#now they said they'll vaccinate us

[writefinch]

FRIENDLY CHAT

Hey! Sorry to pull you in here before your break, we just need a quick chat. So, long story short, uh, a customer complained that you point-blank offered him a condom.

This isn't the first time. You know it's against company policy. You're only supposed to get them if the customer requests it first. Like, you're not even supposed to have them on display. I know that part is stupid, but if the regional manager checks the tapes and sees condom bowls in plain view, I'd still get written up.

No, no, absolutely not, I'm not going to write you up. I don't think it's necessary and you know it goes totally against my management style. I want to talk through your concerns.

I wanna remind you that we take all the recommended industry-standard precautions. In fact we go above them! First off, you're fully vaxxed, and that's the end of ninety percent of things to worry about, period. You've got an IUD on the company health plan, even though your T-shots probably suppress it. The customers get a physical screen in the waiting area. All us boys and girlies get tested every three weeks, twice as frequent as the industry standard.

That's already extensive, it makes you safer than the vast majority of people in our line of work. If we did any more, customers will get the wrong idea. They'll think we're an unclean brothel with unclean customers. It'd remind them too much of all the you-know-what from the past few years.

Yes, you're not wrong about that. Breakthrough infections happen, and people get sick. But you know what I'm gonna say? You're very robust, you know that? You've been here for what, eighteen months, you've been pulling long hours and beacoup extra shifts and you've barely caught a sniffle. The testosterone must be helping!

Now you might not stay this lucky forever, that's why we have six paid sick days and a flexible admin rota. Usually when you catch something it'll be a mild itch and trouble peeing. You won't even wanna rest, and yeah you won't get the full rate for paid clients, you can still get paid to do the laundry and the paperwork for a week while it clears up.

Every year I get a couple of colds from my kids and take three or four days off, and every year I always get a VD from one of the clients and spend a week washing sheets and cleaning dildos. You know what that gives me? Two or three days rolled over into vacation time!

Yes, you can get unlucky. You can get a couple of back-to-back infections. I tell every boy and girl who starts here the same thing: before they take out a loan on a new car or move out of their toxic roommate situation, make sure to get two weeks pay in a savings account. Even if you do have to dip into your rainy day fund, you know full well that there's always extra shifts to pick up around here.

Yeah, you can catch something nasty. You can have a bad reaction. We all remember how scary it was before the vaccines were available. But here's the thing: you drive to work, right? You're on the freeway twice a day. Forty-thousand people die every year in car crashes, and tens of thousands more get life-changing injuries. You don't spend every day worrying about that, right?

You just get on with it and live your life.

Look, I'm really sorry about this whole thing. You're really special to me, you know that? You're a genuine friend to me, I mean that. We get on really well, all the girls love you, you're a hit with clients and that's why I jumped on this y'know? This job is only as fun as the people here make it, and I don't want to see you written up for something that can be talked out.

Discipline here is so stupid. I'm fucking sick of the owners hassling girls, and boys, out of working here and then crying and bitching when we can't meet customer demand.

I said I'd be out of here as soon as I get my HVAC cert but if they put us all through that again I'll just quit on the spot. That's why I want to look out for you. You've helped me through some really difficult times, on shift and off. I wouldn't have been able to get through junket season without you. I'm serious, if you hadn't joined when you did, there'd be gun laws named after me.

Thanks for listening, and again, I'm sorry for even bringing this stuff up. Just promise you'll keep what I've said in mind? We've all got to look out for each other here.

Hey, once you're back from break, can I have your help with something? I've got a no-refusal client and well, all the other girls refused. What? No I don't want you to take him, c'mon man I'm not gonna let you off a written warning to guilt you into picking up my shit, honestly! No, I'm the supervisor on shift so it's up to me.

Anyway he's not into boys, even pretty ones like you, sorry. But he's a real charmer, so would you mind sticking close in case he starts throwing up or throwing hands? If I have to hit the panic button I think Sergei will throw him out of a window, and nobody needs that headache.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. We'll be in the spa room, so let me know when you're ready to play pool boy…

#stories

[the-lark-ascending69]

your nancy wheeler whump is incredible, ty for the food

— sincerely, a nancy wheeler fan who is also a whump enjoyer

About this post, I think.

Omg anon hiii i'm so happy you liked it!! 🥰🥰 Nancy is such a whumpeable character, maybe because shes so broken inside already 💕 she's just a scared wet cat who needs to be wrapped up in a warm blanket.

