#for rick it’s a show of dominance thing

[pinkandblueblurbs]

it has been too long since i wrote abt spitting during sex….. i am now pondering whether spitting in your mouth is more of a rick or daryl thing

[dragonmama76]

Beginnings Part 2

read Part One, and Interlude first. Part 3 is done!.

Eddie was the opposite of calm.  He was terrified well beyond rational thought and he had one intention.  Survive. By any means necessary.  When he jumped out of the boat and pressed the edge of the broken bottle against his attacker’s throat nothing could have stopped him.  Except.  “Steve, this is Steve!”  Steve.  Steve who he had wronged.  Steve who he had bullied.  Steve with the perfect life that maybe wasn’t so perfect.  And he stopped.  

************

Eddie’s cup runneth over.  His public display of dominance had been more than enough to establish a reputation that he was not to be fucked with.  He didn’t even need to torment Steve to keep the memory alive, but Eddie continued his menacing glances and subtle jabs nonetheless. Because he could.  Because it was fun.  It was that feeling you get when you’re five years old and you’ve just completed some kick ass move like jumping off the swing at it’s zenith and you shout to your parents, “Look at me!  Look at me!”  His own parents had never looked.  They had never been there to begin with.  But now.  Now everyone was looking at what he had done and it felt so fucking good.  He couldn’t be too obvious since the basketball team had rallied around Steve, keeping him out of bounds most of the time, but he still found sly little opportunities to flash his knife or murmur a not so subtle threat when Steve came near.  It was enough to keep his high feeling fresh.

By the time the school year was over, even local drug dealer Rick Lipton had heard of him.  When Eddie decided that manual labor didn’t fit his new image, he proposed they begin a business relationship and Rick was quick to agree.  He knew that Eddie could handle himself if there was trouble and having a dealer embedded in the high school made sense.  Eddie spent the next two years dealing at school and weekend parties and while he wasn’t exactly accepted, no one messed with him and he only rarely had to display his feral nature to the jocks that ran the school.   In the meantime, he convinced the theater teacher to sponsor an after school club for his gang of nerds.  Mr. Hughes didn’t know what Dungeons & Dragons was, exactly, but it felt dramatic and he was happy to oblige.  If only Eddie put as much energy into his academic responsibilities as he had done with his social life he would have been out of High School in a quick minute.  But he was too busy enjoying the life he created for himself to consider the consequences.

Senior year, Steve pulled up to the school in his BMW feeling pretty great for the first time in his high school career. He had an amazing girlfriend, basketball was starting soon, and best of all there would be no more run-ins with Munson.   It wasn’t that he was scared of him, exactly.  After that day in the cafeteria Freshman year Munson had backed off for the most part.  Sure he still glared at him and whispered threats and flashed his stupid knife, but for the most part Steve was able to avoid him and pretend he didn’t exist.  It helped that they never had any classes together.  And while the freak had managed to be at every house party Steve attended, he preferred alcohol over drugs anyway so they had zero interaction. And beyond that, Steve now knew there were much scarier things in the world than a high school kid with a knife.  No, he wasn’t afraid, it was just…a lot.  Munson was obviously still a live wire waiting to strike and Steve had to be vigilant.  He had put up walls and created a persona of his own to balance out the bully that still dogged him and it took a lot of effort to mask his more vulnerable, sensitive side.  Most of his energy went to creating the character of King Steve that everyone now expected and that he hated..  He had done things he regretted, that shit show with Jonathan Byers for example, and he had willingly lost friends in the process, good riddance to Tommy H. and Carol, but he was trying to scale back the arrogant jock attitude and be more himself, especially with Nancy.

His guard was so low that when he sauntered into his first class ready to take on the world Steve was completely blindsided when the freak, himself, pushed past him to grab a seat in the back.  Steve could feel the pinpricks of tears forming.  He couldn’t do this.  Not again.  Not when he thought he was finally free.  He bolted from the room and straight into the bathroom before anyone could really register he was gone.  Shit.  Shit shit shit.  He was pretty sure someone up there hated him these days.  He had fought an other-worldly creature no problem, but it was still Eddie Munson who had the power to make him run.  This year was officially going to suck.

Eddie watched Steve run from the classroom and grinned.  He still had it, baby.  Maybe his second senior year would actually be fun.

Steve’s senior year was anything but fun.   Steve graduated.  His parents didn’t come.  His ex-girlfriend didn’t come.  A bunch of middle school kids came and cheered for him and that was nice, but also kind of embarrassing.  This was apparently his life now.  The brightspot?  Eddie Munson’s name wasn’t called.  Not that Steve was listening for it.  Eddie Munson could go to hell as far as he was concerned.  But he couldn’t help but feel a little relieved not to have to share this day with him.

Eddie watched from under the bleachers as Steve Harrington received his diploma along with the rest of his class.  Whatever.  Fuck him and his perfect hair and his perfect life.

Eddie was definitely pissed to be doing Senior year for the third time, but there were still moments of joy like when he gathered new freshman sheepies.  His original group of freshmen had finally graduated without him, but he still had Jeff, Frank, and Gareth and now he was ready to induct a new crew.  They were a little wary, and if he didn’t know better he’d say they looked kind of shellshocked, sort of like some of Uncle Wayne’s friends who had been to ‘Nam.  With Eddie’s outlandish personality and dramatic welcome they opened up eventually.  He liked the curly hair kid, Dustin, the best.  God that kid never shut up, though which, depending on the topic, could be annoying.

Right now Eddie was extra annoyed because the topic he wouldn’t shut up about was Steve Fucking Harrington.  Was that guy going to haunt him for the rest of his life?  

“Eddie, you’d like Steve if you knew him.  I asked him and he was kind of weird about it, but he says he didn’t really get to know you in high school and I think that’s a shame because he was bullied really badly and I bet you could have helped him and protected him.”

“What are you talking about, kid?  King Steve was never bullied a day in his life.” Eddie scoffed.

“No, he was.” Lucas nodded sagely.  “He said that the only reason it didn’t totally destroy him was that he had the basketball team on his side.  That’s one of the reasons I’m doing basketball.  You got to have people on your side.  That’s what Steve says.”

“Steve says,” Eddie mimicked, “Jocks can’t be bullied, they ARE the bullies.”

“That’s not true.  I’m not a bully.”  Lucas muttered.

“Yeah, well you’re more nerd than jock.” 

“Steve’s a nerd too.” Dustin insisted, “He just doesn’t show it, but he watches Star Wars with me all the time and he has a huge collection of Spiderman comics stashed in his bedroom.  Even Robin calls him a dingus.  Do you know Robin?  I think they should date but she says they are platonic with a capital P.  I think that’s crap with a capital C. They’ll get their shit together eventually.”

“I….don’t know if I know Robin?”  Eddie’s head is starting to spin.  “So who bullied King Steve?”

“He won’t say, but it started freshman year.  He gave us a big talk before school started about being safe and staying in a group.  I guess the kid, like, followed him around and would push him and stuff.  And one time he even pulled a knife on him.  That’s crazy right?  He said he was afraid to go to school for all of freshman year.  It’s awful because Steve had, well he wouldn’t want me to say, but he doesn’t have great parents so home sucked and school sucked.  I wish you guys had been friends. And then maybe he could have been in Hellfire or something.  He’s great with a bat and I bet his character…”

Eddie couldn’t listen anymore. His brain was on overload.  Had he really done all that to Steve?  Actually caused him pain?  

Well.  Fuck.

“Roooobin,” Steve whined, “Are you even listening to me?”  They were behind the counter at Family Video rewinding tapes while they waited for even one customer to come in to relieve their boredom.

“I AM listening, Steve,” she reasoned, “But I think you’re letting your jockish prejudices get in the way of rational thought.  Hellfire is just a group of nerds who role play and I know Eddie can look all scary and intimidating, but he’s totally not a bad guy.  We were in band together last year and he’s honestly just a big goofball.  Yeah, he’s loud and okay, a drug dealer, but I know for sure that he doesn’t sell to underclassmen so you don’t have to worry about that.  The kids are fine with him.”

“You don’t know him like I do.”  Steve glowered, “And…well, I’m afraid that if he knows the kids are associated with me that he’ll, like, take it out on them.”

“Why?  What did you do to him?” Robin glared and Steve knew she thought there was some bullshit King Steve incident in their past and all of a sudden it was too much.  He couldn’t bring himself to tell her how weak he had been, but also this was ROBIN and he couldn’t stand the idea that she thought of him that way.

“NOTHING!” he burst out, “I did NOTHING to him EVER.” And suddenly he couldn’t breathe.  Tears pooled in his eyes and it felt like something was going to burst out of his chest, like that gross Sigourney Weaver film Robin had made him watch.  He sank to his knees and pressed his hands to his eyes.  

“Okay.  You’re okay, Steve.” Robin hunched over him.  She placed a firm hand on his chest, “I've got you.  Breathe with me.  In and out.  You’re safe.  I’m here and you’re safe.”

Steve managed some gasping breaths and could feel his heart rate coming down.  Right.  This was Robin, his soulmate, he could tell her and she would understand.  “It started the first day of freshman year…”

Eddie didn’t end Hellfire early, even though he felt nauseous and increasingly distracted.  He owed it to the group as their DM to see it through so he pushed his feelings aside and let the kids get through a tough battle before calling it a night.  “Okay, that’s it for now.  You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.  Y'all got rides lined up?”

“Yeah, we’re getting picked up,” muttered Mike, “He’s probably already out there waiting.”  “Alright then, chariots may wait no longer.  Scram!”  Eddie hurried everyone out the door and quickly cleaned up the papers and books sprawled on the table.  As he made his way out he could hear the kids chattering away about the most recent developments in the campaign and as he burst through the gym door he heard a sharp whistle.  “Can we please let’s go before your parents kill me for missing your curfew?  I’ve been out here forever waiting for you guys to be done.”  Eddie knew that voice.  He looked up straight into the eyes of Steve Harrington.  He was dressed in his regular polo and jeans, hair perfect as always, leaning confidently on the hood of his BMW, but as Eddie caught his eye he saw the boy flinch and round his shoulders.  Christ Almighty.  What had Eddie done?

Eddie didn’t even remember driving home.  He was at school in his van and then he was fully dressed in his bed.  Over and over his mind replayed the events of the last four years.  He wasn’t a stranger to reminiscing about his days as the Freak who humbled the King, but this time he tried to remember that Steve was a flesh and blood person, a kid, really, like Dustin or Mike or Lucas.  A kid with real feelings and problems who, maybe, didn’t deserve to get picked on for entertainment.  And wasn’t that the thing.  Eddie had never stopped to consider that what he was doing might have been just as bad, or even worse, than what had been done to him.  Maybe Harrington had deserved it?  By his junior year he certainly seemed like a real asshole.  But also, Eddie never really remembered seeing Steve initiate any of the prickish behaviors his sports ball friends liked to engage in.  Now that he thought about it, he remembered a few times where Steve hung back and helped pick up dropped books and papers or check that a kid was okay after having been tripped in the hall.  Eddie groaned.  This wasn’t the first time he’d messed up in his life, but it felt like the most important. 

Eddie didn’t get out of bed for three days.  His uncle tried to coax him out with favorite meals and rented movies, but Eddie couldn’t face him.  Uncle Wayne still thought Eddie was a good person and that was decidedly untrue.  On day three he decided that he needed a new plan.  He wasn’t even sure of the ultimate goal but he knew that step one would be making sure that Steve was okay.

