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prettywordsyouleft · 3 years

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The Cowboy - Part 2

Summary: Leaving the city for a rural area called Blayne seemed simple enough. Your task was to convince the people to agree with selling their land for a resort redevelopment. But once there, you soon realise that your city ways are entirely different to theirs. Winning their trust was going to take some effort, and when you start to fall for a local cowboy, you wonder if you really needed Blayne more than the city life after all.

Pairing: Jung Jaehyun x female reader

Genre: cowboy au / drama / romance / if you squint there’s some enemies to lovers up in here.

Warnings: Jung Jaehyun is a cowboy, need I say more? (a bit of angst and drama, and it sometimes might feel like you’re reading a Nicolas Sparks book, so I’m told lol)

Word count: 1708

This series will be updated every Thursday and Friday starting 7th January.

Preview | 1 | 2 | 3

You barely recovered before he walked off, rounding the outside of the building. Scrambling after him, you soon fell into step with the son of the household.

The incredibly attractive Jung son.

“So you’ll be able to put on the power?”

“Sure, I’ll just wind up the generator and in about three hours-”

“Generator?! Hours?!”

He laughed then, the sound making you halt in your tracks in a daze. Glancing back at you, he smirked. “You’re sure easy to fool, Miss City.”

“Well, I was expecting a teen with the way your mother spoke of you, Mr Cowboy.”

“We’re a loving bunch around here,” he answered, walking over to a box on the side of the house and patting it. “All I have to do is flick a switch, and you’ll have power.”

“Thank god.”

“Not willing to rough it even for a night?”

“Rough it?”

He smirked again. “You sure don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“So people keep telling me. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will,” he replied, staring back at you for a moment. You raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled, pulling open the box and turning on the main switch. You saw the lights in the house you had flicked on come to life, and you clapped your hands together with glee.

“Yes!”

“Are you scared of the dark?”

“Are you always this full of yourself?” you shot back, and he grinned.

“Somewhat.”

“Anything else I need to know about so I can survive the night?”

After shutting the fuse box, he returned to your side, stuffing his hands deep into his jean pockets and leaned towards you. “You sound like high maintenance.”

“Perhaps I am.”

“You’re in for a rude awakening here then.”

“I’m adaptable,” you announced and he laughed. “What, I am!”

“This isn’t something you just get used to, Miss City. You’ll be gone before long.”

“And what will you do if I prove otherwise?” you challenged, and his eyes lit up, glinting with enjoyment.

You had to admit this banter was doing things for you too.

“There’s no point making plans for things that won’t come into fruition.”

“You’re infuriating.”

“I know, but it seems that you’re enjoying it.”

“Fine,” you stated simply, throwing your hands up. “Thank you for turning on the power, Mr Cowboy.”

“Enjoy your night, Miss City.”

You both rounded back to the front of the house, where you went to the veranda, and he approached the truck. You eyed it warily. “Is that thing legal?”

“Don’t try and use too many appliances at once. Houses like these can get overloaded, and it’ll trip the fuse and turn the power off. I’ve got cattle to run tomorrow, so you’ll be without power for some time if you do that.”

You blinked, trying to decipher if he was being serious or not. He shrugged and opened the door to the truck. “R-Really?”

“Take it on as some friendly advice.”

“Ah, is that what it is.” You nodded with a laugh as he climbed into the cab of the vehicle. Dashing down to the driver’s side, you leaned on the open window, and he watched you curiously. “Can you give me some more friendly advice?”

“Don’t open the front door. There might be coyotes howling out in the distance that you’ll have to get used to and by the hay barn, there is an old owl that likes to hoot around three in the morning. You’re welcome.”

“Wait! I was meaning more like if there’s regular mobile data service out here. I’ve got some files to-”

“You’re in the wrong place if you want to be on the internet, Miss City. I’ll give you two days out here before you head on back to your four-gee or whatever the thing is called.”

“You’re getting on my nerves.”

He grinned. “And you’re on my door stopping me from getting home to dessert, ma’am.”

Lifting your arms off, he tipped his cowboy hat at you again and started up the truck. You shook your head as he reversed down the drive before turning the vehicle around.

“Wait! I didn’t even get your real name!” you called out into the night, pouting some.

It didn’t matter. Even if he was the most handsome guy you had seen in months, he was also not your type with how easily he assumed so little of you.

Fishing out your phone, you held it up in search for a stronger signal. Groaning when there was only one bar, you stomped into the house and shut the door behind you.

When your alarm went off the following morning, you were already wide awake, staring up at the ceiling in sheer frustration. The advice you had received last night had been helpful, but what you needed was earplugs instead. You never knew the wilderness to be so loud.

“How am I going to get enough sleep here until I can order some earplugs?” you questioned to no one in particular, sitting up in the bed. You had to admit, whilst the sounds of the outdoors had kept you up, the bed had been surprisingly comfy.

There had to be some perks for being this far detached from proper civilisation.

“Might as well get up,” you decided, flinging back the blankets and padding across the hall into the quaint bathroom. You hadn’t paid a lot of attention last night to the house, too exhausted from travelling for two days. As you did your morning skincare routine, you used the mirror to look around your space. It had a cozy cottage-core vibe that you had recently seen come up as a trend on Pinterest.

“Natty loves things like this,” you told the home, smiling softly before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

The house was decorated warmly. Although many modern conveniences were missing, you couldn’t help but feel like you were in a home that was cherished.

Someone must have loved this place like that at one point in time, you thought, jumping when the phone went off again.

“Hello?”

“Miss L/N, is that you?”

“Ah, yes it is, who am I speaking to?”

“Oh! June told me that someone was staying at the old Jung house so I figured I’d give you a bell and offer you some breakfast down at the diner. You won’t miss it. We’re the first building on Main Street.”

“That’s so kind of you to offer, but I have all the ingredients for a power green smoothie here-”

“Smoothie? Darling, a drink isn’t going to give you enough energy to get through your day.”

“Pardon?”

“Aren’t you starting your surveying job of Blayne today? There’s a lot to get through.”

Not really, you thought wickedly and bit your lip in case you said anything out loud. “Ah, right. Well, I’ll come down then.”

“Do come!” And then the line went dead.

“Who was I even speaking to?” you wondered when you placed down the phone, blinking slowly.

You got ready and headed down the bumpy drive and then another fifteen minutes until you reached what the inhabitants of this strange place called Main Street. You had to admit, it was the only area of Blayne were you saw more than two people at once, and it relaxed you to be back around people.

You hadn’t realised just how overcrowded the city was when you found yourself now missing the constant sight of people.

Once you parked your car, you got out and locked it, checking to make sure the door wouldn’t open. You heard a snigger from the sidewalk. “You’re new here.”

“Ah, yes.”

“You don’t need to lock your car here. No one is going to steal it,” the young girl said, eying you curiously. You nodded politely and walked inside the diner, instantly hit with the smell of fried food.

You were hungrier than you expected.

“Miss L/N!” a voice called, and everyone in the establishment turned to look at you.

Smiling politely and rushing over to the front counter, you sat down on a stool. The woman who greeted you smiled graciously. “I’m May.”

“May… June-”

May laughed. “Our parents weren’t all that creative with our names. I’m June’s older sister.”

“Oh! It’s nice to meet you. Please, feel free to call me Y/N.”

“Earl, can you serve up our guest the breakfast special?” May called out without taking her eyes off of you.

You smiled gently before darting your gaze to the menu distractedly. “You have a nice place here. Do you sell soy chai lattes?”

“Soy what?”

“Ah, nothing. Coffee. Coffee will do.”

“Black or white, darling? Any sugar?”

After sorting yourself with caffeine, you then glanced around again. There were about six others in total, and most of them were looking in your direction. Nodding politely at them, you turned back to May.

“I guess you don’t get many visitors.”

“They don’t stay long, no,” she replied, placing a large plate loaded with a fried assortment and pancakes. You eyed the meal. It would be triple the macros for your daily intake. Still, you were hungry.

You picked up your knife and fork. “They don’t?”

“I think the last person stayed a week. That was pretty long.”

“Only a week?” you cut into a hashbrown. “Why did they leave so soon?”

“Unless you’re a farmer or born into farming, you wouldn’t really enjoy being out here. We have only twelve stores. Nothing arrives here quickly, and you have to be pretty self-sufficient to survive. There’s not a lot calling people here.”

“There could be. I mean, you have a lot of land-”

“For farming,” May cut in, and you swallowed down a bit of hashbrown before nodding.

“Yes, but it’s beautiful and picturesque. People who want to escape the daily grind would flock to a place like this if there was an establishment to stay in.”

“Our inn hasn’t had a guest since nineteen-eighty-three. You want to know why?”

“It has a ghost story?” you asked innocently, and May merely smiled haughtily.

“The only people staying in Blayne were born and raised here, Y/N. You’ll soon realise the utopia you and your company are hoping to build out here is a pipe dream.”

_________________

Part 3

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kaylorrehabcenter · 3 years

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Rating Every Song on Fearless Based on How Gay it is

Hello friends! I still have a few song analyses in the pipeline (and one on Lover the album) but today in honor of Fearless (Taylor’s Edition) being announced and Love Story being released in a few hours I thought I’d do something fun to celebrate!

And you know what? Fuck my usual disclaimer, I am the word of god here. Try and change my mind about any of these. I dare you. (I kid I kid this isn’t that serious and you’re free to disagree <3)

1. Fearless 15/10

Everything about this song is so fucking gay oh my god. This isn’t a fruit, this is a whole ass edible arrangement. As a small rural town Gay (my hometown has a population of less that 4,000 and where I’m living now has a population of 2,500) this uh. Hits.

“And I don't know how it gets better than this/You take my hand and drag me head first, fearless”

Y’ALL

The idea of falling in love with someone who makes you less afraid of your homophobic small town…….it’s getting to me.

“My hands shake, I'm not usually this way but/You pull me in and I'm a little more brave/It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something/It's fearless”

This is making me emotional, I'll be honest. I see so much of my friends and my experience in high school in this song.

This quote I found on genius is from when the album was released on BMR’s website.

“When I wrote ‘Fearless,’ I wasn’t dating anyone. I wasn’t even in the beginning stages of dating anybody. I really was all by myself out on tour and I got this idea for a song about the best first date. I think sometimes when you’re writing love songs, you don’t write them about what you’re going through at the moment, you write about what you wish you had. So, this song is about the best first date I haven’t had yet.”

This just screams baby Tay writing gay folklore to me, about the gay stories she wish she had. Notice how there are no pronouns in this song??? Fruity I’m telling you.

All that to say. I’m crying because the linear note says “I loved you before I met you” and I want to go listen to Long Story Short and cry now.

2. Fifteen 1/10

Objectively pretty straight as she’s singing about her and Abigail’s dating boys in HS. And Taylor got with a senior guy. Good for her I suppose.

Unless he was one of the shitty ones in which case.

“This is life before you know who you're gonna be”

This however, is a cute line and the whole song makes me warm and nostalgic. You can also hear her crying after the line “and Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind” which makes me emo and I’m sure will take on new depth after Abigail’s divorce and hurt me even more.

Other highlights that make me sob include.

“When all you wanted was to be wanted/Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now/Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday/But I realized some bigger dreams of mine”

Bigger dreams of hers indeed :’)

(Also how can you say she’s a gold star lesbian when this song exists. She was obviously dating boys in high school and even if you think she’s a lesbian. Comp het is a hell of a drug kids.)

3. Love Story 8/10

Tried to change the ending indeed.

This is THE Taylor Swift song, and maybe it’s the nostalgia talking but damn I still love it. Written because she wanted to change the ending of Romeo and Juliet (how anyone likes RandJ enough to want to rewrite I have no clue.) and/or because her parents didn’t approve of a guy she was seeing. (according to genius, it would’ve been too early for Joe J so it could possibly be Boys Like Girls frontman, his image did clash with hers and they did release some cute songs together. However if you want my take it’s probably folklore about Emily, take for what you will)

This song has very oft gay vibes with the ‘They don’t approve of our love angle!’ but uses male pronouns so points redacted for that. HOWEVER this is a very early use of ~the male perspective~ in Taylor’s songs and for that it deserves all the love.

“ So I sneak out to the garden to see you/We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew/So close your eyes/Escape this town for a little while”

More rural town angst!!!

Nothing gets me more than rural town angst.

“Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel/This love is difficult, but it's real”

Originally the lyric was “this love is different”. Granted I do not remember the source, i’s just lore implanted into my brain, but make of that what you will.

“"Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone/I love you, and that's all I really know/I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress/It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes"”

Marry me Juliet from the male perspective :)

Also worth noting. This is Karlie’s (and Kim K’s lmao) favorite Taylor song which. While basic as hell. Makes this cover sad as hell to this former Kaylor. (thanks @swiftgron-get-married for the tears <3)

Also not to make this about a man AGAIN but the secret message is “Some day I’ll find this” AND SHE DID IM CRYING.

4. Hey Stephen 1/10

The one thing Camilla Cabello and I have in common is loving this song, so I have to live with that for the rest of my life.

This song is very painfully straight.

How can you think this woman is a gold star lesbian.

The only noteworthy thing is that this is one of the few songs she confirms who it’s about. The secret message is “Love and Theft” which is the name of a country music duo who went on to open her Fearless tour. Which, does make me side eye this song a little bit.

Still a cute song.

“Hey Stephen, boy, you might have me believing/I don't always have to be alone”

5. White Horse 1/10

Oh look. It’s track five.

You know maybe this is just me being a bitch but in my ranking of track fives this is. Pretty low. Maybe on the bottom.

Like I don’t have a lot to say about it.

She’s going through it over a guy. He was a cheating dickweazel.

“'Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale/I'm gonna find someone someday/Who might actually treat me well”

“Try and catch me now, oh/It's too late/To catch me now”

These lines hit though!!

And she found Joe!! Who treats her well!!!! And she isn’t the princess, she’s the prince who dropped her sword and knocked on her door!!! But this time if they come for them she’s ready!!!

Yes I will make every song about Long Story Short <3

6. You Belong With Me 5/10

Ah yes. The other THE Taylor Swift song.

You know. If I went to a high school with a cheerleading squad. And I had a crush on a cheerleader. I would blast this song. So for that it gets a 5/10. Otherwise. Fairly straight and fairly iconic.

7. Breathe 8/10

Well. We know this one is about a woman. (Emily Poe for those not in the know. Ha. A rhyme!) That alone has an 8/10. And it’s the first time she has a featured artist so bonus points for that!

