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ponett · 4 months

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Bobby's 2023 Media Wrap-Up

So! Like I said before, this past year I kept a running list of everything I watched, every game I finished, every new album I listened to, etc., and wrote one-paragraph blurbs with my thoughts on every single one. Please enjoy this journey through everything I liked, or didn't like, in 2023, with my favorites of the year listed at the bottom.

(Yes! This is long!!)

Some notes:

I mainly only included things I finished. Exceptions are marked with an asterisk.

I included some YouTube stuff as "TV shows" - mostly particularly long, high effort video essays and documentaries.

I was a bit less adventurous than I'd like to have been this year. Part of this was just that I felt like I was constantly playing catch-up with Big Releases I felt obligated to check out, and part of this was just executive dysfunction from burnout. Wait until you see how long it took me to beat Mario Wonder lmao

Yes, I need to read more books. I don't read a lot of books these days. I need to get back to Discworld.

COLOR KEY

Video Games • TV / Web Video • Movies • Comics • Music

January

1/15: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (MSQ) - Very slow at times, the Primal shit is generally extremely lame to me outside of the boss fights themselves, but god if the quality of life improvements over WoW, the JRPG energy, and the fact that it Actually Has A Story carry it pretty hard.

1/18: Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island miniseries - One of the most creative and compelling uses of the Sonic IP… ever? Fantastic little self-contained arc about the struggles of Eggman’s abandoned creations that gracefully weaves between heartfelt optimism and moody horror with some of the best art ever seen in a Sonic comic.

1/18: Mega Man X4 - Glad I finally actually beat this after never even beating any of the Mavericks as a kid! I can see why it’s a lot of peoples’ favorites. The gameplay has very little of that X series bloat and is just fun, especially after getting X’s armor upgrades. (But the story really is a long series of missed opportunities.)

February

2/2: Donks - Felix Colgrave continues to be an exceptional artist. The sound design on this is fantastic and really sells this short as something unique. Had to go back and watch his older stuff again after this.

2/4: Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (3.0 - 3.3 MSQ) - I get it now. I get why people say this is just a proper mainline Final Fantasy game built into the framework of an MMO. That shit ruled. Not even walking back the drama in Ul’Dah from the end of ARR can sour me on it because the main storyline was so strong.

2/8: Disneyland's Forgotten Sci-Fi Rock Band - Live From the Space Stage - A nice and honest tribute to a group of artists who could have easily been forgotten. In hindsight this feels like a precursor to Kevin’s Disney Channel jingle video, a tribute to the unsung artists pouring their hearts into “lesser” art for a megacorporation, art that was designed to be transient but sticks with people nonetheless.

2/9: Metroid Prime Remastered* - Not gonna finish because I just played through the Wii version in 2021, but still. Very, very pretty remaster.

2/16: Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - It’s more Theatrhythm. What more could I want

2/17: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean (anime) - Probably the best part of the anime so far (assuming they continue on to SBR). A near perfect mix of the more structured plot of part 5 with the goofiness of parts 3 and 4 that crescendos into a fantastic, bombastic, emotional, bittersweet ending. The use of footage from the original opening and the new ending set to Roundabout in the finale were perfect, and made me intensely nostalgic for the early days of my JoJo fandom between seasons 1 and 2 of the anime.

2/22: Aggretsuko Season 5 - I don’t really know what to make of this one. Once you get past the agonizing initial arc all about Haida where Retsuko has to be his overbearing mommy GF who flips out and starts spying on him when she’s left on read and chides him when he misbehaves, it feels like an improvement over the previous seasons. But I don’t know how much of that is due to the extremely low bar set by season 4. And then the ending is extremely rushed and anticlimactic. They got legally married and the only acknowledgement was a shot of them signing the paperwork in a montage partway through the final episode?????????

2/24: Double Fine PsychOdyssey - God, what a journey the making of this game was. I already loved 2 Player’s past efforts at documenting Double Fine’s process, but this takes it to a whole new level. This feels culturally significant. The depth and honesty with which they depict not just the nitty gritty of making a game, but also the inherent struggles of working on a collaborative creative work for years at a time, is astounding. Not to mention that they were there to capture the shift from office life to remote work as COVID hit. So much of this would have been nightmarishly stressful to watch if I didn’t already know how successful the game was, but that’s just because they really didn’t sugarcoat it. And yet even after all that, it leaves me feeling optimistic about video games as an art form in a way that the constant headlines about cynical live service games don’t. There are still people out there pouring their hearts into making real art, and this is their story. Everyone who plays video games should watch this.

2/25: Cracker Island (Gorillaz) - New Gorillaz albums feel like less of an event these days, but after Humanz it feels like they’re just more chill with the project and their ambitions with it. Every couple years we get some more laid back jams from Damon along with some fun new collabs. Hard to complain. Favorite track: New Gold

2/25: Pool Kids (Pool Kids) - I discovered this band because Derek knows them and was excited when they got a song added to Fortnite through the Bandcamp collab. Always down to find more cool indie rock bands I can vibe with. The mix of dreamy vocals and energetic riffs on some of the tracks here almost fill the Crying-shaped hole in my heart. Almost… Favorite track: Conscious Uncoupling

2/25: Insane in the Rain (insaneintherainmusic) - I thought it was really funny timing when Carlos announced that his first original project would be a jazz fusion album inspired by acts like T-Square and Casiopea right as I was getting into those two specific bands. The final product does not disappoint. Favorite track: Insane in the Rain

2/26: Get Up Sequences Part Two (The Go! Team) - I’ve never been one to believe that a band’s sound has to remain exactly the same forever, but it really does hit you hard that the first two tracks here sound like classic The Go! Team. Their more recent cleaner sound is still here too, though, for a nice mix of old and new. Favorite track: Divebomb

2/28: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (Season 1) - Oh my god. Oh my god. I got distracted around the time I was finishing SLARPG, but finally catching up now, wow. My assumption that the seemingly lighter tone of the series compared to the prologue was there to lull us into a false sense of security before twisting the knife when war finally breaks out was spot on. This is peak Gundam.

March

3/4: Pizza Tower - One of the best platformers I’ve played in a long time. It transcends its blatant Wario Land inspirations with the sheer speed at which Peppino can move and the way things like the level design, his wall running, and even the hidden ability to do a second lap around the level reward getting into a flow state where you’re just constantly moving. This is the type of game that wants to turn you into a speedrunner. My only real complaint is a few iffy enemy designs that I wish would get patched.

3/6: Bloons TD 6 * - I bought this before bed one night on a nostalgic whim and then the next morning woke up and saw the Steam receipt email on my phone in one of the most “what did I do last night” moments of my life. I like when the monkeys pop the balloons.

3/7: The Book of Boba Fett - I put off finishing this show for a very long time but finally caved upon the release of The Mandalorian season 3. This show spends four episodes failing to make me give a shit about Boba Fett trying to be “the daimyo” and drive the drug trade off of Tatooine, then just gives up and becomes season 2.5 of Mando, which in turn feels like it undercuts the main series. It fails as both its own story and as a spinoff. I know that finishing this after Andor did it no favors, but WHOOF.

3/12: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Some interesting ideas in the first half hinting at a more introspective show, but it’s mostly swept aside in the back half so it can become a generic Star Wars adventure remixing things from A New Hope and Rebels (and apparently Jedi: Fallen Order). Action scenes have zero stakes because you know nothing can happen to any of the returning characters and none of the new ones are particularly interesting. Why there’s a second climax hinging on a Luke Skywalker death fakeout eludes me. Obi-Wan throwing the rocks at Vader is one of the funniest things in Star Wars history. But it was still better than Book of Boba Fett, I guess.

3/19: The King of Braves GaoGaiGar - Wow, cool robot indeed… GaoGaiGar isn’t going to blow anyone away with its writing, but sometimes you just need a really fun monster of the week mecha show with great action and lovably goofy characters. This is a show where like 20% of every episode consists of recycled transformation, combination, and signature attack sequences and I ate it up every time because they look fucking cool as hell. I don’t care. I’d watch Final Fusion another 49 times.

3/21: The Last of Us (HBO) * - Watched the first two episodes out of curiosity, but I’m not sure if I’ll continue because I don’t give a shit about The Last of Us. It’s definitely a well done adaptation, though, even if I know it’s inevitably going to devolve into miserable torture porn with questionable politics if they adapt Part II faithfully. The ending of episode 2 also lines up perfectly with where I stopped in the game in 2013 lmao

3/27: The Future is a Dead Mall - Decentraland and the Metaverse (Folding Ideas) - Another banger from Dan Olson. This time the premise inherently gives him more time to just show off a bunch of stupid ugly bullshit made by crypto guys, which is fun. My main complaint was that I wished he would’ve brought up Second Life more as a point of comparison (a thing I basically always want out of discussion of “the metaverse”), but he at least did touch on it in the last section.

3/31: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog - I can’t believe after years of begging for the supporting cast to get more and better material in a Sonic game I got my wish in the form of a freeware murder mystery VN released for April Fools. This kicked ass.

April

4/7: Berserk - Completed Miura’s run and caught up on the chapters that have been released posthumously. It’s hard to say anything that hasn’t been said about Berserk, universally agreed upon as one of the greats of manga and fantasy fiction as a whole. What begins in its first few volumes as a nihilistic and edgy action comic built to facilitate as much sex and gore as possible quickly evolves into something deeply human and vulnerable and beautiful, both figuratively and in terms of its lavish art. The world sucks and is immeasurably cruel, and you will see that cruelty illustrated in graphic, sickening detail repeatedly throughout the series. (Perhaps a little too often throughout the Golden Age, where it feels like Miura never misses an opportunity to threaten Casca with sexual assault mid-battle.) But the point isn’t to wallow in that misery. It’s the story of a victim of horrific abuse learning to slowly open up to others, having those people he cares about torn away from him in the worst night of his life, hardening himself into a cold killing machine, and then slowly learning to open back up again, even if it means leaving himself vulnerable to more hurt. Anyone who says that the series peaked with the eclipse and went downhill in the “Guts’ JRPG Party” era is missing the point. Guts needed to find new people in his life to care about, to begin to find happiness again. Because no matter what unspeakable things Guts has gone through, it’s still possible for him to heal and to be loved. It takes time, but eventually you stop and realize that life has moved on.

4/8: Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe - Skipped it upon release because I didn’t particularly care for the minigame in Triple Deluxe, and I didn’t miss much. It’s fine as a little distraction, but not as a standalone rhythm game with only seven songs. If you don’t bother with the hard modes or chase after high scores this game is 15 minutes long. Oh how I yearn for Kirby to get the Theatrhythm treatment.

4/10: The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar FINAL - Eh… It was okay. Lots of cool robot fights, but said fights are stitched together with a mediocre plot that tries too hard to be more “mature” than its unabashedly schlocky kids’ show predecessor. Not crazy about the ending, either, which tries to be a bittersweet farewell closing off the series once and for all while also teasing that maybe there’ll be ANOTHER sequel after the OVA series they literally called “FINAL.” Ah well.

4/11: The Owl House - Sad to see this one go, but it’s hard to imagine them doing a better finale than this, even if they had gotten the six seasons they deserved. I’m not as obsessed with The Owl House as I probably would’ve been had it come out when I was, like, 20, but it’s a really fantastic show for all the reasons people always say. Great characters, great world, great story. I love that this starry-eyed fantasy story about a teenager finding love and a place where she belongs is also set on the rotting corpse of a titan with Hieronymous Bosch-inspired scenery and freaky monsters everywhere. What a great mix. If anything, I just wish I would’ve watched the first season as it aired so I could’ve had more time with it.

4/29: Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue Version - FINALLY beat this via the new collection, 20 years after playing it as my first Mega Man game. (Technically my first was White, not Blue, but whatever.) There are more annoyances than I remember - lots of really really bad forced backtracking sections where you have to revisit every previous part of the internet, low chip drop rates, some really aggravating bosses like BubbleMan and KingMan, etc. But it’s still a great time overall. It’s Battle Network. In the back half the story gets surprisingly emotional, too. I was always under the assumption that the Hub stuff never came back up much in the story after 1, so I was pleasantly surprised with how relevant it was to the emotional arc of 3.

4/30: Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun * - Yeah I’m not playing through the whole thing lmao. I just wanted to play the first couple hours for nostalgia’s sake, and as a baseline for how much better the rest are. Even before getting deep in the game and having to deal with all the shit gated between doing two new game+ playthroughs, it’s immediately obvious how much of a downgrade this one is. Tons of glaring errors and typos all over the script, blander music, a way more boring aesthetic for the internet, and a premise that mostly just recycles the tournament idea from 3.

May

5/14: The Venture Bros. - Glad I finally sat down and watched all of this with Anthony after having seen one (1) episode as a teenager and a bunch of random clips in the years since. Great show. Some jokes in the early seasons haven’t aged gracefully, but what the show grows into over time... man. Hank and Dean go from being the butt of the joke to being characters you actually sympathize with - while still also being funny little goofballs. And the journey Henchman 21 goes on throughout the show. Man. Amazing that a comedy like this could run for 20 years and maintain its level of quality. Can’t wait for the movie.

5/18: Future Me Hates Me (The Beths) - Okay yeah I’m now just discovering bands through Fortnite lmao. I can’t complain really, they pick some really great indie artists for the in-game radio stations. Anyway: It’s very easy to win me over with a combination of energetic power pop, catchy guitar riffs, and earnest lyrics like this. One of those albums where three or four tracks in I know I have to buy it. Favorite track: Not Running

5/18: Jump Rope Gazers (The Beths) - Ditto. Favorite track: Dying to Believe

5/18: Expert In A Dying Field (The Beths) - Another good album. (I’m listening to these in release order.) I’ve been a bit slower to warm up to this one, initially thinking it was a little too mellow overall, but it might be my favorite after a few listens. Some real high highs. Interestingly, the lead singer’s New Zealand accent is also coming out more in her singing? Favorite track: Your Side (or maybe Head in the Clouds)

5/19: The Super Mario Bros. Movie - As a Mario fan, I think I enjoyed it? As a movie, less so? It was decent, in spite of feeling like they came up with a list of fun action setpieces first and then wrote the absolute bare minimum possible for the story scenes tying it all together. Full thoughts here. (This is the first movie I’ve seen this year, huh? I really don’t watch a lot of movies.)

5/23: Don't Know What You're In Until You're Out (Gladie) - I feel like I don’t like Gladie as much as I should. Their style of noisy indie rock is very much in my wheelhouse, and I do enjoy listening to them, but I dunno. Maybe it’s that the particular style of vocals makes it more monotonous to me. A good album nonetheless, if not 100% my thing. Favorite track: Nothing

5/24: City Slicker (Ginger Root) - Yes I am still making my way through Bandcamp artists I heard on Fortnite don’t @ me. Any excuse to get me to listen to some cool city pop-inspired funk like this is a good excuse. Favorite track: Loretta

5/24: Rikki (Ginger Root) - Favorite track: Why Try

5/25: Spotlight People (Ginger Root) - Favorite track: The Classic

5/29: Succession - A good dramedy series that increasingly focuses more on the drama than the comedy as it progresses, but it’s hard to complain about that since the drama is so compellingly produced. I enjoyed it. That being said, I kind of rankle at the claims that it’s The Greatest TV Show Of All Time. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. Amazing performances all around. But the show LOVES to spin its wheels, to repeat itself, and to let most of its interesting dramatic developments fizzle out before anything really comes of them, almost as if the show is constantly getting bored with its own ideas. To some extent this is intentional - Logan Roy is the untouchable billionaire, his kids fail at everything (but will nonetheless remain billionaires), and in the long run none of them really give a shit about anything other than their own status. But it’s not like things tend to visibly impact anyone else, either, be they supporting characters or the world at large. Even the Big Scary Election, where the Roy siblings are directly responsible for plunging the nation into chaos, ultimately has zero impact on the finale a mere two episodes later. Certain Other Things do have an impact in the last season, though, allowing things to meaningfully change for the cast and for the show to sit with the ensuing drama, which has stopped me from souring on Succession more. There was finally a payoff for something. But it does still kind of feel like a show that goes in circles until it’s ready to call it quits, even if those circles did contain a lot of great acting and music along the way.

5/29: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts - I’d watched the first 12 episodes when they originally released, but I guess the Netflix binge release and the fact that all three “seasons” came out in one year led to me waiting until it finished… and then I just never got around to finishing it. Glad I fixed that! Really fun and stylish cartoon with an art style reminiscent of Teen Titans, a hip hop-filled soundtrack, dynamic fight scenes, and a colorful post-apocalyptic world filled with mutant (mostly anthropomorphic) animals. I’ll admit that at times I do kinda roll my eyes at Kipo’s unshakeable belief that everyone can be friends in a way that I don’t necessarily with similar shows like Steven Universe, and not every joke lands, but I dunno. It’s a kids’ show. That’s to be expected. It doesn’t detract from the overall package for me.

June

6/1: Craig of the Creek (Season 4) - It’s been years and I’m still processing the fact that kids can turn on Cartoon Network and hear Jeff Rosenstock. Anyway! Craig continues to be one of the best cartoons on TV, consistently funny and creative and way more engaging than a show about a bunch of kids LARPing in the woods has any right to be. This season turned into One Piece with the gang effectively hunting down the Poneglyphs in search of a legendary treasure. The kids think it’ll be magic. It isn't. An increasing number of cartoon logic gags aside, this show is firmly set in the real world. Does that make it any less interesting? Hell no. Season 3 turned a game of capture the flag into an all-out five episode war between the heroes and villains, filled with dramatic turnabouts and a climactic guest appearance from Del the Funky Homosapien. I’m sure however they wrap things up in the (sadly shortened) final season, it’ll be great. (Also? I would watch a whole show based on that “what if” episode that jumped forward to everyone’s 20s.)

6/6: Barry - Holy shit, what a show. I ended up binging it in less than a week in a cycle of “okay, just one more episode.” The way this show is able to swing between tones and genres while still feeling like a cohesive whole is truly masterful. It’s a layered character drama, a tragic crime thriller, a farcical comedy, an understated action series, a surrealist morality play, and a scathing satire of Hollywood, all in one. Even within the criminal underworld subplots the show ranges in tone from Breaking Bad to Paddington 2. And it works! While the show naturally gets bleaker over time as it confronts the repercussions of Barry’s murders, it never completely loses sight of its comedic roots. My favorite episode was easily season 2’s “ronny/lily,” a mostly self-contained episode that somehow manages to keep throwing the perfect curveballs to escalate its dark comedy.

6/12: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) - Y’all heard of this movie? Pretty good, it turns out. (I’d seen the theatrical cut before, but this was my first time watching the extended edition. I’ve also only seen parts of the other two movies, so it’s time I finally watch all the extended cuts. The Gollum game pushed me to this.)

6/13: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition) - give it to us RAW and WRIGGLING

6/17: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Extended Edition) - I’m not crying YOU’RE crying

6/22: Clone High (Season 2) - While the first episode being about “cancel culture” (or, more accurately, a teenager from 2003 being transported to 2023 and putting his foot in his mouth a lot) put a lot of people off, I ended up enjoying the new season of Clone High. The new clones grew on me as the season went on and their roles in the web of teen romance melodrama crystalized, and it made me laugh a lot, and Cleo/Frida is galaxy brained. Also they played one of my favorite Antarctigo Vespucci songs like a minute into the first episode. I don’t think I could really ask for much more.

