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808airsoftbros · 1 year

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Fitness Trainer (Kim Seolhyun) (S) (BXG)

Author: This one was inspired from a Kdrama web series I recently watched so here it is... Also if you want to check out more of my stories take a peak at the Masterlist :)

Y/N’s POV

Hearing the news that a new gym has just opened in my town a couple blocks away from my house, I’ve already read positive reviews of the place as the staff and trainers are knowledgable of the equipment and proper diet and exercise along with all sorts of cool workout gadgets.

Not only that they also sell pre-workouts, protein shakes, and drinks, and of course the memberships required to enter the gym.

Honestly, the membership wasn’t too bad being the price of $25 per month and I decided why the hell not?

Changing into my workout attire, I grab my duffle bag holding all of my shower needs and a change of clothes.

I get into my car, start the engine, and exit the garage, the drive to the gym was about five minutes as it was close to my house.

Making my way into the gym, I was awestruck by the decor and how nice this place looked.

Walking up to the receptionist, he greets me and asked if I had a gym membership or not.

“Uhm, this is my first time here,” I answered.

“That’s perfect because we offer a ten percent discount to newcomers for the first three months and even a trainer,” The receptionists offered.

“Sweet, it’s a deal,” I accepted and he nodded.

Completing the transaction and getting the sweet deal, he gives me an access card that lets me through the doors and instructs me to wait in room 02 for the trainer.

Sliding the card on the electronic locking mechanism, it automatically unlocks the door and when I walked through the doors, I was again amazed by the amount of people working out and the top-of-the-line gym equipment.

Looking around for the private room, I saw a sign with the label “Room 02″ and the bottom text saying “Kim Seolhyun”. Guess she must be the trainer I’ll be working with so I politely knocked on the door.

“Coming~!” I hear a female voice shout.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door opens revealing a stunning woman dressed in a sports bra nearly exposing her beautiful breasts and yoga pants showing off her thighs and her thick ass.

“Holy fucking shit...” I said in my thoughts as I couldn’t believe my luck.

“Hello there, you must be Y/N, right?” She asked and I nervously nodded.

“Y-Yep, that’s me,” I answered and she smiled.

“Excellent! Please do come in!” She said and stepped aside.

Walking into her room, it was quite cozy and nice with two yoga mats set up on the floor along with a rack of weights and gym equipment.

“Please sit on the yoga mat, we will first begin with some yoga exercises,” She instructed and I did what she said.

Joining me on the mattress, she instructs me on certain poses and stretches which I find uncomfortable at first but I got used to it the longer I keep a certain position.

However, I can’t help but blush the fact at how close we are, her large mounds were literally smashed into my back.

Kinda makes me wonder if she was doing this on purpose...

Anyway, after the warm-up yoga exercises were over, we moved on to weight lifting and since I’m new, she starts me with 5-10 pound weights.

“Wah, for your first time, you’re doing quite well~,” She complimented and I chuckled.

“T-Thank you, Noona,” I nervously thanked her and she giggled.

Continuing lifting the weight bar, I squat down and up at a steady pace until she stopped me.

“Hold on! Your stance and position are wrong!” She called out and corrected me.

Once again, she takes my hand and legs, spreads them in the correct position, and tells me to continue my set.

“Okay, you’ve had enough for today, Y/N, great work today! Just make sure to follow the diet I’ve given you and you will be a pro in no time!” She explained and I nodded.

“Right, thank you again, Noona!” I thanked her.

“Anytime! I’ll see you again tomorrow!” She waved goodbye as I left the room.

Seolhyun’s POV

Damn, he is so cute... I don’t know what’s gotten into me but interacting and working with that boy made me feel butterflies in my stomach.

It’s strange to have such feelings after breaking up with my ex-boyfriend not too long ago.

However, I can tell that he took some glances at my boobs and my ass which I didn’t mind as I was used to men eye-fucking me whenever I’m jogging or in the gym.

But Y/N is different from those creeps that I train, he’s respectful, polite, and kind, and he’s a young boy so he has much growing up to do before he becomes a man.

And I’ll be more than happy to help...

-------------------------------------

A Few Weeks Later...

Y/N’s POV

It’s nearly been a month since I started being apprenticed to Kim Seolhyun and so far, she was the best fitness trainer I’ve been under.

Already, I can start seeing the progress as I’m starting to lose some pounds and my stomach was more toned.

I started eating less junk food and eating more vegetables and healthy foods like Seolhyun instructed.

Coming to another day of workout at the gym, I proceed into the room as per routine and was greeted by Seolhyun.

“Hello, Y/N, are you ready for your training?” She asked.

“More than ever!” I answered and she smiled.

“Good stuff! That’s what we like to hear! Now let’s get to our warm-up!” She commenced.

Getting onto the yoga mat as usual, she caught me by surprise when she said we were going to stretch together as she’s never done her daily stretching yet.

“Now can you hold my back for me, please?” She asked and I nodded.

Holding her back and hand as instructed as Seolhyun did her thing, it was embarrassing as my crotch was literally touching her ass.

Focus Y/N! Focus! DO NOT HAVE A BONER!!! NOT NOW!!!

I screamed to myself to not do it as it would make this situation very awkward and I’ll never see myself or Seolhyun the same ever again.

“Are you okay back there, Y/N? Your face is so red,” She concerningly asked and I shook my head.

“Huh? I’m fine, what about you?” I politely asked and she raised an eyebrow.

Right... I forgot to mention, as time went on, Seolhyun started to get ALOT more touchy with me.

I never questioned why she was touching places she wasn’t supposed to but who am I to stop her?

“Okay, that’s enough, now let’s get to the main set,” She said and we started our set.

After a few hours of weight training, running, and cardiac exercises, we were just about finished working out for today.

“Alright, that’ll be it for today, another job well done, Y/N,” She complimented as she drank water.

“Yeah, thanks,” I replied.

Grabbing our duffle backs, we get out of the room to see the gym was vacant and not a sight of a janitor or a clerk.

“Where is everyone?” I wondered and I take out my phone to check the time.

“Oh my God... The gym closed like an hour ago...” Seolhyun mentioned as she looked at her watch.

“Damn, must’ve lost track of time,” I said and she chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you work so hard, but let’s shower and get out of here,” She said and I nodded.

Walking to the men’s shower room, I was shocked to see Seolhyun following me as the Women’s shower room was down the corridor.

“What? Nobody else is here? Plus it’s closer,” She pointed out and I sighed.

With my mind racing, I step into the shower room, I placed the duffle bag onto the bench, and Seolhyun places her on the opposite side.

I take out all of my showering gear consisting of soap, a towel, and my change of clothes before taking off my shirt.

“Not half bad body, being that you’ve been working out for the past few weeks,” Seolhyun complimented and I blushed.

“Hehe~. I don’t mind you peaking at me, I trust you enough,” She assured.

“Aish, can you stop this nonsense please?” I begged and she giggled.

Taking off the rest of my clothes, I take a deep breath before going under the shower head and turning the knob to hot water.

To my surprise, Seolhyun joins me as well and of course, she was butt-ass naked which didn’t help my situation.

“Uhm, Noona, there are other shower heads you know,” I pointed out and she playfully rolled my eyes.

“What? Are you afraid of a naked woman?” She asked.

“N-No, it’s just, a man and a woman shouldn’t shower together unless they are a couple,” I replied and she grinned.

“H-Hey, don’t you get any ideas!” I stuttered and she slowly approaches me.

“Or else what? What are you going to do?” She asked and I gulped.

Staring deep into my eyes, I can’t help but stare into her eyes and she’s telling me that she wasn’t fucking around... She actually wants to fuck.

“Maybe it’s a good time, to be honest with myself, Y/N, I’ve had feelings for you ever since we first met, I don’t know if I’m just crazily in love with you but I don’t care... Because now all I want to is you,” She said before whispering the last part into my ear sending shivers down my spine.

“I’ve seen you stare at my ass... I’ve seen you glancing at my breasts and I know you love the feeling of them pressing on your back~,” She flirted as she wraps her hand around my cock.

“T-This is too fast, Noona, I-I don’t-” I was about to say but she tightens her grip on my cock making me squeal.

“Did I say you can talk~?” She asked and I shook my head.

“Now, what do you want your Noona to do?” She asked as she gets on her knees and slowly gave me a handjob.

“B-Blowjob...?” I nervously asked and she smirked.

“Hehe. Anything for you cutie~,” She replied before licking the shaft making me loudly moan and kissing the tip.

Engulfing my length into her mouth, it was clear that she was experienced as it felt really good and warm. She kept bobbing her head up and down and letting out a loud bop.

“Did you like it, baby, ~?” She asked.

“Y-Yes, Noona, it was really good,” I answered and she smiled.

“Good, now it’s time to show you some moves~,” She said and was about to place my dick in between her mounds.

*phone ringing*

“Ughhh... Sorry honey but will have to continue this another time, I have an errand but remember, I want an answer by then, understand?” She asked and I nodded.

“Good, but let me finish you off, real fast,” She replied and sucked me off until I came into her mouth.

-------------------------------------

The Next Day...

Y/N’s POV

After that strange interaction with my fitness trainer Seolhyun yesterday, I was left pondering as I don’t know how to feel about her.

Sure she was beautiful and all but this is all too sudden and quick for me as she’d be my first love.

I’m not sure if oral counts as taking my virginity or not but I felt like it was taken either way.

Anyway, I prepared myself for another training exercise, drove to the gym, and enter the room but I was surprised to see a different trainer.

“Hello, you must be Y/N, right?” The trainer asked and I nodded.

“Y-Yes, but where is Seolhyun?” I asked.

“Oh, well, Seolhyun is running a bit late so I’ll warm you up in the meantime, also my name is Kim Sohee and help you train until she gets here, so let’s start with some stretches, shall we?” She said and I get on the mat.

Glancing at her body, her breasts and ass were thicker than Seolhyun’s but I can’t help but feel as if she was trying to flirt with me.

“Wah, you’re so flexible and strong, Seolhyun trained you well, huh?” She complimented and I nervously chuckled.

“T-Thank you,” I thanked her and she giggled.

“No need to thank me, cutie, now let’s move on to our set,” She replied.

As we start weightlifting I can’t help but feel as if I was being watched by someone.

Seolhyun’s POV

Crap! Crap! I cannot believe this! My fucking ex-boyfriend shows up at my door begging for forgiveness for sleeping with another woman.

Of course, I shut him out and tell him to beat it and that I never want to see him ever again but he refused to leave.

