House of Cards (BTS story)

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Fanfiction
Title: House of Cards
Author(s): sugamins (orphaned)
Date(s): November 2015 - May 2016
Length: 395k words; 25 chapters
Genre(s): Crime AU, slash
Fandom(s): BTS
Relationship(s):
External Links: ao3 link, Archived version
Cover art by Mysterious (2021)

Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

House of Cards is a popular Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung/Park Jimin BTS fanfic by sugamins, also known as valentinosuga, who later orphaned the work. It is a gangster AU with a warning for graphic depictions of violence, an aspect of the story which has garnered controversy along with the explicit sex scenes. Nevertheless, House of Cards is often recced by fans for its plot and deep dive into the psychological perspective of its characters. Fans of the fic have created a great deal of fanwork for the fic, including art, vids and fanmixes.

The fic is the most popular BTS fanwork on AO3 by hit count, having reached 1.57 million hits by the beginning of 2022, and the third most popular by kudos[1] and this count as well as the over 33,000 kudos, 3,800 comments, and 9,200 bookmarks continues to grow.[2] It was updated every Sunday from 27 November 2015 to 22 May 2016 with a planned Yoonmin sequel that was eventually abandoned by the author in response to backlash regarding the story's depictions of explicit and violent content, as well as shippers being unhappy with the ending of the fic.[3]

The Fic

The summary of the fic on AO3 is as follows:

Jungkook is the heir to a mob empire, the most notorious in the whole of Seoul. Taehyung is a rookie sent in to infiltrate by his select team and bring the empire crumbling down. "You knew the game and played it, it kills to know that you have been defeated."

As the summary implies, the story follows Taehyung's undercover operation into the mob Jungkook is heir to. Jimin lives with Jungkook as his lover and the primary focus of the fic is the fraught relationship between the three men as Taehyung attempts to bring down the entire criminal empire. sugamins was inspired by gangster films such as Infernal Affairs, which was remade in English as The Departed, as well as Denzel Washington's performances in American Gangster and Training Day among other inspirations.[3] She also said she drew inspiration from Wires, a song by The Neighbourhood, and a conversation with her partner.[3] Updates came frequently and the fic quickly racked up many comments and fans who were highly invested in the story, all of whom only had positive things to say when the fic was updating. The controversy came later, after the fic had been finished. When asked about the reasons why she eventually orphaned the fic, sugamins said:

I never really had any hate posted on the story when I was updating it. I got angry reactions when I had finished it. Because the story had not ended the way some readers had wanted, I think that was what caused the negative reactions. On my original Tumblr, I even got an ask about how an anon reader was going to write their own ending because my one was bad. I told them that I did not want them to take my story and change it like that. I have no idea if they ever posted the ending anywhere. The angry reactions were mostly from shippers, who were upset with the story not ending the way they had wanted. To them, I ask: what were you expecting from the story? I thought it was always obvious that Taehyung was going to do what he had set out to do from the start, so I do not think I misled readers at all. It was a story about an undercover agent taking down a gang—and that is what I wrote.[3]

She also recalled that Twitter users expressed animosity toward her, touching upon the relationship between purity culture and fandom in the context of fandom's underground beginnings before expressing that ultimately the work was orphaned because she did not want to engage with the backlash.[3] Despite this, the author is still active under the "sugamins" username on AO3.

House of Cards is still an immensely popular fic in the BTS fandom and has an impact on fanfiction and fandom culture to this day. It is claimed to be the best BTS fanfiction and even known outside the BTS fandom. With over a million hits, House of Cards has inspired writers to write, with sugamins' work being referenced in other fanfiction authors' notes. Her work is discussed in smaller fanfiction circles, that can not be accredited on Fanlore due to the the casual intent of their conversations, and well known to avid Archive of Our Own users. Both House of Cards and sugamins' other works have been praised for their characterization, depiction of explicit content, realism, and well thought-out storytelling. Because of the fic's impact, Charmedseoul interviewed sugamins about the fic and released a House of Cards Interview with sugamins on Tumblr.

