#but Charlie does have his number | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ms-demeanor · 2 months ago

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One of the problems that came up this week is actually a problem that came up in December.

On December 15th we got a warning about disk health in a server; there is a drive that is at risk of failure.

A ticket was created for me to create a quote to replace the drive.

There was no part number associated with the ticket, and because of the type of server, there was no easy way to access configuration information online and our hardware documentation is a disaster (I have thought it was a disaster since the acquisition; I set up hardware documentation at the old job specifically to avoid issues like this and now all that documentation is gone because we didn't keep any licenses of the old job's CRM). This was not a situation where I could find a part number.

I contacted Tech Alice and asked her to check the part number on the server. Alice reported back that because the drive was part of a RAID array, she couldn't get the part number. She recommended asking Bob, and put her time entry on the ticket.

I contacted Tech Bob and asked him if he could find the part number for the drive on the server; Bob also reported back that he could not find a way to get the part number from the server, he recommended that Charlie collect the part number when he went onsite. Bob added his time to the ticket (still my ticket) and added the status "onsite needed."

Now it is December 23rd. I have messaged Charlie and asked him to check the part number when he is onsite and have added him to the ticket. I'm out of the office today, Charlie is out of the office next week. Charlie does not remember to look at the part number when he is onsite. It is the end of the year.

Now it is January 15th. We lost the first week of the year to assessments, and the second week of the year to the state and our clients being on fire - people were unable to go onsite because of all of that. Charlie is going onsite. I remind him to get the part number when he is at the client site. When he is at the client site he alerts me that actually he is at their other location, not the location with the server.

Now it is January 27th. Charlie is going back onsite, he is on my ticket, the ticket is set to onsite needed. I remind Charlie that we need the part number. Charlie does not remember.

Now it is February 6th. We have created a whole new ticket for Charlie with the *EXPRESS STATED PURPOSE* of going onsite to collect a part number for the failing drive in the server. Charlie marks the ticket as "waiting materials" and makes a note that he can't replace the drive until we order the part.

Now it is February 7th. We have explained, in writing, in Charlie's ticket that we can't order the part until he goes onsite and collects the part number, because we cannot get it because the server won't report the part number if it's in a raid array for reasons that I'll be honest I do not understand.

Now it is February 14th. Charlie closes his ticket and he and Bob pull me into a meeting. The server at the client site is so old they're not sure it's a good idea to replace the drive. Charlie has recommended that the project team quote a migration to sharepoint, which the client has expressed interest in in the past. Bob makes a note of this in my ticket. But I do not close my ticket. I do not close my ticket because I know there must be some fuckery coming. So I put my ticket to "on hold" and set it to reactivate on March 10th so that I can follow up with the project team and see if the migration project is making any progress or if we still need to replace this drive because the server drive is still failing.

It is March 13th. I have a bad week. A very bad week. My manager looks at my open tickets and asks why on earth I still have a server drive failure ticket open from December. I explain that I only have it open to follow up on the migration because the technician suggested server replacement but if there wasn't progress we should still quote a drive, but I still didn't have the part number.

My manager puts me in a chat with me, Charlie, the Project team lead, my manager, and the service team lead and asks what the fuck is going on. I paste Charlie's last update on my ticket and say that I'll be happy to quote a hard drive but I still don't have the part number.

Charlie says "Oh, I put the part number in the ticket" and pastes a photo of a drive (low light, low contrast, and blurry but with a visible part number) in the chat.

"Great!" I say, and immediately assemble a quote and find stock. Then i look back at my ticket. "But I'm actually not seeing the part number on this [my] ticket. Where was that again?"

Charlie has put the part number on his ticket, which I was never on, which he closed.

"Ah, okay. I see."

And here's where the different standards that all of us are used to using work against us.

My old job built RAID servers all the fucking time. It was totally standard, totally easy, totally sensible, and I always knew to double the number of drives we needed for the storage we got because we'd be mirroring. Because we'd be using RAID 10. Because it's robust and can take a lot of failure. A drive failing in a server configured with RAID 10 is not ideal, but it's also not a drop-everything and panic emergency. I *still* wouldn't want to leave it two months in an ideal world but I can't drive up to San Francisco and get a part number, and sometimes the world literally catches on fire.

However, these new folks use RAID 5.

A drive failing in a server configured with RAID 5 *IS* a drop everything emergency, because if one drive goes down the whole system goes down until you can replace the drive and rebuild the array, and because RAID 5 is slower than 10, this can take a very, very long time depending on how much data there is. And if *two* drives fail the data is *gone*

So.

Whose job is it to get the part number, and whose job is it to know that the server is at imminent risk of failure?

Well, now I have properly reconfigured my internal alarms about any failing server drive, but I don't understand why none of the three technicians who worked on this ticket with me didn't at any point say "hey this is an emergency" (Alice is from my old team and used to RAID 10 also, I'm willing to give her a pass) and I'm *really* confused why Bob and Charlie would recommend *not* replacing a drive in a server that is that close to failure.

(And again, I just didn't know. Believe me, I am never, ever going to shut up about drive warning tickets in the future)

And, the thing that scares the shit out of me and my manager and part of the reason why this has been a bad week and I'm having stressful conversations: What if I had just closed that ticket instead of letting it reactivate to follow up on? What if I had just marked it as done when Charlie gave me the update? It wouldn't have been an old-ass ticket in my queue that my manager flagged, it would have been a note in an after-action report when the client's server crashed.

(The client has the quote now with the statement "this failing drive puts your server at risk of failure and we strongly recommend replacing" but they haven't approved it yet because they're really cheap so I'm going to have to send it again and say "this is a mission critical part that you need to replace; your server is at risk as long as the drive is not replaced.")

So. The boss is asking "why is procurement taking so long" and really, now that I'm thinking about it - because he brought it up - how much of this really IS supposed to be my job?

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teaboot · 6 months ago

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TOP 10 PERSONAL FAVE MOVIES TO WATCH WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE ASS

I don't like movies that stress me out because life is already stressful but I DO love catharsis comedy found family friendship fantasy and violence so here are my top 10 movies and series to have a good time watching

Numbered for convenience but not in any particular order

John Wick 1 and 2: An ordinary man grieving the loss of his wife gets dragged back into his past as a shadowy, invisible world of international killers for hire is slowly revealed to be living among us. A love note to set design, lighting, and choreography. My favourite part is fixating on the symbolism. DO NOT WATCH 3. 4 is okay. DO NOT WATCH 3. There is a dog death in 1 that will make you cry so skip that part if you have to. DO NOT WATCH 3.

The lord of the Rings, all 3, extended edition best watched if you're on the couch with the flu and expect to fall asleep OR if it's your day off and it's raining outside OR if you have like 5 people lounging around in pajamas

Six Underground: Essentially an hour and a half long car commercial music video with found family and a fresher take on acommon plot. Ryan Reynolds essentially writes and directs a Michael Bay movie where 6 independant criminals gather together to overthrow a violent foreign dictatorship. You show up for a dumb heist and walk out ready to build a guillotine. TW for violence, car crashes, chemical warfare, and genocide. A very cathartic ending. Does unfortunately do the whole "vague, impoverished middle-eastern country" thing but the citizens are actually show as human beings which is a nice change of pace and oh wow that's depressing isn't it

The Princess Diaries 1 and 2: A sort-of-a-loser teenage girl, played by a 2001 Annie Hathaway, learns that her late father was a king of a foreign nation and must become a confident and responsible leader for his people. There is a scene in the rain where you will experience emotions. Best watched with snacks. 2 features an enemies-to-lovers type deal with Chris Pine.

Ella Enchanted: A shrek-style semi-musical fantasy romance in which a young woman is cursed at birth to do everything anyone tells her to do. Features several Queen songs and dance numbers sung by Annie Hathaway and that guy who plays the sad dog guy in Hannibal.

Stardust: A huge loser travels from 1800s England (?) to a magical world in order to fetch a fallen star for the insufferable love of his life before she marries a massive douchebag. The huge loser? Charlie Cox. The star? A living person. Also a whole bunch of princes are ALSO looking for them as a race for the throne while discreetly killing each other off. And also a bunch of witches want to eat her so they can be young and sexy. 11/10. I used to watch this 10 minutes at a time on a YouTube channel that posted it in chunks filmed on a digital camera in their living room

The Last Holiday: Queen Latifah, playing someone played by Queen Latifah, has been working an underappreciated minimum wage job for years, living a safe and conservative life trying to lose weight and save money. Then she finds out she has months to live, and decides to finally quit her job and blow it all on one massive luxury holiday vacation complete with five-star dining, making friends and finding love and confidence along the way. It's definitely corny but it makes me so happy thank you Queen Latifah

Zathura: It's the plot to the original Jumanji but in space instead of the rainforest. But listen to me: There's a twist reveal at the end that you need to pretend isn't there. It is vitally important when you get to that part- and you will know what part when it happens- that you pretend it didn't. Otherwise, a fresh and enjoyable adventure for any age!

Redacted cause I haven't seen it in a long time and it may be worse than I remember, gotta rewatch

Bullet Train. You go in expecting a ham-fisted find-the-mcguffin style action comedy and are blindsided by excellent narrative symmetry and genuinely likeable characters. Fresh takes on old themes and creative action sequences. My little brother said "It's good", and he's a man who once sincerely argued that Lord of the Rings could have been better. It's fun and punchy violence with just enough smart stuff to not let your brain get bored

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whatswrongwithblue · 11 months ago

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Girl Talk

Part Two of my Imagines with Angel Dust.

“So Alastor, he’s like all . . .” Angel Dust made strange gestures with his hands above his head, his thumbs pressed to his hair and fingers splayed out, and you were fairly certain he was trying to mimic antlers growing. “. . . murder-y and shit right? Even if he’s at the hotel, you can’t expect us to believe he’s stopped doing all that.”

It was late at night and you and Angel were at the bar, keeping Husk company, and nursing a couple of cocktails.

Alastor had disappeared hours ago, which wasn’t unusual, but it was getting late. You weren’t letting yourself be worried just yet, he was the Radio Demon after all, and could certainly take care of himself. But you couldn’t help being a little on edge. Alastor always came home but still. He could give you an idea of where he had gone off to and what he was doing when he took off like this.

“Why, are you going to tattle to Charlie if I say he is?” you said, a little too defensively.

“Hey, I ain’t no rat,” Angel said, also defensive. “I’m just trying to figure the guy out.”

“He’s still the Radio Demon,” you respond vaguely.

“Oh well that tells me everything.” Angel rolled his eyes.

Husk chuckled, wiping a glass dry.

“He’s a serial killer and a cannibal. The day that guy stops doing all that is the day I’ll stop drinking and gambling.”

You scowl over the rim of your cocktail.

“You make him sound like a monster when you say it like that.”

Husk raised an eyebrow at you.

“Excuse me if I ain’t your boytoy’s number one fan. ‘Sides, not like anything I said wasn’t true.”

“Hey, he’s not out their killing all willy nilly, right?” Angel offered. “I mean, I pissed him off the other day and he let me go. Val woulda done way worse. So that means he’s got a type, I’m assuming? Like a uh . . . a demographic . . . of people he kills. If you ain’t that, he’ll still be creepy and fucking weird, but you’re probably safe.”

“Probably,” you smirk.

“Whatever,” Husk said with a grumble, and threw his towel over his shoulder, turning his back on the two of you.

“So, about those tentacles-“

“No,” you snapped, cutting off Angel’s sentence before it could be finished.

“Oh come on! You can’t leave me hanging like that!”

You just rolled your eyes and sighed, taking another sip of your drink.

“Oh . . . hanging, now there’s a thought,” Angel pressed on. “So suspensory play, huh? I bet those are really fun for that. Just how talented is the guy with those things? Because I bet with some practice, you could even use them for some interesting kind of Shibari. Or is he unimaginative and just shoves them right up your-“

“Angel, seriously, did you not learn your lesson last time?”

“Oh I learned my lesson all right. I learned how hot it is. So c’mon, admit it,” he teased, leaning closer to you, “you guys are into bondage.”

You laughed, unable to hide the sly smile on your face, but said nothing.

“I guess it makes sense,” Angel continued, “the guy does own souls. He’s probably gotta have that type of control in the bedroom.”

“You just go ahead and let your imagination run wild, my friend,” you said with a giggle.

“Baby, my imagination can run marathons,” Angel bragged. Then suddenly, he turned serious and looked over at you. “Wait, does he own your soul?”

Husk turned around and both men were now looking at you. Knowing both of their predicaments, you almost felt bad for your answer.

“No,” you said quietly.

“NO?!” Angel yelled, slapping his hand down on the bar counter.

‘No,” you repeated.

“But . . . but, that’s what he does. I mean, he even owns Niffty’s soul. So why are you with him-“

“Angel,” you interrupted, putting your hand on his arm. “I’m with him because I love him. Because I choose to be.” You said your words firmly, making sure your point was crystal clear. “And anyway, Alastor’s not the type to sleep with a soul he owns. It’s hard to explain his twisted moral code but he would think that was rude . . . or abusive . . . or just trashy. No offense.”

You knew about Angel’s forced and strained deal with Valentino and felt awkward, exposing the stark differences between your relationship and theirs.

“If I was making him sound like a monster, you’re making him sound like a fucking angel,” Husk said.

“Fair,” you agreed. “So, he’s complicated. But so am I.”

“So you really are into monster fucking. Got it,” Angel said, sounding deadly serious but when you looked at him, you saw the hint of a smile beginning to spread across his face.

“Wellllll,” you said, drawing out the word and giving Angel a side eye, “sometimes he has to blow off some steam. And those antlers are great for holding onto for balance.”

