#you still love them

[j0kers-light]

"More goons content" we all chant at unison

Joker's Loyal Three: Taste of Danger

Hey hi anon!! 🖤✨

Coming right up!! Gotta give my loves what they want. You know I adore my best boys, I could talk about them for hours. OKAY! Since you didn't give me a topic, I chose one myself!

Yall keep forgetting these boys are criminals. Let's have a hard reality check, shall we? 👀

Frost

You knew Frost was ex military. His dog tags sitting proudly on his chest, to his rigid personality and built physique; he confirmed his service in various ways. You never seen him in full solider mode before though.

And after last night, you kind of understood why he was so secretive about his past. It was downright scary.

Gotham is notorious for being a crime ridden city. You knew this and still boldly decided to go on a romantic stroll with Frost.

Because who in their right mind would mess with a guy like Frost?

You were laughing at something he said when you sensed someone behind you. Frost must've felt it too since he leaned down to whisper in your ear, "Stay close and keep walking."

You nodded and cursed yourself for carrying a designer handbag. Yeah, Frost knew how to fight, but it was still a magnet for robbers. The exact kind that now followed the two of you.

The stalking went on for a few more city blocks until a figure stepped out in front of Frost, blocking the way.

"Well... looky what we ‘ave here." One jeered. Five men had you and Frost surrounded in a small alleyway but your man stood firm.

“Nice purse, cutie. I wonder what’s inside?”

Frost merely blinked at the men in front of him. "You're in our way." He said.

"Aww what this? A knight in shining armor protectin' his broad?" Another mocked.

You huddled closer to Frost, hugging his bicep with every crass insult made. It was five against one plus the pressure to protect you, yet Frost was unfazed. Why did that terrify you more?

One of the goons pulled out a knife and ran at Frost who patiently waited for the guy to get close enough before he grabbed their arm, twisting it with a loud crack, and pushing them towards the next advancing goon.

They both toppled to the ground, leaving the other three to take matters into their own hands until they could get back up.

One guy tried to kick Frost and got their leg broken in the same sequence that Frost turned and snapped another advancing thug's neck. The fluent ease that Frost did it in had you gasping in horror and backing away.

The Frost in front of you was a killing machine on autopilot. You knew he killed before but you never seen Frost harm a fly around you. Tonight, he was a completely different person.

He didn't pause in his massacre and used the momentum to turn towards the remaining goons. They charged at the same time. One fell with a knife sticking out from their neck. The other got a bone crushing headbutt and stayed down for good this time.

You were hyperventilating yet you saw a goon come to his senses, draw a gun, and aim it at Frost.

"Frost, behind you!" your call out was unnecessary.

Frost already sensed the threat and seized control of the weapon, unloading the entire clip. A bullet for each goon who dared ruin his late night walk with you.

As if the broken neck, limbs, and stab wounds weren’t enough. Talk about overkill.

You knew you were shaking as you slid down the nearby wall to your knees, and the sound must've triggered Frost’s still active reflexes.

The threat wasn’t neutralized if there was movement. Eliminate the threat.

You jumped at the subsequent click the gun made as it failed to fire. The silence was deafening as reality caught up with you. Frost tried to..

Frost was the first to react. He wordlessly disassembled the gun as he approached your fearful form.

“We need to go. The police will arrive soon." Frost sighed when you flinched away from his touch.

Okay, he could understand that response. It didn’t stop his heart from crumbling into pieces though. He more than deserved it too.

This was a set back in the relationship for sure, but he was confident after you had some time to think, you could move past this teeny tiny mistake of his.

He got a bit carried away in the heat of things. He did not regret a single action taken, but turning a gun on you was NOT his intentions. This relationship was still fresh with room for potential if he did right by you.

You simply had to believe that Frost would never hurt you. You knew that… right? Right?

Mac

You could one hundred percent confess that dating The Borghese heir, Maximillion, was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  

Being with Mac was something straight out of a fairy tale. He was ever the gentleman, buying you anything you could desire while showering you with roses and kisses. Your new relationship was picture perfect! yet deep down you knew something wasn't right.  

Mac was handsome with his radiant smile and those clear blue eyes could make your brain melt... but they were merely distractions.

You noticed his gaze harden at times, and the peak of ink crawling up his arm whenever he rolled them up just a tad bit too high..

And his temper was unlike anything you ever seen!

