#the connections to maroon are hitting me actually

[taylortruther]

Curious what are you thoughts and take on Gold Rush. I noticed a lot of Swifties think Gold Rush is about Joe Alwyn (or even Harry Styles) but when you really sit down and read the lyrics, not just listen to them it doesn’t seem to be about either, but rather someone she had a crush on because the huge emphasis of “never” being the theme echoing throughout it. Since she dated both, it’s not them.

It seems to be a song that isn’t fictional (in my opinion; but a past experience), centred around a crush. I do not think the crush is ‘vain’ either — basically Taylor (narrator) has some slight denial of her feelings for Gold Rush boy. That said as progresses, the narrator (Taylor) ends up falling for them. The problem is, this person is so desirable, Taylor compares to them as Gold which is her imagery to showcase how he is so wanted. One person finds it; the rush happens, and more go looking for it. Although there is a problem here (“I don’t like a Gold Rush”) which means Taylor doesn’t want to compete with other women’s affections and desire for him. She wants them to love her, and her only and wants to be the one to love them only. This is Taylor expressing jealously, and she doesn’t feel comfortable with the thirst and desire they receive.

As the song goes on, Taylor falls more for him (red blush), he makes Taylor flustered, and it’s very obvious too cause her face will go red which she is aware of.

The song continues and she is now in the day dream haze (because she likes them): picturing them as a couple, “I call you out on your contrarian shit” which is being playful, and what she would do at dinners with friends. They’d also “walk around coastal towns” and people would fawn over them, because they make an adorable couple, with pure love.

More obvious pointers of her fallen for him (and crushing) is also the adoration, which she asks him “what is it like to grow up that beautiful, with your hair falling into pieces like dominos.”

By the end of it though, Taylor starts to wake up, and remember this is only a day dream. The day dream then starts to be erased. She’s not gonna call him out, the coastal town won’t get to fawn over them, etc.

By the end of the song, she dodges the siren call (production start), and didn’t “jump in” when she well could’ve (think, Treacherous; she avoids the danger this time). Even though she would love to be with him, as she’s fallen for him, she doesn’t, and it “can never be” …

This song is very reminiscent to Come Back Be Here to me, where she is in similar in denial for her feelings for someone she is crushing on, only for them to leave; and falls for them. Same with Message in a Bottle. She’s hypnotised by their eyes, and they leave her tongue tied. She thinks of them, and imagines being with them too, like Gold Rush. Very similar parallels, but only Message in a Bottle is willing to be more optimistic, even though she “terrified” also it seems that person has the same outwardly effect on her.

So I wouldn’t be surprised if the same muse who inspired Come Back Be Here, and Message in a Bottle is the same crush, who inspired Gold Rush.

i feel like it's obvious that gold rush, on the surface, describes a person she pointedly decides to stop fantasizing about... so i'm not sure where people are getting harry and joe from 💀 like. she literally describes some fantasies and then says they never happened, by her choice.

i don't personally think there was a specific gold rush muse, or at least it's not supposed to be obvious, and i don't think it's important either. i think it was taylor's homage to "you're so vain," a reflection on past relationships or "what ifs" that have defined major parts of her life, and also one of the theses of folkmore: she can immortalize her life, a relationship, a mere moment with her songwriting. she can turn real relationships into her legacy, but also things that never even happened into enduring "folklore."

[kinardsevan]

Prompt: Buck finds out that Tommy is actually related to TK Strand.

(ahem. you asked for this.)

ETA: I have a serious problem with word skipping when reading if you can’t tell 🙃

He never intended to find out this kind of information. He done the 23&me on a whim after joking around with Eddie and Chim at work when Chim had randomly dropped into conversation “did you know I’m eight percent Scottish?” And of course they didn’t know, because how would that information have been freely available to him? How would he ever have known? 

And then Chimney had gifted him and Eddie each tests for Christmas, and at the time, Evan had figured ‘why the hell not?’ So he’d done the whole thing. Spit in the tube, sent it in, figured maybe he could at least find out if he had to worry about cancer in his future due to the Daniel of it all. 

“You sure you want to mess around in that,” Tommy had asked him over dinner one night. “I’ve heard about people finding out about murderers in their family.” 

But he’d been so sure. So sure there would be nothing interesting that would come back. There was nothing fun about the Buckley’s. His parents are teachers. His grandparents died of natural causes. What’s the worst that could happen? 

Turns out it was a lot. 

. . .

He’s on the stairs when Tommy comes into the loft, duffel still hitched up on his shoulder. They’re supposed to be spending the weekend together, but Evan’s not really sure what’s going to happen after the last twenty-four hours. 

“Hey,” Tommy murmurs softly, letting his bag hit the floor as he walks over to the stairs. He perches down at the base of them, resting a hand on Evan’s knee and ilfting the other to his face, brushing away the tears there. 

“Hi,” Evan rasps back, still staring at his hands folded in front of him. 

“Eddie said Bobby sent you home,” Tommy murmurs. Evan nods. 

“What’s going on,” Tommy asks softly, concern laced around his words. 

Evan’s eyebrows are knit so tightly together they could one into one another and the line his mouth is pressed into could crack peanut shells. 

“I-…My…Um, Maddie…” The words keep dying in his throat before he can get them out, and it just keeps making the knot in his chest tighter. 

“Is something wrong with Maddie?” 

Evan’s head lifts then, meeting Tommy’s eyes. There are conflicting emotions in the blonde’s sapphire eyes. Sorrow. A little bit of anger. Something else Tommy can’t place. Loss? 

“No,” he replies rapidly. “No, she’s fine. B-but she’s… she’s not-…”  Evan shakes his head at himself and reaches for his phone next to him on the stairs. He unlocks it, swipes at it a few times, and then passes it to Tommy. Tommy stares at him for a moment longer than necessary, and then looks down at the screen. 

“Family tree,” Tommy comments, moving the screen around to see the connections. It takes him a moment, but then suddenly he’s pulling the phone closer to his face, moving things around. “Where’s Maddie and Chim?” 

Evan lets out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob, pressing the back of a hand to his nose as he sniffles. Tommy just keeps staring at the phone. 

“This has to be wrong,” Tommy comments. He sets the phone down and looks back up at Evan, cupping his face. 

“It’s not,” Evan rasps, blinking more tears down. “I got the first set of results weeks ago. Told them the same thing. They had me send a fresh sample and retest.” 

Tommy deadpans at him, eyes widened. “Evan.” 

“They’re not my family, Tommy.” His voice is so small and broken that it breaks Tommy, and he can’t stop the tears in his own eyes. “I never fit in because I didn’t belong to them. I’ve never belonged to them.” 

Tommy slides his hands off Evan’s face then and stands, pulling the blonde up with him as he does and into a tight hug. Evan burrows his face into Tommy’s neck, crying softly into the fabric of his maroon henley.

“I’m so sorry, Evan,” he murmurs to him, hand to the back of his head and lips to his temple. For all the jokes everyone has made in recent weeks after Chimney had gifted his friends the test, nobody, not even Tommy, could’ve forseen this outcome. 

They stand in that position for a while, letting Evan process. When it seems like he’s calmed enough, Tommy pulls him over to the table and they sit down next to each other. Tommy pulls Evan’s chair right up next to his, stretching his arm across the back of it and resting his free hand in the blonde’s on the table. 

“There’s nothing that says you have to do anything with any of this information,” Tommy tells him. “Maddie is still your sister. Your family is still your family.” 

Evan sniffles, leans over and rests his head on Tommy’s shoulder. 

“I know them,” he murmurs a moment later, his voice cracking. “The-…my biological family. I know them.” 

“You do,” Tommy asks. He tries not to sound overly curious in case Evan doesn’t want to give more information. 

Evan nods, lifting his head back up. “You remember my friends who came through a few weeks ago to visit?We went to dinner with them?” 

Tommy’s brow furrows as he tries to recall what Evan is specifically referring to. When it clicks, he looks back over at him. 

“TK and Carlos?” 

Evan nods. “H-his parents-… o-or I guess….” He pauses, shakes his head. “Owen and Gwyn had a kid their first year of college. Me, apparently.” 

Tommy frowns at him. 

“They placed the baby for adoption,” Evan continues. “With the option for the baby- me… to seek them out if I decided to once I was an adult.” He pauses for a moment, scowling at his table. “I don’t know h-how, but m-my parents...they tried to have a savior sibling, for Daniel. And it didn’t work. But they knew people through the hospital, a-and when I was born…” His voice trails off, his expression shifting to one of disgust. He looks up at Tommy. “I was technically a match to Daniel. But the graft didn’t take.” 

Tommy narrows his eyes at him, the weight of what Evan’s telling him sinking in. “They adopted you so they could have your bone marrow?” 

Evan lets out disgusted laugh, shaking his head. 

“And then when I couldn’t save the son they actually wanted, they acted like I wasn’t their problem,” he mutters. “And they never told me. “ 

Tommy huffs. He lifts his arm from behind Evan and pulls him in, presses his lips to the blonde’s birthmark. 

“I know it’s not a consolation, but you can still know them,” he states softly. “You already have TK in your life.” 

Evan shakes head, pulling away and looking at Tommy again, more tears in his eyes. 

“Gwyn is dead,” he tells him. “She’s been gone for two years now.” 

Tommy’s head tilts at the information, sorrow and compassion crossing his face. TK also had mentioned when they met that his father was a cancer survivor, and the realization of both of those factors is almost gut-wrenching. 

“I don’t have the right answers for this,” he admits softly. “But I can be here with you through it, whatever you want to do.” 

Evan nods. He leans back over, resting his head on Tommy’s shoulder. Tommy presses his face into Evan’s hair, leaving quick, gentle kisses there as his fingers massage gently on his scalp. 

“You’re the only person who’s ever loved me just as I am,” Evan murmurs, snuffling back a small whimper. “The only one who’s ever decided I was enough this way.” 

Tommy gulps down past the knot in his throat as he fists a handful of Evan’s hair, holding him close a beat longer. 

“Never gonna stop,” he rasps after a moment. “This version of you is enough, no matter what anyone else thinks.” 

[superscd]

plots i want based off some taylor swift songs

because i'm t-swift obsessed and adore the lore that potentially ties so many songs together, i've decided to make a list of much needed plots that have been brewing in my head over the last few releases of new albums and vault songs! note: i'm not at all saying these specific songs are tied together. i'm saying that i love the way she connects her songs, so i'm simply connecting some of my favorite ones that i think work for plot ideas!

slut! and i can fix him ( no really, i can ) ; muse a is a beloved public figure with a good reputation to match, while muse b may be adored, is a notoriously bad influence with a not so great public life. despite all the red flags and backlash from each other's fan base, muse a thinks they can 'fix' muse b and turn their life around. eventually, muse b's public antics, scandal after scandal, and cyclone becomes too much. muse a has to decide if being called a slut! will be worth it for once and they can fix them, or whoa... no really they can't.

question...? and is it over now? ; back in their very early twenties, muse a and b were going from one kiss to getting married. though it was rushed, reckless and not always the healthiest, they really loved one another. but while finding who they are in life, they lost one another, something neither saw coming. muse a moves away from their small town, muse b sticks around, remains a common name in a tiny place and builds a life with their now spouse. years later, muse a comes back into town for whatever reason, and what's that? you're still with them? that's nice, i'm sure that's what's suitable and right... but tonight... can i ask you a question...? is it really over now?

imgonnagetyouback and cowboy like me ; strangers who can both recognize a kindred spirit, that's what muse a and muse b start out as. and ever since, it's been a cat and mouse game. they both hustle for a good life, in some way or another. as a result, both have a lot of trouble with settling down and allowing themselves to love. over the years of knowing one another, they've had their brief moments together and encounters, there's always been attraction and desire, they've crossed the line once or twice, and the last time they saw one another, things didn't end the best. but now life has brought them together again and they see each other at an airport bar... so pick your poison babe, they're poison either way.

maroon and chloe or sam or sophia or marcus ; muse a and muse b always wanted different things out of life, but they tried so hard to make it work. after dating for years, sharing the same group of friends and making a life in the big city, muse a and b realize they aren't on the same page anymore and things end in heartbreak. given their same circle of friends however, it becomes normal for them stumble into their life with someone named chloe or sam or sophia or marcus and they just... watch it happen, always wondering. some time passes, muse a gets sent to work in another city temporarily, while muse b is back in new york working on their gallery. the night of the opening, muse a happens to be in town, shows up and sees that they're one of the inspirations behind the exhibit. because that's a real fuckin' legacy to leave.

getaway car and fresh out the slammer ; it was the great escape, the prison break. muse a and b were partners in actual crime and lovers until muse a got caught and took the fall, while muse b ran and hid. now muse a is fresh out the slammer and running back to their old life, finding that muse b is still on the run themselves. they hit the road together, rekindle their romance and face the challenges of staying ahead of the law. navigating through a series of motels, backroads and small towns, muse a and b eventually have no choice but to confront their trust issues, the feeling of betrayal, heartbreak and more. will they screw it up this time now that they know what's at stake?

so it goes... and guilty as sin? ; muse a, notorious playboy, is a member of an exclusive lifestyle club known for it's discretion, while muse b is about as inexperienced as it could get. their paths cross unexpectedly and muse a finds themselves hooked, wanting to write mine on their upper thigh, while muse b is curious but scared. in full agreement, muse b introduces muse a to the club they are apart of, embarking on a very passionate, but primarily physical situationship, at least for muse a. what muse b doesn't realize, however, is that muse a isn't known for their long-term commitments, but muse b is already in a gold cage, hostage to their feelings. soon their situationship begins to crumble as muse a begins to wonder if they're anything more than a plaything.

[jecksaa]

Not His Idea

On the Second day of Kinkmas, I apologize for Rookwood smut. But i had fun writing this one. Prompt was Size Kink word count is - 1.7k Enjoy! and a friendly reminder MDNI, please only read if 18+ as always.

“fuck…” a sigh left Victor’s throat as he slumped in his high winged back armchair; it had been a rough few weeks, every one of his plans were being foiled by a fucking child. His men were useless, half of them dead the second the insolent child laid eyes on them. The child’s magic was growing, and his army was depleting, Victor was at the end of his tether with losing. He needed a plan, a fool proof plan to either turn them or be rid of them once and for all. First, he needed a clear mind to think, he needed her, writhing around him, screaming his name. That would make him feel better. Victor looked over the encampment, it was loud, the men and women were drinking their troubles away, their loses, their hard efforts. She was drinking alone in a vacant corner of the tent, long jet-black hair swept over one shoulder, a sorrowing look in her eyes, he felt if he had a heart it would break for her, for all of them. He took up the space next to her, leaning against one of the support beams. She was considerably smaller than him, which suited Victor perfectly. She was normally feisty, but the second his cock was deep within her, she was a tiny needy mess. “Penny for your thoughts?” A small smirk tugged at Victors lips. “That joke got old after the first time, Victor.” A smirk to mimic his. “Apologies, Penny. You smiled though.” She let out a small sigh, looking up at Victor with her bright green eyes, the same ones that sometimes haunt his dreams, dreams of watching the life fade from them by someone else hands and not his. Not that he would want to kill her, but the idea had crossed his mind once, or twice while she was choking on his cock. He could just wrap his hands around her pretty little throat, squeeze tight enough that her airways would be cut off and the light would slowly fade from those beautiful green eyes. “Can I help you, Sir?” A hit of sarcasm in her tone. “Actually, I do believe you can. Follow me.” Victor gestured with his finger for her to obediently follow, she does. ~~~ Victor led her to his own quarters, a larger room in the encampment. The warmth from the fireplace filled the space, Victor shed his long dark blue trench coat letting it hit the floor, his black top hat thrown across the room. Her hands came from behind, unlooping the buttons on his dark maroon vest. He turned to face her, his hand grazing her cheek, moving into her loose hair, his fingers interlocking and gripping hard. Penny winces at the pain, but her eyes are begging him to take her. Victor pulls her head back so their eyes lock, looming over her, his lips just brushing against hers, a soft mewl lingered between them. “Kneel!” Victor commanded. Her bright doe eyes, the wet sheen to her lips, the way she slowly knelt before him, her fingers unclasping his trousers. She pulled them down just low enough that he was freed, her hands grasped the base of his thick cock, she dragged her tongue slowly up his shaft, her mouth wrapped around the tip. Her tongue danced over the sensitive head, slowly sucking in her cheeks. Eye contact never breaking, Penny pulled her head back, a string of saliva mixed with pre-cum connected her delicate lips to his throbbing cock. Victor needed more, his hand still tangled in her hair, grip tightening he pulled her back so her mouth, and her throat took him completely.

Soft sobs muffled by the entirety of Victor, her tongue dragging along the underside of his cock. Low, deep grunts catching in his throat, her mouth felt good, but her cunt would feel better. He wanted to savor this moment for just a bit longer though, she was never this obedient. Normally she is running her mouth, fighting with anyone who looked at her wrong. With her it was always a power play, her stature was well under half of his own, but he was sure that’s what made everyone terrified of her, she could easily kill a man three times her size, but when it came Victor, her fight was becoming less and less each time. She would never admit to herself that she loved this just as much as he did. Who was he kidding, he would never admit it either. The moans that vibrated against his skin sent shivers up his spine, the hand intertwined with her hair pulled her in as far as her throat would allow, he almost let his head roll back in pleasure. He just needed a few seconds of watching her choke on his cock before pulling her off. Penny tried to stifle the coughing, tears staining her slightly reddened cheeks, she wiped the mixed-up saliva from around her mouth. “Good girl!” A pleased hum from Victor.

