#nostalgia 90's juice

[one-last-puku]

I just had a crazy flashback.

I was watching this review like video about Trigun, a frame pops up with Vash, bimbamzoom my mind snapped, suddenly I was 10 years old again thinking to myself... if there's one thing I remember most about Trigun was that I was just... mesmerized by his coat.

My flashback had me remembering how much I just loved that freaking coat, I needed to learn how to draw it. My mind is showing me failing to understand how clothes and form works. Just kinda eyeball copying what I saw. XD I was like that's just the coolest freaking coat and I want it!

I mean... I think I also liked his glasses, but THAT COAT!

My 10 year old ass needed that cool freaking coat, that's one thing for sure.

I've never been the same since.

I should just cosplay him for the mere fact that his outfit is just so much my vibe.

[jaxteller87]

Big Papa 2

I meticulously scurried around the house, slowly chipping away at my never-ending list of chores. Jax was out on a run, just a short two-day trip this time. If it were any longer, he wouldn’t have even considered going. Despite being fully healed after my grueling six months of physical rehabilitation, I still didn’t have my full range of energy back, although time would change this. I’m just happy that my hair has grown out completely. Juice had promised to keep an eye on me, but I reassured him that I could handle myself during the day. I just needed him to be at the house by sunset. That was a rule I had recently added to our little agreement. You see when Teller wasn’t around, I couldn’t play the role of my own babysitter. And personally, I knew that I didn’t need one all the time, nor did I want one. For longer than I can remember now, that’s how it’s been, so I struck a deal with Juice – and as long as he was there at sunset, everything would be fine. And surprisingly, Teller agreed to that addition without much fuss.

As I went about my chores, a familiar tune was in the air, and I couldn’t help but sing along, “How I love it when you call me Big Poppa.” The rhythmic beats of 90’s R&B still held a special place in my heart. Although, in all fairness, Biggie was more renowned for his rap rather than R&B back then. Taking a moment to soak in the nostalgia, I glanced around the kitchen before wheeling myself down the hall towards the shower. The sweltering heat in Charming that day was nothing short of miserable and quite disgusting.

Once I entered the steamy bathroom, I turned my gaze towards the shower door, only to find my ol man grinning at me. He had taken off his clothes, wearing nothing more but a mischievous smile. My smile grew wider as Jax swung open the shower door and effortlessly lifted me onto his lap. To say I was ecstatically surprised by his unexpected presence would have been a massive understatement.

“I thought you weren’t coming home until late?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Yeah, well, what can I say? I left early,” he whispered, nibbling my neck and playfully grabbing my breast, “plus, I guess I just missed you too much.”

“Let me guess; you didn’t tell anyone you left?”

“Who would I need to tell?” he answered disconcertingly, kissing my chest.

 “Oh, I don’t know, Clay, maybe?” I said sarcastically.

“Fuck Clay. He could have sent anyone else on that run, but instead, he makes his shit plan my problem.”

“Oh, anything you want to talk about?” I asked, already knowing that he wouldn’t bring me into club business. Not that he didn’t trust me; I just knew how much he needed me in the other world, like an anchor for him to hold onto. I don’t think he’d have much of a life outside the Sons if it weren’t for me.

“Nah, I just heard him telling Bobby that since you’ve been cleared, I need to focus a little more on the club. In the meantime, him and Gemma are rackin’ up quite the bill between Hobby Lobby and Pottery Barn.”

“Hobby Lobby and Pottery Barn? Should I even ask?”

“Nope,” he said, kissing my neck, “just another one of Gemma’s home projects. She has Clay so whipped; I wouldn’t be surprised if she started picking out his outfits soon too.”

“Oh,” I said softly.

“Let’s not talk about them,” he suggested.

“Okay. What do you want to talk about then?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe about how much I missed you today,” he started sucking on my neck, just below my ear.

I moaned uncontrollably, “Easy Teller, I don’t have concealer to cover that up.”

He stopped, moving down my chest, softly using his teeth to bite my breast. I dug my fingertips into his back as I tried to contain my emotion, but I couldn’t help it and moaned even louder. “Oh goodness,” I said softly.

Before I knew it, he had me up against the wall, passionately loving me. “Oh goodness, Big  Poppa,” I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, letting him have his way with me and loving every moment of it.

After a short yet invigorating experience in the shower, we found ourselves naked, cuddling in bed, and enjoying each other’s company. Jax has always been wonderful with aftercare making sure I have a drink, more importantly, cuddles afterward.

“Feel better, sweetheart?” I whispered, nuzzling my head under his chin.

“Much better, darlin’,” he chuckled a little.

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing,” he smiled and then chuckled again.

“No, tell me,” I pinched his nipple and sat up in bed, giving him the look.

“Ow! Okay,” he said, rubbing his chest, “I got you to say, oh goodness, not once but twice.”

“Oh,” I playfully slapped his chest and snuggled up to him again, “don’t get too full of yourself, cowboy.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t like it,” he stroked my back.

“But I didn’t like it,” I said, and the stroking suddenly stopped.

“What?”

“Yeah, I didn’t like it at all,” I paused for dramatic effect, “I LOVED it!”

“Oh, you little shit!” he flipped around, positioning himself on top of me.

He leaned in to kiss me, but I playfully turned away. He tried again, but I turned my head to the other side. Then, with a forceful yet gentle motion, he grabbed both my wrists, pinning me to the bed, and began deeply kissing me.

As we kissed passionately, I felt him enter me. Almost instantly, we found ourselves grinding in a sweet rhythm. My hands slowly glided down his back, leaving marks on him from my fingernails. When I reached his tight ass, I grabbed him, a cheek in each hand, and forced him deeper inside me.

“Fuck me, Big Poppa,” I moan loudly, “fuck me hard!”

“I love you, Amber,” he moaned, nibbling on my earlobe. He continuously penetrated me, just like moments earlier in the shower, but somehow, this time was even more incredible.

“Harder, Poppa,” I managed to say amidst all my moaning, but I was nearly breathless.

Unlike the quick little rendezvous in the shower, this round went the distance, and I climaxed twice before he got off.

            “Have I told you lately that you’re amazing?” he asked, rolling over beside me.

            “Yeah, but I don’t get tired of hearing it,” I looked down and smiled at his manhood as it still throbbed from our little romp.

I love that man. I love him with every fiber of my being.

A few days had passed, and I found myself at the clubhouse, seeking some semblance of entertainment. The croweaters, or as Donna and I affectionately referred to them, the lurking lizards, were hanging around as usual, eyeing the club members with an insatiable hunger. Rolling out of Gemma’s office, I couldn’t help but notice a few of the girls practically drooling over something. Curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked outside.

Unsurprisingly, I spotted Tig, Bobby, and Hap perched on their bikes alongside my ol man. I couldn’t blame those girls; there was an undeniable allure about the boys when they were astride their powerful machines. Good lord, the sight alone made me weak in the knees. “Just take me now,” I thought, unable to resist the primal attraction that stirred within me. And then, as if fate had heard my silent plea, my husband started walking towards me, wearing a devastatingly charming smile.

“Come here,” he said, his voice oozing with confidence as he swept me off my wheelchair, effortlessly carrying me towards his old room. It was another one of Jax’s not-so-subtle ways of staking his claim, letting those lurking lizards know that I belonged to him and him alone.

“Meeting go okay?” I asked as we snuggled on the old bed.

“It did,” he smiled, helping me wrap my leg around his, “but I wanted to have a little meeting with you, one-on-one.”

“Is that so?” I hugged him, pulling him on top of me.

“It is,” he grinned, kissing my lips, “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, Big Poppa.” And round three commenced.

