#no beta we die like maria

[elfolfenburg]

Wassup wassup lil animation test, 8 sec animation for 3 hrss of sleep let's go

[the-sonic-crew]

Hey Everyone! It's Sonic ;D

You can talk to most anyone in our world~! characters are below <3

Sonic~ Good for goofy questions, good for advice on anything but feelings, good for cheering you on, gets off topic Tails~ Good for academic questions, good for advice on bullies/jerks, good for tips on mental health Knuckles~ Good if you need someone to feel angry with you, good at listening, sometimes good with advice Amy~ Good listener, good advice, sometimes gets off topic with questions, good for mental health advice Dr. Eggman~ Good at being an asshole Shadow~ Good at listening, good advice if he likes you, good for food recs Rouge~ Good for fashion opinions, not good at listening, good at promoting body positivity Omega~ Only responds in binary code, good at listening, holds all the knowledge in the world. Silver~ Good at answering questions about the future, good at helping with anxiety, good at listening Blaze~ Good at giving advice, sometimes gets suspicious if you ask really personal questions Vector~ Likes talking about himself and his agency (and his kids), good at listening and giving advice on self esteem Espio~ Great at listening, great at advice, won't tell you much about himself Charmy~ Not good at listening or advice, very hyperactive, loves meeting new people and answering questions Cream~ Good at listening, very sweet, loves talking about her friends Vanilla~ Good at listening and advice, very sweet, loves talking about her daughter and friends Metal Sonic~ Doesn't talk, only responds in motions Whisper~ Helpful, good advice, nervous Tangle~ Bouncy, excited, empathetic Maria~ Sweet, gives good advice, a ghost Dr. Starline~ Evil, sassy, snarky Big~ Huge, dorky, lovable idiot. (I use BIGGEST TEXT for him) /Mod/~ a person

Rules: 1. Don't bring up politics please 2. If you're a zoo, sexist, racist, homophobe, transphobe, etc. Get off our page

3. Keep in mind I have no affiliation with SEGA at all, no characters belong to me, and since some of the lore is a little wonky lots of answers will be head-canons

4. I usually have 30+ asks in my ask box, it's nothing personal if I don't answer yours immediately.

5. OC asks take me forever to do, I apologize in advance

If you happen to send an ask that is too intense or violent (with no trigger warnings, or even with trigger warnings if they're extreme) then I'll send you a message and kindly let you know

(If you're in anon mode it'll just be deleted and unanswered)

You get THREE (3) warnings, if you use them up you will be blocked

This does not go for asks about YOUR PERSONAL mental health, but things where people are brutally torturing the characters is a bit over the top.

Thank you!

About the mod:

Hi! I'm Red! My main blog is @rednexxsaysthing I've been in the Sonic fandom for five years and my favorite character is Espio!

I'm a queer man (he/they)

You can ask me questions, but I'd prefer if you did so on my main :)

Have a lovely day!

[insertname8617]

Tumblr wouldn't let me post the link for this so I'll have to do it this way

I've written a fanfic about Sonic and Shadow

If you want to, give it a read

This is what it looks like

[bardic-poet]

one of the simple joys of joining a new fandom is when you start reading fics for it and you get to see first hand whatever that fandoms version of the “no beta we die like *insert character*” tag

I think almost every fandom has one

[omega-e123]

Dinner date tonight. Shadow told you that he was picking you up 9pm sharp.

Picking you up.

To your knowledge Shadow didn’t have a vehicle. The mode of transportation you’ve seen him take is chaos control or running. Is he going to carry you to the restaurant? Not that you’d mind being carried but it didn’t seem like something he would do. It’s be more plausible to take you by the hand and teleport you to the entrance.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a roaring engine. Shadow pulls up on what appears to be a custom made motorcycle.

“Get on,” he commands you and so you do.

“Since when have you had this?”

“That explanation can wait until we get to our destination. For now, just hold on tight.”

Loosely, your arms wrap around his waist. A foot of space between his back and your chest is left.

“Do you want to fall off? Tighter.”

Taking a few seconds too long Shadow forces the bike to lurch forward. Brakes are immediately applied after and your body slams into his. Instinctively you shut your eyes and squeeze him.

You can feel his chest jerk as he playfully chuckles. For a moment Shadow’s gloved hand rests on top of your arms. “Better,” he states.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

During the ride, he was a tad distracted by you nuzzling into his neck and back followed by content sighs. While you’re not able to see it, it’s undeniable that a sly smile is plastered on Shadow’s face, clearly proud of himself that Rouge’s his little plan worked.

[jackiespurnell]

it's just pretend, right? - part one (fake dating au jackie taylor x fem reader)

part two part three

summary: jackie’s boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, and what kind of teammate would you be if you didn’t help her out?

tw: none

────୨ৎ────────

you weren’t entirely sure how you ended up in jackie taylor’s house, sitting criss crossed on her pink bed sheets, with her hands placed on each of your shoulders, very much about to kiss you. this was not how you thought your friday afternoon was going to go.

it all started approximately 24 hours ago, right after yesterday’s soccer practice. you were getting ready to leave the school premises, excited to get home and lie down on your bed and pretend you actually have a love life that isn’t just fantasizing about your pretty, popular soccer captain.

not like anything would ever happen between you two. but, you know. a girl can dream. 

you were just grabbing your water bottle and your bag from the locker room, when you heard a noise. well, not really a noise. more like, noises. more, like screaming.

you didn’t recognize the voices, not at first. it sounds like a guy and girl, which didn’t make much sense, because that definitely wasn’t any of the coaches. you slowly and quietly walk over, hoping not to drag any attention to yourself. you were nosy, of course you wanted to know what exactly was going on. you hide behind a locker, peeking over to see jackie and jeff - her boyfriend - having another yelling match. typical.

jackie and jeff have been dating on and off since freshman year. they had been broken up and back together more times than you could count. you never really understood it, why break up with someone if you know you’re going to end up back together but who were you to judge? i mean, yeah, you’re like, 99% sure that you could treat her much better than that pathetic excuse for a dumb jock with a worse hairline than your balding father but. it’s fine. whatever floats her boat.

you listened in, staying still and quiet. they weren’t really arguing about anything new, or different, just the typical ‘oh, you never listen to me!’ ‘all i do is listen to you!’ ‘you don’t even love me!’ type bullshit. you kind of wish they’d either get their act together or just break up for good. sure, you love good drama, but it’s starting to get boring. 

“oh my god, jackie, what did you even expect!? it’s not my fault that after three years you didn’t want to have sex with me! and it’s definitely not my fault that shauna wanted me too!”

oh.

oh.

“what?” you whispered to yourself, because holy shit jeff was hooking up with shauna? well, not exactly. he never specified what exactly they were doing. they could’ve been just talking, or kissing, or like, actually hooking up-hooking up. jackie’s boyfriend and jackie’s best friend. jackie’s boyfriend for three years and jackie’s best friend for who knows how long. 

and jackie. she didn’t even seem surprised. like she knew. you wonder how she found out. you wonder if she was sad or angry or both. you wonder a lot of things actually, except you don’t have time to wonder because you were too shocked to notice jeff walking over to leave except he saw you so instead of leaving, jeff now is standing in front of you, looking at you like you were casually eavesdropping on their very important, very private conversation and oh, wait, that’s actually what you were doing. shit.

“what’s she doing?” jeff asks jackie and you just awkwardly stand there, and you look at jackie with an apologetic look in your eyes and you knew you’d have a lot of explaining to do.

