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candychronicles · 4 years ago

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bodyguard // s. todoroki

A/N: my take on the rockstar/band/performer au for bnharem! i’m not a big fan of au’s normally but this one was a lot of fun to write! todoroki is definitely ooc in this one but i took a lot of liberties with his character in order to better fit the au storyline.

CHARACTER PAIRING: Todoroki Shouto x F!Reader

WORD COUNT: 5,091

WARNINGS: mentions of blood, gore, fighting, death, oral sex (f!receiving)

SYNOPSIS: you were in it for the money, he was an unhinged popstar. how could you two ever possibly get along?

want to read more rocking stories? click HERE !

the days at work were tiring, the nights even longer, but the pay was good and it was always satisfying to make a grown man cry as you knocked him to his knees and manhandled him away from your client.

Todoroki Shouto, one of the elite, the famed, the rich, and absolutely fucking annoying. sure, he was hot (anyone with an eye could see that) but he was just like everyone else in his industry: a cocky bastard. you didn’t mind his lifestyle too much except when it interfered with his job, like having to pry off whiny people who clung to him like their life depended on it, and for some, it probably did.

his biggest claim to fame was being in a now wildly famous band, namely the main singer. he was charming with a sultry voice and a personality that oozed confidence but he wasn’t always that way. in fact, he was originally a shy, anxiety ridden teen when he first joined, not sure how to use his voice or deal with people coming up to him in the streets. the life he lived was sheltered before that, training under his dad to take over the family business, but when sweet, innocent Todoroki confessed that he much rather be artsy and sing at the age of sixteen, things quickly changed for him. his father, Todoroki Enji, tried to convince him otherwise, told him that he didn’t know how the real world worked and that he would never be successful, but Shouto wouldn’t budge and eventually Enji caved in, or so it seemed.

Enji immediately enrolled Shouto in lessons, instructing him to shape up or ship out. if he couldn’t become successful in the industry, he would take over his father’s business instead, but that didn’t happen. Shouto excelled in lessons, blowing his instructors away with his timbre and control. he was a natural, and frankly, good enough to be a star. they weren’t so concerned with his stoic yet endearing personality. they had broken enough pop stars, molded them to be perfect model citizens, so what was one more?

the plan backfired immensely. as Shouto’s talent grew, Enji seeked out the biggest in the game, convincing them to give his son a chance at stardom. while reluctant, the board agreed, not wanting to piss off one of the most powerful men in Japan but were thoroughly surprised at the fact that his kid didn’t suck at all. in fact, he was actually good, really, really good.

they signed him immediately, whisking him away into the life of fame and fortune at the young age of seventeen. his range, the slight rasp to his tone and the ability to reach into somebody's soul and pluck the very feelings they try to hide so deeply from it’s depths pushed him towards the life of a rockstar. the freedom he had never been able to experience living at home pushed him over the edge and spiraled him out of control.

Todoroki drank, smoked, and fucked his way through cities big and small, getting himself into a lot of trouble along the way. the behavior went on for years, only getting worse as time went on. nobody seemed to be able to get control over the boy with the pretty hair and wild scar. after almost killing several women and one of his bandmates in a drunk driving accident, his team, label, and most importantly his father had enough.

the conversation between the two did not go well. Shouto was now an adult, legally free and clear from his father’s power. he had his own money, enough to live comfortably for awhile, even if he dropped the band, and all of the repressed rage, longing and anger that was pent up from his childhood. he was not stopping his lifestyle for anyone. that was, until you came along.

you were always a scrapper, getting yourself in trouble more times than you could count. it was just in your nature to defend those who couldn’t defend themselves and you spent many days on the playground beating up the bullies who picked on the sweet girl braiding flowers into her hair, or the boy who liked to play with baby dolls instead of trucks.

as you got older, your fights got fewer and farther in between, at least when it came to the public.

when you turned sixteen and kicked some kid who was trying to look up your skirt so hard in the chin that he saw stars, you were approached by a few men who slid you a card and told you if you wanted to make money fighting, come meet them.

you were a dumb kid and instead of running in the opposite direction and telling the police, you showed up at the seemingly dingy door behind the alley of a fairly run down ramen restaurant. knocking on the door and rocking back on your heels, you waited to see what would happen. it took a few seconds before a panel slid open, allowing you to see nothing but someone’s eyes peering at you in the mid-afternoon sun. hesitantly, you raised the business card in your hand, showing it to the person and jumping in surprise as the panel slammed shut and the door creaked open, inviting you in.

you nodded your head politely at who you realized was a rather bulky, burly man, before a woman dressed in a silky black dress plucked the card delicately from your hand and led you through the hallway. when she opened the door, you were taken aback by the scene.

people of all shapes and sizes stood cheering as two rather muscular men fought in an arena across the room. spit and blood flew across the floor as the two pummeled each other over and over again before one tapped out, the other man raising his fist in the air in victory. you stood, gaze fixed on the scene in front of you, blood racing at the thought of you being in the ring.

“addicting, isn’t it?” the woman whispered in your ear, a knowing smile on her face before she gently took you by the sleeve and guided you away from the screams and shouts into a private room that was much quieter.

you sat down in front of a man who was rather tall and thin, graying hair across his head and a clean shaven face.

“so, i heard you’re a good fighter. how good do you think you are?”

“uh-” you stuttered, not sure how to respond, “i think i can kick someone’s ass if i have a reason to.”

“is money a good enough reason for you?”

“money is a nice reward, yeah, yeah it is,” you confirmed, not pondering the question over for a second.

“good, you start on Saturday. come in comfy clothes that you won’t mind getting sweaty and dirty in. you’re my new ace, a secret weapon. give it six months time and you’ll be defeating guys like that out there in seconds.”

and defeat you did. over and over again, men, women, anyone who thought they were better than you were defeated by your own fists. you worked hard and then some, through literal sweat, blood and tears, to reach the status of champion of the underworld by the age of eighteen.

you were a wild card, unpredictable in your stature. you didn’t have hulking muscles and a sturdy frame, but what you did have was speed, the element of surprise, and the ability to calculate in a split second, all of which allowed you to defeat your enemies time and time again. this relative victory didn’t come without your share of sacrifices: hiding the bruises, blackened eyes and bloody lips from your family as you trained relentlessly, having to figure out a way to manage the steady flow of income that started coming your way as you fought in your first official matches, defeat after defeat as you trained, chipping a tooth and having it promptly filled in like nothing happened, having to learn how to disarm and fire a gun, work with knives and most importantly, losing a bit of your empathy along the way.

it came as no surprise when people who were much more powerful and much, much richer started taking an interest in you, placing large bets upon your head at some of the higher staked matches, a feat you worked your way up to after many years. you never failed to disappoint, knowing that these fights were the ones that mattered the most, the ones that brought you, and your boss, the biggest pools of money.

it was at one of these fights on a dreary, rainy night that you met Todoroki Enji, a hulking man that failed to intimidate you. you were used to people his size and bigger thinking he could take advantage of someone like you and it only made you chuckle thinking of how easy it would be to have him on his knees in seconds.

“i’ve made a proposal to your boss that he couldn’t refuse. he said he couldn’t and wouldn’t force you to do anything, but since you’re quite motivated by money, i think you’ll be intrigued by my offer,” he started, sitting down next to you in one of the VIP booths, sliding his business card on the table with a sly smile.

you were interested and entertained him, listening to him ramble about his shitty kid and his bad behavior. amused, you sipped on your drink as you absorbed his rants and whines about the negative reputation his kid was creating for himself, how he abused his freedom and power to the fullest extent and how his life was spiraling out of control.

“what does this have to do with me, exactly?” you finally questioned, setting your drink down and turning to face him, eyes met squarely with his own.

“i’d like to hire you to be his personal bodyguard.”

“sounds like he needs a babysitter, not a bodyguard,” you retorted, getting ready to stand up and move away from this blathering idiot.

when he spit out a number so outrageous, however, you sat back down, now thoroughly intrigued by the situation at hand. satisfied that he had your full attention, he went into details, laying down a fairly thin stack of papers in front of you as you listened to every detail.

“so let me get this straight. i’m to be his personal bodyguard, keep his shitty behavior a little more under control, whip him up into shape sort of situation. that’s it? and i’ll get paid that much for being a glorified babysitter?”

“you will have to protect him, of course. there are some crazy fans out there that climb windows, seduce themselves into his bed, stalk him, chase him down, but i don’t think it’s anything that, with your expertise, you can’t handle.”

you continued to ponder the situation before gesturing him to continue with his story. he rambled for another moment or two before picking up the papers and going over them with you: standard non-disclosure agreements, a detailed list of your job description and a contract agreement that he was subleasing you through your boss.

after a few minutes of reading the contracts over and discussing them with your boss, you agreed to the scenario, locking yourself into what would be a rather entertaining six months.

the first time you met Todoroki, he instantly tried to hit on you, but when his hand lowered down to grab your ass, you had him on his knees with his left hand behind his back before he could even blink. after that encounter, your conversations were curt. he knew what you were here for and he wasn’t about to let you get his way.

what he wasn’t expecting was for you to be so relaxed about the whole situation. he still drank, still partied, fucked almost whatever girl or guy he wanted, but anytime things got too out of hand, you stepped in, firm but gentle, guiding the crying groupies out of his bedroom after their time was over, driving him every time he got too drunk, cutting him off from any supplies when he was getting out of hand and most importantly, keeping him safe during his travels.

he never realized how much danger he was always in until you mitigated the problems with ease. he just assumed that being assaulted on the daily was something that came with being in the public until you broke some robbers finger when they tried to swipe the wallet out of his own back pocket. after that, he almost clung to you like a koala on a tree anytime he was out in public. you provided stability in a time where he was drowning in his own worries.

that didn’t mean he was ever nice to you though. in reality, he was actually sometimes meaner to you, the simple fact that some girl could be stronger than him set him off, always feeling on edge around you. you weren’t necessarily quiet, offering up any and all small bits and pieces about yourself that he ever wanted to know, but he never really knew you: not your last name, where you were from, if you had any siblings, parents, where you went to school, what your job was, who you were on the inside. it bugged him like crazy to know what your favorite color was and that you liked cheese on your ramen but not anything important, anything he wanted to know.

you liked to keep it that way, however, and would stay as friendly yet aloof as possible. this was a job to you, a job that would set you up easy for awhile and gave you a break from fighting for the most part. you wouldn’t admit to yourself that you liked the man more than you would’ve expected. you felt the way he clung to you as fans swarmed him, the way he always looked to you in reassurance as you walked the streets at night, hearing his sobs in the shower, sobs that were so broken and confused. it showed to you a side of him that was vulnerable, that showed emotion.

he broke down towards the end of your stay, realizing a little too late how much easier it was for you to do your job when he was cooperative and nice. in fact, he began to be more open about enjoying your company and spending time with you. it made it harder for you to continue with your job knowing you were falling for the pretty rich boy, for the man you were hired to protect, for the man who looked at you like you could do no wrong but vehemently would deny it. you began enjoying the little moments with him, the stolen glances, the laughing. you didn’t know what changed in him but you were glad he was someone you could get along with. underneath that crazy exterior, he was just a guy who wanted a friend.

your six months came up relatively quickly. it sucked that your cushy job living in five star hotels, eating decadent meals and working out in state of the art facilities would be over soon but you felt yourself getting lazy, weak and losing your rather sharp edge. it was time to get back into the grind and despite your heart panging at the fact that you would leave the pretty boy with the angry and sad heart behind, you were ready to go.

your last night of work consisted of the final show in Tokyo. tens of thousands of guests were set to attend what would be the bands biggest concert ever. you were calm, cool and collected as always, but the singer, not so much.

he spent the day pacing back and forth, warming up his vocals, hydrating himself, stretching and generally doing his best to calm his nerves.

in a rare act of affection, you reached out to grab your hand with his own, looking him dead in the eye and telling him that this night would be one he would remember forever; and you were right, just not for the way either of you thought.

the show went amazing, the crowd loud and receptive, the choreography flawless, the singing perfect. Todoroki ran off stage with the biggest smile he had ever seen and in his own rare display of affection, twirled you around with ease, adrenaline still pumping through his system.

you congratulated him on the great show and waited patiently for him to remove all the makeup and his costume. he emerged a little while later, hair flat against his head, wet from the shower, sweatpants and an inconspicuous gray hoodie donning his body. you bid a pleasant farewell to his bandmates before escorting him back to the car. he had requested that you drive him back to the hotel and spend one final night in the comfortable hotel beds before you headed back to your hometown.

when you arrived, however, things felt quiet, a little too quiet, and the hair stood up on the back of your neck.

“Shouto, you need to get into the driver’s seat right now, turn on the car and lock it. do not let me in until i tell you to. do not get out of the car, okay?”

he began to question you but before he had a chance to argue, you were pushing him out of the way as a knife sliced towards him, figures cloaked in black emerging from the shadows.

one, two, three, four.

you counted out the four assailants as you shoved Shouto against the car, prompting him to unlock and scramble in through the back seat. only when you heard the click of the lock did you breathe a sigh of relief and begin your attack.

the first man with the knife was tall and lanky, using his height to his advantage, trying to overwhelm you, but with a quick kick to the back of his kneecaps, he went tumbling onto his knees. now shorter than you, you were able to control him by grabbing onto the top of his head and slamming it into the ground, effectively knocking him out.

one, two, three.

the next man thought his muscles would save the day, but his size lacked any true speed, and you were able to land fingers to his eyes, a punch square to his nose. a quick chokehold and he was knocked out against the concrete as well.

one, two.

they both came at once, knives flailing in the air as they sliced your way. one managed to gouge out a chunk of flesh in your arm but you paid no mind, too focused on the task at hand as you grabbed the knife with your hand and used the other arm to knock into their elbow, making them loosen their grip enough to let go of the blade that you then embedded into their shoulder. the other assailant took your distraction to swing the knife your way and as you were trying to dodge the serrated edge, used their other fist to swing up into your chin. you felt your teeth chatter against each other, blood mixing with saliva as you bit your tongue. spitting, you slammed your hand down against their wrist, grabbing the knife with your hand and yanking, not caring that it sliced into your palm as you flipped the weapon around to shove it into their abdomen.

with both men distracted, you slammed your fist against the car door, telling Shouto to quickly unlock it so you could get in. when you heard the telltale click, you instantly dove into the backseat, yelling at him to lock it and drive as fast as he could back to the hotel. he did as he was told with an eerie calmness to him, backing out and around the attackers that were attempting to survey the damage that had been dealt to them.

once you had made the relatively quick trip back to the hotel, you hurriedly jumped out of the car, telling Shouto to carry his own bags so you could be on alert if anything were to happen, scanning each and every corner for a possible other attack. thankfully, everything was safe as you made your way into his hotel room.

you dropped him off quietly, not even attempting to walk into his room, but only fifteen minutes had passed before he was knocking on your door, a first aid kit he had gotten from the front desk securely tucked under his arm.

you let him in without a word, locking the door behind you and turning to face him. before you had a chance to ask what he was doing there, he had dragged you into your rather grandiose bathroom, sitting you on the steps leading up to the jacuzzi tub and pulling out the contents of the kit onto the floor.

he began by assessing the damage to your wounds, cleaning and disinfecting them before wrapping both your hand and arm rather efficiently.

“i had to wrap a lot of my own wounds as well as my siblings. dear old dad let the temper get the best of him sometimes and it wasn’t always so pretty,” he explained, teeth clenching together in an attempt to remain calm.

“thanks for this. i’m sure they’ll heal just fine,” you replied, not wanting to put him in a situation where he had to talk about his troubling past.

“you could’ve died protecting me today, you know?”

“that’s my job Todoroki. i was hired to protect you, i protected you, and i’m fine, thank you very much. this is not my first fight and it definitely won’t be my last.”

he sighed, rubbing his temples as he sat down on the marble floor in front of you, holding your wounded hand in his own, tracing the fabric that surrounded your palm.

“i recognized one of the cars in the parking lot. it was a company car, one of my dad’s cars to be precise. i know they can seem relatively inconspicuous but i memorized every car my dad ever had, big or small. it was definitely his car.”

you mulled over his words for a moment before sighing yourself, slumping against the stairs as your head rested against the rim of the tub.

“your dad sent those men, huh? that’s why you were so eerily calm driving away. you knew you weren’t really in any danger, that those men were secretly there to kill me,” you finally concluded, anger boiling deep within the pit of your stomach.

“yeah, i think they were. i don’t think dad is too fond of the fact that you and i got close. i-i like you a lot more than i let on, i’ve told him so. i thought that would make him happy, knowing i have someone in my life that i could rely on and trust, but he didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t control you after these six months were up, think he wanted to teach me a lesson.”

“wouldn’t be the first time i’ve had a hit out on my head. this one, however, is probably going to be a lot tricker to deal with.”

Shouto sunk deeper into himself, body shaking with rage as he saw the fight flash in his head over and over again.

“i’m going to protect you. if you want to, that is. i’ll sign you on as my own bodyguard, however much money you want. i’ll be by your side always, make sure that nobody tries to kill you, tries to hurt you like that again.”

“i can fend for myself Todoroki.”

“it’s Shouto. and why won’t you let anyone else take care of you? listen, i know i’ve been kind of an ass but i thought we were at least friends, and yet i know nothing about you. i know your favorite color, your favorite animal, that you like sunsets and the rain and snuggling under comfy sheets at the end of the day, that your eyes sparkle when you get a chance to fight but secretly crave peace and comfort, but i don’t know who you are. your name, your story, why you’re really here.”

you heaved as you sat back up, staring him straight in the eye to find no malice, no anger, only confusion, empathy and maybe even a bit of longing. so you told him, you told him everything: who you were, what you were, where you grew up, about your childhood dog and all the scraps you had as a kid, how two strange men in suits approached you and groomed you to fight at the age of sixteen, how it was the only thing you knew how to do, the only thing you were good at, how you scared yourself sometimes because you enjoyed the pain that came with the fights. he sat there watching, eyes wide and unblinking as he absorbed every word you said, every bit of pain and anxiety, of longing for someone to love and understand you, of not having to fight all the time, of wanting to be vulnerable for once.

“let me take care of you,” he declared, standing up and outstretching his hand towards you, helping you up from the cool tile, hand coming to rest behind your head once you had steadied yourself.

he leaned forward, unsure and hesitant, before placing his lips against your own, soft and gentle, tasting of mint chapstick and coffee. you were unsure of yourself, awkward, full of aches and pains, wanting so badly to let go but never wanting to get hurt.

“it’s okay, you’re safe with me. let me take care of you, please.”

that was all it took for you to open up, looping your arms around his neck as he led you back to the bedroom, careful to not run you into anything. your knees hit the back of the bed and you reflexively tensed up, like a deer in headlights.

he shushed you, rubbing his hands up and down your arms, heeding the bandage and wound underneath. you laid back after that, body attempting to relax as his hands ran themselves soothingly over your body, across your breasts, the flesh of your stomach, your thighs, the corded muscles in your calves, slipping your shoes off, your socks, kissing every inch of your body along the way, making sure you were comfortable. you shimmied out of your pants, your tight shirt, bra, underwear, finally bare for him to see, scars, bruises, all the imperfections of your life.

“so, so beautiful,” he murmured, taking his time to kiss every single blemish and scar that you had, wanting you to feel his dedication.

after what felt like hours of soft kisses, his thumb came to rest on your clit, rubbing in quick and precise circles, fingers gently parting your folds to press into your body, back arching at the feeling of him already.

“it’s all about you tonight, okay? just relax, let me show you how much i appreciate you.”

and appreciate you he did. he dropped to his knees, nose nuzzling into your pubic bone as he kitten licked your clit once, twice, three times, testing your reaction. you whined and squirmed at the feeling, already overwhelmed by his fingers lazily dragging in and out of you. you wanted, needed more, but Todoroki wouldn’t hear any of that. you deserved to be treated right, treated gently tonight, to allow your worries to melt away, if only for a few moments.

his fingers began picking up pace, pistoning in and out of you, his fingers curling in all the right spots, fists clenched into the downy comforter as you attempted to ground yourself from the overwhelming situation. his tongue worked against your clit, changing speed and pressure, trying to find what was the right combination to set you off, watching your every move intently as you squirmed around on the bed. before he even got a chance to get into a routine, you were already cumming over his fingers, creamy liquid coating the digits.

he hummed in contentment, pulling his fingers out to lick up the syrup, you watching with your pupils blown wide.

you went to sit up, body aching from the adrenaline of the fight, but he pushed you back down into the plush bed, tutting as he settled his head against your thigh, kissing, sucking and biting along the plump flesh, leaving little marks only he would know about.

his tongue began lapping at your clit again, this time harsher, more in tune with what your body wanted. you clenched your legs around his head, fisting his hair with your good hand as you tried to ground yourself yet again to reality. his velvety tongue felt like heaven against your body, coaxing moans and sighs out of your mouth. you felt your second orgasm hit you like a freight truck, tingles running up your spine. you tried to push his head away but he only held your body down, a frighteningly feral look on his face as he continued to lap against your clit, unrelenting in his pursuit to pull orgasm after orgasm from you.

after, two, three, four more highs, you couldn’t tell where one began and one ended, he was finally satisfied, pulling his face away, chin glistening in the dim light. your eyes were teary and red, overwhelmed by everything he had put you through. you had never been more satisfied in your life, and by the look on Shouto’s face, he knew it too.

your eyelids began to droop and your body relaxed into the mattress as you came back down into reality. Shouto shuffled around the room before settling you into your bed, tucking the sheets around your body and propping your head against your pillow.

he was enamored by your, by your story, how you opened up so willingly to him after tonight. nothing would get in between you two now. he was just starting to truly know you, know the real you, and nothing was going to stop him from wooing you until you were his, not even his father., and if her life was ever threatened again by him, well, Shouto would just have to kill Todoroki Enji.

#todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki #shouto todoroki #bnha x reader #mha x reader #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #bnha #bnharem collab

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jessilyria · 4 years ago

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ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY SEASON 2

Hello! This covers everything from trailers, promo pics, interviews, and articles. Pics and links will be included. The info is in vague chronological order (as much as it can be.)

Needless to say, this post contains SPOILERS and is LONG ^‿^

If you’d like a non-spoilery version with just the basic facts please check out my Umbrella Academy Timeline.

***********************************************************************

According to Steve Blackman, season 2 is about second chances and the endgame is still to stop the 2019 apocalypse (X).

