#but i think some people are overreacting a bit like in the new issue shes just trying to do her job come on

[sonknuxadow]

i swear all lanolin has to do is exist on the same page as the game characters and people will get mad at her

[mistriavalley]

Fields of mistria request! Do you think any of the bachelors and bachelorettes are prone to jealousy? How would they react to the farmer getting flirted with by an out of towner?

Who'd get jealous

Note: I only write for up to 6 characters so I picked out the ones I think would be jealous🤗❤️ ALSO I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG WITH THIS

Gender neutral

TW: none

Masterlist

Of course I picked March out, because let's face it. He would absolutely have an issue with anyone (he doesn't know and trust) even breathing in your direction. The blacksmith isn't big on PDA, but once he notices someone hitting on you he's basically all over you. March is wrapping his arm around you while glaring daggers at the person, not even trying to keep it low-key or anything. How dare they think they have a chance with you while you're dating the number one blacksmith in the entire goddamn country. This person looks like they can't even swing a hammer properly. What a disgrace! And when you try to talk about his jealous overreaction? Deny, deny, deny. Get Olric on the tease train with you and bully the shit out of him.

Juniper pretends to be all cool and calm and swears she has never been jealous and never will be. Bullshit. Someone could be laughing a bit too hard at your jokes or touching your arm for too long and that woman has already a poisonous potion on her mind. Of course she will deny any jealousy no matter how obvious she is with it and Valen teases her for the rest of the week once she notices. "Who is this peasant? OH HO HO!" She'd say while giving the person a bombastic side-eye. "Oh no, darling, they touched your arm? We will get you all cleaned up in my bathhouse." Juniper, please, that is so rude.

The way Balor gets jealous is not really anything you notice at first unless you know him like the back of your hand. Which you do. PDA isn't something he struggles with, but when he sees an outsider flirting with you, he tends to get even more touchy. Caldarus forbid the person is a salesman like him though. Then it's on. Welcome to the petty Olympics and Snicklefritz is absolutely diving for that gold medal. "Your gems are so unpolished." "Did you really think this rusty spoon counts as an artifact?" "We obviously have an amateur at work here, huh."

Adeline needs to be protected at all cost, because when she's jealous she gets insecure about herself. The festival she planned together with you and the other town members is a full success and attracted a lot of people from outside, but unfortunately you seem to attract a lot of attention as well. Not that you want to of course. She is a mess once she takes notice. Reina and Celine have to convince her that you don't feel neglected and that she isn't too focused on her work. Meanwhile the person hitting on you slowly realizes that they walked into a landmine, because you can't stop talking about how your beautiful girlfriend organized this festival and what amazing work she's been doing to repair the town and-

Eiland's reaction to you being hit on is almost as petty as Balor's. More even and he doesn't seem to realize one bit. Someone is hitting on you? Let him assess the situation first. Okay, he's there, being more than clear that he's your partner, but the other person won't stop their advances. Eiland wraps his arm around the other person and offers to tell them some fun facts about the history of the town. What, they can't tell the difference between the artifacts and that they're all in fact not from the same era? His reaction is the equivalent of "All marathons are the same length. That's like common sense, I fear." and he says it in a way like he's talking to a toddler.

Valen feels incredibly secure in your relationship and rarely gets jealous, but dammit, Juniper, stop telling her about how this new, cute salesperson from abroad is hitting on her partner. It's all fun and games for the witch, because it's a sight to behold. The usually calm and composed doctor isn't calm and composed now? Valen walks over to you guys (very casually and not stiff at all) and plants (again, very casually) a kiss on your temple. All the insecurity and jealousy vanishes into thin air once she hears your giggles and feels your hand reaching out for hers. Dammit, Juniper, she will get her revenge after this.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hello hello friendo! I was wondering if I could request a Wally x wolf puppet reader? the scenario being that the other neighbors are afraid of R (reader) no matter what due to them looking like a big 'bad' wolf, R's appearance is quite frightful; stitches in a few places along with big teeth and claws plus they are on the large size (roughly Barnaby's size, if not a bit shorter). While on the outside they look all mean they are actually really sweet and just want to make friends.

"Do you think I'm doing something wrong, Wally? 'cuz I feel...unwanted here."

"No, no. You've done nothing wrong, Neighbor! What made you think of such silly things?"

"...well everyone's still acting like I'm gonna eat them for breakfast."

"Breakfast?? Why, that's nonsense. Breakfast is composed of bacon, eggs, juice, and toast..not people!"

"Uh, that was just a....nevermind." Sighing, you shook your head as you gave up trying to explain the idiom to Wally. But having this conversation with him over the phone did manage to cheer you up a little.

How you wished it was this easy talking to the rest of the neighbors, though they were all absolutely terrified of you and would've hung up the second they heard your voice.

Fortunately, Wally had recently learned a valuable lesson from Barnaby, who told him that he should never "judge a book by its cover". And he lived by that philosophy every time a newcomer came to town, whether they stayed or left.

You were no exception despite being a rather frightening-looking wolf with large sharp teeth, untrimmed claws, and stitches all over your body that made you look like a zombie. Of course, your clothes covered most of them, yet they didn't fully hide all of the things your neighbors were afraid of.

Of course, it didn't help that you're the child of The Big Bad Wolf...but you're nothing like him! You're not deceptive or evil in any way; all you wanted to do was make new friends.

But that was tough to prove when someone screamed if you so much as smiled at them.

Poppy was understandable, given she was a bird who already had some anxiety issues to begin with. And Barnaby was alright since you're both tall canines (and even then, he was still the taller one). He tolerated your presence and can stand being in the same room as you.

As for Julie, Eddie, Frank, Sally, and Howdy....you unintentionally scared them out of their wits.

For instance, you visited Howdy's bugdega for the first time to get groceries, and he ducked behind the register as you approached. The poor guy sounded like he was in tears as he stuttered that everything was free of charge.

Back then you thought he was having a bad day..but even outside of work, he seldom talked to you out of fear.

How naïve were you..

At least you had Wally, though, considering he's able to have normal chats with you both on the phone and in person. He still kept his joyful tone when speaking to you, and when you left he'd turn around to scold the others for "overreacting".

Honestly, he was growing tired of them treating you this way and not taking his advice. No neighbor deserved to feel so unwelcomed.

You weren't scary at all! He'll prove it!

And now he finally got an idea that he believed would work.

"Say, [y/n]..whatdya think about coming with me to the park?" He suggested. "I'm organizing a little painting lesson, and at the end we're all gonna paint something we like! If everyone's there and sees us getting along, they'll finally see how nice you really are!"

"You think so?" Your ears perked up, a small smile forming on your face as your tail began lightly wagging, thumping against the furniture.

While you haven't done any art since settling into the community, this hangout seemed to be a good place to sharpen your skills and, hopefully, make some friends. If they saw you indulging in a passion, you'll be able to connect with them more.

"Yup! I think it'll work! So are you in or out?"

"I'm in."

"Great! See you in an hour!"

Your smile dropped. "Wait, it's toda-?"

However, you didn't get the chance to finish as you heard the 'click' on the other end, realizing he hung up. You sighed and hung up your phone, too.

The thought of seeing everybody at the park so soon had you feeling anxious all over again, but you tried shaking off your worries, not wanting them to deter you from going. You couldn't disappoint Wally after how hopeful he sounded.

So instead you focused on making lunch for yourself before packing some art supplies together, finding a canvas or sketchbook to bring with you.

And about an hour later, you were fully prepared.

'It'll be fine..Wally's gonna be there..' You told yourself, taking a few deeps breaths, heading out the door with your head held high.

Surely, the neighbors will finally change their mind about you once they see that you shared a similar hobby as them..

Right?

.......

It turns out you were wrong.

As Wally hosted his painting lesson in the park, going over how to paint different figures and scenes step-by-step...most of the gang could barely focus on what he was saying.

Instead, their eyes were anxiously fixated on you as you tried ignoring them and listened to his words. Whenever you made direct eye contact with any of them, they'd quickly look away and shudder, their hands shaking as they pretended to paint or draw.

They kept their canvases close to their chest, as though you were gonna pounce and tear it to shreds if they let their guard down.

Obviously, Wally took notice of this fast and would ask them questions about what he just said, his smile slowly turning into a frown as some stuttered out answers..while others just didn't catch it the first time around.

You only expected this, although you did manage to impress everybody with your scenery of a moonlit sky after accomplishing the final task of painting something you liked.

But it wasn't enough for Wally. They only complimented you because they were scared you'll get angry if they said the wrong thing...he could just tell by their shifty gazes.

They're just pretending.

After everybody eventually left for home, as the sun was going down, you stayed in the park with Wally. He was still sitting motionless on the same flat rock, having already put his supplies away.

You frowned as you approached him, not knowing what's gotten into him lately

Of course this hangout wasn't going to immediately make you everybody's best friend, but you didn't think he'd be this upset.

If anything it should have been you who was upset, though you believed things went quite well considering nobody ran away from you this time around.

Unfortunately, Wally begged to differ, given how he hasn't spoken a word to you since everyone else left.

"Wally?" Crouching down in front of him, you tilted your head. "What's wrong?"

"...I don't get it."

"..look, it's okay-" You went to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, only for him to suddenly look up at you with frustration in his wide eyes. Even his pupils seemed to tremble as he spoke.

"No, it's not okay. I-I..I know they can't help it but..I thought they trusted me, Neighbor. I planned all of this so they could stop being scared of you! And yet...they..." He trailed off, fingers trembling as they curled into his pants. "They're never gonna change...are they?"

"They can. They just need some more time." You tried to reason, yet he shook his head.

"But how much longer will it be until y--?" He started, but quickly stopped upon seeing the flashes of concern in your eyes, shrinking away.

"...until I what, Wally?"

"........"

"Are you...scared that I might leave one day?" You finally connected the dots. "Is that why you're so upset over all of this?"

Given his silence as he looked back down at the ground, that basically confirmed your answer.

Now it all made sense.

"Oh, buddy.." You hugged him close, feeling him flop against you as he rested his head on your fluffy chest. "You don't have to worry about that. It's gonna take a lot more than just a few skittish people to kick me out."

"But..you're so nice...and I don't know why they can't see that.." He mumbled, slowly hugging you back. "I swear I've tried everything-"

"You don't have to do anything more, Wally. I appreciate what you've done, but..you don't need to be stressed for my sake. I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'll even pinky promise it for ya."

After a long silence you felt him nod, and you smiled, relieved that he trusted you.

Soon you let each other go and made that pinky promise, sealing the deal. You could see that lifted a huge burden off his shoulders--one you didn't even realize he was trying to carry this whole time--as his own smile returned.

"C'mon. It's getting late. I'll walk ya back home." You suggesting, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

"Haha..that's usually my job, Neighbor." The blue-haired puppet chuckled as he fixed up his messy pompadour. "But thank you. I'll take up your kind offer!"

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting to learn new things for my art?

What it says on the title basically. i've (25nb) been a self taught artist for at least 3 years and i think i am pretty good at it! some of the people in my friends discord server always praise it and sometimes say my anatomy is wonky which is fair, but the main issue started today.