“Robin,” Steve hissed.  “He’s out there again.”  Steve was staring out the front window of Family Video trying to look like he wasn’t staring out the window at the man casually leaning on a telephone pole across the street.  He knew it sounded crazy, but he was pretty sure that Eddie Munson was stalking him.  It was nothing he could prove because it was always in public but increasingly when he was out and about he would feel eyes on him and when he turned to look, Eddie would be there.  Yeah, alright, he was always doing something totally normal like buying groceries or having a smoke.  And sure, Eddie never approached him or glared at him the way he did when they were in school which, honestly felt weird.  And even weirder, a couple of times when Eddie noticed Steve noticing Eddie, he had smiled abashedly and fluttered his fingers in a little wave.  If Steve had to define it, he would have to say that Eddie was 'reverse bullying' him.  Was that even a thing?  Maybe he was just fattening him up with his pretty smiles and doe eyes like a lamb being fed before he was slaughtered.  It was disconcerting to say the least.

Robin gave Steve a sympathetic shrug.  She had been appropriately outraged when he had given her the details of his run-ins with Eddie but it was still hard for her to see him as anything other than the loud funny guy from band.  “Just ignore him.  He lives in this town just like us so you’re bound to see him now and again. And, so far at least, he’s been good to the kids.  Maybe try to let it go?  And speaking of band, did I tell you what Vickie did yesterday?....”  Steve turned away from the window to concentrate on Robin’s latest installment of the life of her crush.  Let it go.  Okay. He could try.

Eddie watched as Steve turned away.  He had learned a lot from watching him these past months.  Steve was kind to cashiers, patient when he was rung up incorrectly, and flirty in a dorky kind of way that never paid off.  He was always carting Eddie’s Hellfire kids places like the arcade or the diner or the mall two towns over and it seemed like he did it out of the goodness of his heart. He was a hard worker, staying late at work to clean thoroughly and lock up.  He was a good friend to Buckley, dancing with her and running around when the store was empty. Eddie could see why Dustin thought they were more than just friends. From the outside, Steve seemed to be just fine, but Eddie watched and he saw more.  When he thought no one was paying attention, Steve looked sad.  He flinched at loud noises.  And at night he went home to an empty house where, Eddie knew, he had to be lonely.  Eddie wasn’t so naive as to think all Steve’s problems stemmed from a stupid kid in high school who wouldn't leave him alone, but Eddie felt responsible for adding to his pain.  He felt lost, except for one thing. Every so often he would catch a glimpse of Steve with Robin or Dustin and his face would light up with the most painfully beautiful smile.  It was like looking into the face of the sun after a long rain and Eddie couldn’t catch his breath gazing at him.  “I see you Steve Harrington and I will do whatever it takes to keep you smiling. I goddamn swear it."

———————-

More to come. Tell me what you think!!

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[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#41: The Loving Memory (1.04)

gif cred: @riickgrimes

The Ones Who Live asks the question - what happens when a hero needs saving? And when the hero needs saving from external and internal shackles that have led them to become the most despondent version of the walking dead, it’s not exerting brute force nor attempts at world domination that heals them. No, it’s being loved back to life by the one you were made for and who was made for you.

So that's exactly what happens next. Following Rick finally letting out all his truest emotions after keeping them inside for years, there now comes the outstanding resolution between Rick, Michonne, and the boy who first made them family ❤️‍🩹...

Michonne again lovingly puts her hands on Rick's face after that just breathtaking profession of pain and love from Rick and stellar performance from Andy.

And then Michonne proves for the umpteenth time that she is the greatest wife, woman, mother, and best friend ever when she takes out a phone with a sketch of Carl on it and ever-so-gently places it in Rick's hand.

gif cred: @nerd4music

Y’ALL. 🫠 How perfect can one episode be? 😭

This was such a beautiful moment and I adore everything about it. I love that even amid her and Rick's conflict in episode 3, Michonne understood how much these phone portraits meant to Rick and so she had one made of Carl after learning that Rick was having trouble remembering his image. It is so heartwarming to know that she worked with Benjiro and got the image of their boy just right for Rick. 🥹 And this was the perfect time to give him this gift.

In this apartment, Michonne essentially gave Rick both his sons back. 😭

gif cred: @taiturner

The fact that she of course got the image right and that it’s one with Carl's eyepatch because that’s their most recent memory of him and they loved him both with one eye or two. 🥲

I also adore the way she places it in his hand and continues to hold onto his arm. So loving. 🥹 The moment really feels like it parallels the way she placed the PRB in his hand earlier in the episode too.

The PRB is what Rick thought would save them but it’s actually the memory of Carl that helps save them and bring them back together. It’s poetic, it’s powerful, it’s perfect. 👏🏽

gif cred: @taiturner

And how fitting that Carl plays this pivotal role in helping Richonne fully return to each other, considering Carl was pivotal to bringing Richonne together years ago as well.

It's like I wrote in a previous post --- Since the moment Rick and Michonne laid eyes on each other, Carl was there helping bring them together and ultimately helping them realize they were meant to be family. And years later, even from the other side, Carl helped bring Rick and Michonne together again. 🥲

(Side note: I believe I remember Danai said she wrote Carl's letter to Michonne as she read it to herself while crying in season 8. And knowing the power of Danai’s pen, I'm so curious about what she wrote in that letter because Danai has always had such a solid understanding of Carl’s importance to Michonne & Rick)

gif cred: @michonnegrimes

When Rick sees this phone drawing, literally seeing his first image of Carl in over eight years, he takes this teary breath and then recalls the memory of holding little Carl’s hand and lifting him up.

And then this episode just wants to full-on sock me in the heart by then showing a memory of Rick putting a hat on the older Carl. 😭

I love the way this indicates that the memory of Carl so quickly returned to Rick and he was able to remember him not just as a little kid but his older version too.

TWD started with Rick doing everything to fight for his boy and then Carl grew up to fight for him too. And now here in TOWL, Rick’s journey is still so deeply impacted by his son. Beautiful.

Rick gives Michonne a teary look as she just did the most invaluable thing ever and gave him his son's memory back. You can really see that it means so much to Rick to finally have the image of Carl come back to his mind. He loves his son so much. 😭 I absolutely adore the way TOWL made regaining the memory of Carl's face a vital element of Rick finding himself again.

And then Michonne gently asks, “If Carl were here right now, what would he say? What would he want you to do with this new chance to be with those you love?” And then I love her little kind “hmm?”

gif cred: @riickgrimes

Even by asking these questions it’s showing that she knows Rick still knows his son. He might have lost the image of Carl for a few years, but he still knows his boy. And Michonne knows he knows what Carl would say and want for his dad. Carl always wanted the best for Rick, and the best thing for him is to be with his family.

And the way Rick looks at Michonne here it really feels like just when he thought he couldn’t fall any deeper in love with her, he just has.

It also makes so much sense why Rick lost the image of Carl because with the CRM he had nothing to tether him to his son besides himself who was under psychological warfare and constant duress. Back at home, Rick had his wife/son’s best friend and mom, his daughter/Carl’s sister, Carl’s grave, Carl’s handprint, and the community Carl grew up in to constantly keep his son’s memory alive. And he could have had RJ too who would have literal traits of Carl.

This just proves yet another reason why it had to be Michonne to rescue Rick. Cuz after feeling he lost Carl, Rick needed to be with one of the people who Carl most lived on through and who could give Carl back to him - or better yet help him realize he never lost his son. 

I love the way Michonne has always honored Carl’s memory and how because of that she’s now able to give his memory back to his dad. 

gif cred: @jdeanmorgan

And then Michonne has such inspiring rousing final dialogue as she says, “Despite all the odds, all the years, I found you, Rick.” My gosh, the wait was worth it, y'all. 🙌🏽 To hear that line said between Richonne after all the years of waiting. Blessed. 🥹🙏🏽

Then Michonne earnestly says, “I came here through the hell that we have both been through to take you home.” I love that she says the hell they’ve both been through. They’ve gone through so much, and while a lot of it was experienced apart the last few years, that synergistic soulmate connection really makes it feel like they still went through a lot together too.

Like how they both had their worst year ever during the same year - the year Michonne was stuck in a mall after being attacked by the CRM externally while Rick was attacked by the CRM internally when he chose to live dead. Richonne’s journeys like their souls are always interconnected. 👌🏽

I love the music in this moment too as Rick’s breathing slowly steadies and he looks from Michonne to the phone with tears falling. In this moment Rick really gets to grasp how loved he is.

He was fighting so hard on his own but now he gets to hear from Michonne that he was actually never fighting alone because she was fighting for him too. Just like he was trying to get home, she was working to bring him home as well, from setting off to search for him to getting a phone portrait of Carl made for him. 🥲

gif cred: jdeanmorgan

And then Michonne says, “You think that’s all for nothing?” And when she says that they cut to Rick who again has one of those expressions that make it so clear that Alive Rick has the wheel. Like Dead Rick is no more and once again he’s come alive both through and for Michonne.

Michonne says, “For us to just go our separate ways?” Richonne intentionally going their separate ways genuinely feels like an impossible thing for them to do and for me to even wrap my head around. It's simply not an option for these magnetic soulmates.

And then Michonne is beautifully glowing under the TOWL-improved lighting as she wipes a tear from Rick's face and smiles as she assures him, “No. We go home, Rick.”

The way she says that. 😭 This episode holds the record for the number of times my heart bursts. And I love that we now have multiple scenes of Richonne wiping each other's tears over the years. 🥲

Then Michonne continues, “And we figure out how to protect it together.” Michonne knows their home will still need protection from those outside forces and threats. But what she knows even more is that she and Rick can succeed in protecting their kids and their home if they’re together.

Rick looks down and then I adore the way Michonne lifts up his head and says, “That’s how we make it all make sense.”

I've always felt like the one who makes the most sense in the world to Rick is Michonne. Everything about her just resonates with him on a deeper level. She can always help him see clearer and that was crystal clear in this scene as well.

And I love how Michonne holding Rick's head up at this moment reminds me of when he hung his head in his TWD 9.05 hallucination and she lifted him up there too. Now he gets to experience the invigorating spirit-lifting presence of Michonne in real life again, and I love that for him. 😊

Lastly, Michonne tells Rick one of my favorite lines when she says, “We love on each other as hard as we can while we can.”  I love that that’s the final dialogue of this masterpiece of a scene. It’s a beautiful sentiment. 🥹

And I actually like that they don’t ever end up saying “We’re the one who live” within the miniseries because while it’s true and a great motto, I think this show took on an even more grounded and layered exploration of what happens when you stop living or when you become scared of the love of your life inevitably no longer living.

So instead, Rick and Michonne now know even if we don’t live - our love does.

They're the ones whose love lives. Their love lives on forever, and so long as they’re alive they know they shouldn’t run from that. They should love on each other as hard as they can during the valuable time they do have. That’s just so special to me and so I adore that they conclude this by deciding not only to go home but to allow their hearts to love each other as robustly as they’re meant to. 

With Michonne saying this it's essentially saying - even if we don’t have forever, we can make the time we do have feel like it if we live in this love wholeheartedly.

And then I adore the way she puts her hand on his face with a tear so lightly fallen against her skin and looks deep in his eyes with that precious smile. That moment just felt like she saw him. She finally saw and reunited with her Rick. The search is over, y’all. 🥳 She found him for real this time. And that makes my heart so warm to see her know that Rick is with her again just from looking into the love of her life's eyes. 🥰

gif cred: @richonnegifs

You can see the “there he is” moment and truly the acting Danai and Andy can do with just their eyes alone is profound.

Then it’s Andy’s turn to express so much with just his eyes when Rick looks at Michonne with the warmest teary eyes as he has so clearly gotten his entire life from her words, just like old times. Except this time he pretty much literally got his life back through her.

