#‘someday things will change’ ( modern verse ) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

popculturebuffet · 9 months

Text

Top 20 Animated Episodes of 2023 Part 1

Hello all you happy people! It's now 2024, and with 2023 behind us it's time for my faviorite yearly thing on this blog: my top 20 episodes of the year list!

For those of you new to this tradition or needing a refresher, each year I take 5 episodes each (or less if the show had less), from the various shows I watched that year, and then slowly wittle it down from a massive pile to the 20 best, split into two digestible parts, and let you all enjoy the results. It's one of my favorite things as it gives a nice, personal, wide berth of what happened in that year, gives this blog something unique to do, and allows me to touch on shows I haven't covered yet or may simply not get to for some time, if ever.

2023 was a mixed bag for me, both professionally and personally: It started.. with a kick in the teeth as my cat Stewie died after living a long, fufilling life of looking mildly pissed at everything but still being cute.

He was a good cat and his loss is something I still haven't fully gotten over a year later.

It was a harbringer of change: with Stewie's death we finally moved out of the house I lived in pretty much my whole life, and into a smaller, nicer and far better apartment with my own mini office in my room even and all my children/books/children returned to me. It's taken 6 months but I feel like i've fully settled into my new, wonderful home.

And towards the end of this year as the loss of Stewie still stung all this time later, I got another great change with the addition of Maddie

Maddie was the dog of a close friend of the family who had to go into a retirement home. She needed a home, and now has one in my room looking morose, licking my face and occasionally going under the bed for hours at a time like the cave goblin she is. She was a much needed bolt of sunshine in this storm of a year. I do metaphor good.

So with all these c-changes, how did this blog fair? Suprisingly great but not entirely in tact. Quality wise I do think I did some of my best work this year: I tackled the first apperances of every spider-man, woman and pig in into the spider-verse, the movie itself, finally web swining around a bit thanks to kev with a little more spidey planned for this year, with a tie in for Kraven later this year that's exactly what you think it is. I finally got to do an x-men month, covered rocko's modern life static cling for pride month, and in one of my finest hours, got to do a retrospective on one of my faviroite fairly recent comic strips breaking cat news with the help of my friend emma. Her sponsorship meant I got to cover something great and while few people have read it, i'm happy just to have it out there.

In addition to that I covered Tugs, an osbcure UK series and spirtual brother to thomas the tank engine that involved state mandated death dates for boats, pirates, and eleven minutes of explosions. I finally got to enjoy the madness that was the Telltale Sam and Max Games, with Save the World in the pocket and Beyond Time and Space wrapping up next week. And biggest, best and brightest of all I did a retrospecitve on little shop of horrors, finally seeing both the stage play and original corman film, as well as little shop. And someday i'll have recovered from seeing little shop.

The delay on that though brings me to the other shoe.. this year my productivity was in the basement and my week was at an all time low. Several reviews got delayed, from stewie's death leaving me unable to work for a few days for damn obvious reasons, to the move frequently taking my time or leaving me off balance. Not only that I didn't plan my time off for the move well, so I was left having to rearrange my whole schedule. It's why both pirate month and pride month, proud institutions on this blog, were reduced to a week and a three part special, something I wasn't remotely happy with. Things kept slipping by, and in general it wasn't my best year for getting shit done. I realized i'd simply taken WAY too much on, and thus have scaled back to ten reviews instead of 12 a month, and may scale back further if necessary: i'd rather these reviews be their best and get put through a spellcheck than be glad it's done only to realize I have nother thing that's due yesterday.

Not helping were towards the end of the year, a massively loud noise from my computer fan that made it hard to concentrate, something that's hard for my adhd ass in general let alone with a giant whirring fan that nothing can out loud, and having finally solved tha tproblem thanks to my dad's help.... then having my wrist go out, and while it's recovered now, it meant an extra week off, which sounds nice and was in places.. but was mostly spent in pain or asleep to escpae the pain till I got things to help with that. Then after a nice christmas, a lovely few days after... I got a cold, which spent up a large chunk of my vacation in a sick coma.

I apologize a bit for all the venting as you can tell this year's been a long one. I came out the otherside well with a loveable dog and a great new work/living space, but it was a bitch getting to here.

Thankfully animation wise, the industry wasn't in as MUCH turmoil this year. It still wasn't great: We got more cancelations with Lumberjanes and Phoebe and Her Unicorn announced formally dead before arrival had even started, and cancellations for Inside Job, Star Trek Progidy and Praise Petey, the last two seemingly in limbo as a result, with only one getting saved. While it wasn't the cancelnado of last year that wrecked many a service and nearly ended me, it was still pretty bad and Warner showed zero signs of learning from their lessons: after taking a few months off thinking the heat died down they tried canceling coyote vs acme.. only to then nakedly start a bidding war, making what they were really doing with most projects obvious: making them unaviliable.. and then starting a bidding war for other streamers. I'm not upset many of these shows are on other streamers as their safer from Zaslav there, but it shows just how nakedly greedy, transparently corrupt and blatantly fraudlent Warner Bros Discovery has become.

While the sales of the brilliant Merry Little Batman and sure to be great Batman: Caped Crusader to amazon are GOOD as Amazon has learned what animation means, it unmasks warner as simply doing all this tax writeoff shit to make money.. and then often forgetting to even sell the shows, not carring if no one's buying and just shrugging off someone's heart and soul being cast into the void. The loss of Final Space and Close Enough STILL stings and hasn't gone away even with the maker of the former both having found a way to finish the story and move on with his life.

The cherry on top of this shit sundae is Zaslav, no shit, saying the decision to shelve Batgirl, a movie that was entirely done and could've had the elseworlds label slapped on it if they didn't want it in the DCU, BRAVE. Yes that.. really happened.

It wasn't just Zaslav fucking up this year though, as other execs certainly tried their hardest or were arm and arm with him: The biggest blunder is obviously the strikes which while not affecting animation for the most part, was still a long dark night of the soul that was entirely the fault of executives not wanting to give up the precious theorietical money they could make once AI gets to the point it can create actual things, nor the likenesses of DEAD PEOPLE they should have no right to. Exec behavior was at it's most disgraceful this year... I don't know how that bare somehow got lower but that's the hellscape we're in with both zaslav and iger beign part of the corprate hydra that kept rejecting any deals presented and tended to flip the table and leave in a huff , leaving the negotations for weeks at a time till it became apparent that no amount of veiled threats of starving them out.

That said the strikes... were a net positive: they were long, brutal and threw tv off and delayed a show or two.. but it was well worth it. It helped show just how much actors and writers of all pay levels are needed, got them badly needed pay increases and protections and left the door open to help fiddle with AI protections as while AI isn't remotely good at creating scripts, that's never stopped execs from promoting something anyway. Despite MANY attempts to demonize the strikers, frame them as hollywood elites despite the fact the bulk were just trying to live on and were putting their liveleyhoods at stake to make sure they had one, or paint them as the bad guys.. it never worked. The public held firm, the strikers held firm and deflected most attempts with solidarity, with said big fish they tried to use as propoganda.. instead gladly donating to help the strike keep going. Fran Drescher and co fought hard, and the result is a slightly better hollywood.

And that hope for a brighter future really radiated this year: while Animation is still in flux in places, a lot of the networks hit hard by corprate dumbfuckery last year started to regrow: Netflix, after a year or two of rapid cancellations and baffling decisions, finally regrew it's animation divsions: Outside of Inside Job, most cancelations were shows that really weren't the best idea or execution to start with, and most hits got renewed, with them even picking up Star Trek Prodigy for another season and likely as many as they can carry. They pivoted more to adult animation with hits like Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Pluto, Castlevania Nocturne, Carol and the End of the World and Blue Eyed Samurai, the latter three I wish I got to but i've heard are incredible.

While WBD was still BURNIN DOWN THE HOUSEEEE, it snuck in a few hits with My Adventures with Superman and tons of great stuff I did'nt get too like Scavengers Reign, the beginning of the end for Craig of the Creek, Fired on Mars, and Hair Love, while having a suprise banger in the form of Tiny Toons Loonveristy, proving just how to reboot a classic property once again. Not only that the finale movies for Venture Bros and Metalocalypse came out, which given the last year was a huge fingers crossed thing. But both came out, I got both on blu ray, and got neat posters with them in the bargin and both closed up two of adult swims best series in the way they richly deserved. We also got an Urkel Christmas Movie. I guess.

Amazon continued it's own building: in addition to the dark knight picups mentiond, Invincible and Legend of Vox Machina both had amazing season 2's, with Vox Machina picked up for two more seasons to close it out proper and a Mighty Nein spinoff, with a Belles Helles Spinoff all but guarnateed at some point, and Hazbin Hotel after a truly agonizing year of waiting for someone to announce they had it, finding a perfect home for the happiest place in hell.

Finally, the indie scene, already thriving blew the fuck up. For the first time I nominated six diffrent pilots from various indie creators who all did a fucking great job: Godspeed, Lackadaisy, In Limbo, Atlas and the Stars, and Swift Spark and the Defensive five all had impressive showings and I regret not watching Lackadaisy in time to support it, but I can't wait to see what it brings to the table and to see all of these shows make it to series, not to mention up coming ones like ToonrifiqTariq's "Hey" that are likely going to come out next year.

It's a strange time for animatoin.. but one tha'ts proven you can make your own way, that the big coprations are trying and that in film.. is at one of i'ts brightest: while there ere some stumbles we had masterpieces like Nimona, which also made disney look horribly stupid for homophobically canceling it, Across the Spider verse (which needed to treat it's animators better but still deserves mention), and TMNT Mutant Mayhem.

It was a hell of a year and I can't want to share the best of it with you. And as a result of such a good year there's a few firsts: This is the first year with Anime included and if you want to know why i'ts taken so long it wasn't snobbery.. I just.. plain forgot to watch the ones I DID want to watch the past few years. That's... really it. I usually prefer reading the manga, as it's both faster and less time consuming, and Some of the best often aren't on the streaming platforms I do have. Pluto and Scott Pilgrim got by by being adaptations of something I love with all my heart a piece and thus coudln't bear myself to miss, but I might try to vary up my viewing more next year. I do want to check Zom 100 out at some point.

Anyways the other is that I allowed two dtv movies in here. Now this is with a caveat: It has to be directly linked to an existing animated series, a sequel, a prequel, etc. It's something I never really thought about before, but makes sense: While Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart and Army of the Doomstar were both considered for my film list too and are films.. their the proper conclusion to their stories. Not only that with Pluto's inclusion on this list, we have a series that had episodes only about ten minutes or so shy of both films runtime, so I figured fudging the rules like this was fair. I would've included Craig Before the Creek, but I want to wait to watch it when it comes on HBO Max next month.. and buy it on Physical as I don't remotely trust WBD to keep digtial copies up forever anymore. And really it feels in the spirit of things like operation zero back in the day or in both metalocalypse and venture bros own histories, all this and gargantua 2 and doomstar requieum.

Okay now that's settled this years list is intresting as while there's a decent amount of returning shows most haven't been on this list before. Of the nominees the only returning shows are The Legend of Vox Machina, Invincible, Helluva Boss, The Great North, Miraculous and Big City Greens, with mainstays like Tuca and Bertie and Close Enough sadly gone thanks to WBD being pralines and dicks. Thus our shows competing are an eclectic mix of returning combatants, one for sadly the last times, revivials of old shows, reboots of old shows, two limited series, and a handful of spectacular pilots

These are the shows that I got to see this show and thus entered the running, all sorted by platform since.. there's a lot.

Amazon Prime: The Legend of Vox Machina Invincible

HBO Max: YOLO: Silver Destiny Clone High Tiny Toons Looniversity Adventure Time : Fionna and Cake Aqua Teen Hunger Force My Adventures with Superman Disney+: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur The Owl House (Final Year) Kiff Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir Big City Greens Hulu: The Great North Futurama Bob's Burgers The Simpsons Netflix: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Limited Series) Pluto (Limited Series) DTV: Venture Bros: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (Special) Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (Special)

YouTube: Helluva Boss Godspeed Lackadaisy In Limbo The Amazing Digital Circus Atlas and the Stars Swift Spark and the Defensive Five

So with our nominees in clear view, who shined the brightest, who didn't and whose going to yell at me over my choices? find out under the cut!

FULL SPOILERS FOR MOST EPISODES ON THIS LIST. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

20. The First Episode (Atlas and the Stars, Pilot)

"Sorry for dragging you into this man. You don't have to trust me but I promise to make this up to you, I swear."