For my art, i usually just take a picture of myself in the pose i want to draw and then sketch over it to get the anatomy done. it always works out and never brought me any issues but today i wanted to draw one of my favorite game characters! i really enjoy her and she's genuinely a sweetheart, so I went to take the picture of myself holding a knife (she uses a sword but it's not like i had it) and then started drawing, but the moment i shared it on the server people started criticizing me

i have been recovering from being underweight and almost never eating recently thanks to my new job, but i'm still clearly very thin while the character is fat. because of that, i drew her over my body and she didn't look fat which i thought would be okay! i know some people like to draw thin characters as fat which is always good so i thought it'd be okay to also do the opposite. however, some people on the server started telling me that she didn't look like the character and i should learn to draw fat people which made me very sad, i had worked hard on that drawing after all and i'm already pretty satisfied with the point my art is at, plus, it's always hard to learn new techniques and i don't think i would ever use it again even if i did learn it. some people called me fatphobic after i told them i thought it'd be okay since sometimes people also draw thin characters as fat and that i didn't see any need on learning it because she's the only fat character i know and enjoy.

one of them specifically told me that i don't have to just learn how to draw fat bodies but to look for reference images of other body types in general since it'd help me on the long run to better my art and anatomy, but i thought that was an asshole move and called her out for it since she also never draws thin characters and at most like, draws them a bit fat, she then pulled out her art portfolio and showed me that yes, she does, and offered to help me find references but i was crying at this point and denied it saying i didn't need her pity.

Now they're mostly saying i overreacted which i don't think i did and that i am an asshole for refusing to learn anything besides my own normal anatomy, am i the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[miraclemaya]

Miss Maya,

Do you think that Sayo would ever be able to catch on to some of Chisato’s issues and adapt her behavior to make things easier for her? I feel like it’d probably be too big a task for her, but not impossible with enough time and help from others.

Regardless, what I really wanted to pick your brain on is Chisato’s reaction upon realizing that Sayo is being considerate and mindful around her. Or even that she’s doing it in a way that’s helping her change and grow.

Would the revelation that someone is changing her for the better scare her? Enrage her? How would the thought of her girlfriend seemingly walking on eggshells around her make her feel? It feels like it’d be a juicy moment where she recontextualizes a lot of Sayo’s actions.

Then again, I only know of these young ladies through your postings on their escapades, which is why I am eager to hear your thoughts.

Hello anon!

Sayo would definitely catch on yes. Much of my posting focuses on Chisato because I'm ill about her, but really I think even with just canon, Chisato and Sayo are more similar then they are different. Both are people hiding very particular feelings of inadequacy or meaninglessness behind their masks. Of course, Chisato's are more varied and complex, but that only works better because Sayo is an honest girl and I believethat would help her see past Chisato's walls a little bit. As for Maya headcanons, Sayo could, if not exactly know, be able to very accurately guess a lot of the particular feelings of predatoriness that basically subsume Chisato's being when it comes to sex and romance in my mind. And Sayo would 100% try to help her, even if they were just friends, I think. She's a kind and earnest girl.

As for how Chisato would react, well I think Chisato is deeply aware of how unhealthy a lot of her mindset is, but it's just not something she can let go of, or perhaps it's only in certain moments of lucidity that she can acknowledge how not good it is. Like, obviously Chisato is aware she's surrounded by a bunch of gay girls, that at least amongst her peer group it is a normal and accepted thing right? But she can't shake the constant need to perform a certain kind of cishetro femininity that has been her grounding point and also defense for so long but also has rubbed off onto what core self of her's there is. And then like other general, perhaps you could say BPD problems with relationships she'd have right, like Chisato has been an actress for a long time, and though part of her hatred of it stems from her ever constant need to wear and develop new masks one after another until whatever 'Chisato' is supposed to be is slowly lost, I think perhaps there are other parts of the job that she does not like. Like she's most certainly been treated as a sex object to some level for a while I feel like, I mean even just pastel pallettes has some bikini events I think, but certainly there is very little chance that this hasn't been the case before as well right like Chisato is used to being desired in a way that is purely objectifying, so she is probably aware that her reaction to a relationship that is not that would most certainly not be healthy. Like her, for example, getting upset when she perceives Sayo as not finding her attractive or mocking her apperance or something like that is sprung from her own ideas about her worth that have formed because of all this constant proping up as an object of beauty and dwsire that has been done to her, so like if Sayo isn't 100% attracted to her, it must be over because what else does Chisato have, she's barely even a real person. But she'd also be aware enough that she knows that this is an unhealthy thing for their relationship right, she knows she's overreacting but she can't help it as it were.

Would Chisato be upset if she realized Sayo was trying to help her? I don't think so, at least not like a normal type of upset. I think a part of her would be in disbelief that Sayo cares even that much about her, another part cursing herself for manipulating Sayo into trying to fix something that is unfixable, another part desperate to repay Sayo in some way for it, and another part that just genuinely loves Sayo even more because of her care. She would certainly be uspet by her ever constant revelation that she is, as you put it, making Sayo walk around on egg shells, which only unfortunately makes those eggshells more prominent. That's the thing, it's all feeding into itself and it's making it worse and better it's a complicated thing is what I'm getting at, their relationship I mean.

But it certainly is not hopeless. I need to get around to writing the ChisaSayo fic, but in my mind their relationship starts purely sexual, becomes romantic and they start dating, and then Sayo starts trying to rope Chisato into her hobbies. And I genuinely think that's probably one of the most important things she could do for Chisato, both because the reassurance it would offer of Sayo introducing her to all the different parts of her life and also because Chisato needs some hobbies, needs things outside of acting, to better differentiate her sense of self from her masks as it were. And I think she'd be very glad to do it by Sayo's side as well.

[heygerald]

HEART MECHANICS - PART 9/9

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x OFC

Matty faces a lot of things. Including herself, her dad, her issues, her friends, and, oh yeah, the pilot who left her without saying goodbye.

Now's the time to be an adult, to face things head on, and to accept the fact that she's not always right. Actually, she's rarely right. And a rule against who she can and can't have feelings for?

Well, that's actually total fucking bullshit. Who knew?

Read the story here: part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / ...

Two sandwiches and a large cup of water later and Matty found that Frank was probably onto something about her hunger. She felt considerably better after eating, and the pounding behind her eyes seemed to dissipate with each sip of water that she swallowed. Her hands were less shaky now that she hadn’t had a cigarette since dinner the night before, and after she had washed up she found that the damage from Nick's mishap had been nothing other than a small bump on the knuckle. 

It was totally possible that she had overreacted a bit. 

Or, you know, a lot. 

She tended to do that when sleep deprived, hungry, and in a pissy fucking mood. 

Ouch. Being her friend must totally fucking suck. 

“You want to tell me why Frank just dropped you at the end of my driveway?” Rick asked over the game of checkers that they were playing. Chess had always been Hollywood’s favorite; he bragged about how the other pilots were awful when it came to any sort of game involving mental capacity, and while he had played his fair share of pool, darts, and volleyball as a younger cadet, since she was around, Hollywood had settled into a more skillful sort of sport. One that she sucked at. Hence why they were currently playing checkers, rather than chess. “Not that I’m not happy you’re here, kid, but you never come to visit just to visit.” 

“Yes, I do.” 

“Christmas doesn’t count.” 

Matty paused, thinking, before she jumped one of his red checkers. “I’ve been busy.” 

“Sure.” 

“I have.” 

He raised a palm as if surrendering, but she knew that he didn’t believe that bullshit of an excuse. Not that she blamed him. It was a bullshit of an excuse. Rick may have spent her early years traveling, but for the last decade he and her mother had been settled down not two hours from the base. His work trips were far and few inbetween. Yet, she was more likely to travel to Ice’s than to his. When they did spend time together it was at some backyard celebration with a whole group of people; never just the two of them. 

She had never sat down to wonder why that was, and now that the dilemma was being plated right under her nose, Matty found she didn’t like the options presented. She moved on with a sniff. 

“I yelled at Nick,” she admitted when he hopped two of her pieces. He piqued a brow, not saying anything, and she relaxed onto her chair with a sigh. “And Booms, and George, and… pretty much everyone else too.” 

“That’s nothing new.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Thanks,” she deadpanned. 

Rick shrugged as he finished the last sip of his coffee. The house was unusually calm for that time of afternoon, and even the dogs seemed to be slumbering peacefully in the corner. It was odd to step into. Growing up, she felt like home was always chaotic and rambunctious. It was her mother nagging, and her father sneaking off to drink in the garage, and her sisters always picking fights with each other about anything and everything. 

Well, maybe it was a little bit of her picking fights with her sisters, and her purposely doing things wrong so that her mother would end up having to do them right, and—oh yeah—there was a handful of times that she had gotten into her father’s booze cabinet when he wasn’t home. 

Huh. Maybe the ratio of calm in the house was directly related to her presence in the house.

What a fucking drag. 

“What were you yelling about?” he dragged her from the self-spiraling. 

“Nothing important.” 

“Ah,” he nodded, understanding, and she both hated and loved the fact that her father had no qualms with her tendency to be a bitch. To, well, everyone. All the time. Her mother had never gotten used to the quick barbs, and her sisters got riled up anytime she said anything snarky. Then again, Tabitha was just as much of a bitch as she was. Rick may have wanted daughters, but sometimes Matty wondered if they were more than he had asked for. At least Rosie was quiet natured and easy to get along with. “Why?”

“I just told you,” she shrugged, moving her pieces at random now. “It’s nothing important. Nick squished my fingers today, which totally fucking hurt, so that was probably a reasonable enough reaction. But, you know, it’s been other stuff which doesn’t actually matter. Booms being too loud, Claire coming in late, Frank drinking the last of the coffee.” 

“That’s not what I asked, kiddo.” 

“Sure it is,” she rolled her eyes with a vague hand wave. “You asked why, I just told you. Bing, bang, boom. Let’s move on. You think Mom will cook steaks for dinner?” 

“Matty,” he clipped. 

A warning and a plea all in one. 

God, she hated when he did that. 

“Dad.” 

“You’re avoiding the question.” 

“You’re avoiding the game,” she shot back, gesturing to the half empty board. Just to disprove her point he moved one of his pieces, and just to avoid his question, she moved one just as quickly. It was a totally illegal move, but Rick didn’t seem to care. “Come on, seriously? Have you and Frank started secretly listening to Oprah or something? We don’t have to get into this.” 

“He dropped you on my driveway.” 

“A total dick move, by the way. I don’t have anything with me. If you weren’t here I could have been kidnapped or chased by a rapid dog or something. He does know that women are very vulnerable members of the population, doesn’t he?”

“I’ve seen you scare off rabid dogs before. I don’t think that’s an issue.” 

“Okay, well, what about—like—the weather? Could have frozen to death.” 

“It’s eighty degrees out,” he deadpanned.

“Heat stroke, then.” 

“Matilda—” 

“Oh, Jesus!” she groaned, throwing herself out of her chair with a frustrated cry. Rick didn’t use her full name often, but when he did, it was because she was so far up shit’s creek that a motor engine wouldn’t even be of any help. A ridiculous notion that she was somehow in trouble with her father for her behavior at work when she was a fully functioning grown ass woman. She didn’t need his approval or his advice about her personal life. “Dad, I’m so not doing this with you.”

“Too fucking bad, kid. Now, sit down. We’re doing this.” 

“Sit down? Seriously? You’re not my principle and I’m not in trouble and I am more than able to walk out that front door and—” 

“Matilda.” 

