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mydarllinglover · 1 year

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Alone || Shit Happens

Carl unlocked the gates once T-Dog called out that the food had arrived.

"What you got?" The kid asked.

"Canned beef, canned corn, canned cans, theres' a lot more where this came from." T-Dog said, carrying it through to one of the cells.

Sully jogged towards Natalia, sniffing the stuff she was carrying as he walked by her side.

"Any change?" Rick asked the make shift infirmary cell.

"Bleeding is under control and no fever" Lori said. "But his breath is laboured and his pulse is way down and he hasn't opened his eyes yet."

"Take my cuffs, put them on him." Rick told Glenn. "I'm not taking any chances."

Carl helped T and Natalia whilst Rick talked to Lori, Natalia was still fuming about what had happened in the cafeteria, she should have killed him and let Rick kill her after, least she'd be taking the creep down before he could do anything to anyone else.

"Nat, T, come on, let's go." Rick called out once their conversation was done.

"Stay with Carl, Sul, I'll be back. Be a good boy, will you." She gave the dog a treat as she rubbed his head, scratching behind his ears.

"Hey, I don't blame you" T-Dog told her as they walked back out the door.

"Least someone agrees with me." She scoffed.

Rick could hear them, he didn't say anything for the moment. Once they got back to the prisoners and Daryl, Rick layed the weapons on the table, for them to choose from.

Tomas picked up the crowbar, looking at it.

"Why do I need this, when I got this?" He asked, taking out his gun once again.

"You don't fire guns" Daryl said. "Not unless your backs up against the wall, noise attracts them, it really riles them up."

"We'll go two by two. Daryl will point with T. I'll bring up the rear with you. Stay tight, hold formation, no matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks, we could all go down, anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an axe in the head."

"And that's where you aim, these things only go down with a head shot." Daryl explained.

"You ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man"

"They ain't men. They're something else."

"Just remember, to go for the brain."

The prisoners picked up their weapons to get ready.

"And what about you little lady, ain't got a partner?" Axel asked.

"She can handle herself just fine." Daryl told him, catching her off guard.

"Nat here was on her own, been surviving like that for a while, hell, she damn near saved our lives and ended it." T joined in.

"You broke into my house and refused to leave." She scoffed, walking after the others.

"Why'd ya call your dog Sully?" Big Tiny asked her, they'd clearly seen her bidding the animal goodbye.

"You ever seen Monsters Inc? One with the monsters who have jobs?"

"Yeah, once." He replied.

"The big blue one, he's called Sully."

"You picked that?" Axel asked.

"No."

"It's a stupid name, who'd you let name your dog that?" Andrew included himself into the conversation.

"What you do to end up in prison, show the world how much of a fucking brainless idiot you are?" Natalia turned on the man, the people in the group slightly thrown off by her sudden aggression.

"Jeez, was just a question, uptight bitch" Andrew grumbled.

"Well mind yer own business." Daryl told him in a low voice.

"Man, it's too damn dark in here." Oscar complained as they walked through the dark hallways.

"Gotta hold it up high out In front of you." Daryl told him, gesturing to raise the flashlight.

"You're gonna hear them before you see 'em." Tomas whispered.

A clanging sound came from behind a corner, unsettling some of the prisoners.

"It's coming!" Axel called out.

"Shh." Rick hissed.

A lone walker trudged past the corner, Daryl raised his hand in the air, counting down, but before he could reach one, the prisoners ran at the dead prisoners yelling and shouting.

The four watched as the prisoners punched, kicked and beat the other walkers that came out.

"These guys are idiots, why are we helping them?" Natalia asked.

"Cause we have a deal." Rick sighed.

"We're wasting time." Natalia scoffed, pulling out two knifes, pushing Axel out of the way so that she could plunge one in the head of a walker that was getting its gut punched in, then handling the one Oscar was kicking, before taking out the third, as the prisoners stared at her. "Are we done? Can we move on now?"

"Let's go" Rick ordered, nodding at T and Daryl to lead the way again.

Once again, a walker by itself walked round the corner.

"It's gotta be the brain" Daryl said, shooting it in the head with his crossbow. "Not the stomach, not the heart, the brain."

"I hear you, the brain." Axel repeated as another one came at them.

Oscar, Axel and Rick took out three as more kept coming.

"Stay in tight formation, no more prison riot crap." Rick told the group.

Natalia noticed the biggest member of the group step back as everyone took out the walkers, one with long curly hair had followed him, she went to help when a walker that had been handcuffed struggled to get his hand's free, had managed to slip one out, although his hand had slid off the bone.

"Look out!" She called as it reached for Big Tiny's back. She threw a knife at the walker, causing it to drop dead as the knife imbedded itself in the skull of the walking dead prisoner.

Though what she didn't account for, is the walker that had sized her up as a meal, falling into her and sending them both to the ground, She struggled to get it's face away from hers as it snarled and spat at her.

It had ceased when a metal arrows head poked through, almost firing into her.

Natalia pushed the walker off of her, Rick quick to help her get to her feet.

"You alright?" Rick asked.

"Fine." She caught her breath.

"You saved my life." Big Tiny expressed, picking up the woman as he hugged her, almost crushing her bones.

"Don't mention it." She patted his back. "You can put me down now."

"Oh, right, my bad." He smiled shyly, dropping Natalia down so she could stand on her own feet.

As they went to continue, another walker had walked round the corner, Big Tiny hadn't noticed it until it was biting into the mans side.

"Argh!" He screamed out.

Tomas was quicker than everyone else, shooting two bullets into it's skull.

"Oh my God!" Natalia gasped, looking at the bite as Rick stared down Tomas, before coming to his senses and gently nudging Natalia out of the way so he could get a better look with the flashlight.

"I'm telling you man, I don't feel anything, it's just a little bite."

"I'm sorry, man." Rick sighed, knowing what would happen.

"I can keep fighting!" He argued.

"You cut that old guys leg off to save his life." Andrew brought up.

"Look at where the bite is"

"Guys, I'm fine! Just, I'm fine." He repeated, trying to reassure Rick.

"It's slow, you don't always get hit with it so soon." Natalia sighed.

"Look at me... I'm not changing into one of those things."

"Look, man, there has to be something that we can do." Oscar said "We could just lock him up."

"Quarantine him." Axel joined in.

"We gotta do something. Why you just standing there? We gotta save him."

"There's nothing we can do." Rick disagreed.

"You son of a bitch" Andrew cursed.

"I'm all right."

Tomas charged forward, shoving Natalia out of his way and onto the floor, before bashing his weapon into Big Tiny's head, letting the man fall to the ground as well, he looked at the bloody weapon for a moment, bringing it back down onto the mans skull repeatedly, sending blood and brain matter splatting everywhere.

Natalia crawled back as she watched the scene unfold, her eyes wide, she had killed many times before, but never so gruesomely, never like the man had just done, she was a survivalist, he was psychotic.

Two hands gripped her arms, pulling her up, she looked behind her quickly before noticing that it was T-Dog, Daryl beside him.

"You alright, got hurt?" T asked.

"I- I'm." She looked back, letting the rest of her sentence die down in her throat.

Once Tomas was satisfied the job was done, he looked back at Rick before walking ahead once more.

Daryl walked toward the handcuffed walker, pulling out the knife and wiping it on the overalls, passing it back to Natalia as the others headed after Tomas.

"Thanks" She muttered. "And for..."

"Let's go." He grumbled, nodding for her to go first.

Rick, Natalia and Daryl stayed behind the others as they walked down the dark hallways.

"You see the look on his face? How he threw Nat?" Daryl asked Rick.

"He makes one move." Rick told the pair.

"Just give me a signal." Daryl finished his sentence.

"I shouldn't of let you stop me earlier, told you I got a knack for this kinda thing." Natalia gritted.

The group made it to the laundromat, inspecting the empty room, just in case anything jumped out at them.

Snarling and banging came from the double doors in the room.

Daryl chucked his ring of keys at Tomas as they neared it.

"I ain't opening that." Tomas said.

"Yes, you are." Rick told him. "If you want this cell block. You're gonna open that door. Just the one, not both of them. Because we need to control this."

With a sigh, Tomas bent down and picked up the ring of keys, looking at the group before stepping towards the door and unlocking it.

"You bitches ready?" He asked, he struggled to open the door. "I got this."

Tomas pulled one more time, opening both doors before jumping back.

"I said one door!" Rick shouted at him.

"Shit happens."

The group fought off the overloading herd of walkers that followed out from the double doors, spreading everyone out.

Natalia pulled her knife out of one head, dropping it to the floor as she watched Tomas purposely try and take Rick out, who had narrowly missed it, causing her to almost forget about the walker that came straight for her.

Natalia dealt with it before running to Ricks side, who was now on the floor from a walker being thrown at him by the Hispanic.

She plunged the knife through its head, letting the man push it off him as she helped him get to his feet.

"T, mind the gap!" Daryl shouted out, also seeing what had just happened.

"Thanks." Rick said to the woman.

"Just paying you back." She said, fighting against another walker that came at her. "Now deal with our other problem."

He nodded at her in agreement, Rick knew what he had to do.

Soon enough, the laundromat was rid of hungry walkers.

Daryl aimed his crossbow at Tomas who shrugged off Ricks heavy stare as he walked towards him.

"It was coming at me, bro." Tomas said.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Rick agreed. "I get it. Shit happens."

The laundromat was silent as Rick and Tomas had a stare off.

Until Rick swung his arm back, the one carrying the machete, before bringing it down onto Tomas's head, pushing it down so that he landed on his knees before dropping to the ground.

"No!" Andrew cried out, attempting to hit Rick with his bat. Natalia tugged out her handgun from her waistband, aiming it at him.

"Easy now" Daryl said, moving the aim of his crossbow.

Andrew looked at the pair before turning back to Rick, realising he had no options here. He spun around, running out of the door.

"I got him" Rick told the three as he chased after the prisoner.

Daryl and Natalia pointed their weapons at the other two prisoners, T-Dog quick to copy with his own gun.

"Man, get down on your knees." Daryl ordered.

"We don't have no affiliation to what just happened!" Axel told the three. "Tell him, Oscar!"

"Stop talking, man" Oscar said, his hands up in surrender.

Rick soon enough came back, raising his own gun at the prisoners.

"We didn't have nothing to do with that." Oscar said.

"You didn't know?" Rick asked him. "You knew, let's end this now." Rick moved to point his gun at Axels head.

"Sir, please, listen to me!" Axel cried. "It was them that was bad, it wasn't us."

"Oh, that's convenient."

"You saw what he did to Tiny! He was my friend. Please, we ain't like that. I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer." Axel pleaded, Natalia scoffed at him.

"Oscar here, he's a B and E, and he ain't very good at it neither. We ain't the violent guys, they were! Please, I swear to God! I wanna live!"

Rick turned back around and aimed his gun at Oscar.

"What about you?" Rick asked when he still had said nothing.

"I ain't never pleaded for my life. And I aint about to start now. So you do what you gotta do."

Natalia eventually put her gun back on safety, tucking it back in the waistband of her pyjama bottoms.

Rick took this as a sign, lowering his own gun, letting the pair stand up.

Daryl grabbed a hold of Axels overalls pushing him to walk forward to cell block D, using his keys that he picked back up to unlock the door, throwing the man onto the ground.

The Cell block was full of dead prisoners lying on the ground just outside their cells, their hands zip tied behind their backs and blood coming out from their heads, where they had clearly been shot.

"Oh, man." Oscar sighed.

"I knew these guys." Axel whimpered. "These were good men."

Natalia couldn't help the thought that they were in prison not let her fully believe what he said.

"Let's go." Rick told the three.

"So, you're just gonna leave us in here?" Oscar asked him. "Man, this is sick."

"We're locking down this cell block. From now on, this part of the prison is yours, take it or leave it, that was the deal." Rick shrugged.

"You think this is sick? You don't wanna know what's outside." Daryl offered.

"Consider yourselves the lucky ones."

"Sorry about your friends, man."

Natalia followed after Rick and Daryl.

"A word of advice, take those bodies out and burn them." T-Dog finalised before leaving as well.

"What a day" Natalia sighed, stretching her arms up high.

"Yer lucky yer still breathing." Daryl told her.

"Yeah, well, falling on my ass twice and saving a mans life before his horrific death, all without dying, I would say that's pretty lucky."

"Lets just get back and see how Hershel's doing" Rick told them, scratching at his beard.

"Hey, that was pretty badass, what you did with the machete and the dramatic pause, but I still think my idea was way better." Natalia told Rick.

"It wasn't really for a show. Your way was barbaric"

"I know, but it would of been gratifying, would make me feel a damn lot better." She shrugged.

"Hershel stopped breathing" Carls voice could be heard as the group walked into the cell block. "Mom saved him."

"Its true." Glenn clarified.

Natalia slid down the wall facing outside the cell as everyone filled it, Sully jogging to her side as he nudged his head against her chest, making her raise her hands to hold his face, scruffing up his fur as she kissed the top of his head.

"Daddy?" Maggie called to her father, followed by a more excited Beth as the man opened his eyes.

Hershel had made it, and Rick was to thank for that.

The sun was shining as Natalia walked round the field with Sully, throwing around a ball she found for the dog to catch and bring back as Rick, Daryl, Carol and T-Dog brought in the cars.

"Hey, Nat, you helping out today?" Daryl shouted over to the woman, gesturing for her to come over.

"Come on, boy." She called to her dog, walking over.

"It's gonna be a long day." T-Dog told her. "Collecting and burning bodies."

"How exciting, so glad you asked me to help out." Natalia teased.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie? We could use some help." Carol asked.

"On watch, right?" Natalia asked, looking around for the pair.

"Yeah, up in the guard tower." Daryl pointed up at the tower.

"Guard tower, they were up there just last night." Rick reminded.

"Must've been a lot to scope out."

"Glenn! Maggie!" Daryl called up.

The head of Glenn popped up through the window, unlocking the door and walking out as he was in the middle of getting dressed.

"Hey! What's up, guys?" Glenn called down, doing up the button of his jeans.

"You coming?" Daryl asked him.

"What?"

"You coming?" He repeated.

Glenn looked towards Maggie unsure of the question as everyone stifled laughs.

"Come on, we could use a hand."

"Yeah, we'll be right down." Glenn raised a finger as a dishevelled Maggie looked down unapprovingly.

"Least someone's getting some action." Natalia mused.

"Maybe you can try your luck with one of them" T-Dog pointed from behind them, causing the group to turn around.

Axel and Oscar had walked up to their side of the fence, looking down on the others.

"Come with me" Rick muttered, walking towards the fence, the other four on his heels.

Natalia slipped the gun out from behind her belt, holding it tightly just in case.

"That's close enough." Rick told the prisoners. "We had an agreement."

"Please, mister. We know that." Axel pleaded as Maggie and Glenn came out from the red door behind them. "But you gotta understand we can't live in that place another minute. You follow me? All the bodies, people we knew, blood, brains, everywhere. There's ghosts."

"Why don't you move the bodies out?" Daryl asked.

"You should be burning them" T added.

"We tried. We did."

