#I swear it gets an update or a remaster

[spectraltenkai]

“Name’s ♡♪!?, but that’s a bit hard to pronounce. Just call me Geno after this doll I decided to borrow for the time being. Looked like the strongest, anyways.”

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SO HOW ABOUT THAT NINTENDO DIRECT HUH-?! 27 YEARS!

[aflame4goinghome]

Illicit Affairs

d.r.w x reader

chapter ii

Word Count: 7.2k

Warnings: THIS STORY CONTAINS SMUT, MINORS DNI!!! swearing, flirting, power dynamic; SMUT: fingering, touching, sexually implicit language, dirty talk, oral sex (m. receiving), unprotected sex, slight choking, sir kink, spanking, a little bit of degradation, praise kink, hint of dom/sub dynamic

A/N: This story is in collaboration with my wonderful, talented friends @gretavanstink & @childinthegardenn!! Go give them a follow and give @gretavanstink’s fics some love! Thanks for sticking with us! We’re so glad you like the story so far :) Enjoy!

Listen to the official playlist on Spotify here!

chapter i

· · ───────── ·𖥸· ───────── · ·

As you stand in the hall waiting for the elevator to open, you pull your phone out and see another text from Rose.

From: Rose🌹

HELLOOOOO? Are you alive?

The doors slide open and you step inside, pressing the button for the third floor and leaning back against the wall as you type a response to her.

To: Rose🌹

He made me stay back after everyone else left. CHECKED THE CLASSLIST LIKE HE DIDN’T KNOW MY NAME and told me to “hang back for a sec”

You press send and shove your phone back in your pocket as the elevator doors slide open. Stepping out, you turn your head to look down both sides of the hall and see a sign that points toward offices 311 to 321. You follow the sign, stopping in front of his closed door, and glance around for somewhere to sit. There’s an uncomfortable-looking bench tucked into an alcove across from his office and nothing else. Better than the floor, you think as you take a seat, plopping your bag down next to you. Your phone buzzes with another text from Rose as you notice the faux stained glass privacy shade Daniel has on his office window.

From: Rose🌹

Oh, he’s evil. What are you gonna do?

To: Rose🌹

I DON’T KNOW. He told me we should talk privately so now I’m just sitting here outside of his office waiting for him to get back from a meeting with another prof

From: Rose🌹

You’re insane, I love you. Keep me updated, I’m heading into another class🩷

To: Rose🌹

Love you too, I will🩵

You slip your phone into your back pocket and cross your legs, unsure of how long he is going to keep you waiting. Ten minutes pass with no sign of him and you let out a sigh, rifling through your bag and pulling out Dante's La Vita Nuova. You flip to your current page and set your bookmark on your leg, letting your back rest against the wall as you skim the page.

After about twenty minutes, you hear the clack of dress shoes on tile from around the corner and your stomach flips, recognizing the sound from class as Daniel paced around the room. You fix your posture and pretend to continue reading even though your brain is too scattered to absorb anything. 

Daniel rounds the corner and sees you waiting, a smug grin forming on his lips as he approaches you. Stopping in front of you, he plucks your book from your hands and glances at it before looking down at you and winking. He leans down and lifts your bookmark off your thigh, slipping it between the pages and placing the book back in your hands. Your eyes follow his every move, focusing on his hands, as he unlocks his office and steps inside, leaving the door open. You slip your book back into your bag and stand, slinging it over your shoulder as you step into the doorway.

 As you look in, you notice a black leather loveseat tucked between two bookshelves against the wall. The bookshelves are filled with different eras; the Italian Renaissance, the liberation of France, and the Industrial Revolution. Your eyes fall on a copy of Voltaire’s Alzire and a smile forms on your lips. The top shelf boasts a scale model of the Duomo di Siena and a photo of himself in his early twenties during what you assume was a study abroad program. Daniel clears his throat, snapping you back to reality, and you turn his way. 

“Are you coming in or are you just going to stand there?” He asks, leaning forward on his desk. His eyes travel down your body before flicking back up to meet your gaze. “Because I’m fine either way.”

You feel your cheeks redden and you step inside, pushing the door closed behind you. You lower yourself into the seat across from his desk and set your bag at your feet. You’re unsure what to say so you sit silently, returning his stare as he looks right through you.

“Well this is certainly a different view than I had the other night,” he finally says, leaning back in his chair. You fight the urge to look at the floor, keeping your eyes trained on him as he stands and moves around his desk to your side. He leans against it and folds his arms across his chest, watching your face for a reaction. 

“Daniel…” You say, your voice barely a whisper. He raises an eyebrow, waiting for you to continue. “We have to stop, right?”

Daniel shrugs his shoulders and lowers his arms, bracing himself on the edge of the desk and crossing his ankles. Your eyes leave his face and focus on how his fingers wrap around the edge of the wood, the way his forearms flex and his veins bulge.

“If that’s what you want,” he says, his tone bordering on indifference. A smirk forms on his lips as he notices you staring at his arms again and he pushes off the desk. He walks around your seat and places his hands on the back, leaning down to speak in your ear. “I don’t think that’s what you want though, sweetheart.”

Your breath hitches in your throat as you feel him brush your hair to one shoulder, his lips ghosting over your neck as he says, “No. I think you like this.”

You push yourself out of your seat and walk to the window that overlooks the quad, the closeness making your head spin. After taking a moment to collect yourself, you turn back to face him again, leaning back against the windowsill. 

“I think you like it,” you say, bringing your eyes up to meet his as he crosses his arms, watching you.

“You’re right,” Daniel says, closing the distance between you. He places his hands on the windowsill, trapping you between his arms, and looks down at you. “But you didn’t deny liking it.”

He captures your lips with his, one hand moving to the small of your back to pull your body against his. You relent, returning the kiss, as if you were putty in his hands. You didn’t deny it because you couldn’t. Something about him made you feel like a live wire, dangerous. You feel his tongue run across your lips and you part them, letting him in. He breaks the kiss and places more along your jaw, his hand slipping under the hem of your shirt and resting on your waist. 

“It’s wrong isn’t it?” You ask breathlessly as he continues down your neck. He lifts his head and looks into your eyes but doesn’t let go of you. You can feel your arousal soaking through your panties as he holds you tight to him.

“Says who?” He asks, raising an eyebrow. “We’re both adults.”

Daniel lets his hand wander down the outside of your thigh and then between your legs, pausing there and smirking. 

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want this,” he says quietly, his hand drifting up to the button of your jeans.

“I do, but,” you sigh and place a hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly. “I’m your student.”

Daniel takes his hand off of you and backs up, giving you space to breathe. You return to the seat across from his desk and cross your legs, looking at your hands and picking at your thumb absentmindedly as you think. He takes your place, leaning against the windowsill, and waits patiently for you to continue.

“Like, morally, this is wrong,” you say finally, turning your gaze towards him. “And if we get caught it’ll be a world of trouble for both of us.”

“Guess we can’t get caught then,” he says, sitting back down. He leans forward, resting his arms on the desk. “Just think about it, okay?”

“Okay,” you say quietly, nodding. You stand and slip on your backpack and Daniel stands as well, walking you to the door. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob and looks down at you, a reassuring smile on his face.

“Don’t think too hard,” he says, twisting the knob and opening the door.

“I’ll let you know by the end of the week,” you say, smiling softly and stepping into the hallway.

You make your way back to the elevator and press the down button, standing back and waiting for the doors to open. When they slide apart, you step inside, press the button for the ground floor, and lean back against the wall, letting it hold your weight up as you take a few deep breaths. The doors open and you walk through the lobby and out into the afternoon sun.

You pop your earbuds in and start your walk home, your music picking up where it had stopped earlier. Fitting, you think, blowing a short laugh through your nose, as Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash flows into your ears. You hum along to the song, your mind replaying what just happened as you wander off campus. 

You buzz yourself into your building and jog a little to catch the elevator that another resident held open for you. When you get into your apartment, you toss your bag into the chair at your desk and flop onto your bed, staring at the ceiling. You fold your hands on your stomach and close your eyes, realizing how exhausted you are as you start to drift off.

Your eyes open at the sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by Rose’s bedroom door closing, and you check the time on your phone, 4:57 pm. You let out a deep sigh and sit up, knowing you should at least try to read the syllabi for your classes tomorrow. 

You walk to your desk and pull the chair out, moving your bag to the floor next to you as you sit down and slide your laptop out of its case. As you type your password in, Rose knocks on your open door and leans on the doorframe, peeking in at you.

“So,” she begins, drawing out the word. “What happened?”

Reading can wait, you think as you turn your chair to face her, pinching the bridge of your nose and sighing heavily. 

“He kissed me in his office,” you say, feeling your stomach flip as you say it. “Against the window that looks over the quad.”

Rose’s eyes widen and she steps into your room, sitting on your bed cross-legged. She rests her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands as she waits for you to continue.

“And all I could think was that I wanted him to keep going,” you add, standing and joining her on your bed. You rest your back on the wall and let your head fall back. “What am I gonna do?”

“What do you want to do?” She asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

“I want to crawl in a hole and come out when the semester is over,” you say, laughing and shaking your head.

“Well that’s not really an option, babe,” she says. You shoot her a look and roll your eyes, drawing a giggle out of her.

“What if I drop the class?” you ask, rubbing your temples. “Then I wouldn’t have to see him. I could just forget the whole thing.”

“Could you really just forget it all though?” Rose challenges, tilting her head to the side. “I mean…he’s really hot, Y/N.”

“I know, Rose,” you say. “I want him. But I’m his student.”

“Who cares,” she says, lengthening the second word. “It’s not like you have to fall in love. Just have good, hot sex.”

You burst into a fit of laughter at the idea, pushing Rose’s shoulder, and fall to lay on your side.

“Alright,” you relent. “Maybe you have a point.”

“What’s the harm?” She adds, shrugging her shoulders. You roll onto your back and stare up at the ceiling, resting your hands on your stomach. Focusing on the rise and fall of your stomach with your breath, you let your eyes fall closed and think quietly for a few moments.

“Just good, hot sex,” you repeat, opening your eyes and turning your head to look up at your best friend. “I told him I’d let him know by Friday.”

“See, you have time to think about it,” she says, patting your leg reassuringly. “Was he really that good?”

You prop yourself up on your elbows and smirk, feeling your cheeks turn pink as you replay the night in the bar in your head.

“Best I’ve ever had,” you say, tossing your head back. “Like…unforgettable.”

“I could just forget the whole thing,” Rose teases, doing her best impression of you. You snap your head back up and slap her arm.

“Shut up,” you giggle. “Get out. I have some things to think about.”

“Oh you mean Dr. Wagner,” she says as she stands, running out of your reach before you smack her again. “I’ll leave you to it.”

She winks and walks out of your room, closing your door behind her and leaving you alone with your thoughts. You sigh and sit up, your mind reeling at the way this semester was off to a start you couldn’t have imagined in your wildest dreams. Hopping off your bed, you grab your laptop and crawl under your covers. You give a quick skim over your syllabus for the rest of your classes, trying your hardest to focus as you add some important dates to your planner.

After an hour, your focus is shot and you decide to grab a quick shower, as you always do your best thinking in the warm steam. You strip out of your clothes for the day, deposit them in your laundry basket, and stand looking at yourself in your full-length mirror. Your hand finds the fading purple mark at your collarbone and your cheeks flush as you imagine Daniel’s lips on your skin. You turn your back to the mirror and look over your shoulder, seeing the bruises on your thighs and thinking of the pads of his fingers digging into your flesh. 

You let out a shaky breath and slip your robe on before making your way to the bathroom. Shrugging the robe off, you start the shower to let it warm up before you step in. You sigh as the hot water hits your muscles, the tension leaving your body and flowing down the drain with the water. Your mind wanders back to Daniel’s office as you wash your hair and a chill runs down your spine, bringing goosebumps to your arms and legs.

I think you like this, you hear him say in your mind. Tell me you don’t want this.

You rinse out your hair and lean against the wall, your hand reaching down to massage your clit. A sigh falls from your lips as you set a quick pace of circles with your fingers. You imagine Daniel’s fingers working you, his strong hands bringing you closer and closer to release. The hot water beats at your skin as you let your head fall back against the tiles, moaning softly as you feel the familiar tingle in your abdomen. 

Come on, sweetheart, give it to me, his voice echoes in your mind, sending you tumbling over the edge as your thighs quiver. You squeeze your eyes closed, his name tumbling from your lips as you ride out your orgasm. Once you’ve collected yourself, you finish your shower and slip your robe back on, wandering back to your room and slipping into your pajamas. 

You crawl into bed and close your eyes, making a pros and cons list in your head as you try to find sleep. Pros: hot guy, hot sex. Cons: getting caught, trying to focus in class, morality.

You scoff at the last one. Can you really say you have morality about this when the only thing you wanted in his office was for him to keep going, right there against the window? 

What’s the harm, you hear Rose say. Maybe she’s right, what harm could a little fun do?

· · ───────── ·𖥸· ───────── · ·

You wake up to your alarm early Friday morning and immediately feel a tight knot in the pit of your stomach. You have to face Daniel again today and finally tell him your answer. You feel slightly giddy over the prospect of getting him alone again, though you do hope that he isn’t going to treat you any differently in class now. You’ll find out soon enough.

The first half of your morning goes by in the blink of an eye. Next thing you know, you’re on your way to the other side of campus for his class. Despite the nervous energy, you still managed to get your assigned reading done. You’re nothing if not committed to academic success, regardless of the situation with Daniel. 

