#and tried to hide the fact that he involved with mafia and stuff

[lazybastardsstuff]

Just imagine Paulie visiting his mama from time to time

[shtern-and-art]

Zaun AU - Viktor

This is the little AU that haunts me, where Viktor and Jayce both live in Zaun, and Arcane is actually about class struggle and oppression.

Here you can read Jayce's backstory. And in this post we'll tackle Viktor's.

VIKTOR AND HIS (TERRIBLE?) LUCK

- In this timeline, Viktor's parents died way earlier, while he was still a kid.

- It happened very soon after, or even right around the time when he had a falling out with Singed. Double hitting little Viktor with tragedy here.

- Little Viktor pointedly didn't go after Singed, even if it meant he ended up in an orphanage. There was not enough food, education, and definitely no good perspectives in life there, but it beat trying to survive on the streets.

- It was the mining company's orphanage. As in, they sponsor it and put orphans of their employees there (the life expectancy on the job is not that great, after all). And the orphanage raises the kids in the same trade. The new generation of miners with almost a sure guarantee of the job after they’re old enough to start working. Great system all around. Ha. ha.

- Viktor's parents were not miners, but he lived in the same gray infested district where most of them and the orphanage were settled, so he got sent there by proxy.

- He spent at least a year there.

- But Viktor couldn't just sit around, just be content with getting pre-trained for swiftly dying on the first month of work right after leaving that damn place.

- Viktor didn't really try to make friends, and got in trouble several times for breaking into the school after hours.

- Partially because he kept working on his own little projects in secret. Like a breathing mask that filters out or converts gases.

- There weren't many resources around for him to test and build his projects around the orphanage. So Viktor quickly turned to scavenging and stealing stuff he might need around the city. This took a lot of his free time and involved way too much walking around to be comfortable, but what can one do. Science can't wait.

But not everything he needed was easy to come by.

- Trying to build an efficient mask was proving to be difficult, and demanding on resources. Viktor's knowledge and his school's chemistry lab couldn't fully keep up with his ambitions on this one.

THE INCIDENT x2: THE COLLISION

- So when Viktor heard the whiff of a rumor that a reclusive scientist guy got settled in some warehouse nearby, the guy that looks suspiciously like Singed, he decided to seize this chance.

- The scientist in the storage facility was indeed Singed, and he had a bigger, well stocked lab in there.

- After spying on it for a bit, and with prior knowledge of some of his former mentor’s habits, Viktor figured out when and how he can get in there, and for how long he can stay in the lab without being noticed.

He made sure to be very careful, and not leave any evidence of his presence, or the fact that he's using the equipment and stealing things here and there.

(He thought he was being so stealthy and smart about it all, ohboy).

- Viktor was still in his pre-teens, very early teens here, btw.

- This went on for a few months.

- Until one day Viktor got carried away and overstayed in the lab. And got almost busted, when Singed came back, and with a bunch of mafia guys in tow. 

- They spread out to watch the exits, and little Viktor had to scramble, hide in the cupboards, and crawl under benches without losing his cane, leg pain be damned.

- Because Singed and Silko just -had- to walk around the lab talking about business and their future plans and schedules. Silco tried to push Singed into moving the lab or letting Silco put more security around this one. Like, stuff keeps getting stolen from him here and there. Not a lot, but this wouldn't do.

- And Viktor was very careful and stealthy. He -almost- made it out without being noticed. But, again, there were armed mafia goons on all sides of the place.

- So they got him, like a little rat boy who overheard a lot of plans for highly illegal stuff, and brought him and his broken cane to Silco (and absolutely unfazed Singed).

OF FATHER FIGURES AND REBELLION (part 1: Singed)

- And, well. Silco couldn't let the boy go. Viktor's life was very much expandable here in the face of the bright future Silco was about to build. But, like, it was still a bit awkward. Boy is scared and angry and even has a little bite to him.

- And one (maybe even Viktor for a second) would think Singed would cover for Viktor. Pretend he's still the wayward protege. But that's a lot to expect from the guy. So all Singed managed to muster up with 0.00005 of conscience he had left in him was a thoughtful "You might want to keep the child" to Silco. "He will be of use".

("these words will have consequences" moment)

- 

Singed: This will be a smart investment. Silco: I'm sure having a sickly but smart child around with bright ideas that are destined to waste away in the mines will not awaken anything in me. Singed: Singed: If you say so.

-

- With no cane (at first) and no safe place to go, Viktor couldn't really run away.

- And from the other side of this predicament – benevolently adopting a child, sorry, a future employee from the streets was cool and all, but Silco really didn't know what to do with a kid milling around his place and becoming meaner and meaner to the bodyguards with each passing day.

- So Silco avoided dealing or talking with Viktor for a bit, and then, bless his morally gray soul, tried to sneaky offload him on Singed.

Because the science child needs proper science education, and he's the best science guy around. And even familiar to the kid, too! So. Babysitting duty it is.

- Like, Viktor needed something to do. Had to be socialized a bit. When Silco got him a new custom-made cane, Viktor broke a couple of toes of the first bodyguard that spooked him.

(It was mostly an accident).

(That cane was too heavy and awkward to handle).

- 

Singed: Thanks, but no thanks. He doesn't really listen to me anymore. Singed: Your problem now. Silco: >C

-

- Viktor was still stuck hanging out with Singed for a bit there, while Silco was busy with, well, business and having his adoption crisis.

- It was a lot of fun (No. No it wasn't.).

- Viktor was still angry with Singed about Rio, and also for working with some criminal guy now, and not caring much about (Viktor or) anything, really.

- Singed was really truly indifferent to all this drama, as long as Viktor didn't fuck up (on accident or on purpose) whatever he was working on. And even then, he'd just sigh and comment on the spirit of youth getting to Viktor's head or something.

- Because only the lack of experience could allow Viktor to waste time sulking around and wasting the opportunities life throws at his feeble feet. Right now, to continue the research Singed is interested in at the reasonable pace, he needs more funding and resources than Singed can or cares to muster up himself. He had the opportunity to get it all, and so he's here, trading money for results with Silco. For now. 

If you want to keep on your goals and get somewhere with them and with your life, you've got to take the chances you get, and squeeze out the most out of them. Even if they might seem dirty and unappealing. Most times it still beats being buried in an unmarked grave.

- Singed will not wink wink nudge around this, he's a pretty direct guy. Viktor is lucky to be alive and have some possible future ahead. Singed doesn't care one way or the other, but it's very impractical of Viktor to wallow in all this "sold to one direction" suffering.

- This hurt to swallow, but still left an impression on Viktor.

- His relationship with Singed evened out over the next years, but stayed strained. From Viktor's side. Singed really, truly didn't care. He's focused and unbothered by any parental drama happening around him. Apart, of course, from his own.

- Singed did care for Viktor and taught him well, and even appreciated him as an occasional assistant and later as a fellow man of science. But ultimately Singed always was more focused on his own goals. He let the vague leftover opportunity for the gentle connection wither away. And Viktor with an array of vague and contradictory feelings about his almost father figure, that Viktor would not admit to have without significant pressure.

GROWING PAINS 

-

Viktor growing up: Me being so sickly and in constant need for medical attention must be stretching my usefulness thin. Must not become a liability, must work even harder.

Silco, with several surgeons on call, pulling debts, and ready to bite heads off for top quality accommodations: *pins schedule for Viktor’s weekly massages on Viktor’s bedpost, tucks it in his notebook, sets up alarms*

-

Silco, actually touched by the efforts the child made to help him: ah, g-d dang it... Viktor, not sure what exactly from the things he did worked: o-o ???? ?? ? Singed, who just wants to work on his drugs in peace:

He's so not invested in all this. Leave him to hunt wolves and dissect lizards. He needs his recreational animal hunting for samples.

-

- It took Silco a moment to stop waving his new reality away, get Viktor a proper cane and generally figure out what to do. And at first he did it all because it is, you know, just practical.

- But, yes, Silco, you will not get away with letting the child grow like moss somewhere on the shelf until he starts bringing results.

You gotta figure stuff out.

- It's a trap. He will fall in and hit the ground hard.

Silco will memorise every single prescription Viktor has, and will have to regularly hunt the child down to make sure he eats. Because some pills have to go with food.

- They'll have a talk one day (just like the talk Viktor had with Singed). About taking what's needed to keep going, staying on top of your goals.

There's no point in sitting there and suffering. For what even? To feel superior? Over people who do not struggle like you are? Who are not in pain? Pfft.

- Silco will ask Viktor if he thinks he is the only one who knows what it's like to be unable to function without meds or aid. Of course, it is not to the same degree, but they both were poisoned by this city.

Much to consider for little Viktor. Many things to sit side by side in silence about. 

- What do you think It'll be like for them to develop an evening routine of medical care? Silco takes his meds, counts out Viktor's, while Viktor measures Silco's shots. Viktor does his stretches, while Silco prepares him sweet milk.

-

Viktor, emerging from the lab after a week-long binge of working:

Silco, appearing from the shadows behind his shoulder: ........Noticing you’ve missed your morning exercise 3 times already.... … .. .

Viktor:

This will have consequences. (C) Silco.

Like, who's gonna be groaning and whining for another week while trying to get out of bed? Who's gonna need compress and a call to the masseuse? Hmh.

OF FATHER FIGURES AND REBELLION (part 2: Silco)

- In his teen years, Viktor got dragged through many chem-barons meetings and parties in the guise of a cup bearer- I mean secretary. Because Silco could trust only him with some sensitive documents and info.

- Vague hopes of raising himself a diplomatically suave successor crushed hard over Viktor treating these ventures like a cat would a bath.

- Viktor can and would ruin a trading deal for Silco just because he was taken (dragged, cursing and flailing) from his lab while some tests were still running.

Why was Viktor in the lab, when he was set to be ready for the business meeting 30 min ago? Dedication to the craft. Next question. 

- Oh, you think you have it hard, Silco? Wait till his sister shows up, try to get her to behave. Will remember the good old days.

At least you can discipline Viktor by giving him, idk, a gazillion stacks of paperwork for a week.

- Silco didn't stop Viktor from pursuing academics and science, of course. Even encouraged it. 

- He essentially encouraged Viktor researching and developing things that would help them in the plan of building up Zaun's strength and independence. Yes, sometimes it meant building weapons.

- Viktor wasn't really happy with doing this, but growing up with Silco he saw the value in what he was trying to do, and wanted to see their city free and independent one day, too. 

- And when they'll get closer to that goal, when people will stop being trampled down and dying from neglect and malice of the privileged assholes, Viktor will have a chance to put his whole attention into working on his other projects. To invent things that will improve the everyday lives of people.

But for now it's revolution first, necessities later. 

- Viktor still can tinker with his other projects, still slave over improving his mask design, and other biomechanical aids, research plants and all. He has all the funds he might need, Silco believes in everything Viktor does, 100%. 

But, you know. Those things are designated to his free time. They are not the priority. Yet.

- An -yet- Viktor still felt the tension. The dissatisfaction. The pressure and constraints these expectations put on him. He believed in Silco's cause, of course, full stop with him. But it always felt like he could do more with his other ventures, if he was free to put his efforts into directly helping people right now.

- Silco understood that this tension existed, but somewhat underestimated it. He believed in Viktor's loyalty no matter how many arguments they had, and even with Viktor's various outbursts and "making a point" sabotages.

- Oh, the roundabout way of making weapons for one group so it will win (so your people will), and there will be no need to use weapons so much. *looks at Jayce in s 1 act 2*

- Oh, the later contrast of Jinxes weapons being very violent and destructive and painful, and Viktor's being more simple and efficient.

-

Viktor: *invents stunning bullets that can knock people out for various periods of time* Viktor: I am being so ethical c: Silco: *uses them to torture people* Viktor: >0

THE DEVIL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TEST TUBE 

- In addition to everything else, in this timeline Viktor was studying and invested in bioengineering.

- And he was (on and off) helping Singed with the development of Shimmer.

- Viktor wouldn't want Rio's suffering and legacy to be in vain. For it to be a berserk drug with terrible addiction.

- Viktor: I Will Fix This. For normal and noble and just reasons, that don't involve any projection or guilt. At all.

- Shimmer was developed as a healing and strength booster drug, and Viktor and Singed spent a lot of time ironing it out.

- Well, Singed worked on perfecting the desired results, that he (and Silco) needed. If one cares for the difference. (Viktor did.)

- Silco pushed for the earliest possible release of the product, Singed didn't care much, Viktor's opinion was sidelined a lot.

- The future consequences of all this were building up and up.

THE OVERVIEW

- This kind of upbringing left its mark, and Viktor grew up even more bite-y and stand-offish, and more ready to make difficult compromises with his morals if it meant getting closer to his own goals.

- That stayed the same – to help people of the undercity.

- I think it will be fun to have Viktor on the hot spot, spearheading the research to free his city from oppression. Have him choose compromises after compromises just for a chance to do it one day.

- To have Viktor's need to prove his worth and his right to be there grip him more strongly. His desire to show that he's just as capable, just as strong as everyone else. That he's capable of handling everything he was dealt and more.

- All of this will be stretching his control of himself and his life thin.

His insecurities and fear forced him into a role with few choices and many regrets.

- Since Viktor started to get better medical attention when he was still a kid, the condition of his leg is not as bad when he's in his 20s, and it doesn't deteriorate as fast. He still needs a cane and later a brace (maybe not the same one?).

- Because his leg is in better condition (and thanks to Silco getting him into regularly doing physical therapy and gymnastics) Viktor's back is doing better, too. He does need regular massages and to wear a corset (sometimes or regularly) to keep in this way.

- Currently, I am not sure if we'll need to keep Viktor's terminal illness in this AU. We know so little about it from canon, and there's enough going on narratively in the AU to keep it going.

It can stay as slowly coming to surface chronic condition caused by the gray. Viktor would have a weaker respiratory system, low oxygen levels in the blood (maybe need that supplemented sometimes). Have chronic fatigue. He'll be more prone to get colds and infections.

- I'll think about it more (and do share your thoughts if you have them), but so far I don't think the actual ticking timebomb (heheh) of it is necessary.

--

BEFORE: Jayce's bio

UP NEXT: the explosion, the plot, the gayness, and other fun things

[m4gp13]

thinking about that dad!Ethan au and the kids in it. For context the kids are Carlos Betsayda(15) who is a son of Hesperus or Notus, Imogen Sage (13/14) who is a daughter of Persephone, and Mateo Aguilar (9) who is a son of Hecate

Carlos is a bit of a lone wolf who learned from a very early age to rely on himself so he doesn't really like having an authority figure in his life, even if it's in the form of a foster dad who is genuinely trying to care for him. He sees himself as the 'man of the house' figure for Imogen and Mateo because he's always been the one looking out for the group and he feels like he can do a way better job than Ethan is capable of.

Imogen is a very quiet kid all things considered. She keeps her head down and tries not to cause issues, but that is because she has very strong powers that she has no idea how to control and because she lacks the context of the demigod world, she's freaking out because she doesn't know what these powers are or where they came from. Because of her ignorance, she hides her powers from Ethan because he hasn't told them about demigod stuff so she thinks he's just a regular guy and she doesn't want to freak him out.

Mateo is mostly just a silly little guy who loves his siblings because they're the only family he's ever known and he just wants them to be happy.

Anyway, Alabaster observes this whole mess from afar and sees a situation he can take advantage of. He slowly inserts himself into Imogen's life as an innocent bystander who happened to see her struggling with her powers and very conveniently knows what her situation is. He tells her about demigods and gods but doesn't tell her about his whole thing with his mafia cult or his situation with Ethan until waaaay later. When he gains Imogen's trust, it's easier for him to ingratiate himself with Carlos and Mateo because their sister sees him as the guy who is helping her fix this horrible burden on her life and while Carlos is still quite stand-offish because this is some random adult man coming into his little sister's life as if he's Jesus, but he does appreciate what Al's been doing for her. Al pretends that he didn't know they were Ethan's kids when he first met Imogen and tries to plant in their heads a distrust of him for not telling them about being demigods despite Imogen's struggles with her powers and despite Al being Mateo's brother (no one knows Mateo is a Hecate kid for quite a while in this au. I think. might change that). Meanwhile, Ethan is losing his mind because he knows how dangerous Alabaster is and he knows Al is going to put these kids in direct danger but Al has half convinced them that he's a benevolent man just trying to help some fellow demigods and Carlos just listens to Al out of spite because it means he isn't listening to the person who is legally in charge of him.

Anyway, the main conflict is Al trying to manipulate the kids to trust him and join his army while Ethan is extremely against it because omfg Al stop trying to recruit child soldiers! And it focuses on Ethan learning to give the kids some agency because he needs to strike a balance between protecting them from harm and keeping them ignorant of how to protect themselves. While Al is convincing himself that he's doing these kids a favour by opening their eyes while ignoring the fact that he is also lying to them to explicitly take advantage of them because Al likes to point out everyone else's faults while being blind to his own.

Also, the endgame of this au does involve Ethan building up a very solid relationship with the kids in spite of (and maybe because of) Alabaster trying to get between them, but I haven't figured out what state Al ends this au in.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Gotham Villains x Hotel Owner!Reader || Headcanons

Explanation / Topic: You run one of the cities dingy hotels except this one, in all of its glory, is only ever visited by bad guys. Your hotel is well known as the place rogues hide away in when they're planning or they're just out of action for a while because you refuse to give up information to the police no matter what (Its proprietor-client confidentiality! Ha ha) and you're treat them fairly (Although- on the kinder side of course)

These are the many ways they show their gratitude, no matter how small.

Character involved: Most, if not all, of Fox Gotham's rogues. Except Ra's Al Ghul because he bores me. Nevertheless, not just the Legion Horrible's like the picture might lead you to believe- that's just the picture with the most villains that I could think of.

Warnings: Probably too much fluff. I'll make a sequel to this with the less-then-pretty, nitty grotty details of this hotel too probably XD

Barbara likes to invest every now and then, "Just making sure my affairs are in order baby- gotta make sure my hidey hole's still there when I need it." but she always adds a little something for you to buy yourself 'something pretty' (Since your style is SO plain, according to her but then again who isn't plain compared to her XD). This little something is always upwards of a hundred dollars. She's such a sugar mommy you cant convince me that she isn't-

Butch (Or Cyrus Gold, or Grundy. he has too many names) has made it clear that if you ever need help, you can always call him and he'll be there. Very gangsta about it. He's such a big, tough guy but such a softy on the inside XD When he had Grundy brain, he still had some kind of tracker in his mind like dogs do that took him 'home' (To your hotel), dragging Ed along with him. He gave you a big, bone crushing hug when he got there.

Dr Strange is not allowed in as he'll steal your guests and experiment on them.

You don't know Ecco too well yet and vice versa but when she turned up with Jeremiah and Jervis- you definitely appreciated her presence more then that of Jeremiah's. You were still sore over Jerome and didn't trust this new brother. Still, you complimented the bullet in Ecco's skull, saying it was pretty cool, and now she loves you XD When she's in the neighbourhood she occasionally likes to pop in and say hello; Spread a little chaos, you know the deal.

Honestly you probably new Bridgit long before Strange forcing upon her the heat resistance thing and her becoming Firefly. She of course didn't remember you but soon *warmed* up to you after you gave her one of the few rooms with a fireplace and easily forgave her when she accidentally set the couch in her room on fire (I mean its for sure not the worst thing that has happened within these walls- no worries). She has been known to go around lighting the fireplaces for you under the pretence of having fun (Which is true) but also so that you can worry about one less thing. Firefly is also one to come chat with you if she's bored.

Fish Mooney obviously doesn't stay with you very often at all, because this lady can find better dwellings (As, no offense but your hotel is kiiiiinda dingy. What can you do about it, though? You house rogues and a lot of them don't have a lotta money) but she still absolutely appreciates what you do. She'll send bad guys that she does business with that have deeper pockets then your usual client, your way. She's also kind to you, which to me is even better honestly haha XD

Headhunter stays with you a lot when he's on business and often reminds you that you get a discount from him if you require his services. Hey, you keep him in milkshakes! He's gotta repay you somehow.

Okay, the twins. You knew Jerome first and got off to a bad start with Jeremiah due to that. Still, we aren't talking about relationships; We're talking about nice things. So moving on. Just assume that you warm up to the brainier twin.

These two are hard XD Cuz their 'good' and 'bad' sides kinda blur together as they're so unpredictable and don't really care about anyone.

Still, I can see Jerome being pretty light with you and valuing the fact that you can keep up with his banter- so he keeps you alive. You're basically his mother actually, despite the possible lack of age difference. Like, he wants to show you stuff he does and tell you about chaos he's created.

And Jeremiah honestly appreciates that you'll listen to his long speeches (You've gotten pretty good at just sitting and nodding your head and you've perfected the art of the well placed understanding noises like 'Hmm' and 'Ah!' and 'Oh dear' in your line of work)- so obviously, you're invaluable to him. Must keep you around. I mean, Ecco listens, but does she really understand? That is the question.

When he's around, Jervis is very polite and gracious. He'll duck into the kitchens after dinner and start helping you with the dishes and clear dining tables, he'll ask you how you are and mean it (Like, he'll stand there and discuss it with you), he'll try to keep Jerome from barging into your room in the early hours of the morning, etc. Just nice things like that ^^

Magpie tries not to steal from you... Haha XD Like, she'll pick up a pretty clock off a mantle piece and then go to leave with it... then realise that this is yours and go 'Oops!!' and put it back, giggling nervously.

... When she leaves you still find various items from other places in the hotel, in her room, but still. The fact that she tries is enough!

Mr Freeze is a pleasure to have around, of course!! He's quiet, he nods to you when he passes, and he's there to freeze assholes that harass you (And then take them outside so they don't melt all over your carpet). A respectful dude. He has frozen Jerome multiple times... particularly when Jervis has been unsuccessful in persuading him not to wake you up at 3 in the morning.

Ivy gets so happy whenever she sees you. Lots of hugs and telling you all about how she's been. Her energy is enough to cheer you up, and on your birthdays she always brings you a new plant that has meaning to her. Like, a sunflower for how kind you are, a Ficus for abundance, etc. Always in a pot of course, never dead. So of course, you have to take care of them but its a small price to pay for the sweetness ^^ And the not being murdered thing.

Like Mooney and Barbara, Oswald doesn't stay often due to having that mansion from his father but he remembers your kindness from when he would fall on hard times before that (And after the fact, too of course) and whenever he's making some kind of mafia deal he always ensures your and your hotels safety in the contract.

Pyg / Lazlo (I cant decide which name I like best XD) is just very polite, like Jervis. Gentlemen. Also his impressions- God. Have fun with that. He might just do your favourite Looney Tune character if he's in a good mood.

With Ed... look, if you even try with his riddles without being prompted, he'll do anything for you. It's well documented. I'm not sur about nice deeds, cuz Riddler's kind of a dick, but he'll for sure send you a birthday card every year! Christmas probably too ^^

Scarecrow: I will not spray you today. You: Gee thanks. // No but seriously, he's quiet about his gratitude but he is definitely once of the good ones ^^ Would absolutely take it upon himself to come save your ass if you got abducted.

Tabitha... well, you know how Headhunter will you get a discount if you want someone killed? Tabitha will do it for fucking free.

Hey, if you feed Victor (Zsasz), you have a friend for life. He will bring pizza and just hang out together. He is also willing to murder someone for you.

[darlingbudsofrae]

Neil Josten Appreciation Post

Foxes Appreciation Series : 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 ||

Alright, let’s just start this by addressing the big elephant in the room: everyone loves Neil Josten. EVERYONE.

If you don’t, you’re lying. 

