#Anyways. That's to say I appreciate him <3

[xurory]

REDAMANCY

summary. he will always have your arms to come home to whenever things get too overwhelming.

pairings. blade, dan heng x fem!reader

cc. mild cursing . blade barely talked because i said so . fluff :3 . not proofread

there isn't a time where BLADE is not welcome in your arms, and he's well aware of that. after every stressful day, or coming back from missions that separated him from your for far too long, blade never forgets to melt in beneath your gentle caresses as you caged him in your arms, with his own snaking around your waist, resting the side of his face against your chest, quietly listening to the sound of your heart beating — a sound that constantly reassures your lover that you were there, with him, and that you are safe.

you leaned on against the railing of the balcony in your room, silently gazing upon the ethereal moon that no one could compare to. admiring the glowing ball in the sky was one of the few things you did to feed off your boredom every time you're left alone with nobody to talk to, especially at night, quite obviously because the moon doesn't really appear during the morning, and you wouldn't even dare glance at the sun. the sound of your door creaking open alerted you, who in aeons was at your house at this time of nigh- oh, it's blade.

"fuck, you scared me," said you, gaze softening at the sight of blade in front of you—finally back after two weeks of being away. "welcome back, did everything go well? are you okay?" you interrogated, stepping closer to the man before you.

"it went... accordingly." he replied, hearing your sigh of relief.

saying blade looked exhausted was an understatement, he looked beyond tired, as if he hadn't had a wink of sleep for so long. you pat his shoulder, guiding him to your bed. "do you want some water? hold on, let me— oh." he cuts your talking off by the way he pulled you into a hug, and with how tight he was holding you right now, you needed no other explanation to know that he needed this, badly.

your left arm went on his back to gently pat it as your other hand found it's way to his hair, ruffling his soft locks. you let him just melt into you for as long as he wanted, you weren't the type to pull away first, and you never will be. maybe.. just maybe, something went wrong during his mission with kafka, that it caused him to be this clingy. not that you were complaining—you loved holding him.

blade was never the type of person to initiate acts of affection. meaning, most of the time you were the one hugging and kissing him first, and he did his best to return the gesture, just to make you happy. your back rested against the headboard, knowing that you two would be stuck like this for a very long time, approximately until dawn.

"wanna lay down? make yourself more comfortable." you asked in a hushed tone, not too loud, but not too quiet either. he did as he was asked an laid beside you comfortably, arms still wrapped around your middle as side of his head found its way back to your chest. your hand rested against his head, caressing it with such tenderness he craved for. "thank you, for coming back to me." you whispered, kissing the top of his head.

he hummed back, acknowledging your love. and that was enough, you didn't want to force him to talk. all that mattered was he came back to you in one piece. remaining the man you loved.

being a part of the nameless sure was fun, they brought out the best of your smiles. unlike DAN HENG, who wore the exact same stoic expression almost every day. but still, he atleast showed some signs that he appreciated your presence. but behind closed doors, he's a leech that you can never ever get off of you.

"You guys need to stop teasing the poor guy. Anyway, where is he anyway?" You questioned march, referring to the dark haired guy that disappeared minutes ago. "probably in his room, where else?" march giggled. stelle had gone to mess around with pom-pom who was merely minding her own business near himeko on the couch, drinking her precious coffee.

you smiled to march before heading off to your lover's room, knocking gently at his door and then peeking your head to check if he was in. your gaze fell on him who was taking care of stuff as he sat in front of his desk. "you disappeared back there, what's up?"

"just wasn't in the mood." you nodded, respecting his decisions. you sat yourself down on the side of his bead, carefully observing the room in case something has changed.

a wave of silence crashed in between the two of you, your back meeting his soft comforter. soon enough, he joined you in bed and left whatever he was working on, arms wrapping around you just right, and resting his head against your shoulder. "tired?" he murmured in reply, rubbing your sides in a circular motion, which slightly tickled you.

you pulled away, leaving him confused just before you cupped his cheeks and kissed him on the lips. the intimate moment laster for another minute before you two had to catch your breath, with you giggling, looking as pretty as ever. he could never have enough of the way you looked gorgeous, utterly beautiful.

for each moment you took away his breath, he fell in love with you all over again, just like the very first time your eyes met his when himeko and welt introduced you as the new addition to the astral express crew.

"ugh, i love you soooo much." you dragged the vowel on your tongue, booping his nose out of nowhere. and after what felt so long, you finally captured him back into your arms, just like he wanted.

from xumi ; i want these two to choke me

#>ᴗ< — xu writes ´ˎ˗ #honkai star rail x reader #blade x reader #dan heng x reader #hsr fluff #hsr x reader #blade x you #dan heng x you #hsr x you #fem reader #x reader

[hanyacoded]

anytime, anywhere! megumi x reader drabbles, p. short

repost from old acc! reblogs are appreciated<3

megumi fushiguro x gn!reader

cws; none really, femcoded(?) reader, swearing, kissing, sus position but nothing more, idk. three different scenarios but one universe, this can be read as a standalone or a part two to this

wc: 574 total

writing below cut

when yuuji finds out that you and megumi are together, he almost screams. he's raving like a madman–saying everything from i’m happy for you! to what the fuck do you mean you're dating now, so i spent like three hours worrying for nothing? 

by the time he finishes, megumi has an awkward smile on his face, and you're laughing bashfully. but yuuji has to admit that side by side on the couch, the two of you do look cute together. he leaves soon after, saying something about giving the newlyweds space. maybe he also feels guilty about the fact that he accidentally told you about megumi's terribly intense crush on you.

and when you're finally alone, megumi lifts your linked hands and shyly kisses yours.

\\\

you yawn, pushing yourself upright on your desk. there's still a considerable amount of time until class ends, but you're pretty sure you're gonna pass out before it does. glancing behind your shoulder, you look for your boyfriend, megumi, only to find him staring back at you. he looks tired too, but when your eyes meet his face breaks out into a lazy grin–one that leaves you weak in the knees.

as soon as your teacher leaves the classroom, students pour out of the large classroom. you wait, and so does megumi, until the room's almost empty. it's then that he approaches you, picking up your bag with one hand as you get up. intertwining your fingers together, he kisses the side of your head gently. 

“so, what's for lunch?” he asks.

before you can answer, though, he's shutting you up already. “coffee isn't lunch, baby.”

you pout, leaning into his touch. “whatever.”

\\\

you flop down on the bed beside megumi, glaring at nothing in particular. you've been ignoring him for over an hour now, but he's just not getting the hint. you cough loudly. he still stares at his phone, typing something on it. you cough again, in a way that's clearly fake. this time, he bites.

“what's wrong?”

you frown back at him, silent. megumi raises an eyebrow curiously, turning to you. within a second, he's maneuvered you into a position where he's hovering over you, and you're on your back beneath him. 

“oh-” you gasp, surprised, but he cuts you off. 

“everythin’ okay?” despite your position being inherently sexual, both his voice and his touch are soft. you stare at the tv playing behind you, resolute in your mission to ignore him. he tilts your head up so that you're forced to look him in the eyes.

“hmm?”

“what date is it?” you demand.

“what?” he's confused. 

“what date is it?” you repeat.

“the fourth of february?”

“and?” 

“and?”

“and the 14th?”

“oh!” he falls back onto the bed beside you with a wide grin on his face. “should've just told me, pretty.”

you pout. “i tried.”

“naaah,” he draws out the singular word, twirling a lock of your hair around his fingers. “telling me and ignorin’ me are two different things.” [im so sorry if ur bald]

you want to move away from his touch, but there's just something that keeps you from doing so.

“so,” he smiles lazily, “you gonna be my valentine or what, baby?”

the way he says it is just so damn attractive, and you can't help but blush as you nod. and when he pulls you into his arms, you hear the the words he whispers into your hair. “was gonna ask you soon anyways, sweetheart.”

#♡ hanya writes #jjk #jjk fluff #jjk x reader #megumi x reader #megu #megumi fushiguro #jjk megumi #megumi x you #megumi x y/n #megumi fluff #jjk fic #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x you #jjk x #jjk x y/n #jjk x gender neutral reader #jjk oneshot #jujutsu sorcerer #jujutsu megumi #megumi #jujutsu kaisen megu #jjk fushiguro

[chilschuck]

I love your writings so much!! I was thinking if you could do some scenarios of tall-man chilchuck and reader

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ thank you so so much anon WAHHHH!!! i hope these are okay!! it’s currently almost midnight where i’m at but i wanted to get these out for you!!! us tall-man chil fans gotta have something to eat fr!!! <333

— TALL-MAN!CHILCHUCK: x gn!reader hcs.

