#I know I should probably sign everything but I can't be bothered + have too many unsigned things to start doing it out of nowhere +

[notonlymice]

I can't believe I have to spell it out but if you really really want to repost something you saw on tumblr to some other platform please credit the original creator??? And no, "credit to the owner" does NOT count 🙄🙃

[yanderefarm]

yandere butler x reader

cw;; drugging, non-con implied, blood, murder, violence

Its not easy being the northern duke of a nation run by a mad man. It's not easy having everything you've ever known destroyed so quickly leaving you alone without any guidance. It's not easy sitting in your frozen castle in the north dealing with food shortages and monsters and religious weirdos. Nothing about this is easy but it used to be, when the halls were filled with your mother's laughter and your little footsteps running to and fro. Now the halls are empty and cold and your footsteps never make a sound.

You straighten your back with a deep breath as you ready yourself to greet your guest. The Dvolin Marquis and his family are here, presumably to try and set you up with his eldest daughter. It's a common occurrence that you'll be harassed at least a few times by every noble woman in the country for your hand in marriage. You'll turn her down just like you have everyone else.

As you descend down the stairs you notice that your butler gives you a little wink before he begins to guide your guests to the drawing room. You can't help but smile knowing that even with this exhausting waste of time he's prepared your favorite dessert.

Of course as expected the meeting is short. You tell them plainly you are not currently looking for a wife and then they try to argue with you. The marquis tries to get more time to change your mind by insisting that you not cast them out into the snow after their long trip and out of politeness you offer them your guest rooms. Your butler gives them the tour while you return to the office with a headache.

As you sit at your desk trying to finish signing documents your eyes keep closing. Your head is so heavy. You've never been so tired in your life. Your eyes flutter close as you hear the door of your office open. Knowing your butler he probably already knew you were tired and had brought a blanket. He smelled really sweet today too.

...

Phillip had of course noticed your sudden exhaustion and even more concerning the disappearance of the Dvolin daughter during his tour. He can't stand bottom feeding scum like this who dare to bother you or even worse actively try to hurt you. It's hard to keep his composure when he opens your office door and finds this woman moving your unconscious body to the floor. Still he must remain professional.

"It seems as if his grace has fallen asleep. I ask that you not move him." He smiles as politely as he can muster.

"Oh- He-he was having some kind of problem he said his clothes were too tight before he fainted." She tried her best to look innocent and helpless.

"Then you should have alerted his staff immediately. In fact, why were you here to begin with?" He stepped closer to make sure you were still breathing normally. Just asleep like he said.

"You.. You're right I should have said something but I was so worried! You should be lucky I'm here to help your master."

"And you should learn your manners. Allow me to educate you." Phillip pulled out his riding crop and rested it against his hand.

His smile dropped as he hovered above her. "Lesson one. If you think a filthy lowlife like you could ever deserve my master you're too stupid to learn anything."

...

When you woke up the sun had started to set and you were laying on the lounge of your office, three different blankets wrapped around your body. The one who had woken you was a young maid who was out of breath and panicking as she shook you.

"Your grace! The marquis and his family have gone to the monster territory! They won't listen to reason!"

You clattered to your feet and grabbed your fur coat and your sword. Running out into the snow only to find Philip standing at the gate with his head hung and his coat hit with the unmistakable splattering of blood.

[xjulixred45x]

About yuu!parent and Crowley, I can't stop my mind about some sounds from tiktok (from epic the musical)

And... It fit so much lol, let me just

Crowley: Did you know you talk in your sleep? Tell me, though who's (Husband/wife name)?

Yuu!parent (without thinking answering) : she's/he's my wife/husband

Then silence before crowley becomes crowley again and pretend didn't hear it. Meanwhile the first year and all yuus laughing on back, especially the yuu knowing their parents would never choose anyone else expect their partner even in different dimension

HAHAHAHAHA IT'S LITERALLY THEM

That's exactly what I was thinking when I wrote about how Yuu!Parent has Odysseus-level loyalty to their partner. No matter how hard the bird-head tries, they'll always prefer their beloved husband/wife.

The Yuus are quite protective of their mother/father for this very reason as well. They trust Yuu, but they don't particularly trust anyone at this school, especially Crowley, who seems to have taken a special interest in them since Yuu!Parent arrived. Occasionally, they see him trying to talk casually with Yuu in the hallways, or he uses one of the Yuus as an excuse when he actually ends up talking about something completely different, etc. And the Yuus DO NOT LIKE HIM AT ALL.

But they let their father/mother deal with Crowley (Yuu probably had to tell them not to do anything to avoid trouble). After all, they know Yuu!Parent, hell will freeze over before they cheat.

That audio sounds especially good after Book 2, when Yuu!Parent ends up in the infirmary with a blow to the head, and while their friends try to talk to them first, WILD CROWLEY APPEARS and tries to act confident and everything. But he just points out the sleep-talking, and everyone prepares for the funniest thing of the school year.

-"they're my partner, I'm married."

Total silence from Crowley, nonstop laughter from the first-years.

The first-years know this, the whole school knows it, except Crowley. And they act as a sort of squad to protect Yuu!Parent, both from people who want to take advantage of Yuu's non-Magical status or try to "interfere in their marriage," as the boys call it. Let's just say that since the boys see Yuu!Parent as a father/mother figure, they have a lot of respect for their partner, along with a similar esteem ("Dad should only be with Mom," sort of thing).

Jack is the most respectful in this regard and wants to know more about Yuu!Parent and their partner's relationship, as he sincerely finds it very worthy that Yuu!Parent is faithful to their partner despite not knowing if they'll return to their world, that they speaks of them with such affection and so directly rejects any advances (wolves are monogamous, so Jack fully understands why couples are so important).

Epel is the kind of guy who will go straight to the person bothering Yuu!Parent (Crowley), take Yuu's hand, and shove the other person's wedding ring in their face, without saying a single word about it. Epel LOVES Yuu!Parent because they lets him do everything Vil can't, hides him when Vil looks for him, and generally lets him be himself. Therefore, Epel doesn't tolerate anyone messing with Yuu!Parent or their partner (even if he dosen't know them either, they sound nice, SO HAVE MORE RESPECT, BIRDMAN!).

Ace is honestly the only one who doesn't understand at first why Yuu!Parent is so determined to be faithful to their partner, let's be honest. Especially when Crowley seems to put off their return home on purpose. But the more time he spends with Yuu!Parent and the more he sees the signs, the longing, the nostalgia, the good memories Yuu has with their partner, the more he understands. He definitely gets very creeped out whenever someone tries to flirt with Yuu, and he resorts to pretending Yuu is his dad/mom to scare the other person away. If that doesn't work, he'll just tell them straight up that they're talking to a VERY cute and VERY married person.

Deuce takes this VERY seriously, too seriously. Yuu!parent is like the father he never had, and the idea that Yuu's partner is waiting for them in their world (and they're also waiting to see them again) and that someone might try to take advantage of that angers him greatly, but he tries not to resort to violence. At least not physical violence. Deuce simply stands between the person and Yuu!parent, aggressively waving his arms while shouting that Yuu is happily married, not interested in being a cheating pig, among other things. He has spirit.

Sebek is like Deuce, but slightly worse and better. Sebek has definitely learned to be more tolerant of Yuu!Parent and absolutely LOVES it when they gives him typical parental compliments. You could say he respects them, and that respect extends to their partner and marriage in general. When someone tries to talk to Yuu!Parent romantically, Sebek will be all, "THEY'RE TOO OLD FOR YOU! AND THEY'RE MARRIED! GET AWAY FROM THE PARENT! THEY'RE MARRIED! THEY'RE TAKEN!" without taking a breath.

When Ortho joins, he expected different treatment for everything he did when Idia suffered His overblown, but he's so happy when Yuu!Parent treats him with the same parental affection! For this reason, Ortho isn't above threatening the birdman with violence if he continues to inconvenience the prefect with his attempts at courtship (if it were anyone else, Ortho would simply make annoying electronic noises or set off a fake alarm to make them go away).

Protecting the prefect is a team effort after all.

_______

(ESPAÑOL)

JAJAJAJAJA ES LITERALMENTE ELLOS

Justo era lo que pensaba cuando escribi el hecho de que Yuu!Parent tiene una fidelidad nivel Odiseo por su pareja, no importa cuanto lo intente el cabeza de pájaro, ellos siempre preferirán a su amado esposo/esposa.

Los Yuus son bastante protectores de su madre/padre por esto mismo tambien, ellos confían en Yuu, pero no confían particularmente en nadie en esta escuela, especialmente Crowley, que parece haber tomado un interés especial en ellos desde que Yuu!Parent llego a la escuela. De vez en cuando lo ven tratando de hablar casualmente con Yuu en los pasillos, o usa de excusa alguno de los Yuus cuando en realidad solo termina hablando de algo completamente diferente, etc. Y los Yuus NO LES GUSTA PARA NADA.

Pero dejan que su padre/madre lidie con Crowley (probablemente Yuu les tuvo que decir que no hicieran nada para evitar problemas). Después de todo, conocen a Yuu!Parent, el infierno se congelara antes de que ellos sean infieles.

Ese audio suena especialmente bien después del libro 2, cuando Yuu!Parent termina en la enfermería por un golpe en la cabeza, y si bien sus amigos/hijos tratan de hablarle primero, CROWLEY SALVAJE APARECE y trata de aparentar confianza y todo. Pero justamente señala lo de hablar dormido, y todos se preparan para lo mas gracioso del año escolar.

-“es mi pareja, estoy casado”-

Silencio total por parte de Crowley, risas sin parar por parte de los de primer año.

Los de primer año saben esto, toda la escuela lo sabe, excepto Crowley. Y actúan como una especie de escuadrón para proteger a Yuu!Parent, tanto de la gente que quiere aprovecharse de su estado no Mágico o tratar de “meterse en su matrimonio” como los chicos le dicen. Digamos que como los chicos ven a Yuu!Parent como una figura paterna/materna, entonces le tienen mucho respeto a su pareja junto a un estima similar(“papá solo debe estar con mamá” tipo de cosa).

Jack es el más respetuoso al respecto y quiere saber más sobre la relación de Yuu!parent y su pareja, ya que sinceramente encuentra muy digno que Yuu!Parent le sea fiel a su pareja pese a que no sabe si volverá a su mundo, que hable de ellos con tanto cariño y rechace tan directamente cualquier avance (los lobos son monógamos, por lo que Jack entiende perfectamente el porqué las parejas son tan importantes).

Epel es el tipo de chico que directamente ira a la persona que esta molestando a Yuu!Parent (Crowley), toma la mano de Yuu y le restriega en la cara el anillo de bodas a la otra persona, sin decir una sola palabra en todo esto. Epel ADORA a Yuu!Parent porque le permite hacer todo lo que Vil no, lo esconde cuando Vil lo busca, y en general le permite ser el mismo. Por lo que, Epel no tolera que se metan con Yuu!Parent o su pareja (aun si no los conoce, suenan agradables, ASI QUE TEN MAS RESPETO PAJARACO!).

Ace sinceramente es el único que al principio no entiende porque Yuu!Parent esta tan decidido en serle fiel a su pareja, seamos honestos. Mas cuando Crowley parece dejar de lado su regreso a casa apropósito. Pero mientras mas tiempo pasa con Yuu!Parent y mas ve las señales, el anehlo, la nostalgia, los buenos recuerdos que tiene Yuu con su pareja, mas lo entiende. Definitivamente tiene mucho cringe cada que alguien trata de coquetear con Yuu, y aplica la de fingir que Yuu es su papa/mama para espantar a la otra persona. Si eso no funciona, les dira directamente que están hablando con una persona MUY linda y MUY casada.

