#that's what will happen to gahan

[fr-wiwiw]

I made a poll on twitter on which Gahan fanarts I should done first between sfw & nsfw. It ended up with 50/50 results lmao

So here's the sfw done first <3 Zoom in for their small details! You won't regret it hehe.. sketches context are down below the image

I'll be sketching the nsfw later, I have commission progress to do

black colored sketches:

top left - yohan smooching gaon's cheek based on a black & white dove pic from oomf twitter post

top middle - yohan is pissed that someone (you) is stalking & taking pictures of them on their date, gaon is oblivious and wondering why yohan looks annoyed at the fishes. yohan is thinking how to dispose you without gaon noticing

top right - gahan talking about their likings in sex after post coital session. gaon likes when yohan ties his wrists. yohan likes/ doesn't mind gaon's nails scratching deep on his back or shoulder. there's also finger marks on gaon's thighs with how hard yohan was handling him. their toes touching and wiggling, can't get enough of skin contact. they're both clingy for each other

pink colored sketch:

gahan is taking a stroll when gaon notices something & pulls yohan's sweater for attention

orange colored sketch:

yohan leans his head on gaon's shoulder to take a nap after gaon bought a cup hot drink. gaon is surprised bcs yohan rarely leans on him physically in general

[agentorange87]

Happy Birthday DAVE GAHAN May 9, 1962 📢🌹😎🎉

[lienwyn]

Ga On took a deep breath, knowing he had to apologize for how poorly he had handled the situation.

"I'm sor—"

That was as far as Ga On got before he felt a sudden but fleeting sting of pain against his forehead. He flinched and looked up at Yo Han, driven by equal parts surprise and disbelief. One of his hands rose toward the spot Yo Han had, apparently, just given a flick with his fingers.

"Did you just—"

Yo Han gently batted Ga On's hand away before brushing the backs of his fingers against Ga On's forehead, as if to soothe away the pain he had just caused. Ga On's stomach flipped as he stared up at Yo Han, eyes wide, having absolutely no idea how to react.

"Stop apologizing," Yo Han reprimanded. His hand lingered, the touch light — soft like a whisper — and yet intense enough to send a shiver down Ga On's spine.

For a confusing, breathless moment, Ga On just sat there, too stunned to move.

From Chapter 11 of Who Holds the Devil

____

I guess I’ve taken it upon myself to provide everyone with a second season of The Devil Judge even if I have to write it and draw the fake screenshots myself. Because, as per usual, I’m incapable of doing things by halves, both when it comes to my writing AND my art. If you want something done, do it yourself?

I hope you’ll like it! :D

[grotesque-hallucinations]

When you've only ever been in love with this Dave ❤️...

And then you watch Touring the Angel

😳😳😳

[halodwolf]

i see you are reaching out and touching faith in 2023

yeah man and so should everyone 🧡

[werewolfetone]

Hi! So this is gonna sound weird, but I’ve kinda been learning about Irish history backwards? Like, I started with the Troubles (bc of family involvement), then back to the 1916 rising which got me more interested in the people involved which took me further back and etc etc. I know I’ve been doing it “wrong” but I’m just starting to come up to the 1798. Do you happen to have any recommended readings or particular persons of interest to read? Any collections of primary sources would be more than welcome!

Secondary sources I would recommend:

The Year of Liberty by Thomas Pakenham - about the rebellion in general

The People's Rising by Daniel Gahan - about the rebellion in Wexford

The Summer Soldiers by ATQ Stewart - about the rebellion in Ulster

Wolfe Tone: Prophet of Irish Independence by Marianne Elliott - about Wolfe Tone

The Life and Times of Mary Ann McCracken by Mary McNeill - technically this is just about Mary Ann but I think it's pretty good for Henry Joy McCracken too because there aren't many biographies of him

Orangeism in Ireland and Britain 1795 - 1836 by Hereward Senior - obviously exercise caution on whether or not you think you can mentally handle this subject but book about loyalism during 1798

Castlereagh: War, Enlightenment, and Tyranny by John Bew - about Lord Castlereagh

2 things that I would also recommend reading about for context are the French Revolution and the British radical movement of the late 18th century. for the French Revolution 1 book I would say is good is Liberty or Death by Peter McPhee and for the British radical movement... the book The English Jacobins by Carl B Cone does a good enough job

Primary sources:

The Memoirs of Theobald Wolfe Tone by Theobald Wolfe Tone - title is pretty self explanatory. It's Tone's account of his own life + his diary

The United Irishmen, Their Lives and Times by RR Madden - this is considered to be the 1st history of the rising & was written with the help of many people who lived through it, so it includes a lot of first hand accounts. HOWEVER. beware that Madden was your archetypical mid 19th century Catholic Irish nationalist and the bias created due to that shows through in every single part of these books

Memoirs of the different Rebellions in Ireland by Sir Richard Musgrave - this is another very early history of the rising, also written with the help of people who lived through, also including a lot of first hand accounts. HOWEVER. Musgrave is like Madden's Orange counterpart in that this book is also wildly biased and should also be read with a degree of caution

Personal Narrative of the "Irish Rebellion" of 1798, Sequel to Personal Narrative of the "Irish Rebellion" of 1798, and History and Consequences of the Battle of the Diamond by Charles Hamilton Teeling - 3 accounts of politics in Ireland in the 1790s written by someone who as a young man led the Catholic paramilitary the Defenders

The Drennan letters (a collection of letters that Belfast doctor William Drennan and his sister, Martha McTier, wrote to each other between the 1770s and 1820s), if you can find them, are another great primary source on both the United Irishmen & on what life was like back then in general, as are the McCracken letters, which I know are available free online somewhere I just can't remember where exactly I got the pdf from

There are a lot of them but if you're interested in primary sources you might also read some of the political pamphlets/books that were going around back then -- the most famous that come to mind in this context are Wolfe Tone's Argument on Behalf of the Catholics in Ireland, Thomas Paine's The Rights of Man, and Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France but there are wayyy more than that and at least some of them are on the internet archive

[clawbehavior]

what are your pregnant gaon & gahan headcanons? embarrassed to ask this questions but I keep on thinking about gahan with a baby sobs 🤧💗

you're like me!!!! i have been thinking of pregnant gaon and parents gahan for months ✨✨ this is our time to shine anon!!! i have spicy and sweet head canons. here they are in no particular order: 

- gaon's snatch is looser after giving birth. yohan loves this because it's directly tied to gaon having yohan's child, just as he loved when gaon was tight because it meant yohan was his first. having a baby makes gaon completely unselfconscious about his body which makes their sex even spicier post kids. 

- some couples find their sex lives dwindling after having kids. gahan makes it work by taking advantage of opportunities. baby asleep after feeding and seven year old doing homework with their headphones in? gahan's all over each other in the bedroom. they're still doing it at least once a day. 

