blorg

welcome to the fuckshow

[dovetaiils]

@jxstiice​

it’s early --- that much is certain. nero is one to keep early mornings and late nights as his work calls for it and today is no exception. it’s barely dawn as nero starts his routine and gets in touch with the world, combing through the thousand threads he has in play at the moment. in one hand, he holds his coffee. his other hand skims across the morning paper, feeling the ink as he internalizes the information he’ll need for his business of the day. a buzz of his phone gets his attention, a notification from his preferred news provider, the headline catching his attention immediately. he recognizes these names. 

he gives a hum and a tsk, lowers his mug from his mouth, opens the article on his phone. a barely contained smile dawns on his face as he scrolls through the article, making his way towards their bedroom. “darling,” he calls out as he reaches the door. his voice is purposeful, a tone that he reserves to let ajax know that business is afoot. “i think it might be time to get in touch with that cousin of yours. he’s in the news this morning.” his steps seem to glide as he makes his way over to their bed, sitting on the edge of it as he tsks again, seemingly in pity this time. “oh, it seems as if someone can’t let that silly old case die down. they’ve... well. done something damaging.” his phone is set beside ajax, black letters damning his cousin with no doubt illegally obtained phone taps. “i think i know that journalist....” nero’s eyes trail off onto their new york skyline, bringing his coffee back to his mouth for another sip. 

[dovetaiils]

jxstiice‌.

the weight of her sigh could be felt, if anyone else had been in the office with her. at the moment, olivia was alone, glasses slid down the bridge of her nose as she read the witness statements again… and again, and even once more. she’d told lucy this was going to be a late night, but still olivia’s mind drifted to noah, long asleep by now. after a few more minutes, she puts the papers down and stares ahead as she ponders for a few more moments. she’s snapped away from her thoughts when she hears a knock at her office door.

“come on in,” she calls as she stands, minorly stretching a moment before crossing to the front of her desk. she removes her glasses and looks expectantly at the newcomer, a small smile on her face in greeting, “here with news, or to drag me out of here?”

“i don’t think i’m one to talk about needing to be dragged out of here,” john gives a small smile at his own joke, holding a file up as if to show her. “last of the paperwork here, boss.” it’s a joke, in his own munch way. he hasn’t worked here in a while, and yet --- he seems to be here more than at his own house. “fin asked me to run these up to you, you know how he is. ever the diva.” he brings the file over and sets it on her desk before sitting down in front of her, making himself comfortable. “senior citizens like me should be at home, but we gotta save the youth of today from making mistakes like this and missing out on valuable free time. have i taught you nothing?”

[dovetaiils]

[ text → @dovetaiils​ ]: are you okay ? [ text → rafael barba ]: i know you’re ok as in ‘not fatally injured’ but are you okay ?

[ text → Beatriz García ]: I appear to be fine. It was only my ear and my pride which were hurt. [ text → Beatriz García ]: As it turns out, muggers do not like New York City A.D.A.'s. Would you believe that?

[dovetaiils]

funkymysteries‌.

the moment he hears what happened , sonny feels his heart drop to his stomach. the st raphael medal burns against the skin of his chest. it takes a while to register that rafael had only been shot in the ear , by the time he has the whole story , his mind had already jumped through every possible scenario — each one worst than the last. he manages to catch up with him at the hospital — he only needed a few stitches. hands still shaking, he pulls the medal from under his shirt. “ here , ” he pulls it over his head , and holds it out for rafael to take. “ you obviously need this more than i do , since you’re out there … palling it up with muggers. ” [ @dovetaiils ]

apparently, everyone has heard about the mugging incident. and no one is ever going to let him live it down. he’s sighing hard as sonny accuses him of escalating the situation. it’s not something he’s particularly glad he did but he does live by his decision. he has to, apparently, given the part of his ear that’s been shot off. “don’t,” he says, softer than he means to. part of him honestly believes that the st. dominick necklace he feels warm against his skin is what caused him to be this lucky. “it was my ear, not my head,” and it’s not an admission of his belief in it but it’s the closest he’ll ever come. dignity shot but never dead, rafael straightens up in his seat, his voice level as he says, “keep it. i’m not taking it. i gave it to you for a reason.” and that reason will always be that sonny’s job is more dangerous than rafael’s, it always will be, no matter how much rafael taunts muggers. “did you come here just to scold me, carisi? if so, consider me well and truly scolded. downright shamed.”