Okay, first up- I’m glad this is getting addressed more on AFTG tumblr but Neil is literally so much smarter than the fandom gives him credit for.

Like yes, he’s a little dumdum on the social aspect of things (you could argue he kind of has a low EQ but also not really, I would argue that later)

but that doesn’t dismiss that he is smart af and that he can kill you and make it look natural if he wants.

For example, he literally outrun and hid from the mafia for years. Like, that in itself is an obvious point but we often forget that he did this at a very young age.

Like, he was presumably what? 16?? (when Mary kicked the bucket?) And kid was already playing hide and seek pretty well with a freaking mafia.

He does not get enough credit for this.

The survival skills it takes- the mental strength to survive as a runaway and technically he’s also homeless- at freaking 16, that’s just insane.

Also, let’s not mention the fact that it takes skills to forge official papers and all that.

We also do not talk enough about Neil and how he freaking have to relearn an entirely new position just to play exy.

I don’t think most remember that he’s actually a backliner, but have to play as a striker because it was the only available position in that local high school he attended in Millport, and that was how Kevin saw him so he was recruited as a striker.

We also additionally do not talk enough about how Kevin “literal and figurative Son of Exy” Day found potential for court in Neil “I’m a backliner but I’m playing striker because it’s the only thing available and I’m an exy junkie” Josten who only played it for like a year or less. 

Like yeah, Kevin said he needs more training but it’s not even Neil’s official position. 

The talent on this man- I cannot, he is such an icon. 

Aside from his great survival skills and being literally great at picking things up- he’s also like freaking academically smart.

Like that also doesn’t get enough credit- I mean, he does math for fun.

Frankly, I think if you did Kumon or if you had an awesome teacher you could also do math for fun (I know I did) but this should be noted with the fact that he didn’t have proper schooling.

He went on a run at a really young age so there is no way he received formal education.

Which means he is naturally like really smart.

He’s also a polyglot. And the languages he has under his belt are all freaking difficult to learn- like, no kidding: French, German, and he can assumingly speak intermediate Spanish, and we don’t even have an idea if this is all the languages he can speak.

Also, he and Andrew learns how to speak Russian, right? Like, that’s crazy.

The brain on this man and the power that he has- my son, I am so proud.

I mean, for all we know- there’s more than that and the fact that he’s like 18 at TFC screams supremacy.

This is where I argue about his EQ but Neil is crazy perceptive.

It took him like freaking 3 seconds to figure out the team dynamics the foxes have, and how to work against it.

He later figured out how to make it all mesh together.

Like the way he do things isn’t conventional but reading him analyze his team despite his lack of empathy really makes me shudder.

Like, this kid is so freaking smart. I remember reading his thought process for the very first time and being like, okay- I definitely did not think about that.

The main problem with his EQ though is that he doesn’t know how to process positive stuff when he’s involved, but when he’s the outsider- his perspective is so amazing.

Like again, he kind of lacks empathy but the way he understands things and is just so sharp is just noteworthy.

I’d argue he doesn’t understand social cues and “modern teen things” but he isn’t so completely clueless on the social aspect in general as to not manipulate an entire team of misfits with issues to work together.

He’s literally the key to unity in AFTG. Even Dan says so.

Also, the way he puts things into play- like he’s a master manipulator, and I love that for him.

We do not talk enough about manipulative Neil, like I just really love manipulative characters in general so much- especially if they’re just owning it. 

I mean, he freaking manipulated Andrew and Aaron into therapy. Kind of evil but also wow. (just a sidenote, please don’t force people into therapy lol)

Going completely dark for a second, Neil also has a freaking high pain tolerance.

The amount of horrible things he went through in the books were just so sad and the fact that he just kind of moves on from it? That’s just completely oh my gods.

My poor summer child, even if you can kill me at any given time, let me just hug you for a second with consent.

Everyone also gives shit about Neil’s fashion choices and granted it is said he kind of bags the homeless looks but the fact that he values utility above all else-

Yes, we stan a resourceful king. 

Lowkey though, am I the only one who appreciate Neil’s average style?

Speaking of style- I love the way Neil narrates. Like, the way he doesn’t give much attention to how the character looks- it’s just so realistic?

Because if I’m talking to a person in real life, there is no way I am noting how his blue polo makes him kind of casual but clean-cut and how his brown eyes is as warm as my morning coffee. Like, who even does that?

The thing with Neil’s narration is that it’s just so authentic- like it easily engages the readers and the way he gives importance to every thing the same way, it really makes it easier for the reader to discern things objectively, y’know what I mean?

He just has that quality in a main character and narrator- he’s laidback and sarcastic but not trying too hard, and he’s just really easy to love.

Like, I normally don’t like narrators/main characters in books because I favor a side character more or just because they’re annoying, but Neil Josten is legit lovable. 

At the same time, he’s also a really well-written character. Like, for all the technicalities I point out in AFTG, Neil is an asshole. He’s not perfect and I don’t 100% love everything that he does and I love that.

He’s a flawed character but he gives you something to root for- and I just really want to appreciate his characterization for a second. Most books make their characters’ flaws not even their fault to put a check to the flawed character but at the same time still have that perfect character. Eeww, no- give me real flaws to work with.

He’s one of the realest protagonists I ever read.

Like people give him shit for wanting to hide but also choosing to play a nationwide-discerned sport on an infamous collegiate team but for me it’s kind of realistic.

Because I think we, as human beings, also do things we love too much regardless of logic. I don’t know, like it’s kind of funny the way Neil is written but I honestly didn’t see him joining Palmetto as a loophole.

Like, just think of all those successful people who hid their identities via pseudonym or other necessary means to do things they weren’t expected to do or weren’t allowed to do.

For me, his character was really just looking for excuses to play his favorite sport a second longer and if anything, that’s just kind of sad.

But also, his dedication and love to exy is really admirable- like I never understood it but the way he literally does everything to stay on the court for a second longer just makes me want to root for him.

On a random note, Neil may not have an eidetic memory like Andrew’s but the way he memorize most phone numbers by heart? 

Bruh, I don’t even have my phone number memorized and I freaking have it for two years now. 

He also memorizes every twists and turns at every trip, every exits at a room he enters, and most people’s tics upon the first meeting, and other things and that’s just crazy perceptive but also really crazy on another level.

Also, we don’t get much ace/demi representation and out of the few I’ve consumed, demi Neil Josten validates me. He’s legit my favorite character that belongs in the ace spec in books.

I just really love Neil’s character so much- he’s just so amazing.

One thing I always appreciate about Neil Josten is that while he’s not a total angel (sadly), the way he loves the foxes- like he legit tried to mend the team and make sure everyone is going to be okay before walking straight to his death- like I’m with Andrew on this one, what a fucking martyr. Why are you like this and why am I crying?

Neil Josten is by all means not soft, that much is established, but the way he’s just still as precious and must be protected at all costs-

"You know, I get it," Neil said. "Being raised as a superstar must be really, really difficult for you. Always a commodity, never a human being, not a single person in your family thinking you're worth a damn off the court—yeah, sounds rough. Kevin and I talk about your intricate and endless daddy issues all the time."

I love him, your honor- where can I file this adoption papers and do I have anything else to sign?

[indigosprite]

In another ask, you shared your thoughts on why you didn’t like 6996 etc. do you think 2795 share the same problem? I think while Tsuna and Kyoko doesn’t seem as weird as 6996 on the surface upon further speculation and reading works where Kyoko becomes this bamf vongola tenth wife who does anything for Tsuna, it sort of treads the same vibe as Chrome and Mukuro in some way. Idk I just want to hear your thoughts on maybe 2795 and maybe 2786 as well.

Hi hi

Had to search these because I literally did not have any ships for this show until I rewatched it and just merged my favorite characters into one pair that happened to be a ship. I  forget the others exist...With that being said, take this with a grain of salt because I honestly don’t even think about these ships a lot, forget they even exist. How KHR was written will always make the the very idea of Tsuna with any of the female characters feel weird or odd unless you’ve managed to read or create enough Fanon that changes your characterization of the original dynamic. I don’t think they share the same problem but maybe a similar one ? Tsuna and any female character compared to Mukuro and Chrome is very different in my opinion. (funnily enough it’s also because Mukuro isn’t a misogynist shsjsjsj) 6996 could work, they actually have a relationship that’s very personal to both parties and unlike 2795 they’re both aware of it and have a distinct unique connection with each other that consists of shared interests trust and mutual respect. it’s just odd to think about because chrome looks up to Mukuro and the power imbalance feels weird, he’s literally keeping her alive. (Which I know is disgustingly sweet I find it very heartwarming. )

2795 is this one sided crush with zero redeeming qualities. There was nothing remotely romantic or intriguing happening between Tsuna and Kyoko the entire series. If we took out Tsuna’s inner thoughts we honestly would’ve thought she was just this nice girl he knows from school. If we took out Tsuna’s thoughts in general and left it up to the fandom pulling this ship out of their butts it would honestly be 1000% cuter. All their interactions read like

“this girl is so lovely I really like her and she’s talking to me that’s amazing”

“Thanks for the pencil. Do your best on the test okay?”

I’m not swooning over the most lackluster interactions on the planet because he is over romanticizing it. Even the reason why he likes her is not that interesting or convincing. Which I mean I get it he’s only 14 he’s not thinking about all the small stuff like emotional support or validation or like not wanting to be alone etc. It’s still just you’re pretty let’s be happy all the time while you hold my hand forever. He deserves that he’s literally a kid. but even when i was younger i didn’t see it between them ever. On top of their interactions being boring they never give us things that make you go “oh wait she might actually like him hmmm” . they could have tried a little harder to make it a little more romantic? sometimes they show us Kyoko in a pink background hands clasped surrounded by hearts and I forget she’s supposed to be viewed in that light. I forget we’re supposed to actually consider her liking him too but what are we supposed to think Kyoko is looking for in a guy that makes Tsuna a possibility when she doesn't exist past eating cake and worrying about her brother and Tsuna. I think it’s also fair to note that they never imply that Tsuna actually thinks about her beyond his image of her but we see how caring he is with his friends to the point where he can point out their flaws and work through them anyways and accept them. Tsuna realizing Yamamoto was not himself during the Guardians trial is a perfect example of this, it establishes the relationship they built with one another. another example is Tsuna acknowledging that Gokudera is overwhelming and short tempered but he wouldn’t trade the guy for anyone because he is loyal and a good friend.  he cares for Kyoko as a person in general but he never reaches that depth when it comes to her. he doesn’t have to either because it’s just a crush, how you manage to take that through the next ten years of his life I honestly don’t know. 

TL;DR : My ONLY problem with 2795 is the fact that there is nothing to work off of but the implication that Tsuna likes this girl and that’s why they are endgame. she matters very little, just a figurehead of his normalcy. she’s written just as badly in fics, can I blame you? no you were probably like 14 writing them. do a lot of people still do this ? yeah so i’m just not interested until the fanon has changed her character for everyone. 

I know I sound super hypocritical because “Sprite what the fuck does 6918 have that’s soooo intriguing they actually canonically hate each other how is that any better.” the answer: Mukuro and Hibari have a more established relationship with mutual feelings than those two, even better they’re actually really strong feelings (of pure hatred). Bonus, despite being aloof both characters also have fully developed personalities and Opinions/Behaviors that we can mold however we please. they actually have a relationship to play around with that's what makes it fun and lets you have those “actually they’re pretty similar in this aspect” because you know shit about both of them individually. 

Now for 2786,,, as i sit here and think about it Haru and Tsuna make so much more sense for all the reasons him and kyoko don’t . 

Kyoko and Haru were already made solely to be Tsuna’s love interests (specifically Kyoko) , but then it went on to be something they didn’t even bother hiding when they reduced their characters and their interests to looking after kids and repeatedly worrying over Tsuna. The reason I don’t find it appealing is because there really wasn’t any dynamic there at all. This boy liked this girl and that’s literally all it was. She has no depth , and despite being written for him nothing about Kyoko screams you’re perfect for this kid. Nothing says, You’re compatible, You have common interests, you two can rely on each other. She was pretty and nice and polite and that’s all they shared along with half the cast. With Haru they went the completely opposite direction, this girl likes him and is upfront about it. she's not a better candidate just because she's not the typical pretty girl whos quiet and polite and caring,(She’s not the better written female character either, this is reborn. they all lose here.) she’s the better candidate because we actually have a personality to compare to Tuna's. she was purposely given this big personality because he was never going to be in love with her because she’s like all the other intruding figures of his life. Again we have this one sided crush, know he doesn’t like her at all but you can actually see where they do go right and wrong. she’s a complete person. 

Haru can handle a little wild in her life, she was the first one to know he would be a mafia boss and it didn’t phase her at all. Tsuna might need that later in life.

In the future when Tsuna finds her crying she tells him not to think her feelings have anything to do with him, completely different dynamic from kyoko whos emotions are always directly related to male characters and what they are doing. 

Haru and her cosplays are so perfectly absurd and she does not care how weird he finds them, she has this big embarrassing trait to her that Tsuna comically responds to but just grows to overlook and accept.  

she actually talks to Tsuna quite a lot and helps him out whenever she can, because he doesn't like her she's allowed to actually exist in his world and he sees her fully because of it. It makes sense to see his significant other who will be involved in the mafia as an asset who he wants to protect and not just...something he needs to protect bc they honestly don't want this.

she interviews the entire cast of the show because haru just fits there, in a yamamoto like way, she can just handle it. 

Tsuna and Haru could have been perfect friends or a couple. they had the grounds for it. it’s just not what he wanted but I can totally see them working out for each other later in life. they make so much sense! i’ll have to think about them more sometime soon. 

Hope I answered you questions, this got long.

[life-rewritten]

Manner of Death: A break down of Suspects

So it's finally here. The show I've been waiting for all year since it was announced. Manner of Death is here! So far it's excellent, I'm ready for the thrills and the ride, I'm prepared to be on this roller coaster of angst, emotions and stress. But warning I'm not good at mysteries. I know, right? Me who's always on the lookout for clues, symbols and foreshadowing devices? I never get the correct answer for mysteries because too much information is withheld, the hints don't add up to a big picture for me for some reason, and I stress out every time I could be overthinking or missing something. So yeh not a murder mystery person but I am so excited to analyse this show, hopefully, study dynamics (seems like there are interesting ones) and repressed feelings between our couple, the suspects and why they could be our murderer, the manner of death, and the victims and why they ended up in the situation they are in. I'm hoping we have something each episode to flesh out and notice, more plot twists but also more clues that help push us in the right direction. Without further or do here is my suspect list: analysis and first thoughts about the manner of death of Jane, and why no one should be trusted (you all already know this). 

The Death of Jane

Jane is our victim; she was murdered in a way that looked like suicide by hanging. However, she had similar symptoms to her previous student, who also died a week ago. Needle marks (suggesting drug use), bite marks (indicating assault/abuse) and signs of drug intake: diazepam for anxiety and depression. Hers was much lighter, and the bite marks were more on Natty than her. Also, before she died, she admitted to wanting to be responsible and do the right thing. The last people she spoke to was Bun (our main character and faux detective), Tan (her boyfriend), Pued (her ex? or acquaintance) and Pat (an intrusive reporter who she was going to give information to). So who is the suspects of this show so far and what is their motive/clues?

Ratings: From 1 to 5 (1 being least , 5 being most,) how suspicious are they? What the show is showing vs What I'm thinking:

Red herrings are one of the biggest reasons why mysteries are intricate for me because if you're a good mystery writer, you litter red herrings. You trick the audience into believing someone is guilty whilst overlooking the person who is. And this is why I'm on edge each time these characters show apparent hints that they are meant to be suspicious. For me because you've hinted at that, they're not the killer, what's the fun of going through these 14 episodes only to know who the killer is by episode 2? Like sure it's fun to find out why, but with these red herrings, it's pretty obvious why if they are the killers. So yeah I don't believe in these red herrings, but this probably is my downfall for this series because they probably are the killer. Anyhoo, Let's break them down.

We have:

PUED

Puedy; he's bad, handsome and suspicious. He's been a little bit of a problem; clearly had caused some chaos with Tan and Jane before she died, and is definitely up to something and also determined for her death to be silenced and the reason to be hidden. Thing is Pued obviously knows so much more than he's letting on, he probably connected to Jane's death with the way he tries to stop Bun from finding out more, the way he is a prosecutor but seems involved in a shady 'family' business, the way he was harassing Jane and causing Tan to lose it. But also the secret stare he shared with Tan as they walked past each other in episode 2. The way he played of their relationship. He definitely is a source of knowing more about this murder. So we need to think about his involvement, his relationship with Jane and his reason for why he'd want to get rid of her. 

So my theory is he's the one who's sending the stalker to Bun, to warn him off and make him stop trying to discover why Jane died. But I also think he's in it with Tan, does this make them murderers? No. Actually forced accomplices or pawns of the murderer. 

First Pued is just so evident as the murderer: like a secret love affair with Jane, she wanted to expose him, and then he lost it and killed her. I can see that. But I do think his reason for wanting to hide her manner of death is reputation and uncovering/destruction of higher places/ organisations that have the power. I think he's greedy, obsessed with wealth and status (from the watch that he and Tan share) and so the uncovering of Jane's death would cause him to lose all this not because he's the murderer but because he profits from them some way. 

So I think it's pretty obvious I'm thinking it's to do with the mafia and drug rings, and I think Pued's family is essential as well, they're higher-ups who may be the ones that are corrupt, manipulative and behind all the justice systems. I think Bun showed at the party how small the town was and he pointed out all the higher-ups, the judges, the police officers, the prosecutors, but I thought that was a clue, the justice system in this town is shady, they're doing things behind the scenes that they don't want to be uncovered. Jane tried to expose it, and thus she was killed. So yeh Pued is just a pawn, maybe she did die for love (little mermaid foreshadowing) for him but not because of him you get me? Like they may have had an affair, or she needed help with his prosecutor knowledge (for probably Natty's case), but he didn't want her to be successful, and he ended up snitching. Bam! She's dead. 

So yeh he's involved I just don't think he's the murder.

Ratings: 

The show: Right now 4/5- the most shadiest and predictable person for the suspect of the murder

Me: 2/5: A red herring/ pawn under the actual murderer 

TAN

Oh, Tan, you are so gorgeous it hurts. I mean no surprise being played by Max will do that, but I can't trust Tan. Obviously, I don't think he's the murderer, if he is, it was to help end her suffering, or she was shadier than we think. But I do think he's also a pawn/involved. I guess whatever organisation Pued is part of, he's part of it, might even be a lackey. He's shown moments of violence, and shadiness, he's expressionless, and emotionless when it comes to her death, he moves on and continues teaching like its nothing. Only when his students find out does he look worried like he doesn't want her manner of death to be exposed.  

Now the thing with Tan is I think he's the suspicious/dangerous Dam that Sorowit was speaking about in episode 2, someone dressed in black which if you meet them you don't come back out okay, you get hurt. I think the person who we see the most in an all-black ensemble is Tan. So he's definitely connected to violence and secrecy. Does this make him the murderer?

To understand, we have to look at his relationship and story with Jane before she died. He's introduced as her boyfriend who's very protective and watchful of her, we also see him lose his mind at Pued and beat him up terribly, Pued pushes off as he was interested in Jane and it was for possessiveness and jealousy that Tan beat him up. I don't believe in anything Pued says, in fact, I find the whole fight suspicious. Also, Jane promises to tell Tan what's going on; she says he'll soon find out which means he even doesn't know everything about her manner of death. There's some stuff he's not part of like her murder. 

But with Tan, I have to question if he even loved Jane or cared for her. Because the way he's acting; moving on quickly, emotionless and just accepting her suicide was weird for me. It's like they're not dating but faking it. I could see that obviously if he was hired to keep an eye on her, or they both agreed to fake date to protect her from a particular organisation or danger. 

I also feel this is also something he could be doing with Bun now, being hired to keep an eye on him on the guise of wanting to find out what happened to her. Also bringing me back to did he even love Jane, we see he's pretty much attracted and flirty with Bun, he's not even trying to hide it, he flirts openly, and they both act like the kiss didn't happen. It's suspect, very, like he doesn't feel guilt, worry or angst about Bun and him having these weird feelings he's just like flirty and bold with it. 

Reasons why Tan, if he was dating Jane, is the murderer is because again the foreshadowing with little mermaid, Jane says the mermaid died because of love/ for love. And although I do believe this, I don't think its Tan she was in love with, but it is interesting if as her boyfriend he was the reason for why she died. Since he's one of the only love interests, we know so far that she had. 

Ratings

Show: 3/5 Very suspicious, very shady, very violent but he probably has connections, family (either them being in danger or their reputation also getting ruined if the truth comes out), threats or he was groomed into the life of being part of the organisation. If so, then he'd be forced to become emotionless and hide his feelings concerning death and hurt, so he doesn't seem vulnerable.

Me: 3/5 He definitely knows more, definitely was defeated at her death but he also didn't want her death to be found out or taken seriously. I don't think he's the killer, but he might be involved in the reason for why she got killed. 

PAT

Here is someone who I can't stand. But we're going to have to get used to him. Frustrates me so much every time this guy shows up, one because he has no respect for the dead, he also has no respect for privacy, and he just ends up being everywhere. I think he's important. Him being portrayed in a negative light screams red herring to me, definitely isn't the killer, maybe a snitch since she probably wanted to expose the truth to him. But I don't really see him as the suspect, I think he's important and will have information for the future secrets, he probably has been watching and keeping an eye on this case. Reporters have good intuition, and so he probably noticed, last whereabouts, conversations and hidden agendas that Jane had before she died. 

Yeh but I don't like him,  he is a red herring because he's one of the last people she spoke to. I don't see him as the murderer because the motive makes no sense when we think that the justice system, Mafia and other things are involved with this, where would he get the knowledge about the drugs and why would he kill and rape one of the girls and be so nonchalant and annoying? He just wouldn't be essential for me to to the final reveal unless he's hiding his agenda and identity and using being a reporter as a cover. Nah. There's more to it than that. But being a snitch with his personality after being maybe threatened? Yeh, I can see that. 

Ratings: 

Show: 3/5 He was one of the last ones in contact with her, she probably wanted to expose something because she wanted to be responsible and she felt guilty about hiding it. He could have snitched and caused her death. 

Me: 1/5 Probably helpful to uncovering the mystery. He doesn't seem that important, but he does have intuition and information that he probably knows about the case though. 

The suspects so far:

For me suspects are the people who are hidden and have shown reactions or facial gestures that piqued my interest. These are just theories I have to keep an eye on them for now, but it all revolves around this organisation not wanting their secrets to be exposed.

CAPTAIN

I mean you have to think the people part of the justice system is corrupt. Mostly because whatever the reason for Jane's death is, the killer doesn't want it to be found, the only reason for why that is: because of the chance of going to jail but even more the possibility of losing power and fame. If the black market/ mafia organisation is controlling this little town's justice system, then the higher-ups won't want anyone to know. Also, we're shown two police officers and Captain screams suspect just because he's quieter, the camera lingers on his facial expression sometimes and he'd be a shocking plot twist because he's meant to be good. Oh no! So this show has promised a lot of plot twists where we won't trust who's good or bad, we won't know what's right or wrong so Captain being the murderer is a great twist for the shock. That's all it is so far with him, so that's why I'm not sure what his role is here, all I know is if he is a killer its because he was threatened by her exposing his system. 

Ratings

Show: 1/5 No hints that he's the killer apart from facial expressions when Inspector M speaks, but he could just know more than he lets on. (as with everyone on this show)

Me: 3/5 Suspect will keep an eye on him to see if we get more camera time.