I love the way he looks at her like if his heart for her got any bigger it would pop. I know after this he’s more convinced than ever that Michonne is perfect to him and the love of his life.

I adore seeing him gently put his hand on her face like she’s the greatest treasure in all the land. His look just felt like ‘there she is. I see her fully now and I know she’s worth choosing even over the fear of losing her.' Having her is his life’s reward. 💯 And he's finally ready to embrace that reward again and return to life with her.

gif cred: @richonnegifs

I believe you fall the deepest in love in a relationship where you know you’ll fall and be caught.

Rick and Michonne are able to be so fully invested in, immersed in, and enwrapped in this love because they know they can fall this deeply and unabashedly and always be caught and lifted up.

It also makes me think of the Toni Morrison quote - “I didn’t fall in love, I rose in it.” I feel like that applies to Rick and Michonne so much.

Finding this vibrant and synergistic love with someone as respectable and resilient as Rick made Michonne heal and be all of herself again after so much had been taken from her. Back in TWD, Michonne knew she was able to rise out of the dead state she had been in thanks to being brought back by Rick. And Carl too. 🥲

And Rick found the best version of himself in finding love with someone as radiant and remarkable as Michonne. She met him at a time when he was understandably really struggling mentally. But then he found her and found a partner capable of lovingly walking with him through both the best and hardest seasons of life. And a healed Rick arose from their love.

Now here in TOWL, Rick knows he has risen from the dead through Michonne's love. He's fully aware that despite trying to stay dead, the love of his life has successfully resurrected his spirit and made him come alive again.

And after the two have poured their heart out and he’s regained the image of his eldest son with her help, he’s no longer trying to fight being alive. 🙌🏽 He can now leap back into life and know with Michonne by his side, he'll be caught. And Michonne can do the same and be caught by him now too. 🥹 And they'll rise up against anything else that comes their way.

Then, I absolutely love the kiss that punctuates the end of this immaculate scene. 🤩

The visual of it is beautiful with Richonne matching in black. It really feels like the two of them being in this black is almost like Richonne had to both traverse through the CRM’s dark hold but after being vulnerable they’re now here on the other side. Together.

gif cred: @lousolversons

As always, I love those single Richonne kisses and this one is of course gold. We got us a couple who can go from their freakiest kiss to this utterly wholesome kiss all in one setting, y'all. 😇

And the intimacy of the way they touch before and after the kiss and stay looking into each other's eyes with a smile as they finally agree to go home. We truly witnessed them restore each other back to life through the greatest Richonne heart-to-heart ever. 🥹

gif cred: @nerd4music

These Richonne heart-to-hearts always bring them back, from TWD to TOWL. 🙌🏽

One last time I just gotta say - this ep 4 scene again solidifies why the only person capable of bringing Rick home was Michonne. Because Rick didn’t just need a literal rescue but a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual revival. He didn’t need to just be brought back home, he needed to be brought back to life. And there is no better person on the planet to do that than the woman who is his heart.

For years, Rick and Michonne had gone without feeling a part of their own heart because they’d been apart. But now in this transcendent moment, after feeling the beating pulse of the heart they share, addressing their physical and internal scars, reflecting on their children, and reconnecting in every way, they feel complete and alive again after years of existing with half their heart miles away.

When I tell you this whole scene - from making love at the start to kissing with tears in their eyes at the end - felt like Love itself chose to take on a physical form and the form it chose was Richonne...

Somehow calling these moments perfection doesn’t even feel like it does it justice. This was everything and more and I adore it endlessly. #LovePersonified.

When I think about why I love Richonne, why all these years I’ve spent all this time reflecting on these two’s love story…it’s this series of events right here that captures it completely. I love the story of these soulmates because Rick and Michonne have the love supreme and it is forever a joy and an honor to behold. 😇👌🏽

[guywrestlingaddiction]

Everything Great About a Match: Troy Baker v Rick Egan (bgeast.com)

Everything Great About a Match: +4

Troy Baker v Rick Egan (bgeast.com)

SPOILER ALERT: I highly recommend viewing this match in its entirety before reading this post.

So let's begin:  +1: For Troy and that flawless body of course. The man's got those golden muscles that put all of us to shame.  No wonder Rick's intimidated by all that, the poor guy's got nothing on the one and only Troy Baker. 

Troy: You afraid to take your shirt off?!

Our guys start off shirtless in pants before stripping away to the main event! 

That look on Rick's face ...  All he needs to do is flash those biceps, give his opponent a look, and he's already won.  

+1: I love this version of the confident and assertive Troy. It's a thing of beauty to watch our Troy blossom into a fully composed, wrestler who can take anything Rick throws at him.  

I love Troy gagging his opponent to shut him up before fixing his hair.  I love the dominance here.  This isn't the Troy Baker of previous matches. 

Fix your hair, put some 200+ pound opponent out; you know the usual.

It's not all smooth sailing but Troy has enough in that sexy body of his to overcome this setback.

+1: For this move whatever it's called, a standing surfboard-leglock combo?  Whatever it is, that Troy Baker physique truly makes this hold a work of art.  I mean you can see every defining muscle on the man, damn! 

+1: For Troy finally getting the victory he deserves.  I mean check out this long, exhaustive rear choke with Rick barely fighting back.  Troy locks in the hold and wraps around Rick like a python and the guy can't (or more likely won't) get out of it.  I don't fault the guy.  Anytime spent with this dominant, alpha Troy is worth it in my opinion.  

Troy masters his opponent, turning Rick into a jobber. 

At one point Rick begins moaning and making unintelligible noises.  It's nighty night time. Stick a pin in Egan, the man is done. 

------- Everything Great About this Match: +4

So there you have it.  This is another side of the famous Troy Baker that we've all been craving.  The wrestling is not what we are here for fellas.  This match was setup to show us all the dominant version of Troy we all knew he could be.  After countless matches where our man has fallen at the feet of heels, this is his time to shine.

[justaneedle]

Many people talk so much about how Percy "is so amazing at everything but has terribly low self-esteem." I do enjoy his character and find his inner monologues funny,but I've never seen Percy as someone with self-worth issues. If I try to read him under that light,it becomes ridiculous. I've never seen him doubt himself to the point of screwing shit up,having trouble accepting affection or compliments,nor having any "down on himself" feelings draining his energy in some way. Percy is just humble,quiet, and nonchalant about his deeds. I don't know if Rick intended to have his protagonist struggle with such issues or if it's a popular fanon,but Percy being "too hard on himself" feels more like an aesthetic TikTok version of it.

As someone who struggled with self-worth issues,I feel like Luke is a much better showcase of it. Between the need for validation(Kronos lavished Luke with praise,if his words in TLT are anything to go by) and feeling envy of Percy(as Kronos pointed out in TBoL or TLO,saying "hatred and jealousy kept him obedient). We don't see anything of that in his inner monologues.

(On a tangent,this is related to my beef with show!Luke. The raw hurt and exhaustion of someone deeply traumatized by terrible life experiences and little to no support isn't properly portrayed. His show self is too sanitized and polished. Yes,show!Luke lashed out against Percy,but it doesn't hold a candle to the resentment book!Luke had against CHB)

Okay, actually, I literally have nothing to add because you're right!

And while I can understand exactly what people take for Percy's self-esteem issues, it's actually a consequence of us as readers literally sitting in his head. It's natural for all people to doubt themselves from time to time and feel unwanted (especially considering that Percy is literally a disabled child from a single-parent family with an abusive stepfather), but this is not the same thing. And yes, this is most noticeable when you look at other characters who have obvious problems with self-esteem (aka Luke, Annabeth, and even Thalia) — this has a clear effect on their behavior and actions, and this is noticeable without us literally looking into their POV — they are all extremely susceptible to manipulation and their problems with self-esteem are fueled their not the best qualities. Thalia is too ambitious and strives to be the main one, dominant precisely because she unconsciously strives to show her importance. Annabeth is arrogant in her desire to be the best, because for years she considered herself unwanted, nothing more than a mistake. Luke's grudge is literally based on the fact that he is a abandoned child who has never felt fully (of course there's was people who loved him, but how much they did that? and that more important, how much of their love he really could understand?) loved, to fix everything — to make sure that children like him no longer have to feel unwanted and unloved, even if it means doing a number of terrible things.

Percy has obvious suicidal tendencies and this is exactly what is visible to the naked eye — he's somewhat passive when it comes to his status as the hero of the story, main character — he isn't really one — the plot takes place AROUND Percy. He simply doesn't have a directed desire to do something, which is often characteristic of his problems. Life and unnecessary gestures simply don't make enough sense (unfortunately, I speak from my own experience).

[pendragonsclotpole]

i’ve been keeping up with dominic noble’s lost in adaptation series for pjo, and i just finished watching his review of episode 8. he made a point of saying that he didn’t consider the tv series an offense to the book, and i’m glad he did because i think a lot of show fans hear the criticism that some books fans have of the show and misunderstand why we’re so upset.

i think the tv series is a good, decent adaptation that attempts to appeal to a younger audience/an audience as young as the book series first readers when it was published. it modernizes a few things (shoutout to that completely unnecessary scene of sally listening to olivia rodrigo), expands on a bit of the central characters, updates the relationships the gods have with their children, and keeps the spirit of the original series, if not always the execution.

i think if the tv show had come out in 50+ years, long after a book accurate and beloved adaptation had come out, the show would be a fresh take on a classic children’s story a la lotr. but the issue is that the last adaptation came out close to 15 years ago and while it was good and entertaining for a blockbuster movie, it wasn’t percy jackson.

it wasn’t the story we got to see and get to know: a complex tale of parental neglect, greek gods and mythology, and most importantly—a young, misunderstood boy trying to navigate the complexities that arose from the circumstances and consequences of multiple sets of beings, far more powerful and older than him, trying to control him and take away his agency, all because of the circumstances of his birth, which were not his fault and which he didn’t ask for. sure there was magic, sure there a suspension of disbelief, but at the heart of the story there was enough darkness and realness for the story of the book to mean something.

we spent years listening to rick riordan promise us that he would find a place to create a faithful adaptation of the book. but he didn’t. and that’s okay, because at the heart of it all, he wrote pjo to appeal to a set of kids younger than i am now and closer to the age i was when i first met percy jackson. i understand the dozens of fans that love the show, even the book fans that enjoy it as an adaptation, but to me, the girl who admired the brutality of sally jackson turning the man who abused her to stone, who loved the emotional complexity of a dad who could never quite say the right thing to his own child and always left them feeling so disappointed and like a mistake and alone, who never quite fit in with the other kids and felt unwanted, who wished she had some sort of powers and the capacity to rebel against the forces older and more powerful that controlled her, i just can’t love the show as much as i love the books.

i know what i just wrote sounds weird. no, i don’t want to essentially kill and turn any men that may harm or abuse me to stone (tho people if you get the chance, godspeed). but i do love the idea that sally when given the choice, had the power to petrify a man who likely petrified her. she made her choice to get rid of him. she made a choice many women or victims of abuse in general don’t often get a chance to make, and it was presented in such an unrealistic way, in the guise of a medusa’s head, that it felt even more real. i love that a man that is meant to be from an idolized and integral part of your mother’s past, who in many ways is a god, can be a horrible father and partner, and say the wrong things and never be enough. i love the idea that we can all be tempted by the wrong things but eventually make the right choice and be the hero we needed all along.

i think i’ve rambled long enough, and i hope you all can understand what i mean. obviously some of the points i mentioned have yet to be adapted. i hope the show gets to bring to life all 5 books and potentially even beyond. i think the tv show is good, funny, entertaining, a little slow at times, and not enough action or tension. i love leah, walker, and aryan as annabeth, percy, and grover. i think the designs are beautiful. i think it is a good adaptation and i think with a rewatch it’ll grow on me, but it just isn’t the percy jackson i grew up with. maybe that’s on me. maybe i’ve grown up idolizing a book series and appreciating what it meant to me, instead of reading it and appreciating it for what it is: a children’s series. maybe the tv show and book series are mediums meant for other kids and new audiences to enjoy. in which case, enjoy them. i’ll still watch along to see some iteration of the books i love be brought to life, and to appreciate a good show but a part of my heart will always yearn for a faithful book adaptation.