- when their firstborn was a baby, gaon used to hold them out to yohan for kisses but it's a ploy because when yohan leaned in gaon would kiss him instead. things like that which made yohan fall in love with him even more.

- gaon pumps so they can switch off every night on who wakes to feed the baby but it's really every three nights because yohan wants gaon to sleep properly to recover so he sleeps lightly in order to wake first when their baby cries

- yes, yohan does taste gaon's milk. it tastes sugary, like the remaining milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl. it's not often because they need to feed the baby, but sometimes as a lil treat 😋

- one time gaon nestles against yohan while feeding so yohan can watch their bby feed over gaon's shoulder with one arm supporting gaon's holding the baby. gaon's exhausted, so he falls asleep mid feed and yohan holds them both so their baby can finish. 

- the first time their baby had a vaccination, yohan's alpha instincts went into overdrive at his baby's wail, pheromones flooding the room. as soon as his baby was bandaged up, yohan scooped him up and held him against his cheek and murmured soothingly to him that he was okay, that his aboujie had him, that aboujie wasn't going to let anyone touch him until their baby calmed, feeling safe and secure

- yohan takes an almost anthropological fascination when his baby hits the terrible two's stage and their favorite word is 'no!' because even when his toddler is running around in a fit of incandescent rage, they're still soooo cute. he's a big softie. but he learns to reign it in a little so as not to encourage bad behavior or to make gaon the sole disciplinarian. still, things that easily irritate other parents don't bother him. he loves his goofy ass angry ball of adventure 

- their firstborn child is the spitting image of yohan with his father's same protective instincts and shyness. his son owns a comb. many combs in fact but he still lets his hair fall in his eyes. gaon liked to crouch in front of their kid (so tall now!) and comb the hair out of his eyes while teasing him until he broke into a wide grin and nuzzled his face against gaon's. it healed something inside yohan to see it happen  

- their second child, a girl, has yohan wrapped around her tiny finger and not just because she has gaon's straight black hair and saucy temper but because yohan has a soft spot for cute baby girls in cute little outfits and cute little pink dresses and it has never left him

- yohan doesn't understand why his son randomly starts making it a habit to gift yohan marigolds that he picked on his way home from school, but he shrugs and accepts his good fortune then adds them to the vase of fresh flowers gaon leaves on his study table every morning 

- gaon is stunning in any outfit but yohan's favorite is when gaon wears nothing but his wedding ring, lying in their sheets

- when gaon is in charge of the baby while yohan is at an after work event, he dresses them up in yohan's glasses, tie, and button down then face calls yohan and keeps the baby up front so the first thing yohan sees is his kid just swimming in yohan's shirt with yohan's reading glasses slipping down his face and grinning with glee. it makes yohan laugh out loud during a speech and then he has to play it extra cool during the rest of the night to rehabilitate his image 

- people talk about there being a number one and a number two in a marriage but on some things yohan takes the lead and others gaon does and no matter what they feel they always show a united front to the babies and solve their disagreements in private

- yohan would like five kids. gaon tells him in no uncertain terms that two is enough. ofc what happens is he's lax with his birth control and gets pregnant again and yohan tells him he'll support whatever choice gaon makes so gaon decides to go with it. i'll let you decide if it's twins! 

you must be brimming with gahan mpreg ideas, anon! feel free to drop them in the ask box or here in the chat so we can scream about the lawful husbands together

[nicolascageisagoth]

For people who are wondering what happened to his jacket :

And this is the video where the new owner wears it: Dave Gahan plays harmonica, Mick Jones (The Clash) jamming the guitar and Primal Scream perform together, 27.08.1994 (the day the jacket was exchanged for the t-shirt 🌚)

@tortue-blanche thanks for reminding the festival

[amethystina]

while i agree with the other poster as well, i think a lot of people are asking about the kidnapping tag bcs they think that that's what will be gahans feelings realisation moment? Bcs that's how it goes according to cliche ig. But no one really knows what's going to happen except you. And since the readers definitely don't know we're trying to figure out how it'll all work ig. Regardless, wtvr is going to happen, will happen how you want it to, and that's how it should be. It's your story, write it how you think is best. I think we all forget that we have no say and no right to have any expectations of you, it's your writing, it's your work, that you're choosing to share with the world, we consume it for free. We have no right to complain. So please remember that and let people complain if they must, write what's been decided by yourself💌

Well, I can say that I won't be — the realisation and culmination of their feelings will have happened long before the kidnapping. And the moment won't be one of those where one sudden and dramatic event pushes them to act out of fear/desperation/relief. That's a cliché I don't think would suit this story, considering how slow it's been so far. I hope the moment will still feel cathartic, but it's not going to be explosive or rash. Quite the opposite, in fact. Because, again, I think that suits the tone of the story a lot better.

But you all don't know that, of course, unless I tell you.

And I understand why people are excited and look forward to certain things happening. Especially since I'm so determined not to spoil the bigger plot points if I can help it. That means that my readers are often left in the dark since, from what I've gathered, it's not always easy to predict what's going to happen in this fic. The amount of trust that requires is a little daunting both for me and my readers, I think. You all have to trust that I know what I'm doing, and I have to make sure not to break that trust.

But, that said, it would take a lot for me to change my plans at this point. The number of plot threads and the amount of character development I'm juggling means that it would be very difficult to change things around simply because my readers have a different opinion than I do. Odds are things would start falling apart pretty quickly, or at least not make as much sense anymore.

So yeah. I'm going to continue to write the way I want. There's really no other option unless I want to risk ruining all the buildup x'D

And I know that the people who ask me about the kidnapping tag aren't asking me to change things, either. They're just excited and invested in the story — which I'm incredibly grateful for. It just becomes a bit of a problem when so many ask about it because that's when I start second-guessing things. I don't want to (and the odds that I'll actually change something are low) but it still gets to me, you know? Simply because of the amount of trust I'm asking from you guys.

If too many people start asking about the same thing, I can't help but wonder if I've made the wrong choice.

Writing is hard x'D

Thank you so much for the reassurance and encouragement, though 💜 To be honest, I'm absolutely fine for the most part — and I rarely have doubts about the story I have planned out — but, sometimes, it gets to me.

But I'll always keep writing, rest assured :)

[yohangaontdj]

I love your episode by episode commentary on TDJ. You have a nice eye for detail and a talent for weaving things together.

Do you have any more thoughts on when yohan reveals gaon's backstory to the public + their argument + the prison reveal? It's the scene I find most fascinating in TDJ because what yohan did was inexcusable. So the viewers get this reminder of how ruthless yohan is when his backstory with Elijah had softened him. It also complicates gahan's relationship nicely.

Hi. thanks for the ask. And I love talking about TDJ cause it isn't just Yohan and Gaon that I'm infatuated with. Its the details that had been put in, as well as how in-depth each character is. So much so that I just don't have the time to go into Sunah or even Jinjoo as well as Lawyer Ko and the PD, Hwaryong, who is also one of my favourites.

