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dragonydreams · 12 days ago

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BuckTommy Fic: Stuck in the Middle With You

Title: Stuck in the Middle With You Fandom: 9-1-1 Rating: Teen Audiences And Up Pairings/Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Tommy Kinard, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz, Eddie Diaz & Tomy Kinard Additional Tags: post-episode: s08e06 Confessions, this is not a buddie story, second chances, Eddie's a good friend, Fix-It Summary: Eddie promises Buck he'll talk to Tommy to try to get his friends back together. Word Count: 2,701 Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Reamworks, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision, Ryan Murphy Television, and 20th Television. Betas: Thank you to @medieshanachiefor looking this over for me. Author's Note: I'm not really sure where some of this came from. I had a line in my head and it kind of spiraled from there. Then Tommy got notions and wouldn't give them up.

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They drank their beers in silence, but after a few minutes when Buck was still staring at the fireplace with that kicked puppy expression on his face, Eddie couldn't keep his rising worry in anymore.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what happened?" he asked.

Buck looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. He watched Buck take in his bare face and legs. "I could ask you the same thing," Buck said, rather than answering.

"A priest told me to do something joyful," Eddie said. 'Your turn."

"A priest…? We're coming back to that." Buck takes a swig from his beer bottle. "Tommy dumped me."

Eddie nearly dropped his beer in his haste to turn to face Buck. "He what? But you just had your six month anniversary!"

"Took me by surprise, too," Buck said. "I don't think he was planning it, but as Athena would say, I went full Buck and scared him off."

Eddie winced. "What happened?"

"I asked him to move in with me," Buck admitted.

Eddie blew out a breath. "Is that how you phrased it?"

"Yeah, how else would I do it?" Buck asked, confused.

"You didn't suggest moving in together, but for Tommy to move in with you," Eddie said.

"What difference does the phrasing make?" Buck asked, getting annoyed. He came here for comfort, not an inquisition.

"At any time while you were deciding to ask Tommy to move in, did you remember that Tommy has a house with a two car garage?"

"I– What–" Buck's brow furrowed. "Of course I've been to Tommy's house."

"And you asked him to move in with you," Eddie said, again.

Buck huffed in frustration. "I didn't mean my loft, literally."

"Did he know that?"

"I don't know, he was too busy breaking up with me to discuss where exactly we'd live," Buck said. "Why are you taking his side?"

"I'm not," Eddie said, holding his hands up. "I'm just trying to understand what happened."

"Did you know he used to be engaged to a woman?" Buck asked. "To Abby?"

Eddie's eyes went wide. "Not your Abby?"

"Yes, my Abby. Although I guess she was his Abby first," Buck said. "How could the two most important people I've dated been engaged to each other?"

"That is quite the coincidence," Eddie mused. "Is that what led to the idea of moving in?"

"Maybe?" Buck admitted. "Josh said all this stuff about me coming out in a post-Glee world, but he and Tommy came out in a pre-Glee world that wasn't so understanding and I wanted Tommy to know that I respected how hard it must have been for him and show him that I was all in."

"Had the two of you said I love you yet?" Eddie asked.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that," Buck muttered. "No, but had you and Marisol said it before you asked her to move in?"

"No, we had not, and look how that turned out," Eddie said. "Our exes definitely had some big secrets."

"Yeah, but I knew about Abby before asking Tommy to move in. You didn't find out about Marisol being a nun until after," Buck pointed out.

"Almost a nun," Eddie corrected him automatically.

Buck slumped back against the couch, draining the rest of his beer. "I went too big, too fast, didn't I?"

"You do have a tendency to act before thinking things through," Eddie agreed.

"It's part of my charm," Buck said.

"Is it though?"

"Apparently not," Buck admitted. "I thought people liked big romantic gestures. Tommy loves all that rom-com stuff."

"Maybe, but not when it's a reaction to learning about a shared former lover," Eddie said.

"How do I fix this?" Buck asked, tears filling his eyes. "I don't know that I am... Was… am in love with him, but I'm not ready to be without him."

"I don't know that this is something that you can walk back," Eddie said.

"He said that while he may have been my first, he wasn't going to be my last. Did he tell you that he wasn't in this for the long haul?" Buck asked.

"We tried not to talk about you too much when we hung out," Eddie said. "But from what I could see, he was in it as much as you were."

"Then why would he say something like that to me? Just because he's the first man I've been with doesn't mean that I want to be with other men."

"I can't speak for him, but maybe it's been his experience that when one man is just starting to date men and the other isn't, they don't usually stay together that long," Eddie said. "I'm just guessing here. You'd have to talk to him."

"Or-or you could," Buck suggested. He sat up on the couch, suddenly eager. "Yeah, can you do that? Can you go tell him that sometimes I leap before I look and I don't want this to end?"

Buck was looking at him with such sad yet hopeful eyes, that Eddie found himself saying, "Okay, fine, I'll try. Once."

Buck tackle hugged him. "Thank you. You're the best friend ever."

"I can't promise I'll change his mind," Eddie cautioned.

"I'm not asking you to. I just need him to talk to me," Buck said, pulling back. "And now I think I need to know where your pants are."

Eddie laughed. "Yeah, um, so have you seen the movie Risky Business..."

~~*~~

Eddie stood before Tommy's front door, food offering in hand, and took a deep breath before ringing the bell.

It took a few minutes, but Tommy opened the door looking as rough as Eddie expected.

"Had a feeling you'd need this," he said, holding up the bag containing a couple of breakfast burritos.

"Did he send you?" Tommy asked, warily eyeing the bag of food.

"Yes, but I also wanted to see how you're doing," Eddie admitted. "I'm your friend, too."

Tommy stood back and let Eddie in before following him to the kitchen. Eddie got down a couple of plates while Tommy started making coffee.

"Should have known he'd run straight to you," Tommy muttered. "That man has been in love with you for as long as I've known him."

Eddie snorted. "No, he's not."

Tommy stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "I know he claimed he was trying to get my attention after you and I started hanging out, but I can tell you, he was most definitely not."

"He may have been trying to get my attention, but that's just the way our co-dependent friendship works sometimes. It's not because he's in love with me," Eddie protested.

"You tell yourself whatever you need to," Tommy said.

"If he was in love with me, why would he have come to my house last night with a six-pack of beer and practically beg me to come ask you to talk to him to try to change your mind about breaking up?"

"Because you're his best friend," Tommy said.

"His straight best friend," Eddie reminded him. He idly wondered why he had to keep telling men he was straight.

"You sure about that?" Tommy asked. "Should I kiss you and see if you have the same revelation Evan had?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Eddie said. "Because one, I'm not bicurious and two, I'm here on behalf of my heartbroken best friend."

Tommy poured them each a cup of coffee and they moved to the dining table. They each took a few bites before the conversation resumed.

"So, Buck's Abby was also your Abby," Eddie said.

"It appears so. Did you know her?" Tommy asked.

Eddie shook his head. "She was before I moved to L.A. But I was there for the aftermath. Did he tell you about their breakup?"

"We didn't really get into that," Tommy admitted. "He just said she was one of his most transformative relationships, before me."

"From what I've heard, Buck slept around a lot before Abby. Bobby actually fired him his probationary year because he kept stealing engines for hookups."

Tommy choked on the bite he'd just taken. "I'm sorry, he stole fire engines to have sex? He wasn't kidding when he said he was a himbo."

Eddie nodded. "That's not the guy that I met, though. I met a guy who was living in his girlfriend's apartment even though she'd been traveling in Europe alone for months after her mom died."

"I did read about that. I sent her flowers," Tommy said.

"She basically ghosted Buck. He was staying true to her while she ran around without any real intention of coming back. She broke something in him."

"Because I broke something in her," Tommy said.

"That's not what I'm saying," Eddie said, quickly.

"Then why tell me about it?" Tommy demanded.

"To help you understand Buck. In case you haven't noticed, he has a fear of abandonment. Of not being enough," Eddie said.

"Who doesn't?" Tommy countered.

"He also tends to overcompensate when he's afraid," Eddie said.

"You're saying that he asked me to move in to his loft because he was afraid I'd leave him for a woman once he knew I used to be engaged to one?" Tommy asked, incredulously.

"No, I'm saying that between learning about Abby and something Josh said to him about how hard it was for gay people pre-Glee he wanted to show you how "in" he was in this relationship by asking you to move in."

"He's done this before? I'm not sure if that makes me feel any better."

"Did he tell you about suing the city after Bobby wouldn't let him return to work as soon as Buck wanted to after the ladder truck crushed his leg? Or asking Taylor to move in with him instead of just telling her he'd kissed Lucy back after she'd kissed him?"

"So he has done this before," Tommy said, solemnly. "Wait, Lucy Denato?"

"Or the time he tried grooming Ravi to take his place because he was convinced we all hated him after Chimney went chasing after Maddie when she left after Jee-Yun was born?"

"Or the time he thought he was cursed because he grew boils after an allergic reaction?" Tommy added.

"Exactly. He gets stuff in his head and reacts without thinking."

"And instead of talking it out, I just reacted to the words he was saying instead of talking to him about where they were coming from," Tommy said.

"Do you love him?" Eddie asked.

"Not yet, but I was close," Tommy admitted. "I didn't get into this relationship expecting love. I wasn't looking for it, but it was starting to sneak up on me."

"And that scared you," Eddie guessed.

"It did, because, as I said before, I didn't want my heart broken when you finally realized you were as in love with Evan as he is with you," Tommy said.

"I told you, I'm not," Eddie insisted. "I'm not gay, or bi."

"That's why you grew a Freddy Mercury mustache? To show how straight you are?" Tommy asked.

"Is that why the hot priest was hitting on me?" Eddie wondered aloud.

"I'm sorry, a hot priest was hitting on you?" Tommy made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.

"He called my mustache very handsome," Eddie said.

"So you ran home and shaved it?"

"No, I shaved it because I realized I didn't need the mask anymore," Eddie said. "And not to mask that I'm straight. That's just the truth."

Tommy held his hands up. "Okay, fine, you're straight. You have no interest in bedding Evan."

"No, I don't. I'm not a threat to your relationship."

"There is no more relationship," Tommy said.

"If you're willing to try, there still could be," Eddie said.

"I need to think about it," Tommy said.

"That's all I'm asking," Eddie said.

~~*~~

Can we meet for coffee?"

Buck nearly fumbled his phone as he read the text when they got back to the station after a call, four days after Tommy had dumped him. He frantically looked around for Eddie.

When he spotted him on a couch he ran over to him, holding out his phone. "Eddie, Eddie, he texted."

"Are you going to respond?" Eddie teased.

"Oh, uh, yeah, of course," Buck said, pulling his phone back.

Yes! When and where?

Tommy responded right away.

Tomorrow morning, 10am. You know where.

The coffee shop of second chances. Third? I'll be there.

"So?" Eddie asked.

"We're meeting for coffee tomorrow when we get off shift," Buck said, his face lit up with his smile.

"That's great, man. Good luck," Eddie said.

~~*~~

Buck was sitting at an outdoor table, two cups of coffee before him. The main difference this time is that he knew he had Tommy's order right.

"I'm feeling a bit of deja vu," Tommy said as he sat down across from Buck.

"Coffee should be better this time," Buck said.

Tommy brought the cup to his lips and hummed with appreciation. "At least you didn't try to be cute and order the wrong thing knowingly."

"I'd never do that to you," Buck said, offended.

"I know," Tommy said. "I'm sorry, I know that I have no right to be snarky."

"I'm the one who got dumped," Buck pointed out. "If anyone's going to be snarky, it should be me."

"I'm sorry, Evan," Tommy said.

"So it's Evan again?" Buck snarked.

"I deserved that," Tommy said.

"What are you sorry for?" Buck asked.

"I'm sorry that instead of talking out my concerns that you were moving too fast I pulled away completely," Tommy apologized.

"And I'm sorry if you thought that I meant I wanted you to move into the loft. I was just so excited about the idea of living together, I didn't stop to think about where it would be," Buck said.

"I guess that's something we'll both need to work on; pausing to think before saying things," Tommy said.

"S-so there's something to work on?" Buck asked, hopefully. "Are we getting back together?"

"I think we need to have some long conversations about what we're looking for in this relationship, but I'm willing to have those discussions," Tommy said.

"Me too," Buck said, eagerly.

"But first, I want to ask you something that I should have done from the beginning," Tommy said.

Buck licked his lips nervously and nodded. "Okay, ask."

"Are you in love with Eddie?"

Buck laughed, then noticed the stern look on Tommy's face. "Oh, you're serious."

"Very."

"No, I'm not in love with Eddie. He's my best friend. My soulmate, but my platonic soulmate."

"Are you sure about that? Now that you know you're bi, are your feelings for him still just platonic?" Tommy pressed.

"Totally," Buck assured him. "He's always going to be an important person in my life, but he's not the one I want to share a bed with. My turn for a serious question."

"I deserve that," Tommy said.

"Can you handle Eddie and Christopher's role in my life? I'm always going to drop everything if one of them needs me. Are you going to be okay with that? Most of my girlfriends couldn't."

"Hell, I'll probably be the one driving you," Tommy admitted. "They're both pretty special people."

"They're the best," Buck agreed. "And I think you should take Eddie to the Lakers game instead of me. I really hate basketball."

Tommy laughed. "You know, somehow I just knew Eddie was going to end up at that game."

"Can we kiss and make up now?" Buck asked.

"God, yes," Tommy said, both of them standing and reaching for the other.

The kiss was fairly chaste since they were in public, but their hunger for each other was clear. This was something they both desperately wanted.

"You wanna get out of here?" Buck asked, somewhat breathless.

"Come back to my place?" Tommy suggested.

"I'm right behind you," Buck said.

"Hmm, no, I think we should be face to face," Tommy said, smirking.

Buck's face flushed. "That's not what… I mean yes, absolutely."

Tommy kissed Buck's cheek. "I'll see you soon."

The Beginning (Again)

#bucktommy #evan buck buckley #tommy kinard #eddie diaz #911 fic #fix-it #Fic: Stuck in the Middle With You

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frosted-skies · 5 months ago

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trikey —

deliver to: heaven

TW: Dr*gs, overdose and s*icidal ideation

i would wait for you a thousand years, but would my life last long enough?

trevor philips x michael de santa

a series of nine letters, corresponding to the nine years since michael townley’s death during a failed heist in ludendorff, north yankton, written by trevor philips.

the nine letters are kept safely in individual envelopes, stacked chronologically and locked in a wooden box under his bed.

engraved in the wood was:

deliver to: heaven.

—

playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Yv3sN3tq0kfgZyI83k5P2?si=JKbagLZiS0KzG9A9vOgbjA&pi=a-ATFl3aYgQmuF

2004.

Michael.

I can't believe you’re not with me anymore. I can’t believe you are gone, I can’t believe you are dead. I couldn't leave your tombstone, even after everyone else had left, including your wife and children.

I stayed there for god knows how long. I cried in the cold unforgiving North Yankton winter, kneeling next to your grave. I held onto your tombstone. That smooth concrete with your name engraved.

Michael Townley, 1965-2004.

I wanted to dig out your body, I wanted to look at your face one last time. I cried, screamed, begged for all of this to be a dream. I prayed to a God I didn't even know existed, I yelled into the empty grey skies. I yelled your name. hoping that somehow and somewhere, you’d come back.

Why did it have to end like this? I should have taken that bullet instead of you, I should have died and not you. Why was it you? Why did it have to be you? Why? I don’t know how to live without you, Mikey. You were my everything. And now…you’re gone.

Maybe you’re happier on the other side wherever you end up. I don’t fucking know. But I can’t think of a way to live a life without you. I’d crumble without you. I can’t stop thinking about you. I see you in everything and everywhere. I can’t get you outta my mind. I have a shirt of yours. And a jacket. Those are my only two things that will remind me of you. And I’ll treasure it with my whole life. I promise.

I’m missing you so much, Townley. And I’ll keep missing you forever. I’ll always be waiting for you on the other side. No matter how long it takes. I’m waiting for you. I promise.

