#anyway live for me being back in my not single era

[kats-midnight-shitposts]

Okay so I’m in a ✨s i t u a t I o n✨

I’m talking to two guys (I know I know I’m such a whore), and flirting with both of them

Which feels morally wrong even tho I’m not in a relationship with either of them

Boy A I’ve known a bit longer, and he’s really easy to talk to. We’ve had deep conversations, and I’ve had fun so far

Boy B is, fun to say the least. All caps texting, bonding over writing and memes. Non stop flirting from him, respectful and kind

For a bit, I was way more interested in Boy B, sure the first phone call we had was a bit awkward, but still!

Then I got on the phone with Boy A again, we talked for hours. The conversation flowed so naturally, he kept making me laugh. He let me rant about things I loved - there was never a moment of uncomfortable silence

I realized that I think I like Boy A. And any sort of feelings for Boy B - just vanished. Whoops

Boy B is still texting me, flirting, sending me lyrics of love songs, complimenting me. He told his friends non stop about me. He’s lowkey obsessed

I’m not. BUT I still want to be his friend. SOO operation let this guy down gently by explaining that we actually might have more of a friendship vibe and not a romantic one - and also we wouldn’t have worked in a romantic relationship because you are poly and I’m Not!

I also want his friends insta because she seems really cool and lowkey it was easier to talk to her than it was him on a call

Anyway just

✨y✨I✨k✨e✨s✨

[p1utofairy]

★ how will people feel about you going public with your fp?

NOTE: for entertainment purposes only. take what resonates & leave what doesn't. ⭐��� i always appreciate the feedback so don't be shy. MWAH. enjoy!

PILE 1.

i feel like this relationship is going to cause quite a stir, pile 1. the energy is giving “that should be me!” lmao some people are really going to be mad as fuck. your person is going to treat you like an absolute queen and i’m hearing people scoff like “UGH!” which is crazy cause you might not even know these people, but y’alls relationship evokes this energy out of them. you (or possibly your fp) might have a narcissistic ex lurking in the shadows who constantly watches your social media & keeps tabs on y’alls relationship. it’s really weird, EW. they feel like they didn’t have you the way your person does, and it makes them really fucking jealous – it’s honestly absurd.

they fumbled you and they’re really going to regret it!especially because of how well your fp treats you & prioritizes your relationship. this ex has a BIG ass ego like the way they make everything about themselves is insane?! this person could be a fire sign – i’m picking up on some leo energy. they’re in disbelief that you moved on from them, and found someone wayyyy better that fulfills you in so many ways that they couldn’t possibly measure up to. they might create fake pages or reach out to you repeatedly trying to win you back over…it’s shameful honestly. from the outside looking in, your relationship with your fp is going to look so lowkey + private yet so warm + stable. you or your fp could have scorpio/taurus placements, but i just feel like neither of you are the type to post every single thing you do together on social media but people will know that’s YOUR FP, YOUR FP, YOUR FP! like don’t play!

y’all will make it very known that y’all are a couple, but people will not be all up in the mix because y'all simply don’t want them to be. they’ll see little hints and clues that you’re off the market, but this relationship is for you two, not everyone else. i can see you both posting things like holding hands, dinner dates, taking long walks together, an off guard while one of you is doing something, etc. just cute moments that only show a small glimpse of the immense love you two share on a day to day basis.

PILE 2.

were you split between choosing this pile and pile 1 lol? if so, check out pile 1 as well! there might be some messages in there for you too. now anyways, i’m ngl this is giving me single era vibes. you might have options and even if you don’t…you’re like “is any person really worth going public with?” LOL i get it, i really do. you’re very cautious and want to make sure that you’re not wasting your time on a relationship that you know might not last in the long run – you’d rather save yourself the embarrassment.

if you went public with someone…that means you really are committed like they REALLYYYYY won you over because you don’t pop out with just anybody! it takes a lot of effort to keep your attention, let alone gain your trust to be in a public relationship. i actually think your content with being by yourself right now. of course, you want a partner who can provide you with the best and also be loyal and committed to you.

however, you're willing to wait for that one person instead of wasting your time on others who don't meet those standards. OOOOO did some of my fellow saturnians choose this pile? this energy is amazing like seriously i’m so proud of you! you’re doing the inner work and it’s genuinely going to pay off in the long run. you’re cultivating your own happiness and building up your self-confidence. because of that, you’re going to attract a like-minded partner. you will have your desired reality, pile 2! you don’t live your life based on society’s standards and expectations. you’re on a different vibration and are attracting love, prosperity and abundance towards yourself effortlessly because you refuse to settle for less and put yourself in a box.

i know this reading is about how people will feel about you going public with you fp, but you genuinely don’t give a fuck what people think lol. people won’t even be able to form a proper opinion, because you are genuinely on a different level. i randomly just heard that one nicki minaj video when she’s like “BROKE PPL SHOULD NEVER LAUGH!” lmfaooooo i’m sorry but yeah! once you get everything you always said you would, including your fp, people are gonna be real silent no shade.

PILE 3

um pile 3 why is this energy a bit messyyyy, hold awn?! your relationship with your future partner might be different from what you perceive, or at least that’s how the public views it. take that with a grain of salt, but i feel like this relationship is going to have its ups and downs and it’s going to reflect on y’alls social medias.

you or your future partner might be the type to get emotional and act out by reposting different quotes on your IG story or tiktoks that relate to your situation, might even go as far as posting cryptic messages to allude that you two are on the outs. you and your fp know how to push each other’s buttons, and it honestly can get petty between you both. someone is not fully healed from their previous relationship in this connection & the unresolved baggage is carrying over into this one. idk, pile 3. for some of you this could be a karmic relationship and for others of you this could be baggage on your end that you need to work through in order for you to be in a stable relationship.

there seems to be a lot of wishy-washy energy, and people might perceive your relationship as having a 'one minute they're together, the next minute they're not' type of vibe. also, i’m picking up on a third-party situation where either you or your partner is keeping someone on the back burner without completely closing the door.

honestly, people might be amused by this and say things like, 'OMG, go check [Y/N]’s IG story and go see what [Y/FP] posted,' which only fuels the mind games being played. ultimately, i think this relationship will teach you about healthy boundaries and what you are and aren’t willing to tolerate, especially in public. it’s messy because this third party keeps interfering and amplifying the situation to make it worse. the ball is ultimately in your court, pile 3. you’ll know what to do.

[uh-oh-its-bird]

There are so many naruto time travel fics out there but what I need SPECIFICALLY is an ANBU era team of Kakashi, Tenzo, Itachi, and Shisui getting flung into the founders era.

Like. Ok just looking from the political side of it that's;

A) 2 very young and VERY powerful Uchiha's (one of which is the future clan head!! Politics!!)

B) A very fucked up baby mokuton user who's still in the middle of being deprogrammed and can totally pass for Senju

C) The free wild card that is Hatake clan lore on top of having a stolen sharingan. On top of *that* him being the team leader of a team of kids who, in the time period context, should both be at eachothers throats and probably not be expected to obey the commands of someone not only from another clan but a way smaller one

Theres SO much potential there!! So many political implications in virtually ALL of the directions!!!!

Yk what as I'm typing this out I'm having ✨️ideas✨️ so let's make some story points to sort those out:

• I think itd be neat to have this happen like. A year? Ish? Before the massacre? So age wise, and full disclaimer I'm referencing Google and Wikipedia rn so I could totally be wrong, I think that's :

Kakashi (18)

Tenzo (17)

Itachi (12)

Shisui (15)

Could be wrong about the ages but honestly it's my world you're just living in it, so.

Then me going totally purely off of my own headcannons, were going to say they came in a about a year before Izuna died and place the founders ages as:

Madara (23)

Hashirama (23)

Izuna (19)

Tobirama (18)

Big fan of Tobirama being the youngest between the 4 but projecting the aura of someone as old as like. Idk, however old Madara is. Very funny to me, 10/10

• I'm personally a big fan of dogteeth kakashi so we're running with that all the way home. Also a huge fan of the "Hatake's are a distant, more feral cousin of Inuzuka clan" hc along with some sprinklings of "back in the day they had a bit of a Reputation(tm) for being a 'lill wild, and everyone generally tries to avoid them. Which isn't too much of a problem because theyre a very small out of the way clan from Iron, they just have a big reputation in contrast to their size.

In more modern times tho, along with (obviously) having dwindled down to a single depressed teenager, they've become a lot tamer over the years due to village life. Kakashi is a Hatake, 100%, but he is NOT up to the standards of this time. Which becomes a bit funny when people see him, go "oh FUCK it's a Hatake" and then start edging slowly towards the door like he's about to rip their throat out with his teeth. Meanwhile he's standing there like 🧍‍♂️"am I that ugly."

Give me a scene where, finally used to this reaction to him from the general shinobi population, the team starts to use it to their advantage.

"Give us the scroll or we'll let the Hatake off the leash to have his fun with you. He's been awfully hungry latley you know, hasn't had fresh meat in days"

Kakashi, feeling kind of stupid, gave his best growl.

It caused an almost immediate, embaressed flush to rise to his face, but he didn't let up. It sounded more like an almost pathetic puppy growl than anything to his ears, but apparently it was enough to convince the trembling enemy nin because he slowly lifted the scroll up in offering.

Wow. Now he couldn't tell if he was embaressed for himself or for this guy.

Probably both to be honest.

• So like. Itachi is the clan heir. That's big. That's important. Let's do something with that.

First off, I had a great time reading this one fic (tho I don't even remember what the fic itself was about now, oops) where a plot point of it was how Sasuke is just a walking stereotype of main house Uchiha. Like people look at him and they don't just go "oh that's an Uchiha." They go "oh fuck that's an UCHIHA Uchiha." He's so fucking painfully, obviously related to the very tippy top of the clan that anyone not blind can tell. It's in the way he looks, it's in the way he talks and treats those around him, it's in the way he fucking holds himself. You look at him and every other stereotype about the Uchiha clan is there in big, bold letters. (On top of that he's also a dead wringer for Izuna, which I'm such a sucker for and desperatley wish people would do more with)

So like let's give that to Itachi here because it's so fun for several reasons.

First off; Sasuke in this is like. Straight up a doppelganger of Izuna, just a few generations apart. They could be twins. Itachi, as I'm sure you are aware, is Sasuke's big brother. So let's take some liberties and say that Itachi could absoloutley pass as a blood sibling to Izuna and Madara.

He is however 12, so we're also going to say that the only people who get to make this connection is anyone who's seen the siblings when they were also at a similar age.

On top of that however he has the 'walking amalgamation of all the stereotypes of the main Uchiha house' so anyone who isn't blind will look at him and assume he's somewhere in the sphere of 'important main house person' tho who really knows how distant the relation may be exactly. No one !! That's who !!!

Second; He's the fucking clan heir!! What the fuck!! This bit would have the most impact after all the messy time travel reveals when things have settled down a bit, so it'll sit in the back pocket for a bit. Save it for some fun shaking up later down the line so we don't run out of all the fun reveals too fast and bore the readers, yk?

When it is brought up tho it'd be fun to maybe have some fucky Itachi and Madara mutual understandings of the way things work.

• So. Madara is like a bit of a scary bed time story to Uchiha children, right? Like. "Ooo make sure you don't get too obsessive or fall too deep into your grief and always stay loyal to the village or you'll end up just like Madara!!"

Something something Uchiha-Village relationships are tense as hell, something something Madara fucking over a lot of the clan with his whole. Everything., Something something scapegoat and old stories, something something 'people have probably been talking a lot more about how "god dammit this all started with Madara" in recent years.'

Now with that in mind let's take a look of what our time travelers think of Madara:

Itachi is a good Konoha soldier. Itachi (as has been very much fucking proven) would rather beat a possible problem before it even exists with a hammer till it dies an ugly bloody death than even RISK it blossoming into a proper problem. Itachi does not like Madara. Itachi personally, quietly thinks they should maybe wait till the village is formed then carefully arrange a little accident for him before he goes off the rails. He, even more quietly, maybe even thinks it would be a kindness. Allow him to be remembered well by the village instead of scorned.

Shisui I think is cautiously optimistic about him. He's the kind of guy who gives the benefit of the doubt, who weighs the options, risk and reward, but includes things like hope and compassion in his calculations. Yes, Madara was a uhh. Thing. That happened. But in every story his big blow up always come from one specific event; Izuna's death. So if they stop that from happening, wouldn't it secure both a better future for them and Madara? The history books never went into detail about Izuna, he doesn't know what he's like, but maybe his involvement in the future, on Konoha's side, could lead to even more profits for them long term. At the end of the day he's not against killing Madara (though to be clear, they are at first operating on trying to avoid all interactions with historical events and return home without touching things) but it'd be nice, to manage to get a happy ending for everyone. Unrealistic maybe, but nice.

Mmmm hear me out actually, maybe Shisui, after interacting with him a bit, finds that Madara reminds him of Itachi too. They definatley both have that "I would do unspeakable things to even dream of my loved just one more time" energy, if you know what I mean

Anyways; Kakashi and Tenzo are both neutral on Madara. Yes, they learned about how he betrayed the village when young just like everyone else, but they weren't getting the bed time stories and "do this and you'll end up just like him" warnings like the Uchiha's. They're possibly leaning into negative but are detached from the situation enough to just go "well he hasn't done it yet and his brother is still alive so he won't any time soon" and be done with it

• Now, on the the total opposite side of the spectrum you have Hashirama and Tobirama. People are brought up in Konoha to fucking IDOLIZE these guys. You can not tell me our team of time travelers wouldn't be at least a little awed to speak with them.

I think Tenzo would be the most wide eyed about Hashirama, both for the baseline "holy shit that's the Shodai Hokage" and also that fun juicy mokuton user imposter syndrome he has going on for him. That guys DNA is inside his body!!! Holy shit wait does that mean if someone did a blood relation test with them he might read as being related to him?? Fuck were gonna pocket that for now but like. Mmmmm potential.

I'd say Itachi is the most hesitant about Tobirama but again, village loyalist, so.

You know what tho maybe Shisui is the most hesitant about him (though still largely positive) he both def grew up looking up to him but can also see the anti-Uchiha policies people inact now with the implications that Tobirama would have approved of it. He doesn't know if he would, but like, he has to wonder.

Kakashi is probably the most normal about them (and also has experience in being close to a hokage (Minato) to know that at the end of the day they are painfully human) Don't get me wrong, he's still in some sort of awe! He might get a little lightheaded at the thought of seeing the God of Shinobi in proper battle, or the possibility to see the famed genius of Tobirama with all the different jutsu's he's invented. You can't tell me Kakashi didn't spend a little extra time reading about him when he was trying to make Chidori. Honestly I'm gonna roll with that and say he had a bit of a phase as a kid where he was a total fan boy. Maybe sprinkle in the good old HalfHatake!Tobirama hc to add some faint daydreams a lonley babykashi had after his father's death, about getting to meet him as family. Like cmon, little genius idolizing and projecting on some big history figure only to find out they're actually related? Can you say potential?

Anyways he did eventually grow out of the phase, probably got unattached to it all and lost interest after the whole "losing everything he loved" bit of his life. And at the end of the day, he doesn't have any real complex personal hang ups on the founders like the others do. Thus, most normal.

• And then my favorite most special boy, Izuna !! He's for sure the one they're all most neutral about. He's not actually taught about in the academy? There's probably some throw away line about him in some history books somewhere, but he died young and was quickly buried by the looming shadow of Konoha. The only real knowledge had about him in modern times is just a vague "Yeah he got killed by Tobirama which lead to peace being made but also lead to Madara losing his shit"

Poor Izuna he's the linchpin for it all but was left an unremarkable footnote of history. My boy deserves so much better

Tenzo doesn't actually even know who he is, that boy got bare minimum education under Danzo and Izuna was NOT included.

Itachi and Shisui mmmaybe have some small little fun fact here or there buried in stories from the older members of the clans but like. It's gonna amount to just "yeah he had a great katon" and thats about it.

I WILL SAY HOWEVER. Itachi sees him and instantly is that one PTSD dog meme. Sasuke is a BABY but holy shit Izuna looks exactly like he'd expect him to grow up as and it's making him FEEL THINGS. Also he's so bratty little brother coded !! He's an entire 7 years older than Itachi but Ifachi keeps fucking up and trying to big brother him it's embaressing.

And ofc Itachi didn't go into the first meeting thinking he'd see some weird older mirror version of his beloved baby brother who he misses and worries about very very much. So like. There's for sure going to be some conflict there. If their first meeting is a scuffle (which it probably will be) I think Itachi would keep hesitating to attack. On full run away mode. Which is probably for the best bc he shouldn't try to fight Izuna anyways honey he's like double your bodyweight and you're strong but you aren't THAT strong.

