#manipulation yadda yadda

[lavb-b]

OPPY DEBUT!?

Starting with a….meme….

Started by yours truly @itsonlypolite !!

I initially didnt wanna talk about my design of him much here, but since im planning on posting this soon anyway i might aswell

So first order of business. Inspiration? Ill give you 59 cents if you can guess (More down below im so good at cutting off my posts)

Of course, @/itsonlypolite’s Oppy! Literally the FIRST voice design i thought of when i first heard that certain song that shall not be named- huge thanks to her for allowing me to use her designs for the video it was a BLAST. But yeah its iconic and really captures that Opportunist feel.

Next, I would also like to give a shoutout to @/oppykinnie’s …Oppy (LMAO) for mostly his mask and humanoid concept! Including the rattail and slick back hair. Their oppy chracterisation is SUPERB and i hope ya’ll will enjoy their next comics when they post wink wink

Lastly, of course its gonna be from utdr- SPAMTON!! Not much to explain here. Just spamton, his sleazy attitude, and his whole character. Only one key difference is while Spamton is shown to be projecting, My spamton here is the opposite (with intention.)

I’ll just have my doodles do the talking (and im terrible at words forgive me)

As you can see, his mask isnt static! Nor is his colours!

One keyword I always thought about while brainstorming him is “”Relatable””.

[shummthechumm]

yellowfang genuinely believing that because brokenstar was "cursed" and that her (being manipulated into) giving him up...her loosing her daughters at birth...and that this meant she was incapable of birthing and raising a cat like firestar....ooooo...

then later projecting herself onto leafpool having the three...which, as old as their prophecy is, i would imagine causing some unrest in starclan....her children having a "pre-determined" destiny, being born against the same rules that brokenstar was...

both leaf and yellow and their similar powers...its all too much really

[multishipper-baby]

Also on the topic of fankids, I know I already have too many... But what if I made more. I don't have any Cami fankids and I want to work with her hair.

[starphobe]

fh fandom back to wishing death on a fictional teenager for being mentally ill and not learning how to cope with that in a healthy way. what else is new

[gender-euphowrya]

the way the brba/bcs fanbros treat skyler and kim needs to be studied under a microscope

[midnite-c6]

hiiiiii! could you do a part 2 of choi su-bong x namgyusinnocentgf!reader but it ends up being a threesome with thanos, namgyu, and namgyus gf/the reader, namgyu being the first to go inside you (with something other than fingers)

nothing new from me: a thanos and nam-gyu threesome with innocent reader yummyyy

|| check pt. 1 here <3

thanos & nam-gyu x innocent!reader warnings: 18+, DARK CONTENT, sex, p in v, degradation, innocent!reader, rough, read at ur own risk!!

～ˆつ⁠｡⁠☆ who would willingly let a random guy you just met, finger you and make you give him head, because he convinced you that it would make your boyfriend dissapointed if he ever found out you were a "virgin"? obviously, you.

who was the all-too-innocent girl to be so gullible that she'd believe her boyfriend (a club owner) would be waiting for marriage to make love fuck her? again, you. an easy target.

thanos was, despite the alcohol and drugs, pretty damn smart when it comes to manipulating someone into fucking him. he's an expert, it comes easy to him, and it'd only helped that you willingly liked - even loved nam-gyu, which automatically makes you gravitate to a man like thanos.

so to your boyfriend, who cheats on you anyway, walking in on the sight: your pretty knees knelt down against the white tiles, face painted with the warm white liquid thanos had been waiting all night to release. "you're fucking my girl, man? the fuck?" thanos's hands would untangle from your locks, only to burst into laughter. "ain't there a saying..?" he clicks his fingers, trying to remember. "what's mine is yours, what's yours is mine yadda' yadda'-" nam-gyu was ready to throw hands, "cut it. you're a fucking snake, man. put on your pants."

thanos continues to laugh dismissively putting both his hands up, "woah... you're too clingy on her! it's not like you're gonna keep her anyway!" nam-gyu would walk closer towards the both of you, thanos stands his ground, "so? 'still my pussy to fuck, get one of your own? doesn't take long for a manwhore like you to get fucked, huh?"

thanos' condescending grin already spoke volumes, "they don't make girls like her anymore, all of them are a buncha' whores now, it's good tasting a pure saint," poor you, still on your knees as you listen to the two of them talk about using you for whatever this is, you were none the wiser! you we're just a girl!

"and i was just about to put my dick in her, make her nuts," thanos faces you, caressing your red, puffy cheeks as he talks, "make her feel insanely good." his hands would suddenly tighten on your chin, "first time getting fucked by a dick, take me in good, 'kay?" were you supposed to nod at that?-- you do, anyway, and your loving boyfriend fumed, he thought you were loyal! what the fuck?

in a moment, nam-gyu's hand would tug on your hair, pulling you up on the sofa, away from the bastard thanos is, making you face him. "you don't fucking listen to the shit he says," he leans in, close enough so that your noses were touching,

"thought you were loyal, huh? why the fuck did you let him touch you?" your naive tiny little brain thought it was for the better... "i'm sorry- it's for you-" "for me, my ass. you cheating bitch." slap! it burns, your ears were ringing, and tears would softly puddle down to your cheeks again.

"if you're so thirsty for dick, i'll give it to ya' now." "i'd already got her stretched, just for you... bro." thanos chimed in, sitting on the sofa as well, slightly stroking his dick as he stares at the two of you. nam-gyu was annoyed, but he was too focused on you (and he knew thanos was much more stronger than him).

you'd look up into nam-gyu's eyes, pleading for hin to take it easy on you, but he'd stare back, cold, why would he still be nice to a cheating slut? his hands instinctively trails to your panties, pushing them to the side, shoving one lousy finger to really feel the tightness, unbuckling his own pants. he glared at thanos, still sitting near you, pumping his dick as he watches, of course he's still pissed thanos beat him to it.

and when nam-gyu's pants were on his ankles, he's quick to replace his finger with his dick, no amount of foreplay could've prepared you for the thickness, or how deep he'd already be in! "ow!" you cry! he looks down at you, face scrunched up from the sting, and the guilty pleasurable feeling that makes your lower stomach all too tingly, "don't care if it hurts for you," he starts to move in and out, a sloppy rhythm, too angry to be coordinated, but oh god was the way you were clenching around him made him dizzy,

"you hurt me waaay more by fucking someone else. thanos, at that." and you'd only plead more "sorry's", wishing to make it up to him.

thanos moves closer, standing on the sofa as he places his already pre-cum leaking dick on your face, further spreading his cum, "white looks good on you, doll." he whined, grabbing your hand to touch his cock, helping him even more, nam-gyu was too busy trying to rearrange your guts, he couldn't lie and say that your little tight hole didn't make him a mess aswell.

with all three of you panting, gasping for air, the heat of all your bodies and the way you moaned both their names, they'd be busting in seconds. nam-gyu pulls out immediately once he's loaded his seed inside you, leaving you to be climax-less, "you better not cum." he threatened.

the two boys were exhausted-- fucking an innocent thing like you was a blessing, they'd hope you'd be their personal doll moving forward!

*⁠.⁠✧

i realize i have a thing for two best friends (who are bi) !

[moonsaver]

Do you have any thoughts about the opposite of the "Im afraid to confess because our friendship could get ruined"? As in, "I'm afraid to reject you because I don't want to lose this friendship so I accept your confession even though I don't feel that way for you and never will".

