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daichiduskdrop · 2 years ago

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˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚⋆·˚ ༘ *𝙎𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 ⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Chapter 18

Pairing: BTS Ot7 X fem! reader

Genre: A/B/O AU, Fluff, Angst, Strangers to lovers,

Warnings: just slight reminders of events from 17th chapter

Words: 3759

A/N: Hi! So, I did the poll, and at the time when I started writing the story, it was 50/50 jeju island and Hawaii. I decided to do Hawaii as it feels a bit more interesting for me, but Jeju island will be in the story too sometime! :)

If anyone would want to have some bigger part of the story (like fav musicians -other than K-pop, or favourite colour, favourite clothes brand, food spot...) Just DM me or write it in the comments. I'll include it if it goes well with the story :))

Thank you for voting. And reading, I value you a lot.

Lots of love

Taglist: @thelilbutifulthings @ilovemoneymorethenmen @singukieee @cherrysainttt @felicityroth @mageprincess7 @lucis-noctiana @danielle143 @osakis-gf @girl-nahh @vintageoldfashion @neverthefirstchoice @juju-227592 @silentreadersthings @i-have-no-life-charlie @everyonehatesshani @iamkookiesforyou @dragons-flare @fangirl125reader @roseidol @frieschan @popcatx0 @liz67900

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Soon the engine roared to life, but still, the Alpha made sure to pay close attention to the road. It was still terribly slippery.

They wanted to get you home as quickly as possible, knowing that you needed to rest and just hang out for a while with them. They were lucky that most of them didn't have to go to work today.

Smiling at you reassuringly, Jimin turned on the radio, switching to an omega-centred station that mostly consisted of soft, lo-fi-like music that was recommended for the second gender to listen to, especially on longer car rides.

The pack definitely wanted to go out with you sometimes and plan a nice trip and vacation, and so most of the alphas that were driving had already purchased subscriptions for many omega apps and radio stations, ready for any occasion.

A lot of marketing was targeted at packs that had an omega, having the softened-up alphas pay for stuff in hopes their small baby wouldn't start crying during a long car ride, on a plane, or on a boat.

It was usual for them to be very cautious and not really notice the price of anything when it was targeted for omegas.

So the second you enter a store—pretty much any type, going from grocery stores to electronics all the way to many restaurants—a selection is labelled with a small 'O', marking it as perfectly safe and made specifically for the second gender.

A lot of people made messy money off the worried packs. If their omega was sick, the pack would naturally grow worried and overprotective, ready to buy anything to make them feel better.

The second a shop assistant catches on, if they feel like it, they can start making stuff up, claiming that things that will most likely not help definetly will. It could be easy to mislead the pack members if they aren't careful enough.

The car ride was quiet and quicker than usual; soon the car was already parked, with the garage doors automatically opening after Jungkook called a phone number.

Climbing out, the alphas were quick to help you, opening the doors for you and pulling you gently out. Keeping a hold of your palm, Jimin once again hugged you closely, still able to smell how off your scent was.

„There, there, princess. It's all well now, hm? Come on, let's go in, my baby.” The alpha mumbled, smiling softly at you and nuzzling your nose with his, making you smile a bit.

Jungkook called the number again, waiting for the garage doors to close while he locked up the car and pocketed the keys.

Looking back at you with his packmate, the youngest giggled gently, ruffling your hair. „Let's go bunbun. Hold Alpha's hand... There, what a good girl.” He smiled at you, holding your other hand.

Leading you to the garage entrance, the whole room was huge—much bigger than any one you ever saw in anyone's home. It was much colder in here, and so you huddled to yourself, letting yourself be ushered to the doors.

Opening the metal-like doors, Jungkook led you both through, ending in a white halfway, and the alpha led you through, leading you after himself. Soon your small group appeared at the long, halfway full studios and a few other rooms, like the gym.

And so, you were in the kitchen in no time, the eldest alpha sitting at the kitchen table, a few cups and pots before him. Shooting up at the smell of you all approaching, he rushed over right away, pulling you to himself.

„Oh my god, sweetheart, I was so scared that something happened... God... Come here, let me hold you for a minute, cub."

Jin mumbled to himself, folding your head to his neck and letting you smell his scent gland while he went over the top of your head with his chin, scenting you gently.

You felt his lips gently flutter over your hair, but as soon as they came, they were gone. His scent drenched you quickly; the roses bloomed softly on your nose.

The other two alphas walked off, dispersing around the room. Washing their hands, Jimin and Jungkook went around the kitchen, noticing that the alpha was cooking a few meals already.

„Are you making pastries, Hyung?" The youngest asked, looking at the sizzling fish-shaped pan.

There was already a bit of the sweetened red bean paste inside, and so the alpha closed the pan carefully, turning it over so the shape would be achieved.

Looking up from coddling you, Jin still left his fingers in your hair, running it through gently. He kept his eyes soft, watching you fondly.

„Mhm, it's Bungeoppang; do you like those babycub? I was hoping you would; I made them very sweet for you, my baby.” He said, running his knuckles over your cheeks.

Nodding quickly, you always enjoyed tayaki, the sweet treat your grandparents would sometimes buy you at the food courts back when you lived in Japan.

Your grandmother bought the special-shaped pan too, and she would make it for you and your siblings often too.

„I really like it; thank you, Oppa." You said, looking into the alpha's eyes. Your scent must have brightened up; you were quite excited for once.

„Good. I'll finish them up for you quickly, okay?” He said, ushering you and Jimin over to the TV, Taehyung suddenly appearing from upstairs.

He noticed you right away, rushing over and taking you in his arms. „Babycheeks...” He whispered, crushing your face against his neck, still mindful not to hurt you.

Holding you close to him, he bended over to your neck, taking on a strong whiff of your scent. Running his cheek over your neck, scenting you.

Pulling away for a second, the alpha looked into your eyes, his hands on either side of your face. He watched you with concern and worry, but when you only smiled softly to him, he sighed out, pulling you to himself once again.

„Aish... Taehyung-ah, stop hogging her up!” Jimin called out, already seated on the couch. Sighing out, you noticed just the smallest growl building up in the man's chest, but he complied nonetheless.

Letting you take a seat first, you had the older alpha to your left and Tae sitting down to your right. Patting your knee gently, Jimin handed you a soft brown jumper.

You recognised it right away, smiling to yourself. You whispered out a thank you, pulling it to yourself.

Relaxing on the couch, the alpha smiled at you, brushing his fingers through your hair and turning on the television.

„-undance of marine biodiversity. Under the surface, a kaleidoscope of colours unfolds as we dive into the vibrant coral reefs. These underwater ecosystems are a haven for countless species, each playing a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of this underwater paradise.

One of the most iconic inhabitants of these waters is the majestic sea turtle. These ancient creatures, known as Honu in Hawaiian, gracefully glide through the ocean, their gentle presence a symbol of wisdom and longevity. We witness their serene beauty as they navigate through the coral gardens, a sight that leaves us in awe.”

Gasping softly at the adorable shots of the small turtles swimming through the waters, you fell in love with the view before you.

It looked so peaceful and bright there. The water looked crystal clear, so the bottom of the ocean was visible, and the sand dunes were easy to see. With a few of the corals in the distance, the big turtle and the small cub swam around the underwater cameraman.

„As we venture further, we encounter playful pods of dolphins, their acrobatic displays a testament to the joy and freedom of life in the ocean. These intelligent creatures captivate us with their synchronised movements and infectious energy, reminding us of the boundless wonders that lie beneath the surface.

Hawaii's warm waters also serve as a sanctuary for the magnificent humpback whales. Every year, these gentle giants embark on an epic migration, travelling thousands of miles to the Hawaiian Islands to give birth and nurture their young. Witnessing their awe-inspiring breaches and hearing their haunting songs is an experience that leaves an indelible mark on our souls.”

„Oh wow, the dolphins are awesome...” Taehying mumbled, watching the screen closely.

Laughing at his amazement, the older alpha looked over. „I mean, we saw them in real life too some time ago, do you not remember? On the ship?” He said this, watching the other alpha.

„I remember Hyung, but this is very different. Imagine diving with them and-”

„Yeah, well, I bet the second you are at the open ocean, you'll piss your pants.”

„Yah! Hyung-”

You didn't pay much attention to them while watching the colourful shots of the mammals in the documentary.

„I would like to see...” You mumbled to yourself, your eyes glued to the content. You were amazed.

The two men immediately stopped bickering, and you had them look over immediately. Any unnecessary agitation was gone right away, and their eyes are now much softer.

„The dolphins?” the older man asked, rubbing your upper back gently. You never got to see such creatures in real life; you only got to swim in an ocean very rarely. Sure, you knew how to swim, well...kind of.

You weren't too confident, and your family hardly ever went to a swimming pool, so there wasn't much space for you to get better.

You were always a bit too scared to go on your own, not sure about what you would be doing there alone since you wouldn't be really able to swim a few laps just like that.

Plus, you were always a bit too worried about the changing rooms and the experience overall.

Lately, it has become a huge trend in many big public swimming pools and aquaparks to get rid of changing rooms for men and women and instead build a whole new one, placing both genders in the same ones.

Sure, you wouldn't have to go and change next to the lockers anymore; instead, you would enter a hallway full of double-sided small changing rooms, similar to the ones in clothing stores.

Once you lock those with a barrier, you just change into your swimsuit and come out on the other side, where you lock all your things and go to shower and swim. You just never felt too safe in those.

„Thousands of tropical fish, like the vibrant parrotfish and the elusive Moorish idol, dart among the coral formations, creating a spectacle of colours and patterns. These reefs are not only a visual feast but also vital habitats that support a myriad of marine life.

Behind the scenes, dedicated marine biologists and conservationists work tirelessly to protect and preserve Hawaii's ocean wonders...”

Nodding shyly, you didn't realise that they would immediately start paying so much attention to you, taking your silly, not too deeply thought-out idea much more seriously.

„You want to go diving, princess?” Jimin asked, looking at you with soft eyes. Seeing you nod gently, the alphas have already started to plot many ideas on how to fulfil your request.

„In the sea, baby? On which island would you like to go, sweetie?” Taehyung said, turning to you, his eyes set on you.

Humming to yourself, you didn't really expect them to take it too seriously, so you didn't think for too long. There weren't many times you actually thought about going on vacation to a completely different country.

There was never enough money to even talk seriously about such a topic, and so you never really paid too much attention to the expensive resort ads you would sometimes see online.

Pointing over to the screen before you, there were a few cinametic shots of the island coastline, the ocean waves washing over the sand.

Smiling to themselves, the alpha on your left ran his chin over your head gently, smiling to himself. Taehyung was already looking up luxurious resorts and was quick to open a few websites.

„Okay princess, alphas will figure everything out for you, my baby.” He said this, hugging you close. He watched over his younger packmate's shoulder, looking over the villas he had already started scanning through.

He knew Taehyung would choose a nice place to stay. They didn't care about any prices; why would they even have to?

They didn't have to care if it was 2.000.000 or 8.000.000 ₩ per night; as long as the place was comfortable and beautiful, and mostly if you liked it, then everything was okay.

„Bunny, come have some of the pastries!” The youngest called out from the kitchen, watching closely as you waddled to stand up, making your way over to him.

Smiling widely at you, he made sure the fish-shaped food was cooled down before he handed it to you, letting you take a big bite while he bit down on another one he took.

They were crunchy but soft on the outside, and they were so sweet, you were immediately smiling.

„Is it good peaches?” Jin asked, running his hands over your back. Nodding virtuously, you ate even more, happy with how it tasted.

„Slow down cub, don't eat so quickly... There you go.” He murmured, brushing your hair behind your ear. Soft with his eyes, he smiled at you when you were slower.

Savouring the flavour, you quickly finished. Handing you another one, you bit into the pastry again, the men around you chuckling softly at your eagerness. They were glad you were eating well.

The door opening alarm went off, having all of the alphas turning to look at the entrance. Shuffling in, Hoseok smiled towards all of his packmates. Noticing you, he was quick to come closer, dropping the grocery bags on the floor before he rushed over.

Picking you up, he held you to his scentgland, running his arms up and down your sides softly, breathing in your scent. There wasn't much of a hint of sadness or anxiety, and so the man was reassured.

„My sunshine... I'm so glad you are okay; you gave us quite the scare there, bub. Oh- I bought you some sweets, here let me-”

„Did you buy the banana milk?”

„Hyung, the cake, you bought it for me, right?”

The two youngest asked, both of them going in-between, so the alpha had to put you down unwillingly. Taking you into his arms instead, Jimin was quick to hug you instead.

„Yah! Hobi-ah, your shoes are dirty; are you crazy? I just cleaned the floors too, aish...!” Jin shouted, not meaning it too much. Pulling him back to the entrance, the younger only laughed, trying to make the other alpha let go of the strong hold on his wrist.

Picking up the grocery bags, Jungkook carried them over, quick to sort through them, pulling out a few foods and beverages. Finding a whole carton of the banana milks, he smiled widely, carrying them over to the fridge.

With Jimin's hands wrapped around your waist from behind, you relaxed against his warm chest while he leaned against the counter. Nuzzling you, the alpha was careful to pay close attention to you, not holding back from much scenting anymore.

