#long live brave Auto!

[pickletrip]

A much needed apology for Auto who suffered from all that bullying.

I think none of us noticed this good boy because we were caught off guard with Sailom calling Kanghan a good boy at the end of this episode.

Well said Auto! State your facts and shout them if needed. Don't let anyone else take advantage of you. You are a lovely person.

[wisteriainslumber]

twst characters in a haunted house

its a short headcanon this time but its spooky season yayaayyayay!

warnings: cussing 👍 

Ace

talks a big game saying hes not scared, gets the daylights scared out of him, then goes back to talking a big game

he likes to tease his friends by abruptly grabbing them to scare them, but only teases yuu by saying 'if you're scared, you can hold onto me~' because hes a massive loser with a crush

you wouldn't even notice it but if you look closely his hands are shaking and he keeps looking around the room

arguably hes one of the most terrified one in the room so our unbothered king, yuu, just stands by his side out of sympathy

Deuce

close to tears and his last resort was complimenting a zombie's sfx makeup in hopes the Seven are on his side

probably looked like he was going to piss himself so the zombie 'helped' them out by chasing them until they stopped running in circles like headless chickens

flight or fight instinct goes haywire

it's either 'no means no!' or 'chase me i dare you!' and it solely depends on whether or not there are people in his group more afraid than him

because he will absolutely protect his loved ones awww

Jack

designated 'protector' of the first years (?)

its mostly self proclaimed but he is actually the most scared of the bunch

his ears pick up on EVERY little thing so he hears screams from all the other groups in the house

and that is unnerving!!

hes got a pretty good poker face but his ears and tail are standing up on end. and his tail is REALLY fluffed in agitation

height disadvantage. many dangly things getting caught in his hair and ears and tail. if he runs too fast and forgets to bend down, he's getting his head hit.

grim clung onto jack's tail after a bad scare and since then, has been jack's accessory

Epel

lost a bet and now he has to hold ace's hand throughout the house (let's be honest, this is for the safety of everyone else. its only the fight instinct for our poison apple)

sings random pop songs with ace for him to feel less scared because 1. epel likes his friends and 2. this is the only time he's allowed to be off-key for giggles

loves karma. when ace tries to scare him, epel will simply let go and carry on without ace until he apologizes

everyone and he means EVERYONE can catch these fists

'these arent screams these are battle cries'

creates new profanity out of freight. but he's always at the front of the group (so brave)

Ortho

literally taking notes throughout the haunt

intrigued, kinda wants to recreate it in a VR so his friends can experience it again

except when he does recreate it is literally SO much worse in terms of horror level

because he really does make it feel like the hunger games. its not even a game of survival its a battle of attrition

it gives everyone such a freight

but thats the point isnt it? he just found parts that could be improved on

like, the actors should be given chainsaws so the run for your life can feel more exhilarating!

and the rest of the doors should be removed so the players can use their problem solving skills to get to the one remaining door!

it does not get very popular sjdfjkgihuoij

Sebek

unbelievable that he cannot bring his baton but whatever

putting his life on the line to defend his friends

not because he cares, smh, he could live without their company! but fewer students in NRC would mean that lord malleus couldn't get the true school experience!

big brain moment (advice from lilia) he wore a scary costume in hopes that he scares the actors off before they scare him (he uses the cape to evade)

his body is on auto pilot and he knows what to do, but if you look at his face for too long, this dude is pissing himself silly

he did have a brave moment, though. he said a polite 'hello' to a vampire before demanding them to stop screaming so he could concentrate. slayed

Yuu & Grim

LMAOOOOOO scared?? *them*??? after all they've seen?

literally so unphased

in fact, since they live with ghosts in ramshackle, they might slink off somewhere and reappear alongside the actors to scare their friends

grim pees himself but denies it

in fact grim is like the first one to notice that yuu was not by his side

by the time they make it out of the house, they know all the actors by name???

yuu likes to offer bits of their hair as sacrifice if the actors leave them alone (sometimes they even offer grims fur)

the actors all look so sad to see yuu go??? favourtism smh

you know damn well yuu's getting a job offer for the house here. they'll even invite the rest of their friends to dress up and set them loose upon the haunted manor

Riddle

i would love to say he gets his brain rattled from fear but that is so not true

a childhood of seeing various floating, seemingly severed, limbs thanks to a certain che'nya has rewired his freight system

'its not scary because i know we're in a simulated situation. the actors are fake, the props are fake, the-' you get the jist

startled when something jumps in front of his face and gets mad when his group laughs at him

the actors are kinda scared of *him* because they interrupted him while he was in the middle of a long explanation and that was very rude!!! >:( come back after he's finished, thank you!

Ruggie

RUN LIKE THE WIND

he compliments all the props in the midst of the scare and chaos, who would notice something missing, fr?

a masked murderer would be crawling out of the closet and ruggie would casually ask them about the material the spoons were made of

his strength comes in when he's accidentally(?) sacrificing riddle to the haunters so he'll live

halfassingly playing smash or pass with jade aka jade says smash to everyone and ruggie questions the logistics of his every choice

accidentally remarks how the smell reminded him of his home growing up and doesnt that open a can of worms

Azul

joins ruggie in asking about the material of the spoons, except he's weirdly enthusiastic about it

also takes notes on the atmosphere and decorations

cant take the scare, his brain fizzles out and his muscle memory shakes the hands of the haunters (introducing himself was entirely intentional, however)

biggest loser in terms of he tries to huddle up to EVERYONE for 'safety' purposes. buddy-buddy system duhh

(he's the first to hide under a chair)

Jade

mean girl who flashes her teeth at people then covers his mouth acting like he didnt expose that he could tear out anyones jugular without struggle (he is holding back a coughing fit from the dust)

having such a calm, serene smile the entire time

its as if hes taking a casual stroll

'oh hello there. mind if i borrow this? thanks.' and steals the prop axe from the actors

whether he chooses to chase them back or not solely depends on his whims that day but he becomes a bigger menace because hes smiling with sharp teeth AND holding an axe

Floyd

screams back at the scare actors just Because

doesnt actually register theyre trying to scare them with their screams 'cause?? lmao thats not how u scare people let him teach you-

likes to lurk in the dim lighting to scare other patrons like if he was the one on the job and not paying for the experience

likes to drag out every single actor when riddle's speaking and egg him to behead them all

evil friend who hums in the dark just to get on your nerves

Kalim

screams, then laughs like a good sport about it. you got him good!!

trick or treating is everywhere and this haunted manor is full of tricks! do they get candy after though?

he tries his best to link arms with the actors and chat with them, even if he receives groans and scripted threats in response

he invites the entire cast over to Asim palace because he thinks his siblings would like to experience it (awww)

never worry about losing kalim in the house because he's belled like a cat, so just listen for the jingles of his movement

Jamil

is there really anything scarier than being alive to this guy

he really doesn't appreciate the cobwebs strung up everywhere

nor does he appreciate the sensation of anything brushing on his skin because it makes him feel itchy

the only time theres a reaction from him is if fake blood gets on his own or kalim's clothes because bitch. he will be the one cleaning that so you better fucking not.

the responsible one that keeps azul's glasses safe. not because azul hands them over himself but because silver asked him to (something along the lines of jamil being the kind of person that would ensure personal belongings stay safe or some other ego boosting shit. yeah, it worked slightly, what of it?)

Silver

desensitized to horror

the only time he appreciates the halloweens spent in childhood wetting his bed because of lilia's (psychologically harmful) pranks

if lilia's scares were a 10, this haunted house is like a 3

he proclaims himself as azul's bodyguard and always seeks his hand out so azul can feel a bit safer to go on

silver will also be the first one to locate the emergency exits as well as accompany anyone who needs to tap out (we dont deserve him <3)

Trey

same as riddle except hes even more unphased

in the same year as che'nya and they were together for much more and much longer

and they go beyond just his floating limbs, because he made half of trey disappear into, well, somewhere

che'nya complained about not being able to find his left pinky finger for WEEKS

he accepts like one, maybe two people clinging onto him but more than that and hes kindly telling you to suck it up bc its getting inconvenient to move

sorry 🤷 uh, exposure therapy ig

Cater

managed to sneak his phone in even though no phones were allowed just to film everything

he used a flashlight and still managed to hide his phone (he's able to outrun them, but his screaming instantly puts a beacon on him)

screaming for the life of him but he will never ever EVER forget to do a peace sign for the cams

will constantly ask how the actors managed to make the makeup so realistic and starts handing out friendship bracelets (he made too many with kalim one time with no one to give them to)

those clips of people getting chased in haunted houses then going to hug them is so cater-core (enforcing reverse psychology)

Leona

also pretends he's not affected and sells it very well

he reminds himself that these are props and stuff

he can see much more in the dark, but if you pay attention during a scare, you'd see a visible shiver go up his tail

its gone as soon as you blink though

regularly has a RBF and glares at the actors as if they've wronged him somehow

also an evil friend that will sacrifice you to the scare actors but more than that, he will sacrifice your children and tease them (waving bye bye with a smile and walking away). if only it scared cheka more and not make him laugh and declare he'll protect unca

Vil

plays along because its good to respect the work the actors and staff put into making this experience

still he thinks the sfx blood on the walls couldve benefited from a bit more time assembling

shamefully and accidentally cusses loudly in a moment of freight and apologizes profusely to the actor

taunting leona & telling the haunters to search for him bc he tripped and his ring accidentally snagged vil's hair (petty)

only time vil screams is when he misses a step and thought he was gonna go tumbling. idia laughed at him.