[austinsastrology8991]

Planet >> Cheat Sheet <<

We got 9 Planets, and we got 2 extra things; the Sun and the Moon. So we got 11 important things. Everything else is all very revealing although I think we all can agree anything named planet takes >precedence > especially with all the. mythological writings backing them.... and we astrologers just like the moon because shes meant to be our mum. and no one can hurt mummy >> everyone with mummy issues pipe down stfu.

Well these mythological writings are nice but im here to modernize it with some writings written today. > And with this model of simplification maybe its easier to understand and interpret how they interact with one another in your life. IMO Astrology is not that complicated. Its just hard to talk about because its taboo. Especially since we connatate it with ideas like: the God Of War, or the God of the Underworld this can make it all the more harder to suspend our disbelief. Now legs go

Sun > The star governing our Solar System literally dictates how our days are gonna go depending on where he is positioned. He is the star, he is the main event, he is the bringer of light as much as he is the light > This makes him giver and a taker because he demands your attention but it literally allows us to live and feel alive. So where the SUN is makes you the star of the show, you dominate here because you invite people in to play and you make sure you playing too. The sun is the party > whats ur party lookin like? The Wolf of Wall street

Moon > The thing we all have an emotional connection with; since we are all wishing for shit at night and in all honesty its also when we are all the most comfortable getting emotional. or getting REAL. She listens to us as if she is our mum. And she is also a connection to our mums because she represents our psychological foundations which are almost always intrinsically tied to how our mothers raised us > or whoever did raise you < so our moon shows us how we were raised and how we raised ourselves. Where we find comfort and what we hold onto to feel safe. Good Will Hunting

Mercury > He's the closest to the Sun because he a lil curious how the Sun got so hot. And he right next to venus because mercury a lil curious george. Mercury is what you talk about, mercury is what your curious about. Mercury is what you understand and what you have a yearning to understand. Mercury can do it all, and whatever is touching this, is usually what people come to you for advice for, because they see you got this > all figured out. Rick and Morty

Venus > venus is the beauty, venus is what lookin good on you. and since you know it look good, you exploit it for attention. Which is why Sun dont appreciate venus because she taking some of that attention it craves. But anyway. Venus is what you attract and what your attracted to, its your value, its how others want to treat you and how you like to be treated. Venus is nice, so your nice back. so be nice or you'll be rejected and it'll hurt you more because you didnt conform to the ideals of the hot babe that is venus. get simping or die trying Wednesday

Mars > The warfield, the battlefield, the mine waiting to explode. This is mars and it was designed to blow up to cause destruction. This is where you fight and how you fight, but also how others fight you. How good you are at fighting is also indicated and well anyone can fight, but it seems we have supressed mars a lot. And its pretty fkn sad. Makes it all the more easier for some people to get away with fighting.... Which is stupid because they are not good at fighting but since most people dont like to fight we are ruining everyones abilities to fight. A bunch of bitches I say. No wonder you jump into fights as fast as you do because your so InSeCuRe. or get as angry as quick as you do because you been hearing InSeCuRe... we all in the same society calm the fuck down, but lets pretend to be the warrior and watch television again shall we. Breaking Bad

Jupiter > The generosity of abundance and the idea of attracting all your wishes. Well the rich get richer and the poor get poorer right? Well thats a Jupiter thing, because you attract what you are. And thats why your good at whatever jupiter doing. Because you get a lot of energy attracted here, and you dont mind sharing some of it around. Which only brings forth more abundance > and the cycle of abundant manifestation has been created <

Super Mario Movie

Saturn > The restriction and limiting fashion of something has actually made you learn to honour/respect it more than anything else. Saturn gave you the sauce by removing the sauce. Now you know how to make yo own SAUCCEEE. and dang don't it taste good now that you made it on your own? and you made sure it tasted as fine as you've always wanted it to be. Hard work pays off and it pays good and you bitchez complaining about saturn should put more work in, or frankly you not doing the right type of work. Saturn a boss, and if your not a boss. You getting bossed around. Saturn fucks you around so you learn to DEAL WITH IT. John wick

Uranus > Okay so everything got backflipped and made everything turn into a fuck fest. But thats okay. You learned something right? ANd you could only learn it from him.. or that specific fuck fest that he invited you to. So you have an acute understanding founded within a niche puzzle which gave you the quirky genius trait that you have > in respect to where he be. what he do. its ya boy sparky speaks and today we getting into some bullshit

MR ROBOT

Neptune > your a dumbass but your onto something. But your not owning it because it is 100% hard to understand, but this makes you look like a airhead, or a delusional something or rather. But. your actually onto something and when everyone else catches up they'll regret calling you all those names because it really was all a cover up of their own insecurities of not understanding something as deeply as you do. You are surrounded by energy here, and a lot of it is created by your imagination > which is fueled by whatever you saw that it can work with or from. And thats why you've learned ways to let it pass through you, or you learned to integrate it into your being. (its always both) Whichever you think it is; thats what happened. Scott Pilgrim against the World

Pluto > The dark thing. considered evil, misunderstood, loner. dangerous and thats why everyone looking at you all weird and distrustfully. Because pluto embodies the hunter and the hunted. The concept of life or death is your pluto. because you encounterd things that tried to kill you; you yourself too learned to kill, but its a lot more undetectable and 'mysterious' since well you are trying to kill something and that requires covert operation. It plays with the real consequences; not the scratches or bruises of a mars, but the bullet of a pluto. Which is why people distrust it a lot, and by extension you also extend that same sense of distrust. due to your understanding of fear and extreme understanding of what could be the potential consequences; you play to win. otherwise you could die. you are afraid tpyically, so you behave fearlessly; but thats actually out of fear itself. or your funneling negative energy and well thats a pluto thing. And boy does thing thing attract a lot of energy too. I mean consider how when anything bright on in the dark attracts so much, the same happpens to something dark that is exhibited in the light > they both attracts so much.

The Menu

Oh and I know there is a million overlaps. Ik there are probably better examples. This is my post > make your own < please criticise my work or that of my language again ya fkn bitchs idgaf > swamp stays swampy > fuck off <

[galactic-cumslut]

bleed magic

this was originally titled heavy metal heart but anyways here’s some evil!rick bc i love men who are totally irredeemable,, i hope it’s not obvious i didn’t know where i was going with this..bc i didn’t

rick is a mean dom, slave/master dynamics, afab reader, lots of degrading, cockwarming, exhibitionism , he just wants to show off his power be frl

you liked to think you had an ounce of pride in your body. it was just a thought though. in reality you had none left. he made sure of that.

“c-c-come to me pet. on your knees immediately”. he had said,long legs spread on his throne. his eyes bore into you daring you to refuse him.

instantly you fell to your knees, awaiting your next command.

“what an obedient slut, look at me a stick out your tongue”.

you wanted to resist. anyone could walk in at any time and see you in such a vulnerable state-being used by your lord. the teasing would surely kill you if the sheer embarrassment didn’t first.

a sharp smack to your face threw you back into reality. you hesitated. one thing rick doesn’t stand for is hesitation, once he gives an order he expects it fulfilled immediately.

“are you de-deaf or something, bitch? or do i need to s-spell every little thing out for you, jesus christ you’re stupid. tongue out. eyes on me”.

fear overcame you and you did as you were told. you expected him to insert his fingers inside your mouth but instead he leaned down and spit directly onto your tongue.

“swallow”. he commanded.

as shocked as you were you quickly swallowed. if wanting to be hit again.

rick seemed pleased with you eating up the fear in your eyes.

“there we gooo, all it takes is a little discipline with you huh”? he stroked your cheek gently and you willing lean into his touch. “you just want to be a good little slave for your master hmm”?

rick was almost never gentle with you so of course you were quick to answer. eager to receive more praise. “yes sir”.

“of course you do my darling little cum slut. on your feet at once”.

he offered you his hand as to help you up from the uncomfortable position between his legs.

“i’m going to explain what’s going to happen and you’re going to listen closely”.

you nodded, almost eager to hear what he had up your sleeve.

“the council is coming for a visit very soon and since you’re my most obedient servant you’re going to be shown off. it’ll asset dominance as well as keep attention on me”.

again you nodded, unsure of what he meant by his words. usually he didn’t allow the council anywhere near his lair. ‘what could have changed’ you thought.

“you have one job y/n. you’re going to sit still and stay quiet. your only duty is to look pretty”.

———————-

“welcome council of ricks. i trust you have all been briefed about the reason you are here”. rick bellowed , addressing the six other versions of him sitting in his court.

you in the other hand were in another world of bliss, sitting atop his cock infront of so many men.

less than an hour ago you were worried about someone walking in on you and your master. oh how things have changed. the many eyes locked onto your body-it gave you a feeling of power.

the feeling of his cock twitching inside you was enough to have you drooling. you did your best to sit up straight and smile.you didn’t want to disappoint your master after all.

as if he could read your mind he bucked his hips up slightly causing you to gasp in a mix of surprise and pleasure. “be a good girl infront of the other ricks and you’ll get a biiiig reward”. he whispered in your ear, nipping at your lobe.

“shall we conduct business”?

the group became silence and focused their eyes on rick…or they tried to as you stole their attention away from whatever brining speech rick had planned up.

“i understand that you’re all infatuated with my newest plaything” he started, a crazed grin spread king across his face. “give me what i ask and she is all yours”. fuck his speech, you were a much better bargaining chip.

[boredsupergirl]

How about a cop rick x scientist reader who works for the citadel! Smut pleassse ☺

Summary: a cop Rick interrupts you at work and you decide to teach him a lesson.

Warnings: sub! cop rick, dom! scientist reader, dubious consent, masturbation, riding.

“What the fuck is this…” You muttered to yourself as you looked at the technology put into the brain of one of the many Ricks that existed, so you didn’t even remember who it was. “This is interesting,” you sipped your soda as you looked at the deceased body lying on the stretcher. You heard two knocks on the door. “Come in,” you said without looking away. “Oh,” the police officer Rick who had just entered lamented, a little uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were busy.” “What do you want?” You asked, annoyed by the interruption. “Oh, I just came to see you, to see if you wanted to go out or something,” he answered, ashamed of himself for the whole situation. You smiled slightly. It was quite noticeable that he was new, a rookie police officer fresh out of the academy who still doesn’t quite understand how things are here. Particularly, you found it interesting, this was much better than the Ricks who would say dirty comments to you expecting some kind of reaction from you…, proud of themselves if the reaction was positive and laughing amongst themselves if you had been upset. Since he acted differently, you decided to take advantage of the situation a little. “Didn’t your partner Morty give you the rules?” You turned around, positioning yourself in front of him while staring into his eyes provoking exactly the reaction you wanted him to have. “Which ones?” Rookie cop Rick questioned, making a mental list of everything he had been told. You closed the door with the latch behind him, noticing how he shuddered slightly. You smiled again, you definitely had to take advantage of it, before he became one more and stopped being interesting to you. You touched his bulge on top of his pants, pitying him when you felt that he was already hard. He closed his eyes, annoyed with himself, but curious about your next move. You unbuckled his belt and threw it somewhere, then pulled his pants down slightly, revealing the erection that was struggling to escape from his underwear. Your hand pumped his cock in a perfectly tempting motion for him, making him bite his lip to avoid it being heard outside. In fact, he shouldn't be there, so if he was found he would get into trouble, although he wasn't sure if that mattered to you. He assumed not, precisely because of the experience you showed in this: you stopped every time you knew he was going to cum. That was making him gasp embarrassedly, feeling sweat forming on his forehead and his frustration growing as you teased him. He wanted to tell you something, anything, but before he had the audacity to do so. You pushed him onto one of the chairs you had in your lab. With your dominant gaze you challenged him to say something, anything, but he knew there would be consequences if he decided to say any comment that bothered you. You pulled down your pants and without needing any preparation, you inserted his penis inside your entrance, repressing the small pain so as not to show him any hint of submission. He moaned every now and then, repressing all the other noises he could make so as not to feel like he had lost against you, but if he was honest, he couldn’t deny that he liked the movement of your hips on top of him. It was particularly addictive. He gave a sigh of relief when he was finally able to cum, after all those times you had teased him. “Don’t bother me when I’m working” You told him the rule, while you put your clothes back on, as if nothing had happened. He understood immediately.