The reveal of Gaon's past on such a national scale in Ep 7. It's one of the parts that had me disliking Yohan for doing so. Cause he is clearly using it to advance his own agenda, which is to lend credibility to his report and attack the people he wanted to take revenge on.

But I also think that it's too simplistic to think of it as his only motive. Cause I'm sure Yohan, as smart as he is, he will have other means of doing so that will have been more credible than just using Gaon's backstory.

So why did he choose to do this then?

I think it's all about timing. Maybe he had already found out about the switch of the con-man in prison. And maybe that happened to coincide with his plan to reveal the embezzlement to the public.

And so Yohan had decided to kill two birds with one stone. Cause he knew, him telling Gaon the truth wouldn't work very well. Cause Gaon is easily suspicious of him. Already he had wrongly accused him twice - once for killing his brother and once for believing he had hurt Soohyun.

And Yohan also knows how much influence Soohyun and Professor Min have on Gaon. Look at his words during their argument when Gaon had insisted that the justice system had given the con-man, the due punishment he deserved.

It shows that Yohan hadn't buy into all that Gaon had spouted to him so far. Hadn't believed that Gaon was satisfied with just a mere 17 years prison sentence for the con-man.

Cause Gaon had told him before that even if he didn't understand anything else, he understood Yohan's anger very well. And if Gaon's anger is that similar to Yohan's who clearly wouldn't settle for anything less than death or worse to those who had crossed his path. How then could Gaon ever find closure with such a light punishment?

And Yohan, he probably have already predicted how Gaon's reaction will be like once he revealed Gaon's past to the public. Otherwise, the prison visit wouldn't have looked so pre-arranged. The guards all standing in a row to greet them. And chanting, 'we're power' like they belonged to Yohan's fan club.

It seems so extravagant and so unnecessary. And after re-watching ep8, I think it's all part of Yohan's scheme to provoke Gaon sufficiently so that he will be suspicious of Yohan, and whether he was the one who had done the switching out. Hence, prompting Gaon to launch his own investigation - which Yohan already knew Gaon was capable of, judging from the digging he had done into Yohan's old trials. And which also shows how well Yohan knows Gaon.

And the most important question we have to ask is - why will Yohan go to such lengths for Gaon?

The only time we see Yohan putting in so much effort, it was either for Elijah or for Isaac's revenge. And Gaon isn't family, so why was Yohan going all out to tear Gaon's skewed view of the justice system and make him see the truth - when there isn't much benefit to Yohan's schemes at all.

And maybe I'm wrong with how biased I am towards Yohan x Gaon. But I take this as a sign that Yohan has feelings for Gaon. And that Gaon isn't just a mere colleague working for him. He has a place in Yohan's heart that is special. Hence, his behaviour that seemed so out of place from his single-minded focus which had all been about revenge.

Yohan going out of the way for Gaon cause he really wanted him by his side. Not as a tool to advance his revenge. But as someone Yohan has a personal interest in.

And that is why Gaon is that one weakness Yohan could never let go of, no matter how many times he had told K he was prepared to get rid of him, if needed.

Hope this helps and thank you for the ask. 😄

[briwates]

sometimes I think about the police officers whom Min Junho brought with him to arrest Yohan in ep 15...like what were their thoughts witnessing the whole emotional breakdown happening between Gaon and Yohan, and then the truth being revealed about the fire/elijah/yohan's motivations/sunah and yohan etc etc. Plus if they're the same ones who took him to prison after, makes me wonder if any of the information circulated outside of their circles + what consequences that could have had on yohan's image even after his alleged death...cue post-canon rumors abt gahan

[exploding-boxes]

God forbid i have free time and free will

So basically, i was bored and i listened to a lot of Depeche Mode album because i have a creepling addiction to this band. I decided to put my favourite song of each album and a justification.

Speak and Spell (1981) - Boys Say Go ! Like my dad said “That’s a song from a fucking gay bar”. And to this I can only awnser yes, that’s why I like it lmao. I mean, just look at those guys in the 80’s and tell me they’re straight.

A Broken Frame (1982) and Construction Time Again (1983) I did not listen to those but will one day

Some Great Reward (1984) - Lie To Me, I love every song from this album but I fucking love the chorus with the “Come on and lay with me, come on and lie to me” it just sounds really nice. I also really like Martin Gore repeating the last words during the chorus, it’s nice and adds something that I like. I love everything about this song and album though

Black Celebration (1986) - Here Is The House, the way the chorus sounds with the double voice is really nice. I like the sounds of clocks and we have a lot of them around my house so the intro is almost familiar to me lol. The lyrics “Here is the house, where it all happens, those tender moments under this roof” are just so cute though I know they’re talking about sex because it’s a Depeche Mode song, what do you expect ?? I love this whole album and it’s the first one I listened to :)

Music For The Masses (1987) - Behind The Wheel. Not my favourite album but a song I really like. I really thought it was a song about not driving when you drank because I’m really fucking dumb but, well, no, of course, it’s Depeche Mode, it’s about sex. I really like the kinda mysterious vibe the song has and the layering of instruments that slowly arrive are really nice

Violator (1990) - Enjoy The Silence, most of the time, a song has a good reason to be popular, well it’s totally understandable in this situation. This song slaps, is honestly really relatable (“Words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm”), the clip where he climbs a mountain dressed as a king always makes me laugh for some reason and well it just slaps, an amazing song

Songs Of Faith And Devotion (1993) - Rush, it sounds so aggressive for no reason but I love it. The bass is *chef’s kiss*, that break with the (kinda) echo part is amazing and is a good buildup, that whole song makes me feel powerful though I’m a little 170cm shit. I overall like this album though it’s not my fav

Ultra (1997) - Useless, I didn’t listen to the whole album and it’s the only song I’ve listened to yet but it hits hard, IT’S THE MOTHERFUCKING BASS AND GUITAR SOLO, IT’S TOO GOOD !!

