#hes like 19 and fresh out the army

[gravedigg]

band au Angel before joining up with the other guys. sketch under the cut cause I liked it. <3

[diejager]

Hi! Could you please a non-con with John Price? I really love your blog!!

Orders, Private

Pairing: Dark!Captain John Price x fem!reader

Cw: NON-CON/DUB-CON, DARK, nsfw, p in v, creampie, choking, age gap, oral (male receiving), implied pregnancy, unprotected sex, cockwarming, implied discharge, abuse of authority, slight daddy kink, tell me if I missed any. Wc: 1.8k

You joined the army to feel secure, to be safe and to be able to protect yourself. Although it was a predominantly male occupation, you found yourself feeling more at home and comfortable with them and the few female soldiers at the base. You had a small convent of your own composed of the women who left their households to join the military for various reasons, both good and reasonable. You trained and grew, fresh out of the toxic environment of a strict religious family, climbing from a cadet to a Private First Class at 19. You were proud and so were your brothers and sisters, watching the scrawny kid grow leaner and stronger in the past year. 

You were safe and protected. You could defend yourself from others tempted to force themselves on you. You were strong. Perhaps you became too relaxed knowing you were surrounded by people you could trust, letting your guard down and your nativity unchecked. You felt safe, you hadn’t worried about your commanding officers. You didn’t see yourself being in danger around them, and yet, here you were, forced to your knees for a man you trusted, a man that had led you and inspired you all. 

That’s why it hurt even more.

“Orders, private,” was all he told you, dark eyes staring at your bobbing head between his legs. A cruel grin danced across his lips, a proud and shrewd smile that creased the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he bit back a groan, throwing his head back and thrusting back into your mouth. 

You let out a pained whine, fingers clawing at his thighs, big and hard, hot under your smaller hands. His balls slapped your wet chin, his cock far down your throat had made swallowing difficult, saliva dripping from your wide and swollen mouth. He growled, rocking his hips erratically, chasing the tightness in his groynes, the promise of relief. He laughed when you gagged, your throat retching and closing. He laughed like it was a joke, a cruel joke that he suddenly came up with to deprive you of air. 

He used the momentum of both his thrusts and the bobbing of your head to force his shaft deeper, hitting the back of your throat as he throbbed in your mouth. Your nose bumped his musky, pubic hair, the scent was strong and heady, smelling of sex and sweat. Your chin rested against his heavy sack, balls tightening as he came down your throat, spurting ropes of tangy cum.

“Swallow, private. I’ll make you lick it clean if I see a single drop on the floor.”

His threats weren’t hollow, they were true and founded on the fear of harsher abuse. You tried swallowing every drop, throat gagging around his softening shaft in a failed attempt at listening to his order. His rough fingers brushed your hair back, playing the illusion of an encouraging master, rewarding you with soft petting - an illusion of a consensual blowjob. You weren’t fooled, you couldn’t be after this. 

Your hands left his thighs to cup at your closed mouth when he slid out, his heavy cock slapping your chin as it left. Your cheeks were swollen with cum, the salty substance weighing heavily on your tongue and conscience. You tilted your head back to ease the flow, still and subservient to his calm petting. Slowly, you swallowed everything, red eyes closed and teary, tears streaming down your cheeks as he cooed at you lovingly. If only you could disappear, leave your body and let it all happen to you while you weren’t here, while you dissociated-

“AH!”

White hot pain flashed through your mind, Price’s fingers grasped your hair and tugged your head back, forcing your mouth open for him. He hummed satisfyingly, eyes glued to your swollen lips and flat tongue. He roved over it, smiling proudly at your tear-stricken expression, your wet cheeks, dilated, doe eyes and your messy hair. The sight of your dishevelled look seemed to arouse him further, his once-soft cock hardening between his thick legs, standing proudly with a pink blush on the tip. 

He jerked you back, throwing you to the ground as he stood up, circling your gasping figure. You rested on your knees and elbows, back facing him and head down, chest puffing with erratic breaths. Wolves would lower their heads before a stronger pack emmener, showing their submissiveness or respect to the older and stronger wolf. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him anymore. It hurt too much. However much you wished you could rebel, you knew it was futile. 

You were a private and he, a captain of a Task Force. He outranked you by nearly two decades in experience and reputation. No one would believe you if you told them that Captain John Price had raped you. You would be called a traitor, a sham, a liar, someone who wanted to ruin the pristine image of the great Captain Price. 

You were alone, no one would help you.

“Get up.”

On shaky knees and unstable footing, you stood up, steps stuttering to reach him at his desk, but you were too slow for his liking. His hand reached to grab at your lapel, pulling you to him. He kicked behind your knees, knocking you off balance and onto his desk, upper half splayed over the hardwood. He bent you with the full intention of fucking you. It scared you because you wouldn’t be able to fight him off, he was both bigger and stronger. 

Your nails dug into the wood, looking ahead with fresh tears. He felt your body, big palms wrapping around your waist and down your chest, cupping your breast with a sigh from him. He gripped your hips, feeling the leather belt buckle and ripped it free. You cried out as he pulled your pants down, hands kneading the curves of your hips and the roundness of your ass, fingers gripping your fat with the intent of bruising you. 

“Please…” you begged. You didn’t know why you did it, but it was the only thing you could do at the moment. Beg until your voice turned hoarse and weak, a whisper of what it used to be at the peak of your glory.

He scoffed.

“You’re always so soft.” 

He felt you a while longer before his searing hands left you. You sighed but froze when something hard and hot bumped your ass, the wet mass rutting over you. Your breath stuttered and you resulted to hide your face between your crossed arms, giving up on your miserable fate. He pumped himself, sighing as he ran the tip over your fold, slipping between your slit and nudging your pulsing clit. A shuddering chill wracked your body, breath stuck at the back of your throat.

He blew out a chuckle. Your body reacted to his stimulation while your mind still reeled at the betrayal. Your body and mind were two different things, one reacted to things while the other commanded. Although you abhorred it, it was only natural that you were slick from everything. Your begging and crying did nothing to stop your body from reacting accordingly to Price’s touch or dampen the intensity of your slickness. 

“So warm… and wet-” he rocked into you once his mushroom head caught your entrance, bottoming out in one hard thrust. 

You jerked forward with a cry, clinging to his desk as he pulled out and pushed in roughly. He groaned as he slammed in, eyes rolling back when your warm walls squeezed around him, trying to accommodate his bigger girth. Price drove into you with feral grunts, hips rocking and hands bruising you. He liked painting your skin black and blue with his hold, and carving your flesh with the half moons of his blunt nails, red and irritated. It was a show of possessiveness, marking his little soldier to remind you and himself of who you belonged. It roused the predator inside of him, bringing it to the surface of his usually calm and commanding facade. But none came alone, one always brought another; he’d whisper dark promises to you, ravaging you with animalistic intent. They were dirty things, brutal promises that he had full intentions of keeping.

It made you fear him more than anything else. 

“No! Please no! Price stop- ”

You struggled against his assault, legs kicking under him and voice screaming for reprieve in the soundproof room. He slid his arm under you, grasping your throat as he pressed into you, the tip ramming into your cervix. You choked a hoarse cry, body pulled in an arch before him, head over his shoulder, forearm holding you against his chest and hips between him and the desk’s sharp edge. It dug into your flesh as his cock ploughed deeper inside of you, spearing you over his throbbing length, threatening to spill a second time. 

“I like the thought of you swollen, love,” he muttered through gritted teeth, his beard irritating the soft skin of your neck as his pace grew frantic, latching on to the tight string of pleasure. “Swollen with my child, hmm?”

He chuckled at your fearful whine, your head shaking and fingers clutching his hand, running red lines over it. 

“Yeah, I love it too. Watching the little nipper run around the house.”

His sweat dripped from him to you, the musky odour of sex, pine wood and cigars coating you in a mix that is instinctively his. A musk that belonged to John Price. His hand left your hip to toy with your sensitive nub, rolling it with his thumb while you moaned and squirmed, the walls of your sexe tightening around him like a vice. He cursed and jerked his hips faster, harder and rougher, lost in the delirium of pleasure and hunger. 

“Come, love. Come now.”

Orders, private, echoed in your mind, his word was law, his hand, the mighty hammer. He ingrained it in your mind and your body reacted as such. A well trained pet for its master to order around. Your breath caught in your throat and your hip bucked into his thrusts, head thrown back with a sharp keen. You closed around him, spamming walls pulling him deeper as the waves of pleasure crashed over you, quenching your dripping arousal. 

“Fuck-” he swore, grinding against you as your relief pulled at his. He came with a moan, tip spurting white, potent cum into your young womb. It flooded your cunt and leaked around him, staining his military-issued pants with dark patches. He stayed inside of you as he sat on a chair, plugging you with his soft cock to keep from wasting his seed. He wanted it to take so he could have you discharged and kept at home. He wanted you as his little wife, possessiveness rearing its ugly head.

 “You’ll make me a daddy this time, yeah?”

If not, he’d just fuck you again and again until it knocked you up.

[therealstacyfakename]

My Favorite 9-1-1 Fics of 2024

This year I read more fanfic than ever before so there's quite a few here. I just want to shout out these fic authors who brought me joy in 2024 and give you fic recs. Sorted by pairing (or lack thereof, there are gen fics in here) with word counts and summaries!

🔥 next to fics that feature a lot of smut or the smut was really memorable.

Buck/Eddie:

i found love where it wasn't supposed to be by chromatophorica - 12k words

Eddie thinks Bobby is Buck's dad when he joins the station. Assumptions lead to miscommunication.

Monday (You Could Fall Apart) by Pansys_goth_gf - 12k words

Evan Buckley enlists in the army fresh out of high school and falls in love with his best friend. Things spiral from there. From the prompt “Secretly Married”

if it weren’t for second chances by alasse - 47k words

When Buck doesn’t save Daniel, the Buckleys put him in foster care. Seventeen years later, Bobby meets a tall, lanky kid who can’t stop eating his pancakes at a church breakfast, and he gives him a phone number and an unconditional offer of help. A story about how Buck finds a chosen family, and with a few twists and turns, eventually gets to the 118, meets Eddie Diaz, and maybe finds himself a second and a third (or, an Evan Nash story)

Face to my face by EtoileGarden - 46k words

Girl dad buck!!! He fathers a child in his Buck 1.0 days and raises her starting at the end of season 1.

Waves (it comes and goes) by SunSpell80 - 40k words

Evan Buckley left his past behind when he left home for good at age 19. But an unexpected phone call on a quiet shift disrupts the life he's built for himself: forcing him to confront his past in order to build a new future. This fic is rather dark, it deals with discussion of past child sexual abuse and attempted murder.

the mark they saw on my collarbone by stockholm_syndrom - 27k words

Omega!Eddie and alpha!buck fic focused on gender roles, being a single parent, shame for being an omega, and Shannon. Highly highly recommend if you're into omegaverse.

🔥Second Best by Nejinee - 51k words

Eddie has convinced himself that helping Buck through his heat is perfectly normal behaviour between friends. It didn’t mean anything. omega!buck and alpha!Eddie fic where buck just wants to biohack his way out of his heats as fast as possible and Eddie wants to be a good friend and help!

🔥 Racing with the Brakes Cut by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels - 65k words

Buddie Fast & Furious AU with beautiful writing and smut that I haven't been able to stop thinking about

🔥 Let My Ink Stain Your Pages by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels - 107k words

Having just killed off his popular character, bestselling author Evan Buckley needs some new inspiration and fast. Luckily for him, Det. Eddie Diaz is about to stroll into his life. Castle AU!! my favorite fic by this author <3

new growth by notathingtoseehere - 15k words

Eddie in therapy after the fight club era.

good pretender by likeshipsonthesea - 85k words

an au where buck broke up with taylor before 5b, ravi and buck become (actually platonic) friends with benefits, and ravi, eddie, and buck all go on a journey of self-discovery that ends with them all getting what they need

I was like omg haha fwb sex leads to jealousy lol and then this fic was so moving and profound I couldn't put it down. I read this in one day.

Followed By Ghosts by itsanapothecary - 21k words

Instead of hiding the truth about Daniel from their children, Margaret and Philip memorialize their lost son in every one of their remaining children's accomplishments. Growing up, neither Maddie nor Buck felt like they could escape the shadow of their brother. When Buck finds the 118, he gets a chance to be his own person, although the looming attention from his parents and weight of expectations threatens to jeopardize what he's built in Los Angeles.

Buck/Tommy:

what are your intentions? by screamlet - 141k words

It's Tommy and Buck—the family they find and the family they make.

Listen listen when I say that one of the best pieces of literature I read this year was this fanfiction I mean it. It's buck and Tommy's love story, it's finding queer identity, it's family, it's everything. It's such a great exploration of what Bucktommy could've been. I wasn't 100% convinced when I read the first chapter but so glad I continued. I could gush about this fic for a while but don't want to spoil it.

my high hopes are getting low, but I know I'll never be alone by foxaquatica - 4k words

Buck and Tommy have moved in together and decide to tell their parents, so they invite them to brunch, and it almost goes well, except Margaret Buckley just keeps talking.