Coming in just under the wire as the last released episode on this list, it's placing is just a fun concidence, we have The First Episode... the pilot for new series Atlas and the Stars. You can watch it here

youtube

So it's come up soon but the reason I put MOST episodes on the spoiler warning.. is this pilot and another on the list, I really DON'T want to spoil much as both rely on you watching it, this one in paticular not revealing what the show's premise will be from here on out, instead telling the parallel tales of Atlas, a human from a dying planet who hyjacks a space ship to acheive her dream of endless freedom in the stars, Atmosphere, a shy loveable alien embarking on his first day regestring ships at a space port, and Quasar, the lord of a mysterious planet who keeps having to sacrifice.. somethign to a portal to keep it alive... and it can't keep up forever and his beligeured assitant nebula. ALl of this comes togeter in a beautifully animated, well active and creative sci fi adventure with one hell of a hook from where it goes form here, awesome character desgin work and some neat sci fi tek in Atlas' googles. Miranda Toomey used every inch of whateve rbudget she had to make this and it turne dout gorgeous, and I can't wait to see the next episode in this and how this story progresses. It's well done, gorgeous, heartfelt and engaging and I recommend you go watch it before we move on to our next entry.

19. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (Venture Brothers, Finale Movie) "All you need to know is the person who gave birth to you loves you, I promise you that"

From a start to a finish we have Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, the long awaited and thankfully came out with a dvd and everything ending of the Venture Brothers. It's shockingly low on this list, but as much as I love this series.. it came out in a tight year with some even better finales, and had the burdern of having to cram in a season's worth of content, even with the cuts they made, into an 84 minute film.

The results are still excellent: Radiant is a fun, frantic race to the finish line that satisfyingly answers a lot of the series biggest questions: Who the boys mom was, how Monarch and Rusty are related, can HELPER fire a shot gun, will Hank and Dean reconcile... all the closure we needed in a tight 88 minute story that also includes classic hip hop traick it's takes 2, magnetic shenanigans, Hank using giant novelty checks for money, dermott using a piss filled super soaker, dean thinking he's a vampire, a halfway house for supernatural heroes, and Mantilla, one of the series most delightful villians and one I really wish we'd gotten proper time with. It's a joyous reaffermation of what this series is about, has nice moments for most of the best cast members, including Brick Frog my beloved, and ends on a mostly satisfying note. It also gives us a golem made entirely of pants and isn't that the greatest adventure of all?

18. "Lights, Camera, Sparks?!" (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Episode 5)

"You've known him for three f***ing days!" "Is that all it's been?!" Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was an easy faviorite this year and given my longstanding love of the Scott Pilgrim comics and like of the movie, it wasn't a huge shocker i'd love whatever the anime turned out being. I was pumped from the announcement, worried it'd just be "the movie but animated" when the cast was announced.. and then over the moon when it turned out that no, the cast was all coming back but the take on the franchise was all new.

What we got wasn't the straight adaptation that was pitched.. and was all the better for it. If you haven't seen Takes Off.. please do it's fantastic, I did a whole review on it, go, and if you won't then this is your last warning as I can't really talk about the episodes of it on this list without getting into spoilers as it's one of those series where the first episode twist.. defines the rest of the show.

Okay we good. So the first episode progresses as normal, a few tweaks to let you know this is it's own universe, enough character moments to show that even with the film voice actors the main cast is closer to the comics..... then Scott seemingly dies.

From there things go off the rails, and that's where the magic kicks in: While Scott's still key to the story and turns out, naturally, NOT to be dead, instead kidnapped by a mysterious portal, Ramona takes the lead, with us getting to know her better now she's the pov character instead of the guy worshipping the ground she skates on. While Ramona was fleshed out in the comics, the series gives her more to do as she solves this mystery. It's intriguing, it's fun, and it gives Mary Elizabeth Winstead the chance to play a more fleshed out version of the character with more sides to her than "aloof".

What the series also does well.. is go the fuck off the rails. Matthew uses his newfound confidence to punch gideon out of all his companies and fancy suits, Gideon becomes the best worst couple with julie, and Young Neil becomes a spacey moron who assumes the mysterious person writing a script based on how the story originally went is his sleep paralysis demon. The series has a lot of great character, animation and development as Ramona's forced to .. talk with her exes instead of her new boyfriend punching most of them for her.. but it can't be forgotten it's also delightfully nuts, easily the goofiest this franchise has gotten and i'm here for it.

That brings us to "Lights, Camera, Sparks?!", easily the biggest shit post of the entire series, and one of the funniest episodes of the year easily. While the previous ones are a bit melancholy in tone with the goofy stuff as a nice side dish, fitting how scott pilgrim rolls, LCS is just one long farce with Ramona struggling to get any detective shit done while Wallace wrecks envy and todd's relationship, Edgar Wright but voiced by Kevin McDonald slowly looses his mind, and Neil gets into various shenanigans while only being a quarter aware of anything going on, including what was in the script his sleep paralysis ramona from the future wrote.

The setup is simple: Toronotwood is making a film based on how scott's story usually go, again ghost written by a mysterious sleep paralysis demon, and hired Lucas and envy to play scott and ramona. Lucas got can...something for dating a 30 year old who looks like a high schooler, so now i'ts todd clumisly shoved into Scott's clothes. Wallace is also there, having throughly humilited the notoriously straight actor playing him out of a job and letting his ego grow 15 sizes that day.

What follows is a mocumentary masterclass as Envy and Todd can't stop being horny for two seconds, Wallace making out with Todd and being his bi awakening reading them to constantly "run lines in his trailer", Neil is hilaroius and you will repeat everything he says and Ramona is left bobbing around unable to actually get any answers.

This all leads to a delightful explosion as Todd falls in love with Wallace, Wallace is a callous dick, Wallace sicks his stunt doubles on Envy, Ramona is sicked on them, and everyone is confused, all cumilating in todd binge eating poutine and crying, an option I wish americans had but alas we are poutineless while Matt shuts down the production then sputters like a kid who got a lucky punch in on his bully when he finds out Scott is alive. Also Knives and Stephen get a meeting with him leading to the greatest musical of all time.

As you can tell this episode is very stupid and I love it. It's just 100% nonsense the whole way through, letting Wallace do something since the only main character who isn't Ramona he interacts with is in the future right now. There isn't much to disect, i'ts just pure comedy gold with props to both Kirean for really nailing a more douchestastic wallace and especially Brandon Routh who has shockingly deep comedic chops. A great episode and a nice break before we dive full speed into just where Scott went.

17. Lackadaisy (Pilot Episode)

Old Man River! That seems far too austere a name for something made of mirth and rage. O, roiling red-blood river vein. If chief among your traits is age, You're a wily, convoluted sage.

Is "old" the thing to call what rings the vernal heart of wester-lore? What brings us brassy-myth made kings. And a preponderance of bug-type things. To challenge titans come before!

O, demiurge to a try at Avalon-once-more?

And what august vitality in your wide aorta stream. You must have had to oversee alchemic change of timber beam to iron, brick and engine steam!

Your umber whiskey waters lance the prideful, sober sovereignty of faulty-haloed temperance, and wilt her self-sure countenance; Yes, righteousness is vanity. But sport's for imps, not elderly.

So if there's a name for migrant mass of veteran frivolity That snakes through seas of prairie grass and groves of summer sassafras; a name that flows as roguishly as wild waters, fast and free, It's your true name: Mississippi.

That beautiful poem opens up Lackadaisy, thank you wiki so I didn't have to transcribe that whole glorious thing, as a roustabout cat in 1927 St. Louis names rocky spends the first few minutes playing fiddle, basking in the glorious moonlight and waxing poetic about the mighty missisipi. It's a beautiful opening that shows off the series deft animation and MIssouri setting, something that makes me want to learn more about my own state's history. It's clear from the word go a LOT of love and research went into this setting, and given creator Tracy Butler had started Lackadaisy as an even MORE lavishly drawn webcomic.

Lackadaisy has a simple setup: three cats working for the titular saloon, Rocky, our dreamy narrator and mild loon, Freckle, his grumpy sidekick whose perhaps a bit TOO good with a gun, and Ivy, a peppy girl who takes jabs at Rocky and flirts with Freckle. I .. I ship the fuck out of it. These two are adorable. The three are robbing a body for canadian hooch but have to deal with the deathly serious and deathly hot, Mordecai Heller and his much more excitable, jokey and bloodthristy associates Serfafine and Nico Savoy.

The short is mostly a tense back and forth between both parties as our heroes barely surivive, we get a lot of good Ivy and Freckle content and Rocky saves the day by hyjacking a goddamn steam shovel and loading it with dynamite while waxing poetic and laughing madly. If that's not enough to get you to check it out if you haven't, I have clearly failed in some way as Lackadasiy is excellent and like Atlas and the Stars, leaves me wanting more of this cast. I'll defintely be reading the comic and plan to at least try to get the print editions coming up soon, as the pilot does a good job of showing who these characters are simply by action.. but leaving you questioning WHO they are and how they all ended up in a failing saloon, and why say Mordecai spares Ivy towards the end. Whatever it is I only want more of this, and am so happy those of you who weren't late adoptres like me helped get us a full season 1. Thank you so much and I can't wait for this show to show up here again. It's gonna be a riot and Micheael Kovach steals the show any time Rocky speaks, while SunWongCho is just... amazing as Mordecai and gives us a great antagonist to work with, a classic mystery man whose side your not sure who he's on, you just know he's a threat when he shows up.

16. Simon Petrikov (Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, Season 1 Episode 2)

Does somebody jump for joy? Does somebody cry? Now that I'm not part of that sadness? Does somebody want me now? Now that I can’t fly? Now that I'm not part of the madness? Part of the madness?

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake surprised the hell out of me in the best way possible. See while I never stopped caring in SOME way about adventure time, my dropping off mid series after ... THAT happened in Breezy, only coming back occasionally for an episode or two, the orgalorg arc and the finale, I really wasn't interested. I did enjoy the two episodes of Distant Lands I saw, Stakes was excellent and Together Again felt like a more fitting final chapter to the series. Both didn't feel like continuation of the story: Stakes was a coda giving us the Bubbline content CN denied us and Together Again is an Epilogue, set at the very end of Finn's story.

So I was kind of.. Meh on Fionna and Cake's announcment. I wasn't against it but I'd just never really cared about these two, with the series having made two great episodes about them (and two more I hadn't seen at the time), but the whole "created by a creepy old guy" part of it always held me back from fully embracing these two. I was badly hoping they'd throw away the whole fanfic conceit and just move on.

They didn't do that.. but Fionna and Cake not only found a way to revitalize that, but reminded me WHY the original series was so strong. Fionna and Cake grew up with the original audience, a piece about metafiction, fandom, growing up, and depression all made wonderful and really stretching the property as far as it'll go and i'ts unexpected season 2 greenlight makes me all too excited.

The thing I was most excited for though.. was still greatly done. Alongside Fionna and Cake getting a slice of life makeover thanks to Simon going back to "normal", we get some closure for Simon who ended the series seemingly fine: Betty is gone, but he's sane, Marcy gets her real dad back, job done right?

Adam Muto, Adventure Time's ep from season 6 and the archeticht of most things from Rebcca Sugar's leaving till present day, disagreed, planning a simon special for distant lands before rewriting it for this series. And it points out something a lot of fans noticed about this ending: it's.. not okay. Simon lost betty AGAIN, and is now trapped in a world he never made.

And the series makes this into his arc, how does he fit into this world, and what he tries to do to escape it instead of dealing with it. Simon Petrkiov paints a picture of where Simon's been in the 10 year time jump between Come Along With Me and his debut in this series, Simon Petrikov.. and it's a deeply depressing picture.

Simon's a living exhibit on the humans floating island, unable to connect with his fellow humans as he can't relate to them in any way shape or form. He's a 20th Century man and their 24th century men and women. Not helping is an overzealous, or sweet fan girl he keeps shooing away who just CAN'T understand that the man who wrote Fionna and Cake.. ISN'T the same guy making toast in a fake apartment and watching Cheers every day. The Ice King was PART of simon, but they were never the same person and every reminder of the hell the poor man went under, the things he did, the people he hurt just reminds Simon how far away he is from home.

Not helping is something all too common with depression and trauma, something I know all too well... Simon won't open up to people. He doesn't get help (and as we learn via a minerva bot in the finale Therapy was ALWAYS there for him), and he keeps space from the surrogate family he does have. He dosen't want to "ruin" marcy finally being in a good place and thus barely calls her, content to just visit and pretend things are okay. Finn TRIES reaching out.. but while he's older, wiser, and beardier now, and to my delight still with Huntress Wizard (and in headcanon in a throuple with Flame Princess, but that just me. ), but he's still an adrenline junky raised by a loveable manchild who can't quite relate to someone like Simon, who just wants his old life back.