Thankfully, I finally managed to make him fuck off, and now I’m going to be late because of him but I had a colleague of mine train him in the meantime.

I rushed to the gym as fast as I could hoping that Y/N will forgive me for being late. Parking at the lot, I ran into the gym, slide my card. and made my way into the gym and to my private training room.

I saw Y/N there with another trainer of mine but strangely, Jungkook wasn’t there instead it was Sohee.

Y/N never noticed my presence yet but Sohee did and she smirked at me as she gets behind him pressing her breasts on her back.

Obviously, I was infuriated as this was the same bitch who stole my previous boyfriend and I know she’s a playgirl and just wanted Y/N for herself only to dump him.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’ll take it from here, Sohee,” I said.

“There’s no need for that, Seolhyun, I got this so why don’t you take a day off?” She offered and I gave her a fake smile.

“Thank you for the offer but I’ll have to decline it, besides, I know Y/N’s needs and everything he needs to do for today,” I replied and she frowned.

“Well, what do you think, Y/N? Do you want me? Or Seolhyun?” Sohee whispered into his ear making me clench my fists.

“U-Uhm...” He stuttered as he was unsure what to do in this situation making me feel sad. Did confessing my feelings not mean anything to him?

“Sorry, Sohee, but imma stick with Seolhyun, but thank you for your help,” Y/N answered making me sigh in relief.

“Aww~. Are you sure~?” She seductively asked and I’ve just about had it.

Pulling her by ear, she yelped in pain as I dragged her out of my room, opened the door, and threw her out before shutting the door.

Y/N’s POV

Seeing her harshly dragging Sohee-Noona out of the room made me realize just how scary she can be. She turned around to face me and gave me a deadly glare.

“Now, baby boy, about what I asked for yesterday...” She paused.

“W-What about it?” I nervously asked.

“You know... Do you share the same feelings as I do? Do you love me?” She asked and I gulped.

Pushing me down onto the mattress with her hands straddling my hand whilst giving me a lustful look and dived into my neck before biting it leaving a mark and drawing out some blood.

“W-What was that for?” I asked.

“For making your mommy jealous and to show everyone who you belong to, now it’s time I take your virginity and for you to grow up~,” She answered sending shivers down my spine.

Not wasting any time, she strips down her clothes as I did the same, she places her lips onto mine and made out until we ran out of breath.

“You’re such a good kisser being a virgin, baby, but now it’s time for the main event,” She said before inserting my cock into her pussy making her loudly moan.

“W-What if they hear us?” I concerningly asked.

“Don’t worry about them, baby, this room is soundproof. Now stop asking questions because not only I’m going to fuck your brains out but I’m also going to drain your balls,” She answered and I gulped.

When Seolhyun begins riding the daylights out of me, I never knew how tight she was and it kinda hurt but it felt so good.

“Oh my God, baby, your dick is so good~!” She yelled as she continued moaning.

Seeing her tits bounce up and down as she rode me turned me on even more and we switch position to doggy style and re-insert back into her before ramming into her.

Yes, darling, right there~!” She moaned as I hit her G-spot.

Arching back, I play with her tits adding more pleasure and latched her lips as I pounded her.

“Ah, I’m so close, baby~,” She warned.

“So am I,” I replied.

“Then let’s cum together~,” She said and we did just that.

Collapsing onto the floor together, my dick was still inside of her but she didn’t care as she hugged me tightly as she pressed my head into her mounds.

“You did so well, baby~,” She complimented.

“T-Thank you, Noona, you were amazing~,” I replied and she giggled as she caressed my head.

“I love you, baby~,” She said.

“I love you too, Noona~,” I replied.

From that point on, we kept having sex in her gym room and at our houses or whenever we can as I get addicted to her. I’ve never met such an incredible and caring woman in all my life and I’m forever happy to be with her as she felt the same way.

#kpop #kpopidol #kpop smut #kpop scenarios #aoa #aoa seolhyun #kim seolhyun #seolhyun #seolhyun x male reader #gym #fitness trainer #gril group smut #bxg #x male reader

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oneshotnewbie · 1 month

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Cult Victim

Criminal Minds x Reader

Summary: Supervisory Special Agent Y/n y/l/n, FBI profiler at the BAU specializing in tracking down and understanding serial killers and criminal cults. Brotherhood of Silence that aims to rid society of "unworthy" elements by spreading chaos and fear. They believe in ritual purification through terror. Leader Lucien Kane, a charismatic but deeply disturbed woman, sees herself as the "savior" who must free humanity from its sins. The Brotherhood is made up of fanatical followers who all came to the group through personal tragedy or mental disorders. They operate in secret and are willing to do anything to achieve their goals.

You are on the trail of the Brotherhood of Silence after investigating a series of brutal murders marked by ritual symbols and cryptic messages. Lucien Kane sees you not only as a threat to her group and her beliefs, but also as a chosen one who is to be led to a higher understanding through suffering and enlightenment. She believes that once you are "cleansed," you are the one who can carry on her legacy.

⚠️Trigger Warning for the whole series⚠️ This one-shot includes the topic of blood, kidnapping, torture, sacrifice, depression, needles, injections, drugs, and those plots are presented. If this triggers you too easily or you just can´t handle the subject, I urge you NOT to read this work. I am NOT embellishing this topic under any circumstance. Read at your own risk.

ᕚ---ᕘ

The sound of the whirring computers in the FBI's operations center was almost soothing in its steadiness. Screens flickered with data and video feeds as you stood near a large, interactive screen. Your eyes were glued to the details of a particularly gruesome series of murders that had dominated the headlines in recent months. You were determined to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Since the Brotherhood of Silence had come into your sights, you had barely been able to sleep. Your nights were spent poring over reports and reviewing and comparing old case files. Above your desk in the study of your apartment hung photos of the victims and maps with marked locations where the Brotherhood had struck. The lines with red thread between the various crime scenes formed a web of violence and terror. A web you couldn't wait to break.

Every detail you found, every tiny clue, drew you deeper into the darkness. The case had become more than just a professional challenge - it had become a personal mission that you pursued even after the rest of the team had long since finished work. You were sure that you were close to discovering a pattern, finding a flaw that would finally expose the cult.

"Y/n, have you seen the latest reports on the Brotherhood of Silence?" Spencer asked as he approached you cautiously with a stack of files in his hand so as not to startle you. You nodded and took one of the files. "Yes, I've looked through them. Their methods are becoming more violent."

Reid sat down at one of the desks and began to sift through the data. "There are indications that they are operating near Quantico. We must pull out all the stops to find them."

You sank into a chair across from him and studied the information. As you spoke, Reid noticed the dark circles under your eyes and the tension in your face. You were working harder than anyone else on the team on this case, and while your dedication was admirable, he was worried about you. He shared a look with JJ, who had also noticed that you seemed exhausted.

"Y/n, maybe you should take a break, hmm?" she suggested carefully, looking at you from her position at Reid's table. "You've been working through the last few nights. We all need to be in top form if we want to catch them."

You shook your head and looked up at her, worry reflecting in her eyes. "I can't. It's like I'm so close to finding something. These people are dangerous, and the longer we wait, the more innocent lives are in danger."

Tara, who had heard the exchange, also moved closer to you and placed an arm on your shoulder, playing with the soft lengths of your hair. "We know you mean business, sweetheart. But you're not alone. We're a team, and we can do this together."

You looked into the faces of your colleagues, recognized the concern, but also the determination in them. You knew you could rely on them, but the inner restlessness did not leave you alone. The case had become embedded in your mind, a puzzle that you were constantly trying to solve.

"I know," you said finally, your voice light but still rock solid. "But something tells me that we are close to making a breakthrough. I can't ignore this and go home."

Emily stepped up, her presence calming and authoritative at the same time. "We will solve this case, y/n. But we have to make sure that we all do it healthily. Take some time for yourself this evening, that's an order."

You knew that she meant well, and you forced yourself to nod and fake a smile that did not reach your eyes. Inside, the desire to confront the Brotherhood burned like a blazing fire. You had vowed to solve this case, no matter what it cost.

But as you went through the data during your conversations, you did not notice the slight but targeted intrusions into the system. The Brotherhood had hooked their fingers deep into the FBI's digital networks, and they had only one target: you.

The Brotherhood of Silence had long operated in the shadows. Their leader, Lucien Kane, was watching events unfold from a secret hideout - one of many. Kidnapping you had become a central focus of her new plan. Your determination, intelligence and willingness to take risks made you a potential threat to them, but also a possible ally in their eyes - if she managed to break your will.

Their location was dimly lit, the windows draped with heavy curtains to keep out any daylight. An antique dark wood table stood in the center, scattered with plans, notes, and a single computer, its screen reflecting the bluish light of the command center.

Lucien Kane stood at the table with calm composure as she looked at Adrian, her most loyal follower and the technical genius of her followers. Adrian was a pale man with restless eyes that constantly moved as if they could reshape the world around him. He had infiltrated the FBI's network, hacked the communications channels, and gained access to the confidential systems without raising a warning.

"Do we have access?" Lucien asked, her voice light and velvety, imbued with an inner calm more sinister than any anger.

Adrian nodded, a fleeting smile crossing his lips as he appreciated the complexity of his work. "Yes, everything is set up. The surveillance has been bypassed, the security protocols are not activated. We have access to her communications. They will have no idea it's us.“

She leaned back, relaxed, as she folded her hands together. She enjoyed the view of the upcoming move. "Very good. It is important that Agent y/l/nis isolated before she understands what is happening. She is the key player, and her kidnapping will throw the rest of the squad into disarray."

Adrian looked at Lucien with a hint of admiration. "Her tenacity is impressive. She does not let up, even though we are always one step ahead of them." The woman next to him smiled, a cold, calculating smile that never reached her eyes. "That is why she must be taken out of the game. But we must not underestimate her abilities. We must lure her out with the utmost precision and skill. Have you prepared the message?"

"Yes, it's ready. The message will be sent from Emily's communication channel while she is being led astray by us with the team. She will not suspect anything. The need for discretion to protect her superior's supposed informant will cause her to go alone."

Lucien went to the window, where she looked out for a moment as if she could already see the world she wanted to reshape. "And what about the rest of the team?"

Adrian typed some commands into his laptop as he spoke. "I have prepared a disruption in their communication network. It will cost them valuable time before they realize that something is wrong. Agent y/l/n will already be in your hands before they understand it."

Lucien nodded in satisfaction, her thoughts already running at full speed. "Excellent. Once she's here, I'll receive her personally, so be gentle with her. She'll see that we're not just a simple enemy, but a force that can change the system from the ground up."