The opening scene of season 2:

youtube

The siblings arrive in the past at different times, but all in the same spot - an alleyway with some dumpsters which leads out onto a high-street.

Noticeable locations on the high-street include a beauty salon for black people, and an electronics shop which later on closes down and becomes a base for the group.

The order they arrive in is the order the promo pictures were released: Ben & Klaus, Allison, Luther, Diego, Vanya, Five.

It will likely take a while before the whole team is reunited, and possibly longer before the siblings begin to meet the new characters: “It was several episodes before we all started to interact with each other” (X).

Ben & Klaus land in February 1960 (X). As Klaus is sober, his powers continue to develop and he uses them to impresses some people. (X)

"Klaus effectively starts the hippie movement off early by founding a cult whose philosophy is based on the lyrics of pop songs that have yet to be written. “Don’t go chasing waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to,” he tells one awed follower." (X)

"Destiny's Children! Let us commune with music." *starts whistling*

But Klaus isn’t as happy as he seems in this new life of cult stardom. “He can’t deal with the praise; it’s just become strangulating.” (X)

There’s also tension between Klaus and Ben, but its unknown whether this is because of the cult, because Klaus is "trying to rekindle his relationship with Dave" (X), or because Klaus’ evolved powers mean Ben can now possess him (X). Either way, Ben’s “determined not to be invisible to the ones he loves, willing to go further than ever before to make his presence known.” (X)

As Klaus is wearing the same outfit as the promo pics (and has a long beard which he later loses), its likely the following scene takes place early on.

Klaus: Now what? Ben: Remember when I told you the engine was overheating? Klaus: Yeah, well, being smart doesn't make you interesting. Ben: Neither does your beard.

Ben: You think I’m just going to keep following you everywhere for another three years? Klaus: Yeah, you are my ghost-bitch, remember?

*************************

Klaus: My skin was on fire! Ben: Good! I’ve got to get to San Francisco, I have unfinished business.

Allison is second to appear in 1961 (X). "Confused and looking for help, Allison walks into a diner and is greeted by a “Whites Only” sign, then chased across town by a group of white men until she finds sanctuary in a beauty parlour for Black women that doubles as a meeting place for civil-rights activists." (X)

Its been confirmed that the below image is from ep 1. (X)

Have you experienced discrimination by your employer?

She meets a man named Raymond Chestnut who is a “born leader with the smarts, gravitas, and confidence to never have to prove it to anyone. He has the innate ability to disarm you with a look, and is a devoted husband.” (X)

Luther appears on April 10th 1962 and lands on a dumpster.

He ends up working for Jack Ruby (X), a mysterious man who owns a nightclub (and who fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald after Oswald was in custody for JFK's assassination). Luther’s job involves being a driver, bouncer, and underground fighter.

Its been confirmed that the following scene is from ep 1. (X)

Diego appears on Sep 17th 1963. One of the first things he sees is a televised address from President JFK.

He ends up in an insane asylum for stalking Lee Harvey Oswald and spouting “delusional claims” about JFK’s assassination (X). Its here he meets Lila Pitts, “a chameleon who can be as brilliant or as clinically insane as the situation requires”. She’s also "unpredictable, mischievous" and "sarcastic" with a "twisted sense of humour." (X)

Vanya appears on Oct 12th 1963 (X). “She arrives and gets hit by a car, driven by a woman (Sissy). She smashes her head on the cement... She remembers her name, but nothing else.” (X)

She gets a job on a ranch as a live-in-nanny for Sissy, a "fearless, no nonsense Texas Mom" who "married young for all the wrong reasons" and is "eager to rediscover what love has to offer." (X)

Because she has forgotten her past traumas, Vanya is “much more confident and more in touch with her emotional self” (X). She forms a unique bond with Sissy’s son, Harlan, who is non-verbal (X). Its been confirmed that the following photos are from ep 1. (X)

Vanya: I wish I remembered something.  Sissy: The doctor said it would take time. Don’t push yourself.

Vanya is also slowly discovering her powers on her own.

Five appears with Hazel on Nov 15th after witnessing the world going down in nuclear explosions.

Five: What was that? Hazel: The end of the world, November 25th 1963. Five: And where am I now? Hazel: Dallas, ten days earlier. Five: ...I need to find my family.

But of course its not going to be that easy, the Commission is still out there and “will hunt us down wherever and whenever we go.”

In the trailer we are introduced to the head of The Commission, a fish named Carmichael. He sends three Swedish assassins, Oscar, Axel, and Otto, to hunt down Five and the others.

At some point they acquire a milk-truck and one of them dresses as a milkman. On a location shoot, the Swedes were seen in their truck outside a house in an urban area. They check a map and one of them pumps a shotgun (X).

Whilst searching for his siblings Five encounters a man named Elliot, an "alien obsessive (who) witnesses The Umbrella Academy's separate arrivals." He agrees to help Five find the others. (X)

“3rd EVENT, April 10th 1962″ is above photos of Luther arriving, “September 17th 1963″ is above photos of Diego arriving, and the right column are photos of Vanya arriving still in her White Violin outfit.

Five manages to find Diego in the asylum and they have a conversation.

Five: Listen to me very closely, you gibbering moron. You are not going to do a goddamned thing. Diego: Why not? Five: Because we have to stop the apocalypse. Diego: But that doesn't happen for another 60 years. Five: Not that apocalypse, this is a... new one. It followed us.  Diego: *begins laughing*

At some point after this the Swedes storm the asylum.

“Who are those guys?!”

Diego and Lila seem to make their escape from the Swedes and the asylum pretty quickly however. Its been confirmed that the below pic is from ep 2. (X)

Based on Diego’s outfit and length of beard, the following two scenes take place around the same time. First, a heated car conversation which Five crashes.

Diego: You don’t know anything about me! Lila: I know everything. You are an open book written for very dumb children. Diego: I am n-not trying to b-be a hero, okay? Lila: Then why are you doing this?  Five: *appears in the backseat* Because he is an idiot. Lila: Who the hell are you? Five: Hi, I’m his loving brother. Diego: Who left me to rot in the nut-house. Five: To protect you from yourself.  Lila: Thats quite sweet. Diego: Okay. Both of you. Out.

And second, a dark encounter with a familiar figure...

Reginald Hargreeves & Pogo

The summary for episode 2 also mentions that “an incident at the bar leads Luther to Vanya,” and “Five finds an unsettling surprise in the film Hazel left behind,” which likely links to this image:

Its been confirmed that the following scene is from ep3 (X). Klaus is seen emerging from a river - now confirmed to be the River Ganges in India/Bangladesh which is considered sacred and purifying (X). Considering the series spans 10 days and is set in Dallas, this scene is very likely a flashback.

Note Ben in the background.

Klaus is also seen in similar attire in a wealthy looking house, which is potentially part of the commune where the cult operates.

Note Klaus no longer has his long beard.

And here’s Ben in what looks like a room in the same house. It's interesting to note that Ben (or the actor) is looking straight into the camera, implying its a first person point-of-view.

Apparently also in ep3 we have this delightful gem of Klaus being Klaus. (presumably theres a pool at the commune?).

Episode 3 also sees the Swedes chasing Vanya in a cornfield until she uses her powers to defend herself.

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Thanks to this, Five is able to track Vanya down (X). It's been confirmed that the following pic is from episode 3. (X)

And based on Vanya's clothes, Five then takes her to a cafe to explain a few things.

Vanya: Are you gonna tell me what the hell's going on? Five: When you were a baby you were bought by an eccentric billionaire. He raised you in an elite academy with six other siblings with extrodinary powers, but in the year 2019 in order to avoid the apocalypse we jumped into a vortex and ended up being scattered throughout the timeline in Dallas, Texas. Vanya: ... Five: Any questions? Vanya: ... what do you mean the apocalypse?

At some point ollowing on from this (but unknown which ep) Luther and Vanya have this conversation:

Vanya: What caused the apocalypse? Luther: ... You did... but not alone. I was part of it, we all- Vanya: How? Luther: You got angry. Lost control, you... blew up the moon. It slammed into Earth wiping out everything.

In ep3 we see both Allison and Raymond actively involved in the protests against the segregation by taking part in a sit-in (X).

Allison: I’d like to be served, please.  Waitress: *pointing to a Whites Only sign* Can’t you read, girl?  Allison: Seven languages.  Customer: Oh, you smart one, huh?  *The door opens and many other blank protesters enter.*  Allison: We’d like to be served, please.

However, it goes badly as "police brutally attack (the) peaceful protestors." (X).

The summary for ep3 says that “Allison reconnects with Klaus,” and in ep4 she is “searching frantically for Ray.” It seems, based on the following pics, that she finds Ray in jail and Klaus & Ben have a hand in getting him out.

Note the word "buearu" on the window and Ray in the background.

Based on Klaus' outfit, its sometime around this point he goes on a massive bender. We see him running with a bottle of whiskey, his gleeful cult following him, and dancing in a drinks aisle.

Note that Klaus is bleeding from his lip.

Following on from this, Klaus wakes up on Allisons floor, feeling worse for wear.

Ben: And how are we feeling this morning? Klaus: Ugh, peaches and cream, how are you? Ben: Curious. How many more rock bottoms are you going to have to hit before you start taking care of yourself?

In episode 4 “Vanya contends with a crisis at the farm.” Could this link to her developing romance as, despite Sissy still being with her husband (X), she and Vanya begin exploring a relationship?

The summary confirms that in ep4, “Five, Diego, and Lila crash a party at the Mexican consulate.” But the Swedes are still hot on their tail.

Note the third Swede in the background, chasing Five?

After surviving this, they return to their base. The following pic has been confirmed as happening in ep4 (X).

At some unknown point the Swedes (or two of them) also go after Allison, though it appears she fights back (and kills one of them?).

"They weren't here to sell vacuums!"

Also at some unknown point, Allison and Luther have a catch up. Based on Luthers partially healed face, this is after his conversation with Vanya in ep2.

Luther: We did it again… apparently.  Allison: Did what again?  Luther: Ended the world.

Also at some unknown point Vanya and Diego reconcile: “I don’t remember what I did, but I’m sorry, if that means anything,” Vanya tells Diego as he threateningly juggles a knife. “It does,” he responds, before accepting her as a confidant he can turn to for advice on how to handle his feelings for Lila. (X)

It appears that ep5 is when the whole family finally reunites. The episode summary explains how “summoned to an emergency meeting, the siblings hatch very different plans for how to spend their last 6 days on Earth.” (I have no idea what order the conversation goes in as each bit is a snippet from a different promo vid).

Five: Klaus, is Ben here? Klaus: No, unfortunately ghosts can’t time-travel. Ben: Are you kidding me?

Five: (I/We) really screwed the pooch on this one, the whole going back in time and getting stuck thing. But the real kick in the pants here is… we brought the end of the world back here with us. Klaus: Oh my god, again? My cult is gonna be so pissed. I told them we had until 2019. Five: We have until Monday.

Klaus: Is it Vanya? Allison: Klaus! Klaus: What? Its usually Vanya.

Vanya: None of us are supposed to be here, right? I mean, what if its us?

Luther: Diego's been stalking Lee Harvey Oswald. Diego: Hey, you're working for Jack Ruby! Klaus: Allison has been very involved in local politics. Allison: Okay, you started a cult! Ben: Thank you!

“We have to make it right again, before everyone and everything we know is dead.”

Following on from this, Klaus, Vanya and Allison have some bonding time in the beauty parlour.

Vanya: How do you guys deal with this? Allison: What? Vanya: I mean all of it. Time travel. Seeing the dead...?

Vanya: I’m gunna tell Sissy that I love her… I don’t want any secrets.  Klaus: Yeah? Allison: Yeah! Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Yes. Cos, y’know, if, if its all going to go tits up the least I could do is be honest with my husband. Klaus: Oh… does that mean I have to face my cult? I just hate group breakups, thats why I stopped dating twins.

“Klaus, Vanya, and Allison end a moping session by dancing together to Twistin’ the Night Away.” (X). Its been confirmed that the following pic is from ep 5. (X)

In episode 6, “Dave visits Klaus’ compound” and “the siblings meet their father for dinner” in a Tiki bar. Its been confirmed that the following pic is from ep 6 (X).

An interview with the cast has them talking about ‘the elevator scene’ and how hard it was to shoot because everyone kept cracking up. (X)

Five: All right, quick run down. Luther; super strength, Klaus can commune with the dead, Allison can rumour anyone to do anything-  Diego: Yeah except she never uses it.  Allison: I heard a rumour you punched yourself in the face.  *Diego punches himself in the face.*  Reginald: *looking at Vanya* And you?  Luther: Uh, maybe we don’t… take Vanya for a test drive.  Klaus: Oh yeah thats probably not a good idea…  Vanya: What, I think I can handle it.  *Despite everyones protests, Vanya explodes a fruit bowl.*

Based on Luther and Klaus’ outfits, the following scenes also take place sometime around the same time (ep6/7).

First, Luther pulls up to a house in an urban area, he gets out the car and has a conversation with a man (X). This is the same house where the three Swedes were seen in their milk-truck at night.

Note the gun and flask on the seat.

Next, Allison and Raymond deal with a body (of a Swede?) while Klaus & Ben don’t help. The summary of ep6 also mentions that Allison gives Ray a peek at her powers, which is maybe why he’s on board to deal with a body.

But what's the big flash that startles them? Well it may have something to do with all this craziness:

Note the chairs and people on the ceiling.

It’s hard to tell but since Ben is there, this could be Klaus being thrown backwards? The outfit certainly looks similar.

In an interview, the cast talk about how the room had to be painted completely white (then returned to normal), and how nice it was for the character of Ben to be able to share a moment with Vanya (X). This implies Vanya looses control and Ben is able to talk her down.

At some unknown point, it looks like the siblings all return to the academy.

Note that the background behind Klaus implies he’s sat in the same seat that he did as a child.

An interview asked the question "You all eat 'brain' at a family dinner..." (X) and in a different interview the cast talk about the brain acid trip (X). Could this be when that happens?

Either way, things likely don’t run smoothy. “Reginald still proves just as capable of preying on their deepest insecurities, while somehow leaving them attacking each other instead of him.” (X)

The summary for ep7 mentions someone named Carl issuing a warning to Vanya, and in ep8 it states that the FBI torture her, so its most likely the following images are from this time:

The tape recorder is turned off...

The figure from behind slaps a cloth over Vanya’s face as she takes on the appearance of The White Violin.

“A dimly lit room... Vanya is strapped to a chair. The floor is soaked with water. At the moment she is being tortured for information... After an electric shock the lights on the ceiling begin to flicker. “‘Is she doing that?’ asks a fearful FBI agent.” (X)

Also in ep7, “Five travels to 1982 to carry out his new mission”. Theres a possibility that Luther is also involved in this as a promo pic has snow surrounding the house, which I don’t think would happen in November in Dallas?

Five: I need a spotter. Luther: What is that? Like a wingman?

The summary for ep8 includes the fact that “Diego discovers what causes the apocalypse.”

“Everything in our new lives is connected to the plot to assassinate the president. That can’t be a coincidence.”

The fact we see the gun Five was going to use to assassinate JFK, implies this scene takes place on Nov 22nd, 3 days before the apocalypse. And we know from the summaries that in ep8 “Five concocts a risky plan to intercept another version of himself.”

Old Five, young Five (who’s still really old Five), and Luther.

However this may not go to plan as the summary for ep9 says, “the Fives plot against each other.”

And the summary for episode 10 is: “reeling from the events at the Dealey Plaza, the siblings head to the farm to help save Harlan.”

MOMENTS I CAN’T PLACE:

Someone flips over a table in what looks like it could be a distillery. Based on outfit and hair this could possibly be Lila, Klaus, or (less likely) Diego. Five is also there.

A similar (the same?) person flips over while avoiding gunfire. There are targets and what looks like training equipment, and the person shooting is standing under a large umbrella.

If the flipping person is Lila, then this may link to what the summaries reveal about her arc: In ep5 she confronts her mother, in ep6 the Handler is mentioned (albeit talking to Five), and in ep9 she learns the truth about her parents…

Five sneaks through a room with a camera and lights. On the blackboard the word “Pogo” is written, implying this could be Reggies house and this room is where he is teaching and studying young Pogo.

Diego walks into a control room. It looks like there might be 2-way glass. Could this link to ep8 when Diego discovers what cases the apocalypse?

Five is seen in a building with wooden panels on the walls.

Based on the background of this shot of Carmichael, the building could be part of The Commission.

“You...”

Five gets buried in rubble. Aidan looks chill about it though.

***********************************************************************

Well done for making it all the way!

I’ve tried to avoid speculation as much as possible and keep the language suggestive. I don’t know all the facts, I WILL have made errors, probably many! So please take all this with a suggestive grain of salt, I am just a hooman trying to use her squishy brain.

Please let me know if you spot any errors, think of anything else I can add, or if you want more info about any specific event ^‿^

#the umbrella academy #tua #tua s2 #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #luther hargreeves #reginald hargreeves #pogo

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kyoonqs · 4 years ago

Text

iluso amor ; second part.

↬ summary: Cora has always considered herself elusive, easy to bore and adventurous to the last fiber of her body. One day for no apparent reason, she appears in front of the manager of a globetrotting circus passing through the city where she is temporarily staying to fill her life with magic. Baekhyun, as serious as he is handsome, has no intention of playing a role other than on the main canvas of the circus. He decides to separate Cora from her life of fantasies created by her travels and sets out to show her reality as raw and cruel as he knows it. Or so he believes.

Will time run out too quickly before love and passion devour him and he decides to risk everything for a love that lasts… Forever?

↬ pairing: baekhyun x cora fem!reader.

↬ circus!au ; illusionist!baek x hitchhiker!oc ; strangers to lovers au!

↬ genre: fluff ; romance ; angst ; drama.

↬ length: 3.6 k words.

↬ tag list: @changshapatrol @spacebyuns @fluffyhunnie @soos-goddess @hoho-cham @shadoukiti @sunbyun21 @mangobaek @suhotly @pororodks @bbhbae @blahblahblah-boo

If you’d like to be tagged for future chapters, please let me know!

↬ masterlist.

Baekhyun was giving orders, simultaneously lending a hand to the circus men and Cora noticed the tense muscles in his arms as he loaded seats into the forklift and pulled the rope. At that moment she remembered that when he had left her alone, she had roamed the caravan from start to finish, only to find one of his whips on the bed. Despite seeing his conduct at the show, she couldn't help but feel threatened. It was then that she realized she had no courage to sleep in the trailer, not even on the couch.

–“Come on, let's go to bed.” The last vestiges of the dream vanished and Cora was immediately on guard. The darkness was absolute, she couldn't see anything. Most of the trucks were gone and the workers with them.

–“I have decided to sleep here.”

–“Outside? I don’t think so. In case you haven't noticed, you're shivering.” He was right. It wasn't cold when she had first stepped outside, but the temperature had dropped since then.

–“Take this as a friendly warning. I've barely slept in three days. First we had a storm and we almost lost the circus cover, then I had to make two trips. I’m not an easygoing person in the best of circumstances, but I’m even worse when I don’t sleep.” He raised the arm at her side and she hissed in alarm when she saw a whip twisted into his hand. Cora gasped when Baekhyun grabbed her arm and pulled Cora to her feet without putting up much resistance. He opened the door to the trailer and turned on the light, gently nudging her elbow to enter. Was it just Cora's imagination or had the inside of the trailer shrunk since she'd first seen it?

–“Please don't touch me again.”

–“I'm too tired to think of anything you imagine I can do to you, if that's what you're concerned about.” His words did not reassure her.

–“Why do you carry the whip everywhere? Are you threatening me?”

He muttered something under his breath, closed the door and walked over to the bed to sit down. He dropped the whip to the ground, but the handle still rested on his knee. She looked at him apprehensively.

On one hand, Cora had promised to continue her journey, he hadn't hurt her or anyone else but on the other, there was no doubt that he scared her. She wasn't very skilled at fighting, but she knew what to do when the time came necessary. She steeled herself.

–“I think we should clear things up. I want you to know that I will not be able to live with you if you keep intimidated me in this way.”

–“Intimidating you? What are you talking about?”. Her nervousness increased, but she forced herself to continue.

–“I guess you can't help it. It's probably because of the way you grew up, although it's not that I believed that story you told onstage. Your lack of sanity?” She paused. “Because it's fake, right?”.

He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

–“Yes, of course it is,” she hastened to say.

–“What I mean by intimidating, I mean your attitude and …” she took a deep breath, “that whip.”

–“What's the matter with it?”. Cora shut her eyes. With a wrinkle of her nose she bit her lip and took a deep breath before starting again.

–“If you have that kind of inclination, I would appreciate you telling me now instead of giving hints.”

–“What are you talking about?”. He continued to stare blankly at her, until she screamed in frustration.

–“For the love of God! If you intend to hit me for pleasure, tell me. Hey, Cora, I like to whip people for pleasure, and you're next on the list. At least I would know what's on your mind”.

His eyebrows raised, “Would that make you feel better?”

She nodded.

–“As you wish.” Baekhyun looked at her with sparkling eyes and repeated the same phrase she tried to dictate to him seconds ago. He excused himself saying he was going to shower, went into the bathroom and closed the door. Cora nibbled on her lower lip. That hadn't exactly gone as planned.

Baekhyun chuckled as the shower water poured onto his body. Cora had given him more fun in the past ten hours than he'd gotten in the entire year before. Or maybe even more. His life was normally a very serious matter. Laughter was a luxury he hadn't been able to afford very often. But it was only natural when he had spent his whole life chasing something.

He remembered her comment about a fetish...maybe? But it would have spoiled the fun if he had explained that he always carried a whip when he knew the workers had been drinking.

Traveling circuses were like a war zone when it came to solving problems –they had to be prevented before they arose– and the sight of the whip was a very dissuasive measure to alleviate the temper of some.

Despite how much the last confrontation with the girl had amused him, he had a feeling that the fun would not last long. This year he was putting him to the test, first a promise made to the circus owner on his deathbed: to do one last tour with the circus, and second the challenges that came with navigating one, including Cora.

As he let the water run off the shampoo, he thought about his past. Baekhyun had known the circus since he was eight years old and one of them spent the summer touring the towns of the Spanish coast. He would never forget that afternoon when he had accompanied his father to make the profit tally of imported products to Korea and the noise of a crowd gathered on the avenue caught his attention.