• Pointing back at both the 'Itachi does not like Madara and has quiet thoughts about how it'd possibly be in everyone's interest to just kill him' and the 'Itachi and Madara quietly bond over being clain head/heir during stressful times (w pressure from the elders especially)

I can see 2 outcomes of a potential bonding conversation with them:

1) They come to understand eachother better.

Madara wants to be on good terms, he looks at this kid and sees one of his brothers eyes and the others quiet determination. He can tell Itachi doesn't like him for some reason, and it's frustrating because he doesn't know why. He wants him to like him. He wants to be able to offer his hand and have it taken. It hurts, to be looked at with such suspicion from a face that has traces of Izuna's.

Meanwhile Itachi . . . Itachi looks at Madara and he sees someone who gets it. Gets it like no one ever has. It scares him. He looks up at this man, this horror story he's been told to fear becoming, and he sees himself. And this realization shakes him. It makes him think, makes him wonder. He's so, so sure of his loyalty to Konoha. More sure than he is of anything else in the world. But . . . But if something happened to Sasuke, if he had to choose—

And maybe it softens something in him too, along with the (honestly healthy) dose of fear. It forms a little crack in his shell, just enough to maybe, maybe let Madara through. Just a hair.

Or 2) we pull one of those "The conversation ends with them agreeing verbally but mentally they're on 2 VERY different notes."

Madara, nodding and looking at Itachi meaningfully: "Yeah it can be hard, but all we can really do is try to make the world a safer place for the ones we love. (To create Konoha, to keep my clan safe. Izuna safe. And now to keep you safe too.)

Itachi, nodding slowly: "Yeah. No matter how hard it is (even though I think I understand you more than anyone else Ive ever met) we have to try to make the world a safer place (by killing you in your sleep once Konoha is formed) for the ones we love (My clan. My village. Sasuke.)"

• Also pointing back at the 'Hatake warring clan era reputation,' the 'Tobirama is half Hatake' and also now pointing at Tobirama's title as the White Demon. Small thing but it'd be neat if there was some small throw away line that the nickname lowkey started in part because of the absoloutley terrifying reputation of the Hatake combined with Tobirama's own Everything(tm) like it just had some influence on how some view him. Give me Uchiha's making dog jokes ab him it'll be funny

• Ok but now the actual plot thoughts. Yeah I know I kept you waiting sorry about that.

So time travel! Probably due to a mission gone wrong. Some ruins or some ancient crumbling scroll that wasn't even supposed to do fucking time travel but was so old and corroded that it somehow managed to transform into a whole other seal by pure bad luck. Or good luck I guess, considering it could have just turned into a nuke.

Our favorite team of disasters are very very alarmed !!! What the fuck !!! Obviously they don't default to thinking time travel, but they immediatley know something is wrong. The landscape has changed, though the big landmarks are still there. The mission was complete anyways with no injuries so they just retreat to Konoha. Only oops !! It's not fucking there!!!

Queue alarm.

Shisui is the first one to suggest time travel because he's quirky like that. And there's a very easy way to confirm this theory.

(Also we're going to say that Konoha's location is a valley a few miles out from the Naka River that borders the Senju / Uchiha territories.)

This is convenient because that verification method involves checking in on where Itachi and Shisui know the old Uchiha compound should rest.

They do it in full stealth mode, the second they saw Konoha was missing Kakashi as team leader decided they'd treat the land as enemy territory. They all agreed ofc, for all they knew this WAS enemy territory now.

And, ofc, yeah!! There's the old Uchiha compound!! Being active!!! There are people there!!!

"What are the odds Fugaku-sama decided to have the clan return to their homeland for ahh, cultural enrichment?" Kakashi asked weakly.

"Time travel." Was the only reply he got from Shisui, whispered reverently as the boy vibrated with excitement on the branch.

Itachi just gave him a look, radiating a level of dissaproving disbelief that no normal 12 year old should be able to make. Kakashi would know, he was that not-normal 12 year old once.

From there they decide a no interference policy. Hands off guys!! They probably debate it tho, like, a good amount. They all have ✨️opinions✨️ except maybe Tenzo who's lowkey still in the middle of trying to learn how to be a person and is following Kakashi's lead 99% of the time. Especially since they're still in mission mode and this is like a super serious discussion and he really does know the least ab the founders overall.

They probably debate the merits of going to Uzushiogakure bc seal help but it's really far and they don't actually have like, just any leverage with them. They already decided not to fuck with the future so it isn't like they can trade secrets and warnings. At least if shit happens here they have some plausible deniability, being, yk, 2 uchiha's and a senju-passing guy with Mokuton. Kakashi's kinda fucked tho in that regard but he isn't going to be doing the party ANY favors with his clan heritage.

Which means it's time to potentially get desperate enough to interact with Tobirama !!! Which will inevitably lead to them bumping into a Uchiha patrol or something!!! I don't know honestly

• Anyways want Hashirama and Tenzo to interact. He has so many issues like holy shit. Let Hashirama give him the hug he deserves. I want him to violently adopt him. New brother acquired!!!

I said before but Tenzo is still reprogramming from ROOT. Let Hashirama impact that! Let him help! They can make flower crowns and photosynthesize together idk

Hashirama would be so happy to have another mokuton user, I think they should be able to sense eachother extra strong and like 'ping' off of eachothers chakra, it'll be fun

▪︎ I'm not thinking toooo hard about power scaling and this is fanfiction so a) don't quote me on this and b) for the love of all that is holy don't take my words as gospel

But for this fic specifically I'm ranking the founders and Team Ro, weakest to strongest (in a clean, fair fight head on w no time to prepare) :

Itachi (he's fucking 12 guys. But also he is like. FRACTIONS under Tenzo and Shisui. If he were 13 I'd let him be above or at the same level but like. He's 12. Cmon.)

Tenzo - Shisui (they're like JUST under the next 2 tho like seconds behind)

Izuna - Tobirama

Kakashi ( by the skin of his fucking teeth and the advantage that is his stupid amount of jutsu's and lack of self preservation)

Madara - Hashirama

And again that's not counting like. The specific situations, time given to prepare, potential dirty tricks they could play (I think the Konoha tricks would play a fraction dirtier than the others, who are slightly more used to big open battles vs the ANBU squad who does all sorts of shit in all sorts of places) plus like. Mental state and team ups.

Tenzo or Shisui couldn't take down Izuna or Tobirama but if they teamed up I'd allow it. Kakashi would get his ass kicked by Hashirama or Madara but he could survive a minutes longer than the others would

Itachi is doing his best

But like

He's 12 guys

I love him and he is terrifyingly competent but he won't win 1 on 1 with anyone unless he has some sort of advantage. Minus Shisui and Tenzo who he does have the advantage of regularly fighting, so.

• I think they do get to go back home in the end. It takes a ton of work tho and they probably do need to get Mito's help with it, Kakashi can show them the seal they got brought here with but it's an ACTUAL one in a trillion miracle it didn't fucking atomize them. So it needs a lot of touch ups

Anyways !!!

I have a little more rattling around in my brain but I'm really tired and also starting to think about other things now so I'm gonna stop here. Might come back and add to it later so stay tuned if you're into that

Full disclaimer I'm not gonna write this. I don't have the proper energy and it'd probably end up being too ambitious of a project if I tried. I'd love to see it happen tho, so like !! Big open invitation to absoloutley anyone who might want to take even a fraction of the ideas I've listed.

@ me if you do tho I wanna see the final product

[lovecla]

TAKE YOUR PAIN AWAY | quinn hughes.

chapter five:

<last chapter> <next chapter>

➴ chapter warnings: none!

➴ word count: 3.9k

💌 from me to you: honestly, today was a lot! i broke my phone yesterday and had to buy a new one today (i’m now poor :,) and i deadass forgot my email and i lost all of my works AHAH (quinn’s voice: it’s funny but it’s not funny). thankfully, i had already saved all of TYPA chapters here on tumblr so they’re safe and well. anyways, enjoy! 🤎

౨ৎ

2024, APRIL.

lavieenrose

Vancouver, Canada

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lavieenrose We are thrilled to announce our newest Flower, Madison Carter! Welcome to our garden, gorgeous! 🌹

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౨ৎ

“SO QUINN Hughes is your childhood best friend?” Victoria sounded amused.

You chuckle. “Something like that, yeah.”

“What a small world we live in!” She raised her arm, making prayer hands. “God, if you’re out there, make my dream of fucking Luke Hughes come true.”

“Oh my God, you’re the worst.” You joke, watching as she winks at you, going back to her rambling about how funny it was that you and the Hughes were familiar with each other.

It was the week before your first official fashion show in Vancouver, and things were extremely busy. Today you and the other models had to visit the hall where the show would happen so you could practice your walk and get familiar with the runway’s layout.

Victoria wasn’t a model per se, even if she was one of the most gorgeous women you have ever seen, but she still made sure to be there with you so you wouldn't be totally alone.

The other models were nice to you but you were still extremely shy, and it usually took you a while for you to get used to new people. Thankfully, Victoria could help you just fine.

“But like,” she raises her voice again, staring at you funny. “Should I tell Gil to send the Canucks some invitations?”

You raised your brow at her, ready to say no. After that night at your house, a week ago, you and Quinn were… different. Being one hundred percent honest, you were different with Quinn. He was still the same as always, texting every day and asking about how you and Bella were doing, since he was away— again— and couldn’t check on you in person.

And you thought it was sweet.

Awfully sweet.

Dangerously sweet.

After the thoughts you had while he sat on your couch that night, thick thighs spread cozily across your couch, dress shirt opened and hair falling perfectly on his face, you decided that being away from him was probably the best thing you could do for your relationship.

“I don’t think they’ll be interested in coming,” you lie, shrugging. “It’s not like they’re interested in lingeries.”

“Hum—”

“At least not in the way you want them to be!” You quickly added, not letting Victoria’s mind wander to horny places.

“I don’t know about that, Mads,” she clicks her tongue, watching as the crew move around you both, lunch break already about to end. “We could invite only the single ones. What do you think?”

You laugh and joke: “I think that’s a great idea.”

Obviously, it wasn’t. Nothing about Quinn seeing you in lingerie was a good idea, but who were you to crash Victoria’s dream? Besides, the Canucks would never actually go to a fashion show unless they were forced to, so you had nothing to worry about.

“Okay, Madison, I need you to walk up there again.” Rory, the casting director called you, and you promptly got out of your seat to do what he needed you to.

And just like that your thirty minute lunch break was over.

౨ৎ

“THIS IS the day you all have been waiting for, girls,” James yells, loud enough to be heard by all the fifty girls standing backstage. “I need you all to shine today!”

You could feel your hands sweaty and your heart beating faster than ever. Today was the fashion show you've been preparing for everyday ever since you moved to Canada and watching it all unfold in front of you was anything but not stressful.

This was the first fashion show you did in months and you knew people were expecting something big.

“Madison,” James calls you, and you immediately go to his side, excluded from the other girls. He looks at you with his fierce, cat eyes and you almost gulp. “Today’s your night. The majority of the people are here to see you, they’re here to see Madison Carter. Do you understand that?”

You nod, blinking fast. “I do.”

“Great,” he crosses his arms over his chest. “I didn’t say this in front of the other girls because I don’t want them to feel bad, but having you here is pure gold, and the press is ready to put any mistake in a headline. So, can you be my prettiest flower tonight, baby?”

You smile, feeling confident all of a sudden. You had to remind yourself that you were pretty, even if sometimes your brain liked to tell you otherwise. People were here to see you, they paid money to watch you walk down that stage, and you’d give them a show.

You’d prove to everyone that you were just that girl. Even your own family.

“I can, J.” You confirm, shaking your arms slightly.

“Then great. You know when you have to enter the stage, don’t you?” You nod again, of course you did. You all rehearsed this so many times that it would be hard for you not to know. James turns around and starts speaking loud again, trying to talk to all fifty girls at once. “RAYE is here tonight and even though your job is to walk, I want you all to interact with her and her songs. I want you all on time and I want you all on your best behavior.”

Celestial Allure was the name of tonight’s collection, all of you wearing different shades of white, pastel pink, blue and purple, not to mention the tiny golden details in your hair and heels. Your makeup consisted in white eyeshadow, heavy eyeliner and big, angelic lashes. You had little to no blush in your cheeks, the focus on representing a pale, unreal face. Your lips had a natural pinkish color and you had highlighter all over your collarbone and nose.

Your opening outfit couldn’t even be called an outfit; it was simply a white, twinkle strap lace corset with matching panties, heels that adored your legs and reminded you of something Barbie would wear, your hair was perfectly styled with waves falling down like a waterfall.

You took a deep breath, the first notes of Escapism echoing through the entire place, and you knew it was the time for your entrance.

After saying a quick prayer, you enter the stage, immediately putting on your work mindset, not letting any of the hundred eyes make you feel nervous. One step and then another, your body moved alongside the music’s beat, RAYE’s warm smile and powerful presence making you feel less nervous. You made sure that your body was moving like James and Rory had instructed, lightly and featherly.

The camera flashes didn’t hurt your eyes anymore, thankfully, because there were so many of them that even if the building had dim lighting, the stage looked as bright as the sun.

“A little context if you care to listen, I find myself in a shit position,” you mouthed the words, walking down the stage like you owned, because, in fact— you did. “The man that I love sat me down last night, and he told me that it's over, dumb decision.”

You waved to some of the cameras, smiling from ear to ear, genuinely happy.

Even if it was a hard world, the happiness you got from modeling and wearing beautiful, delicate pieces like the one you were wearing right now was unbeatable.

Outfit after outfit, walk after walk, you made it to the end of the show, letting your eyes get shiny with tears when James grabbed your hand and walked with you to the end of the stage, raising your arm and bowing with you. You smiled, watching as people clapped for you and shouted your name.

Backstage, you ran around hugging the other models, all of you so emotional and happy. Your favorite part about working with La Vie en Rose was that they prioritized girls who supported other girls, and not girls who tried to get on top by dragging other girls, something that happened daily in the fashion world.

Victoria also hugged you, taking pictures and handing you your outfit change so you could talk to the press.

“Madison, Madison,” your name was on every reporter’s mouth, flashes and cameras being shoved in your face. You smiled through the uncomfortable feeling of all of your actions and breathing being recorded and pointed to one of the interviewers there, letting her speak.

“You were absolutely divine today. How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” you smile, shaking your head. “This is the first show I’ve done in a while and I’m still getting back from the high.”

“The crowd’s reaction was amazing. Did you expect such a strong response?”

“No,” you laugh, sincerely. “I am used to my supporters in Los Angeles but knowing this many people would show up here in Vancouver? It’s insane. But I’m grateful anyway.”

“Speaking of moving to Vancouver, what can we expect from your Canadian side?”

“Everything. I’m always open to new opportunities and signing a contract with a brand as special to me as La Vie en Rose can mean a lot of good things.” You move to the next reporter, who was almost shoving the microphone down your throat.

“What can you say about the Canucks team being here? Do you know any of them personally?”

That caught you so off guard you had to hold back a gasp.

“What do you mean?” You ask carefully, trying your best to keep your smile from falling. “The… Canucks are here?”

“You didn’t know?” The reporter scoffs. “We have players like Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, Conor Garland and Elias Pettersson in the audience.”

“Oh,” you say, moving your head to the side, trying to see something past that sea of cameras. “Hum. I didn’t know they were here. I think it’s, hum, great and… yeah.”

“Time’s up, fellas!” Victoria shouts, grabbing your shoulders and pulling you to the side. “The other models are right there, ready for your questions. Thank you all, bye.”

“Thank you guys, have a good night,” you say before heading backstage. You turn your head to Victoria’s direction, eyes doubled in size. “Did you know the Canucks are here?”

“‘Course I did. I sent the invite.” She answers like it was nothing.

“You what?”

“Well, basically it wasn’t me, it was Gil, but I was the one who told him to invite them— and why are you so surprised anyway? We talked about this and you said it was a great idea!”

“I was joking, obviously,” you shout-whisper, walking around the room with Victoria beside you. “You’re crazy.”

“Well, now they’re here and we have to greet them.” She smiles, walking around people with a gorgeous smile plastered on her face. “Hi, good night.”

You had to set your apprehension aside and greet the other people there, so many designers, fashion students and artists congratulated you and asked for pictures. You were happy people were as pleased as you about you moving to Canada and even happier to see that you had so many supporters.

“Oh my God, there’s Quinn Hughes,” Victoria whispers beside you, making you snap your head in his direction.

And there he was. Wearing a gorgeous, dark blue suit, hair slicked back and hands in his pockets, standing there like Prince Charming himself. He was surrounded by three other men, who you could only imagine were his teammates, chatting quietly with one of them.

“Let’s go say hi.” Victoria grabs your hand and makes her way to their little chatting circle, Quinn noticing you before anyone else.