🔥Off the Ground by pepperlandgirl4 - 65k words series, marked in complete

Tommy is Abbey's ex-boyfriend and meets Buck when Buck is staying in Abbey's condo. A canon-compliant, different first meeting AU that explores the relationship through the events of season 2 and beyond.

((I personally miss the simpler times when Tommy/Abby was just a silly fan theory, well this fic is from that and very enjoyable. Also very hot))

Over the Rainbow by typicalopposite @typicalopposite - 40k words

the heavily angsty mpreg no one asked for that I just needed to tell anyway!

bucktommy mpreg written before the mpreg explosion post-breakup, it's crazy.

Rebuilding Burnt Bridges by LadyEyre - 65k words, ongoing series

When his grandmother passes away, Tommy is faced with the opportunity to reforge relationships with his estranged family.

Four works so far, very touching. Becomes more OC focused as you get into it, so not a lot of romantic development or scenes. A fic focused on family healing if you're into that.

🔥Paint Me in Neon and Make Me Glow by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels - 12k words

the five times Buck had an exhibitionist kink and the one time Tommy fucked him about it.

the shaky things we’ve seen by origamifrogs - 41k words

After a 118 call gone awry, Buck and Tommy become emergency foster parents to a three month old baby named Annabelle. Or, Tommy begins (and begins again).

Ugh bucktommy with a kid & foster care themes in a 9-1-1 fic it's everything I love. A lot of interesting Tommy stuff too.

Tommy, Actually by rosetterer - 21k words

Tommy's life then and now. While moving he finds a box of memories and you see his life story.

Where It Wasn't Supposed to Be by Princessfbi - 45k words

Buck and Tommy meet and start dating while Tommy is at the 118, only Tommy is still closeted and that brings its own issues.

🔥No way it was our last night by harmonic-intervention (BackseatSerenade) - 18k words

In Buck's defense, the first time it happened, it had been an accident. Somehow, calling Tommy in this situation was the least embarrassing option. - bucktommy fix-it, Buck finds the worst doms he can so Tommy will come and take care of him. It goes as well as expected.

somebody out there who will by kitthekazoo - 61k words

Married to his best friend, Evan Buckley thought he had everything he needed to be happy. When Eddie offers to open the relationship so Buck can explore sexually outside of their marriage, he's hesitant, but when he spends an eye-opening, incredible night with Tommy Kinard, it's exactly what he needed. However, the problems in his marriage have just started, and the simplest solution - break up with Tommy - isn't an option at all.

Dispatcher Tommy Kinard AU by Wolf - 58k words, ongoing series

Tommy meets season 1 Buck because he works as a dispatcher due to an injury. Series is ongoing and currently retelling season 2.

you may find yourself (in another part of the world) by indigostohelit - 65k words

Buck & Tommy are sailors in 1805 that's all you need to know.

Buck/Eddie/Tommy:

🔥don't just stand there by laurenttheninth - 20k words

Description: aka "five times Eddie Diaz almost walks in on his best friend having sex with a man, and the one time he absolutely does."

Yeah ok so this fic is so hot and the +1 in the trope low key made my jaw drop the first time I read it, so I highly recommend (this was one of the first 9-1-1 fics I ever read lol)

Clue by mmmargo @usercelestial - 3.9k words

So this is really buck/Tommy/Eddie/josh... Buck and Tommy have weekly game nights with Josh and Eddie. Chimney is totally normal about not being invited and accidentally does some sleuthing to find out what's so special about these parties which leads him to an interesting discovery.

No Romantic Pairings:

more would never be enough by ShyAudacity - 12k words

When he hears it again, Buck turns towards the living room, the sound getting clearer. He shuffles forward slowly; Buck goes to adjust his helmet and ends up knocking it off his head, landing just out of reach near the wall. He grimaces, reaching to grab it, and out of the corner of his eye, Buck spots two small feet and a brown and white stuffed dog tucked in the corner behind the couch. OR Buck rescues a foster kid.

listen listen listen if you read ONE fic without romance you should read this one. I love dad buck and foster care In a 9-1-1 fic too much

Good People. Bad Parents. by datleggy - 1.8k words

Buck shares some things and the team realizes his parents were abusive.

I feel it crash down (down on me) by smilingbuckley - 2k words

Buck discovered something in therapy and he talks about it with Bobby.

You would cry too, if it happened to you by Maximoff_Wanda - 2k words

The first birthday Buck spent on the 118, Bobby made him a cake and he was so confused as to who it was for cause no one has ever made him a birthday cake.

Knight’s Move by telm_393 - 14k words

Men usually develop schizophrenia between their late teens and early twenties. Albert Han, probationary firefighter with the LAFD, is twenty-three years old when the monsters move in. On a bad night, Chimney and Buck intervene. Nothing about this is easy. This fic is marked buddie but literally has no romance, it's about Albert suffering a psychotic break and his brother taking care of him.

Bonus Tarlos...

so I discovered 9-1-1 in July and didn't start Lone Star till October and still haven't actually finished it bc I'm in denial. So I have not yet gotten into Tarlos fanfic in earnest. But I love this series:

every beat of you, every measure and note by Flogsam - 50k words complete.

A series of fics about Carlos dealing with brain damage after the season 4 kidnapping. Very moving.

[expresso-bean]

Then Man Out of Time [A Shadamy and Silver Story]: Chapter 26

Pairing: Shadow the Hedgehog x Amy Rose

Description: It has been seven years of peace following the grueling war with Eggman and his army. Though it took time to rebuild what they have lost, life for the Freedom Fighters could not be better. Whether it's finding love or trying to run from their past, celebrating post-war times has been different for each of them.

All is well until a silver hedgehog comes knocking on Amy Rose's door to deliver the tragic news about an incredible force that seems to be the cause of the future's destruction.

Will anyone believe the mysterious hedgehog's cry for help? Or will he be left to fight for his future alone? Read to find out!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.8k

POV: Shadow the Hedgehog

!! I do not own any of the art/gifs/borders used in my chapters. All credits to the rightful owners !!

Masterlist ❀ Ch.1 ❀ Ch.2 ❀ Ch.3 ❀ Ch.4 ❀ Ch.5 ❀ Ch.6 ❀ Ch.7 ❀ Ch.8 ❀ Ch.9 ❀ Ch.10 ❀ Ch.11 ❀ Ch.12 ❀ Ch.13 ❀ Ch.14 ❀ Ch.15 ❀ Ch.16 ❀ Ch.17 ❀ Ch.18 ❀ Ch.19 ❀ Ch.20 ❀ Ch.21 ❀ Ch.22 ❀ Ch.23 ❀ Ch.24 ❀ Ch.25

I looked down at the bowl of smushed tomatoes that I had cruelly bludgeoned to a messy pulp. Whatever was in the bowl would hardly considered to be a sauce.

'It looks like a massacre,' I wanted to whisper. 'Maybe I need to add another tomato?'

I looked beside me to S opening the rice cooker and lifting up the vapor plate. He carefully poured the contents of the plate into a pool of brown sauce that he'd been preparing for the past ten minutes. The sweet smell of the vegetables made my mouth begin to water slightly.

'Anyone could see that his abilities put mine to shame,' I continued to smoosh the contents of the bowl with so much force that the juices began to stain my white gloves a bright red color. 'Not that I would ever make that known to him.'

I put down the fork I was using and grabbed the salt from the spice rack on the countertop. I unscrewed the top of the shaker and began lightly sprinkling the salt in.

'How much should I even put in?'

I shook the shaker a few more times, still feeling unsatisfied. 

'I did say that I like salty things. Maybe she expects it to be salty?' I shook the shaker harder for a few more seconds until I could no longer see the tomatoes anymore. A crusty, pinkish layer was all that was visible. 'I think that is enough?'

"How is the sauce coming along?"

As he looked down at the content of the bowl, his eyebrows raised. I did my best to not look insulted. Though, I knew it was warranted. 

"I've only just started."

"Can I try?" I nodded. He took a fork and slushed the 'sauce' around before putting some in his mouth. His lips scrunched up as tears pricked at his eyes. "Ooh, that's pretty salty." He heaved out, placing the fork onto a small plate I had set aside for the utensils. "How much did you put in there?"

"Aren't they supposed to be salty?"

S shook his head. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and stood next to me by the sink. I gave up smashing the tomatoes from the bowl. It was nothing but a slop of juice and pulp.

"Not like that," He poured himself some water straight from the sink. I would have told him about the cold, purified water in the refrigerator. But his remarks on my culinary skills made him worthy of the lukewarm tap water he was going to consume. "Where is Amy anyway?" He gulped down the water so fast that he nearly choked at his first inhalation of fresh air. "Ow, maybe I shouldn't have drank it that fast."

'You think?'

S doubled over, holding his side.

'He...is more strange than usual,' S grunted again. He tried to say something through his teeth, but failed. 'Or is he dying?'

"You made your stomach cramp from drinking the water too fast. Steady your breathing and rub the area. If you panic, it will make the pain worse."

S unfolded himself and with a shaky arm he grabbed onto the countertop and hoisted himself up. His body shivered as he tried to breath.

"G-got it..."

He rubbed his side slowly. He bit back grunts of pain in between rubs. I stood there watching him repeat the same process over and over again.

'He's so helpless sometimes.'

"You think I'd be used to it by now. My stomach always get sensitive from traveling."

A hum in response is all I could muster. Just watching him frail up like that was enough for me to pity him and allow him to air out his story.

'No one knows anything about him other than the role he plays in a future wasteland. This could be the chance to try and see who he really is.'

"I was only fourteen when I began the practice trial runs. None of us knew what to expect from it. One the day of my first one, my father gathered the whole neighborhood to send me off. This couple prepared some soup for me made from rice noodles and a wild boar her partner had captured. It scared my father a bit because meals like that are only supposed to be served on special occasion like if someone is born or if someone dies," S' interrupted himself by coughing. He grunted, holding his side and trying to maintain his posture. "S-sorry..." He whispers.

"Your straining yourself."

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm almost done," He breathes in and out slowly before continuing. "I was meant to stay for half a day since the time device needs to be in idle for twelve hours before it is used again. When I finally got the chance to eat some of the food, well, it didn't go so well for me when I jumped back into my current time."

'The watch's ability to allow him to jump through time puts momentous strain on his body? I may have been underestimating his competency.'

"I learned the hard way why you should travel on a full stomach. I still can't eat pork belly to this day. My stomach refuses," He laughed. "I can eat noodles funnily enough. It was hard at first, but I got over that hurdle."

I hummed again only to indicate I was still paying attention to his incessant rambles. I could hear his breathing slowly going back to normal the more he spoke. The breathing technique I showed him seemed to be working.

"So far, I've been snacking on the instant noodles you guys have. They're amazing!" He gleamed. "It sucks, though. The more I enjoy the innovations of this timeline, the more I think about all the starving people this could have helped in the future."

I then turned to look at him. Even through his pain, he sounded confident in his ranting, not caring if he had an audience.

Glimpsing at him was like putting up a mirror to my past. All those moments after escaping my prison, standing alone plotting revenge, monologuing to anything in my sight.

'That feeling. I know it so well,' I kept my mouth shut, not even bothering to look at him. 'Why is he telling me this?'

"I don't mean to ramble. Talking distracts from the pain. Tails taught me that."

"He was your uncle, right?"

S looked conflicted for a moment. With his body still doubled over, he managed to smile softly.

"Tails raised me, along with Cream and my father. The three of them taught me a lot."

"I'm sorry." I meant my apology with all sincerity. A pang of guilt shot through my body. It wasn't until now I realized how much we truly have in common. It was in that moment of my weakness I realized this was the most I have spoken to him since he got to this timeline.

'I know what it is like to lose yourself for so long,' I sighed. Memories flowed back to me as hard as a wave crashed against rocks on the shore. I forgot how hard it was to experience all that loss on my own. How heavy the burden of loss is to a lonely person. 'He lost everything. Through the impossible, he found a way to travel through time to repair everything that had been broken. To help people that he did not even get to meet in his own lifetime.'

The more I stare at the red hue of the sauce, the more I think of Rose. I would not be standing here making a mockery of culinary art without her kindness and belief that I had something stronger within me than revenge and hate. She found love still resided in me—love for creatures and beings alike.

Love for the place Maria adored and called home.

I swore I would die to protect it. I would die to protect Rose and the people she loves. But the one person who could help is the same person I have been pushing away since he arrived.

'He has a good heart. I have not been exercising the kindness both of them fostered within me.'

"I..." When our eyes met, my voice trailed off. There was a familiarity within them.

'Where have I seen them before?'

I cleared my throat and tried to brush my question off. S tilted his head as he, no doubt, waited for me to finish my sentiment.

"Yeah?" He questioned, still slumped over.

"You asked earlier where Rose went. She is at the store, grabbing some refreshments. She mentioned some things she wanted you to try."

"Really!" He gasped, and I flinched at his eager response. "I hope she gets the fruit stuff again. Those things are GOOD!" 

"Keep yourself composed before you go on and hurt yourself again."

"Oh, you're right," He chuckled. I could tell his voice was slightly strained from his groaning in pain earlier. "What is that stuff I ate anyway?"

"It's sauce."