꒰ warnings: ꒱ none, sfw + fluffy!!!

꒰ wc: ꒱ 585

✦ hope these are what you were wanting!! if not, feel free to submit another request for more tall-man chil and i will happily oblige!! :D <333

✦ Even though he wasn’t a tall-man for very long, you still found yourself enamored with him in this form. You were already smitten with Chilchuck anyways, but this was something very different to the both of you.

✦ The fact he towered over you like this made your heart beat a little faster, and once he found out his effect on you in that way, you were doomed.

✦ It started with him instead resting his head on top of yours, using his height to his advantage now. Sometimes he’d even pull you to his chest, your back to him, and laugh at the reaction you gave him. You didn’t find his teasing very amusing at first.

✦ Even so, you couldn’t help but wrap your arms around his waist occasionally, nuzzling your head into his own back and causing him to jump slightly. You weren’t going to let any time you had him in this form go to waste, so you spent it giving him even more affection.

✦ Your hand sought his out any chance it could, your fingers intertwining and causing him to look up at you. All you gave him was that cheeky smile and a wink, causing him to grumble. The effect you had on him…

✦ If there was ever a time you took a moment to rest, you’d sit between his legs and just admire him. Holding his hand in yours and comparing the size, studying how broad his chest was, noticing little details like the shape of his chin… Chilchuck’s cheeks were always rosy when you gave him that kind of attention, embarrassed to be doted on like that in front of everyone. (Not that they cared all too much; Marcille was definitely squealing at the moment.)

✦ Chil was always so fun to mess with, especially with him being like this. You couldn’t help but pull him down to your height and place tender and sweet kisses to his cheek, before letting go and walking off like nothing happened. (Oh, that’d get him all flustered for sure.)

“Chil…” You’d whisper, hands behind your back in that innocent way you always did when you were scheming something. Raising a brow at you, he walked over to the sound of his name, waiting for you to continue.

Instead of giving him what he expected, you reached up for his neckwarmer, pulling him down until he was level to you. Before he could pull away, you pressed soft, fleeting kisses to his stubbled cheek. Letting your lips trail along his skin until you reached the corner of his mouth, you abruptly let go of him and walked off. Chilchuck scrambled for something to say, anything at all, but instead watched as you caught up to the others.

You knew just how much you drove him insane.

✦ You were used to protecting him before, but now he still couldn’t do much in this state. More than happy to assist, you’d make sure he stayed safe, while also appreciating just how handsome he was. (You’d give him another wink and he’d yell out for you to stay focused!)

✦ Noticing just how skinny he was, especially like this, you’d try and convince him to eat a little more than usual. All this affection and doting wasn’t unusual in the slightest, but he could tell you were enjoying yourself a little too much like this. Not that he’d ever catch himself saying anything about how he secretly revels in it…

— dividers by @/cafekitsune! <3

#⟡ lilia writes! 🌿 #hope these turned out okay!!! #going to go sleep now jzhldhdkdjksj #barely keeping my eyes open fr #but i always love writing for him!!!!!!! #lots of love to you!!!! #chilchuck x reader #chilchuck tims x reader #delicious in dungeon x reader #dungeon meshi x reader #dunmeshi x reader

[chaewonshoney]

—SWEET (S)TALKER –s.jy

₊˚⊹ pairing: idol!bf!jake x gn!reader ⭒ warnings: swearing, mentions of stalking, petnames. word count: 604. LIB! ｡⋆˚ genre: fluff, drabble, est. relationship. songs to listen while reading: Bam Yang Gang by BIBI ⤷ ˖ ֗𖦹 a/n: none!

After the whole day at college, you are currently walking to your apartment. the streets are quiet and the rain seems to have stopped, as the last drops slowly drip from the trees, the roads are slippery, faded moonlight illuminated the path up ahead. The stars seemed to have been dimmed by the grey clouds ahead and all was silent... save for the sound the grasshoppers chirring and soft footsteps on the wet sidewalks. Your heart was far from caring if someone was  following you from behind. Feeling the melancholy creeping your chest, you took a long breath. Jake a.k.a the love of your life has certainly been very busy with his schedule to see you or spend some time with you. But he didn't forget to send you the good mornings and good night to his prettiest girl so far, yet you were... Well you felt greedy at this point, but you had the right anyway.

Listening to the argument between your two selves, you suddenly felt a vague presence of something, more like someone behind you... Being afraid enough to look behind, you focus on the shadow of that "someone" on the sidewalk, his reflection seemed more like oddly familiar and comforting now. Shutting your eyes close, you take some deep breaths to turn to face the presence...

Shit? Why is this guy running towards you? Without having any time to think properly, you start running towards the front direction too, are you scared? Kind of. But are you having fun? Yes.

After running in the literal street like two cat and mouse, you stop to catch on your breath, the stalker— well, shit, you can't name him anything else right? Your grip tightens on your knees as you exhale some more, and the guy is already close to approaching you—

"JAKE YOU DIRTY MOTHERFUCKER!!!" You yell at the guy, well, your boyfriend who wasn't really supposed to be the stalker, no? "Whoa whoa whoa, princess! Calm down? It's just me? Remember? The pretty boyfriend of yours?" He holds his arms up in surrender as you smack his shoulder softly enough but he was dramatic anyway, "Shut the fuck up, will ya?" You roll your eyes at the sight of him dramatically putting his hand on his chest as if he was hurt, "Shit, Princess! That hurts~ Do you know where that hurts?" Giving you the puppy eyes, he reaches for your tiny hands to his chest, "Literally here. Straight in the heart," But to his misfortune, he only gets the stink eyes back from his way-too-soft girlfriend, "Don't even try that," "try what, love?" You roll your eyes to hide the shy, bright shade of scarlet rising on your cheeks, "Try sweet talking with me, definitely not when you were some sort of stalking me as well. And to let you know, I am thinking of banning the L-word for you," "Oh my, holy shit, Y/N, don't even think of it! I don't want to know how it feels to be a monastic. And I wasn't stalking you, my love, it's not my fault if my gee eff is a half-blind Dora the Explorer, right?" He brings you closer to him while yapping— well, saying all these to you, his arms wrapping around your waist as he talks, "I am NAWT half-blind Dora the Explorer, Sim Jaeyun!!!" "Not the government name, Princess. How "the love of my life" sounds?" "I am not falling for your sweet talking today." He wiggles his eyebrows with the knowing playful expression, "Wanna bet?"

Oh, this wasn't supposed to be it.

©chaewonshoney 2024, all rights reserved. Reblogs and feedbacks are highly appreciated <3

#jake enhypen #jake x y/n #jake sim #sim jaeyun #sim jaeyun x reader #jake x reader #enhypen soft hours #enhypen #enhypen soft thoughts #enhypen drabbles #enhypen scenarios #enhypen fluff #jake fluff

[deadbeatbirdmom]

I think I've recovered enough from watching the episode to actually say something about it, or at least more than I managed right afterwards.

I loved it.

It's great to see chibi-ish!Ruby used for comedic effect again, for the first time since Volume 1 I think. First acting playfully mad with Yang, and then in her excitement at the boba.

On that note, it's great to see and hear Ruby excited again. It's impressive how high her voice can go without breaking, especially considering Ruby's VA's normal voice seems to be lower pitched than Yang's voice.

I'm not surprised Ruby's uncomfortable with the cult that has sprung up around her message to Remnant. She always wanted to be a normal girl, if one who became a huntress, which is a fairly normal thing in Remnant. Especially for someone born to a family of them.

It's good to see that refugees from Patch can set up their business in Vacuo, and even better that it lets Yang and Ruby carry on the tradition they had before Beacon. That it was something they did with Tai also ended up revealing why he isn't there with them: he's on assignment, according to Qrow. What is more important than being in Vacuo, where the majority of Remnant's population is gathered? And more important than being with his daughters, who he might have heard were presumed dead and miraculously reappeared.

I've seen the suggestion that Tai's guarding the Crown aka Relic of Choice, but I've also seen the great point that if that's the case and Salem finds him, there's not much he can do to stop her, no matter what his Semblance is. Although I guess Raven might feel that he's in danger and open a portal for him to escape through. It's not confirmed that's how her Semblance works, but it explains how she knew when Yang needed saving in Volume 2.