[jxstiice]

throwback - 2015

[dovetaiils]

jxstiice‌.

[ @dovetaiils ] many of her friends had departed, but the normally-dedicated marine on leave was ready to enjoy herself a little bit more. sure there were times to drink overseas, but never in such a relaxed state, and certainly never with the face of makeup she had on now. no, but she sure liked being back in the city, asking for another shot of her favorite tequila that her favorite Queens bar had. she spotted one other late nighter, grinning as she settles against the bar next to Nick Amaro. her hair tumbles around her shoulders as she tilts her head, “you sticking it out late with me?” she asks as the bar tender arrives with her shot. she nudges her old friend next to her encouragingly as she nods to the bartender, who moves to get Nick a shot as well, “mira, I’ve been living off of shitty jack for too long now, this patron is everything,” she chuckles, and for all her talk of enjoying the patron, she’s still steady on her feet. she’s not interested in losing the night, or being miserable the next day. she just wants to have fun, in a way that’s impossible where she’s due to go back in a few short days. when the bartender comes back, she takes both shot glasses, offering him one hopefully, simply raising an eyebrow to him with a wide smile.

nick isn't a stranger to fun --- not by a long shot. it's made him more than able to keep his head in the face of copious amounts of alcohol, something he prides himself on; a talent of sorts. in the face of this night, the liquor has been free-flowing in the presence of old friends. now, with just the two of them left, he can feel the evening winding down. he gives ava a loose smile, painfully aware they’re nearing last call but finding it in himself to let that go and just enjoy the last scraps of the night. “i mean, do i have a choice?” he answers her first question with a question --- though, he’s sure she doesn’t need an answer to it: it’s a given by now that’s he’s all for sticking it out with ava. “mira,” he mimics her start of the sentence as he takes the shot from her hand. “you trying to get me drunk? is that what’s happenin’?” he gives a short shake of his head and raises his shot to toast with her. “salud.”

[rauleesparzaa]

“I admire your, uh-”

“Suicidal streak?”

[funkymysteries]

@dovetaiils

[dovetaiils]

“and since when do i need some culo abogado looking out for me?” she shoots at bea, instantly recognizing she was too harsh. she sighs and drinks, softening so her friend recognizes she didn’t want to fight ( sometimes a tough distinction with ava. ) after a moment, she relents, at least in that moment, “sí, lo sé… supongo.” [ @dovetaiils​ ] [ @funkymysteries​ ]

she raises an eyebrow as julián speaks, a small smirk at the first part. their distaste is similar, no one can deny that, and she does feel bad occasionally for piling it onto barba around bea… but then, it wasn’t like ava would be able to hide it for long. better to be up front about it. of course, she was also up front in the utter shock that spreads across her face at the next suggestion.

“uh, well, liv would probably fire my ass before i got three steps into the fuckin’ door,” she says quickly before pausing a moment. realistically, the lieutenant or a jury couldn’t prove it. sure, she was the cop with all the motive in the world but… if jules did it, it wasn’t like anyone would trace it to her. certainly he’d make sure no one traced it to him. her face went from shocked, slowly sinking into a more serious curiosity. she set down her wine glass and leaned in, “you serious right now?”

her defense of barba goes down just as she expected. he’s not exactly popular amongst her little circle ,  and while she’s disappointed in the verdict ( and the ada’s performance ) , she can’t not speak up for him. he’s not here to defend himself , so it just didn’t feel right to sit back and let them talk shit about him , even in their justified anger. “ look , i’m not saying he did that out of the goodness of his heart just to save our precious jobs , ” she glances at both , trying to make them understand , trying to get them to see both sides of this shitty equation. “ his job would’ve been on the line too , so yeah , he saved his own ass. but the defense could’ve found out how we got that. they could’ve walked anyway. ” it’s the sad , disappointing truth. the fact sometimes , it just didn’t matter. the bad guys could still get away with their crimes.