[bluebear11]

Feb 1st, 2025

Trieste cafe at 5:15 pm. The sky has depleted itself of rain but the clouds linger still. A tepid San Franciscan day. I ran out of bed at 12:15 this morning to catch the bus to the Warf for their farmer's market. Got there at closing to buy a croissant and a pint of orange juice. Rain sprinkled here and there and I walked down to Trieste Cafe. A picture of Jack Kerouac caught my eye along the way. I entered a bookshop/museum and asked the man at the counter for a recommendation straight away. There began a long discussion on Kerouac and modern folk and all of the sorts. I bought two records and a photograph he found quite interesting but did not recall. I made my way to Trieste and found a folk band playing. I ran off to get cash nearby and returned to find the band singing a final thank you. Shame. The seats filled, I asked a lady in her late 80's, early 90's, if I may take a seat at her table. She responded with a smile and once I returned from ordering a cup, she pointed at my book and asked "Have you seen him?" Seen who, Jack Kerouac? Was this a bit or was she confused. I replied that I have not and asked her if she had to which she told me she did and he was lovely and I must go to so and so place if I ever get the chance. I told her I would. I wish I knew what it was! She talked softly but with a pleasant, joyous tone you only find when one is satisfied. She said his life lives on or something to that extent and I was beside myself. She was a ballerina who escaped Germany during WWII. Though she may be recalling a different person from another time, I am pleased to meet this memory. Nothing but love and nostalgia in this woman's heart. Will I ever meet someone who has witnessed Kerouac speak? Live in San Francisco. I wonder where he sat and what amused him of this city when he wrote. I talked with a much younger man about music and travels and the Pacific Crest trail and he recommended I travel while I can. Oh, I will. I have and I will. Nothing more do I want in this moment than to set out in a used truck driving from one coast to the other and loop back around. I want to talk to every old folk I meet and listen to their stories and sleep in the fields I pass. A fantasy, but I'll make it happen in a modern way. Times change but the spirit does not and we all want some free will and uncertainty and true, true joy. The joy you find at the end of your life listening to a song play in your head as you tap your fingers to the beat and smile a deep, loved, smile at the first stranger you see.

[atplblog]

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[jadbalja]

On mass culture eating itself, the current creative desert, etc. (part 2) A: it's probably worth watching the UK version only A: this Roland/Dillard combo is very uninspiring for a novel of this seminal nature. I have trepidation. But then I had the same for Sandman and that turned out okay K: I confess I didn't see the US remake. John Cusack annoys me and there was no way it could live up to the original. Plus as you said, I didn't feel like watching a show about evil vaccines was comforting during the pandemic, when there was plenty of that nonsense in real life. A: the strip mining of the 80s/90s cultural landscape for material in our currently depleted creative industry continues K: Yeah, sometimes they get it right, like Sandman. K: I feel like Neuromancer could never have had its day though. For the 80's and most of the 90's, it would have been too speculative for most showrunners to portray without looking silly. Then suddenly the cyberpunk future arrived, and it wasn't quite what Neuromancer predicted, and overnight it became dated. K: Johnny Mnemonic was about as close as it came to a 90's Neuromancer. A: [..feel like Neuromancer could never have had its day though. …] though now with Musk's Neuralink, some people are thinking "jacking in" might be possible in the near future K: But I can't write if off entirely because as Cyberpunk 2077 (both the game and anime) showed, there's still juice in the genre, and depicting that kind of world. A: [Johnny Mnemonic was about as close as it came to a 90s Neuromancer …] I liked Johnny Mnemonic. And that too was Gibson K: Yes re things like Neuralink, but we're sort of 2/3's there now compared to 1984 when the book was written. What I meant was more that we know already that so much of cyber culture is going to be kind of mundane, full of grifts and so forth, an evolution of human nature rather than a revolution. Intellectual minnows like Musk look at books like Neuromancer and now try to backwards-develop their realities, rather than those books being prophecies as they once were. K: Yes there's stuff yet to come with AI and it will be interesting to see how the show portrays them. I recall the AI that got Swiss citizenship in the book, still a very fun thought experiment in ethics, philosophy, law, etc. Just a matter of time before it happens. K: But… like those robots from the 1940's who could "talk" and smoked cigarettes and whatnot, first we'll see silly things like that robot person the UAE called its first robot citizen. K: With Musk in particular it's hard to say where Neuralink is on the spectrum from making an interesting display centerpiece through groundbreaking scientific development, because he has enough money that he could conceivably hire the right people who use it wisely and make real breakthroughs. Or, it could all just be PR bluster. K: He apparently can make rockets. Can't run a social media platform to save his life. And his cars are a bit iffy. So, mixed bag. A: I think Neuralink has some way to go and he’s not the only one working on a brain-tech interface. MIT was demonstrating some such stuff a few years ago. A: To me the gap between the world in Neuromancer and the one we actually have (without a Neuralink possibility) is one of the mundane taken to its technological apex vs the human struggle taken to a technological abstraction. “Breaking ice” for hacking, artisanal objects for surfing the web, an underground ethic to the outsiders working in tech, and existential dilemmas of AI. Versus of course, today’s reality - machine computation cheapening real creativity, the web as an extension of cultural stagnation in another form, and mass produced and commodified tech interfaces. A: The 80s cyberpunk is an aesthetic state of being, I think, more than a template for a prediction. Now in nostalgia, it is a lament for what we could have had and did not get K: Yes you've summed it up perfectly.

[whatsonmedia]

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[lazytownlane]

[my90schildhoodnostalgia]

When i found this i could not have agreed more. Juice boxes were everywhere in the 90′s for us kids. It was just a way of life and they all tasted so good.

[nightblightowl]

I’m on my 5th rewatch of Jingle Jangle

this  classically cheesy, whimsical, steampunk themed christmas musical caught my whole ass attention in the first 5-7 minutes with the costume designs alone. And then the first song hit and I got. so. emotional. And that goes for all the song and dance sequences. The tunes, the sets the dances... all of it reminded me of the musicals my grandmother would take me to see when I was a kid.  It reminded me of all of my favourite bits of christmas movies, 90′s soundtracks and theatre... if that makes any sense, I don’t know it just gave me those feelings. All of the nostalgia. I loved that it was so familiar and yet something I never experienced before. Yes it is absolutely cheesy. Some of the problems have really corny solutions and sometimes you feel like some plot points dont make total sense. But it doesn’t have to. Some things go unexplained because they just don’t need to be. I was watching and I literally didn’t care about any of that. I was pulled in by the wholesomeness and whimsy. I felt very very similar to how I felt watching classic Christmas movies as a child. I just *believed* in the magic. ;) Sometimes it’s important to just have movies like that. It just makes you happy, makes you feel good and makes you want to sing and it really gets those creative juices flowing. And just the representation- I am so glad that from now on, there will be kids who get to grow up with this wonderful film. The whole cast was absolutely amazing. -Ms. Johnston was just a fucking delight. She was sO good.  I want her energy. And the background dancers that just... they’re just there and its the best😂 -Jeronicus... his younger self was so vibrant and fun and lovely and then there’s just something about Forest Whitaker as older Jeronicus that is so pure. Just all the nervous awkward grandpa energy. I wanted to give him a hug. -Journey... what an adorable child. I loved her immediately. So inquisitive and curious and fun. - I wasn’t expecting Anika Noni Rose but I am HERE for it - Keegan-Michael Keye as Gustofson was just *chefs kiss* I wanna thank all of them 

[tabloidtoc]

OK, February 15 -- part 3 of 3

Page 32: Cover Story -- George Clooney and Amal Clooney say I Do again -- the couple secretly wed for the second time after overcoming some obstacles -- their hush-hush vow renewal was nothing showy, just sweet and sentimental