Anyway, back to Yang and Ruby! I love that Yang brought up what happened in the Ever After. That she's understands, or at least understands enough after what Yang herself has been through, and the important thing she gets across to Ruby is that she's not alone. That she's not going to carry the weight of leading them alone. Not anymore.

It's also important that they've figured out a code word to signal that Ruby needs help, because she doesn't always know how to reach out. I figure that they will tell Blake and Weiss about that, or it could confuse them:

Ruby: "Boba!"

Weiss: ...

Blake: :3 ???

Yang: Hugs Ruby. "I'm here for you."

Weiss: "Is. Is this another weird Xiao Long-Rose thing?"

What I particularly appreciate about it is that Yang acknowledged her mistake but didn't actually apologise for it, and Ruby didn't mind that. Because the important thing isn't saying sorry, it's changing things so that Ruby never feels that alone again. Actions speak louder than words.

It's also equally important that Ruby recognised she still has issues saying when she needs help. They're a team and they need to work together.

It just reinforces RWBY's message of hope, and to keep moving forward, and that no one is perfect but that they learn from their mistakes.

Asjhgsdkjghfdkshjkakjhdhlsj FEELS AUGH

Also that last line kinda hints that Ruby likes to go shopping with Yang, but they haven't got around to it. Shopping for new outfits, perhaps?

#RWBY spoilers #RWBY Beyond #Yang Xiao Long #RWBY Ruby #the sisters Xiao Long-Rose #the sisters of all time #deadbeatbirdmom posts

[rongzhi]

ok ive taken a deep breath and steeled myself. what do you think of liu yu

I'm going to put this under a cut because I rambled a little, but I wanted to offer my detailed impression :P Rest assured! No tearing to shreds occurred. He remains intact.

Well, I didn’t know who this guy was, so I took myself to the ole Wikipedia and my first thought was wow! Look at those label names.

Second thoughts: Ooh, dancer. I'm looking forward to see how the dancing is (if he still dances).

I have heard of INTO1 but don't watch idol competition shows, but it's impressive that he placed first. I decided to listen to/watch two songs/performances: his first single, 靠岸, from 2019, and his most recent single from 2023, Focus.

靠岸 didn't seemed to have an official video, so I ended up watching a live performance from a show called Mr. Radio.

I was pleasantly surprised by this song! Seeing that he had been on Produce Camp, I was expecting a more pop kind of song, but this was a song I could imagine playing in the OT of a drama (in a good way!). I think his performance was a little shaky here, but I sense that maybe he was nervous? Either way, he seems a little shy here, where this song would really benefit from a powerhouse performance. Idk, maybe it was also a sound mixing issue. I like the song, though. Very pretty. I went to listen to the studio recording and it was a lot better—much closer to what I was hoping to get. The oooooh part sort of reminds me of a Zhou Shen song whose title I can't remember at the moment. It was space themed, though. (EDIT: the song I was thinking about was Cassini)

Next up!! Focus. I watched the Official Music Video on Youtube first.

Coming off 靠岸， I could see from the thumbnail that this song would be closer to the pop sound that I expected, so the things I was interested in seeing was the MV concept and the dancing. On first watch, I didn't really listen to the lyrics much, because there were no captions to read and I can't really tell what people are saying in pop songs anyway.

I have to admit that going into the video with the big gray space only, I thought it was pretty ugly at first. I just think that the CG structure on pale BG concept always looks cheap no matter who does it, though, and Liu Yu seems like a sort of tiny guy, so with all the dancers around him, I initially thought he looked a little swamped by them.

At 0:48 when we got a flash of the all-black cowboy look, again I was a bit disappointed, thinking that there wouldn't be much edge to concepts.

Then we got to the, I'm gonna say, test lab sewer gothic, and I thought "ok, at least that's something". It's definitely be done before but there's more production in that set and look, so at least the whole video isn't just going to be a gray void. The flash of Liu Yu standing in as his own princess was kind of interesting (disappointed this character never showed up in the music video again)

Now I know said I wasn't going to rip him to shreds and that's because....!!! When the beat dropped, I went "ok wait" lol. At 1:03, I witnessed evidence of stage presence and was like "oh we are so back, baby"

Still not a fan of the big pale space, and I think Liu Yu's charisma was most visible in the sewer gothic scenes and weakest in the scenes where he's wearing the silver ice skating outfit looking blouse, but maybe that's just because it distracts you with his little twig body. I personally can't buy into the energy of someone who looks like the most movable object on earth.

3:03 the "yuh" made me laugh tho

MV looks ranked (best to worst):

One thing that I didn't like about the MV (but understand is necessary) was that the video kept cutting right as I thought to myself "Oh, this is a nice bit of dancing", and I wish the shots had been wider on the dance moves instead of cutting him off at the ribs. A wider dance version in the sewer (I know that's not what it was but jhkalfjl) would've been appreciated by me. With that in mind, I decided to see if there was a dance performance video and there was! As suspected, the choreography in the beginning of the song is also just not that strong or compelling to me. It sort of gives intermediate hiphop 2 dance recital. My favorite part of choreo is the breakdown at 2:56.

Anyway, I hope these impressions were sufficient! I didn't check him out on any variety shows so I can't comment much on what I think about his personality, but from a music/performance standpoint, I think he's pretty good. Not really the kind of stuff I listen to anymore but if I still kept up with idols, maybe I'd check him out from time to time :)

#text #answered ask #liu yu

[kyouka-supremacy]

+

#Making an Akutagawa themed blog it's been so funny because. Akutagawa's vibes are so diametrically different from mine lmao #Like since the very beginning where I was struggling so hard not to use pastel colors and I think I lost?? #Then when writing descriptions I'm like “Enjoy your stay! ٩(≧ω≦)۶” “Submissions are always open! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧ ” which looks. #so out of place akdvdksbdbsjs but like I won't stop being polite solely because of Akutagawa? #And I didn't even mention how every time I try to add any quote of his I cringe so hard I need to stop myself from turning off the computer #Anyways. That's to say I appreciate him <3 #but it's much more fun to make fun of him than having to make a blog that somehow fits his aesthetic ahah #random rambles #Edit: me two second after having written this posts: do you think sparkles are fitting for an Akutagawa theme (doesn't take no for answer) #Edit 2: Further problems include: #“No I cant use this panel he's too cool” “No I cant use this panel he's too pathetic” ← conditions that exclude 100% of Akutagawa's panels

[tianhai03]

guys wake up new C coloring pic just dropped <333 have some teefs i drew awhile ago that i probably never posted here

#this was a banger drawing and C made it so much cooler with the paint splatter ty for the addition #also it makes me happy to hear you like how i draw nero bc. i dont know how to draw him actually ahsdghkajd hes very hard to draw #anyway. sparda chompers supremacy. these boys have sharp teeth and they WILL bite someone with them #devil may cry #dante(dmc) #vergil(dmc) #nero(dmc) #fan's colorings #everything from here on out is directed at C bc i have no other ways to talk to them so you guys can stop reading here <3 #hey C! i actually didnt see what your first submission was bc i didnt even receive it lmao #but i just want to say that you dont have to worry about anything; what i said the other day wasnt directed at you at all #i do enjoy the little stories you have whenever your submit things; they seem to be pretty personal stories and i appreciate that you trust #me enough to tell me about them. #if you'd feel better not sharing any more that's fine! i'm never going to mention anything in them anywhere regardless #i'll just keep posting your colorings as usual for everyone to see and appreciate :) #hope you have a great day C! and thanks again for always coloring my stuff! #allyart

[aq2003]

series 3 is so frustrating because there is like a shining core of pure diamond underneath the problems . like conceptually it rocks so incredibly hard. but the problems