Like the protagonist tries to convince themselves that this is just like being friends only that we now kiss (and more). I feel like it would fit with a yandere that is a bit delusional or desperate, eveb insecure so whenever the protagonist doesnt seem as into this relationship as them, they just try to convince themselves otherwise, or love bomb the protagonist.

Idk lately Ive been into reversing the tropes and I found this one particularly interesting to me when it comes to a yandere. In HSR i was thinking of Argenti as he seems like the delusional type. Or even Aventurine who would have had to put down a lot of walls to be friends with you and then even more walls just to confess, so rejecting him doesnt seem like an option to the protag (out of pity and care).

THIS THIS THIS!!!! qnon ur brain is so wrinkly and soggy with brain juice..... this used to be my favorite trope at some point idk why i forgot about it i remember eating up any fanfics out there based on this

Tw: yandere (obv), manipulation, intimacy (mainly romantic, only hints of sexual), emotional blackmailing, whatever yadda yadda

But anyways, under the cut!

Okay, so, I imagine this is possible with literally... almost all of hsr's cast. Mainly because most of them have such tragic backstories, and most of them out of that have a really shrewd and cunning mind, so they'll exploit this to hell and back.

I also imagine this is with a people pleasing reader, so lets go with a bit of implication of that.

Anyways, since Aventurine and Argenti are the ones mentioned specifically, I'll probably dive in on them first.

Aventurine is so hard to not feel pity for. Every stolen glance at the marking on his neck makes you feel worse and worse for "rejecting him", knowing he's been throwing signs of wanting more than a friendship quite possibly everywhere and you're most likely ignoring them in hopes of keeping your friendship. It's not like he hasn't quite caught on, either. He knows people's hearts quite well. And where there's opportunity, he seizes it.

It's a bit frustrating for him – just why can't you see he wants more? Or rather, just why aren't you accepting him? You're the first thing on his mind when he wakes up, when he clutches his chip and bets on his life, the last thing on his mind when he goes to sleep. Hell, he's even tried to dream of you, forcefully. But then he realizes.. how easy you are to just push around. He goes ahead with the confession, and it's almost a sadistic kind of pleasure when he sees you even try and stutter out any kind of a rejection when he's leaning in a perfect angle that shows off his little marking (out of all the times he curses it, it seems like this time it's worked in his favor). He watches carefully as your eyes nervously flit to his neck and you shut up immediately for a second, before accepting. And when you do.. he's over the moon! Coddles you, kisses your cheeks, becomes so much more grabby, as his keen eyes watch your discomfort. Well.. you didn't reject him, so this is what you should expect.

Again, the frustration doesn't wear off easily, but just seeing you writhe and try to create distance while he suffocates you in affection far from platonic nature, is so sadistically pleasuring to him. He loves watching you in that state, bending to his will so easily, as he waits for you to snap. But he'll probably find it easier to squeeze water out of a rock than to squeeze a rejection out of you – which is precisely what he exploits. You're not going anywhere, are you? He puts on his best, pleading little eyes that he used to have to put on, shaking, trembling voice, desperate hands that cling to you; all the things he acts out like his life depends on it when he senses even a waver of your hesitation.

Oh, fine.. he hates seeing you so queasy almost all the time, so he'll give you a reprieve from time to time. Plans and schedules things you used to do "back when you were friends" (he emphasizes this – you don't think you can just ignore everything, right?), and makes sure to at least crack a few smiles and giggles from you. Of course.. his hand is still loosely hanging around your waist, pecks you on the lips from time to time, just as a small reminder of what you guys really are now.

Argenti on the other hand, has no awareness of your discomfort at all.

He's like a huge dog, the way he's so happy about you accepting his confession and doesn't even stop to think afterwards just why you were so hesitant during it.

Constantly praises you, and it's not soon before it gets to a more intimate nature. He wants to do all the romantic things – kissing under the rain, protecting you from something, twirling you in the air and then kissing you again after putting you down, telling everyone proudly that you two are a couple, buying more and more "romantic" gifts that turn more intimate sooner or later. You have no way out of this without completely ruining everything.

It's.. almost painful the way he doesn't realise. At some point your discomfort probably gets so.. obvious, but he just shrugs it off; perhaps he hasn't been paying you enough attention? Or you're just too shy to ask something of him? Oh, how sweet! How adorable! He thinks. He simply falls deeper and deeper into this delusion, stringing you along and stretching your patience thin. Unfortunately, unlike Aventurine, you can't find most, if any bits of the things you both used to do as platonic companions in the relationship you have with Argenti. He's just a full-blown romantic who wants to do only that. It makes you even more queasy when people look at you in pity, if they realize just what happened between you two.

You can't back out, even if you tried. If you somehow manage to find a way to squeeze out a rejection, or have any kind of a reservation about things getting more intimate/romantic stuff, he's so devastated. Did he do something wrong? Perhaps he's not as experienced as you wanted him to be? Or you're not satisfied with some of the things he's said? Don't fret, he's right on it! Constantly holding you so close you're afraid your bones will break, whispering incessant praises into your ear that slowly spiral into affirmations that you belong to him, spoiled rotten with everything you want; yet, even then.. you can't shake off the intention they were given in. Not when you're suffocated by it.

[dykevanny]

Hehe yeah ‘saving the day’.. William is lying to this beast so much<3

hey so what if

[raccoonslittlehands]

How does Rook end up in the prison? That's what I wonder, but I've seen people mostly asking how they get out. That wasn't of much concern to me, I mean, that's pretty much the whole reason they hired a fade expert, not to mention Rook being able to let go of regret and yadda yadda yadda. But HOW do they end up in it? My personal theory is that along with the fade weakening when Ghilan'nain is killed (which probably also makes saving Rook a lot easier), Solas uses blood magic one last time as the manipulative ass he is. Rook is already overcome with pain and regret after Harding's death but they still have the rest of the team to think about, yeah? Maybe the death of another companion would push them over the edge and give Solas a chance to drag them into the regret prison. So why not use blood magic again to make them think Lucanis also died? Make them think that killing Ghilan'nain, an entire elven goddess (more or less) was too much for Lucanis and that it ended up killing him? Rook falls into the prison right after that, right after seeing Lucanis is "dead", that's when they get conked on the head with the statue and end up in the fade. Which is also why you see Lucanis in that scene no matter who you're romancing, he's the one who killed Ghilan'nain and it makes sense for that to only kill him and not someone else. I guess the conclusion of this rant is that Solas is an asshole, which we already knew anyway :')

[zvezdacito]

Since we're only one day away from Diasomnia Part 13, I'm gonna re-articulate my story concerns with the new Silver card so my point is more clear:

I don't really think the imagery of the Knight of Dawn/Silver Owls is something that can be reclaimed/redeemed. Not even if it's to save Malleus, rather than kill him like Meleanor. The implications of morally saving him from himself through that image is a whole other can of worms (AKA the white savior vibes). And that's lowkey what I originally meant anyway by "heroically beat". Saving him from his OB is still beating him in the narrative...

