#but the drama should revolve around him <3

[fuzzyhairedfreak]

Okay Larian here's how you fix your reputation wrt Wyll being SO ignored by y'all's writing: Give us a fancy ball DLC that he is the star of. Let it be all about his life and his backstory, let us meet his childhood friends and enemies, let us defend his honor in a dramatic duel, let us do a fancy dance with him in front of all of Baldurian high society (whether we're romancing him or not) (seriously even the straight guys on reddit were sad they couldn't dance with him in camp without it being a romance thing). It doesn't have to be as high stakes as some other well known fantasy rpg video game's masquerade ball mission, and in fact I'd rather it wasn't. Rather than the Winter Palace, I'm looking for more of a Citadel DLC vibe if you know what I mean. Let there be some drama, a little plot to solve maybe, but mostly good party times with my friends, and getting to learn more about Wyll as a kid and teen, and Wyll telling us all the best gossip from back then. More interpersonal drama than plot. But most importantly, give Wyll romancers our the Sound of Music Maria and Mr. von Trapp showing the kids a folk dance on the patio. Give us our Pride and Prejudice (2005) no one else in the room moment. Our Cinderella and Prince Charming 'So This Is Love' scene. I'm begging

[ilylovelyz]

⍣ ೋ touch tank

˚ · . oikawa x afab!reader

: ̗̀➛ friends with benefits, one-sided pining, childhood friends, kinda angsty, casual kissing, non descriptive oral, a lil jealousy, a little bit of strong language and bullying, they are in highschool but 18, oikawa is a pretty boy <3 and also kinda an idiot?

'cause he's so pretty when he goes down on me

liquid trickles off the swell of your cheeks, softly pattering onto the concrete ground below you. you hear the quick footsteps coming towards you, yet you don't look up at them. "here, y/n-chan." oikawa says, reaching out a hand that holds his handkerchief.

you begrudging take it with a limp hand of yours, patting the soft material against your milk-soiled skin. you still don't look at him when he crouches down to be on your level, not wanting to see his sad puppy eyes and worried frown.

"i can't believe those girls, they are crazy!" he scoffs, eyes rolling at the earlier incident when a group of girls threw a milk carton at your face out of jealousy over their "precious oikawa." you only mumble out a tell me about it, a little peeved at the assault. "don't worry y/n-chan, i made sure to make one of them cry."

you softly smile at his words, folding the handkerchief in half when oikawa reached for it back. despite feeling annoyed at him and his pesky fans, you don't fight when he pulls you in closer to his lap, your chest against his while his arms wrap around your waist, his legs caging you in on both sides of your lower body.

"i'm really sorry that happened. i don't know why they would do that." he mumbles, calloused hands rubbing comforting circles against your upper back. you only click your tongue at his words, hiding your face into his neck as so to hide your embarrassment. no damn way he doesn't know why, their his fans.

but, as much as the petty side of you wants, you can't blame him for the their actions. it's not like oikawa told them to do it, you heavily doubt that, seeing as the way he's holding you close now.

you wonder if you should tell him the obvious reason behind their malice, but at the same time, as he pulls away to look at you face to face, you wonder if he's really an idiot, or if he refuses to accept the reason behind it all.

as you finally look at him, you take in his delicate, yet sharp features. you can't help but flush lightly at the way he's looking at you with those big hazel orbs of his. your envious at the way his long eyelashes flutter close, softly ticking your skin as his smooth lips press against yours.

your eyes stay low-lidded as you observe his features up close. there's no denying that he's a handsome young man. it's unfair to blame him when he was just blessed to be born attractive. he's tall, lean with the right amount of muscle, facial structure sharp with soft eyes and lips.

you think, finally closing your eyes and reciprocating to his kiss, it would be unfair to you as well, to deny yourself of him for the sake of someone's delusion.

though, as you think about it more when his kisses are more intimate within the privacy of his room, it's kinda unfair to you.

your eyebrows furrow at the thought, thinking back to the many times that you were in silly drama that simply revolved around oikawa just for being in close proximity of him. although he always wanted and tried to make it up to you with sweet gifts and affection, at some point, it stopped working for you.

you softly moaned when his hand traveled down underneath your panties, rough finger pads massaging your clit. it's a bit unfair to be receiving this treatment, when you're not even his actual girlfriend. you're just a close long-time friend of his, one he coincidentally has sex with.

oikawa is quick to notice the way you're unusually quiet, lips pouting at your demeanor. "y/n-chan, are you okay?" he asks, bringing one of your hands up to his lips, kissing the back of your hand. your eyes shift over to his face, his stupid handsome face.

you only sigh as a response, not having enough energy to express yourself, and definitely not having the energy to deal with the possible rejection. yes, it's a cliche, you're in love with your childhood friend/best friend, but it's not like you planned it either.

and it's especially not like you planned on becoming best friends with benefits with him either. you can't even wrap your head around the whole thing either, it's almost like a corny love novel. while you've never ever actually told oikawa your feelings towards him, you pretty much have jumped to the conclusion that he's unreciprocated, as he's always talking about random girls, or is just pretty much too occupied with volleyball.

you click your tongue, already getting a headache from the situation as a whole. "nothin', continue." you huff, hand coming up to pull his hair teasingly. he yelps at the sudden assault, his own hand wrapping around your wrist and pulling it away from his hair.

"hey! careful on my hair." he whines, hands fighting off yours before relaxing inbetween your thighs, pausing the intimate moment between the two of you. "but seriously, i know you're lying, is it because of earlier?" he persists, hand softly patting your thigh.

you only fake a smile at his question, just wanting to get over the situation as a whole. "seriously, i'm fine. you know what will make me feel even better, though? you eating me out."

he silently sat there looking at you with a raised eyebrow, but he knew better than to pester you with questions when he knew you were upset.

he crawled onto his stomach, positioning himself inbetween your legs. he looked up at you through his pretty eyelashes, eyes watching your reactions intently. he knew something was up, but knowing you, he wouldn't be able to get it out of you by force.

his eyes fluttered shut as his lips slightly kissed your folds, sighing into you. you sighed as well, but not out of pleasure nor relief. your thighs squeezed around his head, his palm coming up to rest on the back of your upper thigh. your plaguing thoughts overruled the once mind-blowing pleasure he was giving. it stung knowing that you were so exhausted at this situation, but at the same time, you couldn't help but go along with it anyways.

you can't resist, he looks so pretty when he goes down on you.

please leave a like and repost with tags :)

[cheshirecatuniverse]

If Rocky had a baby sister

notes: this may be off canon a little!! im making rocky late twenties-ish. featuring: white rascals

The most important thing for Rocky is for his little sister to be able to sleep safely under a roof. From the moment he finished the last meal his mother ever made for him, he had went to the portable crib that she was sleeping soundly in, carried her carefully, and never looked back.

He lived paycheck to paycheck until he opened Club Heaven. Do you know how expensive formula is?? Rocky had to learn, and learn how to raise a baby all together.

White Rascals wouldn't know about Rocky's sister until he would allow them to know.

Koo, however, would slowly learn about it due to the odd errands he gets every so often. Like buying $3 watercolors and disney princess cups.

Then, finally, during the daytime, Rocky walks in Club Heaven with a small child holding his hand.

Kizzy was the most offended from the secret while Kaito was indifferent.

Koo was the most nonchalant and was silently patting himself in back for being a good detective.

"Well, what is she doing here then?" Kizzy says as she looks across the room. His sister sitting on one of the white couches, swinging her feet happily as she goes through her backpack.

"The nanny is sick," Rocky sighs, not entirely convinced this is the best idea. Little did he know this wouldn't be the last time.

His sister would be shy at overwhelming new faces. Hiding or revolving near her big brother for some time.

Koo would be the most patient with her, kneeling down with a warm expression and asking if she was hungry, thirsty, or wanted to watch something on one of the Club Heaven TVs.

Sometimes, when the Club Heaven dancers come in way early before opening hours, they like to coo and awe at how adorable Rocky's little sister is.

Kizzy is quick to spoil her, making sure she gets lollipops from Rocky's stash. Brushing her hair or playing games while Rocky's busy.

"Kizzy, Kizzy, Kizzy," She heard little footsteps running at her, tugging at her jacket. "It's ballerina time!"

Kaito watched as the two posed and twirled around for a good 10 minutes.

At the start of the school year, Rocky made sure to walk his sister inside. As soon as she saw where she was supposed to go, she turned around and nudged Rocky away with her small hands.

In her little voice, she looked up to him and said, "I don't need you now, Rocky. Byebye."

He locked himself in his lounge at Club Heaven for a good hour. Koo, standing by the entrance, could hear sniffling.

Rocky cooks like a michelin chef, no one will ever compare to her big brother's cooking.

Rocky tries to give her the very best of anything and everything. She spoiled in toys, clothing, and most importantly, love.

Rocky always, always, reminds her that if anyone tries to hurt her or she feels uncomfortable with someone that she should tell him. He thinks it's important to have her trust at an early age, wanting to protect his little sister always.

She would want to have tea parties, with Rocky, and of course, he would do what she asked.

At random times, she'd run up to him and drag him to the living room so that they could build the worlds biggest pillow fort.

One time, she'd asked to put sticker rhinestones on his grill, and he has a problem of not saying no to her, so he lets it happen.

After she stuck a bunch of those plastic rhinestones on his teeth, she turned off the lights to the room. Rocky was confused until a flashlight was aimed at his teeth.

She cheered, "Party time!"

Rocky was a walking disco ball.

Once a week, she'd want a night where she and Rocky would wear face masks and make him paint her nails, and Rocky honestly has no idea where she got the idea from?? But he very quickly learned how to paint her little nails, the bright pink she'd like, without messing up.

He has five albums worth of baby pictures. (He's the 'BITCH I'M A MOTHER, NO DRAMA'.)

Obviously, Rocky has been getting into fights his whole life. But when his sister was old enough to notice the scratches and bruises she'd care a lot.

"Shhh, Shhh," Rocky would gently call her name as she cried at the sight. She was scared. He had knelt down, wiping her tears with his sleeve. "I'm okay. I promise I'm okay."

She jumped in for a hug and he continued to soothe her.

"You pinky promise?"

"I pinky promise."

When she was learning to speak, his favorite thing to that she would repeat was, "I love you." Before he'd leave the house, he would call to her and he'd say it, and then she would with a hug. He'd wondered how such a small human being could give the world's biggest hugs.

As a toddler, she'd wake up at random hours of the night. When he saw her up from her crib, he'd sit right next to it and sing her something so she'd fall asleep. Sometimes, she would even hum along, which was the most adorable thing imaginable.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," Rocky would sing.

"Aaaaa, Aaaaa, Aaaa," She would blabber with him.

Moments like those reminded him he still had a family. She was her family, and that could be enough for him.

[ellie-24]

USS Randall Ramblers Part 3

Okay, this is the 2 in 1 deal everyone's been looking forward to not!

Writing prompts:

"Are you always this shy?"

"You're staring."

Tagging my partners in crime. @vintageshanny @from-memphis-with-love @thatbanditqueen @whositmcwhatsit @missmaywemeetagain @powerofelvis @be-my-ally thank you for the support, the debates, the inspiration and the horniness.

Summary: Phone calls aren't enough. These two just can't stay apart for too long.

Word count: ~ 5.5 k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

"Talk to me, honey, whatcha do today?"

His smooth, velvety voice instantly made Mary shiver and she had to supress a childish giggle. She tightly gripped the phone and caught her reflection in the full length mirror on the other side of the bedroom, seeing herself blushing furiously and smiling. With a sigh she sank further into the matress and slowly twirled the cord in her slightly trembling fingers.

"Actually, I should be asleep already." She grinned teasingly, even though he couldn't see it.

"Aww, Come on, tell me something nice. Please. You know I can't go to bed without talking to you." He mumbled with a pleading tone. Mary could almost picture the famous pout he was probably sporting right now.

She raised her eyebrow. It's been almost four weeks since her visit to Bad Nauheim. It was then that he told her that he would be stationed at Grafenwöhr for the next six weeks, putting him even further out of her reach. But he'd call her every day. That's at least what he promised upon seeing the distressed look on her face. And he actually kept his promise.

For 4 days.

After that, his calls became less frequent. Mary didn't want to admit it to herself, but hearing his voice three or four times a week instead of every day didn't feel enough. It scared her a bit. She was falling way too fast for him and the mere thought of his calls possibly ceasing completely one day made her heart ache terribly.

That's why she sat by the phone on her nightstand every evening, waiting for him to call and ease some of the anxiety she felt. She'd stare at her phone for hours, eyes burning and heavy, stifling yawn after yawn. On some occasions Mary felt kind of pathetic, especially when she'd pass out from exhaustion while sitting up against the headboard, drool already gathering at the corner of her mouth. Oftentimes he'd call her when she was already fast asleep anyway, usually around midnight. The sharp ringing would pull her out of her dreams, which mostly revolved around him anyway, causing her to be wide awake in an instant.

If it was up to him, they'd probably talk to each other throughout the whole night. Sometimes he'd ramble on and on for hours as if he had no one else to talk to and sometimes he just wanted to listen to her talking about her day, family drama or the latest gossip at work. She found that gossiping was rather fun with him because he actually paid attention, unlike other men she's talked to.