"THAT is the sauce?" S covered his mouth and mumbled out what I think was meant to be an apology. "I didn't mean to say it like that. It, um, has a good color to it."

'So my suspicions were right. This is wrong,' I put what I had been clenching in my fist down back in the bowl and sighed. 'I've never made anything like this before, I have no choice but to...'

"S?"

"Huh?" He hummed.

'Ask him for help.'

"I need..." My voice trailed off. The words were stuck in my throat, which was now dry.

'Why is my chest so heavy? It's just a request. The worst he could say is no,'

"You need...?" He questioned, a nervous smile on his face. I could tell I was making him uncomfortable with the silence between us.

'I retract that. The worst thing is asking him of all people for a request.'

"I need to learn how to make a pasta dish,"

'Finally. That was...hard.'

"It's for Amy. She deserves to have something nice to eat in these times."

My face grew hot with embarrassment. 'Why did I phrase it so strange?'

"Oh, that's easy! I'd love to help!"

'Really? Just like that? Has it always been this easy to ask for favors?"

"Perfect timing, too. I helped Amy pick up some groceries the other day. We can make the sauce tonight. Do you want me to show you how to make it?"

"That would be...a lot of help."

"Cool," S smiled, moving away from the counter and stretching his body upright. A few of his joints popped as his back adjusted itself. "Let's wait till she goes to bed; it shouldn't take long to make, so you'll still be able to get some rest."

"Hm. I agree."

'Never in my life would I put myself in this predicament, but for Rose, I'd do this and more.'

[bloodreddemons]

All Hazbin Hotel Fashion Ranked w/Roasting | (imo)

(Pilot to Present)

#20 Valentino | He literally looks like he smells of alcohol, smoke, and piss. How tf has Velvette not fixed him yet?!?! This gawdy wannabe gimp getup is NOT OK... He just strolls around naked under that Santa Claus/Zebra printed Nightmare....🤡 (I like his glasses tho imma rob him)

#19 Adam | Dude be fucking having that moo moo dress ON. I find it hilarious that his army is dripped out more than he is. I mean his final battle moo moo dress was a bit better than the original but he really just walks around like a certain Ice King from one of my fav Cartoon Network shows lmfaooooo. ✝️

#18 Carmilla Carmine | Lackluster. I wasn't really wowed by either two of her looks all that much I guess. There's just absolutely no color I kinda wish they incorporated maybe more purple or something in her. Carmilla also got some BIG ass hands. Idk her design just kinda throws me off. It reminds me of something abstract.

#17 Vox | I really like his coat and just the overall palette of that electric blue situation but his shirt low-key is giving me Freddy Krueger tease lol. As well as Pyrocynical and that dude from the show "Villainous". I hope in Season 2 Vox serves us more looks and variety. He's not bad, he just obviously doesn't compare to others.

#16 Katie Killjoy | She got only like one outfit but man does it EAT. A bit cliche for a reporter but it's just still too cunty to turn down. The pearls, the cut, the makeup, fucking slay I guess. Miss Bryce Tankthrust still serving in hell is a MUST. 📣

#15 Lute | Ngl I was just shocked how pretty Lute was. That fucking face card and you hide it under a MASK?!?! Her eyelashes/eyes and that bob is just chef's *kiss* honestly and I actually really do think the angel uniforms are pretty hot as well. You just can't go wrong with a thigh high BOOT. Girls really get it done. 💯 (Keep the mask OFF!!!)

#14 Mimzy | I hate Mimzy with a passion but I can't deny flapper dresses are beautiful. Mimzy you absolutely devoured and the body is bodying Cheers, you're timeless lol. 🥂

#13 Husk | Please don't hate me guys. I love Husk and all, but ever since Alastor stole his soul he also stole his swag. Man's hasn't worn a fucking shirt since that day lmao. 🤣🤣 Like where DID his suit go??? I would be depressed and wasted too if I was him. I don't hate his design or outfit, I just think it's a bit too simple compared to the other main characters. His personality and Keith David 100% make up for it tho. ♠️

#12 Rosie | Just like Mimzy but like, tripled lmao. Just timeless beauty that never dies. Mary Poppins WHO???? My favorite is honestly probably her hat, that thing is like the crown jewel. Color palette is also kinda satisfying, I stan the pink and mauve. 🌷

#11 Emily | She's like a breath of fresh air from all the red and pink tones. The baby and periwinkle blue is so beautiful and so are her features. Them big ass eyes, the freckles, & whimsical hair. I liked her dress too. Big W's for Em. 💙

#10 Niffty | Cutieeeee. I really like her redesign compared to the old one. 1950's style of fashion is also still very appealing to me as well. The pink dress she was wearing was so fucking adorable I almost had a stroke just to see it in person. She's also weirdly gorgeous covered in angel blood. 💄

#9 Charlie Morningstar | Ngl...a lil disappointed in our girl. As the main character....to have so many just similar looking outfits with not much variety is kinda the most unsatisfying thing ever. It often feels like her fanart and photos that we rarely ever see contain better outfits than the ones that repeatedly appear in the show. However there's nothing really wrong with her final design I just sometimes really miss the old one from the pilot. I think her rounder features and the lighter pink suited her better. Final battle outfit was her best look so far tho in my opinion. 💋

#8 Sir Pentious | Sir Pentious style sorta never changed, he's still rocking that snake do-rag and that suit top that's striped just like everybody else's. 😮‍💨 I really wish they would've made Pentious' suit a floral pattern. I know stripes might have been popular in the 1800s but floral was very popular too and it'd be something different that'd still completely match his Era. I love his steam punk style and his other creative looks but his HEAVEN outfit was just the best. Saint Pentious > Sinner Pentious!! 🤍

#7 Velvette | Thank LUCI they changed and upgraded this girl bro. She was lowkey a hot fucking mess in my opinion before. Man did she come out SWINGING. Not just with looks but also personality I was floored. She's literally the Queen of hairdos and assembling, not many people can pull off that many patterns. Unique and trendy with the energy to back it up. Velvette you'll always be famous!! ❤

#6 Lucifer Morningstar | 6.6.6!!! Very few outfits but I never seen a moment where this man did not serve!! He's always got that fire ass coat on and he gives you the hatsssss. They're stylish while also telling you exactly who he is. It's like regal as fuck while also kinda simple. You don't have to think too much while ogling to just know that he's a dapper ass cHaD. ❤️‍🔥🍎

#5 Cherri Bomb | Loved all of Cherri's outfits. She fucking devoured and blown away over half the competition. She is Kesha vibes. Mama is Avril Lavigne vibesss. She just gives it to you with her punk rock, y2k, fashion. (I know she's supposed to 80s Era but still lol..) Always loved her base look but the final battle outfit and the one from the addict music video were amazing. 🍒

#4 Vaggie | Vaggie the fucking queen you areeee. Talk about versatility. She can really pull off a lot. I noticed that she experiments with her hair a lot like Velvette and I LOVE THAT. The fucking bob?!? High ponytail?!?! Great bangs and great length?!?! Vaggie teach me your wayssss. I always liked her bow and a lot of her outfits. Most of them are sexy without trying too hard. I don't think I can even pick a favorite but I'd probably go with final battle outfit and also her angel gown because that is just too cute lol. 💅🏼

#3 Alastor | As soon as Alastor popped up on scene he was fucking slaying. Literally definition of "pink is cute but red is sexy". He got those sharp ass acrylics ON and his coat is fabulousy spooky lmfao. He also went from being bed bug red to....even more red and sharper (because that was some how possible) lol. Red and black is always an amazing combo and his deer-like appearance is kinda appealing even tho it's a demon lol. I'd venture to even say he's probably one of the most fashionable Overlord's. He's just eye catching and has that AURA. Maybe it's because he's an ancient relic with very peculiar cLaSs but it's really working for him. Keep going you psycho I will see you in hell lmao. (Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka called 🍓💀)

#2 Angel Dust | FUCKING KING SHIT. He just serves every time without fail. He has a whole wardrobe and they all fucking bang. The clothes are sexy, the makeup is sexy, the AURA is sexy. AND IT SHOULDN'T BE TRIFLED WITH!!! It's really sad because he spends so much time to "get pretty" for pieces of shit, but it doesn't take away Angel's talent to pull off so many gorgeous and hot things. Angel will always be a standout icon and I bet Heaven will look SO good on him. 💗

#1 Lilith (Probably lol) | We barely seen her, but I just KNOW she'd devour. Point. Blank. Period. lmfao. 👑♀️

[anormaleddaskblog]

this question is for Tord. does he choose Power, Wealth, or Fame?

if He does chooses Power, then it means that he works for an evil army!

What kind of question is that? evil army? how would I work on a evil army when I'm like 19, who would hire a guy fresh out of school to work on an apparently illegal evil army???

Anyways, wealth I guess

[iridescentpull]

Gatos e Rosas will be on hold for a week or so since I have a VERY busy week ahead of me and won't have time to write the new chapters.

As an apology, I did a thing on twitter that for every like the tweet received, I would post one fact about a character of the GeR universe (mainly fitpac ofc).

So here's part one of those facts, hope you enjoy :) lmk if you want more!

Ramón was adopted by Fit and Spreen when he was barely 3 years old

Pac lost his leg in an accident (will be explained in the story) when he was 19

Fit went to the army straight when he was fresh outta highschool, thinking he knew everything (he didn't)

Pac's amputation is an above knee one, also known as a transfemoral one

Phil and Missa are in a queerplatonic marriage

Tina works in the fashion industry and has dreams of owning her own boutique and line in the future

Quesadilla City is a small city in a fictional island located in the Northern Hemisphere

Ramón is autistic, and he goes nonverbal whenever he's extremely stressed or overstimulated. He and Fit communicate through sign language when that happens

Pac has diagnosed depression and anxiety and takes meds for it

Cellbit and Roier met when they were called to the school because Richas and Bobby had a fight

Fit figured out he was gay when he was in his teens, but didn't accept it until he was in his late twenties/early thirties

Roier does drag, aka Melissa

Quackity HATES Chayanne, and the feeling is mutual with Chayanne. Their hate-relationship started since Chayanne was a toddler

Missa works in a really famous orchestra, which means he often has to travel around for concerts, leaving his family behind for long periods of time

The first few weeks after Pac was alone in his new apartment for the first time, he fell into a rough depressive episode. He slowly got better after adopting Xereta

Ramón's special interest is the Krebs Cycle. Fit has no idea when, what, or how his son even learned what the krebs cycle is, but he's happy to listen Ramóns infodumps

After Pac and Mike immigrated from Brazil, Mike searched high and low for somewhere they could stay that would be cheap until they could get back on their feet. He met Bagi, who was searching for more roommates at the time. They moved in, and the Favela Five apartment was born

Death Family live in the more country side of the city, around the same area as Mike and Mine

Fit lost his arm up until the shoulder, also known as shoulder disarticulation

Pac and Mike met in the orphanage at Brazil when they were both seven and five, respectively

Fit and Phil met just when Fit was discharged and lived together as roommates until Phil met Missa

Quesadilla City is a VERY diverse city, with immigrants from all over the world having their little communities spread around. The Favela is one of the most popular communities, though!

Cellbit works at Ordo Theorita’s Publishing House, and he dreams of publishing his own thriller book in the future

Pac is transmasc, and had his top surgery in his midtwenties after the Favela Five managed to scrap enough money to pay for it

Ramón's biggest fear is his dad being lonely. His second biggest fear are heights

[echo-goes-mmm]

Ambrose and Elliot #31

Masterpost

Previous

Next

Warnings: emotional abuse

10

Ambrose was a bad son.

Or at least, that’s what his parents said. Well, they didn’t say it, but he knew. If he were a better son, they wouldn’t be criticizing him all the time.

“Are you sure you should be eating all that?” commented his mother. Ambrose put down his spoon, heat rising to his face.

Father took a sip of water, unbothered.

“I- I’m just hungry,” he said, “it was tournament day at school.”

“Don’t talk back to your mother,” ordered Father.

“Yes, sir.”

“Well,” mother swished her hair, “at least you got some exercise in. You need it.” She looked him up and down, and Ambrose sank in his seat.

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed miserably.

“Sit up straight,” Father added. “Real men don’t slouch.”

“Sorry.”

___________________

13

Ambrose looked down at the remains of his stuffed lion, Leo. Mother delicately plucked the cotton off of her scissors.

“You’re too old for toys,” she said, her voice calm and emotionless. “I’m doing you a favor, because I love you. You can’t grow up by holding onto silly stuffed animals.”

“Grandmother gave it to me,” he said, numb.

“Regardless. You’re fourteen years old; you need to grow up.”

“Thirteen,” he whispered. “I’m thirteen.”

“Don’t talk back to me.” She turned to go. “And clean up this fluff.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ambrose picked up Leo and stuffed him in the trash.

Sorry, grandmother.

___________________

16

Ambrose woke up to someone banging on his door.

He stumbled out of bed, still groggy, and opened the door to see his father, furious.

Ambrose was awake in an instant.

“What is this?” hissed father, a paper in his hand.

“I- I don’t know-”

“Don’t lie to me!” Father pushed his way into his room, shoving Ambrose backwards. “I know what you’ve been up to!”