Angel choked on the drink he was taking a sip from.

“Now we’re talking,” Angel replied, eagerly leaning towards you again.

You held up a finger, stopping Angel from invading your space anymore. “That’s more than enough information for now.”

“Let me get this straight. He’s got the tentacles, he’s got the antlers,” Angel listed, holding up a finger for each item on his list. He held up a third finger, looking at you and tilting his head expectantly. “Say, you ever have a threesome with his shadow?”

You felt your face heating up, desperately trying to keep your composure and think of a witty response that wouldn’t give anything more away than your expression was, when thankfully you were saved by the front doors of the hotel slamming open.

Alastor walked in, his usual confident walk more of an exhausted shuffle, and he was covered head to toe in blood and the occasional clump or string of viscera.

“Holy shit buddy,” Angel exclaimed, “looks like you bit off more than you can chew.”

“I’m fine,” Alastor huffed and waved his hand dismissively. “Splendid, really. Just need some cleaning up.”

“Do you need any help?” you asked, sounding more flirty than concerned.

“Down girl,” Alastor replied and tapped you on the head with his microphone as he strode past you. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”

He evaporated into shadow as he reached the staircase.

“If he could just do that, then why’d he have to make a show of walking through the front doors?” Angel complained, “He left bloody footprints all over the lobby!”

“That’s Al’ for you,” Husk said, “Always gotta be dramatic.”

You sat in silence, ignoring the two men’s banter and you gripped the glass of your cocktail, staring at it as if it had your entire focus.

A few moments went by where no one said anything and the lull in conversation became awkward.

“You don’t have to stay down here, you know,” Angel offered. “I can tell you want to go sexually attack him.”

You nodded. “I need to go lick every inch of that man clean,” you said and headed upstairs.

Part 3

#hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #alastor x reader #alastor fanfiction #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #angel dust #hazbin angel dust #angel dust x reader #hazbin hotel imagine #alastor imagine #alastor the radio demon #hazbin hotel fic #hazbin hotel fanfiction

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whateveriwant · 2 years ago

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Can you please do Task force 141 finding out they’re having quintuplets! I’d imagine that they wouldn’t plan to have that many….at least not all at once 🧍‍♀️

Ghost

When the technician points out the five distinct dots on the ultrasound, he immediately goes dead silent

I mean, he's always pretty quiet anyway, but this is like quiet quiet

He doesn't utter a single word for the rest of the appointment, nor on the ride back home for that matter

This has you more concerned than you care to admit because you know that, not that long ago, he didn't think he'd ever have (much less want) kids of his own some day

So now that he's learned he's about to have five? You can't imagine what's going through his mind right now

It isn't until you're walking through the front door that you're being stopped with a gentle hand tugging on your wrist

You turn to look at him and, without a word, he drops to his knees before you, rolling up the bottom of your shirt to expose your belly

He'll press the softest of kisses just beside your navel, before looking up at you with expressive eyes that convey the foremost thought in his head: Thank you

Soap

Nearly shits a brick the moment the words leave the technician's mouth

All the color swiftly drains from his face and he has to sit down before he keels over right in the middle of the office

It's not so much fear that has him going paper white but pure shock at hearing the unexpected (yet not unhappy) news

While you'd already discussed having a big family together one day, you didn't think you'd get it done in one fell swoop

However, maybe you should've seen it coming since you both come from families that have had multiples

The possibility of this happening was decently high, so in a way, you're not all that surprised by the revelation

Once he's composed himself and is a little less ghostly pale in the face, he's eagerly requesting the technician to print out an excessive number of copies of the ultrasound

Why? Well, he's gotta send them to everyone, of course! His family, your family, all the lads at work. Hell, maybe your neighbor Charlie would like one too. Better print several just in case

Gaz

"C– Come again?" He thinks he misheard the technician at first

However, even hearing it a second time, he has to stand up, round the bed, and get about an inch away from the monitor to confirm for himself

It's almost comical the way his eyes widen at the screen, darting around the black and white image like he can't comprehend what he's seeing

It'll take some coaxing to get him back in his seat, and as he does, you hear him mumbling to himself – something about nappies, never sleeping again, and *shudders* University

At some point, out of the corner of your eye, you see him messing with his hands

He's putting his palm in front of his own stomach then drawing it about a foot or two away, as if trying to visualize the size your belly is destined to grow

Even when you get back home, it's like reality hasn't fully hit him yet

It's not until you find him at 2am looking up double decker prams that you realize it's finally starting to sink in, and he's more than ready for the challenge ahead

Price

Seems awfully calm when the technician breaks the news to you two

Based on his reaction – a light smile and mere "Oh, that's wonderful" – you'd think he'd just been informed of the weather or something

To be honest, his reaction (or lack thereof) is a little disarming, but you don't comment on it until you're buckling up in the car, mentioning his seeming total lack of nerves about the future

He chuckles and jokes that he already has to look after three big kids at work. What's five little ones at home to compare?

Though you think you can see what he's getting at, his cool-headedness about it all still has you in a bit of a tizzy

Is he not even a little surprised by the news? After all, it's not every day that people fall pregnant with quintuplets

At your question, he smiles and leans to press a bristly kiss to the back of your hand. When he pulls back, he's smirking, giving you the smuggest look you've ever seen from a man

"Told you I've got strong swimmers, love"

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thekeeperof-thefandoms · 1 year ago

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My girlfriend requested this

Hazbin men trying the period simulator. Somewhat of a follow up to my period post so this is based on the reader having severe period pain due to PCOS/ENDO

Lucifer

The man is sweating before you even attach the simulator. He knows he fucked up. He only agreed to this because he loves you a lot.

He handles the first 3 levels ok. You tell him very few women experience that little pain and that usually 4-6 is the average.

Those levels make him tense. He's uncomfortable, but still pretty able to work and do normal things. 5 has him pausing to do deep breaths every now and then. (If this is the canon timeline where he birthed Charlie he compares it to bad kicks).

6-8 he's pretty much doubled over. If you tell him that's the level you experience, he will cry. Literally begs forgiveness since again, period and labor pain is technically his fault. He is so sorry. If he didn't have issues with his Dad before he does now because this is fucked up. God's fucked up for doing this.

He doesn't make it to 10, he's crying by level 9. This is labor levels of pain. He gets why all you do is sleep. Treats your period like a sacred ritual after that. Preps for weeks. He goes full Bible, sheltering you for the duration of it so you can have peace and quiet. Please never hook him up to this again.

If you wear it at anything from an 8-10 and tell him "It's close, but I've hurt worse" he's gonna sob and then try and fight his Old Man again. He'll settle for offering to have your bits removed for you.

Vox

Once again this man hates admitting he was wrong. And yeah he knows your periods are really bad, especially now he's witnessed it. But it's still a huge knowledge gap for him and he doesn’t really take the time to think about it.

He handles 1-5 well. He's mildly uncomfortable by 5, but thinks that if this is the average experience, then it's not such a big deal. Tell him the statistics on how many people with periods actually experience 6-8 because that's actually the majority, and he's just confused. How is the average pain level not the most common?

6-8 has him gritting his teeth and glitching, but he refuses to stop and keeps trying to work. Is starting to wonder how you went so long working with this level of pain without him noticing.

He makes it to 10, but by then, he's unable to move, clutching his abdomen and sparking and glitching. Tells you it feels like his entire insides are being squeezed. The fact that he can feel it in his groin. He's kind of afraid of period sex with you after that because of how much he felt it. And you said it's caused cramps from your ribs to your knees. He's like... genuinely scared of your period and pain tolerance.

He's going to snuggle the fuck out of you afterwards and apologize for not appreciating how much you still do for him when you're not feeling good. How he didn't see how hurt you were. He does a lot of research after that and not only does he spoil you by buying whatever you need for your periods and giving you time off, he looks into treatment options. Even if that means chopping the useless fucking things out. Sinners can't have kids anyway so who needs ovaries and a uterus?

He's more convinced you should just be rid of the damn things when you wear it and 8-10 is "Yeah, this is close, but it doesn't really cover how much of my body hurts".

Valentino

Is only doing this because he was dared to by Velvette. Or if this an au where he's trying to be a less toxic person. But really I think it's also to prove that you're all being dramatic. It's a perfectly normal body function and his employees are just trying to get out of work.

He gets all the way to 6 before he starts to realize he may have fucked up. Especially when it's explained that this is what most people experience.

By 10 he's gritting his teeth, chain smoking, clawing at things. He refuses to give in, but he can count on one hand the number of things in his entire life and death as a pimp and a whore that he's experienced that come close to this level of pain.

No one told him his dick was gonna hurt. Sitting hurts. Breathing hurts. He doesn't even try to eat. He won't ever admit to being wrong, but he does behave more leniently with his actors when they're on their periods.

If you put it on (and lets say he actually cares about you) and setting 8-10 is "Yeah, this an average day for my cramps. My bad days are like..5 or 6 levels worse" it's gonna rearrange his brain a little. He might be a little afraid of you and some of the other actors with periods because your pain tolerances are so high. It threatens his ability to control you and them. But on the other hand, that's kinda hot???

Alastor

Has never once doubted that people who experience periods undergo serious struggle and has nothing but respect for women (and trans people he just associates it with women more because of the time period and his mama) who work through it.

He is actually the one who heard about the simulator through Rosie and asks you to show him your experience. Just to better understand you. He knows you're the type to try and function through the pain (probably because society ingrained into you that your pain doesn't matter).

Initially, he wants to skip the lower levels and just have you set it to your pain level. You tell him that's a bad idea, and to be honest, you're not sure if this thing goes that high. He asks you to check and you set it to the highest setting and say, "It's pretty close. It's been worse, but this is a rough idea," he's a little frustrated but still tries it.

You agree to set it to 4 and tell him 4-6 is what most people report feeling. He acknowledges it, registers it as unpleasant, but otherwise is fully capable.

7-9 has his ears flat, his smile is more a snarl. This is uncomfortable. Not what he considers painful but certainly irritating. It makes sitting, stretching, and eating feel much more difficult.

10. There's static visble around him. His teeth grind. Actually painful. Not the worst pain he's experienced, but he hates it. He hates the way he feels it in his back and hips as he walks. He hates the way taking deep breaths (which for someone as dramatic as he is and with the transatlantic accent, breathing technique and posture is important) stings. He hates the way it causes his stomach to cramp and churn. He hates the ache in his thighs and groin that make sitting feel stiff and ackward. He can only picture how blood loss would make this worse. Tired, losing nutrients, the headaches, the increased moodiness. It's no wonder you sleep, so much, but he wonders how the Hell you sleep like this? He's snappy and short tempered because of the pain (and again he gets why you would be if you weren't sleeping so much).

How does this affect how he treats you?

Not much. He still expects you to know your body and your limits. He would never dare to presume otherwise. He still helps prepare whatever you need for your time of the month and still meal plans for you, though he perhaps finds ways to ensure you get all the iron and vitamins you need without cooking steak and other big, heavy meals, since he now understands how bad your stomach hurts.

The only really noticeable change is how much more protective of you he is. Your time of the month hits, and Alastor hates being more than a few moments from you. He growls, pins his ears, and his antlers grow when people get too close to you. He's more prone to letting you snuggle with him when you want, trying to comfort you.

Angel Dust

Another who volunteered. His girl besties insist he doesn't have to do this, he's got the pass. He still wants to do it though, for solidarity.

He also starts on 4 and handles it well. He handles all of the levels pretty well, even 10. By 7 it's obvious he's sore, maybe a bit more withdrawn, exhausted, trying not to move too much or eat too much. Just trying to find a comfortable way to exist. The sad problem is, Angel already has to do this after rough nights at Val's.

He's used to sitting being uncomfortable and aches in his groin and thighs, cramps in his stomach from muscles clenching constantly. 10 is the only level where he's visibly ill, hunched over, lower arms curled around his midsection protectively.

He and the girlies all curl up together and nap and chat and snack on easy to digest junk food and granola bars. He's the first one to say "I bet it's even worse for you gals, but I tried".

He gets it. He's one of the girls. Honestly, kind of becomes a favorite when the ladies have period problems. (If you're dating any of the others and Angel is openly your favorite after this it is gonna cause a lot of dramatic pouting, posturing, and tantrum throwing.)

Husk

I'm going full balls to the wall on Veteran Husk. This man has seen some shit and dealt with his fair share of pain. Like Angel he takes it the best, with very little outward reaction. He's used to stiffness and nausea. The pain in his crotch is a little off putting, but it could be worse.

He's more cautious how he moves, rests more, occasionally a cramp causes his ears to pin back or a small hiss. Overall he takes it like a champ.

Offers you endless amounts of supportive words for dealing with this as well as you do, for days on end. Also is deeply sorry you even have to put up with this shit. Offers all sorts of tips on how to do stretches that help with easing cramps and stiffness without pulling something. Tips of foods/protein drinks to keep on hand to make sure you're maximizing how much nutrition you get. Man's a whole ass survival guide.

He only offers advice if you ask, though. He's not mansplaining how to handle your own body. He genuinely wants to help you, and that's the best way he knows how.

When you're on your period and just want something soft and warm he doesn't even bitch about it, he just settles on top of you and purrs, offers a massage, maybe offers a sly grin and a "no man left behind" joke as he helps you through these dark times.

BONUS:

ADAM

Would only do this if you challenged him, he has to prove his masculinity. He is definitely nervous as fuck though because he's seen yours. You and Lute already forced him to sit through a whole PowerPoint on women's anatomy and shit. He remembers how shitty he was to Eve, even if hers were in comparison, not that bad, just scary and new.