There are no approved translation of the fic to any other language from English, but an incomplete and unapproved translation into Italian exists. sugamins also does not approve crossposting the fic to other websites, but a similarly unapproved Wattpad repost for easier reading by KimTaeTaeHyungnh exists. The fic was also featured in BTS K-Pop Superstars Magazine (2019) The Amazing Rise of BTS 100% [4]

Planned Sequel

A sequel to the original fic was originally planned, which would have focused on Jimin and Suga, but was eventually scrapped after the fic was orphaned. According to sugamins, this sequel would have been about them reuniting through Jin and going through the process of coming to terms with what happened to them, resulting in a much more intimate and less violent story.[3]

[yeshawithluv]

Hello. I read House of Cards ( a vminkook fanfic) and in the end the author mentioned that they would have a yoongi x jimin spinoff. Have they written it by now? Because I can't find it. Also, can you recommend some fanfics that are as well written as House of Cards?

[bts-ao3]

the author had plans to write a yoonmin spinoff but due to some drama between shippers not realising that the intent of the author was to portray morally reprehensible characters and not to romanticise or glorify the topics they talked about in the fic, they decided to orphan HoC and to abandon the idea of a sequel/spinoff.

if you liked HoC’s writing you will also obviously enjoy all of sugamins’ other works. my favorites from them include Valentino Summers (WIP mob!au yoonmin) and Coco (drag scene!au yoonmin set in the 80s).[5]

Fan Reviews/Reactions

The fic has 22 reviews on GoodReads, with an average star rating of 4.73 out of 5.

It is the most popular work in the Threesome - M/M/M tag on Archive of Our Own by kudos, hit counts, and bookmarks. As of September 2020, it is the most popular work by kudos in the Alternate Universe - Gangsters, and Undercover tags on Archive of Our Own. It is the second most popular work in the Gunplay, Slow Build, and Romance tags.[6]

From September 23, 2020 to October 25, 2020, sugamins was interviewed in House of Cards Interview with sugamins about her writing process and thoughts on fanfiction culture.

Miscellaneous Reactions

Review Reactions

First I'll tell you the story of how I discovered this fanfiction. I saw a random fanvid in my Youtube suggestions which seemed pretty interesting. It was a trailer for House of Cards by Sapphiamur and I decided to check it out. Amazing is an understatement. Seriously the trailer is so well-made, it looks like a trailer for an actual movie! Just go check it out, it won't disappoint! I was so obsessed with it, I made all my friends watch it. In the description I saw that it was based on a fanfiction by sugamins so I downloaded it from Ao3 and started reading it after my midterms. Safe to say I was hooked!

House of Cards is so well-written that it's a shame it isn't an actual published book. The amount of research and thought that went into this book, this author has amazing talent! Even without a whole team behind her (him?) they were able to include details of cars, guns, drugs, businesses, police work, the underground world and I was constantly blown away by how much research went into writing this. This kind of dedication and hard-work needs to be recognized. I mean if trash fanfic like Fifty Shades of Grey can be a best-seller then House of Cards deserves way more recognition because it's actually good fiction.

There are very few authors who can write such complex characters. Who can make you sympathize with monsters. Who can make you hate a character one minute, then love him the next. This book showed that were aren't only good people or bad people. People are grey. And even monsters are capable of love. It played with my head so bad that I can't even explain it. These characters are extremely well-written, one of the best I have ever read and you'll only understand what I mean if you read the book.

In terms of the fanfiction aspect, I love how the author added little character traits that resonated with the actual BTS members. Namjoon being the selfless, smart leader. Jimin being tidy and wanting praise and attention (The way this was played into his back story was amazing). Yoongi's gummy smile. Taehyung's habit of wetting his lips. It was easy to imagine the boys as these characters. As if it was a movie and they were the actors.

I wanna talk about each character separately and to be honest I could go on talking about House of Cards forever, it's THAT amazing. But I want this review to be spoiler free so I'll stop here. I loved this book a lot and I know that it'll stay with me for a long long time. By the end of it I was a sobbing mess and books that make you cry like that with feels, you just know they're good.

I highly recommend House of Cards. Don't let the fact that it's a fanfiction stop you from reading it. It's better written than a lot of books out there. Also you don't even have to be a BTS fan to enjoy it. Its so good, I feel like anyone would like it even if they have no idea who BTS is. But do check the tags on AO3 before reading it because it has A LOT of sensitive content.[7]

If you haven’t read this fanfic yet, you’re probably new to the fandom and/or too young to read it. At this point, this is basically a classic - the most popular BTS fanfiction on AO3, which to me is a little surprising considering how heavy on violence and sexual content the fic is. So please, read all the warnings carefully before you start reading, it really does contain some extremely disturbing imagery not suitable for minors and squeamish folks.