Matty folded right back into her chair without a single word. There was a huff, though. Actually, there were quite a few huffs that seemed loud enough to rouse the dogs. They glanced at her with weary eyes as if they hadn’t known her for their entire lives. Dodger, a Bernese as big as she was, even left the room. 

Coward. 

“Tell me what’s wrong.” 

“I don’t know.” 

“You do.” 

“I don’t.” 

Rick sighed. It had been a while since they had sat through one of these interventions, and she wondered if her dad had forgotten how much work fathering a daughter could be. There was a creak as he moved towards the bar cart on the other side of the room. There was some clinking as Rick poured himself a fifth of scotch—she really hoped that her mother didn’t come home any time soon, she would be pissed to find that Matty had Rick drinking this early in the day—and he took a long sip before asking, “is this about Ice?”

Her godfather’s name had her drawing up short with a bristle. “No,” she snapped, and when he cast her a disbelieving look in response, she took time to tamper down some of her attitude. She repeated herself in a calmer tone. “It’s not. I promise. It’s… it’s stupid.” 

“So you do know what’s wrong.”

Matty rolled her eyes. People always thought that she got her attitude from her nowhere; suspected that it had just been endowed by the luck of the draw. In reality, she had gotten her silver tongue and sharp wit from Hollywood himself. She hated how much she was like him in moments like this. It made it hard to get anything done. 

“What does it matter?” she pouted, drawing her feet up beneath her, the checkers completely forgotten. She was losing, anyway. Rick drifted through the room slowly, surveying the picture frames that dotted the walls as Matty started fiddling with a small model plane that had been sitting on the table. “It’s not a big deal, alright. I’ll apologize to everyone, buy them some beer, and all will be forgotten. We’ll move on—as we always do when I’m a bitch.” 

“You can’t ignore the root of the problem. That’s how you end up in the emergency room with stomach pains that end up being appendicitis.” 

“I was fourteen,” she whined. “Are you ever going to let that go?”

“Are you ever going to learn from it?”

She mimicked him. Not her best moment, but certainly not the worst. Rick just responded with a baleful glare and a deep sigh as he finally returned to his seat. “Are you pregnant?” he asked, and Matty actually choked on her own saliva at the question. 

“What? No! Why would you even ask that! Christ, Dad! Is that why you didn't offer me anything to drink?” 

He held up his palms. “Hey, it’s not exactly a question I want the answer to any time soon. I just had to ask,” he defended. Then, after a moment, muttered, “thank god for that.” 

“Um, excuse me?” 

“Look, I love you, but I do not intend on being a grandfather anytime soon. God knows raising you three was enough of a challenge. And your sister is still in college. I’d like to have a few good years of peace before the thought of changing more diapers comes into the equation.” 

“I’ll make sure to let my gyno know that I need to stay on the pill for a few more years,” she deadpanned. He winced at the word gyno, and she rolled her eyes. Honestly, how could he have three daughters and still get uncomfortable about feminine issues? “I’m not pregnant so you can calm down, Dad. I think I’d need a boyfriend first and fuck knows how that’s going.” 

His gaze sharpened. “Ah.” 

Matty paused in her fiddling. “What?”

“This is about the kid, then.” 

“No—no this is not about the kid. I—why does everyone keep saying that?” she asked in a huff, throwing her hands up so quickly that she nearly knocked over a lamp. Matty managed to fix it as it wobbled back and forth on the table, thankfully, but when she turned back towards her she almost wished she had just for a reason to leave the room. 

“Did he… do something?”

“You mean did he make me a ruined woman? No, Dad, this isn’t the fourteenth century.” 

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why do you have to make every conversation so goddamn difficult, Matilda?”

“For comedic purposes, obviously,” she snarked. He didn’t seem amused, and, for once, Matty didn’t feel all that proud of being a sarcastic bitch. Maybe that’s why she decided to give up the act with a sigh. Or maybe it’s because, after so many accusations, she actually did want to talk to someone about it. “He got sent out on a mission.” 

“The one with Mav?”

“Yeah.”

“You knew he would.” 

“Well yeah, but it's—you know—dangerous.” 

“And you knew that the mission was dangerous.” 

“Yes, but—”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“What do you mean what’s the problem? He got sent out last minute on a very dangerous mission that he could almost certainly die on! How is that not a problem?” she asked. “He wasn’t supposed to leave until this weekend. We were gonna spend more time together and then, out of the blue, he shipped out at the crack of dawn without so much as a warning. Not a text, not a call, not even a courtesy email. I had to find out about it from Boomer for chrissake! I’ll never live that down.” 

Her raised tone seemed to startle Skiff from the nap he had fallen back into. The lab gave her a disgruntled look, stood from his bed, stretched, and went in the same direction that Dodger had gone. 

“It’s the job,” was all her father said. 

No shit it was the job. She knew that. She had seen that all her life with her father; he would pack up and ship out with barely any notice. He had missed important life events; birthdays, holidays, school recitals all because it was his duty to go. Ice had too. And Mav. It was just what they did, it was what they signed up for. 

“I know that,” she clarified with a glare. “Obviously, it’s the job. Whatever.” 

Whatever. 

It clearly wasn’t whatever, and they both knew it. 

“I guess I was just not expecting it, you know. To—to, like, feel so… sad, or whatever,” she huffed, waving her hands around again. Her finger throbbed a little when she smacked it onto the lamp—again—and this time Matty let the light fixture wobble back and forth without saving it. It was ugly anyway. “I mean, not sad. It’s not like this is the forties and he’s going to war. He’s coming back. If things go well, anyway. Which, then of course, what if things don’t go well and what if he… I—I don’t know what I’m saying. You get the idea. Or, maybe you don’t, whatever, it’s just so stupid that we’re even talking about this right now.”

“It’s not stupid.” 

“Everything about this is stupid. Why am I being all pouty and miserable when I’m not the one that got sent out? Why haven’t I pooped in two days? Is this some weird reverse pregnancy sympathy? Can that happen?” 

Rick rolled his eyes. “I think you’re just worried about him.” 

She blew a raspberry, returning her attention to the model plan. She never understood why her father had the patience to sit around and glue tiny little pieces of metal together when he could, quite literally, go to the base and fly the real thing. “Worried, schmorried. Maybe Booms is right and I’m about to start my period. Sync ups are totally real, you know.” 

He grimaced. She smirked. Then he said something that wiped the smirk off her face. “Well, now you know how your mom felt every time I was deployed. A little bit crazy, a little bit overwhelmed. Not to mention she had three little hellions to look after all on her own.” 

She bristled at the implication that she had anything in common with her mother. Matty didn’t hate her mom by a long shot; she loved the woman. But they were too different to ever get along well, to ever be as close as some mothers and daughters were. To think that they ever had something in common was disgruntling. 

And, just maybe, true. 

Still, she argued. “It’s totally different. You and mom were married, in love, all over each other blah blah blah. Bradley’s just some guy I know. Barely know, if you really think about it. We’re just, you know… friends.” 

“Sure.” 

“We are.” 

“Friends don’t look at each like you two did at the bar,” he said. There was no inflection in his voice, no room to argue. Rick just said it like he saw it. “He’s gone, and you’re worried about him, and you’re taking it out on everyone else. But you can’t do that, kid. Frank, Boom, George? They’re your friends too. And if they don’t know what you’re upset about, they’re going to take your behavior pretty fucking personal. Not to say they shouldn’t—we both know you can be mean when you try to be. But they sure as hell don’t deserve it.” 

She waived in her seat. “I… I know. I didn’t mean to yell at them.”

“Hell, what does meaning matter when you still do it?” he chuckled with a sip of beer. She was starting to wish that he would offer her one as well, but Rick held firm. Just as well, she figured the last thing she needed right now was alcohol. “You really like him, huh?”

“No,” she said, so quickly he barely got the question out. 

“You sure?” 

“How can I be sure?” she spat with an annoyed eye roll. “We went on one date and, like I said, we’ve only known each other for barely over a month. That’s not even one percent of my life—probably. Isn’t there some sort of rule about this whole thing?” 

Her dad laughed again while scooting closer to the checkerboard, studying it. “Don’t think love is one of those things that has rules,” he told her. When she remained resolutely silent he added, “when I first met your mom, I was head over heels in moments. She, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so taken with me. Took months to get her on a date, actually. Ice and Sarah? They were all over each other the moment they locked eyes. Tabitha and Chase knew each other for six years before they started dating.” 

Matty scrunched up her nose. “Chase? Who the hell is Chase?”

“Her boyfriend.” 

“What? Since when does Tabitha have a boyfriend?” she cried. There was something so unsettling about the idea of her sister dating someone when Matty couldn’t even commit to a brita. I mean, who wants to change the filter every month? That was totally unreasonable. 

“The point is,” he continued, ignoring her protests, “there are no rules when it comes to forming connections with people. Sometimes you meet someone who understands you the second you meet.” 

“He didn’t even know my last name until three weeks ago,” she deadpanned. 

“And yet he stuck around to find out, and then stuck around even after finding out. That's the kind of person you want to keep around; not the ones that find it easy to know you, but the ones that take the time to learn about you,” he added with another sip of his beer before reaching forward to hop three of her pieces in a single go. “Why are you being so hard on him? Is it because you don’t like him, or is it because you’re so goddamn stubborn that you don’t want to admit that you finally found someone you do like, and he just so happens to be a pilot?”

Her scowl was instant. “I’m not sure I like this supportive side of you. Too much smugness can kill you, you know?”

Rich grinned. “If that’s not the pot calling the kettle black, I’m not sure I know what is. Now,” he waved at her across the board. “You want to tell me what you did to scare Frank off? I was hoping he would have stuck around for a beer.” 

Matty tossed a plait of blonde hair over her shoulder with a grimace. “Ugh. You two are so gross. Just have an affair and run off together or something, you’re driving the rest of us crazy with all the suspense.” 

Rick shook his head with a laugh as Matty finally turned her full attention to the game. 

Yeah. She was definitely losing. 

---

Matty stuck around at her parent’s house for the entire weekend. It was the longest she had stayed with them alone since she was a teenager, and though it felt a little weird, it was also exactly what she needed to get her head on straight. Frank returned to pick her up Sunday at five on the dot. She was pretty sure that he had planned that so he could be invited in for dinner (much to her mother’s chagrin), but she found she couldn’t complain about it. It was nice seeing her father and her best friend get along so well, even if it meant most of their ribbing was about her. 

They left shortly after eating in far better moods than they arrived, and though they didn’t talk much on the return drive home, Matty didn’t mind. After a week of being run down by every single emotion she could think of, singing to the radio with Frank was a good way to decompress. Besides, she really did need to work on knowing not to talk shit. 

“I’m still mad at you, you know,” she said anyway when they were ten minutes from her house. Afterall, she could always work on her attitude tomorrow. Frank arched a brow at her sideways, and she continued, “you literally abandoned me at my parent’s house. Not cool, Frankie. Not cool.” 

He grunted. “I thought you were gonna bite my head off.” 

“That’s what you’re supposed to do when kidnapped. The police say you should use everything to your advantage. That includes my sharp, pointy teeth,” she said matter-of-factly, peeling her lips back to clack her jaw together like a shark. 

Despite his unamused stare, Matty caught the tail-end of a smile curving his lips. “Bitch.” 

“Dick.”

“Asshole.” 

“Bastard.” 