"The fence is down on the far side of the prison. Every time we drag a body out, those things just line up. Dropping the body and just running back inside." Oscar explained.

"Look, we had nothing to do with Tomas and Andrew. Nothing. You trying to prove a point. You proved it, bro. We'll do whatever it takes to be part of your group. Just please, please... don't make us live in that place."

"You can always leave" Natalia said.

Axel looked at Natalia before back at Rick.

"Our deal is non negotiable." Rick told the two prisoners. You either live in your cell block, or as Nat said, or you can leave."

"I told you this was a waste of time." Oscar told Axel. "They ain't no different than the pricks who shot up our boys. You know how many friends corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw them out, like. These were good guys. Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in this joint, like Tomas and Andrew. Now we've all made mistakes to get in here, chief. And I'm not gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe me we've paid our due enough that we would rather hit that road than to go back into that shithole."

Rick turned around, to where Natalia and Daryl were both stood, his eyes asking their thoughts, at first she thought it was just to Daryl until his eyes shifted to hers, each both shook their heads.

"The road it is then." Rick told them.

Daryl escorted the pair into the outer gate where one of the cars still sat whilst Rick deliberated with everyone else.

"Are you serious, you want them living in a cell next to you? They'll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons. You want to go back to sleeping with one eye open?" Rick asked T-Dog.

"I never stopped. We let Nat join us, she could of easily done the same thing, now look at her, locking her cell at night so we can't get in."

"Hey, mind your own business, I let you people in, besides, I've never been in prison, from committing a crime!" Natalia defended herself.

"And we're all grateful for that" T-Dog told her. "But what I'm saying is, I think we should bring them into the fold. If we send them off packing, we might as well execute them ourselves."

"If you think they're that incapable on their own, what use are they to us?" She asked him.

"I don't know, Axel seems a little unstable." Glenn joined in.

"After all we've been through? We've fought so hard for all this, what if they decide to take it?" Carol asked.

"It's just been us for so long. They're strangers. I don't... it feels weird all of a sudden to have these other people around." Maggie sighed.

"You brought us in" T-Dog reminded her.

"Yeah, but you turned up with a shot boy in your arms. Didn't give us a choice."

Natalia looked between the group, she had been with them for around two months, she didn't realise how much she actually closed her self off from the group until finding out that Carl had been shot, just now.

"They can't even kill walkers." Glenn brought up.

"They're convicts, bottom line."

"Yeah, both points I've been making, thank you."

"Those two might actually have less blood on their hands then we do, especially Nat." T-dog said, making Natalia scoff as she bit her lip.

"I get guys like this. Hell, I grew up with them. They're degenerates, but they aint psychos. I could have been in there with them just as easy as I'm out here with you guys." Daryl said, seeming to have swayed his vote.

"So are you with me?" T asked him.

"Hell, no. Let 'em take their chances out on the road like we did." He finished with, bringing back Natalia's hope in him.

"What I'm saying, Daryl-"

"When I was a rookie, I arrested this kid. Nineteen years old, wanted for stabbing his girlfriend." Rick started. "The kid blubbered like a baby during the interrogation, during the trial suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, and then two weeks later, shot another girl. We've been through too much. Our deal with them stands." Rick finalised, walking away, the rest following except for T-Dog, who eventually came to his senses and caught up.

"Move the cars to the upper yard. Point 'em facing out. They'll be out of the way but ready to go if we ever need to bail." Rick told Glenn, chucking him the keys, who jogged ahead. "We'll give the prisoners a weeks worth of supplies for the road."

"Might not last a week." T-Dog sighed.

"It's their choice." Rick shrugged.

"Did they really have one?"

Natalia ignored the conversation, leaning against the fence, Sully by her side as the vehicles were being moved.

"Twin cylinder. is that a Triumph?" Axel asked Daryl as he hopped on his motorcycle.

"Don't even look at it." He threatened the prisoner, struggling to start it up.

"Don't want it bored out?" Axel tried again at making conversation. "Sounds like it could use a tune up. I'm pretty handy with a wrench." He shouted over the revs of the bike starting. "Heads are leakin', I know my bikes!"

"Man, will you just stop?" Oscar asked the blond, also watching the pair interact. "Have some balls."

"Just sayin'"

Natalia leaned off the fence as Glenn was closing it, walking back up with the others.

Carol was moving the red truck as Daryl, Rick and Natalia climbed through the hole in the fence, planning on heading for the woods, Glenn caught up after giving food to the prisoners.

"Should I take her out?" Glenn asked, pointing to the walker on the other side of the water.

"No." Rick told him. "If that armoury hadn't been picked clean, we could spare the ammo."

"I'll start making runs" Daryl offered. "The sooner the better."

"We'll throw as much wood as we can in the dog run."

"Won't fire attract more walkers? Maybe we should bury them." Glenn suggested.

"You wanna count how many bodies that is we'd have to bury?" Natalia asked him, looking over her shoulder to see that Daryl was still stood at the gate, looking into the woods.

"Besides, we're behind the fence. It's worth the one-time risk to get rid of the bodies for good. I don't want to be planting crops in walker-rotted soil."

"I don't get why I'm out here collecting fire like a lumberjack, I could've helped with the cars" Natalia sighed as they began making piles.

"Can you even drive?" Glenn asked her.

"Yes, are you old enough?"

"I'm 22."

"I'm 26."

"Liar. There's no way you were walking and talking by the time I was even born." Glenn rejected.

"Believe it, kiddo."

"We've never seen you drive, we've seen them." Rick said. "When was the last time you drove a car?"

"Uhm, probably nearly three years ago?”

"Why so long?" Glenn asked, surprised by her answer.

"That's a personal question." Natalia said. "But I still know how to, besides, I didn't need to, my boyfriend did, but he's dead, so it's up to me again."

"Oh, uh, well I think this is enough firewood, so we should head back." Rick cleared his throat.

The four of them walked back towards the fence, only three of them carrying firewood as Daryl carried his crossbow, helpful.

"Looky here" Daryl said, holding the fence open for the others to get through.

Natalia was the last to climb out, chucking the logs of wood into the pile the other two placed theirs as they all watched Hershel, on crutches, walk around the courtyard.

"He is one tough son of a bitch" Glenn grinned. "Alright Hershel!"

"Shh! Keep your cheers down" Daryl muttered to Glenn, gesturing to the walkers roaming around outside the fences.

"Oh, man, can't we just have one good day?" The Korean sighed.

"Don't go jinxing it." Natalia told him.

The four smiled at the others, happy for Hershel's achievement, until Natalia noticed something behind Carl.

"Shit!" She cursed, instantly reaching for her knifes.

"Walkers!" Carl screamed, turning around. "Look out!"

"No!" Rick shouted, sprinting down the fences, Daryl following and Natalia right in front, Glenn skidded back to tie the fence back up in order to not get outsiders coming in either.

"Get out of there! Now!"

Natalia reached the gate first.

"Keys! I need the keys!" She screamed out.

Glenn chucked the keys to Daryl, who threw them to Rick who then tossed them to Natalia, who unlocked the gate, throwing it open so the others could get through.

"Move!" She shouted at the two prisoners, running for the other gate to unlock it.

"Come on! Come on!" Daryl shouted.

"I'm trying! It's stuck!"

"Out my way" Rick moved in front of Natalia, trying his luck.

"Got it" He eventually said, throwing the gate open.

"Hey, bro, what about us?" Axel cried out as the four ran up to the prison.

He was ignored.

Rick and Natalia shot walkers, landing headshots, Daryl took a few out with his crossbow, whilst Glenn opted for his machete.

"What the hell happened?" Rick shouted at Beth and Hershel, who were safe in a cage, Natalia could thank the lords above that they had brought Sully with them.

"The gate was open!" Beth answered him.

"Where's Lori, Carl... everyone else?"

"Maggie led Lori and Carl into C block." Hershel replied.

"And T was bit." Beth added.

"Anyone else?"

"I couldn't tell."

"Stay put." Rick instructed, turning around to take out another walker.

"Those chains didn't break on their own." Glenn reported back, once they had got all the walkers in the courtyard. "Someone took an axe or cutters to 'em."

Daryl, Rick and Natalia turned around to find Axel and Oscar walking up.

"How convenient they show up now." Natalia commented, aiming her gun at them.

"You think they did it?" Glenn asked.

"Who else?" Rick said.

Just then, an alarm blared around the prison.

"What's that? Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"

Glenn, Natalia and Rick shot at the speakers, but not ceasing the alarms.

"Kill it!" Hershel shouted.

"How the hell can this be happening?" Rick asked the prisoners, pointing his gun in their faces.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! It must be the back up generators." Oscar said.

"Well how do you turn those on?"

"There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a certain part of the prison. The hacks shut 'em all off when the prison was overrun."

"Can someone open up the gates electronically with full power?" Rick pointed at the main gates.

"I only worked in there a few days. I... I guess it might be possible."

"Come with us!" Rick grabbed Oscar by the overalls, running to the cell blocks.

Once they got to it, there were a few bodies on the ground, but Carl, Maggie and Lori were nowhere in sight.

"We just took out five of 'em in there." Daryl said, grabbing one of his arrows.

"There were four in here but no sign of Lori or any of them." Rick reported back.

"Must've been pushed back into the prison."

"Somebody is playing games!" Rick exclaimed. "We'll split up and look for the others."

"We need to shut this alarm off" Natalia said.

"We will, whoever gets to the generators first, shut them down! Lets go!"

They ran back out the cell block, the prisoners accompanying them.

Glenn and Axel ran off, but before anyone else could they got chased towards the generator room by a large group, forcing them through.

Daryl and Oscar kept the doors closed as Rick and Natalia looked around, guns held high.

"How do you shut these down?" Rick shouted, looking at the machinery.

"Go, help him, Nat, c'mere, switch" Daryl ordered.

Natalia helped hold the door closed as Oscar went to turn off the machines.

"Did you see how many was out there?" She asked, gritting her teeth.

"Was too busy running!" Daryl responded.

"We could take them."

"No!"

A loud cry sounded from the other side, before metal hitting metal.

"What's going on?"

"It's Andrew, he's alive!" She told them as they both struggled with the door, her being able to see slightly better than him.

"Alright, one... two three!" The two stepped away from the door, Natalia readying her knife whilst Daryl reached for his crossbow.

The door flew open, Walkers entering as the pair took them out.

"Shoot him! We can take back this prison!" The voice of Andrew shouted. "What you waiting for? Do it! It's our house, shoot him!"

No one else said anything as a gunshot went off.

Daryl closed the door back up, both looking at each other before moving to see what had just happened.

Oscar was holding Ricks gun, pointed straight ahead. then he spun it, handing it back to the man, Andrews dead body on the floor.

Rick took his gun back, holding it as he moved back towards the machines, turning dials and soon enough the alarms stopped.

"Let's go" Rick told them.

They walked down the dark hallways, only finding a few lone walkers, that Natalia was quick to take out, the others holding flashlights. Soon enough, they met back up with Glenn and Axel.

The six halted behind a corner, running past it quickly to be met with two walkers eating an corpse.

Rick took them both out, the bodies dropping, revealed what was left of T-Dog.

He was dead.

Glenn paced back. Natalia covered her mouth, not knowing what to do with herself.

Daryl bent down, picking up a red cloth, Carols headscarf.

Next.

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl #carl grimes #carol peletier #daryl fanfiction #glenn rhee #michonne #rick grimes #maggie greene #beth greene

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actualbird · 5 months

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what is your ranking of all the main event stories we have received so far? (as in sott, enduring light, skadi etc)

OHHHH THIS IS A FUN QUESTION, THANK YOU ANON!!! let me go from my highest to lowest.

for this question, im taking "main event stories" to mean the Big 4 SSR Events where the event story involves the entire team all at once (so no xmas events or sotn, or solo or duo events). and i will be judging these events primarily on their event story (so not as much as the gameplay, though thatll also be a factor. but i wont be judging the cards)

OH DANG WHY DID I EXPLAIN IT, THE TOT WIKI DOES A MUCH BETTER JOB AT DEFINING BIG 4 SSR EVENTS, HERE, THIS IS WHAT IM JUDGING

anyhoo, here is my personal ranking!

FIRST PLACE: Mysteries of the Lost Gold

my beloved, my favorite, my perfect shining star. lost gold was the first big event i played and it has yet to be dethroned as my favorite event story of all of tot. absolute homerun of a rich story with intrigue, high stakes, a good balance of tender moments and lighthearted ones, and just SO gripping in terms of all of the story threads coming together, plus the absolutely A+ nxx team interactions. my advice to every new player who comes into my inbox is "PLAY THE LOST GOLD DLC" because i love it so much. i will never shut up about how i love it so much. it has our very first raven!luke sighting. it has marius nearly getting stabbed. it has artem with gun. it has vyn doing that THING with the bow and arrow. LIKE. THIS EVENT IS PERFECT TO ME. it'll take something really really special to dethrone it.

SECOND PLACE: Enduring Light

this isnt recency bias speaking but my real honest thoughts: this story delighted me to no end. i was kept on the edge my seat for every single phase, and the sheer novelty of the story's setup and the gameplay was such a nice change of pace after the previous event formats started to get repetetive. i especially loved that this time, we had to suspect the nxx boys as well because that really added to my enjoyment of this event. it really felt like a mystery that had to be solved by us, and not just a mystery that will unravel by itself as long as we keep playing, if that makes sense? my point is i was immensely immersed in enduring light and i love it lots lots lots. luke looking stupendously hot in his outfit during the entire event was also a huge plus.

THIRD PLACE: a tie between Blizzardous Threads of Red & Mystery of Bakerlon

i really loved BTR and bakerlon!!! both of their murder cases were adequately thrilling for me, though towards the end i could feel the adrenaline wearing off, if that makes sense? like by the 4th phase, things were slotting together already in a way that like lowered the feeling of intrigue. also i know i said i wouldnt judge much based on gameplay, but these two deserve a shoutout for MINIGAMES I WANT TO KILL W MY BARE HANDS. bakerlon's crystal tasks were so repetetive to me, and BTR's TIMED ESCAPE ROOM THINGIES heightened my blood pressure several times HAHA

FOURTH PLACE: To My Beloved: Moonlit Eve (anniv 2)

this has a soft spot in my heart for including all of the old NPCs from main story, and that was very heartwarming. while theres no mystery that needs solving, just seeing the team hang out together and have fun together was such a treat for my soul

FIFTH PLACE: Secrets of the Tomb

sott is where i'd say the event story quality is inching towards the meh scale. the mystery here was interesting but was not particularly gripping to me. it might just be a me thing, but i enjoyed the side stories (the ones you get with the boys when you investigate the artefacts) more than the actual event story itself.

SIXTH PLACE: A Love Poem to Skadi

ahhhhh skadi. psychological and medical malpractice horrors skadi.....HJSVKHSJDFDSF. i will admit, the mystery in this story is HORRIFIC and it was enjoyable to unravel it, but here is where i break my rule again of not talking about gameplay but mAAAAAAN THE GAMEPLAY HINDERED MY ENJOYMENT OF THE MAIN PLOT LOTS. it was rather difficult for me to do all the exploration in that manor and that stalled my absorption of the story too. plus, i think the fact that the story is Over made the story have a bit of a muted quality to it. not in a bad way (i distinctly remember i wrote a semi-analysis post about how i enjoyed that the story was in the Past) but it definitely affected the mood of the gameplay, if that makes sense?