Rook

he chases the actors back

he's all giggly about it too

when hes run out of actors to chase after, he'll start nominating one member of their group to be hunted for sport

another one of the dresses up squad, except he uses it to camouflage himself with the actors

touches everything like this is just a fun little stroll for him

him and trey are having a casual conversation trying to guess the era this ancient candelabra originated from and the background noise is provided by idia sobbing and crying for dear life (leona is trying to sacrifice him)

Idia

somehow both bragging about how fake everything is whilst also cowering behind malleus and screaming the loudest out of the third years

says whatever comes to mind in a panic. no one knows wtf idias aim is. everyone is confused. the art of misdirection, everyone

god forbid he sees a ghost because he freezes out of pure instinct and you'll have to drag or carry him if you need him to move (rip ghost marriage idia)

makes fun of the buff monster costumes because LOLOL LMAOAOA you think thats supposed to scare him??? try harder

no survivial instinct. doesnt run. at all. if he's scared, he's giving up, this is his grave.

Malleus

doesn't get the concept at all

and not in the 'what is so scary about this place' way its more of a 'but the architecture is so magnificent, a little tweaks can get it restored to its former glory'

straight up snatches the floating ghost doll not knowing (or caring..???) that it was decor and rocks it throughout the entire house. does he think its unjustly cursed or does it remind him of silver? who knows

he really likes the aesthetic of the haunted house and everyone that tries to scare *him* are immediately in his good graces. he laughs all evil-like too and scares everyone but dw he's having fun i promise

normal people fall to the floor in haunted houses

malleus falls in love *ew*

Lilia

not that idia needed more reasons to be frightened but lilia fans the fire

shares a rumour about a clown doll that got abandoned so now it hunts people in retribution and of course there's an actor dressed like a killer clown there yk

throwing some bs about how 'oh no, i hope theres not a tall, scary, killer after us with an axe' and when said killer shows up, lilia starts screaming and pulling horrific scary faces at them (the staff leave him tf alone after this interaction)

and if hes feeling particularly mean he'll slink off into the shadows to reappear like a little jumpscare (cmon lilia, you're gonna have to do idias laundry now)

also chills on the ceiling after a chaotic run-in just to give his group some panic when they lose lilia (minus vil & leona, they know better than to worry about lilia's well-being— he's been adjusting too well here)

[navarresimp]

ALL NUMBERS FOR GASTON

You do not know what you have brought upon this cursed website

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Genuinely always enjoyed extremely over the top dramatic flamboyant arrogant bastards who get redeemed as a character. I also love that never in the game he is an actual antagonist, he just makes himself very hard to get along with in the first half of the game and makes every fight as a partner extremely frustrating just because you killed a snake before he could once. 10/10 petty behaviour. You actually feel for him when he no longer is crusader captain because you know he's a sucker for attention and cares a lot about how others perceive him. Also spears are genuinely underrated weapons to give to a character. He's the definition of Christian boy guilt. 5 stars most arrogant man in Mikado (alive) would buy again

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Him canonically striking a pose when winning against Merkabah is by far the funniest fucking thing. He would absolutely do that again. I like to think he does that after every battle. He probably does it in front of a mirror sometimes.

Also him being a picky eater evident by his hunter association dialogue. Yes autistic king I get it.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

Ik it's not really canon(thank god) as it is like a hallucination by nanashi but like the downright pedo dialogue at the start of the Beach DLC (Ew Ew Ew banana peel banana peel tomato tomato crucify the french boy)

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Faith the unholy Trilogy: make this man experience the religious horrors and see how long he'd survive

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Titanic by Falco (it's about fully giving into decadence and being brave enough to take the fall)

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Massive ego and flamboyancy

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

The insanely scrumptious fanart that people post every now and them. Also everyone unanimously agreeing that he is the worst battle partner and is only good when auto grinding.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

The fandom consists of like 3 people and a bunch of dead shitpost accounts brother there is nothing to criticise when there is nothing to begin with

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

No, I genuinely think he would get very pissed by the way I organise and sometimes forget to pay rent (judging how decked out his family is he would probably be a landlord sympathiser).

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

We are already besties

11. Would you date this character?

HELL NAH

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Most homosexual homo to have ever sexualed but is extremely repressed. Has memorized most of the bible and will drop psalms occasionally (even after killing God it's just that ingrained) Autistic, his first special interest was the bible, but autism wasn't yet invented in 1432 Mikado so everyone thought he was a child blessed by God. Knows how to ride horses, was taught by his father and knows how to cook, taught by his grandmother. After the peace route he discovered a cooking show DVD and rewatches it constantly. Is iron deficient, passed out often during puberty. Has NPD. If he lived in the real world he would be very rude to customer service staff but leave a 100€ tip.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

Fork emoji

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Light academia: white and brown hell yeah

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Literally any ship that ships him with an under age character or him and his brother (I can't believe I have to say this)

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Forget the insanity of angels and the weird time bending shit that went on in Mikado for a minute and Gaston x Jonathan would actually become an interesting narrative of two gay guys who had their gayness repressed by a super religious kingdom and the inherently classist feudal system whose heteronormative structure demands heterosexuality to uphold the godchosen oppressor class and the tragedy of one becoming the very essence of the force that oppresses(angel) and the other bing forced to kill his lover to achieve freedom. Doomed yaoi if you will

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

If the writers knew how to cook they would've utilized the clear parallels they established between Toki and Gaston. Their friendship could've genuinely went hard. It does go hard but only in my head unfortunately.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Bestie behaviour

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

His extravagant speech, that is on the other hand very weird to Google how do you write the past tense of dilly dally

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

There are like 2 fics I love them all

23. Favorite picture of this character?

These two I made I can't decide

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Apollo Justice Lawyersona Shin Megamitourney Acesei

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Genuinely don't remember anything that happened between 2013 and 2018 including my first play through. All I know now is that he is literally me.

[abetternamethananyother]

Sims 4: Naturally Young Challenge

Disclaimer: This challenge doesn't require any DLCs or packs. I highly recommend the MCCC mod, although it's possible to play through the challenge without it. You may play with any mods or cc you like as long as it doesn't greatly impact the challenge.

People have been talking about this Sim for years. From what you heard, they live alone in a small house, living from the plants they grow. You know people who talked to them and who described them as a polite young Sim open to talk to strangers. So why does everyone seem so afraid of them?

Your parents told you never to go near the house this particular Sim lives in. As a child you never understood their concerns, but as you got older it became harder for the adults to hide things from you. Stories spread like fleas, after all. Stories about people who became too close with them... and who never returned from their house. Rumours about the Sim have always been part of the local life, each one more sickening than the other. Are the missing Sims held hostage? Killed? Locked away in the dark?

Despite the warnings, there are always those eager to meet this Sim, be it out of curiosity or even pity for the lonely dweller. And, well... You're young, you're supposed to be brave, right? But when you actually meet them, your heart stops for a moment. They're breathtakingly beautiful and their smile makes you fall in love instantly. Over your bliss you don't even notice the strangest thing about them; They're way too young to have been living here for as long as the people claim...

Welcome to the Naturally Young Challenge!

The goal of this challenge is to stay a young adult for as long as possible and to support yourself solely by fishing, planting and gathering. In order to maintain your youth (and, therefore, near immortality) you will need to rely on the life essence of others - and your most loyal friend, the Cow Plant.

CAS: To start the challenge, create a teenage Sim of any gender. They need the Romantic and Loves Outdoors trait, as well as the Freelance Botanist aspiration. Upon aging up to a young adult, you may freely choose your last trait (or traits if you play with mods that allow more than three traits).

Property: Move your Sim into a small home you can afford with the starting 20 000 Simoleons. The house should have a rather big property, as you'll need a lot of space for planting and uh.... other stuff. If you cannot find such a home, you may use the FreeRealEstate cheat, although you'll need to set your household funds to 3000 Simoleons afterwards (Cheat: money 3000).

Game options: If you want an easier challenge, set Sim lifespan to Normal. For the regular challenge it should be set to Short. Auto-age must be enabled.

You may not take a job. As long as you're a teen, I recommend skipping school - your grades won't matter anyway and you'll need the time. The only way to make money is by selling plants, fish or whatever you find by searching the area (minerals, fossils, frogs,...). You may not sell handmade items, books, paintings or photographs, although you are allowed to create them for your own use.

Apart from making money you'll need to raise your greatest weapon - the Cow Plant. The seed(s) may not be bought or taken from another Sim. You may have as many Cow Plants as you want, using them to gain the Essence of Life from other Sims in order to stay young forever. But here's the catch: No one would just randomly walk up to a dangerously looking plant belonging to a complete stranger, especially when they've been warned about said stranger their whole life. You'll need to earn their trust.

To make it short: In order for your Cow Plant to eat a Sim they need to be part of your household. You'll have to manually ask them to join - cheats aren't allowed. For a more difficult version your victim has to be your boyfriend/girlfriend before moving in with you. Alternatively, being friends with them is enough. As soon as they're part of your household you can take control of them and let them... Try to eat a plant's tongue? Honestly, who'd ever think eating something still attached to the mouth of a huge, sentient plant with dangerously looking teeth was a good idea? Anyway, the first time they are eaten apparently isn't enough reason to stay far away from the Cow Plant. The second time, chances are they'll die. Too bad!

