#and of course that means nothing they did had any real meaning so essentially just throwing their lives and selves away for nothing.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

marshall maximizer is a series song right. i think thats the only one ive listened to (yet), un:c did a good cover of it ...... what are ur thoughts on it whats it about . kicking my legs in the air

YES YES MARSHALL MAXIMIZER IS A SERIES SONG. theres so much going on in it u have no idea yes the song fucks verily but holy shit is it so important to the story.

okay so i think i need to give like. a quick reminder of the story here right. so u have "a certain world" & basically these people onset the destruction of said world such that it basically crumbles to pieces & then disappears. tragic. okay. but theres a catch. they get more than one chance to try. when one iteration of the world ends instead of really dying they kind of just. wake up in a new version. the world's still going to end in the day, but they get another chance to try and save it. the only real thing about it is any given person still has to have sight of their own goals or they aren't allowed to wake up next time & they disappear as well. this is, in the original song and afterwords referred as as being a "person" and having "one's self" or not having your self & being a "thing".

marshall maximizer is the explanation of this phenomenon (the later song laboratory being the demonstration of this concept btw to build off what this song says) among other things.

ill get to the lyrics in a second but the thing that always gets me about this song is the text in the middle of the video that's a conversation between two people. idk how to even go about this i just want to quote the whole thing at u. the beginning of its the narrator (perhaps not the same one as the lyrics but i cant prove or disprove this) trying to figure out the whole thing and the person working with them- referred to as "doctor"- basically says choosing who u are is an impossibility and if u cant prove ur alive of ur own volition then u arent even truly "alive" & won't have a place in heaven or hell. the narrator then asks the doctor to prove if he's alive for himself to which he doesnt answer and the narrator goes "Doctor, you have the appearance of a human. But, what of the possibility you're a 'thing' someone created?" to which the doctor answers "and if im not a 'person'?" and the narrator continues "Just as an example. Doctor, you said 'I chose this job in order to go to heaven.' And the reason you stay here is because 'if i can go to heaven, then it's fine to die,' right?" after this the doctor still cant give a solid answer and when the narrator looks for him again, he's disappeared entirely. which is nearly one to one with what the girls in the songs are going through. the doctor wasnt really doing it for himself he was doing it simply to achieve an end, with no real strong desire or goal along the way, which essentially turns him into a mere tool or 'thing' to achieve that end. much like the girls in the songs; they have to have something in it for themselves or they're a mere "thing" to be used, and at that point they'll disappear entirely.

theres also flashing text of 2 kanji words at the end that are a lot less profound but do give some insight on the series. the terms are broken up a series of three question marks & im willing to bet its describing the timelines in the story. the first 5 words regarding observing the failures of the past, the next 11 dealing more with what sounds like the more modern songs & all the confusion & rash decisions bringing them to their end, and then the last 15 words possibly being from the sort of future or at the very least whatever point in time the first song takes place in as it seems to lineup the most with shoushitsu itself. but its not like its as important to this song's understanding as the mini novel in the middle is.

so whats up with the lyrics then. as u can guess its not as fun as the song sounds. theres a lot of mentions of experiments in this song & ive seen people say its like the demon core thing irl, but i need u to understand the while series been talking about science experiments the whole time. like. all of aru sekai shoushitsu is talking about it, kyuuyaku is talking about it, shuuen touhikou is to some extent talking about it, oumen is, apoptosis is, etc etc this is just par for the course okay, but it does show maximizer in particular does have direct influence on experiments being performed or at least attempted. she is pretty casual about how she talks about it btw the character in this song gives me a very easy going type of vibe with how she talks which is probably why the song itself is the way it is and not like something that fills u with dread the entire time. though i would argue parts of the instrumental do sound like theres a bit of weight in them and its not ALL party time vibes.

one thing i do want to point out in regards to both the lyrics and the people vs thing topic, are the lines "ki ga kuruu HITO no furi wo shiteiru KIMI wo miteiru" (observing You pretending to be a Person gone mad) and "ki ga kuruu HITO no mane wo shiteiru KIMI e" (to You who's imitating a person gone mad) where both the words for person and you are in katakana drawing emphasis to it as well as mirroring how the "people' vs "thing" is written in both the background texts & previous songs. which is to say the narrator here is very aware of this other person not actually being a person. the implications here that since its "pretending to be a person" the "you" is a…. perhaps less direct way of calling out that its a "thing" or in completely transparent terms, is a person not acting on their own will and doomed to disappear. similar to this is the most recognizable lyrics in this song the "tabete sugu nete ushi ni naru/ okite mata nete hito de nashi?"(eating, falling right asleep, becoming a cow/ waking up, sleeping again, is that so inhuman?) is also calling on that "person" aspect, although not as strongly as hito uses the kanji this time rather than katakana. in any case she's still making the claim that despite all the horrors going on she's still acting as she pleases so she should still count as a person……right?(spoilers she does)(this isnt really spoilers because its told to u by the fact the nami no ne no motif is in the song) but it DOES show she's a little worried about it. not enough to full out panic but she sees other people no longer counting as people it makes sense she's going to worry about herself.

likewise the lines in the chorus "nante koto da! shindeshimau!"(what the hell is this! we'll die!" is much more likely referring to the fact if they arent "people" they disappear and are REALLY dead & is kind of worrying over that. like the line later what the hell is this! we'll live! is not really rejoicing at a percieved break in the case so much as realizing she DOES have her own goals in it and she's not about to disappear just yet.

and then of course i cannot overlook that this is also Sunk Cost Fallacy:The Song. the whole "sunk coster, sunk costess! 'i want to return to the isotope we had at the end!' 'we're falling to the worst of hell! falling!' but a dazzling unbalance diverged farway!" like on top of all of this she's still going to run the experiments that are risking her literal self to whatever extent that she invests herself in them. she cant give up yet. they've put so much into trying to correct this disaster, lost so many people, endured so much trauma, even when continuing is a sin, there's no other option but to continue at this point. even when they know it's pointless, even when they can see (to take imagery from kanon) the scales have been upset & the outcome will never be good, theres no other option.

theres a bit more to it but that requires getting sources from other songs & its not overly huge details its probably fine to leave them out for now this is long enough as is. one thing i do want to mention is its one of the side songs(songs that are not directly linked to aru sekai shoushitsu itself/not one of the kanji songs that links to certain lyrics in it) that has alliteration in the title (ma ma) as a way of keeping with the "repeating fractals" theme in the series. which to me implies this situation is not particularly unique to this character as some other songs are (oumen especially, touhikou, ashura, etc)(apoptosis i have an argument to make about but thats another topic entirely) and while maybe not 1:1 it can also be applied to other chara's experiences, or maybe implies its happened at other parts of the timeline as well. which makes sense since its common knowledge among the charas that some people are not "people" anymore so yeah i can imagine them keeping watch on coworkers they think are losing or have lost their selves. that doesnt make maximizer a general song though this is still VERY MUCH a subjective song from a particular chara's perspective & leaves things out & emphasizes others accordingly.

anyway my opinion on this song is that its VERY good and VERY important to get a good look at the story. the instrumental behind the tabete sugu nete ushi ni naru parts scratches my brain & the inclusion of the series "this chara lives" motif drives me insane.10000/10 everyone should like this song.

[merakiui]

psssssssssst which twst boy would probably buy onlyfans from sex worker darling trying to make some money for the week?

All of them. <3 and they all think they’re so unique for supporting you through this means, but it turns out everyone else is subscribed to the highest tier (or whichever tier they’re able to afford). Suddenly Ace is very dedicated to his part-time job as he works to make enough for the highest tier. Even students like Jack buy from you, but it’s only to support you (not salivate over the content you’re putting out… that’s definitely part of it).

Of course Azul has to get the highest tier, as do most of the Housewardens as they firmly believe they’re entitled to the best of the best. And it also supports you much more than the lower tiers! Because Azul is so charitable, he’s even willing to send you more money (please notice him). Vil loves to admire these risqué and intimate photos, as does Rook. Sometimes it’s not even for sexual purposes. They just find you to be the sweetest work of art they’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Idia claims he’s only subscribing so he can get top-tier references for when he’s drawing or practicing lewd anatomy. This is partially true, actually, because he does indeed practice. But then all of his sketches are of you. <3

Riddle had to convince himself over and over that this was okay. He’s not breaking any rules. In fact, buying the highest tier actually helps you! So he’s just doing what any good person and dependable Housewarden would do: support those who require assistance. He spends the entire week feeling guilty and avoiding looking at the photos/videos because he feels like he’s being a gross pervert. But you willingly put this content out there for him and others, and it’s all in accordance with the site’s rules! So… it’s fine if he masturbates to the sight of your nudity.

Floyd has so much fun waiting for the new photos and videos you’ll upload. You always do something different and it keeps him endlessly entertained. Sometimes you even take requests from your subscribers! He wants to see you do all sorts of exciting things. Jade’s much the same, but somehow Floyd’s requests seem so softcore compared to the things Jade wants from you. ^^;;;;

Ruggie buys the highest tier using Leona’s card. Leona did say he could get something for himself, and he never put any restrictions on what could or couldn’t be bought. <3 no wonder why this is the highest tier. The things you put out really are worthy of being in this tier, and he makes sure to save each and every one should a day come when he’s not able to look anymore.

Speaking of Leona, he thinks it’s impressive you’re able to keep up with all of the tiers you have and do something new every time. He won’t settle for anything less than the highest, and he enjoys the things you do for that tier. You never disappoint. Although pictures and videos are only good fantasy fuel. They can’t compare to the real thing. Perhaps he won’t have to wait any longer to meet you in person when you start doing meet-ups with one lucky subscriber from the highest tier.

Malleus doesn’t know how to work lots of technology, so he probably seeks someone out to show him how it’s done. He doesn’t see any shame in it. This is essentially artwork, is it not? The things you do can be appreciated in a unique, romantic light when you’re Malleus Draconia. Either that, or Lilia buys it. And of course if waka-sama has it, then Sebek must as well. He thinks he’s so much better than Silver because he’s subscribed to the highest tier just like his lord and Lilia, and what is Silver? Nothing! Sebek looks ready to crumble into dust when Silver reveals he’s always been subscribed to you from the very beginning. T_T

Kalim most definitely buys the highest tier! He’s probably your most generous subscriber (sorry, Azul). He’s always ready to send you hefty donations. He’s very sweet about it. Jamil would manage his absurd spending habits, but he’s also quite attracted to the types of things you’re posting for your highest tier, and Kalim’s basically funding it. Those shibari and collar posts reeled him in and have since dug their claws into him. He’s down bad…

Omg and Cater!!! He was probably one of the first out of the twst cast to buy your onlyfans. He’s a very loyal subscriber. <3 Cater gets bragging rights because he’s your mutual on Magicam and sometimes the two of you chat. You might even send him a few photos that can’t be seen on any of your tiers yet… a special privilege for your favorite moot. :)

[zonezyo]

glinda and fiyero, both being for all intents and purposes on the same footing socially, are two sides of the same coin on what happens to those who come from privilege if they choose to forsake their standing in the face of adversity. they come from the same place, they have essentially the same thing to lose, but they end UP losing insanely different things based on the way they choose to live their lives. however, glinda and fiyero have the same thing to lose, but they do NOT have the same thing to gain.*

fiyero is of course actually very smart, no matter how carefree he plays himself, but before elphaba, before the catalyst, he WAS truly content with dancing through life-- he probably would have skated through on his looks and his charm, living a blessed but ultimately unfulfilling, unhappy life, with no real direction. but when given a cause he wakes up and begins to actually want. he wants change, wants elphaba, wants something different than what he's had. though it comes at obvious sacrifice for him, it is natural for him to follow elphaba. there is no personal risk of straying off his path because there is no real path ahead of him anyway. yes, he's captain of the guard, he's engaged to glinda-- but his heart is not truly with them. he has already mentally strayed towards elphaba.

glinda, though, is not like fiyero. she can play herself as charming as she wants to match him and everyone that expects anything from her, but she's at shiz to learn sorcery-- from the moment she's introduced we know that she's dead set on that goal. she WANTS something. she, like elphaba, marvels at the emerald city, imagining her life there one day. so when faced with this fatal decision between choosing what might be good but what is risky, she panics-- it's right there in the lyric!! to grovel in submission to feed her own ambition!! though part of it is certainly her backing into what is safe, she can't let go of her own dream for what would effectively kill every future she ever dreamed of. glinda is WILLING to forfeit her SOCIAL status for elphaba-- it's just that she's smart enough to understand that this is not simply forfeiting social status. this is forfeiting any and all power she ever could have, gain, or use to her/elphaba's advantage.

however: glinda's choice may seem entirely based in self preservation but she's also just as much trying to preserve elphaba's, maybe not safety, but status, because that's what she thinks of as safety. though it's unfair, glinda is right-- maybe not in this instance, but at least in the broad strokes of the song. elphaba HAS hurt her cause forever, she IS having delusions of grandeur, and this is going to make it that much harder for elphaba to ever truly make change regarding animals in oz because as a villain all she can do is drive people away (though ofc this doesn't mean she shouldn't have done what she did). glinda is desperately bargaining-- she knows elphaba cares about the animals, but she doesn't truly understand why, so there is nothing she could have said or done to level with elphaba. glinda ultimately still thinks that change is manageable under the people responsible for cruelty. she's misguided, unaware of the weight of what's happening. it's why she calls it ELPHABA'S cause, not the animals' cause, because she's not really concerned with the greater good at the moment, she's focused on saving her and her best friend. she's smart enough to understand power play, but not aware enough to understand what all that power means, really, at least not in the moment of act 1.

we can speculate what the "good" choice would have been for glinda but the real truth of the show is that the choice she made was the only one she was ever going to, though it might not be just or right or the one she should have.