His eyes held a different kind of feeling that night, with him eyeing you up and down. His eyes discreetly trailed your body, the tiniest smile adorning his lips when his eyes met yours.

“Maddie.” He said your name with that raspy voice of his, making you shiver internally.

You smile shyly, watching as he leans down and kisses your forehead.

“Hi, Quinn,” you greet him back, face warm with all the attention. “Hum. Hi, guys,” you greet the other men, as six pairs of eyes stare back at you. “I’m Madison.”

They all give you a cheek kiss and a hug, broad bodies embracing yours like a giant blanket. They introduced themselves, and you were right; they were Quinn’s teammates.

“This is Victoria,” you introduce your friend, who eagerly hugs the players as well.

“Did you guys enjoy the show?” She asks and you watch as they all laugh and nod.

The one you remember being called Conor speaks first. “Honestly when we got the invitation I thought it was really random. But it was actually fire.”

“Yeah,” one of them, Pettersson, you think, agrees, putting his hands inside his pockets. “The girls are pretty. You’re pretty.”

You ran your fingers through your hair, smiling and thanking them.

“We were just going out for drinks at a bar just down the street, do you want to join?” One of them— you didn’t remember the name— asks, and before you could even think of what to say, Victoria jumps in front of you with her eager yes.

You looked at Quinn, watching as he stared right back at you, pointing to the entrance with his head.

You all walked out of the event hall together, photographers going crazy with the flashes and you knew that besides talking about your performance that night, people were also going to talk about your proximity with the Hughes and the Canucks.

The other players chatted with Victoria in front of you, while you and Quinn walked behind them, close enough that your naked shoulder touched his covered arm.

“Aren’t you cold?” He blurts out of nowhere, and you smile, shaking your head no.

“Not really. I’m still coming down from the high from earlier.”

“You were amazing, Mads,” he praises you, licking his lips. “Never seen you like that before. Just… stunning.”

“Thanks,” you mumble, not sure why Quinn’s compliment made you feel better than if it were anyone else’s. “Did you like it?” Even though Victoria had already asked them this question, you asked it again, because you wanted to know what Quinn had thought of it.

“Yes,” he winks, smirking at you. “Yes, I did.”

“Great.”

You continued to make small talk on your way to the bar, underestimating how crowded it would actually be. Thankfully, there were a lot of Canucks fans there, and a group of random people let you stay at their table in exchange for a picture with their captain, Quinn, which he promptly took.

“Do you want to drink anything?” The handsome brown-haired fella, Garland, you think, asked you, a few seconds after you sat down.

“Let her breathe first, idiot,” you heard Quinn mumble beside you, making you laugh.

“Maybe a Sex on the Beach?” You said simply, not really interested in Conor’s flirting. He’s hot, but he isn’t Quinn.

Maybe it’s time for you to stop thinking that you can actually have anything with Quinn, you thought, feeling yourself deflate just a little.

“Freaky,” Connor answered, before moving to the bar with the other guys.

“You won’t drink anything?” Victoria asked Quinn, since he was the man who stayed at the table.

He shrugs. “I’m driving.”

“Oh, we love a responsible king,” she nods to herself, giving you an approving smile. What she was approving was still a mystery.

Quinn eyes you, silently questioning you where you’d found that girl, and you only smiled, raising your shoulders.

The rest of the team took a while to come back, something about the bar being too crowded, but Conor handed your cocktail and winked at you.

“So, Madison,” he starts, sitting in front of you. “Are you single?”

Boeser whistled while Pettersson laughed out loud, hitting Conor’s shoulders.

“You’re very straightforward, aren’t you?” You retort, roiling your eyes but smiling nonetheless. “But, yes, I am. I’m not interested in anything serious at the moment, though.”

“One step forward for Conie here but at what cost?” Boeser shouts, clicking his beer on the table. You can hear Victoria laughing with Pettersson beside you, and you seriously want to pinch her cheeks.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Quinn speaks beside you, and suddenly all eyes are on him, yours included. He seems to realize what he had just said because his cheeks turn a very light shade of pink. “I mean, with a face like yours, I’d find it pretty hard to believe that any woman would be interested in you.”

“Fuck you, Cap,” Conor gives him the finger, sipping on his beer before winking at you. “Maddie here knows what’s good.”

“Don’t call her that,” Quinn hisses and both you and Victoria share a stare with each other.

Thankfully, Vic’s really good at changing topics and after five seconds she got all of the Canucks players talking with her at the same time. Garland seemed to have forgotten about you momentarily, and you were thankful for that.

You turned your head to the side, staring at Quinn who looked like he was having the worst time of his life. You frowned.

“What got you so upset?” You whisper, watching as he stops staring at his water bottle to stare at you.

“I’m not upset.”

“This little thing here…” you place your finger between his eyebrows, watching the furrow disappear underneath your finger. “…tells me a different story. Was it Conor?”

“Why would I be upset with him?” He taps his fingers on the table, once, twice.

“I know that you don’t like it when people call me Maddie.” You tell him, smiling softly. You would never confess it to him, but you didn’t like when people called you that too. Quinn had been the first person to call you that, to give you a nickname, and you wanted to keep that one between you both.

“He just can’t keep himself inside his pants,” He admits, and you smile even wider, finding the entire situation entirely funny. “It’s not funny, Madison.”

“It is to me,” you rest your chin on your hand. “Well, I know he won’t get inside my pants any time soon.”

“Yeah?” He smirks, and, finally, you watch his face transform into something that wasn’t a scowl or a frown. “Good.”

You gulp and pray to God that he doesn’t notice the way your thighs slowly close together, your body clearly desperate for something. Something that anyone else could give you, but you wanted it from the only person who was out of your league.

But perhaps God wasn’t listening to you like He usually did, because the way Quinn’s blue eyes turned into a grayish shade before he calmly placed his right hand on your left thigh told you a different truth.

Then he somehow inserted himself back in the conversation, leaving his hands on your thigh for the rest of the night, while you tried to keep up with what they were saying but failed miserably since all you could think was how his hands looked so big on you that maybe, just maybe, some of his other parts would be big too…

You sighed, forgetting for a few seconds that you were in public. Being around Quinn made your head work in the wrong way and trying to get back on the right path was tiring and exhausting.

“Are you not having fun?” You scared yourself with how close Quinn actually was, his lips almost touching your ear.

“‘M just tired,” you mumbled, feeling bad for interrupting Quinn’s conversation, even if the rest of the people at the table were still talking animatedly between themselves. “And I miss Bella.”

You hear his breathy laugh beside you. “I miss Bella too. Come on, let me take you home.”

“You don’t need to,” you say, shaking your head slowly. “I’ll call a cab.”

“You’re funny.” he says before opening his wallet and placing two hundred Canadian dollars on the table. “Madison and I are going home.”

“Uh, well… bye?” You say, uncertain of what you should do. It seemed rude to you to just leave like this, but you also knew Quinn wasn’t backing up now, and you were telling the truth when you told him you miss Bella. “It was nice meeting you all.”

“The pleasure was all ours, baby,” Conor says, winking at you. “Come see our next game. We’ll save you and Vicky a spot.” You tell him that you will, and then you smile politely, kissing Victoria’s cheek.

“Do you want me to take you home?” You ask, and she turns the cutest shade of red, eyes staring at Boeser for just a brief second before turning at you again. Oh. “Alright. Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do,” she winks, kissing you too. “Drive safe.”

You briefly hug the other players, wishing them a good night before you leave the bar with Quinn’s hand on your lower back, gently guiding you to his car. The drive to your house was quiet, with Quinn making tiny remarks here and there, but you were so close to saying fuck to all of your beliefs and kissing him that you realized that staying quiet was probably the best move.

It wasn’t like you thought Quinn wasn’t into you. You weren’t dumb, and you knew what the stares he gave you meant, but you also knew that what you had with him, your friendship, was precious and not something that happened to everyone.

Even if you’d just restarted seeing each other a short while ago, it was like you hadn’t stopped talking at all. He still took care of you like he did to young Madison years ago, and he still let you take care of him like you would’ve done if he’d stayed in your life when you grew up.

So risking it all just because you were horny? Not a chance.

“You’re so quiet,” he points out, making a U turn. “Do you miss Bella this much?”

You smile, resting your head on the window. “I do, yeah. But I’m also just tired. Today was a lot.”

“I was telling the truth when I said you were stunning, Maddie. You owned that stage. No one was looking at anyone else.”

“Oh, stop it, Quinn,” you tried to hide the fact that his compliments made you want to start running around while shouting his name. “It’s just my job.”

He raised his eyebrow at you, but didn't say anything else, what was probably for the better. If he complimented you again, you wouldn’t sure that you would be able to stay in your seat without climbing on his lap and begging him to fuck you.

Quinn parks in front of your apartment building and smiles at you, tired eyes shining like the moon that decorated the sky that night. “Want me to go upstairs with you?”

“No, no, it’s fine, I know you’re tired,” you bit your lip, fidgeting with your fingers. “Thank you for coming. And for the ride too.”

“I enjoyed tonight. We should… we should do this again.”

You smirk, playfully. “And invite Conor too?”

He groans, laughing softly.

“No, definitely no,” he shakes his head. “I know that dork already invited you but… if you want to come watch our next game, just give me a heads up. I’ll get tickets for you and your friend.”

“Only if we get to stay in that seat where we can watch the players beat each other up from up close.” You joke, watching as he laughs, wrapping his hand around his abs.

“Consider it done, M,” he blinks, an adorable smile adorning his face. “I’ll text you the details, alright?”

“Mhm,” you nod, removing your seatbelt and pushing your body forward, until you place a light kiss on his cheek, feeling his stubble softly scratch your lips. “Night, Quinn.”

“Bye, Mads.” he whispers, watching you leave the car and only driving away when he sees you enter your building.

You sigh out loud, trying to understand what the hell happened tonight.

౨ৎ

liked by vic_alonso, _quinnhughes, imgmodels and 828,023 other people

madisoncarter little dump from tonight. thank u all for coming 🌟 lavieenrose

View all 3,209 comments

raye this show was yours. Prettiest woman in the world. Xx

vic_alonso we look soooo good in that pic babe

vic_alonso also lowkey wanna kiss u again

user1 vic_alonso 📸🤨

madisoncarter @vic_alonso ‘m all urs baby

user2 why is my husband liking this when he doesn’t even know how to post a picture without Jack’s help pls I need answers

user3 oh both luke jack and quinn liked this we are cooked

maddiecarter_updates We don’t know if we want to be you or have you 🙂‍↕️ stunning as always, queen!

taglist: @hischierswhore @ru-kru @alwaysclassyeagle @he6rtshaker @nope-i-am-done @nngkay 🤎

[d1xonss]

Hey have a great day! 🫶🏻🪻Could you write about Reader who lives in Alexandria when The group first were brought by Aaron.Daryl noticing the resemblance between him and reader being distant from actual citizens in Alexandria and not wanting to participate in parties or fun always going out from the gates to forest.Reader also has a huge scar on her eye something like Carl’s. Daryl making her feel beautiful showing each other their scars and fluffy ending

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 5

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : Fluff

✧ Word Count : 2k

AN ~ Me actually finishing a request that’s been sitting in my drafts forever?? Everyone clap😌. No but seriously, I'm proud of myself for finally getting this done, I hope it was worth the wait and you guys enjoy it. xoxox

You were the first person he noticed. That’s what he thought anyway. He wasn’t focused on the new houses, the strong walls, or the many unrealistic luxuries the new community provided. His curiosity solely remained on you from the very first moment he could remember.

You were different from the other people who lived in the area. Whilst they were all warm and welcoming the second he and his family stepped through the gates, you didn’t seem the least bit interested in their arrival. Though you were still present, watching from a distance as you absorbed the new faces, yet you couldn’t seem to bring yourself to greet them properly. He remembered how you stood on the porch of your house, your arms folded over your chest as you eyed everyone somewhat suspiciously. He remembered how your gaze seemed to linger on Carl and Judith, noting the two kids that needed a place like this to be safe.

But the thing he would surely never forget, was when he first spotted your scar. From a distance even, he could make out the shape of a long, crooked gash that traveled from the middle of your forehead and down toward your eye, stopping in the area right above your cheek. It was prominent, noticeable from even a hundred feet away, and something that surely was proof that you had been through a lot. Though even if you didn’t have any evidence on your skin, Daryl could still tell from your weariness that life outside of these walls wasn’t all that generous to you. Just as it hadn’t been for him.

Weeks seemed to pass by, and he still didn’t even know your name. Yet he was very observant whenever he managed to spot you walking down the streets of Alexandria, almost as if he had a sixth sense like he knew you were near. Most of the time he would just watch you, curious and hesitant, not looking to bother you though he couldn’t help but be intrigued. However, he picked up a pattern in your routine, noting that around the same time everyday you would leave the community to head off into the woods. For hours you would just disappear, not coming back until the sun was starting to cast an orange and pink glow to the sky. 

Though every time you would return, you came back with nothing. Not an animal, not a single can of food, nothing. It confused Daryl slightly, wondering what it was you did out there for the entire day only to come back empty handed.

He felt drawn to you, relating in a way that the others couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Whether you knew it or not, the two of you seemed to have a lot in common, not even needing to be on speaking terms to know that for a fact. Both quiet and reserved with a harsh past, not liking to interact much with others seeing as you hardly left your home, other than to head off into the forest day after day. The wilderness alone seemed to be something you both enjoyed as well. Perhaps you also liked to hunt, or maybe you also had a love for bikes and trinkets. Daryl didn’t know for sure, but one of these days, he wanted to find out.

The man wasn’t good with words, which was why it had taken him so long to build up the courage to speak to you in the first place. But when he spotted you sitting near the pond, reading a book he was surprisingly familiar with…he took a chance. For the first time in his life it seemed like, he threw caution to the wind and decided to go through with it before he changed his mind.

His hands clenched and unclenched nervously with each step he took to approach you, not even fully knowing what to say once he got there. He racked his brain over and over again as you were just a few feet away now, but ultimately he ended up with nothing, now awkwardly just standing in front of the bench you sat at.

But sensing his presence, you looked up from the pages to see him lingering near, his heart doing a flip in his chest. You were…beautiful. He had never really seen you up close until this very moment, but now that he had, it was like he never wanted to look away. He could see the gold flakes in your eyes, the freckles that were scattered all over your face, and lastly…the scar that was embedded in your flesh. But it didn’t bother him at all. In fact…he liked it.

A sheepish, lopsided smile crossed his face as he nervously ran a hand over the back of his neck, “Hey…”

He watched as you slowly smiled back at him, setting your book off to the side, something he didn’t necessarily expect. But you had a certain look to your expression, telling him that you had been wanting to seek him out just as much as he did you.

“Hi…” your voice spoke softly.

And from that point on, he was hooked.

The two of you had grown to be insuperable, which was somewhat of a shock to the rest of the community seeing as neither of you really liked anyone. But with each other, it was somehow different. Like there was an understanding there. You could be sat in comfortable silence without really being alone, enjoying each other's presence even if you didn’t have the energy to fill the quiet. Or you could have company when going on small runs or hunting trips, which Daryl ultimately found out you liked to do. Or there would be times where neither of you could seem to shut up, bouncing stories back and forth as you shared a bottle of whiskey which also helped loosen the tongue.

But the bottom line was, you were happy. For the first time in your life, you finally felt like you had found your person. A soulmate you didn’t even know existed, yet he seemed to fall right into your lap.

Though one afternoon, Daryl noticed you were a bit quieter than usual. At first he didn’t think much of it as he assumed you didn’t feel like talking much that day. But the longer he observed you, the more he could sense that something was wrong, that something might’ve been bugging you. And the truth was he was right, something had been bothering you. But you would rather die than bring it up to him.

Your voice filled the silence of the forest as the two of you sat in the grass of the clearing, reading aloud from the book that was propped up in your hands. Daryl observed you as he laid on his back, one arm placed underneath his head as the other drew absentminded circles up and down your arm. He usually wasn’t one for physical touch, in fact most of the time he cringed at the thought. But again, with you, it was different. He felt comfortable enough to be open and vulnerable with you, just as you were with him. Or so he thought until he slowly came to the realization that you were clearly keeping something from him.

Once you finished the chapter and closed the book to set aside, he let the silence linger for a moment before he spoke quietly, “You okay?”

You looked down at him, forcing a small smile, “Yeah…I’m fine. Why?”

He tilted his head, “Come on. Ya know you can talk to me bout anythin.” he said as he slowly sat up to scoot beside you, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

A soft sigh left your lips, “I’m fine.” you repeated.

“Yer a terrible liar.” he retorted, though he didn’t push much further. He knew if you wanted to tell him, you would, and he didn’t want to make you uneasy by bringing up the subject over and over again. He just worried about you, being someone he cared about deeply, it came at a price of some heavy protectiveness.