(that is the third time ive said "if that makes sense" in this response, THREE STRIKES AND YER OOOOOUT)

SEVENTH PLACE: Blissful Fete (anniv 1)

be honest with me.....do YOU remember the event story plot of blissful fete? cuz i sure dont. JVSKDHFSJDHSF. i only remember getting very very mad at luke during that fucking minigame where we guess if the card is higher or lower. that being said, if i cant even remember much of the story, then it didnt make an impact on me and couldve been improved.

so thats my ranking! thank u for the ask :D

#asks #anon #lost gold my beloved.....i will never stop loving u....

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towriteloveontheirarms · 1 year

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Could I request Wednesday x GN!reader where the reader is pretty gothic too, likes macabre stuff and dark things but not as cold hearted as Wednesday. Also If you’re okay with it, the reader having autism would be nice to add. Also maybe Wednesday actually confesses to them? Mostly fluff stuff heh

I´m actually nervous about this one, but here you go anon<3 I hope you like it!

There is just one more thing I needed to do

pairing: Wednesday Addams x gn!reader

synopsis: It´s been a couple of days now since the ressurection of Cracksttone and the resulting fight. Still in the hospital you get a visitor you wouldn´t have expected.

warnings: mentions of being shot by an arrow

word count: 0.9k

A/N: this was harder to write than I thought but I´m glad I got pulled out of my comfort zone a little. Now I do not have autism and neither do I now anyone who does personally so if there is anything like wrong or harmful in here please send me a message and I will try to change it as fast as possible. Just please be nice <3

It had been several days now since the resurrection of Crackstone and the resulting fight. Yet still the hospital insisted on you staying there for observation, despite feeling you could recover just as well in the comfort of your own home. In all honesty you were sure of it. The harsh lights, constant sounds and that clean hospital smell made you feel on edge almost constantly and even the headphones, playing music loud enough for anyone to hear, could only help to make you feel better so much. The arrow that had hit you wasn´t that bad and Xavier was quick enough to get help, so you didn´t understand what the fuss was about. Quite honestly sometimes it made you want to scream. Opting for the music once more instead you took your small leather-bound journal out of the side table too in an attempt to complete the writing you had started earlier that day before your parents came in for a short visit. The want to scream vanished into an intense tingle that spread throughout your body.

A good decision as it turned out, as it pulled you out of your so passionately hated surroundings entirely the moment you lined up the pen and felt the smooth paper under your hand.

The touch of a hand on your lower arm is what breaks you out of the concentrated state only so long later.

You didn´t expect to be visited anymore today. Xavier, Yoko and the others for sure would have texted before coming around and there were no more exams done either.

Setting the big headphones down you turned to look who had just touched you.

“Wednesday?”, it was genuinely surprising to see her.

“I´m not interrupting, am I?”. she points to the notebook in your lap.

“No, not at all. I couldn´t write anymore anyway.”, you press the heels of your hands into your eyes shortly before letting them flap freely. “What are you doing here? I thought Xavier said something about you leaving today?”

“I am about to. Theres just one more thing I needed to do.”

That confused you even more, but before you could ask what she could possibly have to do here she pulled a little plush bat out of her backpack. You don´t even have to feel it´s weight against your hands before you recognize it´s yours.

“Thank you Wednesday, but…”

“Enid said, that Yoko mentioned your parents left it on your bed, when they came to get some stuff. She also said to tell you to get well soon.”

There is a short break where neither of you says anything, but the weight of the plush grounds you more than the music could all day.

When you look back to her, the usually so confident look in her eyes has changed to an uncertain one. What could possibly make her unsure right now?

“Before you go… I want to give you something too.”, you speak up first.

Reaching into the bedside table once more to retrieve a neatly folded piece of paper. Taking it from you the look of uncertainty changes into confusion.

“That´s from the poem you wrote when we first met…”

“Yeah, I wanted you to have it as a reminder I guess. I don´t know…”, as you let your sentence trails off you see something you have never seen before.

Wednesday turns her eyes to the ground. Seemingly weighing how smart it would be to say the following words, you don´t interrupt her, but you do try to find her beautiful, dark eyes again.

“I also need to tell you something.”, she makes sure to find your eyes and take a deep breath before continuing to speak. “Until a while ago I thought liking someone meant nothing but increased stress, dependency, loss of self-control and poor judgment. At least that´s what I have always seen. I saw it as nothing but a simple chemical process that people delude themselves with… I told myself I would never become like my mother, but over the last weeks I realized this might not be an entirely true statement. The truth is that I´ve come to realize that I like you. More than just as a friend.”

The little speech takes you aback a bit. Since you met shortly after she arrived at Nevermore your friendship if one would like to call it that way has always been described as a little unique. Despite all that, you had found yourself harboring feelings for the gloomy girl too.

“I like you too, Wednesday. I mean I quite literally took an arrow to teh shoulder for you.”, you smile as a knock at the door alerts the two of you.

A young woman sticks her head in before bringing you something to eat and leaving the even quicker than she entered.

“You probably need to go too.”, you don´t really know what to say. “I would like seeing you again when I am out of here though. Or maybe you can text me when you get home… Xavier told me he got you a phone…”

“He did. Yes, but I don´t have your number…”

“Oh yeah right.”, you cleanly tear a page out of a writing pad before writing down the digits and handing it to her. “Now you do.”

Wednesday looks at you one last time, while putting your number away safely and nods before she leaves. Through the window you can see how she carefully holds the paper in her hands as her eyes scan over the page again.

“Be still and listen...

At the fountain behind the battlements

hums softly softly softly

a painful dream

into the country so far so far so far

and yet not far enough

for this young thirsty heart.”

As she starts to walk away her face is as emotionless and stoic as ever, not giving away what the conversation the two of you just had might have revealed.

#wednesday addams #netflix wednesday #wednesday x reader #wednesday x you #wednesday addams x reader #wednesday netflix one shot

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lttleghostlemon · 1 year

Text

Long ranty post about Thomas Thorne

I dont think anyone is actually saying this or whatnot its just for my sake BUT if there is someone going “Thomas Thorne doesnt actually love he just goes from woman to woman” which is a tiny bit true. I think hes just a hopeless romantic or thinks thats what people are meant to do— but when he died he believed Isabelle did not love him, and hes been dead for at least 200 years, hes had so much time to think about it so by the time Alison showed up, he’d moved on quite a bit. And yes theres the passing fancy with Lucy but i already mentioned “hes just a hopeless romantic or thinks thats what people are meant to do” and he “saw a bit of alison in lucy” so

I don’t think Thomas actually got to be with anyone in his life time- and when he did love it had to be kept quiet “so her father wouldn’t know”. He didnt know how to love and hes a poet- he goes all outrageous with his affection cause no one showed him how to love. Hes probably gone based off what he read in stories which then transferred to his own writing. Which maybe thats why he was never inspired by italy and all that, he didn’t know what he was meant to even be looking for. Probably believing it had to be big and extravagant. If he had known, i think he would’ve taken time to stop and look, and i think he would’ve found so much in those places. I think all he had been taught was “a man should fawn over a woman” and then with him being a poet he felt as though all his words needed to be “Fancy” and “Important” sounding so-

but there are the moments where he lets it all go for a moment. Like the time where after their little camping trip he spoke about the sun- it was short and simple yet beautiful..he never knew thats all it took. Cause i think thats one of the only moments Alison complements his work- In that moment he was simply genuine about it all. No fancyness or adding on unnecessary words…he just spoke what first came to mind. It wasn’t until Alison said something that he felt the need to make it something more- when it didn’t need to be..because he thought he needed to monologue or whatever to make people like it. To like him-

Theres always been so much going on in Button house- and Thomas never changes how he acts so they just form their opinion based off what he provides them, but i think if any of the ghosts sat with Thomas and talked to him, and let him break down some of those walls, i think he’d just…act “normal” for once and be a genuine sweet guy..(also i think it’d be humphrey who could actually get through to him)

Yes. Hes a bit an as asshole sometimes…but they all are. They’re ghosts whos only connection is eachother..with zero responsibilities. Give it 200 years stuck with the same people and having nothing to do…you’d be a bit assholey sometimes too.

anyways no matter what im a thomas thorne apologist

#bbc ghosts #thomas thorne #ghosts bbc #six idiots #them there #I dont know where i was going with some of these things #But oh well #mathew baynton #mat baynton #Thomas is anything BUT neurotypical also #I could literally keep talking about this cause i keep thinking of things but i gotta find a stopping point..

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neopuff · 2 months

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Do you have tips on what makes a good amv editor please

hmmmm well the most important things for me are

clip choice! choosing clips that go with the lyircs (literally cuz its fun or emotionally to make me crazy) is imperative. amvs where theres no thought put into what goes where aren't as fun to watch. i'm still mad at an old amv of mine where the lyrics mentioned punching a wall and i didnt use a scene where the character punched a wall cuz i forgot about it lol (this also ties to amvs with really inappropriate songs for the character/ship...like if youre editing a ship positively but use a song about abuse or breaking up, it just doesnt work)

timing! an amv is most engaging when the video moves along with the beat of the song. not every beat needs a clip change but its nice when something happens on the beat, and if theres a big moment where the song goes from soft->loud then there needs to be visuals to match. the video should vibe with the song every step of the way

those are my top things for sure

aaand then theres, like, littler things that are very preferential but ill go into it 'cause i have other things i need to do and thats when im most talkative

knowing your strengths/weaknesses: for example, i dont love doing typography nor am i very good at it - so i limit it! i dont go crazy and fill my amvs with nonstop typography. but i dont use none 'cause you can't improve without practicing lol. sometimes as practice i will stare at typography from other amvs that i love and just imitate it as best as i can, see if i can figure out how they did it and try to incorporate the style into my own editing

moderation: overlays are a good example. overlays are fun! they can really enhance an amv. but too many overlays can become headache-inducing or just take away from the actual footage you're editing with (another moderation example) sometimes you'll see a well-edited amv but there's soooo much zooming in and out back and forth that it can give you a headache. i obviously love adding zooms but its good to take a step back and try to decide if you're relying so much on the zooms that you're not letting the footage play its part

coloring: not every amv needs to be colored but even just a little bit of levels adjustment can make your footage stand out more. that being said - its also important to pay attention to how the coloring fits each piece of your footage. you don't wanna whitewash dark skinned characters or make things so dark you cant see whats going on. coloring a Generator Rex amv can be difficult because the show utilizes a lot of Bright Whites and Dark Blacks which is nice but also makes you think more

balance: this is hard because, yknow. its subjective. but like...i like to use a lot of parallel imagery/typography in my amvs, but its also good to have a lot of variety and mix things up. it really depends on the song/the vibe youre going for/the type of amv.

i am happy to talk about editing stuff any time if you want me to talk more lol

#anon asks #carro answers #amv editing

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cupoftaae · 1 year

Text

Forever And A Day (KTH x READER) series ♡ college spirit (chapter 7)

Summary: your lifelong friend is forced to face his true feelings for you once he breaks the number one rule of becoming friends with benefits: dont fall in love. He knows he loves you, but you on the other hand need more convincing of the most important thing: the right decision.

Genre: fwb. Roommates, friends to idiots to lovers, fluff, angst, smut, the whole 9 yards tbh.

Pairing: taehyung x female!reader

rating: 18+ (minors dni!!!)

word count- 5k

Chapter warnings- okay so this is probably the chapter with the most warnings, there is a lot of alchohol, lots of swearing, theres themes of relationship abuse, physical abuse, manipulation, blood mention, we see jungkook btw (bc its party time) Taehyungs heart is in the right place but he does something bad. Kaito is a dickhead say it with me. dont read if youre sensitive to domestic abuse themes, this one was rough yall. also apologies for spelling errors.

A/N- So this is the chapter I would label as story changing, everything kind of takes a giant move in an opposite direction from here on out, Its crazy but hope you enjoy!!

Growing up, you thought that life would just magically align the moment you hit your 20's, you would be married with 2 kids living somewhere that provided everything you needed, and anything you wanted. You can laugh at yourself now for thinking, or even considering, that your early 20's would be any different from your teen years.

Because, with that said, here you were laying in bed with Taehyung as he slept, while your boyfriend was out doing God knows what. Granted, he isnt the best boy to use as an example, but just a few hours ago you almost kissed your best friend. You are a lot of things, but despite the shitty situation, you are not a cheater.

You could have yelled at him, you could have made a big deal about what happened outside, but you didnt.

You told yourself that this was taehyungs night to shine, so you dropped it and did what you both always do, forget it even happened. He is stubborn though, and snuck into your bed right before you fell asleep.

Its not unusual for you both to sleep near one another, but you would think he would get the hint that things needed to simmer down for a few.....guess not.

"youre awake?"

you turned your head to the raspy voice beside you, rubbing your eyes as you hummed. "yeah"

He smiled and stretched, burying his face into the pillow before reluctantly sitting up against the headboard.

"You sleep okay?" you ask

"yeah" tae chuckled, "Sort of have a headache..."

"ah" you reached into your nightstand and grabbed some Tylenol, handing the pills over to him along with your not drunk water bottle from last night.

He smiled graciously and took the medicine, sipping the bottle before clearing his throat. "thanks" the boy yawned. "any plans today?" he looked at you

You pulled down the sheet and sat up as well, groaning at the stubborn sunlight peaking through your curtains. "Um...yeah. shit I forgot....some of my friends are throwing a party and I said I would show up. I dont know why I agreed"

"what?" tae whined "just dont go"

"nah they will be pissed at me, they already called me a prude for working and being home all day after school" you shrug

Tae sunk into the bed, upset that you would be out and about while he stayed in the apartment. "I'll just make an appearance, then make my exit, okay? it wont be like an all night thing, swear" you rambled.

"can I go at least?" he pleaded with big eyes

sighing, you look up at the ceiling. "eh, Im not sure thats....I dont know if its a good idea"

"why not?"

"because you dont know anyone over there except from Chae and Dahyun...who youve only met a few times, and-"

"whos throwing the party?"

"...I dont know? Some kid named Jungkook"

"see? you dont even know whos gonna be there so whats the difference if I go?" he insisted

"Because I definitely will recognize people, we all are on the same campus, you wont know a soul"

"Pleaseeee" he jokingly whined and held onto your arm.

"tae"

"Is kaito going?"

"yes"

"then I will too"

you scoff and pull back, "youre going just because he is?"

He looks at you, "no, I just- whatever im going" he stands up and flairs his arms around dramatically before going into the bathroom to wash up, not giving any room to further the conversation.

you fall back against the pillows and sigh. You never wanted to go, but you thought perhaps you had a chance at having fun, now that chance was at like....0.0002%. You loved tae, but certain people in your life dont, certain people who will be at that party, certain people who told you not to bring him.