You forcing him to learn about and acknowledge female health is making him scared of pussy. This isn't gonna help.

3 and 4 make him whiney. He's uncomfortable. His groin feels weird. This sucks. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T EVEN THE AVERAGE?!"

By 5-7 he's actually on his knees, curled over his stomach. He tells you getting stabbed hurt less. This is making him re-evaluate his entire view on women (again he knows about trans people, but because of personal history equates periods to women. Wouldn't hate if a trans person had a period, it would just take his brain a second to process). He whines that you and Lute shouldn't be more badass than him.

"I thought men were supposed to be tougher and stronger. This pain tolerance horseshit is a lie. You guys suck."

He insists on going to 10 because quitting is for losers. He may actually throw up at 10 though. Every time the stupid simulators sends out a pulse and his stomach clenches, he groans. He's in the featal position, there are tears. One hand clenches his stomach the other is cupped around his groin. He's apologizing so much and he doesn't even remember what he's apologizing for. At one point its just "I'm sorry...oh fuck this...sorry about...ugh just...just men?! I guess. Fucking shit ass. Men suck. Women are...fucking great. Aces. You do this shit every month? For like 5 days....what the fuck. What the fuck what the fuck."

You feel a little bad, but Lute is definitely filming this. Afterwards, he tells you you're a badass and any person shit talking people for bitching about period pain (Not that a lot of Winners do, but ya know, obviously they let some questionable people into Heaven if Adam and Lute got by) he's gonna beat the shit out of them. Like "Do you even fucking know, bitch? They're literally so much fucking better than you. Absolute queens. You try doing literally anything when it feels like your dick is falling off and your insides are trying to claw outside your body!"

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel lucifer #vox x reader #hazbin hotel valentino #lucifer x reader #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel husk #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel adam

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laursdomain · 11 days ago

Note

world you consider an angsty one shot with percy ? maybe taking a blow meant for him and almost dying on the battlefield?

keep your eyes open

pairing: percy jackson x fem!reader

genre: angst

synopsis: Being a demigod was hard. Monsters enjoyed being menaces, wanting to take every opportunity to try and kill demigods for whatever reason they had. Fighting them was one thing. Fighting alongside your boyfriend was another. But, monsters can’t help but become terrified of the son of Poseidon when they harm the one thing he truly loves—you.

warnings: established relationship, reader’s godly parent isn’t specified, reader is badass w a sword, mentions of injuries, near death experience, angry!percy, panic, happy ending!

w/c: 2.8k

ྀིpercy jackson masterlist

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

Percy Jackson was sure the gods took pleasure in giving him quest after quest, sitting on the edge of their seats every time he nearly died and failed. He was also sure they were constantly placing bets behind Poseidon’s back, because he liked to believe his father would put an end to it if he knew. At least he hoped.

Percy’s sword felt heavy in his hand as he slashed through monsters, the wave of them seeming to never end. He was exhausted, having used a multitude of his powers, and there was no body of water in sight. Only the water that now soaks the ground. It would be enough to keep him alive, but not to survive this. Nonetheless, Percy surged forward, refusing to give in to his body’s tiredness.

You watched him take on monster after monster, holding your breath as you kept praying that he would win against the herd of monsters. You were preoccupied yourself, dealing with your own crowd of dracaenae, the monsters desperate to kill you. You narrowed your eyes, lifting your own sword to guard your face as you dove head first into the crowd.

Despite being on opposite ends of the battlefield, you and Percy practically fought side by side, killing your own designated herd of monsters. Though, yours wasn’t quite as large as Percy’s. And you most certainly weren’t running out of power. For once, you silently thank Charlie for practically forcing you to become well-equipped with your sword and hand-to-hand combat, utilizing that as your main weapon rather than your own powers.

“You will die,” the seventh dracaena spoke, tilting it’s ugly head at you.

You cock a brow, “you’re the seventh one to say that.”

It hisses at you, baring it’s sharp teeth as it lunges, aiming straight for your neck. Out of pure instinct, you hurl the blade of your sword in front of you, cutting straight through the monster’s neck. You watch in satisfaction as it turns to dust, your imperial gold sword shining in the light.

You hear a scream to your right, quickly snapping your head in it’s direction. Percy was still fighting the herd of monsters, and you could tell he was having trouble keeping up against them. You break into a run, pumping your legs as you close the large distance between the two of you. You start breaking through the crowd of monsters that were slowly sneaking up on him, slashing your sword in every direction as dust begins to surround you.

“Go back!” Percy shouts towards you, calling over his shoulder.

“I’m not leaving you! I’m fine,” you assure, turning towards another group of monsters.

Percy, always a stubborn man, reluctantly listens. He knows he won’t be able to do it alone, and considering you’re the only one brave enough to stand by his side, as always, he lets you stay. He knows you can hold your own, and won’t do anything stupid like he always does.

Together, you two fight side by side, quickly decreasing the number of monsters in a matter of minutes. You were panting, sweat coating your body as your camp half-blood shirt sticks to your skin. It made you shiver, you hated the feeling of your shirt sticking to you. You pocketed the disgust away, focusing at the task at hand. Noticing no more monsters were coming your way, you turn back to Percy, becoming acutely aware of something.

You notice him before he notices you. The monster sneaks behind Percy, its deformed hand clutching an abandoned dagger. It’s hand begins to raise, ready to plunge the dagger into Percy’s back. You may be the intelligent one of the pair, but you don’t bother thinking as you rush forward, sliding in front of Percy just as the monster juts it’s dagger forward. The tip of the blade meets your abdomen, and you suddenly regret opting to wear armor. You cry out, the sound of your cry and your sword clattering against the ground making Percy instinctively snap his head around, instantly seeing you clutch the dagger that’s now sticking out of your body.

Percy’s vision narrows, the only thing he could see was you, crying out in pain, and him. Any feeling of weakness immediately leaves Percy’s body, it instead is replaced by pure rage. Without blinking an eye, Percy throws riptide in the monster’s direction, killing it almost immediately. He catches your swaying body, holding you close to his chest as he kneels on the ground.

You go to open your mouth—to scold Percy for leaving himself vulnerable with other monsters still on the field, but with a quick blurry glance behind him, you can see that they are all gone. Did he summon a sheer amount of power to simply make them vanish? You didn’t know, and you didn’t have it in you to properly think.

“I told you to go back,” Percy hisses, eyes frantic as he tries to think of a way to help you.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” you mumble, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to manage the pain. It was no use.

“Hey,” Percy’s hand finds the side of your face, “open your eyes, angel.”

You open your eyes, the sight of Percy’s sea-green eyes making you feel slightly better. You loved being in his arms, it made you feel safe, even if you currently had a dagger in your stomach.

“I need you to stay awake for me, I’m going to find Will.”

“Don’t leave,” you beg, hand gripping his sweaty shirt. “Please.”

Percy knows it’s too risky to move you with him, and he had no idea where Will Solace even was. He was probably at their makeshift base, which wasn’t too far—but he didn’t want to make your injury worse. He felt it was safer to bring Will to you, recalling Will’s words when he had brought an injured Annabeth during the Battle of Manhattan.

“Moving them makes it worse,” Will’s warm voice fills Percy’s senses as he desperately tried to make a decision. The more he waited, the worse it would get for you.

“Your wound will get worse if I move you. I have to get Will,” Percy soothed a hand over your hair, looking in your eyes, as if he’s committing it to memory.

“No,” your voice comes out weaker than you intended, and you see a flash of panic go through Percy’s eyes.

Knowing how stubborn you can be, Percy decides to risk it. He’d rather you die in his arms than alone on the field. With newfound strength, he scoops you into his arms, lifting you as he starts the distance between him and base. He knew running would make it much worse, so he walked as quickly as he could while minimally moving you, using his long legs to his advantage.

His heart broke at the way you would whimper every time you got moved from his speed, the dagger pierced your body to the hilt. It took everything in you to not close your eyes and give in to the fuzzy feeling that surrounded your head like a blanket, while also trying to ignore the pain. The feeling of Percy’s arms under you grounded you, and with the strength you had leftover—you clutched onto his shirt, letting him know you were still with him.

Percy pushed any panicking thoughts out of his mind, he would make it in time. He had to. He refused to lose you just because you were too stubborn to leave him on the battlefield. Especially when he was reckless enough to not keep an eye on his back. Gods, he hated being a demigod. Your grip on his shirt kept him calm—knowing you had some strength left gave him the hope that you’d be okay.

Percy’s heart jumped when he saw the familiar structure of the makeshift base they had produced when they arrived hours ago, before the battle begun. He looked down on you, his heart breaking at the sight of your paler skin and glassy eyes, barely holding on.

“We’re almost there, I promise,” he whispers to you, and you weakly nod in acknowledgment, not having the strength to speak.

When had you gotten this weak? You didn’t realize the effects the wound had on your body until he spoke to you—you were too distracted in keeping a grip on him and pocketing your pain to notice. Still, you found the ability to at least nod at him, ignoring the metallic taste of blood that was rising in your throat.

Percy never really prays, not like other demigods. His father knows he loves him, and he knows his father loves him. During this walk, Percy prayed the most he has ever in his entire life to every god. His father, Apollo, even Zeus. He needed as much favor on his side, because Percy refused to lose you.

Grover sees his friend in the distance, eyes widening at your limp body in his arms. Without needing to hear his best friend’s voice, he opened the door, calling out to Will Solace as the blonde boy emerged from the tent. His eyes widened at your state from the distance, immediately grabbing his field medic kit as he ran towards the two of you.

“What happened?” He questioned, taking in your state.

“She took a dagger for me,” Percy answered. “And before you scold me, I know, she wouldn’t let me leave her to come get you.”

You barely registered Percy’s words, or the fact that Will Solace was standing next to you. All you were aware of was Percy’s presence beneath you, and you clung to it as if it’s your life-force.

“Get her in here,” Will lead the way, urgently making room for you to lay on a cot. “I know you want to be in here, but you have to leave.”

“But—“ Percy begins once he settles you on the cot.

“Percy.” Will gives him a look, and he knows the boy is right. Percy nods, dipping down to give you a quick kiss on the forehead as he leaves, praying to Apollo that you will live.

Percy watches as Will’s siblings surround you, and the sight of you giving a small smile to him through the threshold is all he gets before the door is closed, leaving him with his thoughts. Grover comes behind him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as Percy breaks into a sob. Wordlessly, Grover pulls him into a hug, allowing his best friend to be vulnerable in this moment. Grover knows too well how Percy feels about you, and can only imagine what he’s feeling right now. Especially with how many people Percy has lost so far. The satyr was unsure if Percy would survive if you didn’t.

Percy wasn’t sure when he ended up on the floor. Grover never left his side, sitting next to Percy against the wall as they waited for any news. The remaining demigods knew what was going on inside the makeshift infirmary, but said nothing. You were a beloved member of camp, and Percy knew he wouldn’t be the only one grieving if you didn’t survive. Everyone would.

After what felt like eternity, Will emerges from the room, an unintelligible expression written on his face. Percy analyzed the expression, trying to figure out if it was good news or bad news. He comes up short, deciding on standing and removing the distance between himself and the son of Apollo. Grover scrambles up, following Percy. Grover nervously pulls on his fingers, fearing the worst.

“Well?” Percy furrows his brows, eyes widened. “What is it?” Percy swallows the lump in his throat, sending one final prayer before Will responds.

“She lost a lot of blood,” Will begins, running a hand through his disheveled curls. “But she’ll recover.”

Percy releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Grover places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, also relieved you were okay. “Can I see her?” Percy questions, even if Will said no, he would find a way into your room.

“Yes, but she’s sleeping.” Will answers, moving to the side as to let Percy through.

Percy nods, stepping through the threshold and into the infirmary. Grover doesn’t follow, giving his best friend the space and privacy he knows he wants. Percy’s eyes immediately find your sleeping body, taking in your appearance. You still looked pale, but you had gained a little more color from the IV line that was connected to you. Your camp shirt had been cut in half, still covering your chest as he took in the large bandage that tightly wrapped around your abdomen.

The son of Poseidon sits on the chair next to your cot, gingerly grabbing your hand as he holds it. He doesn’t want to wake you, or make you feel any sort of pain, so he’s careful with his movements. He doesn’t realize how sleep is slowly dragging him away from you, the adrenaline of todays events finally dissipating. He allows Hypnos to take him, falling into a deep sleep knowing you were alive.

The smell of antiseptic and medicine slowly brings you out of your sleep, squeezing your eyes and you peel them open, adjusting to the bright light. From the smell, the annoyingly bright lights, and the uncomfortable cot—you immediately realize you’re in the infirmary. You scrunch your nose in confusion, before realization dawns on you—you were injured.

Rolling your head to the left, you notice a couple of hand-picked flowers in a makeshift vase—the vase being an empty glass bottle—with a note leaning against it. From your favorite campers. You immediately recognized Connor Stoll’s handwriting, and you make a mental note to thank him later. Only Connor would hand-pick flowers and probably injured himself in the process.

When you roll your head to the other side, your heart melts at the sight of Percy sleeping in the chair next to you, lightly holding your hand. His black hair is tousled—either from pulling on it or sleeping—you weren’t sure. As always, he looked so peaceful sleeping, and you felt bad for wanting to wake him up. The want to see his sea-green eyes overruled everything, and you found yourself squeezing his hand, watching him slowly stir.

Percy wasn’t one to wake quickly. In fact, he was notoriously known for being a heavy sleeper and having the ability to sleep through anything and everything. But the moment he felt your hand squeezing his, he immediately snapped out of his dreamless sleep. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming that you had squeezed his hand, but once he snapped open his eyes and saw yours gazing back into his, he couldn’t help but feel so happy.