6/28: The Mandalorian (Season 3) - I'd been watching this weekly but put off the last episode for no real reason. Responses to this season have been all over the place, but my blistering hot take is… it was fine. Is it as good as the first season? Probably not. But Mando no longer needs to carry the whole franchise on its shoulders and set the bar for how good the live action Disney Star Wars shows can be, because Andor exists, and it’s never gonna top Andor. The Mandalorian is free to just be a pulpy space adventure show where Giancarlo Esposito plays a scenery-chewing cartoon villain and a little puppet does wire stunts. These are things Andor cannot and should not do, but that’s Star Wars, baby. It’s delightful. I could watch Grogu get underhand tossed like a sack of flour all day.

July

7/2: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (Season 2) - LOVE WINS. (More nuanced take from way later: It definitely feels like a lot of the more messy political conflicts in this show got swept aside by the big final battle where some more easily resolved family conflicts take center stage. I’m not sure the ending is the most satisfying. But also this show only got half the episode count that damn near every other Gundam show ever made got, so that might be a factor here. Idk. Still one of my favorite Gundams.)

7/4: Final Fantasy XVI (watched Anthony play) - I had to write my longest Medium article ever about this one because I was so frustrated

7/10: Home Movies - “Things I like that I’ve never seen in full” has certainly been a recurring theme this year. Home Movies remains an all-time classic of animated comedy that went out on a high note before things got stale or the characters became parodies of themselves. While it’s mostly known for its funny improvised banter, throughout the last season you can really see the arc where Brendon no longer enjoys making movies, yet he feels obligated to keep using them to escape from the real world. In that light, the ending where the nature of their dysfunctional makeshift family is cemented, Brendon’s camera suddenly breaks, and life moves on really does feel like the perfect note to end on. Truly one of the best to ever do it.

7/15: The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom - Wow. Just… wow. I had serious doubts about TotK in the months leading up to release due to how close Nintendo was playing their cards to their chest. I didn’t want this to be a Saints Row IV, where the game is fun enough but the recycled map makes it feel like a rehash. Instead, I found a game that made me look at BotW’s map in a whole new light, brimming with so many more things to do and people to meet. Add on a better, more versatile set of tools, more varied dungeons and bosses, and a story that I felt was told somewhat better and we’ve got a real contender for my new favorite Zelda game. It was hard to tear myself away, but as this list shows, it’s been basically the only game I’ve played since it came out.

7/16: Sonic Prime (Season 2) - I liked the parts with Shadow and Chaos Sonic, but I’ve come to the sad conclusion that most of this show is just mediocre. More thoughts here.

7/18: We ♥ Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie - “I’m a dog, but I love Katamari Damacy.” Truer words have never been spoken.

7/19: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Pretty good! It didn’t blow me away, but after how bad the Bay movies got I’m just thankful to have a decently cohesive Transformers movie where the human story is okay and I like the bots (although half of them needed more screen time), even if it is just another Hollywood blockbuster about two sides fighting over a macguffin that devolves into a big CGI battle against an army of nameless monsters in the third act. This is basically a mid-tier MCU movie but with Transformers, which won’t do much for most people, but again: the bar was underground.

7/22: The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart - God DAMN. A phenomenal ending for the series. While I would have loved to see a full final season to get some more one-off episodes in there, this doesn’t feel creatively compromised in any way–either due to the time constraints, or due to a desire to make it more marketable as a movie. It really does feel like they just took their outlines for the canceled final season and gently massaged them into the shape of an 84-minute movie, and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s completely on par with the previous seasons. A hilarious and fitting sendoff for one of the greats of adult animation.

7/23: Beautiful Katamari - This was one of my first Xbox 360 games, but a frustrating temperature-based level made me put it down for 16 years. “Maybe it won’t be as bad now that I’ve beaten the first two games and am better at Katamari,” I thought. Nope! Still an absolutely dogshit level. But also, turns out the whole game is only like two hours long lmao. It’s still Katamari, so it’s still fun - the final level in particular, which seamlessly takes you from ground level all the way to space, feels like a logical endpoint for the series - but beyond that it just doesn't have the same soul without Keita Takahashi's input.

August

8/4: Doom Singer (Chris Farren) - I’ve been waiting so long for Chris and Jeff to do another Antarctigo Vespucci album, but god damn. This is the best of Chris’s solo work, and a contender for his best record, period. Every track’s a banger, with more energy than some of his previous solo work but also a good deal of variety. Favorite tracks: First Place, Cosmic Leash

8/4: Transformers Earthspark (Season 1) - This show had a bit of an uneven start, unsure if it wanted to have the emotional maturity of a more serious action cartoon or a preschool cartoon where the characters have little kid mood swings and outbursts and learn basic lessons. It also felt like it was speedrunning its Wholesome Found Family Dynamic with characters who just met, which didn’t feel earned. While these problems never completely go away (see: the cheap and corny way the otherwise very dark season finale suddenly resolves), the show improves quickly, and the positives outweigh the negatives. It’s so great to have a Transformers cartoon that feels fresh, giving us a post-war setting with a bunch of new characters and new dynamics between the Cybertronians and the humans. The returning characters are also uniformly great as the old veterans overseeing the new generation. (Reformed Megatron! Danny Pudi as Bumblebee! Steve Blum returning as Starscream! Keith David as Grimlock!!!) And those super dynamic action scenes! I can nitpick, but Earthspark’s a ton of fun, and easily the best new Transformers cartoon since Prime and Animated.

8/5: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (remaster) - Everyone who told me this game was a masterpiece was right. I had played the first chapter when it dropped as the demo for the iOS version years ago, but never went further than that until now. What a game. Absolutely incredible through and through. Great story, great twists, great characters, great puzzles, great art direction. Everything comes together so perfectly to form a totally unique, unforgettable package, a top tier video game murder mystery. Everyone should play this, preferably going in as blind as possible.

8/15: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 16) - Wow! Recent seasons of Sunny have been kind of up and down, with some interesting experiments (Mac Finds His Pride, the Ireland arc, etc.) paired with some comedic duds. Most of this latest season is standard fare for the series with fewer big creative swings, but it’s just hit after hit in terms of comedy. Not a single dud, whether we’re seeing Mac and Dennis try to start a rental business for inflatable furniture or watching the gang meet Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, believing the entire time that the latter is Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle. Even the attempts at topical comedy landed better. Easily the funniest season in years.

8/16: One Piece Film Gold - It’s easy to see why this one has kind of been forgotten in the wake of Stampede and Film Red, which revolve around established fan favorite characters, but this was still pretty fun. Perhaps a little too long, but it’s fun to see the Straw Hats fool around in a giant casino and do a heist. They definitely cranked the fanservice up even more than usual in this one, though, as I probably should have expected for a movie made alongside the anime’s adaptation of Dressrosa.

8/17: One Piece: Stampede - This one goes for a different kind of fanservice. While most One Piece movies are isolated from the ongoing plot and its expanded cast of characters, Stampede instead asks “What if we just put damn near every active character on the same island and had them fight?” The answer: a fun time! It would get old if all of the movies were like this, but after a bunch of movies that are just like “the Straw Hats are gonna land on another new island and fight some more weird guys” it’s fun to see characters like Law and Buggy and Smoker get in on the fun. It’s also nice to get a movie with the Wano era art style, and Usopp surprisingly gets some really good character moments in here.

8/18: One Piece Film Red - This really is the best of the One Piece movies, huh? (Baron Omatsuri is a close second.) It really feels like a change of pace after the last four with the most interesting and emotionally engaging story out of any of them. And even if the events of these movies are never canon, it still feels significant in my understanding of Shanks as a character as we move into the final phase of the manga.

8/21: Pikmin 4 - The opening hour of the game made me really question if they’d changed too much, with all the focus on your new dog unit over your Pikmin and the extremely dull, drawn out dialogue scenes with your new companions back at the base. But once I got into the swing of things I had a blast. This is probably my new favorite Pikmin game. There’s a great mix of activities here to keep things fresh. I also really ended up liking Oatchi’s role as basically your second captain who can also serve as your tank or a rideable mount. The Dandori stuff and nighttime missions in particular show off how useful Oatchi is for your multitasking without necessarily overshadowing the Pikmin.

8/22: Never Get Tired: The Bomb the Music Industry! Story - I literally backed this on Kickstarter eight years ago (my name is in the credits!) and then never got around to watching it for no reason. It’s on YouTube now, and Jeff’s got a new album out next week, so now feels like the perfect time to watch it. And man… what a great documentary. Obviously I’m just a fan of the band, but this also really spoke to me as an artist. Jeff wanting to stick to his principles and give out his music for free and play cheap all ages shows, his discomfort over the idea of selling merch, and the struggles that come with not playing the game like that… It's hard. They readily admit that Jeff is an idealist, that people fight him on this stuff, that he’s missed out on some big opportunities because of these stances, and that he’s had to compromise a bit on some of these things over time. But that incredible climax with their final show, including a full opening performance of the slowly building “Campaign for a Better Next Weekend” and the closing performance of “Future 86” where the whole audience is singing along as the members of the band are hugging and crying… it’s beautiful. This may have been a band where the members had to go back to their shitty day jobs after every tour because they weren’t selling out arenas, but their art meant something to people, and that makes it all worth it.

8/25: Nimona - I haven’t read the original comic (yet), so I can’t compare them too much, but it’s nonetheless pretty apparent that some things were softened and easy kids’ movie jokes were added by the studio to squeeze this graphic novel for teens into a PG animated movie. Regardless, the emotional throughline hits REALLY hard, particularly the very blatant trans allegory and the climax. (It’s no wonder Disney was afraid of this movie seeing the light of day lmao.) The animation is also very squishy and fun to watch throughout. Great movie.

8/26: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - Spider-Verse really has done so much for animation, huh? This one was as good as everyone said. Beautiful use of stylized color and lighting throughout, and every time this movie very conspicuously shifted to different framerates for a flashy fight scene it owned. Very cute and heartwarming story, too, which thankfully gave its second act plenty of time to explore the cast and let them go on their journey, unlike a certain plumber movie that came out a few months later. Also I would let Death [redacted]

8/28: Holocure: Save the Fans! - This isn't really something I can beat, but I've been addicted to Holocure lately. I don't even watch VTubers aside from maybe seeing a funny Korone animation every now and then, this is just a really, really good freeware Vampire Survivors clone with a huge roster of varied characters to pick from.

8/31: HELLMODE (Jeff Rosenstock) - A new album from Jeff is always a major event for me. If there were any worries that he was starting to go soft at 40 (because one of the three singles off this album was a gentle acoustic piece), the frantic opening of this album put those worries to rest. The first two tracks are Jeff screaming out for help as he’s pulled in a million directions by the chaotic state of the world, a theme that becomes the thesis of the album. I’d say it lags slightly in the middle, but overall this is another extremely well-rounded record full of bangers that’s unapologetically Jeff, with possibly my favorite closing track he’s ever done. Favorite tracks: I WANNA BE WRONG, 3 SUMMERS

September

9/3: One Piece (live action, Season 1) - They did it. I can’t believe it, but they did it. While I have my nitpicks (Usopp and Sanji don’t get enough big moments to shine), this is an extremely solid and faithful adaptation of the first few arcs of One Piece with a great cast. For the most part the changes feel smart and logical, and the big emotional beats of the story are all there and executed very well. I doubted it a little in episodes 2-4, where the Orange Town and Syrup Village arcs saw some major changes to shift the action indoors, and the increased focus on the drama in favor of repeating every gag and battle from the manga 1:1 took a bit of getting used to, but by the end I was having a blast. It’s a different take on One Piece, but it still feels like One Piece. Genuinely very excited for season 2.

9/4: Pseudoregalia - A great little N64-style 3D Metroidvania focused on platforming and very satisfying movement. I always love entries in the genre that are less prescriptive in what order you have to tackle areas in, a la Symphony of the Night or Hollow Knight, and this one’s great in that regard. While there are a number of new moves to find, most of the map is open to you very early in the game, and smart use of your moveset can allow you to “sequence break” without even realizing it. (You would not believe how long I went without getting the wall run.) I do wish it had a map, but that’s already being patched in.

9/6: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk * - Not a bad game at all, but I quickly remembered how bad I am at skating games, so like… eh? Not sure I have much desire to play past chapter 2. Also the soundtrack is sadly kinda hit or miss for me outside of the obvious Naganuma tunes.

9/9: The History of the Minnesota Vikings (Dorktown) - Jon Bois never misses. Even as someone who doesn’t actively follow sports, Jon Bois is a master storyteller, using graphs and statistics and funny anecdotes to explore these deeply human stories. He can convey why people care so much about these teams, these people, and sports in general, and how our popular sports reflect on American culture. He could tell the story of just about any team or player in any sport and I just know I’ll come out the other side a misty-eyed fan. And what a fascinating cast of characters we have this time, with origin stories for everything from the Hail Mary pass to a Minnesota state supreme court judge to the Griddy. Nine hours well spent.

9/10: Timespinner - A fun and highly polished Metroidvania that maybe doesn’t quite have enough of its own identity in its quest to replicate Symphony of the Night…but also, like, this was pitched as a Symphony throwback on KickStarter in a pre-Bloodstained, pre-Hollow Knight world, so I can’t really blame ‘em! Stopping time to avoid boss attacks is fun, the pixel art is gorgeous, and I liked the dark science fantasy story about warring empires and meddling with time a lot more than I thought I would - lore journal text dumps and all.

9/14: The Decay of Sam & Cat (Quinton Reviews) - All the stuff at the end with Matt Bennett (the actor who played Robbie on Victorious and Sam & Cat) in this was really good and sweet. It’s that kind of thing that makes these videos feel like they’re still worthwhile on some level. But the padding and the things Quinton chooses to spend the colossal runtime on does drive me more and more insane with each passing Nick sitcom video. I don’t know how much longer he can keep this schtick up. I hope he’s able to move on to other things before too terribly long instead of continuing to extend this “miniseries.”

9/19: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales - AKA Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 1.5. It’s fun for the same reasons Peter’s first game was fun. I had a good time swinging around New York again in preparation for the sequel, and there’s a lot of cute stuff with Miles becoming Harlem’s neighborhood hero, but WOW did the Underground v. Roxxon conflict fall flat for me.

9/20: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson - I understand so many posts now.

9/25: Spider-Man (2002) (rewatch) - It’s you who’s out, Gobby! OUT OF YOUR MIND!

9/25: Futurama (Season 8) - I was ready to be a hater, recalling the fact that Futurama has already had three “perfect endings” with the show getting a little weaker with every revival. Then I watched the first new episode on a whim and thought it wasn’t bad, so I was like, eh, sure, I’ll watch the rest. Overall Hulurama is hit or miss. There are chuckles to be had, and it sure as hell beats modern Simpsons, but almost every episode is either a belated take on an overplayed Topical Issue (the pandemic, Amazon, cancel culture, etc.) or a direct sequel to an old episode people liked. Or both! It’s also really noticeable that certain voice actors sound way older - Billy West is struggling with the Fry voice in particular, and it hurts his comedic timing. But just when all hope seemed lost after the nigh-incomprehensible toy-themed anthology episode, possibly the worst episode of the entire series… the last episode, where the Planet Express crew explores whether or not the universe could be a simulation, was really, really solid. Great note to end on to make me not regret my time with this season as a whole.

9/26: Spider-Man 2 (2004) (rewatch) - Once the GOAT, always the GOAT.

9/27: Spider-Man 3 (rewatch) - Revisiting this movie for the first time since I saw it in theaters… it’s not bad. It’s fine! It continues to have the heart and sincerity that make the first two movies work. It’s just not as concise with three villains vying for the spotlight, but I also wouldn’t cut any of them, necessarily. I guess Eddie/Venom would be the easiest, but Peter getting the black suit and giving in to his resentment feels too central to cut. (Yes, even with Emo Peter becoming a meme.)

9/28: Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake - I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one, especially since I was never really a fan of the genderbend episodes in the original show. (At the time they mostly just felt like an excuse to crank up the teen romance stuff to 11.) But MAN. This was a fantastic coda to the original series. It made me care about Fionna and Cake and their friends as their own characters separate from their original counterparts, it gave the Simon/Betty arc a much more satisfying (if no less bittersweet) resolution than the original finale had time to do, and it even managed to be a multiverse story that didn’t make me roll my eyes in 2023. A+ all around. Makes me wanna rewatch the original show again. [spoiler: I did]

9/29: Meanwhile (aivi & surasshu) - It’s been a whole decade–they were busy with, you know, all the music in Steven Universe, among other things–but we finally have a new aivi & surasshu album! Their chiptune/piano fusion style is familiar, but they’ve definitely grown as composers in subtle ways. Favorite track: Time Travel

October

10/1: This is Financial Advice (Folding Ideas) - A lot of the nitty gritty finance law stuff turned into white noise for me, but still, great video. I had no idea that the GameStop stock craze devolved into this bizarre cult that thinks they’re going to crash the global economy and rise from the ashes as the new kings with the value of their GME stocks. Glad this video exists to try and balance out the narrative.

10/5: Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon DLC - Good ideas, absurdly frustrating and tedious execution. Full thoughts here.

10/10: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (rewatch) - I didn’t plan this, but very fitting that I would end up rewatching this on 10/10.

10/12: Half-Life Alyx but the Gnome is Self-Aware (wayneradiotv) - ha he! (Seriously though, that finale was a fucking masterpiece. The RTVS crew has an incredible knack for using the framing device of video game livestreams to blur the lines between comedy and horror, or ironic anti-humor and complete sincerity. I’ve never seen anything else like this.)

10/15: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Not sure how much I can say that hasn’t already been said. The most visually creative movie I’ve ever seen, grounded by some really excellent storytelling about Miles (and now Gwen) that’s probably better than his actual comics. But it also does feel like it’s about to end and then the movie just keeps going like ten times over lmao. Can’t wait to watch this a second time on a better TV.

10/20: Sonic Superstars - A mostly really solid and fun 2D Sonic game that’s unfortunately dragged down by an extremely hodgepodge soundtrack and some overly drawn out boss fights. I spent HOURS trying to beat the final boss of the bonus scenario (which is required for the true ending in this one) before giving up. Really a shame that that’s the note I’m leaving the game on, because I otherwise enjoyed it, but ah well. More thoughts here.

10/27: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Another good Spider-Man game from Insomniac. Liked the story more than the one in Miles Morales, but maybe not as much as the first game. Extensive thoughts here.

10/28: Venom - Was in the mood for more Venom after the game. As expected this was not a very good movie, but the dynamic between Eddie and Venom made it a fun watch. Tom Hardy is constantly about to shit his pants in this movie. It’s great.

10/28: Venom: Let There Be Carnage - I had a way better time with this one. Is this a good movie? No. But it cranks the insanity of the first movie up to 11. Goofy as fuck in an extremely watchable way.

November

11/5: Pluto - An absolutely masterful series that anyone interested in sci-fi needs to watch. The anime adaptation was great, and I immediately understand why people who’ve read the manga speak so highly of it. Really makes me want to get into Astro Boy more, and also read some of Urasawa’s other works.

11/18: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off - Wow, just wow. When news of a Scott Pilgrim anime broke I was cautiously curious to see if we’d get a more direct adaptation of the comics, and instead it veered off in the exact opposite direction in the best way possible. This is almost entirely a different story, one that’s in conversation with the previous versions (sometimes in very meta ways), and I think it’s really valuable to see O’Malley revisiting these characters with new things to say about them. The major story divergence gives us a chance to examine the characters from a new angle - particularly Ramona, who’s the real protagonist of this version, and the evil exes, who completely steal the show. This was a great reminder of why I fell in love with this series as a teenager. I now genuinely hope we get more Scott Pilgrim.

