#get that motherfucker some character development. PLEASE

[crimson-roots]

life smp s4 ideas:

put mike lebeau in there i think he would have fun :]

[justoneday-namjoonii]

It burns, doesn’t it? [Pt. 23] The Kiss of Death

genre/au: mafia!au, mature, fluff, angst, love triangle 

warnings: mature, mafia activity, illegal business activity, non-graphic sexual content, brief violence, toxic relationships, mentions of drugs, smoking, character d*ath, language, suggestive language, an attempt at a slow burn. If you’re easily triggered, please proceed with caution or do not proceed♥️

pairing: jungkook x reader ; yoongi x reader 

word count: 7k +

authors note: see m.list (pinned post) for other parts! enjoy <3 will edit later probably lol

summary: The mafia tore your life apart, if it wasn’t for your will to live, it would have taken you out a long time ago. After everything, the heartbreak, betrayal and lies, you’ve emerged with a purpose—you’re apart of a family now. They won’t let you lay down and die—no matter how much you want to.

Blood soaked the antique area rug. 

The meeting was long overdue, the high-ranking capos were looking for answers after the commotion died down. The discussion took place in the old lavish board room, his father used to have it polished and cleaned like clockwork.

At some point in the discussion, Jin came up. He always comes up.

“He’s got his own business going on in that old territory, my men don’t touch it, it used to be a hotspot too,” The capo said, a cigar between his fingers, “did they tell you, boss?”

“I figured as much,” Yoongi replies, “that’s a small loss in the grand scheme of things.”

“We don’t want it back?” Jimin speaks up, and Hoseok looks over at him.

“No,” Yoongi said plainly.

“What about our shipping docks? I think they’ve been sneaking around over there.”

“I want to get most of our product here by a private shipping company overseas,” Hoseok says, “Akane has a few options for us.”

“Boss,” Ryan, a trusted capo looked up from his phone, “Jungkook’s been released, our mole just sent the court ruling to me.”

“Hm, I wonder how he managed that,” Yoongi tilts his head in thought, “get some details and let me know.”

“That motherfucker,” Hoseok makes a low comment to Yoongi personally, “I don’t know who the fuck used their pull to save him.” 

“I don’t think we need to worry about him right now, whoever’s supporting him isn’t flashy.”

Hoseok scoffs, he has developed a strong disdain for Jungkook. Hell, he was happy when he was in prison, life seemed simpler.

“Sai,” Yoongi called the one who seemed to fidget constantly.

“Sir?” He peered up at Yoongi, and instantly lost a bit of light in his eyes.

“Are you fucking using? You haven’t been able to sit still since you walked in here,” Yoongi stood from his chair, calmly approaching the man while the others watched, “it’s distracting,”

“S- sorry boss, I guess it’s just been a while since I’ve seen you,” He laughs, swallowing his nerves. 

“Cigarette?” 

Yoongi offers it with a cold tone, not getting one for himself. 

The man’s eyes widen at the gesture--he knew what it meant. Yoongi takes a seat in front of him and grabs the cigarette, the man assumes he’s meant to take it.

“No please,” He takes it between his lips and takes out his silver lighter, letting the flame dance to it, “allow me.” He takes a puff with closed eyes and blows the smoke into the man's face with a deep sigh.

“Here,” He pushes it in between the man's pursed lips, “this is the good stuff,” 

Tension hung in the air as the room fell silent. The men looked everywhere but the scene before them, they knew they were amid a farewell.

In this world, you can be punished for many things. But the most heinous of them all? Betrayal. You pay for that with your life. Yoongi grappled with that for a long time. He believed that some people were redeemable, worth a second chance, and deserving of mercy. He really used to believe that.

Yoongi rose from his seat once the cigarette was finished. “How was it?”

Sai pleaded for mercy, for the ruthless leader to spare some compassion. Yoongi simply leaned down, offering a gentle caress to his cheek in all his begging. “You know what you did, you knew this had to happen.”

“But- But you let that fucker walk Scott free, for years! He betrayed all of us but you wouldn’t let Joon touch him! You’re a hypocrite if you do this to me! You played dirty, getting his fucking little sister, how can you honor the code now? Betrayal punishable by death- What about ‘family is off-limits’ You did that shit!”

He had a point.

But alas, he and his chair crash to the ground by an abrupt contact of a fist in his face. One of the guards rushes over to hold him down and Yoongi gets down, eye-to-eye.

All that time when Jin was plotting his rise to power, not caring what bystanders suffered in his wake. Yoongi watched it happen. That was on him. As the boss, he was upholding a standard that even he made exceptions to. 

“Those your last words?”

A string of curses fell on deaf ears.

In that moment, all traces of his father, that he spent so much of his life running from came rushing into him like they had never left. It was hard to watch, even for the senior capos who had witnessed tradition unfold many times before. But to see Yoongi heartless, and brutal, was a reminder. He is capable of even the most despicable acts, it comes with the job. The sound of gunshots rang throughout the room, too many times.

“Consider this an act of repentance,” Yoongi stands to his feet, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his bloody fingers. “have this cleaned up before the dinner,” 

Once Yoongi is out of sight, Hoseok can’t hide his disgust for the blood splatter over the floor. “Ugh, did he have to be so goddamn messy?” He muttered. “I haven’t had to call in the cleaners in a while.”

“I didn’t realize he would still…” Jimin speaks up from the chair, where he had been frozen for the entire act. "Do it."

“Yeah, to be honest,” Hoseok dials a number, “neither did I,”

Yoongi’s quick exit from the scene was all so he could get somewhere private and try not to vomit. 

“Fuck,” He unbuttoned a bit of his collar shirt and leaned against the sink to steady himself. When his eyes met the mirror, he looked away just as quickly. His disdain didn’t come from the blood on his hands, but the man in his reflection. 

.━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

“Is this too much?”

You stepped out of the dressing room in he third sundress, one a bit out of your comfort zone. It had bright colors and a flattering mermaid shape, something out of a fantasy novel at first glance. But Yaerim insisted, she said it was ‘trendy’ right now, and everyone should have one.

“It’s perfect! Not enough if you ask me,”

These days, you and Yaerim go out almost every day. Ayeong will ask you where you’d like to go if you want some new clothes or want to take up a hobby. At first, she claimed Yoongi had nothing to do with the unlimited shopping sprees, the drivers at your beck and call, but you knew the truth. You just let everyone think you were clueless. Shopping isn’t free, it’s definitely coming out of his pocket.

Over the past couple of weeks, Yoongi hasn’t wanted anyone at the estate during the day. Ayeong mentioned the risks of having meetings with different people going in and out, anyone could connect the dots and make your whereabouts public knowledge.

“Alright, if you say so,” 

With a shrug, you swipe the AMEX again, and again, and once more just for good measure. You buy a few things for Yaerim, you even get something for your aunt, something you thought she’d like. 

Just when you thought you couldn’t buy another thing, you pass a pet store. 

“Oh my goodness,” You gasped, “Yaerim, look at that kitten, isn’t it precious?”

In the window, the gray and white kitten naps peacefully against the glass. 

“Let’s go see! Oh my gosh, I’ve always wanted a cat, you should get her Y/n- oh, I don’t know if the boss likes animals, you think he would?”

“Who wouldn’t love that adorable face?” 

Now, along with a bag full of clothes and a couple of knickknacks, you have a kitten and everything you need to take care of her.

When Sal comes to pick you up, you show him your new prize possession. He smiles brightly and laughs, it’s been a while since he’s served someone so pleased by the little things in life.

Both you and Yaerim nap on the way back. Sal said no one needs to be home until 6, so you had no choice but to shop all day, you thought to yourself.

“Miss, I’ll take your bags up.” 

One of the faithful staff ushers you inside, not giving you a chance to get the bags yourself. This time you oblige, but you hold your kitten close in her carrier. Yaerim went to the laundry room to finish her shift, while you went upstairs to get your new companion acclimated.

“What should I call you?” You gently take her from the carrier and hold her in your hands. “How about Poppy? Do you like that?” She gives you a sleepy blink and you take it as a yes.

When you walked in, you couldn’t help but notice the cleaning van outside and the sound of a high-powered vacuum. It never pays to pry into their affairs, but to deny your curiosity is painstaking.

“Miss,” Ana appears in your doorway, “you should start getting ready for tonight,”

“What’s happening tonight?” 

“He didn’t tell you? The family dinner is tonight at the Min family restaurant,” She looks you up and down, “It’s formal, so I’ll help you get ready.”

“But I just got this kitten, I should probably stay and-”

“Yearim will take care of that, Min insists that you attend. It’s mandatory.” 

“Alright,”

With only an hour or so to get ready, you run through the shower, and all the while, you wonder what this dinner will be like. And why he wants you to attend. When you step out in your robe, you see a black dress and multiple sets of jewelry on the bed.

“Do you like this? Min said to put you in something that suited you best since it’s a special occasion.”

“This is beautiful…” You pick up the dress, “gorgeous, where’d it come from?”

“The vault, he said to bring it all so you could choose whatever you’d like,” She grins to herself, “he was adamant about letting you choose.”

“Oh, wow,” You begin to open up the jewlery boxes, “this is a lot, I’ll choose once I get dressed.”

“Alright, the car is out front when you’re ready,”

When you do get dressed, you’re brought back to those couple of nights in Japan. They dressed you up like a dime piece only for you to sit around quietly and obediently. Jungkook revealed a lot of himself, he gave background on why he lived the way he did. You did’t look back at that trip fondly anymore, it reminded you of how scared you were, how helpless. Now it’s different. Even though this isn’t optional, you’re still being forced to go to an event that has no personal ties to you, you don’t want to test Yoongi’s grace for you. Not yet.

“Knock knock,” The knock is accompanied by a sing-song voice, “It’s me,” You open the door and let Yaerim in, “I heard I’m taking the kitten for the night! Y/n, you look so nice,”

“Thank you,” You scrunch your nose at the compliment, “I don’t know why he wants me to wear this, and all this jewelry,”

“Well,” She begins, petting Poppy as she naps, “I heard some of the staff talking…”

“Yeah? What were they saying…” You put your earrings on, one by one. 

“He’s never brought a date to one of these before, it’s an important dinner, super traditional,”

“Really?” You look in the mirror, loving how Ana did your hair. “That’s interesting…”

When Yaerim puts your necklace on as a finishing touch, you step out of the room. The guard that had been waiting for you outside the door takes your hand and escorts you downstairs. Faithful Sal is waiting for you at the door, he gives you an endearing smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I take too long?” 

“Not at all,” He opens the door and helps you inside the car, “you look lovely.,”

“Wait!” All of a sudden, Ayeong is running up the stairs to meet you.

“Ayeong?” You gasp when she fully embraces you. “Oh, are you alright?” 

“I’m- I’m fine,” she says in the crook of your neck, “I’m just about to get off and I haven’t seen you since breakfast, so I just wanted to give you a hug,” She smiles, and you swore you saw her fighting back tears. “I guess I just, I missed it all sweetheart.”

“Oh, I missed you too,” You smiled brightly, “I’m running a bit late, so I’ll see you in the morning, alright?” 

“Okay, you have a goodnight Y/n, enjoy yourself!” 

As the sleek black car glided through the city streets, your mind swirled with thoughts.

The evening air was crisp, filtering through the cracked window, carrying the faint scent of distant street vendors and the hum of urban life. The city lights painted streaks of gold and amber against the darkening sky, casting an enchanting glow upon the streets below.

Glancing at your reflection in the window, you adjusted the delicate necklace Ana had chosen for you, its shimmering diamonds catching the soft glow of the passing streetlights. In the front seat, Sal wore a calm expression, his hands steady on the wheel as he navigated through the bustling traffic with ease.

Along with your nerves, underlying tension hung heavy in the air. You couldn't shake the feeling of unease, knowing that this dinner was more significant than the other events you'd attended.

As the car turned onto a quieter street, the towering skyscrapers gave way to elegant townhouses and cobblestone pathways. The road exuded an air of exclusivity, with ornate wrought-iron gates guarding the entrance to each luxurious estate.

As you approached the restaurant, a historical building adorned with delicate stone carvings and overgrown ivy, a sense of apprehension washed over you. 