One second he could be professing his undying love and the next, he was a ruthless Borghese doing anything to get his way.

Thankfully Mac had spared you from seeing that ugly side of him these first few months into the relationship.  

You were grateful to only witness his default playboy demeanor strictly focused on you.

Today you were at his private villa (outside of Gotham City limits) soaking up some quality time together. Mac playfully lowered grape after plump grape into your mouth as he basked in your beauty.  

Truly, he felt like the one who didn’t deserve you. He knew his family and past were a topic best left undisturbed, but you didn’t care about the prestige and pomp. You loved him for him, and it showed.  

Mac slowly introduced you into his personal life slowly but surely preparing you for the big reveal.

Yes, he still had ties with his family. Once a Borghese, always a Borghese; but that wasn’t the family he was particularly worried about. No. Mac knew you would run for the hills when you found out.. 

The shrill of his phone interrupted the quiet moment. You whined but knew it was important by how Mac held up his index finger. Business call.  

He always took them no matter the time. You knew your new beau was successful. Family business, prodigy son, heir to it all... you could go on for hours with all the responsibilities that weighed on Mac’s slender shoulders.  

You didn’t expect Mac’s mood to sour only a few minutes into the call. He glanced at you before transitioning into his native tongue. And it didn’t take Google translate to know he was angry.  

You barely picked up ‘bring them home’ over the curse words and threats. Your studies of Italian to surprise Mac were slow going but practical. Mac’s business call would be ending the peaceful day you two were having.  

Mac spat an order into his phone before standing up and raking a hand through his golden hair. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes—a clear signs of his irritation. More foreign words escaped his lips before he focused his attention on you. 

“Ah, forgive me sweetheart but it seems I have some... business to attend to.” He adopted a picture perfect smile as he helped you off the lounge chair.

“Why don’t you head inside and take an afternoon nap? Once I’m done, we can head out for a lovely dinner. Yes?” 

As if he gave you a choice. Mac ushered you back inside his abode and towards a guest room far far away from the common area. It was obvious that Mac didn’t want you to see whoever was coming over. 

It hurt that he still didn’t trust you around his family, but you still allowed him to tuck you into the daybed with a blanket thrown over your legs.

He kissed your forehead, lingering a touch longer than usual. “Rest well, sweetheart.” 

And then he left.  

Rest. You really did try to but curiosity out won Mac’s orders.

The room was quiet but so was the entire house. Various lights were on, yet your lover was nowhere to be found. You walked down the open-air hallways trying to find some sign of life and stumbled upon something greater. 

It sounded like muffled grunts coming from the basement and with it, your heart plummeted. Was Mac cheating this early on? He was a famous playboy—of course he was.  

You snuck to the cracked door and peered inside. You weren’t expecting to see Mac towering over a guy seated in a chair.  

“You think you can mess with my Boss and get off free? Never mess with Joker’s money!”

Mac grabbed ahold of the man's hair and repeatedly bashed his head into the table. He didn’t stop even as blood splattered onto his handsome face or when you audibly gasped at the horrific sight.  

Mac’s crystal blue eyes snapped to yours hiding in the doorway as he smiled.

Not his dazzling dental sponsored smile, or his corporate boardroom I hate every minute of this smile. No, this one was sinister—terrifying and rightfully so when he called out to you affectionately.  

“Sweetheart, you’re awake! Give me a moment to clean up this... mess, and we can head to dinner. We have much to discuss.”

Neo

Just about everyone warned you about Neo.  

Nothing good would come from being associated with him, nevertheless you persisted. You declared yourself colorblind and ignored the blood red flags dripping from the man.

Even Neo flat out warned you, “Don’t get too attached, Ma. I ain’t bout that long term s__t.” And that was okay.  

All you wanted was a good time for as long as it lasted. You could cope with never being anything to the infamous Casanova. Neo had a reputation, and no one (not even you) would change that. 

So you willed your heart to behave and under no circumstances get attached. You never asked for more than what he gave and always left whenever your company was no longer welcome.

Neo was happy that you understood your role and he treated you the same as he would any of his flings on rotation.  

Sadly, you unknowingly became a target. Neo’s enemies noticed how he prioritized most of his time with you, how you got all the perks at his clubs, and how you reciprocated the club owner’s feelings well past the limitations of a side piece.  

It was mostly Neo’s fault.

