but oh boy if he’s feeling angry or he’s punishing you? Be prepared to be degraded all night.
There we go <3
Sorry if this is too long lmfao, I just think that Jeff is a really misunderstood piece of shit. I hope you’re having a great day and taking care of yourself, and I hope you enjoyed this matchup. :)
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gamewise · 4 years
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Batman Review
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What, you thought the NES was the only one to be graced with a Batman video game? Well, believe it or not, when Sunsoft’s name actually had some merit, they put out a few Batman games thanks to the movie license, and each one was a little different. The NES ran off with one of the best side scrolling license-based video games, the Game Boy got a decent side scroller, and the PC Engine got a... top down game where you literally clean up Gotham? That one is worth a review in itself, but we’re looking at the often overlooked Genesis game. Is this game really that bad that few people talk about it in Batman retrospectives? Absolutely not!
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Sunsoft’s Batman on the NES is quite the crazy game, especially considering the liberties they took with the source material. What makes the NES game special outside of this was the attention to detail in the animation, the fantastic soundtrack, and the frantic action. Batman on the Genesis, is different. It takes a few liberties here and there, but moments you expect from the movie are here, such as the Boombox thug, Batman rescuing Vicki Vale, and also Batmobile and Batwing sequences. It’s doing things differently from the NES game by slowing things down a bit, and sticking a little closer to the source material. It’s doing a lot more different by changing up level designs completely to reflect locations featured in the movie, such as the Flugelheim Museum. As such, I find it unfair to compare it to the NES game versus style, as we’re dealing with two completely different fantastic beasts. Instead, we’re going to look at the Genesis version on its own merits, while discussing what the game is doing differently from the NES. 
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So what does Batman have going for it? Well, for starters, much like the NES game, you play as Batman, and punch out The Joker’s henchmen. They’re not all unarmed, as you deal with thugs toting guns, bazookas, axes, and swords. There’s even some fire breathing clowns! Each enemy has its own unique pattern of attack, which requires the player to have a certain sense of timing. Much like the NES game, Batman can either punch his way through enemies, or toss Batarangs at them, and here’s the first deviation in gameplay. Batman does not have a ton of gadgets here, instead relying entirely on Batarangs for a ranged attack. Unlike the NES game, Batarangs do not arc back towards Batman, they go in a straight line like shurikens do. They are not just effective on dealing with certain enemies from a long distance, they are very useful on bosses to make your life a little easier. There is a catch to all this, and that’s Batarangs are few and far between, as are health powerups. It’s going to take a little more skill than the NES game to survive as Batman. Batman also has the ability to do a mid-air somersault, which when used correctly doubles as an attack that is insanely useful against bosses. Be careful though, if you don’t time this right, you will either miss completely, or take damage in the process. 
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Compared to the NES game, which had punishing level design and boss fights, this game chooses to not only stick to those roots, but Sunsoft have chosen to turn things up a notch. See, Batman never starts at full health, instead, he always starts at half and with only 5 Batarangs. That’s right, for the first time, Batman didn’t have enough prep time to go against The Joker. This means that every time you die, you not only lose a life, but you’re back to half health, and 5 Batarangs. So those 30 Batarangs you went through the trouble of collecting will be gone completely. And believe me, you are going to be frustrated at times with the game’s insane level design, especially with the Flugelheim Museum and its amazing barrage of death traps. 
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Not only do you have to deal with falling chandeliers, but there are numerous gaps just waiting for Batman to fall down. While it sounds unfair, there is a way to deal with every situation here, and that is to have a sense of patience. You’re not on a time limit, and all your gun-toting enemies aren’t going to fire non-stop. They need to steady their aim before firing, so you have a window of opportunity to react accordingly. Another thing you don’t have is a checkpoint system, but instead, you just respawn where you died, unless you fell to your demise. Should you lose all your lives, only then will you be forced to start a whole level over. What it boils down to is to study the screen, and watch how enemies attack. Take patience, and nail the timing, and you will be ready to take on almost anything the game throws at you. It may not solve all the difficulty issues though. When you get to the last level, the game throws gun-toting thugs at you non-stop, and they not only stand and shoot, but crouch and shoot. Make sure you have Batarangs handy for the situation, and you should be prepared to deal with it. What you won’t be prepared for are the two vehicle levels.
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One of the complaints I had with the NES version of Batman when I was a kid, was no Batmobile level. Here, I get my wish, and in many ways, it’s both frustrating and enjoyable. For starters, there are no real power ups to collect here, instead you get standard health and ammo power ups that appear in both the top and bottom sections of the screen. Any Batarangs you collected up to this point are converted into missiles for the Batmobile and Batwing. The trouble is since the screen is scrolling fast and the health and ammo boxes are the same as regular levels, it is insanely easy to miss them, or even mistake them for an obstacle. This is also the only point in the game you will have a checkpoint system to deal with, but what makes this part more frustrating is that all enemy attacks will do two damage as opposed to one. Which means, you will die in two hits unless you are at full health. The Batwing sequence turns the difficulty up to eleven, as suddenly it turns into a bullet hell with heat-seekers coming every which way. In the Batmobile sequence, you can easily predict where projectiles are going to go, and have plenty of time to react accordingly. Yet despite this, as I played, I began to get a sense of a horribly unbalanced difficulty. I found myself dying too easy
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On the NES Batman had an aesthetic of using dark backgrounds with brightly colored sprites and platforms, giving off an almost comic-book feel. Here, the game wants to match the movie’s aesthetic, and the Genesis seemed to have the right color palette for Sunsoft’s goal. More importantly, there is a lot of attention to detail in the animations. The fact that Sunsoft decided that no animation should be spared is incredible, especially for something as simple as a thug steadying his aim. Only thing I’d maybe consider taking away is Batman’s haters gonna hate stride, it looks kind of goofy when you see him striding down the streets of Gotham. Also, I can’t stress this enough, much like the NES game, the audio is phenomenal. Just listening to the soundtrack, you’d almost forget you were playing a Genesis game, since most people associate the Genesis sound chip with nails on a chalkboard. The Flugelheim Museum has a great bassline, and the Batmobile and Batwing levels have the perfect high energy music for a shmup. However, it’s a little disappointing the sound effects department. Everything sounds just a little too quiet, save for Batman taking damage. Everything’s either muffled, or the music winds up taking over the whole show. 
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At the end of the day, Batman on the Sega Genesis is one criminally overlooked licensed game. While it can’t quite reach the same heights as its NES counterpart, there are things here the Genesis game does differently to allow it to stand on its own two legs. Had it not been for the unbalanced difficulty, this game would be a bit more enjoyable, but to the uninitiated, this game may feel like nonstop torture. Sunsoft did a solid job here, putting forth the best Batman game they could on the Genesis, and choosing to stick closer to the 1989 film classic. I wouldn’t want to imagine this in anybody else’s hands at the time. Batman on the Sega Genesis needs to be brought up more when discussing early Batman games as an example of what happens when a developer ends up delivering a different experience each platform.
Positives
+ Memorable soundtrack
+ Detailed Sprite animation
+ Batmobile level becomes fun when you get the hang of it
+ Does a great job following the movie
+ Death respawns you where you died rather than forced to a checkpoint as Batman
+ the parallax scrolling in the Batwing level is beautiful!
Negatives
- Unbalanced difficulty may leave you frustrated
- Batwing level does everything in its power to kill you
- Flugelheim Museum has too many death traps
- Underwhelming sound effects end up making the game feel less punchy
- Batman’s walk cycle
Overall: 8/10
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struwwelzeter · 4 years
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Sonne Making of Liveblog
Before I liked Rammstein I somehow always blended the Rosenrot and the Sonne Video into one thing, I don’t know why, I know it makes no sense, but I still have thise weird memory of that Rosenrot/Sonne mashup in my head, like there is another Rammstein video out there that I can’t watch anymore and it’s a little upsetting.
“Dit hat gar nich gepasst und dit fandn wer dann ganz gut”
- Paul “Abosulte Chaos” Landers at his best, I mean don’t you just love him.
The way Till negates Americas influence on the album with that heartbreaker smile before she even stops talking and Flakes “I hope not” melt my heart. Flake, you hammer and sickle swinging commie, I love you so much.
Schneider is a full on bastard in this and I don’t know how I feel about that.
You know they are all like “the Mutter drama never happened” in this and it’s very questionable, but with Flake I genuinly can’t tell if he’s just bullshitting or of he just kinda checked out and went intentionally oblivious.
Olli talking is nice and he actually stutters a bit?! Very cute.
@theelliottsmiths Till does indeed say Glück auf. If I’m not totally mistaken that’s an old traditional miners greating. I’m not from a mining area and noone here says that but I think so?
Richard is very awkward in this entire segment and I don’t know why, idk but he doesn’t seem like himself? That sing-songing speaking he does there is weird.
I really think alot about how they’re quite a bit older than the average music success story, and how it must play such a role in them making all of this work? The calm Schneider has there, like no, we can’t stress about this is such a 30+ thing, I’m serious, and being young is so overrated.
Oh interesting, they did 16 fps for this. It’s like the opposite of that things where you speed up the sound and then slow down the picture to make it look smooth, and that makes so much sense for dwarfish miner scenes? Now I must watch the video again.
Oh wow. I haven’t watched this for some time and god, it’s baby Joern, I love him!!!
Ok, so I have a massive pet peeve with this video and it’s this: Snow White’s dress. So they put all that effort into the set design, make the dwarves miners which is perfect, Joern is all obsessed with Lord of the Rings level details (it was that time when that movie wrote new standards for historic and fantastic movies), and they just put her ... in that?! It looks like a cheap thing you can buy for carneval and is too Disney and. You have an entire world of beautiful traditional livery to draw upon and you put her in that? What about the snow white drawings by Arthur Rakham for exemple?! There’s just so much better things to draw from than that horrible disney version.
Speaking of Lord of the Rings, the most frequent sentence (probably) used by Tolkien scholars is “suspension of disbelief” which means that the world building is done in a way that is believable because it’s so consistent. Think the Witcher saying Fuck and you wondering if they said that in medieval times (they did, but I digress). You don’t want those moments. You want to stay in the story, and the way the Snow White costume just lacks in quality and detail compared to the dwarves is just. Very bad. Sorry, baby Joern. I still love you.
It’s astonishing to me how Paul just spends several decades laughing about jokes about his size. They still do it, like in Radio. You are a better man than me Paul, because I got tired of those 15 years ago.
They’re all intoxicated or? I can’t forget the story about how they slept there, went to the airport afterwards to fly to ... was it Australia?! and ruined the plane seats with the remaining soot make up. Nasty Punks, all of them, can I marry them please.
I have no comment on the Flake bit. Sorry.
Ok, so is the rumor that the boxer was one of the Klitschkos valid or was that just a rumor because it’s the only boxers germans know?!
Till is so adorable in this, it’s unreal.
Paul and numbers is worth an entire RANT, it makes him such an unreliable narrator.
I agree that it’s the perfect story for the song, which makes me even sadder they went for the disney version looks wise. It’s just. Blasphemy.
It’s such an interesting reading of that entire story, I need to ask my mum about other interpretations, or how that is usually interpreted (she’s a fairytale nerd).
Paul 🙄 I roll my eyes at him, because the way he is here just. It’s just what he’s like but he can honestly drive peace and wuiet loving people up the wall, can’t he.
Paul, you know why you are getting spanked and that innocent act is not going to save you my darling.
Safety concerned Till is so, so, so lovable I just want to hug him and tell him to go back to his kleptomania, it’s all gonna work out love.
Joern has watched the LOTR making of as many times as I have, I can just tell.
Another Jackson movie thing: They used to let Barrie Osborne, the LOTR producer from New Line Cinema’s side play with a camera and asked him to shoot some scenes and the making of so he wouldn’t get in the way of the new zealanders, and occupying Paul with the making of team reminds me of that, good strategy.
“Werkzeugausgabe Lindemann” - something tells me that’s the story of his life.
Ugh. I admire Joerns patience. It does not have to be logical, the mood just has to be right, damn it let the man do his job.
Him saying “Rasselbande” is the most apt and perfect description of this band ever. Rasselstein. Love it. You could losely translate that with something like “little rascal gang” - but it’s not really translatable other than with something you call a bunch of rowdy kids.
Ok so that Rich’s thing is songwriting isn’t news but I am surprised Till says he likes recording, I would have assumed it’s a high pressure situation for him, but then again, “he likes to work hard”, so.
Same about Olli. Introversion personified likes to stand infront of too many people, ok.
Or maybe it’s just the thing Flake describes, so he just got out if the studio and is sick of it, that makes a lot of sense actually.
God Richard in this segment is just. He breaks my heart, he cares so much about it.
I wonder if they were so positive at this point because they got through this album and thought they learned alot, but if I’m not totally mistaken there were still so much tension on the tour that followed that and it just. Makes me sad they didn’t see it coming, glad they’re still here ...
Look at them laughing their asses off!!
Oh no, a Paul metaphor. It’s a thing right, they’re simultaneously really bad and very genius.
God Richard. 🥺 please don’t be that way?Same, ok. Big, fat same.
20 years, damn. And they’re still here.
Ende gut, alles gut. (He’s so cute.)
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junhyukiscute · 4 years
Text
to all the boys i’ve loved before (mcnd x reader)
100 followers special! thank you so much!
author note: thank you guys for 100+ followers!! i didn’t know how to express my gratitude so hopefully this ot5 mcnd x reader will help??? also this doesn’t fully follow the movie at all <333
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my letters are my most secret possessions. i write them when i have a crush so intense, i don’t know what else to do. there are 5 total.
minjae, the star of my school’s football team and partner in english,
sungmin, the class clown who shows me magic tricks whenever i’m sad,
huijun, the shy nerd who helped me study for history when i was failing,
junhyuk, the artist who asked me to become a model for him,
and seongjun, but he’s my older sister’s boyfriend.
nobody knows about my crushes. no one except for me. until one fateful day.
“hey sis! you’re welcome,” your older brother, wooseok said.
“what do you mean?” you questioned while you ate your cereal.
“your letters, i sent them out,” he replied.
