#when he said ''i will always find my way back to you'' in ep 1

[jemmo]

Making sense of love for love's sake: the game

Despite all the things i absolutely adore about how the plot unravels and expands in love by love's sake, upon first watch, there's some things i couldn't piece together, which @lurkingshan echoes in their post:

'The way the author was messing with Myungha and forcing cruel choices on him really does not track with a desire to help him find happiness.'

And to preface, this is not something i fully get yet either. I think i'll need a good month and a sizeable reading list of relevant resources to understand just what/who this author/sunbae is and what his role is and how he is associated with myungha. But as always with the best shows for meta (aka bad buddy), as a plot unfolds, you can always find a better understanding by looking backwards and re-contextualising what you've already seen. so i watched ep 1, specifically the scene between myungha and his sunbae at the bar. And i will talk about how everything said in this scene has a whole new meaning now we know the full story, but for now i wanna focus on that question that they keep coming back to; "Then... will you change it for him?".

When you watch the show for the first time, your brain follows the simplest, most obvious version of the story you're being told, one where myungha has been pulled into the world of his sunbae's novel that's being turned into a game and given the opportunity to fix the thing he didn't like about it; making yeowoon happy, and thus you just think the rules of the game are imposed by the author, and so when these cruel choices first come up, you see them as the difficult roadblocks that are nevertheless necessary to any kind of game, forcing the player to make an impossible choice so that the game can continue in a certain direction and its only after that you learn whether it was the right choice or not, or there is no right choice, it simply changes the game you are playing.

And when its revealed what this game actually is, at first i tried to interpret these cruel choices, namely the choice between yeonwoon and myungha's grandma, and at best i could come up with the concept of this being a choice between staying stuck to the past aka choosing his grandma, even though he knows that choice doesn't mean she's safe bc he knows the future where he loses here, its an inevitability, but thats the small happiness he knew before it was taken away and thus that happiness is known and safe, theres no risk, versus choosing to pursue a new happiness, a love of yeowoon and thus himself, which he doesn't know, he hasn't experienced yet, and could be risky. Its a happiness that isn't guaranteed like his grandma, but its a happiness that looks to the future and has hope in it that he can find a new happiness to pursue despite what has happened in his past.

And that fits nice, okayish. But then i watched ep 1 and heard that question "Then... will you change it for him?" And watching through the rest of the eps, we come back to this scene at the bar and each time we get a new run up to the author asking this question, either new dialogue is added or we hear a different piece of the conversation entirely. It starts at the beginning of ep 1 as:

"Because Cha Yeowoon is the only one who's miserable." "It can't be helped that some people's lives are like that" "The fact that some people are destined to live that kind of life is what's vile."

Then a bit later in ep 1 we go back and its expanded.

"It can't be helped that some people's lives are like that" "The fact that some people are destined to live that kind of life is what's vile." "Why? Do you think you'd write it differently?" "Yes, definately. Someone like Cha Yeowoon, or someone like me with an awful life, can also be happy."

And then all the way on in ep 6, we get this new dialogue.

"I don't like talking about destiny." "Why?" "Because it means everything is predestined." "Then do you not believe in fate?" "Fate and destiny are the same. My grandma likes to say that. She said life is like a written book, and how you'll live and die are written in it. (...)I don't like things like this. Even if fate is already destined, I think it can still be changed. Otherwise, there's no point in trying." "Really? Then Myungha..."

And while we don't hear the author ask the same question, I feel like him getting cut off like that insinuates that the conversation leads to that same ending point. All that is to say, every time we hear this question being asked, its like we learn more and more about what this whole thing is, what the game is, what myungha is saying he will do by agreeing to do what the author asks. And every time, we see myungha being more defiant against the idea of yeowoon being resigned to his miserable ending. He starts off thinking that kind of life is destined, and while it's miserable, its not something he can fight. Then he says he'd want to write the story differently, bc yeowoon, or even him, could be happy. He challenges the idea that yeowoon, and thus himself, is fated to be miserable, and opens up the possibility for happiness for them both, but doesn't yet have the means or resolve to do it, its like he knows its possible on a fundamental level, but doesn't see it as something he can actually achieve. But then we circle back to the idea of destiny and books, both of which came up in the previous quote, and seems incredibly pertinent seen as this whole thing is about a novel this author has written. Myungha talks about how he hates the idea that life is a book where everything written is predestined to happen, from the moment you live to the moment you die. He says "Even if fate is already destined, I think it can still be changed. Otherwise, there's no point in trying." That vile way of life he described before that he said was destined, he is now saying it can be changed, and that possibility is now something he's holding onto, its what he sees hope in so that he can keep trying, bc now he finally is trying, he has the resolve, he's trying to realise this thing, this impossibility of rewriting the life he thought was destined through the way he loves yeowoon.

And coming back to those cruel choices, given this fresh context, it made me think. bc this isn't actually a game that myungha has been put into where the rules are dictated by an author completely separate from him. He said himself, he'd rewrite it, he'd change things for yeowoon. And when you start to think of it less as him fighting against a rigid, removed system and more like him being a character in a story he is trying to rewrite himself, that has both the author and his own limitations, or just his own if you're in the school of thought that the author is some figment or part of myungha himself or his conciousness, then you can start to see where these cruel choices might come from. They could be myungha, the author making edits to this new story, imposing his own doubts and limitations on himself. When he says he has to pick between Yeowoon and his grandma, what if that's the new author myungha seeing this story unfold and thinking no this isn't right, he can't have it all, i'm not deserving of this much happiness.

And what makes me like this idea even more is that when we get that second choice between ending after 14 days or getting 100 days back at the cost of resetting Yeowoon's affection to 0, that whole conversation happens in what I think the bar actually is which is this frozen moment in time where myungha is in the water with this extension of a voice in his head that is talking through these things. That conversation in itself needs its own post, but when you look at it both as a decision to break up or not or a decision to hold onto life or not, you can see how the author is just this soundboard relaying the decisions myungha is going through in his head. The author's voice is his own, weighing up his decisions. And if he is the author here, it only reinforces that the person making the rules of this game is him. You can even extend it further to the idea of the debuffs, where he puts in place this thing that makes it so he causes harm to yeowoon when he's around, and its only by garnering affection that he can prevent it. He gives himself a reason from the get go to stay away from yeowoon and reason it as him doing it for yeowoon's safety, when in fact the only way to make yeowoon safe is to increase his affection, which he can only do by being near him. Its a system that at first gives myungha a reason to stay away aka not like himself, but ultimately says the only way you're going to make yeowoon like you, or the only way you can like yourself, is if you accept risk. And that in itself screams to me of a myungha writing in these game systems that are trying to encourage his own-self love while falling at the hurdle of his own lack of self-worth.

The idea is still messy in my head even for me, but i just really like the idea that myungha could be trying to fix this thing both as a character and game master, and that both these versions of him have these flaws that manifest in their different ways to cause the events we see. It kinda is the definition of being your own worst enemy, the idea that in order to work towards loving yourself, the biggest obstacle you have to encounter is yourself, bc we are the ones holding ourselves back, making all these rules that make it harder to like ourselves and pursue our own happiness. The voices in our head telling us that we aren't good enough and aren't deserving are our own, and while the things that happen to us can inform what they say, we're the one's reinforcing those words. And what this show teaches us is that, if we're the one holding that pen all along, we can choose to change what those words are. If we make the rules, you don't have to create a game with concrete ultimatums, you can create a game where rules don't control you. Instead, you make the decisions, and you can make the ones that make you happy.

#wow look at me writing actual kinda thought out meta #also something something about how the pen being in his pocket wasnt a pen given to him by the author its a pen that was his the whole time #look even if this isnt the right interpretation as intended by the author i just kinda adore this headcanon ive come up with and i cant wai #to rewatch the show again through this lens and see if it holds up #i just adore the idea of this whole thing being this manifestation of a flawed doubtful person trying to navigate through their own messy #nonsensical thoughts to find their own happiness #bc yes thats what triggered me thinking of this whole thing. me seeing that post and thinking yeah that doesnt make sense7 #but then again when you tell yourself things an put your own mental blocks in the way they dont make sense either but you still have to fin #the ways to work around them in order to find happiness #like those things dont go away we just find the loopholes or the ways to overcome them that mean we can be happy #the game is your own mind - deal with your own existential crisis as you wish #anyway this is only part 1 in what i hope will be a very extensive meta analysis of this show - stay tuned #love for love's sake

[matan4il]

911 ep 701 first watch reactions

(I don't think I have the energy to write proper Buddie meta, so here's me randomly squealing instead...)

LMAO In case you were wondering whether s7 of 911 will be subtle about their gratitude/debt to ABC for saving the show, the answer is a resounding no.

Also, I have lost a lot of respect for Frank as a shrink, but gained a lot of love for him as a sass king. "Did she win!?" The murderous look Athena gave him was priceless. I love her, too. She doesn't even need words to rule.

Man, nooooo. Don't give me a mutual "I love you" between Bobby and Athena like that.

"Go ahead and cut the green wire." Everyone and their sister: "Green? You said Red."

9-1-1 is the superior comedy they slipped into our drink, while we were here for our weekly action, suspense, drama and familial love.

Buck broke off with Natalia, and the show really did it like that. XD Every single person who rolled their eyes at this pairing during s6, we were all justified, but wow. The show really is the only forum to respect the pair even less than fandom does. And of course we find out about it in the middle of a scene built around Eddie being half naked, Buck watching him, with the camera specifically turning so we can discover Buck was initially covered by Eddie's body, and the angle change reveals him, when the whole thing wraps up with Eddie welcoming Buck back to the land of the living... Yeah, wonder what made Buck feel alive again. Don't know. 'Tis a mystery. We were given zero clues...

"I want the honeymoon life." *cries* Chimney is just such a good, good man. And okay, expecting your whole life to be a honeymoon's a bit unrealistic, but Madney are living together and they have a child. They know this. Chim knows this, but he still wants to go for it. Aim for the moon, you'll at least land among the stars, right?

Bobby baffled by Athena's reaction to Norman and Lola is hilarious.

I like how Chim has a great idea, but it's still obvious that it's gonna go wrong, because he can't help going overboard with it...

OMG, that scene with Eddie recounting to Buck what Christopher's date was like... If I were to write my Buddie meta, I would serve a three course meal just from that. I mean, the fact that watching Chris hanging out with a girl he likes, makes Eddie compare it to "hanging out with his guy friends" (when there's no lack of interest in this girl... in fact, it turns out that if anything, Christopher's problem is the opposite of a lack of interest) is so telling. There's a reason why that's where Eddie's mind went.

But then also... Eddie's trust in Buck got to me, the way he went to his best friend (not his own gf) for help with Chris. But that was still played with half a smile. But then Buck sort of disses himself jokingly, and Eddie won't have it. "You didn't end up like you." He sees how Buck worked on being a better person, even when Eddie wasn't there for the worst of it, and he appreciates it, and won't let Buck forget it. Meeeep. I love them.

Oh Chim. I was giving you so much credit, and then you went and bought that outdoors jacuzzi. lol Still love him. That's what Maddie's reminding herself of right now, too. ;p

Poor Hen, she was great in this ep, but none of it was really about her, she was comic relief, both with Chim and with the red wire. Then again, she was amazing in this, like she always is with everything.

Eddie and Buck were both so good with Chris this ep, MY HEART. Buck with getting him to talk about what's really bothering him, and Eddie with realizing exactly what his son needs, and how to give it to him. They completed each other. Neither one would be helping Chris without the other one. Tell me again how they're not soulmates?

In conclusion, I love Bobby saying, "Let's go prove one of us wrong," when they're both right. Something WAS going on with Norman and Lola, AND Athena was using them to avoid him.

Argh. That scene of the ship and its passengers being hijacked was rough to watch. </3 I'll still be here to watch the conclusion of this. That's the power of 9-1-1 for you.

It def felt like a great kick to the new season. We had lots of comedy and fun, some great tension, some emotional moments (especially with Christopher), but all in all, it's still clear that the whole thing's a build up to next week. Are you excited?

#9-1-1 #911 spoilers #911 #911 abc #911abc #911 on abc #911onabc #evan buckley #eddie diaz #madney #bathena #buddie #911 meta #christopher diaz #chimney han #maddie buckley #bobby nash #athena grant #hen wilson #911reactions

[12-seconds-to-live]

Laniel.jpg and Charlotte

Pairing: DR3 x LN4 x F1 female driver

Warnings: none, just my happiness with Daniel and Lando

NICE AIRPORT - TERMINAL 1 @15:20

"You look cute today" I stop looking to my phone to look at Lando. Well, that's new

"You say it like it's weird of me using a dress"

"It is" He smiled

"I'm gonna ignore you from now on"

"It's not common, even when we go to parties you use jeans, so, I have a point"

"The real point here is that we are in the middle of the summer and if I put a raw egg on the floor it will cook"

"But what about the jet? It's going to be cold in there"

"I have my enchanté sweater" Lando made a loud gasp "It has cute peaches and it's purple"

"I sent you a full box of my merch last month, mean"

"Cry about it, Daniel thinks that I have a pretty face so everybody is going to see me in the new enchanté collection"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I asked him months ago, even I helped with the design of one of the pieces"

"Well, congratulations. You should look who's coming" I turn my head and a very smiley Daniel Ricciardo was walking to our direction

"You knew?"

"I invited him to flight with us, I know how important you were for him these moths away from racing so I..." I interrupted him with a hug and a kiss in the cheek

"You're the best, Norris" Lando didn't expect that reaction, now he can feel his cheeks burning

I got up and run to Daniel. After Silverstone, I decided to wait for Danny's test with Pirelli. After he finished a call from Helmut Marko was all we need to know that he got the seat for the rest of the season. Even if I have a good relationship with the australian, I organized a few days off with Lando, Max, Nyck, some frineds and myself to let Nyck know that we're his friends and friends support each other.

"It's been only a week, you know?" He said laughing

"I don't care, I'm happy. These past 7 months had been like going on a rollercoaster over and over again so, you know. Even if it's AlphaTauri, you have your way back home, you never left, you just have to travel the world over in search of what you need and then return to find it"

"I know Char and thank you for everything" His eyes got glossy so I hug him "Do you like my design?" He said ponting to his sweater

"No, it is..." I gasp

"Yes, kiddo. Tommorrow a million boys are going to see you wearing the new collection"

"Ha ha, funny, you know that I have my eyes on someone"

"Someone a bit brainless. Hey Lando, I guess you were waiting for me"

"Yeah, let's go"

Once in the airplane

"I have to say that this is a very important moment and pretty faces like yours should be able to broke the internet" I said taking Lando's camera and pinting to them "New wallpapers for your fans"

They looked at each other and start with their goofiness and well... I guess they really missed each other. Maybe Carlos and I have competition.