2005.

Michael.

It’s been a year since you left me. A fucking year. 12 months, 48 weeks, 365 days, 8760 hours and 525,600 minutes.

All that time. I spent it alone. I moved to another part of the US. I decided to move to San Andreas. Blaine County. Sandy Shores. In a trailer.

I did drugs. All that you could think of. Just so I can fill the void and the never ending pain that your death caused. I still can’t believe that you’re actually gone. Sometimes I saw see you in my dreams. Sometimes I see your face in other people’s. God, I miss you so much I think I’m going a bit crazy.

But I don’t think you would like to see me like this, do you? I don’t know. But I just needed something to quell me from the emptiness that you left me. I still have that shirt and jacket of yours. I take care of it well, so your scent doesn’t ever go away. I kept all the pictures we took. I look at them when I miss you the most. And then I cry my eyes out. And then I smoke meth. And repeat.

One year since you left me and I’m struggling. I don’t know what will happen to me soon. But I’ll wait for you. I promise, I will never forget you and I’ll wait.

I miss you and I love you. Forever. Until I die.

2006.

Michael.

Two years. Two fucking years. Two years have passed since you died.

I don’t know if I’m surviving. Barely.

Writing to Brad. He’s in prison. Even though I hate his guts kinda, I still write. I’m not heartless am I?

I went to visit you up in North Yankton. Still cold as always. I think the priest saw me. I don’t know. Don’t care. I sat there for probably three hours. Talking to you. Talking to a fucking stone. I don’t know if you heard me. I guess you did.

I miss you so much Mikey. I really do. Why did you have to leave me so soon?

I have no energy to write more. I’m gonna go smoke meth probably.

I miss you. I love you.

2007.

Michael.

Three fucking years.

Three.

The more days I live, the more I wonder if I should still stay. My life has no purpose.

My tolerance grew. The usual amount I smoked isn’t cutting it anymore.

I sometimes smoke with a picture of you next to me. You’re my only friend. I think.

I tried huffing gas. Interesting experience. Ended up with a pounding headache and puking my guts out at the abandoned motel. Who cares.

I don’t think I should stay alive anymore, Mikey.

I can’t do this anymore. I’m numb. I feel invisible. Miserable. Horrible.

I should just…die. I have no purpose to live anymore. Especially without you here with me. I’m tired of crying, breathing, and living. I might just die by an overdose. I should.

I’m broken, Mikey. Maybe I’ll see you. You’re waiting for me, right?

2008.

Michael.

Four years. Sorry I wrote later than usual.

I was high as fuck. Took a mix of meth and heroin. Crazy. I probably killed a guy or two. I don’t know.

Almost died. Wasn’t planning to at that moment.

I heard your voice when I was tripping. Were you visiting me Mikey? I missed you.

I dont know if it was the drugs or my imagination. But I swear I saw you.

Planning to overdose next year, on the fifth year. Probably gonna mix a fuckton of drugs. It’ll be effective. I hope so. I just wanna meet you again.

You’re waiting right? Wait for me Mikey.

I’m coming.

2009.

Michael.

Well…I tried.

I overdosed. I drank, I smoked. Somehow. But somehow, I’m still alive. Fuck.

Damn it. Fuck. Wait for me Mikey.

Please. I wanna see you again.

Hold you. Hug you. Talk to you.

Wait for me. Please.

I’ll come to you, Mikey. I promise.

2010.

Michael.

Six years have passed.

I still wished I was the one who got shot. Not you. God. I miss you everyday. It hurts. Even the drugs aren’t cutting it anymore.

I miss you so much. I don’t know how to describe it. This grief seems to go on forever.

Should I just…keep living and accept the fact that you’re gone?

Tried to die twice to meet you but it seems like my life has other plans. Maybe one day I’ll accept the fact that you’re gone. But that doesn’t change the fact that I miss you so much. Remember that.

2011.

Michael.

Coming to terms with the fact that you’re dead is weird. I’m still doing drugs though.

I think I found a friend. His name is Ron or whatever. He's a bit of a weirdo and his wife's an ass.

He's kinda like a little apprentice to me. I started a little drug stint to make money. Forgot to tell you that.

Even though I'm slowly accepting reality…that you're gone…

I will never forget you.

Take my word for that.

2012.

Michael.

Sorry for not writing. Ron got a divorce from his ass wife. He lives in the trailer next to mine. I got another kid. Wade. Very gullible young kid.

I've been thinking of you a lot.

I've fully accepted that you're dead. After eight damn years. Almost a decade of me crying at night because I missed you.

Accepting that you're dead feels weird. Really weird. It's kinda like I've made peace with it. I no longer feel the weight of my grief. Nor have I felt that soul-crushing, rose-thorns-on-my-throat feeling of deathly missing you. Even after all that.

Remember that in another universe I still love you with all my heart.

2013.

Michael.

Happy New Year. Well…I'm a month late. You don't care, do you?

I hope you're okay wherever you are. It's almost ten years since you're gone.

Isn't it weird that everyone grieves differently? I'm here always having you in my thoughts. Maybe your wife moved on quick and married someone else!

Finally accepting your death is calming. I'm not a miserable mess anymore. I have those two idiots and my business to occupy my time.

You're always in my thoughts. I miss you lots, Mikey. I love you lots, too.

#gta v #gta 5 #michael de santa #trevor philips #trikey #angst #grieving #letters #tw drugs #tw sui ideation #tw sui implied #tw overdose #grand theft auto

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littlerosetrove · 1 day ago

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To focus on one thing, I'm so pissed off how Eddie has been handled this season - which is nothing new because he's been poorly handled for the past three seasons - but let me focus on season 8A.

In 8x1 we saw that Chris could barely look at let alone even talk to his dad. Eddie had a few scattered scenes in 8A talking about missing Chris, but - and here's a big thing - did NOTHING about it. Jump to 8x8 and suddenly they're talking? A little awkwardly, but it's certainly a big change from 8x1. Why have we not seen or even heard of this development??

The only thing Eddie did between 8x1 and 8x8 was, for some unknowable reason, went to confession as if he's still a practicing Catholic when he's not, had two conversations with a random priest he doesn't know who told Eddie "you're allowed to feel joy." And then he danced in his underwear. This fell so flat because Eddie, apparently, needed to talk to a stranger to get this push? I'm sorry but there was no emotional weight to it either.

And now in 8x8 we got Eddie talking to Brad of all fucking people about his relationship with Chris, all for Brad to say "don't let space grow any further." We couldn't have had Eddie talk to literally any of his friends or family that would definitely have given this exact advice? Are you serious????

If you're following me, Eddie has not worked on himself in any capacity this season beyond having an "oh I can feel joy" moment (and even that feels kinda superficial). He has yet to reflect or work on any of his multitude of problems. A big one is he has yet to deal with his grief for Shannon. It is season fucking 8 and they still refuse to have Eddie deal with this shit. THIS is why Eddie got into the dumbass mess with the doppelganger in the first place, and why Chris is even gone right now.

What are we doing here. Please someone tell me. Eight episodes into this season and they've barely done anything with Eddie beyond making him a bit of a clown. Jack has talked about this before in a post in a much clearer way, but Eddie just doesn't really feel like the Eddie I used to know. Instead of working with the character he was, they've been forcibly changing him into, I don't even know how to explain it, but he's just not who he used to be. He's been off for 2-3 seasons now in my eyes.

Oh, and we also get yet another confirmation that Eddie's parents continue to leave Eddie out of the loop of his sons life. At this point I'm not even expecting this show to address this story narrative that's been around since season 2 of how Eddie's parents have wanted to raise and parent Chris with Eddie out of the picture or off to the side. And what a damn shame.

#911 spoilers #911 negativity #9-1-1 #Eddie Diaz #Eddie and frankly all the mains deserve better #my thoughts

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clockworkgraystairs · 4 years ago

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There is no such thing as vampires #1 || Jurdan AU

Jurdan Smut Week 2020 • DAY 2

The prompt was technically dagger play...it didn’t really worked that way but HEY more smut! (vampire smut cough)

@jurdannet @jurdannetrevels

Rating: E (no I don’t mean ‘everyone’)

Warnings: Explicit content, mentions of blood, some biting (it’s a vampire au c’mon), swear words (just in case)

Summary:

Behind me stands a tall, slender man dressed in black trousers and one of those puffy white shirts men always use in period TV dramas. Raven curls frame the sharp angles of his face and his pale skin resembles marble. I stare at him unsure if my eyes widen because of the scare or how good looking he is. Maybe both.

His lips curve as if he finds my reaction somehow satisfying.

Extra comments: Just because I’m extra af, I’ll leave you the ambience music videos I listened while writing this. In case you’d like to hear them while reading:

Rain in a forest at night - Haunted Mansion/rain/thunder/wind - Narnia Lullaby

Written for: @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 MA’AM AS ALWAYS THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HELP AND SUPPORT, FOR BETAING THIS UNENDING PIECE AND FOR HELPING ME CRAFTING THE IDEA FOR IT! ❤️

Part 1 || Part 2

Masterlist • AO3

“Please tell me again why are we doing this?” I ask for the third time, leaning to rest my head on my sister’s shoulder. We bounce as the uncomfortable van we travel in turns to a cobbled path, leading us deeper into the woods.

“Because,” Vivi hisses back. “Your little brother is currently in his Twilight-obsession phase, and he just broke up with his girlfriend so we’re trying to cheer him up!”

“He’s 9! And they lasted like, what? Four hours?”

In that moment, Oak turns violently from the front seat, scowling at me. “First of all Jude, we were together two full days ok? She was the love of my life and suddenly she’s not sure about us anymore? Now I shall never find love again! I might have to become a priest. I expect a little consideration.”

Vivi ruffles his hair affectionately. “We absolutely understand, your sister here doesn’t have an ounce of romance in her veins but of course she supports the cause.”

That said, he returns to his place. I bite my lip hard, trying not to laugh. Typical Oak. I love my brother I really do, even if half of the time I can’t understand his dramatic outbursts.

Sighing, I stare through the window, to the heavy clouds gathering on top of us. Great. We are probably far away from the highway by now, nothing more than trees, rocks and occasional wild animals around. For some reason, our father had thought that there was no better way of fixing a kid’s broken heart than going on a quest in search of legends and hidden castles.

The thing is that apparently, it works. Instead of an incessant whining about love being doomed, my brother spends the days throwing the most random facts about werewolves, vampires, ghosts and any impossible creature. To be honest, I don’t think wikipedia and the Twilight books are a reliable source, but if it makes Oak happy I could live a couple of days with it. And most importantly if I have to choose between this or spending the week back at home with my mother and twin sister going to tea parties for old ladies, well, the answer is very clear.

I remember reading a few books about myths when I was younger. When I turned fifteen, I developed a hard crush on Brad Pitt after I saw Interview with the Vampire, filling half of the walls in my room with posters of him. Even now ten years later, I actually enjoy talking about old folklore and legends, urban myths and stuff like that.

What bugs me, are the fraudulent morons who want to take advantage of Oak’s naive curiosity to engage us in the most ridiculous tours that were obviously a waste of money. So far, we’d entered three “museums” where most of the so-called relics were made of plastic, and a haunted house with special effects so poorly done, father had discreetly asked for his money back. Only another two of the places we visited were actually interesting, but since the guides spent most of the time flirting with Vivi or me, it had annoyed our father.

Now though, we are driving behind the car of an old couple who swore their ancestors owned a castle where true vampires had lived once. The sole mention of the word “castle” was enough to make Oak hang from our father’s sleeve begging to go.

I’m not going to lie, it is an intriguing idea. But I remain a little worried about how much money Madoc is ready to pay before he hurries his little son back to his fantasy books and videogames.

“Dad, did you know that vampires like to live in the woods because it allows them to make racing competitions without being interrupted?” Oak asks with enthusiasm.

Madoc gasps. “Do they? Is it because they’re so fast?”

Okay, he might be willing to pay more than I thought. Next to me, Vivi muffles a laugh and keeps taking pictures for her instagram, occasionally asking for my help.

Upon arriving at the castle I have to suppress a curse. This, now, is a real castle. Nothing like the pitiful buildings we’d visited before. It is huge, made of pure stone and a modest wooden bridge that connects the entrance with the spot where the cars park. A slight fog covers the sides of the castle giving it a creepier look.

A shiver goes down my back. I turn to find my family who are all equally gaping at the place in front of them. Oak is visibly shaking with excitement. Vivi shoots me an astonished look before taking my brother’s hand and following the couple across the bridge.

The first thought that pops into my mind is that this place must have been taken out from a movie. Or set up for one. Maybe this is one of those pranks for TV. There is no other explanation for the massive room we find behind the giant front gate. Every inch of the walls is covered by paintings, several images barely recognizable through the dust. Aged furniture rests under dust and spiderwebs, pointing out they haven’t been used in quite some time. The illumination doesn’t help either. Electric lights hang from a few spots on the walls, though not enough for the big space, which I suspect is the reason that long candles are lit up too.

My next thought is that I should’ve brought my sweater. The damn place is freezing.

“Phew, sorry about the dust!” The old man says, flashing an embarrassed smile to us. “We were not planning to have any visitors yet.”

“You said this is going to be a museum?” Madoc asks, carefully surveying the walls. Next to him, Vivi tightens her hold on my brother’s hand to prevent him from starting to run around. I swear his eyes are about to pop out of their sockets.

“It will indeed! This place has been in our family for generations, but since it’s hard to adapt it to modern technology it was abandoned.” He turns to Oak and winks. “Not to mention the creepy things that happen here all the time.”

His gaze widens. “What kind of things?”

“Well, some distant relatives used to try spending their vacations here. But after a couple of days they left in a big rush, claiming some strange force had commanded them to go away.” With a lower voice, he adds. “They also mentioned noises coming out from empty rooms and dark hallways. Steps. Shadows that followed them along the place.”

For a second everyone remains silent. The only noise I can hear is the wind outside and the start of a slight rain. Somehow my hands are even colder.

“The legend says,” The woman, whose name is Marrow if I remember it correctly, continues while taking one chandelier with her hand. “This was the hideout of ancient vampires, how many, we don’t know. But they didn’t appreciate people trying to live within their domains.”

“So why come here at all?” Vivi asks. “Isn’t it dangerous?”

“It might be.” She shrugs. “But that’s half of the fun, isn’t it?”

“We like to think we’ve found a safe way to open this castle to the public without taking any risks. We will use a part of it as a museum, to show some of the family relics. But be aware, no one is allowed to go further than the marked area.” He signals at the yellow tape stuck on the floor forming arrows.

“If you please...” Marrow says, motioning at the stairs where the markings start.

They get me for a moment, not gonna lie. The surroundings and the way they speak are creepy enough to make me doubt my beliefs for a second. I shake my head to clear those thoughts away and walk behind my family. There’s no such thing as vampires or haunted castles.

We go through passages. Madoc has to remind Oak to not touch anything, constantly. From what I see, he’s living his best day. Several counters line up side by side against the wall. Some of them contain jewelry, others weapons, old writing pens among other things. Most of them carry a family shield, although it’s too blurry to properly identify what it says.

The rain thickens outside and Marrow keeps talking. She tells the story of her so called ancestors, whose family were big enough to fill all the rooms in the castle. Elwen, Eldred… something like that, and his many wives had once lived here. Along with his abounding children. I see in Oak’s face the intention to ask about how that family arrangement worked but Vivi gives him a slight pull of his hair.

I would have thought our guides would try to keep a proud name for their so-called ancestors. But they don’t. In fact, she seems particularly interested in explaining how Eldred’s cruel and terrible nature brought him nothing but disgrace. His once prosperous castle and assets were gone little by little. He claimed he was under the effects of a curse, but no one dared believing him. At least not until people started disappearing.

I stop listening at some point, focusing my attention on the relics in front of me. I’ve always felt a significant attraction to weapons, but not the ordinary ones like guns or rifles. These ones though, such beautiful daggers and swords. I’d give a kidney just to hold one of them.