He remembered how after begging his mother to convince his father to take him to a show – it had become his absolute dream to become a circus performer. This dream would seemingly collapse at 18 when his father gave him maturity lessons during summer vacation. After that he’d traveled with the circus to earn money, and then much later, in adulthood, when every few years he left his life behind and spent a few months on the road.

Baekhyun's character had been shaped by his father's wise sermons and his always astute observations about the world and how hard it was for a man to survive. A man had to work hard, take care of himself, and maintain his pride.

Circumstances had made him that way, a tough and stubborn man who lived by his own code with no illusions about himself. And Cora... she lived in a dream world created from travel and tourist places.

He wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed another to dry his hair, and opened the bathroom door. Cora gulped when the bathroom door opened and he stepped out. While he dried his head with the towel, she took the opportunity to look carefully at what seemed a perfect body, with well-defined but not excessively toned muscles. Baekhyun possessed a broad chest and shoulders, hips considerably narrower than said shoulders and his abdomen was flat, hard. Her gaze followed the arrow of hair that started at the navel and continued under the towel. Suddenly, she felt heated as she wondered what it would be like below.

–“I'll drop the towel in five seconds.” He deprived her of the vision of his chest when he turned his back on her and headed for the bed.

She quickly grabbed some clean underwear and a faded Kyung Hee University t-shirt that she had found on the same couch, surely belonging to Baekhyun – and dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Twenty minutes later, she came out of the shower fresh with his shirt on. She had decided that it was preferable to wear this over the only nightgown she had, a tiny pink silk babydoll with lots of lace that her aunt had given her in case she "conquered" European men.

He slept on his back, the sheet covering his bare hips. It wasn’t right to look at a person while they were sleeping, but she couldn't stop doing it. She walked to the foot of the bed and watched him, looking up from his abdomen to his chest to admire the perfect symmetry of the male torso. Asleep, he didn't look the same.

Cora's hands tingled with the urge to caress his cheeks and comb his hair. She didn't understand how it was the same man who had scared her to the point of wanting to bolt out of there, she wanted to understand what was going through his mind, she wanted to approach him and tell him that she wasn’t as dumb as she seemed.

She stared at him for a few minutes more, swearing to herself that she would do her best to figure out and ease the weight on his shoulders. She lay back on the sofa and tried to fall asleep as soon as possible. Starting tomorrow, a new chapter of her life will begin.

–“Wake up, dulzura. We have a long day ahead of us.”

She rolled onto her stomach. He tugged on the sheet and Cora felt the cool air brush against the back of her bare thighs. She refused to move. If she did, she would have to face a new day. She buried her face deeper into the pillow. She felt a soft and warm hand rest in her hair, curling it back softly, clearing her face so that the Sun –which was barely peeking out– would illuminate her face. She rejoiced in the caress. Baekhyun was grinning widely but she missed it by putting up resistance to getting up.

Only when he pulled his hand away did she slowly open her eyes to see that he was already dressed and shaved at that unholy hour. Baekhyun glanced at her body, reminding her that she was actually practically naked under the sheet, just dressed in an old t-shirt of his and some rather compromising panties. When she realized it, she rolled onto her back and pulled the sheet up to cover herself with it.

–“We have almost three hours of travel ahead of us and we will be leaving in ten minutes. Get dressed and do something useful.” He turned away from her and went to the sink.

–“It's still night.” Cora and squinted at the gray morning light streaming through the dirty little windows.

–“It's almost six o'clock.” He poured himself a cup of coffee and raised the mug to his lips.

–“I'll stay in here while you drive.”

–“It’s illegal.” Baekhyun set the coffee cup on the table, then reached down to quickly pick up the clothes from the floor. He examined her critically and handed her a pair of jeans that had been hanging over the armrest of the chair.

Cora wanted to say something funny but was sure he would not be amused, so she reluctantly went to the bathroom. Ten minutes later she came out dressed and noticed that he was in front of the open kitchen cupboard, somewhat indecisive and it could even be said that a certain sadness claimed his face. She noticed that on the sink was an apple, a packaged cupcake, the last of the oatmeal frosts from the jar that contained them, and a recyclable bottle of what looked like yogurt.

–“Um... this morning you can eat whatever you want, you don't have many options but I know you can satisfy your stomach with this. From the next purchase we’ll have to divide the food between us. The circus is beautiful but it doesn’t leave much profit.” It was the first time she had heard him so dejected, almost regretful and that confirmed Cora's suspicion: his gruff behavior possessed a reason so she would try her best to not be another burden. She just hoped that Baekhyun would build the confidence to share his troubles.

She murmured a "thank you" as soft and delicate as she could when he stepped past her, scratching the back of his neck as if the situation had made him more uncomfortable than it should. She decided that from now on, she would try not to feel scared in front of him and that she would be the strong woman her mother had instilled in her to be.

They barely spoke during the first hour of travel. Since he hadn't given her enough time to get ready, Cora had to finish “putting on makeup” –she was only able to apply lip balm and blush– in the truck and comb her hair as best she could despite the bumps on the road, holding her hair in a high ponytail which she braided first then decorated at the end with a patterned fabric bow. Baekhyun observed her as much as he could from the corner of his eye, avoiding a smile that would give him away and enjoying how her hair twisted when she moved her fingers from side to side. He thought that with her washed face she looked prettier than the day before. The shadows in her eyes distracted from the color and spark they possessed and the lipstick widened her lips to the point that they appeared be swollen.

Around mid-morning, Baekhyun bought orange juice, some cereal bars and two packaged sandwiches. He stopped the truck in a place decorated with flags and logs cut to a length that suggested they were to be used for seating. After eating, Cora went to the bathroom and tried to find money with which she could return the favor to Baekhyun, but she only found some coupons from a previous job and some tokens for the spreading machine.

When she came out she realized two things: one, an attractive waitress was flirting with Baekhyun and two, he was doing absolutely nothing to discourage her.

Cora watched him tilt his head and smile at something the girl had said. She experienced a twinge of jealousy as he seemed to be enjoying the waitress's company more than her own. She made up her mind to ignore what was happening but then it came to her recollection she’d never explicitly let on to having feelings for Baekhyun. Cora feared that if she came on too strongly, crossed barriers he wasn’t ready to do away with just yet, she’d never have the opportunity to get closer. Though he had been fairly hospitable, there was always an air of reluctance that clouded his every interaction with her, a sort of underlying anxiety she couldn’t quite place. With resignation, she straightened her shoulders and approached the table where she gave the clerk her most radiant smile.

–“Thank you very much for keeping this dulzura company. Most of the time, he doesn’t like talking.” The waitress seemed somewhat surprised by Cora's friendly demeanor. She then lowered her voice to a loud whisper. “It was very kind of her, wasn't it, mi amor?”.

Baekhyun choked on his coffee. She leaned in to pat him on the back while giving the girl a beaming smile.

Controlling his cough, he stood up from the table with an expression even angrier than was usual for him. Before he had a chance to open his mouth, Cora reached out and brought it to her lips so he wouldn't say anything. He looked at her like he was going to strangle her, but he just tossed several bills on the table and shoved her out of the restaurant.

–“Are you going to get mad about a little joke? Haven't you gotten used to clowns yet?” Cora's shoes slipped on the gravel as he dragged her toward the truck and the ugly trailer.

–“I already told you, you’re the grumpiest man I have ever met. And it doesn't suit you, not at all, Baekhyun. Let me tell you something, I was right, you look much more handsome smiling.”

He halted in his tracks and although she hoped he would say something to her, perhaps return the compliment, he continued his accelerated march to the truck. Disappointed, she grabbed the door handle, pulled and seated herself on the passenger side. Moments later they were back on the road.

The morning was sunny. The warm air coming in through the ajar window was not yet suffocating. Cora couldn't find any reason for him to sulk on such a perfect and beautiful morning, so she finally broke the silence.

So far Baekhyun had been cooperative, he had commented that they were going to Fraga, they would spend two nights there and then they would continue traveling through the rest of Huesca. They had 4 months ahead of it, a life of trips and tours that were only missed once the season was over, exhausting but full of colors and renewed illusions in the face of each person who made up the audience during their performances. She wished they’d already given a place in the show. She still had little clue as to what she would have to go through first.

–“This will be the last season of the circus. So we will put in our best efforts. The owner passed away at the beginning of the year and his wife, Algeria, has inherited the circus and has put it up for sale.” He said, pressing his lips together almost imperceptibly. Cora noticed anyway.

–“Have you been at the circus a long time?” she asked, determined to find out more about him.

–“I go and come. I traveled with the circus from my teenage years until I was twenty. Since then I’ve come and gone.” She took the time to appreciate him better than she could the night before, surprised that he was speaking so "openly" and that he wasn't growling in the middle of her questioning.

The questions didn’t stop there, Cora would take her time asking him as much as she could but she had been somewhat disappointed when he didn't ask her any in return. Suddenly she remembered that she was there for work and decided to inform Baekhyun that she had never set foot in a job as artistic as the circus.

–“I just wanted to say that I don't know anything about the circus world.”

–“You'll learn. Gael, the guy who normally runs the locker, has to be away for a couple of days. You’ll be taking his place until he returns, and then you can join the show. We open the function with the parade presentation. Later we can look for the act you’ll be joining.”

She only made an approving sound. For now she was only counting the moles that were spread evenly and in isolation from his face to his ears and even fingers.

They continued traveling several miles in silence while she pondered what he had told her. But it was what he hadn’t said that worried her the most. Unknown to her, the word "love" –amor as she had called him in front of the waitress– had been bouncing around inside his skull. Baekhyun had been thinking that perhaps Cora wasn’t as empty-headed as he initially believed and perhaps he liked the nickname more than he expected.

↬ author’s note: today's chapter has been a little longer, hope you enjoy it! as you know, any feedback is welcome ♡ and must tell you something important, pay attention to the small details, they will play an important role in the plot! last but not least, thanks to Oliv for her help and time invested in helping me get each part correctly narrated.

#baekhyun fluff #baekhyun smut #baekhyun angst #baekhyun x oc #baekhyun x reader #baekhyun x you #baekhyun scenario #baekhyun scenarios #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun fanfiction #baekhyun drabble #baekhyun drabbles #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #circus au #iluso amor

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huearmy · 4 years ago

Text

The Smell of Truth - VII

Summary: After years being forced to fight in clandestine hybrid ring, Jungkook is now living in shelter, but life remains bad, the place is abusive, and nobody seems to want adopt him. Until one night a pro-hybrid activist group invades the shelter, and a woman in black smelling like truth promises that things will get better, and he decides to follow her wherever she goes.

Pairing: pitbull!Jungkook x human!Reader

Genre: fluff, angst, future smut maybe.

Words: 5784

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: None.

A/N: I know, Y/N and Jungkook eat all the time and spend a lot of time on her car.

Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI

"Jungkook, can you help unload the new merch, please?" Jessi said from behind the cashier, where she was talking with a customer.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Be careful!"

Jungkook dropped what he was doing at the back of the store - cleaning CD shelves and rearranging alphabetically and music genres that customers take out of place - and ran outside by the back exit, where his coworker, another hybrid, was already signing receipt papers in front of a truck. One of the delivery men was already carefully removing some boxes from inside the truck and putting it on the sidewalk.

"What's in the boxes?" He curiously asked.

"These two bigger ones are guitars, they are orders. And those others are smaller instruments, like flutes and harmonicas." The golden retriever with slightly pink hair that he hadn't memorized the name yet said. Was it Ryujin? "Take care, even if the box is light, everything is very fragile."

"Ok." Jungkook stacked the two heavier boxes, as he saw the delivery guy do, and being careful, he went back inside to store it in the warehouse. In one second he was back to pick the others.

It was his first week on his new job, and obviously, it didn't even surprise you, he chose the music shop. The boy has a great ear and an excellent musical taste, besides music proved to be one of the things he likes most in his new life.

The other day you caught him risking singing softly in his room, when he thought you weren't at home, and in order not to make him uncomfortable, you didn't reveal your presence at all, letting him be. He has a beautiful voice. So, the possibility of being able to discover new music and new artists at work and talk to people with the same tastes as him made Jungkook's round eyes shine like the universe.

Up until then, working was fun, and the coworkers were nice. Maybe it was because of the initial excitement, but Jungkook was efficient and learned quickly, so he was praised almost all the time, which made him blush and have an almost permanent smile. The customers usually think it's cute.

"Ah... excuse me."

Jungkook listened to someone calling, he was at the top of a ladder, arranging some instruments on the top shelf, and looked down to see two high school girls.

"Yes?" He asked.

The same girl responded.

"I'm looking for new strings for my guitar. Can you help me?" Her voice shook a little, but at the end of the sentence she smiled confidently.

"Sure!" He went down. "Six strings or twelve strings? Nylon or steel strings?"

The two girls looked to each other in confusion.

"Ah... Six and... steel." It was almost a question.

"Ok. I'll get it for you."

From the cashier, Jessi and Ryujin watched the scene with judgmental eyes. Both of them were free, but it was obvious it wasn't their help that these girls wanted. Who knew Jungkook was going to bring new customers just for being handsome.

"I never saw these two here." Jessi crossed her arms.

"Me neither. Bet she doesn't even have a guitar." Ryujin shrugged.

"I don't care, as long as they buy something." The other shrugged too, leaving to the back of the store.

At this moment Jungkook was coming to the cashier, three packs of guitar strings from three different brands in hand, and speaking the decorated speech they taught him on the first day, followed by the two girls, who were attentively paying attention with heart eyes.

"If you can't or don't know how to put the new strings on the guitar, just bring it here that we put for you... Not we, because I don't know how to put it, but Jessi knows..." Jungkook smiled, and it looked like the girl that didn't talk at all wasn't breathing anymore. He placed the three string options on the counter in front of his coworker, still smiling.

"Are you going to take them all?" Ryujin asked, also with the friendly smile of a good employee.

The girls' eyes widened for a second.

"No." The talkative one replied, perhaps with too much emphasis, and with a quick glance at Jungkook and an embarrassed smile, she added. "Only this one."

Ryujin took the set of strings that the girl chose - the cheapest one - to pass through the barcode reader. After the two paid, Jungkook accompanied them to the exit with a short conversation, implying that the girl should dedicate herself to learning the new instrument and wishing her luck and that she would always return if needing anything. He was happy. Technically this was his first sale ever.

At this moment you pulled over at the other side of the street and jumped off of your SUV. An excited sound left Jungkook's mouth and he beckoned. Remembering to look side to side, you crossed the street, walking straight to him.

"Hey, cutie." You gave him a shiny grin. "I've come to pick you up."

"Hm?" He was surprised, he had walked home by himself everyday since day one, and you didn't say today would be different. "Ok. Want to wait inside till my shift ends?"

You chuckled, looking at your wristwatch.

"Your shift ends in three minutes."

"Really?" His eyes widened, and his hands pulled your arm towards him - consequently you whole - so he could look at the hours too. "Wow. I didn't see the time passing..."

"Go change and pick your things." You bossed, releasing your arm from his hold just to mess up his hair.

He nodded and got back inside, fast stepping to the back of the store. Through the glass in the window you waved to the other two employees, who smiled and waved back. Ryujin seemed torn between running to you to greet you right and giving you love, or staying at her post doing her job, in the end she sent you several different hearts with her hands.

When Jungkook got back, now in his everyday large clothes instead of the shop uniform, you were exactly on the same spot waiting for him, but now with two ice cream cones.

"I was thinking here, you said 'do you want to wait inside bla bla bla...', but like, I'm your boss, JK. If I wanted to pick you up earlier I could. You know?" You said, talking betwing licks on your ice cream.

Jungshook looked at you with a half-open mouth.

"You wouldn't." He stated.

"Why not?" You took his hand to cross the street.

"Isn't that abuse of power or something? I don't think you look like someone who has favorites... Like, you are too pragmatic, too good girl for that."

You looked offended, as if he had slapped you. You entered the car and waited for him to do the same and close the door behind him.

"First of all... The whole town already knows you, know you are my roommate. Everybody already thinks you are a favorite of mine, so no one would be surprised if I pamper you in public, cuz I do it all the time?? Aaaand...!" You aggressively put your seatbelt on."You know very well I'm part of a group considered a terrorist by the government, which automatically takes from me any title similar to good girl."

"The government is dumb. You are a hero, and this absolutely returns your title as a good girl and its variables." He raised a cocky eyebrow at you.

You started the car and turned it off again, looking at him incredulously.

"On one of our first talks, I literally told you about how I got expelled from the only school I attended in my whole life... I only went to college because my parents are rich and know important people." You shrugged at the end.

"That's not true. You are intelligent and had exemplary grades during college, I heard Jackson talking about it ..." He pointed out, before you could question how he knows it." Besides, you were expelled for protecting your family, and that is heroic to me."

"It was actually revenge and pure violence... But I'm dropping this conversation." You started the car again and it started to move just to stop right then at the red light. "Put some music on."

"Ok." Jungkook obliged. "But seriously, Y/N... Why did you get this offended at being called a good girl? Do you want to be a bad girl?"

Your face heated up. One month ago he didn't even know what playing bickering was and now this...

"Shut up!" You yelled.

He gave a loud laugh, losing it with your flustered face, and all you could do was to laugh along with him. ______________________________________________________________________________ Instead of going home, as Jungkook imagined at first, you had different plans for today. You took the road and in forty minutes you were in the neighboring city parking in front of a movie theater - the kind of thing you don’t have in your city because it’s so small. It was Saturday night and you had reason to celebrate.

"Wow, I've never been to the movies before... What are we watching?"

"You can choose." You pointed to the mural of posters and opening times of the movies. "We can also choose where we'll get dinner."

"I want pizza." He bluntly said.

You chuckled. Of course he wants pizza.

You went to buy snacks and let him get the tickets.Waiting for the big bucket of popcorn, you were humming a song that has been stuck in your head all day and drumming your fingers around the candy display case, considering buying a chocolate bar.

"Are we celebrating something? You look really excited today..." Jungkook came back, stopping by your side, looking you up and down, your whole body expression saying happy puppy to him.

You smiled as if he had catched you on something.

"Is just... You ended your first week of work ever... I finally got what I wanted from my job... We are like, both successful, gorgeous, young and free. We deserve to fill our stomachs with buttered popcorn, gummy bears, pizza and coke."

A wide smile spreaded on his beautiful face, cute teeth showing up and making your own smile wide too.

"What did you want from your job?" He picked the bucket of popcorn from the attendant's hands when you didn't notice it. "Thank you."

"I'll tell you later." You dismissed the question with a hand wave. "What movie we gonna see?"

Jungkook pointed to a dark sign with a putrefied hand coming out of a half-open wardrobe, blood dripping from the doorknob.

"A horror movie? Do you want me to scream in public?" You laughed in self-depreciation.

"I never watched one of these. It should be fun. Don't worry, I will hold your hand." Jungkook inflated his chest and indeed held your hand.

You were actually worried about him, not you. It is not your custom to watch horror movies, usually you only watch the ones with the most hype, but you know they can be very violent, and maybe your cute Jungkook still can't deal with it... Instead of voicing your concerns, you decided to pay attention to see if it really was necessary to worry at all. First sign that he was more uncomfortable than he should be, you would leave the theater.

You reciprocated his hol and scoffed.

"I'm holding your hand." _______________________________________________________________ At the end, your concerns weren't necessary. The movie was kind of trashy, besides some jump scares that got you screaming, and some disgusting, gross special effects that made you feel slightly nauseous, the bloody scenes were funnier than violent, drawing some good laughs from Jungkook. Still, he spent the entire movie holding your hand, as he promised. At the pizzeria the two of you ate until you had to open the button on your pants, still laughing at how bad the movie was, and how the couple sitting in a row in front of you were startled by silly things and made everything funnier. Jungkook was radiant, and that was what you wanted.

"A month from now when I get my first payment, we have to come back here. And I'll pay." Jungkook declared. "What reminds me, what would you say about your job?"

"Hm..." You looked around. The place was considerably crowded, normal movement for a Saturday night, your table was a little isolated, but not enough for you to have this conversation here. "My... friends wanted me to work with a guy. And I finally got the opportunity."

At first Jungkook thought of Jimin and Tae, but then the message sinked in. It was a secret organization's thing.

"Let's go?" You got up from your chair.

"Sure." Jungkook's eyes were big with curiosity. He didn't expect you to tell him about such things, but now you were implying the rest would be said in a more private place.

You two got back to the car with the pizza box with what you couldn’t eat whole and a stuffed animal that Jungkook got from a hook machine on the first try. You were feeling tired and sleepy, not in the mood for driving at all - maybe you should teach Jungkook how to drive for moments like that. You didn't put on some music or asked Jungkook to do so as you usually do.

"The organization has been investigating some lawyers, suspected of facilitating illegal hybrid purchases and transfers, and of covering up such crimes. And I basically need to get proof to frame this guy and expose who he works with." Your eyes were glued on the dark road. "Now I'm going to work directly with him."

"He is a lawyer from your firm?"

"Not yet. He is in the process of being the new partner in the firm. I worked hard to be part of the process or to be designated as his assistant." You explained, still too focused on driving. "I just have to do one mission. Whatever you want to call it. The rest is up to the organization. But for that I need to travel, to work in person, for about a week."

Oh." Jungkook looked at his hands.

Until now he hadn't thought about being alone, by himself. But of course at some point it would happen, you can't live exclusively according to him. He's not the only thing in your life, as he feels you are in his. Suddenly a week seemed like an eternity. Suddenly your apartment looked huge.

"Now I need to know what you want to do." You continued, not noticing the change in his mood.

"What do you mean?"

You made a funny face. It was like you were making a lot of effort to talk about it in a serious tone, but he could see the happy puppy in you again, and it made him relax a little bit, even though he didn't understand why.

"I thought of taking you with me, of course. But you may not want to... Which is ok too. You can stay at home taking care of things and going to work normally... Or you can stay with Taetae and Jimin... which would surely make them happy... " You chattered.

"I want to go with you. I’ll go where you go." He decided, almost solemnly. That sentence gave you both a nostalgic feeling, even though it hasn't been much more than a month since he first said it to you, and your lives changed overnight. You smiled, glad that he chose what you wanted him to.

"Awesome." Your finger drummed on the steering wheel. "Even if it's a business trip, we're going to have some free time, so I chose a super amazing hotel with lots of things for us to have fun together, and for you to have something to do when I'm at the office. Besides... There are others things that you have to decide..."

Jungkook was already excited about the idea of having fun with you on a trip.

"What is it?"

You sighed, as if you were collecting courage to say what was on your head.