He found it impossible to stay away from you. Not when so many of your attributes had him wanting more. Perhaps your beauty? Your nonchalant attitude towards his bachelor lifestyle, or maybe because you had a smart mouth that kept him in line. God, that mouth of yours…

Neo was sprung yet he knew the consequences of getting too attached.

Any of his enemies could put a bullet through you to get at him, and the thought of you dead because he wasn’t careful, scared him.  

Keeping you at arms distance kept you alive. He’d been doing this for years, yet it didn’t prepare him for the sickening feeling when you didn’t answer your phone.

So Neo called again. And again. And again, until he cursed and drove over to your place to check on you. He hoped he was just overeating. 

Did someone see him dropping you off at work and kissing you goodbye? Or notice you staying over his place for the third weekend in a row? Was he lax in his discretion? He was too eager with this couple stuff and forgot about your safety.

The relationship was still fresh, however Neo knew almost everything about you. It was a habit of being a mercenary.

Learning everything about a person of interest was the key to a successful kill, and Neo knew during this time of day, you were at home either reading or catching up on house chores.  

You should have answered the phone and blessed him with that sweet voice of yours. He loved hearing you speak.

“Neo.. I’m not telling you what I’m wearing.”

“Please drive safe bab—I mean.. drive safely loser.”

He’d let that endearment slide. You were the only one who cared about his wellbeing. He couldn’t live with himself if you were hurt. Who would fill the silence during his long stakeouts?  

Who would show him there’s more to life than shooting targets and getting paid? Ugh he needed you in his life. Not just as a meaningless fling, but as his one and only.  

Neo took the stairs two at a time as he dug out the key he secretly made for your place.  

His heart fell when he entered your place that clearly showed signed of a struggle. He stepped over crunched glass and followed the scene—mapping out what happened, exactly how he would do it.  

Neo would have attacked a target at their most vulnerable. Today was Monday. The laundry room.

The dryer door was still open with clothes tossed all over where you threw the basket in self-defense. Neo knew you put up a good fight despite this being an ambush.  

You didn’t know that Neo worked for The Joker. You didn’t know that Neo killed for a living.

He made sure you only knew about his nightclubs and his side hustle as a drug dealer. That was tame compared to the work Joker had him do daily and now you were caught in the middle of it.

This would all be a huge shock to you and definitely not how Neo wanted to reveal his occupation to you.  

Nothing like hearing, ‘hey your dick appointment is a known hitman who got you kidnapped! Oh, and he loves you btw.’

He was never beating those allegations.. Neo knew whoever took you would reach out and taunt him. He didn’t have to wait long. 

Bring 5 mil to The Last Resort @ 10pm or she dies

At least they knew your value. Five million for his girl! Neo was proud to make a same day withdrawal to get you back. Too bad your capturers would never see a dime of it. 

Neo came to a conclusion right then and there. If he was this hellbent on getting you back safe and sound—he might as well make things official. You more than earned the title as his girlfriend tonight.  

Neo would enjoy putting a bullet through each of their skulls for the chance you might accept him as your boyfriend. He’d kill them all as a token of his love.

[robyn-i-guess]

liking someone platonically is so embarrassing like. yeah i admire you. yeah i think about you all the time. yeah i look forward to every time i see you even if it's only for a minute. yeah it's all platonic and yeah i couldn't explain this because it'd sound romantic. fucking hell

[tawnysoup]

Finally now that the comic is fully public on comicfury, I get to share it with all of you here, too <3

If you enjoyed, please consider supporting by buying a PDF of the comic on itch.io: https://tawnysoup.itch.io/home-in-the-woods

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

License to Kitty.

[ionomycin]

my favorite pieces from 2024

[inkskinned]

you said you were stuck in a time loop, which was fine. i feel like late-stage capitalism has us all in a time loop, ammiright? you came barging in at 5:33. in the morning. i hadn't even processed the idea of coffee.

but you had this look of utter panic in your eyes. terror like the ocean. you grabbed my cheeks. im in a time loop.

i don't know why in movies the first reaction is to deny it. when someone is panicking like that, it's not appropriate to ask them to calm down. it didn't matter if i believed it, what mattered was that you believed it so much that it was consuming you.

so here we are. i pour you some of the dark roast. "you look like utter and entire hell," i say.

you push your fingers into your eyes. "you always say that."