“um” jackie says. “actually, she’s driving me home. so she was waiting for me”

jeff raises his eyebrows. “jackie, you live like five minutes away? you don’t need a car ride home. what’s going on?” you immediately feel bad, knowing jackie was gonna have to make up some fuck ass lie that probably wouldn’t even make any sense.

“well” jackie says, avoiding eye contact with either of you. “she was actually bringing me back to her place.” 

“why the fuck would you be going back to her place?” jeff asked and wow, okay. realistically, you knew it made sense, you and jackie never even hung out outside of practice but way to casually break your already fragile lovergirl heart. even if you knew jackie didn’t like you back, it kind of stung. the way jeff said her, not even paying attention to you, as if you were just some thing, some useless, worthless thing. it made you want to crawl into a hole and die. “i mean are you guys even friends?” he asks, finally looking in your direction.

now there are a million ways you figured this could go.

and this most definitely was not one of them.

because in what is probably your dumbest moment (and you’ve had some pretty dumb moments) you blurt out “actually she’s my girlfriend. and she’s over you. let’s go.”

and with that to take jackie by the arm and pull her away and holy shit you just took jackie by the arm and pulled her away from her actual boyfriend and holy shit you said you guys are dating and holy shit you technically told this girl you barely know anything about that she’s over her boyfriend and holy. fucking. shit.

once you two get out of the locker room and out of the school, you freeze and jackie stares at you expectantly and you try to come up with an explanation that isn’t ‘i was eavesdropping and overheard that your boyfriend was cheating on you with your best friend and i also kind of really like you so i said that and i’m sorry.’

you stare at her awkwardly, trying to come up with some reasonable response. “i, um, well…i, i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to eavesdrop but i heard about um…you know, you and jeff and shauna and i, just, you looked uncomfortable and i really shouldn’t have broken up with jeff for you and then said what i said and i’m so sorry.” you expect her to roll her eyes or yell at you or demand you go back inside and tell jeff you lied.

but instead? she starts bursting into laughter.

“oh my god, no! you’re good! no, that was like, the funniest fucking thing i’ve seen in ages. i mean, did you see the look on jeff’s face?” you wanted to say, no, jackie, i didn’t, because i was too busy freaking the fuck out.

“okay but like” jackie says. “maybe this could work.”

“this?” you question and then you realize she means this, as in really, genuinely, faking a relationship with her. “yeah.” jackie nods. “i mean, come on, jeff is probably gonna get with shauna like, for real now. would it be so bad to let them think im getting with you?”

you hesitate. “i don’t know jackie…” “come on! i mean, it’s just pretend, right?” that makes you hesitate even more. fake dating the girl you like was not the smartest move, even you knew that. but still, she’s giving you those puppy dog eyes, and fuck, you love her puppy dog eyes.

fine. you take it back. telling jeff you and jackie were dating when you weren’t wasn’t your dumbest moment.

agreeing with jackie to keep up the act was.

which is how you ended up, 24 hours later, in her house. on her bed. about to kiss.

jackie said you two need to be physical in front of people. she was the people’s princess after all, if she was going to do something, naturally, it had to be big. she needed to have you close to her at all times. an arm around your waist. your head on her shoulder. her lips against yours and of course, practice makes perfect. 

so she leans in to kiss you, and you’re about to freeze up, about to say no, about to say this is a bad idea and stupid and they should call it off, but you don’t, you don’t say a thing, and holy shit, she tastes good. and feels good. and just is good. and you as if she could stab you right now and you’d thank her. you then decide that you could die doing this, no, you want to die doing this. it would be painless and you’d be in total bliss. you are in total bliss.

maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t such a bad idea.

────୨ৎ────────

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

Imagine Kaido sees potential in you and drafting you into his crew

You and your comrades: [defending your home by successfully holding off the Tobiroppo]

Kaido: hmm [evaluating your fighting techniques from a distance]

King: They're taking too long to get this over with. [Draws his sword and advances on your homes]

You: [watches King taking down your friends one by one using his fire, ] I need to do something, [looks around to see only a small fishpond in a neighbor's yard]

King: [sends a blast of flames in the direction of someone's home, only to stumble back in surprise when you leap through his flames, landing on his chest, with your weapons poised to gouge out his eyes.]

Kaido: King, stop, I want that one alive.

King: [grabs you, and holds you at arm's length, stunned you're alive,] Why the hell would you want this one alive!?

Kaido: Think about it. How many people can you say, with certainty, have been brave enough to charge your fire attacks, let alone come out unscathed?

King: [eyes you with irritation] Not a single person.

You: Fuck both of you, put me down! [narrowly miss clipping King's mask with your weapon]

Kaido: I think we've found the most valuable thing in this village, there is no need to waste any more time here.

King: [huffs in frustration before turning to the crew] Alright, it's time to pull back, Kaido has what he's looking for.

Sasaki: Ehh! But there is still so much we could take! We found a whole cellar of booze.

Kaido: [looks at you out of the corner of his eye before making up his mind] Leave it.

Black Maria: This isn't like you at all, leaving booze behind, I hope you'll share with me what's happening.

Kaido: What's going on is I want this one to join our crew [tossing his thumb over his shoulder, in your direction]

You and the Beast Pirate crew: WHAT!

You: Why would I join your crew?

Kaido: Not would, will. You will join my crew. Also, if you do, I will not only leave your village alone, it will fall under my protection, and I won't tax them.

King: You're not gonna even tax them a little bit?

Kaido: Not if they accept my deal.

You: [grits your teeth] Fine.

Kaido: Okay then, let's move out.

On Kaido's Ship

King: how did you make it through my fire?

You: I used Leidenfrosts effect in a two-part defense. I grabbed a quilt my neighbor had hanging out to dry on their laundry line, then dowsed it and myself in a nearby fishpond. I climbed up on the roof and used the quilt to make it through the brunt of your attack, to jump off the roof. When the water evaporated, I then tossed the quilt to the side and attacked you.

King: Leidenfrost effect?

You: When your fire hit me, it rapidly evaporated the water, creating a protective layer of steam around me. I wasn't sure it'd even work, I figured, fuck it, it was worth a shot. [shrugs]

Kaido: [cackles] I knew there was more to you than meets the eye.

King: so you damn near beheaded me with science?... I think I'm starting to see what Kaido sees in you.

You: please don't

List of Up-and-coming works || Master list || Twitter| Kofi || Patreon

[generic-sonic-fan]

Ensom

Summary: All the words in the english language downloaded to a dictionary on his drives, yet Omega can’t find the word he needs. 

He isn’t used to not knowing how he’s feeling. 

It’s frustrating. At least he knows that much.

(Vent fic. 1947 words)

---

Omega finds himself alone in his room. This is fine. He rolls the chair out from beneath his desk, sits down, executes the steps to turn on his computer. Exact movements he’s programmed into himself to save processing power, since the power buttons for both the external hard drive and the monitor will never move. 

He stares into the blank loading screen. 

He’s been here before.

He’s been in this exact posture before. Unmoving for hours. Maybe a twitch here and there to maneuver the computer mouse, that’s all. 

He pushes himself away from the desk and stands. He walks out the door of his room, emerging into the hallway. He’s been here before, too; hours standing in front of Shadow or Rouge’s door, hours walking up and down, fractions of travel that add up to significant percentages of his entire operation.

He passes the living room. The couch he has remained stationary on. Hours. The television he’s stared blankly at. The kitchen. The microwave he has watched rotate thousands of times while Shadow and Rouge wait for their food. The pantry that they stare into. Hours. 