A few headcanons for youuuu 💕💕

Robin's parents will be out of town for a few months (they're visiting family far away), so she has the house all to herself, and since the Wheelers are gone and Nancy has nowhere to go, that's where they take her.

Steve and Robin spend a long time looking for the Wheelers. They make a hundred phone calls a day but they keep hitting dead ends. The Wheelers left Hawkins shortly after Nancy was "confirmed" dead, and Mike quickly lost contact with his friends. Finding them has become impossibly difficult, and Steve and Robin worry that they'll never get to tell them Nancy is alive. Nancy misses them like crazy.

The party gets involved super quickly - Lucas, Dustin and Will, as well as the two new kids, Max and El. The boys all cry when they see Nancy, and to Nancy it feels like having siblings again, three new little brothers to try to fill in the space left by Mike and Holly. Max and El just want to help - they're excited to finally meet Nancy Wheeler, Mike's famous sister - he never shut up about her. He always talked about how smart and brave she was and how nothing has been the same since she died. Nancy was a bit surprised to know Mike said that about her, and it only makes her cry. She misses her brother so much.

Max in particular spends a lot of time with Nancy. She helps take care of her when Steve and Robin can't.

Will makes a lot of drawings for Nancy, and she keeps them all by her bedside. She particularly loves the one portraying her family - Mom, Mike, Holly, yes, even her dad.

Nancy experiences a lot of ugly withdrawal symptoms after having been on drugs so heavily for so long. Lots of vomiting and headaches.

Hopper gets involved in her case. She tells him everything, and he begins his investigation. He visits every now and then - it's in his nature. Up until two years ago, he was a father without daughter, and Nancy is a daughter without parents and a sister without siblings. It's only natural when El shows up at Robin's house to spend more and more time with Nancy, happy to have an older sister figure, even if she takes care of Nancy more than Nancy takes care of her. And it's only natural for Hopper to visit a few times a week to ask how she's doing and make sure all her needs are met.

Joyce is overjoyed to hear she's alive, and soon joins Steve and Robin in their search for the Wheeler's new number. She brings food whenever she can and instantly takes on a motherly role in Nancy's life. She agrees that it's best for Nancy to stay at Robin's for the time being, since Joyce and Jonathan spend a great deal of time at work and she'd be all alone for most of the time, but she plans on taking her to live with them when Richard and Melissa Buckley come back.

Jonathan awkwardly tries to help as well - he's often busy with work, but he stops by whenever possible to see if she needs anything. Nancy appreciates that.

Nancy hates appearing weak, but she's set off by the smallest thing - the party's boys hi-fiving each other reminds her of the way soldiers raised their hands to hit her. Steve's loud laughter reminds her of the way the general used to laugh when she cried. Out of the house, she's terrified of needles and hates getting blood tests or vaccines, and going to the dentist is paralyzing - the clattering of the instruments on the metal tray, the shapes of them so similar to the ones they used to rip her nails out, the horrible feeling of foreign objects in her mouth... she has two reactions to these things: she either freezes or she breaks. Freezing includes being almost completely non-verbal, trembling slightly but obeying every order. Breaking includes a lot of crying and panicking.

Her sleep schedule is all messed up - sometimes she can't sleep for more than three hours. Sometimes she blacks out for 18 hours straight. She can never seem to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, and she often suffers from nightmares.

She likes cuddling with either Steve or Robin, or even better, both of them. Sandwiched between the two of them, she almost feels like a little kid sleeping between her parents.

Robin really really really didn't like bathing Nancy, or helping her dress up. It feels like she's taking advantage of her. She feels the same when she shares a bed with her. Steve is the one to largely take care of Nancy when it comes to those things. They're still dating, technically, though at this point Nancy can't say she feels love for him. She clings to him because he's familiar, and he loves her, and he makes her feel safe. She appreciates him and cares deeply about him, but if she's honest with herself... she can't love him. She can't bring herself to say that to Steve, of course - after everything he's done for her, she just... tries so hard to convince herself she loves him in the way she's supposed to.

She actually quite enjoys Robin's company, and in part, she'd prefer it if it was her doing all of this for her. Robin can't bring herself to refuse when Nancy asks. They've slept together many times, Nancy cuddled into her chest. It makes Robin's heart ache, but she pushes those feelings down - creep, she thinks to herself. Freak. Pervert. Last thing Nancy needed was a person she trusted secretly lusting after her like a... like the dyke she was.