i try to think of something funny to say that i wouldn't have said on previous time loops, but jokes don't land without the proper timing (lol). "remind me to think -"

"-yeah, of a joke that only works in the future. and before you say anything, i know you're pissed i just stole your punchline." you bolt the coffee, which is wild. it's very hot. you don't seem to notice.

i blow on mine to cool it down. i both am very pissed at you and also i can't see you in this amount of panic without wanting to help. but i'm also not really sure what we are, not since i saw you kiss her like that, no offense. it just was like, kind of rude when you knew i liked you.

and besides. i'm just like, barely a person. i write omegaverse fanfiction. i love the concept of a time loop, but what the fuck am i gonna do? send an alpha in there? i open my mouth.

you point at me. "you're about to ask why me. and then say some disparaging shit about yourself. i'm just a nerd who plays dnd or something. that self-own is slightly different each time." you sigh. "i know you think you can't really help me. i don't know who can help me. i only came to you because you fucking believe me." you check your watch, sigh, and throw your head back. you cover your eyes with one hand. "i've come here on 26 separate revolutions," you say. "you have believed me every time. and yeah, i have no idea how you fit into this but i just -" you sigh again. "i just like fucking talking to someone about it."

"do you need more cof-" i start, but you're already holding the empty cup out. i frown at it. "you're not getting any more until you promise not to bolt this one like an animal."

you laugh a little and sit up, pushing your hair out of your face. "okay, that's new dialogue. but to be fair to you, i'm not usually this rude. i'm still pretty new at all of this." you check your watch again. another sigh. i guess you're cruising for a personal best in the Sigh Olympics.

i almost tell you im not an NPC but i've played enough video games to know i'm very much an NPC. i pour you another cup. "so what happens in the loop?"

"really bad explosion." you mutter into the mug. you put your elbows on the table (rude) and bury your face in your arms like an angsty teenager. one hand floats up while you talk, because evidently you literally can't talk without your hands. "i have to save the day and there's this bomb and i have no bomb training and it keeps moving, you know."

"do i die?"

you peek up from your arms. "yeah. bigtime. you keep trying to run or stay or do anything and you always super die."

"oh."

"to be fair, like, everyone dies in it though.... so you're in good company."

i hate that you make me laugh. i hate that being around you always feels tingly and strange, this electric tension between us. something that is evidently (given how you stuck your tongue down a stranger's throat literally 3 days ago) (well. 3 for me) super one-sided. i take a sip of my coffee and close my eyes.

i die today, i guess. a little spark of panic starts at the top of my hands and starts whipping up my wrists.

"shit," you say. you look at your watch and jump to your feet. "i have to go. if i can come back, i will. i am still trying to figure out when is best to do everything, you know? the order of stuff. maybe morning isn't good for us."

i look up at you and think about how you keep kissing me in the back of my car and in alleyways and in the dark. and i can never fucking get a read on you. and i also think about how incredibly panicked you look. how broken. how long have you been doing this? "i don't want to die," i say.

you glance downwards. "well, you're not really dead, you'll come back in the loop."

"but i will have died." my hands are shaking. i am trying really hard to stay calm.

you push your hands through your hair again. "i really have to go. i will have this discussion with the next version of you, though. it is like, something i am thinking about."

"but i don't get a next version," i say. i don't really have the language for this, because i haven't had 26 tries with you. i only have my memories: you, a week ago. drunk and telling me you loved me in my ear. you, kissing her anyway. you, months ago, throwing up on my birthday, whispering to me i ruin everything i touch, always, over and over. please don't ask. i can't ever fucking have that be you.

i run my finger along the rim of the mug. "i don't want to die in this one."

you seem baffled by this. "i get that but - time will reset, you'll be fine, you won't even remember we talked about this."

"but i know now." i stand up too. "i have to live the rest of this day knowing i could die. knowing i probably am going to."

"you could always die, to be fair."

i feel my hands get out of control. "earlier, you said i always say a different insult about myself. what if you're just going through different parallel universes and those are all just different - but real - versions of myself? what if you're not in a time loop, you're in a fucking universe loop?"

"if it helps, i've wondered this too. also, you're hot in all of them. if that helps."

i point at you. "no flirting. i'm trying to figure out if i die today."