A needy whimper escaping her, he pulled her up by the tangled mess that was now her hair. Slowly releasing her, his fingers trailed over the buttons of her blouse, undoing them as he went. She tugged the shirt off behind her, he took in the sight of her bare breasts before him. His hands unclasped her skirt fasteners, letting it fall and crumple on the floor. Tugging at the small little bow that was keeping her undergarments in place, his fingers slipping in-between the soft cotton and her warm skin, pulling them down till they fell. Victor grabbed her hand walking backwards, pulling her towards the bed, her feet stepping out of the slightly damp material. His calves bumping against the wooden frame, her hands pulling at his clothes. Vest thrown across the room, shirt tossed over her head, trousers lay at his ankles, her palm lay flat against his chest. Giving a soft push, Victor’s back hitting the soft mattress, kicking the remainder of his trousers off. Penny slowly climbed atop Victor, giving a tantalizing lick over the head of his cock before settling her hips just above his now aching length. Her hand gripped him tightly as she adjusted herself, the tip pressed against her opening, slowly rubbing against the wetness between her legs. Victor’s hands ran up her thighs, they settled on each side of her hips. Her skin was soft, and warm, delicate for a criminal like her. The sensation was maddening, his fingers dug into her skin, pulling himself into her sharply. Hissing at the feeling of her tight walls clenching around him, her abrupt screams filling the room. He didn’t stop there, thrusting into her, the rhythm was harsh, rough, making sure her screams never faded.

It wasn’t enough, Victor pulled out of her wetness, a needy moan left her lips before he situated himself behind her. The palm of his hand pressed into her back, forcing her hands to support her on the bed, his free hand slid to pull her hips up. Pressing the head of his cock against her core, he plunged deep within her, running the hand back to her other hip and pulling her further against him. Her moans becoming desperate, his pace was rougher, demanding. Her cunt was more than willing to obey the demand, it tightened around him, her body began to shake from her own release. Her slick coating his length, making it easier to fuck her. He felt her body begin to go limp. Leaning into her ear, he whispered. “Not finished yet.” Victor’s hand slipped round her throat, pulling her into his chest, gripping tighter with each thrust into her tight, wet cunt. Her strangled moans barely audible, her breathing started to stagger. His mouth nibbled on her ear, grazing down her neck before sinking his teeth into her shoulder. A pained screamed began to leave her before his hand tightened again, tilting her head back a bit further, he could now see her eyes, the tears that streamed from them. The most beautiful fucking mess he ever had the pleasure of creating. “You are such a good little whore for me!” A deep purr in her ear. Her walls tightened around his cock again, her hands were clawing at his thighs, her nails digging into his skin. She felt incredible, completely soaked just for him. Victor felt his own climax creeping up on him, he needed her to come again, to come with him. His free hand softly kneaded her breasts before running his fingers down the side of her ribs. Grabbing hold of her hip again, his hips hammered into her. He watched her eyes begin to roll to the back of her head, he wasn’t finished yet. His fingers moving to her clit, rubbing small circles into the sensitive nub. “Y-yes, ple-ease!” His hand still holding firm on her throat, it was as much as she could muster through the desperate screams of pleasure. Victor’s cock began to twitch at her pleas, his hips snapping into her overstimulated cunt, her strangled screams were like music to his ears. His release flowed and filled her entirely, her body shaking at her own climax. His hand releasing her, her breathing shallow and deep. He pulled his length from her and watched her fall to the bed, his own breath catching up to him. The view that befell him, was that of a dream. Her fucked into bliss, his cum spilling from in-between her legs, her neck bruising nicely with his own hand print.

He fell beside her, now realizing how sweaty and worn out he was, a heavy sigh catching in his throat. “Something wrong, Victor?” Penny’s breathing was still settling. “Just the usual.” “You fuck me like that, and you are still thinking of the child?” Penny propped herself up, elbow pressed into the mattress. “I just, I am at my wits end with them. They are a pain I need to be rid of, or I need them to join us.” Victor was trying to not sound defeated. “Kidnap them then… make them listen to you… You are Victor Rookwood after all!” Victor looked at her in awe, how had he not thought of that. Victor Rookwood, the leader of the Rookwood Gang, the most notorious dark wizard in all of Europe… and a tiny, fucked out whore of a woman, just gave him the best idea he had ever heard.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 10/05/2024

The Jamminest of All

Season 5 Featured on: The Space Jam Charity SLAM!: First Quarter

Ripped by Nozobot

Requested by TimTom! (Request Form)

I think I mentioned it before in a post once or twice, but part of what makes Space Jam so difficult to cover on here is because its the kind of mashup source that's almost intentionally used uncreatively a lot of the time. It is THE mashup song even more than All-Star is - a nostalgic 4/4ths time signature tune with verses so catchy yet oh so redundant, they can be interspersed together with just about any piece of VGM and end up creating a new earworm. Hoopache was interesting if only for breaking that trend by its time signature change, and Space Jam has been used as a *supporting* source to great effect in rips like Mother, Father, Technoman to maintain a rip's momentum - yet for a while, it felt as if getting creativity out of Space Jam mashups was like squeezing blood from a stone. That was, of course, part of the joke, and further part of what led to the Space Jam Charity Slam!: a charity event wherein viewers could donate to request Space Jam rips to be made, althewhile also being provided hours upon hours of brand-new Space Jam content. Space Jam stocks were at an all-time high - and all rippers were on deck.

I'll be honest - I didn't exactly pick The Jamminest of All to cover today necessarily because I believe its the BEST rip from the event, because I've honestly not LISTENED to most rips from the event. With 500+ rips uploaded in total, its a daunting task to go down - yet one that's undeniably fun to put on shuffle if only to see the funny thumbnail changes. Yet what stands out to me about The Jamminest of All is specifically how it connects to the end of the last paragraph - how ripper of all sorts were all on board contributing to this massive bonanza, even ones you'd never think would have interest in Space Jamming. Not that I'd say Nozobot is above being a little stupid - Sex - Steve Harvey remains the most stupid video on this entire channel - but they're also the kind of ripper that made Assassin's Sneed, Hidden Headtoilets (skibidi toree 2) and tons of fantastic YTPMVs on their own channel. What I mean to say is, they're not one to cut corners, one to always put their own spin on things - and when given the task to do a Space Jam rip with The Jamminest of All, you can really feel that personality exuding from it.

I mean first of all, the choice of song alone. Lucky Strike isn't exactly one of Maroon 5's biggest hits, released right as the band was sort of, um, getting bad - but it is, fun fact, the first Maroon 5 song that Chaze the Chat ever used on SiIvaGunner for a rip. The contrast between it and The Jamminest of All is insane - the former primarily just using its instrumentals to add touches to an Undertale song, wheras this rip is hitting us with Space Jam's background vocalists being pitch-shifted right off the bat. Within just a minute's runtime, Nozobot crams in so many fun uses of the Space Jam audio - I love how perfectly the "yes sir, yes sir" is replaced with "Space Jam, Space Jam" just through removing a measure of the Space Jam intro, the way Barkley's lead vocals end up feeling so seamlessly hype despite how much they've been shortened and spliced up - and all the while, the rip is having tons of fun sprinkling in clips from NBA Jam and Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden just for flavor.

Still within that same minute, the rip briefly turns into an actual Space Jam mashup, with Adam Levine's vocals returning for the bridge in the typical 4/4 Space Jam mashup format - only for the chorus to break out into the biggest surprise of the whole rip. No matter how many times I watch it, the NA-NA-NA-NA-NAs from the original Space Jam being pitch-shifted to the "ooo-oohs" of Lucky Strike's original chorus always just cracks me up - its such BRILLIANT use of such a minescule, oft-forgotten part of the Space Jam tune and EXACTLY the kind of thing that I'd suspect Nozobot of coming up with for a rip using it. I realize now that I've practically walked you through the rip's entire runtime - but I hope you understand why! Every step of it is crafted so expertly, yet never to a clinical degree - always with Nozobot's patended craziness just an inch away from breaking free.

Despite that zaniness still present in The Jamminest of All, it's remarkable how "controlled" it all ends up feeling. I can't quite describe it - its as if Nozobot actually engineered the rip with a three-act storytelling structure, and it ends up working far better than it has any right to. But then, that's part of why Space Jam rips can be so fun to follow - amidst all the people just making the simple ones for fun, the likes of which were plentiful during the Charity Slam! (many of which were fantastic), there's always going to be true gems like this, rips that find frankly insane mileage out of such a played-out source all of these years later. Hell, you remember how it was used in my rip :) right - even the most "played out" mashup joke still has enough life in its bones to bring so many incredible rips to fruition. Be it through ironic enjoyment or post-ironic enjoyment, who really cares? Slam Jam's fun, and The Jamminest of All is a testament to how fun it can be when wielded at the hands of a true expert.

[kitsune-kaos]

9. favorite smell in the summer?

44. favorite scent for soap?

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy, or superhero?

47. favorite type of cheese?

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

9) Ooooo this is tough tryna think of which smells I like are Summer exclusives 🙈🧐 the first summer smell that comes to mind is the muggy smell of fields of grass, cause it always hits me with nostalgia of childhood soccer practice. The only problem is they aren’t fond memories 😂 So maybe I’ll go with the smell or heavy chlorine connected to memories of swimming at my friend’s house or going to sunsplash (the local water park/mini golf/arcade/go-cart place). Oh!! But maybe actually the smell of a summer forest and campfire, taking me back to camp outs as a young scout with my dad/brothers or with my friends from the church I was born/raised in.

44) I’d gotta go with a simple rose or lavender scent 🌹✨

45) I instantly wanna say Fantasy, but I do gotta clarify that I’m more attached to worlds with magic and possibly fantasy-typical creatures and peoples. Like, I still haven’t watched LotR from start to finish, but I am a slut for Legend of Zelda. And like, a lot of my fave fantasy shows are anime where it’s not Tolkien-style worlds, including ones that dip both into fantasy and sci-fi and historic and futuristic all at once somehow. I was almost tempted to say Superhero, which does kind of align with my attachment to magical worlds; however, Marvel and DC have created a specific styling to the way they do stories and the qualifications of a superhero, and while I don’t hate it, I just don’t quite vibe with it enough to make it say it’s my fave genre. Tbh, some of the shonen anime I adore do manage to technically qualify as a superhero world, but they do it in a way so out of the norm of the westernized Superhero genre that it ultimately feels maybe more fantasy? But I digress 😅😛

47) Oh I do love a cheese and cheesy delights, though I can’t say I’m particularly picky with my cheeses, not the most adventurous. So there’s plenty I haven’t tried, and I couldn’t tell ya which ones I have tried 😝 SO! My top two picks I’m gonna go with are Swiss and White Cheddar

80) Ooooooh I love this!! Both are so immaculate and lovely and stunning in their own ways. But for myself, I tend to find Earth Tones to be the most flattering and appealing ☺️ a good darkish maroon, a nice deep mustard, a lovely mossy green 😚👌🏼💕

[ladyluscinia]

Idk if it's just a coincidence, but all of the sudden I keep seeing those "Izzy stans are so obsessed with this random white guy that they ignore or flatten every other character (especially poc)" takes all over and it's annoying me so much. So:

First, I'm going to link bromelads most recent attempt to get some actually constructive dialogue going about fandom racism because it has a whole section on this point. Technically two sections if you count the linked drive file as separate.

And then I'm going to ask all my fellow Izzy Hands lovers to add on to this post their favorite deep thoughts / burning questions / fun headcanons / etc. about your favorite non-Izzy characters. I know you all have a bunch of them. Bonus points for other side characters instead of Edward or Stede.

I'll start.

---

So I'm fascinated by the glimpses we get of pirate culture / the Queen Anne / the general environment that Edward is coming from and still half enmeshed in because I personally find the narrative push and pull there a lot more interesting than the whole running from one world to another that Stede (and to a lesser extent his crew) has going on. Which naturally leads to me finding Fang and Ivan so fucking interesting.

(Mandatory moment of sadness that Ivan won't be in season 2, because I was really hoping to see where his story was going 😭)

Not sure if I can really hypothesize many "hidden" depths to Fang because the show openly hit a pretty wide range. He cries over his dog and nude models for Lucius, but also skins a man with a snail fork and seems shockingly chill about Edward making an abrupt 180 to "maroon all your new friends to die". He's an obedient henchman in 1x02 and 1x04, but he also takes basically no prompting to go for the jugular on humiliating gossip the moment Edward seems disinclined to enforce Izzy's authority. The man contains multitudes already, minimal sleuthing required.

I am really looking forward to how S2 addresses his loyalty to Edward over the crew. Like at the end of 1x10 Fang and Ivan don't even really look that conflicted??? They were buddy buddy with these guys yesterday - moreso Fang than Ivan - but also seemed fully aware that Blackbeard could decide he was done playing around at any moment and then he did. Whoo boy. I mean, one genre of fic I'm usually not interested in is "Lucius in the walls" fic (I know he's alive, I just don't really care for that approach), but I will make an exception if it really explores Fang specifically hiding him because that's a big thing given he is openly afraid of defying Edward.

Like... Fang is a pretty friendly dude, and I can't imagine someone to fool around with was that impossible to find on Blackbeard's leatherman express. So it's really cool that despite very much not being, like, his true love or whatever, Lucius is apparently offering Fang something novel on the acceptance and connection front but maybe not something that wildly diverges from what he's had before. And I do think it's interesting to rotate how that tension could be playing out in his mind. He's got to be used to the whole flow of making and losing connections - that's just pirate life, nbd - except this time it's supposed to just be whatever, only... it's not? He actually misses Lucius and those other fun guys??? Maybe even enough to stand up to Edward over it?!

And Ivan! Man, Ivan has all kinds of potential stuff going on that I feel like people could talk about. I would probably talk about it more, only with the news he won't be in S2 it always makes me wonder how they are going to get rid of him and what that's going to imply about him (which might be contradictory to what they were intending). Which makes me sad.

Probably the biggest thing is like... I don't think Ivan actually likes Stede or the Revenge crew much? I mean on a personal level. Like, his only real friendship bond appears to be Fang, he's not noticeably trying to make new ones, and he's kinda fed up with Stede's people a few times? I'm thinking of rooting to kill them after 1x02, and scoffing at them during the raid in 1x05. And to me this is a really cool trait. I love it when "good" side characters have independent personalities enough to find the protagonist mildly annoying or something, instead of every single one of them perfectly correlating "good person" and "protagonist's friend". It prevents protagonist POV from becoming tunnel vision and accidentally making them seem like the center of the universe. (This is part of why the spn fandom loves Kevin.)

Not liking Stede isn't a character flaw, you know? And if you analyze Ivan's POV with just kinda not being impressed with these guys as an option, that leads to some really interesting places. Because in 1x06 he's actively encouraging Edward to just kill Stede like he said he would, not just following Izzy's lead, and then in 1x07 and 1x08 Ivan and Fang disappear. They don't show up again until Izzy does, but they also aren't seen leaving with Izzy or showing up in scenes like Jackie's bar like you would expect if they were just his loyal henchmen or whatever. So what are they doing in that gap???

I've said before that the adventures of Fang and Ivan is a completely wild story squeezed into the background and gaps of this show with two fascinatingly insane guys at the center of it, and I still think that's true. Fang goes right into becoming besties with the crew while still definitely thinking Edward is going to have him murder all of them in a few weeks. Ivan watches Izzy get banished, sleeps on it, and then fucking bounces with his buddy to go meet up with him... And then they praise Edward's punch and mutiny Izzy later! It's fun to think about!

...but I suppose my interest in Fang and Ivan does connect back up with my Izzyposting fairly often (since I like analyzing how characters interact and relate, and these two interact with Izzy), so how about another character?

Oluwande.

Now obviously the well trodden path here is TealOranges thoughts and feels. Plenty of drama, development, struggles, etc. But actually what I most want to know about Oluwande is how he and Spanish Jackie know each other???

Like what was up with that??? 👀👀👀

Their interaction gives off sorta inner circle vibes to me. Jackie clearly suspects / knows he betrayed her, but she calls him over to chat like old friends and Oluwande is expected to play along to act normal. So like... Was that normal? Did he regularly sit at Jackie's table and chat about life with her? Jackie does not have the time of day for her own husbands' problems most of the time - she seems to reprimand Geraldo for expecting more attention than the others - but immediately asking after Oluwande's life doesn't ping "oh she's definitely onto us" for him???

I don't think he's a husband (feels like it would have been addressed) and them being related seems unlikely. He's got a good head on his shoulders but he's clearly not some notorious pirate or outlaw of great skill. Like Oluwande is just some guy! But also some guy that Jackie was personally invested in!

And then bringing Jim into this... So Oluwande is just some guy in Jackie's inner circle, finds out the new barmaid is out to kill Jackie's favorite husband, and just helps them out??? My dude??? He doesn't even get whirlwind romance privileges. He did all that for a mysterious yet compelling stranger and no shit is this man crazy enough for the Revenge.

My headcanon re: the murder is that Alfeo was universally loathed and literally only Jackie and his gang liked him. So when people (and let's be honest Jim is not the most subtle of assassins so probably more than just Oluwande) realized someone was legit after him, they pretty much shrugged and sent them good thoughts. Also I think Oluwande and Jim had a solid plan to get away with killing Alfeo that went completely sideways, which is how they ended up hiding on a pirate ship pretending they knew how to sail. Oluwande didn't actually intend to completely ruin his status with Jackie and he does lowkey regret it in some ways, so he's gonna be thrilled when Jim tells him all about how they are cool with Jackie now and he can go back to the bar to hang next time they are in Nassau.

Anyway that's another big thing I want from S2 Jackie is Oluwande backstory, because that would be such a treat.

[taylor-on-your-dash]

Hi! Talking about the timeline (btw thank u so much for sharing that excel with us - it's incredible!) and as a lover of little details about when songs were written/recorded I thought I'd mention some info about the making of Midnights! I've been down a rabbit hole and something Taylor mentioned in her instagram description of Midnights on the day it came out (which doesn't appear on her twitter thread) points to when it was made:

Here she's talking about working with Jack and how it all came together while Joe and Margaret were filming in Panama, a quick look into Stars At Noon (the film they were working on) reveals that filming took place between November-December 2021. So, I kept digging and what confirmed this for me was that many of the outfits Taylor wore in her making of Midnights tiktok were the ones we had seen her wearing in and around Nov 2021 while she was promoting Red (TV). Just thought I'd mention all this since you have the Midnights dates mostly as 2022 (which you may have your reasons for and probably know all this already😂) either way not sure if this is helpful but as a deep diver myself with nowhere to share this info I'm turning to you!

i actually haven't researched midnight at all cause... I didn't like it that much. lover is still my least favourite but I didn't connect with Midnights that much.