Deuce se lo toma MUY en serio, demasiado. Yuu!parent es como el padre que nunca tuvo, y la idea de que la pareja de Yuu lo esta esperando en su mundo (y el tambien espera volver a verles) y que alguien trate de aprovecharse de eso le enoja mucho, pero el trata de no recurrir a la violencia. Al menos no física. Deuce simplemente se pone entre la persona y Yuu!Parent, agitando agresivamente los brazos mientras grita que Yuu es alguien felizmente casado, que no esta interesado en ser un cerdo infiel, entre otras cosas. Tiene espíritu.

Sebek es como Deuce, pero ligeramente peor y mejor. Definitivamente Sebek aprendió a ser más tolerante con Yuu!Parent y absolutamente GOZA cuando le da cumplidos típicos de los padres, podrías decir que le respeta, y dicho respeto también se dirige a su pareja y matrimonio en general. Cuando alguien intenta hablarle a Yuu!Parent en plan romántico, Sebek se pondrá tipo “ES MUY MAYOR PARA TI! Y ESTA CASADO! ALEJATE DEL PADRE! ESTA CASADO! ESTA TOMADO!” todo sin respirar.

Cuando Ortho se une, el esperaba un trato diferente por todo lo que hizo cuando Idia sufrio su overblot, pero es tan feliz cuando Yuu!Parent lo trata con el mismo afecto parental! Por lo mismo, Ortho no está por encima de amenazar al hombre pájaro con violencia si este sigue incomodando al prefecto con sus intentos de cortejo (si fuera cualquier otra persona, Ortho simplemente hace ruidos electrónicos molestos o hace sonar una alarma falsa para que se vayan).

Proteger al prefecto es un trabajo en equipo después de todo.

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

[married-to-google-translater]

Can you do yandere Claude faustus and Sebastian Michaels with pregnant reader if you haven't already done that (also I'm new to your blog so I don't know if you do any yandere/dark thing if not just ignore my request)

Hey I hope you like this <3

Yandere Claude Faustus

Well, this wouldn't be a surprise

Claude thought this would be the perfect way to tie you to him.

This would also be a sign to all outsiders who you belong to.

Claude would already be really possessive.

And this is accentuated during your pregnancy.

You really can't do anything alone.

Claude is always close by to watch over you.

You really couldn't escape him.

Say goodbye to all your privacy.

He loves you and your soul very much.

And he doesn't want anything to happen.

Because you can always hurt yourself by accident…or "accidentally"

The pregnancy was not necessarily very wanted.

Claude doesn't want to take any risks.

He thinks you are really valuable.

Probably Claude doesn't care that much about the kid.

It doesn't bother him that the child exists.

But Claude cares more about you.

You should also behave well during your pregnancy.

Claude would easily take away comforts if you misbehaved.

Yandere Sebastian Michaels

This demon must have planned this.

Sebastian is good with mental manipulation.

At this time, social pressures would be great.

Now you surely couldn't leave him.

You want a good life for your child, don't you?

Although it is admitted that Sebastian would have preferred a cat.

But the child is also doing really well.

Sebastian would be proud of himself.

This would be a sign to everyone else that you were taken.

This idea could work if Sebastian would let you leave the house during your pregnancy.

But he really doesn't.

The outside world is already too dangerous.

And when you're pregnant it's even more dangerous.

Sebastian won't let anyone or anything hurt you.

So you really stay inside.

He would probably kidnap you as soon as he finds out about your pregnancy.

Sebastian would do everything to make your time pregnant as comfortable as possible.

Almost every wish of yours will be fulfilled.

There are no punishments either.

However, don't overuse it.

Sebastian remembers these actions even after your pregnancy.

[matchalovertrait]

The day after Caruso posted his video, Dulce responded with one of her own to disprove his false claims about the "stolen" recipes. She brought up her extensive list of culinary experiences and screenshots of everything related to the cookbook when it was in progress. However, the damage had been done. Too many people turned their backs on Dulce. As everything came crashing down, she slowly stopped responding to her family and friends. Of course, everyone was alarmed. You can't just not respond like that out of the blue, especially when you're overseas! Now that Ángel and Esperanza have come to save the day, Dulce is looking to sue Caruso for defamation. I did say to never get into legal trouble with her! This marks the rebirth of Alegría v. Caruso!

Note: I am getting political here. As Election Day in the United States is around the corner, I urge people to fact-check everything. I'm seeing too many people on other social media platforms not doing the proper research. They see a video of one thing and take it as the sole truth. It seems like people have forgotten how to use Google, which is right at our fingertips. Make sure you're looking at reliable sources!

Start from the beginning (Gen 2)

Previous | Next

Transcript:

Dulce: I swear! That better not be him. A lot of people didn’t believe me or they didn’t bother to watch my explanation video. How am I supposed to recover from this?

Ángel: Dulce!

Dulce: Ángel and Esperanza?!

Ángel: Why haven’t you been answering anyone’s phone calls or texts??? It’s been 2 days.

Dulce: My career is over. My numbers are plummeting. People are crossing out my name on my cookbook and writing his name instead. Clients are canceling bookings with me. His crazy fans are giving me fake bad reviews. I’m through.

Esperanza: So what? It hasn’t been that long. Things can pick back up, Dulce. Why don’t you get your chef friends to vouch for you?

Dulce: I don’t want to rope anyone into my mess..

Esperanza: [Sighs] You know what? It’s sad to see you like this. Aren’t you going to plot something?

Dulce: I’ve done enough harm as it is! What do I do??? Sue him??? Oh wait, I already thought of that! I looked into it and no good lawyer wants to take the case. They’d rather represent actual stars like Judith Ward. I need to take this as a sign and finally grow up.

Ángel: C’mon, you know you want to do it.

Dulce: You’re encouraging it...? You don’t want to teach me a valuable life lesson like always?

Ángel: I think you learned your lesson. Make him learn his now.

Esperanza: My dad and Hilary both said they can help you pay for a REALLY good defamation lawyer. I think Hilary was freaking out the most about you not answering.

Ángel: Well, we all kinda were. You had Ama worried sick. But we didn’t file a missing person’s report because your friend came by and saw you well alive through your window.

Dulce: Oh, man. Dani probably got nervous and ran off. She never came to knock on the door.

Ángel: She’s a skittish one, isn’t she?

Dulce: Yeah, I have to apologize to her for not responding to her texts either. She knows about everything, but she might feel like she’s annoying me because I haven’t answered.

Esperanza: Wait, isn’t she a paralegal?

Dulce: Oh my gosh, you’re right! How’d I forget that? She might know someone who can help!

Ángel: Looks like we have a plan, then.

Esperanza: Um, I think part of this plan should be helping you clean up this place. Go put detergent in the washer, Ángel. I’ll get the clothes.

Dulce: My clothes??? Oh, no. They’ve been washed and dried. I just haven’t put them away. The only mess here is in my mind.

[alrightbuckaroo]

when life gives you lemons

With ao3 down, it seems like the perfect time to transfer more stories from my 100 Ways to Say I Love You series over here! Here's one from early 2023. Credit to this user for the divider and I hope you enjoy <3

“TK?” Jonah’s voice is quiet and TK can hear his confusion clear through the question. “Am I doing something wrong?”

He looks up at TK; his eyebrows knitted together, and his lower lip is jutted out. His green eyes showing slight defeat. TK doesn’t know how to do it; but he knows he wants that look to go away. “Of course not, buddy. We just need to be patient; someone will walk by, eventually.”

TK didn’t say it out loud; but he wasn’t too sure how true that would be with it being in the high 80s on a Thursday afternoon in the suburbs of Austin.

Jonah doesn’t seem too convinced by TK’s false optimism so TK tries his next best trick; distraction.

“Why don’t you inside, grab some more markers, huh?” TK suggests. “We can make some more signs, use some of that glitter glue we got yesterday.”

Jonah dejectedly agrees before hoping off of his chair and walking through the opened garage and into their house.

TK occupies his time alone by spinning the mixing spoon in the pitcher of strawberry fizzy lemonade and rearranging the red plastic cups. He feels his phone start to vibrate agains the table and hurries to grab it, at risk of the newly arranged cups becoming askew.

“Hey,” TK answers, not bothering to see who it is.

“Hey babe,” Carlos’ voice is cutting through the line and TK smiles to himself. He sounds exhausted but TK loves the sound just the same. “I’m heading home, did you want me to pick up anything for dinner?”

TK looks at the pitcher of lemonade again before answering. “Do you think we already have everything for chicken Alfredo?”

Carlos is quiet a moment, visualizing what they already have in the kitchen. “I think so, but, I’ll probably pick up some more Parmesan cheese anyways. We just had it a couple of nights ago, is it that high in demand again already?”

TK shrugs even though he knows Carlos can't see him. “It’s Jonah’s favorite and I think he just needs a little bit of a pick me up.”

“What’s going on?” TK can hear Carlos getting into this car, the sound of his voice becoming more insulated.

“We’re selling lemonade.” TK mixes the pitcher again as he sees some of the flavoring start to settle at the bottom. “Well, we’re trying to.”

“TK, I already told you we can afford the science camp we’re sending Jonah to this week.” Carlos jokes.

TK fights a laugh before he replies. “First of all, it’s math camp this week, science was last week and second,” TK leans against the back his chair. “You’re not funny.”

“Oh you know you laughed,” Carlos answers, seeing right through TK.

“Anyways,” TK says, moving swiftly on. “Last week they learned how to make fizzy lemonade as a science experiment. This week, they watched a School House Rock special about how to save money. Long story short, I have a seven year old who has decided to go toe to toe with Country Time Lemonade.” TK explains and Carlos laughs. “Though it’s not looking to good for us but Jonah doesn’t want to give up.”

“Well, he is your brother.” Carlos remarks, off-handedly.

“I’m assuming that’s a good thing?”

“It’s the best thing, TK” Carlos answers. “You never do anything halfway; you should have known Jonah wouldn’t either.”

“That’s true.” TK mumbles. “And we are both our mother’s child.” TK mutters to himself, thinking fondly about Gwyn. Gwyn always tried her best not to give up on anything, on anyone; on him. “It’s just, we haven’t had any customers and I can tell it’s starting to get to him. I don’t want him to be sad about something out of his control.”

Carlos is silent a moment before replying, “Well, between you and me, I think his luck might change soon.”

TK’s looking over the signs he and Jonah had spent the last 20 minutes working on. He points at a black and yellow blob. “And that is,”

“It’s a bumblebee, TK.” Jonah rolls his eyes. “Can’t you see the stinger?”

TK looks at the drawing closer, not seeing anything different. “Oh yeah, it’s right there.” TK points in a general direction and Jonah moves his finger down until he’s pointing at something completely different. “Ah, got it.”

He holds up the sign, “Why bumblebees? We’re not selling honey.”

Jonah releases a very purposeful and heavy sigh. “They’re yellow? Like the lemons?”

TK nods his head, “Oh yes, obviously.”

Before TK can continue to embarrass himself is front of the seven year old business mogul himself, he sees a movement out of the corner of his eyes. He turns slightly to see Carlos walking down the sidewalk. He’s still dressed in his uniform and TK can’t help but feel a pang sympathy for him. Last time he checked his watch it was 86 degrees; and that was an hour ago.

Carlos walks up to where both he and Jonah are sitting before saying, “Hey there, so I was in the neighborhood.

TK’s eyebrows furrow, “Carlos we’re married, we live together, this is our neighborhood.”