It was nominated for a Grammy and it fucking lost to Jason Mraz. When’s the last time you thought about Jason Mraz.

I will not have Kaylor feels on a fucking Fearless song but damn is it VERY easy.

“Never a clean break, no one here to save me/You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand”

“It's 2 A.M, feeling like I just lost a friend/Hope you know it's not easy, easy for me”

Also this bridge? Goes off. HIGHLY underrated.

8. Tell Me Why 3/10

You know. Maybe this album isn’t as gay as I once thought.

This song does bop though, not as good as her other angry songs on this album. But I can vibe with this you know. Why are you being an asshole mysterious man.

“You could write a book on how to ruin someone's perfect day”

This has to be one of baby Tay’s best burns. Damn.

“Why do you have to make me feel small/So you can feel whole inside?/Why do you have to put down my dreams/So you're the only thing on my mind?”

Men ain’t shit kids. However, bonus points for the shade.

9. You’re not Sorry 1/10

Ok, ok. Maybe this was a foolish endeavor.

Because yet again we have a very straight song. A good song. That was on Taylor’s episode of CSI. But oh dear. Very straight. Gets a measly one point. We started this post off so very very gay but damn. We seem to be nearing the end on a very straight note.

10. The Way I Loved You 20/10

Hey Remember what I said about this album being very straight.

WELL THAT WAS A LIE.

Is this a comphet album or am I projecting.

This is one of my favorite baby gay Taylor songs. Her masterful use of pronouns (he is sensible! And so incredible! And all my single friends are jealous! But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain, when it was two am and I was cursing your name!) makes the other person she’s singing about completely vague, while we know she isn’t happy with whichever guy she’s dating.

Mayhaps an early reaction to PRomances?

Either way this song is so good, truly an underrated gay gem I mean. Look at it.

“Breaking down and coming undone/It's a roller coaster kind of rush/And I never knew I could feel that much/And that's the way I loved you”

AND THE BRIDGE. Do all of her gay songs just have kickass bridges?

“He can't see the smile I'm faking/And my heart's not breaking/'Cause I'm not feeling anything at all/And you were wild and crazy/Just so frustrating/Intoxicating, complicated/Got away by some mistake and now…”

Damn. I’m imaging this with 2020 vocals and fucking ascending.

Also please watch the live performance of it from the Fearless tour. It’s such a damn shame this got cut from the movie and some woman in the front row is wearing a cowboy hat. Everyone is holding up those cameras everyone had to have before smartphones. Taylor is being endearing. It’s a good time.

11. Forever and Always 6/10

Bonus points for the ~drama~ of it all. Added last minute to the album? The iconic throwing of the chair in live performances?? All of it very dramatique and for that we stan.

Still pretty straight.

Also Joe Jonas responded to the song and why do I find his response so damn funny. “It’s part of being a musician, I guess. You write songs about each other.”

This is another song where the idea of Taylor’s grown up vocals on this is………..whew

12. The Best Day 0/10

This gets zero points because it’s about her literal mom.

Still makes me cry.

God bless Andrea Swift indeed

13. Change 13/10

We start the official tracklist with a gay song. We end it with a gay song.

We will ignore that it was originally written for Scott and BMR and instead induct it into the hall of gay pride anthems, as it should be.

“We're getting stronger now, finding things they never found/They might be bigger but we're faster and never scared/You can walk away, say we don't need this/But there's something in your eyes says we can beat this”

“This revolution, the time will come/For us to finally win/And we'll sing hallelujah, we'll sing hallelujah”

The music video is cringe though lol

14. Jump then Fall 10/10

This song is gay because I choose it to be. <3

Like. Picture baby Taylor writing this song and playing it on her guitar to a girl she has a crush on telling her that she’ll protect her and they’ll be safe and in love and happy together. Gah, maybe I’m ~projecting~ but this sweet ass song always gets me and is EASILY in my top five Taylor songs. Super underrated and hecking cute.

“We're on the phone and without a warning/I realize your laugh is the best sound/I have ever heard”

Like. Look at this shit.

“I watch you talk, you didn't notice/I hear the words but all I can think is/We should be together”

Tell me this is about the first time you get a crush on a girl and she’s your best friend and she’s amazing and beautiful and you realize you kinda want to kiss her and you hope she wants to kiss you too.

“I had time to think it oh, over/And all I can say is come closer/Take a deep breath and jump then fall into me”

And she’s the Romeo who's going to protect her!!!!! She’s the knight in shining armor in this song and I love that for her??

“The bottom's gonna drop out from under our feet/I'll catch you, I'll catch you/When people say things that bring you to your knees/I'll catch you/The time is gonna come when you're so mad you could cry/But I'll hold you through the night until you smile”

I won’t divulge into full on analysis here because. This is what this post is about but PLEASE listen to this song more. It’s such a gay little gem.

15. Untouchable 9/10

How does she make a cover sound gay.

It sounds so gay.

“You got to come on, come on, say that we'll be together/Come on, come on, little taste of heaven”

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

16. Forever and Always Piano Version 1/10

This song gets 1/10 because I don’t like it. There. I said it.

17. Come in With the Rain 3/10

I can see why this is a bonus track. It doesn’t hit me as much as the other songs on the album.

But damn if I don’t want to scream sing this one driving down a high way.

18. Superstar 7/10

You can’t tell me this song is about a man. I simply won’t entertain the idea.

You cannot prove to me that this song is about a man. There is not a male pronoun in sight.

>:)

19. The Other Side of the Door 6/10

Is this song about having a fight about being in the closet? Probably not. Will my gay little brain make it about that? Yep!

And that, funky little queer pals, is my gay rating of every Fearless song. Like and subscribe, #t3atmidnight

#long post //#fearless the album #gaylor #what do i tag this for it to show up for peope??#gay rating

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florrickandassociates · 3 years

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TGF Thoughts: 5x10-- And the violence spread.

So, that’s it for season five. I’m still trying to sort out how I feel about the season as a whole and Wackner’s arc. I’m hopeful that writing this will help me decide.

This episode has a Previously, and it’s rather conventional. I’m guessing it’s here to bookend the season, with conveying information being only a secondary objective.

Did we see Rivi scream, “You’re done, Wacko, you’re done! Canceled! Canceled!” in the last episode or is that new to this previously? I feel like I absolutely would’ve had things to say about a) Wackner being called “Wacko,” which has been RIGHT THERE this whole time, and b) the use of “Canceled,” which is a thing Rivi would never say but is VERY thematic (you know, cancel culture and also Wackner having a TV show and also this being a TV show that’s wrapping up* Wackner’s arc).

* The way things end this episode, I’d say we’re done with Wackner. The Kings have said they aren’t sure about the plan for season six, so never say never, but I think that if we see Wackner again, it will be as part of a different arc.

I went back to 5x09 and while we do see the same shots of Rivi screaming, whatever he’s saying in 5x09 is in Spanish. So either he was saying this in Spanish or the dialogue here is totally new.

I’m a little sad that I knew in advance Robert King had directed this episode, because I want to know how long it would’ve taken me to guess. I’d like to think this first shot, of Diane flopping down on her bed in a very pretty floral print dress, then Kurt flopping down in the opposite direction, would’ve given it away. We usually don’t get shots that are both striking and kinda balanced unless RK’s directing.

This also has some big season three opener vibes—the scene where Diane turns to Kurt and says, “I’m happy,” thus jinxing the entire season.

Diane and Kurt are about to go on vacation, which means, of course, that Diane and Kurt are definitely not about to go on vacation. I’ve watched 12 seasons of this show; I know all the tricks!

If I didn’t get it from the initial staging of the opening shot, the camera panning to Diane and Kurt’s suitcases and then back would’ve been another clue that RK directed. He ALWAYS has the camera in motion.

I love that Diane’s travel outfit is a dress you could wear to a fancy party and a statement necklace. Of course it is.

And if I needed evidence that RK and MK wrote this episode (which I didn’t; it is a finale so I knew they wrote it), Diane quoting Waiting for Godot is a clue there.

I really should read Waiting for Godot, shouldn’t I?

“Wow. Educated and a good lay,” Kurt responds. I know that the political stuff between Diane and Kurt can get more than a little murky, but banter like this reminds me why they stay together and why politics never drive them apart. Also, it’s really nice to see Diane and Kurt have some fun banter that isn’t about politics.

And Diane making kissing noises and asking Kurt to meet her halfway! This just feels like I’m spying on someone’s private life and I love it. Not in a voyeuristic way, since this is actually a little uncomfortably private, but in a, “ah, yes, these do feel like real people” way. This is the kind of “a little goes a long way” character moment I always want more of, and Kings episodes ALWAYS include stuff like this.

And there it is. The phone rings as Diane and Kurt are about to start out for the airport. Diane thinks the call must be for Kurt, but it’s for her. It’s a very flustered Liz, informing her that STR Laurie’s execs are on their way to the office for a surprise visit.

If the Diane/Kurt scene didn’t tell me that Robert King directed, I almost certainly would’ve gotten it from the sudden cut to Liz, walking through the hallways and doing a million things at once with a ton of background noise. No one loves chaos the way Robert King loves chaos.

This episode STRONGLY reminds me of the Wife season five finale. It is equally chaotic and also spins a ton of plates. But, mostly, the similarity I see between the two episodes is that they are both extremely fun and captivating to watch because of how much momentum they have, but everything just feels slightly hollow and not exactly focused on the thing you want to see.

(Shout out to my friend Ryan, who messaged me the 5x22 comparison before I could message it to him!)

I decided I should rewatch the first few minutes of 5x22. I am now 15 minutes into 5x22 of Wife and 2 minutes into 5x10 of Fight. Oops.

Apparently, STR Laurie planned a surprise visit because they heard RL was dysfunctional. You don’t say!

I felt like 5x09 concluded with STR Laurie being won over by Allegra and the RL team, so this is a bit of a surprising place to start the episode. But, since Diane seems surprised too, I’ll allow it.

Now Liz and Diane have 90 minutes to agree on a financial plan! Kurt’s on the phone with the airline before Diane even hangs up with Liz.

Diane is determined not to lose out on her vacation and asks Kurt to change the flight to 8:00. “Kurt, we are going on this vacation if it kills me!” is a line I would worry was foreshadowing on basically any other show.

The RL/STRL PowerPoint template is pretty ugly. They want to call 2021 their best year yet, thanks to the deal between Rivi and Plum Meadow Farms we saw last week. Even though we saw champagne and signatures, the deal isn’t done yet because Plum Meadow can back out if Rivi goes to jail.

RK also loves close-ups more than any other director on the show; I do not love close-ups.

The Plum Meadow deal is such a big deal that for the quarter, they go from $45 million to $5 million without it. They should just not say numbers. I can believe it’s big enough to take them from a modest profit to being behind projections or whatever, but I can’t believe that they have $5 million in other business and $40 million on this one deal.

It seems that Rivi was arrested. I don’t think it is ever said in this episode why. I assume the arrest relates to his behavior in Wackner’s court, since there were police officers there, and I suppose that Rivi is a big enough deal the police would actually take him to real court, but are we not going to address the weirdness of Rivi being arrested in a fake court where his employees are being tried, then taken to a real court by the same people who just an episode ago were disillusioned with real court? This seems like a plot point.

Carmen on a frantic phone call in the backseat of a car feels very 7x22.

Who is James that Carmen has in her contacts!? And why does everyone always put Liz in their contacts as “Elizabeth Reddick” when everyone calls her Liz?

Carmen calls Marissa to go argue in Vinetta’s court since she’s on Rivi duty. Carmen doesn’t take Marissa’s job in Wackner’s court seriously and then notes that this instruction is coming straight from Liz, so Marissa falls in line.

Wackner’s case of the week is about rural Illinois wanting to form its own state separate from Chicago. There’s a farmer who feels like his tax money is only going to the big city and he wants it to stay in his community.

They’ve just now added stage lighting to the set of Wackner Rules, dunno why they wouldn’t have done that earlier!

I don’t know what standing you’d have to have to bring a case about wanting to divide the state in two to court, or if this is even something a court would or should decide, but, sure, Wackner and Cord, go for it. There are no rules!

This map splitting Illinois into two new states that Cord is holding is a dumb prop because Galena, where this farmer is from, is in the same section as Chicago. Do I pause every reference to Chicago on this show and then google information to see if the writers bothered to look it up or pretend they’ve ever set foot in Chicago? You know I do.

“Secession!” the audience screams. Does the audience of Wackner Rules really want to see this?

A Good Fight Short! And it really is short: “Stop this obsession with secession and breaking up the Union. It’s boring and it’s dumb, end of song.” I feel like that’s the thesis statement for this episode, or one of them (that this episode seems to have about ten thesis statements is kind of my problem with this episode, tbh). This episode is very much about danger of things becoming too fractured—the COTW, the copycat courts, the firm drama—and I feel like the writers come around to just saying no, this is enough, we need structure and consistency.

But more on that later. MUCH more on that later.

Marissa is swearing more because “the world has required it.” She notes this to Wackner as she calls him out on the secession case. Cord barges in.

Take a look at the employee of the month poster on the back of the door at 5:39. Then at 5:40, look at what’s in the box just to the right of the center of the screen: it’s an employee of the month poster with Wackner on it! Cute easter egg. (Would Marissa definitely notice this and have questions? Yes. Is this here as a cute easter egg for eagle-eyed fans? Almost certainly.)

“Insane is just one step away from reality if you get people to believe, and you know what makes people believe? TV.” Cord explains when Marissa asks how they can possibly be litigating this case. That’s thesis statements two and three, folks. The first is that if you get people to believe, then anything is possible, which sounds like a tagline for a Disney movie but is actually super dangerous; the second is that reality TV is a way to persuade people and change opinions.

So we’ve got: (1) Factions are bad. (2) People are persuadable and the rules don’t actually matter. (3) Reality TV changes minds. Let’s see if there are more.

(Yes, these theses do kind of add up to a whole—The rules don’t matter, so if you persuade people, through reality tv, you get factions of people believing their own sets of rules and facts—but what I'm interested in tracking throughout this episode is how well the writers actually bring these theses together.)

