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seriouslycromulent · 9 months ago

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The Surprising Reason John Larroquette Took His Career-Defining Role on 'Night Court'

The comedy ninja reveals all this week's 'Parade' cover story.

MARA REINSTEIN

UPDATED:JAN 19, 2023

Get in a car and drive about 30 miles north of Portland, Oregon, into southwest Washington. That’s where you’ll find actor John Larroquette.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, have lived on a piece of rural property for about five years. He collects books and likes to narrate plays in his home recording studio. Sometimes the couple head into the city to try new restaurants and go to the theater and concerts. “It’s really beautiful,” he says. “And at my age, it’s time to slow down and be out somewhere.”

In fact, Larroquette is so fond of his far-from-Hollywood lifestyle that not too long ago, he considered himself retired from the business with a fulfilling career and a room full of trophies to show for it. Never did he think he’d return to grueling TV work, let alone reprise the very role that made him a household name.

Guess what happened next?

Yup, Larroquette, 75, is suiting back up as wise-cracking, endearingly smarmy lawyer Dan Fielding in a new version of the irreverent sitcom Night Court (premiering Jan. 17 on NBC). Set decades after the 1984-92 original, it still chronicles the colorful cast of characters passing through the New York City after-hours courtroom. But now, the Honorable Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch), the daughter of Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson), bangs the gavel.

Fielding starts the series as a process server, though not for long. “As an actor, I thought it would be an interesting idea to revisit a character 35 years later in his life and see what happened to him,” Larroquette says. “I can’t do the physical comedy and jump over chairs anymore, so my conversations with the producers were about how to find the funny.”

Call it the latest unexpected turn for a seasoned star who began his professional journey as a DJ for “underground” radio in the 1960s, moved from his native New Orleans to Los Angeles to jumpstart his career, once took a gig in exchange for marijuana, played a Klingon in the third Star Trek movie and completed rehab to kick his heavy drinking—all before his very first audition for Night Court in 1983. After the sitcom’s last episode, he won his fifth Emmy (for the drama The Practice) and a 2011 Tony for the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He and Elizabeth, wed for 47 years, have three grown children.

“I honestly wish I had a tape recorder going at all times because he’s led such an interesting life and has such wonderful stories,” marvels Rauch, his co-star and a Night Court executive producer. “He’s super-quick, funny and definitely tells it like it is.”

Exhibit A? His interview with Parade, in which he discusses life and death, and everything in between.

Did you sign on to the series right away or was it a tough sell?

When Melissa [Rauch] presented the idea to me, I immediately said, “No thank you.” I didn’t like the idea of being compared to my 35-year-old, younger self. These conversations went on for a year. Then, one day, she told me that she wanted to be on-camera as well, so I decided to try and do it. We ended up pitching the show together, and it got picked up. You know, in New Orleans, there’s a French word called “lagniappe,” which means “a little bonus.” That’s what I consider myself. She’s the heart of the show.

Sadly, a few of your co-stars—including Harry Anderson and Markie Post—have died in recent years. What was it like being on the set without them?

Very emotional. Harry passed away in 2018, but it’s still a tender spot in my heart because he and I were together for a long time even outside of work. Markie and I were very close, and we had exchanged a few emails about the show before she died [in 2021]. She was a big cheerleader for it. And Charlie [Robinson, who played the clerk “Mac”] died when we were shooting the pilot last year. I saw him a lot because we both love the theater. Being on the set—I don’t say this glibly—but it was like seeing dead people. I’d always remember how I had this bizarre and completely sincere family for nine years.

Going back to the 1980s, why did you originally take the Dan Fielding role?

It was a paycheck. This was 1983, and I was still a journeyman actor going from job to job. I was a regular on a series in the ‘70s [Baa Baa Black Sheep], but then I took a few years off to do some extremely heavy drinking. After I got sober and realized I wasn’t going to die, I thought, “What am I going to do?” I had been in a pretty big [1981] movie called Stripes with Bill Murray. I read for Ted Danson’s role in Cheers.

Wait, how far did you get in the Sam Malone casting process?

Oh, I just walked in and did a cold reading along with every other 32-year-old actor at the time. But then I auditioned for the judge in Night Court. The producers asked me to read for this other role of Dan Fielding and I said, “Sure.” Even if I hated the role, I would have taken it because I needed to make money to help pay the rent and support my family and be a responsible member of society. It was luck that I really liked it. Then I got lucky again when NBC picked up the show as a mid-season replacement.

During the height of the show’s popularity, you earned four consecutive Emmys for your performance. That must have felt beyond validating.

Obviously, being acknowledged by your contemporaries was an incredible honor. I don’t say that blithely. It was a remarkable, remarkable feeling. And I was up against some formidable talent—mainly all those guys from Cheers.

Why do you think the character was and is so appealing?

I think because he allowed the audience to know that he wasn’t a bad guy. He was more like a feckless buffoon. He also really wanted to be loved. As a matter of fact, in our pitch, we screened an old scene of Fielding in a hospital bed telling Harry, “I don’t have a life; I have a lifestyle. Nobody has ever said, ‘I love you.’” So when we find Fielding again, he’s loved and lost. And Harry’s daughter forces him out of his cave. It’s a real full-circle moment.

Let’s go back to your own start. Did you have any music skills coming out of New Orleans?

Well, I started playing clarinet in third grade, then I moved to the saxophone in the 1960s. But I euphemistically say that I could talk better than I could blow. So, I took that sax out of my mouth and became a DJ and started using my voice as much as I could. I’ve always loved the analog aspect of audio. I still have some reel-to-reel tape recordings and old microphones.

Is that how you ended up narrating the opening prologue for [the 1974 horror classic] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

No, no, that wasn’t through any kind of past work. In the summer of ‘69, I was working as a bartender at a small Colorado resort in a little town called Grand Lake because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. [Director] Tobe Hooper happened to be in town and we became friendly. Flash forward four years, and I found myself in L.A. collecting unemployment checks and trying to decide if I wanted to be an actor. Tobe heard I was in town and asked for an hour of my time to narrate something for this movie he just did. I said, “Fine!” It was a favor.

Per the Internet, he gave you a joint in lieu of payment. True?

Totally true. He gave me some marijuana or a matchbox or whatever you called it in those days. I walked out of the studio and patted him on his back side and said, “Good luck to you!” Now, I have also narrated the consequential films and did get paid. You do something for free in the 1970s and get a little money in the ‘90s. I’m not a big horror movie fan, so I’ve never seen it. But it’s certainly the one credit that’s stuck strongly to my resume.

But you’ve appeared on the big screen plenty of times. Did you have movie-star aspirations following all your TV success?

The movies I’ve done are mostly forgettable. Blind Date [from 1987] is an exception, but that’s because of Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. And Blake Edwards directed it. It was funny. But my face is not made for a really big screen. It’s a broad, clown-like face. It’s good for a TV two-shot. And you ride the horse in the direction that it’s going and television was always right there and offering me stuff, so I kept doing that.

You also performed in a musical for the first time in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2010. How was that change of pace?

I was hesitant to do it because I had never sung and danced on stage. I was convinced I was going to be fired in the first two or three weeks. I’d keep going in my head, “five, six, seven, eight!” just trying to get the steps down. But I loved the lifestyle of being a stage actor in New York. I loved working with Daniel Radcliffe, and we became fast friends. It got to a point where I couldn’t wait to get to the theater and try it again that night. If you’re given the opportunity to do something that may be a stretch, I think it’s important to try and see if you can pull it off.

Can you talk a bit about your personal life? You seem a little reclusive.

Reclusive isn’t accurate, but I’m definitely an introvert. Elizabeth and I met doing the play Enter Laughing and got married in 1975. She puts up with me, and you can’t ask for much more than that. Our kids are grown. My daughter Lisa is a graphic designer and my son Jonathan has had a podcast for the past 17 years called Uhh Yeah Dude. And my youngest son, Ben, is a musician who graduated from the Berklee School of Music. He actually composed the new theme music for Night Court. They’re all lovely, and I love them dearly.

That’s quite a professional and personal success story, no?

You know, considering where I’m from and the kind of culture I grew up in, yes. I’ve been very successful in my chosen field. And I’m grateful for having done that because there were times when I thought I would not live, much less have a career. It��s nothing to be taken for granted. But I’m very old now. Three quarters of a century. I’m sort of playing with house money from now on, regardless of what happens.

Sorry, but 75 isn’t very old!

Yes, it’s old. It’s old. Please. It’s old. There are certainly people who live longer, but I can go down the list of wonderful friends and coworkers who are now deceased. One being Kirstie Alley, my costar in [the 1990 comedy] Madhouse, who was younger than I am. She was a lovely person, and so funny. There are only a few more exits on the freeway and you’ve got to choose one. But I’m not afraid of the hereafter and I don’t bemoan it. It’s been an interesting ride, and all rides eventually end.

Do you have any sort of words to live by?

As corny as it sounds, take things one day at a time. You know, I learned when I stopped drinking at age 32 that all you have is right now. Use the present in your life as much as you can.

Source: https://parade.com/celebrities/john-larroquette-night-court-cover-story

-----

My thoughts (please feel free to ignore):

I'm sure someone in the fandom has already posted this interview John did last year with Parade magazine when the new Night Court premiered. But I can say that it's new to me, so I'm sharing it in case it's new to someone else too.

I apologize for the highlighted purple sections above. That's just me marking the parts of the interview that resonated with me the most.

I don't know about anyone else, but some parts of his answers to the questions made me feel kind of sad. Partially because he's clearly experiencing grief at the loss of his friends. And partially because John himself may not be with us for much longer (although I hope I'm wrong and he beats Betty White to 100).

But I was talking to my mother about some of his answers, and she said that as someone who has reached an age milestone herself, she understands his perspective. And I guess I do too.

It's important to remember that in any other profession, John would likely be retired by now. So we should really be grateful for any roles he takes or public appearances he makes, and hope that his days ahead are filled with the calm, joy and laughter that he so rightly deserves.

#john larroquette #new night court #night court #fandom #interview #parade magazine #night court 2023 #bittersweet

25 notes · View notes

4wkjun · 1 year ago

Note

can i req?

Hwi x Reader

(Smut)

just my type | eh

pairing: eun hwi × fem!reader

genre: smut, fwb.

warnings: smoking, oral sex inside of a public bathroom, unprotected sex (cap before you tap), creampie, hwi’s a simp and he doesn’t care, one-sided love, nipple play, marking, a little angst if you squint. minors dni.

author’s note: inspired by the vamps’ just my type (night and day, 2018). hwi is an adult! i would never write anything like that if he was a minor. also, just a TMI: I’m such a simp for his long hair.

word count: 4k.

𝐌-𝐦-𝐦-𝐦-𝐦-𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐦𝐢𝐬��𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝

“Can I buy you a drink?”, Hwi asked, approaching you by the counter. You chuffed, tilting your head.

“Do I know you?”

“Well, we just met, right? I’m Eun Hwi”, the tall boy smiled, stretching his hand out for you to shake it.

“Hi, Eun Hwi. I’m y/n”, you smiled. “But I don’t drink, so I guess I’m gonna have to pass.”

Hwi smiled, shaking his head.

“Can I make you some company, then?”

“I’m waiting for a date, so...” you shrugged, giving him an upside-down smile.

“What kind of man sets a date with such a pretty girl like you in a crowded-ass club?”, Hwi laughed. “You deserve a fancy restaurant and shit.”

You couldn’t help but laugh out loud, nodding.

“Hold that thought, I might be stood up until the end of the night.”

“If that happens, I’ll be waiting back there”, he responded, pointing to the back of the club. You nodded, taking a sip of your lemonade. Hwi walked away, winking at you before turning completely around.

𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝

You walked shamelessly towards Hwi and his group of friends, sitting across the club. It’s been over an hour of you sitting and waiting for your date; he’s not gonna come.

“Hey”, you sighed. Hwi’s eyes lifted from his friends and he smiled.

“Don’t tell me he didn’t show up.”

You laughed, nodding. Hwi wasted no time, getting up from his seat and walking you towards the open area of the club. You felt relieved when he closed the door behind the two of you, the loud music now being just a muffle.

“So, why did you decide to talk to me again?”, he asked.

“You told me to”, you responded, tilting your head.

Hwi giggled, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket. He tilted the box towards you and you timidly took a cigarette out of the half-empty pack.

“I didn’t think you’d come”, he said with a messy diction, holding the cigarette between his lips while looking for his lighter. You suddenly felt stupid.

“Maybe I should go home, then...”, you said, slowly backing up from Hwi. He was fast, softly holding your wrist before you could leave. His other hand took the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it along with the – now found – lighter.

“Don’t go. I meant I didn’t think you’d fall for my shit”, he laughed. “You and I both know you’re outta my league.”

You laughed, actually a little relieved by his words.

“I would say you’re out of my league”, you responded, watching him put the cigarette back between his pretty lips and light it. He shook his head, looking at you.

8Hwi didn’t say anything for a while, taking the cigarette out of your hand and placing it between your lips. You looked confused and he showed the lighter between his slim fingers.

“That cigarette needs a light”, he winked. You watched timidly as he carefully lighted it for you.

The smoke filled your lungs and you automatically felt relaxed. At the same time you hated being part of that ridiculous statistic – around 40% of the adults seem to smoke every day –, the erratic life you took seemed to calm down when the nicotine rushed through you. Maybe you could try to quit. The two of you didn’t say anything for a while. “How old are you, y/n?”

“19”, you sighed. “You?”

“Same”, he shrugged. “Why don’t you drink?”

“I don’t know”, you responded, looking at him. His eyes were focused on yours, paying attention to your every word. “I just don’t like the taste of the alcohol, you know? I’d rather drink juices or something like that.”

Hwi giggled, shaking his head.

“What?”

“I can’t tell you what I just thought”, he responded between puffs.

“Why not?”

“I’d make you uncomfortable.”

“Try me”, you shrugged.

Hwi sighed before looking at you, puffing his cigarette. He let the smoke out in a way that you could easily call sexy before saying:

“I’d like to taste your juices.”

You coughed, caught off guard. Hwi laughed and gave your neck a gentle rub until your breath became regular again.

“I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be”, you giggled, feeling your cheeks bright red. “I bet it works quite often for you?”

Hwi shook his head, smirking.

“I don’t approach pretty women like you, usually. Mostly ‘cause I know I’ll end up saying stupid shit like that.”

You laughed, looking up for a bit. The sky was completely dark, with only a few stars appearing that night.

“I think it’s charming”, you said in a low volume. Hwi seemed surprised, looking at you – even though you weren’t looking at him.

“What? My awkwardness?”

“You’re not awkward!”, you laughed, looking at him again. “You seem spontaneous. I like that.”

“Well, may I be your date tonight, then?”, Hwi asked, approaching your body with his. His hands timidly found their way to your waist, barely touching you.

“I guess I’d like that”, you responded, closing the gap between your mouths.

Hwi’s hands became firm around your waist as your tongues met in the backyard of that noisy club. One of your hands laid on his shoulder, while the other found the way to his long soft hair. Hwi grinned against your mouth when your fingers locked around his strains, making his hands tighter against your skin.

“Wanna go somewhere else?”, he whispered against your lips.

“Yeah”, you whispered back before kissing him again.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 '𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝

“Hwi? Where are you going?”, Minji asked, rolling across Hwi’s bed. He wandered around the room, gathering all of the clothes on the floor. He dressed his own underwear back, placing Minji’s clothes on the edge of his bed.