He curls his claws around the handle of the front door. 

What is he going to do out there? Wander around and have meatbags stare at him? Have them run away screaming like they would any other Badnik? Judge him stupid, explaining things like love and freedom and what it means to be alive again like he’s supposed to obsess over their every word? 

Running simulation now: THANK YOU NONDESCRIPT HUMAN, I NEVER ONCE THOUGHT ABOUT MY OWN EXISTENCE IF IT WERE NOT FOR YOUR MARVELOUS AND UNIQUE INSIGHT ABOUT THE CONCEPTS THAT NO SENTIENT SACK OF FLESH CAN SEEM TO SHUT UP ABOUT!

And then they kick him out of their shop because he’s scaring away customers because he forgot to look them in the eyes at the right time or ask a meaningless “HOW ARE YOU DOING?” to every passerby to indicate friendly intent. 

As soon as he opens this door the entire city is staring. He wouldn’t care if they hated him. They don’t. He wouldn’t care if they were afraid of him specifically. They aren’t. 

All of the words in the english language downloaded onto his drives, and there’s no word he can assign to it that doesn’t make him want to tear every building in the city down.

He tears off the doorknob and slams it down. He grinds it into the cheap linoleum tile until the downstairs neighbor pounds back on the ceiling and screams at him to “shut up”. 

He draws his weapon. He aims for the blob of heat in his infrared scanner on the floor down. He aims slightly to the left, and pulls the trigger.

—

“Another complaint from the landlord. It’s our third strike. Managed to talk him back into letting us have a fourth.” Rouge tosses the paperwork onto the kitchen counter in front of him.

“I DO NOT CARE.” 

“Well I do. This is my apartment. Next time I’m kicking you out.”

Omega pauses. 

“What happened, anyway?”

“I WAS ANGRY.” 

“Fork found in kitchen, what else is news?” Rouge rolls her eyes. 

Fork is an eating utensil. The kitchen is where organics eat. She is saying the fork is found in the kitchen in a tone that, if he compares it to previous data of the various tones of her voice, most closely matches sarcasm. She is asking if finding a fork in the kitchen was somehow new information. She is relating the absurdity of this idea to-

“Nothing to say for yourself?”

“IT IS YOUR FAULT!” He slams his fist on the counter. 

“How is this my fault?!” 

She is relating the absurdity of this idea to his rage. Asking if his rage was new somehow? No, too much sarcasm. Relating absurdity, the absurdity of asking a stupid question, the absurdity of asking him if he was angry. Because she knew he was always angry. Solution derived. 

This data would have been useful fifteen seconds ago, but is useless now.

“Sure, blame me for all your problems. See how well that works out for you!” Rouge snarls. 

“NOT JUST YOU,” Omega snarls back, “ALL OF YOU.” 

“‘All of me’? What, you mean-?”

“ALL MEATBAGS. ALL OF THEM. WITH FLESH AND BLOOD AND PATHETIC NEURONS. I’LL KILL YOU ALL.” 

He simulates ripping Rouge to pieces. It’s not satisfying. He simulates actually shooting the neighbor downstairs, watching the blood pour out of the exit wound. It’s not satisfying. He simulates torching the old woman who walks her dog every morning across the street. Nothing. 

Yet something is still burning in his code. He can’t put it out. 

“You don’t mean that.” 

He looks at her. I DON’T floats somewhere around his voice box, but can’t find a place to slip through.

He looks away. 

“What happened?”

“NOTHING HAPPENED. NOTHING HAS OCCURRED FOR TEN HOURS.”

“You’re bored.”

“NEGATIVE.” This isn’t boredom. Boredom is like an itch that they all talk about. This is different.

Rouge furrows her brows. Omega checks his database. The expression matches with confusion but also anger. This particular instance is leaning more towards anger.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” 

“I ALREADY DID.” 

“‘Meatbags’ isn’t an answer.” 

“AND HOW IS IT NOT?” He snapped his gaze back to her. He leaned forward, closer, brushing the tip of his silver outcropping against her nose. “WHAT IF IT IS?” 

“There’s clearly something deeper-”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW?” 

“Because you’re not acting like yourself!” She planted a hand on his chest and pushed him away.

He straightened. “ELABORATE.” 

She resettles her tongue between her teeth, data matching with ‘considering what to say’, before she speaks again. “You’re never this vague. You normally don’t snap only once and then get quieter again- you usually stay as excited the whole conversation. You didn’t shout when you said ‘kill us all’ which is how I know you didn’t mean it. You hate touching any part of us that you’ve seen drip snot or spit or anything like that, yet you got close to my face.” 

Omega compares her analysis against his actions for the past six minutes and thirty-one seconds and finds an exact match for each. 

“CORRECT.” He offers. 

“So what’s going on?”

That question tears the smoldering hole he’s been circling around in his code wide open again. His thought processes choke. Is this what it’s like to choke? The cessation of a function absolutely vital to determining your status as operational? 

“Do you. . . not know?”

“I AM ANGRY.” 

“You’re always angry. But this is different.”

“IT IS.” 

“It’s not your joyful rage.” Rouge puts her finger to her chin. “And it’s not your Eggman rage.” 

“MAYBE IT IS.” 

“You didn’t mention him once, hun.” She shakes her head. “I don’t think this is your rage at me or Shadow.”

“IT IS NOT.” 

“That’s good. I know you feel rage at stupid organic processes like bureaucracy and the like. Is it that?” 

Omega pauses. “CLOSER.” 

“And it does have to do with meatbags. But non-specific.” 

“CLOSER.” 

“. . . have you considered it might not just be rage?” 

Omega stares at the fridge behind her. “I AM ANGRY.” 

“But it’s quiet.” 

He reviews the past ten hours and finds himself having been silent for most of them. 

“YES.” He says. 

“You know, sometimes you can be angry and feel another negative emotion at the same time.” 

“SPECIFY.” 

“Oh no, I’m not going to guess. You’d get mad at just about everything I’d think to suggest.”

“GOOD! MAKE ME MAD.” Omega hits the countertop with his fist again.

“Okay. Sadness?” 

His hand freezes above the counter. He stares at it, commanding the actuators to move, but they don’t. 

“See, told you.”

“I HAVE NOTHING THAT WOULD MAKE ME ‘SAD’.” 

She looks at him. Her facial muscles weave a new expression. The closest match in his database for it is ‘pity’, but there are not enough markers to fully confirm it. 

“What do you think would give you the excuse to be sad, huh?” She asks, then stops herself, then lets herself speak anyway. “Having a dead sister?” 

“YES.” 

“Well, you don’t have a dead sister. So clearly it’s something else.”

“I REPEAT: THERE IS NOTHING TO BE SAD ABOUT.” 

“That you know of.”

“EMOTIONS ARE A RESPONSE TO AN EXPERIENCED STIMULUS.” 

“Sometimes you’re just sad for no reason. It happens.” 

“THAT IS STUPID.” 

“If you want to get technical about it, you’re actually sad about a lot of things, but you aren’t sure why or maybe you just don’t know how to think about it. Then you say you’re sad for ‘no reason’. Make more sense?” 

Omega stares at his hand that is frozen above the table. He sends one more command to the actuators in his arm. Slowly, his fist retracts and settles back by his side. 

“Have you ever felt sadness before, do you think?” 

He has never experienced a similar arrangement of symptoms to Shadow: neither silence nor isolation nor the urge to cease existing. He has never experienced a similar arrangement of symptoms to Rouge: neither lying nor pretending nor the urge to binge sensory inputs. 

