#this is not to say i dont love fucked up characters. i DO. but i also adore characters full of love and whimsical joy

[justarkive]

TABLE 3 | JJK ch17

“For good service, and cute waitresses.”

pairing: pre!military jk x waitress/secret fuckbuddy!oc

Before Jungkook enlists in the military, his life takes an unexpected turn when he visits a local restaurant with friends and meets a waitress who doesn’t recognize him. Surprised by your lack of star-struck reaction, Jungkook finds himself drawn to your down-to-earth nature, especially his previous struggles with the pressure of constant drama on social media regarding his relationships. Little do you know, Jungkook is about to leave for the military, which inevitably bring’s complications to their connection… do they find a way to fix it?

warnings: profanity, angst, humour, fluff, celebrity au, idol!jungkook , mentions of other kpop groups/idols, inner conflict, insecurity.

chap contents: mentions of unsafe driving ( dont ) jungkook is an idiot. he cries for half the chapter again, nari being our fav supportive bestie, we love her, oc is in her elle woods era LOL. alc consumption, jk is so heartbroken and so is oc, jungkook spamming oc, oc accidentally replies while drunk ( spoiler: they dont fix anything btw) theres honestly more humour then angst!!

wc: shortttt

this fic is not meant to represent the real jungkook or any other characters mentioned!

taglist: @jenniebyrubies @dreamersparacosm @darklove2020 @rayyrayy10 @elinaki92 @alana4610 @bjoriis @kaitieskidmore97 @cuntessaiii

a/n: im gonna upload the next part in a few because i had to split up the chapter since it was super awkward to keep in one long part!! this part isnt that angsty ngl, im also NOT good at writing angst if u cant tell. but yeah, enjoy loves <3

masterlist, < prev | next >

Jungkook sits in his car for a long time outside your apartment building.

Long enough for the engine’s low hum to become a dull vibration against his hands. Long enough for the tears burning his eyes to finally spill over.

He grips the steering wheel. His knuckles turn white. He can still hear you.

Still hear the crack in your voice when you told him to leave. Still see the way you flinched when he tried to touch you.

He squeezes his eyes shut. His chest aches.

His lungs feel tight.

His stomach is turning and twisting and burning and then, he pulls out his phone.

Dials the number without thinking.

It rings twice before, “Jungkook, what’s up?”

The second he hears Taehyung’s voice, Jungkook shatters. He doesn’t even get a word out. Just breaks. His whole body curls inward as the sobs hit him all over again, raw and ugly and relentless. There’s a pause on the other end of the line.

Then, “Jungkook?”

Jungkook tries to speak. Fails.

His hands shake against his lap. He presses the heel of his palm to his forehead, trying to hold himself together, but it’s pointless.

“She knows.”

His voice barely comes out. “She fucking found out.”

Taehyung exhales.

“Yeah,” he mutters. “You fucked up.”

Jungkook lets out a hollow laugh. “No shit.”

He swallows, trying to get his breathing under control. His chest is heaving. His skin is burning.

“It happened so wrong,” he whispers. “I was supposed to tell her, I was—I was going to tell her, I had this whole fucking plan, but—”

He cuts himself off. His mind is racing.

The guilt turns into anger. “She would’ve been upset anyway.” His voice is sharper now, defensive. “Even if I told her weeks ago, she still would’ve been hurt. Like—like, this was always going to happen, right?”

Taehyung sighs. Doesn’t say anything at first.

And then “Jungkook.”

His tone is flat. Calm. Unwavering.

“Stop.”

Jungkook blinks. And suddenly, it all collapses. The weight of his own bullshit slams into him all at once.

He was making excuses. Trying to convince himself that you were just as responsible for getting attached. That this was inevitable. That it wasn’t entirely his fault. But it was. It was all his fault. There is no one else to blame. Not you. Not the situation. Not even time itself.

Just him.

And the realization guts him. His lip trembles. His head drops. His vision blurs all over again.

“I ruined everything,” he chokes out.

Taehyung doesn’t argue. Doesn’t tell him he didn’t. Doesn’t try to make him feel better. He just lets him sit in it. Jungkook grips the phone tighter, his breathing unsteady.

“I gotta go.”

And before Taehyung can respond, he ends the call.

He drives. Fast. Faster than he should. Blowing through streets he doesn’t recognize. Ignoring the blaring horns from pissed-off drivers when he swerves too suddenly. Blinking past the tears making the city lights smear together. His mind is loud.

His heart is pounding. And then, somehow, He ends up at the field. The one place he always runs to.

The one place he stupidly introduced you to. His escape. His getaway. And now—now it’s just another thing that reminds him of you.

He stumbles out of the car. His legs feel weak. The air is cold. He doesn’t care.

He walks to where you both sat that night—his spot in the grass is worn in more than yours.

Because he comes here all the time. Because he always ran here when things got too much. Because this place was his before you—

But now, somehow, it is you.

He sinks down onto the grass, knees bent, hands shaking. He stares at the tree where he hung the fairy lights that are still barely there. His gaze drifts—

There.

The paint. A tiny splash of color against the bark.

Leftover from that night you painted together.

That night you chased each other, breathless and laughing, Jungkook with streaks of red and blue smudged across his cheeks, you with splatters of yellow on your sweater.

That night he thought— No.

That night he knew he had already fallen for you.

Completely. Helplessly. Stupidly.

Jungkook clenches his jaw. He loses it.

A broken sob tears from his throat.

He grips his hair in his shirt, tugging like it’ll somehow lessen the unbearable ache in his chest. He gasps for breath. His whole body shakes. It feels like something inside him is splitting open, too fucking much.

His hand fumbles for his phone.

He barely sees the screen through his tears. His fingers move on autopilot. He opens your messages.

He starts spamming.

Jungkook [10:47pm]: please

Jungkook [10:47pm]: im so fucking sorry

Jungkook [10:48pm]: let me explain please.

Jungkook [10:48pm]: please, please, please.

Jungkook [10:49pm]: please pick up.

His thumb hovers over your contact. He calls. It rings. No answer.

He calls again. Still nothing.

And then, finally, On the third attempt—

The line clicks.

For a second, his breath catches—

“Stop fucking calling.”

Nari’s voice is sharp. Low. Whispered. Lethal. And then—

Click. The call drops. His whole body deflates. And then, before he can even process it—

A new notification.

Y/N has turned on Do Not Disturb.

Jungkook stares at his screen. The lump in his throat expands.His vision swims. And then, finally, Finally—He gives up.

Drops his phone.

Presses his palms into his eyes.

And sobs until his whole body aches.

——

You wake up feeling…nothing. Not empty. Not heavy. Just numb.

Your eyes flicker open to the soft glow of daylight peeking through the curtains. The sheets are tangled around you, stiff from dried tears. The weight of Nari’s arm, which had been slung over you at some point in the night, is gone. She’s still here, though.

Curled up beside you, knocked out cold. You should’ve known. Nari was always a deep sleeper, but last night—last night, she stayed up.

She always knocks out first. Always. But last night, she stayed awake, waiting for you to sleep first. Probably because she knew you wouldn’t.

You glance at the ceiling, blinking slowly.

Your body is exhausted, but your mind is still replaying everything in loops.

Your parents.

The dinner.

Jungkook.

His voice.

His silence.

The way he looked at you.

The way he didn’t look at you.

Three weeks. He had three weeks left, and he wasn’t even going to tell you.

You inhale sharply. Throat tight. The thought should hurt.

But instead, you just feel like…static. A long, droning sound in the back of your head that won’t go away.

Eventually, Nari stirs.

She groans, stretches, then pops her head up up without a word. She doesn’t look at you immediately.

Just rubs at her face before swinging her legs over yours, sighing heavily.

And then— “We are not going to work today.”

It’s not a suggestion. It’s a statement. You don’t argue. Just exhale, closing your eyes.

Your boss is going to freak.

As if summoned by your thoughts, your phone vibrates aggressively on the nightstand.

You barely register the caller ID before you answer, lifting the phone to your ear.

“Where are you, my darling!?”