"We are pretty good looking guys, you know?" Daniel said with a smile on his face

"Even you could use us as your wallpaper" said Lando

"Good offer but nothing can beat my photo with Tom Holland" I said with a side smile and ready to take a nap before we arrive in Budapest

"When are you gonna tell her how you feel?" asked Daniel looking at Lando

"I don't know what are you talking about" he answer looking at the mirror

"Kids, always scared of love"

DRIVE TO SURVIVE EP.4 S.6 NICE GUYS ALWAYS COME BACK

"Hello Charlotte"

"Hi Netflix, can I have some tea? I been walking around doing interviews and stuff and I couldn't finish my lunch"

"Sure, mint?"

"Yes, please" I smile to the interviewer "We can't start, I'll wait for the tea"

"Ok, what were you doing when the news drop?"

"Oh, ha ha, I was with the main character. I can do anything, even work as emotional supporter, PR, car mechanic, you know" one member of the staff approached me with the cup of tea "Thank you"

"How do you feel about this?"

I made a pause thinking and trying not to burn my lips "I think that this a great moment to tell you what happen after Abu Dabi. Well, I sign my contract with McLaren, I was feeling bad about the decision, just for Danny and I spent the night with him and his girlfriend just talking and at some point we got more serious and I just told him and without knowing about Red Bull: What is a home if not the first place you learn yo run from?"

I smiled to the camera "Then he told me about the third driver offer and I felt different, by the time he leave in 2018 I guess that he felt that he was destroying everything and he just needed to slip quietly to the back door without causing to much noise and then not stop running. And maybe that was he needed more than what he really wanted, let go the feeling of wanted to go back and remember what you once had and what you once where "

"But then I told him that it's funny that the feeling of leave home and being far away make us wander our choices but for Danny is something else. He's back home and ready to no longer remember which tale of his past is true and which is an invention. Outside he's the same on the inside he's the same kid that leave Australia looking for a dream"

"I guess he's your favourite person between the drivers" asked the producer

"No, Daniel is my brother and I know he feels the same about me"

📍Budapest

Liked by charlotterjones, daniel3.jpg and 943.501 others

landonorris We’re photographers. We’re back.

📸: @charlotterjones

user1 ARE YOU KIDDING ME. STOP THIS CUTENESS

f1mia need a landan.jpg account plz

charlotterjones This is a piece of art ❤️

landonorris including the photographer danielricciardo our favourite girl

user2 "dude we’re getting the band back together״

user3 we missed daniel button --->

I got inspired! This little story is linked with my current story called (Un)Lost

Hope you like it!

Taglist: @evans-dejong @omgsuperstarg @bibissparkles @hoely-maria @mochimommy2002 @noope306 @eugene-emt-roe @80sloverry @rens-daylight @summerslike11 @matildrry

#f1xfemaledriver #daniel ricciardo #f1 x you #alex albon #formula one #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #formula 1 #f1 x y/n #lewis hamilton #max verstappen #esteban ocon #oscar piastri #pierre gasly x reader #lando norris #george russell #sergio perez #sebastian vettel #yuki tsunoda #f1 x female driver #drive to survive #logan sargeant #kevin magnussen #charles lecrelc #carlossainz

[foreverindreamlandd]

Okay, what if it's Steve's turn to save babysitter reader and she ends up in his arms and they start leaning in, like so close to kissing for the first time but the gang ruins it being all oooooo so they kinda laugh it off but then he kisses her later in the car when he drops her off or something.

Babysitters Club (2)

PART 1

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

WC: 2.7k

Summary: You and the other dumbasses went through Watergate, and all Steve can think about is keeping you safe.

Warnings: Canon level violence, monsters, Vecna shit, mentions of a panic attack, mentions of nightmares. Takes place during and after episode 7 of season 4 (posted before the final two eps have dropped)

~~~~~

In the end, though, things had still managed to go to shit.

While you were celebrating your small victory of rescuing Steve,a new weird tentacle vine thing crept up the boat unnoticed.

And suddenly, Robin was flying back and into the water.

“ROBIN!” you and Steve screamed in unison, scrambling to stand to see if you could find her in the water.

She was gone, all that remained were some air bubbles rising to the surface.

“What do we do?” Nancy asked frantically.

Sirens blared behind you, and you turned to see cop cars pulling up, then to your right you saw four flashlights scurry off further into the woods.

You and Steve shared one look, then started to move, grabbing flashlights and weapons.

Then, you dove.

The rest went by in a weird, nightmarish blur. At one moment, you were swimming. The next, you were falling, and you landed in a desert of vines, giant monstrous bats attacking left and right, and then you were running, passing through a broken, disfigured version of Hawkins.

“Is that…is that my house?” you asked Robin as you headed down the dark street.

She grimaced. “Try not to pay too much attention to everything.”

You made it to Nancy’s house, and managed through hauntingly beautiful gold dust to connect with the kids and Eddie.

Everyone was acting way too calm, like this was all totally normal for them. The near-death moment for Steve in Lover’s Lake had already been a lot to process. To be attacked by literal monsters, be in some hellish alternate dimension, with no real plan on getting back.

It was too much.

And suddenly you couldn’t breathe.

“Hey, hey,” Steve whispered after picking up on your labored breaths, pulling you into the corner as Nancy and Robin continued communicating with the other side. “You’re okay.”

Your body was shaking, vision going dark and you knew you were well on your way to having a full-blown panic attack. “I-I can’t…this is…”

He started rubbing his hands up and down your arms. “Look at me. Y/n, look at me.”

His voice, strong and sure, brought your attention to him rather than the pounding in your ears, and your eyes slowly made their way to his.

His gaze was piercing, stabilizing, comforting.

Protective.

“We’re going to get out of here, okay?” he said, squeezing your shoulders. “We’ve fought these things before and we always win. I’m going to keep you safe and make sure that none of them touch you. I promise.”

Tears fell down your cheeks and you nodded, trying your best to smile and failing.

Without hesitation, he closed the distance and wrapped his arms around you, resting your head against his bare chest.

His heart was racing as quickly as you knew yours was, and it was then that you knew he was as afraid as you were.

But he was here, and though it truly felt like the end of the world, when he said everything was okay, you believed him.

So you hugged him back, and as you felt the beat of his heart slow, you knew yours was doing the same.

“Besides,” he eventually murmured, “Someone has to make sure those little shitheads stay safe.”

You giggled, pulling back to meet his eyes once more with a genuine smile this time.

“Gotta make sure the pay grade doesn’t get compromised,” you said with fake seriousness.

He feigned annoyance. “I really gotta figure out how to get paid for making sure these kids don’t get killed by monsters.”

More laughter, enough to muster up the strength to wipe away your tears and continue forward. 

“Hey guys,” Robin said and you turned to her. “We know what we have to do.”

~~~~~

The four of you stared up at the ceiling of the trailer, staring into the eyes of Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max, and Eddie as they stared at the ceiling of Eddie’s trailer in a different dimension.

“This is so…” you started.

“Trippy,” Steve finished.

The plan was eerily simple. The group on the other side went to work tying up towels, sheets, shirts, anything they could find to create a rope for you to climb up and then fall down onto a mattress they laid underneath the gate.

Robin went first, the three of you helping her up, and then once she was through she crashed onto the padding.

All of you breathed out a laugh of wonder, completely blown away by the ridiculousness of it all.

Nancy went next, as smoothly as Robin.

“Your turn,” Steve said, handing you the makeshift rope.

You opened your mouth to argue that he could go next and he just lifted up a hand to silence you. “Not up for discussion. I promised I’d keep you safe so I’m going to make sure you stay safe, alright?”

You frowned, looking around the room of floating spores. “But what if I climb through and the gate closes? Or something attacks you while you’re climbing and another vine thingy holds onto your ankle-”

“God, are you always this anxious?” he asked with an amused smile, hands going to his hips, a gesture you were quickly growing fond of.

Your eyes narrowed, but you couldn’t help but smile back as you crossed your arms in defiance. “I call it being prepared for anything.”

Steve just shook his head. “Y/n, please. The longer we’re in here the more likely it will be for danger to come knockin’. Now can you please get your ass up there so I can put a shirt on and maybe find a bandaid or two?” He gestured to his side at the gash left by one of the monster bats - Demobats as Steve started to call them. 

Dread coursed through your body and you grimaced. 

Then, finally, you grabbed the rope. 

“Promise you’ll be right behind?”

He nodded. “So fast I might even crash on top of you on the mattress.”

The cocky bastard winked at you and you snorted, rolling your eyes.

“Doesn’t sound so ba-”

Suddenly, everything went dark.

~~~~~~

Steve knew the moment your hand dropped from the rope in a weird, lifeless way that something was wrong.

“Y/n?” he asked, trying to hide the concern from his voice.

“What’s taking you guys so long! Get your asses down here!” Dustin screamed, but he sounded far away to Steve now that his ears were only focused on hearing your voice.

“Y/n, enough playing around let’s get you up the rope-” he gently touched your shoulder and tried to spin you around.

Only you didn’t move. It was as if you were glued to the floor.

He jumped in front of you. “Oh God,” he cried out, hands instinctively moving to cup your face.

Gone were those lovely, striking irises he was so captivated by. They were glossed over with a white film. 

It was happening again. 

“Shit shit shit.” For a few moments, all he could do was panic, attempting to shake you awake even though he knew it wouldn’t work. “Come on, Y/n, please,” he begged.

Focus Steve, he thought, trying to gather his thoughts. You guys saved Max, you can save her.

He looked up at the group and shouted, “What’s her favorite song?”

Their brows furrowed, not understanding. “What…” one of them - Steve wasn’t paying attention who - said.

“I NEED HER GODDAMN FAVORITE SONG NOW.”

“Oh shit,” Dustin said, looking at Eddie with wide eyes, who looked at Robin with even wider eyes. The two of them ran into Eddie’s room.

Steve’s thumbs stroked the smooth skin over your cheek. “Please don’t do this to me, Y/n. You gotta come back to me. I promised to keep you safe.” His voice grew more choked, more desperate as tears welled in his eyes, completely overwhelmed with the devastating realization of how important you were to him.

“Listen,” he said, choking out a laugh, “You dying is definitely going to ruin any chance of me ever getting paid for babysitting. Can’t ruin my perfect record of keeping the shitheads alive, can you?”

“WE GOT IT!” Eddie yelled, throwing the walkman up until it fell into Steve’s hands.

Hands shaking, he gently put the headphones over your ears.

When he looked at the tape, he exhaled out a wet chuckle. 

“Tears for Fears,” he said, looking back at you. “It’s a good song-” his voice broke and he selfishly allowed himself one precious moment to place an arm around the back of your head and press his lips to your forehead.

Then, he pressed play.

~~~~~

You were in the backyard of your old house, running from the monster behind.

Vecna. This had to be him. Max hadn’t missed a single detail when describing him to you.

And you were his next victim. 

“Y/n,” Vecna called tauntingly, his voice echoing all around you. “Do not fight the inevitable. It is time for you to pay for all the harm you’ve caused…”

You weren’t sure how long you had been running for. It felt like seconds, it felt like days. Your limbs grew heavy, and when you turned you saw that he was gaining on you as he reached out to grab you-

A faint, familiar melody emerged into the air.

It was a guitar intro you identified from the first note alone.

Then, a hazy circle opened up ahead of you.

It was a portal.

And on the other side was Steve. Eyes wide and filled with pain, staring at something so intensely, as if it were the only thing that mattered in the world.

He was so far away, and you were so tired. There was no way you could make it in time.

“Come back to me, Y/n. Please,” Steve said, his voice sounding as if he were underwater.

That’s when you realized.

He was looking at you.

You took a step, then another as the music grew louder and louder. 

Welcome to your life

There’s no turning back

You started to run.

~~~~~~

And then, you were falling.

Steve opened up his arms and caught you, holding your body to his as tightly as he could as you gasped for air.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he kept saying, and you couldn’t tell if he was saying it for your sake or his.

A few beats later, once you caught your breath, you finally noticed how close you were to him.

“Hi,” you said, blinking a few times.

Steve chuckled, relief flooding through him. “Hey.”

“You saved me.”

He moved to brush a piece of hair from your face, his fingers resting along your neck as his thumb brushed along your cheek.

“I promised I would,” he whispered, and his eyes flashed down to your lips. The sound of your breath hitching in response made his head fuzzy.

Steve leaned in-

“IS SHE OKAY?” Dustin yelled, causing the two of you to jump back and look up to the group.

Erica punched his arm and he yelped. “Duh she’s okay,” she mumbled to him. “And they were about to have a moment, idiot!”

The two of you turned your gazes back to each other and burst out laughing.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” you said, standing up and grabbing the rope.

“Right behind ya,” Steve responded, smile plastered on his face.

~~~~ 

TWO WEEKS LATER

“I don’t care what you say, Henderson,” Robin said, balancing a stack of movies in her arms. “I’m not seeing Spaceballs with you.”

Though he was arguing with his best friend, Steve couldn’t help but feel grateful for this moment. The normalcy of bickering over seeing a new movie rather than swinging paddles at monster bats.

“Come on Buckley. It’s going to be hilarious! Besides, I have months before it comes out to wear you down until you finally say yes-”

Bells jingled behind him to signify the entrance of a new customer. 

Based on the look on Robin’s face, it was an unexpected but familiar face.

Steve turned, and when he saw you at the door he temporarily lost control of his body and his elbow bumped into the computer at the register.

“Shit,” he hissed, rubbing the now sore spot. When he looked back up, your right eyebrow was raised in amusement.

“Harrington, is there ever a moment when you aren’t getting hurt?”

He narrowed his eyes at you, unable to suppress a grin caused just by being in your presence. “I heal quickly.”

Silence.

“Um, I think there are some returns in the back that need processing,” Robin said, running away to leave the two of you alone.

More silence.

“So,” Steve started, running his fingers through his hair. “How you been?”