Nancy realizes she's not having a nice dream at the end of her first day after being rescued. She's drinking a cup of tea with Robin, talking about mindless things - Robin just wanted to make her feel comfortable and she supposed keeping it simple would be best, so she tells her about band and the time she passed out during a school play audition from the nerves. And Nancy looks down at her cup, feels its heat in her hands and the sweet taste in her mouth, and the soft texture of Robin's clean clothes on her skin. She hears the crickets outside, the creaking of the wooden floorboards when Robin paces, and it dawns to her that she is free. She suddenly breaks into tears, and Robin freaks out - calls Steve - and they both try her best to comfort her. Nancy hugs herself - she wants her mother and brother and little sister, it breaks her heart to know they left, that they thought her dead. But somehow, in Robin and Steve's arms, she feels warm. Safe, for the first time in years.

#whump #whumpee nancy wheeler #my posts #she baby #ronance #<< target audience

[shihalyfie]

I wanted to know if you could explain what the Digimons attributes mean? Some Digimon are vaccine types, then theres data and virus and in some cases ive read about digimon having the free or variable type.. i thought it could be something like a typical strength-weakness thing but then i read a part of a wiki where it said that virus types and vaccines dont get along? So now im just lost about what it means

I am so confused im sorry this is probably a really stupid question haha

It's basically a game mechanic. You know how games will have elemental alignments, like for instance fire-aligned characters taking 2x damage from water attacks and fire attacks doing 0.5x damage against water-aligned characters? Virus/Data/Vaccine form a rock-paper-scissors relationship like that (Virus > Data > Vaccine > Virus). It's a defining feature for V-Pets, since it adds a factor regarding whether they have an advantage or disadvantage over their opponent besides just stats. and has been a franchise staple since the Pendulum 1.0, which introduced it as part of multiple factors that made Digimon raising more complex and interesting.

So every time Bandai or whatever comes up with a new Digimon, they'll usually assign an attribute type for it as part of the lore. There are times there'll be exceptions, and the old card game (Hyper Colosseum, not the new one) was kind of notorious about messing with these -- a good number of the "exceptions" chronicled on Wikimon are that game's fault -- but for the most part Digimon are pretty consistent with the typing you see on their Reference Book profile. Different attributes are often the major distinguishing factor between variants as well, so for instance the orange Greymon we all know from Adventure is Vaccine, while the blue one is Virus. Free Digimon are ones that aren't typed at all, so from a game perspective they give and take damage with no modifier; the most famous ones are the 02 quartet's Digimon (V-mon, Wormmon, Hawkmon, Armadimon) and the Armor Digimon, and Variable ones are ones that mimic their opponent's type when they battle (basically the Frontier Hybrid Digimon).

From a meta perspective, the attribute triangle corresponds to the Chaos-Neutral-Law alignment system in Shin Megami Tensei (which Digimon takes a lot of cues from), so that's why angelic or "holy" Digimon are usually associated with Vaccine while dark or edgier (?) Digimon are associated wtih Virus, and why you saw that comment about Vaccine and Virus Digimon often being portrayed as at odds with each other. Takato is implied to have made Guilmon a Virus type because, like many ten-year-olds, he thinks being edgy is cool. In theory, it should be an even rock-paper-scissors triangle, but in practice, the franchise is biased towards Vaccine types, because it has a tendency to portray most of its holy Digimon as unambiguously good while its chaotic dark Digimon are usually evil. (In comparison, Shin Megami Tensei's Law demons would often be even worse than the Chaos ones, because when taken to extremes Law vs. Chaos basically meant authoritarianism vs. anarchy.) Even the naming probably reflects that bias, since while there are a lot of positive chaotic entities, it’s hard to argue that a computer virus is likely to be good or beneficial. The Vaccine bias is a problem that's dated back all the way to the original Pendulums, since Vaccine was the default Ultimate and most commonly used type to the point it influenced the meta. It probably even says something that we didn't get a Virus-type Digimon as a main party character in the anime until Tamers.

(Weirdly enough, Digimon doesn't have any restraint portraying the dark side of Lawful behavior or even organized religion -- Yggdrasil being one of the franchise's most recurring antagonists is proof of that -- and it's also been comfortable with "sacred darkness" like Kouichi's Spirits, it's just that for some reason the actual typing doesn't reflect this.)