He pulled into her driveway with a smile that she returned. The truck was in park for only a moment before Matty flung herself at him. He froze—as if worried she was actually going to bite him—only to relax when she full-heartedly clung to him. “Thank you,” she muttered. Her voice was muffled by the fabric of his shirt as well as the radio. Still, he heard her. “I’m sorry for being awful.” 

Frank patted her back. “You’re always awful.”

“And yet you’re still my friend.” 

“Yeah, well,” he joked when she pulled back an inch. “I’m waitin’ to hear back from a couple other blondes around the area, so you’re a good place holder.” 

Matty’s smile turned into a glare. “Ugh,” she groaned, detangling herself from him with as many sharp knees and elbows as she could manage. She didn’t bother climbing back into the passenger’s seat but instead popped open his door and clambered out that way. There was a grunt when she managed to knee him in between the legs, and that left her feeling better about the situation. By the time that Matty swung the door shut, she was all sickly sweet smiles again. “I love you.”

Frank responded by giving her the finger. 

She cackled as he peeled down the street. 

---

The week passed quicker than the previous. There were a lot of repairs to get done in a very short amount of time, so even if she had wanted to stew on unresolved feelings, she didn’t get a chance.

When she did have the time, the first moment to relax after five long days of work, she found herself striding across an over-crowded parking lot at the Hard Deck. Apologizing to the others hadn’t been as easy of a win as it had been to Frank. While George and Nick were able to soothe their ruffled feathers with a simple apology, Boomer hadn’t been so forgiving. It hadn’t mattered how sincere she was or how many times she brought donuts in for the crew—donuts that Eggs seemed to scarf down despite the fact that he had been on vacation the previous week and hadn’t even been there during her tyrannical parade—Booms still didn’t want to talk to her. It had taken her promising to buy the entire crew drinks at the bar for him to soften, and even then, he still seemed a bit upset. Eggs and Claire promised to cool him off before their evening out, however, and while she trusted them, Matty found herself a little bit worried that the evening wouldn’t go as smoothly as she wanted it too.

Hence why she was showing up to the bar thirty minutes early. 

Or, well, okay, if you were going to be technical about it, Matty didn’t show up early as much as she did show up on time, but for her, that was early. Practically unheard of, actually. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gotten to one of their group outings just as it was starting. It was definitely her fault. Either she would forget to do her laundry ahead of time or she spent too long in the shower or she—on two separate occasions—would have had to spend twenty minutes searching for her phone only to find that it had been in her back pocket the whole time. But today she had prepared for all possible situations. That included not even taking her phone inside her house. Instead, it had been stuffed inside her glove compartment since lunch. 

“No fuckin’ way,” Frank’s voice drawled from the parking lot. She turned to find him and Boomer exiting his truck with mutual looks of disbelief. “Did someone die?”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’m not always late.” 

“You were late at your own birth,” he deadpanned. Matty rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue. Her mom had told the story of how she carried Matty for a week and a half past her due date before she finally decided to show up. Typical. “You look nice.” 

Her tongue darted back into her mouth at the compliment, and she did a half-hearted spin in the parking lot with a laugh. She had paired a jean skirt with the new sparkly black top that Claire had gotten her for her birthday. Paired with some dangly earrings, a blow-out, and her favorite pink eyeshadow, Matty had to admit that she looked good. 

“And you showered for once. Ooh-la-la. Who are you boys trying to impress?”

Frank muttered something unsavory under his breath, but Boomer’s response was more or less lacking. Matty’s smile dropped into a frown, and she quickly caught Frank’s eye. He didn’t say anything else; just knew what she was asking.

“I’ll find the others.” 

Boomer went to move after him, but was held up when Matty grabbed him gently by the elbow. “Booms, please, can we talk?” she asked. Implored, really. It was actually so close to begging for her that if he had said no she likely would have cursed him out. But he didn’t say no, and together they formed a small huddle at the bottom of the stairs. “I was a total bitch, I was totally out of line, and I never should have yelled at you this week.” 

He grunted. “You dumped my coffee out.”

“Trust me, no one understands how sinful that was better than I do,” she said. “I’ll buy you coffee all this week.” 

“You kept referring to Hobart as hob-shart.” 

She bit her lip to keep from laughing at that. Even when she was a bitch, at least a funny one. “That was wrong of me.” 

“You said—” he started, pausing, then clearing his throat when his voice pitched to a girly decibel. “You said that Hugh Jackman is an awful actor.” 

“Only because I’m jealous! He’s so good looking, with nice pearly whites,” she cried. “We both know that he deserves an Oscar for his performance as Wolverine in the x-men movies.” 

Boomer sniffed. “And for the Greatest Showman.” 

“The Greatest—? Yes, no, definitely,” she quickly corrected herself. “You like musicals. Of course you like musicals. That was an amazing film, and he deserved international accolades for it.” What she was saying seemed to wear down Boomer’s grouchiness, and slowly the tension in his shoulders receded. “Now, how about I buy a round of drinks? We could hustle some pilots at darts. That always makes you feel better.” 

His head teetered back and forth a moment before, finally, she earned herself a smile. “Yeah, alright. Hustling some pilots would make me feel better.” 

“See!” Matty exclaimed before planting a glossy kiss onto his cheek. That had him grinning properly, and he tossed an arm over her shoulder as they started towards the front door. “I bet we can round up some real losers. Wounding some pride always makes me feel better.” 

“I could definitely think of a few fellas that would pony up some money.” 

“Too bad Hangman isn’t here. I would love to make him buy me another blowjob shot.” 

Whatever she said seemed to amuse Boomer greatly, and she shot him a winning smile as they stepped into the bar. She was surprised to find that it was packed wall to wall already. For it only being seven, that was practically unheard of.

“Jesus, what’s all the fuss about?” she wondered as Boomer steered her towards the bar. 

“What’s it ever about?” he joked. She thought about that, and before he even gave the answer, she already knew what it was. “Pilots.” 

“Fucking pilots.” Matty rolled her eyes with an over exaggerated raspberry. “We can definitely find some suckers to hustle tonight then. What do you want to drink?”

“Your choice.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?” he shrugged. There was something sly and unsettling about his grin, and Matty narrowed her eyes at him when he dropped his arm off her shoulder. He spotted Frank at a table towards the back. Claire and Eggs were already there, and, if she had to guess, Nick and George wouldn’t be far behind. “I’ll be with the others. Try not to get too distracted before you deliver the coldies, yeah?”

He disappeared before she could give a response. “Why would I get distracted?” she asked no one in particular. Of course, there was no one to answer that question, and so Matty let it go with a shrug. Australians—she would never really understand them. Something else she didn’t understand was how packed the place was. It took more than a few elbows to get to the bar, and even then, it took five minutes before Penny arrived.

At least she had a smile on. 

“Service with a smile usually counts for more when I’m not waiting forever, you know,” Matty jibed. “I think I can feel the dementia settling in as we speak.'

Penny laughed, completely unbothered by the attitude. “I’m just happy you didn’t come across the counter yourself.” 

“Wow, you’re in a good mood,” Matty said. “Haven’t seen you smile that big since you won that thirty pound turkey in the Thanksgiving raffle last year. Should I be worried about going bankrupt tonight?”

Penny tossed a dish towel over her shoulder with a fond eye roll. “Funny as always, Mats,” she drawled. But, if the smile that stretched back onto her face was anything to go by, she clearly wasn’t that bothered by the jab. “What can I get you?”

“Seven beers.” 

An odd look appeared in Penny’s eye, but she began lining up some glasses anyway. “Crew night?”

“Uh, duh, Pen. It is Friday.” 

“Well, sure,” the woman said with a huff when the glasses clinked together. Matty pointed to the tap closest to her, and inched a little bit closer across the bar to hear better. “But I thought you would be joining in with everyone else tonight, too. Not just the crew, anyway. Unless you still really do have problems with the pilots.” 

Matty furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?” 

Penny laughed as if Matty had made a joke, but when she caught the confused look on her face, she slowly let go of the tap handle. “I thought you would have heard.” 

“Heard what?”

“They’re… back.” 

“Back?” Matty echoed, shaking some hair over her shoulder, uncomprehendingly. “Who’s back?”

Penny didn’t give her an answer other than to glance around the crowded bar. Matty followed her line of sight slowly, looking for the gag to whatever joke this was, but that line of thinking went out the back door when she started picking up on some of the faces in the crowd. Faces that were smiling, laughing, and having the time of their lives as if they had just gotten back from a successful mission. 

She didn’t know what to say, so she settled on the classic.

“Son of a bitch.” 

Penny’s grin faltered at the reaction. “I’ll get some shot glasses,” she said, as if not knowing what else to say, and Matty didn’t try to stop her as she disappeared around the other side of the bar. Shots sounded pretty good right now. 

She wasn’t sure how much time passed when Penny returned with two shot glasses and a bottle of something brown. She poured them quickly, not bothering to keep the bar top dry, and when she moved them towards Matty the blonde downed them both in succession without blinking. 

“Fuck,” she hissed, wiping her mouth, completely forgetting about the lip gloss. “That burns.” 

Penny held up the bottle with a smirk. Bourbon.

“Ew, Jesus, I thought that was tequila.” 

“Oh no,” she wagged a finger at Matty, before returning to her earlier job of filling up the beer glasses. “I know you and tequila, Matty, and you do not need tequila right now. Last thing I need is for you to start some trouble in my bar.” 

“I—I’m not going to start any trouble!”

“You have that look.”

“Look? What look!”

Penny set down a full glass of beer only to pick up another one. But the look she gave Matty was telling; a lot like a nun shaming a rambunctious toddler. “Like you’re going to do something stupid, but you don’t know what. I don’t need that tonight. No ma’am.” 

“Uh—ugh!” she tossed her hair, huffing like a bull. It was an absurd idea that all Matty did was cause trouble at the bar; worse even that tequila and her didn’t mix well. Matty happened to love herself on tequila. It made her fun, fearless, and—well, okay, maybe a little bit more likely to punch someone—but that was just a quirk. “Just give me a shot of tequila. Please?” 

Penny arched a brow, arms crossed. “Just one?”

Someone pressed up behind her, an elbow stretching smoothly onto the bar top, and Matty was just about to mentally prepare herself to ruin some poor pilot’s night, when the cadence of a warm voice spoke over the music to say, “actually, make it two.” 

Penny’s eyes sparkled as she disappeared to the other side of the bar. Matty watched her go, frozen almost. A ridiculous notion that some guy hitting on her at the bar could have her freeze up—she was Matty Neven, afterall, and she didn’t just let some handsome pilots smooth talk their way into her pants—and with that particular mindset she tossed some hair over her should with a shrewd glare.

“I don’t let pilots buy me drinks,” she told him. 

His lips curved into a smile, and she took a moment to give him a good look over. He was dressed a lot like the first night that they had met. A cotton button down that was open just enough that she could make out the hard lines of his collarbones, snug dark jeans that fit in all the right areas, and a pair of boots. Not military issued, but nice ones. The type that would bend very little if she tried to stomp on his toes, and that would hurt a whole lot if they kicked her in the shins. Around his neck dangled some familiar dog tags, and next to them was a pair of Ray Ban aviators that were probably sold out of the store from how many other pilots had the same ones. His hair was gelled just enough to let some loose curls dangle onto his forehead, and although his cheek was marred with a few healing cuts, he looked good.