"Well alright, you know it's Barbara's birthday on friday." She reminded him.

"Didn't you want to organize a little party at the office?"

"Yeah, scratch that, probably not gonna be a real party, but I really want to get a cake. I asked the other girls if we want to split the cost for a really fancy cake. You know with layers and frosting and decoration and the whole shebang. Now, guess who had a problem with that."

"If you ask like that, sweetheart, it's gotta be Kate." He chuckled.

Mary threw her hands up in frustration. "Of course it was her! Anyway I met up with Helga in my lunch break and her uncle owns this cute, little bakery and he'd probably do it for half the price... Hopefully Kate will be on board with that."

"Honey, just tell me, I'll pay for the damn cake."

"You don't even know Barbara!" She laughed.

"I-I know, but it means something to you." He clarified in a soft voice.

Mary pressed her lips together to stop the embarassing squeal that threatened to espace her and tightly held the phone against her chest. After taking a deep breath she put it back against her ear. "You're so sweet."

"I'm just trying to help my little girl."

Her cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much. "And I appreciate it... I'll let you know what Kate says."

"Alright, sweetheart. What else did ya do today? Wanna know everything."

"Not much I'm afraid. After work I just went straight home. It's so cold, being outside really isn't fun."

"Yeah, you tell me. This damn cold here is driving me crazy."

"And then it also started raining when I walked home from the bus station. I was soaking wet when I arrived. Fingers numb and everything." Mary continued and flexed her hand as if proving to herself that, yes, she could really move it again.

She heard him click his tongue. "Aw, my poor yittle baby. You all bundled up in your blankets now? All warm and cozy?"

Mary pulled the soft fabric up to her chin. "I am."

"And you're wearing your fuzzy little socks? Don't want your sooties to be freezing."

"Yes, Elvis. I'm all warm again, don't worry." She chuckled and watched the raindrops race down the glass window next to her.

When he spoke up again, his voice sounded clearer, as if he put the phone closer to his face. "I-I wish I was there with you sweetheart, sharing a blanket, just like on that ship. Remember? With you running your fingers through my hair." It sounded like he was smiling.

She smiled as well and bit her lip, the memory still very clear in her mind. If she closed her eyes she could still feel his soft hair on her skin. "And your cold hands nearly giving me a heart attack. But yeah I'd really like that. You're a lot comfier than my pillow."

He cooed. "You're such a cute thing. The bunk beds they have here can give ya a mighty back pain, I'll tell ya. Getting some real sleep is a damn hassle."

She sighed and her face scrunched up. "Oh, I know, I shouldn't complain. They make you sleep in these horrible beds and then they want you to walk miles and miles through that mud and I don't know what. Without getting some proper rest!"

He hummed. "And it snowed the other day. You won't believe it. We were knee deep in the snow. The vehicles nearly got stuck, and there were these stupid photographers everywhere, trying to get a glimpse. I looked like a damn idiot."

"Elvis don't say that. What are you supposed to do? And I think it's very brave of you to carry on and do your job, despite everything. And damn these photographers, I'd like to see them do what you gotta do, first."

"Language, yittle. Doesn't suit ya."

"Elvis, don't, you're starting to sound like my mother." She laughed.

He sighed. "One of us has to be the responsible adult."

"A responsible adult? Where? I can't see one."

"Very funny, sweetheart."

She shrugged. "I know. One of us has to be the funny one."

"I'll tell ya if there weren't hundreds of miles seperating us, I'd put ya over my knee now, little girl."

Mary's eyes went wide and she nearly pulled her blanket over her head, as if hiding would improve her situation. "Elvis!" She finally gasped.

"Where's that smart mouth now?" He teased.

She tucked a few locks that had fallen over eyes behind her ear. "I'm just trying to cheer you up with that smart mouth."

He snorted. "Getting on my last nerve sometimes, that's what you do, sweetheart."

She knew he was pulling her leg but she couldn't stop the words that followed. It was just too easy to mess with him sometimes. "Well, then I suppose you should just stop calling me."

There was a pause. "Now, you know damn well I could never do that."

She hummed.

He took a deep breath. "Talking to you is what gets me through all this." His voice got lower, almost like a whisper, which made it hard for her to understand him. "Honey, I'm already dreading tomorrow, ya can't imagine."

Mary squeezed her eyes shut as if actually feeling his sudden anguish just through his voice. She didn't even want to imagine the look on his face right now. Whenever reality would set in, it overwhelmed him in an instant. She never really knew how to respond to his complex and seemingly all-encompassing emotional turmoil. "Oh Elvis, I wish I could help you somehow." She mumbled helplessly.

His voice trembled. "...Cherry, I-I gotta see you. I-It's so horrible here, please I have to see you."

Mary still wasn't sure what to make out of the fact that Elvis sometimes nicknamed her after his dog of all things, but she tried to believe that this was just his very unique, strange way of showing affection.

"Elvis... you know I'd love to visit you. But I can't ask my mum to come with me again."

"I-I know, sweetheart. But they won't let me leave. I can't come over." He paused for a second. "I just... I miss you."

She took a shuddering breath. "I miss you too. Terribly."

He groaned and there was a low thud, which made her jump slightly. It sounded like he hit the phone against a wall or something. When he spoke up again his voice sounded strained. "Let me talk to your father, yittle. I need to see you. Y-You can stay at this inn, my father stayed there as well when he visited. The owner, she's a sweet older lady, she'll take care of ya."

Mary pursed her lips. "Well, I guess you can try. I'll also make sure to use my pout on him. Do you think it'll work out?"

"Trust me. I'll make it happen... Love you."

There it was again. He started saying it a few days ago, their phone call now always ending with the same sentiment. Mary wasn't too sure what to make of it. She always told her friends that she loved them. Was this the same thing? It certainly didn't feel the same, the butterflies in her stomach and the lightheadedness she would feel whenever he'd utter those three special words were proof of that. But what exactly did he mean by it? Mary didn't know if she would call it real love yet. Of course she deeply cared for him, but love seemed to be something for grown-ups. Something that she still felt too young for.

"Love you too." She'd still always reply, both out of a weird sense of obligation but also because it did reflect her feelings towards him and she wanted him to know.

He'd always let out a pleased hum before hanging up.

Grafenwöhr, Oberpfalz. One week later.

Mary looked around tentitavely. Everything here seemed to be made out of wood. She tried not too make much noise while walking around, the floorboards creaking with every step she took. The chairs and tables looked carefully crafted, albeit a bit used and discoloured in places. Mary raised an eyebrow when she looked over at the counter at the other side of the room, with various kinds of liquors stacked onto the shelves behind it. All in all this place seemed to be a bar rather than an inn but she quickly decided that she didn't care. Right now she seemed to be the only one here, except for a few faint voices that could be heard from behind the heavy, wooden door next to the counter. Mary pondered what she should do while carefully inspecting the crochet tablecloth in front of her. She even briefly wondered if she was at the right address.

"There she is! My sweet girl." His voice suddenly boomed behind her. With a jump she quickly turned and saw Elvis beaming at her as he approached, determination in his stride. In an instant she felt his arms around her, a feeling that seemed to be almost familiar by now. She leaned against him and hugged him back, her arms around his neck in a tight grip. She pulled him even closer, happy that she could actually feel him again, and he laughed.

When they parted again he smiled down at her, his eyes wandering towards her lips. Mary felt her heartbeat picking up rapidly when he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers in another short, yet incredibly sweet, kiss. She looked at up him, eyes wide open, her cheeks red.

He softly caressed her waist. "Little Cherry came here all alone just to see me. She's best. Been on my mind the whole day now."

She reached up and rubbed her hands over his hard chest with a smile. "It's so good to see you again."

Suddenly the door behind them opened and a kind looking, middle aged woman wearing an apron appeared. She threw a towel over shoulder, her gaze flickering towards Elvis, then her.

Upon seeing the curious look on her face he stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Ma'am, this is Mary. She's my guest."

Her face lit up. "Oh, you're Mary. I am Frau Feiner. It's lovely to have you here. I hope you'll like it, if you need anything just ask me."

"Thank you, that's very kind." Mary nodded with a smile and looked back at Elvis. He guided her towards a nearby table and promptly plopped down onto the wooden chair. Without warning he pulled her onto his lap and gently patted her stomach with a grin. "Come on, sweetheart, ya gotta eat something. Mrs. Feiner here makes the best Schnitzel. Ain't that right?" He hollered over to Mrs. Feiner who was still busy wiping the counter.

"That's true." She replied with a wink and disappeared through the same door she'd come from before.

"That sounds great, now we only need some Schlager music to round it off." Mary joked, eyeing the old jukebox in the corner of the room.

He snorted. "Ya really listen to that?"

"Helga sometimes makes me. It's not that bad actually. But I still prefer that other guy. That rock 'n' roll singer. You know the one we talked about before?"

"The one who's been on TV and everything?"

"Yeah, that's the one!"

"Mhm. You talk a whole lot about him, honey, makes me wonder if I should feel jealous."

His strong arms pulled her closer to him, so that she was now fully leaning against him. He winced a bit at his own action and squeezed his eyes shut with a shake of his head. Mary furrowed her brows and reached out to gently stroke his hair, just how he liked it. "What is it? You're not feeling well?"

He closed his eyes and leaned into her soft touch. "Just a bit tired, honey. And a bit of a headache. Spend the whole day at the Czech border, patrolling."

Her frown deepened. "Oh no, I hope they didn't give too much of a hard time."

"Honey, the thing is I constantly feel like I-I gotta prove my worth or something. Everyone in the Army still thinks I'm a damn joke."

She shook her head. "I only hear good things about you, Elvis. Part of the reason why my father allowed me to come here on my own is because he trusts you to take care of me. Word gets around you're doing a great job serving your country."

"Definitely don't feel like it."

"My father told me he heard that you're always the first one to volunteer if there's a difficult task ahead. Always doing way more than what's asked of you."

He threw up his hands. "That's because I'm trying to do everything in my power to show them that I'm worth my salt. Gotta work ten times harder than any other G.I.!"

She carefully patted his chest, playing with the breast pocket of his jacket. "I know, it's not fair. But it's paying off, believe me. You should be proud of yourself."

He looked down at her fingers, avoiding her gaze. "Don't know."

Mary reached up to cup his chin, forcing him to look at her. "I'll get you there. I'm certainly proud of you."

He furrowed his brows and his eyes briefly welled up before he managed to catch himself again. It seemed like he wanted to say something, his mouth opened and closed multiple time before he swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He watched her intently for a moment before a half smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "S' good that you're here now. It's balm for the soul I'll tell ya. I already feel so much better. It's like magic." He mumbled and pressed his cheek against hers.

She giggled. "I'm no wizard, Elvis."

"Are you sure?"

She gave herself a once-over. "Last time I checked I wasn't, no."

"Maybe a little fairy then. Far more fitting. Look-wise, I mean. Although-"

"Careful, Presley." She warned jokingly and jabbed a finger against his chest, making him chuckle.

Ms. Feiner then approached them, two plates in her hands and swiftly set them down on the table with a sweet "Enjoy!" before making her way back again. Mary gave him another look and quickly kissed his cheek before sliding out of his lap onto the chair next to him. He playfully narrowed his eyes at her and pulled her chair towards him, making sure their legs were touching under the table. With a giggle she quickly started eating, feeling rather hungry because her nerves had made her skip lunch that day.

"You wanna go to the movie theatre at the base later? I'll invite some friends so I can show you off and then we'll have a nice evening, what do you think?" He asked and gently nudged her with his shoulder.

She slowly blinked at him. Actually she'd hoped to spend the evening alone with him, but the prospect of being 'shown off' sounded intriguing as well. "Uh, sure why not? Sounds fun."

He smiled at her, his mouth full and swalllwed. "Okay sweetheart, then you'll get all fixed up and I'll have someone pick you up in an hour alright? Mrs. Feiner will show you the guest room upstairs and she'll take care of ya, okay?" He lifted his fork to his mouth. "Damn, that's good." He mumbled to himself as if he hasn't eaten in years. After they both finished their plates, when Elvis finished his third portion anyway, he briefly pecked her lips again before heading off to the base again.

Mrs. Feiner took her updtairs and she quickly settled into the small guest room. She decided to call her parents to let them know that everything went well, or she'd never hear the end of it. After that she tried to calm her sudden nerves again. How would Elvis introduce her to of his friends? Who even were they? Fellow soldiers? She just hoped they'd be nice as she combed her hair, her gaze transfixed on the thin layer of snow still covering the window sill.

When she arrived at the training area about an hour later she spotted Elvis standing at the entrance of the movie theatre, along with another man and a small, brunette woman. The enthusiastic smile on Mary's face quickly died when she saw Elvis reaching out to stroke the strange girl's cheek and leaned over to softly kiss her cheek. Mary halted in her tracks, nearly stumbling over her own feet. She couldn't stop the burning feeling of jealousy coursing through her veins at the sight of him being affectionate with another woman. He had a reputation of always being very loving and warm in his interactions with the women in his life, his fans, that's at least what she knew from magazines and his many apperances on TV. But this... seemed more intimate. She didn't like it.

