#and the boss and shaundi talk to each other and she opens up to them about feeling like she's the reason johnny died

[kayforpay]

any fiction that leans into the human element will get me. even if it’s a video game about being a superpowered crime boss who, for specialty missions, steals a septic tank and sprays things/people with the contents of it. I’m still gonna get attached because the characters talk to each other and seem to care

[vinkumakkara]

just wanted to say your posts about shaundi and johnny and boss are making me feel completely insane (in a good way) i'm about to throw myself off a bridge. i'm always thinking about how the saints were built from the ground up around johnny and boss and small-brain-wondering how the other saints felt about it, esp shaundi and pierce so thank you for essentially filling those holes for me :")

i also have to wonder what in the world made those 2 agree to be lieutenants in the first place - or what made the boss target themas lieuts?? correct me if i'm wrong but i mean it can't just be that boss did some sick car stunts and shaundi was like okay hell yeah lets do this thang... can it

thank you i enjoy thinking about this stuff very much, i feel like i didn't really start to get the nuances of these games' storytelling until recently so i am very Excited to write abt it

the 2011 Saints being built around Johnny and Boss really gets to the very core of it too, i was thinking about it when i made the Shaundi = Carlos parallel because there's a kind of hero worship situation going both extremes for each of them respectively. Carlos' veneration of the gang is based on impressions left by the original Saints when Boss was the "voice of Julius" - a mere weapon wielded by both Julius and player alike - rather than possessing a voice of their own. even though i don't think he ever truly becomes disillusioned with the Saints as a whole (he might be inexperienced but he absolutely does Get It) he has to suffer Boss at their absolute worst since the moment they first open their mouth, it's a very sobering "don't meet your heroes" kinda deal where he unfortunately didn't get to live long enough to actually really learn from it. but with Shaundi it's the opposite - she feels unsure and pretty fish outta water in the beginning, clearly not used to the kinda world Boss and Johnny (and Carlos) are steeped in, but she learns to appreciate the Saints as they are and not based on spook stories or legends or even self-serving half-truths told by a man who never was who he claimed to be. she pretty quickly starts to get it, she gets what being one of Boss' Saints is truly about, and she Gets It because unlike Carlos she actually got to experience Boss at their arguable best instead of their worst first-hand. it's too bad that even when these two characters feel like they were supposed to contrast and compliment each other they didn't really get to interact beyond that one fist bump during Three Kings' outro cutscene, the strict three arc split is both a blessing and a curse

anyways, Pierce and Shaundi actually basically got in the gang for the same reason Boss is able to put their faith in them despite all their reservations - Johnny's the one who picked them after he got to know them in prison. the game doesn't really delve into what kind of relationship Johnny and Pierce have but Shaundi talks about how she ran a pruno ring with Johnny in a bit of unused dialogue for Three Kings (Pierce has a similar expository line but he just talks himself up because of course lmao). it's why i think Shaundi always specifically really looked up to Johnny even though there's merely a whisper of dialogue maybepossibly hinting at it in sr2 (it is very overt in the later games so i think it was always intended despite all their continuity/characterization issues), and i think it's why Pierce gets away with clapping back at Johnny - like look at this dude

he was ready to go against the most dangerous man in Stilwater without hesitation - generic Saints say "no one's allowed to kill a Saint but Johnny" - and he's supposed to be the Smart One! they have to be more than just mere acquaintances working together out of necessity, because otherwise Pierce would be fuckin dead before the game really even begins (there's some stuff in the game that goes against this read, like Johnny's idle line talking about how Pierce reminds him of Dex which is just not true at all, but i feel like V just really didn't know what to do with this guy so they threw all kinda shit at the wall)

overall our view into this world and its people during sr2 is limited because Boss' pov is really limited in scope due to essentially being dead for five years (without even getting into the whole "Playa" thing). despite their "waking up" they're still that exact same gullible dumbass kid from 2006 - the now-not-so-mute motherfucker who's used to doing everything on their own - just saddled with a brand new steaming pile of trust issues AND with a whole new set of responsibilities they are extremely ill-equipped to handle. Julius broke Boss' already pretty piss fumed brain to an extent where even they themselves are capable of seeing the damage and especially in the beginning of the game a lot of their interactions with Shaundi and Pierce feel strained and surface level exactly because of this reason. as messed up as it is, Johnny - at that point being the only person Boss truly trusts and admires - essentially functions as their conduit for any semblance of normalcy (and he himself has been in prison for years too, just very functional all around). Boss might be the appointed leader but when you get down to it Johnny's the real glue that holds not only the entire gang together, but Boss as well. when Johnny is in the hospital and Pierce asks what will happen if he doesn't survive, "then we've got bigger problems" is honestly downplaying it - they all need Johnny, whether they realize it or not.

(Pierce dismissively shaking his head in response is so harsh too. he either really, really doesn't get it, or worse yet he gets it and simply sees no value in any of it. i like to think it's at least partly just him being completely fuckin clueless socially and kinda having tunnel vision when it comes to his ambitions, but when you look at his characterization in srtt... yikes if that's how he was always intended to go)

[byakurenbreak]

Why I ship Matt Miller and Asha Odekar together (Saints Row 4)

This may get long, so bear with me.

Well, for starters, they’re canon. Multiple quotes from SR4 portray them as being romantically (and/or sexually) involved. Examples;

Matt: “I don’t know what you heard, but Asha and I were just hugging.”

Boss: “Super-spy? Jesus, Matt, I get that you wanna fuck her, but you don’t have to build her a pedestal.”

Evil!Boss/Mr. X - “Hey, Asha, I got someone here for ya! Matt wants to talk! ‘Hey, Asha, how you doin’? Care for some tea and crumpets? Fancy a snog? Oooh, muah muah muah~’.”

Shaundi, to Matt: “I can’t believe Asha sleeps with you.”

Quotes aren’t the only thing that proves they’re canon. Parts of the game shows that they care about each other quite a lot.

When Zinyak is capturing everyone at the White House, Asha is holding onto Matt’s hand for dear life until they both get sucked up into the ship.

In Asha’s simulation, Matt gets killed in front of her repeatedly. While her biggest fear is failure in general, one could say that she’s also afraid of failing to save Matt if he were ever in danger.

In Matt’s loyalty mission, it’s implied that he made the NyteBlayde training simulation for both himself and Asha to hang out in.

When Johnny Gat gets rescued and he’s explaining to everyone about where he’s been and what had happened to him, Matt is seen in the background wrapping an arm around Asha, who gently pushes it away.

When you’re picking your two allies in “Punch the Shark”, Matt and Asha are both smiling at each other while chatting amongst themselves, like they’re excited to be working together.

This last thing might be my own interpretation, but Matt and Asha’s homie conversation low key makes it sound like Matt only enjoys going out onto the battlefield if Asha’s with him.

Speaking of my own interpretations, I kind of like to imagine that Asha is one of the reasons Matt decided to turn his life around and change for the better. While he does still have a bit of an ego, it’s not as prevalent as it was during SR3, and I think being Asha’s partner helped him with that.

Finally- I’m a huge sucker for the Dork/Badass trope. It was in my previous OTP (Chell and Wheatley from Portal… For those who don’t know me… Don’t ask. That’ll just open another huge can of worms from me), and it’s here now.

Tangent over.

[kikidewynter]

what was your boss' relationships with lin, carlos, and aisha like?

ough ok here we go !

lin

josh: lin was like a big sister to him. he already had a big sister, but she wasn’t someone he could really talk to. lin taught him how to drive. she’s the only person he ever told about his fling with dex, and she pretty much had to give him a safe sex talk. losing her was the first time he really hurt, and he started casually drinking after that.

krystal: she was in love with lin, BAD. she was 18 and massively closeted and lin was 5 years older, pretty much out & cool and attractive. krystal pined after her pretty obviously. for a little while they lived together. krystal’s place was a dump and lin would be gone most of the time, undercover, so she let krystal move in. lin was basically the only person she ever opened up to. krystal spent her entire life hiding who she was, putting up a front. then lin comes along, unabashedly herself, and krystal wants lin to like her for who she really is. losing her was. bad. the defining moment in her life. she also turned to unhealthy coping habits and grew slightly unstable from there.

carlos

josh: he really liked carlos. i think josh saw a lot of himself in him. carlos was important to him, josh really understood and appreciated the scope of his loyalty. he pretty much almost collapsed under the weight of his death, feeling that it was completely his fault. he went on a bender and only came home when pierce and shaundi found him. he has a memorial tattoo for carlos and is deeply haunted by his loss.

krystal: she liked carlos too, but it was impersonal. he was just another instrument she needed to regain control. losing him was extremely traumatising of course, but in true krystal fashion she picked herself up and marched forward, putting him out of her mind for good.

aisha

josh: they were easy friends, but not that close. he briefly dated aisha’s sister, so they were pretty familiar and relaxed around each other. i think he pretty much felt towards her how it’s depicted in canon: she’s his best friend’s girlfriend. he’d die for her, but they wouldn’t really hang out or anything. this is one death he feels he doesn’t fully bear the weight of carrying, and so it’s a little easier to say goodbye.

krystal: she was a huge aisha fan and incredibly starstruck around her. it’s like impossible for her to be normal about aisha. obviously she wanted to be friends with her, and they were, but aisha was much more familiar with lin, so there was kind of that buffer between them. dresses slutty to aisha’s funeral bc she knows it’s what she would’ve wanted etc etc

[saintedfury]

Leave My Mark [IC Drabble]

Summary: If you have pain, then you have a place to start. You have something somewhere inside that can get you pissed for yourself. After Eli’s courtesy call, Furia finds just one of those things. It leads her to return to her hood rat roots and offer him a courtesy call of her own.

a/n: This came to me as I was falling asleep the other night. I asked for Close’s permission and she allowed me to let Furia hop back to something she did a lot of in her 20s. We can also kind of thank Faith’s Johnny for this a bit—his little statement about pain leading to being able to be pissed off for herself. And yes, she’s well aware of how juvenile this is, and she really does not care. You can also say that it’s loosely based on the Jazmine Sullivan song “Bust Your Windows” as well, which has always been a staple in Furia’s playlist.

Leave My Mark

-1-

Shaundi parked on the street in front of the pale pastel house; the whole neighborhood kind of came out you out of nowhere in the middle of Stilwater. It was strange, but comforting in its own oddly familiar way. As she climbed out of the driver’s seat, her attention went to the abandoned gardening tools in the neutral ground of the median. It struck her as odd, Furia usually didn’t leave things scattered out in that kind of manner. When she turned to find the front door standing open, a thread of tension crept up and around Shaundi’s spine. Her movement up the walk was definitely not her usual relaxed stride. The spike of concern wasn’t eased after her quick glance around the cavernous and still empty space. The puddle in the kitchen speckled with broken glass nearly choked the breath out of her.

“Boss?” she called, worry lacing her tone. She moved toward the kitchen, her feet crunching some of the scattered glass.

Catching a flash of purple suede, the breath burning in her lungs finally released. “Mujer,” she all but sobbed as she set her bags on the counter.

There was nothing normal about any of this, but finding Furia home was a relief in itself. After not receiving an answer, Shaundi leaned on the counter, trying to seem nonchalant about it as she peeked over the edge at her friend sitting in the floor.

A long, manicured finger tapped at the screen of her phone, which drew Shaundi’s sharp gaze. The lieutenant reached down and rested her hand on Furia’s shoulder, which earned a snap of the boss’ head. She pulled the headphones out of her ears.

“Que tal?” Shaundi asked.

Furia’s nose wrinkled. “Just looking for something.”

“I see that.” She let a smile tug at the corner of her mouth and she reached for a bag to empty it. “Though I have to admit, I’m curious about why you’re searching the jaws of life.”

Furia shrugged one shoulder. “Was looking for something that can cut through the metal body panel of a late American-made vehicle.”

That was oddly specific, Shaundi thought. “For?”

The boss didn’t answer immediately. She pulled herself off the floor and turned to watch Shaundi unpack some of the groceries she’d grabbed while she was out. “Eli called.”