He stood up, sitting on the edge of your bed, his hip lightly brushing yours. “How do you feel, angel?”

You hesitate for a moment, you couldn’t really feel anything. It must be the morphine Will had given you repetitively throughout your sleep—ensuring you were as comfortable as possible. You ignored the fuzzy feeling throughout your body, your entire focus was on Percy.

“Numb,” you attempt to joke, but it falls short.

Percy offers a half-tipped smile, his sea-green eyes twinkling. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” you whisper, interlocking your fingers with his.

“But,” he begins, and you know you’re in for one of Percy Jackson’s infamous lectures. “If you ever do something like that again, I’m never letting you have my mom’s cooking ever again.”

You gasp, feigning shock, though with the morphine in your body—you are genuinely shocked. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh yes I would,” he narrows his eyes at you, but they still hold the same mischievous glint you fell in love with.

You groan, “this is what I get for protecting my boyfriend?”

“Not when you almost died,” his hand comes up, smoothing back some of your hair. His thumb caresses your temple, and you sigh out at the contact.

“Can we go home?”

He chuckles, “not until Will approves. I can go get him if you want.”

“No,” you respond. “Not yet. I want to stay like this for a little.”

Maybe it was the loopy feeling making you say these things, because Percy knows had you not had any medicine in your body, you’d be demanding him to get Will. No, you’d be getting him yourself. Secretly, Percy was perfectly content with staying like this with you for a little longer before getting Will. Simply being in each other’s presence. For once, he felt grateful for being a demigod, because he allowed himself to believe that the gods were in his favor for once. As long as you were breathing and alive, Percy was content with his life as a demigod.

Percy dips down, placing a tender kiss on your forehead. You sigh out in content, nuzzling against his forehead once he rests his against yours. You two stay like that for a while, not until Percy goes and gets Will, too impatient to get you home to his comfortable bed.

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

#percy jackson #percy x reader #percy jackson x reader #percy pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #pjoverse #hoo toa #heroes of olympus #riordanverse

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knightofthenewrepublic · 8 months ago

Text

The Battle of Manhattan didn’t go the way the Fandom thinks it did; we need to address the “massacre” of the Titan Army!

The Battle of Manhattan is the most pivotal event of the first series. And we see the entire thing exclusively from Percy’s point of view. He takes us through the thickest of the fight from one end of Manhattan Island to the next, and shows us a desperate fight of good against evil.

But we have another point of view for the battle, one that comes from the demigods of the Titan army, and one that informs us of a far different, darker side to the conflict. One where an entire army of children is massacred by the victorious Olympians, without a thought or even a care. It’s a shocking, confronting side of the struggle that most fans don’t seem to be aware of.

But it’s also completely inaccurate.

Now I love Alabaster; he’s one of my favorite characters, and I want nothing but the best for him. But he’s a demonstrably unreliable narrator. I don’t even mean that he’s intentionally dishonest; but he’s very badly misinformed about what actually happened. And that gives the fandom three major misconceptions that need to be cleared up.

Alabaster gets the casualty ratio for the battle wrong (the Olympians had more than he thinks).

The Titan army has far fewer demigods than most fans think (not much more than 50 at the most).

Alabaster does say that there was a “massacre” at the end of the battle, but most of the TA demigods had deserted before that!

Part 1) The Olympians Have High Casualties

“It was a massacre. If I remember right, my mother told me that Camp Half-Blood and its allies had sixteen casualties total. We had hundreds.” (pg 219)

This is the only time we get a specific number for Olympian casualties, but it just doesn’t match up with what actually happens in the books. Looking back at all the deaths we do see:

Charlie Beckendorf -1

one [Hellhound] got hold of an Apollo camper and dragged him away. I didn’t see what happened to him next. I didn’t want to know. (pg 182) -1

Michael Yew -1

A young dragon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated. (pg 203) -12

“We lost twenty satyrs against some giants at Fort Washington,” [Grover] said, his voice trembling. (pg 203) -20 Giants smashed through trees, and naiads faded as their life sources were destroyed. (pg 243) -1< Enemy archers returned fire, and a Hunter fell from a high branch. (pg 244) -1 Too many of our friends lay wounded in the streets. Too many were missing. (pg 257) -1< The flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies –helmets and armor pieces from defeated campers. (pg 282) -1< The Drakon lashed out, swallowing three californian centaurs in one gulp before I could even get close. (pg 288) -3 Poison spewed everywhere, melting centaurs into dust along with quite a few monsters, (pg 288) -1< The Drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. (pg 291) -1

Silena Beauregard -1

Leneus -1

a body covered in the golden burial shroud of Apollo’s cabin. I didn’t know who was underneath. I don't want to find out. (pg 303) -1

Oddly enough, we actually miss the moment that was probably the worst for the Olympians, the final push by Kronos that breaks through their line. After Clarisse slays the drakon and the monsters are driven back again, Percy and co. take the opportunity to go up to Olympus. Percy gives Pandora’s Pithos to Hestia, and then contacts Poseidon via his throne. It’s just as he finishes that Thalia comes up and tells them that Kronos is coming again, but they miss the fighting.

By the time we got to the street, it was too late. Campers and Hunters lay wounded on the ground. Clarisse must have lost a fight with a Hyperborean giant, because she and her chariot were frozen in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen. Either they’d panicked and ran, or they’d been disintegrated. (pg 312) -<500

And finally, Kronos does kill some people on Olympus itself.

A few minor gods and nature spirits had tried to stop Kronos. What remained of them was strewn about the road: shattered armor, ripped clothing, swords and spears broken in half. (pg 322) -1<

The specific deaths we have mentioned during the battle amount to 48 at the very least; and that is an extremely conservative estimate that only includes the deaths Percy has the time and presence of mind to witness in all the carnage. Considering how many others must have happened, factoring the sudden disappearance of the 500 centaurs in particular, it was likely in the hundreds. And most of the centaurs probably ran at the end, but even that would have involved heavy casualties.

It’s true that actual demigods were a smaller fraction of Olympian forces, and so would have made up just a fraction of losses. The number 16 might actually make sense if it were just the number of campers lost, but that’s not what Hecate said, she said total.

It might be significant that Hecate is the actual source of this misinformation. Would she have reason to lie to her own son, or might she herself be out of the loop. Right now, we just can’t know.

And she might be underestimating Titan Army losses too. Considering how many times a wave of several hundred monsters tear into Manhattan, and get thrown back by the Olympians only to return later with no discernable drop in numbers, until the army is finally routed entirely, it wouldn’t surprise me if the TA actually took a thousand or more casualties. But those would be overwhelmingly monsters, because:

Part 2) Less Than Fifty Demigods Were Even In The Titan Army

To prove that there could not possibly have been hundreds of TA demigods killed at Manhattan, we need look no farther than Alabaster's own account.

“There was a war between the gods and titans last summer and most half-bloods–demigods like me–fought for the Olympians.” (pg 218)

So the TA could not have had more demigods than the Olympians; and they had about a hundred. There are forty campers to start with, who are quickly joined by the Hunters, who now have thirty members. Then, in the last hours of the fight, they are finally joined by the Ares cabin, which brings another thirty (jeez Ares, you animal!). So Olympus has an even hundred demigods. (The Hunters aren’t necessarily all demigods by birth, but I don’t think Alabaster would make a distinction based on that.)

So the TA has less than a hundred demigods, significantly less. I would argue they probably had no more than fifty because that lines up with the only solid numbers we ever get for them. And every time the TA is described, demigods are a clear minority. First, look at the foes Percy encounters when he infiltrates the Princess Andromeda:

I saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship–dracaenae snake-women, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid seal-demons known as telkhines . . . . . “I don’t care what your nose says!” snarled a half-human half-dog voice—a telkhine. “The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meatloaf sandwich!” “Meatloaf sandwiches are good!” a second voice snarled . . . . . a telkhine was hunched over a console . . . . . a half dozen telkhines were tromping down the stairs . . . . . past another telkhine . . . . . And in the fountain squatted a giant crab . . . . . a couple of dracaenae slithered across my path . . . . . As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down . . . . . Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool . . . . . demigod archers appeared on the roof . . . . . two hellhounds leapt down . . . . . The crowed of monsters parted . . . . . Giants jeered. Dracaenae hissed with laughter . . . . . throwing monsters off their feet . . . . .I knew him, of course: Ethan Nakamura . . . . . two giants lumbered forward . . . . . Panicked monsters surged backward . . . . . one of the dracaenae hissed . . . . . I pushed through a crowd of monsters . . . . . Monsters yelled at me from above.

That was a quick summary of all the enemies Percy and Charlie encounter on the Princess Andromeda, I’m not crazy enough to try and write the whole chapter. But it’s pretty clear there are only a few demigods amid dozens of monsters. We hear the same thing from Poseidon later, that “there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship”; we might question whether or not Poseidon is a trustworthy source, but the evidence does back him up.

When we finally get to the battle, the disparity of demigod numbers in the TA is again evident:

The bronze image showed Long Island Sound near La Guardia. A fleet of a dozen speed boats raced through the dark water toward Manhattan. Each boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor. At the back of the lead boat, a purple banner emblazoned with a black scythe flapped in the night wind. I’d never seen that design before, but it wasn’t hard to figure out: the battle flag of Kronos. “Scan the perimeter of the island,” I said. “Quick.” Annabeth shifted the scene south to the harbor. A Staten Island Ferry was plowing through the waves near Ellis Island. The deck was crowded with dracaenae and a whole pack of hellhounds. Swimming in front of the ship was a pod of marine mammals. At first I thought they were dolphins. Then I saw their doglike faces and swords strapped to their waists, and I realized they were telkhines—sea demons. The scene shifted again: the Jersey shore, right at the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. A hundred assorted monsters were marching past the lanes of stopped traffic: giants with clubs, rogue Cyclopes, a few fire-spitting dragons, and just to rub it in, a World War II-era Sherman tank, pushing cars out of the way as it rumbled into the tunnel. (pg 167)

Here we see the first wave of the Titan Army as a three pronged attack (which Percy says on the next page collectively numbered at least 300) and only one of the units has demigods. It’s the one that Kronos leads, so it’s probably meant to be a more elite unit, at least at first.

We don’t know for sure how many there are. Speedboats are usually made to carry 4-6 people so a dozen would be possible 48 to 72. Considering Alabaster says there were significantly less demigods in the TA than the Olympians, I would guess it’s on the lower end; and that does match another number we see in a moment.

This fleet never reaches Manhattan, since Percy bribes the East River to swamp their boats. Those who say many TA demigods were killed in the battle might point to this as Percy causing a bunch of kids to drown; but Alabaster never mentions a mass drowning in his narrative of the battle, and he would have been on one of those boats, so it’s safe to say they just went for a swim.

(And Kronos was with them, which means that a very angry titan lord was suddenly pitched into the river and had to swim with the rest of them. That’s not really relevant, I just want everyone to know that.)

Percy is then immediately told that “Another army is marching over the Williamsburg bridge.” This fourth prong of the attack, led by the Minotaur, also has no demigods in it.

An entire phalanx of dracaenae marched in the lead . . . About a hundred more monsters marched behind them. (pg 182) More monsters surged forward —snakes and giants and telkines—but the Minotaur roared at them, and they backed off. (pg 186)

But more monsters keep advancing because by the time Percy kills the minotaur and the demigods charge and rout the whole group, it had grown to 200

Finally, the monsters turned and fled—about twenty left alive out of two hundred. (pg 188)

So the grand total for the first TA attack was 500 soldiers or more, with only 40-70 of them demigods. And after the monsters on the Williamsburg bridge retreat, those demigods show back up.

Then I saw the crowd at the base of the bridge. The retreating monsters were running straight toward their reinforcements. It was a small group, maybe thirty or forty demigods in battle armor, mounted on skeletal horses. One of them held a purple banner with the black scythe design. The lead horseman trotted forward. He took off his helm, and I recognized Kronos himself, his eyes like molten gold. (pg1 188)

This is the only time we get anywhere close to a specific number when TA demigods are concerned. It would have been the same group that was sunk in the East River, who then had to swim for Brooklynn; which is where they are now trying to take the Williamsburg bridge. This reinforces the idea that the number of demigods in the boats was only a little more than forty, since they would not have suffered more than a few injuries in the sinkings.

I’m going to come back to this moment later to demonstrate how Percy refrains from killing other demigods, even in his Achilles state, but the other important thing to note is that this is the last time Kronos organizes his demigods into a unit that he leads personally. After they fail to break through here, Kronos just has them take on a secondary role, and puts his faith in bigger and bigger monsters to lead the charge instead.

The Titan Army units on Long Island then spend the evening marching the long way around Manhattan (for some reason) because they make camp for the night in New Jersey, at Medusa’s old lair. Percy again describes demigods as the small minority.

Hundreds of tents and fires surrounded the property. Mostly I saw monsters, but there were some human mercenaries in combat fatigues and demigods in armor too. A purple-and-black banner hung outside the emporium, guarded by two huge blue Hyperboreans.

And this is only part of the Titan army, because there are more troops north of Manhattan.

“Tell my brother Hyperion to move our main force south into Central Park. The halfbloods will be in such disarray they will not be able to defend themselves.” (pg 237)

The army that marches into central park is bigger than the one camped in New Jersey. And it is made up exclusively of monsters.

At the north end of the reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods—a warrior in golden armor leading a battalion of Laistrygonian giants with huge bronze axes. Hundreds of other monsters poured out behind them. (pg 243)

There is not a single mention of a demigod. However they’re already joining the fight in other places.