But then you see Yoongi, walking in with the original entourage. Hoseok, Jimin, and Taehyung all follow Yoongi as he steps out of the car, each of them in perfectly tailored suits.

As the car came to a stop, Sal turned to face you, his expression unreadable. "We've arrived, miss," he announced, his voice tinged with a hint of concern.

Taking a deep breath, you gathered your composure. With a nod of gratitude to Sal, he helps you out of the car and Yoongi sees you from a mile away.

“Check her out,” Ryan nudges Jimin, “she cleans up nice,”

“I know,” He walkd over, assuming he’s on ‘Y/N duty’. But Yoongi tells all of them to head inside without him, and Jimin is left pondering thoughts over that.

That leaves you standing on the curb, waiting for the others to walk in. When the last member walked inside , he finally gave you his full attention. He eyes you like he wants to say something about your appearance, but he keeps it to himself for now.

“Stay with me tonight, okay? Don’t wander off with anyone,”

You nodded. Normally, you would inquire about his reasoning, but tonight, he seems a bit off, like one wrong word and you’re history.

Once you walked into the restaurant, you saw so many familiar faces. Some of these people worked at Namjoon’s base, particularly the women. Some you had seen working with Jungkook on those many nights out, making runs around the city. 

The night went on like a true family dinner. 

There was an undeniable buzz in the atmosphere, it was contagious. Laughing, and chatting about the past and the present. As you looked over the room, even the most stoic men were smiling at each other, enjoying the endless champagne and Hors d'oeuvres. Hoseok and Taehyung seemed to have mended the underlying strife between them, even for tonight. Jimin on the other hand seemed less than interested for the first half, but a couple of old fashions changed that.

Now it’s evident why is so important. 

It’s a time and place where the true colors of the mafia come to light. In the day-to-day, where crime and violence monopolize their time, they need gatherings like this to unify their spirits. To remind them that this is family, this is what they traded their souls for. 

Suddenly, you feel a warmth on your thigh. You glance over and see Yoongi’s free hand resting just above your knee, and he continues his conversation casually. 

The more you think about it, the less his request for you to join him makes sense. Why did he want you here? Nothing to say, you’re only here for arm candy and the wondering eye to gawk over. You can’t help but wonder if that was his intention, to show you off. 

“I’d like to make a toast,” 

A hush takes over the room in seconds. All eyes are on the respected leader. His hand leaves you when he stands up, stem glass in hand. 

“To Kim Namjoon,” He holds the glass high, and the room follows suit, including yourself. “May he rest in peace.”

The room followed his every command like a cult of loyal subjects, eager to please their king. 

When he got up, he said he’ll be right back. You thought, does he think you’re just gonna sit here? He should know you well enough by now, to know you don’t like to sit still for too long. 

“Hi,”

You look up at a towering figure in front of you.

“Hi,” You reply.

“I’m Jooyoung, I don’t know if you remember me but I remember you,” He gets cozy beside you, “you used to be the talk of the town, you know that?”

“I know,” You grit your teeth at that thought.

“It’s died down now, no one wants to get in hot water with the boss, he’s back to his old ways,” He sips from his nearly empty glass, “but I’m glad to see you’re doing well, really,”

“Uh, thanks,” You pause, finally processing his statement, “What do you mean his old ways?”

Just as he opens his mouth to answer, Yoongi begins to make his way back and he gets out of potential harm's way. 

“You okay?” Yoongi rests a hand on your shoulder.

“I’m fine,” You nodded.

“How’s the food?” He stayed hovering over you, gaze lingering on you longer than you expected.

“It’s- it’s good,” You peer up at him, his expression hard to read. It’s something in between curious and slightly agitated.

“Do you want another drink?” 

“I haven’t even finished this one-“

“I need another drink.” 

You follow behind him to the bar where he orders a shot of something dark and what he called, ‘an Irish bomb. You’re taken aback when you realize both were for him when he’s already throwing back the second one.

“Anything for you, miss?” The bartender smiles kindly.

“Oh um, I’ll have the shot he had,” You say, innocent of what was in those glasses. The bartender quickly, and as soon as you get a whiff, you regret your decision. Despite your displeasure: you down it anyway. Within seconds, you cough after the burn of it going down. 

“Ugh, that was bad,” You cringe, unable to hide your disgusted expression. Yoongi’s eyes linger on you momentarily and he flashes a knowing smile inwardly. With a firm touch at the small of your back, he leans closer to whisper in your ear. “How do you drink this stuff?”

“Come with me,”

You blink, “Oh, ok…” You exchange glances with the bartender who looks away. He grabs your arm and whisks you out of the restaurant's main haul and into a private room, likely meant for administrative purposes.

As soon as the door shuts behind him, he lets his guard down and relaxes. You observe quietly, folding your arms around yourself, as he takes off his suit jacket and drapes it over the office chair

“I meant to tell you about tonight,” He explains unprompted, “I’ve just been caught up,”

“Why did you want me to come?”

“I thought you’d enjoy a night out,” He walks up to you,“you don’t like it?” 

“You didn’t exactly give me a choice; the staff said I had to come.” You cross your arms.

“Do you like the dress?” He intentionally gets in your space, making you to take a step back.

You scoff, glancing down at the gown. “Why? did you pick it out?”

He gives you a sly smile that you take it as a yes. 

“It’s nice,” You feign being unimpressed, “but if you brought me here just to be an accessory, you could have just said that.” He steps forward, backing you against the wall

“Is that what you think this is?” He snakes an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him.

“Yeah,” You nod, “what else could it be? You want me to stay with you, not talk to anyone? I could have stayed back,” 

“No, that’s not,” He sighs, taking in how dolled up you are and how this could probably be the least interesting thing you’ve done this week. “Honestly, I wanted to be around you tonight, I had a rough day,”

You feel a blush rise to your cheeks, still not used to hearing things like that from him still not accustomed to hearing such sentiments from his mouth. 

Over the past few weeks, the space between you and Yoongi has become smaller. 

He steps forward, hands resting on your waist so he could kiss you. And just like that, you two stay quiet while indulging in your little secret. He cradles the back of your head, presenting the right angle as he searches for the perfect blend of softness and firm. He always sets the perfect pace, and you feel yourself become pliable like water, spilling through his fingers.

“I've been waiting all day for this," he murmurs, his lips lingering close to yours, reluctant to pull away. "We should get out of here; get some privacy," he adds, his tone betraying his reluctance to stop kissing you.

“You’re the boss, don’t you have to stay?”

“I’m the boss,” he smirks, “I can do whatever I want.”

True to his word, he called a car and you two snuck out through the back. He helped you into the vehicle, ensuring you were secure before getting in himself. He tells the driver a location unknown to you. Once it's confirmed that you're en route, Yoongi lowers the privacy screen, continuing to kiss you, as if he had been anxious to do so.

He picks you up to sit you across his lap, eliciting a gasp of utter shock from you. It makes him giggle, the way you react to him as if this were all new to you. 

When he finally pulls away from your lips, he buries his face in the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply. "You smell good, new perfume?" he murmurs between kisses on your chest, leaving damp imprints on your skin.

“Y- yeah.”

 "It’s nice," He's feeling the effects of those drinks now because he’s tempted to say anything that comes to mind.

“Are- are you okay?” You manage to pull away, looking into his half-lidded eyes and noticing the red glow on his cheeks. He stares back at you, taking in your flustered expression and rosy cheeks.

“I will be,” He deadpans, breathing in and out.

“But where-” You pull away again and Yoongi huffs in frustration,  “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere we can be alone, is that okay with you?” You nod, unsure if that's what you mean or if you’re afraid to say no.

“That’s- that’s okay with me…”

Unbeknownst to you, he made a hotel reservation just for the two of you. He planned to get you out of the house to bail on the oh-so-important family dinner. You would have never guessed that this was his cover-up plan. The thought alone made you feel all sorts of things—excited, anxious, confused. The idea that he wanted to be with you like this, so much so that he carved out a time and place just for you.

“I couldn’t be in that damn house tonight,” He said in the elevator, his hand resting in the small of your back, “My day has been too damn long just to have to sneak around for this,”

“This?" you questioned, urging him to expound. 

"You," he flashed a snarky smile. "Sneaking around at all hours of the night, in my own home? I’m pretty sure some staff are starting to catch on."

“I hope not,” You scrunch your nose at the thought. Ayeong seemed to have a chipper demeanor whenever you found yourself close to the mafia boss. 

"Do you think anyone is suspicious about us leaving together?" you asked, your curiosity veiled with unease.

"I’m sure," he answered honestly.

Eventually, you made it to the hotel room and everything was so grand and expensive. The bed seemed to have no end with pristine white linen, the bathroom was equipped with a large tub and walk-in shower. Yoongi discarded his jacket for the second time that night and gestured for you to sit wherever you’d like. You chose the chair near the French doors to the balcony, hands pressed to your lap. In Yoongi fashion, he had already ordered his alcohol of choice to the room and he went right for it.

"Are you trying to get drunk?" you asked the obvious question. 

"No," he took another shot. "just trying to unwind." With a chuckle, he stalked over and kneeled in front of you. "How was your day, by the way?"

You sat tensed, eyes darting from your feet to his face. He lifted your ankle to rest on his knee so he could remove your heels. He meticulously unbuckled the straps, one hand under your ankle while the other worked on the clasp. When you failed to reply, he asked again. 

"Well, how was it?"

"It was fine, I did a little shopping with Yearim," you swallowed, watching his fingertips linger on your skin despite your heels being long gone. "nothing too crazy."

He paused, staring up at you as if he was truly interested. He couldn’t be, he had to be humoring you. "You do a lot of shopping,”

"Yeah, is that okay?“ You laughed nervously. 

"It’s fine," he placed his palms on your knees. "No one else is using all this money, you seem to make good use of it, so I don’t mind."

"You're really, um," you paused, searching for the right word, "talkative."

"Yeah? I suppose I am, just trying to fill your awkward silence since you're so tense," he said softly, meeting your gaze with a glimmer of desire in his eyes. “You want another drink? To take the edge off,” 

You nod. “Sure…”

━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

“Sir, I lost all contact with him,” The agent paces in her office, “last time we spoke, we were supposed to arrange a meeting place for handoff tonight, I was sure we had this!-”

“You’re dealing with a criminal, Agent Ban. This may take longer than you think, I told you this wouldn’t be easy.”

“Okay, then what should I do now?”

“Get creative, that’s all you can do.”

━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

“Oh my God, they’re not letting this go.” 

Henry read through the contract for the second time, attempting to understand how she managed to file a lawsuit against the family. Melinda was not backing down. You won’t be snubbed out of the will, not if she can help it. And Jin, for some odd reason, seems to care about your claim to the fortune.

“We need to get the authorities involved in this,” He closed up the envelope the severance was packaged in, “if she is missing or dead, there’s no sense in waiting around for her to turn up, we need to close this up.”

Jin made a mental note—your maternal family members are all stuck-up pricks, no surprise your mother eloped. As a form of making amends with some of his only flesh and blood, he’s decided to support Melinda in this battle. He has the power he’s always wanted, and a bit more even. His only wish now is that he can safely hide away his flesh and blood like his father once had.

Today though, he’s off to address a burning question of his. How did Jungkook get out? 

Wei arrived with no information to report. All they know is that Jungkook left the courtroom a free man.

“Jin,” Melinda sits across from Jin at the upscale brunch spot, sipping a mimosa, “be honest, why did she choose not to come with you?”

“We weren’t on good terms, and a few people made it pretty difficult for me.”

“Can you find a way for me to talk to her?” She questions.

“Last night, there was an annual event within the organization,” He paused, “I had eyes in there, they saw her there, dressed up like a legitimate member. But I’ll have to see what I can do about contacting her,”

“So they make her attend events,” She shook her head in disbelief, “like a damn show pony.”

“She may have a choice.” 

“Jin, do you know anything about your sister? You talk about her like-“

Suddenly, she gets an unknown call on her phone. Jin takes a glance from past glass.

“Who’s that?”

 “Not sure,” She let it buzz a couple of times, before bringing it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Melinda West?”

“It is,” She glanced up at Jin with furrowed brows, “who is this?” 

“My name is Lisa Ban, I'm an agent with the FBI and I’ve been working on your niece's case for a few months now.” 