"Come here, Mary!" Elvis shouted and gestured around wildly. The deep breath she took formed a small, misty cloud around her face and she slowly walked towards them, careful not to slip on the frozen cobblestone ground. She tried to ignore the knot in her stomach as her eyes flickered between Elvis and the woman next to him. When she was within reach Elvis grasped her hand and turned back towards his friends. "That's her. Isn't she the cutest thing y'all ever saw?"

"Hello, I'm Elisabeth, it's so nice to meet you!" The brunette spoke up with a polite smile and a light German accent.

Mary tried to force a sweet smile as she shook her hand.

"Mary." She curtly introduced herself. The girl seemed to be nice, at least she made an effort, but Mary just couldn't bring herself to like her, no matter how hard she tried to ignore her personal feelings. She wondered if she was acting childish and tried to control the creeping feeling that maybe she did take her and Elvis' relationship more seriously that he did. Even though this was only their third time meeting each other she knew that no one ever made her feel the way he did and she was certain that no one else ever would. Her thoughts started to spiral for a horrible, incredibly long second before the other man spoke up and held out his hand as well.

"Rex, pleased to meet you."

Mary didn't look at him, her gaze fixated on the stoneground beneath her as she tried to control the chaos in her head. Elvis put his arm around her shoulders with a smile, his body pressing into hers. The feeling of his solid strength so close to her made her feel both grounded and erratic at the same time.

"Are you always this shy, Mary?" Rex inquired with a gentle smile after a few seconds of her refusing to look at him. She then absentmindedly shook his hand before it would get even more awkward.

Elvis let out a little chuckle, his body vibrating against hers. The feeling finally pulled her out of her wicked thoughts. She cleared her throat and tentitavely hugged Elvis as well, her hand gliding over his back. "Well, it's not often that you go out with a world famous celebrity, is it?" She offered and tried to look flustered instead of hurt and confused. With a flick of her wrist she carefully squeezed his side, making him jump slightly.

Elisabeth briefly touched her arm. "Don't be nervous, Mary. He's a nice man. And I should know, we're here together almost every evening." She replied with a genuine, kind smile that was probably meant to calm her.

"Is that so?" she asked and looked up at Elvis, whose face betrayed nothing, a stiff mask displaying nothing but utter neutrality. "Well then there is nothing to worry about I suppose." Mary quipped and leaned further into him.

The four of them made their way inside with Elisabeth and Rex happily chattering and leading the way. Mary barely managed to pay attention to the conversation, but politely nodded along every now and then as Elisabeth kindly linked her arms with hers and pulled her aside a bit, telling her about her stepfather being a sergeant in the Army and how he and her German mother met and got married. Elisabeth then proceeded to share the story of how she and Elvis met at this very movie theatre only a few days ago. Mary kept looking over to him, now apparently deep in a conversation with Rex. When he caught her eye he winked at her and she quickly averted her gaze again.

The auditorium was small and practical, nothing fancy, with seats that didn't look too comfortable and bare, grey walls. "I wanna sit in the back." Elvis announced and leaned in closer to Mary. "What about you, Cherry?" He whispered into her ear about a second later.

"I don't care." She replied, her expression indifferent.

He briefly frowned at her in confusion.

Elisabeth then gestured towards the seats next to her. "What about here?"

Rex nodded and Mary looked at Elvis.

"Come on then, honey." Elvis chimed in and pulled her along with him, towards the back. She turned her head and saw Elisabeth and Rex shrugging at each other as they went to sit down. Well at least she would be alone with him now, she thought as she eyes the last row where no one had sat down yet. Shortly after her and Elvis sat down, she felt him watching her intently, trying to figure out her why she's been acting so strange ever since entering the movie theatre. He was interrupted by a small group of soldiers approaching them, seemingly wanting to sit down next to them.

"Go on, get your own row, damnit!" Elvis shouted over to them, making them look at each other and shuffle away quickly.

He then let out a content sigh and put one arm around her, his hand resting at her neck. He gently smiled down at her and briefly kissed her temple. His soft, tender touches almost made her forget his earlier interaction with the German girl he apparently saw almost every evening. She still felt his gaze burning into her profile and shifted in her seat. He didn't even try to make it subtle, facing her shamlessly instead of the screen. Mary focused on keeping her breathing even and tried to act as normal as possible but despite her best efforts her head eventually turned towards him on it's own. Instead of feeling caught and looking away his eyes lit up and leaned in closer to gently bump his nose against hers.

"You're staring." She whispered.

"What, I'm not allowed to look at the prettiest girl in here?" He grinned.

She hummed, not quite believing what he said.

"What? I'm just saying how it is."

She leaned back and looked straight ahead again.

He cleared his throat. "You know, I can't help but feel like you're, uh, angry with me, honey."

"It's nothing."

His hand around her neck reached out to play with a strand of her hair, gently twirling it between his fingers. "Come on, sweetheart. You think I'm gonna fall for that? I already told ya I know everything there is to know about women."

"Really, it's nothing."

He clicked his tongue in frustration. "Stop being so stubborn. As much as I'd like to read your mind and see what's going on in that pretty little head of yours, I can't. Ya gotta help me a bit. Please, talk to me."

Mary bit her lip and looked away from him, thinking about how she should phrase what exactly bothered her. If she should tell him at all. His fingers now drew comforting circles on her arm and he was uncharacteristically patient while waiting for her to sort out her emotions. "...Alright, uh, I guess... First-" She held up a finger. "-you promised me that you'd call. Every day."

He opened his mouth.

She held up another finger, silencing him. "Second. You said 'no other girls'."

"There are no other girls, just you." He replied without hesitation.

Mary raised an eyebrow at him, her gaze flickering towards the brunette a few rows in front of them and then back to him. He lowered his face and looked at her through his lashes. "Now, don't gimme that look. Elisabeth... she's just a friend. A-And she happens to speak German, which is useful, I reckon. That's all, Cherry. Now, don't spoil the fun and be good, okay?"

She huffed. "I'm not trying to ruin the mood. And I don't want to tell you what you can and can't do. I'm not like that. Just..." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

He turned his body back towards her and gently cupped her cheek. "...A-Alright, I can see why you're mad at me. I-I get it now, trust me... I've neglected you too much. I'll make sure to take care of you more."

"Elvis, that's not-"

He lowered his head and moved to nuzzle his nose against her neck. "Mhm, that's what my widdle baby needs and what she deserves." He whispered, his hot breath ghosting over her exposed skin. It tickled her and she tightly gripped her skirt, the heavy fabric now bunched up in her fists.

"Elvis-"

He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Cherry, you're my best girl, I want you to know that."

Mary sighed and tried not to let her cheek sink into his soft hair. She failed. "...Is that true?"

He hummed and moved closer to her neck again. "S' the gospel truth, honey." With that she felt the feather light brush of his soft lips against her pulse point. She let out a small yelp when he continued peppering soft kisses along her now heated skin. He put one arm around her waist to pull her closer towards him. She could feel him grinning against her when she lifted her chin and angled her head away from him to give him easier access. While he licked, suckled and mouthed at her neck she quickly looked around the dimly lit room, relieved that no one seemed to pay attention to them. Mary had to press her legs together when his hand moved over her jaw, along her neck until it rested just below her clavicle. He could probably feel her heart beating wildly in her ribcage.

"Elvis." She whispered.

He let out a low grunt in response.

"Kiss me."

"I am." He murmured, his voice muffled.

With a playful click of her tongue she promptly moved away from him and his touch, making him whine as he tried to chase after her. She let out a small giggle at his confused face and leaned over to press her lips against his, her fingers brushing over his jaw. He laughed into the kiss before eagerly moving his mouth against hers. His hand grazed over her upper body, back to her clavicle before moving down further. Mary couldn't suppress a small groan when he attempted to slip his tongue inside her mouth and briefly squeezed her breast at the same time.

"You!" She gasped with a grin and gently tugged at his earlobe. He chuckled, his teeth clanking against hers, and boldly squeezed her breast once again. It sent shockwaves of pleasure directly into her lower belly and their lips quickly met again in an open mouthed, heated kiss. He put a hand on her knee and Mary shivered when he moved it higher and higher, fingers digging into her the supple flesh of her thigh. A small sound escaped from the back of his throat, adding to the throbbing sensation she felt. He was now dangerously close her core and just when she thought he'd touch her there and ease some of the ache, he pulled his lips away from her. When they parted they just looked at each other for a moment, both breathing heavily. His hand still soothingly rubbed over her thigh and she swallowed hard.

"All good again?" He asked with a grin, still a bit breathless.

She exhaled shakily. "Sorry, Elvis, it's just, uh, I don't know."

"Tell me, honey."

She shrugged and leaned forward to press her forehead against his. "I guess I don't know why you would want to spend time with me... I'm nothing special." She cringed at herself while saying it out loud, being openly vulnerable with others wasn't something she was particulary fond of. It's not that she didn't trust Elvis, she just preferred to deal with her emotions on her own.

He urgently hugged her closer to him. "Honey, no no no, don't say that. I don't wanna hear any of this nonsense. You have no idea how special you are to me. I-I can always talk to you a-and you never judge me. You're there when I need someone to take care of me."

"I guess." She mumbled, her eyes burning.

"You always cheer me up, honey. Lemme do the same for you now. I don't like seeing you sad. Wanna see that smile again."

She hummed and shrugged, not trusting her voice right now.

He gave her another kiss. This one was slow and sweet, his pillowy lips barely brushing against hers as he held her cheeks in his big, strong hands. Then he went on to pepper her whole face with small kisses until she couldn't stop the grin tugging at her lips. He stopped and gently ran his fingers through her hair and cupped the back of her head.

"There's that pretty smile I love so much." He mumbled.

She let out a watery laugh. "You really know how to make a girl feel good."

He bit his lip with a smile, his eyes twinkling. "Oh, my sweet Cherry, you have no idea."

Also tagging a few people who seemed to enjoy the first two parts. Please let me know if you don't want to be tagged! @godlypresley @18lkpeters @lookingforrainbows @richardslady121 @kingdomforapony @c-rosenn

[dreamofmetoday]

TOM HOLLAND AND ZENDAYA DYNAMIC READING

overall:

they feel dissatisfied with (and worried about) this connection and don't even really know why they're staying together. the main excuse they seem to come up with to stay together is the fact that they don't want to be one of those couples that break up only to get back together - basically they're both thinking, "it would be embarrassing to break up so officially because what if we do miss each other or realise we were right for each other and get back together anyway, let's just give it our best effort now", but even this mindset is being pushed to it's limit. they view the relationship quite objectively and feel they can see where it's gone wrong which is essentially summed up as: getting together too young and having naturally very different personalities. however, they do both wish for it to work out somehow. they both seem to make an effort to actively "choose" each other (similar to the mindset of love is an action not a feeling). they do very practical things to make the relationship work and compromise (the type of stuff you learn in couples counselling, and following "rules" - e.g. the 5 love languages).

how does tom view zendaya:

he really wants zendaya to be "the one" but also feels he's putting in more effort than her (whether that's objectively true or not). he thinks he does a lot for her, tries to adapt to her and she doesn't really reciprocate the same way (thinks she is off doing her own thing often, involved in her own interests and drama). he's basically thinking, "i wish you wanted me to be your soulmate as much as i wish you were mine" and he finds her to be harsher and more critical to him than he is with her. he thinks she's very attractive, classy, has good manners, has a good family (was raised well by her family) and sees her as the best he could ever get. he also appreciates her earthly, grounded nature, finding that she is rather practical and logical, and has helped him become a lot more stable himself (he thinks he owes a lot to her). he sort of takes on the role of hanging back and letting her shine, he doesn't really have a problem with this except for the fact it means zendaya is in the power position (she is naturally dominant over him - she does what she wants, and can leave him when she wants, and can hurt his feelings quite easily even if it's accidentally). her being in the power position means he feels he doesn't have much control on whether the relationship lasts or not, he fears losing her and his biggest concern currently is how he can make her feel like her independence isn't being threatened (he really wants her to believe she isn't being "tied down" since he knows these are concerns she has) but still wants her to be committed and around him often. he would marry her if he could.

how does zendaya see tom:

she sees him as someone who wants to move way too fast and is pretty immature. she knows that tom means well, she trusts his intentions (mostly) but she can't help but feel like tom wants to "own" her. she feels he is smothering, a bit suffocating and she's annoyed that he doesn't seem to understand that "going above and beyond" isn't going to impress her - e.g. he could buy her a really expensive gift but it's not something she actually wants and all she thinks is, "okay so 1. you just bought me something i didn't want and you probably should have known i didn't want it, 2. if i wanted it this bad i have my own money and 3. now if i'm honest and tell you i hate it i become the asshole so thanks for nothing really" (she wishes he would get more on her level in this sense, to just be more mature and practical). she thinks he is too dependent on her and wishes for him to want to do his own thing more, for not so much to revolve around her (as flattering as it is sometimes). she can appreciate that tom is a lot of fun, and that he is witty and easygoing, she is mostly just frustrated with how he seems to always want to be the centre of (her) attention. she thinks he is too possessive and jealous. her ideal outcome isn't for the relationship to end, but to make some more practical changes as they both grow older (she still has a lot of love for him and thinks they are a good match at the end of the day).

