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tenebraevesper · 4 months ago

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Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 53: The Scream Of Perfect Chaos

''Oh yeah! Try to look cool, make mistakes, and stand back up! To the unknown horizon that I gaze upon with you! Go act tough, jump on, and become like the wind! We'll make the sun shining on tomorrow our landmark! Fly on to the free, glorious world!''

– Mikakunin Hikousen (Unidentified Airship) by Digimon Adventure: (2020)

xXxXxXx

''What is that?'' Big was surprised to see a blue diamond-like gem lying on the ground, having found it after following Froggy through Sentoraru. He picked it up, looking around curiously as he saw people walking and passing by him, some picking up the pace as the Irregular Hunters were directing them towards a safer area. Big remained standing, wondering if someone lost this gem and wanting to return it back, but instead, he was approached by a Hunter.

''Please, sir, you will have to leave this area. We're closing it off as a safety precaution,'' the Hunter said.

''Okay…'' Big didn't see any reason against following the crowd to safety, figuring that he could hold onto the blue gem until he found the owner.

xXx

Team Chaotix was still on their way from Eas to Sentoraru when they ran into another Badnik – E-105 Zeta. The battle raged on, with Vector, Espio and Charmy taking down the Egg Keepers, all while avoiding Zeta's attacks and playing hot potato with the purple Chaos Emerald, which was currently held by Charmy, who blew a raspberry at the Badniks.

''Watch out!'' Espio shouted, throwing several shuriken at the Egg Keeper that threatened Charmy.

''I'll be just fine! Don't worry Espio!'' Charmy replied, clearly having fun as he zoomed down and knocking another Egg Keeper, then throwing the Chaos Emerald at Vector. ''Catch!''

Vector was about to catch it, but then a claw suddenly extended, catching the Chaos Emerald and holding it up. The Chaotix detectives were baffled to see Eggman now holding the purple Chaos Emerald, hovering above them in his EggMobile.

''Eggman, give us that Chaos Emerald back!'' Vector growled, feeling frustrated that they lost it so easily.

''As if,'' Eggman scoffed, deciding not to waste his time on the detectives and flew away on his EggMobile. ''Have fun defeating my Badniks!''

Vector got into a grappling match with Zeta, managing to break off the canon arm, then grabbed him by the other arm and swung him around before tossing him into a group of Egg Keepers. There was a small explosion, with Zeta and the Egg Keepers catching fire and breaking down, now destroyed. Vector immediately reached for the AR Visor, calling Lucas.

''Vector?''

''Unfortunately, I have some bad news. We lost both the Chaos Emeralds from Souto and Eas to Eggman,'' Vector said, him, Espio and Charmy feeling guilt over their failure.

''Don't beat yourself over it,'' Lucas replied, narrowing his eyes. ''We'll have to change plans, as Starline had already managed to acquire two Chaos Emeralds, and from what Makoto and Silver told me, he and Eggman now have access to two more Chaos Emeralds. I'm certain that we can still defeat him, even if he reaches his Chaos 6 Form, but we cannot let him, under any circumstance, reach his Perfect Chaos Form, else the whole of Neos City will be in grave danger.''

''Which Chaos Emeralds are left?'' Espio asked.

''Team Rose and Team Dark still have theirs, going by the signal on the map. The one from Sentoraru seems to have been also found, as it is moving towards Souto, but we don't know who has it,'' Lucas explained. ''Sonic and I will try to get it. Could you guys try to track down Chaos' location? We fought him earlier, but he disappeared.''

''You can count on us. We will make up for our earlier failure,'' Espio replied, with the holographic screen closing.

''You have heard him, boys! Find Chaos and prevent him from becoming Perfect,'' Vector said, with Espio and Charmy nodding. ''If we manage to actually find Chaos, we'll most likely find Starline and Eggman.''

''Then, we can get the Chaos Emeralds back!'' Charmy chimed in, excitedly.

''Right! Let's go!'' Vector said, with the three running off.

xXx

Unfortunately for the Chaotix Detectives, Eggman had managed to find Chaos 2 first, having used the control chip Starline implanted inside the water deity to remotely call for him. He had found a good spot at the border between Sentoraru and Eas, observing as Chaos 2 emerged from the sewer in a burst of water.

''I already know what will happen next, given how this isn't the first time we've been in this situation, and I hope for Starline's sake that this will work better than last time,'' Eggman said, tossing the cyan and the purple Chaos Emerald towards Chaos 2, who had absorbed them, growing much stronger.

As Chaos 4, Chaos was more fish-like, having a shark-like body with a dorsal fin on both his back and a horn on his forehead, and the flaps on the sides on his head have grown longer. He also had two sharp pelvis fins and a pair arms like Chaos 2's, except his hands looked more like fins and lacked thumbs. Inside his hands and wrists he had gray bones, each with a Chaos Emerald embedded in them. He also had bones running from his tail fin to his belly where he had a pelvis-like bone holding two Chaos Emeralds.

''Go, use the Chaos Emeralds and destroy Team Neos!'' Eggman ordered, only to pause for a moment when Chaos 4 did nothing. ''Hey, I was talking to you!''

Chaos 4 did not respond, instead turning himself into a pool of liquid and disappearing down the street as swiftly as possible. Eggman furrowed a brow, wondering why Chaos 4 was so hesitant about following his order initially.

''I have a bad feeling about this,'' he muttered.

xXx

''This situation has gone wrong, but I know that I can fix it,'' Starline muttered, feeling a sense of panic creeping up his spine. ''All I need is to find Chaos, round up the remaining E-100 Series robots and the Egg Keepers, and launch a counterattack. That should be easy enough.''

He was flying towards Kita on the EggMobile, as Gamma appeared to be the closest robot to his own position. He didn't know where Chaos was, but had decided that it would be smarter to acquire another Chaos Emerald. He also felt irritated that he didn't predict that Chaos would have a weakness to electricity, but at the same time, no one in Team Neos or Team Neos' allies were capable of generating electricity, from what he knew.

Unfortunately for Starline, destiny decided to throw a wrench in his plans, as Tails appeared out of nowhere, flying up to him, grabbing the controls and generating the EMP wave that caused the EggMobile to crash on the ground. Fortunately for both, Tails and Starline had managed to get out of the EggMobile before it crashed, Starline using the Fly Type Power Core, and were now standing across each other.

''What have you done?! Are you crazy?!'' Starline screamed at Tails, who was joined by Warren.

''No, but we have figured out how the Chaos Emeralds are being transported, and the only people who'd be the recipients would be you and Eggman,'' Tails replied. Starline was glaring daggers at him, the situation unraveling before him at sonic speed. Despite that, he still believed that he could do something to fix the situation. Before Tails and Warren could even react, Starline activated the Speed Type Power Core and quickly ran off.

Tails and Warren were left standing, realizing that he was going towards Kita, both exchanging questioning looks, with Tails asking, ''What do we do?''

''We'll go find Chaos. I'm sure that Minami and Amy will be able to handle Dr. Starline,'' Warren said, with Tails nodding in agreement.

xXx

Amy stepped in front of E-102 Gamma and the Egg Keepers, placing herself between the Badniks and an injured Cream, who was still being held by Minami while keeping a tight grip on the grey Chaos Emerald. Amy brandished the Piko Piko Hammer, glaring daggers at Gamma.

''I won't let you hurt Cream again!''

''Pink Hedgehog, resistance is futile. Give me the Rabbit,'' Gamma responded.

''No way! I promised to protect Cream and I won't back off!'' Amy growled, ready to fight this battle all on her own.

''Why?'' Gamma questioned her, the sudden question confusing Amy.

''What do you mean?'' she asked, still being on guard, but now curious.

''Rephrasing question. Why do you feel the need to protect someone so weak?'' Gamma inquired.

''Weakness or strength is irrelevant in this kind of situation. Cream is my friend, and that's all I need to know,'' Amy responded in a resolute tone. ''Of course, you wouldn't understand that.''

Gamma paused for a moment. ''Data unavailable.''

''Huh?'' Amy blinked, staring at Gamma for a moment.

''Does not compute. The Rabbit is useless to you. Does not compute,'' Gamma responded again.

''That's a rude thing to say! Cream is not useless, and you should apologize for hurting her!'' Amy demanded.

''Apologize…?'' Gamma replied slowly. ''Does not compute.''

Amy tilted her head, wondering whether Gamma was actually capable of self-reflection. Eggman surely wouldn't program his Badniks to act this way, right? Admittedly, there is also Omega, but he's a special case…

''Mr. Robot…'' Both Amy and Gamma looked over at Cream, who managed to get up with Minami and Cheese's help and took a few weak steps towards them. ''I know that you are following the evil Dr. Eggman's orders, but please, don't hurt Miss Amy.''

''Cream…'' Amy muttered, her heart aching because Cream was pleading with the robot despite having been injured by him. Gamma just stared at Cream, his intentions being unreadable as he locked eyes with the little rabbit, completely silent. Amy suddenly stepped up, realizing that Gamma had been contemplating after hearing Cream's plea. ''You are capable of experiencing emotions, right?''

''Does not compute. Dr. Eggman did not program me with emotions,'' Gamma responded.

''But, you do feel something,'' Amy pointed out. Gamma was silent for a moment.

''I do not know how to articulate,'' he said.

''That's fine. I know people who also have trouble explaining how they feel,'' Amy said, giving Gamma a warm smile. ''Do you still want to fight us?''

''I should be following my orders,'' Gamma stated.

''But, you don't have to,'' Amy insisted. ''Omega has also rebelled against Eggman.''

''E-123 Omega has been registered as a traitor in the data base,'' Gamma responded. ''He needs to be destroyed on sight.''

Suddenly, several missiles appeared out of nowhere, with Gamma having just enough time to dodge it, but the Egg Keepers that were with him weren't as lucky, getting blasted into pieces.

''As you said – it is on sight,'' Omega stated, holding up both of his cannon arms at Gamma. In response, Gamma held up his own cannon arm, only for Amy to suddenly run in-between the two.

''Omega, wait! You two don't have to fight!'' she said, looking at the two.

''I vowed to eliminate all of my predecessors,'' Omega told her.

''Omega is a traitor. He needs to be destroyed,'' Gamma added.

''But, you don't have to destroy each other,'' Amy pointed out. ''Omega, you said that you want to destroy all of Eggman's Badniks, didn't you?''

''Affirmative,'' Omega replied.

''Gamma, you said that destroying Omega was an order issued by Eggman, right?'' Amy then turned to the other robot.

''Correct,'' Gamma replied.

''Would it be possible for you to not follow Eggman's order?'' Amy asked, leaving Gamma stunned. She turned to Omega. ''If Gamma abandons the Eggman Empire, then you two could work together. Would you be okay with that?''

Omega was silent, having not thought about this solution. He was solely focused on destroying all of Eggman's Badniks, but if Gamma betrayed Eggman, that would mean that he was no longer a Badnik. In other words, Omega would have no reason pursuing him, unless Gamma gave him a different reason to destroy him.

''I only hunt Eggman robots,'' Omega stated, only to suddenly point his arm cannons at Gamma again, his action startling Amy and Cream. ''But, I won't hesitate to destroy Gamma if he offended any of you.''

''That's not necessary,'' Amy said, waving her hands in a defensive manner and glancing at Gamma for a response. The robot just stared back at them in silence, contemplating the situation. He wasn't sure why he was feeling like this, why he was so hesitant to just eliminate all of them and grab the Chaos Emerald. He gazed back at Amy and Cream, and that strange sensation resurfaced again. It was as if a mere look from both of them could stop him in his tracks, but he still had trouble understanding what exactly it was.

''Stop giving me that look,'' Gamma suddenly said, turning around, leaving Amy and Cream confused. To everyone's surprise, Cream ran up to him, giving him a confused look.

''What's wrong, Mr. Gamma? Are you okay?'' she asked him, with Gamma taking note of her warm and gentle cinnamon-brown eyes. He then turned to the side, avoiding eye-contact with her, which confused Cream further. She turned to the rest of her friends. ''Did I do something wrong?''

Minami suddenly giggled, snapping her fingers as she came to a realization. ''Hey, Gamma, is it possible that the word you're searching for is 'cute'?'' Everyone stared at her in surprise, with Minami continuing, ''That has to be it! You consider Amy and Cream too cute to attack them anymore.''

This conclusion left everyone in an awkward silence, even sweatdropping at her comment, while Minami just kept smiling as if she had figured out the secrets of the world. Amy sighed.

''Minami, I don't think that's the real answer… Even if I am flattered about being called cute,'' she said, then placed the Piko Piko Hammer over her shoulder and glanced at Gamma. ''Anyways, have we reached an agreement? You could use this opportunity to find a purpose outside the Eggman Empire.''

Gamma simply nodded, wondering if Minami had really guessed why he felt like this. Regardless, he could accept the idea of actually having a life outside the Eggman Empire, as he was curious about what kind of life Omega was living after he had left. Gamma then saw Cream looking at him, and she gave him the most heartwarming smile possible, the kind that could melt a heart made of ice.