After the Grim Reaper has done his work you may milk your Cow Plant. Voilà! You have a brand new glass of Life Essence to keep you young for a couple of days and a tombstone to prove it. Good thing you have your garden to hide the remains of your victim... Place the tombstone somewhere on your property and build your very own graveyard. Just don't be surprised to find some angry ghosts roaming your house.

The challenge can end in two ways:

Bad ending: If you age up to adult you officially lost and countless Sims died for nothing. Sorry not sorry.

Good ending: The Grim Reaper isn't impressed easily, but you do seem to put a lot of work into ending lives. As soon as you have ten (or more for a harder challenge) tombstones on your property the Grim Reaper grants you actual immortality as a sign of his respect. If you play with MCCC, flag your Sim as immortal.

Additional rules:

-> You may use cheats to remove any sad moodlets you receive from the death of one of your victims. I mean, that's what you wanted, right?

-> While you can own as many Cow Plants as you like, you're only allowed to harbour one Sim at a time. In order for another Sim to move in you first have to kill the first one.

-> You may take any aspiration after completing the Freelance Botanist one. However, you are not allowed to marry, have children or move out.

-> If you play with packs including occults, you may not be a vampire or ghost (for obvious reasons). Other occults are allowed, but may not use any abilities that influence relationships or grant them a longer life/immortality.

I hope you'll give this challenge a go and enjoy it. If you have any suggestions or criticism, feel free to let me know!

[nellie-elizabeth]

Doctor Who: Boom (14x03)

I regret to inform you that this was a very good episode of Doctor Who. Fucking Moffat, knock it off with being an occasionally very good writer. I hate this dude.

Cons:

I thought the romance arc between Mundy and the random dude whose name I can't remember was probably the least memorable part of the episode? It just felt a little flat and proscribed, and it fell into some cliche writing tropes. Why is it always that an oblivious woman is being pined after by her long-suffering martyr of a best friend? It's giving Rory and Amy, it's giving... Joss Whedon. I don't know. I didn't hate this, but it didn't add a ton to the story, it almost felt like more of a distraction to the core relationships that we should have been focusing on.

This was the most I've enjoyed Ruby and the Doctor's relationship on the show yet, but there was this one moment that I had a problem with in the writing. The Doctor is calling out to a dying Ruby and basically says "I need to talk out loud in order to think, and you're the only person I can talk to." I think I get what the goal was here, but it read a little strange to me. Because the point of the Doctor is kind of that he can make friends with most people, isn't it? He finds the connection, and the adventurous spirit, and the bravery, in all sorts of people he comes across. We even see him forming connections with the other people he's meeting in this very episode. So I do wish the sentiment had been adjusted just slightly. Ruby shouldn't be valued and loved simply because she is uniquely able to provide the Doctor with companionship. You know?

I thought the resolution felt a little rushed, with the father's love saving the day. Very sweet or what have you, but I could have used a bit more build-up to it? As is Moffat's MO both as a writer and as a show-runner, he's always better at the setup than he is at the payoff.

Pros:

I think when Doctor Who is at its very best, it takes a simple concept, a small group of people, and it plays out the complications of the scenario over the course of the hour. This was an episode with a small core cast, basically only one setting with just a few cut-aways to the camp where the soldiers were staying, and there's a pretty simple problem to solve: the Doctor is standing on a landmine. If it goes off, because of his special Time Lord-y-ness, he could blow up half the planet they're on. So the stakes are higher than simply the Doctor's life, and they're on a timer.

And from there it's really just a lot of intense stakes-raising, alarming moments of tension as the Doctor tries to keep his emotional reaction to a minimum so as not to trip the sensor. I loved the scene when the Doctor is begging Ruby to back away and she's insisting on staying close to help. Great relationship building, great classic rapport between the Doctor and his companion. She's brave, he's worried about her, but together they thwart catastrophe.

As is often true with this show, and with sci-fi more in general, this episode has some not so subtle political messages baked into it. I think it was brilliantly and disturbingly done, showing us first the soldiers and the way their lives hang in a delicate balance, then starting to learn about the for-profit model of this weapons manufacture, and then the gradual and chilling revelation that these people are not at war with anyone at all. It's an empty planet, and they're fighting nothing, letting themselves be killed for the benefit of a corporation running on auto-pilot designed to maximize profits. Yeesh. That's a thought, isn't it.

There's also the lovely detail that all of the soldiers are part of the church. Ruby talks about how strange this is, and the Doctor points out that the military and the church are usually hand in hand, and that her current reality is really just a blip in the pattern.

The gasp-out-loud moment of this episode is of course when Ruby gets shot. I love the way the scenario is set up here, where Ruby is going to shoot Mundy with her consent, in order to draw the ambulance's attention away from the Doctor, but Mundy's love interest dude sees Ruby pointing a gun at her and misinterprets. And then the Doctor, forced for the sake of this whole planet to stay frozen in place and just watch it happen... great face acting from Gatwa here as he reacts with horror while simultaneously trying to tamp down on his reaction.

This was a good episode, with a lot of good moments. I think tamping down into a more tragic story allowed for the Doctor and Ruby to have some exchanges that didn't feel so... manic, the way the first two episodes were? And that was a big help to make them feel like they have a more grounded relationship. Ruby begging to know her next of kin in the final moments of her life is going to haunt me, that was so tragic! And while maybe a little bit trite, the father's love saving the day thing did still work okay for me, all things told.

I'm hoping we can get some motion on the Ruby mystery in the coming weeks, and hopefully preserve a bit more of the naturalistic bond between our main characters as we move forward.

8.5/10

[jupiter-pls]

(look, im sorry idk if read more is still a thing/on the app but i can't see it im hoping tumblr does that auto read more thing if not IM SORRY! i just need things written out for my brain sometimes)

ya girl had a cheeky weekend in amsterdam to have just one good night...and afternoon 🖤🧡🖤 it's been the. best. and i spent it with some wonderful people who im missing so, so much 💖 (there's a group photo of my pals when i had gone on to m&g round 2 with them holding up my art that makes me SOB! 😭 goodest of eggs!) and ill remember it all for a long, long time. got to give dan the new piece after telling/showing him the piece from back at the start of tour needed a companion piece & the reasoning behind it. he was so SO sweet and said how he loves my style, especially with the circles always being used (😭😭😭) and then pointed out the photo backdrop with the eclipse on 🥺 yes 🥺 love a weird wonky dan heart too 🥰 i was a bit annoyed with myself cause i felt/heard myself fully tripping over my words and ugh but! it was really really lovely...

m&g no.2 however! 💖💖💖💖 (look, i panic brought a resale ticket cause i was so nervous about the matinée getting canceled in the wake of the promoters bullshit on this tour and knew i would be beyond heartbroken if it had happened) god, that felt so so special and im going to remember it forever 😭 i got so many laughs out of him and SO MANY HUGS idk what was going on there i guess being able to actually get my words out was the cause? (just lots of thankful words for the tour, meaning i could meet my wonderful friends, the show being something so special & important and that he BELONGS on a stage that is is home!) id been talking myself in & out of taking minnie ears for a photo for WEEKS, would i be ~brave enough to ask for a photo in them? no i couldn't it's too scary! but i found the perf wad aesthetic ones for him and dlp is my favourite place in the world, this was actually important to me! (see me fully not being alright when he got that fleece thing from anaheim disneyland...if u got to meet him in that ur on my list 😭) after a moment from him of "um...what are those?!" and telling him look, it's important! we got a bunch of photos with him declaring "ok these are cute, oh my god we're so cute!" yes! ears are silly & over the top but they are fun! and cute! and make u feel like a kid! told him he probs has no use for them but he can keep them if he'd like (the orange ones...not my prince charming carousel ones!) and he was all 🥺 that's such a sweet gift thank you 🥺 (also this is all backwards, we did the ears photos before everything else). i mentioned while i was so excited for the show again, it was bittersweet as it was my last one and i love that he responded with his whole damn chest that i better make sure i make it to the next tour then...that boy is never going to stop doing shows and i love that for him SO SO MUCH LIVE UR FUCKING DREAM! 😭😭😭

i had a whole lot of feelings during that last show, "embrace the void/one good night" really getting to me after getting that most recent sketch done & all the feelings that went into that and my decision to do it...it's all so much.

ALSO! getting to meet & spend time with some really, really special people ive gotten to know in this fandom and them being what made the weekend so incredibly special 💜 saying goodbye to those folks was hard but they all give the nicest hugs. i really hope i can see them all again in the not too distant future, thank you for making this trip all it was 🥰

tl;dr dan is the best boy in the world and deserves ALL the good things in the universe & i have some incredible people im lucky enough to call my friends 🪐

[themimsyborogove]

Since a couple of people tagged me on Cassie’s post about Catarina and Ragnor just being platonic friends, I want to talk about fandom and shipping for a minute.

First of all, this isn’t brand new news. Cassie posted pretty much the same thing on Twitter several years ago, so I am well aware that this is not a canon ship, and have been for most of the time I’ve been writing it. And as long as no one is using that as an excuse to harass me, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t ship things based on how likely I think they are to be canon, I ship them based on if I see the potential for a story there or not.

And I thought Ragnor and Catarina had a great set up for a friends to lovers story. So I wrote that story because I knew it wasn’t the kind of story I was going to get from canon. And I liked the stuff that I wrote, and I had fun writing it, so I kept writing more. And I’ll probably keep writing more when writers block doesn’t have me by the throat because I still enjoy writing them.