Page 36: They Found Their Match -- when it comes to fashion, these dress-alike duos really know how to double down -- Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid, Cardi B and Offset, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner

Page 37: Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, Jeff Goldblum and Emilie Livingston, Maisie Williams and Reuben Selby, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade and daughter Zaya, Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard, Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton

Page 40: Interview -- Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor spice things up -- the stars of Bridgerton chat about their unconventional romance in the sexy hit series

Page 42: Salma Hayek -- how the star maintains her picture-perfect figure

Page 43: Stars Juice Up -- Salma's not the only celeb who claims to sip away the pounds -- Jenna Dewan, Padma Lakshmi, Blake Lively

Page 46: Style Week -- Euphoria actress and Shiseido Global Brand Ambassador Hunter Schafer is good to glow, thanks to the brand's Spring/Summer 2021 collection

Page 48: What's Hot Right Now -- Halsey's first-ever makeup brand About-Face is full of fun, vibrant and shimmery colors and textures

Page 49: Floral Dreams -- add romance and charm to your space with the new Monique Lhuillier for Pottery Barn collection

Page 50: Spread the Love -- this Valentine's Day, spoil your favorite gals and yourself with heartwarming gifts -- Taylor Hill

Page 54: Entertainment

Page 58: Buzz -- Kristen Stewart's royal role -- last year when it was announced that KStew was portraying Princess Diana in the upcoming biopic Spencer, many believed it was a controversial casting choice but she proved the haters wrong in a newly released photo of herself as the People's Princess -- from Diana's signature hairdo to the forlorn expression Kristen's resemblance to the late royal was uncanny -- the film takes place over a critical weekend in the early '90s

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Anthony Hopkins on playing Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, Brian Baumgartner on participating in engagement messages on Cameo, Awkwafina on beginning to book gigs

Page 61: Billie Eilish on not realizing how much things cost because she's never been an adult before, Dua Lipa on recording her upbeat album Future Nostalgia, Rob Lowe joking about living near Prince Harry in Montecito

Page 62: Horoscope -- Aquarius Emma Roberts turned 30 on February 10

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Jodie Turner-Smith

[wintervampmde]

Mondo: you can get at the dollar tree, family dollar, and general dollar store.

Surge: I can get this at the right corner store

Oreo-o’: saw them at my local grocery store

Trix: now has shapes again, saw them at my local grocery store

Everything else I probably will never see again

THINGS WE WILL NEVER SEE AGAIN!

[sarah-sandwich]

Happy FFWF! What are some of your favorite Fics you’ve read?

Oh boy now you’ve done it. Here is my all-time favorite fic ever

Hail Mary by galaxysoup

Take one newly human ex-angel on the run from Heaven. Combine with one mysteriously resurrected and increasingly pissed off Mary Winchester. Add overtones of Apocalypse. Shake well. 

Yes it’s a supernatural fic! Yes it brought Mary back from the dead long before the idea was even a twinkle in canon’s eye! Yes Cas and Mary are BFF Goals! Yes the plot is Unique! Intriguing! New! Fun! Yes it is everything canon spn wishes it was and can never be! It opens with the following:

Hail Mary 1. a prayer for intercession, also known as the Angelic Salutation 2. a desperate, last-ditch attempt to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat

Can I just say how perfect it is? Thematically? It’s so...UGH! It literally gives me chills. You’ve resurrected all of the old emotions. OKay I will talk about something else now.

More favs:

Bureau of Badass by Chemicallywrit and miceenscene

The Adventure Zone Roller Rink and Arcade opened in 1979 and has been struggling ever since. There is really only one thing that keeps the doors open, and that is roller derby.

Aka, the Late-90s-Roller-Derby AU that no one asked for but you're getting anyway.

It’s so good! It’s so good! It’s all found family and 90′s nostalgia and is so so good! I don’t really even read fics for the Adventure Zone? This one is just that good.

Bury the Lead by @marywhal

Taako’s senior year at Neverwinter High could be going better. Faced with a choice between joining the school’s floundering newspaper or being expelled, he opts for a career in journalism.

Lucretia, the paper’s editor, kind of wishes he'd gone the other way.

Since I plugged B.o.B. I have to plug the only other Adventure Zone fic in my bookmarks. Do you crave tomfoolery and hijinx? Would you like to see what sage advice Taako provides via newspaper column? Do you long to watch Kravitz and Taako fall in love in a pretentious coffee shop? Is found family your jam? Or should I say pudding? Specifically pocket pudding. Do you have a yet unresolved desire to learn what the heck kerning is? Read this. Read this read this read this.

From the Top by garamonder

Miles let go. Peter B. Parker closed his eyes as he dropped back through the rift, heading home.

It would have been nice if he’d ended up there. Instead, the veteran hero makes an unintended pit stop in another Peter's universe - one where he's an Avenger, of all things.

(Takes place in the MCU, post-hypothetical-Avengers 4)

Good good Spidey fic. It's got the humor and the high-stakes and the heartfelt moments and the redemption and the satisfaction of a happy end. So so so good.

May Parker's complete guide on how to raise your Spiderling. by embarrassing_myself

Nobody ever gave much thought to where Peter would end up if anything were to happen to May.

Except of course, May.

So when circumstances change it's up to May Parker to teach Tony how to be the best possible parent in a very short (and unfair) amount of time.

The only May dies fic I’ll ever love. My notes on the bookmark are: Shut up and drink your respect May Parker juice. Best fic. Saddest fic. 14/10 would allow to curb stomp me emotionally again.

LAST ONE:

Untethered by Vixen13

Lord Peter Parker is the last of his family's line. He lost everything to the war when he was only a child and has been raised in the care of the palace ever since, leaving the other nobles to look at him as nothing more than a burden on the king's charity. When the leader of the reclusive nation of dragons, Chief Wade Wilson, came before the king to demand payment in the form of a wife, the nobles saw a perfect opportunity to solve two problems at once. Peter had his money, land, family, and now his nation taken from him. Moving forward, all he can do is hope that he will survive in a world so drastically different from, and far more dangerous than, the one he's always known.

I don't have words? Just...so good? Character development like woah! Worldbuilding like WOAH! Why isn't this a book book???? And there are DRAGONS. This fic. Oh man this fic.

[aion-rsa]

How Double Dragon’s Abobo Became a Beat em up Legend

https://ift.tt/2F8DPGk

In the late ’80s, video games started featuring over-the-top, meaty musclemen. Metro City had Mike Haggar, a shirtless former wrestler who became mayor and decided that being “tough on crime” meant ridding the streets of criminals with his bare hands, his girlfriend’s psycho boyfriend, and a ninja in Nikes. Circus strongman Karnov scoured the world for adventure and treasure, fighting all kinds of mythical monsters. Bald Bull was trying to dominate both the boxing ring and the arm-wrestling circuit. Gutsman was a jacked construction robot who was later rebuilt as a 40-foot-tall tank centaur.

And then there was Abobo, the gigantic antagonist from Double Dragon. He wasn’t THE antagonist. Hell, in the first game, you fight him within the first two minutes. Despite his low-level status, he’s still far more fondly remembered than the main Double Dragon bad guys like Willy and the Shadow Master. There’s just always been something about this random brute that’s made him special.

Abobo’s journey begins in the original Double Dragon, Technos’ 1987 arcade hit. The game’s story is very simple. A dystopian, lawless, post-nuclear war version of New York City has been overrun by a gang called the Black Warriors or Shadow Warriors or Black Shadow Warriors. (They kind of workshop that name from game to game.) Billy and Jimmy Lee are two martial arts brothers whose mutual friend Marian is captured by gang members. Off they go to lay out everyone in that gang with their bare fists and occasional barrel/whip/knife/baseball bat.

