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whatswrongwithblue · 8 months ago

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The Fire in The Sin

Chapter 1 - Pilot

Word count: 6,993. No TW other than canon typical stuff for this first chapter. Read on AO3 Series Masterlist

Series Summary:

He took her face between his clawed hands and kissed her, hard and quick.

“So now that I have you back,” as he spoke, his voice crackled and lowered several octaves, and the room darkened as he allowed his power to slip out just enough to make reality around them go fuzzy. “I’m not letting you go.”

In the 1950's, Alastor met the woman he would eventually marry but unfortunately his Radio Demon persona went for her soul rather than her hand. He has to learn what it means to love, and cherish, without possessing and he does. Their relationship is beautiful, strong, unbreakable . . . but he carries a dark secret through their marriage for decades until eventually he has to face the consequences of that secret and leave her, without warning, for seven years. He returns, finding her at the Hazbin Hotel, and has to convince her to forgive him, while being literally bound to secrecy, unable to tell her any of things he now is desperate to explain to her.

(This is a duel timeline fic, timestamps will be a the top of every chapter.)

Chapter 1 - Pilot

Present Day

The Radio Demon strolled down the packed sidewalk, humming as he went.

There were several business sections of Pentagram City and this was one he had been most familiar with, though it had changed quite a bit in the last seven years. It was irritating to say the least and left him feeling close to the same amount of disorientation as his first days in Hell, nearly 100 years prior. Not that his irritation could show through his expression with his ever-present smile plastered across it.

No, unless a demon was a part of his very, very, small circle of close confidants and was used to the subtleties of his body language, Alastor seemed aloof and unbothered as he continued on his way. Hands clasped behind him, holding his cane at his back, his steps never faltered as he continued to mentally mark the changes to the neighborhood he once knew so well.

Right next to the feeling of uncertainty, was its sister emotion, indecision. His very first day back in Hell and Alastor was having a devil of a time figuring out where he should go first.

Who should he find first?

Never mind all that now; best to reacquaint oneself with their surroundings before he forced himself to decide on a direction. Take it all in, as they say. And a particularly dense crowd had formed up ahead at what looked to be the location of an old radio shop here in town. It didn’t look like it was doing so well but the owner was under contract with him, and it wasn’t as if Alastor had been around lately to enforce his standards upon the place. Oh well, he thought with a mental sigh, at least Vox hasn’t gotten his cheap wanna-be 21st century claws into the place. It’s nothing I won’t be able to rectify in due time.

Alastor drew nearer and noticed the warning posters with his likeness posted on the wall of the shallow alcove around the window display. It was hastily done but still fresh, meaning his contracted soul, though clearly slacking in his duties, still remembered him. Better yet, still feared him. That nearly made up for the tacky television sets and their obnoxious technicolor presence sitting just on the other side of the windows.

A decade ago, Alastor would have made a show of breaking the glass, smashing the TV’s, and summoning the shop owner just to drag the pathetic demon through the streets with his shadowy tentacles.

Unfortunately for Alastor but rather fortunately for all the other viewers on the sidewalk next to him, The Radio Demon’s temper had been put in check seven years ago when the invisible chain around his neck had tightened and forced him into secrecy and an embarrassing amount of . . . good behavior.

Pulling him from his daydream of carnage and vengeance, the images on those offensive screens were the first things to really grab Alastor’s attention during the first few hours of his return to the Pride Ring.

Charlotte Morningstar.

The daughter of Lucifer and the Princess of Hell was advertising her new hotel to all the Sinners of her father’s Kingdom.

Well. It would seem as if the stage had already been set for him.

Time to begin Act I.

____

In a dark alley several blocks away, the air suddenly blistered with heat as a portal bloomed into existence a foot above the ground, its fiery edges dripping small chunks that blackened the concrete below.

Mina stepped through and the portal snapped shut behind her the second her tail was past its perimeter. It took only a few milliseconds for her heightened feline eyes and ears to check her surroundings for those who may have spotted her entrance, and she gave a small sigh when she was sure there were no witnesses to her little secret. A small blessing after such a long day of hunting. Killing and disposing of the mess would be easy but she was in a hurry to get back to the hotel and relax.

Not that she would (or could) admit it out loud to anyone, but she was exhausted. That short-horned drug smuggling little twat that she had been assigned to track down had put up more of a fight than she had anticipated. Underestimating the enemy was a stupid, rookie mistake. Giving the illusion of helplessness was Mina’s M.O. after all, and it was embarrassing that some common Hellborn had nearly beaten her at her own game.

The job had taken up all her allotted time on Earth when she had been hoping for a few precious hours to devote towards her own agenda.

Finding Alastor.

Mina hoped her old coworkers were in an extra spiteful mood during their shift so that smuggling demon that ruined her day got an extra-long and painful session in The Pit.

She also hoped that spot lighting as the main guest on the news used up a good portion of Charlie’s enthusiastic energy. Hopefully her new “friend” didn’t have any obnoxious group activities planned for the rest of the day.

All she wanted was to get back to her room with a strong glass of wine and a book so she could drink, read, and mentally escape her loneliness for a few hours until sleep found her.

A nice, quiet evening.

____

“This ridiculous thing you’re trying to do! This hotel! I want to help you run it.”

“Uhhhhh, so you’re not here for-“ Charlie started but with an incredibly unsubtle shake of her head, the petite Spanish speaking demon with the oddly angelic looking spear, stopped her from finishing her sentence.

“For what, dear?” Alastor prodded, leaning forward. The Princess was to be completely in the dark about the entire ordeal and yet she seemed to know something he was unaware of.

“For . . . for, um . . . for redemption! Obviously,” she laughed nervously, sneaking another glance at her companion.

“Oh, of course not, that’s wacky nonsense!”

And he continued, giving Charlie a well delivered lie about entertainment, while deliberately leading her away from the clearly less naïve members of her staff.

Steering her clear of the influence of the other two, however; kept him out of earshot of Vaggie and Angel’s conversation.

“. . . who we can’t risk getting involved with unless we want to end up erased.”

“Ya done?” Angel chuckled.

“He’s also Mina’s husband,” she deadpanned.

“Veeeery funny, toots.”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this,” Vaggie said, somehow frowning even deeper. “And when he up and disappeared, she nearly tore Pentagram City apart looking for him. Most of Hell thought she was just his plaything but with him gone, her fury was unleashed, and she stopped hiding her true strength. They say only Abaddon was able to step in and control her again. That was her with a broken heart, imagine what will happen when she finds out he’s back and not looking for her.”

“That guy? He looks like a strawberry pimp,” Angel laughed again, “No way he’s the fella Mina has been all bent out of shape over.”

Vaggie made a vague “uuggghhh” noise and rose from the couch, marching over to Charlie and pulling her into a different corner of the room.

“Charlie, listen, you can’t believe this creep. He’s a dealmaker, an overlord, and more importantly, he’s the one Mina has been trying to get over! The whole reason behind her decision to join us!”

“I know he’s bad, and clearly, we don’t know what really happened between him and Mina, but I can’t just turn someone away. It goes against everything this place is supposed to stand for. And who knows, maybe a reunion will actually help. I know they probably don’t wanna change, but if they really were in love, then maybe there’s a chance this will go well!” she finished with a small, hopeful smile.

Vaggie’s shoulders sagged. She knew that look and knew Charlie’s undying optimism had won over logic.

____

Alastor walked around the hotel parlor, once again humming, and mentally gathered up as many details as he could.

Over the decades he had perfected the art of not only knowing when people were talking about him, but also understanding when they were merely admiring, fearing, gossiping, or worst of all, keeping secrets.

And this trio was definitely hiding something from him.

“So, where is your hotel staff?” Alastor asked, leaning low to get uncomfortably close to Charlie. Uncomfortable for him but much more uncomfortable for Miss Morningstar.

“Uh . . . . well,” she paused, and he knew he was close to this mysterious subject matter.

“Alastor!” a high-pitched voice screamed from the stairs and recognition dawned on him before he had even turned around.

“Niffty!” he announced with his hands in the air as the one-eyed maid scurried to shorten the distance between them. Within seconds, she was propped up on his shoulder like no time had passed. “My darling girl, just what brought you to this fine establishment?

Niffty opened her mouth to answer but Charlie beat her to it.

“She’s our maid! DUH! Hahaha, she’s just the best. Soooooo, you two know each other?” she asked, her voice ending a few octaves higher than normal.

Alastor and Niffty blinked at her in tandem for a beat before Alastor spoke.

“Of course I do, my dear, I own her soul. Sssoooooo,” he drawled, in a perfect mimic of Charlie, “I’ll ask again. What is she doing working for you?”

“I came here with Mina,” Niffty said with an uncharacteristic look of confusion.

Alastor eyebrows shot impossibly up and his body went visibly stiff.

“Oh shit,” Charlie said for the second time that day.

His head snapped in her direction.

So that was the princess’s big secret. Fascinating. Of all the places he was planning on looking for his wife and she somehow knew exactly where to be when he came looking. So now his next question was . . .

“And why is she here, darling?” his eyes shifted for only a second to Niffty to indicate he was asking her to respond, but then settled right back on Charlie. The ever-present smile doing nothing to make his expression look less malicious.

“Oh,” Niffty said, and with a deep exaggerate breath, she began. “She heard a rumor that Heaven had something to do with your disappearance after she tore apart a whole bunch of bad guys looking for you and Abaddon told her about Charlie trying to get people into Heaven and then because she felt she had nothing left to lose – those were her words exactly-”

Niffty giggled and took another breath. Alastor continued to stare unblinkingly at Charlie.

“-she wanted to see if it would actually work and even if it didn’t help her find you then at least she got to fuck over Heaven one way or another – again her words exactly – so she told me to come here with her so Charlie would believe she could contribute something and the hotel was really nasty and there were a lot of roaches when we first got here and Mina gave me this really big needle to stab them with and I killed them all in the first week but Mina’s been really nice about it and keeps summoning more for me to kill-“

“Okay, that’s disturbing,” Vaggie interrupted and motioned for Niffty to climb down from atop Alastor. “Alright, so whatever, Mina is here. And she’s almost as dishonest as you, big surprise. You clearly didn’t come here looking for her, so you don’t get to be mad that we didn’t tell you she was here within the first three minutes of you showing up.”

Alastor laughed and put a hand to his chest.

“Please, my dear, I’m not angry. Why would I be upset? This simply saves me the very next trip I was going to take once I settled in here.”

That wasn’t necessarily true, nor was it a lie. He was still on the fence about what he was going to do with Mina. On the one hand, he did want her around and knew she would find out about his return sooner rather than later. Best to make it appear he had been looking for her as well. On the other hand, she would make things very, very messy for him going forward if she got involved without knowing the whole picture.

“Wait,” Charlie said, looking between Alastor and Niffty, “That’s why Mina came to the hotel? But I thought she believed in me? She seemed so sincere . . .”

Vaggie put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I mean, hey, look at the bright side. The way Niffty tells it, Mina really does think it could work, she just wants it for . . . er, different reasons."

“Oh, that would be just like her,” Alastor said as he continued with his pacing and examining the space around them, “she always was a deceptive creature. And the best lies are always the ones with a healthy peppering of truth to them.”

“Hmmm, sounds like you two really are a match made in Hell,” Vaggie rolled her eyes.

“Is it true? That Heaven had something to do with you leaving-“ Charlie gasped, “Oh, did you actually go to Heaven?!”

“Charlie, dear, I think my first business lesson to you as your new hotel manager will be to help you understand that rumors are often just that. Heaven. Oh my, what a grandiose claim. Come now, I bet there are far more entertaining rumors out there about my absence.”

The four hotel occupants just stared back at him.

“So, when are you expecting her back?” Alastor asked, spinning around and once again invading Charlie’s space.

“Oh, any minute now . . . I’m sure. Or maybe later tonight. Could be tomorrow . . . we don’t really know.”

Alastor’s smile remained but his eyes turned to slits.

“Ooooh, daddy can’t wait to get a little somethin’ from the missus?” Angel said from his lounging position on the couch. “Been a while? You know, if you need to let off some steam before the big reunion-“

“Ha! No," Alastor said, turning to shadow and disappearing from Charlie’s side to Angel’s faster than the spider-demon could finish his last sentence. “Very well then, looks like I’ve got a lot of work to do around here, and I would prefer to get a good start on it before Mina makes her appearance. I suppose I could call in a few favors.”

____

Mina used to enjoy going for walks through Pentagram City. She was always a restless spirit, even in life and well before Alastor. Traveling had been one of her passions and although in Hell she wasn’t allowed to leave Pride Ring, she was sure to put in a few miles on the soles of her shoes when down time allowed for it. New souls were arriving all the time, making her home in the afterlife an ever-changing metropolis with boundless secrets to explore.

But walking home from work? That was a bitch.

It was the most annoying irony that she was one of a handful of Sinners with the ability to not only portal around Hell, but also to the living realm, but she had to keep that fact a secret and therefore had to walk an ungodly amount of distance just to keep up appearances.

She was beginning to let go of her plans for indulgences in order to crawl straight into the arms of sleep when the hotel came into view.

A large golden blimp-like machine was positioned above it that seemed vaguely familiar. She was sure she’d seen it around during the turf wars the wanna-be Overlord Sinners tended to strike up now and again. If it was at the hotel though, that could spell trouble for her. Not in any life-threatening kind of way but it may force her to expose certain powers she was no longer supposed to be in possession of.

Mina ran up the hill to the hotel, formulating a plan as she went. She would have to find a way to draw whoever was operating the machine out and into earshot of her voice. Or, if she really had luck on her side, the machine would have some kind of listening device, and experience had shown her that was enough for her siren powers to at least subdue an enemy. No angelic fire or portal would be necessary.

And then she saw the shadowy tentacles begin to wrap themselves around the machine in a crushing grip and drag it down.

There were few Overlords in Pentagram City who utilized the power of shadows. They were a tool for teleportation and espionage. But there was only one demon who was powerful enough to manifest them as tangible and prehensile weapons of destruction.

Mina’s feet stalled without her realizing and despite her sprint uphill, her breath caught in her throat. The only part of her left moving was the undead beating heart in her chest.

____

Alastor threw the last bit of intent and rage into his magic as the tentacles tightened their grip and began dragging the machine downward.

The disgrace of being at this place, the idea of having to entertain every whim and fancy of Lucifer’s daughter, the audacity of him, the Radio Demon, being controlled. He was going to have to play a delicate balancing game of keeping up this ridiculous front while also re-establishing his reputation and he was going to have to do it all with Mina right there beside him. He had done everything he could before his disappearance to ensure she was not involved, that his damnable secrets were far from her grasp, and apparently all that work had been undone in his absence.

Abaddon.

His shadows squeezed impossibly tighter at the thought.

These fallen angels were even worse than their still-heavenly relatives.

Mina was going to be impossible to handle now. Her infuriating stubbornness and tendency to question everything was almost certainly going to get in his way. He didn’t know how he was going to pull it off, but Alastor had made a reluctant decision: he had to get her out of this place.

With a final burst of power, the blimp was pulled under into the shadowy realm below and what was left on the surface exploded, disintegrating into nothing but smoke and dust.

He had gone seven years without her companionship, he could push her away for a little while longer. It would hurt her even more than what he already had, but she was strong. They were strong. Once everything came to light, she would understand.

Then the smoke began to clear and there she was. Just a silhouette at first; a slender feminine form in the distance.

The small black ears with a rim of golden fur were the first dead giveaway that it was really her. Her shiny jet-black hair was next, and he noted it had grown substantially longer in the last several years. But she still wore the same shin length orange sun dress she had favored since the 60’s, and it was paired with the black knitted sweater she almost always adorned to hide to her shoulders and arms. Trailing behind her, her long, black-furred tail swished slowly back and forth low to the ground.

It was only when he could make out the details of her green and gold flecked eyes, could see that her vertical pupils were blown into wide orbs, that Alastor realized she had been walking towards him.

And that he had been likewise drawn to her.

Damn all his deals and secrets. Every demon and angel in every spiritual realm he could name was forgotten in that moment.

As his contemporaries were likened to say, they could all get fucked.

Mina was right there, close enough to reach out and grab. So, he did.

____

Before Mina could make her brain process anything enough to form words, she took a lung full of air in and breathed in the scent of the man crushing her to his chest.

It was like the humid, warm breeze off the ocean. The still, murky waters of a swamp. A damp, cool woodland at twilight.

She buried her face into his collarbone, just next to his bowtie, and breathed.

It really was him.

There was no passionate display of long-lost love, no desperate kisses or words of longing. Public displays of affection were never their thing. Well, it was never Alastor’s thing, and she went along with it to keep him comfortable. The only time she could recall him kissing her in front of others was on their wedding day. But the way he was holding her now, folding her body perfectly against his own, told her how much he had longed for this embrace.

No one would be able to pull off a mimic this true to his character, so she knew instantly this was the real deal.

Everything she had fought over, killed over, nearly died over, over and over and over again for the last seven years. Right here, in her arms, and she could practically feel the relief coming off him in waves, nearly as strong as her own.

She looked up at him and there it was, his trademark smile. Even after decades together, one of the few things she had never called him out on was that she was sure he couldn’t not smile. Whether it was a consequence of his demon form or his magic, she wasn’t sure, but she knew down to her bones that he was being forced to smile.

There were other more reliable ways to read his body language if one knew him well enough. His eyes mostly, his ears if he was distracted enough were also a good give away.

So she also knew this was him genuinely happy.

“Alastor,” she whispered, her Irish accent only showing through in her pronunciation of the “r.”

“Bonjou ma amour,” he replied, dropping his Trans-Atlantic accent for his native creole one, something he reserved for her and only her. It had always worked to weaken her resolve, even decades ago when she had still been trying to avoid his advances.

She took a small step back, just enough to be able to visually take in all 7 feet of his presence, but kept her hands on his arms.

“You’re really here,” was all her flustered brain could manage.

“It would appear so,” his voice crackled with static, and her world spun in response to the long-lost perfection of it.

She paused for another beat, gathering her thoughts. This was all so much process so suddenly.

Mina took a deep breath in to steady herself.

“Tell me everything,” she said.

Alastor tensed, a subtle shift in his posture, and smiled wider.

“Oh, where to begin,” he said, turning to stand beside her and putting an arm around her waist before suddenly pulling her past the small crowd of hotel residents that were unabashedly watching their reunion. “It’s quite the tale, my dear, and I’m sure it’ll all be told in due time but at the moment it looks like you and I have some things to attend to first.”