"I am thinking about it for a while now... And my friend from the organization suggested it would be a good idea too. If you were in agreement..." You hesitated. "Would you like to help me?"

Jungkook didn't answer. A stiff silence settled in. In the absence of an answer, you panicked, your fingers tightening the steering wheel.

"It wouldn't be really dangerous, because my task is simple... I would never put you in danger, JK. I don't even get involved in really dangerous situations. It's just because you know about us. I ...I'm sorry."

The silence prolonged.

It was selfish, but you saw in the opportunity of Jungkook working with you in the organization a little of your loneliness fading. Loneliness that is created when you keep a secret even from those you love the most, like your family and the guy who always says he wants to spend the rest of his life by your side. Even your best friends since childhood... Even if you don't hide the truth from them, you can't tell everything either... Your fears and concerns. With Jungkook I would be different. He would be your partner. You could lean on him. It is selfish because you promised him a new life, of peace and tranquility, without even a shadow of the horrible things he lived in the past, and you still don't even know exactly how horrible they were. And in your secret work, bad things can always appear, in one way or another.

"Anyways... One thing we are going to do for sure is bungee jumping. And I think you will love it." You cheered, masking any disappointment you could be feeling.

You chose this double life for a much bigger reason than yourself. You knew from the beginning how it would be. So let's push those bad feelings back inside and move on.

"I'm really... grateful." Jungkook whispered, uncertain voice reaching your ears. "To you, and the organization. I truly think you guys are heros. I would like to be a hero too."

"JK..."

"I trust you." He didn't let you interrupt. "I know that you would never put me in danger or in a situation against my will. You respect me. So I don't have concerns about it. I just don't think I'm going to be very useful... I don't know how to do anything... except to fight. And I will never do that again."

Your hand reached to his on his lap, and as it had become natural his fingers intertwined with yours.

"You don't have to worry about that. I just basically need two little things from you, and I'm sure you got it. One of them you are doing right now."

"And is it?" He was confused. He was doing absolutely nothing. Right?

"I need you to be handsome and charming, just like you are doing now, but in a button-up shirt." You winked at him, making him feel hot, and totally thankful for the darkness so you couldn't see him bright blush. "And that you watch a door for me."

"I-I can do that." ______________________________________________________________________________ The sun didn't even rise yet and you are programming the better route in your gps, sunglasses on the crown of your head, sleep still on your puffy eyes. The suitcases were already in the trunk, and the snacks on the backseat, but for some reason your travel partner was not yet seated beside you, the passenger door he forgot open, letting the morning air in, covering your skin with goosebumps. Is too early to be in a hurry, so even though you have a schedule to follow, you patiently reclined your head on the back of the seat and waited. Jungkook got out the back door of the flower shop, checking twice if he locked the door and turned on the alarm, and then ran to the car. In his hands were his keys, cell phone - that you gave him when he first started working -, and his new wallet - papers and old photograph inside.

"All ready, Y/N!" He entered and closed the door, happy smile on his also puffy face. He was about to put on his seat belt. "Wait!"

"What?" You said in your morning voice - you don't like to speak for the first hour after you wake up at all.

"I forgot my toothbrush." He was already with his hand on the door to go back and get it.

You chuckled and started the motor.

"Sorry, JK. We can buy a new one later... Now we need to hit the road." __________________________________________________________

Just like the suitcases and everything else you would need to travel, at the night before you and Jungkook prepared a travel playlist, specifically songs with road vibes and good for singing at the top of your lungs - your plan was to make him sing along with you to finally praise the beautiful voice you already know he has. If it didn't work, the next plan would be karaoke. It worked. In fact, at start your were all by yourself, you always sing in the car, so he didn't saw it as a invitation to join your personal show, preferring to eat m&m's separated by color while watching you, some hours later tho, motivated perhaps by a specific song or by the energy you established, he gave in, and now you two were having so much fun. The lyrics he didn't know - like the 70s and 80s ones you like because of your mother - you explained about the artists and bands, detailing things about their careers and why you like them, he likes it because he knows more about his job an about you, and the next second you started the next song that you both knew how to sing, there you were joyingly screaming again. You forgot to compliment his voice.

With his mouth full himself, Jungkook filled yours with mini carrots and slices of apple cutted in bunny shape. It was about 10 already, your but was square and legs were sore, you needed to stretch, not to mention your bladder, which should be twice as big as you needed to go to the bathroom.

As if he was reading your mind, the boy beside you whined.

"Y/Nnnnnnnn... I need to pee."

"Me too." You whined back. "Can you wait a little bit more? I planned a stop, and we're almost there."

"Yeah... Sure." He smiled, opening another can of energy drink.

Your look went from the road to him, from him to the can, and from the can to the road again.

"I can't see how drinking another one will help with the bathroom issue..." You mocked.

"I'm also thirsty." He answered as if it was obvious.

Almost half an hour later you parked at a gas station beside the road. As you jumped up the suv, a pursehanging on your arm - with toilet paper and other hygiene items that toilets for community use by the roads don't usually have, you are a prepared woman -, you checked your location to make sure it was the right place. You were supposed to be at a specific gas station at 11am. It only had two bathrooms. One was under maintenance, and the other had a broken lock. At least it wasn't as filthy as you expected it to be.

You handed the purse to Jungkook.

"Go first. I'll guard the door for you." You said.

Jungkook just obeyed, having taken another can and a half of soda after the energy drink. You watched the movement of people and cars, a few filling up with gas, customers at the convenience store, truck drivers stopping for lunch at the restaurant next door. There weren't many people. And you haven't seen anyone paying attention to you.

"Are you looking for something?" Jungkook quietly asked, already beside you.

"Oh. Nothing... I just zoned out. My turn." You run inside the bathroom, remembering your physiological needs.

Back at the car, Jungkook expected you to continue the journey right away, instead you grabbed the steering wheel, still looking through the window with a look so intent that a little line formed between your eyebrows. Jungkook didn't know what was bothering you out of nowhere, but he was willing to help.

"Y/N?" He put a lock of your hair behind your ear so softly that you hardly felt it at all. You looked at him, face unconsciously relaxing. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little headache." It wasn't a lie, until he asked you hadn't noticed, but your head was throbbing a little. "We ran out of water, right? I'm going to buy more."

"Want me to go?" He volunteered.

You considered it. He is just so sweet. But not all places are friendly to hybrids on their own, even documented or free ones, you didn't want to find out if the convenience store was friendly or not in the worst way. It was going to ruin the mood of the trip. Strangers mistreating Jungkook for no reason is always the last thing you want in your day.

"Thanks, sweetie." You shook your head negatively. "I'll be right back."

Jungkook followed you with his eyes as you jumped off the car, walking straight with your hands on your jacket pockets, till you disappeared into the store. Last night when both of you were packing your things, you showed him a 'first aid kit bag' you prepared with several remedies you could need, remembering it now, for sure there's something for your headache there. Wanting to help, he got out and opened the trunk.

You said you would put it in your suitcase... Can he open it? Was it an invasion of privacy? Maybe the kit was in the suitcase's outer compartment, and there would be no issue...

A shiver went up his back and a growl formed in his throat, but it didn't come out. Someone was behind him, terribly close, and with a confused smell that made it impossible to know whether they were human or hybrid. Jungkook did not hear the person's footsteps approaching, and that was fearsome.

"Don't turn around, don't try running, and don't scream. Act naturally." A deep voice of a male spoke.

Despite it being low, there was so much force and authority in this voice that Jungkook couldn't desobay. His eyes reached to the store, looking for you.

"Are you Jungkook?" The voice calmly asked.

How could this guy know his name? What does he want? Different thoughts crossed Jungkook's mind, none optimistic, all scary. He wanted you to show up to save him, and at the same time, without knowing exactly what was going on and the risks, he wanted you not to come back, so you wouldn't be hurt. What should I do?

"I'm." He answered, voice firm to not show fear. A voice he is used to using almost all the time, but since you came into his life, he didn't need it anymore.

The man behind him hummed. Jungkook concluded that he must be a hybrid after all, because he had the urge that the guy was smelling him, but he couldn't say for sure, it could just be in his head. How could this guy's voice be so calm and trustful if his presence had all this power that made Jungkook unable to move a muscle? How conflicting, the feelings this caused in Jungkook were unheard of for him, a kind of fear that he never felt before, the fear that his former master imposed through threats and punishments...

Jungkook searched around, wishing the man wouldn't notice it... Somebody... Anybody... At least one person would notice that there was something wrong going on there, and if Jungkook made eye contact, if he managed to ask for help in any way, everything would be fine. But nobody seemed to see them there, nobody noticed. The gas station employees continued to work normally, the customers entering and leaving their cars, totally unaware... How frustrating.

"I'm a Y/N's friend." The man throatily said. "Nice to meet you, JK."

Jungkook's eyes wided. Friend. One of those friends of yours?

The sound of something being placed on the floor caught Jungkook's attention down, next to his feet was now a small black backpack.

"This is for her. Take care, it's fragile."

"What is it?" Jungkook questioned, not trusting at all - he wouldn't give you anything without being sure it's safe - but strangely relaxed for such an unusual situation.

A low, funny sound came from the guy. Was he laughing?

"Something you guys will need." He simply said. One moment of silence and Jungkook thought the guy was gone, but then he spoke again, now his voice seemed a lot less impersonal. "Tell her she's beautiful today. As always. Good luck."

It was not possible to hear the guy's footsteps leaving, just like when he appeared, but Jungkook felt the absence of an extra presence after a few seconds. The guy was some kind of ninja. He bent down to pick up the backpack and slung it over one shoulder, looking around, trying to find someone who could be the intimidating guy... But he found no one. Without thinking much, he took the kit and closed the trunk, returning to the passenger seat, still looking over his shoulder.

A few minutes later you got back, still with a frown in your face.

"I definitely need an aspirin... You got the kit already!" You slammed the door by accident and cringed at the loud noise, you hate to slam your car door. "Thank you, sweetie... What is it?"

You pointed to the backpack, and Jungkook looked at you with doe eyes. Only now you noticed he was looking frightened.

"Your friend told me it is to you."

Your eyes widened as well and your hand reached your mouth. You were instructed to find someone from the organization at this gas station to receive the necessary equipment for your task. So you were stressed about nobody showing up at the appointed time, it even gave you a headache. Even though you involved Jungkook, you didn't expect them to contact him instead of you. Actually you forgot to tell him about it at all.

"Oh my... JK, I'm sorry I didn't warn you. I guess I still haven't gotten used to having a partner..."

Usually, in this kind of situation, you are all alone or needing to be sneaky around your friend and family. It was out of habit.

"It's ok." Jungkook gave you a sympathetic smile. "What do I do with it?"

"Put it on the backseat." You shrugged and started the car.

"Aren't you checking on it?" Jungkook was surprised. What if it was a bomb? You guys have used bombs before...

"Not here. First we leave." Suddenly you were on your pretty good mood again. "Can you give me an aspirin, please?"

Jungkook gave you the pill and you drank almost an entire bottle of water with it. A car honked past you, because you slowed down, but you just ignored it.

"Did my friend say anything else?" You asked, putting on some low music once again.

Jungkook looked through the window, wishing his cheeks wouldn't get red just because he agrees with what he was about to say. He couldn't look at you to say it when the wind was making your hair move to all directions as if it has his own life, or the sun on your skin makes it shine, or your eyes showing above your sunglasses as you look at him. It wasn't fair.

"He said you are beautiful today.... As always.'

A loud, ringing laugh escaped your lips, forming an incredulous smile.

"I can't believe Yoongi came personally..." You laughed again. "Now make sense... He was checking on you... He didn't let you see him, right?"

"No. He stayed behind me the whole time."

You nodded vigorously, as if that obviously confirmed what you were saying. Jungkook was confused, not understanding anything.

"Who is Yoongi?" He uncertanly asked.

Unlike when you talk about your friends of the organization, almost as if you were telling a story of people who do not exist, perhaps because they are people you work with but generally don't know, neither name nor face, when talking about this Yoongi was much like how you talk about Jimin or Taehyung, a real friend. Only with something more... An admiration that Jungkook hadn't yet heard so present in your voice.

"Min Yoongi." You said, and it was almost possible to see the fire on your eyes. "He is not just one of my friends... He is the boss."

Now it makes sense. It wasn't a ninja. It was the super hero. That is why all thatauthority in his voice and the powerful presence, totally intimidating, but at the same time Jungkook did not feel threatened as he felt so many times before... because there was no real threat. Suddenly Jungkook wasn't frightened or uncomfortable with the situation anymore, he was euphoric. He had met the boss of heroes who save hybrids, and soon he would be one too. Now it seemed a little more real that he could help others like him, just like this Min Yoongi and you.

"What are you smiling at?" You brought him back from his daydream with a teasing smirk.

"It's just... It is exciting." He was clearly excited.

Your smirk wided, eyes on the road. Your partner feels it just like you, and you almost couldn't hold yourself back. You never gave a name to it, and now Jungkook used a perfect word to describe it, and since you can't get out of your head. This secret job... secret life... It really does make you feel like a hero. Sometimes you feel guilty for feeling that way, since you were born on the bad side of history, you are human and humans are the villains. Helping hybrids to fight for justice and gain their freedom is nothing more than your obligation... But with Jungkook you can feel how you want, because you are sure that he will understand and never judge.

"Isn't it, JK?"

You two exchanged a meaningful look. The bond between you becoming stronger without you realizing it.

Just moments later you both excitedly increase the volume of the music that just started so you can sing at the top of your lungs again and again.

__________________________________________________

Tag List: @stayunderthelights @deolly @panconte @serendipityoreuphoria @madygswich @namjoonies-dimple @givebuckysomelove @imluckybitches @hoseokslefteyebrow @yzkyzkuniverse @flaring-vibes @justpeachyjoon @narcissism-iskey @angeltothecore @tiberiaxs @minikolima @chaoticbabigrl @btsxdoll

If you want me to add you to the list, please let me know :)

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thechekhov · 5 years ago

Photo

Due to popular demand, I’m making a 4-part series about how to make a comic! Check out the other parts while you’re here!

1) Thinking of a story 2) Making characters (this part) 3) Drafting pages (coming not soon) 4) Presentation (coming eventually, we hope)

So, here’s the big question:

How do you make a good character?

I’m going to have us step back for a moment to say:

There is no such thing as a “Good” Character. Because how good a character is or isn’t is subjective. We can argue back and forth for hours about what we value in a character, but no one will ever agree. You can’t make a character that EVERYONE will like, and you shouldn’t try to.

Instead, I urge you to focus on trying to make ONE or MORE of the following:

Relatable characters

Sympathetic characters

Useful characters

“What the FUCK is goin’ on here I just wanna know” characters

I think they’re pretty self-explanatory, but let’s go through it anyway.

1. Relatable Characters:

What is says on the tin. These are character you and someone else could relate to. Maybe they’re a teenager who hates school. (Timeless classic.) Maybe they’re a young adult down on their luck and in need of money, willing to forgo some moral standards to get by. (Millennials, roll call!) Or maybe they’re just like you (or literally you. We don’t judge self-insert. There’s a reason Write What You Know is a thing.)

Regardless of what you want to believe, many human experiences are universal. Some of them are universally unacknowledged, but they are still universal. You want to just be careful about falling into the ‘my character is so special and the rest of my characters are dumb’ trope. That isn’t interesting - or realistic.

(source: xkcd)

2. Sympathetic Character:

I also call this the Looking Glass Character.

Even if most of us have universal human experiences, many of our own experiences are also unique to us. Some experiences are things we will never live through - but we can still sympathise with the emotional state of the characters. If a story allows us to experience new things THROUGH a character, we feel connected to them.

Keep in mind - this character still has to be somewhat relatable. We have to be able to say “if I was in this situation, I would do that too!” Allowing your readers to believe what is happening makes the reading experience more believable.

(I’m pretty sure none of us have been a half-gem half-human hybrid suffering through trying to right your defected-the-diamond-authority war-criminal mom’s past mistakes, but seeing Steven repeatedly say “I’m fine!” as he descends into madness is something we can all sympathise with.)

Similarly, if your character is in the woods and finds a tiny house on the edge of the prairie and it’s getting dark and the house has flickering lights - whether or not they go inside is inconsequential to sympathy. What matters is if they have a good REASON to go inside. Sometimes, it’s not the actions that’s sympathetic - it’s the motivation!

(My sister disappeared in just such a house! I must get revenge! vs I’m a bored teenager with a potentially unrequited deathwish and/or a crush on a ghost. Well... scratch that, I can sympathise with both scenarios.)

3. Useful Characters

I was previously asked what to do to avoid making your characters into a Mary Sue. This part will be about that.

Let me start by saying: I don’t think Mary Sues are as prevalent as some people bemoan them to be.

A Mary Sue is a character that is often described as ‘too perfect’ - they can do everything, know everything, never fail at anything, have a tragic past that excuses every emotional outburst, and are overall just ‘too good to be true’.

I think, if played correctly, such a character can still be a good one. What makes all the difference is how useful these aforementioned traits are to the plot - or to other characters.

Let’s acknowledge some universal truths (aside from the one about the men in want of wives and the relation of such a desire in proportion to their fortune):

The plot must go on. That’s obvious.

In order for the plot to move, there must be things happening (in one sense or another). Also obvious.

In order for things to happen, there must be a conflict or a tension of some sort. THAT is your litmus test for a ‘Mary Sue’ character.

“If I remove them from the plot, will the plot suffer any holes? Will they impact the plot or impede it? Will their OP superpowers make some other worldbuilding completely useless? Will their incredibly tragic backstory overshadow another conflict between other characters?”

Characters should be like legos - they must have a function within your plot. Looking cool isn’t a function. Well, sure, it CAN be - but it must also be a function that doesn’t break Newton’s Laws. An object at rest will remain at rest. If your Perfect Character is already flawless, they have no reason to change, ergo nothing needs to happen.

Make your character serve a use within your plot!

4. WtFiGOHIWK Characters:

Do you ever watch a show, or listen to a podcast or read a webcomic and think to yourself “Okay, cool, but what the FUCK is UP with _____? What’s their deal?!”

I like to categorize these characters in a group of their own. These characters are likable ONLY because we all have a socially wired brain that makes us CRAVE comprehension of social background like drugs. We CRAVE THAT MINERAL. And the mineral is - gossip. Backstory. Tea. The DEETS.

Many characters are somewhat of an enigma, and the initial plot doesn’t give away all their secrets. We get hooked not because the characters are relatable, and sometimes not even because they’re sympathetic - but because their social tension within a group of other characters is RIDICULOUS and we are wired to want to understand them.

Everyone has their own examples, but one of my favorites is this asshole:

Do I relate or sympathise with Dr. House? Broadly, no. He’s obscene, rude, and most of the time he’s not even the good guy in any given episode. But his morality roadmap resembles knitting directions for a scarf and his reactions to the most mundane situations are FASCINATING.

(Never underestimate the power of human curiosity and how strongly it can work to make your readers turn to the next page, even if your whole plot is about a dumpster truck on fire next to a fireworks factory.)

Q: So how do I make a character?

There are several options:

- Wait and do nothing. The character will happen when you least expect it or are least prepared. Now they’re in your head. They won’t leave. aaaaAAAAAAA!

- Take a person or another character you know. Change 3-5 fundamental things about them (I don’t mean name, hair color and shoe size... I mean something PERSONAL, like background, motivations, religion, dream job, species, etc.) BAM character. (I mean, is it QUESTIONABLE to write a story about your sister as a lizard who wants to go to the moon? MAYBE. Should she still be more grateful than she is? ALSO MAYBE.)

- Take yourself and change uhhh... at least one thing about the character. Try to veil the fact that it’s actually just you. Fail. Wipe away tears. Write the story anyway. Hope no one notices.

- Write a story in your head and then think “Who is the LEAST likely person to participate in these shenanigans?” There’s your character.

Q: What should I avoid in a character?

Honestly, you can go around to 100 people and ask this, and they’ll give you 100 different answers. What people dislike and like in characters is so vast that there’s NOTHING you can do to stop people from hating on a character.

But yes, there ARE some overused tropes and I want to share 1 rule that I personally keep to when making characters. (Keep in mind, this is MY personal list. It isn’t the end-all-be-all, and yes, you can argue about this. But don’t @ me, I don’t care.)

DON’T describe your character as “______ is kind and friendly until you piss them off - then they will kill you.”

This has been my biggest pet peeve since high school - and it’s unfortunately an absolute staple of any YA character. Someone is ‘friendly’ and ‘nice’ and ‘shy’ UNTIL - you hurt their friends. Then they go berserk.

I know it’s tempting because ‘usually demure character lets loose their True Potential’ is a very empowering thing to see. (And I admit, I think Mob Psycho 100 pulled this Trope back in by the scruff of its neck and managed to get JUST the right angle for it to work.)

BUT it’s overused and it tells us absolutely NOTHING about your character. It’s a calorie-free fact. Feels like a description but is actively devoid of any interesting information about your character.

Why? Because literally EVERYONE is like this.

We are all, at a baseline, somewhat friendly. That’s... just how most people are. Societal convention tells us we must behave with some semblance of dignity and respect towards others in standard situations in order to keep peace.

And I daresay getting pissed off and Breaking Character is ALSO a thing that most humans experience. Getting angry when your friends/loved ones are hurt is the bare minimum necessary for being relatable.

Not to say your character can’t do this but - it doesn’t need to be described as a part of their personality any more than, say, the fact that they have hair on their head.

Q: How do I make my character more believable?

Research.

We all hate that word, because school usually teaches us to think of research as boring but it is ESSENTIAL to your desire to make ‘good’ (relatable, sympathetic, useful) characters.

IF YOU PLAN TO WRITE FOR AN AUDIENCE, THEN YOU NEED TO PUT IN THE EFFORT OF MAKING YOUR CHARACTERS MULTIDIMENSIONAL.

That means - knowing their background. Knowing details. Knowing cultural, financial, religious terms you need to know to write them believably.

I know, I know - what if I’m just writing for myself? you say.

Well, fine. If you’re not planning to have your work be widely public, if you’re just having fun and don’t care, then write whatever you want. Make a Japanese character with a Korean name. Force your UK characters to use USA slang. Forgo any historical accuracy. Change up facts! Erase the moon landing, whatever.

But if you want to share your work with people, and if you want people to interact with your writing on a more serious level, then you NEED to know how to use Google and gather at least SURFACE information what you are writing. If you don’t but pretend you did, people WILL be jolted out of their zone.

