#ch: lilly

[cautiously0ptimistic]

from left to right:

Sabrina, Nolan, Reagan, Spencer, Corrine, Lilly, Lucas, Ivy (formerly Nina), Ariel, Vaughn, Yasmin (formerly Alexandra), Samael, Xavier, & Daphne (formerly Roxana)

[finestmoment]

lilly attempted to cover the bruise on her face with foundation and concealer, but her lip was swollen and it was hard to disguise. "i'm fine. it's nothing." lilly answered the person. her boyfriend was still abusing her and he hadn't left his wife.

[editfandom]

Beverly Marsh - It, 2017

[lady-lilly-gray]

look at my child my prince my beloved he's baaack

[diathadevil]

My post canon HC for Princess Tutu is that after Gold Crown is restored the main cast just ends up reforming themselves through a bunch of modern music. Fakir goes from listening to MCR to switching it over to The Killers. Maybe even Paramore (something him and Rue would eventually bond over).

Meanwhile Ahiru ends up learning about Carly Rae Jepsen’s discography.

[1000sunnygo]

One Piece 1093

//long post, manga spoilers ahead

Congratulations to Law for his second time trending as "Law's female form" and congrats to Kamiya Hiroshi too for trending alongside him!! (her?)

I have no doubt that Law's role would always be special to Kamiya. The way he strained his voice to raise his pitch to a new high made my throat sore on his behalf..... But I liked it more than I expected! I could feel in my bones that it was an uncomfortable transformation Law wanted to free himself from as soon as possible bwahahah

I like the anime original dialogue とにかく、ヤベぇ！(tonikaku, yabee!) Even with my crap japanese it was as hilarious as hearing him say "Anyway, I'm cooked!" I don't think Law uses the term "Yabee" a lot so that felt refreshing lol

It seems the more controversial quote was this one, the speech in Japanese would be literally translated to "my strength isn't coming out as usual". Personally, I didn't immediately associate it to weakness due to being woman but moreso as an additional side affect that came with it, after all, it's dubbed as a disease. I like to think Doc Q didn't only come up with it as a deranged fantasy but to impose a real handicap for the victim to have their body modified in a way that limits their ability to fight and use their usual powers, either due to magic or just out of discomfort. Unlike Ivankov's fruit that alters hormones, it's just a physical change, it makes sense why it's more unnatural and uncomfortable.

The female Law scene was animated by Yuu Yoshiyama, he also did Hancock's scene from Amazon Lilly invasion episode. The scene was fanservicey but thankfully not as over the top as the Bonney scene from few episode prior to this one. The episode didn't drag on even during the slower parts, the screentime was well spent. The obnoxious, repetitive closed up reaction shots weren't there.

Moving on to B part, nothing much to speak of Ishizuka's brilliant storyboard that hasn't been said. My favorite observation was this:

Some parts where characters didn't immediately follow up with a second attack was frustrating until I remembered Blackbeard and Law both put their lives on line when they use their fruit and so can't take risks. Cheaper trick shots and silly gimmicks that people blame Law for not using more frequently were probably never the best option. That said, unfortunately, Law lost the moment he used both his strongest attacks onscreen and failed. I don't think the fight was longer than what we saw here. The anime just made it more obvious.

Another anime original dialogue I liked is Blackbeard saying "what a handy ability you've got!" right before their final clash. He was using Tremor fruit until that point and then he switched to his OG attacks, it was unsettling how he's not only fighting but looking at Law's abilities as something that he'll soon take away from him. Unlike Doflamingo, Teach had no pre-decided plan involving Law's fruit and considered selling the fruit as appealing alternate as using it for its abilities. Honestly, we can't underestimate Doflamingo's knowledge. There's no way he stays in prison during the final arc.

And finally the Kuzan scene,,

rightfully the most praised section and probably my favorite part of the episode too. According to his tweet, Henry Thurlow animated the Kuzan scene traditionally on paper. Let's give Toei credit where it's due; they let their animators take time, be creative and love their work. Otherwise we wouldn't get scenes like this.

And that's it! The first (and the last?) time we see Heart pirates in proper action. Ch. 1081 is only ~17 chapters away. Hopefully we'll see it animated around the middle of this year. Hopefully Law's current condition in the manga is updated by then, otherwise it'll be very painful.

Twice already. Petition to let Pandaman become an official member of heart pirates.

[twigg96]

Ch. 2: It's a Promise we Keep through Thick and Thin

Ride 'Em Cowboy

Ch. 1 Here

A Rodeo AU

Cowboy! Daryl X Male! EMT! Reader

Chapter Summery: Daryl and Merle head off to work at the ranch with tension building all throughout the day. When things finally come to an explosive fight.

Chapter Warnings: Ranch life, Lou, Merle and Daryl talk about things, swearing, accents, Merle is his own warning, Farm life and situations in farms, Smoking, Smokeless tobacco use,

Tag list: @crashlyrose, @wildcardadrian, @edgyboi10000, @ritosparty, @silly-lil-lee

The sun had hardly begun to rise in the sky when the first crow of the local alarm rooster tore Daryl from his dreamless sleep. Glancing to the bright green numbers on the microwave, Daryl sighed scrubbing his face hard. 5 AM sharp. They had exactly half an hour to get their shit together and out to the field before their boss would be knocking on their door wondering where they were at. Slowly Daryl sat up letting out a long and pained groan as his back ached in protest. These 12 hour days followed by three hour nights were really starting to kick his ass.

Grabbing the pack of nearly empty cigarettes sitting on the bed stand Daryl sighed, he'd brush his teeth later. He plucked a bent ugly one out of the pack. With a long exaggerated sigh, he used the tips of his fingers to pinch the tobacco back into the roll. The orange filter hung from his his bottom lip as he tapped the silver lighter out out of the carton. Striking it across his thigh he held it up to the end of his cigarette. Blue eyes watched the flame with determined double vision. Reaching up he cupped the brilliant flame with his other hand watching the cherry catch.

Smoke lingered in the air and circled around the shitty room in the double wide he shared with his brother. Wood paneling covered the walls making the room feel much darker and dreary than it really was. Certainly didn't fuckin' help anything that his boss refused to let them hang anything on the walls after Merle drilled a six inch hole in the wall "on accident."

Speaking of his dumbass of a brother...

Daryl stood up, albeit a little too fast for his body's liking, stumbling forward with a low growl tumbling to cling to the wall for support. His head spun and ached around his dry mouth and throat, waiting for the sick twisted feeling in his stomach to go away before pushed away with too much confidence.

The jeans he wore to bed would have to do. Bending over to dig through the clothes hamper was too big of a risk. Side stepping to his dresser drawers, Daryl pulled out a clean-ish white tank top and a button up work shirt. Anything that kept the critters from digging into his skin was a win for him, even if it didn't help to keep the sweltering heat at bay. Last but not least he plopped on his wide brimmed hat.

Stumbling out the door of his room Daryl pulled his belt tight, stuffing his shirt into the waistband of his jeans. He stopped at Merle's door covered in dated concert posters and models ripped straight from a sticky magazine. Rapping hard and fast on the thin plywood of the door he was surprised when it creaked open unlatched and unlocked.

The room wreaked of smoke, not just of the tobacco he was currently puffing on. Of weed and other substances he'd rather pretend he didn't recognize. Ignorance is bliss especially in the face of the police.

Posters covered the walls and holes Merle still needed to plaster over. An incense holder burned carelessly in the corner of the room adding to the range of smells in the room. The too large beige comforter shifted in strange lumps.

"Hey dick fer brains." Daryl growled, slamming the door open the whole way. "We got work-"

Well fuck him sideways!

Daryl stepped back his heart dropping straight into his fucking asshole. Sitting up in Merle's bed was that pretty little thing from the night before. Lilly? Louize? Jean? Didn't really fuckin' matter.

"Ah... wha-" She moaned pushing back her rat's nest of a mane. Grey sheets fell from her shoulders held only by her hand to cover her naked chest as she sat up to inspect Daryl with squinted blue eyes. "Oh... Oh I remember you." She slurred, her head lulling to the side, her bright blonde hair cascading down to cover her face. She pointed at the youngest Dixon giggling fondly.

"Yeah... your the one that's riding on Mermer's team." She mused bringing her right knee up to her chest. "What are you doin' here so early, cowboy? Didn't think training started til later." She hummed, tilting her head to lay her cheek on her knee.