You wince. Your boss’s voice is already dramatic as hell first thing in the morning.

“We miss you so much,” he continues, not even giving you a second to answer. “Everyone is looking for you—your regulars, my dear customers, even the damn coffee machine won’t start without you. It’s broken in your absence. The diner is nothing without you, my sweet angel—”

You fake a cough into your fist.

“I’m sick.”

A beat of silence.

Then, suspiciously, “You don’t sound sick.”

Before you can respond, Nari—who was previously lying face down into the pillow—suddenly lifts her head and groggily groans,

“Oh my god, I’m so fucking tired, bitch.”

Your eyes widen. You slap a hand over her mouth so fast. But it’s too late.

There’s a long, long pause on the other end of the call.

And then, “Is that Nari?”

You sigh.

“Yes.”

“My other darling? My other baby?”

You don’t even know what to say.

Nari, meanwhile, is staring at you, eyes narrowed, clearly trying to process what the hell is going on.

“We’re sick,” you repeat weakly. “I promise we’ll be back tomorrow.”

Your boss hums, unconvinced.

Then—

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

Another pause.

Then, finally—

“I love you.”

And then the line clicks.

You blink.

Nari blinks.

And then—

You both burst out cackling.

She flops back into the pillows, groaning, “What the fuck?”

“Our boss.”

“He’s obsessed with us.”

“I know.” You both laugh for a while, but it doesn’t last long. Because then. The silence creeps in again. And with it—everything else. Your smile fades. Nari notices.

She doesn’t say anything—just nudges your arm gently before pulling you out of bed.

“C’mon,” she says softly. “Let’s make breakfast.”

You both shuffle into the kitchen, still in your pajamas. Neither of you are particularly great at cooking, but Nari makes you try, at least. You attempt to make pancakes. Somehow, they come out crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. You both look at each other, horrified.

“Is this safe?” Nari murmurs, poking at one with a fork.

You deadpan. “If we die, tell Jungkook I hate him.”

Nari snorts, rolling her eyes. “He already knows.”

You attempt a bite. It’s disgusting. So you order takeout instead.

And then, you both curl up on the couch, burritos in blankets, watching rom-coms.

It’s nice, for a while.

The movies are cheesy. The food is objectively bad for you. The apartment is dimly lit by your closed curtains, the only sound filling the room is the over-exaggerated dramatic background music of the film.

And then—

Somewhere between a Titanic rerun and a Legally Blonde binge, it happens.

You’re staring at the screen.

A happy couple is kissing. The music swells.

And suddenly, “Fuck you, Jungkook.”

The words leave your mouth before you even realize you’re saying them. You grab a piece of chocolate and chuck it at the screen.

Nari startles. You don’t stop. You throw another one.

And another.

Mascara ruining your face, wrapped in your blanket like a cocoon, ugly crying in real time—

“Fuck you, Jungkook,” you sob, chucking another piece of chocolate.

“Fuck you for—” throw “—lying to me—” throw “—for making me think—” throw “—for leaving—”

Nari is watching, wide-eyed, rubbing your back.

“You’re in your Elle Woods era right now,” she murmurs, amused.

You sniff. “She had a better ending than me.”

Nari sighs, squeezing your arm.

“You will have a better ending than this.”

You don’t know if she’s right. But right now—You need to believe it.

It starts with rom-coms. It ends with wine. A lot of wine. You and Nari should’ve known better.

It starts off innocent—just a bottle, just a few glasses, just something to take the edge off after a long day of doing absolutely nothing.

But then— Oh, you think. Wine tastes good. So you have another glass. And then another.

And then suddenly, the two of you are sat on the couch, legs tangled over each other, deep in a drunk spiral that neither of you can pull out of. The TV is still playing in the background, but neither of you are watching anymore.

You’re both just talking. Well. More like crying. You start it.

Sniffling, wiping at your nose aggressively, voice thick as you grumble, “I hate him.” Nari, equally drunk, hums into her glass.

“Bitch, please.”

You glare. “I do.”

“Right.” She nods. “And I’m a nun.”

You huff, sinking into the couch, gripping your blanket tighter around you. “I hate him,” you repeat. But your voice cracks. Nari doesn’t call you out on it, though.

Because, for the first time tonight—

She’s crying, too.

You both just sit there, staring at each other, faces blotchy and wet.

Then, suddenly, Nari groans, rubbing aggressively at her face.

“Oh my god, I’m so glad I don’t have a boyfriend.”

You blink at her. “You literally cry about not having a boyfriend all the time.”

“Yeah, but—” She gestures wildly at you. “Look at you right now.”

You scoff. “Rude.”

She grins. “Love you.”

“Whatever.”

She giggles. Then— You don’t know what compels you to do it.

Maybe it’s the wine. Maybe it’s the desperation. Maybe it’s the fact that—deep down—you don’t actually hate him.

But before you even realize what you’re doing, you pull out your phone.

You hover over his name in your contacts, fingers trembling, heart pounding.

And then—You tap the voice message button.

Nari, through her haze, immediately senses danger.

Her eyes widen. “What are you doing?”

You sniff, still crying. “I don’t know.”

“You better not—”

But you’re already speaking, slurry and all.

“I miss you.”

Nari lunges.

“NO—”

Too late. Your finger slips. The message sends. A long, long silence follows.

You stare at your phone, wide-eyed. Nari stares at your phone, horrified.

You both turn to each other at the same time.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?”

You shriek.

“I DIDN’T MEAN TO!”

Nari snatches your phone, unlocking it so fast you don’t even process it. You lunge for it. “Nari—”

“YOU JUST BEGGED FOR HIM.”

“I WAS DRUNK—”

“YOU’RE STILL DRUNK.”

She shoves your face away as you try to grab it.

“No, no, no, NO—”

She fumbles with your phone.

“DELETE DELETE DELETE—”

Your phone buzzes. You both freeze. A message. From Jungkook.

You both stare.

Then—

Nari, not even hesitating, launches your phone across the couch.

“NOPE.”

“NARI—”

“NOPE. WE ARE NOT DEALING WITH THIS TONIGHT.”

“But what if he—”

“NOPE.”

You pout. “I wanna see what he said.”

“No, you don’t.”

You pause. Then—You sigh. Flop onto the couch. Bury your face in a pillow. And accept your fate.

At some point, you get stupid. And by stupid, you mean—you sneak off to the bathroom. Like an idiot. You don’t even make it subtle.

You just go, wiping aggressively at your tears, swaying a little from the wine, locking the door behind you. And then—You open your phone.

Nari’s outside in seconds.

She bangs on the door. “BITCH, I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING—”

You giggle.

But also—sniffle.

You don’t know why you’re crying again.You don’t even feel sad anymore. You can’t.

But for some reason—this whole situation is so stupid that you can’t help but laugh and sob at the same time.

You unlock the message.

Jungkook’s name glares at you.

One new message.

You hesitate.

Then, you open it.

It’s just a short recording.

You press play.

His voice, thick and hoarse, fills the tiny bathroom.

“Baby…”

You freeze.

“Are you drunk? Please don’t do this to me.”

Your breath catches.

“Please text me, call me, anything.” The sound of him sniffling. Your heart lurches.

“I love you.” Your stomach twists.

I love you?

Surely he doesn’t mean it.

You brush it off, pretending it doesn’t make your heart beat stupidly fast in your chest.

“I love you, I love you, I love you. I’m so sorry, baby. Please, just… don’t hate me.”

A shaky inhale.

“I can’t—I can’t do this without you.”

And then— The recording ends. You just stare at your screen. Your chest aches.

You hate him.

You hate him.

You hate him.

You hate how he can just say those words and make you feel everything you’re trying so hard to push down. You feel sick. You feel stupid. You feel like—

Maybe you don’t hate him at all.

Suddenly— The door rattles.

Nari kicks it.

“YN, OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW BEFORE I BREAK IT DOWN—”

You startle. Fumble to turn your phone off.

“I’M NOT DOING ANYTHING—”

“BULLSHIT.”

You giggle.