“UNKNOWN.” He replies. 

“That could explain things.” 

His dictionary doesn’t offer a concise comparison either. ‘Sadness’: affected with or expressive of grief or unhappiness. Searching ‘unhappiness’ is equally as useless, only meaning not cheerful or glad. ‘Forlorn’ is a synonym, but it specifically relates to isolation or desertion, and he is experiencing neither at the moment. ‘Downcast’ and ‘woeful’ and ‘despondent’, they all slip away.

‘Melancholic’. Of or relating to the subject of ‘melancholy’- a depression of spirits (a useless definition) or a pensive mood. ‘Pensive’ meaning a sad thoughtfulness. 

“RESOLUTION PROPOSED:” Omega finally says, “ELIMINATE RUMINATION.” 

“Think less? God, shouldn’t we all.” 

“SO YOU AGREE TO STOP TELLING ME TO ‘THINK THROUGH THINGS’?” 

“No,” she whispers a common lighthearted insult to herself, “but sitting there and brooding on your bad mood never makes it any better.” 

“I DO NOT BROOD.” 

“What were you doing this afternoon, again?” 

He crosses his arms. “BEING MELANCHOLIC.” 

“Don’t tell Shadow you’re going to beat him at his own game.” 

“THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.”

“I’m afraid it will. Came with your free copy of being alive, unfortunately.” 

“I HAVE RECEIVED NO COPIES OF ANYTHING.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I DON’T.” 

She pauses. Furrows her brows. “You don’t?”

“YOU HAVE NOT USED THIS EXPRESSION BEFORE. THE APPARENT RESPONSE YOU WERE EXPECTING WAS NOT CORRECT. YOU ARE FORCING ME TO CALCULATE YOUR HIDDEN MEANING USING OTHER CLUES.” 

“What I meant was that being sad just happens if you’re smart enough. That make sense?” 

“YOU ARE SAYING I’M SMART?” 

“Yeah, I am.” She replies. She does not deflect into any other specification or technicality of his question. 

“LOGGING UNDER: ‘BLACKMAIL’.” He says again.

She doesn’t contradict him. 

“Just. . .” she sighs. “Let us know if you’re ever feeling sad again, okay? Even if there’s no obvious reason for it.” 

“MELANCHOLIC.” He corrects.

“Melancholic, then.”

“. . . I WILL.” 

“Good. Now,” Rouge flicks her finger over the complaint from the landlord, sending it off the countertop and onto the floor. She crushes it beneath her heel. “Shadow stayed behind at the firing range because he said he had something on his mind. We’re gonna go join him and see who can blow a bigger hole through either GUN’s wall or their wallet. Sound good?” 

“AFFIRMATIVE!” 

She trails her hand across his chest plating as she walks by. He stays motionless for three seconds, allowing the sensation of her touch to fade from his tactile sensors. Then he follows her out the door of the apartment.

[umbrenshadow]

These are from two entirely different fandoms and I hate both of them

[inatrqnce]

Do you guys ever say something is gonna be so 'haha funny' and then when you actually watch it and experience it you get this feeling of utter dread and your heart physically hurts and you don't think you'll be able to sleep well because of it or is that just me.

[blondefoxmedic]

Till the end

Immortality comes with many costs.

Nathans hands wrapped around the delicate silk robe as if to rip or strangle it and held on. His breath was going unevenly and his lips were quivering until he remembered to sink his sharp teeth into the bottom one. The metallic taste and the sharp pain were better than succumbing to the tears and heartbreaking agony of what has and was yet supposed to happen. He couldn’t stay like this forever. Kneeling on the cold floor drowning in self-pity while fully knowing he brought this upon himself. He would have time to grieve later, just one more stone added to the graveyard in the back of his mind anyway. Curse his formidable memory, immortality should come with at least some amnesia to make it bearable. But stones don’t just disappear and keep weighting you down. With a pained scream he threw the robe across the room. Too bad it was silk. It didn’t get far which is even more unsatisfying. As if he can’t get it far away from himself. Nathan should burn it. But burning it would hurt even more. Remind him even more. No, no. NO. He picked it up again and teared through the fabric with his claws. Again and again. But it was not enough to satisfy him, oh no he needed so much more. He couldn’t stay, old habits die hard and what is one less town in the endless woods of some American state. He hated America anyway. Twice as much as a doctor in a fucked up system. A devious smile tugged on his bleeding lips but it did not reach his eye. There was no joy, just anger and he looked so tired, he was even more tired than he looked. Nothing truly prepares you for the insanity of humanity repeatedly following the same patterns all over again. Greed, hunger, war, death, rebuild, flourish, greed, hunger, war, death. Kingdoms rise and fall. In the end people just die. He will too eventually. Hasn’t so far. Nathan has killed enough tho. But what is a few more. It will not stop the pain, it will not change anything but he is good at it and it will grant him a few more years he can use to. To do what exactly? He isn’t sure anymore. There is nothing to avenge anymore, no revenge to be taken. No love, no hate. The amount of lives saved by his practices is way smaller than the ones he has taken by now. He felt the anger vanishing from his body making him topple like a cut off marionette. The weight on his chest was tiring him, crushing him. Death, he hadn’t thought about death in a while, not in this way. Absently minded his fingers rubbed over the torn fabric between his hands. His eye flickered to his gramophone, then to his record collection. It has grown immensely over the past years. Not all records were his, tho he supposed they are now. Maybe he should give them a last listen. One last day. Immortal until the day he dies, it is a luxury if one thinks about it. One he should have appreciated more but he was so angry, so tired and hurt, hurting. And the price he payed for it was immense. “Fine!” He declared to the empty room. “Fine. One last day. I’ll make it count.”

[the-sonic-crew]

Shads, when Maria was gunned down by that jack-booted ruffian, how loudly did she scream?

About as loud as you will when I kick your ass.

[youwouldntdownloadapizza]

The Gates of Jackson | Joel Miller x F!Reader | Chapter 1 - New Arrivals

masterlist | ao3 | follow @youwouldntdownloadapizza and turn on notifications for updates

You showed up at the gates of Jackson with hands covered in blood and no memory of how you got there. That was two years ago. Since then, you've become Maria's right-hand woman and the person in charge of Jackson's logistical backend. Patrol schedules, inventory—all your purview. When a patrol gone wrong forces you to get to know Joel, memories of your past begin resurfacing—along with their consequences.

previous | next

pairing: joel miller x f!reader

rating: 18+, minors DNI

word count: 1.6k

tags: no use of y/n, eventual smut, no beta we die like sarah, jackson era, other additional tags to be added, slow burn, ellie needs a hug, joel lives, good parent joel, reader-insert, reader insert, forced proximity, only one bed trope, nightmares, childbirth, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, soft joel, cuddling & snuggling, fluff, masturbation, pining, joel falls first, possibly demisexual reader (tbd), ptsd, ptsd flashbacks, panic attacks, amnesia, sexual braiding

chapter warnings: childbirth (mentioned)

Chapter 1 - New Arrivals

The first time you met Joel, he stank like shit. Literally, he smelled like he had rolled in it. You issued him soap, and sent him on his way. That was a loss to Jackson’s ledgers you were more than willing to take.

The second time, he smelled better. Unremarkable mostly, more of a neutral scent tinged with man smell around the edges. Nothing to write home about. Still, you issued him deodorant. Couldn’t take any chances.