[jimilter-recs]

PARK JIMIN | APR-JUN ’22 FIC RECS

⇰ hey, everyone! welcome to my quarterly fic recs list, featuring the love of my life, park jimin. 💛

❥ welcome! i’m a week late and the list is really short by my standards. the reason to which might be the fact that most of may and all of june were pretty busy months for me, and i was able to only catch up w fics when i was unwell and bedridden (which happened twice, unfortunately :\).

❥ length: there are the regular three categories based upon lengths: one-shots, series and drabbles; no smaus in this quarter, i'm afraid.

❥ ps! this list contains fics that i have read within these months, not just the fics that were posted during this time!

❥ WARNING ❥ MOST OF THESE WILL BE 18+ AND CONTAIN EXPLICIT SMUT - MINORS SHOULD STRICTLY NOT INTERACT.

❥ legend:

a - angst | f - fluff | s - smut | d - drama | h - humor rating - pg-13 | pg-15 | 18+ tw - trigger warnings - including: mentions of insecurities, mental illness, abuse, infidelity, violence, blood, gore, any death, and more. check fic warnings before you proceed. ❥ - absolute favorites that i’ll remember forever!

∘ love me better - @taegularities | a, d, s, f | 18+  ❥ i got the chance to beta this mind-blowing fic by ridziette (although my hectic schedule didn’t allow me to complete the task blown away! an honest to god masterpiece of a suspense thriller! doesn’t even feel like a fic most of the time, it’s a whole-ass movie, guys! <3

∘ sexcapade - @hamsterclaw​ | h, f | 18+ so i inhaled most of rei’s masterlist but haven’t yet screamed abt all the fics, i will, asap! but this one - wow! there’s no actual smut in here but the entire story revolves around sex. the banter, jimin’s sexiness, oc being relatable - i love everything abt the fic! <3

∘ let’s get quizzical - @taleasnewastime | a, h, s, d, h | 18+ ❥ one of the most amazing f2l fics i’ve ever read!!! jimin’s cluelessness, oc’s pining, the angst bec oc is a pessimist like me - and oh! their entire bunch of idiots? everything is sO good! i read it back in april and while looking for the link, i read it again yesterday, lmao. <3

∘ nectar - @gimmethatagustd​ | a, s, d, h, f | 18+ | tw this is a vamoire!reader x human!jimin - a rare and intriguing foundation, to begin with. and then you take in their personalities, and this fic becomes a delightful ride! jimin is the cutest bean in the whole world, oc is in her goth era and we also have nikki being the kind of friend i crave to have irl. the friendship and the chemistry between oc and jimin - chef’s kiss! please read this and shower jai w the love they deserve, y’all! <3

∘ limitless - @kimvtae​ | a, d | pg-15 | tw  brutally smashed my heart, but if you know me, you know that i enjoyed every bit of it. (: this one has an open end and man i love the way it is left on an ominous note sO mucH! <3

∘ arte factum - @lolabangtan​ | a, d, s | 18+ | tw  oh god this fic gave me the shivers!!! amazingly woven story, with both the smut and the mystery hitting exactly the right way! absolutely loved everything from start to the end, but especially the end. <3

∘ meet me at the finish line - @parkdatjimin​ | a, d, s, h , f | 18+ | tw   ❥ jimin in this fic??? the biggest sweetheart ever, okay? he’s so caring and kind and just overall wonderful, even when him and oc are supposed to be rivals. :( their rivalry is such a cute journey, tho. loved the way it developed as they aged, and then the way their romance bloomed from it. <3

∘ i still want you - @parkdatjimin​ | a, s, d | 18+ the way this tore my heart apart and then julienned it? oc’s pov was bad enough, but then we had to see things from jimin’s pov too??? why, mindy, whY must you be so amazing at portraying gut-wrenching heartbreak? :( i love this fic so much!

∘ freak in you​ - @pshychives​ | s, f | 18+ okay, so this one is a steamy ride and a half - hot af and so well written! please, the way oc and jimin can’t get enough of each other? made me horny cry so many times, ughhh. absolutely amazing, dear writer, i am biting my knuckles as i write this bec this was too sexy! <3

∘ a remedy for mondays - @dovechim​ | a, s, h, d | 18+​ this one is such a unique story! a hilarious but also emotional ride all the way through. absolutely loved reading it <3

∘ love again - @taestefully-in-luv​ | a, s, d, h | 18+  ❥ ahhh, one of the most amazing series i’ve followed in a while! dear writer does a brilliant job writing the most perfect humor, heartbreak and smut! aside from the amazing amazing chemistry bw jimin and oc, i love every other element of the fic thoroughly as well - from hobi’s friendship w oc, tae’s obsession w jimin and oc, the whole lucy thing (ew), dae’s entanglement w you-know-who, jeremy and naomi and even joon!!! <333

∘ gemini - @hamsterclaw | a, d, s, h, f | 18+ this whole au has my entire heart, ugh, especially yoongi’s playboy self and the bond he shares w oc​, contrary to it! this fic, godddd, it hurt so bad but healed so good. the second half of this story, please, we love an oc who can build her life the way she wants to! <3

∘ fwb with jimin - @btssmutgalore​ | s | 18+ dee is a smut connoisseur, her blog’s name says it all, there’s no debate. and this is another masterpiece on her list. the subtle friend’s-sister backstory makes this all the more steamier, and when dom!jimin jumps out? mahhhn, we need some air-conditioning in here! this one is too good! <3

∘ adonis - @xjoonchildx​ | h | pg-16 ana wrote a 3k+ words drabble so she’s my role model now. (: LMAO, this fic is so fkn hilarious, man! i absolutely LOVE mrs. yun - how to be her neighbor, pls??? and as oc asked, who tf is doing recruitment in the city? lolol and the doordash driver giving her a thumbs up at the end? reading this fic felt like i was watching a romcom and i appreciated every second of it! <3

❥ note: that is all i got for now! a total of 14 fics with 9 one-shots, 3 series and 2 drabbles!

as always, there is a strong chance i might have read something but forgotten to save it, in which case i will include it in the next list when i find it again. i really hope all the readers, out there, make use of this list and give all these fics a try and all these wonderful writers some much deserved love! ❤️

[roseangel19]

More wild Helluva Boss Hot Takes!!!!!!!! (I still have my protective gear on 👍🏻)

[Before I get into this, I just want to say thank you all for your notes, reblogs etc. I was hesitant about making the first hot take post because of this reputation of the fan base being so up in arms when it comes to criticism; but we should normalize having civil discussions on the Internet without the fear of backlash from die hard fans. It’s ok to love something and still acknowledge that it isn’t perfect, that doesn’t automatically make you a hater as well as the opposite side of the spectrum. If you are blindly ignoring the blatant flaws and swearing up and down that the show is perfect, imo you’re deceiving yourself. But hey, if you believe the show is a 10/10 good on you 👍🏻👍🏻😊].

Now on to the hot takes! Woo!

{This might be the last hot take post I make because I honestly can’t think of any more. If anyone has any hot takes they would love to share, please feel free to reply, reblog or message me, thanks in advance ☺️}.

The Goetia Family drama side plot+ divorce side plots are pointless time wasters. The amount of time that’s spent in these storylines is time that SHOULD be put into developing our main cast.

While on the subject of the Goetia, I feel like they’re not being used as a means of getting to know Stolas and his family on a deeper level. Instead, they’re being portrayed as stereotypical jerk rich people. Side rant, how is it that we are two seasons into this show and still don’t know what role the Goetia plays in the overall story? Same with Stolas’ royal duties, we’ve never seen him do his job other than what he did in “Harvest Moon Festival”.

Blitz should’ve slept with Asmodeus instead of Stolas.

The pilot should’ve been the real episode one of season one instead of “Murder Family”.

Nothing in the show would change if Stella didn’t exist. Her character adds/ removes absolutely nothing to the show outside of this family drama storyline; all she does is scream, screech and squawk about how she hates Stolas and wants him killed. Then has the nerve to call him an embarrassment, SHE’S the embarrassment.

The overall cast of characters should be of a more manageable size.

The songs are hit/miss sometimes.

Bee’s design is alright.

“Western Energy” should’ve been the real premiere episode for season two and it should’ve been a 3-4 part special.

Personality wise, Loona has got to be the most inconsistent character on the show (Blitz and Stolas are tied).

Speaking of which, having the show revolve around Stolitz is so detrimental it’s not even funny. HB isn’t a romance series about star crossed lovers from two sides of a societal hierarchy, it’s about an assassination business run by a group of demons in Hell that go to Earth to kill humans on the request of their clients!

“The Circus” should’ve been more focused on Blitz, Fizz and Barbie Wire as well as fleshing out the relationship between Blitz, his mom and Barbie.

This one is more of a concern. I’m concerned about Octavia’s character being solely defined by her being a victim of her parents failing marriage and subsequent divorce. I like her and I would love to see her have stand alone moments outside of her dealing with her parents.

Stella is a horrible antagonist.

“Unhappy Campers” shouldn’t have happened.

All of the sexual jokes and cussing characters do should be used sparingly.

It would be great if the songs were pulled from different genres of music.

[an-unraveling-unknown]

It's been a bit, and I think I've forgotten some. Can you give me a brief rundown of your little guys?

Hiya Bones, I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF RUNDOWN ON MY LITTLE GUYS!!! (thank you thank you thank you!!) (its not as brief as it should be I'm so sorry)

I still have yet to name this project: My first original project! I have no ideas for the plot LMAO /crying a little

Locke: Ancient android cursed to carry the physical fear of an entire very dead race of beings that they have identified as 'human,' the same thing they classify the people they see today. Travels a lot, he generally likes to keep moving - has taken up the mantel of unofficial psychopomp. Likes people (from a distance,) dressing up, engaging in human activism in whatever way they can, and Deimos. Dislikes having a lack of bodily autonomy. Was called 'Rue' once (Agender, but he has a fondness for He/They)

Deimos: Your local embodiment of human fear, and human fear specifically. Laughs in the face of gender on a daily basis, mostly due to the fact that he's a shapeshifter (generally shifting into the specifically held fear of whatever society he happens to be around) Drama queen, constantly makes either slightly too old or slightly too new pop culture references that Locke could never hope to understand, but he found a good audience with The Children. Deeply just wants social connection, a bit of a hard feat when you're immortal, and unfortunately something he couldn't find in Locke due to their own circumstances. For a while, at least. (Genderfluid, but currently favors he/him)

The Children: Collective term for all the people and non-people Deimos has unofficially adopted - still workin on them, but I CAN tell you that Charlotte (third youngest) has ties to 'Charlotte's Web' and the 1829 poem 'The Spider and the Fly' and also happens to be an anthropomorphic spider, while Marley is (probably) from Boston (youngest). Not all technically children by human standards, but pretty much everyone is a kid when you're Deimos's age

(other little guys below. forgive me for the massive text blocks)

Undertale AU: Some context, this revolves around two of my ocs in an au that is basically be adding non-canon context with plot; Sunny and Z!* Sunny ran away from home after extenuating circumstances and an argument with her parents, kind of as a 'last hurrah' of sorts, and Z tagged along because of his own reasons. Both of them found themselves in the underground and are now constantly wondering if they went and died about it because Undertale is actually a thing that exists in their universe

Sunny: He is a trainwreck, and is also probably the closest I'll ever get to a self-insert (but it's moreso me when I was 12-ish inserted into a 17 y/o's body). Compassionate at heart, she likes the sciences and being outdoors and philosophical things; math is latin to her (dead,) and she knows a fair amount of sign language. Utterly thrilled to be in the underground for the most part, something he and Z have conflict about - doesn't like talking about his childhood. Yellow coded as in warning (She/Him, Aroace)

Z: Also a huge freakin clusterfuck and Sunny's best friend, but Z is more contained than not. The funny one of the two, Super tech efficient, the fella loves cryptography and all things coding, made a rick-roll virus once on the family computer and now that very same computer exists half-alive in the garage - he'd like to be a game dev someday. Used to get hurt and sick a lot when he was younger. Z refuses to be alone with his thoughts, so he practically throws himself at anything declared constructive at a contstant rate, very much unlike his friend. Knows Sunny has a lot going on with the imminent move to Europe and all, but they shouldn't, cannot stay here damnit (He/Him, Straight)

*not their actual names, but they can't really say their actual names due to extenuating plot reasons and 'Sunny' n 'Z' is what Flowey called them upon first encounter.