(And this is setting aside that key themes in previous episodes, that I think many of us were looking for resolution on, included outlining the flaws with the extant “real” justice system and exploring the role of prison in the justice system. From this episode, I don’t think the writers ever intended to really tackle either of those issues. That’s fine—I'm not sure that TGF has something to say about prison abolition and I don’t want a thought experiment where the writers actually try to fix the legal system—but feels a bit disjointed. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but 5x08 and 5x09 needed to do a better, clearer job of setting up this finale. The key themes of Wackner’s arc were always present, but they needed to slowly narrow the scope so the resolution felt inevitable and clear. Instead, we spent time on things like parking spaces (when we could’ve had a real plot about how Wackner’s court gains legitimacy through violence, incarceration, and playing on people’s frustration with the real systems) and Del’s focus groups (when we could’ve instead done a plot about Wackner gaining fans who wanted to use his methods to do ill). Everything I just mentioned in the parentheticals is in the show! It’s not subtext! We see it all! We see Cord use violence and prisons to enforce Wackner’s rulings; we see the cops turn to Wackner out of frustration; we see that the people drawn to Wackner Rules and to Wackner’s court are increasingly sounding more and more like right-wing populists! I can’t be too hard on this arc because, again, all these ideas are there. I’m not coming up with them on my own!)

I’m just saying: this ending would’ve been a lot clearer and a lot more interesting had the writers focused on what I mentioned above instead of the distractions of the last two episodes.

Whew, that was a ramble. Hope you’re ready for more rambles.

On a similar note, I’d like to reiterate my problems with how the writers used Marissa after the private prison reveal. I don’t have much more to say than what I wrote last week, but it’s another example of the same problem. Marissa objecting to Wackner’s court because she notices what it’s becoming and how Cord plans to use it for political gain (two Illinoises (??) changes the Senate and the Electoral College...) always was going to be part of the endgame. Marissa only seriously objecting after the fourth or fifth line Wackner crosses feels bizarre.

Cord does NOT like that there is another court, and wants to protect Wackner’s IP. Wackner, as we saw last episode, does not feel threatened by the other court. In fact, he seems to be excited by it.

I love Liz questioning Diane’s outfit like it’s unprofessional. It’s a little low-cut and showy, but I don’t think unprofessional is the word I’d use for it.

Now they have 45 minutes to decide The Future Of The Firm and Diane wants to be considered a name partner. Oh, that debate is still raging?! Every time I think it’s done it comes back, which should probably be a sign to Diane that her options are to leave and start something new, jettison Madeline and the others, or step down. Staying on as name partner and calling it a black firm is just not an option.

“Diane, there is a split in the firm that...” Liz starts, before asking some associates to leave the room. Ha! The reveal Liz and Diane aren’t alone is a pretty fun touch.

“The Black equity partners don’t want to be in your work group,” Liz informs Diane. “Because they think they’ll be punished by this firm?” Diane asks. “No, that’s paranoia. We don’t punish here,” Liz responds. “Of course you do. My fracking client. My union client. The Black lawyers who work on those cases—they're considered traitors” Diane says. “Because those CEOs are racists,” Liz counters.

Lots going on here, and I’m not sure I understand it all. Why would the equity partners—who are partners—feel like they’re being punished by being in Diane’s work group? (And also what does a “work group” mean and why haven’t they talked about it in the past?) When Diane starts talking about the lawyers who staff her clients, she’s not talking about equity partners; she is talking about associates.

And people are giving associates shit for working on Diane’s clients whom they happen to be staffed on!? That’s sad, though believable.

“So what do we do? Only bring in clients who can pass the racial smell test?” Diane asks. I mean, actually, yes. IF the goal is to be a black firm and to have that designation mean something in moral terms rather than marketing terms, then yes.

“It’s okay if you’re a drug kingpin like Rivi, but it’s not okay if you want me as lead attorney?” Diane says. Also, yes. Diane makes good points here.

“Diane, this is not about you,” Liz counters. Um, sure, but it has to be about something, Liz. Unless you’re trying to build a firm you don’t control that makes 88% of its revenue from a drug dealer (40 million out of 45 million this quarter = 88%; I told you they shouldn’t give me numbers) but happens to have black people in charge, you have to grapple with this question. I don’t think anyone who’s fighting for the firm to be a black-led (not owned, bc STRL) business is the type of person who thinks that having a black-led firm that does all the same shit as any other firm is in itself a good thing, so you NEED to address your client list. Madeline is anti-Rivi, anti-Cord, anti-Wolfe-Coleman (the rapist guy), pro-social justice, and pro having a black led firm.

“I mean, why... why do white people personalize this?” Liz asks. “Oh, now I’m just a white person?” Diane responds. I... don’t know what to do with this! Liz is right that Diane is taking this personally; Diane is right that Liz needs to deal with the rest of the client list. But no one is saying the things that REALLY need to be said: That all their decisions are meaningless in the shadow of STRL, and that deciding to be a black led firm isn’t the end of the discussion if they haven’t decided what types of clients they want to have.

“What happened, Liz? Last year we were intent on an all-female-run law firm,” Diane starts. Oh, THIS AGAIN! Diane never learns, does she? She never seems to realize that no one she’s approached with this idea is NEARLY as in love with it as she is. She probably still wonders to herself why Alicia—who partnered with her at the end of season seven basically just because it was the easiest, most frictionless thing to do—didn't seem more committed to their firm.

“Diane, there is history here that we are trying to...” Liz says, but Diane cuts in to note that women (women like Diane Lockhart!) have history too! In fact, she’s spent “35 years fighting gender discrimination to get to this position.” “And we have spent 400 years fighting racial discrimination to try and, you know...” Liz starts, before cutting herself off to get back to the ticking clock.

Sigh. Just talk about the actual thing instead of talking around the thing, guys. Diane is obviously deserving of A name partnership, in the abstract. This is an undeniable fact. And while Diane is definitely making this about herself rather than the big picture, I don’t think Liz trying to trump Diane’s 35 year career with the history of black people is going to win her any arguments? Like, just say what you mean and say it clearly. What Liz, I think, wants to express is that Diane’s individual accomplishments aren’t the issue here and everyone thinks she’s deserving (though Liz suggested Diane was not deserving a few episodes ago, which I didn’t understand then and don’t understand now). The problem is that Diane is trying to fight a battle that’s about something much larger than herself with, “but I'm a good lawyer!”

And that’s KIND OF what Liz is saying here, if I add all her sentences up and read between the lines, but, again, why not just say it?

“Alright, now we have 43 minutes to fix race relations, gender relations. STR Laurie’s gonna fire our asses, and you know it,” Liz says. I am curious what that would look like. Wouldn’t that just mean that STRL wouldn’t control them anymore? I’m sure being fired would be bad and all, but wouldn’t it free them from the contract they wanted out of last year?

“Let’s split the firm down the middle. I hire half the lawyers, you hire the other half,” Diane suggests. What does this mean? Why are you hiring your employees? Huh?

“You hire the white associates, and I hire the black associates?” Liz confirms. This seems like a very bad idea that would make things a lot worse and open them up to lawsuits! I also still do not know what they’re even talking about. And I don’t know why Allegra isn’t a part of this conversation.

“I’m not saying it’s good. I’m just saying it’s what we’re left with. It's what we can agree on,” Diane says. I really wish I understood what “hire” meant in this context because I don’t understand why they have to split anything or why this has to be done now and I don’t understand why this would possibly be a good solution. Can you imagine the backlash when people realize all the white people report to Diane and all the black people to Liz and that people were taken off of the accounts they’ve worked on for years to accomplish this? And this must be something that the employees would know about eventually; otherwise they could just randomly assign half to Liz and half to Diane.

I’m sad Madeline isn’t in this episode because I feel like we needed to see more of her POV as well as the associate POV. I don’t really understand the divides at play within the firm or what the staff and other partners are asking for, but I suspect it isn’t this.

Hallucination Jesus is back, and at least there’s actually a point to him this time (he shows up when Jay is in Vinetta’s court and reminds Jay that Vinetta will rule based on her religious beliefs). I still dislike the hallucinations.

Jay advises Marissa, who is Jewish, to talk a lot about Jesus in her defense.

Charmaine Bingwa is really great as Carmen, and obviously she is not fluent in Spanish, but it’s so funny to me that the only time you can hear that she’s Australian is when she’s trying to say Oscar like she’s speaking Spanish.

"I know you’re hiding something when you speak English,” Rivi says to Carmen. Heh.

“Community court” is such a nice, unthreatening term for referring to Wackner and his copy cats. Thanks for that, Carmen!

It’s a smart plan to mention Jesus a lot, I guess, but Jay and Marissa both should’ve realized that Vinetta is too smart to tolerate obvious pandering. I’m a little surprised Jay doesn’t get up and argue since Marissa is, obviously, not familiar with the New Testament.

Marissa wins this round with facts and logic.

Why is the judge who was handling Rivi’s previous charge now in bond court? Make it make sense.

I like that Carmen calls out the ASA for swearing hahaha

Why... would this Matteo kid just casually mention he was holding a gun, omg.

In Vinetta’s court, you can be charged with murder and tried because... you had a gun and also there were murders at other times. Coolcoolcool no problems here.

Community courts for civil cases? Sure. That’s basically arbitration. Community courts for criminal cases? Bad, bad, bad idea.

Vinetta’s reasoning: “Those murders happened on our street, and the police haven’t convicted anyone because they don’t care. We care. This is self-defense. And how is it different from your court?” Aside from the whole imprisoning people in her basement thing, Vinetta’s not wrong. I almost brought this up last week but hesitated because I couldn’t remember the details enough to decide if I wanted to recommend it, but there’s a book I read a few years ago that seems relevant here: Ghettoside by Jill Leovy. Again, been a while so don’t take this as a wholehearted endorsement or anything, but from what I remember, the central issue at the heart of the book (it’s non-fiction) is that a poor black community (I think in LA?) doesn’t trust the police (in part) because the police don’t solve murders, and then with no way of getting justice through the court system, there’s more violence as a stand-in for justice. https://www.vox.com/2016/8/26/12631962/ghettoside-jill-leovy-black-crime

I’m not sure if that’s QUITE what Vinetta is saying but it seems similar, and it’s a decent point (though not a justification for her court). Why should she trust the system to improve her community when it’s ignored her community for years?

I like that the writers chose two very different, very understandable characters for their community courts. It’s easy to see why Wackner and Vinetta feel the need for alternative courts; it’s easy to see why others would trust them. This arc doesn’t really work unless there’s a legitimate frustration with existing systems...

Marissa calls Wackner’s court a “joke,” which she should understand by now isn’t the case. (Marissa’s smart; she knew it wasn’t a joke the second she saw David Cord get involved.)

Vinetta accuses Wackner of copying her court, which alarms Marissa. This isn’t addressed again, and I don’t know if it’s true! I could really go either way on this. On the one hand, I absolutely believe that Wackner saw/heard about it, liked it, and did it himself without thinking much of it—and if this is the case, then the ending where Vinetta gets in trouble for violating Wackner’s IP is a lot more of a gut punch. On the other hand, I don’t really feel like the seeds for this were planted. We see Wackner innovate a lot and try new things and he has an explanation for why he does everything—how much of that is Vinetta? And Vinetta clearly watches the show and likes it or she wouldn’t have recognized Marissa, so it’s a little hard for me to just believe her claim when literally all I know about her is she has a court that looks like Wackner’s and she is aware of and feels positively towards Wackner rules. Also, Wackner knows about Vinetta’s court (from Marissa) and sounded excited about it last episode. Sure, he didn’t necessarily know which one it was, exactly, but I assume if he’d copied the idea and then heard about a case involving people from the exact same community where he found the idea... his reaction would be different. So IDK. My reasons for doubting Vinetta’s claim are probably based a little too much in things I’m not meant to spend that much time paying attention to.

“I fucked up. It’s in the same court, but now it’s a murder case,” Marissa tells Diane. I do like hearing characters admit when they fucked up!

Diane hears that STRL is delayed, so she heads out to help Matteo. When she goes to change into her pantsuit, she finds that she’s grabbed Kurt’s bag by mistake. “Of course. That makes sense,” she reacts.

Diane pushes her flight to the next day, also telling Kurt, “And yes, for some reason, I took your suit instead of mine, so fuck it.” I love it when the characters feel like real people.

I am not sure why Kurt is getting to the office when Diane is leaving or why Kurt is there—to pick Diane up on the way to the airport, maybe?

Carter Schmidt walks into RL at the worst possible time, threating to blow up the Plum Meadow deal. Another 5x10 to Wife 5x22 similarity: he’s in both episodes.

Liz heads out to help Carmen with Rivi, and then STRL arrives. Oops.

Credits!

One thing about Wackner’s court that should definitely be a warning sign even though it seems noble: he ignores just about every warning sign, like this rowdy crowd screaming WE LOVE YOU WACKNER or the potential interests at play in a case about secession, because he thinks his fair judgement can overcome these obstacles. If the world worked that way, there’d be no need for his court in the first place.

Is anyone representing the State of Illinois in this trial? If not, then... how is it happening?

Dr. Goat, some dude who claims to have some hidden historical document about how Illinois is actually two states, is clearly making stuff up and yet Wackner indulges him and Cord. I feel about this the same way as I feel about the Devil’s Advocate: That Wackner would not allow this to go on for more than five seconds before calling bullshit and therefore there is no reason I should have to sit through it.

Why is some guy screaming, “No taxation without representation” like dude you absolutely have representation. But of course, I’m expecting him to be logical, and the point is that he is not.

Dr. Goat’s Latin phrases—shock!-- don’t actually translate into anything like what he said. Even though this information is verifiable by a quick google search, the crowd starts screaming “Liar!!!!” at Marissa. If only I could say this felt unrealistic.

Wackner asks Dr. Goat to bring in the document.

“You look like you’re heading to the beach,” Vinetta says to Diane, who looks like she’s heading somewhere but definitely not to the beach. Vinetta asks where Diane was headed on vacation. Diane says she’s headed to Lake Como, and unnecessarily clarifies that “It’s in Italy.” She assumes Vinetta doesn’t know that... but Vinetta does.

“So you’ve been there before?” Vinetta probes when Diane says it’s beautiful there. “Just once. We don’t get away often. We thought we’d splurge,” Diane says. Vinetta stares at her and smiles, and Diane hits her head on a basket that’s hanging in Vinetta’s kitchen. If I just write out the dialogue here, it sounds like a perfectly average conversation, but everything about this conversation is so charged: Diane is afraid to look like a wealthy white woman; Vinetta’s pleasantness is pretty clearly also a way of sizing up Diane.

Vinetta shows Diane pictures of neighborhood children and young adults killed as a consequence of gang violence. You can see she’s not trying to do anything other than help her community, even if her methods are highly questionable.