Daryl swallowed hard and thick. Anger and frustration filling his chest as he stared at the woman laying in Merle's bed. Glancing to the floor Daryl shook his head at the entire predicament he found himself in.

"Got work..." He murmured soft, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, pushing his hat up over his eyes.

"Where's-" Daryl blinked, what had she just called his brother?

"Where's Merle?" He asked, staring down at his feet, silently wishing he had his boots on. The woman hummed clicking her tongue at Daryl.

"You're all work and no play aren't you?" She teased, winking at him. "Don't worry. He's in the bathroom. Said he needed to shower before he went to check on his farm for today."

Check on his farm? Poor girl...

Daryl sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "You gotta way home?" He asked.

Smirking the woman nodded. "Yes'm. Drove myself here last night when your brother called begging for a-"

"Aight." Daryl cut the girl off with a wave of his hand, turning right around down the hall ignoring the girl's giggles.

Dumb sum' bitch.

Storming to the bathroom door that hissed and billowed with as much fog as a couch fire, Daryl damned near kicked the door in with as much force as he pounded on it.

"Je-Sus!" Daryl could hear Merle swear, loud banging and tumbling was either Merle dropping his body wash or falling flat on his face scrambling to get the fuck out of the shower. Either way Daryl could give a shit right now.

"I thought I told ya." Merle cried, the sound of the faucet turning off and a drawer slamming shut only slightly amused Daryl. "Ta stay in the room and if ya had ta piss go outside!" Merle growled throwing open the door. A billow of steam surrounding him in all his naked glory holding only an old stained towel around his middle to cover himself.

What a ladies man...

Daryl glared daggers at Merle, his hands eyeing his brother as he stood silent and judging. The eldest Dixon's eyes widened and his face turned from anger and contempt to a fake smile that more resembled a sneer as he faced Daryl.

"Oh... mornin' little brotha. Take it ya ran inta Lou this morning?" He asked, smirking as if were no thing at all. Daryl stayed silent. His face and body reading the utter disgust he felt. Merle however didn't seem one bit affected, shrugging off his brother's indifference to grab his clothes from toilet seat.

"Ya wanna jump in the sha'er real quick 'fore we head off ta work?" He asked pulling on his boxers and jeans under the the towel. Tossing the damp cloth into a heap in the corner of the room when he was done.

It took all Daryl had in him not to punch Merle in the nose. The older man was sporting a shiner from the night before he never learned a damn thing from. Merle cocked a brow at his younger brother pulling his muddled wifebeater over his head.

"Her rack got ya all in a stupor or sum shit?" Merle teased patting Daryl on the shoulder as be pushed past, stumbling into the kitchenette. Daryl followed close behind his glare burning a hole into Merle's back. The thick smell of coffee mixed with the sweet smell of Merle's cheap ass cigars.

"Wha'?" Merle asked glancing over his shoulder, pulling down two coffee mugs for them both.

"Swalla yer tongue sometime last night?" He asked. Merle poured the coffee black straight from the pot into their thermos. The little red light on the side of the pot flicked off when Merle unplugged the machine. Daryl caught the tall green thermos he knew was his own by the faded peeling camo duct tape wrapped around it's middle.

Daryl rolled his eyes, stuffing his feet deep in his boots and grabbing his keys from the hook beside the door. The bright blue Prius sitting in front of their trailer stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the rusted trucks he and the other ranch hands owned. The broad owned one of the most suspicious cars to own for a marital affair out in the country...

With a shake of his head, Daryl huffed slamming the squealing door of his truck shut harder than he probably should have if he wanted the rust to stay put on the bottom. He tossed his thermos back into the back cupholder, tapping the steering wheel impatiently.

Slowly the sun's rays cast a red hue across the wheat field that swayed in the wind across the dirt road from their trailer park. The trees silhouetted cast long shadows across the ground and the air hung heavy with every breath he took even though it wasn't quite cold enough to see his own breath.

Tapping out his cigarette in the truck's ash tray Daryl glanced over to his brother as he slowly climbed in. "Well... lets get this over with..."

The ride to work was bumpy and rough. While usually filled with talks of bull shit and lies or the radio blaring too damned loud for how early it was in the morning, the ride was eerily quiet. Gravel crunched under the truck's tires and while the road wasn't too bad Daryl made sure to hit every pot hole possible just to make Merle's car sickness act up alongside the hell of a hang over he knew he was nursing with the coffee he was huffing.

"Fuckin' Christ Daryl." Merle hissed, clinging to the door handle for all he had. "Think ya could hit them holes any fuckin' harder?!" He growled. Daryl hummed a small but satisfied smile gracing his lips as Merle gagged winding down the window stuffing his bottom lip full of spearmint snuff.

With a glance out the open window Daryl watched the poor souls running the tractors plowing and preparing the crop fields who have been working since the crack of dawn. Corn swayed and bent as the combine tractor Merle had been banned from ever driving again drove carefully slowly and methodically through it, spraying the product into the wagon driving beside it. Taking off his hat Daryl stuck it out the window and waved at the drivers. Both drivers returned the favor in kind and if Daryl wasn't mistaken Merle had stuck his hand out to greet them as well.

Dancing and bare crop fields slowly turned to open and bare livestock farm land surrounded by both electric fences and barbed wire. Horses trotted happily around the paddocks shaking their manes and whipping the flies that bothered them with their tails. The loud ear piercing squealing of pigs could be heard a near mile away just over the ridge, tiny piglets running loose in the pen enjoying the morning dew. Goats stood proud on their perch of hay silently judging the Dixon's as they drove past. The smell of manure hung thick and heavy in the air. Even after cleaning the stalls three times that day it still reeked... but so was the ranch life and what getting paid so well included. It was the smell of hard work. A smell Daryl had long since become accustomed to.

The Dixons set to work as soon as they arrived at the main farm. Stepping out of the truck to go their separate ways for a time. They knew their duties by now. Merle went off to grab one of the four wheelers and inspect the fence. Daryl to grab his motorbike and herd them out of the field for the morning. The other hands used the prized horses the boss had available in the stable. Helped them get their exercise. But Daryl was never a fan of horses. In honesty they scared the shit out of him ever since he watched one kick Merle clean across the room.

Placing his hat on the fence post that held his black helmet, Daryl strapped the helmet on tight. The familiar gruff and jingle of tags came to greet him from behind. Daryl smiled at the Shepard mix patting him on the head. "Morning, Dog." Daryl mumbled, starting his bike with a loud roar.

Rolling down to meet the others at the pasture head. His boss Paul Monroe who everyone affectionately dubbed "Jesus" due to his long hair and his status as the ranch owner's son, sat proudly atop his horse Citation an all white horse who batted the flies away with his ears carelessly. The ranch's unofficial veterinarian Dr. Hershel Greene sat atop Nutmeg a name fitting of her color and personality. The doctor brought along his daughters. Maggie and Beth who rode together on Maggie's stallion Deacon.

Daryl flicked off the engine of his bike to hear the others clearly. The two gentlemen seemed to be discussing the morning's plans.

"Well, how many square acres of pasture we lookin' at?" Hershel asked sitting back on the saddle.

"We got about 50 acres in this lower section." Jesus answered, readjusting his riding gloves.

"Well we only need the heifers and the new calves right?" Maggie asked, her body swaying along with Deacon's movements. Jesus nodded eyeing the pasture ahead of them.

"Yeah... problem is that we got a couple of heifers that are late to drop. So we need ta find them and round them up as we're tagging the new calves and rounding the mommas in fer a health check and milking." Jesus hummed in response.

"Lotta land ta jest be plucking a few from the herd." Hershel murmured. "Gotta good chance ta misplace a few and get 'em mixed up." The elderly man glared out to the pasture towards the rolling mountains as dark and broad as any thundercloud.

With a nod Jesus hummed. "When we bring the mommas in we'll bring the whole herd in." He hummed. "But I gotta plan. Hershel and I are gonna ride up the right side of the pasture. I'll take inside. Hershel can take outside to the corners and send the herd round the fence. Just keep them in line. I'll send some product his way. Daryl I want you to ride up the middle and flush them cattle out the middle by reving your engine. Don't hold back we gotta get all these cattle out of here into the holding pen for check ups. Girls I want you to do the same as your dad. Just go around the outside of the pasture. Check the corners and thickets there and once Daryl flushes the cattle out of the thickets in the middle keep them in line and keep a good head count til Daryl meets ya ta help keep them in line. We'll take a total count at the gate and round back if we need. Just keep your radios on and comms open in case we get separated. And remember if ya see a calf without a tag, take the time ta clip it with one or we'll be off count later."

