#i'm honestly not sure if i still care about season 5

[ssardothien]

Just came here to say that obx ending like that is just pure bullshit and I'm going to pretend that JJ just left for his surf trip and is having the time of his life, thank you bye

[selfinflictedgunshotwound]

men are so disappointing in so many ways i know i shouldn't expect most of them to be dignified humans but it's crazy. i need to get over this guy he's making my sense of self crumble even faster than it usually does. like he's just so unlike my usual type and i'm pretty convinced he's stupid and slutty and not discerning whatsoever. not to mention boring like i know even if i did have a chance with him he wouldn't Get Me at all so it's a bigger waste of time that usual and i'm actually pretty tired of men in general and definitely tired of parasocial relationships because they drive me insane for months typically. thankfully it's only been like 2 weeks if that at this point. idk. sigh. i know literally virtually nothing abt him as a person and ofc liking any public figure who you know nothing about is only setting yourself for heartbreak and disappointment to begin with bc you already know nothing is gonna come from it but. in a way it's almost addictive to become obsessed with someone and not be looked at with the same level of scrutiny. i don't think anyone in real life would ever try to get to know me as much as i try to get to know people who i'll never even meet. lmao! but that's the thing... idk... i have a lot of love in my heart and it consumes me and i reject my pride usually when i'm into someone. i want to know more... like VORACIOUSLY consuming anything with information about them involved simply because i think knowing someone is a very deep form of love but of course you can never truly know anyone. not completely. and that scares me i think which is why it's always probably been easier for me to never really TRY to be with anyone or have anything real. idk. this turned into me psychoanalyzing myself real quick but SOMEONE needs to bc i need to understand what the fuck is wrong w me.

[5sospenguinqueen]

Bedtime Stories | Daniel Ricciardo x Author! Reader

Summary: For the past six years, you've been dreaming of a future with Daniel. Until one silly little interview shatters every illusion.

Warnings: Swearing. Angst. Baby fever. End of a relationship. Daniel bashing.

Female reader with various faceclaims. Takes place in the 2022 season.

Main Masterlist

next.

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User 2 no, it's not an announcement. her best friend is currently pregnant and she was gushing about looking forward to aunty duties

User 3 omg her and daniel would make the cutest babies though

→ User 4 i bet she can't wait until they have their own mini-me

User 5 imagine our rom-com queen going from writing the cutest but filthiest fiction imaginable to writing about why you should eat your carrots

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22•05•22

User 6 i can't believe this man was talking about being in the height of his career when he's been nothing but a flop since leaving red bull

User 7 the way he's been stringing this poor woman along for 6 years, knowing how badly she wants children, to then decide in a random interview that he's never going to have kids because they would be a 'distraction'

User 8 fans spotted y/n running from the pits once she saw that daniel was safely done with racing

User 9 i fear we may be witnessing the downfall of something we once held sacred

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16•06•22

fallontonight just posted

liked by YourUserName, kellypiquet and others

fallontonight did you know @ YourUser Name was once chased by a kangaroo? find out how in tonight's episode of The Tonight Show 📚🦘

4,477 comments

YourUserName thanks for having me! ✨

User 11 excuse me, ma’am, reassess what

User 12 daniel has been absent from her last 3 posts

→ User 1 not even in the likes or comments

→ User 2 and he didn't even congratulate her on the recent book launch

→ User 3 ya’ll are reaching. he's busy racing. she's busy doing book promo. they still follow each other

User 4 anyone notice she didn't look as happy as she usually does

→ User 5 yes! and i swear she got teary when talking about her life plans 🥺

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YourUserName just posted

liked by maxverstappen1, mclaren and others

YourUserName my happy place 🌊🐚🦀 Aug '22

4,990 comments

User 6 does this mean a new book is coming soon

→ User 7 girl, we’ve just had one. let the woman rest

→ YourUserName sorry, my lovelies but i don’t think i'm in the right headspace to being right a romance novel at this time

→ User 6 confirmation??!?!

→ User 7 we’re children of divorce

→ User 8 honestly fuck those two because i couldn’t have cared less about vroom vroom boys until mother started dating one and now i'm crying in class ‘cause they’re over

landonorris get that bread, queen 🍞

→ YourUserName who let you out of daycare

→ User 9 not y/n and lando interacting like she didn’t break his teammates heart

→ User 10 more like his teammate broke y/n’s heart. let's not make daniel out to be the victim here

kellypiquet p said get writing those children’s books so she can brag about aunty y/n to her friends

→ YourUserName my sweet girl. i saw the cutest dress the other day for her so I’ll pop round soon x

→ User 11 i love their friendship

→ User 12 get this woman a child. She’s too sweet to be stuck in cool aunt mode forever

User 13 anyone notice she didn't do her annual birthday post for daniel?

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04•09•22

User 14 no because the interviewer was so real for that. checo has a few children and he’s currently 2nd best. max is nowhere to be seen on the grid he's that far ahead and he makes sure p is his priority when she’s there so???

→ User 15 and the way he stormed out. i bet PR are sooo happy with him

User 16 nah because mclaren recently announced that they’re not extending his contract so he currently doesn't have his seat and doesn't have his y/n, all because he thought he was better than that

YourUserName posted a new story

danielricciardo posted a new story

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danielricciardo just posted

liked by landonorris, estebanocon and others

danielricciardo yesterday was something. p17 wasn't the result we were expecting, and the media were a challenge but it's always a delight to be in Suzuka. Moving on to the Americas

5,509 comments

User 1 maybe if y/n was there, you wouldn't have done so badly

User 2 maybe if he had a baby waiting in the paddock he would’ve had more incentive to do better

mclaren we’ll get them next time 💪

User 3 letting mclaren and lando down

→ User 4 the real reason he and y/n broke up is because he has no wins. she should move onto lando or something

→ User 5 he’s way too young for her

→ User 4 they'd make a good looking couple tho

(comments have been disabled for this post)

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19•10•22

YourUserName just posted

liked by charles_leclerc, bloomsburypublishing and others

YourUserName thirty, flirty and thriving. please enjoy a small snippet of my 30th birthday, organised by my favourite girl. these are the nice moments before she plies me full of cocktails and i become the sloppiest person in monaco tagged: kellypiquet

kellypiquet any chance to celebrate you 🤍🤍

→ kellypiquet and an even better chance to drink the entire bar and force max to carry us home

→ maxverstappen1 i'm just glad i was able to pull you both out of the sea before you drowned

landonorris can't believe you tried (and failed) to stop us from gatecrashing

→ YourUserName it was an exclusive event, we don't let randos in

→ landonorris i know you're joking but it still hurts my feelings

maxverstappen1 happy birthday, sloppy. you don't look a day over 40

→ YourUserName i'm gonna let that slide but only because i love the bag that kelly told you to buy

User 7 happy birthday to the best author

User 8 happy birthday queen

carlossainz55 happy birthday, y/n 💐

liked by YourUserName

danielricciardo happy birthday x

User 5 kelly and y/n look like the funnest people to hang out with

→ User 6 literally need to know how to become part of their duo

lewishamilton happy birthday, y/n. have a lovely night 💕

liked by YourUserName

mclaren happy birthday to papaya's favourite author (we're still waiting for a racing rom-com that is quite clearly about your favourite f1 team and their super sexy admin) 🥳🥳

liked by YourUserName

Request are open!

Baby Fever Angst Series

[madlori]

Ok my fam, I think we all need a lil Come to Jesus moment. So let's talk about it.

"I'm disappointed Tommy wasn't in 8x02 and 8x03." That's ok! We'd all like to see him, and see our boys together. Going by precedent, we can probably expect to see him in 6-8 episodes this season (it could be more - Taylor had 13 episodes in season 5 - but we shouldn't count on it) and we've already burned one. I'd prefer not to have half of them during the opening disaster when SO MUCH ELSE is going on. I'd rather him appear in episodes when he's got a storyline with Buck, or even on his own, and especially at the midseason break or the end of the season when Relationship Events are more likely to happen.

"But the 217 engine!" I know. But as we sometimes like to say to other fans - we kind of baited ourselves with that. It was suggestive, sure. But the fact that production has MADE a 217 engine is also suggestive that we may see it again later, and they just put it in the hangar scene because they already had it and they had to fill up that hangar with as many vehicles as possible.

"An airplane disaster without using the pilot??" As others have pointed out, Tommy's not a jet pilot. And don't let anybody make you think you were nuts for thinking it was possible. It was definitely a reasonable theory, with supporting evidence, that he might be involved, but in the end, the big opening disaster is always going to be about our mains. As it should be. And honestly? It was great.

"But the whole point of bringing him back was to integrate him with the 118 more!" I'm sure that's still a goal they have, but it's probably easier said than done. Not just from a writing standpoint, but a contractual one, in that there's a limit to how often they can use him, so they have to pick and choose where.

"It's like they don't care about this relationship as much as we do." You're right. NOBODY will care about it as much as we do. They care about the main characters, about the show's actual premise (i.e. first responders encountering wild situations, secondarily the characters' personal lives). There is no universe in which ANY relationship in the show will be prioritized as much as we, the fandom, would like it to be. That's just life in the big city. But they do care, oh boy, they do. Enough to use BT scenes in off-season promo. Enough to write Tommy into a scene in the opening episode where, frankly, he didn't NEED to be. Also, consider this - to shoot that scene, Lou was probably on set a grand total of one day, MAYBE two. And they made sure to include him in the jokey "bee pickup lines" reel. You know what other relationship we haven't seen much? Buddie. They have not appeared together outside of work (and honestly, barely AT work either) except in the birthday party scene, and hey, did you notice that they do not interact at ALL in that scene? Buck spends that entire scene interacting only with Tommy. And that's a friendship featuring two mains that we know they value. That's not indicative of anything except the sheer scarcity of screentime.

"They should be promoting the queer relationship!" Should they? They've never really done that before, with the several pre-existing queer relationships. I have always sort of appreciated that they have not hung a neon sign on Buck and Tommy saying LOOK AT OUR NEW QUEER PAIRING. It's never gotten the Very Special Episode treatment - Buck never had gay panic, or much coming-out drama - and I like that. I like treating it no differently than other romantic pairings on the show. And they did actually promote it quite a bit when it happened. Now it would just feel kinda performative to me.

"Will he be in [whatever episode]?" Imma gently suggest we not do this every week. He'll be there or he won't. There'll be some we know he's in (I think 8x06 is a lock), some we won't know and will be pleasantly surprised, or unpleasantly surprised. I'd say odds for 8x04 are...20%, rising to at least 50% with 8x05 and 100% for 8x06.

And if you ever feel sad about it - go look at a still of Buck from any episode so far this season, and say to yourself, "This man is having heaps of amazing sex with his hot pilot boyfriend on the regular. Canonically."

I know a lot of us have encountered some pretty irritating gloating from people who hate this relationship (in a frankly weirdly obsessive way) about him being not there. Just remember - that's all they have to gloat about. The only "victory" they can claim is the absence of a character? Lame. And it's not even a victory, it's just the cost of doing business when your ship involves a recurring character. Sit back and enjoy your canon relationship between two men who've actually kissed on screen and ignore it. We can be generous about it.

So let's not talk ourselves off the deep end, shall we? I'd like to keep being a reasonable fandom.

[zluty-spendlik]

WAKFU REDESIGN SERIES PART 3 - ADAMAÏ

Hiya, Im back lmaooo - took me long enough

I have been struggling with Ad's and Am's design so much. I dont know why. With Amalia, Im going to have to start over- again- 4th times the charm Im sure - but I finally finished this little guy!

