#but after book 8 and now into 9 i just don't want to see any more of min/rand than the books are already forcing me to lmao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

http-tokki · 8 months

Text

need to know

~ choso kamo x fem!reader (tattoo artist choso au) ~tags/cw: tattoo artist choso, fem reader, tattoo artist au, tattoos, needles, satosugu is canon, modern au, choso has a scar over his nose instead of his markings, strangers to friend to lovers (strangers rn) tiny lil man verbal bashing cause men are weak lil babies when getting tattoos, reader is a lil chubby, choso is on antidepressants, smoking/vaping, drinking ~ wc: 2.9k ~ "Dude, he is so fucking hot. I wasn't expecting him to look like that!! What do I do?!! Help?!?"

You: Wednesday 8:45pm Hi, I was just wondering if your books were still open? It says they are in your bio but in case I've missed it and they're closed, please ignore this message, sorry! :)

Kamo: Wednesday 9:23pm Hey. No, they are still open. When were you looking to book? Do you have a specific design? Or are you looking for a flash?

You: Thursday 11:36am Oh, hi, awesome! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I was looking to book next month, towards the end. On a weekend if that would be possible (I don't mind the time), and for the design, just a flash (design 3A) on your latest post on my upper arm, around 15-20cm. :)

You: Thursday 11:52pm Unless you think it should be smaller or somewhere else, I'm not picky! I really want something of yours tattooed on me :)

Kamo: Thursday 12:15pm Sure, no problem! I have the 24th free at 12pm. Does that work for you? The spot and size are fine, but I'll make up smaller and bigger stencils on the day in case you change your mind. The total would be $600 for the piece. However, I require a $100 deposit to secure your spot. I can send you the payment details once you confirm your interest. Please read through my FAQs on cancellation policies and further information.

You: Thursday 12:20pm 24th at 12pm is perfect! Thank you!! I'll send a deposit through now! Ahh, so excited! :)

Kamo: Thursday 1:07pm You're welcome. Here is the link x. Please send a screenshot of your payment as proof. For the rest of the amount, I accept cash only. If you have any other questions, feel free to message me. See you on the 24th.

You: Thursday 3:30pm Sending it now! Yay! Thank you so much! Super excited, see you! :)

Kamo: Thursday 4:35 pm Seen

"I sound like an idiot, don't I?" you grumble as your friend reads over your chat with a tattoo artist.

You watch your friend tilt their glasses down, squinting at the screen as their mouth curls into a grimace. They try to hide it with a sniffle, disguising their obvious disgust over your intense enthusiasm.

"Not an idiot," they hand the phone back to you, a frown set in the crooked way it always did when they were uncomfortable. "Just really, really eager, which can be cute if you like that."

Choso is growing tired.

At what? There are too many contributing factors to the headache that had begun blooming his eyes five minutes after stepping into the studio to pinpoint the main culprit of his budding exhaustion. Maybe it was the late night/early morning combo, or perhaps it was the horrific lack of water and food he hadn't consumed in the last twenty-four hours. When was the last time he had taken his medication? Choso begins to run through the previous days in an attempt to remember when he had even glanced at the Zoloft sheet sitting in the bottom drawer of his trolley, but his attention is diverted from his lack of self-care to the man sitting in his tattoo chair.

It is coming up on the two-hour mark since his client walked in. With a brazen attitude that could rival a Greek god, the man had outlined what had to be the simplest fucking tattoo known to man. Choso had rolled his eyes at the frankly impressive and thorough drawing done by the twenty-something gym bro before shifting the paper off to his younger brother.

"Come on, it's easy! An hour tops, and then you've got like two fifty in your hand! You technically owe me an observation session, and this can be it." Yuji had gripped his brother's sleeve, tugging on it the way he used to when they were kids.

Taking in his younger half-brother as his apprentice was a good idea in theory. The two lived and worked together, so there was ample time for obvs and practice, but today was already busy, and Choso was feeling like complete and utter shit.

"Yuji, I don't want to do this. I have a client coming in at twelve for a full session, and I've got this headache and-"

"It's easy money, come on! Please." it technically was easy money. The design was a small band wrapped around the bicep, with no adornments or script, just a flat black line; it was the client himself that made Choso apprehensive.

"Fine." Choso sighed, and Yuji almost jumped into the air in excitement. "You prep and clean him; I'm not doing anything but the actual tattoo."

Yuji nodded eagerly and just about ran into the front room to confirm the walk-in appointment.

That was almost two hours ago, and Choso is still here, finishing up the outlines of the band on a guy twice his size but carrying on like a toddler. Each touch of the needle on skin had the man flinching and hissing through his teeth, and there is only so much Choso could take.

Choso eyes the clock nervously, his next appointment slot ticking closer but the second. There isn't going to be enough time to get out and grab a coffee or snack from the corner store. After another quick glance at the amount of work before him, Choso calls it fifteen minutes to twelve and clicks off the tattoo gun with a disappointed sigh.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but we might have to split this into two sessions."

He looks back over at this current client, who is sweating profusely. It takes everything in him to scowl in disgust at the once brazen man before him, but not the look on his client's face; Choso knows some form of repugnance had slipped through his composure.

"Yeah, sure, man, no sweat," the client replies, relief blatant in his sigh. "Sorry for taking so many breaks. I've got a weak pain tolerance."

That makes Choso feel a little bad.

"You're fine. I've just got a pre-booked client coming in like ten and need to set up." A little lie to hurry the man up.

Hope is so close. So attainable that Choso can almost feel the sun on his face, but the shop bells slice through any dream of a break.

"Hi, I'm here for my twelve with Kamo?"

Choso slouches, attention now on the conversation happening in the front room. It's not even twelve yet! Why would she be here so early?

"Yep! We've got you down for twelve, but Choso's still with someone, so if you wanna wait here, that's okay!" Yuji giggles in response.

"Ohh, I'm just here to ask if umm…Choso wanted a coffee or anything?" his name is a question on her tongue. "I'm going to go get one and wanted to ask if anyone wanted anything so you don't have to wait in line."

That's nice. Choso thinks and leans back on his chair, attempting to glimpse his new client, who has Yuji giggling at every word.

"I was just about to step out to get coffee so I can come with you, but I can get Cho's; you don't need to pay for him." Another giggle. God, his younger brother is shameless.

"That's okay! I can get them; just write your orders down so I don't forget!" the girl insists.

"Ohh, but-"disappointment fills Yuji's voice.

"Yuji, can you come here please!" Choso shouts down the hall, pulling his brother away from his new crush.

Yuji groans, then the shop bells ring again, and then the sound of footsteps shuffles down the hall.

"Yes?"

"Can you wrap him up and finish the payment? I need a smoke." Choso rolled back from the bed, handing over the second skin he has yet to unwrap.

Choso's brother sighs but offers the male client a friendly smile, sits down in the now vacant rollaway stool, and begins to prep the skin for wrap-up.

"I'll be back in five; if anyone needs me, tell them to wait." Choso grumbles the last part and offers a stiff wave to his current client before disappearing into the hall.

The knots in Choso's shoulder have been building for days now, and no amount of rolling or stretching seems to relieve the tension in his muscles, but it is nice to stretch and feel the blood move around him again. Heavy boots echo through the small shop as he stalks to the front desk, floorboards creaking under the weight of thick rubber soles. His fingers slip into his back pocket to reach for the small pack of menthols hastily shoved down after the abrupt end of his morning break.

Stepping out into the world, Choso is blinded by the sun. Having forgotten about the passage of time while being stuck indoors all day, he now stands stunned in the small alcove of the shop's entrance. The sun nears the centre of the sky, beating down the world in a heat never seen before. It wasn't even the beginning of summer, and the sweltering days were breaking temperature records. Choso shields his eyes with a hand, and even then, his vision is blurred as his retinas adjust.

The street is quiet; an abnormal silence had fallen over the usually busy road, but with the rising blistering temps, he suspects people aren't willing to brave the heat to shop or eat. Choso finds the familiar recess in the wall, a door had been there years ago but has long since been boarded up and now acts as refuge for him and his brother. Through any weather, time of day or season, the small alcove is a sanctuary for tired and burnt-out artists needing a second away from the constant buzz of tattoo guns.

Choso scans the few open cafes and bars for his mystery client. Mainly office workers on lunch break and mothers with strollers waiting for the afternoon pick up; he can't see anyone that fits the image he had concocted in his mind on the short walk over until he spots a girl standing in line across the way. The tattoos that adorn her legs are what Choso notices first. Patchwork pieces from different artists in black and white with pops of colour here and there, but for the most part are monochromatic, all spaced far enough to be their own pieces but not so much that they seem gap-y. He is impressed at the choice, knowing that when getting patchwork pieces, they are usually slapped in any available location, but from what he can see, every piece flowed into each other and told a story against her skin. Her arms are equally as covered, though with more room, and he is eager to see the works up close. A flash of pink catches his attention, and he narrows his attention on the pink My Melody backpack that she swings at her side, pink wallet clutched in her free hand as she shifts her weight from her toes to her heels. Choso smirks at the bag and finds himself willing her to turn so he can see the face of the girl who we had been staring at for the past five minutes.

He is staring and he needs to stop before he gets caught. Shifting his attention from the random woman, he fishes out his phone and focuses on the seemingly endless DMs and texts stacked on the lock screen. Sometimes, he wonders if he really should have gone into a career where his livelihood relied on communicating with strangers. With expert precision and one hand, he pulls a cigarette from the crumpled packet and slips the filter between his teeth. Biting down the filter, the taste of menthol fills his mouth, and relief floods his veins before settling in the deep groves of his brain. The cigarette isn't even lit yet, but his nervous system knows that the taste of mint will soon be followed by nicotine, and all will be well for a few minutes. Breaking the habit of smoking has been on Choso's New Year's resolution lists for the past three years, but he only ever lasts a few weeks before turning back to the comfort of those overpriced joints. Maybe next year will be the year. Choso digs through his pockets, fingers grasping for the lighter he keeps in his right pant pocket, but there is nothing. Maybe the other side? Still nothing. Third pocket? Fourth pocket? Nada. Zilch. Zero. Fuck.

There isn't enough time to go back inside to search for matches, and he had already popped the filter and doesn't want to waste the smoke, but it would get gross sitting in the packet- his headache grew.

"Choso?" a soft voice asks from above.

Choso looks up from his lap and is greeted by the most stunning woman he has ever seen. Breathing is no longer automatic as he stares at you, and when his lungs start to contract almost painfully, he realises and takes in an all too obvious breath.

It wasn't fair to look like that. With the sun illuminating your silhouette, cradling you in an angelic aura that has Choso debating on whether he should get on his knees and pray to you, but too much time has passed since you spoke and he acknowledged you that he has to say something, but all he can manage is a muffled yeah?

"I'm your twelve, but you look like you need a light?" you hold out a bright pink light between pretty pink manicured fingers.

Choso offers a tight-lipped smile to prevent the cigarette from falling from his mouth and takes the lighter, flicking it to life. "Thanks, I owe ya."

He holds the flame to the tobacco, and only when it glows bright does he pull the disposable away.

"It didn't cost me anything, so nothing to owe."

There is a beat of silence as you throw the light back into your bag before bending down to pick up the coffee you had set at your feet. "Also, a coffee." another offer towards him.

"The guy at the desk gave me your order, and I always buy my artists something before a session. I'm not hitting on you."

Your admission of this not being a move stirs something in him. Choso accepts the cold cup with a soft thank you, angling his hand away from yours, careful not to burn you with the lit smoke.

"I'll meet you inside. Give you a moment to yourself." you nod towards the door of the studio, feet already turning to start walking towards the entrance.

He watches you walk away, a smile creeping on his face despite not knowing why. You're as cute from the front as you are from the back, and he's glad the girl he had seen in the coffee shop is you. Soft curves make up your figure, dipping at your waist before filling out again over your bust. Choso feels his stomach twist in that familiar feeling, but he can't think of you like that; you're a client and nothing more. There is a mesmerising way in which you walk that has Choso unable to look away, and even when you've stepped into the studio, his gaze lingers on the empty space you once stood in until the rancid taste of burnt filter fills his mouth. Never in his life has he been as thankful for coffee as he is in that moment when burnt paper fills his senses. Taking a big gulp of the sweet but still bitter drink, it takes everything in him not to spit in the street, but he was raised better than that and will wait until he is in the small bathroom to spit up the gross contents.

When Choso returns, you are sitting on the small couch in the waiting room, filling out consent forms. Head down as you read the number of your ID and scribe it down in the open line; he walks past you, suddenly horrified by his heavy choice of shoe. The thick thud of the rubber soles on the hardwood has you lifting your head and smiling at your artist. Choso feels his stomach flip.

"So," Choso starts, but the smoke still in his throat chokes the word. He clears his throat and restarts his sentence. "So, do you smoke, or do you just carry the lighter?"