[demigodsanswer]

hii, would you ever write a blurb about the time Sophia ran away during annabeth’s baby shower in the tattoo au?

i have been obsessed with it

A few things went completely tits up today, so I spent a few hours writing this to calm down.

~

Sophia had tucked herself into the corner of the couch with a cocktail plate of crackers and cheese cubes. Annabeth had never seen her daughter look so bored. She was a real trooper. The baby shower was painfully boring.

"Hey nugget," Annabeth said, sitting down next her her. She combed a finger through Sophia's hair. "How you doing?"

"I'm bored," she mumbled.

"I bet. Baby showers aren't exactly the most exciting place for a kid, huh?" Annabeth said.

Sophia shook her head.

"If you want, you can go read in your room for a while? I'll come get you before we have desert?" Annabeth offered.

This didn't raise Sophia's spirits, but she did slide off the couch and walk to her room without another word.

Annabeth frowned. She spotted Percy in the kitchen chatting with one of his friends.

"--excited about your first baby?" Rachel asked him.

"Oh yeah!" Percy said, before spotting Annabeth walking towards him. "I mean, first baby baby. Second kid."

"You're that close with Annabeth's daughter?" She asked.

Annabeth snuck into Percy's side, as much as she could sneak these days. She was the size of a brownstone.

"He is," Annabeth told her with a smile. "Of course, she's gone off to hide in her room. The party isn't exactly thrilling for an eight-year-old. Could I borrow Percy for a minute?"

"Of course," Rachel said, leaving them alone.

"Sophia is in a mood again," Annabeth told him. "I let her go to her room for now, but we should check on her." This had been happening more and more these days. No matter what they told her about the baby, about their family, no matter what new custody arrangements they worked out with Luke, Sophia had it in her head that she was absolutely being replaced.

It was killing Annabeth, and she was doing everything she could to try and make sure Sophia understood she wasn't. But nothing -- not solo days with Annabeth, family days with Luke, family days with Percy, a new American Girl Doll, nothing -- was getting it through to her.

"Want me to talk to her?" Percy offered.

Annabeth nodded. "Just, make sure she knows that you're still going to be her dad?"

Percy kissed her gently. "Yeah, of course."

~

Sophia made up her mind. She was going to live with her dad. Not with Percy. With Luke. Mommy could have a few days with her, maybe. If she wasn't too busy with the baby. But she'd stay with Daddy now. Where she wouldn't have to deal with babies or being a big sister or any of it.

Her sister was going to be Percy's first baby. That's what everyone kept saying your first baby. Sometimes they even said it to her mom. "No," her mom would always tell them, "Sophia is the first." Sophia is here too.

But she was different. She'd have a different last name than the baby. She'd look different from the baby. Percy probably wouldn't want her to call him Dad anymore now that he had his own kid.

Moving in with Daddy just made the most sense.

She packed her essentials -- her sketch book and markers, the book she was reading, her Kit doll and teddy bear. She had keys to her daddy's apartment in case of emergencies, and that's what this was.

Her mom had shown her how to pop the screen out of the window and how to climb down the fire escape in case she ever needed to leave. And that's what she needed to do. The screen came out easily, but from the outside, she couldn't get it back in. She just left it, and started down.

Her dad only lived two blocks away, and she made it there fast. It was still bright and sunny. Only a few people looked at her twice, and only one woman with a child of her own tried to stop her and ask if she was okay. Sophia just said "Yep!" And started to run to where her daddy lived.

~

Luke had been invited to the baby shower, but he truly had no ambition to go. Even setting aside his complicated past and present with Annabeth, the whole thing was sure to be incredibly dull. He felt bad for Sophia who was trapped there now.

Luke had taken advantage of the free Saturday. He'd invited a man over under the pretense of watching baseball, but the game was background noise now as his hands reached for the man's belt, their lips still together.

And then he heard a key in his front door's lock.

The two jumped apart from each other as Luke stood up. There were only a handful of people in the world who had a key to his place, and they should all be at Annabeth's apartment right now.

Luke opened the door for the mystery guest.

His daughter's arms were around him as soon as the door was pulled open, and she broke down into tiny sobs.

"Sophia?" He asked, glancing in the hallway for Annabeth. "Sorry Mitchell," he said to his guest, "this is my daughter."

"I guess I should go?" he suggested.

"Yeah, I think so," Luke said, trying to convey his disappointment as the man got his stuff and shuffled out past them.

"Sophia," Luke said said again, "how did you get here?"

"I ran away," she confessed.

She was too big to be picked up, or maybe Luke was too old. So he settled for walking her to the couch where he sat her down.

"We need to call your mom, I'm sure she's looking for you," Luke said.

"She probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone," Sophia protested through her tears.

Luke's phone rang.

Annabeth

Luke answered and put him on speaker. "Sophia is here. I was just about to call you."

~

Percy had gone into Sophia's room and found it empty. He didn't immediately panic, until he realized she wasn't in the bathroom, wasn't in his and Annabeth's room, the baby's room, or his and Annabeth's bathroom. She wasn't in the hallway, and she hadn't rejoined the party.

Annabeth hadn't noticed him sneaking around looking for her daughter, but he'd have to confess soon. Sophia was gone. How she'd made it out the front door without anyone --

Percy went back into her room and looked out the window. The screen was on the fire escape, and the ladders had been pulled down.

Percy tried to breath. She's eight. She has no money, no metro-card.

He knew when she'd gone.

Percy stepped back into the party, grabbed Annabeth and pulled her into Sophia's room without any subtly.

"Soph -- Where is she?" Annabeth asked, before Percy could say a word to her.

"She's not in the apartment. I think she went out the fire escape. I'm betting she's at Luke's," Percy said.

Annabeth sat on her daughter's bed, before sinking down to the floor to look under it, as if Sophia had simply been hiding. She hadn't been. Percy checked.

"She's gone?" Annabeth asked, her eyes filling with tears now.

"She can't have gone far --"

"She's alone in New York! Anything could have happened to her!" Annabeth reminded him. Before Percy could say anything else, she took out her phone and called Luke.

~

"Sophia is here, I was just about to call you," Luke said, "I've got you on speaker."

"Sophia," Annabeth's voice started, shaky, "are you okay?"

"No," Sophia said.

Luke winced, knowing what Annabeth meant. "Are you hurt?" Luke asked her. "Did anything happen to you on your way over?"

"No," Sophia confirmed.

"She looks okay," Luke said. "You got very lucky," Luke told Sophia. She just crossed her arms and sunk into the couch.

"Baby girl, what happened?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't want to live with you anymore!" Sophia yelled towards the phone. "I'm going to live with Daddy."

The ambient noise on the other line died, and Luke could tell Annabeth had muted herself, likely to keep Sophia from hearing her cry. Luke crouched next to Sophie, his heart breaking for her and for Annabeth. Especially for Annabeth.

"Sweetheart," Luke started.

"I don't want to be a sister, I want things to be the way they used to be," Sophia said.

"You moving in with me won't make it that way," Luke told her. "Your mother loves you, Sophia."

"She's going to have a baby with Percy, and I won't matter anymore. I want to live here," she told him.

"Sophia, of course you'll still matter." That was Percy's voice. Luke was glad to know Annabeth wasn't alone. He could hear her crying in the background though.

"Everyone keeps saying saying you're having your first baby," Sophia said.

"And we keep telling them they're wrong," Percy said. "You're always going to be your mother's first baby, and you feel like my first baby too. Sophia, we promise, we're not going to forget about you."

Sophia kept crying. "Yes, you will!"

"Sophia," Luke said, taking her hands, "has your mom ever forgotten about you? Has she ever forgotten to pick you up, or left you alone?"

Sophia shook her head.

"Do you think a baby would change that?"

Sophia nodded. Okay, so he really wasn't getting though to her.

"Baby girl, we would never --" That was Annabeth's voice, but Sophia cut her off.

"I don't want to be your first baby, I want to be your only baby! I'm Daddy's only baby, so I'm staying here."

Annabeth's line went mute again.

It was Luke's turn to actually fix things for once in his life.

"Sophia, no you're not," Luke told her. She looked at him, utterly betrayed. "You can stay here tonight if you want, but you can't stay here permanently."

"Why not?" She asked, new tears in her eyes.

"Because I can't take care of you like your mom can. I love you so much Sophia, but you need your mom. I know you might not feel like it right now, but she's the best mom in the world. And no baby could ever make her forget about you," Luke told her.

Sophia was still crying a little.

"Do you want a hug?" Luke offered. Sophia nodded and held her arms open for him. "I love you sweetie, and so does your mom, and so does Percy. Nothing is ever going to change that." After a good hug, Luke asked: "Should I bring you home?"

"Can I stay here until after the party?" Sophia asked.

"Okay," Annabeth said, "okay."

Luke suspected there'd be a longer conversation once Sophia got home. Luke wondered if he'd be involved or not. He'd text Percy and ask.

"You guys enjoy the rest of the shower, I'll bring her home in like an hour?" Luke said.

"Sure, thanks Luke," Percy said. "Love you, peanut."

"Love you. baby," Annabeth said.

"I love you too," Sophia said weakly.

They hung up the phone.

"Do you think I'm in trouble?" Sophia asked.

"I'm sure they're just happy to know you're safe," Luke said, "but you might also be in trouble."

"I really can't live with you?"

"I will always be here for you, if you ever need anything, but you would miss your mom if you stayed here."

"No I wouldn't," she protested.

"Really? You wouldn't miss her if you guys couldn't do Friday girl's nights, or have dance parties? Or if she couldn't do your hair in the morning?"

Sophia cried again. "But what if we don't do that anymore?!"

Luke sat on the couch next to her and held her. "I think you just need to tell your mom that you don't want that to stop. When the baby first gets here, things might need to pause for a little. And if you want to spend extra night's here because the baby is loud, that's okay. But once things settle -- and they will settle -- I'm sure things will feel normal again. And before long, your baby sister will be able to do things with you too. She's going to need you to show her how to sneak out of the apartment," Luke teased.

"What if the baby doesn't like me?" Sophia asked.

"Sometimes siblings don't get along, but I'm sure you'll both love each other," Luke promised.

Sophia nodded and snuggled into his side. After a few minutes of quiet, Luke heard her little voice again. "Do you think I made Mommy mad?"

Luke squeezed her tight. "I think she's probably very upset that you've been so sad and scared about being a big sister," Luke told her, "and she's probably very sad that you don't want to live with her anymore."

"...I still want to live with her," Sophia confessed.

"You should tell her that when you see her," Luke said, "I'm sure it will mean a lot to her to hear that."

Sophia spent the next hour just watching TV with him. He got her to drink some water and stop crying. But after an hour, it was time to take her home.

~

Percy politely ended the party, sending people home a bit early while Annabeth laid down. He'd managed to get her to stop full-blown sobbing by promising that, no, she had never treated Sophia the way her father had treated her. Kids sometimes just have a tough time adjusting to big changes. Thalia was watching over her now, as Percy thanked people for coming.

"Is everything okay?" Sally asked him before leaving. "Where's Sophia?"

Percy said goodbye to a few more guests before telling his mom and sister what happened.

Sally looked at him sympathetically. "They'll both be okay," she promised. "Do you want me to stay?"

"No, that's okay," Percy told her. "Thalia is staying. We don't want to overwhelm Sophia when she gets back."

His mom gave him a big hug, and then Estelle joined in.