“I’m gonna take a shower. You’ll be gone by the time I come back, right?”

“Wrong!”, Minji groaned. “Come on, what’s this now? Is it because of that girl? What was her name again, y/n?”

Hwi rolled his eyes, walking towards the door.

“This is none of your business. Just get dressed and leave.”

“You know, throwing me away won’t make her like you. It’s been what? Six months? She’s using you, Hwi. If she liked you back, you wouldn’t be her sex toy.”

“Like I just said, this is none of your business. Get dressed and get the fuck out of here.”

“Why? Am I not good enough for you?”

Hwi sighed, leaning against the closed door. He wanted to yell, and scream out of his lungs that she was not good enough because she wasn’t you, but he couldn’t. He was not down for admitting he was in love with you.

“You’re great, it would be even better if you could just shut up and do what I say every once in a while.”

“You’re treating me like she treats you. Can’t you see I’m here and she’s not?”

“I literally can see that you’re here. I’m asking for you to leave and you are not leaving.”

Minji sighed, grumpy. She got off the bed with an angry expression and Hwi turned around to open the door.

“Close the door on your way out”, he told Minji before walking towards the bathroom.

His shower took a lot longer than necessary, ‘cause his mind wouldn’t stop thinking about you. Minji was right, Hwi was indeed a simp over you, but you only saw Hwi as friends with benefits. He was no dummy to say no to that. It would be better to have a little bit of you than none of you, right?

When he left the bathroom, Minji was gone. Unfortunately, she was also right. Hwi treated Minji the same way you treated Hwi.

“Why’s my life such a mess?”, Hwi moaned to himself, taking the dirty sheets off his bed.

He cleaned his bedroom until there was no trace of Minji there, not wanting to remember any of her words.

That night, Hwi dreamed of you.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝

Hwi wiped the sweat off his hands in his jeans, nervous about meeting you again. He used to see you at least three times a week and every time he’d be as nervous as a virgin boy about to have sex for the first time. Not even his cigarettes were able to calm him down now that he hadn’t seen your face in a month.

You smiled when you noticed Hwi entering the coffee shop, happy because he arrived to see you. You waved towards him, letting him know where you were.

“Hi”, he smiled while sitting down across from you.

“I can’t believe you came!”, you smiled. “Gosh, I missed you so much, Hwi. Why are you avoiding me lately?”

Hwi thought this conversation would be easy and light, but you just dove in head first.

“I’m not avoiding you”, Hwi responded. You rolled your eyes, suddenly grumpy.

“Oh, yeah? Then why haven’t I seen you in almost a month, Eun Hwi?”

“I’ve been busy.”

“With your whores?”

“With work, y/n. For fucks sake!”

You chuffed, not buying his excuses.

“You’re so mistaken if you think you can just walk out of my life, boy”, you warned. Hwi smiled, shaking his head. “Now, tell me. What’s going on with your life?”

Hwi sighed before starting to tell you the news of the month. If only he could leave you...

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐎𝐡, 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐡, 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞

“Why are you staring at her, dude?”, Junhyeok asked, tired of your crap. Hwi’s eyes wandered from your dancing figure to his buddy’s bored one. “Go talk to her already.”

“Why?”

“So you’ll stop making a fool of yourself?”, Junhyeok responded as it was obvious. “Just confess already.”

Hwi pouted, thinking about it. Chugging his last bear down, he got up from his seat. He walked confidently towards you, smiling at how happy you looked.

“Hey stranger”, Hwi greeted in your ear over the loud music while his hands found your hips. In no time, your back was pressed against his chest – and your ass against his crotch.

“Hi, pretty boy”, you giggled. You turned around to face him, replacing his hands on your hips when his arms dropped. “Didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

Hwi laughed, pulling your body closer to his. He hated dancing, feeling stiff next to you, but he always ended up on the dance floor when you ran into him. How could he say no to you?

“I came here hoping I’d see your pretty face”, Hwi said, his lips almost glued to your ear. He didn’t notice, but all of your hair got up just by feeling his breath next to your neck.

You smiled and leaned in to kiss his pretty lips, humming when his tongue met yours. Hwi felt like he could melt right away every time you kissed him – and you could melt by feeling his fingers digging into your flesh.

“Wanna go to a motel?”, you whispered after breaking the kiss. Hwi giggled, shaking his head.

“Why won’t you let me take you on a date instead?”, he asked for the nth time. You laughed, shaking your head.

Instead of answering, you kept swaying your body to the rhythm of the weird music boosting the speakers. Hwi groaned, frustrated. You never gave him an answer. One of Hwi’s hands grabbed your neck, while the other pressed your lower back, making you stop moving.

“Why the only words I hear from your mouth are your begs for me to fuck you? Won’t you let me treat you nice?”, he growled into your ear.

You contained a moan, holding Hwi’s arms for support when your legs felt like jelly.

“You deserve something more”, you said. Hwi’s grip got loose around your neck as he shook his head. His hand found a new comfortable space in your waist.

“It sucks that you think that way, ‘cause you’re just my type.”

'𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭

You loved every time Hwi closed a door between you two and the loud music of that shitty club the two of you attended almost every weekend. When the bathroom door locked behind your back, the only noises you could hear were the whimpers leaving your throat when Hwi kissed the right places.

“Aren’t afraid people gonna hear how needy you are, baby?”, Hwi mocked when you gasped at the feeling of his clothed thigh against your clit.

You were already miserable, panties down on the floor and your skirt up to your waist, leaving you exposed. Hwi wouldn’t let you touch him, pushing your hands away every time you tried to intertwine your fingers between his hair.

“Hwi”, you whined. “Let me touch you.”

“Will you let me take you out?”, he asked, rubbing his knee up and down your cunt. He didn’t care about the wet stain it would leave, he just wanted to see how you reacted to him. You shook your head from side to side, closing your eyes shut. “Hm, that’s too bad.”

Hwi held both of your wrists with one of his hands before kneeling down in front of you. When his lips found your clit, you let out a moan. He smiled against your core before kitty-lick your bud.

“God, Hwi!”, you whined, throwing your head against the door.

Your whimpers made Hwi hard as a rock, but he had no plans to fuck you raw that night. He’d make you beg for him.

“Ah, I... I need more”, you whined. “Please, Hwi!”

Hwi chuffed before licking your slit; he could feel your arousal dripping down his chin. You gasped when two of his digits entered your cunt, massaging your gummy walls.

His hands and mouth worked as a team while you tried to keep your moans to yourself. He knew you were about to cum when you held your breath and flexed your muscles beneath his touch. So he stopped.

Your eyes got wide open when you felt the knot in your stomach fading away, only to see Hwi pulling your underwear back to its place.

“What?”, you asked, panting. Hwi adjusted your skirt back to cover your ass and part of your thighs before kissing you one more time.

When he pulled back, he cleaned the rest of your arousal off his face with the back of his hand and smiled before saying:

“You’ll get to cum when I take you out.”

And with that, he carefully pulled you out of the way and left the bathroom. You locked the door and tried to masturbate to cum, but it didn’t feel the same. You gave up after a couple of minutes, completely frustrated.

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝

“I can’t believe you actually brought me to a fancy restaurant”, you giggled. Hwi smiled, looking at you with shining eyes. “I don’t deserve this.”

“You deserve a lot better, silly.”

You rolled your eyes before picking up the menu. The evening went great, honestly. You and Hwi tasted some rich food for once – and hated how tiny the plates were! –, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. After eating, Hwi took you for a walk down the river.

“It’s such a beautiful night”, you said softly. Hwi nodded, reaching for your hand. You pouted, trying to get away from his touch.

“Hwi...”

“I know you don’t love me or something. But I just spent a hundred bucks on beef, let me enjoy my delusional night”, he said. His tone sounded playful, but you knew he wasn’t joking.

You held his hand tight, caressing his soft skin with your thumb. You ended up sitting over a bench to talk comfortably since you went out wearing high heels.

“Why don’t you like me back?”, Hwi asked softly. He didn’t seem hurt, just curious. Your heart sank.

“I don’t deserve someone as good as you, Hwi”, you said. He looked at you dead serious, not buying that. “I mean it. You have such a good heart and I... I am a train wreck”, you chuffed. “I’m not mentally or physically ready for a serious relationship, I can’t pretend I am. It’ll only hurt you.”

“I’m ready to get hurt, as VIXX would say”, he shrugged, smiling. “Maybe you could... Give me a chance. Nothing serious, just... Leave your heart open and see if it wants me to get inside?”

You giggled, finding Hwi adorable.

“Yeah, I think I can do that.”

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝

It took several dates for Hwi to notice he was not succeeding in making you like him back. He knew he was doing everything he could, but you literally can’t make someone fall for you, right?

However, that didn’t make Hwi get away from you. He would still see you around three times a week, casually showing up at your job just to see how you’re doing. You’d party together and go home together almost every weekend. Hwi just couldn’t let you go.

That’s why he allowed himself inside your house when you asked if he wanted to come in after driving you home. He knew where this would lead. If he wouldn’t be the guy you are gonna spend your life with, he could at least enjoy the part of you he had.

You moaned against Hwi’s lips as soon as he pressed you against your bedroom door. His hands squeezed your ass through your jeans and you caressed his arms.

When Hwi whispered “jump” and you obeyed, he lifted your legs for you to wrap them around his waist, his hands firm on your ass. He enjoyed kissing and marking your jaw and neck, not even a bit worried about how you were gonna cover the marks to go to work the next morning.

You could feel your nipples perking through the fabric of your shirt, needy just by the feeling of his lips and tongue against your skin. You would either combust or melt beneath his lips. When Hwi walked towards your bed with you in his arms, you gasped, afraid you’d fall.

“Don’t worry, love. I’m never gonna hurt you”, Hwi chuckled.

He laid you on the bed, hovering your body with his. He used one of his forearms for support while his other hand slowly unbuttoned the shirt you chose that morning. Hwi hummed when he realized you had no bra underneath that thin fabric.

“You went to work like that? Were you that desperate, letting anyone see your tits?”, he whispered against your ear. You blushed, saying a shy “no”.

His fingertips brushed against your hard nipple right after he finished the last button. You bit your lip, anticipating the pleasure. Hwi found it adorable, rubbing his palm against your bud to see your reaction. Your breath got caught inside your throat and Hwi could feel his cock hardening by the moment inside of his jeans.

Without a word, Hwi lowered his head to lick your other nipple, not wanting to neglect any part of you. You whimpered as his tongue flicked against your sensitive nipple, grabbing his hair instinctively. He smiled before sucking it, stretching your skin with his lips. You ended up bucking your hips upwards, feeling the arousal soak your underwear.

“Your tits are so pretty, I’d use them as my lock screen if I could”, Hwi mumbled before sucking the bud again. His other hand never stopped stimulating your other nipple, pinching and caressing it the way he knew would drive you to the edge.

“Aw babe, I love seeing you like that”, he mocked, pouting. “Don’t I deserve a little fun, too?”

“Is it fun to tease me?”

“You have no idea”, Hwi smiled, pinching your nipple between his fingers again. You whimpered at the feeling, closing your eyes. “See, you never fail to give me a wonderful reaction.”

“Let me suck you, then”, you said, a little out of breath. Hwi chuckled. “What? I wanna see you react under me as well”, you said.

Hwi felt his cock twitch inside of his underwear but still denied it.

“We have no time to waste, baby. Keep it for the next time, hm?”, he said, leaning in to kiss you.

As Hwi’s tongue slid against yours, his hand unbuttoned your jeans and entered your panties with ease. He felt his cock twitch again when he felt how wet you were.

Without a word, Hwi pulled away and turned you on your belly. He tucked your pants down along with your underwear, exposing you at once.

“Hwi...”, you whined.

“Shh, don’t worry”, he responded. He tapped your hips, silently asking you to raise your ass, so you did.

You heard the sound of his belt reaching the floor and closed your eyes in anticipation. Hwi pumped himself a few times before slipping his tip among your folds, making you hum.

The tip of his fat cock slowly entered your cunt, the stretch burning and feeling good at the same time. You muffled a moan with your own pillow while Hwi was halfway in, clenching around him. He almost growled behind you.

“Is it too much for you to take?”, he asked, a bit of mocking behind his tone.

You used to beg him to fuck you without stretching you with his fingers, but it seemed funny how you barely took him and already melted.

“No”, you moaned.

You bucked your hips towards his direction slowly, taking him further inside of you. The both of you moaned, overwhelmed by the pleasure. Hwi slapped your ass cheek before bottoming out. His cock felt deliciously strangled by your walls, making Hwi take a few deep breaths before moving slowly.

He never fucked you like that before and you asked yourself why. His tip reached all of the right points, making you see stars. You were drooling, face pressed against your pillow with your eyes closed while Hwi held your hips high enough for his cock to fulfill your needs.

“You’re so tight around me”, he groaned before smacking your ass again. You whined and clenched around him once again.

Hwi felt way too good inside of you, even though his pace wasn’t as fast as you wanted.

“Look at you, already dumb beneath me”, he growled. You only whimpered, holding the sheets tight. “Can’t answer, love? Cat got your tongue?”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah! Hwi!”, you moaned. You couldn’t stop clenching around him, your orgasm approaching really quick.

Hwi leaned forward, his hand reaching for your clit. As he started to rub circles around your bud, you couldn’t think of anything anymore. He knew you were gonna cum soon, and so did he.

“That’s it, let it come”, he moaned.

Still rubbing your clit, Hwi came inside of you. His erratic thrusts didn’t stop along with the rubbing, both riding his high and wanting you to achieve yours.

When you came undone, Hwi allowed your hips to fall onto the bed, caressing your ass. It took you around 30 seconds to come back to your senses, only to find Hwi moving to lay next to you. He let you cuddle him, tired.

“You did so good for me”, you whispered.

“You’re always great for me”, Hwi whispered back.

#tnx smut #tnx fanfic #tnx au #hwi smut #eun hwi smut #hwi au #eun hwi au #kpop au #kpop bg #kpop smut

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ultraericthered · 1 month ago

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2020 Memories: Love Live! School Idol Project

It was to be the franchise's 10th anniversary when I finally decided to take a full descent into School Idol Hell, having only watched Love Live! Sunshine!! back in 2018 beforehand. As part of my Anime Update posts project, I decided that watching the original Love Live! School Idol Project would be a worthwhile addition to my schedule.

I don't think I was ready for just how pulled in I'd be by how alluringly wholesome, fun, and all around fucking spectacular this series would be by its end. u's really just sort of worked their way into my heart just as they worked their way to becoming great school idols. The Love Live! franchise has seen its ups and downs, but whenever I think back on the first series and Sunshine!!, I feel nothing but the warmest of fuzzies, and having watched through them both against the dark backdrop of the madness that was 2020 only makes those warm fuzzies that much warmer for me. Jukki Hanada helped make something truly special here and I will cherish that now and forever.

Most memorable parts of the whole journey would include:

S1, Episode 1: Honoka recieves seemingly divine inspiration for her mission from God to save Otonokizaka High School For Girls, ropes her two besties into it, and is turned down by the Student Council but nonetheless wants to keep at it with a memorable music video.

S1, Episode 3: The early dramatic high point of the season when u's performs their first show only to find the auditorium completely empty thanks to Eli pulling strings and taking down fliers, but once again seemingly divine fortune smiles on them as they recieve a few spectators, all of them girls who'll end up adding to this group.

S1, Episode 5: We officially meet Nico Yazawa. Need I say more?

