FOR SOMEONE WITH very little violent impulses (albeit growing since the possession), kate would very much like to wipe that smile off the taller brunette’s face. good thing darling didn’t reach out – wouldn’t have even tried to reel herself back in. don’t touch them. annoyance spikes, FLARES, red-hot and embarrassed at the implication. why does everyone always assume – you know what, she doesn’t need an answer to that.
❝ i’m sure you’d just love to know. ❞ keep it deadpan, don’t show anything resembling actual offense ! don’t make yourself weaker than you have to be.
❝ you always this nosy ? or are we just particularly unfortunate. ❞
❛ Oh? Are you Bonnie and Clyde then? ❜ The more … irate her company becomes, the brighter the gleam in her eye grows. So sue her — she lives for this, for stirring the pot when it suits her, getting a RISE out of anyone who’ll indulge her, and Darling has high hopes now. They make it far too easy for her to play with her food. ❛ There’s not too many of us in this line of work, y’know. Just thought you and I could both use a little girl talk. ❜ She pauses, tilting her head mockingly as her gaze flickers towards the Gecko brothers. ❛ Unless they handle that too? ❜ She breaks then, loud, brash laughter filtering out of her. ❛ OR there aren’t any dirty details. Be a shame. Easy on the eyes, aren’t you all? ❜
A SINGLE TIME TRADE one drive from her for double the money given to her son if it went well as well as a promise not to speak of any of this after wards . Not that she had much choice given her sons life hung in the balance of a dark world and a dark mans hands so she sat in the car uncomfortably glancing occasionally to the woman beside her . ❛ Y’all really let a kid drive you for the other heists ? ❜
Tone of voice similar to one use previous to the accident but an obvious note of worry in her voice although she would admit for the most part the girl seemed halfway decent .
❛ Assumin’ you’ve been doin’ this a long time , is Baby the youngest driver you’ve seen ? ❜
❝ Oh, Baby? ❞ She echoes in question, the faintest hint of amusement in the lilt of her voice as she plays at an innocence she hasn’t possessed in god knows HOW many years. She rubs her glossed lips together as she peers outside the windshield, eyes squinted at the passersby on the street. ❝ Mm, ❞ She hums, mock thoughtfully — as if the answer isn’t short and sweet, as if she doesn’t know it. She’s always been an instigator, though. ❝ Somethin’ like that. Why, you proud of him? ‘Cause you should be. He’s real talented. ❞ She drags the syllables on as she tilts her head, gaze falling askance — towards the blonde buckled in beside her, a glint of danger in Darling’s eyes when she speaks again. After all, the getaway driver’s the most important part of the job — their freedom depends on whoever’s behind that wheel. ❝ So — does he get it from you? ❞
MAYBE NOT HARDENED criminal, maybe not yet. something inside her still screams preacher’s daughter. face is still soft despite the newfound angles amaru forced out, petite frame isn’t so intimidating even with a gun in each hand. pink lips purse just slightly, not a fan of that kind of tone towards her or the geckos. but it’s no time to argue, just gives the tallest member of the trio a glance & speaks up. ❝ c’mon, richie. you heard the lady. ❞ beat. ❝ clean ‘em. ❞
There’s a moment of hesitation, his brow furrowed as if the man is ACTUALLY considering it — something that elicits a peal of genuine laughter out of her. ❝ That’s a good boy, ❞ Darling coos, half tempted to reach into his personal space, give his cheek a squeeze. What can she say? Buddy isn’t around to sate her boredom. But she manages to keep her hands to herself ; after all, it is three against one, if they do decide they mind their own space. ❝ So — who’s Bonnie and who’s Clyde? Do you all take turns? ❞
A soft, low ringing buzzed in his ears. Baby had heard this sound a hundred times before but it still gnawed on the inside of his temples.
Sitting in his chair at Doc’s ‘office’ wasn’t providing much sanity. His headphones had just been ripped out and tossed onto the floor. As expected, his encounters with Griff were not enjoyable. Baby had gotten used to the rough, bullying nature of a man who was clearly trying to make up for that lack of his intelligence. ( Well, this was one of Baby’s theories. They changed daily, though he figured he wasn’t far off ). But when he lost his music, he gained his tinnitus. He couldn’t drown it out when there was nothing to distract it.
Without saying much ( his expression could do the rest ), Baby slid from his chair so he could pick up his headphones. One of the earbuds was cracked and he let out a sigh. Something frustrated but not surprised. When he turned towards the trash he was also reaching into his jacket pocket. A new pair was produced while the old ones were discarded, off to see their maker.