“YOU’RE FUCKING CRYING, AREN’T YOU?”

“…No?”

“YOU ARE!”

Another bang.

“I swear to god—”

You sigh dramatically, unlocking the door. The second you do— Nari snatches your phone out of your hands.

“NOPE.”

You gasp. “HEY—”

“NOPE. GIVE ME THAT SHIT.”

She drags you to the bedroom. Practically throws you onto the bed.

“I’M LOCKING YOUR PHONE AWAY.”

You groan. “That’s so dramatic—”

“YOU’RE DRUNK AND EMOTIONAL.”

You pout.

Nari glares.

Then—

She flops onto the bed next to you.

And just like that—

You both knock out.

…

But not before—

You suddenly sit up, eyes wide.

A horrified gasp rips out of your throat.

“SHIT.”

Nari jerks awake.

“What?” she slurs. “What happened?”

You grab her arm, shaking her violently. “WE PROMISED OUR BOSS WE’D BE IN TOMORROW—”

Nari’s brain short-circuits. She blinks, then “Oh, fuck.”

You both just stare at each other.

You let out a synchronized scream.

Poor neighbors

[harmonicpearl]

Something i don't know how ppl still dont understad is how OBVIOUS it is that no Mark is gonna outtake the other, no love (neither for Gemma nor Helly) is gonna outgrow the other. And it's not only a matter of if that is possible (it is, its a tv show) it's a matter of narrative and thematic ideas.

The writers have briliantly gave Mark and Gemma a 5-year marriage and Mark s and Helly a half life relationship (because even if they are very young they have known each other for a huge portion of their concious life). This balances the stakes and validation for each Mark, and makes their battle so interesting, because they are literally equally deserving. And since they are equally deserving, having one of them "win" would be contradicting that claim. It doesn't matter if you as an individual have a preference, as liking one of the Marks more (hell, i myself like one of them more, that's human) but ethics dont work like that, ego death doesn't work like that either and obviously the show is trying to say that. This opens two crucial themes to discuss:

First things first, this impossible-winner situation is the fucking dramatic drive of the show. I wouldnt phrase it as Helly and Gemma because they're characters in their own right, but Mark's relationship with Helly and Gemma is there to represent a battle of the ego and conflicted desire. I really think the show chose to make this a romantic conflict because, yeah who doesn't love romance, but most importantly because we are so monogamous as a society that it was the clearest way to show how these two Marks are different people. We can't fathom the idea that you can love more than one person romantically at the same time (it doesn't matter if it's true, it's the predominant thought of our society). And i think they use this aknoledgement of how society works and they were so right to do so because look what everyone is talking about. That's why im so really shocked that some people are trying to bend the laws and philosophy of this show to theorize which Mark will win or which love will he choose at the end. Neither will, and both will. And simply because narratively, thematically, thats the only coherent choice. One of the Marks "winning" or Mark choosing completely either Helly or Gemma, would destroy the very points this show is trying to make. The love for Helly needs to be a rightful pushing force just as equal as the love for Gemma, just as Mark S needs to keep existing as a foil to Mark Scout. The show is trying to say that (to put this coloquially) doesn't matter how shitty or brief or undeserving your life is to a system or to others you are deserving of human rights, freedom and autonomy.

Which gets me to the second point: This goes both ways. Because even if Mark Scout belittles Mark S's experience, lumon did the same to him when they kidnapped Gemma and lured him into severance. They are both being used. After all, i very much think this is a postmodern show dealing with the residue of modern capitalism. This is a show about the problematic and complex relationship between revolution vs establishment. A modern show made in the past century would have framed this as a straight up victim vs victimizer problem but this is different. Capitalism creates this micro-power relationships. Corporations expoit the white collar worker and the white collar worker exploits the cleaning lady. And even if they are both clogs in a machine, the white collar worker and the cleaning lady may have different ideas on how a revolution should play out, or even if a revolution should occur in the first place. And sometimes revolutionaries can have disregard of the lower classes in the name of grater good. With all the shipping stuff (that i also fully enjoy) we forget that THIS is also the conflic that's taking place between Mark Scout and Mark S. Even if they clearly arent aware of all this shit at the moment.

Even so, they, again, are equally deserving of happiness and compensation. And to put Mark Scout in the position of opressor and opressed at the same time is amazing. They both need to win. But how can they both win? Will they both win? And how would a win-win situation look like? This is why i think severance really is something else. I'm at the edge of my seat because i don't have a fucking clue how they will resolve this. But i trust this show to be better than simply make him choose one of his loves or make one Mark overrule the other. They won't do that, mark (jk) my words. Both Marks need to truly work as one, to understad the other's struggle and see it as equally valid and well, negotiate. Just as the white collar worker will have to negotiate with the cleaning lady if they truly want to make an impact should a revolution actually happen. Both Marks need to understad they are not the real enemy and even more, that the real enemy is the cause of this friction in the first place, a friction that only diverges them from the real goal. Helly's and Gemma's love is only the cathalyst to put in motion this conflict. A GREAT choice because just as the Marks, they too will have ideas of their own on how to navigate this situation, yes, but they will also have a say in the innies vs outies vs lumon conflict and well i think these four are gonna surprise us.

[annovaz]

"CAUGHT IN YOUR GRAVITY"

pairing: sunghoon x Jake's cousin/Gym crush!reader

word count: 1,4k (for the time it took to write this you would think i wrote at least a 100)

genre: smut, fluff, angst, neighbors-to-lovers, best friend's cousin, little bit of everything lowkey

Summary: Sunghoon has a little gym crush on the girl who always catches his eye—only to find out she’s Jake’s cousin. When summer heat and lingering gazes turn into something more, things get complicated…

Warnings: language, sexual tension, jealousy, heated arguments, smut, oral (f. receiving), unprotected sex, soft confession, slight angst, possessive!Sunghoon, jealous!Sunghoon, (dw hes sweet tho) confident!reader, sunbathing and ogling, frat party setting, Heeseung being a player, minor alcohol consumption, all characters are of age.

a/n : guys its my first time writing and i feel like this is kind of bad so if it is pls tell me so i can delete it lol, i dont think writing is my thing. anyways i rlly hope u guys enjoy it tho bc i worked hard on this,

love u all (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Sunghoon didn’t do crushes, or relationships for that matter.

Or at least, that’s what he told himself every damn day.

He was disciplined, focused on his studies ( you'd be surprised to see his friend group), and spent two hours in the gym every evening. He never skipped leg day and never let distractions ruin his arrangement—until she walked in.

Tight gym shorts. Fitted top. Confidence dripped in every step she took.

And the worst part? She didn’t even glance his way.

Sunghoon wasn’t the only one who noticed her either. The entire gym seemed to pause whenever she walked by, men sneaking glances, some too obvious for his liking. She was the kind of girl everyone wanted to look at, but no one dared to approach. Too untouchable. Too out of reach.

But that didn’t stop Sunghoon from looking.

It started with curiosity—the way she moved with ease like she belonged there. Like she actually knew what she was doing. He saw the way she pushed herself, the sweat dripping down her back, the way she bit her lip when she concentrated. And then it became an obsession.

He adjusted his own routine to match hers, subtly timing his sets to steal glimpses in between. Sometimes she caught him. Smirked. Kept going, unbothered.

Fucking hell.

So imagine his shock when he walks into Jake’s house with his parents on his side for the family dinner and finds her sitting at the table, smiling like she owned the place.

“Sunghoon, meet my little cousin, Y/N,” Jake announces proudly. “She just moved back from Cuba, so treat her well.”

Sunghoon nearly chokes on his drink.

Jake’s cousin?

The girl he’d been lowkey (highkey) ogling for weeks?

No fucking way.

She turns to him, lips curled into an amused smirk, and says, “You’re staring.”

Jake laughs, slapping Sunghoon’s back. “Dude, what’s up with you?”

Sunghoon clears his throat, forcing his eyes away. “Nothing. Just—uh. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh?” Her eyes glint with something unreadable. “You look familiar.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Her smirk widens. “Maybe from the gym?”

Shit. Busted.