S1, Episode 6: Filming a documentary, debating who should be the center of the group, and entertaining antics by Nico all lead to a MV segment featuring what is easily one of the group's catchiest songs.

S1, Episode 7: We meet Eli's little sister and also learn about Eli's background that informs both why she threw herself into her work as Student Council President and why u's pisses her off so much.

S1, Episode 10: A textbook "filler episode", but that's not even a bad thing in this case. Is then capped off with a joke recap from Nico.

S1, Episodes 11-12: Following Honoka's sudden collapse at the end of Episode 11 and her then finding out about Kotori's departure plan, we reach the season's second most dramatic section and it's done really well. Shame that Episode 13 goes on to completely botch it up!

S2, Episode 14: u's has saved their school and Honoka is Student Council President now, but there's anxiety about competing in the next Love Live. And then Honoka literally makes the rain go away.

S2. Episode 15: Character developing training camp episode that also contains some of the silliest comedic gags in the series to date.

S2, Episode 16: A-RISE is here and they're skeevy douchebag stalkers! u's accepts the challenge they impose on them and have one of their best performances with one of their best songs.

S2, Episode 17: The abovementioned performance gets u's their pass to enter Love Live, and the rest of the episode is all about Nico!

S2, Episode 18: The famed, memed "Umi has no poker face" scene!

S2, Episode 19: The vaguely titled "Happy Halloween" is likely the show's funniest episode. Hanada keeps delivering consecutive hits!

S2, Episode 21-22: Both sort of lead into one another, with the first seeing Nozomi finally establish why she sought to bring u's together and why u's means so much to her as they have a sleepover and plan to write a new song, and the second seeing the girls brave some actual elemental peril (something I don't think we've ever seen done again in later series'!) just to reach the Christmastime final qualifier concert where they unleash that new song - the ever magical Snow Halation, marking the exact moment u's trascends into legend.

S2, Episode 24: With the shadow of the Third Years graduation looming, u's grapples with the five stages of grief before coming to acceptance that after Love Live, it'll be time for u's to end, in what is easily the biggest emotional powerhouse of this original series.

S2, Episode 25-26: Love Live and its aftermath. In all the years of this franchise named "Love Live!", this Love Live that u's wins has never been able to be topped in terms of meaning, spectacle, and the sheer, pure impact it leaves (the S1 opening happening in real time as the end of the episode is a mind blow I am never going to forget experiencing). The following final episode caps it all off and does u's justice right up until the very end where they pull a totally needless lead-in for the coming movie and a fairly weak final MV.

The School Idol Movie: The first act - u's goes to New York City in America - is easily the most fun, memorable, and best implemented section of the film and I wish it had been the whole thing, but the further exploration of u's newfound fame and mythic status, and the big school idol extraveganza near the end, were also welcome treats. And ending on the true final MV/credits that the series needed to go out on makes the movie, flaws and all, well worth the watch.

To close this out, the legendary Nico Yazawa with "Nico Nico Nii!"

youtube

#2020 #2020 Memories #Love Live!#anime #u's #nostalgia

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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 1 month ago

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Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel

In the morning Balaam got up, put a saddle on his donkey, and left with the Moabite leaders. God got angry because Balaam had decided to go. The angel of the Lord came and stood in the road to confront him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and he was accompanied by his two servants. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road holding a drawn sword, so it turned from the road and went into a field. So Balaam beat it to make it go back to the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow part of the road that passed between two vineyards, with walls on both sides.

The donkey saw the angel of the Lord and tried to get past. It pushed up against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against it. So he beat it again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to get past, either on the right or the left. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord and lay down under Balaam. He got angry and beat it with his walking stick. The Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you for you to beat me three times?” “You made me look stupid!” Balaam told the donkey. “If I was holding a sword, I'd kill you now!” But the donkey asked Balaam, “Aren't I the donkey you've ridden all your life right up to today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he admitted.

Then the Lord gave Balaam the ability to see the angel of the Lord standing in the road holding a drawn sword. Balaam bowed low and fell facedown on the ground. The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why did you beat your donkey three times? Listen, I have come to confront you because you're being obstinate. The donkey saw me and avoided me three times. If it had not avoided me, by now I definitely would have killed you and allowed the donkey to live.” “I have sinned because I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me,” Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “So if this isn't what you want, I'll go back home.” The angel of the Lord told Balaam, “No, you can go with the men, but only say what I tell you.”

So Balaam continued on with Balak's officials. When Balak found out that Balaam was on his way, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the border at the Arnon River, the farthest point of his territory. He said to Balaam, “Didn't you think my call for you to come was urgent? Why didn't you come to me straight away? Did you think I couldn't pay you enough?” “Look, I'm here with you now, aren't I?” Balaam replied. “But do you think I can just say anything? I can only speak the words that God gives me to say.” So Balaam went with Balak and they arrived at Kiriath-huzoth. — Numbers 22:21-39 | Free Bible Version (FBV) The Free Bible Version is a project of Free Bible Ministry; Copyright © 2018, Free Bible Ministry. All right rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 21:19; Exodus 4:24; Exodus 23:20; Numbers 14:40; Numbers 21:13; Numbers 22:40; Joshua 5:13; 1 Samuel 15:24; 2 Chronicles 18:13; Proverbs 12:10; Isaiah 16:12; Matthew 15:19; James 1:19; 2 Peter 2:15-16

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Did Balaam's donkey really talk to him?

#Balaam #Balaam's donkey #Angel of the Lord #Numbers 22:21-39 #Book of Numbers #Old Testament #Free Bible Version #FBV #Free Bible Ministry

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numbugwritingblog · 1 year ago

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Just Your Ordinary Invincible Bystander (Chapter 3)

Previous Chapter

Index

---

19/7/2018

Jane didn’t much care for the clothes she had on.

These plain pants and shirt just pulled her body in the wrong ways, and the coat she had on was all one size too big.

But she only had a few more minutes to deal with this, as she walked towards her house, her home. Given how much she caused the cars she climbed in to tilt, she wasn’t sure how public transportation would take it. Her weight was definitely above human norm.

Still, it wasn’t long until she got home. Lawn was mowed and the front yard was cleaned up. Thank god Legacy had looked after her home, her brother. She made her way up to the front door. It had been 5 months since she disappeared, but to her it felt like only two days had passed.

She rang the doorbell.

Already she heard running, someone practically crashing into the door in order to swing it wide open.

It was Scooter, staring right at Jane, grinning wide with tears in his eyes. He then swung the wire door wide open, running to hug her as quickly as he could, sobbing loudly all the while. “You’re here! You’re back!”

He was taller, only a few centimetres but she could tell immediately. She could also tell that his grip was as tight as he could make it, she felt every ounce of strength and yet not feel at all squeezed by his grip.

“I’m sorry for taking so long,” Jane said softly, hugging him back.

“Ow!”

Jane flinched back at her brother’s yelp of pain, and upon realising it was from her let out a quick apology. Even as he felt his sore back, Scooter continued to look Jane in the eye. “... Hug me… Please…”

“But-” Jane paused, she knew that she’d have to get into the whole thing right away to explain why that hug had hurt. “... I’ll be as soft as I can.” She pulled him in for a hug again, this time making sure to put absolutely no pressure on his back at all. It felt stiff, uncomfortable, and unnatural to be hugging like this. But it was how she had to hug him now.

Said hug lasted for a while, even as Legacy came walking in and keeping quiet. Jane didn’t want it to end, she wanted Scooter to know how much she wanted to be there for him the whole time, and how much she hated missing out on five months. Just as much, Scooter didn’t want it to end, he wanted Jane to know just how much he missed her, and how he kept his promise the whole time.

When the hug finally ended, Jane looked over to Legacy with a warm smile, walking up and offering a hug - before awkwardly retracting it. Scooter couldn’t handle it, she didn’t want to hurt Legacy. “Thank you so much for looking after Scooter while I was missing. It's so good to see you in person after so long too, I just wish it was in better circumstances.”

Legacy let out a sigh and tried to pull Jane in for a hug. Her weight threw Legacy through a loop, but it took just a moment to regain her balance with Jane’s strong support, and she instead held onto Jane for her hug. “He lost his parents and his sister, I couldn’t let him lose his home too.”

In mention of his parents, Scooter stood up and walked back along the hallway, retreating to his room. Not a word, not a moment of hesitation, he was just gone.

Legacy watched him leave silently, letting out a sigh. He didn’t want to think about his parents, did he? She turned back to Jane, breaking the hug. “What happened?”

“I…” Jane closed her eyes, thinking back to that base she woke up in, having to flail her way out with how her body was like now… “Not now. I promise I’ll tell you, but right now I just want to lay down and sleep in my own bed.”

Legacy nodded. “I kept your room clean, but I didn’t go in it besides that. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of anything while you were just missing.”

“Thank you.” Jane made her way to the bedroom, seeing that it really was left pristine, her sheets made and her clothes all put away. She closed her door, trudging to the bed and dropping down right onto it.

-SNAP-

… And she broke the bed. Ah well, that’s a problem for future Jane. For right now she just let herself relax, closing her eyes as she let this complete exhaustion catch up to her. It was the earliest and the fastest she had fallen asleep in her life.

…

And just over in the next room, Scooter had gotten to his desk, pulling out one specific comic book. One he had not read yet. One that he didn’t even put in his collection yet. His hands were shaky. His sister was back, and he had kept his promise. And still it was hard to accept it was real.

Could his parents come back too?

No, no, don’t think about that! He can’t! He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he waited for Jane for a reason, and slowly flipped open the first page.

---

20/7/2018

-KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK-

The sun was barely over the horizon, morning light basking the few rooms which had their curtains open. Legacy was deep asleep, and Scooter was snoring peacefully.

The only one awake was Jane, having fallen asleep rather early. She’d get to her feet, making her way over to the front door. She’d peek through first, seeing two wolves in suits, one white furred and the other black furred. They better not be travelling salesmen.

She opened up the door, not saying a word as she looked at them through the wire door.

It was the white wolf who spoke up immediately. “I am Agent Pepper, and this is Agent Brine, we came as representatives of the United Federation government.”

Oh.

“And what do you want?” she said in a distinctly negative tone as she eyed the two wolves with suspicion.

“We want you to remain silent about the actions of former General Thomas.”

Jane was silent for a solid few seconds, glaring at the two of them with utter incredulity. “I don’t know what you did to me, but from what I can tell you’re crazy if you think you’ll be able to kill me.”

“No, we know,” Agent Brine clarified. “We’re here to negotiate your silence.”

Jane raised another brow. “And what are you offering?”

“$100,000 dollars.” Agent Pepper presented a check right off the bat, holding it shy of the wire door.

“Make it double-”

“Deal.” Agent Pepper interrupted Jane, putting the check away to write a second one.

“And,” Jane spoke in a louder voice, glaring at the white wolf for interrupting her. “I want to know what you did to me.”

“That’s classified.” Agent Pepper spoke up immediately.

“And so’s my fucking back, so if you want my silence you can at least tell me what you shoved in there.”

There was silence as the two wolves looked at each other. “We’d better call HQ,” Agent Pepper whispered to his ally.

The black wolf shook his head and turned back to Jane. “Very well, you can know.”

Agent Pepper lowered his sunglasses, eyes wide. “But-”

“She already knows classified secrets, if the press gets to her before she’s agreed then that classified information is leaking out.”

“Good,” Jane said with an exasperated sigh.

Agent Pepper scowled at his partner, but otherwise kept silence.

“You might as well tell my brother and my friend, there’s no way they won’t see whatever it is on my back, and you said you wanted to keep it a secret, didn’t you?”

The two wolves let out a sigh in unison as Jane opened up the door. That was an agreement if anything was.

“Would you like some coffee? Tea?”

---

By now Scooter and Legacy had both woken up, the former happily eating cereal (dinosaur egg oatmeal, his favourite) as the latter was sitting with Jane and the two agents. In front of them, two contracts laid on the table, signed by both Jane and Legacy. The two had just signed to keep quiet.

“So everyone’s awake,” Jane said softly. “You can tell us what’s going on.”

Agent Pepper glared at Agent Brine for a moment, before speaking up. “What you have in your spine is-”

“You have something in your spine?!” Scooter called out, unwittingly spitting milk and oatmeal out of his mouth from the shock.

“... Is an unknown material we discovered, unlike anything else we’ve ever catalogued. It’s heat resistant, cold resistant, and the most durable material we have ever discovered on the planet, and we have tried every form of testing that would not otherwise leave any long term effects on it to test. Only former General Thomas knew how to melt it down, and even that was by a process that takes multiple weeks each time.”

Jane glared at the mention of General Thomas. “And what did you do to me?”

Agent Brine turned to Agent Pepper, giving a slow nod. “He discovered that, when supplied with an electrical charge, the metal supplies its properties to nearby material, as long as it is partially encased within.”

“Or further.”

“Given the difficulty in un-melting it once it cooled, it was agreed to begin experimentation on deceased individuals donated to us.”

“Deceased?!” Jane got to her feet, eyes wide.

Legacy gasped, looking over to Jane, and then back to the agents. “You mean… Jane…” She put a hand to her face, fighting back tears.

Even Scooter picked up quickly, leaving the room immediately (leaving his cereal abandoned).

“Yes,” one of the agents approved. “Nobody questioned anything at the time because we knew we’d have to install it before muscle death set in, it was the first subject available in months.”

Jane was completely silent, staring down at her hands. She…

She was dead?

For five months?!

The first question on her mind was clear.

“How…” She took a deep breath in, steeling herself for any possible answer. “... How did I come back?”

The answer she got was the one she was expecting the least.

“We still don’t know. We integrated the replacement spine immediately and then kept it on low charge while we got our first tests ready. You gained consciousness the moment we switched to a high charge.”

Jane dropped down onto the soft chair, hearing a creak as her weight pushed against it. Speechless.

It was Legacy who turned back to the agents. “What… Is Jane going to be alright?”

Agent Pepper gave a nod. “We’re at work on a replacement charge as we speak, as the material’s weight will cause pain - and eventually death - if the charge runs out - and we’re working on creating custom furniture, given the additional weight caused by the device. Along with that you have a new doctor you will be seeing from now on.”

“Very… generous.”

“We need to handle accommodations ourselves, given the confidential nature.”

This time it was Legacy who spoke up, her face pale from hearing that her friend had died. “… Who did this, again?”

Agent Brine took a breath in to speak, but it was neither of the agents who got a word out.

“General Thomas.” It was Jane who spoke, her tone in a low growl at just thinking of that man. “What is going to happen to him?”

Both agents were silent at first, before Agent Brine finally spoke up. “Former General Thomas has gone missing following the incident. He is currently wanted for the incident, and will likely face life in prison without parole.”

Jane curled one hand into a fist, so tightly that it would’ve crushed anyone else’s. “He killed me.”

“We know-”

“HE KILLED ME!” Jane swung back to her feet, rage building within herself - both agents uncharacteristically flinching back. “YOU JUST LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT?!”

Agent Pepper shook his head. “We’re upset about it too, this is already a public scandal and he’s left billions of dollars uselessly tucked away in the back of a civilian.”

“Billions of- HE KILLED ME!”

“And he will answer for it.” Agent Brine stood up after speaking, nodding. “You can be sure of that.”

Jane just let out a sigh, this time carefully sitting back in her chair so as to not break it anymore than she already has.

Silence took over the room, the two agents entirely unflinching while Legacy was looking about awkwardly. “How- how about we…” she lost the words, unsure of what to say.

“Get out.” Jane said to the two agents. “I don’t want to hear another word ever again.”