Surprisingly, you rather enjoyed the assignment. Since you were taking the course as a core requirement and not as part of your major, you’d never studied art history before. The level of analysis behind different works of art and how they reflect the social and political climate at the time was fascinating to you. You were surprised by how it ended up connecting well with what you’ve learned in your philosophy classes before about politics, so the subject ended up coming rather easily to you.

You walk into the building and open the door to the lecture hall, thankfully not running late this time around. You have about five minutes to spare before the class begins, giving you a better choice of where to sit. You stand there at the top of the stairs for a moment, looking around for a good place to sit, not wanting to be too close or too far from the front. Finally, you decide to take a seat in the middle somewhere, hoping you might possibly be able to blend in with the rest of the crowd. 

As you bend over in your seat and take your notebook out of your bag, you start to hear the familiar sound of Daniel’s shoes descending the stairs. Here we go, you think, trying to prepare for the awkward class that’s ahead of you. You place your notebook on the small pull-out desk attached to your chair, then decide to suck it up and look up toward the front of the classroom.

You watch as he sits down at the desk and pulls his laptop out of his leather bag. He doesn’t look up once, focusing on connecting his computer to the projector screen and pulling up his presentation for the lecture. After the presentation pops up on the screen, he pushes his chair back and stands up, finally catching your gaze.

One corner of his mouth turns upward into a half-smirk as his eyes meet yours. He goes to push the rolled sleeves of his black button-down up a bit further on his arms, causing your eyes to drift downward. His biceps peak out of the bottom of his sleeve and you can see the muscles flex slightly as he adjusts the sleeves. You bite your lip almost out of instinct, leaning your arm on the desk and resting your chin on your hand. 

Figuring out that you’ve definitely been staring for too long, you look back up to see a full-on smirk across his face. When your eyes lock again, he shoots over a subtle wink before clearing his throat and getting on with the start of class. There’s a lot of chatter going on throughout the room, making it difficult for him to get their attention at first.

“Okay, everyone, settle down,” he says, projecting his voice loud enough to quiet down the room. “Let’s jump right into this first chapter, shall we?”

Daniel uses the remote in his hand to transition to the next slide of the presentation, which shows the first painting from the reading. He starts pacing around the room, walking over to stand on the first step of the stairs as he asks the class for their initial thoughts.

You take the opportunity to look at him closer, thanks to this new proximity. He paired his black shirt with dark gray slacks and his usual black shoes. Your eyes fall on the gold chain around his neck, wondering how much it might have cost, considering how high-quality it looks. He really knew how to put an outfit together, looking expensive yet casual all at the same time– yet another thing that made him annoyingly attractive. You’re still lost in thought when you suddenly hear your name being called, snapping you back into reality.

“Y/N? Are you still with us?” Daniel asks, standing with his arms crossed as he raises an eyebrow at you. You sit up straight in your sight, clearing your throat before answering.

“Oh, um, yes. I’m sorry,” you say, which comes across as almost a mumble.

“I was asking you about what you thought about Liberty Leading The People,” he says, leaning back against the side of the chair on the aisle across from you. “From last night’s reading, assuming that you’ve completed it.” His voice is very matter-of-fact, almost as though he’s catching you in a lie. You won’t give him the satisfaction of embarrassing you in front of the class, that’s for sure. 

“I did do the reading, professor,” you answer, your tone having a bit of a bite to it unintentionally as a result of your frustration. “And I thought that the painting was a perfect representation of the heart of the French Revolution. They united as one and fought together to take down their oppressive government.” The smug look on his face immediately disappears as you continue sharing your analysis with the class.

“Liberté, égalité, fraternité, or liberty, equality, fraternity– the phrase that would end up defining the entire future of the French Republic. It represents the foundation of democracy in France and how it united the entire country, despite their differences. The painting symbolizes these founding ideas of democracy and freedom, which we know is still a prevalent theme in France today.”

You finish speaking, looking up at him as you cross your arms over yourself in your seat, waiting for his response. He wanted to catch you unprepared, which he has failed to do. A small smirk starts to appear on his face as he turns around and walks back toward the front of the classroom, pressing the button on the remote to switch to the next slide.

“Very good analysis, Miss Y/L/N. Outstanding, actually,” he says after turning around to face the class. If he’s feeling embarrassed, then he certainly isn’t showing it, but you’re glad to have been able to put him in his place. He uses the small laser pointer on the remote to point to the short bulleted list on the slide as he starts his lecture on the painting.

You hate how much this act of academic praise satisfied you, especially coming from him. You think to yourself that you’d do anything to have it happen again— to be the one that he compliments in front of the entire class. Despite whatever your relationship with Daniel may be, the desire for your knowledge and thoughts to be appreciated and acknowledged by him was intense. You wanted to please him, in more ways than one.

The rest of the class goes smoothly, thankfully. He manages to leave you alone, choosing to call on different students as you discuss other Romanticism paintings from the reading assignment. His eyes drifted to you every once in a while, but you could tell he was pulling his gaze away almost immediately. You knew that he was trying to give you space, which you appreciated. Finally, he dismisses the class and everyone starts to pack up and leave the hall. You’re putting your things back in your bag as you hear him say your name.

“Y/N,” he says, looking up at you from behind his laptop while sitting at his desk. “Good job today.” 

You smile at him, picking up your bag and putting it on your back. “Thanks,” you say, approaching his desk at the front of the classroom. Most of the students have dispersed by now, besides a few stragglers. “Do you have time to talk, professor?” you continue, biting your lip afterward as you await his answer. You tried to sound as sweet as possible, knowing that it was unlikely for him to say no. 

He smirks, closing his laptop and slipping it into his bag. “Sure, Y/N,” he says, standing up and putting his bag on his shoulder. “Let’s go up to my office, yeah?” He then walks around the desk and begins up the stairs, with you following shortly after him.

As you walk behind him toward the elevator down the hall, you can’t help but notice how much confidence seems to pour out of him as he walks. It was like he owned the place, walking around as though it was second nature to him. You hate to admit how attractive it was, but it was undeniable.

He presses the “up” button for the elevator and you both stand there silently for a moment as you wait for it to arrive. Standing on his left with still a couple of feet between you, you turn your head to look at him. As his head turns to return your gaze, the elevator dings and the doors open.

He walks in first, pressing the button for the third floor and then stepping back as you both watch the doors close in front of you. When the elevator begins to rise, you’re taken aback by his lips crashing onto yours. His hands are planted firmly on your hips as he turns you slightly, putting your back against the wall of the elevator. Your hands begin to tangle in his hair as you feel his tongue collide with yours, making you whine quietly into his mouth. 

His lips turn upward into a smirk against yours at the sound of your pathetic noises, but you’re quickly taken out of it as you hear the elevator ding and immediately stop on the second floor. Shit. 

You scramble to get untangled from him, stepping a few feet away to the other side of the elevator. The doors begin to open and a professor steps in, seemingly going up to the third floor as well. The professor stands between the two of you as the doors begin to shut.

“Ah, Dr. Wagner!” he says, turning toward Daniel on his left. “Good seeing you! How’re your courses faring so far?” Daniel is calm and composed as he turns to his colleague with a grin and answers him. 

“Professor Thomson, it’s great to see you. It’s all going well, but it’s still early,” he jokes, making the professor let out a fit of loud laughter. You, on the other hand, are a total mess. The back of your hair has a slight bump from it being slammed against the wall and your cheeks have turned a deep shade of pink. You just try to avoid the interaction altogether and stare straight ahead until the elevator dings once more and the doors open to the third floor. 

The professor steps out first, bidding Daniel a farewell before turning off to the left corridor. Daniel walks out next, turning right and heading toward his office. You can’t help but feel a bit of deja vu as you follow him to his office. This time, however, you were feeling much more confident. You want to show him that you weren’t just a timid, innocent student like he might think you are.

He holds the door open for you and allows you to walk in past him before shutting the door behind you and locking it. You turn on your heels to face him and see his eyes boring through you– you suppose your moment in the elevator affected him more than he let on. Daniel takes a step toward you, leaving only less than a foot of space between you as his eyes study you. The feeling of him looking at you like that almost takes over you and before you even know you’re doing it, you grab the collar of his shirt and pull him close to you, connecting your lips with his.

He groans into your mouth as your hands find their place within his curls and you push his back against the office door. His arms wrap around your waist and his hips connect with yours, bringing his hard, long cock to your immediate attention. Your hands leave his hair and travel down his chest, finally planting on his hips as you slowly lower yourself onto your knees– a position that both you and him were already familiar with.

You look at him through your eyelashes as your hands start to fiddle with his belt, pulling the end through the loop and unclasping it. “Fuck, I could get used to this,” he mutters, reaching a hand down to push some of your hair out of your face. You continue, pulling down his zipper and unbuttoning the top button of his slacks. He helps you the rest of the way, pulling down his pants and briefs just enough for you to be able to pull his cock out of its confines and take it in your hand.

You pump your hand on it a few times before lowering your mouth onto him, licking a small stripe on his tip. He groans, throwing his head back onto the door and using his hand to hold your hair back out of your face. Thoroughly enjoying the effect you seemed to have on him, you decide to take him completely into your mouth until your nose connects with the smooth material of his shirt resting on his stomach, taking him completely by surprise. 

“Oh my– fuck!” Daniel mumbles, struggling to even get any words out. His hips thrust into your mouth roughly at the sensation of filling your mouth completely, hitting the back of your throat. You begin to move, taking the lead as you retract your mouth slowly and then push him back down your throat. 

The sounds coming out of his mouth as you set a steady pace is enough to get you close to release just by hearing it. You swirl your tongue around his tip and then take him completely into the back of your throat again, gagging around him slightly. As you start to pick up your pace, his hands are pulling your hair back, yanking you off of him. He tucks himself back into his boxer briefs quickly, then brings you up on your feet and his hands cup your cheeks, keeping your attention on him.

“If you keep doing all that, this is gonna end before we even get started, baby…” he says sternly, starting to place hot, wet kisses along your jawline and then down the side of your neck as he pushes you back further into the room. The backs of your legs hit his desk and your hands grip the edge, bracing yourself. “We can’t have that, can we?” 

Daniel continues his attack on your neck, beginning to suck on a sweet spot on your bare collarbone. The feelings are taking over all of your senses, overwhelming you so much that all you can muster up is an enthusiastic nod. He pulls his lips off of you, straightening his back as he towers over you, placing his hand on the back of your neck firmly.

“Words, sweetheart,” he says, scolding you. “You’re a big girl. Act like one.” Your eyes widen at his words, though you have to admit that it has you completely dripping wet.

“No, sir. We can’t,” you answer. His lips turn upward into a slight smirk as his hand moves from behind your neck toward the front. His thumb strokes your neck softly before his hand tightens a bit. “Good girl.”

His lips connect with yours once more and you moan into his mouth as his hand tightens a bit more around your throat. His other hand moves up your side to cup your breast, snug inside your tight ribbed tank top. He makes quick work of that, reaching into your shirt and squeezing your breast, then rolling your nipple in his fingers. You whine at the sensation, making him smirk against your lips. 

“Yeah, you like that?” he asks, pulling his face back a bit, rubbing his nose against yours as his fingers pinch your nipple again, eliciting another moan from you. “Yes, sir, feels so so good,” you whine, as he places a few soft kisses along your jaw.

Suddenly, he spins you around and pulls you against him, his hands gripping your hips tightly as he presses his lips against the shell of your ear. “I’ve thought about doing this again ever since you walked out of that bathroom,” he mumbles, kissing your neck roughly. His hips buck into your ass as you brace your palms against the wooden desk to keep your legs from crumbling beneath you. “Fuck, so have I,” you utter, leaning your head back against his shoulder. 

One of his hands moves from your waist and pushes your back down so that you’re bent over the front of his desk. He lowers his mouth to your ear briefly and whispers, “I’m not gonna be gentle… okay, sweetheart?” You let out a soft moan as his hips press into your ass and you feel his hot breath against your ear. “I don’t want you to be gentle,” you say. He smiles as he places a soft kiss on the shell of your ear. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

You whine at the sudden loss of his body against yours as he backs away from you. But that feeling soon changes as you feel his hands back on your waist and his fingers dip into the waistline of your leggings. He bends down and pulls them down over your ass, letting them sit at your ankles. You hear him groan and curse to himself when he sees that you decided to forgo any underwear, since you typically liked to avoid unflattering underwear lines when wearing tight pants like leggings. 

His large hands grip your ass firmly, pulling your cheeks apart as he takes in the view. He starts gliding his fingers through your wetness with one hand as the other comes down and smacks your ass, hard. You bite your lip to stifle the loud moan that almost escapes your mouth, being mindful of the need to keep the noise down considering the location. He places a kiss on the spot on your asscheek, soothing the stinging sensation. 

He stands up and pulls his briefs back down, taking his cock in his hands and pumping it a few times before towering behind you once again. He brings his mouth back down to your ear as his hips buck into yours and you can feel his painfully hard cock against your ass behind you. “You asked for it.”

Daniel lines himself up with you and pushes himself into you fully. You can feel yourself stretch around him, the sting of it feeling almost welcoming. He grips your waist in one hand as the other holds firm against the small of your back, keeping you still on the desk as he sets a relentless pace inside of you. 