I’ve had tons of ships over the years that weren’t canon (including some where the characters never actually even interact in canon) just because another fan saw a potential story there and wrote it themselves. The fics I posted about looking for on ff.net a few days ago were for an old ship that not only had very little basis in canon, one of the characters actually ended up getting killed off later in the series, so it is about as thoroughly sunk as a ship can possibly get. I still think those fics were great and I’m so glad that author took the time to write them and add so much of her own characterization to flesh out those characters. Nearly twenty years later, I still remember them so fondly, I braved the land of auto play video ads to reread them because they made such an impression on my teenage self.

Most of the fandoms I’ve spent any amount of time hanging out in are fandoms where I have a ship that isn’t canon. Side characters, the losing half of love triangles, characters who don’t interact in canon, but could be interesting if they did. Every book or show or movie has endless potential for different stories, but canon can only pick one direction to go. Fandom is where the others live, and that’s what makes me stick around.

[jeremy-ken-anderson]

Letting the Features Creep

It actually takes quite a long time before a game gets to a point of being less accessible for new players due to feature creep.

The regular problem with feature creep/scope creep is Not Getting Launched. Imagine you're an indie dev making a JRPG and then you're like, "but FFVIII had that thing where one dude had a quicktime event to go nuts with the trigger button, and the other had a fighting game combo and another had timed swings for auto-crits. We could have little quicktime events to keep combat interesting!"

What you've got to understand is

a) There is no limit to the number of features like this you can include in your game. I learned this when I saw the feature in Bravely Default where they had a social element and you could bring in copies of other players' heroes if you'd passed them on the train, and also they could speed up your town reconstruction, like, wtf.

b) Quicktime events are coroutines. Coroutines are literally a whole region of programming you won't need in order to make a JRPG unless you decide you want quicktime events. Like, they're a skill! Your programmer might not have that in their repertoire already, and if they don't you're looking at having them learn a new coding discipline so you can have triggered attacks.

BUT.

On the OTHER hand.

I really don't have a problem with feature creep (ha, misspelled it "feature crepe" and I'm imagining that meaning you keep on adding delicious ingredients. Peanut butter? Sure! Strawberries and syrup and whipped cream? Chocolate chips! Is there even a crepe under there anymore?) in live-service games. Warframe has one of the wildest cases of feature creep and honestly wouldn't have survived as a game without it. It's a better game for it - multiple of the currently-understood "core features" of the game did not exist at launch and features, ya know, crept in and then they were great, and became core features that stuck around. Similar deal with Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. Some players have a problem with new features like Seasons (in spite of them literally just being an overlay that hands you more free stuff for doing what you were doing already), but I very much do not. I think the game has some pretty clever gating to keep players from encountering material before they're ready, so that they don't get overwhelmed (I think doing something similar would help Warframe a ton). A lot of levels only appear after you've gotten close to the power level necessary to actually do them. Good stuff.

The point is that both games do varying levels of work on keeping the original problem I mentioned - the game getting confusing for new players - under control. Considering achievement stats suggest something like 95% of potential players drop off without unlocking a second planet I feel like Warframe could profit from working harder at this, but they didn't ask me. But what they don't do, and I'd argue they don't really need to do, is avoid feature creep due to the problem of never releasing. Because, like, they're released.

The Adventure Quest Model has proven successful for loads of games: You make a game, you release it, and then you patch it almost every day with new stuff for people to look at. Sometimes this will eventually result in a jumbled mess of a product but a) sometimes it won't and b) in the meantime you've gotten something onto the shelf to buy so who cares?

[alahmnat]

The browser situation right now is pretty damn dire, because Chrome and Edge in that chart are functionally the same browser with a different wrapper and semi-mandatory Big Tech account linkage. Safari and Firefox are Chrome’s only competition. Vivaldi? That’s Chrome. Brave? Also Chrome. Realistically, if it’s a browser with a name that isn’t Safari or Firefox, it’s Chrome.

Google is, arguably, an even worse company to have a near-stranglehold on the web than Microsoft. Microsoft didn’t really understand the internet or the web back when it was building its Internet Explorer empire, it just knew it was important somehow and had to beat Netscape at any cost in order to “own” it. Once IE got big enough, they simply declared victory and spent then next 5 years failing to deliver what eventually became Windows Vista. Literally the only reason IE 7, 8, and 9 exist is because of Firefox basically bringing Netscape back from the grave in a nicer package.

Google, on the other hand, very much understands the internet and the web, or at least why it’s essential to control the near-universal means of accessing it. Remember, Google is no longer a search company. They’re an advertising broker. They’ve built their empire on the shifting sands of people’s willingness to be stalked everywhere they go, and they will do anything to ensure that they get to maintain that empire for as long as possible, regardless of public opinion.

If you’ve recently had Chrome tell you that it will now helpfully be categorizing all of your browsing history into a collection of Topics that it will then share with the websites you visit, it’s because other companies like Apple and privacy-advocating organizations like Mozilla have put Google’s ownership of you as a targetable individual in enormous jeopardy by turning people against tracking cookies (the EU is also trying, bless them, but ad companies are way better at creating dark patterns than the EU is at writing or enforcing legislation to stop them) and taking their own proactive steps to throw a monkey wrench in Google’s core business model. And again, their core business model is selling their compiled conception of you as a person to advertisers who themselves want to sell things to absolutely psychotically-granular segments of the population. Want to target people in southeast Cincinnati who have searched for or visited websites related to a degree in a specific college-level field in the past 3 weeks? My friend, they’ve got you covered.

Anyway, Safari has been blocking 3rd party cookies since 2020, and nothing broke. Firefox has been doing it even longer with no ill effects for its users. Firefox is soon going to be rolling out total cookie isolation, so it will be impossible for a single cookie, even one that’s generated by a 1st party, to follow you from site to site, because your cookies will now live in their own domain-specific bin that’s determined by the page you’re visiting, not the embedded ad frame that just loaded its fourth auto-playing video ad in 45 seconds.

With chromium having nearly 90% global market share across both desktop and mobile devices, Google has enormous power to just decide how things will work, and everyone else just sort of has to agree or things will break for people who use other browsers. Unlike Microsoft, who truly did work unilaterally to wreck the web to their own advantage and then have the gall to say their product was “better”, Google also has the fig leaf of the W3C, which it and other browser makers sit on. The W3C essentially sets the rules for interoperability on the web. Their specifications dictate how browsers should behave and what features are formal standards. But the W3C is also awfully receptive to Google’s ideas for what new standards should be and how they should work, which coincidentally also tend to be things that benefit Google in some way or cement experimental features that were first built into Chrome without a standard behind them. They’re not (yet) just a rubber stamp for whatever Google wants to do, but the W3C is hardly an independent bulwark against monopolistic behavior by browser makers these days.

If you’re on a Mac, just use Safari. It’s fine, I promise. It works and if you’re tied into Apple’s ecosystem it integrates across it about as seamlessly as anything ever is these days. If you’re on a Mac laptop, your battery will thank you profusely for doing so. If you truly cannot stand Safari for some reason though, use Firefox.

If you’re on a PC, stop using Chrome. Don’t switch to Edge, which is just Microsoft’s skin around Chrome’s engine. Don’t switch to Vivaldi, or Brave, or whatever other cottage browser has sprung up on the last couple of weeks, because they’re all Chrome under the hood. Even Opera is just Chrome now. It may not be Google’s specific flavor of Chrome, but you are still abetting a new browser monoculture and giving Google more control over the way the web works. Just switch to Firefox. It’s easy, it’s fast, you’ll barely (if at all) notice the difference, and you’ll be supporting the only (mostly) independent browser manufacturer left.

While you’re at it, make sure you install the uBlock Origin plug-in and switch your search engine to DuckDuckGo. Google’s search results are garbage these days anyway (because, again, Google is not a search company anymore. They’re an ad company that wants to maximize the amount of money they can make from selling placement in their search results to the highest bidder).

If you’re a web developer, please for the love of god use Firefox as your daily driver and first test platform. Firefox’s dev tools are just as good as Chrome’s, the layout is just a little different, and I’ve yet to have Firefox do something wrong when Chrome doesn’t, but I can’t say the same in the opposite direction. Build for Firefox, check in Chrome (and Safari… there are tools for that too which don’t involve buying any Apple hardware, btw).

(On the subject of ad blockers: use them, and never feel guilty about it. I’ve advocated for them for years, and I will continue to do so even more vociferously since starting a job as a website builder for an ad agency. Please, make my coworkers’ jobs harder.)

Reddit • YouTube

[standtogether2020]

FEAR

Fear haunts you always, the goal is to overcome what you can.

Fear is also only one word in a level system, starting with anxiety.

Anxiety is a derivative of fear and though the list may be in the wrong order, I believe this is where it starts. From worry to anxiety then the signs of being scared into panic then full paranoia switching over to outright fear evolving into terror and finally paralyzation.

This chain of the brain's processing system can be a hindrance to anyone and maybe even everyone if you are willing to show it. I feel that everyone has a weakness to fear in some way shape form or another. The problem is not the fact of knowing this chemical process of the brain exists but knowing what level matches what situation for it is different for all. I have been working with one of my wonderful ladies through her anxiety for a few years now. I'm surprised I did not think of this as a topic sooner. After one of her recent surgeries, her anxiety got really bad on certain things. I will leave it at that as it is up to her as an individual adult to share her medical records, though I am proud of the support groups she has been a part of. I may have logic but I lack experience where these support groups have the experience. So a quick thank you to the people for helping her where I lack first-hand knowledge. On the logical side of things though this is the advice I spoke to ease her mind...