I think I agree with @backup-baby-backup timeline of Midnights, so, blatantly copying their breakdown:

7-15 March 2021: High Infidelity, Would've, Could've, Should've

March-November 2021: The Great War, Hits Different, Vigilante Shit

22 Nov-16 Dec 2021: Maroon, Anti-Hero, You're On Your Own, Kid, Midnight Rain, Question...?, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Mastermind, Paris, Dear Reader, You're Losing Me.

Late 2021-Early 2022: Lavender Haze, Glitch

2022 (before May): Bigger Than The Whole Sky, Snow On The Beach, Sweet Nothing, Karma

I just never got around to change the dates on the spreadsheet, I'll try to do it today!

thank you again for the tip!

[shealmostdrowned]

i LOVE all the midnights q’s and i was abt to list like 5 of them so if nobody else jumps in pls take this as ur go ahead to answer them all !! 💜🪻🔮☔️

babes you exhaust me (affectionate) omgg!! challenge accepted though because i love you, my little grey sunglasses friend 💕💕

midnights ask game questions and answers under the cut:

1. Lavender Haze — Do you let other people’s opinions of you influence you? not really. i take them into account but will ultimately make my own choices

2. Maroon — Is there someone that holds the title of ›the one that got away‹ for you? almost. and i'm begging the universe that this answer never changes to "yes"

3. Anti-hero — What’s an insecurity of yours that you have overcome? i can't think of one i've successfully overcome but i'm working on accepting my weirdness and excitability. i used to bounce around and enjoy things but then i got self conscious about being "too much"

4. Snow On The Beach — Are you crushing on anyone right now? yes 😌😌

5. You’re On Your Own Kid — If you were given the chance to go back in time and change your past would you? Why or why not. no because i don't know what i could do differently. every mistake or shitty moment is something i've learned from

6. Midnight Rain — What dream are you chasing right now? peace and comfort. as cheesy as that is hahah!!

7. Question…? — Ask a question of your choice. 💕😎 ANON COME BACK AND ASK YOUR CHOICE 😎💕

8. Vigilante Shit — Forgiveness or Revenge? forgiveness (but the revenge fantasies are many and tempting)

9. Bejeweled — Do you like being the center of attention? nope!!

10. Labyrinth — What’s something that’s been on your mind for a long time that you just don’t seem to be able to escape? the fear that everyone i love doesn't actually care about me and will leave me...

11. Karma — Do you believe in Karma? yes! always have, always will

12. Sweet Nothing — What sweet nothings do you indulge in to enjoy yourself? iced coffee or peach tea in the sunshine. nothing hits like that

13. Mastermind – Do you have a story, memory, video etc. of yourself that you would show someone if you wanted to show them the real you?

14. The Great War — What’s in your ‘memory garden’? i don't really understand what this means i'm sorry

15. Bigger Than The Whole Sky — Is there someone you’ve lost in one way or another that you keep imagining being with you at certain moments in your life? my childhood best friend. i always picture him around and going through all these different moments with me

16. Paris — When was the last time you played pretend? i actually have no idea

17. High Infidelity — Would you forgive someone’s infidelity? it would depend on the circumstances but most likely, yes. things happen and it sucks but, again... it depends

18. Glitch — What’s your opinion on long-distance relationships? they're hard but you do you, babe. they're not all that different to irl relationships these days with how connected you can be

19. Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve — Are you haunted by something? yes. and that's the only answer you'll get.

20. Dear Reader — If your life was a book what would its title be? some song reference i'm sure hahah

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

So I’m stealing this from @tayloralisonswift and you should definitely check out their version, but I’m going to listen to and rank all of Taylor’s songs album by album (and then maybe her non album songs at the end). You can also see my debut rankings and what I’ve changed here + my Fearless, Speak Now, RED, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore and Evermore rankings here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

So with that in mind, it’s Midnights’ turn. As per usual, I’ll put a content warning here and say that I mention mental struggles (including addiction and suicidality), family issues and religious trauma. They are just mentions, but read at your own discretion. Also I am giving a warning that I am more a 3am vault track girlie here so don't be too shocked at the difference in scores.

Lavender Haze: This song has never clicked, I'm sorry. Like I just find it so uninteresting despite certain lines (particularly the arguably feminist ones) really having the potential to say something. 3/10.

Maroon: You're gonna hear this again before the end of this album, but anthem of 2022 me's life in a nutshell... really anthem of 2022 - mid 2024 me more than I'd like it to be. Also if you catch me singing this and singing "the rope is there. I gave up" instead of "the rubies that I gave up" don't correct me, I know; I just like my misheard lyrics more lmao. Anyway, I really like this song. 8/10.

Anti Hero: Listen, you may think as a The Archer girlie, this is my favourite from the album... but no. It is just very mid to me. I will give it that the narcissism line felt like the most relatable line for me until recently (when I healed more), but yeah, not something I actively seek out. 4/10.

Snow On The Beach: I'm using the more Lana version for this ranking because it's my preferred one. Lyrically I actually like the second verse, but as a whole the song just does not appeal to me. 4/10.

You're On Your Own Kid: We're ranking the standard album version here. This song having 'it's okay we're the best of friends anyway' and 'just to learn that you never cared' in the same verse did numbers on me when the song dropped out of relatability to a past situation ngl. Overall I don't think I love this song as much as everyone else, but I do like it a lot. 8/10.

Midnight Rain: So unless you're counting being in a local newspaper as fame, I've never been famous. But from the first listen, this song hit deep as a 'regrets over how my mental illness impacted how I treated relationships' song and it has haunted me since. Amazing song though. 8.5/10.

Question: A bop! A bop that has been too relatable since this album's release (as opposed to the past situation I originally tied it to), but a bop nonetheless. Also, it has unintentionally become queerer to me through me talking about Fortnight and making connections, which is lowkey funny because I am team 'this song is not and never was about Matty' whereas Fortnight clearly is. But yeah Fortnight is super queer to me so I guess this is now too lmao. 8.5/10.

Vigilante Shit: Let the record show that I did not need Taylor to show her ass to love this song. Like it's appreciated, but I loved it from the beginning. Remember when I said Maroon was 2022 me's most relatable song? Yeah so was this. So call me a cringey millennial all you want, but I will always love this song. 8.5/10.

Bejeweled: Eh, this is another mid song that never clicked for me, sorry. 4/10.

Labyrinth: This was my favourite song from the album... for the three hours before the 3am tracks came out. As a fellow formerly (as in over a decade ago now) suicidal girlie who got into a relationship that helped me change everything and turn it all around and love life again + who would always push through everything with a 'it's only this bad rn' attitude, Taylor ate with this one. Still praying for a mashup of this and The Alcott on tour, but I know it's likely not gonna happen. 9.5/10.

Karma: This is one of those songs that rarely hits (sorry, karma seems to have forgotten that it's my friend a lot over the years), but it's had its moments. I do like the remix just as much and would list that as my favourite music video of the album, but god do I wish Ice's verse didn't just like drop out like that. It sounds so awkward to me. The irony to all of that is that I actually would call it the centrepiece of the album; it's just not one I'm into. 5/10.

Sweet Nothing: We're ranking the Lavender version bonus track for this one. Much like Cowboy Like Me, I do appreciate that this song can be seen as a love song or a (heading towards) break up song, but it's just not something I'm drawn to most of the time. 6/10.

Mastermind: My grower of the album. Like I liked it well enough on first listen, but it's so catchy and fun and relatable. 8.5/10.

Hits Different: Again, I don't feel like I love this as much as everyone else, but I do like it. 8/10.

The Great War: My stan song of the album. It was my favourite from the first listen and to be honest, that has only grown with time; especially this year after a loved one of mine labelled it as one of their 'us' songs post them getting help for addiction issues that could have torn us apart. I know people are currently seeing the lyrics through a different lens due to what happened with Taylor and Joe, but yeah, it'll always be a purely love song for me. 10/10.

Bigger Than The Whole Sky: This song has had so many meanings for me, some of which I am not comfortable talking about yet/may never be, but god, what a song regardless. Much like Ronan and Soon You'll Get Better, I understand completely why people cannot rank this song, but I love it so much. Definitely a top 3 song from the album for me. 9.5/10.

Paris: What a cute song. No further thoughts past I really like it. 8.5/10.

High Infidelity: Again, I don't really have thoughts on this song past really liking it. Her singing it with Gorgeous for Eras was wild given everything though lmao. 8/10.

Glitch: I am a glitch lover. Nothing further to say: 8/10.

Would've Could've Should've: So I forgot to mention this during my Folklore post, but this song and My Tears Ricochet both came on while I was writing about my thoughts on my religious experiences a couple of years ago and god did they make me realise how much religion played a role in everything 15 - 17 year old (worst years of my life) me went through and I've never seen them the same since. I don't have much else to say about this song. Like I feel like everyone loves it, and I'm included in that lmao. It's just that good. 9/10.

Dear Reader: Do you know how much damage 'to a house not a home all alone because nobody's there' did to me, someone who was single at the time and who still is estranged from their family, on my first listen of this song? Like yeah.gif x100 tbh. Overall, as devastating and untrue (both to Taylor and I nowadays) this song is, I love it. I love that it's a trap (as per the first line), I love that it's brutally honest about the downsides of the parasocial relationship/idolisation of a person, I just love it all. 9/10.

You're Losing Me: The fact this song can just as easily be read as a mental illness or complacency/'he's just not that into you' song is one of its strengths. Like I think of one of two very different circumstances from my experiences whenever listening to this song purely based on my mood on that listen. I once thought about a Soon You'll Get Better/You're Losing Me mashup based on my experience and boy did that take me out just as much as a just say Haunted/You're Losing Me or Tolerate It/You're Losing Me mashup would; for very different reasons of course. In saying all of that, it's not a favourite of mine... which of course meant I got it as my surprise song for Eras lmao (I will say that I will always appreciate that I got to hear a song live the first time it was ever played though, because being Australian/at the end of most tours, that does not happen often), but it's alright. 6.5/10.

Final score: 162/220 - 73.6%

[valentine-cafe]

. ˚◞♡ 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒓𝒂 9948 𝒗 — 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 ; 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓◞ ₊˚

⊹ ۪ ࣪ ᥫ᭡ “I need you at my side — where I can see you, feel you. please, my dear. let me take care of you.”꒱

. ˚◞꒰verse꒱ 9948v

. ˚◞꒰face claim refs꒱ ( x ) ( x ) ( x ) ( x )

. ˚◞꒰species꒱ cultivator

. ˚◞꒰ethnicity꒱ mexican-indian ( awadhi-tamil )

. ˚◞꒰age꒱ 25

. ˚◞꒰gender꒱ genderfluid ( can physically switch through magic ), born afab

. ˚◞꒰mbti꒱ intj

. ˚◞꒰aliases꒱ the cursed, the scarlet sanguinist, the glitch, the scarlet thorn, the scarlet sentinel, the disappointment, the copycat, traitor, supernatural lyncher

. ˚◞꒰appearance꒱

𖹭. maroon eyes that either strike admiration or fear into people who dare gaze into them, enhanced sometimes when his scleras have black veins in them. usually after post ritual or during divine connection

𖹭. medium-length, fluffy and curly dark brown hair that tickle halfway down his neck and frame her already beautiful face perfectly. and when the sun is out and the brightness of it hits

𖹭. has beautiful bronze skin, that is adorned by beauty spots on the left side of his face and along his forearms.

𖹭. has a very androgynous face that leans more towards feminine features rather than masculine, yet you see the clear features there as well. his face is a combination of soft and sharp edges and corners

𖹭. lots of red and black makeup, often wandering with puppy-liner and dark red eyeshadow, with a lighter red, but still dark, lipstick. with a subtle blush.

𖹭. has a vermillion mark on his forehead. complementing his makeup and facial structure.

𖹭. stands at the height of 5’10” ( 177cm ) with an slender body

𖹭. sometimes wears henna on his hands, with intricate designs and artistry, he either does them himself or he borrows a hand from a certain verseless jìngyí.

𖹭. veins glow deep red when magic use, and if overexerted the hue will brighten gradually.

𖹭. tiny ruby jewel on his tongue that shimmers gently whenever it catches the light.

𖹭. carries standard lobe piercings with a helix piercing on his right, often with rubies inside of them into them.

𖹭. has a beautiful nose ring that connects to his right earring, and sometimes he switches it out for more detailed ones depending on the events.

𖹭. labret piercing to sit there perfectly on her pretty soft bottom lip, designed as a gold strip with small red jewel in the middle of the upper part of the piercing.

𖹭. gold rings cover his fingers, thin and thick, while bangles upon bangles cover his arms and wrists, shining in the reflection of the sun and when his veins glow.

𖹭. wears lots of red and black clothes, which range from an elegant style, to a more casual to traditional styles from her cultures, at times, it is also in a mix of modern and traditional.

𖹭. typically switches between genders whenever he feels like it, and is able to alter through spells.

 

. ˚◞꒰personality꒱

𖹭. considered the silent type, he’s more of an observer than anything else. quite reserved

𖹭. monotone, he’s not one to change expression often. is considered to be quite blank and also has a dry tone to the way he speaks

𖹭. has a sort of effortlessness to him — as though he doesn’t quite care about the world around him or how he does things

𖹭. speaks in a rather blunt, but quiet manner. some might see him as soft spoken but that is far from the case

𖹭. teaming with sarcasm and quick wit

𖹭. easily agitated, does not show it however. he must remain in control of himself

𖹭. if he does joke, he has a rather dark sense of humour

𖹭. a bit of a perfectionist admittedly

𖹭. often referred to as heartless or even callous. he is unafraid to break a few eggs or step on a few heads. to those that know his reputation, he is said to have no care

𖹭. can be envious at times, not that he actually shows it

𖹭. rather cunning and able to deceive easily

𖹭. merciless in his work and some aspects of his life. he has been said to have turned off his emotions. can be a tad bit sadistic

𖹭. unpredictable, and willing to do whatever it takes to complete his goals

𖹭. push him far enough and he’ll go erratic

𖹭. the voices —

𖹭. his personality may shift slightly depending on which rishen variant he glitches into ( refer to strengths )

 

. ˚◞꒰with a lover꒱

𖹭. at times he falls himself falling into awkwardness when he wishes to be verbally affectionate. he wants to love bomb you and he tries to, but he sometimes doesn’t know how to, sometimes he also gets worried he may overwhelm you if he does — will try his very best to make sure you feel good always.

𖹭. though in contrast to that of the above, he is very physically affectionate. he prefers expressing verbal affection through nicknames, and give physical affection to you to show all of his love for you.

𖹭. the second you join him in bed at night, he all but clings onto you to fall asleep comfortable, and doesn’t want you to leave the bed too early in the mornings. he will miss your warmth and touch, and get a little moody as well possibly.

𖹭.will cook for you whenever he has the time and will assure that all of the meals you get are nutritious and are ones you enjoy. just so that he can see you happy and at ease after long or hard days.

𖹭. casts spells on you so that he knows where you are. . . he cannot help it, he is paranoid about your safety. he has lost too much to just let you wander alone, and oh he only hopes you do not think anything of it other than him wanting to keep you safe.

𖹭. enjoys asking you riddles and confusing questions, it’s one of the way he messes with you. if you get it right he’ll sometimes reward you, which can be through a large assortment of affection. such as giving you kisses, sweets, trinkets, food, even more physical affection.

𖹭. will paint henna on your hands, so you both have matching patterns. also because he loves to hold your hands and watch the patterns interlink and let people know you are hers

𖹭. and oh this woman will stare at you for hours, ever so lovingly and with adoration. even when you catch her looking, you watch her melt, not physically, but through the softness of her stare. like you are made of the purest kind of happiness to her.

𖹭. not only is he possessive, he’s paranoid. he can and will have a meltdown if he can’t get a hold of you and doesn’t know where you are, and in very severe times, he has kept you at home for a few days. assuring doors and locks are sealed shut.

𖹭. secretly has sanguinist marks on you. . . he needs others to know to back off and not touch you. you are his, as he is yours. and he will not tolerate at all if anyone touched you.

𖹭. will fight tooth and nail to keep you safe. you are the one who will actually drive him insane — it’s a price he’s willing to pay. especially because a particular phantom keeps stalking around every corner the two of you are. he needs to keep you close and safe. he has to.

 

. ˚◞꒰strengths꒱

𖹭. sanguinist magic: a magic that flows from copper resentment himself and allows them to cast an array of spells, perform rituals and create defensive/offensive attacks

𖹭. sanguinist necromancy: able to puppet people on the brink of death and the dead as well ( granted their soul is still nearby )

𖹭. blood magic: don’t spill blood around a sanguinist. other than being able to harness it into dangerous attacks, high-level sanguinists can also manipulate a being through their blood

𖹭. dark magic: knows various spells, rituals and curses in regards to dark magic

𖹭. cultivator magic: born a cultivator, he is able to use cultivator magic; purifying, seals, rituals and other mystics

𖹭. glitches: he has a special quirk. . . he is able to glitch into different versions of himself across the multiverse. mimicking both their appearance and abilities. he could be rishen 781, 209, 1311, 9948e and so many other rishens. . .