''Thank you so much, Mr. Gamma,'' Cream said. Gamma suddenly felt as if his inner systems were short-circuiting, and had to wonder if that had anything to do with him thinking that Cream was cute. He certainly felt that he should protect her, recalling Amy's words from earlier.

''I apologize…'' he said, with Cream just giving him a bright smile.

''I'm fine,'' she replied.

''Well, I guess this issue is now resolved.'' Minami smiled at this scene and turned her head towards Rough and Tumble, who just stood a bit further way, watching what was going on. ''So, do you two still want to fight? Especially now that we have two very destructive robots on our side?''

Rough and Tumble exchanged glances, now being stared at by the whole group. The two glared daggers at the group, but also understood that they were woefully outpowered and outnumbered. Not only that, but Cream was still holding the Chaos Emerald.

''You have won this time,'' Rough grumbled.

''But, we will get our revenge next time!'' Tumble shouted, with the two turning on their heel and running off.

Minami stretched her arms, releasing the Chaos Surge and looking at the rest of the group. ''So, we got the grey Chaos Emerald and Gamma's now helping us. What should we do next?''

''I think we were supposed to give the Chaos Emerald to Mr. Sonic,'' Cream said, with Cheese chiming in.

''I still have my mission of eliminating other Eggman robots,'' Omega said, clearly fired up for another battle.

''I have bad news for you, brother,'' Gamma suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention. ''We are the only E-100 Series robots remaining. I have lost the signals of ZERO, Beta, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta and Theta.''

Omega suddenly lowered his arm cannons, and despite having no expression, he was clearly disappointed by the news. ''There are no more? That's unfortunate. Disappointment has risen by 100%.''

''Don't worry, Omega,'' Amy said, patting him on the arm. ''I'm sure Eggman will be sending out more forces to fight against us. After all, he needs the Chaos Emerald that we have.''

''You are correct. Will you join me in the bloodshed, brother?'' Omega turned to Gamma, who nodded in agreement.

''We need to go to Sentoraru now. If we come across some kind of obstacle, you two can clear it for us,'' Minami reminded them, with Omega and Gamma accepting that. The group rushed back, but unknown to them, a different figure was observing them from behind of one of the buildings, growling in frustration.

''So, Gamma has become a turncoat. I should've reminded Dr. Eggman to actually make sure his programming isn't faulty,'' Starline muttered under his breath in irritation. ''Unfortunately, this mistake might cost us a Chaos Emerald…'' He hummed, pressing the Fly Core and flying up the building, following the group as they were going towards Sentoraru. ''Although, I might be able to fix this situation.''

Starline took note of the fact that Cream was the one carrying the Chaos Emerald, flying after the rest of the group and being open for an attack. He carefully calculated his options, leaping from building to building to keep up with them. He knew that in a direct battle, he would be defeated faster than he could say 'Chaos Emerald', so he needed to be careful. He couldn't even use his special technique, the Tricore Blast, to defeat them, as that would completely deplete the Power Core energy he had gathered and he would have to recharge.

''But, perhaps I don't have to…'' Starline placed a hand under his beak, his eyes darting towards the spurs on his heels. ''Of course, that's the solution! Hah, I'm a genius!''

Cream didn't even know what had hit her. All she felt was a sharp sensation in her back and the world turned black, with someone screaming her name. The one who screamed for Cream was Amy, having turned around only to see her fall on the ground after being hit by Starline, who had leapt out of nowhere, having managed to grab the grey Chaos Emerald. Amy attempted to attack him, only to get her arm scratched by Starline's toxic spur, causing her to fall on the ground as she fainted.

''Amy, Cream!'' Minami was stunned, her and Cheese checking up on both, while Omega and Gamma immediately focusing on Starline, firing a barrage of bullets and missiles at the platypus. Unfortunately for them, Starline had tapped the Speed Core, using his super speed to get away from them.

''Tha-That was close,'' Starline muttered, feeling his heart beating like crazy. After all, he had looked death into the face and survived. He kept running, taking turns at streets to make sure he wasn't followed. Eventually, he skidded to a halt, taking a deep breath and tapped on the Tricore, activating a holographic screen.

''Dr. Eggman, I have acquired another Chaos Emerald,'' Starline said proudly, displaying the grey gem to the Doctor.

''I see. Send it over,'' Eggman replied in a curt tone.

''Uh… Unfortunately, I have lost my EggMobile…'' Starline admitted nervously, with Eggman raising an eyebrow. ''But, don't worry, Sir, I'll be right over. I just need Chaos' coordinates.''

Eggman grumbled as he sent Starline the relevant information, with the platypus pulling up a map of Neos City. To his surprise, Chaos was on his way to Souto, nearing Cosmo River that was flowing through Sentoraru and towards Souto. Figuring that there had to be a reason for this movement, he quickly followed the water deity.

xXx

''I see,'' Loki muttered, after Lucas and Sonic explained him what was going on in further detail. They were also going towards Souto, trying to track down the remaining Chaos Emerald. ''Clearly, you're in over your heads.''

''We're doing our best, but this situation has turned into a Battle Royale for the Chaos Emeralds,'' Lucas replied.

''At least it looks like our friends have dealt with most of the Badniks,'' Sonic said, sounding quite optimistic. ''I'm sure we'll be able to turn this around.''

''I hope you will. Unfortunately, I will have to leave you now. I need to inform the other Hunters about a possible another battle, as well as Neos City getting flooded by Chaos. I wish you luck,'' Loki told them, quickly rushing off. Lucas and Sonic exchanged glances and then hurried up towards the Chaos Emerald signal. They had taken a break, with Sonic managing to recover. Now, he was ready for the next move. They had gotten the news from Team Chaotix and, later on, Team Rose, that they lost their Chaos Emeralds to Eggman and Starline respectively, meaning that they would also be after the remaining Chaos Emerald. Lucas also sent a message to Team Dark to meet up with them at Cosmo River, predicting it to be the next setting of their encounter with Chaos, considering how it was the closest body of water.

''Even though we have defeated Eggman's forces, Chaos is well on his way to his Chaos 6 form,'' Lucas said, his eyes narrowing as he stepped on the accelerator of his hoverboard and sped up.

''What will we do if he does reach his Perfect Chaos form?'' Sonic asked, speeding up to match Lucas.

''Honestly, I don't know. We could regroup with the rest of the team and fight Perfect Chaos that way, and we also have the Master Emerald as another option,'' Lucas replied, a troubled look appearing on his expression. ''But, if that doesn't work, we will need the Chaos Emeralds and, well…''

He glanced at Sonic, who smirked. ''I already have an idea what you're talking about.''

''I'm not sure if that would even work though. Unlike your counterpart, this would be your first time using the Chaos Emeralds in such way,'' Lucas replied, still concerned. ''What if something goes wrong?''

''Aw, com'n, have a little faith in me.'' Sonic winked. ''Even if it's something that only happened in the games, it doesn't mean that I'm not capable of pulling the same feat.''

''You're right. Now, let's hope we're not too late,'' Lucas said, with both speeding up.

xXx

''Watch out!''

Big and Froggy were at Cosmo River, having followed the Hunters' instructions to get away from whatever conflict was happening in Sentoraru. That didn't mean that they weren't at least a little bit worried about their friends, but they were confident that they knew what they were doing. Big then turned his attention to the blue gem in his hand, wondering what he should do with it. He had figured that it was probably important, as it gave of a strange aura, but he figured that, if someone came searching for it, he'll just give it back. He had no need for a blue gem, since they it make good fishing and since he was already at Cosmo River, he figured that he could just cast the line.

''Huh?'' Big blinked in surprise when he felt something tugging at his fishing rod almost immediately, and pulled back, struggling to get out whatever was holding onto the line. His mouth dropped in surprise when this thing turned out to be now fish-like Chaos 4. ''That's a big one!''

Chaos 4 stared down at Big, only to slam his body onto the water surface, creating a huge wave that forced the purple cat and his frog companion to flee. Both climbed up to the nearby road, taking note of the water levels in the river rising and Chaos 4 staring at them, giving the two a calculating look. Before either of them could do anything, something shiny and grey flew across the sky, with Chaos 4 absorbing it.

''Give me the Chaos Emerald!''

Big and Froggy were surprised to see a platypus standing behind them, having been the one to throw the other gem towards Chaos 4. Starline held out his hand, demanding the blue Chaos Emerald that Big was holding, but the cat in question sensed that the platypus was up to no good.

''No,'' Big responded in a firm tone. Suddenly, Chaos 4 sent a wave of energy towards Big, forcing the latter to dive to dodge the attack, losing grip of the Chaos Emerald in the process. Chaos 4 launched an extendable arm towards it, with Froggy quickly jumping over the Chaos Emerald to protect it, only to for him and the Chaos Emerald to be grabbed and absorbed into the water deity.

''No, Froggy!'' Big cried out, but Chaos 4 already started to change, much to Starline's glee.

No longer humanoid, Chaos 6 instead vaguely resembled a bloated scorpion/frog-like creature. Over three times Big's height, he had a massive body with two extensions/antennas on his sides, two pairs of digit-less legs, and a similar pair of large hind legs bending backwards. He had a large mouth with razor sharp teeth and two large eyes aligned vertically on his face with three smaller eyes aligned horizontally on each side. He also had a zigzagged tail with a blunt tip. Running through his hind legs were gray bones, connected in the rear by a pelvis-like bone, with a Chaos Emerald embedded in each of them. In his belly lied his bone-covered core, encircled by four standing bones, each with a Chaos Emerald on top.

Big felt devastated, desperately trying to find any sign of Froggy within Chaos 6, only seeing a vague figure floating inside the water deity. Suddenly, Chaos 6 sent out water tendrils from all of his body, attempting to ensnare Big, but a streak of blue broke through the tendrils, revealing itself to be a Chaos Surge-empowered Sonic.

''Thank you, Sonic,'' Big told the hedgehog, who just nodded in response. Big then pointed at Chaos 6. ''Froggy is somewhere inside. If we attack, we'll hurt him.''

''Yeah, but if we don't attack Chaos, he'll go on a rampage,'' Sonic pointed out.

''Ha, you can't defeat Chaos like this! He is being empowered by all but one Chaos Emerald! Even Chaos Surge won't work!'' Starline gloated.

''Oh, shut up!'' Starline was startled by Lucas, who was glaring daggers at him. ''You have no idea what you're doing! Regardless of all, we still have a chance!'' Starline scoffed, with Lucas turning to Sonic and Big. ''Sonic, you and I will keep Chaos distracted! Big, you'll have to fish Froggy out of his body!''

''Got it!'' Sonic pumped his fist, with him and Lucas rushing ahead, avoiding the tendrils that Chaos 6 sent after them. Big tightened his grip around the fishing rod, narrowing his eyes as he focused on Chaos 6's body and the vague figure inside it and run up to the water deity as close as possible. He saw Sonic running across the river bank, avoiding the tendrils and not daring to get into the water as he knew that, if he got hit, Chaos 6 wouldn't hesitate to drown him. As for Lucas, he was essentially surfing on the surface of the river via his hoverboard, avoiding the water tendrils that shot out from below and dodging a huge wave that the water deity sent after him.

Big waited, his gaze locking with the green figure inside Chaos 6, and finally cast the line, the hook flying across and passing straight into the water deity's body. To Big's relief, Froggy was able to move enough to grab onto the line and Big tugged it with all his might, allowing his best friend to escape and reeling him in. Relieved, Big hugged Froggy. ''Are you okay?''

Froggy just croaked in response, clearly fine, if a little shaken, but neither could take a moment to breathe, as Chaos 6 roared furiously, slamming into the water and creating a wave that crashed over the river bank. The only reason Big and Froggy weren't swept away was because Sonic and Lucas grabbed both of them and pulled them away. A water tendril suddenly came flying, trying to grab Sonic and Lucas, only to be met by a flash of red.

''Lily?!''

Both were shocked to see Lily literally punching the water tendril, being empowered by Chaos Surge that made her whole body crackle with red energy, and blocked it from harming her friends. She didn't even respond to the two, raising her head instead.

''Knuckles, now!''

The red echidna came gliding with the Master Emerald in his hands, hoping to use it to deactivate the Chaos Emeralds that Chaos 6 had absorbed, only to get flung back by another barrage of tendrils. He managed to catch himself, landing on the river bank, with the pink orb of light flashing next to him and revealing herself as a peach-orange-furred anthropomorphic echidna girl with a peach muzzle, a small black nose, cobalt-blue eyes with two medium-length eyelashes on each one, dreadlock-like spines around the sides and back of her head and a medium-sized, tri-crooked tail. She wore a white tank top which revealed her midriff and a traditional tribal skirt with beige, green, and red diamond patterns. She wore a gold armlet on her right arm, a gold necklace and a tiara-like headband atop her forehead, both of which were decorated with triangles and a light blue gemstone in the center. Her white gloves were adorned with thick, cobalt-blue bracelets around her wrists, and she also wore white-strapped sandals. Her dreadlocks and left arm were also wrapped with similar white bandages.