[woman-of-balnain]

Possession (Alpha Rick x Omega Reader)

Prev. Work | Collection Masterlist | AO3 Ver. | Next Work

Pairing: Rick Grimes/Fem!Reader

Summary: After catching another alpha making unwanted advances on you, Rick makes the younger man watch as he claims you all over again, showing that you are indisputably his. 

Set in the early Alexandria days (s5).

A light sequel to my other story, ‘the Claim’, but this can be read independently.

A/N: If you haven’t read ‘the Claim’, basically Reader is Hershel’s daughter but can be read as any race (as in you can picture her as adopted etc.).

If you have read it, then just note that Lori still died giving birth to Judith, making Shane completely lose his sanity and he’s no longer around either (the reason why can be left up to your imagination). Like in the show, Rick has adopted Judith as his own and you both act as her parents but that is only mentioned and doesn’t play any serious role in this oneshot.

I’m really unsure about this one because the scenario is pretty fucked up lmao but hopefully it’s not complete and utter trash 😅

Warnings: A/B/O dynamics, there’s some non-consensual kissing and touching from an original male character, Rick being feral, dominant, possessive and a little bit dark, submissive reader, smut, brief orgasm delay/denial, unprotected sex, creampie, established relationship, Rick and reader are true mates, reverse-voyeurism I guess? Since Rick is literally getting off by making someone else watch... reader is female and wears traditionally female clothing.

Word Count: 3,989

Dividers by: @newlips​ + @cafekitsune​

Rick couldn’t help but feel uneasy and keep his guard up in the early days after arriving in Alexandria. After losing the farm and then later the prison, it was only natural that the whole group felt on edge. It felt too good to be true and it reminded him a little of Woodbury, making him wonder if Alexandria was also putting up some kind of front.

 Ultimately though, Rick wanted it to be everything it presented itself as, because the group needed a win after the hell they’d all been through. So, Rick was determined to try and make it work; and he knew that he could eventually – at least once he put a certain alpha in his place.

 It hadn’t escaped his attention how a younger alpha kept hanging around you, his omega. It bothered him, deep down, that the other man was closer to you in age and the way he made you laugh and smile with whatever stupid things he was saying.

 But Rick knew that the interactions were just friendly on your part. Your eyes had never strayed in all the time you’d been together, but that didn’t subdue the possessiveness he felt over you. The problem was the other alpha, Dylan, and the clear interest he had in you, despite you being claimed by Rick long ago.

 The way he touched you – light brushes against your skin that could have easily been explained away as an accident, but Rick knew it was much more than that – it made his blood boil. Rick had seen you grow uncomfortable more than once, but your new job, assigned to you by Deanna, meant that you would have to work closely with the other alpha. He didn’t like it, but he knew that he had nothing solid to prove that Dylan was doing anything wrong. At least not yet.

 His irritation only got worse when he came back to the house you’d been given, early in the evening one day after he’d been discussing things with Deanna. Because the first thing he saw was Carol, holding Judith, and no sign of you. The two of you had adopted the little girl as your own after Lori’s death, so the fact that you weren’t the one looking after her was out of the ordinary. His eyes scanned the rest of the living room, but you were nowhere to be found and it set him on edge.

 “She went off to help someone,” the beta woman told him calmly, sensing his uneasiness.

 “Who?” He grit out, already knowing the likely answer.

 “Dylan,” she replied with a hint of trepidation, knowing he wouldn’t like it. “Wanted some advice on that wild horse that was brought in.”

 It was a logical reason to ask for your help, since you had plenty of experience with horses due to growing up on the farm. Not to mention the fact that Dylan was in charge of looking after any livestock in Alexandria and you were tasked with working alongside him. But Rick knew there had to be an ulterior motive on the other alpha’s part, so he didn’t even say another word to Carol before he turned and headed back out the door in search of you. 

You were in the stables of Alexandria, stroking along the nose of the wild, yet beautiful mare that had been successfully captured, trying to calm it as it grew restless in its stall.

 “I’ll try to spend some time with her every day,” you told Dylan, your attention still on the mare. “Gain her trust first before we try to do anything with her.”

 “Thanks, Y/N,” the young alpha replied, moving closer to you.

 His arm brushed against yours and you tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling growing inside of you. You turned to face him and tried to put some distance between you both, but he just kept coming closer.

 “You know,” he said, getting right up in your space. “It’s gonna be really nice having you around here to help.”

 “Uh… thanks?” You replied, dread filling you at the way he wouldn’t stop coming closer and closer.

  “And it’s just an added bonus that you’re easy on the eyes,” he continued, looking you up and down.

 He had backed you up against the nearest wall and now his scent was all around you. It was suffocating and unpleasant, because it wasn’t Rick’s familiar and comforting scent. The fear just grew inside you at the lack of your alpha’s presence.

 “Dylan... Rick will lose it if he hears you say something like that,” you warned, knowing better than anyone just how protective your alpha could be.

 “That old man?” He scoffed, causing anger to rise within you. “What’s he gonna do?”

 Dylan pressed his body against yours and you struggled, trying to move away, but he took hold of your arms and pinned you in place.

 “Come on, Omega,” he tried to convince you and you hated the way that word sounded coming from his mouth. “You need a real Alpha. One who can keep up with you.”

 If only he knew… you thought to yourself, thinking that you were the one usually left exhausted as you tried to keep up with Rick’s stamina.

 “What?” You asked, with annoyance, trying to mask your discomfort. “Someone like you? Give me a break…”

 “Don’t worry,” he snarled, his face so close that you were forced to look him in the eye. “I’ll make you forget him. I’ll make it so the only name you remember is mine.”

 “Seriously,” you fought against him again. “Just cut it out. You don’t want to see him angry.”

 “You reek of him,” was Dylan’s only response.

 “What do you expect? He’s my mate.”

 “That’s never stopped me before,” he grinned.

 He pushed his hips against you so that you could feel how excited he was by the idea. It only repulsed you and made you turn your head away in disgust.

 “Please, don’t do this…” you pleaded with him, truly scared now as you realised the full depth of his intentions.

 “That’s right,” he chuckled darkly. “Beg, little Omega.”

 Then he took hold of your face roughly, turning it back to look at him before his lips forced themselves onto yours. You kicked your legs and grunted against him in anger, trying desperately to get away, but his hold on you was steadfast and you weren’t able to escape.

 You hated it, every fibre of your being screaming out that this was wrong and wondering where the hell Rick was. It was more than just another man forcing himself on you. It was like trying to mess with nature, because the claiming bite Rick had placed on your neck linked you to him intrinsically. It joined you physically and emotionally, so another man touching you was like torture.

 You gasped for air, relief filling your body when Dylan’s body was ripped away from yours. The relief didn’t last long, though, because you caught sight of your alpha, enraged and completely out of control. You wiped the back of your hand against your mouth, wishing you could erase what had just happened.

 Rick was fuming and pushed the other alpha to the ground before plummeting his fists into the younger alpha’s face. His eyes were feral with an untamed fury over another man touching you in that way.

 “Rick…” you called out softly, trying to get his attention.

 Despite his anger being completely warranted, and the way you still felt disgusted over the other alpha’s unwanted touch, you needed Rick to calm down. Because if he didn’t, it could jeopardise the new home you had all found.

 But Rick either didn’t hear you or refused to listen, continuing to brutally beat the other alpha down into the ground. You winced when you heard the tell-tale sound of bones breaking and saw the way Dylan’s head whipped to the side from the force of Rick’s assault.

 When most of the younger man’s face was a mix of dark bruising and bright, red blood, Rick finally let up, his chest heaving and his eyes still absolutely feral. He stood up, leaving Dylan on the ground, the younger man coughing and wheezing in his defeat.

 Then Rick’s gaze met your terrified one and his expression softened as he made his way over to you. His eyes and hands searched you frantically, making sure that you were okay, and you looked at the broken skin of his knuckles with concern.

 “Baby, I’m sorry,” his voice cracked as he spoke, and then he was resting his forehead against yours.

 “F-for what?” You stammered out, still in shock from it all.

 “I wasn’t here,” he elaborated, his hands resting protectively on your hips. “To stop him from doing that to you."

 “You’re here now,” you pointed out, your fingers stroking soothing patterns across his cheek. “But… you shouldn’t have done that. Won’t Deanna get mad?”

 You looked over at the other alpha, still lying on the ground, but now unmoving. Seeing the way your concern only deepened, Rick followed your gaze and his mood darkened again. He moved away from you, striding back over to the man who was the reason for his current rage.

 Bending down, he grabbed hold of the collar of the younger man’s shirt with one hand, pulling him up slightly before he hit across Dylan’s face with his other hand. The other alpha startled back awake with a groan, eyes barely keeping open from how swollen they’d become.

 Rick pulled him up, dragging his body until it was propped up against the wall that he’d previously held you against. Then, he bent right down to look straight into the other alpha’s eyes, every part of him seething as he was only just holding back from killing the younger man.

 “No, you don’t get to pass out,” Rick drawled out, voice low and gruff with barely restrained fury. “You’re gonna watch. You’re gonna see everything and take it all in until you understand that she’s mine. And afterwards, assuming that you get to live, if you ever even look at her again, I’ll do more than just break your jaw.”

 You stared at your alpha with confusion, wondering what exactly he intended for the other man to see. Then Rick stepped back before turning to look at you again and the unrestrained lust that entered his eyes as he took you in made you both nervous and excited.

 “Rick…” you said again, backing up and away from him.

 He stalked you like you were his prey, but it was different to when the other alpha had done it. Because Rick was yours and you were his. And sooner or later, he would have you however he wanted you. Your back hit resistance and you realised that you were trapped again, but now there was only desire and anticipation filling you at the thought of what he had in mind.

 “Omega,” he said lowly, caging your body with his. “Tell me what he said to you. What he wanted to do.”

 Your eyes widened at his request, but you had never seen him so completely feral, so raw with anger. Reluctantly, you decided to obey him, not wanting to push him any further.

 “He…”

 You faltered, feeling nervous, but Rick gave you a reassuring look, telling you he wouldn’t be angry. Not with you anyway.

 “He… he said he would show me what a real alpha is like…” you admitted hesitantly.

 Rick’s gaze darkened, but he didn’t interrupt. You didn’t like repeating it, but deep down, in the darkest depths of your mind, you enjoyed how possessive he was of you. That alone gave you the courage to continue.