This story is, for one thing, very original. I love reading both fanfiction and non fanfiction and this truly is one of the most memorable pieces of literature I have ever come across. I don’t mind reading violence and gore, but even I was really surprised at the details this story involved. It wasn’t just for the shock factor, though. The POV switches between several characters, one of them is Taehyung. We experience true horror through Taehyung’s eyes and slowly follow his descent as he gets closer and closer to Jungkook who in this story is a truly disturbed - in many regards sociopathic - individual, who among other things gets off on causing other people pain. They have a really interesting relationship and you cannot but appreciate the level of psychological intricacy the author managed to weave into the story. And then there is Jimin. From the listed pairings, you might think of the three of them as a simple love triangle, but it goes so much deeper than that. His story hit me the hardest for reasons you will understand after you read it. You question allegiancy, you question motives, you question what love is. This story is a masterpiece in psychological thriller. Also possibly the best erotica I’ve ever read. As for other aspects worth mentioning, the author has a very nice, clean style of writing and the amount of details is absolutely staggering. The plot is well thought-out and engaging. I cannot stress how much I enjoyed the whole story, but especially the ending left a huge impact on me. And although, the fiction might not be as “polished” in some places, for an author who doesn’t have a whole team behind them to proofread and get rid of some unnecessary passages, it is incredibly impressive and the quality of the work is well above most of the regular published stuff.

My Highlights: psychologically driven, personality disorders, trauma, sexual content[8]

Twitter Fan Reactions

Some of y’all have not gone through the emotional turmoil of reading house of cards by sugamins and it SHOWS [9]

House of Cards by sugamins still haunts me at night sometimes Oh my god that story 😭😭[10]

A must-read one! gangster AU with much plot-twist. SUPER DARK and phenomenal. I really love the character development in this story. Also lots of violent scenes (and the s*x is kinda unskippable). It's like a movie! Complex but amazing![11]

I started reading House of Cards by Sugamins yesterday and finished the last chapter an hour ago. It may be disliked by many for it's themes and violence but istg it's a piece of art. I won't say anything more, I just need time to absorb. And yes, I cried, a lot.[12]

Review: House of Cards by sugamins, [Taeminkook, Mafia AU, 400k,🔞] An exciting and thrilling story that really takes you through all kinds of emotions. It's gripping and makes you sit at the edge of your seat and is filled with love, murder and betrayal +[13]

has anyone read house of cards by sugamins? i remember i read it back in 2017 while i was jobless and waiting for my spm results. that fic wreck me. till this day that fic is superior to me. it was the best 😭✊🏻[14]

finished reading chap 24 of house of cards (sugamins) and god... how am i sympathizing with a sadistic psycopath rn? it made me cry so much for everyone involved and god even felt like puking because of the weight of the characters' guilt.[15]

Archive of Our Own Fan Reactions

Spoiler Warning: This article or section may contain spoilers. If this bothers you, proceed with caution.

This story kills me on so many levels and I love it beyond the measure of words. Literally, if this fic was a person, I would marry it. I still have so many feelings from this... I read this last year, and man, it was such an immersive experience. This entire world that Jungkook lives in, and having Tae[hyung] as the undercover cop sent to demolish his empire? Wow. Killer concept.

The characterizations are deep, dynamic, and interesting, as are the relationships between the characters. This fic feels so real that I truly felt such a vicarious experience just from reading it. I also bawled my eyes out on numerous occasions, and other times, I was so excited that I felt like jumping up in the air. Every early Sunday morning that you updated (or at least in my time zone), I would get so happy. Even though I was busy, I just HAD to read your updates as soon as I could. I've actually had a 'reading block' for about 3 years, and ever since, I've found it very difficult to read something for enjoyment, to completely lose myself in a story. I would get hung up on so many things despite just wanting to enjoy reading, even for stories that I love so much. But somehow, this fic was an exception, and I found myself swallowed up by the intensity of this plot and the emotions surrounding it. It felt like such a blessing, because I felt freed by that reading block, so thank you for that as well ❤

I LITERALLY... USED TO NOT BE INTO Crime AU/Gangster AU STORIES AT ALL. I always liked dark things, but that mafia realm didn't interest me, because I just viewed it as dark but in a dry way. That's why I never used to have any interest in books like The Godfather. But I happened to come across your masterpiece of a fic, and I was taken by your summary. It's so short yet extremely effective. Wow. I am so in awe of this story and your writing in general. I'm seriously in love ❤❤❤ "You knew the game and played it, it kills to know that you have been defeated." - THAT LINE RIGHT THERE. That is honestly just the best, and that hooked me into reading this story right away. Best decision I've ever made in my life. You really have a way with words, and I especially enjoy the way you write dialogue.