Diane argues that Matteo should be given over to the police; Vinetta disagrees: “The police haven’t arrested anyone for those murders, any of these. Since the BLM movement, they’ve pulled back from our streets. No one’s coming to help. That’s why I started this court. It’s not a joke to us.” Wait I’m sorry did Vinetta just blame lack of good detective work in black communities on... the BLM movement?!?!?! Is there any foundation to this!? Why can’t it just be that the police weren’t actually doing a good job of policing/finding justice and were being antagonistic towards the community instead of being helpful and no one trusted them?? That explanation is literally right there.

Jay suggests the Jesus strategy, again.

“It’s women! We could just move on, install men,” STRL guy says. I don’t know if he’s joking, but ugh. Also, what is RL if it has neither Diane nor Liz? A bunch of lawyers who will all promptly quit when they see their bosses get fired and a few opportunists?

Kurt is watching golf in Diane’s office, and the STRL people love it. Of course Kurt accidentally makes friends with them.

Court stuff happens. It’s not good for Rivi, and then Liz and Carmen come up with a theory: Plum Meadow is stalling the deal so they can find Rivi’s more stable second and make a deal with them instead.

Wackner giving Dr. Goat a single point on his stupid little board, for any reason related to his obviously fake totally unverified document, is dangerous. Why would you signal to a crowd that’s clearly not interested in fact that they have a point? That’s basically egging them on.

I know Wackner’s judgment is obviously not 100% sound—need I remind you of the PRIVATE PRISONS?-- but I thought it was more sound than this.

Wackner shows off his knowledge of paper and proves that Dr. Goat’s document is a fake. Why... did he just give Dr. Goat a point???

Or is he moving the point from Dr. Goat to Marissa?

Dr. Goat sounds like a fake name I would call a character in my recaps long past the point of anyone other than myself remembering the joke. (See: Mr. Elk)

“The truth is ugly. The only thing uglier is not pursuing it,” Wackner tells Marissa. How is taking on a case about very obvious falsehoods, funded by someone with a vested interest in the case, that gets people riled up, some noble pursuit of truth?

STRL and Kurt are now drinking and discussing hunting, while Diane’s arguing for Matteo in Vinetta’s living room. Vinetta is—as was always obvious, sorry Jay—far too smart to fall for this patronizing bullshit. She screams at Diane and plays back a recording (on a baby monitor) of Diane coaching Matteo to lie about his faith.

Soooooo yeah no you can’t do that, that is bad, recording conversations between lawyers and their clients is not good even if it leads to you exposing their schemes...

Then Vinetta places Diane under arrest, which obviously isn’t going to end well for Vinetta.

Liz and Carmen suggest a post-nup to Rivi to see if Isabel is planning on turning on him.

“I’m going to have to kill her,” Rivi says sadly. I don’t think Rivi will ever kill Isabel because we already did that with Bishop.

I’m going to assume that Diane chooses to stay in basement prison instead of calling one of the many, MANY, MANY people she could call to get her out/take down Vinetta because she doesn’t want the situation to be publicized or further deteriorate. That said, it’s really not clear why Diane just accepts being sentenced to basement prison with a cell phone.

Love the STRL man looking at that picture of Diane and HRC. They’ve gotten so much mileage out of that photo.

Wackner’s court has no rules, but at least since it has no rules, I can’t complain about how its rules make no sense!

What is this, debate practice?! Ugggghhhhh I can’t deal with this case for much longer.

Marissa takes a breath, then decides to pursue a strategy she knows could blow everything up.

“Then why care what Judge Wackner decides? Why should you defer to him? Why defer to anyone?” Cord says that’s the point—the people have decided to trust Wackner. “So if you don’t like this court’s decision, you’ll just start a new one?” Marissa asks. “I guess,” Cord concedes.

“So then why does this matter? This court?” “It matters only insofar as we continue to agree that it matters,” Cord says. “So if you don’t like Judge Wackner’s rulings, you can just ignore them and create a new court?”

Good point, Marissa. Good point. (Does this count as a thesis?)

“I’m guessing that I will like the way the judge decides,” Cord says. Well, that’s basically a threat.

Wackner takes a break and heads to chambers—without Marissa.

Kurt goes to visit Diane in basement jail. He’s granted a conjugal visit, which means Matteo gets moved up to the bedroom so Diane and Kurt can have some alone time.

Diane is staring at an image of Lake Como in her cell. I thought it was odd she brought a printout of her vacation destination with her, so I LOVED the line where she explains that Vinetta printed it out for her. COLD. (You know who also would’ve done this if they’d for some reason had a basement prison? Bree Van de Kamp. You know what show DID do a basement prison arc I’d rather forget? Desperate Housewives!)

I love how Diane responds to basement prison by making jokes non-stop.

“I thought the craziness would end with 2020,” Diane says. Nope.

Kurt brought alcohol; Diane brought pot gummies.

I love that Kurt has never had pot before. I was going to say that I bet Diane’s had a few experiences with recreational drugs when I remembered we had a whole damn season of Diane microdosing.

Christine and Gary’s acting and their chemistry really bring these basement prison scenes to life. The writing and directing are really sharp, but it’s the actors who make these scenes something special. You can tell Diane and Kurt love each other a lot. You can tell they’re disappointed about their vacation and exhausted by the chaos of the day. You can tell they’re in disbelief over this situation but also find it funny.

Didn’t Rivi and Isabel have an adult daughter who died of COVID a few episodes ago? Weird she isn’t mentioned in this scene. Maybe from a different marriage/relationship?

Isabel called the SA’s office because she thinks Rivi’s a threat? I think this is a power play.

Heh, Carmen saying, “Shut a black woman up!?” in disbelief in court. Love it.

Isabel instead flips her story and supports her husband and fights for his release. With no intervention from Plum Meadow, this gets the judge to free Rivi. I don’t really understand what’s happened here or why. I get the resolution, but I don’t get why Isabel called the SA or why this went away so quickly. I still don’t even get why Rivi’s been arrested.

Diane and Kurt put up Christmas lights for ambiance and talk about how they never go on vacation.

“I wanna see the pyramids on this coast!” drunk & high Kurt insists, hilariously. “I mean hemisphere. I like the Aztecs. They, they care about people.” I’m not going to transcribe the rest of the dialogue because it loses its magic when you’re not watching the scene.

After some fun banter about travel and movies, Diane changes the topic. “I should quit, shouldn’t I? That judge upstairs? She looked at me like I was the most entitled white bitch on the planet. And that’s the way they look at me at work.”

Kurt tries to say that’s not true, but Diane knows it is: “Yes they do. I’m the top Karen. And why do I care? I mean, I... I could find another firm. I could quit. I can’t impose my will on people who don’t want me.”

YES. I see a lot of debate over what the “right” thing to do is here. But I think we are long past “right” and “wrong.” At a certain point, this stops being about absolute moral truths. If Diane doesn’t have the respect of her partners and employees, that is a very real problem for the firm and for Diane. How can she continue to impose her will on a firm that doesn’t want her, all the while claiming to be an ally? (The back half of that sentence is the most important part.) Forget whether or not Diane “should” have to step down. Forget what’s “fair.” If the non-Diane leadership of RL thinks the firm should be a black firm, and the employees of RL think so too, and Diane just doubles down on her white feminism, she’s creating an even bigger problem for herself and ruining her reputation in the process.

Kurt stands up on the prison cot and warns Diane she might make a decision she’ll regret. This scene is so cute. Why can’t other shows do drug trips where the characters just act silly and have great chemistry? Why does it always have to be some profound meditation on death whenever characters get high?

“I think I like starting over. I like the chutes and ladders of life. I mean, I want the corner office, but then I wanna slip back to the beginning and fight for the corner office. I mean, I think maybe it’s better that I don’t get the top spot,” Diane says. LOVE to hear her admit this. I’m not sure I would’ve come to this conclusion on my own, and it sounds like it’s a bit more about how the writers like to write (you know, the “we love our characters to always be underdogs”) than Diane, but... you know what? I believe it. I fully believe it. Diane LOVES to fight, LOVES to feel like she’s in the right, LOVES power plays and to be making progress. She LOVES winning. The fact that she isn’t just choosing to retire right now, even though she’s past retirement age and has a great reputation, is in itself enough for me to believe that she would find it fun to repeatedly start over.

Plus, it’s a fun new direction for the show to take in season six, because they’ll get the same sense of conflict without the actual conflict. This season’s arc was firm drama and resulted in a firm name change... but it didn’t feel like a knock-off of Hitting the Fan. Diane trying to work her way back into power (I assume by becoming a better actual ally, otherwise doesn’t she just end up in the same exact situation?) should also provide conflict without being repetitive.

Hahahahahaha Kurt immediately reacting to this serious statement by being incredibly silly and horny and then Diane singing “I Touch Myself” to him, man, I love these two. I want to know the story behind this song choice.

Wackner emerges from his chambers. The score is tied. Wackner calls Cord corrupt and notes that they can’t just decide to call Downstate Illinois a new state based on his ruling. Now it’s thesis time!

“I was taken by Mr. Cord’s arguments of individualism. So much of our country has been built on people finding their own way, not being held back by bureaucracy. Yet, if we only follow individualism, that way lies chaos. And that was not the point of this court. Or at least not my point. Judgment for the defense. There will be no Downstate Illinois.”

“If we only follow individualism, that way lies chaos.” is probably the clearest of the many theses of this episode. To recap, we have:

(1) Factions are bad. (2) People are persuadable and the rules don’t actually matter. (3) Reality TV changes minds. (4) Institutions only exist when we collectively agree they exist (5) Individualism = chaos.

But let’s put a pin in this for now and let the chaos of individualism play out.

The crowd does not like Wackner’s decision, and decides that an appropriate way to express their displeasure is to make anti-Semitic remarks towards Marissa and then start throwing chairs. What nice people.

As the crowd goes totally 1/6 on Wackner’s court (thanks for pointing this out to me, Ryan—I cannot believe I didn’t make the connection myself!), the door slamming into the desk finally pays off since Marissa and Wackner are able to use it to keep the crowd from reaching them.

They immediately turn to the police, or they would, if they could get service. I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that as soon as things get bad, they want to involve the existing system.

Wackner Rules is, somehow, still taping in the midst of all the chaos. I don’t know if I think they’d air this, but someone certainly would. (I wonder if any of the cameras we see in these scenes are actually the cameras filming the other angles of the riot.)

Cord shakes his head and walks out, unharmed.

“You think they’ll kill us?” “I think they might,” Marissa and Wackner fret.

“My dad said the whole world would be a better place if everybody realized they were in the minority. ‘No matter where you are,’ he said, ‘Make sure you keep an eye on the exits, and make sure you’re closer to the exit than the Cossacks are to the entrance.’” Marissa says. Love Eli Gold coming through with thesis number 6 (and maybe thesis number 7).

“Your dad sounds a little paranoid,” Wackner says, correctly. Remember how I mentioned I accidentally wound up watching 5x22? Eli calls Alicia and responds to her hello with, “DISASTER!!!!” I miss him.

“He was, but he wasn’t wrong. He said, ‘Stay away from parades. They’re cute until they’re not. And don’t trust any pope who was Hitler Youth.” “What’s that law called?” “Godwin’s Law. My dad said anybody who argued for Godwin’s Law has never been near an actual crowd. Crowds love you, they hug you. Then they grab a gun and try to kill you.”

“Why? Why do they do that?” “I don’t know. Hate is fun. It’s clear-cut.”

I really like all of this. It is a little preachy, but it isn’t wrong and it’s self-aware. And, more importantly, it’s in character. I absolutely believe that Marissa would tell lots of stories about Eli in a moment of extreme stress. It’s nostalgic, probably comforting, and it also helps her feel like she’s on the right side with the right arguments. So, even backed into a corner, she’s still a winner: she has theory on her side.

Wackner speaks a foreign language (I do not know what language but I wish I did) and says, “A guy could get killed doing this,” which makes him and Marissa laugh as things crash around them.

Idk about you all, but I couldn’t really get myself to actually worry about their safety during this scene. Maybe Wackner’s, just a little, but I got the sense we were supposed to focus more on the chaos and destruction and monologuing than on the actual danger. That’s not to say the stakes didn’t feel high, but rather to say that this didn’t feel like an action sequence where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. The point was to watch the court fall and think about why it fell, not to worry about if Marissa would live.

Diane and Kurt are woken up by sirens and loud noises. The cops arrive and are shocked to find professionally dressed white people in a basement cell. They let Diane and Kurt out with compassion, but scream, “don’t you fucking move” to the people on the floor.

“It’s okay, they didn’t do anything,” Diane says. This is, as I theorized earlier, probably why Diane just sits there until her punishment blows over instead of escalating things.

If the cops weren’t there to free Diane, why were they there? Why, because they like David Cord and David Cord has gotten Chicago PD officers to protect Wackner’s IP.

If I had to say one thing in favor of Vinetta being the originator of the community court idea, it would be that it’s SUCH a gut punch to watch Diane and Kurt walk away from their bizarre little adventure as Vinetta gets arrested in the background, and it hits ten times as hard if Vinetta’s only being charged because some white guy is claiming IP that’s actually hers.

(I think Vinetta is probably, at this point, actually being arrested for imprisoning people illegally, but, still.)

“Pfft. Some judge,” one of the cops who adores Wackner says of Vinetta. Racist much?

Marissa and Wackner emerge from the backroom. “I think I better get back to work,” she says, meaning her RL job. "Me too,” Wackner says, grabbing a Copy Coop apron. He’s an employee of ten years.

I don’t think this lands as well as it’s meant to. I think the point is supposed to be that Wackner’s just some guy—not a billionaire, not an academic, not a judge, not a lawyer—with an idea. But it’s a little too neat. And it doesn’t explain how Wackner financed his court initially, nor does it explain why he has basically unlimited access to Copy Coop space and resources. I’d buy it if he were the OWNER of Copy Coop, but I have so many questions about him being an employee.

Diane tells Liz she’s actually going on vacation this time, and they laugh about how Kurt bonded with STRL.

“I want you and Allegra to be name partners. I’ll be an equity partner,” Diane says. “Why?” Liz asks. “Five years ago, when I hit rock bottom, this firm took me in. So I don’t like the idea of splitting this firm in two. And I can’t lead if no one will follow.” “And your clients?” “We’ll manage them together.” YES! I love this. I don’t love it because I necessarily think it had to go this way, but because it’s so refreshing to see Diane say that she actually is willing to take a step back because she cares about the firm and the people there more than she cares about being a name partner. This isn’t something we usually see. When we hear “this firm took x in” it’s usually being said incredulously against someone who’s decided to leave and steal clients (cough, Hitting the Fan, cough).