He opened the front doors of the hotel as if on cue and guided them inside.

Mina stopped short, which was not easy given how strongly Alastor had been pushing her along.

“Like hell,” she said, crossing her arms “you’re going to explain everything and you’re going to do it right now.”

Alastor’s eyes flicked back and forth between her and the other residents that were also filing into the lobby. He was clearly getting agitated and quickly.

“Mina,” he said slowly, “I hardly think now is the appropriate-“

“Hey!” Charlie said, coming to stand between them, “don’t let us ruin this special moment! Minaaaa,” she said, pulling her by the hand and gesturing towards the staircase, “why don’t you show Alastor your room and you guys can take however long you need to catch up. We’ll all understand that you need some privacyyyyyy,” she ended in a sing-song voice, elbowing Mina playfully.

“Yeah baby, a seven year dry spell,” Angel said, passing them without even looking as he headed straight for the new bar. “Wowza, now that really sounds like hell.”

Mina did a double take as she just now noticed the new bar and Husker.

“Wha- nevermind,” she said, quickly choosing to ignore Angel’s comment and what was obviously Alastor’s addition to the lobby. Instead, she focused her attention back on her husband, given him her most pointed glare and crossing her arms again. “Shall we?”

“Alright,” he said, feigning a more relaxed tone, “if you insist. I suppose seeing our quarters should be at the top of my list anyhow.”

Mina’s shoulders sagged with relief and she took his hand, guiding him along, though he could feel the rest of her tumultuous feelings building up, likely to explode once they were alone.

____

He should have known Mina was going to interrogate him right away. Not that he could blame her in any way. If the roles had been reversed, Alastor knew he would have gone quite mad with the lack of information and control the situation would have left him in.

Who was he kidding? He was just a hair away from that already, and he had a far better picture of what was really happening than she did.

Stepping into the room, he had a second to take in the décor, some of which he recognized from his old radio tower and felt a twinge of pride knowing she had brought it here just because it reminded her of their old home, before the door slammed hard behind him.

He closed his eyes and sighed, then put on his best innocent smile as he turned to face the wrath of his scorned wife.

“What. The FUCK, Alastor!”

Ah, she was starting with the swearing already. He really abhorred yelling and unnecessary vulgarity, yet he had to go and marry an Irish woman.

“Where would you like me to begin, my love?” he asked, ever the professional radio host by keeping his voice calm and level, knowing it likely only infuriated her more. Best to fan the flame so that it blazed hotter and burned itself out faster.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, love, begin at the fucking beginning!”

He opened his mouth to speak even the vaguest answer that his mind could come up with and found he couldn’t utter a sound.

Mina stared at him, her frustration and hurt evident in every sharp line of her posture.

Alastor took another breath and tried again. The sound of a radio dial finding nothing but empty airwaves as it searched from station to station filled the room for a few beats before he gave up.

He couldn’t utter a single word that was on the tip of his tongue.

As it turned out, when he was told he couldn’t talk about it, it was meant to be taken literally.

He would have to find a way to work around that. Somehow.

“May I just say,” he began, “that I truly did miss you. It really was a terrible experience.”

There, he could get that much out at least, and it was very much the truth.

“Oh well that’s lovely, I’m glad taking off without a God damned word to your wife and leaving me high and dry for seven fuckin’ years wasn’t exactly a holiday for you.”

Tears were building in her eyes and threatening to spill over as her accent thickened with her emotions. He stepped towards her but she took two steps back.

“Mina,” he said, doing his best to sound sincere, though he knew his cursed smile often made him look more guilty than not, “I really am trying to find the words.”

“Where have you been?!” she yelled, her voice cracking as she nearly sobbed out the words.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” he answered sadly.

“WHY?!”

Words continued to fail him so he tried reaching for her but she pushed past him instead, walking deeper into the room as she angrily wiped tears from her face. She was rarely the type to cry from sadness, nor was she one of those women who got weepy from tender moments, but Mina was susceptible to tears when angered and Alastor knew it embarrassed her to no end.

He felt great pity for the situation he had put her in and hated himself for it. It’s why his first instinct had been to push her away before the guilt he knew she would make him feel complicated his plans even further. But she was here now and with the unfairness of the situation being rubbed in his face, he was suddenly determined to make things right with her. So much had been taken from him already, and he had played his part well up to this point, so he deserved to at least be given this slice of his life back.

Mina stopped pacing and fixed her eyes on his.

“You knew, didn’t you? You knew you were leaving the last time I saw you. I could tell something was wrong and after-“ she stopped, heaving in a shaky breath before she could continue, “You don’t know the things I did trying to find you. I hurt people I cared about. I hurt people you cared about. I couldn’t even fucking think, Al, I was sure someone had killed you. And then I remembered the things you said that last day and I . . .” she put her hands to her face, covering her eyes like she was trying to force her tears to stay in.

He came to her then and she finally let him. Cautiously he placed his hands around her wrists and pulled her hands away.

“I’m sorry.” He sounded pathetic, even to his own ears, but he knew anything else he would try to say would be shoved back down his throat.

“Just tell me it wasn’t your choice,” she begged, “Tell me where you’ve been and who made you leave. I’ll keep your secrets, I swear, you know I will. I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I need to know. I need to know, Alastor. Whatever happened, please, just please tell me!”

He tilted his head at her and frowned, concentrating on what order of words, what phrase, would get her intelligent mind on the right track. This magic that was binding him was tricky, but if he couldn’t outright tell her things, perhaps he could pose the right questions for her.

“Do you really think I would have voluntarily left you?”

That gave her pause and he could practically see the wheels beginning to turn behind her feline eyes.

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. You know me. Better than anyone. And that doesn’t sound like me at all, does it?”

“I don’t know you!” she said, trying to shove him away but he held on fast to her arm, “How can I know someone who’s been gone for that long? Let me go!”

She pulled on her arms but he didn’t let up. Mina was strong and perfectly capable of exerting more force if she really wanted him to free her. But even in their most heated of arguments, neither of them had ever raised a hand in anger to each other, and Alastor counted on her to not do so now. So he held her tight and smiled wider as he felt her give up.

An outsider would have watched and thought him malicious, but this little display of temper was far from what either of them were capable of.

“You do know me,” he said once she had stopped struggling, “and while I am bound to secrecy for the time being, I promise I will deliver eventually. You just have to trust me.”

“I don’t trust you,” she spat, her ears pinned back even flatter than before.

“You’re going to have to if we’re both to get through this.” He let go of one wrist and cupped her cheek, surprised she allowed him to even do that much, and used his thumb to wipe at a solitary tear.

“Fuck you.”

He chucked, “Perhaps later, ma amour, but I don’t think the mood is right for that at the moment.”

“Fuck you!” she repeated, with more venom this time. She hit a closed fist against his chest and he was momentarily shocked enough to not react. “You don’t get to do this!”

She hit his chest again and this time he did react, grabbing her again by her wrist, unable to stop himself from holding just a little tighter than necessary. Mina stilled in his grip but not before a low literal growl sounded from her chest.

“You don’t get to show up and act like nothing has happened and smile and make your fucking jokes and think I’m just going to play along. Do you really think I’m that weak?”

“No,” he answered darkly, still smarting from the two strikes she had gotten in. They hadn’t physically hurt but they had taken large chunks out of what was left of his patience.

“Fuck,” she whimpered, beginning to sob in earnest now and she dropped her gaze from his and hung her head. “I am stupid.”

“You are far from stupid," he said flatly, with more static and less empathy than he intended but honestly, he should get an award for putting up with this tantrum of hers as well as he was.

Mina just shook her head, still looking down.

“I am so stupid. For believing you . . . all those years. For thinking that just because you married me, that we were happy together, that any of that meant a damn to you.”

“Mina-“ he cautioned. The room was beginning to darken as his shadows responded to his own emotions spinning out of his control.

If Mina noticed his display of anger, she showed no response.

“Why did you come back?” she sniffed, and Alastor’s shadows halted their climb up the walls at her question. “Why bother if you won't even tell me why you left?”

The shadows retracted their ascent as Alastor’s own feelings of injustice melted away. Of course she had hit him, he was lucky she hadn’t done worse. The fact that she hadn’t was a testament to how much she still cared. Through all of her pain and uncertainty, she still loved him. Still felt safe enough in his presence to express her real feelings.

Beneath his smile, he gritted his teeth and swallowed his pride. Leaning forward, he placed a small kiss to the crown of head, right between her flattened ears.

“To es l’amour de ma vie,” he whispered into her hair.

You are the love of my life.

It seemed to do the trick as she slumped into his arms, crying in earnest now, but allowing him to wrap his arms around her. She had a vice like grip around his torso as she hugged him back and that was far more uncomfortable than the insulting blows she had dealt before, but he allowed it all the same.

They remained that way for a while, her crying as he stroked her hair, and let her work through her feelings to the point of exhaustion. He was a little worried for his jacket as he felt her claws grip into the fabric at his back but it was a small price to pay to get her calm enough to hear what he had to say.

Or at least, what he could say.

He began slowly, testing his words for both their sakes. Her name was always his favorite, so that was what he led with.

“Mina,” she quieted a little at the sound of her name, so he pressed on. “I need you to trust me.”

She shook her and pulled away, just a little. “I don’t know if I can.”

He sighed. “Do you want this to work out?”

“Of course I do,” she frowned, looking insulted and it was exactly the response he was hoping for.

“Good, because I’m telling you what needs to happen for that to be a possibility. Now, I’ll tell you one bit of honesty that I think is safe for me to say . . .” he paused, waiting for the block to happen and when he felt no resistance, he dealt the blow. “I didn’t come to this hotel looking for you. I didn’t even know you were here.”

She hissed in a breath but didn’t pull away more so he continued. “I was planning on finding you, when things had settled, when I was in a position to tell you more, because I know how unfair all of this must seem to you right now. I do. But now that you’re here anyway and have gotten yourself wrapped up in this mess despite my absence, there’s only one thing for it.”

He took her face between his clawed hands and kissed her, hard and quick.

The room snapped back to normalcy and Mina stood there, as affected by his power display as she was by the kiss. But it wasn’t fear that showed in her features, it was excitement just shy of arousal. He had never doubted she would remain faithful to him and that would have left her incredibly touch starved and she had always enjoyed his more demonic side. Maybe it was a low blow to manipulate her in that way, but Alastor needed every trick up his sleeve to keep her listening.

“I’ll try to trust you,” she began, “but I need you to give me something more to work with here.”

“Alright then, I will try as well. Allow me a moment to think?” he asked, and she nodded cautiously, never taking her eyes off of him as he slowly strode around the room, one hand behind his back with his staff, as the other went to his mouth, held there in concentration.

“A ha! I think I’ve got it,” he said, “It doesn’t appear to be too much to tell you that I need to gain Charlie’s trust. I don’t even need her to believe that I believe this hotel can work but I do need her to trust me as a confidant that has her best interests in mind. I’m afraid I can’t say more than that for now.”

Mina frowned, looking troubled. “I don’t like this.”

“What’s to like?” Alastor agreed, “I can’t tell you anything you’re dying to know, my own wife is going to spend the next several months questioning my every motive, and we’re going to have to continue this ridiculous façade being nice to these people. It’s going to be miserable!”

There was the tiniest twitch of her lips that hinted he had almost gotten her to smile.

“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I 100% believe.”

“Then there is hope for us yet. So, here’s my next completely honest statement and it’s my promise to you,” he said, taking her hand to place a small kiss to its back and smiling wickedly. “When all is said and done, you will know everything and I heartedly plan on you getting your brutal revenge.”

Mina allowed her hand to linger in his for a moment longer before she pulled it away.

“Fine. I’ll play your game. For now. But I’m not going to pretend for your sake or anyone else’s that I’m happy with you.”

His confident expression faltered for only a moment before he caught himself and pulled away from the disappointment. She wouldn’t be able to hang onto her anger forever, not now that he would be constantly around to remind her of what they were together.

He inwardly admitted that he had forgotten that as well; what a powerhouse they were when they worked in tandem. Perhaps if he had considered that before . . .

But the past was the past, and as he had told Charlie earlier, there is no undoing what is done. Alastor would be smarter this time and utilize every opportunity that came his way rather than going at it all alone. If he played his cards right, he could increase his odds of coming out on top, free himself from his cursed deal, and gain Mina’s trust back all at the same time. In fact, it would seem those two things together were mutually assured. It was so completely expected of him by those he stood against that he would continue to keep her out of this affair.

Mina had excused herself into the little en suite bathroom of her room to freshen up and while he waited for her to exit, he began re-imagining his plan going forward. Yes, it would seem more fortuitous than he first thought that she was already here at the hotel. If she already had an in with Miss Morningstar and had begun to earn her trust, it would be that much easier for him to assert himself into that dynamic.

A bit later, as they descended the stairs together (Mina pointedly not accepting his hand as they went), he leaned in just enough to whisper to her, “Follow my lead.”

He practically bounced from the last two steps as he entered the lobby where conveniently, everyone had remained.

“Well I’m starved, who wants jambalaya!”

Next Chapter ->

#hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #alastor x oc #alastor fanfiction #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor the radio demon #hazbin hotel fandom #hazbin hotel fanfiction #alastor x reader #the radio demon #demon alastor #hazbin hotel fic #hazbin fanfic

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vikenticomeshome · 8 months ago

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Cyberworld QBorgs (part 4) - Perrona Prime and Scuzzle Station X

Hello all,

I'm back with more Cyberworld QBORG content to discuss. This will be a bit different than the others. As of right now, both of the QBORGs that I want to talk, "Perrona Prime" and "Scuzzle Station X" about are lost media. Outside of a few screenshots, nothing is known to have been preserved anywhere. Maybe someone who used to work at Cyberworld will come out with backup discs like what happened with the other QBORGs that were completely found. Otherwise, this may be it. This is one reason why I am cover these two together, since there isn't very much to talk about. The second reason is that I'm not entirely clear on whether they are related. Scuzzle Station X may have been a sequel or expansion on Perrona Prime or visa-versa. The third reason is that both of them were produced on behalf of StanLeeMedia.net. Now, you may be familiar with other work by the founder of StanLeeMedia.net, the late Stan Lee. He is probably best known as an actor who made brief appearances in several recent superhero movies. Here he is in Spider-man: Homecoming from 2017.

He was also well-known for his flash-based animated series "7th Portal". Everyone reading this probably remembers the plot. You have a group of friends get pulled into a virtual world through a portal. Their goal is stop an evil figure from taking over.

Ah, that's the wrong image. Let me just... here we go. This is from 7th Portal Episode 2 "Enter Darkmoor".

Let's see... what else? He did produce a pilot episode for an animated series that was not picked up. It was called "Mary J. Blige", and it sought to turn the real-life singer of the same name into a super-heroine.

Oh, and he was one of the biggest names in comics for decades.

Anyway, I found a quote from Stan Lee on the Cyberworld website from the time. It appears to be specific to Scuzzle Station Z.

"I can't wait to show fans around the world our 21st century Superhero creations in their new 3D playground. They come to life in 3D with captivating and interactive adventures by utilizing CYBERWORLD's mind-boggling multimedia technology."

-- Stan Lee

However, the same quote appears on the page for Perrona Prime, which makes me wonder what the relationship was between Perrona Prime and Scuzzle Station X.

The pitch given for Perrona Prime reads as follows:

Welcome to the world of Perrona Prime. Are you ready to embark on your new world quest?

Welcome to the fantastic world of Perrona Prime. Here you’ll find the primary entry portal to just one our new worlds. Please enter our world. Explore the walkways, streets and hidden passages. As you walk around you’ll quite possibly meet one of or most celebrated citizens; Stan ‘the Man’ Lee himself.

We get a better synopsis on this other page. This ties Perrona Prime into the 7th Portal lore, as it mentions the main villain Mongorr. Apparently, our heroes failed and he got to Earth.

The year is 2135 and man has taken to the stars to escape Mongorr's wrath on Earth. The setting is Perrona Prime- a giant floating city in space where entertainment still flourishes. There's lots to see and do here. Utilizing CYBERWORLD technology, view Stan Lee Net webisodes in the CyberCinema, play exciting new games in the MegaGames holocade, and embark on an adventure to recover the Builder PDA stolen by Mongorr. Obtain it and you will have the abillity to create your own worlds in cyberspace and even make a home in Perrona Prime!

As I said before, both of these QBORGs are lost. There are four promotional images left for Perrona Prime, so we get to see what the giant floating space city looked like.

Yeah, the images are pretty small. I like the design of the walls inside the building. We don't see any residents, aside from the floating golden robot in the bottom left image. I think this would have been really cool to explore back in the day. Stan Lee is either a giant floating orb or the moon. The first synopsis talked about us possibly getting to meet Stan Lee, as if it wasn't guaranteed. I found him.

I think the item on the lower walls in the top right screenshot may be constellations. Are those globes of the Earth in the screenshot on the bottom left?

We also have two surviving screenshots of Scuzzle Station X. These are interesting because they show a custom design for the Cyberworld browser. I have been unable to find any archives of working downloads for this customized version of the browser.

The first one looks just like Perrona Prime, which reinforce the idea that Scuzzle Station X was just a rebrand or expansion. In face, the two screens appear to show the same minimap. The art style looks completely different. However, the second synopsis for Perrona Prime talked about being able to watch Stan Lee webisodes. So, I think this is actually showing one of the cartoons. I recognize some characters from 7th Portal.

We don't get much of a synopsis for Scuzzle Station X.

Comic book icon Stan Lee, wanted to transform his web community from a world of flat graphics to an interactive 3D universe. Using CYBERWORLD technology, he was able to combine 2D and 3D graphics in an easy-to-navigate, immersive world of information and entertainment to introduce his new line of branded superheroes. Visitors to the site are able to step into the web and navigate an exciting multimedia world surrounded by video webisodes, animation, graphics and sound.

I couldn't find much online as to any other uses of Perrona Prime outside of this Cyberworld QBORG. I'm not sure if it featured in the 7th Portal series itself. I have been able to find references to Stan Lees' Scuzzle property though. Here's a poster of Mongorr, the 7th Portal villain with a reference to Scuzzle, so this managed to be a thing outside of the lost QBORG.

That's the long and short of it.