“What are you talking about?”

Father waved the paper in his face, and Ambrose could read the words.

His report card from school. His heart sank.

“You’re slacking,” accused Father. “I can’t believe you would disgrace me like this! A B minus?”

“I’m sorry. I really tried-”

“Try harder. You won’t be leaving this room until you do.” Father turned on his heel, and slammed the door behind him.

Ambrose flinched, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

___________________

19

“Oh how lovely,” Mother smiled, swirling her glass. “I’m so glad your daughter is doing well.”

The party guests all looked beautiful in their suits and long dresses, and Ambrose felt distinctly out of place.

It was supposed to be his graduation celebration, but not a single one of his few friends had been invited. Ruffians, his mother had called them.

He was miserable.

“So,” the lady leaned forward towards Mother, a smile on her face, “Is Ambrose going into the family business now that he’s finished school?”

“Not yet,” laughed Mother in her perfect, soft voice, “He’ll be serving in the army for a few years first, just like his father.”

Ambrose stopped breathing.

“We’re all so proud,” Mother said.

The lady turned to Ambrose, and he forced a smile. Mother’s mouth twitched, and Ambrose knew it wasn’t good enough.

“Wonderful!” the woman exclaimed. “You know, my daughter loves a man in uniform,” she winked.

Ambrose felt sick.

“Is that so?” he asked lightly, nausea swirling in his gut.

“Oh yes. She’s single, at the moment. I could introduce you. Such a lovely girl.”

“I’m afraid Ambrose is already engaged,” interrupted Mother smoothly.

Fuck. He was?

“Ah, well. Worth a shot.”

The two women laughed with faux politeness.

Ambrose’s face grew hot.

“Are you alright, dear?” asked the lady.

“Oh, yes,” he stammered. “I just need some water. Pardon me.” He politely excused himself from the conversation.

Ambrose slipped out the back door, towards the balcony, sucking in the fresh air.

His parents had his whole life planned out. He never had a chance. There was never any hope, was there?

They paraded him around like a prized pet and screamed at him in private. They had no intention of letting him breathe, to be himself.

He thought… he thought after school he could at least have some freedom but…

Gods, they had probably already planned his wedding. He could just see his mother picking out the rings, the colors, the honeymoon. His father nodding in approval, telling him how many children he ought to have. For all he knew, it was already decided.

They never cared about what he wanted, and never would.

Bitterness blossomed on his tongue.

“There you are,” said Mother behind him. “You need to rejoin the party.”

“Why bother?”

He couldn’t see her, but he knew what face she was making. An empty one.

“It’s your graduation party. I’d hate for you to feel embarrassed in front of all these people.” 

He hated when she did that; pretending she was looking out for him when really she was looking out for herself.

“You mean your party. I don’t know any of them.” Ambrose adjusted the cufflink on his sleeve.

“Ambrose,” she said, firm and unyielding. “That guest list is full of important people. You’d be wise to befriend them. It’s what’s best for your future.”

He turned to face her. Mother’s perfectly styled hair was blowing in the wind, and he felt smug knowing she hated that the wind was outside her control.

“Sounds like you already have that planned out,” he said calmly. “I won’t be going back in.”

Mother turned up her nose. “Fine,” she said, cold as always. “You will deal with the consequences, then.”

___________________

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” screamed Father. Ambrose stared up at him, silently seething. “You embarrassed them, you embarrassed us! How dare you?”

Ambrose said nothing.

Mother stood by the doorway, her face like stone. But he knew she was enjoying this. Anger boiled inside of him.

“I don’t give a shit,” he snapped. 

Mother’s eyes went wide and her crossed arms fell at her side.

Father gaped, his face red with rage.

“What did you say?” He demanded.

Ambrose stood up, and gleefully noted his father stepped back.

“I said, I don’t give a shit.”

Father slapped him across the face, and Mother gasped.

“Are you crazy?” she demanded, grabbing his arm. “You’ll leave a mark!”

Ambrose laughed.

Of course. She didn’t care about him any more than she cared about a painting, or a vase.

He was just a decoration to show off.

“You think this is funny?” Father’s voice lowered to a snarl. “The officers are coming to pick you up tomorrow morning. I suggest you pack.”

Father turned and stalked out.

Mother looked at him, her face turning soft. She put a hand to his cheek, and Ambrose pretended, just for a moment, that it was care and not for show.

“Ambrose,” she said, “my darling boy. Don’t disappoint me again.”

“Of course, Mother.”

Mother dropped her hand and left, the door closing softly behind her.

Ambrose fell back on his bed. He grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, until his voice was hoarse. He lowered the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. He needed to leave. He needed to leave right now.

Ambrose got up, ripped off his tie and threw it at the wall.

The rest of his suit followed, along with his dress shoes. They thudded against the wall, and it was immensely satisfying. Father would be furious when he saw the scuffs.

Ambrose tugged on his favorite clothes, pulled out his duffel bag, and began to stuff it with the rest of his comfortable clothes.

He wasn’t going to the army. He was going somewhere, anywhere, just as long as his parents wouldn’t find him.

He looked out the window, and saw the roofs of the temples glittering in the evening light. 

Mother and Father hated temples; what with their charity work and dirty commoners and ‘garish decor!’ as Mother often sneered. 

It was beneath them.

It was perfect. They would never set foot in a place like that.

And Ambrose knew exactly which one he would go to.

If he was going into hiding, the god of secrets would surely welcome him.

taglist: @cupcakes-and-pain @secretwhumplair @paintedpigeon1 @whump-blog @whump-em

@thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @starfields08000 @littlespacecastle @mylovelyme @whump-cravings

@zeewbee @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @keepingwhumpwiththekardashians @fanastyfinder @roblingoblin285

@whumpzone @snakebites-and-ink @astrokea @magdalena-writes @latenightcupsofcoffee

@tobiaslut @whumpsoda @loserwithsyle @bitchaknso

[dislyteshack]

Adrian (Achilles) Epic/ wind /Fighter

Age: 19

Height: 160 cm/ 5 ft’2

190lbs / 86 kg

Favourite: skateboarding, gag gifts, swimming, running

Affiliation: the Esper union

Current Occupation: scavanger

Patron: In Greek mythology, Achilles was the strongest warrior and hero in the Greek army during the Trojan War. He was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons, and Thetis, a sea nymph.

Related characters:

Orion (patroclus )- :D

Li ling - friend

Leora - friend

Amir - friend and co worker

Everett - co-worker

Daniel - mentor

Voice lines:

Gatcha - *performs shield surfing and expresses his enjoyment, before he lands and the shield turns into a sword* " whoo! That was such a rush!"

character selection- *perform silly parkour before striking a pose* "I'll be here to if you need me"

Idle - *there's attempt made to emulate whatever the fuck Everett does in his idle before it fails and his sword hits him in the face* " hmm, ack!"

Ultimate dialogue - *bro goes in for a swing* “no holding back-”

Victory- *does a few cool down stretches* “whew! ”

Description:

with the blessing of Achilles, Adrian wishes for nothing more than to do the right thing as he begins his perilous journey in heroism

EXTRA:

I actually made him entirely by accident but I've grown attached to him ever since I started role-playing as him in a server

He has a lot of complex stuff going for him that I'm really excited to slowly trickle in because a lot of my thoughts are very very about him.

What I can say is that he's a fresh graduate out of the esper academy and he is pretty much the latest addition to the scavengers to me

As for his personality I would summarize it like this

an energetic person, hes very approachable and tends to be there to put people the other punishers are interrogating at ease tends to be a very rush into things kind of person but he has been learning restraint. has a tendency and capability to be very blunt + has a tendency for anger issues that he tries to hide and definately wears his heart on his sleeve. adrian does not have a good poker face

[inkformyblood]

celebrate the sunrise and set (CWFKB #19)

Celebratory kiss @codywanfirstkissbingo Canon Divergence - Rebel Cody, Obi-Wan doesn't die

Ben Kenobi tucks himself away, creases the name he has worn for decades along barely-there folds and places it in the bottom of the pack that he had somehow managed to keep with him from Tatooine to a rebel base. There’s a flurry of activity spilling out from the corridors, rushed footsteps heading everywhere at once, and Obi-Wan sets his back against a sturdy looking pile of crates and watches them move. The Force bleeds through his veins, warmth spiralling down his spine like a caress and he’s home and has never been further from it in the same breath. Obi-Wan looks to his left, the gesture ingrained into him and reinforced from a lifetime of expectation and disappointment when he is alone, and returns his careful sentry to the mismatched collections of ships spilling across the hangar bay. 

Some are more organised than others, spaced the regulation distance apart and Obi-Wan knows without needing to walk it heel-to-toe the exact dimensions of the bay marked out onto the floor by nothing more than a handful of stern words and a glare. Someone in this base has been trained by a clone. He won’t tear his heart into shreds anymore by thinking that the clone could be one of his men, that they could have escaped the whispered commands of the chip implanted in their head and somehow found their way here. The universe is too big to consider and his men deserve some peace after everything Obi-Wan could have protected them from. Another glance at the empty space at his side. Another breath that catches on every barely-healed wound in his soul. 

There is a group moving towards the hangar. Their footsteps echo and, for a moment, they’re in perfect unison, a wall of sound that carries as much of a presence as the men wearing the armour. Obi-Wan closes his eyes, he is old and he can be foolish for a moment, and listens to the sound of an army mobilising. Not as organised as his men but he can pretend.

“Should have let me reorganise the ships.”

That voice. 

“I know it’s an older system but it works. Less of this unorganised milling about like a group of lothcats let out into a solarium. Alpha-17 would have beaten me over the head with my own vambrace if I let my squad run around like that.”

Obi-Wan looks. He couldn’t stop himself if he tried. 

Cody looks like how Obi-Wan remembers. He’s aged, silver overrunning the black in his curls and fresh lines at the corners of his eyes and his mouth. More from sorrow than joy, Obi-Wan thinks, and likely matches the passage of time imprinted on his own features. His scar is still striking, dark despite the decades it had been since he had first received it, and there is a fresher tattoo covering his other eye, a broken red line from his scalp to his chin. His armour is piecemeal, some painted plastoid over his chest and the sheen of beskar on his vambraces, and his clothes beneath it are equally mismatched in various shades of dark brown. He’s breathtakingly beautiful even so.

“Disgraceful,” Cody continues, settling his hands on his hips before they slide down to his sides. His back is perfectly straight, the posture that Obi-Wan couldn’t believe he had forgotten about burning bright across his thoughts. How could he have forgotten anything about Cody? He loves him more than anything else in the universe and he had left him behind because of his duty. They had both known it would be a possibility, but that hadn’t made it hurt any less. 

He doesn’t know what to say.

He doesn’t know if he should say anything.

Cody seems happy here, balanced enough to grin at a teasing remark one of the pilots call over to him, to swipe at the back of another’s head as they pass in a gesture that is all showmanship and no substance, and Obi-Wan wouldn’t take this piece of stability away from him. He begins to back away, attempting to circle the edge of the crates so he would be hidden from Cody’s gaze, and his heel catches the side of the crate. It’s loud, far louder than it should be and it is just another sign that the universe wants to see him suffer that Cody looks over at him. Recognition is a quick-moving thing and Cody has always been exceptional in every regard. His eyes widen and his mouth moves in a soundless whisper of Obi-Wan’s name before he begins to move forward. Straight line, direct, and Obi-Wan braces himself for a blow. 

He isn’t expecting Cody to crash into him, wrapping his arm around Obi-Wan’s torso tight enough to break and secure enough to put him back together. For a moment, everything is right in the universe and Obi-Wan could tear the fabric of existence open and weave something new from the tattered shreds, then Cody steps away. He doesn’t move far, his palms remaining pressed to Obi-Wan’s elbows as he looks him over from head to foot before Cody glances down at his own torso. 

“I am surprised to not be stabbed,” Cody says as easily as he would comment on the weather, it looks like it will rain later, I expected you to kill me. 

Obi-Wan flexes his fingers, feeling the absence of anything in his hold, the light void of any kind of blade or a saber. He tucks his fingers beneath the curve of Cody’s vambraces, the first joints digging into the rumpled fabric and luxuriating in the warmth emitting from his skin. “I wouldn’t do that to you, love.”

“I would have.” Cody’s mouth twitches into a grimace, his lips drawn tight, and he blinks up at Obi-Wan. His brow is furrowed like he’s trying to stare into the sun, determined to push back such a fragile thing like human limitations. “Well, before. Do you— Do you know?”

“I do.” It is such a small phrase to try and encompass the forgiveness of a lifetime for his mistake, swearing himself to Cody as if he is pledging himself to the other man forever. Cody’s vambrace bites into his fingers but he doesn’t pull away, instead tucking his fingers further beneath the curved metal. It is a disadvantageous position with his hands occupied and he wouldn’t be able to defend himself if the same blank look would descend over Cody’s features again. He wouldn’t want to. 

Cody hums a noncommittal sound, shuffling closer until the tips of his boots press against Obi-Wan’s. His thumbs smooth over the sharp topography of Obi-Wan’s elbows, hollows exposed just as easily as the desert would strip flesh from bone. “I can’t believe you’re here,” Cody murmurs, his eyes dark and wavering with tears. “We should celebrate.”