It’s been pretty clear for most of this arc that Diane and Liz like working together and they like their firm, but that no one (other than Diane, I guess) is willing to let RL lose its status as a black firm, and that the employees and equity partners weren’t going to be satisfied until Diane stepped down. Diane really had three options: Stay and piss everyone off and claim the whole firm for herself, quit and go somewhere else and totally abandon the good working dynamic she had, or step down and put her money where her mouth is.

Also yeah the clients were never actually going to be an issue! They were only an issue because Diane intentionally went about informing them she was stepping down in a way she knew would make them worry!

“I think I need to prove myself,” Diane says. I’m not sure that’s the key issue or that she can ever prove herself fully, but we’ll worry about that next year.

“I missed you,” Liz says. “I’m here,” Diane replies. “I know. Thank you,” Liz says.

Diane decides she’s going to move downstairs so Allegra can have her office. I think there’s another office on this floor, since she, Adrian and Liz all had offices. This feels a little bit like Diane’s in love with the idea of making things difficult for herself and maybe hasn’t fully grasped the point, but, you know, I’ll take it.

Diane tells Kurt her decision and he asks if it was the right thing to do. She says she doesn’t know—but she says it with a smile. Kurt notes he’s going hunting next month with the STRL folks and will put in a good word for her. Ah, yes, because STRL still controls all of this and all of this is moot! Thanks for the reminder Kurt! Diane says she wants in on the hunting trip. Of course.

And the elevator doors close. Remember how closing elevator doors was a motif earlier this season??? It’s back!

Then we get a little coda with Wackner Rules airing a new episode that’s just violence and destruction. This sequence seems to straddle the line between being there for thematic reasons for the viewers and there to show what happened in the show’s universe, but I think it’s main purpose is theme, so I will not go on a full rant questioning why Del would want to air this.

A white blonde lady in an apron watches the destruction of Wackner Rules. She looks concerned. “That was violet,” she says with dismay. And then we see she’s holding a guy in a jail cell in her kitchen.

And then we see other courts, as America the Beautiful plays. One’s in a garage debating kicking someone out of the neighborhood; another is across the street about the same case. There’s one in Oregon about secession. There’s one among Tiki Torch Nazis deciding only white people can own property. There’s (inexplicably) one about pronouns. There’s one with arm wrestling, one that happens while sky diving, and a bunch of others. It’s pretty ridiculous, and not necessarily in a good way. It feels at once like the natural extension of the Wackner Rules show and like an over the top parody you’d see on another show. Tiki Torch Nazis screaming “only white people can own property!” is the opposite of subtle writing. Tonally, this sequence feels more like the zany humor of Desperate Housewives or the insanity of BrainDead than anything TGF has done before (and TGF’s been plenty surreal), and it doesn’t quite work for me. It feels like it is trying to prove a point in the corniest, most on the nose way possible. It almost feels like it’s parodying its own plotlines.

On my first watch, this ending for Wackner left me stumped. I knew the writers were making an argument against individualism (Wackner’s speech + the repeated references to The Apprentice) and cults of personality. But I couldn’t figure out a real life analogue to Wackner’s court, and since this ending was so obviously trying to be About Something, that bugged me. Sure, that last sequence could be an argument against people making community courts, but WERE people making community courts? I didn’t see the urgency.

And then I talked to @mimeparadox. And as soon as he said that it was about factions and people playing by their own sets of rules beyond the justice system, it clicked. I’d been looking for Wackner’s plot to be a commentary on the legal system. It is much broader than that. It’s a commentary on the weakening of democratic systems (the Big Lie, etc.), more broadly, and Wackner and his common-sense approach are just a way to get liberal viewers to go along for the ride.

Now that I understand the point, or what I think is the point, I like this conclusion. Circumventing the system leads to chaos; that’s why we have institutions and bureaucracy, and I think the show is arguing that these institutions should still be respected despite their flaws. The many theses of this episode all come together to make this point (though the reality TV stuff is a little more tenuous and I'm a little shocked we got through all of this without any commentary on social media?): If we stop having a shared belief in institutions and instead follow individual leaders (whom we may learn about through reality TV), the rules will stop mattering and we’ll end up with a fractured country and widespread violence.

But, and maybe this is just about me being upset I missed both the obvious 1/6 parallels AND the point of the arc the first time through this episode (my defensive side feels the need to also note I first watched this episode at like 5 am when I was barely awake), I don’t know that I actually think this episode does a great job of driving its point home. There are SO many moving pieces to the Wackner plot and SO many references. There are so many threads we never return to from earlier in the season, and there’s so much that strains credulity (like Wackner taking Dr. Goat seriously for more than a split second). It’s pretty clear what the themes are—even though I’m saying I missed the point my first time through, I've hit on all these themes separately in past recaps and posts—but, I dunno, something about this episode just feels scattered. Maybe it’s all the moving pieces, maybe it’s all the moments where it sounds like the characters are voicing related ideas that don’t quite snap together to form one coherent picture, or maybe it’s that Wackner’s plot gets two endings (the actual ending + the coda) and it’s up to the viewer to put together how they relate.

I really don’t know. At the end of the day, I think there was a little too much going on with Wackner and that the writers needed to use the episodes between the private prison reveal and the finale to narrow—not broaden—the scope of what they were trying to do with Wackner. But I also think that what they were doing with Wackner was really, really smart and original. I don’t think I can overstate how impressed I am that the writers took an idea that sounded, frankly, awful when I first heard about it and turned it into something captivating and insightful that I was happy to spend nine weeks watching.

Overall, a few bad episodes aside, I thought season five was the strongest season of TGF yet. I haven’t seen this show be so focused in... well, maybe ever. Having two overarching plots that received consistent development and felt like they were happening in the same universe at the same time REALLY helps make season five feel like a coherent whole, and I can’t wait to rewatch it.

#tgf thoughts #the good fight

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inkykeiji · 3 years

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Hiii honey!!! I was a different anon who sent u blue moon motel and true love cafe by Nicole and trigger warnings didn’t even cross my mind either I’m so sorry about that! But I just wanted to say that the way that u described the feeling her music gives u is like very much so relatable. Her shit is very heavy and like kind of haunting??? And really beautiful at the same time. Idk happy u listened to her and enjoyed some though!! Have a wonderful rest of ur week bb!!

hello sweetpea!! ah YES i remember you!!! put my thoughts under a readmore becaaause they got a lil long ehehe <33

i gave both of those songs a listen and oH MY GOD i loved them!!! especially love the reference to clarence + alabama in blue moon motel <333 true romance is one of my absolute favourite films ever ever ever and i love their relationship so so so much <3

true love cafe i really loved because aaaah it reminded me of my boyfriend SO much and i just eeeee 🥺🥺🥺 we have a tradition to go to these dingy diners and get the same thing every single time (he gets a burger, i get their standard all day breakfast) and we always always always share a sundae for desert. if the diner doesn’t offer sundaes, we don’t go <3 so that song has come to mean a lot to me in a VERY short time ahahaha

but no for real, i’m so in love with her art. like, SO in love with it. i’m not gonna ramble on again about the way she manages to capture rural ontario’s WEIRD vibe (because i swear i could go on forever about this, literally have not found another artist in ANY medium able to capture those feelings ugh i can’t even DESCRIBE IT), and there are still a lot of her songs that hit a little too close to home for me—which, again, isn’t BAD, just raw and real and i have to be mindful of when i listen to them + the mood/mindset that i’m in BUT YESSSSS i am in love and in awe of her work. like i said, in my opinion it is just as important to find art that makes you feel so intensely as it is to find art that helps you escape (both being SAFE, tho!! like obv if i’m feeling really low + in the middle of an episode i’m not gonna go throw on nicole because that would be self destructive ahahah)

no need for apologies, i promise you there would’ve been NO way to prepare me for what her music was gonna make me feel, and there absolutely would’ve been no way for you to anticipate that!!! it’s all good <33 YEAH literally the embodiment of ‘hauntingly beautiful’!!! aww thank you, you too!!!

#i also keep finding little tidbits of information out about her and it's SCARY how much we have in common #like she also went to film school??? like i did??? she dropped out but i KNEW SHE was a cinephile there's just too many film references in #her work!!!#also was a metal head in high school (so was i lmao)#i think we'd get along well #OR we're too similar #idk!!!#but i'd like to believe we'd get along well ahahaha #ANYWAY ANON I AM RAMBLING YET AGAIN thank u for recommending these songs i loved them both!!!! and i'm glad you came back so i could tell u #my thoughts directly ehehe #please stay safe out there friend!! <33 #sweet anon 🥺#clari gets mail #queuetin tarantino

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crazybutcutecatlady · 5 years

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Hello! This is my first ff, so I hope you like it! It’s complete Jin fluff, maybe a bit of angst? If you squint really hard, you may see it. I did give it a title image, but the photograph itself is not mine. Also, any feedback would be welcome! Enjoy!

Jin x reader (Oneshot) Fluff 3K word count

The chill of September had just started to settle in, leaves had begun to alter their hues just a week or two ago, and new winds blew the blazing canopies from their lofty perches. You had just got off work three hours ago. You washed away the day’s stress and changed into full fall cozy attire. A soft, dense burnt orange sweater, brown leggings and thick, fluffy fox socks to top it off. Indulging in the clean autumn vibes, you make yourself a cup of your favorite tea, grab your favorite book, and the most fitting blanket. You’ve barely settled in when you hear an unfamiliar engine roar outside.

Typically, your neighborhood is very quiet, and most residents opt for public transportation rather than a vehicle of their own. Highly curious, you peek out of the window to peek at the machine. A G-Wagon was parked outside your door, its light pink paint being just as loud as the engine, highly contrasting the old, traditional Korean architecture that surrounds it. A corresponding pink hat came bobbing out the car and towards your door. Rolling your eyes, you strode over to the door, opening it just before your star-eyed lover could knock on the door. His pink sweater paw hung in the air as he looked at you in slight bewilderment.

“So, are you keeping things color-themed today?” You teased. He looked you up and down before cocking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, but I’m not alone, “he playfully retorted. You chortled before reaching up and wrapping your arms around his neck, giving him a little peck on his soft lips before sinking back down on your heels. You pulled back confused though, there were so many strange elements to this sudden event.

“What brings you here, Jinnie? You didn’t call or anything. And what’s with-”

“Surprise!” He exclaimed, “We’re going on a date! Go grab warmer clothes and as many blankets as you can, ok?”

“Wait, wait, wait! What’s with the car? What happened to the Lamborghini?!?”

“The Lamborghini wouldn’t work for what I’ve got planned, so I bought this.”

“What?!? Jin, real-“

“Yes, really. Trust me, it’ll be perfect. Perfect for my princess <3 Now go grab your stuff!” With that, he placed a warm kiss on your head and turned to the car. You stood there for a moment, in a daze, when you heard him call out, “Warm clothes! I mean it!”

You turned with a huff, finding his extravagance annoying and amusing at the same time. But once he has his mind set on something, whether it’s a goal, an aesthetic, or anything, he’ll stop at nothing to see it executed perfectly. Sometimes the most you could do was shake your head and hang on for the ride. You slipped a pair of jeans over your leggings, grabbed a coat, grabbed several blankets, and put on a pair of boots. Considering the weather hasn’t reached full winter, you thought you might be overdressed, but then again, Jin warned you to dress warmly and he usually says exactly what he means. You poured your tea into a travel mug and waddled your way towards the door, the big load making you clumsier than ever. Getting impatient, Jin made his way back to the door and was greeted by the sight of you trying to balance several blankets, your coat, and a hot cup of tea. He broke out into a grin and leaned his tall frame on the doorway.

“Need some help, love?” he taunted. You barely managed to give him a pout over the blankets in response. He laughed before taking several blankets from you, as well as a firm kiss.

“This date better be damn good,” you huffed.

“Trust me, my love, it’ll be worth it,” he promised, the look in his eye warming as he took in your bundled-up figure.

You throw the blankets in the backseat and tried to peer around to see what he was up to. Before you could make out anything besides the massive pile of blankets and pillows he pulled you back by your waist with a tut. He threw the blankets past you and pulled you closer.

“Don’t ruin the surprise, sweetie! Upfront you go!” He said as he steered you to the passenger side, landing a little smack on your butt. You turned at him indignantly, only to feel his lush lips crash into yours. He pressed you against the cool car door, his lips softening and deepening the kiss till your lungs burned for air. When he finally broke free he buried his face in your neck and inhaled deeply. Pulling back, you could see a flame in his dark eyes as well as a satisfied smile on his flushed lips.

“Been thinking of that all day,” he said with a dark chuckle. Walking away towards the driver’s side, leaving you stunned, you heard him call out,

“Ah, aren’t you lucky?!? Having such a handsome and romantic man by your side?!?”

You both climbed into the car, giggling. Just before you clicked your seatbelt in you leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. He poured out all his sweet affection as he gazed back at you.

“I am so, so, lucky. I love you, my handsome man,” you admitted once more. No matter how many times you say it, you mean it fully every time. The raw tenderness of the moment thickened the air, till it was nearly suffocating.

“You forgot “romantic”, love,” he prodded with a taunting smile, cutting the tension in half. You shoved him back, laughing. His smirk grew into a cheeky grin, wide and heartfelt. He settled into the driver’s seat and pulled the car out of park.

“I can’t wait to show you what I have planned.”

The drive stretched into the evening. The sun was lowering itself towards the horizon, staining the clouds overhead, and a sweet chill settled throughout the air. The ride was peaceful with gentle music and contentment filling up the car. You watched as the suburbs waned into rural areas, till finally, you were in the palms of nature. The road you had taken stretched up and over the expanse of the mountains. You understood why Jin wanted the G Wagon now. The Lamborghini wouldn’t have been able to handle these overgrown dirt roads.

Despite the slight jarring of the road, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Every turn had the sun shifting between the flushed crowns of the towering trees, casting a new perspective throughout the expansive woods. The road wound up and down, around and between the folds of the mountains. Eventually, the road passed between two peaks and descended into a deep valley, free from the touch of humanity. Still, Jin drove further before pulling off the main path. You were slightly alarmed but too curious to question him. Not far from the road was a small clearing, filled with tall grass and resistant flowers, encircled by a ring of fiery trees. Jin pulled the car around so that the back of the car was facing the clearing.