''Chaos, please, don't do this!'' Tikal pleaded, but Chaos 6 roared, slamming his tendrils into both Knuckles and Tikal, who were both forced to dodge the attack.

''He won't listen to you! We need the prayer!'' Knuckles told Tikal, holding up the Master Emerald. Tikal was devastated that her old friend was too far gone, her expression then changing to a firm gaze as she put her hands together in a prayer.

''The servers are the 7 Chaos. Chaos is power... Power enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos,'' Tikal prayed, with the Master Emerald that was held by Knuckles started to glow. To their relief, it appeared that it was working, as the Chaos Emeralds too were glowing response, only to be followed by a horrifying scream that caused Tikal to slam her hands over her ears. She could sense Chaos' pain and agony, understanding that he was suffering that he was suffering due to the energy within him slowly being torn out. ''No, please…''

She hated seeing her friend being in so much anguish, not even registering when a wave of energy came suddenly crashing down on her and Knuckles until she heard him shouting for her. Her eyes widened in shock and time slowed down as she stared death in the face, being frozen on the spot. The last thing she saw was a dark figure suddenly appearing before her and Knuckles, crimson eyes staring at both of them.

''Chaos Control!''

There as a flash of light, and the next thing Tikal knew was that she found herself on her knees, further away from the river bank, surrounded by other people. She looked up, her and Knuckles realizing that the one who saved them was Shadow, still in the possession of the green Chaos Emerald.

''Even if the Master Emerald can control the other Chaos Emeralds, Chaos himself is resisting its power,'' Shadow pointed out.

''Then, we should get closer to him!'' Knuckles insisted.

''I don't think so, Knuckles,'' Rouge approached him. ''Look at Chaos – he has completely lost it!''

The group turned towards the water deity, who rose from the river, slamming his tendrils into the building on the other side and picking up pieces of debris, flinging it towards the group.

''Watch out!'' Touka shouted, only for a blast of energy to destroy the debris into tiny pieces. The blast in question came from a Chaos Surge-empowered Metal Sonic.

Despite the fact that he had almost been crushed by the debris if it weren't for Sonic's metallic counterpart, Starline continued to gloat, ''You're no match for Chaos, even though he's not perfected, yet!''

''You know what, I don't think I even want to see him go Perfect!'' Ferra suddenly said, glaring daggers at Starline, who just registered her presence.

''You and Metal Sonic were supposed to grab the last Chaos Emerald! Why don't you have it?'' he asked in a furious tone.

''We were in the middle of it when Shadow used Chaos Control to bring us here,'' Ferra replied, both her and Starline gazing at Shadow, who shot a glare at both of them, his hand crackling with energy in a challenging manner. If they wanted to fight him over the Chaos Emerald, they were welcome.

Suddenly, more debris came flying, forcing the group to scatter. Shadow warped closer to Chaos 6, realizing that he was probably the only one able to get close enough to fight the water deity. He dodged another energy blast, snapping his fingers.

''Chaos Spear!''

The energy spear connected, blowing up Chaos' side, but unfortunately for Shadow, the water deity quickly recovered. Shadow attempted to launch an another attack, only to realize that he couldn't move. He didn't even notice that he stepped into a puddle of water, which suddenly turned into a tendril that wrapped around his body.

''Shadow!''

Shadow heard someone screaming for him, the tendril suddenly lifting him up and slamming him into the asphalt, almost knocking him out cold. Chaos 6 lifted the ebony hedgehog up and flung him at the road, the green Chaos Emerald falling out of his hand and rolling away. Shadow was still conscious, feeling his whole body aching as he tried to get up, only to see another water tendril coming from the corner of his eye.

''Shadow, watch out!''

''Sonic, don't!''

Shadow's eyes widened in horror when the tendril grabbed Sonic, the azure hedgehog being enveloped in water and unable to move as Chaos pulled him back above Cosmo River and holding him up for everyone to see. Sonic's eyes were wide and he desperately tried to get out of the water tendril, one hand over his mouth to not gasp for the non-existent air. His movements were erratic and he suddenly coughed, with bubbles escaping his mouth. He attempted to cover his mouth again, but the spark on his eyes was fading as he felt his lungs burning. His limbs were numb and his eyes slowly closed, bubbles escaping again as his mouth slightly opened.

Sonic was drowning.

''Sonic!''

There was a sudden flash of light, with an orange streak slamming into the water tendril, followed by another flash of light, this time on top of a nearby building. Sonic's glazed eyes slowly opened and he started coughing and sputtering the water he had swallowed, finally opening his eyes and realizing that he was carried bridal-style by Shadow, who gave him an uncharacteristically soft gaze.

''Heh, my hero,'' Sonic quipped weakly, smiling as he wrapped his arms tightly around Shadow's shoulders and pulling him into a tight squeeze as a way to thank him for saving his life. Shadow smiled back gently, then sighed and shook his head, his expression changing to a scoff, albeit keeping it on the softer side.

''Even if you're close to death, you won't stop with your quips,'' Shadow commented, with Sonic just grinning back at him. Shadow narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with anger born of worry. ''Idiot.''

''Yeah, but I am your idiot, Shads,'' Sonic replied back, giving him a playful smile. Shadow avoided his gaze, feeling flustered as he tried to calm down his racing heart. He could still recall the sensation of shock and devastation as Sonic almost sacrificed his own life for his, followed by the overwhelming fear of loss and a wave of determination as he rushed to save Sonic regardless of the danger.

He put Sonic down, the azure hedgehog stumbling a bit as his legs felt weak and holding onto Shadow until he regained some strength, with Shadow giving him a firm look. ''Don't do that again.''

''I'm sorry, Shads, but I can't promise you that. If I ever see you in danger, I will do everything in my power to save you, and I'm sure that you'll do the same for me,'' Sonic said, with Shadow staring at him for a moment, then exhaling.

''You're right,'' he muttered, his expression darkening. ''I lost the Chaos Emerald.''

''Shads…'' Sonic gave him a worried look, but Shadow shook his head.

''You… You're…'' Shadow turned his gaze away towards what was happening below them, unable to finish the sentence. Despite not hearing the rest of the sentence, Sonic smiled warmly, still understanding the message. You're more important than the Chaos Emerald.

As for the Chaos Emerald, the green gem had been grabbed by Starline, who took advantage of the chaos, holding it up for everyone to see. ''At last! Now, it's time to unleash Chaos full potential!''

''Starline, stop!''

To everyone's shock, Dr. Eggman came flying in the EggMobile, glaring at Starline, who just dropped his beak in surprise. He then smiled nervously. ''D-Doctor, what do you mean 'stop'? This is what we both wanted!''

''Yeah, but you forgot one thing!'' Eggman turned towards Chaos 6, who was flailing with his tendrils. ''Chaos, I order you to stop!''

Chaos 6 suddenly stopped for a moment, lifting his head as he observed Eggman, only to launch another attack at the group, with Lucas, Touka, Lily, Ferra, Knuckles, Tikal, Rouge, Metal Sonic, Big and Froggy being forced to scatter again. Eggman then turned back to Starline, who just waved him off in a dismissive manner.

''Chaos has been ordered to destroy Team Neos and he is simply doing as told,'' Starline replied, holding up the Chaos Emerald. ''One more, and we can complete our goal! This is it, Doctor!''

''You idiot! We are losing control of Chaos!'' Eggman shouted at him, causing Starline to wince in surprise. However, he managed to quickly collect himself.

''Doctor, I have made sure that the control device withstands any kind of damage. Don't worry, I will make sure that he remains under our control,'' Starline responded, throwing the green Chaos Emerald at Chaos 6, who absorbed him.

Starline's smile widened, a crazed look appearing on his expression as he watched Chaos grow and change once more, blissfully unaware of the looks of horror on everyone's expressions, including Eggman's. However, his expression changed soon to that of shock when he realized that he may have been in over his head with this move.

The water deity was growing into a gargantuan monster composed entirely of pure, water-like energy. His main body resembled a thick snake whose head, back and sides are covered in dark blue reptilian skin with scales. On the other hand, his underbelly was made of clear liquid energy, and he had pointy liquid spikes protruding from his back. He also possessed a large mouth with green razor-sharp teeth and a green tongue that extends far beyond his eyes, which were green as well and had slit-like pupils. He also had flaps of blue skin with scales hanging from just behind his eyes, green horns along his nose area and behind his eyes, and a fin-based bulge on top of his head that had his organic brain floating inside it. Also, running from the base of his body to his back spikes and brain were massive green-glowing arteries. The base of his snake-like body ended in a flood of liquid with several liquid-composed tentacles extending from him.

Perfect Chaos let out a mighty and devastating roar, followed by a tidal wave that swept over Neos City.

Links:

#Previous Chapter

#Current Chapter

#Next Chapter

#Sonic Cyber Revolution (Masterlist)

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theresattrpgforthat · 2 years ago

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I'm looking for an RPG where you make a setting collaboratively as a group, ideally with a roleplaying element. I know of Dawn of Worlds, A Quiet Year and Microscope but I'm trying to cast a wider net?

Can you help me out?

THEME: Worldbuilding & Roleplaying

Hello friend! I’m first going to direct you to two other posts I’ve made in the past, one about Town Builders, and one about Map-Making! Not all of them focus as much on roleplay, but I love a number of those games dearly. That being said, there are plenty more world building games out there that I’d love to talk about, and these three certainly allow for a lot of roleplay!

Ech0, by Role Over Play Dead.

Peace. Kids playing in mech wreckage. A ghost.

One last journey across an ancient battleground to find a pilot's final resting place.

Ech0 is a game about three children and the ghost of a dead mech pilot, travelling through ruins of old battles, looking for the place where the pilot died. The group of you will craft a world shaped by the wreckage of wars past, with mech bodies embedded into a landscape, transformed into memorials, and (possibly) repurposed into something else. You’ll use these landmarks to illustrate a map and craft a history: do the children know what the war was about? Or has it been lost to history?

I think this is an excellent game for the beginning of a campaign, mech or otherwise. If it’s a mech campaign, it might be set in the far future, after the war that you’ve already fought, or it might be the introduction of a planet that’s enjoyed a few decades of peace before getting launched into yet another conflict. Perhaps the mechs embedded in the soil will be unearthed to fight again and those children you created for Ech0 grow into ambitious and desperate pilots. It’s up to you!

Orichalcum, by Justin Quirit.

To find our way home, we must sift through the ruins and our memories of the Empire. But in our remembering, we must not forget what we have created for ourselves.

Orichalcum is a tabletop roleplaying map game for 1-5 players. Players will lay out a map of the Empire that oppressed their ancestors and drowned in a deluge of its own making. By remembering what was left behind, they will draw a connection from the past to the present. Their people, the Exiles, have evolved past the Empire's ways, and these differences will become features on each player's map of their island home. Orichalcum is a game about drowning empires and imagining utopias.

In this game, players will use printed “tiles” to help determine the kinds of peoples they represent, and the ways they differ from the Empire that has fallen. Each player will draw five tiles and place three; after each player places three tiles, your characters will go home.

This is a beautiful game to describe a world after a ravenous Empire has finally met its end. I can see this acting as an epilogue after a campaign has watched the world end, or as an introduction to a world post-apocalypse, as different groups rise from the ruins. The pillars give the group inspiration and focus, and by the end of the game, you’ll have a number of different islands, each with unique cultures and peoples, to draw from for rich character backstories.

Lighthouse Keepers, by Chloe Sobel.

The sea was once a city. The sea is still a city: trenches stretch into the deep, dark and teeming with life, mirroring city-nights above.

In the world above the sea, there is a lighthouse. The lighthouse has always been there.

Lighthouse Keepers is a map-drawing game for 1-4 people about a lighthouse and the things that lurk outside it in the deep. You play a collective of lighthouse keepers living in an offshore lighthouse, a tower that stretches from its lantern high above the waves all the way down to the bottom of the sea in the hadal zone.

The game design is based on Avery Alder’s The Quiet Year and Carter Richmond’s Anomaly. Its themes are inspired primarily by Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under The Sea and, by happy coincidence, it bears several thematic similarities to Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse.

This game has two versions; one with art and one without, in case players feel uncomfortable with some of the sea creatures depicted. This is a horror game - there is something in the water; nobody knows what it is, but everybody fears it. If you want to create a world where a lurking horror grows ever closer, this is absolutely the game for you.

Other games I’ve recommended in the past

Voyage, by Brendan McLeod.

Oldhome: Trip to Turtle City, by Takuma Okada.

#tabletop games #map-making #worldbuilding #indie ttrpgs #asks #game recommendations #dnd

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poorsapadvocate · 5 months ago

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Solarpunk fans continue to eat well at the Wholesome Direct.