"who's flirting?" you catch my wild hands and give me that long, perfect smile. like we're in this together. "i won't let ya die." you check your watch and sigh again. "well. maybe not this time."

i grit my teeth. you are so not making quips at me while i try to explain the existential dread i'm having. "does the time loop reset if i fucking kill you?"

"honestly i don't know how long it continues after i die, because i just wake up. it could be that the loop goes until the explosion for everyone, and we're all in the loop, or it could be that when i die, the loop restarts. when i die i wake up, is all."

i pull away from you and stalk into the kitchen and start doing all 3 of my dishes. "okay, first, you know i was joking. and secondly, this is exactly my point. you don't know if this is just a parallel universe. maybe in the ones where you died, the explosion happened and nobody reset and it's just you travelling." i have to stop and push the heel of my palm into my eyeball. "... how often have you died?"

i look at you. you look at me. you give me this very sad, halfway smile and a little what can ya do shrug. something in that action seems so old and weary that i want to burst into tears.

"i have to go," you say. "really. for real. there's this family of five i save from getting into a car crash. and i know it's like oh but we're all gonna die in the explosion anyway, what's the point. and..." you shrug again. "it matters to me, is all. at least i saved them for now. at least i saved anything."

you pad over to me and wrap me in a tight hug. you always seem so tall against me. i feel your cheek rest against the top of my head for a moment. for a second, it's just us, and the space is warm, and my heart is a little broken hare.

you leave me there, and i stand in my stupid badly lit kitchen with my stupid mugs. i think about you. i start texting my mom that she needs to get out of the city, but it feels pointless.

i don't know what to do. tomorrow is the same day for you. but i have to prepare to die in my today.

[mawvax]

watched transformers: one and it was so good it made me draw again. Even my sibling who isn't into tf loved it. i need transformers: two IMMEDIATELY.

some spoiler art below v

Please for the love of everything that has ever existed... watch the movie and support it in cinemas or streaming - wherever - so that we have a trilogy . . .

Future meet Past

THAT scene k i l l e d me. I was in pieces when megatron was born. Completely rocked my world. God I'm so happy to be alive to witness this movie and this breakup again and again in different continuities.

Edit: the “selfish and reckless” line is intended to be Optimus blaming himself for D-16’s drastic change - it’s how I imagine Optimus rationalising how things became so wrong. Sorry for the confusion!

[stil-lindigo]

lighthearted.

if this comic resonated with you, please consider donating to this palestinian escape fund (vetted by @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein) as it is less than $7,000 away from it's goal.

i turn 24 today. To celebrate, I made this comic to be a spiritual successor to lead balloon, a comic in which I talked about the darkest period of my life so far.

A lot has changed since my 23rd birthday and this one. My priorities have shifted a lot, in ways that I think are mostly good. But i think the best part about today is that suicide has gone back to being a far away notion. I'm really lucky, and I'm grateful for that.

[katsinspats]

Thematically appropriate comic for Make a Terrible Comic Day!!

I saw the original post this morning and it made me get out of bed to make something, so thank u Pseudonym Jones mission accomplished

[cloud-ya]

sobbing.....her little brother is her guardian angel

[flowercrowngods]

when ao3 is back up i want all of you to leave comments on the fics you were interrupted from reading, the fics you were looking to find, the fics you were thinking about re-reading, and the fics left open in your tabs for months now.

when ao3 is back up, i want you all to show some love to your favourite writers, favourite fics, or even just the 600 word one-shot that brought a smile to your face that tuesday three weeks ago.

when ao3 is back up i want you all to remember that comments and explicitly voiced appreciation are what keep writers going.

[theballadofmars]

I love how mqf's oficial description is something like: a good heart who wants to help others but then you read the novel and his reaction to lqg trapping ten infected men who are crying in panic is "great now I can start to work in my experiments with decomposed people to find a cure" and gets out a lot of needles, which makes the man cry even harder.

Even if we only get bits of the other Cang Qiong sect leader's we can reach the conclusion that no one there is normal, sqq is just biased.

[sulemio-week-official]

Happy Two Year Anniversary to these dorks🍅✨🍅✨🍅✨

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The squad of all time has arrived on scene.

[anetesenpai]

Imagine tending to this idiot I'd quit lmao

[wetslug]

ppl who r using poll results as a way to Prove Something about society or come to any conclusion.. i hope you are aware that tumblr users are one of the most biased population groups you could conceivably find. gob bless