Research the things and people you are writing about. And more importantly - READ about the experiences of the people you are writing about! Avoiding Stereotypes in this day and age is EASY. You literally have an endless, free encyclopedia in your hands. If you can send a tumblr ask, you can google it.

That’s all for now, and CHEERS!

#how to comic #how to comic part 2 #chekhov writes a tutorial #writing

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goodnightallwhites · 4 years ago

Text

Snowbunny Gone Dark by Zenalite

Chapter 1 - Kana Kana sat on one of the many boxes outside waiting for the movers to show up. It was another suffocating summer day in Germany, but at least soon she and her boyfriend would be moving to a bigger, cooler apartment in the nicer part of town. And to think they said cosplaying wouldn’t get me anywhere. Not only did her supporters on Patreon get her by comfortably on a day to day basis, but they also ensured she would be living it up. I could probably make even more than this, she realized at times. Her fiance was very much against her going beyond the current pin-ups; but if he ever changed his mind, or if God forbid something happened to him… I’d really be raking in the dough. Kana broke away from her empty daydreaming when she noticed a few men staring at her from the Turkish shawarma place across the street. The grinned and spoke hurriedly with one another, but their eyes never left her. They even wore their traditional Islamic dress, whatever it was called… Please don’t come over here. She averted her eyes. Pretending a problem didn’t exist was a stupid way to deal with things, but it had been her way of handling awkward social situations ever since she had been a kid. Her legs were bare, and Kana suddenly wished she had worn more. Granted, even her casual clothes now had become a little slutty as a consequence of all the hot cosplaying. What she wore today - a pair of jean shorts, frilly blouse, and a lacey white choker - would no doubt be seen as anything but casual by a normal person. One of the guys from across the street checked both ways, getting ready to cross over. Please, don’t… But just then, a huge truck rounded past the corner and came down the street, with loud rap music blasting from the open windows. Kana got up and decided to make a run for it upstairs and watch for the movers from the window instead. But as padded towards the entrance to the building, the rap music got cut off and the truck pulled over audibly. Huh? Two brawny African guys stepped out, talking with each other in a mix of German, English, and something Kana couldn’t even recognize. Both of them wore baggy shorts, and only one of them bothered with a top. The other put his ripped and tattooed chest proudly on display. Were these guys seriously her movers? They stepped up to the clustered boxes and then shot her a glance. “You the one?” Kana’s mouth opened but it took her a while to speak. “J-J-Ja,” she managed at length. For some reason, speaking with immigrants always made her default to a fancy German accent that sounded comical to others. The shirted guy laughed. “You alright?” She swallowed, feeling dazed by the sun and the pressure. “Yes.” “Well, alright.” He went and opened the back of the truck while the shirtless guy grabbed the box that held the washing machine with an ease that shocked her. She remembered the way she and her fiance nearly killed themselves struggling to get it downstairs, and this guy just lifted it up like that… Though she had grown up fancying the pretty boys from manga and dating only the sweet, shy guys like her soon-to-be husband, the few moments in real life when she had seen men display raw physical power always put butterflies in her stomach. Her knees weakened. “You gonna help us out?” the shirtless guy barked. “M-Me?” She lowered her eyes. “But I’m so useless! I’d only inconvenience you, sir.” The other guy suddenly cracked up so hard he had to lower the box he picked up. “Sir? Did you just call this nigger right here ‘sir’?” Kana could only stammer in response, her cheeks blushing faintly. “I��m sorry.” The shirted guy narrowed his eyes. “Hey. Don’t I know you?” He took a step closer to her. “Wait, yes, I do! Holy shit, don’t tell me you’re her. Are you Kana? The cosplayer?” He knew her? The recognition only made her redden up like a cherry. She stared down at the sunbaked pavement, unsure of what to do or say. “You know, I used to be your Patron.” “O-Oh... “ Used to be? “Thank you…” she said weakly. “I always hoped you’d do some more hardcore stuff. But it never happened.” “My boyfriend doesn’t really approve of that.” The guy shrugged. “Who cares? It ain’t him that’s paying you, is it? And I doubt he’s that good at fucking you. By the looks of him, I’d say he’s a low-test beta that can barely satisfy you.” The tattooed guy went to work, loading up the other boxes, but the shirted one came up to her. Out of nowhere, he grabbed her hand. “Maybe when we’re done moving you to that other place, you can cosplay a bit for us.” “Uh… I don’t know…” Cosplay for him? How could she do that? No, I can’t! The whole thing just made her mind reel. If only her fiance was here. He would freak out to see her getting chatted up by a guy like this. A black guy especially… Kana always had the misfortune of attracting pervs that went out and grabbed her, and almost all of them were black. Even before the cosplay fame, back during the early school days, some of the black students she barely even knew sometimes tapped her ass as she went by… “We’ll see. I’m Adisa, by the way.” The shirtless guy went for the TV, but didn’t even notice that another box rested on top of it. At some point Kana had run out of tape and simply repurposed some packages from electronics for clothes… As he pulled it, the super stuffed PS4 box that held all of her underwear got pulled with it, and came crashing down to the pavement. The lid came undone and her myriad pairs of lacey and cutetsy panties spilled out, some getting carried off by the low breeze. Kana stood frozen, absolutely mortified at what had happened. You dumb ape! she wanted to cry. But it was her own fault for failing to secure it properly… And now everyone, both of the Africans, along with the Muslim from across the street and all the passersby stared down at her lingerie. One pair in particular, made of tightly-fitting white cotton with a laced decoration at the front and pink ribbons on the side, got carried off across the street by the breeze. She knew that pair. Her boyfriend had made them for her ages ago. Kana sped after them, not even thinking, barely bothering to check for any incoming cars as she dashed to the other side. But before she could reach them, one of the Muslim men hurried and picked them up. He immediately brought them up to his nose and sniffed. “Ahhh…” She couldn’t even speak. What could she say? This was such a blatant display of perversion that her mind had no ready response prepared to deal with it. “Uhm…” “Oh, excuse me,” he said with a thick accent. “Those are mine…” said Kana weakly. “Well. They’re mine now.” He grinned lasciviously and tucked them in his robe. He made to go when she reached out and grabbed him by the arm. “Please! You can’t take those. I need them.” She didn’t have the heart to tell her fiance that she lost them. Never mind that they went to a person like this. The dark and beady held her. “Hmm. Well. Why don’t you do something for me in return?” “Like what?” “Like give me a kiss.” The two black guys joined her now. “There a problem here?” asked Adisa, all heated up and sweating. “What’s wrong?” Kana struggled to speak. “This m-m-man… He has my panties. And he won’t give them back.” “Of course I will! I just told you how.” Adisa heard both their stories and nodded sagaciously. Kana could tell that what he decided would go. The Muslim guy feared him, but he positively in awe of the glistening physique of his tattooed companion. My dark knights… thought Kana happily. They would save her from this nonsense. “Well,” said Adisa thoughtfully. “I think there’s a simple solution this.” His eyes swivelled to Kana. “You just gotta kiss the man and be done with it.” “Excuse me?!” Kana took a step back from the three instinctively. How could they side with that creep… With… “Come on, you want them back, don’t you? It will only take a second. Just kiss him and be done. I’m not going to beat him up over this, if that’s what you’re waiting for. You should’ve taken better care of your things.” What!! The nerve on these people… Yet, she couldn’t just let it go. She needed those panties. It would be easy to hide that this happened from her fiance, but if she ended up without them, he would begin to assume all sorts of stuff.. “Fine, then,” Kana whispered to herself for reinforcement. She would just get it over with quickly and be done. She stepped up to the old man and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Here she was,a famous cosplayer with hundreds of thousands of fans, with a booming Patreon, with a wonderful fiance, giving herself to this pervert Muslim… He could feel his stinky breath hitting her face as he closed in. His hand pawed at her ass, squeezing it and slapping it playfully, while his other hand came up to grope her breasts and massage them through her top. “That’s not--” Her words were interrupted by his filthy tongue ramming itself into her mouth. It went in deep, crushing her own tongue in the process, swimming freely in her precious little mouth and filling it up with his booze-laced spit… Don’t… thought Kana. But there was nothing to be done. The old guy did whatever he wanted with her in the moment, moving those hairy gnarled hands all over her soft, creamy body and raping her mouth at leisure. Adisa and his friend watched it all with a glint of amusement in their eyes, arms folded as they chatted up in their African tongue. Don’t you laugh at me! It’s your fault! When Kana finally untangled herself from the guy, glimmering threads of spit still connected their mouths, and both her ass and breasts were sore from the brutalizing touch of his hands. These Muslims really are savages! She noticed Adisa staring, and then saw that a trickle of spit had dribbled down her chin and ran all the way down to wetten her and spoil her blouse. Angered by it all, Kana went ahead and snatched the panties from the old man, then ran across the street with the beginning of tears in her eyes and collected the rest of her panties from the ground. She knelt down and bent over to pick them all up, a movement that caused her skintight shorts to stretch that much more and paint clear pantylines over the fabric. The shorts came up and gave a glimpse of the lower part of her supple butt cheeks. They tightened against her crotch, and Kana could feel the bundled up denim grinding against her pussy lips. For some reason… The whole thing turned her on. She could hear the footsteps of the two movers coming back. No doubt, they were watching her display her ass. They said nothing though. Instead, Kana gently swayed her ass and hips, unable to stop the waves of arousal that now built up inside her. How could she feel so aroused after that gross guy kissed her? She felt as stupid as one of those hentai characters now, used against her will yet horny all the same. Truth be told, she hadn’t gotten any action in a few days. And no real action… since the last time her fiance had gone away for a week and left her home alone. Though she loved him with all her heart, Kana couldn’t deny that his strength did not lie in pleasuring a woman. When they were younger she dismissed her concerns and thought he would get better. But now she had no illusions - he was simply too small, and though she had never acknowledged this in any way, she suspected that it took a toll on his subconscious and kept him from performing properly. Even for his size, he never got that hard, and a few gentle strokes was all it took to get him to come… “You okay?” asked Adisa. “Need any help?” “I’m fine…” She finished stuffing all the panties back into the box, then got up and carried it over to the truck. Kana noticed that both the black guys had stopped working now and stared at her instead. Not only that, but… Kana swallowed. … their cocks were clearly hard inside of their shorts. The ultra-thin, loose fabric outlined their stiffening rods perfectly. But what shocked her were their size. Enough of those BLACKED memes floated around for her to pique her interest in black guys, but she had always assumed that most weren’t that gifted. These two, though… They were very gifted. Kana found herself staring at Adisa’s big black cock and the way it snaked down his thigh. Just half an inch more - just half an inch! - and she would see the engorged head coming out. How in the world could anyone be that big? Fuck, but that’s so hot, she had to admit, but only in the quiet, private regions of her mind. Just thinking about it made her feel bad. It was bad enough that she preferred doing it alone than with her fiance. She couldn’t think about other guys though - too much guilt. In the past few months, she had only touched herself thinking about submitting before an aggressive dog. Surely, doing it with a dog could not be cheating. But this… Adisa grabbed his monster cock candidly through the shorts and adjusted it. Kana pried her gaze away immediately, but when her eyes came back she could see him staring at her knowingly. “No need to be ashamed,” he said. “We were staring at you too.” You were? Kana became aware of the intense way in which they stared at her now. Her visceral reaction to anyone staring at her was always poor, since she figured that they stood over her in judgment. But the way their dark eyes lingered over her body made her understand that they not only approved, but wanted her. Her knees rubbed together as she squeezed her thighs instinctively. She wondered what it would be like to feel one of those black cocks inside her. Even her dildo felt much better compared to her fiance, and that little thing wasn’t even half of the size of these monsters… They’re hard for me, she realized at last with full apprehension, and her vision almost swam with excitement. “We should finish up and get a move on,” said Adisa. Sweat trickled down her face as she sought to suppress the sudden lust she felt for these two black studs. Her chest heaved as she panted, her face all red with embarrassment. She couldn’t and wouldn’t look away from their magnificent cocks anymore. She watched them gloriously in the shorts as they finished moving the last of the boxes, the rods as thick and long as police batons. Most of the time, she had to struggle to find her fiance’s small cock if they initiated after dark. The comparison wasn’t even fair… Once they were done, the tattooed guy gruffly went up into the truck and slammed the door. “It’s too hot,” explained Adisa. “He doesn’t like it.” “Oh, I’m sorry… “ “Don’t worry. Maybe we can cool down at your place.” “Y-Yeah…” She glanced down at his beautiful black cock. Would she do it? “I sure hope so.” Betraying her fiance would be the worst thing that she could ever do, but… Adisa got behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Why don’t we take a picture of your place together? To commemorate it.” “Oh… Oh, yeah!” He took out his phone and prepped it for a selfie. But his arm held her tighter, and the curve of his throbbing cock suddenly pushed against the small of her back and nestled there. Couldn’t he feel it to? He had to. Yet he made no move to shift it away. If anything, it pulsed even harder now that it pressed directly against her. “Smile,” said Adisa. Kana brought her hands up to make peace signs and smiled warmly at the camera. All while a strong black guy held her from behind and grinned, his arm wrapped around her tiny waist. He snapped a photo. “There we go!” Kana felt too shy to ask him whether or not he would upload it and tag her. At the same time, the idea of other people seeing her with that guy without knowing what was going on turned her on. Even if her were to ask, she could deny it. It was his fault for not staying around for the movers to show up anyway… As they made their way to get into the truck Adisa gave her a playful slap on the butt. “You best be careful, cosplay girl.” The Volkswagen was an old model with cramped seats and no air conditioner. The shirtless guy fanned himself with a crumpled up newspaper when Kana clambered inside and sat next to him. Adisa climbed up and trapped her between the two of them. The truck started off, and the two guys couldn’t stop complaining about the heat. Kana pinched her shirt and fanned it against her chest. She could tolerate the summer heat to a certain extent, but this was far more than that.. They’re going to fuck me, she thought. All that talk until now… They were going to carry all the stuff inside her new place and then she would offer them a few drinks and… And they’ll fuck me. The idea that she would be taking two big black cocks inside her finally registered. I’m going to get blacked, too. Of course she could pull out of it. Find an excuse or something. But - her gaze swept over both their hard abs and throbbing cocks - I don’t want to. She would find a way to deceive her fiance. Probably, he wouldn’t even have an inkling about it. The problem is finding a way to live with myself after. “Yo, Kana, aren’t you hot?” asked Adisa. She smiled stupid. “I’m practically dying.” Adisa brought his black fingers down and felt the fabric of her blouse with a suggestive look in his eyes. “This is making you too hot. Let’s take it off.” Before she could protest, he lifted her arms up and slipped it off, then threw it on the dashboard. All that remained for a top was her lacy white bra. Though, it was a skimpy bra to begin with that she usually wore for cosplay sessions and less for practical purposes, with two tight cups that squeezed her breasts hard and left the upper part of them completely uncovered. The extreme and perfectly round curves were up for display. The bright noon light that streamed through the window caressed and warmed them, and Kana could see that Adisa stared at them intensely. With every jolt that passed through the truck, the soft flesh of her pale breasts trembled in response. “They look so soft,” said Adisa. “May I?” May he what? Her mind reeled. Touch them? Was he asking permission to feel up her breasts? Nobody had ever done that before! Not even her fiance. He did it sometimes, and a few other guys had groped her here and there or pretended to brush against her breasts, but no one had tried to get her candid permission. “G-Go ahead,” she finally whispered in a sultry tone. Nothing seemed more important right now than seeing those strong black fingers enjoying her creamy breasts. Nothing. Not even her fiance and future marriage. “Please, sir,” she added. Adisa reached up and began to move the tips of his fingers over their surface and to circle around the vulgar curves, all the way down between her deep cleavage. “Your skin’s so nice and smooth… A silky white girl, just how I like them.” “Thank you, sir…” Why did it feel so nice and so right to call him that? Sir. It had always been strange to call her teachers and other figures that way. But somehow, calling this strong and well-endowed black guy that came natural to her. Even just gazing at him, he just looked so much stronger than all the white guys she had seen. Of course, he could probably beat her fiance with his pinky. But even compared to white guy that were supposed to be tough or athletes, he simply ranked so much higher… They stopped at a red light, at which point the tattooed friend reached over and place his hand on her thigh. So big. So black. For the first time she noticed that his hand had been inked up as well, with tribal patterns coming along the throbbing veins that calloused fingers. Outside, Kana could see the people waiting at the crossing for the light to change. A few of them glanced up, but Kana told herself they couldn’t see anything. Even though a few of them stared… It would’ve been embarrassing to know that random people would’ve seen her getting groped by black hands like this, especially if an old classmate or a family friend happened to be among the crowd… The drive to the new place would take at least an hour, especially in this kind of loaded traffic. But that only made the flowing action in the truck that much easier to keep going. Black fingers ran over her breasts and neck, her tight stomach and protruding hip bones, her slender neck, down her juicy thighs and between the freshly-washed hair. And every single one of their movements sent tingles of pleasure down to her pussy and put happy butterflies in her tummy. Kana submitted eagerly, amazed that two black alpha males like these would show interest in a nerdy white girl like her. And also blown away by the way she felt. She had been with her boyfriend for eight years now, a time long enough to forget such total lust if she had ever experienced it to begin with. Breathing became a challenge. She panted like a bitch in heat under their touch, red as a cherry from the embarrassment of showing off in this way. From appearing like such a desperate slut. Maybe I am a desperate slut. Certainly, the more they did and the more she saw of their bodies, the more apprehensive she became of that fact. Even if her fiance found out, she would apologize. He loves me. He’ll understand. After all, this wasn’t her fault. She never asked for these feelings. No more than it’s his fault for having a tiny cock. Did Kana choose for him to be born a beta white guy that couldn’t satisfy her? Not at all! “C-C-Can…” She swallowed, struggled to speak at all. Her chest jiggled up and down vulgarily as she fought to breathe normally. “What’s that?” Adisa caressed her face with the back of his hand, as a master would a good pet. “What is it?” “C-Can I touch you t-t-too? Sir…” “Oh, go ahead!” Kana’s small pale and rushed down and grabbed both their black cocks through the shorts as if she clung to them for dear life. “Fuck,” she whispered. She did it. She actually did it. The big black cocks were in her hands. Too late to turn back now… They throbbed powerfully in her grasp, in a way her fiance’s tiny white dicklet never could. These were different. These are black cocks. She traced her fingers over the bulging veins through the yielding fabric, desperately to feel the heat of them directly against her skin. Instead of slowing down, she felt them up in a mad rush, afraid to be deprived of them at any moment, still in total disbelief that anything this big could be real, and that she was not only allowed to touch them, but they were made hard by her unworthy white body. How can they be so fucking big? No wonder so many of her friends were dating black guys. The jokes about their size were always made, but Kana never expected them to be all true… Her phone vibrated against her. Fuck! It could’ve been her fiance. She needed to answer, but she couldn’t even get herself to stop touching their cocks. And before she made up her mind to do so, Adisa deftly pulled her phone out of its pocket. On the screen, Kana could see her fiance’s name staring at her. A feeling of disappointment in herself and revulsion hit her strongly… but she didn’t release either of the two cocks out of her grip. There was no time to do anything. Adisa tilted his head and gave her a lopsided grin, then flicked his thumb and answered in her stead, putting the phone on speaker. “Baby? You okay? Took you a long time to answer…” her fiance said worriedly. The two black guys cackled under their breath. Oh, honey… Kana bit her lip wondering what to say. But even as she struggled to find the right words to say to the man in her life, all her brain pumped into being were thoughts of how amazing the two big black cocks she held were, and how annoyed she was at nearly being interrupted from touching them. “I’m fine!” she cried weakly. “Still on the road.” “Were those guys okay?” “Oh, yeah, they’re great!” He laughed nervously. “You sound a little tense.” “No, no, no…” She felt the tattooed guy’s cock throb wildly against her palm and grow to an even larger size than before. How was that even possible… Did it seriously turn him on so much to hear her talking to her boyfriend? “I’m good, I promise.” “Okay… I think I’ll be done here soon. Then I’ll go to our new place and help.” “Sure thing.” As she spoke, Adisa caressed her arm reassuringly and slowly reached behind her. At first Kana assumed he only meant to prop her up for comfort. But then she could feel him messing with the lock of her bra. Oh, no, don’t! Not while I’m on the phone… But even as the clasp came undone and the bra began to fall, she still clung to their cocks and stroked them affectionately, idly wondering which one would turn out to be the biggest of the two. She would have to work hard and arouse them both as much as possible. “Honey?” Kana watched her bra slowly slip away, inch by inch, until it finally toppled over and fell into her. “Y-Y-Yes, dear?” She couldn’t keep calm. Her breasts were fully exposed before these two strangers, these strong black alphas, and they jiggled in crazed excitement in their newfound freedom. “I love you.” Adisa placed his palms under her hefty breasts and lifted them appraisingly, eyes going wide at how perky they managed to be in spite of the vulgar size. The black fingers came up to circle around the diffused area of her areolas. “I love you too, baby!” stammered Kana recklessly. She couldn’t do this. The call needed to end. She could barely keep her head straight even without having to respond to her fiance. Her nipples, which rarely hardened even in the cold and almost never responded positively to any playful teasing, were suddenly fully erect and shot out like little pink bullets. And as soon they came into contact with the black fingers, an overwhelming bolt of pleasure electrified her body and made her shudder weakly. “Well, I see you’re not very talkative,” her fiance said, annoyed now. Kana tried to speak low. “Honey, I’m still in the truck. You know how I am. I’m nervous.” “Oh.” He sighed deeply, sounding more understanding. “Okay, then, we’ll talk at home. Bye, bunny.” Adisa ended the call before she could reply in turn, then chuckled grimly. “Bunny?” he asked her, his dark eyes boring into hers. “Is that what you are?” “I don’t know…” “I’d say you’re a snowbunny.” He pushed his fingers hard into the yielding, soft flesh of her full breasts. “Aren’t you?” “Yes, sir…” mewled Kana submissively. “I definitely am a snowbunny.” They weren’t just words, either. As embarrassing and as strange as this whole affair turned out to be, it opened up new doors to her that she never thought possible. Experiencing anything but the tame, boring sex she got from her fiance or the pathetic masturbation sessions she tried to sneak into her schedule unnoticed hadn’t entered her mind. All the pleasure she had denied her body for the last eight years by being with her fiance came pouring down on her in an unstoppable flood that drowned her judgment, her morals, and any sense of decency. These godly big black cocks broke that dam, and she had no way of building it back now. And I don’t want to. The worst thing that could happen now was that her fiance would leave her. And is that really so bad? She could pursue wholly new things, expand her offerings on her Patreon, and possibly find heights of sexual pleasure unimagined by others. A once in a lifetime opportunity. As her eyes finally lifted from from the two black studs at her sides, Kana noticed that they were in the center of town. Were they taking a detour? What’s worse, she now knew with certainty that the people on the other side of the window pane could see her. One older lady that had a Slavic look about her narrowed her eyes as she stared into the truck and crossed herself. Jealous bitch, thought Kana. They could all stare. To hell with them. She was accomplished cosplayer that made more money dressing up for fun than they did by working their shitty jobs. And now, she found the affection of two wonderful black men. If they became a problem, her switching towns would be their loss. “I can’t wait to get there.” “Me neither,” Adisa said. “What do you say you do a little cosplay for us?” Kana giggled. “As what?” “I’ll think about it.” He tugged lovingly at her swollen nipples. Kana smiled and melted away, her body coming undone with arousal. She sank into the seat and slid down, her legs opening wide instinctively. This was heaven. In her mindless cocklust, she couldn’t even tell that they reached the new place until Adisa gently slapped her back into the world. All she did was nervously think over how she would take their cocks inside, and in what way she would seek to pleasure each as much as she could. To serve their black cocks with her utmost. “Come on, bunny,” said Adisa. “We made it.” Both the guys hopped down from the truck, leaving Kana feeling alone and needy. She searched for her top and bra, but couldn’t find them anywhere. She made a hand bra and went after the two. “Have you seen my clothes?” Adisa shook his head and smiled wickedly. “Haven’t seen them, sorry.” The way he said it sent a chill down her spine. People passed by on the street giving her long looks, eyes lingering over the overflowing flesh of her breasts and her smooth, pale back. She would sure make an impression on the new neighbors. The tattooed guy opened up the back of the truck. “Where do we take these?” he asked gruffly. “Oh, right. Shit. I forgot. I have to go to my landlord first. Can you search for a box that’s labelled for clothes?” “Hold on,” said Adisa, grabbing her wrist. “What do you need clothes for? You know where this landlord is?” Kana gulped. She already sensed what he wanted her to do. “Yeah.” “Well, let’s go see him.” They entered the classy building together holding hands, Kana struggling to hold her breasts with a single arm. They swayed violently as they went up the steps, and she found herself craving desperately to feel the weight of them taken away by Adisa’s strong black hands. They went up to the third floor, found the door, and knocked. Kana wondered what her landlord’s reaction would be at seeing her half-naked and holding hands with a buff and shirtless African. She and her fiance had presented themselves as a nice, quiet, almost old-fashioned German couple. The door cracked open warily. “Who’s that?” rasped a voice from the other side. “It’s m-me!” said Kana. “The girl from downstairs. I’m here with the movers and I need to pick up the keys.” The eyes peered at her intensely. “You?” Adisa leaned against the door and sent it flying open. He quickly apologized, but now the obese landlord stood before them in the light, with an angered expression. “I thought you were moving in with your fiance!” cried the old man. He gesticulated towards her bare top and Adisa. “What’s the meaning of this? I’m not bringing in people like you in my building, I can tell you that.” Oh, you annoying cunt, thought Kana. But all she could do was smile awkwardly. She opened her mouth to speak when she had both her hands yanked behind her back and yelped painfully instead. Adisa held her down from the back, her hands positioned in such a way that her fingers could move over the huge head of his cock. He pushed her forwards and arched her back theatrically, presenting her breasts before the landlord. His angry expression went away, and instead he leered down at her perky and full breasts with great interest. Without a word from anyone, his gnarled, liver-spotted hands came up to cup them. He smiled as stupidly as a little boy. “My, what amazing breasts…” “See!” said Adisa. “And you want her to leave this building.” The landlord swallowed uncomfortably as he massaged the creamy flesh between his ancient fingers. “It’s not me… It’s these neighbors…” “You’ll talk to them. You’ll make them understand. And in exchange, I think Kana will be real grateful. She’ll even come over and take care of you from time to time. Won’t you, snowbunny?” “Yessir,” said Kana eagerly. She glanced down at the way those veiny old hands groped her chest, and focused instead on how vigorously Adisa throbbed in her grip. She would let this old man do whatever and whenever he wanted. So long as she had some time with Adisa after it all, all would be well. The landlord agreed to the terms and waddled off to bring the keys. “Told you it would work,” said Adisa. You actually didn’t tell me anything… Not that she minded. She had spent her whole life worrying about making the wrong decision. It was one of the few things she hated about her fiance. He thought he was being sweet by letting her make decisions or trying to consult with her - in reality, all she wanted was for him to take the lead and tell her what to do and when to do it. Serving was much easier. Kana took the keys from the old man and jingled them happily as they went back down to the truck. She couldn’t believe that it had been so easy to solve that problem. It took them week and weeks of back and forths to get that stupid geezer to even see them for real, and then they’d spent days deciding what to wear and what to say. And all it took to bring him from the brink was letting him have some fun with her breasts. I need to stop underestimating my natural charms, thought Kana, only half-jokingly. The tattooed friend had already moved most of the boxes by himself at the right door. “It was on the papers,” he explained. “Oh,” said Kana. She opened the door for them and entered the lofty and luxurious apartment space. Everything was so much nicer here. The white-paneled walls, the flawless floorboards, the enormous windows that poured in sunlight, and the balcony opening that let in clear, fresh air, and faced the center of the city, with the cityscape spreading below her. “Nice place you got here,” said Adisa. The guys dropped off the first series of boxes. “We’re going to have to christen it together.” Kana smiled at them mischievously. “Yes, we will.” She offered to make the guys some drinks and went into the large kitchen that connected to the living room, already stocked with silverware, appliances, and some basics like coffee and wine. Kana first poured herself a glass of wine and gulped it down. She took a deep breath, feeling the cold liquid going into the fiery warmth of her body. I needed that. She poured herself another. And then one more. She couldn’t hold her drinks very well, but today she felt fiercely thirsty and in need of a boost to break the remaining barriers in her psyche. I need to make these guys happy. By the time she went back to them with two slender glasses filled to the brim with wine, all the stuff lay clustered in the corner and the door had been closed. Her two black studs rested on the pristine white couch and had taken off their shoes to stretch their legs over the antique table in front of them. “Thanks,” said Adisa. “My pleasure, sir,” said Kana with a delighted giggle. It made her so happy to please them. That’s what I’m for. Their snowbunny… Adisa yawned and folded his muscular arms over his toned abs. “I was thinking, Kana. Why don’t you cosplay Atago for us? I’d like that.” “A-Atago!” Kana bobbed her head. “Right! I’ll go get ready, sir.” Adisa grinned. “Good girl.” It’s happening, she thought. I’m going to fuck them. She needed to hurry about it too. Her fiance could come over at any moment. She wanted at least an hour with the studs before she had to go back to that. Just thinking about having to pretend to like her soon-to-be-husband’s little dicklet again made her groan with disgust. I love him, but that’s just too much. She went through the boxes in a mad rush, trying to find the costume before the studs lost all interest. Finally, she came over the one labeled the right way and headed with it into the bedroom. She dressed up as quickly as she could and perfumed herself thoroughly, making sure to spare a few drops for the insides of her thighs as well. They’ll be going all over… When she finally walked back into the living room, heels clacking in announcement, she only found Adisa lying sleepily on the couch. “Where’s your friend?” “Bathroom.” His eyes opened and widened as soon as he saw her. “Jesus. But you look good.” Kana smiled and twirled before him. “Thank you, sir.” “Come here…” She went and sat down in his lap, feeling her ass press against his thick cock. Adisa stroked her thighs and opened her legs up, and finally brought her mouth low for a kiss. My third partner. She hated that the Muslim guy had gotten to kiss her before