PUED’S FATHER

Okay so Pued might not be the killer so what about his father? Maybe it's his father Jane actually got to know when Pued thought she was with him or whatever. Like I said  I feel like Pued's family have a good reputation but are shady, so they're probably part of the group that trades the drugs or lures the girls. I won't be shocked.  I also think he's a higher-up who has enough influence to manipulate and want to hide secrets about his organisation, so his reputation isn't messed up. Won't be shocked if he's a r*pist, abuser, killer because he has traits of someone who's powerful and gets away with anything, seems like he has enough influence to control the justice system, to put his son as a prosecutor, to hire more people (maybe Captain) to be police officers.

 It makes sense to me; it's like what always happens whenever a girl is hurt and killed in a murder mystery you always distrust the elder/influential person. Also, I don't know if it was just me, but Pued seemed a bit scared of him? And he appeared defensive/ too curious about what happened with Pued and Tan. I also think the watch is a symbol of his organisation and so I guess Tan and Pued work with him in this organisation. 

Ratings

Show: 2/5 Yeh the show obviously shows him, but we don't really know enough to infer his relationships or his influence

Me: 4/5, Ding! Ding! Ding! Probably a massive chance of him being the higher up who messed around and now wants to hide his mistakes. 

DAM: GANG OR MAFIA?

Dam is part of the organisation. The control of drugs, the abuse, the shady businesses all screams to me Mafia. So if Tan isn't Dam and Dam is the killer, someone else is and they  did something to lure these women in to be drugged (still deciding if they're the ones who come willingly or if they're injected non-consentially repeatedly  I think it's the latter though why they got involved in drugs, I don't know), they also could have kidnapped and kept the girls hidden whilst abusing and hurting them and stabbing them with the needle. But that's a lot ( a sex trafficking ring? see why I hate mysteries my mind just goes everywhere without getting an answer).

 So whatever Dam is we know he’s violent, whoever gets to face them gets hurt and don't come back, they have a scary reputation and don't mess around. If Jane felt curious about Natty and then tried to find out what happened, they may have killed her to shut her up. But I don't think Dam is the killer (cause I think it's Tan), part of the organisation that traffics drugs probably, so far with this I think its do with family organisations, like Pued's family is one of the Mafia, Tan's family is one as well, and others right? Maybe the watch is a sign of membership. Hence why they both wore it? 

Ratings

Show: 4/5 this organisation or group or Dam is definitely connected to whatever Jane found out. Still wondering how the girls are roped into this, is it the need to run away from things so they take the drugs willingly but things go too far, and they regret their choices or did she find out about a kidnapping/capturing women ring, and she was going to expose it? 

Me: 3/5 Like I don't think Dam is an organisation I believe it's Tan, so it's probably involved, but it's not like the whole organisation that killed her. 

Non-suspects but still suspicious

Inspector M: Because he seems determined and not secretive to find out and actually understand what's going on. Not because he's trying to prevent information from happening but genuinely wanting to discover who murdered her. I trust him for now, if he does realise that his justice system is in jeopardy of being exposed as wrong he'd probably start to waver and stop being right, he'd probably want to keep his job, or he'd be 100% against Tan. 

Rungtiwa: It's her sister I'm not actually fully trusting her because she's the only person who's actually shown overreactions and emotions at Jane's death. Thing is she's her sister, so she's meant to be that way but if someone says "let me know what you find out as soon as possible" a bit shady, obviously she'd want to know more about her sister but like it could also be a so I know how much you know agenda, especially because after he told her about it being a murder he started to get threatened by a stalker. However, I can't figure out her motive, or how she did it and why she's connected to Natty, so she's innocent for now. 

Oat: How funny would it be if it's him? Like you know he knows information about drugs and what they're for, he's someone who is everywhere and readily available and trustworthy to the victims, but why would he kill her? Why would he be part of a drug ring or Mafia? Just the motives don't make sense. I don't think he's involved with Natty at all, so he's probably innocent too and only our comedy relief. 

Who are you guys thinking it is that’s the suspect? Did I miss someone? Let’s discuss and scream about this show! I think I’m definitely slowly becoming obsessed, even we get theories wrong it’s still fun to break down everything and throw out our own ideas and options. I like that. But can’t wait till we finally out why, who and what killed Jane and how it affects our love story building.

[yourgalaxy]

~Eight Senses~ ( Preview)

Pairing: Hoseok x Female O/C, mentions of platonic OT7 x Female O/C

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Action.

Mafia Au

Summary: When he met her, he felt a void being filled that he didn’t know excisted. 

Warnings: None

Word count: 1542

Disclaimer: This is an original story but I don’t own any of the personages aside from the female lead. I don’t do swear words. English is not my first language so bear with me.

The rumors had it that the only child of one of the biggest mafias on that side of the globe had moved back from studying abroad, that she had moved back for good and that she was moving on her own. The majority of the gangs around knew better than to mess with him, the boss had made really clear what happened to anyone who dared to threaten what was his, and it seemed way too obvious that his family was part of that all. 

 But Hoseok and his brothers weren’t a gang, they were far more deadly, far more reckless and independent. They were the wild card of the industry, doing favors for everyone but never really tying themselves to any organization. They were good at what they did, always impeccable, they did the job fast and clean, covering their traces perfectly, so even if you knew of their existence you never knew when they would be working in your favor or against you. 

They played the game on their own terms, doing the jobs they saw fit and directing their business according to their own moral code. Nobody had ever seen their faces but everybody knew their names. 

 Bangtan never took things personal, in their eyes it was all business but this time they were taking this case in their hands without expecting payment for it. This was the time some of them were waiting for and the others were ready to assist them till the end, because at the end of the day they were indeed one, and if one member was hurting, they were all hurting…

  …

 Ezra couldn’t be more excited about coming back, she had always loved her country and even though she tried to ignore some of the memories that stained her mind, she was fond of the way the air of the place reminded her of her happy childhood and the memories of what her family was. 

 Moving on her own, in a little town far away from the city, far enough, where no one would think twice about her last name, far enough, where she wouldn’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations or demands, was Ezra’s dream come true. 

 She was well aware that her father would know of her arrival by now. Even though she tried to move as quietly as a shadow, she knew he had eyes and ears on her all the time,she probably knew too much about him and his business after all. But she deemed it safe to assume that he wouldn’t dare get involved with her, not after disowning her long ago, not after treating her like a stranger and sending her as far as he could when she was barely out of highschool. 

 She hated her father.

 She felt like puking every time she would see him in an advertisement or giving an interview for the business magazine. She hated everything he standed for and everything that he made her to be. She hated everything he had done to their family and the way he dismissed the collateral damage of his actions. 

 She was nonexistent to the public eye and that was probably the only thing she thanked her father for. Deciding that it was time to move on and live her life as a happy orphan, she was excited to redefine her notion of home and create a new future for herself, far from the world she was raised in. 

 Oh, how different was the plan that fate had prepared for her.

 …

 It didn’t take long for Jungkook to find the whereabouts of the infamous mafia child, it was actually way easier than what he expected, the kid was really careless, for a moment he wondered if they were trying to play the “lay low and hide in plain sight” game, because if so, they were doing a good job at it, he was just really good at doing his part of the job. 

 “No pictures, Kook?” - Hoseok was going through the information Jungkook had provided, it was a surprise for him to not have a visual image of the target, not even one of the younger boy’s impossibly detailed sketches. Jungkook hummed in response, a uncertain look taking over his eyes.- There is something weird, Hyung… For some reason, even after knowing where he is hiding, Jin hyung and I can’t really see him… - Hoseok didn’t miss the slight panic on Jungkook’s voice even when the youngest tried to downplay it as something minimal. This was the first time something like this happened, Jin and Jungkook’s vision had never failed, there was usually no living thing that could hide from them, especially if they knew where to look. 

 "It's ok, Kook! You and Hyung are probably worn out from this week. It has been really intense." - He dismissed it for the younger's sake, but they both knew better even if they decided to leave it at that for the time being. They had truly had an exhausting week, but that had never been a limitation for any of their abilities. - " I'll make sure to mention it to Namjoon once he comes back. You go to bed and rest a little bit." - Jungkook was tempted to deny the fact that he was too tired to even think properly but with a yawn escaping his lips he decided to just comply and go to bed for the night.- 

 Hoseok's finger tips clicked against the wood of his desk, he had a sickening presentiment in the pit of his stomach and for people as intuitive as them, that was never a good thing. 

 …

 The room was dead silent as the two slim men stood next to each other in front of the seiling tall window. The reflection of the moon against them, making their sharp features look even sharper. Intimidating and lethal but beautiful and ethereal nonetheless. That was the charm of these 7 Men.

 " So, what's the plan, Hoseok?" - Namjoon asked after the silence allowed both of them to ponder about their situation and the unusual situation with this new target and the inability of the eyes of the team to actually see him. Namjoon was the leader of the team ever since they got together, but they both knew that this mission needed to be led by Hoseok, it was originally his best interest that was at risk there, they were all doing this because of him and Taehyung after all.-

“We do what we do best, Joon. We snatch the bastard and squeeze the information out of him. If you are ok with it, I would like to start the recognition face as soon as possible’’ - Namjoon just hummed in response, he knew Hoseok and what this mission meant to him but he was worried about his brother and what this mission could take from him...No matter what, Namjoon was ready to support any of his members in any way, even if it meant to fix them back up after they were shattered to pieces, because he knew they would do the same for him… They had done the same for him.- “Take Jin hyung, Taehyung and Jimin with you… And Hoseok… Be careful.’’ - He squeezed his shoulder in a reassuring way before leaving hoseok to his thoughts and exiting the room.-

…

 It came as a surprise to all of them when they realized that Lee Jaemin was actually a girl. It made all of them doubt for a second, they normally didn't mess with any job that involved women or children but Hoseok couldn't afford to back off now, he was too close to finally get to the monster that had destroyed his and Taehyung's lives, he just couldn't give up that chance. Even if it meant betraying everything he believed in, he was going to kill Lee Taejoon and destroy everything he stood for. 

 "Let's get going" - He said, missing the worried looks that his brothers shared behind him, Jimin opened his mouth a few times trying to come up with something to say but once he noticed the fire in Hoseok's eyes he knew there was no other way.- "Yes, Hyung!"

 The recognition face was easier with this target than what they would have expected, but again up to this point nothing had gone as expected with this person. 

 They had been observing her for about two weeks and she was suspiciously underprotected for someone of her status. The girl seemed to be trying her best to lead a peaceful and quiet life. She had started to work at the only flower shop in the little town. She seemed to be like any other girl in their 20's, very friendly and happy. but they knew better than to underestimate an opponent. 

 Hoseok felt sick to his stomach. After all the stuff her father had done and continued to do, she gets to live happily ever after? Oh, hell no. 

 "I'm taking her tonight, Namjoon. So get ready." - Namjoon wasn't able to respond before Hoseok hung up. He sighed, praying that things wouldn't get out of hand. He had a bad feeling lurking around his mind-

[dreamescapeswriting]

No One But You ~ KTH

>>>Word Count: 1,801

>>>Genre: Fluff, Mafia AU, based on a scene from Howl’s moving castle cause you know ya girl love that film

>>> Pairing: Hacker!Taehyung x Reader

>>> A/N: This is based off the scene in Howl’s moving castle where Howl comes to Sophie when the two men are talking to her, I really love the film so I just had to write something based off it. This is just a random drabble I wrote while I was laid up in bed sick. 

You were starting your slow walk home from work, you knew the way like the back of your hand but it didn't make it any easier to be walking that way at night. The part of Seoul was known for being dangerous, especially for younger women who would be alone after a night shift.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" Your co-worker asked as she locked the door to the bar you shook your head.

"It's not in your direction, I'll be fine. I have my pocket knife." She hugged you goodbye and watched you leaving down the dark alleyway in the direction of your apartment. She hated that you insisted on walking home but she couldn't exactly force you to get into her car with her.

"I'll see tomorrow night." You called out before disappearing around a corner and keeping your head down, you pulled the hood of your hoodie over your head and kept your head down while you walked not wanting to drawer any unwanted attention to yourself. It had been a long night at the bar and all you wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed but the walk was twenty minutes long.

Taehyung was taking his walk home after a long day too, he'd been sat behind a desk all day trying to hack into something for Namjoon and his head was a mess. He wanted to walk home instead of taking the usual care to take a break and get some fresh air into his system. Not only had he been hacking all day he'd had to listen to Jimin talk about the last girl he was with for the last four hours until he finally had enough and walked out. He didn't care about who Jimin was fooling around with now as long as it didn't come back around to him again. The last one he was with he had to hack into their social media accounts, phones and all the unnecessary stuff to delete information Jimin shouldn't have been giving out in the first place,

"Hey hot stuff, you alone?" Taehyung looked up in front of him to see you standing in front of two men who were eyeing you up hungrily, normally Taehyung would walk right on by but there was something about this that was making him uneasy.

"I think you should let me escort you home, it's not easy for someone like you to be alone out here." The taller one of the men said to you, putting his arm on the wall to stop you from passing through.

"I'm fine, but thank you." Taehyung stayed in the shadows waiting to see what would happen next, plenty of bad things happened in Seoul, he should know since he worked for one of the biggest Mafia Families in Seoul. They practically ran the place so he knew what happened on the daily,

"But you're so sweet and innocent, let me walk you home baby." You tried to move again but the second man put his hand on your waist, that was it. Taehyung came out and stood beside you wrapping his arm around your shoulder he felt your whole body tense at the fact that three men were now surrounding you,

"I'm sorry it took me so long, who are your friends darling?" You looked up at Taehyung and you knew who he was, you'd seen his photo in the papers in the Bangtan Sonyeondan side of it he was the main hacker for them.

"We were just talking about walking your girlfriend home, isn't that right baby? You've been teasing us all night." They lied, they obviously didn't know who Taehyung was or they simply didn't care that he could ruin them within a matter of seconds. The first man's hand left the wall and took your hand in his,

"I suggest you leave her hand alone before you lose it," Taehyung warned in a deep growly voice making the man back off instantly and then hold his hands up defeat and let you both pass by without any trouble. Taehyung took your hand in his and continued your slow walk home,

"I'll take you home, but they're following so stay close to me." You hummed in agreement and kept as close to him as you could get, you lead the way and he followed still holding your hand. The silence was killing you,

"I'm assuming you know who I am?" He whispered as you came out of the dark alley and onto the main road,

"Yes, Are they still following us?" You questioned trying not to look behind you, Taehyung looked for you.

"They are, I'll text someone." He took out his phone with his spare hand and began texting Yoongi to come and take care of them for him so he didn't have to get his hands dirty.

"You're going to kill them?" You questioned as you crossed the road in the direction of your apartment,

"I am." He mumbled coldly walking alongside you and looking around at the streets, he hadn't been this far in Seoul in a while and he remembered why they'd moved to the richer side. A lot less trouble there then there was here,

"Do you live much further?" You pointed up at the main apartment building and he shook his head,

"No. No way in hell," He grumbled turning you back around and heading in another direction,

"Excuse me, where are you taking me?" You questioned as he continued to walk you in the opposite direction of your apartment and the opposite way of where you had come from. Taehyung wasn't about to leave you in a crummy apartment building when you'd been followed all the way home and Yoongi still hadn't responded.

"I'll take you to one of my hiding spots, you can stay there until the creeps are taking care of and maybe I'll let you keep it. That old place is falling apart." You scoffed at him as he continued to walk with you hand in hand in the direction of his place,

"Excuse me but I don't really have much of a choose Mr Rich kid," He chuckled at you, you were a lot braver than most people they'd come across. Usually, they'd avoid getting into confrontations if they knew who the boys were but you were daring and there was something about him that drew him into you,

"Working in that dead-end bar doesn't pay well?" He'd been researching you the moment you started walking to his place, he'd seen your name on the back of your bag.

"You shouldn't keep your name out in plain sight for just anyone to see." He smirked looking at your confused face, you looked down at your bag and shifted it to the other side of your body.

"Too late, I already know everything there is to know about you. You were the smartest in your class, why didn't you go to university?" You laughed sarcastically at him not wanting to discuss your life with some stranger and he stopped outside a giant white building which had windows covering one side of it,

"You live here?" He shook his head walking you into the building and collecting some keys,

"I store my car here, I'm not going to walk all the way out to my spare place. We'd be walking for days." You nodded, you didn't know why you were following a known psychopath into a parking garage and getting into a car with him but you somehow felt safe with him. As if nothing could go wrong as long as he was by your side and he felt the same with you,

"Seatbelt." He warned as he started up the engine.

"You alright?" He asked as you sat in front of the fireplace, you were in a cabin in the middle of nowhere and that feeling of being safe was still there but your mind was still running over everything else,

"Are you going to kill me?" He started laughing at you and then shook his head,

"No, but I'm going to offer you a job,"

"I won't kill anyone." You said quickly but he began laughing softly at you and shook his head yet again.

"Nothing like that, it's a secretary position. Better money than that stupid bar, and you'll get an apartment as an incentive to coming to work for us.

"I would just be a secretary?" He nodded and you looked over at the fireplace, you didn't have any other options really it was that or back to the dead-end job at the bar being hit on by creeps or going to work for a group of people who were just as dangerous as the part of Seoul you lived in.

"We understand that it's a lot to process but working for us would insure your safety for life, even if you decide to leave the company in the future." You looked at Taehyung who was trying to push hard for you to say yes, he wanted to protect you. He had a protective instinct over you after barely knowing you and maybe it was how Jimin felt about all the women he shared his time with or maybe it was how his grandparents felt around each other but all he knew was he never wanted that feeling to go away. He wanted to look after you for as long as he possibly could,

"I'll take it." He smiled and you don't know why the smile made you feel like you were signing a deal with the devil but at the same time, it felt comforting. It was all a mixture of emotions to you but the most overwhelming one was the way you felt when you looked into his eyes and you caught him smiling at you or just staring at you.

"Good." He whispered moving closer to you in front of the fire, you felt your heart begin to beat a little faster now he was so close to you, and his arm wrapped around your shoulder as though it was something you'd been doing for years.

"It's nice to have you onboard." He whispered bending down to your height and kissing your lips you began having a heated make-out session on the sofa until you pulled away putting your hands on his chest to keep him at a small distance.

"Do you do this with all new employees?" You questioned not wanting to get involved in this type of relationship with your new employer,

"No one but you." He whispered kissing you once again, this time your hands went into his hair and you tugged a little at the ends making him groan against your lips.

Tagline: 

@yoongisdumplingcheeks @snowy-meowl @lynnthevirgo @jooniesdarlingdimples @kpopfanfictionhoes @lyoongx @callingmyangel @fan-ati--c @mitzwinchester @rjsmochii @btsiguess-kpop 

[nymphigeon]

From me, to you || 01

♤ Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

♤ Genre: fluff, angst, romance, hybrid au, hybrid!Taehyung, detective!reader

♤ Words: 2.1k

♤ Rating: PG-13

♤ Warnings (for this chapter): swearing, crime, a sex club, mentions of murder, blood, mentions of hybrid abuse, mentions of drugs, mentions of the mafia.

Synopsis: A story in which he has never known love, so you'll give it to him.

Series masterlist

01 02

The weather has been terrible lately. The summer heat has been replaced by cold days full of rain and wind. The sky is constantly grey with now and then a flash of light caused by the thunderbolt that decided to say hi. Leaves have turned brown, dying as the trees don’t have the resources to take care of them anymore.

The flock of people on the streets has all but disappeared, giving shops an opportunity to adjust their opening times. Animals feel the need to hide away more and leave to their homes underground or high up. Some even completely move to places where the sun shines brighter. Of course, because where the sun shines there is warmth.

Now sometimes autumn is associated with warm chocolate milk in front of the fire place wrapped up in a blanket. A slow song is playing in the background on low volume while you’re playing cards on the floor, or well most likely on a rug. Seated comfortably, your back against the sofa and your knees raised, nicely cuddled up into yourself, or perhaps someone else.

The sound of rain hitting the windows acts as a lullaby during your time inside. And if you do forcefully need to get out for a short time, the pleasant petrichor will softly welcome you. Or maybe this sounds more like winter? What does it matter, both seasons are cold.

At the time mother nature decided to shift it’s warmth to other places on earth, a thick layer of unease seemed to settle over the city. Like all the fun the sunrays brought were traded for despair. Awfully noticeable in how the amount of cases for the local police have risen dramatically.

People are staying at home so everyone who was hired during the busy summer has to be fired. There is too much staff otherwise. People in this particular town already aren’t the richest in the world, imagine what happens when employment rates drop.

Crimes have been a regular subject for the news. The few that did go outside, now stay at home out of fear. Curtains closed, lights out, please don’t enter my house. Or curtains opened, lights on, there is someone at home.

Most offenders have yet to been caught. Everyone is your enemy now. Don’t trust the neighbour who came home late last night. The sound of your glass falling is the window being broken. I’m calling the police.

While jewellery is being stolen at one side, someone will use the opportunity of the police being busy to kill the innocent. Or maybe they didn’t pay back the money they got from some sketchy dude in an alleyway down the street. Not so innocent anymore.

The only workers making bank at the moment are those with a career in law enforcement. Oh and those criminals were talking about. That includes hybrid dealers and unlicensed sex clubs.

When my boss called me to work, I didn’t expect to hear about a hybrid deal gone wrong inside said unlicensed sex club. Just for your information, treating hybrids like slaves has been long forbidden. You can own them, show off your wealth all you want, but the instant you hurt the half-animal you can see your money out the door. In return, you can expect expensive fines and imprisonment. At least that’s what is supposed to happen.

Still a blind eye is often turned to incidents involving hybrids by both the general public and law enforcements. You can also be fined for not turning in the information you have of a possible abuser, but say that’s also ignored, there is no other law backing the poor hybrid up.

The laws were originally established because the half-animals are also half-humans, created by some crazy scientist who perished years ago. Some rogue failed experiment turned on him. A warning for humans not to take in wild animal hybrids, not that anyone listened. Those wild animal hybrids are sometimes worth more money than the diamond necklace your mafia-boss husband got you.

The second I agreed to meet my colleagues at the crime scene I was hung up on, the beeping tone at my ear notifying me. I love the work I need to do, but I hate the people involved. It pays the bills though, so you won’t see me complaining. I get my stuff together and head out the house. It’s dark outside, raining too. The darkness might be explained by the fact that it’s 11 pm at night. Not the greatest time to be out. Luckily my job has provided me with a car, so you won’t see me walking.

During the ride the radio plays reports of different crimes throughout the city. Some happened at the exact same time, others had no connection whatsoever, yet they ended up being executed by the same group. Tv shows like CSI have been stuffing these sinners with the confidence to rob a place. The average criminal is luckily stupid enough not to know these shows don’t show the entire picture. However, that didn’t make them any easier to catch according to this radio report. On the other hand, what radio stations don’t know is that police won’t show them the entire picture either. Well they’re just there to spread panic, fact checking isn’t a job requirement.

The rain makes the view basically non-existent. Coming down like the angels are just throwing buckets of water over our heads, everything in the distance is blurry. Or maybe they just drank a lot, who knows. Weather reports have been warning for slippery roads, albeit I think they forgot to mention anything about nature made swimming pools outside of our houses.

Seeing as there is nothing good to report on the news they might as well downplay everything to give viewers their daily dose of good news. There is no good news though, and pretending that there is, is dangerous. Hope will only crush future expectations of being safe. Not that they care, they just need high ratings.

Seeing blurry blue and red lights in the distance is my indication that I’m getting close. I’ve never been to this part of town, if I had this so called sex club would’ve already been long gone. Don’t underestimate me, I can sense law breaking acts from a mile away. The fact that I don’t live too far away from addresses where everyone looks to be a drug addict just makes me better at my job.