11/22: Void Rivals (Issues #1 - #6) - The first arc of the new Robert Kirkman series that kicked off Skybound’s new “Energon Universe” is now complete, and I’m left thinking Void Rivals is… okay? I thought the first issue was a decent (if not particularly original) sci-fi comic with an appealing art style, which just so happens to also briefly have a Transformer in it so there can be a Big Surprise. And the series still hasn’t quite shaken that feeling to me. It’s an okay sci-fi series that arbitrarily dedicates a couple of pages of every issue to something from Transformers, but I’m not really sure what the shared universe stuff adds to Void Rivals, or what Void Rivals adds to Transformers and GI Joe. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

11/22: Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History (Defunctland) - Yeah, gotta be honest, I only got halfway through this one. It seems like Kevin just 1) really wanted to push himself creatively and 2) make a love letter to Epcot, and while I respect that, I think it suffers as a historical documentary. It’s Fantasia but for the creation of Epcot. That might be very impressive on a technical level, but it feels more like a piece of Disney propaganda than prior Defunctland videos due to a lack of context and nuance.

11/24: Aperture Desk Job - A short, sweet, and funny little tech demo for my new Steam Deck set in the Portal universe. More effort was definitely put into this than was strictly necessary.

11/26: ESCHATOS - I am not good at bullet hell games, but I enjoy them from time to time and I really love this one’s FM synth soundtrack, so I picked it up on a whim in the Steam sale. I only beat it on Easy, but still, I had a lot of fun with it! It’s straightforward but very flashy, with the camera dynamically zooming around from set piece to set piece at ridiculous speeds and each level segueing directly into the next. The lack of a powerup system on the main mode in favor of just needing to know when to use your different shot types makes it feel very approachable.

11/27: Lunistice - A great little 3D platformer with a good soundtrack that I had fun hunting down all the secrets in. This is an easy recommendation for fans of games like Kirby or Klonoa - whimsical games set in colorful dream worlds where the underlying story can get a bit more somber. (Although the story in this one is mostly told through mildly cryptic lore dumps, so your mileage there may vary.)

11/28: Spark the Electric Jester 2 - The leap from 2D to 3D here is impressive, but this is very clearly a rough draft for Spark 3. Very, very fun Sonic-style 3D platforming, but the combat is lacking and the storytelling is just kinda bad. More extensive thoughts on this and the above two games here.

December

12/2: Fortnite (Chapter 4) - This was my first full chapter of Fortnite, after having been roped into the game by the siren songs of Zero Build mode and Goku during Chapter 3. This means it’s harder for me to compare this chapter to previous ones, but still, Fortnite remains a genuinely very well made Battle Royale shooter that’s a blast with friends. If I have any complaint about this Chapter, it’s that they would regularly introduce zany ideas and then slowly reel them back in, whether it was the Augment system or the increasingly mundane movement items. It also felt like it was a little too easy to get the perfect loadout in every match, meaning the final showdown would almost always be against players with Slurp Juice and gold shotguns. And I missed the smaller mid-season map updates of Chapter 3. But overall I still had a really good time, and look forward to playing more for the foreseeable future.

12/4: Plagiarism and You(Tube) (HBomberguy) - This will get written off by many as “YouTuber drama,” but this really is an excellent video essay that feels like the kick in the pants that YouTube needs. If video essayists are gonna be a major source of information for so many, then they gotta have standards. I also think it does a good job of highlighting the people that have been plagiarized and trying to drive more attention their way in an attempt to right those wrongs.

12/6: Transformers (Skybound comic) - We only got the first three issues of this in 2023, but I just HAVE to say something about how incredible this series is here. Daniel Warren Johnson is knocking it out of the park. This is the new bar for Transformers. The hand-inked art is extremely dynamic and full of character, and the story is using the familiar beats of G1 Transformers but doing very new things with them. You can tell this from the very first page, but the emotional scene of Optimus accidentally crushing a deer in the forest and realizing how fragile life is on Earth sealed the deal for me. And yet in the very same comics Optimus can do suplexes and clotheslines and lord knows how many other wrestling moves on Decepticons, and it doesn’t feel like tonal whiplash? These comics just fucking rule, and anyone with even the slightest interest in Transformers should be reading them.

12/8: What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5) - [spoilers] WWDITS has very much settled into being a status quo show. Every season has its own little arc where one or two things change to keep things interesting, but then everything returns to normal by the end. Guillermo finally becoming a vampire, only to become a human again in the end, might just be the most egregious example of this yet. But also… the show’s still really funny? And I continue to be happy that Kristen Schaal has stuck around as a series regular as the Guide. So it’s hard to complain. I could see the show running out of steam over the next few seasons, but it’s still hitting for me right now.

12/12: Pony Island - Finally got around to this since the trailer for the sequel dropped. I feel like playing this years later in a post-Inscryption world where Pony Island is a known quantity kind of lessens its impact, but still, it’s a fun and funny puzzle game where you try to hack your way out of a possessed arcade machine. I’m not sure I found it particularly scary, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to be? The way the game messes with you during the Asmodeus “boss fight” was probably the highlight for me. I also like being able to say things like “The part where you have to not kill Jesus was so hard. I kept getting terrible butterfly patterns.”

12/16: Breaking Bad VR but the AI is Self-Aware (wayneradiotv) - As always, Wayne and co.’s commitment to the bit is unrivaled. This kind of got interpreted as just a way to troll HLVRAI fans, but so many moments in this genuinely made me laugh out loud.

12/18: Soul of Sovereignty Prelude - As someone who would list Cucumber Quest as a big creative influence, I was naturally very excited for this first chapter of GGDG’s new visual novel. Their mentality of both scaling things back in terms of labor while also going more shamelessly self-indulgent in terms of storytelling after burning out on making webcomics has really spoken to me, and WOW, the end result of that new process of theirs is shaping up to be something really special. The art and music are sparse but extremely evocative, giving you the rough sketch of the world and letting your mind fill in the rest. The story blends literary high fantasy vibes with the style of fantasy seen in ‘90s JRPGs (you can definitely tell this came from an idea for an RPG), but rather than constantly winking at the audience and making self-aware video game references it plays these storytelling ideas extremely sincerely, giving them real dramatic weight while still indulging in fun tropes to their fullest extent. While it’s a far cry from their most famous work with much more mature content, GGDG always excels at creating characters and worlds that immediately grab me. I can’t wait for the rest.

12/18: Barbie - I’m only… what, five months late for the whole Barbenheimer thing? Perfect timing. Anyway! On the one hand, I get the critiques saying that this movie is just a major corporation funding a self-aware feminist critique of their own product as a marketing ploy. And I kinda agree with that. And the movie is a little too long, and I don’t really know what to think of the way the Barbie/Ken conflict plays out. Anthony asked me to summarize what the story ended up being about, and I had no idea what to even say. But also… I did still like the movie? We don’t get a lot of cartoonish, absurdist, fourth wall breaking comedies like this anymore, and this is a good one of those. Also the whole cast is great, the set design is kind of stunning, and the cinematography is consistently appealing. I wouldn’t say it’s a revolutionary work of feminist filmmaking by any stretch, but it’s a good comedy movie.

12/21: Dr. Stone: New World - Man, Dr. Stone is great. I’ve said this many times, but I just love that this series uses all the trappings of shounen that would normally be used to hype up the protagonist learning a new move to instead hype up things like the protagonist building a loom or a hot air balloon. It’s shounen Bill Nye. I didn’t completely love everything about the Treasure Island arc this season, but it all built towards a really fun climax with a lot of satisfying turnabouts where the heroes use their ingenuity to just barely win.

12/23: The History of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out World Records (Summoning Salt) - Truly one of my favorite Summoning Salt videos ever, even with how repetitive Punch-Out can get to watch. It’s just so hard to beat “and that runner… was me.”

12/24: Super Mario Bros. Wonder - What more can be said that hasn’t already been said? It’s the best and most creative 2D Mario game since the ‘90s. The only real flaws are that it’s a little easy, the Search Party stages are annoying in singleplayer, and I wish that every boss prior to the final boss wasn’t just some form of Bowser Jr. fight. But those aren’t nearly enough to drag the whole experience down. It was a blast.

12/24: Do a Powerbomb! - Got this from Anthony as a birthday present. This is the previous series by the creative team currently doing the new Transformers comics I was gushing about a few entries ago. Even with the high bar set by those comics, Do a Powerbomb! exceeded my expectations. Holy shit. An absolutely entrancing fantasy wrestling miniseries full of dynamic, energetic action and tons of heart. These comics where a guy wrestles a giant talking orangutan almost made me cry. Twice. An instant favorite.

12/25: Adventure Time (rewatch) - We ended up finishing our rewatch of Adventure Time (the main series, anyway) on my 30th birthday, which feels appropriate. I already kinda knew this, but this rewatch has truly confirmed that Adventure Time is my favorite TV series of all time. The entire show is even better on a full series rewatch. In hindsight, even parts that annoyed me when they aired end up being important parts of the beautiful tapestry that is this series. The many low points of Finn’s adolescent love life are important stepping stones in his growth as a person, which leaves him in an extremely satisfying place by the end. Jake having kids didn’t get to be a huge status quo change because they grew up instantly, but then they did a bunch of fun episodes about Jake’s relationships with his adult children that deepened him as a character. And most of the big lore questions they kept teasing over the years (“Where’d the humans go?” “Who are Finn’s parents?” “When’s Finn gonna get a robot arm?” etc.) ended up getting satisfying and creative answers, because the show left itself the room to figure those things out later. This is a truly special, one-of-a-kind series, one that lasted nearly 300 episodes and yet still seems like it was over too soon. And yes, I did in fact cry during the final montage, like I knew I would. I will always cherish this show with all of my heart.

12/25: Olive the Other Reindeer (rewatch) - Haven’t seen this one since I was a kid! It was a favorite of mine back then, and while it might not be quite as funny as I remember it’s still very cute, with a 2D/3D hybrid art style that remains very unique and appealing. As an adult I can also appreciate the cast they got for this, with like half the cast of Futurama bolstered by guests like Michael Stipe from REM and The Sopranos’ Joe Pantoliano.

12/26: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio - Anthony and I capped off our Christmas with the most jolly and festive stop motion movie of all! Jokes aside, man, what a beautiful movie. The animation is immaculate, and we really just don’t get children’s animated films like this anymore. Ones that overtly feature real world politics and religion and so many other dark themes in a way that doesn’t talk down to kids or sugarcoat things. This one hits hard. We need more movies like this.

12/31: Oppenheimer - This was an interesting one. Despite being three hours, the way that first hour jumps around in time makes it feel like Oppenheimer is constantly being propelled forward through life at a breakneck pace, swept up by the rising tide of nationalism in spite of his personal left wing politics, never really reflecting on what he’s doing until it’s too late. Then when he’s no longer useful to the empire, he’s chewed up and spat out, only to eventually be honored as a national hero as a symbolic gesture. It’s a compelling story. However, I’m a little torn on how certain aspects of history were framed. Does the abstraction of the bombings detract from the true weight of those events, in favor of sympathizing with the man who built the bomb? Or is it clever a way to show how the realities of the war were compartmentalized away by people who were complicit in its most heinous acts of violence? One minute a bunch of physicists are talking theory, thousands of miles away from the theaters of war, and the next they’ve killed 200,000 people. So which is it? Eh, probably somewhere in the middle, I guess. But I liked it overall.

12/31: Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe - I’ve been really surprised by how good this rerelease is. It kind of flew under the radar for me. I liked the original game, but at the time it also almost felt like the New Super Mario Bros. of Kirby. It was a straightforward throwback game where you went through a grass world, then a desert world, then a water world, etc., and also they added four player co-op. But returning to this one after the kinda mid Star Allies has made me appreciate just how solid RtDL is as a Kirby game. I really like the updated graphics, too - yes, even the new cel shaded outlines around the characters - even though I didn’t think it looked that great in screenshots. Also the two new copy abilities (Sand and Mecha) are fun, the minigame collection is shockingly fleshed out to the point that they could’ve sold it as a standalone eShop game, the collectible character masks are fun, and the new epilogue mode where you play as Magolor is one of the coolest bonus modes they’ve ever done. This is a top tier Kirby remake any fan of the series should check out.

Ongoing things I followed in 2023 that don't have a blurb:

Halo Infinite multiplayer

IDW Sonic the Hedgehog (main series + specials)

One Piece

Chainsaw Man

My Hero Academia (not caught up)

The JOJOlands (not caught up)

Things I started in 2023 that I still need to finish:

Freedom Planet 2

Hi-Fi Rush

Live A Live

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Picross 3D Round 2

Rhythm Heaven MegaMix

Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team ProtoMan

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Spark the Electric Jester 3

Sonic Dream Team

One Piece (Wano arc, anime)

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (I’ve already read the Shibuya arc already in the manga, though)

Astro Boy (2003 anime)

Futurama (original run rewatch)

One Piece (manga reread)

The Amazing Spider-Man (Lee/Ditko era)

Scott Pilgrim series (reread)

And finally... my favorites of 2023!!!

Overall favorite game: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Favorite indie game: Pseudoregalia

Games remastered in 2023 that are now among my all-time faves: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, We Love Katamari

Most pleasant surprise in gaming: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

Favorite film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Favorite live action show: Barry

Favorite anime: Pluto

Favorite anime written by a Canadian guy and an American guy based on the Canadian guy's old graphic novel series: Scott PIlgrim Takes Off

Favorite live action adaptation of an anime that I still can't believe they didn't fuck up: One Piece

Favorite Western cartoon: Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake

Favorite older cartoon I only got around to watching in its entirety this year: The Venture Bros.

Favorite documentary: Double Fine PsychOdyssey

Favorite semi-improvised semi-scripted absurdist comedy/horror/tragedy Twitch livestream performance art thing: Half-Life Alyx but the Gnome is Self-Aware finale (wayneradiotv)

Favorite manga: Chainsaw Man

Favorite older manga that I only read this year: Berserk

Favorite Western comic book: Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers

Favorite album: HELLMODE (Jeff Rosenstock)

And that's a wrap!!!!! Happy new year, everyone! Here's to me maybe actually reading a goddamn book this year

#bobby writes #i don't have a writing tag so i'm making one now to save this and other things

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tobi-smp · 3 months

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you know, I think the reason why there's a lot of strange takes about c!wilbur is that not enough people in this fandom have kids (be that actually being a parent or just being responsible for someone younger than you in some way).

"wilbur had absolutely no obligation to take care of tommy/fundy/tubbo, and in fact it's a Good thing that he left them because he's mentally ill"

is a take that Always reads as strange, but instantly drives off a cliff when you actually take care of kids.

don't get me wrong, I relate to wilbur a Lot. he's an extremely important to character to me.

but what's being described here is called Child Neglect. fundy is wilbur's actual son, tommy and wilbur both consider each other brothers, and tubbo is Tommy's brother while wilbur considers himself responsible for him in some way.

All wilburians recognize that wilbur felt responsible for the people in l'manberg and pogtopia, how he agonized over not feeling good enough. and that's Extremely relatable As someone who is mentally ill and in charge of a child.

taking care of a child At All is hard, double so when you're mentally ill. when you're struggling to take care of Yourself but still feel responsible for the lives of other people. when you have to meet needs for somebody else that you can't meet for yourself.

but you can't just like. choose not to take care of your children anymore and have that just be neutral.

sometimes you need to make Choices, you need to rest, you need to take care of yourself. that is all true. but you can't fully disengage from Being a parent without it fucking up your kids.

he Can leave certainly, but he can't do that without it affecting his relationships. he can't do that without it hurting people. and Realistically he can't do that without hurting himself, considering he's cutting himself off from every support he has and going to work minimum wage where nobody knows him.

which simply would not help my mental health if it were me.

and I think some people who see themselves in wilbur don't like that, because it doesn't feel Fair. to have responsibilities for other people when you're barely scraping by. to feel like a bad person for trying to take care of yourself. but that's why having kids is Hard. it's not for everybody, though you don't always get the choice.

and it's exactly Because of that that I think wilbur is extremely interesting representation for mental health, And exactly why I don't like boundless sands as an ending.

because that position that wilbur represents is Real. spiraling over feeling like you can't be what you need to be while Knowing that you Have to be there anyways is an Extremely common thing with mentally ill parents. l'manberg as a Family is real and has always been real.

and the fact that it's Difficult and Complex is the point ! wilbur hurt the people who love him most, and yet those people still love him, still need him, still Want him.

yes wilbur is representation of a mentally ill person, but more than that he is representation of a mentally ill Parent. and that distinction is Meaningful. I also think that distinction isn't as relatable to the very much so younger audience of the dream smp.

of course, that take is Also blanket weird as hell because unlike real life (I hope) the people that wilbur left behind were being hunted by a serial killer and then exploded. it's not a good move for his mental health on account of his entire family did very much so explode and die.

#dream smp #wilbur soot

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hypnoneghoul · 2 months

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It Will Wither

WC: 2k

Relationship: Dewdrop/Aether/Mountain

Tags: Elemental Transition, Coma, Resuscitation, The Surge, Major Character Death, Grief, Hurt no Comfort

Dewdrop's transition goes horribly wrong.

Notes: For the love of all that's unholy read the damn tags.

Read under the cut or on AO3.

They all knew it was a bad idea. A horrible one.

They didn’t know how horrible, though.

Only Dewdrop, Mountain and Aether were left of their pack. Zephyr got sent back to the Pit on their own request, Ifrit had followed his mate like he always had, Terzo had been ki… died.

Only Dewdrop, Mountain and Aether were left.

Their bond was fragile, compromised and put to test by all the events of the previous month. They had barely survived and just when they thought it would all get a bit better, the offer to Dewdrop was made. The offer which wasn’t one, really. What it was was an order and a threat at once, veiled in a pretty cursive font reading ‘proposition’.

Dewdrop, Mountain and Aether had screamed at each other and cried to each other for a week straight, trying to find a solution that wasn’t there, and so there they were. In a damp dungeon under the Abbey, waiting for Dewdrop to be ripped apart and put back together as someone—something—else.

“Dew, please, don’t leave us,” Mountain sobbed on his knees, face pressed into the water ghoul’s thighs where his bare legs were hanging off of the cold stone altar.

“I– I’ll try, Mounty,” he sniffled. “I’ll fight.”

“Promise me,” the earth ghoul demanded, looking up. “Promise me you’ll live.”

“Mountain–” Aether said quietly from behind him. He knew Dewdrop couldn’t make that promise.

“No! No, no, no, he’ll be okay. Right, water lily? You will be, we can’t lose you too, I can’t…” he cried, his whole body shaking. Dewdrop took a shaky breath and looked up at Aether pleadingly. The quintessence ghoul shook his head.

Dewdrop put his hands on Mountain’s head and pulled him up to look into his fresh grass colored eyes. “I promise.”

Mountain sobbed loudly again, holding onto his thighs with an iron grip, and the water ghoul looked back at Aether with a plea in his tear-filled eyes. Take him away.

He obliged, pulling Mountain up from the floor and into his arms, sending a shot of quintessence his way to calm him down. If that was even possible. Aether reached his free arm out to Dewdrop and the water ghoul took his hand, squeezing tightly. This could very well be their last goodbye and all three of them knew it.

With a single tear slipping down his cheek, Aether pulled Mountain out of the chamber and kicked the heavy door behind them.

Dewdrop was left alone in the dreadful silence of the room, but not for long. Soon enough the door opened again two people entered, Sister Imperator and a priest Dewdrop didn’t know. They didn’t even greet him, just gestured for him to lay down and take whatever it was they were about to do to him.

He obliged, well past wanting to argue, scream or cry.

When the stranger began to chant words Dewdrop didn’t recognize, when the candles burst into flames, when the fire started licking at his skin, when agonizing pain washed over him, when he started screaming… that was the last he remembered.

The news of the ritual having ended was delivered to Aether by a text message. Anger boiled in him at how lightly his pack’s despair was treated by the Clergy. Still, he peeled himself away from Mountain—who he had to knock out with his quintessence when Dewdrop’s screams carried through the corridors—and all but ran to the infirmary, where he’d been told the remaining part of his pack was.