“Just go with it, babe.” Carlos says through a tired smile. “Anyways, I was in the neighborhood and couldn’t help but be drawn to this colorful sign. I really love the bumblebees.”

Jonah’s smile is so bright TK can feel himself falling in love with Carlos all over again. “Thanks! He didn’t even know where the stinger was.” Jonah using his thumb to gesture to TK.

“How could he not,” Carlos jokes and TK can start to see where this is going. “Isn’t it that,” Carlos points to exactly where the stinger is. “Right there?”

“Is there something we can help you with, sir?” TK asks the question; annoyed but more importantly, playful.

“Well, I was hoping to buy some lemonade, and this seemed like the perfect place.” Carlos smiles and TK swears he can see all traces of defeat leave Jonah’s eyes. “What do you have?”

Jonah begins to talk Carlos through the both options: classic lemonade, strawberry lemonade; both fizzy. “It’s twenty-five cents a cup.”

“Hmm,” Carlos looks over the pitchers, weighing his options. “How much for the both pitchers?”

“You want to buy all of it?” Jonah asks, eyes wide.

“Yeah, how much are we looking at?” Carlos asks, reaching for his wallet. TK gently nudges Jonah, whispering loud enough for Carlos to hear. “Overcharge him.”

Jonah ignores him as Carlos laughs and pulls out a five. Jonah does the math, and TK watches his work. He can see the math camp is doing him some good. When Jonah tells him how much it’ll be, Carlos hands over the five and tells him to keep the change.

“Thanks, Carlos.” Jonah smiles up at Carlos, one of his front teeth missing.

“Go put that with the money you got from the tooth fairy, okay?” TK suggests. “Then come back out here so we can clean this all up before dinner.”

TK watches after Jonah before turning and looking up at Carlos. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You love it.” Carlos argues and TK sighs as he stands up and begins pouring the lemonade from the cups back into the pitchers.

“You know I do.” TK leans forward looking around them and the houses next to them. “Where’s your baby?”

“What are you talking about, you’re standing right there.” Carlos says the words casually.

TK smiles despite himself. “You’re cute, I mean your car.”

“Parked down at the Bakers; don’t worry, I let Mandy know.” Carlos shrugs, “Felt like parking in the drive way and walking up would ruin the illusion.” Carlos gestures to the plastic bag in hand, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go put some Parmesan cheese in the fridge before this Texas heat causes it to spoil.”

TK grabs Carlos’ shoulder before he makes it too far, “Babe,” He looks up at Carlos. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you two.” Carlos smiles. “Chicken Alfredo paired with a ice cold glass of fizzy lemonade. Sounds like a pretty perfect dinner to me, don’t you think?”

TK smiles. “About as perfect as could be.”

[wisteria-lotus]

Repeated Mistakes

Content warning: Small amount of gore, includes bloodshed, angst with no comfort (please notify if anything is missing)

Written by: Lotus☪︎ ִ ֶ֢࣪⋆

Edited by: Wisteria

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

-660 BCE-

The palace was silent except for the constant scurries of a few workers hoping to finish their job as quickly as possible. It was supposed to be a bright, sunny evening but nothing could be happy when Zayne was having one of the worst  days. The throne room felt different, no one chattering or gossiping, it was empty and vast, nothing but cold air filling it. It was always such a loud and vibrant room, filled with people drinking and playing music but this time, only a single person was in the room. Zayne was perched atop his throne and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the arms of the chair. He was breathing heavily and his eyes that were once a beautiful mix of green and brown were darkened with a dark tint over it. His head was constantly throbbing with indescribable pain and his heart throbbed with hurt that piled up on each other for months. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, it hurt so much to even imagine.

The throne room was now filled with sharp shards of ice from his uncontrollable evol. His emotions were getting in the way once again. He had to keep his evol in check… or else, who knows what could happen? He could hear the gods taunting him and dug his nails into his palm, a crimson red dropping onto one of the shards of ice. The throne room filled with a cold, icy mist.

“I can't do this anymore… haven’t I given enough? What more do you want from me?!” 

Zayne shook in rage and frustration while a single tear dropped down his face. He rubbed his eyes and noticed what he had done to the room. He stood up from his throne and said to himself, “I should start acting like an actual duke.. What am I doing with myself?” He grit his teeth and walked outside the throne room, entering a long hallway. Everything was so blurry and he could barely walk properly. “My evol, it's getting too uncontrollable for me.” His heart beat increased with each and every step as he made it to his office. Zayne collapsed onto his chair and closed his eyes for a short minute, trying to control himself so he could hide those terrible, good for nothing emotions behind a stern face. He leaned his head on an arm resting on the table and looked over at the stack of papers next to him. He sighed. There were so many things to do but so little time… no amount of time in the world could satisfy him, and he had lived for long enough.Zayne put on his glasses, which were studded with a single diamond, to start his work when he heard a soft knock on the door. He grumbled in frustration and went over to open the door. He had clearly given signs to everybody that he did NOT want to be disturbed. He hesitated but ended up creaking the door open.

“Hello?” 

Y/N stood in front of Zayne, with her alluring eyes fixed on him. He was mesmerized by her beauty but reminded himself to snap out of it. He put his cold demeanor and icy glare back on. “Y/N… what are you doing here? Haven’t you been told to not come find me?” 

“I didn’t mean to bother you lord Zayne… I just wanted to check on you.” Her voice was gentle. “I heard from several of the workers that you were having a panic attack. Are you ok?” She had sincerity in those warm words as she looked at him, worried. Y/n had been his advisor for some time and she was someone who Zayne could trust but he had to stop himself from getting close to her, loving her, even embracing her warmth and ruining this life like every other he had lived. 

“No.” His words were laced with bitterness. “And even if I do, you won’t be able to do anything about it. In fact, you’ll probably make it worse…” He muttered. “Just please leave.” 

“Stop trying to chase me out all the time!! You can rely on me,haven’t you realized that after all the things I went through with you?” Her eyes pleaded for him to let her in as she widened the door a bit more. There was a split second where the coldness in his eyes melted away but it was replaced by his usual hardened gaze. “You’re nothing to me and you’ll never be.” He glanced away. Y/n balled up her fists and shoved him aside, entering the room. Zayne tensed and frowned at her. “What are you doing?! ” Y/n gave him a nasty look. “I'm not walking away until you tell me what's going on.” Zayne scoffs at this and remarks, “You’d never understand. The things I did for you.. It never worked. So why would it work in this lifetime?” 

Y/n blinked. “What..? what are you even talking about?” “Forget it” Zayne hissed. 

Y/n gnawed at her lips nervously. Zayne’s gaze settled on her glossy lips, and it was so tempting for him. 

He thought he had a good grasp on himself, until… he didn't. Zayne snatched her wrists and pushed her up to a wall. He caressed her neck and her slender shoulders, leaning in to feel her, to be able to smell her. I’m not making a mistake. This isn’t love, I’m just putting her in her place. 

“W-what the hell Zayne? Let me go!” Y/n panted. 

“Shut up..” He pressed her harder against the wall and stared all over her body, examining every curve. He put a hand on her hips and another on the back of her head, leaning in for a kiss. As soon as their lips touched, Zayne went all in. He was thirsty for her taste and his hunger was unbearable by this point. He pressed harder, sliding his tongue in and tasting her sweet saliva. After a few minutes, he finally broke the kiss. Y/n was all red and was panting, trying to catch her breath. Zayne pretends nothing happened and wiped his mouth with his sleeves. “You can leave.” He was holding back all of his instincts even though he wanted more,Way more. 

Y/n looked hurt and her eyes sparkled with tears. “You’re so confusing. Do you love me or not? Why do you make me feel like this when after, you just turn your back to me? What's wrong with you!” Zayne let out a sigh. “Im.. not.. I’m just trying to-You know what? Please leave Y/n I can't do this today.” Y/n had eyes full of hurt and confusion. Her voice raised, “Why? Why do you do this? Don’t you see that I love you? Why do you have to play with my feelings everyday of my life.” 

Zayne’s eyes flashed with anger. “You don't understand and you never will! LEAVE! You’re just a fucking whore that’ll do what I say. I don't have any feelings for you and I never will.” Y/n bit back tears and turned her back on him. “If that's what you truly believe, then I’ll leave. I just wanted to be some help to you but I guess even that annoys you.” 

Zayne lunges for her and digs his fingers into her shoulders. He dropped his head onto her chest. “D-dont leave… I can't go through that again. Please. I’m.. sorry” Y/n looks at him in disbelief. “Your sorry means nothing.” 

“I didn't mean anything I said Y/n!! It was out of pure anger that I couldn't control. You know how I have anger issues. I wasn’t like this. I was a gentle and loving person but I lost hope and I can't do this anymore. Please give me a second chance Y/n.” Zayne’s eyes teared up and looked desperate. Y/n didn’t bother to even look at him, not wanting to make eye contact with him. Zayne panicked and his hands started to tremble. He was starting to lose control of his evol. Again. “I’m sorry but please.. LEAVE!!!” Zayne pushed her away with much force but it was too late. Shards of ice scattered through the room and one pierced through her arm, splattering blood on the floor. 

Zayne’s eyes widened with fear as he scrambled towards her. “No.. this wasn’t supposed to happen.” The ice disappeared and the room turned back to normal. Y/n’s breath was uneasy and there was still blood dripping down from her arm as she winced in pain.

One of Zayne’s men came in from the commotion and froze in shock. “What are you standing there for?! Get help!” Zayne yelled at him. Zayne was supporting y/n with his arms, basically hugging her until she lightly pushed him away with her other arm. “Don't touch me, you monster.” 

Help arrived and they helped y/n out of the room. She glanced back at Zayne and he noticed how hurt her eyes looked, but he knew it wasn’t because of her arm. All Zayne could do was stare and stare as y/n got smaller as she limped away from his sight. He stood in place without moving a single muscle for a good 30 minutes. “What have I done?” “That wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to help her survive this life and make her happy.”  He leaned on the table for support and covered his eyes. “Y/n..” he sobbed. “I promise.. In my next life I won’t stand in your way. I’ll help you be happy even though it means letting you go.” Zayne glided a hand across his hair, hating himself for being so selfish, after so many lives he still had made the same mistake. As time flew past, and with every minute, the room grew colder, until it was nothing but a barren wasteland of ice.

(2nd post!!)

(requests are open!!)

☪︎ ִ ֶ֢࣪⋆

[quillpokebiology]

Kricketot & Cricketune Behaviour, Body Language, and Culture

I love Kircketune so much, and I was so happy to find that Paldea had Kricketune (never got that nostalgic kricket song to go to sleep to, I just got the sound of Charjabug electricity to fall asleep to :C). Anyways, post about them!

Body Language & Behaviour

Singing

We all know this one, but it's still worth mentioning considering how much they do it. Kricketune sing to communicate, attract mates, and to show they're battle ready.

Spreading out arms

A lot of people view this as a sign of aggression, but it's not. The Kricketune is just letting you know it does not want to be bothered.

Rubbing Claws Together

Kricketune rub their claws together to show that they are happy.

Jumping side-to-side

A behaviour primarily done by Kricketot. It's the same reason Kricketune rub their class together; to show they're happy.

Notes & Emotions

Kricketune's show their different emotions by playing different melodies, and the melodies vary between each Kricketune and each group, but they all still follow a similar universal pattern. Think of it as how people from completely different parts of the world still smile to show that they're happy. When Kricketune make a chalkboard sound (you know the one I am talking about), this means that they are angry, upset, or aggressive. When Kricketune are happy, they make a xylophone-like sound. When they're sad, they make a low-note sound.