"My best friend smokes, so I just carry it 'cause you never know when you're gonna need a light." Your laugh is contained, almost forced, as if the interaction you are having is uncomfortable for you. Had he done something wrong?

"Ohh." Is his only reply as you return to the balanced folder on your lap.

Another moment of silence before Choso steps towards the hall. "I'll let Yuji check you in, and then just come in when you're ready." Had he already made you that uncomfortable in the two minutes you had spoken outside? Choso takes a deep breath as he steps into his space and suddenly wishes the whiney baby was the one getting tattooed.

You: Saturday 12:05pm Dude, he is so fucking hot. I wasn't expecting him to look like that!! What do I do?!! Help?!?

Number ONE best friend: Saturday 12:06pm suck his dick? ik guys like that :P

You: Saturday 12:06pm Idk what I expected from you. I need actual advice, please Saturo. U owe me!

Number ONE best friend: Saturday 12:07pm ooh first name, you're kinda scary. Okay, here is what you do. You act like a normal human and then flirt a lil and suss out if he's into it and then ask him out to drinks?

You: Saturday 12:08pm That works if I KNEW HOW TO FLIRT. Ugh im screwed, he's so fine fuck

Number ONE best friend: Saturday 12:09pm eww, you're getting ur jizz all over the screen. just breathe and be normal okay, pretend he's me.

You: Saturday 12:10pm Ignoring the first comment. Im gonna sneak a pic and show u BRO YOU NEED TO SEE HIM

Number ONE best friend: 12:10pm creepy but okeeeeyyy. Sugu also says to breathe and be normal but to ignore anything you think I would do

You: Saturday 12:11pm Thanks, Suguru, please kill him for me, ill talk to u guys in a bit

Number ONE best friend: good luck bestie 8======D

a/n: okay so there is going to be a part two but I'm not sure when, please give me feedback if you want it or want me to stop, put the laptop down and go outside lmao lil texting format, lemme know how y'all feel about that

444 notes · View notes

ladykailitha · 30 days

Text

Well Met By Moonlight Part 14

Hey all! Because I'm working strictly on Paper Hearts and Sweet Home Indiana exclusively until they're done, I thought I would put out chapters of this, Icarus (metal band), and Never Hold Back Your Step...(boy with a bat book 2) this week to tie you over until I can get back to them.

The poll wanted me to continue this one and Never Hold Back Your Step, so show me how much you love this story. Because people it is going to get juicy good and hella twisty and you really don't want to miss out on that. ;)

This is a very Nancy heavy chapter and as always she comes off very nuanced.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13

****

Steve had two thorns in his side. Tommy Hagan and Murray Bauman. Jonathan had gotten his mom and Hopper to back down by citing actual pack law.

He suspected that Nancy had given him that little tidbit to throw in their faces.

It was nice to have the younger generation on his side. Well, most of it. There was still the matter of Tommy.

But now it was time to let Nancy in on what had been going on in the pack.

“I wish you had come to me sooner,” she huffed after he had explained everything and shown her his proof.

“Would you have come to me if the shoe was on the other foot?” Steve asked sharply.

She folded her arms and looked down at the ground. Steve raised an eyebrow at her and she threw her arms in the air.

“Fine!” Nancy cried, throwing her arms in the air. “I wouldn’t have gone to you, I would have gone to Jonathan first. But at least I would have gone to another pack member instead of a keeper, Steve.”

Steve curled his lip and she took a step backward. “Keepers are bound to a scared trust and while Tommy has broken his, Robin would never.”

“Platonic soulmates, I know, I know,” she said, rolling her eyes. “So you keep saying. But she isn’t your female alpha, she isn’t even a werewolf Steve.”

Steve drew himself up to full height and glared at her. “At what has this pack done to show me any loyalty? It goes both ways, Nance and frankly all I’ve gotten since I came back to the pack is suspicion and distrust. Where’s my loyalty, huh? Where is it?”

She looked down at her feet again and sighed. “You weren’t a pack member for ten years, Steve and then you come back, in just a year you’re alpha. Like the rest of us have grown up together. Played together as children and then as puppies when we changed. We know everything about each other, but nothing about you. Then you start to change things and we’re just supposed to take it?”

“Yeah?” he said. “Okay, I’ll walk away. Hopper can take over or hell, give it straight to Murray. He’s the one that wanted it so bad after Hop was taken. See how you fare under his alphaship. If you guys have no loyalty to me, I’ve got none to you.”

He shook his head and walked away.

“Steve!” she cried. “Wait!”

Steve whirled back to face her. “What? You wanted me gone, so I’m leaving.”

“Of course I don’t want you to leave!” she huffed. “God, that wasn’t what I meant at all.”

“No?” he growled. “Because that’s what it fucking sounded like Nancy. What? You think Jonathan would be a better fit?” Nancy didn’t answer but her look said it all. “Because let me tell you, the Byers boys are the best of us, but both are straight up pacifists. They would make for terrible alphas.”

Nancy refused to look at him.

“And besides,” Steve finished with a smug grin, “Jonathan would back me in a fight for alpha, not challenge me and you fucking know it.”

She let out a long sigh. “God, how did you get so smart?”

“I’ve always been, thanks,” he huffed. “School stuff? I’m absolute shit at, but leadership and knowing the right play for the whole team? That comes as naturally to me as breathing. I don’t know it’s all the sports or if I was good at sports because of the natural ability to lead. Either way, there is no adult male in this pack better suited for alphaship and you can’t argue that.”

She looked up and stomped her foot. “I hate it when you’re right.”

“You better get used to it,” Steve said with a wink. “It’s going to happen a lot.”

Nancy clenched her fists and set her jaw. “You are the best leader for the pack as much as it literally pains me to say it, but you have to understand that all we saw was how rich and popular you were in high school. Captain of several teams, friends with Tommy and Carol even though you weren’t pack. King Steve. And then you come back to the pack after high school and the first chance you get you challenge for alpha and fucking win. That fight with Murray was the most brutal fight I’ve ever seen.”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “In what way?”

“You don’t fight like a wolf, even in wolf form,” she muttered. “You don’t even fight like an animal most of the time. It’s like... the wolf is only a vessel for you. Instead of being ingrained into your psyche like it is for the rest of us, you are still aware. You fight the way a human would if suddenly given four legs and a tail. It’s frightening to watch.”

He blinked as he thought about the implications of that. “I don’t have the socialization of a wolf pack, so I fight and think differently. That’s why everyone is worried about where I’ll take the pack. Because you think I’ll try to separate you from your wolf.”

Nancy bit her lower lip. “Exactly that.”

Steve nodded and then transformed. “So teach me how to be a wolf.”

She smiled and transformed, too. Maybe they weren’t friends, but they could be allies and Steve was okay with that.

****

Nancy had learned a lot that day. About Steve and why he didn’t know how to be a wolf and it was a secret she would take to her grave. She learned that she was only the fourth person ever to know about what really went on at the Franklins. Behind Wayne; who was there; Robin, his best friend; and Eddie, his boyfriend.

And if Steve was to be believed, and she had no reason not to, Wayne had told Eddie, not him.

So she was the second person Steve had personally told and that was a lot of trust he had placed in her.

But it also stirred memories in her mind of the day the pack had been informed that the Harrington’s were dead and that Steve was going to be living with another couple until he came of age.

She had been pretty young herself, but she remembered how Wayne and Hopper had almost come to blows about it.

Hopper had yelled that the pack was as safe as houses and Wayne said the house was a condemned building.

She remembered it because she thought the phrase was hilarious. But regardless there was someone else who was there. Someone who was fighting to keep Steve in the pack, but she couldn’t remember.

Nancy rubbed her forehead between her eyebrows as she thought.

She shook her head.

She had bigger fish to fry. Steve’s threat about banishing those that had threatened his alphaship had stirred up a lot of feelings in the pack that she as female alpha had to try and smooth out.

The pack had only banished two people ever since Hopper had taken over the remains of the shattered Harrington pack after Wayne had torn them to literal pieces.

Just then she heard an argument break out. Josh had been swapped out for Chase and she could hear his raised voice.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Pat?!” Chase hissed. “Joining these flea-bitten mongrels?”

Nancy frowned. Maybe Chase should have come to the compound first, rather than Josh, because it sounded like Chase had been overly influenced by Billy’s style.

“How about not dying?” Patrick snapped back. “Billy wasn’t going to change me and Steve was willing to try. Vampire’s don’t need consent to change you, but werewolves do. And so yeah. I fucking consented. I didn’t want to die.”

“Better dead than a werewolf,” Chase said. “Hanging out with the vamps was fun. But all this is hard work and the stench of rotting meat.”

Nancy reached a point in the woods where she could see them, but they couldn’t see her.

Patrick shook his head. “He saved me twice, Chase. Even Jason is impressed by how respectful Steve had been about the whole thing, especially since we nearly killed him.”

Chase blanched. After those six weeks at the coven, he had forgotten the reason for the whole exchange program in the first place. That they could have been thrown in jail for attempted murder.

He looked down at the ground. “Shit, man. I didn’t mean it like that. Of course you’re grateful to Harrington for saving your ass. It’s just so much has changed in so little time that I loss track of all that...other bullshit.”

Patrick sighed. “I know, it all seems like it’s from another life. But Wayne has said that he’s going to recommend to the DA that we get a year of community service under his eye and it won’t go on our permanent record so we can still go to college.”

“That’s decent of him,” Chase said. “He could have made things really bad for you.”

Patrick shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think Jason is being genuine. He’s still angry about getting caught by Eddie Munson of all people.”

Chase frowned. The rivalry between Jason and Eddie Munson was the stuff of legends. Jason would bully the Hellfire Club kids, and Eddie would stand on table tops in the cafeteria ranting about basketball players were only good at putting big orange balls in laundry baskets.

It was actually Eddie and not Billy who had stepped in between Chrissy Cunningham and Jason when he found out she was a vampire and not some pure Christian girl who would stay at home once they were married and pump out his babies.

Chrissy could have defended herself considering how strong she was as a vampire, but Eddie had still stepped between them. Chase was sure that if the principal hadn’t walked by just then, that Jason would have decked Eddie.

“Especially now that Eddie is the same supe Chrissy is,” he said slowly.

Patrick nodded. “I worry he’s going to get caught up in something that might get himself killed.”

“Jason is such a bone head,” Chase said shaking his head. “Why did we follow this guy again?”

Patrick threw back his head and laughed. “Because he was captain of the basketball team, dating the head cheerleader, and hot as fuck.”

Chase let out a startled snorted. “Yeah, okay. You’ve got me there.”

They moved away from the clearing and there was a tap on Nancy’s shoulder.

She yelped and whirled around, coming face to face with Murray.

“Jesus!” she hissed, putting her hand on her chest as she fought to catch her breath.

“You shouldn’t be eavesdropping on people,” he said with a smarmy smile.

She returned his smile with a tight lipped version of her own. “Well, you would only know I was eavesdropping, if you were doing the same thing. A bit pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?”

He tilted his head and regarded her with interest. “I can see why Steve would chose you as his alpha female. So smart. Just don’t go digging holes you can’t jump out of.”

He slipped into the shadows of the woods and she felt a shiver down her spine.

She had been so wrapped up in the drama with Steve that she had neglected her duties as alpha female.

Well that changed today. She would get to the bottom of this and give Steve her full support. Like a proper female alpha.

****

Tag List:

1- @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

2- @spectrum-spectre @zerokrox-blog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie

3- @chaosgremlinmunson @goodolefashionedloverboi @bookbinderbitch @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach

4- @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv

5- @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @bookworm0690 @littlewildflowerkitten @vecnuthy

6- @scheodingers-muppet @just-a-tiny-void @potato-of-the-lord @goosesister @tinyplanet95

7- @she-collects-smut @irregular-child @y4r3luv @fairytalesreality @anaibis

8- @papergrenade @ravenfrog @fullpoetrybread

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #werewolf steve harrington #vampire eddie munson #supernatural creatures

106 notes · View notes

ponett · 6 months

Text

Bobby's 2023 Media Wrap-Up

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

(Yes! This is long!!)