I get that anxiety is a real thing and it may not be something to completely overcome. It will always be a part of our life. It is our brain's natural safeguard to protect us from bad situations or dangerous circumstances. Although you can not let it rule you. The brain may do the auto-calculating for us on the matter of what is scary, but now and again we have to manually calibrate a new list with reason and logic to decide if something is worth the fear or not. If you listen to your auto fears constantly you will always live in a shell and be branded as a coward and knowing today's society many other words can attack the mind a lot worse. But by adding bravery and courage you will have the strength to face it instead of running from it.

This was not quite understood right away so I came up with some scenarios to help comprehension. for instance...

Every time I personally go on a walk I wonder when I will fall into a manhole I didn't know was open for sewer line repairs I was unaware of, or every time I cross the road will be the time I get hit by a car, truck, or bus. Who knows, keep in mind if these are confusing,... I AM BLIND haha... others were in the police force. How many times do they walk into a gas station robbery wondering if they tell a young adult to put the stolen item back and do it simple as that or tell them to put the item back just to receive staring down the barrel of a 45. Or will speeders pull over right away or cause a ten-mile pursuit through high traffic, red lights, construction zones, or mall plazas how many casualties will happen. Or to go deeper a military soldier walking across the desert wondering when the next step will be when they hear a heavy click and realize they can no longer move or sudden death due to the pressure mine they now stand on. Thinking how long they will last before they get tired of standing and fall or get shot down due to being stuck in the open. Maybe even the thought of someone on their bomb squad making it to them in time to defuse it or the thoughts of the bomb specialist what if this mine is wired differently. which wire will release it, and which one will make us both go.

All of these people are brave and courageous because even though these fears are deeply rooted they still go out there and do what they're trained for because they all have one goal in mind. For the good of our country and the protection of our people. When my woman was four blocks down having an asthma attack it was up to me to grab the rescue inhaler and blindly book it at high speed on foot. I did not care what obstacle got in my way. I would be there for my woman when she needed me or I would die trying.

I hope this can help others with anxiety or those in fear of something. Understanding fear will always be in our lives but I hope this can help the processing of anxiety ... even just a little better

--- Eli Mackay Ramirez

[elytrafemme]

i'm justtt putting this into asks rather than reblogging to reply bc. idk i think you might be asleep now thinking emoji and in asks the notif might be easier to see

on felps' lives channel he usually splits the streams up per game so it's easier to like.. pick a specific game and then watch through all the eps of it i guess? the auto-translate is usually pretty good too :]

i got nab/nap bc i train of thoughted my way onto the word kidnap and then went "hey isn't it weird that it's nap and not nab?" and then just went on a google spree bc like.. idk! very interesting ^_^ (<- also probably the adhd or whatevrr) nd the "you" thing is SO fun to me.... i've def heard of it being used for plural first before but i never really heard about it as liiike a formal only thing and then gradually getting less formal. and "y'all" filling the spot of it as a plural word instead is very fun !! "y'all" and "g'day" are like brothers to me. or cousins maybe idk. different but similar ^_^

i have a coworker who i talk about language with a lot and he's learning arabic!! it seems like a very interesting language i love hearing about it :] srsly if you ever want to talk about it my askbox/dms are always open!

anddd actively i'm learning brpt but i'd also like to multiclass into spanish ^_^ just trying to keep them . a little separate rn because i keep forgetting which words are from which language hashtag memory problems</3 bc some of them are similar (with: com versus con for eg) etc etc. other than that i'm trying to keep up with auslan but it's difficult when all the Good resources that keep my attention long term are paid/time consuming (which is fair since it's ppl actively teaching but it's just a little sad how little resources there are.. that i can Find at least) ALSO!! a jellyfish... this is so epic i don't think i've seen this emoji before :]!! ty ty!

HIII yes u are very right it is a lot easier to see ask notifs :]

OOOOH OKAY VERY IMPORTANT INFO TY!! im glad he splits it up like that it'll make my life easier :D i will deffo try to check it out <333

Y'ALL AND G'DAY ARE BROTHERS SO TRUE!!! i love y'all so much which like, i know it's a popular thing but i've met a lot of northerners at my school and it's strange how many people haven't acclimated to using y'all as a default. like that's just what i call people man i don't fucking know what to tell u. you all are sooooo y'all to me

OOOH NICE!!!!!! thank u for the offer my friend :3 it's deffo interesting! the dialects and stuff are very fascinating and one thing i want to learn more about is all different languages' dialects because like, i'm so interested in the diff dialects of spanish for example! i think it's very interesting and i wish people taught more aobut that piece in language learning

NICE NICE NICE! yeah double learning languages is hard i so many times wanted to speak arabic in my spanish class (those two languages have a decent number of similarities actually!! in like, loan words :3) memory problems will do it to u yeah </3 ur so brave ... and no yeah i absolutely feel that with the resources thing it's so hard to find ones that are actually effective? wish there was like a khan academy just for languages, since i know duolingo is a little spotty and most of the other ones i am at least familiar with are like, locally offered things and whatnot

JELLYFISH :3 i thought you'd like him he's such a friend innit he

[fantasmalforces]

TAG DUMP PT. 2

[moonarchvs]

Home [r.k]

summary- after he goes to juvie, robby pushes you away for your own good but it kills him from inside.

warnings- tiny angst, some kissing, sad robby :(

word count- 1.7k

Robby had nowhere else to go.

He had promised himself to not do this, to stay away from you and not let him ruin your life. When his accident with Miguel had taken place he had run away, away from everyone and everything.

From you.

He had only had you all his life. He had met you in school, you had always kept to yourself and stayed quiet. He had observed you from afar at first, not knowing you knew he had and it was quite a shock when you had approached him, brave and demanding but your quivering voice had failed you.

It was the start of a beautiful friendship, you would complete his homework, fill in his attendance whenever needed (which was a lot of times). He would give your phone free repairs and teach you how to skateboard.

He had become a constant resident at your house and whenever he felt lonely or down, you were there for him, all the time and he was the only shoulder you had when you wanted to cry.

For the first few years he had known you, Robby never talked about anything of his past. The absence of his dad, the drinking problem of his mom and you had never felt the need to push him for details.

But your heart had broken when you saw him crying and beating himself about not being a good son. He had been very happy for the past 2-3 days because of a job he had gotten at the LaRusso Auto dealership and it had your chest contracting and eyes burning at his state.

You remembered holding him for hours in your arms till he was calm and felt fine. That's when he had opened up to you. Robby had told you everything about his past, how his dad had been absent for his birth, leaving his mom alone to raise him which had further led to her alcohol addiction.

He also told you how he had gotten a dealership at Mr. LaRusso’s company just to piss his dad off because of an old rivalry the two shared and what you had told him had as if strung a chord deep within him.

"Don't let your emotions and actions be controlled by somebody. Especially if they are done in anger or hatred."

And he remembered how all of the said emotions had almost vanished away from his heart and mind for his dad and mom and the world.

He remembered you being his loudest supporter at the All Valley and cheering him up after his loss. He remembered how he had forced you to join Miyagi-Do Karate when the dojo was looking for recruits, he remembered how you had been extremely reluctant to do so as you were no supporter of violence.

But you did it for him.

And he knew it.

If Robby said that he had never felt something much deeper and more for you than a friend he would be the biggest liar to be breathing and living on this planet. He had loved you for a long long time and had only started to realize it.

It was weird, how he was not self-aware about this feeling he had towards you and never in a million dreams did he think you would feel the same.

But then again, life was full of surprises. And he still remembered how his heart had jumped out of his chest when you had grabbed the collar of his shirt and had crashed your lips on his for the very first time.

How you had been the one to ask him out on your first date while he had been a stuttering, blushing and flustered mess. How you had got down on one knee to ask him to be his boyfriend in his favourite restaurant he had never been able to afford to go into. He still thought it had been too dramatic, but he had loved every second of it.

And then the fight at school had happened and he had pushed Miguel off the second floor.

He remembered seeing your gaze at him, questioning silently if he meant his action. He remembered shaking his head and watching your gaze soften made his heart burst with joy.

But he was a coward, so he ran away.

It had felt right to him then. Robby felt like he was ruining your life if he stayed with or around you anymore. He had already served his time in juvie once, and he didn't want you anywhere in his record.

When Robby had left wordlessly, you had fallen into a different kind of sadness and guilt. You felt like you had failed him, he trusted you and you gave up on him.

It took weeks to get a word about Robby. Mr. LaRusso had constantly kept you updated on the status of the investigation but those days kept you restless and sleepless.

After weeks, you had gotten a word and not from him or Mr. LaRusso but the news. Robby was behind the bars and you had blamed yourself.

"Robby Keene, you have a visitor."

He had been dying to hear those words, everyday when he woke up he would think 'today's the day' and every night he would dream of this sweet occurrence. Robby stumbled off his chair so quickly, it tipped over and fell down with a thud.

Picking it up as fast as possible, he walked to the guard who escorted him outside to the meeting room and that's when the world stopped, like it had the day he met you.

There you were, looking as beautiful as ever but you weren't happy. Your dazzling (e/c) eyes had worry and guilt swimming in them and he frowned when he noticed you biting your nails, something you did when you were anxious, scared.

Is that what he made you feel?

He slowly trudged to where you were sitting and for a second all of his worries vanished when your features relaxed and you threw your arms around him.