The movement of his hips is quick and harsh, the only sound in the room being the sound of his hips smacking against your ass, loud and wet. He’s hitting your cervix repeatedly, and you start to have no control over the noises you make. His hips slam hard into you, causing you to curse loudly. His hand moves from the small of your back to the back of your neck and pushes your head down, making you have to turn it sideways with your cheek flush against the wood. His hand then slides over to cover your mouth, pushing two of his fingers past your lips.

“As much as I love those sweet sounds, you gotta keep it down, baby…” he says as he slams his hips into you again. You groan around his fingers and catch his eye from behind you, seeing a smug smirk across his face. You suck on his fingers as he continues his quick pace inside you and your walls flutter against him, eliciting a moan from him as well. “Goddamn, you are so fucking tight,” he groans, removing his hand from your mouth and moving it to grip your hair tightly, pulling you up from the desk as he slides out of you. 

He turns you around and captures your lips for a moment before pulling away. You watch as he quickly rids himself of his pants and boxers entirely, dropping them on the floor and then stepping out of them. He lowers himself to remove your pants from around your ankles then attaches his lips to yours again. His hands grasp your ass and lift you up, wrapping your legs around him as he carries you over to the far left wall of the office, directly in front of the window. Your arms wrap tightly around his neck as his lips stay attached to yours and he places your back against the wall.

You have half a mind to get self-conscious about the proximity to the window but you’re too intoxicated by his touch to care. With your back now flush with the wall, he lifts you up for a moment then pushes himself back inside of you and picks back up on his relentless pace. 

His hands grip your ass so tight that you’re sure it’ll leave a mark come tomorrow. You’re genuinely surprised by the strength he must have to be able to hold you up as he fucks into you, which makes your head spin. His lips leave yours and work their way down your neck. When they reach your chest, he halts his hips to bring one of his hands up to pull your breasts from your shirt and bra, allowing them to spill out of the top of your tank top and giving him full access.

“Fuck, what are you doing to me…” he mutters, holding onto you tightly as he starts pounding into you again even harsher. His lips wrap around one of your nipples, sucking and biting on your skin and completely taking you over the edge. You can feel yourself getting close as his hips slam up into you, his tip hitting your sweet spot over and over again from this new angle. He can feel you tightening around him, making him groan against your skin. 

“Come on, baby. Make a mess all over my cock, I’m right there,” he urges, attaching his lips to yours again as one of his hands moves from your ass and slips between you, starting to rub quick, rough circles against your clit. It sends you over the edge and Daniel swallows your moan in his mouth as his tongue collides with yours. 

He fucks you through it, his pace never slowing as he reaches his own climax shortly after you. He moans against your tongue as you feel his release coat your walls. His hips start to slow, fucking his release into you before lowering your legs to the ground and pulling out, allowing you to stand. Your knees buckle as you get your bearings, but you quickly recover and wrap your arms around his waist pulling him in for a short, soft kiss.

“I guess I got my answer then, huh?” he jests, pushing a stray piece of hair behind your ear as he looks down at you with a smug smile. “You’re such an idiot,” you laugh, shoving his shoulder softly, walking past him to pick up your leggings, then sliding them back on. He follows, pulling his briefs up over his hips and then picking his pants up off the floor. As he pulls his pants on and starts to fasten his belt, you decide to speak first.

“I want to do this with you. I do. But we have to set some ground rules,” you say, leaning against his desk and looking up at him. He raises his eyebrows at you as he tucks his shirt back into his pants and then walks toward you.

“Oh, yeah? Like what?” he asks, cupping your cheek with his hand and rubbing his thumb softly against your skin. You almost melt into his touch, but you want to stand your ground before you get too soft on him.

“Well,” you start, “First of all, this should be no strings attached– purely physical. I’m not gonna be your girlfriend.” He chuckles to himself before crossing his arms and leaning against the chair next to him. “Who said I wanted you to be my girlfriend?”

“Shut up,” you say, rolling your eyes at him. He laughs again, then answers, “Okay, okay. No strings attached. Shouldn’t be a problem. What else?”

“No telling anyone, besides people who already know. My best friend knew about you immediately after we left the bar last weekend, so it’s too late now,” you continue. He hums and nods his head. “Mine too. Can’t hide shit from Sam even if I tried.”

“Okay, so we keep it a secret. No one else has to know,” you assert. He stands up and puts his arms on either side of you, leaning onto the desk behind you. 

“Okay. One more thing,” he says, towering over you. “No falling in love.” You take a deep breath just at the thought of it– falling in love. Yeah, right. As you look up to meet his gaze, you smile softly and nod. “No falling in love.” 

After a few more minutes of sharing kisses and continuously attempting to say goodbye, you finally peel yourself away from Daniel and leave his office, heading out of the building and walking in the direction of home. You can’t help how flustered you feel after leaving him, almost not even believing that it even happened. You exchanged numbers before you left, promising to see each other again soon.

You’re feeling anxiously excited to fill Rose in on today’s events when you get home. There were a lot of details that you fear you may need to leave out, things that were too vulgar to even speak out loud. This idea makes your cheeks flush as you think about it on the walk home. You know that you’re way in over your head but hopefully, with the boundaries you’ve set, you won’t get caught up in it all too intensely. As long as you both follow the rules, no one will get hurt… Right?

· · ───────── ·𖥸· ───────── · ·

chapter iii

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[milesluna]

My Favorite Games of 2023.

Hi. Hello. Thanks ever so much for clicking on this page. Happy to have you.

First thing's first: I'm a little freak when it comes to video games. I don't feel the need to beat most games I play. From Software is one of my favorite studios in the industry and I've never finished a single one of their games. This means, fortunately, that I get to play a LOT more games than the average bear.

I've written up some blurbs about my top ten favorite games from 2023, but before that here's the list of every game I remember playing this year that left any sort of lasting impact on me (in no particular order):

Dead Space Remake Resident Evil 4 Remake F-Zero 99 Humanity Dredge Metroid Prime Remastered Anemoiaplois Alan Wake 2 Baldur’s Gate 3 LoZ Tears of the Kingdom Counter Strike 2 Hunt Showdown El Paso Elsewhere Jusant Slay the Princess| Remnant II The Finals Street FIghter 6 Lethal Company BattleBit Remastered Don’t Scream Homebody The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Pizza Tower World of Horror Super Mario Wonder Mr. Sun’s Hatbox Fifa 23 Sea of Stars (Demo) Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update)

And the games I played that were NOT released in 2023:

Unpacking Persona 4 Golden Picross 7 The Order 1886 Shovel Knight Dig Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Spider-Man: Miles Morales Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Project Zomboid Quake LoZ The Minish Cap Drill Dozer Wario Land 4 Pokemon Pinball Resident Evil Revelations Summer of ‘58 Trackmania TwinCop We Were Here Visage Cursed Halo CE Half-Life 2 (I probably play this once per year) Witch Hunt Red Dead Redemption 2 Cyberpunk 2077 Borderlands 3 Brutal Legend Cultic Slay the Spire PUBG Rez Infinite Batman Arkham City Alan Wake Alan Wake: American Nightmare Max Payne LoZ: Majora’s Mask 3DS Metroid Prime Metroid Prime 2 Tunic Everhood Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII Remake GOODBYE WORLD Yakuza: Like a Dragon Critters for Sale Dome Keeper Phasmophobia Hades Nintendo Switch Sports

Now that you understand the kind of freak you're dealing with…

Let's dive into my top ten favorite games from this objectively fucked up year.

10. El Paso Elsewhere Developed by Texas indie studio Strange Scaffold, El Paso Elsewhere is a Max Payne-clone with vampires, an opinionated narrator, and lots and lots of bullet time. As a small studio punching well above their weight class, Strange Scaffold leans into abstract, PlayStation 1 minimalism when it comes to visuals and pairs them with a soundtrack that will make your hands sweat. The vibes are here and they're ready for the end of the world. I'm personally also a big fan of everything this studio stands for.

9. Mr. Sun's Hatbox I want you to imagine Metal Gear Solid V. Now I want you to imagine that game as a 2D, level-based, slapstick platformer you can play with up to three friends. If you think that sounds stupid, you'd be right. And it's beautiful. As you build up a secret army of soldiers with various skills (and disorders), you'll start to develop *favorites*. This game constantly asks if you're willing to send those favorites on a harrowing mission and risk losing them forever… or if you'd rather send an idiot you recently captured who blinks constantly and can't kill anyone without fainting.

8. Dredge Every year I feel like I find one game that falls into the “just one more round” category, and baby… Dredge was it for 2023. As a weary fisherman in strange waters, you'll make the most out of your 12 measly hours of sunlight only for your daily voyages to inevitably pull you into the darkness of night, and night is when things get weird. Rocks emerge from the fog that you swear weren't there before, your equipment malfunctions, and you're pretty sure you just saw something in the water… something big. Despite only containing a small collection of islands, the world of Dredge manages to feel vast - perhaps vast enough to swallow you whole.

7. Resident Evil 4 Remake I was curious to see what sort of changes would be made to the timeless classic and father of modern 3rd person shooters, Resident Evil 4. I wasn't let down. RE4 Remake takes all the things that didn't age well about the original, tossed them out, and replaced them with only good things. And MORE things! It's campy, fun, and better than a game of bingo.

6. Jusant I really feel like this one didn't get the recognition it deserves. Jusant is a rock climbing game that combines the quiet contemplation of Journey with the mechanical specificity of Death Stranding. Unlike Death Standing, though, there is very little story to interrupt your flow. There are plenty of collectible bits to find for those curious to learn more about what happened before the events of the game, but the environmental storytelling does most of the heavy lifting. For me, the joy of the game comes from how it feels. Right trigger controls your right hand grip, and left trigger controls left hand grip. Plan your route, manage your stamina, and climb high above the clouds in search of answers.

5. F-Zero 99 This. Shit. Slaps. I've never been a big F-Zero guy, but this MADE me one. The “battle royale”, 99 player format is the perfect fit for the ruthless, high octane world of the game. Races last about three minutes, and friend, they are the most intense, white-knuckled three minutes of your life. The decision to make your boost meter the same as your health meter started in F-Zero 64 (I believe), and it is so much more HARROWING in this game when another player could side-swipe you mere meters from the finish line and blow you to bits. Sadly it's only playable via Switch Online, but it made me cheer, laugh, and scream enough this year to earn a spot in my top 5.

4. Alan Wake 2 Remedy makes weird games that also manage to exist in the AAA space and for that I will forever love them. Although Alan Wake 2 resembles a 3rd person shooter survival horror, I'd honestly say it's more of a narrative game than anything else. There's sidequests, there's puzzles, there's upgradeable skills, but at the end of the day the characters, world, and story are what kept me playing. If you haven't checked them out recently, you should definitely watch a story recap of the original games before diving into this sequel, but the wild swings for the fences this game takes are well worth that small price of admission. There's a god damn musical number, for Christ's sake.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom I've really got nothing to say about this game that most people don't already know. It's incredible. The fact that Nintendo made a game that redefined an entire genre and then made a SEQUEL to it that ups the ante is remarkable. To be honest, I've only cleared the Rito, Zora, and Goron cities. I got a bit tired of exploring the depths and guiding Koroks to their friends, but I can't deny the sheer level of complexity and polish on display here. I saw someone on TikTok build a functioning Mecha Godzilla in this game. Good God. I've heard that the ending of this game is one of the best in the franchise, and if I'd seen it this year then it may have wound up higher on my list, but for the time being I'll continue picking up this masterpiece from time to time, chipping away at it until the day comes that I can finally smack the tits off thicc Ganondorf.

2. Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update) I know I'm gonna get shit for this, but I don't care. This year was the 25th anniversary of Half-Life and Valve released an update that made playing it (and it's online Death Match) much more accessible. I threw it on my Steam Deck out of curiosity, expecting to play for 20 minutes. I could not put it down. It is unbelievable how modern this game still feels. I simply had so much fun sprinting through the corridors of Black Mesa with a dozen weapons strapped to my back, blasting aliens and military Spec-Op chumps as a 24(?!) year old theoretical physicist.

1. Baldur's Gate III This game is fucked up, man. The sheer amount of writing in this game scares me. We can all talk about how BIG this game is, it deserves it, but the thing BG3 does better than any other role playing game I have ever experienced is actually encourage roleplaying. I've played through Act I four times now, with four different groups of friends, and it has felt fresh every time. I have seen the same events play out in so many different ways that it boggles the mind, but in every one of those play sessions I see players asking themselves “What would my lil guy do here?” rather than "what is the best thing to do here?" The game rewards players constantly for just trying shit and the D&D 5e rule set means playing like the character you said you were from the start leads to frequent Points of Inspiration. Maybe one day I'll see the end of this story (probably not), but I don't have to in order to feel a connection with BG3's world, characters, and most impressively, the characters I made myself.

Honorable Mentions for 2023

5. Dave the Diver 4. Homebody 3. Sea of Stars 2. Humanity 1. Super Mario Wonder

Top 5 Favorites NOT from 2023

5. Metroid Prime 4. Final Fantasy VII Remake 3. Cursed Halo (Halo CE Mod) 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 1. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (3DS)

Games I didn't have a chance to play from 2023 but still want to when I find more time...

Viewfinder Venba Chants of Sennaar Thirsty Suitors Hi-Fi Rush Moonring Armored Core VI Laika Aged Through Blood Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

OKAY THANKS BYE!

[aliensunflower-fics]

A Winter Dance: Has been REMASTERED.