BG3: The Baldur's Gate 3 duders!! neither Aeonian nor Monad really fit into forgotten realms lore, considering I picked them up from a separate Stardew Valley AU project and threw them at my current hyperfixation without a lick of research cos I figured it would be no problem. I was sadly mistaken, but we're making it work (even amidst the greek myth n gaelic folklore parallels which are now just outside-of-story meta)

Aeonian: My Tav!! Best put (in your words exactly) as a sad little tissue paper man. Unofficial bard and humanoid-shaped creature (Physical Embodiment of Death at Sea, to be precise) who is not normally humanoid-shaped, but is doing it anyway because their sister is missing and they have a guard dog complex to uphold. Looks like a very tall and very blue twig that could snap in the wind, but what they lack in intimidation they receive in cleverness and wit with a little bit of added bardic charmisa. They did not at all wish to claw themselves out of the sea with gritted teeth and sheer drive alone, and while they aren't necessarily cold, they also aren't here to make friends. This is currently being conflicted by the fact that they give a shit. Character development follows the rock cycle (They/Them, Demirose)

Monad: Aeonian's older sister and Embodiment of Life at Sea - the braver of the two, having ventured up to the surface first and kept going despite being kidnapped by pirates more times than ve can count on both hands - ve is here to have a good time and a good time only. Lively and charismatic, he loves the pleasures of life, people, life in general, and Aeonian. Took up the druid class, as she told her sibling, and was in the midst of learning how to wild shape before she went up on a surface outing one day and didn't come back. Ve's more secretive than Aeon knows (Ve/Her/Himself and very much a lesbian)

[most-canon-non-canon-ship-poll]

they're toxic + mike is gay and in denial

Why Mileven is shit - a submission-based essay, part 1/3

Mileven - a currently canon het ship from the Stranger Things fandom between Michael (Mike) Wheeler and Jane (Eleven) Ives/Hopper/Byers/IDK

12 years old girl raised in a lab is thrown in a relationship with the first boy she ever meets. They constantly fight, lie to each other and develop a unhealthy co-dependent bond. The boy has a close ambiguous relationship with his male best friend which leads a good part of the fandom thinking that he is actually gay. People who stan this ship constantly throw homophobic slurs to this male best friend and some even argue that they hope he dies of AIDS next season

Where do I even begin. I do not care what anyone says the chemistry is not there. Another cog in the Should Have Never Been Written As A Couple machine. What made them cute in earlier seasons was their platonic dynamic and Mike's kindhearted nature to help her. It is hilarious this is apparently their "flagship" and "main" couple when they have the least amount of chemistry and the poorest written out of the others. They are not their best selves together, not only hurting themselves, but the people around them. Mostly Will, which is clear as day in Season 4. At the end of Season 4 I am so to the nth tired of the same shit different shovel with them. I am probably too gay to see The Vision fans of them see, but I do have eyes and it looks to me like they've been slowly crumbling. There is no foundation for their relationship they were barley friends a week before Mike kissed her and then she vanished for a year. They maybe had a little bit of interaction between closing the Gate and Snow Ball. Kissed again. Then spent all summer making out and ditching their friends until El comically broke up with him. Their relationship is exhausting to watch. The drama eats up too much screen time. I am tired of watching them hurting themselves staying together. There is no meaningful conversations since maybe Season 2. In Season 4 what could have been one ended poorly and the other interrupted comically. They've dragged out the Mike saying "I love you" story line, seemingly concluding it while El was being strangled in a Mind Scape trying to save Max who was also in said Mind Scape being slowly to tortured to death. Said confession prompted by using Will's own veiled confession disguised as El's an episode earlier. Plus Will using his own words to encourage Mike to help her. He did to help her, but that was painful to watch there was so much going on! Then they expect me to believe they're better than ever afterwards when there is nothing to indicate that? I need them to break up please free them. Free me. I am over it bro.

My propaganda is *drum roll*. Season 4. That's it. I am putting faith in the other haters to submit something coherent. I do not have the energy unfortunately. It is shit now, but would be even more shit if they finish the show endgame. I do not care about them. I want focus on the supernatural plot!! I want focus on characters and conversations that don't revolve around or circle to their relationship! I don't want to see another character to become a mouth peice for Opening Their Eyes and What Really Matters and they'll "Work out." I am exhausted of third parties putting more effort into Mileven than Mike and El themselves. I want them to be their own people because they come off miserable together. They both vocalize their pain and no one that ships them cares! I have never in my years of watching shows have seen such a terrible,boring and annoying couple championed as much as Mileven. Every other canon couple in the show is miles better, yet are over shadowed. They are holding together by Elmer's glue and popsicle sticks. Them being boyfriend and girlfriend means nothing to me when the chemistry is not there. Final propaganda- Most of the more vocal fans are homophobic and go out of their way to harass others.

Two incredibly written characters that have so much potential outside of a relationship. seriously their relationship is absolutely erasing all and any personality that the show gave them separately. That and they're just incredibly toxic, el literally met mike almost first thing after living in a lab her entire life, she has no reason to start a romantic relationship, especially at that age. mike is also super insecure, and using el's love towards him to ease said insecurities. incredibly unhealthy on both sides how this became the main ship of the show absolutely BAFFLES the fuck out of me

[intoxjaecated]

late night, city lights, and you.

“people are temporary, but what do you do when you find someone you really can't imagine leaving? how do you ask the universe to make them stay?”

mark lee x gn!reader

genre  angst, fluff (?), hurt/comfort

warnings  mentions of toxic household, intrusive suicidal thoughts, some curse words, english is not my first language so please take that into account as you read or leave constructive feedback and lmk if there’s sumn i missed ‹3

word count  1k+

Watching the city lights with the cold night breeze has always given you comfort—more than home. That’s why you often find yourself driving to this place, far enough from your life's chaotic reality and expectations you can never live up to. A lot has been going on in your life lately and you feel suffocated with all your responsibilities piling up as the firstborn automatically making you the next in line to your parents with the responsibilities with your siblings, while also being a struggling college student. It seems that everyone around you forgets that you are also trying to cope and learn how to navigate life, and all these expectations on you are taking a toll on your well-being.

While you were lost in your head you suddenly felt a hand carefully lean your head to his shoulder, breathing in that familiar perfume you instantly knew who he was— Mark. Your best friend. Soulmate. Ride or Die.

"What are you doing here?" you asked, slightly chuckling in amusement that your favorite person is beside you exactly when you feel like disappearing.

"I just saw your Instagram story and I... just knew," he whispered, voice too low like he was careful of every word that would slip off his mouth. scared you might try to escape from his presence.

"hmm.. what did you figure from my story?" you hummed, leaning comfortably at him,

"what do I not know about you anyway," he chuckled lightly, finding it also amusing how fast he grabbed his keys and followed you as soon as you didn’t respond to his reply to your story

"but like, do you wanna talk about it?" he continued, saying it in a manner that you could easily break down the façade you've been putting on. 

“I just have a lot on my plate right now with all this family drama I was literally shaking and barely managed to finish my problem set as soon as my mom entered my room because I know exactly what will happen if dad found out that she is roaming around his house without telling any of us of her ‘visit’. And to make things worse, my dad went home earlier than usual and saw her in the act, and then of course they fought again. She was so haughty you know? she spoke to him so casually as if she was forgiven as if she apologized for cheating on him and for ruining whatever our fucked up family had… and I, as usual, had to step in again and tell them to talk like actual adults…” you scoffed, recalling the commotion that happened earlier that night “I don’t need them to patch up their marriage, I just need them to at least talk without raising their voices, and bringing back past incidents having faults and trauma competition. At least for my younger siblings’ sake, but from what I saw earlier maybe I should just give that shit up.”

"Plus, college is badly draining me out since my grades were not parred with what my father expected and I’m really trying my best to get better grades but none of that shit seems to go my way.” sighing, “I don't know… I've always tried living in a way I wasn't any burden to anyone especially when I figured I was conceived before marriage which forced my parents to marry each other and for my mom to stop pursuing her college degree. Now they’re a mess, which also fucked me over and my siblings’ lives. I feel responsible for all of this shit you know, that’s why I try to live as the firstborn child they wanted me to be. I did my best to somehow reach their expectations... and my whole life revolved around this. But still, there are days when it gets a little more unbearable than usual so I just... feel tired you know? I just... want it to stop, but dying is such a selfish thing to do, so I can't" you whispered, barely audible like you wanted it to slip with the cold night breeze

"you… have me, you know that right?" he whispered, caressing your hair

"I do. Of course, I do. God, you're the best thing that’s ever happened to me," a tear slipped from your eyes,

“you're one of my answered prayers, Mark— no actually you're so much more than I have asked for, and I'll forever be thankful for you walking into my life and embracing me and my fucked up life.” there was this small pause, as you’ve wondered how could you ever tell anyone your intrusive thoughts and how could you deliver it to them without them looking you like a sorry excuse of a person afterward but this is Mark, and Mark is Mark so you proceed to tell him the thoughts plaguing your mind for a while now, 

“but like if one day I... leave forever... I hope everyone forgets me including you, I don't want anyone to think they didn't try saving me, I don't want anyone to blame themselves for me giving up..." you choked, still refusing to meet his eyes.

you heard him sniff as the shoulder you were leaning on shook lightly. you chuckled, sitting properly and facing your adorable walking diary, gently placing your thumbs on his cheek caressing the trail that his tears left,

"Hey, don't cry... I'm just saying... maybe it's just another meaningless sad shit I have, but like, I have no plans of leaving... yet" you smiled at him, his nose was red already

"I love you so much Mark Lee..." you said, meeting his gaze

"I love you too..."

At that moment Mark once again pondered the question you asked him before “people are temporary, but what do you do when you find someone you really can't imagine leaving? how do you ask the universe to make them stay?” 

The first time you asked him that he didn’t know how he could answer, but this time he knows. You don’t. You don’t ask them to stay. Mark answered in the back of his mind. Because nothing could ever make you stay if you finally decided to leave and that is how he concluded that he just needs to stay with you and hope that will be enough to change your mind, enough to make you stay somehow. But if that’s not enough, he’ll surely spend the rest of his life praying that reincarnation is real, and that he gets to spend that life with you too.

[shineemoon]

Minho is (supposed to be) the main lead of this drama. The story revolves around four friends who work in the fashion industry, but this series is promoted with Chae Soobin and Choi Minho as main leads, so I expected them to be treated as such. Sadly this didn’t happen with Minho.

While watching the drama, although I was enjoying it, I didn’t feel like Woomin was the main lead, but more like Jieun’s love interest and the friend who’s just there with the other 3. It’s incredibly frustrating to read in Minho’s latest interview that he feels regretful because Woomin’s narrative has been edited out

and it’s even more infuriating watching all these deleted scenes that Netflix is releasing on different platforms, because ALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE DRAMA

📽️ Choi Min-ho wants to keep date time with Chae Soo-bin private 📽️ Woomin & Seonho scene 📽️ another Woomin & Seonho scene

Does it make sense that everyone had a backstory but not the main lead? We got to know Jieun’s grandma, Joseph’s mom, Seonho’s parents, but we have to find out that Woomin has 4 sisters from a clip on youtube? Why would they leave out such important scenes of the main lead story that would have helped the viewers to get to know him more? I seriously can’t think of any logical reason. Minho worked hard for such a long time to deliver in the best possible way the depth and development of his character and for what? For them to take his narrative out of the final cut and promote the hell out of his shirtless scene that wasn’t even in the script originally? (like, PLS, that scene was completely unnecessary and the way Minho always says he kept asking the director “is this right?” will the viewers be able to understand?”...... probably it didn’t make sense to him either😐) He deserves so much better...

[bougiebutchbitch]

For the ask meme: G (Straight Until Boiled)

G: If you wrote a sequel to Straight Until Boiled: or, How Yondu Udonta Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Dick what would it be about?

hgkkghkghkgkhjggk

Thinking about that fic is a blast from the past! I love that silly story. It's honestly my peak How They Got Together Kragdu Fic, complete with Kraglin assuming (like everyone else on the crew) that they're practically dating anyway, even if it's unspoken, because Yondu treats him like he's his BBFF, bestie-boyfriend-forever. Meanwhile, Yondu is like. Wait. I'm dating my XO????!?!?! And his panic at the mere thought of caring about someone other than himself accounts for 90% of the plot. He's so stupid (affectionate)

I think a sequel would have our boys settling into the rocks of their relationship, and Yondu realising that nothing has fundamentally changed. Literally the only difference is that they make out and fuck as well as spending every hour of every day together, bouncing ideas off each other, and making up stupid little injokes to torment (lovingly) a teenage Peter with.

The main plot of the sequel would probably revolve around a mutiny, because Vaas and Taserface are still very much there and very much nefarious. I want all the drama of the crew accusing Yondu of favouring Kraglin and Peter, and the fallout thereof!

During the mutiny, the Eclector crashes. The whole crew get marooned on a proverbial desert island planet, with LOTS of very dangerous hungry wildlife, and they all have to work together to survive...

I'd also love to bring the OG guardians back into it, because I need more Stakar and Aleta and Charlie and Martinex and co. in my life. So, there's a mutiny, shit hits the fan, the 99th faction crash-land on an uninhabited planet with no way back into space and everything devolves into infighting while desperately trying to stay alive... and then Stakar, who is keeping tabs and doesn't actually want his idiot blue child/ex dead, pretends to need to mine some precious ore from the planet's crust or whatever, so he has an excuse to check in.

Obviously, this turns into a heist plot where Yondu and the others try to steal his ship and maroon him instead.

I just think Stakar 'you broke all our hearts <3' Ogord and Kree Guy should be central characters too, to make Kraglin extra jealous. He's such a soft but prickly little dude, I love him!