 

. ˚◞꒰weaknesses꒱

𖹭. over-exertion: can tire himself out immensely with his magic

𖹭. glitches: he does not have full control of them and it can spiral out of control

 

. ˚◞꒰relationships꒱

𖹭. jìngyí verseless: complicated, bad terms

𖹭. alessio 209: complicated

𖹭. the phantom rhytaari: enemy

𖹭. zhào talisen 164: close companion, ‘god’

𖹭. alessio agresta 164: close companion

𖹭. alessio agresta arias 9948e: enemy

𖹭. rishen aryielus 9948e: enemy

 

. ˚◞꒰story꒱

a flick of the wrist, the splatter of blood.

is he writing his compositions or casting another ritual?

rishen herrera, otherwise known as the scarlet sanguinist. a blank and blunt individual. often found silent and staring with those beady scarlet eyes of his. a cultist known for his callous ways and the monotone expression he keeps throughout them.

while his hands know many melodies and vast horrors, he is also what one would call a tracker. mercilessly hunting down his own kind when given the order.

in his personal time he serves the primordial rhytaari himself — yet something else brews beneath the surface. a slew of unidentified rituals and vast measures taken; eggs broken and heads stepped. but for what?

what does it even matter? it’s not as though he is even himself half of the time. an ever-shifting face to versions of himself across the multiverse

 

. ˚◞꒰extra꒱

𖹭. he is known as the scarlet sentinel because he works as a ‘supernatural tracker’. being forced to hunt down his fellow supernaturals. not that he seems to mind.

context: in his world ( verse 9948v ), supernaturals are discriminated against and governed to such a degree that those that ‘hide’ or are considered ‘wanted’ are hunted down by law officials or other supernaturals that are coerced into it

𖹭. plays the violin

𖹭. he is a sanguinist, which is a group that serves copper resentment

𖹭. he often composes music in his spare time ( sometimes he does so with blood )

𖹭. has an incredibly big sweet tooth

𖹭. quite well-known within the realm of abhorration

𖹭. when he glitches into one of his variations, he becomes an exact replica of them, however with his own thoughts and quirks still

[gayle-blythe]

Jan 16

The grey coat with the red lining

When I was younger, I got a date with this boy I liked. I asked him on Valentine’s Day but we were both busy until late February. Everything was planned, he got us a reservation at this nice restaurant in the city and I planned a place to go for some dessert afterwards. The only thing I neglected to plan for was my outfit. I had a basic idea, but I forgot that it was still practically the middle of winter and my outfit, as well as myself, was far better suited for spring or summer. I hadn’t found a solution until the night of, only about a half an hour before I was set to leave. I was forced to bite the bullet and do the last thing I wanted to. I went to my mom. As soon as I told her my predicament, she took a look at my outfit and rushed off claiming she had the perfect solution.

When she returned, she was holding a quite large coat. It was frankly closer to a duster than anything as it fell to just below my knees. She told me she’s had it since she was about my age. It was a smooth grey coat with a maroon fleece lining. The stitching along the edges and the cuffs were smooth and beautiful, and the gold buttons were ornate and matched perfectly with accessories I already had on. Putting it on, it was a little too big, but it wasn’t cumbersome at all. Some of the edges folded in way where you could see the lining and it added an extra accent to the whole outfit. She was right. It was perfect.

The date was fairly uneventful. Whether it was the cold of the night or the comfort of the jacket, I found myself wearing it the entire date. The only other thing of note was that I had my first kiss that night. Afterwards, I hung the coat up in my closet, telling myself I’d return it in the morning

I never did return it. I thought I must have, but I didn’t. I’m not sure when or how, but it had disappeared. I only noticed it quite some time later when I was planning to wear it to a banquet. Checking my closet, asking my mother, searching the house, but no dice. I found a replacement for the night and went on my way. But it happened again. Another event, another desire to wear that coat, another search, and another defeat. I’d eventually retrace my steps checking everywhere I went that night, even though I knew I hadn’t taken it off. This repeated over and over, every time, no luck.

Years later, today, I was walking home from one of my night classes. Strange things have been happening around town, or at least that’s what everyone has been saying. Strange shadows, strange noises, even a few missing people. It’s got everyone on edge. I live just a few blocks from the local community college and I walk a pretty busy road, plus I feel like I can hold my own in a fight, so I wasn’t too worried. Along my route, there’s about a block where the streetlights are spaced farther than usual. It was between two of these lights that I saw something shift in the shadows between two buildings.

The coat. My coat, I could recognize it clear as day, but what I didn’t recognize was the figure wearing it. Whoever it was, was wearing my coat, red lining, gold buttons, and all as well as an old black velvet, fedora. They looked like a detective from an old movie. They were looking down so the brim of the hat covered their face and with their hands in the pockets of the coat, I couldn’t see their hands either. But I could see their wrists… and they looked…wet? They looked smooth and shiny, but wet. Confused and not sure what to make of this I tried to notice any other feature of them.

That’s when it hit me

The coat almost looked small on them. They were MASSIVE. The coat only fell to about just below the waist and the sleeve actually sat about where mid forearm would be. This thing CANNOT be human. Just as this thought crossed my mind, it’s head began to raise. It had no chin, just a neck that immediately connected to a flat face. It’s mouth was just a horizontal slit across its face. It’s nose was two perfectly round bore holes. As the brim on the hat uncovered the eyes, it was as if a sunset and a black hole met. I was frozen and watched in horror as it’s lips began to part and from the center of the mouth another slit began to open, down over where it’s chin should be, and continuing until it disappeared under the coat. As these slits began to widen into gaping holes, I saw rows upon rows or sharp, jagged teeth reflecting in the dim light of the street lamps. Frozen in place, I only broke free once I saw the thing slide one of its feet back and begin pulling arm from the pocket, revealing a long appendage with slick, salamander like skin. I wasn’t sure if it’s movement was to retreat into the darkness or preparation to bolt at me, but I wasn’t going to wait around to find out. I took off down the sidewalk, running as fast and as far as I could. Even when my legs and kings begged me to stop, I didn’t let up till I was safely inside my apartment with the door locked behind me.

That was two hours ago. Everything’s been quiet since. I have no clue what that thing could have been. I thought of calling the police, but with how they’ve treated other such reports, I think I’ll keep this one to myself. All I know for sure is this.

I’m not looking for that old coat anymore.

And I’m going to pray to God I don’t accidentally find it again.

January Prompts

1. Everything begins

2. Domain

3. Creak

4. Thin light

5. Sheriff

6. The good twin

7. Highway 59

8. Wife

9. Iron bridges

10. Fingers

11. “Say what you mean”

12. The destroyer’s hour

13. To the marsh

14. Blue Jay

15. Bed of the past

16. The grey coat with the red lining

17. Strangling plant

18. The body

19. Black oak

20. A punishment

21. Gentleman

22. Mahler’s fifth

23. Dogtooth

24. Run the other way

25. Syrupy

26. Dark denim

27. What you really believe

28. Unexpected prophet

29. Secret project

30. Beheaded

31. And the rot sets in

[mybloodyfamousprophets]

tonight’s trip report is interesting. any doubts I had left im autistic are gone lol it’s for sure. its been a lot of realizing that i see and experience the world in a strange, really intense kind of way and im like. its how connected i am to the things that i write, (some) of the things i share online, like i just never talk about how i feel like this

im also still tripping so my racey thoughts are getting directly poured into the keyboard let me talk about taylor swift and i promise this is important both because. shes incredible of course. and midnights is just the example i can think of as im tripping and i write this. the shrooms make it feel more intense but i was just sitting in my room earlier listening to it. mastermind, that song sounds like perfect ripples in a grid, like cascading spheres of light, like it sounds like nonsense to actually put that into words and so i never do

i think ive always had this funny quirk of like, visualizing music, and its so connected to how i just. experience listening to anything. its visual, its patterns, a lot of it is patterns. a lot of it is.. waves? and a lot of it is just really sensual. like maroon. that song just FEELS so good. it feels cathartic. the layering just hits my brain in a certain way. see if i keep rambling the thoughts out of my head this is gonna sound like an album review but ive just been listening to it so much that its the one experience i can talk about.

but the songs feel so intense to listen to, and the words are so intensely relatable to my situations, and it all just comes together and its kind of overwhelming and emotional, and the words that i write, i was at the cusp of being able to explain it. lost my drive to write here

[an-honest-puck]

I kinda wish I knew about Tiermaker earlier in my baseball kick (i.e. before the 2023 postseason started lmao), because if I had done this way back in April 2023, this is not what the line-up would have looked like XD

I have no good excuse for these and the teams aren't listed in any particular order, but also, I won't apologise because I don't actually hate any teams - like, I have no beef with any of these teams I think. I'm just impartial to them lol

please enjoy my very silly rankings of MLB teams and my questionable taste as someone who only got into baseball in 2023 lmaooo

and feel free to ignore my hella long-winded 'reasoning' under the cut lol- spoilers: it's mostly based on players and vibes XD you'll quickly realise that this was written before trades happened, so just to reiterate: I like players more than I like teams XD

S-Tier: Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals

I blame Trea Turner for having one of the most Sports Movie(tm) seasons ever in 2023 (as well as his slick slides and sweet swing) for keeping me checking in with the Phillies and therefore: seeing the Daycare Shenanigans of Marshy and Stott (and Bohm), hearing the wild words of occasional wisdom outta Casty's mouth, and learning about the absolute human that is Garrett Stubbs (a.k.a. Philadelphia's own Dionysus)

the Nats always seem to feel like the underdogs to me lol also, they have the prettiest City Connect jersey and that's my hottest baseball take (aside from these ridiculous rankings of course XD)

speaking of jerseys- I absolutely adore the Phillies powder blues. the powder blue + maroon combo is *chef's kiss* impeccable lol

A-Tier: Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, St Louis Cardinals

idk, the Mariners seem to have good vibes lol I do very much like Julio Rodriguez who seems pretty switched on, and ya gotta love the duo that is Ty France and JP Crawford (one word: Starbucks XD) I'm also quite fond of JP- it was pretty awesome to see his leadership within the team, and his reasoning for why aliens exist is flawed, but I do agree with him that there have to be aliens out there somewhere XD

I like the Blue Jay blue, and as a non-American, of course I have a soft spot for the only non-American team in the MLB lol I think the Blue Jays were the first team I saw do an outfield celebration (because yes, Pretty-Eyes Kiermaier duh lol) and that was that lol also, Bo and Vladdy lol

loml Lars Nootbaar. that's all :) ok and Tommy Edman lol (as a Third Culture Asian kid, I gotta give love to the Third Culture Asian players in the MLB yo lol)

B-Tier: San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, LA Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres

most of these are just based on the vibes I'm getting, like the Cubs, Orioles, and Diamondbacks, but also

Sean Manaea from the Giants seems like a cool guy, and he and Blake Sabol are the only two Pacific Islander boys I know of in the MLB and that's hella cool. also, Alyssa Nakken is hella cool

Adley Rutschman is a Character(tm) and was also kickass in the Homerun Derby when he switch hit

Corbin Carroll because again, gotta give love to the Third Culture Asian players yo lol also gotta love Lourdes 'Pineapple' Gurriel Jr XD

I think Francisco Lindor's a cool guy, and like him, I too follow athletes not teams (if you couldn't tell by this list XD) I also really like the blue and orange of the Mets' uniform- there's just something about that colour combo that I think looks dope lol

if you'd asked me about the Dodgers earlier this year, I would've put them in as a S-Tier team, but then the shine wore off for me. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are still some of my favourite guys in the League tho, and the Kiké Hernandez trade to go back to the Dodgers? I wasn't around for Dodgers-era Kiké, but it sounds like he was a hoot then, and it was so good to see some energy back in the dugout with Kiké there (until the postseason of course, but shh lol)

probably the most neutral team I have in the B-Tier, but I just think the Chicago Cubs are neat lol

I reckon the Padres are this high in my rankings purely because of the tv show 'Pitch' XD but also, I very much enjoyed watching Fernando Tatis Jr's 'villain' era this year and I'm quite fond of Juan Soto (also, shoutout to the Padres' social media team with their spring training questions/riddles of the day- my fave is 'why don't turtles play baseball?', highly recommend lol) oh oh! and their City Connect jerseys are lit lol

C-Tier: Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Anaheim/LA Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers

again, very much based on vibes lol

Astros are apparently hated by everyone except Astros fans, but damn they have some dope jerseys lol

you can't say Angels without thinking of Shohei Ohtani, who was arguably, the first baseball player I actually liked (see my early 'baseball with day' posts lol). and then of course, the WBC where Ohtani finally got to face his superstar teammate Mike Trout- which could also be described vice versa lol

ever since Pablo Lopez said he wanted an unlimited amount of cut mangoes, I've liked the guy and therefore the Twins XD (unlimited cut mangoes was such a left-field but top-tier response, how could I not love it?? lol)

Liam Hendriks is a fucking legend. am I biased because he's Australian? maybe. does that make him any less badass? hell no! the man survived cancer! I hope he stays healthy and has a good season ahead of him!

D-Tier: NY Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 19/07/2023

Moves Like K.K.

Season 1 Featured on: Gurando no Mori

Ripped by Chaze the Chat

There's no shame in hiding it - SiIvaGunner, and more specifically Chaze, made me a full-on fan of Maroon 5. I'm unsure of how much of a shared experience it is, but for a very long time I effectively didn't listen to music outside of ones from the video games I played, as non-VGM just never did much for me. That feeling still lingers a slight bit for me, and I've speculated that its due to me feeling like I need some sort of prior attachment to the music in order for it to really click for me. A piece of music written for a boss fight just becomes all the more gripping when you can directly recall lines of dialogue from the boss fight, your original thoughts from when you played the fight, and the atmosphere presented as a whole.

My funky brain aside, having been a SiIva watcher for such a long time has given me a similar sort of attachment to many of its recurring jokes and memes. Thanks to Chaze, one of those recurring jokes just so happened to be Maroon 5, a band I was only partially familiar with beforehand. Through Chaze's repeated use of their songs, particularly in Season 1 and 2, it dawned on me just how many of them actually WERE familiar to me, and how much they actually did bang when I was actually invested in them. SiIva gives people a community to listen to music together with every two or four hours a day, along with having that music be intrinsically tied to media you likely are already familiar with. Such was the case for me here - the Animal Crossing Movie was one of my first true favorite films and one I cherish dearly, in large part due to its music, with K.K. Bossa in particular hitting me like a train on every visit.

A simple mashup though it be, its kind of a funky idea for one, isn't it? Mashing up tearjerking orchestral bossa nova with modern Maroon 5's typical radiopop doesn't feel like it should work, yet the mood of both songs still manage to shine through - the upbeat passion of Moves like Jagger, alongside the relaxing vibes and nostalgia of K.K. Bossa somehow blend together to form an absolutely stellar feel-good vibe. And right as I type this, listening to the song in the background, I hear my favorite little touch in the song - a discrete whistle of the Flintstones theme playing in the background of the song's end. Through the years I've had this track in my playlist for, that whistle always manages to take that happy feeling and turn it into something bittersweet, connecting the track to the Season 1 finale it was released so close to. The feelings that the channel was about to end were at an alltime high when this album released, and this song has always carried that weight in a really special way.

For me, there's lots of nostalgia present with this one. Lots of emotions, too. Never underestimate the potency of a well-placed mashup.

[sorryimananti-romantic]

you coming out of your isolation cavern to read 🤝 me going to my isolation cavern after posting (we love our isocaverns don't we) BUT YES YOUR NAME! AHAHAHA no i needed that validation, tho i ended up making my villains milder than i had initially planned

AHAHAHA you should not have held back i would love to hear the feedback from bleach's perspective I USED SO MANY QUOTES HERE BRO but i'm sure you noticed most? of them hehe thank you for being so thoughtful tho <33

wc who i don't know her (it's 16kish im so sorry folks)

THAT MIDDLE PIC AAAAAAAA RIGHT i found it by chance but it's so fitting considering how all the cameras are pointing to him hehe

omg you're the second person to compare this to new world and this was unintentional but it ended up this way and now i see why too. he's a delulu prince in that fic, he's a delulu politician here. same same.

doing reblog reply same format as you so hongjoong:

PREP WHAT did i forget to mention that you're already PREPPED for him should i have to spell that out READER WAS PREPPED BEFORE THE EVENT EVEN BEGAN LOLLLLL (is prep short for prepared bc how come i never connected the dots)

omg the collective pronouns vs first person yes thank you for noticing i can always count on you to notice all the details (even those i haven't noticed myself LOL)

YES OMG we are manipulated and aware and trapped and in love and also wanting to be free we are ✨confused✨

AND YES MY FAV DETAIL from going to being the salvation of the common people, 'they will, for the sake of loyalty, put a blindfold over their eyes. they will hold him in high reverence as he becomes their lord, their saviour' TOOOO he is 'your lord, your saviour' WHO ARE WE ARE WE THE COMMON PPL

seonghwa:

what do you mean you had to google what jekyll was about DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO/WHAT JEKYLL AND HYDE IS (screams do you not get the concept) (<-i've been using tiktok too much)

with park seonghwa... you gotta be delusional to function man

HELP AHAHAHAHA PREYING WHY DID ANIMALS BY MAROON 5 STARTED PLAYING IN MY HEAD WHEN I READ THAT LINE

LMAO okay miss ma'am i see you're the obsessive kind hmm *takes note*

lmao yes the soul society was supposed to be an alternate term for their society name but i came up with nothing better (i was cbs) so soul society it is

THEY'VE TEASED EACH OTHER ENOUGH IT'S TIME TO GET 🤪 FREAKYY

bruh so real story: i made seonghwa an alter-ego serial killer first, right. but... it wasn't working for me, bc for that to be impactful with someone like seonghwa, i felt like the reader had to be the victim or be morally white at first. but then it would become a story about seonghwa morally corrupting the reader (i think i should make that a separate fic) anddd then i decided seonghwa is a saint in all universes and must not get his hands directly dirty LOL idk i failed to write him as a true villain he's so morally white coded that all i could get to was morally grey seonghwa yfeel

yunho

AHAHAHA yes hunter yunho with that moodboard HITS (also another real story i planned to make him a stalker/serial killer but then i was like there's so much stalker stuff out there and then i spent some good time thinking what other villains he can make. cult leader- again, a lot of fics about it. so serial killer it is. again. basically guerrilla LOL)

can there be one yunho fic without a mention of his hand in my blog? if that happens, that's not me. that's an impostor.

how would girlie know he kills for fun when it's THE JEONG YUNHO come on chron we know we all would fold instantly

i'll fix him :D (i want him to fix me-)