Jake’s mom beams. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Sunghoon practically lives at the gym. Maybe he can show you around.”

Y/N tilts her head. “I think I’m doing just fine on my own.”

Fuck, she was cocky. Sunghoon felt something tighten in his chest.

Dinner is a blur. Family chatter, laughter, and praise are thrown at the kids. Jake’s parents gushing about how he and Sunghoon grew up to be such handsome young men. Meanwhile, Sunghoon’s focus is elsewhere—on Y/N, her amused glances, the way she sips her wine with a smirk, completely aware of the effect she has on him.

She’s a natural at charming the family, effortlessly slipping into conversations, making even the older relatives laugh. He can’t help but admire the way she carries herself—so sure, so unbothered. So fucking beautiful.

And every now and then, their eyes meet across the table. Lingering. Silent.

Summer is hotter than usual.

Or maybe it’s just because Y/N lives right next door.

Sunghoon finds himself outside more often, mowing the lawn shirtless, lifting weights in the yard, knowing full well she’s sunbathing just a few feet away. Her tiny bikini leaves nothing to the imagination. He tries not to look, but he fails miserably.

What he doesn’t know is that she’s watching, too.

They exchange subtle glances, but never words. The tension simmers between them, neither acknowledging it nor acting on it. But it lingers—silent, electric, undeniable.

One evening, she catches him hunched over a car, shirtless. “You work too much,” she teases, leaning against the fence separating their yards.

Sunghoon wipes the sweat off his brow. “And you tan half-naked too much.”

She laughs. “Jealous?”

He smirks. “Just saying, you’ll burn one day.”

“Guess I’ll need someone to rub sunscreen on me.”

His jaw tightens. He doesn’t respond.

She tilts her head with a cheeky grin. “No volunteers?”

Fuck. She was dangerous.

Jake throws a frat party.

Sunghoon should’ve known it would be trouble.

The music is loud, the house is packed. He’s talking to Jay and Jungwon when he notices him. Heeseung. Leaning a little too close to Y/N, whispering something in her ear. She laughs.

Sunghoon sees red.

Storming over, he grabs her wrist, pulling her aside. “What the hell are you doing?”

Y/N yanks her arm free, narrowing her eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Heeseung? Seriously? You know what he’s like.”

She crosses her arms. “And why do you care?”

“Because I—” He stops. Runs a hand through his hair. “I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

“You’re not my boyfriend, Sunghoon.”

That stings more than it should. He clenches his jaw, staring at her. Then, in a split second, he’s kissing her. Hard. Desperate. Possessive.

She kisses him back just as fiercely. Hands roaming. Clothes shifting. He picks her up and sets her on the counter.

"fuck," he looks down at her figure on the counter, raking his eyes down her body. "you're perfect"

Y/N grabs his face and pulls him in roughly for a kiss. Sunghoon's hands travel down her body and rip her tight shirt off. Y/N lets out a small gasp, watching as he grabs at her chest, leaving marks all over her neck and torso. His kisses slowly move down her stomach to the waistband of her miniskirt. He looks up to ask her for permission, but Y/N's already grabbing at both her skirt and panties.

"Please, Sunghoon, I need you so badly," she said between little gasps. Sunghoon leaves soothing kisses on her inner thighs. "Shh baby, let me take care of you"

He finally faced her bare cunt, his breath hitting her core. "You smell so sweet," he said before placing a kiss on her pussy, causing Y/N to let out a moan.

"God, Park that feels so good." she moans, throwing her head back as his tongue focuses on flicking her clit. Her hands move down to Sunghoon's scalp, pulling on his hair, causing him to let out a little moan into her pussy.

"I can't get enough of your pussy, I could stay down here forever" He mumbles in her cunt while inserting two fingers in her hole.

The continuous kitten licks and the pumps in and out of her pussy drive Y/N over the edge. She feels the knot forming in her stomach tighten as she arches her back into Sunghoon's mouth, letting out a lewd moan and riding out her high.

"Sunghoon, I need you inside me, right now." Y/N orders as she pulls him up for a kiss, tasting herself on his tongue. " As you wish, my princess," He says unbuckling his belt.

When his cock finally springs free, Y/N finds herself admiring the length and girth, grabbing it and jerking slowly. Sunghoon groans but lets her set the pace. When she glances up at him, eyes full of mischief, he decides he's had enough and turns her over on her stomach.

"God you drive me crazy," He whispers in her ear, leaving small kisses below her ear. "Tell me how much you want my cock baby," he said while teasing her hole.

"So much, please Sunghoon, please fuck me now." she sobs out in desperation, pushing her hips back to get an ounce of friction. His grip tightens, fingers digging into the soft flesh of her breasts, his hips jerking forward roughly, both letting out wrecked moans in relief. His cock is sucked in her warm cunt as it kisses her cervix. She matches his rhythm and meets his hips, his cock going impossibly deep.

Sunghoons grip on her tightens like he's trying to ground himself through the pleasure, moaning her name like a mantra.

"Shit - fuck, I'm gonna-" Y/N's voice breaks as she nears that high again, body shuddering, moving her head to kiss Sunghoon. "c'mon baby, cum with me, let go." reaching a hand down to circle her clit, he keeps eye contact as they unravel together.

After, as they catch their breath, he presses his forehead against hers. “You’ve had my attention since the moment you stepped into that gym, I've been yours since then,” he murmurs. “Not just because of how beautiful you are. But because you’re kind. Fierce. Stubborn as hell.” He chuckles. “You drive me insane, Y/N.”

She smiles, fingers tracing his jaw. “So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, will you be mine as I am yours?” he asks, gazing into her eyes with a hopeful look.

"of course, I will dumbass, I would've been yours from the start if only you had said the word." She smiles at him cheekily, fingers brushing through his hair.

"Now that I've got my answer" he lifts her up, smirking, “let’s bring this to the bedroom.”

She laughs, kissing him again. “Lead the way, Park.”

Thank you for reading ♡

[elysiae]

sorry, i HAVE to talk about this. spoilers for the technocyte coda below! specifically about Zeke because im going insane over his voicelines. long yapping post under cut

this one specifically.

"you can't do anything to hurt me that won't make a great headline."

can we. can we talk about this? like listen, i might just be spewing, but this line is so intense.

first of all, the way and situation with which he says it. after the extravaganza that is the final showdown, a battle side-by-side with his boys, flashy and powerful, just like the band itself. after all this fight, he's defeated, at the mercy of his enemy. he looks it in the eyes, and he pretty much says, you cannot hurt me in a way that won't benefit me. you can beat him down, physically or mentally. you can kill him. you can do something worse than death. but it will ALWAYS benefit him. why? he's the star, and all it will do is bring more attention to him. more attention, more fame, more money and love. and he knows it. he's not scared to point that out, either. i mean, with it sounding like the coda is echoing things on-lyne has said rather than making up their own (other than certain character breaks), it probably wasnt in such a life-or-death situation, but... y'know, Zeke still said that. about what? to whom?

and then there's the delivery. first of all i LOVE Zeke's voice actor, biggest props to him. second of all. holy fuck. you can hear the smile in his voice. he's not saying that with a grimace of rage, or as a last ditch effort out of desperation to be spared, he says that with confidence. he says that smiling, almost like he's about to laugh or scoff. he's not scared, and if he is he's doing a damn good job at hiding it. he's so confident. he knows. its like it's happened before. everything and anything done to hurt him has only made him and his boys even more of a powerhouse. why would this be any different?

and yeah, i know the coda isn't Zeke, so who knows how he'd really react? but i bring it back, the coda leeches off his personality. thats just a slightly fucked up, mangled version of our starboy. hell, we dont even know if theyre really a part of the techrot hivemind. we know the infested can be scared, at least to some extent what with how they refer to us as 'demon' and their known fear of hybrids.

to be fair, just from what ive heard (only DJ & Zeke really, i didnt pay full attention to Drillbit cuz i was so enamored by the fight) none of them seem particularly frightened. but i just. i dunno. a lot of DJ's voicelines struck me, which i'm DEFINITELY going to get to later, but that one voiceline from Zeke really got me for some reason. a couple others too, but thats for later. TLDR i am absolutely fascinated with this goddamn boyband and DE better bring them back for more content or i will riot

[gophergal]

Perhaps an obvious one, but for the ship ask game – HeavyMedic? :3

"What do you mean, obvious?" I ask dumbly, looking at my laser engraved HeavyMedic coaster

What made you ship it?