Some notes:

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

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

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

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

COLOR KEY

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

January

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

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

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

February

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April

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

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

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

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

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

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

May

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

August

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

October

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

December

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Halo Infinite multiplayer

IDW Sonic the Hedgehog (main series + specials)

One Piece

Chainsaw Man

My Hero Academia (not caught up)

The JOJOlands (not caught up)

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

Freedom Planet 2

Hi-Fi Rush

Live A Live

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Picross 3D Round 2

Rhythm Heaven MegaMix

Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team ProtoMan

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Spark the Electric Jester 3

Sonic Dream Team

One Piece (Wano arc, anime)

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

Astro Boy (2003 anime)

Futurama (original run rewatch)

One Piece (manga reread)

The Amazing Spider-Man (Lee/Ditko era)

Scott Pilgrim series (reread)

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

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

Favorite indie game: Pseudoregalia

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

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

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

Favorite live action show: Barry

Favorite anime: Pluto

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

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

Favorite Western cartoon: Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake

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

Favorite documentary: Double Fine PsychOdyssey

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

Favorite manga: Chainsaw Man

Favorite older manga that I only read this year: Berserk

Favorite Western comic book: Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers

Favorite album: HELLMODE (Jeff Rosenstock)

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

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

285 notes · View notes

squirrellypoo · 1 month

Text

Ep8 "What Can The Damned Really Say To The Damned" rewatch thoughts (Part 1)

On my third rewatch of the first episode of season 2, I noticed a ton more than I had before. Whether that's because it was on a brighter tv screen, or just that my initial buzz had stopped overloading my cognitive functions, who knows.

In any case, here's my first 10 things I missed!

Just after the massacre of soldiers at the checkpoint - Louis spits something out as they walk away. Did he also help kill them? Is that a tooth or something? I love the idea that Louis is doing a lot more human hunting that he ever lets on...

2. “Or is it the sleep of an infant? Tabula rasa” - I had to look up this term because I'd not heard it before, but it's roughly the philosophical idea that babies’ minds are born as a blank slate. (Wikipedia)

3. Just before Louis complains that he’s cold, you can see that the bonfire is using a dead soldier as fuel. Additionally, he's talking about his refusal to burn Lestat as they huddle around it (nice touch, sicko writers!).

4. Obviously I knew that the "Huns" were German soldiers, but I wasn't sure what “Beasts of Ivan” was referring to... Russian forces? Or Ivan the Terrible (Treblinka guard)? TBH, even after googling, I'm still not entirely sure.

5. Oh god the skeletons of the vampires they discover - Louis and Claudia don’t know to scatter the ashes so their souls are still likely trapped in there?? 😭 (See also: Daciana after the fire…)

6. The Dubai staff member taking Louis’s blood dish away is wearing a face mask and gloves but Real Rashid is wearing gloves but no mask… Who do we know that did that in season 1, eh?? 👀

7. Now, this might not be anything but I thought it was interesting that you can see Louis’s breath in the sequence with Hallucistat (whose breath you can also see). So does that mean he's fed recently to be warm enough to do so? There was a great story on the Truest Blood podcast where the actors talked about needing to suck on ice cubes so that their breath didn't show up on camera, and that detail really stuck with me.

8. Louis says “I had taken 7,000 souls by then.” Ok, let's do some maths - 7,000 divided by 35 years is 200 per year, or 3.5 per week. That's roughly one murder every other day, which seems like a lot for someone claiming to be a vegetarian?? Like, was he killing several a night in the early years with Lestat (the "blood-drunken night in Baton Rogue", for instance), and for the past several years with Claudia? Sure, we see him bite a rat here, but he's clearly killing more than he wants to admit to himself...

9. The little boy that Morgan bribes with a cigarette to take Claudia away from adult conversation - his name is Andrei. Book readers may remember that this was Armand's given human name. (I don't think it means anything, I just think it's a nice touch from the writers, and they might change this in the show to be something more appropriate to his background)

10. After Louis remembers that Emilia mentioned about the woods after Claudia left, Armand suggests Louis takes a break. Daniel then goes on a rant to Real Rashid, ending with “You I can fucking break!” Louis dismisses Rashid, but then then Armand immediately follows him out of the room. What was Armand following him for? What was he saying to Rashid?

Part II coming up! Let me know in the Notes if you also missed any of these...

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #iwtv s2 #iwtv spoilers #louis de pointe du lac #claudia de pointe du lac #the vampire armand #real rashid #daniel molloy

88 notes · View notes

outsidersstuff16 · 22 days

Text

Head Canons I have abt them (anon request!)

Order: Ponyboy, Johnny, Dallas, Soda, Darry, Steve, and Two-Bit

there will be ten each

Ponyboy-

Ponyboy seems like the type of person who will read the book before he watches the movie on the book to compare them and show the gang what's different about what.

2. Ponyboy seems like he would struggle to find writing creativity and when it comes to him, he goes into this writing zone and doesn't want to be bothered by anyone for the next 2-3 hours.

3. Ponyboy gives off this feeling that he's nice to everyone as long as they haven't badmouthed the gang or did any of the gang wrong. Like he would stop and help old people across the street because no one else would, You now?

4. I don't think that Ponyboy is a dog or cat guy rather a ferret guy who likes to dress up his fur noodle in things he's crocheted in his free time.

5. I can defiantly see Ponyboy being into what my family calls "grandma hobbies"; things such as Knitting, Crochet, Pottery, and Quilting.

6. Ponyboy is probably hella clumsy, like I could see him messing around on a table at bucks and falling off trying to jump to another table.

7. I feel like if the book was placed in the mid 70's he'd definitely listen to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen or in his current time period he definitely listens to The Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash, he just seems like that type of guy.

8. He definitely treats Johnny to Fast Food when he has the extra money. It's not in a relationship kind of way just a hang out type of thing.

9. I can definitely see Ponyboy having a good 9 or 10 first place medals for track. He's probably what's carrying his schools track team too.

10. Ponyboy definitely helps people who can't get their lockers open at school and it's more than likely his pride and joy. I dare you to convince me otherwise.

Johnny-

1.He is a respectful king and no matter what everyone else says, he is not and innocent bean. Let's be so fr. He literally killed a man for his best friend and hangs out with Dallas Winston and y'all are gonna tell me he's innocent? Yeah right.

2.He has definitely picked up some really dirty jokes from hanging out with Dallas but will only use them in the appropriate setting. If there is something serious going on than he won't let out a joke. A party on the other hand, oh shit he's gonna be saying a dirty joke every 5 minutes.

3.He loves the rain and thinks it's a gift from God. He loves to dance in it alone or when he's feeling depressed or sad he'll just sit in the rain and let it comfort him. He thinks it's prettiest out when it rains. (and I Agree)

4.He loves helping mutts he finds on the streets. He has a best friend German shepherd he named Houston, and he follows him around a lot. I can also see them sleeping and cuddling in the lot together to protect each other.

5.Johnny has definitely influenced Pony to get his Ferret so Houston can play with it for funzees. He has also shown up to like 80% of Ponyboy's track meets.

6.Johnny goes home on Monday afternoons because he knows his parents are at work and he will go into his room and find entertainment for a few hours, shower, change his clothes, and then leave.

7.before his parents started fighting, they would do family outings on Wednesdays and go to restraunts, amusement parks, and fairs together and Johnny still keeps polaroids of those outings.

8.Johnny really doesn't drink but I can see him drinking on those big occasions when school gets out for the summers, or if its someone's birthday, but I think that'd be about it.

9.You can fight me on this in the comments, but I don't care. Johnny definitely has a summer job every summer. He'll work at the movie theater, the drive in, the dingo, or try for cashier at the DX. He always finds a job for the summer.

10.When Johnny's mom and dad started fighting Johnny was his mom's therapist and his dad's shit talking listener. So, like after a fight, Johnny would consol his mom and get her to bed and then listen to his dad talk shit about his mom until he was black out drunk.

Dallas-

1.Dallas has been around his parents fighting a lot and he definitely has mommy issues because of it. His mom has definitely left him for weeks or months at a time to starve growing up which destroyed his relationship with her growing up.

2.Dallas and Tim Shepherd definitely get drunk and sing stupid karaoke together and Ponyboy keeps polaroids of it to give to Dallas later when he's sober and Dallas keeps them in his wallet.

3.Dallas is definitely scared of spiders because he was bit by one when he was like 11 and has never let it go and so the gang will mess with him on occasion and scare the shit out of him with a rubber or plastic spider or some shit.

4.Dallas got his St. Christopher necklace from a preacher in New York after telling him all that is mother had done to him and him and that preacher still keep in contact. I can just see it man.

5.Dallas definitely smokes the 7-leaf clover, let's just face it, he's probably been to jail for it too. I could see him taking a weekend trip every other month to another state just to get the shit too.

6.He's broke a chair over Two-Bit's back to see if the chair was indestructible. It was not and the gang never let Dallas or Two-Bit forget it. Two-Bit and him do the dumbest shit together all of the time.

7.Dallas has beef with this one cat out in the streets of Tulsa because he was trying to be nice and pet it and it scratched his face all to hell and has been look for it for revenge ever since.

8.Dallas was trying to give Johnny a piggyback ride wearing socks on a hard wood floor and he slipped and fell into a metal chair and broke his pinky and ring finger and kicked the damn chair after he got up.

9.Dallas loves bon fires because it makes him feel like a fire master and he likes to stick sticks into the fire to catch them on fire as if they were torches and will pass it around to tell a spooky story.

10.If this man were to have a pet, he'd have a bearded dragon because he'd find them cool as fuck and he'd scare Ponyboy with it when he mouths off.

Sodapop-

1.Soda gets extra tips at the DX from middle aged women or high school girls and he's never complaining about it because bitch he's broke! He does however split the tips with steve.

2.When Soda's mom and dad passed, Soda got most of her pictures and also got a silk duvet and pillow and he won't use it because he's scared to ruin it.

3.When Soda is mad, he'll go work on cars at the DX and won't come back home for a couple hours till he's calmed down and talks to Darry about his situation. Soda is really car smart too.

4.Soda at some point fixed and rebuilt and engine and everyone went out to celebrate it because it was Soda's equivalent to graduating and it was the happiest day of his life and have about 20 different polaroids of the engine and celebration in his work shirt.

5.He picks on Steve ALL of the time at work and Steve almost always gets him back with a really fucked up prank for example, wrapping the staff urinal with Surran wrap and 9 times out of 10 you'll hear Soda yell "Steve, You FUCKHEAD!"

6.Soda and Steve at some point were dealing with a rude customer and Dallas Walked in and they all just started making fun of this person with no chill and everyone was laughing about it for the next 3 days after it happened.

7.Soda love to watch the nearby rivers flow. It's like free therapy to him and it became his obsession when he was 12. His mother showed him that spot. Soda goes there to think when he's really upset. When his dad and mom died, he went there and camped for 2 days.

8.him and Steve will make extremely offensive jokes about each other but will refuse every single time to crack a joke about the Death of Soda's Mom and Dad and I mean refuse.

9.Soda will steal Soda he's never tried during his shift and give a review to Steve so Steve will know what he should try when he goes in. Sometimes on their day off on the way to a rodeo, Steve will stop for drinks and buy one that Soda rated poorly, and Soda almost threw hands with Steve because of it.

10.Soda likes to give each rodeo trip a nickname like if someone got flung into a wall by a bull, he'll call it the the bull-wall rodeo for the rest of his life and everyone will know what he's talking about.

Darry-

1.Darry is a prankster at work. He just is. I can see him putting charcoal paste on his boss's radio announcer and he put it right up to his lips and was practically making out with the thing and everyone was laughing at Darry's boss the whole day.

2.Darry wanted to go to college to do Physical Therapy on people but when his parents died, he had to use his college funds to pay for the caskets and funeral service and he cries about it often.

3.Darry and Dallas have man to man talks about stuff that upset them over the week and nobody knows about these talks because it's like their therapy that they can have for free, and they can both trust each other to keep it unknown.

4.At some point Darry went to work incredibly sick and passed out while finishing a roofing job and he was taken to the hospital and when Soda came to see him Darry broke down because of stress.

5.Darry tries to participate in church with his brothers every other Sunday and it always makes him feel like his week will be better. He finds it as a good reset.

6.Darry likes to make faces at babies at the store and when the baby starts giggling excessively Darry runs for it. He did this one time when he was in the store with Soda and Soda told everyone.

7.Darry likes to put Steve in a headlock as his hi to Steve and when Darry doesn't do this, everyone questions if he's ok and if something happened at work for him to not do that to Steve.

8.Darry won't get a dog till Pony turn 17 and more mature because then the responsibility of the dog can be split more even, and he'd get it as a gift for Pony.

9.Darry has tripped Ponyboy down the stairs for being mouthy and Ponyboy will never let him live it down and Darry is still very proud of his actions to this day.

10.Darry was definitely the quarterback for the football team and his dad was more than proud of him for it. They celebrated with Darry the night he was announced quarterback.

Steve-

1.he's very insecure of his nose. Like people who walk into the DX will make fun of him and mock him for it. At some point it got so bad Steve had to start working exclusively in the back of the DX on cars.

2.He loves rodeos because his mom used to work at them when he was little, so he became very accustomed to watching them he, at some point, got so close with one of the rodeo stars that he was allowed to ride his horse and do some of the jumps.