"Yes mom, i-...yes yes, I already said that" you paced around the kitchen with your cellphone pressed to your ear, attempting to clean off the counters while conversing with your mother who was back in Gwangju.

"Well im just saying, your birthday is next month and I would come to Busan myself but my back is still giving issues, doctor said no travel. Would love to see you and kaito come visit me"

You looked around the kitchen as you listened to your mom speak, eyes catching on taehyung who was eating an english muffin in the living room, writing an email to his mom about how he won the art contest.

"I'll talk to him, we both have crazy schedules right now and the semester isnt over until the end of next month, so-"

"its okay if you cant, im just throwing it out there"

"no no, i'll find a way, ok? I only turn 23 once, and Im sure Kaito will love to meet you too."

Tae took a bite of his food and cocked his head to you, raising his eyebrows as you silently shrugged in response.

"Ok....mhm. I love you too mama, text me, okay? ...bye bye" you sigh and put your phone down.

"early birthday festivities?"

"yeah....Im gonna visit mom in a few weeks and she asked me to bring the..boy" you giggle, making him smile.

"she doesnt wanna see me?"

"I think she just wants to meet my current boyfriend, youll see her on easter" you pat his back and walk into your room.

"I think Jungkook is cute" Dahyun spoke up, biting into her donut as she scrolled through social media, showing his photos to Chae.

"eh he is oka- woah, yeah hes hot" she leaned closer into her friends phone as Kaito sighed and handed over their coffees. "thanks bean boy" chae chuckled and sipped her drink.

"If you guys are gonna harass me on my shift you can go" he adjusted his apron before wiping off the counter. "do you seriously plan on waiting until I get off of work? you cant drive yourself to the party?"

"what else do we have to do? and....its raining" dahyun drank her coffee, turning to Kaito. "plus you only have another 30 minuets, hurry up"

Chae laughed and walked over to sit in one of the booths as kaito took a new customers order.

"dahyun cmere"

The girl walked over and sat with her friend, looking down at her phone. "whats that?"

"Its Y/N and taehyung" she snickered, scrolling through the collected photos you took last night on your instagram.

Kaito peered over at his friends, curious upon hearing your name brought up. "Oh, yeah, they had this stupid art thing last night, guess he won or whatever" he dried his hands and handed the customer their drink.

"this doesnt look like a art thing" Dahyun smirked

"what?" he came from behind the counter, walking over to see a video of you, drunk, at some bar with taehyung, eating fries.

"she said she was going home after" he pouted and took the girls phone into his hands

"hey!" chae snatched her phone back

"she lied to me" he scoffs and looks again at the videos. "this was last night? youre sure?"

"it says 18 hours ago, yes"

He scratched his head and silently walked back to his position, not speaking a single word until his shift ended. The girls sharing humorous yet worried glances at eachother.

"He isnt picking you up"

"what?" you walk around the lobby of your apartment complex as you struggle to comprehend your friend on the other line.

"He said he cant pick you up, but he would see you at the party" Chae spoke louder.

"why cant he pick me up?, where-, what is he doing?"

"I dont know, but thats what he said, ask him" she responded shortly before getting distracted by someone else and hanging up on accident.

You sigh loudly and walk over to taehyung who was resting on the bench. "so hes not picking me up, big surprise"

"what?" he sat up and faced you

You two had gotten ready quickly around 6pm and waited in the lobby for your boyfriend, who you thought would be picking you up.

"I dont know" you shrug and pinch the bridge of your nose,

"hey its okay, i'll go back upstairs and get my keys...ill drive us" he patted your back as you looked at your feet.

"no its not that, I just....he's been acting so off and different. I sent him a cute message last night and he texted me back all lovey dovey this morning, now hes ignoring me, I cant take his fucking moodswings"

"im sorry" he mumbled, looking around at the busy lobby. "maybe...maybe I shouldnt go, like, do you think hes mad that we hung out last night?" he asked

"I dont know anymore, man" you look back at him, "I think we should just go, im not gonna hide from him...maybe I can get him to talk with me" you sigh and stand to your feet. "Im okay with you coming just really...keep your distance"

"from you?"

"from him"

he nods and stands, "okay, just wait here i'll get my keys"

The house party was loud, maybe too loud for an on campus event, especially considering it was only 7pm. You practically felt the music blaring inside of you as you timidly stepped into the crowded house. You were immediately met with the mixed aroma of sweat, alcohol, bath and body works perfume, and incense.

"eugh.." you turn to Taehyung and carefully grabbed his arm, leading him out of the busy room. "Just sit, im gonna go look for Kai an-"

"Y/N!"

you turn your head to be met with an already drunk Chae, bringing you into her sweaty arms.

"oh..hey, uh-"

"you need to come with me, we are doing Karaoke upstairs, and Im winning" she yelled, alcohol evident on her breath as it smacked your face.

"you can win Karaoke?" tae mumbled behind you

"yes, yes you can!!" she pointed at him and grabbed your arm, "lets go bitch"

"wait y/n, dont leave me" tae pouted and grasped your other arm.

"I promise ill be right back, okay?" you offered a slight apologetic smile before being whisked away by your friend upstairs, leaving the boy alone in a room full of unfamiliars.

As you made your way into some cleared out room, your eyes were drawn to the huge Karaoke machine set up. "woah..."

"Yeah woah cmon lets go sing a celine dion song"

"chae hold on, wheres Kaito?"

"who?"

you sighed and looked around before grabbing her shoulders, "my boyfriend, Kaito, I need to talk to him, like now. Tall, black hair, you know.....goes by kaito." you dramatically explained as you watched your best friends eyes widen

"Oh yeah.... he is mad at you" she snickered and was quickly distracted by other people, running away before you could question anything she had just said.

"what the fuck" you exhaled, pushing through everyone to try and find kai.

Meanwhile, Taehyung navigated the party downstairs as he awkwardly made his way to the kitchen. There was no order of cleanliness, there was no organization, and the looks of all the mixed red solo cups scattered throughout the entire room kind of disgusted him. He didnt trust any of it, he lifted up a bottle of what looked like tequila and sniffed it, nope, definitely not tequila.

He gave up on finding something to sip on, leaning against the kitchen island as he peered around the large space that seemed too loud for his liking.

Perhaps this was how you felt last night in the art museum.

" 'scuse me" a voice came up beside the boy, making him quickly turn his head and try to figure out who was talking to him, the dim lighting making it difficult.

"what?"

"youre standing in front of the vodka. excuse me" the man repeated, only then did Taehyung understand and scoot over to the side, allowing access to the alcohol. "sorry" he murmured.

"dont think Ive seen you around" the man joked, smiling as he poured and mixed two different bottles into his cup. "whats your name?"

Taehyung looked down to his feet and quickly decided if he should lie or be honest, figuring that these were all college kids, and well, he was not.

"uh, im taehyung. Kim taehyung" he decided, holding out his hand in a gesture of a handshake.

The man looked down and chuckled, ignoring the greeting and looking up at tae. "yeah? you seem unsure"

"yes, thats my name. sorry, i dont usually do parties and shit"

"i can tell man" he took a sip of his drink, audibly wincing before smiling. "Im Jungkook"

Tae raised his brow in acknowledgment

"wanna drink? you look tense" jungkook patted his shoulder and offered him a sip of his own cup, which taehyung reluctantly drank from.

"eugh, jesus christ, that tastes awful"

"I know, but it will get you fucked up" jungkook shrugged,

"hey jungkook wheres Jin at? he said he wou-" a voice came into the kitchen, stopping abruptly when he stood in front of Tae.

"hey" taehyung swallowed harshly

well. he found kaito.

Kaitos eyes drunkingly looked over his figure, a look of disgust and only disgust is what best could be described as his reaction to him being here.

"ah no way, you guys know eachother?" jungkook looked between the two of them happily,

"sort of..." taehyung chuckled, feeling sweat develop on his neck and back.

"wheres y/n?" he asked, looking at him intensly

"Uh, I genuinely dont know...she went away with chae and-"

"wait, y/n is here?" jungkook interrupted, stepping between them both.

"yeah" they both said at the same time before meeting eachothers eyes again.

"dude.....where is she? shes hot as hell" he whisper yelled, peaking into the next room excitedly.

Taehyung glared at the boy, waiting to see kaitos reaction.

"I know, shes my girlfriend"

"no shit dude!" jungkook slapped kaitos back, now ignoring tae completely. "lucky ass"

"nah man" they both stood a few feet away from tae in the doorway, speaking quietly. "she got the worst personality, stuck up as hell. walks and talks as if she doesnt know the only reason boys talk to her is for her tits" he slurs and bursts out laughing

"damn thats harsh man... even for you"

"whatever, i dont care. you can probably have her next...." he sipped his beer quickly

Taehyung felt the anger course through his chest, he wanted to run up and say something, but frankly, he was scared of Kaito, and you had mentioned something about him when he was drunk. If this was it, yeah, its scary.

He immediately stormed out of the room and pushed through the crowd to search for you, the music now blasting louder than before. He quickly walked up to someone familiar by the stairs

"Dahyun, is Y/N around? is she upstairs?"

"taehyung!" she hugged him, "uh...I think? Chae is probably working her. shes ok im sure" she giggled and dragged him over to a lighter area. "look at my manicure! give me an honest opinion. Jimin said it wasnt work $80 bucks and I should just do them myself now, but I think its cute and-"

she went on and on about something that had nothing to do with him for what seemed like forever. Whos jimin? who cares its just a manicure?

he thought to himself as he smiled and nodded.

"they look good, gotta go" he quickly spoke, politely tapping her shoulder before making a dash upstairs. He checked each door, opening up a bathroom to expose two randoms making out.

"oh! uh, im sorry" he covered his eyes and slammed the door shut, walking to the other hall and entering a loud and packed room. "hey chae..." he walked up to the girl, who was in the middle a very intense just dance session with some other poor girl who fell victim.

"heEyy!!" she slurred and danced over to him

He smiled and caught her as she tripped, helping her up. "whats upppp?"

He laughed and made sure she was able to stand on her own before speaking. "do you know where Y/N is?"

"did you see my dancing?" she randomly questioned

"yes, I saw your dancing chae, very nice, now have you seen y/n?"

she looked around curiously before speaking, "oh, yeah, she went to the bathroom!" she yelled into his face

"great, thanks" he gave a thumbs up as he went back into the hall. well he knew which bathroom you werent in.

He trailed down the hall and walked into a bedroom that seemed to be empty, he gently called out your name.

"I'll be out in a second" you shout back, making him exhale in relief. He shut the door to the bedroom and sat on the bed as he waited for you to exit the restroom.

"oh, tae, hi" you mumbled, walking out to him. "you okay?"

"y/n, we need to talk, like...now" he stood up as you made your way over, standing in front of him.

You saw the concern on his face as he spoke, clearing your throat. "wh-whats wrong? what happened?"

"I ran into Kaito and I think-

the door slowly creaked open, a certain someones head peaking in.

"Oh surprise surprise, youre in here with her" Kaito opened the door and walked over, stumbling over his feet.

You stepped closer to tae, feeling fear seep in as you took in your boyfriends very drunk state.

"get out" he looked at taehyung

"no im no-"

"just get the fuck out" he bit

"Taehyung please its okay just go" your voice choked, eyes tearing up as you led him to the door.

"dont let him do anything" he whispered, as you shut the door in his face, making him take a deep breath as he paced through the busy hall outside.

You slowly turned to the boy, waiting for him to speak.

"so, I know that...maybe this is not the best time or whatever to bring this up, but im ready to just..." he began, pausing after words as his thought process was slowed.

"ready to what?" you fidgeted with your bracelets, keeping by the door in case he tried to touch you again.

"move on with my life" he laughed and looked at you.

"wh..what?"

"y/n lets be honest, you dont give two fucking shits about me anymore, so why are we doing this. you dont care, you never have"

you scoffed, "Kaito you are drunk...stop this please, you have no idea what youre saying! How dare you say I dont care about you when all ive done is worry about where you have been and why you are upset!"

"oh please" he stood up and walked around. "you wouldnt care if I died tomorrow, you would find the next boy toy to move on to."

"stop" you mumble, "im not like that, you are being an awful person to me right now"

he walked over and laughed, "why? because im calling you out? calling you out for being a whore?"

you bit the inside of your cheek to avoid breaking out in tears right then and there. you couldnt even speak, you were too afraid and frankly confused on what even caused this sudden outburst.

"you are the one crying? really? I should be upset, I am upset."

he shook his head as he looked at you, " I dont think theres anything left for us right now, so just leave it at that, yeah?" he mumbled into your face as you shoved you aside, allowing him to open the door.

You were shocked, you planned on coming to fix whatever was going on between you both, all of the stressing, just to for him to get drunk and break up with you in some random bedroom. no.

You carefully grasped his arm before he left, "kai, please dont do this" you whispered, his arm forcefully pulling away from you. "dont"

Kaito stormed through the people out in the hall, making his way down the stairs as your eyes met taehyungs. You avoided stopping to talk with him as you decided to run after Kaito.

You were embarrassed. You tried to convince tae that you were in a happy and loving relationship, the little lie was now unraveling as the night ensued right in front of him and your friends.

"wait, please" you called out, following your boyfriend into the living room where the music blared. you tried your best to weave through as best you could, finally catching up to the boy and attempting to reason with him once more.

"baby please can we just talk?" you ask loudly, facing his back as he stood in the crowd.

"No, dont call me that" he mumbled.

"Y/N!!! whats up!" Jungkook ran out of the kitchen to your side, smiling and hugging you. "nice to formally meet you, are you enjoyin- why are you crying?" he pulled away and took in your appearance

"Im sorry Im just dealing with something" you calmly tried to explain, kaito turning around to the both of you. "dont listen to a word this slut says" he bit, making you swallow harshly.

Jungkook looked taken back, his eyes meeting yours sympathetically. "hey, cmon man, dont....dont say that. youre having another beer?" he asked, genuinely concerned for his friends behavior.

Taehyung pushed through and made his way to the living room, eyes wandering for you. He assumed it was best to just leave now, unaware of what had gone down just a few moments prior. He found you standing next to Kaito and Jungkook, watching from afar as he contemplated going over and taking you away.

"dont touch me" kaito shivered away from your touch, making you sigh. "lets go home to my apartment, we need to talk and get you sober, youve drunk too much" you spoke, looking at jungkook for support.

"yeah cmon, listen to her. its probably whats best." he nodded

Kaito looked down with anger at his feet as you stared at him for a moment, you were hesitant to speak any further, but the boy needed help and never listened. He needed to get sober and then probably never drink again. this....wasnt kaito.

"lets just go please? I'll take care of you sweetheart its okay, I-" your hand gently reached out to hold onto his jaw, carefully caressing it as you tried to get him to pick his head up.

You werent sure what exactly had happened, all you knew is that one second you were reasoning with him, the next, the side of your face was burning in pain.

Kaito had pulled back and struck you to the ground.

before you knew it there was a crowd of people surrounding the incident, Jungkook pulling Kaito away as he spit words out at you, none of which you could hear. The music had faded out of your hearing, and the lights were hazed. Your face burned with shame as you struggled to stand up, eyes watching you with concern and shock.