You slowly shook your head as you looked down at the few wildflowers in front of you, “Just…one of those days.” you admitted quietly.

His heart sank a little as he knew what you meant by that. There were times where you would get down in the dumps about yourself, feeling a bit more insecure than usual. It was something common, hell he even knew the feeling himself, but it still hurt to see. Especially when he couldn’t wrap his head around it; to him you were the most stunning person in the entire world.

After a moment he gently reached out to take your chin in his grasp, turning your face so you would look at him. His eyes studied you, his thumb moving up to trace the line of your scar, the same insecurity that your mind seemed to linger on the most.

“Yer beautiful.” he said softly.

You huffed quietly with a slight roll of your eyes, clearly trying to brush off his comment as if it didn’t register or matter to you. “M’ serious.” he tried again.

“Well, I don’t feel beautiful.” you gently argued, “Everyone always stares…like this is the only thing they can see when they look at me.” you said quietly as you gestured to the thing marking your flesh.

He tilted his head a little as he took in your words, knowing where you were coming from as it couldn’t be easy having to deal with that every single day. But somehow he wanted to prove how special you were, how breathtaking you were in his eyes, how he hardly even focused on your flaws. Because to him, your “flaws” were only what made you more perfect to him.

“You wanna know how I see ya?”

You tilted your head at him, as if you knew his answer would make you cry and gag at the same time as affection was still something you were getting used to. Though at the same time, you wanted to hear.

“I see ya as someone who’s got the biggest heart the world has ever seen. I see ya…as someone brave, and smart…and stubborn as all hell.” he listed. You couldn’t help but laugh at the last one, knowing it was true.

“But mostly…when I look at you, I see the most beautiful person I ever laid my eyes on.”

The sincerity in his voice was enough to cause a lump to form in your throat, knowing that he meant every word. He truly cared about you, he had proved that time and time again since you had met him. Honestly, you didn’t know what you did to deserve someone who cared about you so dearly, but you sure as hell weren’t going to take it for granted. Not now, not ever.

“I know it’s not an easy thing to get past…shit, m’ still self conscious about my own demons sometimes. But whenever ya start to feel like this…I just want ya to know I’ll always be there to reassure ya. Alright?”

You slowly nodded your head, leaning forward to wrap your arms around him in a hug, sighing at the feeling of his touch. His hands gently gripped your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder, willing to hold you for as long as you needed. Willing to tell you however many times you needed to hear it, just how special and important you were. He wanted to make sure you felt loved, knowing that you hadn’t received much of that in your past. It was like he wanted to heal your inner child, just like you were doing for him.

“I…” you started to say, but the words seemed to get lodged in your throat, not fully knowing how to express yourself comfortably.

But Daryl just tightened his grip on you, “I know…me too.”

~ Thanks for reading! (And for your patience)

[weirdmarioenemies]

If you're even vaguely familiar with Kirby, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that one of the most iconic abilities is Parasol. It's a unique ability, it gets a ton of merch, and it's cute, to boot!

But when you think about it, there's not a whole lot of enemies for Parasol, is there? There's a lot of enemies that hold Parasols, there's the Parasol itself, which may or may not be sentient, but Parasol doesn't bring a wide variety of enemies to mind like, say, Fire or Spark might.

Believe it or not, there actually are a few enemies that give Parasol that neither HOLD a Parasol nor ARE "just" the Parasol...but they're wholly exclusive to a few games, and have not had a proper reappearance in the games since the SNES era. So, let me introduce you to all of them! Maybe there will even be some you like, or wish would come back!

But first, an honorary mention...

Name: Parasol (Kirby's Dream Land)

Debut: Kirby's Dream Land

You know it, you love it, it's...Parasol?!

That's right! Before it became the ability we all know and love, Parasol actually debuted in the same game Kirby did, which you might note did NOT have copy abilities! Like Waddle Doo and Sir Kibble, this is a classic example of an enemy that had an ability based around it, rather than vice versa.

I want to talk about specifically its iteration in this game, which is a bit different compared to future entries. First off and most noticeably, its appearance is wholly different! The hood is smaller and shaded but with no discernable pattern, the handle is thinner and the hook itself looks more rounded! Secondly, all Waddle Doos and Dees will let go of their parasol once they land, with none spawning while holding them or keeping them when they land anyway.

And another thing: you can't even dang inhale them when they're being held! The Waddler in question will be swallowed, but the Parasol will drift away or, in the Extra Game, even hone in on you! I told you they were debatably sentient! It actually does that in a few future games like Kirby's Adventure, but not nearly as commonly as it did in the original Extra Game. So strange!

OKAY OKAY time for what the post promised you now I promise. Hold my hand (and your Parasol) as I take you through The Parasol Enemies That Time Forgot:

Name: Floaty the Drifter

Debut: Kirby's Dream Land 2

"Floaty the Drifter", not to be confused with Floaty the Cell Core, is such a wonderful name. "Floaty" would already be a sillily obvious name on its own, on par with names like Flamer and Chilly and Cappy, but adding "the Drifter" makes it even moreso. Is that its species? Its title? Is Floaty an individual? Probably not, we see multiple of them in the same level and often, and this is not like Vividria where it's canonically an individual that just so happens to be fought in pairs for gameplay, but it's funny to consider. Imagine if they followed through with other enemies, like "Spikey the Poker", "Burnis the Scorcher", "Elec the Trocuter"…

Floaty the Drifter actually acts as the main provider for Parasol in this game, wholly replacing the titular object itself except for when Kirby uses it. On its own, it doesn't do much floating OR drifting, instead hopping around in its own little world, kind of akin to Cappy, but it lives up to its name when a Waddle Dee holds it, in which...it will just act like a normal Parasol! Wholly and entirely. Even when dropped, it flies off rather than initiate its normal grounded behavior. I think I've heard some of them fly at you when released, but I can't think of any instances of that, and that's still a Parasol behavior anyhow.

As you can tell, Floaty the Drifter's claim to fame is in its unique design, bearing a single mischievous eye and a stark green coloration only seen in artwork. In fact, despite being a one-off mook, this would even grant it its own role in the anime!

Floaty the Drifter, or just "Drifters" as they're called here (I guess it is a species!) are bought by King Dedede in the episode "Escargoon Rules" to attack Escargoon and his mother after presumably being "I'm With Stupid"’d all day. I did not watch the anime! According to the wiki, they're about as fragile as you'd expect a swarm of umbrellas to be, as while they swarm towards and wrap around victims, they are easily KO'd by Fire and knocked away by Kirby's own Parasol ability.

You might be wondering why, exactly, Floaty the Drifter even has one eye in the first place, considering that its role is largely the same as Parasol. To answer that, we'll have to move on to the next creature to feature:

Name: Jumpershoot

Debut: Kirby's Dream Land 2

I bet you never expected an ability like Parasol to have its own, dedicated midboss, did you? And such a sophisticated one, at that! It's even one of the few Kirby characters with toes, for the freaks in the audience!

As you may have guessed, Jumpershoot and, to a lesser extent, Floaty the Drifter are both based on the kasa-obake, perhaps one of the most ubiquitous yokai! And this is despite not really ever having appeared in folktales, if ever. I was always under the assumption that the kasa-obake was a tsukumogami, an umbrella after it had lived for 100 years, but apparently even this isn't set in stone, either!

Jumpershoot first appears in Big Forest, the second world of the game, and guards Coo because...some reason! I don't think it's ever mentioned why the Animal Friends are kidnapped, they kind of just are! And as for Jumpershoot, does he work for King Dedede? Dark Matter? I don't know how employed midbosses are. Mr. Frosty is on the Halberd once.

Our favorite umbrella attacks by jumping and gently falling towards the ground, then makes a rapid, Tornado-like spin around the room that, after a bit, repels attacks! Then, rather than dropping Stars, he throws his own sandal at you that you can shoot back at him! Don't worry, it regenerates, so you don't have to feel guilty for robbing him of footwear!

I really really like Jumpershoot. And apparently, so did Shimomura, because he reappears in Kirby's Dream Land 3, acting much the same but with more detailed sprites! He's such...a cool character, you know? You wouldn't expect a Parasol midboss to be a yokai, of all things, especially one that acts so rowdy! I love him!

Sadly, as much as we'd all love to, there is no game where you can play as Jumpershoot. Tragic, but true! But...you can get a taste, a crumb of its rapid spin attack by having the Parasol ability while riding Coo, which makes Coo spin around invulnerably just as he does! And while he would later find himself joining the foray of midbosses abandoned after Kirby's Dream Land 3, Parasol Coo still appears in Kirby Star Allies, so his soul is still with us...

This would be the end of the road for Jumpershoot, in terms of games, but luckily for Jumpershootheads, he would make one final appearance in a piece of Twitter art, joining a medley of other monsters by spooking Channel PPP! He's still got it!

Sadly, this wraps up the Jumpershoot section of this post, and thusly we have no more Dream Land 2 Parasol enemies to speak of. But don't worry, we still have more parasolic beasts in the next title...

Name: Sasuke

Debut: Kirby's Dream Land 3

Although Floaty had a cute design, it's rather appropriate that the enemy that replaced the Parasol of Kirby's Dream Land would itself get replaced in Kirby's Dream Land 3, isn't it? But Sasuke is no mere living umbrella!

Sasuke's design might bring to mind Bumber for our veteran readers, and its behavior is much the same! It drifts down slowly and steadily, and starts walking back and forth on whatever block it lands on, just like Parasol Waddle Dee, but its hat never detaches, so it will never not give Parasol! Personally speaking, though, I think Bumber is MUCH more cute and memorable...sorry, Sasuke! At least you will always have Naruto to confide in.

Sasuke also made an appearance in the anime, where he's built a lot more like Lololo & Lalala. Here, he draws a gun at King Dedede and Escargoon, an

Name: Klinko

Debut: Kirby's Dream Land 3

The oddest Parasol appearance in both looks and functionality, and our final Parasol giver, is Klinko! It looks like it would give Cleaning if anything, with its hat reminiscent of a besom! It doesn't even drift down slowly like every other Parasol enemy does at some point–in fact, while it hops around, it doesn't share any traits with the Parasol ability at all, and is the only Parasol enemy like that! So, why does it give Parasol, then?!

The answer is: it's not wearing an old broom, but actually a straw umbrella, because it's based on yet ANOTHER yokai! Shimomura seemed to think yokai were the future of the Parasol ability, and who wouldn't!

The amefurikozō, unlike the kasa-obake, has a bit more concrete lore, being children that appear in and sometimes cause rainfall, hence why they wear straw umbrellas. This is true of Klinko, too, as it appears in cloudy stages or stages with heavy snowfall! Its Japanese name, Kinko, might also suggest some relation to the separate yokai Yukinko, a child associated with heavy snow, which could also explain its tendency towards icy levels.

It's easy to see why such an unparasolic enemy would not be used any further, but I kind of like them more for it. They're an anomaly! Sure, this is essentially just Floaty the Drifter's hopping behavior, but the lack of any other Parasol attributes than just wearing an umbrella really make it stand out to me! And that's the beauty of these enemies—the longer Parasol goes without any new enemies, the more these guys will always stand out, and that's wonderful, I think!

What do you guys think? Is the time right for some of these guys to make a comeback? Is Parasol better with the limited enemies they use now? Or should they make new ones? Tell me! I can't do anything with your suggestions but I have nothing better to do than read them!

[dazaiandhislovelybandages]

Period Problems {Shinichiro}

A/n: I am back in my Shinichiro era y'all!!!!! Anyways, I wrote this purely because like so many women I too have painful periods (a little too painfully for my liking) so just in case someone wants some comfort, hopefully you will like this.

Pairings: Shinichiro Sano x fem!reader

Genre: comfort

Tw: periods, period pain

 Living in the Sano household was peaceful. At least for those who had become immune to the constant banter between the siblings. Other than that, there were no problems.

But no, there was a problem. A huge one at that.

  “Are you okay, babe?” Shinichiro mumbled against your neck, his hand going from your waist to your stomach. You couldn't even remember how many times you had changed positions that night because of the crumps. 

  “Don’t.” You winced in pain, quickly removing his hand. In a matter of seconds, Shinichiro stood up and reached out to light the lamp on his nightstand. Realising that his sensitive ass wouldn't let this go, you turned on your back. 

  “What’s going on?” You could practically hear how worried he was even though you couldn’t move a single inch to look at him. The pain was too much. But what were you supposed to tell him? Hey, Shin, my period is most probably here and for the rest of the day I will be sitting in a foetal position crying my eyes out because of the pain? Absolutely not!

The thing was that as far as you knew, they had no pads in the house since you had only moved in fairly recently, with the only pad being the one in your bag. And there was a huge possibility that other than grandpa and perhaps Shinichiro, the kids knew nothing about periods. 

  “Babe?”

  “I suppose there is no escape… Shin, I am on my period.”

  Silence followed your sentence and you couldn’t tell whether the trembling of your hands was because of the pain or because of the anxiety. You didn’t even want to try and think what Shinichiro might have been thinking at that moment.  

  “I don’t think we have pads but I can go to a convenience store and buy some. But we for sure have painkillers. I’ll… are you listening, angel?”

  You found the courage to lift your gaze and meet Shinichiro’s eyes. “Eh?”

  “You are pale.”

  “The pain is too much Shin.”

  “I’ll bring the painkillers.” He mumbled to himself and immediately stood up, practically running out of the room. He returned seconds later with a glass of water and the bottle with the painkillers. He handed them to you and sat back down at the edge of the bed next to you. “Should I go buy pads? Do you have some here? Do you want me to bring you a change of clothes, carry you to the bathroom?”

  “I…” You never finished my sentence. Standing up, slowly, you walked towards your bag. You took the pad out and headed to the closet before grabbing a clean underwear. If you were lucky enough, your pyjama pants would be fine. 

If it weren't for the excruciating pain, you would have sworn you fell asleep in the bathroom while sitting on the toilet -because free bleeding took some of the pain away. By the time you went back to the room Shinichiro was removing his jacket, placing it on the closet. You stayed there for a while, looking at him looking back at you until the sharp pain on your stomach returned. 

  The expression on Shinichiro’s face will forever remain engraved in your head. He was shocked and terrified at the same time. You could tell he had no idea what to do. He made a move to take your hand but quickly regretted it when he saw you walking back to the now cold bed. 

  “I bought you pads. I didn’t know which ones you used so I bought the ones my mother used to buy… are you okay?” He rushed to your side as soon as you reached the bed ready to cover you with the blanket. 

  “I am the one in pain and you are the one crying?” You tried to laugh upon seeing the tears threatening to leave his eyes but the pain was too much to even speak. 

  “I am not crying.” Shinichiro rolled his eyes, wiping out the tears with the back of his hand. He had kneeled next to the bed, still wearing the clothes he had worn to go out. “Is it always like this?” You nodded in response. It was true; your period cramps would always get the best of you. Many have been the times when you had wished you could just rip your reproductive organs out and never look back. “Tell me what you want, I’ll do anything!”

  “Shin, come back here for fuck’s sake.” You saw him nodding, almost aggressively. He quickly undressed himself and got under the covers. “Thank you for the pads.” You whispered and turned around as slowly as possible before burying your face in his bare chest. 

  “Can I?” You knew exactly what and why he was asking. You nodded and right when the cramps began to finally stop due to the painkiller, Shinichiro wrapped his hands around you.  

 You fell back asleep almost immediately though when you woke up it felt as if you hadn’t slept at all. Waking up a few seconds before Emma left the room, you heard Shin whispering something to her but you couldn’t make out the words. 

  “Good morning.” You mumbled. Thankfully your period cramps had stopped for the time being yet that didn’t keep you from snuggling closer to Shinichiro. 

  “How are you feeling?” His voice wasn’t as raspy as it usually was in the mornings and that made you a litle suspicious.   

  “A bit better. How long have you been awake?”

  “I didn’t sleep…” You pushed myself away and sat on the bed. Looking down at Shinichiro felt odd. Indeed, he didn’t look like he had slept again and yet he was just laying there as if what he had done was the most natural thing in the world. 

  “Why?”

  “You were in pain.” 

  “Don’t do that again. There was no need to stay awake.” He didn’t respond. You took a deep breath and exhaled. “Thank you though.” 

  “Don’t even worry about it.”