I park my car next to the others at the side of the road and uncomfortably bend myself to take my bag from the backseat. I do not want to stand in this rain for longer than needed. I mentally prepare myself to get inside as fast as possible. I won’t worry about the sight inside too much, I’m used to it. 

I get out of the car and lock it, before walking over to the barricade tape. The outside of the club looks the same as any other sexual fantasy indulging club. Pink lights and posters of men and women in nothing but flimsy underwear plaster the windows. If it wasn’t for the bunch of officers behind the barricade tape, nobody would’ve known there was somebody murdered inside.

Reporters collect themselves in front of officers close to the tape, trying to get any kind of information out of them. They’re not getting any, so they keep trying, foolishly believing we know any more than they do. Well maybe a little more.

Anyways, without proper investigation we are just as clueless as they are. I’ll applaud their dedication though, as not all reporters have brought an umbrella with them. Imagine getting soaking wet just to ask a few questions. They might not have a raincoat, but they’re all somehow protecting their camera’s one way or another.

As I get closer to the tape blocking outsiders from entering, reporters notice me approaching. If it wasn’t for my uniform they wouldn’t even have batted a lash in my direction. Right now apparently, I’m the most interesting human being on earth. Remembering my trainings I keep my head low and ignore every question thrown my way, until I reach the officer waiting for me.

“Ah, detective Y/F/N Y/L/N, we have been expecting you.” He allows me to duck under the tape, fore shaking my hand and placing a gentle hand on my lower back. The umbrella he’s holding protects me from arriving inside looking like I just had a shower with my clothes on. Like this, I get escorted inside, leaving the flashing camera’s behind me.

“Good evening, Miss Y/L/N.” Another female detective greets me immediately once I step inside. The male officer gives me a nod ere disappearing back into the front garden of the club. Probably going to spend his time listening to silly questions and being blinded by light. At least he might make in on the front page of tomorrow’s newspapers. Maybe he’ll get scouted by some modelling agency just to appear on more front pages.

“David Brown, mid-thirties, and an employee at the club, Mia Labell, 23, both got killed after Brown tried to buy a hybrid of another man we can’t identify from the security footage. Both the hybrid and man wore a hood. We don’t know what went down inside the room as there are no camera’s inside and the walls are soundproof.” The woman, whose name is apparently Blair Miller as shown on the name badge on her chest, explains the situation while she leads me to the room.

“For an illegal sex club they are awfully professional.” I note, having paid close attention to her words. “Well if you don’t want to get outed by a customer I guess that’s the right thing to do. People value anonymity.” I  add as the other female holds up a key card against a control panel to the right of a metal door.

The door slides open after a beep of confirmation. A young girl laying on the large bed in the middle is the first thing I lay my eyes on. The bed sheets are tainted completely red with her blood. Next to the bed lies a man, drowning in a puddle of his own blood. The bodies of the two still look like they could stand up at any moment. “Time of death?”

I walk further into the room, looking around for any other clues I should note. “Approximately 10.38 pm for both of them.” Blair answers, meekly standing in the door opening. “How did they rent the room?” I put on a pair of white latex gloves, before gently expecting the girl on the bed, without moving her from her position. Her hands are tied together, thick ropes cutting into her skin. A gag in her mouth, a blindfold covering her eyes and some lingerie complete the look.

“They wanted one girl for the three of them, paid, then took this room as any other customer would.” Dangerous, there is no way to keep these girls safe. No camera’s, just selling them off to multiple men at the same time. Is there any security around here? The two bodies contain multiple stab marks in their chest and stomach area. There are no signs of any strangling or poisoning. Cause of death for now is bleeding to death, but we’ll have to wait for the autopsy.

“Three?” I don’t look at Blair as I voice my questions. I’m good at multitasking, no need to focus on one thing only. “Mister Brown, the unnamed man and the hybrid.” They rented the girl as normal, then tied her up and proceeded to use the room for their business. Seeing as both died around the same time, the girl was alive during their exchange. We can’t exactly ask her anything right now though.

“How did the culprit leave?” You take a swab from under the fingernails of both bodies, hoping they might have scratched whoever did this. “Leisurely strolled outside the front door with the hybrid on a leash.” The poor hybrid must have witnessed everything. There was never a reason for this to happen. “These two were found by a cleaner going in not even a minute or two later.” It’s not my job to care. It’s not my job to ask either, but I’m not heartless, I am able to feel sympathetic.

“How are they doing?” I look at Blair for this one. Maybe because it’s a different type of question. “Shocked at first of course. They’ve calmed down now.” That makes me feel better. I’ve been doing this for over 2 years, and never will I be able to understand how someone could do this. Then again, the reason for becoming a criminal investigator was not to understand anyway, but to serve, to protect. And protect I will.

[atiny-exol]

Ateez! Mafia reaction! You confess your feelings after a long time of being in an arranged marriage! + how they are as your husband

~I really hope you like it!♡

Requests and Yandere/Mafia talks are still open

_____________________

Hongjoong

He is a very nice and friendly husband

Wants to make you as happy as he can

Even when he is the boss of one of the largest mafia organizations

Probably very busy and comes home late sometime with blood on his shirt. Don’t want to hug you when this happened so he will just go showering first before he touches you.

But he tries to give you enough of attention so you both can get closer to each other

Dates are in the most fancy restaurants with the most beautiful dress for you

So I think you should confess to him on one of this date nights

He is very happy about the fact that you are his wife/husband now

At first he just wants to make sure you feel safe and comfortable around him

But with every date he takes you out he falls a bit more in love with you

He loves the fact that you aren’t scared to say your opinion and that you aren’t scared of him

Would be happy about the confession

Like he wants to say this to you too!

Maybe not yet but he has planned it

,,You..You love me? Really? That’s..That’s awesome my Love. I didn’t think you would confess to me like this.“ He grabs your hand and smiles widely at you. ,,I love you too my Love. I love you too.” He is is calm not like you. You are shaking and happy about the fact that he doesn’t rejected you. Maybe he is a monster to some and cold as ice to his enemies but you..you are something really special to him. 

Seonghwa

Probably very nice and friendly as a husband but

He just doesn’t wanted to marry someone he doesn’t love

And yet he is still a bit awkward

In your honeymoon he seems to have fun with you

But when you are moving to the mansion he is..quiet busy

So busy he forgets about very important things

He really wants to get to know you but

He doesn’t have time for dates or dinners together

Dont get me wrong he likes you but he doesn’t know you that much

Even when he is married to you a long time he thinks that

And maybe it’s because he dont want to be attached to you

You should not be a weakness for him so this is another reason why he isn’t that close with you

After your confession he would probably try to be a bit closer to you and go on dates with you

So he will fall in love slowly with you

He stares at you with big eyes. Did he hear right? Did you say you love him? Him? He isn’t even there for you and you still have time for falling in love? He knows that he has a lot of charm and he is always friendly towards you..but he didn’t thought this would happen. ,,U..Uh..uhm..right so…Y/N I dont know how to say this..but I dont feel the same for you right now…but listen. It’s just because I dont know you…Yes I know it’s my fault we are not spending time often but I promise you..I try to be a better husband. Like we should start right now! Come on we are going out and talk a little bit! Oh..that’s rude right?“

Yunho

Let be real

He wants to marry you because he loves you the first time he sees you

I’m not joking

He would literally not even be mad about the fact of marriage with you

Tells you that he loves you in your honeymoon

And you rejected him

It’s okay for him because he knows it would take time for you to get close to him

It will take till you trust him and the things he does

Sooo he just spoils you

Gives you as much freedom you want and will buy the whole world for you

So it’s not that big of an surprise that he is so happy when you say that you love him

,,Omo! Sweetheart I knew you woll say this to me sooner or later! I love you too! Of course I love you too..you know that right? Since the day we meet I loved you and I will never ever let you go…you can’t go anyway because..you know that its dangerous for you as my wife/husband.” Hugs you very very tight and will not let you out of his grip till you say that you love him again.

San

Is a very flirty and sarcastic husband

Doesn’t want to get married to you in the first place

He flirts with you a lot

Think it’s funny when you are getting red and shy because of him

But nothing more

His flirts are nothing more than flirts

You dont see it..dont see that he is playing with you and thats the reason why you are slowly falling for this man

He knows that you love him

Who would not love him?

Flirts with some persons when you are there but when someone is flirting with you

Oh Boy will show this person no mercy

Anyone should understand that they are under him and this is why no one has the right of getting flirty towards you

You think this is out of jealousy? No it’s just that he doesn’t want to show the world that your marriage isn’t that perfect as it should be

So when you confess..yeah find it out on yourself

He looks you in your eyes on his face is a sarcastic smile and he seems to mock you with it. You are so easy.

,,You love me?? Wow thank you Y/N it very lovely that my wife/husband is falling in love with me but I can’t say the same thing Sweetheart. I dont want to make things complicated so yeah. Get over it okay? I’m not saying your not nice or hot Sweetheart but I just dont love you like you love me. Anyways I have work right now and I think I can’t eat with you today so dont wait for me.“ While he says the last sentence he gives your cheek a short kiss and goes straight to his working room.

Mingi

Sweet, caring, protective sometimes a bit to protective over you but that’s okay

Days with him are always fun

And with you he can just be his true self

Like he dont has to be the dark and serious mafia member

Would try to hide all the scary and dangerous stuff from you

You should never see his dark personality

Because he has no mercy when he is working

Never

Buttt…I think your confession will happen just while he is working

Some enemies of Ateez are attacking your house

They now that mingi will not let let anything hurt you

You are his weakness

This is why they are shooting at you

Will take a bullet for you

The boys would clearly bring the enemies down but Mingi lays on the ground and just loses a lot of blood

This is where you confess

He smiled weakly..you love him? Even when you see him killing a lot of people tonight? You are really an angle. Slowly his hand is moving to your face. He swipes your tears away and you are just trying to help him to stay awake and to stop the bleeding. ,,I will not leave you..angle.I..I love..you..and I promise you..I.will..never let you alone. So don’t cry please…I will be fine.”

Yeosang

A cold one

He is not very good in showing you affection and to be honest he dont want it that much

Why should he?

He doesn’t love you and he just get married to you because of the business

busy and doesn’t have time for a lovely and time taking marriage

Never learnt to love in the first place

He is a borne killer and boss of one of the biggest mafia group

He doesn’t need love

Not from you or from anyone

So he would be probably not change anything in the relationship between you two because you confess

As fast as the words slipped your mouth as fast they are forgotten by him. You are really thinking he will love you just because you are his wife/husband now. This is why he hates people. ,,Okay listen. I dont love you and I will never love you. I dont need love in my life. So you should get rid of this feelings because I will never feel the same. Are we clear? It just will take time and I dont have time. So if you don’t want to get missed forever you should go out of my way and leave me alone now.“

Wooyoung

Would be nice and funny around you

Goes out with you a lot

But most of the time he likes to watch movies with you

Around you he wants to do all the thing he can’t do when he is working

And now he isn’t alone anymore

So why not

He really likes you and he thinks that you are a very lovely and intelligent person

He can talk with you about everything and he just loves that you will not disrespect him

He hates that

Is a mafia member after all

But one thing is not good for you

He is smart, friendly and you two can laugh a lot about everything just like best friends

And that’s the problem you are his best friend nothing more…so yeah..welcome in the friendzone!

The look on his face is pure disbelief and shook. He is looking at you and can’t belief the words that leaved your mouth a few seconds ago. ,,You..You love me?..That’s..That’s really flattering but…you are like my best friend Y/N and I dont think that I will love you more than a best friend..I will let you have your time…but I really dont want to lose you because of this..I´m sorry…”

Jongho

He is very young and doesn’t have much experience with relationships

This is why everything seems a bit.. awkward?

Is very nice and tries hard that you are not getting involved with his business and job

He has always bodyguards for your safety in the house when he isn’t there and theh never leave your side

So you have not much freetime

But Jongho tries to get along with you

Like.everyone he is busy and has a lot of meetings

But he can’t ignore you

Because he likes you

And he isn’t sure if he just likes you

Your confession hits him like a rock

Is very happy bit confused about his feelings..he must think about it but he dont want to hurt your feelings

,,Don’t get me wrong Y/N but I have to think about it..a bit..okay? I’m not used to hear this words and..I can’t order my feelings myself..so I’m sorry to not say I love you too.” His eyes are wandering around the room and he just don’t want to look at your face right now. Love was never a topic for him..he never loved someone other than his family..so what should he do right now with his feelings?

[ahouseoflies]

The Best Films of 2020

I can’t tell you anything novel or insightful about this year that has been stolen from our lives. I watched zero of these films in a theater, and I watched most of them half-asleep in moments that I stole from my children. Don’t worry, there are some jokes below.

GARBAGE

93. Capone (Josh Trank)- What is the point of this dinner theater trash? It takes place in the last year of Capone's life, when he was released from prison due to failing health and suffered a stroke in his Florida home. So it covers...none of the things that make Al Capone interesting? It's not historically accurate, which I have no problem with, but if you steer away from accuracy, then do something daring and exciting. Don't give me endless scenes of "Phonse"--as if the movie is running from the very person it's about--drawing bags of money that promise intrigue, then deliver nothing in return.

That being said, best "titular character shits himself" scene since The Judge.

92. Ammonite (Francis Lee)- I would say that this is the Antz to Portrait of a Lady on Fire's A Bug's Life, but it's actually more like the Cars 3 to Portrait of a Lady on Fire's Toy Story 1.

91. Ava (Tate Taylor)- Despite the mystery and inscrutability that usually surround assassins, what if we made a hitman movie but cared a lot about her personal life? Except neither the assassin stuff nor the family stuff is interesting?

90. Wonder Woman 1984 (Patty Jenkins)- What a miscalculation of what audiences loved about the first and wanted from the sequel. WW84 is silly and weightless in all of the ways that the first was elegant and confident. If the return of Pine is just a sort of phantom representation of Diana's desires, then why can he fly a real plane? If he is taking over another man's soul, then, uh, what ends up happening to that guy? For that matter, why is it not 1984 enough for Ronald Reagan to be president, but it is 1984 enough for the president to have so many Ronald Reagan signifiers that it's confusing? Why not just make a decision?

On paper, the me-first values of the '80s lend themselves to the monkey's paw wish logic of this plot. You could actually do something with the Star Wars program or the oil crisis. But not if the setting is played for only laughs and the screenplay explains only what it feels like.

89. Babyteeth (Shannon Murphy)- In this type of movie, there has to be a period of the Ben Mendelsohn character looking around befuddled about the new arrangement and going, "What's this now--he's going to be...living with us? The guy who tried to steal our medication? This is crazy!" But that's usually ten minutes, and in this movie it's an hour. I was so worn out by the end.

88. You Should Have Left (David Koepp)- David Koepp wrote Jurassic Park, so he's never going to hell, but how dare he start caring about his own mystery at the hour mark. There's a forty-five minute version of this movie that could get an extra star from me, and there's a three-hour version of Amanda Seyfried walking around in athleisure that would get four stars from me. What we actually get? No thanks.

87. Black Is King (Beyonce, et al.)- End your association with The Lion King, Bey. It has resulted in zero bops.

  ADMIRABLE FAILURES

86. Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Cathy Yan)- There's nothing too dysfunctional in the storytelling or performances, but Birds of Prey also doesn't do a single thing well. I would prefer something alive and wild, even if it were flawed, to whatever tame belt-level formula this is.

85. The Turning (Floria Sigismondi)- This update of The Turn of the Screw pumps the age of Miles up to high school, which creates some horny creepiness that I liked. But the age of the character also prevents the ending of the novel from happening in favor of a truly terrible shrug. I began to think that all of the patience that the film showed earlier was just hesitance for its own awful ending.

I watched The Turning as a Mackenzie Davis Movie Star heat check, and while I'm not sure she has the magnetism I was looking for, she does have a great teacher voice, chastening but maternal.

84. Bloodshot (David Wilson)- A whole lot of Vin Diesel saying he's going to get revenge and kill a bunch of dudes; not a whole lot of Vin Diesel actually getting revenge and killing a bunch of dudes.

83. Downhill (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash)- I was an English major in college, which means I ended up locking myself into literary theories that, halfway through the writing of an essay, I realized were flawed. But rather than throw out the work that I had already proposed, I would just keep going and see if I could will the idea to success.

So let's say you have a theory that you can take Force Majeure by Ruben Ostlund, one of the best films of its year, and remake it so that its statement about familial anxiety could apply to Americans of the same age and class too...if it hadn't already. And maybe in the first paragraph you mess up by casting Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, people we are conditioned to laugh at, when maybe this isn't that kind of comedy at all. Well, don't throw it away. You can quote more--fill up the pages that way--take an exact shot or scene from the original. Does that help? Maybe you can make the writing more vigorous and distinctive by adding a character. Is that going to make this baby stand out? Maybe you could make it more personal by adding a conclusion that is slightly more clever than the rest of the paper?

Or perhaps this is one you're just not going to get an A on.

82. Hillbilly Elegy (Ron Howard)- I watched this melodrama at my mother's encouragement, and, though I have been trying to pin down her taste for decades, I think her idea of a successful film just boils down to "a lot of stuff happens." So in that way, Ron Howard's loss is my gain, I guess.

There is no such thing as a "neutral Terminator."

81. Relic (Natalie Erika James)- The star of the film is Vanessa Cerne's set decoration, but the inert music and slow pace cancel out a house that seems neglected slowly over decades.

80. Buffaloed (Tanya Wexler)- Despite a breathless pace, Buffaloed can't quite congeal. In trying to split the difference between local color hijinks and Moneyballed treatise on debt collection, it doesn't commit enough to either one.

Especially since Zoey Deutch produced this one in addition to starring, I'm getting kind of worried about boo's taste. Lot of Two If by Seas; not enough While You Were Sleepings.

79. Like a Boss (Miguel Arteta)- I chuckled a few times at a game supporting cast that is doing heavy lifting. But Like a Boss is contrived from the premise itself--Yeah, what if people in their thirties fell out of friendship? Do y'all need a creative consultant?--to the escalation of most scenes--Why did they have to hide on the roof? Why do they have to jump into the pool?

The movie is lean, but that brevity hurts just as much as it helps. The screenplay knows which scenes are crucial to the development of the friendship, but all of those feel perfunctory, in a different gear from the setpieces.  

To pile on a bit: Studio comedies are so bare bones now that they look like Lifetime movies. Arteta brought Chuck & Buck to Sundance twenty years ago, and, shot on Mini-DV for $250,000, it was seen as a DIY call-to-bootstraps. I guarantee that has more setups and locations and shooting days than this.

78. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (David Dobkin)- Add Dan Stevens to the list of supporting players who have bodied Will Ferrell in his own movie--one that he cared enough to write himself.  

Like Downhill, Ferrell's other 2020 release, this isn't exactly bad. It's just workmanlike and, aside from the joke about Demi Lovato's "uninformed" ghost, frustratingly conventional.

77. The Traitor (Marco Bellochio)- Played with weary commitment by Pierfrancesco Favino, Tomasso Buscetta is "credited" as the first informant of La Cosa Nostra. And that sounds like an interesting subject for a "based on a true story" crime epic, right? Especially when you find out that Buscetta became a rat out of principle: He believed that the mafia to which he had pledged his life had lost its code to the point that it was a different organization altogether.  

At no point does Buscetta waver or even seem to struggle with his decision though, so what we get is less conflicted than that description might suggest. None of these Italian mob movies glorify the lifestyle, so I wasn't expecting that. But if the crime doesn't seem enticing, and snitching on the crime seems like forlorn duty, and everything is pitched with such underhanded matter-of-factness that you can't even be sure when Buscetta has flipped, then what are we left with? It was interesting seeing how Italian courts work, I guess?

76. Kajillionaire (Miranda July)- This is another movie so intent on building atmosphere and lore that it takes too long to declare what it is. When the protagonist hits a breaking point and has to act, she has only a third of a film to grow. So whispery too.

Gina Rodriguez is the one to inject life into it. As soon as her motormouth winds up, the film slips into a different gear. The atmosphere and lore that I mentioned reeks of artifice, but her character is believably specific. Beneath a basic exterior is someone who is authentically caring but still morally compromised, beholden to the world that the other characters are suspicious of.

75. Scoob! (Tony Cervone)- The first half is sometimes clever, but it hammers home the importance of friendship while separating the friends.

The second half has some positive messaging, but your kids' movie might have a problem with scale if it involves Alexander the Great unlocking the gates of the Underworld.

My daughter loved it.

74. The Lovebirds (Michael Showalter)- If I start talking too much about this perfectly fine movie, I end up in that unfair stance of reviewing the movie I wanted, not what is actually there.* As a fan of hang-out comedies, I kind of resent that any comedy being made now has to be rolled into something more "exciting," whether it's a wrongfully accused or mistaken identity thriller or some other genre. Such is the post-Game Night world. There's a purposefully anti-climactic note that I wish The Lovebirds had ended on, but of course we have another stretch of hiding behind boats and shooting guns. Nanjiani and Rae are really charming leads though.

*- As a New Orleanian, I was totally distracted by the fake aspects of the setting too. "Oh, they walked to Jefferson from downtown? Really?" You probably won't be bothered by the locations.

73. Sonic the Hedgehog (Jeff Fowler)- In some ways the storytelling is ambitious. (I'm speaking for only myself, but I'm fine with "He's a hedgehog, and he's really fast" instead of the owl mother, teleportation backstory. Not everything has to be Tolkien.) But that ambition doesn't match the lack of ambition in the comedy, which depends upon really hackneyed setups and structures. Guiding Jim Carrey to full alrighty-then mode was the best choice anyone made.

72. Malcolm & Marie (Sam Levinson)- The stars move through these long scenes with agility and charisma, but the degree of difficulty is just too high for this movie to reach what it's going for.

Levinson is trying to capture an epic fight between a couple, and he can harness the theatrical intensity of such a thing, but he sacrifices almost all of the nuance. In real life, these knock-down-drag-outs can be circular and indirect and sad in a way that this couple's manipulation rarely is. If that emotional truth is all this movie is trying to achieve, I feel okay about being harsh in my judgment of how well it does that.

71. Beanpole (Kantemir Balagov)- Elusive in how it refuses to declare itself, forthright in how punishing it is. The whole thing might be worth it for a late dinner scene, but I'm getting a bit old to put myself through this kind of misery.

70. The Burnt Orange Heresy (Giuseppe Capotondi)- Silly in good ways until it's silly in bad ways. Elizabeth Debicki remains 6'3".

69. Everybody’s Everything (Sebastian Jones and Ramez Silyan)- As a person who listened to Lil Peep's music, I can confidently say that this documentary is overstating his greatness. His death was a significant loss, as the interview subjects will all acknowledge, but the documentary is more useful as a portrait of a certain unfocused, rapacious segment of a generation that is high and online at all times.

68. The Witches (Robert Zemeckis)- Robert Zemeckis, Kenya Barris, and Guillermo Del Toro are the credited screenwriters, and in a fascinating way, you can see the imprint of each figure on the final product. Adapting a very European story to the old wives' tales of the American South is an interesting choice. Like the Nicolas Roeg try at this material, Zemeckis is not afraid to veer into the terrifying, and Octavia Spencer's pseudo witch doctor character only sells the supernatural. From a storytelling standpoint though, it seems as if the obstacles are overcome too easily, as if there's a whole leg of the film that has been excised. The framing device and the careful myth-making of the flashback make promises that the hotel half of the film, including the abrupt ending, can't live up to.