3.Stevie boy here does not like chocolate cake as much as everyone in this fandom thinks. He likes it enough to eat it. Like Two-Bit ate chocolate cake in one scene and everyone kinda looked over it but Steve eats it and everyone's all like "OHHHHHHHH".

4.Steve had a rough childhood and he had to get close with his male neighbor to learn basic 'dad' tasks from him. So, Steve and his neighbor are really close and have a really good relationship and respect for each other.

5.Steve enjoys drinking on Friday nights at bucks and more often than not Buck will let him have the beer or shots on the house. Steve doesn't get black out drunk but just enough to get buzzed and feel nice.

6.Steve saves up for his own car. He has a separate job where all of the money he earns goes towards buying his first car all on his own and his mom knows of it and is really impressed with Steve's financial decision.

7.If Steve were to have a pet, he'd have a cockatiel named Fred (My sister's idea) and this damn bird would piss Soda, Pony, and Dally so much it's actually crazy. Dallas and this damned bird had a roasting competition, and everyone was judging the shit out of them.

8.Steve likes to bully and I mean bully the shit out of Two-Bit for the fact that he watches Mickey Mouse. However, Steve calmed down on it because Two-Bit doesn't even watch Mickey Mouse all of the time.

9.Steve trips up the girls that make Soda uncomfortable with their comments on Soda's physical appearance. At some point one girl was tripped so hard her face go like 30 scratches on it and it was hilarious.

10.Steve and Two-Bit will do extremely dumb shit together all of the fucking time. Literally Steve tried to do a backflip off of the front porch of the Curtis house and Two-Bit tried to catch him and they both tripped and hit their heads harder as fuck and then blamed Ponyboy.

Two-Bit

1.Well, it's Two-Bit he's a wild card. Unless someone died, he's saying the most random shit ever. The boys were at the drive in and all Two-Bit had to say was "damn I took the longest piss ever yesterday I pissed the new Mississippi River, man."

2.Two-Bit likes to blame Ponyboy for anything and everything he can and everyone finds it so funny because it makes them seem so much alike siblings and its actually so unreal and funny.

3.Whenever Two-Bit is upset, he'll talk to Soda or Steve about it and 9 times out of 10 they can help him out with it. He's really good at getting help when he needs it.

4.Him, Steve and Dallas are some hyper motherfuckers around each other and will all do some dumb shit that will end up hurting all three or two out of the three on one of the three and they can't help but act like total crackheads around each other.

5.Two-Bit isn't actually as obsessed with Mickey Mouse as everyone makes it seems he just happens to enjoy it but that doesn't necessarily mean he has to be absolutely obsessed with it.

6.If Two-Bit had a pet I'm pretty sure he'd have a Raccoon, tell me those bitches don't give off the same energy I know he'd be feeding the raccoon hotdogs 24/7 365. That raccoon is probably fat as fuck man.

7.Two-Bit likes to take walks around Tulsa with Tim or Curly Shepherd and crack the corniest jokes ever with them and wave down cops just to tell them that there was 'trouble' at the dingo.

8.Two-Bit likes to go and volunteer at vet clinics and somehow can always get at least 15 dogs adopted in 1 day and he calls it his big boy charm and use that information as you will.

9.Two-Bit likes to pick berries for Darry so he can make pie, fruit salads, and other deserts. He also has a designated basket for it and unless he has that specific basket, he won't go, he'll just stay home.

10.Two-Bit steals the ingredients for smores and makes a bon fire to roast them with the gang and I already know he likes his mallow burnt and that's ok because that's when they're best and him burning the mallow grosses Dallas out so so so much.

The End

A/n thank you sm for requesting this let me know if you would like more head canons or one including Y/n or spicy ones. Love y'all see ya next time!❤😘

#dallas winston #the outsiders #sodapop curtis #darry curtis #two bit mathews #steve randle #ponyboy curtis #johnny cade #the outsider head canons

58 notes · View notes

gentlebeardsbarngrill · 4 months

Text

02/10/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Long Post is Long. Cast & Crew Sightings; David Jenkins; Matt Maher; Clowning; Rhys Darby; Rosie; Samba; Max Trolling Reminder; Coyote Vs Acme Cont'd / Articles; Watch Party Reminders for Feb 11; SafeSpaceShip; Art Director's Guild Nominee; We Need to Be a Lighthouse! Game; AdoptOurCrew Choose Your Own Adventure; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Today's Taika;

= Cast & Crew Sightings =

Well as you can imagine, the David Jenkins IG is the big news of today. The clowning forecast has gone up significantly. Dad posted one of the late-blooming SaveOFMD banners in NY and attached Elton John - Candle In The Wind to the post. This song has some very specific significance to our fandom.

Apparently back when we lost Lucius in Season 1, Chaos Dad posted this song to Nathan Foad. Src @cptn_brightsky's Twitter Post

Now ADD to that... David Jenkins ALSO added this picture of Matthew Maher standing in front of a saveOFMD flyer found out on the street.

NOW OF COURSE, we are all clowning, but I think as usual Chaos Dad is trying to give us info without giving us info since the fandom pays so much attention to every little detail.

@saltpepperbeard has a theory that I'm down to clown with until I turn blue in the face. Src.

So yeah, as always take the clowning how you will, but I'll be honest, this looks like great news to me. It really does. CLOWN ON MY FRIENDS.

= Other Cast & Crew Sightings =

Rhys Darby's going to be at The Bourbon Room Hollywood next Friday, 2/16 at 8 PM PT.

== Rosie ==

Since doing cute stuff just doesn't stop in the Darby houshold, tonight I wanted to make a special shout out to Rosie Carnahan Darby, Rhys' Wife who has been active the last couple days. First and foremost, she knit a little blanket and hat for Samba's baby!

Second apparently she's restocked the Awesomeness Comedy website with more Buttons McGinty books and Comedy Special DVD's in case you're interested.

Oh and by the way, Samba loves the blanket:

= Vico Ortiz =

Tonight Vico was out performing with Them Fatale Drag Kings at their last night at their home bar Redline! Just some shots from their IG stories, feel free to check out more.

== Max Trolling ==

Gentle reminder luvs, if you're going to IG, or Twitter to troll Max posts, let's try to remember not to post OFMD/Negative comments on any posts that are celebrating underrepresented groups. We want to support those groups. Please note however, if you'd done it previously and didn't know, don't beat yourself up! We all make mistakes, just please try to keep it in mind going forward! (If you can delete your previous posts, great, if not, again not the end of the world).

== Coyote Vs Acme Cont'd / Articles ==

Why Deleting and Destroying Finished Movies Like Coyote vs Acme Should Be a Crime

This article is from yesterday but this blurb was pretty damn specific so I wanted to make sure if you missed it you got to see some of the reasons why Max did cancel OFMD.

"Some of the company’s tactics post-merger were garden-variety ruthless, like eliminating 87 series from its streaming platform Max, so that they won’t have to pay union-mandated residuals to the talent that created already-existing programs or pony up funds to produce more seasons of existing ones (such as “Our Flag Means Death,” one of the company’s most popular and critically acclaimed comedies—canceled after just two seasons)."

= Watch Party / Event Reminders =

Feb 11: Q+ and AdoptOurCrew Season 2 Live-Rewatch Party

Times: 2PM GMT, 9 AM EST, 6 AM PST

Watch Party Hashtags:

#OurFlagMeansBBC

#OurFlagMeansRewatch

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

= Feb 11: Relax I'm From the Future Watch Party! =

Sunday February 11th, 1 PM PT. 4 PM ET, 9PM GMT

Watch Party Hashtags:

#PiratesFromTheFuture

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

== In Person Events: San Diego CA ==

February 11, 2024 at 4 PM at Maritime Museum of San Diego

Costumes & Cosplay Encouraged! Location: Maritime Museum of San Diego 1492 North Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101

Hashtags:

#SafeSpaceShip

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

= Art Director's Guild Award Nominee! =

Sorry, I forgot to add this one yesterday!

Ra Vincent - Nominee for Half-Hour Single - Camera Series. Src: @AdoptOurCrew and ADG

Check out the Design Presentation: OFMD_s2_art.pdf

== We Need To Be A LightHouse! ==

Have YOU heard of this awesome new Monkey Island Inspired Point and Click Adventure Game by @blueberreads and @eldawee? They've been working on it for months and it's FINALLLLLLLY HEEEERE!

These folks are so incredibly talented! Please go check it out here! https://dawee.itch.io/lighthouse If you're using a MAC OS you'll most likely need to download an executable at the bottom of the main page. Just FYI! If it prompts you with the "you downloaded this from the internet" error just click OK. I already started playing with it and I'm in love.

I pushed Ed and he asked if I wanna do something weird xD Okay no more spoilers, GO CHECK IT OUT!

== AdoptOurCrew Choose Your Own Adventure Game!==

In honor of the s2 watch party with Q! tomorrow, @adoptourcrew did a really adorable choose your own adventure game on twitter today! They did polls and let the majority pick which direction they wanted the story to go!

Since it was a lot of pictures I made a separate post so you can see the whole story: @adoptourcrew Choose Your Own Adventure here on tumblr. Please check it out!

== Love Notes ==

Alrighty lovelies. It's been another busy day. Lots of clowning, lots of hope, lots of emotional roller coasters. I hope you had a good time and generally it was more positive than negative. I have a lot I want to say, but my brain is still pretty foggy. So I'll make this short.

Sometimes when things go well, our brain gets excited and then they overcompensate when we calm down. It starts to think a lot more negatively because it had so much extra dopamine for a time. When that happens, little things can be really devastating. I just want you to remember that we all make mistakes and YOU, you beautiful imperfect being are not your mistakes. They hurt, and we learn from them, but they don't define us. Try not to listen to your brain if it's telling you otherwise. You are so very wonderful.

Anyway, I hope that makes sense.

Here's a picture I found today I thought really applied to all you wonderful people. Thank you to all the folks who reached out to me and checked in and sent me love when you knew I was struggling (there are too many to list and I don't know if you want to be tagged so please just know how much I appreciate you). I love you all so much, and I'm so lucky to how found people who make me feel like it's ok to be me.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Tonight is once again animal themed. I wish I'd made that Taika gif last night for the lovebirds theme, but here we are.

121 notes · View notes

princetofbone · 8 months

Text

i know that as a dark academia/studyblr blog it is SO WEIRD that I am super anti-caffeine, but it makes me into a walking nightmare, so I try my best to avoid it unless I know the coffee at a café is really good or it's a tea I love. anyways here is how I survived school + a twenty seven hour per week extra curricular with no caffeine:

I sleep a lot. I go to bed around 7:30/8 if I can, and wake around 5/5:30. that's nine hours, and I typically take about an hour worth of naps through the day. even getting the recommended 7-9 hours will help with reduction (note to any grad students/med students/phds, this may not be possible, and I am deeply sorry because being well rested is the best feeling ever)

I manage to get that much sleep because I am a beast when it comes to organizing my schedule- i spend very little time on my phone, and I spend any "gap time" in my schedule (those random bits of time where you have nothing to do) doing my homework/studying. I also block out two hours after school to do work, and I typically get it all done then. (I have two hours at school where I don't have class, and I do work then as well)

having fun tasty caffeine free drinks makes life good- you can still drink good tea even if it's low caffeine/decaf (I have not yet had good decaf coffee). there are all sorts of fun bubbly waters, or you can cut up fruit and make drinks- i was gifted a book of zero proof cocktails that i sometimes make for myself- or I just pour pomegranate juice into a wine glass and drink that. Fun drinks for the win.

i am a freak of nature, but i stay awake better without caffeine- with the caveat that if i've been drinking caffeine I don't. so before anyone gets grumpy about not being able to stay awake- detox for like a week (those caffeine withdrawals suck ass) and see if you can make it happen

It works for me- I've saved like $150 a month on coffee, which i now use to buy fancy socks and other exciting things that make me happy late at night when i'm staying awake doing hw. my methods wont work for everyone, but if you wanted to change things up, you might try it

#study #caffeine #chaotic academia #dark academia #studyblr #student #chaotic academic aesthetic #dark acadamia aesthetic #studying #student life #study motivation #study blog #studyinspo #study tips

143 notes · View notes

thesensteawitch · 3 months

Text

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR SHADOW

🌑🪶🌑🪶🌑🪶🌑🪶

Pick A Pile Reading

🌑(Left To Right- Pile 1, Pile 2 and Pile 3)🌑

Hello, Senstea Souls!

I am back after a long time! Hufff! Missed me?🥹Anyway, I hope you're all doing well and are happy. Today's reading will reveal an important message from your shadow side.

I am also offering ‘integrate your shadow’ reading only at $9.

-Book Your Reading

-Rate Card

-Tip My Blog (I would be grateful if you support my blog!)

Pile 1

Cards- King of Swords, death, the high priestess, the emperor, ace of Wands, 10 of Swords, 9 of Wands, 8 of swords

Hello, my beautiful pile 1. I hope you're doing well.