"Do you think you can convince her to join us?" he asked, a hint of doubt in his voice. "She has a strong mentality."

"Everyone has their price, Adrian. Everyone can be convinced and every mentality can be weakened if you just know which lever to use," she replied before turning away and leaving the room to make the final preparations for your arrival.

ᕚ---ᕘ

It was late afternoon when you were putting up the latest information and victims on the whiteboard in the conference room. The walls were already covered with photos of the victims and crime scene photos that documented the crime spree, but there were still little places to put something up.

The sounds of the office surrounded you when your cell phone vibrated on the table and caught your attention. It was an urgent one from Emily, who was currently out with the entire team, except Reid and you, on a trail that could create a breakthrough in this case. Your eyes narrowed as you read the instructions.

It was an urgent tip that supposedly came from a high-ranking informant in a remote industrial area north of Quantico. The instructions were clear and precise: go there alone to minimize the risk of the informant being exposed and not to put him in danger.

You read the message several times, your brow furrowed as your heart rate increased. The opportunity to make a break in the case was too tempting to ignore. Although it was unusual for Emily to send you alone, the security protocols and codes in the message were correct. You felt a mixture of excitement and caution, but your determination prevailed.

Before you left, you made a quick note and ran downstairs to inform Reid curtly that you were following up on a lead. "I'll be right back, I need to check something," you said as you grabbed your jacket.

Reid looked up from his computer and nodded, his eyes on you full of concern. "What leads?" he asked, and you paused in your position for a moment. "Prentiss asked me to look into something."

"Be careful, y/n. If you need assistance, call me. Stay on the radio Garcia and I can hear you and send over backup if anything goes wrong." he spoke fully, smiling at you, still tapping away at his keyboard. "What can go wrong?" you replied with a smile. But inside, you had a sinking feeling as you left the building and headed towards the industrial area.

The industrial area was abandoned, a collection of old factories and dilapidated warehouses reclaimed by nature. The sky was overcast, and an ominous wind swept through the empty streets as you parked your car and got out.

Your hand rested steadily on your holster, a sort of safety as you cautiously entered the site. It was silent, save for the occasional creak of metal in the wind. The buildings seemed to have fallen from another time, their facades crumbling and shards of glass scattered on the ground.

You felt the cold creep into your bones as you followed the instructions in the message and walked to a specific building half-covered by ivy. The door was ajar. You paid attention to every sound, every shadow hiding in the corners. A claustrophobic feeling settled over you, as if the walls of the old warehouses were getting closer the deeper you walked into it.

"This is Special Agent l/n," you said into your radio to reassure Reid. "I'm at the specified location. Checking the area." There was silence. No answer. Your heart began to beat faster. "Headquarters, request confirmation of radio signal to the BAU."

No answer.

You drew your weapon and stepped inside. Your footsteps echoed through the deserted hall and the feeling of oppression grew stronger. You felt that something was wrong, but there was no way back. The darkness was almost tangible and the faint light that fell through the broken windows cast ghostly shadows on the walls. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust that muffled your footsteps and increased the feeling of complete isolation. Cobwebs hung everywhere like curtains, blocking the way to unknown depths.

As you went deeper into the halls, you noticed that the air was stale, as if it had been trapped in the walls for years. A foul smell of decay and rust hung in the air, sharpening your senses and making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You knew you were not alone, that eyes were on you, even if you could see no sign of life.

You activated the flashlight on your body armor, the beam of light flickering across the walls, offering glimpses of the dilapidated facility. Old machines stood like lost monuments, witnesses to an industrial past long forgotten. The thought that people once worked and lived here was hard to imagine.

A soft scratching sounded behind you and you whirled around, weapon drawn. But there was nothing there, just the wind whistling through the cracks, bringing the buildings to life. Your breathing was shallow, and you forced yourself to remain calm. This was a trap, you knew that by now. But the question was: Why did Emily bring you here?

With every step you took deeper into the building, the feeling of threat grew more intense. Your instincts screamed at you that something was wrong, but there was no turning back. You had to find out what was going on, had to understand why your boss had brought you here.

Suddenly you heard a quiet but determined sound behind you. It wasn't wind, not the creaking of the old building. It was the sound of footsteps moving toward you. "Agent y/l/n to headquarters. This is-"

Before you could continue speaking, you were grabbed from behind. Strong arms held you tight, and a syringe found its way through the thin skin of your neck and into your veins.

You struggled, kicking and shooting into the air, but the numbness set in quickly. Your senses began to blur and you could only perceive blurred movements and muffled sounds around you. "We got her," a male voice spoke triumphantly into a phone as he tied you up, the other end of the call on speaker. "Take her to the hideout. She'll have to understand that she's part of something bigger now."

It was the only thing you noticed before your limbs became heavier, your weapon slipped from your hand and a feeling of helplessness overcame you.

ᕚ---ᕘ

The day was drawing to a close and the team returned to headquarters, exhausted from a long mission. The lead they had set out to and worked on had fizzled out and frustration hung in the air as they entered the building. But the frustration was quickly interrupted by an unsettling feeling.

Spencer Reid, the young genius of the team, stood at the radio station, where a flood of messages usually came in, but today there was a strange silence. Panic rose in him as he hit on the equipment, trying to make contact.

"Y/n, come on... answer me," Reid screamed, more to himself than to the others, as he frantically scanned the frequencies. But all he heard was static. His hands shook slightly as he checked the radio channel again, hoping it was just a technical glitch.

At that moment, the rest of the team entered the room. JJ, Tara, Rossi, Luke and Emily immediately noticed Spencer's worried face and the silence that permeated the room. "Reid, what's going on?" Emily asked with a worried undertone in his voice.

Reid looked up, his eyes full of unmistakable concern. "Y/n is gone. She hasn't checked in on the radio yet, and all I've got so far is static."

Emily frowned and stepped closer. "What do you mean 'gone'? She should be here with you."

"After you left, she said she was following up on a lead," he explained hastily, pulling out his phone to call you. "She got a message from you, Emily. She was supposed to meet with one of your informants, alone."

The person addressed froze in her position, her usual authority gone as she shook her head. "I didn't send her a message. I never wanted her to leave without backup.“

The atmosphere in the room became tense as the team members realized that something had gone seriously wrong. A hint of panic hung in the air as they began to consider the possible consequences. The concern for you, which had appeared so suddenly and without warning, drove them on.

At that moment, Garcia, the team's IT specialist, stormed into the room with a worried look on her face. Her normally cheerful and colorful demeanor had given way to a serious look. "We have a big problem," she began, placing a laptop on the table and sharing the screen with the group.

"I've detected irregularities in the network," she explained, typing quickly to check the security logs. "It looks like the FBI has been hacked. Someone has infiltrated our communication channels and may have tampered with everything sent or received today."

Realization struck like a bolt of lightning, and everyone in the room's eyes widened in horror. "That means the message to y/n was a trap," JJ muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Damn it! We have to find her, and fast," Morgan said, his hands clenching into fists. "We have no idea who did it or what they plan to do with her."

Emily took command, her voice calm but firm. "Okay, we need to mobilize all resources. Garcia, check every lead we have. Luke and Rossi, double check the last known locations from her phone. Tara, JJ, I want all available teams ready. We can't waste any time.“

Concern for you brought the team back together, determination burning in their souls. They knew that the Brotherhood of Silence had probably made a significant move and had you in their custody.

Garcia worked feverishly on her laptop as she collected data and analyzed the lines of communication. "I'll scour everything we have. Something has to lead us to y/n."

Reid went through your last known movements, his sharp memory searching for clues he might have missed. "Your car is equipped with a GPS tracker. If we find the signal, we can pinpoint her last location."

Tara and JJ began briefing the other teams while they planned the next steps with Emily. Everyone was focused, their concern for you drove them, and they knew they would do anything to bring you back.

The clock was ticking and the Brotherhood of Silence had a disturbing lead. The enemy was well prepared, and the tracks were carefully covered.

Meanwhile, you were held in a dark room, far from any help. The cold floor pressed against your skin. You were alone, and without contact with the outside world or your team. The way back would be dangerous and full of terror. But you were not one to give up easily.

The game had begun.

When you came to, you were lying on the cold floor of a darkened room. The air was stuffy and heavy, and your thoughts were in chaos. Your hands were tied, your legs immobile. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dim light.

Lucien Kane stood before you, enveloped in an aura of eerie serenity. Her eyes sparkled coldly, and a smile played around her lips that did not bode well. "Welcome, Agent y/l/n," she said in a voice that sounded like velvety darkness, intimidating and threatening. "I hope your journey here was not too uncomfortable."

You tried to sit up, but your limbs were still weak. "What do you want from me?" you asked, your voice firm even though your heart was beating on your tongue. Lucien walked leisurely around you, as if she were guarding a trophy. "You are an extraordinary woman, y/n. Your skills, your willingness to take risks - you are a threat to us. But I also see the potential that lies dormant within you."

"Potential?" you asked, trying to organize your thoughts and find a way out. "You kidnap me and talk about potential? You are insane."

Lucien Kane laughed softly, a sound that echoed. "Maybe. But in today's world, you have to be insane to change things. The Brotherhood of Silence is more than just a group. We are a movement, a vision for a new order.

You felt the anger rising within you. A warming fire in the cold of the room. "Your vision is nothing but terror and murder. You believe you are above the law, but my team and I will hunt you down and put an end to this bullshit."

Lucien leaned closer, her face inches from yours. "The law is weak. It serves those who control it, not those who suffer under it. The choice is yours, y/n. You can become part of something greater or perish fighting us."

You returned her gaze with an iron determination and no fear whatsoever. "I will never be one of them. Your world is a lie, built on fear and destruction."

Lucien straightened up, a hint of regret and menace in her eyes. "Then I fear your time here will be very painful."

She signaled to a guy in the corner who approached with a syringe in his hand. You knew what was coming, but refused to panic. Instead, you looked for a spark of hope, a way to escape as the needle neared your skin again.

"We won't break you, but we will make you join us," she whispered to you as the anesthetic flowed into your veins. "You can take my freedom, but not my will, Kane."

Lucien watched as your eyelids grew heavy and you sank into the darkness. "We'll see, y/n. We'll see."

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bird-inacage · 1 month

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This is finally my review on GMMTV's wildly popular 'Only Friends' which saw out 2023 in style. I do realise this is almost a year since it's release, but I find that time often allows for more objectivity.