“Stay right here, and no peeking!” Jin said as he began grabbing things and clamoring out of the car.

“What happens if I peek?” you asked with feigned innocence. His head popped around the corner, his eyes were dark and ominous. Altogether, the image was an adorable collage of contradictions. His serious glare contrasting the tufts of dark hair that peaked out if his pink hat, his strong athletic figure hidden under a corresponding large pink hoodie, and the brightness of the pink against the dim and withering outdoors. He reached over grabbed your chin and pulled you towards him.

“If you peek, I will not share the wine I bought for us,” he threatened in a low voice. Your eyes lit up.

“You got us wine?!?” You exclaimed. Jin always knew where to find the best wine. Never once has his taste failed you! It seemed he always knew what you were craving and what paired with the meal best. He dropped his head with a sigh, mentally kicking himself for giving you too much information. But when he lifted his head and looked into your shimmering, anticipating eyes, he lost any sense of negativity.

“Of course I got us wine! I’m the most romantic man in this country, if not the world! How could you forget my virtues so easily?” He whined. Laughing at his antics you asked, “Did you bring roses as well?” with a tease. He looked you dead in the eye before grabbing a rose bouquet from the back. With a cock of his eyebrow, he handed them to you as you stared back in delighted shock.

“It would be unforgivable if I didn’t, beautiful. Can you even imagine it? Me? Forgetting to bring roses? Absurd! Did my princess forget who she’s with?” His rambling left you in a fit of laughter as you took the roses from him. He smiled softly before pinching your cheek. “It’ll be just a second, love.”

You sat back and listened to him positioning things and rustling around, fighting the increasing need to give just one backward glance. Instead, you finished off your tea and focused on the sickly-sweet scent of the roses. A minute or two later Jin opens your door and offers you his hand. You take it with a smile that causes his heart to flutter. Hopping out of the car, he guides you towards the trunk, presenting the most beautiful and endearing sight.

The backseats had been removed, giving enough room to lounge comfortably together. The bed of the car had a thick pillow-like blanket over it, and the sides were lined with pillows. The trunk door hung over you with fairy light strewn all over it, reaching all around the upper interior of the car. An open picnic basket filled with hot food and thermostats sat in the middle with a bottle of your favorite wine placed strategically in front. You gasp, unable to close your mouth and unable to stop smiling. Tears welled up in your eyes as you drank it all in. Meanwhile, Jin was eagerly drinking in your reaction, heart-swelling at your glistening eyes. He turned you towards him by your waist, your eyes a little slower to follow. But once they’re on him the whole world seems to pale in comparison. He leaned in and kissed you affectionately, engulfing your lips with his. His arms coiled tightly around the curve of your waist as you reached up and over his broad shoulders, wrapping your arms around his neck. You both stayed like this for a minute, completely satisfied to just hold one another for a little while. When he pulled away you breathed out, “Jin this is perfect.”

“Did you expect anything less from me, princess? “he said with a breathy laugh, “Go ahead. Get comfortable,” he said as he nudged you towards the trunk, following in close pursuit. He laughed as you excitedly hopped into the back like a child.

Time streaked by as you two dined on Jin’s homemade dishes and slowly emptied the wine bottle. You talked in between bites, sharing secrets and small proclamations of love. The sun had all but entirely disappeared over the horizon before Jin pushed the basket away, grabbing a case of fresh cookies and thermostats of hot chocolate. The two of you snuggled, nibbled, and sipped as you watched the stars come out of hiding. Eventually, time was lost on you two. An endless sea of stars stretched overhead as you two discussed the wonders and possibilities of the universe.

“Jin, do you think we knew each other in a past life?” You questioned dreamingly. He turned towards you, drinking in your image and your presence, wondering how he could’ve survived any life without you.

“I’m not sure. If we did, I don’t think you could ever forget me” he said bluntly, causing you to scoff before he could finish, “I know I sure as hell could never forget you.”

You froze slightly before looking up into his eyes, with your own resembling an owl. They bore down on you, dark, strong, intense, and completely certain. The next thing you knew, you were bound in his arms, seeing nothing but fireworks as he pressed his lips further than before. His tongue gently worked its way into your mouth, hypnotizing you completely as you melt into his arms. The make-out session intensifies, till you’re both tired and out of breath. Tipsy from the wine and each other, you both opt to snuggle close to each other for a cozy nap under the stars.

Hours had passed before the extreme cold woke both of your shivering figures. Jin sat up, wincing at the soreness over his body. You followed with a similar grimace, trying to comprehend your surroundings. You both had fallen asleep in each other embrace, but as the night stretched on and the temperatures dropped, not even your body heat could fight off the bitter cold. The blankets were stiff too. In fact, upon closer examination, you could plainly see the frost that coated the blankets and matted your hair as well as Jin’s.

Had the cold not turned you miserable, the scene would have been breathtaking. It was the first frost of the season, and it had certainly set a standard for the approaching winter. The frost had taken hold over the clearing, claiming the last few standing flowers and weighing down the tall grass. Your combined breath hung like clouds in the still air, the silvery full moon casting an ethereal glow over the motionless woods.

Jin pulled himself out of the trunk with a mumbled curse. He unfolded his height and tried to stretch the stiffness from his muscles, earning and even deeper contortion of pain. He turned and pulled you out of the trunk, your muscles refusing to cooperate. Once you finally stood up, he shook out a blanket and wrapped it around you. He guided your sleepy figure towards the passenger seat and tucked you in. He made sure everything was packed up and then carefully drove out of the valley.

You woke up in your bed with Jin snuggled close beside you. You could barely recall getting home. Your throat was tight, your head was throbbing, and your lungs were burning. Soon you began to notice that Jin’s breathing was uneven, and his skin was flaring. Sweat was clinging to the both of you, and your body trembled in protest as you made a slow effort to get up. You gingerly walked towards the kitchen, making a hot porridge and honey-heavy tea for both of you. When you came back, JIn was tossing and turning with his fever. You set the breakfast down, hurrying to grab a cold rag for him. As soon as you placed it on his head he began to calm down. You slowly ate your breakfast, trying not to push your stomach too far. The tea helped immensely.

You were just about finished when Jin woke up. His breath grew shorter as he pulled himself up, looking around confusedly with the cool rag dropped into his lap. He was still horribly stiff and aching. You rushed over to him, gently cupping his cheeks. His frown deepening in your palms as he took in your own fevered expression.

“Jinnie, baby, how are you feeling?” You asked worriedly. He lowered his face into your palms, hiding his face before mumbling, “I ruined everything, didn’t I?”

You looked at him confused. Your hands drifted to the back of his neck and over his thigh as you lowered your head, trying to catch his eye.

“No, no, no, my love! Mi amore, how could you even think that?!?” You dotingly exclaimed. His head snapped up in an irate response.

“I should’ve taken you home!” He said as loud as his raspy voice would allow. It caused you to flinch. Upon seeing that he lowered his head and voice again, “Instead, I let us sleep in the freezing cold. And now, you’re sick. Because of me.” He bemoaned. You tutted before pulling his large frame against you.

“Jin, last night was perfect. I wouldn’t change one second of it,” you reassured him as you caressed his hair and rubbed out one of his shoulders, “We were both tired and tipsy. It’s ok,” before he could defend his guilt you added, “Plus, I’m already feeling better! Eat your breakfast and drink your tea, it’ll help. And when you’re ready, we’ll soak in the bath together, mmk?”

A pair of deep dark puppy eyes looked up at you before a mumbled “ok” passed his swollen lips. You pressed a kiss to his head and squeezed his shoulder before getting up to draw your bath. In a couple of minutes, he had finished his breakfast, feeling better as promised, and you had a steaming aromatic bath ready for the both of you.

He slowly entered the bathroom, guilt still evident on his face. You smiled at him lovingly, pretending to lean in for a kiss before pulling his shirt over his head. He became less tense with your antics and pressed you to the wall, reclaiming the kiss with a smile. You returned the smiley kiss with one hand pressed on his firm chest and the other sliding up to cup the nape of his neck. Your grin widened as he pulled back.

“You know, even when sick you’re still my Mr. Worldwide Handsome.”

“I thought I was the Dorito Man?” He said with a quirk of his eyebrow and a small crooked smile. You hummed with a gentle smile and gave a small nod.

“Yeah, that too.” You said matter of fact-ly.

He laughed softly before he began stripping you down. Before long, the bathroom floor was covered in scattered clothes. The two of you were snuggled against each other in the bath, tracing images on each other’s skin while exchanging jokes and kisses.

#jin #seokjin fluff #bts seokjin #bts fluff #oneshot #seokjin oneshot #seokjin boyfriend au #jin fluff #jin one shot #jin ff #seokjin ff #my fiction #my first fic ever #my first fanfic #my imagines #boyfriend au #3k words

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littlelottiethethottie · 5 years

Text

Jin X Reader The First Frost

“So, are you keeping things color-themed today?” You teased. He looked you up and down before cocking an eyebrow.

“What brings you here, Jinnie? You didn’t call or anything. And what’s with-”

“Surprise!” He exclaimed, “We’re going on a date! Go grab warmer clothes and as many blankets as you can, ok?”

“Wait, wait, wait! What’s with the car? What happened to the Lamborghini?!?”

“The Lamborghini wouldn’t work for what I’ve got planned, so I bought this.”

“What?!? Jin, real-“

“Need some help, love?” he taunted. You barely managed to give him a pout over the blankets in response. He laughed before taking several blankets from you, as well as a firm kiss.

“This date better be damn good,” you huffed.

“Trust me, my love, it’ll be worth it,” he promised, the look in his eye warming as he took in your bundled-up figure.

“Been thinking of that all day,” he said with a dark chuckle. Walking away towards the driver’s side, leaving you stunned, you heard him call out,

“Ah, aren’t you lucky?!? Having such a handsome and romantic man by your side?!?”

You both climbed into the car, giggling. Just before you clicked your seatbelt in you leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. He poured out all his sweet affection as he gazed back at you.

“I can’t wait to show you what I have planned.”

“Stay right here, and no peeking!” Jin said as he began grabbing things and clamoring out of the car.

“If you peek, I will not share the wine I bought for us,” he threatened in a low voice. Your eyes lit up.

“Did you expect anything less from me, princess?“ he said with a breathy laugh, “Go ahead. Get comfortable,” he said as he nudged you towards the trunk, following in close pursuit. He laughed as you excitedly hopped into the back like a child.

“I’m not sure. If we did, I don’t think you could ever forget me” he said bluntly, causing you to scoff before he could finish, “I know I sure as hell could never forget you.”

Jin pulled himself out of the trunk with a mumbled curse. He unfolded his height and tried to stretch the stiffness from his muscles, earning an even deeper contortion of pain. He turned and pulled you out of the trunk, your muscles refusing to cooperate. Once you finally stood up, he shook out a blanket and wrapped it around you. He guided your sleepy figure towards the passenger seat and tucked you in. He made sure everything was packed up and then carefully drove out of the valley.

You were just about finished when Jin woke up. His breath grew shorter as he pulled himself up, looking around confusedly when the cool rag dropped into his lap. He was still horribly stiff and aching. You rushed over to him, gently cupping his cheeks. His frown deepening in your palms as he took in your own fevered expression.

“Jinnie, baby, how are you feeling?” You asked worriedly. He lowered his face into your palms, hiding his face before mumbling, “I ruined everything, didn’t I?”

You looked at him confused. Your hands drifted to the back of his neck and over his thigh as you lowered your head, trying to catch his eye.

“No, no, no, my love! Mi amore, how could you even think that?!?” You dotingly exclaimed. His head snapped up in an irate response.

“You know, even when sick you’re still my Mr. Worldwide Handsome.”

“I thought I was the Dorito Man?” He said with a quirk of his eyebrow and a small crooked smile. You hummed with a gentle smile and gave a small nod.

“Yeah, that too.” You said matter of fact-ly.

#jin #seokjin #seokjin ff #jin ff #jin fluff #seokjin fluff #seokjin fanfic #jin fanfic #seokjin one shot #jin one shot #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts fluff #seokjin boyfriend au #boyfriend au #my fic #my first fic

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fanfictionandmore · 5 years

Text

The Dueling Professor | Gellert Grindelwald

Chapter One | An Ilvermorny Girl in a Hogwarts World

Sapphire's POV:

'Merlin help me!' I thought inside of my head as the Hogwarts Express appeared in front of me. I was a little shook up about having to run at a seemingly solid wall to reach a magical platform. The place was filled with witches and wizards, sending their children off to school. My parents didn't come along even thought it's my first year at Hogwarts. I'm not a first year student, though; I'm actually going into my sixth year of magical learning.

It's just... my parents and I had to move to England due to a job offer they had accepted. I was proud of them, especially since it took them so long to actually make a name for themselves as Aurors. The Ministry of Magic were impressed by their skills, and wanted them to join their team. In a way I sort of hoped I could have stayed with my aunt and uncle, so I could continue my learning at Ilvermorny. But... on the other hand... maybe it was best that I was going to a new school.

Maybe this fresh new start is exactly what I need. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I rolled my trolley up to the loading dock and then quickly boarded the train. 'I hope I get a compartment all to myself.' I said inside of my head, but I doubted that was going to happen. To my surprise I actually found an empty compartment and hurried inside before someone else could take it. 'I wonder if my professors are gonna be nice... I hope they're nice.' I said inside of my head as I settled in my seat.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone so I could plug my headphones into it. A couple of years ago I ended up charming my phone so I could listen to music while I was at school; I'm probably the only person in the wizarding world with a cellphone, and the only no-maj with a phone that has endless battery life. I scrolled through my extremely long song list in search of a song to listen to. After a few minutes I finally ended up choosing Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. Suddenly, the train started moving. Honestly, I was shocked that someone hadn't opened the door and asked if they could sit in here with me.

I guess no one really likes sitting with strange people from America. I smirked in amusement at the thought as I stared out of the window and focused on the music I was listening to. Before long, the urban scenery faded into more rural areas. It was actually very beautiful. My stomach started growling slightly, and a snack trolley came by as if on cue. "Anything from the trolley, dear?" An elderly looking woman asked me curiously.

I took an ear bud out and got up to get a couple chocolate frogs and licorice wands. As I ate the snacks I had bought I went back to zoning out. That's when I decided I probably should read something so I didn't fall asleep. I shut my phone off and put it away before reaching into my school bag to retrieve the current book I was reading. By the time I read a couple of chapters it was time to change into my robes.