“WHAT?!” you slammed your hands on the table as you stood up, “wooseok, how did you even find those?!”
he grinned, “i was snooping through your closet to borrow some clothes and a box fell on me. i decided that since i’m such an amazing brother, i would send all those letters that were in the box to the guys you addressed. five guys, huh.”
“wooseok- those, those weren’t supposed to be sent out?! what’s wrong with you?” you cried out before grabbing your backpack to run to school. great, today was just not going to be your day, huh.
“good luck, lil sis,” wooseok cackled. you really were related to the devil. you prayed that you wouldn’t see any of the guys today.
your first period was pe, thank god. you shared the class with none of the boys. you were just walking around the track with your friend who was chattering very excitedly about this new rookie group’s comeback song called “spring”.
“hey (y/n), can i um, talk to you?” said a low voice. you widened your eyes as you turned around to see junhyuk in his tennis uniform. what was even worse was when you saw your mint green envelope in his right hand. oh great, you forgot that he was apart of the tennis team, who had practices during first period. your friend stopped talking and gasped as she pieced the situation together before wiggling her eyebrows at you and started to jog away. great. you were about to jog off with her but junhyuk grabbed your wrist before you could. “i read the letter last night and i was kinda shocked. did.. did you really mean it?” he asked with desperate eyes. his grip on your wrist tightened almost desperately as he grabbed your other free one with his, “please be honest with me and don’t give me any false hope.”
you gulped as your face turned red. “false hope..? junhyuk, i don’t understand..”
he sighed before looking at you again, “meet me at the tennis courts after school today. this isn’t finished,” he hesitantly let go of your wrists before waving to you with the letter in his hand, “see you later, (y/n).”
after the traumatic morning you had, it was second period. you walked slowly to class as it dawned upon you. great, you though, i have huijun in it. as you walked into the class, you avoided eye contact with everyone in class and waited for the teacher. the minutes felt like hours, but once your teacher came in, you let out the breath you didn’t know you’ve been holding in.
“okay class, take out the books in your desk and open to page 401,” your teacher yawned. you grabbed the book from the little space you had under your desk and a folded lined piece of paper fell out on your lap. “for (y/n)” it said in near handwriting. out of curiosity you opened it and it read with neat handwriting: hey (y/n), i received your letter. i didn’t know that you thought of me like that.. i feel the same. can we meet up at the top media cafe later to talk about this? love, huijun
“ahem, (y/n), is history that interesting?” the teacher crossed their arms. you got out of your shock from huijun’s small confession before shoving the paper in your backpack.
“uh- no, um i mean yes?” you meekly replied. the class laughed as the teacher shook their head before returning to the lesson. you snuck a glance at huijun who was writing diligently before looking up and waving slightly at you. you sighed before pulling out a pencil and paper.
it was passing period now and you were walking to your locker when you saw seongjun leaning against it while holding a brown paper envelope. nope, not today, you thought before turning the other way.
he caught sight of you before yelling, “(y/n), wait! i need to talk you!” you widened your eyes before running off to your next period: english. not a lot of people were there yet so you just sat at your desk and huffed. this day seemed to weird to be true. you buried your head in your arms. you weren’t even halfway done with the day yet you were ambushed by more than half of the boys already. deep in your thoughts, you jumped when you heard the chair next to you screech. minjae, you thought. you panicked because, well, he was going to be next to you this whole period. you pretended to snore so you wouldn’t have to talk to him until the teacher came. a few moments later you felt a jacket drape over you. the warmth it had was too inviting and then you actually fell asleep. 
the bell had rung, signaling for fourth period. “(y/n), wake up, you’ll be late for your next period,” minjae gently shook you. you lifted your head up drowsily and saw a few books standing up to prevent you from being seen by the teacher. oh, he took cover for you so that you could survive the whole period napping.
“hmmm...?” you rubbed your eyes to get a better look at minjae smiling softly at you.
“hurry up, (y/n), you slept through the entire third period. i covered for you because you seemed really tired. i’ll walk you to fourth period.” without thinking much, you grabbed your backpack and nodded.
“thanks for covering me, minjae,” you yawned as you guys walked to your next class. 
“yeah, no problem. i wanted to ask you about something though,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “so i got a letter earlier? did my smile actually brighten up your week?”
you inwardly cringed at the memory of writing such a sappy love letter to him, “haha, what letter?? it couldn’t possibly be the- oh” you stopped as minjae held up a pink envelope with a cherry pattern on it. you blinked a few times in disbelief as he carried it with him this entire time.
“this letter. i can’t believe that you’d write something like this, it’s kinda cute. i always knew you were a good writer,” he grinned as he waved the letter around.
“don’t just wave it around like that, give me it!” you said as you tried taking it away. it was unsuccessful as he lifted the letter up and away from you. he put it in his pocket.
“you’re not even gonna let me finish what i was saying?” he smirked. you guys reached your classroom and as you were about to walk in, minjae hugged you from the back and whispered in your ear, “come to the football game tonight, i’ll save you a front row seat,” before letting you go. your eyes widened at the sudden affection before looking around. great, now you see the minjae fangirls glaring at you. you shuddered at the ice cold tension that was in the classroom before making your way to your seat. 
it was only until the bell had rung when sungmin had ran into class. “safe!” he yelled out with a salute as you heard a teacher yell “detention!”. the classroom was filled with light giggles at his energy. you made eye contact with him and his smile slightly faltered before smiling again at his friends. ouch, you thought. you rolled your eyes before pulling out the materials for this class.
once fourth period was over, it was lunch. you sighed in relief to finally be able to eat your problems away. as you exited out of the classroom, a hand grabbed your shoulder. you let out a small shriek before whipping your head to see sungmin, with a small grin on his face.
“can we talk?”
you nervously laughed, “look, if this is about the letter, you can just forget about it.”
“well.. what if i don’t want to forget about it? (y/n), these are your feelings. you can’t just hide them forever or throw them away like it’s nothing,” he said, his grin never faltering. wow, where did the happy jokester go? you rarely ever see him being so serious, so this was probably really important to him. 
you cracked a small smile, “listen, sungmin. those feelings were hidden for a long time, it could’ve been forever if you never had been given the letter. i appreciate the words but i... really need to go now, i’ll see you,” you said as you walked away. 
“check your blazer’s pocket!” he yelled from across the hallway. you stopped and looked back, but sungmin was already gone from your sight. you found a paper sticking out of your pocket. that silly boy, he probably put it in when you weren’t looking. when you took it out, you saw a ticket to the school’s dance showcase after school at 5 pm with a post-it note saying “i hope to see you there <3 i’ll perform a song just for you”. you shook your head before putting it in your binder. 
once you entered the cafeteria, you got your lunch tray and walked outside to sit under one of the school’s trees. once you plopped down onto the cool grass, you sighed and leaned against the tree’s bark. you cursed wooseok for sending the letters and cursed at your horrible luck when you saw seongjun walking towards you. 
you were too tired to leave the relaxing shade so you just sighed as he stood in front of you. 
“(y/n)...” he started.
“before you say anything, that letter was a mistake. i know it was wrong to write a letter to my sister’s boyfriend. i don’t like you anymore,” you said a bit too quickly.
he crouched down to your level before letting out a smile small, “i broke up with your sister after i read your letter.” 
your eyes widened and you sat straight up, “you did WHAT?!” you shrieked, “h-how could you?! my sister really loved you! oh my god, seongjun! what the hell..?”
he ruffled your hair like he would always do when he visited you, “i know you wrote more letters. your older brother told me.” oh my god, you felt like such a horrible person. the guilt you had for liking him, the fact that you had probably ruined all these friendships you had, it all weighed down on you and you found yourself crying.
“i’m sorry.. i never meant for any of this to happen.. if only i didn’t write those letters..” you choked out.
he shook his head before gently pulling you towards him so that you could cry in his chest, “it’s okay, (nickname), you can’t control who you like. it’s none of your fault for liking someone, or should i say some people?” he joked. you punched his stomach lightly as he laughed out loud.
“not funny, seongjun,” you mumbled, “you know, i don’t know why i had liked you in the beginning.”
“well, for starters,” he said as he pulled out the letter from his pocket, “you said that i had a personality that was just so warm and inviting and-” you punched him one more time, a bit harder, as you sniffled, “okay, okay, i get it. who were the other people you wrote to? i think i’m the only one who knew of multiple being sent out, so you’re good.”
“.... minjaesungminhuijunandjunhyuk,” you mumbled.
for some reason, seongjun caught all of that and widened his eyes, “really?”
you sniffed and nodded, “yeah but can we go back to why you broke up with my sister so suddenly...”
he sighed, “man, you’ve always been really persistent, haven’t you?” he thinks for a bit but the lunch bell rings and cuts him off once he opened his mouth to speak.
“you’re kidding me!” you cried.
he stands up and gives you a hand to take. once you take it and grab your backpack, he ruffles your hair one last time, “if you want to hear the rest, then wait for me after school. i’ll walk you home and explain all of it, okay? see you (y/n).” the next actions shocks you as he mumbles “don’t hate me for this” and he kisses the top of your forehead before walking off. you blushed at the sudden contact before shaking your head and walking back into the school building.
fifth period had gone by quickly, and the last period was a self study period. you doodled on your notebook as you pondered over your choices. huijun had always helped you out whenever you needed help or was called out by the evil teacher. junhyuk was the shy boy who asked you to model for him because he found you pretty, and had gotten closer to you during the process. minjae was like a childhood friend you’ve known forever because you guys had always gotten along and always had each others backs. bic was like a breath of fresh air; he’d always cheer you up whenever you had a bad test score, there was never dull moments with him. lastly, there was seongjun, your older sister’s boyfriend, who had always treated you so well and listened to your problems while never criticizing you for your mistakes. 
you never imagined this happening to you, let alone, even have your feelings being reciprocated. you giggled a bit, you sounded like some main character in a wattpad fanfiction. you tapped back into reality as you thought about it. if you choose one, you would ditch the four others who would be patiently waiting for your answers. actions really do have consequences, you thought bitterly. your stomach dropped as you heard the last bell ring.
who do you choose to go to?
song minjae
bang junhyuk
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kosmosguk · 5 years
Text
[Yandere Mafia BTS Reaction to You Being in Love with Their Rival]
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[A/N: Got the day off tomorrow, so I worked HAM to get this done after so long. I interpreted this as Yandere bts mafia’s s/o being in love with their rival but if that’s not what you meant, message me and I’ll try to adjust this piece! Thank you <3]
Seokjin:
Seokjin is livid, the kind of livid where he’s shaking and he can't breathe or think properly because everything in his mind is painted an awful shade of red.  And even though he can barely see what’s in the photos with how blurry they are, he can see you, clear as day, smiling that special smile that’s reserved for only him where your eyes turn gooey and your lips curl up prettily. But instead of smiling at him, like you should be, you’re smiling at the leader of the rival mafia, your cheeks rosy in delight. You look lovesick with your arm entwined around his arms, even though Seokjin is convinced that you shouldn’t be looking like that, not when his enemy is just going to use you up like his other playthings before tossing you away. Seokjin almost wants to throw up at the disgusting sight. He wants to throw and break and hurt something, but he knows that he has to focus. Without focus, there’s no way he’s going to be able to torture and destroy his enemy for even daring to breathe near you, for trying to corrupt your beautiful, pure soul. He’s willing to pay anything, to give up anything to make his rival grovel and beg at his feet before he kills him like the animal he is. Killing his rival and making you watch that horrible man die is just his first punishment for you for even daring to look at another man. He has many, many other punishments reserved for you. After all, betraying him has consequences. And Seokjin, as you should have known by now, is nothing but a man who lives up to his threats.
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Yoongi:
Yoongi’s your silent protector, someone who’s meant to watch and protect you from the dirty world. That’s why he can tell something is different with you. There’s a moony look in your eyes, the same kind he has whenever he looks at you, although his look is just a bit more intense. You’re always texting someone, smiling cutely as you giggle and type, shyly nibbling on your bottom lip that has Yoongi reeling in an intense simmering jealousy that he forces himself to swallow. And then you disappear in the middle of the night. Yoongi always checks up on you when you fall asleep after all; you can't hide anything from him. The next night, he follows you and sees you playfully wrap your arms around that sick son of a bitch. And no one’s around either, an act meant to preserve that bitch’s reputation. It’s an opportunity, one that Yoongi refuses to give up. He finds himself walking closer, slipping his gun from his waistband before aiming it point-blank and firing it straight into that bastard's head. It’s too easy; Yoongi can’t believe the same bastard who’s been taunting him for so long was so easy to kill. He sees you crying as he continues approaching, and you don’t even move when he scoops you into his arms and lovingly holds you, a warm action coming from a cold man. He knows that you don’t understand why he did that, why he has to protect you. The dead man before you two was a bad, evil man who would hurt you if Yoongi hadn’t done something. But Yoongi would never realize that maybe, just maybe he should have been protecting you from himself.
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Namjoon:
Namjoon is deceptively calm. He simply nods his head at the information when his associate informs him of it before very cooly saying that he’d like to start an alliance with the rival group. But on one term, the leader would have to show up himself. The idea is presented professionally, cordially, and Namjoon does nothing less but acts absolutely charismatic. He even shows up at their main dwelling, no guards by his side, and practically nearly risks his life for his plan, acting like he was there for the sole intention of peace, a concept not well-known in the dangerous world he has sunk himself in. It’s almost a dare as he waits, calmly composed, for them to shoot him, fully aware that the vans he had posted nearby would straight up eliminate the whole building and everyone in it if they dared. The leader, a peace-loving imbecile, foolishly gives in, wanting nothing more than to quell the deaths that had been raging between the two groups. And nothing bad seems to happen at first. They both sign a document. They both shake hands. And they both raise a glass of wine from the very same bottle, ready to toast the alliance. And as the leader takes his first sip of the drink, the color ominously crimson underneath the dim glow of the room’s light, all is calm. And then it isn’t. The leader, that son of a bitch, chokes slightly on air, his hand flying to his throat. He turns purple, his words garbled, before paling. As the guards rush forward and are shot by the men Namjoon had carefully posted away from the naked eye, the leader’s head thuds on the table. Namjoon doesn’t even care that he has an absolute war on his hands, not when he’s eliminated his true obstacle. 