“This isn’t something I wish to celebrate,” Obi-Wan answers. He should step away, stop intruding on the peace that Cody has managed to find for himself but Obi-Wan wants. He craves in a way he isn’t sure he has experienced before and he knows like he knows the twin suns will rise over Tatooine tomorrow that when he walks away from Cody again, he is going to die. His body will continue walking, his mind will continue thinking, but he will be dead. 

“Obi-Wan.” Cody moves impossibly closer, knocking Obi-Wan’s feet further apart with own, making a space for Cody to step into. “I should have died decades ago. If not from a Seppie, then from the Empire, a stray shot in a firefight, or just sheer bad luck. I should have aged into obsolescence and died like I was planned to, but I’m still here. We are still here. So I am going to celebrate every morning when I wake up and every evening when I go to sleep, every meal, and every breath because I am still here. So, please, Obi-Wan, let me celebrate with you.”

Obi-Wan swallows against the grief wrapped around his throat like a noose and nods, unable to speak. Cody raises a hand, Obi-Wan’s desperate grip moving with him, not to stop but only to hold, and cups Obi-Wan’s jaw. 

“Kiss me?” Obi-Wan murmurs, his voice ragged and ruined and so full of tentative hope. Cody nods and leans in. It’s gentle, the cautious press of his lips against Obi-Wan’s, his stubble a dull rasp against Obi-Wan’s skin, before he draws back just enough to breathe. Obi-Wan follows him, kissing him again and again and again until they’re laughing into each others embrace, tears streaming down their cheeks. 

[brucebocchi]

Ranking every new anime I watched in 2023, Pt. 2: #20-11

hey, i just started a ko-fi for my writing and possible other creative outlets. this post will also be available there, so please check it out and consider tipping/donating as i'm currently between jobs. the tumblr version of part 1 can be found here.

Let's get right into it.

20. Helck

I watched Helck’s first season for its entire half-year run, and I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about it. I’d heard amazing things from people who’d read the manga, and it had a hot start, but the pacing slowed to such a crawl after a while that it kind of felt like they stretched out the story just so they could make another season.

Helck, an enormous and impossibly jolly human warrior, enters a tournament to decide the successor to the throne of the recently-slain Demon King. Demons and humans had been at war for some time, so Vermilio, an adorably fiery elite lord of the castle, is naturally wary of him. Helck is naturally powerful, talented, and affable, so he easily breezes his way through the tournament in hilarious fashion, despite Vermilio’s best efforts at sabotage. Before the finals can take place, though, an immortal army sent by the human forces arrive to attack the demon realm, and Helck and Vermilio are teleported to the far edge of the realm.

The season largely covers Helck and Vermilio’s trek back to the demon kingdom, as well as the demons’ struggles against the mysterious warriors as they attempt to figure out just what the hell the humans are plotting.  Vermilio remains leery of Helck, regardless of all he’s done for her, but it becomes further evident that Helck is harboring a very dark past, and eventually we get a lengthy arc where he sits down and explains it to Vermilio in flashback. There is, as you’d expect, plenty of tragedy there, and you’d like to see it resolved, but things just seem to keep getting worse.

There are powerful messages in there about toxic positivity and fighting the urge to shoulder one’s burdens alone, but they don’t become fully apparent until late in the season. Everything until then, at least after the teleportation, is… fine. I had higher hopes for this one, but it just feels like it’s missing something, and I can’t put my finger on what. It looks fine, the voice acting is good (the GOAT Katsuyuki Konishi is typically very good as Helck), the action is decent, it’s all… fine. The pacing just feels glacial at times, to the point where if I hadn’t been watching it weekly I might have bounced off of it.

Of course, the season ended with what appears to be the endgame on the horizon, so for all I know there’s still a lot more to come, but the story beats feel so familiar that I get the feeling it could be resolved with, like, a movie. I hope I’m wrong, because there are clearly some major emotional payoffs yet to come, and I’m still curious to see how it gets there. I may have to pick up the manga to find out if it’ll be worth any more of my time.

19. Urusei Yatsura (2022), second cour

Fresh off of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s possible series finale, David Production’s modern take on Rumiko Takahashi’s legendary comedy manga hummed along nicely into 2023. The cast continues to expand as the new version introduces characters like Ten, Ryunosuke, and Tobimaro to further raise the level of shenanigans inherent to Urusei Yatsura.

Lum Invader has been a sex symbol for pretty much as long as anime has had sex symbols, but the reboot’s second cour focuses a bit more on the side of her personality that makes her so iconic, and which I consider essential to several of my favorite female anime characters: Lum’s kind of a psychotic asshole. Her schemes to wring more attention and affection out of Ataru border on sociopathic at times, and she’s honestly so real for that. Her mortal frenemy, Ran, was introduced close to the end of the first cour, and there is still no shortage of sabotage attempts in the second, but we quickly come to learn that Ran’s undying vendetta is mostly because Lum has been a selfish, lying piece of shit since they were kids. God bless her.

Ataru continues to not be much better, serial philanderer that he is, as he continues to be surrounded by other hot crazy ladies who aren’t his not-fiancee. Mendo’s younger sister, Ryoko, is a real highlight in the 2023 run as a result of her escalating penchant for Looney Tunes-esque slapstick violence. The settings of Ataru’s and Lum’s respective worlds take more focus as well, between Ataru’s high school hijinks and Ten’s galactic mail-order mishaps, and the two often collide in hilarious fashion.

I still adore the look of this one. Character models have been cleaned up and simplified to a sort of retro-modern look while still being instantly recognizable to anyone already familiar with them. Everything is awash in an eye-popping Day-Glo color palette. Backgrounds and pop-in gags are often adorned with Ben Day dots to maintain the retro comic look. This doesn’t quite look like the manga, nor does it resemble the original 80s anime, but this is unmistakably a Rumiko Takahashi product. It almost looks like it could have come out at any point in time.

I’m only holding this back in the rankings because it’s the weaker half of a season that straddled the end of 2022 and the start of 2023, but the season as a whole is excellent. It is an essential watch for fans of comedy anime, especially considering so many tried-and-true anime gags effectively originated with Urusei Yatsura (it’s worth mentioning that Lum is largely considered the first-ever tsundere in anime and manga). Season 2 is imminent and I cannot fucking wait. Maybe I’ll even read the manga.

18. Tomo-chan is a Girl!

This is basically Monthly Girls’ No-jock-i-kun. Very simple premise: Tomboyish high schooler gets the hots for her childhood friend who is dense as fuck and forgets most of the time that she’s even a girl. Hilarity ensues and romance progresses glacially.

The voice performances are what really carry this one. Rie Takahashi is golden as the titular Tomo Aizawa, and this was the first entry in an MVP-caliber resume for her in 2023 that was so stacked that I still haven’t gotten to her best role yet. Rina Hidaka nails the conniving, misanthropic nature of Misuzu Gundo in a far cry from her turn as Emul the bunny in Shangri-La Frontier later in the year. The American-born idol Sally Amaki is a revelation as the airheaded gaijin Carol Olston, whom she also voices in the English dub. Even Carol’s mom speaks broken Japanese with a noticeable American accent, which is one of my favorite gags in the whole show.

Outside of the voice acting, nothing is particularly special about this show. Which is fine! There's nothing wrong with a solid 7/10 romcom; junk food is still food. It’s cute, it’s funny, it hits all the right beats, but nothing particularly stands out. Misuzu and eventually Carol give Tomo advice to try to woo her bestie Jun, while Misuzu is usually also playing Jun against that same advice so that it usually works and backfires at the same time. It’s all a game, and she plays both sides so she can always come out on top.

If I have a complaint about this show, it’s that it just… ends. I went back and read the manga, and unfortunately that issue is not the anime’s fault. If anything, it did a phenomenal job of fitting eight volumes of a 4-koma into a single season, and that’s always how it was supposed to go. I watched and read a ton of slice-of-life romance anime and manga this year, as it turns out, and the ones that really hit for me are usually the ones that take their time with the central relationship once it actually starts, rather than treat that big event as the climax, or worse, the finale of the story. Stuff like Kaguya-sama, Horimiya, Sweat and Soap, and even Wotakoi (though I have my own problems with that one) treat their central relationships as a step, not the goal.  At the same time, for plenty of others, the fun is in the chase, and they just run out of time, and Tomo-chan is the latter. We got what we wanted, and we had fun getting there. Sometimes that’s all you need.

Also good god, Tomo’s mom. The second those genes kicked in for Tomo, Jun was doomed.

17. The Eminence in Shadow, second cour and season 2

The Eminence in Shadow is the smartest piece of stupid media I've seen in a minute. It so perfectly skewers dime-a-dozen chuunibyo isekai trash while still cannonballing into a McDuckian swimming pool of the stuff. It nearly overwhelms you with lore; the series abounds with rich backstories, centuries-old power struggles, palace intrigue, shadowy conspiracies, the artificially accelerated march of progress, long-simmering revenge plots, looming economic catastrophe, and love dodecahedrons. And the most compelling thing about all of it is that none of it fucking matters.

Cid Kagenou spent his teenage years in modern Japan trying to become the coolest badass dark antihero who ever lived, but he quickly reaches his limits in our boring normal world so he rides the isekai truck into a world with actual, like, magic and shit. He spends his new childhood leveling up and rescuing elf girls, all the while regaling them with his “wisdom” in the form of a bunch of horseshit he made up based on all the light novels he used to read. Turns out that he’s entirely too genre savvy; this new world is apparently so contrived that every single thing he told them ended up entirely true.

So now Cid’s a teenager by day and shadowy vigilante by night (under the apt moniker “Shadow”), with an underground legion of hot deadly babes at his disinterested beck and call. All he genuinely cares about is looking and acting like the coolest motherfucker a socially inept 12 year old boy can think of, and in his downtime actively trying to be a forgettable mob character. And I do mean that that is all he cares about; when I say none of the wheels within wheels happening in the background actually matter, I mean that Cid is completely and totally unaware of any of it. 

Anything he does or says to drive the plot is either incidental or accidental. He spouts off some nonsense he heard in a video game once, and his cadre of elf baddies and beastgirls takes it as gospel en route to exposing a millennium-old conspiracy. He parrots a really cool line he heard ten minutes ago and a beautiful woman he just saved takes it as inspiration to turn her life around. It’s kind of like in Mashle, funnily enough; where Mash will go “I don’t know what’s going on, but you were being mean to my friend so I’m gonna beat the shit out of you,” Cid is more like “No clue what this is about, but that’s a really badass looking villain, so I’m gonna say some epic shit and do a big explosion.” And then he fucks off to go eat a burger or something, not knowing or caring that he just unraveled a prophesied master plot to destroy the global power balance.

The episodes that aired in 2023 largely revolve around the lovely Princess Rose, smitten with both Cid and Shadow (not knowing they’re the same guy), pledging fealty to Shadow Garden after failing to foil a coup d’etat. At the same time as her training, Cid is busy with a vampire something-or-other and then tries to make some coin for himself by teaming up with an assassin hellbent on revenge to create a credit crisis. The conspiracy later drags Rose back into the palace, where Cid sees a new opportunity. Every single one of these things has very specific reasons for happening, and everyone involved has a rich backstory and clear motivations to carry out their parts of the ever-evolving plots.

But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here to watch a bunch of hot ladies and a guy in a black cloak with one glowing red eye do some sick action stunts to bad guys with silly names, and this show delivers that in spades. This feels like a throwback in the best and worst ways. The Eminence in Shadow is stupid, and it is brilliant.

16. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, season 2

Mushoku Tensei is a tough anime to talk about. On one hand, it is one of the most gorgeous anime series ever put on television: Almost consistently movie-quality sakuga, lush background art, and a breathtaking score come together to form an immersive world unlike many I’ve seen in any medium. On the other, it forces some very unpleasant conversations about reincarnation in anime, particularly ones like this where a grown man is reincarnated as a child while retaining his mental age and is surrounded by potential love interests closer in age to his new body. What doesn’t help is that in his previous life in our world, the man who would reincarnate as Rudeus Greyrat was a socially isolated hentai addict, and much of his journey centers around him unlearning those proclivities in unfortunate and often damaging ways. If you can handle that, Mushoku Tensei is a rewarding watch, but if that’s beyond the pale to you, I don't blame you in the slightest.

However, even if you’ve been able to stomach all of the questionable shit in the first season, I'm sorry to say that the second season’s first cour doesn’t do much for the “bro I promise he gets better bro” crowd. The first cour covers the Quagmire and Academy arcs, which follow Rudeus’ struggle with being effectively abandoned by the only person to show him any physical affection in either life. The knock-on effect sees him retreating into an antisocial shell and developing, and I am deadly serious here, a seemingly incurable case of erectile dysfunction.

The first few episodes surround Rudeus growing into a young man, making a name for himself as a wandering adventurer in hopes that talk of his name will spread to his missing family and friends. At the urging of the god with a direct line to him (still unexplained), he enrolls in a magic university to investigate the calamity that flung his loved ones to the corners of the realm. There he finds an old friend in the figure-obsessed young prince who saved his life in the previous season, a girl from his previous world who seems to have also been transported to this one, and most crucially, his old childhood friend Sylphiette, hiding in plain sight with new hair and a sick pair of shades as a retainer to a scheming princess enrolled in the school.