[brucewaynehater101]

HELLO LOVE <3333 kissing all ur posts on the head I'm loving loving the things u do on here !!! WOAHS !!! LIKE U ARE SO CREATIVE AND COOL bringing u silly flowers !!! Getting u a silly bouquet bouquet

:0 actually, I also wanted to hear what make you like Tim !!! What specifically makes him tick for you, what nuances you'd like people to understand about him and his story etc etc !!! I love hearing ppls interpretations (esp since I... myself am not particularly fond of him ;-; but !!!! I do do want to understand what makes people love him) so if you wouldn't mind :D that'd be swell to hear !!!! THANK U DEAR

You're so sweet, my lords. Thank you ^^ I appreciate the bouquet 💐

Also, I completely understand why some people don't like Tim. His 90's era chaotic self is fantastic, but also a bit misogynistic. DC also likes to throw him in every comic that has a Robin in it and try to smother him back into that role. I haven't seen this happening, but I've also heard that Tim fans can be assholes.

So yes. I 100% understand why some folk aren't the hugest fans.

Tim, for me, though, is so dear. Few reasons why:

His story is so fucking sad, my lords

His attitude is hilarious

He's badass and chaotic

He reminds me too much of my younger self

All the Bats are tragic. Ain't a single one who isn't. I typically like BAMF tragic characters.

Tim's story as Robin is fucking devastating. Hit after hit after hit he takes. Yet, he keeps going. I would not have survived what he did.

All the other batkids have sad stories, hilarious wit, are badass, and cause chaos. They share those wonderful qualities with Tim.

I also just really love how Tim's relationship with Bruce is different during his initial years as Robin (with only Steph and Duke being comparable). He wasn't Bruce's kid first. Tim didn't want nor need a parent. He also felt like he had to help Bruce (when a kid shouldn't be taking care of adults. Parentification sucks ass).

Tim became Robin for Bruce. The other Robins became Robin for themselves (which isn't bad! It's actually really rad how Robin helped them [and cursed them but whatever]).

Just... Tim didn't want to be Robin initially, and that strikes a chord. Then there's him working his ass off for that mantle. He's a little shit, but he's Tim.

There's also how YJ is treated by the other heroes.

There's Tim living in Jason and Dick's shadow.

It's the likeness to my younger self that really hits home.

If you don't want any personal details, the bottom line is that a lot of his history/characterization hits home.

Now... Tim is dear to me due to how much he resembles my younger self. I love Jason as well due to him representing more of my older self. However, Tim's thought processes are closer to mine. I also tend not to get angry often.

For history, my parents consistently chose work and alcohol over family. I had to take care of them. I often played mediator, family clown, or scapegoat (which is why I also relate to Jason [I go feral at those horrendous lines Bruce says to him. Have your parents ever stated regret for how they raised you? Have they ever hurt you and demanded you thank them? Fucking hell, Jason. I may not have died, but your relationship with Bruce is killing me]). I was considered "gifted" or smart in comparison to my siblings, despite them being extremely intelligent (they were in honor classes as well). I'm the middle kid, but I emotionally took care of my younger sibling after I turned fifteen (even though we used to get into horrendous fights).

Anyways, Tim has a pathetic mess of a background, but he's badass as well. He's self-sufficient because he had to be, and he's good at it.

I like smart characters that outwit their opponent. I like seeing Tim win.

[abeautifulblog]

Hi! You said you could help talk me through feudal worldbuilding, and I’d love to pick your brain!

Absolutely! Probably easiest to hit me up over discord (I'm _gremble) and then I would be happy to talk your ear off. 🤣 My wheelhouse is very narrowly focused on mid 9th century England (re: what Anglo Saxon society/military/governance looked like when the vikings rolled up), and iirc, some of the features you mentioned being interested in are more the product of later medieval political structures. I cannot help you with those, but I can probably help with some of the overall mental shifts, because a lot of the things we take for granted in the modern era were just............ not the way things worked back then.

In particular, the word "general" in your initial ask jumped out at me, because it brought up one of the exact issues that I'd run into. The character I was working with had been presented in canon as "the king's top general" -- not those words, but definitely those vibes -- that he was The Guy In Charge Of The Army. Except as soon as I started researching military structures in that period, I found out that that's not how armies worked. When the king needed to go to war, he would call on all his top landholding nobles to round up a bunch of their dudes -- which would be a large number of armed peasants, and a smaller number of fulltime warriors -- and bring their portion of the army to bear.

But these various segments of the army remained under the command of their various lords, marching under separate banners. The lords, in essence, were the generals -- there's not one guy commanding the entire army as a single unit (except for the king, sort of), and there's certainly not any non-noble who doesn't own any dudes getting to call the shots and dictate strategy. Talented and successful warriors might well get rewarded for their service, and given land grants that would generate tons of money for them and put a large number of conscriptable peasants under their control -- and might have the ear of the king if they're known to be good at tactics -- but they don't have authority over anyone else's forces.

The politically neutral, career military guy that we think of when we hear the word "general," who has no independent power of his own but receives a paycheck from his higher-ups to command their men for them, didn't exist yet.

It's a bit of a paradigm shift, because we're used to the military as something separate, that's subordinate to civilian leadership and works in service to it, not for those to be one and the same. We're also used to a norm of strong nation-states with one centralized army, which was very much not the case throughout feudalism/manorialism -- at least in the Anglo Saxon period, power was decentralized and delegated, and being king involved a lot of herding cats wrangling your nobles, not exercising direct control. The king was the guy who could get the most other guys to back him up.

(In the same vein, early kingdoms also tended to be a patchwork of other, smaller kingdoms that retained a great deal of their own autonomy and identity. The modern nation-state that we're so used to, with a single national identity, is an astonishingly recent invention.)

Anyway, hands-down the most useful and eye-opening book I've read on the subject is Clifford J. Rogers' Soldiers Lives Throughout History: The Middle Ages. It's like $80 to buy (😭) but the pdf is on Anna's Archive, and it's invaluable. It is, essentially, a social history of medieval warfare -- most military histories focus on the politics of a particular conflict, or the technology and tactics involved, but this book is all about what life on the ground looked like. A+++ resource for anyone writing war and military logistics in a medieval (or medieval-flavored) setting.

[kindred-spirit-93]

the falcon and the flower

hear ye hear ye, im planning a short story lol and believe it or not storyboarding is significantly more entertaining of a process than actually having to actually write lmao. whodve thunk.

anyways this post exists for a few reasons, mostly so i can map things out in one place (i plan on posting it here eventually hehe) but also for context and references and insight from yall & general yapping so if ur interested take a seat :3

--

i. inspiration & background info: the idea came to me after watching this short about a painting that depicts the story of a king and a beggar maid who lived a quiet life together. and i think thats neat lol.

the ballad that inspired the painting is mentioned and was popularised in the works of shakespeare and alfred tennyson respectively among several others, old and new. the 2 paintings (1884 and 1898) belong to edward burne-jones.

the maid in the painting is said to resemble burne-jones' wife (dont be fooled he had an affair. also turns out its kinda his signature way to paint women) which made me realise that the way the ballad was interpreted (and therefore immortalised so to speak) was according to the views of the aforementioned vessels and the norms of the time.

and so it struck me and my 0 knowledge of art history as odd for the love interest to just so happen to appeal to the eurocentric beauty ideals of the time (she is described as having dark hair yet is painted in both as auburn?) and by extension the male gaze (esp in the 1884 painting where her clothes are somewhat translucent and she sports a neckline too scandalous for the era lol).

also the king being specifically described as 'african' (by the narrators? the ballad doesnt specify and i havent found any origin for the name) and then proceeding to ignore that completely. or worse. point is old dead white guys and their pesky world views probably thought slapping a single word last minute and calling it a day was a very progressive move. and i took that personally

--

ii. creative liberties taken: point is im giving this my own twist because i can. everyone is entitled to their own views and interpretations (mostly). the beauty of art to me lies in the many ways it can be seen and percieved, and i personally love seeing how ones culture and background reflects in that, so thats what im doing. kinda.

and at the end of the day maybe to someone else my interpretation completely misses the point is biased to what im familiar with. which is absolutely valid and they would be right lol. idk i just wanted to kinda add this as a heads up and a general fyi. we all know how repressed everyone was back then lol. so much so it became a name of a complex. moving on.

--

iii. symbolism and stuff: looked up a bunch of birds this morning loll and settled at first for a starling. i might keep the imagery idk i had a very specific idea for the king but then falcons popped into my head and i was like dang this is cooler. so it stuck!

the flower i first had in mind was rosa abyssinica, then the desert rose, finally i decided to switch to maybe my favouritest flower ever: and *cough* the national flower of jordan *cough* the black iris :D

its pretty and rare and not at all realistic to the events of the story but its mine so leave me be lol. if i can sprinkle some of my culture/ heritage and get away with it i will. sue me :p

anyway the cool and not at all pretentious title is a reference to the main characters; a king who loves birbs and the owner of a small flower stall in the marketplace (both of which are now specified)

--

and now for the tragic backstory poll!

keeping this up for 3 days, since ill probably draft it out next weekend... if i get to it lol. i appreciate ur contribution in advance :3

--

tysm if u read this far lol i didnt expect it to go on this long lol, sorry! will reblog and update this as i go (probably) so yeah. stick around if u want. take care and dont forget to dink ur oiter :)

[pocima]

My seasonal music highlights: summer 2024 🏎️

Welcome back to another installment of my songs of the season list, yes this is WAY long overdue but I was busy pretty much all throughout August and September, but it’s never too late to talk about good music. You can check out this spring’s installment here 🕳️ one fave song per artist, no particular order, the mini review section is for songs I couldn’t find to say as much about but still adore, you know the drill. * = full album/EP to be discussed in the yearly favorite project recap.

💿 Thirsty - Tinashe (Quantum Baby*)

Tinashe is never not an interesting figure in experimental alternative R&B, and she never fails to come through with something fresh right on time. I have a lot of praise for her new album Quantum Baby, which most famously includes her hit single Nasty this spring, followed up by the 2-step influenced Getting No Sleep. I adored the added experimentation of the entire project, and Thirsty was the first new track to really catch me. The essential formula is the trap genre that she’s dabbled in previously in her discography unlike, say, the Jersey drill Cross That Line or the Oklou-coded Red Flags, but the execution makes Thirsty a personal all-time stand-out nevertheless. The crunchy fast-paced claps and hi-hats among the serene synths, and as always Tinashe’s divine voice and harmonies, form this satisfying, scrumptious contrast that I can listen to at any point in time. I adore this specific type of songs that mix the gritty with the sublime. Here, Tinashe alternates between showcasing her pleasing head voice and mid-high range, I especially love the melodies in the pre-chorus and the harmonies towards the mid-end of the song. And as I mentioned, her punctuality comes through when it comes to giving me the music I need, when I need it. It’s one wonderful “end of the summer” song that firmly stayed on rotation in September as well, I’ve mentioned this trait of Thirsty on my page previously, but the song feels like a warm rain with all its textures and bliss. Fresh, timeless and flawless simultaneously.

💿 VIP - Isabella Lovestory

Previously seen in the Amor Hardcore era, Isabella knows how to do a good, intricate, attention-grabbing rollout: From the single choices to the accompanying concepts and visuals, she really lets you know that she’s back and about to show what being a real multi-media artist looks like. After the Helter Skelter inspired, kind of dramatic and theatrical, even, neo-reggaeton IL2 lead single Botoxxx, came the West coast hip-hop influenced BANGER that is VIP. I’ve been on the VIP wagon since May 11, when she teased it on a live-stream, and coincidentally it was the only unreleased song I could properly screen record, and I was hooked right there and then. That didn’t stop me from breaking the YouTube Music loop button on June 7, the actual release date of the song. Firstly, one thing Chicken (VIP’s producer, Isabella’s long-time collaborator) is gonna do is turn a track into a complete earworm with synths alone. Once you hear that trap synth pattern, good luck getting that out of your head for a good couple of months at least, not like that’s something you’re gonna want to do anyway. Secondly, Isabella’s earthiness and showcase of confidence is in a different dimension specifically on this track of hers. The bars and delivery are extra sticky, and I quite gravitate towards her singing/rapping in a deeper voice. Overall, VIP was pretty much THE summer anthem for me as well as instantly topping my personal Isabella Lovestory song ranking, however I am looking forward to her outdoing herself once more on her next project. (Embedding the SoundCloud link because the song sounds differently mixed in the MV, however as mentioned I highly recommend giving Isabella’s MVs a watch.)

💿 Underground - f5ve (+ an incredibly niche girl group redemption arc)

My mutual @nayeonline (whose music reviews I highly recommend checking out btw if you haven’t) made this compass diagram of girl groups and their concepts, and while the compass pertained to girl groups, they asked me about J-pop girl groups that pulled off something cute-futuristic. In a way, if we stretch and reach, this was a manifestation of f5ve’s 2024 comeback(s) and rise to recognition. After the debated (and overhated imo because have we heard the Umru remix?) “pots and pans” trap debut Fire Truck under the name SG5 and a Sailor Moon concept, they rebranded as their current name alongside an “intergalactic agents” direction, and came back with Lettuce. The first comeback was cute but was on the line of losing me due to the… puzzling visuals (literal lettuce involved out of nowhere) and the song not being as interesting as it could be. After garnering more fans through relatable, “chronically online” social media humor, f5ve made their real grand entrance with the rollout of Underground. This is where the girl group concept talk comes in: the girls and their creative team finally got the precise formula to serve the perfect mix of glitzy, sweet, forward-looking and nostalgic — right in the middle of the compass.

Underground, produced by the group’s executive producer BloodPop and Count Baldor, puts down sonic roots in happy hardcore and Eurobeat, two genres I’m drawn to. The track subtly nods to fast-paced 2000s J-pop and Japanese rhythm games while bringing in sounds that the current microtrends haven’t caught up on into the pop game. It tells a story of a getaway from corporate life and workaholicism, into an underground alien club. (I described Cyberia by Meth Math in a similar way and both are happy hardcore… crumbs?) Recent “office siren” aesthetics, Japanese raves, parapara and dekotora are some of the sugar and spice for the flashy, well-defined music video and visuals. What I love about this overall release and f5ve’s current direction is the precision of everything. The vision truly has settled for the music, the sound design, the concepts, the promotion and everything that makes up the group’s artistic and commercial identity. The audio-visual world f5ve are trying to convey is crystal clear, which is a trait I absolutely yearn for and something that desperately needs to be achieved more in pop music. Underground is pointy and straight-forward, it’s a throbbing pop tune that presents itself as very much one, however not only is it done with such excellence that it becomes an advantage rather than “just another girl group pop song”, but also with where f5ve and the team behind them are heading right now, there will be room for versatility while their said identity and uniqueness remains fully in tact. These girls are on a roll and I can gladly say I’ve BEEN standing with them.

💿 Hot Mess - aespa

Get up, it’s K-pop cybergirls aespa serving EDM realness o’clock. After their debut album Armageddon, which contained some of aespa’s absolute peaks but unfortunately was underwhelming as a whole album, the girl group make their Japanese debut with a triple single (or double if we’re excluding Zoom Zoom which was previously released as the Beyblade ending theme). With Hot Mess, aespa drift from the density of Supernova and Armageddon, and return with a more poppy song and a more frisky theme while staying true to their origins. The track possesses the sharp trap foundation of Savage while introducing a sax (don’t let that throw you off like because it’s done in a way that fits really well), and it all forms something possibly 2000s/10s Vocaloid J-pop coded, especially with how textured but bright the production is. (I don’t think I need to mention the vocals because, come on, it’s aespa we’re talking and they’ve sung times more difficult stuff.)

As for the visuals, aespacore is versatile after all: it doesn’t only have to mean the metallics and the digital world, it can also be flipped into more luminant æ-emblems, pastel-colored 2000s editorial aesthetics and posing on a scanner à la the cover art for Electro World by Perfume. The music video plays around with many of the core elements and past scenes that aespa have had to offer, and it’s why I think it deserves a lot more appreciation. The Rocket Puncher, Xenoglossy, Armamenter and ED Hacker equipment take a more techy and down-to-earth form, while their users undergo magical girl transformations straight from beloved fantasy anime. This is a great choice for a Japanese debut especially, as well as the nostalgic sticker filters going on in the scenes for the second verse. Besides, Ningning now has a whole pink gas station to set on fire instead of Giselle’s house, and the girls are giants during the daytime with their heroine main character outfits, and the iconic flying Winter scene in Supernova gets a callback. All these self-callbacks are the most wholesome thing ever to me, it’s a such good nod to aespa themselves and their memorable past moments, while standing firm as a full-fledged music video on its own. It brings me an insane amount of joy, to me it’s literally dopamine in the form of a YouTube link.

Something I want to mention is how surreal it feels that aespa’s garbage fire record label is finally catching up with the value of consistency, giving us seasonal music instead of using the group as either unreciprocated piggy banks or shields during idiotic infighting. However, I am never a company devotee so I must also mention that aespa should’ve slowed down with the tours, and it’s unfortunate how said consistency came at the expense of the members’ health, due to the other side of the mismanagement coin. aespa we love you, SM you won’t get anywhere near the pearly gates.