Exciter (2001) - Dream On, well, another album I didn’t listen to lol. But I clearly remember my dad doing the laundry at 3 am with this blasting of the speaker. The guitar is really nice though I can clearly tell it won’t stay my fav when I’ll listen to the full album lol

Playing The Angel (2005) - John The Revelator, definitely one of my fav though that’s one of my no skips albums. I just like the vibe, the little beep boops at the beginning (you can tell I have no musical knowledge by that single sentence). I can’t stop trying to make a transition between the part where he says “He’s a smooth operator” and Smooth Operator by Sade because I’m an absolute idiot. Overall I really like this song. I’m always gonna say this but the parts where Martin Gore sings with Dave Gahan are really nice and their voices match well together

Sounds Of The Universe (2009) - Wrong. AGAIN i did not listen to that album but my dad made me listen to this song once and I fell in love. Again, lyrics are relatable as fuck sometimes, especially the “There’s something wrong with me chemically, something wrong with me inherently […] I reached the wrong ends by the wrong means”. Anyways, another song I love

Delta Machine (2013) and Spirit (2017) I did not listen to those lol

Memento Mori (2023) - Don’t Say You Love Me, that’s a James Bond soundtrack, you can’t convince me otherwise. It sounds so classy, I’m a sucker for good violins and the depressing as fuck lyrics. With this album we’re likely to never get any new album from DM because, well they’re getting a bit old we say goodbye to Andrew Fletcher, the amazing keyboardist. But I honestly think this album is a good conclusion (if I can say it like that) to this amazing career

[kmilipede]

~ the devil judge fics that rewired my dna ~

so uhm here’s my small silly little list of some tdj fic that has altered my soul because let me tell you. when a tdj fic hits it HITS. so maybe there’ll be a fic here that you haven’t read that you’ll enjoy here

these are all gahan because yes and also all completed because i’ve been hurt too many times before. also i love all of these fics very dearly so they’re not in any order

➤ it’s here i’ll be with you by mcreary

➣ Mature, ~27k words, Post-canon, Angst with a happy ending

➣ Gaon keeps attempting to fix things, but somehow, one part always seems to be missing.

➣ for me, this is THE post-canon gahan fic. what stands out for me is while gaon may be awfully lovesick, he doesn’t completely isolate himself - still maintains and forms friendships with people. watching the development of this and the way he heals is EXQUISITE and it’s written EXQUISITELY. the yearning has a wonderful payoff too. it’s just really fucking amazing guys plz read it

➤ Gravitational Pull by Amethystina

➣ Teen, ~22k words, Ep 13 canon divergence

➣ As grateful as Ga On is that Soo Hyun rescued him from Bamboo Spear's violent mob, he can tell she's lying when she claims to have heard about it on the police radio. That explanation just doesn't add up. So Ga On pressures her to tell the truth and, to his surprise, she reveals that Kang Yo Han was the one who sent her.

That one simple admission sets off a series of events that Ga On could never have predicted — events that bring out feelings he's done his best to ignore.

And desires he realizes he might not be strong enough to resist.

➣ i like how this fic doesn’t ignore how strongly gaon obviously feels for soohyun - i mean she’s been the only person for him to rely on for years. yet despite that, gaon works through what he actually wants and feels and chooses yohan. i cannot get over how well gaon’s inner thoughts are written. in fact, i can not get over how well the characters are written, full stop.

➤ Once you say it out loud, it can’t be undone by Ivrigasked

➣ Mature, ~9k words, 5+1, Domestic

➣ Alternative title: Five times Gaon catches Yohan off guard, and the one time he sees it coming.

➣ sometime domestic-style fics can be overly sickly but this is not one!! love the follow of gahan’s relationship and it’s written so well and smoothly. the yohan pov is nice too :)

➤ Destroy Me More by saturate

➣ Explicit, 6.5k words, Ep 12 canon divergence, Sexual Content

➣ “What kind of monster am I becoming?” Gaon asks, then, and wishes he could regret it, this becoming. He knows that Yohan is a monster, in some ways. Knows that only another monster could stand on his level, be his equal, and Gaon yearns to stand beside Yohan with an intensity that hollows him out.

Yohan’s hand on his shoulder, his neck, his cheek. Gaon shudders. Wants more. Wants everything. “It may be hard,” Yohan says, and his ears are flushed red, like something in this is getting to him, too, “but it can’t be helped.”

➣ i love episode rewrites! really wish this is what happened in episode 12 ngl. absolute nailed the characters and their mannerisms and their incredibly hot dynamic. there’s some lines in this that making me go fucking feral - an absolute masterpiece when it comes to that and the writing overall is just great. i come back to this a lot just to scream

➤ Bedroom Hymns [series] by godotismissing

➣ Explicit, ~31k words, Sexual content, ….various kinks

➣ Kinky Gahan fics

➣ i mean it’s porn. but if you want some excellent tasteful well written porn for gahan these are all the PERFECT fics. some of these have pretty different …… premises but they’re all EXTREMELY hot and will unleash all the pent up tension you have after watching the amount of sexual tension they have in the show jesus christ

➤ underneath the waterfall by vi (imvi)

➣ Mature, ~21k words, Post-canon, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a happy ending

➣ They’ve always been different kinds of wounded animals.

➣ for me, this is THE other post-canon gahan fic. it hurts sososo much then carefully puts you back together. like gaon is very sad but yohan comes back to mend him and it’s just so. everything

➤ path of the fossils by noctevicos

➣ General Audiences, ~1.5k, Fluff, Intimacy

➣ “You can touch me, you know. You won’t hurt me.”

“I’m trying not to,” Yohan says, and then his eyes widen and he freezes, as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

Too late, thinks Gaon. I see you.

➣ i come back to this one a lot because there’s something so tender and delicate about it that i love. it paints such a beautiful picture. it’s written so wonderfully and it’s so just ugh everything i really just melt when i think about it

i may add to this in the future but for now. go show these fics some love 🔫

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

hostage | kept

Read on Ao3

Warnings: past abusive relationship, stalking, blackmail, canon typical violence

Pairings: gahan, implied/referenced canon level of jaehee/sunah

Word Count: 4857

Don't be an idiot, dummy, he hears Soohyun say in his head, don't do something stupid just because you think it'll turn out good for you. I'm not always going to be there to protect you.

But then he thinks of Elijah, of the way she looks when she gets to actually be a teenager and not a creature of loneliness stuck in a house full of ghosts. He thinks of K and the way he's dedicated his whole life to a cause, just on the off chance he can get some measure of vengeance for what happened to his family. He thinks of Lawyer Ko, whose daughter died because of corporate greed and negligence.

He thinks of Yohan.

And he turns on the phone and dials a number he swore never to dial again.

Gaon looks down at the phone in his hand, rolling it back and forth between his palms.

Yohan had stayed with him that night, just sitting in silence until Gaon's stomach had growled. Then he'd helped him up, walked him downstairs, and sat him on a chair in the kitchen. Elijah had come downstairs and looked at him, before promptly declaring that Yohan had no idea what he was doing and went over to help.

He doesn't remember what happened between then and going to sleep and feels an unexpected pang at the thought of not being able to remember Yohan and Elijah trying to cook in the same kitchen.

What a wonder that must've been.

He gives himself a shake and looks back down at the old phone. Yohan had said he was going to wait to give it to the police until all of his contacts were in the new phone, but Gaon hasn't been able to let go of it. It clings to him like dust before a big thunderstorm, brushed away once but always returning. Inevitable.

No matter where you go, a horrible voice hisses, you'll never be able to run away from me. I'll always find you. Always.

He glances over at the door before he can stop himself. Yohan went off to work hours ago, there is no one here who would just barge into his room unannounced. No one is coming in. No one's going to come in.

He's hidden here, in these walls, behind this door.