The agents gave a nod, one offering a card to Legacy. “If there’s any issues relating to the spine, call us.”

“There is one,” Legacy spoke up.

“Can’t you remove it? Then she can live her life as normal?”

Their complete silence only served to give Legacy an answer. “... You can’t, can you?”

More silence.

“... Did it mess with her spine?”

“It replaced her old spine.” Agent Brine made his way to the door, opening it up and letting Agent Pepper through. He turned to the three of them, opening his mouth to speak, only for no words to come. After a second, he gave up. “This will conclude our meeting. Remember, this never happened.”

He then closed the door, leaving the three alone.

Jane looked down to her hands, her breath heavy. “I can’t believe it…”

Legacy got up, wincing in pain as she made her way over to Jane. “It will be okay.”

“How?” Jane called out. “I died, got my back carved out for some scary tech, and now if I don’t do the softest of fucking hugs I risk breaking my brother’s back! How will it be okay?!”

Legacy was quiet for a moment, leaning in to gently hug Jane. “Because we’ll be here for you.”

Jane looked back to Legacy. She said nothing, but the tears filling her eyes said everything as she leaned in to - very gently - hug Legacy back.

“You’re right,” Jane said softly. “I mean, how hard can it be?”

---

21/7/2018

“Hello, Mr. Stanley’s office, what can I help you with?”

Finally gotten through to the office, Jane let a small breath in. She didn’t want to do this, but that sum of money wasn’t going to last forever. “Hello, this is Jane Shawcross, I called in to see how soon I could resume my job?”

“Resume? As in?”

“I am an employee at your boss’s company, I was absent because I was kidnapped. How soon can I resume?”

“Let me see the work file…”

Jane let out a small sigh as she waited for approval, twirling the cord on her phone all the while. It should be just a moment before she-

“Apologies ma’am, but there aren’t any openings to resume your job from 5 and a half months ago.”

“What.”

“You will need to apply for a different job at the company. Our interview is on the website.”

“I’ve been there for a whole year!” Jane called out as she got to her feet. “You can’t just kick me out, I-!”

“I hear you,” the lady said. “But your old position’s been filled, there’s nothing I can do.”

Jane let out a heavy breath in, feeling her body clench up. “It’s- I need to- you- why?!” It took her a second to realise that when she clenched her fist she broke the phone. Great, jobless and now she broke the house phone. She dropped the broken pieces onto the table, resting her head on her now spare hand. She had to make that money last until her next job, and everything she wrecked was going to add onto that tab.

Relax, relax. It’s 200k, it’s going to last long enough.

---

22/07/2018

“What’s wrong with the car?” Jane asked aloud, opening up the hood of the car.

Legacy let out a sigh. “I don’t know, it just stopped working today.” She sat down on the front bench, watching Jane at work as she shuffled through her purse. “I’ll get the keys ready! As soon as I find them…”

Jane opened up the car’s hood, taking a look inside. “Shouldn’t need them. Let’s see…” As Jane worked on the mechanics inside the car, she found herself still needing to control her strength. But at the same time, tools she needed before to manage certain things she could now circumvent with even a tiny bit of her strength put in, leaving her with just the precision tools to manage.

“... This looks like the problem,” Jane said aloud, leaning in closer to the car - her weight already enough to tilt its weight amongst its four wheels. Tinkering deep inside… “And… done!” Jane very carefully closed the hood of the car, careful not to damage it by accident.

“That’s great!” Legacy called out eagerly, finally managing to locate the electronic key from within her maze of a purse. “And look! I found them now, we can take it for a test drive!” She leaned an arm out, pushing the button to unlock the doors.

The flash of light as the car unlocked stole Jane’s attention for a moment, the wolf’s body tense as she blinked mindlessly.

“Pretty cool, isn’t it?” Legacy said happily, clueless to her friend’s reaction. “I can even turn it on from a distance, watch!”

Before Jane could say anything the lights flicked back on right in front of her face, Jane’s eyes lost within the light.

This… Was… That night. She was heading home, when… That car… Thomas! He’s going to run her over…! She knew she couldn’t get away, she couldn’t run, all she could do was wait for the inevitable. She jerked a hand out to defend herself.

The hard metallic crunch and loud, awful scraping snapped her back to reality. It had all happened in less than a second, and yet she was already panting heavily, fur on end as it took her a moment to realise what just happened.

Legacy’s car… The front of it was snapped open. The car folded in on itself from the force. A wheel even came loose. The gate behind the car didn’t fare much better, about a quarter broken off entirely, and another quarter barely hanging on to their posts. She punched it.

She punched it.

She punched it! “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Jane quickly yelled out as she turned to Legacy. “I- I don’t know what came over me!” Still panting erratically, she walked right up to Legacy to hug her - but she stopped just shy. She didn’t want to hurt Legacy.

“...” Legacy was still silent, just staring as her car had been ruined in less than a second. Finally she realised that her friend had spoken to her, turning to Jane in the eyes. “You? What… happened?”

Jane paused to think back, her fur still on end. What happened? She… “I panicked.”

“What?”

“I saw the lights on, and then… I panicked.”

“You mean the car lights?” Legacy asked aloud, turning to the wreck. “But why would… Oh! Did… Was that how he?”

Jane gulped, turning back to the wrecked car. “... I don’t want to talk about it.”

Legacy let out a sigh. “I understand… I’m sorry for bringing up-”

“I don’t. Want. To talk. About it.”

Legacy nodded, turning back inside. “... It will be fine. I can bring Scooter to school on the bus tomorrow. Then we can buy a new car and pay to have it fixed.”

Yes. More money to spend. Maybe the 200k won’t last as long as she thought it would.

---

24/07/2018

Jane was waving goodbye to Scooter and Jane, smiling wide as her brother was about to attend another of his classes. She waited until they were on the bus before she turned around to go back in. She needed to start her job hunting right away, afterall.

-SNAP-

… She broke the front door right off its hinges. This was going to keep happening, wasn’t it?

---

26/07/2018

It was early in the morning. Still half asleep, Jane got up to her feet to start the day. Stumbling over to the window, she slid it open to let the fresh air in.

-SHATTER-

… And broke the window from the force of sliding it, glass shattered across the floor.

---

27/0702018

Jane was walking down the street - with her car at god knows where and Legacy’s absolutely totalled, walking was the best bet she had.

But she wasn’t alone on her trip today, no Scooter was along with her. Afterall, she was walking to the comic book store for him, might as well take this excuse to make him get some exercise too, and then he can pick the specific comic of his choice (not that he was going to pick anything other than Wild Wolf…). Besides, why shouldn’t she treat him for a week of studies going well?

“This is so great,” Scooter said excitedly, tail swishing back and forth as he followed right along his sister. Jane should absolutely do this more often, what with how excited he is about-

“I get to tell people I have a real life superheroine as a sister!” Wait, what?

“Scooter…” Jane let out a small sigh, shaking her head. “I’m not a superheroine.”

“Yeah you are!” Scooter called out as he defiantly huffed his chest. “You’re like.. Super strong! And you're invincible! I mean you’re probably going to find out a new superpower in like, a week!”

“Superheroes aren’t real, they’re little guys in comic books going around saving people. I’m just Jane.”

“You’re a good person.” Scooter wasn’t having it. “I know you’ll save people when it really comes down to it. It’s just like Steamroller!”

“I’ve got work! I’ve got you to look after!-”

“Hey, I’m 12! I’m a big kid!”

“-I can’t just throw that away whenever some crisis calls!”

“Yeah you can!” Scooter got in front of Jane, crossing his arms.

His sister hurriedly stopped at this, letting out a faint grumble. “Scooter, you’re not supposed to stop in front of people. Especially when they’re so strong they can accidentally break your back just because they didn’t stop in time.”

“You just need a costume!”

“Think of how long it would take to get changed.”

“And a base!”

“With what money? The government cash needs to last.”

“You’ve got the powers, the heart, the tragic backstory-”

“Woah woah, what? Tragic backstory? I mean it’s just me.”

Scooter opened his mouth, before he went silent. Ears drooping down.

Wordlessly, Jane understood what he meant, her ears drooping down in kind. “... It’s just me.”

Scooter took a deep breath in, looking Jane in the eye. “You’ve got to.”

“Scooter…”

“Mum and dad would be proud.”

The glare Scooter got from his sister immediately told him that he said something he shouldn’t have.

“Home. Now.”

“Wha- but the comic book!” Scooter yelled out.

“Don’t you dare use mum and dad like that. We’re headed home right now, you can get your comic another day.”

“But-”

“Now.”

Scooter huffed, crossing his arms as he stomped back from right behind Jane, grumbling under his breath all the while. “Didn’t want the stupid comic book anyways…”

Jane shook her head, putting a hand up against it slowly. Hopefully this is the worst of her problems…

---

Blistering snowstorms kept this well hidden, a thick white veil ensuring anyone who came without some means of navigation wound up lost and dead.

Fortunately, he always came prepared.

Kicking open the door of the old, abandoned lab open, Thomas dragged the heavy crate in alongside the four heavy lifters he had hired. “And that should be $10,000 each for the trouble,” he said, casually passing over the money to them.

They pocketed the cash, counting amongst themselves as Thomas made his way to the generator, powering it up. In a burst, the lights all came on at once, as multiple devices began booting up at once. His private lab, away from the seeing eyes of anyone who would go after him.

“Remember,” Thomas said. “Not a soul is to know where this is.”

“You got it,” one of them answered, pulling out their map to navigate a way back.

All the while Thomas made his way to the main computer, waiting for it to finish booting up. He was going to get his weapon back. No matter the costs.

And to do that, he needed to plan.

#buggyverse #Just Your Ordinary Invincible Bystander #Jane Shawcross #Scooter Shawcross #Legacy (character)#General Thomas (character)

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kittenmogu · 1 year ago

Text

life update 2023

I started this tumblr when I was 16, which is crazy. I'm 29 now. Life has continued to take me infinite miles away from where I was before. I still remember being essentially a severely depressed shut-in at 16. I remember craving love, understanding, and joy. Craving geniune human connection. I remember intense loneliness. Often I was so lonely it was physically unbearable. I truly believed I was defective. Now I understand. Looking back on 16 year old me is like looking at a complete tapestry. What a gift hindsight is.

Last I updated, I was living in NYC during the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020. I think I came back to Tumblr at that time because it was sort of like being a depressed shut-in again, haha. Since then I've found love. Real love. I've been with my current partner for just over 3 years, living together since April 2021. She has made many of my dreams come true. There are so many wonderful things I could tell you, but they are my little treasures that I won't share. Just know that there is someone who I can reveal all my tenderness and softness to, who makes all my joys 10x more colorful.

I'm not on speaking terms with my parents. I hadn't been speaking with my father since our falling out in Dec 2018. Then I had a falling out with my mother in Jan or Feb 2022. It was very painful, but it has ultimately given me great peace to be away from them.

I lost Kali. She passed in my arms at the vet, May 26, 2023. She was 19. A long, good life. Never long enough. I knew death would come one day, but it didn't stop me from wishing she would be here forever. There is no healing. To heal would mean to let go. I cannot let go of the love I had for her, and the love she had for me. It is all I truly have left of her. No platitudes comfort me. We move on from break-ups, mistakes, and disappointments. Kali wasn't any of those. She was my baby and my angel. A fool would say she was just a cat. A fool could not fathom what I know.

I want children. I've wanted children for a long time now. I think I had pangs of desiring a baby since I was around 20 (quite young!). Obviously I was nowhere near ready enough to seriously consider it at that time. But I've always wanted to meet my child, and to know them. To see who they could become. I have so much to share, but also space in my heart for what they have to share with me. I have ears waiting to listen to them, arms waiting to hold them, eyes waiting to watch them go through this world.

I spent so much of my youth wishing that I could find life to be worth living. It took me a long time, but I don't regret being born and struggling to find value in my life, because eventually I truly came to be glad to be alive. Depression and loneliness wasn't a death sentence. Hating myself wasn't the end of my story.

#personal

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puppetshcw · 2 years ago

Note

In Tomie's profile you mentioned she was a child actress. In what movies was she acting? (if you mean real movies and not fictional just for her plot)

AINE ˳ ⠀⠀⠀ this has been in my inbox for over a week by now, i'm so sorry anon but i've kinda let it stay unanswered while i collected the movies / tv show she's been in 😭😭

under the cut, you will find all movies / tv shows that feature tomie – from her young age, up until her debut ( and after ) !

as a child, tomie was primarily featured in kids' shows and movies appropriate for her young age. many people remember her for being in numerous kids' shows, especially a disney show called jessie. her character, minyoung, is one of the adopted ross kids, having been adopted when she was five years old. minyoung, or mimi– as she tells people to call her–, is a quiet yet sassy kid who knows how to take care of herself and her siblings. she has been a part of the main cast since episode one, yet during the last season of the show, she's seen less and less as the show progressed. the other characters in the show have been saying that it's because she started going to a private school, and mimi quickly became just an occurring character until the show ended in 2015. in real life, 2014 was the year tomie moved to south korea, so it became difficult for her to fly back and forth for filming.

fans who have known her ever since jessie were genuinely surprised once she debuted in stupid cupid. and after the show became a meme online, tomie kind of stopped talking about it because she felt a bit embarrassed about being a disney actress.

while she stopped filming tv shows, there was still a period of time when tomie would be featured in various movies, most of them being south korean.

in 2016, tomie was a smart and fearless seventeen-year-old wonju, a niece of sanghwa from train to busan. being a kendo player, wonju is famous for always bringing her kendo stick wherever she goes. once the actual plot starts, wonju takes care of suan with her uncle when seokwoo is unable to, and is quick to become overprotective of her. unfortunately, near the end of the movie ( when seokwoo, suan and seongkyeong reach the train ), she gets separated from the trio as she tries her best to fight the zombies away, getting bitten in the process. in the last scene where she's featured, wonju makes eye contact with a shocked seokwoo, and nods her head as the last goodbye before running the other way to attack more zombies before she becomes one as well.

that was the last thing where tomie was featured as an actress before debuting in stupid cupid.

when stupid cupid debuted and were still rookies, tomie was unexpectedly shown in the teaser for a new movie called okja. there, tomie acted as a young, but brave girl mija. the group debuted in february, but due to tomie being featured as a main character in such a famous movie that same year in june, it helped stupid cupid skyrocket into fame almost immediately.

even tho she was on a hiatus back in 2018-19, mighty devil records couldn't help but chuck her into acting again until the whole "scandal" passed. so tomie had a chance to star in he is psychometric alongside got7's jinyoung and sistar's dasom. tomie's role was a supporting character named kwon eunji, a lovable young adult that went to the same school as jaein & ahn, getting closer to jaein and later working alongside her as a police officer. fans couldn't help but awe at the way tomie portrayed a fun and clingy best friend, despite having less screen time than the other actors. fans got skittish when her character got a lot more screen time at the end of the show because they feared she'd get killed off from the show ( which was later proven false, fortunately ). overall a good way for tomie to receive good support from people, and she quickly announced the ending of her hiatus after the show.

#⩩ ♡⃗ heart attack .ᐟ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 〳 ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ooc ‵#anon <3 #ahhhh it was fun collecting things for her !!#ty anon for this great ask <33

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violetswritingg · 5 months ago

Text

Only in Darkness

Jason Todd X OFC!

Description:

"Only in Darkness can you see the stars."

Marlowe Knight stumbling upon a girl prophesied to end the world and going on the adventure of a life time.