He had become so routine. One iPod out, another iPod in. Old headphones out, new headphones in. Old sunglasses out, old sunglasses in. Maybe the crew bothered to notice and maybe they didn’t, but it never stopped Baby from following his order.
Her eyes were attracted to the fluidity of his motions, tracking them lazily as she reclined along the edge of the table, head tilting inquisitively each time his hand dipped downwards. Slitting, they observed how smooth and practiced a routine his seemed — not that Darling could imagine any routine would be terribly difficult to nail with how utterly predictable Griff was, even the very best of his insults barely registering in her mind through all her post-job boredom. To his credit, he wasn’t a threat — otherwise, they would have far more pressing issues than some small-time bullying.
Nonetheless, that was an issue.
She levered herself up onto the table, straightening as her eyes flashed. ❝ You’re not very fun at parties, are you, Griff? ❞ Darling purred, a touch of her usual teasing accenting her tone — however, something menacing belying it. It wouldn’t do them any good if he damaged their driver, her posture almost protective as she drifted towards the younger man. After all, he was oftentimes the only thing that stood between her, Buddy and the law.
❝ Don’t you know a good thing when you’ve got one? And Baby’s the best, aren’t you, Baby? ❞ It was rhetorical, more or less intended to put their fellow outlaw in his place. Not that she foresaw the boy answering. So long as he didn’t disagree. ❝ All of this is like a little PARTY, and he’s our DJ. I say we turn it up, don’t you? ❞ Hoisting herself up onto the small table in front of the driver, her brows rose, lips curling up into a mischievous smile, extending the challenge to him. When she spoke again, her voice was lowered, aimed only at him rather than as a show for the room as a whole. ❝ Got anything on there you’d dedicate to our guest over there? ❞
She recognizes the men, heard about their infamous string of jobs in years past, though there shouldn’t be recognition in their eyes — AND YET. She can’t say she’s heard much about the girl tagging along in their backseat, but for the moment she appears to be more hardened criminal than either of her … lackeys. ❝ Maybe you ought to tell the one with the glasses to clean ‘em. ❞ If her tone resembles a threat, it’s unintentional — mostly. ❝ Or I’ll make sure they get REAL messy. ❞ / @crossworn♥’d.
❝I got a song for everything.❞ Gaze follows wandering fingers, which are tiptoeing casually across the smooth tabletop, towards their unsuspecting victim in the form of his IPod. He itches to drag it away, though he assumes that would only prolong Darling’s interest in him – something he wishes to diminish rather than grow.
❝ Oh yeah? ❞ She snatches the device from the tabletop smoothly, glancing at whatever happens to be now playing before dangling it before him, mirth in her eyes as she toys with him. He’s often a harder read than most, but she reasons she MUST be getting to him. Or rather, he’d better hope she is. The day before a job is always painfully slow, but worse than that : BORING. Boredom never bodes well for anyone where she’s involved. ❝ Dedicate a song to me, won’t you? ❞
HE’S NOT QUITE SLOUCHING ,but he’s not sitting up straight , either. it’s more of a slant , back straight as his arms rest casually on the table. he’s avoiding eye contact with the woman , but it’s hard to tell behind the iris mask he calls sunglasses. ❛ guess we’re the lucky ones. ❜ repetition is his thing. it’s something debora told him once , but he shows no hint of weakness or argument. she’s not wrong , after all.
❝ That’s the spirit, ❞ She coos, dark eyes crinkling at the corners. Swinging her legs up onto the table in a swift, measured movement, she brings the pen to her mouth, tapping her bottom lip with the end as she appraises him. There are times when she’s confident in her ability to read him, fleeting though they are ( before she decides she doesn’t actually care all that much — maybe as a means of diverting her temper before it can take proper root in her ) , but this is not one of those times. She has half a mind to probe. ❝ What DO you do with all that money, Baby? ❞ Darling inquires, crossing her ankles and reclining into her seat, eyes just a touch too sharp to be up to any good. ❝ It’s okay, you can tell me — I know how to keep a mean secret. ❞
i. first and foremost, there will likely be nsfw themes present on this blog ( i.e., guns, crime, blood, death, drugs, sex, innuendos— you name it, darling's probably got it ) which i will tag as 'trigger /'. if i happen to miss anything, please let me know! i pride myself on being very friendly. darling may bite, but i won't.
as always, muse does not equal muse, and i am not claiming to condone her words or actions, nor romanticize her mental illness/disorder or addictions.
ii. speaking of darling, while she often flirts and uses her sexuality to her advantage, that does not necessarily mean i will always automatically write smut with everyone. it may appear, but it will be tagged, and it will not be written with minors. some days it may not be written with anyone at all. please respect this!