#dr who #i am being so honest when i say ten should have gotten on his knees and begged for simm!master's life #they should have framed the bit between him and martha's mom so different #like yes it is 10000% in character that the doctor with his bleeding heart and loneliness wouldn't want to kill him #even after everything that happened. because he's the only person he has left. 'i forgive you' was PERFECT. #but literally anyone else that suffered from what the master did. Deserves to rip him to shreds. so very obviously #and like i know.i KNOW that i am watching the 'funny immortal alien saves people through time and space' show #but i actually despise the doctor being framed as like an all powerful savior. or treated like one. even for a little bit. is Annoying #the first part of the series 3 finale having martha be humanity's last hope was SO GOOD bc it like kind of set her up as like #having to grapple with all that responsibility and attention like the doctor does. everyone's lives are in her hands. so crunchy #but when it like slides into 'everyone pls believe in our specialest boy in the world The Doctor <3' it just. falls flat #i feel like with a couple tweaks here and there in the execution and like actual fuckinnn people of color in the writer's room #series 3 would be PEAK media. but as it is it's just. falling short. #i do really appreciate martha deciding to leave ten on her own though. first of all. qpp down. second of all #she's realized that she can't keep traveling with him. bc (as i mentioned) hes someone who simultaneously needs saving #and refuses to be saved in the ways that matter. Yes im fucking ignoring the unrequited romance angle i think #it does a gigantic disservice to martha's character if u boil her down to that. fight me i dont care if that was the authorial intent #martha in the end is too kind to ten and ten keeps making her watch his meandering path of self destruction. toxic doomed qprism to ME. #anyway fuck. idk man series 2 consensus was that im dead inside and series 3 consensus is that the version i have of it in my head is peak #series 2 is better but i think because of my ten martha insanity i actually enjoyed watching series 3 more than series 2. #even if i got mad at it more than any other season. i think something is wrong with me. um. lmao #ten and martha #10 era

[taeyungie]

😺

#i haven't addressed yoongi's situation yet because i'm honestly still not hit by it i guess. like it didnt gwt to me yet #i dont think ill ever love anyone the same as i love him you know what i mean #he has been the first reason of my self development. like he literally raised me??? i learned from him how to be the person i am today #and its like im saying goodbye to a family member. the thing is i have never griefed anyone's absence like this #its like a part of my soul will be missing until he comes back #but at the same time i know what he would want for me. to move on and to become my own reason #he would want me to be kind to myself. to focus on myself and not miss him that much. #he would want that for all of us right #but i have a very hard time processing things. do you guys remeber the festa last year? when we found out theyll be going on hiatus #the reality of it snd the fact that it will be happening hit me onky after around 3 months. #thats when i first cried because i realized what it meant. ofc i knew but it didnt occur to the emotional part of my brain at that time #and i feel like im truly gonna fall apart when THIS hits me in 3 months lol #my life has never been worse and thats honestly the time when i need the reassurance the most #when i need the people i love and find comfort in the most. #but its just me and thats technically just my problem. but since i am talking about my view on this then thats okay i guess hahah anyway #i just hope he knows there are milions of ppl who love him as much as i do. and thats like extra love like forever & beyond type of shit #i honestly dont think other people ever truly fully understand how we feel towards them. especially when you really love somebody #because they have their own opinions about themselves. they debate whether they deserve some kind of treatment or not. we all do that right #and i just know he does that too. i just reslly want him to feel completely loved and cherished and appreciated. #i want him to see himself through our eyes. to surround himself with people who see him exactly the way we do. #to fall in love with somebody who will see him like we see him #nobody deserves better life than this man. and i hope that after our reunion he will live that life to the fullest 💓 i can't wait to see it #anyway. if somebody needs to talk about it or wants to get sadness out of your system - im here 💓 #please keep your heads up and lets wait for him 💓 #we have esch other and we will be okay 💓 #sorry for typos i can barely see its 1am 🤓

[starlooove]

The way this has literally applied to every member of the batfam at some point and still does for most of them el oh el

#only difference is patrol during the day #and ‘oracle wannabe friends’ #which a lot of batfam members have always had contacts and info brokers outside the oracle #but also woooow Duke doesn’t trust the cop or his daughter 😨 #which I don’t want Duke having cop contacts at all but maybe that’s too black of me #like all the batfam members were teammates/mentees to Batman #even Steph who’s not rlly part of it is still included when u say batfam and seen as a main member #when tims parents were alive he was absolutely still batfam #and no that abandonment shit was made up #and even tho he patrols at day he very much still shows up for a bunch of night shit bc dc doesn’t wanna explore day Gotham lmaoooo #anyways maybe I’m terrible but I always thought smth terrible Is supposed to happen to Jay to fuel his story #SORRDY when I look at Jay all I see is anime mom with the side ponytail #It didn’t occur to me that maybe they just wanna slowly phase Duke out till someone on here said it 😭 #uhm the fic is good tho no hate #like this authors note bothers me bc it exemplifies the double standards between Duke and literally everyone else #and how the issue of everyone being well established and years into their journey with Batman #is never taken into consideration. like Duke has been working with Bruce for awhile but he’s not at the yelling fights fuck u dad I’m runnin #away point yet lmaooo it’s just been 2-3 years yall #bc nobody wants to fucking write for him but I digress #anyways I do appreciate the fic again no hate #just nobody said this when tim was first starting out el oh el

[autism-corner]

Mephistopheles wears longs skirts

#it would fit him so well i just know it... #i dont think often about that guy but he is fun i guess #i think we should have more characters that hate so i appreciate him <3 #anyway btw satan and belphie and levi and lucifer and barbs also do. #(beel and mammon and asmo and solomon and simeon wear short skirts) #or they wear pants or whatever but thats boring :p /hj #sillyposting #i need to stop saying so much shit in the tags... use the actual post dumbass (talking to myself) #obey me #obey me mephistopheles

[todayisafridaynight]

YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABT KIRYU HONESTLY

I’ve ranted to friends before abt how Kiryu is just genuinely so stupid that it comes of as dick-ish and inconsiderate to the people around him ESPECIALLY majima like?? He absolutely knows majima would walk through hell for Kiryu and takes full advantage of that in the worst ways and I don’t even think he fully realizes that that’s what he’s doing. Like please I love kazumaji as much as the next person but really only at a very specific point in time when they were both at their least fucked up gsgdfdf (kiwami 1 obv)

All is to say I agree please put the whole rgg fandom in an intro to literature class I think they’d greatly benefit gsgdf

kiryu is one of my favorite characters BECAUSE he's just so ass backwards. like On Paper he's a good guy: left the yakuza and is trying to live a normal life, has an orphanage and takes care of kids etc etc. but then you like. ACTUALLY look into him and its so funny.. he's such a dick and he doesn't even know and i love him. he just wants to do what he thinks is right and SOMETIMES he's right but his judgement also puts other people in peril (i.e. majima and daigo)

#snap chats #kiryu i love you... youre so strange LOL #you had kazama as a role model tho so... i mean.. like i appreciate mr og dilf but idk if id die on a hill for him #anyway assigned reading time you're all reading brave new world after great gatsby. solely because i love that book <3 #but yeah........ like.... yes i do have eyes to see majima has a particular fixation on kiryu #but it's definitely not mutual- or at least not to extent people act like it is #majima's interest in him even wanes by like. 3/4 like even majima's over him for the most part LOL #ive said it before but they really do just have Coworker I Respect energy. to me. #kiwami 1 absolutely altered their relationship with the majima everywhere system on the highest of keys #LIKE YOU CAN LIKE KAZUMAJI. just remember what actually happens in front of our eyeballs yk #and dont say kiryu values him more than his kids oh my god ENOUGH #but im rambling now and i think my rice is almost done so im gonna. make balls :)

[the-crow-binary]

Do you think Death took on different appearances just to please Mathias? Heck, maybe appearance of an certain knight?

Short answer: Yes.

I mean Death definitely took a liking to Mathias at some point (since he will later insist on bringing him back to life because he misses his immortal "friend" too much :( ). So it's to be expected that he'd do something nice for him once in a while, out of his own free will. :) (not that he needs to change to charm Mathias, but I guess turning into a fair haired pretty boy helps a bit. <3)

Now I wonder... Can Death take the appearance of anyone, existing or not, like a succubus/incubus can? Or maybe... He can only take the appareance of dead people. In that case, you can guess the implication of him turning into Leon, one night. :)

#maybe he grew confident as he took different shapes to please Mathias night after night #but then he turned into Elisabetha. and Mathias snapped at him :) #let's just say Death never tried anything like that ever again #Mathias: Death. I told you already. I appreciate the intention... But I find you have your charm as a skeleton. You don't need to- #Death: *Turns into Leon* #Mathias: *Start undressing* Damnit Death you'll be the end of me #Death: :3 #anyway there's as much cute potential and hot potential and drama potential with this idea #imagine Mathias snapping at Death the first time he turned into Elisabetha #.........but after some time....... Mathias ask him to turn into her again........ #just so they can cuddle :( so he can feel like he has his wife again :( #unfortunately. Death cannot replicate her warmth......... #I am going to make myself cry I need to stop #castlevania #mathias cronvist #deathias #death castlevania #anonymous ask

[quickhacked]

Chapter >> 13 [x] Characters >> Cato Wu (oc), Eddie Wolfe (oc), Judy Álvarez, Mikhail Koshechkin (oc), Rogue Amendiares, Vitali Dobrynin (oc), a long list of side characters Total >> 6.6k words Warnings >> Alcohol, blood, brainwashing mention, death, descriptions of suffocation, injuries, violence

The sun had long set, the sky a deep, dark blue color yet too polluted with light and fumes to show any of the stars it held. Bright beams of advertisements between skyscrapers and Megabuildings illuminated the city and even at that hour of the night the streets were crowded and full of life.

