#that man hasn't taken care of himself in 20 years

[shinedoitsulikeabright]

The things I'd do for him.............

HAVE THE BABY'S REF

(oh and cred to @shinedoitsulikeabright and @eyeforchaos for some of the ideas, esp with the sword! <3)

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Just Take It | Bonus Drabble 1

Summary: An encounter with a cashier leaves Jungkook ready to cause a scene Pairing: Inexperienced f!reader x Best Friend's Dad Jungkook (20 year age gap) Word Count: 1K~ Warning: Explicit and suggestive language. Jungkook threatens to kill someone but like not really lol that's pretty much it a/n: This was an ask I got but both the anon and I'm sure a bunch of you love seeing jealous Jungkook so here's a short chapter of something that happened after they started dating 🤭 p.s. written in one sitting and barely edited Start from the beginning

"Can you wait in line for a second Darling? I forgot I needed to get one more thing" Jungkook asks me and I nod my head, humming as he places a kiss on my temple and rushes off to another part of the store.

While I wait mindlessly in line I end up getting lost in the different covers of magazines that are displayed around me in line. Leaving me obvious as to the fact that the cashiers have been switched out. Now having changed from a older man to one who's closer to my age that has been shamelessly checking me out since he laid his eyes on me.

Once I get closer to the front of the line I start to get a little antsy, seeing as Jungkook hasn't come back yet and I had forgotten my purse in the car. Lucky for me though there's no one else behind me in line so I won't have to worry about holding someone up.

"Did you find everything alright miss?" the man asks, having his eyes tracing up and down my figure after he finished helping the customer before me.

"Oh um, yes I did thanks. I'm just waiting for my boyfriend to come back" I point out, quickly seeing the look in his eyes.

I turn around and get on my tippy toes as if that would aide me in finding him faster but I can't seem to spot him anywhere.

I turn back around to face the cashier and notice that he's started to scan each item slower and slower and I'm not sure if it's his plan to keep me here longer or to prevent an awkward lull in the process.

Once he's scanned the last item and is ready to accept payment I look back at him and awkwardly laugh and he gives me a crooked smile in return.

"So about this boyfriend of yours, are things pretty serious? Because if you were mine I would never do something like this to you. Always make sure to keep you close and comfortable" he says, dropping his voice an octave, clearly trying his hand at seducing me.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself" I say and pull out my phone to pay instead, deciding that I'll just have Jungkook pay for whatever else he went to look for separately.

Once the cashier cues the system up for me to pay I feel a hand on my waist and relax, knowing exactly who it is.

"Add this one too" Jungkook says, coming back with my favorite ice cream that we had ran out of a few days ago.

The cashier clears his throat and cancels the payment, quickly adding on said item to the total before cueing up the system again and Jungkook places his card on the reader to pay.

"I thought I'd lost you" I say, laughing awkwardly while the cashier packs up our groceries. "I told you I'd be back. I just couldn't find it because you like the most random flavors that are placed in the weirdest of sections" he teases, placing a quick kiss on my lips.

He glares back up at the cashier who is nervously watching our exchange and audibly gulps once Jungkook cocks a brow at him.

"Next time, take a second before you start thinking with your dick alright?" Jungkook growls out, clearly holding himself back but needing to say something regardless.

"Yes sir" is the only response the cashier gives him, bowing his head as a means of apology but it still doesn't sit right with Jungkook leaving me having to physically usher him out of the store.

"Are you okay?" he asks once we're at his car, loading up the groceries after he's taken a second to calm down.

"I'm fine, although I'm glad that you came when you did. I was beginning to think he was going to try to ask me for my number or something" I say and I watch as Jungkook tongues his cheek, knowing that I probably should've kept some of this interaction to myself.

"Did you tell him you have a boyfriend?" he asks, placing the last bags in the trunk and shutting it a tiny bit harder than he usually would.

"Yeah but he didn't seem to care, asked if we were really that serious" I say, digging his grave deeper and deeper.

"I'm gonna kill him" he growls, making moves to head back inside and I run after him not being able to keep up with his long strides any other way and yank on his arm.

"No come on, let's just go. I'm perfectly fine alright. Let's just go home. Please?" I ask, making sure to add a little more pout than I usually would. A tactic that I hope will work to get him to calm down and forget about it.

He takes a deep breath and nods his head, letting me lead him back to the car and he opens the door for me but before I get in he put a hand on my waist and leaves me frozen in place.

"When we get home I'm gonna show you just how serious I am about you. Okay Bunny?" he asks, posed as more of a threat than anything else leaving me shivering, thinking about what I've gotten myself into.

I let out a choked back 'okay' before he slaps my ass and tells me to get in the car leaving me already clenching, dying to know what he's going to do to me

When he sits in the drivers side beside me he starts the car and places a hand on the back of my seat looking out the back window to help him back out before switching gears back into drive.

He immediately places his hand on my thigh, sliding it up my skirt and starts tracing patterns on the inside of my thigh, driving me absolutely insane from just these simple touches.

I'm fucked.

Hopelessly, painfully, deliciously fucked and I can't help but count the minutes until we get home.

Series Masterlist

Taglist: @jkslipppiercing @trina864 @kaitieskidmore97 @goddesofimortality @coolbluedude @00frenchfries00 @bangtans-momma @coralmusicblaze @pastelpinkjoon @joonwater @marvelbun @j3nni-rs @evidive @beomieboi @forevrglow @jesssssmaybankk @teugiie @chaconnelatte @whoa-jo @snehal @xumyboo @mindurbuzznezz @diorh0seokie

[ryleektv]

Lorenzo Berkshire Headcannons

Part 1

Warnings: some suggestive content, language, not proof read, kinda mean Enzo

all my opinions, don't come after me 🙏

WC: 571

• 6'1-6'2 and doesn't stfu about it (especially when making fun of 5'9 Draco)

• has the most hookups out of everyone (maybe theo is close behind but this hoe gives off fuckboy energy on another level)

• really kind eyes (gives off baby cow eyes vibe) and uses them to get what he wants

• like imagine though, he has such pretty and kind eyes but he's a little shit who uses them to get in your pants?? test answers?? even just cutting in front of you in line??? hello??? rude?? and the puppy dog eyes?? deadly.

• skincare game is on point. he will not take criticism from the guys who make fun of him for not being a typical 5-in-1 soap man (has really good expensive conditioner too)

• speaking of hair, its so soft and fluffy and somehow always perfect. definitely pays way too much to get his hair cut because this man will not be caught dead with a bad hair day, let alone a whole bad haircut

• major trauma dumper when shit faced drunk.

• he had a few too many beers? you don't have worry about alcohol poisoning but you better be ready to hear about how much he hates his dad but still craves a relationship with him and how he hasn't taken a single step to even think about fixing his major mommy issues

• however if you go back to a few beers prior and he's not got a care in the world and he's entirely thinking with his dick. so be careful or you'll get a hookup and his entire life story all before he even knows your last name.

• LIAR. this man will lie to get out of EVERYTHING (or even just because he can)

• ^probably goes back to the whole emotionally abusive parents thing but now he just thinks he does it for fun

• knows all the drama. knows everyone and their mother and their cousin's grandma's friend's aunt's pet fish that died 20 years ago

• you need to know if your man is cheating on you?? lorenzo will tell you every single detail (especially the ones you didn't want to know)... for a price though, the price in question depends entirely on his mood too

• and if you need dirt on someone?? this boy knows that one thing they did two years ago in the prefect bathroom that could still get them expelled. trust

• COMMITMENT ISSUES (me too boo) like it's soooooooooo bad

• oh he actually likes a girl??? she likes him back??? this is great??? she wants a relationship??? where'd his feelings go???

• actually upset about it though because commitment issues suck and now he wants the girl who would rather drink goblin piss than ever look in his direction instead of the girl he liked yesterday that actually liked him back

• studies hard core and tells NOBODY.

• bro is in the library at 3 in the morning after hours of trying to cram for the test that day because he couldn't find time sooner

• studying actually pays off though and he gets good grades (occasional cheater tbh)

• cannot physically stop himself from making a sex joke. (totally pisses off blaise)

"its wet" "thats what she said" "the fiELD. THE FUCKING QUIDDITCH FIELD IS WET BECAUSE IT RAINED, LORENZO."

• him and mattheo are a dangerous duo

• feels unexpected too but enzo, matt, and theo are like the three musketeers from hell.

maybe part 2 soon....

[insipid-drivel]

Endometriosis, Fat Doctors, And Bellybuttons: What They Don't Teach You In Health Class

Woo another rambling TED talk, but I just got home from a meeting with a doctor specializing in wound care that I really feel a lot of you should hear:

Firstly, I've been having mysterious pains in my bellybutton area since... probably last Autumn? But I've had menorrhagia (extremely heavy, painful, and even dangerous periods that can cause spontaneous hemorrhaging) since I was 13 years old. Since my menorrhagia became active, I've been begging for a hysterectomy. I'm moving into my 20 year anniversary of Living With A Uterus That Hates Me As Much As I Hate It.

Being trans (agender) also really incentivizes the whole "yeet the uterus" thing, too, but that doesn't really have anything to do with why I wanna talk to y'all about endometriosis and bellybuttons.

Anyway, as of this year, I've had a lot of issues with my bellybutton region. Random infections, inflammation, pain, trips in and out of the ER; the works. My doctor has been so confused by my bizarre constellation of symptoms that he hasn't been sure of what's going on or what the best course of action is, aside from referring me for more tests and prescribing comfort measures in the meantime.

Until today. My desperate track for a diagnosis began over a week ago when my symptoms became alarmingly sepsis-like, but my test results came back with nothing but signs of an elevated white blood cell count. My doctor has been rushing me from specialist to specialist, and today was a wound care doctor that specializes in treating bariatric, hospice, and disabled patients that can't necessarily follow conventional wound-care advice meant for young, abled, and thin people.

I didn't expect much. Maybe some magnifiers, swabs, and a biopsy at worst, followed by antibiotics and whatever else, but definitely nothing that would help me solve this latest scary health mystery. While the worst of the pain I had that landed me in the ER went away on its own enough that I can get by with mobility aids, I still haven't had a diagnosis.

Until Awesome Fat Doctor.

Awesome Fat Doctor I celebrate. I live for this man. He literally gave me a reason to keep on trying and not give up. I was so scared of the appointment I'd gone nonverbal (not weird for me these days), but I got my voice back after I spent a while with him and his nurse (who was also fantastic). Even though I only met him for a few minutes and he forgot to introduce himself so I can't remember his name right now, Awesome Fat Doctor was a rock star. He was in his later middle age, scruffy, unshaven, and fat - enough that I could imagine the reason he specializes as a wound care doctor is because he may have gotten fed up of other doctors blaming his own health problems on his weight and life choices.

AFD gave no fucks. Along with being a big guy, he carried himself with the gruff no-nonsense of a man that's probably beaten up his ableist colleagues overdiagnosing fibromyalgia in the back of a Wendy's parking lot. He had been informed of my autism and my own needs for a wheelchair due to my own long-term chronic pain and other health issues, as well as my troubles speaking, and treated me like a little cousin that was having a rough go of things like he'd had.

He was compassionate and a straight-shooter with me. He was respectful of my boundaries, talked to me as casually as if I could respond like anybody else with working vocal cords (which I was eventually able to), and generally had all the bedside manner of someone that has worked with patients with special needs of all kinds. He looked at the trouble area and my records and history, told me that he was gonna do his best to get things straightened out, and then went quiet as he studied the timeline of my issues.

"Do you have endometriosis?" he asked, while studying a photo my mom had taken of a... skin infection over my lower abdomen, which had spread from my bellybutton.

I was confused.

"Not that I know of," I answered. I'd found my voice already when he and his nurse both helped put me at ease and showed me I was respected, safe, and seen. I've been tested a few times in my life for endometriosis and had my fair share of ultrasounds (the most common way to diagnose endo), and nobody had found anything unusual. But I have menorrhagia, am always in pain from my reproductive organs, and am desperate to get them removed. I'm on a 24/7 regimen of 2x normal birth control pills just to keep me from menstruating for my own safety. It sucks.

"My wife once had to get emergency surgery for what we thought was appendicitis. Do you know what it turned out she had?" he asked me, very suddenly, and like he had an idea.

"Ectopic pregnancy?" was my first guess, because women have died in the past to ectopic pregnancies that were mistaken for appendicitis.

AFD shook his head. "It was her menstrual cycle, and she had endometrial tissue bleeding into the space beside her appendix. I think you may have endometrial tissue in your bellybutton, and every time your hormones try to cycle in spite of your birth control pills, it bleeds and infects."

I was gobsmacked. Endometriosis and PCOS run in my family as reliably as eye and hair color, but I'd never really thought of how pernicious endometrial tissue could actually be. When I picture endometrial tissue, I picture overgrowths inside of reproductive tissue, or clinging to the outside; not growing randomly within the abdominal cavity or emerging out of my fucking skin like a turkey pop-up timer of doom.

AFD slowly nodded. "And the only way we'd be able to see the endometrial tissue is if you had it tested while you were menstruating and the tissue itself was inflamed and bleeding. Otherwise, it won't show up as anything different to the normal, healthy tissues surrounding it. A biopsy isn't reliable, either, because we have to know exactly where the tissue is before we test it. You have to have your hormones triggering the tissue to inflame and behave differently so it can be diagnosed if there are no big deposits of tissue to see."

After a long time of my ears ringing, I asked him, "Do you think it's possible that the ultrasounds were showing false negatives? Like, I have endometriosis and had it all along, but the tissue is too small to see or were being looked at at the wrong time?"

As it turns out, that's exactly what may be going on.

I see my doctor tomorrow, and meet with my surgeon at the beginning of next month.

Listen to your bodies, y'all. I am so thankful to that doctor, who wound up diverting into a very colorfully-worded rant about how much he hates the American medical system immediately after that. He gave me hope that I was just having new issues with old problems and was right all along about what my body really needed, and that my symptoms now are just showing what happens when doctors neglect their patients' needs.

I did wind up asking if he specialized with wound care because of how other doctors responded to his weight, and he said that it was a mix of reasons beginning with Yes: Both so he could have a safe space from fatphobia and ableism for himself and his patients, but also so his wife - who, while I hadn't seen her, he explained was about as big as he was - would have her own pain taken more seriously, being both fat and female. As he'd already explained, she hadn't been successfully diagnosed with endometriosis until she was symptomatic of full-blown appendicitis-levels of pain as an adult and her doctors were forced to stop blaming her pain on her weight.

Now, as I sit here reflecting... It's hard to believe that, thanks to this doctor's theory, I may finally be free from pain and dysphoria sooner than I imagined. It just took a doctor who could empathize with me to see me, and choose to take the scarier hill to fight on with me.