Just then, the entrance doors unlocked again, and the last men from the pack walked in, their carry-on bags thrown over their shoulders.

With Namjoon closing the doors after himself, the older man had already kicked off his shoes, hung his coat fast, and was already hurrying in your direction.

Noticing that no sobs could be heard, he felt himself calm down slightly, but not much could be done until he had you in his arms.

Seeing you in his younger packmate's arms, he felt his heart soften. Cooing quietly, Yoongi pulled you from Jimin's hands, carefully picking you up.

Helping you wrap your legs around his waist, he held you up, folding your head to his scent gland.

He felt his eyes gloss over; he grew so worried and stressed after the call ended, not knowing what exactly was happening.

He was anxious enough already, not having you in his sight as it was, but after he received the call, he grew overprotective like never before.

Breathing in the soft strawberry scent you held, he felt his shoulders sag, blinking away any tears before they might fall. Holding you close to himself, Yoongi embraced you strongly, feeling his chin shake a little.

Noticing the change in mood, the eldest looked over. Seeing his younger packmate get emotional after being so worried for your safety warmed his heart. He cared a lot for his pack.

Walking over, Jin ruffled the second oldest's hair, patting your soft, small hands that clutched around his neck in the meantime.

He didn't say much else, realising full well that Yoongi would never forgive him if he picked on his emotions. He would never, really.

Letting his lips brush against your temple, the alpha took a few shuddering breaths before he started to calm down. Patting your hair gently, he ran his chin and cheek over your head virtuously, making sure you were drenched in his heavy alpha scent.

„Don't scare me like that, my sweetest kitten. Alpha was very worried, my good girl.” He whispered in your ear, placing you down on your feet carefully.

Checking over your face, he brushed your hair away from your eyes, caressing your cheeks. Smiling warmly at you, he stepped away, realising that the packalpha also needed to have his moment of reassurance that everything was okay.

Stepping over, Namjoon too picked you up, but instead of cradling you and staying mostly in his spot, the alpha carried you over to the couch, and all of the other men quickly came to sit down too.

Holding you to his chest, he let you rest against his collarbone and breathe in the warm scent he always held, his warm hands just holding you close for a minute or two.

Resting his head back, the alpha felt himself calm down, any agitation and worry soon dissipating. Resting his eyes for a few seconds, he breathed out before he sat up well again, still holding you close.

„...what happened, sweetie? Tell alpha now, my baby." He mumbled, coaxing you gently to answer. With his fingers gently running over your temples and cheeks, he, too, occasionally scented you like all the other packmates.

Sitting all around you, they allowed you to speak, listening closely. With the hoodie once again between your arms, all the alphas paid close attention to whatever went so badly this morning.

„The poster I m-made yesterday... The laptop it was on bro-ke, and it just wouldn't open, so my cla-classmates...” You spoke softly, your fingers clutching on to Namjoon's.

Running his thumb gently over the top of your hand, the alpha listened in closely.

„It broke? Like completely? Where is it? Let me take a lot, my sweetheart." He answered, looking around as if to spot your backpack.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Jungkook stood up from his spot on the sofa, realising that it was still probably in his car. He told them quickly and went back to the garage to regain it.

„...y-yea it just... It didn't work, and the teacher got very... angry." You whispered, regaining the older man's sharp words you received this morning.

Frowning, most of the alphas leaned in, now truly interested. If someone even dared to be harsh on you, the pack would be quick to get rid of any issues. No one would get away with being bad to their omega.

„Angry? Why? The laptop broke, so obviously you wouldn't be able to show him your work. That's not your fault, sweet princess; you know that, right?” The younger alpha said, his hand gently running over your calf.

Looking away, you sighed.

„Seonsaeng-nim t-thought I didn't do it and just used it... as an excuse. My classmates weren't happy either.” You mumbled, wiping away any of the growing tears.

Quick to shush you, the packalpha tried to think clearly and not dwell on any assumptions he was currently making himself. It was hard, though, especially after he felt your shoulders shake a bit against his chest.

Shushing you sweetly, he held you closer, cradling you against him.

„That's bullshit; you literally did it with me yesterday. Absolutely fucking not. What's your teacher's name, kitten?” Yoongi could feel herself getting angrier.

Already looking up your school website, he was quick to scroll to the contact information, finding the phone number for the man in question.

Just then Jungkook came back, and the backpack opened before you. Taking the grey laptop out of it's pocket, the youngest alpha opened it, the few men around him looking at themselves.

Not much happened; the logo shined brightly on the black screen, making the packmate frown a bit.

„Your classmates, did they say something sunny?" Hoseok asked, sitting next to Namjoon. Taking a hold of your hand, he rubbed it gently, smiling at you encouragingly.

You could sense the anger rolling off of him already; the waves were strong and noticeable. You also realised more than well that it wasn't against you, not one bit.

Not sure where to start, you just nodded a little, feeling yourself start to cry softly. You didn't want to disappoint your group like that; you didn't mean to. Chin-Hae and Sun-Hi just didn't seem to understand that too well.

Cooing at you loudly, the packalpha hugged you once again, swaying you from side to side softly.

„Aigoo, my pup, don't cry, baby... No, no, no, it's okay, sweetheart, everything will be okay, hm? Alpha's are here, my baby; you're okay." He whispered, mindful to keep his voice soft.

Patting your hair gently, he watched as Yoongi stood up, a phone already held to his ear. He could hear just the faintest voice on the other side, and soon the alpha returned the favour, though his was kept much harsher.

He wasn't going to be making any jokes about you. If people wouldn't be nice to you when they weren't around to protect you, he would most definitely take immediate action.

Walking off to his soundproof studio, the rest of your packmates huddled around you, occasionally patting you and rubbing your back softly, gently coaxing you to tell them what exactly happened.

And you did, eventually explaining in a few stuttered-out sentences. revealing some of your past encounters with your classmates and teacher, it only added up.

And so, when the alphas got the whole story, they were more than livid.

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safeturnip · 2 days ago

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hey beautiful, what's a girl like you doing living all by yourse- wait, why are you screaming and pointing a cross at me

words: 2.9k

characters: GeminiTay, PearlescentMoon, Scott Smajor, ImpulseSV

summary: Gem moves into a new apartment and discovers an . . . unwanted guest.

additional tags: horror, feelings of isolation, mild body horror

(written for round 2 of soul searching for @mcyt-soulmate-sweepstakes !!)

AO3 link

***

Gem stared at the screen of her laptop, waiting for it to boot up, silently willing the circuitry to work faster. Stubbornly, the screen remained black, even as the sound of the fans whirring drowned out the ever-present muffled creaking and rattling of the apartment complex’s pipes. While the laptop struggled along, Gem cast a furtive glance around the confines of her two-room apartment—nothing. There was no one else here. It was just her.

Of course it’s just me, Gem thought, trying to will her thoughts into reassuring territory and falling short. Who else would—

A flash of light from her laptop caught her attention, and she turned back to the offending electronic device. It’d finally turned on, and she couldn’t help but sigh in relief, dragging it closer to her across the desk and immediately opening up the search engine, quickly typing in her query.

“‘DIY exorcism’?” a voice questioned from directly behind Gem, reading out the text in the search bar. Every muscle in Gem’s body locked up. Slowly, she turned in her chair to face the source of that voice, dread pooling in her chest, wishing with every fibre of her being that there would be nothing there. Yet she knew that her paltry wishing was not enough to will away what she knew she’d see.

Behind her was a woman with long honey-brown hair, and grey-blue eyes that seemed to catch and ensnare the near-dingy lighting of the apartment. Overtop her white T-shirt was a black hoodie, unzipped and with the hood half-pulled over her head, her hands tucked in the pockets of her jean shorts. Her mouth had the slightest tension at the corners like she was torn between laughing or bursting into tears.

“Planning on evicting me?” the woman asked, tipping her head to the side. “That’d be so rude of you, Gem.”

Still not saying anything, Gem dug her fingers into the backrest of the chair, staring at the woman—no, the ghost—in front of her.

“Nothing? No Hi, Pearl, how’ve you been? No It’s been so long, I’m so happy to see you again! My feelings are so hurt.” The ghost—Pearl—twisted her expression into something resembling moroseness while Gem continued to stare at her tension-filled trepidation.

The longer she looked at Pearl, the more off she appeared. Her edges weren’t quite as solid as they should be; they were blurry and almost transparent, as if she was being viewed through a shimmering screen of heat. She was too still—she didn’t blink or breathe, she didn’t shift with the minute, barely-there motions of the truly alive. She didn’t have a shadow, as if light simply forgot that she existed and slid straight through her, as easy as a butcher’s knife through meat and bone and tendon. It was obvious how dead a thing she was.

Gem hadn’t been blind to the apartment’s faults when she’d purchased it; in fact, the landlord of the apartment complex had told her directly about this unfortunate feature of the room.

“Yep, it's haunted!” he’d cheerfully informed her when she’d come to view the room. She’d spotted the listing in a newspaper and had been surprised and tentatively optimistic over the low price. The landlord added, “I’ve set the price so low because of the constant complaints of ‘supernatural’ occurrences happening in the room.” It was clear from the verbal air quotes he’d put around supernatural that he didn’t believe there was anything of the sort actually happening in the room. “You know, the usual horror movie crap—doors closing by themselves; crying and giggling heard when no one else is in the room with you; loud thumps that wake you up in the middle of the night.”

Gem hadn’t responded, just waited for the landlord to run out of words. His hair was the same dark brown as the paneling around the base of the hallway walls, the same dark brown as the door that led to the supposedly haunted apartment room. His eyes were a couple shades lighter than the dark green carpet, raised off the floor here and there from the slight warping of the wood floor beneath. The price of the apartment had already been enough to convince Gem to buy it, she just needed to get to the point where she could put her name down on the lease.

“Yeah, it’s gotten so bad that all the previous tenants had to leave without notice because of how concerned they were for their safety.” Despite talking about such an off-putting topic, the landlord still had a genial smile on his face, the exact same smile he’d been wearing when Gem first stopped by, a newspaper clipping in her hand and nowhere else to return to. Gem idly wondered if he ever stopped smiling.

The landlord continued: “My . . . friend said he thinks that there being a ghost in here—” with the hand not braced on his cane, he gestured loosely at the apartment beside them “—is a whole load of hogwash, and honestly, I have to agree with him. I’ve personally stayed in this room for a week and had nothing bad happen to me. If you do plan to move in here, I’m sure you’ll be fine!”

“Thank you,” Gem said, the first words she’d spoken outside of a polite greeting. She summoned up a pleasant smile, and added, “Do you mind if I take a quick look at the room?”

“Sure, sure.” The landlord unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Take your time; I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.” He shot her a parting two-fingered salute then turned and left, the thump of his cane against the floor muffled by the carpet.

Gem hadn’t given the apartment more than a cursory sweep—one room that was a bedroom with a kitchen attached, the other room the bathroom—before taking the two flights of stairs down to the landlord’s office. She’d signed the lease, handed over a not-inconsiderable amount of the cash she had left, and the apartment was hers.

And for a while, everything had been fine. There were no ghosts, no supernatural occurrences, just the normal good and bad that came from living in a new place.

Good: rent was cheap; the windows were closed, had locks, and were leak-proof; the bed was wedged into one of the corners of the room, surrounded by walls on two out of the four sides; wifi was an amenity included in the rent, which was a pleasant surprise during Gem’s first few days adjusting to the apartment.

Bad: the floor right by her dresser creaked whenever she walked over it; the rooms were cramped in a way where she’d bang her elbows and knees against furniture she swore was further away the last time she checked; her clothes always somehow managed to slip off the hangers no matter how securely she hung them up.

But they were minor annoyances she could live around. The more important thing was that she’d found somewhere warm and dry and affordable to live—somewhere far, far away from Scott and Impulse.

In front of her, Pearl drifted closer—not walked, she would need to have bone and muscle in order to walk—the look in her eyes curious. Gem’s laptop lay forgotten on the desk, beside the television set that took up half of the desk whose default channel was crackling static, all her attention focused on the apparition before her. Pearl looked exactly the same as when Gem had seen her for the very first time.

Her first appearance hadn’t been accompanied with an ominous thundercrack, or a streak of lightning knifing through the sky, or the temperature dropping to below freezing. It had just been: One day, Gem turned on the lights in the bathroom, then saw, in the mirror behind her, a woman with brown hair and flint-blue eyes. The only reaction to seeing a stranger in her apartment had been the slow, dull thought of Oh—this may as well happen. It hadn’t even registered to her at first that Pearl wasn’t actually there, it wasn’t until the lights flickered and Gem turned around to see nothing, that she’d realized.

Gem had just thought it to be a one-time thing, had thought it to be a product of too many sleepless nights. But then the strangeness had continued: glasses of water hovering centimetres above the desk’s surface, a spark crackling in the gas range stove when she was in the bathroom, a dark figure lurking in the corner of the room when the only illumination came from the night time street lamps outside. And it was then that the label of the situation was changed from one-off hallucination to a haunting.