He sighed in content, wrapping his arms around your head and his face went into the crook of your neck. He could feel you crying and you could almost see his eyes getting bloodshot.

"How've you been?" You whispered, pressing kisses all around his face.

"How would a person be in jail?" He said bitterly and your face fell as you two sat across from each other.

"How're you?" He asked, not being able to control himself. You smiled sadly.

"I've been….fine. Unless you count the number of times the cops showed up looking for you." Robby's head snapped in your direction. The cops had come to your house.

"I like the new hair." You said, smiling softly, deciding to change the topic and his hands went to play with the ones on the nape of his neck.

"Is that what you're here for? Chit chat?" He asked and you had no clue why he was being so rude, so distant.

"I'm here to see you. I came the moment I got to know."

"Yeah, as if you care"

You felt yourself flinch at his tone and you didn't know how his heart broke to do that. It was the only way, he couldn't let his company or presence ruin you.

"Look, I know you’re angry at many people right now, maybe even me. But I can get you out, I just need your word."

He was so tempted, your big doe eyes staring right up at him in expectation, your hands fidgeting, wanting to move closer to his. But he had to do what was right.

"I don't need more favours. Just don't come to see me again." The words stung, he knew they did. He could feel his eyes pricking with tears already but it was necessary, for him, for you.

"Ok." You said, voice breaking with each syllable and Robby's heart was breaking into small pieces as he saw you wipe your eyes and go out without sparing him another glance.

He thought he was saving you but he was saving himself really.

It felt surreal. He had come to your house so many times, in fact, there had been a time when he started to feel like it was his house too and today, it was like he was visiting it for the very first day.

He pushed himself to go forward and raised his hand to knock on your door, he hesitated, it was so so tough but he had gotten this far and he was not going to back down now.

Knocking on your door twice, he waited patiently, hands in his pockets. The door opened and he couldn’t stop the smile which made its way home on his lips at the state in which he saw you. Your hair was a mess, dried flour on your cheeks, a spatula in your free hand, a dirty apron tied around your waist and your jaw on the floor.

“Hey.” He said, smiling bashfully and the thing you did was something he was not expecting you to do. You smacked him across the head with your spatula.

“Ow! Y/n! What the hell!?” He asked incredulously, rubbing the spot.

“You stupid, idiot! You’re asking me that?! You push a kid off the second floor, run away without telling anyone anything, then next thing I know, you’re in juvie and that too from the fucking news channel and when I come to see you, you kinda break up with me and now you’re showing up after weeks, and all you say is hey?! If you think you can do this at any given time-” Robby cut you off by colliding his body with yours with such force, you two fell back on the floor.

“Then you’re unfortunately right.” You whispered, breath on his face and his smile widened further if it was possible.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve never left you like that. At that point, I thought I was doing it for you but I guess I was too scared to face you after….everything.” He mumbled and you couldn’t help but let your heart melt at the sincere tone and guilty eyes.

The next thing you knew, you were pushing your lips to his. You felt him smile in the kiss as your hands went from his neck to his hair.

And after what felt like centuries to him, Robby felt home, because no matter what, you were always there for him and that’s what mattered.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

For September, as Suicide Prevention Month, I’m sharing this original song from “The Longest Johns,” about Survivor’s Guilt, coming to the brink of suicidality, and making the active decision to keep living.

Auto-generated captions by a music-baffled algorithm. The real lyrics are here:

Lyrics

Oh, I bid farewell to the port and the land and I paddle away from brave England's white sands To search for my long ago forgotten friends to search for the place I hear all sailors end As the souls of the dead fill the space of my mind I'll search without sleeping 'til peace I can find I fear not the weather, I fear not the sea I remember the fallen, do they think of me? When their bones in the ocean forever will be Plot a course to the night, to a place I once knew To a place where my hope died, along with my crew So I swallow my grief and face life's final test to find promise of peace and the solace of rest As the souls of the dead fill the space of my ears Their laughter like children, their beckoning cheers My heart longs to join them, sing songs of the sea I remember the fallen, do they think of me? When their bones in the ocean forever will be When at last before my ghostly shipmates I stand I shed a small tear for my home upon land Though their eyes speak of deaths filled with struggle and strife their smiles, below, say I don't owe them my life As the souls of the dead fill the space of my eyes and my boat listed over and tried to capsize I'm this far from drowning, this far from the sea I remember the living, do they think of me? When my bones in the ocean forever will be Now that I'm staring down at the darkest abyss I'm not sure what I want, but I don't think it's this As my comrades call to stand fast and forge on I make sail for the dawn 'til the darkness has gone As the souls of the dead live fore'er in my mind as I live all the years that they left me behind I'll stay on the shore but still gaze at the sea I remember the fallen and they think of me For our souls in the ocean together will be I remember the fallen and they think of me for our souls in the ocean together will be

[starlessea]

𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙨 - Chapter 1. Is It A Bird?

A/N Make sure you read the prologue before, or this chapter might not make sense!

Series Masterlist: Step on the Gas

Summary: A dishonourable discharge from the military results in you being hauled off to live with your grandparents in the boonies, otherwise known as the middle of nowhere Georgia. After running over a nail on the road, and pushing your grandpa's vintage Camaro to the nearest auto-shop, you meet Daryl Dixon - the local mechanic. At some point, the world ends, but that stubborn man never gives you a chance to slow down. His smile gives you whiplash, but he still insists that you to step on the gas.

Words: 4869

Chapter Warnings: Language, Injury

You watched the bird fly from behind the clear glass, level with the top floors of the office building.

You followed it the best you could, walking the stretch of the room alongside it. The window was long and wide, filling the wall entirely. This whole section of the building was made of glass, and stood tall against the skyline — so that you could often see the flocks of birds that flew by.

Though, it wasn’t as tall as the ones closer to the inner city.

No, this was more of a dwarfed skyscraper.

You reached the end of the office, and placed your hands up against the cool glass as the bird continued onwards — leaving you behind. Below, the street seemed desolate, just as the sky now did. There wasn’t a single soul lurking down there — but you didn’t trust your eyes in the slightest. Especially not here.

You needed a better view. You needed a bird’s-eye view.

The fire escape steps were rickety, and metal flakes crumbled beneath your feet. They had rusted from the rain, and you tried not to think about how precariously they squeaked as you made your ascent to the roof. You’d done it before, but every time felt worse than the last.

You just couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d cave beneath you — and laugh their squeaky laughs as they sent you plummeting to the ground.

You reached the top, and felt the breeze on your cheek as you scaled the roof courtyard. Up here, everything seemed untouched. It always had done. This high up, people would look like mere ants — harmless, and far enough away that it didn’t matter if they weren’t.

The wind blew, and you stared out towards the building parallel to the corporate one you were currently standing on. It had been a hotel once. But now its roof held something far more valuable than deckchairs and a cocktail bar.

There she was, you smiled, and what a beauty indeed.

It was an army helicopter, sat perfectly still against the horizon — like a bird nesting. It was a camo green, but it didn’t camouflage against the greyish sky in the slightest. Though, it did seem like it belonged there; it was a hawk after all.

A Sikorsky Hawk, to be more specific.

You’d never flown her type before, but she’d been there ever since you first took refuge in the building, like an abandoned bird in an abandoned city. The army had been the first to flee, after all — or the first to die. Either way, the hawk had sat alone for nearly two months, teasing you.

You should have just stayed in Georgia.

It was only meant to be a weekend trip, but somehow you’d gotten stranded in Atlanta during the end of the world. You would have cursed your luck, but then again you were lucky enough to get stuck on the outskirts — only narrowly missing the bombs as they reigned down upon the city.

It was like a meteor shower. Except, instead of falling stars, it had been napalm.

You could remember it perfectly. First the power had gone out, then the water mains dried up, and finally the food whittled down to nothing. You’d hopped from building to building until you came across this corporate graveyard — which had enough supplies to keep you alive for a few weeks. But you should have just left Atlanta whilst you had the chance.

This tower had lulled you in with the promise of safety, but had kept you trapped there ever since.

Walking closer to the roof’s edge, you glanced along the building in the distance. You’d checked it a dozen times now — mapping out all of its exits to try and find a way inside. You had to be prepared. After all, it wasn’t like you could just wait until you got there. Your boot hit the fencing, and you felt the urge to peer over the railing at the alley below.

Don’t look down, you told yourself — but you always did.

A narrow sidestreet separated the office block from the hotel. There was a fence at one end, secured with a thick padlock, whilst the other was open. That would have been fine on its own; except, the biters had all stumbled into the alley as though it were a cattle cage — and couldn’t figure out how to leave once they were there.

Dumb fucks, you thought, watching them pile up against the gate as though it were a concert barrier.

Almost every day, you’d come to see that helicopter — separated by a channel of the undead, their heads bobbing like ripples on the surface of water — and every day you’d turn around and head back down the fire escape.

Your stomach gurgled, and you let out a sigh. The stale lunchroom cereal had recently run empty. You felt for your pistol in your back pocket — the one you’d managed to get a hold of during the initial outbreak.

Six bullets, you counted, before slipping it back into your jeans.

You smiled at the irony.

“Six!” you yelled at the man, placing your card face-up on the bar. “It’s my lucky number.”

Dixon knocked back his whiskey and grimaced as it went down. Joe’s was practically empty by now, but the man lingered about like the aftertaste of your drink — waiting for your shift to end.

“An’ why’s that?” he asked, not looking up from his own hand.

You smiled — the alcohol making you loose-lipped.