Funnily enough, I do this thing when I'm considering getting into a fandom where I just kinda peruse as much of the fanworks as I possibly can. Probably very common. I saw that Heavy and Medic were a popular ship, looked into why, was rapidly convinced. Definitely helped by the similarities they have to my other Main Ships from previous fandoms.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I'm a sucker for ships that are dangerously devoted to each other. Mostly when they're dangerous to anyone who threatens their beloved. They make each other better, have one another's back, serve as a center point of the team. I think it's really beautiful how their popularity isn't just based on secondary source material (the animations and comics), but also the gameplay itself! A good Heavy/Medic duo in game is a force the whole team can rally around, and- honestly? I've got quite a few scenes in mind inspired by Heavy/Medic pairs I've seen in game (none I was part of though lmao. Forever alone medic main)

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

HEAVY IS NOT AN ACCESSORY TO MEDIC. THEY ARE EACH THEIR OWN CHARACTERS. THATS WHY THE SHIP IS SO NEAT. I can't STAND fic where Heavy's entire character boils down to "I Love Doktor <3". If you write it, thats fine, but man. I love Heavy, if I didnt like him as a character I most likely wouldn't be shipping Medic with him. Heavy CANONICALLY shows discomfort towards some of Medic's antics. Not only is is totally fine if they experience conflict on that front, it makes the ship more interesting. Let them argue and question if their relationship is going to make it. They dont need to be Goals to be worth shipping (though they certainly can be. Both Is Good is what I'm trying to say) While Red Oktoberfest is my favorite merc/merc pairing and I'm thus biased toward them, PEOPLE CAN SHIP HEAVY AND MEDIC WITH OTHER CHARACTERS. Even OCs. I know thats not specific to this ship, but by god do I see people try to enforce that "Heavy/Medic is CANON so you have to ship them". They are not canon. Makani's artwork that wasn't part of the published comics is Non-canon. The VAs' shipping them and making (psuedo official???) fanworks, despite how FUCKING COOL that is, doesn't make it canon. In the comics, SFMs, and games they are not explicitly shown to be or described as a couple in a romantic/sexual sense. Now, the ship is LAMPSHADED (alluded to by the creators) frequently. Which is fun! And they are meant to be close! But I feel like this very much a K/S situation. Yknow, since Gene Roddenberry was like "well, if I want Captain Kirk to be popular, then I have to make people associate him with Mr Spock, so now they're besties" then that close friendship and deep devotion read as homoeros to folks and was later alluded to by other writers of the source material? I'm not saying it had the same motivation. I don't think this was meant to be a way of making either Heavy or Medic more popular, but I do think Valve originally just wanted to depict them as a Duo. A well oiled machine. Doing so makes sense, given it mirrors how they work in the game. But over time they realized that fans picked up on homoeros undertones, and not wanting to alienate either the fans who saw HeavyMedic nor the homophobic fans (as alienating either would cut into their profits/cause a backlash), Valve began walking the tightrope of shipteasing, but not being too explicit I dont want to call it queerbaiting, because really? It's not used so much in the marketing. But it is kinda a frustrating thing to see. But uh, long yap short. I suppose my most unpopular opinion is "Red Oktoberfest isn't actually canon, even though it easily could be"

[daigah]

"Nice characters are boring" to YOU. I love characters who no matter what, will always have genuine love for humanity in their heart. Characters who dance and laugh and sing with sincerity. Characters who believe in others, and are willing to extend a helping hand to people when no one gave them the same luxury. Characters who have gone through so much but believe, no matter what, that humanity and life is something beautiful and worth protecting

[tenderjock]

I’m with you, my love The lights shining through on you Yes, I’m with you, my love It’s the morning and just we two

[ulteri0rm0tives]

Now.. I'm not doubting Johnny somewhat (?) loved Alt in his own convoluted and severely misguided ways but uh.. to call them soulmates? Did we uh.. did we not play the same game? Watch the same scenes? Because it's crazy y'all r saying that when we literally play as his actual soulmate

[ladynecropolis]

the concept of being a younger sibling is literally so important to charlie pace's character and it leaches into like, everything about him? you can see traces of his struggle with liam in his relationships to so many other characters. like, so much of the bitterness and the jealousy he experiences, especially toward the "protector" types in the group, parallels his relationship to liam. that sense of...envy, like he resents anyone he perceives as being "better" than him, is at its most present in relation to him. and then there's the total failure of liam to fulfill his duty as an older brother—failing entirely to protect charlie from becoming just like him—a total mess, doomed. and that's the tragedy of it—that liam thought he was supposed to be the doomed one, that charlie still had time to get out. but charlie just slipped further and further down, and resented his brother for getting better, for getting the second chance he'd never have, for leaving him behind. charlie was always a little bit doomed, and it shows in the fact that everyone who was supposed to be protecting him failed in one way or another, and the fact that he seems so aware of that fact.

i do think that that sense of...being something that someone failed to save is also part of what makes him want to protect something else so badly, and why his own consistent failures to do that upset him so much. if you had liam pace for an older brother, would you want to be anything like him either?

[heartslobbf]

hater alert! far too many people say that juri’s character arc ‘isn’t about her being sad about being gay, it’s about being sad about unrequited love that happens to be gay’ and. well. that is not true and by saying that you are completely flattening the brilliance of juri’s character arc which literally culminates in her being able to accept her own lesbianism despite her unrequited love, despite all her shame and self-loathing, despite this pursuit by Some Fucking Guy to try and ‘save’ her from these feelings. like if you think juri’s entire character is just ‘sad about shiori’ how do you appreciate even a modicum of the emotion packed into that final juri duel. it is both about shiori and, even broader, her lesbian identity and what that means to her intrinsically as a person, removed from romantic relationships and just purely as like. you know. Who She Is. the idea that even when juri’s locket is cut from her neck she is still a lesbian that’s still who she is and she cant change that and, crucially, she doesn’t want to even as she is agonised by these feelings. that’s why she forfeits the duel!!!! she’s clocking out she’s quitting she’s saying no!!!!!! this is me and ive got to be ok with that this is me and i can accept that this girl might not love me and i can keep living despite that. like. god im so normal arisugawa juri im so sorry that no one understands you and your intrinsically unapologetically lesbian storyline like i do

[moeblob]

Right and his work menaces (Brent and Karen).

I don't remember last I mentioned it but apart from crude nicknames to people (except Chris), he also just puts them in his phone really weird (except Chris, who is literally in his phone as Chris). And I bring this up because in Right's phone, Karen is saved as "Lawful Obligation".

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

I see a lot of discussion in the DR fandom on some characters that die early having "missed potential", and while I agree that definitely a few of them could have been written better or differently, part of me wonders if that missed potential is kind of the point? A character is shaping up to be something, so you get invested in their story, which then makes their early death all the more tragic. I mean, of course it's still a tough needle to thread to get it to land as tragic versus falling flat, and I'm not sure how closely some of these characters hit the mark. But I Do think some characters aren't actually "missed opportunities" and instead played their role in the plot how they were meant to, if maybe a little suboptimally.

[orcelito]

I've been working on Finally finishing Naruto Shippuden (after being a Naruto fan for nearly 15 years), & I just finished episode 420. And I have some THOUGHTS about the "Naruto is the reincarnation of Ashura" thing. This started as just me rambling for my normal liveblog posting, but I had a LOT of thoughts about this actually, so I am presenting them to u all Now.

So. Naruto meeting the Sage of Six Paths! Cool!!! I'm finally learning about Naruto being the reincarnation of Ashura, which... honestly is not a choice that I like very much. Narratively speaking, I mean. The Point of Naruto's journey was that he was the underdog, the bottom of his class, the orphan that everyone hated and made fun of. Through hard work and perseverance, he managed to drag himself from being a complete social outcast to someone generally really loved and respected. That's compelling!!! It means a lot!!!