Are you going through something enormously difficult? I hear “I don't want to fight and I don't want to sleep in the dark.” This is what you feel towards your own shadows pile 1. You're tired of trying to figure out what's wrong with you and your life. Lion and Owl are coming up strongly. Which means with courage by your side you'll find your answers. You're underconfident about your own judgements. I know you can't see yet but you will. Though you're destined to go through this transformation finding the light is still in your hands. Your mind has your hands chained which is of course an illusion. Your shadow wants to tell you that you've tied your own hands. Your life can be in your control. Your shadow is saying that you're ignoring your intuition. You want everything backed up by facts but that's not how life works. Strawberries and cigarettes all taste the same to you which means you're losing the appetite for life. All because you can't see clearly only because you think too much. Your shadow pushes you to overthink and makes you believe that thinking will give you answers but it won't. Because thinking has never solved any problem completely. You can only perceive and think based on the memories stored in your system but intuition is raw. Intuition can tell you things that you've never known and where thinking can never reach. You're halfway in your journey of realising your potential. You're halfway in the dark tunnel. Your mind can only take you so far now beyond this you need to allow your intuition to take the lead sometimes. You're about to have a spiritual awakening pile 1 don't strangle your spirit and give so much importance to the mind and the memory. Sit still. Let stillness take you in. Stop giving excuses. Just let life happen to you and choose grace. Things are not as difficult as you think. You don't need to overburden yourself with the constant need to find all the answers right away. Life isn't about finding the answers but finding yourself. Your shadow wants you to first accept that it's there. Only then you can accept all parts of yourself. To understand your shadow better book a “integrate your shadow” reading with me. DM to book your reading!

Pile 2

Cards- Ace of Cups, king of Wands, 5 of Pentacles, Queen of Wands, 4 of Pentacles, knight of swords, knight of Pentacles, justice, 2 of swords, 5 of Cups, 5 of Wands

Hello, my beautiful pile 1. I hope you're doing well.

You're not happy with what you have in pile 2. Your shadow side is saying that you live with a lack of mindset. Sparks of inspiration and motivation come to you but they also disappear as soon as they arrive. You are not able to live up to the ideal dream life that you have in your mind. There's a need for you to heal yourself emotionally. You really need to cry it all out. You've also compared yourself with the outer world. I hear, “I have got my eye on you!” What is that you want, pile 2? What is it that you think someone has and you don't? I see that you feel that everyone is making progress except you. All of their journeys are unique and different. I sense that there are people involved in your life or around you who you think are doing better than you. This is heartbreaking to see that you're deciding your worth based on others' life. Don't you see how hard you've worked and for how long you've been trying to build your dream life? You don't see it happening but that doesn't mean nothing's changing. There so much happening for you behind the scenes. Your whole spirit team is so happy with your efforts and wants to give you a tight hug! You'll also see results pile 2. Be patient. Open your heart and express. Release the pain because good things are coming. I know you're trying to get over all this pain but that's the point stop trying. Surender the fruits of your labour on God. He'll take care of your rewards and will give you when the time is right. Focus on taking care of your garden. If you just see your future self right now you wouldn't even believe that it's you! There's something you need to release and your shadow wants you to release that as it's creating obstacles on your path. Let go of what's not serving you anymore. Now is the time. Justice will befall you and the scales will be balanced again. Make space in your life to receive the blessings. To understand yourself better book a “integrate your shadow” reading with me. DM to book your reading.

Pile 3

Cards- Page of Pentacles, 2 of Swords, King of Wands, Queen of Cups, Knight of Swords, Justice, Page of Swords

Hello, my beautiful pile 1. I hope you're doing well.

Is someone from your past showing up again? If you're dealing with someone but don't know if to trust this person or not then you're asked by your shadow side not to trust this person. Don't let your past hold you back! I also see that you have options. You have got the urge to choose the one who you know deep down isn't right for you. You need to release one connection. And if there's only one person who is from the past then let go of this person because the universe is soon going to bless you with a new person. Either way, you're asked to choose someone stable and reliable. Don't fall for someone's appearance or their words. Look at their actions! This other person or new person will do justice to you and will treat you right. The past connection will only bring more confusion and won't let you be free. There's something irresistible about you due to which this person is drawn to you. Reject this person's offer because if you're in no contact then they will soon be contacting you. This person perhaps was good to you in the past and that's why you can't digest that they can even be something from what you have imagined of them. You're unable to accept the reality and I also feel that this person who you already know had some past life connection with you and now you're supposed to break this cycle. Someone has to! Because it's karmic. This old connection is not where you're supposed to be. Things with this person have always been short-lived because it was a karmic connection. Your shadow side wants you to realise who you are and don't make yourself small for this person. I hear, “I don't wanna tip toe, but I don't wanna hide. But don't wanna feed this monstrous fire just wanna let this story die. And I'll be alright. We can't be friends. But I would like to just pretend. You cling to your papers and pens. Wait until you like me again.” These are the thoughts of your shadow and it's asking you to not feed them. Because no pile 3 you're not supposed to wait for them to love you. Love yourself! This person dims your light because I can see that you're someone else when you're not around them. They somehow want to control you. This new person/the second person is with whom you're destined to be in this lifetime. A new life awaits for you. As you release this karmic connection you'll be forging towards your destiny. Expect powerful changes. Here the energy is quite confusing as I do see three people involved. Choose wisely and do not forget that you need to love yourself first. Sometimes we tend to choose people just so that we feel worthy of love. To understand yourself better book a “integrate your shadow” reading with me. DM to book your reading.

#pick a pile reading #pick a pile tarot #pick a picture #shadow self #tarot reading #tarotcommunity #pick a pile #message for the collective #divine messages #divine guidance #spirit guides #spirituality #tarot reader #tarot cards #tarotblr #tarot readings #free tarot reading

60 notes · View notes

lizzieislife94x · 6 months

Text

Mafia Boss (e.o)

Requested<3

Lizzie x G!P Reader

Y/ns POV:

"Just get it done keep it clean and call me when it's done!" I spit out at the idiots I call employees they can't do anything right, I hang up slamming my phone on the table "baby is everything ok" my beautiful girlfriend Elizabeth says walking over rubbing her hand up and down my arm "yeah everything's ok baby just work hey I got you this dress for the party tonight" I say softly handing her the dress I bought I won't lie it's short and tight and I know its gonna hug her ass and tits perfectly "babyyyy thank you so much" she exclaimed excitedly jumping up and down as I pull her into a passionate kiss after a minute of her soft lips working against mine I break away and slap her ass "go get ready sexy we leave in 2 hours" I say as she turns and walks away.

Finally she's ready I look at her as my eyes almost pop out there head "fuck me lizzie you look wow" I say flirting with my sexy ass girlfriend "by the way you take forever to get ready" I giggle as she slaps my arm "and you wouldn't have it any other way by the way you look sexy y/n I don't know why but seeing you in suits does things to me it really does" she bites her lip as she runs her hand over my crotch knowing exactly what she doing "ah ahah I don't think so lizzie not right now behave we need to get to this party I have a little business to take care of" she pouts and walks out to the car as I shake my head and laugh at her "someone's pouty" I tease as I get in to drive it takes almost 40 mins to arrive as i hand my keys to a valet "my lady shall we" I smile offering my hand to my frustrated girlfriend "boss they're here and waiting we've checked no weapons so all clear to go in" my right hand man whispers as I nod to let him know I understand "hey princess I need to take care of business go have a drink ill be done in 5 minutes" I say as I kiss my girlfriend on the head.

Lizzies POV:

Fuck she's so sexy walking away no lizzie don't think about how sexy y/n is she's in the bad books she left you wet and needy and she didn't even know it, I honestly have no reason to be annoyed but i just am she knows it turns me on, I strut over to the bar and order a drink as I patiently wait for my girlfriend I hate when she's dealing with business I don't want her to get hurt, I let out a sigh as I drink my drink "well what's a beauty like you doing alone care to dance" a charming 6 foot blonde man asks trying to hit on me I should tell him who my girlfriend is but decided against it i think its time to really annoy y/n "omg yes thank you I'd love to dance" I say as I take his hand and follow him to the dance floor we continue to dance for a while until I spot y/n glaring at me I decided to push a little further and really play with fire so slowly start to grind on him smirking as I do.

Y/ns POV:

We walk out and shake hands with the leader of the opposite gang as we just finished laying some ground rules as soon as I turn my head I see lizzie with some guy all over her dancing what the fuck is she doing is she trying to end this guy, as soon as she locks eyes with me she starts grinding on this idiot "find out who that is that's all over her before I start fucking hurting people" I spit out as the jealousy bursts out of me "umm ahh actually y/n that's my son" the man I just finished the meeting with chimes in "well if you don't get him away from my fucking girlfriend right now I will make sure he sleeps with the fishes and ill do it personally you have 10 seconds 9..8..7" i start to count anger spilling from my lips as his 2 of his people run over to pull him away from lizzie i take a second to calm down before I walk over to her with a smile "now princess what was that all about I think we better get going because your in trouble "

I see her visibly gulp and take her hand leading her out to the car as we wait for them to bring it round lizzie whisper just loud enough for me to hear "baby I uh..I.. nothing happened I just wanted to push your buttons you left me all needy" awh she's trying to seem like butter wouldn't melt "and you think rubbing your ass against some dude is nothing oh honey you need to be taught a lesson you need to remember who you belong to" I say loud enough for people around to hear and I see her face turn red as I open the door for her to get into the car and climb into the drivers seat "what's wrong princess " I taunt resting my hand on her thigh as I drive home slipping it higher every so often "baby I'm yours no one elses" she says out of the blue making me giggle "and I'm yours but you need to learn that no one gets to touch what's mine your lucky that dude was 5 seconds away from taking a nap in the Hudson " I say as she bites her lip when I'm in full business mode she loves it she loves the power I hold "fuck baby I wouldn't have been dancing with him if you didn't leave me wet and needy before we left" I look at her shocked and laugh "what are you talking about I didn't tease you before we left you tried to grab my dick princess " she huffs and folds her arms "you know what you in suits does to me you could have fucked me before we left "I squeeze her thigh and smirk "princess I had business to attend to but trust me your getting fucked as soon as we get home" I say sweetly giving her a smile after 10 minutes of driving we arrive home and lizzie rushes out and runs outside as I giggle following her so needy I head straight upstairs knowing she'll be in the bedroom and stop in my tracks "how did you get naked so quick" I say as I bite my lip walking over to her "I have my ways" she smirks pulling me down into a Firey kiss as she works on getting my clothes off after a minute I stand up to remove my boxers I slowly rub my dick as I look into her eyes and grab her ankles pulling her to the edge of the bed "mhh good girls get lots of foreplay bad girls get pounded till they can't take it anymore " I husk out into her ear as I feel her full body shiver I bite my lips as I tease her entrance with the tip of my cock fuck she wasn't lying about being wet "please y/n please fuck me I've been a naughty girl" as soon as the words leave her mouth I sink deep inside my girlfriend bottoming out in one thrust "yesssssssss y/n fuckkkk aaaah" she screams as she arches her back "is this what you wanted you naughty girl my cock deep inside you?" She nods with her eyes closed as I thrust hard and deep "words Elizabeth words is this what you wanted" I continue my relentless pace pounding into lizzie the sounds ofher wet cunt as my dick slams in and out is music to my ears her moans make me so fucking hard "yes yes yes this is...what..I.. wanted baby fuck don't stop I'm cumingggg " I moan as I feel her walls hug my cock tighter "fuck lizzie this pussy is mine" I moan as I fuck her faster not giving her time to recover I feel the knot in my stomach getting stronger "fuck baby I'm so close I'm gonna fill your little cunt is that ok" I moan out as I lift her leg over my shoulder getting deeper "uhh...fu...oh god yes baby cum inside me please I want to feel you" i look down and notice lizzie cumming again as she creams over my cock I feel my thrusts getting sloppy as my orgasm approaches fast after a few more thrusts I slam deep inside her filling her with my seed as I lean my forehead against hers breathing fast "fuck princess" she moans and I smirk "yeah it was amazing but remember your mine if anyone touches you again ill make them disappear " I say with a smile as I lay next to her pulling her close "so protective I love it y/n I love you" she whispers against my ear making me smile.

AN: if you have any requests let me know, hope this was OK word count 1.5k

#elizabeth olsen #lizzie olsen #fanfic #marvel mcu #mcu fanfiction #oneshot #smut #wattpad #lizzieislife94x #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff imagine #mommy wanda #wanda marvel #wandavision #wanda mcu #wanda maximommy #wanda smut #wanda x you

81 notes · View notes

niningtori · 6 months

Text

see me | chapter one: distance

summary: after another failed relationship, you're ready to give up once and for all. your best friend's little brother, beomgyu, has other plans.

genre: angst, angst with a happy ending, romance, fluff

word count: 3k-ish idk

your eyes watered as the bitter taste of vodka seared the back of your throat, settling uncomfortably in a pool of heat churning in your stomach.