I'm hoping that its either:

just named that due to Silver's dawn motifs in general and not because he'll actually have to wear something Silver Owls related😔 Original armour design would be cool

OR if he gets put in the armour because it represents the non-diasomnia characters' (and even audience) expectations of him as the good (Silver Owl motifs* popularly recognized as that due to the historical revisionism) defeating what is unquestionably evil in their eyes (Malleus and lowkey the Briar Valley). Only for him to subvert it by denouncing the role, maybe wrecking the armour after wearing it a bit, then stopping Malleus without it. Because he wants them to know that both he and Malleus as persons will be more than the boxes of good human vs evil dragon

Also I think when they make Silver denounce it because he wants them to be seen as more than the past, they have to be careful to not make it come off as "yeah the fae should just never acknowledge the long term con consequences on their land/lives because it's all in the past". Because that wouldn't be why Silver want himself and Malleus to be more than that. It's more to be more than stereotypes and prevent future conflict (he in the human side also has to make effort to compromise their comfort not just the colonized fae)

* Since in real life norms, knightly motifs are associated with good while dragons/darkness are associated with evil, subverting which side uses which in a colonization storyline (then having the colonized dragon motif people be seen as the evil ones due to propaganda) can be metacommentary on how the idea of Good vs Evil in fairytales and popular imagination is dependent on the Status Quo. With even the fandom perceiving the knightly motifs as savior in the narrative despite them being symbols of colonization in-universe due to their established association with heroism IRL

TWST is about how there's more to the stories of fairytale-like characters than binary Good and Evil, so I think Silver only having the card for fanservice but actually denouncing the armour in the story itself makes the most sense to TWST's themes.... IDK what level of faith I should have in the writers, but they are potentially cooking if they commit to this

Also I know people people are gonna bring up how this is about Silver forgiving his birth parents because he realizes they did love him and just tried to do what's best for him. I do think it makes sense for him to have a better opinion of them as individuals, but once again I don't think the place for that should be in the final battle against the face of the people they genocided💀 That still boils down to redeeming and reclaiming the Dawn Knight's role as the "hero" with moral high ground over the dragon. I don't think it's the Dawn Knight's place to have his vision succeed here. As I said it was a long time coming because it's the most obvious way to parallel to original Sleeping Beauty, but doesn't mean I won't side-eye a certain handling of it because they chose to contextualize the twst version with a colonization storyline of all things

And do NOT reply with explanations like "Oh but the Dawn Knight was getting manipulated yadda yadda💔" because ironically every point used to defend him are the exact reasons I think he's hateable /lh

I think he's a more interesting character when seen as intentional depiction individuals on an oppressing/priveleged class being sympathetic, but not being willing to do enough against their own benefits in the system/challenge the system as a whole, thinking isolated acts of charity are enough to offset the extent of the violence they participate in. And even that sympathy can feel patronizing to the colonized's capacity to progress without their involvement/centers the feelings of the colonizer side.

Dawn Knight being good-intentioned as a parent and him being irredeemable and spineless as a colonizer are not mutually exclusive. It would be interesting to have Silver try to reconcile that without the story suddenly making him think the former point compensates for the latter (that wouldn't really be his place either)

Also tbh I think people overestimate Henrik's manipulation. Like yeah he was saying "ur not good for anything than fighting/you owe us" but it was only harsh words rather than actual blackmail yet the Dawn Knight kinda just folded instantly so that's on him😭 And again this doesn't really change how he distastefully makes so much of the horrors of war about himself and his own feelings. All his sad monologue scenes have the same vibe as US veterans making their massacres about just wanting to pay for bills or how it gave them PTSD lmao💀

That's all... we will find out tomorrow... if they are cooking gourmet or poison

[llilyrose]

So, you know that ISAT au I mentioned in my yass-girlboss King post??

HHHHHEEEERE WE GO .... info below keep reading!!! lots of words!!!! In Stars And Time FULL spoilers!!!!!

(Note: The Reset AU will be posted on @slowlysoluminary but i will be reblogging from my main)

There are some really interesting Siffrin-Meets-The-King-First aus that float around. I see them sometime! they're great! But I, as an adoring King fan, had to sit down and ask myself:

"So, uhh, like why?"

AND I DID SOME THINKING!!!!!

The King notices you're looping in Act 3. That's great! Not for Siffrin, but great narratively. If he notices it in that loop specifically, I feel like he would notice in other loops, too.

So, Act 5. The King notices how much of a formidable opponent siffrin is (among other things), acknowledges he's from the same country, recognizes wish craft, yadda yadda yadda.

He wants Siffrin to understand and resonate with his reasons for trapping an entire country in time, and while Siffrin is busy in his mind space fighting Mal Du Pays, the King makes a wish. AND HE LOOPS!!!!!??????

... Uhh, kind of? Not really. It resets the timeline all the way back to when the country was erased, but instead of the King having full memory, they're more like... vague snippets that hint at what he once was.

So, um! The first part of the AU is about the King's 10-year-long descent into madness. It's heavily condensed but it's there!! there's lore there!! I'm a king fan he needs a backstory.

"His name is Lazare" HE HAD TO HAVE A NAME BEFORE HIS KING DAYS... it's heavily implied the King wasn't his original name, and my headcanon helpfully supplied that he underwent a Change inside the house during his rise to power. I think there's like, a Head Defender? And the King was Head Defender, with full access to all libraries inside the house, when he started going crazy.

At 22 he loses all his memory while travelling in Vaugarde. Nobody knows his name so he comes up with one! He meets Siffrin 4 years later and they both travel Vaugarde together.

He becomes a defender at 29 because we see firsthand how INVESTED this dude is in Vaugarde. He wants, NEEDS this country to be safe!! he has a lot of patriotism!!! He's not actively searching for what happened to him or his country, he's just accepted it and is building himself up as a person.

oh boy .. when he turns 31 he becomes Head Defender.... And when he starts reading higher-access books throughout the house documenting a disappearing country? He gets MORBIDLY curious. And... well... this fixation leads him down the rabbit hole that got him where he is today! Except, this time, with Siffrin on his side...?

Yup! Siffrin is here! They've been here the whole time! Siffrin watches a man he's grown to love and adore fall into the Deep End. And he would find the strength to be mad about what he's doing if it weren't for the fact he was super sympathetic!!! ugh!!! sympathy!!!

Siffrin agrees with the King... but not really? He agrees with his reasons but completely disagrees with the way he's going about it. The change from Lazare to King was gradual, but towards the end he treats Siffrin more like an object of study than a friend.

The King takes his cloak and hat to study the stitching, the King won't let him cut or dye his hair again because he wants (NEEDS) this still image of his culture, etc.

Siffrin pretends his behavior doesn't bother him (because the King goes full Mansplain Manipulate Malewife on him if he voices his dissent) and keeps sneaking away from the King using his hat-less/cloak-less disguise.

In doing so, he meets a wild Mirabelle! It becomes a habit to visit her and the villagers under this "disguise" (it's only convincing in the way that Clark Kent is convincing) and he's feeling that same friendship with them that he used to back when the King was Lazarus.

... Until the House gets frozen? And the king starts Freezing People In Time For Real? No warning? Siffrin is HORRIFIED, rightfully, and also super upset. Partly because Mirabelle "got frozen" (she did not get frozen) and partly because the king has TOTALLY LOST HIS MIND NOW. no trace or remnant of who he used to be. but siffrin wants to hold on.

and then Siffrin gets stuck in a time loop! Whoops! Honest mistake!

"How does he get stuck in a Time Loop if there's no party to stick with?" ok so. of course he's going to learn Wish Craft from the King, duh. The King tells him literally everything about rhe country as he discovers it (albeit, in incoherent rambles.). And he also has his own muscle memory to draw from!

In desperation, he makes a wish: Save Vaugarde/Sav the King.