Daryl nodded dutifully clicking on the Bluetooth radio connected to his helmet. "Think I can manage that..." He hummed a smirk playing at his lips, leaning on the handle bars of his bike. Who was he kidding? He loved this part of his job.

"Isn't what Daryl's doing a little... inhumane? I mean your basically trainin' them babies ta be scared of yer bike." Beth asked softly, holding her hand up in front of her face to the sky to block the rising sun from blinding her. An audible sigh escaped both Hershel and Maggie as their horses stepped along with their annoyance.

"Ain't like that." Daryl murmured offering a shrug. "I'm doin' these calves a favor ridin' round in here. Desensitizing them ta the sound of mah bike and the quads that are ridin' round the pastures. Helps ta keep them from causin' a stampede when their older or gettin' spooked so easy by equipment noise. Keeps everyone safe in the end."

Daryl nearly gapped at the way Beth rolled her eyes at him. Shaking her head distastefully. "Don't sound like much of a favor ta me..." She hissed.

The hell got into that girl? Daryl thought shaking his head, glancing to Hershel and Maggie.

The older of the sisters however patted her leg. The signal Daryl understood too we'll for We'll talk about it later. Flicking the engine on his bike Daryl sat up straight signaling to the others he was ready to go. With a flick of his wrist Jesus took off, Hershel following close behind. One glance back Maggie flipped the reigns to Decan, taking off towards the fence.

Pulling back on the gas Daryl took off down the middle of the pasture, keeping a close eye on the fence on either side. Coming to a small group of cattle he round them to the right towards Hershel. Eyeing them for any orange spots or new wobbly calves Daryl moved deeper into the thicket when he didn't immediately notice either.

Slowly he rode over roots, through creek beds, and muddy sloppy waters. Engaging his brake he revved his engine loudly. Leaning back on his leather seat Daryl watched as several cattle bolted out either side of the thickets he sat in front of. Dog barked and growled at his side rounding his bike protectively as cattle came too close for the mutt's comfort. Stepping off his bike Daryl slowly walked up to a calf struggling to keep up with his momma. Grabbing the tag clippers from his back pocket he grabbed the baby around the neck. Holding his frail body firm between his legs Daryl acted quickly, holding it's neck close as he clipped the ear with the GPS tag. All the while keeping an eye on the protective momma stomping around nearby.

"I see ya there momma..." Daryl huffed standing up straight and releasing the baby back to the momma. Watching the others head off towards the girls Daryl flagged them through a thin spot in the thicket. Hopping back on his bike riding on.

The sun was much higher in the sky by the time the group was done herding the cattle into the holding pens. Higher still by the time they had sorted out the mommas into the milking machines with their babies nearby to keep all involved safe.

Sweat glistened off Daryl's forehead. The icy early morning air had rapidly heated up to near stifling and muggy. Sliding the black helmet off his head the rider was more than happy to replace it with his much cooler hat. Staring out at the yearlings released into two separate corrals. Now so energetic and ready to raise calves of their own when last year they were so little made the man brim with pride. Even if he had very little to do with their raising.

"Hey there cowboy." Maggie's smooth voice called out from behind him. Turning with a smile to the young woman Daryl tipped his hat to her.

"Maggie." He greeted her fondly, leaning heavily on the metal fence.

"Thanks fer yer help today." He mumbled his eyes flicking to the hole in her overalls from where they both had wrangled a particularly feisty steer into a holding pen to get banded.

She shrugged her brunette hair held back by a black hair band was slowly falling out, the baby hairs that made up her makeshift bangs framed her sweat beaded face.

"It's no big thing Daryl. Never was." She hummed coming over to lean on the fence beside him.

Daryl hummed. Their friendship felt like it had lasted a life time in this world when it all was said and done. The two had known each other since they each were tikes. Merle brought him along with him to work with him. He remembered clinging to his brothers sweaty hand holding back tears as the sun set, the work day over. Hershel acted more as a father than his ever even attempted to be. The day his mother died, it wasn't his father that comforted him but Merle, Maggie, and Hershel.

Though the two got into their fair share of shit too. Maggie would drag him out past the creeks and streams on her property. Little pellet guns in hand they'd shoot at anything that moved, pretending to be in some movie Daryl had watched while spending the night at her place. Mrs. Greene had tanned their hides for scaring off the birds in her yard that day.

He truly couldn't ask for a better friend.

"So..." Daryl sighed, a soft smile on his face his eyes flicking to the fluffy clouds slowly crawling across the sky.

"Yer sister..." He chuckled as Maggie leaned into his side, slapping him across the chest.

"Dixon..." Her voice lilted, her mouth hanging wide in awe with a gasp of disbelief.

"You wouldn't believe a girl like her could be so swayed by a boy... but... by god she has been." Maggie sighed scrubbing her face with a laugh. Cocking a brow Daryl laughed alongside Maggie.

"A boy huh?" He hummed.

"Need me ta come lay the bastard straight?" He asked. With a soft shake of her head Maggie sighed swiping frustrated tears from her eyes.

"Nah... Tyler's harmless. Just a city boy is all..." She rolled her eyes. "Got her changing her major and transferin' ta the big school with him in the Fall." Maggie huffed. "She said she wants ta go inta politics if ya can believe that bull shit."

Daryl huffed a scowl falling onto his face. His eyes fell to the dirt below them both. Watching the bugs that scurried and ran across the crabgrass that grew in struggling patches across the trail he stood on. His nose scrunching in distaste he scoffed. "Girl sounds like she's chasing a dream that ain't her own."

Maggie hummed in agreement, her boots drawing mindless doodles in the dirt. "That city boy is only gonna get her hurt..." She sighed.

Glancing at her at her from under the rim of his his hat a smirk played at Daryl's lips.

"How's that city boy of yers treatin' ya?" He asked chuckling.

"Yer daddy know bout him yet?" Maggie huffed in response, smacking him across the bicep once more earning a roar of laughter.

"Take not..." Daryl hummed pulling his hat back over his eyes playfully.

"Glenn's just fine, Daryl." She answered curtly.

"But... no daddy doesn't know I'm with him yet... he don't need ta know yet." Maggie huffed. "He had a cow when I went ta prom with you. I can't imagine how he'd react when I bring Glenn home."

Daryl chuckled stepping away from Maggie so she couldn't get another well placed shot in on him. "Yer dad loves ya. He just don't always know how ta show it."

A comfortable silence hung in the air for a moment. Maggie nodding and chewing her cheek in thought.

"So how's your brother?" She asked.

Daryl scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head he stuffed his hands so deep in his pockets he was sure he'd hit pay dirt. "Dumb as a sack of shit and just as useless." He growled distain thick on his face.

"That bad huh?" She asked, worry etched on her face.

A dark chuckle bubbled up from out of Daryl's throat. "Yeah..."

A shrill ear piercing whistle cut through the air catching not only Daryl's but Maggie's attention easily. Daryl pulled his hat back into place turning towards where Jesus stood high on the bottom rung of the fence waving at the two of them from a thousand yards away screaming his head off, though neither of them could hear him over the sounds of the cattle. Standing next to Jesus stood an unamused Hershel. His arms crossed firmly over his chest eyeing the two with a suspicious brow raised.

"Daryl!" Hershel's commanding voice called over the cattle and the equipment. "Yer ta go work on feedin' tha herd with yer brother!"

With a shake of his head Daryl shrugged at Maggie a deep chuckle emanating from his chest.

Speak of the devil.

"Duty calls, cowboy." She mused tipping his hat back. "You take care of yerself... ya hear? Call us if ya need anything." She said stepping into his chest to hug him tight ignoring the beaming glare Hershel sent their way.

"Easy now... yer daddy's bound ta shoot me yet." Daryl teased, ruffling her hair. "Ya take care too now little sister."

When Daryl finally made his way to the feed pens, having grabbed and downed a bottle of water first, he was unsurprised to find Merle leaning up against one of the support beams. Empty water bottle in hand he was currently using it as a spitter for the snuff he had switched to while he worked. Smokeable tobacco was forbidden in the livestock area of the ranch. Could spark a nasty fire and then no one would have a job.