When he burst through the door, he felt his heart crack. He’d hear it, too, if not for the raised voices of the infirmary staff and doctors running around the single occupied bed, trying their best to save the broken little ghoul laying on it. His skin was raw and he looked so small. If Aether hadn’t known any better he’d scream at the doctor currently pressing down on his chest rhythmically to stop, to be gentler, lest he break that sweet creature’s ribs.

He did scream, but with a different plea on his lips.

The quintessence ghoul fell to his knees by the bed. He knew he was taking up space someone that could actually help could take, but if… but if that was it, he couldn’t move away. Someone tried to pull him back, but Aether didn’t budge, and soon they gave up.

It was all a blur to him, begging and crying and begging again to Dewdrop’s limp body as people around him tried to make his heart work again. He doesn’t know how long it has been, it felt like days to Aether, but when he could breathe again Dewdrop was stable. That’s what they told him.

“We got him back,” someone said. “He’s stable for now.”

For now.

For. Now.

Dewdrop flatlined twice more. They got him back twice more. They told Aether he was stable for now twice more.

Neither he, nor Mountain had been with him those other two times. Not technically. The infirmary staff decided, after the first time, that they didn’t need two wailing demons on their hands as they tried to save the third one. They invested in sedating shots and male nurses strong enough to be able to inject Mountain and Aether with them once the panic set in.

Apart from that, they barely stepped away from him. They only did every other night to go sleep in his bed, that still carried a faint smell of him. It smelt more like him than he did, now. The fresh smell of a humid summer morning.

Morning dew.

The first night that they decided to spend away from Dewdrop—day four of his coma—Mountain took a piece of him with them. His horns, the beautiful twisted obsidian horns that had broken off had been laying on the bedside table like there was no value to them. Mountain grabbed them, squeezing so hard that the skin of his palms hadn’t broken only by a miracle.

Day seven of Dewdrop’s coma.

It was morning. Mountain and Aether were sulking over the dining table, sipping their respective teas. There was no warmth around them.

They’d go see Dewdrop soon, sit by him and stare at his still face—like they've been doing for the last week—as if their intense gazes would make him open his eyes. As if it would make him better.

Mountain was putting their mugs away when he heard Aether gasp, and when his head snapped to the side his legs nearly gave out under him.

Dewdrop.

He was standing in the door to the commons, leaning against the door frame, in nothing but an oversized t-shirt that once upon a time had probably belonged to one of the ghouls currently stunned to death. The now fire ghoul had a soft smile on his face, even though it looked wrong with his skin all dry and warm-toned. But he was there. Alive. Awake.

Mountain threw himself at him first, squeezing him in his arms and apologizing for the pain it was causing him at the same time. Dewdrop winced but laughed, doing his best to hug the earth ghoul back. “I’m here. I’m here, Mounty.”

Aether approached them slowly, not believing his own eyes. “W– what are you doing here?”

He was afraid that if he tried to touch Dewdrop, the illusion would dissipate. He slowly outstretched an arm and placed a hand on his back, flinching at the unexpected warmth of his skin.

But he didn’t disappear.

“I snuck out,” he shrugged.

Still in disbelief, the quintessence ghoul wrapped his own arms around both Mountain and Dewdrop, pressing his nose into the latter’s hair. He smelled differently, so differently, but under all of it it was still him. It was still Dewdrop.

And he was alive.

Aether allowed himself a smile and silently begged Lucifer for it to last. For what his medically trained mind was supplying him with to not be true.

Dewdrop ate breakfast, then they cuddled and talked. They talked about the past, about the touring, about Terzo, Ifrit and Zephyr, recalling all the best memories they shared. They laughed, all three of them. Then they ate lunch, cuddled and talked some more. Then, they ate dinner and got ready for bed. The day went by way too quickly.

Mountain and Aether nestled Dewdrop tightly between them, their arms caging him in and their noses pressed into his neck as the three of them purred as loudly as ever.

“I love you,” Dewdrop told them. “Both of you, so, so much. You know that, right?”

“Of course, droplet,” Aether replied, kissing him softly.

“We love you, too,” Mountain added before slotting his own lips against Dewdrop’s.

“I just want you to remember that,” he whispered. “You’ll be okay.”

Soon, Mountain fell asleep, then Aether, holding Dewdrop closely. He waited, fighting against sleep, holding on to the energy that was leaving him with an iron grip, just to be able to look down at the two ghouls in his arms for a bit more. Just a bit longer.

“I’m sorry about my promise, Mounty,” Dewdrop muttered into Mountain’s hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He turned to Aether and did the same, “Take care of each other, Aeth.”

Then he let sleep take him.

When they woke up again, for just a moment they thought it had all been a bad dream. Dewdrop wasn’t hot like the evening before, his skin was cold. Just like it used to be.

But then they realized his heart wasn’t beating.

The sound that had ripped out of Mountain’s mouth at the realization would haunt Aether for eternity, burned into his brain. Just like the sight of Dewdrop’s cold, lifeless body being cradled tightly in the earth ghoul’s arms as he rocked back and forth, delirious.

“He knew,” he wailed. He was right. Dewdrop did know what it had been and that there wouldn’t be a next day for him.

“He did,” Aether confirmed. He felt empty, yet with anguish pouring off of him in waves. He couldn’t tear his tear-filled eyes away from the pale face of their dead packmate.

Dead.

The quintessence ghoul tried to calm his mind, thinking about how Dewdrop passed gently in his sleep, without pain, and in the arms of people he had loved the most, and who loved him. Always would.

But he couldn’t. Their Dewdrop was dead and there was nothing that could make it better.

They didn’t burn his body, as it was customary for fire ghouls. To them he never was one. He was their droplet, their water lily, their Dewdrop. He always would be.

They wrapped him in a soft, baby blue cloth and put him into a stone coffin crafted by Mountain himself. He looked so small in it. So wrong.

They took him to the lake. He was a freshwater ghoul, after all. They knew the lake was deep enough and he loved it so much, it couldn’t be anywhere else.

Mountain didn’t cry this time. All he did, just before they pushed the coffin into the lake, was kiss the stone over where Dewdrop’s head was inside, and whisper, “You promised.”

Aether cried. Fat tears rolling down his cheeks one by one, shoulders shaking and mouth agape, letting out sobs and pained whimpers, hand against his chest, as if he was trying to hold together the heart that had shattered into million pieces inside him. He had to, for Mountain.

The noise the water made once the coffin had rolled off the dock and into the lake was agonizing for both of them. They’d never see Dewdrop swimming, jumping out of the water and twisting his lithe body in the air before diving back in with a grin on his face again. They’d never hear him splashing that water, or any other, again.

He was gone.

They stood there, clutching their matching necklaces made of Dewdrop’s obsidian horns in their hands, and clinging tightly to each other. They stared at the, now flat, surface of the lake as the sun slowly set and day turned into night, and they wondered how much more the two of them could take.

Neither of them found an answer.

What they found, though, was something to help the two of them survive. They’d give themselves time to grieve, but then… then the Abbey would turn to dust. And everyone in it.

#hypnone writes #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #dewdrop ghoul #mountain ghoul #aether ghoul #cw death

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snippy-tano · 10 months

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Old Injuries

surprise! i’m back!

at least for this request anyways. this request came from a commenter on ao3! so thank you AnimeWeeb_2001!! basically they requested a one-shot with Hunter where the reader hurt her leg during a mission they were on together and kept it from Hunter until she literally collapsed and couldn’t walk anymore. basically some solid Hunter fluff.

and I am very happy to oblige!

so here it is! hope you all enjoy it!

masterlist is here!

taglist is here!

tagging: @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life; @marvel-starwars-nerd; @mackstrut; @dissapointingpancake; @ahsokatano-thetogruta; @welcometothepedroverse; @padawancat97; @fractiouskat; @mandaloriandin; @bantha-shit; @badbatch-simp24; @katelynnwrites; @s1st3r; @leotatombs; @torchbearerkyle; @rain-on-kamino; @the-navistar-carol; @bombshe77; @arctrooper69; @social-mockingbird; @littlebluebatbrat; @get-wr3ckered; @flowered-bicycles; @idoubleswearimawriter; @eris-k; @dangraccoon

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The mission itself was meant to be easy.

A quick in-and-out that didn’t require the entire Batch. Which is why it was only you and Hunter who went. And for the most part, it had been going smoothly.

You had both split up to cover more ground and make sure exit routes were clear. Hunter had commed you moments before stating that his path was clear and he was heading to the rendezvous point.

You had no sooner echoed your own confirmation of a clear path and turned off the comm when your foot stepped in a small hole and pain exploded throughout your leg. You instantly saw stars and your good knee hit the stone ground.

You forced your eyes open and looked back, seeing a small cracked hole in the pavement. If you had been paying attention, it was absolutely avoidable.

Back when you were a teenager, you injured your knee playing a game of boloball with some neighborhood kids. It was as simple as some torn ligaments and you had made a full recovery at that time. But occasionally, if it was particularly cold or if you slept strangely, it would ache.

In this case, all it took was stepping in a hole for the condition to flare up in the worst possible way. You knew you didn’t tear anything, at least you were pretty sure. It didn’t quite feel as painful as it did the first time, so you were fairly confident that you only slightly re-injured your knee.

But you had to admit, it kriffing hurt.

You let out a groan of pain, blinking your eyes to get rid of the fuzziness and tears. Your hand went to your knee, as you forced yourself to take a few deep breaths, trying to will the pain away or at least hope that it lessened to a more manageable level. But that was not happening.

Kriff this was bad.

Really really bad.

Hunter’s voice calling your name over the comm dragged you out of your fog. “-you okay? Are you there? Report. I’m at the rendezvous.”

“‘M fine.” You choked out a response, grabbing your blaster and forcing yourself to your feet despite the agonizing pain. “I’m almost there.”

You stumbled to the edge of the alleyway, bracing your hand on the cool brick of a building. You took a few deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. When your vision focused and you could breathe again, you started moving.

Each step was like agony. Your knee felt like it was on fire and every slight movement had pain shooting through your leg. It was far more intense than it had been in a long time, which worried you.

But you needed to focus. Hunter was relying on you for this mission.

You would not fail.

Pain was an old friend. You had this under control.

You spotted a figure in the distance among the busy market and you forced another deep breath into your lungs. The figure turned and you met eyes with Hunter who gave you a nod as you approached.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you okay?”

You willed your heart to stop beating so rapidly and your breathing to calm down. You plastered a small smile on your face. “I’m fine, just ready to get this over with.”

Hunter let out a soft chuckle. “You and me both. Come on.”

He turned and headed into the crowd and you followed as closely as you could. The pain had not lessened in the slightest, in fact it had only gotten worse.

You may not have torn anything this time around, but if you kept walking on your leg, you just might end up reinjuring it.

Stop. Focus.

Hunter entered a building and you stepped in after him, taking a glance around the darkened bar. He took a moment to gaze around the bar before walking towards a booth in the back corner.

You headed for the bar, practically collapsing in a stool with a wince. A bartender appeared in front of you almost instantaneously.

“You look like you could use a drink.”

Normally you’d refuse.

Now was not the time or place to have a drink. You were on a mission and needed to be completely sober. But the throbbing, stabbing pain in your leg was a powerful motivator.

“Give me something strong.” You rasped out and the bartender grinned.

“Coming right up.”

While you waited, you again focused on your breathing.

Kriff you were so stupid. How could you do this on a mission? Hunter was relying on you and you injured yourself.

Kark.

A glass appeared in front of you and you gave the bartender a grateful look before lifting the glass and downing the amber liquid in one go. The burn down your throat momentarily distracted you from the pain in your leg. You could feel the warmth beginning to seep into your body and felt yourself take a shuddering breath.

You glanced over at the corner of the bar and saw Hunter speaking quietly with the man in the corner booth. You couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it didn’t look like it was going poorly.

At least not yet.

You heard the sound of liquid being poured and turned to see the bartender refilling your glass. When he saw your confused look, he chuckled softly. “This one’s on the house. You look like you could use it.”

You gave him a quick grateful smile that he returned before stepping away to tend to other patrons seated at the bar. You looked at the glass in front of you, fingers playing with the cool condensation on the glass.

You shouldn’t.

Your first drink wasn’t nearly enough to get you even remotely tipsy, but you really shouldn’t be drinking. Not while on a job.

But then you thought about your leg and the continuous stabbing pain.

And you downed the next one.

You pushed the glass away as the drink burned a path down your throat and again began to warm your limbs. You pulled out some credits, probably more than the first drink was for, but you wanted to repay the bartender at least something for his kindness.

You felt the ghosting of a hand at your back and turned to see Hunter with a bag now slung over his shoulder. His eyes flicked to the empty glass, but he didn’t say anything.

You stood up, clenching your jaw and the pain in your knee as it protested you standing on it again. The bartender gave you a small wave and you returned the gesture with a nod as you followed Hunter out of the bar.

As soon as you were back in the crowd, Hunter began to speak.

“Are you sure-“

“-did you get what we needed?” You interrupted and he hesitated for a moment.

You were only here to “recover” something that had been “stolen” from Cid by someone she’d managed to piss off, which didn’t surprise you. You honestly weren’t even sure if it was Cid’s to begin with, but she was insistent and concluded that a small party would be better, hence why it was only you and Hunter.

Your contact, the man in the corner of the bar, had “stolen” what was “stolen” from Cid and offered it for a price that Cid deemed acceptable. It was a ridiculous mission and you’d make sure to tell her when you returned.

“Yes. We can go.”

You took another two breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth.

You both moved fairly quickly through the busy market streets, heading to where you had parked the Marauder. You were almost there, almost home free.

You could rest your knee and finally get off this planet.

There was some movement in front of you and you looked up just in time to see two kids running through the street towards you. You barely had time to brace yourself before one of the kids ran into you, shouting an apology as they kept going.

Normally, it would have been fine.

But normally you weren’t injured.

You stumbled as a renewed pain shot through your leg and Hunter was quick to grab your arm, steering you away from the busy streets only a few turns away from where the Marauder was waiting.

So much for the alcohol.

Your uninjured knee hit the hard ground as you gasped for breath.

“Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?” Hunter’s steady hand at the crook of your elbow was steadying in a way, but it also reminded you that you were in the middle of a mission and couldn’t afford for this to be happening right now.

“I’m fine, just give me a second.” You choked out, trying to push aside the continually growing pain.

“What happened? Did you get hurt?” Hunter insisted. “Your heart rate is too erratic.”

“My knee.” You hissed.

You felt Hunter’s hand rest gently on your leg and you gasped as a flash of pain exploded through your leg. Your hand clamped on his wrist, as you inhaled sharply.

“Don’t.” You choked out and he was quick to pull away, arms raised.

“Can you walk?” He asked and you nodded.

“Yeah, just give me a sec.”

You took a few more deep breaths, feeling like the stupidest person in the galaxy for hurting yourself, even if it was an accident. After a few calming breaths, you gave a nod to Hunter and he looped an arm around you, helping you to your feet.

Once you were standing, he kept his arm in place, supporting you as you wavered slightly.

“Are you sure you can walk?” He asked and you gritted your teeth.

“Positive.”

You had a feeling he knew you were lying, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he helped you hobble back out into the busy streets towards the waiting ship. Thankfully, not many of the crowd paid you any attention, so some of your pride was still intact.

You were right around the corner from the ship when you knee buckled beneath you. But this time, Hunter was ready, easily keeping you upright. Before you could protest, he looped an arm under your knees and lifted.

You hissed in pain at your knee being jostled and Hunter breathed a quick apology.

“I told you I can walk.” You whispered as he moved quickly through the shipyard, the Marauder getting closer with every step.

“This is faster.” Was all he replied.

He was probably right.

Unfortunately.

You made it to the ship and Hunter climbed the steps with ease, setting you down gently in a chair. He gave your face a quick once over as you waved him off. The door to the ship hissed shut as he left you and began starting the ship for take off. . You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to focus on anything but the pain in your leg.

It wasn’t as harsh as before, but the throbbing was nearly unbearable and any movement had sharp pain shooting through your leg.

The ship jolted and you inhaled sharply, cursing under your breath.

A few moments later, as you were starting to feel like you could open your eyes again, you felt a gentle hand on your wrist. You looked up to see Hunter kneeling beside you, eyes soft in a way you only ever really saw him be with Omega. It had your heart clenching in your chest.

He gave your wrist a squeeze before he removed his hand and set down a medpack on the floor. As he riffled through it, he began talking. “What happened?”

“It’s an old injury. Normally it’s fine.”

“But not this time?”

“Apparently not.”

Hunter nodded as he pulled out a stim and quickly administered it with only a few curse words.

“When did it happen? Not the original injury, but this? Was it that kid?” He asked and you bit down on your lip.

You avoided his gaze until you heard him say your name softly.

“Right after we split up to clear paths and check the perimeter. I misstepped.” You replied and he only let out a soft sigh.

You knew that sigh.

He did it all the time when Omega and Wrecker mention they put more mantell mix on the tab, or when Tech stays up all night without realizing it, or when Echo neglects to mention one of his prosthetics gets too stiff.

It’s his “I’m disappointed sigh.”

And it’s never been directed at you.

You’d always had sympathy for the others when on the receiving end of the sigh, but it was another thing entirely to know he was upset because of you.

Kriff you’d have to apologize to the others. They were right. This is brutal.

“You don’t have to hide these things from me.”

Okay.

You were wrong.

That statement was even more painful than his “I’m disappointed” sigh.

“We needed to complete the mission, as stupid as it was. I wasn’t going to say anything because we couldn’t turn back. I knew we would finish it quickly and get back here where I could rest.” You said. “I know it’s stupid and I’m sorry for not saying anything. I just - I just didn’t want to compromise the mission.”

Hunter rubbed his forehead before sighing again. “You’re more important than the mission.”

You felt a pang in your chest and took a shaky breath.

“You got that? You can tell me these things.” He again said and you nodded softly.

“I got it.” Your throat felt tight, but you responded.

“Okay, now let’s see if we can patch up your knee.” Hunter pulled out the small medkit and you carefully sat yourself up fully, wincing at the sharp pain in your leg. “How did you hurt it initially? You mentioned an old injury.”

“I was a teenager. We were playing boloball in the streets and I tore some ligaments. It healed back then, but sometimes it flares up.” You said as he pulled out a brace and some bacta.

“How often does it flare-up?”

You sighed. “Sometimes when it’s cold or I step weird it bothers me, but for the most part it’s fine.”

“Except for today.” Hunter asked with a bit of a smirk and you let out a breathless laugh.

“Except for today.” You confirmed and he shook his head.

“Let’s get your boot off and see if we can get some bacta on your knee.” He said and you quickly leaned forward to untie your boots only for your hands to be batted away by Hunter’s. You watched, stomach swirling, as he very carefully untied your boot and removed it without jostling your leg too much. He then helped you very gently roll up your pant leg until it was slightly easier to access your injured knee.

Hunter wiped off his hands on a damp towel before beginning to spread the bacta onto your slightly swollen knee.

You did your best to not think about just how gentle he was being or how much it made your heart thump in your chest. You knew Hunter would likely be able to hear any changes in your breathing or heart rate, so you just focused on keeping them both as even as possible. But you weren’t sure if you were succeeding.

Hunter finished and while he washed his hands again in the small refresher, you slowly worked your pants back down over your leg since the bacta dried quickly. Hunter reappeared and pulled out the knee brace you happened to have lying around. He carefully secured it, helped you put your boot back on, and then assisted you standing up.