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Hoseok:
Hoseok is loving, so loving that it almost covers up his title of being the leader of one of the most powerful mafia groups. But there are some moments where you can tell that this man, the very man who taught you how to dance to the flow of the music and covered your eyes during more gruesome movie scenes while laughing lightly, is just like every other powerful leader: a selfish, cold-blooded killer. You just never thought you’d have to experience it firsthand. You’re coming home after an outing with your new beau, running on the light-footed euphoric high of love when you notice Hoseok sitting on your sofa, his lips curled in a disgruntled slope instead of the wide curved smile he usually wore. You can barely greet him before he cuts you off, demanding to know where you’ve been. You fib, something that was more of a white lie than anything, because Hoseok is protective and, well, a part of you feels guilty for hiding the fact that you’ve been seeing his worst enemy who you’re convinced really isn’t that bad. Hoseok’s eyes flash, their bright depths darkened, and in a flash of a movement, he’s up, his face red as he accuses you of betraying him, calling you a whore for lowering yourself to the level of that scum. You’re thrown off at this sudden change in Hoseok, your sweet smiling Hoseok, but more than anything, you’re furious that he’s acting like such an asshole when it’s none of his business. Before you can do anything more than scream, Hoseok is lunging for you, and you hurry back, falling down and knocking yourself out when your head collides on the edge of the coffee table. You shouldn’t be all too surprised when you wake up chained in a different place next to your sweet, loving Hoseok who smells just a bit, although his cologne covers it, like blood.
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Jimin:
Jimin's almost in tears at your betrayal, at the news he just received that shouldn't be true. You’re lovers, intertwined by the fate of destiny that Jimin had been cruelly deprived of before he met you. You loved him, with the ways you always treated him so sweetly and smiled up at him with such affection. He feels like his heart's breaking, like he can't breathe or even function anymore at the sight of you kissing the man who made his life hell. And when Jimin feels betrayed and hurt, he becomes desperate. And desperation leads people to do dangerous, horrific things. His desperation leads to his belief that you must be angry at him; he must not be giving you enough gifts and maybe you were angry because he was late to a meet up with you or maybe you had gotten a hair cut that he hadn’t noticed. That’s why you found another man, as retaliation for Jimin not being a good enough boyfriend. This is just a bad patch in your relationship, one that Jimin’s going to fix. And he knows just how he’s going to fix it. You trust Jimin enough to leave your phone with him when you're running an errand, and even though Jimin feels like every fiber of his being is breaking, he knows it wasn't your fault that you were manipulated. He would fix this, just for you. So you wouldn't mind if he pretended to be you, texting a meetup location with his enemy, teasingly implying that you had a special present for him and wanted him to be alone. And you wouldn’t mind if when your lover came, captured by Jimin’s men for Jimin to deal with later. After all, if Jimin cried and begged and held onto you hard enough, you'd eventually forgive him. In fact, you might even thank him.
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Taehyung:
Taehyung knows every detail about you. He knows when you’ve started to meet someone else. He’s furious, but he knows just exactly how to work the situation. Taehyung’s emotional, but he’s also manipulative, knowing which of your insecurities to prey on for the result he wants. He hires someone to find more risky photos of your new lover, images of the man with his past lovers scandalously pressed to him, and send them to you, threats scrawled on them about how your lover was just using you like he did with other girls, how you were just a pretty thing to adorn his side before he got sick of you and threw you away. It’s almost easy from then on. His men catch sight of a ruckus near your place and report back news of you screaming at your lover, slapping his face when he tries to get close to you and shoving the photos Taehyung had sent into his chest. When you storm out of your apartment, Taehyung’s prepared, sending more men to carefully knock you out when you head into an area without any cameras and people and drag you away. And when you wake up, eyes fierce as you hiss out that your lover is going to do whatever it takes to save you and that Taehyung was pathetic for kidnapping someone he didn’t even know, Taehyung plays his cards carefully, setting a picture of your lover with another woman by his side--the woman was really just his subordinate--before your bound form and talking about how he really doubts that when your lover has already found another body to warm up his bed. He shouldn’t find this much pleasure in seeing how you absolutely shatter at the sight, relishing in how your tears drip down your cheeks, but this will teach you how he’s the only one meant for you.
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Jungkook:
As the youngest to rise into the position as leader of such a powerful group, Jungkook is notorious in the mafia world for his sheer brutal power and warlike demeanor. He excels in everything he does, from small things such as precisely shooting a gun blind to big things such as gaining the trust of not only nearly every single member in his group but the alliance of other powerful groups. You were his escort to events, beautiful and put together as you turned a blind ear to the risky, sometimes horrific deals that were being placed on the table. Jungkook thinks highly of you, despite how you’re really only doing the job in exchange for the large sum of cash you could use to pay off your college loans. And somehow along the way, he had fallen for your quick wit humor, the way you so cordially interacted with very dangerous men with an air of aloofness. So to see you next to the side of the only man in his group that didn’t fully trust Jungkook and had openly protested Jungkook’s rise to power, the son of a bitch who Jungkook hated with a burning passion casually tugging you close by your waist, left the young man feeling something he hadn’t felt in years: heartbroken. He’s spurred to find a way to absolutely destroy the man, establishing a discreet plan where the man would go missing like another rival group had kidnapped him and show up dead, killed in the same exact manner that the rival group was infamous for. And when you hear the news and become absolutely devastated, seeking comfort, you'll be back where you belong: at Jungkook's side. And if you refuse to comply, Jungkook is absolutely not above using a more brutal threat to convince you otherwise.
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wherevermyway · 4 years
Text
step out! do what you want (chapter ten)
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pairings: reader/bang chan/han jisung, bang chan/han jisung side pairing: seo changbin/lee minho (referenced) rating: explicit | 18+ warnings (read please!): big fat warning for ambiguous HINTS of suicidal ideation, character deaths, mental instability, post-traumatic stress, profanity, use of firearms, graphic depictions of violence (fist fight, gunfight), blood, lots of smoking this chapter, mentions of sex, mentions of drug use, angst, drug dealer!au/organized crime!au. also, don’t drive this fast on the highway. word count: about 9,300 also on my ao3 here chapter/series navigation
chapter ten: je vois la fin avant le début | i see the end before it starts
recommended tracks: black swan by bts, can’t you see me? by tomorrow x together we go by stray kids, 777 by joji, the end/undead by hollywood undead and zero 9:36, simon says by nct 127, turn back time by wayv, begin by bts, tôt ou tard by eli rose, ew by joji, another day by stray kids. playlist can be found here.
note: I can’t believe this is almost done (thank god). I’m gonna warn you one more time: this story is dark as fuck and, if you thought chapter nine was bad, ten is also bad, and eleven is worse. eleven is going to have really triggering content (very explicitly labelled in several places) in it so please don’t hate me. I’m also turning off taglists for these last two chapters because I’m not comfortable tagging people due to the content.
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disclaimer: any reference to persons in this work of fiction are purely coincidental. the characters referenced from Stray Kids are interpretations loosely based on their personalities in the group and do not represent the real people behind the personas. if this, or any of the content included in the warnings above make you uncomfortable, please stop reading now.
side note: for the love of minho’s cats, don’t mix party drugs or drugs with alcohol.
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It would seem that, even though you’re back in the real world, returning to reality is proving to be difficult. Since returning to Christopher’s apartment, you’ve had a couple of panic attacks that you felt made both Christopher and Jisung questioned their relationship with you. Most of the time, things were fine, but there were moments and entire days where they treated you like you were a fragile piece of pottery with a big, neon warning label slapped on it that said “Danger! Will shatter if mishandled!” in fat, ugly, blocky, black characters.
After screaming and crying at your therapist for an hour and a half, you decided that you wanted to be alone and would take an alternative route home, sneaking out the back door so that Christopher didn’t see you as he waited out front in his car. You peeked through the glass front doors, seeing his car parked there, right on time. It was hard to make out details from so far away, but it looked like he was staring at his phone, mindlessly scrolling along.
Perfect.
You smiled to yourself as you turned away from the front door. The last time you were here, you recognized a service entrance towards the back of the building that appeared to be unlocked. Timidly, you make your way towards it and jiggle the handle. The door popped open with ease, and you walked through, quickly bolting through the alleyway and make your way towards the Mojeon bridge in Cheonggyecheon.
The walk to the bridge wasn’t very long, so you took the long way, weaving in and out of various backroads and alleyways. You loved taking in the environment of small shopping stalls and the scurrying of busy folk. What you had enjoyed the most was the ambient noises of the city life around you. It was night and day in comparison to the past five or so months had been like, trapped in the hospital, then trapped in Christopher’s apartment, leaving only to go to your thrice-weekly therapy appointments.
It made sense why you felt so lonely. Christopher had been keeping himself busy, constantly coming to bed not long before the sun came up. You knew he wasn’t purposefully avoiding you or Jisung, but something about it didn’t sit well with you, likely because it felt like he was just avoiding handling the loss of Changbin, now stuck with all of the stress of dealing with the family.
Jisung had to have been feeling it, too. Neither of them were going out on collection runs or handling deals; they had left it to Seungmin and Jeongin, as well as just sending jobs back to the hyung-nim. Jisung would occasionally spend a few late nights in the studio with Christopher, and he would always come back to bed more frustrated than he was before he went to go assist his superior.
There was one night a few weeks ago where you went to lay down early, settling into a book that you weren’t really committed to reading, but what the fuck else did you have to do, cramped up in this apartment? All three of you were tense from being cooped up inside, save for your therapy appointments. Jisung and Christopher were arguing about something, their voices travelling through the open studio door, bouncing around the open living room and kitchen, finally making its way in through the bedroom door.
It was impossible to completely make out what they were arguing about, but you really didn’t care at this point. Everything was all about hierarchy and other bureaucratic nonsense that had been completely upended with Changbin’s death. Jisung came angrily padding into the bedroom, a scowl on his face as he grumbled and flopped down on to the bed face-first. He let out a long, drawn out, frustrated groan into the blanket.
“You gonna be okay, Sungie?” You put your book on the nightstand, adjusting your position so that you’re able to run a calming hand through the younger man’s hair. “Sounded like you two were disagreeing about something again.”
Jisung huffs, then rolls over onto his back. “I'm never gonna be cut out to be a leader, am I?” He turns his head slightly to look up at you. “Chan-hyung has a hard enough time, and I never wanted to do this, but now I don’t have a choice.”
You roll your fingers through his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp, and smile at him. “You would be a good leader if you wanted be, but I think this entire situation has been stressful on everyone.”
A scoff leaves Jisung’s lips as he turns to face you full-on. “You’re starting to sound like a therapist.”
“Go figure,” you sarcastically grumble as you roll your eyes.
“You’d be good at it,” Christopher’s voice travels through the doorway, startling both you and Jisung. He walks into the room and worms his way around both of you on the bed. “I’m sorry,” he sighs out, “I’ve been so stressed this week with all of the exchanges of power and sheer amount of work that needs to be done. Jisung,” he sits up on his heels, draping his face over his junior. “I’m sorry if I made it seem like I was mad at you. There’s no excuse for that kind of behaviour and I’m sorry.”
Jisung softly smiles, grabbing Christopher’s face with both of his hands. “You can be a real jerk sometimes,” he croons softly, “but I know you don’t mean it, that you’re not taking it out on me, y’know? It’s been a long, chaotic few months. We’ve all had our moments of panic, and you’re unfairly shouldered with handling the family almost completely by yourself. “
Christopher sighs, turning his head to look at you before he grabs you by the waist and pulls you into an embrace, both of you unceremoniously flopping onto your sides. “How about I ignore all of the stuff with the family tomorrow,” he says, pulling you up against him tightly with one arm, reaching out to Jisung with the other. “We can have a day with just the three of us. Get some bad takeout, watch horrible movies, just kind of have a lazy day around the house?”
“I like that idea,” Jisung excitedly nods, then turns to look at you. “What do you think, bunny?”
You were happy with the idea, but you couldn’t find yourself to share the same level of enthusiasm that Jisung did, like you would in the Before Time, as your therapist coined it. Before, you would have jumped at the thought, with both you and Jisung likely driving Christopher somewhat mad. But now, things were just muted and toned down. Mellowed down, like food you would eat when you had the stomach flu. Everything now just emotionally felt like lukewarm, runny juk, when you were used to explosions of flavour and texture on your emotional palette.
“You okay, baby?” Christopher sits up, turning to look down at you. The expressions on his face and Jisung’s face fall flat with concern and nervousness. “Are you going to that headspace again?”
Suddenly, you come back to your senses. You couldn’t have them worry about you, after all. There was already enough, much more important stuff for them to worry about. Honestly, you were just some woman who got strung along for a wild ride, and now had to deal with something a bit more difficult than a modelling shoot being cancelled. You could handle this.
“I’m fine,” you say with a fake smile plastered on your face. That was one good thing that came naturally to you because of modelling: faking emotions well enough, for a short period of time, faking it so well that anyone would believe you. “I just got distracted with thinking about what we could do.”
Jisung flushes, clearly misinterpreting your intention. “Oh yeah,” he breathes out, “it’s been a while since the three of us…” his voice trails off as he alternates looking at you and Christopher, the blush on his face deepening as he awkwardly shifts around.
The blond-haired man rolls his eyes and scoffs. “Yeah, but,” he sighs, “that’s okay. It’ll happen naturally when we’re ready for it to happen, right?”
Luckily for you that night, the three of you were able to share an intimate moment together for the first time in literal months. It was fine and was fun, albeit muted like everything else lately, nowhere near how chaotic it was at the beginning of your relationship. At least you could get them off of your back for a little while longer.
As you reached the touristy area of Cheonggyecheon (when did you get here?), your phone buzzed twice in your pocket and pulled you from your hazy daydream. Nervously, you pull the phone out of your pocket, giving it a quick glance. Nearly all of the texts on your phone are from Christopher, unsurprisingly. There was nobody else, only Christopher and Jisung. Those were the only people you had now; everyone else either abandoned you, hated you, were outside of Korea, or had died.