"Don't let anything happen to either of my nieces," Estelle warned.

"I won't, I promise," Percy said.

With everyone gone, he tidied up a bit, before checking on Annabeth.

She'd stopped crying, and she'd washed her face so her eyes and cheeks didn't look so red and puffy.

"Want me to stick around?" Thalia asked them both.

Annabeth nodded. "You don't need to, but Sophia's always had an easy time talking to you," Annabeth said.

A few minutes later, Luke knocked.

Percy opened the door, and he looked for Sophia first. Her face was pale and riddled with guilt.

"Hey," Luke said. "Sorry we're a little late, her tummy hurts."

Sophia nodded, but didn't say anything.

"It's okay," Percy promised. "Come in."

"Annabeth?" Luke asked.

"Living room," Percy said, gesturing vaguely as if the apartment was unfamiliar to either of them.

Sophia walked slowly ahead of them.

"Is she okay?" Percy whispered.

"Yeah, she just worked herself up into a stomach ache," Luke whispered back.

It didn't take long to get down the short hallway. But when they got to the end, and Sophia saw her mom waiting for her, she stilled.

Annabeth and her mini-me just looked at each other for a long moment, until Sophia started to cry again.

"Baby, come here," Annabeth said, her arms wide open. Sophia ran to her, and Annabeth scooped her up. Sophia climbed onto the couch next to her, before crawling into Annabeth's lap as if she were a much younger kid. Sophia was careful to navigate around Annabeth's belly, but she still managed to hide her face in Annabeth's shoulder and sob.

Annabeth rocked her daughter gently and spoke softly to her.

"Are you mad at me?" Sophia asked, her little voice almost shouting through her sobs.

"No, sweetie. I was just scared and sad," Annabeth promised. "I didn't know where you were, or if you were safe, or if I'd ever see you again."

"I -- I -- I'm sorry!" Sophia said.

Luke sat on the couch next to them, and Percy sat in his reading chair.

"Breathe, munchkin," Luke said. "You'll cry yourself sick," he warned.

Sophia took a few breaths.

"Can you tell your mom what you told me?" Luke asked as Percy stood to get Sophia a Sprite to help her stomach.

Sophia told them everything uninterrupted, about how she didn't want dance parties or girl's nights to end, and how she knew she'd be different from her sister, and how people kept saying the baby was their first baby.

"Those things won't stop," Annabeth said, wiping some of her tears away. Percy handed her the cup of soda. "They might pause for a bit when the baby is really little, but we'll keep doing them."

"Will I need to share them?" Sophia asked.

Annabeth nodded. "I think so. But we will find new things for you and me to do, just us. I promise." Annabeth was crying too, and Sophia reached up and wiped some of her mom's tears away.

"I still want to live with you and Percy," Sophia said finally.

Percy wanted to ask when he'd become Percy to her again, not Dad. She'd been calling him Dad for over a year, ever since he and Annabeth got engaged. Percy figured he would ask later but --

"You don't call him 'Dad' anymore?" Luke asked. Luke didn't sound happy or smug, just concerned. He looked at Percy, a bit sorry for him.

Sophia shrugged. "He's got his own baby," she mumbled.

"He's still your dad, Sophie," Luke said. Percy could have kissed him. Annabeth looked at him like she might. Thank you, his wife mouthed to him. Luke just rubbed Sophia's back.

"Things really aren't going to change that much," Annabeth said to her. "There will be a new person here, and that might be weird for a bit. But how much did things change when I started dating Percy?"

"Lots," Sophia said, "but it was good stuff."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "That's what having a sister will be like. Lots of changes, but all good stuff. And all the same old good stuff too."

Sophia took a deep breath. "Am I in trouble?" She asked finally.

Annabeth smiled at her. "No, not this time. But if you ever scare us like that again, you will be," she promised.

"Peanut, if you're ever upset about something, or if you want to see your daddy, or you just need a break from us, just tell us," Percy told her. "We're happy to call Luke for you, or give you time to yourself. We just don't want you running away."

"I'm always there for you, Sophie," Luke promised, "but your mom and dad are right, you need to talk to them first."

"No more fire escapes. That's for fires," Annabeth.

"No shit, you went down the fire escape?" Thalia said, speaking up for the first time from where she was standing in the corner.

Sophia smiled at her and nodded.

"You're a trouble maker, kid. You get that from me," Thalia said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I ran away when I was seven, you get it from me," Annabeth told her.

"You ran away?" Sophia asked her.

"Oh yeah. The police found me. I had to go to the police station and wait for my dad," Annabeth said.

Sophia looked extra guilty now, and just said "Oh. I'm glad I didn't have to go to the police station."

"Yeah, me too," Annabeth said, kissing her head. "How's your tummy?"

"A little better," she promised.

"Good. Want to help us open the presents?" Annabeth asked. Sophia nodded.

"Do you want me to hang out for a bit?" Luke asked the two blondes.

"Are we keeping you from anything?" Annabeth asked.

Luke's face told them yes, Sophia had interrupted something, but he just said, "No, no, it's okay."

"Can Daddy and Aunt Thalia stay?" Sophia asked.

"'Course we can, munchkin," Thalia said. "I'll order a pizza."

[maudie-duan]

Summary: In a crowd full of adoring fans, Harry can’t seem to take his eyes off the girl standing front row, who won’t look up from her phone—I mean, why the hell come to a One Direction concert, have one of the best spots in the house, and not look at him, at least once??? What happens when Harry takes it upon himself to get Romee’s attention? Will he be “that” asshole, or is he as charming as he thinks?

Word Count: 768

A/N: I had a little inspiration from @howling-wolf97 

I read their One Shot called “Your Texting!” <— 

I couldn’t stop thinking about how well they nailed Harry on stage, and so this is what my brain came up with—of course, we're getting Harry on stage being Harry, eventually, but different era. 

Warning: Mature, Eventual Smut, Strong Language, Angst.

I thought it was an asshole move to steal the phone of a fan for self-amusement, but maybe that was Harry’s thing—I guess he didn’t physically take the phone from my hand; my friend did—I knew nothing about One Direction except that they were a boy band and that my best friend was obsessed with them. She had been begging me for months to go to this concert. Eventually, I said yes, but let me back up and explain how this all happened and how Harry Styles ended up with my phone.

Let me start by telling you that just to get to the concert, I had to take two different planes. I couldn’t for the life of me find a round trip from Oklahoma to LA. Nothing about the trip had been easy, so I wondered if this would be the fate of everything that was to come. 

Did I mention that there was a twelve-hour layover?? By the time I got to California, I felt dead. All I wanted to do was crawl into my friend's bed and cry—because I should also tell you that sometime during my flight to LA, my boyfriend messaged me and basically said, “I think we should see other people…”

Well, actually, it said this:

This was one of the first things I saw when I landed, so I think you can understand how the concert was the last thing on my mind—Who sends their girlfriend of four years a shitty half-ass breakup—because that was essentially what he was doing, right?—And why would he wait until I left town to tell me this?—It had been less than 24 hours since his dick was inside me—to say I was pissed was an understatement.

I didn’t message him back. I didn’t want this to ruin my trip, and I was so excited to see my friend, who I rarely got to see anymore since she was going to college in California. I wanted to go and not only have a good time with Clara, but I also wanted to celebrate her because it was a big fucking deal to finally get out of Oklahoma like we had always dreamed of doing, and here she was. I was so proud of her and wanted to share these memories with her. 

The concert was the first thing on our list. Clara kept droning on about how her dad “outdid himself” and sarcastically spilling about how her parents’ divorce had finally been working in her favor. 

“I’m just saying, Rome, we’ll be so close that we’ll be able to see them sweat.” Clara gushes. 

I roll my eyes, “Clara, how old are they?” I ask, genuinely curious to see if she should be this excited about a group of “boys.”

Clara grabs her phone, pulling up each of their Instagram profiles. She made a point to over-explain minor details that I’m sure I would have no use for later, but as she went on, I got sucked in:

“So you’re telling me that people—” I start.

“No fans—” Clara corrects me, “They’re not just people. We’re faaaannnns,” she draws out.

“Okay, so “fans” really believe that. Wait—” my eyes search her face, trying to remember each of their names, “Is it Larry?” 

She belts out laughing like it’s the funniest thing I’ve said all night, and I know I’m more amusing than that, but I shrug it off and listen. “No—H-A-R-R-Y,” she over annunciates “And, Louis.”

“So, Harry and Louis are a thing?” I questioned, a little skeptical because she had yet to show me any real evidence, except for a few videos that “maybe” could have been edited.

“Like they’re just fucking behind the scenes?” I ask.

She silently nods, gazing down at her phone, smiling a smile you would give a newborn baby, “Yeah…” she breathes out, “They’re perfect…”

“Wait—wait—wait—” I say, snatching the phone from her hand. “So you’re telling me…that this hot fucking dude…is gay?” 

We’re both staring down at a picture of the guy with longish brown hair covered in tattoos, and I’m having the hardest time accepting that he is even the slightest bit gay—I’m mean, if he is, good for him, but I’m not even a fan, and selfishly I want every odd to be in my favor. 

“I know, he’s hot, right?” She voices, stealing my exact train of thought. She has the same look as before, admiring her beloved “boys.” —and I fall back on the bed, grabbing my phone to re-read Shawn’s message. Thinking of what I’ll say when I finally see his stupid fucking face. 

A/N: This was just for fun. Not sure if I'll continue. If you're interested, I'll definitely start a tag list!! let me know! hope you guys enjoyed!!

[heraldofcrow]

SOTE haters be like: "boohoo it is all FromSLOP's fault that fans are babyfying Marika and making Miquella a villain, had they not written Marika as an actual person with the story instead of a caricature and had they not put Miquella through tragic descent instead of wholesome hopepunk stuff they literally never did, fans would magically stop ignoring obvious canon clues to make a character into what THEY want instead!!! Bad writing!!!" 🤦‍♂️

So, "good writing" is writing characters like bland caricatures that have nothing to do with how real humans and world we live in are? Honestly I have no idea what's going on in people's heads when they blame realistic writing (nobody is BORN evil @ naive idealism doesn't work on humans so you either give up or force people to be friends) for the takes they dislike

There is this thing that happened in the Elden Ring fandom that keeps reminding me of the DS2 backlash, but it’s not gamer rage over mechanics and the physical experience of the game — it’s that newer (?) (probably not) wave of nonsense that is permeating countless other fandoms that people recently blame on “puriteens.”

Basically, those younger people that haven’t had enough experience to see the world beyond black and white, Tik Tok-based morals; where everything has to be moderated and pure enough, progressive enough, GOOD enough to meet some high standard of ethics.

I’m honestly relying on the Soulsborne fandom as partial proof that this issue HAS gotten worse in some ways because of Elden Ring…but I wouldn’t be surprised if it started and flourished in places like the Undertale fandom, where the game itself trying to teach a valuable moral lesson resulted in younger people that played it becoming extremely hostile online towards anyone who dared to take the Genocide route to see the outcome.

People who wanted to see the end of that route were going to learn the lesson of the game. They were MEANT to learn that lesson and find out why it was the morally unsound path to take within the context of the story. There were also people who could take that route every time just to enjoy the tragedy of it or simply because it was more interesting.

That was absolute heresy to the puritan fans who wanted to control other players and condemn them for even thinking of committing that crime against the poor characters. They didn’t want the “lesson to be learned,” because in their minds, who would ever willingly go kill to learn that killing was bad?? Oh no, anyone who would do that is evil already!

(Forget that all of it wasn’t real of course…or that the Genocide route was essentially just a regular video game lmao.)

And even since then, I’ve seen this blossom in so many big fandoms.

“Just because I like doesn’t mean I condone blah blah”

Nobody should have to say that statement ever again.

Nobody should have to rigorously defend the satire of “my mass murderer did nothing wrong.”

And more people should understand that even the worst of the worst!!…the… *gasp* justifiers!! of fictional war criminals are often just viewers swayed by the villain or antihero’s philosophy or reasoning for revenge. Or mayhaps they were charmed by devilish good looks. How could the young ladies do this??? /s

The people screaming “Thanos was right!” or whatever, are usually….90% of the time…not mass murders in real life. Some of them might be assholes or creeps, and sure, you might have to smack them upside the head with “Hey! Your justification of this character within the story is a bad interpretation and rooted in bias or misunderstanding!”

Yeah, that can be a problem. Those people can be troublesome in the heat of fandom drama. But then again…toxic fans of any kind can be this way too. Toxic shippers are often some of the cruelest, most actively harmful members of fandoms, and even then…cases where people start getting murdered en masse is rare, mind you. Lol.