Melinda gasps, this is the first she’s heard of any law enforcement giving a damn about you. She puts the phone on speaker, giving Jin a look to start listening in.

“Why is this the first time I’m hearing from you? It’s been over a year since she was abducted.”

“I know Ms. West, and for that I’m so sorry. But the oversight of her case came from the sheer size of the organization she’s involved with. At first, she was a potential accomplice until I did some further digging. Now I’m using all of my resources to find her.”

Melinda lets out an exasperated sigh. “So why are you contacting me now?”

“Last night, the mafia boss who is holding her captive agreed to meet me and give her over-“

“You have her?!”

“No, not exactly. The meeting fell through, we had been contacting each other for weeks and confirmed that he would let her go. Last night he was supposed to give me a location to meet him early this morning, but he never did. In fact, he blocked my number and he likely used a burner phone, so I’m at square one.”

“Okay, what do you plan to do now?”

“I can’t say too much right, I want to meet you. I know it’s short notice, but can you meet me at Le Blanc Bistro at 7 tonight? Then, I can detail the entire case to you and maybe we can help each other.”

“Um,” Melinda looks to Jin who mouths for her to say yes, “Okay, yes, I’ll see you tonight.”

“Thank you, Ms. West. Take care.”

“When you go, don’t mention me but get as much information as you can,” Jin advises

━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

You thought this was all just to soothe the stress; that loomed over your head like a dark cloud. But when his voice broke against your neck, eyes focused but half-lidded in ecstasy, his grip tightenuntil his knuckles turned white. You had a front-row seat to his raw humanity, his soul bared in front of you.

When you opened your mouth to say something, you were silenced by a kiss. And it was his, not so subtle, way of telling you to shut up. But suddenly, you tasted something salty and warm hit your tongue—tears? That’s when you yanked your head away and touched your lips, to his displeasure.

"Y- Yoongi," you stalled all movement and his eyes shot open in surprise. "Are you okay?"

“Shit, Y/N,”  he cursed, trying to keep the moment from shattering. “Why are you stopping to ask me that? I’m doing fucking terrific, aren’t you?” He was exasperated, sweat beading on his furrowed brows. You inspected his face with concern, not saying a word.

“What’s wrong?” he touched his cheek to feel the warm liquid.

“Fuck, fuck,” he combed his hair back and took a moment to catch his breath. You tried to move away but he pulled you back, holding you so you couldn’t move not an inch.

“No, no, don’t,” he took both your hands and kissed them. “I’ve had a few too many, that’s all, it feels so good you brought me to tears,” He flashed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m fine, please.. don’t stop.”

He’d never sounded like this before, so desperate. You chose continue as he watched intently, tonguing at his lips, taking it all in. And at some point, he ascended, went somewhere else, and dragged you there.

Once things settled, you lay on his chest and he resisted the temptation to smoke a cigarette, settling for combing a hand through your hair, delicately pinching the strands between his fingers. You peeked over at the gun on his nightstand; all these mafia boys were the same in the bedroom, vulnerable for a moment but forever guarded.

“Today, I had to do something I haven’t done in years,” he sighed, his voice rumbling in his chest under your ear. “And that shit has been haunting me, all fucking day…”

You glanced up at him, heart aching at his admission. “I’m sorry… what did you have to do?”

His sweet caresses came to a halt. It took him a while to open up, to say more than a couple of sentences. He felt a conflict; while he wanted to reveal his thoughts and feelings to you, he didn’t want you cursed with those images.

“I don’t want you to worry about that,” He pressed his lips to your brow, his breath warm and soothing, “I shouldn’t have to do it again for a long time.”

Little did he know, you saw the cleaning company come into the house…does what he did have anything to do with that? You choose not to pry despite your painful curiosity. Silence hung in the air for a good minute.

“Well,” you grappled for something to lighten the mood, “I bought a kitten today.”

He furrowed his brows, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah?”

“Mhm, her name is Poppy, she’s cute,” you sat up on his chest, eyes brighter just at the mention of her. “Pretty quiet… from what I can tell.”

You sighed, absentmindedly tracing the tattoo peaking over his shoulder. In a moment like this, you can easily forget you’re an ex-prisoner, now a valuable collateral of the mafia. 

“That’s nice babe,” He groaned, eyes growing heavy with exhaustion, “now get some sleep, we have to get up early…”

“Can I ask you a question?”

He sighed, giving up on trying to get some shut-eye. “Go ahead,”

“What does your tattoo mean?” 

“I had to get branded when I joined the organization,” He answered plainly, “it’s a snake because my father had a code, the snake represents transformation. Snakes have to shed their skin to grow, to survive. If they don’t, they die.”

You continued tracing the intricate design, understanding dawning on you. “So, it’s about changing to survive?”

“It is,” he murmured, his voice a blend of bitterness and acceptance. “You have to shed who you are. The old you has to die so you can become who you need to be to survive in this world.”

“Wow, that's so symbolic,” You reply, “it’s big, it must have been painful…” You cooed, still tracing the small part you could see from his shoulder. “Was it?”

“It was,” He hums, “the healing process was the worst part, I couldn't lay on my back for weeks…” He took your hand, leading it to rest on his chest, where his heart beat steadily beneath your palm. “Now that I’ve answered your question, can we please go to sleep?”

“Yoongi…” You pursed your lips, feeling a surge of vulnerability. “How do you feel about me?...”

“Y/N, for the love of God,” His eyes flutter open, “let’s not get into that.”

“Why? Just tell me or I’m gonna think you hate me, that you’re just using me.” 

“I don’t hate you, and I’m not using you,” He yawns, his guard slipping, “trust me.”

“So it’s just the sex then,” You conclude, half-joking but very much serious, “you keep me around for that, is that all it is?”

“Oh, stop. If that’s all it was,” Yoongi sat up, causing you to lift yourself and look at him wide-eyed, “rest assured, we would have been doing this a long time ago,” He brushed your cheek tenderly, “It’s a plus, but it’s not just the sex.”

“Oh,” You blushed, a small smile breaking through. “So it sounds like you’ve always been attracted to me then?”

“Are you on a vanity kick right now?” He pulls you into his lap, hands under your thighs, and the idea of sleep is long gone from his mind.

“Please tell me,” You comb through his hair, massaging his scalp, “when did you start to see me like this? Fine, I’ll go first,” You give an anxious smile, “after you were shot, I helped you clean your wounds and we talked, we had a real conversation…I thought about that a lot, we had so much more in common than I imagined and I realized you weren’t so bad, I started to like you…a lot.“

“Okay,” His hands glide up and down your sides, “you really wanna know?” You nod.

“When I first officially met you, you were a bratty kid obsessed with Jeon Jungkook,” He begins, “You were angry, scared of everything, impulsive, difficult to deal with, you couldn’t fight, still can’t-”

“Damn,” You scoff, "maybe I shouldn’t have asked-”

“I’m not done,” He playfully clasps his hand over your mouth, “you were all those things to me for a long time, and not only that but you were my best friend’s little sister.” He removes his hand, watching you bite your lips. “I had every reason not to want you…But I don’t know, I don’t have an exact time or moment when it started, maybe when you went batshit crazy at the auction and then kissed me in the bathroom,” He snickers at your growing blush, “you shouldn’t have done that, after that kiss I had a hard time getting you off my mind, I couldn’t even make any more excuses after that.”

“Really?” You swallow your nerves. “I’m flattered.”

“Yes really, and I see that you aren’t some kid…there’s so much to you, more than I realized. I take care of you because you are my responsibility, but it’s more than that, I like to take care of you, I like getting to know you, being with you…I wanted to have you, just like this.” 

“What does all of that mean?” You press further, trying to pry out three words.

He presses his forehead against yours, knowing what you’re getting at. “I care about you Y/n,” He brushes your hair away from your face, just, “so much,” He presses his face into the crook of your neck. “

“Y-Yoongi,” You whispered, cupping his face to bring him eye-to-eye, your heart pounding in your chest. “You said we had to get up early, you shouldn’t be kissing anyone if you’re trying to go to sleep.”

He breathed in, his heartstrings giving way to any prior plans or limits he had for himself.

“Change of plans,” He placed his hand over the one you had on his cheek, his eyes locking onto yours. He smirked, “We’re sleeping in.”

Some people are true to the very end. Their path may change, their words may falter, but they remain true to their nature. Jungkook is like that. Amidst shifting dynamics and the ebb and flow of bonds, he stands resolute. He had no regrets from the moment he pledged his soul to this life, severing ties with his blood and swearing allegiance to an organization that masqueraded as family.

He would do it again and again, and again.

When he got a phone call from a man claiming to be his uncle, he understood more why he chose the mafia. After the smoke clears, someone will come to your rescue when you least expect it. 

The phone call from his ‘uncle’.

“Namjoon left specific instructions, if anything were to happen to him, I’d treat you like my own, and that’s what I plan to do.”

The retired mafia kingpin sent all his resources and pulled every string to honor his son's wish.

So after a few weeks, when he appeared in court dressed in guilty orange, he didn’t so much as bat an eye. 

His new legal team rallied around him, professing him as innocent and wrongfully prosecuted on baseless claims. And the judge? Somehow seen unfit to rule over this case, was replaced by a rookie, just barely out of law school. It all fell into place.

Junghyun sat in the courtroom, watching his brother sit back comfortably. It was a misuse of justice, a real shitshow if you ask him. 

“The court rules, not guilty.”

The court was adjourned. Jungkook was uncuffed and Junghyun was the first to approach him.

“What the hell did you do to pull this off?” He stands almost eye-to-eye with Jungkook, and the smirk on his face says it all, he’s gotten away with murder.

Before Jungkook could answer, from the crowd his mother ran up and embraced him.

“Jungkook,” She squeezed her eyes shut, savoring the moment, “come home with us, please-”

“I’m sorry…” His expression saddened, “You know I can’t.” He, for the first time in years, looked at her with love in his eyes.

“Excuse me, Mr. Jeon, after you get changed, we have a car ready for you,” The man positioned at the back of the courtroom with a pressed suit and manicured appearance stands in waiting, “We should get going.”

He hugs her one last time, and she knows he’s saying he loves her. But he has to go, he had to make that choice when he was just a teenager and he has to make it now. Soon, he is checked out and escorted into a luxury vehicle with dark tints, and in the seat beside him lies the items he was booked with.

“Where am I going?” 

“Master Kim’s residence.”

He doesn’t typically get anxious, but his nerves are getting to him today. Even though he’s out in the real world, feeling the sun on his skin and seeing the trees blow in the wind and the birds fly in the sky—there’s this eerie feeling. How did he manage this type of luck? What does he have to do in return for his freedom? There’s always a catch.

A butler of sorts opens the doors and leads Jungkook inside, calling him Mr. Jeon. 

“Please, make yourself comfortable,”

He directs Jungkook to sit in the formal living room in the grand home, he remembers this well. Namjoon brought him here a few times when he was just a boy, he could just taste the silver spoon Namjoon had in his mouth. Privilege, wealth, power—Namjoon was born with it. He always admired that, he wanted to be like him, more than anything.

“I’m glad to see you made it out, Jungkook” 

The elder Kim entered the room, commanding Jungkook’s full attention with just the sound of his voice.

“Sir,” Out of respect, Jungkook gets down on his knees in a full bow, “I’m in debt to you, thank you… This wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for you,’ He stays, headed fully facing the ground, “I don’t deserve this.”

“Favor isn’t deserved my child, it’s simply given,” He stood above Jungkook with a look of his endearment, “Have a seat, please.”

Jungkook does as he’s told. When he’s sat upright, he finally sees the mob veteran’s striking resemblance to his late son. He only recalls seeing him a couple of times in photos, but never in person like this. 

“You know, my son spoke very fondly of you,” 

Jungkook peeks up, resembling a timid little kid.

“He said you didn’t grow up with a lot, but had more potential and grit than anyone he’d ever met,” He continues, “I taught him to choose his family and regard them above anyone else, that’s the key to success in our line of work, you look out for your own,” He paused to sip his tea, “that’s why I chose to help you.”

“But I don’t understand,” He said, brows furrowed, “your son was killed because of me-’”

“Years ago, Namjoon asked me to do one thing for him, and that was to take you into the family,” He said sincerely, “he knew that if anything ever happened to him, he had to take care of you, even in death,”

“He…He arranged this?”