Adisa, but then, so had her wimpy white boyfriend. You can always start fresh. They made out lovingly, exploring each other’s body slowly. Kana couldn’t believe how good every part of him felt to the touch - how hard and tough all his muscles were. She got too used to her slouch of a boyfriend. Just seeing flawless, smooth, dark and hard flesh was enough to make her mouth water. Adisa leaned his head back and closed his eyes as muttered her adoration and kissed his upper body in pure worship. “You’re so beautiful...” she repeated. Her fingers traced over his stunning abs repeatedly. “So strong and so nice.” “Goddamn,” he said, giggling darkly. “Snowbunnies really are the best.” Kana smiled shyly and slid down from his body, then knelt before him as a willing slave, not daring to touch his cock without direct permission. She watched it move under the weathered shorts like a monster under the surface of the water, revealed and only a step away from being displayed in its full crowning glory. “You want that?” “More than anything,” said Kana. “I’ll trade you for it. You give me that ring, and I’ll breed you.” Breed me… Her memory ignited with all those memes and raceplay porn she had seen floating around Tumblr. ONLY WHITE GIRLS CAN BRING ABOUT WHITE EXTINCTION. DO YOUR PART. Captioned on top of a picture of a blonde teen with her mouth stretched out by a big black cock. There were tons. She found them cringy in the past, but now… Maybe they had a point. The idea of being pumped with black seed and being made into a breeding toy held an unimaginable appeal… Her eyes went down to the slender, diamond studded ring. She had cried so much when her fiance offered it. Accepted the proposal without so much as a second thought. Now… Kana took the ring off and held it out towards Adisa. He took it from her without hesitation and put it on his own finger. “You’re desperate to get blacked, aren’t you?” The word came out breathless: “Yes.” Adisa stood up before her and dropped his shorts. His enormous cock stood a mere inch away from her face, its veins bulging down the shaft. Kana was so stunned by it she couldn’t even reach out to grab it. He laughed and took a step forwards, letting it slap her gently across the face. The heated black cock pressed against her lips and nose, its musky smell filling up her nostrils. Her pussy tingled in response, no longer able to withhold the flood of juices that threatened to spoil her panties. Kana kissed it gently, relishing the feeling of the soft dark skin against her lips, then brought her hands up and began to massage the massive cock as she stroked it with her flickering tongue. The whole thing glistened with her spit and got stiffer with every passing second, the giant head pushing aside the foreskin to emerge, throbbing and leaking delicious seed. Kana lapped it happily, unable to make out what Adisa was saying. He held her by the hair and murmured approvingly. To think I’m here now. Sucking a big black cock. It was all so dirty and naughty. Christening her new home by betraying her fiance and selling out his most precious gift for a good dick. I really am a slut, thought Kana, rubbing her pussy through the soaked panties. But that only made it feel that much better. A heavy weight came down upon her head. She moved her face up to see the other BBC that rested on her forehead, ready for action. With one in each hand, she stroked them happily, kissing the head of each with more love than she had kissed her white boyfriend in years, lapping up every drop of seed and slurping it into her slutty white mouth. “I love your big black cocks…” “Oh, yeah? I can’t wait to put a black baby inside of you.” Kana grinned unhesitatingly. “Me neither.” The tattooed stud picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, then carried her with ease towards the bedroom. Yes, please! Finally! He threw her down on the bed unceremoniously and lied down next to her. Then he pulled her on top, with her breasts pressing against his hard chest and her eyes staring down into his. He reached back and flipped her skirt. He pulled hard on her panties, the stretched fabric biting into her pussy as it tore apart and snapped. The tearing sounds sent a shiver of terrified glee through Kana’s unexperienced body. She could feel the breeze coming through the open window hitting her drenched and heated pussy. Kana looked down into the piercing black eyes and begged: “Please, fuck me. Breed me. Please!” The ever-gruff tattooed guy only groaned, slapping his heavy cock against her pussy. He rubbed it for a few heavenly seconds against her sensitive lips, then shoved it inside roughly, as if she were an animal used to this sort of treatment. Kana screamed and shuddered, burying her head into his warm chest. Tears of pain welled in her eyes. But she had never felt this good in her life. Fuck me. This really is amazing… How could white girls not go black-only when this was on offer? She only lay on him passively, trying to keep it together while he rammed his cock deep inside her thick white bod. Her cherry had been taken long ago; but it might as well have never happened. Fucking with her fiance or with her dildo put no real pressure on her at all. But now the walls of her pussy stretched to the tearing point, and this magnificent fucking BBC threatened to rip her to shreds. I hope he does, she thought with grim exhilaration. I hope he breaks me down into nothing but a cumdumpster. Being a prized receptacle for his seed was all she could ever wish for. “You’re going to be bred real good.” Kana raised her gaze to see Adisa hovering over them. He brought his cock and slapped it against her face, then squeezed a few more drops of cum into her mouth. “Thank you, sir…” “Are you excited to make a black baby together?” Whenever her fiance brought up the idea of having a baby she only felt revulsion. Dogs were all she ever wanted, and they were infinitely better than some whiny little human. But… But. The idea of growing something inside her that would be a direct result of this moment, that would be a gift from her black masters, and the continuation of their superior line given directly through their seed… “I would love to have your babies,” she confessed. Anything for you. She could feel the black cock hitting regions in her she never even thought existed. Her eyes rolled in her sockets of their own accord as a blast of pleasure nearly knocked her out, her legs quivering as the first true orgasm of her life took her breath away. Her mouth gaped soundlessly as her body exploded in joyous pleasure. In revery for big black cock. Adisa plugged her mouth with his throbbing shaft, sending it down her throat hard enough to make her choke and gag. He laughed and took it out, then slammed it hard against her face a couple of times, making her a mess of spit and cum. Kana could feel him prodding behind her. What are you doing? The answer came soon enough. At first she thought he meant to put it up her ass and she was ready to scream against it. Her ass had never had anything inside, and she doubted she could handle anything as big as his BBC. Instead, he held her steady by the hips, and as his friend slowed down, forced his cock alongside his into her already stretched-out pussy. “No, no, no…” Kana started, panicked, feeling her pussy giving in and burning with agony as it got stretched above and beyond what a white girl could’ve ever taken. “I--” The blow from the tattooed guy almost knocked her out. Her ears rang and she sobbed and as the burn spread over the left side of her face. “Don’t talk,” he ordered in his broken German. “Understand?” “Yessir,” she whispered obediently. Kana didn’t talk. She only screamed. The piercing shriek threatened to leave her voiceless, but the pain was unbearable. She scratched the guy’s shoulders and bit into them, trying to deal with the pressure of feeling both those cocks merging into one and ramming her insides with an almost evil desire to see her fully broken apart. Yet, as the moments passed, the pain slowly went away, replaced instead with blissful pleasure. She wasn’t sure when the moment that spelled the turning point came, but rather than screaming in pain she soon began to pant in pleasure, drooling all over the guy below her and happily getting slapped around for being such a gross and slutty bitch. The tattooed hands wrapped around her neck and squeezed, cutting off her air, then brought her in for a deep french kiss. Her pussy wrapped around the two giant cocks like a comfortable sleeve, not allowing a single drop of their seed to go to waste. She could feel the furnace-like that came from her tummy as they came over and over, dumping hot seed into her womb. “Fuck, yes! Please, fill me up! Let me have your black babies. Let me be a good snowbunny. Pleaaaaseeeee!!!” How could anything compare to this? How could her white fiance ever hope to match up to these black monsters, much less exceed them in pleasuring her? Being used in this brutal way was every girl’s dream. And for a strong alpha male like a black guy to do it to a weak and submissive female like any white girl was just nature’s way. “Do you think your fiance would be proud of you?” asked Adisa. “I don’t know.” Somehow she doubted it. He would probably cry. “He should be. Not just any girl can take two black cocks at once in her pussy. You’re a special kind of slut.” Special? The confirmation of her performance combined with the bursting feeling coming from within her sent a new torrent of pleasure through her. An orgasm so powerful that she cried in joy hit every nerve in her body, lighting up in the fire of cocklust in her eyes and tightening every muscle in service of her two black masters. She shook and drooled with her mouth open like a bitch in heat as her pussy clenched their cocks too tightly for them to escape, keeping them locked in as if she were being knotted and bred at the same time. She laughed and screamed and cooed and mewled as an endless succession of emotions passed too fast for her to make sense of any of them in particular, spinning like a broken slots machine, her consciousness moving in a total haze of conflicting thoughts… There was only one thing Kana could say with certainty… It feels so fucking good… And… Nothing can beat a big black cock… “Fuck me,” she ordered them, working herself up into a beastly frenzy. Her teeth gritted from the pain as she cried. “Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!” They did, breaking her little white pussy beyond the use of any white guy ever again, making a sloppy mess of it. Kana arched her back in response and shivered as one orgasm after another rippled over her flesh and spasmed deep within the core of her body, her womb receiving every drop of their tasty seed. All she could do was let her tongue loll out in response as she allowed herself to be used and bred like a perfect little snowbunny. Her fiance could hear the animal noises echoing down the staircase as he made his way upstairs. They seemed to be coming from their new apartment but… They couldn’t be, he thought. As he had no key, he knocked on the door. No response. He knocked again. And again. And harder. At last the loud noises ceased for a period. The door opened and Kana appeared, all dressed up for one of her shoots, but with completely disheveled hair and beads of sweat running down her face. “What happened?” he asked. “Oh, I’m just… Struggling to move some of these boxes.” “What about the movers?” She rolled her eyes comically. “Oh, they left!” He couldn’t tell why she seemed so upset and breathless. “They… They were busy. Here!” Kana grabbed a cup from the table and forced it into his hand. Some kind of fizzy drink, with some effervescent addition still bubbling up to the surface. “What’s this?” Her face went white. “Don’t tell me it’s calcium…” “I’m sorry, honey,” she said apologetically, “but you know you gotta take it.” “Right, well… Okay.” Her fiance gulped the drink down reluctantly. He looked around the new place, until he noticed most of the boxes were still piled up. “I thought you did some moving.” “I did! It’s just… a slow process, you know.” He wanted to respond with doubt, but he suddenly felt incredibly sleepy. He could barely talk. His eyes were closing without him. He spotted the couch just moments before losing balance and tottered towards it, crashing down into a deep sleep. He awoke later to a loud banging noise. Outside, he could see that it was dark. Only the mixed light of the city and the moon streamed through the windows. He got up, still groggy, and went to get the door. A hulking, black policeman stood there, accompanied by his white partner and surrounded by a couple of the older neighbors. He flashed a light into his face. “You the guy livin’ here?” “Uhm, yes?” The policeman took a step inside. “Care to explain that noise?” Only now that the banging had stopped could he make out the intense grunting that came from the bedroom. It sounded like some sort of satanic ritual was taking place. “I have no idea…” The policeman shut the door and told his partner to take take care of the neighbors. They went and opened the door to the bedroom together. The sight that her fiance saw took his breath away. His fiancee lay sandwiched between two huge black guys, writhing like a single organism together, all of them completely naked and glistening in the intense beam of the flashlight. “KANA!!” he screamed. “What are you doing?!” She looked up from the scene with a crazed, drugged look on her face. But she smiled. “Baby?” The two guys fucking her made no attempt to stop. If anything, they only fucked her harder now that he entered the room, and Kana moaned joyously in response. Kana… Tears came to his eyes. “Stop it! Stop that right now! You can’t do this! We’re supposed to get married!” “I’m sorry, honey. It” - they pushed deep into her - “just” - her eyes rolled - “feels” - she yelped - “so” - smiled at him - “good.” He rushed towards the bed to stop it all when the policeman grabbed his arms. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked. “Are you going to assault this nice woman?” “Assault her? She’s my fiance! Look what she’s doing.” “She’s just getting blacked, that’s all,” said the grinning policeman. “You should be expecting it. By the looks of you, you probably can’t satisfy her in any way.” Kana nodded. “It’s true, honey. That’s why... “ Her eyes closed again and her whole body quivered in response to an orgasm. She sighed deeply, the pleasure written all over her slutty face. “That’s why I need to get black bred now.” “No!” he cried. He ran towards the bed again; but this time the policeman twisted him around and slammed him against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing, huh?” He kicked her fiance down with his steel tipped boots until he made no move to stand up anymore. “You sit there and you wait for her to finish. Quietly.” The policeman prepared to leave, but Kana called him over. She looked him up and down with appraising eyes, then reached out and grabbed his cock. “Come by anytime, officer.” He caressed her face in return with a brown hand and slapped her. “Be a good slut in the meantime. Do whatever these guys here tell you. Or else I’ll have to arrest you.” Kana nodded obediently. He left. Her fiance sobbed, slumped against the floor. This can’t be real. This is a nightmare. But as much as he tried, the image wouldn’t go away. She just went on getting fucked by the two black guys. “Why?” he asked her. Kana gave him a long look. “You know w-w-why, d-darling,” she struggled to say. “You’re just so s-small and p-p-p-p…” Another powerful thrust broke her concentration and left her mewling in ecstasy. “If you d-d-don’t stop, I’m l-leaving.” “Please, honey, just try to enjoy… I know you will.” Enjoy it? How could he? Yet, as he came cognizant of his own body and needs, he realized that he was, in fact, incredibly aroused. His hand went down almost with a mind of its own and began to grab at his tiny white cock. “See…” said Kana. “Just enjoy it…” He stroked himself pathetically as he watched these two black men take his fiancee. Wasn’t Kana always a good girl? He thought so. At times he entertained the idea that she could secretly be slutty, but this, this… A few strokes was all it took for him to come, and then he returned to total heartbreak. How could this be happening? How could he go on with things like this? “STOP CRYING!” he heard one of the black guys yell. When he looked up he noticed that the guy stood above him, his gigantic black cock dripping with Kana’s warm juices. As he moved, a few of the drops flew and hit her fiance in the face. “I can’t,” he mumbled. “I just can’t.” Kana came now and crouched before him. “You have to accept this. Otherwise we can’t go on. I’m sorry.” Her whole body was covered in sweat and dried seed, while her breasts and ass were red from all the mauling and ravaging. “You’re such a cunt,” he said. “Go kill yourself.” Slowly, with agonizing pain, he made himself stand up. He didn’t realize his cock was still hanging out of his pants. The two black guys laughed upon seeing it and slapped him in mocking support on the shoulder and apologized. Something flashed. He could see the engagement ring in between her fingers. Kana reached out and dropped it into his pocket unceremoniously. “You keep it now,” she said. “I’m sorry it had to end like this. Maybe you can change your mind. I’ll give you some time.” That their laughter and her dismissal made him hard again left him horrified. He rushed out of the room and fled the apartment in a rush. For two weeks, he didn’t see her at all, nor did anything really change. She went on posting as if nothing had happened and hadn’t even announced their break-up. Maybe she thinks we’re still together. In the meantime, he had watched so many interracial videos and imagined Kana getting fucked so much that he became desensitized to the matter. Either way, she would be getting blacked. At least he could try to enjoy her as well. But the day he went over to talk to her, there was no answer at the apartment. The few neighbors he met told him that the noises had never ceased coming from the apartment, but that the police refused to do anything about it. As he left the building, he saw a whole gang of black guys going upstairs. Probably to her. Then her name change happened. From Kana to Kana Black, officially. With it came the announcement that she would be offering hardcore content once the Patreon hit an enormous sum. He himself donated a lot of the money he planned to use on the wedding ring. Two days later, when the goal was hit, Kana posted new pics of herself. She cosplayed in all of them, but this time, she posed with different black guys that she either made out with or allowed to feel her up. The more money started pouring in, the more she put up. It started with handjobs but worked its way up to blowjob videos soon enough. The whole world could see his pure little fiancee choking on a big black cock. Rather than going down, the new content made her number of followers surge, and the sums being donated by single people outweighed what she sometimes made in a whole month before. Her whole Instagram got taken over by the blacking fever, and along with all the pictures she posted of herself in the company and hands of black guys, Kana quickly began to put up things about white extinction and the superiority of big black cock. The chokers she always wore around her neck were replaced instead by a pet collar with the inscription BBC SLUT. It had been a partnership with some company that focused exclusively on black domination. Many of the girls that followed her and looked up to her soon joined in on it all as well. He tried to message her, to call her, to get through somehow… But Kana seemed to have forgotten that he even existed. The last Patreon goal for the year was so exorbitant that she even made the local news. A hundred thousand euro for her to release a video of her getting blacked. The money came in, but slowly. So slowly that he went out the second day and made a loan for 10k, and quickly donated it to the website. He needed to see his sweet Kana again. And he needed to see her getting blacked. The goal was finally hit. Within the hour, a video went up. It opened with Kana lounging on a chair in the middle of her living room. She wore a white lace leotard that showed her breasts candidly apart from the crossed pasties she wore over her nipples. She smiled at the camera, running a hand nervously through her long hair, the inscription on her collar flashing in the light. “Hello, everyone!” she said in a cute voice, waving towards the camera. “I’m so happy you all donated and made today possible! I hope you’re going to love every moment of this.” “I know you will,” said the gruff voice of the cameraman. Kana looked away shyly and reddened. “I mean, yes…” He reached out and began to stroke her face gently with the back of his hand. His skin was completely black, with stubby and gnarled fingers that showed countless scars. Just what kind of guy is this? her fiance wondered, worried. But his ex seemed more than happy with her black man. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, practically purring as a kitty might when touched by her master. Her tongue came out and began to lick quickly at his fingers. “You like that, huh?” “Uh-huh,” cooed Kana. “I love it…” He shoved two fingers into her mouth and got a close-up of her face as she sucked on them obediently. The slutty glimmer in her eyes said it all: she lived to serve black men now - to serve them in any way possible. The black fingers went deep down her throat and choked her, then came out dangling with her spit. Kana only cried out in disappointment: “More!” Instead, the cameraman smacked her hard. “Don’t you talk back! You stupid white whore. Don’t you know that?” “Sorry, sir.” Her fiance couldn’t figure out when she had become this way. Had she always been so submissive deep down? He often feared arguing with her on any topic. But to see her acting in such a subservient way… All to a bunch of African immigrants. The guy grabbed her hair and yanked her back, then ordered her to open her mouth wide and stick out her tongue. “Tell your fans, what are you going to do today?” “I’m going to get gangbanged by some big black cocks.” He grabbed her soft pink tongue and tugged on it, feeling it up between his fingers as if it were only a toy. “And what do you have to say to your fans that don’t want you taking black cock?” “Dat iz da bes.” He released her. “What now?” Kana giggled and licked her full lips. “That it’s the best,” she said quietly, staring at the camera as if it were a secret. Her fiance could almost feel that gaze boring into him through time and sending that message for him in particular. You’re not good enough, her judging eyes seemed to say. You never were, you tiny white dicklet. Now watch me fuck real men instead. And the guys that came in and joined her were real men. Tough, barrel-chested black guys with defined bodybuilding physiques, massive tattooed arms, and the biggest, veiniest cocks her fiance had ever seen. Once again, the camera focused on her face. “With your donations,” Kana explained, “we managed to get the best people we could find and fly them in special.” Not one of the guys spoke a single word of either English nor German. They looked as if they had been dragged from the darkest heart of Africa, for no reason but to come to Europe and properly black a deserving white princess like his fiancee. As Kana spoke to the camera, they begun to rest their cocks on her head and face, covering her up as she declared her love for the patrons. “I can’t wait for you guys to tell me what you think!” Once she was done, they put her on her knees… Kana had looked forward to this moment for some time. The name change and the Instagram pictures weren’t enough. Her brain was on the verge of exploding from all the ideas she got about how to communicate her love for BBC to the world and help it spread among the other miserable white girls of Europe that hadn’t been reached by it yet. She no longer even thought about that loser she used to be with. There was no point. There was no real love without lust, and there could never be real love for men that were such pathetic betas. It really is true, she thought. White guys are finished. But she and her new friends were happy to be at the forefront of white extinction. Nothing made her prouder than to think she would help bring about a better Europe, full of alpha black males that each had his white harem, and supported by hardworking white cucks that would slave away just to be able to watch it happen. But that would have to wait. For now, she closed her eyes and giggled with boundless joy as the African bulls slapped her face with their baton-like cocks. They were told beforehand that they could and should be as rough as possible with her, and Kana wanted to experience that and share it with her loyal patrons. It started quickly enough. One of the guys cupped her face and held her head still as he brought his throbbing big black cock and plunged it straight into the depths of her throat. No warm-up, no mercy, nothing. He pushed until he crushed Kana’s cute nose against the base of his cock. Kana gurgled and smiled as she used her throat to massage his cock. The camera came down and filmed the way the huge dick filled up her throat and bulged dangerously. She struggled to get her tongue out and ran it over his gorgeous, heavy-hanging balls, thinking dreamily of all the hot black seed that waited for her. He held her down by force, enjoying the way her throat spasmed and how the spit mixed with precum dripped from her nose. Tears welled in Kana’s eyes and flowed down her pretty face, running black with her make-up. They’re making a mess of me, she told the camera with her eyes, trying to somehow smile as the black cock spread her jaw so wide that an inch more to his girth might’ve dislocated it completely. Look at how good I’m doing for you, my patrons… The big black cock throbbed powerfully, and Kana could feel the heat of his seed going down into her stomach, filling her up like a good whore. Kana gasped when he drew his cock out, staring up at it in worship as hovered above her face, dripping spit and cum all over her lewd face. But just as she planned to go up and give it a kiss, the second guy yanked her away and stuffed her mouth. The head of his cock pushed against her cheek and made it bulge, while the cameraman crouched down to pet her face and congratulate her on her performance. “You’re doing great,” he said. “Show those white boys what they’re missing.” So she did. She let this cock fill her throat as well and dump its cum inside, but this time she caressed the seed-laden balls. As soon as his dick left her throat, she pushed her face right into his nutsack, kissing it and massaging it with her tongue, letting him know how much she appreciated the opportunity to serve black men. “I love you,” she whispered, barely able to think. “I love you so much.” The guys all laughed, and the others in the group came over to beat their cocks over her face. This time, when the third BBC plunged down the depths of her throat, another guy got down behind her. He felt up her drenched pussy for a couple of seconds, then quickly moved the strip of fabric aside and put his cock deep inside. Kana spit the shaft out to moan: “Ah, fuck! That feels so good, sir!” In return, the guy she was sucking off snapped at her in his African tongue and smacked her face, displeased with the audacity of her behavior. “I’m sorry, sir…” They filled her up from both ends, impaling her on their black rods and massacring her insides with hard thrusts that made her body spasm and leak juices and seed at every opportunity. Kana surrendered to abuse gladly, thrilled to be used in such a way by her black masters. They must really like me, she thought shyly. Her patrons would surely be proud of her for getting them so hard and working up so much seed out of them. Her fiance watched the scene unfold with tears in his eyes and a hand covered in weak cum. How could he allow himself to watch this, or even come to it? But, even as the thoughts rolled through his mind, they were quickly replaced by a new fountain of arousal. He wished now that he could go back and offer Kana enough BBC from day one so that he wouldn’t have lost her. As degrading as it was to have to watch his beloved get gangbanged by some Africans, and as difficult as it might’ve been to be there as it happened, he would’ve preferred it… The camera focused on her ass. It had been smacked relentlessly until it went red, and the black fingers still grabbed onto it roughly as he pushed his huge cock into her tight and vulnerable pussy. A shower of juices came out of her with every powerful thrust while her legs quivered in response and announced her non-stop orgasms. When the camera came to her face, it caught her white, rolled-back eyes as she lost herself in a sea of pleasure. In awe and worship. Her collar said it all. BBC SLUT. And that’s what she had become. Her face glistened with sweat, tears, and seed, as was proper for any snowbunny. The mascara, the eyeliner, the eyeshadow - all of it was plastered all over her face in a total mess. … but Kana couldn’t get enough of it. As the guys took turns exchanging her different holes, she instead reached out and used her hands to stroke the others by turns, not wanting to leave a single second to waste. If she missed the smallest opportunity to please these massive big black cocks, she could never forgive herself. “Please fuck my ass,” she managed to croak between the constant pumping of her throat. “I need it.” But the cameraman gave an order to the guys and they dropped her in the middle of the room. “Look at yourself,” he said. “You’re a mess. How can these guys want to fuck you when you look so bad?” Kana wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling very exposed and vulnerable. Had she screwed up in such a major way? “I’ll go clean myself up…” “No, no, no. You stay there. I have a better idea. Close your eyes and keep your mouth open.” Reluctantly, Kana did as told. Her fiance put a pause to touching himself, just to see if this would really happen. He watched as the first African stud approached and aimed his cock towards her face, and began to piss right into her mouth. Rather than crawl away in horror as he expected, Kana began to smiled and arched her back, using her hands to wash her face with the golden shower that flowed down her body. “T-T-Thank you so much!” she stammered, nearly in tears with emotion. The second guy came up and straight into her throat, making her gargle as it overflowed and came rushing down her chest. Kana massaged her breasts hard, tugging on her nipples, clearly aroused out of her mind. She loved it. She loved knowing that her black masters pissed on her for all the world to see. For it to be recorded forever. This is how a white girl should be treated. And everyone needed to know that. “You still want your assfucked?” the cameraman asked. Did she ever… “Please!” Once they were done pissing on her, he came over and put a leash on her collar, then walked her up to the balcony. He wrapped the leash around the metal bars of the railing, making sure her head would stick through the bars. Kana nearly got sick with vertigo. She could see the heavy traffic down below. However, she soon noticed people from neighboring buildings looking her way. So they would see her too. Her assfucking would be a public spectacle. How wonderful! she thought. Her fiance saw that she still shivered and that the seed dumped inside her womb still poured from her ruined pussy. But Kana reached back and spread her reddened ass, displaying her tight and willing asshole. “We gotta plug you up first,” said the cameraman. And for that purpose, he brought a gigantic studded dildo and slowly forced it inside her pussy. Her fiance could hear Kana’s pathetic mewling as she struggled to take it all just half while dealing with metal studs that must’ve grinded against her insides. What came next surprised him. Rather than any of the black guys approaching her, they instead brought up the largest hound he had ever seen. His fur was short, which allowed a clear glimpse of the bulging muscles underneath. For sure, the dog must’ve been roided up long before to give that unnaturally beefy look. The cameraman came down to show off his cock: a red, swollen instrument of pain that dribbled thick ropes of cum from the tapering tip. The hound came up to lick her asshole, which got a yelp of surprise out of Kana. But if she seemed bothered that it was a dog she showed no sign of it. She instead allowed him to mount her comfortably, despite the scratches, and even helped him bring his deadly cock into her ass. The first part of it entered without issue, but around the midway point, Kana began to breathe heavily and hold the metal bars of the railing tightly, while the Africans helped the dog force the cock in for the rest of the way, ignoring Kana’s agonized screams. With the dog dick lodged inside her asshole, Kana trembled weakly and lowered herself, becoming the real obedient pet. She lowered herself on the brutal dildo - but the leash tugged at her collar and made her choke. No matter, she kept forcing it inside her pussy. Meanwhile, the dog assfucked her violently, scratching her pale and fragile skin. His snout opened. A wild tongue lolled out and dripped, showing just how much he took pleasure in ruining his human prey. Kana could feel herself getting bathed in the dog’s hot drool, while the gigantic cock knotted inside her little white ass. I’m just a pet for these wonderful black men, she thought. To please them and to amuse them. The studded dildo ravaged the walls of her pussy and tore at her insides, but that didn’t matter either. Not so long as they and my patrons enjoy it. Her own tongue came out as she choked herself out and felt her two holes getting destroyed all at once. They’ll all be so proud of me… Her fiance nearly destroyed himself in the process of watching the video as well. He wept and jerked himself until his whole being felt numb. This was the end of the line. This was what Kana had becoming. A white slut to be bred by white men and to convince others to follow down the same route. An example of what a nice, white German girl could become - a vessel for stronger, better black seed. A tool for the upcoming white extinction. He watched as his fiancee dripped with seed from both her holes, filled to the brim, and she finally passed from an orgasm that rippled through her whole body and made her shriek in joyous laughter loud enough to echo down to the streets below. Everyone would know now. That she left him. That she had become a BBC addict. That she would rather fuck a dog than fuck him. To make matters worse, going by the many responses and reposts the video got everywhere, they all approved. “Kana was been made to be blacked.” When even the dog was finished with her, the black studs left her on the balcony lying in a pool of filthy juices, drooling and shivering from the debased treatment that she had received. Kana came and slipped out of consciousness, each time just enough to enjoy the tug of her collar and the orgasms that traveled the whole length of her body. She curled her toes, whimpering with a pleased smile on her face as she felt the flow of hot cum deep inside her womb. Finally… Finally, I’ve been bred. She reached down and scooped up fresh seed on her finger, then brought it lick it off and suck on it like a little girl enjoying candy. It tastes so nice and so sweet. And soon it would come to life inside of her, gifting her a wonderful black offspring that she could show to everyone. Was there anything better than submitting to BBC? Nothing. And to think she had almost gotten married… What a mistake that would’ve been. A terrible mistake. She wondered where the guys and the cameraman had gone. Likely, to breed another eager German girl now that they were here. Ah, at least I was first… Thank you so much, my patrons… she thought happily, carried once again into a sleepy state. I couldn’t have done this without you. Only when she got up the following morning and inspected herself in the mirror, did she notice the Queen of Spades tattoo that been left on her for-now flat tummy. Kana cried intensely, surprised that they could’ve been so thoughtful. She caressed it for a time, dreaming of the next time she would be blacked. Then, she went to grab her phone, excited to share the finding with her loyal followers.