"There ya are!" Merle chimed pushing off the beam placing the sloshing spitter down on the ground.

"Was wonderin' when you'd show up! Been standin' there and standin' there waitin' fer ya ta show up." He sneered. "Bet ya were off gettin' cozy with that little Greene girl again. Saw their truck here. Know you two have been real close."

Daryl rolled his eyes at his brother pushing past him to grab the first bail of hay. Not a word said to his brother. If Merle was affected, Daryl never noticed nor cared.

Tossing another bail of hay into the feed bins Daryl swiped his hand along his brow a drop of sweat slowly and easily tracing his temple down to his chin as he looked out the barn doors towards the pasture.

"See som'thing out there ya like?" Merle teased, scooping a handful of medicated grains from a metal bucket into the pens to keep the heifers from getting bloat.

"Nah..." Daryl sighed rubbing his hands on his jeans dust from the hay staining them a pale grey. "Don't see anything I like in here neither." He huffed turning to glare at Merle.

Freezing on the spot, Merle cocked a brow at Daryl. The scoop he had been holding feed in hanging precariously over the last cow's pen as they eyed it hungrily, tongues lapping and twirling in sloppy greed.

"Ya got a problem with me little botha?" Merle asked narrowing his eyes at Daryl, spilling the feed onto the cows carelessly.

Indeed. Indeed Daryl had several problems with Merle. He hated that Merle would show up to work late. He hated that he would be hung over and sick and claim he couldn't do his normal load but Daryl could pick it up. But most of all he hated that the bastard had a proclivity for volunteering him for damned near everything nowadays. Especially when he went around making things especially dangerous by fucking the one woman that could get them both fuckin' shot.

"Ya ain't say a damned thang ta me all day long and when ya do it's that horse shit?" Merle growled glaring at Daryl, finger flexing around the metal scoop dangerously. "You better fuckin' clear that attitude up right fuckin' now before we both have problems."

Daryl huffed turning his glare onto Merle he stayed still. His heart hammered hard and fast in his chest. Nostrils flaring as he paced across the pen.

"Yeah I got a problem... got a problem with yer fuckin' gamblin'." Daryl growled. He watched as Merle stood still a confused angry look on his face as he tried to put two and two together.

"Oh shit." Merle laughed shaking his head, his shoulders relaxing as Daryl rounded once more in the track he beat into the dirt of the barn.

"Is this 'bout that little cow ridin' gig I got you put into?" He whined a devilish smirk gracing his features as he strutted over to the metal bucket to drop the scoop back off with a final clang. "You should be thanking me for the exposure little brother... Them ladies will be crawling all over you by the time-"

"Nah... don't want that." Daryl hissed waving Merle off as if swatting a fly. The older man hummed not bothered in the slightest, instead simply nodding his head.

"Ya never were one fer that ladies... gotta wonder sometimes bout ya little brother." Merle sighed shaking his head.

With a roll of his eyes Daryl paced the width of the pen, honestly not hearing anything his brother said after that... he didn't give a damn what worried him and what didn't in his own dating life. Merle needed to get his own life under control.

But that Jaxson man... he gave Daryl the chills in a way only Merle's friends ever had before. He felt dangerous and the gun on his hip... just because he never wanted to talk to Merle again didn't mean he wanted to find him shot dead in the trailer one day...

"Hey!" Merle's rough voice pulled Daryl from his thoughts. Course calloused fingers wrapped tightly around his wrist keeping him from pacing further.

"Ya ain't still scared are ya?" Merle teased even if his voice betrayed the truth of his honesty.

"Scared a' wha'? Dying unsuspecting in the trailer one night because mah brotha couldn't keep his pecker to himself for one god damned night?! Yeah Merle I'd say that bothers me." Daryl hissed coming to a stop in front of his brother.

"Bein' impaled and trampled on ain't exactly high on my bucket list o' thangs I wanna do neither!" He hissed stepping into Merle's personal space. But, once again Merle didn't seem phased at all instead he shrugged a smile gracing his lips.

"Ain't nothin' you never done before... and Lou ain't gon' snitch on us. Her husband don't do tha thangs I do ta her so we ain't got nothin' ta worry bout." Merle said waggling his brows as if that would soothe Daryl daring to raise a hand to silently tell him to keep his voice down.

Daryl shook his head, pulling his arm away from Merle with a huff. Resuming his steady pace Daryl brought his hand up to his mouth, chewing the inside of his thumb.

"Nah... fuck that." He huffed pacing the small space between the feed cans.

"This ain't no steer wranglin' Merle. The goal ain't ta get them on the ground. Their goal is ta get you on the ground." Daryl hissed.

"Yeah but if anyone can-" Merle tried to counter a worried expression on his face.

"Eight seconds. One handed. That's the time I got ta beat ta fuckin qualify. Eight seconds of ridin'. Count it dip shit!" Daryl yelled, face turning beat red, slamming a fist into the can he stood near. The cattle in their pens screamed in retaliation to the loud sudden noise but in all honesty Daryl couldn't give a shit.

"There! There was eight god-damned seconds Merle! A blink of an eye! And that's how long I got ta stay on that fuckin' bull!" Meeting Merle's eyes Daryl watched a slow realization dawn on Merle one he wasn't sure he'd get out of his brother.

"And ta get any points I gotta make ridin't that bull in-" Slamming his fist down once more on time, he watched Merle jump at the sound, "that amount of time look fuckin good or else we won't get enough fuckin points ta pass inta the next round and win!"

With a swift kick to the support beam that left his toes aching in his steel toed boots Daryl growled low and frustrated struggling to catch his breath.

"Six seconds..." Merle muttered low and uncharacteristically soft. "Lou said it was six seconds cause it's an amateur ride."

Great. Just what Daryl wanted to hear.

Rounding on Merle, Daryl cocked back his fist adding more color to the shiner he created last night. "Yer a fuckin' prick." He spit.

Merle stumbled back holding his eye before falling flat on his ass.

"Wha- How am I tha prick?! I'm just tellin' ya what Lou told me!" Merle bit back glaring up at his brother. "I could let ya flounder on this little brother! I could jest tell ya ta suck eggs and find yer own way! But I aint gonna let ya do that!"

Cause yer hide is at stake too...

"Look... Lou offered ta let ya practice ridin' at her trainin' facility this week. That's why I had her over, Daryl... ta get in good with her and get ya practicin' at a real facility... so ya don't get on one of these tame bulls than get yerself kilt on them bastards they got in the rodeo!"

Glaring at the dirt Daryl chewed the skin of his thumb until he tasted blood and even he sucked it away to keep going until pangs of pain shot down his arm.

"Whatcha say little brotha?" Merle asked, slowly pulling himself off the floor.

Daryl couldn't hardly believe he was considering it... but what other choice did he have... He sighed letting his arms fall to his sides. "What makes ya think this Lou chick won't jest rat us out there?"

Silence fell like a heavy blanket on the two as they stood in the pen the cattle falling back into their routine, the tension still thick as hell between the brothers. "Dunno... but this is the best chance we got."

Daryl huffed glaring at Merle. "All cause ya couldn't keep yer damned hands ta yerself..."

[tunas-universe]

Hopes for Legends: Z-A ancestors/descendants :0

Will do both because when the fuck does this game take place

Kalos characters:

- Obviously the Sycamore-Diantha-Lysandre trio :0 (same w/ descendants)

- Potentially Emma? It would be cool to see an investigative journalist Emma ancestor

- VALERIE BECAUSE 1880’s-1960’S FUTURISTIC FASHION ON HERRRR????

- Olympia because I think her ancestor/descendant would look cool :]

- If in the past like 1960’s… younger Ramos?

- Obviously Serena and Calem

- CLEMONT AND BONNIE

- Grant because I think he’s neat

- Viola as a newsperson :)

- Xerosic descendant,,,

Etc. gens

- I’d expect to see a few Johto relatives? Especially with all the teasing, and Unova too. Imagine how cool it would be to have a Bianca relative running around.