 “He wanted to take me, despite the fact I’m yours. Wanted me to beg him to stop…”

 You looked away, but that was enough for Rick. He gently turned your head back to face him and rubbed his thumb over your bottom lip tenderly.

 “I’m here now,” he repeated your earlier words. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

 You nodded, trusting him completely and he leaned forward, bringing his lips to yours. The familiar, but no less perfect sensation made all of the tension you felt fade away. His mouth reclaimed your own, washing away any traces of the other alpha and reminding you that you were Rick’s and his alone. His to claim, his to protect and his to love.  

 Just like every other time that he kissed you, the world around you seemed to melt away and you forgot that you weren’t alone. You forgot everything except for Rick. So, you gave no resistance when his hands moved up your thighs and under your skirt. Your only reaction was to let your hips buck up with need when his fingers came into contact with your core.

 He pushed your flimsy panties to the side, allowing him to feel you properly and tease you senseless. You quickly grew wet, your body perfectly tuned to respond eagerly to his touch. Rick knew exactly what you wanted, understanding what drove you towards euphoric release.

 He thrust his fingers inside of you, while his thumb moved over your clit, applying just the right amount of pressure. It rubbed in circular motions, occasionally flicking over the sensitive nub to stimulate you further. You moaned shamelessly, clinging to the soft lapels of his jacket.

 It was that dark brown suede one, with the woollen collar that he always seemed to be wearing when he unleashed his anger on someone, after they pissed him off. Seeing him in it, earlier that day, that should have been a warning sign telling you that something bad was going to happen.

 But in that moment, he had never looked more desirable as his head pulled back and you took in the raw lust in his piercing blue eyes. Tendrils of his curly hair fell down onto his face and his lips were swollen from the force of the kiss you’d just shared. He was determined to prove a point and it left you aching for him.

 “You’re so wet, ‘mega,” he groaned out, fingers still plunging in and out of your pussy. “Just for me, right?”

 “Only for you, Alpha,” you responded instantly, biting down on your lower lip in an attempt to stifle your moans.

 “What do you want, baby?” He asked, fingers curling inside of you. “Tell me.”

 “I want you,” was your breathless reply. “I need you. Your cock… inside me...”

 “Beg for it.”

 “What?” You asked, in a daze.

 Rick pulled his fingers from you abruptly, ignoring the way you whined at the sudden empty feeling they left behind. He grabbed hold of you, turning you around until you were facing the other alpha – the man you’d forgotten was even there. He was still conscious but barely keeping his eyes open. Yet, his attention was fixed on the two of you.

 “Oh god…” you whispered with embarrassment at the sudden reminder of his presence.

 “Did you forget we had company, baby?” Rick asked, pressing his chest against your back as his arms held tightly to your waist. “He’s going to watch you come undone. He’s going to learn that you’re mine. Only mine.”

 “Rick…”

 “I told you, sweetheart,” he continued. “If you want my cock, you have to ask for it. Give him what he wanted, let him hear you beg. For me.”

 “Fuck,” you groaned in response, unable to deny how turned on you were by his show of dominance.

 Rick pushed down on your back, bending you forward slightly as his leg moved between yours. Your thighs spread instantly, letting him settle between them and his strong hands pushed your skirt up so that you were fully exposed to him.

 Then he we went still, holding you there but no longer moving. You realised what he was waiting for, but it was humiliating to think of begging him in front of someone else.

 “Omega,” he warned.

 One of his hands left you and you heard the tell-tale sign of him unbuckling his belt. Just the thought of him being so close but unwilling to touch you until you did as he demanded broke your resolve.

 “Oh god,” you whined out, desperate for his touch. “Please, Rick…”

 The sound of his belt hitting the floor from behind you made you even more needy, because he still wasn’t touching you how you wanted him to.

 “You can do better than that, ‘mega,” he replied calmly.

 “Please, Alpha. Please fuck me, I need it.”

 You no longer cared that you had an audience. Rick was an expert at making you come undone for him and you were at the point where you’d do anything that he asked if it meant he would give you what you so desperately craved. A deep moan escaped you when he took hold of your hips, pressing you back against him.

 You realised that his pants were pulled down, allowing his hardened length to rub against you tantalisingly. But it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t where you ached for him to be.

 “Go on,” he coaxed you with a groan, wanting more. “Tell me what you need.”

 “I need your cock,” you replied obediently. “Only yours.”

 “Why?”

 “Because… oh, fuck,” you faltered briefly as his erection brushed against your clit. “Because you’re the only one who can make me feel good.”

 “That’s right,” he agreed, pleased with your words. “And where do you want it, baby?”

 “Rick!” You whined, unable to comprehend how he was so composed or how he still wasn’t satisfied.

 “Tell me,” he insisted, one hand tugging at your hair and pulling your head back.

 “I need your cock inside me,” you gave in. “Deep inside my pussy. Please, please, please… I need it so badly!”

 “Such a dirty mouth,” he let out a light laugh.

 “Rick, please, I can’t take it anymore.”

 “Okay, baby,” he soothed you, lining himself up at your entrance. “Since you begged me so nicely.”

 He didn’t wait for a response, thrusting into you hard and fast, his cock pushing in, right to the hilt. The moan that escaped you was primal and desperate as your pussy clenched around him in response.

 “See how well she responds to me?” Rick asked, no longer talking to you.

 Your eyes fluttered shut and you attempted to block it out. But it was impossible, because your body was so acclimated to taking in his every word.

 “You know,” he continued, still pounding into you from behind. “She’s still just as tight as the first time I fucked her. This pussy was made for me. Enjoy the show, because this is the only time you’ll ever see her like this.”

 “Rick,” you cried out, going crazy from the way he was speaking. “Oh god, don’t stop!”

 It ashamed you how much it turned you on. You were absolutely dripping, not only from his actions, but from his possessive display of dominance.

 “Hear that?” He continued taunting the other man. “This is how an alpha fucks his omega. And you? All you can do is watch.”

 “Please, I’m so close…” you begged, your mind in an absolute daze.

 “No,” Rick denied, his words now meant for you. “You don’t get to cum until I tell you to.”

 You whined obstinately, but you both knew that he had you wrapped around his finger and that you’d do whatever he said. Your body rocked forward with every brutal thrust, and he knew exactly what he was doing to you, but he still had a point to prove.

 “She’s mine,” Rick grit out, sounding like he was getting closer to the edge – of both his release and his sanity. “Every single part of her is attuned to me. If she begs, it’ll be because I tell her to. The only alpha she’s ever gonna know is me.”

 It was like a sweet sense of euphoria when his hand moved down between your legs, and he brought his attention back to your aching clit.

 “You’re so good to me, aren’t you baby?” He praised, his lips right by your ear.

 “Yes,” you replied, desperate to cum. “Yes, only for you, Rick.”

 His thumb rubbed over your sensitive nub and your pussy contracted around him in response.

 “That’s it,” he coaxed you, voice low and reverberating through his chest against your back. “Cum for me sweetheart, let me feel you squeezing around me.”

 “Fuck!” You moaned out desperately as he flicked his thumb over your clit and sent your body crashing over the edge.

 Rick let out desperate sounds of his own as he pushed into you deeply, holding you steady against him. Then, the hand he still had holding onto your hair forced your head to tilt to the side, offering your neck to him.

 His head bent down and his lips came into contact with your mating gland before he sunk his teeth into the skin, reclaiming you so that there would be no doubt about who you belonged to. You couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a scream – it was partly from pain, as the old wound was reopened, but mostly it was from a deep and intense sense of pleasure as he re-staked his claim.

 Then you felt his cock twitch before he came deep inside of you, his other hand resting over your lower abdomen possessively. Rick kept you close to him, making sure you took every last drop while his tongue soothed the spot on your neck that would always keep you tied together.

 He traced light patterns along your stomach, comforting you as you both came down from your high. Eventually, he pressed one last kiss to your sensitive gland before pulling back and sliding out of you. He fixed your skirt, moving it back down before he righted his own clothing, pulling his pants back up and covering himself again.

 You swayed a little on the spot, still in a bit of a daze. He seemed instantly aware of how exhausted and spent your body was, because he wrapped his arms around you, turning you to face him.

 “You’re okay, sweetheart,” he promised. “I’ve got you.”

 Your head fell to his chest, and you let out a content sigh as he pulled you into a protective hug. When your body had settled and you were able to support yourself, Rick pulled away and brought his attention back to the other alpha.

 Dylan began breathing heavily as Rick walked back over to him. But he was so beaten, bloody and bruised that he couldn’t seem to say anything. You watched as your alpha gave him one last, hard punch to the face, knocking him out cold again.

 “Rick, this is not good,” you said, reality and all its repercussions coming back to you. “Once Deanna finds out –”

 “Hey,” he cut you off, moving back over to you. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry, okay?”

 His expression had softened again, and he reached out to take your hands in his. You wanted to trust him, because he’d never let you down before, but Alexandria was so different to what you’d experienced since the loss of the farm, and you didn’t want to lose the sense of security and normalcy that it provided.

 “Y/N,” he held your gaze, his voice filled with conviction. “I love you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

 You couldn’t hold back a smile at his words, and you nodded, letting your instinct to trust him overcome all of your doubts.

 “I love you too,” you replied softly.

He grinned in response, pulling you closer and capturing your lips in a gentle and loving kiss. As usual, everything else seemed to fade away until all that was left was Rick and your unwavering faith in him.

--

Next Work

--

[grimesthinker]

Jello :) need more of your thoughts on experienced rick x inexperienced daryl. cause in my mind it’s kind of hot if daryl picks up on it first but feels the need to tell rick. like daryl almost doesn’t feel worthy of y/n crush and channels it through his own desire of rick. but rick shows him how y/n gets wet even at the thought of daryl let along the sight of him even if rick is more used to picking up signs and guided daryl

i luvvv this and since rick is really dominate i’m thinking that having to guide daryl..… gets him off tbh…. >:)

rick basically already had you wrapped around his finger, so when he had a new favor to ask, you were more than happy to oblige.

“y’know daryl, right, sweetheart?” he asks, one of his strong hands gently tucking your hair behind your ear.

“mm hm.” you nod, looking up at him. “why?”

“need you to do somethin’ for me. you’d be happy to, wouldn’t you?”

“of course.” you give a sweet smile.

while rick explains to you, daryl’s in the other room listening in. he mumbles something to himself, embarrassed that he ever admitted anything to rick in the first place. of course rick had caught on to daryl’s little crush on you, he wasn’t oblivious. although you didn’t belong to him, rick was a possessive man. so when he confronted daryl about it, daryl was ready to deny any liking he had taken to you. to his surprise though, rick wasn’t upset. instead, he was kind of glad.

“the girl’s a fuckin’ vixen man, i gotta tell ‘ya.” rick had told daryl, practically bragging to him about you. “she looks shy, huh? an innocent little thing? nah.” rick was interested, to say the least, in how this would play out. truth be told, he actually kinda liked the thought of another man fucking his girl.

“daryl!..…” you call out softly, walking to the door. rick stands to the side of the room, watching it play out. daryl appears, walking towards you sheepishly. you grab his hand, leading him into the room.

you close the door behind you, touching daryl’s arm as you do so. you stand on your toes, whispering in the man’s ear. “easy, stud. i don’t bite.”

[icedragonlizard]

Kirby AU talk: "Friendship Really Does Shine Like A Star!"

This AU heavily rewrites the story of Star Allies, rewrites a small part of the story of Forgotten Land, and does a few more extra things. All the other games that take place before Star Allies and Forgotten Land stay the same.