Sooo to buy myself more time to work on other fics (Im trying guys I swear adhd brain nightmare) I have a little surprise to hopefully keep you all entertained this Holiday Season!

For awhile now the spelling errors, words in wrong places, and just 'could have been even better' feelings toward my 'A Winter Dance' fics have been driving me crazy, so slowly on the side I have been fixing them up. First it was just correcting the errors, then I just rewrote a little here, added a little more there and oops?

So as a special 'thank you' and my way of wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays I updated the two fics here. Don't worry if you still prefer the old version I will keep them up on AO3 where I will also be publishing the updated version as its own thing.

Thank you all for your support, kind words, and patience with my adhd brain chemistry. I wish you all only the happiest of holidays and I hope you enjoy:

A WINTER DANCE REMASTERED EDITION:

The Winter Dance was widely considered by all students of Francois Dupont to be one of the most romantic events of the school year. Each year as the snow began to fall and teachers got there last minute exams in before the holidays the students would grow restless knowing that soon the time would come. The winter dance was the time for romantic confessions, heartfelt words, and shy first dances between blossoming young couples! Even those without dates would find joy and fun in the festive atmosphere dancing with best friends and eating snacks, it was a time of merriment and love or at least, it was suppose to be.

Continue Reading...

A WINTER DANCE PT. 2 REMASTERED EDITION:

Adrien Agreste, was NOT jealous. He just wasn’t the sort! He had seen Chloe jealous often enough to decide that it was a ridiculous emotion one he had no time for! Why be jealous of your friends when you could be happy for them and support them! It was such a simple logical conclusion Adrien had no idea why that wasn’t everyone’s solution! Oh sure he had tried to explain his feelings to Nino, tried to make his friend understand what he was really feeling was obviously concern! But for some reason his best friend kept on calling him jealous! It was frankly starting to get annoying.

Continue Reading...

[athetos]

Not going to do an official ranked list, but here are my favorite albums, EP/reiusses, and singles of 2023 thus far. I have a significant backlog I have to get through still, so I’ll update it in a month or so once I’ve torn through everything. Genres in parentheses.

Albums:

Panopticon - the rime of memory (atmospheric black metal)

Hot mulligan - why would I watch? (Emo)

Silent planet - superbloom (metalcore)

Anita velveeta - i saw the devil in Portland Oregon (emo)

Citizen - calling the dogs (alternative rock)

Beartooth - the surface (metalcore)

Creeper - sanguivore (rock)

Pvris - evergreen (alternative rock)

Sleep token - take me back to Eden (progressive metal)

Free throw - lessons that we swear to keep (emo)

EPs/Reissues:

The callous daoboys - god smiles upon the callous daoboys (Mathcore)

Portrayal of guilt - Devil music (black metal/screamo)

Pinkshift - suraksha (punk)

Deafheaven - sunbather remastered (blackgaze)

Blood incantation - luminescent bridge (death metal)

Better lovers - god made me an animal (hardcore)

Singles (either from albums that didn’t make the cut, or albums that aren’t out yet)

Glass Beach - CIA (post-emo)

Laura Jane Grace - dysphoria hoodie (folk punk)

Trash Boat - Liar Liar (metalcore)

Save Face feat. The callous daoboys - favorite lullaby (post-hardcore)

Ben Quad - would you tell Picasso to sell his guitars? (Emo)

Blink-182 - anthem part 3 (pop punk)

The menzingers - hope is a dangerous little thing (cowpunk)

Tigers Jaw, Joyce Manor - constant headache (emo)

Rivers of Nihil - hellbirds (technical death metal)

Mannequin Pussy - I Don’t Know You (alternative rock)

The wonder years - goddamnitall (pop punk)

Jessie ware - pearls (r&b)

Brutus - love won’t hide the ugliness (post-hardcore)

The story so far - big blind (pop punk)

Itoki Hana, Toby Fox - the greatest living show (rock)

Bayside, ice nine kills - how to ruin everything (patience) (punk)

Sum 41 - rise up (punk)

—-

All in all, I think my favorite EPs of all time came out this year, but there were some disappointments from big bands album-wise (taking back Sunday, the used).

My most anticipated for next year are albums from laura jane grace, glass beach, mannequin pussy, deftones, Ben quad, casey, and sum 41. Also ngl am insanely curious to see how job for a cowboy’s new album shapes up.

[iheartgod175]

Multo's a Psychic? - The Zula Patrol Explained

Edit (4/24/24): Updated this with some more information, and cleaned up some things!

NOTE #1: This post contains some spoilers for events that will be appearing in a few of my Zula Patrol fics—namely, The Zula Patrol: Dreamscape Crusade Remastered. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

NOTE # 2: This contains mentions of death, blood, and disturbing imagery as well as mental torture.

Well, here I am, back with another lore post! I totally didn’t write this so I could yell about one of my favorite characters of all time. I SWEAR. XD

But yeah, this is going to be a fun post talking about an obscure fact about The Zula Patrol that was removed from the actual cartoon. As soon as I did some more digging, I knew I had to bring it back for this fanfic!

Alright, stop stalling. What IS This Cool Thing?

Glad you asked!

In the original books that Deb Manchester wrote for The Zula Patrol, the stalwart alien team was a little different than we know them. For one thing, they weren’t stupid like they are in the cartoon series (well, stupid would be too strong a word, but I can't think of another one to justify how they constantly fall for Truder’s schemes even though they SHOULD’VE figured them out by now). Oh, and neither was Dark Truder, but I'll get to him in another post. Their personalities were kinda set in stone, though, so there’s that.

Another way that they were different ties to their abilities—specifically, the ability of the team’s scientist, Multo.

Yes, you saw that right. In the original books, Multo could see the future. In addition to his smarts, he'd be called upon by Bula to use his visions to help the team (in this case, helping Zeeter navigate out of the dark side of an eclipse before she crashed). It’s an ability that is nowhere to be seen in the cartoon. My guess is that some things had to be changed before making it to television, and his future seeing ability had to go. After watching the show and reading a few of the books, I realized how hard they kinda nerfed the team, namely Multo. His psychic powers along with his smarts would've made him the most OP member of the force by default!

Once I learned about this, I knew I had to include it in the Remastered edition of Dreamscape Crusade, albeit with its own twists. Multo's psychic powers make a return in DCR under a new name: the Third Sight.

What is the Third Sight?

To put it simply, the Third Sight is an innate psychic ability that allows its holder to have short visions of the future. It cannot be taught; one has to be born with it, and it develops at a young age through an initiation process known as a “Breach”. It’s so named because many aliens consider this to be a “third line of sight” (kind of like the proverbial "third eye"). There are many advantages to it, such as predicting events and preventing horrible situations, like the one described above.

However, Third Sight is a tricky, fickle thing. For one thing, the “Breach” is a dangerous process that deals with the recipient fighting the inner demons and struggles of their minds—some are so horrifying that those who undergo it have fallen into comas they can never awaken from. Those who do wake up are changed completely by the experience, in both personality and thought process, and are unable to share their thoughts for weeks. Some visions can cause pain to users’ nerves and can disrupt sensory perception as well. Even experienced users are known to suffer from debilitating migraines. While it's terrifying to undergo as a child, those who go through it as an adult face a more harrowing process. Those who were "late bloomers" have said they wouldn't wish pain like this on their worst enemies.

The second trouble with the Third Sight is its accuracy, which varies from person to person. It's not always accurate, and some aliens have abused their power to con others out of their money. This is actually so common that those with surprising accuracy are considered rare. Those who have near-perfect accuracy in their visions of the future are heralded as visionaries, and are highly sought after, often by other aliens who want to use them for their nefarious purposes.

Many had this ability, though their abilities differ in power level. While the Third Sight is generally used strategically, truly powerful (or psychotic/sadistic) wielders can utilize it in a way that can assault their victims' minds. This vicious attack, known as Flashpoint, is also known as the "Mind Melt" due to its ability to break someone's psyche to an irreversible degree.

One way to tell that someone is developing the Third Sight ability is that they develop a very high sensitivity to touch, and/or experience mental fog and increased pain in their head/behind the eyes. For those who are just starting to see visions, the Third Sight provokes a condition known as haemolacria (crying tears of blood). While humans see this as a rare, but benign condition, Zuleans see this as an omen of coming trouble.

So, what about Multo? How does he use it and how did he get it?

Multo’s Third Sight puts him at a visionary level, something that he’s aware of. As for how he got his Third Sight, I'd love to share how, but I'd be spoiling my fic at this rate. Chapter 4 of DCR will definitely explain all!

Multo uses it like he did in the books, often when the Zula Patrol needs to prevent disasters from happening. His particular set of skills allows him to feel people's emotions and mental states through touch, allowing him to sense the true intent and meaning behind their words. He's also sensitive to changes in the environment, with those having brought about sudden visions without having to touch anything/anybody. In some cases, he's even events (namely the past), though not the complete thing. For him, though, he suffers terrible pain upon having these visions because they come to him suddenly, barely giving him a moment to process them. As he explained to Bula and Zeeter, it feels like flash bombs go off in his mind and eyes. For this reason, he'd try to avoid physical contact unless necessary, which changes later when he gets into relationships (with Precipito in DCR, and Zeeter in Love Language). When he has a truly horrendous vision, it causes him great physical agony. Thankfully, this has only happened once, as read below.

Being someone who doesn't like to worry others, he kept his powers hidden for years, as he knew that people would try to use him for their own selfish gain. He told his close friends Autofocus and Precipito, naturally, but didn't tell his teammates because he was worried about how they'd take it. He'd come clean to his teammates later, however, when a gruesome vision of his friends dying in an accident caused him to collapse, bloody tears coming from his eyes. When he came to, all he could tell them was to run away, and they did...right as a rocket crashed where they were standing. He was relieved when they didn't hate him for his ability, although they were freaked out when they saw his physical pain and urged him to get help for it.

How he uses it in Dreamscape Crusade Remastered is much, MUCH different. But you'll get to see more of it as the story progresses.

Out of curiosity, who's the most powerful?

The most powerful one is Ungor, a mysterious being who lived during the Previous Zulean Era, and is tied in with Paragor’s past (for context, this character is mentioned in chapter 3 of TZP: DCR, and debuts in chapter 4). He's rightfully considered to be the father of Third Sight, as his accuracy was unparalleled, and second to Paragor himself, there was no equal. On Zula, he’s regarded as a god…something that he finds strange since for all intents and purposes, he's agnostic. As of the moment, he’s only slated to appear in TZP: DCR, though he MAY appear in that ZP/SW/MQ/DS idea I had.

There are a few more people that have this ability, but I’m going to save them for when I update this post after chapter 4 is updated. There will be quite a few surprises ^^

I hope you guys like this post, and do leave a like/reblog if ya did!

[safyresky]

Oh! It's February 13th, you know what that means!!

FROSTMAS ON AO3 UPDATE!!! 💃🏻🥳

Check out Frostmas: Year Two, digitally remastered on ao3, HERE. Now with more swearing and an extra 3k words somehow! I didn't add SHIT so this is very confusing!

Year Two

Trapped by societal conventions, Jacqueline has a contentious dinner with Jack. Jack discovers an unpleasant caveat to his new job.

What to heck is Frostmas?? Have a summary:

The Twelve Years of Frostmas

Nobody but he and I knew the truth. Jack wasn’t supposed to be Santa; I wasn’t supposed to be Jack Frost. He thought being Santa would fix everything. He was horribly, horribly mistaken. [My take on Jack’s reign as Santa during the Escape Clause. MAJOR OC involvement AND First Person POV from said OC. Finally cross posting THIS behemoth! Enjoy!]

Interested? Take it from the top HERE on ao3! And here on ff dot net, where it is done up to Year 10. But this ain't ABOUT HER.

This is about Y2 on ao3! Have a delightful little preview under the cut~

Jack’s next sentence took me right out. “I know, I know, it’s a lot to take in, I get it. But this’ll, this’ll make everything better!” I finally rebooted. “Everything better?!” I shot up out of my chair, stirring up enough of a wind for cutlery to go flying. “Everything was better eleven years into the future before you screwed it up again with your little timeline jump! We were okay, finally! I was okay! We actually talked about things and it was really, really, great! Then I wake up and suddenly it's 1994 and not 2006 and Mom and Dad are both upset and nothing is right! Nothing is the way it's supposed to be! And you think it’s better?! Better? This has made everything worse!” “Ah. So you do remember. I had a feeling that you might. Tell me something, Jacqueline,” he paused, shifting in his chair and recrossing his legs. “How much do you know?” I puffed up my cheeks and held my breath, trying really hard not to show how little I knew. My hands gripped the table so hard, my knuckles looked like snow. (Come to think of it, they may have actually shifted into snow. I was angry enough that that may have happened. Ough. Embarrassing.) I let out the breath I was holding. "What do you think I know?" "I think that you know something I thought only I knew.” Jack stood up, serving me with a calculating stare. I shifted unconsciously into a defensive pose. “But given your whodunit questions and how much you seem to know about different timelines and the future, you must also know something I know, no?” He arched an eyebrow, steepling his fingers together. A pulse near my eye started up; it twitched. The temperature in the room dropped. “Well? Silence isn’t exactly an answer, Jacqueline.” I scrunched my nose. UGH. On the one hand, if I told him I didn’t know, he’d have the upper hand. BUT. If I told him I did know, then maybe I’d be able to get a little bit closer to figuring out what he did. Or it’d backfire and he’d still have the upper hand. “Hmm. Seems I was mistaken, then.” He looked relieved in like, a kind of smug way. My nostrils flared. “Nu-UH. The something you thought only you knew is also known by someone in this very room!” Jack dropped his arms. “Interesting. I would’ve thought that the clause—” "AHA! So it's a CLAUSE!" I pointed an accusatory finger his way. "AHA! You DIDN'T know!" he pointed an accusatory finger my way.