Fiction is not what affects reality in a negative way, it’s people’s IDEAS about fiction that affect reality in a negative way…IF they choose to not be responsible with how they react or behave.

That’s it.

Their interpretations, their takeaways, their decisions on how to engage with it or be inspired by it, all of this CAN be negative, yes.

The Genocide route in Undertale did not inspire anyone to go commit genocide, but it did create a wave of fandom puritanism that caused harm to others. And that’s ironic isn’t it? That shouldn’t be the case, right? A story that intended to share a moral lesson about why harming others is wrong ended up inspiring people to harm others in fandom. How does that make sense?

Well, it doesn’t if you blame the game and story.

It DOES make sense if you observe how people were choosing to interpret it. The story itself does not have to be taken seriously, engaged with, or even acknowledged. It only has as much power as you give it.

FromSoftware being blamed for people CHOOSING to treat Marika like she did nothing wrong or people not seeing the signs of Miquella’s downfall is taking the responsibility away from fans for how they engaged with the story.

Now, having said all this. Bad writing does exist and authors absolutely can mislead an audience. That’s a fair complaint and that’s one case where fiction causing people to react negatively lies partially with the fault of the writer, but it’s a spectrum in that situation as well. As fans, we still have a responsibility to not act like animals or treat each other poorly when bad writing upsets us.

I don’t believe the DLC was badly written. I think Marika’s story was beautiful and Miquella’s downfall was built up to reasonably well while still creating a nice mystery for us. I think FromSoftware is smart in leaving gaps in the story for us to fill, because that leaves us with room to decide what we think happened.

But even if they didn’t. Even if the DLC was objectively just bad…it sucked ass….that still in no way justifies what’s been going on this fandom since it released. That still would not be something to blame for people justifying the Hornsent genocide or getting too heated about interpretations of Miquella.

“Honestly I have no idea what's going on in people's heads when they blame realistic writing (nobody is BORN evil @ naive idealism doesn't work on humans so you either give up or force people to be friends) for the takes they dislike.”

Why do people blame writing at all for the takes they dislike? Why do they blame writing for OTHER people’s views and reactions?

Because of everything I just said. They shift responsibility off of others and themselves and blame it all on the story.

Video games cause violence, kids.

[thewalrusespublicist]

I am wondering if you have read the book on Mal Evans (Living the Beatles Legend), or have any comment on the following: according to the book, Mal lived with Paul in 1967 for a while when Paul didn’t have a housekeeper —and also helped Paul write the song Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts club Band. I have read that John practically lived at Cavendish during that time, which of course could also be true. Mal had the basement. But how would John feel about this - especially the song? It’s not been mentioned anywhere I’m aware of. Maybe he didn’t know, or maybe Mal exaggerated his role. The book also says Paul told Mal he would get royalties and a songwriting credit, which of course didn’t happen. I can provide quotes from the book if you’d like. I’d have to go through to look at footnotes. I will say that my impression of Mal (about halfway through the book) is that he was totally star struck, loved all the perks that came with being with the boys, loved meeting other celebrities, etc. He was eager to be in photos, help with the music, and get any recognition he could.

Hi anon!

I would love some quotes if that's okay as I haven't read the book! I have listened to couple of interviews by the author though so I will try to answer initially based on that.

First on if Mal contributed or not, I think it's plausible. We know that other people did contribute to songs such as Eleanor Rigby and that Paul didn't credit them on that. I cannot for the life of me remember the song or the person involved but there was someone else who offered a few lines for a song when hanging out with Paul, went away thinking they were going to get credited and was disheartened to find that it was still Lennon/McCartney. I recall that incident because it lead to him talking to Paul about it and Paul confirming that the belief in the John/Paul psychic mind link due to extreme closeness was mutual and not just John solo going off his nut lol. I can also see Paul getting carried away with promises to please Mal or caught up in the moment and then not following through as either he forgot, was being inconsiderate or knew that John would go off on one if he credited Mal.

As for John, this is related to another post I'm trying to get round to but if I recall correctly there were quite a lot of people in the house coming and going in 67' including John who I believe essentially lived there for Pepper's writing. If it is true and John found out then it would have gone down terribly lol. According to Yoko, John was jealous of Paul's relationship with Mal as it was. He was also possessive of Paul as a writing partner. John liked to be exclusive with his collaborative partners as his identity came from their fusion and the intimacy from that. In contrast, whilst Paul 'isn't an orgy man', he was happy to have fun on the side as it were, confident that these little dalliances meant nothing to the collaboration and intimacy with his designated writing partner. It was this difference that I believe lead to a lot of problems down the line.

This might be a bit of an off-the-wall suspicion of mine and perhaps some retroactive colouring of Mal's death onto an earlier time period but I suspect that Mal had a tendency toward depression and low self-esteem from early on and was using the Beatles as a means to deal with that by vicariously living through them. I personally also think he may have started a family out of obligation or what he thought he should be doing before realising that that life really wasn't for him and he wanted more than what he initially conceived of or had the confidence to follow through on. Compared to regular life, being with the Beatles was like being at Disney every day, it would be addictive if you were trying to avoid the banality of real life. As part of that, this is only speculation but I think he might have favoured 'his long love' Paul so much (despite Paul occasionally being a shite to him) not just because of Paul's many lovely qualities (save the aforementioned shite blips) but because Paul was the fantasy made flesh: he was beautiful, an incredible musician, the hit with the girls, the songwriting superstar and essentially the prince of London. He was everything Mal wanted to be and I think Mal basked in living that dream through Paul. It makes me sad to think what would have happened if Klein hadn't gotten involved as potentially Mal was one of his biggest casualties.

[theyluvlyss]

𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟...

but when I read it after finishing it, I realized it was too cute not to post, so now, here I am to bless your feed with this short lil' blurb that I love so much.

and I say bless, because I figure, if I love it this much, so will others, maybe🤷🏽‍♀️. Especially my melanated sistas, like, this is quite literally for y'all🩷💋🫵🏽. You're welcome.

𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 <𝟑

《 ♡ 》 imagine (a little bit crack-fic-ish but that's okay)

  ───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 :

nothing much, really. just billy loving you so much, and he thinks you're cute and all��.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 :

fem!black-codedasf!reader x loveydovey!billy batson

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞 :

post shazam!: fury of the gods

𝐓𝐖/𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 :

(joking/exaggerative) mentions of suffocating - light cursing, I think? I didn't check lol - that's about it fr, like, this is super duper lovey dovey huggy wuggy kissy wissy wishy washy🥰😻💋💞 - billy being literally obsessed with you (as he should, love a women worshipping king😻) - that's it, I'm pretty sure lol.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

  ───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

You laid content as you scrolled through the contents of your open TikTok app, savoring in the warmth Billy's body generated while lying comfortably beside you. Hell - he was practically smushed up against you, with no real need to be given it was a plenty sizeable bed you shared, other than the fact that he just couldn't stand to be sharing the same mattress and not be cuddling into you.

Of course, you didn't mind this one bit. As previously mentioned, the Batson boy generated heat at a rate you couldn't be anymore grateful for, yourself always freezing to the touch for seemingly no reason. Plus, you found it endearing how close he constantly wanted to be. As though he were a clingy kitten, seemingly always depraved of your love and affection. And, thankfully, you had plenty of it to go around.

Especially seeing as some of your love went towards memes and all sorts of other funny videos on the internet. Like this next one you giggled at. It held no true meaning, simply a combination of the most recently trending things, all too niche for any newcomer to understand. But you did, being an "chronically online" teenage girl coming with its apparent perks as you let more giggles escape through your grinning teeth.

But, as per the norm, they never remained just quiet giggles. They soon escalated into something further, a fit that could no longer be contained no matter how hard you tried. Plus, with the video looping itself over and over again, you never had the chance to give yourself a break to breathe. You couldn't look away, god, it was just too funny…!

Soon, you were inevitably trying your damndest not to let out obnoxious cackles. You'd feel awful for waking your boyfriend over something as trivial as laughing too loud. But unfortunately, it proved too late for that, the stuttering of your chest being all it took before he was stirring and suddenly-

"So- S… sssss…"

In a horrid attempt at an apology, you ended up mimicking the sound of a snake, eventually pushing out the word "sorry" before exploding into more laughter. At first, Billy was not amused, staring at you through sleepy, low-lidded eyes and with a pout that you'd normally just kiss away if you weren't so busy acting like a loon.

"Why are you even still up…" He barely questioned, his voice a deep rasp as a result of his previous heavy slumber. As if you weren't already a mess, you felt a feather in your chest and stomach at the sound of his sleepy voice. It tickled you, and the video was still playing, and good lord, there was no way you were laughing this hard at what was essentially nonsense.

But you were! And it was so… so… so...

"I-...I-..."

Poor thing, you thought you were going to suffocate, blowing up into another round of giggles. Your eyes were growing misty, and you were fighting so hard to replace your laughter with air, oxygen into your lungs. You couldn't do it, and it occurred to you that you probably looked insane right now with your eyes screwed shut (leaking salty water, at that) and your mouth hanging open with no sound coming out...

You laughed harder at the mental image, if possible.

"(Y/N), dude…" Billy spoke, his tone flat and his stare hard. You couldn't take it, shoving your face into the nearest pillow as you kicked your legs and shook around in silent laughter. You were actually physically fighting to stop and were losing! You were losing badly, stretching out your hand for any source of grounding.

"Will you chill out, oh my god." Billy, once again, hardly asked. But this time, it was through his own curt chuckle, slowly growing entertained by his girlfriend's silliness before loosely allowing his hand to fall into your own. You grabbed it, and finally, you could breathe again. A smile remained stuck on his face. A tired one, of course, but one could also argue that it was in love sickness. He watched your chest heave up and down, waiting until you removed the pillow from your face.

And when you did, he almost wanted to argue that you could, in fact, blush. Because your face was most definitely, visibly a deepened shade right now as you wiped the tears and massaged your sore cheeks. But he'd leave it alone, for now.

"I'm sorry." You spoke plainly after a moment of silence, gathering yourself. "That was deadass just the funniest shit I've ever seen, I don't know what's wrong with me."

Billy's smile grew, staring down at you while laying on his side, listening to your cheery-filled voice explain what on earth was so funny about this video that you nearly asphyxiated yourself cackling at. You laid against the bicep of his arm, curls tickling his skin because you'd more than likely forgotten to put a bonnet on for the evening.

He wouldn't remind you, though. Just for tonight, because he liked the tickle-feeling and the way they framed your face and expanded gorgeously around your head. Like a powerful mane or maybe a halo. He traced the detail in the browns of your eyes and had to stop himself from running a thumb over your brows. And just from the previous events alone, he was sure you had licked away all of your chapstick and gloss, staring at your lips before meeting your eyes once again upon listening to the cadence in your voice dip into a questioning tone.

"Did you see?" You asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, babe."

Hardly a hum, yet full of adoration. Not that it mattered, because almost as fast as it was put there, your laughing expression had morphed into a playful one of disbelief. An added click of the tongue for full affect.

"Mncht. No, you didn't; you're not even looking…"

There was about a four second pause, Billy finally giving into the urge to run his thumb over your brow, tracing it down your cheek… prodding at the dimple that may/could reside there before running it as lightly as a feather over your lips. You paid no mind one way or the other to his actions, used to them by this point in time. Used to being cherished and observed with such worship and grace, even though it still made you slip into a mild hot flash.

"You're so cute."

Your eyes gazed up into his green ones, finally giving him your attention at such a sudden yet fond statement. At first, you almost let the words, "I know." slip. But then, you figured you might as well just say thank you and urge him back to bed. After all, you had never meant to wake him in the first place, and the guilt of that was finally starting to set in.

And yet…

"You think I'm cute?"

Billy, if he didn't know any better, allowed his heart to melt right there. Your eyes were big and expecting, curious about his thoughts even though he had just let them loose. And your tone full of hope, as if he'd never told you such a thing before. That might as well be blasphemy for him, seeing as he made it appoint to remind you of the way you had basically consumed his thoughts every single day.

And he'd continue to do so over and over and over again until you got it through your head that he was one-hundred percent serious. That he meant it with all of his heart.

"Think." He repeated the word you had murmured with a tone of hilarity. "I know you're cute, I'm lookin' right at you~."

He spoke with a shameless flirt in his drowsy tone, watching as you smiled to yourself. This time, you had no wit to banter up or a cheeky way of saying "I know" to him. All you had was your giddiness, only to then offer up the purse of your lips innocently until Billy got the hint.