“That’s what I love about you, Gem,” Scott would always say to her, over the remnants of a late breakfast, or at three in the morning when the world was still asleep, or backstage after one of their performances, his wry smile illuminated by dimmed stage lights. “You’re so . . . decisive. It’s—when you want something, you know you want it, and you just go for it! I find that admirable.”

And when Gem left everything behind, burnt all the bridges between herself and her band members, she couldn’t help but think of Scott telling her that—you’re so decisive. That it was that decisiveness spurring her to move on and away so easily. It was that decisiveness contributing to her decision of staying at this apartment despite the constant haunting in her life, along with her slowly depleting store of money, along with her unwillingness to do it all again, pick up all her possessions and find another place. Of course it was her decisiveness, it was all her own choice to stay in this situation she’d created for herself.

Pearl was leaning over slightly, peering over Gem’s shoulder to look at the laptop screen, muttering something that sounded like “surprised you’re not looking at the job market”, and it was that decisiveness that had Gem clenching her hands into fists to hide their trembling as she said, “I don’t want you in my space, Pearl.” Gem rested a hand on the keyboard of the laptop, half-turning to continue her search. “And you refuse to go, so now I have to find a way to force you to leave.”

If she’d still been facing Pearl, she would’ve seen Pearl’s expression go blank, a wall with its covering facade of wallpaper stripped away to reveal the old, rotting dilapidation hidden underneath.

A sharp crackle of black static across the screen was Gem’s only warning before an invisible force slammed her laptop shut—Gem was barely able to pull her fingers out of the way. Gem spun around to face Pearl again, and choked back a scream, jolting away so violently that the edge of the desk slammed into her back. She barely registered the pain, her senses overrun by a panicked, clawing horror.

Pearl had changed. She no longer looked like a young woman—or, that wasn’t quite right; she looked like a person, but only in the loosest of senses. As if she was something that couldn’t possibly be described, and the definition of person had been stretched and pulled at and warped until it could finally fit around Pearl, leaving behind something just close enough to be recognizable, yet simultaneously so unnatural that it had every one of Gem’s instincts crying out for her to run.

There was something wrong with Pearl’s eyes. They were still the same grey-blue colour, but now they’d become stretched into something awful, lengthening vertically instead of horizontally, as though hooks had been inserted into her upper and lower eyelids and then pulled, forcing her eyes into that horrifying appearance. She hadn’t grown any larger in size, but her body now looked misshapen and elongated, a dead animal’s hide tacked down and spread out across a wooden stretcher. Her torso was now the same length as her legs, her arms and wrists and hands stretched out so that the tips of her fingers reached all the way down to her knees. She was a strung-out amalgamation of joints and limbs pulled gruesomely out of alignment.

With her transformation came a faint but permeating smell of rot and burning flesh, the light from the corner lamp flickering like a stuttering dying breath. Gem felt cornered, the desk digging into her back, and her gaze darted around the room, searching desperately for an escape or a weapon or some form—any form—of help. Unbidden, she thought, uselessly There is nowhere to hide in this tiny apartment.

Oh, Gem hadn’t always been afraid of Pearl. In the past, she could handle the radio switching itself on randomly, doors creaking slowly closed by themselves, waking up with her drawers and dressers flung open, their contents strewn messily around the room. But there hadn’t been any violence or outright aggression, there hadn’t been anything to make Gem consciously think she was in danger, and she thought she’d be able to live in relative peace with the ghost that had come with the apartment. But fear was a sneaky bastard. It had snuck up on her so quietly and so gradually that she didn’t notice it until its fingers were digging into her shoulders, its breath was ghosting across the back of her neck.

It had built and built, an underlying anxiousness of there being something foreign in your space, in an area that was supposed to be safe, that belonged to you and you only. And this sudden terrifying display of Pearl’s—slamming the laptop shut, her deformed appearance, the way she so easily manipulated the space around her—caused that subconscious build-up of fear to spill over, overrunning Gem’s mind, her senses, until all she knew was that scrabbling instinctual terror.

Pearl opened her mouth to speak, and the movement of her mouth wasn’t right, it was just a fake face mimicking the shape of words, but Gem still understood her perfectly when she said, “You’re stupid to think you can get rid of me, when I’ve been in this apartment for much longer than you have.”

Abruptly, Gem realized the temperature of the room had dropped, cold slithering through the space and dragging icy nails along Gem’s skin, her sharp, shallow breaths clouding in the air before her.

“Really, I thought you’d be grateful for the company,” Pearl said. “I’ve seen how you act, how you like to pretend that you’ve moved on from whatever it is you’re running from,” and Gem couldn’t breathe at those words, a vise crushing her lungs, at how Pearl had so easily reached into Gem’s mind and found the doors keeping thoughts Gem was so desperately trying to keep locked away, then wrenched them wide open so that—

Don't think about how she'd gotten a new phone number to ensure no one was able to contact her, but that didn't stop her from, whenever her phone rang, half-expecting to see one of two familiar numbers displayed on the screen. She never did.

Don’t think about how she would wake up in the morning, warm and disoriented, prepared to go downstairs and see Impulse cooking breakfast for her and Scott. Impulse always was the best at getting up on time in the mornings. But then she'd turn her head to the side and spot the kitchen of her new apartment just a couple steps away, and the reality of her situation would come crashing back down on her.

Don't think about how she was alone, how if everything truly had gone to plan she would never see Impulse and Scott ever again, and it was better for her this way, better to have isolated herself from them, especially after—

It took every ounce of Gem’s strength to wrestle that flood of memories down and away, but she managed it in the end, resurfacing to the pounding of her heart, adrenaline coursing hotly through her veins, her entire body trembling from fear or cold or sheer helplessness. The time where Gem hadn’t thought Pearl was dangerous felt as distant and far away as a ship sunk on the seafloor for centuries. I’m safe for now, was what she would tell herself whenever inanimate objects would start moving by themselves, whenever she heard an unfamiliar voice murmur nothing-words, and she habitually repeated that to herself now—yet directly on the heels of that assertion was a brand-new, traitorous thought of But for how much longer?

Pearl reached out with her wrecked, warped hands, with those spindly jointed fingers like the legs of spiders. She went to touch Gem’s shoulders, and Gem simultaneously felt and did not feel. She did not feel Pearl’s fingers or palms upon her body, because Pearl was dead—she felt an invisible heaviness coating her body, weighing her down, pinning her in place as her heart slammed against her rib cage and her breaths came out fast and shallow.

The thing before her smiled, and it was a terrible thing, hollow and inhuman. “But you’re all by yourself, far away from anything—anyone—familiar. You’re all alone.” Pearl didn’t move, but she seemed to grow in size, looming larger and larger over Gem until she blocked out the view of the rest of the apartment, until she was all Gem could see. “You��ve made sure of that.”

As suddenly as she'd appeared, Pearl vanished, taking with her the smell of burning decay and the guttering light, leaving Gem alone in her now-freezing apartment. Wrapping her arms around her midsection, Gem curled in on herself, and she shook and shook and struggled to get her breathing under control.

#life series #geminitay #gem #pearlescentmoon #pearl #scott smajor #impulsesv #shiny duo #gem and the scotts #mywriting #gonna admit that this is not my best work but. sometimes it just be like that

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late-to-the-party-81 · 8 months ago

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Love, Lies & Electricity - Ch2

AN: Welcome to week 6 of @buckybarnesevents Hot Bucky Summer and part two of this story. Thank you all for your kind comments on this story. Catch up on part one here.

Again, beta’d by @drabbles-mc. Thanks, darling.

If you would like to be added to my tag list, click here.

Moodboard by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Likes are loved, Reblogs are golden/ Kudos are loved, Comments are golden.

Master List | HBS Master List

Challenges and Bingos:

HBS week 6 - I won’t be able to stop myself

Summary: It’s time for the mission. Despite having to be near Bucky and the rest of the ‘Do-good’ brigade, you’re looking forward to using your powers to bring down another pocket of HYDRA. Go in, blow stuff up and get out. Easy Peasy!

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Enhanced Reader

Word Count: 4k

CW: Angst, Memories of Torture and Captivity, Flashbacks, Hand-wavy science, Kidnap, Drugging, Extreme aphrodisiacs

As the electricity crackled through your body, so did the pain. You were no longer screaming, but that’s because your throat was too raw to make a sound. Your vision was blurred, colours of blue and violet like tinted glasses over your eyes, making the octopus picture on the wall a sickly purple instead of blood red.

When the pain suddenly disappeared, you slumped in the chair where you sat, your bonds the only things stopping you from sliding off it. How long had you been here, being tortured? The day, weeks, and months had blurred together. It could be years for all you knew. Your life was divided into two parts; the before and the now.

The ‘before’ had been when you were normal, a teenager looking forward to college. The ‘now’ had begun the day you’d started to do strange things like breaking any electronic equipment you touched, and giving off what you thought were static shocks. And those strange things had brought you here, in the back of a black van, pulled off the street.

You often thought about whether your parents were looking for you. Did they think you’d run away in a fit of teenaged petulance?

CRACK

You heard the noise at the same moment you registered the pain blooming across your cheek, and your eyes snapped open. One of your torturers had stepped close enough to slap you, bringing you out of your dissociation. As quick as a flash you managed to snag him with your hand, finding purchase on his arm. You grinned darkly and let your power flow. The man screamed, and tried to break free, but it was useless. The electricity you were sending through him had made his muscles lock.

However, your victory was short-lived. Your powers suddenly cut out as a bucket of ice water was thrown over you. The man dropped to the floor, where he was immediately surrounded by his colleagues, who carried him away and out of the room. You had no idea whether you’’d killed him or not, your last sight being his burnt hand.

Still sodden, rubber boots were placed on your feet, and thick rubber gloves were pulled on over your hands. You were man-handled from your chair and dragged away, back towards your cell. There was no point fighting - you were too tired and in this state you couldn’t call your powers up anyway - but as you left you heard one of the scientists taking notes on his dictaphone.

“Subject 982 is making progress in her training. She appears to be able to control her powers a lot better, able to call on them to do her bidding as opposed to being a passive carrier of them.”

You smiled to yourself, letting yourself be pulled along. Your captors were so hell-bent on working out how your powers worked and how you could control them they hadn’t recognised they were walking to their own doom because one day you would be strong enough to escape, and you’d kill them all….

“Hey, are you okay?” Bucky’s voice filled your ears and brought you out of your reverie and back to the present where you were sitting on one of the bench seats in the Quinjet.

Still feeling discombobulated from being deep inside your memories, you scowled at him where he sat beside you. “Why wouldn’t I be?” you snapped. “You don’t have to worry - your mission is still on track. My powers are still working.” You held up your hand and let a small charge arc across your palm.

Bucky wasn’t able to hide his eye roll at your defensive response. “It’s alright to be nervous. You don’t have to put on a brave face. I know what they did to you, remember?”

If it were at all possible, your scowl deepened - it was probably a permanent feature on your face by now. “And I regret every day that I even told you all about it.” You crossed your arms and turned your head away, staring fixedly at a rusted rivet on the wall.

You heard Bucky sigh, and from your peripheral vision saw him make his way towards the cockpit, where Sam and Joaquin were chatting and piloting. You felt a pang of envy at the way he’d seemed to adapt to life after HYDRA. He had friends and a job that helped him feel as though he was making a difference. Bucky had first had Steve to help him, and now Sam and Torres. You had no-one. At one time you thought that Bucky could have been that support for you, but that was just a fading dream.

You continued to stare blankly into space for the rest of the journey, until the jet finally set down in the forest about 2 miles out from the HYDRA base - you’d all have to walk the rest of the way to avoid detection. Luckily your route was shaded by the trees that also provided cover.

You walked mainly in silence. You ignored Bucky and Sam’s attempts to engage you in conversation, and only gave minimal replies to Torres when he asked you questions. Eventually, the three men gave up trying to talk to you and fell into step and conversation together. Bucky did have an annoying habit of looking back over his shoulder at you, but each time he did you gave him a withering stare.

A few hundred yards from the tree line, Sam brought you all to a halt.

“You ready for this?” he asked. “This is your last chance to say no and back out.”

You let out a bark of laughter. “I never back out or back down, Wilson.” You turned away from them and closed so you could concentrate. This particular skill was the hardest for you to obtain, but even so, after a few moments you could hear the air crackling around you and when you opened your eyes again the world had a violet overlay.

From behind you Torres let out a whispered “Wow!” and you turned back to face them, knowing none of them could see your wide grin. You couldn’t help but step forward and gently caress the Falcon’s cheek, watching him with amusement as he jerked back at the unexpected and unseen touch.

Gaining the gift - the skill - of invisibility by manipulating the electromagnetic field around your body had been the one that had eventually led to you being able to escape. Now you were going to use it to walk back into the octopus’ lair. “See you later boys,” you called out cherrily as you sauntered across the open field in front of you and towards your revenge.

It didn’t take you long to cross the open space and had to bite back a chuckle as you realised that the main doors to the bunker were open, guarded by two Hydra goons. You resisted the urge to send 100v through each of them - you couldn’t give yourself away yet, not when the turrets above you were still operational.