Ohoho! the cold front are FIGHTING! I'm surprised it took this long, tbh. How will this go? Who's gonna emerge from this spat victorious? WHAT DOES JACK FIND OUT ABOUT THE JOB? Check out Year 3: 2024 Edition on ao3 HERE for all those answers and MORE! :)

[klonoa-at-blog]

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series producer hints at future remasters

Copy pasted from digitaltrends.com:

Klonoa might not be a household name, but its supporters swear it’s one of the most innovative platformers out there. Loaded with a surprisingly deep story (one you wouldn’t expect out of game about a cat fighting balloons) and a unique gameplay twist for the genre, it has become a cult favorite. Despite that, Klonoa has never gotten the spotlight that mascots like Mario, Sonic or even Crash Bandicoot have, with its only mainline titles being featured on PlayStation, PlayStation 2, the Nintendo Wii (via a low-selling remake).

That is, until now.

Despite the fact that the series has been collecting dust for over a decade, Namco Bandai is bringing him back once again for a new generation with Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series. This new entry is a compilation remaster of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil with quality of life updates and reworked visuals. It’s obvious that platformers have made resurgences in a big way this past decade with faces like Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet, and more getting new games. So why did it take so long to get a Klonoa resurgence?

In an interview with Ryo Ishida, Producer of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, I asked just that and got his thoughts on why now’s the right time to revisit two underappreciated titles.

Return of a king

The last time we met up with Klonoa’s feline hero was on the Wii with Klonoa. This remaster released to critical praise but was a commercial flop, earning it a hidden gem label. Afterward, the series went dormant for nearly 15 years. Under the guiding eye of Ryo Ishida, the series is now returning just in time for its 25th anniversary.

“As this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Klonoa IP series, and since there is not a new game in the series that has been released since 2008, this time we are presenting Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series,” Ishida tells Digital Trends. “By including the two games that represent most of the Klonoa IP in this remastered version, we hope new users enjoy the games’ appeal.”

Of course, bringing back Klonoa isn’t easy money — it’s not exactly a bankable franchise. Ishida told me that there were some nerves coming into play at the thought of getting these old titles into the hands and hearts of new players. As with any re-release of a beloved game of this caliber, the main goal isn’t to get pre-existing fans to fall in love again, but to capture those that haven’t been properly introduced in the past.

“There were definitely some nerves since there are a lot of existing fans for the IP,” Ishada says. “We also needed to present the game to new players in the current generation, so we have to create a quality game that satisfies both audiences.”

A unique flavor in a new era

While bringing Klonoa to a new generation wasn’t an easy task, Ishida and Namco Bandai felt it was one worth taking. In fact, Ishida says that one of the main goals was to bring the past platforming icon to all six current-gen platforms with the intention to spread and promote the appeal of the Klonoa IP to everyday users as much as possible. Ishida believes that the series is still unique enough from a gameplay perspective that players on any platform could appreciate it.

“The biggest feature of Klonoa is the side-scrolling platformer action, but how Klonoa differentiates from its competitors is the 3D-interactable and stylized map, and the deep and diversified gameplay with the simple core mechanic of grabbing and throwing enemies,” Ishida says.

Another thing that separates Klonoa from its competitors is the surprising depth of its narrative across games. As a child and even up to now as an adult, the stories of the Klonoa games are some of the best in platforming. For fans, these stories are a huge piece of what makes these games such gems, especially because of the fascinating contrast between its dark themes and cute, cuddly hero.

“Despite the cute and bright appearances of the game, the deep and contrasting story was something I personally resonated with,” Ishida says. “I hope new players experience the depth of the action and enjoy the great adventures of Klonoa that take place alongside the stages, as well as the unpredictable climaxes in the story.”

Remakes are always a good start, but I couldn’t help but ask if a proper sequel might be on the horizon after the release of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series. And while we have no solid answer just yet, Ishida’s answer gave me a bit of hope that there could be a great future should this new release see success.

“I could not say for sure, but we would like to focus on spreading the IP once again with the remastered version,” Ishida says. “If the reaction from the community is good, there might be other remastered Klonoa games we could propose as well!”

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series launches on July 7 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

[Source]

[thegayestandalite]

A remaster of Uprising

I’m expecting a lot more writing to be done nowadays

Chapter 1

A small squirrel sat upon her oak throne, waving in the wind, surveying her queendom, pondering the one thing that squirrels always have on their minds. World domination. The world being roughly, three trees.

These nefarious thoughts were interrupted as an increasingly loud and shrill object came barreling out of the sky.

----------------------------------------------

A metallic wail streaked across the smooth bright blue sky, and landed in a lump, spraying an explosion of dirt, wood, debris and a good smattering of essential ship chunks.

Stumbling out of the cursed mess, like some sort of cursed egg, was a swearing stumbling alien. Because there were no blue, four legged, 6 limbed and furred creatures on earth, this was definitely an alien, and he had a potty mouth, if he actually had a mouth, which he did not and that was messed up.

Cursing excessively, he leaned against the door frame, before tumbling out into the dirt.

This graceful being was an andalite. He looked a bit like an earth centaur, with four longs legs with hooves, a long tail with a dangerous blade at the end, four eyes, two on eye stalks and two on the face, and furred all over.

He was large, maybe a bit oversized for an andalite. He had the characteristic blue fur that turned a solid tan on his belly, under tail, a stripe of it down his torso and a splash of tan across his face.

[Can there ever be a time where a ship does NOT crash,] he yelled between streams on incoherent swears, and waving his shredder. [For once? Just maybe? Too much to ask?]

He glared down at a nearby twitch fur creature that was more tail than anything else, as he clutched his injured arm. [Don't you judge me.]

But of course, Harbinger of Death (squirrels chose their own names, as squirrels are only capable of loving themselves) did anyway.

On further reflection, he aimed his shredder at it, [I don't suppose you're anyone I should know?] When the twitchy thing didn't do anything to avoid imminent death he lowered his weapon. [You pass,] he said, and then squinted his eyes, [For now.]

He gave a sideways glance at his ship and sighed. [Nobody is ever going to believe this isn't my fault.]

He looked at the possibly same creature.

[It's not,] he added.

Habringer of Death left.

____________________________

Ripping through the forest was a menagerie of ridiculously out of place animals. The animorphs, a group of shapeshifting children fighting a war that the world's fate depended on. They were on the run before their morphs could even finish, tearing through scratchy thickets and leaping over fallen logs.

Tobias was first, a red tailed hawk, he spotted the craft in his domain, the open sky.

Ax, another andalite, was at a relay point so he could communicate with thought speak and update his comrades with what Tobias was telling him.

Another andalite, male, injured, fairly unhappy and apparently making enemies, and then befriending? A squirrel.

_____________________

Along with his wounded arm, he was also nursing an injured upper torso and was willing to wager with the absolute fire of hell streaking through his legs he had managed to break a few bones as well.

[You are my only friend in the world, seemingly harmless tiny creature who hopefully will not turn out absolutely deadly,] he intoned sadly.

This wasn't Harbinger of Death, she left a while ago. This was a new curious squirrel, Baby Killer.

[Squirrels don't have friends,] Tobias said, absolutely correct, [Only malice.]

The alien's head snapped up and his stalk eyes darted around.

Ah, now things are getting interesting, an all or foe has arrived.

[That's good to know, ] he said carefully. [Are you the...squirrel?] He watched the tiny animal twinge nervously and dart back and forth. Squirrel certainly felt like a good jumble of sounds to identify the creature.

[No,] a feathered, winged creature with dull brown coloring flapped onto a closer branch.

Baby Killer was displeased and fled in a chattering of disapproving sounds. She'd have her day.

[punkassfrance]

for the record i swear to god mare nostrum mediterranean grill will be updated, right now it's kind of getting a remaster because even my writing from a year ago drives me nuts to read but. once that's done i'll work on it!!!

[kitschhazel]

I really wish “HD Remake/Remaster” on games meant “we’re updating the graphics due to better technological abilities but keeping the original style/soul of the game” rather than “Everything is now smooth and plastic-looking, and somehow the characters emote and move less than when the hardware literally couldn’t do any better”

Examples I can think of off the top of my head:

- Ocarina of Time 3D

- Majora’s Mask 3D

- Wind Waker HD (this is not solely a Zelda problem I swear)

- Klonoa Wii

- Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series (remade twice and gotten worse and more wooden each time)

Like I get that a lot of the charm of older graphical styles is born form working around graphical limitations of the time (something something flaws of a medium etc) but like those things were in fact charming so why not polish what couldn’t be instead of sanding everything down to the point of not resembling itself anymore?

I don’t want *graphics* I want STYLE

[rezdragon]

December 2023 Project Update:

Whoops, haven't done this in awhile.

The Disaster Archives - Everyday I sometimes slip up and say that I'm still working on Normal. Anyways, this is still in the story planning phase, but the story is nearly mapped out. I've almost finished the outline, then I will write a treatment, and THEN the script. I am taking this story way more seriously than I did Normal, as Normal was truly a testing ground for how I would approach working on TDA. Now that we're coming into January, I'm actually planning on taking some time off from work and going off into Central Washington for some field research for this story, since most of it takes place in the Columbian Basin. I need to know what it sounds like, if my locations will work (because I want this to be accurate), and hunt for any other possible ideas for something I might have not thought of sitting behind my computer. I haven't the slightest clue when I am going to finish Everyday; I predict that it won't be until 2025 at this point, due to all of the work that's ahead of me on that project. I am going to be seeking funding for this project just because the cost to produce this is going to go up significantly compared to Normal. [Normal was made with just under $200, I predict Everyday's budget will be at least $1,000, maybe more if I have to upgrade my computer.]

Horizon & State of Agony When I'm not thinking about TDA, I'm working on Horizon. I'm putting State of Agony on the back burner for now because the album is kind of a mess and I'm not really fond of it as an album experience. I want to come back to it after I've finished Horizon. Horizon has been very slow going due to a lot of factors, but I do keep picking at it when I can. Don't know when I'll be finishing Horizon either, I predict I might finish it by March of 2024.

Tasukete Remaster Yeah, I'm remastering Tasukete once we get into January because the album sounds like ass and the structure is ass and I can do better. This HOPEFULLY shouldn't take me very long, this is mostly just a "I really can't stand how awful Digital Dark Age sounds, I want to fix it and the rest of the album." Expect this out sometime in January.

A Smash Machinima Project (If I tell you the title, it will spoil it) Yes, really, and it's not OR. I've gotten lines recorded by GSlayer and myself, I'm waiting on one more person before I start filming that. It will be... a nightmare.

A completely different Smash Machinima Project It involves Ash, that's all I'm saying about it right now. I want to storyboard this sometime, no idea if I will finish this or not, right now it's kind of a pipe dream that I'm hoping I can work myself into making.

Orintheous' Revenge I do think about OR occasionally, I swear. Sometimes I actually really want to work on it, and then Rez comes and grabs me by my collar and then I forget about OR for awhile.

Ghost Stories of North Idaho Moving kind of killed this project, as I was hoping to get it out for Halloween this year. I think I'll shelve it until next Halloween. I did record some sound effects for it recently, and I still need to edit the short stories, which I do when I have the free time at my day job. This project isn't dead, just had to get pushed aside for life stuff.

And that's about it for things I am actively working on.

[hayleyshouse13]

i really want to make this into a real blog, but i feel like i will probably get myself into some trouble. here i am anyways! im going to try to be good, i swear.

should i start with a little bit about me? im not good at telling "a little bit" of anything, but to keep it basic: my name is hayley, im 21 years old (although i've reached the threshold in which i now tell people i'm 22 since my birthday is in november), i'm an aspiring writer, and a giant taylor swift fan. oh, and i'm a scorpio, which really says all it needs to say. yes, pass all your judgements now.

i know i'll probably be talking to myself for a while on here, but that's okay. i'm pretty used to that. i've spent the entirety of my summer just hanging out with myself, and i have to say, it's not too bad to only have yourself as company. no one to impress. and honestly, if the people who come across this aren't entertained/impressed/etc.: no big deal! probably not my target audience anyways. not that i really have one.

im a big creative brain, and if you search my name on basically any social media, there i am with one failed hobby after the next. but writing has always stuck with me, as has writing in a diary that i've kept since i was 15. but i think it's time i start reaching out and telling my stories out loud, even if it's only to a few people.

i'm knee deep in my first real book draft (125 pages in), so expect updates on that! i also have a bit of a canva addiction, and i love to teach myself new things, so i plan on posting some of my works. and after i get some free time from those things, i like to tuck into a book- whichever one i pick from my never ending TBR. book reviews definitely coming soon.

if you read all this, you've already helped my inner child achieve her dream of having someone read her stupid blog, so thank you!

tomorrow is a new day!! and as my motto goes- que sera, sera!!