While the cannon fodder is mostly made up of normal-sized guys, out walks Abobo, who makes his entrance by punching his way through a brick wall. From the moment he appears on screen, it’s clear Abobo is meant to stand apart from the rest. He has longer reach, takes more hits, can’t be thrown, and is able to throw Billy and Jimmy like ragdolls. The only guy more dangerous than Abobo is Willy, the final boss, who brings a machine gun to a fist fight.

Weirdly, Abobo has various forms in the game. His initial form is as a bald, pale guy with a mustache. Soon after, we fight Jick, an Abobo clone who closely resembles Mr. T. Later, we face off against an Incredible Hulk version of Abobo. This is post-nuclear war, so I suppose this tracks.

But it was NES port that really delivered the ultimate form of Abobo, whose appearance was seriously altered for the 8-bit console. With orange-brown skin, Abobo is still bigger than everyone else, but also looks inhuman. He has a giant, bald head almost the size of his bulky torso, and a black arch on his face that is apparently a mustache merged with a frown! While the NES version had its own quasi-fighting game mode with everyone redrawn with a bigger and better sprite, Abobo looked exactly the same. You just can’t mess with perfection!

Abobo sort-of-but-not-really appeared in the sequel, 1988’s Double Dragon II: The Revenge. In a game filled with giant enemies, there was a guy named Bolo who looked exactly like Abobo, but with long, black hair. Actually, in retrospect, he looks a lot like Danny Trejo.

Huh.

Abobo sat out of the next few Double Dragon games, as the Lee brothers busied themselves fighting mummies and chubby clowns. But he returned in a very unexpected crossover: 1993’s Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team. The game featured a bizarre team-up between the Dark Queen from Battletoads and the Shadow Warriors. As Double Dragon didn’t have too many memorable boss characters that could stack up to the likes of a giant rat in a singlet, they went with what they could get.

As with the other bosses in the crossover gamer, Abobo was depicted as an absolute giant compared to the Lee Brothers and the Toads. He was also very generic-looking, appearing as a shirtless, bald guy with no ‘stache. Due to the sci-fi nature of the crossover, his storyline ended with him getting booted off a spaceship and sent spiraling through space itself.

1993 also gave us the Double Dragon animated series. Somehow, this thing ran for two seasons (26 episodes) and Abobo was there from the beginning. The first episode was a weird Saturday morning-style retelling of the NES game’s plot, down to Billy Lee having to fight his “evil” brother at the end. Abobo acted as a henchman, alongside a very colorful take on Willy.

In the cartoon, Abobo was a bald muscleman with blue skin, meaning he has the same mysterious complexion situation as Captain N’s King Hippo. Abobo was also strangely competent on the show, all things considered, although the only fighting he ever did was throw oil drums at Billy and miss every single time. He spent more of his time annoyed at Willy, who was depicted as a psychotic cowboy with a laser gun — one-half Yosemite Sam and one-half the Interrupter from Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

The second episode introduced the Shadow Master, who immediately showed disgust at his underlings’ failure by magically bonding Willy to a giant mural of punished souls. Abobo tried to run for it, but succumbed to the same fate. The two would remain in that mural for the rest of the series.

While there was a fighting game released based off of the Double Dragon cartoon, Abobo wasn’t part of the roster. It was just as well. Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls was a really bad game and Abobo had bigger things on the horizon.

Abobo was about to go Hollywood!

In 1994, Imperial Entertainment Group released the Double Dragon movie, a total cheesefest that couldn’t make back its $8 million budget. But Robert Patrick’s scenery-chewing main villain made the movie almost watchable. The story takes place in a version of Los Angeles that’s a cross between The Warriors and No Man’s Land from the Batman comics. Billy and Jimmy are teens who get roped into a plot that involves two dragon-shaped necklaces that form an all-power medallion when put together.

Initially, Nils Allen Stewart plays the gang leader Bo Abobo. As head of the Mohawk Gang, he’s there to act all intimidating in a goofy ’90s bully sort of way, but he really doesn’t actually do much. He takes part in a car chase and teases a fight scene, but nothing happens.

Then, the villain Koga Shuko transforms him into a literal steroid freak with some experimental machine. From there on out, Abobo is played by Henry Kingi in a bloated, rubber suit. Despite being a muscle golem at this point, Abobo STILL doesn’t actually fight anyone and is instead kidnapped by Power Corps.

Abobo eventually sees what he looks like in the mirror. Broken over what he’s been transformed into, he turns on Koga and…still doesn’t fight anyone. He just gives Power Corps some advice to help turn the tide against the bad guys. At the end of the movie, he asks the Lee Brothers if they could be buddies and recklessly drives their car.

Yeah, it’s…almost something. Not the awfulness of Super Mario Bros, but not the good-for-the-time quality of Mortal Kombat. It’s also not quite as fun-bad as the Street Fighter movie, but it does share one major similarity to it.

Much like Street Fighter, the Double Dragon movie had its own fighting game spinoff. Rather than a one-on-one fighter featuring digitized actors (which was the original idea until it wasn’t deemed viable for the deadline), Technos put together a Neo Geo animated fighter that isn’t so well-known these days due to how run-of-the-mill it was. It looked like your average SNK fighting game, with no real identity of its own. The game was released for arcade, Neo Geo CD, and PlayStation.

The 1995 fighting game was loosely based on the movie’s plot and featured some FMV clips. Showing up from the movie are Billy Lee, Jimmy Lee, Marian, Shuko, and Abobo. The rest of the roster is made up of original characters, though Technos did redesign Burnov, the Big Van Vader-looking boss character from Double Dragon II: The Revenge. Abobo more closely resembles his initial, more human-looking form from the movie, complete with mohawk, although he’s cartoonishly big in the game. Fortunately, he occasionally transforms into his blobby, tumor-like mutant form during certain moves and winposes.

His ending in the game features him eating a lot of meat at a restaurant, demanding to eat meat so rough that it’ll make his teeth bleed. Heh. And Roger Ebert said video games aren’t art.

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After the inexplicable crossover, animated series, failed movie, and fighting game tie-ins, Double Dragon as a franchise was finally spent. As the arcade scene died down in the late ’90s, the side-scrolling beat ‘em up disappeared for a time, and it would be a little while before nostalgia for it would kick in.

Fortunately, there was still some juice left in the fighting game genre, and in 2002 the Neo Geo had just enough time left before SNK’s hardware line was discontinued. The company Evoga developed what was, for a time, meant to be a Double Dragon fighting game, but ultimately the team wasn’t able to secure the rights and was forced to make the game with a knockoff cast of characters. The result was Rage of the Dragons, a tag-team fighting game featuring Billy Lewis, Jimmy Lewis, and Abubo…

Abubo does not have a tag partner and is instead a mid-boss so powerful that it takes two opponents to stop him. He’s depicted as a low-level mob boss with a ponytail, sunglasses, pink tank top, and overly-long, muscular arms. It’s a decent enough redesign of the original, but…Abubo? That’s the best they could come up with?

As for the official Double Dragon, it made its comeback a year later. Double Dragon Advance for the Game Boy Advance took the original arcade version, updated the graphics just enough, added more stages, enemies, and attacks, turning this installment into a souped-up take on the classic. This of course meant the return of the real Abobo!

2012 would be a banner year for the musclebound henchman. Since 2002, I-Mockery’s Roger Barr had been trying to develop an Abobo-based fangame, and in early 2012, the free-to-play masterpiece Abobo’s Big Adventure was released to the public and we were better for it.