When it flew above the rooftops, I could see fires here and there around the city. It looked like my friends were having a rough time. Kronos was attacking on several fronts. (pg 251)

After Percy kills the Clazmonian Sow, the momentum of the battle shifts. With his main force failing to deliver a knockout punch, Kronos has his remaining armies spread out to put equal pressure on the entire defensive line, and catch it in a massive envelopment.

Midtown was a war zone. We flew over little skirmishes everywhere. A giant was ripping up trees in Bryant Park while dryads pelted him with nuts. Outside the Waldorf Astoria, a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin was whacking a hellhound with a rolled-up newspaper. A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of Rockefeller Center . . . . . The hunters had set up a defensive line on 37th, just three blocks north of Olympus. To the east on Park Avenue, Jake Mason and some other Hephaestus campers were leading an army of statues against the enemy. To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover’s nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos’s demigods . . . . . I spotted a familiar silver owl banner in the southeast corner of the fight, 33rd at the Park Avenue tunnel. Annabeth and two of her siblings were holding back a Hyperborean giant . . . . . The next hour was a blur. I fought like I’d never fought before—wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telkines with every strike, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods . . . . . At one point Grover was next to me, bonking snake women over the head with his cudgel. Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Thalia at my side, driving monsters back with the power of her magic shield. Mrs. O’Leary bounded out of nowhere, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth and flung him like a Frisbee. Annabeth used her invisibility cap to sneak behind enemy lines. Whenever a monster disintegrated for no apparent reason with a surprised look on his face, I knew Annabeth had been there . . . . . Kronos was riding towards us on a golden chariot. A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners . . .

“THEN THE WINGED HUSSAARSSS AARRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVED” SABATON BLASTS ON ELECTRIC GUITAR

Sorry, sorry, I mean then Chiron and the 500 centaurs arrived!

Kronos’s forces looked as confused as we were. Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos’s honor guard looked uneasy. Then, to our left, a hundred monsters cried out at once. Kronos’s entire northern flank surged forward. I thought we were doomed, but they didn’t attack. They ran straight past us and crashed into their southern allies . . . a shower of arrows arced over our heads and slammed into the enemy, vaporizing hundreds of demons. (pg 258)

This is how the second phase of the battle ends. And during the entire night, out of a sea of monsters (hehe) we only see one unit of TA demigods. And it’s the last time we get any reference to them participating in the battle.

After being driven south, the TA apparently did another long march, because they make camp northeast of Manhattan.

The Titan army had set up camp all around the U.N. complex. The flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies—helmets and armor from defeated campers. All along First Avenue, giants sharpened their axes. Telkines repaired armor at makeshift forges. (pg 282)

Ethan is the only demigod mentioned this time. And he doesn’t appear to take part in the next attack, aside from releasing the drakon. We get less of a description of the enemy army this time, but it’s all monsters.

The rest of the battle wasn’t going well. The centaurs had panicked under the onslaught of giants and demons. An occasional orange camp T-shirt appeared in the sea of fighting, but quickly disappeared. (pg 289)

Of course the Ares cabin arrives, the drakon kills Silena, and Clarisse kills it. It’s another rout for the TA.

The monsters retreated toward 35th Street. (pg 298) There was no answer from the enemy. Slowly, they began to fall back behind a dracaenae shield wall, while Clarisse drove in circles around Fifth Avenue, daring anyone to cross her path. (pg 299)

After that we have the final phase of the battle, when the Titan Army finally breaks through the Olympian lines. But once again, we have no reference to demigods other than Ethan.

The Titan Army ringed the building, standing maybe twenty feet from the doors. Kronos’s vanguard was in the lead: Ethan Nakamura, the dracaenae queen in her green armor, and two Hyperboreans. I didn’t see Prometheus. (pg 312) “ROWWF!” Mrs. O’Leary bounded toward me, ignoring the growling monsters on either side. (pg 315) There were thousands of [skeletan soldiers], and as they emerged, the titan’s monsters got jumpy and started to back up. (pg 315) The armies of the dead clashed with the Titan’s monsters. Fifth Avenue exploded into absolute chaos. Mortals screamed and ran for cover. Demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field. Persephone changed the dracaenae spears into sunflowers. Nico slashed and hacked his way through the enemy, trying to protect pedestrians as best as he could. My parents ran toward me , dodging monsters and zombies, but there was nothing I could do to help them. (pg 318).

The fight continues like this, until Typhon is destroyed, and the defenders are joined by the gods, and Poseidon’s army of cyclopes. It’s then that the Titan army is “massacred.” Most of the fandom thinks that the demigods were killed too, but that’s not the case.

PART 3: The TA Demigods Deserted Before The Final Battle

As Alabaster remembers it:

the war didn’t go our way. I fought on the battlefield against the enemy, but most of our allies ran. Kronos himself marched on Olympus, only to be killed by a son of Poseidon. After Kronos’s death, the Olympian gods smashed any remaining resistance. It was a massacre. “We weren’t all destroyed,” Alabaster said. “Most of the remaining half-bloods fled or were captured. They were so demoralized they joined the enemy. (pg 219)

When you look at this narrative, and compare it to The Last Olympian, it’s actually more complicated than the TA demigods simply getting massacred.

Al says that while he was fighting, most of his allies ran. That’s odd, because we don’t see the relative numbers of monsters go down at any point. What we do see, is the number of demigods go down.

As I illustrated in Part 2, the Battle of Manhattan has four distinct phases. Phase one, that ends when the Williamsburg Bridge is destroyed. The second phase, that starts when Hyperion attacks Central Park, and ends when the Party Ponies arrive. The third phase, which is all about the attack of the drakon. And the final phase, when Kronos breaks through.

We only see TA demigods in the first two phases; they attack the Williamsburg Bridge in the first phase as part of the Kronos’s main force, then in the second phase they’re relegated to a supporting role by hitting the defenders western flank. And that’s the last we see of them. After that, Etahn is the only demigod left standing in the TA. Alabaster must be somewhere in the background, as a retcon, but there’s no one beyond the two of them.

You might think that they’ve just already been killed by this point. After all, Percy blows up the Princess Andromeda, then goes into an Achilles Curse fueled berserker mode several times in the first two phases of the battle. Surely he must have killed hundreds of kids, right?

No, not even close.

Maybe not any at all.

On the Princess Andromeda Percy finds lots of monsters, but the number of demigods he finds could be counted on one hand. And the first one he meets; Percy spares him and tells him to get his friends and evacuate. We can’t prove whether or not any demigods were killed in the blast; we just know that the two we can confirm were still on board, Ethan and Alabaster, both survived. And when Alabaster recounts it, he doesn’t mention any bad losses at this point.

As for the Curse of Achilles, it doesn’t send Percy into anything like the berserker state some people think of it as. It might seem like that when Percy lets loose on the Williamsburg Bridge:

You’re going to ask how the whole “invincible” thing worked: if I magically dodged every weapon, or if the weapon hit me and just didn’t harm me. Honestly, I don’t remember. All I knew was that I wasn’t going to let these monsters invade my hometown. I sliced through armor like it was made of paper. Snake women exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow. I slashed and stabbed and whirled, and I might have even laughed once or twice—a crazy laugh that scared me as much as it did my enemies. (pg 188)

But when push comes to shove, Percy can control the Curse, and what he does during it. That last moment was when he was fighting nothing but monsters. But when the TA demigods arrived, Percy pulled his punches like he always does.

I tried to wound his men, not kill. That slowed me down, but these weren’t monsters. They were demigods who’d fallen under Kronos’s spell. I couldn’t see faces under their helmets, but some of them had probably been my friends. I slashed the legs off their horses and made the skeletal mounts disintegrate. After the first few demigods took a spill, the rest figured out they’d better dismount and fight me on foot. (pg 189)

Percy is still in complete control of what he’s doing; even when the worst happens.

“Annabeth!” I turned in time to see her fall, clutching her arm. A demigod with a bloody knife stood over her . . . . . I locked eyes with the enemy demigod. He wore an eye patch under his helmet: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. Somehow he’d survived the explosion on the Princess Andromeda. I slammed him in the face with my sword hilt so hard I dented his helm. (pg 190)

Percy really has all the reason to hate Ethan at this point; after Percy spared his life in Antaeus’ arena, Ethan still joined the side that had been ready to write off his death, and deliberately helped Kronos achieve his physical resurrection. Because of that Percy’s friends and even-Riordan-doesn’t-know how many mortals are going to die in the next few days; and on top of all that, Ethan just stabbed the love of his life.

And all Percy does is knock him out, maybe a little harder than necessary. He makes no effort to kill him. Those aren’t the actions of a berserker with no control.

In fact, the knife turns out to be poisonsed. And Ethan now has an idea where Percy’s Achilles Spot is, and might tell Kronos. And even after all of that, Percy doesn’t seriously think about killing him as an option.

“I’ll bonk him on the head harder next time.” (pg 241)

But more on topic, there is no reason to think the TA demigods have particularly high casualties in this phase of the battle, though they have a few:

Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept riding. (pg 189)

Though it’s vague if they are hitting the riders or the horses. In fact, it might actually be Kronos who’s responsible for more of their losses.

[Kronos] struck the bridge with the butt of his scythe, and a wave of pure force blasted me backward. Cars went careening. Demigods—even Luke’s own men—were blown off the edge of the bridge. (pg 192)

I will die on the hill that between this, Ethan, and other implied moments, Kronos killed more of his own demigods than Percy did.

In the second phase of the battle, when we see the TA demigods attack again, they’re in a very different situation.

To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover’s nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos’s demigods. (pg 255)

This is the only thing we see the TA demigods do as a group in this phase; and they’re fighting people who are using very defensive tactics, more hampering than harmful. They’re not likely to lose many fighters. A few of them do cross Percy’s path in the chaos, but even at his most Achilles fueled chaos he never loses control.

The next hour was a blur. I fought like I’d never fought before—wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telkines with every strike, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods. (pg 257)

He talks about killing monsters, but always “knocking out” demigods. Finally, that phase of the battle ends when the centaurs show up. Did the centaurs kill any demigods? After all, Percy said they “trampled everything in their path.”

Well the only report we get on the TA demigods puts them to the west. When the centaurs attack, they come out of the north east and drive the enemy south, and start off a wave of panic that ripples down the enemy lines ahead of them. The demigods were probably running before any centaur reached them, and might have had better chances of being trampled by their own monsters.

So if the TA demigods aren’t taking many losses, where do they all go in the third and fourth phases, when we don’t see any except Ethan?

They desert.

Alabaster: “I fought on the battlefield against the enemy, but most of our allies ran.”

I think the demigods of the TA signed up with no real idea of what would happen when they fought the Olympians. They thought they were going to have a sure victory.

Chris Rodriguez said it in SOM:

“I hear they got two more [drakon] coming,” [Chris] said. “They keep arriving at this rate, oh, man—no contest!” (pg 122)

Alabaster C. Torrington said it in SOM:

“Kronos wasn’t supposed to lose! You said the odds of winning were in the Titan’s favor! You told me Camp Half-Blood would be destroyed!” (pg 196)

And they probably weren’t well prepared for the war either. At one point Luke says they will fight well because he has been training the army. But most of them join because they are the children of minor gods who swear for Kronos, and that doesn’t happen until the end of BOTL, after Luke has been possessed. Most of the TA demigods never got training from him; including their two highest ranking members, Ethan and Alabaster. It’s no wonder most of them weren’t prepared.

As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. He looked like he had just woken up from a nap. His armor was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, “Kronos!” but he sounded more scared than angry . . . . No way was I going to hurt him. I didn’t need a weapon for this. I stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand. (pg 18)

And the demigods might not hold much loyalty to Kronos, a violent and temperamental eldritch horror!

Ethan moistened his lips. “He’s still fighting you, isn’t he? Luke—” “Nonesense,” Kronos spat. “Repeat that lie, and I will cut out your tongue. The boy’s soul has been crushed.” (pg 236) “But, my lord,” Ethan said. “Your regeneration.” Kronos pointed at Ethan, and the demigod froze. “Does it seem,” Kronos hissed. “that I need to regenerate?” Ethan didn’t respond. Kind of hard to do when you’re immobilized in time. Kronos snapped his fingers and Ethan collapsed. (pg 284)

And the demigods might have witnessed a darker side to his army that we didn’t.

Back on my first visit to the Princess Andromeda, my old enemy Luke had kept dazed tourists on board for show, shrouded in Mist so they didn’t realize they were on a monster infested ship. Now i didn’t see any sign of tourists. I hated to think what had happened to them, but I kind of doubted they’d been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings. (pg 15)

So, the demigods deserted. After the second phase of the battle we don’t see any at the Titan camp at the U.N., or taking any part in the last phases of the battle. They had been fed false promises, were treated badly, and were being sent against enemies out of their league.

“Most of the remaining half-bloods fled or were captured. They were so demoralized they joined the enemy.”

All except two, Alabaster and Ethan. The son of Nemesis, who has already given so much and is so desperate to see something good and fair come out of it; and the son of Hecate, who was promised victory, and is desperate to avenge the death of his siblings. Ironically, the two demigods who stayed loyal to Kronos the longest, did so because they had faith in their godly parents.

So if there was no “massacre” of TA demigods at the end of the Battle of Manhattan, why is Alabaster so insistent that there was one?