[randoimago]

I'm so glad that the persona 3 & 4 golden games aren't gonna be priced like new games. I Honestly expected that they'd do that. It does suck its not a remaster but hey at least I get to play them

The game hasn't come out for me yet so I have no idea what the price is (I'm planning on buying 3 on Steam since I already have Golden on there). Nice to know they're not gonna have Nintendo prices (are they coming out on Switch? I really haven't been keeping up with them besides knowing they'll be on Steam and Xbox/Playstation 😅)

I'm so intrigued to see how P3 plays since I had a friend that played it when it came out and said it did not age well (he swears that P4 is the best one though, even after P5 came out)

Update: I have been informed that they are coming to Switch too

[how-masterful]

Remastered

Dhawan!Master x Reader

Chapter 4: The Pandorica Opens

Summary: Roman Centurions. Pandora's Box. Together you and the Master find yourselves exploring the depths of the cavern below Stonehenge and what mysteries lay within. Legend speaks of a box, an ancient god trapped inside its walls. Why does the rest of the universe want it so badly? And what can the Master do when he finally finds out what’s waiting inside the Pandorica is not what it seems?...

Notes: Welcome back to Remastered! Its been a long time coming! I know I promised an update a while ago, but sometimes these things just don’t work out the way you want them to. If we had a dedicated Master show my job would be so much easier! I finally managed to beat my writers block and found an episode i’d like to masterfy, so i hope you all enjoy! 

(You know the drill by now. @plethora-of-imagines, my beloved hat and master lover, this one is for you. just like the other ones. and all the ones coming. because who else would they be for?)

All around the Master, ever so slowly, the world he’d found himself in was suddenly starting to make sense. Dangerous, deadly, foreboding sense. On any other day, the renegade Time Lord would see that as a good thing. But that evening, underneath the ancient ruins of Stonehenge, the Master knew the dark was not on his side.

The communicator had crashed out a mere few seconds ago, fizzing and hissing against his ear. He’d thrown the device to the floor with a frustrated yell, gritting his teeth as his fingers returned to rub at his beard in thought. The same hand ran over his cheek and through his tangled fringe that hung over his eye, fingers gripping at the hair as his feet scuffed and disrupted the old dust upon the floor. He was pacing back and forth. This was not good. The high pitched ringing was deafening, his fingers plugging his ears as he stared down as the communicator. Its corner was dented, dust flying into the small cracks that had crawled up the edge of the glass. The screen still flickers with your face and name, the giant red letters of ‘COMMUNICATION LINE DISRUPTED' beneath it not failing to make his stomach churn.

You were both in grave danger. But it seemed like his was getting even worse.

“Master, it's not real!”

You’d yelled down the communicator line. Behind your plea, the Master had heard the Tardis creaking. Her engines were metal upon metal, screeching and groaning as it hurtled through the Time Vortex.

“What the hell does that mean, it's not real? Where are you?”

“Listen to me! All of it, everything’s a lie! The Romans, they’re right here.”

The Master was getting impatient. But you sounded almost terrified. The Roman platoon was hurrying around him carrying weapons and ammunition throughout the Underhenge. Almost like clockwork. At least they’d forgiven your lie about your identities- Emperor Nero and Pharaoh Cleopatra had seemed like clever aliases at the time. The Master sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What are you talking about, what's all that noise-”

“In the book!”

“You’d better not be breaking my Tardis!”

“Master just listen to me, please!”

You let out a sudden scream. The Tardis jolted forward, sending you slamming into the console. The cloister bells had begun to toll, sparks and shocks of electricity and flame spurting from the central console of the type 41 machine. 

All around the Master, the Roman soldiers had slumped forward. Knees locked into position, life drained from their eyes. Weapons, spears and swords clattered to the floor with ricochetting bangs. The Master blew onto the screen of the communicator, banishing the dust from its surface. Every attempt to reopen the communication line was met with an electronic buzz, denying him access. Preoccupied, with one finger plugged in his ear and his shoulder pushed up against the other, he failed to hear the marching footsteps of the platoon behind him. 

A unified electronic whirr permeated the room, with all of the soldiers' hands snapping open and small, cylindrical cannons pushing through the exposed middle of their palms. All around the Master, the soldiers were following their commands and drawing closer and closer.

“What was that bang?!”

The Master pulled the com from his ear, before pulling it back closer to his mouth. A Roman had turned to face him, sending him a quirked eyebrow. In return the Master sent a fake smile, before ducking behind the corner of the large box in the center of the room. It would be best if he wasn't seen during this conversation.

“Y/N, talk to me, can you hear me?”

The Master half whispered.

“The Romans are in this book! The Tardis took me back to my house, i don't know why-”

“Your house?”

“When I was a kid. Something else had been there, the grass had these weird scorch patterns and the readings on that thing you gave me were going off the scale. The book on my nightstand, Roman history, i’d studied it at school-”

“You’d said it was your favorite subject, yes.”

Part of you wanted to mull over the fact the Master had remembered your favorite subject, enjoying the fact the hardened criminal had taken the time and care to recall such a trivial fact about his ‘not’ companion. He often mused how preferred to call you his partner. You treasured its double meaning to no end. But you also knew that favouritism was what had led you to visit this Roman colony. You felt slightly responsible over the ensuing chaos.

“I knew I recognized them from somewhere- The Romans, in the book, they’re the exact ones that are with you right now.”

“That's impossible- they’re DRAWINGS, love!”

“I swear! Something has copied the book from my house!”

The Master smacked the side of the communicator, shaking even more dust free from the device. It was only after that he raised his head, suddenly aware of the silence surrounding him. The Romans, or whatever they were, had stood themselves in flank formation, lined up against the edges of the chamber. Blocking his only way out. Beyond the boundary the other soldiers stood side by side in perfect position, surrounding the Time Lord in the purple tweed jacket. Cornering him in front of the Pandorica. Finally, the ringing had dissolved into white noise. Now the Master could think. Almost.

Before he could even begin to spew out a threat, of which he had many planned and ready at the tip of his tongue, the room began to shake with a gargantuan rumble. Lit torches, hung on the walls in metal cages, rattled in their confinements as dust fell from the ceiling like snowfall. The Master's attention was yanked from the Romans, his head whipping behind him as the corner of the Pandorica slowly began to split along its seam. The rumble grew stronger as the stone walls shifted along their mechanisms, the green glow drowned by the emerging, blinding white light.

“Oh, good. You’re ready to come out now?”

Sarcasm and wit had recently become a favorite of the Master. His new body seemed to enjoy plastering on a smug grin and a growled one liner when facing certain doom. He was universally known as indestructible, as his previous faces had bragged. But it seemed this was rapidly misplaced in the current situation. 

“I promise you!”

You yelled in protest, slamming hard on a lever and frantically tapping on the interface as you argued.

“They’re the exact same! So is the box!”

The Master reared his head to look at the box he’d pressed his back against.

“What do you mean, the box?”

The legendary Pandorica loomed down at him, the intricate detailing carved into its side glowing with an ominous green light that burnt from within. History had spoken of it, the mystery that lay beneath stonehenge, but to earthly historians, in their ignorant and self aggrandizing ways, it was just that. A mystery. Humanity had chalked the box up to being a folk tale, to ignore the mortifying idea of the supposedly supernatural being… natural: That aliens were anything beyond little green men in flying saucers, and human science simply couldn't, or more likely refused, to explain what had fallen from the stars.

“The Pandorica, I'd said it was like Pandora's box, right?”

You’d clapped with delight, unable to hide your excitement when the Tardis had materialised atop that hill hours before. You’d mentioned how similar the structure seemed to you, even down to the name: Pandora's box…  

Your favourite book as a child. He could remember you mentioning it.

The Master did not like where this was going.

“Well?” he asked hesitantly, possibly for the first time in his life.

“It's here, on the cover of the book, my copy of the book, it's the same box.”

The Time Lord could see something peeking through the bright white, the silhouette of something existing within the box. He’d try again with the communicator in a moment, he supposed, slipping it into his endlessly deep inside pocket. He lent forward, peering into the glow, ever curious. Was this the so-called trickster, the universe destroying monster that had dwelled inside that box for millennia? The possibility of an answer was suddenly snatched away, however, when two strong arms punched through the gap between his torso and his arms, sliding under his shoulders and yanking him towards his feet. 

The Master let out a shocked sound not unlike a bark, gritting his teeth as the soldiers clutched the man tight between them. His hair flipped madly as he turned to look at his wardens- the familiar, glassy look in their eyes turning the cogs in his brain. He tugged on their grasp, snarling as they dragged him through the dark and dusty cavern. His fingers scrambled to grab onto their own, to try and pry them from his form. Until he saw their fingers were no longer there. Replaced with small blasters in place of their palms. Their living plastic palms.

A sight all too familiar for the Master.

“How can they be the same, where even are you?”

The Master pinched the bridge of his nose once more, giving a disgruntled huff as his head fell back against the side of the Pandorica. Thoughts and possibilities were scrambling around inside his brains, like matadors trying to tame the most frightful of bulls in the ring.

“Master, these are my memories. Why did they go to my house, whatever it is?”

“Most likely, god, mimicry? They needed something that would peak our interest, make us come here-”

The Tardis jolted and screeched once more, her engines whining like a startled parakeet. Sparks and rumbles rocked the floor. You lost your footing, falling to your knees while clutching tight to the edge of the console. The Master pushed himself from the side of the box with a growl.

“What the hell are you doing to my Tardis, Y/n?”

“I don't know!”

You protested, heaving yourself up against the console. You continued to move along the screens, following the rhythm the Master had taught you. It was almost like a dance, especially the way his hands had wandered to your hips while he introduced you to the console.

“Its like something else is controlling it, the controls aren't responding-”

Another bang of sparks. The Master rolled his eyes.

“All those flying lessons I gave you- try and land her, wherever you are. The Tardis has protocols in place to keep you safe. You have to get out of there.”

“I’m trying!”

“The Nestene consciousness, I'd like to say it's pleasant to see you again.”

The Master grunted, trying to yank his shoulder free and almost losing his footing against his own force.

“Romans, a step up from shop dummies and plastic flowers, I'm impressed.”

He truly couldn't tell if his teasing was to intimidate or calm his own racing heartbeats. The Romans whirred and stomped, oblivious to his protests. Also oblivious to his remarks.

“Listen, I'm ordering you to let me go, there's bigger things for me to deal with here-”

Still no reply. The Master grit his teeth, yanking himself backwards in a feeble attempt at escape. He tried to thrash, to worm his way out of their grasp. But it was fruitless. The Autons were just as obnoxiously durable as the first time he’d met them, all those years ago.

“I COMMAND YOU TO LET ME GO!”

Further screams pierced through the communicator line, the timelord wincing as he once more pulled the device from his ear. You sounded terrified, the Tardis spiralling further out of control. 

“Y/n? Love, talk to me!”

“Master, I can't control her! Whatever's out there with you, it has to be connected. The same box, the same Romans, the same night, that CAN'T be a coincidence! Master, everything out there with you, It's a trap. It has to be. They wanted us to come here, Please just trust me, you have to get out of there-”

Crash. Hiss. Bang. The Tardis was screaming as it hurtled through the Vortex. The Master was beginning to worry. This time he wasn't going to deny it.

“Y/N! SHUT HER DOWN!”

“MASTER, I CAN'T! PLEASE!”

The world round the Master began to ring with a high pitched shriek. A piercing ring that echoed throughout the underhenge. The timelord winced, scrunching up his face and baring his teeth as he shrunk away from the din. Beside his ear he could hear your screams, the Tardis hurtling towards the unknown. Until suddenly, zap. Crackle. Nothing.

“Y/n, can you hear me!?”

The communicator line went dead.

The Master was growing more tense by the second. And even angrier still.

“I order you to obey! Why do you want me, why do you want my Y/n’s memories-”

The Roman soldier to his left gave a grim admittance, staring forwards at the growing light shining from within the Pandorica. It was almost hypnotic to the lumps of plastic surrounding him, something he’d consider himself a seasoned expert of. But this was different. This still stunk of betrayal and subterfuge. And also a slight loss of pride.

“The Pandorica is ready.”

The Master should have been excited. Ready to meet this mythical creature, a ghost in time, a legend. But now he felt slightly sick. He leered up at the soldier, antagonizing the guard.

“Ready for what, eh? What other big bads have you around their pinkie this time?”

The plethora of Romans did not speak. They simply continued to stare.

“I’m going to tell you again, let me go. You took your orders from me, once- you should know who I am! I am the Master!”

“Correct. Subject has self identified.”

The Master's face practically drained of all color. He daren't move his head to look, knowing exactly what scum of the universe was waiting behind him. The sound of the Daleks still sent a quiver of tangible fear down his spine. It had been years since the time war, centuries since the destruction of Skaro. Of Gallifrey. But the Daleks had not only destroyed his people, they had executed him personally. And in the twisted sense of poetry, were the reason he was brought back from the dead. A soldier to fight in the universal war- the only time he decided to be like the Doctor, running away to the end of the universe to escape the carnage that gave the blood red skies and grass of home a brand new meaning. 

He wouldn't say he feared them. But a dead Dalek was much more preferable than a living one.

Just like his old face had said. Stupid tin boxes.

“The subject has identified himself. Scan complete. You are the Master.”

“Well, you lot look different. Fancied an upgrade?”

He watched the Daleks, three in a crow, creep towards his line of vision. They were bulky things now, taller than before, each with a garishly bright color scheme that he almost wanted to shield his eyes from. An ugly design for an ugly creature.