Using 8-bit graphics, the game follows Abobo as he searches for his kidnapped son Aboboy. Each level is based on a different NES title and features a dizzying amount of Easter eggs. There’s a Double Dragon level, underwater Super Mario Bros. level, Urban Champ, Legend of Zelda, Balloon Fight, Pro Wrestling, Mega Man, Contra, and finally Punch-Out. The game is an absolute blast, especially for anyone who grew up with the NES and features such whacked out moments as:

Abobo mating with the mermaid from Goonies 2, which gives him a forcefield powerup made up of Abobo/mermaid hybrid babies, one of which begs for death!

An Abobo vs. Amazon wrestling match that includes the summoning of Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Roddy Piper, and Undertaker assists in the form of Pro Wrestling sprites.

Taking on Krang’s giant robot body with Kirby in the abdominal area.

An incredibly long and over-the-top ending that gets extremely and laughably violent. If you’ve ever wanted to see a muscular child drink blood from the Shredder’s dismembered arm, this game is for you!

In terms of OFFICIAL nostalgia, 2012 also saw the release of Double Dragon Neon for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (and later PC). Using 3D graphics, the game was a modern update of Double Dragon’s playstyle while playing up the 1980s aesthetic. It was a lot more ridiculous than the original series. In fact, it’s more in line with the Battletoads crossover since this game also lets you launch Abobo into the deep recesses of outer space to die.

This game also gave us the first – and, as of this writing, only – polygon Abobo. This time a towering, hunched over brute with lots of spiked armbands. All that AND the mustache!

But of those two 2012 releases, Abobo’s Big Adventure is surprisingly the better game in terms of its portrayal of the big man, as it solidified his status as nostalgic beat em up icon.

In 2017, Arc System Works put together Double Dragon IV for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Rather than emulate the arcade original’s aesthetic, the game took its art style from the NES games. That meant the return of the classic NES Abobo as not only a recurring enemy but an unlockable playable character. Double Dragon IV actually lets you play through the story mode as various enemy characters, but honestly, who else would you pick in that situation? Well, maybe Burnov.

Sadly, playing as Abobo in Double Dragon IV leads to a non-ending. I know you can’t improve on “Abobo punches Little Mac’s head off so hard it transcends time and space,” but at least TRY!

Around the same time, another game tried to play up Abobo’s ironic/iconic status. River City Ransom: Underground was released for the PC in early 2017. The River City Ransom series has always had ties to Double Dragon, but this high school brawler goes the extra mile by putting Abobo on a big pedestal. First off, he’s the school principal. If you attack any of your teachers, you’re sent to Principal Abobo’s office to suffer a serious slap on the wrist, shoulder, jaw, spine, etc. Sometimes he’ll even enter classrooms by punching holes through the brick walls, all while shirtless and talking like the Hulk.

Even better than that? Abobo’s not only the school principal but the Mayor of River City! No wonder everyone’s always kicking the shit out of each other! God bless Mayor Mike Haggar for being a true trendsetter.

The Double Dragon/River City connection only grew stronger when 2019 brought the absolutely must-play River City Girls. As the story goes, River City Ransom heroes Kunio and Riki have been kidnapped, so their badass girlfriends Misako and Kyoko go on a violent rampage to save them. Early in the game, while Misako and Kyoko fighting in a classroom, there’s a projector playing a short film about a boy learning about puberty.

It just so happens that the kid in the video is being taught by Abobo, who thanks puberty for his monstrous size and strength. This, my friends, is foreshadowing, as Abobo shows up later in the game as a boss.

Misako and Kyoko confront Abobo about their missing boyfriends, and Abobo admits that he isn’t sure whether or not he kidnapped them since he kidnaps a LOT of people. They throw down and we’re treated to the most powerful take on Abobo yet, considering the length of his life bar. Once defeated, Abobo admits that he has nothing to do with the missing boyfriends, but gives the heroes a lead by talking about his side job as security for an upcoming concert.

In 2020, Arc System Works released a collection for PS4 and Switch called Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle. It collects 18 8-bit games, including the three NES Double Dragon games, River City Ransom, and all the old spinoffs from the River City Ransom universe. And who’s on the cover?

Yes, despite technically being in one game out of 18, and not even being the final boss of any of them, Abobo gets a major spot on the cover of this huge collection among the games’ hero characters. Finally, the world understands that Abobo is a star. Now we just need Abobo to appear in Guilty Gear Strive and then we’ll really be cooking.

The post How Double Dragon’s Abobo Became a Beat em up Legend appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[gottagobuycheese]

Tag Thingy

Thanks @silent--sonata for indulging my terrible sleeping habits XD

(fyi this will probably be unnecessarily long and rambly, so it’s going under a cut (EDIT: whelp the song list got a little out of hand, I’d apologize if I were even remotely sorry)) 

Rules: Answer 17 questions & tag 17 people you want to get to know better  

Nickname: Cheese (or Lactose Wedge, or Dairy Product of Unspecified Origin and Purpose)

Zodiac Sign: Gemini! 

Height: 160.5 cm/5′3″ (Bubbles I refuse to believe you’re actually that much taller than me) 

Hogwarts house: Somewhere between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff allegedly, both of which I’d be honored to get sorted into, but honestly I’d just be stoked to get sorted at all 

Last thing I googled: I think it was something along the lines of “how to speed up audio playback in GarageBand,” but but my train of thought was derailed before I actually looked at any of the results so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (and on a related note, thanks again for the magical audio editing @imperiousheiress!)

Song stuck in my head: The end credits to Legacy of the Wizard (which is SUCH a jam, thank you for enlightening me @jessicafish) Following and followers: 227 (goodness just looking at that number is stress-inducing) and...104?! When the HECK did you all get here??? I think just last summer I was happily floating about in the 50′s. Anyways, to anyone I have not said hello, hello! Hope you enjoy your stay, and I am sincerely sorry if you expected Quality Original Content, or even just regularly scheduled other people’s content. Sadly, neither of these things tend to happen here. 

Amount I sleep: During the school year it’s usually anywhere between 30 minutes and 6 hours (DON’T EVEN START BUBBLES YOU HAVE NO RIGHT), usually landing in the 3/4 hour ranges if I’m smart about it, but now that I am on Unofficial Break, it’s usually at least around 6 hours (except today was 3 because Avatar is an excellent show and the weirdos in this house have regularly scheduled breakfast at 9-something every morning). Sadly my sleep schedule can only be forced to tolerate normalcy for so long before careening back in the other direction, so we’ll see if this is just a blip or if we’re back to normal mid-Atlantic Ocean hours!

Lucky number(s): I wouldn’t say these are necessarily favorite numbers, but I do like 2 and 9. But come to think of it, second attempts at Official Things do tend to go better for me than first attempts, so maybe there’s some merit there after all! Dream Job: Don’t think I’m really cut out for dreaming anymore, haha (unless you are a theoretical future employer in which case I am Extremely Full of Ambition and Passion). The bed-adjacent metaphor has been made, and not to brag, but I can sleep on pretty much any surface. Currently studying my Not Favorite aspect of STEM (was there ever a favorite or did I just like being good at things sometimes) and learning how to People™ properly (and also learning a gazillion convoluted drug names like what the heck dude, did you just fall asleep on your typewriter coming up with these), so I’ll take whatever place hires me and pays me enough not to depend on my parents for everything, I suppose. In an ideal world, that would entail a job where I could make friends, and even more importantly, a job where my shortcomings would not cause Massive and Irreparable Harm, but I don’t think this line of work really meshes with that last one, so I guess I’ll either have to get my shit together™ extremely soon or fake my death, adopt an alias, and flee to a completely new place with no ties whatsoever before trying to get another, less high stakes job. 