Full list of games with links under the cut. I tried to single out games that appear to focus on nature, technology, and community. However, I only have as much info as these trailers, and sometimes I get them wrong (like Venba--fantastic game, absolutely not solarpunk.) There’s rarely a game that I don’t care about at the Wholesome Direct, so check it out for yourself. The limited edition merch this year is going towards the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, so go buy some maybe!

Sally: Sally is a life-sim game about community and belonging. Embark on a grand journey aboard a magic flying ship. Navigate daily life as a kid with a diverse crew unique to every game. Craft, cook, farm, build and explore the skies as you become who you want to be amongst your found family.

Caravan SandWitch: Embark on a journey across vast landscapes in Caravan SandWitch, a captivating narrative-driven exploration adventure.

Space Sprouts: Embark on a journey filled with cozy cosmic chaos and dive deeper into the mysteries of your solar punk spaceship with each replay. Get entangled in the ship's unique physics and make this place your new home.

Crab God: Crab God is an atmospheric underwater strategy game. Guide your Crabling colony through wild ocean depths, and defend the egg of the next Crab God. Restore and protect diverse coral reefs, making a difference in the real world as you progress in-game. Make waves, praise the claw!

Spilled: Clean up ocean waste in this relaxing & satisfying cozy game! Recycle, earn coins, upgrade your boat, repeat! Explore and clean up new areas with more waste and new challenges!

Tukoni Forest Keepers: Tukoni: Play as the forest spirit Tukoni as you meet unique characters, solve captivating puzzles, brew fragrant tea and explore a magical world filled with kindness.

Ete: Été is a relaxing painting game set in Montréal. Color the city to explore, create artworks on canvas, collect stamps in your album, decorate your studio, fulfill commissions from your neighbors, and unleash your inner artist!

Into the Emberlands: Venture out into the Emberlands and uncover an ever-changing world filled with surprising encounters and mystical creatures! Save villagers who got lost in the Miasma, collect resources and rebuild your village to create a safe haven for your people.

Fantastic Haven: Restore the equilibrium of magic by saving endangered fantasy creatures. Build your shelter to welcome and protect them, explore unique regions, rally neighboring populations to your cause and rehabilitate creatures in their natural environment.

Bonus:

Garden of the Sea: A chilled-out life sim where you play, craft, and explore across magical islands. Build a house, grow a garden, nurture animals, adventure across the surrounding ocean, and make yourself at home!

FruitBus: A journey of flavors and friendships awaits you in your cozy, customisable food truck! Forage for fresh ingredients to create your own menu, then feed tummies and souls with home-cooked meals. Change the world, one apple at a time. (this ad made me tear up)

Broken Lens: Broken Lens is a cozy game where you will discover the story of a little robot with a sight problem. Explore manifold cute environments at your own pace and investigate to understand what happened to them. Will you be able to uncover all the secrets?

Map Map: Embark on a cozy treasure hunt as cartographer of an adventure crew. Use your sense of direction to make maps, help your companions and explore idyllic islands.

Discounty: Manage your own supermarket! Organize and restock shelves, check customers out, make local trade deals, and befriend a quirky cast of characters. Salvage a failing shop in the once-thriving town and grow it into a thriving business empire. But be warned: not everyone in town wants you to succeed. (seems to be more on the dystopia side, but still focuses on relationships with community and the environment.)

Kamaeru: Foster a sanctuary for frogs and restore the biodiversity of the wetlands in Kamaeru, a cozy farming sim where you raise frogs by playing mini-games and decorating your habitat. Hop right to it!

Sopa: Miho steps into the pantry to fetch a potato for his grandma and falls into a magical world full of wonders. Meet quirky characters, venture through the depths of South America, and learn the importance of the things we pass along in this unforgettable emotional narrative adventure.

The Palace on the Hill: A heartfelt story of ambition, struggle, and friendship told from the perspective of a young boy in fictional 90s rural India. Explore ancient palace ruins, set up your garden, cook Indian food, run errands for quirky characters, and learn about your history by making art.

Moonstone Island: Moonstone Island is a creature-collecting life-sim set in an open world with 100 islands to explore. Make friends, brew potions, collect Spirits, and test your strength in card-based encounters to complete your Alchemy training!

Bonus Bonus: Okay look it wasn’t on the Wholesome Direct this year and it probably won’t be very solarpunk…but Davy Wreden is releasing a tea-shop sim game and it’s either going to be the best or the worst game of my life so I need someone else to know about it

#games #gaming #wholesome games #wholesome direct #solarpunk #mythmatch and squeakross were pretty cute #fruitbus and sally are definitely at the top of my list #not sure if I have a winner that isn't on this list

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lal-ffxiv · 2 months ago

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Prompt #12: Quarry

The young lady approached the Keepers of the Moon with a proposal of work in dispatching some vilekin, and it would be easy enough to just take the money in a confidence trick. However, she made claims of hidden treasures in the abandon city of Gelmorra.

"... I do not mean be babbling on about history of Twelveswood to you, but it is quite interesting. Don't you believe?"

"It will believe it if have any proof on where to find these treasures."

"Well, of course. I came across this map in my grandfather's library. He is so old. He might as well be one of the first that came out from the underground, and see here this is marked as sacred place, so I believe any relics would be stored there. I plan to make a collection of the relics as I am sure I am not the only one to be fascinated by the citystate's origins. Unfortunately, my father not one of those people. He refuses to lend his men for my expedition. As a business man, he can only understand the words of money. I tell him he is inviting the wrath of The Elementals upon himself by logging. Although, without his sacrilegious lumber mill then I would not have this opportunity. It is with my allowance from him that I fund this venture, which is just enough for two guards. Are you interested?"

Epokhan's head spun by time the long-winded maiden had stopped talking. He was afraid of giving her an answer as it would allow her to start talking again.

Luc was quick on her feet and tongue. While tedious in her speech, the young lady was trusting and optimistic, so a perfect pigeon. Since Luc loved birds, she made the choice on the deal. "This sounds like a very meaningful venture, and we would please to undertake it, but sounds much to dangerous for you come along. My partner and I have to insist on half payment now, and the rest once we have returned with your relics."

"And due to danger, we will need to double the price." Epokhan added.

The girl took her head violently like a child throwing a tantrum. "No, no, no! First, I am not paying you to stand prettily while I search. I need to be able discern the relics of value. I want none of gaudy relics of any precious metals or jewels. Second, I need to see the place were my people toiled for my kind's survival under the harsh rule of The Elementals. I must go to the underground city myself. I will pay the higher price, but I can not be denied this wish."

She had more than just earnesty. She had a fire in her eye that Luc would not argue with. Instead Luc looked to her partner. If the treasure were true then they could make more profit with her along, if they weren't the couple could still rob her and leave her in underbelly of the earth on their merry way.

"Alright. We'll take the venture."

"Excellent! I am so excited! Truly I did not believe I would find a pair so brave as yourselves. Father also warned me about ... that is end of that. I will meet you both at Camp Emerald Moss on the morrow then." The young lady beamed, and sadly walked away with her full coin purse as Epokan's and Luc's stomach growled.

Epohkan, a well-learned hunter, would blame the hunger on addling his mind. No other reason would he walked into such an obvious trap.

As soon as the trio entered the underground, they were overrun. Not by seedkin or vilekin, but by duskwight bandits.

Luc held the line while he cut his way from the net. He would have thought their client lost in the confrontation as he became Luc's sole concern aside from her own life. From his hovering position though he could see maiden go from green to grey, and raided the bandit's stores appearing as bandit herself. Epokhan fell from the net, and lost sight of her. For now.

He is a trained tracker too after all. Side by side the two of them made a quick show of incapacitating the bandits to chase their quarry.

The arrow scraped the tip of her nose. It would have gone straight through her head, if the arrow had been aimed for it. She took the hint and walked backwards to face her attackers.

"What have I done to deserve this greeting?" Asked the duskwight from the keepers.

"Drop the act. We know its you." Epokhan said as Luc let another arrow fly towards the elezen.

"Oh caught on to me and my tricks did ya." A wave of the hand and in front of them was young lady over the bandit.

"Leading us to our death was the whole plan was it?"

"I haven't killed anyone, nor do I plan to. Only I thought a mob of bandits would distract you longer while I got farther away from here is all."

"Like how we were meant to distract the bandits while you stole from them."

"It it really stealing when you take from a rob-"Luc fired an ice core tipped arrow with the idea of freezing her mouth shut for good. It would be well worth the tipped arrow as to never hear the elezen's voice again.

Instead the sprite core reacted to the active glamour prism. Then, a Seeker of the Sun stood before them.

Ri'anni Tia felt naked without a glamour over her, even worse than that. She was being perceived wrongly in this very moment. After a lifetime of that, she wasn't going to take another second of it.

Arianni dropped the item she sought to activate another glamour. Then, faced her attackers anew. "That was more embarrassing than being caught in my smallclothes, so let forget about it."

The Keepers of the Moon were stunned though. Luc had lowered her bow, and Epokhan stood mouth wide.

"Why disguse yourself was a woman?" Epokhan asked

"You sound like my mother." Arianni groaned. "Because I like to, why else?"

"How does it work? Can you show us?" Luc asked.

The skill every criminal should hone is being able to find the object a person wants and promising it to them.

"Oh is dressing in eachother's clothes not fooling the amount of people you want?" Arianni found the thing that might save her life from the Keeper with the bow and arrow.

"I learned from some imps, but I can only teach you if you have the talent." She offered and waited.

The Keepers shared a look between themselves. Arianni was quite jealous of the intimacy the two shared. To know eachother's thoughts without words, that was something she could never have with another.

"We'll considered forgiving you if you teach us the way to be disguised." Epokhan started

"As if you weren't planning on leaving me there for dead either." Arianni interrupted. Luc lifted the bow again. Arianni sewed her mouth shut quick.

"But your debt is separate, and for that we will go along with to where you'll be fencing that." Luc pointed at the trinket Arianni had dropped in her desperation. Split three way the reward for retrieving the noble's personal property was going to be small, but living another day is worth more.

"Then, you will stay right by us until we've learned." Luc finished.

"Fine, but then we never speak another word to each other after."

Arianni crossed her hands to shake each one theirs, so the three shook hands on the deal.

#ffxivwrite2024 #the parents #own writing #this is may be the wordiest thing i have written in one day.#this has not gone through my usaual revision process so it stays wordy.#honestly maybe the wrost wordy thing i have ever written but kinda love it?#talking in tags #LUC LYZEHBAL #M'ARIANNI ALHA #THATCHER EPOHKAN

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catyo90 · 2 years ago

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Elendil x F!Reader: Noticed Glances

Warning: Fluff then Smut under the cut, Smut, Minors DNI, Graphic,

Requested by @thetempleofthemasaigoddess

Being a Lore Keeper was not as exciting as some believed. But to you it was the best job you could have. You loved reading about the history of elves long since past or the humans who lived far to the east or the dragons of the far north. But what you loved most was the visits from a particular captain. For the past year, he would visit you, at first it was quick visits but one day you noticed his visits were more in duration and amount. You never knew when he would stop by but you always enjoyed his company. Even more, than you thought possible.

You looked around to see that it was surprisingly later than you thought it was. You sighed knowing he most likely would not be there today. It was far too late for him to ride out. You were alone in the Hall of Lore, many of the apprentices were not night owls like you were seeing as all of them had retired for the night in the chambers below and the Grand Lore Keeper had left for the night leaving you in charge. You didn't mind the alone time as your mind wandered to the countless visits from Elendil over the last few weeks.

You remembered the first time Elendil came to the Hall of Lore, you believed him to be there only by request by the Queen Regent or perhaps even the ill King. Not because he couldn’t be academic as well as a captain, of course, but because he wore a face so determined yet also lost in thought. Believing him to be wandering around the halls before he was due to go on a naval journey, or clandestine meeting with the Queen Regent, you were shocked when you found him sauntering down the spiral staircase before you with resolution resounding from the fall of his boots.

Instead of speaking, he lingered between the two gold candle stands that lined the final step of the library steps, just glancing at you. Removing his hands from behind his back, he bowed lowly to you and finally broke the knife-cutting tension in the sea-scented air.

“Forgive me I did not mean to intrude, I am Elendil, and I am searching for some sea maps of the southern waters. And most of the people I have asked back in the city recommended to ask you.”

“My name is Y/n. How might I help you, my lord.”

You bowed in response as you grabbed a few tomes under your arm. You remembered him inquiring as to your isolation, as at the time you were the only one under the Grand Lore Keepers wing, you had managed to catch the breathlessness that came to you as he spoke. You couldn’t help it, he was the most beautiful man you had ever since and his voice was so deep that you could swear it was the only voice you ever wanted to hear for the rest of your days. After finding the scrolls and maps he needed he bid you a fair evening, bowing down once more and thanking you. His eyes never left yours, eyes like a sea during a storm or the glow of starlight at night as he turned on his heel and left. The whole encounter left you feeling bewildered for the rest of the night, and for the next few days… until he came back again just a few quick morns later.