#2000s #archived web content #nostalgia #stan lee #scuzzle station x #7th portal #cyberworld qborgs #lost media #long post #not cyberchase #but cyberchase fans might like it

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fruitviking · 1 year ago

Note

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

Oh boy here we go!

A Study in Saltwater

My first foray into multi-chapter Holmes fic! The "Holmes as a merman" idea seized my brain earlier this year and wouldn't let go until I finished writing it over the course of two months. It was so much fun incorporating the fantasy elements with a queerplatonic Holmes and Watson pairing!

Watson is a Time Lord

A work in progress! It started as a joke about there being two actors playing Watson in the Granada Sherlock Holmes series and SPIRALLED. It's a collaboration. It's ridiculous. It's angsty. It's heartfelt. It's everything I love about fanfiction. The way @jabbage, @jeremys-come-to-bed-eyes, and I can just pop up with an idea one day and all bounce off each other until one of us is like YES I MUST WRITE THIS NOW. We're having the BEST time.

Those Who Listen

I am very proud of my entire Nonverbal Sherlock Holmes series of fics, but this one stands out to me. As a hearing person with a deaf partner, I have spoken BSL and SSE for over a decade (still learning!) and I wanted to explore the barriers of communication through the lens of this fic. It came out so well! Plus it has fluffy QPP Holmes and Watson. What's not to like?

The Practicalities of Vampirism in the 21st Century

Moving away from Sherlock Holmes for a moment, I'm very proud of this Magnus Archives fic in which Jon is a vampire trying to navigate modern London. Martin stumbles upon him feeding one day, and in sharing the secret they both start to realise what they're really feeling for each other.

(PS it has a sequel but I haven't touched it for months. Shush.)

Somewhere Else, Farther North Than You Remember

(Zooey Deschanel voice) It's a crossover! Hello from the Hallowoods meets The Magnus Archives, post episode 200. Jon and Martin wind up in a mysterious forest in northern Canada, inhabited by ghosts, monsters, and people who are just trying to live. This...also hasn't been touched for months. Sorry.

But go listen to Hello From The Hallowoods it's a queer horror podcast and it's BRILLIANT

#fanfic #my fics #fic recs #sherlock holmes #the magnus archives #hello from the hallowoods

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weaversweek · 1 year ago

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"Vampire" and "No degree of separation"

Another pair into the #FearOfMu21c project, crowdsourcing the greatest singles of the 21st century. Here’s an index post.

Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

The greatest singer-songwriter we've found so far this decade, Olivia Rodrigo rose to fame through the Disney Channel. Remember the Disney Channel? It was very decent - well-written sitcoms, acted by great talent. "Bizaardvark" gave Olivia a break, "High School Musical The Series" gave fame.

"Driver's license" was a stone-cold heartbreak song for the dark days of early 2021. "Good 4 u" was full of outdoors excitement, and the album "Sour" held together well. What's Olivia going to do for the second album, "Guts"? Take "Driver's license" and make it nastier.

"Vampire" follows the same aural template as "Driver's license" - it's a melancholic piano ballad, sung in a musical theatre style so we have to hear the words. But rather than stalk him, Olivia takes control of her life, mercilessly disassembling his older ex's manipulative behaviour. Olivia's anger and exhaustion rises through the song, reaching a crescendo of fury as she spits out the title line.

Sounds like nothing else around right now, and all the better for it. Written by Olivia and producer Dan Nigro, it's song of the year, quite clearly.

youtube

No degree of separation - Francesca Michielin

Honouring the intention of sponsor Arron, I've limited myself to five songs from Eurovision Song Contests; two very easy picks from Junior, three from Senior. And with two SESC coming through from last year's Uncool50, there's just one place for another song. "Hard rock hallelujah", "Taken by a stranger", "Molitva", "Rhythm inside", "Arcade" - all were inflection points in the journey of European pop, all were worthy of a nod.

But the place goes to "No degree of separation", written by Fabio Gargiulo, Cheope, Norma Jean Martine, Federica Abbate, and Francesca Michielin. The song finished second in San Remo 2016, and with the winner deciding not to perform in Eurovision, the spot was given to the runner-up.

This is a slow-burn love song, Francesca sings of a deep emotional connection that has crept up on her. "È la prima volta che mi capita / Prima mi chiudevo in una scatola (It's the first time it’s happened to me / Before I just used to shut myself in). The second chorus dips into English, to convey the message even more clearly.

The best thing about "Nessun grado di separazione" is Francesca's voice! A beautiful tone, conveys everything she wants to say almost before she's enunciated the lyric.

It's a beautiful song, perhaps too beautiful for the big loud Eurovision Song Contest (see also: "Perta", "Amnesia", "This is my life"). Following this number 1 single in Italy, Francesca's continued to record albums, and returned to X Factor Italia to work with 2020 winner Måneskin.

youtube

#olivia rodrigo #francesca michielin #vampire #difficult lovers #energy suckers #dream-stuffer #no degree of separation #love song #singer-songwriter #italian #2023 #2016 #fear of mu21c #fear of music #FearOfMu21c #fearofmu21c #pop music #21st century

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pebblysand · 1 year ago

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[CHAPTER 19 RESOURCES]

hi all! i've seen a lot of messages/comments asking about the political/historical events referenced in chapter 19, and the research i'd done about it. as such, i thought i would write this short post to give you more resources if you're interested in digging further. i will however caveat the below by saying that the aftermath of 9/11 (and particularly the iraq war) is my political roman empire; it's a topic that truly fascinates me, and about which i've done a lot of research/thinking throughout the past 20 years, and something i'm always coming back to. so when it comes to the below, this is mostly made of the media i've consumed semi-recently, and that i remember. i couldn't possibly tell you what i was watching/reading ten years ago about this when i was getting obsessed by dick cheney 😭.

- on 9/11 -

it's relatively easy to find out literally anything you want about 9/11 from an american perspective. there's so many resources out there, feel free to pick your own. i myself recently watched 9/11: inside the president's war room on apple tv, which was comically bad pro-bush propaganda, but does give you some insight on bush's bizarre state of mind. having said that, for this chapter, i actually needed to figure out what it would have been like in the uk government, and i felt that this podcast episode from westminster insider was very good at doing that.

- on iraq -

the war in iraq, be it from a uk or a us perspective, is one of the most destructive, outrageous government lies and cover ups in history, and certainly of the 21st century. we really don't talk about it enough. it also not only destroyed the public's trust in government institutions, but killed and injured thousands of civilians (as well as soldiers) only to lead to the rise of isis and the perpetuation of instability in this region of the middle east. i could probably rant about it for literal decades, but here are some resources if you want to be outraged yourselves.

note that most of these are from a UK perspective, which was a deliberate choice on my end as i was writing this chapter from that perspective. i've also watched/listened to stuff from the us (and france, probably), but that was a long time ago and honestly i wouldn't have the references.

film/TV:

(fiction) official secrets with kiera knightly isn't bad. it's a bit dramatised but it goes over the story of a GCHQ analyst who leaked secrets to the press before the invasion.

(documentary) once upon a time in iraq from the bbc is genuinely incredible. it is the story of the war told through the point of view of those involved in it, from american soldiers, to journalists, to iraqi civilians. i thought it was very well made and did a great job at showing the perspective of people you rarely ever hear from.

(documentary) everyone always recommends fahrenheit 9/11 which i think i saw a long time ago and i suppose it was good, although i don't think it taught me anything i didn't already know.

podcasts:

most of the "research" i did for this chapter was actually through podcasts, so here is the stuff i listened to.

the fault line's entire first season bush, blair and iraq is INCREDIBLE. it's both very good at setting out the basic facts about the war and the chronology of the iraq invasion, but also at explaining how we got there, the lies both administrations told the general public, and how global group-think led to intelligence services to believe in intelligence that was ridiculously unreliable. i would say that this was my main source when planning out this chapter, and the research put into this podcast is truly top-class.

british scandal did a series of episodes on the david kelly scandal - a british weapons inspector who committed suicide after giving an interview to the bbc accusing the government of lying to the public about WMDs. this led to a bogus enquiry into the british government and the bbc, and a report that basically concluded the government didn't lie, which was of course not true. in tone, british scandal is a bit more casual and less journalistic than the first podcast (maybe a bit easier to digest if you're not into deep stuff though), and although i was mildly aware of it, i'd actually never done much research into this particular story before, so i still found the episodes quite interesting.

politics weekly UK and politics weekly america from the guardian did two very interesting episodes on the aftermath of the iraq war 20 years on, last march. i thought both were interesting, but the america episode was particularly good at explaining the liberal case for war, and how/why so many left-wing liberals fell into the pro-war side, with very good intentions that later turned out to be catastrophic. i already knew of this, and knew i was going to have harry take that side going in, but i used this podcast a lot to refine his position and what i was trying to get across in the chapter.

shock war from radio 4 is a good overall source with rather short episodes, if you can't be bothered with longer ones.

anyway, i hope this helps! thanks for reading and enjoying this chapter as much as you have, reading your comments, DMs, etc. has truly been incredible.

#castles

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oldschoolstation · 8 months ago

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From Arcade Glory to Console Classics: The Evolution of Donkey Kong Game

Since its inception in the early 1980s, Donkey Kong Game has been a staple of the gaming industry, captivating players with its challenging gameplay and charming characters. What began as a simple arcade game has evolved into a beloved franchise spanning multiple generations and platforms. In this article, we'll explore the evolution of Donkey Kong Game from its arcade glory days to its status as a console classic.

The Arcade Era

Donkey Kong Game burst onto the gaming scene in 1981, courtesy of Nintendo and legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Set in a construction site, the game follows the adventures of a mustachioed carpenter named Jumpman (later known as Mario) as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend, Pauline, from the clutches of the titular ape, Donkey Kong.

With its innovative gameplay mechanics and charming characters, Donkey Kong Game quickly became a smash hit in arcades around the world. Players were drawn to its addictive platforming action and challenging level design, which tasked them with navigating obstacles like rolling barrels and flaming fireballs to reach Pauline at the top of each level.

The Birth of a Franchise

The success of Donkey Kong Game paved the way for a series of sequels and spin-offs, solidifying its status as a cultural phenomenon. In 1982, Nintendo released Donkey Kong Jr., which flipped the script by casting players as Donkey Kong's son, who must rescue his father from the clutches of Mario.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Donkey Kong franchise continued to expand with titles like Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong Country, and Donkey Kong Land. These games introduced new characters, gameplay mechanics, and visual styles, while still retaining the core elements that made the original Donkey Kong Game so beloved.

The Transition to Consoles

As home gaming consoles became increasingly popular in the late 20th century, Nintendo seized the opportunity to bring the world of Donkey Kong Game to living rooms around the world. In 1983, the company released Donkey Kong for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), introducing a whole new generation of players to the adventures of Jumpman and Donkey Kong.

The success of the NES version led to a slew of sequels and spin-offs on subsequent Nintendo consoles, including the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Nintendo 64, and GameCube. Titles like Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong 64, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat pushed the boundaries of what was possible in terms of graphics, gameplay, and storytelling, while still paying homage to the arcade roots of the series.

Modern Revivals and Remasters

In the 21st century, the Donkey Kong franchise has continued to thrive with a series of modern revivals and remasters. In 2010, Nintendo released Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii, followed by Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch.

These games have been praised by critics and fans alike for their stunning visuals, tight controls, and challenging level design. They also introduced new features like cooperative multiplayer and online leaderboards, further expanding the appeal of the franchise to a new generation of players.

Conclusion

From its humble beginnings in the arcades to its status as a console classic, the evolution of Donkey Kong Game is a testament to the enduring appeal of great game design and storytelling. Over the past four decades, the franchise has continued to innovate and inspire, delighting players of all ages with its charming characters, challenging gameplay, and memorable moments.

As we look ahead to the future, one thing is clear: the legacy of Donkey Kong Game will continue to endure for generations to come. Whether you're a seasoned gamer who fondly remembers playing the original arcade cabinet or a newcomer eager to experience the magic of Donkey Kong for the first time, there's never been a better time to join the adventure. So grab your controller, fire up your console, and get ready to embark on a journey through the evolution of one of gaming's most iconic franchises.

#Donkey Kong Game

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sci-fiworlds · 2 years ago

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Outbreak! Predictive Programming and Sci-Fi Pandemics

It's this alarming accuracy and almost prophetic track record that should have even the most casual or sceptical of listeners more than just a little concerned about what Jones is now predicting for the next decade or so … a series of staged global pandemics and compulsory vaccinations. Each designer outbreak, and accompanying jab in the arm, deadlier than the last with the ultimate Illuminati Endgame of a worldwide population reduction of between 80 to 90%. This gigantic, almost pagan-like, sacrifice to Mother Earth that would put even Christopher Lee's Lord Summerisle (The Wicker Man, 1973) to shame. (Anyone who chooses to believe that a vaccination couldn't possibly be dangerous to your health should read this)

What more ... as if this apocalyptic future wasn't nightmarish enough already … Jones goes further, suggesting that we've all been secretly conditioned already, practically since birth, to accept this 21st century mass culling through predictive programming in sci-fi films and television shows. The idea being, of course, that if the species is pre-programmed via fiction to sub-consciously associate apocalyptic plagues, Third World Wars and yes European or even Global police-states with the future, then when these things finally do occur the masses will be more inclined to just accept them as the natural course of history and so fail to resist them. Absurd you say … maybe but that doesn’t make it wrong, people would have said the same thing about planes being deliberately flown into buildings … perhaps only time will tell one way or another.

However, given Jones' past successess … not to mention the current swine flu hype in the mainstream corporate media and the push to forcibly vaccinate everyone in the US, Britain and other countries … only a fool wouldn't at least consider that the documentary film maker could be right about this one too. There certainly isn’t any shortage of disturbing government/medical precedents that should give people reason for concern: the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment being perhaps the most damning, not to mention forcing US pilots to fly through radioactive mushroom clouds in the early Cold War and even contaminating New York City’s subway system with dangerous anthrax simulant in 1966.

Whatever the truth, though, global pandemics definitely seem to have been a regular stable of science fiction going right back to when the genre was first conceived. Remember, in H G Wells' ever popular novel The War of the Worlds (first published in 1898) it's a virus that, perhaps suspiciously, finally defeats the Martian invaders. You can read our previous article H G Wells and the New World Order for more thoughts on Wells and his writings.

Lethal viruses, of course, were also a major element of another famous British sci-fi writer, Terry Nation, the creator of the Daleks and the cult series Blake's 7. Several of Nation's scripts for television centered around the idea of a deadly new virus bringing civilization to its knees. Most notably, in Nation's 1964 Doctor Who serial, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, it's a mysterious space plague brought to Earth by meteorites that paves the way for the Dalek conquest of a severally weakened mankind.

Also, maybe a little disturbingly, despite the six part Dalek epic taking place sometime after 2164 the narration on the BBC trailer suggested the story took place in the year 2000! Oddly enough Tom Baker's incarnation of the Doctor later reaffirmed this date when interrogated by the evil Dalek creator Davros in 1975's Genesis of the Daleks. Further, in a classic scene between Baker and Davros the mad scientist even threatens to create a virus capable of destroying all life in the Cosmos. Cold and calculatingly whispering then madly ranting of the God-like power over life and death that would give him: "Yes. Yes. To hold in my hand, a capsule that contained such power. To know that life and death on such a scale was my choice. To know that the tiny pressure on my thumb, enough to break the glass, would end everything. Yes. I would do it. That power would set me up above the gods!"

It might sound a little ridiculous to suggest all this might have been an attempt to prepare the generation growing-up in the 1960s and 70s for a series of global pandemics today, but it certainly doesn't contradict the idea and, in an age where there were still only three channels in Britain, most of the country would be watching.

In 1975, the same year Genesis of the Daleks was first broadcast, Nation also revised the super pandemic idea for his popular series Survivors. As the series title might suggest, the cult classic followed the struggles of a small band of survivors in the wake of a mysterious pandemic that annihilates almost all of the world's population. Interestingly, if not even a little alarmingly, Survivors was remade by the BBC in 2008 which might lend some extra weight to the idea that we're all being prepared for something big coming down very soon.

In Hollywood, too, we certainly haven't seen any shortage of apocalyptic type films involving the outbreak of a killer virus or global pandemic these last few years. 28 Days Later and its sequel 28 Weeks Later, of course, being two of the most blatant examples. In fact you could include most, if not all, of the zombie and vampire sub-genre films. You might even include Children of Men. While the reason why humanity has become sterile by 2028 might never be explained, it ties in perfectly with the theme of population reduction.

It's Will Smith's 2007 film I Am Legend which has to take the prize for being the most worrisome though. Directly mirroring the dark warnings of the conspiracy theorists, in the film it's a new experimental vaccine that's responsible for the pandemic and resultant collapse of civilization in the first place. More troubling still, the Batman vs. Superman publicity poster seems to strongly hint at the film taking place in our real world in the not too distant future.

Perhaps we're just seeing patterns in things that aren't really there ... it's still too early to know one way or another. Regardless, though, people need to take the concerns of researchers like Alex Jones very seriously and do their own research before taking any vaccine rushed through by any government. Particularly in the case of here in Britain, where this is the same Labour government that lied to us about weapons of mass destruction. A lie that has killed over a million people now in Iraq, do we really want to let them stick a needle in our arm because they say it's safe?

READ RICHARD THOMAS'S SCI-FI WORLDS COLUMN FOR BINNALL OF AMERICA

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spider-xan · 2 years ago

Note

Do you think Moore should have continued the series out of the whole late 19th-century era? I find myself being more okay with a lot of the character changes as the story moves into the 21st century.

So I was going to give a quick answer to this one, but then realized that since I first read the comics while Vol. 2 was still being published as single issues back in the early 2000s, I can give some insight into how I would have answered this question back then versus now in retrospect after the entire run has been completed.

If you had asked me this back in 2003, I would have tentatively said yes, despite the fact that I did not like Vol. 2 for a long list of reasons that would be too long to get into for this ask, and while I ultimately didn't like it, I do remember being warily interested when Black Dossier was announced as a follow-up graphic novel; to give some historical fandom context, much of the fandom discussion at the time revolved around lit nerd fans coming up with their own 20th century League ideas for each decade using the famous literary characters of each era, so a significant part of the anticipation for further volumes was rooted in wanting to see who would actually be members of future teams, which, well, we know how that turned out in the end.