On the next shelf books pile one next to the other, the dust around them a clear sign of how long they’ve been unbothered. All except for one. The navy blue cover has almost no dust at all, yet it looks like it would fall apart with a gentle blow of wind. The title is partially gone, probably through time.

I turn my head to my family but they’re gone, probably to another corridor since I can still hear the muffled voice of Marrow and my brother. Would she care at all if I check out that book?

I bite my lip. As long as it doesn’t break it’s probably alright. Standing on the tip of my toes I reach for it.

“That is an excellent book.”

I shriek and whip around, my hand flies to my mouth trying to cover the embarrassing sound. The book falls open next to my feet.

His lips curve as if he finds my reaction somehow satisfying. “My personal favorite. Too bad the author was a poisonous bunch-backed toad.”

My mouth opens to apologize, but I only manage to let out a strangled. “Shit”

The stranger lifts an eyebrow and chuckles.

“Sorry, I- that wasn’t what I meant to say.” I stutter. I feel as if my heart has jumped to my throat. “I wasn’t trying to steal the book.”

“I did not say you were.” He answers, his voice is like velvet.

I nod and take a deep breath. “I came in with my family. Marrow is showing us the place.”

His dark eyes wander down my body, but not like one of those rude men on the streets. No. Something in his gaze feels feral, like an animal sizing up his prey. A strange urge to run pools in my stomach, yet at the same time my muscles seem to have forgotten how to do so.

He looks me in the eyes again and it’s all gone. I let go of the tension in my back and a breath I didn’t know I was holding. When he smiles again, I feel as if I could trust him. Why shouldn’t I?

“And are you enjoying the tour?” He bends to pick up the book I’d dropped before and puts it back on the shelf. His movements are fluid and carefree. I doubt I’ve ever seen such elegance in a simple action. It is unsettling as much as it is attractive. Then I realize I’m supposed to answer.

“Yes, this is amazing actually.” I look around and take in the aged stone of the walls and ceiling. In that corridor there’s only one electric lamp, the rest is only lightened by candles. I can see our shadows dancing along to the flames. “All of this really helps getting in the ‘mood’.”

“The mood?”

I look at him and notice his tilted head. “Yeah you know, the mood of enchanted castles and old legends. This is well put enough that a credulous person would believe any story. Marrow is pretty good at it too.” Motioning a hand to him I add. “They even have their own actor.”

A thunder roars outside. “I beg your pardon?”

I roll my eyes and flash him a smile. “You don’t really have to keep the charade with me. I’m not some schoolgirl.”

“Yet I managed to pull a scream out of you, didn’t I?” The way he says it feels as if he was talking about an entirely different subject. Heat creeps up my cheeks.

“That was… not the same.” I mumble. “I didn’t hear you approaching. That could scare the living hell out of anybody.”

“I have been told I am quite sneaky, I concede you that.” He nods. “Why don’t I give you the rest of the tour? As an apology, of course.”

He’s doing his job, I remind myself, he’s not flirting with you.

“You haven’t even told me your name.” I say. “If we’re roaming around a castle together I should at least know who’s guiding me.”

That sounded an awful lot like flirting. Dammit.

“Cardan, at your service madam.” The tone he uses feels like a caress, he bows his head in a way I’ve only seen in movies. He takes his role seriously. I almost chuckle, but the sound dies in my throat.

“Cardan.” I repeat, just for the pleasure of doing it. “My name is Jude.”

He straightens. “Delighted to meet your acquaintance.” He answers and offers me his arm. “Shall we, Jude?”

I can’t believe how far away my family has gone. Cardan and I walk through a couple of corridors and still there is no trace of them. Did we take that long talking?

He’s an excellent guide, I have to acknowledge that.

While Marrow uses a tone of suspense and mystery, Cardan has this melancholy in his voice that sounds as if he’s talking about a memory. It’s bewitching. He also drops the most ridiculous “facts” about the people on the paintings. I refrain myself from asking if inventing things is allowed for employees, because saying that the girl with the pearl necklace enjoyed to play on the beach while saying she was the Princess of the Sea, certainly sounds like it.

“If you bite your lip one more time, I am going to do it for you.”

My heart skips a bit and I let go of my lower lip. I hadn’t realized I was tugging it. It’s an unconscious habit. I turn to him and I find his gaze different, hungry. It sends a shiver down to a place I know it shouldn’t. He arches an eyebrow as though he notices it.

“Is that a thing vampires like to do?” I say, trying to lighten the mood. The last thing I want him to know is that for the last twenty minutes I’ve been listening to him speak wishing he put a different use to that wicked mouth of his.

His gaze doesn’t change. “It is a thing I would like to do.”

I am pretty sure my expression is giving me up by now. Knowing my traitorous body, I’m probably flushed, my mouth open in awe. Desire coils inside me.

At my lack of answer, he continues. “Why don’t I show you something vampires really like to do?”

He walks back without letting go of my hand. I notice he steps out from the marked section and into a forbidden corridor.

The sensation returns, the one that is telling me to run. The problem is that I don’t know whether to run away, or straight to it. My mind wants both and my body, only one.

“You’re going to the restricted area.” I’m partially surprised by how breathless my voice sounds. “You can’t go in there…”

Cardan pauses and a confused expression crosses his face. A second later, it returns to his charming and teasing smile. “Are you afraid?”

I am.

Yet, I don’t care. I walk into the shadows with him.

As we cross the passage darkened by the lack of chandeliers I tell myself this is a terrible, terrible idea. The way he devours my mouth the moment a door slams shut behind us, convinces me it is the best.

Cardan pushes me against the wall, the cold temperature of the stone goes through my clothes making me gasp. He takes the opportunity and kisses me harder, his tongue explores my mouth with such deliciousness I have to bite back a moan.

My fingers are tangled in his hair pulling him closer to me, if such a thing is even possible. His hands are everything but still. They roam intensely from my breasts, down my sides and finally to my rear, where he grabs me, pressing me against his pelvis. I hear him groan and the sound makes something clench inside me.

Before I can double-think about it, one of my hands lowers to rub his hardness, still hidden behind his trousers. His breath hitches. He pulls back a bit and whispers to my ear. “Needy little human.”

I frown a moment, something about his words not clicking inside my brain but whatever it is I forget it the moment he slides his cold hands under my jersey. I yelp at the sensation, not sure if what flutters down my back is a result of the temperature or the eagerness which he’s holding me with. When he reaches my bra I hesitate for a moment. Cardan pauses too and leans back to stare into my eyes.

“Do you want to stop?” His voice is throaty and charged with desire. Still, he doesn’t make a move, waiting for my answer.

An instinctive part of me knows this is something I shouldn’t be doing. But that’s definitely not any close to me wanting to stop. Without removing my eyes from his I take the hem of my jersey to pull it over my head. The piece of fabric hits the floor, but neither of us pays attention to it. Once again Cardan’s gaze roams me in that predatory way.

I don’t stagger this time.

When my bra falls to the floor too, I take his hand and guide it to my jean’s button. “Do I look like I want to stop?”

Without hesitation he yanks the button open and slides his hand inside to cup the apex of my thighs. The contrast of my warm skin against his coldness makes my hips buck. Cardan buries his other hand in my hair and tilts my head back. I can feel his lips nipping down my jaw and my neck. A moan escapes my lips as he swipes a finger along my heat. He hums in response, the vibrations of it against my neck makes my eyes roll back.

He continues his ministrations until he feels me wet enough to slide a finger inside, he curls and pulls out. Then back inside. My breath comes out in elaborated pants as he quickens his pace. My hands almost finish unbuttoning his shirt when he slides another finger through my folds, his movements turn fast and punishing. Wet sounds taint the silence around us. As pleasure takes full control of my body I cling to him like a life saver, trying to muffle my moans.

“Let go Jude, let go for me.” He breathes next to my ear. My back arches and I sob a curse, writhing down on his hand.

He slows down as I come back from my orgasm, but never stops. Despite the freezing surroundings a drop of sweat runs down my chest. My heart beats as if I just ran a marathon. Cardan’s lazy moves continue, frequently grazing that spot that makes me mewl.

I hear him sigh. “You smell so good.” He claims my mouth one more time and bites me hard enough to make me wince. His tongue caresses my lower lip and a warm throb expands through my veins. He freezes and pulls back, releasing me. I stare at him in confusion, or at least as much as I can manage giving my current state.

He pants a couple of times before looking up at me. There’s a fiercess in his eyes that would’ve been scary under normal situations, right now, it only makes me want him more. He swallows before finally speaking. “If we go further, I won’t be able to stop.” His voice is like sandpaper.

My body seems to work on its own account, as I move to cup his face between my hands. “I already told you.”

“Jude…” He warns me, but I interrupt him joining my lips to his.

“I want this.” I breathe into his mouth. Cardan lets out a defeated groan before pulling my body back against his. Either he’s been holding back or it is until that moment that I realize how strong he actually is. He kisses me like a starved man and I can feel my pulse rise once again.

Soon his shirt joins my other clothing. My fingers trace his chest and torso, marveled at the softness of his skin. I mimic him moments before and kiss his neck. A low sound that almost resembles a growl comes out from his throat. My hands travel lower.

Somehow I manage to free his raging erection from his trousers, closing my hand around him. He hisses and then tilts his hips up to my touch. I start pumping him with unsure movements before gaining confidence to do it harder, tighter. Now it’s his turn to curse. Even though it sounds like something taken out from a Shakespeare novel, it makes my core pulse.

Cardan grips the hem of my jeans strong enough that for a moment I fear he’d rip them away.

“Take these off.” He demands instead.

I’m not sure of how I manage to do it. My mind feels blurred with a mix of sensations. Disoriented, not sure about exactly how my body is doing all of that, and the bliss of knowing I’m enjoying every second of it.

Before the air hits my skin, Cardan lifts me from the ground. My legs circle his waist in a reflexive move. His lips quirk in approval. Then my back is once again pressed against the wall, making me arch in a failed attempt to avoid touching the cold stone. A sound leaves my mouth, though it is not clear if it’s a protest or a moan. I hear him chuckle in my ear and I turn my head, searching his lips.

His kiss is slower but still deep. I feel as if small electric sparks are tickling every single one of my nerves. More, I need more. Cardan holds me in place with his hips, letting his hands wander up and down my legs.

The tip of his shaft is grazing my core over the thin fabric of my remaining piece of clothing, with an aching slowness that is not enough to ease my thirst. More.

I might have said that out loud because Cardan’s hips grind faster against me. It feels so good. And yet, it’s not enough.

I whine his name like a plea.

He continues for a couple of torturing seconds before reaching between my thighs again. There’s no teasing now as he moves my panties aside and immediately sinks his fingers inside me, pumping in and out with a pace that has me gasping in no time. He murmurs something I can’t understand and lines himself up to my entrance.

With soft, deliberate movements he slides through my heat, letting me feel every inch of him until he’s completely filling me. Then he stills. My muscles twitch around him, trying to adjust to the invasion. The exquisiteness of it is making my head swoon.

Cardan grabs my jaw and locks his gaze with mine. I can imagine what he’s looking at. Hooded eyes and flushed skin, though he doesn’t let me think a lot about it as he starts to move. Slow at first, with careful strokes that quickly evolve into long and deep. My mouth falls open at the sensation and my eyes shut.

“I warned you.” I hear him pant. “That there was no coming back.”

A whimper escapes my lips. I’m not even sure I’m actually trying to say something. He doesn’t seem to care either and leans to whisper to my ear. “You are mine now, Jude.”

There is something in the way he says it, his words carrying some compelling implication I can’t fully catch. His lips trail down my neck and I want to answer. To tell him that I am, that after the way he’s taking me, how could it be otherwise?

That’s when I feel a sharp stinging pain on the base of my throat.

I cry out and try to shake it away but whatever it is won’t let me go. Cardan’s words echo at the back of my mind, Needy little human.

As if sensing my thoughts he grabs my thighs and opens them wider, he thrusts into me harder and faster. Everything mixes in sensation. Pain leaves as fast as it came, leaving behind it that throb in my veins I can’t really explain. It is more intense now, what I felt as warm now is scorching. My entire body feels like it’s on fire, I’ve never felt so exhilarated before in my life. I don’t want it to stop.

Cardan sucks on my neck again and I moan his name. Without realizing it, I’m on the brink of another orgasm. I only realize it because he groans when my legs start to shiver around him. I cling to his neck and his hair. If I’m pulling too hard I can’t really know. A familiar swirl comes up from my core to the rest of my body as I spasm around him. It takes me a moment to notice the broken moans and sobs I hear come from my own mouth.

He keeps going a little longer until his fingers tighten over my skin, surely leaving bruises on both thighs. Muffled moans ring against my skin as he comes, thrusting in a couple of times more before stilling. A warm sensation covers the place where we join together. His mouth lets go of my neck. I grunt and shiver.

He puts me down carefully, still holding my waist, which is good considering I don’t know if I’m able to stand by myself. I feel dizzy. Cardan lowers his lips to mine one more time. He’s slow and gentle as though he’s worried. There is a slightly metallic taste in his tongue but I don’t pay attention to it. I trace the fine features of his face with trembling fingers. Little by little my senses start to take in the surroundings, the cold.

The place rumbles with another crack of thunder.

“You have to go back.” Cardan says, barely pulling his lips apart. Go back. I frown, then images of my family crash in my mind. I look around searching for the door, there is something on the floor. I realize soon those are my clothes. Shit. The tour, Oak. How much time have I been gone?

I dress in a hurry, not really caring if I put on my jersey correctly. He does the same but with the calm an elegance he has.

Panic must be written in my face because he grabs my chin and turns me to him. “Hey. Calm down.” He soothes me. Then his tone changes, turns commanding. His eyes are darker too. “Listen to me. You are going to do exactly as I say, do you understand Jude?”

I want to ask why, but for some reason I only nod. Cardan grabs my hand and pulls me out of whatever room we were in. “You must follow this passage until you find a way to turn left. Then continue until you see a painting of a black snake then turn right, you cannot miss it or you will get lost. Walk straight, and you will be back to a safe area.”

“But-” I start. I don’t want to go alone. And I don’t understand why but I don’t want to separate from him either. Which is nonsense, I barely know him and still...

He interrupts me. “I cannot go with you, I have lost so much control already and I don’t think…”

“Cardan, I can’t-”

A growl echoes in his chest and he pulls me closer to him. While his voice is still hypnotizing it sounds threatening now. “You will not tell anybody about what you saw here. Now go if you intend to leave this place alive.”

Then he's gone. I can’t recall if I blinked or turned, because a moment before I could still touch him and now he vanished.

I take a deep breath and start walking. Focus. Go straight, then turn right. Or was it left?

All passages look the same, some spaces don’t even have a painting or anything at all to help me differentiate them. Sometimes I whip around, thinking I heard a familiar chuckle behind me. Distant rain is the only sound that is a constant companion, but even with it I’m able to hear an echo of every step I give. It unsettles me more with every minute that passes. Although I feel more in control of my body than before, my knees falter constantly and a sensation of tiredness slides over my mind.

I find the snake painting just as I’d started to think I would be trapped here forever.

It’s huge, and despite the years that have probably passed the scales still seem to shine. The head is painted in an angle that gives the illusion of the eyes following the person looking at it. It doesn’t help that the candle’s flames also make the snake look as if it’s moving. Stalking. Before noticing, I start hyperventilating. I shut my eyes close and turn away. Something is terribly wrong with me, I need to get out.

Turning right, I start running. I cover my ears fearing that if I don’t, I’ll start hearing the snake’s hiss behind me.

I cross an arch made with the same stone and stop right in my tracks upon realizing somehow I’m back at the room where we first arrived. I blink to adjust my eyes to the change of light, since here’s where all the electric lamps are. The room is empty though.

I’m not sure of what I am supposed to do now. Sit and wait? Go out to the car?

While I’m weighing my options, trying to choose any that doesn’t imply dropping myself on the floor to have a panic attack, I hear murmurs and steps getting closer.

“Jude!” My little brother yells and runs to me. Behind him, Vivi scans me like she’s trying to find something wrong. I straighten my back and put on my best calmed face.