But then the show is like. "Oh...actually, he's the son of the fourth hokage. And Also, he's the reincarnation of the son of the literal creator of ninshuu aka the precursor of modern ninjutsu." I mind him being Minato's son less as a narrative choice (for reasons I will get into shortly), but making him Ashura's reincarnation?? I've got Several things that bug me about that.

So First, for him being Minato's son. It's not like that's ever Actually given him any sort of status (since most people don't know), & Minato was also kind of just a random guy?? Just incredibly skilled, enough so to become the 4th hokage. And then there's also Kushina, descended from a very successful and very Feared clan that ended up almost entirely killed bc of that fear. Naruto being an Uzumaki means great power, huge chakra reserves (not even including the extra chakra he gets from Kurama), & some innate skills (that Naruto mostly didn't inherit, but one can play pretend sometimes). BUT ALSO, they were almost entirely killed off. He's a survivor of his clan's genocide that happened well before he was even born, and he doesn't even REALIZE it yet. So even though being Minato's son means he's the son of a very influential person, it doesn't give him the same leverage as being a Senju or Uchiha would. And the clan he Does belong to bc of Kushina does not give him status either, bc they're almost all fuckin Dead. And we know that Minato is a Namikaze, but as for what that actually *means*.... it's basically nonexistent. There is no mention of a Namikaze clan. Minato was just a prodigy in his own right.

SO.... All that is to say that while appending Naruto's orphan story with a "well, Actually, his parents were very powerful and well respected" does discount it a little bit, it's still not Especially unique in terms of what other people in their world may experience (there are other descendants of current and/or former kage + Many other powerful clans running around) OR in the benefits that it gives him (essentially nothing, outside of his physical strength and the inheritance of Kurama himself)(which inheriting Kurama did grant him access to IMMENSE power, but it also was the source of So Much of his suffering growing up, so I think it balances out).

The "reincarnation of Ashura, son of the Sage of Six Paths" thing tho... that one really kinda does. At that point, Naruto is no longer just the orphaned son of two respected shinobi & the current jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi (something special, but not entirely original, given that there are Other jinchuuriki who are descendants of powerful shinobi). He is now something that NO ONE ELSE ALIVE can be. It is saying that He, above Everyone Else, is special in this way. Outside of Sasuke lol, but I'll touch on that in a moment.

It just feels kinda cheap. It's cool I guess, but at this point it feels like we've completely lost the Plucky Orphan who works hard to overcome his circumstances plot. It's saying that he was Always one of a kind, he was Always destined to become Someone Special (or that he was, in fact, special the whole time). It removes the importance of his hard work in the equation. It makes it so that this is no longer something he earned for himself, but rather something that was a Given, since he is, of course, Ashura's reincarnation.

Cheap. It's cheap. And I don't like it.

Then we get into Sasuke being the reincarnation of Indra. Which I haven't gotten to that yet in the show, but I know from seeing it around. I do enjoy the sun and moon aesthetic between Naruto and Sasuke (so SO much, in fact), but. Making Sasuke the reincarnation of the Other son of the Sage of Six Paths is... frustrating? In several ways. There is of course the fact that Naruto and Sasuke have such extremely gay vibes (and Always Have), so making them the reincarnations of brothers so late in the story feels like an insult to anyone who reads their relationship in that way. Which to be fair, we do see Naruto mention at a few points that he thinks of Sasuke like a brother, but it's only a few points + feels like a kind of narrative cop-out. Sasuke himself said he doesn't think of Naruto in that way (though that could also be his self-denial speaking & it could change. Haven't gotten that far yet.), & I think there are much better choices for Naruto's "brother" figure (primarily Iruka, but people like Killer Bee and any of the other konoha 12 would be fitting too). Personally, it feels like Naruto was trying to put a name to his very strong feelings for Sasuke, & since he doesn't realize being gay is an option (since Kishimoto is clearly homophobic & made this ninja society to reflect that), he settled on Brother. But Sasuke is like "what the fuck? No, my only brother is Itachi." Instead, Sasuke has called Naruto his best friend. Which also doesn't fully encompass their relationship, but it's still closer than Brother.

So here we are, Kishimoto saying around 555 episodes into the plot (only 80 more to go) that they're actually the reincarnations of brothers. And not just any brothers. THE sons of the Sage of Six Paths. Incredibly influential, incredibly powerful, two sides of the same coin and very historically significant figures. Sasuke always had the "descended from an elite, yet disgraced clan" thing going for him, so in my opinion it doesn't hold the same kind of insult to his story that it does for Naruto. But it still feels like an insult to THEIR story.

Naruto and Sasuke were just two orphan boys. Their moms were best friends, but they didn't know that. They died when they were too young. But Naruto and Sasuke still gravitated towards one another. Understood each other like no one else. And got on each other's nerves like no one else. But that irritation stemmed from their genuine admiration of each other. They wanted to be able to beat each other. They became Rivals. And it was on their own terms. No one else pushed them together. Outside of them ending up on the same team, their entire relationship was fueled by their recognition of one another, Jealousy of one another, and the simple enjoyment of being around one another. They were the ones to decide the importance of their relationship. Sasuke recognizing Naruto as his closest friend & thus thinking he was the one he had to cut off to achieve power, and Naruto recognizing Sasuke as his first peer that acknowledged him, a precious bond he finally made, and thus someone he had to cling to FIERCELY. That was all them.

But here we are. They're a reincarnated set. The sun and the moon, but Officially. One could say soulmates in a way, in a non-romantic kind of context (considering the first iteration was a pair of brothers). While this is cool from a story standpoint, it really takes some significance away from their relationship to me. It makes it less of something they chose for themselves and more of a given. Pretty much just like Naruto being Ashura's reincarnation cheapens his own story, it cheapens their relationship too.

I dont want a story about two boys who were destined to be important to each other!!!! I want a story about two orphans who just happened to become important to one another thru a series of coincidences and personal choices. In that way, their relationship gains greater gravity bc it's born from their own hearts Alone. It's Naruto moving mountains for the sake of this boy he loves, and it's Sasuke finally coming back around bc of the force of Naruto's dedication. It means so much more than the implication that they were always meant to be a pair. So I really don't like this narrative choice.

[rxttenfish]

Asking because I’m extremely curious about this, how did MonProm’s writing get different over time? I remember you saying that the lore and characters feel different, and that it's missing sincere character interactions, too. I know almost nothing about the lore and I’ve only seen a few people mention the characters, so I’d be interested in a rundown of what aspects you think got worse in the series

I wouldn’t mind a very long response since I’m not that active in the fandom, I need to catch up on what happened

sorry for taking so long to answer this! i kinda waffled on it for a long bit, mainly because i started doubting myself again, and whether or not this was me simply overreacting or being tinted by nostalgia or simply being extremely picky and choosy in what i like (the last of which is true, i seldom get into fandoms at all for this reason and stay away from most popular media, but i wasn't sure if it applied here). i've posted about it already, but i'm in the middle of a psychotic episode where i can't feel a lot of pleasure to begin with + most things i do experience ending up solidly in the "very bad" category, so as you can imagine, i really didn't want to mislead and check that i was actually in objective reality.

as it is, this is also when a lot more screenshots started to be posted in the monster prom tag, and that helped me bridge the gap back into returning to the games themselves and feel like i was making a more accurate judgement. if you're one of those people who have been posting screenshots, i sincerely thank you, and i appreciated seeing you in the tag greatly.

for those not in the know — i've been in the monster prom fandom since it first released, prior to even the first additional ending to be added (the "Punch the sun" ending, and i recall the minor fandom drama that happened at that time due to it). my impression of monster prom is very much influenced by this, as what got me into the first game was the fact that the characters genuinely seemed to care for each other and were friends with each other (not merely tolerating each other's presences nor dressing it up, they sincerely thought of each other as friends and were open about that fact), on top of the wide variety of small details and statements that, if taken at face value, could create compounding complexity in the lives of each and every character and had wider implications for their lives.