I wanted to say that because of this story, I actually got interested in reading The Godfather. Yeah. I found, to my immense surprise, that the book is SO my style in almost every way imaginable. To this day, it remains my favourite published book, and that's all thanks to you that I decided to pick it up. So thank you so much. And your 'House of Cards' is my favourite fanfiction out of every fic I have read in my life (which is over 10 years of reading - and I've read a lot of good stories, so I do not say this lightly).

I really enjoyed how there was no holding back on the gore and violence, and overall darkness. Maybe I'm a bit twisted, but I love reading gore and violence, because somehow, weirdly enough, it makes me feel understood on a profound level... Anyway, though I know how awful Jungkook's character was, and there were times that he actually shocked me with how twisted he was (which almost never happens?), there were some points that I felt I related with him on, such as the way he'd be so sadistic towards certain people, or a couple aspects of his relationship with his father.

The fact that you put in so much research shows in how you described guns, how detailed you are in general, how despite not being Korean, a lot of the things regarding Korea were written quite well (I'm Korean), and the way you gave a realistic portrayal of Taehyung's morphine addiction.

This story has made me feel very deeply, think about themes of moral ambiguity, ethics, human nature, etc., and I sincerely feel changed by it as a consequence of just reading it. I think that if a story can do this, that's immensely powerful. You are one of my writer role models ❤

Thank you so, so much for sharing this epic masterpiece with us. I have an incredible amount of love and passion for this story.

Here for the reread. ❤ I want to enter this world and experience everything all over again.

-LostStarsJK on Thu 27 Jul 2017 09:57AM UTC on Chapter 1[16]

I just finished reading this, and let me just say, it’s been a few days since I started reading and I haven’t quite been able to stop thinking about the plot, the characters, their struggles, their dilemmas, just, everything.

And I love how, real this was, how it was brutal, Haedogje Pa, and how violent things were, just like they are in real life. At first I was a bit taken aback, with the whole Nam thing but as I read on, I got used to it, I guess, like the characters. And though it’s only been a span of days since I started reading, it feels like it’s been much longer, like it was ages ago that Taehyung was standing there, smoking a cigarette and Jungkook first laid eyes on him. To be honest, this fic has been one hell of a journey.

Tae[hyung]’s changes, damn that part where Jimin wistfully thought of how Tae went from the blushing wide eyed boy to not hesitating before doing stuff, that made me start thinking of just how much Tae[hyung] irreversibly changed in those four months. And how, tho certain decisions ruin us in more ways than one, we don’t quite regret it, all because of those few good things that we got to cherish despite all the bad shit. Just, everything man; all their addictions, how I saw their love – how even in how their relationships were twisted in ways, underneath it all the love was visible, if you looked hard enough-, the betrayal, the pain, did I mention the pain? The trauma, Jimin’s last time seeing the penthouse building, and how I too felt like I was saying goodbye, Jk[Jungkook] choosing to kill Bae Goohee over Tae[hyung], even after being back-stabbed, which to me showed that despite him saying he’d gut Tae[hyung], he couldn’t actually bring himself to hurt him. And to be honest, I didn’t think the three would maintain their relationship after the raid, but they all felt the same, so there was love.

Those moments that played out in my head over and over even after I was out doing something else. How some moments here just stay with you. You have a true talent at writing, I felt so tense and anxious reading the parts leading up to the raid, as well as the part where Tae[hyung] and Jimin struck that deal and went home to [Jung]Kook, and I wondered how long it’d take before kook realized and gutted Tae[hyung]. Damn, I could feel the characters’ stress man. And my, how my heart broke for kook when he broke down in the back of the car, especially when he sobbed out that his daddy was right. And damn there I was thinking [Jung]Kook would end up with a life sentence, and he managed to reduce it to five, even in jail he held power like damn. That also hints at a reunion of vkookmin in the future so.. And, I now see former addicts as fucking warriors cuz, that shit is the worst kind of war; one against yourself.