For as simply as she said those words, Shaundi knew there was nothing simple about it. She stopped unpacking and leaned on the counter studying her friend.

“Wanted to let me know he wasn’t dead. As a courtesy.”

Shaundi’s jaw tightened and she set her hand over Furia’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. Furia returned it before, sneaking her hand free.

“Figured I’d return the favor,” the darker haired woman said with a tone in her voice that Shaundi hadn’t heard in years. The smirk that played over Furia’s lips sparked Shaundi’s own grin.

“Oh, really?” she cooed with a raise of her eyebrows. She leaned forward slightly, interested to hear this plan.

The boss stared at her, barely nodding her head.

“And that’s why you were searching the jaws of life?”

Another tiny shift of her head and a raised eyebrow confirmed Furia’s line of thought.

“You know those things are slow as shit, and they don’t cut so much as pull apart.”

That earned a nose wrinkle of disapproval. “We have to have something.”

“What are you aiming for?”

Furia leaned on the counter and plucked some grapes off the vine. She rubbed them with a paper towel before popping one into her mouth. “Keying seemed a little … tame,” she judged with a subtle shrug of her shoulder. The thoughtful look took on a mischievious deviance.

-2-

“I kind of want it to look like a werewolf went after the fucking thing,” Furia explained. She knew Eli didn’t give a shit about his car, not with the way he drove. But this wasn’t about that. It was about sending a message; specifically, she wanted to give him a demonstration of precisely what his courtesy call felt like for her.

“Seriously?”

“Sí, some wretched deep Wolverine-style claw marks down the entire side.” Her hands came up like a makeshift demonstration.

“Well, that’s an image. And it certainly wouldn’t go unnoticed.”

“What can I say?” Furia asked with a tip of her head. “I have a dream,” she added with a laugh as she popped another one of the juicy black grapes into her mouth.

“Did you ask Matt? He’s the keeper of all things tech,” Shaundi suggested. “I’m sure he has something appropriately destructive. Maybe something he cooked up for Johnny?”

“Not yet. Thought I’d try to leave him out of it.”

Shaundi stole a grape and gave her a look.

“Fine,” Furia replied petulantly. She tugged her phone out to flip through her contacts.

The prep work didn’t take all that long. Turned out CID could handle that first bit of vandalism. With that bit settled, Furia let her friend know she intended to do more than just gouging the side out of Eli’s Reaper. It was the kind of message Furia always helped Shaundi and other friends communicate to their exes. And in Furia’s mind, this was far clearer than just stealing it and having it scrapped.

“C’mon chica. We’re burning moonlight,” Shaundi called from downstairs.

Furia crouched over the box. She hadn’t opened it before that night, just left it in the corner of the closet. She picked through the trinkets and mementos of a slightly better time—she tried to bite back the bile that rose when she remembered that nonchalant revelation that darkened things. It had all been make-believe; his forgiveness had been hollow and their reconciliation nothing more than a front. The pain burned hot under her skin.

Her jaw tightened and she let it twist into something else, like Faith’s Johnny told her in that elevator—pain meant there was still something there to get pissed off for yourself about. She’d spent all that time thinking about how she’d failed him. How she’d not done right by him. But he’d failed her, too. Abandoned her and watched her collapse in on herself for years without the least bit of sympathy or support.

She shook the thoughts out of her head, and focused on the contents of the box. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to even figure out what Shaundi had put in there when she cleaned out Furia’s room at Tinta, let along get rid of any of it yet. It all just sat there, looming in the back of her closet, and, from time to time, her mind.

“Boss?” Shaundi’s voice came from the doorway this time. “We doing this?”

“Yeah,” Furia replied. Her search taking on more focus until she found what she was looking for. Fisting the tender dark colored silk, she stuffed it into her pocket and kicked the box back into the closet roughly, slamming the door on it.

She crossed the room in a hurry. Slapping the light off with one hand, Furia threaded her other around Shaundi’s elbow. “What were you looking for?”

“A statement.”

Shaundi shook her head at Furia, but left if at that.

They ambled out to the car, where CID leaned in one of his mechanical bodies. He seemed fascinated by the tools he was currently toying with. The shift of metal against metal made an appropriately sinister sound, at least as the boss judged. And with each flex of his fingers their geometry shifted into devastating Edward Scissorhands’ level honing.

Furia reached for passenger side door and opened it. CID opened the rear door for Shaundi who scrambled into the middle of the backseat. “Jefa,” Shaundi said, offering Furia one of the bottles she’d carried out, along with a cotton rag.

“Gracias,” she replied sliding into the seat.

Asha looked over at her from the driver’s seat. “Where to?”

“Start at the shop. It’s as good a place as any?”

“You know I could commandeer some of Matt’s drones …” Kinzie offered from the backseat.

Furia laid her head on the headrest and grinned back at the red head. “Part of the fun of this is finding the damn thing. Though, really, I don’t think that giant black dented monstrosity is going to be that hard to locate.”

“You have a point,” the smaller woman agreed.

As Asha pulled away from the curb, Furia looked down at the bottle. Bombay Sapphire. It was Eli’s brand; the one she noticed him drinking most. Even if she and her crew were the only ones that knew the molotovs were made with his preferred brand of gin, it still mattered to Furia. This little excursion was at least as much about Eli as it was about Furia, about her pain, her anger, her finally giving a voice to some of the newest in a series of devastating losses—the twisting and warping of even the pleasant memories that sometimes could ease the hurt when it bloomed.

Learning that everything they shared had been damn despite the reconcilliation stung. To hear him talk about those times that were like a light in the darkness to her as being not bad just felt like he was twisting a knife in her heart. Sure, him falling out of love with her hurt, but to know that it had all been a false front. That he’d stopped loving her long before she saw it. It ripped at those tender gashes that were still trying to heal.

She knew she wasn’t through it—the grief, the hurt, the betrayal. It might take years for that. But it would happen. It had to eventually, she tried to remind herself as her back teeth ground together. Fucking courtesy call, she thought as she leaned the bottle back a little to study the patterns in the like blue glass.

Furia pressed the button on the switchblade that opened with a snap and scored the top of the bottle. With a twist, the top fell to the floor; Furia swore the smell of gin filled the car. It reminded her of him. She pressed her tongue over her lips trying to ease away the memory of his lips on hers the taste of gin on his tongue. She bit her bottom lip hard, trying to detour her thoughts.

She rolled the cotton rag and stuffed it into the bottle. Furia found her voice when the need for distraction became dire. “How long has it been since we did something like this?”

“Umm.” Shaundi halted her own molotov construction as she thought about it.

“Josh’s Boxter,” Kinzie answered after a few swipes on her phone.

“Holy shit!” Shaundi’s laughter was bright. “Do you have like a log of that shit?”

“Of course,” the computer whiz replied with a simple shrug. “It’s all in the database. I had to know what was us and what wasn’t. For the sake of plausible deniability.”

Furia’s laughter bubbled wildly as she glanced back at Kinzie. “Of course. That makes complete sense,” she agreed. “Fucking love you, Kinz.”

“Indeed,” Shaundi agreed, cupping Kinzie’s face and leaning to press a kiss on her cheek with a loud mwah! A perfect purple pucker shadowed the smaller woman’s pale skin, but she did not brush it away or push Shaundi off.

A little twinge of guilt twisted in Furia’s chest as she grinned at them, then over at Asha who was also wearing an appreciative smile. When Eli let her back in, she’d hitched her whole being to him; it left nothing for anyone else in her life. It felt like a miracle, and had been one she was so afraid of losing that she nearly lost everything else in the process.

The narrowing of Asha’s gaze suggested she might just be reading Furia’s thoughts, so the boss winked at her and returned her attention to the bottle.

“He fucking well deserved it,” Shaundi continued as the two of them flipped through the pictures of Josh’s classic car and the trauma it received in retaliation for a misguided press release.

“Been too long,” Furia mused. She didn’t mean delivering a message by destroying a person’s vehicle; no, it was time with them, like this that had been too long in coming. “Miha,” she said, reaching back to hand over the bottle. “Show me.”

The three of them wandered through the images of Josh’s and a few other vehicles that they’d gone after in retaliation for any number of reasons ranging from broken hearts and cheating to grabbing the wrong ass at the bar. This was a far more common occurrence in Stilwater than it ever had been in Steelport.

“I’ll be damned,” Asha mumbled when they neared Rougher Sounds.

“Kind of surprised honestly,” Furia mused.

“Maybe he knew you were coming,” CID replied.

Every set of eyes in the car turned on him with a glare. “Doubt it,” the boss said.

-3-

The black car cruised down the road toward their target. The blacked out windows wouldn’t announce their identities before they were ready. The brakes slammed on and in almost the same moment two figures stepped out of the sedan, followed quickly by a third from the back. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in any of them.

The android dressed in dark slacks and a purple pullover moved to the front quarter panel of the driver’s side and threw what could only be described as an open-handed punch at the metal. Gaining purchase, the quiet street echoed with the sound of twisting metal as CID dragged his fingers through the ebony side panels of the Reaper. He’d rounded the vehicle and did the same to the passenger side.

As he moved in an easy stride, Furia produced her switchblade which she twirled in her hand to grip like she might be about to stab CID. But her smooth gait carried her to the wide hood. She leaned over and gouged it. The sharp hard blade carved through the paint layers with every hard pull adding a new higher pitch to the metallic cacophony.

Shaundi walked behind CID and stopped at the driver’s side door, holding the three bottles of gin in one hand. Her free hand, wrapped around a collapsible baton, reeled back, then let it fly toward the glass. It shattered it easily adding a high pitch tinkle to the their symphony of destruction. “Tell me when,” she called over the sound of curling metal.

“Do it,” Furia insisted without even looking up from the message she was carving into his hood.

The auburn-haired woman took a few steps back and set the bottles on the pavement. She lit the first and tossed it through the window. The front seat of the reaper quickly burst into flame with a rushing whoosh. It flashed in yellow and orange flames. She lit and threw the second and then the third, getting the right angle for it to land in the backseat.

The fire lit the concentration that furrowed Furia’s brow as she punctuated her message with an exclamation mark. The final touch, turning the period of that punctuation into a heart. Then her hand rose again, casting a sinister shadow on the street around them. It came down; she’d buried the blade several inches deep in the hood, marking the center of that heart.

“Time to go,” CID announced noticing movement toward his left. It surely had to be Eli’s security detail, or maybe the boss himself. Neither mattered to Furia.

“Almost,” the boss replied.

The other two headed back to the vehicle, while Furia pulled the finishing touch out of her pocket. She draped the dark green silk stocking around the purple opalescent handle of the switchblade buried in the hood of Eli’s Reaper, and tied it in a flouncy bow. She was sure he’d remember them—after all that color made his eyes pop, she recalled with far less fondness than she might have before his phone call.

With that Furia took a few backward steps from his vehicle, surveying their work. Before she turned, she raised her phone and snapped a shot for Kinzie’s database, then she strolled toward the non-descript black sedan that brought her there. She had no intention of hiding any of it. They hadn’t worn masks, or obscured themselves at all. And the knife was clearly hers. A purple fleur de lis decorated one side, and on the other was the intertwined T and S that looked exactly like the tattoo on her hand which had become her signature back after the coma. For most of Stilwater it came to mean Third Street. But Eli knew there was more to it; he’d asked about it the night they met, down in the tasting room.

This night, however, he knife, the symbol, and the stocking all came together for one simple purpose; they were merely a signature, her signature on the message left in the hood of his car. “Courtesy Call!” He’d felt it necessary to let her know he was still alive. She just simply returned the favor.

[stilwaterskeeter]

As SR fandom on tumblr is pretty much dead and I need to share whole excitement about it with somebody, might you tell us about your Boss? What a person they are? Do they drift slightly from canon behaviour? Do you ship them with anyone?

Oh buddy, oh pal, I would gladly talk about my boss. He’s one of my oldest and favorite OCs

His name’s Tanugatoa Maivia and he was only like 16 in the first game when he joined the Saints. He joined more out of necessity than a desire to be affiliated with a gang and to commit crimes for fun, as a result he had gotten along quite well with Dex in the first game since they had the most in common with their reasons to be in the Saints and their ambition and their desires to eventually be able to leave the gang life in their past.