"Gimmie kiss~…" He spoke, even though he was the one to deliver such upon your lips. But it didn't really matter because a few pecks later, you were drunk off of them and selfishly demanding more until he had literally kissed you to sleep.

"...Cute."

𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰🥲.

i've got to stop letting my own words hurt me like this lmaoo😭. I hope y'all enjoyed ! more on the way soon✨️🤞🏽.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 :

myself <3

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐦 𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 :

none :(

[hostess-of-horror]

Count Galak x Victim!Reader Headcanons

💕⚰️🪲A Late Valentine's Day Special!👑🍬💕

Note: Okay, so, this one I just had to do and it is gonna be late by the time I post this, but whatever! I was chatting with my buddy @sneklover earlier ago and she inspired me to make a very self-indulgent Vampire!King Candy post. This is going to be based off of my Turboratu: An Arcade Game of Horror AU and you, my lovely reader, will be His Chosen One...

@sneklover @tiramegtoons/@sliceoflifesalami @starleska @snailstrailz @starryside-1 @depressedasswarlock @crispytubes @pippengin @simpingforcys @blackthewolf17 and anyone else who wants to read this!

Content Includes: Gender Neutral Reader, Slight Suggestiveness but SFW in general (this is a vampire AU, so lots of blood-drinking and hicki- I mean, biting), themes of death, some gore, spoilers for Nosferatu (the films from 1922, 1979, and 2024) and for Wreck-It-Ralph

Fun Facts about this AU:

The name "Galak" is actually the name of a real white chocolate candy bar that was released in the UK and Switzerland! I tried to find a German candy to name Vampire!King Candy after but this was the closest thing to "Count Orlok" I could find.

The victim in this AU is supposed to be an OC named Helena (a.k.a. Ellen Hutter); the reader will not be named after her, however they will be based on her!

The entire plot is essentially the original plot of Nosferatu but with Wreck-It-Ralph characters - honestly, this is nothing more than a silly little crossover for funsies, so if you want to do any fan art or fanfiction based on it, go right ahead!

The whole thing started with this little venn diagram here:

As usual, click on the name/title for a love song!

Count Galak, the Turboratu

You had the premonition since your beloved Felix left for his journey.

For years, you had been haunted by visions of a dark specter, a shadow engulfing all life and light until everything becomes nothing.

Nothing but a desolate land of death where you and that very specter live happily together...

You tried to tell Felix not to go, but such an opportunity was much too important for him not to take it.

It would bring prosperity to you both, yes, but why must he go away so soon?

Nevertheless, you supported him, giving him a token of love for his travels, and watched in abject despair as he left.

But of course, you were not completely alone; Felix's companions, Ralph and Vanellope, were to watch over you while he was away.

He knew of your... melancholy and he would die at the thought of you succumbing into horrible heartache.

You loved him, you really did, and he you.

But even the purest form of love between newlyweds wasn't enough to stave off the nightmares.

Ralph and Vanellope, bless their hearts, they did what they could to cheer you up.

Walks along the Game Central Station, trips to Tapper's, even a race or two, but all in vain.

You could not shake the feeling of doom approaching the Arcade. Some infestation breaking loose.

And sure enough, you were right. And by all that is good, you wished you were wrong.

As the weeks went by, Felix was nowhere to be found, and slowly the world became... sicker.

A plague had taken hold on one of the ships, owned by the prestigious Captain Calhoun, and through this vessel, it laid siege upon the other games.

Cybugs. Carriers of death, consumers of life.

They crawled from the depths of whatever hellish pit they came from and ate their way into everyone's life.

Many fell, leaving helpless souls to be gameless, or worse unplugged.

As this plague began to rise, your darling husband came back.

Felix was beyond frightened - he had seen a monster far more horrible than anything he could ever comprehend.

He was paler, visibly shaken, and upon his neck were two small hole-like wounds that hadn't healed since they were first made.

During his recovery, he warned everyone of this man, this demon, the power he held, and worst of all, he was coming for you!

While Felix, Ralph, Vanellope, and Captain Calhoun, made their plans to fight the source of the plague, you were told to stay put.

From Felix's journey, he had acquired a small book on fearsome creatures of the night, given to him by one of the locals from the game he visited.

"When the sun has set and the moon rises over the sleeping land, from the grave rises the Turboratu - the Prince of Cybugs, Lord of the Night - to drain the coding of his victims. Immortal as he is, the only thing that can end this evil beast is for an uncorrupted game character to offer themselves in willing sacrifice. Thus his hunger shall distract him long enough until Litwik's Arcade opens."

Reading those words was enough to ignite that spark of courage in your heart.

You waited until nighttime, when at that moment you feigned a terrible fainting spell so that Felix could leave you alone as he rushed out to find a doctor.

You knew the Count was living right across from your game, as you've heard from Felix's accounts, and you made sure to gain his attention.

And sure enough, he was watching you from its entrance. Unblinkingly.

There were no words between you two; you didn't need to say anything to him.

You had opened a window of opportunity for him, and the Turboratu gladly accepted the invitation.

As you lie in your bed, dressed in white and surrounded by lilacs, Count Galak's shadow loomed from the curtains into your bedroom.

It reached to grasp its claws onto your bosom, your beating heart, your tender throat, your code.

His power and the indescribable, horrible pleasure it came with overwhelmed you in ways your husband, your darling Fix-It-Felix, could never.

Soon, you were staring into the eyes of your dark specter. You were his affliction. You were his destiny as he was yours.

Count Galak appeared before you in his truest form - a terrifying abomination between himself and the physical attributes of a Cybug.

And in this form did he prey upon you, as gently as he could, and began to drink from your bare neck.

The monster's teeth sunk into your flesh as his talons softly caressed your figure and hair.

For so long, you had to repress your melancholy for the betterment of everyone around you.

You knew deep down it caused a constant sense of burden, even to those you loved so dearly.

But not to him. Not to the Turboratu.

He savored every moment, every pain, every swallow of lifeblood, every lick of his lips was ecstasy.

He had been craving you for a long time.

Soon, your mind began to drown into a numbing sensation as your weakened eyes began to see the glint of dawn's light.

You sigh your last breath.

This was the moment that you, his corpse bride, and he, your dark specter, would die as lovers in your wedding bed.

And the Arcade is finally saved.

[sanjisluvbot]

Spending time with Yandere Strawhats x Black Fem reader

AN: Hello and welcome new readers, this is slightly a part three to my Isekai series and as I publish this I am thinking about creating separate fics for each of the characters below. If you want to be on a tag list I’ll add you 🫶🏽🫵🏽

MINI SPOILERS BTW

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Luffy was the main source of light for your adventure. You hung out with him mostly in the middle of the day when the sun was at its peak. Other times it’s at the end of the day just before Sanji calls you in for the last meal. Those are your favorites, words don’t need to be spoken when you and Luffy are sitting on the head of the Sunny. At least not the words either of you want to hear at the moment. So you both sit in silence enjoying the false sense of bliss.

Luffy sits next to you in all meals, since you’re the favorite, he wouldn’t dare steal food from you.. most of the time of course. The first mate will always be to the other side of you as well neither taking their gaze off of you as if you were nothing but prey.

When you’re all on islands only few are assigned to take care of you and watch you. Nami, Robin, Zoro, Sanji and Jimbei, the rest couldn’t be trusted to not fall for you in their naivety.

When you were able to go adventure with Luffy you had more of a chance to escape when he was distracted by surroundings. However that didn’t last long, it was as if he had eyes on the back of his head. He would know exactly where you were hiding no matter what.

You got better at hiding behind a fake smile the more you hung out with Luffy. It was never a pretty sight with any of the crew when you angered them by mentioning your “ home”

Luffy would usually ignore you when you’d talk about home, he didn’t care about the past he just wanted to enjoy the present with all his friends. But those times you got under his skin he made your life a living hell.

Zoro wasn’t one to really welcome most with open arms especially with the way you ended up with the crew.

Zoro was one who put you in edge the most because even having one eye shut the man’s gaze makes one fully understand that if he wanted to he would end your life.

However that barley lasted a full week, after he found out you both had a love for drinking he made it a mission to get under your skin in the best ways he could. Always checking up on you, rescuing you when you’re in danger, wanting to play drinking games after dinner, and napping on the deck with him on warm days.

On new islands you would go pair off with Zoro, in order to fall into the shadows and disappear from the strawhat crew forever. However, Zoro was resilient, he always held your hand and never took that menacing eye away for more than a second.

You’ve tried to reason with him once when you both were drunk off your asses in the aquarium. “ I want to ask you something.. Zoro” with a heavy sigh he turned to face you from his spot on the floor. “ Why do you like to bother me when we are like this? You’re gonna ruin a good time”

His gaze was so intense making you gulp and turn away while his eye burned into your skull. It’s very unfortunate that this man is so attractive. “ I know it’s a lot to ask but-” “ Then don’t ask me I don’t have an answer to satisfy you y/n” you could tell when he was really inebriated, his hard exterior was down and he spoke to you with such a soft voice.

You and Nami spent most of your time together in her office. You liked to write and paint and she had tons of paper and ink.

Tanning on the Sunny was an essential it felt like you had a real girlfriend, you did your spa days together and talked about anything to come to mind. Sharing baths always made you blush since she would take the time to pamper you and scrub your scalp when it was wash day.

Nami had always been a great actor, that’s how she was able to survive those many years alone and ostracized from her family and friends. Bringing up home around her means waterworks.

It also means being punished by the whole crew because she told everyone you were thinking of an escape.

She loved taking you shopping, you were her little doll she wanted to dress up and take care of. She didn’t want to loose anyone else close to her which is exactly why she would go as far as getting you punished for a few days in order to make sure you can stay with her forever.

Ussop was the one you could relate to the most. You both were very similar in terms of being considered the weakest onboard and among other things.

Spending time with Ussop meant sometimes spending time with Chopper and Luffy playing games and pranks on crew members.

You learned about his garden and eventually started helping him take care of that. He spoke in depth about what he learned over the last two years and how his new seeds worked.

He turned you into a little inventor, bringing you under his wing and you were willing to learn anything and everything. You almost felt bad knowing the real reason you wanted to learn from him.

Sanji was enamored with you to the fullest extent. He is usually head over heels for anything that walks his way with boobs but you, you sparked something in him.

Spending time with Sanji meant you didn’t have to lift a finger because he waited on you hand and foot.

Sanji loved to have you perched on his side when he was cooking so you can taste everything and stroke his ego. He was such a charmer and you both got along so well since it was obvious you both had a soft spot for one another.

One islands like water seven you would pair off with him and go and explore the city and help him buy groceries. This is one of the main reasons out of all the Yandere Strawhats Sanji is the most obsessed. To him, those times were dates and godforbid something happened to you or you decided to leave him he would spiral.

When you used to talk about going home or one of the other crew members would tell him about things you been doing ( escape attempts ) he would get so angry his eyebrow going from left to right. This would cause Zoro and him to fight more often due to him wanting to take his anger out on anything.

Robin was the main one to keep you on your toes. Her eyes always let you know when to stop talking.

Spending time with Robin meant you were able to read a variety of books and inhaling knowledge just as she does. When you looked at books that resembles your situation she was always over your shoulder or had an eye pop up somewhere on your body.

“ Interesting book there y/n would you let me read it when your done?” Her smile never fully reached her eyes on most occasions which always left you drenched in a cold sweat because you knew.

You knew that escaping with someone like Robin on the crew was more than difficult, but you pushed that past you when you hung out. Sanji would bring tea and treats to the library and there would be soft music playing in the background.

Robin was serenity when you ignored the silent threats.

Spending time with the whole crew was usually meal times or when you had important business on an island.

Everyone bounced off each others conversations they truly stuck together like glue which is the main reason you’ve been with them so long.

No matter what the conversations always gravitated towards you. Each sharing their stories of time you spent together or future plans they had with you. Some of which you hadn’t even agreed to ( yet ).

It is hard to escape from a crew that you already ran away from once, they’d be damned if they let it happen twice.

[azureflight]

Oshi no Ko's ending is unironically indefensible

Yes, I said indefensible. And I am going to prove it.

There are essentially two angles with which some people are trying to justify this ending, and neither of these work. The first one is this:

"This is a heroic sacrifice. Aqua has to die to protect Ruby. It's so sad and noble. Not every story has to have a happy ending you know?"

Why doesn't this work? Because Aqua doesn't have to die. There are a million and one ways to get rid off Hikaru and protect Ruby, that doesn't require Aqua to die. What's worse is that Aqua himself knows this. This isn't some hidden knowledge only revealed to the audience but kept from the character himself.