(Though I guess, less cynically, I like helping people well enough? And stories are fun! Maybe there could’ve been something with that. Not that there still can’t be, mind, but there’s still a long way to go between Here and There)

Wearing: Black shorts. Navy t-shirt. Brown some-specific-kind-of-jacket-I-forgot-the-name-of jacket. Is it summer? Is it fall? Am I in middle school? Who can say, but they are COMFY so sadly I have no cares to give

Favourite song(s): way way WAY too many to list here, and I do not have them all organized in a handy playlist separately, but to name a few (and these are not necessarily the MOST favorite okay, it doesn’t mean I don’t love stuff not on this list, it means you can’t force me to pick between my children and I am going to find at least one quick thing from a few things I like before I need to hit post and go back to looking like I’m being studious, and also things I think you should listen to right now, but for everything I’ve linked assuming I mean the whole OST), here’s a spam of links in no particular order: 

LoZ Wind Waker - The Great Sea (aka the epitome of optimism) 

Undertale - NGAHHH!! (I was about to link more but then I realized it’d be the whole soundtrack lol) 

LoZ Breath of the Wild - Hateno Village (Night) 

A:tLA - Peace (bad call BAD CALL NOW I HAVE EMOTIONS) 

Legend of Korra - Final Scene/Ending Theme (MISTAKES WERE MADE MISTAKES WERE MADE) 

Kung Fu Panda - Oogway Ascends (I feel like I’m taking you on a whole little album journey now XD) 

PMD: Explorers of Sky - Dialga’s Fight to the Finish (aka the Gotta Shower Fast song) 

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Pursuit ~ Cornered (aka the HURRY UP AND PACK UR SHIT YOUR FLIGHT LEAVES IN THREE HOURS song) 

Apollo Justice: A New Trial Is In Session (very underrated soundtrack imo) and also Apollo Justice: Telling the Truth (because these two are very closely associated in my head and it’s getting harder and harder to narrow things down so maybe I should stop lol) 

Your Name: Katawaredoki (in which I am forcibly thrown heart first into the bedroom of my second apartment at approximately 12-something A.M.) 

Digimon Adventure 01: Butterfly (MASSIVE 90′s childhood anime feels, and also Last Summer Before Everything Went to Shit feels (on a general scale I mean, not personal)) 

Pokémon: Lugia’s Song multitrack cover by Jordan Moore (would that I could have a talent of that musical talent) 

Pokémon the First Movie: Tears of Life (great now I’m on a Pokémon music spiral GUESS IT’S CHILDHOOD NOSTALGIA HOURS NOW) 

PMD: Blue Rescue Team - Farewell and Run Away/Fugitives (you CANNOT make me choose between these guys okay, my brain WILL explode, and whoops now I want to link the whole ost) 

Palette by A Dear Friend (wink wonk) 

Pokémon: Alpha Sapphire - Fortree City (wow talk about mood whiplash)

Detective Conan: Main Theme (I can’t find the specific version since there are so many, but it’s a Good Theme) 

Super Smash Bros.: Brawl - Opening Theme 

Pokémon Colosseum - Relic Forest 

Song for Lindsay by Andrew Boysen Jr. (oh great now it’s time for marching band feelings I guess)

Mt. Everest by Rossano Galante 

Deltarune - Field of Hopes and Dreams and A Town Called Hometown (orchestrated) (aka the Lots of Work To Do song) and You Can Always Come Home and Don’t Forget (hey guess what I wrote a bunch of fake extra verses for) (also it looks my pathetic attempts at narrowing things down are getting even more pathetic so I’ll wrap up soon XD) 

 Guild Wars 2 - Fear Not This Night (never actually played this myself but my friend got me addicted to the music) 

Lord of the Rings - May It Be (Enya) (aaaand now I miss choir, THANKS BUBBLES) 

Lion King - Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Multilingual) by Travys Kim (aka how I remembered how fun these things are) 

Original Song by Anonymous  

(The urge to add all the other songs I’m not adding is so strong but I’ve got so much work to do so just assume I mean all Nintendo music from any game I’ve played, all Ghibli movie music, every musical I’ve ever heard, and even more) 

Random fact:

Apparently as early as the 17th century, you could guess that a child would have a shortened life span if their foreheads tasted salty. Yes, there is a specific reason, and yes, you may already know what it is, and thankfully no, that life span projection no longer holds true, assuming access to Modern Medicine! 

Favourite Authors: Okay I have not read enough various books of enough various authors to be able to answer this, so I’m just gonna go with a few books instead. They are not necessarily all-time favorites, but I enjoyed reading them very much at the time and more often than not go back to them for comfort reads: The Martian, any of first three Harry Potter books, and The Rise of Kiyoshi. (That last one’s not really a comfort read but I am drowning in Loving Kiyoshi juice so here we are)

Favourite Animal Noises: Certain kinds of birds (UNLESS it’s some ungodly hour of the morning and you’re trying to sleep)? Ooh, and crickets! 

Aesthetic: A slob, but like...a comfy slob. An incredibly disorganized hermit who is happy to mill about in the uncontrolled entropy. (Are we talking about what aesthetic I give off, or what I like to look at, visually? Because I like space, and water, and mountains, and forests, and forests ON mountains, OOH and forests on mountains at night where you can see space, perhaps reflected in a body of water. Or just water, idk. Different things are pretty to look at at different times)

WELL THAT ONLY TOOK FOREVER SORRY FOR THE OBSCENE LENGTH 

@pachelbelsheadcanon @averybritishbumblebee @shingeki-no-korra @sailorlock @yeswevegotavideo @soultheta @queenerdloser @ifeelbetterer @rogueofdragons @peppervl @amadness2method @mutalune and anybody else who wants to do this! This isn’t seventeen, and I don’t know if any of you have already done it/been tagged, but I hear people moving around upstairs so that means this break is over XD. And ABSOLUTELY no pressure to actually do this, this is pretty much just me wishing you well! (and YOU of course, my dear reader! I hope everything’s going all right, or if it’s not, that it does soon)

[gracie-bird]

Five Opulent Wagons‐Lits Get a Final Fare of $302.000.

By Susan Heller Anderson Special to The New York Times.

MONTE CARLO, Monaco, Oct. 9—In the head? and hermetic atmosphere of moneyed elegance that is the chief attraction here, five opulent Wagon‐Lits that for decades rode the rails as part of the Orient Express were auctioned yesterday for $302,000 in what Sotheby Parke Bernet, the auctioneer, believes to be the first: train auction ever held.

A jubilant American, James Sherwood, successfully bid $104,000 for two luxury sleeping cars with rare wood marquetry panels and velvet upholstery. The washrooms of the two cars are fitted with crystal water decanters.

Albert Glatt, the managing director of a Swiss travel company, spent $60,300 for a dining car with gleaming wood panelling, red leather banquettes and ornate brass luggage racks.

André Paccard, a Frenchman, acquired the remaining two carriages for $137,700. One, an elegant Pullman car, had caught the fancy of the German Wehrmacht and was requisitioned during Word! War 11. The other—the most elaborate or the five Art Deco carriages—is a parlor car with wing armchairs designed by Rene. Prou and covered in deep gold embossed velvet. The plane wood panels are encrusted with crystal flowers. René Lalique designed the upholstery panelling.

Mr. Sherwood said that he paid about what he had planned. But Mr. Glatt observed later, in the privacy of an associate's yacht, that he thought the prices were three times what the cars were worth. “It will cost least $20,000 to restore one car;” he said.