[wat-the-cur]

LEMME TRY AGAIN. Death Note for the fandom meme please!!! 🥺 I want to hear all of your opinions!!!!! 💖

Ooooh, gosh. I’m going to be honest with you, I haven’t rewatched Death Note in AGES, so my memory of so many plot points and details probably leaves a lot to be desired. That, and I’m sure that if I rewatched the series now, a lot of my opinions will have changed. For that reason, I shall not be answering all the questions, but I have picked out the ones I do have half decent answers for. Silly ones, but I hope you enjoy them all the same! I should definitely rewatch the series soon.

3 headcanons for (insert characters here): Bad news, all of my headcanons revolve around the most mundane shit imaginable, but they bring me pleasure!

Rem - So, Shinigami evolved to the point of never having to eat, but we know that they do so for pleasure. They especially seem to gravitate towards sweet food and they all seem to have favourites that they eat to the exclusion of all others. Ryuk has his apples, Sidoh loves chocolate, and Calikarcha is partial to blueberries. It is easy to assume that Rem has no favourite, because we never see her eat, but I think that she does. Rem’s favourite treat is king cake, in particular the king cake served at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We never see her eat, because she cannot get hold of that cake in Japan and she always wants to be by Misa. Upon confiding in Misa about her guilty pleasure, Misa said, offhandedly, that she would try to bake her one, one day. She never got the chance.

Ryuk - This one is a bit silly, but we get a lot of hints throughout the manga, anime and related series that Ryuk loves cutesy things. Misa is one of them. I think Ryuk gets on very well with Misa. He and Light may understand each other better, but he has a more affectionate relationship with Misa. They share an enjoyment of cheesy TV dramas and trashy reality shows. They both like baking and dancing. They even give each other gifts sometimes. Ryuk frequently examines Misa’s plushie collection, so as a sign of friendship, she let him keep one. A pink bunny, which Ryuk keeps sat in a corner and occasionally picks up and pets.

Mello (and Matt) - Mello fucking loves hagsploitation cinema (movies featuring scary old women). It’s such an unexpected thing, but he has a collection of hagsploitation films, from the best to the forgotten, on VHS. His favourites are “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane” and “Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker”. Matt’s favourite film is “Clerks”, partially because it’s very funny, but also because he likes to fantasise that his life would be similar to that of Dante and Randall, had he never been whisked off to Wammy’s as a child.

2. 3 fandoms views you don’t agree with: I don’t think I’m about to say anything groundbreaking here, but here I go.

“Light was corrupted by the Death Note” I seem to remember you making a post about this one some years back, and getting a whole lot of shit in response. Like, yes Light went down a slippery slope, but it looked to me like he used his own two feet to get there. I just hate it when people remove responsibility from Light, because that sort of defeats the point of his character to me. Besides which, from day one he just came across to me like the type of guy who was one missing order of French fries away from beating the servants with the stiffest switch from the tree, so yeah.

“L was in love with Light” Listen, seriously, ship whatever you want chaps. No hate to you LawLight shippers, it just does not work for me. I absolutely do believe that Light had a fat hate crush on L, but I do not think L felt the same way. Is L a bisexual king in my opinion? Yes. Do I like he fancied Light? Maybe a little. But for me, this is no soulmate situation. Sorry. I was sad that L died, but I felt absolutely no remorse for the end of his relationship with Light.

“L was faking absolutely everything about himself (in other words, he was faking all of his autistic-coded traits)” Ahem...Nooooo he wasn’t!

14. Most intriguing rarepair: Okay, I have a few, so just hear me out. First of all, I have to mention LMello, which you got me into with your galaxy brain takes <3. Just recently I’ve been loving the idea of an alternate universe where Ryuk is Misa’s Shinigami, because I honestly think they would be so cute together. The ultimate same-interests couple. In yet another alternate universe, I love the idea of Rem and an older and wiser Sayu going up against Light. Sorry, but I somehow could never see Misa being interested in Rem, so I wanted to give her a different girlfriend and Sayu is perfect, in my opinion. Also, Rem/Kinddara Guivelostain (the female Shinigami with the fissure down the middle of her head). It appeals to my love for “viciousness personified having space in their heart for kind, tender soul”. That is this pairing.

16. Favourite behind the scenes insight: This is not even actually a behind the scenes insight, but I’ve never forgotten it. Basically, the Shinigami realm was originally conceived as being full of chunks of old metal and piles of rubble, or something to that effect. An information site that I once read must have been fucked around with, because the quote was written there as being “full of chunks of chocolate and piles of cookies”, and that had me so intrigued for ages. When you consider how the Shinigami love sweet food, it actually would have made sense.

19. Character interactions you would have loved to see: I would have loved to have seen L actually interact with the Wammy kids, I think that could have been so funny. I think the thing that always comes to my mind, is your post when you talked about L assaulting Near over Yahtzee stratagems. That killed me. I wish there were more interactions between Shinigami and humans. I wish Rem got to interact with people who didn’t treat her like dirt. As I’ve said, I’d like to have seen Ryuk and Misa have fun together. Matt deserved a few more scenes interacting with Mello, too, for sure.

21. Song that reminds of (insert characters): Again, multiple answers for this one!

Mello - “Infa-Red” by Placebo (basically any song by Placebo is a Mello song, but this is a good one)

Matt - “What A Waste” by Ian Dury and the Blockheads

Rem - “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” cover by Chris Thomas King

Ryuk - “I Walk On Gilded Splinters” Dr. John The Night Tripper

L - “Life Without Buildings” by Japan

Misa - “Puppet On A String” by Sandie Shaw

Near - “I Dream Of Wires” Gary Numan

Thanks so much for this ask, buddy! It was a lot of fun to answer!

[phantastragoria]

do you have a favourite portrayal of a character in the gotg game!! who is it and why <3

Oh I think they're all great honestly!!! Part of why I love the game so much is that genuinely, the whole team + supporting characters are written with such obvious love of the source material and equal attention between them all. When I see comments of people saying who their favorite character was from the game and the answer always being different from each person I'm like!! That's how it SHOULD be!!! They're the Guardians of the Galaxy (plural) the focus shouldn't all fall on a singular character like most other GotG media usually ends up as 😭

The two (sorry I can't pick just one) whom I think benefit the most from the game though are Drax and Gamora because they're almost always sidelined both in-and-out of universe by most of the various writers (especially as of late) and in turn the viewers/readers. I've been told plenty of times that they're the most boring members of the "main" team, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY! The amount of love the game versions get (by the few who've played it at least) proves that 🥺

I've never really liked 616 Drax shifting to being a complete clown during the 90s and such (and even less so when the MCU followed along 💀) So I appreciate the game taking a bit of his seriousness from the DnA run and just making him struggle with nuance and context clues in a less exaggerated way (autistic Drax I still believe in u) and I feel the focus put on him and how losing his original family + the aftermath deeply affected him hits pretty hard here because it's treated very seriously and shown in depth, especially with how his family (wife) gets actual focus. I cannot tell you anything about Yvette in comparison to Hovat, who actually seemed to have had a personality lol (AND she was on their village's council like omg imagine having more to you than just being The Housewife) Though I will say I flip and flop on my thoughts about Heather being disconnected from Drax's life in this universe... The TLDR is that I think his arc here specifically works stronger when he has to come to terms with losing his entire family and accepting the life he currently has with the Guardians. BUT!!! I very much appreciate that Heather is still confirmed to exist within this universe, even if that means her dad issues would have to be dealt with in a different context if we ever get to see her.

Also? Shoutout to the writers actually bringing up the intense paranoia that always kneecapped 616 Drax but having that be a turning point in his backstory here, with that conversation he has with Peter where he talks about how he was becoming so paranoid of everyone being a chitauri/Thanos conspirator to the point of literally turning into an obsessed maniac like Thanos, and realizing that he desperately needed to turn his life around, it's so ough.

Out of the already many great conversations throughout the game, I think the ones with him are the most poignant. My favorite scene in the whole game is Drax and Pete's little moment on Knowhere... makes me go wahhh

(l also love that out of everyone on the team, it's his headspace that we quite literally get to go into. You KNOW that if this was any other media it'd be going into Rocket or Groot's head and likely treated as a joke.)

And oh my god, Gamora...

I find it so extremely refreshing that her role in the plot doesn't revolve purely around the men in her life, and instead, it's nearly exclusively her connection with other women. Or in the most direct obstacle she has to deal with, being how she starts projecting to the millionth degree on Nikki's situation for reminding her of what happened to her and Nebula. I find that infinitely more fascinating as a reading of her character rather than just dating drama or her arc getting completely overtaken by a man's instead.

And especially in her friendship with Mantis, who, despite having all these futures she's constantly seeing and having to navigate, still makes time to do her best to help her 🥺 From saving her life and being the one who put her on the path to healing on Lamentis, to getting her to join the Guardians and still checking in on her when she's able 😭 Friendship between women can be so powerful... u love to see it (🏳️‍🌈)

I also find it nice that there's this emphasis on her recovering mentally, and the comparison between Thanos essentially teaching her to just Deal with the shit in her life through very simplistic meditation versus the priests of Pama actually teaching her something to help soothe the mind :^( and that she still has moments of relapsing essentially. I find that to be a realistic take on recovery because that's just part of the journey since healing is not linear... and I think it's very sweet that she finds comfort in collecting something ---girly--- like dolls. Love to see a person reclaim a part of their childhood that they weren't allowed to experience. And how she's allowed to make BAD JOKES?? Imagine a woman being written to have multiple dimensions, crazy and absolutely unthinkable, I know.

There's this extremely specific theme in relation to Gamora across media that's been rattling around in my brain since first playing the game. When near the end during the revisit to Knowhere, she's about to completely lose it when Peter tries talking -for- her on what she's so upset about before immediately shooting him down, and she explains what happened between her and Nebula and she starts crying. It really struck me right then that she's never given a moment to cry elsewhere (or in the 616's case, the quite literal inability to.) aside from her shedding a Single Manly Tear (Original Sin) or a single moment out of legit fear (MCU 💀) because she's a hashtag Strong Independant Woman who can't be vulnerable etc etc. But for her to cry in front of the people she's come to care about, It gives her a moment of true vulnerability that I don't think she's allowed ever in most other media.

That and all of the above hits hard and is what makes me genuinely believe that the writers cared about her in the narrative and tried to do right by her when every other bit of media really hasn't nor cared to the majority of the time since the 90s :'^/ Brings a tear to my eye that she's allowed to just... exist in the narrative on her own merits and not on what she can provide to someone else's story.

[prototypelq]

DMC Questions Anon here!

"That day, if our positions were switched... Would our fates be different? Would I have your life, and you mine?"

While standing on top of the Qlipoth in DMC 5 Vergil posed a very interesting question that got many people wondering: How would the story of DMC go if Dante and Vergil's positions were switched?

That is what I am asking you now to answer. How does this story go in a world where their positions are switched?

Hi, dear DMC anon, always happy to get your messages!

I`d like to start this reply with recommending some very good videos/fics that explore this topic, as my opinion on the matter is affected by them, but also in case anyone reading HASN`T seen these, and more people really should!

Champion Analysis has done amazing videos on this exact alternate universe scenario (the term ‘alternate universe’ feels very justified here) videos – two speculative character analysis videos and one voice-acted retelling of the story of the switched twins in DMC 3.

Blood Red Brother by TheWritingSquid – a oneshot about ‘switched’ Dante running into a ‘reunited with Dante at the end of 3 and raising-Nero’ Vergil and their first and last interaction.

Bonus:

Devil May Cry D by Strawberry_Hope is an amazing fic in russian, this is a ‘switched’ twins retelling of the story of 5, and I LOVE it. This thing is huge, it has everything you wish to have in a long fic – good plot with some mystery, characters interact with each other a lot (as Vergil does NOT let Dante out of his sight, unlike the game which has Dante basically flying off the rails after his twin), and some good angst and drama (as is customary for DMC). maybe I should do a masterpost of my fav ru dmc fics, because they have some amazing stuff I have not seen in english-speaking community, or have seen very very little of it.

Hopefully, everyone is familiar with these (baring Devil May Cry D, as it is very optional because of language requirement), otherwise I highly recommend you check them out if this AU ever remotely interests you.

With that out of the way, I believe the Switch AU is quite unique, because global games-wise I don`t think it would change much. Vergil would work great as a (classic anime) protagonist – an elder twin, who tragically lost his entire family, and is the (only surviving) heir. Vergil is honorable, badass and actually a cheeky bastard, just as his brother, so he would make a great protagonist for the games. Story-wise in games, I think the only one we can expect to have huge changes is 4, as it revolves around Nero. There is pretty much nothing on The Fortuna Woman to base speculations around, sooo it could be a teen dad Vergil after 3, or he could encounter Nero only in the boy`s teens as original Dante did. Same as canon, I don`t really care for The Woman much, and I don`t see her having any effect on the story. (also everyone wants Nero and Vergil to have good father-son relationship, so it`s obvious which scenario out of the two the fandom and I lean towards)

This is...not much changing really, we just move the Nero&Vergil relationship earlier on the timeline, but so far that`s pretty much it

except it`s not

because I fully believe ‘switched’ Dante cannot be redeemed.