Four big things happen here:

-The villain group in Star Allies is much more threatening in this AU.

-An extra wave of dream friends accompanies Kirby and co.

-All the dream friends show up in Forgotten Land in post-game.

-Some extra masks are added to Merry Magoland.

Now, let's go into all of this in detail.

Before this AU's Star Allies events begin, there's a prologue of Hyness attempting to use up all the dark energy the cult currently has to power up the Jamba heart in hopes of summoning Void Termina.

However... there's a problem. There's not enough dark energy to activate the Jamba heart. Void Termina cannot be summoned yet.

It's only about 60% complete. The cult needs to expand on its believers to radiate more dark energy to be capable of fully activating the Jamba heart. The cult is going to need to invade planets for this.

And so Hyness orders his three generals, The Three Mage Sisters, to take their armies and invade planets to force people to join the cult against their will. Each Mage Sister has her own respective army of Jammerjabs, and so there are three Jambastion armies out to force expansion for the cult. Hyness will stay at the Divine Terminus to keep watch, as this is the very area where he'll summon Void Termina.

The Mage Sisters start invading a handful of planets with their armies. They relentlessly coerce people in the cult by overpowering them and then throwing corrupted dark hearts at them (like how Kirby throws friend hearts). When someone is joined into the cult by being influenced by a dark heart, it radiates dark energy that the cult will then use to power up the Jamba heart to summon Void Termina.

After invading a planet, the Mage Sisters are then free to run rampant around it, causing random chaos and killing people with their weapons. The planets they invade become stomping grounds.

Planet Earthfall, Planet Misteen, Planet Caverna, Planet Frostak, Planet Towara and Star Lavadom all get conquered by the cult. Not just that, but their respective smaller-sized stars get conquered too.

There still isn't enough dark energy radiated from all those conquests, however. The cult will still need to invade more planets.

After the cult conquers all those planets, Popstar is the next planet that the cult has their eyes on. And it's a much bigger planet than all the previous planets that were conquered, so the cult deduces that it may be able to finally summon Void Termina if it conquers Popstar.

All three of the Mage Sisters come into Popstar with their respective armies in an attempt to dominate the peculiarly star-shaped planet.

This is, of course, when Kirby and all the dream friends get involved. This is when the group eventually bands together to stop the cult.

King Dedede and Meta Knight get captured and are fed dark hearts. Kirby will have to fight them to knock the dark influence out of them.

While Kirby saves Popstar from the cult's domination, the dream friends gradually tag alongside him as they're all trying to fight back as well. They all agree that joining up with Kirby will increase the odds of victory and to finally put the cult in their place. Bandana Waddle Dee is the first one to join Kirby, as they meet up shortly after the grand adventure begins. All of the others then show up at later points.

All the dream friends in the canon Star Allies show up. This, indeed, means the wave 1, wave 2 and wave 3 groups as we know them.

Rick, Kine, Coo, Gooey and Marx show up to join the team early on. Adeleine, Ribbon, Daroach and Dark Meta Knight show up to join the team sometime after Dedede gets saved. Magolor, Taranza and Susie show up to join the team sometime after Meta Knight gets saved.

But the troubles in Popstar aren't over after Meta Knight gets saved. The cult still has strongholds on some places on the planet. The group still has to eliminate those strongholds and chase the Mage Sisters and their armies out of Popstar. And after they get chased out of the planet, three more people then show up to join the star allies.

Yes, that's right. Three more dream friends. An entire new wave of dream friends joins the group. That means even more help! Hooray!

Here are the three extra dream friends that join the group:

Gryll swoops by to join the star allies. This silly onion witch lady was once an adversary to Kirby, but they've made up a long time after. She's a buddy now! She's got many magical powers that she can use to fight the cult with, such as spawning star blocks out of her hands that she can throw in rapid succession, and many other various magic that her broom is able to perform. Gryll seems to enjoy chaos, so she might go a little bit nuts when fighting alongside the others. Gryll also appears to have history with Marx, as they were happy to see each other when she came to join the team shortly before they depart from Planet Popstar.

Drawcia shows up?!? What a surprise!!! She didn't even make up with Kirby before this, but it's still very much appreciated that she seemingly wants to help with the rest! Able to use all the attacks that she did when she fought Kirby a long time ago before this, Drawcia will be sure to make a great asset to the star allies. That being said, though, while Drawcia appears to have softened up a little bit compared to before, she's still incredibly morally grey. She can be considered another 'evil token' star ally, similarly to Dark Meta Knight.

Prince Fluff was hoping for the day he'd assist Kirby in another adventure. He's proud to have finally gotten that chance now! He's a bit of a prideful one. Although Fluff isn't only joining just to feed his ego by adventuring with Kirby again, he's also joining because his home of Patch Land was being threatened by the cult. He found a way to lock up the sock that serves as the gateway to his home to prevent the cult from going there, and then he's ready to join. Fluff can use all the attacks that he used during his adventure with Kirby.

After these three join the team, and after the team leaves Popstar, they go to the Jambastion fortress when they saw the Mage Sisters flee there. They hunt the Mage Sisters down and beat them up again.

But the Mage Sisters still don't give up. They inform that they're still fully intent on getting the dark energy needed to summon their god, and that they've already made a lot of progress in doing so with the handful of planets they've already conquered before this. The time on the Jambastion fortress ends with Zan Partizanne maniacally laughing as she destroys the fortress, forcing the star allies to leave the area and to go save all the planets that the cult has dominated.

The star allies go to each of the corrupted planets one-by-one. They save the planets in mostly the same order as canon, except that Star Lavadom gets visited before Planet Towara. Planet Towara is the last of the conquered planets that the star allies rescues from the cult.

After the star allies free denizens of Planet Towara from the cult's influence, something terrible happens. The Mage Sisters appear to have planned a surprise attack, as they then ambush the star allies, catch them off guard, and they literally kidnap Kirby in the process.

Yes, you heard that right. The Mage Sisters kidnap Kirby. They then fly off, maniacally laughing as they carry the pink puffball with them back to the Jambandran base. This enrages all the other star allies, as they unite closer together with the collective goal to save Kirby.

Although Kirby already gets taken to Hyness before the star allies can get to him. The cult threw a bunch of dark hearts at Kirby, as he was refusing to let himself join the cult, but it still radiated dark energy.

When the star allies show up at the Divine Terminus, they beat up the Mage Sisters and Hyness, and then free Kirby. But after he's freed, Hyness then throws the Mage Sisters and himself onto the Jamba heart in a desperate attempt to power it up, and luckily for them, it just suddenly has enough power to finally summon Void Termina.

The star allies destroy Void Termina. Hyness and the Mage Sisters then end up finding themselves into Another Dimension, which kickstarts events that are very similar to that of the events of HiAD.

HiAD plays out mostly the same in this AU as it does in regular canon, but a difference in the ending. When Kirby throws friend hearts at the four cultists... it appears that there's something wrong.

Francisca, Flamberge and Hyness appear to come out perfectly fine, but Zan Partizanne appears to be seriously injured. She's still alive, but she clearly needs treatment or else she'll eventually die. Hyness and the other two Mage Sisters freak out over this. They profusely apologize to the star allies, and thankfully Kirby forgives them and is willing to help them out in saving Zan's life. Eventually, the cult goes back to their home in Jambandran base just in time while Zan is still alive, and they're able to get the necessary treatment for her to live.

Zan Partizanne survives a close brink of death. And she's then super grateful to the rest of the star allies for helping out in saving her.

Hyness and the Mage Sisters are then onto the star allies' good side.

They, as well as the rest of the star allies, regularly keep in touch with Kirby. This includes Dark Meta Knight and Drawcia, who didn't make up with Kirby before this adventure, but they then became friends with him during it. Kirby grew on everyone in the team afterwards.

All the star allies show up in Forgotten Land after Fecto Elfilis gets defeated. Most of Forgotten Land's events mainly stay the same as in canon, as the main adventure before the Fecto Elfilis fight is not changed. However, after Elfilis is defeated, and when Kirby and Elfilin have to save Leongar, that's when all the star allies show up in Waddle Dee Town, intending to help clean up the mess that occurred.

They all got there through Magolor's ship. The Lor Starcutter was able to locate the place of the Forgotten Land during the events of the main story, and so he gathered up all the other star allies. The Lor traveled through dimensions to get to the Forgotten Land. As they came there and helped clean up the place, they met Clawroline and the others of the Beast Pack. They'd then met Elfilin and Leongar after the latter finally gets saved. Kirby would've needed to help clean up the Forgotten Land otherwise, but it turns out that he doesn't need to. All the other star allies showed up to do exactly just that!

A portal gets set up for people to travel between Popstar and the Forgotten Land literally anytime. This is a gift from the Beast Pack.

When Magolor opens up his amusement park of Merry Magoland some time after, four more masks get added that aren't present in the actual Magoland in RTDL Deluxe. All the 86 masks that show up in the game are still present in this AU's Magoland, but 4 get added.

These four masks are based on Gryll, Prince Fluff, Gorimondo and Sillydillo. Not gonna lie, I'm not sure why they didn't have masks for the latter two when they have masks for the other two in the Beast Pack. And of course, Gryll and Prince Fluff could use Magoland masks since they're in the star allies in this AU.

Now there are 90 masks for Merry Magoland instead of 86.

That's basically it for the major events of this AU. Other than Gryll, Drawcia and Prince Fluff getting accustomed with the rest of the star allies and how those three interact with the others, but that's for another day. I may or may not make a separate post going over that!

With moments like all the star allies showing up to save Kirby after he's kidnapped by the Mage Sisters, and all the star allies showing up at the Forgotten Land through Magolor's ship to clean up the place, the name title given to this AU very much becomes a true statement.

Friendship really does shine like a star!

-----

That sums up the synopsis for this AU! I must thank you so much if you've taken the time to read it all. I know there's a lot here, but thanks regardless if you've gotten through it! This is a big juicy AU.

This is the last of the AUs that I'm making a synopsis for.

Here are the links to the other AUs I've made synopses for:

Dark Stormy Matters: Kracko fuses with Dark Matter in a desperate attempt to finally get back at Kirby with as much power as he can.

Memories Still At A Halt: Accidentally encountering an active clockwork star, Susie makes a wish to it that revives her dad. But he still doesn't recognize her as his daughter after being brought back.

Hope Within The Darkness: Morpho Knight makes the rare decision to bring the Dark Matter Swordsman back to life after watching him get horribly mistreated by the rest of the Dark Matter clan in hades. DMS adopts the name 'Blade' as he tries to fit in with Kirby and the rest of his friends, which ends up being extremely awkward at first.

If anyone decides to come to my inbox and ask something about one of these four AUs, I'd be hugely appreciative! I won't encourage it necessarily, but I'd love to hear people's feedback on any of these.

But with that, that ends the post. See y'all later!

[trillscienceofficer]

BRYAN FULLER: I’ll give you a personal angle into the story. I’m the youngest of five and I watched my parents play my sisters off of each other to the point that they haven’t spoken to each other in forty years. I saw that happening with Rick playing Brannon and Ron off of each other in a way that caused them both to behave outside of their natural states, because insecurities were played on, exposed, manipulated. What happened between Brannon and Ron boils down to bad parenting on Rick’s behalf.

Rick would taunt Brannon, saying things like “I should have hired Ron to run Voyager instead of you.” So of course Brannon is going to be insecure and vulnerable. Brannon is a very complicated guy, but an amazing storyteller and a good guy ultimately. Both Ron and Brannon are good guys. But when you’re in a situation where you are feeling vulnerable and insecure and you’re having somebody essentially say I wish you were more like that guy, you’re going to resent that guy. And when that guy is told “I wish Brannon was more like you,” then you’re going to feel like you should come in and you should be in a position where you’re exerting a certain sense of control over the story. So I feel like both of them were victims of bad parenting in that scenario.