The cars belonged to the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons‐Lits and rolled across Europe in the days of deluxe train travel. But such leisure has been replaced by jets and the Wagons‐Lits company, now celebrating its 100th birthday, decided to give up the cars.“They don't have air‐conditioning,” Jacques‐Bernard Dupont, the firm's administrative director, said. “They can't go fast enough—it's not good for them. To build such cars today would cost about $50,000 each.” He said that the company still has about 10 cars from the 1920's but none quite as opulent in decor. Both Mr. Sherwood and Mr. Glatt will put their purchases back on the tracks Mr. Glatt's company presently runs the nostalgic Orient Express, providing deluxe service from Zurich to Istanbul. 

The dining car the 10th old carriage his company has bought. Mr. Sherwood, a Kentucky native living in London, is the president of Sea Containers Inc., a New York shipping firm. He hopes to start a venture similar to Mr. Glatt's, going from London to Venice via Dieppe and Paris.“We'll eventually buy 20 cars and cooperate with Mr. Glatt on rolling stock,” Mr. Sherwood said.

Mr. Paccard, the third buyer, would say only that his two cars would remain in France.In a cloud of authentic smoke from the diner's coal burning, stove, the five cars made their last run Friday from Nice to Monte Carlo, leaving 19 minutes late. The trip, which hugs the Mediterranean coastline and normally takes 20 minutes, took 54 minutes, to the astonishment of Margarete Lamboy a tourist from Hanover, West Germany, who had got on by mistake.“I just wanted to get to Monte Carlo,” she said. “And where do I pay?”The remaining 90 passengers were potential buyers, train buffs, the press and 50 friends of Princess Grace. The Princess, wearing a beige poplin Saint Laurent suit, and friends sipped fresh orange juice and nibbled buttery croissants and brioches. Waiters in starched white jackets poured café au lait from silver pots into white Limoges cups with gold monograms. 

Each table had a silver bud vase filled with red roses.The train buffs, several of whom have written books this year on luxury train travel, seemed morose over the end of an era.To prolong the nostalgia, Sotheby's later in the day auctioned nearly 200 lots of furniture and objets d'art from the 1900's and 1920's, including 18 lots of marquetry panels and Lalique glass bas‐relief panels from other Wagons‐Lits carriages. 

The sale for this part of the auction, approximately $500,000 set several records for Art Nouveau and Déco objects.“Many things went for twice to four times what they brought five years ago,” said Donald Karshan, a Paris collector whose chiffonier by Sue et Mare was in the sale. The piece, which was exhibited in the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs that gave its name to the style of the era, fetched more than $9,000, about twice its value in 1972.

Source: The New York Times Archives. Published on Oct. 10, 1977

[neshabeingchildish]

Slightly different format, because I just needed y’all who didn’t know this song to hear it, okay? Okay, so I’m about as old as the characters parents could be, maybe slightly younger, because they probably had them a little later in adulthood than I’m far off from them, but I figured, close enough to use MY childhood/youth music for Charlotte’s mom’s taste. At least the general timeline. I named songs and artists, if y’all wanna ever listen to any of it. I haven’t/don’t know if I’m making a Determined Soundtrack/Playlist.

Pretty Brown Eyes

Alright. It was one thing to lean into his kiss, reciprocate his embrace and shift herself into his lap. But, she didn't have to go off the way she did for their first kiss. Because, not only did Charlotte do these things, but she also rocked against him a little, which in turn, he took as an invitation to explore her with his big, strong hands. 

She wasn't quite sure how awkward it must've been for Henry and Amelie to see them there when they left through the front door trying not to make any noise for the pair making out on the floor of the main hallway. But, she had to guess it was as bad as her realizing that they had to have seen them whenever they left, because the front door was right down that, very, hallway.

Eventually, she was the one who caught herself and ended the fun. Her head was spinning, nerves tingling and legs wobbling, but she found her senses and pulled herself together. Jasper was a pile of mush, except for the one thing, what, with her doing all that rocking against him. Ugh. Girl, a first kiss is supposed to be soft and sweet. You're not supposed to half grind the dude into the floor of your parents' house. She shivered thinking about his hands on her body, but it was time for that kiss to be put behind them.

"We can't be doing stuff like this," Charlotte said and helped him up. "I had a point before you did that and I don't even remember my middle name right now."

"The magic of love has rendered you temporarily futile…"

"No. The coursing of hormones has thrown off my equilibrium and it does not feel good."

He panicked. "But, it did though? The not good feeling is an afterthought, right?"

"You have to go and I need to lie down." He nodded and tried to give her a hug, but she placed her hands up to halt him and took a step back. “I’m serious.” He nodded and left her, scratching his head and hoping that his stunt hadn’t done the very thing that she was afraid of - ruined things between them.

.

Morning meetups were awkward. Jasper brought her breakfast, she brought his and Henry’s, but they didn’t really say much to each other. Instead, she spoke to Henry about everything but Jasper and whenever Jasper did speak, she was weird about her reponses. 

Work was atypical. While they generally spent most shifts around each other, she now felt like the store needed to be watched at all times, but if he came up, she took that time to go make scans in the Man Cave to be sure they hadn’t missed any calls for help.

In addition to avoiding him big time, she told him that she looked into Amelie pretty deeply and couldn’t find any reason that he couldn’t “get back on track” with her.

“You’d find that reason in the mirror,” Jasper said and she just rolled her eyes and walked away from him. Whenever he told her that things were weird at home and asked if he could crash, she politely asked Henry if it was okay if Jasper crashed at his, instead. Jasper was exasperated, or as Henry said, in an attempt to be funny, exJasperated. Jasper commented that would be the name of his next podcast, and she left them to that conversation to return to the store.

“So… She’s really just moving on like it didn’t happen?” Henry wondered. He’d waited outside for Jasper that night, because he figured that Charlotte would catch herself and kick him to the curb. But, he thought that by now, she would have talked to Jasper about it, fixed their friendship and outlined how it could never happen again.

“No. It’s worst. She’s moving on like it did happen and it was horrifying for her. She refuses to be alone with me and she hardly talks to me, now. I feel like I did something bad to her, but I thought she liked it. I thought she liked me.”

“She liked it and she likes you. You know what this is really about? Self control. She doesn’t trust herself to be alone with you, because she might wind up on your lap, in your arms again and she thinks she shouldn’t be there. You gotta show her that she should be there.”

“How would I do that without being the very creepo that both you and her have told me numerous times to not be?”

“I don’t know. Maybe her family knows something that we don’t? Something that could help us get her for you.”

“Her parents never say much beyond salutations and asking about my day. But… Uncle Rox might help. He loves me and we’re friends on social media. He lived with them for a while. He had to notice something useful.”

Henry nodded, “There you go!”

.

Jasper made an appointment with Uncle Roscoe at his new house, aka his wife’s house, to set some wheels in motion for wooing Charlotte. The man was all too happy to help. “I LOVE love, Lil’ Nephew,” he told Jasper. “My niece sure can use some wooing. Does she still have an attitude about everything?”

“A huge tude… but I still love her. I find it endearing. She’s polite with people she doesn’t care about, so it’s like… a compliment of sorts when you get that sass from her.”

Uncle Roscoe nodded his head as he made some freshly squeezed juice. “Well, I had a secret weapon to soften her up when she was younger and I found out when I lived at their house that it still kinda worked, depending on the material.”

“I must know!” Jasper said, making prayer hands. Roscoe slid a glass across the island to him and he luckily caught it in his palm. Uncle Rox is super kewl. 

“You subscribe to her Spotify?” Roscoe asked.

“No. I don’t believe that we share music tastes.”