ADAMAÏ IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER GUYS IM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS I LOVE HIM SM

But anyway, here is the final (human form) design:

Im aware he has multiple forms since hes, you know, a shapeshifter, and Im going to add them i promise but im like super tired and burnt out from the rest of my mortal life rn

Anyway, to the DESIGN.

Honestly, Adamais og design kinda sucks. Im sorry (not rlly). He doesnt look similar to Yugo at all - YES I KNOW HES A DRAGON - which bothers me a lot, even his color scheme is a lot different from his literal twin...

In my version, I wanted Ad to look deer-like at first, since I gave Yugo deer features, but then I drew him over and over again until I got this fusion of a moth and a lamb or smthing..

I don't know, but I really like it!

The outfit he's wearing is actually what I plan to be an official eliatrope/dragon robe? Both Grougal and Qilby will be wearing it and - potentially - Yugo in season 3. It has some portal imagery (the spiral on the back), and I don't know I just think it's neat!

ALSO WAKFU FRECKLES-

Season 1

Ad has been raised by Grougaloragran (least complicated name ever, wtf Ankama :3) and with Eliatrope/Dragon traditions, so hes very knowledgable of the now dead culture and values it very much. He loves talking to Yugo about it (he gets almost bored sometimes, but he would never admit it to Adamaï).

He, just like Yugo, is extremely curious and loves studying the way Wakfu works and its limits.

And mainly, he loves Grougal, whom he sees as an idol and a father figure. Which is why hes so hurt when he gets killed by Nox.

It feels like the whole world is collapsing on him. His mentor, care-taker, father, LITERALLY THE ONLY OTHER "PERSON" HE EVER INTERACTED WITH AND THE ONLY OTHER DRAGON ALIVE, is gone.

Adamaï has noone. Well- almost noone. Theres this little 12 year old Eliatrope, his only hope, his only anchor.

And he asks you: "Uh, sorry, whats your name again?"

Season 2

HAHSHA LETS TRAUMATIZE THE BOY!! (Even more than he is) Like I said, Adamaï values his culture and people very much, so I assume he would get very, I mean extremely attached to Yugo. However, Yugo is not actually interested in the same things Adamaï is interested in, which makes him a little bit more avoidable of Ad than he should be, given his emotional state.

Not that we blame him. So instead Ad seeks out a new anchor, a new mentor, a new... idol. Who is that you may ask?

Well, it's Qilby of course. Now here's where the funny trauma part happens, because Adamaï starts blurring the line between Grougal and Qilby.

Qilby's mistakes suddenly don't matter as much because Adamaï cares about him as much as he cared about Grougaloragran even though they don't know each other that long (which is the core of the problem).

Anything he'll be does that is morally questionable suddenly isn't bad, because that's not the mentor that Adamaï was raised with ‐ he trust Grougal completely, so why should Qilby be aby different?

So when Qilby betrays him, Adamaï is all the more surprised and hurt. It doesn't help that he really doesn't want to hurt Qilby: Even though he finally realizes that Qilby is a bad person, Adamaï still sees him as an anchor. He might be bad, but other than Yugo he's the only other person Adamaï has.

So of course he loses the fight, of course he gets captured – he doesn't actually want Qilby to get hurt.

Season 3-4 (5?)

Okay let's make one thing clear, I'm a bit of a hater.

Like I genuinely really dislike season 3 and what it has going on with making Adamaï a villain? I really don't think it fits his character, and I would much prefer for the story to have Yugo and Ad grow closer and revive their culture despite all the horrors and terrible things that have been bestowed up on them - But the writers have decided to go the obvious evil twin route which honestly makes my blood boil..

so I don't think I will be even considering rewriting season 3? I think to make it likeable for myself - as this is a self-indulgent project - I would just have to make my own season 3?

If that makes sense?

Art dump!! (Seriously my sketchbook is filled w this lil guy, these r hand picked) And- woah, is that Cleophée redesign? Maybeee~

@saturnyukaa i was looking forward to ur reaction 👉👈

[mongrel-mage]

A Spoiler-free review of Edge of Sleep

Fucking incredible. Like...9/10 and the only reason I say so is because there were only 6 20-ish minute episodes and I wanted the show to be longer and give us more backstory on the characters and such. It'll be a bit longer of a post, but rest assured that there are no spoilers under the link.

Main differences from the podcast, but still minor: the character of The Trespasser does not feature in the show, nor do Dave's story about the Moobles and the ensuing hallucinations he describes. However, I was satisfied with how they used the information from The Trespasser's subplot in the actual TV show, and there was a little reference to him at the beginning of Episode 5 that made me smile, so I'm really not that fussed about those things being missing.

I'm going to take a minute to rave about Eve Harlow, who plays Linda. What a goddamn POWERHOUSE of an actress, honestly. Perfect casting. She nailed a character who is tough as iron, focused, determined, and intelligent without making Linda come across as unnecessarily cold or unlikeable--I'll go so far to say that Linda was my favorite character (by a slim margin, but still there). Eve Harlow has an incredibly expressive face and eyes that convey complex emotions without relying on the same few expressions or overacting what she's feeling. I really want to see her get some sort of awards or accolades for her performance because she carried damn near all of her scenes.

Let's talk about Mark. I already knew that he could act well because I'd watched his other projects, but most/if not all of them have at least some level of comedy, humor, or character who lightens the mental load at least a little bit. We all know that he's a giggly bitch and likes to have fun, and there's nothing wrong with that. That said, I'm comfortable saying that Edge of Sleep is easily his most ambitiously dramatic project--there was a lot of raw stress, grief, anger, and pain that Dave Torres went through, and I was impressed at how well Mark portrayed it. It's obvious how much he tries and how hard he cares; it's so clear that this wasn't some celebrity vanity project. You can really feel the love and the energy and the care that he put into this, and I was, like I said, impressed at his range as a drama/horror actor. There were some moments and expressions he had in the show (namely in the first episode, when the people at the party are giving Dave a hard time about his sleep disorder and past episodes) that hit me unexpectedly hard. Amazing performance, Mark. I'm proud of you.

I also want to take another moment to rave about the makeup and hair department. Standing ovation. The gradual increase of the characters' exhaustion and general levels of dishevelment (the thing that stuck with me the most was Linda's makeup and hair, SO good) looked very real and read well on camera. Anyone who knows me irl knows what a freak I am for good practical effects/makeup, and I want to make sure that those artists are acknowledged and appreciated. I'm also going to throw in some kudos for whoever was behind the Elephant Monster--that thing was FUCKED UP (/pos). I love a Creature and it was sufficiently more disturbing than I had expected it to be, since The Elephant isn't given much of a description in the podcast. I'm not sure if it was practical effects or something computer generated, but whatever it was it was amazing. Hats off to the Creature Crew!

Lastly: I WANT SEASON TWO. GIVE IT TO ME. I WANT TO RIP IT APART WITH MY TEETH. I HAVE BEEN GOOD AND COHERENT FOR THIS LONG NOW GIVE ME MORE.

Also. I promised no spoilers and there shall be none. But that last shot of the last episode? fucking HAUNTING. Here's hoping that us catapulting Edge of Sleep to the TOP FIVE, BEFORE THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH, will seriously throw some weight to whoever can decide to give us a second season.

[bluginkgo]

Another Nuzi rant. Don't mind me

Spoilers, duh

Since I've already done a quick character study/nuzi rant from N's side. Here's one from Uzi's side!

This is probably gonna be just me repeating things people have already said... again. But I love Uzi. (Just like every other character in Murder Drones, honestly.) But Liam did a wonderful job of making an angsty, emo girl, borderline maniac that we know as Uzi. Her character, to me at least, never became the annoying overdramatized and overused stereotype that follows her style. She has real reasons for being the way she is.

A loner, whose dad loves nothing but doors. School is not different, as her classmates pretty much forget about her existence on a day to day basis. No one to talk to, no one to connect with, gives her the angsty side that I absolutely adore. Because underneath all of that toughness is just a lonely little drone who was left by herself since early age. But guess who comes in and busts down those walls (literally and figuratively)?

Our good boi N! Despite their rough start, N never really gave Uzi a reason not to trust him. Their chance encounter, and a broken sensor, allowed them to have the talk that might have never happened. Their beginning might have been a lucky accident, but for the rest of the season, we can see how both sides had to work to make well... Nuzi work!

For Uzi, asking for help is like asking for a death sentence probably. After being on her own for so long, she doesn't expect anyone to help. With that information in mind, the first time she let's that wall crumble was episode 2, Heartbeat.

"Uzi, shoot! Or give it to me!"

Granted, we all know that was not our N. But in that moment, when Uzi was in an enough distressed state, she sought help in N. We all know how that ended, though. Absolute Solver took advantage of that and almost killed her, before N once again sweeped in to save her. The one and only notorious Nuzi misunderstanding was, for better or for worse, cleared up pretty quickly. Seeing as glitchproduction only has so much money at their disposal, they can't really drag this ordeal out. Personally, I'm glad that it didn't. The long drama that is just a misunderstanding after misunderstanding gets quite tedious to follow.

So, moving forward in The Promening, Uzi once again seeks out N when she's in distress. When she sees and hears about what Doll and Lizzy were gonna do, she books it to the only person she knows can help her.

N! Now don't get me wrong. Uzi, by herself is plenty strong. She's shown off her fighting and capabilities, and would have probably been able to take V on. She's taken J down before, aaaand Uzi does technically also take V down in Cabin Fever. But she still went out of her way to go find N. So they could work together and get this mess sorted out.

And then there's this. God I love Cabin Fever, and surprisingly no, not for the Falling.... for you? scene. No, I loved the entire Uzi going on murder spree because she can! The music was such a banger too. But back to Uzi. She recognizes V and briefly snaps back to her usual self. Curious isn't it? N and Uzi both tried reaching out to V, but because V is so untrusting (and we all understand why from ep 5, Home). Here Uzi tried to ask V for help... in form of N.

I find it interesting how ever since Uzi met N and V, she's been getting better at asking for help. Sure, V shot her down because, once again, V was scared. Uzi was turning into the monster that only Cyn has been capable of creating. This soon leads to N yeeting Uzi into the f*cking stratosphere and the two have a chat.

I love how the animators included Uzi hiding behind her bat wings.

Her metaphorical walls were back up. And guess who broke them yet again.

The bestest boi N! And ever since this moment, N and Uzi are way more open.

Episode 5 was taking place in N's memories. But episode 6 is where their trust and care shines. Yeah, sure, there was the hand holding. And it was a big moment! But I enjoyed the little things more. Uzi checking in on N, nodding at his little comments and jokes.

Summary: I love Nuzi. Send help they're on my mind 24/7.

[idea-less-author]

I'm rewatching Doctor Who, and first of all, I forgot how much I not only loved this show but also Rose Tyler as a whole. Also nine needs more love. Anyway, I just finished episode 1×6 Dalek, and all I could think was how interesting it would have been if the Dalek survived and joined the time traveling duo. Walk with me a second.

We all known the Daleks, what they're like, what they are, what they've done, what they're capable of. But, this Dalek has spared 2 human lives. It's just kinda meandering with Rose questioning everything. It just wants freedom, but what does that mean really? The Doctor comes in and threatens it, sees that it's changed due to Rose's DNA, and is feeling something other than hate for the first time in it's existence. It's no longer a true Dalek, but it's still alone. It asks Rose for it's final orders. And, what if, she says no. And doesn't change her mind.

This is the first time the Dalek has ever felt the full spectrum of emotions. Of course it's over whelmed. It's neever felt anything more then maybe anger and hatred and now there are so many new things to feel.