BRANNON BRAGA: Ron came in with a very strong point of view and I was irrationally resistant, because I felt that I had just earned my keep as a showrunner. I felt a little threatened by my old colleague, which was silly of me. Ron is always one to push the boundaries, and I wish I’d listened to him.

RONALD D. MOORE: I think at the heart of it is that when we were partners, I was something of the senior partner, because I started a year before him. And in our relationship as people, I took somewhat of a more dominant role. It was a marriage and a partnership. I’m not saying I was number one and he was number two, but there was a certain dynamic between the two of us that I was used to, saying what I wanted to do and not the other way around. And then I was going to work for him and he was a different person running that show. This is from my perspective, but he seemed less willing to take chances. He seemed more afraid of changing the show, and his arguments were feeling a lot like Rick’s arguments about what Star Trek was and what it wasn’t. He still had his Brannon ideas about weird science-fiction things and strange concepts and bizarro time travel. Things that were kind of his signature at the time. But the character work, he was not as receptive to really challenging the characters. A lot of things I eventually put into Battlestar Galactica, I started pitching to him originally.

There was a story in development when I was there about them coming across an alien fleet and they were going to shepherd them for a time. I remembering talking about Battlestar Galactica, the original show, and saying, “Hey, it could be something like that except we could do it where there’s votes by these civilians and they don’t want Janeway to always be in charge. And there should be culture there.” I kept saying that I want the internal culture on Voyager to change over time. Why don’t they put the leadership of the starship to a vote at some point? Is Janeway literally going to captain this ship until she’s eighty? Is Chakotay always going to be the number two? If these guys really don’t think they’re getting back to the Alpha Quadrant for seventy or eighty years, shouldn’t they start thinking long-term? Shouldn’t they sort of let their hair down a little bit? What if they don’t want to wear their uniforms on a Friday? What if they want to decorate the halls? What if they start customizing this ship because it’s probably a generational ship? And they were not open to those concepts. Brannon was not open to those concepts. It was like changing the show too much: “That’s not Star Trek. That’s not what the audience wants to see. I don’t want to see Janeway get votes.” He was very contemptuous about some of it, and I bristled at that. I just felt like they weren’t willing to try to change the show, because in their minds they thought the show was working fine and it didn’t need to be challenged. I was the one saying no, this does not work. This can be better. This is not good.

I kept pushing, and out of that dynamic Brannon stopped wanting to have me in meetings and stopped wanting me to be around, and then the whole thing blew up once I found out that they literally were having meetings where I wasn’t around and they were developing stories that I wasn’t a part of, and the staff had been told not to tell me these things. I walked into Rick’s office and said, “I want out.” He was shocked and Brannon was shocked, and Brannon and I had it out. It was a hard, very emotional and painful scene. Brannon said, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know why it’s been like that, but I’d really like you to stay.” But I was just done. I just wanted out. It broke my heart and I was angry and hurt. At that point I didn’t think I’d see my participation in it. It was his show and I acted like it was my show, which was not the smartest move. I really underestimated what it would be like to go work with him again. In my heart, I was ready to move on. I should have left Trek at the end of Deep Space Nine and taken on other challenges. Instead I went for comfort and ease and it blew up on me.

BRANNON BRAGA: Now I think it was best he left, because he was frustrated with me. On the one hand I wish I had responded differently, because I think the show would have been better for it. But then again, if he had remained, Ron might not have gone on to do Battlestar Galactica—which, in my view, is what he wanted to do with Star Trek. Every show creator has their moment, their show, and I really think Battlestar was Ron’s best work. It was what he was yearning to do with Star Trek, but was constrained by the premise.

— “The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years” by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman

[guywrestlingaddiction]

What Turned me Gay (not really): Pro Wrestling in the 90's

Pro Wrestling truly hit it's golden age in the 90's.  It was a time when sexy guys tied strings around their biceps and men intimidated each other by oiling up their pecs.  There was something magical about this time. The combination of colossal egos and a fresh crop of young jobbers each week created a spectacle that will never be replicated.

Ravishing Rick Rude and Stunning Steve Austin v Flyin' Brian and Sting

What turned me gay (not really) ...  This post, inspired by the sidelineland.com blog, takes a tongue and cheek look into "what made me gay (not really)" and my journey of discovery would not be complete without examining Pro Wrestling in the 90's, an era that definitely turned me gay. 

The Background It all began with an image.  I can't recall who or even which network it was on but there he was.  A jobber, trapped on the ring post getting hammered away by a vicious heel.  Now while I can't recall his face, I do recall the feeling it left with me.  The taught and fit jobber, the sweaty bodies, the satisfied smile on the heel. My young emotions screamed one thing; I needed to watch more of this.  

Not the Jobber in the corner I remember but sexy Lee Scott will do.

It helped that my older brother was also into wrestling.  Together we'd watch and celebrate or rag on each other depending on if our heroes won or lost.  But there was always one wrestler I fixated on, one man I obsessed over for reasons my young mind simply couldn't comprehend. That man was Ravishing Rick Rude.

Grabbing that chest won't save you!

Ravishing Rick Rude and Stunning Steve Austin v Flyin' Brian and Sting (WCW)

Ravishing Rick Rude v Hawk (WCW)

Ravishing Rick Rude v Ricky Steamboat (WCW)

That long, muscular body, that alpha energy the man gave off, but above all it was those abs of steel.  You could not tear me away from a Rick Rude match when he was flashing those abs into my television.  Rick Rude awakened something in me before I even knew I liked guys.  That persona and masculine energy was something I simply wanted more of.  With that incredible body, those sculpted arms, that tough guy mustache all worked to scramble my young brain; Rick Rude definitely turned me gay.  

Rick showing us the goods

Ravishing Rick Rude resting his head on a jobber

Then came another bombshell, one that a lot gay men out there could not get enough of, that is the one and only, Alex Wright.  

The one and only, Alex Wright

Tall and smooth, while also deceptively scaling the ropes between jobber and heel, Alex Wright was Pro wrestling's first Twunk.  The man was a stealth wrestler.  A man you'd expect to be riding around in a convertible listening to techno music, but then something would flip and that man would bring the heat.

Alex Wright v Brian Pillman 

Alex with Paul Roma

My favorite Alex matches were the few when he got to dominate.  It was almost like waking up from a spell, all those pretty muscles in that huge imposing frame weren't for show - the man was simply so drool worthy you'd forget how imposing the guy could be.  

Alex Wright fights back (sometimes)

Alex Wright was my first male lust and was all my youthful urges personified as a pro wrestler. The man absolutely turned me gay.  

The one and only Alex Wright!

What made this time so great to me was that it was a moment when pro studios excelled at fostering young talent.  Guys like Mark Jindrak brutalizing a young jobber, a kiss of the knuckles punch to take down Lee Scott, or in the case of Evan Karagias, being on the receiving end of the beatdown.  It was the perfect collision of over-the-top silliness with raw manly emotion.  This era simply had something going for it that I can't quite explain and haven't seen since.

Mark Jindrak vs. Elix Skipper (WCW)

Mean Mark (The Undertaker) v Lee Scott (WCW)

Paul Orndorff v Lee Scott (WCW)

Evan Karagias v Chris Jericho (WCW)

In spite of the beautiful smooth bodies shoved through my television, a stand out moment from my youth was witnessing the great Arn Anderson tearing down some poor jobber.  It was like hearing music for the first time and realizing that beauty does not always equal pretty. For me anyway, the sight of a no-nonsense, tougher-than-your-dad heel like Arn Anderson in his prime was undeniably beautiful and wrestling once again revealed something about myself that I didn't understand at the time but would later come to relish.

Arn Anderson v Alex Wright (WCW)

Arn for the Win! Arn Anderson v Eddie Jackson (WCW)

They say, often when you think you're at the end of something, you're actually at the beginning of something else. This certainly held true as the decade drew to a close and something seemed to shift in pro wrestling. While the same sexy, hard bodies still clashed in the ring, it felt like a part of what I once loved had moved on.

Or maybe I moved on. You see, Pro Wrestling in the '90s may have been the spark that turned me gay, but before I knew it, I was fully embracing myself as a gay man. Your formative years are funny like that. No matter how much time passes or where I am on this journey, I still can't shake that image of a faceless jobber trapped in the corner, somewhere back in the '90s.

[cazort]

Hey guys, so Senate Republicans didn't pick Trump's favorite, the ultra-far-right, Rick Scott, and instead picked John Thune, to be Senate Majority Leader.

This is significant for multiple reasons. One, he differs from Trump's views on a number of issues. He is pro-Ukraine, he has worked to block Trump's attempted cuts to the 340B program (which cuts prescription drug costs for low-income people), he's sponsored legislation to encourage employers to pay off their employees' student loans, and he defended NAFTA when Trump tried to get out of it. He also in 2020 opposed Trump's continued efforts to overturn the election results.

The Republican party has been overrun by extremism for a long time and I want to make clear, Thune still takes a long list of stances I disagree with. But he is more moderate than Cornyn and much more moderate than Rick Scott, the two other contenders. I haven't seen a lot of examples over the past 10 years of where the Republicans moderated themselves, but this is one of them.

Senate Republicans picked the most-moderate and most anti-Trump of the three contenders and this is very significant and is a hopeful sign. In particular it shows that Trump may have less influence over the internals of the Republican party than some people think he might have. It also points to the Republicans probably not blindly rubber-stamping everything he wants, but instead, seeing him as someone who needs to be kept in check.

What does this mean for you? Especially if you live in a red state, write your senators about issues that concern you. They might listen. When Trump was trying to cut 340B, there was pushback and that's why Republicans didn't cut it. When Trump contested the 2020 election results, there was pushback and some Republicans did speak out. There is already pushback on many of Trump's economic plans.

Make some noise, be heard. Even in red states.

What are some things to make noise about?

Tariffs - They will be terrible for the economy. They are hard to remove if enacted. We don't want them. Voice your opposition to them.

Abortion rights - Tell the government to stay out of private medical decisions.

Trans rights and gender issues. You can frame these issues as small government too. Tell them you don't want government to have anything to do with gender and you want to leave medical care as a private thing between doctors and patients.

Public lands - Tell them you oppose selling off public lands or selling oil leases on them and such

Any programs the Trump administration tries to cut that are important. Public transit, climate change related grants, healthcare, you name it. Pay attention to the news and if something you feel passionate about comes up, write in.

Foreign policy - whether supporting Ukraine, or opposing US continuing to give money and arms to Israel, make your voices heard. You can frame your opposition to Israeli aid as an "America first" policy...ask them why we are giving so many billions to Israel when we have so many needs here, when that money could be either spent domestically, used to pay down our debt, or used to lower taxes? Speak the Republicans' language.

Specific Appointments - Call out specific appointees you dislike. Don't fuss about everyone, pick the worst ones and focus on them. For example right now I think the worst one has been Pete Hegseth. He has no relevant experience and is entirely unqualified, and on top of that has pushed for awful things like ignoring when US soldiers are accused of war crimes. Voice your concerns and say you want him voted down and you want to demand a more qualified candidate.

Yeah. No need to sit around feeling hopeless. There is wiggle room even in a Republican-dominated government. The Republicans have already moved towards the center with this gesture and this shows they will potentially cave to pressure if they get enough of it.

Pick and choose the most important battles and fight them.

[aelinslegend]

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