💿 Blink Twice - Cecile Believe (Tender The Spark*)

One of my favorite things about keeping a closer eye on musical connections between artists, such as checking on artists’ producers, labels and collaboration circles, is frequently discovering new gems, and sometimes quickly getting into the artists I’ve been meaning to tap into. In this case, I’ve been severely missing out on Cecile Believe, who’s known for collaborating with SOPHIE (most of the vocals on Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides are by Cecile), Shygirl, Kero Kero Bonito, A. G. Cook, Namasenda and more. Back in late June, around Blink Twice’s release, Sega Bodega welcomed Cecile into his new record label ambient tweets and posted about Blink Twice, and while I was kind of late to the party, having only listened to the song in July, I was blown away by the vocals, the production, the sound design, the atmosphere and everything this track had to bring to the table. At first glance, the message is simple and effective: blink twice if you wanna escape from a loveless, hollow life, into the oblivion of company and euphoria. The song itself is almost like a hazy labyrinth, with the howling and pluck synths as well as the echoed and looped vocals. One thing about me, though, I adore motifs and details, and in this case, eyes and vision are the centerpiece, both physical and metaphorical. Blink, say it with your eyes, I’ll show you how I believe in you. Such a spot-on choice to accompany the misty, dusk-like worldview of the track: Cecile, indeed, shows us a gateway to her musical and inner world, and leads us into believing, by both expanding our vision, leaving us wanting more, and blurring it, leading us to getting lost in the world of Blink Twice.

💿 Junebug - Raveena feat. JPEGMAFIA (Where The Butterflies Go In The Rain*)

“Free therapy” is a colloquial phrase thrown around for music possibly more often than it should be, but in Raveena’s case, there should be academic studies on the healing powers of her mp3 files. In full seriousness. Her work, her songs, her projects go beyond warm hugs; Raveena gently caresses her listeners with her sugary voice, sincere lyricism, lulling melodies and contagious sweetness. What she does just heals my spirit, and shout-out to @timetravellingkitty for motivating me to experience that more and building up hype (at least on my dashboard) for a new chapter in her book. Junebug, the third single for the new era, currently remains my favorite off of the gorgeous new album. Maybe it’s just me being a sucker for a BEAT, but the drums and jazz organ immediately had my ears perked up. A key change, heartfelt vocals, beautiful storytelling are some strong suits of Raveena songs that reappear here as well. JPEGMAFIA’s verse not only fit the tone (which is, in all honesty, the bare minimum for features despite the mark being missed one too many times), but is also an addition to the story Raveena presents to us both with the lyrics and delivery. And let me mention the lyrics and the main theme again: it’s a romantic-melancholic tale of lovers that can only really last while the daytime is longer, as in the junebugs that will have to close themselves off when the sunset starts coming early. Wow, there really are musicians that will paint you a whole world using notes and lyrics and create it all on what’s most likely a casual Tuesday.

💿 Bubble Bath - AJ Tracey

This year, there were numerous high quality viral tracks with artists getting the recognition that they deserve, some of which include some all-time faves, but my personal nomination for “2024’s summer hit that got away” is undoubtedly Bubble Bath. AJ Tracey is a figure that the UK rap scene should be more thrilled to have, I’ve been a casual listener of his since hearing Wifey Riddim 4 on Shygirl’s Cover Mix for Mixmag (once again thank you Shygirl, because me getting into AJ AND Brutalismus 3000 through one DJ mix?). While I admittedly haven’t checked out his whole catalogue, from the recent stuff I’ve heard, he pulls off smooth laid-back flows (a quality you’ll appreciate if you’re anticipating more from Yuki Chiba) without leaving out the effort in his bars, sound and visuals (with all due disrespect, Central Cee and a good amount of other male rappers can catch it). This single by AJ, currently his most recent one in an ongoing immaculate single run, incorporates a music box synth into a catchy Afroswing base, and the verses and chorus are simply irresistible, replaying in my head to this day. With the intensity of a lot of the music I keep in my usual rotation (no shade whatsoever, I still LOVE my overloading music), the high-quality simplicity and casualness of this track adds to the variety of my tastes. “Bubble bath on the nail, she a Goyard girlie, she could short hair, bob it, or curly” specifically deserved a publicly acknowledged “one of the most fun lyrics of 2024” title.

Mini-reviews

🏁 survival dAnce - 4s4ki: Call it @pocima payola, call it bias, but you can never deny that 4s4ki never misses with her music and deserves her seasonal spot in these lists. Wonderful flip of a 90s J-pop classic by TRF with banging production. The music video is one of her best to date. Encapsulates the energy of the fandom really well, and by that I mean me and my oomfs that I converted into 4s4ki fanship really move like a cult. (She also teased this song in July that I STILL expeditiously need her to release. That honestly deserves a review of its own. In the meantime, stream her new EP Collective Obsession, which I will be reviewing as well 🫶🏻)

🏁 SCARYHOT - Taichu: Owing my Taichu discovery to @a-moth-to-the-light and @lilamala, she’s such a hit-making baddie and I quite dig her aesthetics. Her music has been on replay for my neoperreo-pilled soul, and the thumping house beat and confidence of this track was no exception. Oh, and another sick MV from the season (flash/strobe warning, view with discretion)

🏁 POPPER! - Akriila & Taichu: More neoperreo, more Taichu AND a new fave artist to keep an eye on. Honestly I loved Akriila’s entire epistolares album (another possible future review alert) and still struggle picking a favorite track off of it, but there’s something special about this type of noisy neo-reggaeton.

🏁 RED OUT - Kenshi Yonezu: One of the fathers of J-pop dropping a new album AND the lead single being the gritty electronic perfection I was craving more from him? I’ll take your entire stock, thank you. fogbound got its most worthy opponent yet.

🏁 Check - FLO: R&B princesses coming through as always and adding a Miami bass bop to their flawless discography. And remember how I was pleading for a debut album from them on my last entry? They heard me. So hyped for Access All Areas, out November 15 🙏🏻

🏁 Tartady - Ayau & A.boo: I have a soon-to-be-long post praising ALPHA sitting in my drafts, and if you’ve stuck around on my page this summer, you know I’m a huge enthusiast of their discography and the voices of their vocal line. A.boo on an R&B song was one of my wishes from the group, and I got that with his collab with the Kazakh alt pop delight Ayau. The music video being teased and not released is evil, though.

🏁 Senen Basqa - Madi Rymbaev & i: More exciting ALPHA features, this time with Aqzhol and his sweet higher range. As you can tell I’ve been needing more house in my life during the summer, which ALPHA’s group releases really showed out with, and now we get this piece leaning into garage too. It’s a yes from me.

🏁 GAME - echo: Hypertonic by TAN’s sister, and that’s already a huge compliment considering both are 2000s Japanese electropop inspired magnificence. I still can’t believe I discovered echo and this song on Instagram because the music promoted on there leans closer into being torturous, but this is a deeper cut with actual immense hit potential.

🏁 Bikini - Nick Léon & Erika de Casier: Firstly, can anything involving Nick Léon and/or Erika de Casier go wrong? The two are back at making magic after winter favorite Erika-Shygirl joint track Ex-Girlfriend (you can read the review on that in the winter installment of my music highlights), and now we get this Brazilian funk-dembow-trance sunset soundtrack.

🏁 Goodbye - Sumin & Slom: We’re SO back with the release of Miniseries 2, the entire project is a valley to lay in all day but this song especially does so much with its beautifully arranged minimalism.

🏁 Fugitivo Vol. 25 - Lua de Santana prod. Rico Rosa: Last but absolutely not least, Lua de Santana is a star. Rap, MCing, vocals AND it girl factor, she has and delivers all of these. It’s about time that such a talent will shake up the Brazilian funk scene.

I’m gonna be honest, I’m most likely missing a couple releases I was enjoying lots, but thank you so much for reading about my very late take on a 2024 summer playlist ❤️‍🔥 your own recommendations and feedback are encouraged

[godzillatalks]

When Ryomen Sukuna had first heard Gojo tell him about The King Of Curses, he'd had a hard time not believing it. After all, giant monsters and creatures manifested from negative energy were real. He wouldn't have doubted that Gojo's description was accurate.

"Itadori Yuji is described as a benevolent imaginary God by his worshippers. He lived a over thousand years ago, and, though human, he was stated to be some kind of divine being. An angel, in some texts, and the incarnation of whatever heaven was believed to exist in others. But his deeds were far from angelic. In the Golden Age of Jujutsu, sorcerers from all over gathered up all their might to challenge him.. and failed." Gojo had explained nonchalantly. He didn't seem bothered by any of this.

Sukuna stared down at his hands as they walked, eyeing the faint, scar-like marks on his skin that had appeared after he had eaten the cursed finger. (He suspected they looked different when Yuji was in control.)

"Though many used to call him Sukuna for unknown reasons," Ryomen's gaze momentarily turns to ice as he redirects it at Gojo, a 'You're kidding me.' hanging in the air, "Nobody really does that anymore. He's usually called 'The King' in most texts. Anyways, we couldn’t even destroy his grave wax as he traversed the ages after death as a cursed object. Without a doubt, he is the king of curses."

And Sukuna believed that. Yuji didn't deny or even confirm anything, only opening an eye on Sukuna's cheek to glare at Gojo. So Sukuna assumed it was the truth.

They barely talked. Yuji stayed mostly silent, observing through Sukuna's eyes, watching the world and building an understanding of the current era as best he could. Sukuna ignored the presence behind his eyes that gave him double vision, just glad that he wasn't stuck in Yuji's place- unable to do anything but watch and make a rare comment.

He didn't think they'd get along anyways.

—

Sukuna felt like he wanted to give up. He was doing his best. And he was losing. He hadn't helped a single person yet, and he was going to die. He was missing a whole hand and he had a feeling he'd bleed out before the battle was over. He wouldn't come out alive and if he did Yuji would be in control. He didn't even have a choice if he wanted to live.

But he had to stall. He had to make sure Fushiguro and Kugisaki got out.

Tears streamed down his face as he screamed in agony, the Finger Bearer cackling as it sent surges of cursed energy at him. Pain shot through his veins from his hands as they were burnt away by the cursed energy being thrown at him like a wall of flame.

The pressure behind Sukuna's eyes intensifies, Yuji's cold gaze making him feel insignificant even if it was directed at the special grade that was currently rending Sukuna's hands into stumps. No emotion radiated from the second presence that was rooted into his being like a disease.

The Finger Bearer just laughs, shaking like a child high on sugar. He- he was tougher than this! So why was he so weak all of a sudden? Sukuna grits his teeth and steps forward, but falters as a howl rings through the halls of the incomplete domain.

"The.. The signal." Sukuna's vision blurs as he sways back and forth, eventually deciding to take multiple steps backwards. Cold hands wrapped around his consciousness, frost crawling across his vision as his eyelids fluttered. Yuji's voice when he spoke was.. bored. Bored.

"My turn. Go to sleep."

Sukuna doesn't wake up to anything other than flashes of fighting until he's outside, in the rain. Pain whispers through his chest like venom, and he coughs. Warm blood drips down his chin.

Fushiguro is there. Angry red scratches and bruises blossom on his neck and head. He's sure there's more, judging by the cracks in the concrete around them. His expression is pained, worried. Yuji must have done something. No, he did do something.

He notices there's no pressure on his eyes as Fushiguro speaks, the words muddled. He can make some of it out, something about being selfish. The last line is what he hears clearly.

"I’ve never once regretted saving you." Fushiguro stares at him, a blank expression on his face. Sukuna blinks slowly. He acknowledges Fushiguro's statement with a grin, and then makes his own.

"You're smart. You've planned your words. I think you'll be okay without me, though. Thanks for saving me." Blood drips to the ground. "I think I'm done, now."

"Live a long life." He falls forward and the world turns black before he hits the cold asphalt.

[fedoraspooky]

Okay Spooky, if you don't mind random questions- what's your favourite Disney movie?

Oh I don't mind at all! I'm actually quite tickled to get one out of the blue like this. nwn

But yes! Answer! Uh, well... Honestly a lot of the ones in the 80s and 90s hold a bit of sentimental value to me due to the fact that my dad worked on them. I would always leave the tape running through the credits until I spotted his name. ;w; In fact, on the DvD for Treasure Planet, if you go to the special features you can actually see him in the making of featurette, where they're asking him about how he sculpted the cyborg parts for John Silver! But, er, yes- favorites!

I would say, it's kind of a toss up between two-

I LOVE The Great Mouse Detective. It encapsulates a lot of stuff I like about that era of Disney, and I do enjoy me a good detective story. The animation is smooth and full of character, and has that rough-lined charm of the xerox era, and the backgrounds? Absolutely gorgeous. The story is fun and full of great comedic moments and also moments that downright terrified me as a kid (That Fidget jumpscare and everything leading up to it still gives me the heebie jeebies). But most of all, I love the characters and the dynamics between all of them, especially whatever Basil and Ratigan have going on. Dear lord. Really not surprising this movie ended up being part of my big list of inspos when writing Kilroy. XD

Second movie- and I know some people don't count it as Disney but to hell with it, it was in kingdom hearts so it darn well counts in my book- The Nightmare Before Christmas. GOD, this movie. When it first came out, I couldn't make it past the opening song because I was scared of the clown with the tearaway face. I shit you not. BUT once I was past that, it quickly became an obsession in my little kid mind. My mom actually showed me a PHOTO she has of me from when I was still in my single digits of age, in which apparently I had taken a black permanent marker to my face to draw rings around my eyes and lines on my mouth so I could look like Jack Skellington. My mom still has it framed in her living room to this day. XD But yes, I sang all the songs, I drew Jack and Sally and Zero all over whatever paper I could get my hands on, and I even made a christmas ornament of Jack's head out of sculpey that we put on the tree every year since. It was probably a huge reason that I became such a huge Halloween and spooky-things lover. And even to this day, it resonates a LOT with me as a movie about someone who is just experiencing the WORST artistic burnout. That's really what this movie is about, I've written a whole-ass essay of a post once rambling about Jack's Lament as a song because of the feels it gave me (i tried to find it but idk if i deleted it during a scare of tumblr copyright striking blogs for music a long while back or if tumblr's blog search function is just poop, either is possible).

Anyway I've talked your ear off long enough, my apologies for the long post but sadly that is what happens when you get me talking about stuff I like. <XD ; Every time I say I won't, but then I become this:

[a-french-coconut]

Drew Tanaka (Part 6)

Healing.

Letting her heart vulnerable again, at the mercy of the world.

"It's worth it" Will assured with a kind smile.

"I can't imagine a world where I don't love my brother." Connor thought at loud next to her.

"The heart is not my domain, Drew. But I suppose that living without love is not the answer." Malcolm said mindlessly, all his attention directed on a book about chess strategies.

A splash of water brings her back and the naiad gets back into the water before Drew manages to whack her.

It's been a week since she talked with Lacy and began her "redemption journey" as Connor likes to call it.

And while Drew is willing to present excuses to those she slightly offended, she is not willing to receive their contempt and snarky remarks.

Especially when she's trying to say sorry and they are just standing there, with the most disgusting arrogant smile, one that screams She finally realised she was wrong and that we were right all along.

If those idiots think she forgave Silena, they are dead wrong. Their dear little victim will forever stay a traitor in Drew's mind.

She is trying to apologise for her bitchy attitude towards them, even though she still thinks they deserved it, but if they don't wan't her "redemption journey", Drew isn't going to make it easy for them either.

She can feel Will facepalming at her attitude and snickers when she imagines Connor giving her thumbs up and "you go girl !".

How did Will and the Stoll ever became friends, she'll never know.

What she will begrudgingly do is apologise to Piper when if she comes back. Maybe she had been a little too hard on her, and Lacy wants her to be nice with her siblings.

But the nerve to talk as if she knew Silena...

Bring it down, bring it all the way down

She wonders if the boiling inferno churning in her stomach when she thinks of her sister will one day stop.

The distant sound of a horn makes her sigh and row towards shore as fast as she can. She has never been late at dinner before and isn't going to start now.

"Why do they suck at being nice ?" She complains to Mitchell and Lacy, her hands making grand gestures in the air, "I want to apologise and they won't let me."

"Give them time, they'll forgive you eventually." Mitchell shrugs, carefully picking you every single olive on his pizza's slice.

"You forgave me easily !"

"Yes," he drawls, "but I knew you from before. Most of them forgot that era of you. All they remember is you being a-"

"Careful young man."

"a, hum, bad person." he finishes lamely.

"I have my reasons." She defends herself but doesn't elaborate. While her siblings now understand her grief, they still view Silena as a saint. She doesn't the energy nor the envy to fight with them again.

"We know," Lacy says hastily, "but don't worry about them, okay ? First, we have to get Piper to like you."