[verdemoun]

jumping ahead in the timeswap au because i am the captain personally i headcanon jack not making it to 20. i think life had well and truly defeated him and he was too tired to keep running, and he ended up hanged for ross's murder.

side tangent a) imagine the emotional devastation the VDLs in modern era would feel reading that. there's a grainy photo/sketch and they can almost tell what jack looks like, how much he looks like john, how old he already looks at 19, and then there's the noose sitting on his shoulders waiting for the trapdoor to be pulled. the article portrays ross as a poor elderly man of honor killed by jack marston, outlaw, a dangerous sociopath

side tangent b) john and jack being reunited. john really struggling not to be angry because he wanted/expected so much better for jack: knowing he was never an ideal father (or even a good father) but how much he didn't want his son to be like him, how clear he had been to never become an outlaw. then, the grief. it's only been 3 years but being able to see how much those three years have changed jack, physically and mentally, just by the way he carries himself and that dead, destroyed look in his eyes. jack struggling not to be angry for a lot of the same reasons because at 16 he was left taking care of abigail as heartbreak and illness killed her, and a ranch they could barely take care of together. jack realising his mom, dad and little sister got to play happy family in current day without him.

well now that that's out of the way: dues-ex-isaac morgan

isaac morgan deciding jack marston is his personal responsibility. sure, the whole recipe of staying in a house for a few weeks slowly learning about the current day slowly works for most VDLs, but isaac understands that not only is jack 19 (a teenager) but the culture shock isn't quite as severe going from 1914 as it was 1899.

isaac throws rocks at the window until jack sneaks out his first night in modern day. he forces a helmet onto his head and gives a vague warning that 'it's going to be faster than a horse', before setting off at very illegal speeds on his motorbike

jack immediately loves it. it's very much what he needed: the adrenaline, feeling like he's rebelling, seeing the chrome and crowds of city as a blur become more and more recognizable in outdated suburbs until they're pushing 100mph on the highway

isaac strategically takes him out to the desert, because the desert really hasn't changed that much, and pulls out a bottle of whiskey. they lay down and trauma-bond about how fucked their lives have been (isaac, who experienced the timewarp like a child moving house and had to teach things to his 19th century mother, jack, who grew up in the chaos of the VDL gang with his mother as the only constant: deadbeat dads taken to the metaphorical extreme).

'there's only two things you really need to know: you can't buy alcohol until you're 21 and cigarettes are actually really bad for you' 'cigarettes are BAD??????'

isaac introduces him to cliche teenage emo music through a dodgy bluetooth speaker. jack marston actually listens to music for the first time

arthur getting a frantic phone call from john saying jack snuck out

charles offering to help track them down, because they immediately know isaac is involved

charles and arthur finding a drunk isaac and jack air guitaring to mcr in the middle of the desert

isaac and jack are instant best friends. instead of the coddling most of the gang do when something is new and initially intimidating, isaac laughs at him and it's honestly more comforting. like yeah, traffic lights take a hot second, but jack does feel dumb for not realising that the changing lights and loud beeping meant it was time to walk/run.

isaac literally doesn't hold his hand unless he has to, meanwhile jack has had months of living alone as an outlaw in 1914. they balance each other out in the worst ways. isaac will say they shouldn't walk through a dark alley and jack is like pfft if someone tries to mug us i can take them

their hangouts go from jack bookworm marston helping isaac study at college to isaac being the one calling his dad because 'heeey we might be in jail' in 3 hours. all parental figures involved are going grey with stress

[gabessquishytum]

just to flip the age kink thing, i've got a suggestion for how they'd have hob as the younger one. hob's getting to the point where he needs to start his next life and he decides that he wants to keep teaching but wants to change up the subject this time. there's a grad program he's really interested in so he figures he'll do that and then teach the subject, he starts crafting his next identity, and dream's so interested in the process since he hasn't seen hob doing this before. he sees the age hob's going for and offers some help -- he could make everyone perceive hob as younger, so he'd be able to get longer out of this identity.

hob, of course, is thrilled. he starts off as young as he can, of course, but it's been centuries since hob's even tried to pass himself off as 22. he could pull it off when people lived harder, but it just doesn't work anymore. dream makes a couple more suggestions -- hob's used June 7th as his birthday before, it sort of is in a way. now tgat he and dream use it as their anniversary he would have picked a different date but hey, if that's the date dream thinks he should go with, no big deal.

so hob goes off back to school, he's having a great time, he's sort of loving pretending to be in his 20s again. his friends do give him odd looks when they see him with dream, though. that's fine -- dream is, frankly, odd. it's probably nothing. until he starts seeing how dream's presenting himself to others and... yeah, the first time hob sees the dusting of silver hair at dream's temples, he drops to his knees to suck dream's cock in the stacks of the uni library. it's fine. he has very normal feelings about it. it's fine.

he's not totally clear on the specifics of the game dream's playing until the end of his first year, though, when dream mentions, in careful earshot of a few of hob's more gossipy classmates, that he'll plan something nice for hob's birthday. it's their anniversary, after all, and five years is a number worth celebrating. hob doesn't realize until later that dream just made sure all hob's classmates know that he got together with his significantly older and significantly wealthy boyfriend on his 18th birthday. and that dream's been supplying most of hob's wardrobe again. and giving him jewellery. and keeping hob at his side any time they're in public together. and that maybe there's a reason he keeps getting carefully worded questions about his relationship, because dream has very intentionally made him look like a pretty young thing being taken advantage of by an older man. hob needs dream to fuck him about this immediately, actually.

(it also occurs to hob, once dream's fucked him through the mattress while calling him little one and darling boy and pet, that this is. probably how gods and fey and other immortals actually do see a relationship between dream of the endless and a human. and gets turned on about it all over again.)

-🐈‍⬛

This is literally what I look like right now. Oh my fucking gOD

I don't. I don't know how to add to this? Hnnngg. Dream with grey in his hair, treating Hob like his little plaything, making Hob’s friends somewhere between concerned and jealous. It's making my mouth go dry.

I think you might have finally bit the "horny overload" switch in my brain, my darling.

ffffffuck.

I'm just thinking about Dream renting a fancy apartment for Hob to live in while he's studying. He comes home from the dreaming every day, and Hob’s friends skedaddle from what ever study club they've been doing (they're a little intimidated by Dream, although hes nothing but polite). Dream gets to have Hob all to himself for the evening, gets to relearn Hob’s body as it hasn't been for a very long time. Being physically 22 has a lot of advantages when it comes to joint flexibility and sexual stamina, and Dream wants to enjoy them to the fullest. Hob is very much immersed in the fantasy of being Dream’s kept boy, and he likes the attention, he likes it when Dream showers him in gifts. He keeps Dream updated on his grades and soaks up all the praise and sweet talk Dream lavishes on him. They go to the opera together, or to fancy restaurants where Dream publicly shows Hob off to absolutely everyone. And the sex afterwards is just insane. Hob rides Dream’s cock in the limo on the way home, or sucks him off in the dressing rooms of fancy boutiques.

They have literally all the time in the world to be horny and stupid and I, for one, want to see it.

[pinketine]

My #1 fear is probably Kendrick going out sad like Kanye

Isn't that anyone's fear with their fave lol? Luckily I don't think that'll happen because Kanye's downfall is the result of many different traits and circumstances that Kendrick simply doesn't have/hasn't experienced. They both started from relatively similar backgrounds but they have different attitudes to life and shit.

More under the cut because I really got into psychoanalysing these grown men I don't know

The biggest reason for Kanye's downfall is his own ego. He's an unbelievably talented person who's influenced other equally talented people, and his name is permanently cemented in music history, and he knows this all too well. And he's never taken the time to properly humble himself. Kendrick Lamar is equally aware of his own talent and skill, but he's introspective, and takes time to check himself. Kendrick "Kendrick is not your savior" Lamar would not make I Am A God. Like I do love Kanye's introspective songs but he never takes a good long hard look at himself for too long. He just assumes he's right, and surrounds himself with people who think the same, pushing away practically everyone who criticises him. This circle of yesmen and sycophants is how we got Vultures 1 and 2. Literally nobody says "no" to that man anymore. Hell, his own fanbase even contributes to this effect. Kanye fans can be damn near brainless sometimes with how much they don't want to criticise him because he made music they like or something. (Or because they're neo nazis.)

They also have incredibly different public personas. Tying into his aforementioned ego, Kanye is brash, and loud, and never hesitates to say what he's thinking for better ("George Bush doesn't care about black people") or worse ("There's A LOTTT of things I love about Hitler"). And this ego makes it so he's stubborn to a fault, never backs down properly even when he's wrong because he thinks he's enlightened or some shit. Kendrick, in heavy contrast, is more reserved. That isn't to say he hasn't had his controversial moments (the one I can think of best is when he brought up that white girl to rap with him), but even then, he clearly reflects and learns on it. Part of Kanye's downfall is his various controversies over 20 years, as they prompted many people to distance themselves from him, and Kendrick just wouldn't do even close to half of them. When Kendrick feels like someone's been snubbed, he talks about it on a song (Killer Mike mention on Hood Politics). When Kanye feels like someone's been snubbed, he storms the stage and takes the mic from the winner.

Speaking of controversies. I should probably elaborate on Kanye's worst controversy. They obviously have VERY different political beliefs. Kendrick Lamar talks about watching the daily news and hoping the 2016 election results weren't true on LUST. Kanye wore a MAGA hat. That alone pretty much tells you everything about where their heads are at. While Kendrick is very much a leftist, Kanye had been spending several years going down the alt right pipeline (I once heard someone say he'd actually been on the antisemitism shit since Yeezus era, but don't quote me on that. Would explain the New World Order mention on New Slaves). So while Kanye's views used to be more left leaning, they definitely no longer are. That isn't to say there isn't antisemitism in leftist spaces, like there absolutely is, and that isn't to say Kendrick hasn't said questionable things before (him calling himself an israelite on YAH.) but definitely not to the extent Kanye took it. He recognises that his own bigotry can't slide just because he's black, like on Auntie Diaries. And of course, Kanye hasn't really properly backed down. Hence, the several questionable Jewish lines on Vultures. He's so convinced he's right.

So PR wise. Kanye clearly doesn't have a PR team otherwise they would've killed themselves a long time ago. And Kendrick is at an all time high right now, in a way Kanye never was really.

So let's talk music. On his AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM remix feature, Kendrick criticises AI, and it's clear he isn't fond of it at all. This is to be expected, this man doesn't even like rappers having ghostwriters. He's passionate about his music, and he wants it to be his, and from him. I think Kanye's lost pretty much most of his passion for music. Like don't get me wrong, he's delayed albums before (several albums have been delayed by either close to, or over, a year!) but it was clear he had a vision, and he put a lot into them. And even the ones that were imperfect upon released he went back and tweaked (The Life of Pablo and Donda). He cared deeply, constantly experimenting and pushing his sound to its limits. Vultures 1 was... simply bad. For a Kanye album. It might've been alright for another artist but put it up against the rest of his work. Does that shit sound My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy quality to you? Or I guess, Kids See Ghosts since it was also a collab album. Either way, incredibly lackluster.

And Vultures 2... WELL. I've mentioned it before but I'm on a Kanye discord server and the day it dropped people begged me to not even bother listening to it. On. A Kanye server. Made up of fans of his music. People begged me to not listen to Vultures 2. And there's like no surprise, the album sucks shit. It's badly mixed, and Sky City got dug out of Yandhi's desecrated corpse and had AI slapped on it. Ye-I (or KanAI) has pretty much been haunting Vultures 2 because the album is already sloppy but using AI is an incredibly cheap trick, especially when it's of Kanye himself. Like what? Are you too lazy to rap your own shit now? Like yesterday 530 (a song that was half fucking mumble upon release) got """updated""" to have AI in it as well when there was already a finished version he performed at an LP. It's genuinely just pathetic, and not something Kendrick would do without serious compromise of years long established values.

I should probably also mention Kanye's... instability. For lack of a better word. I'm gonna preface by saying this clearly his mental health isn't making him do this shit like some evil puppeteer, but it has an incredibly strong influence on him. As we all know at this point, Kanye has been diagnosed with bipolar (although he has gone on record to say it was a misdiagnosis fabricated by "them" (guess who "they" are...) to silence him, and actually he has autism. Not sure to make of the autism thing.). And while Kendrick has talked about struggling with mental health, Kanye's been fighting a pretty depressing to watch war against his (he's literally had a mental break live on stage before). His life is basically ruled by instability thanks to it (and his grief due to him losing his mother way too early) in a way that Kendrick's simply isn't. Not to mention his several addictions. None of those things make Kanye a bad person, or the sole cause of why he does the shit he does, but mixed with his already egotistical personality, it causes a lot of his beliefs to be compromised (for such a devout Christian he ain't very Christ-like) a lot of the time.

And I just don't think Kendrick would spiral in a similar way. If I had to guess, he'll just bow out gracefully by retiring.

TL;DR They're two incredibly different people with incredibly different artistic visions. Kendrick's probably gonna end up with a damn near flawless discography by the end, which Kanye could've also done if he retired at Donda the way God intended.

[rphunter]

hello everybody !! i just wanted to make a roleplay blog for all of my fandomless roleplays ヾ(≧∇≦)ゞ i am currently 19 years old, a broke little college student and someone who is currently residing within the est time zone ٩(˵˃̶ω˂̶˵)◞* i am currently looking for a long term fandomless oc partner who loves ooc talk !! i just overall love becoming friends with the people i am roleplaying with ^^ 18+ people ONLY !! i can go from semi lit, lit, to novella !! i tend to copy but please please please be literate and go slow in the plots !! i am completely fine with smut as long as it does not take up the entire rp unless the plot calls for it x3 i like a good 20 / 80 smut to plot ratio !! i love to read and write !! and i have been in the roleplay community for roughly about 9 - 10 years now !! ( idk how i started so young if i'm being quite frank... ) i would prefer if i had a rather active roleplay partner but if not then thats perfectly fine !! i however, for my sake i would at least want a response every other day if that is okay !! ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰ i do however also want to mention that i only roleplay on discord !!