“Or is that a poor turn of phrase?”

“YOUR LIMITS, CAPACITIES AND WEAKNESSES HAVE BEEN EXTRAPOLATED. YOU HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED”

Oh great. More Cybermen. If you were here, you’d tease him relentlessly for the reunion. You had earlier, suggesting he take the Cyber parts home and build his own. With a flash of white and a digital blue haze, the Cyber leader phased into vision, followed by two further Cybermen. All carrying large black weapons, much like what he’d found earlier.

“Oh, I was waiting for you to show up. Just can't stay away from me, can you?”

“Your arrogance is continued!”

Sontarans. Fabulous. In another flash, the squadron of Sontarans had appeared in the Underhenge, proudly brandishing their blasters. Before the Master could even calculate a response, the whole room seemed to glow in fire. The Pandorica was still slowly creaking open, the beam of light shining brighter and brighter. The Master, who stood right in its glow, had to shrink away and squint from its brightness.

Teleportation fields, transfer rays, dimensionally transcendental movement corridors, it seemed the world and his wife were cramming themselves into the cavern below the rocks. The Master, now adapting to the light, was met with an endless sea of familiar faces. 

Draconians, Ogrons, Juddoon, Kasaavin, Axonites, Cheetah Warriors, Sea Devils, and even their silurian cousins. Even some faces he’d never seen before littered the crowd, some other foes he’d briefly met but never spared a thought to. Sycorax, Hoix, Zygons, members of the Trickster Brigade, Clockwork Droids- and tall, slender men in black suits with a name he couldn't quite remember. He even struggled to remember they were there, looming in the background behind the busying crowd.

The great monsters of the universe had gathered at the Pandorica. 

“The Pandorica is ready!”

The Sontaran leader cried. Hesitantly, the Master dared to ask.

“Ready for what?”

The white Dalek, the new supreme, slowly moved closer.

“Ready. For. you.”

 The sides of the Pandorica finally slid into position, the blinding shroud of light dissipating. Finally, the Master could see what was before him in the darkness of the cavern. The box had split open to reveal a mechanised chair, almost like a throne. Callous and black, the metal chair was embedded deep into the heart of the Pandorica. Its exterior was fitted with several restraints, the square shaped shackles glowing the same green as the exterior patterns. Two ankles, two wrists, and over the shoulders- any being within would be unable to break free. Or even attempt to escape.

Slowly, the puzzle, not unlike the box in the fairy tale of Pandora, was beginning to slot together. The Master turned to look at the aliens surrounding him- co conspirators, enemies, allies. All had stood to the sides of the room, leaving a walkway between himself and the Pandorica. They stood, watching intently, as the realisation began to appear upon the renegade Time Lords face.

The path was clear. The restraints on the chair had retracted outwards, unlocking themselves. The Pandorica was empty.

But the Master knew. 

Not for long.

“Wait, you can't-”

But they already had. The Nestenes began to walk forwards, dragging the Master along with them by his armpits. The timelord kicked and fought their grasp, his grey shoes kicking up dust as he scrambled to find resistance in his footing. The surrounding monsters watched on as the Master fought for his freedom, desperately trying to pull away from the plastic men. He shouted, grunted, bared his teeth, but no amount of tugging and shouting could break the Master free. The Silurians tilted their heads, hissing. The Draconians stood with poised disapproval. The Daleks and Cybermen stood proudly at the front of the line, the Judoon watching silently with the authority of the shadow proclamation. All those creatures, lit by the roaring fire of the flickering torches on the wall.

The Roman imposters dragged the Master to the empty chair, their strength unmatched as they heaved the Time Lord into the waiting seat. He let out a furious yell as the restraints snapped shut around him, his body yanked backwards into the chair. First his wrists, then his ankles, then his shoulders. The entrapments of the Pandorica had shackled him down to his seat. A last set of restraints emerged from within the structure itself, entangling themselves around the Master's waist and stomach, pressing tight against his torso and locking him firmly into the chair. A single light shone from above, acting as a spotlight over the Master’s head. All eyes could see the Time Lord struggle and fight. All eyes knew it was useless. Exactly how they’d designed it to be.

“No, you can't do this to me!”

The Master was visibly rippling with rage.

“All those times I've helped you all!”

“YOUR ASSISTANCE HAS BEEN A SCOURGE ON THE CYBER RACE.”

The Cyberman with black handles spoke, as monotone and electronic as ever. The Master widened his eyes.

“No-”

“Your presence within the universe has caused vital damage to Dalek strategy.”

“All our plans, every time you step in, have failed to reach fruition! The glory of the Sontaran empire is threatened by your hand!”

The Master turned to look at every monster surrounding the box. The pathway had closed, the races and creatures surging forwards, cornering him even more within the machine. Their faces, if they had one, were full of hatred and disdain. Even the robots among the crowd were seemingly glaring. And those without faces watched on with agreement. The Master glared between them, his chest rising and falling in rapid succession.

“So, what? You blame me for everything? Want to lock me in a box because you blame me for all your problems!?”

“Incorrect.”

The Daleks' voice was scratchy and mutilated. Much like the creature inside the casing.

“The Pandorica was constructed to provide safety for the Alliance. You have aligned yourself with the Doctor.”

The Master paused for a moment, staring down at the supreme Dalek. How it stood there, with all its pride and might, and accused him of such a thing. He couldn't help but laugh. And so he did. The Master barked out a laugh, teeth bared and head falling back as he sat shackled to the Pandorica.

“Me? With her? Who told you that?”

“CYBER DATA HAS CONFIRMED. YOUR PREVIOUS INCARNATION ASSISTED THE DOCTOR IN CYBER DESTRUCTION.”

“Missy? Really? A five foot four mistress of evil scared you so much you had to put me in a box?”

“Your identity as the Mistress has been confirmed to stand in allegiance with the Doctor. It's a well known fact you chose to stand alongside them. Who knows what chaos you could harbour with your… track record of derailment.”

The Draconian leader stood proud among his council. The Master sent him a scowl, his laughter dying out.

“You think I'm the Doctor's little helper? Her weapon against you all, the crazy old Master, happy to do her dirty work? News flash, I've tried to kill her! Yeah, she's a she now, it's her turn! Some of you I've even worked with! I helped YOU with the Cyberium!”

“The evidence shows otherwise. You simply can no longer be trusted.”

The Kasaavin leader dared to talk against him. The Master questioned how he could even be here, after the Doctor's exile of their race from the planet. Their hatred for him must be strong enough to transcend dimensions. It was almost romantic.

“I’m nothing like the Doctor! I don't even LIKE the Doctor! Sure, I had a bit of a wobble in morals, tried to be good..ish… but I'm back!”

The Master was positively exasperated. His messy hair and wide eyes making him look manic.

“So can somebody, anybody: any man, woman, robot… fish thing. I don't care. Can somebody tell me, what do you all think makes me like the Doctor?”

There was silence across the room. The Master's outburst had made them think. The Master watched them, eyes begging for an acceptable reply. Finally, the Cyberman spoke.

“YOU HAVE GROWN SENTIMENTAL. YOU HAVE TAKEN A COMPANION.”

You. Oh, you. This couldn't just be about you.

The variables began to bubble and clash within the Master's brains. Everything seemed to come back to you. Your choice in trip, your favorite subject, favorite book, you attack from the guard, your fake identity as a queen. And your current fate... However unknown it was.

Surely this couldn't be about you.

“The memories of your companion were extrapolated. A scenario was formed as a test of your intentions.”

“Mercy for a human! Defence over a fleshy girl, instead of the opportunity for universal destruction! Your allegiance cannot be guaranteed, your newfound kindness poses a threat to us all!”

The Master huffed, his hearts fighting within his chest. This couldn't be happening.

“It was you, wasn't it? You took took control of my Tardis-”

“YOUR COMPANION WILL BE DISPOSED OF. YOUR IMPRISONMENT IS A RESULT OF YOUR MERCY.”

“You fell into a trap that you simply could not resist. The draconian empire condemns you.”

“You’re going to kill her, and imprison me, just because you can't trust me to not be good!?”

“The safety of the alliance is paramount.  Your history of meddling in Dalek affairs, your part in the destruction of Skarro and our creator, the data cannot be ignored.”

The Master couldn't breathe. The surrounding forces were drawing closer and closer, surrounding him and his line of vision. The walls of the chamber had disappeared within the bodies of the alliance. They were really going to turn on him. They really intended to kill you.

“We will save our universe. From you!”

His mouth was dry. His palms were sweating, his breathing shallow, his rage burning like the brightest of suns. The Master glared upon the alliance, eyes twitching with inconsolable rage. This day had been long. He’d been tested far too much, pushed way too far. This morning he was lying in bed, embracing the warmth of the Tardis and your body against his own. But now his world was being stripped away from him. 

Angry didn't begin to cover it.

“Now you listen to me- you bring her back, you know for a fact the destruction of a Tardis in the Vortex will ripple through this universe. And then you’ll have me to deal with.”

“NEGATIVE. YOUR IMPRISONMENT CANNOT BE AVOIDED.”

“Your companion will perish. Your isolation will be permanent. This is confirmed.”

The Master let out a furious scream, a bitter yell that ripped harshly against the back of his throat. The tribe of Silurians hissed and stepped backwards, raising their weapons.

“LISTEN TO ME! If she dies, if my ship burns, I will rip this box apart inch by inch and I will destroy every single one of your ugly little races!”

His shoulders were heaving, spit flying from his mouth as he spat between gritted teeth.

“I will bring down destruction on every one of your stupid little planets and your silly little spaceships. I’m a Time Lord, my people have made a mockery of you since the days you formed on your tiny little rocks, floating through space. I’ll show you how merciful I can truly be as I kill you all slowly, one by one, so you can watch what happens when you think you can destroy me. I am the Master, and you will all pay for this!”

The Cyber leader stepped forwards, clenching a fist to its chest. It looked deep into the Master's eyes, its soulless black pits of metal mesh showing no humanity nor hesitation.

“SEAL THE PANDORICA.”

“Listen to me, you will obey me! The Tardis will implode, your worlds are in so much more danger than you could possibly realise!”

The heavy walls of the Pandorica began to slide shut. The Master was frantic, tugging and yanking against his bonds. Nothing. The metal locks were clasped tight, his body imprisoned and trapped against the seat. His eyes were enormous, his hair flopping from side to side as he continued to fight against the seat. Still, there was no way of escape. No amount of fighting would work. That didn't stop him from trying his best.

“The universe will rot and perish if you harm her! Everything you know will be nothing but ash, I promise you! All your suns, your moons, your hopes, I will destroy each and every one of them! You can't do this to me! I am the Master! You will obey me!”

The Master's words echoed through the Underhenge, bouncing off every wall and dissolving into the gathered crowd. The alliance watched on as the timelord begged for his freedom, promising destruction in his wake. But these were songs they had heard before. Plans ruined by opportune chance, and disappointing failure at the hands of his old friend.

“YOU WILL OBEY ME!”

The Master screamed, as the walls of the Pandorica finally snapped shut. With a hiss the edges of the box sealed together, the mechanical insides ticking away as the glowing green sides twisted and interlocked. As the box gave its last rumble, the Pandorica was finally sealed. The legendary trickster, the mischief maker that had destroyed worlds and brought down civilisations, finally locked within.

The Tardis hurtled through the Vortex, crashing against the walls of time, its engines phasing and crying out as the cloister bell rang from within. You crawled across the floor, scrambling back towards the console, fingers grasping onto anything they could purchase. Sparks flew beside your head, the cables linked to the belly of the console fizzing and pulsating as you begged the console to calm down. You’d been with her for years now, you knew how the Tardis would normally fly. This definitely wasn't her doing. This definitely wasn't her in control.

Your hand smacked hard against the side of the communicator, the line still ringing out every time. You’d tried to call the Master several times, each instance ringing and ringing with no return. He never refused to reply. You clutched on tight as another wave of turbulence hit the flight deck, the trinkets and knick-knacks you’d gathered on your travels tumbling from every shelf and crashing into nothingness against the floor. 

“Please, Master, answer me!”

Nothing. He simply wasn't there.

You couldn't cry yet, there was still hope. Or at least, you tried to convince yourself. You hoped for a miracle, for something that would help you regain control of the Tardis. You didn't want to die.

“Master, please! I’ve not got much time!”

Your calls were falling on deaf ears. Nothing was going to save you. A rogue spark suddenly flew from the console, knocking you backwards as the Tardis collided with the Vortex once more. You flung back towards the floor, head colliding with the hardwood as you fell. You felt the impact through your whole body, all strength slipping through your fingers as your eyelids felt heavy. From your position on the floor you could see out the window, the reflection of the flaming Tardis console bathing the Vortex in deep orange.

“Master, I love you, I'm sorry…”

You whispered, your vision beginning to fade. You gazed deeper into space, watching as the world shook and disappeared around you.

And as you blacked out, every star began to fade from the sky.

[steamworksandshadows]

Extremely Large Pile of Halloween Music Recs, 2020 Update!

(Reorganized a bit, and with a whole bunch more songs.)