“Where were you?” She demands. “We lost you hours ago! Are you ok? You look pale.”

Always such a mother hen, I sigh. “I’m fine. I fell behind and lost y’all. Then... I guessed it would be better to just… return here.”

I try not to frown at my last words, since I didn’t fully intend to say them. You will not tell anybody about what you saw here.

“Jude knows how to take care of herself.” My father adds. I could hug him, but we’re not exactly the affectionate type. So I just flash him a smile.

Vivi does not look convinced but still stands down. “I guess so. The weather did a mess with your hair though.” A flash of Cardan’s fingers pulling from it to gain access to my neck sends a shiver through my body. Had that really happened just minutes before?

Before I can answer, Marrow calls for us. We turn to find her standing next to a big set of paintings that apparently were covered with a curtain. “You cannot leave without meeting the royal family.”

The canvases are ordered to mimic a family tree. A man with a severe expression rests at the very top. Eldred, I assume. Just by looking at it I feel judged. I can’t imagine what was like to actually live with him. The pictures of his wives look all so different but under them, their sons do have resemblance to one another. A weird sensation tickles my fingers as my gaze continues travelling over the paintings. Finally, I get to the last one. Once more, I cover my mouth to avoid an undesired sound.

Staring back at me I see Cardan.

I don’t care if it’s a painting, there is no way I could not recognize those features. Those lips.

“A big family, I see.” Madoc’s words seem so far away.

Marrow hums in agreement. “The Greenbriars always felt proud of their vast offspring. Such attractive sons and daughters. It’s a shame the curse took most of their lives all those centuries ago.”

“Did he…” I start, without knowing how to continue.

She approaches me to look at the canvas. “Ah, young master Cardan. He was the last one of Eldred’s children.” Then a frown appears on her face. “There was a lot of controversy regarding his death. Some say he died because of the curse, some others say he was the curse. The books all have different versions.”

“That sounds creepy as fuck.” Vivi says.

“Creepy as fuck.” My brother mimics her, the thoughtful expression on his face makes him look ridiculous. We cackle as Vivi shouts Oak he’s not supposed to say bad words.

By the time we get out of the castle the rain has decreased to a drizzle.

Madoc carries Oak on his shoulders, listening to his non-stop squeals of excitement after visiting what he calls ‘a real vampire hideout’. This time, I don’t find the words to contradict him. Vivi is the first one to get to the car, shouting back some nonsense about the Greenbriars needing a protection hex.

The moment I step down from the bridge something shifts in my head and I feel as if I had just woken up.

Perhaps it is me who needs a protection spell after all.

Before closing the car’s door, I turn to the castle one more time. Marrow and her husband wave at us from the front gate.

A dull ache throbs on the base of my neck and my hand flies to the spot. I retrieve it and see blood staining my fingers.

My heart misses a beat when I lift my gaze to the upper windows, where a tall figure with white shirt and dark hair is looking right back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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spencer-quinn · 5 years ago

Text

Father/Father (2009)

Anthony Quinn was raised in East Bridgewater, -arguably- one of the nicer towns in Plymouth. When he was just nineteen years old, he moved out of his parents’ home to live on the edge of town, along the outskirts of Brockton by himself after discovering a vacancy at an old church.

For six years, he remained there as an apprentice, before the priest passed away and the church was left to him. Despite having loved their late priest, the town warmed to Father Quinn quickly.

The point being, Spencer's father has a lot of friends.

All Spencer can see is suits and dresses; middle-aged people laughing and chatting and flooding his home as he watches from where he leans against the radiator in the hallway. It's half-past seven in the evening and his father has asked him to help Dan welcome the guests until the new additions to the party slow down at eight.

Spencer’s getting paid thirty bucks for the night if he keeps drinks topped up and snack platters moving. Dan’s doing it for free because he’s nice like that or something.

"Wish I had this many friends, jeez," his brother awes as he hangs up another coat.

Spencer just hums into his (third) drink. He wasn't meant to drink tonight - his dad is celebrating his twentieth year at the church and it wouldn't look good at all for his underage son to get drunk in front of these people- but he hates crowds and he hates middle-aged men. He loves alcohol.

"Hey, Spence."

He looks away from his mother, who is embracing a woman he doesn't recognise, and finds Bradley smiling at him as he enters the house.

Spencer raises his drink, says "hey" and leaves it at that, more cautions now than ever, in a house full of family, and friends of the church.

Brad moves on contently though, to Dan, who he greets similarly, but follows it with a hug. Spencer watches as one arm wraps around Dan's middle and the other hand hooks around the back to his neck as he pulls him into the embrace. It looks kind of--

"I'll be in soon, bud. We can catch up," Dan nods and pats Brad on the back, whose hand lingers, right there on his neck, before he smiles in return and he leaves.

"What the fuck was that," Spencer hisses, leaning into the man as he speaks under his breath.

"What?"

"Since when were you fucking Brad?" Because they may as well have been - they weren’t far from it, were they?

"I'm not. I’m not fucking anyone." The face Dan pulls is almost a mirror image of his own; a look of disgust and anger that comes on at the flick of a switch. "Besides, since when were you the jealous type?"

But Spencer’s seen that shit before. He’s not blind.

If Mrs Knowles hadn't walked in right then, he'd have continued the argument. As if Dan thinks Spencer would be jealous of Brad. As if he thinks he's jealous at all.

And to think Brad had told Spencer he couldn’t do that shit anymore – couldn’t fool around with him “or anyone for that matter” – only to move on to his brother. Fucking typical.

Mrs Knowles hangs her coat and walks by, and Spencer follows, leans into Dan, and mutters, "maybe it's you I'm jealous of," as he passes.

He feels Dan’s fingers try to grip the back of his jacket as he leaves.

Got him.

---

For around an hour, once everyone’s arrived, Spencer is stuck making drinks and handing out snacks. It’s not that terrible, but he begins to regret his fourth drink as his father’s friends try to spark up conversations that he can’t really get a grasp of. He does a lot of smiling and nodding and “I should get back to work”-ing.

He’s sober enough to feel conscious of his level of intoxication (especially in comparison to those around him) but too drunk to tell whether the adults in the lounge really are oblivious or are just humouring him; exchanging looks behind his back.

After a while, he tries to stay out of the way; tries to catch his breath wherever he can find the space.

At some point, Oliver crowds him into the back garden where he tells him how good he looks tonight and touches him through his dress pants. It takes him a moment, but Spencer finds it in him to push the man away, says “I should get back to work,” and sulks back into the house and upstairs into the bathroom, where he dry-heaves into the sink because he’s back on his pills and has drunk too much, too quickly.

He goes back downstairs and mixes everything he can get his hands on -so over feeling uncomfortable- before he re-joins the party despite being unable to find anyone below the age of forty-five.

His hands are shaking and his drink tastes like purple rain. He asks James-Reiley-from-the-foodbank if he likes Prince, and he says “I’m more of a Morrissey man.” Spencer almost says that he knows a ‘Morrissey man’ before he remembers that he’s not allowed to talk about the boys that he kisses in environments like his.

It doesn’t matter anyway, because Spencer doesn’t hang around after that; he heads into the kitchen for a refill (when did he finish his drink? Why is his shirt soaked?) and spots a flicker of light at the back corner of the garden.

“You don’t smoke.”

Dan isn’t even remotely alarmed when Spencer stumbles across the grass, hugging his blazer (wait, this isn’t his blazer) around his torso before he halts, staring accusingly at the two boys stood in the flower bed.

“And you’ve squashed the flowers,” he adds once he’s closer to them.

“If I don’t smoke, then neither do you,” Dan rolls his eyes and Spencer doesn’t even know what he means.

“Yeah I do, someti- Oh.” He frowns, at Brad this time as he snatches the cigarette. “You ditched me. Both of you.”

Dan just shoves past him, heading back into the house as Brad takes the light back and insists that they’d only ended up outside because somebody said they’d spotted Spencer out here.

‘Likely story,’ he thinks.

He watches Brad grind the soul of his shoe into the ground until the cigarette is out, then blows the last of the smoke in his face.

“Don’t tell your dad, Spencer,” he orders, and gives the boy a second glace as if to say ‘about any of it.’

They sit opposite each other at the garden table and he hooks his ankle behind Brand’s, who gives him a stern look but doesn’t move away. Spencer had forgotten the whole “this was a mistake and it needs to stop before my internship is terminated and my entire life is ruined” talk, but that was a year ago and Spencer’s sucked his dick twice since, so he chooses to ignore him.

Maybe he’ll tell Brad that he’s fucking Oliver. Maybe he’ll say ‘I’m going home with him tonight. He’s gonna fuck me ’til I can’t see, and you’ll miss me when you’re running the youth club tomorrow because I’ll be at his place, still getting fucked by him, still not fucking you anymore.’

Instead, he stands when his brother returns and heads back into the house, making eye contact with Oliver as he passes the living room and climbs the stairs. Oliver shuts the bedroom door behind him and Spencer’s on him before it even clicks, hands on his belt and mouth on his neck.

“We can go,” the man suggests and pushes Spencer back. He runs rough knuckles over the smooth skin of Spencer’s cheek. He looks at him like this sometimes; when Spencer is drunk or stoned or just tired. “Told your dad I’d take care of you. Let’s go.”

But come to think of it, Spencer just now notices a difference between ‘I can do that,’ and, ‘I want to do that,’ and shakes his head.

“I’ve got shit to do here,” he lies and takes a step back. Oliver grabs his wrist, not roughly, just enough to convince Spencer to stay put, and pulls him back for another kiss. Spencer never ceases to be amazed by how quickly things like this can go feeling like a relief, to feeling like he’s being punished.

He says “stop,” and Oliver does.

The man calls out “I’ll get you another drink,” as Spencer steps out of the door again, and Brad stumbles away from the other side of it.

They look at each other like they’ve both been caught red-handed.

***

12:50 am and Spencer can barely see.

His father told him to get some air, his voice laced with concern, but he knows the man just wanted to get him out of sight. He’s intoxicated.

He leans against the wall at the side of the house, head tilted back as he breathes heavily. He doesn’t want to be drunk anymore. Some people have begun to notice, but what’s worse is those who haven’t, the men from his father’s past that still try to start up conversations with Spencer and all the boy can think is don’ttouchmedon’ttouchme even as said men introduce their wives, talk about their children, ask about the girlfriend Spencer doesn’t have.

Someone’s stood beside him now. He’s outside but can’t remember why.

“Don’t touch me.”

“It’s just me.” It’s just Oliver. “Let’s go.” His knuckles are grazing his cheek again, and Spencer shoves his hand away, falling in the opposite direction as he does, the garage door groaning as it catches his weight.

“Don’t touch me.”

Oliver is wearing his jacket again and Spencer is cold. His shirt is untucked and there’s a breeze on his belly, creeping up beneath the fabric and cooling the wet patch on his torso. He can hear footsteps and his bother rounds the corner next, closely followed by Brad.

“Dan,” He breathes - a long, exhausted breath as he lets his head hang. “Come… Come sit with me.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Spencer. Oliver, I’m so sorry, just…” Spencer can’t hear the rest because Oliver retreats and Dan lowers his voice when he nears him.

Then Brad is sat beside him and everybody else is gone.

He puts a hand on Spencer's knee as he continues to say whatever it is he was saying, “I heard the two of you. Wha— Hey. Are you listening?”

Spencer just says “don’t touch me,” as his hand lands on Brad’s and he drags it further up his thigh as his mind screams ‘touch me!’ He laughs -giggles- as he drops his head onto his shoulder. “Don’t touch me.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Dan shoves a cup into Spencer’s hand, liquid spilling onto his pants, and tugs Brad from the ground and the other man insists “nothing man, nothing, he was just— he…” and they step away again and Spencer tries to read their lips but he can barely even tell them apart.

They disappear around the corner but Dan’s back before he knows it, only for long enough to say, “come inside when you feel better.”

He leaves him again.

***

Spence never makes it back inside. He walks around the side of the house. He’ll enter through the back door so he can go upstairs, unnoticed. That’s the plan.

… But he spots Oliver through the dining room window and Oliver spots him back and holds up a finger; one minute. Wait for a minute and I’ll be out there with you.

He’s rifling through his options, directions, excuses - I don’t feel like it anymore, I don’t feel like being around you anymore. Anyone anymore - when the figure hunched against the porch pillar says “hey, let’s get out of here.”

Brad’s slurring too now, but he’s standing straight. Spencer always has a hard time telling who is and isn’t sober when he’s too drunk himself.

He takes a last glance in Oliver’s direction before stepping away from the window and along the porch, where he can see now that the right side of Brad’s face is scraped up pretty bad and his blue shirt is brown and red. Spencer’s wearing his sweater (not sure why); he feels bad.

“Your face,” he says helplessly, head tilted to the side as he reaches to touch, but Brad catches his wrist, lowers it back down again.

“Your brother.”

Naturally.

***

They have sex on Brad’s couch and Spencer can’t remember if he enjoyed it or not, but he remembers laughing when Brad loses his balance and falls on top him midway through. He remembers feeling sick for a moment and breathing deeply ‘til it passes, disguising his heavy breaths as gasps and groans.

They pass out on the couch and he awakes hours later to Brad shaking him as he speaks hurriedly into his phone.

“He’s here he’s with me. I— no, of course. I know. He was drunk, he said he wasn’t feeling good and— Well he spilt wine on his— I just thought—“ he pauses to hum and nod in a rush before his eyes widen. “He’s what? R-right now?”

“Wha’s going on?” Spencer is ignored.

He tries to keep up with Brad’s rushed conversation, eyes following the man as he climbs off the sofa and begins to wrestle his clothes back on, throwing Spencer’s clothes at him as he goes.

When they hear the buzzer, he cuts his conversation short and puts the phone down as he says, “get dressed. Your brother’s here.”

“What time is it? Why?”

“Your mom called the cops—Shit.” He pulls his shirt over his head. “Shit!”

Still drunk from a few hours prior, Spencer stumbles off the couch and into his pants, then fumbles to find the sleeve of his shirt as Brad buzzes Daniel in.

Spencer’s buttons are all fastened just as there’s a knock at the door. Brad opens it, now fully dressed also, and Dan storms inside before the man’s even released the handle.

“If you’ve laid a fucking hand on him Brad I swear to God, I’ll—“

“I didn’t! I would never, I-“

“Bullshit you wouldn’t. I know what I saw. Spencer, get your shoes on. Dad’s gonna kill you.”

Spencer just scoffs, but he does as he’s told. “He wanted me gone. He was embarrassed, he-“

“He wanted you sober, he didn’t want you screwing his intern.”

“I’m not screwing anybody,” he insists, pulling on his second shoe. He wants so say ‘besides, since when were you the jealous type;’ see how Dan likes it.

He rolls up his sleeves when they get in the way, almost falling forward as he leans over his foot.

“Daniel, what you saw at the party, it-“ Brad pauses to sigh. “Spencer apologised. He was drunk and got the wrong impression. He put my hand--. It was inappropriate; he knows it was. We’ve talked it through.”

Dan’s silent as he paces and Spencer can tell he’s reliving the night, piecing it together. “Fuck me,” Dan groans, hands dragging over his face as he drops to his knees to tie Spencer’s laces, the teenager’s fingers refusing to cooperate. “We’re all in the fucking shit. Nice job, Spence. Really nicely done.”

“I didn’t ask you to punch anyone in the face. I didn’t—I didn’t ask mom t’call the cops.”

“Yeah, well I did, and she did. Get up.”

Dan’s already heading back towards the door. He holds it open and Spencer shoots a guilty glance over this shoulder as he ducks out into the corridor. Dan strides past Spencer to lead the way back down to the street where he’s parked half on, half off the sidewalk.

***

They’ve been arguing for the whole car ride so far. Ten minutes of bickering. Dan’s still asking about Brad, but Spencer can hear in his voice now that he doesn’t even believe it himself anymore. He feels guilty for punching a man for being kind to his brother.

“Of all people, why would I go for him?”