"She's going to be insufferable about it."

"As if you don't deserve it." Mitchell says snickering.

Drew narrows her eyes at her little brother, her hand reaching for the discarded olives on his plate, and manage to throw one of them is his mouth while he's laughing.

It's her turn to laugh at his disgusted face and pale horror when the olive falls on his clothes after he spat it out.

"You're a demon, Drew."

"So are you but you just hide it better."

Her little brother can be a true brat when he wants. Drew couldn't be more proud.

"Anyways, gossip time. What's the tea ?"

"Sherman and Miranda are totally in love." Lacy says excitedly, "He let her beat him in combat training today !"

"Woah" Mitchell whistles, "he really loves her."

"Those two don't need our help then, they managed fine."

"We have to do something about Connor and Malcolm."

"No, we don't." Drew says, conjuring her own pizza's slice on her plate, "they have to figure it out alone."

Mitchell rolls his eyes but doesn't press it.

"I think Will and Nathan from Demeter would make a cute couple." Lacy suggests.

"Nah, Will already likes someone else."

"Really ? Who ?"

"It's a secret."

Both her siblings groan and whine but Drew keeps her mouth shut.

They don't need to know now about the dashing, stunning, brave, and Italian son of Hades Will keeps gushing about.

His words, not hers.

Though for his sake, Nico Di Angelo should visit them more. She can't stand the sad look on her friend's face when he leaves Camp for his father's errands or whatever he has to do.

"What about Damian White and, what's her name again ? Clara ?"

"Chiara from Tyche ?" Lacy suggests

"Yes, that one" Drew snaps her fingers, "those two are a match."

"They are always screaming at each other."

"Clearly you weren't here when Travis and Katie figured out they liked each other. It was glorious."

"I heard he gifted her a goat ?"

"Oh yes !" Drew cackles gleefully, "Huguette the goat ! She ate the whole roof of Demeter cabin, Katie was red with rage. Poor Travis just wanted to give her a fluffy animal."

"He was a terrible flirt." Mitchell says with disbelief.

"Mmmh", she agrees with a smile.

She wonders if Katie told him that every time she had a nightmare, petting Huguette would always comfort her.

For a moment, everything goes white.

Then she sees someone's foot on her pizza.

"Hey guys, we're back."

Of course, only Piper McLean would land her delicious pizza's slice.

"Piper !" Lacy screeches, getting on the table to hug the girl, "you're alive !"

"Yes, yes, good job McLean" Drew says drily, "Now get off the table."

Piper obliges with a roll of her eyes and sits next to Lacy who is looking at Drew pointedly.

Making friends, right.

"So, Piper, I hope your quest wasn't too hard."

"It was."

"Near death experiences ? I know those can be-"

"A lot, yeah." Piper answers again, shortly and curly.

Drew grips her glass tightly.

Lacy looks at her with pleading eyes.

"You must be tired," she says with a strained voice, "you can skip campfire if you wish."

"It's alright," Piper dismisses her offer with her hand, "I'm fine."

"Okay, then let's go. Every one wants to know about your quest."

She gets up brusquely, not looking back to see if they followed.

"How is your "redemption journey" going ?" Connor asks her, appearing next to her.

"Badly, even Piper is giving a hard time."

"Ouch," he winces, "you really managed to piss her off the two days she was here ?"

"I am full of talents, Connor."

"I can see that, but try again tomorrow morning okay ? Give her the night to cool off."

He pats her shoulder before going join his cabin and Drew has no other choice than look for her siblings too.

As Piper, Leo and Jason tell their quest, Drew has to admit that McLean is tougher than she looks.

Maybe they really just started on bad terms and they could be great sisters.

Connor's advice doesn't sound too bad, she'll apologise to Piper first thing in the morning.

I now have two options :

-follow canon and Drew surrenders to Piper, giving away without a fight her counsellor position.

-do whatever I want and Piper gets beaten up by her sister.

I have actually already decided what I was going to do...

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 51 ~ Liar

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

✧ Era : Season 4

✧ Word Count : 6k

In this chapter ~ When The Governor makes his surprising return, things quickly go south as the group is faced with yet another loss. One that hits all of them hard. The evil man takes his revenge as he destroys their home bit by bit, forcing all of them to have to fight for their lives to make it out of the warzone. Leading them to be separated from the ones they love most.

I don't even know how long we all stood there frozen, trying to process what just happened around us. But Daryl tugging on my arm to get me to follow him managed to snap me out of the void I was lost in, following him out the door swiftly as I heard Rick and Tyreese were not far behind. The closer we sprinted toward the outside, the more anxious I grew, knowing there was not a single good explanation for that explosion, not one. Something bad was about to happen, I could feel it. And I was praying to God, or whoever was listening, that it wasn't the man I assumed it was, standing right outside our gates.

By the time we pushed past the heavy doors, we saw a small group of our people standing by the fences with tense muscles as they stared out into the distance, Rick yelling at all of them to stand back. They instantly maneuvered around to stand behind one of the walls of the guard tower, still poking their heads out to get a better look at what was going on.

Once I was close enough, I squinted to see vehicles parked on the grass by one of our gates, my eyes scanning the area until they landed on a tank...a fucking tank. I didn't want to look up and see who was standing on top of it, in fear that I would throw up at the sight, but I somehow pushed myself to do it anyway.

And there he was. The man, The Governor, was still alive and well, standing before us with a new group of people to absolutely tear us apart.

I sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of him and that's when his booming voice started to echo around us, "Rick! Come down here! We need to talk!"

His voice was so cold, his stance was rigid, everything about him made me sick. My whole body filled with anger and fear all at once, the fear being for my family's safety as I knew this wouldn't end well. I saw Beth standing close to me and I subconsciously pulled her by her arm, gently tugging her behind me. She seemed to instantly grasp my hand in between her own, her breathing becoming more frantic.

Rick then found his voice to respond, "It's not up to me! There's a council now, they run this place!"

I could tell a wide grin broke out onto his face as he thought about his next words, "Is Hershel on that council?!" he asked wickedly.

One of his people moved not a second later towards a truck, only to bring Hershel out of it with his hands tied behind his back. I gasped as I watched the man shove him to the ground on his knees, a lump forming in my throat at the sight as my chest tightened. Beth gripped my hand tighter if that were even possible, finding myself placing my free hand on Maggie's shoulder, trying to offer her some type of reassurance. She didn't look back at me as her eyes stayed glued to her father, but she placed her hand on top of mine to show she knew I was there. I began to shake my head in disbelief that this was really happening. He couldn't die.

"What about Michonne?!" the man spoke up again, Michonne being pulled out of the same truck only seconds late, set down right beside Hershel on her knees.

A million scenarios started to run through my head on how we could get them both back to us alive, but I couldn't come up with a single one that was realistic. And that's what scared me. We all knew how crazy this man was, he would probably end up killing both of them just for fun whether Rick went down to talk to him or not.

"I don't make decisions anymore!" Rick yelled.

"You're making the decisions today, Rick! Come down here and let's...let's have that talk!" he called out.

Rick stared at him for a moment, slowly backing up a step as his mind ran wild. I then felt the man look at me, as if he was searching for the right move. "What should I do?" he asked me just above a whisper.

I shook my head at him; I didn't have an answer. I didn't want him to go down there and risk his life, but at the same time I didn't want to risk Hershel's and Michonne's either. The gamble he set out was a tough one to read. Though the best thing I could think of was for him to go down and talk to him as he wished, if that meant everyone could live. But that wasn't a guarantee. It never was.

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as I spoke, "You...you go down and talk to him. Keep it peaceful, we need them both alive." I said, trying to hide the shakiness in my voice.

He nodded slowly at me and tried to collect his thoughts, turning to Carl who was just inches away from me. He placed a hand on the side of his son's face and whispered something to him, his voice so quiet that I could barely make it out. Though I could only assume he was reassuring him the best he could.

My eyes then locked with Daryl's who stood only a few inches behind me, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. I was waiting for him to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the words. It was like he didn't want to reassure me and give me false hope, but didn't want to be harsh either even if it was the truth. He just settled with giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze as I attempted to read his mind, nodding mostly to myself as all our eyes fell back on Rick who now made his way out past the fences and into the fields.

I could practically feel the emotions radiating off of Daryl as if he was projecting it himself; and he was terrified.

We all watched as Rick walked painfully slowly up to the gates, knowing he was dreading to speak to the man, not knowing if he would say the right things he wanted to hear. The pressure was put solely on him as to what would happen next but in the back of my mind, I knew that wasn't true. The Governor would do whatever the hell he wanted to do at the end of the day, I just hoped that he would at least consider the things Rick had to say to him.

I noticed Daryl removed his hand from my shoulder, pulling back subtly to talk to Ty and Sasha as if to formulate some kind of plan in case things went wrong. I gently pushed Beth toward Maggie as they both were in some kind of trance, staring at their dad in nothing but worry. I never myself took my eyes away from the scene in front of me, almost as if I couldn't, slowly backing away along with Daryl to figure out whatever move we had left.

"We can't take 'em all on. We'll go through the admin buildin through the woods like we planned, we ain't got the numbers no more." he spoke quietly.

I shook my head, "When was the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?"

"Day before we hit the Big Spot. We were low on rations then, we're lower now." Sasha answered.

"Yeah, we'll manage." Daryl grumbled, "Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everyone know."

Ty spoke up, "What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad? How long do we wait?"

I shook my head, "As long as we can." I said sadly.

I glanced back to where Rick was standing, seeing he now made it close enough to not have to yell back and forth to one another, watching The Govenor's lips moving as he spoke. I squinted my eyes to try and see what was being said, but I was too far away to tell, and they were speaking far too quietly for any of us to pick up. 

My eyes moved away from them again when I felt Daryl's hand on my shoulder once more to grab my attention, "Grab our stuff, get ready to leave."

Deja vu danced over my vision at those few familiar words I had heard before. It took me all the way back to the CDC when the group began to get antsy about the suspicious things Jenner was saying, remembering how he pulled me aside to tell me to get ready to leave, and I did. This time wasn't any different, except for the fact that I wasn't ready to leave the safe place we called home.

I shook my head, "I'm not losing this place."

He grabbed my other shoulder firmly so I would face him, "And m' not losing you," he said seriously, "So, please...just be ready." he quietly pleaded.

I looked at him sadly, subconsciously biting my lip in thought before finally nodding my head. I knew we needed to protect these people's lives before we protected the walls we hid behind for so long. Though I wasn't ready to lose a safe place for Carl or Judith to grow up in, not after I felt like we had finally gotten it back. But I would rather them be alive and on the road than dead right here.

He nodded his head right along with me and pulled me in for a brief kiss on my forehead that told me a thousand things, before pushing me towards the entrance to grab our stuff and alert everyone else inside.

I took off in a sprint, not knowing how much time I had before the peaceful conversation turned into something much more horrifying. Not knowing how much The Governor would actually listen to before his patience grew thinner. Every person I ran into, I briefly told them the plan, wanting them to pass it on to anyone else they saw so it could spread throughout the prison. And couldn't help but frown at everyone's panicked faces when I told them what exactly was happening. All we ever wanted to do was keep these people safe from this man, and now here he was, ringing the doorbell...just like Merle said.

I raced into our cell and packed our things frantically, mostly focusing on the things that were the most important. I packed my sketchbook filled with my little doodles that held more memories anyone could imagine, subconsciously looking down at my hand to make sure my wedding ring was still there, as if it were to ever fall off. I placed all of my throwing knives on me and grabbed my bow and arrows to slip them around my shoulders securely. Grabbing the remaining bags, I rushed back outside, dropping the backpacks off by the door of the prison so we could easily grab them and go if we needed to.

When I approached the others again, I saw everyone now had some kind of automatic weapon on their grasp which only caused my worry to grow. My light footsteps caused a few of them to turn their heads, though relaxing somewhat when they saw it was me, before quickly turning back around to not miss a thing. By the looks of it they were still just talking, but that could change at any time, we all had to acknowledge that by now. 

Daryl slowly backed up close to me with a revolver and a machine gun behind his back. "Here." he muttered, pushing me to take both as I placed one securely behind my back, taking the machine gun tightly in my hands.

He turned around to see I didn't have our bags, but I spoke before he could ask, "They're by the prison door that leads to our cellblock. Figured we could grab them easier that way, and just run if we need to."

He nodded, "Alright."

We both looked back to Rick, and I could feel him protectively wrap an arm around my waist as we all waited in anticipation. I didn't want to get my hopes up, in fear that it would all go to shit if I thought such foolish things, so instead I tried to just focus on the people I cared so deeply about.

I thought about Hershel, how much he did for me over the past week when I was deathly ill, and even all the way back to the farm when he saved my life. He's always been so caring and would do just about anything for anyone, and he didn't deserve to die like this. Though I quickly shook my head at the thought. He wasn't going to die. He had a chance.

I then thought about Michonne, how I was the first person she really trusted in this group. How I was the only one who could get answers out of her, become closer with her, and accept her though she was once a complete stranger. She didn't deserve this either, not at all, especially not when she's been busting her ass for the past six months to find this motherfucker. Subconsciously she always knew that he was still alive and waiting. Waiting for his chance of revenge.

I tapped my foot anxiously at how long it was taking, sighing in frustration as I made my way closer to the fence to line up my machine gun, ready to shoot if I needed to. The gun loaded a chamber of bullets loudly as I adjusted it, hearing shuffling from next to me and looked to see everyone else following suit with my actions as if they too were thinking the same thing.

"We have to do something." Carl whispered over to me, lining up his gun just as I was as he squinted to aim.

"Yer dad's got it," Daryl answered for me.

The boy sighed, "They're talking. We could kill The Governor right now."

"From fifty yards?" I turned to ask.

"I'm a good shot. I could end this right now." he assured.

I shook my head at him, "I don't care how good of a shot you are; we wait." I said sternly, not taking my eyes off The Governor.

"Rose, you want to do it just as bad as I do." he attempted to convince, "We can't let them die."

I sighed deeply, "Be patient. I don't want to shoot and start something else, that alone could cause a war."

"Ya gotta trust him." Daryl spoke up again, gesturing toward Rick as they continued to have their discussion.

I could see The Governor's lips stop moving through the scope, only assuming Rick had the floor now, but all I could see was the man getting more and more frustrated which caused me to tighten my grip on my gun. I aimed right at his forehead and watched his movements very carefully, suddenly realizing just how right Carl was, how easy it would be just to put a bullet in his head.

But I stopped myself and thought about how many people would die if that happened. How both Hershel and Michonne would die certainly, Rick potentially going down right along with them. We couldn't take that chance no matter how much we were all thinking it.

Suddenly my breath hitched in my throat as I saw The Govenor jump off of the tank and make his way over to grab something from one of his men. When he came back into view, he had Michonne's sword held tightly in his grasp, bringing it up to Hershel's throat. My eyes widened slightly, and I heard Maggie and Beth begin to cry, noticing even Rick faltered at the sight even though none of us could see his face.

I shook my head, contemplating again about just killing the son of a bitch. My vision started to blur however, and I quickly realized that my own eyes were filling up with tears just at the mere sight of Hershel having something sharp and uncomfortable right at his throat. I didn't want to hear the screams of everyone, I didn't want to hear the cries of his two daughters, and I didn't even want to think about the loss.

My eyes panned over to Hershel to see his face, seeing he was looking up at all of us with a small smile and that alone could've made me break down right then and there. But I couldn't. Because he wasn't going to die. He wouldn't. I kept telling myself that over and over because of how much I desperately wanted it to be true, manifesting it as much as I could so the universe could hear me for once.

Relief then washed over me like a bucket of cold water as I saw the sword being slowly taken back from Hershel's face. I looked back up to see that The Governor was taking in Rick's words very seriously and thoughtfully, and hope began to bloom in my chest. Whatever he was saying, it was working.

Hershel looked back to Rick, and I saw how proud he had become at the words flowing out of his mouth. I felt myself loosen my grip on the gun in my hands, looking through the scope to The Govenor once more and saw how serious his face was as he processed Rick's speech.

Though his face remained stone cold, glancing from Hershel to right back up at Rick as his expression never changed. "Liar. "

My heart stopped as I read his lips. And that's when everything moved in slow motion.

The Governor quickly gripped the sword tightly and swung it towards Hershel's throat to cut him deeply, not enough to take his whole head off, but to leave him to suffer as he bled out. My eyes went wide as Rick didn't hesitate to yell, taking out his gun to fire at the man as he quickly ran backwards.

"No!" I screamed, gripping my gun tightly as I began to fire bullet after bullet at his people, not missing one time. They all started to drop like flies, taking out one after another though there was a lot of them, barely making a dent no matter how good my aim was. I heard both Maggie and Beth sob and scream for their father and it made my heart break even more. I couldn't bring myself to look at them.