You felt hands immediately pick you up to your feet, turning to see it was Taehyung. You tried to explain but you didnt even comprehend what was coming out of your mouth.

he looked pale, in more pain than you were. His eyes glanced over you and back at kaito as he felt rage fill throughout him, carefully setting you aside as he approached the other boy and suddenly punched him across the face, the room gasping immediately.

"hey- fuck! stop guys!!!" Jungkook tried to seperate them, but there was no use. Taehyung had kaito by his collar, fist repeatedly punching into his face as he fell to the floor, blood on his skin and clothing.

You stood back, unable to fully understand what the fuck was happening. Once it kicked into your mind, your feet were racing over to him, yanking on the back of his shirt. "stop!!! Taehyung stop!!!!" you screamed, other guests joining in to help stop it as well. Your friends stood in the corner, shocked at what they had just witnessed.

"are you okay, miss?" some random man came up, asking you as you realized how many people had been around, asking you questions, none you even heard or noticed.

Someone finally pulled Taehyung away from kaito, who had passed out against the cold tile, nose and mouth bleeding as you watched in horror.

"What the fuck is WRONG WITH YOU?" you screamed at Taehyung, grabbing onto his shirt and shaking him, tears spilling as he looked down at you.

He didnt respond, he let you flip out as people tried to fix up the unconscious boy on the floor.

"you guys gotta go, fuck, the police were called" Jin ran out and spoke loudly, cueing the group of people to run out the door.

"we need to go" Taehyung spoke flatly, gently grasping your arms as he directed you out the door.

He led you to the car and put you into the back seat before getting into the drivers side. He didnt drive right away, instead he looked down at his bruised fist.

"why...why didnt you say anything to me"

You had curled up into the fetal position, tears falling down your cheeks as you tried to look out the window.

"all this time....all this time he was doing this and you never-" he stopped, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his eyes.

"im sorry" you choke out.

He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself so he could speak, let alone drive.

"we will have to talk, about all of this"

"what if you get in trouble?" you whisper

"I didnt do anything wrong, he fucking hit you. He hit a woman, they all saw it" he spoke louder, voice shaky.

you sniffled, the pain in your face and head suddenly becoming really obvious, making you wince.

"are you okay? shit, lets uh, lets get you to a hospital or something" he started his car

"no...I just need Ice"

"what if you have a concussion?"

you groan, "I dont, taehyung, he hit my cheekbone and jaw" you trace your hand over your face, hissing at the sharp sting.

"Im still gonna take you to a walk in clinic, im not risking it. we will go home and sleep right after, I dont want to hear you argue about anything tonight. Tomorrow morning we need to sit and talk." he sternly spoke, making his way down the street.

You didnt have the energy to fight, you were mad, but you didnt have the energy.

You were upset with Taehyung for making the situation worse, but you were even more mad with Kaito. you felt betrayed, he humiliated you in front of everyone you know. He put his hands on you, after saying he would never do it again, over what? nothing.

"there is no signs of concussion, but there will be signifigant bruising and damaged nerves." the doctor read over her chart as you sat in a hospital bed, taehyung by your side. it was late, you missed your bed, you missed Yeontan. You didnt think you would be here, especially for this reason.

"thats..good, better than having something serious" he exhaled

"do you wish to file a report against the person who did this to you?"

Tae opened up his mouth to speak, but you cut in

"no, its already being taken care of, thank you though"

She nodded sadly and walked off, giving you too permission to go home.

you felt over your cheek, now covered with bandages.

"Im so sorry" he whispered, looking at you.

"tae.."

"no, im sorry. im so fucking sorry. I know I shouldnt have done that, but I.....I saw him hit you. I saw him hit you, y/n."

"i know" you mumbled, looking down.

"when I saw it happening, I just couldnt control myself. It was wrong of me, I take blame, but jesus y/n...."

"I know..." you repeated, voice cracking slightly. "tae please I just wanna go home, okay? I dont wanna relive it right now"

He nodded softly, standing to get to your side. "yeah, lets go home." he held your ice pack for you, leading you back to the car.

The sounds of the city surrounding you infiltrated your ears. You really couldve been anywhere in the world tonight, but here you were, in this position.

You knew you shouldnt have gone to the party, you regret it with your whole being, because not only did you suffer, but you dragged Taehyung into it too.

You had yourself to blame. you wanted to cry and scream but all you could do is lay in bed that night once you got home as taehyung gently rubbed your back, reassuring you that it would be okay.

Yeah, about that thing you said earlier, about assuming your twenties would be fantastic and amazing......11 year old you needed a reality check.

taglist:

@turnthepageandbeburnt @taebangtanbabe @borahaexoxo @lelefoodlover @tan-veee

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jamtoasties3316 · 9 months

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the teams protest about red bull dominance so much that the fia decide to weaken them. they can’t interfere with the car, so instead they decide to work on max and turn him from alpha to omega! during the summer break they first put him on super intense hormones to make sure he’s ready on time. poor thing is just so overwhelmed from it, when he gets a pussy it’s not even difficult to convince him to start taking dildos, he’s so desperate for some relief! at first he doesn’t even notice just how big they’re getting because the change is gradual, and when they finally get such a big and thick one that makes his belly bulge and makes him squirt as soon as he sinks onto it, the doctors tell him that they’re preparing him for knotting! he must remember that surely eventually some alpha will want to knot him and get him pregnant!

They also give him hormonal injections to make his tits grow and lactate, which was not the original plan, but they decided it would be more fun for the alphas, and max was so cute when he got confused about his tits leaking

most of the time he’s not allowed clothes due to sensitivity and observation of changes in his body, and when he’s finally allowed some it’s mostly tiny frilly lingerie that is completely useless other than making him look pretty. max doesn’t even realise how easy it’s going to be tor the alphas to just push his frilly panties aside and slip fingers into his pussy

finally when it’s time to go back racing max is let back out, fully omega. all the other drivers, mechanics and engineers are betas and alphas, so he’s the centre of attention all day long. he doesn’t even make it to the hospitality before a reporter slaps his tits as he walks by and another asks him to show his pussy for a photo, which he does! he has to, it’s media day! a whole crowd gathers round to see his new pussy and push a few fingers in to test it. the drivers at first approach him more carefully but as soon as they realise he basically turns helpless the moment his pussy is touched they dont even bother with subtlety. max gets six alpha knots on his first day back! his panties are ruined too, but it’s not like theres a point in wearing them now, with cum dripping out of him. and he didnt ask the doctors if they put him on birth control…

(this ran away from me but in my defence it’s horny brain at 3 am)

Max doesn't have a choice when fia decides he is to become an Omega, and part of Max is excited maybe, and is sure he will still win races for the team!

The hormones he gets are very strong and he needs a lot of stimulation of his tits to help him, and he has to jerk off a lot as his cock shrinks until it's tiny (definitely someone plays with him like thst) and then he finally has his pussy! Fia didn't expect how silly and dumb max gets from the hormones, eagerly taking the dildos they give him and just following their orders like a good girl. The dildos get so big and then one is so big it makes his tummy bulge and Max squirts so hard on it! All the dildo fucks are watched by doctors and they now deem him ready for knots and say he is a real omega.

His tits get pumped until he lactates cos Max is too far gone to say no and red bull quite enjoys seeing the little slut. He wears tiny lingerie or skimpy outfits, waddling around the paddock for testing as his new pussy is still so sensitive. He is so submissive too, almost saying thank you when he gets his top pulled down and tits slapped until he drips milk. Then he has drivers taking his panties off to test his pussy, dipping fingers into him before pushing him down on hands and knees and fucking him while Max moans like a whore.

Max is pregnant before the first race of the season, bur travels along with them as long as possible. He is imprinted on the driver Alphas now and needs them all to fuck him!

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darklordofthesimp · 1 year

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SOMEONE CALLED SO I WAS SUMMONED LIKE A DEMON, THUS I AM HERE ONCE AGAIN TO PESTER IN YOUR INBOX ABOUT MY DADDY, MA'AM

alr, so last time i focused mostly in sunny's and my husbands relationship, but now i MUST talk about price and birdy !!! BIRDY FANS SIT UP.

so, first of all, when talking about birdy we must understand that inevitably there are two birdies, the pre-accident e the pos-accident one, and wanting or not, those two are different people, so we must analyze both of these relationships.

PRE-ACCIDENT BIRDY, ALRIGHT, i think birdy would really look up to price, not in the battlefield style of look up, hes not a sniper after all, but i think they would really admire him in everything else, and tbh i think birdy would just be swapped by his charisma, to the point i even think they may have blossomed a crush on him riiiight in the beggining of their time on the unit, but it would fade quickly when they saw their admiration was more on the fraternal side, they wanted to be complimented by him, to be seen, like a father seeing his children and being proud, and even thought birdy was never vocal about it, they had this unspoken father/child bond.

NOW..... pos-accident birdy... that's a DELICATE topic LOL, it's no secret that the incident completely changed birdy's relationship with everyone, in numerous ways, like, they got closer to ghost, and they developed this stronger bond, but with the rest of the unit, i think they just ended up being quieter and more reclusive, but now, theres price, i think his relationship with birdy was undoubtly the most damaged one of all. because there was betrayal, dark yourself said how birdy felt betrayed, expendable, and i honestly think they would, even if unconsciously, put john in the center of the fault.

ever since the accident, price knew things would never be the same, and believe it or not, it hurt him a lot, HES A BIG SOFTIE YOU GUYS, REMEMBER COD 2009, HE LOVES HIS TEAMMATES WITH HIS HEART. i just imagine the nights awake he spent pacing anxiously in his office while fighting the superiors about the decision of putting könig in the unit, the night where he spent in his chair drabbling ideas and ways to make this whole new setup work, but it's not like birdy knew that, and it wouldn't change it anyway.

birdy's looks in prices way told him everything he needed to know, and after many internal debates, he decided to not press them, it was already too much on their bag. so, john became like batman, helping birdy on the shadows. always telling people to keep an eye on them, spending all his free time studying about PTSD and giving his sergeants "subtle" clues on how to behave with you, and always keeping an eye, ot better, A SCARY stare, towards könig. he doesn't expect to be forgiven or recognized for his silent attitudes, he only wants to help birdy, and maybe... take a little bit of the guilt he feels off his back.

but still, still, he hopes one day they can look face to face, and just for one moment, things come back to the way they were.

- price anon

HOW HAVE YOU FIGURED PRICE OUT TO THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING PIN POINT OF HIS CHARACTER?? Im going to make a fucking Price x Reader and you better soak it up Price Anon I stggggg.

BUT you're going to die when you see the next interaction between Birdy and Price. It'll break ur lil heart.

THE ANON WHO SUMMONED PRICE ANON, ARE YOU SATISFIED?

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lichtecht · 3 months

Text

PART 15

of the dfk audiobook translation

warning; there is gagging in this part. It’s very brief though. (01:33-01:36 in the audiobook track) In here, it’s a single sentence after the spotify track "Die große Schlacht". Not described in any detail.

@cnka

Narrator (audiobook): Ruda says…

Ruda: „Boo!“

The Externs burst out laughing. Uli drops his stick and runs away crying.

The Externs mockingly chant: „ULI! ULI! ULI!“ again.

Narrator (audiobook): The mood is at a boiling point. Both groups scream themselves into rage.

Narrator (audiobook): Then it starts. They run at each other and go over to close combat. There is pulling, pinching, grappling and kicking. Unholy chaos breaks loose.

Loud screaming and yelling

Narrator (audiobook): But the distraction was a success. Martina and Matze storm the boat house, push away the External guard and free Jo.

Martina: „Leave her alone!“ Jo: „They have my phone with the film!“ Martina: „Go!!“

Narrator (audiobook): The three run from the boat house.

SCENE CHANGE

Martina: „I hope they can do it.“ Jo: „I just want to punch some Externs now.“ Matze: „…Hmmmmnah.“ Jo: „Hä, I thought you liked boxing?“ Matze: „Well, I like training. The boxing is more my father's thing…“ Jo: „Aha.“

They push through grass. You can hear screaming and yelling in the distance.

Martina: „That doesn’t sound good.“

Narrator (audiobook): Martina, Jo and Matze return to the battlefield.

Jo: „Give me my phone!!“

Narrator (audiobook): The three charge into the turmoil.

Grunting and screaming. Several kids yell: „Ow!“, „Leave me alone!“, „That hurts!“

Narrator (audiobook): The fight is tough. Ruda holds her stomach with her face contorted in pain. And her friends got a lot too.

Ruda coughs and gags.

SCENE CHANGE

The Nichtraucher sits at the table in his train wagon and plays chess against himself.

Narrator (Nichtraucher): On this afternoon I understood; life is not about getting a thick skin. But to stay courageous and clever when it gets you.

Quiet sobbing from outside the window. Robert looks up.

Narrator (Nichtraucher): You need both. Courage without cleverness is dangerous. And cleverness without courage useless.

Narrator (Nichtraucher): Only when the courageous become clever and the clever become courageous will humanity make progress.

Robert grabs his doctor's case. But when he gets outside, Uli is already gone.

Narrator (audiobook): Wise words. Which will hopefully be followed by actions. From our friends too. Ruda drags herself home visibly battered. Her mother meets her on the street.

Direktorin Kreuzkamm: „Ruda! Back already? Papi said you’re in the rowing club.“ Ruda: „No, didn’t want to.“ Direktorin Kreuzkamm: „Is something up?“ Ruda: „Why, what should be up.“ Direktorin Kreuzkamm: „Well, are you good?“ Ruda: „Everything’s perfect, you probably need to go.“ Direktorin Kreuzkamm: „Yeah. I’ve got a parents evening for 10C.“ Ruda: „You can never get enough of school anyway.“ Direktorin Kreuzkamm: „We’ll talk later, ok?“

Narrator (audiobook): But in that moment Ruda collapses on the steps of the house and holds her stomach in pain.

Direktorin Kreuzkamm: „Ruda…!“ Ruda: (winces in pain) „Ow…“ Direktorin Kreuzkamm: „Everything okay?“

SCENE CHANGE

Narrator (audiobook): Martina, Jo and Matze sheepishly climb the steps to the boarding school.

Matze: „Ugh, I think we can forget the film!“ Jo: „No, we can’t!“

Narrator (audiobook): Matze spots the completely crestfallen Uli in a corner of the big stairway.

Matze: „Hey, theres Uli. Everything alright with you?“

#dfk 2023 audiobook translation #das fliegende klassenzimmer #das fliegende klassenzimmer 2023 #dfk #mine #i thought that little scene with uli in the nichtrauchers garden was quite beautiful #you'd miss it if you only know the audiobook #but i think its worthwhile #um. idk i’ve already talked about my opinion on the changes in that quote #saying „it’s NOT about getting thick skin“ is literally the opposite of what Kästner said #and it just feels like they didn’t understand what he was saying #don’t need to get into that again

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lostinlands · 7 days

Text

My brain isn't done marinating on the last few words of Tomura and the meaning behind his actions and words and how being a Sudaca influences my opinion on Tomura, (but that's a post for another day) but I was thinking about how theres is this kind of divide? Between people who like Tomura and those that like Tenko.