Rating: M (Blood, cannon typical violence, sibling rivalry, scars, torture, trauma, angsttttt)

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

Chicago

2018

"Dude looks dead." Jason commented, holding onto one of the legs of a passed-out Dr. Adamson, Marlowe holding the other while Dick held his arms as they carried him through the parking garage.

"Trust me. There's a difference between dead and knocked out." Dick grunted and readjusted his grip as they walked. Marlowe just grinned, too happy in this moment to be reunited with Jason, even if it's only for a little bit.

"This is awesome! Robin and Robin and Stargirl in action!" Jason laughed slightly, sharing a look with Marlowe. Dick frowned at them both as he huffed.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Did Marlowe not tell you about me?" Jason asked over his shoulder, his head tilting like that of a puppy not understanding a command.

"No." The man pushed out, and Marlowe nervously chuckled.

"I- uh, I didn't really know how, or if I should. Considering that if Bruce wanted people to know about you he would have told them..." Marlowe winced, guilt bubbling under her unadulterated joy. Her eyes cutting between Dick and Jason.

"That's fair," Jason nodded at the girl and Dick watched her worry fade away in an instant, eyes basically sparkling as she shared a smile with the boy next to her. "Names Jason Todd. The new Robin. Robin 2.0, right?" The boy winked at Marlowe.

Marlowe laughed as they came to a stop at the car Dick and Marlowe had borrowed from the crazy family back at the motel. Dick didn't like the feeling of being left out as Jason and Marlowe looked at each other, only to laugh more like it was some kind of inside joke. It definitely was.

Dick didn't like being in the dark.

Marlowe did not look like Marlowe, at least as Dick knew her. He also had never seen her initiate contact with another person before. Much less smile like that at them. Which in and of itself was dizzying.

Putting down Dr. Adamson Dick went to open the trunk, Jason rounding on the man, hands on hips, straightening his shoulders. Marlowe doing her best to hide her laughter. The boy trying so hard to impress Dick it was hilarious.

"Hey, seriously man," Jason leaned against the back of the car, "It's an honor to meet you." Jason held out his hand for a fist bump. Marlowe bit her lip to seal away her chuckles at how it obviously pained Dick to not leave Jason hanging. Looking at her boots to hide her grin until she could school her expression.

Marlowe let Jason and Dick load Adamson into the trunk, "I always wondered what this moment was gonna be like, never thought that when it happened I'd be saving your life, or seeing this one in person for the first time in what, five, six months?"

"Four actually." Marlowe corrected with an easy grin, leaning where Jason once stood, the boy reaching over and pushing her. Dick's eyes widened at the gesture, expecting Marlowe to get upset only to see her laugh. The man blinking and shaking his head, trying to break out of this delusion he was currently in.

"Felt like longer." Jason responded sincerely, Marlowe meeting his mask covered gaze with a soft look Dick hadn't even seen directed at Rachel before. After a moment the man cleared his throat, motioning for Jason to back up so he could close the trunk.

"So, there's a new Robin?" Dick asked.

"Yours truly, in the flesh." Jason smirked in response.

"Does Batman know you're here?" Dick questioned with a bit more bite.

"That's a good question," Marlowe grinned, pointing at the boy, "Not going awol are we? I hate to break it to you but only one of us can do that at a time."

Jason laughed and shook his head at the girl before looking back to Dick, "Of course, Bruce knows how badly I've wanted to meet you. Pick your brain, catch a couple pointers. He's all 'go for it bro.'"

Marlowe snorted behind the boy and Jason sent an elbow back at her, not putting any weight behind it though.

"Let me go grab my clothes. I'll be right back." Jason patted Dick on the chest before taking off, jumping up to tap the support beam going horizontally across the top of the ceiling of the parking garage. Turning back and jogging backward and pointing at Marlowe, "You better be here when I get back Marley!" The boy turned back around when he got a thumbs up from the girl, and like that the boy was gone around a corner.

Marlowe glanced to Dick, the man already looking at her with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed over his chest.