"slow down! you're gonna make yourself sick," your best friend, jia, chastises.

"let her have her fun," beomgyu, her little brother, quietly interjects before you can even finish flushing down the alcoholic aftertaste with your chaser. "she's going through a lot right now."

you nod half-heartedly while sloppily sliding your elbows onto the table, smushing your tear-stained face into your hands and sighing. jia winces at the action before relenting.

"fine. let loose tonight, but this is the last time you're getting this drunk over a piece of shit guy." maybe if she were anyone else you'd resent the harshness of her words, but even in your drunken state you register the softness in her tone.

"wait here, i'll get you some water," and with that she rises and reveals her plain outfit, sticking out like a sore thumb in the strobe neon lights of the flashy bar you're in. you're not looking any better, both of you having come here after having a seemingly normal saturday of running your respective errands and nothing more. that is, until you ended up a few blocks away from your boyfriend of 9 months' apartment and decided to pop in, only to find him absolutely drilling into his girl best friend. the one he claimed you had "nothing to worry about" because "she was just a childhood friend" and you were always so "irrationally jealous" to the point of "borderline paranoia." needless to say, you called jia while booking it to your car. which led you to where you are now: severely underdressed with makeup smudged and eyes swollen.

"are you okay?" beomgyu asks tentatively. you know he knows the answer and he's just trying to comfort you, so your gaze redirects to him and he shifts somewhat uncomfortably under your surveying eye. you and jia may look underdressed, but he certainly doesn't. he blends right in with his band tee and distressed jeans. sitting alone with him probably makes you look even more ridiculous, and though you shouldn't care, you can't help but imagine what others were most likely thinking when they saw you wiping your snot in between shots.

"i'm not," you mumble, and he relaxes a bit now that you're talking again. "i'm sorry, beomie. i'm sorry you got stuck with," you gesture to yourself, "this." and you really were. jia had been with him when you called and once he heard what happened, he insisted on tagging along and scrapping whatever plans he had for the rest of the night.

"do you want to talk about it?" he asks softly. "you don't have to if you don't want to, but i think it would make you feel better."

to that, you smile. despite the age difference, you two had grown quite close in the 8 years you had been friends with jia. In fact, in college it had become a tradition for you to accompany her to her family's once she found out you wouldn't be going home for your first thanksgiving break.

there was nothing worth going to your own home for, you had told her, so she demanded you come to her place instead. as stubborn as she was, you eventually relented after she promised her family was actually excited to meet her dorm mate and new best friend. there you met her parents and beomgyu, and from then on they had accepted you into their family so warmly it had become a given that you would always stay there for any time away from school. that is, until you met your first boyfriend. but you were hellbent on ignoring that part.

"i don't think there's that much to talk about," you sigh. he raises his eyebrows, so you continue. "i thought that maybe there was something going on between him and his best friend, but he convinced me that i was just being controlling. i felt really guilty about it so i dropped it, but i guess i shouldn't have. i just feel so fucking stupid," you choke out.

"it's not your fault. he manipulated you, of course you would want to trust him after he guilted you like that," he says while pushing your hair behind your ear as fresh tears rolled down your face. had you been sober, you might have questioned the intimacy of this, but at present all you could do was revel in it. your phone buzzes again and you immediately reject the call. he had called at least a dozen times and left twice as many text messages. at your rejection, he sends another one, and you read it aloud — more for your own comprehension than beomgyu's —missing the way his stare darkens for just a second.

"baby can we please just talk? i'm so so so sorry it was a mistake. i feel like shit for hurting you. please can you just answer so we can fix this? i love you." you dig your head in your hands before meeting beomgyu's gaze.

"are you gonna answer him?" he asks.

"i don't know, beomie. i just — i kind of feel like at this point i might have to just accept it."

"what do you mean you just have to accept it?" if he's trying to hide his disgust, he doesn't do it well.

"what i mean is that maybe there's a reason 3 out of my 4 boyfriends have cheated on me. maybe it's me? i dunno," you sigh, "i think i might just have to accept the fact that he cheated and forgive him."

"that's bullshit," beomgyu bites out. "you don't deserve any of this shit. not every guy is gonna treat you like that." you smile sadly at his insistence. what he's saying is so sweet, but you're sincerely beginning to think maybe you're cursed to have an unfaithful boyfriend.

"i really think it's just not in the cards for me. is there something so bad about me that this keeps happening to me? actually, don't answer that. i don't think i want to know."

"i'm serious," he insists. "no guy in his right mind would treat you like that."

you want to smile at that, but you physically can't.

"that's easy for you to say, beomie, but you don't exactly treat girls the nicest, either." he balks at this.

"that... that's because i—"

"here. drink this, now." jia cuts in, back with some water. you don't take note of beomgyu's crestfallen appearance.

"thanks jiji," you say with a smile.

"anything for you," she replies.

beomgyu still looks like he's trying to fish words out from the bottom of a barrel, but you leave him be. you're still thinking about your ex's texts and what they mean. he said it's his first, and only, time fucking her, but the betrayal is unbearable. you'd think that after this happened with the third boyfriend in a row, you'd be used to it, but it still feels as fresh as the first time. and this one seems to hurt even more because you really thought this one was going somewhere. he had hinted at moving in together and you were so, so ready to take the next step. so much for that, you guess.

he was 14 when he first met you. his sister had told him her new roommate was tagging along and warned him not to be too awkward around her — a pointless warning, really. at 14 he was still a stuttering mess in front of girls his age, let alone someone 4 years his senior, but he promised he'd do his best nonetheless. when his mother told him to be ready because you two were nearly there his palms were already sweating, but when you walked in, face tired from the long drive but eyes remaining bright, his mind went into full panic-mode and his throat went dry. "hi, beomgyu. it's nice to meet you," you said with the softest of smiles and his heart stuttered with every syllable.

your first night at the choi's was fun; jia's family was determined to make you feel welcome and you spent most of the night laughing and learning more about your new friend. after dinner, mr. choi busted out the boardgames and when you saw just how seriously they all took it, you realized where jia got her competitiveness from. she made a particularly callous move in monopoly, earning complaints from her parents and you had to stifle a giggle as the previously silent beomgyu pouted with a "jiaaaa, how could you do this to me?!?" he quickly came out of his shell after that, and needless to say, you were a little shocked at just how loud the boy could be.

as much fun as you had, you were a little emotionally fatigued after such an eventful night. you had never known families could get along as well as jia's did, and in between smiles and questions about yourself, you couldn't stop your heart from aching just a little. how nice would it be if you had a home like this to come back to? how did it feel to have a family who was truly interested in how you're feeling?

as everyone headed to bed, jia noticed your uneasiness and asked if you wanted to talk about it, but you declined. you could tell she was tired and you didn't want to worry her. in a rare moment of vulnerability, she thanked you for coming and told you her parents were so happy you were friends. you smiled as you watched her fall asleep, making sure her breathing was heavy and slow before tiptoeing out of her room, closing the door, and heading out to the back porch.

the stars looked so much brighter here, you noticed. your hometown was pretty big, so the pollution made it impossible to enjoy the sky like this. you wondered what things were like back home. you had been alone with these thoughts for 15 minutes or so before you heard shuffling from inside the house. when you heard the backdoor open you began to say "I'll be back inside in like 2 min—" before you turned and saw beomgyu there, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. his limbs were awkward and gangly but his slightly rounded face and doe eyes made him absolutely adorable to you.

"oh, hi. is everything okay?" you asked slightly worriedly as he stood frozen, mouth agape.

"i-i... you're cold outside?"

you couldn't stop your giggling that time. "i'm sorry, what was that?" you said between laughs. he blushed and you felt a little guilty.

"i'm- it's cold outside. you're probably freezing. wait here," he said before scrambling back inside. he returned with a blanket and your heart warmed.

"take this. it's freezing and that jacket you're wearing isn't enough. look, your nose is red!" he said worriedly.

"wow beomie," you teased, using his family's nickname for him. "i had no idea you were this thoughtful." and just like your nose, his face flushed a deep red.

"hey, I'm just kidding," you softened. "do you want me to head back inside so you can hang out here?" his eyes widened again and you began to fidget to leave your spot on the porch steps.

"n-no. you can stay here, i'll just go back inside."

"you don't have to do that. why don't you just hang out with me for a bit?" there it was. your breezy attitude that left him stumped. you had been so laidback and charming through every interaction with his family, and with himself even, as painfully awkward as he was. but as unbothered as you seemed, he could see the anxiety in your expressions when you thought no one was looking. a shaky breath here, a bitten fingernail there. you hid it from the others masterfully, but his eyes had been trained on you from the moment you stepped into his house, and even you couldn't avoid the occasional slip up. he desperately wanted to comfort you,

"uh, i-if you're okay with me being with you —i mean like being out here while you are also here — then i'll sit too." he knew you had to have noticed his anxiety, but you made no mention of it and instead smiled and patted the open space next to you.

"so. what brings you out here?" you asked.

"i, uh, like to come out here a lot when i can't sleep. it helps me clear my head, i guess." you nodded and didn't ask any more questions, for which he was thankful. he didn't want to have to lie instead of explaining that you were the focal point of his mind back then, and he wanted to come out there to calm himself down.

"it's nice out here. i can see why you come out so often."

"what about you?" he asked tentatively.

"me? i guess i'm just like you. i'm trying to," you paused to find the words "clear my head and recenter right now."

"oh. why?" you locked eyes with him and noticed that his eyes twinkle even more than usual under the starry sky. he didn't balk at the sudden eye contact, just looked at you earnestly as if he was afraid of missing a single word. to both of your surprise, you actually answered, delving into some of the details of your home life. nothing major, but still personal enough to matter. he nodded when appropriate and asked a question every now and then. after your little venting session, you looked at him and gave him the brightest smile yet.

"thanks beomie, you're a great listener and i really like talking to you. i hope i get to do it more often." i really like talking to you. i really like talking to you. you really like talking to him. you wanted to talk to him again. in fact, you hoped you did. his heart skipped a beat and he gulped in a way he only hoped to god was discreet.

"any time, i swear," and he meant it.

you had just turned 20 when you met him. doyoon was everything you could have ever wanted (or needed) from a man at any point in time, let alone at 20 years old. he was a TA for one of your lectures and from the moment he accidentally spilled his coffee on his laptop when he tried to ask you out, you were smitten. he was 1 year your senior, set to graduate that academic year, but who can stop love once it starts?

beomgyu was 16 when he felt like the world was crashing down around him. he pinched his arm (just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating) and asked jia not once, but twice to repeat herself. still, the words remained the same: "she won't be coming home for thanksgiving because she'll be with her boyfriend."

his stomach ached and his complexion turned pallid. jia watched him with worry. "beomie, are you okay?"

"so she's staying at his family's?" he ignored her question so pointedly that she somewhat doubted if she ever asked it in the first place. "isn't that too fast? and what about us?" about me? if you met him in august, that meant you had only been dating for 3 months. meanwhile, you had known him for 2 whole years!

"i mean, in my opinion, yeah. but there's nothing i can do about it besides support her and hope for the best," she mused. "he actually seems like a nice enough guy," she added off-handedly. if only she knew how her words decimated him. she spread the unfortunate (for him) news to her parents and while slightly disappointed that you wouldn't be joining, they were happy you seemed to be in a healthy relationship.

that evening, he happened to hear a call between you and his sister through the shared wall between their rooms. he didn't happen to press his ear on it, that part was completely intentional.

"did you tell everyone that i'm sorry i couldn't be there this year? i miss them all," and he could hear how much you meant it.

"yeah, they were battering me with questions about doyoon. you'd better be prepared for an onslaught of questions next time you come home." you snorted and whined in response but he can almost see the upturn of your lips at the choi's house being referred to as "home", even through a wall and a phone. "how's doyoon's family?"

"they're so so nice," you sigh contentedly. "i was afraid it might be awkward since our relationship is so new, but they've been nothing but kind and inclusive." beomgyu can't help but feel indignant at the idea that a family could be more welcoming to you than his.

"i'm glad they're treating you well, i was afraid i was gonna have to come rescue you myself. how's doyoon?"

"i've got a really good feeling about him, jia. he's just so... mature? and experienced? " with that, beomgyu's heart sunk to his feet.