However Tanu ended up getting pretty close with Johnny and Lin and other unnamed Saints and both his loyalty and a belief that all of the crime and shit was a necessary evil, made him change his mind and eventually choose the Saints over leaving like Dex. Julius’ whole “someone needs to stop all these gang wars, and it looks like we’ll have to do it ourselves as our own gang” speech really got to Tanu.

He’s got a very much Red Hood/Antihero Vigilante type deal going on personality and story wise

I have A LOT to say so I’ll put everything else under a readmore

So the first two games are actually pretty in line canonwise for Tanu, but SRTT and SR4 are a big ol’ mixing pot of canon pieces and my own ideas, as well as pretty much totally writing 4 off as a whole as like a Gangstas in Space movie because I really don’t like that one but it does exist and I liked Asha so I wanted an excuse to keep it in Tanu’s canon somehow.

Along with a few scattered details in SR1 and SR2 having been changed just because I like writing and I wanted to rewrite them to fit Tanu better and to ultimately make the gap between SR2 and SRTT less rough and out of place and hollow and to make the transition smoother

A few random details that are altered in Tanu’s canon include

Lin survived, because I think it’s absolutely ridiculous and a little out of character (for Tanu at least) to just leave her to drown, especially after she saved your ass when she easily could have just left you and escaped on her own. However she also ended up in a induced coma, she eventually wakes up after a month or so, a few weeks after Salting the Earth/the boat explosion at the end of 1

Donnie’s a little more present in 2 since Lin’s there, and he actually has some character growth since SR1 (unrelated but fun fact this blog was originally under the url “fuckdonnie” even though I love him)

Troy is also a little more present in SR2, there’s more development with his whole obsession with the boat explosion and Tanu doesn’t really hate him like “canon” at all cause they were pretty good friends in SR1. But for a long while at first he does hold a grudge still

Outside of that, Tanu’s timeline is very much the “canon” in the first 2 games. And honestly I don’t really ship him with anyone in any of the games I suppose? For the most part I ship him with another OC that isn’t technically a Boss/Playa but is a Saint, but generally I personally think “The Boss” as a character is pretty damn in love with Johnny and Shaundi (and ngl a lil bit with Kinzie too) so Tanu’s kind of just in an open relationship, because they definitely all care about each other a lot and like hell yeah they’re interested in fooling around with each other sometimes, but for the most part it’s a very “no labels/you do you and I’ll still be here if you ever wanna do stuff” type deal

And as for the changes in SRTT for Tanu’s canon uuuuh I was writing it out and realized it was just me talking about how I’d rewrite SRTT to give it more depth and make the characters less one dimensional so nvm lmao

[night-springs]

Johnny struggles with his developing feelings for boss.

boss/johnny gat | sfw | 1,932 words | ao3 | series

Johnny was in trouble.

It had started with a thought. Him and Violet had been hanging out on the couch, and she'd laughed, loud and bright and so very her, and suddenly Gat was thinking about kissing her. What her lips would feel like, how she would react. The thought stunned him; he'd hadn't thought of Violet that way since they first met. After that it began to snowball, with more and more thoughts like that one. He kept staring at her, kept wanting to spend more time with her, kept wondering if what it might be like if they became more than just friends.

Violet was more a force of nature than a person. The Saints died when she left and they rose like a phoenix from the ashes when she returned. She was incredible, he knew that. He also knew he was lucky as hell to know her the way he did. But what Johnny didn't know, was why he was suddenly thinking of her this way. And he didn't know how to handle it.

And now there was some asshole flirting with Vi.

There was a party going on in Purgatory, music blaring and people dancing and drinking. Johnny was standing up on the upper level near the stairs, keeping to himself. From his spot he had a pretty good view of the floor, and he'd already spotted Violet at the bar, seemingly staying out of the way just like he was. As per fuckin' usual, he'd thought. Neither of them were big partiers, this was more Pierce and Shaundi's thing than theirs. Just as he'd resolved to make his way down to her and ask if she wanted to ditch the place for something more fun, someone else beat him to the punch.

Some punk breaks through the crowd to stand next to Violet at the bar, and he can see Violet turn her head at the disturbance. The guy opens his mouth, and for a moment it just looks like a Saint trying to have a word with their boss. It's when Violet's expression turns to one of mild annoyance and Johnny sees the two drinks in the guy's hands that Gat lets out a groan of frustration.

Occasionally, some hotshot new initiate, drunk and thinking they're all that because they didn't get their face completely bashed in during their canonization, saunters over and tries to get Violet a drink, thinking they'll be the one to finally get to brag about banging the boss. The older members will warn them not to do it, sure, but that never seems to stop at least one from trying.

This exchange usually goes one of two ways. Most likely, Violet will listen to them brag for a little while, an amused smile on her face and an eyebrow raised, then she'll say something cutting that knocks them down a peg, refuse the drink they brought her, and walk away. Occasionally, halfway through whatever bullshit line they're trying to pull, they'll glance around the room and see Johnny staring right at them, looking annoyed as all hell. Watching their confidence vanish and a terrified expression form on their face as they rushed to excuse themselves was always incredibly satisfying.

Now, it was happening again, because of course it was. Johnny watches as the man offers the drink to Violet, which she turns down. This doesn't seem to diminish the man's confidence, and he continues speaking to boss, probably using some garbage pick up line he thinks is witty, Gat figures. Suddenly, the man shifts closer to Violet, putting a hand on her arm, and Gat's brow furrows, his grip on the railing tightening. He's touching her. Why is she letting him touch her? Usually only he got to be so close to her without her getting pissed off.

Something frustrated is bubbling up in Johnny's chest, and he's not sure what it is at first, until it dawns on him. Oh fuck, he was getting jealous. Gat shakes his head. He has no right to be possessive over Violet, he knows that. Yet, the feeling persists. He wanted this man away from boss, wanted to be in his place, wanted to be the only one who gets to be close to her like that. But that's unfair to Violet, so Johnny just stands there watching, hands gripping the railing like his life depends on it.

Suddenly, Violet casts her gaze over the man's shoulder, and looks right at Johnny, their eyes meeting over the crowd. Gat's eyes go wide behind his shades, almost embarrassed having been caught staring, but Violet just smiles at him, warm and affectionate. Then, she looks down for a moment, checking her phone for something, soon placing it back down on the counter and turning back to the man. Out of nowhere, Johnny's phone buzzes in his pockets, and he fumbles for it before pulling it out and turning the screen on. A text bubble pops up, and Violet's name lights up his vision, accompanied by that silly photo of herself she'd sent him when she found out he didn't have a contact picture set for her.

Vi: Want to get out of here?

Something warm and satisfied bubbles up in Gat's chest, and he stops a moment to grin stupidly to himself before snapping back out of... whatever that was. He taps his thumb on the text box and types out a response.

Yeah.

A few moments later, Violet's phone goes off on the counter, and he sees her smile as his message pops up on her screen. Turning, she looks up from the crowd directly at him, and Johnny can feel her piercing blue-grey eyes on him despite the distance. Bringing up a hand, she smiles wickedly and beckons him with a finger, and Johnny can't help the smirk and accompany blush creeping across his face.

Stepping away from the railing, Johnny walks over to and begins descending the stairs, his grin growing with every step. Violet pushes away from the counter in turn, leaving the man looking stunned behind her, matching Gat every step of the way, the crowd parting before her. Heads begin to turn towards them, but Johnny doesn't even care, his only concern is that he's the one Violet's looking at. Soon they meet, face to face at the bottom of the staircase, and Violet smiles wide at him, coming up alongside him and taking his arm in hers.

"Hey." She mouths to him, the music pulsing too loud for them to talk without shouting.

"Hey." He mouths back, and then begins to lead her up the stairs. Now people were definitely staring, but Johnny was still feeling too smug about being the one boss chose to leave with for it to bother him.

When they reach the top of the steps, he chances a sidelong glance at Violet, who immediately notices. Turning to him, she smiles and winks, and fireworks go off under Johnny's skin at the action.

Fuck, he has a crush on the boss, and he doesn't know what the hell to do about it.

From another part of Purgatory, Shaundi and Pierce look on at the spectacle boss and Johnny are creating, and Shaundi turns to Pierce with a smile.

"Those two are sooo into each other." She says.

"Yo, trust me, I know." Pierce replies, taking another sip of his beer.

They're sitting in an empty Freckle Bitches parking lot at 2 a.m., eating burgers on the hood of Violet's purple open-top Hollywood, and Johnny thinks to himself that this is infinitely better than that shitty party was supposed to be.

"Seriously, your face was hilarious!" Violet laughs, taking another bite of her food with a grin.

"Well, fuckin' excuse me for being surprised when you suddenly just started talkin'." He replies. Violet just mimics his surprised face in reply, then bursts into laughter again, and Johnny reaches over and lightly punches her in the arm. Violet's laughter finally dies down, and they shift into a companionable silence for a while, until Johnny breaks it.

"So… What was the deal with that guy?" Johnny can't resist asking, but tries to sound casual about it.

"Oh, y'know, same old shit." She replies. "Tryin' to get in my pants, that kinda thing."

"Want me to take care of it?" He offers, and Violet just shakes her head.

"Nah, I think he got the idea. No need for you to scare the shit out of him." She smiles, then takes a big bite of her burger. Johnny just frowns, slightly disappointed, and Violet snickers. "Oh, don't get like that. You know I'd always rather spend time with you than anybody else." She coos, voice coated in enough sugar to probably kill a horse.

"Shut up." Gat bites back, but there's warmth in his tone, and a hint of a grin on his face. Violet smiles back, but suddenly she shivers, running her hands down over her exposed legs to try to warm them.

"Fuck, I should have worn jeans…" She murmurs, her jean shorts and fishnet tights apparently not doing much for the cold. Without hesitation, Johnny's slipping off his Saints jacket and holding it out to her. Violet just looks at him, surprised. "Aren't you gonna be cold then?" She asks.

"Fuck no, it's barely even chilly out here." He replies, still holding out the jacket for her.

"You always were like a human radiator." She quips, smiling fondly. Taking the jacket, she spreads it out over her knees. "Thanks…" She says quietly, sounding touched by the gesture. They soon shift into silence again, just sitting and eating their food together, until Violet laughs softly.

"What?" Johnny asks, wondering what caused the sudden outburst.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of when we first actually met. You remember the comment about your eight inches?" She smiles, raising an eyebrow at him. "Y'know, I still don't know if you were joking about your size or not." She says, biting into her burger again.

"Yo, you're welcome to come find out." He teases, spreading his thighs on the hood for emphasis. Violet's eyes go wide, the blush spreading across her cheeks obvious even in the dark light. She blinks at him, taken aback, and then looks away and clears her throat awkwardly, embarrassed. Johnny just chuckles. She doesn't have to know that he actually means it.

"You wish." Violet finally chokes out, and Johnny smirks and stares, thinking that her embarrassed face is adorable. He wants to kiss her, badly, the feeling building up until he can barely contain it. Just as he's about to give in, about to reach over and take her face in his hands and kiss her hard, a car loudly pulls into the empty parking lot with them, headlights shining right in their eyes. The moment is ruined, and Johnny swallows down whatever impulse had almost overtaken him.

"We should probably get outta here." Violet says then, sliding off the hood of the car, their hangout spot spoiled by the arrival of a group of what looked like college kids out for a midnight snack. Johnny follows suit, gathering up the leftover food and tossing it in the take-out bag. They pile in the car, and Violet starts it up and pulls out of the parking lot, headed back home. Johnny glances over at her, looking at the sharp profile of her face and watching her long blonde hair fly in the breeze.

Fuck, he was well and truly doomed when it came to her.

[vamprnce]

Cold Night's

Prompt: What if in SR3 Chris had a dream that Johnny came back? Only to wake up and remember he’s gone?