16:47 | Running late? Figured you’d be done by now. 16:58 | Where are you? it's been a half hour 17:05 | seriously baby where are you?
His texts start to seem more panicked, his texting habits clearly more frantic.
17:12 | I’m gonna call you again if you dont respond in the next couple minutes 17:14 | ok I am legit worried 17:19 | what are you doing? 17:21 | baby where are you 17:24 | the office told me you already left 17:28 | this is not funny 17:28 | turn your gps back on 17:29 | jisung and i are out in dt seoul looking for you 17:31 | call me as soon as you see this 17:31 | i saw you read these 17:32 | baby please
It’s been over an hour since your appointment ended, and your phone won’t stop buzzing. You jam it back into your hoodie’s pocket and continue to ignore the barrage of calls from Christopher. He clearly got a hold of Jisung, because you’ve also started receiving texts and phone calls from him. A smirk creeps up on your face as you reach the Mojeon bridge. You quietly pace up to the middle of the bridge and poke your head over the railing.
It happens without even thinking. Almost mechanically, you take your phone out of your pocket and drop it down into the stream below you. It was almost ironic, honestly, that this was right above the spot where you got shot during Changbin’s funeral. It was a good area for your phone to die alongside where your sanity did.
You can’t help but cackle at yourself, earning some choice stares from passersby. There was no rhyme or reason to why you were doing this, but it felt good. The rushing water beneath the bridge was oddly calming as you stared at it over the railing. There was always something about the water that helped you feel grounded and calm. With all of this chaos around you, you needed something to stay constant.
As crazy as it sounded, the thought of jumping into the stream and letting it carry you out to the Han river did pass through your brain, but you managed to talk yourself out of it. “No,” you say aloud to yourself, “I couldn’t do that.”
The screeching of tires from the street adjacent to the walkway pulls you out of your thoughts. You turn your head towards the noise and see Christopher jump out of his car, haphazardly parked halfway on the sidewalk. He runs to you, yelling your name a couple of times, a horror-stricken expression on his face.
Your heart is about to explode out of your chest as you see him running at you. Part of your brain is telling you to run, but it would appear that your muscles have forgotten how to operate themselves.
Christopher slams into you, causing you to take a couple of steps back as you narrowly avoid being knocked down on to the concrete. His arms wrap around you so tightly, you’re afraid he’s going to pop your lungs. “Oh my god,” he cries out, “oh my god, where the hell have you been?” He puts a hand on the back of your head, gripping your hair, lifting his head to kiss yours with several small pecks, and you can feel his body twitch as he starts to cry.
“A walk,” you manage to quietly squeak out, “I wanted to go for a walk.”
Christopher pulls back, releasing you from his embrace and taking a step backwards. “A walk?” His bloodshot, glossy eyes open wide, his face red as tears streak down his face, and he shakes his head. “Why didn’t you just tell me? I would have -“
“I’m smothered,” you flatly say, not really able to allow yourself to process any emotions. “You and Jisung both have both been treating me like I’m just going to fall apart if you even look at me.” Christopher stares at you in disbelief as the pedestrians around you pointedly avoid getting close.
“Lover’s quarrel?” A hushed whisper travels on the wind.
“Youth always out here with their petty drama,” another whisper follows.
You and Christopher stand there, staring at each other for a while. He eventually runs his hands through his hair, turning to look down the stream as he wipes the tears off of his face. “A walk,” he whispers, repeating back to himself. “Smothered.” He sighs heavily and turns back to you, his brows furrowed in frustration.
“I thought you had been kidnapped, or that you ended up dead somewhere. Do you not understand that there are people out there that want us to suffer or, god forbid, kill us? You were shot right here the last time we were here, for fuck’s sake.” The tears continue to fall down his face as he puts his hands on his hips. “I don’t want you to feel like this anymore. I don’t know how to help you with that, but,” he pauses, dropping his hands from his hips as he takes a step closer to you, “if I could take away all of your pain, I would do it in an instant, even if I had to take it all on myself.” He pulls you into his chest by your hips and wraps his arms around your waist, a bit more gently this time.
“I can’t do this without you. You, me, Jisung: we’ve all gone through so much shit in the past six months and we need each other.” His phone starts ringing, but both of you deliberately ignore it. “Once we’ve dealt with Minho and Hyunjin, Jisung and I are gonna leave the family. I’ve got some connections in Australia that would make it easy for us to move there. Nobody would know us. We can get out of all of this and leave this behind. How does that sound?”
A hint of a smile creeps up on the corner of your face. “It's a good idea, Christopher, but,” you say, staring at a confused police officer standing over Christopher’s car, “you’re about to get a ticket and you might wanna deal with that first.”
“What?” Christopher gasps, pulling away from your embrace as he grabs your wrist and turns to look at the scene unfolding. “Oh, goddammit,” he whines, pulling you along as he walks towards his car. “C’mon, let’s deal with this and go home.”
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The encounter with the police officer is uneventful. Christopher uses his charming charisma to talk his way out of it, even name-dropping some high-level official that he knows. Once the two of you are back in the car, he makes his way to an open parking spot and parks, pulling out his phone. He taps the screen a couple of times, and Jisung’s voice comes through the speakers of the car.
“Did you find her?” Jisung panics over the speaker, sounding as if he was nearly crying. “She isn’t answering my calls or my texts and I’m worried and I haven’t seen anything out here and I -“
“Sungie,” Christopher says, calmly, interrupting Jisung’s panicked word-vomiting, “I’ve got her, it’s okay.”
“I’m so sorry, Sungie,” you say, not really sure if he can even hear you.
“Oh my god, bunny,” he exhales, “are you okay?”
You open your mouth to say something, but Christopher interjects. “She’ll be alright. Go back home, and we can talk about it when we get back. We’ve got some things we all need to discuss.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jisung says with a deep sigh. “I love you, both of you.”
“We love you too,” Christopher smiles as he says it. He presses a button on the steering wheel, hanging up the call, then turns to you. He embraces your hand with one hand and grabs your chin with the other. “Do I need to take you back to the hospital?”
You shake your head.
“Okay, but if that changes,” he pulls you closer to him, and he rests his forehead against yours, “I need you to tell me. I can’t lose you, too. Promise me that you’ll tell me.”
“I promise,” you speak with feigned confidence. Liar.
“Good,” he tilts your head up with his hand, then gently kisses you on the lips. A repetitive chime comes from the centre console of the car, startling both of you, and Christopher rolls his eyes, letting go of your jaw and reaching out to press another button on his steering wheel. “Jisung, I swear, we’re -“
“Hyung,” Felix’s voice comes through the car’s speakers, cutting Christopher off. “Minho-hyung knows where we are. I don’t know if he’s coming here, but he knows where we are and I know he’s found out about Hyunjin and he is beyond furious.”
“Shit.” Christopher’s expression instantaneously sours and his brows furrow. “Did you call the hyung-nim?”
“Yes, hyung. He’s the one that told me. Can’t spare any extra bodies to protect us, though.”
“Alright,” Christopher tightly grabs his face and runs his thumb against his jawline. “You’ve got enough gear there? I’ll pick up Jisung and bring Seungmin and Jeongin with. We’ll be there in a little over three hours.” He lets go of your hand to grasp the gear shift, shifting out of park and into drive, merging his way into traffic.
“I do.”
“Understood. Call me if he shows up before we get there. I know there’s another group connected to the family that’s somewhere in Daegu that can probably help you out, but it’ll be the nuclear option and I don’t want to do it unless we absolutely have to.” Christopher deeply sighs, looking into the rear view mirror for a moment before focusing back on the road. “Hyung-nim’s already mad enough at us as is, but I’m not losing another brother today.”
“Will do,” Felix says with confidence, then cuts the line.
Christopher has a serious look on his face as he focuses on the traffic. He pushes yet another button on the steering wheel and tells the AI of his car to call Jisung. The trilling of the connecting line fills the car and everything feels tense.
“Hey, baby, what’s up?” Jisung’s voice comes through the speakers.
“We’ve got a problem with Felix and Hyunjin,” Christopher says calmly, but clearly concerned. “Minho knows they’re in Daegu and I’m assuming he’s on the way there.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah,” Christopher grits his teeth and exhales with force. “I’m on the way to pick you up. Call Seungmin or Jeongin. Have them both meet us at the apartment, alright?”
“You got it.”
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“I don’t want her to come with, but,” you hear Jisung whispering to Christopher in the studio as Jeongin and Seungmin grab a few things from the studio and bring them out to the kitchen counter.
“She ran off, Jisung,” Christopher quietly bites back, “I can’t spare any of us to stay out of this just to watch her. You know that Minho is -“
Jeongin interrupts your eavesdropping as he sits down next to you on the couch. “It’s a nice view, isn’t it?” Part of you is upset that you’re socially obligated to socialize now instead of eavesdropping, but at the same time, you didn’t want to know how much you were inconveniencing Jisung and Christopher.
“Yeah,” you honestly agree, turning your head to look out the window. “I’m not sure how Christopher managed to get a property out here, but it’s impressive.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve chatted with each other.” Jeongin turns to look at you, a slight frown tugging at his lips. “Hyung had mentioned you were having a hard time coming to terms with everything. I know we don’t really know each other well, but you can always reach out to either me or Seungmin if you need to talk to someone different for once.”
“It’s true,” Seungmin perks up from the kitchen, walking into the living room and popping a couple of grapes into his mouth before he sits on the chair opposite from you. “We’re more fun than them, anyways.”
You smile at their words, continuing to stare out at the skyline. How was it that they had gone through all of this and came out seemingly alright? Why was it just you that had difficulties coping with everything? Why did you have problems with every little thing lately, but everyone else was doing so much better than you?
Christopher and Jisung come out of the studio, both of them visibly frustrated, but Jisung at least tried to hide it as he walked into the living room. Christopher grumbles something under his breath, darting off through the kitchen and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
“Hey,” Jisung awkwardly says as the door slams, closing his eyes tightly and sighing. “Are you all ready to go? We’re running a bit behind, so Chan-hyung is a little frustrated.” You knew that was a lie, that Jisung was just trying to keep the peace.
Seungmin lifts his eyebrows and cocks his head towards Jisung. He smirks, almost like he wants to make some sort of comment, but he shakes his head. “Yeah, I think we’re fine.” He turns to look at both you and Jeongin, then looks back to Jisung. “Hyung gonna be alright, or…?”
Jisung rolls his eyes, waving his hand dismissively in the air. “Yeah, you know how he gets. He’s just,” his eyes subconsciously dart to you, then to the floor as he stumbles over his words, “he’s got a lot to deal with right now. You know?”
Jeongin turns to look at you, gently placing his hand on your knee. “Are you ready?” You take a second to catch your breath, then timidly nod your head and he stands up. “Alright. I think we can get out of here.”
A loud clattering comes from Christopher’s room. The four of you exchange panicked glances with each other, and Jisung takes a step toward the bedroom, stopping as the door flies open. Christopher steps out of the room, now wearing a button up shirt and a thin tie, both in black. You notice he has black gloves on as he adjusts his necktie. There’s also an unlit cigarette in between his teeth, which you knew was a bad sign. He doesn’t bother looking at anyone before he grabs his car keys off of the island in the kitchen and making his way to the front door, slipping on a pair of black loafers. “Grab the shit and let’s go.”
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Christopher chain-smokes for nearly the entire way to Daegu. He specifically asked you to sit in the passenger seat next to him, and you believe it’s so he could anxiously hold your hand. For the first forty or so minutes, until you get past Icheon-si, the air is so tense, nobody says anything. The bright LED of the dashboard reflects on Christopher’s face, illuminating the panic he’s trying to suppress as he takes another drag off of his third cigarette.
152km/h. That’s what you see when you turn to look at the big, bold digital letters reflected on the console. It felt much faster than you anticipated, and now you knew why, since the speed limit was 100. “You’re speeding,” you quietly say without thinking.
“Felix needs us,” Christopher says, his voice terse. “I don’t give a fuck about the speed limit. Nobody’s on the road right now.”
“Chan-hyung,” Jisung perks up from the back seat, pulling himself up with your seat to be in between you and Christopher, “you should probably slow down a little, at least. 150 is really fast.”
“Not happening.”
“Hyung,” Seungmin chimes in, “I don’t mean to overstep, but Jisung is right. We’re going to be no help if we -“
“Would all of you shut up?” Christopher shouts, letting go of your hand, flicking the end of his cigarette out of his window as he grabs another one from the open pack and the lighter in the cupholder. The speedometer slowly ticks up to 160 km/h, and the numbers change from blueish-white to yellow. “Nobody else is dying today, not if I can help it. We’ve lost too many people already. One person was enough. Changbin was enough.”
He lifts the cigarette to his mouth and his hands tremble as he flicks the black lighter a couple of times before the flame comes to life. The cigarette smoke always smelled terrible at first, until you got used to it about a minute in, but it wasn’t something you were overly fond of. Maybe once all of this was over, you could convince Christopher to stop smoking for good.
His left hand takes the cigarette from his mouth and he leans his elbow against the door, nervously rubbing his fingertips against his forehead. “Fuck,” he whispers under his breath. There’s another awkward silence as you feel Jisung let go of your seat, relaxing back into his spot. Jeongin whispers something that you can’t quite make out, and Christopher holds down a button on his steering wheel. “Call Lee Felix,” he says as the AI chirps at him.
“Calling, please wait.” the AI responds.
175 km/h. The numbers are now orange.
Christopher grips the steering wheel harder and harder the longer it takes for the call to go through. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he grumbles under his breath, eyes nervously darting between the centre console display and the road. “Fucking pick up, Felix.”
180 km/h.
“Yes, hyung?” Felix’s voice fills the car and you breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thank god, you picked up,” Christopher loosens his grip on the steering wheel just a bit, bringing the cigarette to his mouth and taking a drag from it. “Any word yet?”
“Not yet, hyung.”
“Good,” he exhales, and a cloud of smoke leaves his lips and is violently pulled out of the car through the window. “We’re on the way there, just drove past Icheon-si.”