Truly a place that never slept.

Tucked away between buildings in Watson, muffled music rose up from the underground club the Afterlife. Especially busy that day; for no particular reason, though the entrance itself was already crowded enough to signal to anyone who wanted to enter what the rest of the club’s grounds would be like.

The bright neon lights above the entrance flickered lightly when a car came to a stop on the club’s parking lot. Some curious glances in its direction- innocent, mostly, simply the gazes of those wondering who had arrived.

Though those very same gazes lingered just a little longer when three people exited the car- one of them dressed in a deep red suit with golden accents and stitched embroidery of flowers decorating the back of the jacket, and the other two in full combat gear- and slowly made their way inside.

The Afterlife was known to be the place for mercenaries and fixers to discuss business; no one would bat an eye upon seeing even the most popular of fixers- or the most infamous, for that matter- enter and make themselves right at home.

Though this was different.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Slicked back bleached hair; recently cut, a few loose strands covering a freckled forehead. Head held high, shoulders pushed back and a black cane with the same golden details as the ones decorating the suit in a gloved left hand and two piercing blueish gray eyes staring straight ahead, ignoring the stares of the rest of the club’s clientele.

Vitali Dobrynin was not a fixer often seen at the club. Most if not all of his business took place in his own office building in Wellsprings, far away from the prying eyes of nosy mercs looking to only half-commit to a job and jump ship with their payment before the contract would end.

Though people talked about him. Many visitors of the Afterlife did not want to work for him- believed him to be a faulty fixer still knee deep into the corpo life, ignoring the fact he had managed to build everything he now had up from ground level with nothing but hard-earned eddies from his own time as a merc.

Especially now, with the Broker running around; with ties to that very same Vitali Dobrynin, mercenaries rumored to work for him wreaking havoc in Night City not too long ago- and especially after that very same Vitali Dobrynin had supposedly worked for Arasaka again, about half a year back.

Rumors, rumors, rumors.

Nobody there knew Vitali had been brainwashed by the corporation, used like a puppet by them to try and tie up the final loose end of the disaster with the Relic. Nobody there knew the mercenaries in question no longer worked for Vitali, and now worked for the Broker instead.

And nobody there knew the Broker was not Vitali himself, but no one other than his very own father.

But that was about to change.

‘Eyes on the prize, boss. Milf spotted in the back booth, left of the bar.’

‘Cato, can you please be respectful for once in your life?’

Mikhail’s voice was only barely audible to Vitali over the noises surrounding them, earpiece in his right ear and earplug in his left. His friend’s exasperated comment was merely met with laughter from Eddie- there with them in the Afterlife- and Judy- on the other side of comms, with Cato.

‘Aw, come on, Mish- Am I wrong?’ Cato playfully asked. ‘Rogue’s a hot piece of ass, everyone can see that! ‘s Not as if she can hear me from all the way over there, anyway.’

‘Usually we try to handle these kinds of operations with a bit more…elegance,’ Vitali responded as he slowly maneuvered through the crowd, a greeting nod in Claire’s direction as he passed her by. ‘But, you have a point. So I’ll allow it- this once.’

‘See? Even the boss can appreciate- Wait, what?’

Vitali reached for his earpiece, switching channels with a hint of a smile lingering on his face as he stopped at the far end of the bar, carefully lowering himself on one of the barstools. Claire had followed along and reached for a bottle to pour him the usual- but Vitali caught her gaze and signed a quick “just some water, please” before she could lift it up.

‘She’s still busy at the moment from what I can tell,’ Judy said over comms, Cato’s confused stammering still slightly audible in the background. ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to send her a quick ping? Both you and V are on her good side. Shouldn’t be an issue.’

‘Thank you, Judy, but it’s alright.’ Vitali smiled at Claire and swiftly stopped the glass of water shoved into his direction from sliding any further. ‘The Council does not need to know about my visit to her. Off the records. Surely she will understand.’

‘Your call, jefe. I’ll let you know when there’s a window.’

Mikhail and Eddie stood on either of Vitali’s sides as the minutes slowly passed by. He had not wanted to bring them along; but Vincent had not allowed him to visit the club all by himself and had even threatened to come after him were he to try it anyway.

In hindsight, it had been a good decision. It had been a long time since the last time he had walked in there; well over a year now, as a matter of fact. Vitali knew he wasn’t liked and he knew he had to watch his step in there, well aware it would not have to take much for him to end up with a bullet or two between his eyes.

Eddie leaned backwards against the bar, elbows on the counter as he slightly tilted his head toward his boss to get his attention. He gave him a playful wink the second Vitali’s gaze met his, and in return Vitali softly slapped him with the glove he had taken off, right before shoving it into his pocket.

‘What are we here for anyway, if I may ask?’ Eddie asked, a grin on their face as they bumped their hip against Vitali’s thigh. ‘Talking to Rogue. Not really your style, considering- well, you know.’

‘Things were different back then,’ Vitali answered, crossing his arms on the bar and leaning on them a little as he shifted position on his seat. ‘Through…unfortunate events, we have history now. And I- I need to talk to her about the Broker. Who they are.’

Eddie slowly nodded, their gaze trailing their surroundings as they checked if anyone was trying to listen in. Vitali finished his drink in the meantime and fiddled with it a little, the rings on his right hand softly ticking against the glass.

‘I am hoping to clear my own name,’ he continued, ‘call in the Council. Not sure if it is even possible in these times, but- I need to speak to them. Situation might escalate again soon and I would like to have things sorted out before that happens.’

‘Understandable.’ Eddie made brief eye contact with Mikhail and gave him a solid nod and Vitali briefly glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see his friend wander off into the crowd. ‘You think she’ll help?’

‘I sure hope so. Though with my track record of “getting help” these days I feel like it’s not going to lead to anything. But at least I’ll have tried.’

Even the act of visiting the Afterlife was already a big risk Vitali was taking and he knew it; yet nobody had been able to talk the idea out of his head. Another dumb mistake, possibly- but who would he be if he would not even give it a try?

‘Boss? Trouble.’

Vitali instantly perked up, first glancing at Eddie and then quickly turning around on his seat to assess the situation.

Mikhail had started making his way back to the two of them but had been stopped by- someone Vitali did not recognize, from that distance at least. A tall, muscular enough man with blond hair, wearing DIY combat gear over a jumpsuit; almost as if he was an NPC that had somehow wandered its way straight out of a video game.

Vitali tightened his jaw and hopped from his seat, grabbing his cane before slowly making his way over to the two men. A small crowd had formed around them, for some reason; friends, possibly, or just random bystanders waiting for a show.

‘Gentlemen,’ Vitali said, raising his voice slightly to make himself audible over the partially incoherent yelling of the man. He stopped, turning his head to look at Vitali- who used the split second of silence to his advantage and gently tugged Mikhail on his sleeve, positioning himself between his friend and the man despite the fact Mikhail was suited up for exactly these kinds of situations and he himself very much was not.

‘Can I help you?’ Vitali asked, and watched as a wide grin spread on the man’s face. He pointed at Vitali and turned to look at some others- they all looked like mercs of some sort on closer inspection. A gang, perhaps? Though Vitali had never seen them before in his life.

‘Been lookin’ for you,’ the man said, wagging his finger around in Vitali’s face before moving it over to Mikhail behind him. ‘That motherfucker screwed me over. You’re the big man in charge, right? I want my eddies back.’

It only took Vitali a fraction of a second to realize what he meant- A job done in the time he had been in Arizona with Vincent, when Mikhail had temporarily taken on the role as fixer to keep business going.

‘I’m sorry- screwed you over?’ Mikhail repeated and scoffed. ‘You provided us with shady, unreliable information, your informants didn’t show up and you nearly got several of our mercs killed. You should be glad I decided to let you walk away from the situation alive, you fucking-’

‘Alright, alright,’ Vitali gently interrupted him and raised his hand, ignoring the whispering and laughing of the crowd surrounding them. ‘Any of that true, sir?’

‘Well, I- uh-’ The man paused, visibly clenching his jaw as he straightened his back, towering high over Vitali; a weak attempt at intimidation, perhaps, though it did him very little and he merely patiently waited for his answer.