“Yes,” Alabaster said bitterly. “Camp Half-Blood decided that they would accept any children of the minor gods. They would build us cabins at camp and pretend that they didn’t just blindly massacre us for resisting. (pg 220) “But I’ll never bow to the Olympian gods after the atrocities they committed. Their followers are blind. I’d never set foot in their camp, and if I did, it would only be to give that son of Poseidon what he deserves.” (pg 221)

Well, it’s because the children of Hecate suffered the most in the war. She didn’t have as many children as other gods, and Alabaster was the only one to fight in it and survive. He claims he convinced “most” of his siblings to join; but if Hecate does not have many children, and he is the only survivor of the battle, how are there still enough of his siblings to decently fill a cabin, it’s likely “most” was only slightly more than half. The sad irony is that the fact that the smaller group of demigods had more casualties than the larger ones (and it sounds like not just more proportionately, but more in actual numbers), also kind of disproves that there could have been a large massacre that affected them all.

Alabaster was a scared, frustrated, exhausted kid; who convinced his siblings to fight in a destructive war, and was the only one of them to survive. To him, that is probably always going to feel like a brutal massacre.

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jillgirlfriends · 6 months ago

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ghostfaces jealous

pairing: billy loomis, stu macher, mickey altieri, roman bridger, jill roberts, charlie walker, ethan landry, quinn bailey x fem!reader

warnin: jealous, mention of murder, possible dark themes

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ BILLY LOOMIS

basically he is very patient, he trusts you and knows that you will never replace him with anyone. so, he is calm. he is always calm, in any situation.

but if this man starts to get physical, anger starts to get the better of billy and he noticeably frowns and the corners of his lips turn down

at such moments, billy is already thinking about what to do with this person. and this is definitely not good. billy can quickly take you away from this person, and ask you about him. there are moments when he does not interfere and trusts you with the situation because he trusts you.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ STU MACHER

the complete opposite of his friend, stu will just explode if some guy approaches you

when he sees another guy talking to you and going too far, stu will quickly run up to your couple and join the conversation. his gaze will quickly change and he will glare at that idiot.

and he also naturally hugs you from behind, or gently puts his hands on your shoulder and pulls you towards him. for stu it's already a habit. he also does it on purpose, showing the idiots that you are his and you have a worthy boyfriend

he will also definitely blow your mind later, annoying you with his questions about this person and will definitely ask you a million times: "you still love me, right?"

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ MICKEY ALTIERI

absolutely calm during such situations, the dude literally can't be pissed off. mickey even grinned and laughed to himself watching all this

he will approach you and this guy, and may even get to know this person out of interest, but in any case he may forget about this person. in general, mickey specifically gets to know this person to impress you and him, showing his politeness and complete calmness.

after, altieri will take you away hugging you by your waist and taking you to another place to spend time with you

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ROMAN BRIDGER

also quite calm during such situations, he simply does not pay attention to it because of his trust in you or quickly takes you away from this person if he goes too far and starts to get physical

roman also trusts you quite a lot and that's why he is so calm during these situations. but, he hates it when someone lays hands on you

in general, no one will touch you because you are constantly near the novel

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ JILL ROBERTS

the most jealous person number 1. she starts to frown and her face becomes so displeased. she stares at this whole scene and jealousy starts to gnaw at her. just the sight of someone touching the person she truly loves and making her feel uncomfortable makes her so angry

but, jill is a very patient person and will not make any scenes or quarrels. therefore, he will wait for the end of your conversation with this guy and will come up to you to ask you about everything

she is a very possessive girlfriend, so you better get used to it all. jill will definitely remember this man, and will come up with plans for him. his life is already in her hands.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ CHARLIE WALKER

quite jealous, he makes the cutest and most disgruntled face like a kitten when he's jealous! literally

those pouty lips and angry eyes give away his jealousy in a second, although he doesn't want you to know that he's jealous

charlie doesn't have the courage to come up to you both and interrupt you, so he'll wait until the last moment. and in fact, he'll be thinking about killing this freak, staring at him and studying him

don't make him wait long

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ETHAN LANDRY

the second jealous man! ethan will frown noticeably and he will stay close to you and eavesdrop on your conversation and wait for it to end. he will fold his arms across his chest and like an obedient boy he will remain silent and not interfere. during this time, he will often roll his eyes and make a displeased face

he will be tormented by thoughts: "what if she likes him more than me?" "does she not like me anymore?" "will she leave me?" and then ethan lowers his eyes, and his face becomes thoughtful and... sad

but then you call him and ethan finally pays attention to you, and his look is so confused and cute.. you happily take his hand and lead him away, and ethan's heart melts from this gesture. you will not leave him.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ QUINN BAILEY

it's you who will be jealous

well, she is also quite calm and completely self-possessed. but, she is not such a patient person and can frown.

quinn can also talk to this person and pull you closer to her showing that you belong to her. she speaks politely and shows her soft side, but deep down she wants leave quickly and take you

after the conversation, she breathes out with relief and all the tension evaporates from her and she happily leaves with you

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hazbin-writings-and-musings · 1 year ago

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Lucifer Morningstar x Pregnant!Reader Headcanons

As much as dear Lucy and reader enjoyed themselves in this headcanon post, I can't help but imagine such activities might lead to Charlie become a big sister, so I put some headcanons together for such a situation. I know that Sinners can't get pregnant as canon currently stands, so I typically employ either the Rules of Fanfic or I imagine reader is a living human that ended up in Hell through magic shenanigans (will elaborate with a prompt post once I've got the spoons), though of course you're free to imagine them as Hellborn or whatever suits your fancy!

Warnings: Pregnancy Mention, Implied Smut

- He's insistent you see the Royal Physician as soon as you start experiencing symptoms, but he's not at all prepared for the diagnosis you bring back, and he might need you to repeat it a few dozen times. You're pregnant? With a baby? And it's his? He put a baby in you? You're going to have his baby? An actual baby? He's going to be a dad again?! So goes the conversation for a good ten or so minutes, and suffice to say he's far from calm once the news finally does sink in. Given that the two of you had assumed that an angel and a mortal couldn't reproduce, this is more than an unexpected surprise, and Lucifer knows all too well how much of a fuss this will create from Hell's lowest ring all the way up to Heaven. That's to say nothing of how Charlie might take the news...

- Once the initial panic fades, after a solid hour or so, he gathers himself and focuses on setting a course of action. A very important decision needs to be made. He says it's up to you, but upon being asked what he'd like to do, the King of Hell surprises himself and answers without hesitation that he'd love to have this baby with you. He's surprised because he knows better than anyone that it will be challenging, but he can't deny how much he wants it regardless. Having Charlie was the greatest thing he'd ever done, and the thought of another little bundle makes his heart swell in ways he can barely describe, but ultimately he'll support whatever decision you make. Carrying a half-Archangel is no easy feat... Hearing that you want the same and intend to carry through is enough to make him lift you clear off the ground in a spinning airborne embrace, wings fluttering like a hummingbird as he breaks out into a celebratory musical number or two. He can't wait to be a dad all over again!

- If you thought he pampered you before, you were wrong. He doubles the amount of servants at your call, ensures there's always a physician available at a moment's notice, and hires a full team of chefs to cook whatever you might crave at any hour of the day. From beginning to end, he doesn't want you to want for anything, and the man knows a thing or two about spoiling, and he goes all out to ensure you're surrounded by comfort at all times. That's to say nothing of his own personal dedication to more or less worshiping your existence. Even the tiniest indication of pain or discomfort has him leaping to your assistance. Backrub? Footrub? Full body massage? You name it, he's quite happy to provide. If it wasn't such a cliche he'd be rather happy to feed you grapes from a golden platter. His efforts are borne from the deep sense of pride he feels every time he looks at you and thinks of how incredible it is that he's with you, that you're carrying his child, and that the two of you are bringing something quite wonderful and unique into existence. Said pride fully extends to the public view, where he doesn't hesitate to show you off and humbly brag to anyone that will listen about the news.

- You'll also find that as protective as he was before, he doesn't even hesitate to get his fangs out now, not that many in Hell are stupid enough to mess with the King's beloved. He expects you to be treated with the highest levels of respect, and if he can't accompany you somewhere, he'll insist on an armed escort to keep you safe. This fear isn't completely unfounded, as there are some willing to risk everything for an upper hand on Lucifer, but he's got ample experience keeping the opportunists at bay. He did the same when Lilith was expecting Charlie.

- Speaking of Charlie, the only thing that gives him any kind of hesitation is his fear that she might take the news poorly. Though she took your relationship well, what if she isn't thrilled about a younger sibling? With their relationship so recently repaired, he fears she might worry about being replaced or pushed aside, and he doesn't know how to reassure her that nothing will ever make him love her less. Thankfully, with her boundless kindness and eternally upbeat personality, the Princess of Hell puts his worries to rest as soon as she gets the news. In fact, she reacts much the same way her father did; a massive hug and a delighted musical number, albeit with far more happy sobbing. She promises through tears that she'll be the best big sister Hell has ever seen, and that she simply can't wait.

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multi-fandom-imagine · 1 year ago

Note

If you don't want to write this it's completely fine

Could you please do Adam, Husk, Lucifer and Alastor (separately) x fem!reader who is going through *that* time of the month and how they'd try to help? (Love your writing btw)

A/n: you're so sweet, thank you.

Adam:

Mind goes right to sex, he heard it helps so why wouldn't he wanna help his girl.

"It's alright beautiful." Adam gave you a wink tugging you close to his chest. "A little blood doesn't bother me."

Really tries, goes to Lute if he see's you are in pain. He does not like seeing you in pain, will honestly try.

Will get any food you want and eat it with you, think's you're the hottest thing to hit heaven and will tell you that. { is low key scared you'd leave him for Lucifer }

"You're so sexy babe, want me to message your tit or thighs? I can do that."

Adam nuzzled his nose into your neck. "I can make you feel good."

Husk:

Will offer to get you drunk to numb the pain sin e he really does not know how any of that shit works.

Husk would let you cuddle into him if you are in pain. You love how soft he is, how warm he is, he is like your own personal heater.

If you are horny, Husk would step up to help you with the problem. Like Adam, he takes no issue with the blood.

Won't ask anyone for help, want's to do it himself and though he may mess up a little he does his best to try.

"Need a drink.?" Seeing the scowl on your face, Husk stepped out from behind the bar to give you an awkward hug. His nose pressing into your neck as his paw slowly ran down your message your stomach.

"I'll make you feel good."

Lucifer:

Is the one that know's the most about period's due to Lillith and Charlie.

Would do anything to help you, go all out to make sure you feel good. You're his number one priority.

"Need anything Princess? A heating pad, something to take the pain away? Sweets? Or do you prefer something savory or salty?" Lucifer stepped close to you taking your hand in his. "Anything you want, it is yours."

Giving him a weak but tired smile, you shifted your body on the bed. "How about a nice cuddle."

"That I can happily do." Sliding in the bed next to you, he nuzzled his nose into your neck.

Finds out you become more fertile when you are pregnant, will practically beg for sex.

Alastor:

Is in between knowing more than Adam and Husk but knowing less than Lucifer. Since he care's about you will offer to help with what you need. He can't have his little doe in pain now can he.

Makes someone useless to grab an essential that you might need.

Hates that your blood drives him a bit crazy, you smell better than before.

"Now why are you up?" Alastor gave you a large grin tilting his head to the side. Stepping towards you, he placed a finger under your chin so you were looking up at him. "Can't have you wandering around when you smell so delicious."

Lets you sit with him while he does his radio broadcasts, you look so cute when you sleep.

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thecouchsofa · 1 month ago

Text

It might be March, but better late than never!

While I posted more fic in 2024 (see my 2024 year in fic) than I ever have before, I also read an absolute shitload. Below the cut are some of my favourites that were published in 2024, arranged by word count.

As always, there is an absolute wealth of talent in this fandom and the amount of goodness we have here never ceases to amaze me. The fics below all really did it for me in a number of different ways. Though my opinion is subjective, I will happily vouch for all of them. Happy reading! 📚

❤️🩵💛💚

🌹Way to go, Tiger by @houndsinhades | G | 2k | 🌹

The time will arrive for the cruel and the mean You'll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline But now we'll curtail your curiosity In sweetness Way to go, Tiger Scorpius Malfoy's seventh birthday.

Read for: Scorpius at his best, Wholesome Parent/Child Relationship, Draco after the War

Note: This is technically a gen fic, but it gives major Drarry vibes so I’m putting it here anyway

🌺The game's the game by @hogwartsfirebolt | M | 3k | 🌺

Draco might be — definitely is — the world’s sorest loser, but he’s also the world’s biggest slut for Quidditch excellence, and he has it right here, holding him against his hotel room door.

Read for: Quidditch Rivals Harry and Draco, Friends with Benefits, a full story told expertly in a low word count

🌻 The sun between us by @eleadore | E | 7k | 🌻

Draco Malfoy, an omega. It was laughable until he was right in front of you, smelling like he was one shaky step from tripping into a heat.

Read for: Omegaverse, Snarky Banter, Good Characterisation (yes, I’m putting that on a PWP)

🌼 Apophenia by b6p592l11 | T | 12k |🌼

Out of the many things Sirius expected to happen after the war, having to deal with his godson dating a Death Eater was definitely not one of them.

Read for: Sirius Lives, Sirius POV, Draco/Regulus Parallels

🌷The Window by @hoko-onchi-writes | E | 15k |🌷

“I swear all you ever talk about is men.” Ron laughs and vanishes the last of the joint. “Sweet fucking Christ,” Harry says. “Remind me to never involve you in my life in any way, ever again.” He gives Harry a very handsome grin. “Padma said she saw him. At a Tesco’s.” “Who?” “Draco sodding Malfoy.” “At a Tesco’s,” Harry repeats. He’s very stoned, having an out-of-body experience imagining Draco Malfoy in a Tesco’s, holding a frozen dinner. He wonders, very briefly, what Malfoy’s been up to since the war. “I bet you wish you had a map of that Tesco’s. So you could track his name.” “Fuck off.” ~~ In which Harry grows up in darkness, falls in love, fucks up, learns some things, and falls in love again.