Really good. 

And—hell—if that wasn’t the problem. 

“What do you have against pilots?” he asked. 

Matty popped a hip as she sank her elbow onto the bar. They were facing each other now, and even though she was a tall girl, she still had to tilt her head back to meet his stare-down fully. She doubted the sparkly lip gloss helped her to look intimidating. 

She hoped the sharp tone of her voice would be enough. “Well, they’re annoying—”

“Ouch.” 

“Egotistical, selfish—”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Big-headed, stupid, and more often than not, they’re liars.” 

He hummed, taking in her insults with nothing more than the melodramatic furrow of his brow, and Matty felt her glare waver slightly. She stuck her nose out further with the simple remind that—hello—he was a pilot for fuck’s sake. 

“That’s harsh,” he noted. He leant further onto the bar so that they were only an inch apart, and her breath hitched against her will. “And how do you know that I’m a pilot?” 

“Please,” she scoffed before snagging his dog tags with a chipped nail. “The only people that wear aviators anymore are fifty years old who want to feel young again and pilots. Not to mention the fact that I know everyone in this bar.” 

He tsk-ed, but it didn’t stop the smile that was slowly inching across his mouth. It drove her up a wall. Not because she wanted to kiss that stupid perfect little mouth but, because—well—she couldn’t really think of a reason at the moment, but Matty was sure that one existed. 

“You know everyone here? You must be a big deal or something to be that popular.”

She nodded, coming back into herself a little bit, and let his dog tags go with a shake of the head. Tendrils of hair went cascading over her shoulders. She tried to draw some confidence from that. She was an independent bitch boss of a woman who didn’t need anything from anyone. 

Particularly not a pilot. 

“Yeah. Actually, yes I am,” she started, crossing one arm over the other. Then, when that felt a little too weird she untucked her arms so that she could start waving them around wildly as if to prove her point. She almost smacked someone walking by in the head in doing so, but didn’t let that stop her. If some idiot with glasses got smacked in the head it was his fault for wandering too close. “I am a big fucking deal and I have plenty of men that throw themselves at me every single night. Case and point the fact that I’m a ten out of ten, eleven if we’re being honest, and all these other losers have been giving me eyes since I walked in here—which is crazy, really, if you think about it, because the only guy that I actually want to have attention from decided to just leave without saying goodbye. Not a text or a call or anything!”

“What an asshole,” he drawled.

“A total asshole! And now, even worse, I got all dressed up and am standing here looking like this and he still won’t just take the fucking hint and—”

Bradley kissed her before she could say anything else. 

Thank god for that, too, because she wasn’t sure she had anything else to say, and her self-control seemed to be at an all time low, but Matty would be damned if she had given in first. 

He kissed her like his life depended on it, like it was the only thing that he had wanted to do since he met her all those weeks ago in this exact same bar, on a Friday night just like this, packed like sardines by all the other pilots that she couldn’t really stand. Her arms swung around the back of his neck just as his clutched her waist. At first, he held her gently—almost like he was afraid she wasn’t real—but after a moment she felt his entire body relax, and his hands became firmer as they shifted to the base of her spine. It was a kiss just like after their date; warm, explosive, radioactive in the best ways possible that had her toes tingling and all the thoughts evaporating from her head. But it was also better than that. There was no holding back, no unspoken words. 

Just him and her. 

“Seriously, get a fucking room.” 

Oh, and Hangman. 

They pulled apart with heaving chests to find that their show had earned themselves quite the audience. Hangman was at the forefront, a beer in each hand, and while her first instinct was to break his delicate little nose that she always thought looked a bit too much like it had been bought with daddy’s money, Bradley surprised her by just laughing. 

“Don’t get your panties in a twist just because I beat you to the girl,” he said. 

Hangman scowled. But then his mouth did this weird thing and it actually turned up into a smile. Not a smirk, but a real, god-honest smile. “Yeah, well, it’s the only time you’ll ever actually beat me at something, Bradshaw, so you better savor it.” 

“Um, excuse me,” Matty chirped, drawing his eyes. “Hi? Fuck off, won’t you?”

The group of pilots crowed in laughter at her barb, but Hangman didn’t take it all that personally. Rather, Mav was there shooing them all away before he could mange any sort of retaliation. “Alright, alright,” he said, waving the group off towards the pool tables. “That’s enough. Let’s give the kids some privacy, huh?”

“At least use protection!” Hangman jeered over the crowd as he was shoved away. 

Mav smacked him over the back of the head just as they disappeared into the sea of people.

And suddenly, just like that, it was her and Bradley. 

Bradley, who was staring at her with stars in her eyes. “Hi,” he said. 

Matty responded by promptly punching him in the chest. “You dick!” 

“Hey,” he threw up his hands, laughing, when she just continued to swat at him. He caught her by the wrists, and when she tried to smack him a third time, he pointed out, “you kissed me.” 

“I’m not upset about the kiss!” she exclaimed. Her hair went in every direction when she tossed her head at him, but rather than frighten him, the show only seemed to amuse him more. She supposed her pink eyeshadow was no less attractive to him as it had been the first time they met under these circumstances. Kismet, bismet. This was total bullshit. “You didn’t tell me you were leaving. Ass!” 

“I know.” 

"You promised that you wouldn't leave me behind. Remember that? The whole 'sitting out on a surfboard and bearing my soul to you' thing that we did? That wasn't a hallucination!"

Bradley sobered up beneath her barrage, and she was happy to note that he actually looked guilty in front of her. Granted, it was skewed a bit by his overall handsomeness. Still. "I promised I wouldn't leave and forget about you, Mats. And I didn't. I know I should have said something about leaving, but... our date went so well and I felt like I couldn't find a good time to bring it up and then..."

"Then?"

"I didn't want to, you know, be together our last night just because I was leaving."

"Be together?" she echoed, not quite catching on at first. When she did, her entire brain seemed to blank out. She hadn't thought about it like that. "Oh. You mean—"

"Yeah," he grimaced. "I wanted it to end like it did. With a kiss and a promise that I could take you back out on a second date. Not with me sneaking out first thing in the morning. Not that I would have! But, I just... didn't think I would go if you asked me to stay," he admitted with a long breath. His shoulders sank as if that truth physically deflated him.

She tried not to feel so bad for being so mad at him. Failed, then tried again by shoving a finger into his chest. "Well, you didn’t tell me you came back!” 

“I know."

“And you could have been so totally hurt.” 

“I know.” 

“And—and—and I missed you!” she tacted on thoughtlessly. Albeit, not all that tactfully. Her voice pitched a decibel higher that had her sounding more like a crying cat than a scornful woman. Yet, upon hearing the revelation, Bradley’s features softened, and when her lip started to tremble he moved closer. Through sniffles, she said, “don’t touch me, I’m still mad at you.” 

He ignored the warning to tilt her chin up so that she was looking at him. “I missed you too.” 

“Like—a lot.” 

“A lot, a lot. You have no idea how much,” he muttered, softly brushing some hair off of her face. She wondered briefly about what her dad had said; about how the people willing to stick around to understand you were better than those who did immediately. But—what if those people were one in the same thing? “I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was back. I stopped by the motor pool but you were already gone. Boomer said you’d be here tonight.” 

She floundered. “He didn’t say anything about it.” 

“I got the idea that he was a little pissed at you,” Bradley mused. 

When he arched his brow she shrank beneath his gaze. The stories of her behavior over the past week were not something she was going to share with him. Ever, if that was an option. Instead, she evaded the unspoken question to ask, “why didn't you call?”

He sucked his lip between his teeth. "I did, actually. You probably have, like, a hundred missed calls and thirty voicemails from me at this point. You weren't answering your phone."

"My—oh," embarrassment welled up her throat until her entire face was bright red. "I left it in my glovebox because I kept losing it and I didn't want to be late tonight because Boomer was—it's a long story."

He didn't say anything. Just smiled softly while gently pulling her closer to him. At this distance, she could see the damage done to his face.  

“Your face is all cut up,” she pointed out, softly brushing over the skin. He winced, and Matty immediately retracted her arm. 

“It’s… a long story.” 

They shared rueful, knowing smiles. "And everyone else?"

“Good. Better than good, actually. Hangman got another kill, so we know he won’t shut up about that. Not to mention that Mav finally got his head straight about Penny—said that the whole mission made him realize what was actually important and not. Think he might actually do something stupid like propose. And, you know, I got that kiss. Not a bad way to come back.” 

She flushed. The scowl that came next was ruined a little by the pink dotting her cheeks. “Just… don’t do that again.”

“Kiss you?”

She punched him; softly this time. “Leave without telling me, dick.” 

Bradley smiled. 

"I told you, babe, you're unforgettable. I wouldn't dream of it." he said, and, when the compliment did lighten her mood, the air between them stopped feeling so tense and started feeling a whole lot more electric. Bradley fucking grinned. “Does this mean I can finally start buying you drinks?”

Matty huffed, inching closer, just as he swooped down to steal her breath. All thoughts of love and life and worry and fear vanished. And—yeah, in that moment, she felt like she finally did understand her mom a little bit better. It sucked having this big inevitable thing in life that would take away the person you cared about, but it was also worth it if every time they came back felt like this. Like nothing had changed, like no time had passed. 

Like your heart would need a tune-up at the mechanics from how hard it was pumping. 

This kiss ended sooner than the first, but her lungs ached just as much. “Can I take you out on another date?” 

“I think you’d be better off taking me home,” she muttered. His chest rumbled with laughter, and while she did mean it, when Bradley tried to drag her away from the bar, she tugged him right back with a smirk. “Later. I think right now you need to buy me a drink.” 

He fixed her with a handsome smile, before conceding. 

“And don’t cheap out on the liquor, Bradshaw,” she snarked, 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Neven,” he quipped back with a small hand at her waist.

By the time they came out of their little bubble to tune back into what was happening at the bar, they found Penny had reappeared with two shots of tequila, as well as her platter of beers. Mav was chatting with her with a conniving sparkle to his eyes that Matty really didn’t like, but she didn’t get the chance to ask about it before there was a burst of yelling from the pool table. 

Penny sighed. “Will you do something about that?”

“About what?”

“Boomer is hustling the pilots again,” she said. The brunette didn’t seem all that put out by it, though. Her tone was more so that of reluctant acceptance. “The last thing we need is him and Hangman to go at it over a couple of bucks. Those two have the biggest egos I’ve ever seen in this bar. The only thing worse is that I think they’re actually becoming friends.” 

Matty and Bradley shared a look. 

“Maybe we can stick around for—you know—just one game of pool,” he hedged. 

“Well, it is pretty early,” she agreed. “And we definitely can’t have those two becoming friends.” 

“No, of course not. They would suck all the air out of the room. Obviously, we can’t have that.”  

There was a moment of silence as they sized one another up, before Matty and Bradley downed their shots of tequila in unison. She snagged two beers off of the tray, and before Mav could stop them, she said, “take the rest to the crew in the corner, won’t ya, Mav? We’ve got to hustle some losers at pool.” 

Maverick popped his mouth open to protest, but they didn’t stick around to hear it. 

“Well, well, well, what ‘ave we here?” Boomer cried when he saw her approach. He didn’t hesitate to take one of the beers out of her hand, and Hangman narrowed his eyes at her shrewdly. “Finally come to help me teach blondie ‘ere how to lose with dignity?”