He knew his absence had not been easy for Mikhail and he knew not every job had gone as smoothly as they had usually gone, before his sudden departure. Did not blame him for it either, if anyone had to take the blame it would be Vitali himself and he had made sure Mikhail knew he had done everything he could and any trouble they would get because of it would not be his problem to deal with.

Hence why Vitali stood there now, positioned between Mikhail and the man- who was visibly starting to become more frustrated and took a few jumpy steps back as he ran his hand over his face and shook his head.

‘Listen,’ he said, once again pointing his finger in Vitali’s direction. ‘I’ma give you to the count of five, and if I don’t have my eddies back by then- all three thousand of ‘em- that dark red suit o’ yours is gonna be red for vastly different reasons.’

‘Really now?’ Vitali asked, raising his eyebrow and slightly tilting his head, a smile taking shape on his face as he let his eyes trail the crowd; people were starting to get rowdy, starting to cheer. A rush of adrenaline was already soaring through his system, reminding him of the street fights he used to participate in-

Sure, he was there for business now. But he could have a little bit of fun.

‘One!’ the guy yelled, his voice barely audible above the buzz of the club, the music suddenly a lot louder than before; though it could just be Vitali’s imagination, straightening his back and redistributing his weight to his left leg while grabbing his cane halfway down the shaft.

‘Two!’

‘You sure you’re going to do this, jefe?’ Judy asked. ‘Viktor’s gonna kill you.’

‘Only if I get hurt,’ Vitali replied, rolling back his neck as the man yelled out a loud three, dragging it out a little bit longer as if he was trying to give Vitali time to reconsider.

Another day, another client turning against him. Far from the first time and far from the last; though usually Vitali dealt with these sorts of things with a bit more finesse than he was about to do.

‘Four!’

He did not care. His reputation preceded him; the bruising of his knuckles as dark as the rims underneath his eyes, everyone knew Vitali Dobrynin was a fighter first and a fixer second. All to protect, all out of love- but no one cared about that. They only ever saw what was on show.

‘FIVE!’

The man wasted no time and went for a swing- and Vitali intercepted his arm with his cane with ease, hitting it from the side and causing the elbow to bend the wrong way. He swiftly stepped aside, allowing the man to stumble past him and he used the momentum to kick him down to the ground.

Accidentally used his right leg for it. It hurt a lot more than he had anticipated.

Vitali noticed people reaching for their weapons and glanced at Mikhail and Eddie who immediately drew their guns, keeping the crowd under control. The man was on the floor now- squirming, cursing and coughing his lungs out as he clutched his broken arm close to his body.

‘You have some nerve, I’ll give you that,’ Vitali said, tossing his cane aside and taking off his jacket. ‘Endangering the lives of my mercenaries with faulty information and then crawling back on your knees to beg for your fucking eddies. I should stuff them up your ass. Deliver your body in a box to your parents.’

‘Every job comes with risks, man!’ the guy cried out, trying to scramble to his feet as Vitali rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and walked closer. ‘Look- Sure, maybe I could’a been a bit more careful with some things, provide more detes, but-’

Vitali set his foot down on the man’s hand before he could finish his sentence and a strangled cry left his throat. He leaned forward and reached for his collar- but before he could get close enough, two pairs of strong hands grabbed him by his arms and violently dragged him back.

The world spun around him as a fist collided with his jaw and only a split second later he was face down on the floor, people screaming and cheering around him. Oh, and it felt good- the stinging pain burning through his muscles and the taste of blood in his mouth and he pushed himself back up on feet with a grin decorating his face.

A man and woman had joined the fray- both twice his size with biceps about as big as his head- and Vitali steadied himself and with a single blink of his eyes he was suddenly looking directly at Jackie and Viktor instead, a bright and warm sunday morning in the ring.

‘Watch your footing, Vito,’ Viktor said. ‘Can’t have you gettin’ swept off your feet before you can even land a hit.’

Vitali spat some blood on the floor and dodged another incoming swing, balling his fist and ramming it between the woman’s ribs before running straight into the man and shoving him violently into the wall. His hair was grabbed and yanked back- but it did nothing as he turned his head and sank his teeth as deep into the man’s wrist as he possibly could, until he let him go.

‘Dirty fighter, huh, V?’ Jackie grinned up at him as Vitali pinned him to the ground. ‘And right you are- Night City don’t play by the rules, either.’

The woman kicked him hard on his leg- his right leg once again, causing him to wince in pain and nearly sink through his knees. She wrapped her arm around his neck and lifted him from the floor, squeezing as hard as she could and he could feel his windpipe getting crushed.

Tears sprung in his eyes as he dragged his nails over the woman’s arm, cutting into skin and flesh and drawing blood but not nearly enough to cause her to let him go. He swung his leg back and managed to kick her in the crotch- with barely any effect- but she slightly loosened her grip giving him just enough space to push his arm between the two of them and elbow her hard in the chest.

He was dropped to the floor and landed painfully on his knees, coughing and wheezing as he tried to catch his breath. The man had regained himself in the meantime and walked forward- and without warning went for a kick, hitting Vitali in his ribs.

He grabbed the man’s foot and rolled to the side, dragging him along and causing him to fall backwards and hit his head hard on the concrete floor. The woman tried to stomp on him- but Vitali was a lot faster and dodged her foot, then reached for his belt, flicked out a knife and stabbed it through her shoe as hard as he could.

He was back on his feet within seconds, the world only slightly spinning as he swayed from side to side and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The woman had yanked the knife out of her foot, cursing loudly at him as she swung it around and then hurled it through the air-

‘You need to be quicker.’ Viktor smiled gently as he extended his hand, and Vitali begrudgingly took it and allowed the man to pull him back to his feet. ‘Reflexes are key, Vito. You’re agile, you’re perceptive; use that to your advantage.’

Vitali caught it.

He licked his lips as he carefully twirled the knife between his fingers, watching the blood drain from the woman’s face right before she quickly raised her hands in defense and took a few steps back until she was once again part of the crowd.

People were a little bit quieter, now. The man on the floor hadn’t moved yet.

Vitali absently wiped the knife on his pants as he redirected his attention to the man who had started it all; still sitting on the floor, holding his arm tightly and looking even more pathetic than he had done a few minutes ago. The second he realized Vitali was looking at him, he made another attempt at scrambling to his feet- but slipped on the little pool of blood that had taken shape underneath the head of the man lying dead at his feet and he fell down on his ass again.

‘If I can’t even beat the two of you, I’ll never make it out there.’ Vitali tilted his head up and allowed Jackie to pinch the bridge of his nose for him, while holding a tissue up against it.

‘Just give it time, mano,’ Jackie simply answered, and playfully kicked his foot against the side of his friend’s leg. ‘You tackled me to the floor just now like I weighed nothing- you couldn’t do that a month ago.’

Vitali walked over to the man and grabbed his collar- then seemingly without effort dragged him on his feet and tossed him on one of the benches to his right, only to then ram him violently into the wall and climb on top of him.

‘It’s funny,’ he sneered, leaning in until his forehead nearly touched that of the other man. ‘You even admit that you were in the wrong. Do you truly think that will save you?’

‘You’re fucking insane!’ the man yelled back at him, struggling in his grip- but his broken arm prevented him from doing anything, and with Vitali straddling his lap there was nowhere for him to flee.

‘Piece of- corpo trash! Fucking- Get off of me!’

‘Shh,’ Vitali gently shushed him, letting the back of his fingers run over the man’s cheek- leaving behind a trail of dark red blood. He wasn’t even sure if it was his own or someone else’s.

‘Just let me go, man! I won’t bother you again, I swear!’

‘I know, I know.’ Vitali paused, and he felt the eyes from nearly everyone in the club on his back. Could almost hear their thoughts, could feel their judgment like acid burning through his skin-

‘But you almost got my mercenaries killed. And I can’t let that go unpunished.’

And he balled his fist, and let his knuckles collide with the man’s jaw.

One hit.

Two hit.

Three hit.

He grabbed his collar again, ignoring the blood dripping out of the man’s mouth and his eyes rolling back in their sockets. Wanted to speak- but then noticed the man reaching for his knife and grabbed his hand before he could get to it, twisting it around and pinning it against the wall.

‘Alright, enough!’

A sudden silence washed over the crowd and Vitali slowly turned his head. People had stepped aside- to make room for no one other than Rogue Amendiares, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she slowly let her gaze move over the scene playing out in front of her.