“Icheon-si? Hyung, that’s…” Felix starts to say with a hint of concern in his voice.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been going a bit over the speed limit,” Christopher scoffs, “as it was kindly brought to my attention. Should be in Daegu in about two hours at this pace. Call me immediately if anything changes, understood?”
“Yes, hyung, but -“
“If you’re about to scold me, I highly advise against it.”
190 km/h.
There’s a momentary pause over the line. “Understood, hyung. My apologies for stepping out of line.” Felix’s voice sounds slightly dejected, but it’s barely noticeable.
“See you soon.” Christopher curtly ends the phone call by pressing the button on the steering wheel again.
200 km/h.
The display is bright red and there is a soft ding that brings Christopher’s attention to the dashboard. “Fucking shit,” he says, and the car slows back down as he moves his foot off the gas pedal. “I’ve never gone that fast before. Holy shit.”
You look at him, reaching a hand over to his hair, brushing it back behind his ear. It had gotten shaggier and curlier over the past few months, his dark roots starting to show more and more obviously as time went on, but it didn’t bother you. In fact, part of you was curious to see what his natural hair colour looked like.
“It’s going to be alright,” you softly whisper, rubbing your thumb against Christopher’s temple. He grabs your hand with his right hand and smiles.
“Thanks, baby,” he doesn’t look at you, but you know he genuinely appreciates the little ways you remind him that you care. He pulls your hand down from his face and gives it a quick kiss before he returns it to your lap, only letting go so he can hold the steering wheel when he ashes his cigarette.
145 km/h. That was tolerable.
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It takes maybe an hour and a half to reach the safehouse in Daegu. The building is old, like it had been abandoned a while ago. Siding had started to peel off of the side of the building, making it look dilapidated.
“I recognize that vehicle,” Seungmin says with concern as Christopher parks the car.
“I do, too,” Jisung chimes in, and reaches for his phone. “Nothing. Have you heard from Felix?”
Christopher pulls out his phone, glancing at the screen as he turns the car off. “Shit,” he says, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening his door. “Minho just got here. Let’s go.” The five of you get out of the car, Christopher and Jisung out in front of you, hands on their pistols as Seungmin and Jeongin are on either side of you.
“Stay behind us,” Jeongin whispers as you go up the stairs of the building. “I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but Minho gets violent very quickly. He’s unpredictable; not to mention, he’s got to be exceptionally angry, given the severity of the situation. Both he and Hyunjin are good shots, so try to stay out of the way.”
You approach the top of the stairs, the sounds of shouting coming through the slightly ajar front door. Christopher throws his hand behind him, and everyone stops moving. He cranes his head around the doorframe, then walks in.
“Minho,” he says, as Jisung follows him inside. “You need to step back.” Seungmin and Jeongin follow their superiors inside, and you can’t help but poke your head into the doorway.
“Oh, of course,” Minho turns around at the sound of Christopher’s voice, laughing sarcastically. “Channie has to show up and save the day. What a hero, right? Or is it that maybe you wanted to have a little revenge on Hyunjin for taking away our Changbin?”
The way that Minho spoke made your stomach turn. Something about it made you feel like you were watching a dark psychological thriller film, like you needed to take a shower.
“We decide together,” Christopher calmly says. “Trust me, I understand how angry you are at him, I really do.” Minho takes a couple of steps towards Christopher and his eyes widen, almost like he’s ready to throw a punch at his superior. The three men around Christopher take their pistols and aim them directly at Minho as Christopher tucks his pistol back into its holster and lifts his hands up. “Changbin was my best friend. I’ve known him for almost half my life at this point. Trust me, I get it.”
Christopher turns his head, looking at Hyunjin, who wavers a bit where he stands. “I’d want to make him suffer, too,” he turns back to Minho, “but you know that Changbin wouldn’t want that.”
Minho scoffs, closing his eyes and shaking his head, tilting it down. “Yeah, I know. Changbin was always the level-headed one out of all of us when it came to the family.” He lifts his head back up and a dark expression covers his face. “Changbin isn’t here anymore, though. So, if you and the boys don’t mind,” he turns his head back towards Hyunjin, “I’m gonna get revenge with my fists.” He lifts one of his hands in the air, “Don’t shoot me, though, I’m just gonna beat some sense into him, mano a mano.”
Christopher sighs, turning his head a bit back towards the men behind him, waving his hand dismissively to indicate that the guys should holster their pistols. “Let him,” he simply says, then moves to adjust his necktie. “If it gets bad, we’ll step in.” A part of you didn’t believe that Christopher was being sincere. With how much he cared about Changbin, it was likely he wanted to see Hyunjin suffer, but didn’t want to be the one to deal with it.
“No the fuck you won’t,” Minho snaps as he walks towards Hyunjin. “Pretty boy is mine to deal with.” He grabs the collar of the younger man and shoves him up against the wall. Felix takes a couple of steps around the men, walking over to Christopher and whispering something unintelligible from this far away.
“You know this is your fault,” Hyunjin says with a cocky look on his face. “If you never fell for Changbin after Shanghai, you know we’d be at the top now.”
Minho takes one of his fists and brings it to Hyunjin’s cheek, it slamming against his cheekbone with a thump. “If you hadn’t gotten so goddamn cocky,” he grips the collar of Hyunjin’s shirt again, shoving him into the wall a little firmer, “we wouldn’t have fucked up that deal. The Triads were fucking pissed at you and that’s on you. I wouldn’t have gotten shot if it wasn’t for your shitty fucking bravado.”
Hyunjin scoffs, drawing his head back a bit and colliding it with Minho’s with a heavy thud. Minho lets go of Hyunjin’s collar and grabs his head, moaning out in pain. “Fucking hell,” he grumbles with a slight slur.
“You were such a coward. Still are,” Hyunjin says, grabbing his forehead as he knees Minho in the stomach. “Temporarily left the fucking family because your precious Binnie was so worried about you. You really thought you were just gonna leave, go somewhere and start a happy family?” He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “As if. No one makes it out of here sane or alive.”
Minho growls as he reorients himself upright. He draws his arm back and literally leaps at Hyunjin, his fist colliding against his face again. This time, however, they land on the floor and throw fists back and forth until their faces and knuckles are bloodied. “If you never got involved with that fucking Triad girl,” Minho spits blood down onto Hyunjin’s face in anger, “we would never be here. Changbin would still be alive, the two of us would be out, then you could have had it all. But you went and flew too close to the goddamn sun, you fucking traitor.” Minho pushes himself to his feet and reaches for his pistol.
A chill runs through the air as Hyunjin calmly stands up, drawing his pistol in response. “It’s not my fault,” he says coolly, then turns to glare at you. “If it wasn’t for her,” he nods in your direction, then turns back to Minho, “Changbin wouldn’t have died. All I wanted to do was to give him a little warning shot so Minji and I could get out of there. But, you know your precious Changbin. Always had to be the brave, strong hero.” He squints his eyes and cockily smirks. “You loved that about him and you know that.”
Christopher tenses, sensing the shift in tone, and he grabs his pistol, motioning for you to get back, but it’s clearly too late to intervene.
It happens in an instant, time slowing down like the time that Christopher got shot in front of you. You see Minho’s arms raise up, aiming his pistol at Hyunjin, who responds in kind by aiming his pistol at Minho. However, he’s a bit too slow.
Minho fires his gun once, square into Hyunjin’s shoulder. The younger man shrieks and recoils, but manages to fire a shot into Minho’s stomach before he collides into the ground. The older man falls forward, crashing into the floor like a rag doll. Blood flies everywhere, painting the room and the men in splatters of deep crimson.
Hyunjin weakly coughs a couple of times. “Idiot,” he groggily whispers before his head rolls away from you.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” Minho coughs out, thick blood coming up from his throat. Felix immediately moves towards Minho, but the older man shakes his head once. “Let me fucking die.” The younger man stops in his tracks, nods, then moves to Hyunjin. He pores over the long-haired man, reaching up to his throat, letting out a deep sigh, shaking his head.
Minho lazily rolls onto his back, staring up to the ceiling. “I know you never would have wanted me to get revenge,” he scoffs, more blood coming up and spilling down his cheek, “but you knew me better than that. You were always the, ah,” he coughs a couple of times, “always the wiser one out of the two of us. I might have been older, but you were smarter.” He closes his eyes and lets out a shaky sigh. “I love you so much. You made me so much better. Sorry, baby. Hope you’re there on the other side. Heh. Hope there’s an other…”
A creaky groan comes from Minho, and that’s the last noise he makes. The room falls silent and nobody moves for a while. A few tears fall down your face. Minho may have been flighty and impossible to understand sometimes, but he showed you nothing but compassion and kindness when he first met you.
“Hi, I’m Lee Minho,” the memory of his introduction replays in your head. “Changbin’s probably talked about me by now.” You remember the way he softly smiled as he offered a slight bow to you. The way he looked at Changbin while he was half-drunk and high off of ecstasy, the way he whined at Changbin and pulled him into an embrace when he was half-asleep the next day. “Cuddle me and make it better.” There was no way he was truly a bad person, not by all of his interactions with you. He just loved Changbin and didn’t know how to appropriately act about it at times.
Your knees painfully collided into the ground and you just started sobbing. Sure, Minho had moments where he was absolutely insane, but the memories you had with him physically hurt as they passed through your head.
Daegu. You were in Daegu. You probably weren’t far away from where he and Changbin were for the Colourful Daegu Festival a long time ago. How happy they must have been when they were tripping on acid and listening to music. God, how much they must have loved each other. All of the happy memories they had, only to end in pain and misery and literal fucking death.
“Don’t let Channie intimidate you,” you remember him telling you the day that Christopher came home from the hospital, not long before Changbin brought him home. You were both on the couch, aimlessly talking about life as Jisung took a nap in the bedroom.
“What do you mean?” You had asked, turning to look at Minho.
“He’s a little intense sometimes,” he continued, folding his hands together and bringing them to the back of his head. “but he cares. Once he gets close to someone, he gets protective and it’s endearing. It’s usually just a bit intense at the beginning. I mean, you saw how he got when he found out you and Sungie had been together, but he cares. and just doesn’t know how to show it sometimes.”
You cocked your head to the side and mumbled in agreement.
“I remember when he found out that Changbin and I were dating. Wow,” Minho sighed as he rolled his head up to look at the ceiling. “Man, was he pissed. He yelled and yelled and totally reamed me. ‘First, you get shot for him,’ he said to me, ‘now you’re in love with him? With my best friend?’” Minho smiled at the memory. “That’s how I knew he really cared about Binnie. He wasn’t mad at me, he was just protective of his best friend.”
“Huh,” you mumbled out, then leaned back up against the couch, staring up at the ceiling with Minho.
“He gave me his blessing eventually,” Minho continued, “but he told me that if I ever broke Binnie’s heart, he’d break my kneecaps in two and make sure nobody found me at the bottom of the ocean.”
Your eyes widened and you turned to look at Minho in terror.
Minho tilted his head towards you and smiled. “Real charmer, ain’t he? Very endearing type. He falls fast. Probably loves you already, just doesn’t know how to say it. Be ready for it to come completely out of the blue.”
You run your hands through your hair, rocking back and forth as you sob so hard that your throat started to ache. Someone takes a few steps towards you, then bends down, pulling you into their arms. “It’s okay,” Jisung’s voice whispers in your ear, “it’s gonna be okay, bunny, I promise.”
Liar. Everyone was a fucking liar.
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“I’ll take care of this,” Felix quietly says to Christopher as you and Jisung sit on the middle of the staircase. “Don’t worry about it, hyung.”
“You sure?” Christopher flatly questions, his voice devoid of emotion. “I can call the hyung-nim and -“
“Hyung,” Felix presses. “Do you know how many bodies I’ve dealt with over the years? All the time in nursing school? It’s fine. It’s just another part of the job. Besides, the hyung-nim is still pretty miffed at us. Can’t imagine how happy he’s gonna be to hear that two more of us are gone.”
Christopher sighs, and you hear them slap each other on the back. “Thanks, Felix.”
“Not by blood,” Felix starts.
“By the code.” Christopher finishes their pact with a deep sigh. “I want you to come back up to Seoul when you’re, ah,” his breath hitches as he speaks, “when you’re done. Alright?”
“Understood, hyung.” Felix says. “You’re buying the drinks, though.”
Christopher lets out a strained chuckle as he comes down the stairs. “Yeah, yeah.” He slowly approaches you, sitting down on the stairs behind you and Jisung. “I’m sorry you both had to see this. I’m sorry this went so badly so fast.”
“Chan,” Jisung turns his head over his shoulder, looking up to Christopher. “Are you going to be alright driving back to Seoul tonight? There’s the other safehouse, or I can drive down to Busan; it’s only an hour or so from here.”
“No,” Christopher says, probably shaking his head like he did when he pretended he wasn’t bothered by something. “I don’t mind. Just gotta stop somewhere, get an energy drink and another pack of cigarettes and we’ll be fine.”
You lift your head up from your hands, staring off into the horizon as the sun starts to come up. It felt like you had been here for an eternity. A burning, gnawing sensation burned in your stomach as you mentally pictured Minho laying on the floor, blood spilling down his face. A cold sweat broke out over your skin and your body started to tingle everywhere.
Oh, shit.
You were going to be sick. You bolt up to your feet, running down the last couple stairs and prop yourself up against the railing as you spill the contents of your stomach on the pavement, painting the ground in a disgusting shade of green.
“Ah, baby,” Christopher whines, coming up behind you as he rubs his hand on your back, pulling your hair back in a loose fist with his other hand. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”
Liar. Everyone was fucking lying again.
Footsteps trail up the staircase, disappearing into the building as you hear Jisung say something to Felix. Your stomach retches again and searing acid comes up and splatters onto the ground, causing you to cough in a panic as it felt like your throat was closing. The cycle repeats itself a couple of times, and by the time you’re almost sure you’re done being sick, Jisung is on the other side of you, rubbing your lower back and handing you a cold bottle of water.
“It’s okay,” he lies, because everyone’s lying. Nothing was going to be fine. Nothing would ever be fine ever again. “When you can, take a drink of this. We can take as much time as you need.”