YES AHAHAHAHA THOSE QUOTES are some of my fav from bleach and yes about your analysis that's not what i intended but if it comes off like that to the reader, that's a bonus for me bro (i actually wrote all of this fic head empty no thoughts so surprisingly the details you've caught in this, 90 percent happened on their own)

yeosang

oooo not even bones sounds interesting but yeah medical malpractice and stuff like this happens a lot in real life unfortunately :/

lmao the imagery right ahhahahaha 😭😭 just tired but can't-wait-to-see-the-loml yeosang coming for his daily kiss before he gets back to work LOL

THE GUTS WAS UNINTENTIONAL TOO SEE NOTHING SO FAR HAS BEEN INTENTIONAL BUT THANK YOU FOR ANALYSING THIS FIC LIKE A LITERATURE STUDENT LOVE YOU

RIGHT that bleach quote when i tell you i've been ITCHING to use it somewhere since i first came across it and only to end up using here is kinda diabolical djfghdfkgh

yeosang and chicken are besties again if i don't mention chicken in a yeosang fic? impostor

san

WAREHOUSE MENTION HEHEHE

yess also one of my fav quotes hehe and omg that quote hits too i'm gonna save it for sth in the future (also literally who do i need to sell my soul to to come up with the juiciest dialogues like tite kubo does)

yeah so san was the 3rd or 4th member i wrote (yeosang first and seonghwa second and maybe yunho after) and by that time i had already lost the plot (of how villains was not supposed to be cute fluff like THIS) but i'm happy with how this turned out anyway :')

yepp i'm gonna try doing the judge, jury and executioner trio fr in some fic in the future (says i who is taking a break from writing LOL it's never a break with me)

mingi

youth mv mingi >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

yep very domestic now this was intentional AHAHAHA thank you for commenting on it <3

RISKING IT ALL FOR A TIP LIKE A TRUE KDRAMA LEAD okay but when i write and i need to think about plot twists or whatever i usually think of my fic like a kdrama too and play it in my head so yes you can see the influence here

ahaha i'm glad i got mingi's characterisation good bc honestly for me he's been the hardest to write (bc he's literally me i'm literally mingi minus the being scared and jumpy part we're literally the same ppl)

omgg yes now that comparison you made thank you that put a smile on my face (says i who's been giggling the entire time i read your reblog)

EXCUSE ME WDYM YOU (H)ATE HIM DFGHDKJFGH IM CALLING THE COPS

real tho. mingi's was my fav to write too which is why i'm hoping i can make a full fic out of this and have exactly this painting scene somewhere :'))

wooyoung

wooyo MADE for e2l fics ngl

lmao your wooyo feedback is so funny WDYM GET IN LINE FDJGHKDFG

no but the clash between their jobs/morals and then their attraction. doomed lovers. oh, how i love doomed lovers :')

jongho

RIGHT my fav reader character was the jongho one we love a powerboss girly slay pop who's got crazy comebacks huehuehe

but yes the vulnerability in between this game they're playing. ahhh. they need to sit down and have a drink and really, really talk about why they are the way they are

AND YES i loved this lil moment where jongho tells reader to stand up straight like?? we love a man who recognises a woman's worth. the only time he'd want the reader to not stand up straight and maybe bend and maybe maybe be on her knees is when she finally submits to him iykwim-

BUT YES he remains a (loveable) little shit

YOU WILL NEVER OWN ME says she when in reality we all know that's not happening we fold way too easily-

Ateez as Villains

disclaimer: read at your own risk. do not interact if not comfortable with any tropes. reminder that this is a work of fiction and must be treated so. 

warnings: absolutely no morals here, 18+ mdni, illegal acts (abduction, murder, physical abuse, stalking, trafficking, financial crimes, dirty politics, corruption), suggestive/nsfw scenes, explicit language (swearing, insults), death, violence, blood & injuries, weapons, smoking, drugs, alcohol

a/n: couldn't have done this without @eightmakesonebraincell's and @chronicvagabonds' validation lmao also tribute to tite kubo for coming up with the juiciest dialogues, some of which i quoted here

Hongjoong

The Manipulator

hongjoong always knew he had leadership skills

from being the team leader whenever he played games as a young child, to growing up and eventually influencing people

he was often told that he has a certain way of pulling people’s attention and leave something stirring inside them with his words

so it is no surprise that hongjoong is where he is today. a renowned businessman, philanthropist and… politician

hongjoong adjusts the sleeves of his shirt and glances at you from the mirror

you are standing behind him, holding his coat for him. he wears it with a proud smile and holds his chin high

“tonight is very important. for me. for this country.” 

he goes on about how there will be people from all over the country

people who are the foundation of this nation. people who care about the future of this world 

and if you weren’t so blinded by the adoration you have for this man you would have called him delusional

but the fact is that you are deluded by him. hongjoong has the ability to cast a spell with his words

he feeds his supporters the lie of a better world in the near future, and they bow to him

hongjoong smiles devilishly at the thought of what entails the events of tonight

he can picture it clearly- the cheers and desperate screams of his followers as he steps on the podium

the cries of these people, as helpless as sheeps in a herd, waiting for an upright politician to save this nation 

he can feel the thrill just imagining what it will be like tonight when he addresses the nation as the new face of his political party

to a common person, he would just be another man with a good heart striving for a better change

but the common person is weak, and for them… he is their salvation

they will hear his words tonight- words he has carefully crafted himself. the cues will register in their minds, and they will end up seeking him to announce their undying support and loyalty, to shower in his glory

you straighten hongjoong’s coat and smooth over his shirt, your hands unsteady with anticipation

“aren’t you happy to be right next to me when i conquer the stage tonight?” he whispers, lifting your chin up

you meet his eyes and he can see his answer there

you hope he doesn’t see the conflict in your eyes. the conflict is to be concealed in your heart, in the deepest, untouchable corner of it

you are blessed, they tell you, to be the politician’s favoured

and you are- you truly are. hongjoong loves you. he adores you

in fact… he’s almost obsessed with you

and why wouldn’t he be? you were the one who led him here

you were the one who held his hand and showed him the right path- his partner, and now his secretary

oh, how you sometimes wish you could turn back the hands of the clock and go back to when hongjoong was hopeless and thought that the world was a wretched place beyond saving

that is when you told him that the only way to run this world was to join hands with the elites of this nation- or to become one

it must be the fates that led him to where he is today

after all, isn’t he a king without a crown? a ruler without a throne?

he is a born leader and a strategist. he has always been good with his words

it’s how he earned the favour and graces of the elites and the politicians and made a place for himself- not under them, but beside them

but to stand beside those people, you have to be a little… corrupt. and morally ambiguous

the world is not run by saints, after all

“sweetheart?” he calls when he sees you are distracted

you don’t miss the warning tone in his voice. tonight, you have to be on your toes

you have to seek out willing supporters and show them that they mean the world to hongjoong and his political party

but more importantly… you need to target other politicians, find their weaknesses and if lucky, have some join hands with you

“i’m here,” you tell him and he nods firmly, pressing a kiss to your temple

“i will see you tonight,” he promises, and you know what he means

he always gets such a thrill out of playing the leader

he gets so much energy, and he has to take it out one way or another

and what better way to take it out in the form of lovemaking?

you feel warmth course through your body as he trails his finger down the middle of your chest purposely

he almost smiles maniacally as he leaves first, giving you a moment to gather your wits

you pour yourself a glass of drink- you can’t possibly do this sober

you join hongjoong as he gives his first speech- a very normal talk about how this nation is on the verge of collapse

corruption, crime, inhumanity, dirty politics? you name it

you admire his resilience, really. whatever he is talking about comes straight from his heart, and he has been talking about these issues for a long time now

you also admire his pompousness and the audacity to talk about dirty politics, when he is the face of dirty politics

you join the audience when they clap for him, your heart full of pride

there is a break where he meets with the high-profile people and asks them to consider joining hands with him

‘to make a better world for the future generations’. such inspiring words from such a young political leader

except hongjoong’s trick is that he always, always has something over them

he has a team dedicated specifically for this task- to dig dirt on his political targets so he can wield them like the blade of a guillotine over their heads

despite his evil means to climb the top, somehow, his image and reputation remains far too clean

and that is because he knows to take these actions behind the scenes, away from any eyes

a true politician, he’s been dubbed

it is about midnight when the hall almost empties, leaving only the members of your party and some new faces- people who are willing to hear him out and decide if they want to join his party

you wish you could tell them that it is a trap- hongjoong will promise that their efforts and support will lead them to something great

‘the greater good’, he always says, except these people do not know what they are getting into

they are merely sacrificial lambs, the stepping stones that will lead hongjoong closer to his utopia

they will, for the sake of loyalty, put a blindfold over their eyes. they will hold him in high reverence as he becomes their lord, their saviour

he will feed them copper pellets and claim that this is the best that they can get while he himself sits on a throne made of gold

and when they empty every last drop of whatever they have to offer- their blood, sweat and tears

hongjoong will discard them without remorse. that is who he is- a master manipulator

when you are done wrapping up the event in the deep, dark hours of the night, hongjoong finds you in your bedroom

his chest is heaving with energy that is threatening to combust from within him

he outstretches his hand and you saunter over to him

his hands are dominating when he holds you, though his kiss is soft and unrushed

until that too becomes scalding hot

he is quick to lead you to the couch where you sit on his lap, finding him painfully hard

he groans loudly and starts to unbuckle his pants, and you instantly know what he wants- you always know what he wants

he easily slides his hard length inside your warmth and groans heavily in relief, resting his head back and just letting you both stay still

you only move to rest your head against his shoulder. he can have you like this for as long as he wants

“we have a lot of new supporters tonight,” he begins, chuckling deeply, “the polls seem to be in our favour too.”

his dark curls caress your face as you snuggle against him

“we also managed to score deals with many influential politicians and businessmen tonight,” he tells you and you look at him with pride as he names them

“soon,” he begins, trailing his hands under your dress and squeezing your thighs, “soon… we will have our people in every sector- in business, healthcare, industrial, courts… we will be controlling the nation- we… we are the leaders of this nation.”

his cock twitches inside you as he finishes that sentence and you bite your lips in thought

“what are you thinking, love?” he asks, caressing your face

“i just sometimes wonder,” you begin- can you admit your bare thoughts to him?

he squeezes your thigh as a sign to go ahead

“i wonder how we got here, joong,” you admit, “you know that we are exploiting people-”

“for the greater good-”

“for the greater good, yes,” you finish, nodding and he furrows his brows in concentration

“these people are just like us. we were once slaves of this society, but now we are the leaders. and they are our slaves. but…”

“they will offer us what they have,” hongjoong replies softly, “and we will make the best out of it. isn’t that right?”

you nod. there is no more space for any more questioning

you have never like the darkness in his eyes when you question his- your- methods

all he knows is that he is right

he knows what he is doing is wrong in essence, but it is about the bigger picture- he is doing this for his nation

and you cannot expect to run a nation claiming to be a saint

the nation is run by wolves, and to make space there, you must be some sort of a predator. that is who he has become

his grip on your thighs tighten and he starts to grind your body on him

between the sounds of pleasure is the groan of pain as he spanks your thighs and remind you of your place

“all you have to do is follow me,” he breathes into your ear, trailing his lips across your cheek. “all you have to do is stay with me. together…” he thrusts hard inside you. “together, we will rule the world one day, you and i.”

you nod and he swallows your moans as he kisses you, thrusting with all his might until you both come crashing down

he takes you to the shower and you both quickly clean up and get in bed

as you watch his figure relax and succumb to sleep, you confess to him

“you are a great politician, hongjoong,” you tell him and the corners of his lips curl in a smile. “i’m just afraid of going too far with you. every day, we learn that we can get worse than we are, yet…”

“yet, it has become my addiction and my duty,” he whispers, hand finding your bare arm and caressing it. “don’t you want to rule the world?”

“you will rule the world. i will be treading on your shadow, following you closely and sharpening my teeth… but afraid.”

“afraid of what?”

“of you,” you breathe and he opens one eye

“you won’t leave me, will you?” he asks innocently, yet it is there- the warning in his tone

you are responsible for who he is today. you are an accomplice

every person he ruins to get closer to the top, you are equally responsible for it

“of course not,” you tell him, “i can’t leave you.”

hongjoong notices your choice of words

you can not leave him- you do not have a choice

he holds you close and kisses you like he means it that night

it would be such a shame if he would have to throw you away after all of this, right? 

it would truly be such a shame if you are just like the others in the end- weak and helpless

since you know exactly what is going on inside hongjoong’s head, you tell him you love him like you really mean it and you let him hold you close

it may be a trap, but you don’t mind being trapped if this is where you end up every night- in his arms

your lord, your saviour

The Manipulator and the Manipulated

Seonghwa

Jekyll

park seonghwa is a man who is adored wherever he goes

be it at work- at a prestigious university as a neuroscience professor, dr. park, or at social gatherings, formal or informal

he is a man born with the best manners, the most caring and generous heart

you’ve seen him around the department as a masters student and attended a few of his classes 

but you never got to interact with him personally until it’s time to choose a thesis supervisor and you learn that you have a chance with him

it’s purely because he’s amazing at what he does 

your subfield matches with his specialty so it will be better if he’s your supervisor (and it’s only a bonus that the man is painfully hot so you’ll never be bored)

your professor recommends you to seonghwa and he goes over your synopsis which leaves him intrigued because coincidentally, he’s researching in molecular neuroscience as well

he gladly takes you on because he believes you both will be helping each other along the way

plus, he recognises your name- you’ve always had a different air about you (and he remembers you from somewhere else too)

he’s looking forward to working with you, that’s all

so when you arrive on your first day as his supervisee and research assistant

you catch him in his natural habitat- unaware of his surroundings, humming a tune to himself and swiping his hair hurriedly to the side with the hand that’s holding a clear solution of some sort while struggling not to drop his notes on the table that has a few microscope slides 

basically, moments away from a disaster

he spots you and grunts as if asking for help and you immediately drop your bag to rush towards him, only now noticing that somehow, he’s holding his glasses by his teeth

you first take those out of his mouth and he groans in relief. “can you please help me wear my glasses? those cultures are moments away from expiring.”

“oh goodness,” you mutter and you lock eyes with him as you put on his glasses for him

and your intrusive thoughts take over because you simply cannot take how his hair is poking his eyes so you gently brush his hair out of his eyes

for a moment, time is frozen for all sorts of reasons

before seonghwa takes a deep breath and you blink, immediately getting out of his way and holding his notes for him

the notes apparently hold the readings on how much solution he needs to pour so you read it for him and consequently save him from a disaster

as soon as he is done freezing the cultures, he holds the edge of the table to save himself from slumping in relief

and you share a laugh, the ice breaking just like that

he tells you that the student assigned for taking care of the cultures had an emergency and he had to rush from another department

and he thanks you for helping him

you both move to his office to go over your thesis and he helps you create a timeline

you wrap up the meeting with a clear direction of what’s next and with a schedule of shifts where you will be assisting him

it doesn’t take long to get used to being a part of his team of five calm students with a little streak of crazy

and you suppose dr. park has an eye for people like that because you fit right in

you are all very dedicated so he seems to be at ease when you are working, though he does monitor you more closely since you’re new

you start to spend more time in the lab simply because you like how it feels there

it is like a little cocoon where you can tune out the rest of the world and work on your thesis without distractions (plus, it helps how people from your team pop in once in a while to throw some suggestions at you)

you like how it is there- neat and clean

the sound of metal against metal, glass against glass. the smell of the cleaning agent which calms you since it is something familiar now

and then there’s dr. park himself, gentle and composed, yet at times clumsy and rough which results in the room cackling with laughter

however, there’s a side to him that you only see when you’re alone with him

you’re not sure if he’s like that with everyone- he must be, right?

does he pay as much attention to everyone else as you?

perhaps, you’re delusional. that must be it

seonghwa knows you must think that, because he has not been very obvious but he has not been subtle either

it’s just that he remembers you from that time. he remembers seeing your face in his friend wooyoung’s data

wooyoung, who is an expert at singling out people like them

people like seonghwa who have a little streak of crazy in them, yet manage to be a part of the society almost seamlessly

wooyoung’s company does a good job at managing these people because they ultimately help the black market grow

seonghwa is half convinced wooyoung’s company is just a faction of the government but of course he can’t confirm that

all he knows is that he cannot act out too much and get caught

in return, he knows when someone like him is in his radar

here you are, glasses perched on the tip of your nose as you examine different slides under the microscope, muttering to yourself about the readings as your scribble them

he can’t help but notice how you always wear that one specific shade of deep red on your lips or how your hair falls in the most irresistible way in front of your face

he’s never looked at a student this way- ever- but you’re not just a student now, are you?

so when he makes his move, approaching you from behind as silently as he can

he’s not disappointed when you turn- he didn’t make a sound, yet you knew

you’re not even surprised, and that excites seonghwa to no end

“ah, dr. park,” you go casually, as if him sneaking behind you was normal behaviour. “can you approve of these hypotheses?”

seonghwa hums and stands awfully close to you, your sides brushing against each other

he purposely crowds in your personal space as he leans in to confirm the readings of the specimens on the table

“everything’s perfect,” he announces, meeting your eyes

you’re still sitting so you have to look up at him and lord. what a sight he is even from this angle. you could totally get used to it-

“what are you looking at, sweetheart?” seonghwa smirks knowingly 

you have to physically struggle to maintain your composure because you are pretty sure you were gawking

“nothing, just zoned out,” you say, which isn’t a lie but not the whole truth either

he knows though. he knows the effect he has on you because he hasn’t been subtle

from the casual touches to the unnecessary (but not undeserved) praise

from the prolonged eye contact to the suggestive smirks

there is something electric between the two of you, an undeniable tension

and while you’re not one who sticks to the rules, you can’t help but wonder just why is dr. park playing with you?