Grief for what it once was and for all it once knew, fear of all of the unknown ahead, I'm sure some guilt for not only what it has done, but for even allowing itself to be changed in the first place. It gained human emotions for the very first time, moments after finding out that it was alone, and after being tortured for who knows how long. It's standing with the being that ended the time war by massacring both of their people, and the woman who' s DNA changed you so fundamentally that you know longer know what you even are. You're feeling sunlight for the very first time. That does not sound like a being that should be making life changing/ending decisions at that moment.

So, what if Rose refuses to give that final order. She recognizes all of the above. She's a lover, she's compassionate, she's emotionally intelegent. She doesn't like the suffering of anyone, including her enemies, but death would not be her first answer. It hasn't been before, it wasn't after, so why this time?

No, what if instead Rose chose to be kind to the Dalek by being a bit crule, and refusing it's request to die. Instead she convinces the Doctor to bring him aboard the ship. She picks the Dalek up, right out of the exoskelton, and not only gives the Dalek, it's first ever physical contact, but a new home. (I understand that the Dalek is squid-like and slimey but honestly I don't know how much Rose would care about that when trying to show compassion. Hell she tried to show compassion by carressing the Dalek earlier in this very episode.)

Nine would not be thrilled with these developments. You want to bring one of the creatures that helped end his people, terrorized the Universe, and is the reason that his alone, onto HIS Tardis? Are you mad? And they would bicker a bit. Shouting would happen, and the Dalek might even be on the Doctor's side. But I think in the end Rose would look at Nine with her big doe eyes, passionate about life in the way that she always is, and he would cave. He would be upset and cross (with himself mostly), but he would let Rose bring it onto his ship. I mean the Dalek has changed, and let's be real, he's the reason the Daleks alone, as well as himself. He had his reasons, but do they even matter at this moment? With this Dalek?

Now the next episode does take place near immediately after this one on station 5 and whatever, but even with the Dalek I think that the adventure with what's his name (I can't be bothered to look it up atm but you know the guy) can go much of the same as it did. The Dalek get's let on the Tardis recovering from it's ordeal, rethinking everything, and what the implications for it are now that everything is different. I think all of the Canon episodes for this season are much of the same too, just add a couple of new adventures showing the Dalek what life can be now with a full sectrum of emtions. And because it got these emotions from Rose, probably a shit-ton of compassion. I also think that it would start to build itself a new mechsuit, or whatever you want to call it. But this time, it has more uses then just death, destruction, and conquering.

The Dalek and the Doctor would have a whole frenemies thing. The Doctor doesn't trust the Dalek because it's a Dalek, and the Dalek knows that the Doctor should be it's number one enemy. But, they are cohabitating. And Rose wants things to work out, so they try to not be hostile. But every now and again, they find themselves... talking. Specfically when the Dalek is working on it's new suit, the Doctor will, help? Tbh it starts out with him being extreamly suspicious of the Dalek and wanting to keep an eye on it. Which leads to helping, segestions, being a sound board. And if I'm being honest, if it were a someone other than Nine I would say that this would be the time he notices what's happening and go and skulk around for a it before the cycle happens again, but I honestly think Nine would notice, and just continue on. Get to know the Dalek. Trust in Rose. At some point I do think that the Dalek chooses a name for itself, at Roses prompting. No idea what, but just another way that the Dalek changes and differenciates itself from the rest.

Now while this is all happening, they are still going on the rest of the adventures in the season. Jack joins the T.A.R.D.I.S. team. I think he'd kinda love a Dalek that's no longer a Dalek, who wants to live life, and maybe do some good for once. He joins the building sesions. Rose is there, it started off as her chaperoning The Doctor and The Dalek, but it just became hanging out and providing commentary fairly quickly. They're all having a grand time. It's strange, but it's theirs. Then Station 5 part 2 happens. The Doctor, Jack, and Rose get yoinked into their respective game shows. Rose gets disitegrated. Their Dalek and the T.A.R.D.I.S. are found and The Doctor and Jack are mourning. Their Dalek knows something is off. They figure out that the Daleks are back. They go to the Emperor.

Now I can't quite decide if Our Dalek would even be tempted by the emperor or not. Maybe at first? but It's changed so much. The Emperor likely wants nothing to do with It anyway because It's no longer a True DalekTM. And Our Dalek has changed so much. SEEN so much. Has been cared for by Rose Tyler, which we all know is a life chaging experience.

Once again I'm not entirely sure how the fight against the Daleks end for Their Dalek. It gets sent with Rose to protect her while everyone else fights and dies against the Daleks. It help Rose get back. Or It stays behind with Jack and The Doctor, completly fine with sacrificing it's life to save humanity as long as Rose is safe. If we go that route there are several ways you can go from there. It dies fighting what it once had been a hero. It dies, and comes back like Jack. In that case I think that It would continue on with Jack as a companion. Or maybe It goes It's own seperate way from Jack after resuraction. It lives, no need to be resurected. It could continue on with The Doctor and Rose. It could be left behind with Jack. It could stay behind with Jack. It could decide to go separate ways from the Doctor and Rose (I don't think Ten would be as tolerant of Our Dalek and It would sense that, so It goes on it's own adventures. Or maybe it goes and finds Jack after The Doctor becomes Ten.) Idk So many ways that it could go and I like a lot of them. I think bringing It back like Jack and letting them Travel together is my favorite.

I was just overtaken with this idea and had to share. I have no idea if this had been done broe, I'm sure it has, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I just started rewatching and it's over taken me. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts.

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 66 ~ Just the Beginning

��� Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

✧ Era : Season 5

✧ Word Count : 6.7k

In this chapter ~ The search continues as the small group ventures out to make sure what Aaron claims is true. After taking every precaution in the books, they head out at nightfall to this so-called community. But the question remains; is this really the safe haven they've been hoping for?

We all stayed relatively silent for most of the journey trying to track down the vehicles in question. But even when the others started having a discussion, I didn't pay them too much attention. My head continuously turned to watch our backs, Abraham right by my side doing the exact same thing with the gun he brought clutched tightly in his hands. I was just glad I wasn't the only one that was paranoid. Everyone else seemed like this was just a casual Sunday stroll as we approached the unfamiliar area, while the two of us seemed to be the only ones that remembered what went down only moments ago.

"How ya doing, Missy?" Abraham's voice asked suddenly.

My brows furrowed in confusion, and it took me a second to realize he was talking to me, "Missy? You do know what my name is right?" I asked genuinely.

He let out a hearty laugh, "Yeah, I do...but I just have a thing for nicknames. Makes it more interesting."

I nodded slowly in understanding, "Okay, sure...but why Missy?"

"I don't know..." he said honestly with a simple shrug, "Just kinda suits you."

That only made me more confused, but I decided to just go along with it. I never really cared much for my name, so maybe this was a bit of an upgrade. "Alright, Missy it is...but I think it's only fair that I give you a nickname too."

"Go ahead." he nodded.

I thought for a moment while my eyes scanned him, before a small smirk was brought to my face, "I think Red suits you...for obvious reasons."

He laughed again at my smartass comment, "That sounds about right...Red and Missy, seems like a good pair to me."

"I have a feeling we will be." I replied with the smallest of smiles.

He returned the gesture while snorting a little in amusement, "You still didn't answer my question."

"I'm okay..." I reassured, almost as if I was reassuring myself as well, "At least...I'm trying to be okay."

"Hey," he said seriously, "That's all anyone can ask for these days; that you're trying. I'm proud of ya." he claimed before he clapped a gentle hand on my shoulder.

A smile made its way to my face once again, wrapping an arm around him in return as our steps seemed to fall in sync, "You're a pretty great guy, you know that? I'm glad I met you." I told him honestly.

He gave my shoulder a squeeze, "I'm real glad to have met you too."

After that we walked the majority of the way side by side, our arms now wrapped protectively around each other. It was nice to know that he would have my back, and I just hoped he knew I would have his; even though it was painfully obvious he could handle himself. I mean this man is a tank and could probably break someone's nose with his fucking pinky. But still, my offer still stands. It was crazy to remember in the beginning I didn't trust him one bit, thinking he was an absolute fool for believing in something so far beyond our reach. But now here he was, offering me comfort and reassurance when I needed it the most. And I apricated that more than he even knew.

A hand being placed on my back is what caused me to turn around, seeing Michonne over my shoulder as she tried to get my attention. "You mind if I talk to her alone?" she asked the man.

He nodded and gave my shoulder another squeeze, before picking up his pace toward the others to give us some space. I watched as she fell in line with me, something clearly clouding her mind, "What's up?"

She shook her head slightly, "Look...I know you don't trust Aaron, okay? I get that." she explained, her words causing me to sigh before she even finished, "But threatening him the way you did, not taking the gun away from his head...that was a lot."

"Chonne," I said warningly, "I don't know what to believe anymore...who I can put my faith in. Taking a risk like this, especially when we have kids with us, it's something we have to be cautious of."

She nodded her head, "I know that. But there's also risks with everything we do. Like helping a priest, or taking in a girl who was with The Governor...or when you helped a crazy lady with a sword." she smirked.

I scoffed, "No, that lady wasn't crazy...she was insane."

She nudged my shoulder with a small smile, "Ha ha." she said sarcastically, "My point is...we all took a chance with a stranger at one time or another, so how is this any different?"

I kept my eyes forward at the people in front of me, pondering over the question she clearly wanted a real answer to. How was it different? It was different because he wasn't alone out here, even if it truly was just one other person. It was different because he had a whole community waiting for him to come back, and who knows how dangerous those people really were. And it was different because they had been watching us for days, possibly weeks. That fact alone made me more weary.

So that's exactly what I told her. "It's different because he's not alone, and they've been watching us for...God only knows how long."

"To see if we would be a threat." she pointed out, "To see if we were good enough people to bring back to the community, maybe they did have a good reason to keep an eye on us. We don't necessarily look friendly and approachable walking mindlessly out here with guns in our hands."

I huffed softly, "Okay, that's fair. But we've been through so much, you know that. So, I'm sorry if I wanted to be extra careful about the whole situation...I can't lose anyone else."

"You don't have to." she reassured, her hand reaching down to give mine a comforting squeeze, "Just trust me on this. We're going to be okay."

I stared at her for a moment, reading her eyes to see that there was nothing but sincerity behind them which only caused me to reluctantly nod my head in agreement. She smiled at me, and we continued to walk together, filling the silence every once and a while when it was starting to feel too quiet. Though a part of me wanted to pick up the pace, knowing in the back of my mind that Rick was counting down the seconds until we came back safely, and I myself was also just as anxious to see if Aaron was really telling the truth.

It didn't take much longer venturing down the long road before we came across a single car and an RV parked off to the side, with fallen trees blocking them from moving any further. I mentally face palmed once I saw the sight, almost wanting it to be some kind of trap just so I could've proved my point. But instead, it just left me looking like the paranoid psycho of the group right alongside Rick.

"He was telling the truth." Michonne announced.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah we got that, Captain obvious, thank you." I muttered before nudging her and moving forward to walk next to the rest of them.

But before we were able to make it up to the vehicles to check them out, sudden rustling was heard from the bushes just to our right, causing all of us to quickly be on guard. We all collectively assumed the worst as we raised our weapons in the same direction, jumping out of our skin at the sudden noise.

"Not one step closer asshole!" Glenn called out.

But the sounds only grew louder as the figures approached, only to see it was just a couple walkers that emerged from the greenery, and we all seemed to sigh in slight relief that it wasn't more unknown people just beyond the trees.

"I got 'em." Abraham muttered as he grabbed his knife.