I kinda wrote this as if Johnny was still alive in his dream?? ig that's the same thing,, it has a slight ref to the beginning to srtt also when boss says it'll be fun to rob a bank in 2, also Moni makes an appearance! srtt is super angsty I love it

He checked his phone at least a hundred times that night at the bar. Chris sat at the counter waiting for Monica to show up. He's been depressed lately and Moni decided to take him out for some fun. But he just sat waiting for her ass to finally show up. He checked his phone one more time before retreating it back in his jacket pocket. Gulping the rest of his whiskey, he slammed down the shot glass on counter top and stood to go play pool.

A few minutes in the game Moni crashed through the front door abruptly. "The fuck is up, bitches!?" Moni exclaims loudly to the whole bar swinging her arms up, making to crowd cheer and clap for her presence. Chris and Moni were regulars at the Broken Shillelagh now, it was their spot. Mostly to get wasted and play pool, which is exactly what was planned.

Chris stood on the side of the table as she walked up towards him and stood on the other side. He leaned his body over the table to get close to her with the most unamused look plastered on his face. "The fuck were you at?" He says frowning. She sighed and put one hand on the edge of the table, rolling one of the balls around with her finger tip.

"Look I'm sorry I'm late, Shaundi and Pierce were arguing about some shit then dragged me in it. I wouldn't have cared but it really looked like Shaundi was gonna murder someone." She explains with a laugh, Chris looked at her with arms crossed his chest, still looking unamused. He wouldn't have got annoyed at her for being late but she also never called. "Stop making that face, I said I'm sorry!" Moni said with the most apologetic look on her face.

He shook his head and laughed thinking about the scene she described to him. Those kids never change. "Whatever, you're here now. Wanna do some shots?" He says smirking and pointing at the bar over his shoulder. "Shit yeah!" She excitedly agrees. They both stride over to the bar and Chris ordered a round of shots for the night.

With all the shit that's happened he hasn't been the same. The toll on him of Johnny's death was high and left him in ruins. Moni felt the same way but she can see how much more he missed Johnny, they were inseparable and never away from each other. It hurts to see how miserable he's been about it, even he acts like he's not. Getting him out and distracting him seemed the best option she can take since he refuses to be open and talk about it.

They both sat at the bar and chatted. Moni raised her glass smiling, Chris raised his too clinking both their glasses together. The night was going well so far, shots were downed and drunk laughter loudly filled the bar. They stayed there until a little after 1 am, both heavily drunk but still managed to stumble to Monica's car. It would've been smarter to take a cab but both of their judgement was impaired.

She slid in the driver's seat as Chris collapsed in the passengers giggling. Starting up the car and pulling out into the road she decided to go the penthouse since it was more closer. On the way there they joked around. "Oh my god, you... you remember when first met? Fuckin' out here shaking your ass around on top of the bar at Pussies." She laughing her ass off trying to drive straight, they were close to the apartment. She looked over when she didn't hear Chris laughing with her and saw him slumped way down in the seat passed out. She laughs and shakes her head.

They arrived safely at the penthouse and she was left to drag him all the way up upstairs. She put an arm around him for support and help him to the elevator, getting to the top floor she drags him inside the apartment to couch. He basically fell on top of it. Moni stayed for the night but retreated to one of the spare rooms. Chris eventually left alone passed out on the couch.

--------------------

There was shooting and cops everywhere. It was a messy plan to begin with but impulsive. "Hey let's go rob someone, no! A bank, yeah, a fuckin' bank!" Chris says eye wide and filled with excitement, he grabbed at Johnny's arm as they were driving around. He looked like a five year old in a candy shop. "We get to cause some chaos? I'm not in if we don't blown up the bank." Johnny muses.

"Bitch, we blowing up the bank and the cops then run with all the cash. By the time they get us we'll be on our own island somewhere." Chris was smiling wide. "We doin' this?"

"How can I say no to blowing up cops and an island?" Johnny says smiling and fist bumping him over the plan.

Suddenly they were already at a huge bank, probably loaded with cash maybe billions. Everything went fast, guns were drawn and a warning shot rang through the building, making everyone startled and instantly drop down to the floor cowering.

Chris drawn the rifle at the teller telling them to hurry up. Bags of cash was handed over. There was so many, he couldn't even imagine how much these were worth. He looked over at Johnny and saw how phenomenal he looked right now, all seriousness on his face and body posture all while pointing his gun at everyone. If he wasn't robbing a bank right now he'd stand there and stare at him all day. He was so mesmerising.

The cops came shortly and they were already running out to the car, money and all. The building was surrounded and more shots rang out. They were now in a fire fight with the cops and his adrenaline was rushing through him. Both Johnny and him took cover by their car. "You better promise me that damn island." Johnny says, he was still smiling as he shot back at some cops.

Chris couldn't say anything, he just kept staring at him while he was shooting. It felt like he was frozen in time. He didn't care about the cops anymore he just loved witnessing Johnny in action, it made him feel alive. A feeling like butterflies filled his stomach, he loved it, he didn't want it to end. Loud noises rang out making him snap out of the weird trance he slipped into.

"Yo, we should get going." Johnny says abruptly. "Why'd mean, we can smoke all these assholes. I ain't done yet." Chris furrows his brows starting to shoot back now. Why leave? It was starting to get good now. He wasn't even close to running out of ammo yet and it seemed like endless supply of cops were pouring out of nowhere.

"We should go."

"Why do keep sayin--" Chris started to ask but some how they were already in the car on the highway. The cops were still chasing them when he looked behind him, the bags were in the backseat too. "What the?" He mutters to himself. He didn't have time to question anything. A cop sped up next to their car trying their best to shoot them out. Killing the driver was easy from him, the cop car stopped abruptly making a domino effect with the other cops tailing them.

It looked like the coast was clear. They speed down the highway to who knows where. Chris laughed, a laugh that sounded genuine and happy. He is happy, he felt amazing causing havoc with Johnny. It's everything he wanted, just to see him in his nature. "You see that Johnny, that was sick!" Chris hollers, raising his arm out to him for a high five.

Johnny smiles and high fives back. "Where we heading to now, Johnny?" Chris asks, but he doesn't get an answer. "Johnny?"

Everything went white and fuzzy.

--------------------

"Johnny!"

Eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. He was panting and eyes wide, anxiety stirring inside him. He looked around and saw he was on the living room floor. He sighed deeply, crossing his legs and putting his head in his hands. It was just a dream but it seemed real enough. He was alive and he was beautiful.

All the good feelings were snatched away quickly as reality set in, Johnny wasn't alive and he wasn't here with him. It's something he hated deeply waking up to. He just sat there on the floor alone, and he felt it strongly. God, if he could dragged him back to earth right now, he would do anything to make that happen. Just to have his best friend and his only love back at his side, to have him alive and breathing. To have him wreck this city to the ground with him.

His heart ached and it made his chest hurt, it was indescribable. Thinking back to the smile Johnny had in the dream made it a thousand times worse. He hugged one of his legs and rest his chin on his knee, feeling so horrible and empty he tried his hardest not cry. He's tired of crying over his friends, tired of grieving.

Exhaling a shaky breathe he climbed on to the couch. He laid there staring up at nothing, he didn't want to think of anything.

He didn't fall back asleep.

[writerofblocks]

Sucker Punch

I promised @saintsrow1 I’d write her something for her birthday, which was dog ages ago. Happy belated birthday, here’s some nerds.

[EDIT: now on Ao3!]

Gat was used to photoshoots. He could tolerate them, at the very least. Entering into a partnership with Ultor hadn’t been his idea-far fucking from it- but in exchange for the bright spotlight the Saints had free reign to do whatever the fuck they wanted and look good doing it, courtesy of the PR Department. If photoshoots were the price to pay, he’d pay it.

Didn’t mean he had to fuckin’ like everything about them.

“Please stop fiddling with your tie, Mr. Gat.”

“It’s too fuckin’ tight,” he grumbled, tugging on the silken fabric.

“Perhaps,” the assistant admitted, a sheepish look on her face. “Unfortunately for you, the stylist has a particular look in mind, and loosening the tie would ruin the lines of the outfit-”

Personally he couldn’t tell the difference between all the fancy suits they stuffed him in, but whatever. He held up his hands in surrender and went back to ignoring the way the assistant buzzed around him like flies on a summer day. There had to be an out somewhere, something that could break up the boredom and frustration. Pierce and Shaundi were off who fuckin’ knows where, probably on stage, he wasn’t paying attention. And Vi-

The clack of high heels against the tile of the studio. “Excuse me.”

Great. Another person to try his patience. Gat turned, opened his mouth, and fuck, that was Vi. That was Violet in a jaw-droppingly gorgeous dress coming his way and every harsh word he’d been about to let loose curled up and died in his throat.

Violet casually slipped her arm through his, like she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on his thought process.  “Do you mind?” she said to the assistant. “I’ve got some… business to talk about with him.” She let the word “business” drop with a sweet venom, coating it with the implication of their less than savory work.

The assistant nodded as fast as her neck would let her.

“Good,” Violet purred, and she was tugging him away somewhere.

Thank fucking Christ. Now if only he could get the part of his brain that was connected to words to work.

He’d always known Violet was attractive- hard not to- it just wasn’t, you know, at the top of his mind. It was always background noise, a kind of thing he knew for certain about her. She was deadly with a gun, she ate Freckle Bitch’s with a speed unmatched by any other human being, and underneath the casual attire she preferred she was drop-dead gorgeous.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen her in a dress, either. They’d done formal shoots before, just... never with a dress like this. The stylist had kept it simple- sleek and form-fitting on the top, thin spaghetti straps holding the bodice up, a flowing, floor-length skirt underneath. A slit in each side of the skirt skirt offered a cheeky, tantalising peek of a leg. Purple, of course- had to be purple- a dark, almost plum that contrasted her shockingly white hair.

“Everything all right up there, big guy?”

Gat blinked. Somewhere in the middle of his internal anguish she’d guided him to a quieter corner of the room. He inclined his head, offering a reassuring smirk that was utterly divorced from how he was actually feeling. It’s just her. Just Vi. “So did you actually have business to talk about, or…”

“Nah.” Violet rested her arm on his shoulder and flashed a bright grin. “I just figured I’d play the prince in shining armor to your socially awkward princess.”

“Hey!”

Violet chuckled, low and smooth. “Seriously, though. I know those people always get on your nerves.” She smiled again, smaller than before but with the same warmth. “Just remember you can’t shoot anybody here, otherwise they’ll never pay us for the photos. And to be quite fuckin’ honest, it’d be a pain in the ass to fight our way out of here in this dress.”

She was right. With the slits in the skirt, the fabric had a tendency to wrap around her legs if she wasn’t standing perfectly still.

Not that he was looking.

And he wasn’t looking. If he had been, he would have stepped back as she stepped right in front of him. But all she did was reach her hands up and take his tie between her fingers, gently coaxing it back to where the stylist had originally put it. “Plus you look way too good in this suit to ruin it.”

Thank whatever fuckin’ thought of his suggested he start wearing mirrored sunglasses, because if they weren’t she’d be able to see the flash of panic in his eyes. She was too close now, nearly pressed up against him, hands on his chest in a way that was calling ideas to the forefront of his brain he thought he tamped down long ago. It would be so easy to wrap his arms around her, sweep her into a kiss…

She’s grinning up at him now. “Cat got your tongue?”

Shit, he needed to answer. “Did they, uh, do something with your hair?” Fuckin’ nailed it, Gat.

Her grin widened. “Yeah, they did. The photographer wanted to do something different, and the stylist suggested letting it down for once.” Vi gave a playful shake of her head, letting the loose strands swing back and forth. “Do you like it?”

Right. He could give an honest answer to that. “Fuck yeah,” Gat replied, flashing her a grin in return. “It looks good on you.”

Was that blush on her face, or was she actually flushing? “Thanks,” she mumbled, reaching up to play with a strand. Score one for him in this game of ridiculous compliments.

“Boss and Gat!” An assistant called out from nearby. “You’re on in five!”

“Guess that’s our cue,” Violet sighed, dropping her hair. “You ready to go?”