“you sure you’re okay?” seonghwa leans in and searches your eyes for any signs of lies

upon finding none but gaining satisfaction from the way your lips part in surprise, he draws back 

you try your best not to make things awkward for the rest of the time you’re with him

and in the following days, his advances only start becoming stronger in nature

you like the attention he gives you. you like how he always puts his hands on your shoulders and gives them a little squeeze whenever he finds you sitting

you like the way his warm breath caresses your cheek when you’re both sitting side by side inspecting a specimen

you enjoy the sound of his gentle voice as he instructs you

it’s almost as if he knows. it’s almost as if he’s asking for it

does he not know that once you become obsessed with something, you’ll try- no, you will possess it at all costs?

so one night when you’re both working at late hours, busy with wrapping up one section of your thesis

you can’t take it when seonghwa scolds you teasingly for being clumsy 

“you’ve got pen on your chin,” he says and before you can take care of it, he himself scoots closer-

too close for it to be professional anymore because at this point, he can probably count the freckles on your face too-

and begins to rub at your the skin near your lips gently

he frowns when it doesn’t come off, and then he has the audacity to lick his thumb and rub your skin again

“dr. park,” you mutter, about to remind him how you are supposed to be a teacher and student

you’re not friends (despite the very friendly relationship you have developed with him)

seonghwa only hums and you can’t help but notice how he stifles a smirk as he moves his thumb to your lower lip and swipes it, all the while maintaining eye contact

you raise a brow in challenge, silently questioning why he’s still holding your chin

he leans in as if to kiss you and you stop breathing

except he tilts his head to whisper in your ear

“would you like to attend the next soul society meeting with me, love?”

to say that you freeze is an understatement

you don’t move when his lips caress your cheeks as he stays in that position

you don’t move when he purposely trails his lips along your cheek as he draws back

“what’s your classification?” you manage to ask, your voice barely a whisper

the way seonghwa smirks is something you’ll never forget

“jekyll,” he says. “nice to meet you, hyde.”

there’s a moment of silence where all you can do is stare at the man in front of you

a moment of pure static

as soon as you take off your mask and your lips curl in a smirk, it happens

you don’t know who took the first step but you’re both kissing each other

it’s rushed, passionate and desperate, the air filling with your grins and giggles and you’re only glad you’re not in the lab right now because the way seonghwa clears the table with a swipe of his hand, making the notes fall on the ground

only to lift you up and seat you there so he can kiss you better? being in the lab would have done some damage alright

between kisses, you learn how seonghwa recognised you

you ask him if he lured you here somehow, but he tells you it’s just luck that you’re here as his student right now. you don’t quite believe him though

but you let it be- if he’s jekyll, that means he’s got the brains to scheme

he tells you that he’s glad to have found his hyde because he would prefer someone else to do his dirty work for him

you agree- it’s been far too long since you’ve had an adventure, and you’ve heard about the notorious jekyll in the soul society too. you just never connected the dots

he takes you to his private lab (not before feasting on you and fucking you on that very table)

for the next few weeks, you familiarise yourself with his actual research

mind altering chemicals and drugs, anything to do with control

very illegal stuff, but the soul society funds him with whatever he needs

he can’t believe he found you- you’re perfect for him

seonghwa believes he has morals and he can be a good person

so you make the perfect partner because you can be the bad person in his stead

you’re his alter ego, the voice in his head that he never lets come out

you’re the person who not only matches his freak but helps bring it into manifestation. you are now his face

while he advances in molecular neuroscience in the world, you advance, on his behalf, in the underworld

there’s no blood on your hands- you both only produce drugs. you’re not responsible for what is done with them

you do sometimes assist in the practical work, which seonghwa avoids, because after all, he has a reputation to maintain as dr. park

no one suspects a thing. you’re just supervisor and supervisee who share a similar obsession with research

nothing to worry about

Jekyll and Hyde

Yunho

The Hunter

when you finally got to a blind date that your friend begged you to go to, you didn’t expect to meet a man who would actually catch your eye

there is something about this man, jeong yunho, that instantly pulls you in as if you really are tied by a thread 

for starters, he is incredibly handsome and has a soft vibe to him that exudes warmth

his voice has a soothing quality and his mannerisms are as gentle as his gaze. his laugh is pure and he makes quite a good company

he just makes you feel comfortable and safe right away, which is kind of surprising

so when yunho tells you about himself, confirming that he is indeed a corporate lawyer at a well-known firm, you are simply in awe

you thought your friend was bluffing when she told you that she is trying to set you up with a ‘beauty with brains’

she was not lying, is all you can think now

you’re a simple school teacher, you tell yunho with a laugh

however, the man’s eyes are practically twinkling as he hears your stories about school 

you’re only telling him because he insisted, and now he can’t stop appreciating your profession, saying that it’s admirable how you are able to connect with children and educate them

the conversation steers to your likes and dislikes, your preferences, and what you’re looking for in a partner

surprisingly, the two of you have a lot in common

you both have a special place in your heart for food. you both love travelling. and there are some things he does not need to say out loud 

like how he’s a caring person- always making sure you’re comfortable and your bowl is full, draping his coat over your shoulders when you leave the restaurant and scour the streets for something sweet

the hand that he offers you is not suggestive and you like that (you also like how tall he is and how his hand engulfs yours almost entirely)

just two people who talk about anything and everything- that’s who you become by the end of the night

as you settle in bed later, you’re still smiling about how his eyes twinkled when he learned that you too have a thing for gaming too

you have good feelings about this person so far but there’s a feeling scratching at your heart that has you restless

it is the way his eyes darkened almost dangerously, only momentarily, when you insisted that you could get home on your own

he was a gentleman, no doubt about it, insisting that you could never be too sure these days especially with the news being so horrible lately, the crime rate spiking up dramatically in the past few months

you just did not like the idea of having a stranger accompany you all the way to your home, even if it was this gentleman- this was only your first meeting

so he made you promise to call him and let him know when you get home 

and here you are. you dated him for a few months before you both decided to move in together into an apartment that suited your needs

he’s perfect in every way- attentive, responsive, caring, funny, and he gives you space when you need it

which matters the most because you value your personal space a lot

he understands the importance of personal space very well and even though you share a room, you both let each other be 

you let him be when he’s gaming, and he lets you be when you’re staring at the ceiling or reading

more often though, he’ll have you sit on his lap as he games

since he’s so much bigger than you, you’ll curl on top of him to read or scroll and he’ll be focused on his game, liking your presence

it doesn’t always lead to something but when it does, it’s always fun

he has you smitten- his kisses still make you feel like it’s your first time sharing a kiss (and he’s damn good at it)

his touch lingers on your skin throughout the day and you cannot wait to be back in his arms again

it is just another night when you decide to walk and take the longer route back home because apparently yunho was going to be late and you did not want to be home alone

it gets quieter as you navigate through the streets and alleys

and when you take a turn and notice a familiar figure, you stop in your tracks

is that… not yunho? the back and the height looks pretty much the same

the man is watching a woman at the end of the street who is using her phone as if waiting for someone

the woman catches the man watching her and grows wary- you can tell even from the distance

you can tell that she is very much pretending to be on call when she starts moving

despite every cell in your body urging you to ignore this and go back home, you start to follow the man when he starts to follow the woman

you are careful to maintain a distance, cursing yourself internally for being a curious little shit who seeks thrill like there’s no tomorrow

but the woman takes a left, and the man takes a right, leaving you standing in the middle of the street, taking a few deep breaths

nothing happened, you think. you turn and start to trace your path back

and just a minute later, there’s an unmistakable sound of a woman’s scream filling the air

every hair on your body rises as your heart drops and eyes widen

you’re frozen in one spot with no idea what to do next- should you go check on the woman? see if it was the same person? 

not once do you think of calling the police though

you walk back home, lost in your thoughts with the image of the man’s familiar figure branded in your mind especially since you are pretty damn sure that those were little sunflowers embroidered on the hem of the hoodie

sunflowers that you embroidered on yunho’s hoodie

when you open the door to your apartment, though, you hear the sound of the TV and yunho is sitting very casually on the couch

“ah, you’re home,” he grins and waves, just like he usually does

he’s not wearing the hoodie anymore

“i thought you were gonna be late?” you ask

“you’re late,” he counters. “why did it take you so long to get home?”

“just decided to take a walk,” you smile, ruffling his hair and planting a kiss on the top of his head before going to your room 

you grab your clothes and move towards the bathroom to take a shower, and it is then that yunho’s eyes widen

“ah, babe?” he calls, his voice uncharacteristically high

when you don’t answer, he rushes towards the bathroom and finds you standing in the doorway

your eyes are fixed on the sink which is a pale shade of pink with handprints on it

yunho curses himself internally- he rushed to hide his hoodie as soon as he got home, jumped in the shower, spotted the bloody sink from when he first washed his hands and decided to make it look like he had been home for a while before cleaning the sink

only he fucking forgot

it doesn’t look as bad- it’s not a bloody red, for starters

“ah, i forgot to clean that up,” yunho awkwardly laughs, proceeding to move inside and open the tap, taking a sponge and cleaning the edges of the sink

yeah. it does not look that bad

“i accidentally spilled that red ink you have in the room- i don’t know why i got curious and messed with it.”

that’s not the colour of your ink, though, and you know it never leaves stains like these

“don’t worry about it,” you tell him, but your eyes are wider than usual. yunho notices that

he lets you shower in peace, all the while thinking if you suspect something

truth be told, he saw you when you were following him back there which is why he took another turn to mislead you

he also knows you are far too observant for your own good

he can’t lie- one of the reasons he fell for you is because of that. you are just like him

though you are free of sin unlike him, your mind is a mess

you notice too much that is not meant to be noticed. you sometimes say things that even he has not thought about. you question if human morals are an actual thing or a made up construct

is it from reading too much fiction? he thinks not

when you come out of the shower, something possesses you to move to the balcony

and that’s another thing yunho likes about you (which also scares him a little at times)

it is your intuition- which leads you to inspect the little corner where you pile up useless stuff. you can see the sleeve of his hoodie there

you pick it up and find it wet in certain spots

on its black base, you can’t tell what it is, but the sunflowers are stained a suspicious red colour, and it’s definitely not your ink 

you look towards your right where yunho is standing, vigilant

there is a moment of silence before you lower the hoodie 

“it really was you,” you say, unwavering

your heart is not speeding because you’re scared- it is speeding because you are right

yunho is still, contemplating how to deal with this

did he think he could hide his secret from you forever? no. was he prepared in case he gets caught? no

he just never imagined it would unfold like this

and now… will he have to hurt you if you threaten to expose him? he can’t bear to hurt a hair on your head

you bring out all the good in him. he does not know how you do that, but you make him believe that he can love with all of his heart too, just like any other person

you make him feel whole, and it would be such a shame if things fall apart now

to his surprise, you drop the hoodie back and walk towards him until there’s little distance between the two of you

you hold both of his hands in yours and look at him earnestly

“are you going to tell me what you have been up to?”

yunho is surprised at how calm your voice is and how accepting your eyes are

he sighs deeply before steering you to the couch in the living room

and then he bares his heart to you

he is a monster. that is it. he hurts people and it satisfies this ugly part of him

he does not always want to, he justifies, but sometimes, he just can’t help it

and the only reason he gets away with it is because he is not stupid and carefully chooses his victims- people who are miserable. people who have no one around them

“well then… i’m lucky to have one person in my life, right?”

yunho’s eyes widens at your response

you fulfil the criteria of being his victim- you have no one 

you have no one but him- how did that happen?

he thinks back to your first date and he can’t help but feel overwhelmed

he buries his face in the crook of your neck, his head about to explode 

why are you not running away from him? why are you caressing his head and holding him close?

you don’t tell him everything right away. you only ask him to trust you

so he trusts you and waits for you

he learns little bits about you- you, who do not care who yunho is, as long as he is transparent with you

you, who has a twisted sense of morality. you, who might be as bad as yunho, even worse

though, your hands are clean, you tell him sarcastically, it’s just your head that is a mess

and it’s a blessing that you two are together and can be honest about this too, right? how lucky you are to have each other

“you, without sin, are like the sun,” he tells you one night as he kisses the top of your head and holds you close

“you, even with sin, are like the sun,” you respond.

The Hunter and His Guide

Yeosang

The Mad Scientist

there is something about the innocent features of his face, the gentleness in his mannerism, the absolute ethereal aura about him

that contrasts strikingly with the pitch black (or maybe, just two shades lighter) of his soul

the man only knows how to scheme and how to take the best possible route towards his goals

the goals are all related to science

sure, he is contributing to the scientific area, doing researches no one else would do

doctor kang yeosang- a scientist and philosopher, held in high reverence in the medical field, contributing with numerous researches centering the human body

nobody needs to know exactly how he gets such extensive, solid results to support his theories

he comes off as a soft-spoken man, someone who possesses a kind heart

he is willing to overwork himself in order to make life easier for others

he is much appreciated by his peers

they don’t need to know that behind his neat and professional setup is a dark, cold space that holds his real workspace

the endless corridors lined with shelves upon shelves of jars 

jars containing the human body parts within them

from the brain to the spleen, from the heart to the liver

each jar meticulously lined in an organisation such that only yeosang could close his eyes and know where to pick what he needs

each organ in the jar has a story of the human that it once was- the story that yeosang himself scribes and tucks in the safe (and in a corner of his heart)

taking it out only to read and reminiscence, or to make another addition

such as the one that he is about to make now, sauntering with an almost skipping manner, highlighting his delight in the events about to unfold

his pristine white lab coat flows behind him, a symbol of everything that he would not be doing tonight, which only adds to the irony of it all

he finds you mirroring his expressions, eyes wide with anticipation and lips curled in a stifled smile

and he can’t help but smile wider, the sound of his footsteps echoing loudly as he speeds towards you so that he can finally hold you after the long day he had, tired of playing it cool in front of everyone

you are snaking your arms around his neck immediately as he bends down to capture your lips in a fierce kiss, earning a surprised but pleased yelp from you

you let him have his moment, kissing him back with equal passion until he draws away and rests his forehead against your shoulder

“long day, huh?” you press your lips against his temple. “how did the presentation go?”

the presentation being at a conference of the national medical association where yeosang was the chief guest, awarded for his valuable insights to the medical world

“i sometimes wonder if i’m the only one wearing a mask,” yeosang confesses.

you know what he means

there surely must be others just like him

you can’t expect to make medical advancements while sticking to the stupid laws and regulations they have carved for you

the medical associations do not allow anyone freedom 

“it’s tiring to pretend my research was simply a result of my team’s hard work,” yeosang continue, “they didn’t do batshit. i wish i could credit you instead.”

“but you can’t,” you caress his dark locks. “that would certainly raise suspicion since i’m… underqualified.”

well, that’s arguable 

you may not be as good as yeosang at what you do but considering that you come from a non-medical background, yeosang would say that you are pretty close

in fact, overqualified

“i don’t think there’s anyone more qualified than you,” yeosang lifts his head to look up at you, eyes scanning your face. “you’re an expert of the human body.”

you are an expert, that is true

you did what you had to do to survive as a young girl who lost her way

you were meant to be a test subject yourself but you created your own path and proved that you were good with your hands- almost artistic

and that you could open up humans as long as you had a good knife

your skills were a bit rusty when yeosang found you in the black market

but he was thoroughly impressed and made an offer. it was an offer that you couldn’t resist 

you would no longer be bound to be a slave for the rest of your life

you would be his equal. an accomplice 

“but you are the mad scientist. i’m just your unofficial assistant,” you pat his cheek in answer

it’s a wonder that you’re here now, in his arms

a muffled sound interrupts your little moment

you both steer towards the big room and yeosang looks around for a moment to take in the glory of his workplace

the crisp white walls and clean tiles smelling of antiseptic, marred with red stains of blood that is dripping from the man’s limbs

the man who is currently tied to a stretcher in the middle of the room

the instruments and tools that he would be using tonight to open his test subject up are glinting with silver, ready to be used

he has chosen the perfect target- a relatively healthy, middle-aged homeless man

really, no one would care if he went missing

in fact, you were doing him a favour by putting an end to his miserable life, right?

surely, he did not wish to live without a home and the means to survive

though here he was, sedated but struggling nonetheless, as if finally having found the will to live

“ah, he created a mess,” yeosang begins, clicking his tongue in disappointment as he inspects the bruises around the man’s wrists. “i’m sorry you had to wait so long, hmm?”

it’s almost eerie, how yeosang’s voice drips with pity

but that’s what you like about him

he thinks of the greater good. he is doing all of this for the greater good

there is no personal desire to kill random human beings, no

he simply needs test subjects to study the human body, so there can be advancements in the medical world

he just can’t believe that the world does not have a cure or even a prevention for most of the diseases in this age

he has taken it upon himself to contribute to the medical world so people do not have to suffer anymore

he complains about this a lot 

if people had guts, they would have done this ages ago

sometimes, he refers to the awful medical experiments done by humankind- especially on women

he is different from them, he claims

he cares about their pain- that is why he makes sure to make his subjects’ death quick and painless before he starts to conduct his experiments

it’s just too bad that he doesn’t have much time after the person passes to study certain functions of a living human

(so sometimes, he makes exceptions and asks god for forgiveness. easy peasy)

you watch yeosang with a sort of wonder and a little something that resembles fear as he caresses the man’s head in farewell

he asks the man to say his last words, to choose them carefully, to take his time and to make peace with the fact that there is no way out

the sedatives seem to have made the man somewhat placid

the test subject stops resisting to lock eyes with the doctor 

he says something about the regrets he’s had in his life and how he just wants his misery and pain to end now

yeosang’s brows are furrowed in concentration as he listens to each and every word, nodding along as if he aims to fulfil every desire this man possesses 

his hand is gently caressing the man’s head

when the man is done, yeosang tells him that his contribution to medical research won’t be forgotten

he looks at you to find you already staring at him with an unreadable expression

he signals you to get the job done and you inject the medicine meant to stop the man’s heart

you watch the man take his last breath, his face contorting in pain as his heart ceases to function

yeosang has already moved on from the little moment he had, putting on medical gloves and snapping them against his skin rather dramatically

“let’s get to work, shall we?”