That said, typing has been irrelevant in the anime for the most part, probably because it really does have "game mechanic" written all over it, and also probably because being too stuck to it would limit storytelling options, so anime between 02 and Adventure: hasn't even included it on their Analyzer segments (a big deal was made out of Ghost Game bringing it back). It was brought up at the end of Adventure (as if driving home the franchise's Vaccine bias dating back all the way to here, everyone flips out negatively at the idea of Agumon evolving into a Virus type, which is then reinforced further with 02's MetalGreymon incident), and if you count Tamers battle statistics Guilmon/Terriermon/Renamon's win records and which Digimon they struggle against do seem to be mildly influenced by their Virus/Vaccine/Data typing, but that's about the most I can really think of in terms of story impact. Even the Sakurada series (Xros Wars, Adventure:, and Ghost Game), which tend to be really enthusiastic about Digimon null canon, haven't really delved much into it at all. So that's why Takeru's Patamon changing his type out of nowhere for no reason probably isn't that big of a deal, since most of the time Takeru will have him evolve into his Vaccine-typed angelic forms or the Free-typed Pegasmon anyway if they need to battle. But it still does play a big role in the V-Pets and console video games, and in the latter, party composition often depends on it. In fact, playing a console game often involves experiencing the franchise's Vaccine bias firsthand, because a lot of the time your party will end up full of Vaccine types without you even trying -- the infamous Demon Lord endgame quest in Cyber Sleuth basically depends on you having a party full of Vaccine types.

#digimon #timelessanimo #shiha's ask box

[projectbluearcadia]

Good Food = Good Brain

Lizzy: What is this? 

Lizzy pokes at her plate, and Annelie blinks as she sits down.

Annelie: Uh... Satan, what did we make again? 

Satan: Vegetable Stuffed Mandragora with Flambéed Snapdragon Wings. 

Annelie: The mandragora is tasty for beginners to Devildom cooking. 

Annelie points at the black root vegetable full of assorted vegetables. 

Annelie: Also Lucifer says not to eat the bones in the wings, but they’re nice and crunchy. Plus the marrow tastes like mushrooms.

Lucifer sighs while Lizzy taps nervously at the snapdragon wings. 

Lizzy: How did you bite through this?

Annelie: Hm? Oh, maybe my jaw muscles got a little stronger. Anyway, thank you Satan. 

Lucifer: What about me?

Annelie: Yes, good job, sous chef number one. 

Annelie pets his head, and he bites her finger while Satan snickers. 

I'm just glad they'll cook in the same kitchen... the two of them are evil when they actually cooperate.

Simeon: Thank you to Satan, Lucifer, and Anne. I appreciate it. 

Beel says thank you through a mouthful of food

Lizzy: Are you two married or what?

Lucifer pauses, even as Annelie and the others start digging into their dinner. 

Levi: Might as well be. They're practically glued to each other.

Lizzy finally starts cutting into her meal. 

Lizzy: I could see that. And they're not newlyweds?

Lucifer: No. Annelie never proposed to me.

Annelie: You’re going to make me do it?

Lucifer: Oh, please, you love getting on your knees for me. 

Lizzy: God, why did I ask. 

Annelie: Watch your language. 

Lizzy: What? God?

Annelie points at Lucifer, who rolls his eyes. 

Annelie: He hates his dad. 

Lucifer playfully smacks her upside the head. 

Lucifer: Annelie, you’re already getting punished tonight. 

Satan: I thought we all agreed no talking about sex at the dinner table. 

Lucifer: It’s not my fault your mind is in the gutter, Satan. 

Lizzy: Wow, he literally just said it’s a skill issue. 

Annelie lets out a snort. 

Lizzy: So the whole falling from heaven thing actually happened?

The room falls eerily silent as Lucifer takes a forkful of the mandragora. 

Lucifer: Yes.  

Annelie: Let’s not talk about that. 

Lizzy: Landmines, landmines everywhere. 

Annelie: You learn to avoid them. Actually, speaking of heaven...

Annelie glances at Simeon. 

Annelie: Didn’t you say earlier that you were immune to SBD?

Simeon: Hm? Ah, oh, yes. 

Annelie’s brows furrow. 

Annelie: Do you have any idea why?

Simeon: Hm... well, it’s not like succubus magic has never affected me, so I don’t think it’s that. 

Annelie: Then the bacteria have a problem with your biology? What, is your body made of holy water?

The boys snicker. 

Simeon: Possibly. Haha. 

Belphie: He has antibodies against being horny. 

Satan: That sounds like a joke, but what if that’s actually the case?

Annelie: Then we use his antibodies for a vaccine? 

Lucifer: Injecting Celestial proteins into a demon’s body? 

Annelie: ...yeah, that sounds really unsafe, doesn’t it?