He has two willing and capable accomplices in Akane and Ichigo. He knows that they are. These two have worked with him in various different times, cooperated to protect Ruby, and have multiple times affirmed their desire to kill Hikaru/help Aqua/protect Hoshino twins. Akane has done so as early as their fake relationship days and Aqua knows, for a fact, that she means business. He know he can rely on them, and he knows they want to help.

And imagining a workable plan/conspiracy without killing Aqua, is not hard, not even for the average audience. People get away with murder all the time in real life. Only 50% of murders in the US are solved, and Japan itself is notorious for recording everything as "suicide" unless they catch the killer standing next to the corpse with bloody hands. And there is nothing in Oshi no Ko setting to imply a more cut-throat law enforcement or a more rigorous investigative prosecution.

Officials never bothered to dig deeper into Ai's murder. They went with "oh this crazed fan murdered her because she had kids, and then killed himself, case closed." They never bothered to figure out how in the hell did that guy figure out her address, or whether he had any accomplices or not.

People didn't even know Gorou was killed. There wasn't even a real missing person's case about him. This 30 something doctor disappeared without any warnings and everyone went "oh well, that happens." If it wasn't for the crow goddess intentionally leading Ruby and Akane to the corpse, no one would ever find out about it. And of course, they had zero leads. They will only ever solve it, if they can, because of Niino's confession. Guess who trapped Niino and got that confession our of her? Spoiler alert: Not the police.

Indeed, Aqua's own suicidal plan rests on the assumption that police will look at only the most superficial of evidence and go for the simplest answer.

They could have killed Hikaru, bury his body in a ditch and make it look like he skipped town after Niino got caught and started singing. Combined with increased public scrutiny due to the movie, it would be an extremely easy sell and the simplest answer to reach for. This is just one plan those 3 could have gone with. Spare a moment, and I am sure you all can come up with plenty more workable plans.

So what happens if Aqua's sacrifice is actually completely unnecessary? Well, then his death becomes meaningless, pointless suicide. He had a million options, and instead he chose to kill himself because???? Because he would rather die than spend another moment listening to Akane? He really dislikes talking to Ichigo he would rather die? The prospect of dating Arima Kana was so repulsive he wanted to just end it here?

Dumb, and meaningless. Not a heroic sacrifice, but a worthless suicide, by a moron.

The second excuse, tries to rationalize the suicide angle. It goes like this:

"Aqua was a depressed, suicidal guy, and in the end he fell victim to his demons. He just couldn't heal. It's a terrible tragedy. Not every story has to have a happy ending you know?"

Why doesn't this one work? Because at this stage in the story, Aqua isn't actually depressed or suicidal. You read that one correct. I am not saying he shouldn't be, I am saying he isn't.

We had our suicidal, depressed Gorou/Aqua. We had him since the start. But the story developed him towards healing. First we saw that Aqua can actually be freed from his guilt and be happy, during the time he though his father was already dead. He was unburdened and free, happy to continue his life instead of being without purpose and feeling an even deeper void.

And later, deep in the movie arc where he was all but hellbent on self-destructing to take down Hikaru, he was once again pulled from the brink, truly this time. Ruby-Sarina reveal was the start of it. That gave him a sense of duty to survive.

Afterwards we have seen that the personification of his guilt, self-loathing and lack of self-worth, the shadowy apparition of Gorou, turned into a normal guy. A chill, a bit jokey, supportive guy even. He has forgiven, not only himself, but the very target of his vengeance. He wasn't merely thinking or trying, he had actively forgiven Hikaru and put it all behind.

We have him enjoy a regular day with Ruby, go on a date with Kana, and repeatedly express desires about the future including education and career. Indeed, even as he is pulling the knife committing to his plan, he shares his hopes for his own future, his desire to live, all the things he wants to do and experience. Aqua who stabbed himself and jumped off with Hikaru, was not a suicidal depressed dude.

Indeed, the story is trying to frame this as heroic sacrifice, not mindless depression fueled suicide. And I have already explained why that angle doesn't work neither.

So the only two potential ways that this ending could have worked, were botched. The heroic sacrifice doesn't work, because it is unnecessary. Depressed guys kills himself doesn't work, because he is not like that anymore.

Could the story make either of these two endings work? Sure.

You want a "heroic sacrifice"? Than do a real heroic sacrifice. Make Aqua die fighting off some guy who was attacking Ruby. Make him stand on the way of a knife or jump in front of an incoming bullet targeting her. Whatever you do, just make it so him dying is actually a consequence or necessity of her survival, and not some needless, mindless suicide.

You want a "depressed suicidal guy cannot heal and succumbs to his mental illness" story? Then remove the parts showing his recovery. Show that ghastly shadow continues to haunt him and taunt him. Show that he has no real plans for the future. Show that he avoids contact with people and pursues no joys, only the "mission". Don't have an entire chapter where he talks about how much he wants to live and how much he has to live for from his own mouth.

But truly, nothing exposes a botched ending, as well as putting it side by side with a successful one. And bittersweet, tragic, sad, dark, bleak endings, are neither rare, nor impossible to pull off. Indeed, there are a plenty, and the only polite reason I can think of why anyone would defend Oshi no Ko's ending, is that they are young and have not yet been exposed to the giant canon of anime, manga movies, games, tv shows and books out there that do it right. So I am now going to give bunch of successful examples and yes, to simply share them is to spoil their ending, but it is no issue. Their watch value is not reduced by knowing. Indeed, if you go in armed with the knowledge of the kind of ending that awaits you, you might pay greater attention to how its built up. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something.

SPOILERS FOR VARIOUS MOVIES AND A TTRPG ACROSS DECADES

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Do you want a story where a man tries to fight off against a corrupt system or a terrible conspiracy, but all of his efforts are in vain and it all ends horribly?

The Parallax View (1974), Blow Out (1981)

Do you want a story where the bad guy wins, there is no resolution for anyone, and all the struggles of the hero is for nothing in the end?

No Country for Old Men (2007), Chinatown (1974)

Do you want a story where people with self-destructive habits cannot let go of their ways, cannot heal, cannot rise above their failings and then meet tragic ends?

Requiem for a Dream (2000), Uncut Gems (2019)

Do you want a story that acts like it will follow the typical mystery/investigation thriller formula, only to reveal in the end that the usual and expected win and vindication for the hero will be no where to be found?

Seven (1995), Arlington Road (1999)

Do you want a story, that has a mostly comedic setup and tone, but slowly builds tension in the background before it all comes crashing down in the complete tragedy for everyone in the final act?

Parasite (2019)

Do you want a story where a morally compromised, emotionally damaged anti-hero tries to protect a child, whose naive crush he cannot reciprocate?

Léon: The Professional (1994)

Do you want a story where the hero intentionally gets himself killed by the bad guy, because that's the only true way he can defeat the villains and protect the innocents?

Gran Torino (2008)

Do you want a story with a pair of twins who share a strong and loving sibling bond, have a dead mother, a shit father, a vengeance to seek? One that has a bittersweet ending, complete with a beautiful romance cut tragically short?

Critical Role Campaign 1: Vox Machina (2015-2017)

[aleksanderscult]

Why do you hate Mal?

(TW!: verbal abuse! slut shaming! alcoholism!)

Well, long story short, he's a huge dick.

I could write three long metas about his toxicity and why I dislike him but I don't want to tire my fingers for him. 😑

Maybe because of his slut-shaming behaviour?

Oh and what is this? Ah yes, Mal being angry that Alina found happiness away from him:

I'm so sorry Mal that Alina wasn't tortured so you could feel okay. I'm so sorry that she didn't feel insecure enough to run back in your arms, needing you and depending on you like you always wanted for her.

You know, that's the thing with Mal. He did nothing to Alina.

Not when his "friend" was mocking her appearance (and yes this is serious for me because I too have a very thin body and people from my own family have mocked me for it. So it's no joke).

Not when she was apparently sad that he fucked around girls knowing that she knew.

He did literally nothing until Alina wanted to fuck the Darkling and showed interest for him.

(slut shaming her even here)

From then on he ✨magically✨ noticed her out of nowhere and he said that "now I see you".

BULLSHIT!!

According to Mal, it's okay if he fucks girls every other night but it's not okay when Alina wants to do it with a man that....I don't know. Supported her power and abilities maybe?

And he seems constantly so concerned that she has fucked him that he apparently doesn't care if she's truly okay.

What a normal person would say to Alina: "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I'm sorry you had to go through this."

What Mal said to Alina: "FUCK TORTURE! DID HE FUCK YOU BY ANY CHANCE?!?!"

He's so unserious FR

That's his only concern. If Alina likes or fucked the Darkling (sometimes I wish she had done the latter just so I could see Mal's face after it).

Also! He's an extraordinary bad influence for Alina and her confidence! 😍

A few minutes ago, Alina decided to return to the Little Palace to lead. To do the right thing and stand in this war.

And now we have Mal threaten her: "If you go, I might not follow!!"

And that shattered Alina's confidence. Now she feels ashamed ("maybe he doesn't want me", "maybe he'll leave me") and after that passage when Mal exits the tent, Alina starts thinking "What am I doing? I'm no soldier, or Saint. How will I make it?"

Mal is an influence that constantly wears her down emotionally by making her doubt herself, making her have guilts and making her thoughts come back to him constantly ('cause he's always "What about me?? Think of me!! Look at how shit I feel!!").

Again, he makes the whole matter revolve around him.

There is a civil war ongoing and Mal is like "Okay, but what about me, Alina??!!?!"

LIKE BRO NOBODY GIVES TWO SHITS ABOUT YOU!! THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING HERE!!

And another toxic trait of his. Apparently, if a woman says "no" to him, it's unacceptable:

(The first passage is when Mal tried to kiss her but Alina saw the Darkling behind his back and the second one is when Alina saw Mal kissing Zoya, btw)

He gets angry for the fact that Alina withdrew from his attempted kiss. And apparently he "knows what that means" because every girl he had ever kissed was willing to him.

I'm sorry, Mal, for the fact that a girl changed her mind at the last minute.

If a girl changes her mind, then you must respect that. Not shout at her. NO MEANS NO, MAL.

Mal is that type of guy that throws you in bed, you kiss him and all, and at the last minute when you change your mind and don't want to go for it (for whatever reason the girl might have of course) he gets angry and says "BUT YOU SAID "YES" TWO MINUTES AGO!!!"

He gives me the ick for real, guys.

And, of course, his fury for Alina's power and status. Because, since she gained them, she's no longer depended on him.

Yes, people. Mal wanted to take out a piece of her soul essentially, so he could have her! Romantic!! 🤩🤩

Also, the fact that he was constantly looking like shit in S&S because he was drunk every night is also selfish of him. Mal was Alina's personal guard and protector. One of her three closest ones. By doing this, by having this behaviour, he gives a VERY bad image to Alina.

Imagine what the nobles would think if they saw him this way. The power of image is everything. Nikolai knew it. The Darkling knew it. Even Alina came to know it. By having one of your protectors drinking heavily all night, get into fights and look like shit makes Alina feel embarrassed for the image she gives to the other people. And she was actually in a very delicate position at that time, because she had to gain the trust of the King, his counselors and nobles. Mal should know better than embarrassing her.

Imagine if you were in a high position for the first time in your life, trying to make an impression so everything could go alright and, in the meanwhile, your guardian walks around drunk.

This is not good. In today's world, they fire such people from their work.

And all these bullshit from him in R&R saying "I told stories of you from your childhood so they could see the real Alina" is also bullshit. Bitch, if you wanted to do something good, look respectable for the part. If you want to cry and drink kvas 24/7 then resign, lock yourself up and do it. Don't embarrass your boss.

Also, Bardugo had said that after S&S she received a lot of negative comments about Mal's character. So it's no wonder she made him suddenly all "good" in R&R. She wanted to give reasons to the readers to like him and support his eventual marriage with Alina.

Anyways, I know people will say that the Darkling was no better but, guys...

This is not a competition. Of who is better or worse.

And just like another person had once said in this fandom "The Darkling represents a fairytale character while Mal reminds you of every jerk you've met in your life"

And it's a perfect quote to describe them.

The Darkling is the type of guy we all fall in love in fiction. A fantastical character that does bad deeds but still you swoon over.

While Mal is that asshole you met in high school treating you like shit. That boy you were seeing in corridors flirting with every girl he saw and being a fuckboy. That relationship you had that undermined your value.

Mal is a character that hits very close at home for the readers (with his actions and personality).

This post about him and M*lina explains my thoughts perfectly.

Go read it when you can, guys. It's an incredible mini meta.