#bbc #story #interracial

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365days365movies · 4 years ago

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January 4, 2021: First Blood (1982) (Part II)

Quick Recap before we go on. Oh, and SPOILERS right up top!

John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is a Vietnam vet wandering through Washington State, until coming upon the town of Hope, run by the Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy).

Sheriff Will Teasle is an absolute dick who arrests Rambo for no real reason; just for being a “drifter.” His police force, which includes the sadistic Galt (Jack Starrett) and sympathetic Mitch (David Caruso, AKA Horatio Caine from CSI: Miami), beats John Rambo, and post-2020 me is UNCOMFORTABLE!!!!!!!

Rambo has Vietnam flashbacks (like you do) and escapes the prison, pursued by the obsessive and dickish Sheriff and his equally dickish men (except for Horatio, maybe).

Galt tries to shoot Rambo, and karma bitch-slaps him RIGHT in the face, holy shit. He dies, and Rambo is blamed and shot at, escaping into the forest.

OK?

OK. On with the recap!

At this point, all of Rambo’s actions are in self-defense. In truth, it’s been self-defense since the beginning. However, he does kill two dogs, so...yeah, can’t really justify that. That sucks. The dog’s handler gets shot by Rambo, who now has a gun, and we also see that Galt’s certified sociopathy has leaked into everybody else but Horatio upon his death, including the dog guy, who tells his dogs to straight up kill Rambo. But, as previously stated...that’s not what happens.

At this point, I should introduce the amemedala.

The amemedala is a portion of the mesencephalon (or midbrain) discovered in the brains of millennials and younger individuals, recently discovered, named, and made up by yours truly. This area, attached to the thalamus, acts as a relay center between the cerebrum and the various sensory receptors of the body, similar to the function of the thalamus. However, while the thalamus governs the broad relay of senses to the appropriate areas of the brain for analysis, the amemedala relays appropriate sensory signals to the frontal lobes, where catalogs of shared sociological trends, or memes, are housed. This relay and association generates connections between extrenal stimuli, and entries in the meme catalog of the frontal lobes. While this is technically an autonomic process, it can be suppressed with enough willpower.

Why am I ringing this up in the middle of First Blood? Because EVERY. SINGLE. CELL of my brain is working to suppress the amemedala right now. Why? BECAUSE OF THE LORAX, AND FOR WHOM HE SPEAKS.

Is it an outdated meme? Very much so. BUT I CANNOT GET IT OUT OF MY GODDAMN HEAD AS I WATCH THIS MOVIE.

OK. That is now out of my system. Anyway, Rambo continues to speak for the trees, which is understandably starting to spook the smalltown cops. This leads to the VERY surprising moment where a camouflaged Rambo appears OUT OF NOWHERE and stabs Horatio in the goddamn leg! Like, wow, he was invisible! I had to rewind the film to see where he was. This is tense...and awesome, not gonna lie. This is awesome.

And then, he gets another cop by JUMPING FROM A TREE. Well, a tree stump, BUT STILL. After he takes him out, he stands in plain sight in front of an approaching cop. That cop, subscribing once again to the shoot-first-ask-questions-later policy, fires. And I SWEAR, Rambo is FASTER THAN THOSE SPEEDING BULLETS, as he dodges out of the way, and the bullets HIT THE COP HE JUST TOOK OUT!

And then, when I didn’t think this could get any more intense, that cop triggers a booby trap, and A STICK WITH WOODEN SPIKES GOES THROUGH THIS MAN’S LEGS, AND HE’S SPEARED LIKE A KEBAB OH MY GOD

The asshole sheriff runs to the NEW set of panicked screams, and his compatriot is just Batman-ed away by Rambo. It’s just the sheriff, now. The storm is building, and the forest is getting darker. The sheriff frees leg-spike cop, and goes to find the other cop, who’s been PINNED TO A TREE LIKE A BUTTERFLY IN A DISPLAY CASE. See, look!

HOLY SHIT IT’S RAMBO WITH A KNIFE IN THE FOREST. He pins the sheriff up to a tree, then with some legitimately badass lines, threatens with the sheriff with “a war [he] wouldn’t believe,” and telling him to make like Elsa and…

I love this sequence. It is the most intense, crazy, holy shit sequence I’ve seen so far this month. Wow. I understand why people talk about this movie. Man, that was a hell of a ride! Good movie, though. All right, so, time for the final sco-

Oh. Oh, my God. I’m only HALFWAY INTO THE MOVIE?

...Wow. OK, then.

We now meet Colonel Sam Trautman, Rambo’s commander in the Green Berets. He’s come to “get his boy.” He says that he came to rescue the Sheriff’s dumb ass from Rambo, rather than the other way around. And the Sheriff is...an idiot. He’s an ass, he’s a maniac, and he’s a stubborn idiot. Even after learning that Rambo is the best, he’s unwilling to back down, the dummkopf.

Rambo kills a wild boar in the woods, which makes no sense for Washington State, but whatever, sure. Anyway, they try to get the colonel to lure Rambo out, even though that’s obviously gonna make his PTSD, just...SO much worse. Especially as he starts using Vietnam parlance in contacting him. Not gonna end well, guys. But it’s then that we learn that Rambo is now the last surviving member of his unit, contributing to his trauma. Rambo’s also been trying to get in contact with the Colonel, winding up here because he has no place to go. He says that there are no friendly civilians, and the trouble’s been caused by that “king-shit” cop. I will be using this term from now on.

Wow. Damn. Hell of a reason for that title. And I think I love this movie. Seriously, I’m having a good time.

King-Shit Cop keeps going ahead with his absolute idiocy, despite all warnings to the contrary. So, a bunch of troops now converge upon Rambo’s place, but he naturally opens fire on them, without killing a single person. In fact, he hasn’t killed anyone this whole movie, and they make a point of saying that he’s been holding back the whole time. So, they decide to use the next, most logical course of action. They FIRE A ROCKET AT HIM.

Afterwards, the Colonel and King Shit Cop catch up at a bar, where the latter exposes his full sociopathy, commenting that he just wanted to kill Rambo. This is opposed to the Colonel, who doesn’t really know what he’d do if Rambo survived.

Which, of course, he did. C’mon, you think a little military-grade propelled explosive is gonna kill John Rambo? Nah. He’s the best there ever was, and he’s gonna prove it now. He jumps into a military vehicle holding an M-60, and hijacks it. Doesn’t take long for the news to break that Rambo’s still kicking, and he’s quickly intercepted by King Shit Cop, who JUST. DOESN’T. KNOW. WHEN. TO QUIT. And I’d admire his tenacity if he wasn’t SUCH AN ASSHOLE.

The cops try to run Rambo and the truck of the road, and he plays the UNO Reverse Card on them instead. And I’m pretty sure at this point…

...that old Johnny boy’s just killed some cops. So, yeah, now there’s a bigger problem. He powers through the State Police blockade like it was a banner blocking a football team, stops at a gas station, grabs the gun from the car, and LIGHTS ALL OF THAT SHIT ON FIRE! Destroying the livelihood of an individual who had nothing to do with this.

Yeah, Rambo’s starting to turn from innocent acting in self-defense to public menace REAL quick. And yeah, it’s King Shit Cop’s fault entirely...but, yeah, Johnny needs some help, because he’s losing the train at this point. But, not to be outdone, King Shit Cop is also beginning to lose it, and it’s definitely beginning to seem like only one of them is going to come out of this alive. And the Colonel tries to give him an out, but King Shit Cop’s prepared to go down with the ship that he blew a hole in in the first place. Like an asshole.