Lizzy: Okay, sorry to interrupt, but what are you guys talking about? Some kind of horny disease?

Annelie: Ah... well, it doesn’t really affect you, so...

Satan: I think it’s doable if we take proper measures. 

Annelie: If it’s doable, then why didn’t Barbatos say anything about it?

Belphie: Honestly, he’s probably not thinking the best right now. Even with that tea, he was making a lot of mistakes. I actually caught him hitting his head against the wall. 

Annelie: Oi... is he even okay? Are you?

Belphie: I’d say no. It probably takes everything he has just to fulfill his basic duties as a butler. It certainly takes everything I have to nap for longer than four hours. 

Annelie: So we should probably have Solomon work on Simeon?

Simeon: Uh... please no. That’s a little...

Annelie: ...yeah, it’s a little...

Lizzy: GAY. 

Lizzy grins as a collective snort travels through the room. 

Satan: Disregarding that you could have phrased that better, we should probably call Solomon back here and have him work with us. 

Asmo: I’m in favor of that idea~ 

Lucifer sighs.

Lucifer: Asmo... 

Belphie: Don’t fuck him while he’s here. 

Mammon chokes on his drink while Lizzy spits out hers.

Satan: WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SEX TALK AT THE DINNER TABLE!?

#stop making catan angry #he doesn't like it #obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer #fanfiction #obey me! #shameless self indulgence #obey me #LuciAnne

[imgeekgirlfan]

Till Death Do Us Part│#TheLastofUs

Pairings:  joel miller x Black!reader [From The Last of Us : TV Series]

Major character death/Heavy Angst/Canon Divergence  

Synopsis: You are Sara Miller's mother (who recently divorced Joel) and your daughter was killed. You blame Joel and want to kill him, but as the Fireflies' leader, you need Joel's help getting Ellie and yourself to Vaccine Research Center #TheLastofUs  

AN: Finally, it's the last chapter of this fanfiction.  It's been a long one, and I want to thank everyone who has been following along throughout, even though my English might have been terrible (sorry not sorry). I hope you'll enjoy the conclusion of this story because I really loved writing it. (From now on, I'll make a Masterlist of my own to make it easier for readers to navigate, and might also post the fic on AO3.)

Taglist: @flaneurpastel​ (If you want to be added in this fic, just tell me in reply)

➡ Previous 

Act 5 : The End of Us (complete)

The End of Us

The end that humans generally have only occurs once, But in your life, there have been two endings. The first end happened on September 26, 2003, and the second end happened today, the last day of your long mission at Colorado East University.

Only you, Joel, and Ellie have chosen to continue the journey together according to Ellie's desires. After the argument at the abandoned house, you gave her a chance to choose whether to stay here and forget about the vaccine or to continue the journey until the mission was completed

"Everything we've done can't be for nothing" Ellie says to you, and that's exactly what you thought too. 

But as soon as your feet stepped out of the Jackson community, your heart swelled with mixed emotions of hesitation and regret. You couldn't deny the desire to stay here and start anew, but you've come too far to turn back now. So, you decided to leave the past and desires behind and look forward to the final day—the end of everything for you.

The cold winter rain drizzled everywhere, and soon it would freeze into white ice on the trees and the streets. The laboratory at Colorado East University had everything a hospital should have: the smell of disinfectant filled the air, rows of medicine bottles, strange-looking laboratory equipment, and even computers that you hadn't seen for a long time. But the one thing missing, which should be the most important thing in this chilling weather, was the heater.

Raindrops fell on the glass window with loud pitter-patter sounds. You stared through the window blankly, as if your mind were empty. The ending had to come; you knew it. You had prepared yourself, resolute and unwavering. but it turned out to be even worse than you had imagined.

"Tell me the truth!" Joel stood in front of you, his body trembling and his voice strained. "Just tell me once, damn it!"

You knew that this situation would happen, but you couldn't help being touched when you replied, "As they said, in order to create a vaccine, we need to extract the mutated spores from her brain..."

"They're gonna cut into the kid's brain, and Ellie will die!" He looked at you, disbelief evident in his eyes, as if you were someone he had never known before. "How the hell could you do this when you know they'll kill Ellie?"

The pain and anger in his reddened eyes, along with the expression like he was about to lose something important in life, reminded you of what happened decades ago. When Sarah died, Joel was like this—desperate and sorrowful.

It hurt to see him like this again. It hurt so much that you couldn't bear to look into his eyes directly. You lowered your gaze, as if it were the only way to hide your grief.