🧸 ⎯⎯ 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄. 's profile.

coven is really the sweetest guy. he's gentle, super introverted, super shy. he has always been the type that just notices so many tiny things about people just to make them feel heard and taken care of. on the exterior, a very composed and reliable person, though internally drowned by tons of insecurities in his head—mostly because he got bullied at school, some tough stuff with his childhood best friend, who turned out to be the biggest bully of his life. he's a creative soul: baking, painting, playing music. he also overthinks and stresses a whole lot.

he feels under big pressure since he's supposed to take over his family's café, and sometimes he feels like he's not strong enough for that. basically, he wants someone patient and understanding, someone who understands him and his passions. besides, he is a romantic soul, and in relationships, he searches for something mild and meaningful. he hasn't got much experience with love, yet he surely is the kind of guy who would open up just as soon as he would feel comfortable and secured.

face claim ; realistic ⎯ louis partridge | anime ⎯ yeonwoo sunjeong

🥃 ⎯⎯ 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐄. 's profile.

laurence is the kind of man who is all about intellect, especially when it comes to psychology. since he was little, he was fascinated by how people think and behave. smart and capable of explaining even the most intricate things in such a way that somehow would make sense to others, his students like him. he is serious and reserved but actually a very sensitive person who prefers deep, profound contact over light contact.

he is bad in big social environments and has a bit of social anxiety. he guards his emotions and tends to overwork himself, thus forgetting one's own needs at times. laurence is very choosy as to whom he connects with. no small talk, no casual talking. his partner has to challenge him on an intellectual level and share his values, particularly in deep conversations.

speaking about relationships, he seeks a sort of understanding—nothing that necessarily places so much importance on sex in a relationship. he likes being in control in bed and really loves intensity; for him, though, everything else is just trumped by the emotional. laurence is a bit difficult to put across, but when you get past the mask, you will get somebody very passionate, very caring, who actually just wants to find somebody that does understand him, basically.

face claim ; realistic ⎯ zario bolanos | anime ⎯ cheng xiaoshi

🚬 ⎯⎯ 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐀 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐙𝐔. 's profile.

souta is a mess, but somehow an endearing one. outwardly, he's hypercharismatic and adaptable, always wearing that charming persona, but he's got a seriously unstable mess emotionally. mostly, he struggles to establish an identity for himself and more often than not finds himself detached and lonely because of this. this manipulative streak he has is from some fear of rejection when he tries to be openly vulnerable. he works as a bartender, loves to indulge in music and photography, but does things like drinking and smoking as a coping mechanism. he yearns for honesty and depth in his relationships, but his fear of losing his identity—or just getting hurt—holds him back. an enigma, he is—walking and talking—charming, yet lost; craving intimacy, yet scared of it.

face claim ; realistic ⎯ kento yamazaki | anime ⎯ yoru / jin saotome ⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖ i will kiss u on the mouth if you are open for dark themes that'll have people clutching their pearls !! i love taboo themes a lot so i would also prefer if my partner did as well !! currently i am only looking for a m x m roleplay with these fellas !! if you are interested please either interact with this post or go ahead and send me a message ^^

.

[roaldamundsen]

niño lindo (what if lalo and nacho had met before)

Lalo visits Albuquerque in 1992. He sees a 20 years old Nacho who barely looks up from the floor while Lalo scolds a 22 years old Tuco ("Ay, why would tío let a kid run this place?") Varga is a pretty young thing, looks strong enough too, but there's this glint in his eye when he finally raises his head to say something to Tuco. Lalo never forgets it.

In 1990, Lalo would call him mi ángel, mi cielito. Nacho would be blushing hard, and then going out of his way to look tough and impress Lalo. Lalo who would say "You still have a long way to go, cielito. But tell you what! Keep that up and who knows, maybe next time we meet I'll call you by your name".

Nacho in his early cartel years would already be smart, but terribly, terribly dumb if a handsome, powerful older man started paying attention to him. He hasn't been shot yet, he hasn't bled for the Salamancas. His dad is still none the wiser that he's slipping dirty money into the cash register at the shop.

Nacho is 20, going on 21, and on a power high. His usually sharp senses would absolutely fail him.

More ideas being thrown around below the cut

Tuco is too much of an idiot to put two and two together but he still warns Nacho ("Be careful, I love my cousin but he's a raging fag. Watch your ass") and Nacho blushes furiously.

Nacho was always the smart, silent type, partly because of his upbringing, but when he was younger, he didn't have any grudge. He just unabashedly drinks Lalo's words, let his enthusiasm show on his face. He would try to discipline himself, snap out of it because holy shit, this man is your boss, you're getting too comfortable and making a fool of yourself. Nacho just blushes a lot of the time.

Nacho believes he has good street cred, his higher reference being Tuco, only for Lalo to arrive and make Tuco look like an incapable child. To Nacho, ambitious, an outsider, it’s both irritating but also very impressive. To meet someone so good at being in charge. Lalo has that attractive effortlessness at being in charge of big things.

When Lalo has to go back to Mexico, when it's really sinking it that's Lalo's leaving, Nacho wants to blurt out "Take me with you". He doesn't, for a number of reasons. Lalo sees it and he could almost feel sorry for his cielito. Almost.

Unspoken words. Lalo was never going to offer Nacho to come with him, of course. He knows of other dons who keep boytoys around, but Lalo is young too, and wildly ambitious. He's not about to burden himself with a child.

He was someone's boytoy once. The man taught him everything. Just like Hector's abuse, Lalo rationalises it. He never pities himself. And now, he knows better than to humor a kid's infatuation. Lalo would make violent scenes to his mentor sometimes. Lalo doesn't think Nacho would stoop to that but with young love, who knows, it makes you do terrible things.

There's a number of reasons why Nacho doesn't ask, and a number of reasons why Lalo doesn't offer. He would not see it as breaking the cycle of abuse because, what abuse? He's thinking of himself.

Keeping Nacho as a pet would no doubt be a lot of fun, but ultimately not worth the hassle.

So it's even more significant when, years down the line, Lalo comes out of the lawyer's apartment, Nacho asks where to drive him to, and Lalo simply says "Mexico".

And Lalo thinks this will finally reel his Nachito in like "See? This can be us. I'm doing this for you. Now is our time". But the canon is still very much happening, and Nacho is doomed. Too little, too late.

(It adds another layer to the betrayal, too. It was trust that had taken Lalo 12 years to build) (like in canon, Lalo genuinely believes Nacho was ungrateful) (that he went against his family for money).

In 1992, Lalo could have snapped his fingers and Nacho would have dropped to his knees in reverence.

12 years later, when they meet again, Nacho is not as keen. They didn't really think about each other during that time (once Nacho got over his heartbreak) (a year after Lalo left Albuquerque, Nacho saw from the other side of the night club a man who looked a bit like him and his heart does a little jump, and of course it was just a guy who looked like Lalo, and fuck, he had thought he was over it, but not completely, not yet, it seems).

When they meet again, Nacho thinks there's no way Lalo would remember some green, no name chicano. He's wary of Lalo because he's annoyed for being played at 20, but he's even more annoyed at his past self for getting played. So he doesn't bring it up. What would be the point? Lalo doesn't either anyway.

But Lalo remembers, of course he does. As soon as he saw these eyes again he remembered (meanwhile, Nacho never forgot his voice, and his words) (Nacho remembers how Lalo gave him his love for old cars, how he cooked him food so flavorful he chased that taste for years in the hopes of finding it again) (after losing his mom's warm, homemade cooking, he lost Lalo's).

In 1992, Nacho still had a full head of dark curls. When Lalo sees him again he's more muscular, his head is buzzed. His eyes though. They're still gorgeous. Lalo sees they've lost their innocence, but the shimmer of intelligence that he saw that time... That's still very much there. A deadlier weapon, a knife sharpened on the Salamanca edge.

Lalo knows how much Nacho liked his food back then, and so he knows, with how well contained Nacho’s expressions are, with his composure, that the man standing before him has changed.

Lalo enjoys this older, mature Nacho. Over the years he heard he was doing well for himself and serving the Salamancas as he should (just like Lalo predicted). Plus now his cielito has some bite! Lalo thinks "That's what was missing", and smiles to himself.

But God, does his amorcito still looks like an angel. Even if by now its an angel of death.

Lalo likes to observe Nacho closely to catch glimpses of his younger self, constantly looking to see if he's still in there. When Nacho opens himself, offers to kill Domingo, Lalo gets to catch a glimpse of his cielito. He is still in there. It's almost endearing.

Meanwhile, for Nacho, it's a revelation to get to see Lalo again, this mountain of a person in his mind up close and real again.

He reverts back, if just for a moment, to his younger self when he sees Lalo again ― back to that 20 year old kid who couldn’t even look that particular Salamanca in the eye, knees shaky and cheeks flushed. Despite being older now, weathered by the job, tougher and sharper, he has to lie to himself and insist he’s not afraid.

A scared boy, in way over his head, ordered around like a dog, his leash just handed from one person to another. Nacho swallows and pretends he doesn’t know that Lalo is going to be gripping that leash tighter than anyone ever has.

So Lalo still makes his blood run cold and his heart falter (a combination that scares the shit out of him), but the gap between them seems to be closing, he feels like he's catching up to Lalo. He knows he has to manipulate him.

Older Nacho knows better than to fall (again) for Lalo's pet names. But when Lalo leaves, young Nacho can't stop thinking "What was that about then?" He's bitter. Still smart enough not to make a scene but, oh man, did he fall fast. His mind a swirl of cielito, cariño, amorcito, niño lindo. "What was that then, what was that about?" (he probably punches a wall or two about it).

Older Nacho pretends he's not interested, he's not that kid anymore, while seducing of Lalo on purpose and feigning ignorance. Once he's home, he jerks off to Lalo like his life depends on it. Like he used to.

When they finally touch each other by the bonfire, after years and years of yearning, Nacho just about loses his mind. So does Lalo, and he strains to hide it just as badly.

Thank you @themadknightuniverse @karlavhh @gerandor @chocopinda @nostalgic-shamefest @scftpink for writing this with me ❤️

[lunarsilkscreen]

The Virgin Mary

I've raised plenty of eyebrows about my biblical "interpretations" before; but none so much as asking what the definition of "Virgin" means, AND insinuating that Mary was a prostitute.

...at least for a day.

That opening scene in the New Testament; Mary and Joseph could not find an AirBnB to save their life. You know what they did find though? Three "Wise" men.

Let's backtrack a bit; What does a "Virgin" mean? Today we use it to mean "Hasn't ever had sex and therefore isn't defiled or spoiled by other men."

That's not what it means in the Bible. Virgin women in the Bible are both rare and considered holy; but why are they considered "Holy"?

Have you ever stopped to think about this?

It's because they're "Fertile". It'd be what people consider a "Real Woman" or a "Cishet Woman" today.

A "Real Woman" is someone who is after the age of puberty and before the age of menopause, and can give birth.

That's what a "Virgin" used to mean.

Whether or not I wish to be one is another matter entirely.

And today, in the U.S. at least; you can't throw a penny off the empire state building without hitting a woman with a womb.

Not so in other countries; because women aren't considered sacred and holy there anymore. They're considered to be a lower class and subservient.

At least here; all are considered to be equal in the eyes of God. Or at the very least; our constitution.

I don't know if you can say that about your country; who is *probably* so worried about Rape and Abuse you have legislation that requires your women to be wrapped in seran wrap and clothen chains.

Why was this important though? And exactly how many nights at a Motel 6 could $20 and a pack of Marborol lights get you 2000 years ago?

They certainly found a place to stay, but that stay came at a cost; a child born out of wedlock that required a retainer to contact Mary to ensure the baby was properly taken care of before being completely abandoned and disregarded by Herod...

This is rather important because Jesus Christ has to remind people that he was a "Male Child" and that it was his mother who was the "Virgin".

That double-entendre is how we got the definition of Virgin we have today. How was Jesus born if his mother hadn't had sex yet? How was Jesus born if his Mother *wasn't* a Virgin?

Why did Jesus have to remind people he was born Male? I frequently ponder this question. His depictions are always with that bushy beard, yet he had to remind people he was not, in fact, a "Virgin"

Perhaps that's what "Christ" means? "I'm not a Virgin, I'm a Christ".

Around the world there are different depictions of Masculinity and Femininity than we have in our two-gender system.

In China, there are the Manly Men and the Femimen. But; I don't see how they depict their women. I haven't come across the literature without it depicting two kinds of "Men" specifically.

Male Sex Men. Not men as in humans.

With what literature I *have* had access too; it may be that Virgin Women in *that* culture are a defacto third gender. I wonder why that might be.

However; there's a depiction that is in the Bible that many don't really seem to reference or care about. This concept of which of the two parents a child looks *more* like.

The Father, or the Mother?

Son of Man, Son of Woman, Daughter of Man, Daughter of Woman.

Possibly Jesus himself trying to explain why he looks so feminine, despite being a man; "I just look like my mother, not my Dad, it happens. I'm real dammit!"

Why do you think Jesus hung out with criminals and protected prostitutes? Because, he knew what the life was like.

The new testament covers quite a few Mental Health topics not really depicted in the old testament. This was likely his God given path, considering how he frequently battled his own demons, and spoke on the subject.

Denoted as a conversation with the devil himself; hungry enough to turn rocks into bread and eat them. You grind the rocks and/or sand into powder, and add water. Like you would any other grain.

What kind of rocks do you think Jesus considered eating? If he was severely depressed and hungry and lonely in the desert?

He later threw himself off a roof, and was caught by passersby, saved from his own self-sacrifice.

What a life must he have lived to not only know the things he knew; but be able to assist many with their own personal demons?

A miracle worker to the end.

Quite possibly a Trans Woman.

If he existed; why does it seem like fanatics don't really understand his story? Why does it seem like I was the only one who really understood what the Priest was reading out loud, and why did it seem the priest himself didn't understand the words despite reading the phrase aloud;

"Listen to their words, but don't believe them, for they don't know what they mean." - paraphrased.

I've had a helping hand and a lot of tutelage in recent years; so this post isn't particularly my own. I did make it an interesting read though, and it's in line with my own understanding.

However; I'm still anti-church. It's just that I don't get along with particular Jesus-stans who haven't really read the book.

Know what I'm sayin'?

And it saddens me that, to this day, Mecca is vehemently Anti-Queer, just like it was 2000 years ago.

Just like Sodom and Gomorrah. Human Rights violations for days, and despite being so hardcore Sharia Law... Didn't actually stop to understand the fucking book.

They say "You know Palestine and Israel are anti-trans right?" Yeah; so is like 80% of the world. For no real reason except that it's fashionable to do so.

That doesn't mean I don't care about people's souls... That doesn't mean I'm not empathetic. That doesn't mean I don't understand the issue.

It does mean; y'all don't understand me. And you sure as shit don't understand your prophets and your saints and your God damned Messiahs you hold so dear.

You would sooner crucify them all again than to think through your actions carefully. And I would sooner die, than to let you tell me how I don't really exist.