no, they were not necessarily explored nor even necessarily "real", with so many conflicting events and statements, but i liked this too, because it meant a wider flexibility in what you could imagine, helping to create a more tailored experience for everyone who thought about these characters. this was what i liked about the early fandom too. what was baseline "canon" was so vague and minimal that you could have wildly different interpretations of the same characters' histories and relationships with each other. you would have radically different perspectives on what the world itself looked like, what it was like, that there wasn't really any wrong answers so long as their personalities remained the same. this is where you got the old headcanon of polly and liam being childhood friends who knew each other as humans, or that the world of monster prom was post-apocalypse where humanity itself had gone extinct or only existed in tiny pockets, or my personal headcanon that both monster and human society existed right next to each other and had minimal crossover for petty cultural reasons. this was also prior zoe-as-ro, and there were wildly different interpretations of zoe's personality, with most going for a far more disquieting creepy-cute than the deep nerd we got.

this is why you get stuff like the timeloop theory, where everyone is repeating the same weeks leading up to prom over and over, and are perhaps vaguely aware of it but broadly unconcerned. this is also why it felt like the joke that, the characters were still in high school but were all fully legal adults with most in their 20's, best landed, because it was absurd and strange and didn't quite make sense, but the world itself was inherently absurd and semi-malleable to begin with. realistically, i felt like everyone understood it was making fun of the trope of having adults play teenagers in american sitcoms and wildly casting outside the age range, but for more in-universe explanations it wasn't any different from the way that you would have a large, dramatic ending in which everything changed, but then you'd restart and everyone would be right back at the beginning with nothing different, or even having conflicting events in the same run. it was a dream-logic that fit with the tropes and, thus, diagetically made sense.

to be clear, i don't mind canon having a set, well, canon on which it refers back to itself. i don't mind expanding that or including more things which are set in stone. but there was a perceivable shift in how the games handled this over time, becoming a lot more... bitter, it felt, towards all of these different branching ideas and concepts that, yeah, the people making them knew wouldn't necessarily be "canon" because "canon" already liked to contradict itself so much. most people weren't even sold on any one idea, and there was a much greater sense of enjoying and appreciating all the varying ideas people would come up with even if you personally didn't share them. making the characters be out of character was the real crime, because then it didn't diagetically make sense in the same way, didn't wholly fit.

(again, this is not to say fanon didn't happen and characters weren't smoothed down into a simplified personality that fit these varying fan-interpretations instead of the game itself. certainly damien love/lust was just as bad as it had ever been, and everyone loved to mangle his character into a more stereotypical "bad boy with a heart of hold" all the time. but it certainly felt less set-in-stone about it than it does now, with any deviation from the norm being considered strange and odd and even broadly shunned from the wider fandom.)

all of this is setup for establishing what the writing, lore, and characters felt like in the earlier days. the characters were the strongest part, with their relationships to each other being equally as important. the lore played it fast and loose and was far less interested in setting anything in concrete because that wasn't the important part. the lore wasn't the important part, which was what made it all the more intoxicating to think about, all the more fun to play with.

montrip is easily the biggest offender when it comes to setting everything in all-or-nothing terms and demanding absolutism from the world. broadly i blame the hitchhiker conversations for the worst of it, but i think ultimately the way they handled the entire premise of the game is where this problem stems from. it's not really an exploration in the same sense that you might explore the first game, discovering different perspectives and different people with different relationships to each other. it's an exploration in the sense of a sequel that over-explains the monster, that takes the most boring option out of all those that were possible and floating around and settles on something that was blatant, obvious, typically rejected not because of how novel it is but how trite and par for the course it is in the rest of the genre.

yeah, okay. humans know nothing about monsters and there's a "monster dimension" that exists separately from the human dimension. there's no crossover between the two of them. of course there's a big grand-scale fight between the eldritch powers that zoe used to be a part of, from which not only are slayers the main organization against them, but also the merkingdom has some horse in this race too. it's an urge to make things so universal in explaining them, in revealing connecting threads which unite everything that's ever happened in here, that makes the worldbuilding and lore immediately much more boring than it ever was before.

and it didn't have to be this way! nothing in the first game contradicts any of this too explicitly (see the above, the first game loves to contradict itself), and i would even be happy if this was basically canon but never stated or confirmed to be the big overarching everything going on underneath it all. i believe you should probably know these things about any world that you create and have them in the back of your mind. the difference is that you can know these things and keep them in mind, even focusing on things where its very relevant, and still not reveal them. this is why you have lore bibles, after all. every horror writer knows exactly how their monster works and the full underlying reason for everything that happens, but that doesn't mean the audience will see it or possess this same information too, and leaving it intentionally obscure will make far better stories.

which, this is bad enough, but it wouldn't be the breaking point for me if this was all there was.

but the worst thing of all has to be the slow decay of the very same characters that sold me on this world, this lore, this game in the first place. monster prom is nothing without the characters in it. it's a dating sim, it has nothing but characters to get you to play, and liking these characters are the entire reason anyone would pick up monster prom in the first place.

and the first game pulls this off extremely well. it's all in the tagline: be your worst self. they are, indeed, all terrible people. yes, even that character that you just thought of right now. they all have points in the game where they commit atrocities, where they kill or hurt people, where they do inexcusable things that could not be ignored in a more serious setting.

but that's the point. i think there's something very powerful in creating a character who not only do you love and love their personality and the way they interact with the world, but who also are inapologetically terrible, and to have the humor and the charisma be so good that you don't get bogged down in the "this is awful". likewise, it never feels the urge to really go out of its way to justify what's going on. this is not to say theres no discussion of if someone "deserved it", but usually there's still the sense that the joke is on them, that this is still an extreme reaction specifically for comedy and not necessarily something that can be justified. you can have damien set leonard on fire and have it feel earned, without prompting the needed reaction of what it's actually like to watch someone burn to death.

this is what sets the prank masterz ending apart from the rest of the game, and really establishes it as the first real "bad ending". because nothing that you do or happens in the prank masterz ending is any different from anything else that happens in any other run. you summon evil beings from other dimensions as a throwaway gag on how visiting one location raises your stats. you kill other people and damn them to terrible fates. you watch as body horror happens. the only difference is that, in the prank masterz ending, the laugh track doesn't play.

the rest of the game and the writing echoes this philosophy, this careful interplay of tropes that keeps everything tongue in cheek and yet sincere enough to make sure emotional beats still land when they're needed. the characters feel true to themselves and their own emotions, even when the world is extreme and excessive, when everything else runs on comedy logic.

this is also what i noticed failing first as time went on.

like i said, fanon has always existed and there's always been very specific ideas as to what characters are like in the same way fanon always flattens down characters into the same tropes over and over. scott is stupid and innocent and doesn't know what sex is. damien is violent and hot and too cool for anyone else. miranda is the idiot girl character. repeat over and over and over until you get sick of it.

but it's been an issue as time has crept on that canon has started to approach fanon and began to merge with it. now, scott is so innocent that he can't even curse. polly starts being mean to her friends and saying things that would be very hurtful to hear. the merkingdom isn't really super evil and fucked up, it's just miranda that's like that. they become simpler, easier to digest, streamlined for social media posts and mass-sharing. they become less and less subversions of existing tropes and moreso just another example of them, something else to add to the collection, not their own individual stories.

even further from this, what more complex traits they had are now stated and not shown. polly is stated to be smart and clever in a way that her party girl persona doesn't imply and to be sincerely rather down to earth with the people she cares about, but we seldom ever see this anymore unless its the game specifically trying to make a point about it, in which case it won't let her do anything that implies cleverness and moreso will just outline it in the narration. vera is stated to care for people in a very genuine and heartfelt way, but seldom will get a chance to do so, and every opportunity for her to do so to their faces is missed while she will just outright state it later. it does not feel consistent, it does not feel like any of these are intended reads of their actions. it feels like the devs have something they want to do but no idea on how to actually do so. and forget it if you want these traits to manifest in small ways that show up in unrelated moments and scenes.