Oh god, I don’t know what to do now, after having read this-the best fic in my humble opinion. The most intense one I have ever read for sure, I can’t stop replaying moments over and over in my head. I could go on and on about this

I fucking love the whole chess thing, and the ending is just, so fitting considering everything.


Fuck.

I’m fucked.

-mytaekookhearteu on Mon 01 Jul 2019 06:00PM BST on Chapter 1[17]

holy shit idk what to say honestly i'm just so emotional and overwhelmed?????? like wOW i found this story when it was at 2-3 chapters i don't think i've ever fallen in love with a story so fast..,,,,...,,,,.... the whole premise was amazing, and the way you build worlds is just so?????? god damned amazing honestly maria (can i call you that? ;___;) i was absorbed into this story and i don't think i've been so emotionally invested in any story EVER- every chapter leading up to the climax gripped me so hard and my heart ached for jimin (who has grown on me to become my favourite character) and honestly it was one of those things where i wasn't even sure of my own loyalties and morals at the end of every gripping chapter- did i want to empathise with taehyung, who was slowly being sucked into the cruel toxic world of haedogje pa, who desperately still somehow wanted to hold onto his humanity, or jungkook, the monster who did so many despicable things but was, at the very end, someone who still craved love and understanding from his lovers? you've built these characters into something so human we can cry with, feel horrified at, feel sorry for, love. honestly i just don't know what to say ;___________;

every week leading up to the climax i was just holding my breath at some point reading every chapter and even occasionally checking to see if you had added a "major character death" warning because as much as i hated jungkook, and even taehyung, at some point, i didn't want them to die simply because they've grown on all of us, and as much as i knew a story like this would never end in rainbows, i still hoped, at the very end of each chapter, that they would somehow get their own, sick version of a happy ending. i have to say, this ending didn't disappoint me at all. up until chapter 24, a little part of me was still thinking that taehyung would fuck everything and run away with jungkook and jimin or something and that's how amazing you are honestly, keeping us guessing all the way till taehyung whispered that checkmate to jungkook. it's a beautiful conclusion to what i can only describe as a blockbuster of a fic, and honestly i just about cried at the way jungkook interrupted taehyung and told him unwaveringly "i love you." it answered just about every question i had about this- did he ever love jimin? or taehyung? did he honestly mean what he said about killing them? the fact that he still worried about whether jimin loved him, whether taehyung could come see him the next week and the next, just made my heart ache in the best way possible.

i absolutely loved loved loved the last part with the chess set, the chip in it taehyung never say, and the little checkmate he muttered to himself as he knocked it over. i loved all the connotations it had, and the metaphorical quality it had about it with taehyung's/jungkook's own character as something once lauded as perfect, but having flaws in them that turned out to be unmissable and crucial in their development. I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS TEXT WALL BUT AAAAAAAA it's the end of an era, honestly :') thank you so so much for sharing this with us!!! house of cards was nothing short of amazing, and i'm glad i could have this experience, along with so many others!!!! pls let me love u

-meowgi on Sun 22 May 2016 04:36PM CEST on Chapter 25[18]