"Ellie knows about this. I'm the one who told her, and she wants to do this."

"But I don't want this, and I know you don't want this either."

A heavy silence filled the room. You wanted to break the suffocating silence with a movement or by saying something, but all you could do was sit there dumbly, right in front of Joel, within arm's reach. Yet, it felt like you were in different worlds, distant and cold.

Joel asked again when he saw you still remain silent, "Just say something!"

This time, you turned your gaze to Ellie, who was on the other side of the clear glass. Ellie would never get to hear what you and Joel were talking about, and she wouldn't see either of you. But you and Joel could see her clearly with both eyes. Ellie's face was calm and emotionless; she was ready for the surgery, ready to sacrifice herself for something greater.

One life in exchange for many others It was a worthwhile exchange.

But Joel wasn't ready, and neither were you.

"You're right. I don't want it," you finally said, turning back to face Joel. "I have to go myself."

Joel hesitated for a moment, his brows furrowing in confusion. He was definitely puzzled. "What do you mean?" His voice cracked in the silence, sounding broken like it came from an old radio.

And you knew it was time. It was time for the truth you had never told him—a truth that Joel deserved to know all along.

You rolled up the left sleeve of your shirt, revealing bandages around your inner arm. In reality, the wound had healed long ago, but you had to keep it bandaged all the time to hide something you had concealed. But this time, it wasn't necessary anymore. You thought that as you unwrapped the bandages with just one hand, revealing the hardened scar caused by a vicious bite from something that was once human.

Joel's eyes widened as he looked at your face and then at the scar. He took a deep breath, his mind processing. "No, it can't be."

"Yes, Joel. It's a miracle," you said, confirming that truth by pointing to your own scar. "I was bitten since we were ambushed that day. In reality, I should have turned into one of them, but I didn't, even though it's been months since it happened."

The whole story happened on that day when you were attacked by Runners while arguing with Ellie. Despite Ellie's managing to save your life in the end, it was still too late because you had already been bitten. Anyone bitten by an infected person had only two options left—either choose to die or become one of them.

Your heart wasn't strong enough for the option of taking your own life. At first, you hoped Joel would handle it for you, but you could see in his eyes that he had feelings for you, and there was no way he could do it for you, even if he could. In the end, it would have been another heartbreak for him, just like what happened with Sarah. The death of a loved one had crushed half of his soul, and you couldn't bear to ask him to sacrifice the remaining tiny piece of his soul for you

So, you made the decision to hand your gun to Ellie and reveal the whole truth to her.  You told her to shoot you as soon as you started showing symptoms, but it turned out that nothing happened to you. Not even the slightest shiver that should have occurred before the transformation into a Runner. That was the moment you realized that you and Ellie had something important in common—a natural immunity to the fungal infection. And it became a secret that only the two of you knew

... until now.

"So, this is what you were talking about with Ellie at the abandoned house," Joel mumbled, still looking puzzled but calmer than expected. However, it turned out that his calmness was even worse than raising his voice and yelling. As he stared at you silently, like the world was collapsing before him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked.

"Because I knew what would happen if I told you," you replied.

It would have been like what happened between you and Ellie in that abandoned house. Ellie knew your secret, and she also knew what you were considering doing. Even though you never explicitly mentioned your decision

Ellie would never let you die for her. But you wouldn't change your mind either. So, you allowed the journey to continue, making Ellie believe that your decision remained just as before. But in reality, you had already changed. Everyone in Fireflies now knew that you had immunity, and they also knew that you were the one who would enter the operating room, not Ellie.

However, Joel would never accept that either. He sighed heavily. "You don't have to do this, you know?" He hesitated for a moment, realizing that you already knew. And you had made up your mind. "Let's go back to Jackson together."

It would have been so much easier if Joel had been angry with you, but he wasn't. There was no rage or frustration in his gaze and facial expression. However, what he said was even worse for you—it was a desperate plea.

"I can't, Joel. If not Ellie, then it has to be me. There's no other way."

"There has to be," Joel said, hopeful and full of determination. He still believed that the problem could be solved. "If you and Ellie have immunity, then others must have it too. There must be others who have immunity out there. It doesn't have to be just you or Ellie."

You sighed, grappling with yourself to suppress his hope. "I believe there are more people with immunity, but it's impossible for us to find others," you explained firmly. "As soon as they're detected with the infection, they're killed before they even know they're infected."