For now.

He looks back down at the phone. The black screen leers up at him, distorting his reflection. His eyes look wrong, his face looks crooked, and in the way the light catches the very bottom of the screen, he almost looks like he's smiling.

Jung Sunah is a threat. Yohan has said he won't release the video, not when it could end with Gaon getting hurt.

But if he could eliminate that piece before Sunah puts it in play…

He glances at the door again.

Don't be an idiot, dummy, he hears Soohyun say in his head, don't do something stupid just because you think it'll turn out good for you. I'm not always going to be there to protect you.

But then he thinks of Elijah, of the way she looks when she gets to actually be a teenager and not a creature of loneliness stuck in a house full of ghosts. He thinks of K and the way he's dedicated his whole life to a cause, just on the off chance he can get some measure of vengeance for what happened to his family. He thinks of Lawyer Ko, whose daughter died because of corporate greed and negligence.

He thinks of Yohan.

And he turns on the phone and dials a number he swore never to dial again.

***

An alert pops up on K's phone the second the front door opens. Within moments he's called up the security footage from the camera on the gate and bites back a curse when he sees Kim Gaon leaving the Kang mansion.

He gets into his car, sets the phone to track his location, and calls Yoon Soohyun.

"Yes?"

"He's moving," K says, not bothering to say who, "do you know where he's going?"

Rustling on the other end as she must put on her jacket. "No, I don't. He hasn't called me. Did he say anything?"

"I wasn't at the house." He turns onto a small street and keeps driving. "I'm tracking his location."

"I'll ask Elijah and Oh pansa if they know."

He has to stop at a red light. He drums his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently, watching the little red dot that is Kim Gaon make its way downtown.

"Elijah says she doesn't know where he is," Soohyun's voice says a moment later, "and that he needs to get home as soon as possible."

The light turns green. K drives. "What about Oh pansa?"

"Nothing yet. Have you told—"

"No," K cuts her off, "and he's not going to know until we know where he's going."

A pause. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Do you really want Kang Yohan on the warpath right now? With Jung Sunah right behind him?"

He can almost hear the face Soohyun makes through the phone. "No. No, I don't. Where is he now?"

K glances at the phone. "Somewhere near the luxury district. Right near the—"

A car rushes by in front of him and he jerks to a stop just in time, horn blaring off into the distance.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." He looks at the phone. "He's right near the hotel at the edge of the river."

"What?" He hears a car door open and close. A second later the car starts and Soohyun's voice moves a little further away. "What is he doing all the way out there?"

K opens his mouth to reply when his phone buzzes. It's Elijah, wanting to join the call. Judging by Soohyun's sigh, she's getting the same thing.

"Should we let her on?"

"I don't think we have much of a choice."

Sure enough, without either of them doing anything. Elijah's voice rings out in the car. "He called someone before he left the house. Who did he call?"

"Can you still get into his old phone?"

"Of course I can, I'm not an idiot."

The corner of K's mouth tugs up into a smile despite himself. The sound of keys echoes over the phone as Elijah types away.

"Okay, let's see…it's a local number." She reads it out. "Do you know it?"

Soohyun's breath catches sharply. K almost takes a corner too fast. "What?"

"Aish."

"What is it, unnie," Elijah's voice says, growing shriller, "who is that?"

"Elijah, can you track that number too?"

"Give me a second," and the keys start up again. K grits his teeth.

"Who is it?"

"It's—it's him."

A light suddenly turns red. K jerks the car to a stop. His eyes widen, staring unseeing at the road in front of him. Soohyun is still talking. So is Elijah. He can't hear anything over the rush of blood in his ears.

It's him. It's him. It's him. It's him.

The light turns green.

K sets his jaw.

"Elijah."

"What?"

"Call him. Tell him."

A pause. He hears Soohyun's car rev up. Elijah's voice is cold, far too old, and far too hungry. At the moment, he can't bring himself to care.

"Make him pay."

As you command.

***

Yohan is not, in fact, at work, strictly speaking.

Instead, he is watching someone explain to him why this painting, this one, this will be perfect. It's another abstract piece, something other people of his station might observe as a critique of the real or some ineffable such babble that bores him to death. His facade of polite disinterest is enough to fool the gallery owner, peddling his wares the way an insurance salesman would target a widow at her husband's funeral. His eyes rove over the painting once more.

In truth, he's here because he needs the information.

There are a few circles that run amidst the high society of Korea's elite that are even harder to get into if you are not invited in. Some are benign. Others less so.

Jung Sunah's comments about hunting dogs awoke memories he would much rather forget, but they did serve a purpose, bringing back images of his father coming home with money in his briefcase and a suspiciously accurate foresight of just what would be happening in the business for the next month. He remembers Isaac saying he never understood how their father could be so sure about something as intangible as life and death, and wondering whether or not it was so unsure when there were so many ways people could die.

His niece is very good at what she does and there are only so many reasons why art galleries with laughable forgeries and questionable appraisers stay in business for so long.

He turns, cutting off the gallery owner's nonsensical blather and walks toward a piece in the far corner. It's an imitation of…honestly, he can't be bothered to figure out what it's an imitation of. It doesn't matter, anyhow. What does matter is the way the gallery owner suddenly chokes off at the way he stops in front of it.

"Th-that painting isn't for sale," the gallery owner stammers, "I'm afraid I've had other offers that are far too good to pass up, and—"

Yohan turns to look at him and the man falls silent. He watches the roll of his throat and looks back up.

"Are you…here on their behalf?"

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. He holds it between two fingers and holds it out. The man takes it with trembling hands. He reads what's written on it. His eyes widen and he looks back up as the color drains from his face.

"Y-you're certain?"

Do I look, Yohan says silently, as though I have ever been uncertain about anything?

Luckily for the man in front of him, he seems to get that message quite clearly and nods.

"Right this way, sir."

***

Gaon tugs his suit jacket a little closer around himself and steps into the restaurant. The host takes his name and says that the rest of them are already seated, just upstairs, would he like to be shown to his table?

His gut curdles and he almost says no.

"This way, if you please, it's just up the stairs."

The opulence makes him sick. He would almost prefer if they were sitting in an abandoned warehouse, kilometers from help. He feels his eyes glaze over as they round a pillar to a table, full except for the seat at the very end, opposite the head.

And there he sits.

A smile spreads across his face as he sees Gaon there, waving lazily as the conversation amidst the others fades. He gestures toward the empty chair, but not before raising his eyebrow.

Gaon remembers.

He bows, allowing himself one final moment of weakness as he hides his face, before looking back up. "Hello, hyung."

"Kim Gaon," comes the response, "sit."

He sits, setting his weight down with careful precision and folding his hands in his lap. A waiter comes to pour his glass of wine and he quickly covers it with his hand.

"No, thank you, just water for me."

"Are you sure?" The voice from the other end of the table makes the unseen hand clench. "Quite rude of you to decline such an offer."