- Fantina because it’s implied she comes from Kalos? I might be wrong

- LILLIE GLADION AND LUSAMINE FAMILY (specifically ancestors IT WOULD BE SO COOL)

- If set in the future, some URS descendants might be there? (Because they’re my blorbos + Given how French inspired they are for some reason, if Dulse gets a descendant and their name isn’t some form of Maria I’m going to sob ITS RIGHYT THERE, AND ACE WOULD BE AN AMAZING NAME FOR A SOLIERA DESCENDANT AND IT’S F R E N CH)

- Sada ancestor Turo descendant…

Will make a part two because I have more ideas but I gotta go to school :(

[avalonia320]

ch 4: every demon wants its pound of flesh

Louis and Lillie return to his old home in New Orleans to try and communicate with Claudia's spirit, but they inadvertently stir up something else instead, with disastrous consequences.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, October 6th

CORDELIA: Why is it every time I go somewhere with you, it always ends in violence and terror? BUFFY: Welcome to my life. CORDELIA: I don't wanna be in your life. I wanna be in my life. BUFFY: Well, there's the door. Please feel free to walk out at any time and live your life.

~~Homecoming~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Dream Walk by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, G)

Magic in the Moonlight by Skyson (Buffy/Giles, Explicit)

The Urgent Encounter by JammySmut (Buffy/Spike, Explicit)

gravestone by skargasm (Spike/Oz, M)

Final Stop -- Beacon Hills by ElsieHopea (Teen Wolf crossover, Buffy/Stiles, T)

Made with love by Liana_Medea (Angel & Connor, Connor & Colleen Reilly, Buffy/Angel, G)

Why Wasn't I Your Rebound? by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Drawing A Blank - Chapter 1 by EverythingElse (CherryGlowSticks) (Buffy/Spike, not rated [rated R on other sites])

Veni, vidi, vici - Chapter 1 by LadyInBlackandWhite (Harry Potter crossover, Angel, Connor, Angel/Cordelia, Buffy/Spike, Buffy/OC, T)

Make It Stop, Ch. 1 by Sigyn (Buffy/Spike, R)

Breaking Point, Ch. 1 by though_you_try (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Something True, Ch. 1 by BewitchedXx (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Sold Out, Ch. 1 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Be Back Before Dawn, Ch. 4 by Blissymbolics (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2] Ch. 55 by Ragini (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Unholy Matrimony, Ch. 11 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Great Escape from Oz, Ch. 6 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Fury of the Fallen, Ch. 2 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

I Live To Serve, Ch. 8 by BlueStories (Warcraft crossover, Buffy, FR21)

The Watcher, Ch. 31 by In Mortal (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Viral, Ch. 6 by Harlow Turner (Buffy/Spike, R)

Oh My Goddess, Ch. 6 by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, R)

These Endless Days, Ch. 13 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Drawing: A baby. by mrsmess (Buffy, worksafe)

A set of Buffy vs. Spike manips about their rivalry by spyder-baby (worksafe)

Buffy/Spike drawings inspired by LadyxB's story «Distraction» by flyora (worksafe)

Shitpost: the tension between 2 men and a bowl of cheerios by slurping-up-grass (The Vampire Diaries crossover, Spike/cheerios, worksafe)

Drawing: Joyce by the-bed-bugs-bit (worksafe)

Four Buffy/Cordelia gifsets by theveryunlikelywonderland (worksafe)

Buffy/Spike manips inspired by Geliot99’s stories, made by Claire (G)

Meme: Check your kids Halloween candy carefully. by whatkindofnameisbuffy (worksafe)

A Buffy/Spike fanvid by everythingselses ()

[Reviews & Recaps]

I just watched the unaired pilot! Honestly not knocking Riff Reagan but Alyson Hannigan is amazing! by OOKAPUCA1993

FRAY appreciation thread by Reddevil8884

Just saw Into the Woods (s5) and I am devastated 😔 by KENZOKHAOS

Phases by Important_Builder317

The Killer In Me S7 E13 (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) - Lisa Lilly

[Recs & In Search Of]

BtVS Recs [Buffy/Spike fic, Spike art and and an Eliza Dushku article] by apachefirecat

[Community Announcements]

THE MOUTH OF HELL, an 18+ semi-appless discord-based roleplay inspired by Buffyverse, is looking for players

[Fandom Discussions]

What I want to know is why the Scoobies never gave Spike a soul... by thequeenofsastiel

I wish they had made Spike softer in season 5 [AtS] by thequeenofsastiel

Dawn's kleptomania by Ok_Area9367

Most unlikely couple? by Obiwankimi

Guess what’s on this Spuffy mix I made my friend in high school 😂 by jaduhlynr

Does anyone feel like we never got Giles' mysterious backstory? by -andromeda

Creature of the week by ProfChaos85

Faith fighting against the Circle of the Black Thorn by horriblyfamiliar1

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter Celebrate Angel's 25th Anniversary [bleedingcool.com reports Instagram posts]

There's going to be a Little Golden Book "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Power of Friendship", publication date: July 1, 2025

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[gamerwoo]

idk if you’ve said / written smth abt this before but i was rereading josh’s tftp and jia’s comment abt lilly loving ari had me thinking abt an au where lilly was still alive and the three of them were together !! do u have any ideas what their dynamic would be like? if u feel like writing a drabble i’ll always read more tftp content but also i know ur work is tiring so i’d be interested in any headcanons too !!!! <3 hope ur doing well

i don't think i've ever mentioned anything about this tbh, and while i don't think joshua would've ever imprinted on ari or even found her had lilly still been alive (because if his powers did stop working he would've immediately went to a doctor because of lilly so he wouldn't have shown up at the same time that ari was brought in, and if lilly didn't die i don't think ari would've been fated to be with him. honestly i think if they had found ari by some chance, lilly and josh would probably treat her more like a little sister or something), i do think this idea is pretty cute so i wanted to write it even though i don't think this would be canon. it's just too cute to pass up hehe

»»————-　　————-««

All Lilly wanted to do was get the dishes done in a timely manner, which was why she had Chan on drying duty while she scrubbed at them. But of course, Joshua had to come up and wrap his arms around her waist, kissing her neck softly before whispering, "You need to go wrangle your mate."

She let out a sigh and put the sponge down by the faucet, looking straight ahead with annoyance on her features, "Why is she only our mate when it's convenient for you? Otherwise, she's only mine?"

"I think you answered your own question," he chuckled.

In the beginning, after Lilly and Soonyoung found her while following Eunjin one night when she was in a trance, Joshua didn't want Arinya being anyone's mate. He didn't want another mate and he was perfectly fine with sending her back wherever she came from despite his instincts wanting otherwise. But from the get go, Lilly wanted her to stay. Even if feeling another pull was a little confusing, she was willing to figure it out.

It was thanks to Lilly that Joshua even warmed up to the young werecoyote -- probably because it warmed his heart so much seeing the pair do almost everything together. Lilly was more than willing to teach Ari everything since she was so curious and naïve. She was also more willing to keep up with the younger girl's energy even if she got tired.

Even now, after Joshua finally accepted her, he would give up after a bit and hand her off to Lilly when Ari was too energetic or too curious.

"Is she chasing squirrels again?" Chan laughed.

Josh rolled his eyes, "How'd you know?"

Lilly let out another sigh and dried her hands off with a dish towel before turning around, her mate's arms sliding away from her, "You're annoying sometimes, Hong."

"No, that's kind of my only setting. You know that."

The two boys followed her out to the backyard just in time to hear a loud yelp, followed by a series of whimpers. Eyes scanned the area until the saw Arinya coming from the forest. Joshua took off running immediately getting to her right as she shifted back to her human form. Chan kept pace with Lilly as she followed right behind him.

"What happened?" Joshua demanded, cupping her face in his hands, her blue eyes filled with tears. He searched her body frantically for any signs of injury, hands moving over her body to turn her arms this way and that and to bend all of her joints to make sure nothing was broken as Chan shrugged off his button-up to hand off to Ari.

Instead, Lilly took it and went around behind her, helping her into it so she wasn't just naked in the backyard, because she knew the rest of the pack would probably come to see what she had whimpered at. But that was when she noticed welts on her back.

"Hey Shua?" she asked.

Ari cupped her left cheek and whined, "My face hurts."

Josh gently moved her hand out of the way to find a bee stinger in her cheek, and it was starting to swell. His hand was covering it before so he didn't notice it.

"There's a ton more back here," Lilly sighed, meeting Joshua's eyes over Ari's shoulder.