"But dude, those are the same!"

Yeah, no.

Most moments where the divide is made or is very clear that they mean one over the other instead of just jumping from name to name is on the debate of salvation, The Crying Child VS The Symbol Of Fear type of situation.

The thing that bugs me about that is the simple fact that I've been a fan of Shigaraki Tomura since he was first introduced to us in the manga, and that might have something to do with the fact that I am a Sudaca, 27, and also have always been in support of the villains when it comes to mangas because I feel like the heroes/protagonists are 9/10 times blinded by survivor bias.

I've been fan of Shigaraki Tomura since he was first introduced, and then we saw him change his final goals, his ambitions, and even his stance on his group/his friends. And still during all of that Tomura was unashamedly a villain. He didn't give a fuck, he was going to kill as many as necessary and force society to change because society needed (and at the current moment of the manga STILL NEEDS) to stop being so complacent to the status quo.

He showed us how fucked society was due to their own passivity, and that was all Shigaraki Tomura. There was not a hint of Shimura Tenko in the person fighting against the Shie Hassaikai, it wasn't Tenko the one who promised Himiko to let everything she liked untouched, it wasn't Tenko the one who internalized the fact that Mr.Compress wanted Sushi and the first thing he did when he got money was GIVE HIM SAID SUSHI (And also unsure his allies were in positions of power in the new military-like structure of the meta liberation army)

You could argue that "it was Tenko" the one that cared enough to pass on a last message to Spinner (However that point is immediately Decayed to the fact that the last phrase is "Tell Spinner that SHIGARAKI TOMURA fought till the end to destroy."), or the one that cared enough to try to advise Midoriya ("Oh yeah? That depends... on what you people decide to do tomorrow. Make sure... you do your damn best.") on making sure there are no consequences that might create a new League.

However, we go back to the fact that things are argued to be separated. Its not Shigaraki Tomura the one that deserves to be saved because: He's a villain and a murderer! But it IS Shimura Tenko, the perfect victim, the one who deserves a chance at salvation.

And in the fucking end Izuku saved nothing. He didn't save the crying child because the Crying Child had already become Tomura, and he didn't save Tomura because BNHA showed us time and again that the villains didn't deserve salvation.

"But what about Himiko? She got a redemption arc!" By sacrificing herself for Ochako. Her redemption arc was her death (Allegedly, who the fuck knows, maybe we'll tune in after Hori's break and Himiko is gonna be a new member of 2B since Hitoshi is the new member of 2A) in the name of saving someone she loved and who, if she had not been actively fighting a war, would've been saved in Tomura's worlds because she was one of Himiko's beloveds and as such one of the people Tomura promised not to hurt.

"Well, What about Dabi?!" The Todoroki's don't give a fuck about DABI, they are trying to save TOUYA (oh hey, ANOTHER CASE OF DUALITY!) and also being thrown into what looks like a giant cooler isn't exactly salvation and by how his wounds ended up at the end of his fight it might just be more merciful to kill him.

"Well, what about Spinner!" In jail, probably, and also his brain overloaded with Quirks so there is a big chance he's just straight-up brain-dead.

"Kurogiri was saved before by Mic and Eraser!" Kurogiri is a corpse. Even if he wasn't, we go back to the theme of how the heroes are trying to save one part of a duality by Mic and Zawa trying to save OBORO and not KUROGIRI.

"Mr. Compress then!" In jail! which BTW has been shown to not be a "rehabilitation" center to help villains stop being villains but just.... just jail. Also Compress lost all his friends, and all the people he had grown to care about. It's the same for all the villains that are still alive, they are in Jail and if I remember correctly Tartarus wasn't exactly... up to the Geneva Convention. What the fuck is that solitary confinement-looking shit.

Anyways this post was about the duality and how most people who expect Tomura to be alive are either hoping or expecting it to be Tenko instead of Tomura, and it's understandable, I'm not judging.

I'm also not in agreement.

I read either here or on Twitter that Tomura's death felt hollow and basically pointless, and how it would've been more enjoyable to see how a redemption arc could've been tackled with an unapologetic villain like Tomura. And while I agree that it would've been an incredibly challenging redemption arc I am actually happy with the fact that they didn't suddenly pull a "Yeah no now Tomura is good and agrees with Heores and saw the error in his way" out of their ass.

Tomura Shigaraki exists as a character to force the hero students and THE CIVILIANS to see the fact that society is currently fucked up and they can't depend fully on "Dogs of the state" without them doing anything. Sure yeah, people can depend and hope on cops (which is what heroes basically are), but that doesn't mean you are blind and deaf to the person being murdered next to you.

It's like this image from Club Penguin!

In the middle of the fight Tomura tells Midoriya and AFO "Everything I witness in this world of ours... led to the existence of that house." because Tomura only saw compliment people who's only solution to the abuse that Tenko was experiencing was "don't cry, it makes us sad".

When Midoriya wins, he insisted that the things that caused Tenko's house to exist have already been destroyed by Tomura himself, and that's when Tomura tells him "Oh yeah? That depends... on what you people decide to do tomorrow." but the next fucking chapter is them returning to school and telling us how Nedzu is basically president and helping with the rebuilding.

At the end of the day, the death of Tomura serves to show US the AUDIENCE that nothing has really changed, and the new character that we see basically crawling out of a destroyed house in a place that is NOT undergoing reconstruction efforts is the perfect visual representation of that.

Here is another Perfect Victim.

Now where are his heroes?

#Okay now im going to bed because its 330 in the morning #and my brain is swimming in fever #ANYWAYS I DONT THINK TOMURA SHOULD RETURN AS TENKO #AND I DONT THINK PEOPLE SHOULD ONLY CARE ABOUT TENKO BECAUSE HE DIED WHEN TOMURA WAS BORN #people should stop trying to rescue the Crying Child #and start listening to the honestly rightfully angry adult

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rue-bennett · 5 months

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there are some really basic problems with the barbie movie as a whole starting with her character specifically. side note I am very tired rn

barbie is afraid of cellulite and of not being pretty? why? because barbie is supposed to be perfect? how does she determine what flaws or imperfections are especially since barbieland is so diverse? if the criticism is about a woman's value in a patriarchal society being determined by their appearance why does this affect Barbie who exists in a matriarchy? that would imply that the patriarchy was in barbieland from the very beginning and is baked into the very concept of barbie herself? wish we could have explored that *shrug*

also barbieland isn't a utopia, its a matriarchy in which the kens are forgotten and ignored and exist as props to support barbie. kens taking over with the patriarchy is more akin to misandry overtaking the patriarchy irl, and by the end it returns to the status quo. it undercuts its own message by framing the return to barbieland as a victory over the patriarchy which it isn't, because the dismantling of the patriarchy is about breaking down societal barriers and expectations which ultimately harm everyone, men included. they made a joke alluding to this but being aware of your own writing flaws doesn't make them go away.

a big problem is also her whole character arc? we dont know where her fear of being imperfect come from or what drives her? what is it like to be a barbie, how does it limit her or confine her and what does becoming a real person offer her? barbie gained more complex emotions through Gloria (America), but ken didn't? and he had an existential crisis too? which means that barbies and kens are capable of emotional complexity without being human or being influenced by a human. why can ken have an existential crisis all on his own. It wasn't because he absorbed it from the human world because ken felt that way all along his experiences of feeling valued and powerful for the first time through the patriarchy is just what cracked him.

I know it was supposed to be about her becoming a more complex and embracing humanity and the beauty of being real, but you cant do that without showing her gain a deeper appreciation for that in the real world and showing how barbieland doesn't meet her needs anymore. there were a couple montages and that one scene on the bench that were foreshadowing but other than that nothing showed how barbie had been changed by her experiences. if her motivation was that as barbie she would always be static and incapable of change or experiencing the world they should have shown that but they didnt and they dont even show how being barbie limits her.

her arc was about the messiness and ugliness of being human is beautiful and worthwhile it just wasn't shown well because we would need to know why she has this fear in the first place and what drives her into turning her back on her whole foundational sense of self. I dont think the moments she had were enough.

how am I supposed to think that barbies character arc about accepting the beauty of humanity, of being imperfect if I dont even know why she feels so much pressure to be perfect. people are being incredibly generous with their interpretation of the movie and are adding a lot of nuance the movie does not provide because as far as the movie tells us barbie wants to be perfect because shes barbie and shes barbie because she's perfect. that is something that needs to be unpacked. how can margot give a nuanced performance about a doll becoming human when her arc is a few sentimental moments tied together by a shoestring.

theres also the fact that within her own movie she never acts only reacts. kens character arc drives almost the entire story. barbie goes through an existential crisis because of glorias character, kens character arc is entirely internally motivated.

The same with Gloria. Shes barely a character, just a plot device and a mouthpiece for giving the big speech at the end of the film. Why is she depressed and having an existential crisis? because shes a woman and her daughters growing up? what does she do to resolve that? gee whiz I wish we had gotten a comprehensive story arc to unpack that. gloria was a bland character and the performance wasn't anything remarkable because it didnt require anything remarkable.

I would have been so down for getting an acting nom for margot especially, but how can you even give a nuanced performance if the character is so poorly written and it sucks because there are a couple easy fixes to massively improve her entire character and streamline the movie. (I can get into that but I dont have the energy tonight).

one of the easiest ways to show how poor the writing is that they had the mattel team visit barbieland and it had zero point. like zero relevance, gloria told them her idea for a quick gag but it was a pointless plot point. them showing the team irl wasn't written very well but it was an important thematic and comedic moment but after her escape, their presence added nothing to the plot or message and it wasn't that funny.

its completely ridiculous to blame the patriarchy for ken being more popular or acknowledged over barbie when the MOVIE also gave more importance to his character. him choosing to pursue barbie is integral to the rest of the plot happening, his choice is what kickstarts the entire movie. the climax of the movie is the climax of his character arc HE GOT A MUSICAL NUMBER.

if people are going to be mad about the academy passing over women in favour of men the call is coming from inside the house my friend because it started with the move itself.

Okay these are some veryyy interesting points I’m gonna have to digest and I don’t have much to add. I think that the marketing of it and some aspects of the writing being very feminist-forward are doing heavy lifting in getting the audience to suspend its disbelief at some of the contradictory aspects of the movie itself and some plot holes, because, it’s a fantasy idk. The 4th to last paragraph in particular, I AGREE. Hell I wish she’d been nommed but it isn’t a crime against women either.

#asks #long post #mineandralos

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suffarustuffaru · 10 months

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👀 & 🥺 & ❌

i also answered ❌ in another ask so ill do the other two asks here :O !!

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

OOH ok i. i have two more pride if wips other than my current pride if otto multichap. and i really wanna finish all of them. one of them is a pride if reinhard fic and the other is. you know it was just supposed to be unhinged and incredibly cringe pride if ottosuba smut wrapped up in a small oneshot but now its unhinged and incredibly cringe pride if ottosuba smut with Probably A Little Too Much Plot and it probably wont be a small oneshot. oops 😳 every time…. EVERY TIME… i write smut i keep making it cringe on purpose. im so sorry i cant write anything genuinely sexy it just comes out cringe bc i find it entertaining to write sjdndn (for additional context i am ace ☝️i might write fluffy smut someday though akdnsns bc i DO love sweet smut <3)

ANYWAY the pride if reinhard fic. its planned to be a twoshot atm thats just going through the most important events of poor pride if reinhard’s life. and by important events i mean All the loved ones reinhard lost and then the entire country being set on fire 😭😭 idk if any fic has been made yet focusing on how reinhard like. gradually feels hatred and anger for the first time towards pride if subaru for Doing All That but id like to focus on that yes!! like its a Very big deal. and also i wanted to give joshua a cameo bc well. the dude Already despises reinhard regularly. the moment he finds out julius and ana brutally died and reinhard is Likely half of the reason why they died (the other half being to put emilia on the throne)…… anyway joshuas gonna be very upset with reinhard thats for sure!! ..and also this fic Might need a dead dove tag. totally not for reasons.

🥺Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

EVERYTHING. but more specifically writing breaking points and the buildup to them 😭😭 the aftermath too!! like. even more specifically i love when the cards are Really stacked against characters and so they change for the worst. that gets me every time. they change so much that theyre like the trope where someone Comes Back Wrong and then they hit some sort of breaking point where hes Abundantly clear that theyre not the same anymore. if you get what i mean hah. but i love when suddenly everyone close to them has to confront this fact!! that theyre not the same anymore!! how will they all move forward from here?? bc change can be good or bad and its what you make of it…. will the character get worse or get better in the future??? idk i just love the angst of it all T^T the bittersweetness T^T having to confront the person you were and the person you Are and that even while theres differences theres still similarities to your past self…. which is probably why i like gluttony if and subaru a lot hah (on top of. heinkel……. if otto……..). like having to confront that this person you know and love is Different now….. that the love you shared with this person is Now gone and just a faint memory…. that stuff hits fr T^T like the baggage… the history… things wont ever be the same… that kind of feeling, you know?? and also additionally i love that quote from undertale that goes “despite everything youre still you”. yeah. yeah. 🤌 i like how this kind of development is so. its got Despair but if you so choose it there can be hope too….

#ask #and wkdndnd my answer to the second question is also why i find heinkel and rein’s relationship so fascinating #bc they Both think the others changed. and they dont recognize the other person as the same one they knew before when things were good. u #know?? sobbing and crying over them :(((#and pride and wrath if otto is so different from main route that its Jarring. in a depressing way :(( and if gluttony if otto had survived #he wouldve gone insane. he never wouldve been the same ever again after subaru did all of that.#i always think about how subaru killed Two of ottos little brothers in the if. regin. and garfiel.

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baahsu · 9 months

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HIII BAHH SRRY FOR DISINTEGRATING FOR A FEW DAYS OPLA HAD MOMENTARILY CONSUMED EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING

HOWEVER this has been sitting, unfinished, in my vscest doc for a while now so i decided to finish it up. here u go eat up friend :]] oh yeah angst warning at the beginning btw:

so. lies on the floor. ichiji deserves to get fucked stupid after having a bad day and im thinking abt him w yonji rn so. :)

emotions regained/vs bros redemption ichiji having that almost subtle kinda self hatred one day- (bc in emotions regained aus all the brothers are chronically mentally ill, they're so traumatized its painful :,D) -not the kind that makes you wanna scream or cry or throw up, instead the kind that makes your heart go a little faster than normal and that makes your skin crawl and makes you feel sick for being alive. the kind that builds and builds until it's too much.

yonji (the most *emotionally* intelligent one out of 124ji, methinks) eventually notices smthns wrong and asks ichi abt it and ichiji just Breaks. like he pauses, crumples into a ball, and starts pulling his hair and venting about how he feels so disgusting and unworthy of love and how he wants to rip his skin off for something new and he hates this he hates this he hates this he hates himself

and yonji LISTENS to him. he listens with a frown until ichi is fucking winded, hyperventilating, and sweating with frustrated tears in his eyes. and then yonji hits him with the

"What do you need me to do, Ichiji?"

then ichi just stops shaking (and breathing) entirely for a moment as the question registers b4 his shaking slowly starts up again and his bottom lip starts trembling and he slowly looks up at yonji with big ole watery eyes and shakily signals him over to cuddle and theybpagaufuafuaf!!!!

the two of em lying down w yonji holding ichiji tight against his chest- one hand/arm curled around chijis lower back while the other is running through his hair and ichis just curling around yonji like a koala. he buries his face in yonjis neck and is constantly mumbling "im sorry" and yonji says "theres nothing to apologize for" each and every time back, proving his point by pressing a kiss to a different part of ichiji each time.

this continues on until ichiji stops crying and calms down. then he thanks yonji by sitting up slowly and holding yonjis face in his hands and kissing him *so* gently.