Nope. Not in a million fuckin’ years. “Yeah,” he said, lowering his grin into a simple smirk. He offered his arm, like he hadn’t just been blindsided by the most obvious of realizations.

It wasn’t just her, just Vi. He knew what this meant, how he felt like he’d been thwacked on the head with a frying pan. Actually no, he’d been hit with a frying pan before, and this was much worse. It was an internal ache and want, and it was wrapped up in the woman who took his arm, smiling calmly back.

Well, fuck.

[cannibalisticskittles]

god this is like. the dumbest idea ever, but i’ve been mulling over a vtmb au for saints row, since 1. i’ve been playing the games in close proximity of each other, and 2. saints row 3 has that dlc where you gain vampiric powers, which is obviously not canon-canon, but like, what if it was? IE, an AU where The Saints Are Vampires.

first of all, the boss would be a brujah. a clan of rebels, with or without a cause, known for being quick to action and quick to get physical? “individualistic, outspoken, and turbulent?” absolutely fits the boss.

and the fact of the matter is, regardless of how they got bit, they ain’t gonna be angsting over the moral dilemmas of the matter. none of that ‘woe is me, i am monstrous now, i must sustain myself with the lifeblood of mortals, am i even human now?’ they’re on a liquid diet and they’ve gotta apply that sunblock extra thick now, but they get sweet fangs, they can hit twice as hard now, and they can GET hit way harder before it starts to hurt, so... nice. cool trade-off.

(also since they’d have to be sired by another brujah to be a brujah, they’re probably bit by someone who’s a fan of the saints and wants to show their devotion to the saints by gifting the boss with cool supernatural powers. [i’m imagining this happening some time between sr2 and sr3 since that’s when the powers show up, but that’s flexible.] vampire childer are supposed to be loyal to their sires, but the boss... ain’t about that life. so their sire probably either dies — maybe gets executed by the camarilla for turning the boss without permission — or else the boss just ignores that whole “subservient to the person that turns them” thing. anyone who thinks they can control the boss is a damn fool.)

and then, of course, they’d bite and sire johnny, because there ain’t no way they’re enduring eternity without him.

next up is the lieutenants. the boss is generous, they’re willing to share these gifts. it’s possible that they sire all the lieutenants personally, so you’d have a whole HEAP of brujah vamps running around, but... as they learn a bit more about their newfound powers, they might find out that the other clans have different specialties/powers. this clan works great for them, but they want the best for the saints, so they might find vamps from other clans to sire the lieutenants in order to give them the powers that they’d prefer. (potential sires are... coerced into compliance, once found. bite them or bite the dust, ain’t no other choices here.)

in that case? pierce is def a toreador. they’re fixated on beauty, and they retain the most humanity of all the clans. and that’s pierce! he’s a work of art in and of himself, spreading beauty by being the face of the saints, AND he brings a lot of heart to the team. he’s the most in tune with how the other saints are feeling — he takes it on himself to help them out when they’re not at their peak, singing with the boss to get them to relax, finding things for them all to do to take their mind off johnny’s death/whatever might be bugging them. (plus, just try and say no to his merch deals when he dazzles you with his toreador Presence.)

shaundi... i’m less certain about. if they take the time to find out more about the vamp clans, it draws out the process, so there’s higher odds that shaundi would be shifting towards “i want to be more capable, Not Be Kidnapped All The Time” by the time they decide on something. she might be fine with being a brujah — they’ve got considerable physical strength, which is conducive to Not Being Kidnapped. she might also be intrigued by gangrels, though — try and tell her she can’t hold her own when she can Turn Into A Giant Wolf, Motherfucker

i don’t think they’d sire anyone during the events of sr3. they’re all mourning, first of all, and while they want to avenge johnny, that doesn’t mean that the alliances they’re forming will last beyond that.

kinzie would probably end up being bit afterwards, though. at least, the boss would offer it. i’m not sure if she’d accept. it DOES work pretty well with her lifestyle... i don’t think she’d be diametrically opposed to becoming a nosferatu — they value a lot of the same things, and the physical change is dramatic, but also on some level... whatever, she prefers to be a recluse, what’s it matter? at the same time, though, why? what benefit does it give her? i think she’d consider all her options — she could learn how to Obfuscate herself, keep others from seeing her at all, or see what she wants them to, but if she’s bit by a ventrue, she can Dominate peoples’ minds and make them do her bidding, which has a nice ring to it... ooh, but the LaSombra would let her do that AND control shadows? she’s gonna make an Informed Decision. the boss is gonna regret giving her full control over this decision.

is their vampirism a secret? Not Really. but they can skirt masquerade violations by making a ton of saints ghouls — give them a sip of vamp blood once a month and they can hit a little harder, run a little faster, take a few more hits... only a fraction of vamp powers but without most of the drawbacks, plus they’d now be considered a part of vampire society, at least enough that they’re allowed to know about vamp stuff without being A Threat. and people NOTICE how odd the saints are — but talk show hosts bring up the boss’ nocturnal habits and how their enemies often have what appear to be bite marks on them, and they do have REALLY sharp teeth... “yeah, jane, the vampire life has been treating me well,” the boss says, and everyone just laughs. they’re open with it, so it seems too goofy to be true. no one thinks they’re REALLY vampires bc they think they’re all FAKE vampires. it’s like, part of the gimmick.

anyway, come sriv, imagine matt losing his everloving shit when he realizes that the leader of the third street saints and their top lieutenants and maybe even some of the common grunts are vampires, are you kidding, how long have you been like this??

“i dunno,” says the boss. “couple months before steelport?”

“before—?!?” matt splutters. “you mean this whole time?? the whole — kinzie!! were you also—?”

kinzie shrugs. “nah. i got bit after we took over the city. i didn’t need an advantage like that to beat you.”

(also: while matt fits the bill for the typical nosferatu — subterfuge, working from the shadows rather than putting themselves on the front lines, excellent at collecting information, and specifically a phenomenal hacker, which the nosferatu seem to collect — he’s also vain. He’s Too Beautiful to wreck his looks like that. the physical change he’d have to endure to join the ranks of the nosferatu is just plain unpalatable. given that, i think he might be interested in the tremere. they’re ~mysterious~ and ~mystical~ and they’re basically wizard vampires. even if it’s not the perfect fit, u think he’d turn down the chance to be bit?? Matt Miller, NyteBlayde’s #1 Fan And Lore Curator?? not on ur life, buddy.)

[denerims-archive]

good kind of different [johnny x boss]

[AO3 Link] warnings: some nsfw dialogue + happenings

“Nice to see you in something other than that spacesuit.”

Boss finished firing the last of her pistol clip into a Zin corpse before it dissipated into a shower of glowing pixels. She quirked an eyebrow over her shoulder at him as he ogled her.

“Careful, Kinzie might be listening,” she warned him. Tucking her guns away, she started heading for the purple sedan they’d parked at the entrance of the warehouse lot. She turned on her heel, wandering backwards.

“You don’t like the suits?” she teased.

Johnny shrugged, smirking at her.

“They’re kinda inconvenient.”

“I’m not fucking you in the simulation,” she told him with a teasing grin over the top of the car before sliding into the driver’s seat.

“Just wanna see if you make the same little sound here-“

Over the comms, someone cleared their throat softly.

Vicky gave him an ‘I-told-you-so’ look and started the car, leaning over to punch his shoulder playfully.

Though, the idea of fooling around with Gat in any capacity made her body all hot and tingly, she wasn’t about to let the entire crew see that. She’d screwed in far more abnormal, public places than that but she just kept thinking about the chorus of voices when she had rescued King from his nightmare.

Her and Gat’s relationship didn’t need a microscope on it. Especially when even thinking the word relationship in those terms with him made her freak out just a little bit.

“Sorry, Matt,” Boss said to the omnipotent voice.

“I can leave,” he offered.

“Nah, you’re good, man. I’m just giving our fearless leader a hard time.”

“Like usual. Why do I like you again?” Vicky asked jokingly, pulling into traffic at a breakneck pace.

Johnny opened his mouth.

“Gat!”

“Alright, alright,” he laughed.

A few hundred some Zin later and Johnny and Boss were stepping out of the large VR chairs in the central room of the ship. It was hard to tell what time it was on the ship, but the crew had settled into a day/night routine all the same.

Boss stepped down from her perch, rolling her shoulders and neck. Combat might have some differences from real life to the simulation but she still got aches and pains all the same. Looking over at Johnny who was stretching as well, they gave each other small, tired smiles. The adrenaline had worn off, now she was just exhausted.

“Bed?” he asked.

“Hoo yeah,” she sighed, joining him to wander down the hall to her room. Johnny had barely even touched his considering they’d been sleeping together since two days after he had returned. She hadn’t…wanted to waste anymore time. Who knew how long they had?

Vicky pressed her fingers to the door pad and it slid shut. The bedside lamp was on, bathing the otherwise dark room in a warm glow. Outside of the long, thin windows above her bed you could see the endless void of space glittering with stars.

In all honesty, it kinda freaked her out; terrified her and amazed her at the same time.

Long way from Saint’s Row and yet...

Looking over, there was Johnny. Sure, a little older, a little more worn. No longer with those stupid frosted tips and he had a few more scars and tats to show off. But he was there.

The pair of them shucked off their jumpsuits and shoes with heavy limbs in comfortable and tired silence.

Vicky collapsed face down into the bed, followed by Johnny next to her. His arms gathered her up instinctively, pulling her body into his bare side. In response, her arm slid over his stomach and she pressed her cheek to his arm.

They laid there like that for a few minutes, Johnny staring up at the ceiling and Vicky staring at the wall.

“Can I ask you somethin’?” he rumbled.

“Mhm,” she hummed back in return, her eyes closed now.

“Why don’t you want them to know about us?”

Well, that made her eyes open again. She stared up at him, following the curve of his jaw.

“Are you serious? Is this about me not wanting to-“

“No, no,” Johnny told her, looking down at her and shaking his head. “I’m just wonderin’. I mean I get the not wanting to talk about things before the Saints-“

“You know more than most,” she told him, as if that were some consolation.

“You never talk about me with Shaundi or Asha or Kinzie?”

Vicky laughed.

“I’m not really one for girl talk, Johnny.”

“Vic…”

“Fine, fine,” Vicky sighed, turned her head to kiss his bicep under her head. “I just think that…this is weird sometimes.”

Johnny’s brow furrowed and Vicky sighed, rolling onto her back. She scrubbed her hands over her face.

“That’s not the word I wanted to use.”

She pulled her hands away from her face, resting them on her stomach and turned her head to look at him.

“It’s different. This is different. I’ve known you for over ten years, Gat. You’re not just some random fuck, you’re my best friend.”

Vicky didn’t know if she was doing a good job explaining this or not. It was hard for her to be close to anyone. That was just a fact of her life. And being so close, so intimate with the man who had seen her at her worst and at her best it was…

“This is different,” she told him honestly. “But a good different. And I don’t want to mess it up.”

Johnny was quiet for a moment, staring at her. Her heart thudded frantically in her chest.

“Okay,” he breathed, nodding. He leaned over and cupped her cheek, giving her a long and lingering kiss. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Vicky mimicked, smiling against his lips until he had no choice but to smile back. Her hands wrapped over his shoulders and his body shifted a little on top of hers, his knee pressing between her thighs. His lips were insistent, heated but not demanding. And finally, he pulled back a little, panting. Her head was dizzy from the kisses, her body electrified. Johnny nudged his nose against hers.

“The spacesuit’s bad but…” Johnny hummed, sliding his hand down between her legs. “The panties and tanktop I can work with.”

“You’re the worst,” she breathed, biting down on her lip to try and fight back the noises she so desperately wanted to make.

“Ah, come on, V,” he practically purred, burying his face in her neck and his fingers inside her. “Let me hear it.”

Vicky’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, her fingers tensing on his shoulders.

“Gunna have to work harder than that then, Gat-“

With that, Johnny Gat gave her a look and slid down her body.

[twistedsinews]

I had a dream where...