Josh held her upper arms and turned her around. Seeing her back covered in bee stings, he closed his eyes and sighed, "What did you do?"

"What happened?" Seungcheol called out, coming around from the front yard.

Arinya stayed facing Lilly as the older girl buttoned up her shirt.

"I followed a squirrel up a tree and there was a bees nest," Ari explained through sniffles. "I didn't mean to touch it, I promise!"

"We're not mad," Lilly promised.

Joshua, however, was chuckling at her, "Have we learned to stop chasing squirrels?"

Lilly frowned up at him, "Leave her alone."

"How bad is it?" Seungcheol wondered as more of the pack started coming from around the front or inside the house.

"She's got at least 20, probably," Josh shrugged.

"Are you allergic to bees?" Chan wondered.

Ari turned back toward him and shook her head before she looked up at Josh again, "My tongue feels funny..."

He noted she was talking with a little bit of a lisp and couldn't help but laugh, "Let me see your tongue, goofball."

She stuck out her tongue, and he immediately noticed the sting near the tip of it. He let out a loud laugh and asked, "What, did you eat one?"

"I don't know!" she whimpered, obviously distressed over her bee attack.

"Joshua, heal your mate!" Lilly scolded him. "Stop making fun of her!"

"Come on, kid," he sighed, obviously still amused. "Let's go to our room to heal you up."

Once upstairs, Joshua removed Chan's shirt from her body and Lilly started carefully pulling out the stingers that were still there, softly apologizing whenever Ari flinched or whimpered.

"Alright, open up. Let's fix your lisp," he chuckled.

She opened her mouth and Josh pulled the tiny stinger out. Instinctively, her eyes squeezed shut at the pain and she recoiled away from him, but he softly gripped her chin to keep her still before plucking the one out of her cheek. Despite her head turning away, he kissed the spot quickly and chuckled out a, "Sorry!"

"You should probably do her back first," Lilly told him.

"Am I supposed to heal her tongue?" he asked as Ari went to lay face-down on the bed. "How do I do that? I've never healed a tongue before."

"Just do her back, please," she sighed in annoyance. "I'm sure she's still in pain."

Josh just made a face at her before going onto the bed and kneeling beside the younger girl. He moved his hands across her back, healing the welts and removing the venom from her body to stop the pain and the swelling. After that, he had her sit up to do her cheek, and then he held her jaw and asked her to stick out her tongue again. All the while, Lilly sat behind her and kept her arms around Ari's waist.

Once Josh was done and Ari was back to normal, she slumped back into Lilly's body, "I think I need a nap."

"I think so, too," Lilly agreed, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Wanna lay down?"

"Yeah," she mumbled.

Joshua moved to get in bed with the two girls but Lilly quickly stopped him, "No way."

"What do you mean?" he protested.

"She's my mate, remember?" Lilly reminded him with a shit-eating smirk.

Joshua rolled his eyes and pounced on top of both of them, taking Lilly by surprise but getting Ari to giggle very loudly.

"Mates heal better when they're together. It's a medical fact," he stated. "So you can't fight me unless you want Ari to be uncomfortable for longer."

Ari's head tilted to one side, "But I thought you already heal--"

"See, she's delusional," he nodded. "She really needs both of us."

Lilly snorted and rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Hong."

"Yeah, whatever, Hong," Ari tried to imitate Lilly, but it just made both of them laugh.

"Y'know what, I think I'm gonna give both of you up," he decided.

"I think you're stuck with us," Lilly stated with a smile and a sure nod.

"Yup!" Arinya grinned.

Seeing his two mates smiling up at him, Lilly's head resting against Ari's, he couldn't help but just feel a wave of happiness and love. So he smiled even though he was rolling his eyes.

"If you're gonna twist my arm about it," he conceded.

[nani-nonny]

Hmm… I’m almost done with (a)paf ch.4 and I’m blue ch.11

I decided to split the original I’m blue ch.11 into two chapters under the same title Blue Impatience but part 1 is called Blue Lillies and part 2 is called Blue Encounters so look forward to that

And I cut a part from (a)paf ch.4 because I didn’t like the direction I accidentally started going toward hehe so I’m still editing it

[seacee16]

when petals fall | bangchan

bang chan x original female character

warnings: none

prev chapter // next chapter

!! FULL STORY ON AO3 !!

ch. 17 ~ when you're on your own

It started off slow. Five new followers on social media. And then 120. And then 6470. The number kept growing like the panic seeping into Sakura’s mind, wondering why people were suddenly finding her uninteresting art posts and rare selfie so intriguing. Then came the comments. These she didn’t see, not until it was too late anyway. There was also the blurry image that started to circulate every platform used by any fanbase. It was grainy, zoomed in as far as it could go, but you could just make out the shape of a woman’s figure in the reflection of a car window. This wasn’t unusual, it was normal for idols to have female staff with them for trips. But that wasn’t what had caused all the attention to find her. It was the reflection of Chan next to her own, hand resting on her waist for a moment longer than what would be normal for a staff-idol relationship. There were videos too. Of Chan staring at her with a wide smile at their fan-meet not too long ago. Of his hand on her back as they walked through the crowded airport. After that, things started to snowball at a rapid pace. All it took was one comment from someone saying that their mother had seen the Stray Kids leader visiting a woman while fetching her younger sister from an art class and suddenly the media were all over her. And a large amount of the attention was not in a good light, neither for her nor Chan.

Sakura stared blankly at the screen of her laptop, unconsciously scrolling down through the waves of comments mentioning her by name. It was scary how fast they had managed to find out who she was after that one claim. She had made every account to her name private, but that didn’t stop the theories from spreading like a wild fire.

Are they dating?

Are they married?

Maybe Chan got her pregnant and now she’s blackmailing him into keeping her around?

Surely, they’re not together, she’s nobody important.

And then came the articles. A friend from home had been the first to send it to her, worried about what it would do to her. The more she read, the more she found truth wound between the words of theory. One in particular had been ruthless. Written by a supposed fan, it went into some detail of her past, having dug up posts from the darkest point in her life and somehow using it as reasoning for why she was suddenly in the idol’s presence. As if she saw her end as a way to exploit the golden heart of the Australian leader. The nausea came as a single post from the day of her father’s passing was brought up, bringing back emotions that burned as she tried to suppress them. Sakura left the rest of the article unread, not wanting to see what other secrets and lies they may have written about. She had tried to live a quiet life in Seoul. Her last few months at home had been chaotic, full of people rushing in and out of their lives, all promising to stay as they took one step out the door.

With a sigh, she pushed the screen down, ignoring the dull ache in her wrist as she did so. Her legs felt heavy as she stood, dragging herself over to her bed before laying down and pulling the sheet up to her chin. Her hands felt around for the plush penguin that stayed at her side as she slept, holding it to racing heart.

There was a knock at her bedroom door.

“Sakura? Can we come in?”

With a sigh, she got back up and trudged towards her bedroom door to unlock it, allowing the door to swing open on its own as she walked back to the nest she had formed on her bed. Pushing aside crumpled balls of drawing paper and scattered pencils, she sat down against her pillows and watched as her friends approached her. Soo-yun sat carefully at the foot of her bed while Lilli chose her seat at her desk. Both of them seemed to look at her with sympathetic eyes. She hated it.

“I really hope you two didn’t come in just to stare me down. I’m not a tiger in a zoo.”

Soo-yun let out a breath, one she might have been holding the entire time. “We saw the article.”

“So has the rest of South Korea, and a few hundred thousand people outside of the country. What’s new?”

“We also saw the tweets,” Lilli added on. “I know you’re not one for sharing your burdens, but we should talk about it, Sakura.”

“I really don’t want to,” she admitted, knowing well that her roommates wouldn’t just let it go.

“You should deny it, Sakura,” Soo-yun told her, seeing the way her friend’s face pulled into a sour frown.

Sakura dragged a hand over her face, letting her hair fall like a veil around her face. “I don’t think it’s that easy. I doubt they’d all believe me alone. My best bet might be to just wait until his company releases an official statement denying everything before I say or do anything.”

There was a silence that fell over the room, the type that only came when something was being held back. Sakura would be blind not to notice the look shared between her company, as if they were trying to coax one another into saying something. Her eyebrows furrowed. Their hesitance poked at her skin, annoying her. “Can you please just say whatever it is you want to say? You’re making me incredibly anxious right now?”