eyebrows raised , eyes darting between jules and the memory stick. she takes another sip of wine , considering his suggestion. she’s never been a risk taker , not like her friends , but this time , it might just be worth it. “ liv … ” she starts , measuring the words that come out of her lips. “ doesn’t know about the tape. ” she pauses , letting it sink in. she knows she’s practically giving them the go-ahead. not like they’re the kind of people who wait for permission anyway. she continues , answering the unspoken question in the air. “ i talked to barba. he’s not telling liv. ” sure , barba would know the leak came from either jules , ava , or bea. and he could still tell the lieutenant after the fact. but that was a problem for future beatriz. “ do it. ”

the moment ava speaks, he feels a pang go through him. doubt or dissuasion, he’s not sure but he stays quiet through it all. then bea brings up the amazing fact that ava’s claim has no basis. not only that, she encourages him. it makes him raise both eyebrows, chuckle out a laugh. “beatriz,” he says, scandalous tone bordering on incredulous. “that’s the spirit, huh?” he snatches the drive from its space, twirls it around his fingers like the world smallest drumstick. “leaks come from anonymous sources all the time. hand it over to the right people and... destiny takes over from there.” the way he looks out of the window at nothing but another brick wall would be poetic if not for the overly analytical tone he takes. “it’s not our call if a reporter uses it or not. we simply provide it at their own discretion.”

he looks back at his friends. “’course, you guys didn’t hear anything. plausible deniability or whatever a lawyer might say.” his smile is something wry, mischievous. up to no good. “what else is there to talk about? boys? girls? hell, how are your dogs?”

[dovetaiils]

@funkymysteries​.

he’s not entirely sure what julián means , but sonny still think it’s funny. hands on his hips , he leans forward slightly , releasing a loud , carefree belly laugh. he’s not drunk , not really. just a little tipsy. his limbs feel a little looser , his arms move around freely ( even more so than usual ) , gesturing wildly as he speaks. the champagne just makes him a little less aware of his general surroundings , and a little bit more aware of jules’ body suddenly coming into contact with his. he places his hands on the other’s arms — it’s a reflex — to steady him. and while there’s still a smile plastered on his face , he tries not to think much of it as he answers the question. “ i’m pretty sure i know where this is , ” he says , probably feeling more confident than he sounds ( and more confident than he should be ). “ le bain , right ? i think i’ve seen that around , i know where it is , ” he shrugs , makes a sort of ‘ tsk ’ sound with his mouth before pulling jules along with him. “ now c’mon , let’s go. ”

the way sonny steadies him makes something in julián’s head skip a thought. like a record player being thrown off its song from something bumping into it, jules feels his head go blank for a second. and he can’t react, doesn’t really get a change to think before he’s being whisked off into the night by the special victim unit’s cheeriest detective. then it all comes back to the fact that sonny’s still holding onto his arm. even though julián is very clearly steady on his feet now, not tripping over anything, sonny still pulls him along the sidewalk. it takes him a second before he asks, “oh, is it far?” and hopes to god that it doesn’t come off as dumbfounded as he feels. he’s still processing their contact, the way sonny’s fingers loop around his arm. any lower, they’d be holding hands; if he loosened his grip, they’d be linking arms. and they are, to a degree, elbows tangled together in some ungainly configuration. still, it’s charming. the contact fits the person who started it. though, technically, that’d be jules. but who dwells on technicalities like these, right?

[dovetaiils]

jxstiice‌.

ava shoots a wide-eyed look at rafael as he speaks, reveals who he is. if there wasn’t a gun in play here, she may very well have exploded with a flood of expletives, though there wouldn’t be much a reason then. ava moves with the man, putting herself between the gun and the lawyer, looking at the man with a deep warning in her eyes. by official military standards, she was deadly even without the gun at her waist, and in moments of threat she knew how to show it. [ @dovetaiils​ ]