[crystillyzed]

safe and sound // sonny brisko

pairing: yandere!sonny x gn!reader

summary:

no matter where where you go, he's always watching you.

HEAVY warning(s): dark content, yandere sonny, stalking, manipulation (emotional abuse), guilt tripping, victim blaming, SUPER toxic relationship

disclaimer: i do NOT approve any of the characters’ actions and behavior in real life! if you are in a situation exhibiting this type of behavior, please consider receiving help! and all vtuber related work is not for the streamer behind the avatar, but for the character themselves!

a/n: i saw this clip the other day and now i gotta write it 🤭 also PLEASE read the warnings! by clicking/tapping on the read more, you are willing to read dark content/yandere content that may potentially trigger you.

"Ah, there you are, darling! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Sonny?!" Shit. How did he find you? He always put some sort of tracking device on you, even on your clothes when you're sleeping. You were pretty sure you destroyed any sort of wiretap and camera, and you're sure you left everything behind. No phone, no electronics, nothing! So how the hell?

"Oh? You look surprised. Did I scare you?"

"No! No, it's just... um..."

Shit. How can you get out of this?

He chuckles deeply behind his mask. "Didn't I tell you?" Step by step, the black capped blonde approaches you slowly, essentially forcing you to back yourself to the brick wall. "I'm always watching."

Taking out his phone from his pocket, the device lights up as he holds the screen towards your face. Your eyes widen in shock as he shows you security footage from surrounding buildings not too long ago. Footage of your whereabouts outside of stores and in the streets.

“You’ve been following me?”

"Of course! I'm not that cruel. I only love you, that's all. What's so hard about that?" He lowers his mask to hang beneath his chin. Sonny's eyes darken as his head cocks ever so slightly to the side. "Unless you don't love me...?"

"It's fine. I don't need your protection. No one was following me, I'll be fine, okay?!" You glance at the exit for a split second then quickly refocus your gaze onto Sonny. "You said you love me, right? So give me some space. Like, just a day of space. Away from home! And… And I'll be back, okay?"

"Oh darling, you know that it's dangerous out here! I'm one of the top officers, aren't I? And that means there's lots of scary evil people chasing after me." He leans closer to you, breath practically tickling the shell of your ear. "And that means that they're coming after you."

"It's fine!" Immediately, you shove him back with as much force as possible. You slide out from his space in the process, sidestepping your way out into the open space of the alleyway as subtle as possible. "I can just, call for a cab and stay at a friend's place until then. Yeah! I'll be fine! I'll be safe with a friend! Listen, I just -- I just need some space for myself. Okay?"

"A friend? You're not talking about Alban, are you?"

Shit.

Upon seeing your face, an eyebrow raised in amusement. Sonny laughs once more, soon taking off his hat to brush back his hair. With the cap in his hand, he takes a few steps towards you as he tucks his phone back into his pocket.

"Oh? You didn't know? He left."

You freeze.

"Alban's been trying to get a hold of you for such a long time, but you never replied. So he thought you didn't want to talk to him anymore and naturally... He left."

"What? I've -- I've never heard about this! He stopped texting me after we..."

Again, he tilts his head. "After we...?"

"After we... moved... in..."

Realization shot through your mind. This never happened before. You and Alban are so close to each other, he should’ve noticed that something was up when you haven’t seen each other in so long! God, you should’ve noticed it too when you suddenly stopped receiving calls or messages from him. Everything that you had with him for so long just… stopped. This never happened before!

"What --" your foot stomps towards him, "what happened to him? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

Surprised by your outburst, he shoots up his hands against his chest. Waving them frantically in front of him, he responds, "Woah woah, calm down! I didn't do anything! He just left on his own, that's it. And the same applies for everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Your family? The rest of your friends? They all left! You should've seen what they were saying about you. About us."

He puts back on his hat, readjusting it to cover his head nicely. Once his hat was back on, he looked back at you with pity as he further explained, "They gossiped about how you’d leave me alone for days or weeks on end without telling me where you’d go. They would even talk about how heartless you are when you talked about leaving me! They didn't want to support you, nor did they want to support me. So they took the easy way out, by leaving you."

The man approaches you once more, his eyes never leaving your face as you do nothing but stare at him in shock. "They were conspiring against us, telling all of my enemies of my whereabouts and what you were doing to me!"

He starts to trail around you, circling you with a piercing stare that practically holds you in place. "You were so cruel to me! So... heartless."

Shoving his hands into his blue jacket’s pockets, he shakes his head in disapproval and clicks his tongue. "Word spread so fast that everyone thought that, hey, maybe it's safer if we just leave you. They don't need you. They don't even want you. All they want to do is cut you off and go about their lives! And now you want to go back to them after they left you? After you’ve hurt me?”

Disbelief and despair washes over you. Your head spirals deeper and deeper as your thoughts were plagued with these ideas. Why would they leave you? You didn’t do anything bad to them! This wasn’t your fault, it was his! It’s his fault that everything is like this! Or… was it really…?

You chose to date him. You chose to be with him. You even chose to stick with him through everything thin or thick because you loved him.

Loved…

Did you really love him?

“Sonny, I --” your voice breaks, tears start to brim at your eyes. You try to force yourself to speak about why you want to leave him. About why you’re sorry.

He notices your tone breaking as you can’t help but wipe at the tears threatening to fall down your face. Hurriedly, he closes the gap between you and immediately pulls you closer into his arms. "Shh... It's okay, it's okay… I forgive you. Sonny's here, okay? I’m here. No one can get you now... No one."

You feel his warmth welcoming you into his embrace. You couldn’t help but pull yourself closer into him, pressing your head and your body deeper into his hug.

As he softly rubs his hand against your back, he shifts another towards the back of your head. He gently coaxes you to look at him despite your ruined state. Rather than a look of disgust, you’re welcomed to love and adoration in his eyes and his smile. You close your eyes as his face gets closer, his lips pressing ever so gently against your temple. He tightens his hold around you, humming so peacefully.

"You're safe with me, and I'll always keep you safe. Always."

a/n: god he's so evil 😌

[anderscim]

✦ i actually talk about something other than DRDT for once (minor detail analysis)

// spoilers for up to chapter 4 of MDA:RC

you know the drill. (rain code edition) and yes, i’m actually in other fandoms. i have way too many hyperfixtations. lord help me.

basically, there was a small detail i noticed about a specific character’s mystery phantom in the chapter 4 labyrinth, so i just wanted to point that out and make connections as to what it could possibly mean.

let’s get straight to it! ^^

yes, this is about yomi’s mystery phantom. but likely not in the way that you’d think.

of course, i love the fact that yomi’s mystery phantom form doesn’t have any colorful accents like the others, and i could honestly talk for hours about that aspect—but this post is actually about a separate detail.

just what in hell is going on with yomi’s hair?

yep, that’s what i’m going to talk about. and i’m not flaming him for this wild hairstyle, trust me.

when you look at it, the mystery phantom’s hairstyle is divided into three separate parts:

the left(?) portion of his hair, which is on the messier side and pointing in all directions

the middle portion, which is the most similar to yomi’s actual hairstyle (checked his sprite for reference)

and the rightmost portion, which looks like someone used a straightening iron on it.

in a way, he almost doesn’t look like yomi. all other mystery phantoms have at least partial semblance to their real-life counterparts—especially with their eye-shape and the general flow of their hair—but in the case of this specific mystery phantom, there wasn’t a lot.

though, that isn’t too important, right? it’s just a unique part of his mystery phantom design so i shouldn’t think too hard into it, surely it can’t be anything more than tha—

huh

wait, if this is what i think it is-

…oh.

what’s unique about this moment is that yakou’s apparition(?) appears as if to directly replace yomi’s mystery phantom. which doesn’t happen anywhere else.

which means, there’s a possibility that this cutscene was intentionally created to show that “yomi’s” mystery phantom was a front for the true culprit. (the truth was right in front of yuma all this time, but disguised under a facade. yuma just couldn’t get himself to face it head-on until the very end) there’s a multitude of theories i can come up with about why they decided to show this, but unfortunately that’s not what i’m here to talk about. though, if you don’t mind, here’s a side tangent: my main theory is that yakou felt horrible about essentially using the detectives in his crime and couldn’t face the rest of the NDA after what he did; the only way he could directly argue against their deductions was to act as someone else. after his true identity was exposed he had nothing more to say to them, other than a non-verbal expression of the regret he carried behind his back) okay side tangent over

my point is—if the theory of “yakou hid behind the guise of yomi’s mystery phantom” is true, it provides an explanation for the mystery phantom’s hair style.

after all, the two other “parts” of his hair i described earlier are quite similar to the hairstyles of two other characters.

…yeah. yakou and his wife. it’s not an exact replica of their hairstyles, but the general flow and concept is there.

in a way, this subtle detail is a nod to yakou’s true motive behind murdering huesca—to protect his wife / avenge his wife’s death. but yakou didn’t want to reveal this and hid it all the way through to the end, even going as far as obscuring his face on the photo with his blood so others couldn’t identify it, and hiding behind the guise of yomi’s mystery phantom in the labyrinth.

despite this “facade,” however—yakou’s true motives behind the crime are still visible. they’re just not up front and center until someone points them out.

god, chapter 4 has reshaped my mental process in ways i can’t describe. there’s so much i still want to talk about with “yomi’s” mystery phantom design (like how the part of the hairstyle that resembles yakou is on the mystery phantom’s “demon(?)-like” half and how the part that resembles his wife is on the “angelic” half), but that will have to wait until later.

for now, take this with a grain of salt ^^

[wats-am]

I overthought something, today. Have you chaps read the Bluntman & Chronic comics? Remember that one scene, where Jay and Bob (as BM & C) are spying on two women having sex? Jay says they would actually be thrilled if they swooped in and got between them. He says that all a gay girl needs to turn them is the right man, in so many words. At first you might assume this is some Jay-typical stupidity, but then you remember, it’s not really Jay. It’s Jay as written by Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards.

Then you watch the Jay and Silent Bob MTV segments. There is one where Jay is reciting a bunch of crude rhymes with the names of various female singers; “I might make nice with the Girls from Spice!”, “I’d give a shove to Courtney Love!”, etc. Until he gets to Melissa Etheridge. Before he can make up a rhyme, Silent Bob comes up and you can just about hear him whisper “She’s gay.” into Jay’s ear. Jay quickly changes his tune and just says, “She’s cool.”

Now, of course, Melissa Etheridge is a real person, so they had to be cautious about the jokes they made. And yes, it’s not exactly part of the canon, these were just quick space fillers on MTV. With that being said, it is quite a pleasant surprise to see Jay immediately accept Etheridge’s sexuality, and also accept that it meant she would not take him up on his offer of sex. (I mean, probably all the other ladies he referenced wouldn’t, either, but you get the idea). Jay makes no secret of being turned on by girl-on-girl action, and he’s nothing if not annoyingly persistent. With all that being said, this was still a nice moment that showed a degree of acceptance that neither Holden, nor Banky display, and is rather incompatible with their vision of Jay. If you pay attention, Jay exhibits frequent acceptance of women’s values and choices, in spite of his frankly childish advances. Essentially, Holden and Banky were writing Jay in their image.

Compare this to Holden throwing himself into a deep funk over a girl he knew for a couple of days, because she was (so he believed at the time), gay. Compare this to Holden’s horrid little car speech where he guilts Alyssa for not loving him back. She does, and as we find out she is actually a lifelong bisexual. As far as Holden knew, though, she was a lesbian, who had expressed nothing but platonic affection up to that point. She was a wonderful friend, but this simply was not good enough for him. He loves her and therefore feels he deserves more from her than she is willing to give.

I understand completely why “Chasing Amy” sparked as much controversy as it did praise. Many believed it perpetuated the idea that lesbians could be always be turned by the right man. The deeper you get into the Askewniverse, though, the more you realise that not only is Holden the one with the problem, but the point is meant to be that he is the problem. The fact that Holden, the supposed Everyman and average guy, is consistently outclassed by the likes of sex pest, Jay, says an awful lot. Alyssa is bisexual, she was in love with Holden, and he still managed to lose her. Holden is the worst, from start to finish, and he gets nothing as a result, except a chance to grow and learn. The fact that Holden is supposedly the most universal and normie character, yet he fucked up worse than any of them, pretty much say it all about the “You will change for me” attitude the film was criticised for.

[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 10: Do You Want to Jump?—The Prophecy (BoB Fanfiction)

A/N: GUYS, I GOT A 4.0 this semester and I'm literally so excited about it! An absolute win for me! Anywho, I'm hoping to be able to finally work on some chapters and requests now that my finals are over! As always, enjoy and let me know what you think!