That time, he had come for some sea charts but since some needed to be updated, you had managed to convince him to stay longer than usual. He would sit down with you on a stool opposite your neatly organized stone desk seeing books from almost every category opened with notes and corrections made into them. He eyed the tapestry of Elrond and Elros on the wall as he watched you work, fervently pouring over old sea charts and cross-referencing them with unrolled scrolls that were so ancient that even the oldest of scholars could barely make them out. You always thought the smell of sea salt and books was comforting to you and you soon learned that he did as well. His intentions confounded you when he would leave.

You had noticed he always asked for you even when the elders offered their help, and yet you found yourself missing his company whenever he was gone too long. Thankfully, he never was unless an urgent matter of kin or kingdom drew him away. He came the next day, and the next, and the next, until it became the first venture out into the cold autumn air when he woke and dressed; it became the last place his wearied body sought out when his long hours on the open sea were done under the stars.

You shook your head remembering that you had a lot of work to finish for the night. You started by grabbing a few scrolls and properly organizing them on the shelf, climbing the ladder you finished up rather quickly and managed to even find a few lost books, no doubt from the apprentices that didn’t care for logging everything down. You sighed as you grabbed them and climbed down the ladder when suddenly you felt your foot slip on a step making you lose your footing. You were expecting to hit the floor with a loud thud but it never came. Only the feeling of someone's arms having caught you made you realize that it was Elendil who had caught you. Looking up into the grey eyes of the man whose beauty could rival that of any elf. He spoke with a voice that was both gentle and concerned.

“You alright?”

You were silent for a moment before you managed to find the words to say.

“Oh yes...Thank you. Would not have been a pleasant way to end my day.”

He carefully let you down noticing the books you were grabbing had landed on the floor. He picked them up and offered them to you. You took the books from him and breathed a sigh of relief as you examined them seeing that they were only a bit scratched.

“Glad I arrived when I did, It would be most unpleasant to see you harmed.”

“I would have to agree with you on that... not that I'm not thankful or anything Elendil but what are you doing here so late. I know you have in the past but from what I remember the last we met you said you would be at sea for almost three days.”

“The waters have grown too cold for the ships to leave and the Queen Regent has ordered all of us to stay on land for the time being. As for being here. I won't deny I would rather be in your company than with my crew.”

“Well, you are most welcome here. Though you will find we are the only ones here tonight.”

“No one to help you?” He said with a curious look

“Yes, and No, the elders left for their homes for the night and the apprentices are all asleep in the chambers far below. But now that you are here...” You smirked as he crossed his arms smiling at you.

“Oh I see, so you only wish me to be here for my services. Well, then who am I to argue.”

“Don’t worry I just need some help finding the last book that goes with these.” you gestured to your desk where he saw a two out of three. Seemed the last one was nowhere in sight.

“And after we find your illusive book?”

“Then we can relax and enjoy each other's company.”

Elendil slightly was taken aback by the statement. If he only knew how much that had a second meaning hidden behind it. You felt your face get a bit heated as you realized what you secretly wanted and tried to forget about it.

“A..Anyway we can get started in here and then try looking archives above..”

Elendil smirked as you walked over to the elegant shelves seeing some books out of order and moving them to where they belonged as you searched. Elendil did try his best to search for the book but he was in truth lost in his own thoughts. He was here for a specific reason but in truth, he was not sure how to tell you how you would react. After finding nothing in the main chamber you both started up the stairs to the higher level seeing a smaller amount of shelves and the sight of the sea spread out before you both. You couldn’t help but take in the scenery. The sea was just so beautiful, yes at times you would find yourself dreaming of the ancient forests of the elves or the delving kingdoms of the dwarves but you had to admit you would never truly tire of the beautiful ocean, especially at this time when the stars reflected perfectly in the waves as if the skies surrounded the entire island.

Elendil was scanning over the shelves and found himself looking over at you, you were a truly beautiful sight. Your hair blew in the wind as you leaned over the railing enjoying the slightly cool air. Your robes were a dark elegant blue that in truth he couldn’t help but let his mind wander. He cleared his thoughts away as he returned his attention to the task at hand. You turned around and you prayed to any of the Valar that what you saw before you were no dream or illusion. His hair was as elegant as it ever was and the blue colours of the sea guard complimented him so well, you could see when his arms would move how strong he truly was. And while he was quite a tall man you truly loved the height difference between you two. When he was near you, you felt safe and protected when there was no reason for it.

You felt a small blush rise as you started to look around for the book as well as trying so very hard to focus.

As you both searched through the old and new volumes amidst the rows of shelves in the smaller chamber, you could feel the intensity radiate from yourself as you would occasionally catch yourself glancing at him and you, in turn, would see him glance at you as he pretended to search beside you. As your fingers scanned up and down the spines, the side of his palm and pinkie bumped against your hand. At first, his mind seemed to falter, but he quickly recovered as he turned his head back to the shelves and pretended his heart wasn’t thudding as loud as a storm against his tunic. As he lowered his hand and turned to search one of the last shelves, he clenched his fingers as they burned to reach back and grab your hand in his. You turned your head back to the shelves and looked up to see a book on the top of the shelf itself. You tried grabbing at it seeing your hand fail to grab it you were about to grab the stool until you felt his presence behind you and saw him reach up to grab the book bringing the book into your hands.

“Thank you...” you curtsied to him as you walked over to the desk in the middle of the chamber placing the book on top and then returning them to their spot on the adjacent shelf.

“Well, I’m glad I'm finished for the night. My neck is hurting so much.” You said rubbing the back of your neck wondering if Elendil was tired as well. You saw him leaning on one of the shelves with a smirk on his face.

“What are you thinking?”

“I just was thinking that you do a lot of work for one person. Even more than that of the Queen Regent. I will have to help you more when I come to visit..”

“Well, I do enjoy your visits even if it really is only to help you with research or information that so many here have no idea even exists.”

“Those are not the only reasons.”

“Not the only reasons? Well, I do suppose we have the finest maps as well.”

“True but not that either.” He leaned off the shelf placing his blade near the table as you watched him cross his arms over his chest looking out into the sea.

“In truth, your company is one of the more important reasons I come here.”

“Elendil, I know you and I get along quite well...but riding out here almost every day just to have my company. Some would say that is required for people to be more than friends.”

You walked up to him a bit confused but secretly hoping his answer would be a good one. He looked over at you and smiled.

“I ride out here almost every day only to see you.”

Silence.

It took you a long minute to realize what he meant. Every time he asked for your help. Every scroll, volume, tome, book and map he ever asked for was never the true reason he was there. That he was secretly only ever wanting to see you. You felt your face become heated as a very evident blush crossed your cheeks. You felt your heart beating like crazy as you turned around trying to calm yourself down. Though that all went out the window when you felt his arms wrap around you, you couldn't help but cling to his arms as if you both were your only lifeline. His breathing was so calm and his scent was somehow like oak.

“Y/n. Ever since the first day we met. I’ve been hunted by dreams of you and visions of you in the halls, even times where I swear I hear your voice call my name even when I know it can not be. I am truly, madly and completely in love with you.”

You felt your heart beat faster as you could gently feel his beat against your back. You smiled and turned around to face him looking up at him you placed your hands on his chest feeling him breathing beneath them as he looked down at you. You turned your head away from him realizing you were still so nervous until you felt his hand gently grasp your chin to move your gaze back at him his eyes showed nothing but love as he glanced down at your lips gently bringing his lips to yours. Only for a moment before he moved his head back to look at you once more. You were completely enthralled by him as you glanced and got lost in his eyes as you spoke.

“Elendil...my dear Elendil.”

You couldn’t help it, not when you loved him so much. You brought your lips to his and felt his grasp around your frame tighten. His lips felt soft to the touch as his fingers though clearly rough from working out on the open sea were careful and gentle toward you.

You could feel his body becoming more relaxed as you melded into his embrace, his hand cupping the back of your neck as you gripped onto his shirt. Your lips were desperately moving against each other, the relief of knowing you both loved each other coursing through both of your veins as he pulled you as close to him as possible.

“You should have done this sooner,” You murmured against his lips as he chuckled to himself as pulled away just slightly to scatter kisses across your face feeling his beard tickle your face ever so slightly as you pulled him into another kiss. It started simple, to say the least, your hands delving into his locks as his fingertips traced delicate shapes onto your arms, gliding down to tentatively hold you closer to him. You felt his lips trace down your neck you gripped at his shirt trying to catch your breath. You felt his lips leave yours allowing you two to pause for a moment as you both took in each other's presence

Looking into his eyes you couldn’t help but smile as he held you tight as if you would be taken by the sea. You gently kissed him once more feeling the cold night breeze you shivered slightly until you felt his arms tighten around you once more. How could feel the warmth envelop you as he took one of your hands in his placing it on his chest ever so lightly rubbing his hand against yours as closing his eyes. You could see he was almost in a trance as he looked into your eyes, you watched as he lowered his head to yours this time placing a light kiss on the lips, one that made you feel completely and madly in love with this man.

Y/n...Are your chambers nearby?”

“Y...yes just past the archway over there.” You pointed over to the side of the tower where only one door and room showed.

“I believe I would prefer this to continue in private, don’t you?”

You nodded into his chest. He chuckled as he realized you were blushing like crazy. He brought your gaze to meet his for a moment and smiled at you. He grabbed his blade from the table and hurried you into the room by taking you by the hand before locking the door behind you. You watched him place his sword next to the door before returning his attention to you as he took your face in his hands gently kissing you on the lips once more but stopped before he continued. You looked up into his eyes, you knew he was thinking to himself as he brought a gentle hand to the back of your neck touching his forehead to yours breathing deeply.

“Y/n if you wish for this to stop tell me, But if so, I… I need you to end this because I can’t.“

You shook your head bringing your hands to his face to bring him in for another kiss. You felt him slowly backing you into the bed, he gently took you into his arms allowing both of you to fall on the soft satin sheets. You allowed his hands to slowly move up your body grazing your breasts as he kissed you once more. You gasped softly; the touch of his lips against yours caused searing bolts like lightning to travel through to your core, rendering your knees weak. You felt your hands begin to shake as you slipped your arms around his waist, and then the tremor began to make their way up your arms and into your whole being until you were a trembling, nervous wreck before him.

He pulled his face back just a bit to search your eyes, to convey without words how he felt. The heavy, emotional atmosphere sizzled and crackled between the two of you, causing both your hearts to gallop and your lips to quiver ever so slightly.

"Shh." He whispered as his fingers and thumb caressed your face, the other hand softly stroking your back. His eyes were soft, glassy, and full of emotion. He pressed his lips to yours again, this time in a hungry, searing kiss.

You whimpered against his lips as his kiss set your whole body tingling, igniting a fire inside of you. He threaded his fingers into your hair, inadvertently pulling more strands loose. His fingers felt wonderful in your hair, each caress of his fingertips sending sparks down your body, adding to the overall effect he was having on you. You had never realized that a kiss could induce such feelings. You could feel your chest tight with emotion, your heart beating rapidly as you felt tears gathering in your eyes; here was the moment for which you'd been waiting for so long, the moment that you always dreamed of. You hadn't dared to believe that Elendil could reciprocate your feelings, that you deserved a man like him.

He pulled you closer to him, and when he pushed his tongue into your mouth, you couldn’t help but gasp in surprised pleasure. He kissed you with desperation and passion as if trying to convince you through his kiss how real this was, how much he wanted you. Your breaths came in heavy pants as heat pooled between your legs once again and instinctively pushed your hips against his. You still couldn't believe this was happening, and that he truly did want you as much as you wanted him.

Elendil broke the kiss to trail kisses down your neck, occasionally nipping gently. You tightened your grip around his body.

"Elendil…" you whimpered softly, and the tears fell from your eyes. He began rubbing and squeezing your back now, his hands inching lower until he grasped you in a possessive grip. He felt like he could pass out from the overload of sensations coursing through his system. You whispered his name repeatedly, like a mantra.

"I want you - to - be - mine." He growled, between kisses along your neck and jaw.

"I’ve always been yours." You whispered, for fear that it would sound like a sob.

"By the Valar…Y/n, "

You placed a finger against his soft lips gently cupping your hand to his jaw. He dropped one arm, and let the other one smooth down your arm to capture your hand in his. He pulled you into his arms once again, and kissed you tenderly, much more tenderly than the first kiss. You brought your hands to the hem of his shirt tugging at it for him to take off. You saw him smile as he removed it to show off his slight muscular form, the light peppered hairs on his chest made you blush as you wrapped your arms around his neck. The feel of him without his light armour against your chest caused a sense of lust to course through you making you sigh. You watched his smiling face as he stroked your cheeks.

"You are truly beautiful." He whispered, caressing your cheek with one hand, the other hand propping him up on the bed. He gently lowered himself between your legs, allowing you to feel his hardness pressing against your mound.