"We got 'em." I corrected while sending him a knowing glance, pulling out my silenced weapon as well from around my hips.

He nodded once before moving forward, easily taking down the walker that had its dead eyes targeted on him, while I killed off the one trailing farther behind the first, ripping my blade back out of its forehead.

"Quite the duo we are." I muttered as I cleaned its disgusting blood off of my blade.

"Damn right." he agreed, before cautiously followed me up to the RV to look inside.

I quickly stepped up to the door, ignoring his protests from behind me about letting him go first as I tugged the door open harshly with my gun raised. My eyes moved frantically around the place, moving down towards the other end of the narrow space to see if there was anyone inside, but was left with nothing. The only thing we managed to find were a lot of canned food items in the cabinets right above our heads.

Abraham didn't hesitate to rummage around through the stash, suddenly gasping as his fingertips brushed something towards the back. "Oh, hell yeah." he muttered as he pulled it out for me to see, reading the label to see it was chocolate pudding.

I laughed lightly with a nod in approval before we packed it back up, informing the others waiting outside that it was safe. None of us hesitated after that to pile into the vehicles to head back towards the barn, wanting everyone to know that we were all still alive.

It wasn't long before we pulled up to the destination without any problems, though we were all faced with a bunch of guns aimed in our faces the moment we stepped through the doors. But the group visibly relaxed once they saw it was just us, relieved to see we had made it back safely with seemingly no problem. One by one we brought in the many food items that were stashed away in the RV for the others to see, to which Rick quickly jumped on the opportunity to inspect every little thing. But in the end, nothing looked like it had been tampered with.

Rick then stepped forward, looking to where Aaron was now tied up, "This is ours now." he said matter-of-factly while holding up one of the cans in his grasp.

"There's more than enough." he assured.

"It ours whether or not we go to your camp." he said.

Carl made a face like he was dumbfounded, "Why wouldn't we go?" he asked suddenly.

"If he were lying, or if he wanted to hurt us; we wouldn't go. But he isn't...and he doesn't. We need this... so we're going, all of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently." Michonne spoke up.

There was a moment of silence before Daryl scoffed from beside me, "I dunno man...this barn smells like horse shit."

I nudged his side to silence him, hearing him mutter a small "ow" as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm. I was having trouble deciding if I should speak up or not when Michonne gave us the chance. He was telling the truth about the cars and the photos were actual proof that this place existed, but who knew if we were ready for this. Ready to commit to something so serious, and ready to meet a bunch of new people that may or may not be a threat.

But then I looked over at Carl holding Judith tightly in his arms and my heart instantly knew what it wanted. It wanted a safe place for everyone, but especially for these kids who deserved the whole world; and believe me I would give it to them if I could. Which is why for once in my life, I kept my mouth shut. For them.

I scanned everyone's faces around me and saw that no one seemed to be making an effort to protest and claim we shouldn't go, before my eyes landed on Rick. He looked to be deep in thought, seeing as everyone else was more than willing to explore this new opportunity, his eyes then meeting mine from among the others. The look on my face must've given him some type of reassurance because then next thing I knew, he was agreeing.

"Yeah." he muttered, "We're going."

Daryl squeezed my hip lightly when the decision was finally settled, looking up at him with the best smile I could muster. Although it was clear I wasn't fooling him in the slightest as he furrowed his brows a bit in concern, but he clearly knew that I was still weary of this place, unsure about everything as a whole. I just had to remind myself to be ready for anything, to not let my guard down for a very long time. At least not until I knew for sure that this community could keep us protected.

"So, where are we going? Where's your camp?" Rick asked.

The man looked a little unsure, "Every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back. I believe you're good people, I've bet my life on it...I'm just not ready to bet my friends lives on it."

"You're not driving." I spoke up, "So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how."

He looked up at me with clear hesitance, but the look I gave him caused his shoulders to slump in defeat before glancing back toward Rick. "Go north or Route 16." he muttered.

Rick began marking up the map in which direction to head, circling the road in question, "And then?" I pressed.

"I'll tell you when we get there." he said calmly.

I tilted my head a little at his stubbornness before getting down to his level, "You know, for a guy who desperately wants people to trust him, you sure are being pretty vague about where you're taking us." I said lowly.

He didn't have a chance to respond before Rick spoke up, "We'll take 23 North, you'll give us directions from there."

"That's– I don't know how else to say it, that's a bad idea. We've cleared 16 it'll be faster." he assured.

"We'll take 23." Rick argued casually, "We'll leave at sundown."

Sasha spoke up from the back, "We're doing this at night?"

"Look, I know it's dangerous, but it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get out before they know we're there."

"No one is going to hurt you." Aaron slightly snapped, probably fed up with the constant accusations towards him and his friends.

"We don't know that." I clapped back, "We don't know anything about this place other than what it fucking looks like."

He shook his head at me, "I know you're trying to protect your group, but you're putting them in danger."

Rick stood to his full height and walked right up beside me, "Tell us where the camp is, we'll leave right now." he said simply.

Aaron just slowly shook his head and looked back down to the ground. I scoffed before standing back up from my hunched position while Rick addressed the others, "It's going to be a long night. Eat, and rest if you can." he nodded, before slowly walking outside to get some air.

A long night...that was a mild way of putting it.

All of us tried our best to get at least a little sleep before we headed out for the camp, but it was proven to be more difficult than we anticipated considering the amount of stress and anxiety that weighed heavily in the space. We could all feel it, how much it was affecting us. And it was safe to say no one got even a wink of rest within the few hours we sat there doing absolutely nothing.

I couldn't stop overthinking even if I tried. Daryl tried numerous times to reassure me of my worries, even trying to get me to lay beside him so I could sleep, but my mind just wouldn't stop racing. My restlessness only influenced his own as he couldn't seem to settle either. The time passed by incredibly slow while we talked with one another to try and ease the obvious worry, but it didn't help much. Nothing seemed to. Now I only wished Abraham had saved that whiskey.

The moment the sun began to dip in the sky, we all gathered our things to pack up and head out for the journey ahead. It was then Rick pulled me aside and asked if I would ride in the separate car where Aaron would be just in case things went wrong. And I agreed; anything that would help put his mind at ease. Daryl was obviously hesitant to let me go alone, but he did nonetheless, knowing that I could handle myself if need be. Even if he wasn't around to protect me.

I kept my weapons on me securely as we rounded everyone up, starting up the engines to head off once it grew dark enough to move without being spotted. And though it was a cautious idea to stay out of sight, it was proving to be more difficult to see.

My body was leant against the passenger side door while Rick drove through the night, Glenn and Aaron just in the back. Right then and there I found myself wishing I had ridden in the RV along with everyone else. Not because I suddenly felt unsafe, but because of the God awful awkward silence the filled the car. Rick was tense as he drove, gripping the steering wheel tightly, the rest of us clearly playing it safe as to not say a word at the feeling of his energy.

Out of my own boredom, I eventually reached for the glove compartment to see what was inside, pulling out a few license plates that laid comfortably inside. I flipped through the few that were in my hands, noticing that they were all from different states, each unique and colorful.

"Oh, I'm trying to get all fifty to hang them up in my house." Aaron said, glancing over my shoulder to see what I had grabbed.

I turned around to look at him, "You have your own house?"

"Mhm." he hummed with a nod of his head.

My eyes instinctively glanced back toward Rick to see I had caught his eye, having a silent exchange before I put the license plates back where I found them without a word. It didn't really surprise me anymore that he and I could just give a certain look and instantly seem to know what was going through one another's minds. I didn't know how we did it, but we did. Like twin telepathy or some freaky shit.

Though Aaron seemed to quickly catch onto it, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of us to catch the small act before quietly clearing his throat.

"So...I might be totally wrong here, but are you- are you guys...together?" he hesitantly asked.

I quickly looked back to see him gesturing between Rick and I, and we both instantly shook our heads with disapproving noises. "Oh, hell no." I muttered a little too loud.

"Hey." Rick spoke a bit offendedly.

"Oh, come on," I scoffed, "Don't get all upset, it's just...you're..." I trailed off as I looked at him, trying to find a good explanation, "You're Rick." I said simply as I gave him a pat on the shoulder.

He nodded slowly with a huff, "Alright, yeah fair enough."

Aaron chuckled a bit awkwardly whilst Glenn tried not to laugh at all at the assumption. "So...you're with someone else?" Aaron asked again, clearly just trying to make conversation.

"Yeah..." I said cautiously, "I thought it was kind of obvious."

"The guy with the crossbow?" he guessed.

I thought for a moment if I should really commit to the truth, knowing he could easily use it against me if he wanted. But realistically what could he do? His hands were currently tied behind his back as we had control of the car we were riding in; safe to say we had the upper hand. So, I simply nodded my head to confirm, not wanting to get too deep into that hole.

"He looks like the guy you would want to have around...seems protective, and...scary."

I snorted softly at his honesty, not being able to agree more as I stayed quiet once again, the car falling back into a silence that was a little less tense than before.

My gaze kept panning back over towards the side mirror, making sure I could still see Abraham following close behind us in the RV with the headlights almost blinding me every time I looked. And then that's when it hit me. When Rick was looking through the many pictures Aaron provided, I didn't recall seeing one single person in any of them.

I turned back around slowly and made eye contact with the man, "How come you didn't have any pictures of your group?"

"Oh, I took one. But the exposure wasn't right." he said casually.

My suspicion only grew as I stared at him before turning back to Rick, sharing another uneasy look, "Did you ask him the questions?" Glenn asked.

"No..." Rick sighed.

I turned back to him again, "How many walkers have you killed?"

He shook his head at me, confusion creeping onto his features as his brow furrowed, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Did I stutter? How many?" I asked again.

He shrugged, "I don't know...a lot."

"How many people have you killed?"

This was the question that most people seemed to hesitate on, and he clearly wasn't any different than the rest as he paused for a moment and thought, but didn't break my gaze. "Two." he stated.

"Why?"

"Because they tried to kill me."

I found myself nodding in understanding, seeing he looked to be telling the truth as I turned back to face the road again. His answers made sense and he didn't fumble on any of them. Maybe this could all work out.

"What the hell is this?" Rick asked suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked down to see some type of machine, not fully understanding what it was used for upon first glance. My brows furrowed as I picked it up to inspect it a bit better than before, my eyes slightly widening when it clicked in my mind.

"You were listening to us?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the object in my hands.

He sighed, "I already said I was watching you...so, yes I was listening too."

Rick's head snapped over to me, "This means his people could have one too. They could've heard our plan, this isn't safe!"

In the midst of all the yelling and panic, I glanced up just in time to see the sudden large group of walkers ahead on the road, "Watch out!"

"Shit!" Rick cursed, not having enough time to swerve as he started to plow right through them at an intense speed.

Blood splattered all over the windshield and I cringed at the sounds of the snarls mixed with the crunches of their decaying bones. But to my surprise, he didn't slow down or stop at any point, his foot only pushing further on the gas as we continued to hit one dead body after another.

"Rick!" I yelled.

"They were right behind us! They would've hit us, now they can get out." Rick said as he nodded behind us toward the others.

The growls never subsided as he continued to fucking send it through the herd, their blood now coating the car to the point where the headlights were now tinted red as they illuminated our surroundings. All of us flinched every time he ran over one after another, silently wondering how the hell we were going to get out of this if they just kept coming. But the numbers slowly dwindled down once we got through the worst, Rick managing to find a clearing near the grass where he harshly pulled the car over, shoving it in park before suddenly getting out. It was confirmed; he lost his damn mind.