Colliding Antenna

As one of their many ways of communication, Kricketot will collide their antenna together to create a sound. Different patterns can mean different things, and it's important to pay attention to your Kricketot since what they mean can very between Orchestras (name for a group of Krickets).

Bathing

Krickets are very prideful and clean pokemon, and they absolutely hate getting dirty. Since submerging themselves in water can damage Kricketune's wings (yes, they have wings and can fly), and Kricketot can't swim (legs too stubby), they will instead go into shallow water and rub wet leaves on themselves to get all of the dirt and grime off. Krickets bathe very often and view being dirty as something no one should be.

Culture

Orchestras

My personal favorite behavior from them. Kricketune love attention and having an audience, and they'll often make musical tunes and play it to attract other pokemon. While orchestras are used for attention and entertainment, Kricketune will also use orchestras as a way to celebrate something or mourn a fallen friend.

Singing Competitions

To attract mates, Kricketot and Kricketune will have singing competitions. It's exactly what it sounds like. Kricketune sing to attract mates, with the one with the best tune attracting the most partners. These are heald in a competition based format, but there isn't one main winner, as the best singer is subjective.

Villages

Kricket villages aren't like the ones humans or Tinkaton make, but they're close. Krickets live in large colonies, making their homes in fields and plains. Different Kricket families will live in different homes made from hollowed out trees or dens. Their homes are close to each other, with places to store foods and use the bathroom in separate areas. Kricketot villages almost always have a flattened out area on either dirt or rocks to be their stage. As you can probably tell, performing and music is very important to them.

Conductors

Conductors are leaders of Kricket Groups; giving them orders and keeping everything in check. In Hisui, Conductors would often be Alpha Kricketune, but as the gene died out, it would end up being any Kricketune that was able to battle for it. While providing food, being head of making shelters, and keeping everyone safe, Conductors are also teachers; often teaching young Kricketot different tunes and leading orchestras (the Kricketune on the right in the first image was actually this groups Conductor!)

Raising Young

Female Krickets can lay up to 12 small eggs in a clutch. Because of this, families tend to be big. But, Krickets have a very "hands off" approach when it comes to raising their young, with entire colonies providing nessecaties like food and water, but letting the young Kricketots explore the world on their own. Conductors and older Krickets will train them on how to battle and make music.

Battling

While Krickets are very peaceful pokemon, every pokemon battles, and each species has differing views on battling. Krickets are primarily focused on music, but battling is taught to them as well in case of potential danger and needing to defend themselves. Every once in a while, Kricketune will battle to attract mates instead of sing.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

The Police Station Scene

Arguably the most important season 1 Tarlos scene (it won the poll, after all!), the police station scene in 1x03 is undoubtedly iconic. The sheer chemistry between these two becomes truly apparent, and the journey they take throughout the scene...I have no words. Or perhaps I have many words. Yes, I think it's that second one. Many words. Under the cut, my analysis of this excellent scene.

We start out with TK in a pretty miserable situation. On top of everything else he's going through, he just got arrested, and at this point, he's not sure if the guys he fought are going to be pressing charges. For all he knows, he could be ending up in a jail cell using his one phone call to get Owen to come bail him out, something that Owen will probably not be too happy about. Not only that, but he's bleeding and his face clearly hurts judging by the ice pack he's holding to it. He's having a very bad night.

Then, things suddenly get even worse. Because the police officer coming to deal with him is none other than the guy he hooked up with and then later stormed out on. The guy TK had started having such strong and unexpected feelings for that he had given in to the urge to flee. The guy who TK assumes probably already thinks terrible things about him because of the way things went down the last time they were together. So now not only is this an undesirable legal situation, but it's also an awkward and embarrassing social situation. And now this guy knows that "TK" stands for Tyler Kennedy. Ugh.

From Carlos' perspective, he met this guy who was smokin' hot who he felt an instant connection with...this guy who made him feel for the first time like maybe he wasn't actually broken and then gave him the best orgasm of his life. Said guy then stormed out on him for what appeared to Carlos to be no good reason. He couldn't even be bothered to sit and have a meal and a little conversation. And now? This guy is out getting in bar fights completely sober, putting himself in a dangerous situation where he could very well get himself killed. This guy who Carlos already cares about, and who has seemingly completely rejected him at the first sign of Carlos wanting to get to know him. Carlos is hurt but he's also angry. Most of all, Carlos is angry about the fact that TK is being so completely reckless with his own safety.

The guys from the bar fight don't want to press charges, so Carlos tells TK that he's free to go. But he can't stop from giving TK a little advice. He's not trying to be his boyfriend (lie) or even his friend if he's not into it (oh, Carlos) but he tells TK that he "should talk to someone about why you felt compelled to do something so suicidal." Carlos says this without knowing that TK was suicidal and acted on it not long ago.

TK appears to be affected by this but says nothing. It appears that maybe the fight has gone out of him...until Carlos lets him know that he has something on his face, giving him a box of tissues to take care of it. TK gets visibly frustrated when Carlos tells him he's trying to clean off the wrong side. But then Carlos does something that TK doesn't expect.

He says, "Stop, just...let me." And with a shaky hand, he uses a tissue to dab at the spot on TK's face.

This clearly isn't nothing to Carlos. The emotion in his eyes is undeniable. He cares. That simple act of caring is enough to break TK's walls down the tiniest bit. To allow him to show some vulnerability. TK wants to explain.

He apologizes for what happened between them and tells him that he just went through a really bad breakup, "like nuclear bad," and then he relapsed. Not, as Carlos assumes, with him, but with substances. TK is giving Carlos a piece of himself, trusting him in a way he has not trusted anyone else he's met in Texas, as much as he likes them and enjoys working with them.

Carlos recognizes the significance of this moment of vulnerability. But it's more than that. It gives him context for what happened. TK wasn't just being a jerk and storming out because he didn't care to get to know Carlos. He has serious things going on. And...the champagne! TK has issues with substances and Carlos had offered him champagne without even asking first!

Carlos, always quick to blame himself, apologizes, and in that moment, his walls come down a little too. He had been trying to play it stoic and tough and like he didn't care so, so much. (Of course he already gave himself away when he started gently wiping TK's face)

But TK doesn't stop there. He gives Carlos more of himself, explaining that, ever since he's gotten to Austin, it's just grey. And he feels numb all the time. To explain why he started the bar fight, TK says, "I guess I just--I wanted to feel something."

Carlos looks at him. The anger is gone. He has understanding in his eyes...and that look of caring is still there, too. He watches TK gather his things and stand up. Carlos could have said anything in this moment. He chooses to tease TK a little. TK said he started a fight because he just wanted to feel something, so Carlos tells him, "Judging by that lip, I'd say mission accomplished."

TK looks at him with annoyance. He kind of can't believe that THIS is Carlos' reaction to his vulnerability!

"You really busting my balls right now?"

But Carlos stands his ground as the corner of his mouth goes up slightly.

"Yeah, I suppose I am."

Carlos made the right choice here because TK smiles too.

They like each other so much.

I fully believe that everything that happens after wouldn't have happened without this scene. It's pivotal in their relationship. The journey they go through is incredible! From this:

To this:

Iconic and unmatched.

[lucy4242564]

.birds of a feather.

chapter six

Rick’s probably more your type

word count: 3.9k

.georgia, georgia, he has beautiful bones.

“Maybe we should just go back," Glenn suggested, spreading the map out. “There's an interstate bypass-"

"Can't spare the fuel.” Dale interrupted.

“Can we get through here?" Glenn asked.

A car graveyard in front of us, the only sign of life being Daryl leading the RV through it. “Hopefully.” I winced both visibly and verbally when we got a little too close to one of the trucks.

"Scared your boyfriend might get us stuck?” Andrea asked, and had it not been for the boyfriend comment, I might have responded with a light hearted joke. All she was doing was trying to rile me up though— which was disappointing considering I saw so much of my sister in her.

So I stayed silent.

Everything was going smoothly until we heard a loud pop and saw smoke billowing in front of us. We quickly evacuated the RV and found ourselves on the open road.

A graveyard was a euphemism, this place was a ghost town; a permanent traffic jam couldn’t have been any of those peoples idea of their final resting place. It was so morbid how we were just casually looting their cars like they weren’t either dead corpses in the front seats or the rotting stench of flesh left behind by walkers. Lori wasn’t the only one bothered by the bodies- - she just seemed to be the only one that said anything from what I can still remember of that day. That harrowing, tragic evening— we had no idea how bad it really was for an entire week. So much was gained - but so much was lost.

As three or four dozen walkers casually strolled down the highway like it was their morning walk, our group began hiding under, beside, and inside the scattered vehicles. I saw T go down outside the truck I was hiding in, and call it stupid or call it brave -- maybe both, but I peered cautiously from the slightly opened door to see if he was bit before removing my shirt and whistling for him to take it. The tension was palpable as we navigated the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world. Daryl dug his knife into a walkers throat that would’ve been T’s death sentence because neither of us had paid any mind to the fact there were other threats— not just metal digging up forearms. Then the most disgusting thing since all of this had happened was tossed on top of me; a dead geek. Sanitary was at the bottom of my concerns currently though, so I sucked it up and let the body rest on top of my own.

Once the walking dead stumbled obliviously through, I kicked the corpse off of me and started working on getting the one off T-Dog. I hoped my shirt covered his wound enough for it to not get infected with the walker juice.

“Come on, let’s get you to the RV.” I tried to keep my tone as calm as I possibly could, despite the blood-soaked cloth that covered his arm. Shrieks filled the air— it was Sophia and Carol. Daryl looked between T-Dog, the RV, and then the woods, stuck on what obstacle he’d be more use for, “You go, I’ll get T handled.” So I made the choice for him. With a quick nod, he bolted over towards the railing that Rick had just hopped over.

“What happened?” Dale asked, like his day just kept getting worse and worse. I mean— it had, but he was exasperated.

When I saw Andrea with guts all over her, I realized Dale really had been going through it.

“Not sure, but he needs more pressure. I have another clean shirt, give me a minute.” Once T was leaned against the Winnebago, I bolted inside and to my book-bag. One sleep shirt was all I had that was still for sure clean, and I didn’t want to risk T-Dog getting an infection because of an accidental dirty cloth. Groaning to myself, I snatched it out and threw it to Dale. “Keep pressure. I’m going to go find out what’s happening— Carol knows how to stitch.”

Carol did know how to stitch, but she was in no shape to be near a needle. Rick came out the woods empty handed which sent her into another sobbing fit.

I nudged his arm, whispering up to him, just loud enough for him to hear, “Daryl,” then I nodded to the woods. It wasn’t my place to be concerned about a little girl that I didn’t even know— it especially wasn’t my place to silently plead for Daryl to go look for her. I was getting too comfortable.

He didn’t hesitate to take the suggestion, though. Almost like he’d been thinking of doing it without being prompted but needed an extra nudge.

Rick led the way, while Shane, Glenn, and Daryl followed. “You comin’?” Daryl asked, shouting back to me once he’d crossed over the guard rail. My face scrunched up, but I wasted no time bolting behind the four men. Something about him voicing out my inclusion made me feel good about myself— like I could help contribute something.

The fact that we had only walked for a maximum of ten minutes meant Sophia couldn’t have gotten far- - not without really booking it.

"Assumin’ she knows her left from her right.” Shane commented after Rick confirmed everything he’d told Sophia.

"Shane, she understood me fine”

“Kid's tired and scared, man, she had her a close call with two walkers. Y’gotta wonder how much of what you said stuck." Shane didn’t let up.