“Because you said you were jealous, you told me—“

“I was joking!” His lie feels like the truth in the heat of the moment. “Why would I tell you who I wanted to fuck?”

“Because you’re too fucking stupid to make rational decisions!” Dan’s almost screaming. A vain is pushing out over his neck and jaw as he looks dead-ahead at the road. “I don’t know what goes through your head anymore.”

Spencer says, “how come you suddenly care about me?” He knows he’s said it a million times before, but he also knows that it’s the one of the few things to make Dan tick: to suggest that he hadn’t cared until now.

“Care about you?” He scoffs, and when he turns to his brother, his face is twisted into a grimace. Spencer can’t tell if his eyes are bloodshot or if it’s just the red light they’ve stopped at. “Spencer. When I look at you, I feel sick. The fact that we… I feel guilty and dirty and angry at myself, because I hate every single motherfucker that’s ever touched you. But aren’t I just another one of them?” His knuckles are all bone as he grips the wheel so tight the colour in his skin dilutes. “But the thought of somebody else being close to you like that because you lied and told them you wanted them to be – because you feel… Inadequate or whatever it is you feel. That makes me sick. Because no person will ever care about you half as much as I do. Do you hear me?”

The light changes from red to green and Dan pinches the bridge of his nose, squeezes his eyes shut for a second before he continues to drive. Spencer doesn’t know how to respond because he’s barely able to comprehend exactly what his brother’s trying to say. He’s not sure even he knows.

“Stupid fucking idiot.”

***

“You embarrass me, Spencer.”

In his doorway, his father keeps a solid gaze on him, but won’t step into the room where he’s sat up in bed with the glass of water from his mother in his lap

She’s given him the briefing already: “he’s furious, Spencer. Do you know how much he’d been looking forward to last night? He’s mortified.” His mom isn’t great at being mad at him when she knows he’s still his father’s wrath to come. Probably pities him, even.

“I know I did, I’m—”

“No, you do. Are you listening to me? You continue to embarrass me, Spencer. And I do my best, but I can’t… Understand you.” He shakes his head – is shaking all over, and Spencer guesses his mom’s already asked him to try to be calm. Guesses that’s what the shouting downstairs was all about. “I have a Curate with a black eye; assaulted by my son, as my other son suffers near-alcohol poisoning.”

‘It’s not alcohol poisoning,’ he wants to say, ‘it’s just a hangover.’ “I know.”

“And it’s all because of you. You’re sixteen.” He’s sure his dad doesn’t expect any particular response, but he pauses and watches Spencer as he waits. When he doesn’t break, he adds, “all of this because your brother wanted to hang out with someone his own age – because you weren’t getting the attention you’re used to on a day that wasn’t about you at all.”

Neither of them acknowledges Dan as he slips into the room, past their dad in the doorway. He doesn’t acknowledge them either as he places two slices of toast on Spencer’s bedside and pulls the desk chair out to take a seat.

Spencer wishes he was in a position to scoff. Brad isn’t even close to Dan’s age. His dad really is grasping at straws.

Looking down at the glass in his lap again, Spencer mumbles, “I’m sorry, dad,” and he’s pretty sure he means it, but the embarrassment and frustration are kind of leaving a foggy haze over everything right now. He adds, “it wasn’t like that.”

“No? Well then,” his father quips. “What was it like, Spencer?”

Telling his dad how low he’d felt is an option. Telling him about how he thought loosening up could help, and how that turned into wanting attention – from anyone at all. He could do his usual spiel, the usual ‘and I just felt so alone, and you know how my head gets hazy when that happens and…’ but he’s exhausted the guilt-tripping thing by now. Doesn’t feel like being complex about it.

Instead, he says, “just got carried away.”

… And his father says, “you have three hours to clean yourself up for the evening service. Bradley will pick you up and I’ll see you there,” before he shuts the two brothers into the room.

That’s his dad’s way of saying, ‘I’m forcing you to apologise.’

“Idiot,” Dan says once the door’s shut, and extends a hand to Spencer, offering two pills. “For the headache.”

Spencer pulls a face. He feels sick as a dog, but his head is fine. “I don’t have a headache,” he argues.

“You think dad’s finished with you? You will.”

And God, he looks so fucking smug for someone who’s already spent all morning until now apologising to his dad’s apprentice on the phone for punching him in the face.x

#This is quite rambley idk #Swear I've posted it before #para #selfpara #para:father #para:past

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tranxendance · 7 years ago

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Must-watch Super Best Friends LPs: A curated list

So, I tried to get a friend of mine into bestfriends when he was in active service and didn’t have much time to sit and watch youtube. While I think you should probably watch all of the bestfriends content, aint nobody got time for that, and there are certain LPs that are just better ones. Here’s a list of what I consider to be the best SBFP lets plays. There won’t be any ‘Matt’s toybox’ or one-offs, only full LPs.

Predator: Concrete Jungle - Originator of Jerry the Predator, the very first bestfriends OC. Also I really like the Predator so this trash game getting ripped to shreds by the anti-hype machine makes me feel good. https://youtu.be/0wF6r-JRTvQ

Eternal Darkness - The climax of the very first Shitstorm of Scariness. Genesis of the Insanity Shotgun, marking out about recognizing Metal Gear Solid voice actors, INSANITY EFFECTS and freaking out about the bathtub scare despite knowing it was coming. https://youtu.be/lYRVeFkTvCM

Silent Hill: Homecoming - First half of the Downcoming series. ‘MY HOUSE!’ ‘Why is the knife the best weapon? Just do knife combos to them, thats survival horror’ https://youtu.be/GLgN5WSiiX4

Silent Hill: Downpour - Second half of the Downcoming series. The first time I saw the guys play a game that was brand new at the time. Pat & Matt getting upset about the downturn of one of my and their favorite series. The famous Axe Throw that launched a career is in this one too I believe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ofoIeb8wI&list=PLAD720396A1870C8E

Resident Evil 2 - Earliest recorded footage of Pat’s stand CRAZY TALK where he claims to know a thing or be an expert and is proven unequivocably wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cgbuv3cB1Q&list=PLB8826287748EFE7C

Final Fight: Streetwise - What happens when you take a classic beat em up and try to make it cool and modern with lots of Slipknot music? It ages fucking poorly that’s what. ‘I got a receipt for my Tatsu’ ‘I’d like to return this shoryureppa’, Live footage of the bestfriends souls leaving their body in The Stiff boss fight, Some actually decent writing and lines such as ‘Feeling good about potentially feeling good’ which Matt will quote for years to come. https://youtu.be/HnRNyfzKLL8

Man vs Wild - Not so much a must-watch as it’s just the boys in their element, playing shovelware, deliberately failing QTEs to laugh at how pitiful it looks when you do, making fun of people’s accents, and much more. Indicative of the bestfriends style of sort of mst3king videogames. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1NGPAOrE80&list=PL57hJfweW_2s2jyxas78kIib9M3jGduU8

Heavy Rain - The very first game played in the Sadness trilogy. ‘Oh no, I made ze bad game’, more fucking up of QTEs when it’d be funny, Detective Shelby’s PI Gumball technique after shooting thirty rounds out of a handgun without reloading, FUTURE GLASSES, and other classics. Woolie will play this himself on a livestream, many years later, which is also a good watch. https://youtu.be/Qe-SpjInztQ

Indigo Prophecy - The first game of the Sadness trilogy, though it was played later than Heavy Rain. Space kung-fu, zombie sex with a lady you barely know, your choices don’t matter!, Slagging off of David Cage intensifies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YacYbUC_FmQ&list=PL57hJfweW_2sOt01sX9TtQRkzv5RS231f

Charles Barkley’s Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden - Seems to be originally selected as a ‘ha ha, we’re playing a bad and stupid game to laugh at it’ but then discovering it’s legitimately awesome despite being frankly ridiculous. If you can’t play the game yourself, this is a very good substitute. https://youtu.be/xNc9R1zfwM0

Beyond: Two Souls - The third game of the Sadness trilogy. David Cage creeping on Ellen Paige in real life and making her be naked in his game, E MO SHUNS, having feelings but not knowing where to put them, ‘I’ll be your Stand! ORARARARARARA’, Underwater chinese ghost base. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA_VUoePgrc&list=PL57hJfweW_2ulXc25A-LxxHXMPqLOwrsf

Deadly Premonition - Swery65′s magnum opus, if only he could’ve put bicycles in the game. He totally didn’t watch Twin Peaks you guys. ‘QUIIIIIIINT!’, ‘Stinky agent’, radio fast travel stock tire screech sfx, monkey noise squirrels and a weird amount of attention paid to food. Matt named his pet cat Zach due to this game, so it’s an extra important part of the bestfriends lore. https://youtu.be/dsbfmIqP-H8

Disaster: Day of Crisis - Metal Gear Solid except the giant robots are natural disasters. Gotta get revenge on the volcano for killing my buddy. Eating watermelons while on fire. Don’t forget to take your stami-nas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sx8gqSjkMY&list=PL57hJfweW_2t-vHWWeqjY2SKH4vaqotZ6

Yakuza 4 - My first exposure to the Yakuza game series and actually a good starting point for people that don’t know anything about it. The hype, badassery, and hilarity in all its glory. Who’s ready for a shirtless fight on top of Millennium Tower? https://youtu.be/xOKx_79BEhY

Prison Break - More shovelware where they fail stealth sequences a million times, fail QTEs because it’s hilarious, and can’t show too much violence because it’s a T-rated game. https://youtu.be/TsjGGGSZabA

Resident Evil 4 HD - Get hype for suplexing priests, El Gigante, Doctor Salvatore, Isn’t that Mexican spanish not Spanish Spanish? Commando shit and the RE movie, Oops Ashley is dead again, Pat is bad at puzzles and crazy talk activates. https://youtu.be/qsazQp4VlI0

Silent Hill 2 - Everything is illness, or else its condoms! The nurses are TOO STRONG!, the boys actually just enjoying a game and (mostly) being good at it for once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsYYIjaNPP8&list=PL57hJfweW_2vMmw0MLZp8I16DA-Qev8ec

Resident evil Revelations 2 - Re vuh lay uh tons!, Wait how’d a non mainline resi game get this good?, MOIRA MC TAGGART MC MURPHY, another co-op LP where Matt’s actual role in the game mechanics is to point out ammo and health items that Pat missed. https://youtu.be/THfgNlcNa98

Resident Evil 3 - Jill Valentine’s not actually last escape, Crazy Talk activates several times, Shitting on Hunter-D’s, being a huge coward constantly like the hero of RE brad vickers. https://youtu.be/G5pXyRhs7FM

Ride to Hell - Legendarily bad game played by canadian losers that make fun of it constantly. Source of just SO MANY bestfriends gifs including casual priest drownings, getting shot during cutscenes, and Qui-gon chi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEw04pKaVs4&list=PL57hJfweW_2srGztN1iedcFd-BV5X1Ram

Parasite Eve - It’s time for Aya Breakowski to GET HOT. It’s a squaresoft game all right, dogs with sniper rifles, finishing downloading arcana heart, and the heroest of hero cops willingly lighting on fire to give you a gun. https://youtu.be/dHY5ZBSHzyw

Danganronpa - Ultra Despair Girls - First recorded instance of being incredibly hype and getting into the cool pop art aesthetic, komaeda memes, and then all hype leaving our body, and out of context shouting KILL THOSE SHIT KIDS! https://youtu.be/qYtYp4oWBhU

Life is Strange - Liam’s rivalry with another wimpy boy, Hotdogman: Who is he?, You sacrificed everyone for your Ship? Are you Griffith?, and rewinding time to fuck with people for kicks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XZ7-wFLnfI&list=PL57hJfweW_2u1mKS5UFNgx-voVAvTlkT9

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain - Built-up hype from over one thousand years of waiting is collectively released. Psycho Mantis is OP, let the legend come back to life, GREATEST SOLDIER IN THE WORLD BIG BOSS, D-dog is the cutest and bestest of boys, and famously awkward jeep ride. https://youtu.be/505vXWYkxcw

Afro Samurai - Perhaps the shovelest of ware ever played on the channel. It’s very short, only 3 parts, about 90 minutes of gameplay, something that everyone should be super hype about but ends up being the most shitted on game since perhaps one of the Sadness games. https://youtu.be/wIXqEulMTIo

Resident Evil Zero HD - Get hyped for Oven Man mk2, math puzzles, getting pissed off at Eliminators, Rebecca! God dammit Rebecca! I love youuuuu rebeccaaaaaa, Leech Man, and playing dress-up. https://youtu.be/Mhnthhluh70

Metal Wolf Chaos - Giant robots and engrish, more than your body can handle! AMERICA!!!! Richard Hawke! OK, Lets PARTEEEEEEEY! Tons of references they’ll be using until the end of time https://youtu.be/Mhnthhluh70

Naruto: The Broken Bond - ‘Wait, this game is actually good?’ and then three parts later oops no its not. Second instance of being super hyped at first and then all joy slowly being sucked out of the boys’ body. Do your rasengan, even when you’re not playing as Naruto! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo92m-rfeHA&list=PL57hJfweW_2uIIqa3HTcbsvM5LO1ObM_5

The Punisher - Rice cookers, My family-family-family!, guessing Frank’s one-liners, violent safety PSAs, and interrogating the boat https://youtu.be/wznGw9fJNCc

Disaster Report - ‘Is this Disaster day of crisis’ sequel?’, The honeycomb-caisonne method, press triangle to HEY!, be mean to your waifu, and abandon your friends like a hero would do. https://youtu.be/UYiwWU8EZcU

Final Fantasy X - Matt talks about Lulu’s boobs a lot, BLEETSBOLL, Wakka the racist, kimahri push, Finding all the memes possible, Hype Cactaur!, ‘I’ll pay you to fuck off, okay?’, and punting a boss over the horizon. A long watch and the boys are kinda bad at the game but good for the patient. https://youtu.be/qpZeMkthdZ8

Omikron: The Nomad Soul - The secret first entry of the Sadness Trilogy, ‘Get in the slider!’, Blackface Boyz, The real final boss is david cage!, getting trapped in bug purgatory, yes this is how you should honor the memory David Bowie by playing this game, Using the power of all three bestfriends to beat the game, and having no consequences for failure right up until THE MOST CONSEQUENCES. https://youtu.be/691RrF9pnaU

Silent Hill 3 - No talking during the cut scenes, beef jerky, a detective does a Jerry Seinfeld on Silent Hill by accident, and ‘It’s a metaphor for dicks/childbirth!‘

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4wERZf6bns&list=PL57hJfweW_2v34HsPK-4Hfqmkb22zjBWC

Tony Hawk’s Underground - Woolie lives the skateboarder life he never could for real. ‘Won’t they notice that it’s not Eric Sparrow on the video when they see a clearly black man doing that jump?’, Eric Sparrow is basically up there with Griffith for villains the bestfriends hate the most, and ‘I can do a grind all day’ https://youtu.be/3HLPS_nwHG8

Parasite Eve 2 - More of Breakowski and getting HOT, ‘This is basically a survival horror game’, The dog from Independance Day must survive or else you’re on the bad ending! https://youtu.be/JedQqaXdWLc

LA Noire - The big one, the one I always suggest for new bestfriends watchers as being emblematic of their style and sense of humor and weaknesses as players. Woolie can’t navigate this map, ‘Sometimes you’ve gotta shake the tree and see what falls out’, Shotgun man wrecks your shit!, making noises to go along with the faces that the characters are making, ‘Pedophilia? That’s a free pass in my town sir’, Stealing the worst possible cars because they thought it’d be cool, forgetting the controls for every single fistfight sequence, Cole Phelps super cop!, and LP Funsies. https://youtu.be/-bPqjD_zg5g

Policenauts - Kojima’s game from when he was allowed to work on things besides Metal Gear. It’s definitely white blood and not anything sexual, SHOOTINGU SEQUENCE, Holy crap our main character is a bigoted piece of shit!, Figure out the bomb puzzle!, We’re definitely not Riggs and Murtagh to the point where Woolie says ‘I’m gettin too old for this shit’ about 70 times, and the uncomfortable truth of cloning. https://youtu.be/kWcecAHiOys

Dead Space 2- Notable mostly for me as Dead Space 2 was the first bestfriends video I ever saw back when they were on Machinima, so I was quoting Space Rave and asking Matt if he needed a blankey to fight the monsters. https://youtu.be/1QzY-TjFGFI

Resident Evil 7 - We hate the molded as an enemy type, OOOH GOD DAMMIT JACK, He fucking exploded into goo!, What was your plan?, I can’t shoot the granny, We definitely used a pump action shotgun in world war 2 (Actually yes we did, Matt), Shadow puzzles, that part of a lady is where all the wasps shoot out, and What that guy doesn’t look like Chris Redfield who is this impostor?! https://youtu.be/SyAZ2-nijDE

Def Jam: Fight for NY - The introduction of Woolie’s OC: Rage beats up rappers, steals their girlfriends, and doesn’t understand intimacy, The full might of Matt’s hatred for Bless is brought out, and they talk about the Aki engine’s contributions to humanity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lry0SYYkvas&list=PL57hJfweW_2tWHTvp2ESXbzp1-jh6YJMQ

#super best friends play #youtube reccommendations #mod ramblings #sorta original content #youtube #long post

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secretradiobrooklyn · 4 years ago

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SECRET RADIO | Aug.31.20

Inaugural edition of WBFF, secret radio Kensington Brooklyn (Hear it here.)