If nothing else, Anne Hathaway is a real contender for Most On-One Performance of the year.

67. Irresistible (Jon Stewart)- Despite a sort of imaginative ending, Jon Stewart's screenplay feels more like the declarative screenplay that would get you hired for a good movie, not a good screenplay itself. It's provocative enough, but it's clumsy in some basic ways and never evades the easy joke.

For example, the Topher Grace character is introduced as a sort of assistant, then is re-introduced an hour later as a polling expert, then is shown coaching the candidate on presentation a few scenes later. At some point, Stewart combined characters into one role, but nothing got smoothed out.

ENDEARING CURIOSITIES WITH BIG FLAWS

66. Yes, God, Yes (Karen Maine)- Most people who are Catholic, including me, are conflicted about it. Most people who make movies about being Catholic hate it and have an axe to grind. This film is capable of such knowing wit and nuance when it comes to the lived-in details of attending a high school retreat, but it's more concerned with taking aim at hypocrisy in the broad way that we've seen a million times. By the end, the film is surprisingly all-or-nothing when Christian teenagers actually contain multitudes.

Part of the problem is that Karen Maine's screenplay doesn't know how naive to make the Alice character. Sometimes she's reasonably naive for a high school senior in 2001; sometimes she's comically naive so that the plot can work; and sometimes she's stupid, which isn't the same as naive.

65. Bad Boys for Life (Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah)- This might be the first buddy cop movie in which the vets make peace with the tech-comm youngs who use new techniques. If that's the only novelty on display here--and it is--then maybe that's enough. I laughed maybe once. Not that the mistaken identity subplot of Bad Boys 1 is genius or anything, but this entry felt like it needed just one more layer to keep it from feeling as basic as it does. Speaking of layers though, it's almost impossible to watch any Will Smith movie now without viewing it through the meta-narrative of "What is Will Smith actually saying about his own status at this point in his career?" He's serving it up to us.

I derived an inordinate amount of pleasure from seeing the old school Simpson/Bruckheimer logo.

64. The Gentlemen (Guy Ritchie)- Look, I'm not going to be too negative on a movie whose crime slang is so byzantine that it has to be explained with subtitles. That's just me. I'm a simple man. But I can tell you that I tuned out pretty hard after seven or eight double-crosses.

The bloom is off the rose a bit for Ritchie, but he can still nail a music cue. I've been waiting for someone to hit "That's Entertainment" the way he does on the end credits.

63. Bad Hair (Justin Simien)- In Bad Hair, an African-American woman is told by her boss at a music video channel in 1989 that straightening her hair is the way to get ahead; however, her weave ends up having a murderous mind of its own. Compared to that charged, witty logline, the execution of the plot itself feels like a laborious, foregone conclusion. I'm glad that Simien, a genuinely talented writer, is making movies again though. Drop the skin-care routine, Van Der Beek!

62. Greyhound (Aaron Schneider)- "If this is the type of role that Tom Hanks writes for himself, then he understands his status as America's dad--'wise as the serpent, harmless as the dove'--even better than I thought." "America's Dad! Aye aye, sir!" "At least half of the dialogue is there for texture and authenticity, not there to be understood by the audience." "Fifty percent, Captain!" "The environment looks as fake as possible, but I eventually came around to the idea that the movie is completely devoid of subtext." "No subtext to be found, sir!"

  61. Mank (David Fincher)- About ten years ago, the Creative Screenwriting podcast spent an hour or so with James Vanderbilt, the writer of Zodiac and nothing else that comes close, as he relayed the creative paces that David Fincher pushed him through. Hundreds of drafts and years of collaborative work eventuated in the blueprint for Fincher's most exacting, personal film, which he didn't get a writing credit on only because he didn't seek one.

Something tells me that Fincher didn't ask for rewrites from his dead father. No matter what visuals and performances the director can coax from the script--and, to be clear, these are the worst visuals and performances of his career--they are limited by the muddy lightweight pages. There are plenty of pleasures, like the slippery election night montage or the shakily platonic relationship between Mank and Marion. But Fincher hadn't made a film in six years, and he came back serving someone else's master.

60. Tesla (Michael Almereyda)- "You live inside your head." "Doesn't everybody?"

As usual, Almereyda's deconstructions are invigorating. (No other moment can match the first time Eve Hewson's Anne fact-checks something with her anachronistic laptop.) But they don't add up to anything satisfying because Tesla himself is such an opaque figure. Driven by the whims of his curiosity without a clear finish line, the character gives Hawke something enigmatic to play as he reaches deep into a baritone. But he's too inward to lend himself to drama. Tesla feels of a piece with Almereyda's The Experimenter, and that's the one I would recommend.

59. Vitalina Varela (Pedro Costa)- I can't oversell how delicately beautiful this film is visually. There's a scene in which Vitalina lugs a lantern into a church, but we get several seconds of total darkness before that one light source carves through it and takes over part of the frame. Each composition is as intricate as it is overpowering, achieving a balance between stark and mannered.

That being said, most of the film is people entering or exiting doors. I felt very little of the haunting loss that I think I was supposed to.

58. The Rhythm Section (Reed Morano)- Call it the Timothy Hutton in The General's Daughter Corollary: If a name-actor isn't in the movie much but gets third billing, then, despite whom he sends the protagonist to kill, he is the Actual Bad Guy.  

Even if the movie serves up a lot of cliche, the action and sound design are visceral. I would like to see more from Morano.

57. Red, White and Blue (Steve McQueen)- Well-made and heartfelt even if it goes step-for-step where you think it will.

Here's what I want to know though: In the academy training sequence, the police cadets have to subdue a "berserker"; that is, a wildman who swings at their riot gear with a sledgehammer. Then they get him under control, and he shakes their hands, like, "Good angle you took on me there, mate." Who is that guy and where is his movie? Is this full-time work? Is he a police officer or an independent contractor? What would happen if this exercise didn't go exactly as planned?

56. Wolfwalkers (Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart)- The visuals have an unfinished quality that reminded me of The Tale of Princess Kaguya--the center of a flame is undrawn white, and fog is just negative space. There's an underlying symmetry to the film, and its color palette changes with mood.

Narratively, it's pro forma and drawn-out. Was Riley in Inside Out the last animated protagonist to get two parents? My daughter stuck with it, but she needed a lot of context for the religious atmosphere of 17th century Ireland.

55. What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (Rob Garver)- The film does little more than one might expect; it's limited in the way that any visual medium is when trying to sum up a woman of letters. But as far as education for Kael's partnership with Warren Beatty or the idea of The New Yorker paying her for only six months out of the year, it was useful for me.  

Although Garver isn't afraid to point to the work that made Kael divisive, it would have been nice to have one or two interview subjects who questioned her greatness, rather than the crew of Paulettes who, even when they do say something like, "Sometimes I radically disagreed with her," do it without being able to point to any specifics.

54. Beastie Boys Story (Spike Jonze)- As far as this Spike Jonze completist is concerned, this is more of a Powerpoint presentation than a movie, Beastie Boys Story still warmed my heart, making me want to fire up Paul's Boutique again and take more pictures of my buddies.

53. Tenet (Christopher Nolan)- Cool and cold, tantalizing and frustrating, loud and indistinct, Tenet comes close to Nolan self-parody, right down to the brutalist architecture and multiple characters styled like him. The setpieces grabbed me, I'll admit.

Nolan's previous film, which is maybe his best, was "about" a lot and just happened to play with time; Tenet is only about playing with time.

PRETTY GOOD MOVIES

52. Shithouse (Cooper Raiff)- "Death is ass."

There's such a thing as too naturalistic. If I wanted to hear how college freshmen really talked, I would hang out with college freshmen. But you have to take the good verisimilitude with the bad, and good verisimilitude is the mother's Pod Save America t-shirt.

There are some poignant moments (and a gonzo performance from Logan Miller) in this auspicious debut from Cooper Raiff, the writer/director/editor/star. But the second party sequence kills some of the momentum, and at a crucial point, the characters spell out some motivation that should have stayed implied.

51. Totally Under Control (Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, Suzanne Hillinger)- As dense and informative as any other Gibney documentary with the added flex of making it during the pandemic it is investigating.

But yeah, why am I watching this right now? I don't need more reasons to be angry with Trump, whom this film calmly eviscerates. The directors analyze Trump's narcissism first through his contradictions of medical expertise in order to protect the economy that could win him re-election. Then it takes aim at his hiring based on loyalty instead of experience. But you already knew that, which is the problem with the film, at least for now.

50. Happiest Season (Clea Duvall)- I was in the perfect mood to watch something this frothy and bouncy. Every secondary character receives a moment in the sun, and Daniel Levy gets a speech that kind of saves the film at a tipping point.

I must say though: I wanted to punch Harper in her stupid face. She is a terrible romantic partner, abandoning or betraying Abby throughout the film and dissembling her entire identity to everyone else in a way that seems absurd for a grown woman in 2020. Run away, Kristen. Perhaps with Aubrey Plaza, whom you have more chemistry with. But there I go shipping and aligning myself with characters, which only proves that this is an effective romantic comedy.

49. The Way Back (Gavin O’Connor)- Patient but misshapen, The Way Back does just enough to overcome the cliches that are sort of unavoidable considering the genre. (I can't get enough of the parent character who, for no good reason, doesn't take his son's success seriously. "Scholarship? What he's gotta do is put his nose in them books! That's why I don't go to his games. [continues moving boxes while not looking at the other character] Now if you'll excuse me while I wait four scenes before showing up at a game to prove that I'm proud of him after all...")

What the movie gets really right or really wrong in the details about coaching and addiction is a total crap-shoot. But maybe I've said too much already.

48. The Whistlers (Corneliu Porumboiu)- Porumboiu is a real artist who seems to be interpreting how much surveillance we're willing to acknowledge and accept, but I won't pretend to have understood much of the plot, the chapters or which are told out of order. Sometimes the structure works--the beguiling, contextless "high-class hooker" sequence--but I often wondered if the film was impenetrable in the way that Porumboiu wanted it to be or impenetrable in the way he didn't.

To tell you the truth, the experience kind of depressed me because I know that, in my younger days, this film is the type of thing that I would re-watch, possibly with the chronology righted, knowing that it is worth understanding fully. But I have two small children, and I'm exhausted all the time, and I kind of thought I should get some credit for still trying to catch up with Romanian crime movies in the first place.

47. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Jason Woliner)- I laughed too much to get overly critical, but the film is so episodic and contrived that it's kind of exhausting by the end--even though it's achieving most of its goals. Maybe Borat hasn't changed, but the way our citizens own their ugliness has.

46. First Cow (Kelly Reichardt)- Despite how little happens in the first forty minutes, First Cow is a thoughtful capitalism parable. Even though it takes about forty minutes to get going, the friendship between Cookie and King-Lu is natural and incisive. Like Reichardt's other work, the film's modest premise unfolds quite gracefully, except for in the first forty minutes, which are uneventful.

45. Les Miserables (Ladj Ly)- I loved parts of the film--the disorienting, claustrophobic opening or the quick look at the police officers' home lives, for example. But I'm not sure that it does anything very well. The needle the film tries to thread between realism and theater didn't gel for me. The ending, which is ambiguous in all of the wrong ways, chooses the theatrical. (If I'm being honest, my expectations were built up by Les Miserables' Jury Prize at Cannes, and it's a bit superficial to be in that company.)

If nothing else, it's always helpful to see how another country's worst case scenario in law enforcement would look pretty good over here.

44. Bad Education (Cory Finley)- The film feels too locked-down and small at the beginning, so intent on developing the protagonist neutrally that even the audience isn't aware of his secrets. So when he faces consequences for those secrets, there's a disconnect. Part of tragedy is seeing the doom coming, right?

When it opens up, however, it's empathetic and subtle, full of a dry irony that Finley is already specializing in after only one other feature. Geraldine Viswanathan and Allison Janney get across a lot of interiority that is not on the page.

43. The Trip to Greece (Michael Winterbottom)- By the fourth installment, you know whether you're on board with the franchise. If you're asking "Is this all there is?" to Coogan and Brydon's bickering and impressions as they're served exotic food in picturesque settings, then this one won't sway you. If you're asking "Is this all there is?" about life, like they are, then I don't need to convince you.  

I will say that The Trip to Spain seemed like an enervated inflection point, at which the squad could have packed it in. The Trip to Greece proves that they probably need to keep doing this until one of them dies, which has been the subtext all along.

42. Feels Good Man (Arthur Jones)- This documentary centers on innocent artist Matt Furie's helplessness as his Pepe the Frog character gets hijacked by the alt-right. It gets the hard things right. It's able to, quite comprehensively, trace a connection from 4Chan's use of Pepe the Frog to Donald Trump's near-assuming of Pepe's ironic deniability. Director Arthur Jones seems to understand the machinations of the alt-right, and he articulates them chillingly.

The easy thing, making us connect to Furie, is less successful. The film spends way too much time setting up his story, and it makes him look naive as it pits him against Alex Jones in the final third. Still, the film is a quick ninety-two minutes, and the highs are pretty high.

41. The Old Guard (Gina Prince-Bythewood)- Some of the world-building and backstory are handled quite elegantly. The relationships actually do feel centuries old through specific details, and the immortal conceit comes together for an innovative final action sequence.

Visually and musically though, the film feels flat in a way that Prince-Bythewood's other films do not. I blame Netflix specs. KiKi Layne, who tanked If Beale Street Could Talk for me, nearly ruins this too with the child-actory way that she stresses one word per line. Especially in relief with one of our more effortless actresses, Layne is distracting.

40. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin)- Whenever Sacha Baron Cohen's Abbie Hoffman opens his mouth, the other defendants brace themselves for his dismissive vulgarity. Even when it's going to hurt him, he can't help but shoot off at the mouth. Of course, he reveals his passionate and intelligent depths as the trial goes on. The character is the one that Sorkin's screenplay seems the most endeared to: In the same way that Hoffman can't help but be Hoffman, Sorkin can't help but be Sorkin. Maybe we don't need a speech there; maybe we don't have to stretch past two hours; maybe a bon mot diffuses the tension. But we know exactly what to expect by now. The film is relevant, astute, witty, benevolent, and, of course, in love with itself. There are a handful of scenes here that are perfect, so I feel bad for qualifying so much.

A smaller point: Daniel Pemberton has done great work in the past (Motherless Brooklyn, King Arthur, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), but the first sequence is especially marred by his sterile soft-rock approach.

  GOOD MOVIES

39. Time (Garrett Bradley)- The key to Time is that it provides very little context. Why the patriarch of this family is serving sixty years in prison is sort of besides the point philosophically. His wife and sons have to move on without him, and the tragedy baked into that fact eclipses any notion of what he "deserved." Feeling the weight of time as we switch back and forth between a kid talking about his first day of kindergarten and that same kid graduating from dentistry school is all the context we need. Time's presentation can be quite sumptuous: The drone shot of Angola makes its buildings look like crosses. Or is it X's?

At the same time, I need some context. When director Garrett Bradley withholds the reason Robert's in prison, and when she really withholds that Fox took a plea and served twelve years, you start to see the strings a bit. You could argue that knowing so little about why, all of a sudden, Robert can be on parole puts you into the same confused shoes as the family, but it feels manipulative to me. The film is preaching to the choir as far as criminal justice goes, which is fine, but I want it to have the confidence to tell its story above board.

38. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (Turner Ross and Bill Ross IV)- I have a barfly friend whom I see maybe once a year. When we first set up a time to meet, I kind of dread it and wonder what we'll have to talk about. Once we do get together, we trip on each other's words a bit, fumbling around with the rhythm of conversation that we mastered decades ago. He makes some kind of joke that could have been appropriate then but isn't now.

By the end of the day, hours later, we're hugging and maybe crying as we promise each other that we won't wait as long next time.

That's the exact same journey that I went on with this film.

37. Underwater (William Eubank)- Underwater is a story that you've seen before, but it's told with great confidence and economy. I looked up at twelve minutes and couldn't believe the whole table had been set. Kristen plays Ripley and projects a smart, benevolent poise.

36. The Lodge (Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala)- I prefer the grounded, manicured first half to the more fantastic second half. The craziness of the latter is only possible through the hard work of the former though. As with Fiala and Franz's previous feature, the visual rhymes and motifs get incorporated into the soup so carefully that you don't realize it until they overwhelm you in their bleak glory.

Small note: Alicia Silverstone, the male lead's first wife, and Riley Keough, his new partner, look sort of similar. I always think that's a nice note: "I could see how he would go for her."

35. Miss Americana (Lana Wilson)- I liked it when I saw it as a portrait of a person whose life is largely decided for her but is trying to carve out personal spaces within that hamster wheel. I loved it when I realized that describes most successful people in their twenties.

34. Sound of Metal (Darius Marder)- Riz Ahmed is showing up on all of the best performances of the year lists, but Sound of Metal isn't in anyone's top ten films of the year. That's about right. Ahmed's is a quiet, stubborn performance that I wish was in service of more than the straight line that we've seen before.

In two big scenes, there's this trick that Ahmed does, a piecing together of consequences with his eyes, as if he's moving through a flow chart in real time. In both cases, the character seems locked out and a little slower than he should be, which is, of course, why he's facing the consequences in the first place. To be charitable to a film that was a bit of a grind, it did make me notice a thing a guy did with his eyes.

33. Pieces of a Woman (Kornel Mundruczo)- Usually when I leave acting showcases like this, I imagine the film without the Oscar-baiting speeches, but this is a movie that specializes in speeches. Pieces of a Woman is being judged, deservedly so, by the harrowing twenty-minute take that opens the film, which is as indulgent as it is necessary. But if the unbroken take provides the "what," then the speeches provide the "why."

This is a film about reclaiming one's body when it rebels against you and when other people seek ownership of it. Without the Ellen Burstyn "lift your head" speech or the Vanessa Kirby show-stopper in the courtroom, I'm not sure any of that comes across.

I do think the film lets us off the hook a bit with the LaBoeuf character, in the sense that it gives us reasons to dislike him when it would be more compelling if he had done nothing wrong. Does his half-remembering of the White Stripes count as a speech?

32. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (George C. Wolfe)- This is such a play, not only in the locked-down location but also through nearly every storytelling convention: "Where are the two most interesting characters? Oh, running late? They'll enter separately in animated fashion?" But, to use the type of phrase that the characters might, "Don't hate the player; hate the game."

Perhaps the most theatrical note in this treatise on the commodification of expression is the way that, two or three times, the proceedings stop in their tracks for the piece to declare loudly what it's about. In one of those clear-outs, Boseman, who looks distractingly sick, delivers an unforgettable monologue that transports the audience into his character's fragile, haunted mind. He and Viola Davis are so good that the film sort of buckles under their weight, unsure of how to transition out of those spotlight moments and pretend that the story can start back up. Whatever they're doing is more interesting than what's being achieved overall.

31. Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg)- It's definitely the film that Vinterberg wanted to make, but despite what I think is a quietly shattering performance from Mikkelsen, Another Round moves in a bit too much of a straight line to grab me fully. The joyous final minutes hint at where it could have gone, as do pockets of Vinterberg's filmography, which seems newly tethered to realism in a way that I don't like. The best sequences are the wildest ones, like the uproarious trip to the grocery store for fresh cod, so I don't know why so much of it takes place in tiny hallways at magic hour. I give the inevitable American remake* permission to use these notes.

*- Just spitballing here. Martin: Will Ferrell, Nikolaj (Nick): Ben Stiller, Tommy: Owen Wilson, Peter: Craig Robinson

30. The Invisible Man (Leigh Whannell)- Exactly what I wanted. Exactly what I needed.

I think a less conclusive finale would have been better, but what a model of high-concept escalation. This is the movie people convinced me Whannell's Upgrade was.

29. On the Rocks (Sofia Coppola)- Slight until the Mexican sojourn, which expands the scope and makes the film even more psychosexual than before. At times it feels as if Coppola is actively simplifying, rather than diving into the race and privilege questions that the Murray character all but demands.

As for Murray, is the film 50% worse without him? 70%? I don't know if you can run in supporting categories if you're the whole reason the film exists.

28. Mangrove (Steve McQueen)- The first part of the film seemed repetitive and broad to me. But once it settled in as a courtroom drama, the characterization became more shaded, and the filmmaking itself seemed more fluid. I ended up being quite outraged and inspired.

27. Shirley (Josephine Decker)- Josephine Decker emerges as a real stylist here, changing her foggy, impressionistic approach not one bit with a little more budget. Period piece and established actors be damned--this is still as much of a reeling fever dream as Madeline's Madeline. Both pieces are a bit too repetitive and nasty for my taste, but I respect the technique.

Here's my mandatory "Elisabeth Moss is the best" paragraph. While watching her performance as Shirley Jackson, I thought about her most famous role as Peggy on Mad Men, whose inertia and need to prove herself tied her into confidence knots. Shirley is almost the opposite: paralyzed by her worldview, certain of her talent, rejecting any empathy. If Moss can inhabit both characters so convincingly, she can do anything.

26. An American Pickle (Brandon Trost)- An American Pickle is the rare comedy that could actually use five or ten extra minutes, but it's a surprisingly heartfelt and wholesome stretch for Rogen, who is earnest in the lead roles.

25. The King of Staten Island (Judd Apatow)- At two hours and fifteen minutes, The King of Staten Island is probably the first Judd Apatow film that feels like the exact right length. For example, the baggy date scene between a gracious Bill Burr and a faux-dowdy Marisa Tomei is essential, the sort of widening of perspective that something like Trainwreck was missing.

It's Pete Davidson's movie, however, and though he has never been my cup of tea, I think he's actually quite powerful in his quiet moments. The movie probes some rare territory--a mentally ill man's suspicion that he is unlovable, a family's strategic myth-making out of respect for the dead. And when Davidson shows up at the firehouse an hour and fifteen minutes in, it feels as if we've built to a last resort.

24. Swallow (Carlo Mirabella-Davis)- The tricky part of this film is communicating Hunter's despair, letting her isolation mount, but still keeping her opaque. It takes a lot of visual discipline to do that, and Claudio Mirabella-Davis is up to the task. This ends up being a much more sympathetic, expressive movie than the plot description might suggest.

(In the tie dispute, Hunter and Richie are both wrong. That type of silk--I couldn't tell how pebbled it was, but it's probably a barathea weave-- shouldn't be ironed directly, but it doesn't have to be steamed. On a low setting, you could iron the back of the tie and be fine.)

23. The Vast of Night (Andrew Patterson)- I wanted a bit more "there" there; The film goes exactly where I thought it would, and there isn't enough humor for my taste. (The predictability might be a feature, not a bug, since the film is positioned as an episode of a well-worn Twilight Zone-esque show.)

But from a directorial standpoint, this is quite a promising debut. Patterson knows when to lock down or use silence--he even cuts to black to force us to listen more closely to a monologue. But he also knows when to fill the silence. There's a minute or so when Everett is spooling tape, and he and Fay make small talk about their hopes for the future, developing the characters' personalities in what could have been just mechanics. It's also a refreshingly earnest film. No one is winking at the '50s setting.

I'm tempted to write, "If Andrew Patterson can make this with $1 million, just imagine what he can do with $30 million." But maybe people like Shane Carruth have taught us that Patterson is better off pinching pennies in Texas and following his own muse.

22. Martin Eden (Pietro Marcello)- At first this film, adapted from a picaresque novel by Jack London, seemed as if it was hitting the marks of the genre. "He's going from job to job and meeting dudes who are shaping his worldview now." But the film, shot in lustrous Super 16, won me over as it owned the trappings of this type of story, forming a character who is a product of his environment even as he transcends it. By the end, I really felt the weight of time.