“you want to stop. now man,” she speaks as she moves her hands to her back pocket – conveniently right next to her gun – and doesn’t pause in an attempt to distract him, “because this ends bad for you no matter what. just put that down and walk away, right now. hey, you got some problems? i get that, yeah, but we ain’t the ones you wanna hit tonight, so just–”

and then, everything happened in a rush. as he moved the gun to ava, clearly looking pissed that she talked so much, she revealed her own gun and put herself square between the a.d.a and the man. all at once, both are shouting to put the gun down, ava adding in her shouts proclaiming she’s a cop. as the sound of NYPD registered in the man, his eyes go wide. he moves, she tries to move with him, keenly aware that protecting rafael was the priority here. to the soldier, it was simple math. 

it’s pure chance that the gun goes off, and that fact is what ava ends up remembering above all else. she’s sharp, always has been, and she sees the man turn to run away from the cop. she also sees his ankle twist just too far. she sees his arm slip and the gun fire. the noise hits, and though she cursed herself for it hours later, she closed her eyes. she braced herself.

rafael doesn’t get to dwell on his mistake for too long because --- then ava is there, in front of him, risking her life like the great cop she is. and it’s all --- it’s so much. his mistake might cause ava’s death because she’s put herself here in front of him. she’s talking and rafael watches the thug’s face change, he can pinpoint the moment when the man has had enough of her. 

a second later, and it’s all shifted. ava finally identifies herself and the man gets spooked, rafael notices the way his eyes widen. he steps back, loses his footing, and --- his breath catches itself in his throat as he hears the gun go off. 

it’s deafening in his ears, makes him startle with the sound. he winces, the man falls on his back, yelping. rafael can’t tell if the shock has made a wound unidentifiable or if he was actually lucky enough not to be struck. his right ear is ringing with the sound and when he touches a hand to it, it comes back slick. blood. the tip of his ear is bleeding. he’s been nicked by the bullet, just barely inches from his head being blown clean off. his held breath leaves him in a few short gasps, stumbling back a few steps as a sense of relief fills him. his ear. his goddamn ear. 

[dovetaiils]

everything else i guess

° • ✧. • ◜ convos   →   john ◞ ° • ✧. • ◜ about   →   john ◞ ° • ✧. • ◜ convos   →   nicolas ◞ ° • ✧. • ◜ texts   →   nicolas ◞ ° • ✧. • ◜ about   →   nicolas ◞

[likecaskets]

[dovetaiils]

introducing… rudolph  ❝ rudy ❞ abernathy.

bio !

rudolph abernathy was born to the abernathys before they were ever married. he was the first of two other children.

rudy’s mother was a mechanic while his father was a librarian. as a child, rudy grew up with a great love of stories, a good knack for machines, and the forest for his backyard.

he’s always been adventurous, used to spend his afternoons exploring every inch of his sprawling backyard which never really ended, no matter how far he went.

his love for nature never waned as the years went by. at eighteen, rudy joined the national park services as a ranger for his nearest national park and loved every second of it. but even at his dream job, he felt restless. wanted to wander.

he asked for a transfer and ended up in a few different parks in the span of three years, never really satisfied with staying in one place too long.

during a stint in arizona, he got into the trade of firefighting and learning about types of fires in dry brush, containing it, procedures and protocols.

he ended up liking it more than he bargained for… which is what led to him quitting his job at the parks service and trying his hand out at firefighting.

from then on, he rolled from town to town making that his go-to, alternating it with parks services jobs as needed…

until one day the wind blew him into new york. he’d accumulated enough accolades and connections that he’s now a lieutenant for the fire department in manhattan

he’s only been around for a year at the most but it’s still one of his longest stops in a single town.

about !

rudy is a rolling stone. he never stays in one place too long and has been traveling across the united states basically since he was 21.

rides a motorcycle! takes very good care of it!

owns a dog! she’s a german shepherd and her name’s junebug and rudy takes a lot of pride in having trained her to like, obedience competition standards. they’ve never competed but he just liked having a well trained dog.

he puts junebug into a dog sidecar a lot. she has goggles and a helmet + bandana. pictures of her in it are p much All his camera is used for.

owns a cabin in upstate new york and stays there pretty much every time he’s free to drive up and enjoy nature. doesn’t hate the city but… he just likes the woods a lot better.

he’s very friendly, almost boisterous, kind of overly cheery, very chatty. could get on people’s nerves easily!

functional bisexual! star sign cancer!

pinterest here!