Mushoku Tensei's initial season was at its best in its quieter moments, and those abound in season 2’s first cour. It's really lovely seeing him connect once again with Sylphie purely for who she is, even though for all Rudy knows he’s talking to a twinky dude named Fitz who makes him feel weird things. We get our amazing action animation early on, and things settle down quite a bit from there as Rudeus navigates all of these interpersonal relationships, old and (seemingly) new.

And while, yes, this version of Rudeus is a far cry from the drooling, grinning pervert he was in his first ten years of reincarnation, his improvement as a human being is not a straight line. He unfortunately takes more steps backwards than forward. The things he says in a drunken rage about his party member Sara (who inadvertently revealed his ED) are awful and undeserved, he literally ties up and gropes a pair of beast girls from his class (he has apparent reasons for both of those things, but come on), and he “frees” a young dwarven slave to take on as an apprentice. That last one seems admirable on its face, but uh. He went with the flow in a god damned slave market and still paid a slaver.  

I'm not excusing those things, nor absolving Rudeus as a character; I'm simply saying they happen this season. Mushoku Tensei, for better or for worse, depicts gnarly subject matter as it is while neither glorifying it nor moralizing about it. It trusts you to make your own judgments, and if your verdict is “I can’t watch this show,” that is perfectly valid. If you can stomach watching through its worst moments and compartmentalize the uncomfortable aspects of it, Mushoku Tensei remains one of the best-looking and -sounding pieces of animation out there, and the part of its second season that aired in 2023 has an exceptional emotional payoff. Otherwise, I'll be talking about Frieren much later.

15. Spy x Family, season 2

The most succinct praise I can give season 2 is also the most backhanded: Well, it’s more Spy x Family.

I want to be clear that there is no shade inherent to that comment; the first season of Spy x Family was excellent! It was a stylish, beautifully animated, appropriately hilarious adaptation of a fantastic manga that did it justice in almost every regard; the second season didn’t need to move heaven and earth to try to one-up it. It wasn’t broken, so Wit and CloverWorks didn’t fix it. It’s still the blend of domestic slice-of-life hijinks, tense cold-war intrigue, and heart-pounding action it’s always been. Even the production music is largely the same, and that’s not a complaint, because SxF’s production music fuckin' slaps.

A lot of anime-onlys rightfully complained that Yor’s plot relevance seemed to fall off a cliff in the back half of season 1, so they have been eating GOOD this time out, as season 2’s (ostensible) first cour puts her directly in the spotlight. The Yor Cour, if you will. The season opened on a hilariously spot-on adaptation of my favorite Yor-centric chapter of the manga (the “bullet in the ass” one) and quickly moved on to a nearly perfect interpretation of the cruise arc that sees her protecting a government asset from a legion of assassins. 

If you wanted to see more of Yor in her second life as the contract killer, Thorn Princess, this season was a meal and a half for you. Having her beset on all sides by an eccentric rogues’ gallery, with Anya fully aware and trying her damnedest to keep Loid from finding out what’s actually going on, is Spy x Family at its best. The tension constantly ramps up as the ship approaches its target, and Anya’s attempts at distracting Loid usually go sideways because, well, she’s Anya. Blood splatters, laughs are had, and Loid continues to struggle with both fatherhood and acting like his growing affection for his ragtag “fake” family is just “for the mission.” 

Outside of the cruise, season 2 maintains the series’ usual episodic pace, which can be a little jarring before and after the cruise arc, but that’s SxF for you. Shit can pop off at unexpected moments, and having read ahead in the manga, I’m excited to see the next time that happens. For now, though, things can feel kinda static from time to time, but the Forger family and the extended cast are always pleasant to just hang out with for a while.

And now to wait for the movie to come out in the west.

14. Undead Unluck

Up until this past Winter season, I primed myself on a lot of the more-hyped anime by reading the manga ahead of time. I knew that Undead Unluck is one of the bigger Shonen Jump manga out there, but this debut kind of crept up on me. I went in blind, got drawn in by the premise, and then got quickly overwhelmed with a wild amount of lore.

Fuuko, a young woman seemingly afflicted with a curse, is saddled with a brash, enormous man who cannot die after he foils her suicide attempt and is then himself grievously injured. Don’t worry, he got better. It turns out that he’s roughly 200 years old and has a completely cracked healing factor, while she brings terrible misfortune to anyone who touches her skin. They are both Negators, people with the ability to reverse or ignore the laws of nature: Fuuko’s ability is Unluck, causing tragedy for those close to her, while the man is Undead, exactly what it says on the tin. The man, who cannot remember his own name, believes their meeting to be kismet: If she can bring death to her loved ones, he vows to woo her so she can deliver the death he’s sought for so long. I promise this is a comedy.

Fuuko and Andy (whom she named as shorthand for the Japanese pronunciation of “undead”) foil a series of assassination attempts by other Negators, and take their spots as part of the Union eliminating threats to the universe. They team with an eclectic group, whom we’re still getting to know as of the end of the first cour, as they trot the globe to complete quests given to them by a mysterious (and seemingly nefarious) talking book lest the universe incur penalties for their failure.

The power system among Negators is one of the most inventive I've seen, with each one able to cancel out a specific element of the natural order of the world, and it’s a blast learning how each new one works. Andy in particular is wild; because he can regenerate himself so quickly, his weapon of specialty is his own body, never hesitating to use his own fingertips as bullets and his own gushing blood as a propulsion mechanism. He also has no compunction towards taking on the worst of Fuuko’s Unluck ability, often sacrificing himself to get hit by lightning or falling debris to deal damage to an enemy. Every new Negator power introduced adds a new wrinkle to the way this world works and the different shapes its action can take. Others can freeze matter into suspended animation, force people to act opposite their own intentions, or even subvert someone’s entire belief system. I cannot wait to see what else is in store.

The first cour’s pacing is a little off, and Andy's behavior towards Fuuko in the first couple episodes is nothing short of gross (I promise that eases up), but you can see the show finding its footing as it goes on. Shonen Jump series don’t last for nearly 200 chapters and counting by accident, and I'm excited to see where this goes.

13. NieR: Automata Ver. 1.1a

Those of us who played Yoko Taro’s 2017 masterpiece approached the announcement of an anime adaptation with some trepidation: So much of what made Nier Automata so outstanding and so beloved is that much of the delivery of its narrative is inherent to the fact that it’s a video game. How can a video game known for pushing against the fourth wall of the unique elements of its very medium be faithfully adapted as an anime?

The choice of studio was also concerning: Though A-1 has produced a ridiculous number of excellent series (and some aggressively mid ones that were nonetheless very successful), its track record with video game adaptations has been far less than stellar. The latter three films in the Persona 3 adaptations were solid if uneven, and the Valkyria Chronicles anime seems to have been well-received, but the same can’t be said of A-1’s takes on Ace Attorney, Persona 4 Golden, or Persona 5. Regardless, Yoko himself was heavily involved in the anime’s production, so if they could keep on budget and schedule, Nier Automata would have a fighting chance.

And while there indeed ended up being massive and likely unpredictable production delays, I'd say they’ve done almost as good of a job as they could have so far. While the first cour mainly covers Automata’s A and B routes, it does much more than just play that part of the story straight; it also takes the time to incorporate other elements of the Nier canon. A surprising amount of time is dedicated to the canon introduced in the YoRHa stage play (and by extension the Pearl Harbor Descent Record manga); Lily and the android resistance are woven directly into the narrative far beyond the vague overtures the game makes in their direction. Ver 1.1a also ties the history of the original Nier into the story at unexpected and intriguing (and in my case, tear inducing) moments. 

Unfortunately, it’s still too soon to assess this series in its entirety. While too many people who played Nier Automata stopped after route A or B, there is still much more of this story to come. There was some very sloppy CGI integration in the first episode when it aired, but far from enough to put me off the series. For now, it’s a treat for Nier fans, but I’m not sure whether I can recommend it yet to people who are unfamiliar with the source material.

Until the anime is completed, go play Nier Automata. It’s one of my favorite games of all time.

12. Kaguya-sama: Love is War -The First Kiss That Never Ends-

This was a late 2022 theatrical release, but it didn’t see western release until this year and was split into a four-episode mini-season for streaming, so I'm counting it for this year. You can deal with it.

I got completely obsessed with Kaguya-sama early this year, and in record time. I binged the anime and the manga in the span of a couple weeks and irreversibly fell in love. I say with no reservation that it is the best romantic comedy, in any medium, of the 21st century. It nails both the romance and the comedy in equal measure; the characters are perfectly realized right down to the supporting cast, the dynamics between them are carefully considered and consistent with their personalities regardless of circumstance, and every emotional and comedic beat hits exactly as it’s meant to. There is a constant momentum moving the greater plot along, even in the smaller moments, and seismic shifts take over before you’ve even noticed they’re happening.

It’s rare for romcom manga adaptations to stay on the air long enough to actually reach the romantic payoff, and Kaguya-sama fucking nailed it in season 3. Well, we’re pretty sure it did; the central conceit of the psycho-romantic warfare between Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane is that they’re both chronic overthinkers and won’t accept any romantic undertones or overtures in any form but an explicit confession. So while the finish to season 3 is everything we wanted as an audience, these two dorks still sense a margin for error. Regardless, that would have been a perfectly acceptable place to end the anime.

HOWEVER, the Ice Queen Kaguya arc that follows in the manga is iconic, and A-1 was absolutely right to adapt it. Although Shirogane is ready to move forward with the relationship that (he’s pretty sure) they’ve both wanted for a long time, Kaguya has a crisis of personality and inadvertently reverts to the dead-eyed, emotionally walled-off version of herself he’d initially met, well before either of them had realized they’d fallen in love with one another. The interstitial omake preceding this arc in the manga has Aka Akasaka warning the reader that in order to counteract the massive emotional payoff that just happened, the ensuing chapters would get very, very silly.

And of course, hijinks do indeed ensue; this is Kaguya-sama, after all. But before you realize it, the story is neck deep in Jungian psychology as self-doubt begins to plague Kaguya and Miyuki and they struggle with the faces they think they need to put on for the other and whether their “real” selves even deserve to be loved by the person they idolize. It gets heavy! I cried every time I watched it! And that first time was in a damn movie theater!

I’m much more comfortable appraising First Kiss as a mini-season than as a movie, because frankly, it doesn’t work as a movie. The animation, while maintaining the series’ standard of excellence, isn’t a single degree better than what aired on television, which can be disappointing upon a visit to the theater. The pacing is also off for a feature film; the common knock upon theatrical release was that it felt like four episodes stitched together (it even has the omake-style interludes between scenes, like the show). The arc also focuses very heavily on Kaguya and Miyuki specifically, so the ensemble cast I mentioned earlier does have to take a backseat. Splitting this up for streaming and televised release was the right move here.

Season 3 would have been a very good ending for this series if it never got picked up for the movie. If it doesn’t get picked up for a proper fourth season, this is the perfect place for it to end. The manga has now been adapted up to just past the halfway point, and the next best stopping point would have to wait until a possible, like, fifth season. And that arc in question, while it does have some iconic moments, is very uneven. If this is all we’re getting, we’ve gotten plenty already, and I am satisfied.

If you've watched the first three seasons of Kaguya-sama, you owe it to yourself to watch The First Kiss That Never Ends. It is nearly everything you could ask for. Also, read the manga if you haven’t already. It’s genuinely one of my favorite things I've ever read.

11. The Apothecary Diaries

This one is basically House M.D. set in the Ming Dynasty, and it fucks.

Maomao, an apothecary raised in a pleasure district near the palace of a fictional East Asian empire, is shanghaied (pun intended) into menial work in said palace. She hears tell of a supposed curse plaguing the emperor’s newborn children and the concubines that birthed them, quickly deduces that it may be poisoning, and discreetly leaves a message for the ailing new mothers. She’s found out by an impossibly beautiful young administrator named Jinshi, who quickly deduces that she’s one of the few literate peons in the rear palace, and he puts her to work in the pavilion of the concubine that heeded her advice.

With her knowledge of, resistance to, and slightly masochistic infatuation with various poisons, Maomao slots right in as an attendant and poison tester to one of the emperor’s embattled concubines. Often at Jinshi’s urging (even though she immediately gets the ick at his habitual flirting), Maomao finds herself investigating deaths, mysterious ailments, and strange behaviors, on top of the foreign world of palace politics. Though she’s a deeply jaded person who only seems to care for her special interests, Maomao is incredibly perceptive and often able to suss out the finer details others miss.

Surprisingly, this one is a really breezy watch, and much funnier than you might expect. For all its lush environs, slowly-mounting intrigue, and often stunning cinematography, The Apothecary Diaries isn’t afraid to get a little silly with it. The dialogue is snappy, quick gags abound in a familiar single-panel chibi style you wouldn’t expect in a setting like this, and Komi-esque cat ears spontaneously pop up from Maomao's head whenever her interest is piqued. Interactions between Maomao and Jinshi are always a hoot, and you can pretty quickly figure out where it’s going, although Maomao can’t because she’s still pretty sure Jinshi is a eunuch.