"Which one of those two is it?" Idk! That's what he spends the timeloops finding out!

Oh, wait, now that I've talked about the time loops, I CAN TALK ABOUT LOOP!!! LOOP IS NEW AND DIFFERENT!!!

^^ This was the initial ref sheet i made while brainstorming for this au (and also the sheet that birthed King In Magical Girl Poses)

"So what's loop's deal?" yeah, um, that's the thing? Loop doesn't know either!

Loop is not hiding their identity! Much like King, they domn't remember anything until afterthe Reset. They're Siffrin, yes, but not Siffrin from SASASA:AP. They're Siffrin from In Stars and Time. They're THE Siffrin that the King's wish Reset!

Thus, Loop looks very different!!!! And acts a little bit different!!! Siffrin is the only one who can see Loop, for the time being, and they follow him throughout the loops instead of staying stagnant under the Favor Tree.

They don't like the idea of not knowing who they are, or where they're from. Siffrin sympathizes with the star, initially thinking that they just... had the same thing happen to them that happened to the king? But the reason Loop follows Siffrin through the house is because they NEED to know who they used to be, and what in the Universe happened to them. Certain things trigger certain memories, and... it certainly doesn't help that the party enters the fray.

"So was the King's wish not important?" THE KING'S WISH WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

Not only did it CAUSE the reset, but it gave King the precise tools to get a timeline that fulfilled his wish (It's not the Universe's fault he lost himself and his only chance).

BUT ALSO!! ALSOOOOOOO!!!! THE KING'S WISH CORRUPTED THE WHOLE TIMELINE.

Loops are meant to reset to the day before, with no one"s memory remaining except for Siffrin's.

This loop completely Reset the timeline.

The King kept hints of his memories from the past.

The party gets dejá vū from the moment they meet to the moment they step foot in the house. They feel like something is missing.

Loop shouldn't be here. Loop should be... Loop. Loop didn't wish to be here - it's a direct violaton of his initial wish to stay with his friends, but it's a wish that technically got overwritten when the Reset happened?

Ironically, Siffrin is the only one Out Of The Loop (hehe)

,,,,,,,,,

"okay so what's the stuff IN the timeloop?" you see. you seeeeee. I've been worldbuilding so that I can figure that out. And I still don't know..... I'm setting it up with this post so I can elaborate on anything later (asks are appreciated)

"You should write/draw about this" I am! Ao3 is llilyrose but idk if I'll end up posting anything there. Of course, my tumblr is llilyrose, too....

"You stole this from user llilyrose on ISAT discord!" um, look at my url again. thx

"What if I have questions about the worldbuilding/characters/etc." send an ask, fool.... I'd really appreciate it .....

[forsaken-headcanons]

C00lkidd wasn't always red, it's just a byproduct of excessive hacking

Notice how 7n7's c00lgui is red? It affects him too, just for a short while since he stopped hacking as much once he started Raising c00lkidd

The gui gives him a red claw hand similar to what I hc c00lkidd to have

The gui stains his hand red briefly afterwards (c00lkidd used it excessively, thus being red, also manipulation front the Specter yadda yadda)

-Car Crash Anon

So basically another form of corruption.

[bedlam-barbie]

Heathens

Heathens

Or Attention part 5

Pairing: In Ho x recruiter!reader ; salesman x recruiter!reader (main pairing for this part); somehow this became a love triangle

Warnings:psychopath!Salesman;obsessive!Salesman; antisocial personality disorder; violence; fight; love triangles yadda yadda; hurt no comfort; 

Word count: 4.3k

Summary: As the business trip continues, Gong Yoo finds himself reminiscing about reader and the magnet pull she had on him. The more time he spends in her proximity, the more he wants to claim her completely, devouring her soul.

Author’s note: As promised here is Part 5 of Attention, written from Salesman’s perspective. I had a lot of fun doing research and writing this. I did my best  to keep his inner monologue detached and cold, different from his charismatic way of speaking. This chapter does not include In ho, but I promise the next one will be Frontman centric. Please let me know if every so often you would like me to change again to his or In ho’s perspective. I await your feedback :) 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

The arena reeked of sweat and blood, its stench thick in the air, a far cry from the usual opulence of the VIP gatherings. There were no champagne flutes here, no polished smiles, no perfectly tailored suits. Just a dimly lit space, marked by the quiet hum of anticipation, the sound of heavy footsteps, and the occasional crackle of electricity from the harsh overhead lights. It was an underworld, hidden beneath the glitz and glamour of their everyday lives. And it was the one aspect of these trips that Gong Yoo truly relished.

Every business trip, without fail, the second night would come with the same ritual. The sparring matches. The VIPs would watch from the sidelines, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and something darker, as if the act of violence were a guilty pleasure, a forbidden fruit they couldn't help but taste. Gong Yoo, however, was indifferent to their voyeurism. He didn't fight for their approval. He fought for himself.

The adrenaline, the primal rush, the physicality of it all—there was nothing like it. In that moment, there was no room for the games he played so effortlessly in his day-to-day life. No masks, no manipulations, no witty remarks to hide behind. Just raw, unfiltered instinct. There was no performance here, no calculating gestures. Just the crack of knuckles, the thud of flesh against bone, and the burn of his muscles as they pushed against the limits of his endurance.

It was a pure, savage release.

And he thrived in it.

Gong Yoo lived for those fleeting moments when the world slowed down. When the fight was the only thing that mattered. His mind went blank, and the noise of everything else—Il-Nam's steady guidance, In-Ho's cool authority, the games and politics that ruled their every action—faded into oblivion. The old man was very much aware of the late-night activities his guests would indulge in, especially Gong Yoo, but there was nothing wrong with letting his loyal psychopath off leash for one night.  In the ring, there was nothing to conceal, no persona to maintain. He could let the hunger inside him take over, stripping away the layers of control that kept him in check every other day.

But it wasn't just the violence that drew him in; it was the purity of the exchange. The brutality that rang out as opponents clashed, each one vying for dominance, testing their limits. And for Gong Yoo, there was a twisted satisfaction in knowing that even among the elite, he was still a force to be reckoned with. That no matter how refined their lives seemed, deep down, they were all animals, capable of violence, capable of destruction.

As he wrapped the bandages around his knuckles, the material pulling tight with methodical precision, Gong Yoo’s mind wandered back to the day he first truly encountered her. Not when she was hired, not when she became just another name on a list. No, this was the first real moment he saw her—not as an image, not as a fleeting presence—but as her.

Il-Nam had mentioned her in passing, the new recruiter, the dancer, he’d called her. Another vague title, another face in a sea of interchangeable voices. Gong Yoo was discerning by nature, selective in his attention. People were transactions, tools to be used, manipulated. He wasn’t antisocial. In fact, he was often the life of any gathering, charming in his way. But social interaction was always calculated, measured—there was no need for connection. People, after all, were predictable. Boring.

Yet, it was one year ago when Il-Nam had informed him that she would be taking up the position of Head of Recruitment alongside him. That moment marked the beginning of something Gong Yoo couldn’t have anticipated—something fascinating.

He paused for a moment, the bandage almost finished, and the memory settled into his mind with chilling clarity.

The first thing Gong Yoo had noticed was her smell. A bold, intoxicating blend of amber and vanilla, with a trace of cigarette smoke that lingered like a whisper on the edge of his senses. It wasn’t a fragrance that begged for attention—it demanded it. His eyes flickered instinctively toward the source, as though it were some kind of magnetic pull. And then, there she was, walking into the board meeting, poised and unbothered by the men who often filled the room like sharks.