Original`s Vergil story is tragic, and it forced him to make horrible decisions, however his intentions have always been in the right place. Vergil, fundamentally as a character believes in results over the methods used to get them, so no, he Doesn`t care that his summoning of demon tower killed a lot of innocent people, and might have passed down his own childhood trauma on the new generation of children of Redgrave, he wanted to use it to finish off the demon lord, and it is a noble goal so everything works out. This makes the original Vergil a tragic, but misguided and lost character. Vergil as V was the perfect replica of all of that, and he needed someone to show him a better way – and Nero did. He showed crumbling and desperate Vergil compassion and a kind-of friendship, which was exactly what Vergil was looking for all these years, but too afraid to acknowledge it. After that, original Vergil can be shown the error of his ways, and he might try to make amends (starting with his brother), which will, in time, redeem him.

 Dante is, as always, a perfect opposite of his brother. He is compassionate by nature, and his heart of gold is his greatest tormentor over the years, as he cannot accept the loss of Vergil and always yearned for his brother back. To take this emotional person with a bleeding heart, and to have him raise a demon tower as Vergil did in dmc 3? That requires breaking his foundational compassionate nature, and replacing it with ‘goals over morals’ mentality, and I don`t think that kind that damage can be reversed. Blood Red Brother fic I mentioned captures this perfectly – Dante, with goals over morals, also remains a thrill seeker and a kind of adrenaline junkie, this combination of traits, paired with demonic heritage, is extremely volatile, and could lead to terrible bloodlust.

All of this would make 'switched' Dante a truly horrifying sadistic psychopath, who would only seek massive demons to battle (which would also make him an amazing villain), and there is no way he could be redeemed after that.

Thank you for the ask, as always!

(well, there is an alternative scenario where Dante fights only demons, and doesn't harm humans, meaning he cannot get the power boosts orig Vergil got, and loses to Mundus spectacularly. still, I feel like 'antagonist' Dante goes against his nature and would alter him greatly, but perhaps he could be redeemed after that)

p.s. maybe I`ll make a reblog talking about DMC D fic as it has some amazing takes on this AU, but I don`t want to mix the authors original ideas with my ramblings

[dickfics69]

Emotional Motion Sickness | Part 8

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7 | PART 9

AO3

Summary: Daryl gets sick before a supply run, and denies it vehemently. He is a big tantrum baby. Rick is constantly worried and drama ensures.

Chapter summary: Lots of walkers and lots of action. Daryl is stubborn as usual and Rick almost dies. Angsty shit happens.

Content warning: adult language, sickfic, mess, snot, bodily functions, hurt/comfort, vivid nightmares, adult content, 18+ for eventual smut (still deciding hehe), original character\

Words: 4.7k ish

My personal Daryl playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2PrdzgwtCiUgwDLLBy5C4g?si=c83773b44c964bb1

TY to @dumbslxtclub for being my editor and hype girl (if you're a fan of eddie munson and stranger things, this girl is writing the most wonderful fic and you should check it out :) )

Chapter 8: Around me lies a sombre scene

Darly looked down at the scene before him with shock and overwhelm. Darkness invaded the foyer, now only illuminated by battery torches and shallow light. The sounds of a muffled Beretta and an explosive Python were being drowned out by the cacophony of undead screeching. The hunter had his crossbow ready well before laying eyes on the horror at the bottom of the staircase, but he repositioned it to make sure that he was in prime position. He scanned the foyer briefly. Carl was strung up by a foot next to him, and Rick was cornered by the door. A table wedged between him and certain doom. A wave of dizziness fell over Daryl like an intermission’s curtain. ‘Fuck! Fuck, not now!’

As if to read his mind, Peri worked her way down the stairs, daggers in hand. She took out a couple of the walkers surrounding Carl. It wasn’t enough. His obliques were clearly strained from trying to cut himself free. So he just dangled there, desperately avoiding snarling rotten teeth. Peri had never been exactly precise with a gun. But she drew her revolver anyway, pointing it intently - everything happening in slow motion.

“Ndah I got this, get back!”

“Peri, just  shoot!”

“Please help!”

Four exact gunshots filled the air and four undead frames hit the ground. Carl reached up one more time with his knife, managing to free himself from the intrusive hold. There was a sharp intake of breath as he fell. Three adults full of concern beared down on the boy. Luckily (or not so), he managed to land on the soft rotting corpses that Peri had made below. He picked up his hat and started forwards, attempting to free his father from behind the sad table in the corner. 

Daryl stood uselessly. A crossbow ready but a mind nowhere near. His partner and his son below, engaging in a war so jolting to Daryl’s fragile mindset. Gasps of air filled his lungs far too quickly, panic veiling over his eyes. ‘Goddamnit! Not now!’ Daryl was flummoxed by his autonomic reaction. Daryl Dixon was always ready to fight. Daryl Dixon was sometimes ready to fight whether there was a threat or not. At a guess, the man had killed well over a thousand walkers. Why was this any different? 

“Daryl! Get. Down. Here!” Rick’s voice was only just heard above the auditory terror that befell them all. It was enough to pull Daryl out of his momentary inertia. Febrile legs ran down the enormous staircase, as if they didn’t belong to the beholder. 

“Rick! The fuck is happening!?”

“Trap…door…full-of-em’…the…basement.” Was all that the Deputy was able to string out before firing his gun into two gigantic walkers before him. Daryl glanced over the left side of the bannister, mouth gaping at the sight. Piles upon piles of grotesque walking flesh were climbing out of the hole in the ground. It was never ending, and they were severely outnumbered. 

Gunshots flew left and right. Daryl’s crossbow was now useless at such close range. Knives and a pistol came out quickly. Daryl joined the fray. The crack of skulls - the smell of rotting flesh - the visceral blood spattering across his face. Something had taken over, plunging blade after blade into the decimate skulls. The hunter was working on pure adrenaline. Shots fired loudly in his ears as he ploughed forward. They were all spaced out in the expansive room, defending a small territory of their own. The snarling was ear piercing. Daryl hadn't seen so many walkers in such a tight area ever. It was terrifying. But he wasn’t going to falter now, he couldn’t. Every undead taken down seemed to release a volley of new ones from the endless basement. A man couldn't keep this up. A deathly ill man could very much not keep this up. But alas, keeping it up was what had to happen. He needed to save Peri - the woman who just bore her soul and filled his heart with a strange sort of joy. He needed to save Carl - the boy turned man - the son of his partner he would be lucky to call his own - the teenager who looked up to him. He needed to save Rick - Rick…Rick…fuck the absolute love of his goddamn life!

Eventually Daryl penetrated his way over to the right side of the staircase, ready to assault the walkers as they came out of the abyss. Blades bore deep into brain matter, as the sickly man fought for the people he loved. Fighting anger was coursing through his veins. He was like a lit match over a powder keg, ready to explode. Whether it was from feverish thoughts or not, the time bomb was ticking. 

Daryl had backed into a corner, inviting as many walkers to him as he could. Suddenly, time slowed to a snail’s pace. A female body emerged from the horde. Hey body encased in a tattered nightgown, clumps of blonde curls hanging from an emaciated frame. Daryl squinted his eyes in the dark, trying to decipher the once dead woman working her way towards him. A flicker of torch light illuminated blue before Daryl’s eyes, a necklace filled with turquoise dangling off the walker’s neck. It was her. Robin. The missing puzzle piece. A wife dead and a husband who long lost his mind. A tale all too familiar for the family at the prison. Images of Rick burst into the hunter’s mind. Catatonia had filled the concrete tombs as the once leader shuffled through the halls longing for his dead wife, Lori. The memories of his partner's anguish set the hunter’s heart on fire with empathy and wavering jealousy. A jealousy formed from fear of never being loved quite so intimately. ‘Fuck, focus ya prick!’

In an immediate breath, the blonde corpse before him had collapsed into his chest, snarling and biting for pure redneck flesh. Strong arms fought to push her away. But with a mini horde of walkers befalling him, Daryl couldn’t quite break away from the cold, brainless limbs grasping for his warm body. After too long of a scuffle, the man had brought his knife to a position of certain doom.

“Mb’sorry.” He muttered, about to obliterate her to a realm of forgotten territory. Suddenly, an explosion of blood painted his face. The famous Python taking down all the enemies in his wake. Rick stood behind the firearm, with a jumble of emotions plagued behind his eyes. Before Daryl could move, or think, or suck in a breath, a calloused hand made forceful contact with the hunter’s cheek. Rick had just slapped him. Hard. 

“Fuck, Daryl! Pull yourself together!” The Deputy seethed with white hot agitation. Daryl stared back at his partner, stymied. A tornado of rage stormed between them. This was not how they worked. This was not them and the frenzied action made Daryl’s gut churn with familiar deceit that he couldn’t quite place. Pain reverberated through the left side of his face and the metallic taste of blood dribbled out through the newfound gash on his lip. 

Daryl was quite literally a feral animal backed into a corner. He could feel the anger inside, rising like turbulent bile in his throat. Blue eyes were glued together for what felt like a millennium, neither man able to move. Fight, flight and freeze tumbled around the hunter’s body like a game show wheel. It wasn’t until a commotion of sound erupted behind Rick that either of them were able to break away from their heated trance.

The front door had unlatched and swung open violently with the raging winds outside. A fresh volley of walkers began tumbling towards the house, their rotting faces being lit up by flashes of lightning. The weather was only getting worse, but the storm was raging fully inside the four walls of the dwelling. 

“Dad!” Carl’s voice rose over the tumult. Rick whipped around to see his son and Peri desperately trying to close the heavy door. They were thrusting their whole bodies into it, but the certain hell on the other side was pushing harder. An obvious panic befell the Deputy. 

“Shit, com’on!” He glanced back briefly towards the sick companion before launching the stock of his firearm into the head of a too-close-for-comfort walker. Daryl peeled himself away from the wall, immediately missing its support. He was only a step behind Rick, fighting as hard as he could with the minutiae of energy he had left. A few loose bolts into bursting skulls cleared the way to the door. Four bodies were now backed up against the wood. Eight arms attempting to quell the chaos inside. This was shit creek, without a paddle in sight. 

“Dad, what do we do?” The fear in Carl’s voice was universal. All the luck and fortune that had welcomed their group over the last year or so, was running out. Fast. 

“We gotta find a way out. There’s a door through the kitchen…”

“That aind’t gunna work, Rick.” Daryl grumbled into his ear drawing a glance over to where the door to the kitchen was being torn down. As if it was a nightmare, even more emaciated bodies toppled out. It was like a bloodcurdling bowling match, new walkers taking down old like rotting pins. 

“Shit!” Rick drawled, opening the barrel of his firearm. “I got two rounds left. We gotta save the ammo for when we really need it.”

“Dad, I think we might really need it now.” And as if to punctuate his sentence, Carl exploded an animated head right in front of him. A shower of coagulated blood rained down onto his youthful face. 

“Carl, stop! Jus’...jus’ let me think a second.”

“There’s a drain pipe outside the nursery! If we can get up to the second floor we could climb down?”

“Yeh…” Peri’s idea rattled around in the leader’s head for a moment. “Yeh, that could work. Migh’not be so many on the far side of the house. Okay. Carl, Peri, Daryl, y’all clear a path to the stairs and get up to that bedroom. I’ll be righ’ behind ya.”

“You can’t stay here Dad! There’s too many…”

“Once you’re up there, I'll make a break for the stairs too. I gotta try to hold th’door. If any more get in, the plan won’t work. I’ll be fine Carl, I promise. Now, go!” 

Peri and Carl tentatively took their weight off the door. They shared an anxious glance before starting to clear a path in front of them. Daryl didn’t budge. Rick snatched his eyes off his son and turned to look at his partner. The man had wedged himself at the opening of the door, sinking his blade into walker after walker. Rick noted the animalistic edge in Daryl’s eyes, and loosely vowed to not lose his temper again. But the man had quite literally poked the bear only minutes ago. Rick hadn’t intended on physically assaulting his lover, but these days it seemed that his body made decisions far before his brain did. 

“Daryl. Daryl!-”

“Aind’t leavin’ ya Rick!”

“Daryl…I need you to go. They need you. I’ll be fine…” Frustration was a growing weed in Rick’s voice. Time was running out, and Daryl’s defiance was only burning through more of it. 

“Daryl! Daryl!”

The name was starting to lose meaning as Rick turned into a broken record. The stubborn man wasn’t moving. Hell, he wouldn’t even make eye-contact with him now. Daryl just started intently at his knife that was barely making a dent in the horde. Soft grunts escaping with every blow. Rick shifted his weight against the pulsating door, reaching his arm up to shake his lover out his manic reverie. As soon as the calloused hand made contact with the tense shoulder, it was violently shaken away. So forcefully in fact, that Rick lost his footing. Without the other human barricades, Rick’s wavering pressure on the heavy wood was enough to ensure more chaos on the small group of survivors. The door flew open again, sending another cascade of walker’s into the already cluttered foyer. The Deputy was furious. The fire inside that he’d been trying to douse with months of farming, was raging through the roof of his very being. The festering fury was joined by primal panic when his frenzied eyes failed to locate his partner. Somewhere in the sea of decomposition, Daryl was being swarmed. A half cough, half grunt made its way to Rick’s ears. With a location confirmed, the older man threw himself on the huddle of walkers. The barrage of cracking skulls didn’t stop until Rick spotted a faint outline on the ground. Daryl was flat on his back with a hugely bloated corpse writhing around on top of him. The hunter’s crossbow was pinned under the enormous walker, and his blade was far out of reach. Rick kicked the mass of rotting flesh off the struggling man, crushing its head with one heavy stamp of his boot. Blood and pus burst from its flesh. 