The infection detection system had been highly developed and rigorous. Many people were killed daily by FEDRA when they were found to be infected. The process of extermination happened immediately, without any isolation for further observation. So, no one had ever lived long enough to find out if they had immunity, except for you and Ellie.

Joel smiled sadly, almost mocking himself because he knew the truth all along. He had burned the bodies of infected people in exchange for food vouchers before. But accepting the truth right in front of him wasn't as easy.

The truth was that one of the people he loved the most, either you or Ellie, had to die today for the cure to be created.

"Joel, please, I know it's hard, but I want you to understand why I'm doing this," you pleaded, holding his hands. You didn't know why you wanted forgiveness from him, even though you knew you didn't deserve it. "I love you and Ellie, and I'm doing all of this for both of you."

Joel turned away, trying to fight back the emotions welling up inside him. You could feel that he was angry, but he looked more saddened. It was with profound regret that he realized he couldn't do anything more to change your mind or change the world.

"I don't want your love if it means you're willing to do something foolish," he said earnestly.

You chose to give him a faint smile. "I've been foolish my whole life; this is nothing new."

One thing you learned from both Ellie and Joel was that people do foolish things when they are angry or fall in love

That could be your definition—foolish

You gently touched Joel's face, trying to capture every detail of the man you had fallen in love with from the first day until now. You observed the beauty and imperfections that made Joel the man you loved all along.

"Joel, both of us have made many mistakes in our lives, but that doesn't mean we won't have a chance to do something right again. And this time is that chance," you said, looking at Ellie through the clear glass. You knew Joel was also looking at her, just like you.

This was the second chance both you and he had been waiting for all along.

You had made your decision. and now you just have to wait for an answer from him.

You turned back to Joel once again, trying to make your trembling voice as calm and certain as possible when you spoke to him. "Promise me, Joel. Take care of her, be her father, and let her grow up in a better world."

Joel stared at you intently, just like he had done when you and he first met in a bar many decades ago. Throughout the time spent together, including the times apart before reuniting, you remained the same in every way, both in appearance and personality. And he still loved everything about you, whether your strengths or flaws.

It had been a long and bittersweet journey that both of you had gone through, looking back at many things that happened and passed. All the reasons that led you and him to this point, The End of Us

And finally, for the previous question, Joel had given himself an answer.

"I promise."

You didn't know exactly when you started crying, but before you knew it, you found yourself sobbing in his embrace. It wasn't because of sadness, but because of the overwhelming emotion. While Joel hugged you tightly, he didn't cry now, but he would when you entered the operating room. That would be the moment when his tears would finally flow.

But you would never know or see his tears again.

"Joel, please don't ruin this again," you pleaded with Joel, using the same words you had said to him the first time you begged him. The sorrow and weariness in his eyes were still the same as back then. Only this time, there was a small smile adorning his face. Joel gently kissed your forehead and whispered back, "I'll do my best."

You were confident that he would never ruin it again.

The End of Us

________________________________

#the last of us #tlou fic #joel x reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller fic #joel miller #joel miller x y/n #the last of us fic #Till Death Do Us Part #joel miller x you #Ellie Williams

[beardedmrbean]

It has been reported that a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Finland and the United States could be ready for signing at the civil servant level as early as this week. Under its terms, it would, for example, allow for the construction of US military infrastructure in Finland, advance storage of materials, and for US soldiers to arrive at shorter notice for training and exercises in Finland.

Helsingin Sanomat reported that Jussi Saramo, the chair of the parliamentary group of the Left Alliance, and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, says his party is not yet ready to support the agreement on the basis of the information it currently has.

"We don't know anything about it, as far as what is being concretely agreed upon," Saramo said, referring, for example, to the areas that will be made available for use by US troops in Finland.

According to Saramo, the Left Alliance is also interested in information about the weapon systems that could be placed in Finland. He told the paper that weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons should be banned in the text, even though Finnish law already prohibits bringing nuclear weapons into the country.

"I am most pessimistic about legal jurisdiction on Finnish soil. In any case, we are going to give up some of our sovereignty regarding US [military] people who are here," Saramo stated.

The Left Alliance was in government when the DCA agreement negotiations began last year.

Saramo added that he does not oppose or support the agreement.

"Of course, since we're in Nato it's good that we created structures with which Nato's undisputed largest military power can more smoothly help us if necessary, and we can train together here," Saramo said.

It has been speculated that many of the US forces that will train in Finland under the terms of the DCA will be stationed in the far north of the country.