“Of course,” He laughs, “you were his favorite.”

Jungkook's mind raced as he processed the elder Kim’s words. The weight of Namjoon’s loyalty and sacrifice bore down on him, mingling with the relief of his newfound freedom.

“His favorite?” Jungkook repeated, still struggling to grasp the gravity of it all.

“Yes,” the elder Kim confirmed, his eyes softening. “He saw something in you, something worth protecting. That’s why I’ve pulled all the strings to keep you safe. Namjoon’s death was a tragedy, but his trust in you was unwavering.”

Jungkook looked down, the guilt gnawing at him. “I never meant for him to die, I don’t even know how it happened…”

The elder Kim shook his head. “In this world, things like that happen, Jungkook. But remember, Namjoon chose you. Honor his memory by living up to that belief.”

A heavy silence settled between them, broken only by the quiet ticking of a grandfather clock in the corner. “How do I do that?”

“Get some rest,” the elder Kim said, standing up. “Tomorrow, we’ll discuss your next steps.”

As Jungkook was led to his temporary quarters, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the test of his character was looming around the corner. The room he entered was lavish, a stark contrast to the cell he slept in the night prior. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

He saw the same face, but he knew he couldn’t be the same person. Not anymore.

[starplusfourletters]

Dark Force Rising rant incoming

So I’m open to the possibility that I am Enjoying the Media Incorrectly buuuuuuuuuuuuut Dark Force Rising is a comedy, right? Like, approaching a farce? If I were in charge of turning this into a movie my first step would be to get Chuck Jones on the line. But in that way I think it captures the OT energy perfectly because, like, the OT is very campy. I’d low-key started to forget that. Hey Disney I just remembered this is supposed to be fun

Come to Dark Force Rises we have:

Mara “No Really I’m Still Going to Kill Luke Skywalker” Jade. Mara “Imperial Policymaker” Jade. Mara “But I Thought I Was the Emperor’s Special-est Killing Machine” Jade. Mara “The Problem With the Modern Empire Is No One Trusts Each Other Anymore :’(” Jade. Mara “Exotic Dancer???” Jade. Mara “Has a Backdoor Access Code to All Imperial Star Destroyers and Is Somehow Still Bitter About Losing Her Position” Jade. She is nothing like what I expected and I love her

Luke “Lesbian Energy” Skywalker [Stand aside, Multiday Character Bonding Hiking Trip – Multiday Character Bonding Road Trip (in what I’m picturing as a Toyota Corolla) is coming]

Leia “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Everyone Else to Get on Your Motherfucking Level” Organa Solo

Han “The Clever One” Solo

Wedge “Fundamentally Just Some Guy” Antilles

Lando “Please Let This Be a Normal Field Trip” Calrissian

Taron “Work Friend Accidentally Becomes Real Friend” Karrde. Unfortunately he’s the only killable protag currently on the field soooooo

And then we have Thrawn. Poor sweet Thrawn. My guy. He’s playing 3D chess and everyone else – they’re not just eating the pieces, they’re losing the pieces entirely on accident. He’s always two steps ahead, but the protags have wandered off the trail because they saw something shiny. He sees the other characters start acting more and more erratic and he’s like “at last! My adversaries have developed a more intricate strategy!” and goes veering off in a different direction, and then smash cut to the protags being like “…wait he literally had us that time where did he go?” He’s flying circles around a New Republic plot that straight up doesn’t exist. He manages to capture the Falcon but ends up handing it to Luke as a gift-wrapped getaway car because of shenanigans he simply had no way to predict. He just wants an int-build playmate and every other character min/maxed charisma. He’s rapidly becoming my scrunkly meow meow

[theverumproject]

OC Smash or Pass Tag!

Thank you for the tag @topazadine! I was too late to vote on your post, but I would have befriended Uileac :)

I of course have to make this post about Dethra! This hot killer robot is the sexiest motherfucker in the entirety of the Verum Series! (Until now, he's gonna have some competition in the future ;) )

Dethra, originally known as “Project Deathrage”, was built to serve as a weapon of war. Fortunately, his highly developed AI gained sapience rather quickly. So he went against his creators and destroyed them all after they killed his best and only friend, Michael. The person who had helped him and kept his sapience a secret for years. 

Michael's last wish was for him to keep his daughter safe, Luce Balton, the main character of this series, starting off with Verum I: The Awakening

At the current point of my WIP, The Robotic Era (2093), Dethra is a leading scientist of the world. As a walking supercomputer, he has come up with many great ideas on how to improve life in the last couple of decades. While almost nobody knows about this side of Dethra, he is publicly known to be a serial killer and mass murderer. You see, he is somewhat of an anti hero. He is fighting for the good of humanity, he has given himself the purpose of protecting the innocent. But to protect the innocent, he kills the monsters of this world. He bloodies his hands to continue on hearing the joyful laughter of children, the chitter of a lovely couple and to see the bright eyes of an elderly person shining until their very last moments. For everybody felt safe and happy, in a world that has left behind its cruelty.

Dethra is a hulking piece of black metal (2.50 m / 8”2) that absorbs almost a hundred percent of light. He finds the peak male body aesthetically pleasing, so he built his body like one. His “abdominal muscles” are even highlighted with red lights. The same red as his unicolored eyes. But eyes are the only features that his face has, there is no nose or mouth, at least not one that you can see. He does have a little secret hidden inside his head though.

This killer robot is the definition of a gentle giant, a hard shell and a soft core. Two of the things that he absolutely loves are children and animals, he would do everything to protect them. He wishes he could have children, but he knows that he would never be the father that a child deserves. Gone so often from home, busy with one of his “killing sprees”. But he is happy to never be alone, after all, he does have a lovely boyfriend and girlfriend, with whom he shares an apartment with.

Their man loves to tease them in any way he can and he also always wants to make them laugh. He loves to be a smartass for fun and always bullies his loved ones. In a lighthearted way of course.

Pros:

Funny

Protective

Lovely to be with (When you're on his good side)

Loves animals and children

Highly intelligent

Very strong

Very fast

Quick thinking

Has invented many things

Can technically perform surgery

Confident

Attractive

Loyal

Is a robot

Amortal

Has saved countless of lives

Cons:

Kills a lot

Has committed many other crimes

Maybe a little difficult to kiss (Cuz he's so tall and doesn't have lips)

Brutality 

Has tortured people

Traumatized a thousands of people (even innocent people)

Not very soft to cuddle

Doesn't have the best reputation with certain people

Lack of empathy towards certain people

Morbid

Can get reckless (arson is pretty reckless, eh?)

Feared

Intimidating

If Dethra met you before he met his future boy– and girlfriend, and has madly fallen in love with you, would you smash or pass?

Tags: @creative-author @rivenantiqnerd @teamarine777 + open tag!

Get on my tag list here

[raccoonfallsharder]

what’s your favorite version of rocket? for me it’s between eidos rocket and mcu rocket

this is such a great question ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

it’s like asking “what’s your favorite star in the sky?” “which ice cream is the best ice cream?” “what flower do you prefer?” “what bird is the coolest bird?” “what cat is the best cat?”

it’s not that i don’t have a fave (i do, or at least i think i do), it’s just that im picking from such a fucken splendor of options. truly spoiled for choice. there’s no wrong answer here (although some of the comics artists have never, i think, seen a raccoon. here’s lookin at you timothy green ii).

so i’ll rank these motherfuckers but understand that i love them all differently. also im sticking to various versions of canon but honestly some of my fave rockets come from fanfiction writers like @hibatasblog, @caesarhamato22, @aliasrocket, & @elegant-fleuret ~ and what is mcu rocket or cartoon rocket or eidos rocket really but fanfiction with a budget?

anyone else who wants to share their faves and why, please do. it's so fucken fascinating to learn why certain rockets appeal to different people!

Grounded: Rocket Raccoon (2016) story by matthew rosenberg // pencil & ink by jorge coelho i love this furry bastard so much and this whole arc pulls on all my heartstrings which is probably why my first rocket fanfic was based off this storyline. he's at his snarkiest, most cynical self, still saving people in spite of how fucken thankless everyone around him is. as much as comics-rocket talks about how everything he does is for the money, i feel like this series really exemplifies his begrudging willingness to do the right thing for people even when people suck. i just wanna love on him tbh (platonically, romantically, domestically). wanna take care of him. wanna build him a blanket-fort and feed him hot cocoa. grumpy asshat

MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014-2023) created by james gunn, et al. nose to tail, this rocket has the most consistent and coherent character development and we get to see so many sides of him in one long-lived arc, and it's fucking beautiful. just because of the nature of comics in general, we never get to see this much growth in any single incarnation of rocket. but here we have sad-rocket, dad-rocket, lonely-rocket, friend-rocket, baby-rocket, captain-rocket - i love him so much and what this movie has given us in terms of a fully-fleshed out character. plus we get to hear lines like "oh yeah" (you know EXACTLY what i'm talkin about) and his goddamn singing. not to mention that beautiful expressive face.... the way he moves when he's beating the shit out of ravagers... what? huh? where was i?

Rocket Raccoon: Blue River Score (2017) story by al ewing // pencil & ink by adam gorham i fucken love this comic arc. we get a lot of rocket in a suit and we get to see his impulsive behavior, his softness for otta (and by extension, his desire to love/be loved) despite their history, his cleverness in the colon and the final heist, and his relationship with gatecrasher. PLUS if you thought one sad snarky gun-wielding maniac wasn't enough, there's a subplot where rocket and deadpool team up and it's the best thing in the world. just a perfect little kiss from every five-star chef in the galaxy. i love rocket's last few lines to deadpool in this segment. perfection

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Game. (2021) by eidos-montreal and marvel entertainment. just to note: 4,5, and 6 got real murky for me in terms of figuring out how to rank these rockets. i wish i could watch this game multiple times so i could get a better feel for who this rocket is but it is SUCH an undertaking tbh. still, this rocket is so good. bitter, hilarious, sassy, isolated. i love him so much. i just want to play with his beard and also say lots of nice (occasionally naughty) things to him so he blushes really hard like in that sequence where pete was like "you deserve some praise" (i think that was the closest we've ever seen rocket to actual death, volume three included). there's a thing about rockets-in-general that i think this rocket in particular really pulls out of me: the desire to trust, and to be worthy of trust. ...that and the fact that you just know this guy is fuckin filthy. when he decides he wants you, he's gonna make you miserable in all the best ways. like, the level of teasing would be so over-the-top you might spontaneously combust before you get into bed (though luckily, he is an expert when it comes to manipulating combustibles).

Assorted other comic appearances that I've smushed into one thing in my mind. i dunno, friend. rocket who blames himself for pete's apparent death breaks my heart. rocket who thinks he's the only one of the guardians left breaks my heart. rocket who blames himself for groot's death breaks my heart. rocket who is sick and alone on halfworld like an animal crawling under the porch to die but ends up leaving inside a giant mech-suit to save his friends breaks my heart. rocket who protects chewy's kids breaks my heart even though it's supposed to be a lighthearted fucken arc. there are more.

Rocket Raccoon, Volume 2. (2014-205) story by skottie young, pencil & ink by various artists. yo. this rocket is so different and yet still perfectly rocket. he's a hyped-up little gremlin of a guy who fucks and is probably constantly high off blaster-fumes and engine-fuel. i fucken love him so much. imagine rocket with no self-confidence issues who pops caffiene pills and energy drinks every half-hour and smashes anything that can orgasm, and you've got a skottie young rocket. while other rockets might get you off because they think they've got something to prove or want to keep you coming back, this is a rocket who has learned how to use his tail solely for the fact that it's a claim to fame that means he can get laid anytime he wants. he never lacks for an excited partner (or partners) because everyone in sixty-nine systems knows how fuckin good he is. ultimately, he fucks like a god for the most (apparently) selfish, shallow reasons (and then inevitably ghosts his partners). or maybe not. maybe he's also just obsessed with the idea that anything he's gonna do, he has to do over-the-top. like planning an intergalactic scavenger hunt for your friend's birthday. ...but scrape the surface and underneath you find a guy who's just so afraid of being the only one of his kind that he's gotta fuck or shoot everything in his vicinity. what a wild little shithead. i love him so much, so much. p.s. the fron storyline - the cold, parts one and two - is one of my favorites. he loves groot so much. and princess jink is the fucken best

Guardians of the Galaxy TV Series/Cartoon. (2015-2019). i enjoyed this rocket and his gremlin ways. his fascination with duct tape is a particular point of charm. the take on his backstory was interesting. loved the episode with ja kyee lrurt - like it was so fuckin cute i could die. i need more of THAT storyline in particular.