My eyes widened as I quickly hopped out alongside him, peering at him over the car, "What the hell are you doing!?"

"I don't see them!" he yelled back as he looked behind us for the RV that had seemingly disappeared.

I followed his line of sight and noticed that I couldn't see any other set of headlights coming our way. A pit formed in my stomach at all the possibilities of what could've happened to them, and it such a short span of time.

"They had to have gotten away. Let's go circle back and find them." he announced.

I just nodded my head and got back in the vehicle, watching as he attempted to clean off the windshield from the disgusting blood and guts as much as he could before jumping back in the driver's seat. Glenn frantically handed him the map as he gave him directions on where to go, Rick nodding his head to confirm he heard as he tried to turn the key to bring the engine to life. But of course, it refused to start, only managing to sputter pathetically.

"Son of a bitch." I cursed.

"Come on!" Rick yelled as he hit the steering wheel, trying to turn the key again but was just met with clicking when the scrap of metal didn't budge.

Glenn cursed from the back as he then rushed out of the car, trying to see if he could fix whatever was happening while Rick aggressively kept turning the key over and over again. The sound of the herd was growing nearer with the more attention we drew to ourselves, opening up my door to peer out and see how much time we had before they were on our asses. The group was large and unescapable if we continued to just sit here, being at war with myself as I considered the possibility of outrunning them instead.

"We need to leave now." Aaron said with a crack of panic in his voice.

"Yeah, no shit." Rick sneered as he tried again to start it up again.

I sat back in the seat with a breath, raking my brain for anything that would help us, when a flicker of red light suddenly caught my attention from above the night sky. "Look!" I said as I pointed to the flare.

"Shit..." Aaron muttered.

Rick looked back at him, "Who did that?"

"I need to leave. This is over, let me out. I need to get out of here." he muttered frantically as he tried to exit the car with his bonded wrists.

Rick and I continued to press him for answers, but all it was doing was making his panic grow, avoiding every single one we threw at him as his sole focus was getting out of the car as fast as possible. But he quickly realized he wasn't getting anywhere on his own. It wasn't until Glenn opened up the back door to see if we saw the same flare that he did, and Aaron didn't waste the opportunity. In an instant, he kicked Glenn backward and onto the ground so he could stumble out of the car clumsily and take off toward the woods.

"Fuck no." I muttered under my breath before swiftly exiting the car to run after him.

"Rose, just leave him! We have to find our people!" Rick yelled after me.

I turned back briefly, "They saw that flare, they think we shot it! This is how we find them!" I yelled, taking out my gun before rushing through the dark forest.

I sprinted quickly through the woods, squinting to see which way he turned, but it was far too hard to tell what direction his figure turned off in. I heard heavy footsteps following behind me, seeing Rick and Glenn hot on my heels trying to catch up as I continued to move with ease. The three of us mindlessly searched, continuously watching our backs for the walkers that managed to follow behind. But apparently there was a lot more than we anticipated.

My heavy steps came to a sudden halt when a number of them had somehow surrounded us in the pitch black, leaving us with no kind of opening as we made out their figures. I aimed my gun to fire at the ones near, backing up simultaneously as they followed with every shot I gave, being drawn toward the noise. My breathing was heavy as I killed them off one by one, unaware of how much distance I was putting between me and the others. Just focusing on staying alive long enough to pinpoint them again.

Eventually once the last body fell to the ground, I whipped back to see if I could spot them, but instead I had completely lost sight of where they had gone. I listened carefully for any kind of indication of which direction they escaped, but I was only met with the sounds of my own heart racing, everything turning oddly quiet.

Though a sudden scream tore through the silence, causing me to immediately take off toward the noise. All I could think as I ran was the worst case scenario, not knowing if a walker had somehow gotten them, if they had ran into more trouble with strangers, or if someone just tripped. The possibilities were endless. But I slowed to a stop when I came across the victim, seeing Aaron pinned up against a tree as a walker was trying to grab him, pushing it away desperately with his feet while his hands were still tied.

I debated in my mind for a moment, wondering if I should just leave him to fend for himself after the stunt he just pulled moments ago. But my conscience managed to get the better of me in the end. I groaned to myself in frustration, jogging up the rest of the way to take out my knife and stab the walker in the head harshly. The moment I pulled my weapon back and the walker fell limp, his fearful eyes met my own, sputtering to try and say something. But I didn't give him the chance before I was turning him around forcefully.

"Don't make me regret this." I muttered before cutting the rope that held his wrists in a death grip, tearing it apart.

He turned back towards me and opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of gunshots from a distance cut him off and caught both of our attention, and I knew I had to follow them. "Run if you want, I don't give a shit anymore. I have better things to worry about."

"Wait." he called out just as I went to walk away, "We...we can make it together, but we can only make it together..."

I looked him over for a moment, "So, you're with me?" I asked genuinely.

He nodded shakily, seeming to be sure of himself. I gave him a nod in return, allowing myself to put my trust in him for once as I told him to keep up before we took off again. We ran side by side trying to pinpoint the noise of Glenn and Rick now calling my name and the gunfire that followed. Though it was difficult to find, everything feeling like it was bouncing off each other in every direction. But finally with the little once of luck we had left, the two of us managed to catch a glimpse of them fighting off the remaining lone walkers around the area.

I quickly ran up and aimed my weapon towards the few they hadn't gotten yet from behind, the sudden noise making the both of them whip around, relief washing over their features.

"You can tie me up again, but you have to hurry." Aaron said.

"No time." Rick grumbled, "We have to go."

We didn't need to be told twice, quickly making our way back toward the road to try and figure out where the beam of light originally came from. Rick mentioned that it was near the water tower, one that seemed to be further down the long and windy road. But none of us hesitated to pick up our pace down towards the giant thing sticking out high above the trees to find our people.

Once we were finally close enough to the structure, I began to follow the tire tracks that they had left behind. The thick black marks were only growing closer as I followed them through the small town that was nearly completely run down, tracking them all the way until we hit an alleyway. The RV was parked on the side, and I let out a single whistle, waiting for a response before any of us took another step closer through the dark and unfamiliar place.

Only seconds passed before we heard the same whistle tone calling right back to us, that being all we needed to hear to spring forward again, wanting to make sure they were all okay. The door to the bricked building right beside the RV flew open as everyone seemed to pile out at one time to make sure we were okay after the disaster that followed. I made a beeline toward Daryl the moment I spotted him, falling into his opened arms in exhaustion while letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"You alright?" he asked softly, kissing the side of my head.

I nodded slowly against his frame, "Yeah...yeah, I'm good."

I looked around to everyone else once we parted from each other, hugging whoever I could reach as I saw there wasn't a scratch on any of them. But I managed to catch out of the corner of my eye, Aaron quickly disappearing into the building they all came out of just moments ago. Like it was almost familiar to him.

I managed to sneak off and follow him hesitantly, the main space only being lit up by the moon just outside the windows, before seeing an orange light dispersing from the room around the corner. Peeking my head inside, my eyes widened as I saw Aaron fully making out with another man who was laying down on an old mattress, his foot wrapped up like he was injured. I subtly held my breath as I didn't want to intrude, obviously seeing the moment I was about to interrupt before slowly backing up to head back outside without a word.

Everyone's eyes snapped to me when the door creaked open, and I just shook my head. "We should give them a minute."

But Rick was fast to stalk up toward the door behind me, "No, let's not." he said before entering anyways despite my disguised protest.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, "Okay." I muttered before turning to follow everyone else back inside the building.

We all piled into the small dim lit room just outside of where Rick vanished, waiting patiently as the group spread out to sit or lean against a nearby wall. Though it wasn't very long before the two men came back outside, Aaron looking more than grateful as he stared at all of us.

"Thank you." he said sincerely, "You saved Eric. I owe you, all of you. And I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community."

Oh yeah. Tell me why I completely forgot our whole agenda just because of a minor bump in the road.

"Now, I'm not sure about you but I'd rather not do any more driving tonight...maybe we can hit the road tomorrow morning." he continued.

"That sounds fine." Rick said from behind him, "But if we're staying the night here, you're sleeping over there." he pointed to a corner, far away from where Eric was staying.

Maggie stepped up, "You really think we gotta do that?"

"It's the safe play; we don't know you." Rick argued.

"The only way you're going to stop me from being with him right now is by shooting me." Aaron said, his eyes full of seriousness.

A small smirk played on my lips at his determination, but it quickly fell when I saw that Rick wasn't budging and was probably contemplating shooting him for real.

"Rick," my voice caught his attention, "Come on."

"You trust him?" he asked me.

I sighed before stepping a bit closer to close the gap between us so I could lower my voice, "They're both unarmed and one of them has a broken ankle. He's just worried about him...and I know I would be the same way if it were Daryl in there. Just take a breath."

He searched my eyes for any sign that I was unsure, "One man." I said simply, "Just like he said."

Rick exhaled heavily as he silently knew I was right; he was telling the truth from the very start. Why lie now? "Alright." he agreed, letting Aaron pass back into the room.

Everything then began to quiet down. The others managed to spread out among the small room, finding a good place to rest for the evening before we would be on the road again the first thing in the morning according to Rick. The night was peaceful. It was moments like these where I missed Beth the most, how she would sing a song that everyone fell absolutely in love with. Her soft voice echoing around the prison cells in the most beautiful way, leaving us all smiling. My back was leaning against the wall with my knees to my chest, as I fiddled with her bracelet on my wrist.

My fingers tugged at the material while my gaze was glued to the colorful yarn, only looking back up when I heard Daryl's familiar footsteps heading toward me. I smiled faintly, watching as he wordlessly handed me a bottle of water before taking a seat beside me.

I thanked him quietly and took a swing to quench my dry throat, before passing it right back to him, "What do ya think?" he asked.

I looked at him, "About what?"

"Bout the community...ya think it's as safe as it seems?" he spoke a bit hesitantly.

I shrugged, "I don't know...I hope it is. But that still doesn't mean we should completely trust it no matter how it looks. Looks can still be...deceiving."

"That's okay," he reassured, "Bein cautious is okay."

"I know..." I nodded, leaning my head back against the surface as I stared at him, "Just...know that whatever happens tomorrow...I'm still with you till the end."

A growing smile was brought to his face, nodding firmly in agreement, "You 'n me, baby." he promised in return, reaching down for my hand to leave a gentle kiss against my palm.

The following morning was nerve racking...dreadful. Leaving us on edge for what we were going to see walking into this unfamiliar place. Rick drove the small car once again, glancing down at the map every once and a while to be certain he was going the right way. My hands fidgeted anxiously in my lap once I knew we were getting closer, feeling Daryl gently intertwine our fingers to get me to calm down, even for just a moment. But he was nervous too; I could sense that clear as day even if he wouldn't admit it.

To be honest I didn't even know if he truly wanted to come here, at least not for himself. It felt as if his reasons for agreeing only matched my own, so everyone else could be protected. And nothing else mattered.

My attention was then drawn to the front as I felt Rick slow down the vehicle, seeing we had made it up to the front gates, rolling down his window to take a listen to the surroundings. I watched as his eyes shifted from stern and cold, to soft and hopeful at the sound of children laughing and people talking about behind the large walls before us. His demeanor instantly shifting.

He set a gentle hand on his son's shoulder from the passenger seat before looking back at us with the smallest of nods, shutting off the engine so we could all pile out. The remainder of the group slowly emerged from the RV as we all came to stand in front of the giant gated place before us, almost in disbelief that this somehow wasn't a dream. I chewed my lip anxiously, and automatically reached for Daryl's hand to give it a nervous squeeze.