Let me start by saying that the buzz and anticipation for this show was immense. The raunchier offering was a departure from GMMTV's typical affair, paired with the understandable hype over a powerhouse of a cast. The excitement reflected an obvious appetite for messier queer relationships to be explored on screen.

I personally had a great time overall with this series, and was highly entertained throughout by the drama. The story isn't airtight, but the plot packs in plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes (and I was repeatedly caught off guard). I give kudos to any show that can keep me guessing. The pacing is mostly consistent, with a lot of story packed into 12 episodes. It allows for sufficient character trajectories to be explored and concluded. The final Boeing arc could have made a bigger impact if it had been signposted sooner.

The main couple here are Mew and Top, but both SandRay and BostonNick get a decent distribution of screen time. I've found the general consensus to be that Mew and Top's relationship is the least interesting of the three, and I would agree. You do get very different flavours and conflicts with each couple, as well as complex layers across this entangled web, so there's likely something for everyone.

The lessons learned by our characters is what I feel this show does really competently. We follow them as they royally fuck-up, they fail, learn and grow. The arcs depicted feel very relatable. How can you continue to love someone after they've hurt you? Should you allow your feelings for someone to determine your own self worth? Should you try to change yourself for love? What does it mean to love selflessly, or selfishly? Can friendship and love exist hand-in-hand?

Out of three main couples, two survived. I think Boston and Nick going their separate ways was the only satisfactory ending they could've gotten. Mew choosing to no longer stay friends with Boston was also incredibly valid. When people hurt us, sometimes they can be forgiven, but sometimes they cannot - and that's a valuable lesson in itself.

This is a very strong ensemble cast. The standouts for me are Khaotung and Neo. Khaotung's range is masterful to watch. Neo gave us one of the best villains I've seen in a while. Boston was an absolute joy to hate. What I loved about their performances is you could tell how much fun they were having. I also have to shout out Force, who did a brilliant job of making me utterly loathe Top. But I must stress that it's a real treat to have a cast where everyone pulls their weight.

The series also makes the effort to portray many side dynamics that I hugely appreciated. I thought Ray and Mew's friendship was told beautifully. I adored Nick and Sand's platonic affection for one another. I liked seeing the healthy parental dynamics Sand and Mew have with their respective mothers. Yo's friendship with the younger cast is lovely. The only player I think was glaringly under-utilised is Namcheum. Her character fell really flat in comparison, and didn't add much value to the friendship group. Considering she was one of our few female characters, her presence was rather forgettable.

I'll do a special mention on First and Khaotung, as they are my faves.

Acting Performance: What I commend First and Khaotung on is the ying/yang extremes of Sand and Ray. Sand is a role that requires a lot of restraint. First was told by P'Jojo on a number of occasions that he couldn't cry. To hold in and hold back, and still emote with range and nuance is super challenging. While Ray needs the opposite treatment; to be outwardly explosive across all his emotions. Khaotung put himself through the absolute wringer to bring Ray to life, and it shows. Their fight scene in Episode 10 still gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. (Note: I can't get over how suitably giddy P'Jojo looks when watching them act).

Pairing Rating: [A FIERY ROLLERCOASTER] This pairing is all about peaks and troughs, ups and downs. But ultimately we see two people who truly complement each other and balance one another out.

P'Jojo has a very distinctive voice in terms of direction, which really permeates in every element of the show. He had a clear vision and that intent translates. Stylistically, this was right up my street, and is very palatable for today's audience. From the visually dynamic sets to character styling, there's individuality but also cohesion. The music choices are superb. The opening and end credits were striking.

Editing: This show does some playful things with the way it edits, especially when it comes to montages. The 'interview' shots at the beginning of the series offer us an efficient insight into Mew's POV, but is not utilised again. At times these choices can feel experimental.

Music: Khaotung's OST track 'Let's Try' is a bonafide banger. Khao really is out here to prove his astounding range, as I had no idea this was him when I first heard it.

>>>

FINAL THOUGHTS: This series isn't one I've rewatched from start to finish since it's release - though I have returned to Firstkhao's scenes again and again. Rewatch value is always an interesting factor I like to ponder - especially the why. I think this is one of those shows where it's impact hits most on first watch, but doesn't pack as much punch a second time round. Some people hope there will be a Season 2, but I'm not sure if that would be a good idea, considering our characters have come to a comfortable conclusion in their arcs, and any further disturbance to their stories may feel unwarranted.

(Disclaimer: These are just my own opinions. It goes without saying that one still can enjoy a show for all its successes as well as recognising its shortcomings).

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timetravellingkitty · 8 months

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you don’t talk about your fav books here? on the book nerd webbed site? Okay, top 5 books of all times, let’s go. Be generous and copious with the reviews

HELP WHAT'S WITH THE CALLOUT 😭😭 you're not even that wrong tho like I had this sideblog (that's inactive now rip) that was like "ooh books ooh dark academia look at meeee" but uh yeah. I haven't been reading much these days (don't ask I will cry) but I sometimes do talk about some or the other book I've read, I'm just a loser for not doing it enough but anyways. Favourite books

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour: like I mentioned, sad, raw, etc etc I finished reading this an hour before the new year (2023) so I just spent the rest of it just thinking about it?? I think it came to me at the perfect time cause this was 2 months after my grandmother died even tho I had a complicated relationship with her it really did help a lot

The Hunger Games: yes. This one. When I first read it I identified with Katniss so much cause she was what I saw myself as (no not smart and resourceful I'm still none of that but aloof, unlikable, brash, blunt and would do quite literally anything for their younger sibling). Honestly I think it helped shaped the reader I am today, it really got pre-teen me thinking more so yeah. I quite literally owe this series my life I have nothing but love for it

The Earthsea Cycle: THIS ONE IS FANTASTIC. So simple, so magical, so wonderful to read. Ged is a great protagonist, literally THE OG wizarding school series. Poetic resolution if you ask me

A Thousand Splendid Suns: idk maybe reading this at the tender age of 12 did something to me but who am I to complain this one's literally heartwrenching it's so engrossing IT'S ABOUT HOPE IN THE MIDST OF DESPAIR, IT'S ABOUT RESILIENCE AFSJKLS. Mariam and Laila's relationship is one for the ages literal narrative foils idc idc I think about them all the time

Rebecca: I have no explanation for this one. It just makes me go feral okay the tension, the layers, the ominous and gothic atmosphere I'm a little in love the writing is nothing short of captivating

Honorable mentions go to the Riordanverse (This one was also pretty formational), Blackout (yes I rated this 4 stars. No I do not care this one called me single in 6 languages don't ask it's just. Very nice no rhyme or reason here chief), Pachinko, Parable of the Sower, The Kite Runner and Last Night at the Telegraph Club

#asks #cat!

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popgeek · 2 years

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10 Tv Shows of All Time You Must Watch If You Are The Last of Us Fan

The HBO show The Last Of Us tv shows to watch on Sundays has become one of the most popular tv shows in the world right now. The tv show is a post-apocalyptic drama television series. The show has gone famous due to its plot, emotional roller coaster, powerful characters and partial resemblance to the situation of the year 2020. If you fell in love with the show. Here are the 10 Tv shows of all time of a similar genre......Read more ( click here )

#top movie #web series #film #film review #series #the last of us show #netflix

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fully-functioning-pigeon · 10 months

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Congrats to Critical Role for making number one web series in the tumblr year in review!

(Personal shoutouts to d20 and puppet history for making top 10)

#critical role #critical role campaign 3 #bells hells #critical role campaign 2 #the mighy nein #critical role campaign 1 #vox machina #cr 1 #cr3 #cr2

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popculturebuffet · 9 months

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Top 20 Animated Episodes of 2023 Part 1

Hello all you happy people! It's now 2024, and with 2023 behind us it's time for my faviorite yearly thing on this blog: my top 20 episodes of the year list!

For those of you new to this tradition or needing a refresher, each year I take 5 episodes each (or less if the show had less), from the various shows I watched that year, and then slowly wittle it down from a massive pile to the 20 best, split into two digestible parts, and let you all enjoy the results. It's one of my favorite things as it gives a nice, personal, wide berth of what happened in that year, gives this blog something unique to do, and allows me to touch on shows I haven't covered yet or may simply not get to for some time, if ever.

2023 was a mixed bag for me, both professionally and personally: It started.. with a kick in the teeth as my cat Stewie died after living a long, fufilling life of looking mildly pissed at everything but still being cute.

He was a good cat and his loss is something I still haven't fully gotten over a year later.

It was a harbringer of change: with Stewie's death we finally moved out of the house I lived in pretty much my whole life, and into a smaller, nicer and far better apartment with my own mini office in my room even and all my children/books/children returned to me. It's taken 6 months but I feel like i've fully settled into my new, wonderful home.

And towards the end of this year as the loss of Stewie still stung all this time later, I got another great change with the addition of Maddie

Maddie was the dog of a close friend of the family who had to go into a retirement home. She needed a home, and now has one in my room looking morose, licking my face and occasionally going under the bed for hours at a time like the cave goblin she is. She was a much needed bolt of sunshine in this storm of a year. I do metaphor good.

So with all these c-changes, how did this blog fair? Suprisingly great but not entirely in tact. Quality wise I do think I did some of my best work this year: I tackled the first apperances of every spider-man, woman and pig in into the spider-verse, the movie itself, finally web swining around a bit thanks to kev with a little more spidey planned for this year, with a tie in for Kraven later this year that's exactly what you think it is. I finally got to do an x-men month, covered rocko's modern life static cling for pride month, and in one of my finest hours, got to do a retrospective on one of my faviroite fairly recent comic strips breaking cat news with the help of my friend emma. Her sponsorship meant I got to cover something great and while few people have read it, i'm happy just to have it out there.

In addition to that I covered Tugs, an osbcure UK series and spirtual brother to thomas the tank engine that involved state mandated death dates for boats, pirates, and eleven minutes of explosions. I finally got to enjoy the madness that was the Telltale Sam and Max Games, with Save the World in the pocket and Beyond Time and Space wrapping up next week. And biggest, best and brightest of all I did a retrospecitve on little shop of horrors, finally seeing both the stage play and original corman film, as well as little shop. And someday i'll have recovered from seeing little shop.