You want to talk about something that works better in novels than films though? When a passionate, independent protagonist insists that a woman is the love of his life, despite the fact that she's whatever Italians call a wet blanket. She's rich, but Martin doesn't care about her money. He hates her family and friends, and she refuses to accept him or his life pursuits. She's pretty but not even as pretty as the waitress they discuss. Tell me what I'm missing here. There's archetype, and there's incoherence.

21. Bacurau (Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles)- Certain images from this adventurous film will stick with me, but I got worn out after the hard reset halfway through. As entranced as I was by the mystery of the first half, I think this blood-soaked ensemble is better at asking questions than it is at answering them.

20. Let Them All Talk (Steven Soderbergh)- The initial appeal of this movie might be "Look at these wonderful actresses in their seventies getting a movie all to themselves." And the film is an interesting portrait of ladies taking stock of relationships that have spanned decades. But Soderbergh and Eisenberg handle the twentysomething Lucas Hedges character with the same openness and empathy. His early reasoning for going on the trip is that he wants to learn from older women, and Hedges nails the puppy-dog quality of a young man who would believe that. Especially in the scenes of aspirational romance, he's sweet and earnest as he brushes his hair out of his face.

Streep plays Alice Hughes, a serious author of literary fiction, and she crosses paths with Kelvin Kranz, a grinder of airport thrillers. In all of the right ways, Let Them All Talk toes the line between those two stances as an entertaining, jaunty experiment that also shoulders subtextual weight. If nothing else, it's easy to see why a cruise ship's counterfeit opulence, its straight lines at a lean, would be visually engaging to Soderbergh. You can't have a return to form if your form is constantly evolving.

19. Dick Johnson Is Dead (Kirsten Johnson)- Understandably, I don't find the subject as interesting as his own daughter does, and large swaths of this film are unsure of what they're trying to say. But that's sort of the point, and the active wrestling that the film engages in with death ultimately pays off in a transcendent moment. The jaw-dropping ending is something that only non-fiction film can achieve, and Johnson's whole career is about the search for that sort of serendipity.

18. Da 5 Bloods (Spike Lee)- Delroy Lindo is a live-wire, but his character is the only one of the principals who is examined with the psychological depth I was hoping for. The first half, with all of its present-tense flourishes, promises more than the gunfights of the second half can deliver. When the film is cooking though, it's chock full of surprises, provocations, and pride.

17. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittmann)- Very quickly, Eliza Hittmann has established herself as an astute, empathetic director with an eye for discovering new talent. I hope that she gets to make fifty more movies in which she objectively follows laconic young people. But I wanted to like this one more than I did. The approach is so neutral that it's almost flat to me, lacking the arc and catharsis of her previous film, Beach Rats. I still appreciate her restraint though.

GREAT MOVIES

16. Young Ahmed (Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne)- I don't think the Dardennes have made a bad movie yet, and I'm glad they turned away from the slight genre dipping of The Unknown Girl, the closest to bad that they got. Young Ahmed is a lean, daring return to form.

Instead of following an average person, as they normally do, the Dardenne Brothers follow an extremist, and the objectivity that usually generates pathos now serves to present ambiguity. Ahmed says that he is changing, that he regrets his actions, but we never know how much of his stance is a put-on. I found myself wanting him to reform, more involved than I usually am in these slices of life. Part of it is that Idir Ben Addi looks like such a normal, young kid, and the Ahmed character has most of the qualities that we say we want in young people: principles, commitment, self-worth, reflection. So it's that much more destructive when those qualities are used against him and against his fellow man.

15. World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime (Don Hertzfeldt)- My dad, a man whom I love but will never understand, has dismissed modern music before by claiming that there are only so many combinations of chords. To him, it's almost impossible to do something new. Of course, this is the type of thing that an uncreative person would say--a person not only incapable of hearing the chords that combine notes but also unwilling to hear the space between the notes. (And obviously, that's the take of a person who doesn't understand that, originality be damned, some people just have to create.)

  Anyway, that attitude creeps into my own thinking more than I would like, but then I watch something as wholly original as World of Tomorrow Episode Three. The series has always been a way to pile sci-fi ideas on top of each other to prove the essential truths of being and loving. And this one, even though it achieves less of a sense of yearning than its predecessor, offers even more devices to chew on. Take, for example, the idea that Emily sends her message from the future, so David's primitive technology can barely handle it. In order to move forward with its sophistication, he has to delete any extraneous skills for the sake of computer memory. So out of trust for this person who loves him, he has to weigh whether his own breathing or walking can be uninstalled as a sacrifice for her. I thought that we might have been done describing love, but there it is, a new metaphor. Mixing futurism with stick figures to get at the most pure drive possible gave us something new. It's called art, Dad.

14. On the Record (Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering)- We don't call subjects of documentaries "stars" for obvious reasons, but Drew Dixon kind of is one. Her honesty and wisdom tell a complete story of the #MeToo movement. Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering take their time developing her background at first, not because we need to "gain sympathy" or "establish credibility" for a victim of sexual abuse, but because showing her talent and enthusiasm for hip-hop A&R makes it that much more tragic when her passion is extinguished. Hell, I just like the woman, so spending a half-hour on her rise was pleasurable in and of itself.

  This is a gut-wrenching, fearless entry in what is becoming Dick and Ziering's raison d'etre, but its greatest quality is Dixon's composed reflection. She helped to establish a pattern of Russell Simmons's behavior, but she explains what happened to her in ways I had never heard before.

13. David Byrne’s American Utopia (Spike Lee)- I'm often impressed by the achievements that puzzle me: How did they pull that off? But I know exactly how David Byrne pulled off the impish but direct precision of American Utopia: a lot of hard work.

I can't blame Spike Lee for stealing a page from Demme's Stop Making Sense: He denies us a close-up of any audience members until two-thirds of the way through, when we get someone in absolute rapture.

12. One Night in Miami... (Regina King)- We've all cringed when a person of color is put into the position of speaking on behalf of his or her entire race. But the characters in One Night in Miami... live in that condition all the time and are constantly negotiating it. As Black public figures in 1964, they know that the consequences of their actions are different, bigger, than everyone else's. The charged conversations between Malcolm X and Sam Cooke are not about whether they can live normal lives. They're way past that. The stakes are closer to Sam Cooke arguing that his life's purpose aligns with the protection and elevation of African-Americans while Malcolm X argues that those pursuits should be the same thing. Late in the movie, Cassius Clay leaves the other men, a private conversation, to talk to reporters, a public conversation. But the film argues that everything these men do is always already public. They're the most powerful African-Americans in the country, but their lives are not their own. Or not only their own.

It's true that the first act has the clunkiness and artifice of a TV movie, but once the film settles into the motel room location and lets the characters feed off one another, it's gripping. It's kind of unfair for a movie to get this many scenes of Leslie Odom Jr. singing, but I'll take it.

11. Saint Frances (Alex Thompson)- Rilke wrote, "Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us." The characters' behavior in Saint Frances--all of these fully formed characters' behavior--made me think of that quotation. When they lash out at one another, even at their nastiest, the viewer has a window into how they're expressing pain they can't verbalize. The film is uneven in its subtlety, but it's a real showcase for screenwriter and star Kelly O'Sullivan, who is unflinching and dynamic in one of the best performances of the year. Somebody give her some of the attention we gave to Zach Braff for God's sake.

10. Boys State (Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine)- This documentary is kind of a miracle from a logistical standpoint. From casting interviews beforehand, lots of editing afterwards, or sly note-taking once the conference began, McBaine and Moss happened to select the four principals who mattered the most at the convention, then found them in rooms full of dudes wearing the same tucked-in t-shirt. By the way, all of the action took place over the course of one week, and by definition, the important events are carved in half.

To call Boys State a microcosm of American politics is incorrect. These guys are forming platforms and voting in elections. What they're doing is American politics, so when they make the same compromises and mistakes that active politicians do, it produces dread and disappointment. So many of the boys are mimicking the political theater that they see on TV, and that sweaty sort of performance is going to make a Billy Mitchell out of this kid Ben Feinstein, and we'll be forced to reckon with how much we allow him to evolve as a person. This film is so precise, but what it proves is undeniably messy. Luckily, some of these seventeen-year-olds usher in hope for us all.

If nothing else, the film reveals the level to which we're all speaking in code.

9. The Nest (Sean Durkin)- In the first ten minutes or so of The Nest, the only real happy minutes, father and son are playing soccer in their quaint backyard, and the father cheats to score on a children's net before sliding on the grass to rub in his victory. An hour later, the son kicks the ball around by himself near a regulation goal on the family's massive property. The contrast is stark and obvious, as is the symbolism of the dead horse, but that doesn't mean it's not visually powerful or resonant.

Like Sean Durkin's earlier film, Martha Marcy May Marlene, the whole of The Nest is told with detail of novelistic scope and an elevation of the moment. A snippet of radio that mentions Ronald Reagan sets the time period, rather than a dateline. One kid saying "Thanks, Dad" and another kid saying, "Thanks, Rory" establishes a stepchild more elegantly than any other exposition might.

But this is also a movie that does not hide what it means. Characters usually say exactly what is on their minds, and motivations are always clear. For example, Allison smokes like a chimney, so her daughter's way of acting out is leaving butts on the window sill for her mother to find. (And mother and daughter both definitely "act out" their feelings.) On the other hand, Ben, Rory's biological son, is the character least like him, so these relationships aren't too directly parallel. Regardless, Durkin uses these trajectories to cast a pall of familial doom.

8. Sorry We Missed You (Sean Durkin)- Another precisely calibrated empathy machine from Ken Loach. The overwhelmed matriarch, Abby, is a caretaker, and she has to break up a Saturday dinner to rescue one of her clients, who wet herself because no one came to help her to the bathroom. The lady is embarrassed, and Abby calms her down by saying, "You mean more to me than you know." We know enough about Abby's circumstances to realize that it's sort of a lie, but it's a beautiful lie, told by a person who cares deeply but is not cared for.

Loach's central point is that the health of a family, something we think of as immutable and timeless, is directly dependent upon the modern industry that we use to destroy ourselves. He doesn't have to be "proven" relevant, and he didn't plan for Covid-19 to point to the fragility of the gig economy, but when you're right, you're right.

7. Lovers Rock (Steve McQueen)- swear to you I thought: "This is an impeccable depiction of a great house party. The only thing it's missing is the volatile dude who scares away all the girls." And then the volatile dude who scares away all the girls shows up.

In a year short on magic, there are two or three transcendent moments, but none of them can equal the whole crowd singing along to "Silly Games" way after the song has ended. Nothing else crystallizes the film's note of celebration: of music, of community, of safe spaces, of Black skin. I remember moments like that at house parties, and like all celebrations, they eventually make me sad.

6. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht)- I held off on this movie because I thought that I knew what it was. The setup was what I expected: A summer camp for the disabled in the late '60s takes on the spirit of the time and becomes a haven for people who have not felt agency, self-worth, or community anywhere else. But that's the right-place-right-time start of a story that takes these figures into the '80s as they fight for their rights.

If you're anything like my dumb ass, you know about 504 accommodations from the line on a college syllabus that promises equal treatment. If 2020 has taught us anything though, it's that rights are seized, not given, and this is the inspiring story of people who unified to demand what they deserved. Judy Heumann is a civil rights giant, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't know who she was before this film. If it were just a history lesson that wasn't taught in school, Crip Camp would still be valuable, but it's way more than that.

5. Palm Springs (Max Barbakow)- When explaining what is happening to them, Andy Samberg's Nyles twirls his hand at Cristin Milioti's Sara and says, "It's one of those infinite time-loop scenarios." Yeah, one of those. Armed with only a handful of fictional examples, she and the audience know exactly what he means, and the continually inventive screenplay by Andy Siara doesn't have to do any more explaining. In record time, the film accelerates into its premise, involves her, and sets up the conflict while avoiding the claustrophobia of even Groundhog Day. That economy is the strength that allows it to be as funny as it is. By being thrifty with the setup, the savings can go to, say, the couple crashing a plane into a fiery heap with no consequences.

In some accidental ways, this is, of course, a quarantine romance as well. Nyles and Sara frustratingly navigate the tedious wedding as if they are play-acting--which they sort of are--then they push through that sameness to grow for each other, realizing that dependency is not weakness. The best relationships are doing the same thing right now.

  Although pointedly superficial--part of the point of why the couple is such a match--and secular--I think the notion of an afterlife would come up at least once--Palm Springs earns the sincerity that it gets around to. And for a movie ironic enough to have a character beg to be impaled so that he doesn't have to sit in traffic, that's no small feat.

  4. The Assistant (Kitty Green)- A wonder of Bressonian objectivity and rich observation, The Assistant is the rare film that deals exclusively with emotional depth while not once explaining any emotions. One at a time, the scrape of the Kleenex box might not be so grating, the long hallway trek to the delivery guy might not be so tiring, but this movie gets at the details of how a job can destroy you in ways that add up until you can't even explain them.

3. Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)- In her most incendiary and modern role, Carey Mulligan plays Cassie, which is short for Cassandra, that figure doomed to tell truths that no one else believes. The web-belted boogeyman who ruined her life is Al, short for Alexander, another Greek who is known for his conquests. The revenge story being told here--funny in its darkest moments, dark in its funniest moments--is tight on its surface levels, but it feels as if it's telling a story more archetypal and expansive than that too.

  An exciting feature debut for its writer-director Emerald Fennell, the film goes wherever it dares. Its hero has a clear purpose, and it's not surprising that the script is willing to extinguish her anger halfway through. What is surprising is the way it renews and muddies her purpose as she comes into contact with half-a-dozen brilliant one- or two-scene performances. (Do you think Alfred Molina can pull off a lawyer who hates himself so much that he can't sleep? You would be right.)

Promising Young Woman delivers as an interrogation of double standards and rape culture, but in quiet ways it's also about our outsized trust in professionals and the notion that some trauma cannot be overcome.

INSTANT CLASSICS

2. Soul (Pete Docter)- When Pete Docter's Up came out, it represented a sort of coronation for Pixar: This was the one that adults could like unabashedly. The one with wordless sequences and dead children and Ed Asner in the lead. But watching it again this week with my daughter, I was surprised by how high-concept and cloying it could be. We choose not to remember the middle part with the goofy dog stuff.

Soul is what Up was supposed to be: honest, mature, stirring. And I don't mean to imply that a family film shouldn't make any concessions to children. But Soul, down to the title, never compromises its own ambition. Besides Coco, it's probably the most credible character study that Pixar has ever made, with all of Joe's growth earned the hard way. Besides Inside Out, it's probably the wittiest comedy that Pixar has ever made, bursting with unforced energy.

There's a twitter fascination going around about Dez, the pigeon-figured barber character whose scene has people gushing, "Crush my windpipe, king" or whatever. Maybe that's what twitter does now, but no one fantasized about any characters in Up. And I count that as progress.

1. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman)- After hearing that our name-shifting protagonist moonlights as an artist, a no-nonsense David Thewlis offers, "I hope you're not an abstract artist." He prefers "paintings that look like photographs" over non-representational mumbo-jumbo. And as Jessie Buckley squirms to try to think of a polite way to talk back, you can tell that Charlie Kaufman has been in the crosshairs of this same conversation. This morose, scary, inscrutable, expressionist rumination is not what the Netflix description says it is at all, and it's going to bother nice people looking for a fun night in. Thank God.

The story goes that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, when constructing Raiders of the Lost Ark, sought to craft a movie that was "only the good parts" with little of the clunky setup that distracted from action. What we have here is a Charlie Kaufman movie with only the Charlie Kaufman moments, less interested than ever before at holding one's hand. The biting humor is here, sometimes aimed at philistines like the David Thewlis character above, sometimes at the niceties that we insist upon. The lonely horror of everyday life is here, in the form of missed calls from oneself or the interruption of an inner monologue. Of course, communicating the overwhelming crush of time, both unknowable and familiar, is the raison d'etre.

A new pet motif seems to be the way that we don't even own our own knowledge. The Young Woman recites "Bonedog" by Eva H.D., which she claims/thinks she wrote, only to find Jake's book open to that page, next to a Pauline Kael book that contains a Woman Under the Influence review that she seems to have internalized later. When Jake muses about Wordsworth's "Lucy Poems," it starts as a way to pass the time, then it becomes a way to lord his education over her, then it becomes a compliment because the subject resembles her, then it becomes a way to let her know that, in the grand scheme of things, she isn't that special at all. This film jerks the viewer through a similar wintry cycle and leaves him with his own thoughts. It's not a pretty picture, but it doesn't look like anything else.

[littlebitoffanfic]

Trust

Fandom: TMNT Characters: Raph, Donnie, Leo, Mikey Relationship: Raph/reader Request: I love all your TMNT fics. I was wandering if you could maybe write a fic. Raph x reader, Raph and reader get into a fight and she is walking gets into trouble and calls Raph but he doesnt answer and so she calls Donnie. Reader gets hurt bad and Raph shows up and Donnie is working on reader but Leo and Mickey have tears in their eyes. Reader survives but Raph realises he needs her and super fluffy ending.

 Sprinting down the alleys, you tried to find somewhere to stop and hide. anywhere. You could heard your chasers gaining on you again so you took off. There was no point in running into the street. There wasn’t many people about and you knew the foot had no qualms about killing innocent people. You had been attacked, managing to escape by the skin of your teeth. But you could taste the blood in your mouth, you could feel the swelling around your right eye and the scuffs and bruises that now littered your body. Your clothes were ripped in serval places with blood here and there. You needed help. Digging into your pocket, you pulled out your phone. Running while unlocking it, you nearly fell as you turned a corner but kept your balance as you pulled up Raphs number. You felt nothing but fear as you pressed ‘call’. You didn’t care about the argument you had had with him the day before, or even remember him specifically telling you not to come running to him next time you needed help. Of course, he wasn’t referring to this sort of situation. raising the phone to your ear, you listened to it ringing but there was no answer. Sprinting around another corner, you saw a chain fence with some boxes stacked up beside it that you could scale. Behind it was an empty factory you only knew about because April had done a report on the fact it was abandoned due to the previous boss being involved with a mafia like gang. A female voice spoke, stating you were through to a voicemail service and to leave your name and number after the beep. You wasted no time as soon as the shrill beep sounded. “Raph, its me. The foot found me and they are after me. Im at the abandoned factory. Please hurry.” You could hid how your voice was hiccupping out of fear. You had no doubt that he would come, you just needed to hide to buy yourself enough time. Scaling the fence, you might have had a chance. Until something whizzed by your head, missing your skull by millimetres. A throwing star. It caused you to jump and loose your grip. You fell to the other side of the fence on your left side. Pain shot through your arm, hip and thigh as they took the brunt of the fall. You had tired to protect your head but at the risk of your arm. adrenaline wasn’t enough to mask the pain as you let out a cry of pain. But the pain in your thigh felt different. Looking down, fear flooded through you. You had landed on broke glass and some was now in your thigh, penetrating your thin leggings that were now darkened with blood. Thankfully, it wasn’t large shards, or you could have been at risk of slicing and artery, but it didn’t help your chances.   Scrambling to your feet, you felt every part of you ache as you focused on getting to a safe place. The foot followed behind you, a little closer now. You tried to run, but you couldn’t. so you limped into the factory, using the door which had remained unlocked since you and April had broke the lock for her to do some snooping. You remembered that there was a room in the back of one of the upstairs offices which was hidden. The door, when closed, blended into the wallpaper. Racing as quickly as your damaged body would allow. once inside, you went straight to your hiding place which you were thankful for the several bolts on the door. Once you were sealed inside, you took out your phone to try again. You called and called, with no response. You even texted him, saying he needed to pick up the phone. But another 3 missed calls later showed he didn’t have his phone. Or he was ignoring you. “Stubborn brute.” You growled through gritted teeth as you found Donnies number. Of the brothers, he was the most likely to having his phone with him. Or connected to his Bluetooth. It rung three times and was picked up. Donnie had barely said ‘hi’ when you interrupted. “The foot found me. Im in the abandoned factory.” You were trying, your voice cracking as you fought against screaming in pain. You didn’t have to say anything else about your location. You had allowed Donnie to put a tracker on your phone. “Are you hurt?” Donnie asked. The sound of Mikey and Leo asking questions in the back about what was happening. But no Raph. “yeah, pretty badly.” You winces as you looked at your leg. “Im in the back hidden room. Theres too many to fight.” “is there a window?” Donnie kept his cool which you were thankful for. You needed that right now. “Yes.” You look to the small window. “Put the phone in the window. I’ll track it. We’ll get in through the window, get you, and get out?” Donnies voice sounded like he was asking a question, probably directing it towards Leo to make sure it was a plan. Leo agreed. “Hang tight.” “What about Raph?” You heard Mikey ask in the back ground. You could hear the worry in his voice. “We don’t have time to find him. Shes hurt and they will find her.” Leo sounded angry. “We’ll be there in 4 minutes.” Donnie spoke a little louder, obviously trying to mask the argument. “Okay. Hurry.” You whimpered, before the line went dead. The fear of the situation caught up with you as you sat down on the floor next to the window, carful to keep your bleeding thigh up. Pulling your sleeve up carefully, you could see the bruising from your fall starting to form. At least you hadn’t broken your arm or hip. Sobbing, you could hear the foot tearing apart the downstairs. you tried Raph. Again and again and again. Looking back to the door, you could hear they were coming up to the level you were on. You would need to put your phone up on the window ledge in a moment. But you really didn’t think they would make it in time. Pulling up your messenger, you quickly typed. ‘I love you, not matter what happens.’ once sent, you reached up and placed your phone on the ledge, immediately feeling pain course through your arm. Perhaps you had knocked your head in your fall, or you had lost more blood than you thought, because you were feeling the adrenaline wear off. In its place was weakness and sleepiness. ‘don’t fall asleep’ you told yourself again and again as you stared at the door. Banging filled the room. They had found the door you were hiding behind. Crashing filled the room as you felt your arms across your face in defence, fearing the worst? “[y/n]?” Leos voice settled your fear as you looked up. They had came through the window, right over the top of you. “Here.” You called out, your voice weak as you tried to stand but collapsed down. “Hey, hey, don’t move.” Donnie held up his hands. “anything broken?” “No, but ive got glass in by thigh.” You told him the thing that was concerning you the most. “Okay, im going to give you some painkillers okay. And pick you up.” He pulled out some pills and raised them to your mouth. You took them and swallowed, grateful he had thought ahead. Donnie had the stronger stuff doctors used in his lab. more banging told you all that you couldn’t stay here much longer for the painkillers to kick in. Donnie apologised before picking you up. Pain spread through your body like fire as you fought to keep from screaming. Everything hurt and you closed your eyes as you gritted your teeth. “You’re doing well.” Mikey’s words of encouragement didn’t fall of deaf ears as the cool wind hit your face. Opening your eyes, you saw that Donnie was using a grappling hook to attach himself to the building and scale down from the window. Leo and Mikey raced down, making sure the coast was clear. They couldn’t exactly race from the top of buildings with you now. “My phone.” You suddenly remembered. If you had left it, they might be able to trace the others. “Mikeys got it. Don’t worry. You’re safe now.” Leos voice calmed you greatly, but it wasn’t what you needed. You wanted to hear Raph calming you, his words of encouragement. But he wasn’t here. They took you a few blocks from the factory before dropping into the manhole which would lead back to their home. “Wheres Raph?” You asked, trying to distract yourself from the pain. “He went out, not long after you guy had…” Donnie trailed off, obviously not wanting to finish his sentence or bring up the fight. “We thought he had went to find you.” you shook your head. That had been 3 hours ago. You had went home for 2 hours then went for a walk to clear your head. He must be on some roof top, brooding. “I tried to call him. A bunch of time. He didn’t answer.” You shook your head. “I think he left his phone in his room. I heard it going from my lab. I thought he had just left an alarm on or something.” Donnie looked down, feeling guilty even though it wasn’t his fault. You felt your trust in Raph dwindling. He had promised to keep his phone on him at all times in case you needed him, and vice vera. Donnie reminded silent as the three turtles slow to a walk as they made their way into the lair. The silence told you Raph wasn’t here. Donnie took you straight to the lab, placing you on the table which was thankfully clear. you heard Donnie telling his brothers what to get. He used a needle to inject you with some more painkiller while grabbing some scissors to cut some of your legging. “What else hurts?” leo asked you, his eyes scanning your body for any more signs. You told him about your arm and hip, then your bruises and scraps and how you got glass in your leg. “I think we need to remove the glass first. I don’t think you need stitches, but we need to clean the wound.” Donnie said and Leo agreed. “The only thing is it will take time for the pain relief-“ “Screw the pain relief. Its fine. Just get the glass out.” You told Donnie, earning a worried look from Mikey, but everyone knew. You only had a little time, and without the strongest anaesthetic or pain relief or blood transfusions, you needed to get fixed now. Leo disappeared for a moment and came back with a leather strap for you to bite on. But it didn’t help. Screaming, Mikey was then assigned to hold you down. He apologised the entire time as Donnie pulled each shard from your leg. You didn’t think there was that much, but it felt like he pulled out glass after glass after glass. You screamed the entire time. “[y/n]!?” A voice called through the lair and everyone seemed to freeze. Donnie looked up at Leo, unsure of what to do. Leo seemed to have a plan as he walked up to the door as Raph came racing in. you could see the fear in his eyes when they found you on the table. but Leo was in front of Raph in a heartbeat. “Move!” Raph growled at Leo, but he didn’t. “She doesn’t need this right now.” Leo spoke in a calm voice, but you heard some venom behind it. “I was away for a few hours. Why didn’t you protect her?!” Raph pushed Leo back. “Perhaps we could have. If she hadn’t put so much faith that you would.” Leo didn’t fight back, didn’t raise his voice, but his words cut through Raph. They were angry at each other, but Leo was right. You didn’t need this. You didn’t need them fighting and Mikey and Donnie so on edge that they cant help you. Leo had more medical knowledge that Raph, and Raph didn’t know what had happened so far or the full extend of your injuries. So you said something you never thought you would ever have to say to Raph. “Raph, can you just leave? Please?” Your voice held no venom, no angry or aggression but it caused Raph to freeze. He didn’t look at you, or he couldn’t, you didn’t know. he looked at Mikey, who was shaking quite badly and on the verge of crying. Then to Donnie, was had your blood on him, then to Leo. All the colour seemed to drain from his face. And he left. When Leo turned back towards you, you saw he had tears in his eyes. And you understood. They were scared. You closed your eyes, tears streaming down your cheek as you tried to regulate your breathing. “[y/n]? we have to continue.” Donnie said, placing his hand on your shin to offer some “Okay, okay.” You nod, putting the strap back in your mouth as Mikey braced himself.