You swayed slightly, Hunter’s hands quick to grab your arms and hold you steady as you bumped into him. You weren’t able to stop the loud thump of your heart in your chest. You were both eager to get out of such a charged situation and also unwilling to move at all. Your hands gripped his arms and you resisted the urge to sway closer.

Hunter gave you a small smile before leaning forward, pressing his lips to your forehead.

It was at that moment that you truly felt like you stopped breathing. Your eyes closed and you wished to live in this moment for the rest of your life.

There was a sudden loud beeping from the cockpit and Hunter pulled away, clearing his throat. “Come on, we’re almost to Ord Mantell.”

He stepped away, offering his hand. You looked at his hand before looking up at him. He looked shy, more timid than you had ever seen him. It had a smile spreading across your face. You placed your hand in his and he helped you hobble to the cockpit and take a seat in one of the pilot chairs.

You gave his hand a squeeze before you let go and you felt your mood brighten further when you saw a faint darkening of his cheeks.

You turned to look at the controls, helping Hunter with the landing sequence after you dropped out of the hyperspace, feeling lighter and happier than you had in a long time.

Maybe the resurfacing of old childhood injuries weren’t a bad thing, because maybe, just maybe, they would lead to something new and exciting.

#aaaah #hope this was fluffy enough for you bb #for all of you really #asks #askBri #hunter x reader #the bad batch hunter #tbb hunter #tbb hunter x reader #the bad batch #tbb

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ilyluffy · 1 year

Text

𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 || 𝐡𝐲𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐢

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦��𝐫𝐲: prince chigiri is rumoured to be engaged but little do you know there’s someone else he wishes to marry

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: prince!hyoma chigiri x gn!reader

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff/royal au

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: marriage, servant!reader, unrequited love (or so you thought), fluff, nothing else i can think of

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.2k+

𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐓, you should have known better than to eavesdrop. it was for the best that you kept your head down and focused on your duties. however, as you passed by prince hyoma’s bedroom it was hard for you not to overhear his conversation with one of the royal knights.

“my lord, your father said that you have to get married” sir kunigami tries to reason with the young prince.

the talk of a wedding catches your attention. it was inappropriate and you could be punished severely for being caught but you still move toward the door. with it being open a crack you’re able to peek inside. immediately you catch sight of chigiri pacing back and forth in his room.

“i don’t mind the concept of marriage. it’s WHO my father wants me to wed that i take issue with” hyoma replies, brushing his magenta hair out of his face.

so the rumors were true. you had heard whispers about the castle about prince hyoma potentially becoming engaged to another kingdom’s princess. you remember when you were informed of this that you felt sick to your stomach but you convinced yourself that this was ludicrous. apparently you couldn’t have been any more foolish.

kunigami sighs at the prince’s stubbornness. “but this would be an opportunity to unite our two nations. the princess is beautiful. she’ll be a reasonable suitor and it’s not like there was anyone else that you wished to be with”.

suddenly chigiri stops walking. with his eyebrows furrowed together, he snaps at the knight. “that’s not true! there is someone else i wished to be with but you and my father won’t listen long enough for me to say so”.

the revelation leaves both you and kunigami shocked. you have to put a hand over your mouth to stop yourself from gasping. meanwhile, kunigami’s eyes have gone wide. “r-really, who is it my lord?”.

chigiri appears to hesitate. a long moment of silence follows his confession. after biting his lip for an agonizing amount of time, hyoma eventually sighs. “i… it doesn’t matter. my father would never allow it to happen”.

your heart drops as you see that sad expression on his face. it was devastating to see him look that way. the prince, in addition to being stunningly handsome, was ever so kind. you’ve observed him on multiple occasions treat people, no matter their class, with the respect that they deserved. hyoma even went out of his way to be good natured to you specifically. he’d thank you for your work despite him having no obligation to. there were even times he helped you with your chores no matter how much you insisted that a prince shouldn’t have to trouble himself with such things.

witnessing how warmed hearted he was is what made you fall in love with the prince in the first place. you weren’t stupid enough to think that anything would come of it but you still wanted chigiri to be happy. so whoever this person was that captured his heart, you wanted nothing more than for him to live out his dream.

kunigami seems to share a similar sentiment. his next words are gentle and supportive. “your father… can be quite reasonable sometimes. perhaps if i also talked to him we could make him agree to let you marry this other candidate”.

a bitter laugh falls from chigiri lips as he shakes his head. “it doesn’t matter what either of us say. i will never be given permission to marry a servant”.

you thought the earlier declaration surprised you. well this statement was too much to comprehend. you’re unable to stop yourself from dropping the feather duster in your hand.

the sound of the cleaning device falling to the floor is enough to catch the two men’s attention. kunigami goes straight into the role of a protector. storming to the door, he pushes it open aggressively. he appears ready to fight whomever was on the other side but when he sees you kunigami freezes.

“what are you doing here?!” kunigami demands once he snaps out of it. “you should know better than to spy on the prince-“.

“it’s alright rensuke” hyoma interrupts. kunigami looks back at him. the pair share a look before kunigami turns back to you. there’s this look in his eye that’s difficult for you to identify. if you had to guess… it appeared that he just realized something. “do you mind leaving us alone for a moment?” chigiri requests. you think for a minute that he’s speaking to you but you quickly notice that his eyes are trained on knight.

kunigami says nothing for a minute before eventually bowing his head. “of course my lord. i’ll close the door and wait outside to make sure no one else tries to listen in”.

chigiri thanks him before kunigami steps outside. with you now standing in the prince's room, the door is shut behind you leaving you trapped. you were shaking with nerves as you waited to be spoken to.

soon enough, chigiri voice breaks through the quiet atmosphere. “i’m sorry. that must have been confusing to hear” he says, taking a step toward you. “but i assure you that i can explain”.

“you don’t have to, my lord!” you insist, eyes trailing down to the floor. “you owe nothing to me. i’m so sorry-“.

you stop half way through your apology when chigiri suddenly takes your trembling hands. you look back up in bewilderment as the prince’s thumb strokes your knuckles in an attempt to soothe you. “no, i do owe you an explanation. the servant i was speaking about, the one i wished to marry… it was you”.

the world seemed to stop spinning immediately and time appeared to slow. you have to shake yourself to figure out whether or not you were dreaming. this was all you’ve ever wanted but it almost feels too good to be true…

“m-me? but i-“ the ability to talk escapes you. you struggle to find the right words before ultimately stuttering about how you couldn’t possibly be the one he loved. “you’re a prince. i’m a commoner. y-your father would never allow it”.

none of this seems to concern hyoma. in fact he squeezes your hands a little tighter, as if he’s scared to let go. “none of that matters to me. i would gladly give up my crown if it meant that i could spend the rest of my life with you”.

he brings one of hands to his lips and kisses your knuckles tenderly. “that is of course… if you’ll have me” chigiri continues, his eyes staring into your own hopefully. “do you love me too?”.

at first you’re unsure if it’s wise to answer. depending on how you respond it could change both your lives. it crosses your mind that perhaps it would be selfish to ask chigiri to give up everything so you could have your own happy ending but then again.. you couldn’t bear to break his heart.

“i love you too my lord- i mean hyoma” you confess, giving him a soft smile. “i love you with all my heart”.

a thrilled expression spreads across chigiri’s face. the next thing you know his lips are on yours. they’re softer and sweeter than you could have ever imagined. you almost never want to pull away for air but unfortunately your lungs won’t allow it. when you part ways chigiri rests his forehead against yours as you both catch your breaths.

“then it’s settled. no matter what i have to do i will make sure that we’ll live happily ever after” hyoma promises you, tone filled with genuine determination. “𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒”.

2022 © saecore — do not repost or translate my work. likes, reblogs, and comments are welcomed

#apollo writes ✎#chigiri hyoma #blue lock #bllk #chigiri hyoma x reader #chigiri hyoma one shot #blue lock x reader #blue lock fluff #blue lock one shot #bllk x reader #bllk fluff #bllk one shot

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poledancingdinos · 1 year

Text

A Very Merry Unbirthday

Pairing: Captain Syverson X OFC

Word Count: 1179

Warnings: Fluff

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @elizabetharegina @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos @geralts-yenn @peaches1958 @avengersfan25

A/N: Another one from the forgotten WIP file

Masterlist

At oh-five-hundred on the dot, Sy’s eyes cracked open to find sunny rays beginning to light up the bedroom. It was Saturday and he had no obligation to be up so damn early but it seemed that his body had yet to register that he was now a civilian. Instead of staying in bed a while longer like he normally would have, he slowly slipped out from between the sheets and gathered some fresh clothes before exiting the room.

He showered and shaved then went downstairs to get the plastic shopping bags out from the under seat storage at the back of his truck. He’d hidden the contents there, knowing that if he were caught with them in the house, his girlfriend would have his hide.

You wouldn’t think that wrapping paper and ribbon would be the worst kind of contraband he could sneak into his home but it was something she felt very strongly about.

After retrieving the scissors from the kitchen and letting Aika out in the yard, Sy sat in the den and began meticulously wrapping the small box. He marked and folded each side of the paper, ensuring the edges were crisp and neat before placing the box in the center and taping everything in place.

Finally, he pulled out the card he’d had printed specifically for the occasion. He’d been agonizing all week over what he wanted to say and what words to use. He wasn’t very good at sharing his thoughts or emotions, being more of a “show don’t tell” type of guy, but the woman sound asleep upstairs deserved that he at least make an attempt.

By the time he’d finished it was only a little past six. He still had at least two more hours to kill so he made a pot of coffee and kept himself busy by cleaning the kitchen, living room and dining room before setting the table and heading out the door.

It was a quick drive to his chosen restaurant where he placed an order to go. The enticing smells perfuming the place made his stomach rumble, reminding that he’d forgone breakfast in order to eat with his girlfriend once she woke up. Luckily, the restaurant was mostly empty still and the hostess quickly returned with two full bags of food.

Now came the hard part: waking his girlfriend without getting too many pillows thrown at his head.

The door creaked as he pushed it open and his sleeping beauty stirred. He knelt by the bed, pecking her nose and cheeks.

“Mornin’ Sugar.”

She hummed but didn’t open her eyes as she sought his lips for a deep, slow kiss.

“Hey handsome.”

“Happy—”

Her eyes darted open and she gave him a stern frown. “If you know what's good for you, you will not finish that sentence.”

Sy chuckled, giving her another peck between her tightly knit eyebrows.

“Come on…,” he coaxed. “Birthday girls get coffee and food from the good breakfast place.”

He’d hoped the promise of her favorite food would pull her from the bed and he’d been right. She pouted comically as she stood, wearing only underwear and one of his old shirts. Sy watched shamelessly as she walked to the dresser to retrieve a pair of soft fleece shorts, pulling them up her legs.

He followed her down to the dinning room where their breakfast awaited. Though she continued to pout out of principal, the little satisfied sounds she made as she ate let Sy know that she was very much enjoying her surprise breakfast.

When they both finished their meals, Sy cleared the plates and replaced hers with the card he’d prepared.

“Sy…” she warned.

He pulled her chair closer to his and placed his arm around her shoulders.

“I just want to celebrate my woman and know she's as happy as she makes me.”

“Happy would be no special attention,” she argued, leaning into his side.

“What are ya gonna do when it’s our kids wakin’ ya up first thing in the mornin’ by jumpin’ up and down on the bed and screamin’ that it’s their birthday?”

“Our kids?” she repeated, pursing her lips as she pretended not to smile. Sy only shrugged, like it was no big deal that he’d just assumed with so much certainty the two of them would have kids one day .

She focused her attention on opening the card, ignoring the way her stomach fluttered at the thought of her and Sy trying for a baby.

“A very merry unbirthday to you. Yes, you,” she read aloud. She turned the front of the card towards Sy, pointing at the image from the movie Alice in Wonderland. “Okay, I have to admit that’s pretty funny.” She opened the card, reading the inscription.

After a few seconds, she looked up at Sy. “I don’t get it.”

“Maybe this’ll help.” He placed a box on the table which his girlfriend hadn’t even noticed was on his lap.

“Sy…”

“Open it.”

Her eyes flickered between Sy and the box as she reached out and gently peeled back the clear tape until she revealed the black velvet box. She slipped the cardboard sleeve off and slowly lifted the cover.

“Sy…” She didn’t know what else to say. Well, “yes” might be an appropriate response but he hadn't actually asked a question yet.

“I know ya hate birthdays but this is the first time I’m not overseas on the day of… I hope you’ll forgive me, I just wanted to make it special this one time to celebrate the amazin’ woman I’m hopin’ will be my wife.”

If you say one word, I will promise you a lifetime of very merry unbirthdays, the card read.

“So,” Sy continued, taking the ring from the box and getting down on one knee. “Sugar, you are the light of my life. I love you and all your quirks, even if it means I don't get to spoil you on this one day of the year. I am incredibly grateful to wake up by your side every day and I never want that to change. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes,” she quickly answered, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. “Of course I will, yes!”

Sy couldn't hold back his smile at her answer, nor did he want to. He ran his thumb tenderly over her knuckles as he took hold of her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. When it fit almost to perfection, he made a mental note to thank his future brother-in-law for the insider tip.

She let herself be pulled onto Sy’s lap, cupping his face as she locked her lips with his.

“Thank you for waitin’, Sugar. I know I put you through Hell these last few years. I’ve got a lot of time to make up for.”

She shook her head, her nose brushing against his as she remained wrapped in his embrace. “I don’t need you to make up for anything. Having you here now is all I need.”

#captain syverson #captain syverson fluff #captain syverson fic #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson fanfiction

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infinite-riches · 3 months

Text

In Every Lifetime

Summary: In all their time working together– being together– Soap had only seen Ghost cry a handful of times, mainly after nightmares.

He saw the tears and he knew.

It's just a lot of angst featuring a MCD... I'm sorry? <3

Pairing: John "Soap" MacTavish x Simon "Ghost" Riley

Word Count: 673

Warnings: non-graphic depictions of gore, MCD

A/N: This lovely one-shot was inspired by a prompt from adhd_coyote on the CoD babygirls server, much love to her!! <3

And as always feel free to leave feedback/constructive criticism <3

AO3 Link (if you prefer): In Every Lifetime

Ghost knew pain. It had never been like this before.

A strangled cry into his radio. Pavement still warm from the last light of day. Stars mockingly bright in the night sky. Crimson never meant to be seen outside his veins. A blinding heat and then mind-numbing cold.

He knew.

The moment it happened, he knew.

Everything was so loud followed by an almost painful silence when his head hit the asphalt. A wave of nausea hitting as the stars blurred together.

They stayed blurry too long, shaking hand lifting to find wet skin– tears.

In all their time working together– being together– Soap had only seen Ghost cry a handful of times, mainly after nightmares.

He saw the tears and he knew.

There was so much screaming all around him and… and fear in Johnny’s voice.

“Johnny?” Ghost’s voice was soft, a barely there whisper as he tried to make the world stop spinning.

“‘M here LT…” Johnny was a blur of motion, ripping into the med kit on Ghost’s vest, desperately pressing gauze into the gaping wound in Ghost’s stomach. Blinding pain lit up every last nerve, an anguished whine slipped from the Brit’s lips.

“Johnny…” somehow his voice was even softer, tear-slicked hands stilling blood-slicked hands. “Lie to me, Johnny… Tell me it’s gonna be okay…”

“It- it is going to be okay, LT. P- Price is calling for exfil now… Nik… Nik will be here soon and… and-”

“Johnny…” his name was like Simon’s last prayer. Johnny could hear the desperation in Simon’s voice now, fear starting to spill out through the cracks in the armor of his ever-strong Lieutenant.

“Simon…” Johnny’s free hand cradled Simon’s face so gently, blood staining the fabric with ease. “Everything… everything’s gonna be okay, Mo ghràidh…”

Simon’s lashes fluttered at the soft pet name, not needing a translation to understand what his Johnny was saying. “The mask… take it off, love…” His eyelids felt heavier now, each blink lasting longer than the last. Johnny saw it, knew there was nothing he could do but ease the pain and fear, so he obliged.

Gentle hands softly bunched up worn fabric, carefully peeling it away to reveal pale skin littered with silver scars. Moonlight over top the buildings made his tears look like stars.

“You’re so beautiful, my love… always so beautiful to me…” The tears fell easily down Johnny’s face, making no move made to hide them or brush them away.

“Kiss me one last time…?” there was a waver to Simon’s voice and it snapped the last ounce of strength Johnny had– seeing the strongest man he knew be so quickly cut down, made small again.

“Never for the last time… I’ll find you in every lifetime, Simon.”

Simon’s lips felt cold on Johnny’s. A silent sob racked his body as he kissed his lover, tears melding together on flushed cheeks.

“I love you, Johnny. I’m sorry I couldn’t be better for you…” his words were broken up by rattling gasps for breaths, Johnny dug his fingers deep into the thick fabric of Simon’s useless vest, trying to hold back his own pain.

“Shh, shh, shh… none of that, my love. I love you. More than you could ever know.”

Simon set a shaky hand down atop Johnny’s, “I want you to have my tags… and… and there’s a box in my desk for you Johnny… if you want it…” Simon was gasping for breath now, every minute more was an agonizing fight.

“Just rest, my love…” Johnny pulled his lover into his lap, bloodied hands gently playing with soft blonde strands, listening, waiting for Simon to take his last breath.

One more. Barely audible. It felt like Johnny’s death sentence.

The real death sentence came when Johnny got back to base.

Took a week for him to work up the strength to go into Simon’s office. There, tucked in the top drawer, was a simple, forest-green, velvet box.

Johnny wore two sets of tags and one golden ring from that day on.

#call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #ghost x soap #simon riley x john mactavish #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley

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imaginepirates · 9 months

Note

I’ve been in a kinda depressed mood lately when this thought came into mind, what would the characters feel/do after finding out that they’re on a one-sided relationship? -🦑

Hey squid anon! I know you asked this forever ago, but I hope you're feeling better anyway.

Jack: Jack feels very conflicted over the situation. On the one hand, he’s crushed more than he’ll even admit to himself over how things have turned out. On the other hand, he knows that sometimes, people will do anything in their own self-interest, and if you thought you could get something out of the relationship without having feelings, he can’t entirely judge you. He does wonder whether his flirtatious, insincere nature is the cause of it all in the first place—he has a hard time expressing genuine emotions, so the idea that you just didn’t know he actually cared for you crosses his mind. So does the idea that you’re taking the relationship as seriously as he could appear to be, which is to say, not much. (This is operating under the assumption that he still hasn’t been particularly vulnerable with you yet, that your relationship has stemmed mostly from flirting and physical intimacy.)

Will: Will is understandably very sad. He just doesn’t get why you would choose to be with him without loving him; there’s nothing he can really give you in terms of social standing or even just money, so there’s no true reason for the two of you to be together other than affection. He’s the type of person to let think of it as being his own fault, as not being enough for you. He probably puts in extra effort to get you to like him more, but seeing that it doesn’t work, he would quietly resign himself to his fate, unable to force himself to stop loving you, either.

Elizabeth: Lizzie doesn’t quite understand. She’s tried so hard to be everything you could want, and it stings to know you don’t see her in that light. It’s part vanity — she likes to think she could seduce anyone — but she’s genuinely hurt that you decided to enter a relationship without actually liking her. She probably gets angry at you to protect herself from that pain, giving you the cold shoulder and ignoring you, telling you it’s what you wanted anyway whenever you decide to confront her about it. She never lets you see her cry, though she certainly does.

James: Firstly, he’s crushed. He would never have expected you to enter a relationship with him if you didn’t want to, and the knowledge you felt obligated to be with him breaks his heart. He deliberates over whether or not to tell you that he knows how little you feel for him, but eventually decides it’s for the best, offering you the easiest, most graceful ways out he can find. He also tries to make you feel like it’s not your fault, that you’ve done nothing wrong, even though he’s agonizing over your lack of love. He wonders if it’s his own fault, if he could do things better, but is simultaneously terrified of trying harder and failing despite it all.