Rick experienced a momentary flicker of relief before his turbulent fervour returned with a vengeance. He reached down and yanked Daryl to his feet by the scruff of his damp collar. His blinding anger making way for immense physical strength. Rick kept his gasp firm around the fabric, drawing Daryl’s face peripherally close to his own. He could practically smell the snot as sweat that crudely adorned the other’s face. They were so close that from a distance, one wouldn’t be able to tell if Rick was going to kiss the man, or tear his throat out with his own teeth. Part of Rick wanted to do both. 

“Rick-”

“Don’t.” He seethed through a clenched jaw and bursts of irate breath. “Go. Now.” 

Rick effectively threw Daryl into the dark abyss, putting very lax faith in his ability to make it to the second floor of the home unscathed. But the hunter got the message. The sounds of squelching and grunting turned into scrambling ascending footsteps and eventually a door slammed above him. Rick could feel the frigid hands of death reaching out around him, as any unoccupied space was being quickly over-crowded. The Deputy’s body was surging with adrenaline. His sympathetic nervous system propelled him into the fight. Time became a blurred mass of blood and decay. His arms were straining under the effort of the battle. Rick knew if he stopped, he was dead. He might be dead either way, but he’d go out trying. For his family, for Carl, for Judith. Oh god, Judith. What if he never saw his daughter again? He fell into a fleeting lapse of thought, but that was all it took for groping hands to latch onto him. He panicked and dropped to the floor. It was a risky idea but if he could somehow crawl his way to the table in the corner of the room, he might be able to take the upper hand again. Rick Grimes was a survivor. He could do this. Hands were constantly reaching for his body. Some walkers had followed suit, crawling their leaking bodies behind the Deputy. Every move, every inch of a limb was dangerous, but he had to try. 

Eventually he made it to the table, taking out the surrounding walkers as he climbed up. It was just a pit of disgusting movement below him. Reanimated corpses spewing in and out of spaces like it was never ending. The danger was densely packed all around and Rick was as far away from the staircase as he could be. He cursed a series of words under his breath and glanced around the space for something, anything to pave his way to safety. He looked up at the hideously enormous chandelier that hung from the ceiling. A weak idea popped into his head, but it was all he had. Rick unholstered the Colt Python and pointed it at the chain holding up the light fixture. He shot once and missed by a hair.

“Fuck, com’on. Com’on!” He partly cheerleadered and partly cursed at himself. 

He took a breath and aimed again. One bullet. One last chance. The tympanic shot reverberated around the room as glass and metal came crashing down like acid rain. Any walker that was in the path of the chandelier was now crushed underneath it, writhing to get away. Rick saw his moment and leapt onto the huge metal frame. Keeping his feet quick and light to avoid the hands desperate to grab at his legs. Only a few bodies stood between him and the staircase now, a manageable amount. He disposed of them quickly, using his empty firearm as a heavy club. The thoughts of his family rushed back into his mind like the tide coming in. It’d been less than ten minutes since he’d last seen them but facing certain death felt like an eternity. Taking the stairs three at a time, Rick raced up to the nursery, already hearing the herd following behind him. 

The door opened with a start before Rick could even reach for the handle. A strong arm pulled him into the room forcefully. Daryl held onto Rick’s bicep powerfully, and vice versa onto the hunter’s forearm. The Deputy was still seething, hopped up on nothing but endorphins and rage. But fuck, he was glad to see Daryl again. 

“Daryl…” Rick panted finally, releasing the strain that had befallen his body in the last ten minutes. “They’re comin’…up-th’-stairs…we gotta…”

Daryl expressed his understanding of the situation with one of his trademark grunts. Rick made a mental note to catalogue the precise meaning of each individual grumbled expression when they were back at the prison and everything was normal again. The two men worked together to barricade the door with as many items of furniture as they could. The strained efforts of Carl could be heard from the window. The two older men rushed over and looked down. The boy was about halfway descended, Peri looming much further below, already on the ground. A sudden crack of thunder sent the group jumping with fright. Their nerves already frayed like wispy pieces of twine. Rick and Daryl both vocalised their fear as Carl slipped on the ancient drainpipe. 

“Carl!” Peri shouted from beneath him. “You’ve got this, and if you have to let go, I’ll catch you!”

Rick watched his son weigh his options out in the open air. Carl chose to let go, half falling, half grazing himself along the red brick of the house. A soft ‘ooft’ was heard below as the teenager landed into Peri with force. Once they were up and moving below, Rick turned back to his partner, who stood shoulder to shoulder with him, surveying also. He returned the gaze, febrile and sickly feral. The way Daryl looked at him from behind fever matted bangs was a clear indicator that whatever was going on with them, wasn't over. They’d both fucked up today. Rick knew it was only a matter of time before the whole situation erupted like a goddamn volcano. And he feared he wouldn’t be able to control himself. 

“Daryl, you next. Go.” Rick emphasised the last word, feeling the hesitation tense throughout Daryl’s body. The hunter kept his eye contact for a moment before bending down and throwing a duffle bag out the window. Rick helped Daryl onto the windowsill. He went feet first and then slowly turned to his right, positioning himself on the drainpipe. They suddenly felt very far from the ground.

“Hey.” Daryl’s voice was soft, with a tinge of worry. “Yer right behind, yeh?”

Rick nodded as his partner began his surprisingly graceful abseil down the side of the building. Daryl always seemed to move with elegance. It was just one of many qualities he awed about his partner. ‘If only the stubborn asshole could see it.’ Rick thought, transfixed with the situation surrounding him. 

“Hey, Rick! I can hear more walkers in the woods!” Peri’s distant voice broke through the sounds of dead hands scraping at the door behind him. “You gotta get down here now!”

Shit. This was far from over. Rick nodded and steeled himself ready for the descent, amazed that Daryl was already on the ground. Less amazing was the coughing fit that followed. He had to worry about that later. Following the other’s leads, he threw his heavy duffle bag out the window, silently praying that the more delicate items he had collected didn’t break on impact. 

Holding onto the frame, Rick brought one leg up and then the other so he was sitting on the windowsill. He twisted and reached out for the metal pipe. The wet weather and autumn condensation had rendered it far more slippery than anticipated. Rick slipped a little, drawing a screeching “Dad!” from below.

“M’good!” He grated out through a tense jaw, repositioning his grip against the icy metal. Slow but surely he put one foot behind the other, using the bricks around him as friction. His arms were burning and his legs felt like jelly. But he made it. They were out. God knows how, but they were. 

“S’everyone okay?” Rick panted, receiving weary acknowledgements from the other run members. “Alrigh’ we don’t know how many there are, but my guess is a lot. We came up on the right side earlier, so we go out the left. I’ll take the lead. Daryl, you bring us up. We stay quiet, invisible, vigilant. Do not break formation. Clear?”

They all nodded silently and followed Rick as he took off, keeping close to the edge of the house. 

—----

The frenzied run back to the Jeep was a miraculous blur. By the time they reached the woods, most of the lingering walkers had already made it towards the commotion at the house. Daryl had been running on empty, blinded by darkness, fever and rain. Only able to keep up with the other’s by the sounds of their breathing alone. It’s lucky he was a damn good hunter. During the rushed journey, he glanced back only once. There were shadowed shapes stumbling after them, high pitched screeching being carried by the imminent storm all around. At that point he picked up speed, if they all moved fast enough they’d make it back. And they did. Just. 

Running up to the well hidden vehicle, Daryl shuddered out a burning sigh of relief. He reached out to steady himself against the hood of the car. The black spots were worse now and his entire body was protesting the act of being vertical. It had been way too close of a call in the house. Daryl knew it was all his fault. He almost died. He could still feel the gargantuan weight of walkers pressing his weak body into the cold floorboards. No weapons in reach he had prepared for certain death. Rick saved him of course. ‘Saved you and then almost died, just because you had a meltdown over a dead family you didn’t even know.” Daryl could feel the shame spreading rapidly throughout his sick body. Rick’s hand colliding with his face hurt like a bitch and made him angry as hell, but it was the least he deserved. He didn’t know when. He didn’t know how. But Rick would drag him through the grass for this. Daryl had seen his partner's white hot rage a few times before. After Herschel’s farm, when he claimed his leadership after killing Shane. When the Governor had blown through the gates of the prison, threatening the lives of their family. He saw it in Rick’s eyes when he had beaten Tyresse within an inch of his life. And he saw it now, only Daryl Dixon was at the receiving end. He was equal parts terrified, pissed-off, and ready for what he deserved. Being loved by Rick Grimes was too good to be true anyway. 

Daryl watched Rick pull Carl into a tight hug, and then reach up to squeeze Peri’s shoulder in a sign of thanks and companionship. Before Daryl could register another thought, powerful arms pulled him into a desperate embrace. Rick held on tightly around the hunter’s waist, his forehead dropped into his leather clad shoulder. Daryl was taken aback and just stood there for a moment, letting Rick squeeze the air out of him. Eventually he found his arm going around the Deputy’s shoulders, and the other hand to the back of his head. The pair held each other in silence. Daryl’s fingers worked their way through soft, damp curls, untangling them gently. Hot puffs of warm air against his ear sent a shiver down the hunter’s spine, as Rick turned his face into his bare neck. ‘Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.’

As quickly as the tender embrace began, it was over in an instant. Daryl was harshly shoved away by the same hands that held him just a second ago. ‘Spoke too soon, asshole.’ Rick’s cerulean eyes were almost black with rage. Swallowing painfully against the lump in his throat, Daryl squared himself up, prepared to take whatever fire storm was coming his way. 

“Daryl…What the hell was that?” Rick erupted, gesturing behind him at the hell they’d only just managed to escape. Daryl was about to fire back, but his nose had a knack for poorly timed bodily functions. A sharp buzzing made its way through the hunter’s sinuses. His breath hitched and eyelids fluttered closed. No attempt was made to hold back the onslaught. Daryl was too tired to prolong his pathetic humiliation. 

“Rickheh…h’h’Ngxxtsh-”

“-You purposely went against-”

“-h’AATChoO-”

“-everythin’ I said back-”

“-Hh’EsTCHUU-”

“-there! T’so goddamn irresponsible and-”

“-hih’ESSH, h’NGXxt-”

“-downrigh’ stupid! Jesus Christ Daryl, ya done?” Rick practically spat the last few words at the struggling man, disgust radiating from his eyes. Daryl was done. Done sneezing, done emotionally, done physically. He felt pathetic and mortified and he was ready to be anywhere else. 

“Dad, stop! Just stop!” Carl broke through the tension like a charged knife, stepping up to where the two older men were having it out. “We have to go okay? It’s dark and freezing and the weathers getting really bad.”

Unbeknownst to the quarrelling lovers, the storm that had been teasing the group all day was finally upon them. Thunder and lightning filled the sky directly above them. The steady rain morphing into a painfully heavy downpour. They were all dripping and miserable. Daryl shivered against the frigid conditions, well aware that whatever sickness ailed him, was going to get much worse. 

“Rick-”

“Just! Don’t.” The Deputy warned. He squeezed the bridge of his nose in exasperation then took a step towards Daryl, eyes downcast on the mud below his feet. “I can’t…I can’t even look at you right now.”

And with that, Rick dropped the keys to the vehicle on the wet ground in front of Daryl. The hunter picked them up slowly, angry tears threatening to fall from his exhausted eyes. He heard the car door slam as Carl and Rick claimed the back seats. Peri hovered a few feet away, probably unsure of what to say or do. Daryl didn’t want her pity or comfort, but he also knew he wasn’t in a condition to drive. He sighed a shaky breath of defeat and looked up at her. 

“Ya kndow how t’drive stick?”

“Mmm…not really…”

“Well it ain’t rocket science, com’on.” He tossed her the keys and crawled wearily into the passenger side. 

Daryl knew he’d eventually fuck things up with Rick. It was the curse of the Dixon’s. Nothing good ever lasted for them, and it was always their own goddamn fault. His mother was broken, his father, an abusive alcoholic and his brother, an aggressive drug addict. So how was Daryl meant to do any better? He thought back to the early days in Atlanta and beyond. To Sophia and a fractured Carol. They all looked towards him to find the girl, to track her. It was a purpose, someone needed him for the first time in his life. Daryl was so sure he’d find her. But seeing that little girl wander out of Heschel’s barn, one of them. A monster. It damn near broke him. He couldn’t save Sophia. He couldn’t save Merle. The only reason he continued on was the fear of being totally and completely alone again. But maybe that’s how it should’ve always been, with no one to disappoint or let down. ‘Well Merle, guess you were right after all.’

Yeah, he knew he’d screwed it all up, he just didn’t expect it to hurt this much.