you smile in response, following his instructions

soon, you are testing the functioning of the man’s abdominal organs with various equipment and drugs that yeosang has bought from the black market 

you have to work quickly before necrosis begins and hinders you

yeosang is very careful with his methods. his hands are steady as if he has done this a thousand times already 

and though he comes off as clumsy in the public eye, he is anything but here

his eyes are focused, darting between the electrodes placed on the man’s liver to the readings on the screen

it goes on like this for a while, yet another failed experiment as the liver fails to respond as desired to the electric shock and necrosis takes over

it doesn’t disappoint any of you though

yeosang has a strong vision and no amount of failed experiments is going to stop him 

plus, there’s always something you learn even from failure

you begin to clean up when you notice a broken nail lying on the stretcher

you pick it up with tweezers and inspect it- it must have broken when the man was struggling to break free

yeosang catches you looking at the discoloured nail with curiosity and he hums in question

“hair and fingernails are beautiful ornaments.” you ask, “so why do they seem so baleful when they are removed? 

yeosang stands beside you, pondering

“the answer is simple. they are previews of what is to come. of death.”

you look at him to find his eyes twinkling with the knowing glint of someone who’s seen it all

after you both finish recording the data of tonight’s session, yeosang is back to being the cute and clumsy person that you absolutely adore

the man is craving chicken after today’s hard work so you fulfil his wish and take him to his favourite place

you both sit across each other, drinking beer and savouring the juicy meat while talking about casual stuff- just an assistant and her boss

just two friends who met by chance and felt an instant pull towards each other

just two lovers, fated to be together and find solace in each other’s company

as if the stars have aligned for you yet again, a familiar face walks in and sits on the table next to you

you meet yeosang’s eyes and you both stifle a smile

it’s one of the potential test subjects you’ve had in your file, due for observation

and what better observation than to sit next to them in a casual setting and eavesdrop naturally?

yeosang raises his beer glass in toast and you share a knowing smile, raising your own glass in toast 

just two partners in crime. that’s who you are

The Mad Scientist and his Accomplice

San

Executioner

choi san works hard during the day

he goes to the school and makes sure his students are in top shape

as their p.e. teacher and coach, he has every student’s physical status on his fingertips

he knows their strengths and their weaknesses. he also knows their desires

so if a student is not a good runner but wants to run better, he would never tell them to give up, he would personally coach them and make sure they know that their body is not the limit

they can be a good runner, a good player, a good swimmer- anything

as long as they are steadfast, they can conquer the world

so choi san is loved and respected by the students, known to be a very caring teacher

but choi san works harder at night. no one needs to know that

certainly not his colleagues who always go about how hardworking a teacher he is

when he is free from the school, he goes to his home and changes before driving to his friend’s place- a warehouse where a few of you hang out

someone programmes, another composes, another works out

just an innocent hideout that you’re all using even in your early thirties

except that you also huddle around to read the new request you receive on your app

“i am a twenty-one year old female. two years ago, the man who dated my older sister killed her, but due to lack of evidence, he did not receive the jail time he deserves. he claims that he is innocent, but ever since he got out, he’s been bothering me because he had to serve his short sentence anyway. he is threatening to kill my family and then me if i go to the cops. i am scared to leave the house because he is stalking me and i can always see him wherever i go. please help me. i won’t go to the cops anyway- they didn’t do anything then, and they will not do anything now.”

san is contemplating if he should accept this request

you look at wooyoung who is immediately weighing the pros and the cons

you look back at san who is still deep in thought and you gently rest your hand on his thigh, bringing him out of his head

“i’ll take it,” he mutters. “accept the request, y/n.”

you nod and go back to the computer to accept the request

you have a phone call conversation with the client where you set up a meeting

it’s you and wooyoung who go to meet with the respective parties. san works in the shadows

the next night, san finds you deep in thought outside, leaning against the worn out wall of the warehouse

he joins you, hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans

“i know what you’re thinking,” san begins, glancing at you. “you’ve been awfully quiet since the meeting.”

you shrug in defeat. “i know i can’t change your mind.”

“it’s not going to be the same,” san refers back to the one time you all took a request from a 19 year old girl who was being bullied by her seniors

it got to a dangerous point and had you been a little late, you might have lost the girl

san lost his temper that time, though

and while he couldn’t physically harm the kids who were bullying the girl, he had them locked in a room for one night while he educated them

and funnily enough, san was scarier that night

scarier than every other time he actually wields a weapon

you asked him that night if there were any just people left in this world full of evil

“all people are evil. to believe that you are just, you must believe that someone else is more evil than you”

was his response. safe to say, the girl was living her best life now, but you saw a new side of san that night

a side you had never seen all your life, and that was saying something since you were childhood friends

“we won’t let it get to that point,” san assured, outstretching your hand and you pouted before taking it

he caressed your knuckles, his voice assertive. “i will take care of it. properly. i always do.”

“do you think i only worry about things going wrong?” you finally say out loud, the words that you want to say to him every time he goes out in the field 

san, despite himself, breaks into a smile that would seem so out of character to anyone who has not known him for long

“you can’t smile your way out of this,” you sulk further, snatching your hand away and folding your arms

“baby,” san begins, trying to take your hand again but you’re not having any of it

“i’m worried you’ll get hurt. i’m worried about the pain you’re willing to go through so you can lessen the pain of others.”

san stops teasing then, mimicking your position as he leans against the wall next to you

there is a thick silence surrounding you and you wonder what wooyoung is doing inside- is he napping?

“it’s something i have to do. something only i can do. you know that, right?”

“i know,” you say, almost a whisper. “and that’s what makes this more frustrating.”

because it was originally your idea

on a summer night when you were all about to graduate, a tragedy happened in your town

a man went on a spree, killing and wounding multiple women and children for weeks

you, who knew one of the victims personally, were shocked by the act and disgusted at how lazy the police were being

it turned out that the assailant was a high-profile businessman and the police were trying to cover the case up as per the orders of their superiors

the three of you were hanging out in the warehouse, each burdened by their own train of thoughts, until you finally said it out loud

“what if we were some sort of a private service where we help the victims? especially when the police can’t?”

it was wooyoung who agreed first, and san who disagreed

it took him some convincing to finally agree, and you set rules

you were not going to kill anyone- only maim

if it’s a serial killer, you maim their hands so they can never hold a weapon again

if it’s a bully, you maim their mouth so they think before they speak

the three of you are a team, but san is the executioner

wooyoung is his eyes and feet, and you are the brains

so it is ironic how worried you are about san now, when you gave him this role

“i know that i can get hurt,” san begins, taking a deep breath. “but there is no pain as long as i keep my eyes on the balance scale.”

this time, when he outstretches his hand, you take it. he plants a sweet kiss on your knuckles

“don’t worry about me, hmm?” he tugs you closer so you can rest your head against his firm chest as he embraces you. “i can’t focus when you’re so worried.”

“i can’t help it,” you tell him. “you’ll just have to get used to it.”

san lifts your face with his thumb below your chin, his brows furrowed with concentration and worry as he looks at you

his eyes are sharp as he scans you so you smile

immediately, his body relaxes and the corners of his lips curl in a smile as he pecks your lips- once, twice

and it is about to turn into a deeper kiss when wooyoung claps loudly to get your attention

“alright, lovebirds. get inside. we have a heads-up.”

you scowl at wooyoung who smirks in response but you both immediately join the youngest inside

your client has texted to let you know that she’s about to go out so you can stalk her stalker

you and wooyoung take your equipment to the van and san prepares himself 

he’ll be observing tonight, but he is prepared in case the stalker catches on

just like that, you observe the stalker for a few days, assuring your client that she is safe

you plan a trap to lure the stalker to an abandoned area where san will have a little chat with the stalker 

and when the day comes, all your client has to do is threaten to call the cops on him

he comes after her and that is when san knocks him out with a punch

the stalker finds himself tied to a chair in an empty room when he opens his eyes

there is the stale smell of something resembling death in the room, and that makes the man resist 

from the darkness, san emerges, clad in all black, his face covered with a mask

and his favourite weapon, the dagger, in his hand

you and wooyoung are watching from the camera embedded on his coat

you can see the glint of the dagger as he twists it dramatically in his hand

san circles around the man once as if to gauge the room 

even through the camera, you can tell how thick the air must be feeling

san meets eyes with the man and removes the tape over his mouth, wincing when the man screams his lungs out in hopes that help would come

there is no help, not for miles

“who are you?” the stalker spits on the ground near san’s feet 

san only shuts his eyes in mild annoyance. he is not easily riled up

“you have been found guilty of the crime of stalking. tell me… what should be your sentence?”

the man pales, fresh beads of sweat trickling down his forehead 

“it will be better if you admit to your wrongdoings and give me a fair number. you don’t want to leave it in my hands.”

“what do you mean sentence?” the stalker starts struggling fiercely, almost falling off the chair. “i have already served!”

san grins under the mask, closing in like a cat and stomping on his foot, making the man let out a guttural groan of pain

he leans in to whisper in his ear

“but… that was for murder. and unfortunately, i am not charging you for murder tonight. otherwise… you would not have walked out alive.”

the man gulps loudly, meeting eyes with who has to be the person he has heard so much about in prison

most of the people in prison feared this man- the judge, they called him

the man was the judge, jury and executioner for criminals, feared more than the cops or actual prosecutors

“surely… you’re not him, are you?”

you wince at the fear in the stalker’s voice and meet wooyoung’s eyes

san never confirms if he is that. he simply finishes the job right there

the stalker’s screams are heard for quite a distance, even outside your earpieces

you shut your eyes momentarily and when you open, you can see the blood oozing out of the man’s left leg

san is wiping the dagger with the man’s own jacket as he tells him that he will never be able to stalk people again

the man screams and screams, waiting for something more, but nothing else comes

san’s job is done

he tosses a broken piece of glass near the chair for the man to free himself if he wishes to

when san comes back to the van, the air is sombre, just like after every finished request

wooyoung pats his shoulder in acknowledgement and mutters a joke in an attempt to lighten the mood, which works

“they still call you the judge, huh?” wooyoung teases as he drives

“judge, jury, executioner. how scary, choi san.”

san raises a brow at your comment- he can tell what you’re referring to

you’re referring to the first time when he came back covered in blood

and the first time he realised that no matter what he did, you would never be scared of him

and that you and wooyoung would always have his back and guide him

“i think i’m only the executioner. you both are the judge and jury.”

“makes sense,” wooyoung agrees. “but the world does not need to know that.”

Judge, Jury and Executioner

Mingi

The Overseer

“the future, pitch black, upside down”

mingi dips his brush into the onyx ink, finishing writing the words on the big canvas

the canvas that is a splash of colours- red for the blood on his hands. white for the innocence he lost too soon. blue for all those nights he spent trapped with only the moon as his friend

and finally, black for the future. the future is the only uncertainty in his life

despite being a leader of a notorious gang, he can never be certain about his future. there are always people after his life

he cannot trust anyone- not one soul-

“sir,” a voice interrupts and he knows who it is instantly

even if he did not hear your voice, he knows you are the only person who would dare interrupt him in the middle of his private time-

“tea, sir. you’ve been cooped up in here for too long,” you say, placing the mug on the table

-for something as meagre as tea

mingi spares a glance in your direction, noticing how you are still dressed in your usual all-black fit

which means you have not gone to sleep yet, even though it’s well past midnight

“and what are you doing up so late?” he asks as he picks up the cup and sips it, finding it exactly to his liking. a flavour only you can nail

“watching you paint,” you confess without hesitation

because in this place, in this room, between the two of you, there may be truths hidden, but there are no secrets

mingi is amused to hear that though he does his best to hide it

“and what do you think of the painting?” he asks, allowing you to take a closer look

you smile at his permission to inspect his art and you inch closer to the painting, now standing beside your boss

you read the words on it in a whisper and cock your head in thought

“isn’t this too dark, even for you?” you question 

mingi shakes his head in amusement and looks down. only you could have made this observation, having been at his side for a solid seven years now

where others would say that his paintings were too ‘colourful’ considering the kind of person he is, you still find them too dark and void of life

you’d know better, because you know mingi inside out

he first found you when he was a street thug in the process of becoming something big

all he had was his raw strength, a strategic brain, a few rusty weapons and some loyal friends

he went on to fight gang after gang, always emerging victorious and merging the losing team with a good deal- it’s how he earned respect around and gained a reputation

every other gang knew not to stand against him unless they wanted to risk losing everything they had

when he first opened his office in the darkest part of the town, he found you purely by chance

you were nearing the end of your teens- a rebellious little girl who cut ties from her family and ran away from home

at that time, you had multiple part-time jobs trying to make ends meet, hoping to find a place to live

and one fateful night, you found yourself in front of a building to deliver chicken, peering up at the light coming from the 4th floor- this must be it 

although… you weren’t sure if the loud sounds coming from the floor were just men having a good time or if something had gone really, really wrong

men will be men, you thought, wanting to get the delivery done with so you could move on

only when you reached the 4th floor, you spotted men lying on the ground and clutching their limbs, blood all around

while every sane part of your brain screamed at you to pretend you saw nothing and go back, you recalled how when you received the order, they promised a big tip to the rider

you could not miss that, could you? you had to find a place to live, and you needed every penny

so you started with the men who seemed to be unconscious. you took any cash they had, being careful to hide your face in the hoodie

you moved to the office, hearing a crashing sound and flinching

you made quick work of grabbing more cash from the thugs- they had to be thugs

they all had guns, for fuck’s sake

you went into one of the neater rooms and placed the bags of fried chicken there

and you froze when a burly man made his way inside, wiping blood from the edge of his mouth

“ah… you must be song’s girl, eh?” he snickered, scanning you up and down

“i- i’m delivering chicken,” you pointed at the table. “i’ll be on my way then-”

“not so quick,” his gaze darkened 

instinctively, you grabbed the nearest object, which so happened to be a mug and chucked it at the man, successfully hitting his head

he clutched his head in pain and you made a dash outside, bumping into another man

the tall man seemed mostly unscathed save for a bruise on his cheek

he held your wrists to steady you and his eyes darted in the man’s direction who was clutching his head no more

“oi, song!” the burly man called. “teach your girl some manners, will you?”

the man called song pushed you to the side and a gunfight ensued

you took shelter behind a shelf, observing how the taller man successfully shot his every target

when he thought he was done- and was out of bullets, he looked in your direction and tsked loudly

you were about to come out of the shadows when you noticed one of the supposedly unconscious men take aim of song’s head

your eyes widened and almost instinctively, you grabbed a heavy metal object from the shelf and rushed to the man who was targeting your saviour

to say that mingi was surprised to see a young girl save him from his enemy by nearly crushing the man’s skull?

he knew you were something special right away

you both stared at each other for a long time before he told you to go back to his office, lock the door and not come out until he comes back

he was done sooner than you thought, and while his men cleaned his mess, he found you in his room, sitting rather calmly

“so you’re the delivery girl,” he narrowed his eyes

“i hope the chicken is still warm,” you responded. “if you can just pay me so i can leave-”

“why did you do that earlier?” he asked, voice low and rough that sent shivers up your spine

“i don’t know,” you answered truthfully

mingi paid you more than extra that night and told you to come next time they place an order 

the next time would turn out to be the last time you would ever work a part-time job

mingi offered you a place in his gang, and you took it

you are still not sure what your position in this gang is though- they smuggle drugs but keep you away from the work, so what are you doing here?

personal assistant? chef? manager? all of these? 

sometimes, you are accompanying wooyoung in the field- the gang now has an official base and a few legal businesses

sometimes, you stay in the kitchen with seonghwa and wooyoung to cook

other times, you sit with yunho and hongjoong to plan and offer your opinion on their strategic takes

you aren’t sure if you are qualified for that- you probably aren’t

somehow, though, the gang members respect you for whoever you are

you are the light in their dark life, they joke. you are someone’s friend now, sibling to some, secretkeeper for others

but you still aren’t sure what you are to mingi

whenever you ask him why he took you in, mingi always responds with something different

“you were clever grabbing all that money from our enemies”

“you saved me- though i must say i could have handled it”

“you looked like a lost cat”

“you didn’t report us”- excuses, all of them

truth be told, mingi has no idea what you are to him either

he has a certain fondness for you that he has for no one else. of course, it didn’t happen instantly

he took you in because he realised you had a strategic mind and he could really use that

he insisted the office needed a ‘feminine touch’ even though it came in the form of a cranky teen who wouldn’t stop asking questions

but somehow, the two of you formed an unbreakable bond

he finds solace just being with you in one room, even in complete silence

he loves to hear you talk, even though you mostly question his morals

because he is not a good person, you found out

song mingi is not conventionally good. he is a man of principles, but he does not have the best morals

despite all that, you learned a lot from him. the world is a harsh place, and only he can protect you 

he learned a lot from you too. the world is a harsh place, and only you are his safe space

when at times things get stressful, he comes to seek you. he finds you in the shared residence and sits with you

if he is feeling down, you will have him lay his head in your lap. you will caress his head and let him be

if he wants to talk, he will. otherwise, he will watch you for a long time until he falls asleep, unguarded

when he gets tired, he will seek your arms. all he has to do is show up and you will know what to do

you will drop whatever you are doing and spread your arms

it is his home at this point. that’s how things are like

are you in a relationship? you don’t know

all you know is that song mingi is the most important person in your life

it doesn’t matter if he lives life the way he does

it doesn’t affect you anymore- the blood on his hands or the chaos in his mind

it doesn’t bother you because you know his heart, and that is all that matters

so standing in his private space right next to him, inspecting his painting with a critical eye, you tell him that the painting is not him

he tells you to pick a colour and you reach out for a box, making him chuckle

“really?” he asks

“the future may seem black, but…” you begin. “it doesn’t feel so dark when i’m with you.”

mingi takes a deep breath at your words. you always get him like this, and he is not sure if he can restrain himself anymore

your heart aches when you see him curl his fists, a sign that he is holding back some words or an action

“tell me what you’re thinking,” you request, though it registers like a command in the gang leader’s brain

“i’m thinking that i never should have given you this life.”

you shake your head at that- how many times has he voiced out that he wished you had lived a better, normal life, away from the clutches of the underworld?

“no, you’re thinking something else too,” you comment

“i’m thinking that i want you to stay here, with me, forever,” he responds

you nod in approval. “i’m right here. i’m not going anywhere.”