All this is punctuated by the return of Rebecca Sugar, who sings the beautiful and tragic "part of the madness" which sums up where Simon is: he's normal, he's who HE wants to be.. but the world simply feels like it rejects him, when really he's just as much rejecting it. Instead of trying to find some calm in the storm of this life and admit he needs help.. he chases betty, trying badly to get her back even though it just.. isnt' possible.. and causing this series as a result. He just can't let go.. but the series shows him he has to if he wants to truly live.

15. Miraculous World Paris : Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir World Special 4) | In the daytime, I'm Gabriel Just a normal man, with a normal life But I have a secret I must keep at any cost Or all hope will be lost. Miraculous! Fear is a cage! Hear the message, answer the call! Miraculous! Yes, you can change! The power of love will free us all! Miraculous!

Yeah after two years of watching it, Miraculous Ladybug actually made this list. I'm shocked i'ts both this high AND this good. See while i'm a fan of Miraculous Ladybug, most of the fandom is more a fan of what it could be, the potetial it'd have if Thomas Astruc hadn't been the one mostly running it for 5 seasons and running it straight into the ground into the molten core of the earth. The Recent film, while far from perfect, felt like more what the series SHOULD'VE been, with the secret id bullshit resolved by the end of what's essentially movie/season 1, Gabe given more depth etc.

So i'ts ironic that in the same year the show itself, via it's spinoff specials gives us ANOTHER universe that's way better than the mess they've made of the main timeline with Miraculous World Paris. Mirror Universes are nothing new, to the point Kev and I have a whole series on mirror universe episodes featuring this very special planned, starting later this month.

With Ladybug's lack of subtley, misuse of good ideas and goofy incompetence, I assumed this special would be at best goofy fun with overblown multiverse and mirror universe tropes. Instead... it's the single best episode of the shows run, a truly moving piece that made me enjoy mirror universes again the same way Fionna and cake has made me enjoy AU's again

Miraculous knows just the right way to make evil counterparts: instead of the earth 3 versions of Marinette, Adrien and Gabriel the complete opposites of our heroes or just "Evil, Evil and less of a prick", Shady Bug, Claw Noir and Betterfly are all the same people we've come to know, simply gone down a diffrent route. Gabe is a better person, having STARTED as his earth 1 shitheal self working with his earth's eviil shadow overlord supreme... the loss of his life somehow changing this course. Instead of using the butterfly miraculous to try and bend the world in shape to get his wife back, he honors her legacy as Betterfly, helping others, something that seems IMPOSSIBLE for our gabe to consider without an ulterior motive.. but all too plausible if he just let go of his ego and his wife and let her die in peace instead of holding her in a dome coma and fighting teens. If he accepted he can't control something

Likewise Shadybug is Mari if Alaya hadn't befriended her, if Chloe just kept bullying Mari and Mari never stood up to her, the bullying just made her worse. If her parents WEREN'T there to support her: the bakery and her room is.. but it's very clear her alternate parents just aren't the loving duo our Mari's are. This is the kind of Mari that would've easily become an akuma.. but instead becomes something WORSE thanks to Supreme, a mysterious entity linked to the guardians, very heavily implied to be earth 3 Master Wu, who gives out the miraculouses to those who can tighten his grip on earth, and selected Mari and an Adrien who never went to school and thus never got out of his shell and is even MORE distant form his dad due to Gabe's new job as his pawns.

It results in a tearful battle as our heroes are both forced to TRUST the best life version of their nemisis, and battle what easily could'e ben them, while their counterparts find out , after Shadybug tries the wish thing, that supreme was using them and their lives are being drained by overusing their powers, explaning why the regular miraculouses limit our heroes to one use of their powers and limited timing. This is what happens otherwise and Monarch is all too happy to take advantage of that. There's more to this special, a lot more I can't wait to explore in april, but needless to say Miraculous World Paris.. is what I wanted from this series: a creative, tightly told, heartbreakingly well done superhero story with tense action, creative uses of the kwamis, and good character stuff for BOTH versions of our protagonists. I'ts a true masterwork and I wish THIS is the show we got more consistently.

14. The Amazing Rudy (Bob's Burgers, Season 14, Episode 2)

"I kinda walked away on dinner with my dad and her boyfriend and dad and his vicky for the first time which I guess how family dinners are gonna be from now on and I guess technically... I ran away"

It's weird but despite my deep love of the Great North (Which for the first time since it's debut missed the list this year, but damn did it have a good one, even if season 4 had to wait for 2024), until this year I wasn't consistently watching it's sister show Bob's Burgers anymore. I liked Bob's, I loved the movie, I had nothing against it. But any time I tried to get back there'd be an episdoe that just took me out. So now while I won't watch every episode, I still watch most, as the show is good as ever, if not on a comeback after a few seasons apparently felt (if TV Tropes is a good indciator) as very hit and miss. Season 14 is fantastic and it's no surprise it's second episode ended up being one of the series best.

The Amazing Rudy is something completely different in tone and staging, with a more melancholy peanuts style soundtrack, a somber tone and more muted humor. It fits perfectly, as the episode isn't centered around the Belchers this time but Louise's best friend, future husband and morality pet Rudy. The show has had secondary character spotlights before, Rudy getting a few himself, but usually the Belchers are still front and center and one of them still plays a major role in following this character around. For instance a few episodes later we get "bully-leive it or not" a zeke spotlight episode, but one where the other three kids are still very present: Zeke and his shameful past are the focus, but Louise and Tina still figure heavily into the plot, louise nearly bullyign Zeke's former bullying victim thinking the guy bullied zeke and that's why zeke freezes up seeing the guy, while Tina guiding the kid around is what kicks things off. The two aren't the focus, but it still feels like a bobs burgers adventure, helped with a bob subplot where he grapples with Jimmy Pesto, now played by Eric Bauza after a long absence thanks to his previous actor being an insurrectionist which lets face it Jimmy totally also was or at the very least thought about before finding the air fair was too much.

Here the focus is on Rudy to the point it feels like an episode of a Rudy spinoff show that does not exist but we now all want it too. It's still in Seymour's Bay (Which I forget is the name of the town this show takes place in as mostly people we know are in wonder wharf or on ocean avenue), just following Rudy as the lead instead. The Belcher's show up, in the middle of a bob's burger's episode we'll never see about Gene getting good grades and thus getting baked potato lasagna, a recipie he made up and assumes "everyone else must enjoy" is part of the reward, with the payoff him realizing he can't force someone to love his abomination, but he CAN have their portions. Being Rudy's closest friends and future wife it makes since there the ones he talks to when he goes to the mall with his dad to get a magic trick for the night and a snappy hat when he crosses them.

The Belcher's presence also hammers home what Rudy's dealing with though and that's.. a loss of family. Rudy's Parents are divorced. This isn't a new fact as it's come up casually in the past: being the kids Teddy, i.e. the person closest to them in their age group to be clear, not the person who defintely has passed by the restraunt at night every night and just.. stares in the window. But being the kids most prominent supporting character, with Jimmy Junior and Zeke a close shared second, we've gotten to know him: his parents divorce is amnicable, he alternates weekends, and they've both moved on. We haven't really seen his mom but Rudy seems just fine with her and with his dad being his primary caregiver, is a bit closer to him, as shown in this ep as the two are adorably in synch and have their rythm.

See Rudy didn't LOOSE his mom or dad, both are still very present.. but he lost the three of them as a family and until recently had their monthly "We're still a family' dinner", what, as we learn in a heartbreaking montage i'll get too shortly, was a monthly family dinner and became a way to show that both his parents still loved him and still liked each other even if they weren't together. The problem is while a well meaning gesture, both parents have started bringing their partners, which is fair but makes it less a family dinner.. and more Rudy stuck with four adults having a hangout who accidently forget he's there. While I never went through one of these as a middle schooler when my parents broke up, I know the type of event Rudy deals with all too well: it's mostly adults, there's no one to talk to and your alone. Granted I was fine with it because I just.. read whatever book I brought anyway, but rudy is a social butterfly, an awkward awkward butterfly, so he has no idea how to handle this, or really deal with it.

His one ace in the hole is a magic trick, from his faviorite shop, the same one we saw in the magic episode way back. See while Rudy's love of being a magician is another character trait that's come up, this episode gives weight to it: Rudy got into magic not just because he dearly loves it and the person at the shop gladly mentors him and supports his talent, but it's seen in a montage of previous dinners that any time his parents started fighting, before and after divorce, a simple trick reentered the night and reminded them what's important.

Naturally the trick, done using a glass of drinking water and some tablets, goes wrong, and while Rudy's parents encourage him to try again and no one really is mad at him or upset it went wrong and spilled everywhere, he feels utterly humiliated, something we all went through as kids: you screw something up and while your parents don't make a deal out of it, you just can't. Hell I still have that problem. So combine that with already not wanting ot be here and Rudy bounces, his parents not aware he's gone.

Naturally, given the earlier setup, he bounces to the Belchers. And it's easy to see why: The Belchers are a loving, wonderful family, and Bob and Linda not only gladly let Rudy join, but engage with him in a way Rudy's parents simply forgot. Rudy's parents aren't callous... adults simply make mistakes and in likely trying ot make sure rudy's okay with both their partners being there, their partners feel good, the million other things they got going on.. they talked over Rudy. It's what makes this work: we feel for rudy, but it stings more that this isn't some problem with an easy fix. There will be plenty more dinners where he's wallpaper and plenty more times they likely forget him without meaning to. The trick COULD'VE helped.. but it failing was a reminder it was just a distraction from the fact his parent's aren't a family anymore, just two people who share a kid, loving him and caring about each other.. but what little bit of what he had before the divorce is just gone.

Brian Huskey's voice as he gives the monologue I used for this episode's quote is just heartbreaking.. you can feel the kid just.. relaizing he can't just run away from it. It's just.. how things are. HIs sad revelation of this just hits, Louise's "Oh boy", and Rudy sounds on the verge of tears.. we've seen him mad, we've seen him kinda sad.. but never like this. Just a child realizing things won't be the same and he has nothing to do but go back to it.

Thankfully as bob and linda mindly panic after realizing "oh god this child just ran and his parents don't know oh god", Louise knows what her best friends need and offers to walk him back. not only is the moment shiptastic.. it's sweet. Louise gets Rudy is having a hard time with all of this and needs some support, needs someone his own age there to talk with and to help deflect attention. And to punch out anyone on the way who tries to hurt them with brass knuckles, which naturally linda gave her as santa. After all he IS from the streets. It provides a pretty morose episode an utterly sweet ending as the two walk back, Bob couldn't be prouder, and Rudy.. for now at least.. isn't alone among his own family anymore. He may never have what he had back.. but he's gained someone pretty good along the way.

13. Watching and Dreaming (The Owl House, Season 3 Episode 3, Series Finale)

"Eda, King, Thank you for Everything" "Right Back atcha kiddo" "Weirdos?" "Weirdos"

The Owl house was the best show of the 2020's and while it had some stiff compettion this year, it still hasn't been surpassed. It was hilarious, had a wonderfully built messed up world with lots of thought, deep character arcs, and was sadly cut short way too soon, but will never leave the hearts of those of us who loved it.

So thankfully they stuck the landing, as Watching and Dreaming was a worthy conclusion to the series. After the decent but easily weakest of the three season 3 specials "For the Future", Watching and Dreaming is a nicely packed finale that wraps up the series wonderfully and while it leaves me wanting only MORE, MORE DAMN YOU MORE, as the series always had, it's a good note to end on while Dana gets the hell out of mouseton for a while.

It was also the last episode of a show I covered as it came out, with an attempt to do so with legend of vox machina adding way too much to my work load this year to really work out, and as a finale to that.. it was just as welcome.

Watching and Dreaming spends it's first third on the Collector, and while there is a bit of disconnect between what he puts our heroes through and where he left off, with Luz once again hving her anxieties reinforced via a horrifying puppet show, the show quickly recovers as the big three are reunited after two long episodes and several long months in and out of universe: Luz has her other mom and little brother back, Eda has her kids back and King has her family back. We also get a quick show of just how far they've come since the pilot as each one easily bodies the collector's games... and leaves him wondering why they won't play fair, why this isn't working. It takes three people who had to learn their lessons the hard way through tears, isolation and learning their life was a lie, to teach the boy god empathy and unveil that at his heart.. he's just a kdi who REALLY didn't know what he was doing was awful.