the dialogue becomes harder and harder to tell between each speaker, if you are just looking at what's said and not at the pictures attached to it. the characters' distinct voices have been eroded away, so that they speak more and more like each other, relaying the same terms and ideas in the same words. perspective becomes a suggestion, instead of a must.

this is something that started back in monster camp too, as all of the endings in that game felt ultimately the same as every other ending. it's very hard to place or define the full reason why, why there feels like there's no emotional stakes nor investment, why everything feels moreso like selecting different coats of paint and trying to find all the different ending pictures rather than being interested in exploring the characters as characters.

stranger yet, the series that started with the tagline of "be your worst self" has experienced a kind of... softening, for lack of a better word? what i mentioned about being able to handle the balance between terrible people who do terrible things and the light tone of the game starts to change, as abruptly the same characters who were down with violent murder in the first game start to lose their nerve, acting more and more on more typical morality. it's one of those things that feels like it's starting to damage the tone, as abruptly it's not as absurd as it used to be, demands less suspension of disbelief which could buffer and support the rest of the setting on it. there's even a part in one of the endings in montrip which involves current-polly and current-scott looking back on their monprom selves and reacting in horror at how violent and careless their pranks are, in a way that fundamentally felt like it was undercutting and disparaging all the things that felt fun and made monprom what it was.

which is odd, really, because more and more i feel like the characters in these games like each other less and less. the friendships and genuine enjoyment of each others company that brought me to this game in the first place has gone. now they don't mention each other as much, don't care for each other's feelings and reactions as much, aren't as willing to support each other. they are more and more found on their own, relied on their own, seem to seek out contact and interaction with their own friends less and less. it feels like they're all separating out into their own worlds, but also feels like they wouldn't willingly want to interact with each other if they weren't already forced together by some other outside contrivance.

if anything, i'd compare it to every other dating sim out there, where you, the player, are the most important person in these characters' lives, and they only feel ambivalent or antagonistic towards every other character. which, again, is not why i picked up monster prom or why i liked it so much in the first place.

and it's because of this that it feels like the current state of the series has to focus on its increasingly weak worldbuilding and lore, trying to form a more serious foundation without character relationships being so tightly bound together, without the characters themselves being more developed and rich, without an aspect of absurd humor to rely on.

more and more i've noticed monprom has to rely on referencing other series to make itself funny and create humor, which, again, it's always done. it was just easier to ignore back then, if you didn't know what was being referenced, because there was always more going on in the exact same scene to bolster it and give context clues as to the setup and punchline at play. it feels like the current games are much more dependent on you knowing pop culture references in order to have any fun with it, and i'm someone who, again, is very picky in what i like or what i'll seek out. i'm not interested in a stream of references about other things that i would much rather be doing than playing through a game that feels like it hates that i like it at all, when i could, again, just be engaging with the thing that takes itself seriously and knows what it wants.

[spacedlexi]

Kenny and Violet anon here YES.

Violet is upset because someone she defended against her found family of 8 years let her get taken by brainwashing adults for 2 seconds and everyone flips their lid.

But Kenny refuses to stop a train, and gets into a whole fight with Lee over it (AND REFUSES TO HELP YOU FIND A LOST LITTLE GIRL WHILE YOU’RE FIGHTING OFF AN INFECTION, where as Violet always defends you in Episode 1 regardless of whether you ignored and/or antagonized her or not), and gets mad at an 11 year old for not being able to handle helping someone in labor by herself and everybody’s like “Nah it’s okay, his family died years ago so he gets to do whatever he wants.” as if Violet didn’t witness one of the only consistent family members in her life die in front of her 💀

There’s so many comparisons I could make and one day I’ll make a Venn Diagram about all of their similarities but for now I’m glad someone pointed this out.

there are some things kenny does that have No excuse (like refusing to help bitten lee look for missing clem all because hes mad you didnt side with him enough. leaving lee to singlehandedly save himself in the pharmacy because he got scared. threatening to slap clem for blaming herself for lees death. off the top of my head). but his behavior on the train is annoying yet understandable. he doesnt want to admit his son is dying and he feels like duck dying in the first place is his fault for not saving shawn. you can convince him to stop without things getting physical

the Problem comes in when people can understand and sympathize with kennys annoying/shitty actions, but when it comes to violet (who has the same "my family is dead and its made me bitter and closed off" backstory (and her whole arc is about learning to love and care again)), suddenly all understanding goes out the window. even tho shes not even a FRACTION as annoying and shitty as kenny can get 😭😭

violet is mean to clem for the One scene where youre introduced to her (ignoring your first moment with her in the courtyard where shes smiling at clem so you already know her shitty attitude later is a lie. louis even defends her. wingman lol. and depending on what you say in response to her you can Immediately see the regret on her face LOL). but before the scene even Ends shes complimenting clem and clem loves it. then youre forced to talk to her and tenn about the twins, you have a nice card game where you can joke around with her, then she shows up at the dorm and they have a nice heart to heart about how theyre BOTH struggling with the loss of people theyve loved, and they can sympathize about both being harsher than they intend (THEY GET EACH OTHER CANONICALLY)

and vi not being "a people person" is a huge part of her arc?? she doesnt like that shes like this 😭 but shes also better with people than she gives herself credit for and its why she makes a good leader. (and even if you pick the "came off strong" option clem is OBVIOUSLY teasing about it but vi cant tell and gets defensive ("its not like im trying to be bffs or whatever. sorry" is so "you want to kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid" of her)

and then after this shes never mean to clem again?? (unless you antagonize her but even then its mostly just about her standing her ground and not taking shit she doesnt deserve. which is fair). shes only mean to brody while fishing (and shes mean to brody because deep down she blames HERSELF) and the whole POINT of that scene is to try and mend their broken relationship which immediately makes vi a happier/nicer person if you do (also interesting how louis doesnt get any shit for His behavior while hunting 🤨 no hes just cool and fun). violet also apologizes for being "weird" in the dorms the previous night as well (bby girl why are you afraid that everything you do is weird 😭 she says that word a lot)

violet will Always have clems back (in EP1 and 2!!) No Matter What you do or say to her. i think people take her loyalty for granted. so if you dont save her in EP2 and expect to continue to have her unwavering loyalty in EP3? thats a You problem. she is Fucked Up mentally on that boat by lilly and her not-exactly-ex, and then gets caught in the explosion she didnt want anything to do with. AND THEN SHE APOLOGIZES because she recognizes she was WRONG

(not her literally trying to make a joke about it to ease the tension 😭 people dont give her credit for also having a sense of humor. like louis is the only one who cracks jokes around here) but again when it comes to kenny his actions are understandable and defendable even without an apology 🙄 i literally side with kenny on Everything except the larry thing and if you dont make the right dialogue choice with him? he will not help you look for clem. because of larry 😐 i killed your son for you bro and then took care of his walker doppelganger so you didnt have to. and this isnt even touching his behavior in S2. and yet despite everything he does hes still one of the most beloved characters in the fandom 🤨

i just have to remind myself sometimes that all vi options were made 53-61% and the vi haters are a loud minority. her always being above 50% is so interesting to me because i love when choices are split perfectly 50/50. but the way the fandom talks about her (and the women in general) you wouldnt think shes technically the more popular option (and i Hate playing the popularity card its so annoying, but im only doing it bc people also say shit like "maybe if vi wasnt so mean more people would pick her" they DO pick her!!! you just got mad she was mean for 5 seconds, never payed attention to her again, and used her determinate reaction on the boat as justification for not liking her 😑) (also ignores how mean louis gets in EP2 regardless of choice?? but like kenny His actions are defendable and sympathetic and hers arent 🙄)

[garymerlow]

i feel like the only person in my circle of mutuals and sometimes even on this site who really isn't into fucking around with my faves/blorbos in a whumpy/torture-y way. like, I'll read whump and i enjoy it...but I don't really enjoy writing it (especially physical whump) and it's never really the kinds of thoughts abt them that get me in a good mood, generally.