You nodded. “Good. I mean, I get a few more nightmares than I used to…but I’m fine.”

He sighed, nodding in understanding. “The nightmares will go away. Eventually.”

“Yeah?”

A shrug. “That’s what I keep telling myself.”

You laughed, and Steve’s smile widened. 

And then it was back to silence.

“Anything I can help you with?” he asked.

Your eyes swept across the video store as you took a few steps forward. “Couple things, actually. I’m watching Erica tonight and she made the mistake of telling me she’s never seen Star Wars. That little nerd is gonna love it.”

Steve smiled, jumping to action as he emerged from behind the register toward the sci-fi section. He turned and wiggled two fingers to signal for you to follow.

You complied, biting your bottom lip.

He scanned the shelves until mumbling a low aha!, grabbing the VHS and handing it to you with a smug smile.

“Perfect, thank youuu,” you said, grabbing it from him.

“For Hawkin’s beloved babysitter? Anything.”

You giggled, rolling your eyes before reaching into your bag. “Actually, Harrington, that was my second reason for coming here…”

Steve’s brows furrowed in confusion as you pulled out a laminated card and held it out to him.

He took it, staring at the yearbook photo of him printed on blue cardstock and the words next to it.

STEVE HARRINGTON: 

CERTIFIED BABYSITTER

“It means virtually nothing,” you said as he continued staring. “But show that to parents and I can assure you they’ll drop some serious money.”

He shook his head in disbelief, then looked up with an awestruck expression that brought heat to your face.

“I can’t believe you put so much effort…..into a stupid inside joke.”

You grinned. “As if I would ever half-ass anything.”

Steve laughed, running his fingers over the card before taking out his wallet and safely storing it inside. “I love it. Thank you.”

“Thank you for saving my life two weeks ago. Again.” You nervously tucked a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Well, to be fair, you also saved my life. So I guess we’re officially even.”

“For now,” you responded. “With the way you’re so willing to put yourself in harm’s way-” you pointed at his elbow “-someone’s gotta be there to keep you safe.”

Boldness took over as Steve took a small step closer to you, brows raised. “And who’s going to keep you safe?”

You scoffed. “I can keep myself safe.”

“Don’t doubt that at all,” he said, stepping closer, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“But if someone, like, wanted to give me a break at being so strong and awesome and independent all the time..”

“Well,” Steve started with another step toward you, “I am a certified babysitter now. Do you think that makes me qualified?”

Your lips opened slightly, as if you were getting ready to speak, but Steve was so close that his breath touched your skin and suddenly any word you ever knew was gone from your mind.

All you could do was nod.

“Can I ask you something?” Steve asked quietly.

You nodded again, lost in the nearly black hue of his eyes.

“Was Erica right that night? Were we having a moment?”

A small, breathy laugh escaped you, causing the corners of Steve’s eyes to crinkle.

“As if that girl could ever be wrong about anything-”