Rocket & Groot TV Series/Cartoon. (2017) i loved this so much but it just left me wanting more (just because, you know, of the nature of this type of short-episode media). big skottie young energy. ultimately, trevor devall does a fine job but i think his voice in both this and the other cartoon make it a little harder for me to fully embrace these rockets. like his interpretation of rocket's voice just doesn't match mine, you know? and that's okay. still would rewatch 5,739 times.

how's that? i still need to watch telltale but i think i got most of the iterations in there lol. anyone i forgot, or who is worth specifically pulling out and mentioning by author/issue/edition?

[disappointingcabbage]

TDP Season 6 Episode 1 live reaction, spoilers under the cut

Who is this man crying?

What the fuck it’s Aaravos

Ok so Aaravos showing actual emotion was not on my 2024 bingo card

Genuinely why does his crying sound autotuned

There’s another startouched elf??? Who is she?????

Why is the intro still Viren getting statued??? He’s dead

Oh ok his statue got disintegrated

Yup he’s dead

Terry my beloved

O h n o he’s gonna find viren’s body

Bro why are you sobbing over this racist motherfucker

WAIT WHAT

HE’S ALIVE ????? WHY IS HE ALIVE????

oh no Claudia’s covered in blood

NOOO THE LITTLE MOTH GREMLIN SHE DID THE SACRIFICE

Oh damn Viren is fully redemption arcing and he has Regrets

“No parent wants their child to suffer for them” first of all tell that to Soren. Atone for your bullshit. Second of all you’ve clearly never met my mother

Ah shit Aaravos convinced Claudia to let him out

Viren’s actually putting his foot down and saying no. I never would have predicted this pre-s5 but now it makes total sense and I love that the writers are sticking with his character development

Oh ew this show is actually going to get me to like Viren I hate that

He’s going to Katolis to turn himself in. Based tbh.

Claudia what the fuck though like girlie your whole point of everything was to get your dad back and he’s fine now why are you still going along with Aaravos

Oof her voice acting in this scene is incredible though

Also she’s still missing that leg. I hope she gets either a cool prosthetic or an even cooler mobility aid.

Soren has opening blindfolded for some reason. The reason is either going to be A Secret Meeting for Very Not Good Ominous Reasons or something very funny

Based on the tone of the scene I’m assuming it’s the funny option

LMAO LORD BREADSANDWICH SOREN I LOVE YOU

Oh it’s just a season 5 recap in the high mage’s office

Oooh they’re deciding what to do with aaravos’s prison

I get he’s on the high council and all but why is Barius here???

Callum wants to destroy the prison, Opeli wants to assemble a multi-kingdom task force to protect it, and Barius wants to hide it

I’m with Callum or Barius tbh, the multi kingdom task force idea exposes too many people to potentially be manipulated by aaravos.

However, hiding it means that it can be found probably and exposes everyone who already knows about it to Aaravos, and destroying it runs the risk of freeing him accidentally.

Soren with the LOTR reference 💀

Rayla has the same issues as me with destroying it

Ezran has decided to hide it in katolis, smart choice

oh no, Zym’s sad about Zubeia

Callum wants to visit this ancient faction of skywing elves for info on A) yeeting the pearl out of existence and B) un-coining Rayla’s family (please let them out)

Callum is right to be afraid of aaravos manipulating him tbh

Awww one of the baitlings sleeps in Callum’s bed

Oh god aaravos nightmares oh FUCK WHY ARE YOU SLEEPWALKING

what the fuck what the fuck whY IS HE IN THE PEAR WHAT WAS THAT IMAGE OF AARAVOS YEETING THE PEARL F E A R

Rayla do NOT dismiss Callum’s concerns like that

“I have an idea” *fucking sprints away to enact said idea without elaborating* peak autism moment

I’m sorry, you want to stop aaravos with the power of pastries?

“Sometimes I wonder where my mom is too” SOBBING

awwwww bait has a little four poster bed that’s so cute

AHDIEJXIEKF BARIUS DID AN “is it real or is it cake” WITH A FUCKING PEARL DECOY IM WHEEZING

Ooh anti spell blankie

“I have my blankie 😎” Callum I would die for you

Soren and zym are going on a quest to find Zubeia and Callum and Rayla are going to see the Celestial Elves but more importantly, each questing squad is taking a baby bait with them!!

If the one going with Soren isn’t Hat I will be very disappointed

Claudia why are you ominously standing over Terry and trauma dumping

Claudia what are you doing with the staff

Claudia no please don’t hurt him if you hurt him it’s transphobic

Oh ok she’s just walking her toxic ass out of the relationship cool

Terry don’t wait for her she doesn’t deserve it

[bizlybebo]

Because its on my mind Im sending this as a "Ramble about it here when you get to X episode" ask. When you finish the episodes titled black, white and grey please rant about them here. They are great and I want to see your opinions

hahaha. hi endy.

the staring at the wall evolved into falling asleep and randomly waking up at 4am, still processing these episodes.

i wrote down. some of my thoughts now having experienced the full thing and got kind of carried away with um. 1.4k words of rambling :3

it’s not even all i want to say but i. ough. fuck these episodes were so good but so. auugggh.

it’s like 5am now im posting this and gonna try to go back to sleep but. holy fucking SHIT when i get you bizly.

(i don’t at all expect you to read this behemoth of a ramble!! just. need to put this somewhere as well because my brain’s still exploding after these episodes)

When season two started I thought it marked a lot of stuff for, y’know, how the show was gonna get darker. I mean, episode one, people were getting killed by a chaos demon in that prison.

I was entirely expecting all the ugly, gory bits of season two to be… external shit. Stuff that other guys, the actual antagonists, did.

But William felt pressured in Black. And suddenly it sets off this chain reaction, and suddenly one of our protagonists is no longer doing heroic things. Suddenly William is effectively torturing a guy psychologically in an attempt to save thousands more with David’s medical research.

He fell into the crux of a lot of villains: “It’s for the greater good”.

There was no going back after he stabbed Tide with the syringe. Tide, who never even had his guard up around William because despite everything, he trusted him and had immeasurable faith in his boys.

White is probably my favorite and least favorite episode, simultaneously, to ever come out of jrwi. The emotional, symbolic, and hell, even cinematic effect it has is insane.

I could fucking scream forever about Willian’s actions in White. About Vyncent’s inactions and the way he was torn about everything— about the fact that in season one, Vyncent was the “violent” one.

But Mark and Dakota fucking hit me in the heart to an insane amount.

Dakota. MOTHERFUCKING. Cole.

I said this before, but:

It’s the fact that Dakota still has optimism. He still has hope, at the very least, that Mark can change; turn over a new leaf for his kid.

“I think he should turn over a new leaf, like, with a new hero name, like�� Soundwave, or something.”

He still thinks, or at least thought, that Mark can change. This was after he saw what he did to Lightspeed. He saw the worst of Mark’s actions but he still had faith and hope that there was a good person in there.

This shows so much fucking growth for Dakota’s character. The entire development of his morals, especially over season 2, is insane.

But Mark tries to kill Dakota. Several times.

He shoots at him, unleashes hundreds of bullets, and even tries to stab him. He couldn’t predict that Dakota would be incorporeal, and yeah, sure, you could say that he didn’t know Dakota forfeited his powers (and even without him he’s still significantly stronger than other kids his age). But even with his powers, Dakota would still have taken significant damage from the attacks.

Dakota and Mark’s rivalry is something I could pick apart and think about every little piece of forever.

They both have overwhelming love for Ashe, but it manifests in different ways.

Mark says it himself, “I am what I have to be.” He’s bringing home his kid by any means necessary. Ashe doesn’t have to like him, she just has to be safe and alive.

Dakota’s entire screaming match with Mark is engraved into my brain forever. It felt so real to witness, and the emotion in it was insane.

Dakota’s entire proclamation gets me. He’s so well spoken throughout despite shaking with how angry he is.

“I have been killing myself trying to train hard enough to save her.”

“If you were doing this for Ashe you wouldn’t do things that she’d hate you for.” But Mark is what he has to be.

Dakota never stands down. He keeps getting back up, and back up, and back. Up. Okehrjwjr I’m actually going to start crying thinking about this again.

When he was searching for Lightspeed and following Wavelength’s tracks, he kept asking himself: What would William do? Because he had faith in William’s decision making and investigation.

But at the very same time, William was wondering what Dakota would think about what he’s done.

And GOD don’t get me started on William and his brother.

In a sick, twisted way, I loved their dynamic. I loved what it meant for William narratively when David congratulated his work of defeating Xavier, even calling him “little brother” as a term of endearment. I was on the edge of my seat for their entire conversation in the meeting room.

David gave William his first drink, like older brothers do. William tortured a man because of his brother. David had apple juice sitting on hand because their mother told him to, just in case William ever showed up. William wanted apple juice. He killed somebody.

Cantrip’s been FUCKING me up. I couldn’t even write the word “death” after her name. It doesn’t feel real.

This can’t be the same show in which Jade was sitting on Xavier’s shoulders during mario kart, nonchalantly offering no help as he fought for his life to win like. Second place.

I mean, Jade was such a candid and real character. She was a teenager, just like the rest of the Prime Defenders, and she tried to take a turn for better things after leaving the fighting ring. She went from villainy to vigilantism, and sure, her morals were kind of skewed with how she seemed pretty okay with Alan killing the Bell Tech employees, but her motives were good, in a sense.

(“It’s all for the greater good”. It’s the same thing William was thinking, except William was directly dirtying his hands by torturing Xavier, while Cantrip was just accepting that Alan killed some people.)

I think there’s something to say for how William creates a vision of Cantrip out of smoke, distorting her into some monster, and how that’s the last time we see her image at all before learning of the fact that she’s. Gone.

The last time we see the real Jade, she’s just trying to escape. She doesn’t even talk, if I remember correctly. She just tries to get out. She gets shot in the arm but still persists.

And William ends up being the one who pulls the trigger; who injects the memory loss shit into her blood.

He’s the one who kills her, despite not knowing it at the time.

And David still masquerades as an innocent man, going as far as to relax at his apartment with him and William’s parents as though the events of the previous night never happened.

It fucks me up how the last words that Will and David exchanged before the confrontation in the apartment was:

“Don’t turn into a supervillain while I’m gone.”

“You either.”

William was starting to believe that David was a guy with awful methods, but good intentions— and William felt as though he was the same way. He saw himself becoming David, but David manipulated him into thinking that, hey, it’s awful, but at least he wouldn’t be… alone, I guess, in being a horrible person.

William and David finally saw eye to eye on the worst thing.

And David. Still. Lied.

Lied by omission.

And Jade was the one who took the fall for William’s actions. Jade, the girl who made fun of William for his crush on Vyncent. Jade, who had a sister she cared about, even if she scoffed about her love of heroes— despite the implication that their parents died because of them (likely caught in crossfire or casualties of battle). Jade, who painted her nails and placed bets on William kissing Vyncent, saying he’d be too pussy to do so. Jade, who found herself in a fucking fighting arena of all places but still found friends through it.

Jade, who was the first one to trust William with her actual name instead of Cantrip.

William, who killed her.

And. Fucking Christ.

Vyncent’s monologue at the end of episode 33 just. Fucks me up.

For the entire greyscale series, he finds himself suspended in inaction, too scared to do the right thing and too scared to stop the wrong thing.

But he finally faces it. He looks at William, certainly with fear after knowing all that he’s done, and even still, Vyncent dances around the morality of the subject. He accepts if William wants to flat-out lie to Dakota’s face about what happened at Bell Tech, though he does warn him of the significant damage it’ll do to their friendship.

And when William asks Vyncent to leave the room at the end of the episode, Vyncent finally takes a leap and becomes no longer caught by his indecision between apathy and guilt.