"So lovely." He leaned down and brushed his lips against Yours, and moved his hips in an upward motion. You gasped against his lips, the pressure mounting in your womanhood increasing. He resisted the urge to repeat the action, instead, he trailed kisses down your neck, over your collarbone and between your breasts. His fingers held your soft breasts as he looked up to gauge your reaction. You simply nodded, smiling warmly up at him. You stroked his hair and his shoulders as he planted soft kisses along the skin of your breasts, he noticed with delight how your breathing came in short pants. He propped himself up on his elbows, the sight of you lying there so vulnerable, with your soft breasts exposed to him nearly undid him.

"You truly are perfection." He stroked the skin on your chest between your breasts, almost too afraid to touch the untouched skin of your nipples. He gazed down at you for a moment, feeling his throat constrict with emotion.

"Please..." You whimpered, pulling his hands over your breasts. You moaned, arching your back into his palms as he gently kneaded your breasts when he rolled each nipple between his thumb and finger, you felt like screaming. You ran your hands up his broad, masculine torso, revelling in the feel of the soft hairs covering it. You let your hands trail back down to cock, eager to release him. But he removed your hands, pinning them above your head, and cinched your wrists in one of his hands. He kissed you gently for a moment, subtly grinding his hips against your aching womanhood. Growing more confident, you bucked your hips against him, needing more friction. Elendil made a choked huff sound, fuelling your desire even more. He let go of your hands and before you could get your hands to release his cock, he pulled back.

"Uh-uh-uh, not yet. My lady" He laughed, as you groaned. He gave himself a moment to take in your beauty, he felt himself twitching in anticipation. You looked so vulnerable and pure, yet so sensual as he shook his head in wonder. He reached one hand down to trail his fingers up the inside of your thigh, watching your face all the while. you felt his fingers trail all the way up over your stomach, back up to your breasts. He leaned down to take one of your nipples into his mouth, just gently flicking his tongue over the hard bud. You hissed as you brought your hands to grasp his head tightly. He let his hand caress back downwards again, and finally, you felt him move toward your centre. You were soaked. He slipped his middle finger over your very swollen clitoris, as you bucked wildly against him, crying out unintelligible to him. The sounds you made caused his cock to throb painfully in his trousers. With one hand, he pushed them down as far as he could, as you pushed them down the rest of the way with your feet.

Once he was out of his pants, he returned his full attention to him worshipping your body. He dragged his tongue across to the other nipple, giving it a bit of love before trailing wet kisses down your abdomen. He wanted you so badly, that part of him was almost losing control, but the care he had for you overrode his urges. He wanted to ease you into this with gentle love and care.

You were in a complete state of bliss. You lay there contentedly, stroking his hair and his shoulders as he drew kisses over your skin rubbing and caressing you even closer. You felt her eyes close for a while, enjoying the contrast of his soft lips and his beard tickling against her skin. When his lips met your hips, you bucked up your hips in pleasure.

You clutched his hair and tried to pull him up, but he was having none of it. He did speed up a little bit however and moved downwards. His tongue and his teeth grazed your skin causing you to gasp as your back and shoulders arched. You had heard of men kissing women between the legs, the thought seemed to make quiver with anticipation. You looked down to see his cock making you slightly nervous from the size. Your eyes went wide. You reached your hand forward, gently stroking him.

"Y/n…" he hissed thickly, bucking into your hand as you continued to stroke him. It felt so hot and hard, he groaned loudly. One hand lazily stroked your thigh, the warmth of his palm enhancing the blooming heat in your body. He drew his hand downwards to lovingly stroke your folds as you stroked his cock in time with the gentle thrusts of his hips. He kissed his way up the inside of your leg, caressing and stroking every part of you that he could reach with his hands.

Finally, he arrived at the junction between your legs, and wasted no more time – he pressed his tongue against her. You cried out loudly, your voice high-pitched with a mixture of pleasure and panic.

"Don't worry, my love. Just relax." He entwined his fingers with yours, as he kiss you passionately down there, licking and using his lips. You studied the way his eyebrows knitted in concentration, the outline of his soft lips working to bring you closer and closer to complete release. He withdrew one hand from yours, to gently push inside. You groaned breathily when it pressed against that certain spot, and you felt him smile against your skin. He closed his lips around your clitoris, sucking very gently, before flicking his tongue over it rapidly.

Suddenly the pleasure became too much to bear – the slowly-building pressure exploded past its boundaries, your pleasure boiling over, making you cry out his name hoarsely. Your hips bucked involuntarily against his face as he continued as he gently pushed his fingers in and out. You found yourself overly sensitive after your first ever 'man-made' climax, he gently moved his head away seeing you trying to catch your breath.

"I don't even know what to say." You giggled.

"You don't have to say anything. But I will say something – you are the most beautiful woman in the world and the next." His voice was husky with desire, and the sound of it caused your desire to soar once again.

You took his erection into your hand once again and guided him to your entrance.

"Are you sure?" he asked, hesitating. You nodded, though you were extremely nervous. He was very large, and you were rather small compared to him. He knew he would have to be patient.

He pushed the tip of his cock into you and held it there for a moment so that you could adjust to the feeling. He watched your face for any signs of distress, but so far, you seemed to be handling it much better than you thought. He pushed in a little bit deeper and thrust gently. He still wasn't even halfway inside. He wanted desperately to sheathe himself inside fully, but he didn't want to hurt you

"It's ok. Keep going," you whispered, lovingly stroking his back.

He pushed in further – you winced in pain. He was of quite considerable size, and you were very tight. You knew it was normal for it to feel this way at first – you'd never had anything apart from yourself being there, and he stretched you further than he had imagined.

"I'm sorry," He whispered against your neck, holding still once again.

"Don't be." You knew the pain wouldn't last, yet the shock of him inside made it hard to relax.

"I just need to relax." You tried to keep your tone light, but he could hear the anxiety in your voice.

He lifted his head to look at you and kissed you softly as he pushed deeper still. You relaxed as best you could, and encouraged him with your caress and kisses. He was finally fully sheathed inside of you, you both let out a breath you didn't know you’d been holding. He held himself inside still, giving you a chance to adjust to his size.

Gradually, you both found a slow, gentle rhythm. He cradled you protectively in his arms, resting his forehead against yours as you moved together.

"I'm sorry." He whispered again, and you kissed his lips. You couldn't contain the tears of love that spilt from your eyes; your whole body was shaken by heavy emotion, as you felt yourself on the edge of burst. Each of his thrusts caused spears of desire to shoot upwards and outwards, the feeling, unlike anything you'd ever imagined it could be.

You clung tightly to him; he was your anchor in this tidal wave, and you never wanted to let go. No romance novels you’d read adequately described the depth of love you felt for him. Your heart sang with adoration for this formal, charismatic, gentle giant; he was being so caring and considerate. You could sense how hard it was for him to restrain himself, which made it obvious that he was doing this for you, for your comfort.

Once he was satisfied that you were actually enjoying yourself, that the pain was gone, he began to move a bit faster, a bit deeper, while still keeping it slow and gentle. You met his thrusts with your own, gripping him hard. You wanted him to go faster, go harder, but he was worried that if he did, you'd be sore afterwards. But you urged him on, driving your hips against his until he felt his control slipping – the desire to be gentle made way for more primal urges; his loving kisses became more and more ferocious, his teeth catching your bottom lip and nipping none-too-gently at your jaw as he increased the speed of his thrusts. Your cries became higher in pitch, as you dug your fingers into him, arms holding on tight. Both of your movements became frenzied, and frantic, whispered words of encouragement and comfort turning into shouts of how good it felt.

And just when it seemed that the floodgates couldn't open any wider, He gripped your cheeks and said,

"Ge Melin, beautiful Y/n."

You let out only a few tears, not sorrowful ones but those of joy.

"Oh, Elendil…Ge Melin. I always have." He exhaled loudly with the biggest smile as he continued to pick up the pace.

Soon, there was no more room for words - the only sounds were the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh, you both panting, your grunts and groans of blissful effort. The sounds he made enhanced the slowly-building tension coiled in your most sensitive place until his increasing grunts and moans caused your climax to come rushing in. When he felt reached between the two of you gently rubbing your clitoris, you felt yourself tip over the edge.

"Elendil!" you shouted, convulsing under him as he held you tighter before his movements faltered and he spilt his seed inside you, hoarsely whispering unintelligible words of love in your ear. He all but collapsed on top of you, panting and dripping sweat. You pulled his face to yours, as he placed loving kisses over your face.

"I swear I will love you forever," He whispered, stroking your face lovingly.

You stayed like that for a time, just caressing and whispering words of love and affection to each other, enjoying the feeling of skin against skin, getting to know one another on a deeper level. He kissed your cheek softly.

"By the Valar, Y/n, I love you." He said again, pulling you in for another cuddle before he reluctantly stood up. You crawled under the covers to get warm and curled into a ball. Pleasant exhaustion swept over your whole body. He chuckled softly, loving the fact that he could lay naked with you now. A secret fantasy that he always dreamed of since first meeting you. He carefully snuggled up behind you and draped his arm around you. His emotional soft heart swelled in his chest – how good it felt to be able to feel your pressed up against him, naked, and how good it felt to be able to press his nose into your neck and breathe you in.

You woke up a little while later, to feel Elendils' hard, muscular body pressed against yours, his hands stroking up your hip and arm. You breathed a satisfied sigh, enjoying the sensations he was causing to your body. Goosebumps prickled your skin as he caressed you, causing you to hum softly. From your sound, you felt him grow hard against your inner thighs, and you felt your desire flare to life. You smiled to yourself as you subtly pushed your rear against him, earning a low groan from him. The stroking of his hand became more urgent, and he slipped his other arm under your neck to hold you closer. He couldn't resist the silken feel of your skin against his member. He rubbed it against you and then gently lifted your leg and pulled it back so it rested over his leg. You arched your back to give him better access, and he rubbed the head of his cock gently over your sex. You felt somewhat wild, but it mattered less than the bolts of desire zapping through your whole body.

"Mmmh…" you moaned, gripping his arm. He reached around with his other hand to rub your clitoris gently making your voice increase in pitch. He chuckled into your neck as he pushed his tip inside, once again pressing in slowly. You didn't tense against him this time – you were much more relaxed about the whole thing. You reached your arm behind yourself to clutch his head as he increased the depth of his movements, your soft grunts and moans urging him on. You lift your leg higher and arched your back further, wanting, no, begging him to push deeper. His head felt hazy with lust knowing fully well that he just wanted to take you even harder than before, but you could sense he was afraid that you were still tender.

"Is it alright?" he asked you. As he gently cupped a hand to your cheek turning your gaze to meet his.

"It feels wonderful, my love…it's more than wonderful." Your words came out as halting grunts as you felt your walls become tighter and wetter around him.

Sensing your imminent climax, he pulled out and manoeuvred you so that you were straddling him. The way the candlelight flickered over your shining skin made his heart swell. He ran his hands over your arms, your neck, and down your chest, over your breasts. Your skin was so soft, just as he'd always imagined.

"Come here." He whispered, holding the base of his erection for you to slide onto. You carefully lift your hips and gently lower yourself down onto him.

You slowly ground your clitoris against him as he gently thrust, panting with need as your womanhood swelled yet again. You leaned forward so that you could rest against him laying your head against his chest. You listened to the beat of his heart – it was faster than usual, owing to his lust. You couldn’t help but smile as you placed soft kisses against his skin as he caressed you, causing goosebumps to rise all over your arms and shoulders. His hands never stopped moving the whole time, making you feel warmed by his love. He placed his fingers under your chin to lift your face to meet his as you both gazed smilingly at each other as you both increased your movements.

You pushed yourself upright so you could run your hands along his broad chest and torso. You sped up your grinding movements, placing your hands on his chest for support. Another orgasm for the night snuck up on you before you had a chance to stop it and shuddered on top of him. He gripped tightly onto your hips; he felt himself tipping over the edge too as the sudden relief of his seed came.

You traced circles on his chest as you listened to his panting. It all felt so familiar to you, as though you’d always been together. So this is what love is like, you thought.

"I feel like I have been waiting for this forever." You sighed

"I'm sorry."

"Elendil, why did you keep me waiting for so long?" you looked up at him, your eyes twinkling as brightly as mythril.

"At first I thought my feelings toward you were inappropriate. I – I kept pushing my feelings away because I thought that if I allowed myself to…" He sighed and continued stroking your skin, causing goosebumps. You didn't press him for an answer.

"I wanted to make our first time together special. I was going to wait so that I could have you all to myself uninterrupted for at least a week, but here you have a lot of people expecting things from you." He blurted.

"Oh, my dear Elendil. Our first time was special, this is special. I am happy as long as I'm by your side, and I am at home whenever I'm with you because home is where you are." You pushed yourself upwards and kissed him tenderly.

"Ge Melin Elendil.”

He turned his head to kiss your palm before falling against the pillows. He brought you up into his embrace allowing you to lay your head against his chest. The sounds of the ocean surround you both as the sound of early birds cawing out. He brought his body closer to you and kissed you softly.