She was dressed in a sleek black office dress, the material hugging her form in all the right places, the slit in the back drawing attention to her long, lean legs that moved with a languid confidence. The black heels clicked against the floor like the ticking of a clock, deliberate and precise. She was undeniably striking, but it wasn’t just her appearance that held his focus.

It was her eyes. They gleamed with a fire that burned bright against the usually dim backdrop of corporate monotony. Mischief. Challenge. And something else. Something sharp, like the edge of a blade.

And then there was the red lipstick.

That damn red lipstick.

It wasn’t a typical shade. It wasn’t the type of bold red that screamed for attention. It was deeper, darker, more dangerous, like the red of an open flame flickering in the dark—unpredictable, alluring.

Interesting, Gong Yoo thought, the word sliding into his mind like a cool, calculating assessment.

She wasn’t just another face, not just another voice. She was... different. Something about her presence caught his attention in a way he couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t just her looks, though those were striking enough to make him pause. No, it was the way she carried herself, the way she owned the room without uttering a single word. It was the subtle play of power behind her actions, her confidence in her own skin, and the undeniable air of defiance.

A challenge.

His gaze lingered a moment longer, studying her, before he refocused on the task at hand, the bandages now firmly in place.

Gong Yoo didn’t know it then, but the moment he’d noticed her—truly noticed her—was the beginning of an intricate dance. One that would blur the lines between intrigue and obsession.

But that, of course, would come later.

His opponent was a large man. The kind with tattoos on his neck and rage. Undoubtedly chose the VIPs for the exact reason: to test him, to finally have someone who would beat him in the fight. Gong Yoo revealed in the moments he was underestimated, especially by the pigs in suits. But he did not hurry into the ring. No, he took his time, analyzed the man, his movements, his bravado, his laugh too loud for the room. Pathetic. Trash brought to him on a silver platter. 

And then his eyes lingered on the people watching catching the familiar mischievous gaze. He smirked in the corners of his mouth when he saw the red lipstick. His mind pushed him back to the night he finally got a taste of it. 

The blackjack night after the 33rd Squid Games was over.She arrived like a vision, dressed in a black Yves Saint Laurent mini dress that hugged her every curve, the sharp click of her red-bottom heels punctuating her entrance. The black leather trench she wore was peeled away by a valet who barely managed to keep his composure. Tight high stockings, perfectly styled hair, and that signature red lipstick—her signature. It started off as an innocent game, he watched amused by In ho’s jealousy. If there was one thing he enjoyed, was pushing the Frontman’s buttons. So he played along 

She didn’t glance at In-Ho once, which amused him to no end. He could feel the Frontman’s eyes burning into the side of his face, his irritation hidden behind the cold exterior of his mask.

They started with the usual pleasantries—fine dining, expensive wine, empty conversations. But the real entertainment was the game. Blackjack. Tradition. Il-Nam’s favorite.

Gong Yoo played, but his attention was elsewhere. On her. The way she effortlessly toyed with those around her, the way she laughed, tossing her head back just enough to draw eyes to the smooth line of her neck. The way she touched him—adjusting his tie, fingers lingering on his chest, nails lightly scraping the fabric. 

It’s just a game

In ho’s irritation was palpable, but he said nothing. And Gong Yoo? He was enjoying every second of it.

She smirked as she dragged her winnings across the table. “At this point, you guys have to try a little harder. It’s exhausting to keep seeing you lose.”

He leaned in, his voice low, deliberate. “And what do I win, if I may be so indiscreet?”

And then they were in the club.When they finally moved to the dance floor, he let his hands settle on her waist, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath the sheer fabric of her dress. She turned to face him, red lips curling into a knowing smirk.

“Oh?” she taunted, eyes glinting with amusement. “Are you actually dancing, Gong Yoo?”

He tilted his head, fingers tightening slightly. “I think you’ll find I can be quite adaptable.”

Her hands slid up his chest, smoothing over his tie, adjusting it with unnecessary precision. "Oh, I know you can be," she murmured, just loud enough to be heard over the music.

Their game was deliberate. Calculated. She pressed closer, moving against him with the rhythm of the song, her hips rolling in a way that was almost lazy—like she wasn’t even trying. And yet, it was enough to send a slow burn curling through his veins.

He should have felt bored. She wasn’t his usual type. Too much fire, too unpredictable. But it was precisely because of that unpredictability that he couldn’t look away.

Gong Yoo let his hands slide lower, tracing the arch of her lower back, pressing her flush against him. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she laughed—a low, sultry sound against the shell of his ear.

“You’re having fun,” she observed.

He smiled. “You make it easy.”

She exhaled a soft hum, running her fingers into his hair, gripping it just enough to make his skin prickle. “Well,” she mused, “let’s see how much fun you can handle.”

And then she turned them, backing herself against the cool, shadowed wall of the club.

Before he could react, she lifted a leg, wrapping it around his waist, using the leverage to pull him in closer.

Gong Yoo sucked in a breath, bracing his hands on the wall beside her head, boxing her in. Their faces were close—too close—her lips hovering just inches from his.

The position was deliberate. He could feel the heat of her body pressing against him, the faintest scrape of lace from the tops of her stockings as her leg hooked tighter around him. It was instinctive, primal. If he let himself, he could take her right here, right now.

She knew it, too.

So then he finally captured her lips into a heated kiss. Her hands fisted in his hair, pulling him down harder, and he let her. Let her take, let her own the moment, because fuck, she was intoxicating. He let his fingers dig into the soft flesh of her thighs, let himself press closer than he should have—because even if this was a game, it was still good.

Her mouth was warm, teasing, demanding. A flick of teeth against his lower lip, a bite that made his grip tighten. Gong Yoo responded in kind, taking back control, swallowing the quiet sound she made when he pressed her harder into the wall. She gasped softly. He smirked against her lips.

So he pulled her into the bathroom. The pounding bass of the club faded the moment he pulled her inside, the heavy wooden door clicking shut behind them. The air was thick with perfume and the lingering bite of alcohol, but none of it mattered.

This was it.

He was going to take her completely—consume her, devour her, wring her out of his system until there was nothing left to crave. That was how it worked. It always worked. She barely had time to react before he had her pinned against the sink.

But she didn’t resist. No, she laughed—low and sultry, breathless from the way he’d yanked her in so forcefully. Her nails dragged lightly down his chest, playful, teasing.

“Oh?” she purred, red lips curling into something wicked. “Someone’s in a hurry.”

He didn’t humor her with an answer. He just lifted her, effortless, and set her down on the cool porcelain.She parted her legs without hesitation, allowing him to step between them. He was met with heat, with silk and lace, with the unmistakable scent of her.

And then she was kissing him again—raw, desperate, hungry.

Gong Yoo growled against her lips, gripping her hips like he could brand himself into her skin. He wanted her to feel this, to remember this, to know exactly what it meant to be wanted by him.

She moaned, a sound caught between pleasure and amusement, fingers curling into his hair.

“I knew you couldn’t resist me,” she murmured against his mouth, voice dripping with satisfaction.

His grip tightened.He wasn’t going to let her win. Not tonight.