“Actually, Booms,” Matty grinned. “We thought we would teach you two how to lose with dignity.” 

The boys straightened, sizing up how serious she was.

“Well?” Bradley arched a brow. His tone was just as devious as hers, and, really, she thought that maybe Penny was onto something about the lot of them being nothing but trouble. “You want to play or what?”

“Oh,” Hangman drawled. “It’s so on.” 

The sound of the cue ball cracking somehow felt louder than the jukebox, but unlike the first time that the mechanics had been introduced to the pilots, Matty found that there was a whole lot more laughter than anything else. The others joined as the hours ticked by; a never-ending loop of pool, darts, cards, and then pool again that went until they were kicked out by Penny in the early morning hours. She didn’t remember a lot of it. The amount of alcohol they consumed was probably death-defying if she were being honest, but she did remember one thing.

She let a pilot buy her drinks. 

And, fuck, did that feel good.  

***taglist (we're finally done!) @callsignbarb @coyotesamachado @shanimallina87 @luckyladycreator2 @olivethenerd16 @the-winter-marvel33 @hiddleless @momc95 @alanadetigy @obsessedasusual @voidisms000

[geee-three]

uuuuh my tablet is basically overheating bc ive been drawing so hard for the call boy fan mv (WHICH I CANT WORK ON UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND FUCK MY STUPID BAKA LIFE) so. throws some incomprehesible sekai oc scribbles at you plus elboration

a little explaination of how the gacha system ive made up works. so bc i have 3 people in one unit (sunken starlight) plus 6 people in another (unnamed orchestra) (yes thats their unit name theres a reason okay) and 3 in the third unit (whihc i havent created yet but its gonna be a nightcord-esque thing) heres how the systems gonna work

4*, 4*, 3*, 2*. the orchestra guys will have 3 ocs at a time plus a vs. all cards are hakolims and mixed events can have any previous mixed card OR initial card (every character will have an initial 4*, which doesnt give you an outfit or hairstyle bc its their regular unit one).

also it'll go sunken starlight, unnamed orchestra, mix, [yet to exist], unnamed orchestra, mix

this is not a real game thats being made i am not that good at coding nor do i have that much dedication

okay so this one is for dami1. rockstar set i think. idk if you can see all that well but in the corner its called 2 to overcome our past resentment. basic summary:

erynn is pissed that damien and siobahnn keep "teaming up against her" when in reality her ideas are just shit

damien overreacts. bc its damien and his ego is fragile. so stops talking to erynn altogether.

so now erynn is sad and siobahnn is going to get to the bottom of this no matter what but damien doesn tknow that

damiens mother (who. has a l2d!!! yay for npcs) is like "kid you are acting weird and lonely again dont tell me your new friends dumped you" and ehs like. nooo.... i maybe dumped them.... and shes like talk to them goddamit. but he doesnt want to

he remembers he has a secret pocket dimension he can go to and goes there. but siobahnn is already there (TOTALLY NOT running those lyrics for the untitled track past len). she talks to damien in the sekai and explains how erynn is a little bit depressed bc she really wanted to make amends!! adn sehs really scared she came across accusatorially

damien tells her not to speak for erynn and she can find him herself. and siobahnn, poor social anixiety ridden girl she is, summons all the courage she has to tell him "WELL IM YOUR FRIEND TOO AND YOU GOTTA COME BACK BC WE MISS YOU >:(" except she whispers it rlly fast bc shes so scared of him still

and damiens like. oh. okay. i will. and yay forever!!

next day. siobahnn summons all the courage she has. and gives the lyrics to damien when he comes back like "REALLY SORRY I LIKED THE SONG THAT TAKES US TO A POCKET DIMENSION WITH MEIKO AND LEN IN IT I MADE US LYRICS FOR IT ITS OKAY IF YOU HATE THEM AND ALSO ME" then hides behind erynn despite being a full five inches taller than her.

and damien loves them and untitled track has lyrics :D and that is the commision song for the event

but yeah the cards themselves. damien has the. emo red spikey guitar like any proper secret nerd who thinks in python with emotional attatchment and anger issues. also he dyed just the roots of his hair black (LIKE ERYNN AND ATTICUS) and cut it short. and he has a red leather jacket and black ripped jeans and spikey earrings because hes EMO and its NOT A PhASE (the event disappears in a week sorry bestie) (this isnt. intended to poke fun at actual emo people but hes very much pop culture emo not actual subculture emo. he will be proper emo by the time im done w him though.) and siobahnn.. oh siobahnn... most egirl outfit youve ever seen. implied that damien picked it out for her.her hairs pretty much the same style as normal but in braids and shorter... i promise i;ll get more creative with the other ones but i dont want to randomly change her hair texture in between events and its not 4c or anything. the braids are more frayed on the right side and shorter too going to her ears rather than her shoulders on the other side.shes singing on stage in the trained btw. bc. her whole thing is that she WANT to be famous but shes not sure she can mentally deal w it ect vs damiens im not sure i have the talent to get there vs erynns can you two PULL YOUR SHIT TOGETHER PLEASE (im going to have a luft-core event at some point where her shit gets rocked. watch out.) yay and the erynn 3* is her talking to siobahnn about damien and her trained isher on keytar for reasons (she learnt piano alongside atticus learning violin but refuses to do so bc its boring unless a keytar bc thats Fun and Cool) and the len 2* is him holding. a basse guitar. in a shirt with a bass fish on it. yeah. soryr.

AIGHT and here's atticus mixed 1. 4* atticus 4* siobahnn 3* erynn 2* ivy. ik yall dont know who atticus and ivy actually are but theyre besties atticus is erynns twin brother theyre both in the unnamed orchestra. okie dokie lessgo. the plot of the event is very simple:

atticus is a Funny Guy who tells Jokes and Silly Stories including one about erynn falling off the roof

this intruges siobahnn who asks him to elaborate. he gets this paniced look in his eyes and runs away

siobahnn now tracks down anyone who might knwo. first she goes to ivy whos like what the freak i dunno??? =so she goes to erynn which would be the easiest solution in the first place.

erynn says its all atticus's fault and to ask him to admit what he did

siobahnn is IN DEEP now and needs to know

basically long story short atticus locked erynn on the roof and she jumped off to get down (she was fine and thought it was funny but teases him about it to this day)

but i made it an assasin set for no reason. yes i gave atticus a side part. deal with it.theres like a big ass bloddstain on his back and more on his trousers bc its a formal fancy assasion set whereas siobahnn is having funsies stabbing people!! her hair is more. think frye onega grandfest

being dragged back to family matters so i cant elaborate further but yeag!!! THE LITTLE GUYS I LOVE EM... if it feels like siobahnn is my favourite youre wrong i just wanted to doodle her so you get events featuring her. shes also a master at pushing the plot forward but i ahve an event in mind where she breaks bc she cant keep being the only reasonable person and does something really impulsive (challenges the arata-esque guy to a duel) (she looses) (this becomes her crawl green iykwim)

@socks-wizard-money-gang <- if you wanted to read a bunch of bullshit

[christiancomputerstudent]

Olympics 2024 Controversy: Last Supper at the Opening Ceremony? I don't think so.

Judging by the below news articles it seems the Internet has blown up over events of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, some Christians and other people have gone on the Internet to complain about a scene of Greek gods thinking it was about the last Supper.

Olympic organiser apologises after opening ceremony offends Christians

Olympic ‘ Last Supper’ the scene was in fact based on painting of Greek gods, say art experts

Drag Queen Performance at Paris Olympics Draws Comparisons to ‘Last Supper’

As a Christian myself, I don't know or understand why some Christians are saying this is supposed to be the Last Supper as there are more people in this scene than in the image of the Last Supper Plus, the character they think is Jesus is supposed to be a Greek goddess, probably Hera queen of the gods, as there is some art where she is dressed like  the lady people think is Jesus and the Statue of Liberty as the Statue of Liberty is probably based on this image (you can find this image below on the Wikipedia page about hera)

Hera - Wikipedia

The artistic director of the opening ceremony in question said this was not based on the Last Supper but on the Greek gods and goddesses, but people are not listening and still coming out with the wrong conclusions.

Olympics opening ceremony artistic director says controversial scene not inspired by The Last Supper

I think I read somewhere, that this whole thing is commenting on gun laws and violence around the world, and also a nod to the Olympic's origins. (I think the gun law and violence bit was on the French Olympic committee, Twitter page, in light of this information, having Hera dressed in her iconic image where she is dressed a bit like the Statue of Liberty, makes a lot of sense for obvious reasons)

This proves these people don't know anything about history, greek mythology, art, or the Christian faith, if they did they would not be jumping to these ridiculous assumptions and making a fool of themselves, it also proves these people don't listen or care about what people are saying, they are just banging out the wrong conclusions all over the Internet without thinking, which makes the situation worst.

Apophenia and the Dunning- Kruger effect come to mind here Apophenia is the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when people overestimate their abilities in a particular area where they have limited knowledge or competence.

check out our author's history blog version below which contains more information about what happened in the closing ceremony which people also over-reacted to

Conclusion

Excuse me, while I have a rant over this issue, we Christians should not be offended by this issue. This issue has nothing to do with the Christian faith. They are not mocking the Christian faith. This issue has nothing to do with the Last Supper, as I have said earlier in this post, there are too many people, and sometimes we Christians need to be using our brains more, God has given us our brains for a reason we need to use them, we should not be leaving our brains at the door or at home and we need to think about the issue in regards to what is really going on, and not what we think is going on, we need to stop overreacting to situations, this is not a good witness to the world. Not everything has to do with us.

The world doesn't go around us, and quite frankly, I have been disappointed by how some Christians have reacted to this situation. Instead of responding to it in love, they have responded to it in hate, using hateful sayings like they are demonic and other hateful saying, ask yourself a question what would Jesus do, how would Jesus handle this situation, if you are a praying Christian pray over it, what is God telling you about this situation, if you had wrong thoughts about this situation and the people involved, maybe you need to ask for forgiveness.

We need to stop overreacting to these small issues that don't matter. We need to be looking for the big issues in the world. this is not how we show love or share our faith in a hurting world that needs Jesus's love and healing. The people you are throwing hateful things at about this issue are hurting, and they need Jesus, It is not our job to judge people, it is our job to love people

Only God can judge people when we judge people. We are saying we are God or we know better than God. Even Jesus didn't judge the lady in John 8:3-11 he had the right to do so, but he didn't. he let her go and forgave her. How dare we think we are better than God/Jesus stop acting like you are God.