Rick, Daryl and I stood in the ankle deep water, while Shane and Glenn looked around the wooded area that Rick had left Sophia. Daryl hummed lowly and wordlessly showed me what I could only assume was the little girl’s footprints. "I got clear prints right here.” Daryl confirmed what I thought he was trying to tell me. “She did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out, make our way back."

I hoisted myself up the short incline before Shane got there to pull me up, then we did like Daryl suggested. We headed back, following his lead for a minute or two before we stopped. We all crouched lower, trying to make sense of why Sophia would’ve stopped going the right way. The tracks veered to the right, but there was only one set of footprints still- - so it made no sense for it to be a walker that caused her to run.

“So, what do we do?" Shane asked both Rick and Daryl. "All of us press on?"

"No, better if you three get back up to the highway," Rick ordered, nodding his head in between me, Glenn, and Shane. "People are gonna start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail, doin' everything we can— But most of all, keep everyone calm."

"I'll keep them busy scavengin' cars." Shane nodded. "Think up a few other chores. I'll keep everybody occupied.”

“Be safe!” I called back to Rick and Daryl. I hadn’t contributed much at all, but the fact that I’d been thought of and brought along was enough for me.

_____________

Shane gave me a clean shirt of his, and despite my personal issues with the his sexist comments, I did plan on keeping the shirt. It was a good shirt. It had that super plush feel, thick but not overly heavy, and a nice stretch. There was a ‘King County Sheriff’s Department’ emblem on the top right corner. It hung pretty low on me, causing me to tuck it in so it pillowed out. The gesture had been nice.

As soon as I checked on T-Dog, I took watch on top of the RV while the rest of the crew moved cars and made a clear path for our caravan to get through. Carol mourned and I wished that I could do something for her, but standing guard in case another hoard of walkers decided to dilly-dally by would have to be good enough for now. The only thing that passed by was time. By the time sun started setting, I saw a display of canned goods, water, weapons, and even some clothes on the ground outside of the RV. The only people that ended the day empty handed had been Rick and Daryl.

A distraught Carol was begging for them to keep looking, and despite how harsh he tended to be, Daryl had quieted her gently. It wasn’t his fault her little girl got lost though, she didn’t put any blame on him. She was angry with Rick.

"I know this is hard, but I'm askin' you not to panic, we know she was out there." Rick explained to the group.

"And we tracked her for a while.” Daryl added, making a point to look at the sobbing woman.

“We have to make this an organized effort, Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this." Rick continued on, but before he could finish his talking, Carol spotted blood that had covered Daryl’s jeans.

"We took down a walker," Rick was fighting for his life.

"Walker?" Carol whispered, echoing his words. “Oh god."

"There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia-“

"How can you know that?" Andrea implored, cutting Rick off.

The look between Daryl and Rick would’ve been comical if the situation had been different.

“We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure."

Carol’s breaths were coming in heavy and she could only stay supported by the guardrails at that point. "How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?” She began crying, throwing her grief at Rick yet again.

I think we all felt it.

Nobody wanted to blame Rick, but nobody could blame Carol for feeling how she felt either. No matter how much reassurance Shane tried giving Rick, and no matter how much Rick apologized to Carol- - a piece of the group cracked that day. A piece of Rick cracked that day.

_____________

Hours later, I settled in a truck bed next to Carol. She’d asked to be alone for a while, but I was about to go to bed and I felt the need to provide what little bit of consolation I could. We didn’t talk for a few minutes, just gazed at the tree line, trying to use the force to bring Sophia from wherever she was. We all knew the struggle that Carol and Sophia had gone through up until Ed got bit— they were both adjusting to life outside of abuse. It had been a while, but I knew what that was like. In the old world it had been a difficult thing to conform to, there was no telling how it was these days. Was it even an escape? It seemed like it was out of the pot and into the frying pan kind of deal.

“Hey,” I finally mumbled out, leaning my head on Carol’s shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, but she pressed her cheek against the crown of my hair. “Daryl’s got a trail, and we’re all going to look tomorrow. We’ll find her. She can’t be that far.”

“Everyone keeps saying that, but why didn’t they find her today if she was so close?” Carol didn’t miss a beat.

I bit my lip and considered what she said. Daryl wouldn’t have lied— not about that kind of thing. If he had a trail, he had a trail. But Carol’s question was just as valid. “I’m not sure,” I admitted plainly, “I wish I had better words for you, but even if I did, they wouldn’t matter unless Sophia came out those woods right now.”

Carol let out a humorless chuckle, “Yeah. You know, she likes you; Sophia.”

“She doesn’t know me.”

“You talked kindly to her. She said that your hair was pretty that night at the nursing home, but I don’t think you heard her.”

I shook my head slowly, trying to recall Sophia talking to me at all. The only real exchange we had was when I told her that I liked her sparkly shoes. “She speaks very softly,” I nudged Carol and tilted my head back up. “A lot like her mom.”

“Do you think he really has a lead on her?”

“Mhm,” I nodded reassurance while sliding out the truck, “If I was lost somewhere, especially in the woods, I’d put my money on Daryl.”

_____________

I woke well before sunrise the next morning— sleeping in the back of a crossover is probably the most uncomfortable sleep I’d ever gotten. At least— so far.

Daryl was puffing on a cigarette, a breakfast of champions. “Nice shirt.” He looked me up and down.

It’s a strange thing, the pit in your stomach that forms when you feel like you’ve been caught sneaking in late at night. I felt stupid all of a sudden- - wearing another man’s shirt while standing right in front of the guy I slept with a few nights before. It wasn’t like we were dating or anything though, he’d made it clear that it was nothing like that. I was okay with it being that way too. The lack of emotional attachment was necessary these days. Even then though - I knew I was already in deep with him. Him, Glenn, Rick, and Dale— they were members of an elite club that they had no idea about; it only existed in my mind.

“I used my last clean one to wrap T-Dog’s arm.” I shrugged, trying to play it off. “Shane threw it at me when we got back, said it was gonna get cold.”

He grunted before offering me a cigarette that I refused.

“Stay close, I’ll try’n show ya some stuff while we’re out today. Trackin’ a person ain’t that different n’ ya already know the basics.”

“Thanks for letting me come yesterday.”

His gaze was focused on stomping out the burnt down cigarette, “S’ our thing right?” The recall of my words coming from him made me smile. “Yer a quick learner.” Then his eyes trained on mine- - I think that was the first time I ever really noticed his eye color. He had cat-like eyes and we hadn’t really been in a position to stare into one another’s orbs, so it made sense that the true blue color hadn’t yet settled into my memory.

“Told ya.” I winked, a small laugh trickling out my lips.

God he was so attractive.

I had fucked that.

Or vice versa.

The morning continued typical — er, as typical as it could be. We split up some food to enjoy as breakfast, Rick made a game plan officially putting Daryl in charge, Andrea was having a hissy fit because Shane wanted to take the guns and give them to Dale. Judging from some of the conversation, they must have already argued about it before. It didn’t bother me, I had my bow and I was decent with a knife. Sure, getting used to using a gun probably wouldn’t hurt, but we were on the hunt for a missing child, not facing off against a herd.

"The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around and come back down the other side," Daryl chewed at his lip, "Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark."

"Stay quiet and stay sharp, keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other." Rick announced.

Daryl nodded at me to follow behind him, “Not you, you stay with me.” He muttered under his breath, “Get some learnin’ in, like I said.”

“Yes, sir.”

“S’hot,” he leaned against a truck and wiped his forehead.

“I know you are, but what am I?” I teased, pushing against his side.

Daryl snorted out a half-laugh, “Shuddup.” He pushed me back over. “Ain’t no way yer hot wearin’ them short shorts.”

My mouth dropped dramatically open and a small gape of fake disbelief left my mouth, “I’ll have you know, most men love my short shorts.” I dropped my shoulders, “but I get it. Rick’s probably more your type. Maybe I’ll see if he wants to borrow a pair.”

This time he scoffed and adjusted his crossbow. The banter was quickly ended by Andrea’s argument with Dale. I could one thousand percent see both of their points, but if I needed to choose, I’d have chosen Andrea’s side. Not everyone could deal with the loss of their family— especially right in front of them. I seriously don’t know if I could’ve just continued on after watching my sister get ripped open. That was a little solace to my situation; not knowing. Andrea knew, she witnessed it, and that would have destroyed a lot of people. Dale had a savior complex though. It wasn’t malicious or even slightly ill-intended— he was just trying to protect what he had salvaged out of the end of the world. He still had no right to take that option away from Andrea, not with how shitty the world was now. Suicide had crossed my mind a lot of times, but my will to live was a lot stronger than dying.

When Daryl made the move to head to the woods, I followed at his side along with the rest of the group. The weight of the argument held all of us in silence; our steps a mere lullaby to keep voices down.

A few words here and there -- nothing over a whisper for miles. Daryl gestured to a few things on the ground, indicating how to know certain things. Then we wandered right onto a dud of a tent. Just a man who’d committed suicide— ironic really; considering the argument from earlier. And the church bells rang, but that had only ended in us being attacked by walkers. A very very morbid scene indeed. But the bells were on a timer— a stupid fucking timer.

Our group scattered after that.

Some went into the church, others walked around the cemetery, I took refuge underneath a shady tree. We should’ve found Sophia by now. Unless that little girl wandered off all through the night, she shouldn’t have been but a mile or two out.

“You and Shane?” Glenn questioned, standing above me and blocking out the peaking sunshine that wasn’t quite falling on my face.

I looked at him quizzically, wondering what had stirred that on, then remembered the shirt I was wearing. It could’ve been either Shane’s or Rick’s, but only one of them had been around when I began adorning it. “No,” I sang, “not me and Shane. I just didn’t have any clean clothes, and it was before we scavenged the cars completely.”

“Okay, okay, I was just joking, but I’m not joking about you and Daryl?” He rose his eyebrows teasingly. “He’s been keeping you pretty close.”

“He’s,” my face turned red, and I knew it wasn’t from the heat. I sighed deeply, closing my eyes and trying to hide a smile. “He’s teaching me things…and we may have…” I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter, “possibly had sex at the CDC.”

A rush of air whipped down beside me and the overwhelming presence of somebody sitting next to me, gave me the memo to open my eyes.

“No.” The word was low, but not entirely whispered.

All I could do was nod and crinkle my nose up. There was zero privacy to discuss anything more important or intimate than television shows and video games since we’d left the city. This was actually the most time i’d spent exclusively with Glenn since the quarry. Our fun little routine of talking about nonsense each evening and snacking on whatever he’d found in Atlanta had ended so abruptly that we never really got to say goodbye to it. To have a final time doing that. Maybe when we got to Fort Benning, things could go back to how they had been. Or at least something reminiscent of that.

A year ago, nothing could have prepared me for missing eating sour patch kids in a tent with a pizza delivery boy.

A year ago, nothing could have prepared me for the dead rising and trying to eat me either.

Weird how those two interlace with each other.

Still— we talked about his god awful experience at getting drunk, and how he’d adventured down to the basement of the CDC. Then when his heart was going to beat out of his chest because he thought Shane had been a goner when the Jeep caught fire.

Eventually we saw the others gathering and decided we should probably join in.

Shane began spitting out the plan to everyone, "Y'all’re just gonna follow the creek bed back, okay?" he then looked to the archer that wasn’t me. “Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough."

"You're splittin' us up.” Daryl stated, looking to Rick. "You sure?"

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you," Shane answered instead.

"I wanna stay, too, I’m her friend.” Carl interjected.

Lori looked at Rick briefly before looking back at their son. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will.” The boy responded happily.

"When did you start growing up?" Lori pulled him close and gave him a kiss on top of his head.

"Here, take this.” Rick shoved his pistol to Lori after she gave him a quick peck. “Remember how to use it?"