Note: this story also features Harry/Charlie, but it is endgame Drarry

Read for: Character Study (Harry), Adorable Scorpius, this line that I want tattooed on my prefrontal cortex: "There’s a very blond man with a laptop, and an equally blond toddler wearing a Wiggles t-shirt and brandishing a trashy romance novel like a weapon."

🪻Je te reverrai by @soliblomst and art by @kk1smet | E | 16k |🪻

When Beauxbatons visited Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, Draco managed to control his attraction to fourteen-year-old Harry Potter. When Beauxbatons returns three years later for a cultural exchange, Draco's attraction to seventeen-year-old Harry Potter is impossible to curtail. In his defence, Harry's perfectly tailored blue robes, mixed signals, and French accent do not help.

Read for: Beauxbatons Harry, French Speaking Harry, Gorgeous Art

🌹Nine Days in Coventry by @sitaz | G | 16k |🌹

When a de-aged Draco Malfoy is discovered in Knockturn Alley, the Ministry appoints Family Liaison Officer Potter as his emergency guardian. Whisked away to a Muggle safehouse, Draco does not cope well, and Harry learns just how hard life can be when a five-year-old declares war on you.

Read for: De-aged Draco, Draco being a brat (but so cute), Harry taking care of Draco, Pre-Relationship

🌺 The most he’s ever said by @fastbrother | E | 16k |🌺

It takes them twenty years.

Read for: Down and Out to Redeemed and Competent Draco, Draco-centric, the Situationship of a Lifetime

Warning: Infidelity, but not between Drarry

🌻You And Me Against The World by @dracowillhearaboutthis | T | 17k |🌻

When Draco finally meets his soulmate, he doesn't want anything to do with Draco.

Read for: Soulmarks, Partial Canon Rewrite, Remus raises Harry, Draco and Theo friendship

🌼Equally Cursed and Blessed by @moonflower-rose | E | 18k |🌼

Harry's back at Hogwarts to attempt his final year, again. This time he's sure there'll be no shenanigans. Well. Maybe there'll be a few.

Read for: Draco’s artsy porn collection, Humour, Harry and Ron’s ride or die friendship

🌷Goodbye, Old You by harDeehar (dryrsheet) | E | 19k |🌷

As an alpha, Harry Potter should not have been an assistant for the newly minted Diversity department, and he definitely should not have been working under Draco. Draco seemed to be the only person who thought Harry was suspicious, but he was used to taking care of things on his own, anyway. Luckily, Draco was not as alone as he thought, and his understanding of Harry's intentions turned out to not be the only misjudgement Draco made.

Read for: Omegaverse, Coworkers, Mpreg

🪻Raising Hell! by @wolfpants | E | 21k |🪻

Harry and Draco are sent undercover as a married couple to investigate a dodgy Muggle love cult. Something evil is lurking in Glastonbury… but to get to it, the reluctant partners must be initiated first. And this is, after all, a love cult…

Read for: Case Fic, Competent Draco, Muggle Sex Cults, Good Smut

🌹The Superfluous Man by peu_a_peu | E | 24k |🌹

A child for Harry Potter is a miracle of magic. And it's the second act of Draco Malfoy's sorry little life.

Read for: Mpreg, snappy writing style, a pre-2015 feel

🌺On the divine agony of longing by @flimsi | E | 25k |🌺

Speaking to Draco is like poking a beehive - and Harry is a glutton for punishment. In which Harry makes some serious blunders and then tries to fix it. Somehow. Draco’s eyes narrow and his mouth purses, pretty and pink and wet from whatever he’s been drinking. “Any mediocre time is better than whatever you can you offer, Head Auror Potter. We’ve had this conversation. I thought I made myself clear.”

Read for: Magically Powerful Harry, Possessive Pining Harry, Competent Draco

🌻Antelucan Ruins by @rainjulyx | E | 29k |🌻

From the bloody Prophet, Draco discovers Harry Potter’s death splashed in grey ink printed on the front page. Potter is dead before Draco gets to see him again to fulfil a half-spoken promise. And yet, these days Draco has the power to bend the world to his heart’s desires, and that includes fucking Harry Potter even after he personally saw Potter’s pale, lifeless body lying in a coffin before it got buried under the soil. — "Do you realise that you're just as pathetic and insane? You're so hung up on the idea of me that you'd fuck a ghost, Malfoy. You risked your life for it." Draco puts an arm around Potter's body, "Whoever says I am sane? Certainly not me. It's calculated risk with more success rate than failure. And you are dead, Potter. You refuse to move on to the next realm because you crave for my cock."

Read for: BAMF Draco, Ghost Harry, a surprisingly hopeful tone considering one of them is pretty dead

🌼The only thing worse than heartbreak is Vermont by @jtimu | E | 31k |🌼

In the aftermath of a failed relationship, Draco Malfoy found himself with three things. His pride (tattered), Theo's luggage (stolen), and an all-inclusive couples' vacation package to Vermont (awful).

Read for: Lumberjack Harry, Banter, International Location

🌷Skipping Stones by @whimsibeee | M | 34k |🌷

Draco receives his very own prophecy. If Harry Potter could leave him alone, he might be able to figure out what it means.

Read for: Coming of Age vibes, Cosy Atmospheric writing, Complicated Family Dynamics

🪻Obscuro by @stratigraphywrites | E | 35k |🪻

Draco is grieving. His conversation partner is here against his will. It's a shameless rip-off of an insipid Muggle reality dating show. Hardly the occasion for true love, if you ask Draco. feat. a cat named Marmalade, a bird named Mumble, Lee Jordan's answer to Love is Blind, and two best friends who only want their dads to be happy.

Read For: Game Show Format, Hidden Identity, Good Smut, Epilogue Compliant

🌹Invito by PrinceMalice | E | 36k |🌹

Draco mused on the possible first use of the charm. What had the wizard been calling for? The text didn’t specify. As for the etymology— the meaning of the word itself was derived from I call, I summon— or the Hungarian variation of the incantation… To invite. Or, Harry keeps inviting Draco places. Draco keeps turning him down… until he doesn't.

Read for: Eighth Year, the sweetest unfolding of a relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Party Games

🌺Gemini in Retrograde by @citrusses | T | 38k |🌺

Draco Malfoy doesn’t understand his son. Scorpius Malfoy doesn’t understand his father. It’s going to take more than one disastrous, body-swapping curse to change that.

Read for: Body Swapping, Alternating Scorpius/Draco POV, Draco being a good dad, Soft Harry, DADA Professor Harry

🌻No Harm by Tessa Crowley | E | 46k |🌻

After a long, bloody war, Draco Malfoy just wants to do something good with his life for a change, and resolves to become a healer. But magical society refuses to make it easy for him, and an increasingly dramatic series of events—all of them instigated by Harry Potter—get him kicked out of med school, force him to live in exile, and threaten to destroy the new life he’s trying so desperately to build. But Harry isn’t instigating anything—at least not on purpose. He’s just trying to work up the nerve to ask him out. His efforts don’t appear to be going great.

Read for: Down and out Draco, Pining Harry, same scenes from different perspectives

🌼Truth to Materials by lately & @toomuchplor | E | 54k | 🌼

In which Harry learns to appreciate art and other pleasures of the flesh.

Read for: Artist Draco, Paris, Good Smut

🌷Pillar of Salt by @epitomereally | E | 62k | 🌷

From the lake in the Room of Hidden Things, Draco knows three things: 1. Mirror universes exist, and he’s going to find the best one—the one where he did the right thing. 2. Harry Potter and him are awfully cosy in some of these other universes, whereas Potter in real life is starting to act very odd around him indeed. 3. Draco’s reflection—the mirror version of him, the worst version of him—seems to be growing crueler. And stronger.

Read for: Eighth Year, Alternate Universes (sort of), Magical Theory

🪻Behind Closed Doors by @stratigraphywrites | E | 77k | 🪻

Twelve years after Harry Potter disappeared from the wizarding world and from Draco's life, his daughter starts at Hogwarts.

Read for: Secret Child, Angst with a Happy Ending, Nonlinear Narrative

🌹A Soft Place to Fall by @amomorii | E | 142k | 🌹

When Harry arrives for his first year teaching at Hogwarts and is struck with a bizarre malignance, how on earth is he supposed to react when Draco Malfoy suddenly cares? Or; A darkness crawls out of Harry, and there's only so long he can keep it to himself.

Read for: Unique Concept, Managing Childhood Trauma, Reluctant Magical Coparenting (but it’s not what you think)

🌺The Star Splitter by @oflights | E | 219k |🌺

On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival.

Read for: Time Travel, Draco taking care of Harry, Kid Fic

I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I did! If you read any, don't forget to show the creators some love ❤️🩵💛💚

#drarry #drarry recs #drarry fics #drarry fic recs #hpdm #dmhp #harry x draco #draco x harry #my recs

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pprodsuga · 1 year ago

Text

wrong number

summary: when a barista of the cafe sunghoon frequents gives him her phone number, he decides to try his luck and texts her. problem is, it seems as though he’s got it all wrong and texts you instead.

warnings: playful banter, pseudo-mean jokes, flirting <3

notes: hi! I’ve never written a social media au before but saw so many people having fun creating stories like this, so I thought I’d try my hand at it. I really hope you enjoy reading <3

add yourself to my taglist !!

masterlist

*✧･ﾟ─────────── *✧･ﾟ

PROFILES: snoopy nation x operation: roommates

ONE: DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CAN AFFORD RENT

TWO: god took her time on you

THREE: hazelnut is god’s gift to earth

FOUR: invisible string theory

FIVE: this is not a hallmark movie

SIX: weekend at yn’s is NOW

SEVEN: i need a ride or die like you tbh

EIGHT: you have a cute voice by the way

BONUS

NINE: she left me on read

TEN: if that’s how you flirt then i’m a little worried for you

ELEVEN: someone talk me down a ledge

TWELVE: i’ll bet anything that you’re gorgeous in person

THIRTEEN: charlie, linus, and franklin

FOURTEEN: what if i just manifested a girlfriend

FIFTEEN: you’re so down bad it hurts me

SIXTEEN: (coming soon)

*✧･ﾟ─────────── *✧･ﾟ

#enhypen x reader #park sunghoon x reader #park sunghoon x you #park sunghoon smau #park sunghoon fluff #park sunghoon x oc #enhypen imagines #park sunghoon imagines #park sunghoon scenarios #enhypen scenario #enhypen sunghoon #kpop smau #kpop x reader #wrong number #sunghoon x reader #sunghoon

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wosounited · 26 days ago

Text

Retelling Tales (Katrina Gorry x Reader)

Part 2 of Telling Tales

“Harper, we have to go” you moaned, shouting up the stairs to where the toddler was still in her bedroom. She’d informed you that she could get ready alone this morning and you’d begrudgingly agreed, despite Katrina’s clear instructions that you had to help her. You gave it another 30 seconds before you jogged upstairs and swung the bedroom door open. “Harps” you sighed, taking in the scene before you.

“What?” She frowned back, giving you an equally stern look, almost matching the one that you were giving her. Katrina thought it was cute that she was picking up on your mannerisms, but that frown she had inherited was awful.

“You told me I could trust you” you whispered back, almost like Katrina was in earshot and could hear this conversation. “You cannot go to your mum’s match wearing my jersey. And Win does not like when you put a tiara and necklaces on her” you mumbled, going towards the dog who was sat completely still, covered in jewellery. You took all the jewels and necklaces off of the dog before giving her a gentle pat to thank her for being patient. She took off like a light, now managing to escape from the room.

“But I like your jersey. Look it has my name” she patted on her back to where it had the name Harper with your number.

“You can wear that tomorrow when you come and see me, but when we go to see mum you need to wear her jersey” you explained.

“But you’re my mummy too!” Harper shouted, pouting as she ran into your legs and gripped them with all her might. You’re not sure why Harper did these things when Katrina wasn’t around. The first time she’d told you she loved you was in front of Charli and now she’d just called you her mum in front of nobody.

“Please” you stuttered, still a bit taken aback. “Just wear this for me today, and I will buy you whatever you want” you pleaded.

“Okay” Harper instantly agreed as you sighed in relief. “I want ice cream” she demanded, ripping your jersey off and throwing it at you, before wiggling into a West Ham jersey.

“Well, you can have ice cream after you-”

“You said whatever I wanted” Harper reminded you, also reminding you to stop being so matter-of-fact with this kid.

“Fine, ice cream” you huffed. “Come on” you nodded towards the door.

“Wait” Harper pouted. “Carry me” the toddler demanded, making grabby hands as you hunkered down for her to climb into your arms. You carefully walked downstairs, locking up the house, still clutching to Harper and only letting go when you got her into her car seat. Harper had her own car seat in your car now, that you bought, without anybody telling you to.

“Can you buckle your belt or do you need help?” You asked.

“I can do it” Harper nodded. “Watch” she added, showing you how she could do it herself.

“Good job” you smiled, sticking your fist out for her to knock her fist off.

“I meant all the ice cream, did you know that?”

“I guessed” you chuckled. “If you promise you can be super speedy we can stop on the way” you said as the toddler squealed and clapped her hands.