Unfortunately just as the collector learns friendship, belos POSSESS THE TITAN'S CORPSE ITSELF and plans to do .. something.. genocidey and after an attempt to just forgive him fails, the only thing our heros have is each other, with Luz's friends aka our other heroes busy saving allt he puppets with their new starry pjamaed pal.

Luz gets a last minute somewhat asspully upgrade, but it's all three together that defeats belos. It's an epic finale but one that nicely focuses on who Dana intended as the core of the series: a child who found her place in another world and learned responsibility and to forgive herself, a witch who learned to forigve and let others in, and a titan who learned empathy, all kicking that blobs ass. And then curb stomping it. It's a moving, fast paced, excellently animated finale with a fun time skip epilogue to tie it all together. Owl House may be gone... but it'll never be forgotten.

12. Army of the Doomstar (Metalocalypse, Finale Movie)

"I am a wheel in the gear of the Klok. I feel not my mortality".

The other adult swim finale movie this year and the one that had the harder road. While Venture Bros got it's movie offer at the same time as cancelation, it took Brendon Small a decade, a whole ass album designed to be as close to a finale as he could get without a lisence and a LOT of campaning to finish his story to get here. Metalocalypse ended just as the final verse of blood, metal and stupidity was about to be written, and it was thanks to Small and the Fans themselves that we finally got it with this movie.

Army wraps up 4 seasons and another movie, a movie I dearly loved when it came out and still do, with an epic. It's darker in tone as the metalocalypse that begun at the start of the series is almost here and Nathan Explosion has a full on existential crisis trying to write the song that will save the world, having no idea how and not helped by his disasterous attempted propsoal to abigail while on a lot of wine and xanax (Props to small for ending a pretty disliked subplot exactly the way it shoudl without just.. tossing it out for time or some shit AND making it tie perfectly into the plot). The films dives into the overexpecations we put on creatives to MAKE US MORE DAMMIT, and how hard that actually is.. but also how fans.. are something to treasure and not spit in their face as our heroes have the whole series, seeing them more as parasites than people.

It maintains the series ballance of having an epic story.. but not sugarcoating that these guys are fucking morons with Nathan charging into a funeral on xanax and telling everyone, Pickels having ot literally be everyone's mom, and Pickles ordering a last meal fo rnathan of cool ranch diritos and choclate milk. The shows as goofy as ever, but adds a heart that's been only glimpsed on occasion as our heroes are allergic to feelings, as our heroes must save the world. We also get some kickass metal music as always, with SOS being a standout, giving us one last awesome dethklok performance and song as our heroes rally the world to show them their not alone.. and they never were. An epic, hilarious, and well done film that manages to cover all the bases it needs to and wrap everything up in 96 minutes. Pretty brutal.

11. The World Vs Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim Takes off Episode 6, Series Finale)

"Hey, because I'll have a lot of trouble saying it later, let me say it now: I love you, Scott. And I run away from the thing that I love. But what I've done in the past doesn't have to define me. Help me keep remembering that, okay?"

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was a thrilling watch but there was one worry I had as it went.. sticking the landing. It set up a compelling mystery, to the point I genuinely wasn't sure who would kidnap scott as while the twins DID have to show up and were likely involved.. it just didn't fit that it was them. It being their robot who being a robot has never eaten anything, thus never eaten meat and would have none of the bilogicial weaknesses of a human, was brilliant as it is hilarious bonkers.

Who sent the robot.. was even better as it turned out to be Scott himself, a twist that told me everything was going to be alright. Specifically this is a scott who lived what this story would've been: Scott beats the exes, gets the girl, and they have a happy relationship and then marriage for 15 years, having become their best selves. The thing the series challenges though .. is if they can STAY better versions of themselves. It's something the other versions didn't really WANT to poke at because it makes the ending less happy: if they don't end up together, what's the point of all this. Yet.. relatoinships break up. Hope Larson, the real life inspriation for Ramona, divorced Brian Lee O Malley. The relationship COULD fail and where would that leave them.

As it turns out.. not great as Ramona bailed when it got hard while being vauge as usual, and Scott spiraled hard into his worst habits, moving in with wallace, again, and rather than figure out where he wen twrong.. wanted to hit undo on what he felt was a sunk cost, a relationship he put his heart into only for it to seemingly fail, even if he still had a chance to save it. Hence the brilliant and only not making this list because this year was paccckkked with good episodes, 2 Scott 2 Pilgrim before this. It also helps the takes off scott spedrun his charater development as future him is everything Scott tries to ignore about himself, his laziness, selfishness, short sightentess and very stupid brain, as a person he really can't ignore because that person kidnapped him because he took a joke Wallace made seriously.

So Scott naturally motors with the help of Future Wallace and Older Ramona, who was indeed the sleep paralysis demon and like her ex husband really sucks at plans, but gives Scott a lift home. So.. everything good? Ramona Grew, Scott Grew, Scott acknowlegeds he never should've dated a literal teenager... we goo dright? Right?

Thing is as this episode reveals midway through... Older Scott REALLY didn't want his past self to take the gamble that he could do it the right way and instead of giving himself tips.. gave himself anti kissing nanites so he and ramona can't kiss, the two naturally thinking it's the exes. We get a great opening here as scott confronts each of them, having only kinda witnessed their changes.. and most don't care. Even Gideon's moved on to Julie, his perfect match and a pariing I can't belivie I love and fits perfectly: their both the worst, and together their awful. Brilliant.

The two seemingly don't solve things.. but thankfully Old Scott is more than willing to show his hand.. as even older scott. Even Older Scott is terrifying, taking some of Scott's good traits.. and making them into something nightmarish. After his failure to change the future, not considering that

Instead looses his mind, training himself in video games and the martial arts for 10 years, all to counter everything his friends and the exes can do... all so he can KILL EVERY LAST ONE. Scott's worst nightmare across all realities has come to past, he's an evil ex.. and the evilest ex of all. Well in terms of power and madness, Gideon still put a bunch of women in jars because they broke up with him who Matt hopefully let out in this timeline.

We get a great fight as the utterly jacked, utterly terrifying even older scott, who nicely resembles evil ryu from street fighter and has pixel effects ala movie!gideon, cleans house, with Ramona wondering if she should just.. leave all this. It's only realizing that's literally all she does that gets her to realize she want sto fight for this, even if it ends poorly, and Scott, already all in, helps her.

Ultimately it's not the duo who win their future this time.. but Ramona's own future, what could be, even older ramona, saving her past self via fusion, a super mode (Just like Sonic 2.. or 3.. or dragon ball.), and some words of encouragment, giving EOS another chance and Scott the beautiful words above.

It's a powerful message and one that's real: it's hard to change.. but it's even harder to get change to stick. You just have to keep remembering it.. and keep trying. No matter how bad things seem.. you can make it better.

This is all helped by the beautiful ending, a pixel version of god only knows as everyone, exes now included, gets to live their best life and we last see Ramona as she dons what we finally find to be her natural hair color, blond (with some highlights because, hey, it looks badass), ready to face the future)... and the best worst couple hyping a sequel that will never happen, but frankly it'd be werider if they didn't, A truly spectacular finale to what may be the best version of this story.

#scott pilgrim takes off #lackadaisy #atlas and the stars #metalocalypse #the venture bros #the owl house #bobs burgers #miraculous ladybug #animation #2023 #best of 2023

25 notes · View notes

zestials · 6 months

Text

half baked early morning thoughts : when i say zestial's not a big fan of technology or certain styles , that's true --- in the modern sense & how quickly it's moving. he's like .. eighty or so years behind the mortal realm & as such most of the new(er) sinners are quite hard for him to relate to. ( save for verses where he has a specific reason to look more into it. ) give him another twenty years & he might have a landline ! his voicemail would be a horrific curse placed upon you though lbr but i think the more time that passes & the more advancements made will only further that gap.

someday i will go into detail about how zee probably helped curate a lot of what information's out & about in hell ( pride ring specifically obv. ) all those accounts digitalized had to come from somewhere & he's not above censoring to fit his needs. partly why i have some of his information redacted ( definitely not because i'm still cooking on it & trying to put ideas into words. )

occasionally he'll incorporate new things or styles into his day to day ( i,e. his personal home being a more 1800s style architecture wise vs the 1600s gothic cathedral of his base for business that's more reminiscent of the time period he was alive in. ) he just needs some time to acclimate. this includes clothing , even his hat will be changed out occasionally but the patched one is undeniably his favorite & is repaired rather than replaced. yes. he wears more than a rag & cape. yes. there are still usually ruffles, he's extra.

BUT i do think up till the 1940s/1950s he was more on-top of things , he rather enjoyed alastor's radio show , has a gramophone / record player , knows swing dance , enjoys jazz & ragtime music ( although he'll still often lean towards classical ) , not even totally opposed to a black & white film occasionally ! he's just a little petty & stubborn about moving on so quickly. there needs to be ample time to appreciate it.

wait i had to edit this. zestial pays in cash, checks, secrets, blood or sacrifices. he's like motherfucking ron swanson. this man does not use a credit card. he's probably got buried treasure.

#in three hundred years maybe he'll have a facebook .#i'm kidding he truly believes social media is another layer of hell in itself #* ── a haunting curse. : headcanons.#i was like oh its not that long i wont use my header .#and then i look at it and im like i got wordy again nvm ..#i can't shut up about this stupid spider serpent shadow demon thing #he still really enjoys learning!!!!! he's just #fussy & complicated x #if someone sweet talked him he'd also be more willing too . ask him what kind of ammo carmilla likes. even if it's modern he probably knows

10 notes · View notes

shadesofnavy · 7 months

Text

Howdy, I’m a goofy lil farmer who loves soda and napping🥤

I’m VERY unprofessional and inconsistent with writing and art in general, but I love doing it, even if it takes me ages to get things done lol. I do traditional and digital drawings, may or may not open commissions someday in the future, who knows! 📝

Here's my AO3, and my art tag

I come up with [too many] AUs about my take on the FNF Funky Trio, each of them have their own tags, if interested check ‘em out. Here are my current verses

Burlington Bounty: Pico's School AU where everyone went to the same high school. Keith later becomes a wanted bounty known for ruthless murders, and he somehow manages drag his old friends in too. BFxGFxPico.

The Crooked Kind: Fantasy world AU where Keith is a reaper and Cherry is a guardian angel. Life seems okay before their school is shot up, and several other close lives are completely changed forever. BFxDarnellxNenexCherryxPico.

Mixtape : Swap AU where Keith, Darnell and Nene went through the shooting. Cherry is a rising rapper dating Pico the prosecutor who struggles to handle both his job and danger-magnet girlfriend. BFxDarnellxNene, GFxPico.

Animatronic : FNAF-based AU where Keith, after having became a successful musician and running a hit family entertainment restaurant, gets murdered and spirit now possesses the animatronic mascot of his restaurant. GFxPico

Prototype [ON-GOING FIC]: Regular Take AU where Keith's life spirals downhill. BFxPico, DarnellxGF (Be mindful of this fic's tags)

If you have any questions about them, feel free to ask : )

I try to answer as many asks as I get, just don’t bet on it. I also try to keep away from anything seriously controversial to avoid any kind of drama

My main obsession currently is Friday Night Funkin', but sometimes I'll reblog about other stuff I like. Here's some of my favorite kinds of media

Games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Battlefield 4, Cuphead, SSX Tricky, Undertale, Sonic the Hedgehogg, Minecraft: Story Mode (Netflix Interactive)

TV shows: Arcane: League of Legends, Ninjago, Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, While You Were Sleeping (K-Drama), Inborne Pair, Fermat's Cuisine, Avatar the Last Airbender, I Will Be Your Bloom, The Little Woman (K-Drama), Love Next Door (K-Drama)

Movies: Trolls, Nimona, G-Force, Ice Age (the first one), The Lion King (I cannot deny it)

Books: Warriors, Survivors, Bravelands

I'm mostly kid-friendly, (excluding my AO3 though, I suggest you back off if you're not into steamy fics) but I sometimes post about heavy topics, so just keep that in mind. I make sure to tag whenever it gets quirky. Expect to see a lot of angst now and then 🚬

#shades post #pin post #masterlist #blog intro #introduction post

14 notes · View notes

tarnishedxknight · 5 months

Text

Muse Playlists (MCU Verse)

{out of dalmasca} Expanding this headcanon post, here are some of the songs off of my muse's playlists in their MCU verses. These aren't my own "theme songs" for them, they're songs that they would have added to their playlists because they like them, they made them feel a certain way, they reminded them of someone, or the lyrics spoke to them in some way. Most of these refer only for canon characters, unless it could apply to any of a muse's ships. Assume that this is before or separate from ships with modern muses, since I'm just going with the basic core muses when they first arrive in modern times. If it does refer to ships with modern muses, I'll mention that.