With a sigh, Lilli asked, “Is there really anything for his company to deny?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you dating him, Sakura?”

Were they dating? No, they had never actually gone on any dates, and he hadn’t asked her either. They hadn’t really spoken about it. The circumstances surrounding their friendship had always been complicated. She didn't want to be in the light, and he didn't want her to be hurt by it. She thought back to their recent times together. Their kiss in Jeju. Waking up in his arms. The shared glances at his fan-meet. Their time in her classroom. Hugging and hand holding and wishful gazes. Despite all of this, they weren’t dating. So, why did her heart ache as she denied it?

And then came a question that hurt even more.

“Has he contacted you since then?”

He hadn’t. No message or call. However, she had her suspicions as to why there was nothing but static silence from the male since the rumours broke out. She’d noticed it before. When things like this happened, the group would disappear from all platforms for a week or too. The media ban was common, meant to keep the group from further controversy until the heat died down.

“No, but I don’t think it’s by choice.” Her friends didn’t seem to believe her claim, but nodded anyway.

“With the amount of negative attention this is getting, the group is most likely on a media ban.” Sakura hummed in agreement, having her thoughts confirmed by the other girl. “So, she really has no other choice but to wait.”

“This is ridiculous,” Lilli said under her breath. “He isn’t the only party involved in this whole thing. Would it really be that much of an inconvenience for them to let him speak to you about this? He isn’t the only one affected by this. Hell, I’m pretty sure you’re being affected by this even more than he is.”

A sigh passed Sakura’s lips as she said, “it’s not his fault.”

“It kinda is. His fans are attacking you. His company is keeping him from contacting you. This is because you were with him. The least he could do is sneak you a quick message asking if you’re okay, which you clearly aren’t because who would be after having such terrible things written about them. They’re horrid! It’s all so-“

“Lilli,” Soo-yun said, her stern eyes contrasting her soft expression. The nurse stopped, looking towards Sakura before letting out a breath. She mumbled a ‘sorry’ before reaching over to squeeze her friend’s hand.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be okay, Lils. It doesn’t bother me that much.”

Soo-yun noticed the way her eyes dropped, her mouth pulling into a deep frown. “But you’re worried about him,” she stated, needing no confirmation from the girl. It was easy to tell. Her gaze kept flickering to her phone, discarded at the end of her bed.

“Of course, I’m worried about him, Soo-yun. He,” she paused. Sakura thought back to the night it rained, the things they spoke about in between the deafening bouts of rain. When, for the briefest moment, he willing passed over his sky, and then offered to carry hers with it. “He’s going to beat himself up about it. He worries an unhealthy amount. God, he already gets such little sleep and doesn’t eat close to enough and it frustrates me because I know I’ll be the cause of that stress now. I want nothing more than to call him and tell him that he shouldn’t worry about me. They have a comeback soon. He should be focusing on his music and his members. He should be excited, but I can literally picture him pulling at his roots worrying about me. It kills me to know that he probably thinks this is all his fault when it isn’t.”

Lilli and Soo-yun exchanged a glance, both thinking the exact same thing as they watched their friend. Sakura had been so hesitant to leave the safety of their apartment after arriving in Seoul. She refused to introduce more casualties into her life. She was tired of being hurt by her own optimism. And yet, here she was, walls down for the first time in months, with nothing but worry and longing in her eyes as she spoke about him.

“The ban won’t last forever, sweets,” Soo-yun reassured her, a motherly smile on her face as she stared into glassy eyes. “You’ll hear from him.”

“And,” Lilli interjected, “just because you can’t hear from him, doesn’t mean he can’t hear from you. He may not be able to respond, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to get the message. You can still check in on him, be there for him.”

They were right. He would still be able to see her messages, he just wouldn’t be able to let her know that he received them. Would that be enough to ease the discomfort in her chest? Knowing that he could hear her, even if she couldn’t hear him? Would he believe her? Would he be okay?

Sakura snapped out of her daze as her roommates stood to leave.

“For what it’s worth, Sakura, he made you happy. That much was easy to see. And if he makes you happy, then I’m rooting for you.”

Once the door had shut behind them, Sakura made the stretch for her phone. There were a few minutes of contemplation, thinking of what she could say to him. Nothing that came to mind seemed good enough. Safe enough.

Fuck it.

Sakura typed out her message, pressing send before her head to convince her that the entire text had to be rewritten a second or third or sixth time.

 

>> Sakura: I know a lot of things. I know that you can’t respond to this right now. And it’s okay. I’m okay. I know that you are probably worried about me. I know that you likely think this is happening because of some error on your part. You’re thinking ‘I wasn’t careful enough’ or ‘I should have hidden better’ or ‘I shouldn’t have gone back that second night’. I know that you’re terrified of how this will affect your members, and honestly, I am too. I never wanted any of you to get be hurt by my presence, especially when all you’ve done is remind me that hurt isn’t the only thing I am capable of feeling.

>> Sakura: I know this is a long shot, but I’ll be at the river tonight, and tomorrow, and probably the night after that as well. I have a lot of thinking to do these days.

>> Sakura: I wouldn’t mind your company…if your ninja skills are up for it, that is

>> Sakura: I hope you’re okay, Nemo

>> Sakura: and I’m sorry

DELIVERED

 

Tossing her phone as far away from her as possible without damaging the device, she wrapped herself back up in her blanket and shut her eyes, praying for sleep to come before the anxiety-driven thoughts did. But it never came. She lay awake behind dark lids for minutes that felt like hours, each thought that plagued her worse than the last one. It wasn’t long before she gave up, unravelling her cocoon. It was still too early. There was too much time between now and then. The park was too busy during the day, and crowded places was the last thing she needed in the heat of the situation. So, Sakura slipped on the baggiest clothing she could find and paired it with a thick beanie with a mask, and prayed that it would be enough to hide her identity just enough to survive a trip to the nearby convenience store and back.

Her roommates where nowhere in sight when she left, making her escape a little easier. Once she was successfully outside, it took all of five minutes for Sakura to regret ever leaving her room. She was just another person taking a walk, but in her mind, everyone was staring at her like she had three heads and a tail. Pulling her hat down further, she picked up pace until she reached the familiar corner store. Grabbing what was needed – which included an icy drink and gummy sweets – Sakura paid for her things and left.

It was just as she stepped outside that her phone vibrated in the pocket of her sweatpants. Her drink was nearly dropped in the rush to see who the notification was from. It hadn’t been what she was expect, but it brought a genuine smile to her face for the first time in days. Flight details and a familiar name, that was all it took. The walk back was less eventful. Her drink was empty by the time she reached her apartment, and once inside, sleep came a little easier.

 

If only the light feeling had stayed longer. Soon, it was dark and she was back at the river, her heart and hopes weighing heavy in her shaking hands. The girl’s heart gave a painful squeeze for every vibration of her phone that wasn’t him. With every slight noise around her, Sakura whirled around in hopes of seeing him standing there, too nervous to approach her – just like the very first night they met. It seemed so long ago now. It had been so simple at the start. Now, she had to swallow down the lump in her throat and pretend that his absence didn’t feel like her heart being ripped from her chest.

So, she buried her face in her arms and waited, ignoring the realization that he wouldn’t be coming tonight. Or tomorrow. That night, there was no dancing. No music. No awkward questions and nervous replies. That night, it was just Sakura and the stars.

And for the first time in months, she felt truly alone in this world.

[servampaddict]

Ch 129

Here are some random thoughts on the new chapter.

Lilly right here is basically saying he doesn't like waiting for the final scene to happen. I'm mostly wonder, what is he waiting for? I think it may mean 1.) A final battle with misono 2.) The final hours or day before the count is brought back or 3.) Or a final game of chess before Tokyo is obliterated.

It said in earlier chapter that all life was wiped out and the whole area of where the servamps were woken up was gone from existence. This I think is the beginning of the jinn being taken out from people and the area. So the first picture is possibly like a force field stopping people or jinn from leaving the area. I think that the headless creature might be what sucks the life out of the area and then destroys it. So this basically is what is going to start the beginning of the fall of Tokyo.

What do you guys think?