As for whether I think the comics should have continued now that I know what direction they ultimately took - tbh I think I would fall into the group that feels like it should have been restricted to the Victorian era bc a lot of the interest was in the Victorian parody of modern superhero comics idea, and if Moore wanted to do a massive crossover of all media ever, it could have been its own thing in conversation, if that makes sense; and I think it became clear as the comics moved further into modern times that Moore was getting into media that he either despised or knew very little about, in addition to crossing the line from very flawed attempts at critique to being mean-spirited and really inaccurate, and personally for me, it just stopped working and I finally gave up after the second issue of Vol. 3, though I should have long before then.

#asks #lxg #league of extraordinary gentlemen

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blackswaneuroparedux · 3 years ago

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Machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don’t hate: only the unloved hate, the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers, don’t fight for slavery, fight for liberty! You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure! Then, in the name of democracy, let us use that power. Let us all unite! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world...

- Charlie Chaplin (from the film, The Great Dictator)

Mahatma Gandhi and Charlie Chaplin were both forged in the 19th century, and both went on to become icons of the 20th. History has remembered one as a tireless liberator and the other as a tireless entertainer; decades after their deaths, both continue to command the respect of many in the 21st century. It’s understandable then, that a meeting between Gandhi and Chaplin at the peak of their fame would cause something of a fuss.

East-Enders, in the thousands, turn out to greet the two famous little men when they did meet in 1931 in London. Cries of “Good old Charlie!” and “Good old Gandhi!” were heard by the local working class East Enders where Gandhi had been lodging during his visit to London.

The occasion for this encounter was the Round Table Conferences in London 1931, a series of meetings between the British government and political representatives of India held with an eye toward constitutional reform.

The buzz was that Mahatma Gandhi would be coming to Britain for the first time since he joined the Freedom movement. The buzz proved correct, but more historic than the results of that particular conference session was what transpired thereafter. Gandhi was preparing for his departure when a telegram reached him. A certain Charles Chaplin, who was in Britain at that time, had requested permission to be granted an audience with him.

Gandhi, said to have seen only two films in his life (one of them in Hindi), did not know who this gentleman was, and so “replied that it would be hard for him to find time and asked his aides to send a reply declining the request. But it seems that Gandhi’s circle contained Chaplin fans, or at least advisors aware of the political value of a photo opportunity with the most beloved Englishman alive, who prevailed upon him to take the meeting.

And so, on September 22, 1931, hundreds of people crowded around the house - the characteristically humble lodgings off East India Dock Road - to catch a glimpse of the famous visitors. Some “even clambered over garden fences to look through the windows.

Chaplin recalls walking up the steps to the flat on the East End of London where Gandhi was staying. He was nervous, and rehearsed his lines (he was an actor, after all), and approached him. Chaplin opened with a question to Gandhi about his “abhorrence of machinery”: “I am all for the freedom of your country and its people. But there is one thing that I don’t understand. Why do you oppose the use of machines? Don’t you think that a lot of work would come to a standstill if machines are not used?”

Gandhi responded frankly, “I am not against machines but I cannot bear it when these very machines take away a man’s work from him. Today we your slaves because we cannot overcome our attraction, for your goods. Freedom will surely be ours if we learn to free ourselves from this attraction. Machinery in the past has made us dependent on England, and the only way we can rid ourselves of that dependency is to boycott all goods made by machinery.”

Chaplin later wrote of having received in this conversation “a lucid object lesson in tactical manouvering in India’s fight for freedom, inspired, paradoxically, by a realistic, virile-minded visionary with a will of iron to carry it out.”

Intriguingly, Chaplin could very well have got the idea for 1935’s Modern Times, a comedic critique of industrialised modernity that now ranks among Chaplin’s most acclaimed works and even The Great Dictator in 1940 which also played on the machine as metaphor of being dehumanised. The abstemious Gandhi never saw either film, of course, and whether either would have made him laugh is an open question. But Gandhi could hardly have disagreed with the message of either film.

#chaplin #charlie chaplin #gandhi #quote #film #movie #cinema #arts #culture #politics #british india #india #independence #machinery #society #colonialism #britain #western society #industrialisation

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secondyearvalerie · 3 years ago

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alas, Dare? Gray! being playful, painful being.

“Like Gray’s work, life, and much of his speech, the pages that follow are neither tidy nor a chronological series of events that lead to easy conclusions. Those expecting a traditional biography, starting with the day he was born, steadily working up to the present, may be disappointed. However, I hope you will enjoy this unorthodox, affectionate thesis, and not wish it was a simpler one.” Rodge Glass, Alasdair Gray’s secretary.

context of work:

Before stepping any closer to the creative mind of artist Alasdair Gray, it’s only appropriate to see his Oran Mor mural, for it will be the topic of discussion in this writing, and how his art shows a playfulness whilst handling solemn subjects.

SYMPHONIC Alasdair Gray’s ceiling at Oran Mor Photo: Mark Wild

Depictions of love, procreation, family, community, animals and nature, placed and painted meticulously to convey a message of ‘life and death’.

Certain emblematic figures in his illustrations include: Vast visuals of portraiture, poet friends, deceased loved ones, figments of his creations such as Bella Caledonia. Landscapes and skyscapes combine fantasy and reality, dream states and sobering awakenings. Gray talks of a winged embryo inside a skull, a symbol he has used and reused throughout his creations, which reconcile life and death as “death contains new life and old life passes through death” (BBC Alasdair Gray at Eighty).

A midwife pulling out a newborn from cosmic space, touching on the wonder of birth and alien nature of it.

Alasdair Gray scatters mottos precisely and meticulously, acting as chapter titles or captions for the sceneries, leading the viewers eyes among the skyscape. Alasdair Gray “remembered long after they are gone.”

His art, both visual and written, speaks volumes on the climate of his life in Scotland. Gray’s work and dialogue touches upon more private and sensitive matters in his works. He openly addressed political activism, endorsing socialism, opposing war and nuclear arms.

The Òran Mór website states that it was “affectionately coined the ‘Sistine Chapel of the 21st century’”, not an exaggerated compliment.

Gray’s murals and novels also advocated for Scottish independence, he developed a character throughout his novel Poor Things (1992) named Bella Caledonia, representing the good and strength in Scotland, the embodiment of the nation.

Bella Caledonia, from Grays novel Poor Things (1992). The composition and gaze of the Bella is a nod to Mona Lisa, explains Gray in the BBC documentary.

However, despite being a successful novelist, the artist struggled to get his murals known and seen and during the 20th century. There seemed to be a disconnect with his image as a wordsmith and visualist. With threats of erasure and demolition constantly hanging over ongoing projects, Gray did not slow down. The work displayed sensitive and controversial topics such as death, the nude and politics. Despite the obstacles Gray prolifically continued to mark the walls with his visions.

photo from BBC documentary.

Alasdair Gray’s mural artworks resurfaced in the 21st century in Glasgow; “the artist seeks to reinsert his marginalized or lost works into his city once more, in new contexts, for new futures” (Rodge Glass, page 1, Erasure and reinstatement). Gray possessed an eagerness to share his work, tirelessly painting and repainting murals he had first drafted decades ago. By allowing the art to evolve, but never straying far from his core messages, Gray made a comeback and this time, Scotland embraced him with wide open arms - even if it was 20+ years later.

Today, the locations of his murals play a key role in the artists visibility. With a large mosaic like mural In Hillhead train station, The Wee Pub pub staircase, Oran Mor doorway and auditorium, all locations are part of service for the people, (the ex-church Oran Mor is fee free and hosts various events). Gray’s work shows how art in open spaces allows for open dialogue.

The use of symbology and characters throughout his work is endless and overwhelming, it feels like entering a loud room full of conversing beings, and you don't mind not being part of the conversation.

an artist working on the Oran Mor mural alongside Gray commented on the frustration on reworking the same corners incessantly until it fit the vision Gray was holding.

By placing text next to certain sceneries, we read words and expressions, almost titling each corner like chapters in his books. He wants no room for error or confusion with what and why he has depicted. Through his excellent painting techniques and playful colour palette, Gray fleshes out 2D creatures until their eyes hold a piercing gaze.

Mark Wild and Kate Gollock Photography at the Oran Mor.

For his other locations outside of the magnificent ex-church Oran Mor such as under The Wee Pub staircase, Greys approach is no different. Glass describes his murals as “in a state of continual flux”. It took 4 visits from 1980, 1981, 2000 to 2006.

After being told to speed up his ceiling masterpiece, Alasdair Gray agreed to complete it in one week. 3 years later, it became what it is today. In a BBC documentary titled ‘Alasdair Gray at Eighty’ (2014), Gray speaks to himself through an alter-ego, a suited, hair-brushed critique asking himself direct piercing questions, to which he replies as clearly as he was cheeky. At the very end of the documentary, which Gray worked closely with, he makes a peaceful comment:

“perhaps, we’ve done enough” a cathartic moment of self-satisfaction.

images used:

https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DSC_0360.jpg

https://oran-mor.co.uk/arts-for-all/celestial-ceiling-mural/

references:

documentary (2014) Alasdair Gray at Eighty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30hlcG0RRVE

Glass, R (2020) Working with Alasdair Gray https://www.proquest.com/docview/2376722833?parentSessionId=gtFzAl8yhWkdwyQEaYBb%2Bqt%2FHpZiYhBSTRwAvqRtnPs%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=12441

Glass, R (2020)Erasure and reinstatement. Available at: https://pure.strath.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/101454734/Glass_2020_Erasure_and_reinstatement_Gray_the_artist_across_space_and_form.pdf

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writingsbychlo · 4 years ago

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below the surface | sam taylor

word count; 9022

summary; sam admires your fire, the two of you are good friends, and he just wants to help free you live to your fullest potential.

notes: there is some slightly odd themes here, but it was the norm for those times, so you’re just going to have to accept them, it really makes the story, so go with it.

warnings: smut, some misogynistic themes, verbal abuse.

Sam Taylor liked the 1920’s, far more than he ever liked the prospect of the 2020’s. He liked the simplicity of his life, he liked the friendly atmosphere, he liked watching history unfold, but most of all, he liked the woman he had first become acquainted with two years ago.

It had taken him a little while to settle down, to find a home and build a business for himself, and the ‘roaring twenties’ that he was oh-so-fond of were definitely picking up their speed. It all felt very Gatsby-esque to him, and a year after his arrival in the time, he’d returned to the speakeasy he’d once visited with Evelyn. It had taken time for that wound to heal, and he felt that being able to return to the place he once treasured with her might be the final step for him to be able to close that chapter of his life, and move onto another one.

The speakeasy itself wasn’t actually where he had met you. Actually, it had been a few roads over, when he’d been drawn to the sounds of shouting and laughter, and he’d found you shouting at a group of younger men, who couldn't have possibly been more than their late teens, who were leering at you and trying to grab onto you. He hadn't even had to do anything, he had arrived to help but you had taken care of it yourself, shaking your head and mumbling about stain removing when the blood of a now broken nose stained your white glove, the group looking shocked, and then appalled, before running off with their bleeding friend and spitting insults at you.

“Well, go on then!” You had spun to face him, eyebrows raised and one gloved hand, one bare hand, sitting on your waist as you waited for him to speak, and he merely raised an eyebrow at you. “Tell me how unladylike I am, how I shouldn’t be out alone, or how I’ll never find a husband with an attitude like mine? I’d bet you a half dollar that you couldn’t tell me anything that I haven’t heard before.”

“I was going to say I think that was rather impressive, actually.” You had stared at him, eyes narrowed for half a second, before you’d been opening the clutch purse in your hand, shoving both gloves inside of it and producing a small silver coin, held out to him in the palm of your hand. “Nobody has ever told you how impressive it is that you can stand up for yourself before?”

“I’m not sure if you noticed, sir, but women are supposed to be seen and not heard.” You spat out the words distastefully, and he let out a small laugh, ducking his head and taking you hand in his, curling your fingers back around the coin in refusal to take it, but he could already see another argument building back up within you at the rejection of the token.

“Well, if I hadn't have heard you, I wouldn’t have gotten to meet you, and I’m rather glad I did.” He held out his hand, introducing himself formally and waiting as you studied him once again, before offering your name in return. “How about you use that bet to buy me a drink, hm? I know this great little spot below the surface.”

“You’d let a woman buy you a drink?”

“I’d let you buy me several, but I do believe in equality, so if you’d let me keep your company for longer, I will be insisting that we take turns on the purchases.” That had earned him a genuine smile, and he took your hand in his and placed it into the crook of his elbow, guiding you down the streets towards the only little store with the lights still turned on.

“I suppose you’ll know somewhere that sells a real drink, do you, Mr Taylor?”

He flashed you a cheeky grin in response, insisting that you call him Sam, even with all the formalities of the time, because clearly you didn’t play by your own eras rules, and he liked that a lot. Holding open the door to the shop, you stepped in ahead of him, the owner looking up at both of you cautiously, a brow raised as he paused in his movements for wiping down the counter.

“We’re closed, what are you looking for?”

He cleared his throat, sparing you a glance before he was stepping forwards. “Cabbage.” Some dead silence hung in the air, and a slight warmth rose to his cheeks form the very moment the ridiculous codeword had left his mouth.

“I’m sorry, you’re looking for what?”

“Y’know, cabbage?” He nodded his head towards the door he remembered from last time, and the shop assistant looked between him, back to you, before him once again, and you sighed, your hand landing once again on his upper arm as you came up to stand behind the counter by his side.

“Do you have any red linens?”

The man seemed to catch on, his lips flicking up at the sides, and Sam’s cheeks only grew darker in colour as the two of you were guided away toward the stairwell hidden in the back of the store, the speakeasy concealed below. Once the door was closed behind you, your forehead had pressed to his arm, a series of small giggles leaving you and he let out a playful huff as you did.

“That’s an old phrase, it’s changed every six months to keep it from spreading too quickly.” You confided, and he hummed, pushing the coding to the back of his mind to be remembered until it was changed once again.

“You’ve been here before, then?”

“I can be found at this bar every Thursday, my father likes to spread the word about having a daughter of age with a dowry to boot, ready to be married off.” Your words had turned bitter at the end, and Sam had sighed, shaking his head and offering you a frown, but he wanted to keep the mood lighter, as he was enjoying your company.

“So, if I happened to be here on a Thursday evening, I might find you here, too?”

“You just might, Sam. Now, how about that drink?”

Meeting you at the bar on Thursday nights had rather rapidly become a constant in Sam’s life, he counted down the days and hours until he could see you again, to listen to you excitedly talk about your week as you sipped on gin at the bar and let you ramble about the book you had been reading, or the story you’d heard from your friends, or simply the new and fleeting hobby you had picked up and dropped in the last few days.

You were wild, and interesting, and you made the transition from the 21st Century to the beginning of the 20th so easy for him that he barely noticed anything different when he was with you. You were like a little drop of home in his week, and he couldn't help the easy flow he’d taken from friendship to something a little flirtier with you, and he liked the way you joked back, cheeks rising with red and jaw dropping when he whispered in your ear and held you in a way that was just a little risky for the time period he had found himself in.

He liked it when you’d dance with him to the music playing, and he liked it when you’d hum along to the songs being sung. He absolutely loved it when you rested your head on his shoulder and let out little sighs of tiredness when they night moved on and you let him hold you a little tighter to keep you on your feet as you waited for your brother or father to be ready to escort you home when they were finished posturing and proving themselves to the other men in the club.

Spring had bled into Summer, into Winter, and your friendship had only become stronger. He had met your father, and your brother, and he was never approving of the scowls they wore when you let out loud and obvious huffs of indignation when you were called over to meet a possible new suitor, or when you were shown off by them as some kind of prize to be won, only to mouth off and prove that you were far more than a pretty face.

You were stubborn, and strong-willed, and you didn’t conform to the stereotypes that your time had laid out. He saw you during the feminist rallies in the town, holding handmade signs high and shouting for equal rights at the top of your lungs, with absolutely no idea that your movement would be something that children would be learning about in their history lessons a century from now, taught by a female teacher with independence and equality, and he watched on proudly each time.

He had met your mother on the days he had been fetching his groceries from the farmer’s markets, rolling your eyes at the older woman as she tried to tell you recipes to remember and tips to make you an agreeable wife that you had downright refused to commit to memory.

Two years passed, and he watched as the new decade was ushered in, everything from the 10’s being swept away as old news as the 20’s came barrelling in, and style from the notorious New York City had taken over. You had a wardrobe full of tasselled dresses that fell around your knees and rode up when you crossed your legs to reveal the softer skin of your thighs, and you had pearl necklaces that fell down into lower necklines, and lips painted red with curled hair, and fuck, Sam really did love the twenties.

He loved going home and finding the print of your red lipstick printed on his cheeks from where you had bid him goodnight each Thursday in the early hours, and he liked the tint your cheeks got as your slightly tipsy form wobbled when you tried to pretend you hadn't been drinking, acting the good girl in the streets to follow the laws of the oncoming prohibition.

Two years in had brought a lot of changes since the night Sam had met you. The prohibition had made the speakeasy an even more lucrative spot to be included within, poker tables and cigars with whiskey glasses clinking below the streets, passers-by completely unknowing as to the activities that were taking place below. It had brought a wealthier crowd, elites and upper-class, only those who could afford to pay for the right to know the password at the door, and your father had only put more pressure on you to find a husband.

You were two years older, moving towards your mid-twenties, and of a prime age to bear a child for whichever man your father chose to give you away to. He was happy with the crowd that the speakeasy brought around, gambling from men with a lot of coin to throw down onto the table and options that would undoubtedly bring a high price for your hand in marriage.

In turn, you were acting out more and more, causing every option your father had found for you to end up turning their nose up and sneering as they muttered about finding a girl who could make them a home and raise a child, never bothering to look at what was underneath, never bother to get to know the incredible person below the surface of a woman to be given away.

You were seen less and less, from every Thursday to one Thursday a month, your father choosing to leave you at home in favour of talking you up in order to confirm a deal before you had a chance to ruin it, and yet Sam attended faithfully every Thursday, just in the hopes of seeing you. Your flame was being dulled, the rallies were quieter without your voice shouting out with the rest, his shopping trips were duller when he couldn't catch sight of your playful faces and rolled eyes as he moved between the stalls near you, and his days were empty without ever getting to catch glances of you, or talk to you late at night after your family had gone to bed and you called him on the telephone attached to his kitchen walls.