Oh my goodness, this story felt like a roller coaster, and I don't even know how to start commenting because there are so many things about this story that I can comment on. First of all, I'm completely floored by the way you crafted the complex plot and wrapped it up so there were no plot holes or loose ends that weren't elaborated on. Also, the world-building! Crime AU-related stories can be so difficult to write because of the amount of terminology and standard procedures used by the police, and I'm amazed by the amount of research you put into this fic to make it seem as realistic as possible. Secondly, the characters and the twisted journeys of the development they all underwent were written so well. In addition to the world-building, the depiction of the characters, their emotional turmoil, and their moral struggles really made this story stand out. Every character, even Jungkook who was supposed to be a "monster," was stripped down and revealed to be human, and this is what made it so easy to sympathize with him. It's what made the toxic relationship in this story seem less toxic (even though it was still pretty detrimental in the end) because it was clear that all the characters were ultimately seeking out love and approval of some kind, which are painfully human desires. It was also what made the conclusion of this story so distressing to read in a way because the moral dilemmas you integrated so perfectly made it so you can't just separate good from bad and choose one side over the other. Taehyung in particular stood out as such a strong character. He went through so much trauma, he successfully pulled off his undercover mission and survived, and the emotional and physical scars left behind continue to haunt him. He toed the line between good and bad (well, it's more like he trampled on it so it wasn't even there anymore), yet his actions still seemed justified because of how well he was developed as a character. Thirdly, I want to give you kudos 1000 times for writing such a lengthy fic in a short amount of time. You have a gift for writing and I really hope you'll be able to explore writing more as a published author in the future because you definitely deserve more for the amount of work and effort you put into your stories. I feel like leaving a comment here isn't enough to be honest because you've made readers feel things that some accomplished published authors aren't even able to elicit in their audience. I'd love to talk to you more somewhere about writing, even though I'm usually pretty terrible at approaching people online, because you've inspired me to actually do some fictional writing again. Thank you so much for writing this incredible piece of work. I look forward to anything else you have in store for this universe as well as your future works!

-bluemood on Sun 22 May 2016 03:56PM EDT on Chapter 25[19]

Thank you so much! I hope you realize how much you are appreciated right now!! Thank you for taking the time to create this beautifully written, simply gorgeous story and sharing it with us all. I just had to listen to House of Cards and have a moment in my feelings hahaha is it bad that I raved to my mom about this because I couldn't stop thinking about it for five seconds? Bless her heart, she listened well.

I want to sing you so many praises right now but words are escaping me. There's so much just that just loved about this. I'll come back to it again and again, there is no way any other story could make me feel as deeply or in the same way that this one does. It makes me immensely happy that after everything Tae[hyung], Jimin, and Jungkook all still love each other. That's so powerful to me because of the depth, detail, and care that you put into their relationship and their characters. So so so powerful and it just tugs on all of my heart strings. Trust me when I say there are tears in my eyes because that moves me so much. I really want to know where they will end up years from now. You have perfectly rounded out this story, it feels complete but I just can't help but wonder. I feel so grateful that you want to continue to create anything for this universe! I hope that you'll continue to include all of them in the series even if it's just pre-raid shenanigans. I've praised Tae[hyung], Jimin, and Jungkook a lot but I also love the care you put into the rest of the boys too! Like I said before they are all perfectly cast and intimately written! I've even grown fond of the OCs! Thank you so much again!!! I'm glad that this isn't necessarily goodbye forever to these characters. I can't wait to see Yoongi's spin-off! I'm looking forward to whatever you work on next!!!! You have certainly gained a fan! But also get some rest. Thank you!!!!

P.S: For some reason Trndsttr (Lucian Remix) is my official song for this entire fic idk why but it makes me feel things

-kurusu on Mon 23 May 2016 12:07AM CDT on Chapter 25[20]

Maria Anne,

First of all I would like to congratulate you on finishing this work of brilliance. This work is truly something to be proud of; a masterful collection of words and ideas spun into a magnificent web of thought and understanding. It seems to be one of those works that you find hidden away in some forgotten corner and once you've finished it you wonder why you hadn't stumbled across it sooner because you couldn't imagine not having read it.

This work made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me squirm, it made me question. I think that a work that makes you question yourself is a true work, one worthy of praise. Too often we read stories for the sake of them being stories, them having no lasting impact, nothing to invoke complex thought, but that is not true of this work. I have found myself questioning a great number of things about myself, my weaknesses, and my relationships. And for that I would like to extend my most heartfelt thanks because it is through those questions that we become better people.

This is by far the single best piece of work I have ever read. I do not often extend praises to works in the form of comments, and even fewer times do I really sit down and think about what I want to say and why. But to me this great achievement is deserving of it. You took the time to share this with me, a reader, and so I would like to take time to thank you for being an author.

As a writer myself, I find that reading other works is a dangerous adventure because too often I find myself jealous of the craftsmanship or the ideas I find and then lose interest in my own stories because they no longer seem good enough. But in reading this work I found myself in the midst of a creative explosion, continuing a work that was well received but too hard to write without inspiration. The emotions that bled from the words of this work seemed to seep into my very soul and rekindle a dying flame. Anger, hurt, sadness, desperation, love, fear. I felt all of them and together they gave me the kick I needed to get back into writing.