He looks at William, thinking he’s on the edge of something he won’t come back from, and he takes his hand, and pulls Wlliam back from the metaphorical cliff’s edge. If William does fall, then they’re falling together.

His entire proclamation, starting with “I’ve had so many opportunities to do the right thing”, fucking guts me.

God I’ve been typing for like. An hour now but the greyscale series really fucked me up holy shit.

tldr: AAAAUUUUIGGHHHHKEKGKKSKVMEMGOOCU:$)&2’ynkejvjk4&3&582$2!:$?82&;&/&(929@,@2&(&2&&?EVIL EVIL EVIL GOD IS DEADDDDJGKRMHKSKKKKLLEKCKSJGJKSICIWKFMSKGIWIIIAI&383&5&?&?@39(92@?&&/8:7;&,£,]*+\+<*]¥<**]+<+¥sfkwkfkkwjfkI HATE EVERYTHING AOUUGGGHHHHHH OUUUUUUEHEHRHRHRJKGHRHRHRRRRRRR

i am emotionally attached to this media a normal amount

[bloodgulchblog]

It occurs to me that I've actually had new people showing up in the uh, months. Since the last chapter. So.

ZITA, WHAT THE FUCK IS TOUCHSTONE?

Last December I was goofing around with friends on discord and ended up with the absurd idea of writing a oneshot where a supporting character from Halo 4 Spartan Ops has sex with Master Chief. Because this was so ridiculous and funny to me, both because Miller is a nobody character in Halo and Chief is one of the most impossible motherfuckers to write a sex oneshot about that feels remotely in-character, the project quickly grew in scope and got out of hand as I figured out it was fun to work on and it turned out to be a great place to do character study nonsense about Master Chief. (My favorite guy.)

Also, Roland keeps worming his way in there and writing about AIs is also really fun.

WHO IS MILLER/WAIT YOU MEAN MILLER ISN'T AN OC?

Miller is a Spartan-IV who tells you new waves of enemies are showing up for you to shoot in Spartan Ops. Also, he gets bullied alternately by Commander Palmer and Roland (the Infinity's AI, if you don't remember) a lot. Miller gets nervous easily and is trying so hard at all times. He is kind of endearing if you are endeared by characters that have powerful was-shoved-in-a-locker-in-high-school energy.

Also, once again, he is a whole entire fully-augmented, armored Spartan-IV and he mostly has a desk job calling out objectives and pulling in mission data for other Spartans. And that is hilarious to me.

CAN YOU PLEASE SUMMARIZE WHAT HAPPENS BECAUSE THE AO3 SUMMARY ISN'T ENOUGH FOR ME AND/OR I DON'T HAVE TIME BUT REALLY WANT TO KNOW

Understandable. Can do.

It's set between Halo 4 and Halo 5, during a point in time where the UNSC Infinity is in dry dock above Earth for a shit ton of maintenance it needed after Halo 4/Spartan Ops/Halo comics events. The story is actually like right before the start of Halo 5.

Chief's in a really bad place emotionally between 4 and 5, not just from the events of Halo 4 and the obvious death of Cortana but also because the world got weirder on him while he was dead (he's still not used to Spartan-IVs or the new status quo post-Covenant war) and because his ability to cope with stress and doing badly is finally hitting its limit. There's something wrong with him, his bosses know he's doing bad, and he can't seem to stop.

Spartan Command has decided that Blue Team needs to be assigned a consistent Spartan-IV mission handler for ops. This is standard procedure for all Spartan fireteams, but Blue Team was a special exception because they're Blue Team for a while. On its face, Blue Team being assigned a mission handler is just the Spartans standardizing Blue Team with how things work and it's not a slight. But the subtext that's obvious to everyone is something's wrong with Blue Team. (And that something is whatever is wrong with Master Chief.)

Miller's involved because Miller, as one of the Infinity's Spartan-IV mission handlers, is a candidate for the role. So, Miller is one of several people doing practice simulation ops with Blue Team to see how well they work together. During this, Miller develops a stupid little crush on Chief because Chief is just so damn impressive in an op and treats Miller with basic politeness and decency. It's the worst.

Meanwhile, Blue Team is planning to use the time over Earth as an opportunity to take some well-deserved time off. They're worried about Chief, and frustrated with him because he doesn't want to go on vacation with them. (Because, again, Chief is doing so so bad emotionally and it's a canon fact that he keeps refusing to take time off during this period.)

So. A situation develops where Miller kind of blurts out awkwardly hitting on Chief, and Chief thinks about it and decides to pursue. They're not dating, they're not boyfriends, this can't be a romance, but what if this is something he does to be nice to another person? Can he do that? Is it okay if he does that? Is this the final not-okay thing he does that will make his world crash apart and force him to fix himself the way he hasn't been able to make himself do this whole time?

Also, meanwhile, the B plot is Roland likes Miller a lot and doesn't communicate that well, keeps teasing him, and is surprised that he's not better friends with Miller. Roland is trying to befriend Miller better/more genuinely despite the absolute gold mine of teasing material (the whole Master Chief crush situation) he has been granted now.

I get to write a lot of fun things I enjoy writing: An anxious character struggling and trying not to embarrass himself, an AI living an AI existence and approaching the world in a weird AI way because he's not human, and Whatever The Fuck Is Wrong, Psychologically, With Master Chief (it's a lot it's so many things he's going through so much so badly.)

In short: Master Chief has a dumb little fling with an anxious Spartan nerd. It won't last, and it will be so weird and awkward, but it's about two people trying to be kind to one another in a way that matters for a short time while they can.

WOW THAT SOUNDS GREAT, WHERE IS IT?

Over here!

[princess-of-the-corner]

Any thoughts on how Mic & Aizawa got together in CC? Like, did they start dating in high school? After they graduated? Was there a painful pining phase that made all their friends want to kill them?

OH GOD SO LIKE

I hinted before that it was a poly thing with them and Oboro(who was probs the one who asked them out if Midnight didn't watch them all pining and smack them upside the head) and like.

They did get together in high school and that was mostly just some normal pining and such but also due to the Oboro situation that went sideways for a bit.

Oboro's death kinda. Hit them hard in different ways and swung between finding comfort in each other but more often than not it was just. A lot. For them to be with each other.

Mic is handling things.... decently. He's more bottling everything up and it /will/ come out one day but he's just kinda trying his best to move forward while Aizawa is kinda lost in grief. And that does kinda fuck them up because Mic is upset that Aizawa doesn't seem to be trying to make progress while Aizawa's in the 'how dare you try to move on' thing. (neither are right or wrong here but god do they need therapy)

They didn't explicitly break up, but they weren't exactly together anymore.

And then I'm like. I'm speedrunning Aizawa's character development so that a lot of it happened pre-Canon of him like. Coping by overcompensating. Pushing himself too hard. And eventually taking out his anger on people who aren't pushing themselves to the same unhealthy extent in the same unhealthy ways

Ms. Joke was kinda the first target in this, given her entire persona is about being goofy and all so when given close proximity... but she's also got thick skin and is a determined motherfucker and is like "I can fix him!" (baby girl please your taste in men is awful)

This continues for a while and even into Aizawa's first year as a UA teacher where he just starts randomly expelling any student he feels isn't extremely dedicated and taking it seriously. Which is, ultimately, all of his students within the first like month. Because they're dumbass 15 year olds who are mostly trauma-free ofc they're gonna good off and not buckle down and be serious all the goddamn time.

Nezu is like 'look I love some chaos as much as anyone else HOWEVER you need to get your shit together because I can't have you expelling literally all of your students. PLEASE get therapy!'.

Which does piss Aizawa off for a bit. Because he's heavily projecting. He lost someone. Any of them could die at any moment they need to take this seriously and prepare for it! They're here to be Heroes not have fun! Not taking things seriously will get them killed!

This does swing back around to Ms. Joke who does end up snapping at him of just like a 'god don't you get it? People have to have fun and goof off and be fuckin happy sometimes or else they're absolutely miserable and probably just want to die!'(she might like being silly and all but humor is /also/ a coping mechanism for her)

And it's.... yeah just her snapping and pointing that out does kinda. Hit. In having him realize that 'oh I'm very much Not Okay™'.

Which gets him to actually get his ass some therapy so he can help process the grief and the whole like. You're allowed to take a break, you're allowed to be happy and do things that aren't serious when you don't have to be on the job you don't have to be paranoid 24/7 that someone else you love is gonna fuckin drop.

After a bit of this he does meet up with Mic again to talk on just. Everything. Kind of apologize. Mic def hits his own breaking point here too. And they need to do a bit of work but GOD do they miss each other.

Slowly but surely they work on themselves and each other and by the time of CC they've gotten to the point where they're married now and while they still have some hiccups they're a hell of a lot better.

ofc we get the added 'oh hey your dead boyfriend is actually alive but was kidnapped, experimented on, given amnesia, and has been forced into villainy for the last 10+ years and for bonus points he's a dilf now' drama later

[colloquialcolors]

okay, having finished horizon forbidden west today (yayyy), a word vomit of post-completion i itial response/thoughts written in a tinely manner bc i Do need to commute to work in about. uh. 6 and a half hours.

- what do you MEAN. The zeniths brought a DIFFERENT EXISTENTIAL THREAT EVIL AI BACK WITH THE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THESE MOTHERFUCKERS BROUGHT BACK A MANIFESTATION OF THEIR OWN HUBRIS AND FLAWS AND ITS GOING TO. FUCKING. KILL THE EARTH. AND NOW THEYRE DEAD AND I HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.

- FOR FUCKS SAKE.

- I JUST. SAVED THE WORLD. CAN YOU ASSHOLES STOP DOOMING IT FOR LIKE. FIFTEEN MINUTES.

- I am very pleased that this time they reset to AFTER the final mission so I can actually feel like Aloy gets some kind of a break after saving the world. again. Like the world is still ending but i can let her take a lap on a sunwing or have her eat some food or something without IMMEDIATE WORLD EXTINCTION hanging over her head.

- It was a little sad to have the base be so emoty tho :( void of everyone except Beta (yay) and Sylens (auUuuughhhhHHHHH)

- OKAY. backtracking.

- Really, genuinely, truly, LOVE how they did Aloy's character arc and development for this game. It was a very intentional choice and I think they pulled it off REALLY admirably.

- It is a very specific, extremely well supported, completely reasonable character trait to have Aloy not know how to ask for help or operate with help, and be independent to a fault. It was very intentional to have her unlearning that as the core emotional arc for the game and it did it. So well.

- Starting the game with Aloy lying to her friends, leaving a celebration early, and going off to start saving the world again, solo, was SUCH beautiful and crisp characterization and sets the bar so wonderfully. Erend and Varl pissed at her for it but still helping, resigned to the behaviour and still steadily working at it. Augahguagahh. friendship. my bread and butter.

- And Aloy growing out of it was NOT a one and done over. It was a growth, over the course of the game- it was a matter of repeated lessons, of various scenarios and people proving themselves, and intentional efforts and missteps. And it means in the last mission, when Aloy is delegating tasks and checking in with people and thanking them for coming- but not trying to turn them away- the difference is so fucking felt. Its core deep, and about someone who understands, fundamentally, how important relying on others and having others is.

- And its just- im not super pleased about all the details of HOW they did it. But I underatand why they killed Varl, from a storytelling standpoint, and I just. The person who was so dogged about getting her to accept help, who Aloy was so clearly pushing away in part because she was worried about getting him hurt or killed. His connections to Zo and everyone else are what starts the base. He is why Aloy can grow that way. And he dies before he sees the full fruition of it. He falls to exactly what Aloy was so scared of- dead as a casualty of a mission she felt was hers.

- But it is because of what he'd done up until that point, that Aloy does not shatter from the loss. Its BECAUSE of what he'd done that his loss does not set her back in connecting and caring about people and accepting help. Letting them risk themselves!!! His work is what secures her ability to survive when he is lost to exactly what she was scared of!! fuck!!!!!

- Shes going around after his death and- shes asking other people how other people are doing, which is so funny to me. queen of emotions. but shes doing it! His absence is his presence and his presence defines the nature of his absence and. the outline love leaves when it goes or w/e. im . auaghgha. varl ilu.