“It was your closing time. Six in the evening,” you explained, waiting for him to lay his last card. “But you still fixed up the Camaro anyway.”

Your fingertips rested along the hem of the jacket, feeling the worn leather. The air was stiflingly warm, but you kept it on. After all, it still smelled faintly of the man who’d given it to you.

Like whiskey and gasoline.

Atlanta had gone still and quiet, leaving you to your thoughts as you stood on that rooftop — trying to be brave. Military training was meant to beat that into a person, but maybe you’d gone soft since then. After all, you always preferred to stay above the action than be in the midst of it.

Six bullets, a Hawk, and a cattle grid filled with biters.

You laughed. Everything interesting always seemed to happen on a Tuesday.

Glancing over your shoulder at the bird once more, you tried to ignore the way your stomach dropped and your palms sweat. It was probably from the heat, you tried to tell yourself, but you knew better than that.

“I guess today’s the day,” you said, to no one in particular.

Then, you began to descend that rickety fire escape once again — because what goes up must always come down.

//

What you hadn’t realised, is that the same could be said for that Sikorsky Hawk, which spat you out of the sky like you didn’t deserve to be there.

When you finally came back around — after drifting in and out of consciousness for what felt like much too long — all you could smell was burning rubber.

That’s not good, you thought, as you blinked your eyes open.

Black smoke hung thick in the air, melding with the orange flames that flickered in the distance and caught the trees.

Those damn trees.

You hissed curses through your teeth as the pain finally kicked into gear — albeit a bit delayed. In your haziness, you’d barely realised how precarious your situation was. Like a puppet on a string, you dangled from the branches of a tall, leafless tree — caught by your parachute wires.

Your breaths were shallow and strained, and you slowly lifted a hand — the one not tangled in the cords — to feel your stomach.

Blood.

It was shrapnel from the crash. It stung like a bitch, and would probably need stitches. Well, it would if you could get down in the first place.

You glanced up at your other arm, eyes stinging from the brightness of the sky.

That doesn’t look right either, you grimaced.

It had gotten caught during the fall, and had twisted at an unnatural angle which only made you wince as you tried to free it. Like a marionette, if you plucked those wires ever so slightly, your whole body flailed.

The radios whirred below you, letting out a continuous note of high-pitched static as they caught alight. It reminded you of the screeching of wheels as they spun over tarmac — or something like that.

But, then you saw a man.

And the man saw you.

At first, you barely recognised him without his oil-stained work clothes — wrench in hand. But at the same time, he seemed to blend in perfectly with this new world. He had a crossbow slung over his back, and a rope of limp squirrels looped around his shoulder. A natural born hunter, indeed.

With numb toes, and blood rushing to your head, you called out to him hoarsely — hoping that he’d spot you perched among the trees.

“Dixon,” you spoke, and winced straight after.

Your voice didn’t even sound like your own.

Still, the man whipped around, and stared straight through you as though he were looking at a ghost.

“How’s it hanging?” you teased, and recognition flashed on his face.

It had taken him a while to cut you down, untwisting your limbs delicately from the cables. But once you were free, he carried you in his arms — like some trophy game from his hunting trip.

Then, he noticed the wound.

The mechanic looked down at you helplessly. He still hadn’t said a single word, but his eyes told you everything you needed to know. They rested on your hands — which were pressed down firmly to stop the bleeding — before trailing back up to your face.

He looked older than you remembered, and more hardened. And he didn’t view you with the same shy curiosity as before — you had noticed.

No. This was sadness.

You brought a hand up from your stomach and touched it to his cheek. He flinched at the contact, but didn’t pull away.

You could swear he even leaned into it.

His mousy stubble tickled your palm, and only then did you realise the bloody fingerprints you’d left behind on his skin. You let your head flop against the man’s chest, your ear pressed to his pounding heartbeat.

“Today really isn’t my day,” you murmured there, and he started walking.

//

You watched the sky the whole way back.

It looked so different from the sky in Atlanta. There were no hulking skyscrapers blocking it, nor fast food billboards that had begun to peel away. And there were far more birds flying by — the real kind, not any Sikorsky Hawks.

Dixon remained completely silent, except for when he’d occasionally remind you to keep pressure on that wound. He moved quickly, but he seemed lost in thought — lacking the usual bite you remembered.

He also seemed to have lost his words, you thought.

But then you reached a clearing.

You could hear the commotion before you saw it; there was some rustling behind the trees, accompanied by dry shouts and the clanging of metal. You glanced up at the man carrying you for answers, but he didn’t once look down.

Daryl stepped out into the open air, and squinted from the sunlight. You did the same, turning your head into his chest for some cover from it.

“Ya can drop yer weapons,” you heard him say.

Well, more like felt — since the vibrations rumbled against your cheek.

“Unless yer plannin’ on offing me with tha’ shovel,” he snapped.

There he was, you smiled, that was the Dixon you recognised.

You could feel his heart thumping as he spoke, and you had to coax yourself away to take a look at the scene for yourself.

A group of people holding spades, a bashed-in biter, and a mauled deer.

You laughed. Fucking Tuesdays.

Except, the laugh trailed off into a wheeze as the pain started up, and the blood poured.

Daryl quickly kicked into gear with urgency, and brushed off the group as they tried to ask their questions. “Someone best go get Merle off his lazy ass,” he yelled, “tell him his favourite helicopter pilot jus’ crash landed ‘ere.”

Your head snapped up at his words.

Merle Dixon, too? You weren’t sure you could handle them both.

Except, nobody moved to go and retrieve the older brother. Instead, a small asian man stepped forward — removing his baseball cap and wringing it in his hands.

“I can’t believe it,” he announced, eyes locked on you, “helicopter boy was telling the truth!”

You squinted at his words, trying to make sense of them amidst the heatstroke and blood loss.

But, you didn’t have to try for long. A second man stepped out from behind the frontline of people, also parting with his obnoxiously large hat as he did so. Except, this was no baseball cap; this was a damn country midwestern cowboy hat.

The badge in the centre of it caught the light and beamed it back directly into your eyes, making you cower away. The man shucked his hands into his pockets, and only then did you catch sight of him fully — clad in his King County Sheriff’s Department uniform .

Great, you sighed, letting your head flop back over Daryl’s arm. A fucking cop.

Dixon’s jaw clenched, too. You saw it above you — tensing.

“You come from Atlanta?” the officer questioned, “earlier today?”

That caught your attention. He’d been in Atlanta, too?

You definitely hadn’t seen any survivors on the flight over. But then again, it would’ve been nearly impossible to distinguish the dead from the living at that altitude. You swallowed thickly, and nodded.

“What happened to you?” he pressed.

The group’s chatter had died to a silence, and even Daryl seemed to await your answer.

“Engine failed,” you croaked, parched from a lack of water. “Couldn’t control the descent so I had to jump,” you cursed the last part, “too many trees.”

Then, you pinched Daryl’s arm lightly — feeling woozy from the sun. He nodded, and wordlessly stepped over the rotting corpse near his boot.

“You two know each other?” a voice interrupted, “and you just happened to find her?”

You didn’t like this man’s eyes; you hadn’t since you’d first caught a glimpse of them. He had dark, bouffant hair that seemed far too prim for the end of the world, and was wearing light cargo pants.

Then you noticed the dog tags hanging from his neck, and the combat boots which matched what you knew to be police-issued training gear.

Seriously, you thought, another one?

Daryl didn’t seem particularly fond of the guy, either, because he narrowed his eyes at him in the same way he did the biter at his feet. He looked as though he was considering ignoring him completely. And you couldn’t blame him.

It wasn’t like you were bleeding out, or anything.

“Was trackin’ tha’ deer,” he responded, toeing the dead animal with his boot. “Seen the bird go down an’ followed it.”

Daryl readjusted his grip on you, and you groaned from his heavy-handedness. But you didn’t miss his guilty expression.

After all, he probably tried to be gentle.

“An’ there she was, jus’ swingin’ from tha' tree like a big ol' piñata,” he finished — that southern drawl thick on his tongue.

You watched the other man’s jaw shift as though he were chewing on a bee, and spit at the ground like it had stung his mouth.

“You’re telling me that she crashed a damn helicopter in our backyard?” he barked, narrowing in on you with those sharp, dark eyes. “Drawing walkers from all over?”

Daryl shifted where he stood, making the leather of your jacket squeak as it rubbed together. You were beginning to feel like tinfoil in a microwave — cooking slowly in the sun as you waited for the men to finish brooding.

“Ya hear ‘nything?” the mechanic asked of the group, who turned away from his intense gaze one-by-one. “Din’t think so,” he spat, and you could practically hear his thoughts.

What a bunch of cowards.

“Was in the bow of the woods,” Daryl went on, eyeing the dark-haired man where he stood. “Land dips in at either side, like a noise tunnel.”

He paused, his eyes briefly flicking up to the sky as though seeing the scene once more.

“Only ones hearin’ it were the ones a’ready there.”

Daryl juggled you in his arms again, probably aching from the long trek, and seemed antsy to finally escape those heavy stares. But then, the man shook his head — as though remembering something.

“Now where’s my damn brother?” he growled.

And everyone’s eyes fell straight to the ground, like birds swooping down from the sky.

//

It would be an understatement to say that Daryl Dixon had exploded at the news.

He went nuclear.

If you hadn’t been in his arms at the time, you were certain that someone would’ve been on the receiving end of Daryl’s right hook. You’d seen it before, after all. That man wasn’t exactly one to pull his punches.