He requested bullets, a basic first aid kit, and warm clothing. With Maria’s approval, you made the relevant deductions and issued the items at hand. You even sprung for wool socks. With a winter like this, he could use all the help he could get.

“You’re headed south, right?” you asked him as he packed a worn duffel bag.

“Colorado,” he replied. You waited, but that’s all he gave you. Guess he didn’t feel like elaborating.

“What about the girl, she need anything?”

He considered the offer, then asked, “You got any pens, pencils or anything? Notebooks? She likes to keep track of things, take notes. Draw, mostly,” he trailed off, scrubbing a hand over his face, “And we’re almost out of paper.”

You smiled at that. A girl after your own heart . “I’ll see what I can scrounge up.”

* * *

You asked Tommy about him, once the two of them were gone. He didn’t have much to say.

“Barely talked to the girl. Probably know about as much about her as you do. Joel… Well, Joel’s an enigma.”

You rolled your eyes at that. “Come on, Tommy. I’m asking for the basics, not his social security number.”

Tommy sighed. “He’s brash, he’s protective, he’s opinionated… I don’t know what much else to tell you. He’s just Joel. One of those people you gotta get to know just by knowing ‘em, I guess.”

You blinked twice. “Supremely helpful, Tommy.”

* * *

The next time you met Joel, he smelled better but looked worse. You only half-remembered his eyes, but something in them last time had been warmer. The ones you saw now were… dead, almost. Like something within them had been destroyed. Whether he’d been the one to do the destroying or it had been done to him remained to be seen.

You’d seen him and the girl with Tommy and Maria in the dining hall that first time they’d come to town, wolfing down chili like they’d just discovered, well, chili. They ate slower now, both of them, not like they weren’t in a rush but like their heads were elsewhere. The girl seemed to stare into nowhere—not all the time, but it was distinct when she did it.

Joel didn’t zone out. No, if anything he was zoned in . On that poor girl who had been so full of life just months ago, now hollowed out like far too many others. You’d see about filling her back up later. But for now, he was the one that perplexed you. Why was he so focused on her? What had happened out there? Part of you never wanted to find out, but part of you really, really did.

Regardless, she needed new shoes. So you joined them. The man stopped mid-chew, looking up at you with trepidation.

“Hi,” you smiled, “glad you two made it back in one piece.”

“Me too,” he replied, turning his attention back to his cud. You couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a joke or not. You turned your attention to the girl.

“You’re Ellie, right? I’m Doe. Or that’s what most folks around here call me, anyway.”

“Doe?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Like a deer?”

“A female deer,” you winked back at her. She stared at you blankly. 

“It’s a song,” Joel muttered to her softly, “from before.”

“Oh,” Ellie nodded. The silence dragged, but thankfully you came prepared.

“Cobbler?” you offered bowls to each of them. It was fresh from the oven, still steaming and smelling of cinnamon.

“Yes, please!” Ellie yanked the bigger bowl towards herself, broccoli forgotten. She got a few bites in before Joel intervened, pulling the sugar aside and reinstating the vegetables. The girl frowned at that, but his pointed look said not to bother arguing. So she didn’t.

“Don’t worry, it’ll still be hot in a minute.” You tucked into your own cobbler, savoring the warm sweetness as it glided across your tongue. Even in Jackson, it was a delicacy. But it was spring, and the cherries were here. And you’d accounted for everything.

“Did you want something?” Joel asked, finishing his own plate and reaching for the cobbler.

“Ellie needs new shoes.”

“We’ve got it handled,” he said.

“Do you, though? You haven’t got much to trade with, and we’ve got plenty in inventory. That’s kind of what it’s there for. Why suffer blisters when communism’s got your back?”

“Can I?” Ellie’s face lit up. You liked seeing her eyes like that: brighter. They belonged that way.

Joel swallowed his cobbler, mulling over the idea. “After lunch,” he agreed, nodding to the eager teen. “Finish your cobbler first.”

* * *

Ellie’s new light-up sneakers lit the way as you exited the storeroom through your office. Joel had insisted on a sensible pair as well, but you couldn’t deny the kid a little whimsy.

“Maria give you your patrol schedule yet?” you asked him, nodding to the well-worn chalkboard in the corner. Routes on the left, days and times up top. Names filled in the boxes in between, a testament to your logistical wizardry.

“Not yet,” he said, crossing to examine it. “Guess she doesn’t need to, now.”

“I’ve got you paired up with Tommy. Seemed easiest, to get you started. You’ll be headed up to the lodge, it’s a pretty standard route. Get the occasional runner, but it’s wildlife more than anything.”

He nodded, heading toward where Ellie was already scampering out the door.

“See you Tuesday, I suppose. Guessing you’re the one to check-in with?” he asked.

You smiled at his correct assumption. 

“Sure am.”

* * *

You didn’t know Joel well enough to make assumptions about his punctuality, but Tommy was never late. Even you were late from time to time, often getting swept up in tasks and losing track of things. But the man was annoyingly punctual. According to Maria, that’s part of why she fell for him.

Tommy was late today.

You crossed to the large observation window lining one wall of your office. It gave you a clear view of the front gates and surrounding guard stations, but there was no sign of Tommy anywhere. Or Joel, for that matter.

A knock on your door interrupted your analysis. It was Eugene. The grizzled old man acted anything but, a smile breaking out across his face at the sight of you.

“Hey, Doe! How’s things?” He asked.

“Fine. I’m looking for Tommy, actually–”

“Didn’t you hear?” He interrupted, “Maria’s gone into labor. He’s with her at the clinic.”

Your stomach dropped. Here you were preparing to chew Tommy out for his tardiness when the whole time he’d been busy becoming a father. A very valid excuse.

“And Joel?” you asked. “They were supposed to patrol together this afternoon, lodge route.”

“Not sure. He wasn’t with them. Listen, I gotta go grab the baby blanket I made and drop it off, but you and I need to have a drink one of these days. I worry your hair’s gonna start falling out in clumps if you don’t take a break eventually.”

“Yeah, but then what would you do, patrol out to the dam with Jesse? There’s a reason I don’t pair you two up anymore.”

“Because you don’t like blackberries?” he chided.

You frowned, “No, because you spent so long harvesting them your 8 hour patrol took 12. I was this close to sending out a search party. A little planning prevents a lot of headaches, Eugene.”

He turned to leave, looking back over his shoulder to get the last word. “You know what else is good for headaches? Whiskey.”

You sent Eugene on his way with instructions to give Maria your best. You’d visit her when the baby was here. For now, you had a community to protect. 

With Tommy out of commission and Joel MIA, you’d have to find someone else to help you cover this patrol route. Dina was always a solid partner, if she was around. Devon the bartender could generally be counted on to have your back. Eugene would be ideal, but you didn’t want to make him work a double.

You headed to the stables to see who you could find. Upon entering, the warmth of the building and company of the animals soothed your unease, if only slightly. 

You found your horse’s stall, the gray spotted mare whinnying at your arrival.

“Hey, Bailey,” you smiled, offering her a slightly bruised apple. She took it gratefully, big brown eyes closing in enjoyment.

“She’s beautiful,” a voice said from behind you, making you jump.

“Sorry,” the voice stepped into the light, “It’s just me.”

“Joel,” you took a deep breath in an attempt to slow your racing heartbeat.

“Sorry I’m late–” 

You cut him off with a raised hand, looking him in the eye. 

“You’re not with your brother,” you finally said, more of a statement than a question.

“You’re not with your best friend,” he replied, offering no further details.