Beckett: Honestly, the implications of this one scare me. He expects it, of course. Who could love him? That idea has been drilled into his head from childhood. Yet, having only ever held feelings for you (let’s be real), he’s livid with himself for allowing this sort of weakness. It reaffirms his belief that love is false and brings nothing but despair, and he does his best to shut off his feelings. He never tells you how he feels, instead twisting your relationship to his benefit as much as he can.

#potc #pirates of the caribbean #potc headcanon #jack sparrow #will turner #elizabeth swann #james norrington #cutler beckett

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bridgetotheskyyy · 1 year

Text

Yearning | one. |

previous - masterlist

Summary: Sometimes there would be no words; Itachi would make his way into your apartment, only for you to find him laying beside you come morning.

Warning: smut, 18+, angst.

Word count: 1.2k

A/N: I'll be crossposting this entire series over to tumblr over the next few days so please be patient with me!

Read on AO3 here.

You broke up the monotony of what had become his life.

Moments of beauty held like palms cupping water.

Precious, nourishing.

Temporary, ever-slipping.

Sometimes there would be no words; Itachi would make his way into your apartment, only for you to find him laying beside you come morning. Or in the midst of the night, where you could mistake him for a figure in one of your fevered dreams. The fact that you would awake to find yourself alone by dusk meant little. Tentative kisses (Do you still want this, (Y/n)?) would turn fervent, the world reduced to a wild whirlwind, maddening lust overtaking all sense before said world collapsed against the pair of you.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like — softness, tenderness.

The very fact that you let him touch you, after a multitude of sins, was nothing short of a miracle.

And then a spike of anxiety would follow the thought, always; perhaps he shouldn't remember it? Perhaps he had forfeited the right to gentleness a long time ago.

What if it made it harder to do what he had to do — what he must?

The thought behaved as white noise in his mind every time Itachi came to you — and disappeared the very moment your hands reached him. You rescued him from an agonizing future with your mouth, your touch, youyouyou, and soon it would be very hard for him to think of much of anything at all.

And then to sleep beside you, to embrace you and remain that way, in post-coital bliss. Not alone in the way in which he had become accustomed — had forced himself to become accustomed to, on any other night, beneath the Akatsuki hideouts, in his quarters, with nothing but his memories for company.

You were his reprieve, his inhale of breath, his away.

VVV

A day like many before it.

The sky, dark with indigo, began to lighten with the softest of pinks. Dusk was soon. He would not stay for much longer, and both of you knew that.

But you lay underneath him, your body clothed in the most transparent nightdress, and it suddenly occurred to Itachi just how hungry he was, had become.

He couldn't leave yet — not until he had a taste.

You moaned, gyrated yourself at the feel of Itachi's fingers hooking against the band of your underwear. "Itachi …"

Knowing he could arrive at any moment left you often only in your bare essentials, and he was glad of it.

He smoothed them down your thighs, gently guided them down the path of your legs. Once again, Itachi was astonished at the softness — of you and him — as he pulled your underwear away at last and flung them away, waiting for you to part your legs.

"Let me taste you, (Y/n) ..." he said softly, eyes focused on yours as he leaned down to kiss the island of your knee.

You moaned as though his words had been a physical touch, and you obliged.

I love you.

And as you revealed yourself to him he lowered, overcome with your natural scent —

I'm sorry —

He allowed his tongue infiltrate your folds and slide its way up until it reached the nub of your clit, giving it a fruitful lick —

Itachi felt you arch at the accuracy of his ministration, and he placed hands against your thighs to steady you. He let his mouth fall over your clitoral hood, trap it between his lips, and sucked against the tender skin, tongue occasionally offering licks to your nervous bud.

Your moist fell directly against the skin of his tongue and Itachi brought it into his mouth to admire the flavor of you fully.

Oh.

"Your taste, (Y/n) …" Itachi said, voice appreciative, his heated breath hitting against your sex.

Your hands found his head and you grasped his hair, your mewls becoming the score of your lover's movements; a hand coming to lift you mons pubis to further expose your clit, only so that Itachi might draw circles over your it with his thorough tongue.

"Itachi …!"

He suppressed a smirk, focusing on his goal; when he was this direct, this precise, you never lasted long. Patience was always a virtue, but, for one reason or another, he didn't want to make you wait, leave you wanting, as he usually did. So he went on.

Your legs smoothed and squeezed against his face as he sucked against your hood, soft "mmmms" vibrating over your womanhood.

You gave an exasperated, wistful cry — he could almost feel the tension build in your core, feel your toes curl against his forearms, and it was because of that that he choose to quicken his pace more still, reaching forward to grasp a breast and quickly flick fingers against your nipple.

Your breath quickened, your hold on the top of his head tightening. His licks were fervent now, unrelenting; he wanted to see you climax, taste your juices pour into his mouth, flood over his tongue and paint his lips, as his had done to yours so many times.

At last, Itachi inserted a finger into you and curled it to your g-spot.

"(Y/n) …" he whispered, "please …"

You screamed.

"Itachi!"

His eyes met yours just in time to watch your head fall back. Yes … This time he couldn't restrain his smirk.

And you came undone against him, convulsing against his mouth. Itachi clung to your hood regardless, riding out your pleasure for you, swiping his tongue against your clit as your center tightened and eased. His hands came to rest against your lower back as your arched into him, swerving your hips, your moans faint in the air, as you desperately sought out each and every thrum of pleasure there was to be found.

After seconds passed, you came to relax. At last, Itachi removed himself from your womanhood, resting you against the sheets. He left the bed only to come around and rejoin you. Your eyes are closed to him, your head lulled to the side. He pulled the sheet over your body, resting beside you.

With a laugh in the inquiry, he asked, "Are you all right?"

You curl to him, arms coming around his waist. "Itachi, I …"

love you, he knew you wised to finish with; you let the sentence trail away. Itachi smiled to himself, letting his head fall gently against yours. You had said it once, as he had, but the days for those words were long gone.

"Thank you, (Y/n)," Itachi left a kiss to your forehead, his gratitude quiet.

You sunk lower until you were against his chest. Itachi closed his eyes to the blessed sensation of your embrace; he would leave, surely, but only once you had fallen asleep.

"What about you, Itachi?" you asked, resting your head against his chest.

He cracked an eye open. "Hm?"

But he understood what you meant and only shook his head. He had no desire at that moment. This — you beside him, warring off his personal cold — was enough.

"It's all right, (Y/n)," he said, smiling softly, "this is fine."

Itachi could see, through your curtains, that the sky was regaining a pale shade of blue. Dawn was soon, but in that moment he thought nothing of it.

By the time the blue had left its paleness behind and had intensified to a true cerulean, you were asleep, and he was gone.

#Naruto #naruto x reader #itachi x reader #itachi uchiha x reader #itachi x you #itachi uchiha x you #itachi x y/n #itachi uchiha x y/n #itachi smut #itachi uchiha smut #naruto smut

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eruden-writes · 1 year

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The Unexpected Human Problem - Part 26 (Yautja x Human)

CW: Nothing much, I think. Gets a bit flirty near the end.

Tag list: @ajarofpickledtears, @boogeysmoth

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Early chapter releases available on Patreon for my patrons! ;)

Be one of the first to read Part 27 when it's ready. (The newest part of Desperation's Summit is there, though!)

Comments, tags, and reblogs are real motivators for me, too! ♥

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Summary: The night her abductors die, Rayelle finds herself running for her life. She doesn’t know where she is, what is following her, where to go. All she knows is she’s not on Earth any longer and the thing chasing her has the capacity to kill.

Tai'dqei never anticipated finding a human when he took the job of tracking and subduing a small contingent of smugglers. It was only when the human attacked and fled fled, Tai'dqei - hopped up on the euphoria of a successful hunt - gave chase, instinct burning at his center.

Will sense return to Tai'dqei before he catches Rayelle? Or will Rayelle be subjected to the yautja’s natural inclinations?

And what happens afterwards?

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There was a long stretch of time where Tai'dqei simply stared at Rayelle, his eyebrow ridges furrowed. A scale tipped and swayed in his mind's eye. Could he risk allowing more to develop, when Rayelle could leave somewhere, some time, he couldn't reach?

There was also the question concerning whether she'd feel obligated to stay with him, if something more built between them. He had no doubt she'd, ultimately, choose her kids. But how she would agonize over that decision bothered him.

He looked like a man mulling over a serious topic, with his elbows braced on his knees and his hands dangling. So still, like a stone statue. Rayelle's teeth worried at her lower lip, realizing not even his mandibles were fidgeting, as he had a habit of doing. The air around both of them was still, and Rayelle wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The longer the silence lasted, the more she was sure he was going to confirm he was simply answering a casual mating urge. That he'd had many before her and planned to have many after. That the bond he and Ah'ke had was different from whatever was happening between her and him.

Those thoughts made an uncomfortable heat flare in her chest, as her eyes flickered to the floor.

"When it first happened, that first night," he started and Rayelle tried to stifle her flinch. His tone was somber and soft, making her brace herself for something she didn't want to hear. Tai'dqei chose his words carefully, navigating on some threshold between 'too-stoic' and 'too-vulnerable.' "It was a combination of my own victory and adrenaline plus you inadvertently going through motions that certainly stoked my instincts."

"This time..." Tai'dqei paused, heaving another heavy breath. His chest felt tight and hot, his heart thrumming a little too hard for a normal conversation. Rayelle dared to glance up at him, seeing that his gaze was turned from her, staring at a wall. His mandibles flexed as he chose what to say. Embarrassed heat climbed up his face, though Tai'dqei doubted Rayelle would notice. "This time, I came back to help you, because you asked me to come. My prerogative wasyou and your safety."

Another heavy gnarl of a sigh left him, as he reached up to rub the back of his neck. The line of 'too-vulnerable' skirted rather close to his words, but he pushed on.

"There is a protectiveness yautja feel for... potential mates." This was true, whether it was reproductive mates - thus parents of one's children - or the more romantic, intimate mates. The only one it could possibly be untrue for were the casual affairs. But that varied from individual to individual. Tai'dqei just wasn't sure how Rayelle wanted to be seen by him. "I hadn't completely ignored the thought that we might end up fucking."

That fluttery heat tickled in Rayelle's chest. Carefully, she watched him, parsing his words with care. What did it mean to be a mate? She needed clarification on what he wanted. What he hoped for.

She couldn't bring herself to be direct. A laugh trickled from her throat, tasting slightly bitter on Rayelle's tongue. "So, you could say I'm a tedious charge that you need to nanny and us fucking was a benefit."

"No, I wouldn't say that." Tai'dqei hadn't even stopped to consider his answer. Heat flared through Rayelle at that realization, the blush deepening as he stood. She hadn't realized standing over the yautja had given her some sense of confidence, a sense of control over the situation. That sense of strength dwindled as he gently took her hand, sandwiching it between his warm palms. "I enjoy your company and I wouldn't be averse to spending more time with you. A long time, if you so choose."

If she chose. A lump formed in her throat, the realization landing in her brain again. She couldn't, wouldn't, choose Tai'dqei over her kids. If there was a chance she could be sent back to her time, she'd follow through. No matter how badly her chest ached at the thought or how horridly her eyes burned with unshed tears.

"What would that even look like, though?" Rayelle gave another semi-bitter laugh, ignoring how her voice cracked. She tried wildly to not entertain the thought of being anything more than a fuck buddy to Tai'dqei. It wasn't fair to her or him. Without thinking, she slid her hand away from his grip, waving the hand at him. "You're a bounty-hunting, general contracting, hitman-for-hire. I'm a human with barely any skills in the here-and-now."

Tai'dqei flinched at her words, presuming she wasn't able to meld his work with her morals. But Rayelle surprised him by pinning him with a pained expression, her free hand pressed to her own chest. "I'd just be a liability, wouldn't I?"

It was a justified concern. And it stoked a little bit of ego in Tai'dqei to have some roundabout acknowledgement from Rayelle concerning his skills.

"It's a big universe. There are plenty of jobs that don't entail killing others." Tai'dqei inclined his head to her, his mandibles pulling up a little one one-side. Almost like a crooked smile, Rayelle thought. "Those just pay the most."

A considering hum left Rayelle's lips. She couldn't really fault him for choosing the best job for his skills. Plus, he had twenty four children to contribute to, as well. Though he wasn't the sole one responsible for their financial safety. Was it too much to ask him to take poorer paying jobs? If only for his safety? Or so she could travel with him on missions without feeling like a hindrance?

Her brain still hadn't fully gripped the whole Tai'dqei is a father fact. She had guessed, since he traveled alone and only really mentioned Ah'ke, Tai'dqei wasn't romantically close with any of his seven former mates. Though she wasn't ready to delve further into that curiosity.

"If you're looking for something grounded, I do have a home."

"What?" And just like that, Tai'dqei made her brain spin in a radically different direction. He had a house? Where? Likely, on his home planet. But what did that look like? How would she be treated? With a motion to the ship around them, she said, "This isn't your home?"

"It is, but I have a place on my world. My mother is looking after it for me." His mother looked after his home? Another indication he wasn't close to those he had kids with, Rayelle supposed. Tai'dqei gave another awkward shrug as words continued from him. "Of course, she might have let it out to a sibling, while I've been away."

Something in Rayelle rippled, her eyes flickering from Tai'dqei to the floor. Mother. Sibling. Yautja had multiples, two or three, per litter. Of course, he'd have siblings. She pressed her lips together, the enormity of the situation suddenly pressing down on her.

She was far in the future, talking to an alien about where their whatever-it-could-be-called was heading. And he had a mother and multiple siblings and former lovers and kids. It made sense. Tai'dqei didn't just pop into existence to help her. He had a life before her, with family - or families? - and lovers and...

Suddenly, dizziness slammed into her, making her sway. She brought a hand to her forehead, inhaling sharply as an ache stabbed at her temples.

She heard more than saw Tai'dqei's step forward. A concerned lilt tightened his voice, "Are you okay?"

"It's just a lot to digest." Rayelle took a slow, deep breath to steady herself. Tilting her head to Tai'dqei, she offered him a little smile, finding his hands outstretched but not touching her.

"Decisions don't have to be made right now." His hands fell from their mid-air position, choosing to trust Rayelle's own assessment of how she felt. Edging into 'too-vulnerable' territory again, as his hands clenched tightly at his sides, he quietly added, "I'm happy you're safe and I can spend more time with you."

"Are you, really?" The words were out of Rayelle's mouth before she could think about it. Her eyes blinked rapidly against the growing heat behind her lids. Desperation had her seeking for any out, any excuse to keep her walls solidly in place. "Even if I choose to go back to my kids and not stay here?"

"Yes." Another answer, said so confidently and without long the need for thought. Rayelle swallowed down a whimper, tears threatening to spill. This situation was so unfair. So very unfair. It made her heart hurt, as if it was being squeezed too tightly on all sides.

Rayelle's whimper arose as Tai'dqei gently pulled her close, his hand splayed on her back. His other hand went to her cheek, coaxing her to tilt her head back as he stooped, pressing his forehead to hers. His eyes closed, before he could look too deeply into Rayelle's eyes. "I know your children come first, Rayelle. I will enjoy whatever time together we have."

A pain twisted through Rayelle as a sob burbled up her lips. She shook her head, dislodging his hand at her cheek, before pressing her face against his chest. Her hands gripped at his sides, fingers threading through the fishnet he wore. The carefully constructed emotional walls buckled as relief and anger and sadness tore through her. Though she still swallowed down her cries, the tears flowed over her cheeks.

Tai'dqei stood quietly as Rayelle cried against him, rubbing his hand up and down her back as his other arm looped around her lower back. When her quiet crying lulled, he tried to softly redirect her focus. "Rest is in order, I think."

Wiping away tears with the heel of her hand, and ignoring how she sniffled, Rayelle tried to rally herself. She shot Tai'dqei a vaguely cheeky - if watery - smile. "Oh, I am sure that was your original plan."

"It was, actually." He said, a touch of reproach in his voice, but mostly exasperation. As Rayelle took a step away from him, Tai'dqei crossed his arms over his chest. The ache of exhaustion was gnawing at his bones, the sense of an adrenaline-drain ready to knock him out. "As enticing as you are, I am tired."

Rayelle grinned, almost tempted to say something about the mighty yautja, needing a nap. But she feared that would go down a less wholesome pathway. She did nudge Tai'dqei with her shoulder as she passed him. "Think you can keep your hands to yourself, if we share your bed?"

"No," Tai'dqei answered, easily coming up beside Rayelle. She shot him a wide-eyed look, a blush biting at her cheeks as she tried to decide whether to be turned on or annoyed. He didn't give her a chance to settle, as his arm reached around her back, his hand falling on her hip. Tai'dqei gave her a playful squeeze. "You are too soft not to pull close."

"Let me rephrase," laughed Rayelle, shoving his hand off her hip and turning, dancing back to keep her distance. Tai'dqei watched her, head cocked as he respected the distance she set forth. Rayelle continued walking toward his quarters as she teasingly asked, "Think you can keep your dick to yourself, if we share a bed?"

Ah, that's what she meant. Tai'dqei gave a nod, just as they breached the threshold of his bedroom. "That, I can do. You have my word."

"Good," Rayelle replied, giving an encouraging nod as she kicked off her shoes. Tai'dqei followed her lead, removing his shoes and fishnets. Though he left his lower garment, realizing Rayelle had only stripped to her hoodie and underwear. She still wanted some layers between them.

Trying to ignore the excited patter of her own heart, Rayelle advanced on the raised dais where the bed lay. She quickly crawled under the pelt-like covers, before she could think too long about all the things Tai'dqei had done in that bed. To himself or others. Her own censorship didn't keep her imagination from leaking the odd thought in, at the back of her head, though.

Before he crawled under the covers, Tai'dqei locked the ship and dimmed the lights from his gauntlet. He was painfully aware of the additional body in his bed, just as Rayelle was aware of how his heavier form made the mattress dip.

Even if they had wanted to sleep on separate sides of the mattress - which they hadn't - it was impossible. As soon as Tai'dqei settled, Rayelle found herself slipping toward him. Which was fine, she told herself, as nerves bolted through her. They turned to face each other, Rayelle's hands slid to Tai'dqei's chest.

Under her palm, he was as firm and warm as he always was. With the knowledge they were already sharing a bed, and they'd been far more intimate than this in recent memory, Rayelle curled against Tai'dqei's chest. Other than the time she caught him leaving the shower, she wasn't sure she ever saw him without the fishnet-like fabric.

Closing his eyes, Tai'dqei allowed himself enough leeway to let his hand land on her hip. Though he fought against the temptation of toying with the fabric beneath his fingers, unsure if it was her underwear or her hoodie. While it was one thing to say he simply wanted rest, it was another thing to keep his body in check. With Rayelle so close, her scent wafting up in his face and her cushiony soft heat pressed against him, urges started to stir at his core.

Not exactly the urge to fuck her, though he wouldn't say no to it. But to touch her. To hear the little sighs and whines. To feel her under his palm, his claws. To see what sounds he could draw from her breath. Beneath those thoughts, the memories of being on top of her, in her, danced around his head as well.

"You're very warm," she sighed, absentmindedly hooking her leg over his hip, pulling his heat closer to her.

Tai'dqei shifted a little, making sure his traitorous growing arousal didn't nudge against Rayelle. Softly joking, he grunted, "You are testing me."

"Am I?" Faux innocence painted Rayelle's words, even though it hadn't been her intention to tempt Tai'dqei's resolve. It was better to act like she was, though. Or else, she'd have to cave to the squirming heat at her core and the desire to touch him more.