“you could get hurt,” mingi says, taking a step closer and closing the gap between your bodies

“i am a big girl now, mingi,” you laugh, wrapping your arms around his waist and hearing his erratic heartbeat

his arms are still by his sides for a moment before he embraces you

“i’m old now, in fact. how much longer will you keep me waiting?”

mingi grows stiff at your question. so you know

of course you do

mingi cups your face and locks eyes with you

“i won’t break,” you promise

“i know,” he smiles, pecking your forehead. “i’m afraid you will break me.”

your lips curl in a smile and he rests his forehead against yours

“are you sure about your choice?”

“yes,” you breathe. “i want you. i’m yours.”

mingi draws back

“i meant your choice of colour,” he tilts his head in the direction of the painting and the box of paint you picked for him

“of course you did,” you laugh at his attempt to distract you

mingi leans in to close the distance between your lips

it is soft and unrushed. you both have waited for the right moment, the right time for years and everything feels absolutely right at this moment 

you go first, asking him to join you in your bedroom and he agrees

he assesses the canvas once again

as a finishing touch, he sprays a final splash of yellow- the colour you picked for him

yellow for hope, for all the light in his dark world

The Overseer and his Shelter

Wooyoung

The Maniac

it has always been a cat and mouse game with you and wooyoung

you chase after each other, running in circles with no start or end

it’s almost as if you both have sworn to keep your eyes glued on each other, watching every move, anticipating what is next

someone’s lips curls up in a failed attempt to restrain a smile- a smile that drips with mischief and mockery

someone else’s eyes glint with threat and promise that this is not over, their fists curled in anger

you chase after each other like cat and mouse

only…you’re not sure who is the cat and who is the mouse

sometimes, it is you chasing after wooyoung

jung wooyoung, the son of one of the richest businessmen in town

a privileged piece of shit who is not right in the mind

a crazy bastard who has made it his life’s mission to not only drive you to the edge of the cliff but to push you and laugh in victory as you fall

he takes advantage of you being a criminal investigator 

some people jest that they can’t tell if wooyoung means to ruin your career or lead you to your promotion

with the amount of times wooyoung has gotten himself in trouble (and gotten away with it) he keeps your desk full of cases that you spend most nights investigating

while he keeps your hands full, what frustrates you to no end is that he almost always gets away with his crimes only because of his social standing and his connections

he gets away with petty crimes. he gets away with bloody fights that could very well have him spend one night in the station, cuffed 

he gets away with major crimes such as money laundering and tax evasion

no matter how much you try to investigate, you cannot

there are the warnings of your superiors who threaten to fire you because this is not your worry

and even if you do start to investigate, wooyoung’s team is quick to wipe any evidence of said crimes

you’re pretty sure that at this point, he might be hiding a body somewhere in his house

you wouldn’t be surprised. man once set his enemy’s mansion on fire

to make things worse, he got away with it- even when he was the only one grinning and playing with a lighter on his way out 

while the others scrambled like mice, he sauntered in style

he gets away with anything

you reputation at the station is already in shambles because of it

they call you his shadow at this point, considering how you are always following him

the truth is, you just want to wipe the shitty grin off his face for once

you want him to suffer defeat when you finally put him behind bars

you want him to chase after you like you chase after him

you might come off as delusional, but you’re half convinced that whatever wooyoung does is on purpose at this point- to get your attention

it wasn’t always like this, you and wooyoung

it started with a simple fight that broke out at a party where all the high-profile people were

someone was stupid enough to call the police- but you were more stupid because you went ahead and handcuffed wooyoung

you told him that you couldn’t waste this opportunity because you were investigating another case related to his father’s company anyway

and he? he laughed out loud like a maniac

you soon learned why, going home with the sound of your superiors scolding you still ringing in your ears

here you are, a few years and a lot of chasing each other later

except… you get something out of the chasing now

all he has to do is corner you. all he has to do is rile you up as he tells you why you lost this game yet again

with his burning gaze and honey voice, he pins you to the spot

with his fingers tracing the curves of your face, he tells you how much he loves you chasing after him 

as if he’s all that you ever think about. he might be right

“don’t you think we’re meant for each other?” wooyoung questions almost innocently, licking his lips subconsciously as he trails his finger down the curve of your neck until he reaches the first button of your shirt

“don’t think too highly of yourself, wooyoung,” you respond, your chest rising and falling in controlled breaths

you can not let him know the effect he has on you

however, wooyoung doesn’t need any sort of confirmation

you can try to keep your gaze steel all you want. you can attempt to sound sure and fake indifference, but the fact is that wooyoung knows

all he has to do is take another step forward and fill the gap between you two

his warm breath caresses your face and you gulp despite yourself

he watches you intently and squeezes your neck just a bit, causing you to part your lips for air and then he brushes the tip of his nose against yours

his other hand is slowly but surely unbuckling the belt of your pants and taking it off

you can only thank god in an ashamed relief that you’re in a private space- the space being one of the empty rooms in a random building on a random street because you had been tailing wooyoung

(at least the door is locked)

wooyoung brushes his lips against yours as your pants fall on the ground and pool on your feet

the sound that makes has heat rushing to your face- this should not be happening

you are a fucking detective and wooyoung is your target

but you can’t complain when his fingertips dance along your hip bones

all he has to do is swipe his fingers up your panties

upon finding them soaked (as usual), he smirks and you smack his chest

he catches your fist in his hand, though

“all for me?” he asks

in a matter of seconds, your lips are upon each other, tongues in each other’s mouth as you wrap your legs around him

he picks you up effortlessly and places you on a very dusty table

he gets rid of his clothes all the while kissing you expertly, aiming to please you, dominate you

he sucks on your lips, your neck, anywhere he can get his mouth on

and when he finally takes off all your garments, he has more places he can get his mouth on

“admit it, detective,” he breathes against your clit. “you’re obsessed with me.”

“get to work before i cuff you and fuck your brains out, wooyoung.”

wooyoung’s laugh echoes in the room as he recalls that night- a night he is sure he can never forget

“does that mean i get to experience that again if i stop now?”

you are moments away from your high- how dare he ask if he can stop?

he gets the hint and gets to work, and he makes sure he does a good job, licking and sucking at your clit until you’re screaming

for bonus points, he dives his cock inside right after and stays still as he starts to kiss you eagerly

this time, you’re the one who loses to him and lets him take control

you let him thrust into you. you let him praise you and humiliate you to no end

truth be told, you’re addicted to him. there is no going back from here

wooyoung knows how to use his tongue and he whispers sweet nothings

he is also surprisingly good at aftercare, even though you don’t accept it from him

well, you try not to, but he is insistent

he takes you home and he invites himself in

you go to the shower and he goes to your room to admire the effort you put into bringing him down

loads of files and a board full of his ‘accomplishments’ staring back at him- nothing he doesn’t know

“you think your daddy will help you if i start to investigate the slush fund you have?”

“which one?” is his response, and he grins widely as you gape at him

he can practically see the gears in your head turning and he adores that

it is a cat and mouse game after all. he must give you something so you keep coming after him

(and you must give him something so he keeps finding you too)

while you’re still processing what he just implied, your phone rings

you flinch when you pick it up, getting an earful from your team leader once again, because where were you?

you were supposed to tail wooyoung to confirm that he is meeting up with a notorious gang member who does his dirty work

the case you’re team is on these days is targeting the gang, and yet again… wooyoung is involved

so what the hell were you doing, your superior asks

“jung wooyoung did not meet up with the gang leader,” you say into the phone, your eyes fixed on wooyoung 

wooyoung has a shit-eating grin plastered on his face

“and how do you know that? i thought you lost the tail-”

“yes, i did lose the tail,” you bite your lips in thought- you can’t tell your team leader that wooyoung has a strong alibi this time-

but wooyoung goes ahead and snatches your phone from you

“detective lee,” wooyoung greets and you mutter a string of curses under your breath

you watch wooyoung charm his way through the matter

telling the detective that he was in a tight spot because of the gang they are investigating

and how it is a shame that a ‘civilised’ person such as himself is being linked to thugs

he tells him that he almost got attacked but you saved him, and you hid him in an abandoned building, being wise enough not to blow your cover 

you can’t tell how he does it, but by the end of the call, your team leader is fully convinced that you did a good job today and he even praises you when you take the phone back

when you end the call, you glare at wooyoung

“what?” he shrugs. “i needed an alibi.”

“is that why you took me to the building to fuck me? because you needed an alibi?”

wooyoung watches you with mild curiosity

“did you think it meant something else?” he asks

it would have hurt if he really meant it, but that’s the thing

you both know he doesn’t mean what he says, especially about whatever is going on between you two

he has risked his position and even his life far too many times just to get you alone and fuck you

so you only smile and shake your head in response before telling him to fuck off and get out of your sight

(and he does. not before a second round)

when he leaves, you watch his car disappear from the window before going to the board and updating everything you got out of him tonight

everything about his business and his crimes. everything to make your case on him stronger

it’s truly a wonder how much you can get out of fucking someone right and you’re positive you can see the end of this case now

though… you’re not sure if you will ever take this to court. but that’s something you’ll worry about later

for now, you will follow him like a cat follows a mouse

and he will chase after you like a cat chases after a mouse

The Maniac and his Shadow

Jongho

The Tyrant

it is always a little too cold in the building for your liking

the building that is choi enterprises, located at the heart of the city, standing tall with numerous floors, laden in luxury

it is a workplace and home to some of the people in this city and a symbol of something untouchable to the others

as you enter the building, accompanied by your secretaries and a guard, you instantly feel the temperature drop despite the warm tones of the interior

the employees that greet you may have smiles on their faces but it’s all an act. you can tell, because you know what a genuine smile looks like

choi enterprises somehow always manages to keep the most calculating people to themselves. it might be why the company has flourished so much in such a short period of time

“to the private elevators, miss,” a man says and you recognise him as one of the ceo’s personal staff

you follow him and tug your jacket closer, wishing you had worn it instead of draping it over your shoulders

you catch your reflection on the golden glossy door of the elevator and straighten, lifting your chin up

you will not be pushed into submission, you repeat for the umpteenth time

however, things are not in your favour this time

in this never ending game of business rivalry, you and choi jongho have never seen eye to eye. you always stand in opposition, defensive or offensive

sometimes, you manage to outsmart him while making a new business deal or scoring a new project. other times, he is a few steps ahead and wins the game

except when you lose, somehow, the loss is much greater and a bit personal

your company always suffers more when you lose, which is why this little meeting you are going to have with jongho is no less than a negotiation- a war, if you must

sometimes, you wonder if jongho has a personal grudge against you. these meaningless battles start to seem like an excuse to see you

if not, then why is jongho looking like he just won the lottery at the sight of you?

“as beautiful as ever,” he says, scanning your figure slowly

you don’t move an inch, pretending those words don’t affect you

the secretaries move to another room, leaving you and jongho alone

jongho gets up from his chair and moves to the middle of the room, motioning you to take a seat

you watch as he pours a drink for you, his muscles flexing through the coat he’s wearing 

you take the drink- you need something to calm your nerves

“i suppose the odds are not in your favour, considering you found your way back here”

an allusion to the time he said that you were meant to find your way back here again and again, that you were just a lost kitten and he was your master, controlling you

at that time, you thought he meant to spite you, but time after time, he proved himself right

you always find your way here, always as the opposition. this time, though… you won’t bend

“if the odds are in your favour,” you begin experimentally, downing the drink in one gulp and then pouring one for jongho. “would you like me to join hands with you?”

now this is new- jongho’s eyes slightly widen at your remark

“ah… how the tables have turned,” jongho started to chuckle lowly

you let him be for a moment, scoffing internally

jongho had earned the right title over the years since he stepped up as ceo of his father’s company

a monster of capitalism

known to be the owner of many questionable businesses, borderline illegal, evading taxes and having slush funds unashamedly, heavily involved in money laundering- the list goes on and on

a true financial villain- a true monster, yet… being able to get away with everything, unscathed. that’s who jongho is

he has bribed every soul who would dare go against him. and those who do not take the bribe? he makes sure they kneel

and you… you’re pretty close to being his next target- he did say you would look pretty on your knees for him

“is business not going well?” he asks, faking innocence. he knows

you are a rival company- seo enterprises. everything that jongho’s company is, but… more legal

your forefathers were once partners, and they created their independent companies without a hint of rivalry

they were the definition of true brothers (and partners in crime)

the difference between the values of your company came when you and jongho stepped up as ceo

you had made it your life’s mission for your company to earn a good reputation and moral image, while jongho seemed to have made it his life’s mission to simply conquer the world, no matter what or who the stepping stone is

“business is well,” you narrow your eyes at him. “it’s about the land in ilsan.”

jongho doesn’t seem surprised to hear that. it is always like this- he knows what moves you will make

“ah, the one where we are about to construct a gallery?” jongho asks

“we?” you repeat. “that land is a shared property. why have you not consulted us before going ahead and signing the documents? how could you begin this project without us-”

“the other option is selling it to the government because of the redevelopment project,” jongho leans forward, “and you know how much i despise the government getting their grubby hands on what’s mine”

you know he is right, and he knows that you are not here to argue about why he started this project without telling you

jongho relaxes back, considering all his options before deciding to strike. “you’re worried about your involvement in that project, is that right?”

“well,” you mirror his position, “i would like to keep my reputation clean unlike yours.”

he chuckles at that, proud of his deeds. “yeah, well, that’s going to be hard, sweetheart. that gallery is going to be an optimum location for storing money.”

you know what he means. the gallery is going to display priceless pieces of arts. those pieces are but a means of illegal transactions for the elites

you swallow your anger, taking a deep breath. “i’d like to have my shares back, then. before construction starts.”

“uh…” jongho gets up, fixing his clothes. “you’re going to have to convince me for that.”

“please,” you scoff, but he only shakes his head, ignoring that because he knows this ‘please’ was wholly sarcastic

“try harder,” he smiles mockingly before turning his back to you and moving to the window, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants and staring down at the city

a tyrant- that’s who he is

he expects to get the maximum output out of anything he set his eyes on, no matter the cost- money or lives

you join him by the window, pointing at a few spots. “that’s where people held protests against your company last week,” you tell him. “apparently, you have been exploiting labourers too.”

“that’s what they think,” he spits. “i gave them more than they deserve. they just never learn to accept. they never get pleased.”

you look at jongho- he sounds like he is saying the truth. he has the art of sounding like a victim at times, thus justifying his actions

“doesn’t all that venom in your heart make you dizzy?”

jongho glances at you, his lips threatening to curl into a smile at your words

“doesn’t it get tiring, pretending to be moral?” jongho asks, trying to read your guarded eyes 

“there’s no pretending. i never claimed that i was full of morals, mr. choi,” you sigh. “i just wish for my business to have a legal foundation.”

“and it will, you don’t have to worry,” he responds, curling a section of your hair that had been resting on your shoulder in his fingers

you don’t flinch at his touch. you’ve known him since the beginning, and nothing he does fazes you anymore- except when he leans closer experimentally, locking eyes with you and trying to read you

“you will get your shares, but you will have to convince me,” he says, voice barely above a whisper

it is a challenge. it is always a challenge with choi jongho

“why are you so obsessed with me?” you laugh this time, swatting his hand away

he joins, and everything almost seems normal for a moment- just two friends with too many inside jokes, except… it only lasts for a moment

“how can i convince you?” you ask, sombre

“you know what i want from you, y/n,” he replies in a similar tone

he wants a true partnership, except his idea of a partnership is where you bend to his will (and so is yours)

“don’t turn this into a legal battle, jongho,” you warn, “i would hate to summon you to court.”

“don’t turn this into a petty rivalry,” he counters, “you will benefit from this project. you reputation won’t be harmed.”

“i don’t want my name next to yours,” you tell him in all honesty and you think you see hurt flash in his eyes

“that is not possible,” jongho declares. “our companies are not mentioned without each other. we are fated like that, you and i.”

that is true. no one dares to touch the two of you, so you two have always been alone

there is no one you both can trust. there is no one next to you 

except the two of you are always together, wherever you go, be it business parties, political dinners, or high-profile events

you can only trust each other, because despite knowing everything about each other’s business, despite being at war with each other

you are always honest with each other- honest about your intentions and purpose

there is no one next to you because you two are always together, leaving no space for someone else

do you hate that? not really. does he hate that? he’s not sure

“you can buy my shares from me,” you start, “or you can shift them elsewhere. i can handle whatever loss comes with that.”

“or… you can let it be and use the revenue for something ‘moral’,” he taunts and silence envelopes the room

“no matter how much you try to maintain a clean image,” he starts, gentler this time, “you cannot undo the damage your forefathers have done to your company, y/n. seo enterprises will always be known as the company that exploited the weak to get to the top.”

you don’t wince at that, though your heart aches to hear that

“just like your company. except you are continuing in their footsteps,” you say

jongho nods, watching how your shoulders are curling inwards

“you are not weak, y/n, stand straight,” he almost scolds, taking you by surprise 

you find yourself straightening at his words, confused to see how conflicted he looks

“you are the strongest person i know,” he tells you, and he means it. “i just don’t get why you are atoning for their sins.”

“i don’t know either,” you smile in defeat. “i just am.”

“well, if you ever get tired,” he gently places his hands over your shoulders, “i am here for you. you can lean on me.”

you lock eyes with him, scanning his face. his smile seems genuine

the way he kisses your forehead makes your heart melt

when he embraces you, you lean on him physically

and you almost give in, except…

“i can lean on you, huh?” you say, soaking in the warmth of his body, taking as much as you can before you continue 

“so you can end my career, merge our companies and crown yourself king?”

you look up at him, finding him smirking

just like you thought

“not a chance, choi jongho.”

“how can you see right through me every time, y/n?” he laughs loudly as you smack his chest and move towards the sofa to grab your purse

“i’m the only person who knows who you are,” you tell him. “you can own the world, but you will never own me.”

his eyes glint almost dangerously

“challenge accepted,” he says

you mockingly wave goodbye before exiting the room

choi jongho never changes, and neither do you

but somehow… it gets more addicting and electrifying to be with him, to compete with him and to stand with him

even though he is a tyrant, and you are everything that he is not

The Tyrant and His Defiant Ally