You sighed, debating arguing with him about it before deciding the subject was better left untouched. You had your reasons for staying away from childbirth. If Joel had his own, he was entitled to that. You weren’t going to press him on it, so long as he didn’t press you.

“Come on,” you said, swinging your leg over Bailey’s back and settling into the saddle, “We’re making up for lost time.”

previous | next

[dancingtotuyo]

Before | 4. the wild has come for you

A Woman Story

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Character death, gun/gunshot, descriptions of blood and gore

Note: no beta we die like Gabe in this chapter

Words: 1176

Series Masterlist | Woman Masterlist | Author Masterlist

Maria pants, hands on her knees watching as life twitches from the infected, blood pouring out on the white snow until he finally stops. She inhales deeply, regaining her composure. He came out of nowhere. Maybe he’s a straggler. She can only hope, but there are likely others around. 

Maria turns back around. “Gabe? Come on, we need to get moving.”

Gabe sits in the snow, back pressed to a tree. His gloves lay in the snow next to him. His eyes squeeze shut. 

“What are you doing? We need to get out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Maria.”

“What the fuck do you mean-“ She stops. 

His eyes open, usually light and teasing now swirling with a serious darkness, rattling Maria to her bones. She’s never seen that from him. He’s always happy, smiling, finding the light in the world, but not this time.

“Where?”

“Maria.”

“Where, Gabriel?”

He holds up his palm. “Got me right where the glove was worn through.” 

“Fuck.” She huffs spinning around. She can’t look at him, can’t focus, can’t be expected to do this. She takes a few steps away. 

“Maria.” 

She doesn’t respond. 

“Maria, where are you going? Get the fuck back here and finish it.”

“Will you shut the fuck up! I can’t think with you yelling like that.”

“There’s nothing to fucking think about!” 

He sounds angry. It sounds so wrong coming from him. Gabe doesn’t get angry. He’s the optimist in a hopeless world, but there’s no hope in this. There is no alternative outcome.

“I can’t shoot you, Gabe!” Maria yells back. Pressure builds behind her eyes. “I can’t do it.” her voice cracks. 

“You have to.” 

She knows he’s right. She thinks of you and the child growing in your womb, the happiness Gabe brings you. 

“Maria, you can’t think about her.”

“She’s my best friend!”

“She’s my wife! It’s my kid!” Tears leak out of his eyes, but he quickly wipes them away. “We don’t have a choice.” 

“I can’t make her a widow!”

“She already is one!”

It pulls the oxygen out of her lungs like she’s been kicked in the ribs. They stare at each other in silence. The wind stops whistling. The birds stop chirping. Nature has never been so quiet. 

Gabe checks his pistol, throwing it in the snow several feet away. He does the same with his hunting knife. “You’ll want these… and this.” He covers the bite with the sleeve of his shirt and peels off his coat so as not to get blood on it. 

Gabe pulls two photographs from his flannel pocket. A creased photo from before a family photo taken weeks before outbreak day. His thumb runs over it. He’ll see them soon. He believes that. Even now, he hears them calling his name. It threatens to pull him away, but his love for you wins the battle in this losing game. His other photo is a Polaroid from your wedding day. He memorizes your smile, and thinks about his last moments with you. He felt the baby kick this morning. His lips tick upward, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. That’s all he’ll ever get of the life you two built together. A light to leave behind, one he hopes shines bright enough to draw you out of darkness. 

“I’m sorry, Doleful.” He whispers, kissing your photo. 

Maria can barely bring herself to gather Gabe’s belongings. Her hands shake. She bares the weight of so much, but this might just be the heaviest. 

“Take care of her.” Gabe says. “She won’t let anyone else, you know. She has to take care of herself, especially right now. Don't let her be alone.”

Maria wipes her tears away. Her pistol is hot against her thigh. She manages a nod. 

“Promise me you’ll take care of her.”

She nods again. 

“I need to hear you say it, Maria.” Gabe doesn’t stop the tears as they slide down his cheeks. 

“Gabe,” she chokes out. 

“Please.”

She takes a steadying breath. He’s never seen Maria shaken like this. Maria can’t remember the last time she let her feelings come across her this physically. “I’ll make sure they both get through this. They won’t be alone. I promise.”

“Make sure she smiles and laughs. Don’t let her go back to what she used to be. She’s got such a beautiful smile…” Gabe smiles letting the memories flash behind his eyes. 

Maria nods, making sure the horses are secured. They’re trained not to run off at the sound of gunshots, but she can’t risk it. The end is so close. 

“Tell Tommy to keep teasing her. She acts like she hates it, but really she loves it. Reminds her of life before.”

Maria manages a smile, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “Okay.”

“Tell her she’s gonna do great at this mom thing, 'cause she is.” Gabe takes a breath. He wants it to steady him, but it fails. He’s leaving behind so much. “Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her I love her. I love her so much. She made my life so much better. Most importantly, tell her to live a life so full- it’s bursting at the seams.” 

“I will.” She swallows. The tears cascade down her cheeks as she pulls her pistol from the holster. It clicks. 

“We had a good run.” He looks up at her over the barrel. She falters. “It’s okay, Maria.” He nods until she nods along. He looks back down at the pictures in his hands. “I’m gonna be okay.”

It hangs in the air. He’s done talking. He’s said his final words. It’s up to her to make it quick. 

Maria closes her eyes. It has to be done. It’s her responsibility to Jackson, to keep people safe. Gabe wants you to be safe. Deep breaths in and out. Her eyes open. The bullet lands right between Gabe’s eyes. 

The shot rings in her ears the entire way back to Jackson. It’s a miracle no other infected come across her path. She’s a sitting duck, completely out of it. 

Tommy is waiting at the gate when she gets back. Everyone knows when they see the empty saddle. It’s dead silent as she enters back into the safety of Jackson’s tall walls. She hands the reins to Tommy. She sees is in his eyes too, the loss of a best friend, a brother. 

“Clinic or Home?”

He swallows. “Home.”

Maria nods moving in the direction of your home. People wave and say hello. She doesn’t respond or even process it. All she hears is the gunshot. Her vision is red with his blood on the snow, hazy with the smoke of his burning body. He couldn’t even have a proper burial. 

She lets herself into your house. She watches as your face falls, your legs crumple. Maria catches you holding you as you sob. She feels you slipping away and already, she’s broken her promise to Gabe. Maria’s not sure she’ll ever be able to bring you back.  

[jackiespurnell]

it's just pretend, right? - part three (fake dating au jackie taylor x fem reader)

part one part two

summary: jackie’s boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, and what kind of teammate would you be if you didn’t help her out?

tw: none

────୨ৎ────────

its been about three weeks since you and jackie started fake dating and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t enjoying it. from the car rides with her to and from school to the heated make out session that you both deemed were for ‘practice’ (even though you’re not entirely sure what it was the two of you were practicing for), you were having the time of your life with her.

right now, you were currently sitting on jackie’s bed, your legs wrapped around her waist, her hands placed on your hips, and your tongue down her throat. pure fucking heaven.

“fuck” you hear her murmur. “you’re a good kisser, you know?” she says against your mouth, and you feel her lips form a smile against yours. “mm, you too.” you tell her, scooting further in her lap. you weren’t sure exactly what you two were doing, but you were sure having fun with it.

she flopped down to lay her head on her pillows, and pulled you down with her from your shirt. she sucked onto your tongue, biting down on your bottom lip. “damn, taylor” you tease. “didn’t realize you were so freaky.”

she just keeps kissing you, harder and sloppier, and it felt good. 

eventually, you pull away, resting your head on her chest, immediately taking your hand in hers. “your hand is warm” she murmurs, pressing a kiss to your hand. “and you’re cold.” “i’m always cold, baby.”

oh, yeah. and there was that, too. the pet names. she calls you things like ‘sweetheart’ and ‘darling’ but baby. that was her favorite. and yours too, to be honest. especially when you two are kissing and she murmurs it against your lips and you feel her voice vibrate against your lips and oh, you could die right there and you’d die happy. 