BASCH

"Savin' Me" by Nickelback (This song reminds him of being in Nalbina Dungeon and thinking of Ashe, not being able to get to her, and feeling like he failed her, but hoping she could someday see the good in him and help him to redeem himself.)

"All Of This Past" by Sam Bettens (This song makes him reflect on the new life he has now, but also his emotional ties to the past. It helps him to live with the emotions that come with not being able to let go of who and what he's lost, and then continue to try to move on.)

"Hero" by Nickelback (Basch uses this song to bolster himself when he feels like he isn't doing enough or that he isn't good enough. Ironically, he does so because he doesn't see himself as a hero at all, and he identifies with the person singing, who is basically like... I'm not a hero but this is what I have to offer. Basch feels the same way.)

"Do What You Have To Do" by Sarah McLachlan (This reminds him of his unrequited love for Ashelia and how he feels restricted by their code/culture, but also of his duty to her and his genuine admiration/care of her as far as enabling her to achieve her own goals. And yet he knows that now all of that is going to change now that he's in modern times, and he has to learn how to let her go.)

"Fly Farther" by Jars of Clay (This is relationship goals for Basch. This is exactly the kind of fairytale love and devotion he wants but doesn't think he can ever have. The song makes him sad but also he thinks it's beautiful.)

"Let Her Go" by Passenger feat. Ed Sheeran (This is another song that reminds him of his unrequited love for Ashelia.)

"Broken Pieces" by Andy Black (This song reminds Basch of his own personal philosophy in life, that the world is cruel and life is hard, but there's always a reason to love and hope.)

"Dust Bowl Dance" by Mumford & Sons (This song takes Basch back to Landis, to losing everything, and to Noah's anger. The angrier parts of the song make him think of his brother's anger towards him, and the guiltier parts, himself. It makes him nostalgic, but in a sad way, because he knows he lost very important things at 16, including his brother, and he knows it was partially his fault. He didn't destroy Landis, but he helped to sour Noah to the world, and that's a heavy burden of guilt for Basch to bear.)

ASHELIA

"Fear" by Sarah McLachlan (This makes Ashe think about her place in the world now, because everything she knew is gone, and all the context of what she thought made her important as a person is also gone. It's a new beginning, and that has a lot of promise, but it's also frightening for her. She's afraid she doesn't have enough to give this new world. It would be so easy to give up, but she's not going to. This song makes her sad, but it also helps to feel like she's not alone in her thoughts.)

"Walking on Air" by Kerli (Ashe likes this chick Kerli, haha. Like, she likes her style a lot. But beyond that, this is a motivational song for her. She can do anything she sets her mind to, overcome anything, if she just believes in herself. Also, the metaphor in the video at the end of being a "puppet" and losing freedom is one that is not lost on her. She's felt very much controlled and directed her whole life and would like to break out of that, to be free.)

"Carousel" Melanie Martinez (This song for Ashe is all about confusion in love. Her feelings for Basch, or for any other muses she ends up being shipped with, are ones she wrestles with at first. She's been told they're wrong or been made to feel that they're inappropriate, and that has left her with no idea of how to go about love, heh. Like... how do you even confess to someone, or court them, or... anything? XD She wants what she wants but also still feels inclined to adhere to her culture and what she's been taught. This song speaks to that battle between uncertainty and desire within her.)

"Rabbit Heart" by Florence + The Machine (This is another motivational song for Ashe. She feels lost in this new time period, she's exhausted and confused, but she has to... well, put on her big-girl pants, heh, and not fold in on herself. She has to become stronger for this experience, not weaker.)

"Giving In To The Love" by Aurora (Ashelia absolutely adores this song. It makes her smile, it makes her laugh, it makes her want to just get up and dance to it. The lyrics really speak to her, like, "I'm tired of the rules and your corrections, I want to live my life, be all of its pages, and underline that I am not an angel," and particularly, "'Cause if I'm not pure, I guess that I'm too much," combined with Aurora's little cheeky smile. Feeling like almost a commodity to be married off has been something Ashe really struggled with in Dalmasca, so seeing someone so triumphantly tossing aside that notion really makes her happy. And the chorus, "If I'll be somebody, I'll never let my skin decide it for me," is big with Ashe, because being of Dynast blood with pale skin, hair, and stone gray eyes has defined her in the eyes of others from birth. While she is proud of her history and heritage, she doesn't want those things to be what people judge her on or for them to be all people see when they look at her. Also, the theme of "giving into the love," becomes especially important to her after her ship with @starcchild's Carter, or in their polycule with Basch.)

"Your Blood" by Aurora (This is another song that makes Ashe contemplate her "blood," what is means, how much it really impacts her life, and who she is outside of being a princess, a Dynast King descendant, and a royal, because none of that matters now that she's in modern times. She uses this song to meditate on who she wants to be now.)

"Who Am I Living For?" by Katy Perry (This song reminds her of her old mindest and where her mind was at during the war in Ivalice. It's nostalgic, but sad, because none of that matters anymore. But she's having trouble leaving it behind, so sometimes she needs to just let her mind wander back there and wonder what might have happened and what could have been.)

"Field of Innocence" by Evanescence (This song makes her cry, but it's cathartic, and sometimes she just needs to. Sometimes this song for her is about her loss of innocence with what happened with Vossler, sometimes it's about being a happy child and then growing up amidst death and war, and sometimes it's just her wanting to go back to a simpler time and a happier, more oblivious existence because she feels overwhelmed.)

(Also, side note, she has watched this clip of an angry desert rain frog a hundred times, she will show it to whomever is willing to watch it, and when she watches it, she giggles like an idiot. It makes her happy for some reason and it's absolutely saved somewhere so she can watch it whenever she feels sad.)

NOAH

"Ashes" by Claire Guerreso (Whenever his grief gets to be too much, Noah uses this song to help him cry and to remember Drace, before she too was yeeted to modern times. But the lyrics really hit to the heart of what she was to him... his north star, his compass, and he lost his way when he lost her.)

"5173" by Kevin Hastings (This is good training and motivational song for Noah that gets the blood pumping, but it also reminds him of his anger at Vayne and Basch, and how things went down back in Ivalice, which in his mind is still very much unresolved. He never got closure to any of that, and he can't let it go, but he has to find a way to move on regardless.)

"Forty-Six & 2" by Tool (This is another motivational song for him, about shedding skin and stepping through from shadow. It's about metamorphosis, and Noah knows he has to change and adapt if he's going to survive in this new world.)

"Forty-Six & 2" by Tool (O'Keefe Music Foundation Cover) (The same song as the last one, but... yes he'd have this version of it on his playlist too, heh. He's very impressed by these kids and thinks they did a wonderful job with this. He hopes they're living their best lives.)

"Far Behind" by Candlebox (This is a song he listens to when he's thinking about Basch. He feels badly for what he's done to him, but he also can't let go of the past and what Basch did to him either. Sometimes he listens to this song when he's feeling really angry, but just as often he'll just listen to it and cry because deep down, he misses Basch and wishes things could have been different. He's just not willing to ever express that to anyone, though.)

"My Little Box" by John Frizzell (Strangely enough, sometimes Noah just needs to sit and be angry or cry about Amoretta. What she did to him, how she treated him, how he made her feel... and what ultimately happened to her. He bottles a lot of it up most often, so every now and then he needs to get it all out, and this song helps him do that. "My little box was perfect, before you destroyed it all" is a line that particularly speaks to him. Ironically, the little box, a metaphor for the safety of his own mind, becomes the weapon he used against her in the end when he unleashed his rage upon her. That's what he thinks about when he hears the lyrics, "Feeling claustrophobic, now my world is closing in. Subtle retribution... Where I am, and where I've been. I'll take you to a place you never knew could be. Curled up... in my little box." Also, the "cradle falls, unholy walls" metaphor for loss of innocence and terrible things done behind closed doors was not lost on him.)

"Break In" by Lizzy Hale of Halestorm feat. Amy Lee of Evanescence (This is a shipping song for Noah, like... Whether it's with Drace, @mxrvelouscreations's Leah, or @illbringthechaosmagic's Wanda, this is what it's like to be in a relationship with Noah. He's so closed off, but if he loves and trusts you, he wants you to break in. And if you do, he'd be forever loyal to you for it. Like, he has such respect for those who even can love him, and he's grateful to those who treat him well, because not many have in his life. He listens to this song when he's feeling happy about whatever relationship he's in at the time. ~Also these two ladies are badass and I love them so much. I have a couple of funny/cool anecdotes about this duet/song if anyone wants to hear them, lol, I just didn't wanna blab about it here.)

"In My Arms" by Plumb (Like that other song up there for Drace, Noah listens to this song when he needs to grieve for and cry about Larsa. He's just gotta get it out sometimes, or it builds up and really messes with him in terrible ways. He'll literally just sit in his private quarters, get very drunk, and sob about his son while listening to this song.)

"Wish That You Were Here" by Florence + The Machine (This is another grieving song for both Drace and Larsa, particularly remembering them, being afraid of losing those memories, and of forgetting what they look like. And just the fact that even the good memories are painful for him now. This song makes him just break down. Getting drunk usually follows. )

"I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica feat. Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace (This song for Noah is about how frustrated he is with Basch and how angry he wants to remain at him. He listens to this when he's trying to emotionally distance himself from Basch because, deep down, he's afraid of getting hurt if he forgives him or gets closer to him.)

DRACE

"Again" by Flyleaf (The lyrics of this song represent for her how she feels about Noah. The line, "You're so close to me that you nearly died," takes on new meaning for her once she learns of her fate in Noah's timeline.)

"Frozen" by Madonna (This for her is a bit of an unrequited love song. Not that Noah doesn't love her, but she feels like... he lets his anger and other things really get in the way of what could be an even better relationship than it is now. Even though she knows Noah cares about her, she always feels like he keeps her at arm's length, and like she has to beg for his affection and attention... which she then doesn't do because she doesn't want to pressure him. But deep down, it's frustrating and upsetting for her. This song speaks to those emotions for her.)

"Live To Tell" by Madonna (This song... really spoke to Drace after she learned about her fate back home, about what Vayne did and how he used Larsa to lure her, and her to really hurt Noah. It wasn't like she was innocent or ignorant to the den of vipers she was in in Archadia, but she didn't quite ever think Vayne would go that far, and she was dead wrong. Literally. That knowledge has changed her forever, and she won't be so foolish or easily provoked in the future. At the same time, she doesn't want to just... give up a life of being a public servant now that she's in this time. She just couldn't do that, it's too much a part of her. So that's what keeps her going.)

"Fragile" by Kerli (This song hits hard for Drace. What people see of her is not really how she is on the inside. She's a lot softer and easily hurt than she lets on. She puts forth a strong and almost regal front, and she definitely is a strong person, but that's only a part of who she is. She has feelings that can be hurt too, and people don't often see that. They think she's cold or aloof or apathetic, but she actually feels everything intensely, she just doesn't express it. But this judgement of her character happened in Archadia and now it's happening again with the Avengers, and it does hurt her feelings. Not that she'd ever show it.)

"Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel (Disturbed Cover) (Okay first of all, Drace just thinks this song is intense in all the right ways. She just likes it. But it also speaks to her as someone who used to be in a position of power over the masses, and who saw firsthand how everyday people go about their lives rather obliviously and often will place their faith in false or unreliable things. What struck her about this song is that, in listening to someone of this time period singing about these sorts of things, she realizes that not much has changed with regard to human nature between Ivalice and now.)

"Don't Give In" by Snow Patrol (This is a motivational and/or training song for Drace. It reminds her not to get bogged down in sadness at losing her former life and to keep going, to find new meaning in her new life. She was made to be a public servant and protector, it's part of her identity, and she knows she needs to rely on that and be true to herself. The line, "Don't fall in love with the way things were. It'll fuck up your mind," really hits hard for her.)

"Give Unto Me" by Evanescence (This song, like the other one up there, is a song about Drace wishing she could be/mean more to Noah, mostly because she loves him so much there isn't much she wouldn't do for him. Sometimes she can see that he's hurting but she doesn't want to force the issue of him letting her in. Waiting for him to always come to her, however, makes her sad when he chooses to simply shoulder things alone. Whereas the other song was more about expressing frustration for her, this one is about expressing sadness over the situation.)