Before it comes up: No, we don’t speak most of these languages. We definitely don’t even know how to pronounce most of the song titles. And while we keep reading up on em, some of this stuff we’ll never know. And that’s fine. That doesn’t need to slow us or you down. If you dig it, you dig it!

So here’s what you’re listening to, and detailed notes below:

1- T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou w Sagbohan Danialou- The Kings of Benin Urban Groove 1972-1980 - “Gbeto Vivi”

T.P. stands for “tout poissant,” or “all powerful,” and right from the jump you can hear why this band is so exciting: it’s pure funk and pure Africa at the same time — super funky drums all wound in hand drums, a royal horn section, and an electric guitar holding down the rhythm stabs. The fact that you have no idea what he’s talking about barely even matters. It’s amazing how the song moves between an African dominance and a Western dominance from section to section.

2- CBC Band - Saigon Rock & Soul - “The Greatest Love”

This is exactly the tone that I always wanted the term “acid rock” to mean. Every instrument is so hot it’s melting over the other instruments. The organ is such a classic West Coast flavor, the whole band takes every opportunity to go crazy together, and the vocal is a truly mysterious character. But in the end, anyone can sing along to “yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah,” yeah?

3- T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Benin - “Mille Fois Merci”

Apparently, in the ‘70s one of the things that started happening with records in the Benin region was that the bands would not only write super badass songs, but when it came time to record, they would skip the spaces between songs and just record the whole side in one unbroken flow. It certainly sounds like that’s what happened with “Mille Fois Merci” — where we start is definitely not where we end up, though it’s not even clear, without close listening, when we shift into the song with the chorus lyrics. One of the best elements of African music is that influence is flowing in from France and America in completely different ways, and mixing more in Africa than they ever seemed to in the US. “Mille fois merci” = “a thousand thank yous.” So many great guitar parts over the course of the song, all wound tightly around each other, alternately improvising and contributing to the drone underlying huge passages.

4- Vicky & T.P. Poly-Rythmo - “Au Bord de l’Eau”

Vicky is one of the central members and I think songwriters of T.P., and he’s constantly getting call-outs from the other members of the band. This song’s melody reminds Paige of:

5- Sylvie Vartan - “La Plus Belle pour Aller Danser”

In the movie “Peppermint Soda,” there’s a scene in which all of the schoolgirls have gone bonkers, singing this song and clapping and dancing on their desks, and the teacher has no control over the class at all. This is the song they’re singing.

6- Cambodian Rocks - Volumen 1 - Sinn Sisamouth - “Quando, My Love”

I love the drum machine — Optigan? — throughout, but the guitar playing is what just drops my jaw every time. It’s so Les Paul in its fluid inventiveness, shimmering and sliding through the song until it crescendoes and dissolves into light. Meanwhile, all I can picture is a dark, mostly deserted bar verging on last call, on the forgotten edge of an army base deep in Cambodia, where this guy and his guitarist deliver a timeless memory that can never be sufficiently described or even remembered, only ever conjured in a cloud at the edge of sleep.

7- Gasper Nali - “A Bale Ndikuwuzeni”

“Punk Rock meets Tropical? Music is everywhere.” That’s the tag on the YouTube video that I ran across a couple of years ago, and damned if that’s not exactly the thing. I must’ve watched the video of the singer playing his giant one-stringed instrument a dozen times the first time I found it. How can one dude on a beach encapsulate the feeling of playing in a punk band? It’s the essentialism. I did eventually find a video of him doing this song in the studio, and it turns out that the version he has in his head includes beautiful harmonies and a delicacy that is completely absent from the video filmed at Nhakta Bay in Malawi — but this version to me is the real one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdhoeK9Gs34

8- Newen Afrobeat feat. Seun Kuti & Cheick Tidiane Seck - “Opposite People”

Another one that is enhanced by watching the video. The drummer looks like he’s 16 years old, but his patterns and fills are just unstoppable, and as everyone plays you can pretty much smell the studio funk. The bent-note keys solo is Cheick Tidiane Seck. So much percussion! And the vocals don’t even kick in until the ninth minute, but when they do, it only gets even better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFSRCG4DrmI

9- Jambü e Os Miticos Sons Da Amazonia - Magalhaes e Sua Guitarra - “Xango”

10- Dougbé Antoine et l’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Ye Ko Gni Me Towedea

Antoine Dougbé is one of our all-time favorite composers. This track is such a freakin banger — the funky drums, the guitars, the keys, all the sweat flying everywhere. “Legends of Benin” is an absolutely essential collection, and Dougbé’s tracks are the standouts. The arrangements are by Melomé Clement, whose work we’ve been getting into as well. Dougbé was, according to Melomé, a Vodoun priest who referred to himself as “The Devil’s Prime Minister.”

11- T.P. Orchestre - “Se Ba Ho”

This band was known by more than a dozen names and played on tons of records. This track is from an Analog Africa collection of T.P. Orchestre songs called “Echos Hypnotiques,” which is great from beginning to end. Check out the video of them playing this song live on TV — when the dude cuts loose on the Farfisa it’s a clinic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0c34HLss-w

12- Mulatu Astatke - Tezeta

We don’t know much about this guy except that he’s Ethiopian. This song has a sense of such delicate, fleeting beauty.

13- Amanaz - “Khala My Friend”

Amanaz stands for Ask Me About Nice Artistes from Zambia, and that sense of sincerity seems entirely appropriate to this Dylanesque track. There are more great tracks where this came from.

14- The Velvet Underground - “Sweet Jane” (demo)

How could we not, after “Khala My Friend”? This is an early demo version. I love the snare hits in the first verse.

15- T.P. Orchestre - “Malin Kpon O”

This is just a perfect example of Beninese and American rock sensibilities. Also from “Echos Hypnotiques.” It’s so gotdamn hip with its funk guitar and discordant keys that slip into a heavy, hooky chorus. It’s so rockin!

16- T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou & Bentho Gustave Titiou - “Gbe Sou Ve Gnin (La Vie Semble Facile Mais…)”

I feel like this is the first track we found on our own, without the (invaluable) help of Analog Africa and other able curators. Bentho Gustave is T.P. Orchestre’s bassist and built into the core of the band. This track comes on with some reggae-ish aspects, but to me it’s ultimately completely different thing. The singalong choruses just feel so good, like the best night of the summer.

17- Hallelujah Chicken Run Band - “Tamba Zimba Navashe”

Analog Africa’s second release was this collection of tracks from the great Zimbabwean band. It includes b-sides and stuff plus a studio album — a lot of the African tracks were recorded live or outside at night or in variously improvised settings, but this one was in a classic studio setting. The whole album is full of 3s against 4s and interlocking rhythms, but this track’s endless tumble is somehow special. I always think that the singer’s voice has the timbre of Tupac Shakur, which makes me like him so much. This whole album feels like it could be a hit today.

18- Francis Bebey - “Sanza Tristesse”

19- Francis Bebey - “The Coffee Cola Song”

Surely our electronically oriented friends have been hip to Francis Bebey for years, but this guy’s whole body of work has been a revelation to us. He was Cameroonian, living in Paris and working at the embassy there before he quit to work on music full time. Though he was a librarian of traditional African music and architecture, he believed that African music was absolutely alive and part of the future of music, and needed to not get bogged down in Western versions of “authentic” music untouched by other influences. His albums and collections are, so far as we’ve found, all full of true weirdness and insight — if you need a place to start, “African Electronic Music 1975-1982” is it.

20- Assa-Cica - self-titled - “Mi Man So Gbeme We Fide”

21- Assa-Cica - Echos Sonores du Benin - “Yokpo Wa Non Kpo Ha Mi”

“Echos Sonores du Benin” is the first physical record that we actually tracked down and bought online. “Yokpo” was the song that convinced us we had to have it. This summer, when the record finally arrived from Benin to our place in the woods, we spent the day assembling a table and chairs outside on the porch, so that we could invite our friend Brad over for the first listen among the fireflies and the hooting of nearby juvenile barred owls. The title translates from Yoruba to “I Couldn’t Help You.”

Man, this performance is a showstopper.

22- Yol Aularong - Cambodia Rocks Volumen 1 - “Whiskey Whiskey” (House of the Rising Sun)

This guitar tone absolutely slays, and gets right to the heard of “House of the Rising Sun,” whether or not the Cambodian lyrics have anything to do with New Orleans (I don’t think they do).

23- Marijata - “No Condition Is Permanent”

It’s been fascinating listening to music in so many other languages — no matter how many hooks the song has, if you can’t sing along, there’s just a different thing happening in the brain. So when we get to a song like “No Condition Is Permanent,” it really digs in deep. Luckily it’s also not just an excellent song but a very relevant one too. As far as I can tell this is a phrase that originates in Nigeria, though Marijata is from Ghana. This song is a stone classic. When they’re trading phrases in the middle, right before the singer just goes off the deep end, it feels like it has always existed and is never going to end.

24- El Rego - “Feeling You Got”

And straight back to James Brown. El Rego’s got the shriek, he’s got the attitude, and he’s got the… accordion? Yes indeed, the accordion. Wow. I honestly didn’t know the accordion could be funky til this track. I love how it feels like he learned the syllables but may very well not speak English at all.

25- Hailu Mergia - “Wede Harer Guzo”

Speaking of accordion, apparently that is Hailu Mergia’s instrument, though it sure doesn’t sound like an accordion to me. The story of Hailu Mergia is inspirational, in the proof that you can’t always keep a good musician down.

FYI, there are 5 minutes of dead air at the end of this “broadcast.” Chalk that up to learning as we go.

See you next time. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay friends!

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pygmana · 7 years ago

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Session Logs Special: Catch-Up Edition

Provided by Gabe (Thank you so much, you saved my life)

Previously, in Pygmana... (Keep in mind I have a cartoonishly bad memory, this is just all that I remember)

After a brief stop to pick up Brynne, a Wizard, and Colyndor, a druid, the group met for the first time the Duke of Davin, who invited them all to a celebration being held later in the week for heroes who actually did something good. Meanwhile, in their unending efforts to do something bad, Wolfgang and Colyndor decided to investigate the duke's castle on their own, and found nothing but a lot of sadness and drug habits, with the one light in the darkness being a map to a blood orgy in the duke's son's room. Colyndor, wandering without thinking, got himself trapped in a cell with a night hag, with whom Wolfgang had to negotiate to get Colyndor out.

The ight hag's deal was that she'd let him out and give Wolfgang an undefined "boon", if he could bring two women to her, while being cartoonishly vague. Colyndor then disappeared after that, and we never bothered to explain why. This lead to the weight of having to find two women for a possibly nefarious purpose down to Wolfgang. After a discussion that was much longer than it should have been about how to properly seduce women to possibly get murdered and where the best places to prey on women were, the party collectively remembered bounties exist. After hitting up a bandit stronghold and taking two of the women with them, the night hag took them in and more or less shoo'ed Wolfgang away.

Meanwhile, at some point I don't remember, Raven, Nereid, and Khunsu found themselves left alone for long enough that they investigated a demonic ritual that went horribly wrong that turned a school to ghouls, and investigating a pyramid. After some light grave robbing, the group got paranoid and left before anything could wipe them off the face of the earth. They kept the items they got from the tomb to themselves, much to the irritation and annoyance of a lot of people, but mostly Brynne.

The blood orgy ended up being the night before the group was headed to the Duke's ball, so naturally Wolfgang, Brynne, and Moira, a Cleric who I don't remember WHEN she showed up, decided to crash it and see what information about demons they could glean from there. The blood orgy was a beautiful mess of rich kids fucking monsters and getting crunk out of their goddamn minds, and while the group didn't fuck the monsters, they sure as shit got naked and crunk. They also found out the name of one of the guys dealing in town, who I completely forget the name of. At the same time though, they hint that their supplier is kind of holding out on them.

Several blackouts later, the group got themselves together, sans Moira I believe (She'll be back later), to go to the ball. For once, the team seemed to have it together, with Wolfgang as a cool teen talking to other cool teens, and Raven as the Dad Friend getting themselves invited to a drug deal and learning how to summon a dealer. Raven also further pursued his endgoal of getting land and a title by accepting a vague request from the duchess to "deal with her husband", who is sleeping with another man and is drugged out and is basically driving her to drink even more.

Wolfgang (who is driving a surprisingly large amount of the plot, now that I'm looking at this) and Raven get down on this new sexy drug deal, and meet this new sexy lady, who wants them to sign a contract that says she and her demon are the only supplier they'll go to anymore for drugs. Everyone finally realizes that Moira was kidnapped to be eaten by a giant, and they all murder it super hard to save her. She still kind of vanishes afterwards to elope with a goblin princess.

After that, the group prepares for the inevitable demon rumpus, and decide to investigate that pyramid from earlier to get a mummified hand for a ritual. Khunsu, despite not noticing the last time they were in the pyramid, realizes this is super sacreligious, and tries to convince everyone they need to leave. This does not sink in for Wolfgang, who waits until everyone leaves to sneak off and take a hand for himself. Unsurprisingly, this has bad consequences, and the group has to go off to a temple of Serket, and do a good deed there so the gods don't hate them and actively work against them.

They stop on the way in Lynnport, where the duke mentioned a series of prostitute murders happening. They meet Aster, who basically is mostly everyone's contact with the constables, and Raven (I think, could be Luke) pays to fix her tusk. They find out that the next murder, according to the pattern, is coming up, and make plans to stop by again on the way back. Brynne picks up a treasure map before the group heads to Serket's temple.

I wanna say they're called the hills of music. Anyways, the group heads there, and immediately find out that the problem they have to deal with is that their water supply is drying up. While Bernie Squanders stays behind to get pampered, the group investigates and finds out that giant mushrooms have overgrown and have taken over the wellspring. After finding and killing the source of it, a parasitic fungus who got a man to come down and plant it, the hand Wolfgang took is regrafted onto the mummy and Wolfgang is forgiven of his crimes against the dead.

Back in Lynnport, after going back the the inn they had previously visited, they find out that a bartender had been sick and missing for a few days. Checking in on her, they find symptoms that are the same as anyone else infected with the tainted heroin, and she passes a little after giving information on her dealer. Finding the gnome that ran the circus, they capture him and zone of truth him so he can be prosecuted for his crimes. The party splits after this, with half the group (Wolfgang, Raven, and Nereid) staying to complete the original plan of "disguise yourself amongst the prostitutes to catch the killer", and the other half (Sir Luke, Khunsu, and Brynne) checking in on the gnome's wife.