When Winnie found herself called into Colonel Sink’s office, she had half a mind to locate Winters and Nixon and wring their scrawny little necks for selling her out.  Because surely, if she were getting called in for any such reason, it would be because they had told him about the harassment that she had been receiving lately. 

Patiently waiting, Winnie was considering what she could say in her defense.  Then she had been called into the office and there had been a whole two minutes of dead silence—Colonel Sink just staring her down. 

But Winnie knew how to deal with men in power.  So she said nothing.  And she waited. 

“Doc,” Sink finally said, bringing his cigar up to his lips.  “I’ve been talking to the medics,” he stated evenly. 

Roe, of course it had been Roe to sell her out—

“And they all say that you’re doing a fine job,” Sink finished.  “In fact, the medics you’ve been training are miles ahead of the other medics in the camp.” 

Winnie blinked in surprise.  This was a—a performance review of some kind?  That’s what this was?  “I do my best, sir,” Winnie replied. With no way to know where this was going, keeping a neutral tone was essential in Winnie keeping her composure.

“Your file said you were the best.  So did your application.  And you’ve proved that.  Can I be real honest with you, Doc?” Sink said, leaning forward and letting a puff of smoke blow outwards. 

“I’d much prefer it if you were, sir.” 

“I happen to know where these boys will be going after they finish up the training here.  And I happen to know what sort of mission they’ll be embarking on at the end of it.  And I think that you could be a real asset.” 

Winnie blinked.  “Sir?” 

“What I mean, Doctor Allen,” Colonel Sink said, removing his cigar and pointing it at her.  “Is that we are going to need doctors like you in the field—leading the medics and making our field hospitals.  You said you have experience in triage?” 

“Yes, sir.  I was a trauma surgeon,” Winnie said with a nod. 

“Nothing seems to faze you.  I admire that about any doctor—regardless of their gender,” Colonel Sink stated.  He paused for a moment.  “I want you to get your jump-wings.  I can’t be waiting days for things to clear up for the doctors to come in and do what the medics cannot.  And quite frankly, neither can the men.  It’ll be bloody and a hellscape, that’s certain.”

“You want me to jump, sir?” 

“With the boys, yes.” 

For a moment, Winnie just sat there, trying to process Colonel Sink’s words.  That hadn’t been anything like what she had been expecting.  In fact, she hadn’t even thought something like this would be possible.  She was here primarily as a trainer to the medics, and she barely qualified as enlisted in any sort of way.  Something like this was different—it was sure to cause a stir and make people angry.  She knew that, she’d always been one to make waves wherever she went. This was just a new level of it. 

Sink leaned forward.  “I recognize that it’s a lot to think about.  You’d be training more and preparing for the jumps.  The risk would be much greater.  But I’d like to think that you will be invaluable wherever we end up.  Which is why I want to give you some time to think about it.  Till the end of the day?” 

“That—that would be greatly appreciated, sir,” Winnie finally said with a nod.  It was a lot to think about, regardless of whatever else was going on in her life.  There was also the fact that there would be a pushback from Sobel about the entire thing.  “Might I add something, sir?” 

“Please,” 

“I believe that there will be pushback from the men—from the officers, included, sir,” Winnie stated evenly. “It’s no secret that I’m a hardass or follow things to the letter of the law.” 

At that, Sink gave a rare smile. “Oh I’m well aware of that.  If you should choose to jump with the men, I’m sure we’ll be discussing it tonight with the officers in your Company and Captain Sobel.” 

“I’m sure that we will, sir.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winnie felt as though she were living life through a slight daze as she went about her daily activities, training the medics, getting in her own set of training.  She had a lot to consider about going over—well, wherever they ended up.  The fact that Sink wanted her there spoke to the fact that it was likely going to be Europe over the Pacific, not that she could share that particular fact with anyone. 

Her mind felt as though it were racing with possibility and with danger.  The fact of the matter was that doing something like this excited her.  She knew that she was vital and valuable to the military.  Knew that she was needed. 

But on the other hand, she was also the only thing that her brothers had.  The only mother and parental figure that they had ever known.  If she went over there and something happened to one of them, she would have to drop everything to go and care for them.  But she had also known that going into this whole portion of training medics at Camp Toccoa. 

She was acutely aware of the fact that it was dangerous.  Jumping in any sort of enemy territory was liable to get you killed—either in the very plane itself, from the jump, or from enemy fire.  And that was assuming that she even made it to the ground.  She would see things that no nurse would have to see, would have to do things that few other female doctors would ever see or do—and would have to lead the medics in a way that ensured the survival of the wounded. 

It was a lot of pressure to suddenly have thrust onto her shoulders. 

Winnie was no stranger to pressure, no stranger to the struggles of making hard decisions.  But her life had never quite been under strain like it had been at the moment.  And if she chose to jump alongside these men, wherever they ended up, she was risking her life as well as theirs.  

Sinking into a seat at the mess hall, Winnie picked at her food as her mind turned these topics over and over and over again.  She needed to be sure of her decision, needed to be sure that it was the right thing to do.  It wasn’t as if she could just back out once she was there.  Because once she had agreed or declined, there was no going back. 

Invitations like this didn’t happen more than once. 

A sharp kick to her shin made Winnie nearly drop her fork in annoyance.  “What?” She demanded, gaze falling on Reba. 

“You’re just being more quiet than usual, that’s all.  It was concerning Eileen,” Reba retorted, piquing a brow. 

“And everyone else,” Eileen mumbled under her breath. 

Winnie knew that they were probably right.  Silence from an already stoic and cold doctor probably meant danger to everyone else.  Winnie just let out a sigh, finally shoving a bite in her mouth.  “Just lost in thought, that’s all.” 

“You’re not, like, plotting a murder, right?” Eileen asked, tilting her head ever so slightly. 

“If I was, you’d never know,” Winnie retorted.  She had, in fact, plotted her father’s murder several times as a teenager and young adult.  But that wasn’t the sort of conversation that would play well at a mess hall full of soldiers.  Not to mention the fact that it was illegal. 

“You concern me greatly at times, Doc,” Reba deadpanned. 

“Just doing my job and keeping you all on your toes,” Winnie grinned. 

“Your job is to make sure that we all keep our toes,” Reba reminded.  “Not that we’ll get killed via our toes getting cut off.” 

“Noted.” 

“Must we always be so dark?” Eileen questioned, narrowing her gaze at the two of them.

“Hey, I’m only dark because the good Doc here is,” Reba said, crossing her arms firmly. 

Winnie gave a slight shrug at that.  “I’d say that I blame life circumstances, but that feels a lot like not taking responsibility.  So I suppose I’ll just have to say that I’m doing my best to balance things out through the Lord.” 

“Right,” Eileen said sarcastically. 

Just then, there was a shuffle amongst the men.  Winnie’s gaze immediately searched through the crowd—landing on one of the men who had fallen on the ground.  He seemed to be convulsing and for a moment, no one moved.  Not even the medics. “Man down!” Winnie barked out, flying from her seat to the man’s side. 

All eyes were locked onto her as she reached the man—someone she vaguely recognized as one of the trainers in the camp and an associate of Colonel Sink.  His breathing was labored and he was clutching onto his left arm painfully.  “My jaw—my jaw—” he mumbled out in a slurred tone. 

Winnie felt for a pulse, finding his heart racing.  “This man is having a heart attack!  Reba, Eileen—” 

“We’ll get the kits!” Reba quickly said, running off.  

Just then, Roe appeared in the crowd, kneeling down beside her.  “What do you need, Doc?” 

Winnie barely spared him a glance.  “Get me some morphine and get this room cleared.  We’re gonna perform surgery.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later, Winnie was still trying to scrub the blood off of her hands when she got called back into Colonel Sink’s office.  They had managed to save the man’s life and he had been transferred to a hospital nearby called Stephen County.  It had been grueling work and Winnie hadn’t worked on something as serious as a heart attack in a long while—but her nurses had been invaluable and seeing as how Roe had stepped up to help, things had gone smooth enough. 

It had caused quite a stir within Camp Toccoa, not that Winnie quite blamed anyone for that particular piece of news. It wasn’t everyday that a doctor performs surgery in the mess hall on a man suffering a heart attack, after all. 

Winnie patiently waited outside of Colonel Sink’s office, awaiting the go-ahead for her and the other officers to enter.  The only person in the office at the moment was Captain Sobel. 

“That was some good work you did today, saving that man’s life,” Winters murmured, coming to stand near her. 

At that, Winnie gave a dry smile. “It’s in the job description.” She glanced down at her raw wrists and hands, which still sported some bloodstains.  She wondered if her hands were always going to be stained with blood.  If perhaps, she had been born with bloodstains that would never leave her. 

“Still, that was a hell of a job.  Be a nice girl and take the compliment,” Nixon insisted, shaking his head at her. 

“Anyone know why we’re waiting out here?” Another officer asked. 

Before anyone could come up with an answer to that particular question, the group had been summoned inside of the office.  Upon entry, Winnie immediately picked up on the tenseness of the situation.  Sobel, sitting in a chair with his face practically purple and jaw clenched.  Sink, a look of exasperation on his face and weary.  The air was palpable with anger, and Winnie could give a good guess as to why. 

“At ease, gentlemen and doctor,” Sink stated wearily.  He paused for a moment, gaze sweeping over them.  “I’ve offered Doctor Allen the opportunity to jump with the men.  I find it to be in our best interests—and she can set up field hospitals and manage the medics easier that way.” 

Heavy silence for a beat, and Winnie felt all eyes on her. 

“Have you thought about the offer, Doc?” Sink questioned.  “It was a hell of a job you did earlier.  I knew I was right to ask you.” 

“I want to jump with the men, sir,” Winnie replied. 

“Now I’ll let you all air your grievances with this—and we will hash it out before we leave this office,” Sink said sternly, gaze sweeping over the group. 

“Sir, she’s a woman!” Sobel protested almost immediately. 

“She saved a man’s life today,” Nixon pointed out. 

“Both valid points,” Sink said, glancing between the two of them.  Winnie wondered what the point of her being here for this was—if it was a power play of some sort, or to see if she could stand on her own with the men.  “But her being a woman has nothing to do with her vital medical expertise.  Do you have a single good reason why she shouldn’t be on the jump?” Sink questioned. 

An awkward beat of silence.  Sobel rose to his feet, glancing at Winnie—and then back at Colonel Sink.  “She’s fraternizing with Winters!” 

Deafening silence this time.  Winnie’s jaw didn’t drop, though Nixon and Winter’s jaws did, in fact, drop.  Without missing a beat, Winnie just stepped forward.  “Prove it.” 

This time, Sobel’s jaw dropped.  “I—what?” 

“I said to prove it,” Winnie stated.  “I’ve been focused on my job this entire time that I’ve been here.  I’ve never been alone a single time—and my nurses and the other men and officers will attest to the fact that I have never once slept with a single man in this camp.  So unless you have any concrete proof, I respectfully call bullshit.” 

There was a beat of silence and then Sink burst into a sort of laughter.  “She’s got a damn point there, Sobel.  Winters?” He asked, gaze falling on him. 

“My whereabouts are all accounted for as well, sir.  And permission to speak freely?” 

“Go ahead.” 

“Doctor Allen has my utmost respect as a colleague, a fellow enlistee, and a doctor.  I would never.” 

Sink looked at the group.  “Well then the matter is settled.  Doc Allen will jump with you all and be a part of the force.  All of you are dismissed.  Except you, Sobel.  I want to know what kind of bullshit you were trying to feed me.” 

Winnie almost grinned—but she didn’t.  She saluted with the rest of the men, finding her way out of Colonel Sink’s office.  As soon as the door shut, there was shouting from Colonel Sink and Winnie knew that Sobel was getting eaten alive in there.  Her gaze immediately turned onto Winters, a frown on her face.  “Dick, I’m sorry—” 

Nixon’s laughter cut through the conversation.  “I’m sorry—that was the funniest shit I think I’ve ever heard.  You two?!  I think the hell not.” 

Winters just gave a roll of his eyes at Nixon’s reaction.  “Thank you so much for the help, Nix.” 

“As I was saying,” Winnie stated, giving a slight glare to Nixon.  “I’m sorry that you got dragged into Sobel’s petty attempt to keep me out of the way.” 

“I understand.  It’s not your fault.  Besides, we’re just glad to have you alongside us,” Winters said genuinely. 

Winnie beamed at him.  “I guess I can admit that we’re friends now.” 

“I KNEW IT!” Nixon exclaimed.