With that, Steve closed the now minimal distance between you as his lips pressed against yours.

~~~~

Thank you for reading! :)

Main Masterlist

#steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #stranger things spoilers

[baronessblixen]

Fictober 2023

All the stories in one place. A huge thank you to everyone for their support this month.

Day 1: Secret Spots - This is cotton candy-flavored fluff set after "Millennium": Mulder and Scully go to Mrs. Scully's house and find themselves all alone for a moment...

Day 2: Just in Case - This is angst/hurt/comfort with a dash of hopeful cheesiness. Starts off in Dod Kalm (yes, you read that right). Mulder decides to be brave in what he believes to be his last moments on earth.

Day 3: The Deepest Cut - Diana/IVF angst (with a soft ending): Scully is already upset about a colleague's pregnancy and then Diana shows up and makes things worse.

Day 4: Always Expect The Unexpected - Some soft, fluffy silliness today: Scully and Mulder see her mother out on a date with... A.D. Skinner?

Day 5: If I Were The King of The World - Fluffy-fluff set in Detour: We get to see a bit more of Scully singing to Mulder...

Day 6: In The Blink Of An Eye - Angst/Mulder in peril: Mulder happens to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time...

Day 7: Glimpses of October - Post-IWTB/Pre-Revival vignette: Mulder watches his son play in the fallen leaves. Or is he?

Day 8: A Very Queequeg Morning - Hurt/comfort AND humor after "Pusher": Mulder doesn't mind Scully showing up at his apartment after the case at all. Only problem: she's not alone.

Day 9: Talk Vanilla to Me - Rated M/banter/humor(?): Mulder can't sleep, but luckily, Scully is there to listen… and maybe more.

Day 10: Wishes - Fluff(?) post "Je Souhaite": Mulder wants to know what Scully's wishes would have been.

Day 11: Always Partners - Set in season 6, hurt/comfort, some angst: Kersh puts Scully on another case without Mulder and once again she gets hurt.

Day 12: The Easiest Choice - Fluff, rewrite of the last scene in "Existence": Mulder asks Scully what she's going to name the baby.

Day 13: Don't Forget The Cake - Fluff-ish, season 6: Diana throws Mulder a surprise birthday party. Chaos ensues.

Day 14: Preparation is Everything - Fluff, set after "Alone": With Mulder being unemployed, and Scully on maternity leave, they spend their time thinking about furniture, baby names, and all the ways their lives will change.

Day 15: Temporary Insanity - Angsty first kiss fill-in for "Paper Clip": What happened on that elevator ride?

Day 16: Mothers Always Know - Post-ep (sort of) for "Chimera", fluff: It's the Sunday morning after Mulder stayed over at Scully's and he has a somewhat awkward run-in with her mother.

Day 17: In Sickness And in Health - Hurt/comfort post-"Arcadia": They're on their way back home from The Falls at Arcadia when Scully gets sick.

Day 18: Beautiful In My Eyes - UST-filled post-ep fic: Mulder thinks Scully is the most beautiful person wherever she goes. She doesn't believe him so he tries to make her see it his way.

Day 19: It's Us Against The World - Angst, canon divergence for "Nothing Important Happened Today": No matter what Kersh said, Scully doesn't want Mulder to leave her and the baby. But what choice do they have?

Day 20: Shooting Stars - Mulder and Scully sharing a bed during two nights in The Rain King. After a first awkard night, what happens during the second one after the party ?

Day 21: No Longer Stuck In The Past - A different kind of post-episode fic for "The Unnatural": After his and Scully's baseball date, Mulder runs into Diana.

Day 22: Cookie Theft and Other Crimes - How the Ghosts Stole Christmas post-ep, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff - all the fixings: Bill Jr. runs into Mulder in the middle of the night and it goes as well as you might expect.

Day 23: You're Not Welcome Here - AU in which Diana didn't die and Mulder didn't leave after "Existence": Scully and William are waiting for Mulder when no other than Diana Fowley walks into the basement office.

Day 24: Rules Are Rules - Set in season 7, fluff: They're not supposed to share a room while on assignment. But aren't rules meant to be broken anyway?

Day 25: Another Banner Year - Set after "Our Town", before "Anasazi": Melissa shows up at her sister's apartment, demanding a few answers.

Day 26: I Saw Your Face In A Dream - AU where Mulder and Scully meet on karaoke night at a bar.

Day 27: Christmas With You By My Side - Sequel to day 22 "Cookie Theft And Other Crimes" but can be read as a stand-alone: What happens when Mulder wakes up with Scully in his arms?

Day 28: The Truth Is (Not) Found In A Glass of Whiskey - All Mulder wanted to do was drop off a report. Now he has to deal with a drunk Skinner.

Day 29: Glass Half Full - Sequel to "The Truth Is (Not) Found In A Glass of Whiskey": It's the morning after and Skinner wakes up with a hangover - and remembers way too much from the previous night.

Day 30: Feelings You Can't Hide - A post-ep for "Bad Blood" obviously. A jealous Mulder, an attempt at humor and the hint of angst may be found here.

Day 31: Trick or Treat - IVF arc, angsty fluff: They're supposed to go to the Gunmen's Halloween party, but there's something they need to make sure of first.

#fictober23 #my writing #my fic #xf fanfic #msr

[stylesispunk]

TIME CASTS A SPELL ON YOU, BUT YOU WON'T FORGET ME | CHAPTER 1

Joel Miller x f!oc

chapter 1: 'Til the sound of my voice can haunt you

series masterlist | next | masterlist

summary: Fifteen years ago, amidst the filling of divorce papers and the broken promises of a happily ever after, the world collapsed. Amidst the ruins of cities and the remnants of dreams, Joel's search for his ex-wife began. No matter where he turned, the woman who had once loved him held him captive, a presence he couldn't escape.

Word count: 1,6k

Warnings: tlou spoilers, guns, angst.

the story's main idea is based on the lyrics from "Silver Springs" by Fleetwood Mac,

a/n: Hello, this is the new fic I'm working on now. Just for reference, the story develops from the events in ep 2 of the show because I'm rewatching it and I had to start from somewhere. I really hope you like it, if you do, please comment, reblog, and share your thoughts with me, my asks are always open (please be kind). I love hearing from you guys and I'm really excited to see how this story goes and share it with you. If you want to be added to my taglist, you can tell me. Happy reading 💌

Since the world had ended and transformed into a desolate scenery full of horror, blood, grief, and loss. Joel had witnessed the changes in people, and what they were capable of doing to survive. He, himself, did horrible things to be where he was now, and he often asked himself if she did the same. What could have been if they had been together that fatal night? Would they still be together? Would Sarah still be alive? Those were the things persisting in his mind.

But there had been Tess, his partner in crime and the only person he had allowed himself to care about. She had been there. Yes, in the past, because grief hung over Joel once again. 

Joel found himself in a state of disbelief, taking a moment to remember Tess, losing his partner in crime and confident made him feel cold and gray like a storm cloud passing inside his body. It felt like karma, as if those words that escaped from Emily’s lips years ago were becoming a reality.

She would never let him escape, and he would never be able to escape from her constant torture. 

After a few minutes, he decided to go back to Ellie to their campsite. Ellie was in the same position as when he left. He didn’t utter a word to her, opting just to take his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder, and walking forward. He was avoiding Ellie and Ellie was avoiding Joel. The air felt heavy and full of tension. There was nothing left to do, and Joel had to learn how to live with another scar.

Joel blamed Ellie, but he also blamed Emily and her curse. 

“How much longer?” Ellie asked, breaking the suffocating air.

“Five-hour hike,” he simply answered.

“We can do that ” the teen said as a matter of fact.

Once they were out of the woods, back on the route. Their situation didn’t change. Joel was leading the way in silence and expecting the same gesture in return from Ellie, but he knew damn well Ellie was going to break the silence at any moment.

“You know what?” she said.

Damn, this kid and her questions, Joel thought.

“What?” He asked, exasperated. 

“Back in the woods, when you were there doing, I don’t know what,” she started. “I dug into your backpack.”

“Why would you do that?” Joel’s tone contained a lace-on anger.

“Food,” she confessed. “But that’s not the important.”

Pushing aside his exasperation, Joel forced himself to look at Ellie.

“I found this picture” she continued, digging into her jacket pocket to grab the picture and holding it for him to see. “Who is this woman?” 

Joel's heart skipped a beat once he saw that picture. He had placed that photograph inside his bag a long time ago when he realized he would never find Emily. But he couldn’t find himself to throw it away.

And what a time for her to return to his life, he thought, looking up to the sky as if she was there.

Joel cleared his throat, his voice rough from emotion. "Wife. She was my wife.”

Ellie's gaze remained fixed on him.

“What happened to her?” she asked, cautiously.

“We got divorced a week before this.” He answered, avoiding Ellie’s gaze.

Ellie just nodded, not pushing him anymore. She knew that some stories were painful to tell, and Joel's history was undoubtedly filled with such moments.

As Joel and Ellie kept walking, silence came back. She knew Joel was a man of few words, and Ellie often struggled to find the right words to say.

Ellie's voice, soft and filled with empathy, broke the silence that had settled between them.

"Joel," she said, her eyes searching his face for any sign of emotion, "I'm sorry for bringing up the past for you”

Joel turned his gaze back to Ellie, her concern touching him in a way he hadn't expected. He smiled, trying to give her some kind of reassurance.

"It's alright, kid," he replied, his voice soft. “The past is part of our story; We can’t pretend it didn’t exist.” 

Ellie's eyes brightened with understanding, and for the first time since their paths had crossed, a sense of mutual comprehension blossomed between them. In that fleeting moment, they shared a silent agreement. 

But once again, Ellie broke the silence.

“You should have your picture back,” she said, giving the photograph back to him.

Joel contemplated the photograph in his hand, its edges frayed from years of handling. It was a distant dream now. His gaze lingered on the faded smiles captured in the picture, and he put it back to where it belonged. 

"Thanks," he said softly, with a faint smile.

Joel didn’t want to admit it, but Ellie’s presence didn’t feel like a total burden to him. It was actually bringing him a sense of peace and purpose in life as if he was healing from the wounds the past life placed in his heart years ago. From the day he lost Sarah, and from the day he made Emily run from him. He had carried her as a ghost in his thoughts and in his heart.

His thoughts lingered back to those days for a few moments, the lingering touches and sloppy kisses, the sound of Emily and Sarah's laughter echoing through their house, the one he had once called home.

Joel's thoughts were interrupted as he realized Ellie was still there, walking beside him. Her presence was a reminder that he wasn't alone in this world, that he had someone to protect and care for once, even when it was just a “mission” for him.

"Did she die?" Ellie asked, glancing at him.

He hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words. " I looked out for her, but I failed.” 

“Sometimes we do things that haunt us later." She said, carrying an undertone.

Joel's gaze drifted back to the horizon. "Yeah, kid. They sure do."

Night had fallen, and the dark had enveloped Joel and Ellie. It was eerily silent, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

“Okay”, Ellie broke the silence “I know I said we could manage the five-hour hike, but I'm tired.” 

"Alright, Ellie," he replied, his voice low and weary, "Let's find a safe place to rest for the night."

They continued walking, searching for a suitable spot to set up camp. The world around them was a haunting canvas of shadows and shapes, capturing the eerie silence, keeping them alert and on edge in case of an unexpected sound.

And then, in the middle of this foreboding night, that haunting voice made a comeback, 

“Stop there.” 

That voice.

Recognition cut through the darkness like a knife. It was her voice, the one that had haunted him for years. Joel's heart began to race, and disbelief washed over him.

Joel's heart ached with longing. He couldn’t believe it. 

He turned and what his eyes saw opened a door he had locked protectively.

When the hopes of finding the love of his life were long gone, the world put her in front of him again. 

"Em," he said, his voice laced with a hint of vulnerability, he took a cautious step forward.

Her once-warm eyes now held a cold gaze as they fell upon Joel. Recognition flashed in her eyes, but her posture didn't waver. The gun in her hands, still remaining there, pointing at Joel. 

"I looked for you everywhere that night " he whispered, raising his hands in surrender. 

Emily's grip on the gun tightened, and she took a step back, putting distance between them, reflecting the same years of detachment between them. 

“Did I allow you to talk?” she said, her voice filled with anger.

“Holy shit,” Ellie said, astonished. “Your wife”

Emily swiftly turned her head toward the teenager, her gaze piercing. 

“Ellie” Joel muttered, attempting to be cautious.   

“Shut up!” she gritted at Joel; her voice devoid of any softness.

At that moment, the woman standing in front of him was not his Emily, but a ghost of hers. At that moment, he didn’t feel the need to hold her. At that moment, the memory he had held of her for the last fifteen years dissipated.

Joel took advantage of Emily’s little distraction and swiftly placed a knife through her throat. He smirked, making up a barrier to hide his true emotions. 

"Just try to hurt my cargo," he warned, "and I'll end you." 

Joel's jaw clenched, and his grip on the knife tightened, as he stood there holding her by her back with the knife against her throat, their prior grievances about their story hanging heavily between them.

Emily smirked back; her defiance undeterred. "Don’t act so rude” she spitted, “I wasn’t looking for you” Emily added, her voice filled with resignation at the end.

Joel's grip on the knife slowly lessened, and he stepped back, releasing her. His emotions were a tumultuous storm inside him. 

“I told you that you would never forget me, Joel Miller” she affirmed, after all those years.

At those words, Joel’s gaze didn't waver, but the mask he had worn for so long was cracking. He couldn't deny the truth in Emily's words, he had never truly moved on from her.

With a heavy sigh, Joel turned away from Emily, his thoughts a turbulent whirlwind. The encounter had reopened old wounds

Joel sighed and looked away from Emily once more, his thoughts a whirlwind. The encounter had rekindled old wounds. He had never forgotten her, even when he tried to bury her memory, and this unexpected reunion was tainted with tension.

As they stood face to face in the same place after a lifetime of separation, both of them knew that the future ahead was uncertain. 

Had fate really brought them back together?

tag: @joeldjarin

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x f!reader #pedro pascal character fanfiction #joel miller series #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller imagine #joel miller angst #tlou fanfiction #joel the last of us #joel x reader #Joel Miller #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction #the last of us #pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascar character imagine #pedro pascal

[sbg-loving-pierog]

Let's talk about The Hernandez Family!

and why the whole situation with Tyler is actually a good thing to happen.

(‼️Spoilers for episodes 43-51‼️)

You've been warned...

Starting off with ep. 43 when we see Mariana Hernandez - Taylor and Tyler's mother - for the first time.

You can see the tension rising when she mentions the twin's father, which at the time is suspicious but since it goes unexplained it doesn't bring much of our attention until

Back then we couldn't confirm what that means, not until ep. 48 and Tyler's flashbacks. Now we know that the twins' father is dead, so that tells us that their mother doesn't seem to remember about that. To say more, she's CONVINCED that he's still alive because even when the situation points to him not being with them anymore, she still only finds it a bit weird but doesn't seem to remember the truth.

Either she doesn't want to remember it, or it's a part of some kind of medical, mental condition, but something that helps keep up this Delusion is that, as we know, after the death of Ethan Hernandez, Tyler took over his responsibilities.

Mariana never had to take over anything her husband did for the family, she didn't feel the weight that fell on them after his passing. All "thanks" to Tyler.

And for some reason her kids try to keep up this facade with distracting her from thinking about their father before she remembers anything

And they succeed, bringing them to the point when they are the ones that take care of her, instead of it being the other way around, as it should. She probably still does her share of responsibilities a parent should have (a part she was doing before too, when Ethan was alive) but the other half AND the mental burden is all on Tyler and Taylor.

But something changes in ep. 51

When Tyler is "injured", her first instinct is to call her husband - and his father - which is understandable, you wouldn't really think logically in a situation like that, but for Mariana, this is when the truth and logic finally hits her

She reminds herself that she can't call Ethan for help and you can clearly see that she's about to panic

But then Taylor comes in, and changes her mother's thinking of "I'm on my own, what do I even do?" To "I have others to care for, I'll think about myself later".

You can almost hear her thoughts saying "You're their mother. Act like it".

This is the moment she realizes that:

1. She can't depend on Ethan anymore

2. Tyler won't always be there to help her

3. She has to be strong for her kids because she should be. Because it's her responsibility that she's been neglecting... or just wasn't able to bring to life for WAY too long

After Tyler wakes up and the group leaves the hospital, it's said that his mom stayed there with him. I think both the time when Taylor needed her support and the time they spent together with Tyler when she was the one caring for him for a change will normalize their family situation. It will help Mariana realize that Tyler was and is still just a kid, and was never ready to take over his father's "position" in caring for her and Taylor, even if he did it because he had to.

That's what I think anyways, I'm open to discussion though ^^ and well, now as they're separated, their relationship will either freeze for a moment, or change again and hopefully it'll become even stronger after another reunion :)

#sbg #sbg (webtoon) #sbg taylor #sbg tyler #sbg mariana #school bus graveyard #taylor hernandez #tyler hernandez #ethan hernandez #mariana hernandez