"Perhaps now we should get some rest." You smiled warmly.

"I would have to agree.” You kissed his neck and leaned up to kiss his lips.

He smiled at you as you both sank into the bed. You brought the blankets over both your bodies moving closer to his body. You smiled both of you treaded off to sleep.

You stirred when a ray of sunlight slipped through the curtains and onto your eyes. You could tell by the shade of the rays that it was still early in the morning. You rolled over and were surprised to find Elendil still sound asleep beside you. You knew he was an early riser, so he was very likely to wake up soon. As you lay there watching him, an idea popped into your head. You weren't sure if it was something you should do, but the more you thought about it, the more irresistible the thought became. You looked down to see he had thrown off all but a sheet sometime during the night. He was laying on his back, breathing even, eyes shut tightly.

You moved slowly, careful not to disturb him. You sat up and slowly peeled back the sheet. Much to your surprise, his cock was already half hard. You smirked, feeling like the Valar had smiled down on you. You were very gentle as you took his cock into your hands and slowly began to stroke it. He stirred slightly, clearly feeling something even if his brain couldn't place it. As his cock began to harden more, you slipped it into your mouth, sucking slowly, letting soft moans of pleasure slip from your lips. You started to feel him begin to wake up then, but he was still in a daze. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he knew it felt good.

You continued sucking as his cock grew to its full size. In moments he was rock hard and his hips were moving against your mouth of their own accord. His eyes fluttered open and he slowly looked around the room. When he looked down, his breath caught in his chest at what he saw: your pretty little mouth wrapped around his cock, bright lust-filled eyes locked onto his face. You moaned softly as if to acknowledge the fact that he was now fully awake. Your moan pulled one from deep in his own throat.

"-feels so good. If you keep this up d-don’t think I’ll last my lady" he moaned. You were surprised by his words, thinking it would take longer to work him to orgasm. But you didn't stop, in fact, you sped up slightly.

"Ah!--" his hands tangled in your hair as his hips bucked up slightly. You focused more on your efforts, using your hands to stroke the rest. His body tensed as he came with a loud groan, filling up your mouth with his seed. You let go of his cock away from your mouth with a pop sound making him moan from pleasure as he pulled you gently up towards him. He kissed you softly before rolling you over so you were under him.

"Good morning," he whispered. You grinned.

"Good morning."

“ I will have to visit you every night now if that's how you're gonna wake me up." He said holding you tight kissing your neck pulling you into his lap.

“Though, I must admit I will hate to see you leave this morning. Eru knows you will be busy.”

“Actually... I asked for one of the apprentices to take over for me today. They won’t come looking for me.”

He looked at you with a small smirk on his face, and you gasped feeling him lift you up ever so slightly as you felt his cock harden again and entered you once more. His eyes started to darken.

"Elendil--" Your words were cut off by his fiery kiss. He barely gave you time to register what was happening before his hips moved frantically between your legs and you were crying out in pleasure.

“Captain...Y/n.” He growled out. Your eyes widened as he brought an arm under your leg kissing you passionately up your neck before desperately bringing his lips to yours. You knew you were in for one of the most blissful mornings of your life...but you wouldn't have it any other way.

#elendil x reader #Elendil #reader insert #Smut #reader #Rings of Power #elendilf #Female reader #new #catyo90

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barbex · 2 years ago

Note

Happy Friday! I wish you would write something where the characters are lost and need to find their way back somewhere safe – maybe for Hawke/Merrill?

I got you! Thank you for the prompt, for tonight's @dadrunkwriting, it did indeed inspire me for Merrill x Hawke. I hope you like it.

"I think we're lost." Hawke drops her pack into the sand and sits down next to it. Her feet hurt, her shirt sticks to her back and some insect has bitten her neck. It's not far to the water's edge, so she kind of knows where they are in the general sense, but not really in relation to the way back to Kirkwall.

Merrill bends over a bush with prickly leaves and white flowers. "Oh, are you sure?" she says absentmindedly. She breaks off a branch from the bush and stores it in the bag at her hip.

"Well, I look at my map and I can't find any landmarks and it all looks the same..." Hawke digs her heels into the ground in frustration. "Shouldn't you know where we are and where we should go? Isn't that a keeper thing?" She immediately regrets her outburst when she sees the shadow falling over Merrill's face.

Merrill straightens her shoulders and looks towards the horizon. "You're right, lethallan, that is a keeper thing."

"I'm sorry. That's not —"

"There's a storm coming," Merrill interrupts. "We need to find shelter."

"I think I saw a cave back there," Hawke says sheepishly.

"Yes, where Melava's lilies grew." Merrill grabs her staff like a walking stick and turns back towards the cliffs.

Hawke has no idea what flowers Merrill is talking about. She hasn't ever paid attention to the names of flowers, and the names Merrill knows differ from what her mother's books postulated. Merrill walks with confidence, leading Hawke on a path she can't remember having seen before.

"Right here," Merrill says, pointing at blue flowers, which look elegant somehow. The wind picks up, blowing her hair into her face. For a moment, she loses sight of Merrill.

"Here." Merrill grabs her arm and pulls her into a thicket.

Hawke trips over something, stumbling into Merrill's arms. The wind doesn't reach them anymore, just in time as the rain starts to hammer down outside of the cave Merrill pulled her into. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I trip all the time," Merrill says.

"That's not what I meant."

Merrill lets her hand slide down Hawke's arm and takes her hand. "I know."

Pressing her hand, Hawke stares out into the approaching darkness outside of their shelter. "I shouldn't have said that."

"But you were right." Merrill pulls her deeper into the cave, balancing a fireball in her hand. "This is a keeper thing. But I cannot read your maps. I read the flowers, the grass, the mushrooms."

"Of course. I'm such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, vhenan." Merrill places the fireball in a groove between stones and sits down to pull their mats from their packs. "You are just such a city shem!"

Hawke presses her hand to her chest. "Ouch! I guess I deserved that."

"I know which way we have to go to get back to Kirkwall, but it's too late now." Merrill pats the place next to her. "Come here."

Hawke sits down and wraps her arm around Merrill's shoulders. "Can you tell me a story?"

Merrill grins at her. "Yes, that is also a keeper thing. But maybe we should eat something first."

"I knew you're the smarter one of us," Hawke says and pulls a pack of sandwiches from her bag. As they eat, the rain falls like a curtain just a few steps away from their hiding place. The fireball paints the cave in warm light. Hawke looks at Merrill, how the light makes her vallaslin glow. "I really know that you're smart."

"I know, vhenan," Merrill says, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Now stop being silly and eat your food or I won't tell you a story."

Hawke hurries to bite into her sandwich, watching Merrill. Despite everything, it looks like Merrill brought her to just the right place tonight. Must be a keeper thing.

#dadrunkwriting #Merrill x Hawke #dragon age #Merrill #Hawke #dragon age fanfiction #my writing

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psychiclounge · 10 months ago

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for anon: The List part 1

Thief Gold: - Ascend the Dim Valley (City, Mansion/Estate, Pagan, Mages, Relic/Artifact) I love this FM so much that I'm genuinely struggling to be concise about it. Great writing, gorgeous architecture, crunchy unfiltered textures, Pagan surrealism that cranks up hard toward the end, one of my favorite visuals ever, and a very memorable Keeper-related secret. - Endless Rain (City, Keepers, Mansion/Estate, Thieves Highway) Absolutely iconic rooftop/city mission. Skacky appears several times on this list and for very good reason. - Rose Garden (Assassination, City, Thieves Highway) Massive to an almost daunting degree, this one took me around 8 hours to complete on my first playthrough. Intricate and interconnected level design with beautiful architecture, satisfying puzzles and sneaking, very fun rooftop shenanigans, and some incredible atmosphere. - The Scarlet Cascabel (2 mission campaign) (Horror, Relic/Artifact, Mansion/Estate, Village, Mines, Tombs/Crypts, Undead) The second level gets so scary at a point that I stopped playing my first try and only completed it over a year later. There's also an optional side mission to find a full set of chess pieces, if you like! - The Black Parade (10 mission campaign, too many tags to list) This is one of the most highly anticipated FMs in years and is well worth playing if you want something to really sink your teeth into that offers more of a challenge than the original games. Go in blind. - Catacombs of Knoss (Cathedral, City, Relic/Artifact, Tombs/Crypts) - Alcazar (Bar/Tavern, Tombs/Crypts, Undead, Surreal/Bizarre) - Chalice of Souls (2 mission campaign) (City, Keepers, Winter/Snow, Ruins, Thieves Highway) - Making a Profit (Cathedral, City, Hammerites, Sabotage, Cemetery, Mansion/Estate) - The Sound of a Burrick in a Room (Mansion/Estate, City, Hammerite, Caves, Thieves Highway) - Whispers Below the Cobblestone (City, Thieves Highway, Thieves/Thieves Guild, Relic/Artifact, Man-made Tunnel) - Between These Dark Walls (Castle/Fortress, City, Keepers, Thieves Highway) - Dirty Money (Bar/Tavern, City, Sewer, Thieves/Thieves Guild) - Falling, In Love (5-Minute Wonder, Novelty/Experimental, Escape, Thieves Highway) - Autumn in Lampfire Hills (Mystery/Detective, Tombs/Crypts, Undead, Town) A classic! This is a 2014 re-release of a 1999 FM but very much still has that classic Thief feel. I don't hit on very many older FMs in this list but they're well worth checking out, and this is a decent place to start. Also, Garrett owns an adorable little cottage in this one.

Thief 2: - Compulsory Egress(City, Ruins, Thieves Highway, Thieves/Thieves Guild) - Into the Odd(City, Daylight, Escape, Horror, Hardest, Surreal/Bizarre, Ruins, Sewer, Undead, Thieves/Thieves Guild) This might be my absolute favorite FM ever. That 'Hardest' tag is no joke in parts, especially a bit of forced ghosting near the beginning, but it's well worth it. Another one you should go in blind for. - Bad Debts(City, Mansion/Estate, Sewers, Thieves Highway, Undead) - ... and its sequel Disorientation(both part of the Talbot series by Melan, along with TG FM Rose Garden) (City, Thieves Highway) - The Violent End of Duncan Malveine (Horror, Mansion/Estate, Mystery/Detective, Novelty/Experimental) A murder mystery! A randomly generated murder mystery! Every time you start this FM, a different murderer and murder weapon are picked, and you piece together the clues as you loot the place, selecting your prime suspect before you leave. This one also has a full 52 card deck hidden around the map to find, which I promise is way more fun than it sounds, I've done it twice. - Feast of Pilgrims (Cathedral, City, Hammerite, Non-Garrett Player, Relic/Artifact, Thieves Highway) - Ominous Bequest (Horror, Mansion/Estate, Lost Civilization, Mystery/Detective, Temples, Tombs/Crypts) - ... and its sequel Broken Triad (Horror, City, Keepers, Lost Civilizations, Ruins, Museum) - Rose Cottage (Horror, Cemetery/Graveyard, Mystery/Detective, Non-Garrett Player, Undead) You play as a paranormal investigator, determining the cause of a haunting at a mortuary and exorcising the restless spirits. No looting, no direct combat- Rose Cottage is primarily puzzle-focused and also scaring-the-hell-out-of-you-focused. There's also an absolutely fiendish tarot card hunt, if you want to really scour the place.

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bookwyrminspiration · 2 years ago

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i'm working on compiling a timeline of the keeper series and my GOD there are some busy days in here. did you remember that sophie searching prentice’s mind and then talking to lord cassius and searching candleshade and then going to the hideout she'd been kidnapped and tortured in and discovering that symbol on the floor all happened in one day? and that wasn't even the whole day? and that it was only the second day of the book?

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #please don't use this post to be mean to shannon about pacing i swear. i just think it's funny this is sometimes how writing works #it's not shannon being bad at writing and pacing it's literally just how things work sometimes.#i've mapped it out up to lodestar so far #woa! we're half way there! woa! livin on a prayer!#anyway to the anon who requested the timeline like two or three months ago I swear I haven't forgotten about it!#i am working through it! just. slower than I meant to

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cloudwhisper23 · 1 year ago

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Most bugs wouldn’t be strong enough to traverse the infectious caverns of Hallownest. That was what the old bug had said to him when he’d prepared for his travels down. The red-cloaked bug with the needle implied much the same. Although, there was one bug, aside from himself, that seemed very capable. Quirrel reflected on that, staring out at the City of Tears.

Quirrel shifted slightly. His experiences down here had been quite the tale so far. He regretted not bringing his own journal. Sometimes, his friend would stop to refer back to notes or a map, quickly writing something down. Quirrel kept his words to himself, of course. It wouldn’t do to take things from his new wandering friend. Especially with the way the little wanderer kept getting more battered-looking.

He’d encountered a shop keeper after arriving here, one who shared his interest in history and forgotten times. Lemm, the bug had said by way of introduction.