Your smile wasn’t as bright, your shoulders were slumped and your fashion sense had reverted back to that of the dresses he knew of mother’s to wear, but he never missed the longing looks you gave to the girls who would flounce about in tassels and pearls and sequins, dancing and singing and having fun, and he hated that you no longer told him excitedly about your day, instead forced to stay by your father or brother’s side as the night progressed on. Each time you were questioned by another man, he got to see a brief glimpse of your slowly drowning personality, his lips flicking up at the sies when he heard your sarcastic and snippy retorts, soon quieted by your father’s growling voice over the top of your own.

That was how Sam had found himself peeking at you from his seat at the table, watching you subtly as you stood off to the edge of the bar with you brother, picking at the uncomfortable edges of your corset dress as you pulled it out each time you wanted to take a deep breath, your eyebrows pinched as a fake smile sat on your cheeks and your hands formed fists as your kept them held in front of you like a lady always should.

Your father was angry, he was talking about the latest tantrum you’d had, having caused such damage to your car by driving when you weren’t permitted to and had no idea how to, that he had to fork out to have it prepared, almost as much as the car had cost him in the first place when he’d won it on an auction, new parts having to be brought in to fix it, and he was fuming, even as he laid down yet another stack of notes onto the table for betting with.

He felt your arrival before he saw you, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as the dragging of your almost floor-length dress between the chairs sounded and your arm brushing his shoulder oh so lightly, the kind of friendly greeting you gave him now, as he was certain your family had forbidden you from being seen with him in fear it would drive away other men. He risked a glance up, your back to hi as you approached your father, but you offered him a fleeting smile when you turned, your eyes meeting his for barely a second before you were facing your father once again, gaze flicking over the lusting gazes of the other men around the table, before clearing your throat.

All you had asked for was another money to buy another drink, but your father having just lost yet another hand and more money, seemed to reach the end of his tether.

“You would ask me for even more money, as though you haven’t already drained me of enough simply by being born into the godforsaken world?” His glare was fixed on you, cold and icy, and your jaw dropped, eyes narrowing on him as you prepared to fight back, but he was already pushing on with such rage that your mouth had snapped shut and your eyes had widened as you swallowed thickly, and Sam felt his own free hand clench into a fist as the cards in his other bent a little from the force at which he was gripping them. “You disappoint me, time and time again by refusing to act like a woman, by failing to find yourself a suitable husband, and now you want to take even more from me?”

“I just wanted a dri-”

“You just want everything, you selfish brat! Be quiet, stand still, and look pretty and let’s just hope that you can do something right for once, and find yourself a husband soon, so that you are no longer my responsibility to care for!” His nostrils were flaring and cheeks heated, face so red he resembled a tomato, and his shouting only came to an end due to being shushed by the owner in fears that he was actually so loud that people above in the streets may hear the commotion.

The room had been deathly silent for almost a minute after, all eye son the little table Sam found himself sitting at, and your head was ducked down from embarrassment, your fingers anxiously tapping at your leg, before the gazes seemed to move on and the band continued with their singing once again, the room taking it’s chatter back up and returning to normal after witnessing such an outburst.

“Your daughter is out of control.”

It was the first word spoken, and Sam’s own angry glare shifted to that of the man two seats down form him, yours and your father’s following, and Sam swore when he turned to look at you, he could see the last bit of yourself breaking within you s you were worn down further and further by the oppressive nature of the men surrounding you.

Floodgates had been opened, and before he knew it, Sam was sitting at a table full of jokes about your chances of never settling down, men picking fun at you and continuing to leer at you, stuck somewhere misogynistic comments about your body being all you were good for, and he felt sick as he watched your father chuckle and comment how he wished one of them would take her off of his hands even if that was all they wanted, and anger swelled within him as each and every one continued to deny that they would ever risk marrying you, fear of your boldness making them reject you, and he couldn't take it anymore, your father’s ramblings about never finding someone to take your hand being the final straw.

You may not have been the picture-perfect wife for any of these men, but you were absolutely perfect in his own. You were loud, and opinionated, and not afraid to argue with your own knowledge and facts when the two of you had debates. You were educated, and well-read, and had a sense of humour to match his own. You liked to adventure, and take risks, and you weren’t afraid to get angry when you needed to be. Your soul wasn’t one that was supposed to be dampened, but should instead be allowed to flourish. You were his best friend, his only real friend, and you were everything that mattered to him in this world, everything he had here with him.

You reminded him of his family and friends that he had lost when choosing to stay, you reminded him of everything he had once dreamed of in a woman, and he refused to let you be lost to the mainstream of dull women who were more like possessions than people, because he would be damned if he let one more comment about how you would never have a truly happy marriage or fulfilled life fly by, just because they were unable to appreciate how truly brilliant you were.

It was derogatory and rude, and borderline verbal abuse as he watched you curl in on yourself more and more with each comment, and he just couldn't take it anymore. Not the unhappy look on your face or the frown on your lips, or the way your eyes were cast downwards because even though you acted strong, he was certain you were breaking a little more with each unkind comment thrown your way.

He slumped a little in his chair, letting out a deep sigh and swirling the glass in his hand a little. “I would marry your daughter in a heartbeat.”

The table fell into a dead silence around him, and he raised the glass up to his lips, holding his face neutral and steady as he looked at his cards, enjoying the burn of whiskey sliding down his throat as he finished off the glass and placed it on the table.

“Can you repeat yourself there, son?”

“I said-” He didn’t intend for his words to come out growled and as menacing as they did, but he couldn't help it, and some of the other men around the table even had the good graciousness to look a little startled at his response. “I would marry your daughter. I think any man would be lucky to call her his wife, so I repeat to you, that when you made a claim that no man would marry your daughter, you were wrong, because I would marry her without hesitation.”

He shuffled the cards in his hands, arranging them better to suit him as he looked at the game, and the man looked positively taken aback, somewhere between horrified and ecstatic, before clearing his throat in a scrabbling attempt to seem dignified. “She has no dowry, and she would not make an agreeable wife.”

His tone read clearly that he was desperate to hand her off to the first bachelor to offer even a shred of willing, and yet with all the other eyes of the gentleman at the table around him, he was trying to hold his respect, unknowing that Sam had absolutely none for him at all, but he liked the pressure your father was now feeling to try and gain the bargain, as though you were a possession to be exchanged.

He took a long moment, finally moving his gaze up to you, his lips flicking up at edges in a hint of a smile to ease your nerves. Your eyes were wide and lips pressed into a thin line, your expression seemingly unreadable, but those creases of worry between your eyebrows were gone and the pinched expression from trying your best to keep your thoughts to yourself had slipped away, despite offering him no reading of how you felt about it all. He could see the way your posture had slumped a little as you relaxed, your palms smoothed out against your sides instead of clenched in fists, and your shoulders were rising and falling in steady rhythms instead of jerky breaths.

“She doesn’t need a dowry, she has more than enough to offer on her own. I don’t need to be bought to want to know her.”

It was another few minutes of rigid and tense silence, whispered comments going around the table between the older men as though they were teenage girls on a schoolyard, before loud and jovial laughter was released from your keeper, his palms slamming down on the surface so forcefully that the table wobbled and poker chips clinked and tumbled from their stacks, but he continued to sit unfazed, staring forwards, as you now looked between himself and your father in shock.

“All me to buy you a drink, and to thank you, despite not knowing why you would take on such an unruly woman.” Your father fished into the leather of his wallet to hand over a few coins to you. “I’ll buy you one final drink, and you can fetch one of the man who is taking responsibility for you.”

You stood stock still for a moment, before setting yourself into jerky movements, stepping away from your father and offering him a quiet ‘thank you’ before making your way to Sam’s side, normally warm and kind eyes peering down at him cautiously and calculating, and he rolled his head back to look at you, trying to give you the most reassuring look you possibly could as he spoke his preference to you, nodding as you stepped away from him and towards the bar, but not before reaching for the empty glass on the table in front of him and taking it with you.

You were quiet the when you returned, barely responding to the thanks he had offered you when you hold your drink out to him, choosing instead to quietly sip at your own gin and stan behind him, one hand rested delicately on his shoulder as you studio behind him, shielding yourself from your father and watching on wordlessly as the men gambled and played cards for a further few hours into the night.

Sam was on a winning streak, a lot of chips sitting before him, stacks of notes and coins sitting in the centre of the table that he had such a large hand out of that he would barely be able to count it, more in one night than he would earn from his little company in over three months, the kind of money that made his gut twist and his head spin, and the game was being called to an end while he was still sitting wealthy, before the inevitable pride of having so many chips got to his head and he lost them all.

As he gathered up the money being split out to him, ignoring the drunken complaints of the men around him and taking his winnings, he knew it would be a while before he was invited back to the tables, and a while before their bruised egos healed over losing such sums to someone so young. He’d been playing since he was about twelve, and he was incredibly good at the game, what could he say?

You were still suspiciously quiet, even when everybody was milling out of the small shop for the night and standing in the cold night air, breath billowing around them in the cold air, and his fingers found your wrist carefully, pulling you aside, your lips still sealed shut as he watched you imploringly shuffle from one foot to another, itching uncomfortably in your corset.

“Are you okay?”

“I am perfectly content! I am to be married, to a respectable man, and I am just grateful that it is someone I know, I am just dandy.” You offered him a forced smile, that to anyone that didn’t know you as well as he did may believe it to be real, but that was the problem. He did know you, and those weren’t your words, or your attitude, and that certainly wasn’t a genuinely happy smile on your behalf. He was prepared to question you on it, to ensure you that it was okay, but your eyes were flicking fearfully over his shoulder, before moving back to his, a slight glisten in them as they narrowed, and he turned his own head to look.

A sigh left his lips, and his jaw snapped shut out of irritation, your father standing only feet away, clearly listening in to the conversation, and Sam let an arm snake around your waist like he had done so many times before, this time trying to shield you from the drunken elder that was looming over the pair of you. “I see you and my daughter are already growing acquainted.”

His eye dropped down in a wink that made Sam’s stomach twist with nausea, and you moved slightly further into his side, a thought that made him preen a little internally, knowing that at least you trusted him, to keep you safe and to try and do right by you.

“She may go home with you, she should know the house she will be living in and maintaining. Tomorrow at noon, we will meet to discuss the details of your wedlock, but I’ll be going home now.” He waved a hand to silence of the pair of you before either of you had even spoken, leaving you to back away from Sam and tremble on your own, both of you watching slack-jawed as he walked away, leaving you both alone in the street.

“Sam..”

He was only torn from his staring of the man’s retreating figure when your voice, lighter and shakier than usual, drifted to his ears and pulled his focus to you. Your face was scrunched up in a scared expression, something he never wanted or see again on your face, and he swallowed thickly before nodding, and setting a hand on your lower back, trying not to startle you as you began to process everything that had happened or you in the last few hours.

The walk was quiet, your feet scuffing the floor, and he spared the occasional glance over at you as he allowed you time to take in all that had occurred. Your face flicked between shocked, to sad, to angry, and back to neutral, keeping every single one of your thoughts locked inside yourself, keeping everything quiet.

The only noises were the occasional brush of your feet beside his on the floor, the drag of you shoes on the stones as you made your way up along the long and winding path to the renovated house he was proud to call his home, and the jingling of the bundle of keys that he pulled from his pocket, your foot tapping anxiously on the ground as he undid the several locks on his front door, before holding the heavy wood out to him.

You had never seen the inside of his home before, it had never been appropriate for him to invite you inside, and now, it was where you were going to live. Maybe he hadn't quite thought this through, but he didn’t have a chance to follow that thought across before the door was closing behind him, our hands clenched by your sides as you watched him bolt them back up for the night, and finally, you snapped.

“What gives you the right, Sam Taylor? To step into my life and decide to take charge, hm?” You barely missed a beat, his brows raising at you, and while he knew all of this anger was entirely directed at him, he was willing to let you get all you pent up rage out of your system, even if it did involve you screaming at him. “I will not be your property, and you should have known me well enough to understand that! I don’t want to be a housewife who cowers in submission! This is the 20th Century and women should have rights, I don’t want to be a chattel for you to use as you please!”

He had to bite his cheek at your phrasing, hearing a girl shout ‘this is the 20th Century’ while talking of rights was something he may never get used to, but he waited until you were huffing out a breath and crossing your arms over your chest, cheeks red and eyes filled with a raging fire. It was a fire he had missed seeing in you, one he wanted to let roar instead of extinguishing, and when he was certain that you had finished, he let out the breath he was holding.

“I don’t want to own you, or force you to be something that you aren’t. You can be whoever you want to be with me. You don’t have to wear these ridiculous corsets that clearly make you uncomfortable, and you don’t have to bite your tongue when you want to speak, and you certainly don’t need to be anything less than a proud and strong woman of the 20th Century.”

His lips flicked up at the edges as he said the words, a very slight smirk on his face, and your entire body seemed to sag out of relief when you looked at him, checking him to see if he was really telling you the truth, and finding that he was.

“I want you to have your freedom, and you always have with me.” You were quiet, but nodding slowly and taking slow and deep breaths, before averting your gaze from his, picking at your nails as you suddenly seemed to find the wooden floors much more interesting than him. Instead, he busied himself with kicking off his shoes and hanging up his coat, taking out the stacks of money from his pockets, sifting through it all to count how much he had actually claimed. “How much was your dowry?”

He’d hear you following behind him, neatly taking off your heels and placing them tidily on the shoe rack beside his front door, hanging your thin coat up beside his, but you didn’t speak to him again until he had asked you the question, your throat clearing and voice stumbling over your words in stuttered and broken sounds when you spoke. It was in mumbles, an amount he barely caught before processing the noise you had made and he thought it through. It was almost as much as his winnings, and he made a proud and sure noise in the back of his throat as he pushed the collection of papers and coins across the counter towards where you were idling, your eyes following the pile but you never once moved.

“This is approximately that much, and it’s yours. I don’t want you to feel like you need to rely on me, you can go where you want and do what you please, I’ll just be here if you need me.” He took a tentative step toward you, smiling to himself when you didn't step away from him, before he ducked his head and brushed his lips to your cheek in a soft kiss, bumping the tip of his nose against your temple as he pulled away. “There are two guest rooms, you can choose either that you like, and you can wake me if you need anything. Goodnight, darling.”

It was at least a half-hour before Sam heard the soft knock at his door, and he had been pulling back the several layers of blankets sitting on his bed, the robe he’d been wearing already hung back up, only a pair of pyjama pants were clad on him now, a single candle lantern flickering on either side of the bed.

He had to resist the urge to tell you just how modern you looked when you stepped into the room, smiling at him gently around the door, your feet now bare on the cool wood slats and your legs exposed, all the way up the soft and flimsy shorts he owned, almost swamped by one of the off-white undershirts he often wore for warmth, the sleeves covering your palms.

He offered a smile, taking a seat amongst his pillow and tucking his sheets around himself as you stepped further into the bedroom, the door falling shut behind you with a soft click, and he took a moment to take you in. Your hair was taken out of its up-do from earlier in the day, sitting around your shoulders in loose waves and tangles, marks in the hair form all the pins that had been used to hold it up, and your skin was cleaned of eyeliner and red lipstick, looking far more domestic than he’d ever had the privilege of seeing you in before.

“You know, you are just terrible at doing your washing. I think this shirt and this pair of shorts may have been the only clean items in that basket that were also dry.” Your joke was immediately enough to break the tension, and he huffed out a laugh, settling back a little further and slumping down into his pillows.

“I’ve never been any good at my washing, I just accept it however it turns out.” You made your way across the room to him, standing by the side of his bed and avoiding his eye as you instead took a few moments to take in the simple detailing of his bedroom. There was nothing judgemental about your look, instead, you were simply observing, committing it to memory, before your gaze was flicking to the patch on his top blanket that he picked at anxiously, loose threads hanging from it.

“You don’t know how to sew, either?”

“I always poke my fingers with the needles, and it always turns out a mess. When it gets bad enough, I will just buy a new one.” That answer made you frown, and you took a seat on the edge of the bed beside his legs, dropping your hands down into your lap and staring at you bundled fists intently.

“I may not be as much a lady as men would like, but I do know how to do stitch, and wash clothes. I can also cook and clean.” Your shoulders sagged a little, but the smile you offered him may have been small, but it was at least genuine, he could tell from the honest way you met his eyes as you did, exposing your soul to him easily. “I’ll try my hardest to be a good wife for you, Sam.”

He slipped his hand across the sheet, resting a large hand over your smaller one, and squeezing reassuringly, causing you to look up from your lap and hold his gaze. “I don’t want you to be what you think everyone else wants, I want you to be you. If there’s one thing I can do, it’s cook. I’m good at that, I make a very good meal out of very little, my mother taught me.”

“But, it’s my job t-”

“It’s not your job to do anything that you don’t want to. We can split the jobs between us.”

You stared at him, for a good few minutes, and he almost felt himself shrinking under your stare, before you were getting to your feet and smoothing out the creases on the bed sheets where you had been sitting. He thought you would leave, that you would be moving away from him and back out into the corridor, but instead, you were rounding the bed and lifting the sheets carefully, settling yourself beside him and moving away from the edge of the bed, closer to the warmth his body provided. “Is this okay?”

“This is okay.” He nodded at you dumbly, watching as you fluffed your pillows and blew out the lantern on your side of the bedroom, the smell of wet candle wax and smoke filling the air as only the one flickering candle kept he room alight, a soft glow that left only this section of the room illuminated, almost everything else cast into darkness.

“I like to make clothes, so I don’t mind doing your sewing too, you don’t have to buy new garments each time they tear. I also like gardening, I noticed that your front garden didn’t have many flowers, and it was rather untidy.”

“You can do anything you want with the gardens, I think anything would be an improvement.”

“Can I plant flowers?” You were looking up at him through your lashes, anticipation clear on your features, and he grinned, lifting a hand to tuck some hair back behind your ear and cup your jaw, running his thumb over your cheekbone tenderly.

“You can do anything you want with the gardens.” You were happy now, he could feel it in the way you leaned into his touch a little, before you were moving onto your side to face him, and he simply rested both of his hands on his stomach, linking his fingers together and waiting for more of your questions.

“Do I have to wear corsets?”

“No.”

“Do I have to clean for you?”

“No, we’ll share the cleaning.”

“Can I sleep in the bed with you?”

He paused, looking at you and swallowing the lump in his throat, before nodding at you and trying to relax from the way his body had stiffened. “If you’d like to.”

“I would.”