[ninjamelissajulien]

*shatters my knuckles* Alright fam les ninja go

Here is my thesis on why Kai would never, in any alternate timeline, ever betray his family for power.

Example 1: Season 1 ep 6, the Snake King-

When Nya crashed into the sand and Kai was the first one to find her, Nya instantly reacted in a defensive way before giving in to her identity being revealed. Kai's reaction: surprised, yet supportive.

Kai is stunned to see the warrior and engineer that Nya had become. He even put his pride aside when he brought up the Green Ninja bet. He desperately wanted to be the Green Ninja, but seeing the look of fear on his sister's face he knew he could never do that to her. Kai kept that secret, albeit badly, a secret. Kai is protective of his family. When he sees Zane on his hands and knees after learning the truth, his immediate reaction is concern. During the Entirety of the Royal Blacksmiths- Kai, never once, made fun of Cole or his father. He was curious about the Blade Cup trophy. He was always ready to do the dances. He knew that Jay was two beats off. Kai was determined to keep Cole comfortable.

Example 2: Season 1 Ep 10-

Kind of an obvious example, but Kai chose Lloyd over power. Kai was willing to lose his own life to get the fang blade, blinded by that determination to prove himself. He knew that the others were getting out of the volcano- he just didn't care about himself. Then. He heard Lloyd. Kai immediately stiffened. He never reached back towards the blade. He looked, yes, but he knew that he could not let a child die because of him. Kai used his body to protect Lloyd. He was not going to let Lloyd get hurt.

Example 3: Season 2 ep 26-

Lloyd was injured. He could barely walk without support. Jay, Cole, Nya, and Zane had all succumbed to the Dark Matter. It was just Kai and Lloyd. If he wanted to prove himself, he easily could've pushed Lloyd to the side or even used him as a shield. But, as Kai said-

Kai's whole true potential and identity is around protection. He's spent his whole life protecting Nya. Then it was protecting his brothers. Protecting Lloyd. By the time season 4 rolls around, that jealousy/envy should've been gone. Seeing that Lloyd was the true Green Ninja, yet he kept getting kidnapped multiple times (lmao), that he constantly had to be protected, that Kai's true power was fire-

I don't know, it never sat right with me that Kai would still say "I should've been the Green Ninja." It's like Skybound being like hey jay still has self-doubt about his relationship to Nya even though his whole true potential was about him seeing that "you are the best you" lmao lets have him lie to Nya's face and force her back into a relationship that she clearly did not want.

BTW: this is not denouncing Aus or things like that. just my dumb opinion lmao. Anyways stan Kai Ninjago or else

#ninjago #Kai Ninjago #im passionate about by himbo fire ninja

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Summertime

Written By: Mikey Way, Ray Toro, Gerard Way & Frank Iero

Artist: My Chemical Romance

Released: 2010

“Summertime” is a ‘new wave’ song, allegedly believed to be written about frontman Gerard Way’s wife, Lyn-z Way. In an interview, Gerard said that it started as a riff Mikey had written, before evolving into a song they ‘couldn’t have the record without.’ “[“Summertime”] is one of the lyrically personal songs on the album, whereas the rest of it is just me talking about my worldview. So it’s a really beautiful song and again—no rules. We can have a soft song.”

[Verse 1] When the lights go out Will you take me with you And carry all this broken bone Through six years down In crowded rooms and highways I call home? Is something I can't know till now Till you picked me off the ground With brick in hand, your lip-gloss smile Your scraped-up knees and [Chorus] If you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want [Verse 2] Terrified of what I'd be As a kid, from what I've seen Every single day when people try And put the pieces back together Just to smash them down Turn my headphones up real loud I don't think I need them now 'Cause you stop the noise and [Chorus] If you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want [Post-Chorus] Well, anytime you want Well, anytime you want [Guitar Solo] [Bridge] Don't walk away, don't walk away Don't walk away, don't walk away! [Chorus] 'Cause if you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me [Post-Chorus] Or you can write it on your arm You can run away with me Anytime you want

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

Written By: Freddie Mercury

Artist: Queen

Released: 1976

The song was the eighth track on their album “A Day At The Races” which was released in 1976. The song also appeared on “Queens First EP” released in 1977. The song is about how Freddie is an old-fashioned lover, taking his partners on old-school dates such as dancing or dinner, also hinting at the fact that he is a good lover.

[Verse 1] I can dim the lights and sing you songs Full of sad things We can do the tango, just for two I can serenade and gently play On your heart strings Be a Valentino, just for you [Chorus] "Ooh love, ooh lover boy What're you doing tonight? Hey boy" Set my alarm, turn on my charm That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy [Verse 2] Ooh, let me feel Your heartbeat (Grow faster, faster) Ooh, can you feel my love heat? (Ohh) Come on and sit on my hot seat of love And tell me how do you feel, right after all I'd like for you and I to go romancing Say the word, your wish is my command [Chorus] “Ooh love, ooh lover boy What're you doing tonight? Hey boy” Write my letter, feel much better I'll use my fancy patter on the telephone [Bridge] When I'm not with you, think of you always I miss you (I miss those long hot summer nights) When I'm not with you, think of me always Love you, love you Hey boy where do you get it from? Hey boy where did you go? I learned my passion in the good old-fashioned School of lover boys [Guitar Solo] [Verse 3] Dining at the Ritz, we'll meet at nine (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine o'clock) precisely I will pay the bill, you taste the wine Driving back in style in my saloon will do quite nicely Just take me back to yours, that will be fine (Come on and get it) [Chorus] Ooh love (There he goes again) Ooh lover boy (Who's my good Old-fashioned lover boy?) (Ooh ooh) What're you doing tonight? Hey boy! Everything's all right, just hold on tight That's because I'm a good old Fashioned (Fashioned) lover boy

#polls #poll tournament #poll bracket #tournament #bracket #lovesongbracket #round5 #summertime #my chemical romance #good old-fashioned lover boy #freddie mercury

[fantasy-mixtapes]

Fabian Aramais Seacaster S3 Playlist: side a

Here he is! God's favorite popular kid!! Song descriptions down below, spoilers for fantasy high junior year ep. 1-10

Genres include: dance/electronic, alternative, rnb, pop-punk

1. Stop, Justice

So many times we rise and fall After a while it's coming all together Together So many times we rise and fall Wondering if we'll find it all together Together Remember all the nights and days we spent together Together It's so easy to forget how to surrender But nothing's ever stopped Music and lights, rhythm and melodies Take us to the top

Is this about how Fabians friendships and newfound love of dance helped him become a happier better person? yes.

Is it also about how often Fabian fell during the Night Yorb battle? also yes.

2. Social Climb, I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Oh, come break some hearts now Tear them out File in for amusements with the crowd Oh, but be advised Participation is required Doin' things not typically allowed Feels like we're having a good time It's true, a wonderfully good time when I'm with you

Fabian Seacaster, The Most Popular Guy in School, Maximum Legend, making my skin crawl blowing off Mazey's twister game to hang out with Ivy THATS NOT YOUR HEARTTTTTT, THATS NOT WHO YOU AREEEEEE. AND I KNOW he was doing it for the mystery but oh my GOD he was too good at playing that part

3. Call It What You Want, Foster the People

You've taken your words And you take your judgments And stick 'em onto everything If it don't conform to what you were born into Then you run the other way You say, "Now what's your style? And who do you listen to?" Who cares? Well, the rat race ladder climbin' fake fake smiles Got nothing on me, yeah, yeah

Ok, so this is a little unorthodox for me because I usually only put songs from the characters' perspectives on their respective playlists, but I can't get this scene out of my head. In my mind, this is Mazey's perspective from the chunk of that first downtime when Fabian invites her and everyone else in dance class to Seacaster Manor, and Fabian starts to really come out of his shell.

Think of it like a slow-burn montage of the two dancing (literally dancing) around their potential feelings for one another. The song has a really nice groove to it, and it matches up with Mazey's cool and earnest personality.

4. Stronger Than Ever, Raleigh Ritchie

Hate me when I'm gone I'll make it worth your while when I'm successful But, when I'm here I need your kindness 'Cause the climb is always stressful I'll leave my peace in pieces all around The decent people back at home 'Cause I'm a big boy, an adult now or nearly If I pull the wool back from my eyes I can see clearly The world is at my feet and I am standing on the ceiling,

Alone in that big house, trying to be the best at everything, pushing himself harder and harder. The song is so perfect it speaks for itself

5. Thing Called Love, Kevin Ross

Don't know why you love me so much, oh When I can't say I deserve us Like a rocket's failure to launch I just let it self-destruct And it's not right (No) And it hurts twice when it's good-intentioned But that's life (Right?) Or is it my pride that wouldn't listen

Ok these last two are just directly in reaction to episode ten scenes so be warned.THE SCENE WITH FABIAN AND MAZEY IN THE KITCHEN??? Talk about the right person and wrong time and god; it rips my heart out. Like how he earnestly talked about how worried he was for her safety. THE WAY SHE JUST SAYS SHE HAS A CRUSH ON HIM. THE WAY LOU REACTED????? shoot me dead

6. Pieces, Sum 41

I tried to be perfect But nothing was worth it I don't believe it makes me real I thought it'd be easy But no one believes me I meant all the things I said ... This place is so empty My thoughts are so tempting I don't know how it got so bad Sometimes it's so crazy That nothing can save me But it's the only thing I have

"breaker breaker, Fabian Seacaster looking for his papa Bill Seacaster."

#dimension 20 #fantasy high #fantasy high junior year #d20 #d20 fhsy #spotify #fantasy mixtapes #fabian aramais seacaster #fabian seacaster #lou wilson #fhjy spoilers #d20 spoilers #Spotify

[soniadamasco]

I found what Miri said to Kyu about not wanting to go home interesting because it's been like three months at this point and she doesn't seem to show any signs of missing Misaki or wanting to see her mom again. And yet she did still say back in ep 2 that she hoped her mom wasn't lonely. Could it be that she's not as oblivious to her situation as it looks and that she knows to some extent that her mom isn't in a state to be in her life?

That's a very interesting observation and I agree with you that's it's strange how she doesn't seem to miss her mom. I thought about that for a while and, while like you I think that she's more aware about what's going on around her than we believe, something else came to my mind.

You see, since ep. 1 Miri has always been a very independent kid: travelling alone all the way to find her papa, always escaping and trying to do things by herself. While kids at that age love to explore and try their hands at everything, it's quite strange for me how calm she is in those situations.

I believe Miri is actually used to be an independent kid because she was pretty often left by herself. Misaki doesn't seem to be a "bad mom" as in like a violent or verbally abusive parent, but she's also a working single mother. When Miri sings her mom's song in ep. 2 I believe she's recollecting a memory, probably from being at one of her mom's shows. Since we know Misaki is struggling with money, I find it very likely that she might have brought Miri along to her job, where she was left alone while her mom was working.

Aside from Misaki having little time to spend with Miri because of her work, I don't think she ever tried to take care of her aside from her basic needs. Yes, she cooked for her, dressed her and she did all those other things you have to do to keep a child alive, but was she ever present emotionally? I don't think so, considering even those basic things felt like a burden for her. It's easy to do those things without caring for someone, just because you feel obligated, but it's way harder to fake an emotional connection.

I still believe Miri cares a lot about her mom, but I also think she's used not to be around her. The fact that she didn't freak out the first time Rei and Kazuki left her alone in the house makes me also think that Misaki might've already left her at home by herself.

Another thing that makes me believe there is very little emotional connection between Miri and Misaki is how she answers to Kyutaro when he asks her if her family misses her:

See how she deflects the answer towards herself? My guess is that probably she cannot understand the idea of her mom being worried about her, because she never saw that emotion in Misaki. Instead, she reassures him by telling him she's fine with living with her papas.

Why is that? I believe that Kazuki and Rei are giving her exactly what her mom couldn't give her, which is emotional care. Look how she continues with her answer:

Those are the two most important things she can think about to show how well they're taking care of her. Yes, Kazuki is naturally great at cooking, but remember how she didn't like his hamburgers at first? And remember how he bought the ones from the store and also the cereals which she likes? With just this he's showing her attention, he shows her that he cares about what she likes and is ready to follow that direction because he knows it will make her happy. She feels like he's listening to her and that's very important for a child.

Another very important thing for children is spending quality time with their parents, just like Miri does when Rei plays videogames with her. We know he's not the best socially speaking, but he found a way to connect with Miri through something that he knows how to do well. Even playing a game together is a way to grow an emotional connection and I believe Miri is aware that this is Rei's way to show he cares about her.

Lastly, she says another important thing:

Look at how sure she is when she says they'll always be with her. That is a sense of stability that no one else but Kazuki and Rei could give to Miri. She trusts that they will keep being with her because she knows how much they love her and there is no doubt in her mind. After probably being emotionally neglected by her mother, that's a huge thing to say, which shows how safe she feels around them.

At the end I still think Miri misses her mom, but she realises that Misaki could never give her the same love that Kazuki and Rei are showing her everyday. That is one of the most important things for a child. Actually, for every person regardless of age. Love is what makes you feel at home and now for Miri home is where Kazuki and Rei are.

#buddy daddies #miri unasaka #wow it turned out way longer than I thought #and now I made myself cry :') #thank you so much for the question! to be able to talk about this made me really happy!

[half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk]

Louk's Bad Batch rewatch part 21 ITS SEASON 2 TIME BATCHERS 🤟

The Bad Batch 2x01

opening scene looks live action fr

it's so pretty I'm already thinking about the comparison to the finale 😭

lmao the first thing being Echo falling over 😂

Omega studying 🤲

TECH'S S2 LOOK 💕

sassy Omega

all of their s2 looks 🥰 I'm smooching the animators

YES OMEGA MY LIL BADASS

"why is Omega hanging off the ship" "it is an unscheduled study break" 😂

Echo's potato sack 💕

"it was still pretty fun" so much like her brothers

"mistress cid" AZI you don't need to show her that kind of respect

"better late than dead" iconic 👑

the way I did not trust Phee for like the whole season hehe

"hey now... got a name brown eyes?" is this love at first sight ???

Wrecker checking with Hunter before listening to Phee 🥺

Hunter homeschooling Omega !!! 🥰

Cid just went behind Hunter's back 😡

"It's only a matter of time before the empire comes here" CID YOU- I need to get some air

mom and dad are fighting again

Hunter moving Echo out of Omega's hearing range 🥲

SHE'S HUGGING LULA AGAIN 😭

I love the tiny details of them always passing Echo the binoculars so he can grab them easy with one hand

Omega reminding Wrecker to be stealthy hehe

I wanna see them painting their armour 🥺

Wrecker lifting Omega into the war chest 🙌

lmao still bickering I love them sm

Echo said "heavy" just reminds me of Hevy 🥲

regs 💕

Captain Wilco 👑😘

Wrecker called Hunter Boss again 🥰

I adore how Wrecker is so terrified of heights but when Hunter tells him to jump he jumps 🥺

"you are correct, I am impressed" ~ Tech @ Omega figuring their way out

Hunter isn't an ipad kid 💀 "I'm trying, Tech usually does this!"

their screams when Wrecker jumps on the lift 💀

I know I am going to regret this count but... Tech falls count: 1

why is it so hard to find pics from this ep???

#louk's bad batch rewatch #star wars #tech bad batch #bad batch hunter #tbb tech #wrecker bad batch #the bad batch #hunter bad batch #tbb wrecker #bad batch tech #hunter the bad batch #omega tbb #omega bad batch #tbb omega #bad batch omega #the bad batch hunter #hunter tbb #sergeant hunter #tbb echo #echo tbb #echo bad batch #bad batch wrecker #clone trooper wrecker #wrecker tbb #the bad batch tech #tech the bad batch #phee genoa #tbb phee #tbb hunter #bad batch echo

[beanghostprincess]

My take on OPLA's "Zoro vs. Mihawk" fight because I love to criticize the things I like

I'm gonna start by saying that I love the live-action. I'm obsessed. The casting is great and the set is stunning. However, despite enjoying OPLA I do have a lot of complaining to do about it because I absolutely love analyzing media and characters. That being said, I don't want this post to make it look like I am disregarding the directors and writers here. They did a good job with what they had but I personally think I would've done it a lot differently.

So... Let's start!

The thing that bothers me the most about episode 5 (episode that I honestly consider to be the worst in a lot of ways and for a lot of reasons) is that they intend to make it look like Zoro has this intense and personal connection with Luffy. A devotion that makes him so damn worried and self-conscious about losing the fight that he starts crying (or at least they tried to make Mackenyu cry? I'm not sure there. But he cries in the manga so, yeah. 'Frustration' perhaps is a better word). And Zoro does feel that devotion towards Luffy from the very beginning. The guy literally changed his life! But that is obvious and visible in the manga/anime because we can see Luffy making promises and being demanding and direct and literally a damn sunshine to Zoro. They have this conversation about him getting back his swords, about being the king of the pirates... There's this connection between them. One that says:

"You'll be my first mate" and "I'd literally give my life for you"

Damn, if there was a trope for love at first sight only for captains and their first mates? They would be the damn blueprint.

But OPLA wasn't able to make them show that connection because most of the scenes are rushed and/or skipped. And I understand. I truly do. It's just a live-action and the manga is long as hell. But the thing is... Don't expect me to believe Zoro's devotion is real if you haven't even shown me how it started. The root of the problem isn't the fight or his speech in episode 5, but the lack of emotional connection in episode 1 that they could've easily fixed by reordering the scenes.

So, regarding everything pre-ep 5: If they had shown us their relationship better, episode 5 wouldn't have felt so... Rushed? Out of character? And I don't mean out of character in a 'Zoro wouldn't say/do this' way (because of course he would, and did canonically) but in a 'OPLA!Zoro wouldn't say/do this because he hasn't experienced the exact same things that manga!Zoro has' way.

Yes, it's a live-action, but as a stand-alone? Zoro's behavior doesn't make any sense. That also happens with Nami, but this post isn't about our weather queen. Not today, at least.

Before I get into the fight I must also say that, even if I appreciated Zoro/Nami's dynamic and scenes, I find them completely unnecessary and useless. Firstly, because those scenes would've been better if they had used them to build their relationship with Luffy and not only between them. Secondly, because the writers do absolutely nothing with them. The relationship is only used as a plot device to foreshadow Arlong Park. And it bothers me because they could've done that without taking scenes from Luffy/Zoro and Luffy/Nami. This also happened because they decided to put so many scenes with the Marine, by the way, but I guess everyone is aware of that already.

The thing about the straw hat pirates is that they're a family. There are different connections/relationships/dynamics between them. But the main focus and reason why they joined is always Luffy and only Luffy. OPLA wanted to make them all a family in the first episodes and share all the important scenes together when actually that doesn't work like that. Everyone in the crew builds different dynamics with Luffy with personal and private scenes, and I think they took that magic away from them in OPLA wanting them all to share the same experiences for no reason. They don't build private connections (besides Nami/Zoro, but that doesn't even work in the end). This is why I like OPLA!Sanji so so much! His scenes with Luffy are immaculate.

Basically: The writers decided that since it's a live-action and most of the viewers will be already OP fans, it doesn't matter if they make Zoro's devotion exist without actually showing it because we already know he's devoted to his captain. So they take that info, make it happen, and they give no explanation to new watchers as to why the hell this dude who is supposed to not trust people easily, suddenly trusts Luffy so much. Even if it's a live-action, you should never take things for granted as a writer.

Now that I've established how it doesn't make sense for Zoro to act the way he does due to the lack of scenes with Luffy pre-episode 5, I'm gonna talk about my overall opinion about the fight itself and Zoro's pretty iconic speech to Luffy.

I'm no expert with fighting scenes but I've watched enough movies and animes (and you don't even need to, to be honest) to know that it is incredibly rushed. There's no tension. And the choreography is so... Dull. The only fight scenes I enjoyed were the ones in episode 1. This, in my opinion, is mostly the director's fault. The shots are either boring or too exaggerated and the whole fight is just not enjoyable to watch. The setting also makes it really empty. Everyone is just... There... Together... Netflix, don't be so scared of putting space between characters, I'm begging you. A bit of theatre directing is what this scene needs.

Also, Sanji isn't there and it bothers me a lot. Like a whole lot. Like a lot lot. And the fact that Nami is there when she shouldn't be (and also holds Usopp's hand? Like girl, chill, you've only interacted twice? They should've added Usopp to that drinking game scene if they wanted them to grow closer like that before the fight. But of course, Usopp is just the comedy relief for Netflix) also bothers me a lot lot lot.

In general, OPLA's shots aren't my cup of tea, and the overuse of comic-like moments dividing the screen made me cringe more than once (the first time was funny. Referencing the manga. But then it gets tiring. Mostly because the shots are just too close to their faces). Also, what's up with the corners being blurry all the time and the shots being extremely close to their faces? I don't know if it's just me but it's uncomfortable to watch.

Leaving that aside, Mackenyu did a great job with the fighting scenes. Love him to death. Kissing him from a distance. Great work.

Now, the thing that bothers me the most...

Zoro's speech.

Not only do they skip the important part where Zoro calls Luffy "The king of the pirates" but they also make it extremely dull and boring. It's not Mackenyu's fault. He's a good actor. However, I do think that this scene didn't need a close approach between the characters.

What this scene needs is passion. Frustration. Tears. Screaming. Relief when Zoro realizes Luffy isn't disappointed. Determination when he decides to keep fighting and training to become the world's greatest swordsman. And I think Mackenyu's performance would've been way better if they had given him the right indications and space between him and Iñaki.

I always say that physical space is great for scenes like this one because it challenges the actor to express their emotions without physical contact. A close and sweet approach is also good, but I think they should've just used that for the scene in episode 6 where Zoro wakes up. Them being physically close then is good, because there's a bond and they want and crave touching each other. However, after losing a fight and almost disappointing his captain? What Zoro needed was to openly cry to the sky and yell at Luffy that he would become the world's greatest swordsman. For himself. For Kuina. And for Luffy, his captain.

It's a very emotional scene and I get that it's complicated to do the same thing the manga does... But it really isn't that hard to give Mackenyu space so he has to yell and be openly frustrated. It seems like he wanted to cry. Like he was trying to cry. But the tears didn't come out because having Iñaki and the others so damn close didn't give him the space he needed to yell his emotions.

On the other hand, even if I don't like this scene and I prefer Luffy and Zoro to not be so close to each other, this would've kind of worked if they had had some connection and scenes pre-episode 5. But they don't. So, yeah, whatever.

Also (and this is just me being me) I wouldn't have used an aerial shot of them for the final scene. Zoro is satisfied now. He faints but he's happy. He proceeds to wake up happy in the next episode. So why not end it with his smiling face as he faints? That's also a recurring topic in the One Piece world! Make it reference Roger and foreshadow Loguetown and Marineford. These directors aren't being creative, let me tell you.

Overall, you can tell that I didn't like how they portrayed this episode, especially this fight/speech. However, before I end this post I want to say that I am aware of how hard it is to make a live-action and it's completely understandable to make scenes shorter and rushed. It's obvious that everyone working on this live-action loves One Piece, and even if I don't like a lot of the things they're doing, that doesn't mean I can't feel the effort and love they put (mostly the actors. The cast is outstanding and extremely sweet!) making this show.

I have more complaints about episode 5 (mostly about Nami's character) but this was just to talk about Zoro and the fight! Let me know in my inbox if you want more of my opinions on OPLA or just want to tell me something! <3

Editing TikTok account where I'm posting my One Piece edits: seraspring

#i spent like an hour making this lmao #i could've written more but my adhd won't let me remember everything that's on my mind and put it into words #i be complaining about opla and the next day i'm like 'me and the bestie!' #i swear i love the live action don't let my criticism fool you #zoro and luffy are married btw it happens in episode 6 #i didn't want my zolu heart to take over the post so i had to hold back #roronoa zoro #monkey d. luffy #zolu #dracule mihawk #opla #one piece #one piece live action

[scarisd3ad]

To the end and back [daryl Dixon x reader]

Chapter two - right where you left me

Masterlist

Taglist

Summary - after the world ended you were sure you’d never find love again but a certain archer catches your eyes and changes the entire trajectory of your life.

Warnings - regular twd warnings

Previous >> next

Season 1 ep 3

'Tell it to the frog'

Edited

We all sat around waiting for the others to return from their supply run to Atlanta. Glenn, Merle, Morales, Andrea, Jacqui, and T dog had gone on a supply run while Daryl had gone hunting. I sat talking to Lori and Shane as Lori cut Carl's hair and Shane cleaned his rifle. Carl isn't pleased about his haircut. He fidgets around and has a pout on his face the entire time. "Baby, the more you fidget, the longer it takes, so don't, okay?" Lori says as she combs out her son's hair, snipping little pieces at once. "I'm trying." Carl whines. "Well, try harder." Lori says, trying to focus on Carl's haircut. I laugh. Carl must've not had a haircut since before the outbreak because he was beginning to grow a little mullet. "If you think this is bad, wait till you start shaving. That stings." Shane laughs. "That day comes; you'll be wishing for one of your mama's haircuts." Shane says as he inspects his gun.

"I'll believe that when I see it" Carl says, making Shane and I chuckle. "I'll tell you what... you just get through this with some manly dignity, and tomorrow, I'll teach you something special. I will teach you to catch frogs." Shane says as he's taking apart his rifle. Lori smiles as she continues to cut Carl's hair. "I've caught a frog before," Carl states as he turns a bit, causing Lori to readjust his head. "I said frogs' plural, and it is an art, my friend. It is not to be taken lightly. There are ways and means. Few people know about it." I remember catching frogs on my grandfather's farm as a young kid. I'd take them back to my grandma and grandpa. Grandpa would be proud, but Grandma was always so disgusted by them. She hated that Grandpa would cook them up and eat them. "I'm willing to share my secrets."

Carl looks back at his mom, brows furrowed. "Oh, I'm a girl. You talk to him." Lori says, turning her son's head back towards Shane. "I used to catch frogs," I say. Carl turns his head towards me, brows furrowed again. "You did?" He asks. Lori turns Carls head straight again. "Yep, on my grandpa's farm when I was your age with my brother." Shane raised his eyebrows. "Brother? you have a brother?" Carl asks. I nod. "had a brother," I correct. Matthew, my little brother, was 2 years younger than me; he had dirty blonde hair as he got older and bright blue eyes that will be ingrained in my memories forever. He died 1 day into the outbreak. I miss him every day I go on without him. I wish he'd met these people because he'd love them. "My grandpa used to cook them up on Sunday nights."

"Why'd he cook them?" Carl asks, face contorting in confusion. "You never eat frog legs?" Shane asks. "Eww!" Carl says, his face contorting from confusion into a disgusted look. "No, yum!" Shane corrects as he leans back in his chair a bit. "No, he's right. Eww," Lori contradicts, "they're actually really good, Carl" I say as I fold my arms over my chest. Every day I wake up, I find these people becoming more and more like family than my actual one ever was to me. "You see, she knows what I'm talkin' bout!" Shane says, pointing towards me, which makes me laugh. Lori scrunches up her face in disgust. "When we get down to that last can of beans, you're gonna be loving those frog legs, lady. I can see it now 'Shane, do you think I could have a second helping, please? Ju..just one?'" Shane says, dropping his country accent to imitate Lori. "Yeah, I doubt that." Lori says with an eye roll as both she and Shane laugh.

I turn to see Amy; she's worried about her sister. She should've been back hours ago, but they aren't yet. Dale is standing on top of his RV with a pair of binoculars, just looking out at the road. "I'm..I'm gonna go check in on Amy," I say as I stand up.

Amy is sitting in a chair under the awning of Dale's RV. "You alright, Am's?" I ask she nods slowly. Her arms are crossed over her chest as she mumbles, "They should've been back hours ago." "I'm sure they'r-" I'm cut off by a car alarm blaring. Amy jumps up, and so does Shane. "Talk to me, Dale!" He shouts as he runs towards the RV.

"I can't tell yet," Dale says before looking through his binoculars. "Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asks. "I'll be damned," Dale mutters as we watch a bright red car drive towards our camp. That car is shouting up a storm, probably drawing every Walker in at least a mile's radius towards us. "What is it?" Amy asks.

"A stolen car is my guess."

Lori has her arm wrapped around Carl and one above her eyes, shielding her eyes from the sun. The car pulls in, and we all run towards it. Out comes Glenn. Such a dumbass. I roll my eyes because that boy always seems to do the stupidest goddamn shit. "Holy crap. Turn that damn thing off!" Dale shouts. "I don't know how!" Glenn says with a shrug and the biggest goddamn smile on his face. I run over, pulling him into a hug. I can't lie and say I haven't been a big bag of nerves since he left because I have, but hugging him always makes me feel better.

"Pop the hood, please. Pop the damn hood, please." Shane says, patting the hood of the car harshly.

I let go of Glenn as Amy runs up. "My sister, Andrea-" she's cut off by Shane shouting, "Pop the damn hood!" and him banging on the hood a bit harder. Shane is very upfront with his role as a leader. He's strong, demanding, and the type of person everyone tends to hate, but I've found it easy to get along with him most of the time. He can be an asshole sometimes, but ever since he promised to keep me safe, I've found it easy to understand why he does what he does.

"What, okay, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah," Glenn says, retreating back into his car. Amy is still right at Glenn's side, asking about Andrea. Glenn pops the hood, and Shane gets to work on the vehicle. "Is she okay? Is she all right?" Amy asks, demanding an answer from Glenn as he gets out of the car again. "She's okay! She's okay!" Glenn shouts. Amy's brows furrow, but she does let out a tiny sigh of relief as she asks, "Is she coming back?"

"Yes!"

Amy goes right back into panic mode. "Why isn't she with you? Where is she? Is She okay?" Amy continues to interrogate Glenn, "Yes! Fine. Everybody is." Almost everyone lets out a relieved sigh. We had been knotted up in webs of anxiety all day. "Well, Merle, not so much." No one really worried much about Merle. He could be loud, never listened to anyone, and was obnoxious at times, especially when he was mad. It'd be good to get rid of him. "Are you crazy, drivin' this wailin' bastard up here? You tryin' to draw every Walker for miles?" Shane scolds Glenn as he stands with both hands set on the car's hood. The car was a stupid thing to do; it could've drawn every person and Walker to our location. "I think we're okay," Dale says quietly. "You call being stupid, okay?" Shane argues. Glenn finally turns to me, wrapping his arms around me. "M'glad you're alright," I whisper as I wrap my arms around his neck. he sighs as I lean my head onto his shoulder.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source," Dale explains. Shane turns around with both hands on his hips, giving Dale a look that tells everyone, 'Don't argue with me.' "I'm not arguing. I'm just saying," Dale says with a shrug. It's almost like Dale can read everyone's expressions because I don't think most people could read Shane like that. "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" Dale says, raising his voice a bit at Glenn. Glenn lets go of me and says, "Sorry. Got a cool car." with a shrug. I roll my eyes. It's weird, we're going through the zombie fucking apocalypse, and Glenn can still be the sweetest, funniest, happiest man I've ever met.

A large moving truck pulls in next, making everyone focus on it instead of Glenn. Morales steps out first and then Andrea from the back. "Amy," Andrea says as she runs towards her sister. "Andrea!" Amy cries out. The sisters embrace tightly.

"You scared the shit out of me." Amy cries with a little laugh. Morales's kids are running towards their father. "Papi! Daddy!" They cry out as they embrace their father. We all watch the lovely moments between family members. It hurts a bit to us members of the group who've lost family members along the way, but it's nice to see how happy they get. The closest person to a family I have in the group is Glenn. I get so excited to see his face after he goes out in the city. We never know if it's the last time we'll see each other; one day, they could go out and never return. Glenn wraps his arm around my shoulder and whispers, "Got you something while we were out; I'll show you later."

"You are a welcome sight. I thought we had lost you folks for sure." Dale says as he embraces Morales. "How'd y'all get out of there anyway?" Shane speaks up. Morales looks back to the moving truck before saying, "New guy...he got us out." I furrow my brows. I was pretty sure we were the last people alive; we hadn't seen other people since the early days of the outbreak. "New guy?" Shane asks with his brows furrowed together.

"Yeah, crazy Vato just got into town." Morales says as he turns to the moving truck and hollers, "Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello!"

Out comes a slim brunette man in a police uniform. He's got both hands on his hips as he walks up a few inches. "The guys a cop like you." Morales tells Shane. The guy looks out of breath as he looks over the group. He points towards Lori and Carl before whispering, "Oh my god." And speed walking towards Carl, who's now running towards him. "Dad! Dad!" Carl cries out. The guy kneels down as Carl runs into his arms. Lori is just behind him. Both boys fall to the ground hugging. I'm just now realizing this is Lori's husband, the dead husband Shane had told me about. Lori wasn't one to talk much about him, but Shane and Carl talked about him a lot, mostly reminiscing. Shane talked about how they worked together in the force, and he died at the beginning of the outbreak, but that man wasn't dead. He picks up his son and walks towards Lori. Lori hugs him. She's in disbelief. Then Lori looked up at Shane with the most betrayed facial expression I'd ever seen. I learned from Lori that her husband got shot and went into a coma. Shane told her he died in the hospital. But obviously, he's not dead. He's right here in front of us. I understand that it could've been an accident; he might've not even heard a heartbeat, but the look on Shane's face tells me otherwise.

-