"What?"

~~~*~~

"I can't believe it! Here we are in the same car together, this is so cool." Jason smiled like a kid on Christmas and Marlowe just rolled her eyes with a warm grin in the backseat.

"Yeah..." Dick trailed off, taking a cloth and wiping away the blood under neath his nose, using the rearview mirror. "Real cool."

"It gets boring trust me." Marlowe met Dick's gaze in the mirror and smirked at the man's narrowed look.

"Don't be mean Marley." Jason scolded, turning with a sharp grin and lights dancing in his eyes as Marlowe chuckled with a matching look. Huffing and shaking her head before breaking eye contact and staring out the window at the store front passing by. "Ignore her." Jason grins wider, almost bouncing in his seat as a beat of quiet filled the car.

"So, how long have you and Bruce been, uh..." Dick struggling to say the next couple of words was equally amusing and sad to Marlowe. The girl always going to find the ever so competent ex-vigilante struggling with social situation hilarious but this was a little different.

"Together?" Jason asked turning his head to look at the man as he finished his questions for him. Looking back to the windshield when Dick nodded, "Almost a year."

Dick did a double take, "A year?" his voice dripping in disbelief. "A year?" Dick questioned again, looking in the rear view and catching Marlowe's grimace. Jason just nodded and Dick couldn't keep his humorless chuckle inside, "Wow. Okay. Didn't waste any time. So, how did you and he-"

"I was out boosting cars." Jason started, shrugging nonchalantly, "Guess I chose the wrong one, or the right one." The boy rolling his eyes at the bubbling laughter from the backseat, "Shut up would you?"

"I just still can't get over it." Marlowe giggled, shaking her head.

"You tried to steal the Batmobile?" Dick asked exasperated.

"No, no, no, don't give him that much credit." Marlowe cackled from the back, her natural twang peeking through the syllables.

"Why are you so mean to me?" Jason huffed, trying to maintain his upset composure but failed immediately when his eyes met Marlowe's in the side mirror. The girl sticking out her tongue at the boy. "and no, not the whole thing. Just the hubcaps."

"And just like that, he took you in?" Dick questioned in disbelief. Jaw ticking as his grip on the steering wheel got tighter. Marlowe's grin dampening as she clocked all of the behavior changes, the dark cloud perpetually hanging over the man's head getting darker by the minute.

"Guess he saw potential." Jason shrugged, completely oblivious. And after essentially insulting Dick's suit design, which made Marlowe wince, the silent stare Dick gave Jason spoke volumes.

"How'd you find me?" Dick asked in a carefully neutral tone that Marlowe knew wouldn't remain that way.

"The tracker." Marlowe held her breathe when Dick turned slowly to look at Jason, eyes alight with warning and swirling darkness.

"What tracker?"

"In your arm?" Jason was confused, obviously so. Looking back to a concerned looking Marlowe.

"There's a fucking tracker in my arm?" Dick grit out. Jason not picking up on the barely boiling anger below the surface threatening to explode.

"Yeah. In mine and Marlowe's too. Don't you remember him putting it in?" Jason rolled up his sleeve to show the thin scar on his forearm.

Dick huffed out a sharp, "No."

"Maybe you forgot." Jason finally picking up on the storm brewing in the man beside him, tried to make it better in his own strangely optimistic way. Always wanting to view Bruce in a good light, so why would the man he looked up to ever do something like that without consent first? Jason took Dick's continued silence and looked away. "So, where are we going?"

"I gotta find a place to put that guy." Dick answered nodding to the back of the van. Marlowe looking back and seeing all the dried blood stains in the carpet and sniffing at the sight. Her nose scrunching up as she turned forward again. Her eyes meeting Jason's in the rear view, his eyes turning up at the corners with a smug grin.

"Can I make a suggestion?"

~~*~~

"According to Bruce, the design of this place is inspired by Frank Lloyd." Jason rambled as they walked up to the basement level elevators, the door to the moving room blending into the wooden wall design. Stationed next to the door is an eye scanner.

Marlowe chuckled under her breath from slightly behind both Dick and Jason. The boy turned with a raised eyebrow and confusion dancing in his eyes.

"Wright." Dick corrected looking at Jason with furrowed brows.

"I know, right?" Jason answered, looking back to Dick, confident and talking out of his ass, which was pretty usual for him, "Dude's really into, you know, lines and shit. Bruce has a bunch of places like this."

Marlowe swallowed her laughter, cheeks aching as she took over, "I think he knows about the safe houses Jason." Marlowe patted the boy on his shoulder with a smirk. Jason just rolling his eyes at her good naturedly.

"I've never been to one, unlike Marlowe who's been crashing in them for months." Jason looked around, spinning in a circle.

"You're lucky." Dick commented, eyes drilling into Jason. Then came Dick getting denied access when he stepped up to have his face scanned and Marlowe grimaced when Jason had to step in. The girl not volunteering thinking having her do it might be worse than Jason letting them in.

Which she quickly regretted when Jason made the comment, "Guess he changed the locks." Over his shoulder, Dick silent as he walked past both of the young adults into the lift. Jason following him with Marlowe slapping his shoulder as he past her. The boy crying out as if she had just shot him.

Eyeing the elevator Marlowe took a step back, "It's a little cramped in there, I'll take the second one up okay?"

"You sure?" Dick asked tensely, holding the elevator door, eyebrows raised as worry started to infect his irises.

"I'll be right up. No disappearing this time." Marlowe nodded, eyes strict as she grinned a grin that didn't meet her eyes.

~~*~~

Dick came back down in the elevator after a particularly frustrating conversation with Jason, he get's to drive the batmobile? Dick grumbled in his head. Not liking the feeling being around the kid gave him. The reasoning of not wanting his own name troubling, as if Jason only saw himself as a distraction, something for Batman to use.

But then, wasn't that what he was too?

Dick's heart dropped when the elevator doors opened once again and Marlowe was nowhere to be seen. His eyes darting around in a panic as he rushed down the short set of stairs into the larger garage in the basement. Breathing out in relief when he saw the distinct head of blonde hair struggling with the body of Dr. Adamson. Her arms under his shoulders as she dragged him out of the trunk, grunting at the dead weight.

"Let me help." Dick called from right behind Marlowe, the girl huffing as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She gestured with her head to his feet, air between every syllable. When Dr. Adamson was situated on the floor Dick motioned for her to let him carry the man. She moved out of his way and grabbed her case. Closing the trunk door and locking the car.

"You two seem close." Dick made 'small-talk' as he carried Dr. Adamson up the stairs, Marlowe prancing around him to open the door and hold it open. "Those trips to Gotham..."

"Yeah, I met him before but, yeah. He was there, I helped Bruce train him." Marlowe shrugged with guilt filled eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just thought it wasn't my place."

Dick watched her as she stepped up and scanned in, wincing at the cough Dick let out, the man adjusting his grip on Dr. Adamson.

"Right." Dick grit out, unsure how to process all of this.

"He showed up with Bruce in Opal before my dad sent me to Gotham the first time. Funny thing is, I thought he was you at first and then I realized he was way too young-" Marlowe tried for a grin, realizing what she said a second too late, "Not that you're old. Just... Yeah." Marlowe shut her mouth, chewing on her own foot.

With that the elevator dinged open and Marlowe made her escape with a breath of relief. Putting her case down next to the couch, plopping down on the extended chase cushion with a huff while Dick dropped Dr. Adamson's shoes on the unfinished concrete floor that was meant to give the space the feeling of minimalist warehouse chic. Right up Bruce's alley. Jason standing to Marlowe's right by a portrait, which if she could guess, was an original.

"Who's this?" Jason asked, fingers playing with the corner of the golden frame.

"Niccolo Machiavelli." Both Marlowe and Dick answered. Jason looking between them with raised eyebrows before nodding.

"Right, Bruce has talked about that dude. Sounds like a total savage." Jason grinned, but Marlowe could tell it wasn't genuine. The girl frowning, wishing for this moment it was just them and she could grab his hand like she wanted to. But she could feel the awkward tension between all three of them. Dick's hurt at her secret keeping, Jason's jealousy at her closeness with someone that wasn't him, and her stuck in the middle of it all.

"If an injury has to be done to a man, it should be so severe that his vengeance need not to be feared. Severities should be dealt out all at once, so their suddenness may give less offense. Benefits ought to be handed out drop-by-drop so they may be relished the more." Dick quoted as if in another world and Marlowe breathed in, knowing the same text. Reading prescribed by Bruce, which Jason didn't do.

Jason's face dropped, a grin being plastered back on his face but it wasn't genuine like before. The glint in his eyes malicious and Marlowe prepped herself for the fallout.

"You know, I used to read about you as a kid. Bruce has told me tons of awesome stories about you." Jason stuck his thumbs in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

"I bet he has." Dick responded, looking down to Dr. Adamson, obviously done with the conversation. Marlowe huffed and silently excused herself to the kitchen, looking for anything to keep herself busy. All the while overhearing the conversation Jason pushed forward.

"But he never said why you quit." Jason pushed on.

"I guess I just couldn't cut it." Dick's voice became strained, grunting as Marlowe's ears picked up the sound of fabric against floor.

"Are you thirsty? I'm gonna go check out the brew sitch." Jason's voice got louder and Marlowe busied herself with looking through the pantry.

"The what?"

"The beer situation." Jason's annoyance clear as he had to explain what he thought was common knowledge. Huffing as he traipsed into the kitchen. Dick's footsteps echoing down the hallway towards the bathroom and only bedroom in the place.

Marlowe closed the pantry door and leaned back on it, looking to Jason with a small smile. The boy grinning wide as he made his way over. A bounce in his step that wasn't present before, crowding her against the fancy cabinetry. Eyes locked on one another, having a silent conversation before they both reached out. Jason's arms going around her waist, hands sliding up her spine, hers around his neck as she breathed him in.

The boyish smell of old spice and pine infiltrating her senses and rushing in a wave of calm in Marlowe's mind. Happier in this one moment than she had been in months, reveling in the contact she doesn't usually get.

"God I missed you." Jason breathed, nuzzling into her hair. Arms tightening before releasing her. Not wanting to overwhelm her. Marlowe reluctantly let go, her hands sliding down his shoulders, cold fingers against the bare skin that his collar didn't cover. Jason hissed, narrowing his eyes at the girl in front of him. Marlowe just smiling, mischief lighting up her eyes.

"I know." Marlowe smirked dodging the pinch coming her way. Ducking under Jason's arm and turning to lean back against the sink. Jason quick to follow, facing Marlowe again with a wolfish grin and darkening eyes.

"That was rude."

"What do you mean?" Marlowe asked, smirk growing as she hopped up onto the counter next to the sink. Legs swinging gently as she leaned back on her hands. Jason closed the distance again, standing so the outside of his hip was brushing against Marlowe's knee, his hand coming up to her face. Fingers gently latching onto a piece of stray blonde hair, fiddling with it while a frown pulled his lips down at the corners.

"I miss your old hair, you don't look like you." Jason mumbled, letting the strand drop. His memory of long, glossy, raven hair whipping around her shoulders as they flew around Opal on Cosmo playing out in his mind. Marlowe could barely fight off the shiver that wanted to run down her spine.

"Don't worry, the blonde is going away as soon as I'm done with all of this." Marlowe chuckled, hiding how his proximity messed with her. His eyes so close to hers, the Mediterranean blue-green pulling her into it's waves and washing over her like a warm summer day.

"How is all that going?" Jason asked, backing up only slightly, staying within arm's reach until he turned to the fridge and yank two beer bottles out. Popping the tab and going back to his previous position, placing the unopened one next to Marlowe.

"We're at the end of it now." Marlowe's shoulders heaved as she let out a heavy breath. Hands fidgeting between her knees.

"Yeah?" Jason's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, taking a sip of his beer.

"He's here. In Chicago." Marlowe spit out. Jason almost choking on the liquid in his throat.

"What? Way to bury the lead, holy shit!" Jason scoffed, puffing out a breath, "You're gonna stomp his ass I know it. You need any help?" Jason's eyes darkened with a rage he only let out in combat situations.

"I got it." Marlowe forced a grin, her unease bubbling in her gut at the idea that this could all be over in a day or two.

"I'm here if you need me. Always." Jason softened, reaching forward, and tangling their fingers together. Stopping her from picking at her cuticles.

"Thanks." Marlowe breathed out. A soft, genuine smile on her face, her shoulders releasing some of their tension. Her finger's playing with Jason's, "Right back at you." She reciprocated with a quiet sing-song quality to her voice as she watched their hands. Missing Jason's look of pure adoration, gooey blue-green irises dripping with honey. His head buzzing like it had been stuffed with bees, heart rate elevated in his chest, but he had never been more at peace than in moments like this. Where it was just them, Jason and Marlowe against the world, together they were an unstoppable force. Her presence soothing every rough edge and cut in the surface of his soul like nothing else. Marlowe was his own personal drug, and he would happily call himself an addict.

Jason distracted her from the racing thoughts in her head, slowing everything down like sunlight through molasses. Warm and fuzzy, Marlowe could settle into the feeling and never come back up for air, perfectly content to drown in Jason's personal brand of overwhelming calm. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to soothe every bruise and open wound on her soul like nothing else. Jason her own personal drug, and she would happily call herself an addict in her subconscious. Too terrified to openly admit that she needed him the same if not more than he needed her.

He was reliable, predictable, she could predict his every motion and thought. The solidness of his form in her life was exactly what she needed when he blew into it. Worming his way through her defenses and patching holes in the walls she put up. Marlowe doing the same to Jason, each other filling the gaps neither knew they had or didn't want to admit they had.

Two lonely hearts finding solace in matching battle scars, inside and out, in a way they knew no one else could understand. The right person, at the right time. A miracle in lives like theirs. Something so fragile, like butterfly wings. Easily breakable but lifts you so high your head spins.

The fragility of the moment being its downfall as both Marlowe and Jason started to close distance like magnets. Only to be broken apart by Dick's heavy footsteps coming back down the hallway. Marlowe clearing her throat as she pulled back, smiling the best she could as ice water was poured down her spine. Jolted out of the moment, Jason swallowed his disappointment with a wolfish grin. Tugging on a strand of blonde hair before traipsing out of the kitchen, both beer bottles in hand, Marlowe right on his heels.

"Hey, Jason, thanks for the help back there. But I'm good now." Dick met Jason and Marlowe in the living room, the girl a step behind the boy. Watching as Dick deposited something small into Jason's hands. His tracker. "You should head back to Gotham."

Marlowe sighed, chin dipping towards her chest, eyes on the floor as she chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"What the hell, man?" Jason bit, rounding on Dick as the older man walked past him and stopped at his case on the Dining room table.

"I'm not Robin anymore. Have a safe trip back." Dick answered shortly as he rolled down his sleeve on his now tracker free arm.

"You didn't have to do that." Jason responded, rolling the tracker through his fingers, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I did." Dick bit back, "And you should too. You both should."

"Why?" Jason asked, mildly offended.

"Because we're not animals in Bruce Wayne's private zoo." Dick lashed out, ceasing his fidgeting with his jacket, and turning to face both of the young adults.

"You don't get it, man. He did it for you. For us." Jason motioned to Dick and then to him and Marlowe with his hand holding Dick's tracker. "In case anything ever happened, he could find us."

"Thanks for stopping by." Dick, being a perfect representation of his name, all but shoved Jason's case into his arms and walking around the boy stopping at the elevator, "Tell Bruce I'm gonna need the place for a couple of days. He should be okay with it."

Jason, balancing his case, the two beer bottles, and Dick's tracker, gently set his case back down on the table. The beer bottles being placed down next to them. Marlowe biting her bottom lip as Jason's shoulder's fell, his back expanding with a deep breath.

"I'm not sure you really understand him, man." Jason spoke, turning and going after Dick. Stopping a few feet from the man.

"I think I'm the one guy in the world that does." Dick snapped. The tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Hey." Marlowe quietly bit, frowning at Dick. Her eyes asking him 'what the fuck?' as they met, the girl frowning. Dick puffing out a breath of air.

"Look, Jason," Dick took a few steps toward Jason, "he might have you thinking that you're a partnership. But everything Bruce does is in the best interest of one person. Bruce."

Marlowe glared at the man, and she knew he could feel it seeing as he purposefully didn't look at her. Marlowe and Jason standing as a united front in front of the man who was all but shooing Jason away.

"Time to go." Dick called the elevator.

"Sorry, man. I can't." Jason shook his head, pulling a manilla folder from his jacket's inner pocket, "He wanted me to show you these."

~~*~~

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vampire7595 · 1 year ago

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Saw a post on Reddit asking how long love lasts. It won't let me comment but I want to share my thoughts...

How long does love last?

For me it lasted 6 years. It was a whirlwind from the start. I will finally be divorced at the end of the year and it's both happy and sad. We got together in the spring of 2015; my mental health was horrible, I was living under the control of my toxic family and I hated my life. We were long distance at first living hundreds of miles apart in different states. I was 19. We talked every day and we're best friends before he asked me to be his girlfriend. To me he was everything, my first real relationship, my first love, first kiss, the person who took my virginity. We got engaged after a month together and I moved in with him and his family around Christmas that year. Left the only state I ever lived in and where almost all of my family was. My mom passed away shortly after I moved. I was destroyed. He helped me get through it and we got married in fall of 2016, I was 21 years old. In 2018 I got pregnant, we were over the moon and that following year we had a baby girl. My pregnancy was hard. My depression got really bad while pregnant and I started to have anxiety. We argued more and more. 2020 my dad died, and about a month later the word divorce was said for the first time. We recovered and later in 2020 I was pregnant again.

At this point we were always fighting. About parenting, money, things we buy, just anything. I was angry because of my depression and so irritable. We would have full on screaming matches. He didn't seem as excited when I told him I was pregnant with our 2nd child. I had found some things on his computer that were odd to me and he would take my phone while I was sleeping and check my messages. He flirted with other people, and I complained about him to one of my female friends. Still it caught me off guard when he asked for a divorce when I was not even halfway through the pregnancy. A few weeks later he moved out while our daughter and I stayed with his family. I was destroyed emotionally. I was barely holding it together for my daughter and would get so stressed and sad that I spent weeks expecting to have a miscarriage. I cried myself to sleep every single night for over a month straight, I was a shell of my former self.

About a month later he reached out claiming to want to fix things and come home. He did. We were intimate again multiple times and I felt like my life was getting back on track... it lasted about 5 days. He said he couldn't do it. I was devastated, felt betrayed and was mad at myself for being so weak to just fall back into his arms so easily. We slept in separate rooms and barely spoke. When our son was born I thought the love would surge back, it didn't.