But, luckily, you had been there — crumpled in on yourself as the white hot pain also reached nuclear levels.

And so, you were ushered into a small, greyish tent that smelled faintly of oil and gasoline — and the unfortunate alcoholic stench of Merle Dixon — and stripped out of your jacket by a woman who tried her best to quell the bleeding.

But even then, you could still hear the storm raging outside the thin canvas material — the storm that went by the name of Dixon. He’d never shown that sort of temper around you before, so it came as a shock to see it brewing for yourself.

Yells competed with each other outside the tent walls, as a woman with short, greyish hair politely tended to your wounds — pretending she couldn’t hear anything at all.

But, you heard it and bolted upright, straight as an arrow.

Merle Dixon had been chained to a roof like a dog in Atlanta.

What fucking irony.

The smoking ban had loomed over rural Georgia for a while now, but it fell on the deaf ears of the regulars. They still smoked their thickly rolled cigars, and cheap cartons of cigarettes — clogging up the bar and your lungs every time you took a breath.

Dixon sat on the stool, watching as you wiped down the chestnut oak covered in sticky beer rings, and pulled new drinks for the impatient men twice your age. He was mulling over a particularly hard whiskey that day, but wouldn’t tell you the reason behind it.

So, you continued with your rounds until another man approached you, and took the only free seat beside the mechanic.

Big mistake, you smirked, and awaited his reaction.

Daryl Dixon shared barspace with no one - hence, the free seats on an otherwise crowded Friday night. Except, he did nothing but shoot the stranger a side-eyed glance, before returning to his whiskey that needed a top-up on ice.

The newcomer let his eyes slide down over you, in that sleazy way you’d become familiar with by now. He ran his tongue along the front of his teeth and tilted his head back in an exaggerated display of bravado.

And you snorted; you just couldn’t help it.

He scowled at you in response, as his gaze rested on the bare skin of your neck.

“Military dog,” he spat, despite your lack of tags, “where's yer collar?"

Beside him, the mechanic’s jaw clenched as he looked up from the ice melting in his glass.

You laughed. “Howdy, redneck, where’s your cousin?”

And Daryl choked on that same ice.

Surprisingly, the bitterness all but faded away from the unknown man’s face — as he seemed to take your comment in jest. He smirked, and wacked Daryl on the back forcefully as he hacked up his whiskey — yelling something about it being too damn expensive to go shooting out all over the bar.

You couldn’t understand the situation. You’d never seen Daryl act like that with anyone at Joe’s — let alone this particular breed of asshole.

“Feisty, jus’ how I like ‘em,” the stranger quipped back, sending a wink at you that lingered on your skin.

You pulled a face, and went back to wiping down the bar — careful not to lean over too much.

“Knock it off, Merle would’ya?” Daryl shot back, his voice rising in pitch over the name.

The other man — Merle — grinned, before clapping Daryl over the back once more. “No promises, lil’ brother,” he teased.

Then, he knocked back a drink you were certain he must’ve snuck in — because you sure as hell hadn’t poured it for him — and disappeared into the sea of drunkards playing pool and throwing darts haphazardly.

You froze, glancing over to the mechanic.

“That’s your brother? I’m so sorry-”

“Don’ worry ‘bout it,” he interrupted, before finishing his whiskey and handing you the empty glass. “Asshole deserved it.”

Back then, you saw no resemblance between Daryl and Merle Dixon — but, families always had a strange hold over a person. After all, that was the reason why you’d gotten shipped off to Georgia in the first place; your parents had swept you under the rug like a bad kept secret — simply to try and keep up appearances.

You’d followed your brother into the military, only for it to spit you back out and leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouths afterwards.

The tent door unzipped, and flapped as it caught the evening breeze.

Daryl entered like a hurricane, startling the woman — Carol — as she tended to you. He was followed by an entourage of curious faces who watched as he toed his boots off, and kicked them to the side.

“All of ya best get out,” he grumbled, as he peeled off his leather vest and set it down next to you — his eyes focused on your white shirt that had since been dyed red.

The group seemed to register his words, but no one made the move to leave.

The man let out a frustrated grunt, before fumbling with the small first-aid box near your feet. “Need to give ‘er stitches, an’ I ain’t need no one breathin’ down my neck,” he said, scowling down at the supplies.

You swallowed thickly, that didn’t sound very convincing.

A blonde woman near the tent entrance seemed to think the same, because she chirped up.

“You know how to do that?” she questioned — braver than any of the men who stood in stunned silence.

Daryl’s jaw set. “Y’ain’t believe me?” he bit back. “Think ‘m only good for spittin’ on the ground an’ feedin’ ya damn squirrels?”

The same woman recoiled at his words, and you sighed.

Always had a bark much worse than his bite, that one.

But then the man reached over for the hem of your shirt and you just froze — before slapping his hand away. He also recoiled with the same, exaggerated movements, and scowled at you as though your touch had burnt him.

You wanted to trust him, but part of you just couldn’t.

Daryl must’ve caught the look in your eyes — and recognised it for himself — because he sighed and shook his head, and glanced over at the women nearby.

“Anyone else know how to give stitches ‘round ‘ere?” he demanded, but the majority shook their heads.

All except one.

“I think I-” Carol piped up, before a burly man shot her a look so boldly threatening that it even made you flinch.

The woman paused over her words, before eventually shaking her head.

“I don’t. I’m sorry,” she mumbled, timidly, before that same man slipped his hand in hers and pulled her away.

You recognised that look, too.

And so the rest of the stragglers disappeared from the tent one-by-one, until only you and Daryl remained — deadlocked.

“C’mon, Camaro, quit yer bitchin’,” he coaxed, his voice more soft now that it was just the two of you. “Unless ya wanna bleed out o’er my tent.”

He had the needle and thread all prepared between his fingers, waiting for your permission.

You sighed. “You used to be a lot nicer, you know that?” you remarked, thinking back to the Dixon who shyly smoked cigarettes on that cliff’s edge, watching you like you were brighter than the stars.

You had noticed.

Then, you lifted up your shirt with your trembling hand, as he pressed onto your skin with his steady one.

And so Daryl gave you stitches — filling you up on Merle’s stash of whiskey to dull the pain — and muttering how, despite his work not being pretty, it’d be functional. You didn’t question how he’d come to learn how to sew butterfly stitches in the first place, thinking it best not to ask, nor did you comment on how gentle he wiped away the blood.

Always a man of his word, Daryl Dixon’s stitches were definitely not pretty.

But, to you, they looked like constellations.

He’d made it clear how lucky you’d been that it was only a surface injury; if it were anything deeper, he wouldn’t have been able to patch you up. It was probably thanks to that thick jacket that you’d managed to walk away from the crash mostly unscathed.

You’d seen him eyeing it occasionally as he worked, glancing over at the bloody leather that stained his tent floor.

Like hell would you be giving it back.

After that, he’d also managed to sneak Carol back inside — away from who you could only guess to be her husband. She’d told you that your arm wasn’t broken, but in fact dislocated, and helped set it back into place as your eyes stung with salt tears.

But you couldn’t complain.

After all, they’d tried to put you back together like humpty dumpty after your crash — albeit with staples and scotch tape.

Though, as soon as you were out of the woods and in the clear, Daryl pulled his boots back on and collected his things impatiently — not even sparing you a second glance.

“Where are you going?” you asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Your words left your mouth a bit slurred from the medical-whiskey concoction, but he only pretended not to hear them.

You asked again, until he finally responded. “‘M goin’ to get my damn brother back, where’d ya think?” he answered, frustration laced in his voice.

He stuffed a few things into his rucksack, before slinging it over his shoulder.

“Careful, Dixon,” you cautioned, “you have a habit of finding yourself in a mess when you let your temper get the best of you.”

The man scoffed, and made a point of looking you up and down — calling you hypocritical with his eyes alone.

“Don’ act like ya know me tha’ well,” he growled, startling you with his tone.

But, you couldn’t blame him for his words.

After all, you’d spent more time apart than you had together.

The man sighed. “Gotta go get Merle,” he reasoned, more carefully this time.

He flickered open the tent, and let in the sky. It was not yet black, but a burnt orange, as though preparing to be set alight with stars. It reminded you of those evenings you’d get to close up early, and walk past a certain auto-shop that still had its amber lights turned on, and its door wide open.

And the former mechanic started walking away, leaving you behind out on the sidewalk.

“Daryl-” you called after him.

The word spilled from your mouth like beer overflowing from a glass — pouring over before you could stop it.

He glanced back immediately.

You never called him that.

Even though you knew his name from other people’s tongues, he’d always been Dixon — ever since the moment you read it on his shoddy name-tag. Not once during the month you’d spent with him had you called him Daryl.

Not until now.

“It’s getting dark out,” you whispered, even though the sky was still clearly orange.

You swallowed the dryness from your throat — and with it, your pride.

“Please stay? Until morning?”

Dixon looked back at you, swaddled in one of his clean shirts that he’d buttoned up himself — making you look so small.

And he sighed. He always was the worst liar of them all.

“Jus’ ‘til mornin’,” he repeated, trudging back to that grey tent.

Then, he took a seat beside you, his knees knocking against yours. But you tried to fight against your smile, and racing heart that pounded deep in your chest.

Because what goes up must always come down.

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A/N Boom. The series has officially been kicked off. Did you like seeing the parallels between Daryl’s POV in the prologue and the reader’s? I really hope you all enjoyed it - please let me know what you think :)

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