It's kinda hard to describe how it worked, but you know how you know because it was a dream type thing?  There was enough 3rd person going on that I presume it to have been Faith, or thereabout, except she had Alexis' Vas Mani skills.  (Literally, Vas Mani - a healing spell from a more fantasy game, for those of you not familiar).  It definitely handled like playing a video game, so I'm using the video game "we" in describing how things went down.

So!  SR plot.  The protagonist of the dream woke up in a house set up in the woods.  It was sparse, when they left the house there were some people who dropped in who fondly welcomed them back to the world of the living with hugs.

We got a bit lost where we were supposed to go when we left the house - at one point, we wandered around and the house seemed to move.  Like, the protagonist asked someone "where's the house," and they pointed it out in front of us when we thought it was behind us.  The word coma first showed up, which did not explain the house moving but somehow explained (??) what we were doing there and the warm welcome.

Further on, once the forest thinned out, there was a big open field with a large fortified castle.

This is where it gets a bit muddled, because pretty much the rest of the dream took place in the castle.

About the Castle: Kind of steampunk looking in some places, but very high technology in practice, geothermal energy, off the grid, very self-sufficient.  Very fortified.

The Saints lived there.

Now, despite the recently coma part, we knew right where the junk food was kept, and were hellbent intent on sharing a chocolate bar with the couple in the humvee like truck parked outside.  Apparently we knew them and it was nice to see them, even though I have no recollection of them being from anywhere.  They were going out on a date to the movies or something and it was important to the protagonist of the dream that they take chocolate with them.

So anyway, Oleg was keeping the door, for whatever reason, and it was his job to lift the portcullis whenever anyone wanted in or out.  (The door was small enough it was difficult to get by him, and we wound up deciding to keep the chain latched so the door stayed open anyway.)

I don't remember if it was upon getting the chocolate bar to the couple, or after they got back and we'd spent some cursory time inside (I'm inclined to think it was the latter, because everyone was calm, but that's applying logic to dreamland), but: at one point there was another humvee like truck with a rock band or something parked next to them.

At which point we were attacked, and both cars were blown up.  Which is where Vas Mani comes in: things were pretty gruesome on the field, a complete firefight had broken out, and we were in the middle of it throwing out healing magic like there was no tomorrow before we were able to retreat back into the castle.

Life in the castle was pretty chill.

But, again, being welcomed back to the land of the living with open arms.  I'm pretty sure the timeline of 15 years was bandied about at one point, which confused the hell out of me because that's a long fucking coma.

If I grok the overarching plot of this dream, it was almost something like if the Boss's coma ran through SR3 and SR4, and Gat was in charge the entire time.  Somehow things did not explode to the extent you would believe from that fact, or that Gat hadn't been thrown in prison and given a death sentence he needed to be rescued from.  The alternate reading would be that they mistook Alexis for the Boss, who was MiA, but there was recognition from the protagonist so I'm guessing that's not it, despite the inexplicable Vas Mani.  Also, the it seemed it was the Saints who were keeping the protagonist hidden away in the house in the woods, so ???

Anyway, who the fuck pays attention to the SR timelines anyway.

There was a large chunk of re-aclimatizing to the crew.  Oleg was around, but he mostly held the door.  Gat was front and center at first, then he wandered off to do Leader Things and came back from time to time.  Pierce and Shaundi were in the background a lot, particularly whenever going through the big open gathering hall that led to the door outside.

Asha was around, I remember something about her trying to get something out of a snack or meal vending machine.  I THINK Matt was there, too, although I didn't recognize him because he was dressed... a little more business casual.  Either that, or completely other new guy helping Asha out with the vending machine.

Aisha was inexplicably still alive and living in a heavily fortified dungeon.  Got to see her at a distance, but didn't get to talk to her - she was busy.  The explanation was that she could leave if she wanted to, but she'd made it all comfortable to her tastes and Gat was on overdrive in trying to keep her safe.

Lin was also still alive, and there was an implication of romance cut short between her and the protagonist that they were kind of dancing around each other with.

Asked about Dex, don't remember the answer.  Something like he was wherever, but not there.

I think King was around, don’t remember what he was doing.  Don't remember anyone else.

There was a strange side-track into the basement at one point, where a hospital was set up.  We ended up being herded down there talking to a doctor, I think over not getting a scratch in the attack where two cars were blown up and people were very much hurt.  Wound up trying to Vas Mani and potentially an In Mani Corp or two over the wounded.

On the way out, got waylaid by a guy who was angrily blaming us for some kind of energy eating monster that... killed his family in Chicago?  He may have been delusional, or maybe he was just angry because some kind of energy eating monster came at us in Chicago and it was our job to keep our people safe or something.  He seemed to imply it was our fault for attracting it with magic even though we didn’t know it existed.

Anyhow, wound up hanging out and reconnecting a lot.  It was a long dream, I am forgetting details.  I also remember becoming aware it was a dream halfway through a lot of the latter stuff, and kind of feeling like I could wake up at any time, but wanting to finish the dream.

So yeah, after a lot of meandering around, the final detail that was particularly clear was going up to spent time with Gat in his office, where he basically said how great it was for us to be back.  The joking implication may have been: because he was sick of being in charge for so damn long, but he was v. genuine about it and it came with hugs, so.

I figured that would be a high note to wake up on, so I did.

Then I rolled over, immediately fell back asleep, and had a dream I'm not sure was even related where Volition was all, "So anyway that's the new Saints Row." and finished by unveiling some kind of... part demo, part tool kit, where you get to run around in a small city block (which was definitely city and not a castle) and try out the game, but that you could also use to build new things, like they had "released for every other Saints Row."

I woke up disappointed that we did not have these toolkit demo things.

...idek man...

[hunnybadgerv]

Furia & Eli: 2, 7, 13, 24, 26, 31, 40; Cinq & Shaundi: 4, 6, 11, 20, 36, 38, 43; Ravi & Co: 8, 11, 16, 22, 28, 30, 44; Remy & Matt: 5, 10, 18, 24, 32, 35, 45; Wei Sheng & Lin: 3, 13, 19, 23, 33, 39, 42

The Big Ship Question List

Furia & Eli

2. How’s their team work? Do they share well?Furia shares very well. In the domestic AU, Eli can still kind of be on the self-absorbed side and doesn’t always see his own selfishness. Mind you he’s also quite giving, but there are moments. Overall, their teamwork is above average. There are things they could still work on, but it’s good.

7. What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?For Furia, it might be the playing with the food and talking with his mouthful, but even so I don’t think she’d change that about him. I think the thing that might make Eli crazy is that she tends to not be as forth coming as he might prefer. Sometimes she beats around the bush and tries to come at a thing through metaphor and figures of speech. And that I think might just irk him.

13. What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?Dancing, singing, going out to clubs, dinner, and amusement park/street fairs. These two like to switch things up. Neither of them are particularly scheduled and they both are on the spontaneous side.

24. Any doubts about the relationship?In the beginning, maybe. I think Furia remembers the thought that Eli was a great lay. And she still finds herself surprised every once and a while that he’s become so much more. But I think the doubt faded once Eli admitted how he felt, perhaps up to that point she probably felt foolish feeling more than just a tingle between her thighs for a musician--let alone a musician with his reputation.

26. How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?I think initially Furia’s friends and family thought it was just going to end in a bonfire (of all his shit). They figured Eli would hurt her. Once he became famous they were more certain of it. I think of everyone her friends and family are the most surprised, and it take them the longest to come around and realize he’s not a total cad. 

31. Do they finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?Oh, yes. On all counts. I think Eli’s picked up some choice phrases in Spanish that just thrill the censors in television interviews. Furia’s picked up some of his words and sayings as well. She’s more likely to finish his sentences, than he is hers. But they both know how to read one another, especially well enough to know when something is being hidden.

40. Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to?I think the way Eli proposed is a memory they’ll share. He’ll never forget how nervous she was when she found out about their first child--he still has the ultrasound picture in his wallet. Their special place to be with each other might sound boring to most, but they just like being home together, because for them it is a rarity. 

Cinq & Shaundi

4. First impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?Not necessarily love, but there was probably some lust at first sight. Cinq always appreciates a well-built woman, which Shaundi was, and I think Shaundi was attracted to him as well. 

6. Any tasks that are always left to one person?Cinq tend to let her handle the electronics, and to a point he tries to keep her out of the line of fire--but only in part because she’s important to him. He also knows that Shaundi is one of the Saints most valuable resources and he doesn’t want to squander her talents on some dust up.

11. Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?Yes, all of the above. Even stupid little holidays like cherry cheesecake and grilled cheese day. 

20. What does their home look like? Their room?Once they start sharing a space, it is a mix of his sleek style and her more comfortable one. The leather bed and slick black furniture is set off by plush chairs in a deep shade of purple. So there is a mix of decadence and opulence in their bedroom. And it’s surprisingly neat and free from clutter.

36. What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?I think their greatest strength as a couple is the fact that they fill in the places where the other is lacking. Cinq can be smooth, but he doesn’t always leave a good impression. Somehow, Shaundi can manage that and more. Their weakness is probably based on the fact that he’s a little over protective and she’s headstrong. The two traits don’t mesh well and it create friction.

38. What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?Even with as much as he trusts Shaundi, Cinq won’t allow her to completely restrain her and he’s not into abusive talk--that actually will rile him and ruin the mood. Other than that, these two are pretty open to just about anything. Shaundi loves to be teased, which Cinq indulges in. Cinq is a bit of a voyeur--he likes watching Shaundi on her own, and loves to watch her when they are together. Luckily, she seems pretty keen on the save a horse, ride a cowboy idea.

43. Do they talk often? What about?They do talk a lot. While most of their conversations in a day are about “work,” in the bedroom that topic becomes off limits. They talk about little things there--the last game of skeeball she played, the band at the club the night before, the fact that some idiot threw up on his brand new loafers. It’s just things and stuff, nothing weighty. 

Ravi & Co.

8. What do the like best about their partner?I think one thing they all have in common that they like a great deal about one another is their openness.

11. Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?Holidays not so much, but they do celebrate anniversaries.

16. Do they keep secrets? Lie? Cheat?Johnny is keeping a secret from both of them, and several from Matt. None of them cheat on one another. But I do think all of them lie to some degree, even to one another.

22. Does their work ever interfere with the relationship?Occasionally. Though they don’t really bring their alien overlord fighting into the bedroom so to speak. Their relationship is usually a place of relaxation, release, and solace from the stress of fighting for their lives.

30. Could they manage a long distance relationship?Oh, no. I don’t think they could. I’m pretty sure that would be more than any of them could stand, except maybe Johnny and he’d only probably work that hard for Ravi. He loves Matt, but I’m not sure he’d get into the whole cyber thing, though he could pull off and deal with phone sex, I think.

44. Are the comfortable with each other? Anything they have to have their privacy for?They are all very comfortable with one another. Johnny would be the one to say far too much so, because according to him, a man needs to be able to take a shit in peace.

Remy & Matt

5. Nicknames? Pet names? Any in-jokes?Oh, there’s kind of a joke centered around Matt trying to convince her to give him five minutes. There are nicknames Matt would like to be called, but that only happens rarely, if at all. And Remy is a nickname. 

10. Who drives? Cooks? Does the handiwork? Cleans? Pays the bills? Handles the public?Driving: RemyCooking: Neither--though they can both make a few thingsHandiwork: Both--depending on the type of work neededCleans: RemyPays the bills: Matt--I’m sure he wrote a bot for thatHandles the public: Remy

18. What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?They didn’t date prior to the Zin invasion, so a lot of their “dates” tend to center on cuddle time or sex in one or the other of their quarters, and occasionally, elsewhere. They haven’t really gotten to a point of needing a break from one another, unless Remy drags Matt into the sim, then there are moments where he just wants to leave because he doesn’t get the same thrill she does from combat situations.

As for the how long? I don’t honestly know how long they are together overall.