Thinking about dating made me feel sick. My sense of who I am and my little self confidence was shattered, "Maybe if I was thinner he would've stayed", "I lost my one chance to have someone love me" and "I wish I could disappear" were thoughts in my head daily. He got a girlfriend that Christmas, I put up a front of being ok but still cried myself to sleep when I would sit and think about my life. 2022 he moved out early in the year, I got a cat to try and heal and I was on all the dating apps. In the fall my ex and I moved into a house together with his girlfriend and our kids.

This whole thing turned me from a hopeless romantic to a cynical person. I hate the idea of love, I will never be married again and any time I try to date I lose interest. Yet, I cry at the idea of dying alone, being lonely, I miss feeling loved. I am in this weird limbo. I feel stuck, I am a completely changed person now. I am a pessimist, I lost most of my sex drive, and I am still a little depressed with bad anxiety. No one will want to date me so there's no sense in even trying.

Love destroyed me as a person and I can't get that deep into depression again, it scared me. In 10 years I went from someone who loved the idea of love, had a strong bond with my mom and had hope for the future; to a single mom of 2, with no living parents, no dating life and barely any friends that I still talk to regularly.

#venting #how long does love last #love #relationships

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starry200156 · 2 years ago

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I feel like I should come clean with this post because I feel guilty for not posting on here as much as I would like. When I first came to Tumblr I was a teenager and just starting out in the anime community and I have loved all my time here on this platform. I have been about to interact with wonderful people. I love writing my one-shots and fan fictions for all of you to see. I never thought I would be to do that. I’ve been away for so long from posting at least and I do feel bad.

So what happened to me?

I believe if I’m correct I join Tumblr around 2015-2016 I don’t know they exact date. I wouldn’t start posting until like 2016-2017. When I was posting I was in high school and had a lot more time on my hands and it was before I started working and going to college is when things changed for me. On July 10, 2018 my grandma who I was extremely close to passed away after lover 10 years of fighting her lung disease that killed her. She was my best friend and taught me a lot about myself and always encouraged me. Her death literally destroyed me and I fell into a really bad and deep depression. My depression would continue to worsen and made not want to do anything at all. So I still tried to post back then thinking it would make me feel better but it didn’t. I’m open talk about my grandma because it’s been 5 years since her passing which is crazy to think. I miss her everyday!

This next thing I want to talk about it’s something that is exactly easy for me but I want to be transparent about the subject. My dad abused me when I was a kid maybe even now since I still live with my parents. He ever physically hurts or sexually but he has emotionally, mentally, and verbally has abused me. It’s really weird to talk about this to people. My father is a narcissist used it to abuse my mom and her kids including me. I grew up with a lot of fighting and things being broken and slammed. There is just this constant chaos in my house. The only I had to get away from it was seeing my grandma and now I don’t. When I was younger I didn’t realize my abuse was happening to me until I was about 18-19, I’m 22 now. I didn’t want speaking up about it or standing up to my dad until I was I was in my 20s and it’s hard. I think there is people don’t tell you about standing up to your abuser is that everyone in your life will make you look like a villain I’ve been dealing with that lately. I easily became the problem child. I’ve literally come the black sheep of the family. I’ve gotten to the point of where I’m so tired of it. I’m tired of being treated so horribly and then blame for things I can’t control. I’ve dealt this really bad depression because of but almost a year ago I met some people who are really incredible that makes things better! Don’t worry guys I won’t be planning on with my parents for much longer.

Thank you my loves! I don’t know if anyone is going to read this or cares to. I’m back and excited to be. I want to reconnect with everyone!

#foryou #trauma #abuse mention #tw depressing thoughts #sorry for being depressing #women writers #writing #my apologies #sorry guys #sorry

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airadam · 2 years ago

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Episode 169 : Thirteen Squared, Fourteen Years

"Paid my dues, now pay my fee."

- Pete Rock

Another year in the books! This is the fourteenth birthday episode of the podcast, and it's wild to look back at how different the landscape looked back in 2009 when I started it off. At least nowadays, I don't have to explain what a podcast is!

I needed a selection worthy of the milestone, and I think you'll enjoy it - Hip-Hop basically end-to-end, with some virtuoso performances on the mics, the boards, and the turntables. Turn the volume up and check the styles...

Book a ticket to see me play live in Salford with the 45 Kings and Queens on July 8th here!

Gigs & streams calendar : events.airadam.com

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Swizz Beatz ft. Jadakiss, Benny the Butcher, and Scar Lip : Take 'Em Out

Huge new single to open things up for this month, and a track I can already tell is going to make my list of top Spotify tracks this year. As part of the 50th year of Hip-Hop celebrations, Mass Appeal have released a couple of producer-led EPs with a selection of MCs, and this is of course from Swizz' contribution. It's not the production style most would think of when Swizz Beatz is mentioned, but listen for the classic "The Bridge Is Over" drums accompanied by what sounds like a pipe organ with the "evil" stop pulled all the way out - vicious. And the MCs, my goodness! LOX legend Jadakiss opens up, hands off to modern-day street rap giant Benny the Butcher, and cleanup duty is handled in fine style by the young and hungry Scar Lip. The video is great as well - chaotic, dark, monochrome, giving me just a taste of the same energy as the visuals for Ice Cube's "Wicked" back in the day. The whole package is hard like titanium.

Onyx : Throw Ya Gunz (Instrumental)

After starting the show with a track sampling the yelled into Onyx's first single, which was a big tune in its day, I decided to follow up with the instrumental as I hadn't heard it in so long. RIP to Chyskillz, the producer, who passed away in 2018.

Coach NYM : Work Ethic

One from my gym playlist for you, taken from the "Healthy Gangsta" LP. Part of the RBG movement, NYM gives a message on this track and the rest of the album that very much aligns with the innovative "Workout" LPs that stic of dead prez (their lowercasing, btw) released in 2011 and 2020. Turn this track up and get your motivation right!

Bronx Slang : Excuse Me Again

My man Jerry Beeks accurately and sadly points out that the subject of this track will continue to be relevant into the foreseeable future. Following up from the original "Excuse Me Officer" from the "Bronx Slang" LP, this is, in Beeks' distinctive style, a run-down of yet more Black people who have been murdered by the police. The producer Fake Blood gives it a soundtrack with just a hint of melancholy that still makes you nod your head thanks to his drum programming, and leaves enough space for you to hear every work clearly. Find this on the appropriately-named "Substance" album.

Blak Twang ft. Fallacy : Homegrown

I promise I didn't just try to find every track that sampled Onyx and throw them into this episode! The b-side of the incredible 1996 "Real Estate" 12", this is not only pure lyrical rawness from both MCs (Blak Twang/Taipanic/Tony Rotton and Fallacy) over a beat from V.R.S, but it's also the source of an incredible number of samples. If you go and check the excellent Blak Twang LP "19 Long Time", you'll be amazed how many times he samples himself, and from this specific cut - EPMD would be proud :)

The Musalini ft. Pete Rock and 9th Wonder : Carmel City 2

The vast majority of times, a sequel track is done by the original artist (for example, EPMD's "Jane" series, Ice Cube with the "Gangsta's Fairytale" pair), but this is an interesting exception. Pete Rock, the producer of the original "Carmel City" from his and CL Smooth's "The Main Ingredient" LP is here...but only on the mic, and even then only as the featured guest! Lead duties are taken by Bronx native The Musalini, and production is by a man who would absolutely name Pete Rock as an influence, North Carolina's 9th Wonder. This track has had a lot of rewinds in my headphones over the last month!

BusCrates : Get It Going

The brand new BusCrates LP, "Control Center" released this week, and it starts off with this serious groove, one which I had to let you get a good helping of before my voiceover! The new LP is overally lower in tempo than his "Blasting Off" album, and leans a little more in the direction of Hip-Hop while maintaining his funky and soulful style. BusCrates is an exceptionally skilled producer and DJ - as well as a thoroughly nice guy - who absolutely deserves your support.

Little Brother : Sittin Alone

This track will, depending on your age, inspire mocking laughter or wry recognition! The time comes to all of us where the thought of hitting the clubs on a Saturday night sounds...kind of tiring. If nothing else, I'm sure everyone can relate to the flyer with eight different fonts on it :) Mixing real feelings with a great bit of humour, it's just one example of the grown man rap on the "May The Lord Watch" album. As an aside - paying child support is not, of course, just a Black thing!

Kev Brown : Homework Part 1

Like most of the tracks on the "Homework" album, I wish this were a touch longer, but the man from Landover has a gift for leaving everyone wanting more! You can certainly hear his characteristic bassline action, while the high end is actually really prominent on this too, in a lo-fi fashion - almost sounds like a rough draft, but you know it's all intentional and provides a canvas for him to kick some lyrics, in case you forgot he puts in work on the mic too :)

Prodigy & Nas : Self Conscience

One of those great mixtape tracks from a previous era that you just don't hear around anymore, but absolutely deserves an airing. A concept piece lyrically, this has the late great Prodigy talking to his conscience, going back and forth, before Nas closes things out. The beat is by Infinite Arkatechz, who were basically the patron saints of sampling New Age and prog rock records (you might recognise this one). Find this somewhat forgotten classic on the "Nas & Ill Will Records Prsents...QB Finest" compilation.

dead prez : The Game Of Life (Score)

The "Soul In The Hole" soundtrack may be better known to many than the excellent film, but either way, here's the top-notch opening track, bringing a message to set the tone and frame the events of the story in a much wider context. This is actually my favourite iteration of the dead prez sound - tracks like this and "Sellin' Dope (Drugs Oppress People Everyday)" really stood out sonically from the mass of releases of the same time period. The production is provided by Da Heads - according to Discogs, only ever credited for this one song, but I'm wondering if somehow, somewhere, DJ Spinna is in the mix...

[Swizz Beatz] Nas : Salute Me (The General) (Instrumental)

Thumping, militaristic instrumental from the keyboard era. I love the opening on this before it settles down into the rhythm of the verses, which is even better on the vocal version with the opening adlibs.

Gunshot : Clear From Present Danger

RIP MC Alkaline. For those that don't know, Gunshot were truly one of the defining groups of their era, standard bearers for what became known to many as the "Britcore" style. The beats were almost always uptempo (this isn't even that fast compared to many), dramatic and dense, with a clear influence of The Bomb Squad - as time went on, this style went on to help give birth to other UK electronic music genres. The lyrics and delivery were always aggressive - as I say on the voiceover, think "action film" rather than trying to make you believe they were gangsters. This is one of the classic singles from this crew out of Leyton, East London, complete with a full lyric sheet on the back of the sleeve if you can get hold of the vinyl.

DJ Supreme ft. Son Of Noise : R.I.P.

More UK Hip-Hop royalty from the same era as Gunshot - the legendary DJ Supreme of Hijack producing for the mic-destroying Son of Noise on a 2016/7 release that shows that neither half of this combo have lost a step since they first came out. Raw, hard-edged, unapologetic British Hip-Hop on a battle tip.

Rob Swift ft. DJ Klever and Melo-D : 2-3 Break

One of the greatest DJs of all time and also a fierce defender of DJing ethics, rights, and responsibilities, Rob Swift is a man that should be held up high by all those who claim to represent Hip-Hop culture. On this 2002 cut, he pays tribute to the original "Two, Three, Break" by The B Boys (with the great Chuck Chillout on the wheels), and combines with two other turntable titans, Klever and Melo-D of Beat Junkies for a turntable workout over some classic beats and breaks. I was pleased to find that Rob's second LP "Sound Event" that this is drawn from is on streaming platforms, so don't miss out having a listen to the rest of the album.

Tobi Sunmola : Not The One

If you've heard me DJ on Twitch in the last few years, you may well have heard me play this absolute heater to great response! From Lagos to Manchester, Tobi Sunmola is a real talent with his own style, and kills it on this uptempo cut from his 2018 EP "Good Guys Don't Survive". Let's hope that this one does.

Ilajide : INDYNSUMRLUV

Faithful podcast listeners will already know how I rate this man, an incredible producer out of Detroit who hammers the funk into a sequencer like few can. The bassline is simple, but is just what's needed underneath those drums, where the hi-hats are doing the work of bringing the complexity while the kick and snare keep time. Very dope business from January's "NO SAUCEPAN TUESDAYS" album/beat tape. I'm assuming Tuesdays are for air fryers only.

Tobe Nwigwe ft. Coast Contra : DESTRUCTION

Tobe Nwigwe and his team are continuing to have success which is great to see - it's been four years since I first played him here (which is not when he started), and it's been constant elevation from there. This cut from last year's "moMINTs" album is big, booming, and as heavy as the title suggests, with Tobe, Nick Humes and Nick Baker on production. Guesting on several mics are the crew of dangerous Los Angeles MCs that is Coast Contra, who bring the heat to help close the episode in dramatic fashion. By the way, I realised how much time is flying when I realised that two members of Coast Contra are the sons of Ras Kass!

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

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brxkxnhxxrtsclxb · 1 year ago

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if i’m honest… i doubt mattel will bring ever after high back as long as they have disney… but with the post above my money is on: they’re trying to see how people will react to an EAH revival / comeback

let’s not forget they said this on a tuesday, august 28, 2018 at 9:19 AM (yes so specific lmaoo) on twitter:

“these fairytales are closing the book for now, but you never know when it will open again”

it’s possible we’re here now. this as in 2024 is when they’ll open again. of course, it’s just a theory and we can’t 100% say for sure

now i have a wild theory that probably makes zero sense but i guess can be possible. disney and mattel are back together. it’s no secret disney is struggling, dare i say TANKING. we also know disney is very possessive about fairytales and if their stuff is failing, and they’re now in a partnership with mattel once again, i wouldn’t be surprised if they both somehow came to an agreement to work on ever after high together. again, i know, it’s a wild theory and probably unlikely, but they’re fairytales and disney has a weird thing about fairytales being “their thing” (despite them being in the public domain for centuries ._.) and EAH already has an established fan base. it’s small, but there’s something there. there’s an audience

disney obviously made descendants as a way to compete with mattel and ever after high. shit, ever after high is what got the disney license revoked from mattel in the first place. why would mattel want to risk getting on disney’s bad side again after getting back on their good graces?? why even go there when they’re making disney princess dolls again if their own princess line is what got them smoke from disney in the first place ?? mattel is a business first, so they’re gonna want all the money they can get. disney is a good way to do so. they’re the biggest entertainment company in the world

and it’s not like disney and mattel haven’t collaborated before. i’m not just speaking from the perspective of the licenses. they made the nightmare before christmas skullectors. without a disney x mattel collab, this wouldn’t have been possible. clearly there’s a good partnership between them. i personally don’t see mattel wanting to bring back EAH, especially not when disney is at their lowest. not unless disney for whatever reason decided to join in on the EAH train. they’re princesses and fairytales. that’s “their thing” and monster high has been rebooted so they don’t have to worry about that part (a crossover) of both series anymore

idk. my theory is wild and probably unlikely, but i wouldn’t be surprised if this is what’s happening. after all, we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes

unless mattel also just doesn’t care about what disney thinks anymore and is okay with risking losing the license for a second time but i highly doubt it

would i love EAH to come back ?? hex yeah, but i will also say… at this point, it really doesn’t matter if they never bring back EAH. we already don’t have it. keeping the book closed forever after won’t make a difference. it would just be nice if they did give them the same treatment they are to G1 monster high. just make the dolls and be done with it. make them like they did the creeproductions and let some time pass before making more. that way they’re not “taking” too much away from disney. i’d personally would prefer skullectors (spellectors ??) of EAH. they’d be on mattel creations and are done in limited quantities as a one time thing so that definitely wouldn’t give disney any competition (if that’s what they’re worried about), but that’s just me :,))

or maybe we’re all overthinking the random song drop and mattel was only doing it so there can be some activity on the EAH socials and not look “abandoned”, and wanna hold onto whatever is left of it considering trademarks and all. idk

Hello everyone, I'm making this huge post because I'm hyperfixated on what's going down in the Ever After High fandom right now, and I need to type all my thoughts out. So, get your tinfoil hats ready folks, because it's speculation and theorizing time.

DISCLAIMER: this is all just speculation and/or incoherent rambling. I'm putting it under the cut because... it's a little long lol (if you see any grammatical and/or spelling errors ...no you don't)

Earlier today, January 5th (or January 4th, depending on your timezone) Mattel released a "new" song for Ever After High, "Can't Get Me Down" (you'll see why I put new in quotation marks in a bit). Reaction to the song itself was... mixed, with some really liking it, some not liking it, and some being more neutral. The reason why this sent the fandom into a frenzy is because, obviously, this is our first real content from the actual source since the series ended in 2018.

Tin foil hat time, I don't think this song is "new" at all. I'm speculating that this song was in the Mattel's equivalent of The Vault for a long time, which could explain a lot about why it sounds janky and almost ai. Also, I saw some people saying it reminded them of Taylor Swift, and we know, canonically, Taylor Swift exists the EAH universe as Tailor Quick, and Raven is a fan of her. Adding on the fact that Raven is used as the cover for this song, I suspect she would've sung this either in a webisode, or more likely a special, but it got cut for whatever reason.

Here we get to my biggest point: why now? Why would Mattel, with no promotion beforehand, just drop this out of the blue? I saw someone suggest it was a mistake, and I saw someone else suggest that this was leaked by some employee, but I don't think either of those are the case- if they were, it likely would've been taken down already.

I shared this theory through an ask, but I'll reiterate it here: My theory is Mattel is using this as a tactic see how people would respond to the idea of EAH making a comeback.

I think EAH making a comeback now kind of makes sense- look at what happened during it's downfall; iirc doll sales were low, but also, Disney had created Descendants. This is a bit more into conspiracy theory territory, but from what I've heard discussed, many think Disney's creation of Descendants was the nail in the coffin for EAH. It's also common knowledge that Disney is extremely territorial about fairytales, and especially when it comes to princesses, so them making Descendants to assure EAH's decline... checks out. With Disney not doing well now, Mattel could be trying to take advantage of that. But that's just my theory, I could be totally wrong and Mattel could be doing this for some other completely random reason.

There was also some other stuff about trademarks, but I'm not good with that kind of stuff, so you can read more about that here.

TL;DR: this situation is very *exaggerated and vague hand waving in air* as you can tell by this post, so while we can continue speculating and/or doing our own digging, I think it'd be best to keep an eye out to see if Mattel releases any more songs, or even any announcements/statements.