Not a single person hesitated to start shooting from around me as well, Daryl letting out an angry grunt before hitting a few of his men directly in the forehead. I watched as Michonne rolled effortlessly to dodge all of the bullets flying around, covering her as best as I could as I shot the few people that were still surrounding her.

"Fuck!" I screamed as I kept firing, saying it over and over again to myself like a prayer. I didn't want to process that he was gone, I didn't want to believe it, my brain couldn't even wrap around the idea.

I saw that Rick made it safely back behind the bus but cried out in pain as he had been shot somewhere in the leg. He couldn't stand up as he kept leaning back to shoot at them, ducking back behind the vehicle as he briefly looked over his injured leg. A lump formed in my throat as I kept firing one bullet after another, but I couldn't cry, not now. That would only distract me, when I needed to make sure none of these assholes made it out alive.

My eyes widened in sudden shock as The Governor made his way back on top of the tank, watching as it began to move forward and take down the fences, "That son of a bitch is coming in! We need to move now!" I yelled at my family around me before turning back and firing a few more times.

Harshly grabbing Carl's arm, I called for Daryl to follow me as we made our way towards the guard tower we could hide behind. Watching as his men now got into the various cars as they made their way closer to the building. I separated myself from the boys so we could cover more ground, quickly shooting through the windshields at the drivers coming closer to us, anger clouding my vision.

The tank began to fire at the prison as it inched closer, glass breaking and concrete crumbling from all around me as it began to destroy everything. I looked back to see the damage that they caused and noticed some of the people from Woodbury coming out with guns to help us. I turned back and kept shooting and tried to aim for The Govenor, but he always seemed to have some bitch with him to block any of the bullets, and if that one died, he would call a new one over.

My eyes then glanced to see Ty walking closer to try and get a better shot, "Ty! Move!" I yelled at him, and he ducked right as a bullet flew just past his head. He looked back and gave me a grateful nod before popping back up and shooting again.

I scanned around the area to see who I could find, noticing quickly that Beth was missing, causing my heart to drop to the pit of my stomach. But I could only assume she ran off somewhere safe, knowing that she was smart enough to get away on her own. Just then Maggie rushed over towards me, avoiding all the gunfire as her back then leaned up against the wall right next to my figure.

"Where's Beth?" I asked over the gunfire.

"She ran towards the bus, she's safe." she said without taking her eyes off our surroundings, maneuvering around the giant wall to shoot.

I nodded and swallowed thickly, trying not to think about what I witnessed just moments ago, sensing she was doing the same thing with her cheeks soaked in tears. But she quickly perked up, looking even more panicked than before as she realized something.

"Glenn...Glenn's in the prison, I have to go get him." she said frantically.

My eyes widened and I nodded my head quickly, "Get him out of there, I'll cover you."

She nodded in appreciation and looked up momentarily before running back to the building as I looked up to shoot anyone who was aiming her way. I killed about two other men before I had to duck down once again, bullets flying over my head and missing me by a hair.

My eyes glanced back over to where Daryl and Carl once were, but my heart stopped when I saw that they were gone. A harsh breath passed my lips as I raised my gun to shoot a few more times before running towards the prison doors where I left our bags. I scanned around to see his was still there and I didn't know if I should feel relieved or even more worried.

He could be dead, or he could still be here fighting, I had no idea either way. But I found I couldn't focus on it for too long. My ears then perked up when I suddenly heard my name being called amongst all the chaos, but it wasn't a deep southern accent like Daryl's, it was much higher pitched. Recognizing it immediately as I scanned through the crowds of people for her bright blonde hair.

"Rose!" Beth called out to me, and I turned just in time to see her sprinting in my direction. I quickly pulled her by the arm so we could block ourselves from view behind the prison wall before I uttered a word to her. Once we were safe enough for a few moments I pulled her in for a brief hug before pulling back quickly with my hands on her shoulders as I looked her over.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked frantically.

She shook her head, "No, no, I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." I repeated back to her, "Honey," I gently put my hand on the side of her face so she would pay attention, "You need to get everyone on the bus, okay? Get everyone ready to go."

She shook her head more harshly, "Come with me."

"No, I can't, I have to find Daryl. I have to make sure he's okay." I spoke.

"I can't- I can't leave you." she said, tears pooling in her eyes from all the overwhelming events.

"You can." I said calmly and brought her in for another tight squeeze, "Now you need to get all the kids, all the old people on this bus, okay?" I paused, "I love you." I whispered, trying to keep myself together.

She nodded her head, "I love you too."

I pulled away quickly with a nod, "You stay safe, you hear me? Stay safe." I said before loading my gun and turning around the corner to shoot at anyone who made it too close, noticing the amount of smoke that now filled the air.

Her hesitant and slow footsteps finally ran off towards the bus, but not without looking back to me a few times which broke my heart even more. But I pushed all of that aside to try and find Daryl, scanning around at the hundreds of people for what felt like the millionth time to try and spot his familiar frame. I knew he was smart, he was the smartest goddamn man I knew, but everyone gets unlucky sometimes. And all I could do was pray that luck was still on his side.

Exhaling a breath to prepare myself, I ran back out into the chaos cautiously and came face to face with a woman I didn't recognize, quickly shooting her in the head without a second thought. I made my way past the broken gates and noticed that the tank pushed through the last fence before the prison, The Governor's people now spread out everywhere to attack us.

My eyes were then drawn to two men shooting automatic gunfire at something in the distance, backing up slightly as my eyes widened once I recognized who it was. Daryl managed to peer around the corner, attempting to shoot at them though it was hard as it was two against one. The men didn't seem to notice me from a few feet away, so I quickly cocked my gun silently and easily firing at them both, watching them fall dead, before taking off in a sprint toward him.

He poked his head up confused as to why the bullets stopped, but then he saw me, and instant relief washed over his face. I made it over behind the makeshift wall he was hiding behind and he quickly pulled me in for a bone crushing hug. I laughed lightly at the gesture as a few tears welled in my eyes, seeing for myself that he was really okay and alive. That's all I could bring myself to care about right now.

He then pulled back and took my face in his hands. "Ya okay?" he asked, scanning my face for any obvious injuries.

I nodded, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said gruffly before pulling me in for a quick kiss, but it didn't last long seeing as more people spotted us from behind the wall and Daryl let out an annoyed grunt before raising his gun to shoot at them. I followed his actions, but was surprised to see they were already dead on the ground before I could even bat an eye.

"Damn...you work fast." I breathed.

He smirked for a split second before more gunfire echoed around us, but instead of fighting back, he pulled me back down behind the metal, "It's too dangerous for ya to be here!" he yelled over the shots, "I need ya to get yer stuff and get somewhere safe. I can't risk losin ya out here!"

I shook my head immediately, "No, no way, I'm staying right here. Who knows if we'll find each other again?"

"I need ya safe Rosie... please." he begged softly, seeing in his eyes he didn't want to let me go, but then again, he didn't want me dead either.

I found myself very conflicted, seemingly still looking unsure as he spoke again, "I'll find ya...I promise. Even if it means trackin ya for the rest of my fuckin life. Ya run into the woods, ya get on that bus, do whatever ya gotta do to get yourself safe...and I'll find ya."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked, flinching slightly at the loud pops.

He placed his hand on the side of my face, "Cause I'm a damn good tracker. And I will. not. stop. till I find ya."

I knew he meant every word and even though every part of me was screaming to disagree and tell him no, the shots were only growing closer, and I didn't have much of a choice. I slowly nodded my head as a few tears fell from my eyes, blurring my vison as I tried desperately to look at him for as long as I could. He swallowed his emotions as he pulled me into him one last time.

"I love ya... so much." he whispered, placing a lingering kiss on my forehead.

"I love you too." I whispered back and kissed him once more, "I will see you again."

His eyes flickered with the familiarity, nodding his head quickly whilst repeating the phrase right back to me, "I will see ya again."

I nodded once more, pulling away with a heavy heart to run in the other direction while he rose to his full height, firing his gun to cover me. I sprinted all the way back to the door of the cellblock and grabbed my things, shooting at anyone who got in my way as I squinted through the smoke. From where I was, I couldn't see anyone I recognized, just a shit ton of walkers that now began to flood through the open gates as they were drawn into the noise. Like moths to a flame.

My head whipped back up once I heard the sound of the bus peeling out of the fences, leaving tire marks behind on the pavement with how fast they were going. Shit. I quickly forgot about that plan, scanning the area instead to try and find some sort of opening that led straight to the woods and away from the disaster. My machine gun clicked as I shoved through the herd of flesh eating monsters, tossing it carelessly to the side as I grabbed the revolver from my belt and shot any more that were in my way.

Though I was still hesitant, calling Daryl's name through all the noise one final time, but there was no response to my voice. I groaned in frustration, not having any more time to wait around as more walkers began to take notice of me. So, I ran.

Sprinting towards the trees, I tried desperately not to think of the things I was leaving behind, not wanting to think about all the things we had now lost. My feet carried me faster than I've ever ran before, avoiding walkers and careful not to trip over the countless dead bodies lying around the fields that were once fenced in. The concrete walls that protected many families, including my own, were now blown to bits and crumbling more and more. And walkers took over from everywhere as they were following the sound of the gunfire, seeing the smoke that started to rise.

I felt like I was running for hours before I finally stopped to catch my breath, but I didn't expect for my legs to completely give out, collapsing onto my knees in the dirt from exhaustion. I laid down flat on my back to try and control my ragged breaths, long minutes passing by before I felt that I could breathe normally again.

My eyes scanned the area around me as I slightly sat up, pausing when I saw a little creek sitting in the middle of the forest. I shakily removed my bag and bow and arrows from my back, slowly making my way over to get a drink and splash some of the water on my face.

But as soon as the cold liquid hit my cheeks, it was like I was snapped out of my daze, and everything started to come crashing back to me. I felt my shoulders slump as soft sobs started to come out of my mouth, tears beginning to stream down my face. I had just lost everything. Everything was ripped away from me in a matter of minutes, not knowing what to do now that I was completely alone. I didn't know where any of the others were, I didn't even know if any of them made it out alive.

But one thing I knew for sure; we lost Hershel, and I couldn't stop thinking about the last small smile he had on his face in his final moments. He looked so hopeful, so proud, too good for this world. My sobs only grew louder at the thought of him, and I couldn't seem to calm down, thinking back to the last things that we said to each other.

"I love you...I just want you safe and healthy. I'm allowed to worry."

He hugged me and told me he loved me. That was one of the last things we said to each other and a part of me felt relieved. I thought that those might've been just about the best last words you could ever say to someone; that you love them. Although he shouldn't have died at all, I was at least a little thankful that I told him how much I appreciated him, how much I cared about him. But it dawned on me that I never saw him again face to face after that, which only made my shoulders shake more at the thought.

However, I quickly took my head out of my hands and wiped the remaining tears from my eyes. No crying. I had to mourn his death, but not now. Not when my family was still out there possibly alive. I shook my head; they were alive, I just had to find them. I wasn't the best tracker the world has ever seen, but I was still determined, and that had to count for something. Especially when I wasn't even close to giving up now.

I quickly stood back up to my full height and went over to gather up my things, grabbing a hair tie to get my hair up and off of my neck, but when I went to take the purple clip out, I felt it wasn't there. My eyes scanned around at the dirt and mud around me for a moment before I cursed under my breath as it must've fallen out. But that was far from important as I picked up the rest of my things, now gluing my eyes to the ground to look for any types of footprints.

I scanned the dirt over and over but all I could see were walker tracks, easily deciphering them from someone alive because of how messy their pattern was. Like drunk humans. I wasn't able to see anything out of the ordinary as I started to move completely out of the area, but suddenly, there was another set that caught my eye.

There in the dirt were two sets of tracks, one was messy, whilst the other seemed to be in a straight line. I furrowed my brows in confusion, but this could easily be someone from the group, maybe one of them was hurt while the other one supported them as they walked. It was worth a shot to follow; so I did.

I found myself leaving my own tracks behind, making sure they were visible so if Daryl...when Daryl found them, I would be easier to find. I just prayed I could find him soon as the worry began to set in. Though I tried to stay focused, following the lingering path that was left behind and heading into the unknown.

~ Thanks for reading!

Taglist - @justareader95 @hayley1998 @ryoujoking @sipsthecoffee @winterassassin1804 @marsmallow433 @catlalice @writingstreetspirit

[diazpatcher]

7x09 my thoughts

"my resignation" WHAT BOBBY WHAT. this man needs extensive therapy bc why does he think he doesn't deserve good things.😭

Athena being the supportive wife she is. "Walking away from the 118" THOSE ARE YOUR KIDS

Edmundo noches is at it, with his ex dead wife's doppelganger 💀 the date is waaaaaaaaaaay to romantic for 2 people who aren't an official item.

Eddie baby no, you're not only emotionally cheating you are full on cheating bro 😭💀 pls let her be part of his mental breakdown.

Athena fighting for bobby even when bobby doesn't want to anymore:( Athena is such a great wife I can't fucking handle it.

Finally they talk about Bobby's struggles, of balancing his past and his present and the guilt he has😭 as much as I want retirement for the Grant-Nashes I don't want Bobby to leave 😭

Bobby is straight up evil, he wants to retire and before he does so, he takes care of every single person in his team "they're not the only kids you're raising Mother Hen"😭

BUCK is the Chef😭 BRO THE WAY HES ACTING MAKES ME THINK HES GONNA DIE😭

Buck and Eddie cooking together😭

Buck looking at Bobby the way a kid looks at their dad waiting for praise 😭 im not okay bro that whole sequence fucked me over. BOBBY😭 7 years😭 "here's to seven more" 😭 Their father son relationship makes me want to chew on glass 😭😭😭 "it's been my pleasure kid"

BUCK MEETS THE DOUBLE, OMG. THE WAY HIS FACE FELL😭 He is so fucking funny I can't 😭OH OH BUCK IS MAD. He used the Back door💀😭 The way he's trying to figure out if Marisol is still around lmao😭 "Eddie who's kim" HILARIOUS ACTUALLY. "Marisols my girlfriend, she just a friend" "a friend who's a dead wringer for your dead wife' OKAY BUCK😭 Buck has healed he is ready to confront and pull Eddie out of his ass. The way Eddie is trying to justify his actions, "does this poor woman know thay she is a carbon copy of your dead wife"

"Im worried about you" HUSBAND BEHAVIOUR 😭😭😭

The kids🥺🥺😭 Wilson-Han family is so special to me❤️ Chim knowing something is wrong with Bobby!!!

I knew that the Council woman was gonna be a bitch. I knew it.

I feel so bad for Kim. She got pulled into this mess it's insane. "But I'm not her" THIS POOR WOMAN. she knows Eddie just wants to replace Shannon with her 😭😭 heartbreaking. "which was not fair to you"

Hey anyways Eddie did that after buck talked to him even his break up with his ex wife's doppelganger is colored by the interactions with buck.

"I never meant to lead you on"

"but you did" 😭 "I guess she was the love of your life" STOPOP😭😭😭

Eddie should be talking about this with Frank 💀

"living happily in Florida with his husband" lmao💀 Okay either Amir is gonna help Bobby or he's gonna torch the place. oh he's gonna torch the place. right.

Mom and Dad are fighting 😭 oh god Athena is so desperate. She's trying so hard. "You're making your round to say goodbye" 😭 Athena still worrying about Bobby being suicidal. "And you're standing on the ledge of a building again, Bobby." 😭 I'm in shambles. somebody glue me back together.

Athena doesn't know about the Book...

"I threw it in the trash on the night of our first date." She gave him hope that he was worth something 😭.

Garica is a BITCH. idc what happened to her she's a bitch. Who is she to refuse Mara a home😭 just bc her idiot son refused treatment. They're ripping apart a family they don't give a shit. Fuck CPS. fuck those 2 especially. ripping Mara out of Karen's grasp what the fuck. Fuck this what the fuck.

WHAT. THE FUCK. IS KIM DOING. SHE GOT A HAIRCUT AND IS.WEARINF SHANNONS DR3SS???????? Eddie looks as horrified as I do. She's pretending to be Shannon IM GOING INSANE. Kim is so smart istg. "You have to let me go" 😭 She is doing the right thing but my god this is psychotic to watch 😭

Eddie finally FINALLy letting go of Shannon is so 😭 he deserves peace. Eddie breakdown era 2.0 let's go. he sounds like a little boy so scared and angry and hurt. CHRIS WALKING IN WITH MARISOL !!!

Bobby, Bobby??? bobby... oh. oh no. He is, he's drinking. Oh my god. he dreamed of his dad while HIS HOUSE IS ON FIRE. ATHENA!! he gets to save his family this time. BOBBY???? HE HAD A HEARTATTACK WHAT.