24. Any doubts about the relationship?Remy has more doubts than Matt and all stem around her lack of experience with relationships. She’s only been in one other and it was a horrid one. That one didn’t offer a chance to learn anything more than not to be in a relationship like that again. She actually took the lesson to the extreme until Matt and never really had an actual relationship.

Matt’s doubts spring from Remy’s in a way. He’s had a few and knows that communication is key, but Remy tends to keep her own council which leaves the pair of them scrambling sometimes because she’s not always immediately forthcoming about things. It can sometimes leave Matt wondering where he stands in terms of their relationship.

32. Do they ever get into trouble? Is it serious, or are they just mischievous?Yes. Both. Sometimes there are pranks and silliness. But they’ve been stranded on new planets together. Nearly been killed more times than I can count. And their relationship goes through some rocky points due to silly misunderstandings, as well as some deeper concerns.

35. Do they bring out the best in each other, or the worst? Do they have a fatal flaw?I think Matt brings out some better and more hidden parts of Remy’s character. She can be kind of gruff, but she tries not to be that way with him. I’m not sure if it is a fatal flaw, but their age difference is a little strange for both of them from time to time. If I had to say, I think the only fatal flaw in the relationship, at least in the boss’ opinion, is Remy, herself. She really does think she’s all wrong for him, and that he deserves someone more like him, and someone who’s not so much trouble.

45. Any special dreams or goals they have as a couple? Any heartbreaks? Regrets?Matt regrets that he didn’t have the gall before the Earth ended to attempt something with Remy. I also think Matt might just be harboring pipe dreams of a family with Remy, though I don’t think he’s brought it up to her.

Wei Sheng & Lin

3. Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection?At first, no, and that trend continued through the move to Steelport. Then it became more open-ish. But Lin wanted it to be known that she was her own woman. She never wanted anyone questioning her or her place at the head of the Triad in Stilwater (yes, that’s what happens after she survives the Rollerz attempt on her life). She has no doubts about Wei Sheng’s opinions of her, but it is the others that concern her, given the cultural expectations that are pervasive in the Triad. While she proved herself, like any man in the organization has, her place isn’t as solid as her uncle’s had been. 

Before the Saints there was no issue with PDA. Once she was infiltrating the Rollerz, their relationship went underground, and there it has stayed since. It does place a limit on public displays of affection, but they deal with it.

13. What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?Given the fact that their relationship has been sequestered, they are big fans of ordering in something extravagant and watching a movie together. Sometimes it’s curled up on the couch, sometimes it’s more upscale. But that’s their main thing.

19. What do they fight about? What are their arguments like? How do they make up?One thing they fought about was just how far Lin was willing go and just how hard she was pushing to get information on the Rollerz. Wei thought she was going a little hard at it, tried to convince her not to rush the job. It’s a bit of lecturing and raised voices, perhaps a little yelling in Chinese. 

When it comes to making up it can range from heated kisses because Wei won’t leave without a kiss even if she’s pissed at him, and that usually can diffuse the situation. Other times it’s a little more tender--cuddling, nuzzling, whispers, and soft kisses.

23. How do they hug? Kiss? Tease? Flirt? Comfort?They hug like it’s a goodbye, even when it’s hello--like they might never see one another again and they don’t want the last embrace they shared to be lacking in anyway. Wei always loops one arm tight around her waist, and pulls her tight against him. 

Wei Sheng showers Lin with kisses--her shoulder, the back of her neck, her eyelids. I’m certain that at one point or another he’s kissed every inch of her body. Outside of sex, Lin limits her kisses to his mouth or cheek/temple.

Lin’s flirtations are mostly in her gestures--touching her neck, tracing her collar, running her fingers down his arms. Wei’s are generally in the looks he gives her, the things he whispers in her ear.

33. What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?Wei likes to lavish surprises on her--everything from tools to unique and custom jewelry. Sometimes they are things she needs. But more often than not they are the things he happens across incidentally, the ones that remind him of her that he ends up picking up. He’ll do it whenever he sees something, though it’s just as possible that he’ll forget the holiday coming up and just give it to her the day he purchases it.

Lin is a little different. Her gift giving is more structured--holidays, birthdays, anniversaries. And she usually buys him a weapon of some sort--swords, guns, knives, things of that nature. It helps that he is a connoisseur and collects them.

39. Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first?  When did they realize they were in love?Wei Sheng initiated the relationship. He thought she was beautiful from the start. She rebuffed him because he approached her like he might any other girl. They finally got to know one another, and it was only then that his interest was returned at all. 

The way their relationship started set Wei up to follow Lin’s lead, which is why she kissed him first. Wei Sheng realized he was in love first. Lin took much longer, in fact I think it’s possible that she didn’t realize quite how she felt about him for certain until the grief of losing him struck her.

42. Do they let each other get away with things that would normally bother them?No, not in the least. Wei will grump at her when she gets grease on his jacket and she nearly shot him once for stealing one of her cars. He called it borrowing. She did not see it that way.

[saints-row-2]

i wrote like 1000 words about Nicu after Johnny died and then i got bored so its just. here

The world ends. It ends one night as the Boss and Shaundi plummet out of a plane and down into an unfamiliar city. It falls apart around them along with the bodies and the cargo streaking out of the sky, and raining down upon the earth. The Boss and Shaundi watch everything come apart with the ease of a glass plate smashing on stone; neither of them knew how fragile the surface they had been dancing upon truly was.

The world ends, and then it continues. No one else takes notice that the Apocalypse has come and gone, and they are living in a new world now, one born when the other fell to its death and shattered like fragile bone. This new world crawled out of the wreckage of the old, viscera and gore detaching from the ruined body of the old and then stumbling on, a bloody wreck that shuddered grotesquely into a new half-life. And because no one crushed it when it was still a young and squalling thing, now it has become huge. The new world, new life, has enveloped them all inside of it, and there is no escaping it now.

This is how Boss envisions it, the first night of the rest of their life. They lie in the dark and mouth words about the Apocalypse, things priests told them from the pulpit and in quiet conversations meant to inspire them to follow a better path. They remember more of the words than they expected. They don’t always remember why they are saying these things; in the dark, cramped room, filled up with crates of guns and bombs, their memories are even harder to grasp onto than usual. The reality they are in makes no sense to them now.  

Shaundi sees them that night, in the silence of her ex’s apartment, lying on a sofa that’s comically undersized. They spill over the edges of it, legs dangling over the end, arms and shoulders crushes against the sides. They still have their contact lenses in, their eyes unnaturally scarlet and wide, wide open. They have been so brusque and unbothered that until now Shaundi has been able to convince herself that they are mourning the same way they mourned Carlos and Aisha; an explosion of anger that decimates everyone standing in their way and then flattens out, is folded away and forgotten about.

It’s in that moment that Shaundi sees something is wrong with the Boss. Her, Pierce, Boss, they are all mourning, in their own ways. Pierce does not show it, there is a quiet rationality to his actions. He does not need to have an open outpouring of grief, Pierce needs to get on with business. Shaundi has taken after the Boss she used to know, the Boss from the old world. She is ready to kill, to rip down the walls and destroy everyone cowering in fear of her and her rage.

“For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire,” Boss says.

They don’t sleep much that night, or any night afterwards.

They shave off their hair – bushy and thick and deep purple-pink – down to the scalp, so close they tear old scar tissue and make themselves bleed. They stop wearing crop tops and shorts and fishnets, no longer able to make the effort, dwelling instead in baggy sweatpants and hoodies that make them look like they’re having a sick day. They never stop moving. Boss has always been a workaholic, always worked themselves to the point of exhaustion, but now they seem to have forgotten they have needs. None of it helps.

 In a room with Shaundi, Pierce, Viola, Kinzie and Oleg, you would have ten different opinions on what the Saints should do next. They all had something they needed to say and all they had some reasoning as to why everyone else’s ideas wouldn’t work. They could bicker like the best of them, sitting on the couches in Saints HQ and arguing like it was the new national pastime. Boss would sit and watch, let them do all the talking.

Pierce would notice sometimes, the way Boss’ eyes would just glaze over, and someone would have to call out to them to get them to come back to reality. They would always jerk with sudden surprise, as though waking up from unexpected sleep. They needed to sleep, but they would not. Could not. Today though, they are bright and involved, listening to the conversation readily.

“I know it don’t sound that important, but if we keep buying out Morningstar’s shares in property, we’re basically taking money right outta their pockets.”

“You’re right it doesn’t sound important. We have money, we need territory.”

“This gives us territory too. And we need more money.”

“I don’t have a problem with investment,” Boss says.

“See? It’s a good idea.”

“It isn’t enough.”

“I’m not saying it’s the only thing we do.”

“Then suggest some other things we do!”

“Well what the fuck you wanna do?”

“We’re up against bigger numbers. We have to do something about it.”

“I’m okay with killing a lot of people,” Boss says.

“Of course you are.”

“‘Kill everyone’ ain’t a plan.”

“Where’s Johnny?” Boss says.

In a room full of people who all have something to say, the silence is enormous. The Boss told Pierce once, that if Gat died, ‘Then we have bigger problems’, and Pierce thinks he finally understands what they mean.

“He’s… He’s dead Boss. That’s why we’re here.”

“Oh,” Boss says.

They lean back in their chair, and their eyes begin to glaze over as they stare out of the window at something none of the rest of them see.

 Boss is missing and they find them sitting on the steps of the huge black and red cathedral in Burns Hill with their head in their hands. Pierce sits down next to them and Shaundi kicks at their dirty work boots with the point of her heels to get their attention. They give a confused look, and she realises they don’t have their contact lenses in or their glasses on. Can they even see?

“Where’s Julius?” Boss says.

“He’s dead. You killed him.”

“Oh. Why would I do that?” Boss says.

“It’s your city. You can do anything you want.”

“I don’t want anything,” Boss says.

 Boss used to have a pendent. They wore it on a silver chain at all times, along with the purple leather choker they liked so much. Johnny wore a chain very like it, underneath his T-shirt. On it he wore two round dog tags he wouldn’t let anyone read. The Boss just wore a simple letter J, and couldn’t have hidden it even if they’d wanted to.

Everyone had known they had been more than friends by the end. No one ever said anything, but no one needed to. They’d been arguing for the first time in their lives, shouting at each other about fame and money and advertising, and then they would go back home to the same one-bed apartment and sleep in the same bed. They barely hid it; their relationship was an unspoken thing that existed without the need for explanation.

The Boss and Johnny never could talk about anything, and Boss couldn’t talk now. Pierce and Shaundi had heard about how they went months without ever speaking, before they were in charge. But Pierce and Shaundi never knew that Boss. They’re not sure they know this one.

[vamprnce]

Gatboss week day 3: Blood

Boss promised he'd take a bullet for any of the Saints, he always keeps his promises

(blood and violence warning for this one of course)

ao3 | Day 1 - Day 2

Shots rang out everywhere, a big mess of a gang fight was happening, everyone clashing together and falling. It felt like a tiny war was happening right now. Boss was mowing through majority of the rival gang members with such swiftness, he was used to handling big crowds of people attacking and shooting at him alone. Johnny, Shaundi and Pierce were back up plus a whole shit load of other Saints that were called in. Boss effortlessly managed to shoot at targets with his AR-50 XMAC and dodge returning bullets fastly flying towards him. He was such a sharp shooter in battle, accuracy on point and never missed a shot when in focus. It was like watching a god work if you had time to sit and watch him in action, he was majestic honestly.

Boss did get hit heavily in this fight but he wasn't out yet, he managed to get cover behind one parked car, still shooting. He lined up his aim leaning over the hood of the car and shot at least five people in one go before dropping down for cover to reload. Johnny made his way over towards where he was covering, squatting down beside him.

Man, ain't Johnny a beast in the thick of the battle either. Large automatic rifle in one hand mowing down the poor fuckers who thought it was a good idea to step up to the Saints. "Yo, Boss you okay?" Johnny asked, looking him over and seeing blood run down his left arm plus other blood marks on his shirt. Chris clicked in the new magazine with shaky hands, either from some blood loss or just high adrenaline -- who knows maybe both. His face was serious as always when he's gunning down people but the tone in his voice always never matched.