---------------------------time skip ----------------

An hour or so later, and you had passed out. When you awoke, you were in the bedroom which you use to sleep in when you stayed at the lair before you and Raph had been together. Donnie came in to check on you when you woke up. He told you that you had been asleep for 12 hours, and they were starting to get really worried. Donnie had to put about 4 stitches in 2 of the wounds but he said the rest just needed paper stitches, which you were grateful for. You had thankfully just bruises your arm and the rest of your injuries were easy to see to. “Thank you.” You smiled, grateful for Donnies vast knowledge. “You’re my sister. Theres nothing to thank.” Donnie shook his head, just happy you were still alive. “Could, could you see if Raphs about? Ask if he can come in?” You ask, hesitating a little. You didn’t like sending the brothers as messengers between each other, but Donnie nodded and left. A few minutes later, there was a quiet knock at the door. “Come in.” You called, unable to quiet your own racing heart. You didn’t want to be fighting with Raph, and you didn’t want him to blame himself for this. Raph came in like a kicked puppy. He walked across the room and sat on the sofa that was by your bed. “Leo said to give you this.” He held out something to you. Your phone. “Oh, thanks.” You smile, taking it and placing it on the bedside. “i-I eh, I didn’t have mine on me. When you had tried…” Raph trailed off, unable to even look at you as he struggled to find the words. “yeah.” You nod, unsure of what to say. “I’m sorry.” He breathed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” “I know, I know.” You say in a soothing voice. “[y/n], you could have died!” Raph snapped a little, but not at you directly. “I know, but I didn’t.” You shrug. “Donnie thought you’d shattered your bones.” Raph shook his head, unable to understand why you sounded so care free. “But I didn’t.” You point out again. “We thought you weren’t going to wake.” Raph looks up at you, bewildered. “But I did.” You raise your eyebrows at him. Raphs gaze was one of utter confusion, and it breaks your serious facade. You couldn’t help the grin that pulls at your lips or the chuckle that leaves your throat. But it seemed it was what the room needed, as Raph ended up having a smile pull at his lips. It cleared the room of the tension and the awkwardness. However, Raph did stop smiling as he thought. “you texted me saying you loved me. After you’d phone Donnie. Why?” He asks, his eyes darting to your phone and back. He had read your messages, seen how you had tried to call him and probably listened to your voicemail. “Because I wanted you to know that. I knew when you found out what was happening that you might blame yourself. But I know you wouldn’t put me in danger on purpose or not help me to be malicious. I just wanted you to know that I held nothing against you if the worst happened.” You explained to him, unable to stop tears from forming in your eyes and cascading down your cheeks. Raph nodded looking away from you as you saw tears pooling in his own eyes. You had never, ever seen Raph cry. “I love you. You know that, right?” He asks you. He looked… concerned. “Yeah, of course.” you nod, unsure why he would ask such a question. “do, do you still trust me?” He asked, seemed terrified of the answer and you suddenly understood. trust was so important in your relationship. You didn’t mean trust as in infidelity. It was the sort of trust that allowed you to fall and know he’d catch you. The type that told you he was always close when you needed him. The trust in his vow to keep you safe. You paused, trying to think of your answer. While you didn’t hold any grudge against him for your injuries, you couldn’t say if he would be the first person you called if something happened again. “I want to say yes, but it wouldn’t be entirely true.” You finally say. You didn’t want to lie to him and part of him probably knew the answer already. Raph takes a deep, shaking breath before nodding. “but I want to.” You add, offering him a lifeline. Raphs head snapped to your own, as if to make sure you had actually spoken and it wasn’t his imagination. “Really?” He breathes, hope in his eyes. You nod with a smile, confirming what you had just said. “I’ll do anything, anything you want.” He vows to you, moving from the sofa to kneel beside you. You smile and take his head, giving it a little squeeze but you felt a small pain niggling in your leg. “Could you ask Donnie for some more pain killers?” You ask, wanting to stop it before eit starts. “yes, of course.” Raph jumps up, ready to run to Donnie but you didn’t let go of his hand. “But first, you could start with a kiss.” You smile sweetly. Raph all but melts as he leans down and gently presses a soft kiss to your lips. He was highly aware of all your injuries, but couldn’t deny you such a request. you were about to reach up and touch his cheek, but you felt a sharp, shooting pain in your right shoulder. Raph quickly moves away, afraid hes hurt you but you just smile as you let go of his hand to rub  your shoulder. “Right, pain meds.” He nods, his new task in the forefront of his mind. “I’ll be right back.” He rushes off to find Donnie. You couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t much, but it was a start to regaining that trust.

[atopearth]

Piofiore: Fated Memories Part 2 - Dante Falzone Route

Hmm maybe Dante's route will answer why Lili seems to be so important to the Falzone and the church? Is she a descendant of the people who were tasked by "angels" to create this church and thus led to the creation of the Falzone or something? I wonder how Orlok is involved though~ Interesting to see Dante personally come to the church to protect and save Lili even though I doubt Orlok really meant any harm. Loll at Dante though, he seems like such a silly awkward boy that doesn't know how to properly communicate with others, he wants to keep her safe in the Falzone estate but doesn't even properly tell her that he intends to do that and just kinda assumes it by giving her a room and everything lol. Honestly though, I feel sorry for Lili, although she's being "protected", it's practically as if she's been kidnapped since she's not even allowed out of her room, and no one from the church or wherever is supposed to know that she's here, I would feel so uncomfortable if I was her. I guess at least she tried talking to Dante about it, too bad he refuses to say anything😪 I love how Leo is such a pure and earnest soul though, he is so kind and sweet to Lili, he tries so hard to help her too, it's nice that Leo is such an understanding and thoughtful bodyguard.

Lmaoo when Lili made a silk rope and tried to climb down the balcony to escape. To be fair, I would risk doing the same thing, Dante really isn't helping the situation by hiding everything from her. The CG of Dante catching her when she fell is so pretty though! I knew that Dante was hiding how the people were doing at the church because something happened to Sister Sofia but I didn't expect her to have died... Awww it was so cute how Leo thought Lili tried to run away because he was stuck to her 24/7 loll, he gives her so much space, there's no way he's overbearing! He's such a good boy🥺 especially now that she's not eating after finding out what happened to Sister Sofia, so he's trying to find a way to get her to eat. I love the suggestion of getting Nicola, Leo and Dante to eat with her to try and motivate her in a way. Too bad Dante didn't do it, but it's nice to see Nicola spending time naturally chatting with her and eating with her, I think eating together with someone really helps to make the food easier to take in. Omgg, Leo is such a cinnamon roll, he even took time out to buy her books and flowers since he felt bad that he didn't have permission to eat or do anything with her🥺 Ohh, Dante told him to get the gifts for her! Hahaha, omg, he's so cute🤣 It's actually kinda funny but so sweet how attentive and efficient Dante is. She just told him that she's a bit lonely since Leo has been busy and he tells Leo to get her a kitten the next day lmao. I'm actually impressed at how good he is at thinking of gifts to help her be more comfortable here. Dante's gentle expression patting the kitten was so comforting, I loved it. It was also nice to see Lili finally properly cry over Sister Sofia's death with Dante consoling her by rubbing her back🥺 Oh okay, I thought Sister Sofia dying was weird, but I didn't think that Dante would lie about such a thing to Lili especially knowing how important she was to her, I'm not surprised Lili felt betrayed. I'm glad Dante sincerely apologised for lying to her though.

HAHAHA, I loved how when Nicola was flirting with Lili and seemed to be coming on to her, she just shoved him away and ran off lolll! Although I'm happy that Leo is so considerate of Lili to bring her to the church whenever they have a chance to sneak out, it's obvious that something is going to happen now that she's out hahaha. As expected, the Lao-Shu are on the move for her, but I didn't expect Yang himself to be here for her. Omgggg I never expected to hear about Gau Lung Seng Caai aka Kowloon Walled City in here, I guess it would make sense for Yang to come from there since it was basically fully controlled by triads back in the day~ It's kinda worrying that Orlok can invade the Falzone estate and get to Dante so quickly loll, on the other hand, Orlok is a disciple of the church? Ugh, I wanna punch Nicola, like seriously, it's come to the point where they're running away to hide somewhere others don't know about and Nicola STILL insists that no, Lili shouldn't know anything because it's a secret and who knows if it's true since it's so long ago blah blah. Honestly dude, it's not important whether you think it's true or not, the truth is that people like Yang are going after her because they find value in her being the Key Maiden that can unlock the seal to the sacred relic (kinda the symbolic thing that gives the Church power in Burlone since back in the day). They obviously know that her life is in danger because of this, hid it from her all this time "because it's for her own good" when really, they're just treating her like a literal key they can drag from place to place to "protect" disregarding the fact that she's a human and has her own emotions and thoughts. And what? Nicola wants to blame her for sneaking out? Excuse you, yeah she's wrong, but don't make it sound like you guys are right for basically locking her up in the manor without telling her anything important. Like yeah, the Falzone are the guardians protecting the sacred relic and her so of course they know their mission and stuff but there's a huge difference when you know something and when you don't, being kept in the dark just makes everything worse. Honestly they could have just made up some lie to her instead.

Oh how interesting, they even have Disciples like Orlok to monitor the Falzone to see if they're properly fulfilling their roles as guardians?? That kinda seems...silly? Like, why don't you share protection of the relic instead? Also, how do you even know if they're properly doing their job or not? Like, you need the pure Falzone blood (and that's why they're so adamant on the importance of pure Falzone blood) to open the seal and get to the relic but you don't need it to protect it? But I guess there's more to this~ Anyway, Dante blushing on the sofa when he woke up with Lili nearly tripping down on him was cute haha. I'm not sure if I missed it though, wasn't Carlo the cat supposed to stay at the manor? Lmao at Dante being bad at household chores, at least he tried I guess. Yeah, Nicola likes to cause trouble huh? Now Lili thinks Dante is only nice to her because she's the Key Maiden, which is a legitimate worry, but it is pretty slack of her to avoid Dante when he's earnestly trying to approach her and understand what's wrong lol, I feel bad for him.

Like, I don't want to call the Falzone family weak since I feel like depending on the route and stuff, the story "makes" them weak when they want to so that the story can go whichever way they want but c'mon, laced wine that Nicola and Dante didn't notice? I'm surprised they fell for something like that. Nicola is definitely in on it, and Dante is careless lol. But then again, I feel like all our Mafia bosses here make questionable decisions too so I'll just roll with it lol. It was so heartwarming to see Dante so relieved to reunite with Lili and confirm that she's safe. Others can act as the Key Maiden??? So what's the point of Lili then...? Just more convenient? Anyway, the Falzone sure fell in reputation faaast from a newspaper report about corruption with police blah blah, like um, you knew they were Mafia so obviously not everything is going to be all colourful with rainbows, and it's so hilarious how the townspeople can just treat people like Giulia like shit now, excuse me, but I'm sure if Dante and them wanted to, they still have the numbers to oppress you guys, he's just too nice spoiling you all and you tread on him like that after he treated them so well over the years. Ungrateful people. Anyway, their confession was cute, but it sure took a long time for Lili to properly assess her feelings and be honest about her thoughts, but I think Dante being frank about his thoughts was the highlight. A bit like an explosion of all his feelings, his inadequacies, his worries and everything, it's nice that Lili was beside him, because I'm sure Nicola betraying him always hits him hard. On a whole though, sometimes I find it kinda funny how Yang is the only one Mafia-like in that he's actively trying to gain more power and territory, whereas Gil and Dante are pretty chill with the situation (as long as the power balance stays I guess) aside from the troublesome Yang guys lol.

Hahahaha okay, I thought I was vulgar for thinking that Dante and Lili needed to have sex for her "mark" as the Key Maiden to become prominent as needed for the seal (according to Emilio) but to think it really was that!! Okay, funnily, I didn't expect the sacred relic to actually be Jesus' dead body which apparently refutes all the church's teachings since Jesus would be seen as a "normal human" that died, which for me feels kinda silly? I'm not sure what the general consensus is and I never realised that Jesus' body was "stolen" or just cannot be found, but I guess I never really thought that when Jesus died, his body disappeared? I always assumed that Jesus "came down to Earth" and died for our sins in a mortal body, so obviously if he dies, the body will remain but the soul and the spirit or I guess the Holy Spirit leaves and kinda forms the Holy Trinity again? Anyway, I don't know my Bible stuff anymore so I'm not sure anymore, but for me, I feel like this "revelation" is pretty weak and honestly shouldn't be able to undermine the Church but that's just my opinion lol. Anyway, I love how after all that, Yang is just like I'm gonna kill you guys because he hates the Church anyway and he's lost most of his men so he's got nothing much to lose anymore so he might as well take them down with him, I feel like Yang is so random sometimes but I'll roll with it since it's much more amusing to watch him haha. Honestly, I feel so sad for Orlok dying to protect Lili when I feel like she never really saw him for how kind he was, and now he's being relentlessly stabbed by the crazed Yang that's probably on drugs. On the other hand, this might sound crazy but I like this ruthless Yang and I feel like I'm finally seeing a bit of the terror and bloodshed I expected from a game about the Mafia hahaha. Anyway, I'm glad Lili shot a bullet into the air distracting Yang and allowing Dante the opportunity to kill him, I think Yang would be satisfied with that since it seemed like he was just looking for an entertaining way to die. I'm glad that Nicola properly apologised to Lili for his crappy attitude towards her lol.

Well, the best ending was definitely more plot than romance, and I'm honestly not a fan of the plot here haha, it was more boring than I thought. Anyway, that made the romance part have less time so yeah..but seeing Dante propose to Lili was still cute haha. I actually prefer the good ending much more, it felt like it was straightforward, simple and sweet without the unnecessary plot haha, I also liked how she decided to stay at the church and didn't feel like she was ready to leave and stay in his manor with him yet, which is very understandable imo and I liked how they are spending more time properly bonding instead of living in those moments so focused on protecting her and everything. It felt much more natural. Honestly, Nicola dying by Dante's hands to protect Lili in the tragic ending was expected, and it was sad since Nicola always wanted the best for Dante and he's right that the Mafia will slowly become more and more redundant as time goes by, but I think Dante accidentally killing Gil and Lili going into a coma to protect Dante was really unnecessary. It just basically took away the impact and focus on Nicola's death that should torment Dante forever and tried to make it as "tragic" as possible but it just made me not care about it lol. Especially since Lili is in a coma, Dante will focus on that instead of the fact that he killed his best friend and his "brother" with his own hands and I think that's much more tragic than what happened to Gil and Lili.

Overall, I like Dante’s character more than Nicola, but I can't really say I cared for the story here either haha. It's nice that there were answers to the questions about the plot such as the Key Maiden etc, but the reveal and everything was more boring than I thought haha, so sadly that was disappointing. Otherwise, I think Dante and Lili were pretty cute. But I think I enjoyed the beginning of their relationship more, mainly because it was nice to see how they both worked hard to try and spend time with each other, get to know what the other likes to support them and other things like that, it felt really sweet. But once they moved into the hotel together, I don't feel like much happened and they just kinda got together because that's how it is? I don't know, guess the later parts didn't live up to the vanilla of the beginning haha, CGs were super pretty as usual though~ I do like Dante as a character though, like he can get a bit frustrating at times for being the moralistic Mafia boss but it suits him, and I guess it's nice to have someone like him who is seemingly cold but probably feels the most "feelings" out of the others haha. I think it's pretty cute how Dante has known about her since he was a child and always thought about her even though it was unnecessary lol. Anyway, tbh, I kinda prefer crazy Roberto than the actual plot lolll.

[ddalphi]

1.1 || Business Deal

Rating: Mature

Genre: Action/Angst

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader, Taehyung x Reader, Jimin x Reader

Description: Why would you care that you have three young, fine, and mafia related men wrapped around your finger? It just matters on the choices you make along the way and who you turn into. But its also not like you have family to turn to, the only person you had is the reason you're in this mess.

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: Cursing, Mafioso Themes, Mentions of Mafioso Themes (that's all this chapter too..)

Here's to chapter 2, I'm sorry for taking so long.. I'll try my best to make sure it doesn't happen again ❤️

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It’s been one and a half hours since these men had just barged into your house. They've been getting agitated with you for declining their command to get into the car. It wasn't like you would just give up your freedom willingly. Your dad was also trying to convince you to just go with them. No. It didn't make sense that he got to decide how your life would just change unexpectedly.

You groaned out looking up at Namjoon; the boss of the group, "I already told you no. My dad can get himself out of his own trouble. I shouldn't be involved," You explain but they all didn't seem to care. It was like they didn't care about your opinion. "That's not how this works. I'm going to say this once, the longer you take to come with us.. the more pissed off I get." Namjoon snaps taking steps closer to you so that he was now right in front of you and just looking down at your smaller figure.

You felt small under his intent gaze so you immediately took a few steps back, and then turned your head to Taehyung, who was the redhead in the room as he spoke, "Him pissed off really isn't pretty, so just come on" he said trying to 'reason' with you. You took a deep breath, looking down to the floor as you thought. How hard could it be to get away from them.

You lived in a one-story home so you could easily run away freely if you wanted too, all you had to do was get to your room and lock your door, "Let me go get my things." You said finally and before you even had the chance to walk down the hallway Jungkook had moved to the side and gotten in the way. He was the one who had a hood on but he took it off and you were able to see his dark brown, doe eyes, the bottom half of his face was still covered with his mask.

"That won't be necessary." Namjoon speaks again making you turn around to face him, "You're a hostage being held until your father pays his debt to us. So whatever we give you is what you own until you come back." he speaks out before chuckling at you, that made you annoyed. Your dad would probably sell all of your stuff and who knows how long you'll be gone for.

At this point you wanted to cry, everything was just so stressful right now. You turned and took a couple steps towards the front door, looking over your shoulder at the three men and your dad packed in your living room. Maybe you should just go. You've been helping your dad for so long, and he was all you had. You tug at your bottom lip, putting it in between your teeth as you thought. Either way you technically would have to go, it's just whether you are forced or willing.  You opened the door and started to walk out, you didn't even bother to try and run. It wasn't just that you were scared to go, it was that your dad hasn't seen you cry in years and you would never give him the satisfaction of seeing you at your weakest.

The cold air instantly hit your skin, sending a shiver down your spine along with goosebumps soon after. You tried to quickly think of any ideas to get yourself out of this situation, but it was impossible. You weren't allowed in your room and you're lucky you even made it towards the door. You sighed and kept walking, looking at the car that the guys had pulled up in as it slowly got closer to you. It was a black car.. it was big too, big enough to fit at least 8 people in their own seats.

You managed to take about 10 steps out of your home before you felt a strong force tugging at your waist followed by another hand over your mouth so you wouldn't be able to scream. Whoever it was began to forcefully pull you closer and closer to the car against your will. You thought about fighting back but it wasn't like you'd be able to put up much of one in the first place. You didn't like this feeling, it had your stomach turning a million times. Being taken away from your home and forced into a mafia house.

It wasn't long before you were being forced into the back of the car, at first you tried your best not to get cramped into the car but that plan was interrupted when another male who had been in the car all along had grabbed your wrist. You flinch and looked up widening your eyes as he spoke up, "I swear I'll put a bullet in you if you don't fucking get in this car" he threatened.

This man was pale. He had an interesting haircut.. Being blonde mostly and then his undercut was brown with bangs that stopped just above his small triangle shaped eyes. He seemed a bit more serious than the rest of the boys there or just in an extreme rush to get to wherever the hell they were going after taking you.

After the threat was sent you couldn't help but nod your head. Who wouldn't? You slowly step into the car, getting a slight push from the guy who had grabbed you. After you had been pulled down to sit in the middle seat in the second row of the car the person came and sat right next to you then the car door was shut. You instantly turned your head to look at who had been so aggressive with you for no reason and then he looks in your direction as well revealing that it was Jungkook who had assaulted you.

Everyone else was starting to pile in the car, Namjoon was driving and Taehyung had sat upfront in the passenger seat. Meanwhile, you just stared in front of you while they got situated in their seats. You were scared, angry, nervous, sad, and confused. All at once, so you didn't really know what to think.

The car got started and it soon began to move. You just sat quietly, you're hands resting in between your thighs nervously. So many emotions were running through your head by that point, it all made you stressed and when you felt that way you cried. So when a tear just happened to form in your eye and then followed down your cheek you weren't surprised. To hide the fact that you had started to cry, you just looked down in your lap and closed your eyes.