- This isnt even getting into the Beta scenario which like- god. god. Aloy you're kind of awful and I love you. you are ill adjusted and well intentioned and deeply hard on yourself and then you meet. yourself. except not and THATS how you learn to be kinder to yourself. and others. delicious! fucked up! beautiful. Aloy is yelling at Beta about why arent you better and wow the layers. again. wonderfully done.

- So. given all that. you'd think they would have been able to write Zo's reaction to Varl better than that, huh.

- Like damn how did you guys fuck that up right next to the great main plot.

- ugahjhh.

- I really. loved. the way the base grew and changed over the course of the game. The steady creeping of the plants. Items moving in. The way things were added to Aloy's room even though she was never sleeping in it. (The image of people creeping in and adding stuff so that the scant moments when Aloy is there she could enjoy things..... aaaa).

- Kotallo!! What a lovely character. He definitely grew on me. I appreciated the way he had the arm at the end but didnt really opt to keeo it on permanently. In general- idk. I liked the dynamic he and Aloy had at the end. 👌

- Alva. Sweetheart. mixed feelings as a character but I think I understand her archetype so she was. fine. In general the quen really just had me >:|

- fucking. techbro asses. fucking tech bro c e o fucking hero worship fucking dumbasses ugHHhhhhh.

- LOVED the designs of the clans otherwise though- Plainsong? Fucking stunning. The different Tenakth areas incorporating the local terrain!

- The museum in the Tenakth area, and how it fed into the specifics of their founding beliefs and culture? Fucking. Loved it. Bits piecemeal that get focused on and turned into a world and founding belief... dont have words for it rn but really good.

- Talanah spending her whole sidequest being like. Oh God. My Man :( was kind of. eh. but listen shes a girlboss who fixed the Hunters Lounge so she can do whatever she wants. including being really concerned over her manz for her whole plot. u get ur guy. i support you.

- Petra im glad youre doing well im SO sorry i couldnt flirt with you more actively.

- Erend is lovely once its clear he is no longer trying to hit on Aloy. the two of them mourning varl makes me. im fine. its fine or w/e. goddammit.

- Three cheers for various Quality Of Life changes. I am So Glad i never had to inventory manage in this game!!! incredible!!!! pulse your focus!!! wow!!!!!

- LAS VEGAS AREA MY BELOVED. BRIGHT LIGHTS AND SPECTACLE THAT ARE ZERO SUBSTANCE. MONUMENT TO BOTH FLASHY SPECTACLE WITH NO VALUE AS WELL AS INHERENT HUMAN LOVE FOR SHOWMANSHIP AND ADVENTURE AND SHARING EXPERIENCES.

- God I just . Underwater las vegas area. The moment when the water drains and all the lights are on around you and its so meaningless but also like- hey humans did all that! all these stupid advertisments and meaningless announcements about deals long gone and its doesnt mean anything anymore. But it matters that people made it. And its still. Beautiful.

- also tideripper :)

- aaauhh. also. Hodgins from Bones as the inventor guy. 👌

- New machine designs in this game? fucked severely. Slaughterspines? big bat? solar panel ptearodactly? LOCH NESS MONSTER?

- That said the AOE and rolling/stagger in this game is a BITCH.

- Rich People Be Fucking Shit Up as a theme is so funny. and devastating. they do be doing that. haha. :|

- Watching the last hour and Tilda was into Elisabet and Alva had a GF in the Quen and *gestures ay Aloy* and its just so funny like. damn aloy you got so many gays here in your base huh. good on you.

- the. the end. where the new risk is there. and she doesnt tell them. and you go. ah fuck. but then. in the cutscene, immediately after- its clear she does. and she talks about hope. and relying on others and its like. AughhHHhHHHH. growth. she does not tell them when they are celebrating. but she DOES tell them. she takes the moment to breathe. and she tells them. and she works with them. and shes going to work with them. Love It When A Character Develops.

👌

- ah fuck i need to sleep.

- Fun mechanics. Beautiful extension of the game. High highs for writing as well as low lows.

- Someone let Aloy take a fucking NAP, jesus christ.

[little-doggy-girl-kisser]

My thoughts on atla new adaption thingy

okay i understand why bUT WHY is there so much exposition, hate hate hate the new intro, show dont tell motherfuckers

However yes thats Aang 100%

omfg how much explanation of the avatar cycle do we need

idk i think aang just leaving to clear his head and getting lost in the storm rather than choosing to run away after he finds out hes the avatar makes his character and development a lot less interesting

all the scenery tho- omg its so good

OKAYOKAY ik im just used to the over expressiveness of the voice acting but i cant get over how much more drab? they sound

I love sokka so far, hes my fav character from the cartoon, kinda love his new more lowkey sarcasm

one problem with the costuming- the water tribe outfits look so thin and cheap, like they should be in thick furs

please please please, who is this series for, the over explanations make it seem like its for a younger audience but theres like no humor or jokes at all, also like pretty distressing scenes for like children

damn zuko got some drawing skills

anyways this show is already a train wreck and i can feel that im going to hate it so im stopping at one episode for now please suki save me

[thedevilsoftruth]

Haven't posted in a while, but something that was really bugging me a lot was some shit I noticed when rewatching the Moon Knight series that I think a lot of comic book fans could relate to. I know, Mr " um actually " comic book guy is talking right now but imma need you all to bare with me here for a second. and before any of you start typing, please remember everything said here is MY opinion. All I ask is that you're respectful. I'm going to start of with how I don't understand the hype around this motherfucker.

Literally the most whiniest mf in the ENTIRETY of the MCU. The only people who can like or tolerate this bitch are mfs who have 9 hours of daily screen time on TikTok, listen to hyperpop music and think that he's a soft uwu meow meow baby girl hurt emo princess boy.

Moon Knight is literally one of the most metal superheros out there and the directors saw that and said, " now imagine that but we make his woman so much better than him and water him down and completely change his back story and then wipe our asses with it, spit on it and then pretend we were trying to show representation. " Like what the fuck are you fucking doing?

My first problem is that I felt like this show focused too much on Layla and her relationship to Marc... Nvm, Sorry I lied. Not Marc, fucking STEVEN. This show isn't about " Layla ", its about MARC and Steven and JAKE. (I'll talk about Jake later) Like can we just... " Are you an Egyptian superhero? " " I am. 🥺" GIRL BYE 💀💀 this part of this show was so bad it made eternals look good. This was cringe on the level of seeing your mother do a dab. All that episode 6 was about was Layla kicking ass and that's it. I don't understand why Kevin Feige has the urge to make everything about badass women. Like theres ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with that, I love badass women and we need more women superheros, but I'm just saying, I came here to watch MOON KNIGHT not Layla El-faouly.

So funny how they make a show about Marc Spector and he only gets like 20 minutes out of the 6 hours of the entirety of the show. I think the most time he got on screen was like episode five and maybe two but that's about it. It felt like he was only there to make things depressing and to make Steven Grant have better character development because he himself is just so fucking boring and not funny. Marc Spector is so much more than " I got hit as a kid and my alter ego is fucking my ex wife. " He's a Jewish antihero struggling with a personality disorder that's eating his life away and a toxic relationship with a man who's been basically lying, emotionally abusing, and manipulating him since his CHILDHOOD. What I love most about Marc Spector is that he's not like all other these mighty superheros, he's just some dude. He just some dude with real human struggles like you and me, trying to figure himself out and navigate through his disorder. Marc should have had a bigger role in this show but I guess Steven Grant and Layla were more interesting than him. Steven is the main course, Layla is the desert and Marc is the salad off to the side that's barley been eaten.

Steven Grant is not a shy British man with great manners who works in a gift shop and is giving in his moms flat, he's a savvy millionaire ( who's from Chicago, Illinois, so as Marc and Jake ) who works in the film industry and lives in a mansion. Those are two completely different characters. Everyone that I've seen who's criticized Steven in the slightest has said that he was bland, boring, and the producers were trying too hard to make him funny. You can't try to have something that's just straight up sad happening with a character and then pretend that it's funny and try to make it into comedy. That's just not how it works and it's not realistic. That's why movies like The Crow are good and movies like Renfield are bad. The Crow takes itself seriously and is genuinely sad but lightly sprinkled with comedy, Renfield wanted to be a bit sad, but ruined itself by trying to hard to make every scene funny.

The only good scene in this entire show is the scene where Marc says, " you are you the only real superpower I ever had " or whatever the fuck. I didn't pay attention because all I could think about was the scene from frozen where Anna fucking froze and Elsa cried about it and then unfroze her with her tears or something. I guess her tears must have been really hot.

What I'll give Muhammad Diab credit for is casting. Having Layla be Egyptian is good, and having Oscar Isaac casted as Marc is also really good. Everyone In the comics is white for a character normally centered around Egyptian bullshit. They also got Khonshus personality right and that's about it.

I hate how the producers said that this show was all about " representation" and then didn't add Frenchie, who is a gay french guy in it or Bushman who is a black mercenary because he was " too much like Killmonger " ( which doesn't make any fucking sense because they are drastically different on so many levels but okay. ) they also said that this show is they're most brutal and violent show yet, but they were " violent " ( and bloody-ish ) the first three episodes and then just kinda gave up towards the end.

For the last thing, I'm gonna talk about Jake finally. Just pretend that I'm sighing right now. Like a really audible, dramatic sigh.

I get they wanted for us to differentiate the differences between each personality with accents but Jake doesn't need to speak Spanish. He doesn't speak Spanish in the comics and having him do it is completely unnecessary. I get it's Hollywood and Hollywood needs to make everything sexy and attractive, but Jake Lockley is the least sexiest alter of Marc Spector. He doesn't wear a suit with black leather gloves or drive a limousine, he's a fucking taxi cab driver with a really weird mustache who wears a turtle neck. When I think sexy, I don't think taxi driver. And it ruins the point of Jake Lockley as well because Marc uses Jake to see what's going on on the streets in New York. New York is really busy and crowded, so people are more prone to using a taxi, not a limousine unless you're bougie and rich.

Anyways that was my rant. Good night.

[salted-anime-takes]

Sword Art Online (S1 & S2; dropped after that)

Author: Reki Kawahara, originally light novels

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Genres (Listed by MAL): Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance (vomits), Love Polygon (kills you)

Premiered: Summer 2012

Anime vs. Manga?: You couldn't pay me less than $100 to consume additional content to this series. I'd also need a large margarita.

Salted Genres: stereotypical teen boy fantasy, loser cardboard male mc, harem of women too good for him, jesus christ they had a torture dungeon for main girl in S2 by some grown man obsessed with her???, jesus FUCKING christ they gave Kirito a cousin who is into him but reasoned it off not being totally blood related, why did we let this series get so popular

Major Trigger Warnings: that weird sex dungeon thing in S2, almost incest, shitty writing, shitty love polygon garbage

Can I Watch It Around My Parents?: Just don't watch it. The cultural context isn't worth it. Do yourself a favor and stop thinking isekai will be family friendly when the main audience is incels.

Artstyle: That moe-esque style without any personality and makes all the main characters look 12, and many side characters look ridiculously older.

Personal Review: I will never forgive SAO for kicking off the isekai genre in anime so hard. Fuck yourself, Kirito. Every other anime lead in isekai is just you. Fuck this garbage pile for the isekai boom. Fuck my life

Context: This is the real reason you're here, aside from the scathing remarks you've probably heard a billion times. Why the fuck is this show even relevant? Let's go back to the early 2010s, before half of tumblr could pretend to read. (This is mostly from the Western perspective, so please add anything else happening in the world with this wild popularity jump, because I'd LOVE to hear additional takes.) Several factors were going on. Firstly, Netflix was finally a full streaming service, and most people were starting to subscribe. You didn't have to hope it was on Toonami or go to whatever sketchy websites had anime illegally available (and get every virus known to computer-kind) to get your fix anymore. Well... for a small starting selection. Secondly, while the isekai genre was already a fully developed thing, it hadn't broken into the majority Western anime viewership circles, which barely ventured outside of Toonami at the time. Then along came SAO. Netflix got the rights to the entire first season, and suddenly, it was not only insanely accessible but also something most Western fans had never seen before. You die in the game, you die in real life?! Incredible!!! (Sorry Tron, you weren't high fantasy enough for this crowd.) Thirdly, gaming was finally mainstream, and watching streamers was a new norm. The timing couldn't have been better for its release. And what with the insane levels of ignorance and assumptions most Western anime watchers had at the time of anime tropes, most red flags discussed were merely looked over. We let too much slide in the early 2010s, and SAO was one of the biggest culprits. Fourthly, if you needed a gateway anime? SAO didn't require any sort of understanding of Japanese culture to get, which appealed to a lot of people who didn't want to think outside their box, as was the early 2010s. Despite it all, SAO was easy merchandise. Hot Topic (apologies for the American chain drop) was venturing into nerd culture and including some nice trinkets for the little nerds that hung out with their goth besties, and anime merch- including SAO- was some of the first big hits. After that? It's history. I don't know if anyone who still claims to like SAO actually is banking on nostalgia or just never gained tastes beyond a lameass horny 15 year old boy, but that boom it created gave so many light novel writers the ticket they needed to get isekai as a major genre in today's seasonal anime lineup.