^ idk maybe its just me but i feel like out of all the vs siblings ichiji would have the hardest time being gentle. sanji always has been, reiju *secretly* always has been, yonji *had* to learn to be (even when he was still emotionless) bc of his strength (and therefore it came somewhat easily to him when he got emotions), nijis always been a giant fucking tsundere so even though hes an ass about 90% of the time, he does have the capability to at least sit and listen and take care of someone he loves (especially after regaining emotions, the percentile changes from 90/10 to 50/50 then lmao), but ichiji?? the perfect, emotionless soldier, even after getting fixed??? practically unheard of.

so when he pulls THIS shit???

it makes yonjis libido go WHAM. like that mf went redder than chijis hair. might as well been a cartoon character with the way he practically started floating as his eyes turned into hearts

THEN. then that gentle kiss delvesssss

ichiji getting lost in his emotions, leading him to grab yonjis face so *desperately* and straddle his hips/lap and kiss him thru tears.. n yonjis there half dumbstruck half horny, grinding on ichis ass while the hands once petting his hair and stroking his back to soothe him move to squeeze at it bc holy shiiit what is happening rn yonji cant compute. do u see the vision 🙈🙈

then, SHOCKINGLY, (/sarc) they fuck each other stupid. like STUPID stupid. so stupid that when 023 find them in the morning they straight up think the two were jumped in an alley together or smthn with how marked up their bodies were n shit (but they figure it out real quick once they see how badly ichiji was limping :]) ((tho if you asked me personally yonji wasnt exactly walking straight either :]])) (((they are both switches :]]])))

AND SCENE. i wrote abt both ichiniji and yoniji b4 this so now the 124ji circle is complete lmao. i need more soft ichiji in my life and if theres no one to provide i shall make it myself :)) -J.J

Honestly relatable, I can't stop thinking about opla since the day I watched it lol it was so good and I want to rewatch it already

But back to vcest 👀

Ichiji being emotionally stunted after getting his emotions back is a concept that's always at the back of my mind but I never put too much thought into it, but now I'm 👀

I see him as trying to keep himself, and the others, together, he doesn't let his emotions run freely, he tries not to let them take the better of him else he might go down and spiral of self hatred and guilt, so he puts his energy into looking after the others and trying to come up with a plan to get them out of judge's grasp

It takes a toll on him of course, his repressed emotions keep building up and he feels himself going insane and with no way to vent

When yonji catches him like this, on the verge of panicking, he finally let's go and it feels so good and so freeing for once. Yonji's rock solid, he embraces him, takes his whole body into strong arms and makes him feel safe, and he doesn't budge, he lets ichiji cry against his shoulder until he's satisfied and spent

Ichiji's tired but tries to show his gratitude with a kiss and yonji combusts. It's not every day that he has ichiji this pliant and soft and sweet sprawled in his lap and he wants to do so many things to him but his brain's all muddled and he doesn't know where to begin!!

Once he gets a hold of himself tho, it's over for ichiji, the strength he used to comfort him will now be used to ruim him

#older brother going to the yonger brother for comfort is so ajjsskdkajdjsk #and yonji taking a second to process the kiss and then just going feral aajskdjsjd #the dynamic between these two has so much potential!!!!#vinsmokecest

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voidwritesstuff · 2 months

Text

Long Way To The Truth

Summary: once in Oregon,Lucas comes across an old friend.

Cw: hurt/confort, Lucas has a fear of needles,mentuons of human experimentation,lmk if I missed any.

♡Chapter 7: Oregon

Light enters through the small Windows of the white van. Warm and nice sunlight that heats up his sleeping bag, it makes him turn to the side and let out a sigh deeply laced with comfort.

When was the last time he felt so...safe?

For a moment he thinks he can get away with sleeping in, like he can just relax and let life go by. His eyes flutter Open to see the small alarm clock hes got,fallen over probably by one of his one too Many movements while asleep.

Lifting it up,he checks the time, It reads "6:30" am. But he knows theres like a two hour difference,Between his home state and this one.

He simply retracts his hand and tucks it underneath his pillow, to then close his eyes to sleep just a few more hours. After the days hes been having, its better if he just allows himself a moment of the closest thing hes got to a domestic comfort. Itll help him in the long run anyway...

Its not always he decides to sleep a few hours in, with the sun in his hair and a soft breeze just pushing the clouds on the big blue Sky above. Wether he admits it or not,he Needed rest,a break from his hectic routine.

Lucas was exhausted, he just needed a moment for himself. He needs to feel like himself again. And Hes been so caught up in ,Well- Not dying or getting thrown in jail or a ditch, that his body is making the desicion for him.

His body feels like a piece of metal being pulled by the worlds strongest, biggest,magnet. His bones are made of lead and his nerves are just jumbled,tied up wires.

Who cares if he sleeps in? So whats one more day of travel? Its all the same to him,he figures he can wait,he can catch up on sleep and clear his head.

But by the time he wakes up,at 10:30 or so, he feels a lot better. A lot better.

Eventually he does get out of the sleeping bag, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes with a loud yawn. He throws on his flannel and his boots- he reaches for one of his thermos since he could use a coffee right now.

Thankfully,the remaining water is enough for exactly one cup of coffee. He grabs a platic mug and simply whips up a quick breakfast.

--Please tell me I havent ran out of jerky--He mutters reaching out to one of his backpacks. He rummages though the contents,just the basic deodorant,change of underwear, toothbrush, a shirt-- Aha! Gotcha

He snatches a half empty bag of dry beef Jerky like finding it was a herculean task. And like a kid in a candy store he eats it, sat there on his sleeping bag like hes having breakfast in bed.

Lucas revels in the warmth of the van,provided by the sun that hits the metal roof above his head. Its just a nice,quiet morning.

When hes done, he makes his way to the drivers Seat and turns on the engine. It comes to life with a roar and he starts drumming on the steeringwheel as he pulls into the somewhat empty road infront of him.

Soon the radio accompanies his thoughts, god he loves music- The soft melodies and the quick paced,high energy rythm are enough to get him on a better mood.

As very tough as he liked to show himself to be,Lucas was a simple Man- When his neurotic brain decided to chill out that is.

Music was his escape,his comfort- Just like he had always had a thing for electronics, his first love was always going to be music. Maybe thats why he chose to be a radioman...

He reaches the town of Forlorn Hiraeth, being greeted with long pastures with farm animals, small houses of brick and some with Plaster. And as he drives into the town proper, he notices something...

The streets have a bit of fog, difusing the light from the sun, the roads are a bit cracked with greenery growing out of it- Dandelions and other weeds Sit there bathed in celestial warmth.

Around him the houses are a mix of modern 90s architecture with vestiges of old 60s homes, its a weird mix of appartments and family houses with porches,yards And even a small parking lot for a supermarket.

--Should re-stock on rations--He mutters to himself,pulling into the parking lot. It doesnt take him long to find a spot and leave the van.

With his eyes settling on the old supernarket,its quite wide and a little ornate with that midcentury modern style. The Windows are long,almost reaching the ceiling- It gives him a clear line of sight into the supermarket which hes thankful for. It eases his mind knowing he can see quite a lot of the inside.

Above him a long roof overhangs from the entrance, its really simple and honestly quite nostalgic- There used to be one supermaket like this in the town he grew up with. Then it was demolished And converted into an appartment building.

The Doors slide Open as he enters, he once again takes off his ballcap before even crossing the threshold.

He shouldve made a list-Too late now.

But its a bit disorienting sometimes, for some reason he keeps getting the aisles wrong- he confuses them with those that were in that old grocery store from his home.

--goddamn-- He whispers to himself, shaking off his thoughts and going to Grab a few canned goods that should last him about 2 weeks.

A few cans of peas,corns, beans(his favorite brand being Bush's Baked Beans), some chili and olives. And then he realizes he shouldve grabbed a cart and so he does that- He feels a little silly but he can allow himself this...dont gotta be perfect,right?

He goes to Grab a few bottles of water, some beef jerky and just as hes passing one of the aisles, he stops.

Before him he sees his younger self on an aisle that had alcohol on it, behind him is...Alphonso.

"Can I pleeeease have a beer?" A young Lucas asked the Man behind him.

"Dont be stupid,youre not 21 Years old"

"C'mon! Im going off to fight I think I derserve a beer"

Alphonso sighed,nodding"Are you sure you dont want your first beer to be with your old Man?"

Lucas just shrugged"Whats tradition anyway?"

The older Man chuckled" Suit yourself,but if im getting your first beer,im taking you somewhere nice. Not store bought" he beamed at his friend who is jumping around like a spring chicken"its on me, of course"

--Young Man-- Says a woman behind him,elderly-- are you alright?

--Wha-?--He turns to see the old woman behind him,no taller than 5'4, olive skin filled with aging lines and wrinkles.

《I seem to recognize your face

Haunting, familiar yet

I can't seem to place it》comes from the radio equipment installed in the palce ,the song played by Pearl Jam but its not like Lucas has enough mental clarity to notice.

Her brown,hooded eyes look at him concerned,her long black hair tied in a half bun.--you seem..out of it?

Lucas clears his throat--Hah, yes. Sorry- lost in thought -- he sees her blink at him for a moment--Why?

--Nothing you just reminded me of someone --She answered,waving it off--apologies

《Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name

Lifetimes are catching up with me》

--ah dont worry- Truth is im not that busy--He replied-- thanks for the concern Ma'am

The womans eyes fall to his dogtags that are poking a bit from his flannel, but shes quick to nodd back and excuse herself,walking away.

《All these changes taking place

I wish I'd seen the place

But no one's ever taken me》

Lucas sighs,pushing away his thoughts. He better not linger just in case, he was taking his time but he wasnt going to catch a bullet for it.

Soon he gets everything he needs and goes to the check out,as he waits for the cashier to pass everything through the scanner he hears a conversation between another cashier and an elderly woman.

--Its good to see you again Ms.zhao--Says a younger Man.--How is everything?

--Lonely sometimes,With Dexter's anniversary coming up and all-- he recognizes the voice, its the same woman who spoke to him-- Im planning to visit the cementery soon

--Well ive heard the green house is going on a sale soon,perhaps you could get some flowers there?

Ms.Zhao sounded...happy at the idea--Oh, that'd be splendid. Thank you,Rex

Lucas turns to see the old woman leave,trying to get a glimpse at her bicep for something- But shes wearing a red cardigan. "Shit" he thinks before paying for his things.

He leaves soon after,looking for the woman he just saw exit the store. But nothing finds him...

The last name made something in his head rattle, and as he packs his groceries into his van, his mind wanders...

Why did he know that last name? Why did the woman looked at him with recognition- or something close to it.

It makes him even more confused when he realizes that he instictively went to check the old womans bicep- He was looking for a tattoo, a specific one.

"No,it cant be Jane- Jane isnt from Oregon, Shes from Colorado. Did- why would she move?" He thinks,sat there at the wheel of his van.

And then his stomach rumbles and he sighs. Yeah,no use in thinking with an empty stomach.

《Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away

Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away》 the radio plays as he drives to a Dinner,the only dinner in the small town.

Once there he does his usual, he parks and while looking at the entrance from his van he just thinks. The only Jane he knew was Jane Zhao, a nurse from the camp he was stationed at- a woman in her 30s, Chinese-American, kind and sassy.

She gave him shit for being scared of needles, he remembers only knowing her through Alphonso though... she had lost someone too-Her best friend, something Sullivan. Jane was more of an acquaintance to him,tough hes sure Alphonso told her all about his protegé young mister Cole.

Alphonso could never shut up about how proud he was of Lucas. He was a Soccer dad through and through

The bell above him rings as he steps, the Sixties exterior with its Open Windows and large rooves clash with the soft pinks,baby blues and light yellows of the inside, with those large bars that appear in greaser movies and that "Golden Age" posters and decor.

He sits at the edge of the bar, ordering a simple meal to eat and just listening to the music coming from the TV.

With the previous experience a few days back, Being in this restaurant made him a bit on edge. Especially with the TV channel being tuned into MTV.

《I swear, I recognize your breath

Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising

Me, you wouldn't recall for I'm not my former

It's hard when you're stuck upon the shelf》

But thats not whats eating at his mind, he taps on the pristine surface of the bar.

"Even if that was Jane, theres no way- She wouldnt recognize me, its been fourty years almost...I changed...I think" he thinks,going to reach for his dogtags. One is his,the other is Wheelers

--Here you go,sir-- Says a waitress with the nametag "Iris".

--huh?-Oh,Thanks-- he answers, turning to look down at the Plate of food.

God,the whole ambience feels so nostalgic, he grew up in places that looked like this- but some things are off,not the same layout, or equipment...

But the cutlery, the shiny steel,the big plates...even the glasses...

Is...is he getting homesick?

Homesick for the past?

Lucas sighs a little annoyed, Last thing he needs is to dig himself deeper down into old memories. He eats,quietly wondering about that old woman, was it Jane? If she was would she remember him?

《My God it's been so long

Never dreamed you'd return

But now here you are and here I am》

When hes done, still in silent contemplation, he simply waves over the same waitress that handed him the food.

--Yes,what is it?

--Im uh- not really from around 'ere--He answers, refusing to meet her eye out of awkwardness. A part of him felt stupid for asking this--Say- I met Ms.Zhao- she wasnt an army nurse was she?

--She was,actually-- Iris answered,a little puzzled--Why?

He blinks a few times--I think she worked in my platoon,do you have any idea where I can find her?

The waitress thinks for a moment, looking off into space for a few seconds. Long,eternal seconds...

--i think she visits San Myra's park at night--Iris answered.

Lucas breathes out a sigh of relief-- Thanks, heres uh- a tip. For the help -- he pays what he owes and leaves a few 10 dolar bills.

And before she can say anything, he gets up and leaves. He really cant talk to people...

So with all that in his mind,he goes to ask around for the park hes looking for. Its pretty much in the center of the town so off he drives there.

Its a long wait, he tries to occupy himself with cleaning out his guns, his radio equipment and going to walk around the neighboorhood against his better judgement.

That 50s/60s architecture cant stop haunting him, but its not quite spot on. Some things are off,the colors,the shapes of the rooves and the crash of modern 90s architecture.

He finds himself digging into old memories, the Games he used to play with his dogs, the robotics competition he used to partake in...

Memories of the few pleaseant times while deployed, inner Jokes with his buddies that made him Snicker to himself, dumb little anecdotes and fun Shenanigans.