But here we go, the finale. John Rambo vs. King Shit Cop (whose name, by the way, is Will Teasle. I just like Rambo’s name for him better). KSC’s on the roof, Rambo’s on the street. Rambo causes more property damage, possibly because banks also give him PTSD (I joke, but PTSD is no laughing matter, John clearly needs help), and then finds his way to a store that has just all of the ammo a psychologically-damaged Vietnam War veteran on a revenge quest could ever need.

And then he BLOWS. THAT. SHIT. UP.

And he does this...ALL of this...just to lure KSC out of hiding. This man DESTROYS A TOWN because this idiot, sociopathic, unhinged, King Shit Cop, won’t just STAND. THE FUCK. DOWN ALREADY.

Rambo enters the police station, where KSC is on the roof. And, like the Colonel and the rest of us guessed, KSC gets shot in the process. And as Rambo stands over KSC, the Colonel finally shows up and does what literally everybody else should have done.

Talk. He just...talks to Rambo. He talks to this mentally ill man, and that mentally ill man responds, espousing his pure anger at the war, the public, protesters, work, the country, the town, himself...everyone. And goddamn, is that shit palpable.

youtube

This man can no longer fit in the world that he was forced to leave, and forced to return to. This poor, poor, poor man. It hurts. And it sucks. And he pours his heart out to the Colonel, and to us, and...you feel it. You feel his trauma, you feel his pain. You feel the aftermath of war. And it’s been seven years at this point for the Colonel, but no time for John. Not Rambo. John. And it’s just...never over.

Damn. Goddamn.

This...this is one hell of a good movie. And not just a good action movie, either. A damn good movie.

And that’s it. That’s First Blood.

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years ago

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The Weekend Warrior 5/7/21: WRATH OF MAN, HERE TODAY, THE UNTHINKABLE, MONSTER, THE WATER MAN and More

It’s a new month, and I guess going by previous years pre-COVID, this weekend would normally be the start of summer. This year, we’re instead getting a summer with a lot of movies that would normally be dumped into April or February or some other uneventful month. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t or won’t be any good movies, but really, there’s nothing that feels like a summer movie until A Quiet Place Part II and Disney’s Cruella open on Memorial Day weekend.

There’s been lots of great developments, though, including the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn reopening this Friday and then in a few short weeks, theaters may be allowed to be open with no capacity rules although social distancing and masks will probably still be in place. Believe me, it’s been a confusing week as the city that got used to being on the backburner when it comes to reopenings, especially with movie theaters, is now dealing with arguing politicians competing to see who could throw open the then most doors fastest. It’s actually pretty embarrassing.

That aside, this week’s The Weekend Warrior column is brought to you by the new album “Coral Island” from Liverpool band The Coral, which I’ve decided to listen to on loop until I finish this column, because it’s taking me so long to get through it. (Eventually, I switched to Teenage Fanclub’s “Endless Arcade,” since I hadn’t had a chance to listen to it yet…. And to an old standby, Royal Blood, with their own excellent new album, “Typhoons.” At least the record business seems to know it’s the summer!)

Before we get to this week’s new movies, a couple tidbits. First of all, I’m thrilled that my friends Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu’s documentary FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH can finally be seen by the entire world, or at least the United States. It debuted on PBS World Channel on Tuesday night as part of the “America ReFramed” series, but for the entire month of May until June 3, you can watch it On Demand HERE, and that is huge! (There will be other ways to see it that you can read about here.)

This is an amazing MUST-SEE doc that looks into the little-known Chinese communities that took root in Mississippi in the early 20th Century and how they became such a huge part of that area with their markets, also bonding with the African-American communities that were similarly dealing with racism from the typically white post-Civil War South. It’s not just a history lesson, and it’s an incredibly moving story about a family trying to find its roots in the most unexpected places. There was a good reason why the couple’s short “Finding Cleveland” won the Oxford Film Festival while I was on the jury that year, and Far East Deep South similarly won an award there last year after its World Premiere at Cinequest was almost scuppered by COVID. It’s amazing how much more relevant and important this film has become since I first saw it last year, since both Asians and African-Americans are dealing with serious racial issues, and this movie shows that more than anything, they should be working to boost each other rather than fighting. Do check it out On Demand this month if you get a chance!

Another musician making movies is Mr. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. I mentioned his documentary WHAT DRIVES US last week, but I actually only got to watch it on Thursday, and like his previous film Studio City and HBO mini-series, Sonic Highways, it’s a fantastic look at the music biz, this time through a variety of artists who began their careers by piling into vans and driving around the country. That is, except Lars Ulrich from Metallica, who mentions that the band was never so small or indie that they didn’t have a bus. But Grohl has used his vast connections to bring in a lot of great musicians including The Edge from U2, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more, making this a very entertaining movie both for fans of the various bands but also live music fans in general. I gotta admit that as much as I loved What Drives Us, it did bring me down a bit since it’s been almost 14 months since I’ve seen any live music, and I really miss it. This is now streaming on The Coda Collection, which you can subscribe to through Amazon Prime Video.

Guy Ritchie is back with his latest movie, WRATH OF MAN (Miramax/MGM), which reunites him with Jason Statham for the first time since 2007’s Revolver, I believe. Statham plays the enigmatic Paul “H” Hill who works at cash truck company Fortico, responsible for moving hundreds of million dollars around Los Angeles each week. Fortico has recently been hit by a lethal robbery, and H’s team soon learn that there’s a lot more to their new coworker, who happens to be looking for revenge against the man who murdered his son.

(Unfortunately, reviews for the movie are embargoed until Thursday at 6pm, so I can’t tell you whether it’s any good or not. Until Thursday night. Sorry!)

But I will talk about the movie’s box office prospects, because why not? Ritchie’s last movie, The Gentlemen, opened in January 2020, during the “before times,” with $10.6 million, but that was more of a classic Ritchie ensemble crime-comedy. Wrath of Man is more of the type of movie Statham has been making over the past few years, a cross between a revenge thriller and a heist flick. In fact, Statham has done a pretty good job creating his own brand through a variety of action-thrillers as well as a number of franchises including “The Transporter” movies, “The Expendables,” and eventually joining the “Fast and the Furious” franchise as Deckard Shaw with Furious 7 in 2017. Statham then went off to make Hobbs and Shaw with Dwayne Johnson, which didn’t do bad with $174 million. Before that, Statham starred in The Meg, a summer shark attack movie that grossed $145 million. Statham going back to help his old mate i.e. the director that gave Statham his start is pretty huge.

But as I said earlier, those were all in the “before times” and with the box office the way it is, it’s hard to imagine that the exciting reunion of Statham and Ritchie can open with more than $10 million but maybe closer to $8 million, because MGM/UA just doesn’t have the marketing clout of a Warner Bros. or Universal. Even so, that should be enough to be #1 this weekend as both Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer continue to fall away. Unfortunately, if the movie *is* any good -- and I can’t tell you one way or another -- then by the time reviews hit, people will already have other plans for the weekend than to go see the movie. So yeah, that’s pretty dumb on the part of MGM, huh?

UPDATE: MGM is putting the movie into 2,876 theaters and maybe I'm being overly optimistic, because, as you'll read below, the movie IS pretty good and reviews have remained positive with the American reviews rolling in last night, still at 70% Fresh at this writing. Maybe that'll help the movie do a little better, maybe as much as $9 million, although I'll probably owe MGM an apology if it cracks $10 million, and I don't think it will.

Mini-Review: If you’ve seen the trailer for Wrath of Man, you might go into Guy Ritchie’s latest thinking you know what to expect, because it’s sure being sold as another typical Jason Statham revenge thriller. Don’t be fooled by the marketing, the movie really is Ritchie’s chance to make his own version of Heat, an L.A. heist movie that owes as much to Rashomon as another movie being released this week.

Wrath of Man begins with the heist of an armored truck that turns deadly with the wanton murder of a couple guards. From there, you might think we know where things are going when Statham’s “H” company whose truck was hit, and on his first day, he stops a similar heist by killing the truck’s attackers. H is immediately the hero of the company, although he still has quite a few suspicious coworkers and the feeling is quite mutual. Ritchie’s film then slips into the second episodic chapter which goes back five months to that initial heist where we learn that Statham’s son was killed by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don’t want to go too much deeper into how the movie and story play out, because like The Gentlemen and some of Ritchie’s more intricate films, there’s a lot that purposefully isn’t made very apparent at the beginning. To many, this movie will be seen as even more macho than most of Ritchie's films, to the point where even the only woman guard, Dana, being just as macho as the men. As the movie begins, there’s a lot of joke-cracking and crotch-grabbing, all while Statham’s character silently observes and only acts when necessary.

The film’s shift to more of a classic Ritchie ensemble does slowly take place, but by the third chapter, it shifts to the group perpetrating the cash truck heists with an “inside person,” taking the movie to yet another place that makes it more obvious that this is Ritchie’s attempt at delving into the L.A. heist genre that other filmmakers have done so well.

Oddly, Statham doesn’t have too many lines, acting almost like a Terminator in his determination to right wrongs, but as always, Ritchie puts together a fantastic ensemble cast including a number of great American character actors who we rarely get to see in such great roles. I was particularly impressed with Jeffrey Donovan, who has appeared in a number of otherwise forgettable crime films this past year. The same can be said for Holt McCallany as H’s truck driver “Bullet,” but Ritchie also cast the likes of Josh Hartnett and Scott Eastwood in smaller yet still significant supporting roles, all of whom become more interesting as you start figuring out who all the players are.

Like I said, the movie is fairly macho and the few women play very small roles, but it’s how things are set-up in the first few acts to then change course and build to an absolutely amazing third act that will undoubtedly bear comparisons to Heat. And yet Wrath of Man (which is actually based on a little-seen French crime-thriller) does branch away from some of Ritchie’s standards, first of all by being far darker and even more violent with any of the wisecracking humor that pervades a lot of Ritchie’s work to counterbalance such violence disappearing once the flashbacks begin. It’s all punctuated by a fantastically tense score by Christopher Benstead, which seems a bit much at first but eventually settles into the perfect pace and tone for the action.

Despite disappearing for a good chunk of the movie, Statham is still great, basically killing everyone as his characters are wont to do, but watching how all of the different ideas come together leads to such a satisfying conclusion that one hopes those who might be put off, thinking they know where it's going due to the somewhat pathetic and obvious marketing will give it a chance to see how Ritchie has changed gears as effortlessly as he did with Aladdin a few years back.

Rating: 7.5/10

After even a longer time since he directed a movie, Billy Crystal once again takes the helm for HERE TODAY (Sony/Stage6), a movie in which he plays comedy writer Charlie Burns, whose chance encounter with Tiffany Haddish’s lounge singer, Emma Payge, leads to an unlikely friendship, as he struggles with early stage dementia.

I’ve known about this movie for over a year now, and I was pretty excited to finally get to see it, since I was such a fan of the other movies Crystal has directed, 1992’s Mr. Saturday Night and 1995’s Forget Paris, and it’s just amazing to me that he hasn’t directed a movie since.

At first, it seems like it’s the type of meet-cute we’ve seen so much in Crystal’s past filmography, but his pairing with Haddish isn’t something that might work on paper, but in fact, their comic styles mesh so perfectly together that it’s amazing that no one thought of putting them together before.

Crystal wrote the film with comic Alan Zweibel, who adapted it from his own short story “The Prize,” which refers to Haddish’s character winning Charlie in an auction for a lunch. Actually, her ex won the lunch, and she decided to use it because… free lunch! It’s a pretty simple set-up but one that allows the filmmakers to explore some of the odder things that happen in life.

Much of the movie’s humor plays upon the differences between the two characters, and how unexpected their friendship is. I can totally relate, because I have a lot of good long-time friends who most people might never expect us to be friends, but Crystal, Zweibel and Haddish pick up on that and create a movie that’s very funny but has enough other characters around the duo toa allow their characters to show how they’re just really nice people. We see that with how Charlie takes a young writer at his late night show under his wing or how Emma livens up the bat mitzvah of Charlie’s granddaughter. Oh yeah, and Haddish sings. She actually has a number of great performances in the movie, and seriously, anyone who watches this movie is gonna wanna see a smart filmmaker put Haddish in a musical immediately.

The film also acts as a truly touching tribute to Crystal’s friend, the late Robin WIlliams, who was diagnosed with the exact same type of dementia after his suicide death, and knowing that fact, makes the film even more poignant. More importantly, it doesn’t use Charlie’s condition for laughs, and for that alone, I feel like this is ten times better than that overrated Oscar winner The Father.

Here Today’s biggest problems come in the third act when it feels like the movie is starting to over-extend its welcome, even going into somewhat expected places, but it recovers from that rough third act to land a really nice ending. Crystal has always proven himself to be a really strong mainstream filmmaker (ala Rob Reiner and others) who makes crowd-pleasing movies, and it’s so nice seeing him going behind the camera for a movie that’s obviously very personal but also highly relatable.

As far as box office, I certainly have high hopes that Crystal still has an older audience of fans who might want to see him on the big screen again. I’m just not sure if this will be in more than 1,000 theaters, and though I’ve seen quite a bit of marketing, I just haven’t seen Crystal or Haddish do nearly as much in terms of getting out there that would be necessary to reach an audience that might want to venture out into movie theaters to see the movie vs. waiting until it’s on cable/streaming. There’s also Tiffany Haddish’ fanbase, and there could be some benefit for the movie coming out the same week as her new CBS show “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”

I’d love to be optimistic with this making $4 to 5 million but it’s probably more likely to be closer to $3 million especially with capacity limits still in place for most theaters and the audience generally being older.

UPDATE: Maybe I was a little too optimistic, because I enjoyed the movie so much and it will probably be closer to $1 or 1.5 million since other reviews aren't as great.

Next, we have two movies finally being released many years after their festival premieres…

The Swedish apocalyptic thriller THE UNTHINKABLE (Magnet), directed by Victor Danell, is finally being released after playing genre fests in 2018 and 2019. It stars Christoffer Nordenrot as Alex, a young piano virtuoso who ran away from home due to his abusive father Bjorn (Jesper Barkselius). Years later, he returns home for his mother’s funeral after she’s killed in a terrorist attack on Sweden. At the same, there’s a virus that’s erasing people’s memories, but Alex is still in love with Anna (Lisa Henni), the girl he had a crush on when he left, and the three of them will have to help each other face all the horrible things hitting their home at the same time.

As I was watching this movie, a lot of it felt eerily familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure out why. The more I watched it, the more I realized that I actually HAD seen the movie before. Sure enough, I saw this movie over two years ago at the “What the Fest?!” in New York two years ago, and I honestly don’t remember loving it. Still, I decided to give it a fresh look, hoping to get more out of it on second viewing.

Some of the same things bothered me on this second viewing, because it’s really hard to figure out exactly what is going on and whether the horrific events are natural, man-made or a combination of both. For some time, we get so mired into Alex’s lame relationship with Anna, and when he returns home, his conspiracy theory-driven father is busy protecting a bunker that’s being invaded by foreign military troops he thinks are Russians. We cut between these two disparate scenarios while sometimes returning to the capital of Sweden and throwing in a few big set pieces. It’s so disjointed that you feel like you’re watching a lot of random unrelated events, maybe a bit like last week’s About Endlessness -- maybe it’s a Swedish thing?

There are aspects of The Unthinkable that are quite commendable, particularly those action moments and how the mystery about what is happening develops as the film goes along. Eventually, the film does find a more consistent pace, and things start becoming a little clearer, which makes the final act better than much of what we’ve watched earlier. Even so, it’s still quite annoying how long it takes to figure out what’s going on, even on a second viewing, and for most people, that may already be far too frustrating to get through it.

Hitting Netflix on Friday over THREE years after it premiered at Sundance is music video director Anthony Mandler’s directorial debut, MONSTER (Netflix), based on the novel by Walter Dean Myers. It stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves) as Steve Harmon, a 17-year-old film student put in jail, accused of murder in a bodega robbery. His defense lawyer (Jennifer Ehle) is trying to help him be released, but he’s fighting against the odds of a judicial system that sees him as a “monster” because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I have to be honest that I did go to see this at Sundance the week it premiered, and for whatever reason, I just wasn’t feeling it, so I only really caught about twenty minutes of it. Watching it now with more time and a little less weary than I usually am towards the end of Sundance, I was able to appreciate Monster more for what it is. On the surface, it’s just about Steve’s case and how what really happened unfolds before our eyes and we learn more about those around Steve and how their influence may have pulled a smart and studious young man into the criminal world that now has him in prison with much more violent life-long criminals.

We already knew that Harrison was a great actor, but Monster shows us that he was already on his way to greatness with this movie that for whatever reason got buried even as it dealt with issues that have been in the headlines almost every day since this debuted.

Mandler takes an interesting approach, both non-linear and also with blatant nods to Kurosawa’s Rashomon, which is even cited by Steve’s teacher, played by Tim Blake Nelson. Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson are decent as Steve’s parents, but they’re generally smaller and non-showy roles compared to the moments between Harrison and Ehle. Much of the film takes place in the courtroom with flashbacks showing what happened through the viewpoint of whomever is on the stand, which eventually includes Steve himself.

The way Mandler handles the material may lean more on the artiness rather than something more mainstream -- Michael B. Jordan’s Just Mercy comes to mind -- but it’s just as powerful in showing how someone like Steve can be othered by society into being a criminal. Sure, there have been other handlings of this sort of material that I thought were better films, but if you know anyone who has ever had dealings with the “justice” system and know how unfair and horrible it can be even to the innocent, then Monster will certainly strike a chord.

Also hitting Netflix this week is the new series based on Mark Millar and Frank Quitely‘s comic books, JUPITER’S LEGACY (Netflix), another kind of twist on the superhero genre ala Amazon Prime Video’s series based on Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys. I love the comics, and I can’t wait to finally get around to seeing Netflix’s first adaptation of a Millarworld property.

David Oyelowo makes his directorial debut with THE WATER MAN (RLJEfilms), a movie about a young boy named Gunner Boon (Lonnie Chavis), whose mother (Rosario Dawson) is battling leukemia. In an effort to cure her, Guner goes off on a journey along with a teenage girl named Jo (Amiah Miller) to find the mythical Water Man, who can provide them with a magic token that might save Gunner’s mother’s life.

I’ve interviewed Oyelowo a few times before, and I really like him a lot, so I had really high hopes for him as a director since I feel he’s just a terrific actor. Unfortunately, the material here is just not strong enough that I think even a far more experienced filmmaker could make something out of it.

Set in PIne Hills, we meet Gunner, a bright kid who loves drawing comic books, but he has trouble connecting with his father (Oyelowo), so when he has an idea that might help his sick mother, he goes off with a head-strong teen named Jo, in search of the Water Man, a summertime adventure permeated by a lot of very bad low-budget visual effects.

Honestly, I’m not even sure where to begin with where The Water Man falters, because Oyelowo has such a great cast, including Alfred Molina and Maria Bello in tiny parts. The story is a problem, as is the writing, which is just so bland and dull, that there’s really nothing in Oyelowo’s direction or any of the performances that really can salvage it. Neither of the child actors have much charisma or personality, and even Dawson’s performance, which would normally be a showstopper is repeatedly lessened by the constant cutting back to the kids. (And as someone who beat leukemia myself, I’m never a fan when cancer is depicted in movies as a death sentence rather than just another hurdle in life that needs to be overcome.)

Oyelowo himself may be one of his generation’s best actors, but he brings so little to the role of Gunner’s father, maybe to not take away from his younger star, but it hurts that he doesn’t do more to create a stronger conflict by making the character more horrible to drive Gunner away. The actual Water Man doesn’t improve things when he finally shows up, essentially talking like a pirate but not even remotely paying off.

Honestly, The Water Man seems like such a misguided venture -- Exec. Produced by Oprah, no less -- and it might have been totally forgettable if the characters didn’t keep saying the title of the movie every five minutes.

Hitting theaters Friday after a festival run is Tran Quoc Bao’s action-comedy THE PAPER TIGERS (WELL GO USA), starring ALain Uy, Ron Yuan and Mikel Shannon Jenkins as martial artists once known as “the three tigers but now middle-aged men must set aside old grudges and dad duties to avenge the murder of their teacher. I’ve had a screener of this since last summer when it played at Fantasia Festival in Montreal, and I just never got around to watching it, but if I’m able to squeeze it in before the weekend, check back here for my review.

Streaming on Shudder this Friday is Ryan Kruger's South African comedy-thriller FRIED BARRY (Shudder), starring Gary Green as Barry, a violent street junkie who is abducted by aliens who take over his body in order to… well, actually… they do a lot of drugs, have a lot of sex and other craziness. It’s a pretty strange and bizarre movie that reminds me a little of movies like a lower-fi Under the Skin or Beyond the Black Rainbow, and much of it is driven by the insane and unique performance by Green and the odd characters he encounters that I think will find its fans for sure, but it will definitely be for a very select audience of genre festival fans, as this is by no means a mainstream genre film.

Speaking of which, another movie out this week which I wasn’t allowed to see in advance is Gia Coppola’s MAINSTREAM (IFC Films), starring Maya Hawke as a young woman seeking internet stardom by making YouTube videos with a charismatic stranger, played by Andrew Garfield, until “the dark side of viral celebrity threatens to ruin them both.” Yup, it’s one of THOSE movies. It also stars Nat Wolff, Jason Schwartzman and Johnny Knoxville, but I haven’t heard anything good about it, and I’m not sure my curiosity is piqued enough to spend any of my own personal money to check it out.

Hitting Amazon on Friday is the doc THE BOY FROM MEDELLIN (Amazon) from Matthew Heineman (City of Ghosts, Cartel Land), a portrait of musical superstar J. Balvin, as he prepares for a massive sold-out stadium show in his hometown of Medellin, Colombia, which is hindered by the growing civil unrest in the area.

Lots of other movies this week, but a few that i just wasn’t able to get to this week, including:

ABOVE SUSPICION (Lionsgate) INITIATION (Saban Films) ENFANT TERRIBLE (Dark Star Pictures) QUEEN MARIE (Samuel Goldwyn Films) SILO (Oscilloscope) CITIZEN PENN (Discovery+)

That’s it for this week. Next week, Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson star in SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW (Lionsgate) and Angelina Jolie returns for the thriller THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD (New Line) and Timur Bekmambetov’s thriller, PROFILE (Focus Features). That’s right. This will be the first weekend in over a year where we’ll have three or maybe even four new wide releases.

#TheWeekendWarrior #Movies #Reviews #WrathOfMan #HereToday #Monster #The Unthinkable #TheWaterMan

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