If I forgot anything or explained this poorly, I apologize!! Please let me know if I did either and I will try and correct that!!

#ever after high #eah #long post #mattel #disney #my random thoughts #these are just theories

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racingliners · 2 years ago

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F1 Re-Watch 2022: Round 15 - the Netherlands

No I didn’t intend on watching this and Belgium so close back to back but... I just want to rip the plaster off and get it over with.

(Unrelated, this is the first of 8 races left and the Seb retirement sads are starting to come back 😭)

Anyway, I’ve never actually watched the Dutch GP yet so I’m curious to see if Zandvoort the circuit passes the vibe check or not, onwards!

iirc Verstappen wins so please let there have been some kind of good racing in the midfield and some Seb points.

I’m also starting this after 10pm so yeah lots of poor life choices made all round

but I do have chocolate

ah, opening with some windmills, just in case we had no idea where we were racing

all I’ve seen of Zandvoort is the circuit map so I am truly going into this race knowing nothing

Starting grid: Seb P19. fuck.

Lance P10 though!!

MICK P8!!!!!! LEWIS P4!!!!

Let’s not have a race and just call it a day

“Can Ferrari get it right this afternoon?” lol no. In Ferrari we do not trust.

JENSON COMMS MY SKIN IS CLEAR MY CROPS ARE NOURISHED

Sky Sports F1 at 99% is literally Ted and Jenson

right please let there be no lap 1 violence I did not enjoy Spa at all

obligatory “They’re not Max fans they’re McLaren fans” joke

[Start/Lap 1]: okay phew a mostly clean first lap thank goodness, just Lewis and Sainz getting a little too close

[Lap 2]: KEVIN NOOOOO

oh jeez he’s actually back on track damn that was so so close

Seb and Lance both up two places THAT’S MY BOYS

[Lap 3]: Kevin’s car is somehow fine despite smooching the barrier DAMN

oh damn the replay of Lewis’ start

(also OUCH that cut to Angela in the garage hurt today 😭)

[Lap 4]: *Ted klaxon*

Ted and Jenson on comms at the same race, so very blessed

[Lap 5]: “When you want a nice stress free afternoon, Fernando is not the one you want behind you” truer words have never been spoken. Assigned gremlin status by Crofty

[Lap 6]: Lewis still with the rainbow helmet we love to see it

[Lap 7]: Don’t do that, don’t give me hope that Charles can catch Verstappen

[Lap 8]: Lewis is also reallllly catching up to Sainz 👀

[Lap 10]: Alonso passes Gasly from P12

Unrelated but I cannot tell if the weird haze around the track is mist, low cloud, smoke from flares or sand dvhaeuh

[Lap 11]: Seb has somehow ended up in P20 17 secs behind Latifi, I can only assume he pitted :(

He did pit!! Cheers Ted

[Lap 12]: And Alonso passes Yuki for P11

and Seb jumped Dan at the stop 🎉

[Lap 14]: Sainz v Lewis watch: much of the same, Lewis closes with DRS on the straights but isn’t close enough for a pass yet

And Lewis up into P3 as Sainz pits

12.7 sec stop. ouch.

oh not Perez driving over an errant wheel gun, just to rub salt into the wound

[Lap 15]: Seb watch: up into P17 post-stops!!!

oh he was racing with Mick, who did a really nice pass

[Lap 18]: Charles pits. *prays*

2.5. much better.

[Lap 19]: Lewis P1. STOP THE RACE!!!!!

(I am well aware it’s bc Verstappen pitted. I still want them to stop the race)

“What happened at Carlos Sainz’s pitstop?” “A mess” avuehuhu MATTIA

when the clownery lasts for so long you eventually become self aware

I mean I’m still not on board with speaking to TPs mid race, but in this case I’ll allow it bc I cackled

Seb, Zhou, don’t do that

“Hamilton still leads Russell” oh boy that has never felt so good to hear. INJECT IT.

“He’s been passed a lot has Sebastian” the racing gods giveth and the racing gods taketh away 😭

“This is a really good situation for Mercedes” Inject it, write it into the sky, write it on post it notes and pass them out to strangers

(2015-2018 me would be disappointed in me but she fell for Ferrari v Mercedes propaganda so she doesn’t count)

Bono sighting (beloved)

[Lap 26]: lol I got way too excited and forgot my lap count soz

ANYWAY, this race isn’t terrible, not great, I’m a little warmer than whelmed

And honestly, the fact that Zandvoort is only on the calendar bc F1 want to milk Verstappen fans for cash aside, I don’t hate the circuit. There’s not that many opportunities for overtaking, but an onboard lap is nice to watch.

[Lap 28]: oop Verstappen passes Russell for P2

can we pit Lewis please I suffered through 2021 enough

[Lap 29]: Meanwhile the Ferraris are down in 4th and 6th

[Lap 30]: Phew Lewis does pit. For Hards.

[Lap 33]: Genuinely fascinated to see how the Merc 1-stop vs the RBR and Ferrari 2-stop is going to play out

[Lap 35]: Noooo slow stop for Mick

“We don’t believe we can manage to do Plan C” another race another alphabet lesson from Ferrari 😭

Permanent agony every time I see a Ferrari team radio message tbh

[Lap 36]: as it’s late at night I had to contain my yell at Lewis trying to go round the outside of turn 1. HOLY SHIT.

[Lap 37]: AND HE TAKES P3 INTO TURN 1!!!!

Seb this was not the time to come out of the pits evgesghgh

[Lap 38]: “That was Plan OMG with Checo and Lewis” Ted I utterly adore you.

[Lap 39]: Oh and Russell passes Perez too 👀

[Lap 41]: “No one’s talked about Ferrari” yes bc they’re not doing anything next question

and Perez pits for hards

Seb under investigation for ignoring blue flags akehgujahg

[Lap 44]: Yuki nooooooo

“Tyres not fitted” Alpha Tauri EXPLAIN YOURSELVES

...and Yuki’s moving again????

He’s going so slowly though

[Lap 46]: Anyway Charles pits, also for Hards

and again Mick vs Seb eagijaeigh

Yuki pits again 😬

“I know we’re near the North Sea but this is fishy” ajvhajevh Ted

ANYWAY cut to Lewis in P2

[Lap 47]: oh for god’s sake Yuki’s still going slow

to VSC or not VSC

yup VSC deployed

[Lap 49]: Verstappen, Lewis and George all pit under VSC

argh I’ve missed hearing Lewis be genuinely happy on team radio so much!!!!

[Lap 50]: VSC clear, let’s go zoom zoom

oh my days Lance P10!!!!!

[Lap 51]: 12 sec gap between Verstappen and Lewis. I am diving head first into the sea of delusion

another Bono sighting, thank you very much TV director. Your basket of pastries is in the post.

[Lap 53]: Death, taxes and Seb getting a 5 second penalty for something

oh man those replays of Lando v Alonso, sick

[Lap 55]: Me, knowing full well Verstappen wins: Yeah Lewis can totally close an 11 second gap in less than 20 laps

OH JEEZ Bottas stops right at the end of the main straight

“At least the only overtaking place is gone now” eaovhaeouh Jenson the man that you are

[Lap 56] Full safety car, as it should be

mean this race has been way more eventful than I though

[Lap 57]: Merc 1-2. I have become the sea of delusion.

or we could just stop the race that would be fine too.

[Lap 58]: The way my blood pressure just spiked upon seeing George in the pits, with the Safety car coming through the pits. Lewis still leading though.

oh grief so much pit drama, unsafe release from Sainz

Anyway Lewis P1, Verstappen P2, George P3. Stress.

I know exactly who wins. And yet I still think Lewis has a chance. I am boo boo the fool.

[Lap 60]: Safety Car ending. *distressed yelling*

I hate Safety Car restarts so much

[Lap 61]: ....

well that was fun while it lasted. Please tell me Lewis at least is on the podium

[Lap 62]: Seb watch: Into P14!!! but he still has the 5 sec pen

Okay I looked up the podium to avoid disappointment and I’m quite glad I decided to do that.

[Lap 64]: Lewis, George, can we not nearly crash out please and thanks

[Lap 65]: I am distressed Angela and distressed Angela is me

[Lap 66]: ...and Charles passes Lewis for P3. ouch.

[Lap 68]: 5 laps left. Much is happening.

Lance clinging onto P10 for dear life, Perez and Sainz thinking about starting a punch up, Lewis is pissed, Seb is still following Mick.

“Lance Stroll is lapping faster than Carlos Sainz” INJECT IT!!!

You drag that tractor Lance, go on!!!!

[Lap 70]: and there’s the Perez & Sainz violence

*insults you in Spanish* *insults you back in Spanish* *pushes you off the track*

well at least Lewis’ P4 is safe, this friends is why we don’t get too high on hopium

[Lap 72/Finish]: Verstappen wins, Russell P2, Charles P3

Lewis does indeed take P4.

LANCE P10!!!!

Seb P14 after his pen

Whew. Yeah. That was something. For some reason I fully expected the race to be dull but it actually wasn’t that bad. Yes It was a strategy race, but there was a tiny bit of racing, and both safety cars did act as a reset for the battle for the lead. And totally unrelated, but Jenson on comms was utterly superb.

7 front wings out of 10, next race: Monza!!

#F1 Re watch #F1 2022 re watch #F1 Liveblog #Dutch GP edition

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j4gm · 4 years ago

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TOGETHER AGAIN SPOILERS

A thread of lore, Easter eggs, episode connections, and background details from Adventure Time: Distant Lands: Together Again! Let me know if I missed anything! This is adapted from my original Twitter thread.

Keep reading ⬇️⬇️⬇️

1. I was expecting them to perhaps do a classic style title sequence for this episode, but I wasn't expecting them to straight up use the original title sequence. The only difference is this final screen saying "Distant Lands".

2. The background of the title cards is also the hill from the title sequence.

3. The ice cream having "50 flavours" and having an image of an enlightened soul is an obvious reference to the 50th Dead World as we see it later in the episode.

4. Continuing with the metaphor, the dirt in the ice cream could be a parallel to the fact that Jake's Nirvana actually wasn't perfect, because his inaction was allowing for injustice to perpetuate.

5. This whole scene feels immediately slightly off. Finn has his Scarlet sword and is out on a classic Ice King adventure, but he speaks in his grown voice and all the slang feels much more forced than it did in the real season one. Turns out this was deliberate.

6. The snow golem speaks with a baby voice like it did in the pilot episode, even though in canon it has a deeper voice. This further hints that something is not quite right.

7. The first major break in continuity is these snow golems resembling Uncle Gumbald and Peace Master, who Finn didn't meet until later in his life.

8. LSP sitting on Finn's head like this is reminiscent of Pen Ward's piece for the 2018 Ble crew zine.

9. Finn being given the choice of helping somebody but ending up helping everybody reminds me of "Memories of Boom Boom Mountain". It's the kind of resolution that wouldn't happen so much in the late seasons of the show, which helps make this scene feel even further out of place.

10. Jake is half frozen by Ice King in pretty much the exact same way as he was in "Prisoners of Love", and even has a very similar line.

11. The Snail is seen here. The crew have said that the Snail has been deliberately left out of previous Distant Lands specials, so its placement here is another very deliberate hint that this whole sequence is "trying too hard" to be like the early seasons.

12. The book "Mind Games" appears a couple of times, as seen in several previous episodes of Adventure Time. The first is as Finn is approaching the library in his dream. It also appears as one of the items in Finn's backpack later.

13. Jake is hurt when Finn fist bumps him with his metal arm, revealing that this scene is not real. This is also a callback to the title sequences of "Islands" and "Elements".

14. A whole bunch of familiar skeletons are seen in the bird's nest: Dirt Beer Guy, Abracadaniel, Me-Mow, Lemongrab, Mr. Pig, and the Snail again. This doesn't necessarily mean that all these characters are dead, since this scene is just a hallucination.

15. Old Man Finn! He's still got the chest tattoo of Jake, and this time we know that Jake is dead, so the theory that Jake died before "Obsidian" seems pretty likely. He looks similar to his old man design from "Puhoy", with the same facial hair.

16. There are several cameos of familiar characters who apparently died at the same time as Finn. The first is this duck, who previously appeared in "Ocarina".

17. The second is Donny, from the episode... uh, "Donny".

18. This goblin guy is an unnamed background character from “The Silent King”.

19. This old lady first appeared in "The Enchiridion", way back in season one. Old ladies are a species in the Land of Ooo, so I guess she wasn't actually very old back then, given she just about outlived Finn.

20. This is the cobbler who first appears in "His Hero". Amazing that he lived so long given all the trouble he got into in that episode.

21. Land of the Dead! This place was first seen in season two's "Death in Bloom", and now we are finally learning its actual purpose. It's a sort of gateway and hub to all of the other dead worlds.

22. There are some more minor cameos at the gates: a house person from "Donny", a soft person from "Gut Grinder", and a wood person from "When Wedding Bells Thaw". And, of course, the gate guardian himself from “Death in Bloom”.

23. Finn completely ignores the gate guardian in the same way he did in Death in Bloom. This also has the convenient effect of not having to reveal how Finn died, leaving it up to the audience's imagination.

24. Mr. Fox! We already knew he would die at some point because BMO had his skull in the finale.

25. Finn has his design from the first Distant Lands poster in this scene. Turns out it's young Finn in old Finn's clothes. But they gave him a shirt in the poster so you wouldn't be able to see the tattoo.

26. The clapping that Finn does while he's looking for Jake is a callback to "James Baxter the Horse", when Jake tells Finn to listen for that same rhythm if they are killed and need to find each other in the afterlife.

27. Mr. Fox talks about a "past life quotient", suggesting that there might be some kind of limit to how many times somebody can reincarnate. Finn's reincarnations are also seen in this scene; a callback to "The Vault", and confirmation that reincarnations share the same soul.

28. Boobafina, the goose who Mr. Fox was in love with in his debut episode “Storytelling”, apparently reincarnated into a tugboat. We've already seen that objects can have souls in the episode "Ghost Fly".

29. Finn is initially assigned to the 37th Dead World, which is the same one that Jake went to when he died in "Sons of Mars". We can only guess at what the other numbers on the ticket mean ;)

30. Tiffany! Despite several lucky escapes throughout his life, Tiffany has finally died. I like the use of this imagery to express Finn's conflicted feelings about him.

31. The 50th Dead World has long been established as the "highest" dead world, and the one synonymous with Heaven within Adventure Time's universe. It was first mentioned in "Ghost Princess" back in season three.

32. It's unclear what happens to souls which are destroyed within the dead worlds. It is a similar question to asking what happened to the ghosts that were killed in "Ghost Fly".

33. Death doesn't speak at all in Together Again because his voice actor, Miguel Ferrer, passed away in 2017 long before production began.

34. Finn phases through New Death when he tries to attack him, just like what happened way back in "Death in Bloom".

35. The 30th Dead World contains Tree Trunks as well as many of her love interests; Mr. Pig, her alien husband from "High Strangeness", Danny and Randy who first appeared in "Apple Wedding", and several more who we don't recognise, including at least one who presents as a woman.

36. Literally yelled when these two showed up. Joshua calls Finn a crybaby, which is a callback to "Dad's Dungeon".

37. The wall of weapons in Joshua and Margaret's house includes the iconic Demon Blood Sword, which was broken in "Play Date", as well as Margaret's auto-loading crossbow from "Joshua & Margaret Investigations".

38. Jermaine is sidelined a few times through the episode, in reference to his attitude in "Jermaine" where he feels that Finn and Jake were always their parents' favourites. I would have hoped things would be a bit better by now.

39. Fern gets name dropped while Finn and Jake are reuniting. A shame he doesn't actually show up in the episode.

40. In this scene, Finn says "What time is it?" This is a very subtle reference to the 2010 cartoon "Adventure Time".

41. In a couple of shots during this fight scene it looks like Jake might have a tattoo. It seems like it only becomes visible when he stretches out his arm.

42. New Death's amulet in this scene resembles parts of the Lich's cape, foreshadowing his influence on New Death.

43. There are several more cameos in the 50th Dead World: Booshy from "High Strangeness", one of the Marshmallow Kids from "Scamps", and Ghost Princess and Clarence, who were seen ascending to the 50th Dead World in "Ghost Princess".

44. Finn didn't interact with Booshy in "High Strangeness", but it seems they must have met at some point before they both died because Finn knows his name.

45. It seems like people in the 1st Dead World are slowly melted away until they become part of the landscape. Nasty.

46. Lots more cameos in this scene: a gnome from "Power Animal", a gnome from "The Enchiridion", a Bath Boy from "The Vault", Blagertha from "Love Games", Maja the Sky Witch, a troll from "Dungeon", Chocoberry, Choose Goose, Wyatt, a spiky person from "Gut Grinder", and possibly more.

47. Tiffany's insults are consistently nonsensical and amazing, as they were in the original series.

48. The Candy Kingdom looks extremely different. Peppermint Butler is wearing the crown so he might be in charge now, which is supported by the kingdom's very magical-looking augmentations. It’s not clear whether Finn and Jake were expecting to find Princess Bubblegum or Peppermint Butler, since both have the initials “PB” and both could be going by the title of “Princess”. Perhaps Peps and Bubblegum share the princess duties now that PB is living with Marceline more of the time.

49. Peppermint Butler has a "Boss" mug, although it's not the same colour as the one from "Obsidian".

50. Jake's ghost has the same design as he did when BMO killed him in "Ghost Fly". I also absolutely love Finn's ghost. This scene establishes that ghosts are just visitors to the mortal plane from the dead worlds.

51. Life has only appeared in animated shorts before now. Namely, "The Gift That Reaps Giving" which establishes her relationship with Death, and "Frog Seasons: Winter". This episode gives her a concrete place within Adventure Time's pantheon: she is in charge of reincarnation.

52. A translation of Life’s angry French dialogue by Shado: “After all I did for that boy. After all I did for him. No, it's not possible. It's not possible no, that... that makes me so mad but it's not possible.”

53. We finally have in-universe confirmation that Shoko's tiger is a previous life of Jake. This was previously confirmed by one of the writers, but wasn't canon until now.

54. I feel like Finn pulled off Shoko's look even better than Shoko did. I wonder whether Finn has gained the memories of his past lives now that he’s dead.

55. No Easter egg here, just want to appreciate this image.

56. There is an elemental symbol on the wall here, as seen in "Jelly Beans Have Power".

57. Tiffany's dramatic internal monologue is a recurring gag, as is his habit of nearly dying from falling into holes.

58. The Jake suit makes a cameo in the fight against New Death. It was last seen in the episode "Reboot”.

59. Finn's backpack contains a few familiar items: the t-shirt with the pocket from "It Came from the Nightosphere", Finn's underwear from "Little Dude" and other episodes, and a copy of Mind Games as I've already mentioned.

60. The Lich's Hand is present in the background of Death's... death scene. This is probably the unseen "friend" who New Death keeps talking about.

61. The Lich's menacing monologues often begin with a single command. Previously they have included "Fall" and "Stop". This time, the command is "Burn".

62. Jake uses the word "boingloings", which is a callback all the way to "Hitman" in the third season.

63. Jake's blue shape-shifter form from "Abstract" appears very briefly during his fight with Finn.

64. Finn's lumpy space person form also makes an appearance. This design was last seen all the way back in the second episode of the entire show, "Trouble in Lumpy Space".

65. Jake steps on the Lich's hand in a very similar way to how he stepped on Ash in "Memory of a Memory", which is itself a Monty Python reference.

66. The credits include a dedication to a few AT cast and crew who have passed away. Polly Lou Livingston was the voice of Tree Trunks. Miguel Ferrer was the voice of Death. Michel Lyman and Maureen Mlynarczyk were both sheet timers on the original series. Rest in peace.

67. The message that Finn and Jake write out on the ouija board is "BUTT", which Peppermint Butler takes as a distress signal. This message is also used as a distress signal by the Hot Dog Knights in "The Limit".

68. Peppermint Butler's reversed dialogue from the scene where he makes contact with Finn and Jake is "Kee-Oth Rama Pancake", the spell from “Dad's Dungeon” for banishing demons.

69. That appears to be President Porpoise with all of Tree Trunks’ other lovers.

70. In this scene, Life is humming part of "Lonely Bones", the song which Death tried to record for her in her debut short "The Gift That Reaps Giving". It's hard to notice because it's so brief.

71. Finn and Jake's cover is blown while in the Land of the Dead because Jake loudly farts, which also happened in "Death in Bloom".

72. The place where Mr. Fox explains the perception mechanics of the afterlife is the exact same location as the River of Forgetfulness from "Death in Bloom", which, as it turns out, was imaginary.

These are sort of out of order at the end because I was adding stuff to the Twitter thread as it got discovered. That’s all for now!

#adventure time #together again #finn the human #jake the dog #lorepost

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