"Certainly seems like it," he retorted, eyes cracking open, if only to watch her silhouette in the dark.

Rayelle pressed further against his chest, close enough for him to feel her smile against his skin. "Maybe you're just weak-willed."

He couldn't help himself. Tai'dqei growled, the vibrations emanating out from his chest and into Rayelle's bones. He knew exactly what he was doing, she realized, as he hunched further around her. The heat of his body bled into hers. One arm wrapped around her, his claws dragging down the fabric of her hoodie. Not hard enough to tear the material, but just barely bridging the barrier. A shudder and embarrassing whimper left Rayelle, her breath catching in her throat.

"If I was weak-willed, you'd already be pinned to this mattress and pumped full of my seed, again," Tai'dqei hissed in her ear, causing Rayelle's fingernails to dig into his chest as trickles of pleasure slid down her spine. Her back arched, inadvertently pressing his claws harder against her.

"I thought you were tired." Rayelle ignored the hint of breathlessness in her voice, as she angled her head to look at him. She couldn't see anything, except his silhouette in the dark. And even then, it was hard to get a clear idea of where he was looking. Half-unaware she was doing it, Rayelle's legs hooked around one of Tai'dqei's thighs, seeking pressure against her the needy throb of her core.

"I am. But that doesn't mean my libido is." To make his point clear, Tai'dqei shifted his hips, allowing his semi-arousal to grind against Rayelle's inner thigh. Her soft warmth, coupled with her little gasp, were certainly temptations. He was about ready to say screw sleep, just to bury himself in her once more, but the sensible part of him knew rest was needed. They both needed it. Especially Rayelle, given how she was talking earlier. "And it has overridden exhaustion in the past."

"Okay, okay," she laughed, her cheeks warm with a little bit of shame. Tai'dqei had been restraining himself for much longer than tonight. Not to mention he literally tore up a whole resort to help her. He deserved the rest, without her taunting hormones making it - ahem - hard.

Reaching up to grab his shoulders, Rayelle pulled herself a little higher along his body. It almost made Tai'dqei groan, feeling her slide against him. Pressing her face into the crook of his neck, Rayelle sighed against his throat, "I'll be good."

"Good," he grumbled, though the movement of her lips against his skin did little to ease the heat and pressure in his center. Rayelle's change in position, at least, gave his erection wide berth. Though Tai'dqei wasn't sure if he liked that or not. It was definitely safer.

Other than the occasional movement of Rayelle's lips against his shoulder - half-drowsy kisses, he supposed - and the slow stroke of his hand down her back, the two fell still.

Eventually, thankfully, sleep claimed them quickly after that. Though, the promise of waking in each other's arms when they next roused was, perhaps, a bit of incentive

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hazzyking · 1 year

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Appearances

-just a smutt warning

-sorry if it's bad

-I tried posting a gif like all the other good fanfic creators but then I uncovered a spoiler that hurt my heart so no gifs until I get further in Mayans 🫣

-I agree there needs to be more Alvarez content so I'm making my contribution. Hopefully more creators will give us content ❤️

-enjoy

It was one of those days. The sun was shining the wind was nice and crisp and it broke the heat just right. You had a day off from work and Marcus had a "day off" from his club. Bishop had called Marcus out to come hang out at the scrap yard to which you reluctantly obliged. It was your one day off and you were gonna spend it at your job, but- they were kinda like your family anyway and Marcus promised a free ride on the back of his bike. You had your own but riding with Marcus made you feel special so, you woke up bright and early and put on your best looking but also most comfortable riding gear ((whatever you think that would look like to you)) and you and Marcus made your way to the scrapyard. It was a long drive, every time you road with Marcus he took his time, he loved the comfort your arms wrapped tightly around his waist gave him, and the warmth of your legs pressed up against him. It just brought him great calm feeling you on his bike. Especially when he spent his days riding all over California alone. He let out a relaxed hum which was drowned out over the moter of the bike but you felt it. You felt his muscles turn to butter as you laid your cheek on his shoulder and closed your eyes feeling relaxed as well. When you two pulled into the scrap yard Coco and Angle were quick to stop what they were doing to Greet you.

You stepped off the bike and smiled at the boys approaching you, until Marcus shot a glare at the two boys and they turned on their heels walking in the opposite direction you glared at him rolling your eyes "what? I want you all to myself" Marcus muttered putting his hands on your waist and pulling you towards him. You blushed and pulled away from him looking down at the dirt "right... appearances" Marcus looked down at the ground, slightly hurt by the rejection.

Later that day you were seen walking across the dirt drive way, as you walked you hoisted your pants up so they sit higher on your waist, Angle watched as you shimmied your ass in your pants and bit his lip watching you with dark eyes "what's wrong? Pants don't fit?" Angle questioned, his lips curling into a smirk.

"Yea it's hard when your ass is so fat" you said with confidence seemingly knocking the wind out of the young man. You trot over to Bishop and Alverez who are leaning against a car having a beer together. Alverez watches you dreamily as you hop over to them with a smile "what?" You asked, knowing exactly what you were doing to the oh so tough Mayan.

"You are so beautiful when you smile like that." Alverez spoke smoothly unraveling you causing you to melt to his delicious words.

"S-stop, i dont want the guys to think-" you stuttered blushing darkly.

"Oh sorry Reigna, I'll compliment you later when I'm in between your legs" Alverez smirked as If he could hear you internally scream, your cheeks Got darker and you ran away into the garage of the scrap yard. You hated when Marcus was like that with you infront of the guys you tried so hard to maintain this tough appearance so no one would walk all over you, and there he is, complimenting you and undressing you with his eyes. You grunted in frustration and slumped down behind a car. You herd Alverez's boots click against the concrete floor, and your heart began racing. You moaned softly at the agonizing feeling in your pants. They were uncomfortable before- it's even worse now "I know your in here mija" Alverez chuckled a dark chuckle. You rose to your feet and saw his smile illuminate the room, you giggled softly slowly approaching the man, his hands found their way to your hips again, and he pressed you against one of the cars.

"Marcus-" you blushed squirming away.

"(Y/N) I don't want to play games anymore hm?" Alverez muttered his eyes glancing all over your body.

"But-" you squeaked out as you felt his lips against your neck, you began to lose your train of thought as his tongue and teeth graze against the soft skin. You shutter under him fighting back soft moans "w-what are you doing" you managed to get out.

"Worshipping you Reigna" Alverez muttered against your neck, you could feel your panties start to get wet as he continued teasing you, his hands making their way under your shirt and pushing your bra up so his fingers can play with your nipples. You breathed heavily, eyes screwed shut and your lips biting back a moan, Alverez looked into your eyes and noticed so he leaned in teasing you with a kiss. To his shock you caved and crashed your lips onto his, your legs almost immeadatley wrapping around your waist as he pushed you into the car more. You could feel the buldge in his pants grow bigger as you desp grind against him begging for some friction. Alverez's tounge slides past your lips and dances with yours as you moan quietly into the kiss. His hands work at the button on your jeans and slowly unzips them while your legs grip to his waist, the only thing holding you up was his body and the car.

His hands slowly moved into your panties teasing you to the fullest ammount. You couldn't take it anymore "Marcus?" You spoke breathlessly as his fingers rubbed your clit.

"Hm?" He mumbled against your neck, as if his lips could feel your hears race

"Please" you moaned a bit louder than you wanted as he slid two fingers into your dripping entrance, you knocked your head back onto the roof of the car moaning.

"Please what Reigna?" He spoke with a smirk now watching the moans escape your throat. He set you down, your knees beginning to shake as the waves of pleasure stopped, you watched him kneel down infront of you and the pleasure quickly rushed back, he slowly pulled your pants down to your ankles and put one hand behind your knee pulling you closer to him, you watched all these actions knowing exactly what's to come next but still full of anticipation, lis lips began to suck your clit softly and your knees buckled due to his tongue working its Magic, his hands pushed your waist against the car without separating from your pussy. "Your beautiful Reigna" he muttered, and you blushed looking down at him, your fingers tangled themselves in his dark hair as he continued to pull you closer and closer to an orgasm you moaned out obscenities and then wined when he pulled away once more, he stood up looking at you with dark eyes, you swallowed hard. Doing this in a place like this. Didn't happen often. Alverez typically prefers his home. Anywhere in his home. But he prefers the privacy. It was such a long werk for him and watching you work and playfully flirt with the guy just made it impossible for him to control himself "no more appearances hm?" He muttered into your ear biting it softly.

"B-but" you protested.

"No buts Reigna- your mine, I love you. And I want everyone to see that love" Alvarez spoke kissing your neck "I want them to see you blush when I compliment you. I want them to hear you call me yours" his fingers slowly moved down your body and into your pants

"M-Marcus- I dont"

"Don't take me so seriously mija, I want them to see the softness. Not this. But I couldn't wait any longer for this, I had to get you alone" Marcus speaks as he begins to rub your clit in circular motions you moan laying your head against the car again exposing your throat, Alverez's other hand reaches up and wraps his hand around your throat, all while his other hand begins to fuck you with his fingers. You gasp as his grip tightens just enough your unable to respond as your moans fill up the garage "Te gustan mis manos alrededor de tu garganta mija?" Alvarez speaks slowly with a bit of a growl your eyes look at him blushing, you have absolutely no idea what he just said to you. But it sounded so sexy.

"I-i" you moan.

"I know- I said, do you like the way my hands feel around your throat, Mija" he repeated muttering into your ear. You swallowed hard as Alverez continued to fuck you with his fingers bringing you to a swift orgasm. "I'll take that as a yes" he smirked kissing you softly as he removed his hands from your pants. You flushed, still trying to catch your breath. You looked at him feeling so hot and flustered "are you Okay?" Alvarez asked kissing your cheek softly.

"I'm perfect" you breathed out. "But I'm also a mess! How am I gonna clean this!" You argued swatting his leather covered chest.

"I think these things through Reigna relax" he chuckled pulling a bandanna from his pocket "do you want to clean yourself up or should i?" Alvarez looking at you with dark eyes.

"I'll do it- your only gonna make it worse" you spoke- you really wanted him to, but you knew no good would come from him touching you again. You'd be in that garage for hours.

"You really are beautiful Mi amor" he smiled watching you as you zipped your pants back up.

"Your fucking- ugh your amazing. I don't deserve you" you blushed resting your head against his chest.

"I'm the one who dosnt deserve you Mija, but I'm glad your here" Alvarez smiled "lest go before someone comes looking" he began to laugh as you shook your head, his hands tangled in yours as you both walked out of the garage, he went back to his spot next to Bishop and you walked over to Angel and Coco who looked at you with mischievous grins.

"Someone had fun"

#sons of anarchy #marcus alvarez x reader #mayan mc fanfic #sons of anarchy x oc #sons of anarchy fanfiction #smutty #marcus alvarez

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doritwo · 2 years

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Smut Prompt (6/?)

Prompt: “Tell me how you like it”

Pairing: Viktor x gn!reader

Tags: Instructional handjob, edging, begging, praise kink, reader calls him pet, come eating and swapping, sub!viktor/dom!reader

Reading time: 4 min

He was already a mess and at your mercy, your hands caressed his clothed chest from behind, his legs shifted lewdly, the tent in his pants growing at the friction.

“So needy, my pet.” You mewled into his ear followed by a nibble and hot breath against the sensitive skin at the base of his neck

“I haven’t even properly touched you.” your hand snaked closer to his bulge you could feel his breathing hasten against your chest.

“Please,” Viktor begged, throwing his head back in the crook of your neck allowing you to kiss his cheek down to his jaw.

“Please what,?” You teased, “Tell me.” You planned on making this slow and agonizing in the best way possible.

“I want to feel you, your skin on me, on my-” Viktor’s breath hitched as your hand finally landed on his groin, his hips raised for more of you.

“You are so beautiful like this, my pet.” You breathed as you unbuttoned his shirt, slipping your hand onto his bare chest, ghosting over his nipple.

“Please, (y/n). I can’t wait any longer.” Viktor’s voice rasped out from between clenched teeth. You smirked to yourself, knowing how much he wanted you and that you would make him come undone.

“Patience, sweetheart, tell me exactly what you need.” You grasped his jaw, bringing his face to yours “Now.”

“I- I want you to take my cock out and stroke me.” Viktor blushed at what you had prompted him to say

“Good boy,” You purred, undoing his pant buttons and pulling his hardening cock out of his pants. “So cute, already making such a mess right here,” you groaned into his neck and ran your thumb over the precum before bringing it to his mouth.

“Clean up, pet.” He opened his mouth as you commanded, taking your thumb in his mouth with a muffled whimper before you pressed your middle and pointer fingers against his mouth and he took them without question. “Suck.” You commanded, keeping his eyes on you.

He suckled your fingers, moaning around them before you pulled them from his mouth with a pop and a lewd breath from Viktor.

You took your wetted fingers and trailed them along his cock before grasping him in slow strokes. “Tell me how you like it.” You encouraged, watching as his cheeks colored pinker with every movement.

Viktor looked away from your gaze and moaned as he felt himself starting to leak more onto your fingers. You grinned, moving your hand faster and rubbing at him. Your fingers were coated in precome as you worked him in and out, occasionally running your finger along his slit.

You nipped at the spot on his neck that made him keen, encouraging him further. “Faster, please I need it faster.” He begged and you obliged.

“Like this?” You fucked your hand onto him relentlessly, making sure to pump his full length with each stroke. He whined, tears growing at the corners of his eyes. “Viktor.”

“Y-yes, y/n, like this, oh gods I-” He froze for a moment, his hips raised fucking himself into your hand as he came hard, reaching his neck, coating his chest and your hand, now slowing your strokes.

You pulled his head back and brought your tongue along his neck where he came. Your tongue collected it, cleaning him as much as you could at your angle. He watched you in his post-orgasm awe as you brought your mouth to his, pushing the cum with your tongue.

You didn’t stop until all traces of cum were gone, and you licked the taste off of your lips. Viktor let out a shuddering gasp before collapsing into your arms.

#viktor x reader #viktor x you #viktor #viktor arcane #arcane x reader #smut drabble challenge

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wandawiccan60 · 8 months

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The Witch of Camden Town

Part 21

ALFIE SOLOMON’S MASTERLIST

TAGS: @kittycatcait219, @i-love-th-characters1, @akiralife, @hecatemoon87, @evita-shelby, @tomhardyspinkyfinger, @zablife, @star017, @omgeternal, @tea-atfive, @thefics-that-drip, @ao3feed-symbrock, @solomons-finest-rum, @jollysoulfestivalfreak, @buttercupsandboys, @bubblyani, @weirdgirl16355, @97freaknik, @thealmightybitchgoddess, @theshelbyclan,

A/N: Hii everyone and I am back with another chapter!!! I know I have been away for so, so, so long and it is good to be able to upload another new chapter to the story, I have been going back and forth in trying t get back to the story, basically I got a new job and I’m about to go back to school and I just hope I can be here more again but man its so hard and also I get very sidetracked as well. But I feel very happy to say that I have wrote a new chapter and I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. Again thank you all for who have been here since the beginning I really appreciate the follows, the likes, and also for all of you who want to continue reading this story. But again thank you all for sticking around and as always please enjoy.

WARNING 18+ ONLY!!!: Mentions of Torture, Graphic Blood, Some Cussing, Mentions of Prostitution, Mentions of Malnutrition, Abuse, and some Devastations(Alfie wanting Jovonka back)

****

Jovonka all curled up on top of the filthy bed in a fetal position crying for what felt like the thousandth time since her arrival at what she now discovered was a prison of a never ending hell. Her dried bloody wrists never have been once medicated by no one. Her hair that once was long and pure is gone and what's left of it only ends around her neck. But more gruesomely was her skin from her back marked by heavy red scars criss crossing from one way to the other. Reminding her of how many different men as well as Sabini would come to lash on her for their sick pleasures or more specifically whenever the Italian monster had to take some steam out he would take it out on Jovonka. There was nothing safe about this place it was only filled with torture, pain, the smell of death, and being used as a piece of meat for pleasure or a play thing. She hasn’t seen a single ray of sun for what she felt like in years. The only light she was provided with was an electric light above the basement and a couple of white candles to keep herself warm but it wasn’t enough. Food was served cold to Jovonka once the day was over with a small cup of water that had a bitter aftertaste. However that wasn’t the worst that she had to go through and there was a bigger problem than just her well being. Jovonka slowly placed a gentle hand above her stomach where a round visible bump was shown. She knew from the start Jovonka felt many changes throughout her body feeling the worst back pains of her life. Jovonka deeply wished for Alfie to be next to her and give the warmest hugs and comforting words telling her that she will be alright. But that will never be such an experience for her to witness. As for Sabini he became enraged and repulsed when noticing her stomach growing little by little. He would verbally and physically punish Jovonka for having an abomination inside of her. Obligating her to tell him what kind of man would let someone’s seed plant inside of her. Jovonka with all of her strength and taking in the agonizing pain never said a word to the Italian devil. She didn’t want him to know who the real father of the child was and it was only her and Isabel to only know..

“You. Once that thing inside of you is finally born you will get rid of and throw it into the streets. Do I make myself clear, you slut?”

Besides dealing with hundreds of beatings, whips, starvation, and so on she hasn’t seen her older sister or even Edna since the day they were taken into the brothel house. It worried her very much not wanting to imagine what horrid things they also are experiencing. The one person that really didn’t bother to come to see her or even Isabel for once was Novel. It turns out from what Sabini had told her he has joined the Italian gang and in exchange gave him his freedom and having whatever he desires. Jovonka didn’t want to believe in such a thing knowing Sabini could be a lying snake. But sadly it was all true devastated to know that her once loving and trustworthy friend would turn his back on her and everyone that cared for him. How could Novel betray them like this? All because he had so much anger towards Alfie which he did nothing but give the young boy and the girls a home and safety. But I guess it wasn’t enough for Novel to be thankful for. A clunking sound of the door was heard above the stairs knowing who it was already. But she didn’t expect to see someone she has been thinking about for so long. The sound of footsteps made their way down while Jovanka didn’t bother to see who it was. Then one of the men named Albert spoke up telling the unknown person that they had a limited time to talk with her.

“You have 5 minutes to speak with her and nothing more, now make it quick,” he commanded, giving Isabel a push which she just brushed it off.

While he made his way up the stairs again and hearing the door close shut, Jovonka slowly turned to look behind her. A relief spread throughout her face, happy to see a familiar face that she’s been waiting for so long until now.

“Is… Isabel is it… really you?” Jovonka said between pauses trying her best to hoist herself up with her right arm but was very weak.

“Darling, what have they done to you?” Isabel, in a shocking state, sat on her knees and helped her little sister to sit up while she went on, “here now don’t move too much or you’ll hurt yourself more. Oh Jovonka… that bastard will pay for all of this.”

Isabel hugged her tightly in her arms crying her eyes out while Jovonka with little motion in her face returned the gesture back. She felt her sister's chin resting on top of her head caressing Jovonka’s short hair gently. Wiping a bit of tears away she looked at her little sister softly grabbing her face with her hands seeing how hollow her eyes looked as if she was a living corpse.

“Isabel… I’m so happy to see you… I thought you were gone,” Jovonka said, resting her hands above Isabel’s arms.

“No, no I’m still here my dear sister, I’ve feared all this time that you’ve been long gone thinking if they took you away somewhere else or have sold you to the streets after that night we were separated. But I’ve never thought that he had you locked up down here and… torture you like this,” she said in a whimper looking all over her sisters cold exposed body covered in bruises dried blood everything.

But what first caught Isabel’s eyes was Jovonka’s round stomach knowing that there was a baby now growing inside. Fearing that her visions were true all along.