Once inside, it wasn’t difficult to find your way to where you needed to go. Not only had you spent almost three days studying the schematics that Sam had obtained, the base was laid out quite logically and there was even some sign-posting. You snuck into the control room by tailgating one of the workers and now you just had to wait for the right moment.

The man you’d followed sat down next to the sole other occupant of the room and they exchanged small talk as they lazily cycled through the CCTV feeds, both inside and outside of the building and you took the opportunity to identify which area of the console controlled the power to the laser defences. Eventually the second man got up and left - apparently it was his time for a break, and the idea that HYDRA let their personnel take lunch breaks struck you as ironic.

You smiled ruefully and stepped close to the remaining man, reaching out your hand and letting your power build inside of you. Then, for some reason, you stopped. You shook your head as if to clear it. What was wrong with you? You’d been more than willing to kill those initial guards without a second thought, but here you were, worrying about the man in front of you. Did he have a family? Kids? Fuck! Had Sam’s righteousness turned you into a bleeding heart now?

Your power dipped, lessening in intensity and you took that final step. You tapped him on his clothed shoulder and the man jumped and spun around in his chair, confused at the apparent emptiness of the room. Then you reached up and touched his face. However, unlike with Torres, you sent a jolt of electricity into his body. His eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor.

The violet filter in front of your vision faded away as you dropped your shield. Crouching down, you checked your victim’s pulse. His heart was still beating, so you’d apparently gotten the voltage low enough. His breathing seemed fine too.

Straightening up, you activated your comms. “I’m in,” you stated.

“Good. We were getting worried,” came Bucky’s reply.

“I don’t know why,” you sassed back. “I can take care of myself. Now, stand by.”

You stepped around the unconscious body and towards the power console. You could just shut it down, but then there was the risk that someone could come and get it back online again. Your best bet was to destroy it. You placed your hands on the metallic surface and began to build the charge inside you. It didn’t take long for sparks to start to fly and the console went dead. Unfortunately, so did the main lights. The only illumination now was from some red emergency lights.

“Oops,” you said over the comms. “I might have taken out more than just the weapons.”

“We’re coming in,” said Sam sternly. “You sit tight.”

“Negatory, Sam. I’m a big girl. See you when you get here.”

You could hear the sound of booted feet running towards the room you were in, and you charged yourself up, ready to defend yourself and escape their clutches. The door burst open and you immediately let out an arc of electrical charge. It crackled through the air, bright blue and white, and the men who’d come charging in let out a collective cry of pain as the energy coursed through them and they dropped to the floor, unmoving. None of them had even been able to get off a shot, but you couldn’t rely on that happening with every engagement, so before you exited the control room you brought up your forcefield.

One of the other things you’d memorised in your study of the schematics was the location of the lab. You knew Sam wanted to gather as much intel as possible, but if these monsters had ‘test subjects’ down there, then you would ensure that none of what HYDRA learned from them could ever be used again, even by the ‘good’ guys. You strode down the corridor like an avenging angel, any trepidation about using lethal force now gone. Your shield protected you from HYDRA’s bullets and your charge dropped the soldiers to the ground - some gasping, some still. You didn’t give them another thought - they’d made their beds.

On the edge of your hearing came the sounds of fighting from other parts of the compound. The three musketeers had apparently entered the fray.

“Dynamo - come in!” Sam’s voice in your ear sounded worried, but you still winced at the ridiculous code-name you’d been given. “Where are you?”

“I’m okay, Cap. Just got something to do - gonna see if they’ve got any experiments going on.”

“No, that’s too dangerous. Wait for back-up.” You rolled your eyes at his mother-henning and then let rip with another arc of electrical energy at the HYDRA soldier rounding the corner towards you.

“I’ve got it, Sam.” Fabulous, now Bucky didn’t think you could manage alone. “I’ll go catch up with her. See you and Torres topside soon.”

“I’m not waiting for you, Barnes. If you’re not fast enough you’ll miss all the fun.” You turned the corner and zapped another two guards, their bullets ricocheting off your shield seconds before they hit the concrete. They were the last two people standing between you and the laboratory.

As you entered, you looked around in confusion. The screens set up to show close-ups of the subjects in each cell were curiously blank, and the room empty apart from one man in a lab coat, sitting unbothered at a console in the shadows. You took a tentative step forward and the man looked up. “There you are, my dear. I’ve been waiting for you.”

His voice was familiar and you peered at him in the red gloom. “Who are you?”

He stood up from the console, but made no move to get closer to you. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember me well. You did have other things to focus on at the time. I will say though that you are remarkably impressive. But then again, I always knew you would be.” He pressed a button and one of the blank screens lit up.

You turned towards it and saw the inside of the control room. A man entered, the door staying open behind him for a heartbeat too long, before he sat down next to the other occupant. With a feeling of unease churning in your gut, you watched the events of ten minutes ago play out before you. You’d never seen what it looked like to others when you used your powers.

“This is my favourite bit.” There was glee in the man’s voice as the video replayed you taking out the initial response team without any qualms. As the ‘you’ on-screen left the control room, the view of the camera changed and followed your progress down the corridor, zooming in each time you electrocuted an opponent.

“We never managed to get you to react this viciously when we ran tests on you.” You registered that his voice seemed to be closer to you, but you couldn’t tear your gaze away from what you looked like - the way the electricity sparked around your body and the expression of grim determination on your face as you advanced. It was only as his hand, encased in a thick rubber glove, gripped your arm that you realised the danger you were in. Your head whipped around to look at him, his features now clearer. His face was gaunt, with a hooked nose and sunken eyes the colour of sludge. His dirty brown hair was cropped close to his head and on his neck you could see the telltale scar of an electrical burn.

Images flash through your mind of this face leaning over you as you lay bound to a reclining chair, your feet in freezing water. Of injection after injection. Of blood draw after blood draw. Of being shocked and then soaked as those eyes looked at you with glee. The feeling of his hand slapping your cheek was ingrained in your memories, along with his scream as you gripped him and burnt him.

You tried to back up, tried to pull your arm from his grip, but his fingers just tightened cruelly. You reached out with your other hand, pressing it to his chest and letting a charge run through you, but it had no effect. He grinned at you sickly, revealing yellowed teeth. “I know how to protect myself from you now, my dear.” He waggled one leg and you glanced down to see a thick rubber soled boot on it. You had no doubt there was a matching one on the other foot. “I’ve been waiting to get you back, to continue my work.” He caressed your cheek with the back of his other hand, also rubber-clad. “My greatest triumph,” he whispered, almost reverently and you felt bile rise in your throat.

“Get away from her!” Bucky’s voice echoed around the room and you let go of a breath you didn’t even realise you’d been holding.

However, the man holding you only grinned more broadly. “Oh look, my other guest is here. I was wondering when you were going to join us, Sergeant Barnes.”

“If you hurt her…” There was no empty threat in Bucky’s response.

“Why would I hurt her?” The scientist replied, cocking his head. “She’s like a daughter to me. A daughter who is going to make me a grandfather very soon.”

You furrowed your brow in confusion. “What? Grandfather? I hate to break it to you, but I’m not capable of parthenogenesis.”

“Ah. Very funny. But that’s why we need the good Sergeant here. Just think of a child that had both your powers and the strength and endurance of a super-soldier. It would be the ultimate weapon. My ultimate weapon.”

You couldn’t hold back your laughter. “No fucking way. I mean, even if we liked each other, I can assure you, that we would not be creating a baby for you, you sick fuck.”

The sickening smile returned to his face. “You say that as if either of you have a choice.” He pulled a small device - black and shiny - from his pocket and pressed a button. A high pitched whine started, getting louder second by second and cutting though both your brain and your memories. Horrified, you looked back at Bucky, while struggling to get free.

“EMP!” you shouted, but it was too late and the pulse hit you.

Pain flared though every nerve in your body and you went limp, falling to the floor. Through blurred vision you saw Bucky struggling with the dead-weight of his left-arm, looking down at it in shock and confusion. He recovered quickly though, and with a roar began to move towards you and your assailant. However, he didn’t get far, a burst of energy suddenly surrounding him. It reminded you of your own powers. Bucky dropped to the ground beside you and just before your vision faded to black you saw a multitude of black boots running into the room.

Your eyes blinked open, pain searing through your eyeballs as they did so. Swallowing back a hiss, you pushed yourself up into a sitting position, fighting the nausea.

“Careful,” came Bucky’s voice from behind you.

Trying to shake off the confusion you squeezed your eyes shut again. “Where are we?” you asked. “And how long have we been out?” As you spoke you realised something was very wrong. You opened your eyes once more and looked down. “And why the fuck am I naked?”

You turned your head over your shoulder and saw an equally naked Bucky, sitting with one leg bent up in front of himself upon a thin mattress. His vibranium arm was missing. “In order,” he replied, “somewhere else. If we were still in the bunker then Sam would have found us by now, or they’d be crowing about capturing him. Next answer, as far as I can make out, is about three hours, which does limit how far away we are from our original location. Lastly, I’d say the nakedness is something to do with that madman’s plan to get you pregnant.”

You shuffled around on your own mattress to face him, your legs crossed and your arms folded your chest. Just because Bucky had seen you naked before didn’t mean you were going to let him see again. Also, you had no idea who else was watching you. “But that’s insane. Just because we’re locked naked in a cell together doesn’t mean we’re going to have sex.” You looked up at the ceiling and raised your voice. “Do you hear that, perverts? You don’t get a free porn show today!”

When you looked back at Bucky it was to see a sympathetic and rueful look on his face. He opened his mouth, but seemed to think better of it and shut it again, but letting out a sigh.

“What?” you asked.

“Please - please - don’t take this the wrong way, but are you - umm - wet? Like, down there?”

You immediately recoiled, despite the distance. “‘The fuck sort of question is that? Apart from really inappropri-” Your screeched response broke off at the realisation that you were indeed wet. Given the circumstances you should have been as dry as the fricking Sahara desert, but your body appeared to be preparing you for the dicking down of your life. “What the fuck? And how the fuck did you know?”

He shot you another awkward look “Enhanced sense of smell, sweetheart.”

“That is really icky,” you said, giving him a disgusted look. You wanted to ask him if he’d always been able to smell you, but knew you had more pressing things to deal with. “But the thing is, why? Why the fuck is my body aroused? I can assure you it’s nothing to do with being in your naked presence.”

Bucky snorted at your comment, but quickly regained his composure. “I think they’ve given us something. Something to get us in the mood.”

“What makes you say that? Maybe my body is having a random moment.”

Bucky dropped his leg down revealing his erect cock. “Then I’m having a random moment too.”

You gulped, because - fuck – was his cock was a thing of beauty. You’d thought so since the first time you’d seen it, and that view hadn’t changed in the intervening months. You felt your core throb and your nipples pebble and turned your head away.

“We’re grown-ups,” you stammered out. “I’m sure we can just ignore it.”

“I’m not sure that’s feasi-” Bucky’s answer was cut off as he suddenly shuddered in pain. His eyes were screwed shut and his right hand clenched and unclenched. Despite your feelings about your relationship, a wave of concern washed over you and you stood up to check on him. However, as you did so, his eyes snapped open through the pain and he held out his hand to stop you.

“No. Don’t come closer,” he warned. “If you do, I won’t be able to stop myself. You might not be feeling the full effects yet, but I am. Whatever they’ve given us is very potent. I-” He was interrupted by another spasm and throwing caution to the wind, you moved to his side and placed your hand on his forehead.

“You’re burning up!” Bucky didn’t seem to hear your exclamation because he just turned his head, nuzzling into your decolletage and growling. A fresh wave of slick made its way down your thighs and his growl turned into a needy moan.

“The drug. It’s made the desire. So strong. But it’s also bringing. Pain. With it.” Bucky panted out his thoughts against your neck. You reached down and cupped his face with your hands, angling it so he could look up at you. His face was flushed and his eyes were glazed over. When his tongue peeked out to moisten his lips, you felt a tightness in your whole body - a need so strong it didn’t feel natural.

“Will having sex stop whatever is happening to you? What is happening to us?” you asked.

“I’m honestly not sure. But I don’t think they want us dead. We’re both too important to them.”

“So this pain is just to get us to break.” As you mused Bucky started to nuzzle against you again and his hips jerked up.

“‘M sorry. Sorry. I can’t - Oh god!”

“It’s alright,” you said, petting his hair gently as you had done in the past when he’d had a nightmare. You thought over all of your options but despite your feelings you were pragmatic. If Bucky was suffering this bad, what would it be like for you? You could already feel a tremble starting in your legs. What did you have to lose? “I think the only sensible option is to get this over and done with then.” Your matter of fact tone belied your nerves. “There’s no way we can escape with you like this, and who’s to say I won’t get it worse when it fully hits. We should at least try this.”

You shifted your arms to his shoulders and threw one of your legs over his, settling on his lap, his rigid length rubbing right up against your swollen and slick folds. Bucky blinked up at you, momentarily confused and then wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you close and kissing you with fervour.

This was not how you’d envisaged this mission going, but here you were, about to do the one thing you’d sworn never to do ever again - have sex with Bucky Barnes.