"Hope" by Apocalyptica (Drace just thinks this song is totally badass, haha. It's a great training song and really gets her in the mood to do so.)

#{ out of dalmasca } ᵒᵒᶜ #{ muse music }#tw: alcohol abuse #tw: death #tw: grief

2 notes · View notes

hellhammerdeath · 9 months

Text

My guide to understanding my alternative English orthography style

As suggested by the title, this post exists to explain why I do what I do, to teach what these various symbols and practices mean, and how/why I'm using them.

General Stuff

I'm not attempting to create a phonemic spelling alternative to standard English orthography. Some of my changes are purely cosmetic and I've kept many things the same as in standard English. For example, I've kept the "ou" in words like "thou" even though I think "au" would be better, as they do in German. This is because I think a total spelling conversion to a more phonemic style would take too much getting used to for the average reader, and I'm already asking for quite a lot as is. Some people might like it, but I'd like to make at least some attempt to meet people where they are, so I'd prefer not to make things even harder than they already are. Maybe someday I'll explore some more changes in that direction, but not yet.

I am not attempting a version of Anglish (A project that seeks to imagine what English might have looked like had the Norman Conquest not happened), though I am interested in Anglish, so I still use words of Latin and Greek origin, but much of what I do does take influence from much of the work done by Anglishers.

I would also like to clarify that this is very much simply a hobby of mine and I have no illusions of this being more important than it is. It's just for fun.

Old Letters

Æ/æ (Ash)

Ash is a letter used in Old English to represent the "a" sound found in words like "cat" (In General American English). It is also used in some older spellings of words of Latin or Greek origin. In the past I would use it liberally by simply replacing any instance of "a" whenever it made the "cat" sound, but now I generally only use it for words that derive from Old English words that used to use it or for words of Latin/Greek origin which used to be spelled with it.

Œ/œ (Ethel)

Ethel is a letter generally used in some words of French, Latin, or Greek origin. Though it is still used in French, it is only rarely used in Contemporary English. I cannot find any readily available histories about Ethel, but it does not appear to have been used too far back in the history of English. In my research, I've found that Ethel has been used in English with all sorts of words with many different kinds of pronunciations, so it would take a bit too long for me to go into detail about that, but generally when it appears in a word it is still recognizable, such as in "phœnix" (phoenix) or "œsophagus" (esophagus).

Ð/ð (Eth) and Þ/þ (Thorn)

Eth and Thorn are two letters used in Old English to represent a "th" sound. Historically, in Old English, they were used interchangeably with each other before Thorn eventually won out in popularity. There is a misconception that Thorn and Eth represent particular kinds of "th" sounds, but it appears that Thorn is generally preferred for initial instances of "th" while Eth is generally used elsewhere. There is also a misconception that in Modern Icelandic, Eth and Thorn supposedly take on unique sounds, but that isn't true for Icelandic either, but as I am not too well-versed on Icelandic, I will not go too much into detail there.

Ƿ/ƿ (Wynn)

Wynn is a letter used in Old English to represent a "w" sound. As some might know, the letter "w" didn't exist in the Latin alphabet until centuries after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, so before the introduction of "w" in English, Wynn was used. Obviously, Wynn looks a lot like a "p" in many typesets, so most people don't like it for that reason, but a few don't mind it.

Ȝ/ȝ (Yogh)

Yogh was used in Middle English to represent a few sounds, such as "g," "gh," and "y". It evolved from the Insular G (Ᵹ/ᵹ) which was used in the scripts used in Ireland and England. The letter survived a bit longer in Scots than English. I don't use it very often because in most typescripts it resembles the number 3, so whenever I do, I typically restrict its use to replacing the "gh" found in words like "enough" and "night," so for me it's purely a cosmetic spelling change rather than a change that represents a particular sound.

Shakespearian Stuff

Thou and Thee

The difference between thou and thee is basically the same as he and him. It's always "I see thee" and never "I see thou." Likewise, it is always "Thou seest me" and never "Thee seest me."

Verbs paired with thou always take either the -st or -est endings. For example, for present tense "Thou makest a sword" and for past tense "Thou didst make a sword." Another example, for present tense "Thou hast a sword" and for past tense "Thou hadst a sword."

For the verb "to be", the conjugation for thou is "thou art" for present tense and "thou wert" for past tense.

The -eth ending

The -eth ending is for third person verbs. For example, "He runneth."

Thy and Thine

Thy and thine are used like "your" and "yours". If a word begins with a vowel then you can use thine, such as in "thine eyes." If it doesn't, then you can use thy, such as in "thy sword." If it's a situation where you'd use "yours", such as in "It is yours" then you would say "It is thine."

Runes

I use the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc runic alphabet rather than the Younger Futhark or the Elder Futhark because I think it makes more sense to use an alphabet that was designed with English in mind rather than Old Norse. I generally restrict the use of runes to proper nouns, such as names and titles. If you want to learn more about how to use runes for Modern English, I recommend this guide here. This isn't an authoritative guide by any means, so you can always feel free to make changes. Please keep in mind that runes are not a 1:1 replacement of the Latin alphabet, so please don't make the mistake of assuming that you can just replace each letter of the alphabet with a corresponding rune, because it doesn't always work that way. You can get away with this for many letters but not all. For example, there is a specific rune for the "ing" sound, so you would use that rather than using three runes to represent all three of those letters.

Roman Numerals

I use Roman Numerals whenever I have to use a number. There are many guides to Roman Numerals available on the internet already so I won't link any particular one.

Other Changes

Replacing C with K

I will generally do this whenever C is making the same type of sound as K. If a word has CK in it, I use two Ks. This is because most modern Germanic languages prefer K over C and my guess is that English probably would have followed the same trend had the Norman Conquest not happened, and also because I think K looks cooler than C.

Replacing S with Z

I do this whenever S is making the same type of sound as Z. Unlike English, Dutch and German do a bit more in their languages to make a distinction between these two sounds. Obviously the Z in German is used differently than in English and Dutch, but, still, German recognizes the differences between these two types of sounds and makes an effort to deal with that in their orthography. Another big reason for using Z is, of course, because I think Z looks cool and I think it deserves to be used more.

Writing "Of" as "Ov"

I do this because "of" has a "V" sound, not an "F" sound, and, most importantly, because it looks cooler.

Grave accent

The grave accent is rarely used in English, but occasionally used to indicate that a usually silent vowel is meant to be pronounced. For example, in the word "looked" you usually would not pronounce the "e", but if it is spelled with the grave accent, as in "lookèd", this indicates that the "e" is meant to be pronounced.

#my orthography #my stuff #my work

3 notes · View notes

enigmaincrimson · 1 year

Text

On a fit of insanity... here's a question for everyone...

I'm tinkering with some things for the One Piece verse and looking to try and conceptualize a few thoughts...

First, to start, she was adopted by a family whose business mainly consists of building ships for the world government.

So... think wealthy shipwright's daughter who tended to come down to the marina quite often... and gradually worked on a ship all her own as something of a hobby.

She'd eventually make her first masterwork in that same place... thinking someday of exploring the great blue she had heard about.

However, that all changed when a World Noble showed up to "inspect" things... maybe.

You see, despite the Marine inspired paint job, it's pretty noticeable that her project isn't like the others... being this sleek, torpedo shaped craft that has more in common with a modern sailing yacht compared to the battleships it was inspired.

Of course, World Nobles being how they are when they see something they want... pretty much threw the equivalent of a grown adult having a toddler tantrum.

Now if they had been more reasonable, she might have done something about it... like designing a more traditional style luxury yacht, but well... World Nobles.

Like imagine planning on your first test run by sailing to the island over, and find out the next morning that both the crazy noble has a reward out for you and your ship...

Namely one being that of a crude drawing of a ship made by looks like an angry toddler that just lost their new toy and offering a pretty penny for it.

In the end, she'd write a message for her parents and basically got out of dodge. As such, she basically is "stealing" her own ship.

So I'd imagine her early outfit is something fit for a rich shipwright's daughter that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty.

Maybe there are some nicer clothes, but she outgrew most of them pretty quickly.

Because of a lack of significant funds, buying cheaper, more practical clothes and selling her old ones is pretty likely.

Thinking on it, as long as nobody finds out about her ship, she probably made a pretty penny just delivering things from island to island at high speeds.

Well... that and paying for information on places she's been.

Admittedly, the Marines were probably not too happy with the whole incident... especially with anyone familiar with seeing the shipwright's daughter obsessively building that boat.

Her family was well respected and well... I'd imagine that it didn't sit too well with most of them... especially with the officers who were really looking forward to seeing where that project was going to go.

As a result, discounting the more ambitious seeking an easy promotion, she sometimes gets hired as a courier or paid to share news and information.

I'd also suppose any pirates familiar with the family and not stupid enough to open fire or attempt to steal the deadly watercraft, probably would such luxuries useful.

I get the feeling that she's very selective about taking on crew or passengers, though.

To put it another way, Gary probably treats her like his own granddaughter and an honorary Marine... while pirates like Blackbeard tend to give her a wide berth after what happened when they tried to capture the ship.

Because she will open fire if hostilities are made... and those pressure canons will easily make wood pulp of even the toughest ships.

On top of that, the ship is shockingly fast and aigile... so not only can run circles around other ships, but it could easily outrun pretty much anything.

Not that the captain and craftswoman is any slouch either... being said to be "the sea devil incarnate" by survivors of past encounters.

Of course, "Water Logia" isn't supposed to be possible... not that she's actually a Devil Fruit user, but it's quite the experience to be literally grabbed by the ocean itself.

I'd suppose making a false identity to play up the sea devil role would be something she'd do.

Basically, that particular World Noble wants her ship at any cost... although they just as well forgotten and moved on to something else.

The Marines typically treat her like an unofficial Marine... outside of the more ambitious.

Most pirates tend to steer clear with a few exceptions.

Cipher Pol sees her more of a potential asset and is likely putting off following orders from higher up for as possible.

Why is a little complicated... for starters, she's a valuable resource of information as long as friendly terms are kept. Although I'd suppose that her reluctance to build another ship like the Ocean Sprint or allow anyone else to have said ship also reduces theat levels significantly.

As long as the condition of general neutrality is kept, it's pretty unlikely she'll turn into a real threat... so making sure she is in the right place at the right time as a conditial "hazard" tends to be pretty effective.

Thinking on it, I'd suppose that more than a few parties would want to get their hands on her or her ship, but stay away as even trying is cause for trouble.

Or in simpler terms... don't give her a reason to be hostile, and she's usually pretty easy to work with.

Give her a reason, and she'll do far more than just sink your ship.

For people unfamiliar with the ship... or it's captain, likely spot giant flying fish crossing the calm belt and tales of sea devils that can walk on water and weild power over the ocean waves.

While the powers she developed from observing Decil Fruit users could be compared reliably, they lack the Devil Fruit users' weaknesses.

In other words, she can submerge herself in water and swim just fine... as one example.

Besides, water-based Devil Fruit shouldn't even be possible for the same reason... and has become something of a trademark.

Debating how her sea devil persona looks... like... how far would a "Water Logia" go to point out her dominion is that of the sea.

And... who would freak out is the "Sea Devil" showed up?

#enigmaincrimson #ooc

0 notes

yoxngmadnxss · 5 years

Text

@mechanicosmia

Jenna stared at the professor when he entered the room, having been called into the small office at the orphanage being told she was being adopted. She had suspected some stranger, someone after the money from the government to fund a bad habit. Not the guy who’d been teaching her complicated math for about a month.

“What the fuck.”

“Language Jenna - this kind man has offered to adopt you. He’s also purchasing the orphanage and renaming it. Thank you again, Mr. Sil.” The now-former owner of the place scolded Jenna, before immediately acting like he wasn’t worthy to be there.

#mechanicosmia #'someday things will change' ( modern verse )#( I got a lot of muse suddenly you don't gotta answer if you don't want )

7 notes · View notes

kylo-wrecked · 3 years

Text

classic rom-com standards that define my ships

@brooklynislandgirl | beth + ben {modern!verse}

something’s gotta give - sammy davis jr.

When an irrepressible smile, such as yours Warms an old implacable heart, such as mine Don't say no...

@brooklynislandgirl | beth + ben {ex-con!verse}

there is a light that never goes out - the smiths

Driving in your car — I never, never want to go home Because I haven't got one anymore...

@galacticmuses | asa + kylo ren

cruel to be kind - nick lowe

You say your love is bonafide But that don't coincide With the things that you do...