You snatch the bottle out of his hand with disgust, standing upright and breaking the seal of the bottle, taking a swig of its contents. The pH of stomach acid fluctuated between 1.5 and 3.5, you randomly remember from your university days. Water was neutral at 7. The way the water burned going down your throat made it feel like it was at a pH of 1.
Everything felt like battery acid. The way the stomach acid burned as it came up, the way the water felt as it went down, the way that everyone was lying to you, the way that life seemed to absolutely abhor your guts - literally and metaphorically. Even though you knew that Christopher and Jisung were doing their best at just trying to console you, their hands felt like battery acid burning into your back.
You sighed as you tilted your head up to look at the sky. The sun was coming up, but there was still a deep shade of violet far off in the distance, white spots spattered against the technicolour backdrop. A single red spot in the distance caught your eye. Huh. Wasn’t that supposed to be Mars if you saw a red star?
A red star. A red spot.
Wait a second.
Oh shit.
“Don’t we need to go to a convenience store?” You say, turning to Christopher, trying to sound as calm as possible as you do some mental calculations.
“Yeah, how come?” He responds, tilting his head in confusion.
“I’ll grab the stuff for you. I wanna grab a snack and some things to drink for the ride home.” You lie, a fake smile plastered on your face. “It’ll let you and the guys talk about family stuff for a minute without me, you know? Not like I can run away if you’re right in front of the store, right?”
Christopher’s face falls into a frown and he shakes his head. “I guess that’s fine. Jisung’s going with you, though.”
Shit.
“Chan,” Jisung says with a scoff, “I’ll just wait outside. She’ll be fine.”
Christopher glares at Jisung, then turns away, rolling his hands in the air. “Fine, fine,” he sighs, walking towards the car, “if she runs, you’re going after her.”
Jeongin gets off from the trunk of the car, shoving Seungmin’s shoulder and startling the poor man. Must’ve been nodding off. “C’mon, Seungmin,” he quietly says, “looks like we’re getting ready to go.”
“Is something wrong?” Jisung says as he steps in front of you, calculatedly avoiding your artistic addiction to the pavement. “Something doesn’t seem right.”
“It’s just a lot to process,” it’s a half-truth, really, “figured you guys could use a minute to yourselves and I could use a minute to myself.
“You’re not gonna run, are you?” Jisung sounds concerned as he tilts your chin up to look you in the eyes.
“I’m not, I promise.” For once today, you were telling the entire truth.
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Jisung doesn’t really pay attention to you as you wander around inside the convenience store. You grab a couple of snack foods off the shelf, not really thinking or caring about what you grabbed, too busy focusing on the real reason you were there. You walk around the store until you reach the more household-like items. Nervously, you roll your eyes up, checking to see if Jisung was still staring off into space.
Luckily, he still wasn’t paying attention. You eye a box, snatching it off of the shelf, then spin on your heel and grab a few drinks from the cooler behind you. As you walk up to the counter, you ask the clerk for whatever stupid brand of cigarettes that Christopher smoked, trying to hide the box from Jisung’s line of vision.
The clerk eyes you with judgement and shakes her head. She rings up all of the items, saving the box for last, but you grab it from her before she can place it in the bag and you shove it in the pocket of your hoodie. She cocks her head in confusion, then decides it must be too early to really question anything. “₩21,050.” You pull out a few bills from your pocket and slip them to her. She hands you some change then asks, “need the washroom?”
You turn to look at Jisung, who’s staring at you now. “Y-yeah,” you stutter out, “lemme just give this stuff to my boyfriend real quick.”
“First door in the back, to your left. Good luck.” The clerk scoffs, then goes back to her coffee.
You take a couple steps to the door, opening it and passing the bag off to Jisung. “Gonna use the washroom, be back in a second.” He opens his mouth to say something, but follows you into the store.
“I trust you,” he lies, otherwise he wouldn’t be following you, “but you know that Chan would kill me if I didn’t follow you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you tuck one of your hands into your front pocket and open the door. “I get it, just give me a minute.” You slip through the door as Jisung stares at you in confusion.
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06:32. You make a mental note of the digital display as you get back into the car and slide your seatbelt on.
“You look a little pale, baby,” Christopher says as he rubs his finger on your face. “I know today has been a lot, but are you alright? You sure you wanna go back to Seoul today?”
“I’m fine,” you lie, swallowing down some of your panic. Subconsciously, your eyes dart to the clock again. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day. Long month. Long year.”
Jisung sighs from the back seat. “You can say that again.”
Christopher leans in to kiss your cheek, then unwraps the plastic from the pack of cigarettes in his hand. He pulls one out of the package, lifting it to his lips as he rolls down the window. “Everyone ready?”
Nobody really says anything, so Christopher shrugs his shoulders, lighting his cigarette before shifting the car into drive and making his way through the streets of Daegu. He takes in a long drag from his cigarette and lets out a sigh.
06:34.
“What a fucking year,” he says, not really expecting anyone to respond. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do if something else happens to us. I just wanna get out of the family, you know?”
Jeongin chimes in, “Yeah, I think I’m about ready to call it quits, too. Maybe go back to school and get a degree in something. Be a productive member of society instead of whatever this is.”
Seungmin laughs. “I feel you on that. Kkangpae isn’t really a marketable skill on a resume, is it? Imagine how that interview would go. Yeah, I have some good business skills, sir, but you don’t wanna know how I learned them. I can tell you how much a single dose of molly will go for on the street, though. Did I get the job? When do I start?”
The guys laugh, but you offer a polite smirk as your keep your eyes trained on the clock. 06:36. Why was it that when you wanted time to pass faster, it always seemed to go slower? Why was life so paradoxically cruel sometimes?
“Chan-hyung and I are pretty good at music,” Jisung perks up, “maybe we could become some idols or something? I’ve got the face for it.”
Christopher snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, like that would ever happen. I don’t want that kind of life, sounds too busy. Besides,” he looks over at you, then back to the road, “I don’t think they’d take too kindly to the fact that I’m already dating not only one, but two, people. Really wouldn’t like the fact that one of them is another dude.”
06:38.
“Good point,” Jisung says, probably rolling his eyes. “Life is a cruel mistress, isn’t it?”
“I just don’t get it,” Seungmin says, “like, why is it anyone else’s business what people do in the space of their own homes? If it doesn’t hurt anyone, who cares?”
Jeongin scoffs. “You’re just saying that because you don’t want people to find out about your collection of -“
“Shut up!” Seungmin pleads with a whine, cutting off the younger man. “Why the hell do we live with each other again?”
06:40. Good enough.
You tilt your head to the side, pulling out the piece of plastic, pretending you’re looking at a piece of string. Your face falls when you eyes see a bright pink cross staring back at you, as if it were another way for life to slap you in the face.
“You alright?” Jisung’s voice startles you as you jam your hand back into your pocket.
“Y-yeah,” you sputter, “just thinking about how life really is cruel sometimes, you know?”
You were pregnant and you were definitely not okay with the idea of that.
“It’ll be okay, though,” you say as you stare out the window.
Everyone’s fucking lying.
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a/n: surprise! i literally cried writing this chapter too. chapter eleven is probably about halfway done as i post this, so hopefully you won’t need to wait too long for it. just a heads up, there will be triggering content in the last chapter, and it will be clearly labelled. the epilogue, step out! see you in the next life will briefly cover part of the ending of chapter eleven if you’re curious but don’t want to read it. thanks for sticking around for this wild ride. can’t wait to see you next chapter.
edit: mano a mano means hand to hand, not man to man btw. just found that out lol.
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aion-rsa · 4 years
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Ghosts Series 2: ‘They’re stuck in an existence they didn’t ask for… like all of us’
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The Ghosts creators have worked together for over a decade. To-date, the six-person team (Mat Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond) have written and performed in long-running children’s sketch comedy Horrible Histories, three series of fantasy sitcom Yonderland, feature film Bill, and two series of the supernatural BBC comedy Ghosts, with a third on the way. 
Channelling Mrs Merton asking Debbie McGee what first attracted her to the millionaire Paul Daniels, I ask Baynton and Howick via Zoom what inspired the group to write Ghosts, a sitcom about a group of individuals who frequently drive each other nuts, trapped together for what may well be eternity? 
Both laugh. “I’m sure we do drive each other nuts in many ways,” says Howick, “but the truth is, like the ghosts, what we always come back to in these episodes is that they love each other and don’t know what they would do without each other. I think that can be said for the group?” He looks to Baynton for confirmation and gets a happy nod. 
Considering the well-documented fallings-out and imploding egos of other comedy gangs – the Pythons not least among them – this level of harmony over such a long period feels remarkable. What’s their secret? “I think we keep each other honest,” says Baynton. “There are certainly heated debates.”
Heated’s too strong a word, says Howick. “We only really fight for our opinion, we never fight each other.” On the rare occasion that there isn’t unanimity about a particular topic, there might be a locking of horns and a democratic vote, but real arguments don’t happen. “There’s no animosity or jealousy with each other’s independent careers,” he explains. “We are our most important project. We have no desire to work each other up. We’re all genuinely fond of each other.”
That much is clear watching them interact. The online BBC press launch for series two was punctuated by the group making each other laugh. Silly voices. Running jokes. At one point, to the absolutely delight of his colleagues, Simon Farnaby’s crotch moved unavoidably front and centre as he stood up in front of his webcam to adjust a window blind. The rapport is real. 
Indeed, during UK lockdown, say Baynton and Howick, the group’s regular Zoom calls drafting Ghosts series three were a godsend. Aside from the boon of having regular work when so much of their industry was in uncertainty, being able to see friends for three hours on a Wednesday evening kept them sane. 
“It’s been a tonic in an otherwise relatively difficult and quite miserable time to have been able to jump on Zoom and make each other laugh with ideas for these characters that we love,” says Baynton. Entertainingly, when the group splits off into writing pairs, each does impressions of the absent characters while drafting dialogue. “It’s funny,” remarks Howick. ‘When we come together as a six, if we’re trying to pitch a positive idea, it’s usually done in a [segues into the regional accent of his upbeat character] Pat voice. Or if it’s a melodramatic idea or if it’s over-the-top, it might be a [Baynton’s Romantic poet character] Thomas voice.” 
Via video chat, it took a little longer for the group’s writing wheels to start turning. Ordinarily a new series would start with two weeks of the gang together in the same room. Stretching that to months of three-hour Zoom calls, fitted in amongst home schooling for the parents among them, was an adjustment. “The energy that you would bring to a room at 10 o’clock in the morning in an office wasn’t there,” says Howick. “You’d have to try and generate this feeling even though everyone was exhausted.”
Howick found himself seeking out frivolity to reach the right frame of mind. He played videogames. “If I sat and thought too hard about what was going on outside my door, it would make me really sad, and so in order to keep a vital part of me going, in order to meet with Mat and the others every Wednesday and keep that bright demeanour, it was good to do that.” The writing momentum started to return with the ease of lockdown, says Baynton. “The simple mental health-saving fact of being able to meet up with family in a garden helped a lot.” 
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Trying to write comedy against a such a serious backdrop of world events also felt uncomfortable, says Baynton. “You feel like it’s almost… immoral is too strong a word, but when there are nurses and doctors and teachers and crucially important people doing the work they do… It felt like an elephant in the room to be tap tap tapping away at a story about another day at Button House and what the ghosts are up to.”
It helped to know how warmly Ghosts series one had been received by its many fans. “What’s touching is when we do get messages from fans who say how much the show means to them. I know how important comedy has been to me in my life, so if we can be that to other people, it doesn’t feel completely frivolous.”
Ghosts, with its colourful selection box of characters (there’s a caveman, a headless Elizabethan, a 17th century witch, an excitable Regency woman-child, an Edwardian snob, a WWII captain, a 1980s scout leader and a 1990s Tory politician) may look frivolous, but series one had moments of real pathos. Baynton is proud of the fact that the series doesn’t shy away from the bleaker side of its ‘dead people’ premise. “If you really interrogate the truth of it – these are people who lived, people who died, people who loved or were thwarted or killed or suffered injustices or never got to love the person that they admired…”
The original idea was for a much bigger cast of ghosts, with everybody playing multiple parts, Horrible Histories-style. It quickly became clear that the story needed to home in on a small ensemble, giving the gang what Howick calls “its own silhouette”. Had they stuck with the original plan, “It would have been like The Muppet Show,” he says. “Every week would only have scratched the surface.” Too many ghost characters would have diminished the show’s emerging premise, says Baynton, which is about “being stuck forever in a tedious and endlessly repetitive existence.”
A bit like lockdown, we joke. Exactly, says Baynton. 
“We talk about this a lot. The way I see it is that their situation is just the same as a living person’s: they’re stuck, they’re in an existence they didn’t ask for, they don’t know why they’re there or what happens next. They know that there is a next ‘thing’ but whether they go to heaven, or hell, or something else, they don’t know. They’re just the same as people on earth.”
Howick agrees, “Their existence is very mortal in that respect.” 
Writing about the afterlife, a sense of existential metaphor is unavoidable, says Baynton. “There is something deeply relatable about it, which is where sitcom will always thrive. You can’t really fail to connect with a story about a person who doesn’t know what to do with their time or who feels stuck. Regardless of class or job or circumstance, that is all of us.”
If the ghost characters are all of us, they’re also peculiar to their time period. The collision and unexpected blending of different social contexts is where much of the series’ comedy comes from. Howick compares the composition of the group to Blackadder Goes Forth, which kept “ranks of characters from different classes stuck together in a hell hole, cheating death every single week.” 
The source of much of the comedy is thwarted status, says Baynton, “It’s the stuff of Alan Partridge and Hyacinth Bucket and Basil Fawlty… people who see themselves a certain way but who aren’t that way to the audience. Every single one of the ghosts is that to some extent. Anything that gave you status in life, you’re robbed of the second you die, so that’s already pretty funny in the sense of a captain who can’t lead, a wealthy woman who has no wealth, a politician who is not recognised as an authority, a poet who can’t pick up a pen, a Scoutmaster with no kids…”
“Not Scoutmaster!” interrupts Howick. “Adventure Club leader!” Before series one aired, they were instructed not to use the “Scouts” organisation name in scripts. “That was before they knew who Pat was going to be,” says Howick. Pat, for info, is a sweetie, and the Scouts should be proud to have him. He’s also a vibrant dancer, as series two, episode two shows. 