Favorite Character: Asuna deserved better you motherfuckers. She actually did stuff until you get thrown into the most unnecessary slice of life arc where they begin the Sexualization. S2 cour 2 they gave her a genuinely interesting opportunity to be a lead, AND Kirito wasn't there. Still not worth watching.

Fandom: you couldn't pay me ANYTHING to check this.

[randomwriteronline]

hey would you like some bionicle aus haha get in

A) g3 concept

this motherfucker. is a Big One. MANY thoughts on it, still trying to iron out some of it. heavily based on g1 but with g2 elements that are nice/interesting to me specifically Such As the mask making via elements deal, ekimu, and the okoto setting. i am Cramming As Much Mostly Relevant G1 Things In This As Possible. includes all main toa teams so mata, metru and inika as well as the chronicler's company, Lhikan lesbian ver, several of the Makuta, the Barraki (who are actual animals and also a polycule because why not) and a MNOG-like Makuta who honestly loves and cares for his brother the Great Spirit and thinks putting him in a coma will help. also pewku and jaller's crab. theres even a voriki implication. i have a big post in the drafts for this and perhaps one day it will appear

2009-10 elements will not manage to be included nor will 2016-17 elements. the former because i cannot fit those lads in here tho perhaps bara magna life & survival will make it through, the latter because i havent seen journey to one and frankly i dont know if theres anything of value to take from it. please do yell at me at length in case you disagree. i am very serious abt that i want to learn more, its just that i cant be arsed to get netflix for anything

B) human g2015 au

classic modern times human au but with 2015 characterization bc i like the web episodes. the thoughts i have about this are nebulous at best but good lord if it aint good fun to think about

THE GOOD NEWS IS that while the main characters will be limited to the toa mata nuva, i can mention as many characters in this as i want. possibly all of them. they are just new zelanders now, they live there. they have jobs and stuff. im going to include the fucking moburzhak. i can even put the g1 mata in there as bizzarely omonimous different characters. i am a god

THE ALSO GOOD NEWS IS i can overthink characterizations you wouldnt even dream of so i can take these cardboard cutouts that are the toa and try to engineer something compelling out of them somehow through the power of incredible neurodivergency and this morbid interest in group dynamics i just found

the bad news is i have little to no plot yet. few story beats that i have are discovery of the powers ala superheroes, lewa getting possessed, pohatu having a panic attack, subsequent slow kohatu development from strangers to friends to lovers because im Fucking Weak For Them, onua leaving lewa underground briefly because hes fucking tired of his attitude, slow lewa/tahu/gali development from clashing to friends to what i can only describe as the human equivalent of a cat colony, stupid winter episode, and undecover mission in drag at a fancy place. most of my fully formed thoughts are for this last one but i still have no idea how this happens or why they have to do it, i just know that the boys make for a bunch of pretty ladies. i am just spitting ideas

also had more specific ideas regarding the main toa such as them being half maori and half another ethnicity (australian aboriginal/hawaiian/jewish/latin american/african just to give a few ideas), onua being aromantic and lewa being goth

C) Foster Parent au

also known as What Watching A Whole Ass Blind-Run Of Bloodborne While Having A Soft Spot For Toa-Turaga Familial Relationships Does To A Motherfucker AU, or also alternatively Superpowers? Divinity? WRONG! COSMIC HORROR AU

only features the Toa Mata, Toa Metru Hordika, Artakha, Karzhani and Velika. the Toa Mata are six parentless siblings separated at birth, bounced around the system until each ended up assigned one of the Toa Metru as their foster parent. weird elemental shit starts happening more prominently now that theyre in a safe and loving environment, and a mysterious man named Artakha who seems to have history with the Metru begins showing up insistently and intimidatingly demanding custody of the kids as their father.

its about the PARENT-CHILD CONNECTIONS and the SIBLINGHOOD and the HORRORS and the FOUND FAMILY and the PARENTAL LOVE and the HORRORS AGAIN

i DO want to talk about it but also i do NOT want to talk about it but also i will never write it so PLEASE ask me about it i am Begging You

[ackackh]

well this maybe a little excessive but 🍊 🍋 🍈 🫐 🍇, if you will!

Thank you for the ask, anon! This is too long and I don’t regret it! 💕

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

There. Are. So. Many. The first character who came to mind tho is Doc Bryan. I wrote 5k words of a fic forever ago from his POV and I loved working in that space but I also find his voice really hard to pin down. One day I will finish it and you’ll get to read all about how when you’re sad it helps to fuck a friend. (Ray)

🍋 What’s your favorite spicier trope to write?

MMMM this is a hard one because I feel like I’m still finding my voice in this area. Uh I do love writing a first-time scene tho. And first time bottoming? Yes pls. Literally it’s in both the aforementioned Doc fic (Ray) and in DOGSTAR. (Andy) I feel like the general consensus in the fandom is that Eddie bottoms, which I also like, but I’m really into the idea of Andy specifically needing to let someone take care of him. Eddie is happy to help.

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

Ray, my truest blorbo, I have put him in Blender as a 3D model and am rotating him as we speak. Of course I love the motor-mouthing, but my favorite thing about him is that he’s so fucking intelligent underneath that. Like the most perceptive motherfucker. In God Is a Bluegill, he is constantly noticing EVERYTHING, especially how other people are feeling, and that 100% informs his behavior. Boy is a sponge. And his mania is either a medication for himself or for others and either way, I do think it’s genuine, I just think he also uses it as a social tool.

Also, if I’m writing BradRay, I love to make him quietly suffer. Little queer guy from Missouri, he’s internalized the idea that he doesn’t get to have what he wants, so he doesn’t even try to attain it. So while Brad is either pining after someone else, or hung up on his ex, Ray is like, ‘I’m gonna be the best friend, I’ll be whatever you need.’ And it’s BAD FOR HIM. There are similar things going on in the Doc fic as well, Ray wanting to do whatever he can to hold his friends together, likely at his own personal risk.

Damn, I need to finish that Brad-gets-dumped-during-OIF fic.

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

I’m pretty pleased with what the HBOWar fandom has to offer, we have so many talented writers who have lots of different ideas, so it’s hard to think of what I’m missing. I’d love to see more Doc Bryan POV, obviously I’m currently thinking on him a lot.

Here’s something I’ve wanted to write about because I love projecting and you can’t stop me: gimme transmasc Ray. I need a fic where his mania, his bravado, his insight into others are all things he’s developed to protect himself throughout his life. Like, I get we’d have to write around a lot of stuff with the Marines, but trans soldiers, at the very least, did/do exist in Middle East deployments, so I feel like we could suspend our disbelief a lil bit. Also foaming at the mouth for an E rated fic featuring this. For reasons. Ahem 😅

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

Not to be on my AndyEddie bullshit again, but I could write over and over again about Andy and the day Eddie died. I’m visiting it way too much in DOGSTAR. But in my defense, I’m focusing a lot more on trauma in this version and in a world in which either survived, I think Eddie getting hit on the ridge would have fundamentally changed Andy. Especially, as is the case in this fic, if Andy believed Eddie was dead and not just wounded.

[patchworkgargoyle]

OC Fic: all the words of the dead

So, in between working on my steddie big bang, I've been descending deeper and deeper into brainrot over my OC, Dominik (tag: goth babygirl dom).

Very long story short, we put him into a mafia!au and killed him off and then developed the slowest slow burn romance for him after the fact.

This is the letter he leaves in his will for @steves-strapcollection's OC, Sam. You'll find Sam's letter in response here (please read it, it's so so so good).

Anyway, I'm gonna go cry over them now. Have this totally out of context.

Rating: M || CW: main character death implied

Title from Bad Luck Again - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Hi Sam, my darling.

You know, I thought I’d only ever have one letter to write. When I got old enough to start needing a will, I only had Vinny to write to. I love Lucky and Gia, but Vinny and me… thick as thieves.

Then I come back from my enforced vacation, and suddenly he has a fiance who turns out to be my best friend. Two letters, then. Two people to care about with my whole, shrivelled little heart.

The third and fourth ones are new. Unexpected.

It was a fucking frustration and an honour to teach your daughter, though I wish almost as much as you do, I think, that she and her brother never got within a hundred miles of this world. For their sakes, and for yours. I tried my best to help prepare her. I hope it’s enough. But she's tough as fuck, and she’s got you and those two boys of hers looking out for her, though, so I’m sure she’ll be okay.

She’s the third letter.

This is the midst of the fourth. The last.

I hope that you knew you’d get a letter when the lawyers started handing them out. I hope you didn’t doubt it.  It’s okay if you did.

I’m sorry you’re getting one. I don’t know what happened to me, obviously, but I probably went and fucked up something somewhere and now I’ve paid for it. You know how it is.

I hope you weren’t there when I died. If you were, I’m sorry. So sorry. We spend so much time together now that it might be possible you saw what got me but I don’t want that on your shoulders. They carry too much already. You should put some of that down sometime. Give some of it to me

Don't let Vinny and Ziah waste time and money on a big, useless funeral for me. And try talking to them, if you need someone. I know you. You're not as stoic and unshakable as you'd like us to believe.

This is har    Fuck. I hate this.

I’d say I don’t remember when I knew my feelings for you were more than just being really horny and very fond of you but that’s a fucking lie. It’s been about a year now. I'd so cruelly sent you home for the night, but insisted I walk you to your truck, and we stopped to chat because we can't seem to get enough of each other I'm a greedy motherfucker at heart and didn't want you to go yet. I said something that made you laugh, really laugh. Can’t remember what the fuck I said. All I remember is what your face looks like when you smile like that, what you sound like when you’re happy. I had to kiss you then or I'd do something incredibly stupid otherwise. Also asked you to stay the night for the first time.

You’re one handsome bastard, you know that, right? It’s deeply unfair. You look even better when you're between my thighs.

You’re sleeping in my bedroom while I write this. No one’s ever slept in my bed with me. But you've done it so many times now I lost track. When I’m done with this fucking letter, I’m going to crawl back under the covers with you and feel safe there.

You’re such a surprise, Sam. I never thought I could have something like you. I feel indescribably lucky that I could. We should’ve had a normal life together, but I wouldn’t change this. Never.

There’s something for you, other than the cheque the lawyers’ll hand you. Ziah will know where it is. Don’t take it the wrong way. I wasn’t planning any big surprises. It’s just something to remember me by because I wasn’t sure what else you’d want. You can sell it if you don’t care for it, the sapphire’s worth something at least, small as it is. I told Vinny to let you take anything from my apartment you might want.

It’s cold over here at my desk, I should be in bed with you     gotta write another fucking version of this, christ

I don’t know how to end this. What a fucking mess.

I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you even though I don’t know what it’s like. Never been in love before. But it feels like this, I think, like wanting to be around you all the time. Craving you. Trusting you. Sharing what life we have. Choosing to let you in over and over.

Vulnerability. Being changed.

You don’t have to love me too. I’m not going to fucking guilt trip you into loving me, post-mortem. This is just some kind of re-realisation of mortality based confessional at this point. You won't see this version of the letter anyway. You'll get one with fewer mistakes.

Do you think we have something, at least? Are we something? I hope we are.

I’ll tell you I love you in the morning, if I’m not a coward.

Forgive me if I was.

Yours,

   -Dom

[[READ SAM'S LETTER HERE]]