Your words are amazing. They melt off the page and into the hearts of your readers, they burn into minds and set new ideas ablaze. In a very humble form of thanks I would like very much to write something as a gift for you. I have no idea when it will be ready nor do I have even a glimpse of an idea what it will be about but I want to do it. I'm sure this is not the proper way to do this but I have never given a work as a gift before so this is my first attempt. (I am much more active on AFF (AsianFanFics) than I am on here. I mostly read on here, I mostly write on AFF)

I am just a few clicks away from reading more of your works (since you are now my favorite author). I am exceedingly happy to hear that you may possibly add more to this story so count my vote as one of ecstatic support. I can't wait to read whatever you write if you do choose to write something more.

Thank you, Maria Anne, for being a writer, an author and an inspiration.

-Hadefex-

(Briana)

-Hadefex on Mon 23 May 2016 11:45PM EDT on Chapter 25[21]

Man.

I don’t even know how to begin.

I need to be honest and admit that I spent around 15 minutes staring blankly at the comment section with no words to describe how much I love this and how… much I’m feeling inside, right now. A friend recommended me this fic, when it was starting, it had only six chapters or and I remember being intimidated by its length and I skipped through it, read Nam’s execution and closed the tab being ‘nope’ and forgot about it.

Took me a couple of months, and then… out of the blue I went “Ok. I’m gonna read THE fic” because you surely know already your fic is THE fic, the fic that has inspired so many works –in writing, in fanart, even fanvids. It was the worst possible timing for me to pick up a 300k fic when I was buried under piles of work that was basically due the next couple of days and when I had been sleeping around 2-3 hours per night for a week. The point is, that I did. I started reading while I was supposed to watch over a midterm at the school I work at. Whoops. I did it offline, which was good. Perfect, even. It was a world on its own, so beautiful crafted and alluring and raw and wonderful and painful and stressing and addictive and I don’t know how I managed to read every single word of it between breaks from work and breaks from life and not sleeping at all and, gods, I don’t regret a minute of it. I lived through their painful struggles, their soul-wrenching decisions. I was downright shaking when I was reading chapter 24 and thanking the gods I was doing it at work because I couldn’t see myself being able to do so alone, at home.

Now that is ‘over’ I’m left being so full of emotion and feeling so empty inside at the same time. A “what now” feel inside, what can possible come after this.

I’m sorry I’m rambling, I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful, amazing, breath-taking beautiful work and talent and sharing this with us. I was so lucky to read it complete and in a few days’ time, almost non-stop and I think I got to appreciate the amount of work and detail you put into this, in crafting this masterpiece of story. I was such a fool for understating this story with my lack of effort in reading instead of skipping the first time. Of course I was meant to feel grossed out and disturbed by it, it was Tae[hyung]’s POV and you were supposed to feel his struggles. He just entered to Haedogje Pa and he is facing the horrors that implies. As the story goes you get detached to violence and gore as he does. The way you managed character development and growth through the story is fucking unbelievable. All the little details were fresh when they became relevant as chapters rolled by and I’m, honestly, speechless. Thank you for not sugarcoating anything, for showing things are they are and not a romantized version of them. You made this story so real, so fucking raw that felt almost real.

I could go and on about how much I loved his but I won’t bore you anymore. Just wanted to say that as a media analyst, I’ve read and watched some shit in life and I can easily say this is one of the best stories I’ve read in my fucking life. So…

From the bottom my heart, thank you.

-sumiya on Thu 26 May 2016 09:16PM EDT on Chapter 25[22]

I normally save my comments until the final chapter has finished so I have the whole story to talk about. However, now that I find myself here I would say that I am, in fact, at a loss for words. Though, I’ll start with how I’m feeling right now. That’d be sure to get the ball rolling.