[darkrpfinders]

hello everybody !! i just wanted to make a roleplay blog for all of my fandomless roleplays ヾ(≧∇≦)ゞ i am currently 19 years old, a broke little college student and someone who is currently residing within the est time zone ٩(˵˃̶ω˂̶˵)◞* i am currently looking for a long term fandomless oc partner who loves ooc talk !! i just overall love becoming friends with the people i am roleplaying with ^^ 18+ people ONLY !! i can go from semi lit, lit, to novella !! i tend to copy but please please please be literate and go slow in the plots !! i am 100% okay with smut as well as long as it does not take up the entire roleplay unless the scenario calls for it x3 i like a 20 / 80 smut to plot ratio !! i love to read and write !! and i have been in the roleplay community for roughly about 9 - 10 years now !! ( idk how i started so young if i'm being quite frank... ) i would prefer if i had a rather active roleplay partner but if not then thats perfectly fine !! i however, for my sake i would at least want a response every other day if that is okay !! ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰ i do however also want to mention that i only roleplay on discord !!

🧸 ⎯⎯ 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄. 's profile.

coven is really the sweetest guy. he's gentle, super introverted, super shy. he has always been the type that just notices so many tiny things about people just to make them feel heard and taken care of. on the exterior, a very composed and reliable person, though internally drowned by tons of insecurities in his head—mostly because he got bullied at school, some tough stuff with his childhood best friend, who turned out to be the biggest bully of his life. he's a creative soul: baking, painting, playing music. he also overthinks and stresses a whole lot.

he feels under big pressure since he's supposed to take over his family's café, and sometimes he feels like he's not strong enough for that. basically, he wants someone patient and understanding, someone who understands him and his passions. besides, he is a romantic soul, and in relationships, he searches for something mild and meaningful. he hasn't got much experience with love, yet he surely is the kind of guy who would open up just as soon as he would feel comfortable and secured.

face claim ; realistic ⎯ louis partridge | anime ⎯ yeonwoo sunjeong

🥃 ⎯⎯ 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐄. 's profile.

laurence is the kind of man who is all about intellect, especially when it comes to psychology. since he was little, he was fascinated by how people think and behave. smart and capable of explaining even the most intricate things in such a way that somehow would make sense to others, his students like him. he is serious and reserved but actually a very sensitive person who prefers deep, profound contact over light contact.

he is bad in big social environments and has a bit of social anxiety. he guards his emotions and tends to overwork himself, thus forgetting one's own needs at times. laurence is very choosy as to whom he connects with. no small talk, no casual talking. his partner has to challenge him on an intellectual level and share his values, particularly in deep conversations.

speaking about relationships, he seeks a sort of understanding—nothing that necessarily places so much importance on sex in a relationship. he likes being in control in bed and really loves intensity; for him, though, everything else is just trumped by the emotional. laurence is a bit difficult to put across, but when you get past the mask, you will get somebody very passionate, very caring, who actually just wants to find somebody that does understand him, basically.

face claim ; realistic ⎯ zario bolanos | anime ⎯ cheng xiaoshi

🚬 ⎯⎯ 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐀 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐙𝐔. 's profile.

souta is a mess, but somehow an endearing one. outwardly, he's hypercharismatic and adaptable, always wearing that charming persona, but he's got a seriously unstable mess emotionally. mostly, he struggles to establish an identity for himself and more often than not finds himself detached and lonely because of this. this manipulative streak he has is from some fear of rejection when he tries to be openly vulnerable. he works as a bartender, loves to indulge in music and photography, but does things like drinking and smoking as a coping mechanism. he yearns for honesty and depth in his relationships, but his fear of losing his identity—or just getting hurt—holds him back. an enigma, he is—walking and talking—charming, yet lost; craving intimacy, yet scared of it.

face claim ; realistic ⎯ kento yamazaki | anime ⎯ yoru / jin saotome ⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖ i will kiss u on the mouth if you are open for dark themes that'll have people clutching their pearls !! i love taboo themes a lot so i would also prefer if my partner did as well !! currently i am only looking for a m x m roleplay with these fellas !! if you are interested please either interact with this post or go ahead and send me a message ^^

.

[denimbex1986]

'Netflix gives Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley a noir spin, as the popular thriller about a charming yet deadly swindler gets a contemporary makeover. Starring Andrew Scott in the title role, the limited series follows the small-time con artist Tom Ripley as he is hired by a shipping mogul to retrieve his evasive son Dickie (Johnny Flynn) from an endless vacation in Italy. As Tom weasels his way deeper and deeper into Dickie's life, friends Marge (Dakota Fanning) and Freddie (Eliot Sumner) grow suspicious, especially after Dickie goes missing.

Exquisitely shot and acted, Ripley is a riveting tale that captures the timeless twists of the psychological thriller. Even fans who may have already seen the 1999 film starring Matt Damon will be able to appreciate the incredible writing of this new take, packed with witty dialogue that creates turning points for the story and characters. Here are a few lines that stood out in the series...

1 (25 VOTES) 'She's Saying That Because She's Jealous.'

Episode: “II SEVEN MERCIES”

This line is a textbook example of Tom working his dark magic on Dickie's psyche by planting seeds of doubt about his relationship with Marge. Marge makes it clear that she does not care for Tom; she also believes he has romantic feelings for Dickie. When Dickie tells Tom what Marge thinks, this is Tom's response.

Once again, Tom paints himself a victim, denying himself of any wrongdoing and the victim of a witch hunt in which he is just an innocent player. In truth, Tom might have feelings for Dickie, but they're less of a crush, and more of what a predator feels for his prey.

2 (14 VOTES) 'Yeah. That's Right. Dickie Greenleaf. It's Nice To Meet You Too.'

Episode: “I A HARD MAN TO FIND”

In a chilling moment of foreshadowing Tom can be seen practicing calling himself Dickie in the mirror of his hotel room in the final moments of the first episode. The cheerful smile reveals that the low-level swindler is about to graduate to much more serious crimes in the near future as he tries his new identity on for size. Though he hasn't worked out how or when quite yet, it is clear that Tom has something nefarious in store for Dickie, and that Herbert Greenleaf perhaps should've thought twice before sending this man to retrieve his son.

3 (13 VOTES) 'You're A Hard Man To Find.'

Episode: “I A HARD MAN TO FIND”

These six words end up destroying the worlds of so many people, while providing a viper his meal ticket. When Tom Ripley is contacted by private detective Alvin McCarron at a seedy dive bar, these are the words that set the wheels in motion that will eventually change Ripley's world. Herbert Greenleaf's efforts to bring his son back stateside allowed him to get desperate, and any man will do, even a man as hard to find as Tom Ripley. He should have taken the hint and given up the search.

4 (20 VOTES) 'You're Free Of Me Now, And I Of You.'

Episode: “I A HARD MAN TO FIND”

In a rather indignant letter to his Aunt Dottie, Tom Ripley writes on stationery from the Orient Express that his luck has now changed and he doesn't need her assistance anymore. He adds that he didn't cash her last pity check, not because he was deceased, but because it was unneeded.

The scene shows that Tom is in great need of an ego boost and had grown weary of being has his aunt's mercy. They apparently had grown resentful of each other over the years, so this was the perfect opportunity for Tom to burn that bridge. He's a bitter man at heart, who relishes in small slights when he has the opportunity to enjoy them.

5 (10 VOTES) 'Oh, I Hope He Did.'

Episode: “VIII NARCISSUS”

At a soiree in Venice, Tom chats with a group of pretty, young things about fugitive playboy Dickie Greenleaf, particularly his paintings. A young art dealer states that he would be interesting in representing the possible murderer, as his paintings would be in high demand considering his wanted status. He follows those comments with a distasteful remark about hoping Dickie is, in fact, guilty, as that would allow his artwork to fetch a higher price than if he is proven innocent. A woman they are with chuckles at the horrific remark.

6 (10 VOTES) 'His Rolex. His Clothes. His Ferragamos. What Else Have You Got, Tom? His Money? His Picasso?'

Episode: “V LUCIO”

The jig is up: Dickie's pal Freddie Miles has dropped by to visit his friend, only to find Tom Ripley wearing Dickie's shoes, watch, and clothes. Freddie already knows that Tom is a thief and a man of less scrupulous means after doing some digging about his life in New York. What he doesn't know is that exposing that knowledge to Tom places him in a perilous position, and that he only has a precious minutes left in his life.

7 (7 VOTES) '...Because He Loved Me.'

Episode: "VIII NARCISSUS"

This conversation marks the final nail in the coffin for the investigation into the disappearance of Dickie Greenleaf. PI Alvin McCarron is interrogating Tom Ripley and he seems so close to discovering that Dickie was murdered by Tom, accusing the con artist of murder right when they sit down. But Tom twists the narrative, taking the blame for Dickie's death, but not calling it a murder. Tom shares the story of how Dickie's life was a failure and a lie, how he never lived up to his potential and how he could never love Marge... because he was secretly in love with Tom. After Tom rejected his advances, Dickie took his own life and possibly Freddie's.

What's even more impressive about this quote is that McCarron is satisfied with Tom's answer and leaves, never getting the truth.

8 (7 VOTES) 'All I Offered You Is My Friendship And Respect And Asked For Nothing In Return.'

Episode: “III SOMMERSO”

Dickie has grown weary of Tom Ripley hanging around Atrani and running into him and Marge. After two months, he just wants to enjoy his never-ending Italian holiday without a third wheel. Dickie also reveals that he's been in contact with his father, who feels Tom took advantage of his good nature.

During this confrontation scene, which takes place out on a boat, Tom demonstrates once again how he deft he is at playing the victim, He contorts the situation so he is the hurt party, rather than the one guilty of inserting himself and his devious inventions where they don't belong. This line is a perfect example of how Tom portrays himself as a martyr, even when he's plotting new ways to steal Dickie's life.

9 (6 VOTES) 'Except He's Not Going To Be Alone. You'll Be There... Apparently.'

Episode: “IV LA DOLCE VITA”

Tom goes to break the news to Marge that Dickie has decided to move on to without her - he is not going to Cortina for the holidays like they planned, and he has not-so pleasant things to say about her. She isn't buying it, not for a minute. She knows her beloved Dickie well after spending months with him, and she knows that this is not in his nature. On the other hand, she doesn't trust Tom as far as she can throw him. So, when Tom says, "[Dickie] said he's feeling like he wants to be alone for a while," this is her response, revealing she's onto Tom and his antics.

10 (0 VOTES) 'Everything About Tom Is Perfectly Vague. Intentionally So, If You Ask Me. Or Haven't You Noticed?'

Episode: “IV LA DOLCE VITA”

Dickie might not think Tom is a bad guy, but Marge isn't fooled by his charms. Throughout the series, Marge is a perfect foil for the crafty Tom Ripley. She sees through his “innocent tourist” act to the more sinister nature beneath. She has a gut feeling about him and in her soul knows that he cannot be trusted. In a letter to the missing Dickie who has "fled to Rome," she expresses curiosity about his odd behavior and wonders why he trusts Tom. She explains why she doesn't trust the man, and why Dickie shouldn't either. Sadly, she does not realize she's writing to a corpse.

11 (0 VOTES) 'I'm Not Someone Who Takes Advantage Of People.'

Episode: “II SEVEN MERCIES”

In an effort to get close to Dickie, Tom is forced to show his hand somewhat. He confesses to Dickie that he was sent to Atrani by Dickie's father to bring him home, which serves as a way of earning Dickie's trust. By giving him a key piece of information, then following it up with this line, he encourages the shipping heir to see him as a loyal friend. Which he isn't. Not by a country mile.

12 (0 VOTES) 'You Hear What She Said? We're The Nicest Americans She Ever Met.'

Episode: “II SEVEN MERCIES”

While Dickie and Tom explore Atrani, the come across a disheveled woman in the middle of the road who claims she was mugged. Dickie graciously gives her enough money to "take her to Rome" and puts her in a cab that was conveniently waiting nearby. Tom informs the shipping heir that it was probably a scam, which Dickie at first denies, then brushes off, claiming he doesn't care as they needed the money.

The scene demonstrates how trusting Dickie can be and why he falls for Tom's nice-guy act so completely. He wants to see the good in everything and everyone, because he himself is lovely. This quality is what makes him so easy for Tom to eventually destroy.

13 (0 VOTES) 'I Want To Think You Wouldn't Have Done This If Your Italian Was Better, But I'm No So Sure...'

Episode: “II SEVEN MERCIES”

The cracks in Tom's facade begin to show when the con artist introduces Dickie to a shady character named Carlo, who has a "business proposition" regarding the transfer of money. Immediately Dickie is suspicious, placing the man as a mafia member. He also begins to see Tom in a whole new light as he notices that Carlo treated Tom as a "kindred spirit." He asks of Tom, "Is this the kind of thing you do in New York?"

14 (0 VOTES) 'It's Not Fair To You, Marge, Or To Me, That Dickie Isn't Having This Conversation With You.'

Episode: “VII MACABRE ENTERTAINMENT”

Tom sits in the bath having a conversation with a seemingly-alive Dickie, practicing what he will say to Marge. The scene switches to Dickie's point of view before it switchesback again, and the figure of Dickie is replaced by Marge as she listens to Tom's monologue.

This chilling scene shows the audience how Tom rehearses for every scenario - every possible conversation that he might have with every person - so he is never caught off guard. The man likes to be prepared.

15 (3 VOTES) 'I Have Come To No Conclusions. I Make No Accusations. I Only Say There Is One Dead Man And One Missing Man. And That You Are The Last Known To See Both.'

Episode: “VI SOME HEAVY INSTRUMENT”

This quote comes as Inspector Pietro Ravini is interrogating Dickie Greenleaf - or at least, the man who he believes is Dickie Greenleaf, but is actually Tom Ripley. It appears that Dickie was the last person to see his friend Freddie alive before he was murdered, and Dickie's friend Tom Ripley also appears to be missing.

Tom cannot provide a reliable alibi to the times and dates of the possible murders, or any evidence to the contrary, so he becomes Ravini's top suspect. This is the moment that Tom's clever plan starts to go sideways, as it seems stealing Dickie's identity might not be as easy as he first thought.'

[daryldixonfanfiction]

What You Fight For pt.1 -Suck-ass camp!

masterlist

Summary: with no hope of saving the prison against the Governor, Daryl has to resume the fight for survival. Protecting Julia (a 20-year-old woodberry-girl) bak into the cruel world of the walking dead.

Warnings: age gape, twd stuff, swearing, angst, Daryl losing his sh!t, mentions of underage drinking.

wc: 9,8k

The blazing midday sun shone upon the fears battlefield.

Daryl fiers upon walkers, killing one with the but of his rifle. Approaching the tank he drops a hand grenade swiftly into it, single handedly taking it down.

"Grinade!" The man yells, jumping down.

The tank explodes, flames erupt through the top. Holding out one of his hands, silent, the man pleads for mercy. Only a cold stare with darkening blue eyes bore into him. Swishing sound of the bolt is released, piercing his heart, making him fall to the ground. Daryl holds his gaze on the body, blankly staring as his home crumbles before his eyes.