Chapter 3

Tag list: @christywrites, @alexakeyloveloki, @wolfsmom1, @doasyoudesireandlive, @goldylions,

@galactusdevourerofworlds, @apenny4thots, @crayongirl-linz, @nicoline1998enilocin, @king814318, @blackhawkfanatic

@km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989, @kombatfather1796

#hotbuckysummer2024 #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction

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ourtalechara · 4 months ago

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Don't ask what I'm doing I'm not doing anything (VBS Data Stream guys look at it)

Kohane An Akito Toya and Luka

(actually nice and finished looking lyrics under cut)

Eventually, all walls meet demolition

So Wall Street had to keep the tradition

Their financial systems resigned to ignition

And out of the ashes, we have arisen

An empire is forged in the fire of ambition

In business, there isn't the time for attrition

Invest to suppress then ingest competition

Then each acquisition is new ammunition

When governments crumble and fall to the floor

That was paved with the graves of a corporate war

A fundament funded in blood just to shore

A foundation for founding our covenant

Born of a need for control of societal entropy

Enterprise at the price of your indemnity

Chart out the course and of course you were meant to be

Bent to the will of a corporate entity

Arasaka Security. You're in safe hands

We're the light in your screens, we're the lead in your veins

Then you wake from your dreams, so we can sell them again

In the light we distract with the shiny and new

So you're blind to the fact that the product is you

So let your brain dance and replay the dream

But don't drown in the data stream

'Cause we see where you are and we see where you go

'Cause we know what you own and we own what you know

From the top of all our towers, the corridors of power clearly need rewiring

Arasaka saw the spark and then embarked upon the path to turn that spark to lightning

There's no autonomous megalopolis so populous or prosperous you could reside in

And every citizen that's living in this city is a digit on the charts we're climbing

Political systems are too inefficient

They split like the atom and burned in the fission

Now every department and every decision

Defer to the herds of our corporate divisions

If you don't remember the ballot you cast

It's printed on every receipt you were passed

Each time you selected our products and services

We were elected in each of your purchases

What's left to do when you've got the monopoly?

Turn the consumer into the commodity

It isn't hard where you've hardware neurology

Honestly, do read the company policy

Take information and trade it for wealth

You pay it in each augmentation we sell

It's easy to cut out the middleman

When he's cut out most of himself

Arasaka Finance. Investing in your future

(chorus)

All that you say on the net we composite

To maps that go straight from your head to your pocket

Complain if you want, you're still making deposits

Of data — each day you log on is a profit

Society currently lists electronic

So isn't conducting resistance ironic?

We've plenty of skeletons locked in our closets

But yours are assembled from old-stock hydraulics

So lucky we know just the pieces you need

All plucked from your social media feeds

The places you go and the posts that you read

All snatched for a new algorithm to feed

Now, holding our gold isn't par for the brand

Our silver is sat in the palm of your hand

Quit whining and sign on the line in the sand

The supply does not get to make the demands

(chorus)

Arasaka Manufacturing. Building a better tomorrow

Name, age, qualifications

Race, faith, career aspirations

Political leaning, daily commute

Marital status, favourite fruit

Family, browser, medical history

Hobbies, interests, brand affinity

Fashion, style, your occupation

Gender identity, orientation

Lifestyle choices, dietary needs

The marketing contact you choose to receive

Posts, likes, employers, friends

Social bias, exploitable trends

Tastes, culture, phone of choice

Facial structure, the tone of your voice

If it's inside your head, we know

You can't escape the ebb and flow

(chorus)

When guiding the hand of the market

If it's holding a cheque or a gun

The fingers go deep in your pockets

And you can live under the thumb

You seem so surprised, what did you expect?

We're thinking outside of that box that you checked

The terms were presented in full to inspect

You scrolled to the end just to get to "Accept"

Arasaka would like to know your location

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notacatdown · 3 months ago

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Missing scenes from ep 18

Saw a Douban post that said the incompleteness of ep 18 and 20 isn't the screenwriter's fault, and the poster show screenshots of those missing scenes that would have connected those episodes better. https://www.douban.com/group/topic/313810892/?_i=1477851511L4cl,1479130511L4cl

The script for the first 20 episodes were available for purchase on Taobao before the drama was released. I don't remember if these flashback scenes are ever shown later in the drama.

Bolded missing sections from the drama

18-40 CGI effects

△ The lotus in Mu Sheng’s heart lake suddenly turned completely black, leaving only half of the petal still red.

18-41 In the ruined temple of Shengjing (or any deserted place) at night

Demonized Mu Sheng: (Chaotic electronic music) I want... to kill him.

Ling Miaomiao: No! Ziqi, don't do this, don't hurt anyone!

Zhao Ruoshi: What is this… monster…?

Zhao Ruoshi: had just been thrown ruthlessly, and immediately surrendered under the pressure.

△ Mu Sheng was overwhelmed by anger at this time.

Demonized Mu Sheng: Get out of the way!

△ Ling Miaomiao refused to give in and just shook her head at him with red eyes.

△ Mu Sheng was furious and roared at Ling Miaomiao with great pressure.

△ He looked so scary that Ling Miaomiao trembled with fear. Her frightened look stunned Mu Sheng, and then he turned his head to look to the side. An old bronze mirror reflected his appearance, and he realized that he had turned into a monster.

△ Mu Sheng turned his head to look at Ling Miaomiao who was trembling.