"I have to work this afternoon," he says, proud of the way his voice carries, "shouldn't indulge."

The pause is enough to let him know he's disappointed him, as are the whispers that he still has to work, how shocking, the poor boy declining to taste the richest wine he'll probably ever get to see. He brushes them off and instead politely thanks the waiter for serving his food.

Eyes watch him as he lowers his hand to take the first bite.

"So," one of the other people at the table asks, "are you two…involved? We've never even heard of you before you came to this lunch."

"Nonsense," another says, "this is Kim Gaon! One of the judges from the live court show! Truly one of the true scions of entertainment on those networks."

"Ah, yes, I've seen that show. Very interesting."

Gaon takes a deep breath. "Yes, I am a judge."

"Mm. Interesting career, a judge. Not very much money in it, is there?"

Another one snorts. "There is if you're smart about it."

I don't think you and I have the same definition of smart.

"But my other question," the first one says, pointing at Gaon with his fork, "are you two involved?"

"Not romantically," Gaon says in a still remarkably steady voice, "we've not seen each other for a while now."

He looks over unconsciously to see the eyes still watching him. A mouth quirks up into a humorless smile. "How long has it been now?"

"At least seven years."

"At least?" The fork gestures between them. "That's a while."

Doesn't feel like it.

"It's good to know you missed me that much."

Gaon blinks, looking back down at his plate. He picks up a small piece of food and eats it carefully.

"But you did date?"

He swallows painfully. "No."

"Always the cynic," says the mouth, "you made it sound like we barely knew each other. I'm hurt."

"I said we didn't date," Gaon says, looking up, "that our relationship wasn't romantic in nature. I didn't say we weren't close."

"Still. You sound so…detached."

He hates this. He hates this. He hates how quickly he's regressed back into being a frightened child, scrabbling at the walls. "It's not like the only significant relationships are romantic ones."

The fork moves again. "Ah, but your relationship was meaningful?"

"Oh, yes," says the mouth, taking another bite of food as the eyes look Gaon up and down, "very much so, isn't that right?"

"It certainly shapes the way I live my life now."

"Built it, you could say."

"…yes, you could."

The mouth hums and the eyes linger a moment longer. Gaon is drowning.

Then they move away and whatever conversation was happening before he came resumes. He looks down, carefully eating just enough to blend in and not too much to swirl the mania coiling in his gut.

It's for them. It's for them. It's for them.

"Hey," he hears after a while. He manages not to jump too much and looks up to see a woman on his other side leaning closer, "are you feeling alright? You're not eating that much."

He blinks in surprise at the genuine concern and tries to smile a little. "Yes, I'm alright. I just don't have a large appetite."

"That's new," the voice laughs suddenly from the other end of the table, "you used to eat like a pig."

The sudden and explicit insult draws all of the table's attention, the woman's mouth dropping open in shock. A hand simply puts a glass down and the head tilts.

"Things change," Gaon manages after a pause.

"Mm." The mouth smiles knowingly. "Not all things."

My name is Kim Gaon. I am a judge on the live court show. You can't hurt me anymore.

"We were discussing the work you did together," the man halfway down the table says, "about how you investigated certain insurance cases together."

Gaon's stomach begins to drop as he notices how tense he's becoming. He risks a glance around to see that most of the eyes are now on him.

He remembers the way all the rich people looked at him at that charity function. He remembers the way everyone looked at him when Kang Yohan revealed his parents' fate to the public. He remembers the way Yohan looked at him when he said he wouldn't be used as a tool to destroy him and Elijah.

He will not be used again.

"Sorry," he says, "it's been such a long time. I don't quite remember all the technical details. Hyung will, though."

"Oh, they all just blur together for me, I'm afraid." The expression sharpens. "It's so difficult to discern one experiment from the next."

Out of sight, his hand clenches into a fist.

"Oh, don't be jealous," the voice scolds, taking on the tone of a parent scolding a child, "you know you've always had my special attention."

A few of the guests titter. Gaon's chest clenches. Despite everything, he manages to hold eye contact. Something that these eyes aren't used to, and judging by the way they narrow, something they don't like.

An unexpected rush surges through him.

"You left so suddenly all those years ago," the mouth says, "you didn't even say goodbye."

Gaon draws himself up. "There wasn't much of a goodbye to say."

"Perhaps you're right." The head tilts. "After all, you never truly left, did you?"

He's not quick enough to stop his eyes from widening.

No.

No. I got away from you.

"Oh," the voice murmurs, deadly soft, "you didn't think we were finished, did you?"

"My involvement was."

"Nonsense," the voice laughs, "why would we let our most promising study go?"

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no—

"You've had a good seven years, haven't you?"

He's miscalculated. He's been stupid and reckless and all the things he shouldn't have been and he's such an idiot.

A phone rings and he jumps.

"Ah," the voice says, "right on time. If you'll excuse us, the judge and I have an appointment to keep."

His body betrays him, moving on instinct as he gets up to follow the voice out of the room. As he turns, his eyes catch a glass of wine, shimmering in the light. The red liquid sparkles and dances as they walk past. A somewhat hysterical part of him thinks he might be limping, leaving bloodlike wine trailing behind him as they leave the restaurant and get into the waiting car.

At least, he thinks before the door shuts on the outside world, at least it's not them.

***

"He's moving again!"

"Aish, really? Where's he going?"

"Down to the industrial district. Where are you?"

"I'm still fifteen minutes away, where are you?"

"Construction has the traffic backed up, I'm stuck."

"What about the Chief, where is he?"

"I called him ten minutes ago, he said he was coming!"

"Call him again, tell him what's happening."

"Hold on, he's calling me, let me see—"

"Wait, ask him—! Aish, he hung up already."

"I'll see what they're talking about, hold on."

"Hurry up!"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying! Wait, they're done, he's—hold on—"

"Yoon Soohyun. Get a squadron and send them to the address in the text."

"What? Why? What about—"

"Elijah, leak the files you'll be sent to the media contacts."

"Answer her, K, what's going on?"

"Did you get them?"

"Yes, I got them, what's…oh."

"'Oh?' Elijah, what does 'oh' mean?"

"…you'll get him?"

"We will."

"Get who? What is happening? Why does no one ever tell me anything?"

"We'll tell you after."

"I'll hold you to that."

***

The car slows to a stop.

The door opens.

"Up."

He moves.

It's dark.

A hand on his face.

"You're even prettier than I remember. Fat, though. You really should stop eating so much."

He feels nothing.

"Come on. You really shouldn't have run away all those years ago. You've made me very angry with you. You know what happens when you make me angry, don't you?"

It's safer to feel nothing. If he feels nothing, he can't feel everything.

"Don't worry. You won't be making me angry ever again. You're going to make me very happy, aren't you?"

A light. A single light. Someone in a chair.

"You're going to behave."

A hand again, sliding down his back.