“Well, you better get used to it, because that’s gon’ be your bread and butter, Lil’ Nephew. You see, Charlotte has a love for classic R&B, particularly the late 80's/early 90's. She loves all the boy groups that were popular when me and her moms grew up, because that’s the type of stuff that her moms listened to when she was young. Now, most people stop experiencing new music as they get older. They have some nostalgia about their parents’ music, which they pretend like they don’t, like Charlotte be pretending. They have the stuff that was popular when they were growing up, that was their childhood music. And, mostly, by a certain point, they allow very little new music into their worlds. That’s how my sister was. So, a lot of her music was stuff from the 80s and 90s, and Charlotte loves a lot of it, despite her pretenses.”

“You… Think that me listening to 80’s and 90’s R&B boy groups will win over Charlotte?” Jasper asked confused, finally drinking his juice. “This juice is AMAZING!”

“That’s that Roscoe’s Tropical Trash right there. But, no. The listening is just the first step. You gotta know that music, Boi. You gotta learn it. You gotta know what to play and when. You can control Charlotte’s little ass with the right song selection.”

“That has to be made up,” Jasper said, defeated.

Roscoe told him, “Try it out. If she gets mad, pull up “You Don’t Have to Cry by Rene and Angela,” and see if by the end of that song, she won’t be a different woman. Matter of fact, before anything even happens in your day, just put on Rhythm of the Night by DeBarge and see if she don’t have the cheeriest, happiest day.”

Jasper cupped his cup in his fingers and stared at him. “I seriously can’t tell if you’re making up these songs and artists.”

“Boi, here…” He opened his phone and said, “I’m gonna send you a link to Charlotte’s Spotify. Check out them lists. She’s got some of the music by the year and some by the decade, but it’s all kinda R&B on it. She does like a few older than that, but her most frequent ones, I assure you are those 80s-90s ones, with the groups like Troop, New Edition, Boys II Men…”

“I know them!” Jasper cheered.

“Just… The songs I told you about. Use them, then get back to me when you ready to learn musical conditioning for Charlotte.”

Uncle Roscoe used to be a vocal coach for a production studio that went ass end up in the 90s. He was also a musician, DJ, and club promoter. He was a bouncer at a jazz club, at a strip club, and at a popular night club. He still tried to make music sometimes. He played many instruments and he loved to sing. None of his efforts ever worked out fully. But, he still loved the music industry and he always had a good time with his  niece, whenever a good song put her in a good mood. He knew what he was talking about, but Jasper might have to see for himself.

.

Charlotte was about to go upstairs when she heard the opening notes of Rhythm of the Night and bounced towards it curiously. Jasper and Henry were sitting around, and Jasper’s device was connected to the computer. “How do you know this song?” She wondered.

“Uncle Rox shared a DOPE playlist with me whenever I went over for juice. I can’t stop listening to it.”

“It’s a good song. A good feel good song!” She cheered, excited. “I never would have thought you’d like this, though.”

“I love a good feel good song,” he said. She just nodded, smiling and chilled for a little longer, singing along with the song and dancing by herself. It was a little weird for Henry and Jasper to see, but Jasper immediately realized that Uncle Roscoe was right! The music made Charlotte different! 

Now, she was heading to the store, but she was pulling up her own playlist, because she felt like dancing around as she cleaned up the store. Henry smiled at her on the camera and said, “This is an adorable version of Char,”

“She’s always adorable,” Jasper said, watching her, enthralled. 

Charlotte was glad for the dance party of one. She had been so stressed about letting Jasper down, trying to be his friend, trying to avoid him, trying to forget his lips and hands - she had forgotten to just enjoy herself. How lucky was it that Uncle Roscoe put Jasper onto such great music? And Jasper LIKED it? That just made him more likeable! Ugh. She was gonna groan about it, but Never Knew Love Like This Before by Stephanie Mills came on and she was right back in the feel good zone.

.

Charlotte had taken to starting her days with some feel good music, because everyday around Jasper was a struggle. She found that even when he said something frustratingly stupid, she still thought he was cute. Somehow, his ignorance was tolerable to her and even somewhat charming? She looked at him do something ridiculous and think - look at this cinnamon roll. Ugh! She hoped that whatever was going on was reversible. Until then, music therapy should do the daily trick. Today, she began her day with Square Biz by Teena Marie, which brought her mother in to jam with her for a little while and volunteer to do her hair while they hung out, singing and stuff. They didn’t often, so that was a super plus of the day. She came out of the house in the highest spirits that she had been in, in weeks.

She had two braids with puffs at the end, with some charms braided in. She had worn some makeup. Her outfit was clutch. Honestly, she was slaying, and she felt amazing heading to the bakery. The guy at the bakery saw her and almost burned himself on the oven. She pretended not to see as she fought a smile. He quickly caught himself and got her order prepared. She said, “I’m in a really good mood, so I’ll also take an assorted box of kolaches and donuts for my work. Surprise me with the flavors…” 

They were both distracted by this music outside. Everybody in the bakery looked to see where it was coming from. “Is that Pretty Brown Eyes by Mint Condition?” Charlotte asked herself out loud, right before the doors opened and Jasper came in, singing the song. 

“Pretty brown eyes, You know I see you. It's a disguise the way you treat me. You keep holding on to your thoughts of rejection. If you're with me you're secured…”

“What?” She asked herself, frozen in place at… whatever…  this was. She loved that song. There was a whole ass band outside. “Uncle Roscoe…” She said, when she saw him and his friends playing Jasper’s music. Henry was there, recording with his phone. She smiled at the clerk and pretended that they weren’t there for her. She grabbed her order, forced a smile at her friends and tried to pass by. Henry took her order and Jasper continued to sing to her. 

“You keep telling me that your time is always taken, But I keep seeing you out alone. Listen to love; Your heart is pounding with desire waiting to be unleashed…”

As he did, she tried not to blush and laugh. She walked out, and it was louder out there, with the band playing music, but Jasper’s determined self was following her and singing, much like some kind of 90’s music video. She couldn’t help but be impressed and he was a pretty good singer too.

They’d really missed out, not letting him finish his songs during the musical curse. He danced around her, singing the lyrics and she couldn’t help but bop to the music. 

“Quit breakin' my heart 

Breakin' my heart, yeah (pretty brown eyes, Uncle Roscoe was singing backup and playing his instrument)

Breakin' my heart, yeah

Breakin' my heart, sugar, yeah, yeah”

She LOVED this song! Whenever Jasper neared the end of his song, she was pretty much weak and he was so fine, and this took so much work and wasn’t she WORTH this kind of trouble? Jasper sure thought so. Maybe he was worth a little trouble too. Maybe he was worth the risks she worried about. That high pitched, “Quit breaking my heart!” Was her sign. She grabbed him, pulled him to her and started kissing him. Henry cheered him on, and Uncle Roscoe returned a favor of calling out, “Get it, Lil’ Nephew!”

Henry sniffled, “I’m so proud, right now.”

Charlotte pulled back, laughed, shook her head and told Jasper, “You’re crazy. Remember, when it sucks, you insisted on this. Now… You’ve got me.”

He looked towards the band and yelled, “We did it, Uncle Rox! She’s mine!” 

She rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand and pulled him down the street. Henry stopped recording and looked at the band, “Ummm… Well… You gentlemen, and ladies have a good day.” He caught up with his friends, holding the breakfast while they held hands and smiled at each other the whole time. “Feeling left out,” Henry said.

“You’ll pull through,” Charlotte told him. 

Jasper just laughed and gave her a kiss on the temple. “You are so pretty,” he told her. Then, with a big smile, “I can’t believe that I’m this lucky!”