"I'm not takin' your gun and leavin' you unarmed.” Lori shook her head.

"Here," Daryl interrupted and held out a gun of his own, offering it to Lori. "I got a spare. Take it." Rick seemed to appreciate that, giving Daryl a small smile. “Why don’t you stay with them?” He turned me, fully addressing me for the first time in front of the entire group. “Try’n keep on that little girl’s trail. They need someone that knows what they’re doin’” His tone was unsure, but still firm.

I looked over to Rick, almost asking for permission, but he was already smiling in agreement.

Rick ducked into the church for a few minutes, then back to the woods we went. I was a little nervous at the fact I was taking the lead and was at the front lines of something. It wasn’t that serious or anything; just searching for a little girl like her life depended on it—except it did.

“Hey,” I whispered to the three guys after I’d taken note of deer tracks. “Look.” We’d been walking for about an hour at that point and the sun was getting ready set. Showing Carl the set of prints wouldn’t do much, but it would maybe boost his morale. Kid’s were easier to appease than adults in times like these. “Deer tracks.” And the way his little blue eyes lit up made up for all the depressing shit that was going on.

“Cool.” His voice was in awe.

Without any time for him to really soak it in, a branch snapped not far from us and it was back to reality we went. Then— like the world knew we needed an extra boost, a massive buck stepped out of the bushes. The large animal was such a serene sight, beautiful and paying no mind to the group of us. When Shane aimed his gun, Rick stopped him, just as Carl approached the deer. Step by step, Carl inched closer and closer, reaching his hand out to touch it.

He was so taken in by the animal- - we all were - - then when he little body dropped to the ground reality set back in.

A reality nobody had ever expected.

.and he never lies or picks up his phone.

[ilikekidsshows]

He can literally TELL HER that stuff bothers him and she more often than not just continues talking about her side of the matter, barely acknowledging anything he says at all beyond what little overlaps with her side.

This line from familyagrestefanblog remind me that this is what happened in Wishmaker. Cat tell her that he doesn't have any childhood dreams and she just... brushed it off, saying "Oh you're probably forget" and then listing the potential dream that she thought he might had. It's as if the conversation is just there for the sake of breaking the silence (because Cat has been mostly quiet during the battle) and not for the sake of her trying to get to know her so called favorite partner and it's so grating.

I remember years ago you made an analysis how Ladybug took Cat's presences and kindness for granted and that he's just convenience for her and I was upset then, be ause that wasn't what I see from their dynamic. But watching s4 and 5 make me realize that it really is the case, that Cat is just a convenience for her and that upset me more.

To quote from one of my favorite manhwa :

Doubt is the best thing you can do to deeply understand the other person, trustly the other person rahsly and blindly is the same as not trusting them.

---

Yeah, my takes on Marinette have always been just too spicy for some people. Although, I’ll say to your credit that I had no idea that the Fae Cat Noir interpretation was controversial because everyone was just so polite about it. I do remember that a lot of Marinette fans had also been noticing that Marinette compartmentalized her double life into two separate boxes that shouldn't overlap. Of course, it could be that the idea let people think it's not a big deal she forgets about Cat Noir when he isn't in front of her, because she does this with everything relating to her job as Ladybug. Frankly, I think the fact that she does that to such a degree just shows how unmotivated she is, but I used to think she was just being the reluctant hero archetype and wasn't expecting the writers to claim her failings as a hero are a victory.

And that's the thing with a lot of my past criticisms of Marinette; I never used to really hold them against her because I thought they'd be temporary. I used to think all of her failings as a friend, partner and hero were supposed to be signs of her immaturity. I thought that, as Marinette grew as a person and hero, she'd learn to overcome many of her failings and grow into a more dependable person, because that's an empowering story to tell young girls, that them being awkward and weird now doesn't mean they can't make their own path in life. This is why I adored Marinette as a character despite disagreeing with her values so much.

But now the writers have decided that "empowerment" means excusing all bad behavior instead of becoming better. I don't think telling little girls that their friends should just shut up and be understanding when they make every mistake under the sun and refuse to improve is empowering. It could be cathartic, I guess, to fantasize about yourself as the queen of the universe like that, but it's no way to write a supposed role model that should be emulated.

[soopersara]

Respite

Zutara Week 2023: Day 5

Read it on AO3 | @zutaraweek

At the Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara can't stop arguing. But at night, to let the others sleep, they go by different rules.

“Can’t sleep?”

“No. You?”

Zuko shakes his head. “Still not used to the snoring. I thought my uncle was bad, but between Sokka and Aang, there’s never a quiet moment after sunset.”

He’s lying. Katara has heard him jerk out of sleep enough times to know that he has nightmares, and she suspects that he’s noticed the same about her. But they’ve come to an understanding by now—they may not be friends, but after dark, they don’t have to be.

They don’t argue. That might wake the others.

They don’t ask too many questions. That might make them argue.

It feels like a delicate balance sometimes, but their nighttime truce hasn’t failed them yet. By now, it’s beginning to feel natural.

“The snoring doesn’t bother me too much. You get used to that pretty quickly when you grow up in a tent.” She peers at him from the corner of her eye. “I’m less used to Toph kicking me in her sleep.”

If he recognizes the lie, he gives no sign of it. Instead, he gestures toward the empty space farther down the terrace. “I made enough tea for two cups if you want some.” He raises his cup enough to give its contents a sniff, and his mouth pulls to the side. “It’s—probably a little better than last time.”

“Did you make two cups deliberately, or did you just forget how much water you needed?”

A shrug. “Possibly both. I think I used too many tea leaves last time, so extra water has to be an improvement. Right?”

She perches an arm’s length away from him, allowing her legs to dangle over the edge. “You taste it first. If it’s better than last time, then I’ll think about having a cup.”

“Fair enough.” He doesn’t immediately taste the tea, opting instead to look out over the moonlit valley while the cup steams gently in his hands. “Did I ever tell you that I’ve been here once before?”

“No. But I guess I’m not really surprised.”

She looks downward too, her eyes tracing over the ribbons of mist forming along the rivers and streams in the jungle below. He’s been traveling more than three times as long as she has. After so much time, it’s no wonder that his path has folded back on itself.

“Is everything the way you remember it?” she asks. So long as she doesn’t look his way, she finds that she doesn’t mind his conversation. He is more soft-spoken, more thoughtful than she usually gives him credit for, and if she doesn’t meet his eyes, the anger that would ordinarily roil inside of her lies dormant.

“Mostly. And not at all.” Zuko pauses for a sip of tea, frowns in thought, then pours a second cup and passes it her way.

Katara shoots him a sideways glance before accepting the cup. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean the temple hasn’t changed very much, but—I don’t know. I guess I look at things differently now.”

Her hands clench, and she drags her eyes down toward the valley again. It’s nighttime. As frustrated and angry as she might be, she can’t argue with him now. Not when it could wake the others.

Still, a sharp tinge of bitterness finds its way into her voice. “Why? Because you’ve just changed so much?”

If her tone bothers him, Zuko doesn’t show it much. Dryly, he says, “I’m taller than I was last time I came here. And I can see out of both eyes since I don’t have half my face wrapped up in bandages.” A pause, and when he resumes, his voice is softer than before. “I am different now. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, but I have changed. Maybe not as much as I should, but at least being alone with my thoughts sucks less than it used to.”

“Hmpf.” Rather than responding immediately, she takes a swallow of tea. Though the flavor isn’t spectacular—it never is when Zuko brews it—the tea is at least pleasant enough to drink. Pleasant enough that she can hardly complain about it, even jokingly. She’s had worse in dozens of small village teashops. “I’m still waiting for you to prove that.”

“I know. I’m trying.”

She spares him another sideways glance. The fact that he always manages to sound, to look so earnest unnerves her a little. She doesn’t want to believe him, to trust him, but at the moment, she can’t convince herself that he’s lying. At the very least, he believes what he’s saying.

Maybe that quiet conviction is the problem. Why is it that he can be so certain when she doesn’t know what to believe anymore? It doesn’t seem fair. She’s been on the right side all along. She ought to know who she can trust by now. Zuko shouldn’t have this sort of clarity when he’s only just realized that his nation is in the wrong.

Katara leans back on her hands. She isn’t going to argue with him, but she refuses to give him credit for any clarity either. They have their truce, and if the only way she can maintain it without ceding any ground is to change the subject, that is exactly what she’ll have to do.

“Of all the Air Temples I’ve seen so far, I think I like this one best. The others felt so much—emptier than this one.”

For a few seconds, she can feel Zuko’s gaze on the side of her face, but then he turns forward again. “I get that. The northern and southern temples are so high up that they almost feel untouchable. Like they’re so far away from everything else that no one should be able to reach them.”

“What about the eastern temple? What’s that one like?”

He glances her way again. “You haven’t been there?”

She shakes her head. “The others left me behind in Ba Sing Se when Aang went to visit.”

“Oh.” His voice is almost impossibly soft, and he presses his lips together briefly before clearing his throat. By the weight of the silence, she suspects that he knows exactly when that visit was, exactly what being left behind led her into. “I’ve only been there once myself. It was—more open than the northern or southern temples, I guess. Spread out across a few different mountaintops, and I guess the extra space just made it feel different.”

“Hmm.” She exhales and takes another sip of tea. “I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to see it.”

“I’m sure you will, someday.”

“What, are you some kind of optimist now?”

He shrugs. “You and the others have always managed to find a way before. I don’t see why this would be any different.”

Katara narrows her eyes. The same ember of frustration that has been sitting in her core flares up again, but this time, she can’t quite manage to contain it. “Oh, so that’s it? You decided to join us because you were tired of being on the losing side?”

“What?” His brows furrow.

“You keep telling us that you’re just here to do the right thing. I don’t think that’s true. If you really wanted to do the right thing, you could have started a long time ago.”

They’ve tread this ground before. She knows what’s coming—he’ll insist, yet again, that he’s trying to be a better person, then she’ll push back, and the cycle will go on. They’ll argue over and over, and it will never end unless he gives up or finds a way to finally change her mind.

The trouble is that even she doesn’t know what that might take.

There is a sort of melancholy that comes over his face, and his shoulders hunch. “I’ve been telling you the truth.”

A bitter laugh claws its way up her throat. “You keep saying that. Do you really think repeating yourself is helping anything?”

The tired defeat in his eyes feels like it should break her resolve, but Zuko just shakes his head and looks out over the valley again. “You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to.”

“You really don’t get it, do you? I do have to believe you. Everyone here is my family, and if you’re going to be around them, I have to trust that you’re not going to hurt them. And—” Despite her best efforts, her voice begins to wobble. “And I can’t trust you.”

“Oh.”

For what feels like a long time, that is all Zuko says. She thinks she sees his hand hover hesitantly toward her shoulder once or twice, but he never quite makes contact. She can’t decide if that’s better or worse. He cares enough to want to comfort her—or enough that he wants to make it look that way—but he’s either too disingenuous or too frightened of her to actually try.

“It was you,” Zuko says at long last, not quite looking her way.

“Excuse me?” She can still feel the heat in her own voice, and she stares daggers at him.

He clears his throat. “The other reason I came here. I mean—I did want to help. I still do. But—” He looks down into his teacup. “I had to leave home. By the end, Father just wanted to see the rest of the world burn, and I was tired of walking on eggshells to keep him from turning me into an example for everyone else.”

That figures, she wants to tell him. He’s the son of the Fire Lord. Sooner or later, life with his own family was bound to become too painful, too dangerous to bear. But the fact that he had no choice but to flee does nothing for his trustworthiness.