You shuffled a little closer, taking one of his hands in yours and moving it away, before linking your own fingers with his instead, resting your body down beside him on the mattress and pressing your head against his pillow, the two of you falling into a comfortable silence as your body pressed up to his side, and your heartbeat began to match his as it thumped against your chest, pressed or his ribs.

He liked it, and he could get used to the feeling of having your body pressed up beside his in the bed, keeping him warm in the winter, and giving him the company he had missed for so long. You were his best friend, one of the best friends he’d ever had - in either era - and the thought of getting to have you by his side in any way, was more than enough to make him happy.

He didn’t care what became of your relationships, he had done what he did in order to liberate you from the oppressive nature of your father, to help you find freedom and live the life you wanted while being happy.

If he got to leave his family to gain the life he wanted and live happily, then you deserved the same, and he would do anything to make it happen.

He was just reaching for the little cup to extinguish the candle when your hand caught his wrist, pausing his actions and bringing his hand back toward you, your body sitting up once again, and he waited, your jaw opening and closing as you tried to find your words. You faced him more fully, sitting up and letting the sheets fall away, shuffling toward him until your knees were brushing his leg, and he sat himself up a little further, confusion beginning to seep into him as he took in the nervous expression on your face.

“May I ask you to do something for me?” He offered a silent form of his affirmation, and you moved a little closer, shaking hands coming up to hold onto his cheeks. “Nobody has ever kissed me before, and if we’re going to be married, you will be the only person who ever has. I would like to know what that feels like.”

“You want me to kiss you?” This time, it was your turn to give a silent form of understanding, nodding you consent to him and his lips tilted up at the corners. “You’re sure you want that?”

“Sam, I’ve always found you attractive, but tonight you sacrificed everything just to make me happy, and you are like no man I have ever met. I would very much like for you to kiss me.” You were nervous, colour crawling up your cheeks, and he licked over his lips, feeling his own skin heat up as he watched you. Your eyes were wide, lips a little parted and face flushed a charming colour, and in this minute you looked so pretty that Sam swore you may be the angelic woman he’d ever seen.

Placing a hand on the bed beside you, he leaned over, lowering himself down until he could drag the tip of his nose across yours, your breath washing over his lips with each small and shallow breath you let out, your eyes fluttering closed and lashes brushing his skin as he copied the motion. Your forehead was pressed to his, so close now that he could taste the gin still lingering on your lips, and with that, he closed the distance between you both.

Softly at first, his mouth pressed to your own, lips sealed in a sweet peck, and he felt the intake of breath you took in a gasp through your nose, before he was dragging his lips with your own in delicate patterns, feeling you press back with hesitation, unsure in your movements but eager to learn, and your hands fell away, one slipping into his hair as the other came down to press to his chest, and you were kneeling up into him.

He wasn’t sure what had happened, or when. He had been intending to keep the kiss brief and chaste, never wanting to push you on anything, but it wasn’t until his back met the bed again and his head was pressing into the pillows that he realised you were now kneeling over him, a leg on either side of his lap and his hands on your waist.

You were letting out little whimpers into his mouth each time the kiss grew a little messier, his lips parting a little further and his tongue flicking out a little more frequently to tease at the seam of your lips, but then your tongue was daring to peek out to play with his own, and he couldn't hold back the deep groan he let out as your tongue dragged across his. The grip he held on your hips only tightened, and your body fell down to press further into his, you nails scraping against his scalp.

“Sam, thank you.” You pressed your lips back to his own, frantic and needy and each time you came back in it was making the heat in the room rise, his palms slipping down to grip at your thighs before he knew what he was doing, but then your hips were rolling down into his, and he was bucking up to press against you, anything to draw out the squeaky little moans and sighs of pleasure you let out into his mouth every time your clit dragged over the growing bulge in his pants. “You saved me, thank you, so much.”

“I just wanted you to be happy.”

You hummed against his lips, rocking down into his hips particularly harshly, both you and him letting out drawn out sounds of pleasure at the feeling, and he had to bite down on his own lip when you pulled back just to stop himself from flipping you over and pressing you down into the mattress. “I am happy with you. You make me happy.”

“I'm glad to hear it.” Your hands were pressing to his chest, your hips rocking down into his, and his eyes fluttered shut as you rode up and down over his cock, even through the layers of clothing, and he let out a weak and breathless laugh when a thought about the situation crossed his hazy mind. “You know, this isn’t very gentlemanly of me. We've only been engaged for a couple of hours. What would people say?”

“I don’t care what people say, it feels good.” You whimpered, pushing down firmly and he cursed under his breath, jutting his hips up into you and smirking at the face you made, your jaw dropping down and forming an ‘o’ as silent pleasure left you. He watched you bounce above him, hair framing away behind you as your head tipped back, and he took the chance of your distraction to flip you over, pressing you back oot your side of the bed and caging you in with a hand on either side of your head. “I want to feel good, Sam.”

“I can make you feel good.”

You nodded fervently, and he dragged a hand down over the bare skin of your midriff from where the shirt of his that you were had ridden up, and he dipped his head down to press his lips to your own, catching you in a sweet kiss that made you hum happily at the affections, pressing back just as lovingly.

The tips of his fingers dipped underneath the loose waistband of the shorts you wore, finding that there was no buried the further down he travelled, and he let out a ragged sound against your mouth upon realising that you had discarded of your one underwear when changing into his clothes. The idea of your dripping cunt brushing straight up against his clothes, the idea of you wearing only his belongings to clever yourself, the image of you walking around with him on a lazy Sunday morning and wearing just one of his tops, it was all everything that he wanted with you.

The pads of his fingers brushed over your clit, your hips jerking up into his hand as you cried out at the simple pressure, and he took the chance to slip his tongue into your mouth to play with your own, a finger swirled through the wetness that had built between your folds, and he growled into your mouth, nipping on your lower lip until you let out a whine, before sucking at it and licking over the patch to soothe the low sting, distracting you as he pushed a single finger into your dripping core, and your eyes shot open, body going stiff at the intrusion.

“How you doin’, sweetheart?”

“It feels weird, but good, I’m not really sure.” He nodded, peppering your cheeks with kisses and he moved the finger within you slowly, twisting and stretching you out as carefully as he could, and soon your slick was coating that digit and flowing form you each time he pulled out, your juices covering your skin and making it easy for him to slip another finger into you. It was a stretch, and he felt you tense up once again as your eyes screwed shut, but he worked you through it, slow and steady, kissing along you jaw and mumbling reassurances into your ear.

He felt you loosen up, your legs widening for him to settle between and your lips found his again as you let out a happy sigh. A loud and unashamed cry of his name left you, and it may have been the sweetest sound Sam had ever had the pleasure of hearing, you walls clenching around his fingers and hips bucking up, before a sharper and louder sound fell from you. It was almost a scream, and he smirked into your mouth, his whisperings turning to praises as he tried to find that spot again, only a few strokes and he had located the spot, rubbing it surely each time he thrust his finger back into your wet core.

“That’s so good, what is that?”

“Mh, that’s your g-spot, sweetheart, and now that I know where it is, I know exactly how to make you feel good.” He pushed down on the spot roughly, your body trembling as your eyes rolled back and your fingers twisted in the sheets. The material of the shorts was rubbing uncomfortably against his wrist, and he wished he could see his soaked fingers sipping in and out of you greedy hole each time, but for now, this was enough, just watching you reach heights of pleasure you’d never been to before and knowing he was the one taking you there was making his heart race and head spin. “You’re so good for me, honey, so good.”

He was cooing down at you, mouthing at your jaw and neck and licking over your skin in ways that made you squirm and moan, your walls tight around his fingers as you neared your peak. He felt it coming, and slipped his thumb up to toy idly with you neglected clit as an unspoken encouragement to cum, that it was okay for you to let go, and so you did.

Your back arched up, something that almost sounded like a sob leaving you as you core clamped down around the two digits, so tights he could barely get his fingers in and out of you anymore, and he settled for wiggling them and twisting them as he prolonged your peak, choosing to drag it out as long as he could for you. You were panting, skin shining with a thin layer of sweat from the exertion and your chest rose and fell with every gasping breath you took.

He lifted his fingers up to his lips, sitting back on his heels and sucking them into his mouth to clean them, letting out an approving sound as your taste washed over his tongue, addictive and sweet, something he knew he would be craving more of soon, and he just hoped you’d let him.

“How do you feel?”

“I don’t even know. That was amazing.” He beamed, feeling full and prideful as he listened to you talk, and he settled your shorts and top back into the correct place, laying over you and propping himself up on his arms as not to crush you, brushing hair from your face and pecking your nose. “Do you need me to..”

Your gaze left his eyes, moving down to his hips, before coming back up, and you were nibbling on your lower lip, prompting him to duck his head and chuckle, kissing along the clothed shoulder that was within his reach. “No, I don’t. This was about you, there will be a whole lifetime for that.”

“Yes. Yes, there will be.” Your words were spoken with nothing but joy, and he rolled off of you, blowing out the candle and sending the room into darkness, before wiggling himself back under the blankets and making sure you were tucked in securely. He felt you shuffle up, pressing against his side and he wrapped his arms around you, feeling your nose nuzzle into the crook of his neck, his cheek brushing the top of your head when he twisted his body further toward you. “Why are you like no man I have ever met, Sam Taylor?”

A laugh bubbled in his chest, despite the yawn he let out only seconds later, and he rubbed a large hand up and down your back, his eyes sliding shut in tiredness. “You won’t believe the story I’ll tell you over breakfast in the morning.”

“M’kay.” The response was muffled as it was mumbled into his neck, and he barely caught it, choosing instead to soothe himself with the tangle of your legs with his and the steady thumb of your heart in time with his own, the two of you drifting off with only positive thoughts of the future you would soon be sharing to still linger on your mind.

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brooklynboysficrecs · 5 years ago

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Ria’s Top 10 Shrunkyclunks Fic Recs

Okay, let me preface this by saying: I could name about thirty fics and still not be able to tell you, definitively, what my favorites actually are. The top spots change kinda frequently, depending on what I’m in the mood for, and there are always new fics to consider. But these ten are some of the best I’ve personally read, ones I’ve re-read multiple times, even, and I really value whether or not I can see myself re-reading something (published books or fics) when I’m considering how much I actually liked it. Also, I went with lengthier fics that were finished, because otherwise it’d be a completely different list. Anyway, without further ado...

1. The Voyager by notlucy. God, I’ve read this at least three times and I’m definitely going to be reading it again in the future. notlucy is a fantastic writer in general, but this particular fic from them checks a lot of my boxes. I’m not especially into age differences in ships, but I liked the dynamic between Steve (who’s around... six, seven years older than Bucky, I think?) and Bucky here, and it’s made even more interesting because for the majority of the fic, Bucky has no clue who Steve is. There’s a long road trip, Bucky as a burgeoning writer, and Steve coming to grips with his sexuality as well as his place in the 21st century, as this story takes place pretty much right after he comes out of the ice. There’s also art! Which is always great, imo.

2. The Honey Honey series by justanotherStonyfan. This definitely has one of the most unique takes I’ve seen on a Cap!Steve/Modern!Bucky fic I’ve ever seen. It also features a pretty big age difference (Steve is 40, Bucky is 20/21), so if that’s not your thing, sorry. But it’s a long, long, long series, with multiple installments, that tells the story of Stark Industries employee James (who doesn’t go by Bucky because of reasons) and Commander Steve Rogers (who passed on the Captain America mantle to Sam a while ago). Not only has Steve been in the 21st century for almost two decades by the time he meets James, he’s also had a few colorful relationships prior to the start of the story that influence his current relationship with James and who he is as a person. I don’t want to spoil anything, but they’re all mentioned in the tags I think, so. I’m probably safe to say that uh. Steve still grew up with a Bucky Barnes, just not the one we see in the story.

3. All of Your Love is Sunlight by canistakahari, WarlockInTraining. I can’t express just how cute this story is -- or I can, but I doubt I’d do it justice. Magic Bucky and his flower shop stole my heart the first time I read this, and honestly, I was as giddy as Steve pretty much the whole time. Steve’s kind of a disaster too and it’s frankly adorable. The whole story is adorable. All comfort no hurt, which is right up my alley. Also, come for the cute boys in love, stay for the butt plants. Just saying.

4. sleeping lessons by glim. This is such a good fic, oh my god. Steve’s auditing a college course to try and catch up on history (instead of like being bombarded by not-so-well-meaning SHIELD agents) and Bucky’s the professor, and he’s just. So sweet with Steve. So intuitively kind. I actually reread this one recently because I was on a shrunkyclunks kick and I remembered why I liked it so much, and even why I tend to like this trope/AU as much as I do — because it gives Steve a foothold in the new century, a friend who treats him as Steve and not Captain America, a civilian he feels safe and comfortable around. It’s a way to introduce Steve to the rest of the world through someone he didn’t meet as an Avenger or through SHIELD, which I think a lot of people agree is something he was sorely missing in the actual movies. I don’t know, this fic is great, give it a try!

5. Matchmaking by Nori. OH WOW. Let me just say, the premise of this fic is absolute precious. It’s like. The closest thing I can equate it to is a wrong number AU? Bucky is a gamer and Steve and Sam are on his team for something, and Steve — the dork — uses the in-game chat to respond to Bucky and it’s just. Fantastic and hilarious and so damn cute. Their friendship develops through playing games together and then Bucky gets a crush and... well. Love happens, like in every other fic I’ve read. But really, this is one of my favorites period, and another one I’ve re-read a number of times. It’s so so good.

6. the cold never bothered me anyway by icoulddothisallday. Alright so this is one of two soulmate AUs on here because I’m an absolute sucker for the concept of soulmates. Especially when it comes to shipping, because I adore the idea that two people are meant for each other regardless of the universe they’re in, ya know? Which is why I really love it for modern Bucky and Cap!Steve — proves their circumstances could’ve been completely different and they’d still find their way to each other. The lore for soulmates in this fic was interesting, too; I like the whole world-building that went on, and the mirroring concept they introduced. Bucky kinda got the raw end of the deal with his mirroring, considering Steve was stuck in the ice, but... as always, love conquers all, and Steve makes sure Bucky is never cold again so it’s all good!

7. Where All Roads Lead by alby_mangroves, DrowningByDegrees. Ooooh this was a fun one. There’s time-travel involved!! I love time travel (when it’s done well — looking at you, Endgame) and I really love when you randomly get a person from the past popping up in the present/future, which is exactly what happens here with Steve. Instead of surviving 70 years in the ice, an artifact sends him to the future where he meets Bucky, who’s something of an expert on Captain America. What follows is they’re attempts to get Steve back to the past and to the team he left behind, all while falling for each other along the way. The ending was so good, too; or, I thought so, anyway, but I suppose that’s just something people have to decide for themselves.

8. This Feeling We Carry In Our Souls by jinlinli. The other soulmate AU! In this one, it’s soul marks that people share; whoever has your mark is your soulmate, though technically it doesn’t mean they’re the love of your life. Bucky explains it at some point that sharing a mark can just mean you were meant to meet the person, that there could be a moment that changes your life and they’re a part of it. Obviously the soulmate connection here is of the romantic variety, which is good for Bucky — eventually. He has to deal with people faking his soul mark to try and get to Steve, and the fact that he lost the arm that had his soul mark on it... happy endings guaranteed though! I don’t read things without happy endings, because I don’t really see the point of them? But yeah, trust me to provide only the happiest of happy endings with my recs, and this one is no exception.

9. Waking Up Slow by odetteandodile. This is another author who I follow kinda religiously. I’ve read most of their stuff and I love all it. This fic is up there, though, because a) it’s my favorite AU and b) it involves Bucky living in an old lighthouse with his daughter. It also features an amnesiac Steve, which was a nice change of pace. Instead of being found on the Valkyrie by SHIELD, Steve thaws our and washes up on Bucky’s beach, and with nowhere to go and no one to call, he ends up staying with Bucky and his daughter until he can get back on his feet. They make such a great family, and it’s lovely to see their relationship grow even as Steve’s memories start coming back. Highly recommend this one!!

10. The Roommate by Niitza, layersofsilence. Okay, this is number 10 but by no means is it my least favorite of the bunch. This one features Steve trying to carve out a life for himself and give someone else a break by looking for a roommate for his place in DC. SHIELD (thought Natasha) tries to get him to give up on the idea, of course, but in true Steve Rogers fashion he goes through with it anyway and even picks one of Natasha’s “reject” candidates — one recently discharged James Buchanan Barnes. They prove to be good for each other, with Bucky proving more than capable of protecting Steve’s privacy and helping him integrate into this new century, and Steve helping Bucky find his footing now that he’s back in the States and in need of a friendly face who he can trust. The best (and worst, good lord) part of this fic is how long it takes the rest of the Avengers to figure out Steve and Bucky aren’t just roommates. You’ll be groaning at some of their assumptions, i swear, it’s both hilarious and painful to read them misunderstand the situation to the degree some of them do.

#stucky #stevebucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #captain america #chris evans #sebastian stan #marvel #shrunkyclunks #fic rec #top 10

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felicia-cat-hardy · 3 years ago

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Olivia Rodrigo's Music Style: Pop-Punk Rockers Who Influenced Her

Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album Sour comes out on May 21, and by now, you certainly know that the 18-year-old singer-songwriter counts the queen of vulnerable love-lorn melodies, Taylor Swift, as one of her most prominent influences. But after topping the charts for eight weeks with “drivers license,” it looks like Rodrigo is rearing into the rock lane, giving us the teenage angst and pop-punk petulance we deserve with the fiery “good 4 u” and impressive live performances.

Trust us, we know we don’t have to compare and contrast every female singer that’s ever made music that isn’t strictly pop, but why not salute the plaid-wearing, Doc Martens-donning foremothers of pop-punk, because as the Saturday Night Live skit on that very topic clarifies, yes she’s wearing her influences on her sleeve, “but it’s also pure Olivia, man.”

Plus, as Rodrigo shared in an interview with The Face on the sound of her upcoming album, “I feel like music is becoming increasingly genreless. I suppose I’m considered a pop artist, but I’ve never felt like one. This album is full of stuff that I like, which is so diverse. There are elements of alternative rock in there, alt-pop, some country, and definitely a lot of folk. I think anyone can find something they like hidden in one of the songs.”

So if you, like us, need something to hold you over while you wait for Rodrigo’s debut, here are 7 pop-punk rock purveyors to press play on.