note: often does not equate to always, so don't be surprised if you come at her with the intent to flirt and she doesn't reciprocate.
iii. another thing i ask is that everyone treat each other with mutual respect. no godmoding, no powerplaying, no hate / drama. we're all here to relax and have a fun time, so please don't pressure, guilt trip or force ships on me. i can always tell when you're here for one reason and one reason alone, which can make me not want anything to do with you at all.
iv. though she's canonically married to buddy, i will never force that on any buddy muse if they do not want it. ( side note: i absolutely love ships, f/f or m/f, so don't hesitate to pitch anything to me ). whether she's married at the time of a thread is dependent on the verse, but if you're still not sure, feel free to ask me!
v. while on the subject of pressure, i have a few other blogs that i run on top of this one ( on top of real life ) so there may be times i forget a reply or don't see something, in which case please let me know! i'm generally a slow reply blog, but this is a kind of pressure i don't mind because i really am so scatterbrained.
vi. that said, i am mutuals only. i do make an effort to check out every blog that follows, but my selectivity depends on the day and whether or not i can see potential for our muses to interact. that in no way means you aren't allowed to approach me to chat though! if you do approach me and want to write, please be aware i am not the best at plotting, but i am down for most anything!
vii. i am absolutely game for crossovers, though i may pop into your im's if i don't know much about your muse or fandom. with crossovers, all i ask is that your muse does not underestimate mine ( see this post ).
darling is not the most stable and she has no qualms about hurting people for her own benefit— or worse. no matter the verse— though when she's with buddy, she's far more approachable— she takes time to 'warm' to anyone. while she's certainly not all powerful, she's not going to be easily manipulated and she's not going to trust on sight either.
viii. i don't do too much in the way of formatting, other than sub small text and an icon / gif icon, so i generally don't mind if my partner does anything or not themselves. if anything, i just ask that you cut posts!
last but not least, i am not affiliated with eiza gonzález, edgar wright, nor the film baby driver itself. i only claim my intepretation of darling, being that we were given so little of her, so i would only ask that you please not copy that! thank you for reading my rules. ♥
verses
MAIN.
AU.
EXCLUSIVE.
GROUP.
YOU WANT YOUR MONEY BACK? CHASE ME.
threads here take place prior to the events of the film and can include her years in the bronx when her life of crime was just beginning to take off, when she began working as a stripper, as well as those years she spent on the run with buddy.
YOU AIN'T GETTIN' YOUR MONEY BACK, JACK.
threads here follow the events of the film, when she is based in downtown atlanta, georgia, pulling jobs to make money for her exploits with buddy. SPOILER: there is a period of time during the film for which she is not present, presumably away and spending her cut with buddy on their extravagant lifestyle.
BEFORE THESE CLOWNS PUT ME DOWN IN THE GROUND.
threads here follow all acts of the film, but can be canon divergent for the third. depending on the thread, it could go a number of ways— for instance, HUGE SPOILER, darling does not die, but instead:
▪ she is apprehended by the police and imprisoned.
▪ she escapes and goes on the run.
▪ buddy dies in her place, fueling her to act as the villainess for the third act in his.
▪ both her and buddy make it out alive, but with a score to settle against baby for all the trouble he caused them.
YOU MAKE WRONG THINGS RIGHT.
threads here are placed in an entirely alternate universe in which darling never met buddy, and is instead a ruthless criminal in her own right. as a young girl, she held her own amongst the gangs in south bronx, climbing the ranks before striking out on her own. through the name she made for herself, she fell onto doc's radar and the rest is history.
YOU GO OUT TO LIGHT MY HIND.
threads here are canon divergent from the end of act ii. HUGE SPOILER: rather than panic following bats' death, darling and buddy are grateful to baby for taking care of him one way or another. good will ensues, but the events after which are thread dependent.
YOU ARE SO GOOD TO ME BABY.
threads here take place in an alternate universe in which darling still got into trouble with the law as a young girl, but after her stint in juvie she straightened herself out and for the most part, kept her distance from crime. she still goes by monica for all intents and purposes.
SO YOU THINK THAT IT'S YOUR DESTINY.
threads here take place in the marvel universe, cinematic or comic depending on the thread. darling was present for the battle of new york, after which she only harbored more resentment for the avengers and their allies. not only did the likes of them stall her illegal activities, but they brought an invasion to her streets, and now she pulls jobs with a vengeance, falling into black market operations with the likes of ulysses klaue and others.