"first of all, ew. i don't need to know that," jia teased. beomgyu decided he didn't need to know that either, so he moved away from the wall dejectedly. if he had continued to listen he'd have heard you feverishly denying that you were implying anything sexual, but he already felt like he was being punished for eavesdropping. he knew he was too young for you at present, but in 2 years he'd be 18 and it wouldn't matter anymore. somewhere in the back of his mind he had hoped you would wait for him, unconsciously or not. you could be each other's first everything.

that dream is dashed after 2 whole years of pining, but he'd remember your words for the rest of his life. if you wanted a guy who's mature, he'd be more mature. if you wanted a guy with more experience, he'd get more experience. all you ever have to do is ask once, and maybe not even that much.

"just tell her you like her, man," yeonjun says with a sigh.

"he doesn't like her, he loves her," taehyun cuts in.

"well, tell her you love her then!"

"i can't do that," beomgyu argues defensively. "she still sees me as a 14 year old kid."

"that's tough," kai nods.

"then put it down on her and stop complaining," yeonjun says with a roll of his eyes.

"don't be gross," beomgyu says, smacking the back of his head.

"i'm not! i'm serious."

"he has a point, gyu," taehyun chimes in.

"oh god, not you too," beomgyu groans.

"we're just saying she wouldn't think of you as a kid anymore if you would just act like a man and not a lovesick puppy," yeonjun reasons.

"yeah man, you don't act like this with any other girl. just be normal," taehyun says.

"she's not just any other girl to him, she's the girl," soobin argues out of seemingly nowhere and beomgyu blushes. he's not wrong, though. if he cared less about you, it'd be easier to get with you.

he always said he'd wait until you were single to make a move, but you were with doyoon for three whole years. then joonwoo for 6 months. then seoyun for 8 months. then donghyun for 9 months. at 26, you're nothing short of a serial monogamist, and he was always just on the precipice of gathering his courage to ask you out when you enter another relationship.

jia said you were coping with your breakup with doyoon in your own sick little way, but that didn't really make beomgyu feel any better. to him, that just meant you were still stuck on the man he felt so inferior to. but after seeing how fucked up you were after your last relationship, he was just about done with waiting for you to look at him.

#niningtori #see me #beomgyu #choi beomgyu #txt beomgyu #txt #txt fanfic #beomgyu fanfic #beomgyu x reader #choi beomgyu x reader #tomorrow x together #txt angst #best friend's brother au #this is my first post #i'm sorry if i'm doing something wrong idk how to work tumblr LOL #help me #also #i'm on mobile soooo that should explain everything

89 notes · View notes

happilyhertale · 2 years

Text

Long Lost Love - Aemond Targaryen x female!reader, Part 15

Summary: You are the daughter of Daemon and Rhaenyra. When the invitation to Aegon and Helaena's wedding came, your entire family rushes from Dragonstone to King's Landing to take part in the festivities. You haven't seen your family in King's Landing for 6 years so you are very excited...

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Warnings: At the beginning none – eventually smut (uncle/niece)

Author’s note: Hello you! (:

This is my first fic so please be nice (: I thought I'd just try a little self-considered story. I hope u like it.

The events are not entirely similar from the series.

English is my second language, please forgive me if I made any mistakes (:

Word count: 4.7k

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7a, Part 7b, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14

"Second part" of this story - Long Last Love

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The whole way back you are nervous, you can't read in your book, you just look dreamily out of the window.

Again, you are in the carriage with your family, but you don't dare talk to your father about your desire to get married when everyone else is there.

When you arrive back at the red keep, your father is taken away by a servant because someone wants to talk to him.

You look after him, somehow glad that you can't talk to him just yet, as nervousness slowly creeps up on you.

You see Aemond getting out of his carriage. He is now standing with Aegon and Helaena at the other end of the courtyard, smiling at you. You have to smile too and slowly make your way to your chambers.

Your footsteps echo through the air in your chambers. Nervousness has now hit you full force. Never before have you thought so carefully about this moment, but never before has a man also been so close to you that you wished you could marry him. But yet you also never thought this moment would make you so nervous. You're almost more nervous than you were last night.... You bury your face in your hands and sigh.

But that's what you want. You've never been so sure of anything. You want to be Aemond's wife. You want to stand by his side, support him in everything as well as be there for him when he should need you. Likewise, you are sure that he will always be there for you and stand by your side no matter what decisions you should make.

You love him.

You take another deep breath and go in search of your father.

Aemond walks down the corridor to his parents' chambers. When he stands in front of their door, he takes a deep breath. He notices that his hands are a little sweaty as he knocks on the door and opens it after hearing the prompt.

His father, King Viserys is sitting in a chair, his mother, Queen Alicent is standing next to him.

"Aemond, my son, what a lovely surprise", Aemond nods to his father. Alicent gasps a little in shock when she sees Aemond's face, "Aemond??? What happened to your nose???", she steps towards him.

Aemond shakes his head slightly, "Nothing mother. Don't worry about it." She looks at him worriedly and Viserys raises his eyebrows too.

"Are we at war with House Stark now?", Aemond looks at his father. He is a little surprised that his father has noticed these tensions.

"No father, everything is fine. I came to see you about another matter."

Viserys nods at him.

"I have a request, father." Aemond stops.

Viserys looks at him curiously. "Father, I have never asked for much.... But, though I never thought I would come to you for this matter.... I want to get wed."

Viserys has to smile slightly

"I wish to ask for Y/N's hand in marriage"

Viserys has to chuckle. Alicent, standing next to Viserys again, reaches for his arm.

Aemond looks unflinchingly into Viserys' face, "You know, I'm not in a position to make decisions like that for Y/N. Already some time ago I had many discussions with Daemon about it and even I had to realise at some point that Y/N will decide it herself whom she weds."

Aemond nods knowingly, "I know father. She is with Daemon right now to talk to him."

He takes a short breath, "Father.... I... I love her." Aemond looks to the side. It is difficult for him to express his feelings to other people. Even if they are his parents, that doesn't make it easier for him.

Alicent takes a sharp breath.

Viserys smiles, "Love?"

"Yes! Father... I love her! I cannot and will not wed any other woman. It is her or I will never wed."

Viserys is pleasantly surprised that his son is able to harbour such feelings for someone. He always thought Aemond would never wed and live his life for his family. He is somehow reassured that this is not the case.

Viserys nods thoughtfully, "I will have to discuss this with Daemon and clarify how Y/N feels about it before I agree to any engagement."

Aemond can't suppress a smile, but quickly catches himself. He nods to his father and mother and leaves.

When Aemond has left his parents' chambers, Alicent turns to Viserys, "Viserys, she has him in her hand! He's fallen for her!"

Viserys looks at her, "Doesn't every woman have her man wrapped around her finger in some way?"

"No. Not in that way. He's practically fallen for her. Look at him, how beat up he is! Before, he would never have put up a fight.... Not for a woman. It's below his level!"

Viserys has to chuckle, "Alicent. Please. That's the normal behaviour of young men who are courting a woman. I, even Daemon were no different. And I am, frankly, relieved that he is behaving like this."

Alicent raises her eyebrows.

"Furthermore, I think it's good for him. To be close to a person who is not part of his close family. He deserves that. I'm sure it's not bad either if there's one person in this world who could really hold Aemond back, isn't it?"

Alicent nods absently.

"Besides, it just looked to me like he was pretty much in love. Isn't it nice if we could have a wedding that's done for love and not for political reasons..." Viserys sighs, Alicent looks at him worriedly, but tries to smile.

Alicent is worried. She had always expected to be able to wed Aemond at some point, to link powerful houses together. She doesn't hate you, not by any means. But the fact that he's not marrying for political reasons, but for love.... That someone has such a strong influence on him, that worries her.

You are looking for your father. He was not to be found at the usual places, but you find him at the training ground. He is watching the guard train.

You stand next to him and smile up at him, he looks at you with a raised eyebrow, "Well, what do you want?"

You pull him aside and he looks a little irritated as it gushes out of you, "Daddy.... I want to get wed."

Now he looks at you with interest, "Is that so?"

You nod, "Yes. I... I want to get wed to Aemond. I love him."

He has to chuckle, "You love him?"

Again you nod.

"Do you even know what love is?"

Your eyebrows draw together, "Yes. I very much do. What I feel for Aemond.... I couldn't feel for anyone else. When he's not.. with me, it hurts in my chest. But when he's near me and looking at me... my chest tightens so much that it's hard to breathe.... That's my definition of love" Nervously you look at your fingers as you press them against each other.

Daemon has to suppress a smile, "Do you think he's the one for you then?"

You look up at him, "Dad, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't absolutely sure."

He sighs, "What can I say.... It's not like it's unexpected. And I can't talk you out of it anyway.."

You smile.

"I'll go and talk to Viserys."

Now you have to grin and you hug him, "Thank you Daddy..."

He holds you tight and kisses you above the ear.

In the castle, you go through the halls and try to find Aemond. You haven't seen him since you arrived, but you guess that he must be somewhere in the castle, if he has been talking to Viserys.

And you find him, just walking through a hall. He stops when he notices you. His hands clasped behind his back, he smiles at you as you approach him.

Startled, he takes a step back when you fall around his neck, but you can't help it. After a short while he gives in and puts his arms around you. He buries his face in the crook of your neck and enjoys your warmth.

"I may wed you", you whisper in his ear. He holds you tighter against his body in response. You break away from the embrace and look up at him, smiling. He gently caresses your face and you can't help but lean towards him and kiss him softly.

A chuckle fills the hall when you interrupt the kiss. You remain close to each other for a moment and let your noses gently caress each other. You relish this moment and just smile.

Daemon, who is on his way to Viserys, sees you from across the hall and he can't help but smile briefly. When Daemon enters Visery's chambers, Alicent is no longer present.

Daemon nods to Viserys.

"Brother, I heard that our children want to get wed", Viserys looks at Daemon, slightly amused.

"Yes, I think so too. Y/N has just been to see me and expressed her wish to me"

Viserys nods slowly, "What do you think?"

Daemon considers for a moment, "Well, she gets to decide for herself. I don't have to think much of it. I don't know if I would have made the same decision for her. But still, I think she could have made a worse decision."

Viserys looks at him, " Then I don't think we need to talk about this matter any further. I will not stand in the way of this engagement. But are you talking to Rhaenyra? I would like to announce it tonight at the ball." Daemon nods in agreement.

"And brother... I'm glad... that our children are getting betrothed and that our families are getting closer again" Viserys smiles at Daemon. Daemon smiles back slightly and leaves Viserys' chambers.

Your parents have summoned you to their chambers. When you enter the chambers, you see them. Daemon has already informed Rhaenyra of your wish. Your mother turns her gaze on you as you enter the chambers, "My girl".

You smile. She steps towards you and gently caresses your cheek, "Do you really want to wed him? Are you sure about that?".

You nod, "Yes mother.... I love him"

She tries to smile, "Is he good to you?" She almost whispers.

You smile, "Mother... no one has ever been or would ever be better to me".

She nods at you and hugs you. You hear her sobbing softly and you bury your face in her neck.

From the back of the chambers you hear your father, "I guess your time at Dragonstone is over then?"

Now you look at him, startled.

"Well, your betrothed will be here in Kings Landing, and how long do you think it will take for you to get wed..."

Your gaze wanders to your mother.

Yes, you never want to leave Aemond again, but somehow you haven't considered that you'll have to leave your family to do so.

Rhaenyra squeezes you, "Shhh, my little girl, it will be good. We'll have your things brought here. You're coming to visit us, to get Meraxes. And we are coming to visit you. It's okay."

You nod, your face now buried in her shoulder.

Daemon is standing with you now, gently stroking your back, "It will be announced tonight."

You look at him, tears welling up in your eyes. He strokes your cheek, "You do not need to be afraid. You will always be my little dragon.... And if anything happens, I'll come and get you."

You have to laugh for a moment.

"And besides, now I will finally have my peace from potential suitors for your hand in marriage.“

"Thank you, Daddy..." you say, half-seriously.

At the end of the day you sit in the great hall at the main table. Your place is no longer at the side of your family, but at Aemond's, you sit to his right.

His hand gently rests on your thigh and you softly caress his hand. The Lords and Ladies are all gathered in the hall by now. Many have already started drinking and the noise level in the hall is correspondingly high.

As King Viserys rises, the hall quickly quiets down.

"My dear Lords and Ladies. We now gather for our last evening together to celebrate the upcoming wedding tomorrow. But I would also like to use this evening to announce another betrothal. My son, Prince Aemond Targaryen, will wed my granddaughter, Princess Y/N Targaryen."

A slight murmur followed by the clapping of the Lords and Ladies fills the hall.

Aemond takes your hand and kisses the inside of your wrist. You look into each other's eyes and smile at each other.

"I am especially pleased to announce this betrothal as it is a special one. It is not one that was made for political reasons, but for love. And, in my personal opinion, we have too few marriages based on love. We should put more effort into making marriages for love. After all, such a marriage can endure any kind of difficulties."

Viserys turns to you and smiles. You smile at your grandfather.