“There’s a lot of dancing this series” says Howick. “Without giving too much away, there’s dancing in the last episode. I think Thomas’ best dance is at the end.”
Fans can expect more playfulness with series two. Now that the characters are established and the tone has been taken to heart, the team could afford to experiment a little more. “With series two, because the audience hopefully are with us at this point, we can throw different curveballs,” says Baynton.
“In that way that The Simpsons or those long-running American things, you can suddenly do one in black and white, as if it’s a Hitchcock thing. We’ve definitely had fun. There’s an episode later in the second series which is a format of its own. We’re thinking about those things for series three, being free to be really playful with it.”
There’s a Christmas special episode to come, “the last one ever to be filmed!” joked Farnaby at the press launch. The timing on series two’s filming was especially jammy, with only one day lost to the UK TV and film industry shutdown in March. They made the decision not to use supporting artists in the last scenes filmed, set in a Medieval plague village. The irony of having to tell actors they couldn’t come and play plague victims because there was an actual plague wasn’t lost on them, says Baynton.
Thomas gets a gun in series two, they tease, and we’ll find out how he met his end. “The burning question for fans of the show is how the characters died, and you will find out some in each series,” says Baynton. “There are some we’re holding onto for as long as we possibly can, but rest assured, they’re coming!” 
cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });
Ghosts series 2 starts on BBC One at 8.30pm, with all six episodes available to stream afterwards on BBC iPlayer. 
The post Ghosts Series 2: ‘They’re stuck in an existence they didn’t ask for… like all of us’ appeared first on Den of Geek.
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natsunoomoi · 4 years
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More SVSSS stuff because I just watched ep 5. I’m not in a position at the moment to pay for the VIP pass and plus it’s like one show that I’d be paying for, so eh. I think I can wait.
The highlight for me is definitely always just looking at Shen Qingqiu’s face. I really like how he looks. Like when they show grown Luo Binghe he looks nice too, but it’s not that often. When Liu Qingge comes out of the cave I’ll probably enjoy the eye candy for every episode thereafter. I’m not normally really like this, so I think the aesthetics of this show just touch on something very comfortable deep in the recesses of my memory of some kung fu movie I watched with my Dad as a young child that imprinted on me so I have a very specific weakness for men with that kind of a look.
I also have a very specific weakness for villain characters that have a kind of redemption or a complicated past with some inklings of maybe they could be redeemed even if overall they were kind of a dick for at least a portion of their lives. This is my Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho weakness that almost universally applies to almost all my interests in life. I think the idea that Shen Jiu set his owner’s house on fire and killed them all except for his friend relates rather strongly to that because that is the thing that Hiei ulitimately decided not to do, but was the thing the Koorime in Hyouka no Kuni feared. Except Shen Jiu acted on it.
But like Shen Jiu supposedly could have been saved if the original’s author was a better writer and wasn’t writing a bullshit stallion novel. Like the fact that he saved Haitang is a compelling example of how his heart wasn’t completely cold. Of course she was his fiancee and people kind of are iffy about if they really were, but like they probably were between each other. Even if he was a slave, she lived in his house and she was his friend and they talk to each other. Naturally if you get along with each other really well, maybe as kids you just say, “When I grow up, I want to marry you.” Then because they’re friends and they like each other, they agree and they plan it that way. Just between them. Nothing to do with her family or the reality of the situation. Just two cute kids making a promise innocently. But like with that backdrop, it’s kind of understandable that he would save her from his slaughter and the fire that he set to destroy her family house. The interesting thing is that he never once in his entire time living there or even in the aftermath tried to tell her what her family was really like and what they did to him. He left her to hate him for what he did and assume that her family was innocent and the attack was unprovoked. He didn’t do anything to destroy her image of her loved ones.
It’s really sad how strong his mistrust for other men is, but that’s trauma too. We’re not really given specifics of how exactly he lived as a slave. We know that he was the 9th one bought, but he likely slept in close quarters with other slaves because it’s not like a noble family would give a whole lot to their slaves and amenities were probably sparse. For very different reasons, the disciple quarters even on Qing Jing Peak are probably similar. Sparse to focus on training and cultivation and close because of the number of disciples and just the overall situation. Even if the quarters had relatively more space than his slave quarters, that does sound too similar for it to be a huge trauma trigger for him on top of being surrounded by mostly other males. Self-isolation as a result of the trauma and hyper focusing on just his cultivation as a means to survive and get by day by day and create the foundation for his entire identity and basically it’s definitely the set up for disaster and all of Shen Jiu’s problems socially that lead him to being the main villain for the original story. It’s very sad. If only Yue Qingyuan tried to actually talk with him more instead of apologizing. I know he probably figured ultimately his excuse doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t, but Shen Jiu really needed help and to feel like his whole world wasn’t cold. Just knowing that he was in his friend’s thoughts and he tried to come back maybe could have eased his suffering even a little and start to build up a new level of trust again for him in particular but even for men in general. It’s sad as well that no mentors in his time there as a disciple ever like kind of noticed and tried to like just talk to him. I know he keeps his cards close and probably didn’t show outwardly he was struggling, but like how come no one asked how come he was spending so much time at the Warm Red Pavilion with women? That’s strange right? No one was concerned? I mean, like even if ultimately you say, it’s up to you if you want to keep going and that’s your business, still maybe ask and be like, “Hey, so I notice you’re not sleeping along with the other disciples and spend every night with the ladies over there? Uh, what’s up?” I think like for his teachers that might have been an important thing they should have done, but no one did? That seems like a big plothole to me that he was allowed to just continue like that with no one asking even once or showing concern that the top disciple of Qing Jing Peak was not socializing with the other disciples or sleeping in the same quarters as them. I’m surprised even not one of the ladies in the Pavilion even asked why he was there every night. I mean, I’m sure they wouldn’t want to shoo a way a client, but like no one asked even like one time? I understand from the meta point of view that plothole is probably there on purpose to show how the original’s author was a dumpster fire to create a horrible world of super toxic masculinity as an ouroboros eating itself, but jfc I really feel bad for Shen Jiu that he was made to feel such suffering as a result of absolutely shit writing just to make him an enemy for Demon Binghe.
Oh and he just had a shit first cultivation master too. What the hell with the horrible luck. This poor kid is just trying to survive and he just gets a raw deal.
But I suppose that’s also like a masterful backstory on MXTX’s part to make us root for Shen Yuan’s rewrite and create a happy life for “Qingqiu” that he wasn’t able to make himself. He did it initially for his own self-interest, but the Qingqiu everyone knows in the end is much more well-adjusted. I’m still sad though that it feels like that means original Shen Jiu still left that world with Shen Yuan replacing him only knowing sadness.
So then I was poking around the tags on here and saw someone had a theory that original Shen Jiu got punted from his timeline and turning into Shen Yuan who knows the whole story and then dies and gets put into his old body. I actually buy this, but my version of the timeline is different. Like I was thinking Shen Jiu-Qingqiu died as a human stick under all the torture and everything and then became reborn as Shen Yuan reading through his whole life and mistakes through a horribly written story and then dying via food poisoning and brought into his own old life with a chance to redeem himself. I really like this idea except that Shen Jiu seems really, really straight and Shen Yuan may be a bit more fluid.
But all this to say, that I have an itch in a confluence of all of my weaknesses to want to really comfort Shen Jiu. ;o; There’s a small part of me that while enjoying Shen Yuan’s rewrites, also really wished Shen Jiu could have been happier so he didn’t turn into such a dick because literally no one else around him seemed to do anything except let him fuck himself over including the people who supposedly cared about him. So very sad. T_T
And then maybe this should be in a different post that’s a different topic. I kind of touched on a bit how the image of the situation probably doesn’t look great, but it looks like some people are like bashing on the Bingqiu ship? It’s the canon ship for one, so just stop there.
But if you really want to go into it, as another person pointed out, the actual teacher-student relationship was between original Qingqiu and Binghe. We’re reading a different situation because it’s Shen Yuan who was a Binghe fanboy who has the relationship with Binghe. The imaging isn’t great because he’s in and controlling Qingqiu’s body, and the rest of the characters in the world don’t know this, but the meta reading of this is that it’s okay because it’s a different person actually. In world, the other characters do probably find it a little odd and the issue with Qingge in the succubus cave as I mentioned before, he’s probably panicking when the succubus mentions that Qingqiiu’s love interest is a junior because he can only think of himself as that role and didn’t think to include a disciple into that description. It doesn’t seem like it’s completely unheard of or taboo though because there seems to be some implications that maybe Shen Jiu originally had some kind of designs on Ning Yingying because he’s also a bit jealous of Binghe for getting her attention too? A large part of his jealousy comes from his insecurity with his cultivation and other people having more advantage or potential to surpass him despite his hard work, because again trauma and hyper focusing on building his entire identity around one thing and no one helping him, but like also seems in this world there’s some leeway between teacher-student relations turning into something else. This is not really a normal kind of situation where they go into a modern school or anything. A lot of the disciples were probably at one point also juniors to their master before they graduated to become a lord, and when they grow enough to end their disciple term and can become more independent cultivators they’re not really obligated to stick by such a standard because they’re adults. Like maybe they hang around the sect still and work as like someone they happen to send out on demon slaying missions if they choose to stay instead of going off somewhere and it functions a bit more like an army in that regard where they’re not really learning anything new or getting any new instruction, but they’re still kind of a disciple. It’s not a perfect 1:1 relation to teacher-student relationships because of the structure of cultivation sects. It’s not great in the army to have a relationship with your CO either, but the point in the story when their relationship develops is more like that. But like Mingfan probably eventually would go back to his family and just live out a noble life because he is a noble, so it’s not like all the disciples would stay and perpetually be students forever. There’s some very important distinctions at play here in the story that the people who object to this aren’t understanding. 
Like this isn’t like an actual school like in Harry Potter or something where the kids all go off to Hogwarts and there are actual students and teachers and every Peak is like a Hogwarts House. They’re learning and the peak lord gives them some level of instruction, but there’s also a great deal of independent study because cultivation is very personal and bound by natural talent and how much you put into it. The fact that everyone has their own manual should tell you a lot about the structure and how it’s okay for Qingqiu to leave for 3 years to go meditate in a cave. The masters in these situations are more like more well studied seniors who just have more experience and have been appointed to help you get unstuck or something because they have more experience to troubleshoot. There’s some authority carried with that as well, but it’s a very different experience from like a boarding school, so such a relationship is not entirely taboo. It’s not perfect because if you’re still trying to play the old roles at the same as your new role as a partnership that can get kind of weird, but it can work out if there’s communication involved as with generally all things.
So yeah, Bingqiu is actually okay, and rather than harping on something that’s not an issue, I think the more interesting discussion is how obligated a person is to be faithful to a different person’s life if they end up in their body. Like for body swap movies where the change is temporary they’re always like “Hey, don’t f up my life!” But like this is a permanent change where Shen Yuan was inserted into Qingqiu’s life after he was already established. What is the philosophical theory to how much he should keep up Qingqiu’s responsibilities and how much freedom should he exert for his own desires? That’s the real question. I think the balance he struck became ultimately more happy for everyone in the sect, so eh.
I realize a lot of this is not related to the episode, but the episode is just a continuation of the sparring match and nothing much else to say about it. The most interesting thing is getting to see a flashback of the original Qingqiu and getting a better idea of who he was like instead of the Shen Yuan version we know.
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samclownchester · 4 years
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Supernatural Rewatch 04x10
Heaven and Hell
(Next Episode | Masterlist | Previous Episode)
Ok, there’s a lot to unpack in this episode, let’s see what I can do
Angels and Emotion
We find out that Anna chose to fall, to extract her grace from herself and become human, mostly because she was tired of being perfect like a marble statue, she wanted to feel.
(Side Note: I am so confused as to where her body came from. Did she just like … insert herself into her mother’s womb?? She said she was a miracle birth but like … idk later when angels lose their grace, they always stay in the vessel they had … so what happens when an angel loses their grace without a vessel?)
Anyway, she says:
ANNA I mean it. Every emotion, Dean, even the bad ones... It's why I fell. It's why... why I'd give anything not to have to go back. Anything.
DEAN Feelings are overrated, if you ask me.
ANNA Beats being an angel. … Perfect... Like a marble statue. Cold... no choice... only obedience.
Which brings up a prevalent theme that we see throughout Supernatural which is that being a human is the most desirable thing in this world. It also really solidifies the idea that heaven and angels are not things we want to trust or be (which was admittedly a jarring concept to my little religious 14-year-old self when I first watched this show lol). Supernatural often circles back to this idea, of glorifying the normal and mundane, the little moments that most of us take for granted, that these characters rarely get to experience. Whether it’s the peaceful life the boys never had, or the deep coursing emotions that angels miss out on, Supernatural likes to take moments to remind the viewers to be grateful for the lives we have.
On the topic of angels as “perfect marble statues” though … in this episode  we already learn that this isn’t true about Castiel. He feels something.
DEAN Where's your boss?
URIEL Castiel? Oh, he, uh... He's not here. See, he has this weakness. He likes you.
Uriel already considers Castiel too emotionally compromised to do the job properly. Then when they come at the end of the episode, and he sees Anna and Dean kissing, he is clearly feeling something.
I asked @piades​ what Cas was thinking when Dean and Anna kissed, because I didn’t really want to jump to the often drawn conclusion, and they responded
Tumblr media
Which is honestly very similar to this post which talks about longing
And I think that’s accurate and these people are smarter than me so I’m gonna leave it at that ^_^
But, although Cas is clearly capable of some level of emotion Anna still says this to him
CASTIEL I'm sorry.
ANNA No. You're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling.
*thinks about the “you’re playing Sorry” scene in S7 and the “I know what it’s like to be sorry” scene in S9*
Cas has a lot of character development up ahead of him I’m telling you that.