@onehell-of-apilot | commander!poe + smuggler!ben

smoke gets in your eyes - the platters

So I smile and say, when a lovely flame dies Smoke gets in your eyes...

@reyjustrey | rey + ben {music!verse}

if you leave - orchestral manoeuvres in the dark

I need you now like I need you then You always said we'd meet again someday...

@lastxdragon | dany + young!ben

kiss me - sixpence none the richer

Kiss me beneath the milky twilight Lead me out on the moonlit floor...

@lastxdragon | dany + dark!ren

just the two of us - grover washington jr. & bill withers

Good things might come to those who wait Not for those who wait too late...

@thejedinamedrey | empress!rey + supreme leader!ren

time after time - cyndi lauper

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick, and think of you Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new...

@justanotherdayinthefirstorder | fane + killer!kylo

my funny valentine - chet baker

But don't change a hair for me Not if you care for me Stay, little valentine, stay...

@irrfahrer | ziv + smuggler!ben

it had to be you - harry connick, jr.

Some others I've seen might never be mean Might never be cross, or try to be boss But they wouldn't do...

@jedirisen | rey + redeemed!ben

truly madly deeply - savage garden

I wanna lay like this forever Until the sky falls down on me...

#ship meme #music meme #just for fun #feel free to steal #{the challenge here is to draw from a list of top rom-com standards}#{so not necessarily songs i LOVE}#{but songs that fit the bill}#{i went with '80s/'90s rom-coms}

11 notes · View notes

thebubbledome · 3 years

Note

What do we have to do to ship with you?

ooc:// Okay, so, I've actually had a lot of interest in mindless shipping with zero regard for chemistry lately. While one of my wishlist items for Sui is to actually hold a relationship with someone, it can't be mindless. He requires chemistry otherwise he will literally never take it seriously and I probably won't even have the muse to reply to that kind of ship anyway. I, Boo-mun, require chemistry to stay interested. Sui-muse requires it in order for the ship to go anywhere.

Some tips and tricks if you know you want to ship with Sui:

Have your muse show genuine interest in him, not just being flirty but also interested in the dark stuff too.

Don't try to force him into something because he'll fight it just for the sake of being stubborn.

Take an interest in the complexities of relationships for him and make an effort to actively overcome his setbacks. For example, modern Sui was actually coveted by an abuser for a while when he was underage still, so he's going to be a bit scarred and will be skeptical of people who show interest in him/covet him because it will remind him of that time. A good way to overcome that bias is to talk through WHY he feels that way in the first place, get him to have a serious conversation about the previous relationship. Also note that this is not limited to romantics either. He's been traumatized by his familial relationships too in most verses, so even just what he's experienced with his family will leave scars on him, which NEED to be addressed if anyone wants him to take them seriously as far as romantics go.

Don't always laugh at his jokes because he will try to make light of serious situations, and if you laugh along, he'll think you're just a really fun pal and won't take you seriously as a potential romantic partner. He'll think you're just joking around, even if you're full-on confessing. So if you're trying to make it serious, be serious. Don't let him turn you into a joke.

Notice subtle cues that he's ready to get serious with you and POUNCE ON HIM ACCORDINGLY (acting sheepish, being generally awkward, unable to come up with a joke, not actively laughing at you but actually listening to you or otherwise showing a serious expression for a change, etc).

Try to get to know him, even though he's going to give you the run around when you do try, and be understanding of the fact that he actually has a hard time thinking anyone is SERIOUS when they say or act like they like him romantically. You might have to be patient here.

TELL BOO-MUN YOU WANT TO SHIP AND WE CAN COME UP WITH PLOTS TO SEE IF IT CAN BE ORGANIC. I won't ship unless it develops organically, but I have plotted ships out before. If I think the muses will vibe, I will center plotting around developing a ship. I won't jump into it blindly, but I will make sure that the main thing we rp is stuff that's relative to the ship so we can satisfy the need lol Just because I say the muses need chemistry doesn't mean it has to take forever. If the vibe is there between them, we can decide on plot points that empower the ship. We don't have to pussyfoot around it to see if they work someday. We can create the setting today and just let them flourish.

#ooc #HOPE THAT HELPS

2 notes · View notes

recklessinventor · 3 years

Note

"There is one thing I still don't understand. Not back then, and not even after all these years." Poo kept his gaze skyward as he spoke, having long shed the habit of keeping near-constant eye contact.

"Your father employs technology in his work. It is a part of nearly everything that he does, no matter what he is trying to do." A pause to give Jeff an opportunity to stop him or change the subject. Another slowly learned habit, fortunately for both the prince and whoever he spoke to. "Your opinion on him is... Strange. He went many years without you, but he helped us when the Earth was in trouble." His gaze drifted back towards Jeff, completely lacking any sort of judgement or scrutiny in his expression.

"So why have you followed in his footsteps?"

(for their adult verse because pain :'D)

Unprompted Asks - Always Accepting!

Jeff looks up from the leather-bound notebook in his lap, setting his pen down and taking down his hair from its ponytail. At the mention of something puzzling Poo, he makes a small, questioning hum, before turning and looking back over at him. He was looking up at the sky, and Jeff follows his line of sight for a second, thinking.

He understands when he realizes the question is about Doctor Andonuts, though, and nods soberly. He doesn't stop the question, though. It had been years since he'd last spoken to his father, and longer since the final fight against Giygas when they were children. Jeff's father had been missing for several years now, vanished from his lab and Saturn Valley without a trace when they were teenagers.

He looked a little more like his father now as a young man. He wasn’t nearly as underweight as he’d always been as a child, his freckled face finally having a little fullness to it. He’d even pursuing the same career path as his father, and that’s where Poo’s question comes from.

“Ah, I suppose it is a bit strange.” He takes off his glasses and polishes them. “I can’t deny a small part of it is pride. That perhaps someday... that people will know ‘Andonuts’ as a man that helped make the world a better place, and not the mad old inventor who tried to make a combination man and dungeon and machines that have no use.

But... I suppose I’ve always been attached to science. I wouldn’t be here without it, after all. Without modern medicine.” An early childhood spent mostly in hospitals had always made him feel indebted to the medical field. Perhaps that’s where he first found his interest in chemistry.

He opens the journal again, and shows it to the other. Inside are detailed drawings of mechanical limbs, accompanied by schematics and part names.

“That’s why I want to make prosthetics. I don’t want to just... sit in a laboratory and make things that no one will ever use. I think my answer would be then... that I don’t considering it to be following in Doctor Andonuts’ footsteps much. Because when it comes to pursuing scientific advancement... my vision of the ‘greater good for humanity’ and his are vastly different things.”

#tazmilyxfamily #[HELLO I'M WEEPING AT THIS #]#[I NEED THE CHOSEN FOUR AS ADULTS TALKING ABOUT DEEP SHIT]#𝔸𝕟 𝕚𝕟𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕣𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕞𝕖? [ ASK ]#𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕕 𝔻𝕠𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣 𝔸𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕥𝕤 [ ADULT JEFF ]

3 notes · View notes

austerulous-a · 4 years

Text

So Walt already had me thinking about Annie in a modern verse, and then I started slotting her love of true crime into that, and now I think I have the bare bones of her character. This is all subject to tweaks and changes, buuut:

• Incredibly Turbulent Teenage Years.™ • Has just started university and is undertaking a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy. She applies herself, but her attendance can be spotty. Social Work was her second choice. • Is an avid true crime fan, and runs a YouTube channel around that. Due to her use of foul language, as well as the inclusion of crime scene photos and voice recordings, most of her videos get demonetised. In true Annie fashion, the cases are thoroughly researched with a hit of deadpan humour. Her upload schedule is sporadic at best. • Her adoptive father pushed her to compete in Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts, because some things transcend verses. Annie found success at a national and international level during her teenage years (a quick internet search and you’ll find her dripping blood and annihilating competition) and she has more medals and trophies than she knows what to do with. After her relationship with her father broke down, she stopped competing. • Fitness remains important to her and she often goes to kickboxing classes. Annie has a place on the local roller derby team; it’s an excellent way to channel her anger. • Her father has spent or hoarded most of the money she made from sponsorships and competitions. Since moving out, she has worked menial jobs, and currently holds a position at a frozen yoghurt shop. She has scraped together some savings. • Rarely drinks and doesn’t smoke. She only goes to parties or clubs if she’s bullied into it. • Doesn’t own a car, has a motorbike instead. Someday I’ll figure out the make/model. • Sleeps too much or too little, there is no in between. Always tired. Some things never change. • Has a Siamese fighting fish named Crooked Jack. By chance, she spotted him in the pet shop (she goes to secretly melt over the gerbils and rabbits, okay?) and saw he was eaten up with fin rot. Annie took him home, he recovered and he is beautiful. • By the same virtue, she buys withered plants out of the sale section. Most of them die, but those that live and thrive give her an immense sense of fulfilment.

#if anyone wants to write with modern annie give me a shout #the above is very flexible and subject to change #‹ ooc: puffin speaks ›#‹ modern ›#some day i'll decide on verses and tags ashsfghef

12 notes · View notes

theresnosafeharbor4myships · 4 years

Text

TITLE: Merry Distractions

A/N: Just a bit of Ichabbie Christmas reading for you. You’ll find lots of longing with a sweet and happy ending and a smidge of Joe, Jenny, and Irving thrown in for good measure.

He'd watched her all night as she'd played hostess, flitting around filling glasses and snack bowls, changing the music when an unloved song sounded through the speakers, ensuring everyone had enough to eat, and making merry with the whole lot of them. Her festive attire, a silken, emerald green dress with gold flecks in it, lent her skin a rosy hue, and she'd pulled her crown of ringlets into a golden clasp at the back of her head, leaving her neck and dangly, Christmas light earrings exposed. The dress's short sleeves showed off her muscular arms, and the square neckline cut low but not so low it distracted him—or anyone else, he was happy to note. Not that it made much of a difference for him though: the woman was a walking distraction as far as he was concerned. Her large, expressive brown eyes twinkled at him in every one of his daydreams. Her hair, so versatile and stylish, begged him to brush it away from her beautiful face. And those full, Christmas-red lips she smiled with now would pleasantly haunt his dreams for weeks to come. Oh yes, most certainly a distraction, but tonight he almost felt safe with it. The handful of people roaming throughout the house gave him a buffer he didn't often have while working alone with her in the Archives or in the field or riding next to her in the car. As such, he freely 'checked her out,' a phrase Miss Jenny had used once that he'd mentally squirreled away. Much to his chagrin, he'd checked her out a bit too much this evening, and it’d left him feeling out of sorts. The new lieutenant on the force made her laugh easily, that wonderful smile of hers breaking across her face at something Mr. Muscular and New had said. The man's eyes twinkled at her, and a white-hot pearl of jealousy burned in Ichabod's chest, blooming large and ugly as Abbie’s new colleague gazed appreciatively at her, pleased and proud at the response his words had elicited from her. Not much of what he and the Lieutenant did as their day job made for amusement, but Ichabod felt ripples of pleasure when he could draw a laugh from her, loved watching the worries ease away from her beautiful face, that gorgeous, full-fledged smile and tinkling laugh filling his heart with gladness and his eyes with nearly more beauty than he could stand. None of her sheriff's department colleagues had acted so freely with her before—and she'd never responded so openly. Until this man. And it concerned him, more than he cared to admit. Seeing Abbie and Mr. Muscular standing next to one another, her hand landing lightly on the man's forearm as she laughed at his joke, raised his hackles. Not because he thought the man ill-willed or a foe to their cause, but precisely because he didn’t think those things. In fact, he couldn’t find a flaw in the man at all. The truth of the matter was...they made a striking pair: Abbie petite, stylish, stunning, and effervescent, and Mr. Muscular broad, powerful, and clearly amusing enough to hold the Lieutenant's unbridled attention. Further, Mr. Muscular exhibited everything he, Ichabod, did not: power, raw strength, position, and a gregarious personality. Gainful employment, modern style, shorn hair, and a tailor-cut suit. Together, the two of them looked like they'd stepped right out of the television box and into one of those yuletide films the Lieutenant indulged in on weekends. He, on the other hand, often drew strange stares and chuckles from strangers and acquaintances alike. He'd thought himself rather dashing this evening though, having traded his normal attire for a dark green shirt in his usual front-laced style with black breeches, his boots, and a fitted black tailcoat. This last piece had caused the Lieutenant to do a double take, and when he'd questioned her about it, she'd nodded with an appreciative eye and mentioned that it looked like a tux jacket. (He'd surreptitiously done an online search before the guests arrived to find out what a tux was and felt satisfied with his choice of finery, if only because Abbie seemed to like it on him.) But now, standing across the room from Mr. Muscular and Abbie, he questioned it all: how he could ever compare with a modern man who didn't need to be assisted with the mundanity of today's world, how he could have begun to think he was fitting in to the here and now, what he'd do without the Lieutenant by his side should she ever pair up with another man, how he'd thought he could have a chance with the beautiful, independent, strong, and wonderful woman who'd wrapped herself so intricately around his heart he'd have to surgically remove her should that pairing occur.