She kept to her promise and was very fast in picking out her ice cream at the shop and running back to the car to get ready for the match. You yourself grabbed a secret ice cream to munch on the drive and told the toddler if she told anybody you did, the entire deal was off.

You pulled up at the game, going towards the friends and family section, the toddler clung tight to your arms. People often stopped to ask you for signatures or photos, and often would ask Harper to sign things too. Katrina didn’t mind people asking Harper to do that, fully embracing her daughter’s Instagram and TikTok fame. You however, were always a little bit protective of your daugh- your girlfriend’s daughter, and didn’t really like other people talking to her.

“There she is” Katrina smiled, as Harper went running towards the barrier. “Hi, love” she added, leaning over the barrier to kiss you quickly.

“Hi darlin’” you chirped back. “Sorry we’re late”

“Was she okay this morning?” Katrina asked.

“Mummy wouldn’t let me wear her jersey” Harper explained very casually while Katrina watched you freeze.

“When did this start?” Katrina whispered, placing her hand over your one that was clutching the railing.

“Earlier, over the jersey” you mumbled back.

“Mummy, can we get ice cream now too?” Harper asked.

“Too?” Katrina smirked. “Do you mean to tell me that you’ve already given her ice cream at 11am?”

“Mummy had one too” Harper giggled.

“Harper! You promised” you sighed.

“You have a match in the morning” Katrina raised her eyebrows, poking your nose as you chuckled and brushed her off.

“Kyra” Harper screamed, spotting her older sister coming into the stands and taking off on a sprint towards her. You’d tried to move off and run after her, but Katrina put her hand over yours to stop you. She saw Steph scoop Harper up in her arms and knew she was safe up there.

“Are you okay with- I can get her to stop calling you that” Katrina whispered as your eyes met.

“As long as you’re comfortable with it? I mean, I’m fine with it. Wait - maybe fine isn’t the right word? I’m happy with it. I like it- I-”

“Y/n” Katrina cupped your face, a soft smile plastered on her face.

“It makes me happy” you breathed out, feeling Katrina squeeze your cheeks. “Go, I’ll talk to you after” you said, noticing her coaches starting to come onto the pitch to start the warm up.

“I love you” Katrina said, kissing your cheek.

“I love you too, good luck” you smiled, squeezing her hand before she ran off and you jogged up to your seats. Kyra and Harper had gone off, but Steph, Beth, Caitlin and Katie were all sat up talking in your row of seats. “Where’s Harper?” You frowned.

“She’s gone with Kyra to get ice cream. Apparently they have some kind of deal” Steph chuckled. You needed to stop making deals with people that are smarter than you, and clearly that meant your 5 year old child.

“Don’t worry, we didn’t let your kid go missin’ in the thirty seconds it took for ye to come up” Katie laughed as you scowled at her.

“Is everything okay? You and Katrina seemed to be having a serious conversation” Steph whispered, tugging you closer to her.

“Uh, well-”

“Mummy look, Kyra got me ice cream” Harper giggled, jumping into your lap and offering you some of her cone to which you politely declined.

“Mummy?” repeated in unison by all of your teammates that were sat with you, except Steph.

“She’s started calling you-” Steph was welling up, little Harper in your lap and openly calling you her mum, and you seemed happy.

“Yeah” you nodded. “That’s what we were talking about” you said, answering Steph’s question to what you and Katrina were so caught up chatting about.

“It was bound to happen once you moved in” Steph smiled, patting your forehead almost like she was trying to tell you she was proud of you. “Katrina’s okay with it?”

“Yeah” you smiled. “It seems to make the three of us happy” you said, squeezing Harper’s shoulders.

“Hi Monkey” Steph giggled as she tickled the toddler’s chin, very quickly realising it was covered in ice cream and grabbing a napkin to wipe it off. “Did you get ready all by yourself this morning?” Steph asked.

“I did! But then mummy said I couldn’t wear her jersey and I had to wear mum’s one” Harper explained as Steph’s heart melted. “Look!” Harper pointed, bouncing up and down as you looked over to where the teams were walking out of the tunnel.

“Big cheer for mum” you chuckled as she started roaring so loud that Katrina could hear her.

“I’m so happy for you” Steph smiled, squeezing your arm and making sure to take an endless stream of photos for Katrina.

When the match ended, you drove the three of you home, stopping to pick up something for dinner, and of course, ice cream, on the way. After dinner, you put Harper to bed, vowing to Katrina that you’d be back down in about 15 minutes. When 30 minutes had passed, Katrina knew where she’d find you, which was passed out next to the toddler with a book either still in your hands or open, lying against your chest. Usually, Katrina left you there, knowing you were capable of getting a full nights sleep in the little princess bed, with the only downside being a bit of a sore back. But she never left you the night before you had a match, you needed a proper sleep in a proper bed.

“Y/n” Katrina whispered, rocking you awake gently and giving you a few seconds to adjust. “Coming to bed?” She asked, while you nodded, wiggling out of Harper’s hold on you and squeezing her little hand as Katrina planted a kiss on her forehead.

“We should really get one of those princess beds in here, they’re comfortable” you mumbled sarcastically as Katrina shook her head at you, before gently pressing a kiss to your lips. Katrina had so much she wanted to say to you, about the new name Harper had given you, how easily you’d settled into parenthood since you started dating a year ago, but she could see you were exhausted.

“Night, my love” she cooed, kissing your forehead much like she kissed Harper’s a few minutes ago. When you didn’t reply, Katrina realised you were already gone straight back asleep.

You woke the next morning to an empty bed, the smell of cooking coming from downstairs and the sound of laughter which instantly put a smile on your face. You shuffled straight out of bed and headed downstairs, where you found the pair and Win all making pancakes in the kitchen, with Win eating everything Harper was dropping on the floor.

“Morning ladies” you chirped, catching Harper’s attention as she bolted for you to pick her up. “Are they for me?” You asked in a teasing tone, walking over towards where Katrina was standing at the stove, making pancakes.

“Morning” she whispered back, pressing a kiss to your lips as Harper gagged before going back to your previous question.

“No” she frowned, almost like she thought you were being serious. “You have to go to football today” she added.

“Oh, silly me! I forgot” you playfully sighed. “I’m just going to go and get ready” you said, kissing the toddler’s cheek before placing her back on the ground and heading back off up the stairs with Win following up after you.

It never took you too long on match day to get ready. It was a home game, so you were driving to the game, collecting Kyra, Steph and Beth on the way. And Charli was going to collect Harper and Katrina. Steph sat in the front while Beth and Kyra got into the back.

“Would you not have taken the car seat out?” Kyra moaned, squished between the seat and Beth.

“Would you rather walk?” You huffed. “Harper will be driving home with me later and it needs to be in the car for her” you explained.

“Y/n is in full mummy mode” Steph chirped, squeezing your cheek so hard you had to slap her hand away.

“She was my mum first!” Kyra proclaimed from the back seat, kicking the back of your chair in the process.

“Kyra Lillee Cooney-Cross” you bluntly announced, threatening to pull the car to a complete stop until the little Australian rambled on that she was sorry. Kyra was the most difficult of all three of your children. Charli was a dream and Harper was the funniest.

You were playing at the Emirates today, so unfortunately, the dynamic would be a bit different than it was yesterday at Katrina’s match. You couldn’t see either of them until the end of the match, or, so you thought.

Since becoming your adopted child, you usually partnered with Kyra during the warm-up, which every Arsenal fan and player found adorable. Today, however, Caitlin had nabbed her just as you got on the pitch, and Katie subsequently grabbed you.

“Come on” Katie huffed, dragging your taller frame over towards the corner as you booted a ball in that direction.

“You and Caitlin fighting or something?” You asked.

“No, no” Katie shook her head. “She just needed to talk to Kyra about somethin’ so I said I’d go with ye” Katie mumbled.

“Oh that’s nice of you” you teased her back. You and Katie had made up quite quickly after the argument in the restaurant all that time ago now. She’d practically gotten down on her hands and knees and begged you to forgive her, which Katrina found hilarious.

The team went through the warm up before they jogged back into the tunnel. You stayed out on the pitch for a brief moment to scan the stadium before you spotted Katrina, and gave her a quick smile and a wave. Harper or Charli weren’t there with her, so you made the safe assumption that your other adopted daughter had also lost an ice cream bet. You were a bit behind everyone else when you got into the changing room to get ready.

“Will ye hurry up?” Katie moaned, watching you change into your match kit.

“What’s with the rush?” You frowned.

“You’re gonna delay us all” she bit back, leaving you to just fix your jersey and huff at your much smaller friend. She practically dragged you out the door, going on about the importance of being on time as all you could do was roll your eyes at her.

“Ladies with your mascots please” a man in a suit shouted as both teams stood and waited for the little kids to be brought out.

“Have a surprise for ye” Katie mumbled. “That’s why I was rushin’ ye” she added, a smirk plastered on her face as you heard the familiar sound of footsteps and the little voice roaring at you as it came down the hall.

“Mummy” Harper yelled, as all eyes went from her to you while you hunkered down to be eye to eye with her.

“No way” Leah mouthed towards Steph, who just nodded back at her.

“How did you get here?” You chuckled, squeezing her sides as her hands met your face.

“Auntie Katie told me I could come to the tunnel today” she giggled, accepting the fist bump that Katie had sneakily asked for.

“I’m so glad you’re here” you whispered. “Do you want to come up or would you like to walk?” You asked.

“Up” she nodded, sticking her arms out as you picked her up with ease. “Shoulders?”

“When we get outside, otherwise you might bang your head” you motioned towards the low ceiling above you.

“I never thought I’d see this day, Y/n as a mum” Leah choked, placing her hand on your shoulder, before greeting your little toddler.

“It’s so precious” someone else in the line cooed.

“It’s very loud” Harper whispered, cuddling into the crook of your neck and shoving her hands over her ears to try and drown the noise out.

“I’ve got you” you said, squeezing her a little tighter. “Use my hand to cover your ear” you suggested as the toddler grabbed your hand and put it to the side of her face, pressing her other ear against your chest.

The teams walked out and Harper wouldn’t let go of your hand for you to shake hands with the other team, much preferring to stay like this rather than to do her original plan of getting on your shoulders. The only people on the Man City team she let you shake hands with was Mary snd Viv. Everyone else had to settle for a nod of the head.

Before you started seeing Katrina, you hadn’t exactly slept around, but you’d never had something as serious. You were kind of known for being that way too, due to you mostly having short term relationships or being single for long periods of time. Katrina and Harper completely changed your whole world and your entire perspective on love, relationships and families.

“Okay, let’s go kids” the same man from the tunnel shouted as kick off loomed closer and the mascots needed to be hurried off the pitch. “She needs to go back to her mother” he frowned at you, which made you frown back.

“I’m her mum” you sternly pointed out, watching as his eyes almost sprung out of his head and a quick apology was rushed out of his mouth before he wandered off. You watched as the kids all ran to their parents, while you clung to Harper, not knowing who she could run to. It took a couple of seconds, until the other parents had moved out of the way, for you to spot Katrina, and when you did, a soft smile took over your face. With Harper still snug in your arms, you jogged over to Katrina and transferred the toddler over.

“Surprised?” She asked as you nodded.

“I’ll see you both after, I love you both so much” you blurted out, kissing Harper’s forehead and Katrina’s cheek before you raced off into position, ignoring the teasing comments that were coming from your teammates.

After recording an unbelievable 2-1 win over Man City, the entire team was going out tonight to celebrate, but not you. The begging from your mates was going in one ear and out the other, because unfortunately for them, you’d already promised the most important person that you’d take her for ice cream and do whatever she wanted for being so good this weekend at you and Katrina’s matches.

Katrina put Harper straight to bed when you got home late. She’d already fallen asleep in the car and to save you your quick nap in the princess bed, Katrina decided to send you off into the kitchen to make some tea while she did bed time duties.

“We’re safe” Katrina chuckled, indicating Harper had remained asleep, still in your jersey that she barely ever wanted to take off. “You played well today, were you trying to impress anyone?” She teased.

“Yeah, my really pretty girlfriend” you smirked, picking her up and kissing her.

“I heard she was really impressed” she mumbled against your lips, kissing you a little harder before she pulled back. That was strange, she never pulled away from kisses like that when it was just the two of you awake.

“Everything okay?” You asked as she jumped down.

“Yeah” she nodded. “I just haven’t been happy like this in such a long time” she admitted.

“I’ve never been this happy” you added, as she began to look a little bit conflicted. You were confused. You couldn’t really make out her expression.

“I was thinking at the end of the season, I might retire” she hummed under her breath and you took a step back.

“I- I can’t move to Australia. I have three years left on my contract here and-”

“No” Katrina stopped your stuttering. “I’m not saying go back to Australia” she sighed, realising she’d messed this up completely while you just sighed in relief. “I wanted to-” she struggled to find the words, but you noticed her eyes were fixated on the photo hung up in your kitchen of the three of you and Win.

“You want another one?” You whispered, swinging your arms over her and pulling her back against you.

“I do” she nodded. “I want it to be ours”

“I’d love that” you smiled. “Want to go make one?” You chuckled as she completely eased and turned to face you.

“I don’t think that’s how it works” she rolled her eyes playfully.

“In all seriousness, I’d love a baby that’s ours” you nodded. “I love Harper, and I’ll always see her as ours though” you added.

“I love you” Katrina said.

“I love you” you echoed.

“Hello” Kyra drunkenly shouted from the door.

“We’re getting rid of that one before we get a new one” you huffed, marching towards the door to get Kyra to stop shouting.

That’s exactly what you and Katrina did, well not exactly, you didn’t get rid of Kyra. But Katrina did have another baby, and you expanded your perfect little family even further.

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