The delay on that though brings me to the other shoe.. this year my productivity was in the basement and my week was at an all time low. Several reviews got delayed, from stewie's death leaving me unable to work for a few days for damn obvious reasons, to the move frequently taking my time or leaving me off balance. Not only that I didn't plan my time off for the move well, so I was left having to rearrange my whole schedule. It's why both pirate month and pride month, proud institutions on this blog, were reduced to a week and a three part special, something I wasn't remotely happy with. Things kept slipping by, and in general it wasn't my best year for getting shit done. I realized i'd simply taken WAY too much on, and thus have scaled back to ten reviews instead of 12 a month, and may scale back further if necessary: i'd rather these reviews be their best and get put through a spellcheck than be glad it's done only to realize I have nother thing that's due yesterday.

Not helping were towards the end of the year, a massively loud noise from my computer fan that made it hard to concentrate, something that's hard for my adhd ass in general let alone with a giant whirring fan that nothing can out loud, and having finally solved tha tproblem thanks to my dad's help.... then having my wrist go out, and while it's recovered now, it meant an extra week off, which sounds nice and was in places.. but was mostly spent in pain or asleep to escpae the pain till I got things to help with that. Then after a nice christmas, a lovely few days after... I got a cold, which spent up a large chunk of my vacation in a sick coma.

I apologize a bit for all the venting as you can tell this year's been a long one. I came out the otherside well with a loveable dog and a great new work/living space, but it was a bitch getting to here.

Thankfully animation wise, the industry wasn't in as MUCH turmoil this year. It still wasn't great: We got more cancelations with Lumberjanes and Phoebe and Her Unicorn announced formally dead before arrival had even started, and cancellations for Inside Job, Star Trek Progidy and Praise Petey, the last two seemingly in limbo as a result, with only one getting saved. While it wasn't the cancelnado of last year that wrecked many a service and nearly ended me, it was still pretty bad and Warner showed zero signs of learning from their lessons: after taking a few months off thinking the heat died down they tried canceling coyote vs acme.. only to then nakedly start a bidding war, making what they were really doing with most projects obvious: making them unaviliable.. and then starting a bidding war for other streamers. I'm not upset many of these shows are on other streamers as their safer from Zaslav there, but it shows just how nakedly greedy, transparently corrupt and blatantly fraudlent Warner Bros Discovery has become.

While the sales of the brilliant Merry Little Batman and sure to be great Batman: Caped Crusader to amazon are GOOD as Amazon has learned what animation means, it unmasks warner as simply doing all this tax writeoff shit to make money.. and then often forgetting to even sell the shows, not carring if no one's buying and just shrugging off someone's heart and soul being cast into the void. The loss of Final Space and Close Enough STILL stings and hasn't gone away even with the maker of the former both having found a way to finish the story and move on with his life.

The cherry on top of this shit sundae is Zaslav, no shit, saying the decision to shelve Batgirl, a movie that was entirely done and could've had the elseworlds label slapped on it if they didn't want it in the DCU, BRAVE. Yes that.. really happened.

It wasn't just Zaslav fucking up this year though, as other execs certainly tried their hardest or were arm and arm with him: The biggest blunder is obviously the strikes which while not affecting animation for the most part, was still a long dark night of the soul that was entirely the fault of executives not wanting to give up the precious theorietical money they could make once AI gets to the point it can create actual things, nor the likenesses of DEAD PEOPLE they should have no right to. Exec behavior was at it's most disgraceful this year... I don't know how that bare somehow got lower but that's the hellscape we're in with both zaslav and iger beign part of the corprate hydra that kept rejecting any deals presented and tended to flip the table and leave in a huff , leaving the negotations for weeks at a time till it became apparent that no amount of veiled threats of starving them out.

That said the strikes... were a net positive: they were long, brutal and threw tv off and delayed a show or two.. but it was well worth it. It helped show just how much actors and writers of all pay levels are needed, got them badly needed pay increases and protections and left the door open to help fiddle with AI protections as while AI isn't remotely good at creating scripts, that's never stopped execs from promoting something anyway. Despite MANY attempts to demonize the strikers, frame them as hollywood elites despite the fact the bulk were just trying to live on and were putting their liveleyhoods at stake to make sure they had one, or paint them as the bad guys.. it never worked. The public held firm, the strikers held firm and deflected most attempts with solidarity, with said big fish they tried to use as propoganda.. instead gladly donating to help the strike keep going. Fran Drescher and co fought hard, and the result is a slightly better hollywood.

And that hope for a brighter future really radiated this year: while Animation is still in flux in places, a lot of the networks hit hard by corprate dumbfuckery last year started to regrow: Netflix, after a year or two of rapid cancellations and baffling decisions, finally regrew it's animation divsions: Outside of Inside Job, most cancelations were shows that really weren't the best idea or execution to start with, and most hits got renewed, with them even picking up Star Trek Prodigy for another season and likely as many as they can carry. They pivoted more to adult animation with hits like Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Pluto, Castlevania Nocturne, Carol and the End of the World and Blue Eyed Samurai, the latter three I wish I got to but i've heard are incredible.

While WBD was still BURNIN DOWN THE HOUSEEEE, it snuck in a few hits with My Adventures with Superman and tons of great stuff I did'nt get too like Scavengers Reign, the beginning of the end for Craig of the Creek, Fired on Mars, and Hair Love, while having a suprise banger in the form of Tiny Toons Loonveristy, proving just how to reboot a classic property once again. Not only that the finale movies for Venture Bros and Metalocalypse came out, which given the last year was a huge fingers crossed thing. But both came out, I got both on blu ray, and got neat posters with them in the bargin and both closed up two of adult swims best series in the way they richly deserved. We also got an Urkel Christmas Movie. I guess.

Amazon continued it's own building: in addition to the dark knight picups mentiond, Invincible and Legend of Vox Machina both had amazing season 2's, with Vox Machina picked up for two more seasons to close it out proper and a Mighty Nein spinoff, with a Belles Helles Spinoff all but guarnateed at some point, and Hazbin Hotel after a truly agonizing year of waiting for someone to announce they had it, finding a perfect home for the happiest place in hell.

Finally, the indie scene, already thriving blew the fuck up. For the first time I nominated six diffrent pilots from various indie creators who all did a fucking great job: Godspeed, Lackadaisy, In Limbo, Atlas and the Stars, and Swift Spark and the Defensive five all had impressive showings and I regret not watching Lackadaisy in time to support it, but I can't wait to see what it brings to the table and to see all of these shows make it to series, not to mention up coming ones like ToonrifiqTariq's "Hey" that are likely going to come out next year.

It's a strange time for animatoin.. but one tha'ts proven you can make your own way, that the big coprations are trying and that in film.. is at one of i'ts brightest: while there ere some stumbles we had masterpieces like Nimona, which also made disney look horribly stupid for homophobically canceling it, Across the Spider verse (which needed to treat it's animators better but still deserves mention), and TMNT Mutant Mayhem.

It was a hell of a year and I can't want to share the best of it with you. And as a result of such a good year there's a few firsts: This is the first year with Anime included and if you want to know why i'ts taken so long it wasn't snobbery.. I just.. plain forgot to watch the ones I DID want to watch the past few years. That's... really it. I usually prefer reading the manga, as it's both faster and less time consuming, and Some of the best often aren't on the streaming platforms I do have. Pluto and Scott Pilgrim got by by being adaptations of something I love with all my heart a piece and thus coudln't bear myself to miss, but I might try to vary up my viewing more next year. I do want to check Zom 100 out at some point.

Anyways the other is that I allowed two dtv movies in here. Now this is with a caveat: It has to be directly linked to an existing animated series, a sequel, a prequel, etc. It's something I never really thought about before, but makes sense: While Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart and Army of the Doomstar were both considered for my film list too and are films.. their the proper conclusion to their stories. Not only that with Pluto's inclusion on this list, we have a series that had episodes only about ten minutes or so shy of both films runtime, so I figured fudging the rules like this was fair. I would've included Craig Before the Creek, but I want to wait to watch it when it comes on HBO Max next month.. and buy it on Physical as I don't remotely trust WBD to keep digtial copies up forever anymore. And really it feels in the spirit of things like operation zero back in the day or in both metalocalypse and venture bros own histories, all this and gargantua 2 and doomstar requieum.

Okay now that's settled this years list is intresting as while there's a decent amount of returning shows most haven't been on this list before. Of the nominees the only returning shows are The Legend of Vox Machina, Invincible, Helluva Boss, The Great North, Miraculous and Big City Greens, with mainstays like Tuca and Bertie and Close Enough sadly gone thanks to WBD being pralines and dicks. Thus our shows competing are an eclectic mix of returning combatants, one for sadly the last times, revivials of old shows, reboots of old shows, two limited series, and a handful of spectacular pilots

These are the shows that I got to see this show and thus entered the running, all sorted by platform since.. there's a lot.

Amazon Prime: The Legend of Vox Machina Invincible

HBO Max: YOLO: Silver Destiny Clone High Tiny Toons Looniversity Adventure Time : Fionna and Cake Aqua Teen Hunger Force My Adventures with Superman Disney+: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur The Owl House (Final Year) Kiff Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir Big City Greens Hulu: The Great North Futurama Bob's Burgers The Simpsons Netflix: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Limited Series) Pluto (Limited Series) DTV: Venture Bros: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (Special) Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (Special)

YouTube: Helluva Boss Godspeed Lackadaisy In Limbo The Amazing Digital Circus Atlas and the Stars Swift Spark and the Defensive Five

So with our nominees in clear view, who shined the brightest, who didn't and whose going to yell at me over my choices? find out under the cut!

FULL SPOILERS FOR MOST EPISODES ON THIS LIST. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

20. The First Episode (Atlas and the Stars, Pilot)

"Sorry for dragging you into this man. You don't have to trust me but I promise to make this up to you, I swear."

Coming in just under the wire as the last released episode on this list, it's placing is just a fun concidence, we have The First Episode... the pilot for new series Atlas and the Stars. You can watch it here

youtube

So it's come up soon but the reason I put MOST episodes on the spoiler warning.. is this pilot and another on the list, I really DON'T want to spoil much as both rely on you watching it, this one in paticular not revealing what the show's premise will be from here on out, instead telling the parallel tales of Atlas, a human from a dying planet who hyjacks a space ship to acheive her dream of endless freedom in the stars, Atmosphere, a shy loveable alien embarking on his first day regestring ships at a space port, and Quasar, the lord of a mysterious planet who keeps having to sacrifice.. somethign to a portal to keep it alive... and it can't keep up forever and his beligeured assitant nebula. ALl of this comes togeter in a beautifully animated, well active and creative sci fi adventure with one hell of a hook from where it goes form here, awesome character desgin work and some neat sci fi tek in Atlas' googles. Miranda Toomey used every inch of whateve rbudget she had to make this and it turne dout gorgeous, and I can't wait to see the next episode in this and how this story progresses. It's well done, gorgeous, heartfelt and engaging and I recommend you go watch it before we move on to our next entry.

19. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (Venture Brothers, Finale Movie) "All you need to know is the person who gave birth to you loves you, I promise you that"

From a start to a finish we have Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, the long awaited and thankfully came out with a dvd and everything ending of the Venture Brothers. It's shockingly low on this list, but as much as I love this series.. it came out in a tight year with some even better finales, and had the burdern of having to cram in a season's worth of content, even with the cuts they made, into an 84 minute film.

The results are still excellent: Radiant is a fun, frantic race to the finish line that satisfyingly answers a lot of the series biggest questions: Who the boys mom was, how Monarch and Rusty are related, can HELPER fire a shot gun, will Hank and Dean reconcile... all the closure we needed in a tight 88 minute story that also includes classic hip hop traick it's takes 2, magnetic shenanigans, Hank using giant novelty checks for money, dermott using a piss filled super soaker, dean thinking he's a vampire, a halfway house for supernatural heroes, and Mantilla, one of the series most delightful villians and one I really wish we'd gotten proper time with. It's a joyous reaffermation of what this series is about, has nice moments for most of the best cast members, including Brick Frog my beloved, and ends on a mostly satisfying note. It also gives us a golem made entirely of pants and isn't that the greatest adventure of all?

18. "Lights, Camera, Sparks?!" (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Episode 5)

"You've known him for three f***ing days!" "Is that all it's been?!" Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was an easy faviorite this year and given my longstanding love of the Scott Pilgrim comics and like of the movie, it wasn't a huge shocker i'd love whatever the anime turned out being. I was pumped from the announcement, worried it'd just be "the movie but animated" when the cast was announced.. and then over the moon when it turned out that no, the cast was all coming back but the take on the franchise was all new.

What we got wasn't the straight adaptation that was pitched.. and was all the better for it. If you haven't seen Takes Off.. please do it's fantastic, I did a whole review on it, go, and if you won't then this is your last warning as I can't really talk about the episodes of it on this list without getting into spoilers as it's one of those series where the first episode twist.. defines the rest of the show.

Okay we good. So the first episode progresses as normal, a few tweaks to let you know this is it's own universe, enough character moments to show that even with the film voice actors the main cast is closer to the comics..... then Scott seemingly dies.

From there things go off the rails, and that's where the magic kicks in: While Scott's still key to the story and turns out, naturally, NOT to be dead, instead kidnapped by a mysterious portal, Ramona takes the lead, with us getting to know her better now she's the pov character instead of the guy worshipping the ground she skates on. While Ramona was fleshed out in the comics, the series gives her more to do as she solves this mystery. It's intriguing, it's fun, and it gives Mary Elizabeth Winstead the chance to play a more fleshed out version of the character with more sides to her than "aloof".

What the series also does well.. is go the fuck off the rails. Matthew uses his newfound confidence to punch gideon out of all his companies and fancy suits, Gideon becomes the best worst couple with julie, and Young Neil becomes a spacey moron who assumes the mysterious person writing a script based on how the story originally went is his sleep paralysis demon. The series has a lot of great character, animation and development as Ramona's forced to .. talk with her exes instead of her new boyfriend punching most of them for her.. but it can't be forgotten it's also delightfully nuts, easily the goofiest this franchise has gotten and i'm here for it.

That brings us to "Lights, Camera, Sparks?!", easily the biggest shit post of the entire series, and one of the funniest episodes of the year easily. While the previous ones are a bit melancholy in tone with the goofy stuff as a nice side dish, fitting how scott pilgrim rolls, LCS is just one long farce with Ramona struggling to get any detective shit done while Wallace wrecks envy and todd's relationship, Edgar Wright but voiced by Kevin McDonald slowly looses his mind, and Neil gets into various shenanigans while only being a quarter aware of anything going on, including what was in the script his sleep paralysis ramona from the future wrote.

The setup is simple: Toronotwood is making a film based on how scott's story usually go, again ghost written by a mysterious sleep paralysis demon, and hired Lucas and envy to play scott and ramona. Lucas got can...something for dating a 30 year old who looks like a high schooler, so now i'ts todd clumisly shoved into Scott's clothes. Wallace is also there, having throughly humilited the notoriously straight actor playing him out of a job and letting his ego grow 15 sizes that day.

What follows is a mocumentary masterclass as Envy and Todd can't stop being horny for two seconds, Wallace making out with Todd and being his bi awakening reading them to constantly "run lines in his trailer", Neil is hilaroius and you will repeat everything he says and Ramona is left bobbing around unable to actually get any answers.

This all leads to a delightful explosion as Todd falls in love with Wallace, Wallace is a callous dick, Wallace sicks his stunt doubles on Envy, Ramona is sicked on them, and everyone is confused, all cumilating in todd binge eating poutine and crying, an option I wish americans had but alas we are poutineless while Matt shuts down the production then sputters like a kid who got a lucky punch in on his bully when he finds out Scott is alive. Also Knives and Stephen get a meeting with him leading to the greatest musical of all time.

As you can tell this episode is very stupid and I love it. It's just 100% nonsense the whole way through, letting Wallace do something since the only main character who isn't Ramona he interacts with is in the future right now. There isn't much to disect, i'ts just pure comedy gold with props to both Kirean for really nailing a more douchestastic wallace and especially Brandon Routh who has shockingly deep comedic chops. A great episode and a nice break before we dive full speed into just where Scott went.

17. Lackadaisy (Pilot Episode)

Old Man River! That seems far too austere a name for something made of mirth and rage. O, roiling red-blood river vein. If chief among your traits is age, You're a wily, convoluted sage.

Is "old" the thing to call what rings the vernal heart of wester-lore? What brings us brassy-myth made kings. And a preponderance of bug-type things. To challenge titans come before!

O, demiurge to a try at Avalon-once-more?

And what august vitality in your wide aorta stream. You must have had to oversee alchemic change of timber beam to iron, brick and engine steam!

Your umber whiskey waters lance the prideful, sober sovereignty of faulty-haloed temperance, and wilt her self-sure countenance; Yes, righteousness is vanity. But sport's for imps, not elderly.

So if there's a name for migrant mass of veteran frivolity That snakes through seas of prairie grass and groves of summer sassafras; a name that flows as roguishly as wild waters, fast and free, It's your true name: Mississippi.

That beautiful poem opens up Lackadaisy, thank you wiki so I didn't have to transcribe that whole glorious thing, as a roustabout cat in 1927 St. Louis names rocky spends the first few minutes playing fiddle, basking in the glorious moonlight and waxing poetic about the mighty missisipi. It's a beautiful opening that shows off the series deft animation and MIssouri setting, something that makes me want to learn more about my own state's history. It's clear from the word go a LOT of love and research went into this setting, and given creator Tracy Butler had started Lackadaisy as an even MORE lavishly drawn webcomic.

Lackadaisy has a simple setup: three cats working for the titular saloon, Rocky, our dreamy narrator and mild loon, Freckle, his grumpy sidekick whose perhaps a bit TOO good with a gun, and Ivy, a peppy girl who takes jabs at Rocky and flirts with Freckle. I .. I ship the fuck out of it. These two are adorable. The three are robbing a body for canadian hooch but have to deal with the deathly serious and deathly hot, Mordecai Heller and his much more excitable, jokey and bloodthristy associates Serfafine and Nico Savoy.

The short is mostly a tense back and forth between both parties as our heroes barely surivive, we get a lot of good Ivy and Freckle content and Rocky saves the day by hyjacking a goddamn steam shovel and loading it with dynamite while waxing poetic and laughing madly. If that's not enough to get you to check it out if you haven't, I have clearly failed in some way as Lackadasiy is excellent and like Atlas and the Stars, leaves me wanting more of this cast. I'll defintely be reading the comic and plan to at least try to get the print editions coming up soon, as the pilot does a good job of showing who these characters are simply by action.. but leaving you questioning WHO they are and how they all ended up in a failing saloon, and why say Mordecai spares Ivy towards the end. Whatever it is I only want more of this, and am so happy those of you who weren't late adoptres like me helped get us a full season 1. Thank you so much and I can't wait for this show to show up here again. It's gonna be a riot and Micheael Kovach steals the show any time Rocky speaks, while SunWongCho is just... amazing as Mordecai and gives us a great antagonist to work with, a classic mystery man whose side your not sure who he's on, you just know he's a threat when he shows up.

16. Simon Petrikov (Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, Season 1 Episode 2)

Does somebody jump for joy? Does somebody cry? Now that I'm not part of that sadness? Does somebody want me now? Now that I can’t fly? Now that I'm not part of the madness? Part of the madness?

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake surprised the hell out of me in the best way possible. See while I never stopped caring in SOME way about adventure time, my dropping off mid series after ... THAT happened in Breezy, only coming back occasionally for an episode or two, the orgalorg arc and the finale, I really wasn't interested. I did enjoy the two episodes of Distant Lands I saw, Stakes was excellent and Together Again felt like a more fitting final chapter to the series. Both didn't feel like continuation of the story: Stakes was a coda giving us the Bubbline content CN denied us and Together Again is an Epilogue, set at the very end of Finn's story.

So I was kind of.. Meh on Fionna and Cake's announcment. I wasn't against it but I'd just never really cared about these two, with the series having made two great episodes about them (and two more I hadn't seen at the time), but the whole "created by a creepy old guy" part of it always held me back from fully embracing these two. I was badly hoping they'd throw away the whole fanfic conceit and just move on.

They didn't do that.. but Fionna and Cake not only found a way to revitalize that, but reminded me WHY the original series was so strong. Fionna and Cake grew up with the original audience, a piece about metafiction, fandom, growing up, and depression all made wonderful and really stretching the property as far as it'll go and i'ts unexpected season 2 greenlight makes me all too excited.

The thing I was most excited for though.. was still greatly done. Alongside Fionna and Cake getting a slice of life makeover thanks to Simon going back to "normal", we get some closure for Simon who ended the series seemingly fine: Betty is gone, but he's sane, Marcy gets her real dad back, job done right?

Adam Muto, Adventure Time's ep from season 6 and the archeticht of most things from Rebcca Sugar's leaving till present day, disagreed, planning a simon special for distant lands before rewriting it for this series. And it points out something a lot of fans noticed about this ending: it's.. not okay. Simon lost betty AGAIN, and is now trapped in a world he never made.