Demonized Mu Sheng: (mumbling) You… are afraid of me.

~~~

(Flashbacks to the two previous transformations)

△ Thinking of the past, comparing her trembling now and the fear in her eyes, Mu Sheng felt as if a thousand arrows were piercing his heart.

Mu Sheng: You used to be… the only one who wasn’t afraid of my true appearance… Now you are afraid of me!

△ Ling Miaomiao mustered up her courage and shook her head firmly.

Ling Miaomiao: … I’m not afraid!

Demonized Mu Sheng: (roaring) You lied!

△His hurt and sad look became even more terrifying, and this roar made Ling Miaomiao tremble even more violently.

Ling Miaomiao: Ziqi! I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid of you...

Demonized Mu Sheng: You lied! Hairband… My hairband…

△ As a huge monster, the sight of the demonized Mu Sheng looking for his hairband in panic and helplessness is heartbreaking.

△ Ling Miaomiao stood up trembling, but was so frightened that her steps were wobbly as she walked forward.

△ At this time, Mu Sheng had tied his hairband and turned back into a small human figure kneeling on the ground exhausted.

△ Ling Miaomiao came behind him and stretched out her trembling hand to touch his back.

△ However, Mu Sheng shook her hand off.

△ Mu Sheng stood up and walked out without even looking at Ling Miaomiao.

18-42 Simple House/Room at night (I think this might be a flashback scene to what he was thinking when he locked himself in his room and wanted to purge his feelings for MiaoMiao in ep 17. In the drama, we only see him being traumatized by his mom crying.)

△ 【Memories of Mu Sheng】

△ Still in Mu Sheng’s childhood home, the charm girl is holding little Mu Sheng.

Charm Girl: Little Sheng'er, loving someone can make people no longer panic, calm their minds like water, and give rise to all gentle and kind thoughts. This is the best medicine in the world. If you meet that person, it can heal all the wounds in your heart.

△ [End of Mu Sheng Memories]

18-43 Mu Family Basement Prison Array at Night

△ 【Memories of Mu Sheng】

△ The resentful woman was locked in the center of the magic circle. She raised her head and looked at Mu Sheng (she didn’t show her face, otherwise it would be exposed that his mother was the resentful woman in the cell in the basement).

△ The resentful woman: Little Sheng’er, never fall in love with anyone, because loving someone… can also make people greedy, angry, stupid. Jealousy, bigotry, resentment, violence, self-loathing...

△ [End of Mu Sheng's memories]

18-44 In a ruined temple (or any deserted place) at night

△ Ling Miaomiao stood up and wanted to chase after him.

Ling Miaomiao: Ziqi!

△ Without even turning his head, Mu Sheng made a hand gesture to create a light wall barrier between them. Ling Miaomiao slapped the barrier, and her voice could not be heard, nor could it be traced out.

△ She watched Mu Sheng leave.

△ Mu Sheng didn’t look back.

#永夜星河 #love game in eastern fantasy #missing scenes #ep 18 #ling miaomiao #mu sheng #love bracelet

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ii-evil-confessions · 2 months ago

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ooc: [winter break ended and school started… :( anyways electron has decided that it isn’t going to post its journal entries here….. so i guess im gonna have to do all the work. sighh…..]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

we supposed to write the date??? sure whatever umm jan fuckin uhh 7 2025

the fuck do i do in this??? shit wait

prob get a lock for journal/diary/whatever dont want people seein my shit (get same lock as door one?) (NOT SECURE!!! thats a slide lock) (key lock code lock maybe. also replace old door lock that ones OLD) (replace doorknob lock too? fuck it that one needs new lock too)

might as well make a to do list. whatever

get actually decent job. i aint being fuckin “personal assistant” again bitch

LEARN!!! TO!!! LUCID!!! DREAM!!!

hide purchases better (speaking of. stronger melatonin pills??? gummies dont do shit)

STOP THE ALLEGATIONS!!! IMPORTANT!!!

learn how to diary bc this aint doing shit for me

get more spiky stuff. more!!!

fuckin… uh… remember more shit i need to do

clean out drawer maybe

figure out wtf im supposed to do w/ the dress???

whens that arizona tea arriving is the fucking post on strike again

STOP!!! MEOWING!!! BAD HABIT

make neutron laugh or else i owe them 20 bucks >:(

yeahh this my shopping journal now

cream for tail (gauze? theyd see that dipshit)

LEARN!!!!!! TO!!!!!! FUCKING!!!!!! LUCID!!!!!! DREAM!!!!!!

foam insulation??????

learn to write smaller bc im fucking running out of sp

#not a confession #electron’s (obvious) lore drops

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gingerale2017 · 8 months ago

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i’ll be your favorite toy

Angst

Fandom: The Lunar Chronicles

Pairing: Kai x Cinder (kaider)

Setting: Modern au, one day post breakup.

Based on the song “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”

Words: 1.3K

Quick note: I literally just wrote this on a boat.

AO3 link

The voices in her head, seemingly, told her to call rain on their days of wild.

Kai downed the rest of his glass until the ice bumped his nose. The week started so good. On Sunday, he woke up to her on his shoulder. Monday, he brought her lunch. Tuesday, she invited him over. Wednesday, they spent the day together in the city. Thursday, they visited her sister. Friday, she canceled on him last minute. Saturday, she broke up with him. And now it’s Sunday again, and he’s drinking at some random bar during his lunch break. What even happened?

If it were anyone else he’d feel used, objectified, or even abused. If it were anyone else he’d be cursing them out and smashing glasses with golf clubs. But he feared this was the love of his life. The only one for him is Cinder Linh. She could treat him like a toy if she wanted to. He’d let her.

He was her sickest, cheap army doll purchased at the mall. Her rivulets descend his plastic smile. But you should’ve seen her when she first got him.

Stars, how her eyes lit up. She couldn’t stop sharing. Kai remembered the embarrassed pink on her cheeks when they locked eyes. Not to sound cockt or anything, but he was used to people staring at him. This time, though, he was just as equally stunned as her when their eyes met. If she stuttered, then he was tongue-tied. Cinder was never embarrassed, though, and he was never speechless.

They kept meeting because of their mutual friends until they started hanging out on their own. She didn’t have many, though, and he was one of the only people she became completely honest with.

He found out why much later! His girl (well not anymore apparently), only breaks her favorite toys. He was the king of the sand castles she destroyed.

He knew why though. They fit too right. They were too perfect for each other, like puzzles in the dead of night. He should’ve known from the moment she curled his hair between her fingers with an enlightened curiosity that it was only a matter of time.

“Excuse me, sir?” The bartender interrupted his inner rant.

“Sorry.” Kai apologized. “What happened?”

“Your phone is ringing.”

He cocked his head to the small electronic device vibrating on the table. He barked a chuckle. How did he not notice? It danced around the table unashamedly. Like it was broken or something. Then he winced. Cinder was good at fixing broken electronics. Very, very good.

He thanked the bartender and answered the phone.

“Dude!” Kai shuddered. He really didn’t want to hear his newly broken-up girlfriend’s best friend’s voice the day after she ended things, but Thorne was kind of his best friend too. Never date within your friend group kids! Take this situation as an example. “What the hell happened.”

“You think I know,” Kai growled.

“Well yeah! She’s your girlfriend!”

“Was.” Kai sighed deeply and put his head on the counter pathetically. The bartender motioned for another drink and he nodded. Maybe this drink will numb his feelings.

Thorne paused. “You sound horrible.”

“I didn’t sleep last night.” Kai groaned.

“Are you working today?”

“I’m drinking on my lunch break.”

“What?!” Thorne yelled. “Wha- when does your lunch break end?”

“An hour ago.”

“Dude. You’re taking this very bad.” Concurred Thorne.

The bartender slid another glass of whiskey. Kai shifted so his cheek could take in the cool marble counter and stared at his drink.

“Actually, I think I’m taking it pretty well. I could’ve blown up her mechanic shop.” He joked.

“You okay man?” Though Thorne sounded completely genuine, Kai found himself getting irritated. The man was closer to Cinder than he was to Kai. Shouldn’t be all over her.

“Why don’t you make sure Cinder’s okay? And leave me alone! You guys are closer anyway.”

“Wait- Kai- Wait!” Kai hung up to Thorne rambling about some crap he didn’t care about and sipped the brown alcohol.

He sighed and turned off his phone, leaning back on the high chair.

“I think I’ma head out,” Kai said to the bartender. He nodded as Kai gave him a card with a $30 tip.

He finished his drink and walked out in the afternoon sky, probably drunk as a skunk.

There was a litany of reasons why they could’ve played for keeps this time and- Stars Above! He was just repeating himself!

If he was a toy, he was her toy, and he deserved to be put back on his shelf. Or, rather, her shelf, preferably. But, first, pull his string and he’ll tell you that she runs because she loves him. She was only scared, that’s all.

You should’ve seen her when she first saw him! Love at first sight! His girl (yes, his girl) only breaks the things she loves the most. She loved him. She had to. Why would she cradle his head im her arms if she didn’t. Cinder was no villain

He laughed at himself as he tried to balance himself on the crack of the sidewalk. Maybe he’d go home to his apartment instead of work. Kai couldn’t possibly show up like this. You could practically see the whiskey scent around him. Ironic, since Cinder introduced him to whiskey.

Good thing his home wasn’t far from his new favorite bar. Hey, that rhymed! Once he managed to close the door, he dropped the façade and collapsed against the same door behind him.

He was king of her beaten-up cars because they were the most loved. She left him because he knew too much. He could see the revelation in her eyes whenever he traced her body. There was danger in the heat of his touch.

She saw forever so she smashed it up. He began to sob her name. Drunken tears appeared on his polished shoes. He was so polished, why was he so polished? All the damn time! She was never polished. She must have hated it when they showed up at that restaurant n his new suit and in her overalls.

“We’re too different.” Her soft voice echoed in his head. “It’s me, not you. I’m sorry, Kai. We won’t work out.”

The hell. THE HELL?!! Every line she said was a lie. She didn’t meet his eyes because she knew that he’d know she was lying. They fit so well, like the pipes she’s always reassembling. He was picturing their life together and you’re telling him this whole time, she wanted out?! It must be him for sure, then. Then. Then what did he do wrong? He’d been replaying their whole relationship all last night and at the bar. Sure, they had their fights, but what did he do wrong?

He should’ve fought. He should have been clawing at her door. He should’ve yelled at her. He should’ve grown a pair. Instead, he walked away, mumbling an apology.

“Once I fix me, Cinder.” He whispered, a tear falling down his cheek. “You’re going to miss me.”

“Once I fix me. You’re gonna miss me.” Another glass shattered against the apartment wall.

Come back. She didn’t mean it. Come back, Kai. Just say when, Kai, she'd play again. Please Kai, she was sorry.

Kai was her best friend, like kids at a sandlot. She used him, but she didn’t mean to! She was just confused.

Cinder had felt more with him even when they played pretend than with all the Ken-like men surrounding her workplace.

Why? Why?! Because he took her out of her box.

She sobbed, slowly falling to her knees as her hands covered her face. She pulled at her hair. Why did she do that? She let her fears win and now he’s gone. He left without a fight though, so maybe he did love her as he said he did.

No, don’t be stupid, Cinder. She told herself. You chose to do it after work for a reason, so he’d leave without a fight. You were afraid he might change your mind.

He stole her tortured heart. He left all these broken parts. She said he was better off.

But they weren't. No, they weren’t.

So Cinder had to do what she does best. She had to fix this.

A/N: This is a completely new story, not even a draft. I’m still on this boat.

tagging: @just2bubbly @cinderswrench @cindersassasin @the-wee-woo-royal @deprivedmusicaljunkie @crescentchat @notjacinclay @wheresmymom-imlost @salt-warrior @rapunzelfromthemoon @briggycat @impossiblesuitcase @kaider-is-my-otp @definitelynotisabel @wassupnye (these are for my kaider ONLY fics so please ask if you want to be tagged or removed <3)

#tlc #the lunar chronicles #kaider #lunar chronicles #linh cinder #emperor kai #cinder linh #rampion crew #carswlel thorne #breakup au #kaider breakup #kaider fanfic #kaider fic #kaidern fanfiction #princess selene #tlc fic #tlc fanfic #taylor swift

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eat-the-richard · 28 days ago

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GOTY OTY TOTY YOTY 2OTY4

Video games continue to exist, despite it all. And I continue to play them, despite being 27.

This year, I reached my video game playing zenith. Becoming one with the controller, in sync with play. My body is made of graphics. This glorious, truly enviable point in my life will not last forever. Something will tear me away from this gamer euphoria, perhaps sooner than I’m OK with. But I’m going to keep doing this shit ‘til the wheels fall off. I will persist in engaging this deeply in my favorite hobby. Because it is not only what I need, it’s what the world needs right now. A balding, middle aged WHITE GUY spilling his heart out about electronic toys. And looking this damn good doing it!!!!!

SHORTEST GAME OF THE YEAR: CELESTE 64

BEGIN PLAYING THIS VIDEO AS SOON AS YOU BEGIN READING!!

Celeste 64 is pretty cute. It was quite the surprise coming at the 6 year anniversary of the original game. I’m a sucker for retro-style 3D platformers, so I couldn’t wait to try it out. It’s got some cute character models, fun design, and has a surprising amount of depth for a little -

aaand it's over. Honestly kind of shitty that they only made the game 16 seconds long…..

KILL ME IF I BUY ANOTHER ONE OF THESE AWARD: WWE 2K24

I don’t know why I keep doing this man. I tell myself every year that I won’t buy into the hype, that I won’t waste money on purchasing another one of these fucking WWE games again. And here I am, wasting ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS on the deluxe version of WWE 2K24 + Season Pass only to reach the same disappointment again as 2K25 peers over the horizon.

Look, these wrestling games mean something to me. They were very foundational to my love of gaming and pro wrestling when I was a little boy. Hours spent creating my own wrestlers, multiple full playthroughs of the endlessly replayable story modes, and hilarious hardcore battles with my brother at WrestleMania.

But they’ve lost so much of that original spark. The story mode has been reduced to two separate modes, one that literally just recounts classic events that have already happened, and another that gives you two boring story paths which have very little room for expression and branching paths beyond your created character’s appearance. The gameplay is horrid, slow and plodding, not at all demanding of your mechanical skill. To top it off, they keep leaning every year into microtransaction fuckery, with so many alternate skins locked behind a hilariously awful amount of grinding or payment.

If I buy another one of these games again, please hit me in the back of the head with a 2x4.

LMAO OF THE YEAR: MULTIVERSUS

LMAOOOOOOOOOO

OK TIME FOR THE ACTUAL LIST OF NUMBERED VIDEO GAMES IN ORDER OF GOOD

10. Penny’s Big Breakaway

It’s a little sad what happened to Penny. First revealed at a Nintendo Direct two years ago, it would ultimately be a shadow drop this past year during another Direct (partner direct, which nobody watched) that in my view doomed the launch. That, plus a bevy of technical issues clearly brought about by the game being rushed out the door, killed off any chance of this game taking off in its early months. It flopped commercially, and its developer, Evening Star (AKA the folks that created Sonic Mania) had to lay folks off later in the year. Given that its publisher, Private Division, has torpedoed and sank to the bottom of the ocean , perhaps this option is better than the game never coming out at all.

What makes this so much more heartbreaking is that, at its core, Penny’s Big Breakaway is very fun. There’s nothing that controls quite like Penny, despite influences from various other titles. Sure, there’s rolling and slope physics like Sonic, but the overall flow of movement is very different. You need to use your yo-yo moves in addition to the slopes in the level to gain and maintain speed, while also making sure to interact with the environment to keep your combo going. In that sense, Penny feels like a neat combo (SKULL EMOJI) between a character action game like Bayonetta, where half of the fun is going through each level while keeping in constant motion, and a 3D Platformer. Sure, these controls can be a little unwieldy when you’re not used to them. But with a little bit of time, I found a peculiar rhythm with the movement that was able to carry me pleasantly to the finale sequence.

Games like this aren’t for everyone. It’s no wonder why so many bounced off of this oddity. The visuals, while stylish, certainly aren’t blowing anyone away. The technical experience still to this day leaves something to desire. And the music… well the music is another Tee Lopes slapper. But the game as a whole just fits into a certain niche. A niche I happen to fall into pretty nicely. And I wish that games didn’t have the pressure of deadlines, or shitty publishers, or like, fuckin’ money, to be able to just live in their niche and provide the best overall experience to the audience that best appreciates it. Hopefully Evening Star can bounce back to fulfill that promise in a future title.

9. Animal Well

I have FOMO with Animal Well. It’s an onion-type game. I think I referred to it as an “unraveling-type game” in a previous year-end write up. Surface level impressions are pretty strong. It’s a master class in minimalism, with gorgeous lighting and striking detail fitting into a concise, pixelated image where you play as a circle with eyes. A Metroidvania, Animal Well opens its world up to you with literal toys as its upgrades. While the frisbee item seems like it’s just there to counter the giant dog that wants to eat you, it has plenty of other uses that give it utility across the map. With no text, the world needs to convey itself to you entirely through visuals, and expects you to play around with its mechanics enough to get through to the end. But I think anyone can get to the “end” of Animal Well with a little bit of effort.