Without taking his eyes off the gate, I felt him squeeze my hand back three times as I subtly held my breath in anticipation. All I could do in that moment was hope, which was something I thought we lost long ago. But maybe, just maybe, we didn't.

Maybe this was just the beginning.

~ Thanks for reading!

Taglist ~ @justareader95 @hayley1998 @ryoujoking @sipsthecoffee @winterassassin1804 @marsmallow433 @catlalice @writingstreetspirit @silentlysurffering98 @mystictf @remuslittlesister

[pink-ninja]

Dragons rising s2 part 2 spoilers and a bit of a rant about arin

Honestly I could rant about it for a long time but to me Arin acted just so selfishly this entire half of the season, I get it, he wants to find his parents, but he's not the only one who lost someone important to them.

It made me so mad that he threw a fit and ignored Sora for half the episodes cause she "lied to him about his object spinjitzu" like no Arin, the world was at stake and nobody could afford for you to miss that throw, she didn't tell you about it because your self confidence in your skills was low and she didn't want to make it worse. And don't get me started on him thinking that Lloyd promised Arin they'd find his parents but haven't yet after he heard Lloyd promising Nya they'd go look for Jay after the tournament.

I get the ninja are arin's idols, but sometimes it seems like he forgets the ninja are way more than what the public sees, etc all the stuff they did before they got famous, how they were super young when they became ninja. And Lloyd from the very start told Arin he couldn't be their master, that he wasn't good enough to be one, he agreed to be their teacher but constantly insisted they need master Wu, obviously he couldn't give them the best training from the start because he'd never trained anyone and was just trying to use Wu's old teachings because that's how all the other ninja were taught. Lloyd never lied to Arin and gave him false promises (like Wu telling Morro he'd be the green ninja) he told Arin he has amazing potential, Lloyd never said he was some amazing teacher, he was transparent about his doubts from the start. But in my opinion Arin is still idolizing the ninja, and obviously they can't do everything at once like finding arin's parents, Lloyd mentioned from the very start they still didn't know everything about the new merged realms or how the merge happened. Plus Arin isn't the only one who lost someone, Zane is still missing pixal, wyldfyre misses Kai, Nya is clearly distraught over Jay, I'm sure they'd want nothing more than to go out looking for the people they care about, but they don't because they know they a responsibility to keep the world safe (as asked of them by a source dragon who went down to the mortal world specifically to ask them)

My other beef with Arin is after the ghost of sensei Wu appeared, he asked if sensei Wu was responsible for the merge, Wu said yes, Arin then proceeds to tell Lloyd in the middle of a pretty chaotic fight where one of the five has pretty much all the elemental powers, we can tell Lloyd is shocked by the information, but he quickly burries those thoughts because he knows he has to focus on the current situation. Even Zane tells Arin it's a lot to process, Arin should know that they have to stop the 5 and protect the source dragons but instead he chooses to hold a grudge against Lloyd for focusing on their current situation instead of something nobody can change, especially at the current moment, and then chooses to side with Ras, even after everything Ras had done to them in the past, just because Ras told him part of the truth, Arin didn't take a moment to wonder if Ras was hiding something else, because he's after the source dragons and then says he only trusts Ras now. Like I get it Arin wants to find his parents, but Lloyd never forced Arin to become a ninja, Arin started calling Lloyd his master, Arin was the one that wanted to train to be a ninja first

And maybe I'm a little biased cause Lloyd is my favorite (but I also love jaya so if Nya could pause her search for Jay because she knows she's needed elsewhere) Arin should be able to understand that the ninja's first priority is to keep the world safe, one of lloyd's biggest priorities since a bunch of things about the merge are tied to his grandfather and the source dragons (plus he's the conduit) and that even if they wanted to the ninja can't just drop everything and search the entire merged realms for arin's parents.

Like I want nothing more than to give Arin a well needed lecture about how he is the one that wanted to join the ninja in the first place and honestly he could've easily told Lloyd "hey I'm leaving on a journey to go find my parents because unlike you, finding my parents is my top priority, not saving the world"

I know I've got a long rant but ever since I finished the last episode of season 2 it's been on my mind, and of course this is just a personal opinion

[pedripics]

Pedri via Residency - May 28, 2024

What is something you still want to accomplish in life? - " A lot of things. I am still very young or do you already want to kill me?"

Favourite teammate at Barça? - "I am close with the group in general but Ferran"

Do you play any instruments? or would you like to learn how to play one? - "Better not for the sake of the rest of the people. I like to listen to music but not much else" Favourite series or movie? - "Mi reno de peluche and the one about chapo guzman; favourite favourite is Prison Break and La que se avecina"

Do you know anything about Armenia? - "not too much, to be honest… but recently a very nice driver took me to a shooting was from there. His name was Ara"

Favourite moment of the season? - "It wasn't the best season. On a personal level, I would say the brace."

How do you deal with criticism? - "I try to stay out of it, although it's not always possible, of course... you have to try and keep going and keep believing in yourself"

How do you feel about being able to play for Spain after such a long time? - "Very happy. I haven't been able to play for Spain for a long time. Hopefully we will have great EUROs and also a great 24/25 season with Barça"

How did you feel after the brace? - "crazyyyyy"

"I always try to stop and sign, because I remember when I asked for signatures as a kid"

Plans for the summer? - "I hope to go on vacation, but in a month and a half… that will mean that we go far in the euro with the national team"

Have you eaten German food before? - "Yesss... a member of my marketing team is German and he made us German food a long time ago, with sausages and so on"

How is your English? - "I still have to improve a lot. Give me a few months and I will answer in English"

Do you miss doing anything in your daily life? - "I can't complain. I like to live in peace"

Would you like to go to China? - "Of course, yes. Althpugh in the season there is not really time for anything and during holidays I prefer to stay close and rest. Let's see if we ever have a tour in China"

How many trophies have you won? - "With Barça, La Liga, Copa and Supercopa"

Do you feel ready for the EUROs? - "Siiii"

5 UCL Trophies or a World Cup? - "I don't want to choose. I would like to win it all"

Would you like to play against Portugal in the EUROs final? - "Sure. As long as we play in the final, I don't care against who it is"

Pele or Maradona? - "Maradona... Because he played for Barça and my father told me about him when I was younger. I remember the day he died very well because it was my 18th birthday"

Have you been to New York? - "Yes"

Favourite team to play against? - "Obviously Barça" (he did NOT understand that question lmaooo back to duolingo it is)

Visit Uruguay? You have a lot of fans here - "Ronald also told me once... We'll have to listen to him, because otherwise he gets angry"

How was it going to the Spanish GP in 2022? Are you going this year? - "It was a crazy experience. I don't think I can go this year because it clashes with the EUROs"

Do you like going to concerts? - "I haven't been to many, honestly... I have yet to go to one of Quevedo's. And last year they invited me from Spotify to see Coldplay in Barcelona but in the end I didn't go and I regretted it a little. Teammates went and they love it" (who tf turns down coldplay tickets??? 😭)

Your dad is a great person. - "The best"

How do you feel about receiving so much love? - "Very proud and privileged"

Do you want to score for Spain during the EUROs? - "Clarooo. Let's see if I can make it happen, because I haven't scored for Spain yet"

Red or blue? - "Azulgrana"

Do you like to cook? - "I'm not very good at cooking... My brother and mother are much better"

Pedri or Pedro? - "Pedri... Pedro sounds strange to me. From a young age they already called me Pedri, because there was another boy in the team whose name was Pedro and it was to differentiate us... and everyone calls me Pedri"

What do you think of Alexia, Aitana and Marta? - "They are top footballers!"

Is it difficult to have a 'normal' life? - "It's not easy, but mine doesn't change that much because I really like to be quiet and at home"

Only fish or only meat? - "I prefer meat... but for nutrition, fish"

When you were a kid did you make trouble in class? - "I was more of a quite kid"

Who do you think will win the Golden Boy award? - "Well, I hope a Barça teammate. Lamine, and if not Cubarsi"

What inspires you to perform at such a high level on the field? - "I do what I like the most"

What do you think of your season at Barça this year? - "I was saying this the other day. It hasn't been an easy season and I hope the next one will be much better in every single way and we will win titles"

Have you ever wished to have a sister? - "My mother always wanted to have a daughter, but in the end she had to settle for Fer and me hahaha"

How do you feel for the EUROs? - "Very good. Better and better"

Blue or Black? - "Blue"

[ilikekidsshows]

Let's be real, what weight does being called a salter by most Marinette stans even hold anymore? I'm not trying to be a bitch, I'm serious. What does that even mean anymore?

Marinette stans are more often than not very transparent with their priority being defending their made up version of Marinette. So their arguments barely ever hold up when put to the test because they don't care for what actually happens in Canon.

So why should I be offended by being called a salter and awful person by people who switch the moral approach of their argument on a dime flip every time a new episode drops? One day prior they chew you out for saying that Marinette will act jealous and sabotaging again because she never learned shit, and next day with the new information they turn around bending over backwards to justify why Marinette still acting that way is actually totally realistic and no problem at all.

Excuse me? How am I supposed to take you serious after that?

Or the way Marinette stans before Kwamis Choice swore and yelled from their self claimed moral high horse that Ladynoir will totally get fixed in season 5 and that Cat Noir was only sidelined so much because now season 5 will have Marinette dedicated to making it up to him and returning the partnership to one of equals again as Ladynoir becomes canon as pay off. Only for that to NOT have happened at all, so suddenly Marinette stans pulled a 180° and suddenly go on bout how there was nothing to fix anyway, and that accountability shouldn't always require immediate communication and effort to fix the unfair treatment. It's fine if that only happens in season 8 or 9, that's "realistic" and its what makes Adrien's support so "great". Because he understands that redeeming oneself shouldn't need to include... accountability... though of course only when it MARINETTE. Everyone else and Adrien in particular taking all accountability is just him being mature and fair to her uniquely stressful and soul crushing circumstances that make it unbearable for her to do the same in return.

She cries about being awful once or twice so no need for her to apologise or acknowledge or fix what she did wrong if she isn't comfortable with it yet. Don't you see how awful and cruel you are for saying that redeeming yourself needs of you to redeem yourself now? Dont you see that Adrien understands that Ladybug can't give anything right now and that his love language is selflessly serving her and wants nothing in return because that's the right thing to do in his position? She still loves and respects him so much, he just understands that she shouldn't need to show it if she needs to heal first through Adrien taking care of her.

Do you even understand the beautiful DEPTHS of redemption? And how long it takes sometimes to do so for a broken complex individual like Marinette? Seriously, in my made up season 10 all of that will have played out in a way where non of that will ever have been a problem, just stfu you don't GET it like I do 😒

This is an actual paraphrased conversation I had with a person who's opinion I once respected a lot and I wished my paraphrasing made it worse but honestly, that's exactly what they said. And I'm still taken aback that they said that. But they sure weren't the only Marinette stan I found saying things like that.

What the FUCK am I supposed to take from that besides the revelation that they just do not apply any kind of moral baseline to Marinette's character? What is there for me to respect?

Marinette stans say they are against bullying until Marinette does it or benefits from it. Then they openly romanticise and defend it with the only argument being "that wasn't bullying, Marinette wouldn't do that!" as if that changed what happened on screen. All it reveals is that Marinette stans' words don't mean anything, their moral standards are entirely dependent on who is doing it and benefiting from it. Thats not a moral standard, that's a biase you don't owe up to.