"I was very generous to you when you behaved."

The figure stands up from the chair and walks closer.

He should never have called.

"You know Kang Yohan, don't you?"

Gaon's eyes widen as indeed, Kang Yohan steps forward. He looks—he looks like Yohan. He looks like the man who stands in the courtroom as he sentences someone to 235 years in prison. He looks like the man who ordered Cha Kyung-Hee's son flogged in front of the entire nation. He looks—he looks—

He looks like Hyung.

Yohan raises his hand. Holds it out. A silent come.

He doesn't want to. He wants to run, wants to scream, wants to yell was it all a lie? Did you know the whole time? How long have you known, what did you do, how could you?

But Hyung's hand is on his shoulder and Yohan is waiting and Gaon can't do anything but step forward to take it.

He knows Yohan can feel the way he's shaking when he takes the outstretched hand. He searches his face desperately for any sign that this is a trick, that it's not real, that he's here to save him, not condemn him, and finds nothing. Instead, he's pulled closer until Yohan can reach up and touch his face, sliding the hand around to grip the back of his neck.

"Take him."

A sudden thud as a body hits the ground and Gaon whirls around to see K standing over a crumpled body. His eyes widen, seeing nothing more than the unconscious form of that—that—he's—Hyung is—

He's nothing but a body. Nothing but a man. All the pain and suffering he caused Gaon and who knows how many other people and right now, he's only a man.

He watches K drag the unconscious man away in a daze. They knocked him out. They hurt him. They hurt him and now he's not going to touch Gaon ever again and Yohan—

He turns to look. The person who held him in the bathroom and stayed with him that night looks back, hand firm and strong on the back of his neck. It's Yohan. Only Yohan.

He's safe.

He's safe.

The realization washes over him and he barely has time to register the alarm that crosses Yohan's face before blackness swallows him once more.

***

"You're so dramatic," Yohan says softly as Gaon finally wakes up, flailing a little in the covers before he realizes where he is, "if you wanted my attention so badly, you could have asked."

His boy just blinks up at him with those big sad eyes and mumbles something that could be his name.

"You're lucky I was already looking for him," he continues, "I was on my way when K and Elijah called me."

He has to hold Gaon down when he tries to get up.

"Yah, you fell and aggravated all of your injuries again. You need to stay put." Gaon pouts but lets him settle him back to the bed. "At this point I'd swear you like getting hurt."

He regrets it as soon as it leaves his mouth. Gaon's breath stutters and he almost flinches away. He raises his hands instantly, leaning back to give him more space. Gaon takes a few deep breaths and screws his eyes shut, forcing whatever memories come to mind back into the depths.

"I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you shouldn't." Another breath and he must make himself relax, leaning against the pillow and looking up at him. "What happened to him?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Did you kill him?"

"Did you want me to?"

Gaon chews his lip, looking away. One of his hands fiddles with a loose thread and Yohan feels the sudden instinct to cover it with his own.

"I just want it to be like he never existed," Gaon mumbles eventually, "like he never happened to me."

"I didn't kill him."

"Will you?"

"Do you want me to?" A moment passes before Gaon shakes his head. "Then I won't."

"Really? You won't kill him?"

***

"To tell you the truth, Chief," the art gallery owner says as he leads Yohan through the back to the business rooms, "they've wanted him gone for a while. He's been getting too big, too difficult to handle. They won't come after you if you deal with him."

"And what about the connections he has?"

"The Foundation, you mean?" The man scoffs. "We don't need them. They're trivial. And the project they're working on with the President and everything—child's play. They're not even optimizing it to make money the way they should be."

He opens a drawer and pulls out a file, handing it to Yohan. He looks through it. This should be more than enough.

"And the video?"

The art gallery owner sighs. "That'll be more difficult. The easiest way will be for Jung Sunah to claim it wasn't her and they hired a double. Some sort of sick power fantasy or fetish that can be written off as the act of a perverted crime lord."

Yohan hums, tucking the file under his arm. "I will take that painting as well."

"Don't bother." The man waves his hand. "Your father did more than enough to cover any debt you might owe for getting rid of a loose end. Consider us even."

He nods and turns to leave. As he closes the door of the gallery behind him, his phone rings.

Right on time.

***

The man jerks awake as K throws the bucket of water over him. He splutters and gasps like a fish as Yohan walks toward him. He scowls up and does his best to look intimidating, succeeding only to look like a drowned rat.

"You think you can get away with this?" He wriggles. "I have friends in places more powerful than you, Kang Yohan, you won't get away with this."

In response, Yohan holds out the file, fighting the urge to grin as the man's eyes widen.

"Where did you get that?"

"Your friends," he drawls, opening the file, "seems you're not on such good terms with them at the moment."

The man thrashes against the ropes. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

He continues turning pages. "Market manipulation, embezzlement, narcotics…human trafficking, organ harvests."

He looks up when the sound stops.

"Quite the list."

"So what?" The man bares his teeth in a way that's probably meant to be threatening. "You'll drag me onto your little show and read off my crimes? It'll never make it to the air."

"I'm afraid you're out of my jurisdiction."

Confusion occupies the man's few remaining brain cells and Yohan folds his arms over the file.

"You've been called before an international court for your crimes."

The man laughs hysterically. "So I'm supposed to beg for justice in front of the world's court? Only a weak man begs for mercy."

Yohan looks at him for a moment. Then he nods to K. K steps forward and slices the ropes off. The man stands up, cocky, self-assured, still out of breath.

"Good thing you've come to your senses. I could've made life very difficult for…"

He trails off when he sees the last thing Yohan holds up. The blood drains from his face.

"Do you think," Yohan says softly, "that your friends are still your friends?"

The man splutters, looking up at him. "You told—"

"They knew. They knew you took a risk when you contacted the Social Responsibility Foundation. They knew you let an outsider know about you and them. And they know you gambled and lost."

Yohan tucks the photo away and looks at the man that hurt his Kim Gaon.

"If I were a kind man, I would lock you up and wait for the international court to bring you to justice."

He steps closer, close enough to let the man see beneath the mask.

"Tell me," he whispers, "do I look like a kind man?"

The pathetic whelp shudders and trembles. "Please, you have no idea what they'll do to me, you have to help me!"

"I thought only weak men begged for mercy."

"Please, please, they'll kill me, they'll—"

He doesn't hear anything else as he and K turn and walk away.

***

"Really," he says, reaching out and patting Gaon's shoulder.

His boy seems soothed at that, shoulders dropping as his eyes drift toward the door. Yohan turns to see what he's looking at, only to frown when there's nothing there.

"What?"

"He's gone," Gaon mumbles, disbelief lacing his words, "he's...he's really gone."

"Yes, he's gone."

"No one hurts me," he continues, looking up at him, "no one touches me."

Yohan nods.

After a moment, Gaon reaches for his hand and places it on his cheek again. Yohan's chest feels strange. Gaon doesn't look away from him, hand still covering his.