‘Show’s over, everyone get back to your fucking business,’ she said. ‘Vitali, get off the man. You got your point across.’

Vitali clenched his jaw and turned back to his victim, who was only barely conscious anymore. He slowly let go of the man’s wrist and instead firmly gripped a handful of his hair, to yank his head up and look him in the eyes.

‘Did I?’ he asked, slightly tilting his head again- adrenaline still coursing through his veins yet his heartbeat as stable as ever.

The man weakly nodded in response.

Vitali slowly got up and stepped back, exhaustion instantly washing over him the second his body realized the conflict was over. Mikhail carefully walked closer to him- and after brief eye contact as confirmation handed him his cane again, his jacket held tightly underneath his arm.

Breathe in, breathe out.

‘I’m surprised to see you here,’ Rogue said, turning back around and making her way back to her booth, gesturing for Vitali to follow her. ‘Thought this place was- how did you word it? “Not your style”?’

‘Times change, Rogue, you know that,’ Vitali coldly responded, wincing a little as he set his right foot down and he leaned heavily on his cane while following her down the steps.

‘Just fuckin’ with you, kid. Here.’

Rogue turned around, snatching a tissue from a box on the table and she grabbed his chin to keep his head still- and he allowed her to wipe the blood off his face.

Last time Vitali had been to the Afterlife, he had asked Rogue for help- had needed information on the Relic and had thought she would be willing to provide that in exchange for eddies, or resources, whatever she desired; one fixer to another.

But given his history with Arasaka she had not been willing to even sit down for a conversation with him. Which he had understood, mostly- but in all his desperation to find a way to save Vincent’s life, he had not handled the rejection very well. And that was putting it lightly.

‘What brings you here?’ Rogue asked, tapping Vitali’s chin the moment she finished and sitting down on the couch of the booth, gesturing for him to follow her lead. ‘Doubt you showed up just to put on a nice show for the regulars.’

‘Needed to see you.’ Vitali sat down and briefly glanced into the rest of the club, watching Eddie and Mikhail take their positions at the opening of the booth, turned sideways to both keep an eye on their surroundings as well as Vitali himself.

‘That’s one way to get my attention. Could’ve called.’

‘Would like the Council to not know about my visit here.’

‘My lips are sealed. Let’s hope the dead don’t learn how to talk in the meantime.’

Vitali clenched his jaw, eyes once again momentarily pulled to the outside of the booth as the body of the man who had attacked him was carried outside. He hadn’t meant for that to happen, of course; but it also did not do him much. He had other, more pressing matters to worry about.

‘How are you doing?’ he asked, biting the inside of his cheek as he turned back to Rogue.

‘Oh, cut the bullshit, Vito-’ She leaned forward and shook her head. ‘To the point. What do you want?’

‘The Broker is my father.’

Silence washed over the booth and something about Rogue’s expression changed- softened, almost, before she clenched her jaw and a frown slowly took shape on her face.

‘Matvey Dobrynin,’ Vitali quietly continued. ‘He’s doing all of this.’

The last thing he wanted was for the Council to find out about that. But he needed Rogue to know; he knew she was the only one who would believe him when he would tell her he had nothing to do with it, and with her on his side he could finally have a chance at clearing his name.

‘Shit,’ Rogue said, dropping her head briefly and sighing. ‘Must’a been quite a shock.’

‘I’ve found peace with it,’ Vitali replied, crossing his legs and sinking back into the cushions of the couch. ‘Complicated family.’

He clicked his tongue and Mikhail walked closer, handing Vitali his jacket. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a datashard; and after a brief moment of hesitation he handed it to Rogue, who slowly brought it to the slot behind her ear.

‘Evidence,’ Vitali simply said, watching the rings around her pupils light up bright blue. ‘The attack, those mercs- ex-mercenaries of mine. They no longer work for me. Left my network during my absence and my father used this to his advantage to win them over, turn them against me.’

‘He’s behind it all and tryin’ to frame you for it,’ Rogue slowly said. ‘Clever.’

‘The Council cannot know it’s my father, but- I need them to know that it is not me.’ Vitali paused, sucking in a shallow breath as he watched Rogue pull the shard out again. ‘I don’t need their help- I can handle this myself- I just don’t want them as my enemies, either.’

‘I understand.’ Rogue gently placed the shard on the table, visibly thinking, her leg lightly bouncing up and down. ‘Have you heard anything new? Any developments?’

‘Nothing new as of right now,’ Judy said in Vitali’s ear. ‘Only what we picked up earlier.’

‘There’s been chatter, the past few days,’ Vitali said. ‘Matvey is preparing another attack- I don’t know when, or where, but something is happening again. We’re monitoring the situation as best as we can but whatever it is he’s planning, he is going to try and put the blame on me.’

They had not picked up much yet; too vague bits and pieces of conversations, encrypted messages, snippets of plans. Piecing together what Matvey was working on would require a lot more information and Vitali knew that very well- but knowing things were being set in motion again at the earliest notice at least helped him prepare himself and his mercs alike.

But he was not there to talk about what his father had planned out for him.

‘I want to defend my case, to the Council,’ Vitali slowly said, swallowing heavily and gesturing at the datashard on the table. ‘That is why I came to see you. I was hoping you could- I don’t know, arrange a meeting. Call them together. Just- an hour of everyone’s time, and-’

‘I can’t do that.’

Rogue’s voice was strict, as always- though surprisingly gentle at that, and she couldn’t look Vitali in his eyes as she shook her head.

‘Too dangerous,’ she continued, and slowly leaned forward to move a little closer to him. ‘One thing we know is that the Broker is targeting fixers. You specifically now- and I’m startin’ to see why- but the Council isn’t paying attention to that. Say we get everyone together, what if he attacks? Half the Council dead. Your point proven, but at what cost?’

Vitali leaned forward too and lowered his gaze, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to keep his breathing stable as what he had already feared for became reality right in front of him.

‘A lot of ‘em are trying to lay low until the situation’s over,’ Rogue quietly explained. ‘They’re scared, Vito. Won’t ever admit it, but I know they are. I can present the evidence you put on that shard, put in a good word for you, but- that’s all I can do right now. We gotta wait for the situation to settle down, first.’

Vitali understood.

Of course he did; deep down he was scared too and if he could disappear and wait for his father to just give up and leave him alone, then he would do that in a heartbeat.

But how many more people would get injured or lose their lives were he to do that? How much more of Night City would end up in rubble, how many more attacks would take place? How far was Matvey willing to go, just to get his revenge?

‘Just don’t mention that it’s my father,’ Vitali quietly said, as he slowly looked up again. ‘I can’t have them know.’

‘I know. Secret’s safe with me.’

Silence fell over the booth once more and Rogue reached out for the bottle of liquor on the table, to fill up her own glass. She grabbed a second one, put it close to Vitali and gave him a questioning look- he merely shook his head in response, fingernails digging deep into the palm of his hand on his lap.

‘What’s your plan?’ she asked, picking up her own glass and taking a swig.

‘Not sure yet,’ Vitali honestly answered and slowly sank back into the couch again. ‘Cards are finally on the table now, that’s a start. I know what- who- I am up against. I just need to get closer again. One last time.’

‘Good luck with that.’ Rogue paused, slightly twirling her glass around and causing the ice cubes in it to softly clink against the sides. ‘Whatever you do, though, do it quickly. It’s been going on for long enough. People are getting restless.’

‘I know. Eager to blame me for it?’

‘Some of them are. That Dinovic especially- the cunt’s got beef with you, from what I could gather. What’d you do?’

‘Threatened him at his stupid fucking bar after he dared to withhold V his payment following a gig gone wrong because of his own fucked up intel.’

‘Yeah, that’ll do it.’

About a year had passed since that unfortunate incident, but Vitali knew Dino could hold a serious grudge. Not that he cared at all- the man meant very little to him and were he to ever try something like he had again, Vitali could not guarantee he would leave the fixer alive.

He stared at the shard on the table in front of him for a while as Rogue slowly finished her drink, and listened to the noises of the rest of the club. He mostly just heard the music again- even within the booth he’d had a hard time hearing Rogue speak on occasion, but at that point he could read lips well enough to manage.

He knew there was not much else left to say. Rogue made good points- a Council gathering could very easily end in disaster with Matvey still out for blood and although it would at least prove Vitali was not the Broker himself, it would still point fingers in his direction as a possible collaborator.

And if they were to find out the Broker was his father, it would only make things even worse for him.