“hey can i talk to you about something?” she asks, tracing little patterns into her skin. you let out a little hum as to say ‘yes, sure, talk to me about whatever, talk to me for the rest of your life’.

you can’t help but hope she’s asking something about the two of you. like, maybe she wants to get together for real. maybe she wants to be able to kiss you for real and not just for fake. maybe she wants to be able to able to call her your actual girlfriend, to tell you how much she loves you. or maybe that’s what she’s going to say right now. that she loves you. maybe-

“i’m thinking about forgiving shauna”

wait, what the fuck?

“forgiving her? why?” you try to sound calm, which you’re obviously not, but maybe jackie has a really good reason for this. what that reason could be, you have no idea, but you’re hoping it’s something good. 

“i mean, she literally got with your boyfriend. that’s messed up.”

“and i know that, but like, she’s my best friend. i miss her. and besides, she sends me like, twenty apology messages a day. her and jeff aren’t even booking up anymore. i think she really is sorry.”

you pull out from her embrace, and you sit up. you feel her hesitation to let go out of you, and part of you wants to crawl back into her arms and never let go but the other part of you is absolutely pissed that jackie’s even considering getting back in touch with shauna. “wait, you still get her messages? you told me you blocked her.” jackie bites her lip softly in the way she usually does whenever she's feeling awkward, and you internally curse yourself for thinking about how cute it is when you’re supposed to be frustrated with her.

“i did, i swear i did. but…then i unblocked her. you know, just to see if she really did feel bad. and she does! i’m not saying i have to be like, best friends with her again but i just wanna start talking with her.”

“but i don’t understand!” you say, trying not to get upset, knowing that it’s not your place to get upset. “how could you want to associate yourself with someone who screwed you over that badly?”

maybe you were being irrational. maybe you were being too harsh. maybe you were just scared that if jackie accepts shauna’s apology she’s no longer going to need you. maybe you’re scared that you’re never going to get to feel her lips on yours again. maybe you’re scared that this pretend relationship thing is really just that. pretend.

“it’s really none of your business!” she snaps. and damn, you’d be lying if you said that didn’t hurt. “none of my business? none of my fucking business? wow. don’t forget, we’re only doing this because of what she did to you! i’m only here right now because of how she screwed you over. so, yeah, it kind of is my business because now i’m listening to you talk about how you’re going to take that traitor back as a friend. i mean, do you realize how that sounds?”

“oh my god, fuck you!” she scoffs. “you’re not here because of shauna, you’re way because you got caught doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing, which, in case you forgot, was snooping on my conversation, and you needed an easy way out. you started this. you are the reason that you’re here right now, and if i want to take back my best friend, then i’m going to.”

yeah, fuck this.

“whatever, jackie.” you roll your eyes, getting up from her bed. if she didn’t want to listen, there was nothing you could do about it. “do whatever you want. see if i fucking care.”

and as you slammed the door to her room shut, you almost believed it.

the next day, you had practice. and while typically you looked forward to being back on the field, today was not your day, it really wasn’t. because practice meant seeing jackie. and seeing jackie means remembering just how badly you fucked things up between the two of you yesterday.

now, technically, you know that you were in the right. sure, you didn’t know that much about shauna and outside of the whole jeff drama, she seems like a decent person, but still. you knew jackie deserved better than that. but you understand why jackie got so defensive. and you really do want to apologize, especially because you know jackie isn’t going to apologize first, she’s way too stubborn.

but then again, so are you.

so, you go through all of practice without talking to jackie. without even looking at her, which was honestly, a bigger struggle than it should’ve been. the only thing keeping you from staring was the hope that maybe she was the one staring at you. which was less likely to happen than you wanted, which is why not looking was the best option. so you could pretend. pretend like she really was in love with you. in love with you like you were in love with her.

after practice, you head back to the locker room and once again, you hear arguing. how fucking ironic.

and you know that obviously, obviously, you shouldn’t go check it out, your nosy ass is the only reason you’re in this situation in the first place, it’s the reason why you’re all mopy and heartbroken and depressed, it’s a terrible idea, a really fucking terrible idea. but then again being nosy was also the reason you even know how jackie tastes; it’s the only reason you’ve even gotten close to real dating. yes, it caused a lot of bad, but it also caused some good….

it’s like they said. curiosity killed the cat. and you always were a cat person.

so, you go closer to the noise, hiding behind the lockers, listening to see who it was arguing. and of course - of fucking course - it was jackie. honestly, you’re surprised it took you this long to figure it out. you’d recognize that voice anywhere. the same one that whimpered into your mouth whenever you’d thrust your tongue into her mouth, the same one that made the prettiest fucking nosies whenever you climbed onto her lap and placed kisses on her neck. of course you’d recognize it was her. and then you heard shauna’s voice and of course you’re pissed cause why did she actually go through with talking to shauna but then you realize wait she’s mad at shauna. 

“you know i wanted to be your friend again, i really fucking wanted to, and she told me not be, and i didn’t listen, cause i just wanted my best friend back, but you know what? she was right about you!” jackie yells, and you can hear the tremble in her voice, and you know she’s seconds away from crying, and the only thing going through your mind is how much you fucking hate shauna.

“oh, if your pretty little girlfriend is so fucking right then why are you here? why not go running back to her, huh? if i’m so in the wrong, why are you still here? face it, jackie - you just miss the version of me that listened to whatever you said. you miss the version of me that did whatever it was you wanted. do you realize how i felt when you started dating the guy i liked - which by the way, i know damn well i wanted him way longer than you did - just to turn around and say you’re fucking gay? what the hell, jackie! i mean, were you just using him? the same fucking way you did to me? all you ever care about is yourself and your popularity. and now it’s finally catching up to you. and if your little girlfriend can’t see that, well then give it time because she will and she’ll leave and maybe then you’ll finally grow up and see it’s not always about you.”

oh yeah. you definitely hate shauna fucking shipman.

“i think you should fucking go.” you tell shauna, walking up from behind the locker. you see the look ot jackie’s face, the tears falling down her eyes, and it breaks your heart. 

“and if you really think jackie’s the one who needs to change, i think you take a look in the fucking mirror, because she isn’t the one who got with her best friend’s boyfriend, is she, shauna? no. she isn’t. but she is the one who stood by you every day for twelve years. she’s the girl who called you her best friend. she’s the fucking person who was willing to forgive you even after you had sex with her goddamn boyfriend because you were feeling insecure and jealous because she fucking missed you. because she’s such a good friend. she is the best person i’ve ever met in my life and it’s not because of the fact that she’s hot, or popular, or the captain of the goddamn soccer team. it’s because she’s a good person. it’s because she makes me happy, it’s because i’m fucking in love with her. and i really, really hope one day you’re able to understand and appreciate her even half as much as i do. so, like i said, you should really. fucking. go.”

and the look on shauna’s face? fucking priceless.

the second shauna leaves, you pull jackie into a hug and she immediately starts crying. you stroke her hair softly and press kisses onto the crown of her head, hoping that maybe the soft affection will take away some of the pain, even just a little bit.