How did it all go so wrong

"Daryl"! A woman's voice yells from behind, heridly with a girl close on her heel.

"Marlene...You good"? Daryl questions, gaze falling on the bleeding wound on her side.

"I was gonna take her myself but I won't make it anywhere like this, not for a while anyway. So now I'm asking you to do it." Marlene said with pained breaths.

The girl's eyes widened at her words.

"Take her?...where...?" Daryl questions.

"There's a team of French scientists waiting for her. I know what you're capable of, Daryl."

Daryl's face drops slightly.

What is he capable of?

"You'll keep her safe. Take this map, bring her to this facility". Marlene hands Daryl a map with the location already marked.

Dr. Jenner's words flashes, "It was the French. They thought they were close to a solution".

Daryl glansess at the girl, trying to comprehend the odd information. It didn't make much sense to him. Why hasn't she said anything about this before? What's the reason for not sharing it to the council?

...

They had never talked, but Daryl knew who she was.

How could't he.

All the men were nuts for her. Daryl didn't pay the girl any attention, just cast a few glances to see what the fuss was about. Not liking girls was not the case, he just never really thought about them in that way. Always busy with keeping people 'safe and fed,' he told himself. Really Daryl was just insecure, afraid only believing people couldn't like him or were scared of him. Making himself think girls were just a bother.

She never really stood out, keeping to herself, only close to Marlene or that guy he wasn't sure was a friend or boyfriend. Often she was surrounded by children, playing, reading and telling stories they loved. The children adored the girl. In their eyes she was their sun, giving light this world had taken from them. They made her smile, that radiant smile, making her dimples show. And her voice. Don't forget about that damned siren voice of hers. Perhaps that was why all the men got nuts? Daryl didn't really know anything about singing, he often heard Beth or Magi sing. It was nothing compared to hers, hers was angellike. She could make babies fall asleep, soothe them instantly and lure men to their deaths if so desired.

Not Daryl, he never got distracted.

If not with the children she did landrie, washing and hanging them on those sunny days before most had woken up. Perhaps she did it on purpose, not wanting to interact with others. Daryl always went out hunting in the early mornings, he could hear her hum those soothing melodies. He often listened, in secret passing by the laundry, hanging like curtains, shielding her from view. Only hums of melodic tunes could be heard. Daryl was quick about it only passing through careful not to be notist. That one time he stayed just a bit longer, he drifted away in the melodies, warm as a summer breeze, captivating like the deepest sunseat. It made Daryl feel soothed, just like those children did. He knocks over a barrel scaring the girl away, almost blowing his cover.

...

As she stood before him close to Marlene, Daryl couldn't help but notice the frightened look in her eyes. As if seeing this world for the first time, the raw reality of it all, not fully comprehending the prison was no more. Maybe she had been shielded from it back in Woodbury?

Daryl shifts his gaze back to Marlene.

"Rick and the others would have wanted this and you know it". Marlene pleads as her hand squeezes her side (She was desperate).

There was nothing left for him here. They're all gone. Just gone.

"What about the kids"? The girl frantically asks Marlene.

"Beth and the others know to take the bus if things go south, they'll make it". Marlene reassured her.

"Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everybody know". Daryl remembered telling Sasha and Tyrese just moments ago.

They were gone too.

"I know you're thinking it through but please remember i'm bleeding out", Marlene urges, sensing his hesitation.

But then..Daryl nods and Marlene nods bak. It was settled.

"Really that fast?", the girl looks between them, confused and scared at the same time. Making Daryl glans at her again.

"I can't leave you!" She pleaded with Marlene.

Never had she experienced this world outside woodbury or the prison. The news of Marlene not going with her like she said she wolde, frightened her terribly. Daryl was someone she didn't really know. Could she trust him? If Marlene did, perhaps she should too?

" Julia. You are all that matters. Remember what I told you"? Marlene answered with a firm gaze.

"Yes' ', Julia answers, nodding with tears in her eyes, warning to fall down her cheeks. Because she knew, knew she would have to leave Marlene behind. She was the only one Julia really thrusted, (the one who knew her secret).

Marlene; You cannot tell anyone of this. Because if you do... I assure you.. You will die...

"Now both of you go. Now. I'll cover you", Marlene hurriedly says urging her forward to Daryl. Hesitantly Julia moves next to him, sharing a lingering look with Marlene who holds out her gun, taking out walkers coming their way.

"Daryl." "One more thing". "You protect her with your life". "You hear me. " Marlene tells him with her firm, serious voice. Daryl only stares back with a stern face.

Julia's eyes drift up towards Daryl's face as he urges her.

"C'mon." "We got to go."

Daryl proceeds when she doesn't answer, grabbing her wrist and drags her away.

She struggles in his grip shouting as her feet drag along the ground.

"No, no!" "We are not leaving her! Get off me.. please!" "I'm not going with You!"

But seeing Marlene gaze after them she gives in, meeting her gaze one last time, a woman she would like to call a friend. She wasn't worth it she thought, but Marlene did, Marlene thought she was worth something.

They sprint as hard as they can into the woods ahead, escaping, leaving the prison in ruins, the undead comes in every angel, snarling and groaning after their flesh. She follows his every move and turn, avoiding the reaching hands trying to pull them in. Never before had she experienced such horror. Truly she was terrified.

Suddenly the undead were everywhere, surrounding her, giving her no way of escape. Not long goes by before a swishing sound sings in the air, a bolt hits bullseye in the walkers head, then hitting the next one with the body of the crossbow, the third walker approaching snarls, Daryl kicks it in it's abdomen making it stumble bak, giving him just the nick of time to direct her for the gape.

"Don't look back!" "Just keep going, I'll cover you!" Dary yells, pushing her ahed before him as they keep on running deeper into the woods. Heart pounding against their rib cages, breaths panting, as the feeling of adrenaline moves through their veins. Leaves crunch beneath their feet, the wind shifts whistling thru trees, taking away the foul stench from the walkers.

Upon a field, cutting off the forest behind them, Daryl keeps on glancing back, making sure they've lost them. The undead were nowhere to be seen. Pushing through the thick greenery scratching their skin they stop for just a moment, catching their breaths before hurriedly looking back continuing to grow their distance from the dead.

"She's shore is fast for someone with short legs like hers '', Daryl thought, appreciating the pace.

Finally they stop, throwing themselves on the ground, exhausted, gasping for air. Laying upon the dry grass next to one another, Daryl with his hand holding a bolt resting against his forehead and the other spread out to the side with his crossbow next to him, he closed his eyes, cashing his breath. She laid with both of her arms spread out from her sides, staring into the sky not really believing she was really out here. The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of the sun gave a warm orange tint upon the overgrown greenery while birds above decorated the sky.

Julias Diary:

Hey. I know it's been awhile. I'm gonna be honest, I forgot about you.

After the turn, It was as if the world crumbled beneath my feet. But something happened. something good. Finally,

Marlene thinks the prison can become our new home after woodberry.

I can't believe I got my own bed. My own bed in my own room. And I've been keeping the scar hidden. Haven't told a soul.

I've been afraid to get my hopes up, thinkin we can actually stay here.

The thing is, I've been starting to get afraid that it's easier just to be afraid. But this morning Marlene said something. "If you don't have hope, what's the point of living?"

And I'm gonna write this down now, because you should write down wishes to make them come true.

We can live here. We can live here for the rest of our lives.

...

They never went to sleep that night -They couldn't. Orange hue glowed from the small fire between them, being the only source of light in the forest, dancing against their skin. Sounds of insects hummed as crackling snapped. For a long time they were quiet, thinking of what was lost.

Staring into the flames the light of hope within her still sparked. When all seems lost the optimistic trait often took over, not allowing her to lose hope. The hope some have survived.

It couldn't be just them.

But when she looked upon him across the fire, he was sitting there, blankly staring, body slouching, heavy arms resting on his knees -And she wondered what haunted his mind. Like contemplating the edge of the universe. Something told her what he was truly thinking. The prison -She did too. But they had to do something.

His chest felt hollowed out, body heavy, staring into the fire as he drifted away- Tired from being tired, tired from running all day, no food, no sleep. He wished it did not feel so painful inside of himself. Wished he did not feel so lost believing they others were gone. But now the quiet was the loudest thing of all, as if he nearly melted into the dancing flames of the fire, drifting away with the current of sorrows. He had failed them, letting it all happen, he should have done something differently.

Maybe they would be alive then.

Losing them made the world lose its color. Everything felt dull, meningles, leaving a bad taste on his tongue. Nothing could fill that void within his heart, instead filling it with numbness, fading into the same nothingness as night itself.

We can't just sit here.

"We should do something", Julia croaked, speaking her mind, looking ahead towards Daryl. It falls on deaf ears. Just sitting there in his own thoughts.

Please don't tell me he's given up.

"We should do something", she repeated with more strength in her tone, finally getting his attention.

Daryl lifted his head, slowly.

He meets her desperate eyes, as she gauges him after any sign of hope, it's all gone, making her desperate to keep on. She had to.

"We aren't the only survivors." "We can't be.'' "Rick and Michonne". "They could be out here." "Maggie and Glenn could have made it out of A block." She spoke with optimism.

He lowered his gaze upon his hands resting against his knees with the same doleful face.

"they could've", she insisted, shaking her head heavily in disbelief of the thought they didn't make it.

She knew he wasn't going to answer her with his eyes set on the fire. Staring and staring.

...Silence...then...

"You're a tracker." "You can track." Julia insisted, standing on her feet, still looking at him.

Daryl said nothing.

"Come on." her voice higher pitched, becoming desperate with his no response.

"The sun will be up soon." "If we head out now, we can.." She stops mid sentence, frustration growing before she throws a mini temper, responding to his silence.

He seemed to ignore her so easily, as if she wasn't even there.

"Fine!" "If you won't track, I will!" She exclaimed, walking forward, taking his hunting knife beside him, turning on her heel, stomping away to the opposite direction further in the forest.

Daryl ignored her pleads, hoping she would just give up. She had to realize all hope was lost, and it would be stupid, dangerous to track in the dark. Looking up as Julia disappears into the dark forest, he knows he has to follow. That girl was blinded by her innocence of the world, so sure they could find them. But could he blame her for thinking so?

Her innocence would do more harm than good, Daryl believed, putting the fire out with his bot, going after her as he breathed a deep sigh.

This girl is going to be the death of me.

....

Dawn brings light into the forest, welcoming another day. The morning sun ignites the green colors with such life. Rays of gold shone between nut-brown tree trunks, birds sang their morning songs and insects hummed, filling their silence with its life.

Daryl knells down, brushing dried leaves of some muddied footprints, studying it. He knew it to be of someone but no hope was rising within. Manny walker tracks could be seen making the person's survival slim. It felt pointless to track for people who would probably be dead and likely walkers by now. Regardless, he did it anyway. And why? Daryl didn't really know. Blowing the last leaves away, revealing the footprints, bigger ones: adult. And a smaller one: most likely child.

"Could be Luke's. Or Molly's." "whoever they are, it means they're alive." Julia said, locking behind his shoulder.

"No..". "This means they were alive four or five hours ago." Daryl answers bitterly. Sleep deprived as he was, his voice sounded more deep and rougher than usual.

When can this man stop being so grumpy

"There alive,'' Julia snaps back, stomping ahead, following the tracks.

Daryl watched her walk away as he tiredly stood to full height, leaving a deep sigh going after her, agin.

A dirt road leads them on. Walking a few feet in front of Daryl, Julia looks desperately for any signs for more tracks. Julia wasn't much of a tracker herself, therefore finding it difficult. That didn't stop her from trying. How hard could it be? She keeps on looking, knife tight in her hand. Julia felt silly caring such a big weapon, really she had never used one before, never needed to. But it made her feel safe. Daryl never asked for it bak, as if wanting her to keep it. He could hold his own with his crossbow, she was safer that way, he believed.

Slowly studying the ground a faint trace of someone feeding on wild grapes from the bushes beside the dirt road could be seen, with more tracks following it. Daryl stops, pointing it out to Julia.

"They picked up the pace right here." Daryl Moshend with his hand, towards it. "Got out in a hurry. "Things went bad..." He trails off, as if thinking the rest in his head. Perhaps learning from earlier, (her dislike for his no-support approach).

"Wouldn't kill you to have a little faith." Julia spoke as she felt his stubernes, to think like she did. They would find them if they just tried hard enough. She hoped so.

"Yeah, faith..." "Faith ain't done shit for us."Sure as hell didn't do nothing for that friend of yours." Daryl spoke bluntly.

When that last sentence left his mouth Daryl immediately was filled with regret. Fuck, he shoulde never have spoken. Daryl couldn't help it, he was not good with words.

Julia flinched, visibly, eyes widened and round as she whirls facing him of the mentioning of Marlene.

Her chest tensed to such bluntness. Julia glares at him with 'I can't believe you said that', look. Her lips stretch in a straight line swallowing down the rising hurt and frustration.

He must have noticed her look in her eyes, because he looked at her with eyes that decisive his cruel words. He did not apologize, she didn't expect him to, knowing somewhere within, he was herting to. So she averted her eyes, facing away from him, breaking that awkward silence between them, holstering the knife in her belt. Acting like they never had spoken, busying herself with picking wild grapes opposite to where he stands still at the trace he pointed out.

Daryl didn't dare to say another word, afraid to cause more harm.

Silence.. then

"They'll be hungry when we find them", voice strained, she was obviously hurt.

Julia didn't wanna think of such a possibility, that Marlene died saving her that day , the hope of no one surviving hurt even more. She desired for it to be different. Holding onto hope and denying any other beliefs. And she was frightened. Frightened of a life which entails the world was cruel and unsparing for any good to exist.

Daryl pondered on what to do, he knew he went too far. Apologizing... He didn't really know how to. Thinking of what she just said, he pulls out his black bandana out of his back pocket, gently tapping her arm with it. Perhaps an attempt at an apology?

Like a scolded child he looked down, ashamed, not daring to make eye contact. Feeling undeserving to do so. She takes it from his outstretched arm, meeting his gaze awkwardly then looks down on the bandana, filling it with the grapes. Daryl watched her for a moment before ending it with a quick node.

Daryl sighs, relieved the tense moment had passed.

Motioning with his crossbow to keep on, she hesitates at first, washing him scan the trees with his back towards her a couple feet ahead. Seeing her approach he leads them on.

A snaky path leads them further. Daryl scans the ground like it's second nature; he stops, observing a leaf covered in something. It didn't seem like a good sign by the face he made. Notesting his quietnes, Julia asks.

"what"?

Daryl shakes his head,"That ain't walker blood", In knowing, but he held back, not sounding blunt nor cruel as before.