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

So, I just had something tense going on.  Maybe I worked myself up beyond necessary.  A dear friend of mine on Facebook - we have yet to meet in person, but we know each other’s real names and have exchanged snail-mail (she’s bought some artwork from me and she’s sent me crafting supplies out of her surplus and little gifts for me during periods when I was feeling down) was saying some very disturbing things that I caught.   Like, I’m looking at my feed and see “Goodbye, cruel world.”   She’s not one to joke about stuff like that.  I looked at her page and something I’d missed was a post about how a medication wasn’t working right for her, was making things wonky.  She’s diabetic and has some other health issues and apparently a new medication she was put on was giving her a rare and dangerous side-effect.  Her messages were such that I did not know if she was so pissed off at her health that she was thinking of just ending it or if she was having a medication and/or diabetic reaction and was essentially letting her online friends know that she was dying.  I assumed the latter, but I did not know if she had anyone with her to help her out.   Cue me trying to get ahold of mutual online friends, frantically looking through old mail packages (a box I use for storage she sent me) to try to find her address, finding it finally on an email search, asking my partner something I didn’t know “Can you call 911 on someone not in your state?”  and finding out that I actually could, it just takes some transfer.   My friend turned out to be okay.  Emergency folk showing up at her door scared the Hell out of her husband (I did not know if he was home, you see, I was going by scary and cryptic Facebook posts).  She was just having an issue with her medication that balanced out.   She was glad to have some random online friend care enough for her to worry like that.  She hailed me on Messenger and explained everything.  And now we’ve set up for when we have a couple of days off next week to actually visit and hang out / see each other in person finally / finally let me pet the cat she posts pictures of which is the most gorgeous cat in the universe / maybe see the Barbie movie if either of us don’t get to it in the meantime.  Anyway, why am I sharing this?   It’s giving me a bit of a flashback to 2 years ago when I was having a very rough time and thought I had friends in this particular fandom.  I had known / chatted with people for about 3 years and though we’d met in Spop fandom and in a subfandom thereof, but many of us shared personal things together and I thought I had actual friends - online friends based on one mutual interest - but friends, nonetheless.  Some things went wrong with me and some of them, misunderstandings, me overreacting, some symptoms of my known mental illness coming into play (not that it excuses my bad choices), but pretty soon, I found even the people who were trying to stick by me were dumping me, either because of me getting to be too much of a pain or because some of the popular people in the fandom at the time said “Jump!” and they said “how high?” - I had even people I’d barely interacted with on a blocking / shunning / gossping campaign around tumblr.  The most hurtful thing about it was that people who I had become, what I thought, really good, personal friends with just let me go, too, when I was saying some blatantly suicidal stuff online.   I understand people who barely knew me going “not gonna touch that dumpster fire” but with people who seemed to care about me / told me they cared about me... the abandonment hurt.   Now, I never expected anyone to go out of their way for me.  People on tumblr don’t know my real name or address.  There’s no way to call emergency services on me or anyone with “just a fandom name, just a big website.” There were one or two people I had shared my Facebook with just in case something happened with me so they could contact my family / closer friends.  But, even that... yeah, just straight up abandonment and approval given to someone who was spreading the idea that I was “faking it.”  (I wasn’t and I have hospital records to prove it, not that I’d post those online).  However, the thing that I thought I could expect from friends, some of whom I was starting to consider deeper than just-fandom-friends was some kind of “please call 911″ message given to me, or a posting of a hotline number to remind me that it existed / to let me know that I was cared for as a human being - Even if some people had to block me because I was going off the rails and their own mental health couldn’t take it, I expected some kind of basic “we want you to get help” from friends rather than “Figure it out on your own!” and “stop crying wolf!”   I suppose some people get a deer in the headlights reaction to these things and go into denial.  Believing that someone is not in danger is easier, but... I found out who my real friends were, I’ll put it that way.   And ever since, I’ve kept a bit of distance in regards to making friends in this fandom.  (Even if I wind up talking with you about deep stuff, I’m not going to trust you like, say - that crafting / art friend talked about above that I met on a left-ish politics-forum and then started talking about cats with).   This is deeply personal.  I’m surprised you read this far if you did.  I’d ask people not to spread this / encourage dogpiling from my former friends, but, it’s the Internet, so what are ya gonna do?  I don’t care anymore about any of that, or them. If people get their rocks off complaining about someone by name they haven’t talked to or about in 2 years, who am I to judge?  I have a lot of people blocked.  Meh, just wanted this off my chest.  

[moss-and-marimos]

info dump to me about whatever media, OC's, albums, or anything else that comes to mind! :D (if you want to, that is)

infodump incoming about my dnd character

Grahhhhhh Percival makes me actually wild, hes a triton, he looks like this, sorry If ive showed you him before I cant remember

but this guy makes me actually wild. hes so unwell hes got so many issues. we've finally started getting a little into his lore in the campaign and I got to call his sister last session which is a big step, and hes finally getting comfortable with the party calling him nicknames which is a big deal because like very very early on campaign I told the other players that he was the type to silently judge you if you called him Perci instead of Percival if you weren't close with him, but last session was the first time one of the other people slipped and called him perci and I got to be like 'he doesnt react negatively' and theyre all like omg we got nickname privileges and im very happy about it at the same time unfortunately though, a lot of his development is kinda gonna go down the drain now because we've got a new player joining the campaign and its really gonna mess him up, he was finally feeling comfortable in the character dynamic, they just saved his life literally and that means a lot to him, but now a new person is joining and thats going to feel like a big betrayal of trust he had a party before this one a few years ago, when he was a lot newer to the surface, and they didnt really care about him or treat him well, and so to get healed by the others meant a lot, because the other party wouldnt heal him unless he was fully downed, always saying that he was overreacting because he was a kid (he was 16-17 at the time) which just wasn't true, this guy has a high pain tolerance and is used to hiding injuries from adults, and so to 1. see his party immediately heal him and for even the pacifist to start taking the fight seriously once he got seriously injured meant a ton, and 2. that they didnt immediately freak out at his blood being the 'wrong color' (his blood is blue) also meant a ton to him. this guy has issues he has so many issues. hes got some kind of complex about not being human enough and it messes him up, but the party has all been nice about him being nonhuman and it means a lot, even though he still tries to mask a lot of his nonhuman traits around them

in the future at some point the campaign is going to go back to the undersea and im trying to figure out how he would react to that. even though hes a fish and comes from the ocean, ever since he left at 16 I dont think hes ever, or at least not often, gone back. his parents were really awful, and hes scared to step very deep into the water because, even though he can breathe underwater literally, metaphorically it would feel like drowning. I think he might be able to put it aside for a little bit for the sake of the party and having to teach them how to move around underwater and stuff, but I definitely think it would mess him up pretty bad. he would also be happy to see his sister though, she's an artificer, and is probably going to be the one to give them the stuff that allows them to breathe underwater, he cares about her a ton and vice versa. ironic for him to be a fish with a fear of the ocean

fun little details about him: - he has a sending stone flavored as a seashell, his shell phone we call it, he uses it to call his sister and thats the only contact it has, and its a cowrie shell (his sisters' is a conch) - He really idolizes his sister, she pretty much raised him, she's the reason he dyes his hair white and wears it in a ponytail - This fish is transgender 💪💪💪 so is his sister too - He can bioluminesce and its one of his stims is that he makes the lights flash up and down his forearms - his name is a fish pun based on the genus perciformes

We got to do a thing recently where he was like actually scared, because he has a lot of issues with bodily autonomy and so being mind controlled is one of his worst fears/triggers, and there was/is a very real potential for that to happen, and its one of the first times the party has ever seen him scared and I love describing the changes in his body language. Most of the time he presents himself very confidently for lack of better term, very open body language, but when hes scared that changes, he doesnt lean back as much, his tail flicks, he clutches at his forearms (especially since one was recently injured when he almost died) and leaves claw marks in his leather bracers, etc

I have more I might put in another reblog bc this is getting really long

traumatized with so many issues -> 🐟

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 5.5

“Like… badness carried it here. Or the culprit of the murder brought it here. And there’s no accompanying stain painting the ground in the direction where it’s carried away.”

so this would seem to imply that the driver was involved, but left before Clem could see them. So probably not driving remotely somehow. Why didn't the driver then circle back and take the CB pieces from those teenagers? I'm trying to think through who it could have been, not sure who could disappear that quickly. Don't think we can narrow it down based on who was free at the time, since everyone started showing up pretty soon after. We know Matthew had confirmed who was in the group before Avery went to meet them, so he maybe had eyes on them at the right time?

“Telling you would be costly,” Charles said.  “People would know.  I’d be expected to pay a price, and I don’t have much to pay with.  If it meant taking him down a peg, I’d risk it.  Hurt my enemy, sure.  But no.  It’s not easy.  We made our terms clear.”

oh. so that's why Charles is willing to tell her, in order to get at Alexander. But I'm not sure how that would hurt him? Clem is currently helping Bristow, against Alexander if anything. Or does he also have issues with Bristow?

“Was this person who drove the car and ran-” A distant scream cut her off.

grrrrr. We were getting so much good information! So a local who was uninjured from the crash, but still abandoned the meat and ran. Did they want Clem to find it? Or were they that afraid of getting caught that they wouldn't take a moment to grab the meat?

It was like Lucy was tensed up all the time, and Verona could help with that, in a friend way or a being reliable way, but it only ever really helped a little bit.  Having someone agree with her and tell her she wasn’t crazy was like… part of that tension was wondering if she should be tense or if she was overreacting.

Lucy's POV chapters have noted this a lot, never being sure if she was overreacting. I hope she gets a chance to talk to Booker, that seemed to really help after everything with Paul. Good that Clem was here to validate too.

“If I tell you everything, how do I stop from becoming my dad?” Verona asked.  “Whining all the time, and being nothing but vulnerable, or nothing but a sad sack.”

:( I don't think Verona has any idea of what healthy communication looks like. And Lucy also has her own issues around admitting vulnerability, so that hasn't helped.

They laughed, and it was a tired, exhausted, loopy sort of laugh, Verona’s hand at Avery’s shoulder, fingernails in her sleeve, leaning on Lucy too for balance, until Lucy hugged her and the movement of Lucy’s chest as Lucy laughed helped set off Verona’s own.

:)

“I got out and I’ll probably keep a space in my heart forever for Ms. Hardy for helping me out of that awful dynamic.  I can’t even imagine being stuck in it for…”

:|

“Is pretending enough?” Avery asked.  “Because I got pretty crazy into some fantasizing and building up narratives in my head, during my lonely patch.  I don’t think it made things that much better.”

...yeah

“I swear,” Lucy said, her eyes fixed on Verona’s.  “I will get you out of there if you get too old.  I will fight to get you out of there if it looks like it’s too much.  I will get a place for you to stay, abduct you, or do whatever else, if it gets you clear.”

normally. I would be thinking through the potential downsides of swearing oaths. but here. I am just happy.

The gold leaf letters glimmered all over Avery’s skin and around her eyes, accenting the misty look with the stark black pupils and the irises that had everything that wasn’t that steely blue now a deep black that branched out a bit past the usual bounds.

ooooh. That's cool. And maybe picking up a new bit of color symbolism? (for my chainmail plots)

Fifteen minutes west from Kennet, it had driven off into a ditch.  There was a note on the windshield asking the owners to call some number for what might have been a tow company.

well. Looks like the original driver might have come back after all.

so someone who knew the girls were coming back... that could be basically any of the Kennet Others. Why try to take it out of Kennet now and not before? Were the girls better at investigating than expected?

The ghost hunting site was on fire with the heated discussion of the ‘hoax’ and, Verona saw, a lot of speculation about who she was.  A lot of that was working to figure out who she was, looking at class rolls for her school. That was, uh, spooky. Even with the mask on…

fuck. That's exactly what I was worried about earlier. ... probably a good thing it wasn't Lucy who went after Sharon

“When there are enough of them, they all die in that moment, and that old, ugly power comes to earth and millions of mankind and millions of Other all perish.  As that parent Other slithers from this to its home in some dark world between two adjacent realms, it will cause things that your news will excuse as natural disasters or plague.”