And the series makes this into his arc, how does he fit into this world, and what he tries to do to escape it instead of dealing with it. Simon Petrkiov paints a picture of where Simon's been in the 10 year time jump between Come Along With Me and his debut in this series, Simon Petrikov.. and it's a deeply depressing picture.

Simon's a living exhibit on the humans floating island, unable to connect with his fellow humans as he can't relate to them in any way shape or form. He's a 20th Century man and their 24th century men and women. Not helping is an overzealous, or sweet fan girl he keeps shooing away who just CAN'T understand that the man who wrote Fionna and Cake.. ISN'T the same guy making toast in a fake apartment and watching Cheers every day. The Ice King was PART of simon, but they were never the same person and every reminder of the hell the poor man went under, the things he did, the people he hurt just reminds Simon how far away he is from home.

Not helping is something all too common with depression and trauma, something I know all too well... Simon won't open up to people. He doesn't get help (and as we learn via a minerva bot in the finale Therapy was ALWAYS there for him), and he keeps space from the surrogate family he does have. He dosen't want to "ruin" marcy finally being in a good place and thus barely calls her, content to just visit and pretend things are okay. Finn TRIES reaching out.. but while he's older, wiser, and beardier now, and to my delight still with Huntress Wizard (and in headcanon in a throuple with Flame Princess, but that just me. ), but he's still an adrenline junky raised by a loveable manchild who can't quite relate to someone like Simon, who just wants his old life back.

All this is punctuated by the return of Rebecca Sugar, who sings the beautiful and tragic "part of the madness" which sums up where Simon is: he's normal, he's who HE wants to be.. but the world simply feels like it rejects him, when really he's just as much rejecting it. Instead of trying to find some calm in the storm of this life and admit he needs help.. he chases betty, trying badly to get her back even though it just.. isnt' possible.. and causing this series as a result. He just can't let go.. but the series shows him he has to if he wants to truly live.

15. Miraculous World Paris : Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir World Special 4) | In the daytime, I'm Gabriel Just a normal man, with a normal life But I have a secret I must keep at any cost Or all hope will be lost. Miraculous! Fear is a cage! Hear the message, answer the call! Miraculous! Yes, you can change! The power of love will free us all! Miraculous!

Yeah after two years of watching it, Miraculous Ladybug actually made this list. I'm shocked i'ts both this high AND this good. See while i'm a fan of Miraculous Ladybug, most of the fandom is more a fan of what it could be, the potetial it'd have if Thomas Astruc hadn't been the one mostly running it for 5 seasons and running it straight into the ground into the molten core of the earth. The Recent film, while far from perfect, felt like more what the series SHOULD'VE been, with the secret id bullshit resolved by the end of what's essentially movie/season 1, Gabe given more depth etc.

So i'ts ironic that in the same year the show itself, via it's spinoff specials gives us ANOTHER universe that's way better than the mess they've made of the main timeline with Miraculous World Paris. Mirror Universes are nothing new, to the point Kev and I have a whole series on mirror universe episodes featuring this very special planned, starting later this month.

With Ladybug's lack of subtley, misuse of good ideas and goofy incompetence, I assumed this special would be at best goofy fun with overblown multiverse and mirror universe tropes. Instead... it's the single best episode of the shows run, a truly moving piece that made me enjoy mirror universes again the same way Fionna and cake has made me enjoy AU's again

Miraculous knows just the right way to make evil counterparts: instead of the earth 3 versions of Marinette, Adrien and Gabriel the complete opposites of our heroes or just "Evil, Evil and less of a prick", Shady Bug, Claw Noir and Betterfly are all the same people we've come to know, simply gone down a diffrent route. Gabe is a better person, having STARTED as his earth 1 shitheal self working with his earth's eviil shadow overlord supreme... the loss of his life somehow changing this course. Instead of using the butterfly miraculous to try and bend the world in shape to get his wife back, he honors her legacy as Betterfly, helping others, something that seems IMPOSSIBLE for our gabe to consider without an ulterior motive.. but all too plausible if he just let go of his ego and his wife and let her die in peace instead of holding her in a dome coma and fighting teens. If he accepted he can't control something

Likewise Shadybug is Mari if Alaya hadn't befriended her, if Chloe just kept bullying Mari and Mari never stood up to her, the bullying just made her worse. If her parents WEREN'T there to support her: the bakery and her room is.. but it's very clear her alternate parents just aren't the loving duo our Mari's are. This is the kind of Mari that would've easily become an akuma.. but instead becomes something WORSE thanks to Supreme, a mysterious entity linked to the guardians, very heavily implied to be earth 3 Master Wu, who gives out the miraculouses to those who can tighten his grip on earth, and selected Mari and an Adrien who never went to school and thus never got out of his shell and is even MORE distant form his dad due to Gabe's new job as his pawns.

It results in a tearful battle as our heroes are both forced to TRUST the best life version of their nemisis, and battle what easily could'e ben them, while their counterparts find out , after Shadybug tries the wish thing, that supreme was using them and their lives are being drained by overusing their powers, explaning why the regular miraculouses limit our heroes to one use of their powers and limited timing. This is what happens otherwise and Monarch is all too happy to take advantage of that. There's more to this special, a lot more I can't wait to explore in april, but needless to say Miraculous World Paris.. is what I wanted from this series: a creative, tightly told, heartbreakingly well done superhero story with tense action, creative uses of the kwamis, and good character stuff for BOTH versions of our protagonists. I'ts a true masterwork and I wish THIS is the show we got more consistently.

14. The Amazing Rudy (Bob's Burgers, Season 14, Episode 2)

"I kinda walked away on dinner with my dad and her boyfriend and dad and his vicky for the first time which I guess how family dinners are gonna be from now on and I guess technically... I ran away"

It's weird but despite my deep love of the Great North (Which for the first time since it's debut missed the list this year, but damn did it have a good one, even if season 4 had to wait for 2024), until this year I wasn't consistently watching it's sister show Bob's Burgers anymore. I liked Bob's, I loved the movie, I had nothing against it. But any time I tried to get back there'd be an episdoe that just took me out. So now while I won't watch every episode, I still watch most, as the show is good as ever, if not on a comeback after a few seasons apparently felt (if TV Tropes is a good indciator) as very hit and miss. Season 14 is fantastic and it's no surprise it's second episode ended up being one of the series best.

The Amazing Rudy is something completely different in tone and staging, with a more melancholy peanuts style soundtrack, a somber tone and more muted humor. It fits perfectly, as the episode isn't centered around the Belchers this time but Louise's best friend, future husband and morality pet Rudy. The show has had secondary character spotlights before, Rudy getting a few himself, but usually the Belchers are still front and center and one of them still plays a major role in following this character around. For instance a few episodes later we get "bully-leive it or not" a zeke spotlight episode, but one where the other three kids are still very present: Zeke and his shameful past are the focus, but Louise and Tina still figure heavily into the plot, louise nearly bullyign Zeke's former bullying victim thinking the guy bullied zeke and that's why zeke freezes up seeing the guy, while Tina guiding the kid around is what kicks things off. The two aren't the focus, but it still feels like a bobs burgers adventure, helped with a bob subplot where he grapples with Jimmy Pesto, now played by Eric Bauza after a long absence thanks to his previous actor being an insurrectionist which lets face it Jimmy totally also was or at the very least thought about before finding the air fair was too much.

Here the focus is on Rudy to the point it feels like an episode of a Rudy spinoff show that does not exist but we now all want it too. It's still in Seymour's Bay (Which I forget is the name of the town this show takes place in as mostly people we know are in wonder wharf or on ocean avenue), just following Rudy as the lead instead. The Belcher's show up, in the middle of a bob's burger's episode we'll never see about Gene getting good grades and thus getting baked potato lasagna, a recipie he made up and assumes "everyone else must enjoy" is part of the reward, with the payoff him realizing he can't force someone to love his abomination, but he CAN have their portions. Being Rudy's closest friends and future wife it makes since there the ones he talks to when he goes to the mall with his dad to get a magic trick for the night and a snappy hat when he crosses them.

The Belcher's presence also hammers home what Rudy's dealing with though and that's.. a loss of family. Rudy's Parents are divorced. This isn't a new fact as it's come up casually in the past: being the kids Teddy, i.e. the person closest to them in their age group to be clear, not the person who defintely has passed by the restraunt at night every night and just.. stares in the window. But being the kids most prominent supporting character, with Jimmy Junior and Zeke a close shared second, we've gotten to know him: his parents divorce is amnicable, he alternates weekends, and they've both moved on. We haven't really seen his mom but Rudy seems just fine with her and with his dad being his primary caregiver, is a bit closer to him, as shown in this ep as the two are adorably in synch and have their rythm.

See Rudy didn't LOOSE his mom or dad, both are still very present.. but he lost the three of them as a family and until recently had their monthly "We're still a family' dinner", what, as we learn in a heartbreaking montage i'll get too shortly, was a monthly family dinner and became a way to show that both his parents still loved him and still liked each other even if they weren't together. The problem is while a well meaning gesture, both parents have started bringing their partners, which is fair but makes it less a family dinner.. and more Rudy stuck with four adults having a hangout who accidently forget he's there. While I never went through one of these as a middle schooler when my parents broke up, I know the type of event Rudy deals with all too well: it's mostly adults, there's no one to talk to and your alone. Granted I was fine with it because I just.. read whatever book I brought anyway, but rudy is a social butterfly, an awkward awkward butterfly, so he has no idea how to handle this, or really deal with it.

His one ace in the hole is a magic trick, from his faviorite shop, the same one we saw in the magic episode way back. See while Rudy's love of being a magician is another character trait that's come up, this episode gives weight to it: Rudy got into magic not just because he dearly loves it and the person at the shop gladly mentors him and supports his talent, but it's seen in a montage of previous dinners that any time his parents started fighting, before and after divorce, a simple trick reentered the night and reminded them what's important.

Naturally the trick, done using a glass of drinking water and some tablets, goes wrong, and while Rudy's parents encourage him to try again and no one really is mad at him or upset it went wrong and spilled everywhere, he feels utterly humiliated, something we all went through as kids: you screw something up and while your parents don't make a deal out of it, you just can't. Hell I still have that problem. So combine that with already not wanting ot be here and Rudy bounces, his parents not aware he's gone.