After some hijinks while trying to be expensive unavailable prostitutes, the group finds the sexy lady drug dealer from earlier talking and interacting with the prostitutes. Wolfgang, the only member of the group not disguised as a prostitute, tries following her when she leads on of the prostitutes to a back alley, but she warps away with her. A scream is heard a few blocks away, and the woman who was with the drug dealer is found dead. Wolfgang, Raven, and Nereid try and confront the woman, but she shrugs off everything and seems to leave her body, leaving a second corpse. Raven also gets a message around this time that the Duchess has decided how she wants Raven to deal with her husband, and asks him to come by at his earliest convenience.

Meanwhile, with the other group, they go to the home of the gnome's wife to check on her, and unsurprisingly she is still dying of illness (despite her husband making an ill-conceived deal to cure her). Despite their best (bare minimum) efforts, Khunsu and Brynne are unable to do anything and their group heads to a bar. Here at this bar they meet a recurring bartender (Mr. Tummnus, I wanna say his first name is Paul), and Baxter Maplepaw, fey corgi paladin of Bast. (Just go with it.) Baxter is immediately interested in the group, as he's been investigating it a little himself, and agrees to go back to the gnome's wife, who he cures and converts to Bast.

The rest of the group show up, and they all (save Raven) go to church to talk about a series of cattle mutilations they've heard about with the priests there. They find out about gruesomely slaughtered cattle and the three farms that have mostly been hit, while Brynne got kicked out for being disrespectful and Wolfgang slept in a pew. Raven, on the other hand, takes this time to meet with the duchess, who, in a drunken stupor, tells him to kill the duke because he's been consorting with demons. Raven, while realizing that a lot of what's happening in front of him is motivated by anger towards the duke, also realizes she's telling the truth, and accepts the job to kill him at some point.

Wolfgang and Brynne get some time to themselves, and decide to go clubbing against the world's better judgement. They meet Brad, a paladin of the ancients, who's celebrating his 21st birthday, and kidnap him in a friendly way while just absolutely not remembering his name. They all, with their bowls of wine, decide to go to a spa, and end up meeting Thokk, a barbarian and a religious zealot of Tlazolteotl, and they hang out a little. After splitting ways with Thokk, they find out that a Norse temple is infested with frost giants, and take care of that problem (with the help of the police) before going to a strip club. Some breasts and near fights later, Brad decides to stay with Wolfgang and Brynne because his old friends are somehow much shittier.

Now that they're all back together, the group investigates the farms, and Baxter purifies the dead cattle while the farmers prepare small meals for everyone, until the last farm where they tell the group they've prepared traps for whoever's been mutilating cattle. The party tries to prepare for the sleep spell that the cow murderers have been using, but only Nereid, Baxter, and Brynne stay awake. Nereid stays back because he's racist and doesn't trust the drow hostesses (who are all asleep), while Baxter and Brynne try and investigate. One of the two intruders gets his leg stuck in a bear trap, while the second runs and Brynne has to shark bolt him to get him back.

After the shark starts biting the man in the shoulder, everyone wakes up, and they all head out to interrogate the intruders. Thanks to a surprising amount of diplomatic restraint and Brynne charming one of the cattle mutilators, they find out that they were sent by this man with gold eyes (that they can't remember any other details of) to kill enough cattle that it harms the farmers, summoning a demon we all know and love as the Horse Lord. After getting the exact meeting times out of them, Baxter and Nereid murder the two of them and they head to the bar to meet they mystery man.

After waiting a little, he shows up, and the party shows increasing levels of unsubtlety and a lack of restraint, ending with Luke announcing that the group knows who he is, and Baxter lodging an axe firmly in Brad's shoulder. Amused by this, the demon agrees to hear the group out. The Horse Lord is looking to head to the human world since two of his rivals are doing the same thing, but Baxter suggests that instead of coming out, the party (with his help) force the other two back in. The Horse Lord agrees, although he still needs them to work out an exact deal as soon as possible. This leaves everyone immensely nervous.

#session logs #nc

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weekendwarriorblog · 6 years ago

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND (Besides Incredibles 2, of course) – June 15, 2018

After a couple down weekends, things should pick up considerably this weekend with this year’s sole Pixar release, a sequel to one of the more popular movies the animation house has produced. This Sunday is also Father’s Day and with many of the big sports competitions over and done with, fathers will be up for going to movies with their kids, so a few movies should benefit more than others.

THE INCREDIBLES 2 (Disney-Pixar)

Let’s go back in time to 2004 after Pixar had their biggest hit to date with Finding Nemo, which itself followed the hits Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and the slightly less well-received A Bug’s Life. John Lasseter’s Cars was still a couple years away and Pixar hadn’t been bought fully by Disney, so they were still trying new things and not just churning out sequels to keep merchandise selling.

Along comes director Brad Bird after making the 1999 cult-favorite animated film The Iron Giant with an idea to make an animated movie about a superhero family, and hence, The Incredibles was born. Fox already had a few superhero hits with Bryan Singer’s X-Men and its sequel, and they were developing a Fantastic Four movie. It was both a good and bad thing that The Incredibles came out first, since it used a similar premise of a superhero family in a far more fun and family-friendly way.

The Incredibles surpassed the opening of Finding Nemo (barely) despite opening in early November vs. the summer, and it built on that $70.5 million opening to make $261 million domestically and another $372 million overseas. Back in 2004, Pixar wasn’t in the sequel game quite like they are now (despite Toy Story 2), but over the past 14 years, many fans have demanded a sequel while at the same time decrying most of the sequels Pixar made. When you have huge hits like Toy Story 3 ($415 mill. domestic) in 2010 and 2016’s Finding Dory ($486.3 million), it was only a matter of time, and the success Disney has had since buying Marvel’s superhero universe made an Incredibles 2 inevitable.

Unlike many of the other Pixar sequels so far – which all have done well, mind you – The Incredibles 2 is indeed one that the fans demanded, having fallen in love with the Incredibles (the parents voiced by Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter) in that first movie. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson’s popular Frozone is also back as is superhero costumer Ed Mode, and Disney has had 14 years to make these characters even more popular than they were before through home video and television.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the sequel (because I’m not invited to any Disney screenings), so I’ll just have to go with what I heard (that it’s pretty good though not as good as the original), and Fandango reported that tickets were selling faster than Finding Dory, which isn’t that big a surprise. Apparently,The Incredibles 2 played on IMAX screens across the country along with The Incredibles on Wednesday with the box office probably rolled into Thursday previews.

There hasn’t been a strong family film in a very, VERY long time, as Marvel and Star Wars have dominated. Sony’s Peter Rabbit is the last really strong movie for kids and parents, and that was released over four months ago, so parents with small kids are going to be just as eager to get them out of the house and heat as the teen and older moviegoers into superheroes.

Disney*Pixar has now had two sequels open over the $100 million mark, and The Incredibles 2 will join them, possibly even surpassing the opening of Finding Dory with less competition and a wider range of audiences wanting to see it. (I think older males that avoided Finding Dory, myself included, might see The Incredibles 2 as something more up their alley.)

Because of this, The Incredibles 2 should be good for an opening weekend in the $135 to 145 million range, basically the same as Finding Dory a few years ago, although Father’s Day on Sunday should definitely help this one maintain business throughout the weekend. Since the fans actually want this movie and because it will appeal to an older audience beyond usual family sequels means it could end up opening even higher. I still think sequel ennui might hold this back, but far less than other sequels. I’d expect a guaranteed $300 million and possibly even $400 million domestic gross for this one.

TAG (New Line/WB)

It might not be the wisest move for New Line to release an R-rated comedy as counter-programming to The Incredibles 2, because being R-rated doesn’t mean those not interested in The Incredibles sequel (which will be very few and far between) might check this out instead.

Essentially, it’s a comedy based on the ongoing real-life game of tag between a group of adult friends, and it’s one of two first-time features this weekend, this one directed by Jeff Tomsic.

It does have an impressive comedy cast that includes Ed Helms (The Hangovermovies and Horrible Bosses), Jake Johnson (New Girl and Let’s Be Cops), Hannibal Burress, Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Leslie Bibb and Rashida Jones, as well as a few dramatic ringers like Jeremy Renner (one of the few actually funny characters from last year’s The House) and Jon Hamm, who also has done his fair share of comedy. A good share of the actors have done the talk show circuit to help raise awareness even f there really is no one on there who seems capable of

New Line has continued to step up its R-rated comedy game after having hits like Wedding Crashers and Horrible Bosses, but it’s getting harder to get audiences into things like this as seen by Game Night earlier this year, as it only opened with $17 million. (Word-of-mouth and the slower winter box office helped it pull in nearly $70 million.)

Presumably, opening Tag in the summer would give it a lot wider audience of college-age and slightly older moviegoers who want to get out of the heat, but there’s something about this premise that doesn’t quite connect in the same way as Game Night, which is based on something older moviegoers could relate to. Even New Line’s Vacation remake starring Helms bombed when it opened in the summer of 2015 barely making $60 million.

The question is whether having such a large group of strong actors can help Tag overcome the fact that it doesn’t look particular funny, and the answer is probably “No.” This might struggle to make $15 million this weekend and will likely end up with less than $60 million and be quickly forgotten.

Speaking of unwanted remakes, Superfly…. Tag, you’re it.

SUPERFLY (Sony)

This remake of the classic 1972 blacksploitation flick of the same name was released yesterday, this one having been fully modernized for a younger generation who have probably never even heard of the original movie. That movie was directed by Gordon Parks, Jr, and starred Ron O’Neal and Carl Lee, but it might be best remembered for its soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield.

Playing the lead characters of Priest and his partner Eddie are Trevor Jackson and Jason Miller, from Grown-ish and Straight Outta Compton respectively, but the presence of The Wire’s Michael K. Williams will likely get audiences more excited. Directing the new version is hip hop video director named Director X making his feature film debut, and it’s not likely to find much favor among film critics, because as you might have heard, THEY’RE MAINLY WHITE MEN!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! (Seriously, I wonder how much money was wasted on that USC study.)

The R-rated Superfly is targeted towards teen and slightly older men in urban areas with its mix of hip hop, fast cars, high-tech guns and semi-clad women, and honestly, it’s the first film maybe since Black Panther to offer a hero that might appeal to the video game generation.

Superflyalso becomes the first movie of the summer with a Weds. release, which theoretically could cut into its weekend business, but more likely, the earlier release is to help drive business up if word-of-mouth is halfway good, and having seen it with a real audience, the movie does deliver some good laughs and action.

Expect the movie to do particularly well in Atlanta (where it takes place), Chicago and some of the larger cities, where Sony will focus its 2,200 theaters. In some ways, this is better counter-programming to The Incredibles 2, which offers very little for urban audiences other than maybe Samuel L. Jackson.

While it might only make a couple million on Wednesday and Thursday, word-of-mouth should help its weekend business to make between $8 and 10 million.

Mini-Review: As I began to watch Director X’s remake of Superfly (a term that probably hasn’t been used in 40 plus years), I immediately assumed I was either too white or too old to appreciate it, and yet, seeing the movie with an audience, you can tell that it knows enough about hip hop and video game culture to offer an entertaining update of the ‘70s film. Trevor Jackson is Priest, who runs the drug traffic through Atlanta but who is more of a benevolent criminal than Al Pacino in Scarface, but he can also take care of himself in a fight as seen when he gets into an argument with a younger member of the “Snow Patrol” gang, whose M.O. is wearing all-white clothes and driving white cars. Priest’s long-time friend and partner Eddie (Jason Mitchell) wants to get revenge for them disrespecting Priest, so he commissions a dry-by against Priest’s wishes. Things escalate from there, but Priest wants out, so he works out a plan to sell more product to make enough money to leave the business.

It’s a simple premise that follows a similar trajectory as the original movie albeit shifted it into modern-day Atlanta while focusing on the type of storytelling we might see in a “gangsta rap” video. (Do they even still call it that?) Unfortunately, this also includes all the issues I have with those videos including the overuse of the N-word, the F-word and the objectification of women, although Priest always seems to sit just on the cusp of being a “bad guy.”

As you watch the movie you might wonder where the Atlanta PD is during all of this drug trafficking. When they do show up, it’s in the form of two crooked white cops, including one that shoots one of Priest’s gang. It’s a nod to the #BlackLivesMatter that’s a bit of a failure since we’ve already seen the man shot doing and selling drugs as well as taking part in the aforementioned drive-by.

Jackson and Mitchell are both very good, as is Michael K. Williams as their direct supervisor Scatter, though they’re surrounded by actors who aren’t quite as strong, which leads to many erratic scenes and a surprising amount of laughs, as well. Director X does a decent job keeping the film rolling despite its abundance of clichés, even building to an impressive and satisfying car chase. The film is more impressive when you realized that it was filming in January and February of this year and is already hitting the streets. The fact he can make this movie so fast and relatively inexpensive is quite an asset.

The Superfly remake basically does what it sets out to do which is to entertain young black (and white) males with cool guns, cool cars and half-naked women, nothing more nor less. If you’re going into it as a fan of the original movie, you’re already setting yourself up for disappointment, although it’s far from a bad movie. Rating: 6.5/10

RACE 3 (Yash Raj Films)

Opening in 315 theaters, both on 2D and 3D screens, is the third movie in the popular Bollywood action franchise that began with 2008’s Race, which grossed $1.4 million domestically. The sequel Race 2 opened in 2013 and grossed only slightly more, although that only opened in half as many theaters as the new film. Remo D’Souza takes over as director from Abbas-Mastan, although Anil Kapoor returns to the franchise, this time joined by another Bollywood superstar in Salman Khan. Honestly, I haven’t seen any of these movies, and I’m not the best person to figure out how a Bollywood film might do, but with the 3D upcharge, this could end up doing around a million or more this weekend but probably not enough to break into the Top 10.

The Top 10 should look something like this…

1. The Incredibles 2 (Disney-Pixar) - $142 million N/A

2. Ocean’s 8 (Warner Bros.) - $22.5 million -46%

3. Tag (New Line/WB) – $14 million N/A

4. Superfly (Sony) - $8.5 million N/A

5. Deadpool 2 (20thCentury Fox) - $7.5 million -47%

6. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Lucasfilm/Disney) - $6.8 million -55%

7. Hereditary (A24) – $6.5 million -56%

8. Avengers: Infinity War (Marvel/Disney) - $4 million -45%

9. Book Club (Paramount) – $2.6 million -25%

10. Adrift (STX Entertainment) - $2.5 million -53%

LIMITED RELEASES

Before I get to the theatrical releases, I want to talk about a movie called A Motion Selfie, which is now available via Vimeo on Demand. I’ve known the film’s director Jamie Stuart for over 14 years, and I remember marveling at his artsy short films from the New York Film Festival. Stuart’s feature-length debut is a 90-minute silent film cut to his own electronic score. Jamie’s kind of like a hipster Charlie Brown, and you might watch the movie thinking it’s a documentary about his real life, which I doubt it actually is. I really dug the score, which at times referenced Joy Division and the Sex Pistols, and I found it infinitely amusing to watch the day-to-day life of the “character” Jamie was playing. Mileage may vary if you don’t know him, but I found it to be quite a hoot. You can watch the trailer below and rent/buy the film at the Official Site.

https://youtu.be/-v2v72DcyTk

Unfortunately, there aren’t as many interesting specialty releases this week, and I’ve only seen two of them, so I’ll keep this brief.

Blue Caprice director Alexandre Moors’ The Yellow Birds (Lionsgate/DirecTV) played at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2017, but it’s finally getting release, as it stars Solo’s Alden Ehrenreich and Tye Sheridan from X-Men: Apocalypse as soldiers fighting Iraq who experience a great tragedy with one of them having to return home to explain to the other’s family what happened. It also stars Jennifer Anniston and Toni Collette (yes, her again!), and after debuting on DirecTV last month, it will open in select cities

After many years in development, the crime-drama Gotti (MoviePass Ventures/Vertical) starring John Travolta as the mob boss is getting released into theaters thanks to MoviePass, who suggest you use MoviePass to go see it. It’s directed by Entourage star Kevin Connolly and stars Spencer Rocco Lofranco as John Gotti, Jr. as well as Travolta’s wife Kelly Preston, and it hasn’t been shown to critics after bombing at Cannes last month.