"So tonight we drink to Aegon and Helaena and our new betrothed couple, Aemond and Y/N."

The evening passes quietly, you sit by Aemond's side and you eat and drink. At some point you decide to get up. Aemond doesn't leave your side for a second. It seems like he is pushing his luck, his hand is constantly on your lower back. Every now and then he grabs your hip a little tighter, but still gently. He also whispers sweet, but sometimes naughty things in your ear. You blush at some of his statements. You relish the closeness to Aemond and wish that chaos wouldn't break out if you kissed him now.

For a moment you see Alys sitting at a table, looking at you with hatred. Her cheek glows in bright colors. You are a little proud of yourself and glad that Daemon taught you how to hit properly.

You turn away from her, more into Aemond's embrace and put your hand on his chest. He looks deep into your eyes and smiles.

When suddenly Rob approaches you.

"Princess Y/N, Prince Aemond."

You turn to Rob and smile. Aemond whispers in your ear, "I'll leave you two alone".

You nod. Rob and Aemond look at each other briefly and nod, barely noticeable.

"So you're engaged now..."

"Yes..."

He smiles at you.

"Rob..." he interrupts you, "No, it's okay. Really. I can see how you feel about each other." He strokes your hand briefly and you smile.

"And let's face it, how happy would you have been up north?"

You laugh, "But you wanted to light fires for me everywhere."

Now he has to laugh, "Yes, I would have done that".

He smiles at you.

"Although Aemond doesn't really seem very communicative to me..."

"I guess that depends on who he has the pleasure of communicating with...", you interrupt him.

Rob chuckles.

"Yeah perhaps... But I can't deny it, I did enjoy teasing him."

Now you both laugh.

"But if you're ever unhappy, or want to escape the Targaryen madness.... The North is always open to you." he almost whispered the end.

You smile at him, "And I will never forget that."

Rob wraps you in a warm embrace. Suddenly Jace steps towards you. You notice that he is a little drunk. Without saying anything, he leads you away. Rob looks after you, a little startled.

Jace leads you out into the corridor.

"Jace, what's going on?"

"You can't take his side!"

You look at him irritated, "Whose side?"

He gives you a nasty look.

"Jace, I'm not taking sides at all! You're putting me on a side!"

Jace snorts, "You don't belong on his side. You belong with us."

You shake your head slightly, "Why do you hate him so much?"

"Because he's dangerous Y/N!"

You give a short laugh, "Ha, you're crazy Jace!"

"I can't let you run to your doom."

"What doom, pray?", you cross your arms in front of your chest.

Jace turns away for a moment, "How can Daemon let that happen?"

"Perhaps because he takes me seriously and respects my feelings."

Jace turns back to you, "What... You have feelings for him...?"

You nod at him. "He knows that... That's why he trusts me"

Jace shakes his head, "No I won't, I can't let that happen."

Now you're getting angry, "There's nothing you can do about it Jace!"

In the distance you see Aemond standing cautiously in the entrance to the hall. Ready to intervene at any time.

"I am the heir to the Throne! I can stop this!"

"After our mother! This matter is really none of your business!"

He sighs and takes a step towards you. He takes your hands in his, he is speechless.

"Y/N... I don't want to argue with that one.... But Aemond... as your husband..."

"Jace... Please trust me. I don't want to wed another man, I love Aemond."

He looks at you.

"...I don't want Rob either."

He has to laugh for a second, "But that would be a lot funnier"

You have to laugh for a moment too.

You hug each other

"Jace? You will always have a place in my heart.... But I love him..."

Jace sighs, but holds you tighter, "You know, I'm going to miss you." You just nod.

Shortly after, you'll be in Aemond's chambers. You have managed to sneak into his chambers.

You enjoy the peace and quiet in his bed. His arms are wrapped around you while he hugs you from behind. He caresses you continuously and leaves little kisses on your neck.

"I'm sorry you had a fight with Jace..." he murmurs into your neck.

You look over your shoulder, you smile slightly and then shake your head briefly, "That's okay.... He's just worried. That you're not good for me."

You grin, but only get a "mmhmm" in response. You kiss him gently on the cheek.

"All I want to do is look forward to these beautiful moments," he whispers.

Now you are the one who answers with an "mmhm?

He looks at you now, "Well, do you know how beautiful it will be? When we will soon be allowed to officially spend our evenings together," he whispers further.

You smile, "You mean when I don't have to hold back my moans anymore?"

He chuckles and presses you further against him.

"Maybe we should share our chambers even before we get wed, mhm?" he whispers in your ear.

"Then I still have to be quiet?" you look at him. He chuckles again, "Yes, that's probably true. But we can spend the evenings together."

You have to smile at the thought.

You turn in his arm and place your hands on his chest, "Aemond... about the wedding..." he looks into your eyes, "I.... I don't want any old farts in our chambers, watching us while we sleep together... Apart from the fact that I didn't bleed the first time... I certainly won't then," you whisper the end.

He nods, "I won't allow it. No one will be watching when I make love to you.", he gently strokes your cheek.

You lean towards him and kiss him softly.

The next morning, Aemond is in the training yard as usual. His opponent for today is standing opposite him.

When a voice sounds from the entrance of the yard, "Maybe he should train with someone who has real fighting experience".

A murmur goes through the small crowd standing on the balcony.

Aemond looks in the direction of the voice and sees Daemon standing there, his hand resting on Dark Sister's hilt.

Aemond's jaw tenses.

He has great respect for Daemon, which almost turns into admiration. Even if he would never admit it. And not just because he is your father, but because he is a truly skilled fighter. The stories told around the Stepstones have fascinated him since he was a child.

Daemon walks slowly towards Aemond. Aemond's actual opponent bows his head and leaves the training field.

"Do you dare?" asks Daemon as he reaches the field.

Aemond just nods.

Aemond and Daemon face each other as they move in a circle.

Both hold up a sword.

Aemond would not have thought it possible, but he is excited in a training session for the first time since he was a child. To calm himself down, he lets his sword circle in his hand a few times.

Daemon doesn't even let his gaze wander, it is fixed stiffly on Aemond, the sword steady in his hand.

In the meantime, the crowd on the small balcony has grown.

Aemond tries his luck, he goes for Daemon. With his sword raised, he takes a big step towards Daemon and a scream leaves him. Daemon blocks the attack and Aemond tries to attack again with his sword. But Daemon swings his sword aside with ease and gives him a blow in his side. He makes a turn and now sees Aemond stumbling away. Aemond's back is turned to Daemon and now he tries his luck. But as he lunges, Aemond turns to the side and slams hard into Daemon's sword. Daemon takes a step back and again they face each other, both walking in circles.

Suddenly Daemon's voice rings out, "You know, in the beginning there was a moment when I would have loved to split your skull..."

Aemond doesn't want to be distracted, he watches Daemon closely.

".. But I love my daughter too much and I know I couldn't stop her from desiring the one eyed prince"

Aemond goes for Daemon again. Daemon blocks with ease but this time the swords are crossed in front of his chest as Daemon hisses, "She is too good for you"

"I am well aware of that," Aemond gasps back.

He knocks Aemond's sword aside and drives a knee into Aemond's stomach. While Aemond kneels on the ground gasping for air, Daemon circles him.

Aemond collects himself and stands on his feet again. He turns to Daemon, slight hatred reflected in Aemond's gaze, but he can't help it, he wants to beat Daemon.

With big steps he walks towards Daemon, his sword flies towards Daemon several times, Daemon tries to deflect all blows. The sound of clashing steel echoes through the training yard. With the last blow Daemon has to jump back, Aemond would otherwise have slashed his blade across Daemon's stomach. He spins and takes a swing, bringing his sword down on Aemond. Aemond blocks the blow, but Daemon elbows him in the face. Again Aemond is down.

"You should not only concentrate on your opponent's weapons in a fight. That Ser Crispon cunt should have shown you that. But Y/N can teach you that if need be."

Aemond breathes heavily and looks at Daemon.

Daemon looks at him again, "No matter what you do, you'll never be good enough for her. You should tell yourself that every day. That should be your motivation to try again every day to live up to her. Maybe then you will even begin to deserve her. And you should realise that if I hear that she is not doing well here, that I will come and get her. And that will not end well for you."

Aemond wordlessly stands up again, his gaze fixed on Daemon. He is still breathing heavily.

This time Daemon goes for him, Aemond is a little surprised but blocks the blows and takes a few steps back in the process. As Aemond goes for the swing, he has Daemon fist in his stomach again, but this time he doesn't go down, he strikes again with the sword. Daemon blocks the blow and again their swords are crossed.

"And you should stop fighting with honour. Because that's how you miss out on opportunities to bring your opponents down." Daemon kicks Aemond's leg to the side and Aemond lands on his back. Gasping, Aemond lies on the ground.

His eye is closed.

Daemon stands over him, "Let these words be a warning to you. Do not forget them."

Aemond feels a blade against his face, he stiffens, his breath catches.

With one movement Daemon cuts the leather strap of Aemond's eye patch. The eyepatch slides noiselessly to the floor. Aemond exhales loudly and now looks at Daemon.

Daemon just turns around and walks away, "You know, you fight pretty well. But it's still obvious that you don't have any experience on the battlefield."

Aemond lies there for a short while, but then stands up and throws the sword into a corner. He leaves the training yard. With his head bowed, he walks through the red keep.

On the way to his chambers you see him from a distance, you call out to him, but he just keeps walking.

You run after him and when you reach him you see that he is not wearing an eye patch.

"Aemond...?" you ask.

He stops and looks at you. You see that something is wrong. His hair is messed up, he is sweaty and dirty.

"Is everything all right?" you ask almost in a whisper.

He just nods and tries to smile.

You move closer to him, he freezes for a moment. You stand on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek and the scar. He leans into that kiss.

When he finally speaks, "I just need a bath badly".

You nod and smile at him.

At the end of the week, your parents leave Kings Landing with your brothers to go back to Dragonstone.

You stand in the courtyard and look at each other. You've had to cry a few times today. You are happy to stay with Aemond, but you will still miss your family.

Your brothers embrace you with all their strength, "Take care of yourself," Jace whispers in your ear and you smile.

"It will be strange not to be annoyed with your constant presence all the time," you reply to him.

He has to laugh, "I'll text you regularly to remind you how annoying my presence is."

"And I will reply," you respond. A tear leaves your eye.

You stroke Luke's hair, "And you'll look after Jace?". He nods and embraces your belly, you hug him.

Your mother takes a step towards you and hugs you, "My girl."

You smile and put your head in the crook of her neck.

She releases the hug and takes your face in her hands, "You write regularly? And if anything is wrong, turn to us, we will always be your family" you nod and more tears run down your cheek.

She kisses your cheek.

"We'll have your things brought here and when you come to fetch Meraxes we'll have another nice dinner on Dragonstone," again you can only nod.

She kisses you again as your father approaches you. You have been dreading this. You remember too much the goodbyes from your childhood, when you had to watch your father in tears as he left Kings Landing on Caraxes.

He stands in front of you and now your tears run uncontrollably down your cheek.

He holds you tightly and you sob into his chest, "Ssh.... my little dragon... we'll see each other again soon, after all you're getting wed soon and we can't miss that" You nod into his chest. You look up at him, he caresses your cheek and smiles, "And I've made sure Aemond will treat you well."

Suddenly it dawns on you, he was beating Aemond up like this when you saw him in the corridor to his chambers a few days ago.

"Daddy! It was you?"

He just chuckles, "Of course. I have to make sure you're alright here."

You have to smile and shake your head, "Aemond would never treat me badly."

"Yes, I should hope so for his sake". You shake your head in disbelief.

Daemon kisses you once more over your ear and then your family gets into the carriage.

You remember the day you arrived here. How excited you were to see Kings Landing again. How you didn't want to admit to yourself how much you longed to see Aemond again…. What he has become. How enchanted you were with him from the first second. And now your family is leaving Kings Landing without you. You stay with your Aemond now.

You stop in the courtyard for a while and watch the carriage move away from the red keep before heading into the castle.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Tag list

@leahjean @afro-hispwriter @jeyramarie @powellssaturn @notabotiswear @hoshi-miharu-blog @random-human02 @m00n5t0n3 @sporadicshepherdzinebear @drewsgfduh @stargaryenx @dark-night-sky-99 @notabotiswear @ccosmic-illusion @darylandbethfanforever9 @grungegrrrl @spn-obession @carlottalhn @elle4404 @girl-with-an-orange-cat @genshinimpactislife @imjustboredso @tragicbucky @dollfaceyourfear @magnificantmermaid @mllemarianne @stargaryenx @mikariell95 @khaothick @aemonds-wifey @burningshewolf @munsonswrld @jackierose902109 @scaraxmouche @bucky-thorin-winchester @alexandra-001

473 notes · View notes