Quirrel showed Lemm the trinkets that the little wanderer had given him as gifts. A Hallownest Seal and an interesting piece of writing Quirrel had dubbed the Wanderer’s Journal. Lemm had been quite excited to see them, asking if Quirrel was selling.

“Ah, these were gifts from a close friend. I can’t bear to part with them,” Quirrel had said.

“Those relics are quite valuable. Perhaps they are more so to you, with the attachment you hold.” Lemm reluctantly bid Quirrel farewell, his eyes lingering as Quirrel put the relics back in his bag.

Quirrel knew his journey would take him deeper into Hallownest. He could still feel the original pull calling him here. But surely he could wait to see his friend again? Once more, just to reassure himself.

Quirrel tapped his foot impatiently. He’d last spoken to the little wanderer in the Mantis Village. Surely his friend hadn’t ignored his advice and gone to fight the Mantis Lords before coming to the city. The little wanderer wasn’t that foolish, were they?

Quirrel squirmed slightly on the bench. His friend was capable. If they believed they could fight the Mantis Lords right then, Quirrel had no place to stop them. Still, the prospect was starting to make Quirrel itch. Maybe he should’ve shown the little wanderer the way to the City of Tears. They could’ve just gotten sidetracked, or perhaps it was a case of getting lost, but Quirrel was beginning to fear the worst.

Just as he prepared to rise from the bench and return to Fog Canyon, a familiar footfall caught his attention. The soft, surefooted steps of the little wanderer. Quirrel’s shoulder’s sagged with relief, and he focused his gaze back outside the window. From the corner of his eye, he saw the sorry state of his friend’s cloak. Torn and battered, it looked more like thorns had attacked his friend than any Mantis. There were even new indents in the little wanderer’s mask.

“An unpleasant journey, friend?” Quirrel asked, turning to the wanderer.

His friend only looked up at him, not making a sound. Their nail didn’t seem any worse for wear, miraculously. The little wanderer looked at Quirrel, expectantly. Quirrel felt a faint smile growing on his face. Right, of course. He always shared stories about his adventures with his friend. Settling in, Quirrel started his tale.

He didn’t fail to notice when the wanderer’s head drooped to the side, nearly knocking them from the bench. A steady hand was enough to push them back upright as Quirrel continued to speak. When the tale was over, Quirrel leaned back to properly rest. His friend rarely stayed with him this long. Perhaps the journey was more unpleasant than they’d planned.

The little wanderer’s mask pressed into Quirrel’s side as they both rested for the journey ahead.

#cloud writes #hollow knight #hk quirrel #hk ghost #just a ficlet thing I thought of #since I've been playing more recently #and i still cannot get through to city of tears #maybe my routing is off #but that section where you have to use claw and cloak to get across the bridge #is just too hard for me #so ghost has signs of my failed struggle #just as a little treat #they didn't fight the mantis lords quirrel #they're just piloted by someone who's really bad at the game

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andiv3r · 10 months ago

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favorite book?

if you cant think of one, a list of books you like?

(you can only choose good omens if it is part of a list)

GODDAMN IT fine i'll do a list then >:(

GOOD OMENS !!!!!!!!!!! Number 1 favorite.

Wings of Fire series (i really liked those)

Warriors / Survivors / Seekers <3 the Erin Hunter books my beloved

Keeper of the Lost Cities series, the recent books were kinda meh imo but who cares

Percy Jackson <3 <3 <3 never read past the first series because the books past there were banned in my school library for queer reasons (it was a Catholic school) but I intend to read them all at some point.

The Last Dogs series

The Map to Everywhere series

... this has made me scour my bookshelf for books I liked and I realized I never finished reading Eragon, I really liked it though.

Artemis Fowl (been a while since I read those books but they were very good)

#fave book list #favorite books #book list #mutuals #asks #answering asks

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dustedmagazine · 1 year ago

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Dusted Mid-Year 2023, Part Three (The Lists)

Natural Information Society

Swapping records is fun, but when it comes down to it, we like what we like. What’s that? Glad you asked. Read on for our writers’ mid-year favorites.

Jennifer Kelly

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Robert Forster — The Candle and the Flame (Tapete)

The Drin — Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom (Feel It)

En Attendant Ana — Principia (Trouble in Mind)

Stella Kola—S-T (Self-Release)

Mudhoney — Plastic Eternity (Sub Pop)

Sleaford Mods — UK Grim (Domino)

The Tubs — Dead Meat (Trouble in Mind)

Nighttime — Keeper Is the Heart (BaDaBing)

Purling Hiss — Drag on Girard (Drag City)

Lonnie Holley — Oh Me Oh My (Jagjaguwar)

The Toads—In the Wilderness (Upset the Rhythm)

Dan Melchior—Welcome to Redacted City (Midnight Cruiser)

James and the Giants—S-T (Kill Rock Stars)

Ben Chasny and Rick Tomlinson—Waves (VOIX)

Bill Meyer

Natural Information Society — Since Time Is Gravity (Eremite)

Elkhorn — On the Whole Universe in All Directions (Centripetal Force)

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Robert Forster — The Candle and the Flame (Tapete)

The Necks — Travel (Northern Spy)

Milford Graves — Children of the Forest (Black Editions)

Peter Brötzman Heather Leigh — Naked Nudes (Trost)

Yo La Tengo — This Stupid World (Matador)

Magic Tuber Band — Tarantism (Feeding Tube)

Drew Gardner — Flowers in Space (Feeding Tube)

Jozef Van Wissem and Jim Jarmusch — American Landscapes (Incunambulum)

Dave Rempis/Elisabeth Harnik/Tim Daisy — Earscratcher (Aerophonic)

Alasdair Roberts — Grief in the Kitchen and Mirth in the Hall (Drag City)

Jonathan Shaw

BIG BRAVE — nature morte (Thrill Jockey)

Wound Man — Human Outline (Iron Lung)

Gel — Only Constant (Convulse)

Home Front — Games of Power (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Sleaford Mods — UK Grim (Domino)

Spirit Possession — Of the Sign… (Profound Lore)

Bryon Hayes

Yo La Tengo — This Stupid World (Matador)

Big Blood — First Aid Kit (Feeding Tube / BaDaBing)

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Califone — Villagers (Jealous Butcher)

M. Sage — Paradise Crick (RVNG Intl.)

The Reds, Pinks & Purples — The Town That Cursed Your Name (Slumberland)

John Atkinson — Energy Fields (AKP Recordings)

Joseph Allred — What Strange Flowers Grow in the Shade (Feeding Tube)

The Far Sound — The Far Sound (Centripetal Force)

Ulaan Khol — Milk Thistle (Desastre)

Powers / Pulice / Rolin — Prism (Cached Media)

Lia Kohl — The Ceiling Reposes (American Dreams)

Tim Clarke

Jana Horn — The Window Is The Dream (No Quarter)

Arrowounds — In The Octopus Pond (Lost Tribe Sound)

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Pile — All Fiction (Exploding In Sound)

Tim Hecker — No Highs (Kranky)

Califone — Villagers (Jealous Butcher)

King Krule — Space Heavy (XL/Matador)

This Is The Kit — Careful Of Your Keepers (Rough Trade)

Cory Hanson — Western Cum (Drag City)

Andy Shauf — Norm (Anti-)

Patrick Masterson

Pile — All Fiction (Exploding in Sound)

Yves Tumor — Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (Warp)

Wednesday — Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)

Jayda G — Guy (Ninja Tune)

Ryuichi Sakamoto — 12 (Milan)

Malla — Fresko (Solina)

Skech185 — He Left Nothing for the Swim Back (Backwoodz Studioz)

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru — Jerusalem (Mississippi)

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Andrea — Due in Color (Ilian Tape)

Memphis LK — Too Much Fun EP (Remote Control)

BigXthaPlug — Amar (United Masters)

Andrew Forell

Algiers — Shook (Matador)

King Vision Ultra — Shook World (Hosted by Algiers)

Asher Gamedze — Turbulence & Pulse (International Anthem)

99LETTERS — Makafushigi (Disciples)

The Drin— Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom (Drunken Sailor)

Comet Gain — The Misfit Jukebox (Tapete)

billy woods & Kenny Segal — Maps (Backwoodz Studioz)

Kevin Richard Martin — Above the Clouds (self-released)

SQÜRL — Silver Haze (Sacred Bones)

The Murder Capital — Gigi’s Recovery (Human Season)

Parasite Jazz — Paradise Jazz (Disques de la Spirale)

Christian Carey

The Reds, Pinks, and Purples — The Town that Cursed Your Name (Slumberland)

Aaron Cassidy — A Way of Making Ghosts (Kairos)

Arrowounds — In the Octopus Pond (Settled Scores)

V/A – Red Hot and Ra: Nuclear War LP (Red Hot)

Oval — Romantiq (Thrill Jockey)

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Black Duck — S/T (Thrill Jockey)

Mother, Sister, Daughter — Musica Secreta (Lucky Music)

Natural Information Society – Since Time is Gravity (Eremite)

Alasdair Roberts — Grief in the Kitchen and Mirth in the Hall (Drag City)

Fever Ray — Radical Romantics (Mute)

James Romig — Spaces (Sawyer Editions)

Brad Mehldau — Your Mother Should Know (Nonesuch)

Nina Berman and Steve Beck — Milton Babbitt: Works for Treble Voice and Piano (New Focus)

Marc Ducret — Palm Sweat (Out of Your Head)

Jennifer Grim — Through Broken Time (New Focus)

Erkki — Sven Tüür: Canticum Canticorum Caritatis (Alpha Classics)

James Ilgenfritz — #entrainments (Frequent Seams)

Brandon Lopez — vilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevile (TAO Forms)

Lonnie Holley — Oh Me Oh My (Jagjaguwar)

John Liberatore — Catch Somewhere (New Focus Recordings)

Sebastian Rochford, Kit Downes — A Short Diary (ECM Records)

Frederic Rzewski — Late Piano Works (Naxos)

Rebecca Saunders — Skin (NMC)

Guided by Voices — La La Land (self— released)

Susan Narucki and Donald Berman — This Island (Avie)

Chamber Music From Hell — Chris Opperman (Purple Cow)

Elkhorn — On the Whole Universe in All Directions (Centripetal Force)

Purling Hiss — Drag on Girard (Drag City)

Caterina Barbieri — Myuthafoo (light-years)

Yo La Tengo — This Stupid World (Matador)

Ian Mathers

Fifteen, in alphabetical order:

Aarktica — Paeans (Projekt)

Acid King — Beyond Vision (Blues Funeral)

ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT — “Darling the Dawn” (Constellation)

Avalon Emerson — & the Charm (Another Dove)

Brìghde Chaimbeul — Carry Them With Us (Tak:til)

The Drin — Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom (Feel It)

Ladytron — Time’s Arrow (Cooking Vinyl)

loscil // Lawrence English — Colours of Air (Kranky)

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Mute Duo — Migrant Flocks (American Dreams)

The National — First Two Pages of Frankenstein (4AD)

Tacoma Park — Tacoma Park (Self Released)

Tørrfall — Tørrfall (De Pene Inngang)

Yo La Tengo — This Stupid World (Matador)

Yves Tumor — Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (Warp)

Derek Taylor

New releases

Kirk Knuffke & Joe McPhee Quartet + 1 — Keep the Dream Up (Fundacja Sluchaj)

Natural Information Society — Time is Gravity (Eremite/Aguirre)

Aruán Ortiz — Serranias — Sketchbook for Piano Trio (Intakt)

Mark Dresser — Tines of Change (Pyroclastic)

Andrew Cyrille — Music Delivery/Percussion (Intakt)

Steve Millhouse — The Undwinding (Steeplechase)

Archival Releases

The Jazz Doctors — Intensive Care/Prescriptions Filled: The Billy Bang Quartet Sessions 1983/1984 (Cadillac)

Milford Graves w/ Arthur Doyle & Hugh Glover — Children of the Forest (Black Editions)

Abdul Wadud — By Myself (Bisharra/Gotta Groove)

Sirone — Artistry (Of the Cosmos/Moved By Sound)

Marion Brown — Mary Ann: Live in Bremen 1969 (Moosicus)

Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music — For Jemeel: Fire From the Road (2005-2006) (RogueArt)

Margaret Welsh

Wheatie Mattiasich — Old Glow (Open Mouth)

Rozi Plain — Prize (Memphis Industries)

Glass Triangle — Blue and Sun-lights (Relative Pitch)

Andy Shauf — Norm (Anti)

Yo La Tengo — This Stupid World (Matador)

Horse Jumper of Love —Heartbreak Rules (Run for Cover)

Bill Orcutt — Jump On It (Palilalia)

Lana Del Rey — Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Interscope)

#dusted magazine #midyear #midyear 2023 #writers lists #jennifer kelly #bill meyer #jonathan shaw #bryon hayes #tim clarke #patrick masterson #ian mathers #derek taylor #margaret welsh #christian carey #andrew forell

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