So he kissed her harder, rougher, letting his teeth scrape against her lower lip before biting down just enough to make her gasp. She responded in kind, clawing at his back, rolling her hips against his in a way that made his restraint snap, made every rational thought scatter into nothing. Her stockings were smooth beneath his hands, thighs warm as they wrapped around him, locking him in place. His grip tightened, hips pinning her against the sink so firmly that her breath hitched. His teeth grazed the sensitive skin of her neck, enough to make her shiver—enough to remind her exactly who was in control here.

And it should have been enough.

"Salesman, you’re up."

The voice cut through the haze of memory like a blade, dragging Gong Yoo back to the present. The arena came into sharp focus—the scent of sweat and blood thick in the air, the muted roars of the VIPs murmuring their bets, the harsh fluorescent lights casting stark shadows over the sand-covered floor.

He exhaled slowly, forcing his grip to relax from the tight fists they had curled into. His knuckles still ached from the last fight, but it was a dull, almost pleasant pain—a reminder that here, in this ring, things were simple.

Unlike her.

Gong Yoo’s gaze flickered to the stands, where she sat, watching. That amused little smile tugging at her lips was infuriating. Like she knew exactly where his mind had been. Like she knew he had been thinking about the first time he had her—the bathroom at the club, her legs wrapped around him, her teasing whisper burning in his mind even now.

"You can try, darling, but I don’t think you’ll ever get enough."

And maybe, just maybe, she had been right. Gong Yoo clenched his jaw, forcing the thought away. He gave the Officer a small nod and stepped forward onto the sand, rolling his shoulders as he sized up his opponent. Big. Heavyset. The kind of fighter that relied on brute force rather than strategy. A perfect target.The bigger they were, the harder they fell.

And Gong Yoo couldn’t wait to make this one hit the ground.

He needed this.

The rush. The adrenaline. The raw, unfiltered release of aggression.

Because every time she came running to his bed, he welcomed her with a lazy smile, let her bite and tease and taunt—let her win.

And that had to stop.

Their relationship was nothing more than a transaction of skin and sweat, a game they both played to see who would break first. Friends with benefits, except they weren’t friends, and his obsession rarely felt like a benefit.

So he would win this fight.

He would break something tonight.If it couldn’t be her, then his opponent would have to do.

The bell rang, and Gong Yoo moved.

His opponent charged forward—predictable. A heavy, lumbering swing aimed straight at his jaw. Gong Yoo sidestepped effortlessly, the air slicing past his cheek as he felt the force of the missed punch. Slow. Sloppy. Just as he had expected.

A smirk curled at the corner of his lips. This wasn’t a fight. It was a performance.

His opponent regained his footing quickly, grunting as he threw another wild punch, this time lower—toward his ribs. Gong Yoo blocked it with ease, absorbing the impact before delivering a sharp counterstrike, his fist slamming into the man’s side just beneath his ribs. He heard the satisfying oof as air was forced out of his opponent’s lungs.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Gong Yoo taunted, tilting his head, his voice as casual as if he were discussing the weather.

The man growled, anger flashing across his bloodshot eyes. Perfect. He was getting reckless.

Gong Yoo danced backward, light on his feet, provoking another charge. Another swing. Another miss.

He toyed with him like a cat playing with a wounded mouse, letting him exhaust himself, each failed attack fueling his frustration. Gong Yoo was always patient. Always calculating. And when the moment came—when his opponent left himself open, panting, slow—he struck.

A devastating hook to the jaw. A sickening crunch as bone met bone. The man staggered, but Gong Yoo wasn’t done. He moved in, closing the distance in an instant. A ruthless knee to the ribs. Another sharp punch—this time to the nose. Blood spattered onto the sand.

His opponent barely had time to register the pain before Gong Yoo swept his legs out from under him with a brutal kick. The man hit the ground hard, gasping for air, his head lolling to the side.

Silence.

Then—applause. Cheers. The unmistakable laughter of the VIPs reveling in the violence.

Gong Yoo barely heard them. His gaze flicked to her again. She was still watching, still wearing that maddening little smirk. But now, she was biting her lip slightly, her eyes darker, filled with something new. Amusement? Approval? Lust? He felt a sharp pang of satisfaction settle in his chest. So he did what he always did.

He smiled.

Not the lazy, charming grin he used on marks. Not the cold smirk he wore when he won. A real smile. Sharp. Triumphant. Possessive.

Then, without breaking eye contact, he lifted his bloodstained hand to his mouth and slowly licked the crimson from his knuckles. Her smirk faltered for just a second.

And that—that single moment—was worth every second of the fight.

Gong Yoo strode into the changing room, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, his body thrumming with the fading remnants of the fight. Sweat trickled down his spine as he peeled off his tank top, the heat of exertion still clinging to his skin. But the rush—the sharp, electric pleasure of combat—was already slipping through his fingers, vanishing as quickly as it had come.

It never lasted. Nothing ever did.

Except for her.

Sitting on the bench, he began unwrapping the bandages from his hands, wincing slightly as the fabric peeled away from torn flesh. He watched, detached, as blood smeared across his knuckles, pooling in the creases of his skin. The pain was a dull, distant thing, nothing compared to the deeper ache she had carved into him.

It was maddening, this entanglement. He was not a man who felt. He was methodical, indifferent—perpetually numb, perpetually bored, always searching for the next fix to chase away the void. Cold. Calculated. Surgical.

And yet, she had forced her way in, made him feel things—strange, foreign things that he loathed. Jaw tightening, he reached for the antiseptic, watching the liquid sting as it met raw flesh. He welcomed the burn. It was easier to focus on that than the deeper wounds she left behind.

“I must confess, you were pretty hot out there,” her voice rang from behind him, smooth and teasing, that ever-present amusement curling around the edges.

He didn’t turn. He wouldn’t.

Instead, he smirked slightly, eyes still locked onto his raw knuckles. “Darling, I always look hot.” His voice was easy, lazy, like he wasn’t still burning from the fight. From her. From the way she had watched him with that wicked little smirk like she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

The soft click of her heels echoed through the changing room as she made her way to him. Then, silence—except for the slight rustle of fabric as she lowered herself onto the bench beside him. He didn’t have to look to know she had crossed those damn long legs, the sleek black leather of her Louboutins catching the dim overhead light. He didn’t have to look to feel the heat of her so close to him.

But he did not give her the satisfaction of his attention. Not yet.

A moment passed between them, thick with the weight of something unspoken. Then, without a word, she reached for his hand. He tensed instinctively, not because of the pain but because she was touching him—gentle, deliberate, careful. Not teasing. Not taunting. Just touching.

She dipped a fresh cloth in antiseptic and started cleaning the blood from his skin, brows slightly furrowed, her lips pressed together in quiet concentration.

Gong Yoo let out a slow breath, a sound that was almost a sigh. He hadn’t meant to.

Interesting. That reaction again. Unfortunate. Inconvenient.

His eyes finally dragged away from his own hand and toward her face. But she wasn’t looking at him.

She was focused entirely on her task, wiping away the crimson smudges, fingers moving with a softness that unsettled him more than any fight ever could. His stomach tightened, something slow and unwanted curling in his chest. He had the sudden, violent urge to reach up, to touch the curve of her jaw, to drag his thumb across her cheek and force her to meet his gaze.

Instead, he flexed his fingers beneath her grasp. “If I didn’t know any better,” he murmured, voice low and lazy, “I’d think you actually care.”

She let out a soft scoff but didn’t look up. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself, darling. I just like my toys in working condition.”

His lips curled, but there was no humor in it.

Toys.