“I did as well sister… I thought they took you far away…thinking you were also sold off to someone. But thank heavens… you're here,” Jovonka said, giving off a small weak smile to her older sister making Isabel look up at her eyes

Jovonka noticed that her older sister's hair was different, all cut short like hers but more curly and fancy. Also seeing Isabel wearing a very satin clean dark green dress exposing her sharp shoulders. Seeing a bit of small purple bruises around her arms and chest knowing that she has been beaten abusively.

“Jovonka I don’t have much time left but what I'm really here for is that I have to tell you something. I’ve had a few visions these past months and it was all about you. I saw you carrying the child in your arms but you both were covered in blood. It worried me that it was a sign that you were both dead but after that the visions stopped. And that is why I demanded Sabini to see if you were alive. He refused at first thinking that I was doing something foolish and thinking I would try to hypnotize him. I had to know and… I had to make a deal with him.”

“What… Why did you do that sister?” Jovonka said not liking where this was going.

“I had no other choice,” Isabel said, letting out a small sigh wiping her tears away with both of her hands as she continued, “I came to an agreement with him that I would be bought off by anyone no matter what they want. And if I refuse to do the services then he… he would kill me. I had no other choice Jovonka I did it because I wanted to see you. And now I am here with you.”

Jovonka couldn’t believe what she had just heard coming out from her own flesh and blood.

This is all a dream… is it not?

“Isabel… n-no… how could you do this to yourself? Just so you can come and see me… and let strangers do…do horrendous things to you. Dear sister, I-.”

Suddenly the basement doors clunked open again indicating that Isabel’s time with Jovonka was up. Isabel felt her heart panic not wanting to leave her little sister just yet but she had no other choice.

“Jovonka darling, listen to me I will come back to see you again I promise you,” Isabel said cupping her sister's face with her hands but a sudden force fell on her.

Everything felt slow as the oldest sister shut her eyes closed seeing another strange vision. It wasn’t about Jovonka and the baby but of Alfie himself with peculiar men alongside him. While holding weapons as if they were about to go to war until the sound of a gunshot and several screams were heard as the vision came to an erupted stop. Isabel fully opened her eyes widely breathing in and out not noticing Albert standing behind her.

“Times up witch say your goodbyes now,” he said impatiently while Isabel didn’t hear him the first time.

Without saying nothing back and still stunned on what Isabel witnessed trying to understand what the vision meant.

“I said Times. Up!” Albert exclaimed violently, hoisting her up on her feet by her left arm trying her best to break away from the man’s grip.

“NO. Wait, Jovonka! Please, let me have a few more moments with my sister. Please,” pleadingly cried out Isabel looking back at her sister, seeing her weakingly trying to get on her feet but fell on her knees.

“I said 5 minutes. So now, GET GOING!” yelled out the guard tugging on Isabel’s hand leading her back upstairs.

“N...no, sister,” Jovonka tried to call out but her voice was low and weak.

Isabel looked back once more, her eyes forming with water seeing her little sister vulnerable and in such a terrible shape. Once she and Albert made it to the top of the stairs Isabel was shoved to the side while the guard closed the door behind them.

“Can’t you see how weak and sick she looks? Why hasn’t Sabini called a doctor, how dare you all,” yelled out Isabel as a long stream of tears rolled down on her cheeks letting a few wails out as she fell on her knees on the wooden floor.

Albert ignored the crying woman walking past by her, not having time to hear the woman’s sorrows. Other onlookers didn’t say anything while they saw Isabel cry, not bothering to go and comfort her. Though there was one within the crowd that came to her side.

“Isabel, oh my child,” said the old maid, Edna gently putting her hands on top of her shoulders trying to calm her down, “What happened to Jovonka? Is she alright?”

“She looks dreadful Edna, so terribly awful I tell you. She’s like a living corpse that hasn’t been fed for days, never has once been outside for months, no water or food… oh gods Edna. We have to get the hell out of this place, this can’t go any further especially that Jovonka has a child.

Edna’s eyes then grew in shock when she heard that Jovonka had a baby growing inside her stomach, not wanting to imagine the things that Sabini would do once the baby was born. Knowing full well that he wants to throw it away like it's not a living human being.

“Isabel, that’s… that can’t be, we have to get you girls out of here as quickly as possible before the baby arrives. Who knows what Sabini will do once Jovonka gives birth to the little baby, and I know for sure he wants the baby disposed of.”

“I know Edna, but I saw a new vision when I touched Jovonka’s face, and it wasn’t about her this time. It was Alfie… I think… he’s still alive but he is not alone as I saw him,” Isabel said looking at the old woman, her eyes red from all of the crying.

Edna gave a confused look at the young woman not understanding what Isabel was saying.

“My dear, what are you on about? But Alfie is gone, we saw him get killed in front of us but it’s impossible that he is still out there,” Edna said, trying to lower her voice not wanting any of Sabini’s men to hear their conversation.

Isabel slowly got on her feet while Edna looked around while Isabel walked her way down the small red hallways while Edna followed behind her making their way to a more private area. They passed through many rooms that were mostly occupied by both sex workers and male customers doing whatever they were doing behind closed doors. They then found one room not being used and Edna and Isabel made their way inside, closing the door gently being.

“Tell me more about Alfie and what else did you see in this new vision of yours?” Edna said, sitting down on the soft queen sized bed waiting for Isabel to continue on.

“It was all quick, but I did get a glimpse of his face, it was really him but he had company with him. Some group of men that were wearing elegant suits, with peaky caps, and weapons like they were going to the battlefields. And there were sudden screams and a gunshot that was heard and that’s where it stopped Edna… I think Alfie is coming to rescue us. I think this is what the vision is maybe telling us, but the question is when will that day come?”

Edna stayed quiet when this was all being said, sensing some faith that Alfie is alive and will be coming for them with some help from these new strangers. Not knowing if these will new Allie’s to Alfie and if they were trustworthy to him. Only time will tell and at the moment they have to wait and see what really they should be thinking of is Jovonka who they need to look after. Especially now that Edna knows that Jovonka’s child will at no time be born too soon or later.

“We have to speak with Sabini about your sister not being in good health and must be fed properly for both her and the baby’s well being. That bastard devil, how I would like to just place my hands around that abominable neck and choke him to death. He will pay for his sins Isabel knowing now that Mr. Solomon’s is out for not only us but for Sabini. Knowing what he has done to his beloved Jovonka, Sabini will face his judgment day and it will be a painful one,” Edna coldly said, to which Isabel agreed with the old woman completely.

“Alfie will get his revenge from Sabini, we will all see that. That bastard will pay for everything that he has done to all of us. All the pain he inflicted on us all and I will speak with him even if I have to get hurt physically knowing he has to hear what I want for my sister and her baby. He’ll have to obey my orders even if he won’t like it,” Isabel then said, feeling her hands turn into hard fists really wanting to hurt Sabini with all of her anger she has been building inside of her.

“Darling, I know you have a lot of anger towards that devil, but I worry for you. I don't want either you or your sister to get hurt. I know you will sacrifice anything for Jovonka’s sake but I also want you to not be physically unwell. But please just be careful and whatever that wop says and he will refuse your requests but you will force him to make your requests come true, yes?” Edna said finally grabbing both of Isabel's hands bore her’s and nodded her head in agreement.

You will pay for this Sabini… as well as your dogs… none of you will be safe for what will come for you all…

****

Arrow House, Warwickshire

“Any trace of my beloved this time Tommy? I hope your people got something this time mate before I lose me fucking mind,” Alfie said in a bothered manner looking out at the big windows overseeing the big grass field in front of him as he continued tapping his left foot for the millionth time.

Thomas said nothing for a while knowing well enough what he would say the same answer to Alfie since the search for Jovonka started on the first day. He has done everything they did in a search party, going through other areas within Birmingham, asking Johnny Dog for any reports but they will always return with empty hands, Arthur, John, and the youngest Shelby brother Finn were busy getting answers out from Mason as much as they could. Even if it meant to punch, kick, and use tools on him that has been going on for weeks and months. Agony after agony Mason had some strength in him knowing he had lost so much blood from his fingernails, his right eye becoming blacker than it previously was before, his lips turned purple and puffy like a balloon. He could almost move his lips when he tried to speak pleading for the Shelby brothers to let him go and he won't say a thing. But even if he would say those words over and over there won't be a chance for him to get out of their restraints. And so while everyone that Thomas knew about and hired some people he knew and can be trusted did their part on this mission he knew Alfie would be growing more impatiently, angry, frustrated, and most of all he worried for his friend's sanity. Fearing that Alfie could lose it at any time if he didn’t get his beloved back in time seeing how important she is to him.

Tommy didn’t say anything as he filled a glass cup full of whiskey while having a lit cigarette between his thin lips knowing what he'll say next won’t go so well.

“Your silence speaks very loudly and it tells me that it does mean that your boys haven’t gotten any luck again hmm?” Alfie said taking a small inhale breath through his nostrils knowing fully well he has to hear the same words once more.

“Alfie, we are doing everything we can to find your woman. Arthur, John, Finn, and myself have tried to take as much information as we can out from Mason, but he has been refusing to tell us more on where they have taken Jovonka and her sister. I know this upset yo-.”

Alfie, using his cane as support, suddenly knocked out a tray of leftover food he ate earlier in the day with shattered glass spreading throughout the floor. Tommy didn’t flinch or be bothered by his friend's actions for one bit, seeing he was used to this type of behavior. The Shelby sat down on one of the couches taking another drag from his cigarette while holding his glass drink with his left hand letting out a small cloud of smoke from his mouth.

“I’m sorry Alfie, truly… I know what you're going through and feeling. If I was in your place, if I lost Grace and Charlie I would’ve lost me head by now and eventually would have killed myself already. Just so this invulnerable pain could go away, but you're stronger than that Alfie I know you are. I will bring her back I promise you, trust me when I say this eh?” Said Thomas looking at the Jewish king as he stood quietly saying nothing for a moment.

Tommy leaned his back against the couch, taking a long sip from his glass of whiskey until finally Alfie spoke out.

“I can’t go on like this Tommy… I need her here close in me arms, that smile of hers, her lips… God. Sabini is goin’ to fucking pay for everything he has done to all of us. The pain he’s inflicting on us all is hard to ignore and to take away, the only way that this can be stopped is him being dead and having my Jovonka and Isabel back to me. That wop you all have been keepin’ captive I would like to have a word with him. Knowing that I can get answers out of his mouth if I’m there in front of his presence.”

“Alfie, don’t you think it’ll be a bit of a risk to be out there seeing that they know by now that Mason and Liam are still missing. And I’m sure that Sabini has sent more of his men to look for them along with orders to still look for Elena. It’s best if you stay here without endangering you and Elena more, we will force Mason to talk about where they took Jovonka an-.”

“No!” Alfie said echoing out abruptly inside Thomas's office room, while giving a sharp glare back as he continued, “I have been stuck inside this house for far too long. And you sitting there tellin’ me to stay put is not goin’ to make me feel more at ease while my Jovonka is still out there with that fuckin’ wop! So no Tommy, I will not take your word and I would rather give up my life away to both Isabel and my woman than me fuckin’ self. Even if it means to get meself killed just to see everyone that I love safe and alive.”

The Shelby said nothing once Alfie finished speaking knowing deep inside his gut he agreed with everything that the Jewish gangster had said. Thomas has risked his life multiple times before, firstly there were his brothers, being there for them whenever they got into risky situations, next of course was Polly, being both an aunt and a mother figure to everyone before and after the war and when Thomas’s mother died. And most importantly of all, was Grace and his son, knowing his father and husband instincts would kick in at any moment if they were put in danger. Knowing he also sacrifice his life first before anyone else just to also see everyone he loves well and alive.

Alfie walked across the room where he then grabbed a glass cup while he rested his cane against the small brown table stand. He quietly stared at the clear item in his hand as flashes of Jovonka’s smile, that laugh he fell in love with, her eyes that turned bright amber whenever they both became intimate in the bedroom, came into view before his eyes. How he wished he could hear her, touch her, and see her at this moment once more. Alfie then started to tighten his hand around the delicate item, almost to the point of breaking it with all of his strength. But he then relaxed his hand and put the item down on top of the table stand letting out a slow exhale through his thick nostrils.

“I will not stop saying this to you my friend,” Thomas then said, breaking the silence as he went on, “I will bring Jovonka and Isabel back home to you no matter how long the search will take. My brothers and my men are doing everything they can to find any trace of any kind. We will make Mason talk knowing that he’ll have to break at some point in time.”

Alfie didn’t say much once more, he instead grabbed his cane and made his way to sit down on another couch beside the table stand. Letting out a long steady breath looking out at the open green field in front of his view. There then was a knock on the door which Thomas then called out to whoever it was.

“Come in.”

Frances came inside the room, noticing the mess upon the wooden floor which she just ignored.

“Mr. Shelby, I’m sorry to interrupt you but your brothers would like to speak with you. They said it is urgent and important,” she said but before Thomas could speak the door suddenly swung open seeing John, Arthur, and Finn making their way inside.

“Tommy, you have to come back with us to the docks righ’ now. It’s Mason, he escaped from Johnny Dog’s but it is righ’ fuckin’ now,” said Arthur in a desperate tone looking between his brother and Solomon’s.

Tommy’s eyes grew wide in shock as he looked back at Alfie, which he also had a shooked up face knowing that the prisoner was their only hope to find answers about Jovonka and Isabel whereabouts. Without losing a heartbeat, both Shelby and the Jewish King got on their feet in no time making their way out of the office room. While on their way out of the Arrow House, Tommy got his black coat and peaky gray hat while his brothers started the vehicle in no time.

“Frances, tell Grace that I'll be back soon, and make sure to lock every door in the house and do not let anyone in you understand?” He said to the maid that she only nodded her head in agreement, “Righ’ Mr. Solomon's, you stay here for your own safety.”

“No Tommy, I am comin’ alon’ with you mate, there is not chance that I am not goin’ to let that fuckin’ wop get far away. He is the only thin’ that we can get close to Jovonka. Now then, do you want to waste more time here and tellin’ me to stay here like a fuckin’ little boy or should we get on our marry way before it gets any darker?”

Thomas knew there was no way in convincing the Jewish King to stay at the house, to which at this point he knew he lost the battle in this one. Before they could step a foot out of the house, Thomas noticed Little Elena from behind Alfie. The little girl looked on with concern in her eyes, not knowing what was going on in front of her.

“Alfie, where are you going? Is everything alright?” Elena said, walking her way to Alfie’s side as she heals the man’s large hand against her ‘s.

Alfie carefully knelt down while supporting himself against his cane, which he successfully did and continued on speaking to Elena.

“Yes everything’ is fine my dear, I am just goin’ to go somewhere with Mr. Shelby that is very important. But don’ you worry love, I will come back as soon as possible;e. I promise you,” he said hoping that this will make Little Elena feel less worried but she still kept pushing on.

“Does it have to do with my sisters? Are they found at last?” She questioned with some glimmer of hope in her voice hoping that the nightmare was over.

“My sweet Elena, I promise you that you will see your sisters again and yes it has somethin’ to do with them. But don’t you worry so much about it yea? I will be back soon,” he said, giving a small smile to her while she returned the gesture and gave the man a hug.

From outside, John interrupted this tender moment with the honk of the car making Alfie grumble under his breath.

“Come on then, we are wastin’ fuckin’ time out here!” Shouted out John, getting more bothered by the second if they don’t move out quickly.

“Alfie, we have to go now, I’m sorry Elena excuse my idiot brother for saying a foul word in front of you. Me and Alfie have to go now we will be back soon won't we Mr. Solomon’s?” Thomas said looking back at the Camden Town king agreeing with the Birmingham Shelby.

When they both said their last goodbyes both Alfie and Thomas made their way to the car, sitting on the backseat of the motor car with Arthur and Finn. Once everyone was inside, John turned the vehicle on and made their way quickly to the docks, while Alfie could only hope they would find the escaped prisoner in time.

Hopefully that bastard hasn’t gone far away from here…

****

Once they made it to the docks, all of the Shelbys brothers and Alfie made their way out of the car, feeling furious to hear the news that Mason was let go easily under Johnny Dog’s watch. Knowing he was someone that Tommy has trusted for many years since he has known him. As they walked through the gray pavement road, they found Johnny Dog talking with Charlie with other groups of men knowing they were in a heap of trouble. They also realized that Alfie was with them, seeing that

“Tommy, I’m so so sorry, we did everything that you have told us to do, but this time I didn’t he would escape in this wa-.”

“How the fuck did you let him out of your sites you bunch of idiots!” Exclaimed Alfie surprising both Tommy and his brothers thinking he is now the leader of all this but they let him continue on, “He was the only key witness into finding my Jovonka and you fuckers let him out of your sites.”

The group of men didn’t speak one word including both Johnny Dog and Charlie already, which they agreed that they did let the prisoner go away that easily. They have been keeping Mason in a very hidden place where no one would hear his painful screams while they would interrogate him for answers. But this time they all made the mistake of keeping more men to look after the Italian member.

“We are very, very, truly sorry Tommy, and mostly to you Mr. Solomon’s. I’m not sure how he managed to get his way out but you have my word when I say this. We will get him back but right now we have to track him down before he gets out of Birmingham,” said Johnny Dog, while Alfie said nothing, still feeling angry towards Tommy’s right hand man.

“Johnny is right, we have to split into groups from here on out,” said Tommy also sounding a bit bothered for what had just happened but he continued on with his next plans, “Right Charlie you take a couple of men to the north side see if you can ask anyone if they have seen Mason, Johnny, you take to the west and do the same and see if there is any traces of home, Arthur, you, John and Finn go to the east and look around to see if also anyone has seen him, and lastly me and Mr. Solomon’s will go deep into the deep forest’s far to the northern side of Birmingham. Keep your eyes sharp and head up, and keep your weapons at bay if you see the prisoner. Try not to aim him straight to the heart, we need him alive, yes?”

Everyone including his brothers nodded their heads as every group scattered to where they were told to go. Johnny Dog and his group of men loaded their weapons, as did Arthur, John, and Finn doing the same. All the while Alfie remained quiet seeing in the gray far distance where the little river canal was connected. He could still remember that terrible night, Jovonka, Isabel, and Edna looking terrified for their lives while he was held back being helpless and weak. The way Sabini touched her face while he cut her face while Jovonka screamed in pain, how he could go back in time and would kill that devil Italian in no time. Alfie closed his eyes trying to take that image away from his mind, while Tommy came to his side making him come back in the present.

“Alfie, are you feelin’ alright?” He said but the Jewish king stayed quiet still looking forward in front of him while the Peaky continued on, “we are about to head out now, before it's late. I suggest we get going. We’ll get him back. I have promised you that and Mason will have to speak, you'll see.”

“I know you have been Tommy, but I have one request and you will have to allow me to do it,” said Alfie making eye contact with the Birmingham king.

“And what is that Alfie?”

“Once that Italian runaway gets captured, let me do the talking. He will refuse to talk to me at first, but I will bring straight hell upon him. I don't care how much he has to live, or how much blood he will bleed out, I’m going to cut every life force he has in him to get the answers that I want him to tell me. And I want your men and your brothers out of it, do we have a deal my friend?” He said Tommy didn’t say anything but only nodded his head in agreement.

Once everyone was fully prepared Johnny Dog and his group left to the west while Charlie and his men left their way to the north, John, Finn, and Arthur made their way to the east, and that left only Tommy and Alfie to which they also left the banks in no time. Once they left the river banks, they were off to find Mason into the deep woods off in the countryside, Alfie only hoped that they would get to Mason as quickly as possible.

He won’t get away that easily… not on my watch…

****

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