‘Well, if that was all,’ Rogue suddenly said and set her empty glass back down on the table. Vitali felt his heart drop, but kept his mouth shut as he inhaled deeply and watched her slowly get up-

‘Ask her about the Arasaka thing, boss,’ Cato suddenly quietly said through his earpiece. ‘Thought you wanted to mention that too.’

That was very true. He had almost forgotten about it.

‘Rogue,’ Vitali quickly said, and she stopped mid-movement to look at him again. He shifted position on the couch, moving a little closer to her- and she slowly sat down again, leaning in to make sure no one else would hear them speak.

‘Do they still think I willingly went back to Arasaka?’ he quietly asked.

He was almost scared to get an answer to his question.

He knew that on a surface level it had looked exactly like that. He had vanished- had gotten shot and Arasaka had taken him in, patched him up and had put him through their latest brainwashing program in secret, and when Vitali had finally shown his face to the outside world again he had been entirely in their control-

But to everyone else it had simply looked like he had decided to switch sides.

‘Some do, yeah,’ Rogue finally answered, a frown on her face telling Vitali she did not find it easy to say. ‘They don’t know about what went down there.’

‘But you were there, too.’

‘Only Wakako knows about that.’

Vitali clenched his jaw and lowered his gaze, an exhale leaving his chest a little sharper than he had meant for. Deep down he had already known about all of it; but to hear it come out of Rogue’s mouth like that made it even more real to him and he clenched his fists again, a desperate attempt to keep himself under control.

‘Hey.’

Rogue reached out and placed a hand on the side of his upper arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze before pulling back again.

‘I’ll present them the evidence,’ she said, ‘as my own, not yours. You were never here, they’ll hear it from me, it’ll ease their minds. For now. You deal with your old man in the meantime, and this will all be over before you know it. Alright?’

‘Thank you,’ Vitali quietly said and she shook her head, waving her hand vaguely in the air.

‘Don’t mention it. Now get outta here, kid. This place isn’t your style.’

With a light smile on his face, Vitali carefully stood up and left the booth, leaning a little heavier on his cane again as he walked. The fight had been fun- but it had not done him any good and Judy’s words from earlier began bouncing around in his brain again.

Viktor really is going to kill me, huh.

‘Ladies, we are leaving the club as we speak,’ Eddie dramatically said, slowly following Vitali with Mikhail by his side. ‘Thank you for tuning in and we will see you back at the office.’

‘Not me, I’m going home,’ Judy replied. ‘Well done though, boys. Hope you’re okay, Vito. You did great.’

Vitali was not listening to their conversation anymore.

Eyes focused straight ahead, trying to ignore the stares of everyone around him as he slowly made his way through the club back to the entrance. Some people actually stepped out of his way as he passed them by- as if he would hurt them were they to get too close.

Vitali would never do such a thing unprompted.

But they did not know that. No one cared about that.

They only ever saw what was on show.

The cool midnight air of Night City was a welcoming breath of fresh air- as fresh as it could be, at least. A pleasant change from the heavy air inside and Vitali could not complain, briefly slowing his pace as he closed his eyes and breathed in deep a couple of times.

He was exhausted now. Partially regretted the fight; his ribs were sore and his leg was screaming at him to sit down, and he quickly made his way back to the car they had arrived in.

‘Small victory, yes?’ Mikhail asked, sitting down in the driver’s seat as Vitali himself took place in the backseat of the car, right in the middle.

‘Small victory,’ he repeated and buckled his seatbelt. ‘I’ll take what I can get.’

Of course he had hoped for more, but to have Rogue in his corner was a relief; if she could turn the heads of the Council away from him, even if it was just for a little while, it would be a big weight off his shoulders and he would be able to focus on dealing with Matvey in peace.

Vitali said nothing as they slowly began making their way back to Wellsprings, eyes glued to the scenery of the city outside- flashy, neon advertisements and bright car lights alike blinding him until he inevitably lowered his gaze.

He wondered what his father was doing at that very moment. A curious thought- but one that refused to leave his head, that single question repeating itself over and over again like a broken record.

What was he planning? When would he make his next move?

Vitali looked down at his hands. He hadn’t bothered to clean them yet; the blood on them had dried, and the bruising on his knuckles had darkened.

Another sharp exhale as he quickly averted his gaze. It was fine; they’d had it coming. None of them good people- and neither was he, and he knew that, and it was far too late for him to come back from that now.

‘Let’s stop by a diner or something, I’m starving,’ Eddie suddenly said, breaking the silence as they pointed at a building nearby. ‘I’ll just hop in and out real quick- Misha, the usual? Anything I can get you, boss?’

‘No, thank you,’ Vitali politely declined, shooting them a small smile as Mikhail turned to the side of the road and parked the car, allowing Eddie to jump out and hurry their way over to the diner.

‘You okay?’ Mikhail asked after a brief silence, slightly turning in his seat to look at Vitali. ‘You look sad.’

‘Just tired,’ Vitali answered, the smile on his face turning a little weary. ‘Didn’t go entirely as expected.’

‘You could have let me handle it. I’m your bodyguard, remember?’

‘This was more fun. I gave them a good show, no?’

‘Hm, you always do. Showoff.’

‘Asshole.’

Vitali closed his eyes and smiled as Mikhail reached out for him and ruffled his hair before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He turned back on his seat, a few soft clicks and coughs leaving his lips as he tapped on the steering wheel and waited for Eddie to return.

Vitali leaned back again, relaxing in the backseat and once more allowing his eyes to wander outside- from his position, he could see the pier in the distance, overlooking the dark and empty ocean.

He could see a storm rolling in.

#nuclearwriting #rbs much appreciated :) <3 #vitali is so sexy in this. that thing he says about delivering the guy's body in a box to his parents. awooga #taking off his jacket. rolling up his sleeves. ends up covered in blood straddling some guy's lap #shushes him and runs his fingers over his cheek. me next please please pleaesep leapellpaelseshgjgnhg #anyway. hi. serious chapter with serious conversation and so on. #also i am beaming the fight scene with music and dramatic flashbacks to jackie directly into your brain right now. do you see my vision #i'm very normal about this chapter as you can tell SHGFDHGJFDG #very excited to see what you guys think of this one <3 #ch:the broker

[rexscanonwife]

I am not exactly a newcomer, but I still enjoy giving people opportunities to talk about their OCs. So, please take this as a space to talk about Kepler as much as you would like to, if that's alright!! I may not be 1000% familiar with the intricacies of Star Wars, but I'd still be happy to hear ^-^

Hiii omg thank you so much for asking! 😭💖🫶💖 I really appreciate it! And tbh even a basic understanding of star wars is enough to get u thru most of it, what I love about the universe in general is that yes there are lots of rules but at the same time there's no rules at all?? You can do whatever you want as a fan and there's not rly anything ppl can do to stop you 😂

but for people who ARE seeing this for the first time, my star wars s/i is a Jedi Knight and my bff and I worked together to basically make an oc to be her Padawan! his name is Kepler Quinn and he's my perfect beautiful boy that I love 🥺

a lot of his character development comes from both coming into his own as a person through his training and through his relationships to others. He's been through a lot of rejection in his life already, so he kind of put up walls and has to learn to let people through them! Especially my s/i, who decides to dedicate herself to training him and making him see himself the way she sees him: as amazing! He's got a lot of really impressive skills, he's very in tune with the force when it comes to listening to it for insight, he's just not naturally a good fighter. That doesn't get you very far during a war 😅 but she thinks he's perfect! and she, and the other friends he makes are all part of his story.

(ps. here's some drawings of him made by my bff @star-whores69)

#jane journals #self insert talk #platonic f/o #familial f/o #🪐 kepler quinn 🪐 #dhksdj i took a long time to answer this im sorry x'3 #sometimes its hard to find out what to talk about cause there's so much to SAY and also you gotta figure out what youve already said yanno? #i gotta get back on making that lyric video tbh #i made some good progress on my trip but then i got sick and theres so much i gotta draw alreadyyy #not enough time ; v ; #but oughh i love my boy so much #i appreciate anyone inquiring about him tbh cause i get to show him off!! #i love imagining 'episodes' that he and brea would have that tell u more about the characters and their relationships #like them on scouting or relief missions which are kinda their specialty and how kepler would grow from his experiences #brea specializes in force healing so him learning to do it too is a huge part of his character growth #basically what he lacks is confidence and motivation cause he's the teeniest bit cynical dghsjkgd #anyways thank u again for asking me about it shgjk ily!! 💖💖😭