"You wouldn't be in this situation if you just left him" You heard someone finally speak up, breaking the silence that had flooded into the vehicle. The voice came from the front so you peered up at the male and it was Taehyung. You just shrugged in response more and more tears coming out of your eyes. A sigh came out of his lips. "I'm just being honest," he said before chuckling lightly.

If he was trying to cheer you up it definitely wasn't working. How were they all so calm and professional about this? How many times have they taken an innocent person from their home? None of this made sense and you were starting to build up the courage to ask a question but instantly lost it when the male you most recently met had decided to speak up instead.

"Give me your phone." He commanded reaching out his hand for you to put it in. You look up at him. Everything that has come out of his mouth made him seem like a complete dick. You sniffled as you moved one of your hands from in between your thighs and reached in your waistband. You then pulled out the device and set it in his hand.

You watched as the male took the phone away and began to roll down the window, after he did he held one part of your device in both hands. You couldn't help but flinch when he bent it and had it almost crushed in half. It made you realize after the longest that this was no longer a 'leave you're home until you're dad pays his debt' situation. It was something you would once again have to try to get yourself out of.

The boy threw the phone out the window and rolled it up, he then leaned against the door and closed his eyes, not speaking up again. You decide to not give much of a reaction to him, if you did you'd be showing him he's in control. Yes, he technically was but you didn't want to give the satisfaction to him.

You bring your hands up to your eyes and wiped the tears away from your face, happy that you weren't wearing make-up. Now you were looking out the window as you passed buildings after buildings. The buildings that they were passing started to become sparse and soon it was only trees with the occasional street light.

After a long silent drive, the car turned into a gated driveway. You looked at your surroundings constantly trying to recognize where you had been taken too. The gate was opened after Namjoon typed in a code and he drove forwards, you're eyes widened as you approached a huge mansion that was surrounded by woods and was completely secluded. 

The car was parked and you were once again pulled out by Jungkook. That was getting annoying and it made you want to say something but you didn't. You were too nervous to say anything just in case you'd get yelled at,,, or killed. You just wanted to lie down and fall asleep. It was late and many events happened within the last few hours so it was reasonable to be tired.

You looked at Namjoon as he walked to Yoongi and began to quietly talk to him. Taehyung however comes over and wraps his arm around you with a smirk "welcome home" he said chuckling. When he spoke he brought his other hand up and put it up in front of him to further show off the mansion.

"So cool.." You whisper back sarcastically, the exhaustion in your voice obvious. Taehyung pulled you forwards, closer to the house making you sigh. "Are you tired or something? Cheer up! Be happy Namjoon isn't putting you in a cell." He laughs. His sense of humor already seemed to be off. How is not being put in a cell a joke?

It didn't take long for you to be brought inside their home. As soon as you walk in you are met with a long and wide hallway with a designer carpet in the center, a table rested on it holding a small plant in a flower pot. Towards the end of it was a huge staircase that led upstairs. You look up and notice that there was a small indoor balcony that led two separate ways. A crystallized chandelier hung right over where you stood. Everything lit up appeared so golden and beautiful to you, it almost made you forget what kind of situation you were in.

You stopped looking and glanced up to Taehyung, "It's really pretty.." You had to admit. Taehyung wasn't exactly you're friend but he's not someone you hated so you didn't mind saying it "I know," he replied cockily, "But let's get you to your room. I don't want to carry you when you get too tired to walk." He shrugs glancing at Namjoon for permission to take you. Once the boss nodded the boy began to take you to your room.

On the way there he explained a few things and how the situation was hopefully going to play out, at all times every single door in the house will be locked along with some of their men walking around the halls to ensure that you weren't doing anything suspicious. Other than that, you pretty much had free reign of the basic rooms in the house. If a door was locked then you knew not to go in there.

All of this made you feel better, knowing you'd have your own privacy.. And you also wouldn't be treated like a prisoner unless you had given them a reason to do so. "I see.. But what if he never pays the debt off?" You ask since the subject has been switched to how you were put in the center of the drama.

"If he never pays, you never go home. If you don't prove a value to us within a few weeks.. maybe months then Yoongi will more than likely convince Namjoon to have you sold off." Taehyung spoke so bluntly to you, it was as if he's known you for years instead of a few hours. He wasn't physically aggressive towards you like some of the guys living there but he also wasn't the nicest person you've met either.

The information shocked you though. You're dad had to pay or you'd just be sold off since there was no way you'd give a mafia any particular perks. That's one of the only facts that actually terrified you. If you were sold then the things you could be forced to do would be unimaginable.

"I swear if you start crying your eyes out again.." Taehyung said letting out a loud groan, "dead ass. Don't think about it. It's that simple" he said before opening a door on the left side of the hallway. You peer up and looked at him. You weren't even going to cry, the audacity this man had to even think about accusing you.

"I wasn't ev-" You shamefully get cut off from a low chuckle "It doesn't matter does it?" He says, glancing back at you with narrowed eyes. Something about that made you just shake your head 'no'. "You actually know how to listen?" He laughs, his lips tugging up into a smirk, "Shocker."

You just frowned, you wanted to retort so badly but the fact that they controlled if you get sold off or not flooded you're mind and made you just remain silent, following him inside the room. You glance to a window instantly seeing that it looked strange. Taehyung apparently noticed you're confusion and took a few steps towards the window, knocking on the glass when he was in reach "Bullet Proof." He states. You're mouth formed into an 'o' shape for a few seconds before nodding again.

He moves across the room to make sure every window had been screwed or nailed shut so that even if you had the balls to jump from the third story, you couldn't. You walk next to him and looked out the window, noticing that there was a pool that ended about a foot away from the wall and curved around to the opposite end of the wall.

"And that's why the windows in this room are locked at all times," Taehyung mutters, "but you seem tired so imma let you sleep" he waves lazily before walking out of the room. When he was out the door he yelled "Never lock your door by the way!!" And then that was it from him. He left and you now stood in complete silence other than the fading footsteps of the random red head that had just entered your life.

After a while of just looking around the room without moving your body, you finally go towards the door and closed it. You then walked to your bed and sat on it, you're eyes closing as you feel how comfortable the mattress was. It was as if it wanted you to sleep forever and in your mind, that wasn't too bad of an idea at the moment.

You lay back against the sheets and sigh, your hand resting on your stomach as you slowly think of what happened today. You whine out after a little bit, grabbing the blanket that sat at the end of your new king sized bed and pulled it over you in attempts to get warm. Your eyes starting to get heavy and your unwillingness to move is what signals you that you were tired. You let yourself flutter your eyes until they remained closed, rolling over on your side as you slowly drifted away into sleep.

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The sun shining brightly is what had your body shifting back and forth so you could try to go back to sleep. All of those attempts failed though. You groan out as you slowly sat up, defeated. Glancing around the room, you come back to the realization that you weren't in your own home anymore.

You still feel tired, although, you knew that it would be impossible to fall back asleep. So instead, you get out of the bed while rubbing your eyes. When you're hands were moved you opened them again and noticed that a nicely folded pair of clothes had sat on the dresser positioned against the wall in front of the bed, below the tv that was mounted to it.

You quickly grabbed them and looked at them, shocked to see that the articles of clothing had lingered close to your size. A small breath leaves your lips knowing that you wouldn't be forced to sit in dirty clothes all the time. You go to the bathroom that was connected to your room, the entrance resting on the same side of the room as the bedroom door.

Walking into it, your eyes widened seeing how nice it was. Everything was perfectly cleaned and the marble countertops looked to be newly polished. You're shower and you're bath both separate and the toilet had its own room.

You set the clothes down and looked around a few more times to get a better feel of the room.

You decided that you want to take a shower. It’s not that you want to impress but it's the fact that she just felt dirty. Her eyes looked to herself in the mirror and she really did look a mess. A groan leaving her lips, she turned her back to her reflection and began to strip before stepping into the shower.

It didn't take too long for you to finish showering before you cut the water off and stepped out. You grabbed one of the towels from a rack and wrapped it around your body, trying to dry yourself off. Once done, you start putting your clothes on. They had given you a pair of gray Calvin Klein sweatpants with a cropped white tank top to wear for the day.

As you were walking out of the bathroom, you're stomach growled. You had to get hungry at some point. You didn't want to leave the room but you would have to eventually. A sigh immediately escapes you're lips as you think to yourself.

You could easily stay in the room and wait for someone to force you out but you also didn't know how long that would take. Defeated, you slowly walk out of the room. You glanced both ways in the hallway to make sure no one was there before hesitantly leaving the comfort of the room.

You walked down the hallway with your arms crossed protectively over your chest, taking small deep breaths as you did. Your eyes trailed to the milky walls as you walked, and before you know it you had walked down two flights of stairs and now were on the first floor.

Dragging your feet behind you, you eventually found the kitchen, trying your best to avoid eye contact or conversation with anyone in the halls. You walk into the kitchen only to be met by a male who had appeared to have been eating silently, on his phone.

He seemed to instantly noticed your presence because he lifted his head and looked at you, letting you see his full beauty before choking on his food. His eyes were small, his silver, messy hair reaching down just past his eyebrows. He had very full, soft-looking lips and his skin just as flawless as the rest of him.

“Y/N right?” He asks, flashing you a soft smile. You nodded slowly, just standing there awkwardly as he began to stand up to approach you. You instinctively took a step back causing him to stop and sigh.

“I’m Jimin,” He introduced himself, his eyes went over your body and then back up to your face. You nodded and looked away from him. You didn’t really know what to say to him, it wasn’t like you knew him. “Oh- do you want something to eat?” he asked raising an eyebrow and motioning to the fridge.

Your lip gets caught between your teeth as you looked around, “Yeah.. I didn’t know anyone would be down here though” you admitted causing Jimin to chuckle, “I get it. First day here, don’t really wanna talk to us.” he stated, and it was truthful. You didn’t want too, yet he just seemed the friendliest so far.. Everyone else had been shoving you around and it was nice to know they weren’t all like that.

Jimin then moved out of the way and went back towards his seat, “You can get anything you want, but make sure to save Jungkook some banana milk.. I don’t wanna deal with him whining today.” his words made a very small smile form on your lips. Jungkook? The big bad, hound dog? Soft? You didn’t believe it.

You opened the fridge and immediately was overwhelmed with how much food was in the fridge. You randomly grabbed a banana milk. You then dug deeper into the fridge and found some leftover steak. You grabbed it almost instantly and pulled it out of the fridge, trying your best to ignore Jimin’s stare. You swore if he didn’t stop holes would be put into your back.

You heated up the steak and opened the banana milk, sipping it before you heard the microwave beeps. You instantly turned and grabbed the plate before basically going through all of the cabinets and drawers before finding the silverware. You picked up a fork and a sharp knife and headed over to the table where Jimin sat.

Jimin looked at you before raising his eyebrow, his eyes slowly trailed to your hand where the knife was. He then shot forward and grabbed your wrist, wrapping his small hand around your flesh. Tightly. You jumped before your head shot up so you could look at him shocked, not expecting him to be so bold with you, “Wha-”

“Namjoon-Hyung will be very pissed if he hears your holding a sharp knife.” The boy says simply, eyes piercing straight into yours. You couldn’t help but just nod, letting his other hand come and take the blade out of your hand. “Hoseok was supposed to put them away..” he groaned. “Sorry, I didn’t know” You muttered under your breath watching as Jimin breaks the eye contact you two shared and pull the plate closer to him and began to cut the steak into pieces himself.

It really was going to be a game with earning their trust. You wished that you could just go back and leave your father, but that was the past. You just needed to figure out a way to get out of there, and to be free again.

After you had finished eating, You were about to grab your plate but Jimin took it before you could even touch it. So instead, you began to stand up and go towards the exit of the kitchen. You got to the doorway and suddenly you saw Yoongi.

He wore a sweatshirt and joggers. Simple, yet hot. He looked to you, and then to Jimin. “Namjoon wants us all in his office.” he mumbled and turned around so his back was facing the both of you, “he seems like he’s in a pissy mood so don’t take 10 minutes.” and with that he put his hands in his pockets and walked away.

You instantly looked back to Jimin who didn’t say one word to his hyung the whole time. “Do this, Do that.” he spoke out while shaking his head, “that’s all they ever say.” your eyes narrowed at his words. He said them as if he didn’t want to listen to the commands his ‘boss’ gives him and it made you realize something. He could be your key to escaping.

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Taglist: @drunkzseok @rebeccawoodrow @iamtheworstohwell @hodginss @kiradorann

[vedj-f-bekuesu]

So I’ve made a few posts analysing Rex Dangervest. That’s all fine and good because he does have a lot to analyse (it’s a very good film with a lot of emphasis on theming, it comes with the package). 

However, I don’t think I’ve done any in-depth stuff with the other LEGO Rex most people know after that, and my PFP, Rex Fury. It’s a shame because I think between Chase Begins and LCU, there is a nice arc to analyse with Rex, but because way more focus is given to Chase’s arc (because protagonist and all), Rex is often seen as this pretty flat brute. So, I’m going to be tracking his characterisation between Chase Begins and LCU and showing that he too had a shift in character, and one for the darker at that. 

Merry Little Troublemaker

In my last post related to Rex Fury, I drew comparison to Emmet in where his arc goes. That being said, I want to make clear that Rex and Emmet have very different start points; Emmet is a run-of-the-mill worker who ends up becoming a hero due to his inherent qualities prior to his turn. Rex Fury is a bad apple from the very beginning. LCU even explicitly states that Rex’s criminal career started when he was just six years old (although we’re only shown him winding up kid cops by taking their doughnuts). 

All we know after that is that Rex eventually worked his way up the criminal chain to be considered the biggest criminal in LEGO City, and he has been arrested at least once before the events of Chase Begins. Then again, is being top of the chain really that much of a big deal if the competition isn’t that threatening. As we’ll see later, most of the crime he actually commits is closer to the standard of a very persistent above average criminal. The best comparison I can think of right now is Daisy Kaboom from LEGO City Adventures; she’s certainly the main criminal figure but she’s only got a bit more competence on her side compared to her colleagues. 

A really important point I should cover at this point is Rex’s actual personality in Chase Begins. For a start, he’s very cocky and joyful, for lack of a better word. When he gets to meet Chase for the first time, it’s via a sneak attack when Chase shows up in the middle of Rex getting explosives for the main heist. But for most of it, he’s got an adorable happy little manner throughout. He’s even jokingly thanking Chase by the end of the conversation!

The notable exception to this is when Chase accidentally reveals that Natalia has been freed from her frozen state, which Rex presumably thought would be able to hold her until the heist was over. 

Him taking the information in and rethinking the plan over is the first bit of vulnerability Rex shows, and it’s right in front of Chase’s face as well.

Second of all, Rex displays implicit but still very-much-present altruism. For example, the escape from Albatross Island he does involves freeing pretty much every prisoner, and not all of them end up working on his plan later either. Amongst them were four other major criminals considered comparable in rank to Rex himself. Out of those, it’s not clear who was working on the plan with him for sure, but we know at least Flash Johnson must have been since he was part of the Apollo Island distraction efforts. On top of all this, he later entrusts the abduction of Natalia (the only instance in the series where Rex abducts Natalia himself) and the Mayor to Snake and Bruiser (lower goons) respectively, while he sorts out something else. Compared to later conduct, that’s a high level of respect. 

Finally, there’s the heist itself. The contentious and lethal part of Rex’s entire plan in the game is the use of dynamite on buildings. While in the real world that would be classed as a terrorist act probably, in LEGO terms that’s a pretty standard higher-level criminal thing (Daisy Kaboom, as hinted by the name, even specialises in it). Plus, as Deputy Dunby (yes, Dunby) realises, all of his actions (both the fires and the kidnapping) were intentional diversions, so if Rex banked on the police showing up to these places and saving the people trapped long enough to pull off the heist, he probably wasn’t intending for there to be loss of life. It’s a reckless plan, but not that malicious. 

The Snapping Point

So as the big heist goes on, Chase eventually manages to work past the distractions and reach Rex Fury himself as he’s robbing the bank. Here is where his trademark anger really starts to flare, but even in this angered state he’s not that terrible. He gets a chance to show off his strength when he goads Chase to approach him (although he doesn’t throw him that far, so I’d say at this point his strength was merely above average and not super strength), he sets a fire behind him to put a barrier between him and Chase (which is more dangerous to him than Chase), he uses his dynamite to destroy property and not directly on Chase, and he even gets a bit of a casual word in with his goons. 

After this, he is rightfully frustrated, which only heightens when Chase insults his education. They get into a fisticuffs on the stairs of the bank, which leads up to the only other bit of vulnerability Rex shows while coherent; 

He’s recovering from the blows to his body (because he definitely is much weaker than in LCU), and as a result he decides to flee, taking a nearby rubbish truck. When that gets stopped, he does another runner, but when you get on the same vehicle, he resorts to hiding behind a shield while his goons try to attack you and fire with a water cannon (his only form of retaliation being to shunt the shield). 

Chase manages to throw him off the truck in one throw, and upon landing he gets completely dazed, ending his plan once and for all. Dunby makes an easy arrest, Chase accidentally reveals Natalia is willing to testify against Rex while Rex looks on dazed still, all ends happy...according to Chase Begins. 

LCU recounts this moment a little longer, but what is clear is that somewhere in that moment, when the humiliation, the anger and the failure against a complete rookie finally seemed to sink in, something in Rex Fury just...snapped, and he was no longer the run-of-the-mill criminal who was content with reckless distractions. Presumably while Dunby was seeing Chase off, Rex tried to do another getaway. His first showing of the change wasn’t exactly the greatest, granted (a lawnmower, really? Must have still been a smidge dazed), but what is notable is that the subsequent final arrest for that incident had him able to hold against six officers. If he was only a bit stronger in Chase Begins, how did he achieve that? Simple; the same way Emmet was able to achieve momentary feats of great strength, by channelling his heightened anger.

The Monster of LEGO City

After this point, Rex changed in a variety of ways, even if he still kept his position as top baddie. For a start, instead of being held in the regular part of the prison, he was given his own cell secluded in the warden’s office, effectively acting as a permanent solitary confinement. Over time, Warden Stonewall took the position from Warden Fielding. Unlike Fielding, Stonewall was corrupt, so to make his time easier with Rex he allowed concessions to Rex (basically anything he wanted if he was able to negotiate for it, and even allowing him to have the tools for escape, although he couldn’t just let him free as this would compromise his position). This meant two things happened; 

1. He was able to build his strength. Much like Rex Dangervest, there’s solid evidence he had been following a kind of exercise regime with a punching bag and numerous dumbbells. This made the momentary burst of strength a permanent feature. 

2, The altruism was practically gone. Instead of letting all of the other prisoners out in a grand scheme, his escape was only for himself, leaving everyone else to stay rotting in the prison. In addition, during his stay he had started to manipulate others into sourcing certainly luxuries, only to renege on the deal and stiff them. This is a tactic he’d eventually play to Vinnie with practically all the stuff Vinnie retrieved, when sometime after his escape from Albatross Island he agreed to work for Forrest.

It’s important to note how differently he does his plan in regards to others even once he’s freed. Instead of speaking directly to his goons, most of the communication is done through walkie talkies and is very impersonal (the exception is right at the very end, but even then his talk to them is very direct, not playful). He’s more willing to speak in person to those more equal to his station, but with Vinnie this was to continue “negotiations” and reveal a new tool in his arsenal; coercion by force. As for Forrest, this was probably the lightest he behaved, but it was still very matter-of-fact...mostly. 

The third change, the one that had built up silently, is probably the most fundamental one of all; his mischievous, angry and reckless but ultimately still tame personality had been replaced with malice, hatred, cruelty and a thirst for revenge. Compare how he confronted Chase in Bluebell Mines in Chase Begins compared to the same confrontation in LCU. 

There is no sneak attack here, he confronts him to his face in the open. And when Chase tries to retaliate, he responds in kind with a punch to the face. It also leads to the only moment what can be considered straight-forward glee he has; being told about the truck that’s been secured from the LCPD (a feed to his need for revenge). This is cut short when he loses his temper with the goons on hand with the ice cream truck, a much lower tolerance for their antics here than in Chase Begins. 

Much later on, after Vinnie decides to (unwittingly) cross Rex’s boss, Rex begins to display how deplorable he’s really become when he orders his men to put Vinnie on ice, ironically being more outright gangster than mafia don Vinnie. Unlike with Natalia, there would be no way for Vinnie to eventually thaw out, so this was an explicit murder attempt (even if it may have been under orders from Forrest higher up). 

This borders on depravity when Chase infiltrates Rex’s secret base to find Rex detaining and torturing Henrik Kowalski. It’s true that Rex was not the only one guilty of torture in LCU, but when Chan did it, it was in response to Natalia trespassing to find his secrets, and for the utilitarian purpose of extracting information about why she was there and what she had found out, before keeping her restrained up a crane once he’d got what he wanted. Forrest told Rex in the scene prior that he’s already secured the leverage that would get Henrik to talk (aka Natalia), but not only is this in response to Rex being keen to do this by physically beating him, he still goes ahead with a different form of torture when it served no purpose to the scheme. At that point it was for his sick pleasure. Again, not too dissimilar to Rex Dangervest, who had Emmet to rights under the dryer already but went along to gloat and eventually torture him to twist the knife in. 

Also note that Rex had to be aware of what Forrest’s ultimate plan was when he was granted his own spacesuit and would have need to travel to Blackwell Tower right after the torture scene. Given his eye roll when Henrik explains that the original proposal would have caused the animals to die (he was shown to be somewhat of an animal lover in Chase Begins), his sneer in anticipation of Henrik being threatened with his daughter’s life and complete lack of response to Forrest concluding his message (to take Natalia to the ship), Rex is 100% complicit in homicide on a mass scale.

Way up in space, Rex shows off the only other time he shows more of his old spirit; bragging to Chase about how he was the one who got him the robot T-Rex (the one Rex was now going to use to try and kill Chase). After this point though, between Chase besting the robot and Forrest stabbing him in the back, he becomes consumed with anger. He doesn’t show vulnerability this time, he just rages in response to Forrest. Even after the unit explodes and he barely survives on the ruins, his only goal is to kill Chase. While he does elect to use a shield for a bit, when the thing comes down he tries to run Chase down, choke him and throw him off the edge, he doesn’t hide. Throwing bodies at him only dazes him, which would have ended his scheme in Chase Begins but is merely a minor setback here. Only when the unit is broken completely and Rex is left to fall to the planet does his plan come to a stop. For reference, even Rex Dangervest shows vulnerability right up until Emmet makes it clear that he refuses to go along with his plan after learning all the hurt he caused, making him go insane. It’s implied the same has effectively happened here (”Are you mad?! We’re plummeting to out doom!”).

He gets humiliated further when he lands in a toilet, but even with the toilet on his head and with handcuffs on, after falling through space, he had enough resistance left to give the two officers moving him a hard time. It’s unknown how his future would pan out from that point.

The last thing I want to cover is how this is symbolised by his clothing ware. The beginning of Chase Begins and LCU imply that Rex isn’t a stranger to being bare-chested, but it’s always been very temporary. When he first appears in person in Chase Begins, he wears full clothing; a vest and a domino mask. When Chase has angered Rex outside of the bank, he’s not wearing his domino mask, stripping a layer from his self. In the ending, he wears the domino mask again but it slips off, and the domino mask is never seen again. LCU then shows the vest for only a brief time before he spends the rest of the game (up to the space suit) bare-chested, this time making the exposure to his more raw side a permanent fixture. 

So there we go, an (over)analysis of Rex Fury and what elements make him so interesting to me. I think it helps he was given two games to work across. Plus, outside of all this, he’s entertaining as heck.