1. Hayley Williams

It’s hard to think of anyone more capable of creating pure unadulterated pop-punk ballads with unparalleled vocals than Hayley Williams of Paramore, or as she was referred to by NPR, “The 21st Century's Pop-Punk Prophet.” However, with her latest single “good 4 u” Rodrigo is giving her a run for her money. In the track, Rodrigo shows off her vocal versatility, oscillating from singing to talking over electric guitars and a staccato bass line, much like Williams in Paramore’s “Misery Business.” In fact, this mashup of both tracks makes the reference and reverence to Paramore clear, plus it’s an absolute banger.

Williams put emotional fragility, powerhouse vocals, and punk rock authenticity front and center at a time when female-fronted bands were few and far between, giving a generation of young women, like Rodrigo not only someone to emulate but something to look up to.

2. Avril Lavigne

The week Olivia Rodrigo was born in 2003, Avril Lavigne was in the Top 10 with “I’m With You,” according to Rolling Stone. Coincidence? We think not. If that doesn’t tie the influenced to the influencer, just look at Lavigne’s legacy as one of the first songwriters of complicated relationship-themed pop-punk hits, like in her chant-along track “Girlfriend,” the formidable “Sk8er Boi,” and of course, the direct embodiment of that sentiment, “Complicated.” Rodrigo has not only been embodying Avril’s angsty sing-along-worthy lyrics but also replicating her wardrobe, recently rocking combat boots and a plaid corset with matching wide-leg pants (pictured above) and a chain belt you’d find at the checkout counter of any Hot Topic in the early aughts during her Saturday Night Live debut.

So, would the lyrics “It’s like we never even happened Baby / what the f*ck is up with that” in Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” exist without Lavigne singing “And hell yeah, I’m the motherf*cking princess” in “Girlfriend” first? Lucky for us, we’ll never have to find out.

3. Fefe Dobson

Fefe Dobson, is rarely mentioned in the pop-punk canon, but the singer made her mark as one of the few Black pop-punk singers of the early aughts, creating space for artists like Rodrigo who don’t fit into the predominately white male makeup of the genre.

Dobson was just 17 when she entered the pop-punk scene with tracks like “Everything” and “Take Me Away” on her debut album, one that saw her leaning into the same teenage love sentiments of falling hard and questioning it all we see in tracks like “drivers license.” Speaking to Nylon, Dobson discussed how much the scene has changed and made space for diverse artists: “I definitely think there’s no such thing as genre these days. When I was coming out in 2003, I remember people saying to my manager, like “Do you really think this Black girl’s going to do this rock-pop stuff and this is going to work?” I don‘t think that would be even said today. I think that’s a big difference.”

4. Gwen Stefani

Is it dramatic to say that without the anthemic, feminist, pop-punk rock track “Just A Girl” released way back in 1995, none of the new school punk-pop girls would be making visceral “girls to the front” vulnerable hits right now? Maybe, but it’s hard to say. With her pension for performance, fashion, candid lyricism, and devil-may-care attitude, Gwen Stefani has not only made space for herself but artists who want to replicate that same energy.

Rodrigo has never shied away from her love of No Doubt’s leading lady. On multiple occasions she’s discussed finding Stefani’s fearless ability to share personal stories and details about her innermost thoughts and desires as inspiring (and if that’s not punk rock, what is?). In an interview with Elle, it was even revealed that Stefani’s portrait was tapped to Rodrigo’s bedroom wall in a sort of shrine, dedicated to songwriters she admires. In a full-circle moment, Stefani wrote about Rodrigo for Time magazine’s 2021 TIME100 Next list, sharing, that “by pouring her heart out with so much courage and total command of her talent, Olivia made magic.” We agree.

5. Lindsay Lohan

There can be a lot said about the ins and outs, ups and downs, of Lindsay Lohan’s career. However, the platinum-certified album Speak was unquestionably a success for the then-Disney-star-turned-pop-singer who was one of the first stars of the channel to make that career pivot. She never toured for the Billboard charting album, but she did make the path from Disney star to pop-punk artists seem viable.

Rodrigo, who currently stars in the meta High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, discussed embracing her Disney start with Interview Magazine, sharing, “It’s been something I’ve given a lot of thought to, that Disney-girl archetype. I feel like there’s such a clear trajectory for what that is, and there’s so many amazing artists who have done it before me. I did grow up on Disney Channel. I am sort of this goody two-shoes. And I think shying away from that would do my art an injustice too. I just try to be as real as I possibly can.”

6. Liz Phair

Liz Phair’s fourth studio album was a masterclass in how to write a pop-punk romantic ballad while adding expletives to the climax of the track, like in her hit single “Why Can’t I?” It’s easy to see that same strategy playing out as Rodrigo sings, “I still f*cking love you, baby” in “drivers license.” Phair’s eponymous album also features the self-love ballad “Extraordinary,” which embraces her light and dark sides, something we’ve seen in Rodrigo’s first few singles and are sure to see in her debut. At the time of the album’s release, Phair was critically panned for selling out with Pitchfork claiming she’d reduced herself to “teen-pop.” But, as well all know nearly two decades on, there’s no truth to teen-pop being reductive, and Phair’s self-titled album has stood the test of time.

7. Ashlee Simpson

Back in 2004, Ashlee Simpson released her debut album Autobiography, an intimate pop-punk telling of her life. She also documented the entire process of creating the album on her series The Ashlee Simpson Show, something that was unprecedented at the time, but something current stars like Rodrigo who are used to being on camera and giving fans behind-the-scene looks at their creative process are now used to doing.

Simpson also deserves credit for pushing the boundaries of what was “allowed” for pop stars at the time, going her own way by dying her blonde hair black, and pushing back on her label who wanted her to make bubblegum pop. She ushered in an era of sad girl teen pop ballads with tracks like “Pieces Of Me” that artists like Rodrigo are still emulating today.

Olivia Rodrigo

We’ve got to end this story with Rodrigo herself, setting a bedroom on fire in “good 4 u,” and subsequently igniting another phase of her ever-evolving career. She’s got a sound all her own, and we can’t wait to see where she takes it to next. We know she’s here to stay.

Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR is due out May 21 via Geffen Records.

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Christopher Eccleston on Why Doctor Who Canon Needs Exploding

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Without the acerbic wit of the Ninth Doctor in 2005, the 21st-century geek landscape would look a whole lot different. If we were to borrow the TARDIS from Doctor Who, and pop back to the debut of “Rose” on March 26, 2005, we’d know we were standing on the edge of a moment when everything changed. Before Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston had been known for hard-edged, gritty roles like the game-changing horror flick 28 Days Later or Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave. After Doctor Who, Eccleston was known for…well…even more hard-edged roles; from the baddie Malekith in Thor: The Dark World or priest Matt Jamison in The Leftovers.

But, for Doctor Who fans, he’ll always be the edgy Ninth Doctor: impatient, dismissive, but ultimately heroic. Without Eccleston, it’s difficult to imagine the Who renaissance. There’s no Tennant and Smith without him, to say nothing of Capaldi and Whittaker. After regenerating abruptly after just one season, fans have been desperate for the return of the Ninth Doctor to the Who canon. Which, now, exactly 16 years after the debut of “Rose,” is happening. The Ninth Doctor, as played by Christopher Eccleston, is back in a series of audio adventures for Big Finish. Last month, Den of Geek was lucky enough to sit in on a top-secret roundtable interview with Eccleston, as he told a select group of entertainment journalists just why he’s returned to a part he’s so famously been dodging for a decade and a half.

“It was paid work,” Eccleston said, and noted that he didn’t find it all that difficult to find the voice of the Doctor again, mostly because “the writing was very good.” But where in the vastly complicated canon do these new audio adventures with the Ninth Doctor take place? We know this has to be prior to him meeting Rose — or does it? One tip, don’t ask Eccleston, and certainly don’t ask the Ninth Doctor.

“I just ignore it,” Ecceslton said of the Doctor’s confusing timeline. “And he does. We’ve just recorded an episode for instance where the Brigadier is saying to him, ‘You remember, you came to my retirement party and then we ended up on Gallifrey,’ and he said, ‘No, I don’t remember.’ An essential quality of him is he’s entirely in the moment… He can become Peter Capaldi, he can become Jodie Whittaker, he can become Jon Pertwee. Hopefully, he can’t become Boris Johnson. I don’t refer to any of that [canon]. My Doctor is very much in the moment.”

For many diehard fans, canon is sacred, but this isn’t the case for Eccleston: “I’m not a slave to the canon,” he said. “I think if the show wants to survive going forward, it needs to explode the canon. That rigid adherence to, ‘There can only be this number of incarnations,’et cetera, it’s nonsense. It’s nonsense. The imagination is limitless.”

The canonicity of the Big Finish Doctor Who spin-offs might not have the same interconnectedness of the tie-in media in the Star Wars canon, but since 1998 (yes!), these audio adventures have been carrying the torch of Who stories even when the regular series isn’t even in production. From Tom Baker and David Tennant to writing from Russell T. Davies to the recent return of Eric Roberts as the Master (a part he last played in the 1996 Who TV movie), the talent involved with Big Finish includes nearly anyone from the Whoniverse you can imagine. On top of that, Big Finish has an impressive spin-off universe all its own, including some popular characters—like Chase Masterson’s Vienna—who exist exclusively within the audio-play universe.

So, in that sense, Eccleston has a point about the limits of canon. It barely matters if any of the Big Finish adventures “count” as long as the adventures are awesome. The only question now for hardcore fans of Christopher Eccleston is just how long he’ll continue with these audio adventures. While he isn’t saying exactly, he does have a wish-list for historical figures and Who-characters he’d like the Ninth Doctor to meet in future adventures.

“I think it’s time for the Doctor to meet the Cyberwomen in the 21st century. We’ve had enough Cybermen,” Eccleston said. “I would very much like the Doctor to meet Emily Davison who threw herself in front of the Derby winner and was one of the forerunners of the feminist movement and a martyr for it. I think that’d be extraordinary for him to mix with Emily Davidson and Pankhurst and explore that. As I’ve said earlier, he’s very drawn to the feminine. And I think that it’s great that we now have a female Doctor, and I think we should take that further in the way that we look at history and look at it through a female lens. I think the [Ninth] Doctor would respond very well to that.”

Eccleston also thinks that the 2005 era of Doctor Who was a progressive point-of-departure for the character and the long-running franchise, specifically in regard to feminism. “The feminization of Doctor Who, I would call it,” Eccleston explained. “Russell T. Davies’s great strength was to really elevate the female in Doctor Who. I think Russell writes brilliantly for women.”

Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston Returns for Big Finish Audio Dramas

By Louisa Mellor

Why Christopher Eccleston Left Doctor Who

By Kayti Burt

All in all, there will be twelve new audio adventures starring Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor. Some of the stories are written by Nicholas Briggs, famous to Who fans for providing a myriad of voices, notably the Daleks several times over, and the Nestene Consciousness from the first Ninth Doctor episode ever, “Rose.” Not all of the audio adventures are out yet, but the first batch from Big Finish are available for pre-order on digital download, CD, and some in some cases a limited-edition vinyl. And, despite what Eccleston has said about the canon not mattering, the Brigadier will appear in a few of these stories, the Ninth Doctor is battling the Mondasian Cybermen again, and if you look closely at the cover art for “Ravagers” it really looks like a Skovox Blitzer (a war robot from the Capaldi era) might crash the party. And in a fascinating metafictional dive into science fiction history; one of the stories even finds the Ninth Doctor sneaking around in 1925 on the set of Fritz Lang’s famous sci-fi film Metropolis.

For Eccleston, though, it’s not just about the monsters or the history. The allure of playing the Doctor is the same as it was 16 years ago. For him, the power of the character is still about finding strength in the face of adversity, and finding happiness even when it seems impossible.

“I remember when I decided to play the Doctor, when I decided to put myself forward for the role, I thought ‘Time Lord, falling through time. What’s the essential element?’ The essential element is that he’s never at home, he’s lonely,” Eccleston recalls. “And I thought I could do that. And I think alongside his joy, that must sit there, this longing for home, this longing for companionship, which is never quite fulfilled. Which in a way is the human condition, isn’t it?”

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Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures are available from Big Finish.

The post Christopher Eccleston on Why Doctor Who Canon Needs Exploding appeared first on Den of Geek.

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medea10 · 4 years ago

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My Review of Fruits Basket: 2nd Season

It’s really happening! It’s fucking happening! The never-before animated story to one of the best shoujo series in the 21st century is finally happening!

HISTORY: Just read my long-ass review for that.

Okay, okay!

Tohru Honda stumbles upon the family secret of her classmate, Yuki Sohma when she moves in the Sohma household. Whenever a member of the Sohma family is hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they turn into an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. Because of this, the Sohma family is very secretive about this issue and only let close people in on the family secret. And even then, it rarely happens! But after a lifetime of worry and hell these members have been put through, they learned that Tohru cares about each and every one of them. She was able to bring out the sun for many of these characters who have suffered a lifetime of ridicule, pain, and isolation.

SEASON TWO: It’s the start of summer and many things around Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are changing. For Yuki, it means taking over the student council full-time, as his seniors will be graduating in the spring. And for one Sohma family member, she’s made it her mission to lift the curse that has plagued the Sohma’s for generations. This season is filled with the cute and fluffy moments it’s known for where characters are having fun. But then you remember this is Fruits Basket and the cute and fluffy moments are shrouded in pain and misery.

And when you have an unstable character like Akito, people are going to be hurt. With the addition of several characters, we do detour from time-to-time for stories about them instead of following Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru. But many of these characters have some sort of connection to the main cast. With the introduction of Rin, we see the desperation in finding a way to rid the Sohmas of the zodiac curse. The student council members introduced this season helped Yuki come out of his shell even further. And the introduction of the final zodiac Kureno gave us possible hope for Tohru and a possible love interest with someone you probably didn’t see coming.

LICENSING: Thank you FUNimation. Thank you for once again taking the helm by licensing it and putting in the delicate care the mangaka went in to creating it! And also thank you for not being greedy dickholes and letting Crunchyroll and Hulu air it too. Anyways, the cast from the previous season have returned to do their respectable roles in both the English and Japanese cast. It’s just that due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the dub wasn’t as frequent as it was last year so I spent a good chunk just sticking to the original Japanese audio.

NEW CHARACTERS: In the final episode of season one, we were quickly introduced to several new characters who are going to make a big splash this time around. Just a reminder, there are only two zodiac members that were never introduced until this very moment. But there are several characters, who may not be part of the Sohma clan, but are a big part of the story and to several main characters.

First, I would like to introduce Kakeru Manabe and Machi Kuragi. They will now serve under Yuki as Student Council Vice President and Treasurer. They’re also half-siblings (same father, different mothers). Now by no means are these two ever going to be let-in on the Sohma family secret like Tohru, but they definitely make a big impact on Yuki’s life as Yuki seems comfortable enough to have one-on-ones with Kakeru and share common themes with Machi.

Isuzu (or Rin) is a Sohma with long, black hair. She is the horse of the zodiac curse. She doesn’t let a lot of people in her corner and usually only confides in either Hiro or her boyfriend, Hatsuharu. A lifetime of family issues and Akito being a cunt has something to do with it. Rin’s mission is to find a way to break the curse set on her and the rest of the Sohmas. But after an altercation with Akito, Rin has taken it upon herself to become a lone wo-, um horse in this mission.

Kureno is the final zodiac member to be introduced. And if you haven’t guessed, he is the rooster! Kureno is usually never seen by anyone in the Sohma family due to the fact that Akito keeps him on a short leash. But once Kureno was able to step away from Akito’s side, he finds comfort in one of Tohru’s friends.

I’m familiar with many of these voice actors they’ve added to these new characters. The only one I was surprised at came from Aki Toyosaki playing Rin. I think it’s just leftover questioning after hearing her voice these cutesy, moe characters (blame K-ON for that one). But Rin’s voice isn’t bad.

As for the dub, thank you FUNimation for bringing Aaron Dismuke back to the Fruits Basket family. If you’ve been following Fruits Basket from the very beginning, you might recall him being the original voice of Hiro Sohma. But since he was quite a young child when voicing Hiro, that voice he carried at the time wasn’t going to stay forever. Puberty happens! Aside all that needless info, I really liked his Kakeru! I’m digging Ian Sinclair as Kureno. I spent a full-on decade imagining who would voice him. And back in the day, I always thought Micah Solusod or Vic Mignogna would do him justice. But once 2019 happened…

*crosses off a name on a list*

…Yeah, Micah Solusod would do his voice justice, just him, no one else! But Ian Sinclair is awesome in nearly every thing he’s in and this is fine by me. Brina Palencia as Rin…eh, I mean she always plays characters who are monotone or serious. I’m not bashing it, but it was a predictable role for her. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Kakeru is played by Takuya Eguchi (known for Cheren on Pokemon BW, Takeo on My Love Story, Ryouma on Love Stage, Kujo on Gosick, Watanuki on Inu x Boku SS, and Fumiya on Domestic Girlfriend)

*Machi is played by Ai Kakuma (known for Misaka Worst on Index III, Rossweisse on High School DxD, Lala on Monster Musume, and Hato on Genshike Nidaime)

*Rin is played by Aki Toyosaki (known for Uiharu on Railgun/Index, Yui on K-ON, Suu on Shugo Chara, Satsuki on Maid-sama, Momo on To Love Ru, Chitose on Yuru Yuri, and Aoi on Beelzebub)

*Kureno is played by Yuichiro Umehara (known for Gorou on Darling in the Franxx, Mars on Black Clover, and Goblin Slayer)

ENGLISH CAST: *Kakeru is played by Aaron Dismuke (known for Al on FMA, Hiro on Fruits Basket, Young Hohenheim on FMA: Brotherhood, Van on Escaflowne [redub], Marx on Black Clover, and Takami on Deadman Wonderland)

*Machi is played by Caitlin Glass (known for Winry on FMA, Haruhi on Ouran HSHC, Maki on Love Live, Miria on Baccano, Petra on Attack on Titan, Evergreen on Fairy Tail, and Kirigiri on Danganronpa)

*Rin is played by Brina Palencia (known for Nina on FMA, Ciel on Black Butler, Yuno on Mirai Nikki, Saten on Railgun/Index, Juvia on Fairy Tail, Touka on Tokyo Ghoul, Holo on Spice & Wolf, and Chopper on One Piece)

*Kureno is played by Ian Sinclair (known for Whis on DB Super, Bard on Black Butler, Sousuke on Free!, Chuck on Panty & Stocking, Magna on Black Clover, Brook on One Piece, and Space Dandy)

SHIPPING PART II:

I still know who everyone ends up with and I’m doing my darndest to keep my mouth shut and not let out a decade-old spoiler. So let’s get some crap over with!