But the end of Animal Well isn’t the end. Not even the end of Animal Well is the end. There is so much to dig into, and the map leaves no wasted space. We’re getting to the next layer of the onion, where puzzle solutions get a little more abstract. You need to pay a little more attention to the striking details I mentioned earlier, no longer just being set dressing and instead being important to see every corner of the map. It’s now required to fully understand all of the intricacies of each upgrade to get through platforming challenges that seem impossible at first glance. There are upgrades that you only see in this onion, with abilities that hide itself beyond first glance. But with enough time, I got to the end of this layer, and had a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

So why do I have FOMO? Simple, there’s another layer. One with puzzles that go far beyond anything an individual can find themselves. Puzzles that are so mind-blowing in how they fit into the game, with solutions that require genuine communication with other players to solve. But of course, these puzzles all were solved by rabid fans before I even got to the end of the first layer. So all I can do is appreciate the story of how these secrets were found, unfortunately only from afar. I highly recommend the videos from FuryForged detailing the craziest puzzles within Animal Well. While I could not take part, just knowing these are in the game at all elevates Animal Well for me. Clearly so much attention to detail went into these puzzles, and that level of devotion from a player base to solve them so quickly is everything a creative person can want.

In conclusion, make sure to play this on groundhog’s day. There’s a groundhog in the game that gives you beer.

8. Pseudoregalia

In life, you are either Mario 64, or you are Mario 3D World. Pseudoregalia is Mario 64. Controls in a 3D platformer like this are everything. It actually doesn’t even matter that much what content is in the game, or even how long it is. If you create a fun character to play, then that is all that matters. That was the mentality Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of the Nintendo theme park) had when tweaking the player control in Super Mario 64 (for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack - Nintendo 64 application). Famously, early prototypes had no level design, and simply focused on making the act of chasing a bunny fun (the bunny of course was named MIPS, named after a shitty programming language).

Pseudoregalia seems designed with this same philosophy. Sybil just has so many moves, which makes every session of play unique and fully expressive. You’ve got the long jump like in Mario Galaxy. You’ve got the ground pound jump like in Mario Odyssey. A backflip like in Mario Sunshine. And man OH MAN do you have this wall kick. I’m one of the sick FUCKS who actually likes the Mario 64 wall kick, where you need to be extremely precise with the inputs to kick off of the wall. I understand this makes the basic movement a little tough for most players, but it always feels extremely satisfying when pulling it off. Pseudo’s wall kick maintains that satisfying feel, but since you can just hold the button down to pull the move off, it is far more forgiving. But since it isn’t as easy as, like, how MOST platformers do wall jumps, they don’t restrict you as much, allowing you to chain wall kicks together to jump off of the same wall or an adjacent wall to gain ludicrous height.

This game is so good that I don’t even care that it’s sort of furry bait. I kept those pants on the whole time, thank you very much. There’s definitely some sort of story going on, but for me it was the atmosphere that really stuck out. The music combined with the sort of empty, colorless world gives this a unique feel to other platformers. It’s not very long, but I actually think that weirdly works out in its benefit. Games like this are built for speedrunning - even if you aren’t built like that, there’s still plenty of reason to utilize your moveset to just sort of mess around in every level. Being able to get somewhere you’re not supposed to, or way before you’re supposed to, just sort of appeals to me in a deeply innate way. If any of this piques your interest, give it a try. It’s only $6, Christ.

7. Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

First of all, this counts as a game. Whatever, my list fuckers!!!

Second, this was probably my most anticipated game coming into 2024. There wasn’t a ton of competition at the start of the year. As such, there were a lot of expectations, and in many ways Erdtree fulfilled its end of the deal. The game world is just as fun to explore as the original game, with actually more of the Dark Souls 1 layered world design that really drew me to that game originally. You’ll see an area, wonder how the fuck you’re supposed to get there, and the solution is abstract and not at all what you expected. You get to a major area of the game by going into a coffin hidden by a fake wall. FromSoftware is back baby!

There’s also the usual stunning visuals on display, which I feel like I take too much for granted anymore. Like, yeah, of course the new Miyazaki game has screenshots that just look like a painting, with vistas that just stop you in your tracks sometimes. Comes with the territory. Although it does seem like these visuals, on top of the dense world geometry, are stretching the hell out of this old-ass Soulbourne engine. My game ran like absolute shit, to the point I had to disable certain cores of my CPU to get it to run better. Damn Multi-threading!!!

There’s a word though, stretching. I think this game is stretching the limits not just technologically, but in terms of its difficulty. Some of the boss fights in here are straight up fucked. And not in the Ornstein and Smough fucked where you jump in like “oh man how is a human supposed to do this!!!” but with enough time, you see the flow and beauty to the dance of the fight. No, the fights in here are fucked. With attack windows so short and boss attack strings so long that every failure feels like you happened to get greedy once and you’re paying for it. The final boss literally has an attack that makes the framerate 20fps and unless you immediately start moving back, you are just going to take a free hit.

It really feels like this isn’t the best use of this engine, and incentivizes you to basically make a build that plays the game for you. I don’t play these games with magic that creates a fucking laser right in front of you that annihilates every enemy. I play it for that dance in proper boss fights, the feeling of satisfaction in understanding their design to pass overwhelming odds. That is there in Erdtree, granted. Just in between a bunch of approximations of what that appeal may be.

6. Half-Life 2

I’ve had Half-Life 2 on my steam account for 14 years. Less than some people, but still far too long to have only beat it this year. HL2 is so foundational to modern gaming that reviewing it seems useless at this point. The Source Engine went on to completely revolutionize how games incorporate physics, how characters emote and talk to you. I’ve played and loved Valve games made in this engine for years. But I was never able to get through the progenitor, until this year.

The frustrating thing is, I know I would have loved Half Life 2 in 2011 if I had reached Ravenholm. Because this game shares a lot of DNA with the Nintendo classics that shaped my love of gaming. Because the Gravity Gun is a toy! Because the act of picking up a razor blade off of a wooden plank, and thrusting it at a zombie at a million miles an hour, watching their limbs explode across the map, is fun as shit!! The first act of Half Life 2 takes itself a little too seriously, with most of its gameplay focusing on just shooting a damn pistol. But it’s when HL2 gets a little more playful, with plants vs zombies turret segments, summoning Antlions to eat the Combine, and blowing up helicopters with a rocket launcher, that it really started clicking for me.

I originally wasn’t sure what to do on this list for Half-Life 2’s episodes, which I also played this year. Are they separate games, as originally released? Or do I consider them as part of the overall experience of Half-Life 2? Thankfully, Valve answered that question later in the year for the 20th anniversary, and confirmed that these 3 games are actually one game. So now I can tell you, in this section, that Half-Life 2 Episode 2 is actually the best Half-Life 2. It is pretty short, but has so many amazing gameplay scenarios that just keep you engaged the whole time. The fight underground against a swarm of antlions. The encounters with the hunter. The trek through White Forest on a massively upgraded 1969 Dodge Charger. And, of course, the final gameplay sequence, where you need to protect a facility from waves of Striders by using your gravity gun to pick up and chuck remote bombs at them. By far the best bit of gameplay in the series.

Episode 1 is kind of mid, with its core gameplay moment being a Sheep Herding Mini Game where you need to move NPCs through two rooms while under fire. But it's worth it to get through to Episode 2, which is a bittersweet glimpse into Valve at the height of their powers. 2007 was the year they released Episode 2. And Portal. And Team Fortress 2. A generational year from a generational developer, reaching heights they would never reach again.

5. Shadow Generations

Although I’ve written at length about Sonic in these year-end lists and on this blog in general, it has never even sniffed the top 5 section. Shadow Generations breaks that cycle.

Maybe all Sonic needs is to make Generations style games forever. Ones that take old level ideas, maybe even from games that sucked, and bring out their full potential. Shadow Generations takes Kingdom Valley, a level from a game made by Hitler, and turns it into one of the greatest 3D Sonic levels ever. With so much replayability, branching paths all over the place, with just enough variety in gameplay with the doom surf ability to keep things fresh. Every level of Shadow Generations is like this, but it’s the reverence this game even gives to terrible, putrid parts of Sonic history that brings it over the edge for me. These aren’t vapid references preying on nostalgia; they’re transformative experiences that elevate the series as a whole.

What I find interesting is that Shadow Generations and Sonic Generations, which share the billing in the hilariously titled SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, are basically two sides of the same coin. Both are referential towards Sonic’s odd past, sure. And their style of boost Sonic gameplay is similar on the surface. But it’s in how these levels are presented that really shows their distinctions.

Take Classic City Escape from Sonic Gens, for instance. It is just optimism curled up into a ball and thrown into your face. Fun, upbeat music, coupled with Classic Sonic riding on a 90’s-ass skateboard, all while escaping this comically-destructive GUN truck that obliterates chunks of the level as you go through it. One of the most iconic levels of that game, and shows the snarky, lovable Sonic we all know and love.

Now compare that to the Mephiles boss fight from Shadow Gens. Odd comparison, sure. But this is bringing back a character from a game, again, made by Hitler. One that was very famously erased from existence both contextually within his original game and in real life as that game left a stain on the franchise. There was no need to bring him back, but they did anyway. Because they found a way to give Mephiles justice. Because he isn’t just fighting you for no reason, he’s fighting for his right to exist. Again, both within context and outside of it. He puts his best foot forward, tricking you with clones and erecting towers of purple doom juice for you to climb up. He screams in anguish once you get ahead, crying out to you to let him come back. Shadow, meanwhile, is here because Mephile is a mere bump in the road, and needs to take care of him and move on. As he does.

Both of these technically exist in the same game you can buy, and both are trying to present the Sonic series in a very different way. And both of these are awesome, and prove that despite the Sonic fanbase being very split in what they want, that it is possible to please both sides. The world could use more Shadow games, just not, like, ones where he’s packing heat?

4. Astro Bot

The game of the year, ladies & gentlemen & enbies! I was stunned when this game caused an honest to god controversy after it won GOTY. How could you hate Astro? Look at his face!!

I think more than anything, Astro failed to find a wide audience. Because the audience who want to play Astro Bot are on PlayStation. They may have been in the 2000s, when the same platformer-adjacent franchises that are littered as collectibles throughout Astro’s game, were given equal footing among Sony’s list of intellectual property. But that audience is long gone, with no intent to buy a PS5 for even the best of platforming in a given year.

What’s disappointing is I feel what Astro is on a surface level overshadows what Astro actually is at a gameplay level. Like, the fact that it is a fun loving platformer that has Crash Bandicoot and Parappa the Rapper as a collectible is kind of all people know about it. And Astro Bot is used as a weapon in a gaming culture war. It’s less expensive than God of War, and takes itself less seriously. So clearly this type of game is the one that Sony should be focusing on! All the while, the actual design of Astro Bot, like what it's actually doing beyond first impressions, gets lost in the shuffle. My theory is these people aren’t even playing Astro Bot. Probably don’t even have PlayStations! And just use it as a battering ram against their perceived plights, all just to have something to get mad about, as if there’s not enough to get mad about already.

So, what is Astro Bot actually doing? Well for starters, its use of haptic feedback is far and away the best use of it in any game I’ve ever played. The Switch has had haptics for a while, and phones have had it for even longer. But never before has it been used to create the best-feeling Gacha Ball crush in history. I use “feel” a lot to describe while I enjoy games, and a lot of that has to do with things that aren’t actually “feel” as much as they are a facsimile. But Astro Bot’s haptics literally do let me feel certain actions in a way that elevates every moment of the game. From the way different materials feel to walk on, to the way the controller rumbles when you blast yourself with the dog power up, to the chaos of punching a bunch of gems out of your way. If this game gets a PC port (which it should), the number one thing it will be missing for most is how the DualSense controller integrates with the game.

Comparisons to Mario Galaxy have already been made before, so I won’t repeat a lot of that here. All I’ll say is that when the director compared one of the final levels to “Grandmaster Galaxy,” I instantly swooned. What keeps Mario special after all these years is that in his games, they never stay on a concept too long. There’s just a constant barrage of ideas that keep the game fresh, and in some ways just barely scratch the surface of what the mechanics are capable of. Astro Bot is designed in a very similar way. There are individual abilities in here that could carry entire games if given the opportunity, and they are just a small fraction of the bigger picture.

I am jealous of the kids that get to grow up with this game as one of their first. But are any kids actually playing this? To be honest, it feels like the only people playing it are 27 year old white guys longing for days gone by. Kids are playing, what, Roblox Obbys? I guess those are platformers at least.

The only thing holding this game back for me is that this game is Mario 3D World wayyy more than it is Mario 64 (Callback!!). It’s more concerned with giving you a bunch of interesting abilities per level than it is giving you a bunch of moves right at the start. As such, the movement feels a little static in a way that, say, Pseudoregalia, does not. I don’t think I’ll be replaying Astro Bot as much as my favorite 3D platformers. But that should not take away from what it is overall, and if you ever find yourself in the position to try it, I would highly recommend. And not because it’s the glorious epic AA masterpiece that Sony should base their whole company around. But because it’s damn good, and that should be enough.

3. Half-Life Alyx

I’ve had VR for a while. About 6 years, to be exact. In that time, I’ve always had obstacles getting in the way of my experience. Underpowered PC hardware, faulty VR headsets, wires. All restricting me from fully enjoying it, beyond some quick Beat Saber sessions. This prevented me from really sinking my teeth into 2020’s Half-Life Alyx when it was released. But a lot has changed. I have a better computer. I have a better headset. And most importantly, I no longer need a wire, as the Steam Link app on Quest allows me to stream PC VR games directly to the headset over Wi-Fi. And it only stutters causing eye-melting visual hallucinations sometimes!

With this setup, I could finally play Half-Life Alyx, which I was able to do right after completing Half-Life 2 and its episodes. In some ways, Alyx is bittersweet. It is Valve punting on the most expensive and the most detailed VR game ever made. Trying to inspire developers to put in as much effort as them, with the design challenges that they were able to solve, to make VR into a viable avenue for gaming going forward. But to this day, there is nothing quite like Half-Life Alyx, and it stands alone as the preeminent VR experience that lives up to most of the medium’s potential.

The highlight, to me and most others, is the Jeff section. It’s everything Alyx does well in a single section. The concept is genius for VR, with the fear of this freakish abomination hearing you and ripping your face off made more tangible when you stand eye to eye with him (or fungus to fungus). Being able to utilize every little object in the environment to trick Jeff into going a certain direction, while also making sure not to throw anything by accident as to not spoil your own location, is made way more immersive when you’re using your actual hand and fingers to pick these objects up. Valve continues to create excellent scenarios of gameplay and in concept, with the moment of having to purposefully let him out of the room you lock him in standing out. The tension, made more real by having your entire eyes and ears surrounded by the game, can only be accomplished with this fusion of design and hardware.