I feel as though I have just finished a great novel; A finale that has satiated my emotions alongside the lingering imprints characters have left on my conscience. It is without a doubt that I will constantly be thinking about this story without physically reading it. For that, I will commend you. Well done. It’s not often that that can be achieved. I don’t think I have read a fan fiction in any fandom I have been in all my life where I have held this much admiration for the author’s work. So, again; Well done. You effortlessly blended genres such as crime, thrill & suspense, and melodrama to make one amazing and cohesive story. I also loved the minimal focus on romance. Looking at it from a certain perspective may make some say otherwise. But, I would say that there is actually quite minimal romance, and more moral conflict coupled with pursuits of happiness. In addition, the way in which you developed the characters and the story is extremely advanced. I would even go as far to say this story is on par with that of published authors. The development extended beyond the conventions of techniques frequently used in fan fiction, and I often found myself pleasantly surprised at the quality of this work. Not to mention, the simple complexity of the characters—namely Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung—was superb. That alone is something I can type paragraphs about (but won’t, to save you the trouble of my long-winded speech).

One a personal level, what really struck me is the fact that I understand myself enough to know that I would be exactly like Jimin in those circumstances. Had I been given the luxuries that he had, I just know that I would have ended up exactly like that. So, reading him progress through the story like this really opened up that part of me and I am now startlingly attached to his character. In the same way, Taehyung’s ascent (descent?) into the world of Haedogje Pa was one I feel personally connected to, as well. Jungkook... well, let’s say Jungkook was like the outside influence in my eyes. The cruel, beautiful world outside the luxurious walls I built. In short, this story helped me discover myself and I am extremely grateful for it.

I have a lot more to say, but I’ll save it for now. However I do want to say one last thing: Thank you.

-sugaicetea on Sat 28 May 2016 11:30PM -05 on Chapter 25[23]

I have so much to say. So, so much and I wish to God that I had been writing down what I was feeling as I was feeling it because obviously that's what a decent writer would do, but I was just losing myself in this. I haven't read fiction this way in such a long time, seriously just sat and let it drink me. I'm so used to skimming for school nowadays that it took me such a long time to get into the flow of really reading again but oh my goodness. I don't remember exactly what time I started reading and it's been a few hours since I stopped but I can tell that it couldn't have taken more than 3 or 4 solid hours to polish off this story.

Everything about this fic was so intimately, beautifully done. I was falling with Taehyung. Every murder scene was less and less disgusting and terrifying and I was almost excited for it. I wanted to see how far he would go. There were no unnecessary twists and turns; everything these characters did felt so real and horrible and heartbreaking. The humanity in these people who had so much blood on their hands was so scary to me. Sometimes a character is written who always fucks up, who never behaves, and so when you read them sobbing, you don't have to care. But this...the humanity and dynamics of their characterization was scary because it made me feel like I would do the same as them in their positions, all because of this basic human desire to be desired and to belong.

I don't even know how to finish this comment because I can't even convey everything I'm thinking and I've already geeked out to my friend over this thing so I don't have much ramble or fangirl left in me but I have to say that I have nothing but respect for you and this work. I'm going to be thinking about every word tomorrow at work, and probably the day after, and maybe the rest of the week.

There are people like me who like cartoons from their childhood and friendly ensemble cast sitcoms and happy endings because it feels good not to see someone hurt, but life isn't pretty like that. And my emotions are still a mess even hours after reading this but, wow, this was a great experience. Thank you.

-waveandwhisper on Tue 31 May 2016 10:29PM EDT on Chapter 25[24]

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References

  1. ^ Found via the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Found via the BTS works search and sorting March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Interview with sugamins about her work House of Cards (Ao3′s second most hit English work and most hit BTS work). Posted 3 Nov 2020. Accessed 14 Feb 2023.
  4. ^ Tweet by @flirtygcf
  5. ^ Tumblr ask by yeshawithluv and answered by bts-ao3
  6. ^ Found via the tag search and sorting September 2020.
  7. ^ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2383412234
  8. ^ BTS FANFICTION RECOMMENDATIONS by Sapphiamur
  9. ^ Tweet by @moonriseknj94
  10. ^ "June 15, 2018 Tweet". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09.
  11. ^ "Jan 5, 2021 Tweet". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09.
  12. ^ "Jun 4, 2021 Tweet". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09.
  13. ^ "May 26, 2020 Tweet". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09.
  14. ^ "Feb 21, 2019 Tweet". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09.
  15. ^ "Jun 19, 2021 Tweet". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09.
  16. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by LostStarsJK
  17. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by mytaekookhearteu
  18. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by meowgi
  19. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by bluemood
  20. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by kurusu
  21. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by Hadefex
  22. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by sumiya
  23. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by sugaicetea
  24. ^ Archive of Our Own Comment by waveandwhisper
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