Naturally, given the earlier setup, he bounces to the Belchers. And it's easy to see why: The Belchers are a loving, wonderful family, and Bob and Linda not only gladly let Rudy join, but engage with him in a way Rudy's parents simply forgot. Rudy's parents aren't callous... adults simply make mistakes and in likely trying ot make sure rudy's okay with both their partners being there, their partners feel good, the million other things they got going on.. they talked over Rudy. It's what makes this work: we feel for rudy, but it stings more that this isn't some problem with an easy fix. There will be plenty more dinners where he's wallpaper and plenty more times they likely forget him without meaning to. The trick COULD'VE helped.. but it failing was a reminder it was just a distraction from the fact his parent's aren't a family anymore, just two people who share a kid, loving him and caring about each other.. but what little bit of what he had before the divorce is just gone.

Brian Huskey's voice as he gives the monologue I used for this episode's quote is just heartbreaking.. you can feel the kid just.. relaizing he can't just run away from it. It's just.. how things are. HIs sad revelation of this just hits, Louise's "Oh boy", and Rudy sounds on the verge of tears.. we've seen him mad, we've seen him kinda sad.. but never like this. Just a child realizing things won't be the same and he has nothing to do but go back to it.

Thankfully as bob and linda mindly panic after realizing "oh god this child just ran and his parents don't know oh god", Louise knows what her best friends need and offers to walk him back. not only is the moment shiptastic.. it's sweet. Louise gets Rudy is having a hard time with all of this and needs some support, needs someone his own age there to talk with and to help deflect attention. And to punch out anyone on the way who tries to hurt them with brass knuckles, which naturally linda gave her as santa. After all he IS from the streets. It provides a pretty morose episode an utterly sweet ending as the two walk back, Bob couldn't be prouder, and Rudy.. for now at least.. isn't alone among his own family anymore. He may never have what he had back.. but he's gained someone pretty good along the way.

13. Watching and Dreaming (The Owl House, Season 3 Episode 3, Series Finale)

"Eda, King, Thank you for Everything" "Right Back atcha kiddo" "Weirdos?" "Weirdos"

The Owl house was the best show of the 2020's and while it had some stiff compettion this year, it still hasn't been surpassed. It was hilarious, had a wonderfully built messed up world with lots of thought, deep character arcs, and was sadly cut short way too soon, but will never leave the hearts of those of us who loved it.

So thankfully they stuck the landing, as Watching and Dreaming was a worthy conclusion to the series. After the decent but easily weakest of the three season 3 specials "For the Future", Watching and Dreaming is a nicely packed finale that wraps up the series wonderfully and while it leaves me wanting only MORE, MORE DAMN YOU MORE, as the series always had, it's a good note to end on while Dana gets the hell out of mouseton for a while.

It was also the last episode of a show I covered as it came out, with an attempt to do so with legend of vox machina adding way too much to my work load this year to really work out, and as a finale to that.. it was just as welcome.

Watching and Dreaming spends it's first third on the Collector, and while there is a bit of disconnect between what he puts our heroes through and where he left off, with Luz once again hving her anxieties reinforced via a horrifying puppet show, the show quickly recovers as the big three are reunited after two long episodes and several long months in and out of universe: Luz has her other mom and little brother back, Eda has her kids back and King has her family back. We also get a quick show of just how far they've come since the pilot as each one easily bodies the collector's games... and leaves him wondering why they won't play fair, why this isn't working. It takes three people who had to learn their lessons the hard way through tears, isolation and learning their life was a lie, to teach the boy god empathy and unveil that at his heart.. he's just a kdi who REALLY didn't know what he was doing was awful.

Unfortunately just as the collector learns friendship, belos POSSESS THE TITAN'S CORPSE ITSELF and plans to do .. something.. genocidey and after an attempt to just forgive him fails, the only thing our heros have is each other, with Luz's friends aka our other heroes busy saving allt he puppets with their new starry pjamaed pal.

Luz gets a last minute somewhat asspully upgrade, but it's all three together that defeats belos. It's an epic finale but one that nicely focuses on who Dana intended as the core of the series: a child who found her place in another world and learned responsibility and to forgive herself, a witch who learned to forigve and let others in, and a titan who learned empathy, all kicking that blobs ass. And then curb stomping it. It's a moving, fast paced, excellently animated finale with a fun time skip epilogue to tie it all together. Owl House may be gone... but it'll never be forgotten.

12. Army of the Doomstar (Metalocalypse, Finale Movie)

"I am a wheel in the gear of the Klok. I feel not my mortality".

The other adult swim finale movie this year and the one that had the harder road. While Venture Bros got it's movie offer at the same time as cancelation, it took Brendon Small a decade, a whole ass album designed to be as close to a finale as he could get without a lisence and a LOT of campaning to finish his story to get here. Metalocalypse ended just as the final verse of blood, metal and stupidity was about to be written, and it was thanks to Small and the Fans themselves that we finally got it with this movie.

Army wraps up 4 seasons and another movie, a movie I dearly loved when it came out and still do, with an epic. It's darker in tone as the metalocalypse that begun at the start of the series is almost here and Nathan Explosion has a full on existential crisis trying to write the song that will save the world, having no idea how and not helped by his disasterous attempted propsoal to abigail while on a lot of wine and xanax (Props to small for ending a pretty disliked subplot exactly the way it shoudl without just.. tossing it out for time or some shit AND making it tie perfectly into the plot). The films dives into the overexpecations we put on creatives to MAKE US MORE DAMMIT, and how hard that actually is.. but also how fans.. are something to treasure and not spit in their face as our heroes have the whole series, seeing them more as parasites than people.

It maintains the series ballance of having an epic story.. but not sugarcoating that these guys are fucking morons with Nathan charging into a funeral on xanax and telling everyone, Pickels having ot literally be everyone's mom, and Pickles ordering a last meal fo rnathan of cool ranch diritos and choclate milk. The shows as goofy as ever, but adds a heart that's been only glimpsed on occasion as our heroes are allergic to feelings, as our heroes must save the world. We also get some kickass metal music as always, with SOS being a standout, giving us one last awesome dethklok performance and song as our heroes rally the world to show them their not alone.. and they never were. An epic, hilarious, and well done film that manages to cover all the bases it needs to and wrap everything up in 96 minutes. Pretty brutal.

11. The World Vs Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim Takes off Episode 6, Series Finale)

"Hey, because I'll have a lot of trouble saying it later, let me say it now: I love you, Scott. And I run away from the thing that I love. But what I've done in the past doesn't have to define me. Help me keep remembering that, okay?"

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was a thrilling watch but there was one worry I had as it went.. sticking the landing. It set up a compelling mystery, to the point I genuinely wasn't sure who would kidnap scott as while the twins DID have to show up and were likely involved.. it just didn't fit that it was them. It being their robot who being a robot has never eaten anything, thus never eaten meat and would have none of the bilogicial weaknesses of a human, was brilliant as it is hilarious bonkers.

Who sent the robot.. was even better as it turned out to be Scott himself, a twist that told me everything was going to be alright. Specifically this is a scott who lived what this story would've been: Scott beats the exes, gets the girl, and they have a happy relationship and then marriage for 15 years, having become their best selves. The thing the series challenges though .. is if they can STAY better versions of themselves. It's something the other versions didn't really WANT to poke at because it makes the ending less happy: if they don't end up together, what's the point of all this. Yet.. relatoinships break up. Hope Larson, the real life inspriation for Ramona, divorced Brian Lee O Malley. The relationship COULD fail and where would that leave them.

As it turns out.. not great as Ramona bailed when it got hard while being vauge as usual, and Scott spiraled hard into his worst habits, moving in with wallace, again, and rather than figure out where he wen twrong.. wanted to hit undo on what he felt was a sunk cost, a relationship he put his heart into only for it to seemingly fail, even if he still had a chance to save it. Hence the brilliant and only not making this list because this year was paccckkked with good episodes, 2 Scott 2 Pilgrim before this. It also helps the takes off scott spedrun his charater development as future him is everything Scott tries to ignore about himself, his laziness, selfishness, short sightentess and very stupid brain, as a person he really can't ignore because that person kidnapped him because he took a joke Wallace made seriously.

So Scott naturally motors with the help of Future Wallace and Older Ramona, who was indeed the sleep paralysis demon and like her ex husband really sucks at plans, but gives Scott a lift home. So.. everything good? Ramona Grew, Scott Grew, Scott acknowlegeds he never should've dated a literal teenager... we goo dright? Right?

Thing is as this episode reveals midway through... Older Scott REALLY didn't want his past self to take the gamble that he could do it the right way and instead of giving himself tips.. gave himself anti kissing nanites so he and ramona can't kiss, the two naturally thinking it's the exes. We get a great opening here as scott confronts each of them, having only kinda witnessed their changes.. and most don't care. Even Gideon's moved on to Julie, his perfect match and a pariing I can't belivie I love and fits perfectly: their both the worst, and together their awful. Brilliant.

The two seemingly don't solve things.. but thankfully Old Scott is more than willing to show his hand.. as even older scott. Even Older Scott is terrifying, taking some of Scott's good traits.. and making them into something nightmarish. After his failure to change the future, not considering that

Instead looses his mind, training himself in video games and the martial arts for 10 years, all to counter everything his friends and the exes can do... all so he can KILL EVERY LAST ONE. Scott's worst nightmare across all realities has come to past, he's an evil ex.. and the evilest ex of all. Well in terms of power and madness, Gideon still put a bunch of women in jars because they broke up with him who Matt hopefully let out in this timeline.

We get a great fight as the utterly jacked, utterly terrifying even older scott, who nicely resembles evil ryu from street fighter and has pixel effects ala movie!gideon, cleans house, with Ramona wondering if she should just.. leave all this. It's only realizing that's literally all she does that gets her to realize she want sto fight for this, even if it ends poorly, and Scott, already all in, helps her.

Ultimately it's not the duo who win their future this time.. but Ramona's own future, what could be, even older ramona, saving her past self via fusion, a super mode (Just like Sonic 2.. or 3.. or dragon ball.), and some words of encouragment, giving EOS another chance and Scott the beautiful words above.

It's a powerful message and one that's real: it's hard to change.. but it's even harder to get change to stick. You just have to keep remembering it.. and keep trying. No matter how bad things seem.. you can make it better.

This is all helped by the beautiful ending, a pixel version of god only knows as everyone, exes now included, gets to live their best life and we last see Ramona as she dons what we finally find to be her natural hair color, blond (with some highlights because, hey, it looks badass), ready to face the future)... and the best worst couple hyping a sequel that will never happen, but frankly it'd be werider if they didn't, A truly spectacular finale to what may be the best version of this story.

#scott pilgrim takes off #lackadaisy #atlas and the stars #metalocalypse #the venture bros #the owl house #bobs burgers #miraculous ladybug #animation #2023 #best of 2023

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