Marinette stans say they are against violence and abuse of power until Marinette does it or benefits from it. Then they will defend hypocrisy with whatever random excuse they come up with in that moment that more often than not is either "that doesn't count cuz I said so" or "it's fine that Marinette benefits from sexist double standards and a clear main character biase bc it is her show". Once again showing that they don't actually draw any kind of line moral wise for Marinette's actions and the writing, their opinion of said morality entirely depends on what works best for Marinette. And then they get angry when that gets called out.

I won't lie, I do think that some people in this collective therapy group here ARE to harsh sometime, but I can definitely respect that alot of them make it clear where they simply draw the morality line and they won't budge on their core beliefs the show is shitting on.

There is a massive difference between simply salting Marinette and angrily speaking up against something you think is genuinely morally wrong or harmful in a kid's show like this.

Alot of people I see around here say that they wished they could go back to liking the show, Marinette (or whatever character) the way they were once used to but simply can't because the show keeps on making whatever problems they had worse.

I don't necessarily always share the points of no return but I can fuck with the reasoning because it's a consistent angle they always stand by that goes beyond the complaint that their fav is simply not getting the special treatment or has hurt feelings. I can trust most Adrien stans I see who dislike or salt on Marinette to form a proper argument and a whole pov that stays consistent when you bring up other parts of the show.

I can't say that I've had the same experience with Marinette stans and for me it's obvious why. Marinette stans were never forced by the show to take a step back and lay down their core principles they won't budge on because Marinette always gets put first and that's what they care about the most.

They can say however they like that they don't support bullying, ableism and abuse, they are absolutely doing so with full chest voice for their Marinette biase, they are just not willing to reflect on that bc that would reveal to them that their made up Marinette isn't real.

They have no coherent moral baseline in their arguments, they're proudly hypocritical, and then get angry when you call them out for going back and forth on their moral "standards" in a discussion about moral principles.

What is there to respect anymore? Being called a salter by them has long started feeling like a compliment because for me it became synonymous with "isn't changing their option on a fucking whim the second a new episode dropped". And if that makes me a salter, then so be it. I'm not throwing my moral principles out of the window for a cuddled protagonist who's became the poster girl for harmful white feminism on kids tv.

---

The irony, when I went to my inbox to read this message I saw that a Marinette stan had also sent me an ableist insult. Some Marinette stans have no convictions or moral standards even for their own behavior, and the extreme individuals in the Marinette fandom never fail to prove the criticisms of them correct in a single harassing message. Like, of course they’re gonna excuse Marinette bullying people, they themselves would most likely do the same for petty reasons. I can be petty too, but my pettiness takes the form of me feeling immense moral superiority whenever I delete one of these little hate messages. Like, I might be a jerk about a fictional character, but at least I’m not a pathetic anonymous troll in someone’s inbox.

Marinette stans lie when they say they don't support bullying, because they excuse it when Marinette does it as well as when they themselves do it. Like, I’m not saying they’re all like this, I get these messages so rarely that there’s no way the entire Marinette fandom is full of assholes. Still, this isn’t the first time I got an anonymous message from some random hater right after I posted something spicy about Marinette and it isn’t the first time such a message included at least one example of ableism. It's just a fact that a lot of Marinette stans are hateful liars who spout ableism as soon as they can do it anonymously, so, like, why should we take anything they have to say seriously anyway? Every time a Marinette stan says: “I don't support bullying or harassment” there’s a high chance they actually mean: “until someone says something spicy about the flawless queen Marinette, then I’ll use bullying and harassment without hesitation”. We really shouldn’t care one bit what these people have to say, because they’ll say whatever suits their agenda of the day.

When I say I don’t support bullying or harassment, I mean it and I live by it. I don’t do it, because I don’t think anything can be solved by sending people hate mail, nor would I get any satisfaction from it. I don’t even want to encourage anyone else to do so. That’s part of the reason I invite people to send their gripes to me; this blog is already a Miraculous-negative space, so here people can put their grievances into words without anyone who’s just minding their business getting harassing messages, even when people send me stuff clearly inspired by a specific person or group. Like, Marinette stans can make a fuss about how we’re terrible people for discussing our gripes amongst ourselves, but we aren’t the ones harassing other people here.

Although, since I’m being honest here, I have to say I do agree on the harshness. I don't always agree with everything the anons who message me say 100%, but I try to focus on the parts I do agree with or have something to add to. I’ll even admit I sometimes look over a response draft and wonder if I’m being too harsh, but often I’m just not motivated to watch my tone. I know from past experiences that Marinette stans don’t care how you’re wording your criticisms, just the act of criticising Marinette makes you the bad guy.

[cinnamontails-ff]

October Fic Recs

Another round of fic recs, inspired by @shewhowas39' format! Sorry they're not particularly seasonal, but I'm a coward and don't deal well with horror, soooo :D

1) Death and Taxes by @pyrekite

For everyone who loved seeing Astarion embrace the power of taxes in Accountant's Guide, look no further than this! Absolutely incredible concept of post-canon Astarion returning to his magistrate roots and coming to Rolan's aid as he's struggling to pay all the taxes Lorroakan & Ramazith have been dodging for centuries. The idea is a 10/10, but really, it's Astarion who makes it as fun as it is. He's so competent when it comes to the bureaucracy of Baldur's Gate, yet every bit as sassy as we know him, and it makes for such a fun read. Only 1 chapter so far, but boy, do I hope for more.

2) The Scientific Method by @obsessedwhyyes

I am convinced that this was written for me and me alone (but I want everyone to see it, so I will gush). It has all my personal favorites: 1) A main character who is a scientist as well as a chronic overthinker, 2) Astarion realizing the target of his nice simple plan is a virgin and going "Hell yes!", 3) the two of them exploring intimacy in a way that's soft and caring, but also really, really hot. Seriously, the smut in this is absolute god tier, and the way it's woven into the MC's worldviews and the way she struggles with opening up and letting herself feel is just absolutely superb. Two parts are out so far and a third is on the way! We have been blessed!

3) Don't forget you love me by @canon-in-too-deep

This is not just any old Gortash fic. No, this is the Gortash fic. The one that finally makes you understand what the heck people find so charming about the raccoon man. He's an absolute delight in this as the exasperated, yet patient and loving husband to a post-canon Tav who suffers from selective amnesia, causing her to nearly fireball her husband to death when she wakes up to him one morning, thinking he's still her sworn enemy. The writing is incredible, so fun and light, with beautiful parallels between their initial courtship and married life now. Honestly, if you've ever been curious about the whole Gortash thing or if you're just looking for a sweet, incredibly well-executed rom-com, this is it.

4) Invisible Strings by @slothquisitor

A gorgeous modern AU where Astarion is a failing social media influencer who doesn't know that the girl he's talking to/falling in love with on a dating app is actually his geeky roommate. I'm not completely caught up with it yet, but the character writing is stunning, the prose so effortlessly cute. Astarion's struggles have been translated into a modern context beautifully and his love interest is set up to be a complex, well-rounded character with her own backstory and issues to work through. I cannot wait for the two of them to get closer as the story unfolds!

5) Say yes but only if you want to by @amoremagnificentbastard

Fascinating take on a rather shy, inexperienced OC wanting to take care of Astarion with some good old-fashioned oral love, and how the offer affects him and his trauma. The dynamic between these two is lovely and I'm always stoked to see stories that seamlessly combine mature, honest conversations and intense horniness. And once we do finally get to that blowjob, I am sure it'll be well worth the wait :3

[happy74827]

Lost On You

[Rick Grimes x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: Drawn to his strength and resilience, you've secretly fancied the widowed sheriff turned leader. But with recent events turning his smiles into forced fake ones, all that's on your mind is to make it known that he's not alone {Takes place in Season 5}.

WC: 2067

Category: Hurt/Comfort, Slight Angst

This is officially my first Walking Dead fanfic, which I'm honestly surprised hasn't happened earlier, but I've recently rewatched season five, and it made me remember just how much I love Rick. So, here we are.

『••✎••』

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the makeshift camp that had become a haven for the group after their escape from Terminus. The tension that had gripped them during their ordeal was slowly easing, and a sense of normalcy was tentatively settling in. Amid the camaraderie and relief, one person's heart was beating just a little faster than the rest – yours.

Ever since the days at the prison, you had found yourself drawn to Rick Grimes. His strength, his resilience, and the way he cared for his people… it resonated with you deeply. You found yourself admiring him from afar, with feelings growing with every shared moment. And now, as you sat by the campfire, watching Rick with Judith nestled safely in his arms, those feelings were impossible to ignore.

He changed, though. It was apparent in his eyes. Andrea had mentioned long ago how he was becoming “colder,” but you never saw it until now. Until you’ve (quite literally) were face-to-face with evil.

After the incident with Gareth and his people, Rick rarely smiled. And when he did, it was faker than Daryl’s chupacabra claim. Even when Judith giggled while tugging on his beard, or when Michonne and Carl had random competitions, he never smiled like he used to. The last time you saw him “happy” by definition was back when Hershel was still around.

Rick was no longer the man who gave you hope. You didn't know if it was the guilt of his past actions, the stress of the group's survival, or a combination of the two, but Rick Grimes had been lost somewhere along the road, and you wanted to find him.

Your gaze drifted down to your lap, where the remnants of a half-eaten dinner lay. You weren't sure what Carol had made tonight, but it was good. She was always an amazing cook.

Carol.

She was the only person who knew how you felt about Rick. It had been hard not to talk about it. You two were close, and it wasn't like you were a master at keeping secrets. Carol was, though. She had a talent for reading people and knew right away when you had developed a crush. She always teased you about it.

You were glad she didn't tell anyone, and you were glad to have her as a friend.

With the fire beginning to die down, and the food finished, the others began drifting back to their respective tents. First Michonne, then Carl, Daryl, Carol, and Tyreese. Sasha lingered for a bit, and eventually, Abraham and Rosita. Eugene and Tara had been gone all day scavenging for supplies, and Glenn and Maggie had disappeared into the woods an hour before. They had just recently returned, hand-in-hand, and were giggling and whispering as they headed for their tent.

As for you? Well, you were just waiting. Waiting and watching Rick. You didn't know why, exactly. Maybe you were hoping he would suddenly break out of this new, serious-all-the-time character he'd been portraying. Or maybe you were trying to figure out how to talk to him, how to tell him how you felt.

That thought sent your heart racing again. You took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly.

You couldn't help but feel like the entire world had been waiting for something to change. Waiting for a spark. And when you looked at Rick, you knew. You just knew.

There was something about him. Something special. Something you couldn't explain, but it drew you to him like a moth to a flame. He was the spark you had been waiting for, and the feeling was so strong you could hardly contain yourself.

Rick turned, and you met his eyes. They were a clear blue, a striking contrast to the dark hair that framed his face. His beard was starting to get long, and the curls atop his head were a bit wilder than usual.

Your eyes met his. The smile he gave you was weak, forced. You were tempted to stand up and give him a hug, just to make him feel better. But you didn't.

After a few moments of awkward silence, he stood up, adjusting Judith in his arms as he did so. She stirred, her eyelids fluttering a few times before falling shut once more.

"G'night."

"Night."

And then, he was gone.

You watched as the tent flap closed behind him. He had disappeared so quickly that you barely even had time to register what had happened. You felt like a part of you had just left with him. Your heart was beating a mile a minute. You had been sitting there, watching him, for a long time, and the sudden silence was deafening.

As you headed for your tent, the last of the campers called out to you.

"Night!"

You stopped in your tracks, turning towards the voice. Carl was smiling, waving at you. You raised a hand in response, flashing a brief smile before turning away.

"Night."

You were asleep almost instantly. The day's events had left you exhausted, and it didn't take long for sleep to overtake you. It overtook you to the point that you had slept in until after everyone else had gotten up.