*Yuki x Motoko: Yeah, remember Motoko? That Yuki-obsessed chick who literally can’t breathe without the boy in her life! Well, first episode of the season, we get an episode featuring her once more. Because Motoko is one year older, she faces the harsh reality of graduating a year before Yuki and is pretty depressed over that. Not only that, but she's still super jealous that Yuki spends so much time with Tohru. But it gets a little deeper when she noticed that Yuki has changed as he’s smiling a lot more (and those smiles are not fake this time). She so wanted to be the woman in his life to make him smile like that. But Motoko’s probably just going to admire him from a distance. Oh and she still finds time to harass and/or threaten any foreign girl that hangs around Yuki’s aura.

*Ayame x Mine: I almost forgot to talk about this one. Probably because we really only got one episode to show the slightest ship hint from them. Mine has got to be the only female on earth who is able to handle Ayame’s wacky behavior 24/7. Then again, Mine has a few quirks herself. But both of them find that they can confide in each other. Here’s the thing with this one, it is unknown if Mine actually knows about the family curse up to this point. And if they are really in a relationship, Akito hasn’t given her “blessing”. I don’t know, maybe everyone in the family thought it would be best to not pry into Ayame’s private life for many valid reasons.

*Hatsuharu x Rin: So these two were actually in a (secret) relationship. Secret for obvious reasons! They knew the consequences after what Akito has done to Hatori and Kisa for being loved. In this season, we see how much these two really care for each other. Rin is so desperate in finding a way to rid Hatsuharu and everyone else of the zodiac curse that she’ll pursue it by any means necessary. And when she dumped Hatsuharu, this devastation built up pretty big until it burst in the destruction of a classroom. Hatsuharu can be very laid-back, but the break-up really devastated him. Later this season, we do get the development of this ship. Hatsuharu is one of the few people in Rin’s inner circle she was able to rely on and this blossomed into both of them confessing their love. And even sleeping with each other! Yep, Fruits Basket gave us a sex scene! However, Akito found out and Rin took the blame for everything.

…And Akito gave her blessing by shoving Rin off the second story.

Akito’s blessings really should come with an advisory.

Advisory: DON’T ASK AKITO FOR HER BLESSINGS!

*Hatori x Mayu: If you’re wondering who Mayu is, that is Tohru’s homeroom teacher. She surprisingly has some history with Shigure, Hatori, and Kana. First of all, Mayu is best friends with Kana. When Kana was dating Hatori, Mayu started to get these feelings and she ended up dating Shigure (seriously, bad choice). But she knew like the rest of us that Shigure is distant, sneaky, and you just can’t trust him. But Mayu was the only one to cry for Hatori’s sake. Mayu does hold out hope for one day going out with Hatori. Five, ten years, however long it takes!

*Kureno x Uo: The one time Kureno was allowed to escape from Akito’s grasp and he enjoys the company of Tohru’s best friend Uotani. When I first read this in the manga, I thought this was absolutely random, but cute nevertheless. And after watching their small time together, I yearned for there to be more time for Kureno and Uo to be together…but you know it’s not possible because you know the real deal. I mean, Kureno has spent the majority of his life as Akito’s personal bitch. After that one episode, Kureno has remained on the Sohma estate and Uo has wanted to see him again. So much so that she quit her part-time job where she first met Kureno because she feels like she’ll never see him again! Thing is Kureno promised to stay by Akito’s side after a really big revelation happened (stay tuned). Kureno is like the only Sohma that is able to cast his shackles aside and be with someone he loves. And Uo is the first person he’s ever truly felt that about!

No…I’m not going to mention that OTHER ship just yet. I get upset just even thinking about it.

*sniffles*

Just let the little bird fly and be free already.

*Kyo x Kagura: I probably should have covered this in the first season. But I was too focused on the sad ship and cute ship. Anyways, it’s well known that Kagura loves Kyo. REALLY LOVES HIM! But after Tohru moved in, Kagura slowly learned that Kyo has changed because of Tohru and knows that Kyo might not like Kagura that way. In the 11th episode, we get a moving storyline where Kagura goes on a date with Kyo and we learn a little more into why Kagura began to like Kyo. Kagura pitied Kyo as a child since he was the unfortunate child cursed under the cat. It made her feel better about her own sad fate of being cursed under the boar. But she still played with him until she accidentally took off Kyo’s rosary beads that revealed the demonic cat curse. By this time in the story, it’s absolutely cemented with Kyo that he’s in love with someone else and is ready to tell Kagura that he will never love her. But that doesn’t stop Kagura from telling Kyo that she loves him.

*Yuki x Machi: Unlike all the other girls in school, Machi doesn’t see Yuki as a prince. She sees clearly through his fake smile that he gives off all the time. At least that was her thought at the beginning of the series! Machi has been pretty quiet and kept to herself whenever at the student council. No one even knows what her favorite foods and colors are! Truth is, Machi doesn’t know either. But it wasn’t until a simple (and I do mean simple) gift from Yuki that Machi changed a little bit! This ship didn’t get much action until near the end of this season where the student council met up for some lunch. This was the first time we saw Machi act all tsundere around Yuki when he noticed she held onto the gift he gave her.

It was a leaf. He gave her a friggin’ leaf. And then she turned it into a bookmark.

*Tohru x Yuki: Sigh. He kissed her on the forehead and cried. Moving on! She’s not even friend-zoned. She’s MOM-zoned! Tohru is the mother that Yuki turns to because Yuki’s mother is an uncaring cunt. I know who Yuki really ends up with in the end, but if you ask me, I prefer Yuki x Kakeru.

Don’t at me, I love seeing these two together! Okay, final shipping for the category.

*Tohru x Kyo: There is no doubt that Kyo and Yuki have changed for the better since meeting Tohru. Both of them felt that there was no hope and only self-isolation in their life. In Kyo’s case, he knew early on that his life was fucked. His mother committed suicide, his father abandons him, the Sohma family shuns him, and once he reaches a certain age, he faces a lifetime of being locked in confinement. So Tohru’s kindness and persistence has definitely done wonders for the boy. Romance, wise? Let’s just say that things were almost said at the beach. And we get a realization from Kyo that Tohru is precious to him. His precious!

Oh, there is ONE certain ship I feel I should mention. However, it’s still too much of a shock for people to take in. So I will wait for the final season to let it rip.

HORRIBLE PARENTS: The original series only scraped the surface of how horrible the Sohma parents truly are. I could have done my worst parents/mothers/fathers list with at least half of these people. But the original series never showed us the ugliness when it came to Yuki’s mother, Kyo’s father, and queen of the bitches, Ren Sohma. Bitch, I will see you in season three! Thankfully, we’ve got at least one or two nice parents like Hiro and Kagura’s mothers.

Before I bring up the worst this series had to offer, can we just talk about how precious this woman is? Hiro’s mother loved rams and was very happy when Hiro was born. Hiro’s mother is just so precious for this series. She loves her son and even loves Kisa. It’s adorable! As for Kagura’s mother, even with Kagura’s aggressive personality, her mother is quite supportive of her daughter and even Rin. So let’s go down this rap-sheet of the worst ones!

Kyo’s father was never able to forgive his own son for “causing the death of his wife”. He even refuses to call Kyo by name, he only refers to Kyo as “It” or “That Creature”. Thank God we have Kazuma to replace this dick. I know Kazuma’s hands aren’t clean either, but he has treated Kyo like the son he never had. More than what I can say about this fucker!

Yuki’s mother did some unpleasant things to her son. For starters, selling Yuki to Akito for her to do whatever she wanted with him. Because the rat in the zodiac was the first to arrive, it is said that the rat is closest to the god. This gave Yuki’s mother the opportunity to have Yuki deal with Akito’s scary tantrums and scar him for years. Ayame doesn’t have anything pleasant to say about his own mother either. Last I recall, she’s quite cold to Ayame as well. She’s a cold, uncaring witch.

Ah shit, here we go again! Momiji’s father! Yes, that very same father who told Momiji that his mother’s memories of him had to be wiped away in order for her to get better. We see him once again taking away more from Momiji because his daughter Momo is catching on. In an episode, Momiji is told that he should give up playing the violin. Why the fuck for? Well, Momo’s getting music lessons from Momiji’s teacher and feels these two should not meet or even cross paths. And of course, his father isn’t too keen about Momiji coming to his office so he can watch the family he sacrificed so his mother could be saved. This boy just can’t catch a break and I still want to hug my little bunny-kins.

Rin gets panic attacks spontaneously due to her parent’s physical abuse and abandonment. Rin’s home life was okay until one question sparked years of abuse. Because Rin caught on to her parent’s fake smiles, they showed who they really were. Rin hid her abuse until she passed out from so much pain that she had to be checked into the hospital. It was there that Kazuma and a young Hatsuharu learned she was being beaten by her parents. And what do the parents do? Abandon her then and there at the hospital!

Kakeru and Machi aren’t a part of the Sohma family, but that doesn’t stop the fact that they have a messed up home life. Kakeru and Machi are half-siblings (same father, different mothers). Kakeru was an illegitimate child, but was the elder sibling (+ male), so is a prime candidate to be his father’s heir. And both of their mothers fought over who would be the heir to their father’s fortune in the future, putting endless stress on Kakeru and Machi. As a kid, Kakeru would have spontaneous panic attacks because of the stress his mother put him under. While Kakeru was able to tell off his mother and she begrudgingly accepted it, Machi’s mother still puts pressure on her to a point where Machi just does what she’s told and has infrequent bouts of panic attacks.

Oh, there’s another parent worth mentioning. But the final season will take care of that one. I know you’re expecting me to say something about Ren Sohma (Akito’s mother). Problem is, she only had one line in this whole season. I could say there was a scene where her name was mentioned at Akito and Akito went a little berserk. But that’s all I can say here.

SADDEST MOMENT OF THIS SEASON: Hands down, anything involving sweet, little Momiji is going to hurt. Granted, this doesn’t hurt as much as the backstory between him and his mother. But when we get the episode of Momiji’s sister Momo spying on Momiji playing the violin, it’s like a knife to the chest. You want these two to see each other, but it’ll trigger some unhappiness with the family. Momiji sacrificed a butt-ton just for his mother to recover. Momo knows that Momiji exists, she just doesn’t know that Momiji is her brother.

So what does Momo do?

Ask Tohru to ask Momiji to be her big brother.

Ouch. Ow, Fruits Basket! I know this scene hurt when I read it, but it nearly killed me in animation. God and Momiji’s crying. I want to hug him so much.

EVERYONE’S FATE: In this season, we hit the asphault when it’s revealed that Kyo made an ultimatum with Akito. If Kyo is able to beat Yuki in a fight before the two of them graduate high school, he will obtain his freedom and avoid a lifetime being caged (like the previous cat). As this clock ticks, Kyo knows he doesn’t have much time left before he spends the rest of his life sealed away.

And it isn’t just Kyo! All the other zodiacs are destined to live on Akito’s estate so that Akito can have her delusional “eternal banquet”. So of course, Akito feels threatened that Tohru has such a hold on almost all of the Sohmas. That’s why Rin wants to free everyone from this curse and a little later once she learns about this, Tohru wants to do the same.

THE HAT: Remember the hat that seems out of place for Tohru to have? An old, dusty hat that doesn’t match anything! It was mentioned briefly in the original series and expaneded a bit in the first season. This season gives us a little surprise in the form of the hat connecting to Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru.

The hat originally belonged to Kyo. When they were children, Yuki tried to talk to Kyo and it turned into Kyo yelling at Yuki because he’s the rat of the zodiac. And as the story goes, the rat lies to the cat about the banquet and the cat is left out. A lot of the zodiacs were always sour at Yuki growing up. Moving on! Kyo’s hat fell and Yuki never returned it to him. Yuki once wore the hat on his head and ran away from the Sohma estate. It was at that time he came across a lost, little girl (Tohru). Yuki lead Tohru back home and puts the hat on her head as he leaves from her sight. And that’s the tale of that mystery hat you might have seen prior.

Oh, there’s another connection with Kyo…yeah, you guessed it. Third season! Wait for it.

ENDING TO SEASON TWO: So this season seems to be getting 25 episodes as well. That means if the final season only has 13 episodes that would equal up to 63 episodes in total. And that would make Eric Vale’s comments in a video a year ago correct. Eric Vale is bad with spoilers, isn’t he?

Anyways, this season has given us a lot to mull over. We get new characters that have no connection to the Sohma family, but has a big impact with Yuki that he changes for the better. We finally get to see the two zodiacs that have never made their debut until now. And the backstory of Tohru with the out-of-place hat as a child is settled. Inching closer to the second season finale, we get some cute and semi-impactful stories around the school. Tohru and Kyo were in a class production of Cinderella where Kyo finds out Tohru knows what’s going to happen after graduation when she accidentally blurts out the wrong thing on stage. Then we have Yuki opening up more to his student council members (especially Kakeru) and long-time holdout Machi opening up and becoming a blushing girl like many her age.

Well folks, it’s New Years and time for another zodiac banquet. And Yuki was feeling a sense of weight being lifted from his shoulders. He was going to make a change with his life by not blaming others for his problems. So Akito gives her blessing by…

You should know by now that when I say that, it’s not going to end well.

Let’s just say, hearing Yuki say those words, Akito started to recall a time with Kureno that really struck a cord. I’ll get to it in a second. Akito struck Yuki in the face with a blunt instrument and thankfully he did not end up blind like Hatori. Akito had yet another psychotic outburst that resulted in one of the Sohmas being hurt. And you have to wonder why Akito is this evil, twisted soul that hurts her family physically and mentally. Hatori permanently loses the sight in one of his eyes and still forgives Akito. Kureno stays by Akito’s side no matter what she did to him.

In the final episode, we get quite a few revelations exposed (especially for Tohru). The play, Tohru, Hana, Uo, and Kyo were in was videotaped and Momiji gave a copy to Kureno. Let’s just say that Uo sent her own secret message of wanting to see a certain someone again. Kureno was conflicted that he wanted to reach out and talk to Tohru. When Tohru met with Kureno, she came upon some startling discoveries about the man possessed by the rooster zodiac (or bird).

When walking towards birds, they flew away from him. If you recall, many animals are drawn to the zodiacs (i.e. cats to Kyo, rats to Yuki, etc.). But with Kureno, they all just flew away! And finally, Kureno walked right up to Tohru, hugged her, and he didn’t transform.

Kureno has been curse-free for several years. Actually, since he was in high school and dude is in his 20’s currently. It’s unknown why only he was released from the curse and everybody else still transforms. Kureno kept it from everyone in the Sohma household (even though Shigure was suspicious for a while). And when the curse lifted from Kureno, he felt as though he could finally fly free (irony is that he can no longer “fly” being a zodiac bird). Problem is that Akito had a mental breakdown when she saw Kureno was free from the curse and she screamed at him to stay and never leave her side. This was actually the one time Akito didn’t hit or injure someone during one of these fits, so this felt very different.

And because of Kureno’s decision to stay by Akito’s side, he feels he can no longer see Uo. Even though, he really feels a connection towards her despite only seeing her two times. This was his first actual love! And then, Tohru learned another bombshell.

Actually, this bombshell isn’t as huge as it was years ago.

You see, up until this point in the manga it was hard to decipher what gender Akito was. In the original anime ALL of Akito’s voice actors (even in Japanese) were male. Yes, including when Akito was a child. Aaron Dismuke was everywhere 15 years ago. But then a chapter from the manga came out where Kureno clearly tells Tohru (who had no idea at the time) that Akito was female. So, for hardcore fans such as myself, this wasn’t so much of a bombshell. Although I forgot Tohru didn’t know about Akito’s true gender. New fans to the anime, it might’ve caused great impact. Anyways, the second season ends on that note.

Come on Fruits Basket, you announced another season on my birthday last year. Surely you can give me something to go on for my birthday this year.

OH HELL YEAH!

This totally…doesn’t make up for RBG dying over my birthday weekend, but it’s a start!

Aside from ONE episode, this season was totally brand-spanking new, never-before seen in anime form. And it was satisfying to watch many of these moments I thought were going to remain on the printed page forever finally in animation. This season gave us the good and the bad. We’ll have those light and funny moments that Fruits Basket was notorious for. Tohru visiting Ayame’s clothing store, Yuki’s class taking a trip, and the Cinderella storyline. But then you get all the heavy stuff like Akito coming to see Tohru at the beach house, Rin’s backstory, Kureno’s reveal, and Momiji’s sister wanting to know more about him. Every Momiji episode hurts me! Momo is too precious for this world and she just wants to know her secret onii-chan.

Now some people might think the lineup of these episodes and story is a bit sloppy with how it’s listed. Well, that’s how most of it was in the manga, just go with the flow. I mean, yeah, I’d agree with you there and maybe if this series were one continuous anime with no breaks, you’d get no complaints there. But whatever, you can’t please everyone on everything. This season gave us more character development from these characters. Kyo, while still an angry kitty from time to time has really matured a bit. He doesn’t fly off the handle to fight Yuki every day like you’d see in season one. Yuki was able to realize many aspects of his life and grow from there. Hatori was able to move on from Kana. Ayame learned to be a better big brother…though he’s still a yutz.

Shigure is NOT to be trusted!

I know some people have been saying that since season one and I feel it’s well worth repeating. And it’ll get worse next season, believe me! The only character I was disappointed in by not seeing that much of was Ritsu. But as I recall, Ritsu doesn’t get that much action in the second year arc. I’m so happy to hear the original dub (most of them anyways) with this new material that they’ve never done before for these characters. And I’m hoping to ride this train going into 2021. I love this story and I can’t wait for the final season.

Yes, watch this. Watch the first season too! Hell, watch the original series, it’s not out of print yet!

All of the episodes are available to watch on FUNimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu. The dub is available through FUNimation only. And if you want to watch the original anime (w/o the new story), Hulu still has it available.

#anime review #Fruits Basket #fruits basket 2nd season #Tohru Honda #kyo sohma #Yuki Sohma #hiro sohma #hatori sohma #kagura sohma #kakeru manabe #machi kuragi #rin sohma #akito sohma #ayame sohma #shigure sohma #momiji sohma #kureno sohma #arisa uotani

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