As she does in virtually every role in her dozen-plus years as a seiyuu, Aoi Yuuki crushes it in the starring role. She really nails the disaffected cynicism that animates most of Maomao’s internal monologue and sarcastic dialogue, as well as her hair-trigger glee when presented with her personal interests in food and drink, medicinal herbs, and of course, poison. Yuuki is an indispensable element in ensemble casts like One Punch Man, Persona 5, Nier Automata, Wotakoi, and the aforementioned KamiKatsu (as well as others I don’t plan on watching like My Hero Academia, Rent-a-Girlfriend, and The Seven Deadly Sins), so it’s especially nice to hear her in a spotlight role outside of the odd Madoka Magica, spider isekai, or Cyberpunk Edgerunners.

There are a handful of anime on this list that will be continuing or returning in January, and second only to my #1 anime this year, this is the one I’m most excited to see more of. At time of writing, the show appears to be shifting in a new direction, and I’m hoping to see it take less of an episodic pace.

Part 3 is on the way! I'm going to split my top ten into two more posts, because I ended up writing... a lot more than I'd expected.

[eddiedefender]

“eddie is a bad father"

Since 7x09 aired, I've been seeing a lot of people saying that Eddie is a bad father, and it's just so ????????????? Have you even watched the show???????

I'm not denying the mistakes Eddie has made regarding Chris, especially during the first years of his life, but making mistakes does not automatically make him a bad parent. The important thing is that after making those mistakes, he has done everything in his power to correct them. He has always tried to shield him of whatever disasters or tragedies life has thrown at Chris.

So for those people, now I'm going to do a rundown of Eddie's and Chris' relationship, but I'm also going to be focusing on Eddie as a person and not only as a father. i tried to keep it in a chronological order. (I'm so sorry for any inconsistencies :( )

El Paso, TX.

Shannon and Eddie begin

Eddie and Shannon were never a healthy relationship. They are high school sweethearts who had to get married due to her getting pregnant accidentally at 19. High school relationships, especially the first ones, are almost never meant to last. Eddie forced himself to get married to her bc he felt it was the “right” thing, due to his catholic upbringing and subsequent catholic guilt. He automatically assumed his role, not bc he wanted, but because he felt like he Had to. This caused his marriage to be extremely dysfunctional.

Catholic guilt and his identity Eddie's catholic guilt is likely closely related to his identity as the son of Mexican immigrants. Catholicism in Latin America was introduced in a very traumatic and forced way by Spanish colonizers. Thousands of Native Americans were killed for refusing to converse to Catholicism, therefore causing Catholicism to become really intense in Latin America, a way in which it remains until now. Entire Latino countries values and laws circle back to catholic traditions, there is virtually no way to escape religion. This is then mixed with the innate sexism that is common in those countries, leaving a pretty extreme view of gender roles. When a kid is raised in these environments or, in eddies case, by people raised in these countries, their life will always be dictated by Catholicism rules, especially when the family is especially (extra) religious, as is implied in Eddie's case. Coming back to how people's life is dictated by Catholicism… this is especially true regarding matters of sexuality and gender. As we all know, Latino Catholicism has strict views regarding gender roles. A man should be the “provider” and “strong” and the woman should “take care of the family” and be “gentle”. That is basically what Eddie is. He always paints himself as the strong one, bottling up his emotions; and also thinks of himself as only the provider for the family. This heavily affected his relationship with Shannon. When he got her pregnant, he automatically assumed that role by marrying her.

Newfound “family”

His marriage and new “family” life caused to be so overwhelming that the only out he saw, was enlisting and going to war, leaving his newborn son and wife alone. All of this was done under the pretence of being the “provider” for his family, because he thought that was what they required from him. He didn't comprehend that his wife and kid also needed him emotionally. Sadly, that was never going to happen due to the very circumstances in which the family was created. He never loved Shannon enough to make things work between them; but he still tried, for the sake of Chris' and to give him a chance to have a proper family.

Shannon leaving

after coming back from war, Eddie and Shannon tried to live the “family life” but that came to be impossible and overwhelming for both of them. This time it was Shannon that left. When she left, Eddie ended up alone with his son, fresh out of the army and with a family that wanted to take away his kid. He instantly knew that Christopher could not go through the trauma of losing another parent. That's why he decided to fight his toxic family for Chris' custody and took him away to L.A., so that they could live and navigate their new family dynamic far away.

Los Angeles, California

Eddie begins again

When Eddie moved out to L.A. he was still discovering how to raise a kid with a disability and also fighting his parents for Chris' custody. He did everything he could to ensure his kid was well taken care of, shielding him from his own struggles. When he got the job at the 118, he still did his best to keep him in a sort of normal environment. Due to Chris' disability, this came to be more of a challenge, but Eddie never stopped trying to get him the extra help he needed by every means.

When he joined the 118 he met buck who then introduced them to Carla, the social worker. Then, Carla and Eddie started to work together, so that they could improve Chris' quality of life, always looking out for his happiness.

L.A. life

Besides Carla, Eddie also found his support system on the 118. These people always helped him in everything he required and became his friends; especially Buck, as his best friend. Eddie found in Buck a person very similar to him, one that had Chris' best interests at heart and someone that would fight tooth and nail for him. Seeing the positive impact buck made, he decided to make him a constant presence in Chris's life. This made nothing but improve both Chris' and Eddie's family life.

Nevertheless, life in L.A. was not so happy for Eddie. Although he had found a support system and strong friendships, he was still processing Shannon's absence. He always blamed her for leaving him and her son. However, he never made these concerns known to his son, as he didn't want Chris' to grow to hate his mother. The only people who knew about this were the 118, although he was always reluctant to be open about any feelings he experienced.

Shannon

All this came to a halt when Shannon came back to their already settled lives. At the beginning, Eddie tried to navigate his issues with Shannon, without letting Chris know that she had come back. He was afraid that Shannon would leave and therefore scar Chris again. He wanted to shield him from that pain.

After a while, Eddie decided that it was OK for Shannon to come back to Chris' life and for them to try to be a family again. During this time, Eddie and Shannon were still figuring out what they were and how they wanted their future to look like, while also living the family life for Chris' sake.

After navigating their family life and personal conflicts for a while, Shannon asked Eddie for a divorce. She died days after. This was a very big hit for both Eddie and Chris. They both navigated their grief together. It was not a perfect journey, but Eddie never stopped having Chris' best interests at heart.

(natural) Disasters

Soon after Shannon died, another tragedy hit Chris' life: the tsunami. Both tragedies resulted in Chris having recurring nightmares, sometimes blending the lines between his mother's death and the tsunami. Eddie was constantly worried about the state of his son, even though the latter was not opening up to him. He took him to the psychologist to see what he could do to make him feel better and process his emotions.

Mothers or girlfriends?

After Shannon's death, Eddie, maybe involuntarily, leaned back into the “provider” role, and he looked for someone to fill the “mother” role for Chris. His next relationships were solely based on how much Christopher liked his girlfriends. He was focused, perhaps too much, on what he thought was best for Chris. He never noticed that Chris' didn't need another maternal figure, he already had everything he needed in Buck, Carla, and the rest of the 118.

The only relationship he had, prior to L.A. was the one with Shannon. The outcome of that relationship left him severely traumatized and unable to form emotional bonds with women. And anxiety when thinking of a future or marriage with them. He only valued his girlfriends regarding on how much Chris' liked them, removing himself completely from his own relationship.

Grief

since Shannon died, Eddie has never got the chance, or given himself the chance, to grieve her properly. He has constantly bottled up his emotions, until he couldn't anymore, resulting in extreme reactions. Or, on the other hand, completely gaslighting himself into believing something that wasn't true.

First, soon after she died, while dealing with the aftermath of the tsunami and its impact on Chris' he stated to develop feelings of anger towards her. To try and “process” his rage, he turned to illegal fight clubs, only stopping when he almost killed a man. Eddie then confessed to bobby he did that so that he could keep his anger under control as to not let Chris down, seeing he was the only parent Chris had left.

Second, during the subsequent seasons, Eddie started to completely morph the mental image he had of Shannon and their relationship. Shannon suddenly became the epitome of motherhood and the perfect wife. He completely stripped her out of her humanity, putting her on a pedestal or an example he should seek to obtain. All of a sudden, they never had any marriage problems, and he even forgot that she asked him for a divorce. Their marriage was only perfect since the day she died.

His delusions have reached their breaking point in s7. He quickly fell down into a hole after seeing a girl similar to his wife. He started pursuing her, even though he already has a girlfriend. Also, leading this woman into a situationship without her knowing about the wife.

It was only after buck said something, that he realized that he wasn't even sure of what he wanted from Kim. He soon after came clean to her, and tried to stop their relationship. (then she matched his 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 and actually got bangs and got into a weird role-play as shannon, to “try” to get Eddie to get over her, is suppose.... I don't even know what she was trying to do there😭😭😭😭). That is when Chris caught them. Eddie never intended for his son to see him in this broken state, and he had actually done a great job at hiding it until now.

This mistake does not erase how much Chris means to Eddie and all the things he has done to maintain Chris' wellbeing.

This is simply an example of a very broken man.

i wanted to clarify that when i refer to "catholicism" in the text im not talking about what the scriptures (Bible) say, i talk about how people interpret them in latam context. also im probably forgetting some things but I think this gets my point across.

[luminescent-lumi]

TMNT: Gene Splice

Okayyy remaking my TMNT au!! The same story as before, just different designs and a more relevant name! More info about each character after the cut! Some was written in the previous post, but I definitely added more!!

Plot

The Kraang meant to create an army to destroy the human race. This experiment is intended to be long term of over several generations, to create generations of perfectly modified soldiers. They captured several humans and mutated them to create these soldiers.

Tang Shen and Splinter were originally human. Tang Shen is mutated into a box turtle, while Splinter turns to a rat.

The turtles were created from a splice of Tang Shen's DNA and DNA from four separate fathers. The samples were genetically modified to accommodate the difference in species. The Kraang were basically trying to create as many variables as possible, and were creating as many variations of mutants as possible. Additionally, the turtles were created asexually in a lab.

Splinter was aiming to find a way out for awhile, and rushes through his plan once he overhears from the guards that they plan to kill Raphael. Due to the rush, he's unable to find proper lodgings (bro was hoping to like build a cabin in the woods or something) but it's winter, and he needs to hide. So, he escapes into the sewers. It's the safest option under short notice.

During the escape, Tang Shen and their sister Miwa are believed to be killed.

Michelangelo

Mikey is the oldest brother at 19, a couple months older than Leonardo, and is the leader. This has influenced how Splinter taught the team, and adjusts his teaching methods to Mikey's insistence. One prime example is Mikey insists you can meditate while laying down instead of the traditional cross legged. Essentially, Mikey has made it apparent he only puts effort into things that entertain him, so not only does he ensure training is entertaining for him, Mikey and Splinter try to adjust things to each of the brother's preference. It drives Splinter crazy, but Mikey loves it.

On that note, Mikey has ADHD.

Mikey took Tang Shen's personality. It's more so her cheerfulness and sense of humour.

Leonardo

Leonardo is the second oldest at 19 years old, a couple of months younger than Mikey.

They have dissociative identity disorder, it developed during their time in the labs. Leo is the host of his system, and Venus is a caretaker alter. When they were younger and fresh out of the labs, Venus primarily fronted. There have been other alters that have come and hidden. Leo is unsure if he is the core personality, as he's unsure when exactly he gained consciousness because his memory is spotty, or if the core personality had hidden. Currently, Leo fronts a majority of the time.

Leo takes after Splinter. Meticulous, detail oriented, and strong willed. I'm thinking Leo's personality is pretty similar to Bayverse.

Venus does not necessarily take after Tang Shen, but how they remember Tang Shen. Venus is patient, kind, and soft spoken.

Splinter and Leo are so close that Splinter unintentionally does not consider them their child, they act more similarly to friends/siblings. It's the idea that the first children grow up with their parents, while the youngest are grown by their parents.

Donatello

Donatello is the third oldest, at 17 years old.

Edgy middle child syndrome. This is mostly due to Donnie being jealous of Mikey and Leo, as they have memories of Tang Shen and Donnie has basically forgotten her.

Has said "you're not my dad" a couple times to Splinter before he grew out of it.

His family know he's a tech geek, but due to how distant he is, they don't know he's a genius with a photographic memory. Instead of the usual "Donnie what do we do" it's always "Donnie how tf did you do that bro."

Donnie puts this huge wall between him and his brothers. Once they meet April, he noticeably becomes close to her and it makes his brothers a bit jealous because how did this girl become so close with their edgy brother who barely says a word a day to them??

His honest to God genuine personality is similar to the 03 Donnie. At least, when speaking to April. Around his family he barely speaks, with April he's a soft spoken yet professional yapper, sarcastic and really considerate.

Wears his mask as a scarf instead, shows he's the only one out of his brothers who doesn't necessarily care about being a ninja. He prefers science, and rejects his family and Splinter's teachings.

Raphael

The youngest at 16 years old.