Morning came and you exited the tent, squinting as the sunlight hit your face. The sun was high in the sky, and the others had begun the morning without you. You didn't mind; it wasn't the first time this had happened, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

As you made your way to the main area, you were greeted by several friendly faces.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Glenn teased. "We were starting to wonder if you were ever gonna get up."

You flashed a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I was just exhausted."

You scanned the area for a few minutes, noting that a couple of people were missing. Rick, for example, was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Glenn, where's Rick?"

Glenn glanced around the campsite. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "Not sure, actually. I haven't seen him this morning. Not since breakfast."

That was strange.

"I'm gonna go look for him," you said,

As you left, Glenn gave you the thumbs up in encouragement before his eyes flashed back to Maggie and Tara. Most likely retelling the events of the previous day.

You soon wandered through the trees, searching for any sign of Rick – or anyone for that matter. Both Daryl and Carol were also missing, but you weren’t concerned about those two. It was more concerning for those who stumbled upon them. Now Rick, on the other hand, he was different.

As of right now he wasn’t the man to mess with. Seeing how he handled those at Terminus, and hearing what had happened the night before from Michonne… you weren’t concerned about the possibility of him getting attacked or injured. Your concern fell towards his mentality.

He was “technically” the leader that everyone had listened and looked up to. Abraham made arguments, mostly of the importance of taking Eugene to DC, but Rick was the one who had the final say. That kind of power and responsibility to lead an entire group to their survival has heavy effects. And now, after so much loss and failure, it finally took its toll.

The sun shined brightly through the trees as you walked, and the air was warm. It was the kind of day you would have spent reading on your back porch, or maybe going for a hike. Before the world ended, anyway.

As you started walking, you couldn't help but notice the quiet. There was no sign of life anywhere. No birds, no insects, no Walkers. It was almost like the entire world had disappeared, leaving you all alone.

The forest became more thick and dense the further you walked into it, with the trees growing more close together. The sun still shined through the branches, but it was still early, and the shadows were deep.

You started your trail back towards the temporary camp when you noticed a noise coming from behind you. You spun around, heart pounding. It sounded like footsteps.

"Rick?"

There was no answer. Just the sound of the wind whistling through the trees.

"Rick?" You tried again.

Nothing.

The silence was unnerving. The sound of footsteps had stopped, and there was still no sign of life anywhere.

Then, suddenly, you heard a branch snap and everything that was peaceful turned into a war zone. You spun around fast with fists clenched. You didn’t even process what it was before you struck it in the face.

Your face fell once you opened your eyes to peek at the danger.

Ah, shit.

Rick straightened out, his hand running over his nose where you had accidentally struck. He seemed a little dazed, but otherwise was fine.

"Oh, god, I am so sorry," you said, wincing. "I didn't know it was you. I thought you were a… I don’t— oh, geez.”

Rick blinked a few times, regaining his composure. His hand fell from his nose, and he gave you a slight smile. Fake, again, but this time you didn’t blame him.

“What are you doin’ out here?” Rick’s voice was low, and he sounded tired. He didn’t look directly at you, instead choosing to gaze past you at the forest behind. It was almost as if he didn’t care to hear your answer.

And it was clear he wasn’t bothered by the fact that you had just punched him in the face.

You found yourself sighing at his words. It was a difficult question. One that had multiple answers.

What were you doing out here?

What was he doing out here?

Why were either of you out here instead of being with the group or resting up after the chaos of yesterday?

The questions buzzed in your head, but the answer was clear.

You were out here because of Rick. You were out here to find him. To talk to him.

You opened your mouth to respond, but nothing came out. The two of you stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, and the awkwardness was palpable.

"You should be with the others.”

The words hung heavy in the air. They were simple enough, but the weight behind them was crushing.

"You should be with them, too," you countered.

Rick's gaze shifted to you, and you met his eyes.

The sun's rays broke through the treetops, illuminating his face. He looked tired. So tired. Rick had always had dark circles under his eyes, but the ones you were seeing now were new. They were a deeper shade than you'd ever seen, and they seemed to have grown bigger.

He was worn down, exhausted, and there was a hollowness to his stare. A dullness that had replaced the fire. And yet, despite all of that, there was still a warmth there. A sense of caring, of love, that was still present.

It was that warmth that gave you the courage to continue.

"I'm worried about you," you blurted.

His expression shifted slightly, his brows furrowing.

"You're worrying about me?"

You nodded, your eyes still fixed on his.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

He shook his head.

"You don't need to worry about me."

"Yes, I do. Because I care about you."

Rick stared at you for a moment. He seemed stunned, and the look on his face made your heart ache.

He let out a small sigh.

"You don't have to," he said, his voice quiet. "I'll be fine."

"You don't have to be the hero all the time, you know," you said. "You can let the rest of us help carry the load."

His eyes searched yours.

"You can't save everyone," you continued. "Sometimes you just have to accept that there are some things that are out of your control."

Rick became silent. You could see the pain and conflict swirling in his eyes. He wanted to accept your words, but the guilt was still eating away at him.

He closed his eyes, and the tension in his body seemed to ease a bit.

"I'm just… tired," he said. "I'm tired of seeing people die. Of losing people."

You placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I know," you said. "I'm tired, too."

[demidolll]

SPOILERS

holy fuck act two came to kill.

MADDIE AND CAITLYN??? CAITLYN YOU WHORE

jinx saying "you kind of remind me of her (vi)" just broke my heart.... but also proved my first prediction half right(?)!

JINX IS DEAD????

ambessa saying "how could i not secure the scientists" honestly is so life changing to me bc before she was all around strategy and combat... but looks like she can also think about them. maybe it's more "how could i not secure the only people that know how to use hextech (the weapons i want to use)" but it's still nice to see she values brains just as much as brutes. + it shows self reflection skills and i think that was important for everyone to see — no, she DOESN'T think she's always right (like it kind of seemed in s1), she can see and admit when she was wrong

also wasn't rictus the traitor? i'm pretty sure that got revealed/foreshadowed hard in episode 3... maybe this is just a prediction and i'm just tweaking though (this is being typed as i watch the episodes, so if it's revealed in act 2, it's after i type this). + we've seen lots of misdirection in season 1 so it wouldn't surprise me if it was teased and then it ends up being maddie or something

jinx using >w< on one of her inventions is something i didn't know i needed but absolutely needed. yes girl go kaomoji queen !! it girl shit, iconic.

IT WAS ISHA PRETENDING TO BE JINX???

"why is peace always the justification for violence." 1) this is so accurate to our current real world and i'm so surprised (in a good way obviously) that ARCANE of all people said it before anyone else. and 2) the ambessa & mel / ambessa & caitlyn parallels are SOOO. like i expected it, it was a pretty common (as far as i'm aware) prediction, but ughh.

"so i'm thinking—" "NOOOT your strong suit." i'm deceased someone send help

also it's been 28 minutes since the episode came out and i'm only 15 minutes in because i keep stopping to type these ... choices have been made and i regret none of them

"you want a symbol?" *flips her off.* *sees she has no middle finger TO flip her off.* *groans*

how did that even heal??? girl???

hi at the part where caitlyn visits her mom's statue or whatever WHY is a CANDLE treated with MORE care than a ZAUNITE???

omg they added ekko to the wall and set down candles because they think he's dead arcane do not make me sob. i will

ohhh the hallucinations are BACK FUCK YEAH this is my favourite part of arcane and it's so much better now omg

ROAAASSSTTT OH MY GOD "YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE JINX, THE MASTER CRIMINAL, WEARS PANTS LIKE THAT?" OH I'M OFFERING UP MY SOUL CACKLING WITH HYSTERIA THAT WAS A WORK OF ART. (also that was pretty miles morales coded icel)

"powder?"

i am deceased. no one contact me. i will not be recovering for the next eternity.

notes! what the fuck!

(i'll be watching episode 5 now, I'll post again when i finish that one)

[universitysunflowers]

Ok I've had some time to process heres my detailed thoughts (TBB spoilers)

First I want to get my biggest issue with the finale out of the way - Tech and CX-2. I have been delusional about him but not to the point that I wouldn't accept his death or other clones as CX-2, and I was staying open. But then they went and did exactly what I hoped they wouldn't: they gave us no confirmation of his identity at all and left him thumbtacked to a wall with no face reveal. Not only is this exactly what they did in Ahsoka, but I also feel like it left a huge gap in the finale storyline. They put so much emphasis on him throughout season 3, including the last episode, and we got nothing out of it. I also felt like this made Tech's death kind of meaningless?? Which I absolutely hate saying because of what he sacrificed in season 2, but why kill him when the rest of the batch gets to live happily on Pabu and grow old with Omega? Maybe the writers had a good reason and I just didn't pick up on it?

I also felt like we were gaslit into thinking it was Tech, only for the ending to imply he's been gone the whole time. Domicile? Phee? CX-2's fight with Crosshair and the waterfall? the way he got the most screen time out of a group that was so clearly meant to be an imperial reflection of the original squad? Idk guys I feel like we got cheated there.

I also wish we got some idea of what happened to Wolffe and Cody, but maybe that is an opening for another show? perhaps?

Ok now that that is out of the way I can talk about how much I absolutely loved the rest of the finale.

Emerie's character development was amazing I've been routing for her since the season 2 finale and you know those Jango Fett genes are coming in strong she will take such good care of those kids for as long as they need. I also think it would be cool to see her again in future productions, her character definitely has potential.

Echo survived!! All the parallels between him and CW season 6 Fives had me terrified that he was about to die but that arc trooper experience paid off. His reaction to Omega freeing the zillo is by far one of my favorite parts of the episode he was so proud of her and I was glad to see him work so well with Emerie. I am also fully ready to enjoy Echo and Rex leading a clone rebellion whenever they deem us deserving of it (looking at you Filoni). I know we don't have proof of anything but there are still to many unanswered questions surrounding the clones, I hope they finish those storylines.

The last Domino is still standing, they would be so proud of him (and his dad jokes).

Hemlock finally got what he deserved and oh I was so happy that Hunter was the one who did it, especially after all the batch went through because of him. And what came after that? Even better. We finally got a Crosshair and Omega hug (plus Hunter) and they all made it off Tantiss alive I mean what more could we ask for?

I have so many feelings on the ending and the epilogue and I'm not really sure how to put them into words but my first instinct when I finished the episode was to spend 40 minutes c r y i n g

they got a happy ending? they have peace and happiness on Pabu and got to see Omega grow up? Omega is going to fly with the rebellion and fight back against the empire?

and Tech will be with her the whole time???

I am unwell. This has left me emotionally unstable. Not only is that the best ending I could have hoped for given the past seasons but it is also such an amazing last look at their family. No matter how you think of them you have to admit Hunter was right, she is their kid and that will never change. That line alone will be living in my head rent free from here on out. Her last talk with Hunter was so well done and is one of the best moments in the whole show, but honestly Tech's goggles on her ship's dash is what broke me; he would be so proud of her I need at least 3-5 business days to process this.

Yes I have my issues with the unfinished storylines but wow that finale was something I don't think I will ever recover from. It may be one of the best endings we have ever seen in star wars. Like I said, I have a lot feelings and if I tried to put them all in a post it would have to be a multi-volume novel.

If you made it this far thank you! Feel free to add your own thoughts I like hearing what other people have to say. I'm just going to go burrow straight into the ground now and pretend I don't have finals next week because honestly who can be productive after something like that?

Oddly enough this is making me want to go back and watch the Clone Wars again, maybe Rebels too? Definitely making me nostalgic.