We're all sat around the fire, listening to who I've learned to be Rick tells us how he miraculously woke up and survived. I've got my head in Glenn's lap, and his left arm wrapped around me. "Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented." Carl is laying in Rick's lap, and Lori sits beside them. "Fear, confusion..all those things, but..disoriented comes closest." Thunder is coming from a few miles away, which doesn't worry me much; it just frightens me every time it strikes. "Words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short," Dale says. Glenn gently caresses my arm with his thumb as Rick says, "I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else." the crickets provide an excellent background for the silence of the night, so it's not just the dark and the loud groans, and growls of walkers in the city. "For a while, I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever."

"Mom said you died." Carl says quietly. Lori looks at her husband worriedly, like he'd be mad if she told their son that, but he doesn't seem upset. "She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it." Rick places his hand on his son's cheek, caressing it lightly, while Lori's hand gently pushes her son's hair back. "When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta..." she pauses for a second before continuing, "...and it never happened."

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Lori nods, whispering "yeah"

"And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun." Rick adds the last time I was in the city, it was absolutely overrun; no one was alive, and the entire place had been taken over by the dead. "Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out...you know?" Rick looks at Shane, making direct eye contact. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane...I can't begin to express it." Shane doesn't answer. He stares at Rick, unable to answer; he has a guilty look on his face that says more than words could ever. "There go those words falling short again..paltry things. " Dale says with a chuckle. I look up at Glenn, who's staring ahead at the fire, zoned out, but when he notices I'm looking up at him, he grins.

Before all this, I was 2 years into med school, living in a shitty apartment with 2 shitty roommates. I wanted to be a doctor. That was dream ever since I was little. Little me was wise to choose that because now the 2 years of training I did does work out. After all, now I'm the group's "doctor." my knowledge doesn't help with complex issues because I had only been in med school for 2 years, but I'm a pro with the basics.

Lori is cuddled up in Rick's arms but staring at Shane with a terrified look. Shane looks mad, maybe jealous even. Ed stands up, throwing another log into the fire.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" We all look at Ed like we're in elementary school again, looking at him like, 'Ooo, you're in trouble'. "It's cold, man." Ed says with his head leaned back before it falls forward a bit. "The cold doesn't change the rules, does it?" Shane says, looking over at Ed. "Keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" Shane says just to explain to Rick since his eyebrows are furrowed. "I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once." Ed argues. It wasn't a good thing to argue with Shane; he's our leader, he makes the rules, and he tells people what to do. If he says no, it means no, that's it. Shane pushes himself to his feet, walks over, and grabs something. I can't really tell what it is. He walks behind Ed, patting him on the back. "Hey, Ed....are sure you want to have this conversation, man?" He asks softly, "Go on. Pull the damn thing out. Go on!"

Carol Ed's wife sits quietly, almost embarrassed of her husband's actions. Finally, she seems fed up with her husband's childish behavior, so she stands up, grabs the log out of the fire, and throws it on the ground. "Christ," Shane mutters. Carol isn't one to really stand up to her husband; I can tell because the look on Ed's face is terrifying. She then walks back around and sits beside her daughter as Shane stomps on the log until it's no longer on fire. Shane kneels down close to Sophia and Carol. "Hey, Carol, Sophia, how are y'all this evening?" He asks.

"Fine. We're just fine." Ed is staring daggers over at his wife. "I'm sorry about the fire." Carol says quietly, almost like she doesn't want her husband to hear. "No, no, no. No apology needed. Y'all have a good night, okay?"

"Thank you," Carol whispers. Sophia looks down at her feet the entire time like she's scared of what her father will do later. "I appreciate the cooperation." Shane stands up and walks back over to his spot. "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind." Dale says. Daryl wouldn't be happy; he and his brother were the only family they had left. Even though they didn't get along well, he'd be upset.

"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me." T-dog says quietly. "I cuffed him. That makes it mine." Rick replies. "Guys, it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy." Glenn says, his arm still wrapped around me, drawing small circles on my upper arm. The Dixon brothers...well, at least Merle was very racist, and I wouldn't be surprised if Daryl was, too. "I did what I did. Hell, if I'm gonna hide from him."

"We could lie." Amy says from her spot curled up in her sister's arms. "Or tell the truth," Andrea sighs. She's right. We needed to tell Daryl the truth; if we didn't, and he found out we lied, our consequences would be worse. "Merle was out of control. Something had to be done, or he'd have gotten us killed." She was right again; Merle was out of control, and there was never a way to calm him or tell him what to do. Even if Shane tried, he couldn't. Merle was his own boss, and God bless the person who tried to boss him around. "Your husband did what was necessary, and if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's." Andrea says to Lori. "And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale asks. I don't think Daryl would just take that as an answer for why we left his brother behind, even if he knew how stubborn his brother was. "I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" Dale asks, shaking his head. Dale was a wise older man, like our group's grandfather or even father. He was rational and knew how to survive. People like Shane say that this world wasn't made for Dale, but we'd be dead without Dale. "Word to the wise...we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt." We would. Daryl would probably throw a fit and try to hurt someone. He was similar to his brother in expressing his anger through yelling and fists.

"I was scared, and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it," T-dog says with his arms crossed over his chest. "We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asks. "I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that..not that chain, not that padlock. My point...my point is..dixon's alive, and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-dog says before getting up and walking away.

"Hey, can I stay in your tent tonight to stay warm?" Glenn whispers just loud enough for me to hear. I nod as I look up at him. I stand up, pushing myself off the ground, and hold my hand out for him to grab. I pull him up, and he wraps his arm around my shoulder. "We're gonna head to bed, goodnight," Glenn says.

We walk towards my tent, his arm still wrapped around me.

He unwraps his arm around me so I can unzip my tent. He gets in first and sits crisscrossed on the far-left side. I get in and then zip the tent back up. I lay down, wrapping myself in blankets, trying to avoid freezing to death. "Do you think this will ever like end?" Glenn asks. I shrug. "I hope so," I whisper. He lays down beside me, propping his head up with his arm. "If this does end, we should get an apartment together." He nods in agreement even though we both know it'll probably never happen. It's so weird. I've only known Glenn for about 2 months, but he knows me better than anyone. It could be because we have so much time to talk. "Where were you before you came here?" I ask in a whispered tone. He lets out a small sigh before saying, "Macon...ended up getting stuck in a pharmacy in Macon with a group of people. they went to some motel, but I ended up leaving to go to Atlanta." I nod before he adds, "They ended up giving me a walkie to keep in touch, but it hasn't worked since I left," he whispers as he lets his head fall onto the pillow. "Do you still have it?" I ask. He nods before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small walkie-talkie with stickers on it. I smile as I ask, "Why is it covered in stickers?" with a laugh. "A little girl in the group gave it to me," he says with a small smile. I let out a small sigh as we sat in a comfortable silence together for a few seconds.

"You should go to bed, Glenn," I mumble as I scoot closer to him. "Mhm, I will." I cuddle up next to him, wrapping my arms around his torso. "Don't stay up too late now," I mumble into his chest. "I won't," he says. I can tell he's smiling by the way he says it.

-

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping and the sunlight peering through the sheer fabric of my tent. Glenn's no longer in the tent. He must've gotten up earlier. I push myself off the ground and crawl over to unzip my tent. I get out, zip it back up, and walk over to where the rest of the group is hanging out.

Carol is leaving some clothes out to dry when I walk up to her. "Morning," I say. She gives me a weak smile but replies, "Morning." She washed Rick's clothes. She's a sweet lady, definitely didn't deserve her asshat of a husband.

Glenn is standing, staring at his red car, arms crossed over his chest. Dale and some other guys are striping it clean of gas and anything they need from the vehicle. Glenn's pissed. I walk over to him. "Look at 'em. Vultures." He grumbles. I give him a weak smile as he says, "Yeah, go on, strip it clean." sarcastically. "Generators need every drop of fuel they can get. I have no power without it. Sorry, Glenn," Dale says, patting Glenn's back as he walks by with a gas can. "Thought I'd get to drive it at least a few more days." Glenn mumbles. He's very obviously upset. I wrap an arm around him. "We'll get you another one like it, Glenn," I say, trying to comfort him. He gives me a weak smile. "yeah, maybe."

Glenn and I walk away from the car "are..are you guys gonna try and rescue Merle?" I ask. Glenn shrugs. "It's up to Shane," Glenn says. I nod. I wanted to go. I hadn't been out into the city since the beginning of the outbreak. I wanted to go on a supply run like Andrea got to, but I was never fucking allowed to! I could handle myself. I survived long enough to get here, but Shane was always against it. He always had some lame ass excuse to not let me go. I understood he just wanted to protect me, but if I didn't get experience fighting walkers, I would die if some came stumbling onto our camp.

Shane drives up in his jeep with water. "Waters here, y'all. Just a reminder to boil before use," he says as he exits. A couple of us walk over to Shane's car and help him carry the water jugs. I grab one, but Shane immediately takes it from me. I hate how he sees me as a child incapable of doing things alone.

A blood-curdling scream breaks our attention from the water. "MOM!" Carl screams. Rick and Lori immediately start sprinting towards their son's cries. "DAD!" Carl screams again. "Baby!" Lori yells. Shane is now also flying towards the screams of two children with a shotgun. "MAMA! MOMMY!"

"CARL!" Lori cries out as she's trying to find her child. "CARL! Baby!" Both Sophia and Carl come running out of the forest. Lori falls to her knees with Carl in her arms, examining him, ensuring there are no bites or scratches. "Nothing bit you, nothing scratched you?" Lori says, hugging at her child.

Most of us are also running that way with guns and weapons. "No, I'm okay," Carl says. Both children seem shaken up by whatever they had seen in the woods.

We finally find the Walker that the kids saw. It's in a small clearing surrounded by trees feasting on a dead deer. I scrunch up my nose in disgust. It smells horrible. Walkers smell awful, like shit, and death. It's just pure death. I stand back as the men go ham on the thing. Beating, stabbing it, you name it, they did it. The sound of leaves crunching makes Shane raise his gun.

Amy and Andrea are standing behind me. We're all preparing for the worst: another walker, maybe a horde of them. But then out pops Daryl with his crossbow and about a dozen dead squirrels. Shane lowers his gun but mutters, "Oh, Jesus." In an almost 'oh god, it's him' tone. "Son of a bitch." Daryl curses as he pushes his way through some branches and over some rocks. "That's MY deer!" As Daryl walks towards it, Rick, Morales, and Glenn step away from the deer. "Look at it. All gnawed on by this..." he then began to kick at the Walker.

"..FILTHY.." kick "..DISEASE-BEARING.." kick "..MOTHERLESS.." kick "..POXY BASTARD!"

"Calm down, son, that's not helping," Dale says, not trying to create conflict but to calm the angered man down. Daryl took it as wanting to cause a conflict, though, so he stomps over to Dale, "What do you know about it, old man?! Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to 'On Golden Pond'!" He shouts before turning back around and walking back towards the deer and Walker.

He sighs as he leans over. "I've been trackin' this deer for miles." He pulls out about three arrows from the deer. "Was gonna drag it back to camp, cook us until some venison." He then pulls out a knife. "What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed-up part right here?" He asks as he leans over the deer and points to the gnawed parts of the deer with his knife. "I would not risk that." Shane replies. The deer looks definitely non-salvageable. Its guts are spilling out and just totally gnawed on. If we tried to eat it, we'd definitely get infected. Daryl sighs. "That's a damn shame." He then turns to the squirrels he has. "I got some squirrels—about a dozen or so. That'll have to do," he sighs.

The Walker's decapitated head then twitches, which is a sight to see. It disgusts Amy, who says, "Oh god." Like she's about to throw up. Andrea then escorts her away from the Walker and probably back to camp. "Come on, people. What the hell?" Daryl says as he shoots the Walker straight in the head. He pulls the arrow out of the Walker. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin'?" He says with an eye roll. He walks past me, giving me a slight smile.

We follow him as he walks back to camp. "Merle!" He shouts. Everyone's giving each other looks like 'who's gonna tell him?' "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here!" He shouts again. "I got us some squirrel! Let's stew'em up." He says, putting his crossbow down.

Shane decides he will tell him; he is the un-proclaimed group leader, after all. "Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane says. Daryl stops and turns around. "bout what?" He asks, brows furrowed. We're all stopped just a few feet away, watching. We're all crossing our fingers, hoping this won't end badly. "Bout Merle." Shane says as he continues walking past Daryl, "There was a—there was a problem in Atlanta." Shane stops and turns around, putting his hands on his hips. Daryl looks around as we're all kind of gathered around watching. "He dead?" Daryl asks. "We're not sure." As Daryl's brows furrow, Shane replies, "he either is or he ain't!" Rick then steps up and walks over to where Shane and Daryl are. "No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."

"Who are you?"

"Rick Grimes." Rick replies in his heavy country accent. Someone was going to get hurt; I just knew it. I'm leaning against Shane's jeep, with Glenn standing beside me as we watch. "Rick grimes! you got something you want to tell me?" Daryl shouts angrily. God, I just hope no one gets hurt too bad because I'll have to fix them up.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick explains. I can just see Daryl's blood boiling. If steam could come out of his ears, it would be. Daryl turns around, wiping at his eyes like he was about to cry. "Hold on. Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof, and you left him there?!" He shouts with tears in his eyes. I actually feel bad for Daryl. If someone had chained my brother up on a roof with Walker able to get to him, I'd be just as angry. "yeah." Rick says quietly. Daryl's face is all scrunched up in anger. He turns around just a bit before launching the squirrels at Rick.

Shane immediately gets in between the two, tackling Daryl to the ground. Daryl falls to the ground with a grunt. T-dog drops the logs he was carrying and is just about to jump in when Daryl pulls out his knife and pushes himself off the ground. "watch the knife!" T-dog shouts. Daryl then tries to swing at Rick but misses. Rick grabs one of Daryl's arms, and Shane comes behind him, both men holding him back. Rick takes a step back, letting Shane take over. "Okay, okay," Shane says, trying to stop Daryl from struggling. We all knew this would happen; Daryl was violent. "You'd best let me go!" Daryl shouts.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane's arms are around Daryl's neck in a choke hold, and Daryl grunts and tries to escape Shane's grip. "Choke hold's illegal," Daryl grunts as Shane gets him to the ground. "You can file a complaint," Shane replies sarcastically.

"Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day." Shane warns as Rick kneels down next to Daryl. "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asks Daryl. Daryl doesn't answer. Just continues to wriggle around, trying to get out of their hold. "Do you think we can manage that?" Rick repeats like he's talking to a toddler. Daryl is panting, but let's say, "mhm, yeah." Shane lets him go harshly. "what I did was not on a whim." Rick says, still kneeling down next to Daryl. Daryl's still panting as Rick says, "Your brother does not work and play well with others." Daryl stares at the ground as Rick talks to him. "It's not Rick's fault. I had the key." T-dog says. Both men look up at T-dog. "I dropped it." Daryl's brows furrow. "you couldn't pick it up?!" Daryl asks loudly.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain."

Daryl lets out a loud scoff as he looks down at the ground on his hands and knees. He pushes himself off the ground. "if it's supposed to make me feel better, it doesn't." He says harshly as he throws a handful of rocks back onto the ground as walks past t-dog. "Well, maybe this will.." t-dog says. Daryl stops as t-dog continues, "look, I chained the door to the roof—so the geeks couldn't get at him...with a padlock."

"It's gotta count for something," Rick says. Daryl sighs before wiping his eyes again "hell with all y'all!" Daryl shouts as tears begin to form in his eyes once again. "Just tell me where he is," Daryl says desperately, like he's falling apart without his brother. Even though the two fought like cats and dogs, you could tell they loved each other. "so, I can go get him."

"He'll show you, isn't that, right?" Lori says with one hand on the RV door. Rick's breathing heavily as he looks around. "I'm goin' back." Lori lets out a sigh before climbing into the RV angrily. I understand Lori's anger; she doesn't want her husband, whom she hasn't seen in 2 months, to leave again.