Zuko isn’t finished yet. With a sigh, he rubs his eyes with the heel of his hand. “It took me a while to realize that I couldn’t run away unless I had somewhere else to go. But as soon as I did, I thought about what you said to me in the catacombs, and—I guess I felt like I’d finally found my place.”  

Her temper spikes. Maybe he’s telling the truth, or maybe he’s not, but it doesn’t really matter. True or not, the idea that he’s here because of her just hurts.

She slaps her teacup down and pushes back from the edge of the terrace. “Don’t say that. Don’t you dare act like what happened in the catacombs mattered to you.”

Zuko rises just a moment after her. “Katara—”

She starts marching back toward her own room. If she has to stew in there alone for the rest of the night, she will. Anything to stop this conversation.

“Do you remember what you said to me?”

She fixes her eyes straight ahead. Just keep walking. Sooner or later, he has to give up.

“You told me that you thought I’d changed. And I had, a little. But now things just keep changing, and if I can’t stop that, I want to at least have some say in where I’m going.” He pauses, almost like he’s hoping that she’ll turn to face him again. “You thought I could be a better person. I wasn’t back then, and maybe I still haven’t gotten there. But I want to. Whoever you thought I could be back in Ba Sing Se—I’m still trying to figure out how to be that person.”

Katara stops walking, and her hands tighten involuntarily into fists. She wants to believe him. That fact surprises her more than she wants to admit. A person like him, like the better version of him, would make everything better. He could take an immense weight of responsibility off of her shoulders if only his change was real.

Maybe if she could shake free from the mistrust that has gripped her for so long, she would find that it is. That Zuko really is better now.

“Please,” he adds, voice soft. His footsteps come just a little closer, angling to one side where he can make out her face in profile. “I just want to know what I’m still doing wrong. I’ll fix it all if I can, I just need to know where to start.”

She shakes her head. “Nowhere. Don’t you get it? You aren’t doing anything wrong, it’s just—” Her voice wavers, then breaks. “It’s just that I believed you once before. I don’t think I could take it if I messed up and trusted the wrong person again.”

With one last, surprisingly light step, Zuko comes close enough to touch her shoulder, and this time, she feels the soft, warm weight of his hand. “You weren’t the one who messed up in Ba Sing Se.”

Though she is still both furious and hurt, she can’t help but lean into him. “What difference does it make whomessed up? I almost lost one of my closest friends. And I did lose someone else who I wanted to be my friend.”

She can only see him from the corner of her eye, but he appears briefly stunned by her candor. Then, instead of retreating as she expects, he offers her a tentative hug. “I’m not going anywhere this time. Not unless you want me to. If you ever decide to give me another chance, I promise I’ll be right here waiting.”

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

cant remember to forget you

pairing: chad meeks-martin x fem!reader

wc: 1.6K

warnings: drinking (at a party), little making out. think thats it.

summary: he just cant leave your mind and maybe thats a good thing

A/N: shakira shakira.

🎧 can't remember to forget you (fucking bop!)

masterlist / chad meeks-martin

you shouldn’t be doing this. you know you shouldn’t be doing this. it’s all a bad idea in the end. an idea your fuzzy brain thinks is genius when it’s the complete opposite.

but you follow through with the idea without a complaint.

feet moving on autopilot, carrying you to your destination without needing directions. you always manage to find the treasure. 

you didn’t bother with niceties when pushing past people. everyone was either drunk, high, or lost in their world to care about ‘sorry’ and ‘excuse me’. you went to the foyer where you last spotted him just before he dipped away. pushing to the tips of your toes, creasing your converse as you tried to look over and through the moving bodies.

you couldn’t see him.

maybe this was a sign. a sign from the universe to stop you from going through with this idea that wasn’t fully formed. it was trying to save you from embarrassment and further heartbreak… but this idea was becoming more appealing by the second.

so you ignored this possible sign and continued your search.

so you turn on your heel back towards the kitchen when you bump into a body. a flat palm to their chest and their arm wrapped behind your back, no alcohol spilled in the process. without even needing to look up, you already know who it is. your treasure, a sign thrown in your face that this was a good idea in the end.

“chad… hi. i was- was just… uh…”

“still can’t lie for shit.” 

even with the music blaring through the multiple speakers, the sound of chad’s deep chuckle rang like a gong beside your ear. it was so nice to hear the sound again. the touch of him again, even through clothes, sets your skin ablaze.

a lull in your interaction causes chad to drop his arm and take a step away. the hand previously on his peck reached for his wrist to keep him from departing. he looked at the skin-to-skin touch but didn’t comment or show discomfort. progress.

“hows- hows classes going? enjoying them?” lips dart to wet the stained skin.

chad seemed taken aback by the questions, not anticipating them. his head cocked with that pinch to the middle of his brows, how you wished to smooth it out with your thumb. 

“classes are- are okay. mostly boring. thinking of taking a- a creative elective.” he gained that step back. arms going slack between your stomachs.

chad twisted his hand so his fingers were able to curl to your hold. more progress. you couldn’t stop staring at your limbs with a dopey smile.

“how’s mindy? and everyone?” subconsciously letting your index finger rub at his bone.

chad seemed to be a bit sad at the question. and you kinda already assumed what he was gonna say.

“well, everyone’s good. but you would know that if you continued to hang out with us.” you could see the tension in his shoulders so you finally dropped his wrist. this was probably where the conversation would die.

“right. i just- after everything i wasn’t sure if-“ you’ve just put your foot in your mouth. brain not being able to catch up to fix any of those mistakes to right the conversation back to a few seconds ago. “i- i miss you.” now both your feet are in your mouth.

chad’s forehead creased and his mouth parted at the words you spit out. you should’ve listened to the universe the first time. now you're thinking if you should make this worse or just run for it.

“i- i know i shouldn’t miss you, 'cause we decided it was for the best to end things. but i just… i know i should let you go, it seems you have, but i just can’t. i can’t let you go, it’s like i can’t forget you.”

he licked his lips and looked around the room. you're making this so much worse for you, for him. why can’t you just let him go?

“sorry. i probably shouldn’t- too much drinking (more like not enough). i’m gonna…” you pointed a finger over your shoulder and threw a meek smile to chad. your dignity is gone.

“wait, don’t- don’t leave.”

you kept your back turned to chad, but turned your head slightly just to get some view of him. he looked nervous but took another step closer. and this time he reached for your hand. it made you turn completely to face him.

“why don’t we go upstairs… to talk… privately.” his honey-sweet voice only made you nod dumbly. you let chad take the lead, keeping your hands together as he weaved the both of you through people and up the stairs. he stopped at different doors to see if they were unlocked and free, after a few tries and seeing too much-exposed skin there was an unoccupied room.

chad pulled the both of you and closed the door with an added click to the lock. you set your cup on a desk before taking a seat at the end of the bed. hands clasped in your lap as you just looked at chad and waited to hear his words.

he downed whatever was in his cup, face scrunching at the taste before he set it down. he walked to the bed and sat beside you, a sigh leaving his lips as he rested his forearms on his thighs and hung his head. you weren’t sure what to do at the moment. you wanted to run a hand over his hair, pull him close to you. but you stayed quiet and frozen, letting him take his time.

“god, you have no idea how much i miss you.” 

honestly, you weren’t expecting to hear that. when you and chad decided to break up it was mutual. it just felt like there was no longer that spark in your relationship and neither of you wanted to drag the other around if that was the case.

but it seems after only a month apart, the two of you realized how much you cared about each other. maybe another chance wouldn’t be so bad.

“you know,” chad gave a light chuckle, “when i first saw you walk through the door, i thought i was dreaming. how the colors bathed you in their glow, you dressed in my favorite outfit of yours. looking like your stunning self.” he turned his head your way. “i was really worried someone was gonna sweep you off your feet before i could get to you.”

you shuffled closer. thigh to thigh, shoe to shoe. the two of you sat up straight, no longer hiding away from each other. your hand sat on your thigh, palm down. chad glanced down and then back up, silently asking a question. a quirk to your brow was all and he knew what it meant. his larger hand fell over yours and then after a second of staring at each, you flipped it so it was palm to palm.

fingers intertwined once again.

“chad… when i saw you talking to that girl earlier… i got so jealous. i knew i didn’t have the right to be jealous as you talked with someone else, but when you leaned in close. your lips near her ear, i just remembered all the times you did that to me. sexual or not, and it just caused a flash over my eyes, remembering the feel of your lips on my skin.”

eye, lips, eye. you did that multiple times, in different orders. you all but sighed his name in a plea. free hand touching chad’s cheek and his own holding your wrist. “i want us to try again. we don’t have to be perfect or change anything, i just want us to be us again.” thumb brushing over the scar on his cheekbone.

then sliding down slowly and thumb going over his top lip. “i can’t get you out of my head, chad. and i never want you to leave.”

his touch tightened. both of you are quiet, just staring at the other, seeing who’ll make the first move tonight. your glossed lips parted ever so slightly, finger taking a second pass over his lip. you leaned in, lids dropping and darkening your iris.

you didn’t notice that chad was also leaning in until just a breath away from connecting. he licked his lips as he moved his hand from your wrist and to your neck as he asked, “are you sure? cause i don’t think i’ll want to stop if we start again.”

it was like a punch to your gut as you quickly sighed, “i never want to stop.” and you both dove in.

it was like that spark you thought died out was suddenly reignited into a full-blown fire. both of you were starved of each other's touch, mouths devouring every sigh and gasp of pleasure and happiness. hands roaming over fevered skin, needing to rememorize the dips and curves, the natural push and pull your bodies gave.

one of chad’s hands slid down the side of your body, thumb pressing into the exposed skin of your stomach while his fingers curled over your waist. his other one held your neck in a firm, but gentle hold, his thumb pressing into the underside of your jaw. you held his shoulders to keep you upright, head tilting to your right as he went left, noses pushing into cheeks, and lips were sucked and bitten.

reluctantly you pulled away first, air from your lungs disappearing and as much as you wished to keep your mouth connected with chad’s you need to be breathing to continue the endeavor. your palms pressed into chad’s cheeks to keep his head away as he tried following after

you, a girlish giggle as the action.

“i’ve missed you so much.” a breathless confession from chad as he kept his eyes closed.

you bit into your bottom lip and leaned your forehead into his, both of you taking deep inhales through your noses. you held his cheeks tighter and he squeezed your waist as you whispered, “it’ll work out this time. i know it.”

-

[fantasyfantasygames]

Post-Literate

Post-Literate, Pictogram Games, 2011

Post-Literate takes on one of my favorite genres, transhumanism. I think it's the only transhuman game in which your characters are all illiterate.

They're not idiots, reading just stopped being necessary. Artificial intelligence (like, real AI, not the limited kind that's impacting every industry like a bomb right now) is ubiquitous and powerful, and humans rely on it for basically everything. You want to know something, just ask the open air - there's probably an AI nearby who can reply. If icons and warning signs don't make things obvious, they clearly weren't designed well enough. People who can read in this society are like someone in the modern day living "off the grid".

It's not a post-scarcity world, though. No replicators, no unlimited resources, no free energy, just so much computing power no one can run out of it. Biotech, nanotech, and computation are all massively advanced, but each of them has limits: bio is big and powerful but slow, nano is quick and precise but small-scale, and computation can't affect the real world without the other two.

The game has two typical modes of play. The first is more exploratory - what do humans do in a world where machines can do everything? The second posits a group of rogue AIs who consider humanity a drain on the world's resources, as opposed to the vast majority who are programmed to preserve humanity. You get caught up in the rogues' plots, either as a pawn of one side or the other (AIs do find humans so very hard to read), or as an ally.