"Yeah, just fucking peachy." He said, sarcasm in his tone, his body took a lot of damage and just sitting there for a couple of minutes he can feel it all over, he was throbbing. His arm was so sore and his side ached horribly, but he had to keep going, backing down from a fight wasn't something he does and he's not gonna start now. He poked his head out to look around the corner and saw a lot of the rival gang just scattered including his own but a group a few yards away were in front of them shooting at someone else, totally blind to notice them. He chuckled at how stupid they are. He looked back behind him to see Johnny there, looking ready as ever, that made his confidence grow. "I'll start shooting and you cover me, alright?" Chris said, Johnny nodded at him in agreement readying his gun to shoot.

Chris stood up and shot at the gang of assholes on their turf, stepping out away from the car. Johnny followed suit, shooting as back up cover. The group crashed down to the ground like a sack of bricks immediately. "Nice one, Boss!" Johnny came up to stand more closer to him giving him a quick high five, Chris high fived back slightly smiling. He looked around the area and the color he saw most was purple, and that made him happy to see, they were winning as usual. They were still some dumbasses who didn't get the message and still continued to fight back, he had to hand it to them they were pretty fucking bold. He saw Shaundi and Pierce taking the reins this time, surprisingly actually working together instead bickering at together, maybe being in the action you forget about killing each other. He was proud of them, they grew up a lot through these past months.

Everyone was busy shooting at someone, Chris was aiming at someone until he caught something in the corner of his eye. Someone hidden way in the back from everyone, he was aimed at Johnny ready to shoot, no one else saw him for some reason. Everything went in slow motion at that point, the gun went off and Johnny was aimed in another direction, he would definitely get hit. He had to do something, his eyes widen and it felt like he stopped breathing during that whole minute. Not hesitating, he ran straight towards Johnny as the bullet flew closer, pushing him hard out of the way the bullet struck his stomach instead. He winced as a sharp pain filled his body before he collapsed to the ground.

"Boss?!" The other two yelled, witnessing their own boss fall to the ground in horror.

Johnny groaned rubbing his head when he hit the ground. "Motherfucker." He propped himself up off the ground to see the Boss lying facedown on the pavement. Something striked painfully in his chest as he looked at his motionless body. He was at his side in a flash, every thought ran through his head making him not able to think straight. Did he got shot? Is he dead? Don't fucking dare tell me he's dead. Did he really took a bullet for me? These thoughts ran through his mind quickly, panic settling in him and making his heart race rapidly.

Shaundi and Pierce made their way over as Johnny carefully rolled him over on his back, he was met with moaning and a lot of blood rushing out of his gut. Johnny's stomach dropped witnessing him like that, all he could think to do is press his hands on the wound to stop the bleeding, making Chris groan loudly with the pain. He was conscious, thank god, but he was really out of it and mumbling something incoherent.

The other two watched not knowing what to do exactly, seeing their leader injured left them standing there helpless. Johnny's anger rise fast. "What are you guys fuckin' standing there for?! Help get him to the car!" Johnny yelled loudly, making the two flinch for a second. "The cops are gonna come soon, we gotta go quickly." Johnny lifted up his upper body as Pierce lifted up his legs, both carrying and hurrying to the car, Shaundi was close behind running near them. Chris' head lulled to the side as they carried him, eyes closed and blood dripping down the side of his mouth.

They got him to the car, lying him down in the backseat. Shaundi was back there with him, she pressed down some cloth on the wound to keep the blood from rushing. Johnny jumped in the driver's seat and Pierce in the passagers, ready to keep look out for anyone who wants to tail them. Leaving when some stragglers were left was unusual for them but they had to act fast, killing all of them were useless. Johnny sped fast towards the Purgatory instead, going straight to the hospital was risky since some gang members could be following them. He doesn't want that repeating again. He'll get help there and be save, at least they had some medical help.

------

Chris woke up suddenly to so many voices arguing about something he couldn't make out, his head hurt so much to process anything. His heavy lidded eyes slowly opened and he saw Johnny standing next to the bed on the right side of him, Shaundi and Pierce were standing at the end. He noticed that they all were in his room finally. "The fuck you guys yelling for?" Chris groans, making everyone stop what they were doing. "Why am I in bed?" He looks around more trying to remember what happened.

"Boss, your okay!" Shaundi exclaimed happily with relief.

"Yo, can guys head outside, I wanna talk to the Boss alone." Johnny ordered, his voice sounded like he wasn't as happy as Shaundi. Pierce and Shaundi left quickly after. As the door clicked shut Johnny stood facing towards Chris, face showing he was in fact pissed off. "Quick question, are you really that stupid? The fuck is the matter with you that you lunge yourself in front of a fuckin' bullet?!" Johnny was seething. Chris slowly propped himself so he was sitting up, he didn't understand why he was so angry at him for, it made him frown back at him. "Jeez, maybe because you'd be the one in this bed instead of me, dumbass." Chris bites back. Johnny exhaled loudly rubbing his hands on his face, messing up his glasses. "Well you didn't have to go and get shot because of me!" Johnny yelled.

Chris didn't respond, he was distracted as he was trying to fix the pillow behind him to get more comfortable. "You really are an idiot." Johnny sighed, stomping towards him, lifting the pillow and fixing it for him, huffing. Chris leaned back into the fluffy pillow, a bit stunned that Johnny would help him even though he's yelling at him. "Thanks." He said softly. He then grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer to him, before he tried to pace around his room to yell at him some more. "Look, I promised I'd take a bullet for any of my Saints, especially for you and I always keep my promises." Chris said quietly looking up at Johnny.

Johnny stared down at him, not knowing what to say after that, he couldn't believe he'd just throw himself in front of bullets like that even for him. He is so stupid. "Just don't do that again, smartass." He grunts, still feeling mad about what he did and at himself. Chris rubbed his hand up and down on his arm as Johnny sat on the bed next to him. "I won't, I promise. Hey, you wanna take a peak?" Chris says as he carefully lifted his shirt showing his bandages wrapped around his stomach, there was one wrapped on his bicep, too. Johnny leaned closer to look at them, his heart stung staring at it, making him sigh. "Does it hurt?" Johnny asked, not looking away. "It's a bit sore, but I'm fine." Chris said, smiling at him. He looked tired and a like wreck.

"You need anything, want something to eat?" Johnny asked.

"I can go for some fries and a blunt if I'm gonna be honest." Chris laughed, settling down more in the covers, fatigue starting to take him over.

Johnny leaned over him to kiss him, Chris kissed back eagerly, putting both his hands on his cheeks, pulling him closer into the kiss. Johnny could feel him smiling, making all his previous anger melt away.

[night-springs]

it’s only you, isn’t it

(aka yall asked for more of my shitty writing, so here it is)

Johnny hasn't been seen or heard from since the night on Loren's plane, and Violet finally resigns herself to his death. SRTT.

boss/johnny gat | sfw | 1,122 words | ao3

The airport was silent at night, the cold breeze blowing through Violet's long blonde hair as she stared at the number open on her cellphone. Propped up against her Estrada, she sat on the far northern edge of Steelport's vacant airport, looking down at the water below. Violet had wanted to be alone for this phone call, despite how much she was dreading it. Because of that dread, she'd been sitting there for a while, drinking beer and staring down at her cell, thumb hovering over the call button. It was time, she knew it was, but if she told him… it would make it official. She couldn't pretend anymore.

Another few minutes pass until finally, she jabs her finger down over the screen, and instantly regrets it. Regardless, she brings it to her ear, and five rings later Troy Bradshaw's voice cuts over the line.

"Violet! Where the hell have you been? After I heard they released you without permissi-"

"Gat's dead." She cuts in, her voice cracking on the last word, and she grits her teeth, anger flaring at the sound. She was not going to lose it now.

"…What?" Troy answers after a moment, and Violet doesn’t reply. The silence hangs heavy in the air, and Violet doesn’t want it to end, doesn't want him to ask any questions. She doesn't want to have to explain. A minute ticks by, then two, before Troy finally continues.

"Where's his body?" He asks quietly, resigned, and Violet almost barks a laugh in his ear. He thinks this is like the other times, with Carlos and Aisha. One of them dies, and she calls Troy for the body. It was almost a fucking routine now.

"I don't know." She states plainly, and she can just picture Troy blinking in confusion at that.

"You don’t know?"

"No I don't fucking know, I heard him die over a goddamn intercom!" She bites back, anger leaking out no matter how hard she was trying to contain it. She'd been on edge all day, and now it was just spilling out. She belatedly notices her eyes and throat starting to burn.

"…Why are you calling me then?" Troy asks, something almost sounding like softness edging his voice. Violet grits her teeth again at that. Because we used to be friends, asshole.

"You know why." Is all she manages, however, and there's silence again for a moment.

"…I'm sorry." Troy offers, and Violet mentally stops in her tracks. She doesn't know what to say to that, doesn't really want to say anything. A pressing feeling to be alone washes over her instead, and she decides cutting the conversation off is her best move.

"…See you, Troy. I have a fucking city to burn." Violet attempts that remark as a joke, but finds she means it with ever fiber of her being.

"For what it's worth, good luck. Least it's not my city this time." Troy replies, humor in his voice for once, and Violet hangs up and tucks her phone away.

Leaning back on her Estrada, she lets out a shaky sigh, and takes another sip of her beer. She felt like shit. Had all day in fact, like she'd just woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Pulling her Saints jacket tighter around her against the cold, she lets her mind wander, thoughts landing on a particular conversation she'd had with Pierce. They'd been talking about how Shaundi was handling Gat's… death.

"I'm not exactly happy either." Violet had interjected, a statement that barely scratched the surface of how she was really feeling.

"I know, but you're always pissed off." Pierce had replied, like she was unaffected. Fuck him. Who the hell did he think she was, to not be upset over her best friends death? Not to mention that she…

Violet chokes up at the thought, one she'd barely even admitted to herself before this fuckin' nightmare. She had feelings for Johnny. She knew that for a while, deep down, but she hadn't told him, couldn't tell him. After Aisha, it wasn't…. It didn't feel right to.

God, she had feelings for Johnny fuckin' Gat, the asshole who always handled everything all on his own. Hadn't she told him to stop doing that; to look after himself instead of her? Maybe stop almost dying every couple years? No, he'd saved her ass each of those times, at his own expense. Jackass. He knew full well she didn't want him to do that.

She'd made him promise her, once. That he wouldn't die on her. It'd been after Carlos died, and she'd been drinking shitty beer on the roof of Purgatory. Johnny had come up the stairs looking for her, and then just came over and sat down quietly next to her, like he understood. Violet had passed a beer to him, and they drank in silence for a while.

"Promise me I won't have to bury you too." She'd said quietly, out of nowhere, her voice rough with something she couldn’t quite place. Johnny didn't reply at first, and the silence stretched heavy between them.

"I promise." He'd finally replied, a weight to his words. And Violet had held him to that.

That is, until now.

"You fucking asshole!" Anger bubbles up insider her in a rush, and she flips the bottle of beer around in her hands, gripping it by the neck. Whipping her arm back, she throws it as hard as she can, and it quickly makes impact with a pole, shattering violently in every direction. Violet stumbles forward a bit with the force she'd put into the motion, and she sways, fury coursing through her. "Promising me that and then fucking dying on me anyways!" she spits, "Fuck you, Gat, you fucking piece of sh--"

She cuts herself off, gritting her teeth as tears flood her eyes. The anger drains out of her as quickly as it came, and a choked sob suddenly forces its way out of her throat. Violet clamps a hand down over her mouth to try to drown out the sound, because fuck no, she is not going to cry, she isn't--

The tears finally overflow from her eyes, streaming hot down her cheeks and over her fingers. Sinking back down onto the soft padded seat on her Estrada, she trembles in silence, the cold air stinging her nose and lungs as she sobs into her palm. Finally, she asks the question that’s been burning on the edge of her tongue for weeks, her voice so high-pitched and strained it doesn’t even sound like her own.

"What the hell am I going to do without you, you asshole?" She pleads, but no one's around to answer.