Also I wanted to apologize for not posting this earlier so sorry if it is late, I have been very busy lately. :(

[wishmaker1028]

Farewell to You, ch 5

Back with Yoni, she arrived at the location of where Zapdos was located. It had found its new home in an old power plant. She launched a bunch of floating rocks towards the Electric/Flying type. Zapdos used its Thunderbolt to stop the floating rocks but several surrounded it. The rocks crushed in, hitting the legendary bird rather hard. Zapdos cried out in pain. The rocks kept doing that, even though it was low on power. The rocks then turned into strong, rubber rope. The strong rubber rope surrounded Zapdos and brought it into the airship.

Yoni commented, "Well, that was rather easy. I was expecting more of a fight. Next is Moltres and then Articuno. That should flush out the queen and the rook. And then the king itself."

The computer stated, "Now charting a course for Wela Volcano Park in the Alola Region."

That's when the airship took off.

...

A little further down from the old power plant; Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie were still headed that way. They had heard from locals that the old power plant had come back online a while ago.

Clemont asked the two girls, "You two doing okay?"

Bonnie confirmed, "Yes, doing okay."

Serena frowned, "I wish we knew what we were looking for. I know we're supposed to look for Zapdos but is that it?"

Clemont stated, "Well, if Lawrence did escape from jail, he would be in a huge airship."

Bonnie pointed out, "Wouldn't that be a bit obvious...?"

Before Serena could say anything, they saw an altar up ahead.

She asked, "What is that...?" She walked up to it, seeing the lightning treasure in it. She wondered, "What's that?"

Clemont stated, "Not sure but it is pretty."

Bonnie added, "I was going to say that."

Clemont just chuckled. Serena didn't know what it was but something told her to go ahead and take it out. So that's what she did. She showed it to the siblings and to their shock, the treasure started to glow in their presence.

Serena breathed, "Oh my gosh...it's even prettier."

That's when she put it in her bag.

Clemont blinked, "This is odd, where is Zapdos, if it was here?"

Bonnie stated, "Good question. I think we should call Looker and Anabel."

To that, Serena nodded. She brought out her Pokenav as the three of them started to leave the area. Serena went over to Clemont, nervously. Clemont saw how nervous she was and let Bonnie go ahead.

He asked, "Serena, what is it...?"

She blurted out, "Do you wanna go out with me?"

To that, Clemont turned a beat red. So did Serena. Clemont nodded before she could hesitate further. Serena breathed a sigh of relief, giving Clemont a kiss. Clemont returned it, holding the performer close. Bonnie saw them from afar. She was trying not to squeal too loudly. She thought, 'It's about time, brother. It's about time.'

...

Back in Alola, Gladion had gone off with Lillie, Olivia, Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles to find Moltres. Professor Kukuki, his wife, and his son had gone back to the lab. All of them were noting how strange the weather was becoming. First it was hot then it was hailing and now it was windy. The wind even pushed Lana a bit.

Lana groaned, "This weather is not helping the situation."

Mallow stated, "Got that right but there's not much we can do."

Sophocles added, "Especially since Zapdos is missing."

Kiawe said, "In either event, we're nearing the Wela Volcano Park."

Olivia frowned, "Yeah but no sign of the airship."

Lillie commented, "But there's Moltres."

True to her word, the Fire/Flying type was there. It was sitting near the altar. The legendary bird looked at its visitors, tilting its head to the side.

Gladion said, "Doesn't look like it was expecting us."

Lana blinked, "Doesn't it know about Zapdos?"

Moltres shrieked at her, sounding surprised.

Kiawe answered, "Guess not."

Olivia took a step forward, "Dear Moltres, we've come to warn you. The person that once collected you is coming back."

Moltes shrieked at her in a bit of fear. The legendary bird was afraid of this. The other legendary birds and itself hadn't done a lot of training over the years. Just then, the airship arrived. It looked smaller than the one that was described to them.

Lillie was confused, "That seems...smaller than we were expecting."

Gladion threw a pokeball and out came Silvally. Kiawe did the same, sending out his Alolan Marowak. Olivia brought out her Lycanroc. Sophicles brought out his Togedemaru. Lana brought out her Primarina. Mallow brought out her Tsareena. Lillie was tempted to bring out Snowy but decided against it. She didn't know much about battling anyways.

Gladion was the first to attack, "Silvally, Multi-Attack!"

Silvally launched the attack as the floating rocks came down. It managed to destroy a few but more surrounded it.

Kiawe commanded, "Shadow Ball!"

Alolan Marowak did as it was told. It covered Silvally, to which Gladion was grateful for. Olivia went next as more floating rocks came down.

She commanded, "Stone Edge!"

Lycanroc fired its Stone Edge. It destroyed the floating rocks but there were some starting to surround Moltres. It was using its Flamethrower to get out of danger and its Aerial Ace.

Sophicles commanded, "Pin Missile!"

Lana commanded, "Disarming Voice!"

Mallow commanded, "Trop Kick!"

All three of the attacks destroyed the floating rocks but it wasn't enough. Moltres was being surrounded. The attacks kept coming but it was of no use. The rocks turned into a non burnable rope and surrounded Moltres. It flew back up to the airship. Wasting no time, the airship was out of sight.

Sophicles admitted, "T - that is not good."

Kiawe grumbled, "Anyone wanna call it in...?"

Olivia offered, "I will."

Lillie had gone over to the altar. 'What was Moltres hiding...?' She thought. That's when she saw the treasure. Lillie took it as it started to glow in her and her friends' presence. 'What in the world...?' She thought, putting it in her bag. Everyone called their pokeballs back to their pokeballs.

...

Back at the party, everyone had been informed that both Zapdos and Moltres were taken. But Ash was relieved that Serena and Lillie had the treasures. Though he was a bit curious on how the treasures glowed in the presence of his friends. He thought, 'Maybe they are Chosen Ones too! Or maybe Lugia didn't want me to do this on my own.' Looker had advised the teams to go to Shamouti, just in case.

He finally spoke, "Alright, we need to address the Weavile in the room. We still don't know where Articuno or Lugia is."

Ritchie spoke, "I have a theory. Articuno may have gone to the highest point in the world to hide. Think about it, the higher the altitude, the more snow you'll get. It would be the perfect place to hide."

Duplica winked at him, "Yeah, there's my beau! Always thinking!"

To that, Ritchie blushed. Sparky laughed a bit. Mini Dit did the same, still imitating him.

Misty teased, "Unlike some people."

Ash shot her a look, "Very funny, Mist. Very funny."

Before Pikachu could say anything, his ears perked up. "Pika? Pi pi pi?"

Pikachu turned on its heel as a porthole opened out. That's when Misty's Togetic came out of it.

"Togetic!" It said, happily.

Piplup and Buneary were both curious of the Fairy/Flying type. But Buneary was being more shy.

Dawn asked, "Where did that Togetic come from...?"

Brock started to say, "Could it be...?"

Misty whispered, "Togepi...?"

...

Wishmaker1028: This chapter is a bit longer than usual but I wanted to keep going here. Hope you all enjoy! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!

[missywritesfor7]

🌺 Promise Flower | Masterlist 🌺

Synopsis: Jimin is a popular dance student and the best one at his university. Mina is a photography student and has known Jimin since high school. An idea for a photo project finds Mina getting closer to him than she ever has before. She learns how big his heart is, but also learns how closely he guards it. Every time she thinks he'll let her in, he pulls away again. Is it even worth the trouble?

Pairing: College student!Jimin x fem!oc

Status: Complete

Word count: 85.6k

Warnings: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, alcoholism

Ch. 1: Let’s Dance

Ch. 2: Stars

Ch. 3: Phoenix

Ch. 4: 삼색 고양이 (Calico Cat)

Ch. 5: Crush(ed)

Ch. 6: If

Ch. 7: Benefits

Ch. 8: Embarrassed

Ch. 9: Heads and Tails

Ch. 10: Unspoken

Ch. 11: Broken Promises

Ch. 12: Bloom

Ch. 13: Green Eyes

Ch. 14: Drunk

Ch. 15: Bright Light

Ch. 16: Holiday

Ch. 17: Merry Christmas?

Ch. 18: Rage

Ch. 19: Sweat

Ch. 20: Process

Ch. 21: Develop

Ch. 22: Hard to Breathe

Ch. 23: A Very Strong Thing

Ch. 24: What If

Ch. 25: Lilly

Ch. 26: Run

Ch. 27: Haze

Ch. 28: Still Mad

Ch. 29: Hide and Seek

Ch. 30: Just Dance

Also cross posted on AO3 and Wattpad.