It takes one more breath for Yohan to bring his other hand up and cradle his face, just to hold him there.

"Thank you," comes his boy's voice. He can't do anything other than nod. "Will you say it?"

"Say what?"

Gaon squeezes the hand he's holding.

Oh.

Oh.

"You're mine," Yohan says lowly, holding him close, "you're mine now, Kim Gaon."

And Gaon smiles.

***

"He's missing," Jaehee says as she walks into Sunah's office, "and his contact lines have been permanently shut off."

Sunah pouts, idly flicking the spirals on the notebook in front of her. "Pity. I thought he'd be smarter."

"We're going to have to come up with a cover story for the video."

"No," she says, leaning back, "don't worry about the video. It won't come to light anymore, there's no point."

"But Kang Yohan can—"

"Kang Yohan got what he wanted, and he knows that leverage is no good against me anymore. Besides," she adds, her lips curling into a smile, "we've got something much better."

Jaehee furrows her brow. "What?"

"Our secret weapon. Planted where no one can see." She toys with the pretty silver cross around her neck. "Where Kang Yohan won't even think to look."

She giggles.

"He's just made it deadlier than ever."

[werewolfetone]

As someone who knows literally nothing about the United Irishmen, I'd love to hear any book or documentary reccomendations you know on them!

I don't really watch documentaries so unfortunately I can't recommend any BUT here is my book recommendations list for generally learning about the United Irishmen

Books that are actually about the UI:

The People's Rising by Daniel Gahan - best account of the rebellion in Wexford. Includes a lot of maps and is pretty fair to both sides when talking about their actions during the conflict

The Summer Soldiers by ATQ Stewart - best account of the rebellion in Ulster. Is a bit meandering at times but it does a lot to explain the context behind what happened

Theobald Wolfe Tone: Prophet of Irish Independence by Marianne Elliot - THE book on Wolfe Tone. Also goes through much of what was going on with the Catholic Committee and other context surrounding the founding of the UI

The Year of Liberty by Thomas Pakenham - overview of the entire rebellion. Only just started reading it but it's ok so far

Dissent Into Treason by Kevin Whelan - this is definitely more academic and less accessible than the other books in this list but it's about how the Presbyterian/Unitarian/Puritan political traditions led to the founding of the United Irishmen, which is a dimension that I think is important and that has often been overlooked in favour of the Catholic dimension

The Men of No Property by Jim Smyth - book about the aforementioned Catholic dimension, basically. It goes into the links between the Defenders + Catholic Committee + UI. However it's also more academic and I would say if you decide to read it, definitely read the Marianne Elliot book first for context and to gain some familiarity with the people mentioned

Robert Emmet by Patrick Geoghegan - excellent biography of Emmet that discusses also the idea of the mythical figure of Emmet versus the real man who died in 1803

Additional books that I would highly recommend for context:

Castlereagh: War, Enlightenment and Tyranny by John Bew - incredibly recent and extensive biography of Lord Castlereagh that talks a fair bit about 1798 in the early chapters and examines the phenomenon of propaganda surrounding Castlereagh

Orangeism in Ireland and Britain 1795 - 1836 by Hereward Senior - this is a bit more academic and of course it's a very heavy subject but if you can stomach reading it it does a lot to explain why northern presbyterians went from ultra republican -> ultra loyalist in so short a period, as well as exploring in detail a side of this period that is often overlooked

Liberty or Death by Peter McPhee - relatively quick book about the French Revolution that I would recommend reading if you are looking to understand the political context that the UI lived and operated within

William Pitt the Younger by William Hague - Pitt comes up a lot in discussion of 1798 and this book is good to have an idea of who he was and what he was like, though I will warn you that the author of this book was high up in the Conservative party of the UK himself and therefore he's very sympathetic to Pitt. In general it's sound though

The English Jacobins by Carl B. Cone - a book about British radicals at the time of the UI. Honestly not my favourite but it's very accessible and does a fairly good job with explanations. Putting it here because the UI worked a lot with Scottish + sometimes English radicals so it's good to have an idea of what they were up to

[dmdebunks]

On Dave and Fletch's sexuality - debunking common "sources"

Dave Gahan never said he "understand[s] why people might think we're gay", and that he is "attracted to both men and women," in an interview with The Advocate in 2001.

Andy Fletcher never said he was "not 100 percent straight" in an interview with Out magazine in 2006.

These "quotes" and their corresponding "interviews" are fake. They were invented by an article on a fake news website, sdlgbtn.com, where all the articles are written by AI. The interviews never happened.

This isn't to make an official statement on Dave Gahan or Andy Fletcher's sexuality, which I can't speak to. It's only to say that the quotes aren't real, and therefore shouldn't be used as sources to prove either of their sexualities. Unfortunately, I've seen several fans doing just that.

Please don't feel bad if you believed the quotes were real - I did too. It's easy to be taken in by quotes that look convincing, and that you'd have no reason to doubt. But these quotes are totally false. Spread the word.

For more info, read on.

I'd heard several DM fans say that Dave and Fletch were bi or otherwise nonstraight. I did a quick search and was intrigued when I read these quotes from an article on sdlgbtn.com:

However, looking at the website they came from, I had my doubts. All the articles had an eerie, vague, made-up quality to them, and for what appeared to be a serious local gay news website, a ton of articles were frivolous stories about celebrities. Something wasn't right.

I have access to an academic database (LGBT Magazine Archive, by ProQuest) with full archival runs of both The Advocate and Out magazine, up to 2015. I searched for "Depeche Mode" twice (date range 2001 in The Advocate, date range 2006 in Out). I did not find the interviews or the quotes in question.

For Dave's supposed quote, here is the the sole article from The Advocate in 2001 that mentions Depeche Mode, along with the quote where DM comes up (it's an article on Placebo).

For Fletch's supposed quote, here is the sole article from Out in 2006 that mentions Depeche Mode, along with the quote where DM comes up (it's an interview with Madonna).

Furthermore, the official websites of both Advocate and Out have articles dating back to 2001 and 2006. I searched "Depeche Mode" in both of these date ranges and found nothing.

And finally, neither of the supposed "interviews" appear on the forum Newspaper and magazine articles in the website dmremix.pro. This forum contains hundreds of articles on Depeche Mode, including ones by gay magazines (such as this interview from Boyz magazine with Martin Gore).

Having seen this evidence, I can safely say that the quotes are fake and were invented by the sdlgbtn article.

Again, please don't feel bad if you believed the quotes. They look convincing and they're in the context of an article that does contain some true information. And because of the age of the "quotes", it's easy to assume that they really were true. I was only able to debunk them because I have access to this academic database - which is not available to most people, and even to most universities, as ProQuest's databases are notoriously expensive. It is really difficult to scout out this info.

Thanks for reading. I encourage everyone to think critically about what you read, and spread the word.