Unlike the ones I had to wear at Ilvermorny, these ones were black. I actually liked that better than the blue ones we were issued back in America. After I was dressed I sat back down and continued reading. But I still made a few alterations to my uniform; I got a pair of pants rather than a skirt. Skirts and dresses never were my thing, and I hoped that the headmaster didn't mind me wearing pants instead.

Especially since I'd rather be expelled than wear a stupid skirt. The ride on the train was quite lonely, but I didn't mind. It gave me the time to read quietly and clear my head a bit. On top of everything else I was nervous about, I was terrified which house I was going to be sorted in. In the letter I received from Hogwarts, it stated that they had four different houses I could he sorted in just like Ilvermorny.

I had the options of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Both of my parents said they think I'll be placed in Ravenclaw, but I wasn't too sure. I was a Pukwudgie at Ilvermorny; I kinda thought I might be placed in Hufflepuff. All I hoped for is that people would be kind to me in whatever house I was sorted in. The sky outside had been dark for about an hour before the train started slowing down.

That's when the nerves really kicked in. Once we were completely stopped, the doors started opening and students filled the small hallway. I was near the back of the train, which meant I was the last one to get off, but I didn't mind. It meant I didn't have to cut through all of the chaos. When I finally got off of the train, I filled my lungs with fresh cool air that calmed my nerves a bit.

"Miss Vander, I presume?" I heard a friendly British accent say. I looked to my right to see a woman with black hair that was tied up underneath a pointy hat. "Yes, that's me." I replied shyly. "Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please follow me; quickly now, or we won't make it to the Great Hall before everyone else does." She said as she ushered me into a large carriage. I only got a quick glimpse, but I noticed that the carriage was being pulled my a couple of thestrals. The two of us sat in silence as we were quickly taken up the path towards the school.

"So... how exactly will I be sorted into my Hogwarts house?" I asked her curiously, breaking the quiet atmosphere. "Right when we arrive, actually... hence the rush." She replied as she whipped one of the thestrals with a whip. I winced at the loud crack and nearly fell out of my seat when the carriage suddenly jolted forward. "Oh." I replied, not really sure what to say. A part of me breathed a sigh or relief, because I really didn't wanna get sorted with the other first years; that would have just been embarrassing.

I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as we passed other carriages on our way. Some students started and pointed as we passed them up and it made me a little uncomfortable. When we came to a skidding stop, we hurried out of the carriage and she lead me through a set of large doors. I was amazed at how massive and grand it looked. I wondered if it looked as beautiful on the outside during the day.

'It probably does.' I said inside of my head. I followed professor McGonagall down a hallway to a large stone griffin. "Lemon Drops." She said before the griffin began to move upwards, revealing a set of steps that went up as well. She lead me up the stone steps, which lead to another doorway; this one was smaller than the other one though. A group of witches and wizards of all ages and sizes were staring at me when we walked into the room.

A bunch of metallic, mechanical looking objects were steaming, ticking, and clanking softly on a near by table. As I took in my surroundings I realized that I was standing in the headmaster's office. Professor McGonagall introduced me to professor Dumbledore who was holding an old and dusty looking hat. It was a muddy brown color, but there were signs to let you know the hat once was black. "Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Vander. Say hello to your heads of house professors." He said as he introduced them to me. Professor Sprout: Hufflepuff, professor Flitwick: Ravenclaw, professor McGonagall; Gryffindor, and professor Snape: Slytherin. Once introductions were over, Dumbledore asked me to take a seat before he placed the raggedy hat on my head.

"Ah, a mature mind for me to sink my teeth into." A whispy, yet gravely voice said inside of my head. It sort of scared me a bit, and I hoped no one noticed. "You have a bright mind, and a creative personality. A kind, yet damaged heart... and a thirst to prove yourself. Hmmm... this is a difficult one." The voice said, and my heart started pounding in my chest. I almost thought the hat had given up before he spoke up again. "Must be... Slytherin!!" He yelled, which surprised me.

My parents were wrong and so was I. The professors clapped happily, but professor Snape seemed to clap with the most enthusiasm. Dumbledore took the hat off of my head and clapped as well. "Very good. Very good indeed." He replied with a sparkle in his baby blue eyes. His dark hair and beard was a huge contrast to his light colored eyes. The Hogwarts crest on my robes suddenly changed to the Slytherin crest. 'I hope my parents don't mind that I'm a Slytherin.' I thought inside of my head.

Professor McGonagall and the others lead me towards the Great Hall. I wasn't surprised to find that half of the place was filled with students already. Professor Snape showed me which table I had to sit at and then left to follow the other teachers. I took a seat at the long table and made sure that I wasn't invading anyone's personal space. "So... you're the transfer from Ilvermorny, huh?" A male voice caught my attention.

I looked towards the direction the voice was coming from, and a bleach blond haired boy came into view. He had blue eyes, and he gave off the vibe of a spoiled rich kid. The kind that get zero love from their parents, but are loaded with money. "Yeah, I am." I replied. "Well, I'm glad you got placed in Slytherin rather than Gryffindor... even if you are an American." He said.

I wasn't quite sure if that was a complement or an insult, so I just sort of nodded and turned my attention elsewhere. I looked around and admired the beautiful stained glass windows, along with the amazing architecture. My eyes scanned the staff table and spotted a few professors that weren't in Dumbledore's office. One of them caught my attention more than the others. A man with spiked up bleach blond hair was sitting next to professor Snape.

I couldn't really see him too well, but his hair made him stand out more than anyone else. 'I wonder if I have any of his classes.' I said inside of my head. The first years began getting sorted, and I desperately hoped that it would move along quicker. My stomach was growling, and I didn't want anyone to hear it. When the sorting hat's song ended, Dumbledore stood up and began making a speech. Most of what he said were new guidelines and rules, etc, etc.

"I'd like all of you to welcome Sapphire Vander," He said, and I stood up so people would know who I am. But I quickly sat down after a few seconds. I just felt uncomfortable with everyone looking at me. "Please make her feel welcome here at Hogwarts." He said before he wrapped everything up. The table suddenly filled with plates and bowls of food. 'House elves.' I said inside of my head as I began filling my plate.

I remembered someone telling me that house elves prepare the food and clean the school at Ilvermorny, and I figured it was the same here. I ate and drank as much as I could without feeling miserable and uncomfortable. The whole time I was being asked questions about Ilvermorny, and it was kinda annoying. But at least people actually wanted to talk to me for once. I also noticed that students from other houses were glancing at me every once in a while.

Before long, we were dismissed from the Great Hall, and we followed the head boy and girl out into the hallway. As we did, I noticed that we had walked into the dungeons of the school. The head boy stopped in front of a moving portrait and said "Acromantula Venom." The portrait came apart from the wall and reveled a doorway. Apparently this was the Slytherin common room along with the boys and girls dorms. The place looked like my room at home.

Black furniture, taper candles, books, and skulls everywhere. It looked really cool, and I was suddenly glad that I was placed in this house. I went straight up to my dorm, which was all the way at the top of the stairs. The best part, is that I didn't have a roommate. I had the whole room all too myself. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed to listen to some music and draw a little in my sketchbook. After a while I got ready to go to bed, because I didn't wanna feel like a zombie when I woke up for my classes tomorrow morning.

++++++++++++++++++++ A/N: Thanks for reading!!

#gellert grindelwald #johnny depp #the crimes of grindelwald #fantastic beasts #oc #my ocs #draco malfoy #harry potter #slytherin #gryffindor #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #hogwarts #magic #wizards #witches #fanfic #fanfiction

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hornyorca · 7 years

Text

Of All The Phenomenon’s In The World.

Ragnarssons x Modern!Reader.

I blame FOB for my title length.

This is basically Vikings meets modern times with a little bit of the avengers thrown in. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life and I can’t even apologize for it.

I blame @cryogenik @kirah34 @dani-si for this. It’ll get to the fun stuff soon. don’t worry. I plan on there being lots of exploration if yOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

mostly @cryogenik. mostly.

warnings: cursing. i think that’s it.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid I can’t do that for you.” Flew between your lips for probably the thousandth time in a single hour, the dark circles under your eyes more prominent than when you forced yourself out of bed this morning.

Gladly enough, as your eyes rolled furthering into the back of your skull with each passing moment, you didn’t have a face to match the ungodly voice grinding through the phone, “Well, find me someone who can.”

Whoever was listening up above give you patience, because if you had strength, you might actually burn the entire building to the ground. Curling your hand into a fist, you slowly motioned punching the sleek black receiver on your desk as a punctuation to each word. “Again, he is in a meeting at the moment, and cannot come to the phone. I am not allowed to give out anymore information than that.”

There was a moment of silence, one that seemed blissful and sweet, but did not last long enough. “So, I can call back later then and he’ll be available?”

Your hands met in front of your face, palms together in a praying motion, and you almost hissed: “Yes.”

“Okay then, I’ll just call back later, I guess,” She sneered, and you silently gagged. “It would of been nice had you suggested it earlier instead of wasting my time, you know.”

The dial tone followed and for a moment you simply sat, legs spread improperly wide, forearms supporting yourself against the cold desk, and eyes unfocused on your CEO’s door. Several muted gestures flew from your hands at the phone, ripping your bluetooth off and chucking it in the trash can, and you began a slow breathing method.

“You know, that’s a 300 dollar piece of equipment,” Be damned with formalities, you didn’t even bother to turn your head.

“Mr. Stark — “

“Ah-ah, I’m sorry, who are you looking for?”

A little part of you died inside each time he made you do this, and you internally sobbed with both words. “Crimson Dynamo.”

“Continue,” Tony gestured, swiveling his hand around, and you vaguely noticed him tinkering with your Newton’s Cradle.

Inhaling deeply, you were finally frustrated to have enough courage to finally tell your boss exactly how you were feeling about everything you dealt with. “Look, I love being your assistant, I really do — “

“Of course you do.”

Ignoring that comment, you went on, “ — But I’m here to help you take care of business, not help throw turn down your one-night swings for you in the process!” There was no comment, and when you looked at him, his brown eyes were focused on the little contraption, and your fingers twitched. “Mr. Stark!” You pleaded, slamming your hands down on the table.

“Oh, I’m listening,” He assured you, not sparing you a glance, but his finger stopped poking. “Or does it bother you that I’m playing with my balls?”

There was a momentary pause before you leaned forward and swiped away the distraction, and dropping it in the trash. “And now they’re back where they belong.”

“Ouch,” Tony made a thoughtful look, his brown eyes looking sadly into the trash.

Your nails tapped on the desk, one following the other as you glanced down at the fancy watch on your wrist waiting for him to finish mourning his new loss. “How was the meeting that you refused to let me go to?” It was no secret that Tony Stark was Ironman anymore, and that meetings for the Avengers were held right in this tower, and it always crawled under your skin to be so close yet so far away from them.

Of course, you had met a few of them at a passing glance, got introduced, but you were a part of no official business. That didn’t stop a few of them from getting your phone number, much to Tony’s annoyance on how everyone tried to play with his toys.

He was such a child sometimes.

“Boyfriend break up with you?” A nonchalant response, completely irrelevant. You squinted at the screen, fingers pausing on your keyboard as you were slowly booking his next meeting that actually had to do with business you were a part of. “Goldfish die?” Each question made your brows furrow deeper as you slowly turned in your chair, looking at him like he had gone mad.

“What?”

His finger tapped his chin several times, analyzing gaze on you. “There’s got to be a reason you’re so bitter lately.”

Offended, you jerked back a bit. “I am not — “

Tony snapped, slowly pointing both fingers at you in a western gun shoot-out. “When was the last time you had a vacation.”

You could never remember a time in your life that you felt your emotions switch so much than when you were around him, this time suspicion came over you. “When did you become so generous.”

“See! Right there!” He exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger inches from your nose. “You’re going to ruin this company with your negative vibes, and we don’t have that here.”

Glancing around, you openly gestured to the fact it was basically only you and him on the entire floor, because he felt the need to have an entire floor for his office. “We?”

He nodded, suddenly setting a bag on the high-rise of your desk. “Exactly, and that’s why I got you this.” Rolling down the bag, he revealed a little Bonzai.

Slight disappointment came over your features as you looked at the tiny tree, a singular leaf on it’s branch. “Is this my vacation?”

“Close,” Tony began to explain, “It’s a hint that has to do with your vacation.”

“You’re... sending me to China?”

“No,” His finger pointed at the miniature plant, a million dollar grin cracking his face. “Think of what the Bonzai represents.”

“Peace? Serenity?”

“Yes, and yes. That’s your vacation — I mean, peace is what you millennial’s are all about these days, right?”

There was no amusement in your features. “Did you just call me a millennial?”

Stark’s hands drummed on the surface of your desk until he reached the very end. “I don’t wanna see you or hear from you for three weeks, got it? Or at least until positive emotions are seeping from your pores.”

“That’s disgusting to think about.”

“Three weeks!”

Your fingers danced along your steering wheel, eyes jumping around the area as your foot tapped in impatience at your GPS. “Please, turn around.” And you ripped it off your dash, flicking it into the back seat without a care, your car still parked on the side of the road. Giving your face one last rub with your hands, you put your car back in drive and floored it, not bothering to double-check if anyone was coming up behind you.

Of course, getting lost on your way home was a wonderful way to start your vacation. Apparently, your GPS, no matter how much money you had spent on it, didn’t know how to navigate around tons of road construction and unfortunately, that was the only way you knew home. It didn’t help with the rain pouring down either. You only hoped your house wasn’t flooded.

You lived in a little rural area outside of NYC, with the beach practically in your backyard. You’d been there for about two years now, Mr. Stark having moved you out of the motel you had been living in, since, in the time you started working for him your actual apartment was almost an hour away. A year later, he had followed you home one night, claiming it was an experiment on what normal people do after work, and after finding out where you lived, he gifted you with a set of keys the next day. At first, you refused them, until he informed you that the contract was already in your name and rent would be paid to him. The rent eventually came down to nothing, and you took care of everything for yourself.

You couldn’t lie, while your boss got on your nerves at times, that job was a god-sent gift, and you don’t even want to think of where you would be without it, or without him.

Groaning, the rain continued to pour, only coming in thicker waves as time went on, and by the time you arrived at your house, you couldn’t even see the drive way. Sitting for a moment, you looked around your car and slapped the steering wheel, throwing yourself back against the seat and crossing your arms. You honestly have had the worst day, and just wanted to go inside and go to sleep, and you kept telling yourself it could be worse.