"Are you going back?" I ask, turning to Glenn. "If they want me to yeah." Glenn replies with a nod. "I want to go too," I whisper; Glenn's eyes widen. "You can't," he says; I cross my arms over my chest and let out an angry sigh. I don't know why every man I know chooses to treat me like a child. "I can, and I will. I don't give two fucks what you say." Glenn sighs and places a hand on my shoulder. "You. Can't." I scoff and roll my eyes. "I'm goin' anyways. You can't stop me," I say as I push his arm off me and walk over to Shane.

"I'm going with them." Shane laughs but quickly realizes I'm serious, and his smile drops. "no, you're not." I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. I don't know when he will realize I'm a few years older than Glenn. If Glenn can handle himself out there, so can I. "I can handle myself out there. I want to help!" Shane laughs and grabs my upper arm harshly. "I'm sure you can, but I'm protecting you." I hate how he always uses the excuse that he's protecting me: "I'm not a kid. I can help!" I shout; he rolls his eyes and says, "You sure are actin' like one. If you want to help, cook something or wash some clothes." I push him off of me and scoff. "Fuck you."

Rick walks out of his family's tent, dressed in his police uniform. I'll ask him. Maybe he's not like Shane. "Hey, Rick!" I say, running up to him. He stops, brows furrowed together. I realize I haven't really introduced myself, so I say, " I'm y/n, I have a question." he nods in response, so I say, "Can I go with y'all?" He sighs and looks at me like, 'Do you have any experience?' "I was in that city for a week with only a knife. I know my way around the place," he sighs again, asking, "Can you shoot a gun?" I nod. I've been able to shoot a gun since I was 7 years old. That's just the pros of growing up in rural Georgia with a grandpa who loved to hunt. "I don't care as long as you can handle yourself." I smile. I turn towards Shane, who has a scowl on his face. I grin just to piss him off.

I watch as Rick walks over to Shane; they have a hushed conversation. Shane's obviously pissed about something, maybe it's me, perhaps it's Rick leaving again. Rick begins to walk off while Shane follows shortly behind.

I think Glenn's pissed at me too. I understand he cares about me a lot, but I want to prove myself to the group. I want them to know I'm not just some helpless girl that needs protecting. I walk over to him; he's got his arms crossed with a worried look on his face. "You going with them?" He asks. I nod, and he loudly sighs, "What if you get hurt?" I rolled my eyes; I had been out in that city with only a knife as a weapon for a week. I know how to protect myself. "I'm not. I can handle myself. I did it before," I say, trying to comfort him, but it doesn't seem to work. He grabs my hand and whispers, "Why would you risk your life for Merle Dixon?" with his brows furrowed. I shrug, and He sighs as he drops my hand. "You give me so much anxiety, y/n," he says with a laugh; I laugh as well and say, "And you think you don't do the same to me?" He rolls his eyes before He smiles and grabs my hand.

Shane and Rick walk back into the area where everyone else is bickering. "So, you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori asks Rick from her spot sitting by our campfire. Rick turns to both me and Glenn. Glenn lets out a groan. "Oh, come on." I laugh because he should have known he'd have to go, too. After all, he's our designated errand-runner. "You know the way. You've been there before...in and out, no problem. You said so yourself." Glenn takes his hat off and runs his hand through his hair. "It's not fair of me to ask, I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you alone. I know she would, too." Rick says, turning to his wife. "That's just great. Now you're not only going to risk y/n's life but three of our men, huh?"

"Four," t-dog corrects.

Daryl huffs. "My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl says as he cleans his arrows. "You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brothers, cracker ass?" T-dog retorts, which makes me laugh because it is quite a coincidence that T-dog is stepping up to help when Merle hates him. "Why you?" Daryl demands. "You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

Dale walks over and says, "That's four."

"It's not just four. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that, Walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back; we need every ablebody we've got, " Shane says, getting closer to Rick. "We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect the camp." he's pissed. He doesn't want us out there anymore, especially for Merle. He didn't give a shit about any of us, only himself, so why were we even going. To make ourselves feel better, to not have that guilt on our backs.

"It seems to me what you really need most here...are more guns."

"Right, the guns." Glenn says, slowly walking forward. Everyone, including me, needs clarification about what he's talking about. "Wait, what guns?" Shane asks with his eyebrows furrowed. "Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns." Rick states. "I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped it when I got swarmed in Atlanta. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up." Rick explained. "Ammo?" Shane asks quietly. "700 rounds, assorted." Rick confirms. Shane bows his head, thinking about what we should do. "You went through hell to find us. Yo-you just got here, and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori just couldn't understand why he would risk his life, leaving again. But we needed those guns and ammo. Finding Merle would just be a side quest. "Dad, I-I don't want you to go." Carl stutters out. "To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in." Shane runs his hands through his hair as Rick walks towards Lori. Lori stands up and says, "Tell me. Make me understand."

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy." Lori looks down at Carl like, 'We have a kid too?!' Rick grabs Lori's hand. "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died." He says quietly, "It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. they'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him." Lori looks down at her feet before whispering, "What's stoppin' you?" Rick sighs before saying, "the walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped, he's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."

Shane's now sat down by his jeep, rubbing at his face, stressed, he's stressed. What are you really supposed to do in this situation? We really need those guns, but we could lose people if we did it. "These are our walkies?" Shane asks. Rick nods and says, "Yeah." with a sigh. "So, use the c.b...what's wrong with that?" Andrea suggests. "The c.b's fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap..date back to the '70s, don't match any other bandwidth, not even the scanners in our cars" Shane explains. Lori avoids Rick's eye contact, looking just behind or at her feet. "I need that bag." Lori doesn't reply. She's just speechless. Rick walks past Lori and to their son. He kneels down in front of Carl. "okay?" Carl just nods. "All right," Rick whispers as he ruffles Carls's hair.

Glenn turns to me. "We're both coming back alive. I swear if you don't, I will literally kill you." I let out a laugh. "Well then, if you don't, I'll do the same," he smiles. "Deal?" "Deal." We both laugh as I lean my head onto his shoulder.

-

I'm sitting in my tent, riffling through my belongings, looking for the handgun my granddad lent me before I headed off to college. I finally found it hidden under a pile of blankets. I stuffed it into my bag and stepped out of my tent. Glenn's already in the large truck Rick and them brought back. Daryl's in the back with t-dog, while Glenn's in the front. I walk over and hop up into the back with Daryl. "You find your gun?" Glenn asks as he turns back towards me. I nod as I take a seat on the metal floor. Rick and Shane walk up to the back of the truck. Shane places down a large black bag. "Hey, Rick, got any rounds in the python?" Shane asks. "No," Rick replies, shaking his head. "Last time we were on the gun range, I'm sure I wound up with a few loose rounds of yours."

Daryl sits next to me and takes my gun out of my hand. He examines it briefly before asking, "You know how to use this, darlin'?" I scoff and roll my eyes. "Yeah, I do," I say as I grab my gun back from him and tuck it back into my bag. "You know how to use that?" I ask sarcastically as I point to his crossbow. He laughs, "Of course I fuckin' do." Rick and Shane walk away, and Daryl stands up. He walks over and closes the back of the truck. The truck starts up, and we're going.

-

We're driving over some train tracks, which is a bit bumpy but not too bad. "He'd better be okay. It's my only word on the matter." Daryl says to T-dog it's a warning; if Merle isn't alive, he's going to hurt someone, and it'll probably be T-dog. "He will," I whisper. Of course, he will. He's fucking Merle. He'd be able to be hit by a truck, and he'd still be alright. "I told you the geeks can't get to him," T-dog says, leaning his head against the metal wall of the truck. "The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us." t-dog adds.

We come to a slow stop, and Glenn takes out the keys. he then turns to us, "We walk from here." We all get out of the car. Both T-dog and Daryl hop out first, then me.

-

Glenn pushes a broken part of a wired fence out of the way so we can all get through. "Merle first or guns?" Rick asks as he turns around towards us. "Merle! We ain't even having this conversation!" Daryl shouts. "We are." Rick says and then turns to Glenn, "You know the geography. It's your call." Glenn sighs before saying, "Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." a little out of breath. Daryl's definitely happy about that.

-

We're walking through a department store, and we're all a little on Guard. I've got my gun held out, ready to shoot any moment. We hear a Walker shuffling around, so we all freeze. Rick spots it and points it out to us before we slowly walk around the store, trying to stay as quiet and out of sight as possible. Daryl approaches the rotten, growling thing, and he raises his crossbow "damn, you are one ugly skank." He mutters. It starts to growl at him, getting ready to lunge, but he quickly shoots it straight in the head. It falls to the ground with a thud, and Daryl quickly pulls his arrow out of its head.

We made it to the top with hardly any more walker interference, which I'm grateful for. We all sprint up to the door that leads to the roof, Rick's there first, holding the chain so t-dog can cut it off. He cuts the chain, pulls it off, and Daryl kicks open the door before he runs out. "Merle! Merle!" he shouts as he gets out onto the roof. We follow him as Daryl looks for his brother, but he's not there, just handcuffs cuffed to a pipe, a saw, and a hand.

"No! No!" Daryl cries out over and over again. I feel for Daryl, I really do, but did we all really think Merle was going to stay up there? There was no doubt in my mind that Merle wouldn't find a way to get his ass off this roof, even if that meant sawing off his own hand.

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@e1d0lonk3k @soul4death

#fanfics #x reader #the walking dead #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixion x reader #rick grimes #Lori grimes #Carl grimes #female!reader #fem!reader #zombie apocolypse au #zombie apocalypse #zombie #the walking dead x reader

[brookheimer]

OKAY i have gotten many many asks about this so!!! my much awaited predictions for/speculation on this ep!!!

(barely a prediction ljke this is just known fact at this point) rome gets beaten up by a rally which, like, deserved lol

the obvious jess prediction is that she's quitting but who knows cuz jesse loves his curveballs

been too long since we’ve had meaningful ewan content so i’m betting on a ewan speech. also i said this in a prev post but i think that if we're going to get any rose lore at all then it has to be this episode and i'm an optimist so i'm saying we get some rose fucking lore!!! if we do it'll prob be from ewan esp if he gives a speech so: ewan gives a speech and we finally learn more about rose

look. it has been four episodes since kendall signed off on the logan smear campaign. it has been three episodes since logan smear campaign was mentioned (shiv brings it up to the brothers briefly in kill list, like 'uh hey guys im getting word some outlets are gonna release anti-logan reports are you on top of this' or something and ken was like uhhhh uh huh im sure it's fine Anyways The Deal etc). it has got to come back some point, and just dramaturgically speaking, what better way to drum up conflict at a funeral than same-day news stories coming out about how terrible of a person the deceased was? and if anything were to send rome over the edge and turn his eulogy into a category 5 disaster, it would be everyone in the world suddenly finding out logan physically abused him throughout his entire life (or maybe he just finds out those news stories r gonna break even if they actually come out next ep or smth). so. there's nothing to back this one, just pure speculation, who knows, BUT: possibly an update on logan smear campaign that ken initiated in e4 (either news comes out or the roys hear about it early like cruise scandal or something) and rome handles it, like, really well (sarcasm. obviously) OH or or or maybe rome does his Logan Is Great I Love Him So Much Aren't I A Bit Like Him eulogy and then like an hour later it comes out that logan fucking hated rome's guts and spent his whole life beating him or something lollllll #awkward

not really a prediction here either, just, like, obvious succession stuff -- the deal will continue being A Prominent Thing even during the funeral 100%. mattson is totally going to try and wheel n deal and talk business w shiv during the funeral, the bros r gonna keep trying to stop it, etc; being a roy does not stop just because dad's corpse is in front of you!

trying to think of what other threads i'm forgetting... OH i think tom sleep deprivation arc will keep being a thing because like that's just how sleep deprivation works man. the only way to stop being sleep deprived is to sleep and god fucking knows he doesn't after the election when he's public enemy #1 for every single news organization in the country. so yeah tom is going to be so eepy it's not even funny. like it literally won't be funny it'll just start getting sad and concerning

OH ELECTION lol yeah no absolutely nothing is decided, mencken is not Actually President yet guys lol. a news org can't just declare the president that easily. there's still bureaucratic processes to go through. my money's on a veep situation (altho in veep the votes were lost not burned so they ended up finding them and doing a recount) -- congress decides (and also maybe there's a revote in wisconsin or something? again veep was recount so idk) and that will probably be a long fucking process

not a prediction so much as a hope: MASSIVE cunt serving by caroline, marcia, ewan, and stewy

OH EDIT — kenrava fight bc ken basically chose racism over his daughter so… lollll

ok i prob have more thoughts because i'm me and i always have more thoughts but i need to go finish this fucking final lol

#succession #succession spoilers #not really but i tag it this anyways #succession speculation #long post

[becauseimanicequeen]

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Deep Night ep. 5

I’m going into this episode just wanting more throuple moments. And to see more neon lights and colors (because I’m a slut for that). I don’t really care about anything else (unless it’s the mom and her girlfriend).

And here they are! I love these women. They’re so sweet, supportive, and playful with each other. I’m glad Khem’s mom has such a strong supporter next to her. It seems like she truly needs it. (Especially when her son has his head stuck up his own ass…)

Seji is too shocked and confused to speak. I don’t blame him, though. I mean, just the sight of Pan and Ken could make anyone speechless.

Khem is so annoying. Why is he standing there looking all sorry for himself? Get your fucking act together and apologize.

Wela sleeping with a book covering his face… That takes me back to my teenage years when I read novels every night until I fell asleep.

Wela's house looks so similar to Non’s house in DFF. Is it the same house, perhaps?

Well, at least Khem apologized (and Wela too).

Sex on a rooftop. Check.

Yes, Khem. Apologize to your mom.

Yes! More aerial routines! I’d almost forgotten they did aerial routines at the club. It’s been too long.

Shirtless Seji and Ken!

Fucking hell, Sun’s strength (the actor playing Great). He’s great indeed.

Poor Pan getting pushed away by all these crazy shippers.

Shirtless Great!

Shady individual doing shit in the restroom. It wouldn’t surprise me if Khem’s right, that this dude was paid to enter the club and do drugs. I’m hoping Khem did something about that little plastic bag, though.

Honestly, doesn’t the police force have something more important to do than raid this club every night and still find nothing? The vendetta the culprit has must be truly personal (and I’m sure it has something to do with Khem).

A peck is never enough for Khem. He’s always hungry for more.

Please, Ken, don’t turn into a shady individual. But, if he does… Is he trying to get Wela fired so Seji can be number 1? Or is he trying to get Pan fired to get him away from Seji? Or both?

I think Seji hit the nail on its head right there. I’ve suspected Khem’s aunt before (or whatever that woman in the first episode was), and I still feel like she (or that side of Khem’s family) might be behind it. They haven’t really introduced anyone else who could potentially be the culprit.

Wait. Wait a fucking minute. Didn’t even Pan know that Freya is Khem’s mother? Isn’t Pan Khem’s best friend? I mean, Pan is the sweetest goof in the world. Why keep this from him?

Well, there we have it, Ken outing Khem and Wela. Seji’s reaction was interesting, though. It’s like he was pissed at Ken for outing them. Is it because he knows why Ken does it (which I assume is to make Seji number 1 at the club)?

Khem to Wela: ”You don’t have to worry. I won’t break up with you for sure.” Maybe it’s just me, but if I was Wela, the only thing I would be worried about at that point was my job. The last thing on my mind would’ve been whether Khem would break up with me or not.

And there we have it. The reason Ken outed Khem and Wela’s relationship. It’s so stupid. It’s so childish. Ken, what the fuck are you doing? This is clearly not the way to show Seji you love him.

Seji to Ken: ”If you truly understand love, you would never hurt someone else’s love.” That. Right. There. Enough said!

And there we have her, the aunty. Well, that was transparent.

A good episode. There were some highlights like the moment between Freya and her girlfriend, the aerial routines (especially Greats), and some moments with Seji and Ken (even though I would’ve wished to see more Pan with them as well). Other than that, though…

However, the next episode looks promising in the relationship department since they’re all going on a trip together. So I’m hoping for more throuple moments (it’s basically the whole reason I’m still watching this). And some Great and James moments (because we’ve barely gotten crumbs of them so far). And, since they’re all going on a trip together, anything can happen, right? RIGHT?

#deep night the series #thai ql #thai bl #thai series #my shit #iq random thoughts