I love all the bonkers background problems in wildbow works. Kinda reminds me of the vibes from the machine army or the sleeper back in worm.

[tribow]

So I dropped Kodomo No Jikan

I gave it two episodes. Straight up, this is pedophile bait. I was VERY uncomfortable watching this. I'm no stranger to seeing some pedo stuff in anime, heck I'm fine with it being there. The topic shouldn't be ignored and has a lot of avenues where it can be explored. However, Kodomo No Jikan is an example of how pedophilia should absolutely not be portrayed. (Let me be very clear: pedophilia is wrong. Please do not read this and interpret my stance as supportive of pedophilia.)

Most shows treat pedophilia like a joke. The characters who do it are clearly shown as bad and a joke to be laughed at. I've seen some stories feature pedophilia as a way to showcase the effects it can have on a child, the trauma it can cause, or the effect it has on the adult doing it. There are romance stories that ride the line with the age gap. To me, these examples are fine. It's heavy topic to work with, but there's a place for it.

In a hentai, it's whatever to me. Hentai knows exactly what it is: porn. The people who seek pedo hentai know exactly what they're getting into. That kind of porn disgusts me, but to me it's a non-issue since it is just porn. It's rare to see a hentai care about telling an actual story because that's not the point. You don't watch/read a hentai for the "plot" you're there to jerk off.

However, Kodomo No Jikan is NOT a hentai. It's an ecchi comedy. A medium where young teenagers can happen upon it ......... You might think I'm overreacting a bit. I only watched 2 episodes of a 12 episode anime. .....I wish I was overreacting.

From the first episode it's very clear that it's sexualizing children unironically. I can't give the anime the excuse of, "Oh it's joking", when half the time the only punchline is: "He's falling in love with a child". That's not a joke! It's presented completely unironically I cannot stress this enough.

The teacher in this anime is not the one making the moves here. The student is hitting on him, but his reaction isn't the responsible one that immediately calls out the behaviour as absurd. The teacher does not set boundaries. He both lets it happen and has inner monologues about how cute she is. He lets this kid sexually tease him constantly. How is this not a hentai? This is awful.

Who even animated this? Studio Barcelona? Never heard of 'em.

......

Okay they only existed for a year before becoming Diomedéa. Kodomo No Jikan being the last thing the studio worked on until becoming something new. I doubt there's any drama there. It was 2007. Degenerate shit like this wasn't that out of the ordinary so I doubt the company faced controversy over working on this. Puts a sore taste on the rest of their work though. (None of their other work seems to be actual pedo bait from what I can see)

Ugh, that's enough. The point was made. This show is awful. Terrible. Would not even remotely reccommend. I don't drop anime lightly and this one got dropped at episode 2.

[eddieydewr]

I think it's a bit messed up that Melissa Barrera was dropped from the new Scream movie. They're trying to claim she made public remarks about "Jews controlling the media." But there is absolutely nothing indicating that in any of her posts/stories. She called for a ceasefire and a return of hostages to save Palestinian civilians and Israeli civilians - she didn't spout anything overly controversial. I understand why Susan Sarandon was dropped, but I do think this issue with Melissa is unfair. People should be able to support Israel and/or Palestine (not including antisemitism obvs) without fear that their jobs will be taken away from them. Online leftists need to understand that with Noah too.

agreed. i don’t follow the actress or the franchise so i’m out of the loop but i’ve found some screenshots from twitter and idk, i’m not jewish so i’m probably hitting a blindspot when i say i’m unable to recognise any microaggression or dogwhistle. so it does seem like an overreaction to fire her. i still think it’s for something else entirely, like bad behaviour behind the scenes or a contract dispute. or it could be a bad faith actor out there trying to stir up upset and tension even more in the current climate. 😖

[bisluthq]

I was wondering if your partner has any insight on this, I know he doesn’t work on vfx but maybe he has more knowledge of the subject if he works in post production.

I have seen some actors say they’re going to vote no to the deal based on some stuff Justine Bateman has been saying. But I have seen people say that the issues she has brought up are either things that are already done (filling a stadium with copies of the same person) or things that we won’t possibly have the technology for in the next 3 years. I know she said scenes should only use real people and I saw someone say you can’t hire thousands of extras for a battle scene because it wouldn’t be safe. That’s one of the reasons why we use cgi in those situations now, but that’s different from AI. I’ve also seen actors say that bigger actors are going to be able to say no to AI but smaller actors will lose jobs if they say no. I have also seen people say that the full body scan actors are worried about costs 10k per person to do and they would never spend that much on background actors, when they already make fake crowds with cgi.

I’m conflicted because it does sound like actors are overreacting and I can’t really see a full AI movie doing well anytime in the near future (and by that I mean a “live action”). I think we would get realistic games before a film, and while you can play a game and say the graphics are really good, I wouldn’t enjoy that in a movie. But at the same time, vfx people sound like they’re into AI so I’m not sure if I can trust them.

What are your thoughts?

So my bf is really into AI lol and thinks it's awesome. I think post people are generally just crazy into technology (based on him and other people I know in the industry) and because they're geeks like they geek out over new shit and rn they're geeking out over AI. He uses it a fair amount. He's not completely au fait with it yet because there's like a LOT to know but he's done a course and he's like suuuuper into it. His whole thing is like it makes things faster and easier and it's dope tech and he's like "people thought shooting on digital was 'cheating' at one point" and I'm like "that's true they really did." He also makes the point of like CGI can do most of what AI is doing but it takes far longer and you have to deal with the CGI people lol and they're all a bit weird.

Personally, I think AI is gonna affect jobs for a lot of BTS people unless you're getting on board and like using it and it's gonna affect jobs for mid level actors because yes 10K is a lot but it's cheap like longterm. I don't think it's gonna be used for crowds really but like yk Gunther from Friends? He could be AI generated now. Like that's the kind of role that could go to AI and cut production costs down. Random bitty part actors, especially on shows, could go to AI rather. There won't be full AI movies for a long time imo because 1) AI looks a bit weird lol like you absolutely can tell if it's fully AI 2) AI is not that smart rn like it needs to be spoken to a lot and in very particular ways and like creatives aren't into that it and geeks can't generate a film based on prompts imo.

Fwiw like I like AI lol - I did part of my bf's course with him because I found it interesting and again I'm teaching atm so there isn't a reason for me to stress about AI but I've used it for lessons also like Twinkl has an AI bot that lets you generate stories and comprehensions and I've done that live with kids and they get SO into it lmao like they think it's the coolest thing they've ever seen.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for yelling at my friend?

this ones a long one.

bg info

so we're both 15, and he's done this thing a couple times where he'll create a new groupchat and exclude certain people who he's not as close to.

to me, this is mean, and i've spoken to him calmly about it before but he kinda just brushes it off and says he's just including close friends.

its also relevant that previously i may have enabled him. like, theres a girl neither of us like and we'd make fun of her sometimes, though not to her face, which is probably worse. i'm trying to be nicer to her but i dont get along with her very well.

on top of that, the origin of the gc we use now is that there was a bigger one and he told me "i just don't feel comfortable with some of these people". so i created a new group chat and let him pick who got added, with the agreement that we'd have to come to an agreement before adding more ppl, just for the sake of everyones comfort.

not sure if this is actually relevant or if im just salty but he doesn't spend time with the people in the gc at school, he sits with a group of juniors n seniors for lunchtimes and only comes around every so often. not sure if he's just spending one-on-one time with everyone or if he's actually not hanging out with us anymore.

into the actual inciting incident

today, we were talking about the groupchat to a friend we'd made recently and added today. he offhandedly mentioned one of the smaller groupchats he'd made for closer friends, and how no one had used it. i got really mad about how casual he was about something i thought was mean of him to do, so i told him something like "i just think that it's a rude thing to do."

and he said something like "well im just including our close friends", we kept going like this for a bit, and I yelled at him "why are the only people that matter the ones YOU like?" and there was more of a kerfuffle i don't remember, but i did in fact cry (self-provoked, he didnt say anything). i apologized for being so dramatic, and he left. it was class time so i left too, and my sister drives me and she had work so i left school really fast.

we have a little routine where we watch a show together on call though and he said yes when i asked about that. after asking him abt our show, i texted him n apologized for yelling at him n asked to talk but i said that i still thought that the way he treats people kinda sucks. no response.

what people irl said

like one person said that i was brave? and that they shoulve said something. the girl we added didnt say anything, and my other friend asked if i was okay after it was all over

why i might be an asshole

i think im being kinda on a moral high-horse when ive enabled and even kinda participated in this behavior before and ofc, yelling was very much an overreaction on my part

additionally, its not exactly a choice to not get along with some people?

why he might be an asshole

excluding people on purpose and ignoring my attempts to talk things out.

with the bias filter on, this behavior is pretty self-centered, because he doesn't hang out with us much at all, and he's never very invested in any of our interests or issues, but he still gets to dictate who gets to be in the "close friends" group chat?

for any advice

i really don't want to drop him as a friend, not just because i like spending time with him, which is most of it. the other part of it is that im really scared of what will happen if he gets mad at me, because i don't want to break up the friendgroup into people taking sides, and to a lesser extent im scared that if that does happen no one will take my side in that conflict. it just doesn't seem worth it to get into a blowout with him about this when i don't want to lose anyone.

thanks for reading all that, this is mostly just to organize my thoughts. render moral judgement at will.

What are these acronyms?

[leekimdramas]

Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu 3 Review

At first two seasons was fine... But why I think we will get the 4th one too?

The plot follows the same 5 people, their relationships and their sex lives.

A short review without spoilers would be that I enjoyed this season but I just wish they didn't overreact so much.

I don't know if I just don't remember it right but it didn't seem like a big issue in the past seasons, I saw a few people talking about it too, so maybe it's not just me issue.

And I just wish it would seem like we're moving towards the end... Or at least somewhere.

Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu reviews: season 1, season 2.

Momoe is the main focus of the drama but I don't think there is much to say about her in this season.

She had her moments and I liked her storyline but I think she was the character who didn't get a lot of growth this season and some of her reactions to things annoyed me. (That's where I felt most overreactions came from and it doesn't help that other characters look weirdly at her)

I was a big Matsuda/Momoe shipper from the first season, so I'm happy just to see them together but even if they're together now, why do I still feel like they're not getting enough screen time?

Matsuda is the one to go through some stuff and I was interested in his ex-lover story or his sister's and I would love to see in the next season what happened to his sister and maybe more communication about that with Momoe.

I don't think that Matsuda's actor did well in the emotional scene, he's not a bad actor but I just don't feel it was very believable.

Takasugi Ume is still one of my favourites and I really like seeing her knowing what she wants now in the relationships but not completely dismissing other people's feelings.

Hayashi didn't have a lot of screen time this season and I'm not really mad about it. I think we came a long way from the virgin girl thing but I just need him to grow some balls and maybe do something about the Kuriyama situation.

What I absolutely despised this season was Hiyama. He was a complete stalker mode and I just wished he would never be on the screen again. Sorry not sorry and I hope Kokoro runs far away so he can never find her.

Overall, I think for me 1-4 episode was a bit hard to get through as sometimes it felt a bit weird and not like the past seasons but I got back into enjoying it.

But after 3 seasons, I'm not sure if we have enough development in characters. Sometimes with the new season, it even feels like we're back at the start and by the end of it we're again left with so many unanswered questions.

8/10