It could be worse.

It is worse.

Jolting forward, your head barely brushed the steering wheel as it seemed like an earthquake shook the ground, and immediately the rain quit pouring, calming to a small drizzle. You stayed still, barely breathing as you stared idly out the blurry window. Through the running droplets, you vaguely made out dark colors on your property.

Oh God. Oh God.

So many things had happened in NYC, and yet you were living here, and this would probably be the moment you would regret it. You figured, being mixed up in the business of Tony Stark you would die at a young age, from something he would do, or someone would see you as leverage for a kidnapping. Clenching your eyes tight, you let out air in multiple spurts.

You thought you’d face a regular fate, like getting stabbed or shot by a mugger, or a crack addict, or being held hostage in a bank robbery. You know, the normal things that happen in big cities. Not have some HYDRA agent hunt down your ass, or some other-worldly mortal enemy of Tony, or god knows who.

Trying to calm down, you quietly mumbled to yourself, trying to tell yourself: “Maybe it’s just Thor visiting... or Loki... or something.” For some reason, the two Norse Gods had taken a quick liking to you, frequently talking to you and visiting when they had the time. But lately, Loki had not been coming around and Thor did not seem to willing to talk, so you were left to wonder and worry, but were assured he was still alive and well.

Not that you were sure that made you feel any better or worse.

Rubbing furiously at your face, you reached your free hand over to pop open the door, and your foot was immediately calf deep in water. Slight tears of frustration welled up in your eyes, but you shook them away as you didn’t give a damn anymore, climbing out the car. Though, when you looked towards your house, you saw five figures; one laying in the grass coughing and sputtering, another clutching his side as he looked off into the distance, a blonde laying on his back in the grass with his face covered, and the other two were holding onto each other.

Those definitely were not Thor or Loki.

Not to mention the fucking boat in your backyard.

Immediate panic rushed through you, gut dropping at the scene of them dressed up in what looked like ancient armor, axes strapped to their bodies. Wetting your drying lips, you slowly crouched down as none of them noticed you, glancing off down the road where your neighbor lived. Granted, he was the closest one and was about 4 miles down the road, but maybe if you tried hard enough you could get away. You grimaced thinking about escaping on foot, but judging by the risen water-level on the road, you had a feeling you wouldn’t make it far by your vehicle. It looked like you were lucky you made it home.

Wiping sweat from your forehead, you tried to calm your pounding heart and shaking hands that gripped the door of the car as you peaked around it. Though you wished you hadn’t — the figure on the ground aggressively pointed at you, yelling something that you weren’t sure you even wanted to understand, and two bulky figures began stalking towards you.

“Fuck me,” You breathed, taking off towards the flooded road on foot.

You’d feel better if you died trying to get away rather than not, even if that was an 70 dollar skirt.

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sofeyhh · 7 years

Text

Six Blind Dates

Protagonist: Min Yoongi Main Pairing: Yoonmin Ships: Yoonseok, Namjin, Namgi, Taegi, Yoonjin, Yoonkook Genre: Comedy, fluff, mild smut, semi angst

Summary: Min Yoongi has been a hermit during his first year in college; mostly keeping to himself, burying his head in his studies and holing up in the school’s radio station. Now that he’s entering his second year, his brother has been riling him up to get experimental, since it is college. So he joins a dating website, for men, and waits for his 6 blind dates.

Part 4 / ?

The ear-splitting sound of his alarm pierced in his ears like a thousand nails. It rudely tore him away from the comfy deep sleep he was in, making Yoongi groan into his pillow. He peers out of his puffy sleepy eyes to check the time.

6:05 am

“What the fuck!” Yoongi yells into his pillow. He lets out a deflated whimper as he frustratedly kicks around.

6:05 am is most definitely not a humane time to wake someone up. It was something only office workers and housewives did. So why the hell was he summoned at this goddamned hour?

Another screeching alarm goes off, this time a reminder on his phone. He lazily lifts up the screen to read. It said ‘Hike Date with Jung Hoseok. Be there at 7’ in white bubbly letters. Ah fuck, he thought.

His date had sent him a pinned location of a hiking trail along with the caption ‘7am! Don’t forget to set your alarm and to bring lots of water! Tomorrow’s gonna be fun!!’ Yoongi grimaces at the reminder of having to walk up a hill under the hot sun for at least an hour. His warm duvet cover pulled him back to dreamland, back to visions of swimming in a pile of money.

Swimming in a non-existent pile of dirty green paper sounded so much better than sweating under a hot ball of fire. And so he drifts back to sleep, mumbling an apology to his date. No one can come in between him and his sleep. No one. Yoongi could feel his body getting enveloped by the dollar bills, tugging him in like quicksand when suddenly his phone starts blaring in his ears.

“For fucking fuck’s sake of fucking fuck gods!” Yoongi bellowed as he tried killing his phone with his pillow. The repetitive hits did nothing to silence the damn device of course.

Tears were threatening to spill as he whines to himself. The gods above must love fucking him over. It was Sunday, and Sundays were meant for him to wake up at 5 pm, not bloody 6:07 am. He grudgingly picks up his phone, biting his tongue from wishing the person on the other line an early death.“Syubbbbbbbb!”

Of course. Of fucking course. If it there was one thing in the universe that was flipping him off, it would have to be his brother. It just had to. Yoongi puts on the loudspeaker and lets his phone fall from his hands, wondering how his brother managed to swallow Jim Carrey’s soul at 6:07 am. Oh right, it was currently 7:07 pm back in Korea.

“Are you ready for your date?!”

“Hyung,” Yoongi croaked. “How long have you known me?” He rubs his face, trying to get the sleepy haze out of his eyes.

“Uh...since you were born…?”

He rests his elbows on his knees and buries his face, muffling his voice while he chatted with his brother. “What’s the one thing you should know about me?”

It was a very easy question, and he had high hopes for his goldfish-brained brother to remember. Mind you, it has even been written down on his school profile by teachers and students alike.

“...you love your sleep?” his brother squeaks.

“Ah!” Yoongi exclaimed as he raises his arms. “Hallelujah hyung! You got the right answer for once.”

The silence over the phone could only mean his brother was busy rolling his eyes at Yoongi’s exaggeration. His brother’s next words made him want to physically row back to Korea and personally strangle him.

“Ok, but have you gotten ready for your date though?”Ok but have you gotten ready for your date though?”

---

Yoongi was already sweating just by walking from his car to the hiking area and it wasn’t even sunny out. He squinted and looked around while fidgeting in his clothes; also known as the sportiest outfit he could find in his closet. Namjoon had said that his upcoming date had a million-watt smile, not that he knew what that meant. A smile was just a smile, wasn’t it?

“Ahhhhh!”

The monstrous scream came before Yoongi was attacked by a bear - or at least he thought it was- almost getting down tackled down to the ground. It came out of nowhere, leaving him dazed while being stared at onlookers. Yoongi squirms out of the tight embrace, looking distressed by the sudden human contact.

“You’re Yoongi aren’t you?!”

In that second, he knew exactly what Namjoon meant. The boy’s smile could give the damn Sun a run for its money. It took a second for Yoongi to get his bearings as he calmly detaches himself from the walking ball of sunshine.

“I’m guessing you’re Jung Hoseok?” Yoongi asked with a timid smile.

“Eugh you sound like my Math teacher in High School,” his date cringes at his full name. “Hobi, if you will.”

Hobi, what a peculiar nickname, Yoongi thought. Then again, he had his brother calling him Syub and Yoongi still don't know where it came from. In all seriousness, the name Hobi weirdly suits his date’s personality. It had a tinge of adorableness, or back in Korea they’d called it aegyo, and an all around fun name.

With energetic motivations from Hobi, Yoongi managed to go through the hike without even once grumbling about the heat or the bugs colliding with his face every few seconds. There was something about the boy that Yoongi found comfort in. He always had a smile on and was so open about everything, even talking about his sexuality like it was no big deal despite the homophobia still going around.

“I guess it’s because my family’s pretty chill about everything so being gay wasn’t a big issue,” Hobi explained while walking backwards. “It was over dinner and I casually talked about liking dicks while eating Grandmama’s famous chilli. My parents were like ‘Yeah? Have you found anyone you like? Don’t forget to use protection Hoseokie. Even guys need to’.”

Yoongi blushes at his date’s brazen words. The topic of dicks at Grandmama’s famous chilli can never go hand in hand during his family dinners. He’d get an ass-kicking from his father just for saying the word ‘dick’. But he still had to give it to his parents for being accepting of their son’s sexuality. Not many Korean parents are particularly fond of their sons talking about wanting to ride dicks.

“What about you? You told your parents you’re gay yet?”

They reached the midpoint of the hiking trail where a crowd of people were busy gawking over a 3-story high waterfall. The narrow bridge was jam packed with sweaty hikers that Yoongi subconsciously retreated backwards. Him getting sweaty wasn’t something he fancies but being slathered by gross sweaty shoulders of other humans? Yeah, he would cut off his leg to avoid that at all cost.

Hobi chuckles when he sees Yoongi’s appalled expression. “C’mon,” he says, taking Yoongi’s hands as he leads them to a small path away from the bridge. Though, it could barely be considered a path.

“Trust me,” Hobi nods his head as he gestures for Yoongi to follow the steep path upwards into the dense forest. “It gets you a better view of the waterfall.”

With a reluctant heart, Yoongi treks up the dirt path, pulling onto tree trunks to support his non-existent arm muscles. Now was the time that he regrets not committing into the gym schedule he had drafted back in his first year. So much for wanting to get a six-pack.

“So?” Hobi huffs as they closer to the top. “Does your parents know?”

“Well, first of all, I’m not gay. Or, not officially one. I may consider myself a bisexual but I’m still experimenting. This is only my second date with a guy.”

Finally, after getting slapped in the face by multiple branches, Yoongi reaches the top. He collapses on a boulder and groans until he could feel the nerves coming back to his toes. His numerical age may be 21 but ever since he hit puberty, he’s been possessed by a hundred-year-old man.

“You’re adorable, baby,” Hobi chuckled as he slapped Yoongi’s ass.

His entire body tenses as the heat prickled up his neck. It took a while for Yoongi to register the ass slapping and the pet name calling. By the time he recovers from that sinful act, Hobi had already moved on as if nothing happened. He was sat at the edge of the cliff admiring the waterfall.

What the fuck, Yoongi thought. This guy is mental. He couldn’t come up with words to describe his date’s bold personality but he knew for sure it was so different from Namjoon’s. At the back of his head, he could hear his brother commenting on how this guy would be a good fuck. And surprisingly, he was a little turned on by the idea. He coughs away his dirty thoughts and takes a seat by Hobi.

“So what’s Korea like?” Hobi wondered out loud. “I was born there but my parents migrated when I was two so I’m pretty much clueless.”

Yoongi leans back, resting his head on the boulder as he mulled over Hobi’s question. “Korea’s....something else,” Yoongi sighed fondly. “Indescribable really.”

Hobi leans back and watches Yoongi with a smile. He could see the love for his native country in Yoongi’s eyes. America may be the country where dreams come true, but every foreign student he knows would always prefer their homeland over manufactured burgers and fries.

“I was born in Daegu, a rural city in the north. It’s surrounded by beautiful rocky mountains and can get really cold in the winter. But then we moved to Seoul after my dad got promoted to manage an office branch in the city. And it may be in the same country but Seoul’s vibe is a contrast to Daegu. Polar opposites even, like me and you,” Yoongi chuckled.

“Hey now, you know what they say, opposites attract. Like magnets,” Hobi piped up with a wink.

They spent the rest of the hour slopped in front of the giant boulder and admiring the waterfall. It was decided that they wouldn’t hike up the last half of trail after Yoongi groaned and whined, begging Hobi to have mercy on his old ass. The pair managed to forge a bond with blessings from the 3-story waterfall and the giant boulder. Yoongi came to find that they had a few things in common, but that didn’t change the fact that their personalities were on opposite ends of the scale.

On that Sunday, at 8:10am, Yoongi had one of the best laughs after a long time. His gruffy chortles boomed through the forest; even catching the attention of the people on the bridge. He realised that Hobi mirrored his brother perfectly. He was a jokester, he was crazy and he was loud. The thickness of his skin was no joke because this boy went all out to make a show for Yoongi without a hint of embarrassment.

“Be prepared Yoongs,” he said with a straight face as he pointed at Yoongi.

His phone was plugged into his portable speaker, blasting out a poppy girl song Yoongi was unfamiliar with. With passion, Hobi sticks out his ass, twirling it to the beat with a smirk on his face. Yoongi watched with his mouth hanging open as his date danced to the song with such precision. He hit every move at the right time without breaking a sweat, looking majestic as fuck. The song ended and Yoongi gave him the loudest applause followed by a standing ovation.

“You were bootylicious, for sure,” Yoongi teased, his gummy smile on full display as Hobi bowed dramatically.

The poppy music gave way to a trap beat as Hobi regained his composure. This time, Yoongi wailed a loud yes as he flails his arms around. He’d be lying if he said that this song wasn’t on the top of his playlist. As soon as the song started, Hobi switched from being a sassy ass-jiggling dancer to a sexy rapper. He rapped out the lyrics with full force, not holding back even once. It was a mind blowing switch that got Yoongi staring in awe.

“Yah...I didn’t know you can dance and rap! Fucking hell that was amazing!” he exclaimed.

Hobi chuckles as plops down. His breaths were irregular as he sucks in the much-needed oxygen. Yoongi’s eyes catch the trickle of sweat as it falls from his temple down to the corner of his lips. Without him realising, he lingers onto the sight of his date’s lips longer than necessary.

“Curious?”

Yoongi was startled out of his trance and comes to face with a smirking boy. He was rudely biting his lips as if knowing that it would make Yoongi’s lips dart out involuntarily. With red cheeks, he nods to answer. He had been pondering on how it would taste to kiss a boy ever since his date with Namjoon. Would it be rougher than a girl’s or just as soft? His heart started to race as Hobi leans in - this was it, he was about to find out.

It was electric. It was hot. It was heart-fluttering. And it felt soft and firm at the same time. Blood rushes up to his ears as the kiss picks up; it went from light hesitant kisses to a needier make-out. Yoongi feels Hobi’s hand brushing past his shoulders, up to his neck, tugging him closer. He lets out a small whimper, melting under his touch. His hand comes up to clutch at Hobi’s collar, pulling him above him as he feels the warmth of the ground on his back.

There was a possibility he might be a bottom.

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