[likecaskets]

[dovetaiils]

introducing… rafael barba.

bio!

rafael was raised catholic into a cuban-american household with a caring mother, loving grandmother, a father which he still resents to this day. 

back in those early days, he had two best friends. they loved running around the south bronx, los tres mosqueteros del bronx. 

that he was always a smartass is known. he’s always been the mouth, too smart for his own good , too quick on the reply. he always had an answer for everything , always spoke like he had a point to prove.

overachiever is putting it lightly. control freak, maybe closer. all he knows is that being smart has always been easy to him.  

all that ease led him to being accepted into harvard. full ride. and with that mouth on him, was it ever a surprise that he wanted to be a lawyer?

for a while after law school , he found work in a private firm. pushed papers. looked over cases. helped others with their own lucrative work.

after that , he tries his luck at being an assistant district attorney. and that, that’s what he’s good at , putting offenders on trial. first , it’s brooklyn. 

he’s vicious , and his bosses know that. he’s relentless , knowledgeable , a dog with a bone , shark smelling blood. he’s good at his job.

a major scandal breaks , a few years into his brooklyn stint. government officials , district attorneys , almost all of manhattan’s most prominent figures , gone in a flash. swept up in the tide of something that started with mahattan’s little special victims unit.

if anything , rafael prides himself on recognizing opportunities and open doors where others see scandal and tragedy. 

he requests a lateral transfer. moves to manhattan without a second thought.

from there… the story tells itself. (except for the part where he resigned. obviously.)

zodiac sign: aquarius.

pinterest board here.

[likecaskets]

[dovetaiils]

introducing…   julián antonio ❝ jules ❞ valdez santiago.

bio!

julián was born to two wonderful mothers in brooklyn, where the three of them lived for all of julián’s childhood, albeit moving around the neighborhood a few times.

his childhood was normal, or so he thought. two loving parents, public school, he had friends… but still, the two mothers thing somehow gave people ammunition for bullying him. and he was bullied, for a while and well into middle and high school. though, julián developed thick skin for it all. had to, when he realized his own truths in life. 

his mothers were both successful in their own right. son of a public relations consultant and a graphic designer, julián grew up with an appreciation of both appearances and aesthetics. his mother, a graphic designer, worked with computers and was really the gateway for julián’s subsequent knack for computers.

by age twelve, thanks to his proximity with computers, he’s already familiar with most technological things. he had to be, in order to outsmart his moms when it came time to use the family computer, to override passwords and locks. to hide browsing history.

still, these were childish offenses. julián was definitely instilled with a strong sense of right and wrong as a child… but, as it turned out, not with a very good radar in the gray areas of it all. 

this comes to a head once julián becomes a hacker in his spare time when he’s 15 and gifted his first personal computer.

after that slippery slope into testing his limits and finding ways to get into secure locations.

he falls in with the right crowd on the wrong side of the law. his friends are punks, just like julián is. they’re hackers, too — but more than that, they’re hacktivists, using their skills to right wrongs in the world.

after a while of running with the crowd, of making them his new family, despite his loving one at home, it becomes a slipperier slope.

at first, it’s all for fun. then small rights in the world, outing big companies’ records.

then comes the stealing. the redistribution of wealth. the taking for their own gain. the world becomes twisted. julián knows well enough to know that it isn’t right.

and it all ends, as good and bad things do. only, julián is the one who drops the dime on his own crew. he rats them out. but — it’s only the organizers. the big wigs in their group. it goes sideways. falls flat when he gets arrested, too.

only, in interrogation, they know about him. they know julián was the one who told on them. so, they offer him an out, a job. a job he can’t refuse, a job he doesn’t mind taking. one with TARU.

for a while, they keep an eye on him. make sure he’s on their team.

and jules is, of course, always on the side of doing good. but every now and again, he feels the calling to the other side. feels the need to skirt around the laws, get places where he shouldn’t be.

and lately? lately, that call’s been getting louder. slope’s been getting slipperier.

only time will tell about julián, now.

pinterest here.