Inexperienced as she was, the optimism didn't budge. It was just blood, didn't mean they were gone. Meaby she thought if no bodies were found, they would still be alive somewhere.

Two killed walkers laid on the ground. The undead gave her chills down her spine, not used to such terrifying monster yeat. Walking past the walkers she said optimistically.

"The trail keeps going". "They fought them off-.

"No". "Got walker tracks all up and down here". "At least a dozen of them", Daryl casually answered, pointing to the killed walkers on the ground, meaning these two were not the only ones chasing them.

The realization more walkers could be close lurking somewhere, her stomach drops, fear pricks her chest, anxiety burns like a lump stuck in her throat. With wide round eyes she looks for any signs of danger. Daryl turns around facing the opposite direction, eyes still fixed on the walkers tracks, unfazed, as if such horror did not frighten him.

silence ...

A twig snaps

She turns hastily, unsheathing the knife in a death grip. Hair wipes in the air, feeling something -something lurking, but can't pinpoint where. As her eyes darted around in panic, her heart drums hundred miles per hour, hair stands up in the nap of her neck, sensing a horror drawing near.

Without them knowing, a walker sneks towards them. Daryl never heard that twig snap, unknowing, too far to notice. Its decaying body slowly stumbles, dragging its rotten feet forward on the leaf covered ground.

Cold hands grab from behind, startling her. Yelps leave Julia as she struggles in its hold. With its spitty hiss and painful snarls and its teeth close, almost biting into her soft flesh. Werling around panicked, struggling profusely to get out from its painful grip, holding onto her arms. Daryl didn't even flinch. Perfectly responsive as ever with both the mindspace of precision and focus. Acting upon pure instinct Daryl engages with fast feet, aiming his crossbow swiftly, for a good shot to its brain. But the walker was terribly close to biting her now. Throwing the crossbow to the ground with haste, he reaches for his hunting knife, no longer there on his hipe. Right. She has it. Grabbing the walker by the fabric on its back. Daryl yanks it to the ground with a grunt, pining it, with him on top, holding it there with his body weight. She stumbles back a bit off the release from the monster's iron hold. Daryl's arms flex in the struggle, with know weapon in hand to finish it off. Julia looks towards Daryl, seeing the struggle there. Picking up the knife she dropped just a moment ago Julia hurriedly passed it to him from behind, shakingly. Daryl nods quickly in approval, taking it and stabs the walker.

With the knife embedded in its skull the walker turns limp under him. He pushes it away, as if feeling disgusted by it while painting heavily. Reshoring her of the quick thinking he gives a nod, 'you did good'. Standing to full height he gives the walker a quick glance, reshoring its dead before picking up his crossbow.

He breathes a heavy breath of relief as adrenaline pumps through him, awakening every cell in his body, giving the aftertaste of an adrenaline rush. As if this was something that happens, a normal thing.

Still in shock Julia couldn't speak a word. After all, this was the second time a walker came this close, grabbing her like that, and its teeth so terrifying close to her skin. Really, she thought she was about to die. Julia knew she was immune, but being eaten alive would still kill her. Baby hairs were all over, some longer strands falling in her face, others sticking to her neck while some moved against her breaths. Looking upon Daryl reaching down for his crossbow, Julia only stares, uneasy on her feet, waiting for him to make the next move.

Stepping over the walker with the crossbow in one hand the other swinging to his side as he jerked his head to the side, making strands of hair move from his eyes as he told her.

"Come on", in a grunt-like way. Walking past her with long strides, following the trail. His voice always sounded like that. Deep and rumbling, low in his chest.

Without hesitation Julia follows close, leaving now three dead walkers behind.

....

The edge of the forest was behind them, standing along a railroad, close beside one another. The afternoon sun cast its soft light, shadows outstretched upon the ground setting the scene. Julia would have said it looked beautiful, but the walkers feasting upon fresh corpse in the distance, the sight only felt sorrowful. For a moment, their eyes were set, staring and staring, hearing the undead devourer on the railroad tracks, in knowing. A pained look in Daryls face takes in the sight, knowing the ugly truth he knew all along. It hurt more seeing it, a hard pill to swallow.

Sounds of bolts swish in the air, one after another. Daryl takes care of the walkers, ending the last one with his bare hands, piercing its head then pulls it out, retrieving the bolt. Bones and ripped flesh remain, organs no longer where they belong, ripped out. A cruel sight for eyes like hers. It didn't feel real, nothing really did anymore. Never had Julia seen such horror, such gore. Shifting on her feet, frozen in place, rocking slightly, feeling nauseous, slowly taking it in.

And then she sees it....Judith shoe. Daryl ses it too -He knows, walking past her onto the tracks.

Pain burns her chest leading up her throat, tightening it. She tries to inhale - tries to breathe. Hoping for the air to simply stay in her chest. It doesn't. She can't move, can't believe it all. Her feet are uneasy. She tries to hold it in, she fails. Trying to press back the tears burning her eyes but they refuse to obey. They're falling one by one, making her cheeks wetter and wetter, silver lining them. And they keep on cuming as she weeps. It was all too much.

Daryl hears Julias sobs. It pains him deeply, to see the truth crush such a pure soul as hers. It wasn't right, nothing was anymore, she was too young for this world. Looking back he knows the pain she feels, but Daryl doesnt cry, he never really did. Onely moshens with his head to keep on. She doesn't follow. He knew she wouldn't, he couldn't really expect her to. As he stands ahead, upon the train tracks, shoulders hanging like he carried the world and his head hangs in a melancholy manner.

Her heart must be crushed.

He knew that feeling all too well. His, has been all along.

Looking back on her again he sees her there, crying, standing before the bodies. Daryl couldn't do anything, he just let her cry. He wasn't really ok, believing he would never see them again.

People from Woodbury were never going to make it outside the prison walls. They weren't capable of defending nor taking care of themselve. Sume of them were sick and the children were too little. They were never meant to survive.

He knew, he knew.

Dragging her feet along the tracks, close behind, stepping on the planks, one after another. She kept her head low, staring down. They didn't speak, It was better that way. No words felt right anyway.

She understood now.

Surviving is never beautiful, it's not heroic like they tell you in fairytales or movies. It's dirty, it's tears streaming down your face and sobbing in a dark corner. It's filth and blood on your hands and in your face as fear and numbness consumes you.

....

Night had fallen, black clouds covered the sky-not a star to be seen. The trees shook their leaves, dancing with the wind. The breeze had become colder, chilling her a bit, making goosebumps cover the skin. Julia had no idea what she was doing here, in the middle of the woods, with a man she had no choice but to trust. But she did, in the hopes of bringing her to these people that would somehow make a cure. They haven't really spoken about it, not at all in fact. Too much had happened neither did he aske. Was he even gonna help her? She didn't know, didn't have the courage to do so. He had kept her safe this far making it feel too much to ask such a thing.

Sorrowful silence consumed them, flames of red, transitioning to orange and yellow flickers. Dying branches and twigs gasped for their last breaths before tumbling into the ashes. Julia wondered what he thought about when he looked into the fire that way. With somber eyes, holding the motion of the ocean, dark circles under them with slanting inner eyebrows as if in deep thought. His face was solid and drained. She knows he must have felt more than words could say.

The quiet was loud again, torturing him inside as he fed the hungry flames, tosing sticks into it. Sitting opposite to her across the fire, legs crossed with one arm holding his weight, hand flat on the ground behind him. The gaze in the midst of fire and flames, but his mind was far away.

Anyone he gets close to always dies. What did he expect? He did not deserve such luxury, he never did and never will. They had not slept for almost 2 nights, Daryl felt the toll it took on them. No food except a handful of grapes, no water, only sleep deprived and drained. Nothing could fill the void in his chest, filling him to the brim with its numbness. Rick and the others were more of a family he ever had growing up, without them he lost his way. Daryl needed to feel needed, have people depend on him, something worth coming back to, to fight for. The sense of belonging, the sense of worth was all something he craved. Once again he was nothing, nobody. But then he had promised Marlene to keep her safe, he would, he always keeps his word, always. He did feel doubtful, he was nothing like Rick, a born leader, good with all the things he wasn't. Maybe that was why he admired him so, always there calling the shots, going wherever he did. Rick was the big brother he never had, the brother he could look up to, really seeing the man he was supposed to become. Those days are gone, he knows. Daryl felt he had to protect her for the others, they would have wanted him to, Rick would have. Daryl tells him selfe as she rips pages from her diary into the fire, keeping the small flames alive.

Julia's: diary

I'm not gonna die. I believe now. I Believe for humanity. If this doesn't work, I don't know how I could keep going.

...

Further into the night the somber moon lit up the darkness as thunder rumbled in the distance. Upon an dusty road covered in dried leaves and an abandoned car, the forest ends.

Trees shook their branches, leaves rustled as they pushed through, halting their escape from an incoming herd. Upon the road, painting beside one another, cashing their breaths for just a second.

"Come on'', he taps her back as he hurries around the car, keeping a lookout, crossbow out, tens in his hold.

Thunder rumbles above.

Julia tries to start the engine, rotating the key, nothing but empty clicking from it was made. She felt terribly frightened. Running wasn't an option anymore; a car would be the only way of ascap now.

And...suddenly.

Leaves resulted as growling of the herd made them flinch making them share a look of knowing. Fast on his feet, he motioned, beckoning with his hand towards her, guiding her back towards the trunk.

"Come on", quietly, not to attract the walkers.

Yanking the trunk open he makes sure she gets in, looking back before squeezing in across from her, closing it holding a finger to his lips.

Her eyes on his hands, watching him secure the door, knotting the red cloth with haste. Her mouth parted slightly, as shallow breaths sounded, short and unsteady. Knife ready in a deathgrip making knuckles turn white. Walkers crossing the road could be seen through the door crack, as a small spring of light illuminates their faces. Shuffling feet dragged on the dusty road, one after another until a whole herd passed true. Unsettling growls and moans become intense, numbing to her ears. Heavy pounding rocks the car, making her so terribly scared, shivering to the horrifying thought they could be eaten alive. Julia couldn't help but shift her weight trying to ground herself somehow. She tried to inhale -tried to breathe, licking her lips in a soothing manner, nothing worked. Her shallow breath became short, blinkin with round eyes becoming wide with fear. The growls, the moans, the car rocking, it was all so overwhelming, making her squeeze her eyes shut. Thunder booms, its flickering light reflects on Daryl's face, eyes narrow with the crossbow aiming towards the opening. He was calm, leaning back, steady with his hands and breath, holding the crossbow, unmoving. Like nothing faced him, as if this wasn't frightening to him at all. Not like herself, scared out of her mind, freaking out, panicked as wave after wave of walkers passed the road.

Dawn followed as the storm had passed. Walkers were still passing the road, pounding against the car, making it squeak by the impact. Mons had calmed down, not to the same extent as before. Julia's eyes follow the walkers outside then shift to Daryl. Noticing the way she glanced worriedly with eyebrows coming together. He made a reshoring gesture towards her, holding their gaze, nodding in a calming manner, 'it's going to be ok'. Julia nodded heavily. His calm face made the tense feeling dissipate.

As the day wore on, humid heat filled the trunk, making clothes damp and skin glistening with beds of sweat. Julia longed for fresh air, longed for the feeling of it. Heat exhaustion, both of them likely had by now. Dragging sweat off her face, glancing towards Daryl. She didn't miss the way his eyes were narrowed, never leaving his sight from the small gap of the truck dorr, still holding his crossbow steady. No sounds of walkers had been maid for an hour or more, it was hard to tell. So she leaned over tying up the opening of the trunk. With a crank it swung open, fresh air filled their lungs, expanding as if on automatic refill. Eyes Squinting, adjusting to the bright light as piercing rays of the sun fall on the ground, making waves of heat rise off the road.

Filing a plastic bag each gathering a few supplies from the wreckage, she presumed doing whatever he did.

Hanging the black bag over his shoulder with his crossbow in the other hand, he stood in front of her with the country rod ahead of them. For a moment he was looking at her, as if saying he knew she was tired but they had to keep on. Julia was. Shoulders sloughing, face drained of emotion as eyelids were hanging heavily. The weight of two sleepless nights had taken a toll on her.

His gaze shifted as he moved down the country road. Julia stared blankly before trudging after.

....

The mud snake slithered silently, moving in a wave-like motion, its scaly skin shimmers in the sunlight as its tongue occasionally flickers out. Daryl stalks behind, knife deadly in his right and a stick in his left. Approaching stealthily with calculated steps with eyes set on its every move. When the prey within range; he traps its head steadily with the stick, diverting its attention to bite, followed by the killing strike of the knife.

Meanwhile Daryl was out hunting; Julia made up camp using what they had gathered, nothing big just a place to sleep and rest your head. Collecting small droplets of dew of some leaves she fills the plastic bottle with drinkable water. She stops, admiring a ladybug on a leaf, letting it climb up her index finger. It's been a while since seeing one, being behind walls.

Then preparing campfire digging with her hands making a fire pit, filling it with dry leaves and grass scrunched together. Then holds a shard of glass reflecting light with the car mirror from the wreckage, pointing onto the dry material facing the sun, making the focal point as small and round as possible, holding it there until smoke rises. She blows, making fire leap to life (A trick her grandaddy had taught her).

She gazed in awe behind him. With curious eyes, as Daryl skinned the snake. The motion looked so smooth, how he pulled the skin off, holding end up with one outstretched arm while pulling skin with the other. His arms looked strong, flexing the toned muscles there, making his skin look as if it was carved out of marble.

He snapped his head towards her, feeling her gaze there.

Julia did not flinch, didn't move, just kept staring in awe a few feet away. Perhaps he felt somewhat annoyed by her gaze, breaking his concentration from the dressed carcass hanging in his hold, as drops of blood dripped onto the ground.

Julia couldn't help it, finding it fascinating how his skillful hands worked, dressing the animal with the utmost precision and knowledge she had only seen once before. She did not think hunting was a cruel act. Skillful hunters as Daryl killed and ate their game, not just killing and wasting like some douchebag.

The meat was good, filling the hunger but not the aik in her chest. She tried pushing it away, tried to work past it -The alluring thought of numbing it somehow, even if stupid or even reckless, was all Julia could think about. Perched on her knees, digging into the ground picking on the cooked meat in her lap, Julia looks to Daryl munching on his peas, she puts hers down.

"I need a drink."

His only response was leasely tossing a water bottle, not looking at her. It landed before her knees, making Julia toss it to the side.

"No, I mean a real drink...As in alcohol"

Silence ...Julia continues.

"I've never had one, 'Cause I'm under 21...But laws are not exactly around anymore so... She trails off "...I thought we could go find some."

The silence was loud, he was ignoring her.