It should have been a relief—confirmation that they were still playing the same game. That she wasn’t making this into something else. But for the first time, the word sat uneasily in his chest. He let the silence stretch, watching her, waiting for her to look at him. To smirk. To flirt. To do anything that would make this moment feel like every other one they’d had.

But she didn’t.

She finished tending to his left hand, her fingers ghosting over his knuckles for just a second too long before she finally let go. There was something infuriating about the way she touched him—not careful, not hesitant, but deliberate. Like she was studying him, unraveling him piece by piece.

She moved on to his right hand, the scent of her perfume—amber, vanilla, a faint trace of cigarette smoke—curling around him. He hated how easily it got under his skin. How easily she got under his skin.

Her voice cut through the silence, teasing but still soft, laced with amusement.

“So… ex-lawyer turned murderer, turned recruiter for the Squid Game, now partaking in underground fights to entertain the pigs in suits?” She glanced up at him, lips twitching into a smirk. “Now that’s a story I want to know more about, psycho killer.”

His jaw ticked, but his response came effortlessly.

“Please,” he muttered, watching as her fingers unwrapped the bandage with practised ease. “Corporate lawyer. Not just any kind of lawyer.”

She let out a small, knowing hum. “Oh, my apologies. That makes it so much better.”

His lips quirked, despite himself. Her sharp tongue was something he had grown to expect—quick, cutting, merciless. But it was the way she said it, the way she balanced between mocking and curious that made him pause. Because, unlike most people, she never looked at him with fear. Only intrigue.

“I should have expected the corporate part. Criminal law is messy.” Her voice was smooth, laced with that signature amusement of hers. “You like clean. Calculated. Let me guess… acquisitions?”

She didn’t even look up at first, her fingers continuing their slow, meticulous work of unwrapping the bandage. But then, finally, her eyes lifted to meet his. Curious. Amused. But curious nonetheless. Like she was searching for something buried deep inside him—something he wasn’t even sure existed anymore. It was unsettling. Few people dared to look at him for too long, let alone search for something beyond the mask.

He held her gaze, unreadable, but he could feel the way she studied him.

“What gave it away?” he asked, his voice neutral.

She smirked. “You seem like the type to prefer dismantling something piece by piece rather than bludgeoning it into submission. Mergers. Hostile takeovers. The slow kill rather than the quick one.”

A breath of laughter left him, low and dark. “That’s one way to put it.”

She tilted her head slightly, still holding his hand in hers. Her grip wasn’t tight, but it was deliberate—lingering just a fraction longer than necessary. “And yet, here you are. No more boardrooms. No more contracts. Just blood and broken bones for entertainment.”

He exhaled slowly, watching her.

“And here you are,” he countered, “trading in ballet slippers for stilettos and cigarettes. Recruiting lambs for slaughter instead of dancing for an audience.”

Her smirk widened, slow and wicked. “Oh, darling. Ballet was never for the audience.”

His lips quirked, the smallest flicker of something dangerous flashing in his eyes. “Neither was law.”

For a moment, they just looked at each other. The air between them thick, charged, heavy with something neither of them wanted to name.

She finally broke the silence, releasing his hand and rising to her feet. “Well,” she said, adjusting the hem of her dress, “if you ever get tired of breaking noses for sport, let me know. Maybe I’ll let you break something else.”

And when she left, it finally hit him.

Sex. Power. Control. None of it was enough. But it was a mere failure of calculation, nothing more.

For the first time in his life, he felt terrified.

How pathetic. How fucking pathetic.

Gong Yoo was a murderer, a recruiter for a game built on death, a man who thrived in the art of manipulation. A true psychopath, perhaps the only real one in the entire organization. And yet, here he was—consumed. Owned.

By her.

And worst of all?

He didn’t even want to fight it.

[aspergerasparagus]

I wanted to ask, what do each of the Frankies think of the contestant?

Real Frankie:

He is the rabbit that likes the contestant a little too much. Obsessive and possessive he doesn't let them out of his sight unless he has a good reason to. And while he plays up the part of caring for the contestant, maybe even playing into the romance idea, there is absolutely no love there. He is manipulative, cunning and malicious at his core and the contestant is more than aware of this and knows how this is all going to play out in the end. When they no longer prove to be useful, Frankie will dispose of them. Will he be sad doing it, maybe, but in the end ending them with his own hands will the greatest thrill (plus think of the ratings!)! In the end, while he won't outright hurt the contestant (physically anyway) he still can't be trusted.

Cartoon Frankie:

"Hate. Let me tell you how much I've come to hate you since you turned up on my show." (Insert AM speech here yadda yadda) So toon Frankie is the one who hates the contestant the most, despises them actually. They are the reason his show was "ruined" and why he finally lost and being the brat that he is he still holds the grudge regardless if the contestant saved the show in the end. But at the same time they are the only human to stand up to him, to talk back, to make jokes at his expense and it drives him mad. He wants to put this little human in their place and remind them who's in charge (how he plans to do that is really up to the imagination), see them on their knees begging for mercy but on the other hand wouldn't it be fun to be put into his place by them from time to time. He's very internally conflicted by the contestant, he wants them dead, he wants their undivided attention, he wants from pleading for their life, he wants them to talk down to him. He a mixed up bunny and that only pisses him off more.

Monster Frankie:

Simply, he wants to eat his face. He is straight to the point, he doesn't like the contestant (considering they did kill him) and will be hostile to him but know he can't do anything to him right now. So they kinda exist in a weird limbo, where yes Frankie will chase him, but he isn't trying to kill him, maybe throw him a round a little like a cat with a mouse but that's all. Until the next season of course. He isn't as vocal about his feelings towards them but it's clear he is still bitter about what happened but does at least hold some respect for them, hence why he listens to Real Frankie and not Toon Frankie about the contestant's fate. He rarely interacts with them due to the contestant being the most frightened of him but will occasionally drift around them like a house cat merely to spend time in their presence until he gets that look in his eye and it's time to play again.

[the-hitparade]

so my last post got me thinking about a jjk arcane au which im sure has already been done but anyways

i'd say megumi would be jinx with sukuna as silco? im not entirely sure as this would erase any connection between yuji and sukuna which is, yknow, the entire premise of jjk, but silco's almost morbid interest in raising powder into jinx and seeing himself in her reminds me a lot of what happens in canon, only manipulation instead of outright possession. jinx's suicidal tendencies and guilt over the death of her loved ones also go better with megumi's character and in canon storyline imo. (uraume is probs sevika bc them having to babysit megumi is so fun to me). however, i wouldn't want him to be too ooc so i think he'd be different from jinx; as impulsive and violent as the og but less lively and more apathetic.

the REAL reason i want megumi to be jinx is his and yuji's dynamic mirrors jinx and ekko's perfectly, and i think yuji could be no one else but the boy savior who wants so desperately to build and not just destroy. we'd get a less whimsy and joyous version of canon yuji bc ofc he'd have lived through what ekko has, but both character's hope of a better future is what seals the deal for me. also, what happens between jinx and ekko in s2 is basically yuji trying to get megumi's soul to fight back in canon, so i just think that's neat. benzo is definitely nanami btw!! although, since in my mind the first arc happens vaguely in a hidden inventory-ish timeline, he'd be less than a dad and more of a brotherly figure? or he could be just aged up, idk.