In hindsight he does pity Alphonso, he had to wrangle a bunch of teenager and a few rowdy "adults" every single Day of his life. He wonders if he ever got stress white hairs from everything- But at least to his credit, he took things in stride And with a big grin and a sassy comeback.

God,he does miss his old pal.

As happy hour begins to push,he goes to a small bar for at least one drink,something to entretain himself.

He sits there at the counter with a few other folk that talk to themselves. Lucas is happy to nurse his beer alone, taking in that 60 and 70s decor that fill the place with life and character.

Theres even an old jukebox and he indulges in a little throw back. He goes up to it and slides a coin in,choosing the song "Aint no mountain high enough" By Marving Gaye and Tammi Terrel.

Within the old machine he can see cogs whirre up,parts move and slide into place. The vinyl, an actual vynil,being grabbed by this claw like thing and being put on a platform with a needle.

It settles into place with a small click and he returns to his spot to simply enjoy the music that starts pouring in.

He turns to his left side to see the other Converse,but instead he sees the side profile of Alphonso.

"I do wonder why you choose me over yer old man" Wheeler asked,half joking and the other half serious.

"Dont-dont worry about it" Answers a young Lucas with his black curly hair all short" Short hair sucks"

The older Man chuckled,the sound so hearty and genuine "I told you- dont be a cry baby about it- itll grow back"

"But my long hair Man! It gave me all my charm!"

Alphonso laughed loudly" Hah! Kid c'mon, theres more t'ya"

"Oh old one give me some of yer wisdom!" The younger Man teased,making a grand display with a wide grin.

"Wise? Yes, Old? Go fuck yerself" Wheeler answered, taking a long sip of his beer" Ya have a good heart,kiddo" the bottle is set on the counter with a soft knock,his eyes are set on the interior of the bottle,spinning it with his fingers "perseviring,Smart, brave. Kind, sweet..."

Lucas remains silent as he usually does when his unofficial dad talks. His eyes glued on the older Man, leaning in a little to hear him better.

"You care for everyone you come across, and hell yer fathers have the emotional awareness of a pea- And you are so much better than them" the older Man sighs" youre the best of all of us,dont forget that- Even when i-" he makes a pause,conteplating something before correcting himself " when some of Us kick the bucket"

"You talk like yer not coming back" the younger Man chuckled,feeling a little unconfortable at the idea of his best buddy not returning.

"Just old Man ramblings,kid-" he refuses to meet his gaze, his brows furrowed with deep concern that goes unnoticed by his companio.

"Hah,you just said youre not old"

"Maybe I am just starting to lose it" Wheeler says with a quick smirk, he rises his beer" for a better future?"

Lucas grins" and to good Friends"

Their bottles clink and-

--You done with that one,buddy?--Says the barkeeper infront of him.

--Sorry- i yes-- Lucas hands the empty bottle and adds--How much do I owe you?

He pays and finds himself already at night, he walks back to San Myra's park and waits sitting on a bench in silence.Thumb tracing the name on one of his dogtags "Alphonso Wheeler"

Not soon after he sees Ms.Zhao walk past him,up to a statue of a young soldier being held by Saint Nicholas of Myra.

Lucas is quick to follow the old woman and when she looks to her side he asks--Ms.Zhao?

--Oh hey its you--She answers--Yes, its me- What are you doing he-

--I was told you were an army medic,for Vietnam--He starts,the words just coming out like waterfalls,like hes desperate,lost child trying to find an adult to rely on--You tended To Captain Alphonso Wheeler from Alpha Company, a few times actually- Im-

--Lucas--Zhao finishes with a surprised,If not bittersweet look on her face--Lucas Cole

His eyes widen,his heart fills with hope--Jane?

--Ill be damned--She breathes out.

Finally,Someone he knows that isnt dead.

--Well,shit-- he breathes out.

--Dont just stand there,you Crud muffin! Give me a hug--Jane pulls him into a tight embrace. He has to bend over to hug her back,he smiles and burrows his face on the crook of her neck.

Tears pick at the corner of his eyes,he squeezes her a little with a wide grin.

Around them the air is silent,mist creeping from the corners, the streets a little barren. Beside them the saint holds the young soldier,reuniting Him God in peace, with Grace.

--You havent changed a thing --She added,pulling Back with a smile-- Still tall and lanky, that wild black hair and that deer in headlights look!

Lucas feels his face darken--Hey! I grew out of deer in headlights look a long time ago

She snorts--Hah! You did,now you look like a wet cat now

--Hey!!--He yells, flustered.--You and Al' always found a way to make fun of me! Not fair

--Life aint fair,kiddo-- Jane chuckled-- Jesus, you got taller?

--Or maybe you just shrunk--He teased back.

Jane has the Audacity to look impressed-- Finally biting back? About damn time

Lucas groans with annoyance,holding his face in his hands-- Jesus christ!

The old woman cackles,hearty,boisterous,loud and so genuine-- its like im seeing my grandson! Ha--she leans on the display plaque that details the story of saint Nicholas of Myra--Speaking of kids,any of your own? A hot wife? Orrrr husband?

His face grows Darker with blush, suddenly very aware of his personal connections-- No- Not really- for neither. Not yet anyway

Jane raised a brow-- huh..!--He looks at her a little insulted at her disbelief-- Thought you'd have people making line at your door,after all Wheeler told me how full of yourself you were when you were a kid

--I- well- I was 19! Of course I was full of myself-- He said,leaning on the small metal fence that met at the sides of the display plaque.

--well you were really,really full of yourself. Like- a lot

--Okay,okay,Point made,Jane--He looks at the statue,the young soldier- barely in teenhood with dirt on his face and an innocent grin.

He hears the shuffling of cloth,then then a groan of annoyance--Ah shit,got a light?

Lucas turns to see Jane with a cigarette in her mouth--Those things Will kill you

The old woman rolls her eyes-- tell me something I dont know- Do you have a light yes or no?

A soft sigh leaves him and he grabs a lighter from his back pocket. He keeps to himself that the lighter used to belong to Wheeler and flips it Open, soon she lights up her cig And looks at the saint statue.

--i...I heard about Wheeler-- she said quietly,as if hoping he didnt hear.

But his eyes fall to the young soldier and sighs-- course ya did

--I know you suspected that there was foul play involved--She said,exhaling smoke--You were the talk of the ward...

--Because there was,Jane--Lucas replied--Thats why I'm here, im...chasing after this one lead..Its one hell of a long story

She nodds--persevering...just Like Wheeler told me you were-- She takes a drag from her cig--I'd call you bullheaded . Couldnt you just...take a plane?

He shrugs-- Cant pay me to board a plane.. not with those goverment spooks chasing me

--What did you get into,Lucas?--Jane asked,her tone akin to one of a scolding mother.

--Its a long story...

The older woman rubs her eyes,being mindful of her red eyeshadow-- Ill regret telling you this...but I was offered a position not a few days into the ward back at 'Nam, to monitor enemy soldiers exposed to a biochemical weapon...

He snaps his head to look at her--Agen-- He stops,looking around for a brief moment before returning his gaze to her-- Alpha Romeo . Why didnt you-

--I didnt know the symptoms...I refused. It was inhumane! I didnt want to be part of it. But then I was told of the state you were in, and I just...knew -- the older woman's eyes fall to the young soldier statue-- I didnt tell you because I thought itll help you leave it alone...that you'd convince yourself with a lie and...and leave in peace. I mean you were almost like Wheeler's son, and I guess I saw myself as an Aunt, I wanted a peaceful life for you, Kid-

--Dont- Dont call me that-- His voice sounds stern,angry. But it soon breaks down,shaky-- please...

She turns and coos,going to hugh him with one arm as he tries to hold back tears--its not your fault-

--How would you know?

Lucas wipes off his tears angrily, he feels like a child again,lost in that muddly jungle, disoriented...

Jane shakes off her cardigan, dropping it on the floor,she shows her tattoo on her bicep. Its a faded red heart with a cross, the name "Dexter Sullivan" written on it.

--My best friend got shot--She starts, not meeting the Mans gaze-- many times...Then, he was brought to the ward, I was on call and I tried to save his life- Keep pressure on the wounds, I ran to the bloodbank to get transfusions ready. Hell,we shared bloodtypes so I just went and gave him my blood until the doctors could get everything ready

The radioman turns to the older woman, with his eyes misty and red and feeling...Moved.

--When that didnt work, I tried to Stitch the wounds myself- But in the end...he died--Her voice cracks and now its her who has to fight the tears--I spent so,so Many years blaming myself, the doctors kept telling me we were overrun with wounded, that I just afforded him a few seconds of life,allowing him to see that I was trying so damn hard. He died knowing I cared for him

--Oh my god,Jane-

--When he died I was broken. I hated myself,i felt stupid,useless, so guilty--she says, anger in ver voice-- I wouldve wished death took me instead, but as I aged I realized... he died with me around,he died knowing he was cared for,loved...it wasnt my own malpraxis that Killed him- He was already on deaths door when he got there--She continues-- I was a nurse- a damn good one, but he was bleeding out. I did all I could...

--Alphonso- He died in my arms--He added, sniffing--Shot clean through the head by-- he coughs out a sob-- By me- we got sprayed by well- you know what... theres not a day where I dont regret calling for air support, where I wish I was taken and not him

--You werent in sound mind...

--I know-- he replied--But I pulled the trigger, im the reason hes dead...

Jane takes a drag from her cig and offers one to him--Cmon, I saw you smoke a few times

He rolled his eyes, grabbing one and lightning it up soon after- The bitter taste of nicotine in his mouth that soon fills with smoke as he inhales.

《When you were young and your heart

Was an open book

You used to say live and let live

(You know you did)

(You know you did)》One of the nearby houses blooms witt music. Neither mind,its good to have something to drift their attention away from the pain.

--Im here to chase down these fuckers,im going to expose them all--Lucas growls with a vibrant,youthfull anger in his voice.-- Im going to avenge Wheeler and anyone who died at the hands of the chemical

--Putting the world on your shoulders...Hah,I know the feel -- her voice softens as he takes another drag of the cigarrette.

《But if this ever changin' world

In which we live in

Makes you give in and cry

Say live and let die

Live and let die》

--But Lucas...--Jane continues--Itll eat you alive. The grief- it never ends really,but you can do something about the guilt--She takes his free hand,squeezing it-- Even I havent fully forgiven myself for Dex, but anger and grief makes you bitter- And if youre going after them as hard as I know you Will, you need your mind clear

《What does it matter to ya

When you got a job to do you got to do it well

You got to give the other fella hell》

--I have a job to do,Jane. Itll get done, Even if I dont make it out

--Good lord,Lucas. Youre sounding just like Wheeler now--She says,exhasperated--But dont you want a happy ending? What Will you do when you get your victory?

Lucas sighs,feeling childish again. Jesus, he hasnt thought about it yet--I- I didnt mean to- Do I really sound so....

《You used to say live and let live

(You know you did)

But if this ever changin' world

In which we live in

Makes you give in and cry

Say live and let die

Live and let die》

--Bitter?--She asks and He nodds-- Yes, you do. I have no doubt Wheeler knew of the chemicals, something seemed off with him

--Yeah...yeah he did sound off--He answers--He sounded so certain that he wouldnt come back, the day he took me out for my first beer-Right before deployment, He told me to never forget I was the best of our Group- Even when they kick the bucket. How wouldve he known?

--It was an army operation,and he was a damn good soldier

--Do you think...he got an offer?

--Most certainly--Jane agreed-- Knowing him he probably said no.

Lucas sighs with relief,messing witt his hair as his head hangs low at the mild scare he got from imagining his best friend working for Mayer, or its predecesor.

At least Wheeler was on the right side of history-- Probably yeah, i- God, this is so insidious

--Make Wheeler a favor,forgive yourself, Will you?--She says, patting his back-- He wouldnt hold it against you,ever. He loved you like a son, he wouldnt want you to suffer,and neither do I

He chuckles-- you know me a lot more than I know you

She smiles with that bittersweet look in her eyes--Yeah,he never shut up about you-You were the great Lucas Cole,promise of his platoon

Lucas snorts--He was big on hyping me up- All the damn time

Jane rolled her eyes--Oh he'd sing only praises about your aim,your kindnes...and all the dumb shit you did

He laughs loudly, taken by surprise. Its a warm,nostalgic laugh--Hah, im sure he did

Silence falls,the wind blows and the mist thickens. Between them they stand there,reunited.

Above them the Sky is starlit and clear, the music from that one house now a mere hum, the street is barren, and theres an air of privacy,of domesticity to this moment of sincerity.

The nurse figures its quite late now,she turns to the Man she sees as her surrogate Nephew and says--Need a place to stay?

--I can sleep in the van-

--Nonsense, itll fuck up your back--Its so weird to hear an old woman curse-- My son has left the nest a long time ago,my husband is well asleep- I can tell him tomorrow

He snorts-- youre too sweet-- he sighs and nodds,he could use a comfy bed--Fine, cmon ill drive you there

At Janes house,Lucas is guided to the barren bedroom of the place. The beds comfortable and warm, and with his heart and soul a little lighter, he can rest.

The house is quiet, the room is small and cozy-It has the outline of his old room back at his family home...it makes Him feel cozy,safe.

Next morning introductions are made,the ex soldier meets his host's husband, Jared Lawson. Both men get along quite well, specially when Jane tells her beloved who Lucas is.

Its nice to have people he sort of knows,he feels...welcomed,at home, and Jane is a great Cook so he gets not only a hearty breakfast but also some snacks for the road.

--You and Wheeler eat like damn starved hogs-- the nurse teased, seeing her guest inhale a Plate of Bacon and eggs.

Sheepishly,Lucas shrugs and keeps eating.

Just as hes ready to leave, his heart aunt stands there with her cream dress,her red cardigan and her crimson bandana holding her black hair in place. She unties it and her hair falls in beautiful Rolling waves.

--lean down ,Lieutenant

‐-Yes ma'am --He says,and leans to eye level. She Gently curls his hair into a bun and ties it with that red bandana.

--Red's a good luck color in China, now you carry a piece of me with you.

He chuckles,feeling his eyes get misty already--Ill come visit once everything is done, maybe ill even bring a hot wife and kids for you to meet

She laughs--You better, I want to be an aunt for Real

--Am I not enough Auntie Jane?--He teased like he was that shit head of a teen he used to be

--Hah! Asshole

They say goodbye with a good tight hug, and Lucas hops into his van and drives off. His spirits risen, his hopes high and his grin wide.

Its good to be reminded that youre not alone in things that feel like bigger than you. Just because his buddies are dead, it doesnt mean theyre gone

Jane is still there.

Wheeler lived on in his heart

Perhaps he can start the work in forgiving himself.

And as he watches the Rolling mountains of Oregon,the beautiful trees and Lakesthat frame the road he goes through, and under that blue skies

He decides to at least try to be Kinder to his mind and soul,and that young soldier that lives within him.

#in sound mind #ism #ism lucas #ism desmond #lucas cole #ism lucas cole #desmond wales #ism oc

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