Julia gauges him, waiting for a response. Nothing as Daryl proceeds to act unresponsive, digging deep into his snake.

letting out a disappointed sigh before speaking in a sing-song voice.

"Okay...Well, enjoy your snake jerky."

Hurt by his silence, her mouth stretched in a line as she rose to her feet, walking away from the camp, taking the knife with her.

Julia found him so odd when he would ignore her like that, as if she wasn't there trying to get his attention. Just munching on that damned snake, like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen or as if the people' they'd lost never meant anything to him.

He was really starting to get on her nerves as she stomped through the woods, speaking under her breath.

"Jerk", looking back towards the camp.

Growling

A gasp escapes her, head snapping towards walkers engaging. Quickly hiding, pushing herself against a tree, the bark digs its rough fibers into her skin, probably will make a mark but she was too frightened to notice. Careful not making a sound she grasps a stone slowly before tossing it in the hopes of making the walkers change direction. With a thud it lands on the ground as her back is pushed against the bark, waiting for them to get interested in the stone. A walker approached terribly close, making her uncheat the knife. Her heart was pumping, chest was screaming, mind was running, breaths became shallow, making her squeeze the knife in a deathgrip. When the walker came so close she thought it would all be over, it stumbled in the other direction, taking the bait heading towards the rock.

Tens and uneasy behind the tree, Julia's gaze darts with eyes in wide circles, too anxious to move.

A twig snapped, making her flinch. It was Daryl, ready to interfere if extra protection was needed. Jumpines quickly turned into embarrassment, making Julia divert her gaze, realizing her stupidity of walking off on her own. Daryl did not say a word, only glaring with eyes off disproving of such reckless behavior. He did not seem angry, perhaps annoyed, as he turned and walked ahead. She follows.

Breaking their silence. She begins.

"I think we made it away. I'm pretty sure we got to go that way to find the booze."

Stumbling into the cord connected to metal clangs, making her step back.

"What the hell?!... You brought me back...I'm not staying in this suck-ass camp!" Julia snaps, whirling around to walk off.

Daryl on the opposite side of the cord shoots forward, grabbing her by the wrist almost harshly, yanking her towards him. ...and even a man of few words he ordered - voice deep and rough.

"Hey!" "You had your fun."

Fun?

Julia flinched in the slightest of the touch of his skin, and she truly believed -He could break her wrist then and there if he really wanted to. Stumbling back, jerking her wrist away, glaring upon his taller frame. Her eyes were on flames, but not angry. No, Julia was desperate, so desperate for Daryl to listen, to show her he felt something.

Daryl didn't miss how small, how delicate Julia was in his hand neither how her round eyes widened when she spoke.

"What the hell is wrong with you?...Do you feel anything?" She questions desperately.

Do you feel anything...Daryl felt a whole lot. He felt more than he would let himself ever believe.

With eyes blue as emeralds, deeper than the ocean itself stairs down on her. It was not cruel nor angry towards her inusating words. His gaze seemed hard, almost pained, as if holding back.

Just beneath where Julia reached his chin, she spoke further with eyes wide and round staring up at him.

"Yeah, you think everything's 'screwed'...I guess that's a feeling." She breathes. "So you want to spend the rest of our lives staring into a fire and 'eating mud snakes'?...Screw that... I'm gonna get to those scientists and cure this thing, if it's the last thing I'll do!.. And..." She breathes, gaze lowering as if reminiscing before looking at him"... we might as well do something."

She was so determined to not give up when she finally had a purpose, she wanted to fight, fight for a better future.

The look on Daryl's face became pind by the words, as if Julia's voice held such force. But no words could leave his mouth. Because Daryl didn't have the courage to say the things he felt. Of his thugs about there being a cure, that Julia could fix it somehow. He could only stand there, as she ends with.

"I can take care of myself and I'm gonna get a damn drink." Leaving him stunned, unable to argue, with back towards the camp.

With one deep sigh he drags his feet, not letting the girl's stubbornness do anything reckless again, on the search for booze -Julia's first ever drink.

....

Julia leads them to a golf club.

"Golfers like to booze it up, right?" Julia asks, as walkers approach in a distance upon the golf course. Daryl looks back pondering, as she urges him on.

"Com on.", Julia takes the lead, (the one who's unfazed this time).

Tapping the crossbow in his hands, fidgeting as if thinking it through one last time, he gives in to this ever so determined girl, following closely behind Julias urging steps.

Passing the "Pine Vista Country Club" sign, standing alongside one another towards the entrance of the building Julia notes.

"Might be people inside"

Or walkers, he notes to himself.

A growing posse of walkers are on their tails. Making Daryl lead them on, urging them to the back entrance. Hurrying up the steps with a golf club in his hands, Julia keeps close on his heel, depending on his protection. Gesturing with his index finger against his lips, motioning her to remember there could be walkers inside, she stays bak as he peaks inside the building, then nods, looking back at her.

"Come on," he urges her, as the cost is clear.

Closing the door after Julia takes a few slow steps entering the lobby, he secures it with the golf club thru the door handles, Daryl gets in front of her, reddy's himself with his crossbow leading the way thru the snarling remaining walkers of the club, bothe dead and undead corpses, three of which gurgle and moan as they hang from the ceiling.

Something bad has happened here.. Then again when hasn't something bad happened to a camp, sins the turn? Daryl notes.

Julia's eyes go wide as she gazes upon the hanging walkers, almost stepping on his heel, seeing such a dark and cruel sight. Could this really be the world now?

Surveying through the remnants of the makeshift camp, they pick up a flashlight each. Swallowing thickly, as a chill sent down her spine, Julia restrains herself from grabbing his arm for comfort, making her grab her hands instead, soothing herself.

Pointing her flashlight upon the table filled with junk and dusty dishes, as if someone had had their last meal. Daryl grabs a backpack and fills it with cash and jewelry, making Julia wrinkle her eyebrows in confusion.

Would he not know that money is useless by now?..Perhaps he thought he could trade it for food or weapons? Julia thinks as she questions his odd behavior.

"Why are you keeping all that stuff?"

He lifted his head, looking up at her from his kneeling position, continuing his hunt for treasures.

Before he can answer Julia's question, their Walker posse catches up with them, knocking on the club's door. Making Daryl swing the backpack on his back as he urges her on.

"Come on", Daryl then slams the club's doors leading them further in, exiting the strange camp and leaving the hanging walkers behind.

Looking through the reaments in the kitchen area, filled with junk, empty food packaging and jars spread out all over the counters, down to the floor, as water drips from a broken pipe above making a wet dripping sound. It was dark with no windows making them depend on their flashlights as they looked through the remains in different parts of the kitchen area.

Most of the wine and liquor bottles are empty, except for a dusty bottle of red wine placed on a ridiculously high shelf in the walk-in. The only way to reach it was to climb. Grabbing it as Julia awkwardly stretched by all her might, tip toeing on the lower shelf, making pans cling against metal in her struggle.

Daryl halts his scavenging, listening in. As no more sound was made he continued looking through stuff in the main kitchen area.

Finally grabbing the bottle Julia steps down, slowly and steady, careful to not make herself trip in the darkness. Exiting the walk-in, satisfied with her find of the red wine, reading the blue label "Maid in 198...

Gasping in sheer horror, a Walker attacks from behind, grabbing Julia with its cold hands. Breaking skin with its filthy nails, she struggles frantically to break free. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, coldent escape. Heart almost pumps out from her chest. Its monstrous snarls reeked of decay, making her stomach curl in repulsion. All alone, in a dark corridor, with only a flashlight and wine bottle in hand. She could feel walls narrowing in, air becoming ice cold as if trapping her with this monster. Think! Smashing the wine bottle with all her might, bashing its head, closing her eyes off the impact. Glass breaks as the wine spills everywhere. Pushed against the wall frightened, unreadable pleads for Daryl leaves her lips. Inches shrink to centimeters as its rotten teeth starve for her flesh. She Pushes back the walker with her back trapped against the wall. Julia doesn't dare to look anymore, holding her breath, turning her head, grimarsing painfully, knowing how this will end.

Time stops...then... a bolt pears its head, it falls limp to the floor.

Daryl stands there panting, lowering the crossbow looking at her as if hes just been sprinting moments ago.

Notesting the dead Walker now on the floor Julia looks at him, out of breath relieved but still shakenabout after the close call. Not accusing but scared she questions.

"Where were you?"

Her eyes were ever so expressive. Pupils are dilated and round, making them appear larger, eyebrows coming together, making Daryl feel the need to assure her somehow.

A breath... then.

"You held on long enuff for me to get to you..shout next time". Meaby not the most reasoring answer but it made her calm down somewhat.

The unsettling altercation leaves only a shattered wine bottle and disappointment, as Julia looks back discovering another room full of corpses in sleeping bags beside one another, with an ominous writing 'WELCOME TO THE DOGTROT' written on the wall. Onely disturbed by sight, Julia catches up to Daryl, leading them down a dark stairway, with flashlights dancing around the corridor blocked by a trophy case and a slanting grandfather clock, making Daryl put the crossbow on top reaching under, carefully moving the clock off the trophy case making it come to a stand, its melody chimes in a dinging way.

This piece of dust is a damn time bomb, Daryl notes.

Shining the flashlight upon the grandfather clock Daryl reads. "Tempus Fugit ''('time flies' in latin), he didn't know latin, but what he could tell was the time, 2:50pm. Seeing she had already headed through the door ending the corridor, he follows.

"This girl was on a mission", Daryl notes, and he was not taking any more chances after that to close call from upstairs.

The gift shop is filled with clean, untouched golf clothes. As if the turn never happened. Seeing a lovely white sweater Julia approche it but gasps, nearly stumbling over a manikin part lying on the floor. Letting out a relieved sigh she prosedes, putting it on, a trace of a smile covers her lips. Meanwhile, Daryl is still on the hunt for cash and expensive trinkets, pocketing whatever he can find.

Julia still thought his behavior was odd.

Displayed in the store, a top half of a woman's corpse impaled onto the bottom half of a mannequin, dressed in a bra, sweater, and pearls label with a sign written in lipstick reading "RICH BITCH."

Daryl stares, not really thinking anything of it. Perhaps seeing such things had made him num?

Never had Julia seen such a cruel way of making art. That someone made this, probably thinking it was fun, made her sympathize with the dead women, thinking it could have been someone she once loved or cared for. As she struggles to remove the corpes-statue Julia pleads looking towards Daryl.

"Help me take her down",she tilts her head.

Softly he answers. "It doesn't matter, she's dead".

"It does matter", Julia insisted softly.

Daryl thinks deeply off her words. Perhaps her due eyes, her big heart to sympathize for someone she never knew but still cared for maid him care, because Julia did.

Seeing Julia struggle to take it down, Daryl helps her by covering the corpse display with a blue sheet.

"Here", he grunts, draping over the cheat ending their visit in the chope back into the corridor.

The grandfather clock goes off, making them flinch. Daryl urges her on, tapping her bake.

"Come on".

"Okay," she oblige.

Just when they were about to enter towards another hallway, they stumbled upon incoming walkers, the dam ticking time bomb/clock attracted the attention of the no longer dormant Walkers residing in the country club.

"Move", Daryl urges her, tapping Julia like before, making her take the lead.

Cornering them in every turn through their escape in the dark hallways leads them further in the country club. As Daryl hurries around the corner opening up to a room, he slows down to a halt.

Fuck it...Might as well take care of it.

Daryl can't take it anymore, all that's happened, he doesn't do feelings, the only thing he knows is using his fists. Anger consumes his senses, all he sees is red. Shooting the first walker with a bolt, persing its head, pushing the other back to the wall with the crossbow. Taking a nearby golf club bashing its head in with a big swing, it falls limp to the floor, as the third walker growls he swings the club with such force it gets stuck in its skull, making him rips it out as it brakes making the end more like the end of a spear. Using it to his advantage he spears the fourth walker through the brain. Kicking back the fifth walker making it stumble back. Daryl unchets his hunting knife from his belt, stabbing the sixth walker agonizingly slow through its eye socket, as if anger had consumed him to the point he found satisfaction in the killing.

Julia watches, disturbed by his sudden rage, looking upon with worry. She wasn't scared, no, not of him but of the anger blinding him. Julia knew he felt sad about what had happened, but it was much worse than she thought. There was just so much rage within his heart. It made her worry of what had plagued his mind to make him like this. But she knew this was not all he was. Just moments ago in the gift chope he showed her otherwise.

Sheathing the knife as the walker he kicked before the last one snarls towards him, he picks up another golf club, pummeling it, grunting heavily with every swing harder than the other, with a last big swing the bloody reaments of the walker sprays all over her new white sweater. She gasps, startled by the gore now all over her, making her glare upon him. He meets her gaze, panting heavily with long strands of hair falling over his eyes. A flash of realization he might have gone too far, seeing her wight sweater covered in gore, but it was done and he needed to get it out of his system.

Seeing Julia exit into another hallway, leaving the sweater behind, he grabs his crossbow and follows still out of breath.

...

Julia leads them to a brighter hallway, opening up to the club bar ahead.

Finely.

"We made it", Julia speaks with a sad tone.

Daryl sees her slow down standing to a halt meeting her gaze as she turns around.

"I know you think this is stupid...And it probably is", she shakes her head. A breath, then. "But... I don't care...All I wanted to do today was lay down and cry, but we don't get to do that". Her eyes turn glassy. "So.." she averts her gaze, shaking her head before continuing. "...Beat up walkers if that makes you feel better." She tried to sound nonchalant, despite her voice trembling.

"I need to do this", ever so determined to get her first drink Julia turns on her heel, continuing towards the club bare. Daryl is taken back by her honesty and bluntness still standing there dumbfounded, before heading towards the bar.

The club bar is ransacked but Walker-free. Julia searches the bar area for anything to drink, meanwhile Daryl continues his pillaging.

Daryl smashes a random framed document then puts it into his pack making her flinch as she walks around the bar counter with a bottle in her hand.

"Did you have to break the glass?"

"No." "You had your drink yet?" He answers.

"No." "But I found this...Peach schnapps". She places it on the bar counter sitting on one of the chers. "Is it good?"

"No", he answers bluntly. Because even at the end, the club members didn't want to inflict more torture onto themselves by drinking "peach schnapps".

passing behind her Daryl proceeds to busy himself playing darts, using the photo of former club presidents as his targets.

"Well, it's the only thing left.", Julia answers with disappointment, gazing towards him.

Giving up finding a clean glass she lets her fingers drum on the counter.

"Who needs a glass?" she sighs sarcastically.

Doleful eyes become glassy, gaze set on the bottle, grabbing it hesitating for a moment, she rocks slightly trying to ground herself.