“thank you.” jackie says softly. “no one’s ever stood up for me like that before.”

“yeah, well, i’d do it again in a heartbeat.” you pull away slightly to get a better look at her face. she was still crying, but it was less now, and of course she still looked adorable even with her tear stained face. you push a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “come on jackie, let me take you home.”

the car ride home was pretty silent. you weren’t sure if she wanted to talk yet, so you didn’t try and pressure her. things still were kind of awkward between the two of you, but you had a feeling it was better now. you let yourself stare at jackie during red lights and sometimes, you would feel her eyes on you as well. you noticed how she was twirling her hair, one of her nervous habits, and you hated how sad she looked. still, you knew you couldn’t just fix things, no matter how badly you wanted to. you knew it would take time. but you were patient. or, at least, you could try to be. for jackie.

you eventually arrived at her house and instead of saying goodbye and leaving your car, she hesitated for a moment.

“can i ask you a question?” 

“yeah, go ahead.”

“did….did you mean it, back there, when you said you were in love with me.”

if she asked you this twenty four hours ago, your immediate response would be to deny it, to say it was just for show, that you didn’t mean it and everything is still just pretend because you were too scared of rejection - but this isn’t twenty four hours ago, this is now, and right now you couldn’t care less if she rejects you. you just need her to know how much she means to you.

“yeah. yeah, i fucking meant it.”

and with that she smiles, and you can’t imagine a feeling better than this. because right now, nothing else matters, except for you and jackie. jackie, your favorite person. jackie, the girl sitting in your car. jackie, the girl you’re in love with.

“that’s good. cause i’m in love with you too.”

────୨ৎ────────

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

I would love to have a King x reader (female reader if you are ok with that) where the reader is a mythical zoan type very similar to Kaido’s mythical zoan but because it was a fruit made by Dr Vegaounk, the reader ends up with a dark green dragon instead. King’s just infatuated with the reader and the reader knows it but won’t say anything. The reader is fairly new to the Beast Pirates and Kaido puts King in charge of making the reader feel welcome. Thanks in advance if you are able to do this!!

Imagine having a dragon smile fruit

This led me down an interesting line of thought. How would King act around his crush. He's a deeply traumatized individual, but he hides it well. King has like zero emotional intelligence, he never learned how to really deal with them. Also, I'm making the reader around the same size as King for reasons.

This ended up being kinda long.

Kaido: I'm told you have a devil fruit.

You: it's a smile fruit, sir, Dr. Vegapunk made it for me.

Kaido: Vegapunk *casts a glance at king, but can't see his emotions due to that damn mask* when did he make it for you?

You: a few years back upon my request, he owed me a favor.

Kaido: may I see?

You: we'll need to go outside, I would hate to destroy your lovely house.

Kaido: Ookay?

Outside

You: *transforms into a large emerald green dragon with pitch black fur, talons, and horns.*

Kaido: Worororo, we're gonna be unstoppable!

King: ( 💖0💖 ) !!

You: So I can get settled in?

Kaido: yes, Queen! Get their rooms ready, put them in the east wind of my castle.

You: absolutely not, I refuse to work with Queen, he's annoying.

Queen: EHH! Annoying! Who are you calling an idiot, you moron. You wanna go! *Starts to climb up on one of the coils of your body*

You: *flicks him off* And loud.

Queen: *skips like a rock over the ocean towards mainland Wano and disappears with a twinkle*

Kaido: Would you prefer Jack?

You: Jack is too unpredictable, plus I'm not a fan of the baby bangs he's sporting, they make me wanna bully him. King seems tolerable though, he's quiet which is preferable if I have to deal with a man.

King: 😱💢

Kaido: Very well, wouldn't want you to lose your temper and kill one of them. I need all three of them... well actually with you here, I might not.

You: I don't want a position of responsibility, those usually come with a lot of paperwork. I want money, food, a place to crash, and to fight, and when I’m not doing any of those to lounge in comfort.

Kaido: and you shall have anything you desire. King take them to the Black Tortoise wing.

King: I think they'd appreciate the views and quiet of the Blue Halls in the Vermilion Bird wing. You yourself once told me your dragon enjoys the open sky.

Kaido: how thoughtful King, to share your Vermilion Bird wing with our new recruit.

King: such a valuable member of the crew deserves the best we have to offer, especially one with a power so similar to your own.

Kaido: then can I trust them to you?

King: Of course.

The next day

King: how are you liking the Blue hall? Is it to your liking?

You: It's almost perfect, it just needs some personal touches.

King: I'll set up an appointment for our artisans to come over to receive instructions on what you want.

You: don't you have an assistant for that?

King: no? Are you volunteering?

You: hmm, only when I'm bored.

King: very well, in the meantime care to join me for a training session in the gym? *Hoping to show off his strength and physique for you*

You: Sure, let me change into something more breathable.

At the gym

King: would you spot me?

You: sure?

King: *lifting way more weight than he usually does while trying to keep his face as neutral as possible.*

You: *not sure how you'd be of any help to him if he actually needed help*

Queen: *leans over to Jack to shit talk* is it me, or is that feather-brained idiot trying to impress the newbie?

Jack: Yeah, he's even puffing up his wings and fire to make himself appear bigger.

Maria: right? And you you see the way he looks at them.

Queen: he's clearly displacing his affections for Kaido on them, probably they're more attainable to him than Kaido.

Kaido: *leans in* he's just not my type what can I say? Although, he does have those big titties like I like.

You: I'm gonna go get a water bottle, you want one?

King: sure *waits for you to leave before turning to his crew members* what the fuck are you jack asses whispering about over there?

Queen: You like (y/n) right?

King: what? No, they just got here, I don't even know them.

Kaido: she doth protest too much, methinks.

King: ugh, you all are seeing things.

Maria: yeah, we see you making bedroom eyes at (y/n).

Queen: Don't act like you're not, look at yourself, you're all puffed up like you're a horny teenager all over again.

King: *flattens his feathers* shut up dickhead.

You: *comes back in the room* I got us a few waters!

King: *puffs up again and realizes they're right.

Yamato: *peaking out from one of the floorboards* that explain why he wanted them in the Vermilion Bird wing with him.

King: *Puts his foot on the board and pushes it down*

That evening after dinner

Kaido: did we really upset you earlier? You seem like you're still... huffy like you were in the gym.

King: I'm disgusted with myself for being attracted to a human.

Kaido: *nods his head empathetically* I know the feeling bud. From what information that I have gathered about them, they seem like a decent human. They were once instrumental in the escape of a slave rebellion in the Ballywood Kingdom and Vodka Kingdom. Both of which were predominately composed of non-humans.

King: really?

Jack: yeah, they came to us through a recommendation of one of contacts in the Ryugu Kingdom.

You: wha'cha talking about?

King: *puffs up and feels his embarrassment and panic well up in his chest* Nothing!

You: *squints at him in suspicion* Really? Because I don't believe you.

King: Are you calling me a liar?

You: I ain't callin' you a truther, big man. Now spill the beans, what were y'all whispering about?

King: *his heart flutters happily when you call him 'big man' * Kaido told us you helped in some slave rebellions.

You: Oh yeah, I have quite a few tales from that time of my life.

King: If we're going to work together we should know more about you. So if you wouldn't mind, could you tell us those stories?

Kaido: *subtly gives him an encouraging slap on the back and a wink*

Queen: *whispers* fuckin' simp!

King: *makes Queen's cigar erupt in fire*

List of Up-and-coming works

Support me on Kofi and Patreon