now, since megumi's jinx, tsumiki should be vi, but it doesn't make sense to me. first off, it would be completely ooc, and second of all, tsumiki's strength as a character relies in haunting the narrative, playing a fundamental role in megumi's motivation without us seeing her outside of his mind. so, making some adjustments to the zenin's really weird family tree, i'd say maki is vi. i don't think her and megumi would be siblings, maybe cousins or simply found family, but it fits her character better and doesn't stray too much from canon, either - although never explored, maki and megumi do seem to have some sort of bond, something i noticed when they fight that shrimp thing in shibuya (she also calls megumi by his first name i think?). like vi, she's harsh, sarcastic and crazy strong, but she's also got the doomed older sister thing going on for her and she's really dedicated to those she cares about. mai and tsumiki could be mylo and claggor, even if it would be a total disservice to their characters. it would make sense that, after losing her biological sister, maki would desperately try to cling to the only person who resembles family. (it'd also be cool if the zenins were to be a chem baron clan but idk about that).

i think yuta could work as caitlyn, given his bond with gojo (who is obviously jayce in this one let's be fr) and his in canon complicated relationship with the higher ups, but i don't like the lesbian erasure so maybe nobara? she would be very different from the og, more of a rebel child and less uptight, and i also wouldn't see her becoming a dictator, but i really would like to make nobamaki work in this one...

satosugu are jayvik and if you want any insight on that you can check my earlier post on it. it would be a next to nothing change, since the dynamics parallel each other almost perfectly. the only thing i'd change is gojo having a giant hammer. he would not have a giant hammer. he wouldn't. please let him find a way to wield hextech as blue, red and purple instead. riko is skye and that also goes without saying - geto watches her die like in canon and like viktor did with her. kenjaku is singed, but after the attack on the commune in s2 he does not revive geto, simply controls his body like a puppet. in the finale we get what happened in shibuya with geto momentarily regaining conscience but better, then outer space fusion yadda yadda yadda.

i rlly want shoko to be in it but i can't think of someone she could be. i'd say mei mei is mel bc she looks and fits the part except mel is a very interesting and complex character while mei mei in a horrifying excuse of a human being. maybe a completely out of character mei mei could be mel. i don't see shoko being mel at all and the thought of her and satoru having the jayce mel relationship clashes a lot with everything i stand for. i almost put her in as heimerdinger but i like her too much to do that. the hamster is either her or yaga tho.

now for the most controversial one: i think toji should be vander. it would be ooc but not too much? i have conflicting opinions on toji, but in the end i think he did care for megumi a lot and tried to do what he thought was best for him, even if in a completely twisted way. so i'd imagine that, after rejecting his place in the zenins (could be a chem baron clan, again) he'd try to get zaun's independence along with sukuna. however, the enforcers' intervention causes his wife to die so he shuts off any hope he had for rebellion, focusing on what he had left of her (megumi) and taking in maki and mai after they were shunned by the zenins. maybe tsumiki is megumi's biological sister or comes from a previous union idk guys. it's a much nicer version of him than he deservers, but it also works well with his character imo.

this is horrendously long and i BEG you to tell me what you think about it bc i did too much thinking on it myself and i fear i turned my brain to mush. so ya if you have some thoughts or some solutions to my brain cramps do tell!! kiss if you made it this far.

[traincat]

I can’t believe we live in a world where Johnny Storm doesn’t canonically have ONE child!! I know we have Torus from MC2 and he is a cute kid but I can’t stand that continuity for the whole Lyja and Johnny being in a love relationship 🤢 so I choose to ignore its existence.

I know you’ve had some spideytorch fics where there’s mention of them having babies and I absolutely ADORE them even if you don’t go too deep on them. If you were a marvel writer and got to write a story about Johnny becoming a father how would you go about it?

He does also have a kid with Jan van Dyne in a canon divergent AU that breaks off from the original Secret Wars. He has tiny little wings and flame powers and he's very cute. Credit to Jan for snagging herself a man who will let her dress him up like her own personal Barbie doll.

If I was going to write a "Johnny acquires a baby" storyline, there's two ways I would go about it. The first is the typical Future Foundation adoption storyline -- even before Ben and Alicia got their alien kids, the moloids were very much "Ben's kids," like the fish kids were Sue's kids, but Johnny didn't really have a designated baby in the group. We know Johnny really, really wants kids, so I think him adopting a kid who gets absorbed into the larger Future Foundation group would be cute, but I don't have any specific ideas here, really.

The second is going to take us on another trip down Johnny Storm Nonconsensual Incidents lane. But in a different way than the fake egg baby. It's uh. It's something that we have multiple options here.

So let's talk about Fantastic Four Annual 2010.

This one's a doozy. Psycho-Woman, the daughter of villain Psycho-Man, drugs Johnny and a young woman named Amy, who Johnny went on a date with once but "doesn't remember" even kissing. Psycho-Woman then inseminates Amy with Johnny's child. Great. Some may know Psycho-Man from Sue's very own sexual assault allegory story back in John Byrne's run, and are we seeing a Storm siblings pattern yet. Psycho-Man was a villain from Sub-Atomica who specialized in emotional manipulation, specifically the feelings of fear, hate, and doubt. Psycho-Woman also possesses the ability to manipulate emotions, but she specializes in envy, disgust, and indifference -- and I think envy and disgust are interesting emotions we could play with re: Johnny's Everything, but that's not really relevant to the comic at hand unfortunately.

So there's a thing with the Fantastic Four where the cosmic energy that gave them their powers also nearly killed Sue in childbirth. When Amy tries to get in contact with Johnny at the Baxter Building and this energy signature is picked up, it kicks off a race against Psycho-Woman's attempt to kidnap Amy for the fetus, where the end goal is to use Johnny's DNA for an army of cosmic warriors. Sure, why not. With Johnny infected, literally, by a microscopic Psycho-Woman who is hiding in his body Magic School Bus style, Reed shrinks the rest of the family down to go hunt her down inside of Johnny. Yadda yadda, there's some good angst when Johnny thinks he's burned his family alive after being forced to flame on to save a falling Amy, all's well that ends well. Right?

Well, Amy decides to use Reed's time machine to jump back in the timeline and prevent the pregnancy altogether. Cannot blame her. What's interesting here is Johnny's reaction to both Amy and the pregnancy. While he never displays any romantic interest in Amy -- and even goes out of his way to avoid her before he realizes she's pregnant, denying vehemently that anything happened between them, which turns out to be true -- absolutely incredible to write a pregnancy story while making it pretty clear that Johnny did not have sex with a woman -- he is immediately on board with the idea of the baby once he knows it's his. Because Johnny really wants kids. Even if the method to get them is getting drugged by a creepy supervillain in a shady VIP club room. We saw this with the fake egg baby, too, where despite his complicated feelings on Lyja, Johnny really wanted that baby.

Oh, buddy.

"And who's going to take care of it -- you?" "Yes." "Oh, Johnny. I almost believe you." Haha. Hey. :(

The issue ends on a somewhat open note, though, stating that there's no real way to be sure what choice Amy made once she jumped back in the timestream, or even how far back she went. So it's entirely possible Johnny has a canon kid in 616, just that this storyline hasn't been brought back yet. This is probably the story thread I would go with, just because it provides a sense of continuity, and it ties into a lot of Johnny Issues in a way where you could really dig into Johnny's characterization and history. And I did actually start a WIP with this Maybe Baby ages ago, but I didn't get that far into it as I remember. I might try to find it if anyone's interested in more relics from the Traincat WIP Folder.