‘80s actress Lea Thompson makes her feature film directorial debut with The Year of Spectacular Men (MarVista Entertainment), produced by her husband Howard Deutch, written by their daughter Madelyn Deutch and starring their other daughter Zoey Deutch. So it’s basically a family affair. The younger Deutch plays Izzy Klein, as she faces to the struggles of life after getting out of college.

From Brazil comes Fellipe Barbosa’s Gabriel and the Mountain (Cinema Tropical), a travelogue that follows a young Brazilian through West Africa. The winner of two prizes at Cannes’ Critic’s Week will kick-off for Cinema Tropical’s “Verão in New York: A Summer of Brazilian Cinema” that will open at the Quad CinemaFriday.

As far as docs go this weekend, Natalie Portman produced and narrates the doc Eating Animals (IFC Films), Christopher Dillon Quinn’s adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s book that examines the state of food. Portman will be doing a couple Q n As at the IFC Centerin New York this weekend, but sadly, they’re both already sold out.

The hipster band Deer Hoof celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2014, something captured in William Miller’s doc Straight into a Storm (Abramorama), and then there’s Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf (Argot Pictures), which is about exactly what it says in the title.

That’s it for this week. Next week: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom!

#WhatToWatchThisWeekend TheWeekendWarrior TheIncredibles2 Tag Superfly Movies Review BoxOffice

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recentanimenews · 7 years ago

Text

Funimation Updates English Dub Cast Listings For "JUNI TAISEN, Black Clover," "Kino's Journey," "GARO" and More

You know... anime doesn't always introduce everyone in the first episode. Or, sometimes, they're there, but they don't speak yet. Or, there are noteworthy one-off characters in later episodes. Many of Funimation's fall 2017 anime SimulDub announcements didn't announce all the voices with the initial reveals. So, they're gone back and added more of who's who.

See our updated cast lists for our Fall SimulDub season on our blog including JUNI TAISEN, Black Clover, Kino's Journey, GARO, and more! https://t.co/areW3HedNw http://pic.twitter.com/3ntRRG3jyH

— Funimation (@FUNimation) November 15, 2017

Black Clover Watch new episodes on Sundays at 3:00pm CT

From the studio that brought you Yu Yu Hakusho, Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto, and more!

Asta and Yuno are two orphans who want the same thing: to become the Wizard King. Locked in a friendly rivalry, they work hard towards their goal. While Yuno excels at magic, Asta has a problem uncommon in this world: he has no powers! But, on the day they receive their grimoires, they surprise everyone. To reach their goal, they’ll each find their own path to greatness—with or without magic.

CHARACTER CAST Asta Dallas Reid Yuno Micah Solusod Episode 1 High Priest Brian Mathis Sister Lily Dawn M. Bennett Arlu Sara Ragsdale Rekka Megan Shipman Revchi Daman Mills Tower Master Bill Jenkins Episode 2 Father Brian Mathis Man David Matranga Episode 3 Nash Morgan Berry Horo Kristi Rothrock Narrator Cris George Episode 4 Sekke Garret Storms William Josh Grelle Yami Christopher R. Sabat Finral Brandon McInnis Nozel Ricco Fajardo Fuegoleon J. Michael Tatum Charlotte Colleen Clinkenbeard Gordon Mike McFarland Noelle Jill Harris Koza Matt Shipman Gayaya Chris Thurman Bumoda Dalton Tindall Tanon Anthony Bowling Lounie Skyler McIntosh Amy Dani Chambers Shinana Coby Lewin CREW ADR Director Cris George ADR Engineer Zachary Davis Scripts Bonny Clinkenbeard Mixing Engineer Nathanael Harrison

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Watch new episodes on Mondays at 3:00pm CT

The award-winning manga comes to life with a highly anticipated anime series! Suffering a tragic childhood and sold at an auction, Chise Hatori has little hope for a better life. But when a mysterious sorcerer named Elias takes interest in her aptitude for magic, he decides to make her his apprentice—and his bride.

CHARACTER CAST Chise Hatori Dani Chambers Elias Ainsworth Brian Mathis Episode 1 Seth Noel Garret Storms Silver Lady Rachel Glass Jade Tia Ballard Episode 2 Althea Varley Lara Woodhull Angelica Varley Janelle Lutz Hugo Alex Moore Simon Callum Tyler Carson Episode 3 Lindel Todd Haberkorn Nevin Jason Douglas Beana Leah Clark Gwee Mikaela Krantz Uil Terri Doty Episode 4 Mikhail Renfred Jarrod Greene Alice Jennifer Green Barney Tyler Walker Jasper Robert McCollum Matthew John Burgmeier Mina Jennifer Alyx Molly Melanie Mason CREW ADR Director Kyle Phillips ADR Engineer Jeremy Woods Scripts Bonny Clinkenbeard Jamie Marchi Mixing Engineer Nathanael Harrison

Dies irae Watch it on Tuesdays at 3:00pm CT

At the end of World War II, sorcerers use the lives lost in battle as a ritual sacrifice in an attempt to resurrect a group of supermen whose coming would signify the world’s end. Yet when the war finally ends, no one knows whether the ritual was a success. Decades pass, and it’s all forgotten until present-day Japan when Ren Fuji has a disturbing dream of black-clothed knights.

CHARACTER CAST Episode 00 (Prologue) Reinhard Heydrich Dave Trosko Karl Krafft Brandon McInnis Beatrice von Kircheisen Alexis Tipton Eleonore von Wittenberg Alex Moore Riza Brenner Caitlin Glass Wilhelm Ehrenburg Aaron Roberts Wolfgang Schreiber Mikeala Krantz Rusalka Schwägerin (Anna) Jeannie Tirado Valeria Trifa Ian Sinclair Rot Spinne Marcus Stimac Episode 1 Ren Brandon McInnis Kasumi Madeleine Morris Kei Brittany Lauda Marie Jad Saxton Rea Trina Nishimura Shirou Austin Tindle Episode 2 Kei Brittany Lauda Marie Jad Saxton Rea Trina Nishimura Shirou Austin Tindle CREW ADR Director Tyler Walker ADR Engineer Domonique French Scripts Tyson Rinehart Mixing Engineer Andrew Tipps

Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series Watch new episodes on Thursdays at 3:00pm CT

In an imperfect world, the stories make it beautiful. Meet Kino, a traveler exploring beyond the boundaries into unknown mystical places! With only her guns and talking motorcycle, Hermes, by her side, she learns about unique people and their customs through the fascinating stories they weave. But to see everything, she can only spare three days in each land before moving on to the next adventure.

CHARACTER CAST Kino Lindsay Seidel Hermes Derick Snow Episode 1 Man Ian Sinclair Regel Garrett Schenck Episode 2 Riku Christopher R. Sabat Shizu Jeff Johnson Episode 3 Diplomat Larry Brantley President Wendy Powell Teacher Megan Shipman General Mark Stoddard Episode 4 Elder Barry Yandell Tower Clan Chief Bill Jenkins CREW ADR Director Kyle Phillips Assistant ADR Director Tabitha Ray ADR Engineer Jeremy Woods Scripts Aaron Dismuke Mixing Engineer Gino Palencia

JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR Watch it on Wednesdays at 3:00pm CT

For one wish, they’ll risk it all. The time has come for the Twelve Tournament—held every twelve years. Twelve proud warriors, each baring a name from the Chinese zodiac, will prepare to fight in the bloody battle royale. The victor is granted a single wish, and they’ll do whatever it takes to earn it. Blood and tears will flow on this battlefield—who will be the lone survivor?

CHARACTER CAST Duodecuple Mark Stoddard Eiji (Ox) Ian Sinclair Kiyoko Jād Saxton Michio (Dog) Chuck Hüber Misaki (Monkey) Caitlin Glass Nagayuki (Dragon) Clifford Chapin Ryoka (Rooster) Monica Rial Sumihiko (Ram) Kenny Green Toshiko (Boar) Stephanie Young Tsugiyoshi (Rat) Daman Mills Usagi (Rabbit) Jerry Jewell Yoshimi (Horse) Randy E. Aguebor Episode 5 Kanae (Tiger) Colleen Clinkenbeard Take (Serpent) Matt Shipman Sumi (Sheep) Kenny Green Ryoka (Bird) Monica Rial Duo (Host) Mark Stoddard CREW ADR Director Vic Mignogna Lead ADR Engineer Rickey Watkins Scripts Alex Muniz Joel Bergen Mixing Engineer Neal Malley

URAHARA Catch this show on Tuesdays at 3:00pm CT

Japan’s fashion hotspot, Harajuku, is known for having some unusual visitors—but culture-thieving aliens from outer space? Well that’s just crossing the line! Banding together, three kawaii high school girls aren’t about to let anyone take away the beloved district where PARK, their new pop-up shop, has just opened for business! CHARACTER CAST Kotoko Sarah Wiedenheft Rito Julie Shields Mari Alexis Tipton Ebifurya Anthony Bowling Misa Monica Rial Ebi Chris Wehkamp Episode 3 Sayumi Tia Ballard CREW ADR Director Jeremy Inman ADR Engineer Matt Grounds Writer Emily Neves Mixing Engineer Adrian Cook

Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ See this SimulDub on Wednesdays at 3:00pm CT

Cardia has spent her life locked away in solitude, hidden from others due to a deadly poison that lies within her. But everything changes when she’s suddenly abducted by the royal guards! Before she can despair, she’s rescued and swept away by Arsène Lupin, a dashing and chivalrous thief. Together, they’ll travel to London to find her father and answers about her mysterious condition.

CHARACTER CAST Cardia Beckford Jill Harris Lupin Arsene J. Michael Tatum Impey Barbicane Chris Guerrero Victor Frankenstein Micah Solusod Count Saint-Germain Brandon McInnis Abraham Van Helsing Ian Sinclair Episode 1 Finis Justin Briner Rempart Leonhardt David Wald Isaac Beckford Greg Dulcie Sisi Apphia Yu Episode 2 Finis Justin Briner Victoria Stephanie Young Sisi Apphia Yu Episode 3 Delacroix Trina Nishimura Sisi Apphia Yu CREW ADR Director Jerry Jewell Assistant Director Apphia Yu ADR Engineer William Dewell Writer Samuel Wooley Mixing Engineer

Gino Palencia

King’s Game Watch it on Saturdays at 3:00pm CT

One night, all 32 members of a high school class receive a text message on their cell phone. It welcomes them to a game where they are given specific tasks to carry out in a 24-hour period. The tasks seem simple at first, but soon the tasks go beyond what the kids are comfortable with. Furthermore, they learn that the cost of failure is death. Will they be able to find a way out before more die?

CHARACTER CAST Nobuaki Coby Lewin Natsuko Bryn Apprill Chiemi Alexis Tipton Episode 1 Aimi Lindsay Seidel Yuuichi Jarrod Greene Masatoshi Kyle Phillips Rina Heather Walker Matsuoka Jeannie Tirado Takuya Clifford Chapin Nanami Skyler McIntosh Mizuki Brittany Lauda Teruaki Matt Shipman Toshifumi Orion Pitts Tatsuya Anthony Bowling Daiki Chris Thurman Kenta Garrett Storms Riona Tabitha Ray Ryou Justin Briner Yuuna Megan Shipman Haruka Jessica Peterson Makoto Tyler Walker Tsubasa Stephen Sanders Asuka Ariel Graham Hanako Rachel Glass Hayato Drew Breedlove Kuramoto Amber Lee Connors Megumi Kasi Hollowell Misa Lynsey Hale Shin Drew Bramlett Shou Stephen Fu Male Teacher 1a Brian Mathis Female Student 1a Kristin Sutton Tsubasa’s Father Mike McFarland Tsubasa’s Mother Alex Moore Episode 2 Daisuke Dallas Reid Shouta Austin Tindle Misaki Jad Saxton Abe Brian Olvera Akemi Jennifer Alyx Akira Brad Smeaton Chia Natalie Hoover Emi Emily Fajardo Fujioka Jean-Luc Hester Hideki Ricco Fajardo Hirofumi Brandon McInnis Hiroko Kristen McGuire Kana Megan Emerick Kaori Genna Ford Kawakami Daman Mills Keita John Wesley Go Maki Amanda Gish Male Teacher 2A David Wald Mami Felicia Angelle Masami Sara Ragsdale Minako Sarah Wiedenheft Mizuuchi Travis Mullenix Motoki Ethan Gallardo Nami Jill Harris Naoya Howard Wang Ria Mikaela Krantz Satomi Dawn M. Bennett Shingo Dalton Tindall Yoshifumi Elijah Muller Yousuke Alejandro Saab CREW ADR Director Tyler Walker Assistant ADR Director Tabitha Ray Lead ADR Engineer Domonique French Assistant ADR Engineers Jamal Roberson Nick Hernandez Xavier Earl Scripts Jeramey Kraatz Mixing Engineer Neal Malley

Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond Watch it on Saturdays at 3:00pm CT

After a breach between Earth and the netherworld opens up over New York, humans and creatures from other dimensions become trapped in an impenetrable bubble that surrounds the city. Forced to coexist in a new city known as Salem’s Lot, the shaky peace between humanity and the netherworld creatures is protected by an underground group of super humans known as Libra.

When a case of mistaken identity brings not-so-ordinary delivery boy Leonardo Watch face-to-face with this group, he joins their ranks hoping to help prevent the destruction of the world by a group of monsters and madmen lead by a powerful being known as the King of Despair.

CHARACTER CAST Leonardo Watch Aaron Dimsuke Zapp Renfro Ian Sinclair Klaus Von Reinhertz Phil Parsons Gilbert Alstein Francis Henry Steven Starphase J Michael Tatum Femt Josh Grelle Deldro Brody Mike McFarland Dog Hummer Orion Pitts Patrick Ray Hurd Sonic Monica Rial K.K. Stephanie Young Aligura Tia Balard Chain Sumeragi Trina Nishimura Zed O’Brien Christopher Wehkamp Nej Alison Viktorin Neyka Alexis Tipton Franz Ackerman Bruce DuBose Episode 2 Hospital Director Mark Oristano Dr. Gunther Bill Jenkins Luciana Estevez Jeannie Tirado Zamedle Damon Mills Zamedle’s Dog Ian Mead Moore Episode 3 Ellen Elizabeth Maxwell Larry Bryan Massey Tall Male Punk Chris Rager Short Male Punk Chris Thurman Sharon Janelle Lutz Tracy Brittany Lauda Vedid Terri Doty Episode 3 Delimid Brian Mathis Emilina Morgan Berry Gähnen John Swasey Janet Amber Lee Connors Mi-Yeon Katelyn Barr Ogamu Steve Powell Olga Alex Moore Velved Rachael Messer CREW ADR Director Mike McFarland ADR Engineer Brandon Peters Mixing Engineer Adrian Cook

GARO -VANISHING LINE- Watch it on Thursdays at 3:00pm CT

An omen awakens in a city that never sleeps. Caught in the resulting shadow war, two lives cross paths. While Sword seeks to expose this darkness, Sophie searches for her missing brother. Something more mysterious than fate has brought them together as they chase after their only clue, two words—El Dorado.

CHARACTER CAST Sword T. Axelrod Sophie Madeleine Morris Luke David Matranga Zaruba Barry Yandell Episode 1 Chiaki Felecia Angelle Ricardo Garret Storms Ricardo Horror Garret Storms Chris Guerrero Episode 2 Hardy Christopher Dontrell Piper Enith Alle Mims Episode 3 Sword T. Axelrod Gina Trina Nishimura Damian J. Michael Tatum Nero Matt Holmes Mafia Elder Ben Phillips Clemenza Charlie Campbell Mia Natalie Hoover Episode 5 Waitress Felecia Angelle Viola Wendy Powell CREW ADR Director Caitlin Glass ADR Engineer Manuel Aragón Scripts J. Michael Tatum Mixing Engineer Neal Malley

------ Follow on Twitter at @aicnanime

By: [email protected]

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