Classical

Come Little Children - Erutan (ethereal classical)

Transylvanian Lullaby - Erutan (ethereal classical)

Transylvanian Lullaby - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (orchestral classical)

A History of Horror (album) - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 

Double Trouble - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (classical)

Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium - Camille Saint-Saens (eerie classical)

Danse Macabre - Camille Saint Saens (dark classical ballet)

Uranus, the Magician - Gustav Holst (orchestral classical)

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice - Paul Dukas (orchestral classical)

Night on Bald Mountain - Modest Mussorgsky (orchestral classical about witches)

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg (classical)

Dies Irae - Mozart (threatening choral/orchestral classical)

Don Giovanni, a cenar teco - Mozart (growly baritone/bass opera - the bit where Don Giovanni gets dragged to hell, both in the supernatural religious sense and in the modern internet slang sense)

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - Bach (classical pipe organ)

String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (III) - Shostakovich (classical string quartet)

Dance of the Knights - Sergei Prokofiev (classical)

Flowering Vines - Unwoman (ominous cello waltz)

The Carny of Mr Dark - Deathwatch Beetle Repairman (goth pipe organ)

Castlevania organ medley - Ulla Olsson (pipe organ)

This Is Halloween - Vitamin String Quartet (classical string quartet)

Vitamin String Quartet Performs The Nightmare Before Christmas (album)

The Vampire Masquerade - Peter Gundry (classical)

Waltz of the Bone King - Peter Gundry (classical)

Masquerade Suite: Waltz - Aram Khatchaturian (dark classical waltz)

The Comedians, Op. 26: Waltz - Kabalevsky (uneasy classical waltz)

Grim Grinning Ghosts - Myuu (instrumental piano)

Rock, alternative, rockabilly

Haunted - Ashcan Orchid (folk rock)

The Last Steampunk Waltz - Ghostfire (rock waltz)

Bad Moon Rising - Rasputina (cello metal)

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Apocalyptica (metal cello)

Get Your Kicks on Route 666 - Exdevils (metal)

Shoot The Zombies - Andrew Huang / Songs To Wear Pants To (sing-along folk)

Something Wicked That Way Went - Vernian Process (circus rock)

Dark Carnivale - Frenchy and the Punk (indie rock)

Come Alive (War Of The Roses) - Janelle Monae (rock)

Gallows - Coco Rosie (goth indie/alternative)

My Favorite Things - Youn Sun Nah (creepy vocal)

Annabel Lee - Psyche Corporation (electronic alternative)

The Devil Wears a Suit - Kate Miller-Heidke (alternative)

Toxic - Yael Naim (neo-folk)

Crazy For You - Venus de Vilo (indie rock)

Witchy Woman - The Eagles (classic rock)

Goodnight Moon - Shivaree (alternative)

Bela Lugosi’s Dead - Nouvelle Vague (alternative)

Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) - Concrete Blonde (alternative)

Tombstone - Suzanne Vega (alternative)

Off With Your Head - Mz Ann Thropik (alternative)

Poison Apple - Charlene Kaye (rock)

This Is The Night - Harry Potter soundtrack (rock)

Look Out Young Son - Grand Ole Party (rock)

Painkiller - Birdeatsbaby (rock)

Haunted - Frantic Flintstones (rockabilly)

Freaked Out and Psyched Out - Frantic Flintstones (album)

Zombie Riot - Batmobile (rockabilly)

Alice in psycholand - Nekromantix (rockabilly)

She’s My Witch - The Radiacs (rockabilly)

Werewolf - Southern Culture on the Skids (rockabilly)

Human Fly - The Cramps (rockabilly)

Munster Beat! - Martinibomb and The Coconut Monkeyrocket (‘60s pop remix?)

Circus punk, dark cabaret

Charmed, I’m Sure - Circus Contraption (dark circus cabaret)

We’re All Mad - Circus Contraption (dark circus cabaret)

Pink Elephants on Parade - Circus Contraption (dark cabaret)

The Last Waltz - The Magnificent Seven (dark cabaret waltz)

Tango de la Muerte - The Magnificent Seven (rock tango)

Bloody Bones - Beats Antique (dark circus waltz)

Monster Tango - Mucca Pazza (circus punk marching band)

Rumanian Dance No. 1 - Mucca Pazza (circus punk marching band)

Mr. Spider Goes Home to Spiderland - Mucca Pazza (circus punk marching band)

The Trouble - Birdeatsbaby (dark cabaret)

Theatre Noir - Robyn Cage (dark cabaret) (music video)

Jekyll and Hyde - Theoretics (hip-hop)

Lament for a Toy Factory - Dr. Steel (circus rock)

Bogeyman Boogie - Dr. Steel (circus rock)

Circus Apocalypse - Vermillion Lies (dark cabaret)

When You’re Evil - Voltaire (dark cabaret)

BRAINS! - Voltaire (dark cabaret)

Careless Whisper (cover) - Unwoman (electronic cabaret)

Katrinah Josephina - Universal Hall Pass (a capella)

Buried in Water - Dead Man’s Bones (dark waltz)

Metropolitan Waltz - Orpheum Bell (folk waltz)

The Buccaneers’ Waltz - GurdyBird (electronic folk?)

Black Waltz - Amber Asylum (electronic circus thing)

Creepy Clown Symphony - Myuu (self-explanatory)

Americana, bluegrass, blues, soul, funk

In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company - The Dead South (Americana)

Stranger - The Devil Makes Three (Americana)

First and Last Waltz - Nickel Creek (Americana)

Ghosts of Mississippi - The Steeldrivers (bluegrass)

7 Devils - The Goddamn Gallows (bluegrass, rock)

Old devils - William Elliot Whitmore (bluegrass)

Death Come Creeping - Stefan Grossman (bluegrass)

The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie - Colter Wall (Americana)

Shankill Butchers - Sarah Jarosz (Americana)

Hellhound - Shawn James (acoustic blues)

Voodoo Woman - Koko Taylor (blues)

Your Hoodoo Man - Studebaker John & The Hawks (blues)

Voodoo - The Neville Brothers (New Orleans soul)

Voodoo - Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons (soul, funk)

The Witch Queen of New Orleans - Redbone (funk)

I Put a Spell on You - Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (rock ‘n roll)

Jazz, swing

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Duke Ellington (jazz)

I Put a Spell on You - Nina Simone (slow jazz)

I Put a Spell on You - Morgan James (slow jazz)

Old Devil Moon - Frank Sinatra (jazz)

Black Magic Woman - Janice Hagan and Kenny Vehkavaara (jazz)

I’d Rather Be Burned As A Witch - Eartha Kitt (jazz)

Thriller (1930s Jazz Cover) ft. Wayne Brady - Postmodern Jukebox (swing) (alternate link)

The Devil With The Devil - Larry Clinton Orchestra (swing)

Swingin’ at the Seance - Glenn Miller (big band swing)

Spooks - Louis Armstrong (swing)

The Headless Horseman - Bing Crosby (swing)

Skeleton Jangle - Dan Levinson’s Roof Garden Jass Band (swing)

Resurrection Waltz - Lee Presson and the Nails (big band waltz)

Spooky - Puppini Sisters (Andrews Sisters-style swing)

Headless Horseman - Kay Starr (swing)

Hell (Remastered 2016) - Squirrel Nut Zippers (swing)

Ghost of Stephen Foster - Squirrel Nut Zippers (swing)

Memphis Exorcism (Remastered 2016) - Squirrel Nut Zippers (swing)

Boogie Man - Lee Presson and the Nails (swing)

Rattlin’ Bones - Preservation Hall Jazz Band (New Orleans swing)

Save My Soul - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (New Orleans swing)

Skeletons in the Closet - Louis Armstrong (swing)

Skeletons in the Closet - The Moon-Rays (swing)

The Mack - Beat Circus (swing - doesn’t seem very Halloween at first, until the tuba player gets murdered in the middle of the song. I swear it makes sense.)

Balrog Boogie - Diablo Swing Orchestra (swing)

Voodoo Mon Amour - Diablo Swing Orchestra (swing)

The House Is Haunted - Casa Loma Orchestra (swing)

Skeleton Jangle - Viva La Rocca (swing)

Two Little Men in a Flying Saucer - Ella Fitzgerald (swing)

Grim Grinning Ghosts - The Dapper Dans (barbershop)

Grim Grinning Ghosts - The Dapper Dans (in person) (barbershop)

Halloween Medley - The Cadaver Dans (barbershop)

Pop

Full Moon Tonight - Silvastone feat. Bellsaint (pop)

Demons - Hayley Kiyoko (pop)

Season of the Witch - Lana del Rey (pop)

A Little Wicked - Valerie Broussard (pop)

Halloween - Aqua (pop)

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - violin/cello/bass cover - Simply Three (electronic pop)

Shoot The Zombies (Pink Fluffy Unicorns Remix) - Andrew Huang (happy pop)

I Put a Spell on You (no movie dialogue) - Winifred Sanderson (pop musical)

Electro-swing

Fear & Delight - The Correspondents (electro-swing)

Midnight - Caravan Palace (electro-swing) (alternate link)

Midnight - Swingrowers (different electro-swing)

Old House - Dirty Honkers (electro-swing)

Devil’s Samba - Sim Gretina (Latin-flavored electro-swing)

Devil’s Got My Soul - Victor and the Bully (rock/electro-swing)

Cuphead: Railroad Wrath (Electro-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (electro-swing)

Cuphead: One Hell of a Time (Electro-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (electro-swing)

Bendy and the Ink Machine: The Devil’s Swing - Fandroid (electro-swing)

Bendy and the Ink Machine: The Devil’s Swing (Glitch-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (glitch-swing)

Undertale: Spider Dance (Glitch-Swing Remix) - The Musical Ghost (glitch-swing)

Undertale: Spider Dance (Sim Gretina Remix) - Sim Gretina (funk/glitch/chiptune)

Luigi’s Mansion (Remix) - Qumu Music (chiptune, electro-swing)

Undertale: Ghost Fight & Dummy (Peggy Suave Swing Remix) - Sim Gretina (electro-swing)

Electronica, EDM

Backstreet Bones: Everycorpse - Sim Gretina (uhhh…spoopy Halloween EDM remix of Backstreet Boys? If you click on nothing else, click on this one. It’s very worth it, I promise.)

Macabre Rotting Girl Feat. Kathy-chan - Sim Gretina (adorable electro)

Sim Gretina feat. Kathy chan: Let The Monsters Free (µThunder Remix) - µThunder (EDM) 

Ghost in the Machine - PrototypeRaptor (complextro)

Spooky Tune - PrototypeRaptor (complextro)

Nullifcation [Underground] (Legend of Zelda remix) - PrototypeRaptor (grimy EDM)

Grim Grinning Ghost (Remix) - The Living Tombstone (EDM)

Undertale: Megalovania (Sim Gretina Remix) - Sim Gretina (EDM)

Undertale: Spooktune (Sim Gretina Remix) - Sim Gretina (EDM)

Spooky Scary Skeletons (Remix) - The Living Tombstone (EDM)

Warren Zevon: Werewolves of London (Daheen Rmx) - Daheen (psytrance)

Interlude: Limbo - Yoshimasu Kamiya (ambient horror)

Bloodstone - Amon Tobin (atmospheric glitch)

Volk - Thom Yorke (ambient horror)

The Horror - RJD2 (instrumental hip-hop)

Crybaby - Drum & Lace (indescribable brooding atmospheric)

The Kid Who Drowned At Summer Camp - Hot Sugar (instrumental hip-hop)

The Darkest Evening of the Year - Emancipator (downtempo)

Halloween Funtime REMIXMONSTRousMASHup - Pretty Lights (EDM)

HALLOWEEN Theme Song (DJ Deville Trap Remix) - DJ Deville (trap)

The Oogie Boogie (Man) - Duke Skellington (glitch-hop)

Stranger Things Theme Song (Michael Jobity & The Foreign Machine Remix) - Michael Jobity, The Foreign Machine (synthwave - my personal favorite remix of this theme)

Stranger Things Theme Song (C418 REMIX) - C418 (synthwave)

Stranger Things (Louis Futon Flip) - Louis Futon (chillstep)

Stranger Things Theme (Slicey Remix) - Slicey (trap)

Stranger Things - Theme Song (Oscar Wylde Trap Remix) - Oscar Wylde (trap)

Ghostbusters (Kill Paris Remix) - Kill Paris (EDM, future funk - by far my favorite remix of the Ghostbusters theme)

The Ghostbusters Theme (Remix) - The Living Tombstone (EDM)

Ghostbusters Remix - Matheo (EDM)

Ghostbusters Remix - Fat Noize (dubstep)

Lady Gaga: Monster (Starfuckers Remix) - Starfuckers (EDM)

Lady Gaga: Monster (Chew Fu Remix) - Chew Fu (electro-house)

Michael Jackson: Thriller (James Egbert Remix) - James Egbert (electro-house)

Michael Jackson - Thriller [The Reflex Halloween Disco Edit] - The Reflex (moody, indescribable IDM(?))

Beetlejuice (Dubstep Mix) - Figure (dubstep)

The Addams Family (Figure Remix) - Figure (dubstep)

Hedwig’s Theme (KE KRA’s Trap Remix) - KE KRA (trap)

Stress - Justice (French electronic…something)

Things I thought were funny

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah - 30 Rock (parody novelty record)

A Hard Days Night of the Living Dead - The Zombeatles (zombie rock)

Schüttel deinen Speck - Peter Fox (witches’ dance video) (the track by itself)

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Portsmouth Sinfonia (experimental orchestra from the ‘70s - google them, you absolutely will not regret it)

Gangnam Busters - FAROFF (Ghostbusters/Gangnam Style mashup - annoyingly, it works far better than you think it will)