MAKE MYSELF AT HOME NO MATTER WHERE I AM.
threads here take place in the dc universe, cinematic, television or comic depending on the thread. darling set out to pursue a life of crime early on, rarely staying in one place for long. what with the emergence of metahumans and vigilantes galore, she'd be hard pressed to, but nonetheless she's managed to make it this far unscathed. her heroes are among the likes of catwoman and captain boomerang— if that tells you anything.
FREE OF YOU I'LL NEVER BE.
threads here take place in the harry potter universe, mostly cinematic with book influences. monica's mother was a muggle, but whether her father was a wizard or not remains to be seen, being that he left before she was born. for that reason she's considered a muggleborn, the treatment of which has led her to strike out on a life of crime in order to take what she believes she rightfully deserves. she's a former slytherin, who used to work down knockturn alley before she turned to sketchier means of making a living.
VERSE NAME.
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VERSE NAME.
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VERSE NAME.
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VERSE NAME.
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basic information
FULL NAME: monica costello.
CODENAME: darling.
AGE: 27.
BIRTH DATE: march 22, 1990.
GENDER: female.
ETHNICITY: latina.
NATIONALITY: american.
PLACE OF BIRTH: south bronx, nyc.
ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: biromantic.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual.
RELIGION: formerly catholic.
SPOKEN LANGUAGE: english, spanish.
CURRENT RESIDENCE: atlanta, georgia ( verse dependent ).
OCCUPATION: criminal.
relationships
PARENTS: unknown father / gloria costello ( alive ).
TATTOOS + PIERCINGS: a tattoo which reads 'his' ( for buddy ) in cursive on the right side of her neck. a colorful array of stars across the back of her neck. a cross tattoo on her wrist. a filled red heart on her inner left wrist. a black heart outline on her left pinky finger. a large floral piece on her upper left arm, trailing down to her forearm. a red wing piece over her left breast. cherry blossoms and an initial on the inside of her left ankle. a tribal tree symbol tattoo on top of her right foot. pierced ears.
SCARS: a scar along the side of her left breast, covered by the tattoo. a recent scar from a gun wound above her right elbow.
FACECLAIM: eiza gonzález reyna.
personality
INTELLIGENCE: high.
LIKES: the color pink, drugs, faux fur.
DISLIKES: the cold, belittlement, bats.
DISPOSITION: flirty, seductive and a little handsy, if only to conceal her true nature: cunning, manipulative and volatile. all around dangerous.
MENTAL DISORDERS: stimulant use ( cocaine ), narcissistic pd.
EXTRA: daddy issues galore.
biography
born in the bronx, her father left long before he ever knew about her mother's pregnancy, and so monica was raised by a single mother who worked two, sometimes even three jobs to make ends meet for her family. often there was a revolving door of boyfriends, none of whom stuck around once they learned monica was in the picture. as she got older and grew into herself, a few more stuck around, and that was when she learned she had a way of wrapping grown men around her pinky finger using her sexuality.
though her mother wanted the best life for her, all the while monica just couldn't seem to stray too far from trouble— starting with petty theft and working her way up to more serious crimes, selling her haul first for the benefit of the household, and then for her vices. she learned from a young age how to appear inconspicuous to cops and how to keep her hands clean, though the more caught up she became in gang business and in trying to prove herself throughout the neighborhood, the less those lessons mattered and the more she got into trouble with the law.
after several stints in juvie, she managed to fly under the radar long enough to turn eighteen without much fanfare. eventually she began work as a stripper at an upper scale club closer to manhattan, raking in loads of cash ( and occasionally reaching into patrons' wallets to tip herself a little something extra ). it was there that she met buddy, a trader on wall street with a penchant for hard partying— the sort of lifestyle that didn't mesh well with a wife and kids, both of which he had.
he liked to be bad, and she liked to be good for him; their connection was instant. they bonded over their greed and desire to live the high life, full of sex, drugs and adrenaline. they understood one another, and while she offered him an escape those nights, he showered her with love, affection and lavish gifts— right up until he was caught redhanded with his hand in the corporate cookie jar.
part of her had expected him to leave her behind when he went into hiding, but part of her had also known what they had was just the sort of affair he fantasized about: so good, but so very wrong. when he up and left his life, he took her along with him and they hit the road together, planning small heists to fund their travels and extravagant purchases and racking up a body count ( if she complaned that someone had looked at her the wrong way, he pulled the trigger, no questions asked ). along the way they married in vegas, then again on the beach, then a few more times— before eventually making base in atlanta, georgia for the meantime ( with the hopes of tucking a few more scores under their belts ).