Was deemed a failure in the labs due to a congenital arm (an arm defect, it was too short). His arm was amputated, and there were heavy tests to determine if the costs of getting a prosthetic was worth it.

The lab owners deemed it a waste to continue with Raph, so they decide to terminate him. Splinter escapes before this happens.

Several years after the escape they found a prosthetic for Raph. Donnie, unknowing to his brothers, altered and upgraded it.

Since the labs, the family has unknowingly treated Raph like glass. So, essentially, most his life. This is the primary source of his anger issues. He hates being babied.

Raph participates in an underground fight ring, and also fights crime under the vigilante name Nightwatcher to release pent off steam. Because his family doesn't want to upset him, they don't pry too much so they don't flare his temper, so it's easy for Raph to do things without them noticing, he's forever doing sketchy things.

April

Currently 21 years old.

University student majoring in cognitive science with a minor in criminology. April plans on doing her masters in criminology but is unsure, because she has a passion for criminology, but feels pressured to pursue science like her dad, who's a scientist.

April wants to be a criminal profiler in the future.

April's in her fourth and last year of university, and currently doing a co-op opportunity at TCRI under Baxter Stockman.

Runs a popular true crime blog she's had since her early teens. She meets the turtles while they're chasing a case, and she manages to catch Leo off guard. April isn't even scared, more so excited that she can get an inside scoop from Leo about the "New York Vigilante's." The only reason Leo doesn't hide or try to run is because of how confused he is at the fact that she's so excited to see him. April definitely treats him like a fictional superhero despite being face to face.

April's personality is a mix of Rise April and 03 April, the same ambition and emotional intelligence as 03, but the same feral energy and sense of humour as Rise.

She attaches yellow brass knuckles to her belt looks with velcro, and 100% can use them well. Is not a damsel in distress.

Started kickboxing when she started university four years for self defence. Has continued and gotten pretty good.

Is pretty interested in botany. Not that she isn't good with plants, but between her school, co-op, and amateur journalism, her plants often end up dead due to her hectic schedule getting in-between caring for them.

[mash4077confessions]

Headcanons for Mulcahy coming up! With more to follow. Sadly there is a text limit on tumblr or I'd do this in one fell swoop.

Here we go!

1) Something this character is truly proud of? Mulcahy is most proud of himself, when others are proud of him. That said there are a few things that he does take pride in that others might not necessarily notice or appreciate. -His garden. Mulcahy was taught how to grow all kinds of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers by his mother. With so many kids, it was cheaper to grow a lot of their food in the backyard. Mulcahy always had a green thumb; even in Korea. That's why the creamed corn fiasco really hit him so hard. He loves watching as the plants he tends to flourish, even in such terrible soil. Mulcahy also 100% talks/sings to his plants while he's out tending to them. -As a featherweight boxer, he had many great wins. A few fights he still plays over in his head...especially when he's really tempted to wallop somebody (i.e Winchester and Frank). -His personal hygiene. His nails are always neatly trimmed. No hang nails to be seen. Mulcahy also moisturizes. He bathes very frequently. He also does some manscaping. It all comes from the idea of "cleanliness is next to godliness". It makes him feel good and keeps him all fresh faced. -Mulcahy is very proud that he was selected to be a chaplin in the army. It's not really something people think too much about when they're around him, but there (at least were in the 50s) are some rigorous steps a priest make to be selected to go to one of these Mash units. It's part of why becoming a captain was so important to him.

2) Who they want to please the most? For a time, Mulcahy desperately wanted to please his father; to get him both figuratively and literally off his back. It was never going to happen. So then Mulcahy decided to do everything he could to please his mother, and that was also not to be, but it felt more attainable. She would praise him, and then slip in a bit of a passive aggressive remark, so he never really had a completely safe spot to be.

As an adult, he tries to please his friends, and anyone "above him". He's still searching for the unattainable.

9) What calms them when they are upset?Depends on what he's upset about. Talking things out could be useful; provided he feels like he has someone to talk to. Prayer is another comfort he uses. He'll also beat the hell out of his punching bag. Worst comes to worst, he'll have a good cry, hidden off in some place where no one will see or hear him. Poetry can be a comfort for him too, sometimes. Something that resonates deep inside him.

12) How they sleep? He sleeps on his back. I don't know how, but he does. Having had to share a bed with his 5 older brothers, he learned how to sleep anywhere. That tiny, hard army cot is nothing new for him. He gets into his comfortable position and he doesn't move. So weird.

16) Their sexuality? I've said it before and I'll say it again; he is demisexual biromantic. He's definitely been attracted to men before, but he also is attracted to women. The key here being that these attractions don't really become sexual interest, unless he feels very emotionally close to that person. In a way, it's fortunate for him. He's not allowed by the church to have romantic/sexual relationships and because of that same career choice, he's isolated himself from a lot of opportunities to gain these deep emotional connections that would be necessary for him to have that sexual attraction towards people. In a way it's kinda perfect.

That said, if anyone cares, I have NSFW headcanons for Mulcahy as well 😏

19) When they feel safest? Mulcahy feels safest when with friends and far away from shelling. Or when back in Philadelphia, either near Kathy or just in the upper loft of his home church, when all is quiet and the sun is coming through the stained glass windows. But truth be told, he's never really felt completely safe. There's always an unease buried deep inside him. A left over from childhood, where he wonders when the ax will fall.

[expresso-bean]

The Man Out of Time [A ShadAmy and Silver Story]: Chapter 19

Pairing: Shadow the Hedgehog x Amy Rose

Description: It has been seven years of peace following the grueling war with Eggman and his army. Though it took time to rebuild what they have lost, life for the Freedom Fighters could not be better. Whether it's finding love or trying to run from their past, celebrating post-war times has been different for each of them.

All is well until a silver hedgehog comes knocking on Amy Rose's door to deliver the tragic news about an incredible force that seems to be the cause of the future's destruction.

Will anyone believe the mysterious hedgehog's cry for help? Or will he be left to fight for his future alone? Read to find out!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 821

POV: Sonic the Hedgehog

!! I do not own any of the art/gifs/borders used in my chapters. All credits to the rightful owners !!

Masterlist ❀ Ch.1 ❀ Ch.2 ❀ Ch.3 ❀ Ch.4 ❀ Ch.5 ❀ Ch.6 ❀ Ch.7 ❀ Ch.8 ❀ Ch.9 ❀ Ch.10 ❀ Ch.11 ❀ Ch.12 ❀ Ch.13 ❀ Ch.14 ❀ Ch.15 ❀ Ch.16 ❀ Ch.17 ❀ Ch.18

When I woke up, the first thing I felt was a sharp pain in my side. I clutched it tightly as I slowly picked myself off the ground.

"What happened to me?"

I rubbed my head, hoping the gentle strokes would lead me to the answers I wanted, but I got nothing but pain in return. It was then that I grew aware of my surroundings. I knew we were in one of the wrecked cities from the war, but this place was seriously wrecked. There were cars and holes everywhere, and patches of fresh ash and burns on the roads which I could only assume were from energy blasts.

'Did I do this?'

I didn't remember anything, which wasn't uncommon when I pass out after battles, but this felt different, like my heart knew I had done something extremely wrong. The last thing I remember was the fight Silver and I had-

"Silver."

That word. No, that name left a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth. S's real name was Silver. But how did I know that?

"I am Silver the Hedgehog! Son of Shadow the Hedgehog and Amy Rose! I won't let you destroy my future or my family!"

'I was in my dark form, wasn't I? That's why I couldn't remember anything.'

"I wonder what I managed to mess up this time."

'I have to think. Where did he go? Why did he just leave me like this?' I tried to piece together what had happened in those last few moments. 'What happened…'

I had a bad feeling in my chest. Like there was something bad coming my way.

'He's going to tell her, isn't he?'

"No, no, no, no…this is bad…" I whispered with my hands on my head in a panic. "I gotta see Amy!"

I patted all over and sighed in relief when I saw I still had my Chaos Emerald.

'Good thing he didn't take this. If I ran from here to there, who knows what he could have said to her. I have to make this quick.'

"Chaos Control!"

To my luck, I landed in a bush.

"Ouch…" Rolling out of the bush, I groaned while picking out leaves that were sticking out of my quills. "Can't…let Silver see me."

'Silver…'

I walked around Amy's neighborhood, hanging my head down low in slight shame. I could have killed him. I had the power to erase him from the future and prevent Amy and Shadow from having him in the first place.

Yet, I felt his power. He was holding back a lot more than he realized. He was more than capable of hurting me, maybe even killing me, but he chose not to.

Why? Because we are family? Because he knew I could hurt him as well?

Family's a stupid excuse not to fight back, especially if I was so willing to take his life if he gave me a chance.

'Ugh! This is so stupid! Why do I always have to react to my jealous impulse! Amy gave me several chances when we were younger, but my pride was too big to accept any of her affections. Even if I know who Silver is, and what happened to him as a child, I still love her. But what gets me angry the most is that I feel guilty about everything!'

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as I continued to Amy's house, now stomping in the utter frustration that I feel.

'I've never felt guilty after any fight, no matter who it was with. I have never regretted anything I have done if it meant I could knock some sense into someone or feel of immense thrill whenever I could test my abilities even if it was for a couple of seconds. I didn't feel that this time. I got no thrill from fighting Silver, and I don't even remember all of it in truth. Only fragments like the words he said to me, how he was able to maneuver his powers in an attempt to hurt me, and the way his skin felt when I was hitting him. Most of all, I remember how his eyes looked when he was helpless on the ground, not even holding his arms up to defend himself, and not even raising a finger to hit me in return.'

"Why didn't he just hit me!"

I heard shuffling from around the corner of the block I was walking on, and in a blind panic, I jumped into the yard and left the white picket fence to hide my body from the people about to pass by.

"Did you hear something Tails?"

Although I couldn't see them, I recognized his voice. The same voice that taunted me with guilt all night. Why is he walking right after the beating he took from me?

"And more importantly, what the hell is Tails doing with Silver?"

[dolce-tenebra-toscana]

La Squadra and how they manage to survive the summer because...you guessed it, they are too poor and Diavolo won't give them a break lol 🤣🤣

Risotto ✂️: steal all the fans in the lair

He's the boss so he has all the rights to gather the fans around him. Being so pale also is a curse for him cause he doesn't tan...he becomes la Pimpa's cousin ( la pimpa is a red and white dog from a children's book if you don't know)

No matter how much sunscreen he puts on, the sun will burn him either way...so he prefers to stay inside sorrounded by his lil army of windy electronic slaves.

No one dares to say anything to him, a mad risotto means ouchies for the others.

Prosciutto 🍖: Circolo Arci lifestyle

This sicilian hottie ( benny stop simping for Gucci's sake!!) Has way too much class to let the summer's heat wave reduce him to an ameba!

So in all his years of experience he found the perfect place to hide during the warmest days: the local Circolo Arci's bar! He will go there around 13 pm and stay till 19:30, where he'll either watch tv or play cards with the senior citizens who also came to seek refuge from the heat wave.

Call him old, but at least he can enjoy the air conditioning system as much as he wants, even if that means loose at Briscola every single time.

Formaggio 🧀: I'm not an alcoholic, i'm a sommelier

Formaggio, being the king of drinks, will make cold cocktails for everyone...but especially for himself.

Using Little Feet he'll also shrink so he can lay on the ice cubes and enjoy the freshness till he can, even swimming in a cold glass of Gin Lemon!! Illuso one time found him using a lemon slice as a floatie.

After a long, tiring, hot day there's nothing better than the cheese man famous Negroni Sbagliato; but watch out for the ice...he may have layed there commando previously, just ask for the ones in the freezer, just in case..

Melone 🍈: decency? What's that?

You guessed it, this tuscan weirdo will literally walk around his apartment totally naked with the windows open; he won't absolutely care about the screams of the neighbours or that someone might call the police, IS TOO HOT TO BOTHER!!

If he lived closer to tuscany he would have escaped to Follonica a loooong time ago, but since he has to stay nearby ( and honestly he hates Napoli's beach ) for the missions he just cosplay as Adam inside his own house.

He has to put stickers notes on the fridge to remember to get dressed before gljng out tho, one time he forgot and his neighbour screamed so loud she cracked a window...

Illuso 🔎: local swimming pool diva

Sun hat? Check! Versace swimsuit? Check! Will to ruin everybody elses fun time? C H E C K~

Illuso is the person you DON'T wanna have to deal with at your local swimming pool area: he is loud, snarky, will make children cry, be a karen to the staff...JUST CAUSE HE IS BORED!!

You'll see him coming looking like an italian Barbie malibu, and once he decides he wants your spot in the pool, he'll make everything in his power to make you leave...

Luckily summer only last 3 months...

Ghiaccio 🧊: the lucky b*tch

His stand it's his blessing during the summer, White Album automatically regulates his body temperature so he is never too hot or too cold! The lucky b*stard smirks and walk around the lair not breaking a sweat!!

He will wear only a pair of light sweatpants, chug a beer and snicker " Why so bothered? Is not THAT hot ahahahah!!"

Either that or he'll go train early in the morning like gym bro he is, some say he'll even whistle while doing push ups.

Ghiaccio doesn't like summer, but he likes seeing people miserable soooo...it is what it is