Tamping down his vexation, Ichabod kept a neutral look on his face, though he doubted anyone noticed his clandestine surveillance. He hadn't much cared what people thought of him, of his strange (in this era) manner of speaking and colonial attire and his 'hippie hair-do' (another of Miss Jenny's colloquialisms). From early on but more and more now, he'd hoped someday the two of them might become something more than just 'the two witnesses.' Watching Abbie so carefree with another man, and one that clearly had his sights set on her, made him question whether that had ever or could ever be a possibility. After all, he would always be a man out of time, and the Lieutenant deserved more than he could ever possibly provide for her. No, he seemed a far cry from a good match for her, and the sudden realization soured his mood. The music ringing from the wireless Bose speakers (he hadn’t bothered to ask what that particular moniker meant) certainly didn't help his mood. In his day, Christmas music spoke of the birth of the Christ-child, the peace that accompanied his glorious arrival, and the hope of the world fulfilled. Now, much of the festive music focused on missing one's 'true love,' as every voice ringing around the room seemed to long for a lost or distant lover, crave the attention or presence of 'the one,' or be begging Saint Nicolas for a partner. He simultaneously cringed at the desperate, needy lyrics and felt them resonating in his heart as he watched the Lieutenant and Mr. Muscular continue to chat. Ichabod felt like a giant flaw in the evening’s festivities, suddenly overcome by feelings of inadequacy as the weight of his imperfections wrapped their maudlin tendrils throughout his mind. His reticence to assimilate more bothered him in a way it never had. Not when he'd first ran though the dark streets of Sleepy Hollow just having woken from a centuries’ long sleep, not when the Lieutenant and Captain Irving and Miss Jenny had harangued him about the past, and not even when Abbie had purchased modern day attire for him to wear and he'd handily refused. He believed now that'd been a mistake. He could never compete with the likes of today's men such as he was. A Captain from the Revolution with odd speech, hair, and mannerisms, and a significant (though improving) lack of knowledge of modern phrases, places, and ways? No wonder she laughed with Mr. Muscular: he was nothing less than perfectly suited for her. The melancholy of the moment settled over him, and Ichabod turned away from the happy couple across the room and made his way to the drink table. He downed a few shots of rum—the Lieutenant had bought his favored brand, he noted with a twinge of pain—and let them burn through him before he rejoined the festivities, actively avoiding the Lieutenant and her new friend. He did his best to forget the vision of her—and she was a vision—and Mr. Muscular, instead choosing to make merry with the Captain for a while, then with Miss Jenny and Master Corbin. Though he easily feigned happiness, his insides ached at the sense of loss that had solidified into his heart. Despite his realization that someone else likely held the Lieutenant’s affections, the party had gone well. Lots of laughter and some drinks, talk of family traditions and something called a white elephant gift exchange. (He hadn't had a clue what that was, let alone what to buy, so Abbie, ever his patient guide, had rescued him, purchasing his party gift for him.) He'd walked away from the game with a gift card to a local spa. There'd been jokes about him finally getting a proper haircut or soaking in a sauna, trying a steam room or getting a body wrap, which, to hide his already miserable thoughts about himself, had set him off explaining how his Native American friends, well versed in natural healing properties of steam and mud, had taught him the finer points of self-care. He'd meant it in all solemnity, but it'd left everyone laughing, much to his chagrin. Now, as people began to leave and amidst saying his goodbyes, he downed another shot of rum and slowly started cleaning up, putting the leftover food into smaller containers and throwing away garbage. "Crane." He turned at the sound of Captain Irving's voice to find him and the Lieutenant standing by the front door. Regardless of how he felt after this evening's revelation, his eyes were drawn to her—always. How could he continue to live here, under the same roof as her, and maintain a friendship that he'd hoped would become more, knowing it'd never progress beyond what they had now? How long could he keep pretending he was unaffected by her, knowing his heart nearly beat out of his chest when she stood near him, fell asleep against him while lounging on the couch, lingered in mundane conversations with him over their morning coffee? How could he watch her be with someone else? Abbie's eyes went wide, pulling him into the present as she pointed at the Captain, indicating he should say a proper farewell. Irving lifted a hand in a goodbye wave, and Ichabod swallowed down his heartache, wiped his hands dry on a kitchen towel, and rushed to see the man off. He avoided looking at the Lieutenant as he approached them but put on a smile. "Good night, Captain. I quite hope you enjoyed yourself this evening." Abbie smiled indulgently as Irving glanced at her, the Captain never quite comfortable with his formality but appreciating the man's earnestness all the same. Irving opened the front door. "I did, thanks. You two have a great Christmas." Ichabod dipped his head in military affirmation, the idea of spending the blessed holiday alone with the Lieutenant, mere hours ago an exciting prospect, now beginning to turn his stomach sour. "Merry Christmas, sir," Abbie called out as he headed down the porch steps. A loud whistle rang out as she closed and locked the door, and they turned in tandem to see Joe and Jenny, their last remaining guests, smiling broadly at them. Confused, Ichabod glanced down at Abbie, who returned his questioning look, and they turned back to the duo. "What?" Jenny's smile widened, and she pointed above them. "You're standing under the mistletoe," she sing-songed in response. Abbie peered heavenward as Ichabod's eyebrow arched up. God’s wounds, of all nights… He could’ve wished this a thousand times over, anytime, day or night. Except tonight. How had no one else gotten caught under the vine? He briefly wondered if the duo had set them up. "Go on," Joe encouraged enthusiastically. "It's tradition." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Abbie angle towards him, her expression wondering and... hopeful? Must be the rum, he thought, sure she couldn't be all that interested in dallying with him under the mistletoe. Besides, he'd tried this scheme once before and she'd handily brushed him aside. He didn't think he could handle her rejection tonight. Miss Jenny's eyes bugged wide as she nodded towards Abbie, and Master Joe, still smiling like the proverbial cat that ate the canary, egged him on with a happily condescending "Don't be shy." Ichabod longed to return to the confidence he felt mere hours ago, before he realized the Lieutenant's interest might reside in another. Instead, he felt unsure and afraid of her dismissal, even as he knew he'd be more than willing to fulfill tradition's demand if she were amenable, despite the fact that they had an amused audience. He swallowed hard, steeling himself, and turned to face her. Her eyes danced merrily at him, the fun of the party not yet worn off, and the look on her face nearly took his breath away. She stared at him hopefully, lips parted slightly, the corners of her mouth lifted up in the early stages of one of those smiles that froze him in place. What he wouldn't give... His heart beat wildly, even as it ached and screamed at him to flee. But she looked so pleased at the prospect before them, so beautiful in the soft glow from the lit candles and Christmas lights adorning the room that he could hardly resist. The setting seemed perfect: warm from the rum, frosted lighting setting the mood, the Lieutenant staring at him expectantly and eager and so beautiful it made his heart ache. Why then did he hesitate so? How had witnessing one encounter of her with another man send him into fits of self-doubt? He really would need to revisit that later. At the moment, his Lieutenant stared up at him, and if he didn't know any better, he'd call that longing in her eyes. "Lieutenant?" He asked her permission on a soft exhale, needing her approval before he'd ever make so intimate a move. It didn't matter that he'd dreamed of this moment for years now, that he'd envisioned myriad ways this momentous event would occur. He would never step over boundaries she felt uncomfortable crossing; he loved and respected her too much. "If you're going to kiss me, you might as well call me Abbie," she commanded softly, that playful smile still tugging at her lips. Those lips that'd teased and taunted him nearly every day for years without ceasing looked luscious and full and as red as the blood pounding furiously through his veins. She was stunning, all smooth dark skin, feminine features, sultry gaze, and quiet confidence, anticipating his next move. He absently drummed the fingers of one hand against his thigh, overcome by her proximity, her encouragement, her downright anticipation. Was this actually happening? That after worrying half the night about not living up to what she deserved, he—not some other suitor of hers—stood next to her under the mistletoe with their closest friends encouraging them to lock lips? And she appeared excited about it? He made himself move before the moment passed, doubt and affection warring within him, creating a maelstrom of wanton confusion, even as she gazed at him longingly. "Abbie," he whispered obediently, his gaze flicking down to her perfect lips as he slowly leaned in, his eyes dropping closed as his mouth finally, wonderfully, touched hers. He kissed her tentatively, softly, gentle in his respectful way, and he reveled in the feel of her plump lips against his, the realization of a million dreams sending his mind reeling, his heart free-floating into oblivion. She felt like fire, his lips burning deliciously where they met hers, liquid heat running through his veins as shivers tingled down his spine. Somewhere beyond them he heard a door slam shut, but he couldn't be bothered by it with Abbie's mouth attached to his. He didn't plan on moving for a while, maybe ever. She shuffled closer to him, her hands landing against his ribs and sliding achingly slow up his chest as her mouth pressed more firmly against his. She moved against him, the intensity, her urgency leaving his body thrumming and aflame, and he sunk into the moment, drowning in her. Her tongue slipped between his lips, and he heard a moan escape, though he couldn't be sure if it came from her or himself. Sensations swirled around and inside of him, more than he'd felt in centuries, and he put his hands on Abbie's hips, inviting her closer to him as he settled into the rhythm they'd found. She waited until she was starving for air before slowly easing away from him, her eyelids fluttering open to see him frozen in place, eyes still closed, a look of wonder on his handsome face. "Abbie," he whispered again before slowly opening his eyes to peer down at her in wonder. A satisfied smile graced her face. "I was wondering if you were ever going to do that." "Mmm," he hummed absently, still trying to restart his brain. She'd done a factory reset on him with her lips and tongue. His eyes went wide as her words finally found traction. "You were?" he heard himself murmur breathily above the sound of blood thrumming through his ears. She nodded, the pleased smile on her just-kissed lips nearly making his knees weak. "Wondering...and hoping," she admitted. "But I thought..." He'd started talking before he realized what he was about to say and forced himself into silence before he made a village idiot of himself, sans village. She tilted her head questioningly. "You thought what?" With his head still swimming, he couldn't decipher a way out of the corner he'd walked himself into, so he forged ahead with the God's honest truth. "I thought you might prefer...a more modern gentleman." Her quizzical—and if he wasn't mistaken, curiously amused—look remained, and she stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. He forged again, sure if he’d had all his wits about him this conversation would not be taking place. "You know, more like your friend, the new lieutenant?" He attempted nonchalance but failed, and she smiled knowingly. "Ah, you mean Mark." Though the warmth from her kiss still burned his lips, her use of the man’s given name irked him. "Yes," he agreed with a clipped tone. "Mr. Mu—Mr. Mark." She inhaled a breath. "He does have the modern thing going for him,” she admitted, nodding thoughtfully. “And he’s easy on the eyes. Though I doubt his wife would be too happy if we started something up.”

“His wife,” he murmured in confusion, the notion of Mr. Muscular having a wife never having crossed his mind.

“Not to mention…I don’t make it a habit of dating married men.”

She looked at him pointedly, and the realization that she’d pined for him as long as he’d desired her washed over him like an overwhelming, cleansing tide. At times he’d wondered, hoped that what she’d just admitted could be true, but they hadn’t looked back after he’d returned from Scotland, and so had never spoken of their long-standing feelings towards one another. Though never in her presence, Master Corbin and Miss Jenny often teased him about the Lieutenant and…and where had those two gotten off to anyway?

He looked to where they’d last stood, but he saw no sign of them.

“Do you think they planned this?” he asked distractedly, realizing it was a clumsy attempt to change the subject.

“If they did, we should be thanking them, but nevermind them. If you’re going to get distracted, it should be like this.”

And with that, she took hold of his lapels and pulled him down to kiss her again.

#ichabbie #ichabbie fanfiction #ichabbie fanfic #ichabbie fan fiction #ichabbie fan fic #abbie x ichabod #abbie x crane #ichabod x abbie #crane x abbie #ichabbie christmas #sleepy hollow #sleepy hollow fanfiction #sleepy hollow fanfic #sleepy hollow fan fiction #sleepy hollow fan fic #my ichabbie writing #my writing #personal #ichabbie first kiss

23 notes · View notes