Much like those old source engine games sanded off some of the edges of previous FPS attempts, Alyx is the smoothest playing VR game, with tailored design to hide the medium’s weak points and accentuate its positives. VR still isn’t as accessible as it could be, and Meta’s continued dominance over the platform still irks me. But this experience straight up could not have been done as well without Steam Link, which is a pleasant reminder that VR is still improving. It is my hope that a future game can take what Half-Life Alyx did and surpass it.

Alyx does feel a little off tonally compared to Half-Life 2, but was a pleasant reminder of the same Valve that wrote games like Portal and Team Fortress 2. I like those games, if you couldn’t tell. Jay Pinkerton just eats through quippy humor most writers struggle with. There is still some debate on if Alyx counts as a full Half-Life game, which is a little absurd to me. Not only is this as long as as thorough as Half-Life 2, it feels at home with Valve’s 2000s classics in quality and innovation. There’s a lot of rumblings on if Half-Life 3 is finally at a point where it is a real thing being worked on at Valve. If true, not only am I happy to be caught up (I beat Half-Life 1 also this year, which was fun but shows its age a bit), but I am confident that the same Valve that made Alyx could absolutely pull off a HL3 that lives up to its namesake. Not another Artifact, at least I hope.

2. Rivals of Aether II

Long have I searched for the game to replace Smash. I love Smash, more than most normal people. But I am long past the point of caring about the characters needing to be known from another video game. Or from the Warner Bros extended universe (see LMAO of the year for more info). I’m in this genre for the gameplay, because nothing quite hits the same for me as a quality platform fighter.

Rivals of Aether II has the potential to be the greatest platform fighter in history. So much of the little details in this game are just right. The speed of the characters, the responsiveness of the inputs, the slight leniency in executing advanced techniques. All leading to the game feeling like butter, one where every single character benefits from the overall strength of the mechanics.

And these characters have so much love put into their kit. My main is Orcane (don’t kill me). Just in this one character alone, there are so many techniques that are exclusive to him. His puddle not only assists in recovery, but in the range and efficacy of his kill moves. The puddle can also be turned into a small cluster of bubbles, which can trap opponents with precise timing. His traction is lower than other characters, allowing him to slide onstage with his strong attacks and shields. This even allows for the amazingly named “hydroplaning” technique by spot-dodging in the middle of your turnaround. His Nair is a damn Sonic Adventure 2 Bounce Bracelet, which can be a vicious two-hit move when combined with a technique called “hitfalling,” which lets you fall immediately after hitting your opponent with an aerial.

I could keep going, but the point is that this is all a part of one character’s kit. Every fighter in Rivals has this amount of attention put into their design, and makes learning any one of them into an immensely compelling experience to me. It does seem that this sort of over-design in some places makes Rivals a little controversial in some spaces. Every character kind of has their own sort of bullshit they can pull off, which is fine since every character has something to come back with. But that does make balance a bit of a pain, which we’ve already seen cause issues in the first few balance patches. Also, to this day, this game is not finished. They had to release it in this state because they ran out of money, so I understand why they had to do this. But it does leave issues when the game launches without, say, a proper tutorial mode to learn all the characters' techniques. At the very least, this team has a great reputation from Rivals 1 of listening to the players and making quality changes, and I do believe that in a few years, Rivals 2 will be in a good spot.

What a thing, huh? Listening to player feedback… where have I not seen that before? Smash Bros has this weird thing of being an immensely popular and fun competitive game, despite being primarily designed as a casual-first experience. It leads to a disconnect between devs and players, where balance-changes and mechanical tweaks can happen seemingly at random for no real reason. And, most damaging, an active disdain towards that competitive player base that leads to enormous restrictions and missed potential. More than anything, Rivals 2 succeeds at what it is because it is not made by Nintendo.

And hey! Because it’s not made by Nintendo, a lot of my friends were actually down to play this game with me! Competitive Smash has always been an insular passion of mine, without much room to share with pals, which takes away one of this genre’s greatest strengths - the communal, shared experience. I have had so much fun over the past few months playing this game with friends on Discord, not just as a fun casual game, but in actually seeing both them and myself improving as we continue to match up. It is my hope that, once the new player experience hopefully improves with future updates, that many more people in my life can share this experience with me. And that Workshop support lets me play as Captain Falcon.

1. Outer Wilds

OUTER WILDS SPOILERS. PLEASE GOD PLAY THIS BEFORE READING!!!!

Outer Wilds won my prestigious “GAME I'M MOST MAD AT MYSELF FOR NOT FINISHING” award last year (which has not returned this year due to my aforementioned ascent to gamer godhood). What made me so frustrated at this blunder was that I truly was the ideal candidate. Never having consumed as much as a single trailer, I went into my first playthrough blind as a bat. I explored the town in Timber Hearth for the better part of an hour, acclimating myself with the locals and learning some of the mechanics. I got the launch codes at the top of the observatory, had the wonderful Hearthian within tell me to visit the moon to get my feet wet, had my memories consumed by a strange statue, roasted a marshmallow or two, then prepared myself for takeoff. I don’t remember if I smashed directly into the Attlerock upon landing but it wouldn’t surprise me. I explored just about as much of that rock as there even was, before my screen was enveloped in a blue haze. The music should have been a dead giveaway, as the color of the sun beforehand. But those clues did not prepare me for a front row view of a frighteningly beautiful supernova.

Upon viewing the last twenty two minutes of my life back and waking up exactly where I started, gazing up at the Orbital Probe bursting in a random direction in the orbit of Giant’s Deep, I started wrapping my head around the game’s hook. You’re only given until the sun’s explosion to explore any of the planets, moons, comets, or space stations. All in search of some way to prevent the inevitable destruction of the solar system and life as you know it. And I was all in. My favorite Zelda game to this day is Majora’s Mask, and the time loop is such a significant part of the reason why. It allowed for the sequence of every day to be plotted in advance by the creators, allowing for an always-moving game world that you have infinite chances to figure out and explore. A time loop game in space, one of my earliest childhood interests, seemed like a home run.

So why did I drop it? Simple - I’m bad at reading text. In the vast majority of games that I play, reading is mostly optional. While I enjoy reading, I need to be in a certain mood to mix it with my gaming. It’s why I appreciate Metroid Prime and FromSoft’s output so much. There is plenty of context to every area, item, and enemy you come across. And there is so much more to be gained when you fully take all of that context in. But if you want to focus just on the game, you can still enjoy so much of what their worlds have to offer.

Going into Outer Wilds, I assumed much of the same. That the lines of Nomai text were window dressing. Nice to know if you want to understand the world around you, but not essential to understanding the game. That is wrong. VERY wrong. Understanding the world around you is the game. You aren’t getting much of anywhere until you start taking in the text you read, putting it into the context of the area you’re in and the greater universe in which you reside. And by the time I realized this, I felt taken off-guard, and put the game down until I was in the mood for a game like this.

It took a year and a half to get to the point where I wanted to keep playing. Until just this past December, this game remained in my head, but not top of mind. Just a persisting feeling of unease knowing that this was still in my backlog. After hearing so much positivity, and being so enamored by the premise, there was no way I could keep it there forever. And much like the Souls series, it took the shared interest of one of my friends to push me over the finish line and strike this off my list. So right before the end of the year, meters away from the finish line, Outer Wilds gets onto the list, and is here at number one.

What pushed Outer Wilds to the top of my list so suddenly was in thinking about the game’s themes. You are burdened with knowledge that seemingly nobody else in your solar system has - that this world is doomed and we’re all going to be eaten by the sun. Naturally, you start to think that the objective of Outer Wilds is to save the world. Maybe the sun station, constantly in orbit and hilariously difficult to land on, holds the keys to your salvation. You start reading about this station and how the Nomai wanted to use it to blow up the sun on purpose? Well that must be it then, that must be the answer! Getting to that station involves deep understanding of the game’s mechanics, likely first understood by falling into the black hole within Brittle Hollow, teleporting back at the White Hole Station, then using that same teleporting mechanic when realizing that those teleportation stations exist on the border of Ash Twin. Or you somehow land on it, you little goober.

But finally, you’ve made it to the station, and turning it off can hopefully stop this unforgiving cycle. Unfortunately, things aren’t so simple. This station has been off the whole time, it isn’t even doing anything up here. All it can confirm to you is that this supernova is irreversible. The sun is at the natural end of its life cycle. It seems like the universe itself is at its end. Chert on Ember Twin starts noticing that stars all throughout the system are suffering the same fate as our own. They get terrified when they realize that this is the end. I was too when I came to the same conclusion. There’s no easy way out.

All I can do is appreciate what I see in front of me. I’m in a time loop, I have as many chances to explore every inch of the Outer Wilds as I want. During my most recent playthrough, I made sure to read as much as I could find to make sense of it all. And during the process, you learn a lot about the Nomai, which lived and died far before our time. It’s bittersweet to comb through their history, often seeing their remains next to the towns they lived in and the text they wrote about them. And in so many ways, this species is more advanced than you. What they were able to observe about our universe, and what they were able to build in the place you call home. Very literal, sometimes a bit stubborn, and with passions that often went out of control. But also very caring to this solar system, one that they very much are not there on their own accord. Without their special care when mining the ore within Timber Hearth, the progenitor species of the Hearthians would not have been able to evolve, and you would not be able to follow in their footsteps that are in every part of the system.

For the record, the Hearthians that are actually alive have their own charm as well. What I most appreciate about the main group of Astronauts you find all over the Outer Wilds is that they all have their own flaws. I’ve already discussed Chert, who in addition to having an amazing name, is constantly researching about the end of the universe so much that it drives them mad. Rybieck sits strumming away on a perch of Brittle Hollow, utterly mortified to take a step out of their hidey hole. Gabbro has ended up in the same time loop as you, but feels kind of jaded about it and would rather just waste the day away. Feldspar is someone you hear about very early, and is presumed dead. But in fact, they stranded themselves deep within Dark Bramble, enjoying the peril of the area so much that they seem to care nothing about how worried they have made those around them. These flaws are very relatable, but this level of personality makes each Hearthian extremely charming, and I would often go out of my way to speak to them after finding new info about the planets.

Speaking of, the planets themselves even have a ton of personality. The Hourglass Twins can be frustrating to explore depending on the time of day, but allow for the most intricate scheduling of certain tasks of any of the planets, and the Sunless City is fascinating to explore with the sand rising below your feet. Timber Hearth, your humble home planet, has plenty to discover of its own, mostly in giving you little threads of elsewhere in the system, like the piece of Dark Bramble and your first look at the Ash Twin Project. Brittle Hollow features the most visually striking city in the game, as well as interesting platforming challenges with the falling debris and lower gravity. Giant’s Deep is intimidating to explore, with islands rising into the sky while you’re still on them. But as you learn more about the planet, it becomes extremely rewarding to go deeper into the planet’s core. And Dark Bramble, a planet that defies space and logic, littered with confusion and assholes.

Then there’s the Quantum Moon. From the start of the game, you start noticing a lavender moon that appears to be at different places depending on where you are. Soon, you realize that it’s moving every time you look. Once you learn more about the Quantum presence all throughout the Outer Wilds and the rules that govern it, it brings you closer to figuring out how to step foot on this moon. No joke, I had my “eureka” moment of how to get onto the Quantum Moon while in the shower. Where to put my camera to always have an eye on the moon, before entering in through the south pole. Of course, something that you only know about through the findings of the Nomai. So how appropriate that in this location, riding the line of reality, that you finally meet one.

After seeing the remains of the Nomai so often, and at times seeing their floating spacesuits surround an area that would become their resting place, it is surreal seeing Sollana, an actual moving Nomai within the Quantum moon. Even more so given that you’ve just seen five of her corpses elsewhere on the moon. Being able to communicate with her in real time, rather than static text, strengthened my connection with the Nomai. Which sets the scene for your ultimate objective in Outer Wilds - to fulfill their desire to reach the eye of the universe.

Upon viewing the last twenty two minutes of my life back and waking up exactly where I started, gazing up at the Orbital Probe bursting in a random direction in the orbit of Giant’s Deep, I knew what I had to do. The pieces were all in place from prior sessions. I had finally made my way into the Ash Twin Project, and promptly removed the warp core within it to accidentally kill myself and get the bad ending. I had silently floated past the dickhead Anglerfish to reach the Vessel, the ship that the Nomai crashed here on that has the ability to travel to a set of coordinates. And I had finally figured out with some guidance (thanks @skulfsvyrn) that you can actually enter in the Jellyfish surrounding the core of Giant’s Deep to get past the electric barrier, being able to visit the third module of the Orbital Probe Cannon that lay inside.

The Nomai, ever the forward-thinkers, had figured out a way to go twenty-two minutes back into the past. It’s what’s keeping you here, as well as what has allowed a single probe to be blasted in a random direction over 9 million times in search of the eye of the universe. And it found it, thousands of years after the Nomai were inexplicably killed off by a meteor strike and just in time for you to finally see it. Something about this whole idea truly delights me, that this species left this little nugget here, that they would never possibly be able to take advantage of, so inefficient that it took millions of attempts to solve. But that blunt experimentation is exactly what we need to get out of here.

With all the pieces in place, the route is clear. Blast to Ash Twin, wait for the sand to lower enough to teleport to the Ash Twin Project, remove the warp core that is in-universe responsible for the in-game time loop mechanic, and risk your life traveling within Dark Bramble and hope to God that the dipshits within don’t eat you en route to the Vessel. The song that plays during this section of the game, a beautiful leitmotif of the same song that has played before every supernova, truly makes it shine. Usually, those notes would strike fear and tension. Those feelings are still there, but infused with passion and intent. We may not be able to save this universe from its end, but we can at least do something that our forefathers would move heaven and earth to do. Visit the eye of the universe.

I won’t talk too much about the specifics of the ending from there, but I will dance around it with flowery language.

It’s hard not to think of the end of the world. Everyone deals with it in different ways. Some are too scared to leave the safety of their home. Others try to learn as much about what could kill us as possible, and often those findings just make them more anxious. More yet are just numb to it all, taking everything at its face and stare unmoving at the end. Some go very far away, finding their own little corner of the world to live their own life, leaving their communities behind. Despite these flaws, we all are forever connected with our shared existence. Our environment bonds us in that way, in how it affects our feelings and behavior. Just as the environment of the past shaped our ancestor’s behavior, and their motivations to keep on. Ultimately, we try to live through our history, fulfilling the desires of those who came before us and building upon their learnings. But more than anything, they would want us to keep living. To continue the dance of stars and planets orbiting each other, and for those living among them to persist. The ending of Outer Wilds is a reminder that we can individually play our songs within our own circumstances. But upon dire straits, we always can join our music together and harmonize. And even if it is the end for us, we can create a melody that exists for generations after, and that life goes on with our music as the backing track.

Wait fuck the autopilot is driving me right into the sun agai-

#game of the year #goty 2024 #gaming #outer wilds #rivals of aether #sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #half life

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