Anna and Dean vs Ruby and Sam
I maintain that Cas is Ruby’s true parallel/foil, but we’ll talk about that in another episode. In this episode Dean connects with Anna and there is such a drastic difference between the way they interact and the way Sam and Ruby interact
Now, Obviously these are vastly different situations but I want to compare them.
We see Ruby talking to Sam trying to pressure him into drinking demon blood, and when he says no she lays on the guilt, not accepting no for an answer.
RUBY No, your abilities -- you're getting flabby… You know what you got to do.
SAM No, I'm not doing that anymore.
RUBY Sam...
SAM I said no.
RUBY Well, then you better pray that Anna gets her groove back, or we're all dead.
When Anna and Dean are talking, she brings up his time in Hell, and he makes it clear he won’t talk about it and she doesn’t ask him to talk about.
ANNA About a week ago, I heard the angels talking... About you... What you did in Hell. Dean, I know. It wasn't your fault. You should forgive yourself.
DEAN Anna, I don't w-want to, uh... I don't want to... I can't talk about that.
ANNA I know. But when you can, you have people that want to help. You are not alone. That's all I'm trying to say.
Now, like I said these are pretty different situations and I could maybe pull different conversations to compare, but what I’m trying to get at with these is that Ruby doesn’t respect Sam’s choices. She will push and push until Sam finally gives her what she wants, where Anna is willing to let Dean take things at his own pace.
(and these are things that you can see if you compare the two different sex scenes as well. I’m not gonna get into it but go watch them if you want, you’ll see what I mean).
((Stop violating Sam’s consent I swear, the neck stabbing threat is still good, I promise 🗡️🗡️))
Dean in Hell
Lastly, we have Dean finally admitting and explaining to Sam what his time in Hell was like. Jensen’s acting in this scene is superb.
But I don’t wanna talk emotions right now, I wanna talk about this
DEAN It was four months up here, but down there... I don't know. Time's different. It was more like 40 years.
The way this is phrased makes it sound like 1 month = 10 years in Hell, but I don’t know if that’s necessarily true. We know they kind of dropped this idea later on in the show, never really touching on it again, but the use of the number 40 is interesting to me, because that is a number used very often in the Bible (ie it rained for 40 days and forty nights after Noah built his ark, Christ fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, etc) and, at least I have always been taught, that the number 40 was not used literally in those cases, but rather as a symbolic number that basically just meant “a very long time.”
So Dean talks about his time in Hell as forty years, he says he held out for thirty years and then caved, but I feel like this is all more metaphorical than literal. I would imagine that in Hell time is a lot more like … Jeremy Bearimy in the Good Place. Not entirely explicable to the human perspective.
Honorable mention moments:
That point near the beginning of the episode when Dean goes to help Ruby and Sam stays to plead with Castiel – switching associations for a moment. Sam talking to the angels and Dean helping the demon.
During the fight scene when Dean saves Cas from Alastair <3
Ruby referencing Godzilla and Mothra – listen there is no way she knew what those were when she was in Hell, she has watched movies since leaving Hell, most likely with Sam while Dean was in Hell. AU where Ruby’s not a horrible person and Sam gets to introduce her to all the movies he loves and other things humans have invented since she died.
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parkneroses · 5 years
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parkner week day 2! it’s a day late (a day and four hours in my time zone but i’m pretending i’m american so i don’t seem like a crazy person writing until 4am)
major thanks again to @emptycanoflizards who gave me lots of lovely (ᵘⁿᵈᵉˢᵉʳᵛᵉᵈ) compliments on my day 1 fic and everyone else who said something nice about it!! thank you for the motivation to actually write this <3
word count: 2.1k | if you enjoy this, buy me a coffee? | read it on ao3
day 2: they were roommates/prom/jealousy
This was a nightmare. Both a personal one- Tony really wasn’t a fan of aliens, for obvious reasons- and a PR one. How the hell was he supposed to explain why these.. these butter monsters were completely unaffected by the abundant security measures around Avengers Tower? How was he supposed to predict that there were creatures in the universe that could just melt, and resolidify at will? How was he supposed to blow them to bits with drones if they just fused back together like some kind of nightmarish oil-based hydra? (the monster, not the organisation.)
Fire seemed to be the only thing capable of keeping them at bay, which was horribly inconvenient seeing as there were only two avengers capable of harnessing that element, and Rhodey was in fucking DC. And he definitely wasn’t about to let Peter start swinging around the top floors of the tower with a homemade flamethrower, no matter how much the kid insisted.
“Tony?” Captain America’s voice came through the comms.
“Busy,” Tony replied. Cap knew that of course, he could see the tiny flashes of light in the dark sky that was Tony in the Iron Man suit whizzing around and burning the monsters to a crisp eight hundred feet above him.
“Tony. We can’t do damage to the aliens on ground level. Civilians have been evacuated and the tower is on lockdown. The aliens don’t seem to be capable of range damage, they need to engulf someone to actually hurt them. They seem adamant on attacking the tower, nothing else is sparking their interest, and they’re not smart enough to go attacking civilians to get our attention. I say we go inside, look over our options. You can’t kill them all yourself.”
Tony wasn't in favour of leaving his tower to get soaked in… alien guts? No, butter. Thinking of it as butter made it slightly more tolerable. Who would want their home and workplace to smell like a two-star diner? Not Tony, that’s for sure, but something about how Cap’s usually stoic, unwavering tone was peppered with grunts and wheezes made him reconsider. Coney Island fair scented tower it was, then. He signalled to Friday to open up the second floor windows so the Avengers could climb in, and flew through behind them into a conference room.
Natasha’s usually pristine hair was soaked through with the butter. Tony got the impression that she’d nearly been taken out, if her sigh of relief was at all telling. Bruce looked slightly green, but that might have been the bluish tint of his tired skin mixing with the yellow liquid to look a sickly vomit colour. Steve and Bucky had splatters of the goop in random places on their gear, but they were mostly clean. True professionals, those two. Sam and Clint, who had been in charge of evac, were chilling on the couch. They had finished their jobs almost an hour ago, content to leave the heavy lifting to the rest of the team for once. Steve was the first to speak.
“It’s late. They’re not going anywhere. Break for the night. Recuperate, and at be geared up at seven in the morning to go back out and finish them off.”
Steve was the boss, so Tony didn’t protest.
*
In Tony’s defense, he never meant for the tower to actually house people. Sure, there were a couple spare bedrooms on his personal floor, and the Avengers’ rooms on the floor below his, but that was kind of it. The granite and marble floors, glass tables and concrete desks were picked for their sleek and minimalist style, not their comfort. Although it was nearing midnight, there were still a couple hundred people in the tower. Mostly due to night shifts, but there were always a couple of late-night stragglers, usually employees that couldn’t keep their mitts off their ultra exciting projects. Plus twenty or so S.H.I.E.L.D agents. And Nick Fury of course, because if there was a god in this cruel world, he was intent on making Tony suffer.
Pepper had been a dream in sorting out beds for the lockdown prisoners. Scientists who were used to long nights and sleeping in uncomfortable places curled up in the padded chairs of the desk jockeys, who in turn rested their sore spines in the nap holes scattered around the labs. There were spare blankets in the donation bins on the ground floor, so the security guards that weren’t on the job made beds on the floor of the lobby. Pepper was his saviour. And for that, Tony owed her.
“I’m not dealing with the S.H.I.E.L.D agents. I’ve done my part, and quite frankly I’m exhausted from a full day of running your company. It’s your turn now,” Pepper said, shrugging off her jacket and making her way to the elevator.
Tony turned to the Avengers.
“You guys down to share rooms?” He asked. That earned him a smile and a small nod from both Steve and Bucky, but glares from the rest of the team, and a tasteful, “Oh, hell no,” from Sam.
Tony huffed and pulled a chair out from the conference table. He slumped in it (there was a time and a place for impeccable posture, and this wasn’t it), and pulled up a map of the upper floors of the tower with help from Friday.
“Okay,” Tony muttered under his breath. “Twenty S.H.I.E.L.D agents, and seven spare rooms on my floor, plus Capsicle’s on the team floor, and couches. Twenty S.H.I.E.L.D agents, and eight bed spaces. Two per room, and two per couch. Friday, assign rooms based on personality and filter for lowest chance of conflict. Direct all S.H.I.E.L.D agents to their rooms.”
Tony was surprised at how easy that had been. Maybe he was actually capable of doing things without Pepper! Who knew?
The celebrations could wait until the morning. For now, Tony needed his beauty sleep. Early mornings were a bitch to his skin. He couldn’t imagine the butter was helping with that.
*
Of course, all good things had to end eventually.
Someone was knocking on his door. Tony didn’t like it when people wanted his attention during sleepy-hours. He laid his head back down on the pillow and felt his eyes slip closed.
But the knocking wouldn’t stop.
“Boss. Your door.” Friday reminded him. Tony sat up with a groan.
“Yes, Friday, I got that. Who is it?”
“Harley Keener is knocking on your door, sir. Would you like me to open it?” Friday asked. Tony’s eyes went wide. Of course he thought designating rooms was easy, he had fucked it up. And wasn’t that just how everything in his life went?
At Tony’s hurried request, the door swung open to reveal a lanky, six-foot-something boy wearing nothing but his Hello Kitty pajama pants, death-gripping the pillow in his arms.
“To-ny,” Harley slurred, his voice heavy and deep with lethargy. “There’s people in m’ room.”
Pepper tutted from where she lay at Tony’s side. With a dramatic sigh, he heaved himself out of bed to sort out yet another problem. If he wasn’t a billionaire, Tony would probably never stop complaining about how he wasn’t paid enough to deal with this shit. So what if he forgot the kid was staying over? He’d only been here a day and Tony had spent most of that day saving the world from oleaginous potential overlords. It wasn’t his fault.
Except it was, and that meant he had to help. He gently guided the kid by his shoulder back to the room he was meant to be staying in. It was the nicest guest room in the penthouse, specially decorated for Harley (not that the kid knew it), with sky blue walls and plants on every surface to remind him of home. And in the middle of it, sitting cross legged on the king sized bed with a hand full of Uno cards each, were Nick Fury and Maria Hill.
So much for getting Harley his room back.
Tony frowned and shut the door gently. Desperate times, he reasoned.
“Do you mind sharing a room with someone? Promise it’s only for one night.” He asked.
“S’long as the room has a bed in it, I’on’ care,” Harley mumbled, releasing his vice grip on the pillow for a second to rub aggressively at his eyes. Tony let his shoulders drop in relief and directed him the other way down the hall. He had been meaning to introduce his chil- no, his mentees eventually, and this seemed as good a time as any.
*
Harley stood fixed to the ground in shock next to Tony as the man explained the situation to the other kid- no, the angel sitting on the queen sized bed in the middle of the room. He had what looked to be a Physics textbook open on his lap in front of him, and Harley thought he heard the angel mutter something like, “Flamethrowers are dangerous, Peter. You could get hurt. Look where playing it safe got you. I couldn’t do my homework ‘cause I was too stressed and you- you smell like bad movie popcorn and guts,’ under his breath when Tony stopped talking
Harley gently lifted Tony’s hand off his shoulder and turned to face him.
“Go. I’m good here,” Harley said softly. Tony shrugged at him, and threw a strained smile at Peter that Harley roughly translated to, “Be on your best behaviour or we’ll be talking about this later.” He was well acquainted with that particular look.
Harley brushed it off and went to sit on the bed. He stuck his hand out to shake Peter’s.
“How do ‘ya do?,” He asked, his accent laying thick in the back of his throat. Peter shook his hand with a surprisingly strong grip, and his cheeks flushed a colour that reminded Harley of the baby pink irises that grew in his backyard back home.
“Good. Name’s Peter. Parker.”
“Nice to meet you, Peter. Parker. What’re you up to?” Harley flashed his most charming make-old-ladies-swoon smile, and Peter chuckled.
Harley felt himself relax. Peter’s laugh felt like a cold drink on a hot summer’s day, cooling him down on the inside while his face grew warm. It was light, and refreshing, and... he had missed the answer to his question.
“What was that, darlin’?”
Peter’s blush grew darker, and he squirmed for a second until he realised what he was doing and stopped abruptly.
“Physics homework. It’s boring, and it sucks. D’you wanna watch a movie or something instead?”
God, his voice was just as pretty as his laugh. Everything about Peter was pretty. He had really fluffy bed-head that reminded Harley of a pom pom, that he just wanted so badly to run his fingers through, and Harley could feel the blood in his cheeks heat himself up enough that he could just melt into Peter’s chocolate river eyes.
Harley was staring, and clearly Peter got the wrong idea.
“Or, or we could just go to bed, if you wanna, I just thought since it’s not that late-”
Harley’s eyebrows furrowed, and Peter’s sentence trailed off. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like ten minutes, though it couldn’t have been more than a couple of seconds. Harley imagined being engulfed by liquid bronze as he tried to swim in the thick swirls of brown and gold in Peter’s irises.
He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, and mumbled,
“Yeah, movie sounds great. What’ve you got?”
Peter smiled at him and pulled up the covers so Harley could get in properly. He pushed himself up against the headboard, arranging cushions behind him to support his back during the movie.
“Already got one open,” Peter said, scooching up next to Harley under the covers and laying his laptop between them. “It’s a classic.”
Harley smiled as the opening credits of Clueless began to play. Peter had great taste.
*
“Morning, lovebirds,” Tony said gleefully.
Harley groaned and grabbed his pillow tighter, pulling it flush to his chest and burying his face in it to shield himself from the light.
Except, the thing in his arms was something much harder than a pillow, and the scent of chemical coconut filling his lungs was definitely of a shampoo.
His sentient pillow groaned, pulling him closer and mumbled, “Five more minutes, Miss’r Stark.”
“No can do. Aliens are dead, and Clint made breakfast!” Tony’s jubilant tone didn’t falter. Harley raised an eyebrow at the man.
“What’d he make?” Harley asked sceptically. He hadn’t met the Avengers many times, but even he knew not to trust Clint’s cooking.
“Butter croissants!”
Harley stiffened, and Peter let a puff of breath that warmed Harley’s chest and mumbled,
“Oh, hell no.”
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