Mechanically, the game essentially runs on Fate with PbtA playbooks. I'm sure plenty of other folks have done it. Given the publication date, though, the current batch of Fate stuff wasn't out yet, so this is focused around the then-newly-released Strands of Fate implementation. Definitely crunchier than one would expect from a Fate game.

The game could use more examples - a lot of examples - for aspects, stunts, and so forth. For example, the game says "use this wealth system to represent your connections with other people", but then... that's it. I can figure it out, but I'm also the GM who's read over hundred games.

Much as I love the concept of the game, I think it just didn't lean hard enough into the feel of the game - which is a shame, because that's exactly what Fate games have to do. There should be systems for mind games against AI opponents, fast-talking people into giving you access to their systems, parkour chase scenes... and you can do that, because it's Strands of Fate and it'll handle it just fine, but it's not built for it. It's too generic.

Art, including the cover, is black-and-white line drawings in a very cyberpunk style. To their credit there are almost no robots (as an AI why would you bother with running a drone 99 days out of 100?), but the tech depicted seems a bit understated for what the game describes.

Pictogram Games made Post-Literate and another game about using symbols for magic. It had the most breakable and least handicapped-accessible magic system I've seen in a long time, so buckle in for that one when I get to it.

[thekingofthenameless]

i saw your DILFFFFFF merlin (i believe that was his name yes? long dreads, dark skin, absolute dilf?) and i want to know everything now literally everything. specifically a compilation of all your favourite quotes from him pls and thank you :)))

Thanks for the question @thecomfywriter! :D

My current description of him (in a nutshell). Black trans aroace icon. Would probably look good in anything and has endless drip in his regular outfit. A highly empathetic, dignified, mellow, and smart person who struggles with schizophrenia, psychosis (as a result of his schizophrenia), anxiety, C-PTSD, and misophonia, but is still kind because he doesn’t want others to suffer what he’s been through. Secretly the God of Magic walking among mortals. Raised a literal dragon.

He’s so cool and pretty <3

Telling you everything would take a while, and might also contain a more than few spoilers (and I'm also hosting a Q&A currently which would ruin the purpose lol), but here's my Ao3! I have nine chapters of oneshots at the moment, and more to come. :D And of course, you're free to participate in the Q&A!

Here are a few of my favorite Merlin quotes from my published oneshots (in the chronological order they take place, not in the chronological order I wrote them lol). I probably have more, both from the published writing, and from unpublished writing I actually like sitting around, but... I'll be honest; I can't be bothered to look for it at the moment lol.

“Sorry,” his savior answered, not sounding sorry at all.

“Charlemagne?” Ganieda repeated incredulously. “Oh, I’m sorry, would you rather have me name him Scorch?” Merlin shot back.

“Maybe I should have introduced you to them,” Merlin idly mused while using the potion. “But I for all I know, Ganieda would have found that even stranger… she’s my younger sister, by the way. Two years younger, in fact, even if she is an adult and married, because for some reason, I age extremely slowly. Every five years is one year of aging. I wonder if you age slowly too?” Merlin wondered, and how did Merlin keep guessing and end up being right? Maybe it was luck, and if so, then maybe things would be better than they ever were with [Charlie's] parents. He'd be lucky enough to stay, he'd be lucky enough to grow up... Merlin kept talking, obviously not knowing his thoughts. “The woman you hadn’t met is Vivian, and she and Ganieda are married. Or you’d probably say they’re mates, now that I think about it. Either way, it’s completely disgusting, as I said. Everyone keeps saying ‘Oh, you’ll be next, Merlin, and you won’t find it disgusting when you find that special someone!’ No, fuck that.” The sudden outburst of language made him want to burst out laughing, but all he could manage was a little rumble. “Seriously, I don’t understand it! ‘You’ll understand when you’re older, Merlin,’- I’m sixty-five, so I’m not sure when I’ll understand. But who knows? Maybe now that I have you, they’ll stop teasing me about it. I can hope, at least.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re all right,” he whispers even though the dragon shows no signs of waking.

“Um- yes,” Merlin replies after a moment of them all just staring at each other. Then he turns back to the dragon, murmuring, “Shh. Are you hurt?”

“I know. I know. It’s all right,” Merlin replies, pressing relieved kisses into the parts of his head not covered in blood. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“[Charlie’s] not a pet,” Merlin snaps immediately, eyes shining brightly even behind his glasses, and the sudden change in mood is enough to put her hands up in surrender.

Taglist: @gaylightisminetocommand, @the-arson-author-gamer, @honeyxmonkey, @danhengsbestie

[meggiejolly]

"You were the first" (Outer Banks fanfic)

Prompt from @fictober-event Warnings: (somewhat) Major Character Death (offscreen), past child abuse, mention of overdose Pairing: JJ Maybank/Kiara Carrera Authors Note: I really don't know what this is, tbh. I meant to write a quick little fic mostly to get to my word count goal. It turned out longer and much angstier than I planed. It's my first OBX fic and I don't think I got the voices of the characters write yet. It's not edited at all, I might go over it in a few days and post an edited version on AO3, I'll see.

It was a normal afternoon, boring almost. Kiara and JJ were hanging out at the house, everyone else was off elsewhere. They were lounging, lazily passing a joint back and forth and lamenting that there wasn’t enough swell to go surfing. 

Their lazy afternoon was interrupted by a car pulling up. JJ cursed when he looked up to see the blue sheriff’s truck and threw the almost finished joint into an empty bottle.Then he jumped up and went over to meet Shoupe. 

“What the hell Shoupe? I didn’t even do anything this time!” He called out and Kie questioned if that was a smart thing to say to a cop while reeking of weed. But that was JJ for you. 

She followed after him more calmly. 

“Everything ok?”

Shoupe looked nervous and way too serious, but not pissed off at them. That couldn’t be a could sign. 

“I’m not here for that, no one’s in trouble.” Shoupe paused and it seemed like he was bracing himself for something. 

“They found your father JJ.”

Kie could see JJ tense up but he shrugged nonchalantly. “He’s back in prison then?” 

Shoupe looked uncomfortable. “No. I’m sorry to have to tell you this JJ, but he has been found dead. It seems to have been an overdose.” 

Kie could see how JJ froze, so she softly pushed past him and smiled at Shoupe. 

“Thank you for letting us know Shoupe. Is it ok if he comes to the station tomorrow or something to handle things?” 

Shoupe hesitated for a moment, but with a look at the shock frozen JJ, he eventually nodded. 

“Alright. But please make sure he actually shows up.” 

Kie promised and Shoupe left. For a moment Kiara just stood there, almost as frozen as JJ was.

Then she shook herself mentally and touched JJ’s shoulder carefully. 

“Jayj, hey. Can I give you a hug?” 

That got JJ out of his stupor and he shrugged off her hand. 

"What? Nah, I'm good Kie. Good riddance to that asshole!" 

"JJ…" Kiara tried but JJ interrupted her. 

"It's a relief. Seriously. At least this way I don't have to kill him." He was pacing back and forth now, all nervous energy that Kie was afraid could turn destructive really fucking fast.

"I almost did once you know? Remember that gun we found in that hotel room? I held it to his head when he was passed out on the couch. Was this close" He held up his hand, thumb and pointer finger almost touching, "to pulling that trigger."

Kie wanted to say something, but she didn't find the right words before he continued. 

"Should have known I'd just have to wait, he was bound to do himself in sooner or later. Don't know why I bothered to steal those pills from him when he left that last time."

JJ continued pacing and talking for a while. He said terrible things that had tears running down Kie's face. She really wanted to hug him, kind of wanted to resurrect Luke Maybank just to kill him again. JJ deserved so much better than that fucking monster of a father. 

But she couldn't reach JJ, it was probably better to just let him get it all out and when he eventually ran out of steam she would be there for him. She would hold him and call the other Pouges here and they would remind him he had a family that loved him and would always be there for him. 

Until then she'd just have to stomach what JJ was saying and curse herself for looking away for so long. 

Eventually JJ sank down on a sun lounger and buried his head in his hands. "Fuck." He mumbled, "I can't believe he's dead." 

Kie sat down next to him and this time he didn’t shrug her off when she put an arm around his shoulder. 

“He was a fucking waste of space, a grade an asshole and I hated his guts!” JJ said and Kiara could feel him shaking. She pulled him closer. 

“But he’s my Dad and I love him.” His voice was shaking and Kiara was pretty sure he was crying. She hadn’t seen JJ cry since the day in the hot tub. 

She admired him for still being able to love his dad, even after everything he had put him through. JJ had the biggest heart out of anyone she knew and loved so unconditionally, it was so fucking unfair that his parents couldn’t see that or give him the love he deserved. 

“I know you do JJ, that’s ok.You’re allowed to feel those things at the same time. You can grieve him and be relieved at the same time.” 

Some of the tension seemed to drain out of JJ and he turned to lean into Kiara. His arms went around her and she could feel him silently crying into her shoulder. 

There wasn’t much more to do than to hold him, hum softly and pet his hair, hoping she could give him a little bit of comfort. 

After a while JJ sighed and straightened up. 

“Thanks. I… fuck I needed that. I’m sorry Kie.” 

Kiara shook her head and ducked down a little to look into his eyes. “Hey, no. You don’t need to apologize for needing a hug or crying. I’m here for you, whatever you need.” 

JJ gave her a weak smile. “Thank you. That… that means a lot.” 

Kie smiled back and then reached over to grab one of their beer bottles. It was probably warm now and well on its way to flat, but something to drink would be good after the crying. 

To her surprise, JJ hesitated.  

“I’m… not sure I should drink right now. I really don’t want to end up like him, you know?”

“Yeah. Yes of course. Let me get you some water or something. Be right back.” 

Kiara went into the house and grabbed them each a bottle of water. 

"Heads up!" She called when she came back and tossed a bottle at JJ who caught it easily. 

"Thanks." 

They sat in silence next to each other, sipping their water until JJ eventually said. "You were the first you know?"

"The first what?"

"The first person I ever told that my father hit me." 

Kiara looked at him surprised. "I was?" 

JJ didn't look at her. "Yeah. You had just started hanging out with us a couple of weeks ago and I showed up with a big bruise on my arm. You just asked me what happened and I told you. All nonchalantly, that my dad had done it. I don't think you believed me, you never brought it up again. I don't even know why I told you, I was always so careful back then to make up believable stories for all my bruises, but something about the way you asked me, just made me tell you the truth."

Kie swallowed. "Oh. I… I don't remember that. I guess I must have not believed you. I'm really sorry about that Jay. I should have told someone—"

JJ interrupted her. "No, you shouldn't have. They would have not believed me, and he would have gotten so mad. Or worse they would have taken me away from all of you. It's ok, I handled it. That's why I never told John B. or Pope. Or you a second time, because I was afraid you'd tell your parents and they would do something." 

Kie put her arm around him again. "You shouldn't have had to handle it. I'm so sorry you had to go through that." 

JJ just shrugged, but didn't make her take away her arm. 

"Big John didn't know?" Kie asked after a moment.

JJ shrugged again. "He must have suspected. He asked some pointed questions sometimes, but I was very careful never to let anything slip in front of him, so I guess he didn't think he had enough proof to do anything. He did tell me I was always welcome at the Chateau, which was the only help I wanted anyways." 

Kie nodded thoughtfully. 

"Do you want me to let the others know?"

"Nah, I'll tell them when they get back. Don't want to ruin their day with this."

"They would want to be there for you."

"Yeah, but… they can do that later. Right now you being here is all I need." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Thanks for that."

Kie kissed him back and smiled. "Of course, always."