Glancing back at her as he slows down his game of darts, checking in on her rocking form. He could see the struggle there. How her eyes looked so far away holding the bottle. Fidgeting before throwing another dart her sobbing breaks the silence making him glans again.

Having maintained her resolve throughout their journey, Julia finally breaks down, like a wave washing over her. One tear breaks free running down her cheek. Finely having the real drink in her hands only makes sobs keep on coming. She swallows, brushing the tears away, trying to restrain herself but it makes the pain worse. As if something is stuck in her throat, like a big rock. Julia tried to swallow it down but she couldn't. The more she cried the more difficult it was to breathe, making breaths short and shaky.

It felt unbearable standing there while she cried. Making him clench his jaw. She was simply too good of a person to feel such sadness, she deserved better than this. Slamming the last dart ending his game, he couldn't help but to interfere.

To Julia's surprise Daryl snatches the bottle, throws it on the ground, snapping her fixed attention to him.

Heading towards the exit grabbing the crossbow of the pool table -Daryl turns towards her.

"Ain't gonna have your first drink. Be no damned peach schnapps", he growled, swinging his arm emphasizing his irritation towards the not good enuff peach schnapps on the floor.

Swinging the exit door wide open, demanding but with the intention to make her feel better, Daryl orders.

"Come on".

Her lips quiver a bit, but she does what she is told. Leaving the peach schnapps untouched, wiping her tear stained cheeks...

Pt.2

[verdemoun]

who in the gang is the first to be hospitalised but like for a serious issue like illness or an accident that would have absolutely killed them in 1899

this is such a fun ask because things that would have killed them in 1899 is such a wide catergory.

lenny was in a car crash

the first one who was hospitalized for something that should have killed them in canon era? i have to give that honor to hosea

hosea has lung issues. inflammation, asthma, smoking despite knowing it's bad but also it's such a part of his life quitting seems impossible but something gives him a horrible cough.

it's horrible for years, but roughly 5 years after timewarp, it worsens. hosea's lips turn blue. he can barely get a sentence out without coughing when he finally agrees to bessie's pleaded suggestion to go to a doctor: the doctor, the poor, suffering doctor who sees them all in time warp. hosea is convinced, completely convinced, he is only going to receive a death sentence. an estimate of how long he has left to make sure his boys are taken care of - how long he has left to spend with his wife

his doctor very casually asks how often he uses his inhaler. hosea asks what an inhaler is. the doctor is shocked his primary care physician hasn't recommended one to him. hosea corrects this doctor, that he has seen once in 5 years, once since he timewarped, that he is his 'primary care physician'.

the doctor proceeds to have a near fit and makes it clear a man in hosea's health should be seeing a doctor at least every 6 months at bare minimum. a chest infection that would have been a death sentence in 1899, or even in modern era if left untreated, is cleared up in less than 2 weeks thanks to a combination of anti-biotics, pro-biotics and steroids.

hosea spends two nights in hospital on oxygen. he absolutely hates it and constantly complains and goes to take out the breathing tube until he wakes up the next morning feeling like he's high because he actually got a good night's sleep and is not feeling short of breath for once

arthur, who had been preparing himself to lose hosea and fell asleep with head on the hospital bed, is shocked by hosea shaking him awake trying to convince him to smuggle his cigarettes into the room with the cheekiest grin only for bessie to walk in and give a very panicked lecture you can't smoke in hospitals but especially when you're on oxygen please you will blow something up

not only does hosea no longer look ashen grey, but he has energy again. he nags daily for any chance to house and stretch his legs. convinced he can sprint again. goes for a jog that rivals han escaping the law sprint and is stopped multiple times by concerned onlookers thinking he's in trouble. truly feels alive again while the gang is begging him to remember he is still considered post-prime even by modern era standards

kieran will wake up at the ripe hour of 5am, hear hosea already awake and roll over in a desperate attempt to get a few more hours of sleep before the old man drags him on a too long walk through the park. hosea is feeling better than he has in 20 years and it is everyone's problem

bessie is enjoying the full benefits of modern era hosea treating his bronchitis

[koulakoukoula2003]

Hey can do yandere levi x reader pregnant please

OH MY GAWWWWDDD YEEEESSSS

Yandere!Levi x pregnant!Reader

TW: yandere behaviour, mention of pregnancy ofc, babytrapping

Levi was being so... overprotective. He had always been possessive and protective but now that he had found out you were pregnant, everything had amplified to the fullest.

At first, you didn't want to tell him, you knew he'd become like this, but when you started to puke and faint out of nowhere, he dragged you to a doctor himself without even asking you.

And here you were now, on your comfortable armchair in the home he'd bought for you both. He had married you so fast, he had arranged everything on his own. It wasn't any grand wedding, just you, him and the man carrying out the marriage.

You didn't really have anything or anyone. Your parents had abandoned you in the streets ever since you were little and the military was an easy way to make profit and live beneath a roof and sleep with your belly full.

You were around 19 years old when you joined the survey corps. The military police wasn't an option since you weren't all that skilled, and everybody joined the garrison in your graduation year, so there weren't any empty places left. You were left out and so you had no choice but to join the Survey Corps.

You didn't regret it though, no matter how terrifying it was, the people were kind and friendly, even the superiors, even the newly appointed commander.

Captain Levi had taken everybody's attention. People started to call him humanity's strongest and with every passing expedition, you were starting to realise why.

He had been looking for people to add to his still nonexistent squad, but you had no idea why you were the first he took to his side. You weren't a particularly talented soldier. There were certainly soldiers with a higher kill count than yours.

You had taken out around 15 titans solo and 23 assists. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't actually impressive either.

It all happened so fast. You fell for him, he fell for you, and here you were now.

You watched him ride on his large brown horse towards your house through the window. He was rushing. He always rushed coming to you. He always looked like a God, riding fast like this. His horse neighed loudly as he urged it to slow down suddenly. His black hair waved in the air and his silver eyes were focused and determined.

He rushed to the door and walked in, finding you there, by the window, on the armchair that he had built for you himself.

"Are you okay?! How's the baby?! I haven't been missing too long, have I?"

You giggled. "It's only been a week. I am alright."

He dropped on one knee in front of you, coming face to face with your ever growing belly. He placed a hand on bump and he held your hand with the other.

"She hasn't been giving you a hard time, has she?"

You grinned. "It can be a boy too, you know."

Levi wanted a girl, you wanted a boy. There was no middle ground.

"Then we'll have another."

You laughed. Sometimes it scared you how fast he was moving and how fast he was making decisions about both your future, but right now, you were just happy to see him.

"I missed you." It came out of your mouth without permission and his eyes widened. What was it with that newfound display of affection? He knew you loved him, but you had your difficult times.

How you said you didn't want to marry him and you wanted more in life than this. You were young. Too young to start a family yet. You wanted to fight, you wanted to live first, you wanted... many things that he had snatched away the chance of you to live them.

But now you were here, a housewife, a mother, barely 20 years old. You couldn't complain though. You were far better off than most women your age. Levi took care of you and you were no longer living in the streets.

Plus, you had almost convinced yourself you loved him.

"I missed you too, brat," he pulled himself up on his feet and he leaned to catch your lips in his own.

You hummed in the kiss. So needy and clingy, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and tugged him closer down to you. Maybe your current state was making you need him more than any other time.

He pulled from the kiss and you whined in protest, but he cupped your cheek and spoke. "I'll go get changed and I'll be right back."

You nodded at him. "There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

He frowned. "You shouldn't be cooking in your current state."

You chuckled "And what would I eat?"

"I'll be staying with you for a week. I'll cook."

You laughed. "You don't know how to cook!"

"Then teach me."

You sighed "Fine."

"I'll go get changed. If you need anything, just call out."

"Yeah, yeah."

Always so worried. You sighed and waited for him, letting your head roll back to your armchair. Your hands lingered on the bump on your belly. You were on the seventh month and it was getting hard to do the simplest things like lean or tend to the garden that Levi loved so much, or cook and clean.

Before you knew it, you were dozing off in sleep. Not to mention that all you did was sleep and eat like a pig.

Levi returned to meet your sleeping form. A smile tugged at his lips. You were so precious. His precious little wife. The mother of his child. You were everything to him. He'd lose his sanity without you. Even when you were still at the start of your relationship, he'd go insane if he didn't see you for an entire day.

But now you were here, safe, in this little home, in this small village. No one knew you were captain Levi's wife and you were safer like this. He'd keep you safe no matter what.

Levi picked you up. Despite your added weight, he picked you up with no effort at all. You were so beautiful like this, turning to bury your face in his chest, even in your sleep you recognised his presence.

He placed you on your bed gently and covered you beneath the sheets. Sometimes he wondered whether he was obsessed with you or whether this was love. It didn't matter though. You were his. All his.

He didn't know how many hours he stood there, staring at you while you slept. He leaned in and kissed your lips gently not to wake you. You needed rest and he needed to suppress his lust for now. If he had you now, he'd break you.

You were a fighter once upon a time. If he hadn't knocked you up, you would have never agreed to marry him and settle down so fast. You wanted to live your life. What an absurd excuse?

But it was best you never found out about that.

He kissed you all over your face and you hummed in your sleep. He smiled.

"Mine."

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

So since @lieutenant-amuel has already spilled my headcanon regarding Blanca's family, I thought I might as well share it all.

Buckle up buckaroos because I've created a crowd of OCs that have little to do with canon and am now going to tell you all about it.

Who is who + ages at the moment of Coronation Day

Ignacio and Juana Fuentes (late 70s)

They own a farm (I haven't decided what animals they have, but they definitely grow potatoes), around a day away from Avalor City on horseback. They're very loving and caring people, even if a little rough on the edges and old fashioned. Since they live in a small village where Shuriki's guards didn't come often, they weren't the most law abiding people and still sung and played instruments in their home (and taught Gabe, much to Blanca's dismay.) Every year for Navidad and EverRealm's equivalent of Easter they make family gatherings, and their children and grandchildren often visit them for summer vacations or to help on the farm when they need.

Pablo (54)

Blanca's brother, older by 5 years. He was supposed to take over the farm, but instead went on to study in Avalor City. That... also didn't work out and he left Avalor for many years. Even now he hasn't set roots anywhere, but often works as a cartographer or a guide through all the places he has visited. He never started a family, so he's just a kinda crazy uncle with fun stories to all his nephews and nieces.

Enrique (46)

He's three years younger than Blanca and the one who will take over the farm. He's a very warm and enthusiastic person, he's very hearty, even if sometimes crude. Despite all of this, he is a very familial man and when he's angry, he's very stern and doesn't forgive easily, so you don't really want to get on his bad side. He's married to Alejandra (they've been friends since childhood and ended up falling in love :3) and they have two kids.

Alejandra (43)

Juan (20)

She's also a very enthusiastic and familial person, even though her own family isn't big. Her father was in the guard (fun fact - Gabe learned that only after he decided to join in himself) but died when she was little, so she and her older sister were taken in by their father's sister, who lived in the same village as the Fuentes family. Her sister married a nobleman and now lives on the other side of Avalor, and their aunt moved to live with her, but they still are very close, keep regular correspondence and meet whenever they can. She's very close with Blanca and adores all of her nephews and nieces.

He's two years younger than Gabe and used to compete with him a lot when they were younger, especially since Juan was better at academics, but Gabe was better at physical activities and generally with people. He caused Gabe an accident when they were kids and ironically that situation help them gradually become friends. The year of Elena's coronation he started working part time as a maths teacher in Avalor City's primary school while continuing his studies. He regularly meets up with Gabe for a beer or a dinner at his parents'.

Alicia (14)

Juan's sister younger by six years (8 years younger than Gabe) she's not very close with Gabe because of their age gap, but she loves to play olaball with Roberto. She's not very happy that her brother moved to Avalor City, but knows that she can't really change his mind. For now she wants to work at the farm and later take over, but a lot can change as she's still a child.

Jorge (45)

Elena (22)

Another of Blanca's siblings, he's a doctor and stayed in their hometown. In a cruel irony his wife died from an incurable illness a few years ago. It was quite hard on him but I won't go into details here. He's the most calm out of all his siblings, melancholic even. He started to learn to play on the trumpet last year. He had a big fall out with Pablo after his wife's death, and now they don't really talk to each other. He has three daughters, twins Gabe's age and another seven years younger.

Bárbara

There isn't much to say, but she was a very calm and usually serious person, but actually loved to laugh, sing and dance. She came from a big family and even after her death they still keep in touch and often visit one anothers, especially since they live in a neighbouring town. She was very close with her husband's family and everyone really felt her death. Even though she was usually a quiet person, she was very patriotic and always stood up to the unjust laws made by Shuriki, that's always the reason she named their daughters...

She lives in a big city near the border of Paraíso and is engaged, she plans to marry at the end of the year. She's an ambitious woman but despite her name, a little closed off. She works as an accountant in a trade guild and that's how she met her fiance.

Isabela (22)

She helps their father at his clinic and in their family is considered a kind of animal specialist. She never got any higher studies, but currently is thinking about starting studying veterinary. She's very close with their father and younger sister and Alicia.

Lucía (15)

She's currently graduating and plans to study history in Avalor City, because of that she wants to convince Blanca and Roberto to let her stay with them while she studies (they'll probably agree.) She's very similar to her father in terms of character, but more cunning and shares the passion for history with Gabe.

María (43)

She teaches Latin (since as far as I'm concerned it's actually used in EverRealm and if not then the equivalent of that) in a university in Paraíso. She's very imaginative and curious, and a good storyteller. This year she's on long vacation for health reasons and is trying to move her job to Avaloran Academy, so she could be closer to her family.

Fernando Böse (41)

He's a sailor, captain of the ship León Blanco. He used to serve in the military in Lachia, but over twelve years ago changed his specialisation to be able to be home more (and also risk his life a little less) and now escorts trading ships. He's a very smart and open man, given that he doesn't have a family of his own anymore (he had a brother who died when Fernando was in his 20s) he's very attached to his wife's family, always bringing interesting stuff and stories from his travels. He loves the sea but loves his wife even more, though luckily he didn't have to choose yet.

Pedro (16)

He's very responsible and caring, especially towards his brother. He's quite close with Ana, since their pretty close in age and in terms of character. He took the love to languages after his mother and love for sailing after his father.

Francisco "Paco" (15)

He's loud, enthusiastic and energetic, always having new ideas and acting on them right away. He admires his brother and that's why he started calling himself Paco, because it sounds more similar to Pedro than his full name. He also loves sailing and loves to listen to stories especially the ones about travels of his dad or tíos.

Both he and Pedro this year went on their first cruise with their father, lasting six months and ending right before Christmas. The whole family is waiting to see if they'll still want to be sailors after that.

And that's basically all! Thank you for reading all this if you managed and if you'd like to learn more about any of them, or their relationships with each other or Gabe, ask away!