Helsingin Sanomat interviewed locals in Rovaniemi to find out how they feel about the prospect of a regular American military presence in the area.

The paper summed up the responses by writing, "US soldiers are welcome in the north just like other foreigners. Local businesses will get more customers at the same time, but they'll have to know how to behave themselves when enjoying the nightlife."

Covid risks

The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) has recommended a new coronavirus booster for anyone over the age of 65, people 18 and over who belong to medical risk groups, and anyone over the age of 12 who is severely immunocompromised.

Aamulehti writes that the latest booster became available in the Pirkanmaa region on Monday. Tero Harjuntausta, the assistant chief physician of the Pirkanmaa welfare county, told the paper that hundreds of shots are being given daily, but that there may be a wait of several weeks to get an appointment, and in some locales the next free slots for a booking are not until December.

Harjuntausta, said that everyone in recommended groups should now book an appointment for a booster vaccination. "Now we are at the point where the number of coronavirus infections has started to rise," he pointed out.

On Monday, there were 39 patients with Covid in specialised hospital care in the Pirkanmaa region, with some in intensive care.

Harjuntausta noted that for the average person, a coronavirus infection is much like a regular bout of flu. Vaccinations are primarily intended to protect risk groups.

Migri hiring more staff

The Finnish Immigration Service Migri will be expanding staff by about 150 next year, the Uutissuomalainen news group reported.

According to Migri Director General Ilkka Haahtela, the additional resources will be allocated to speeding up permit processing, primarily for international protection, students and employees.

In addition to that, more resources are to be channelled into supervision and removal from the country.

Haahtela also said that Migri is undertaking an efficiency programme and organizational reform.

"We definitely need to make our own operations more efficient. The permits that are granted should be handled quickly, reliably and securely. If a person receives a negative permit decision or a permit is revoked, then the return from Finland should take place quickly," he said.

Waste and pay

Ilta-Sanomat tells readers that Suan Aahaan, a Thai restaurant in Sipoo, is battling food waste with a nearly 12-euro surcharge levied on customers who throw away food they take from the buffet table.

"I have signs everywhere in the restaurant that I show them before they pay. If they don't like it, they can leave," says restaurant owner and chef Vaw Myllynen.

Regular customers are already familiar with the practice, and Myllynen makes sure the policy is quite clear to first-time diners in the restaurant, as well.

"In addition, I explain the problem very loudly to those who look intent on wasting food. When I talk to them loudly, they start to feel embarrassed when the other customers look at them," Myllynen explained.

Myllynen said that the amount of waste from the buffet has clearly decreased and in practice the extra charge has only been imposed two or three times.

Ilta-Sanomat added that a few other restaurants in Helsinki have started the same practice, as has at least one in Tampere where diners may end up paying as much as 30 euros extra for a meal if they waste food from the buffet.

Myllynen thinks that many buffet restaurants may be afraid of bad reviews or comments online if they start charging customers for wasted food.

"It doesn't worry me. I would say that 95 percent of our customers have been satisfied and understand it."

#nunyas news #updates from up north

[phoebosacerales]

I saw this tik tok and I wanted to know your thoughts on it. What do you think? https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRnBUCfj/

I'm on his side on the last of the last part: "It's a good reminder that ancient humans were'nt dumb, that's a colonization lie, and to not discount something just because you don't know why it works". But he doesn't really follow his own advice fully. Trying to make Astrology make sense from a "scientific standpoint" is really silly, anachronistic and an abomination. The lack of respect for Astrology is still there even if he's "trying to make sense of it". Modern science is just three hundred years old and Astrology has been around since time immemorial and its methods, philosophy and techniques are not supposed to bend themselves to fit in modern science.

Coincidentally, I was watching a lecture from a tarot teacher from my astro school today, and I don't really like tarot that much, but the theme was skepticism. He was talking about how skepticism is always saved for traditional/ancestral knowledge, even though scientist will always prove themselves to be as much biased, mistaken, simply wrong and acting in bad faith as much as we who work with traditional knowledge are. Even that research about kids in baseball that the tik tok guy is talking about is a little suspicious if it actually goes the way he's telling. How does the astrological explanation make less sense than that conclusion from that research? Kids are not all growing and developing the same way, you can't just say that this was happening just because the kids were 1 year older. But anyway, I haven't read it, so... But oh my god, why isn't everybody skeptical of both explanations??

But taking a step back from this tiktok... It's really amusing to me to see scientists talk shit about shit that they really don't know about. Most of them conflate explaining and detailing the world to infinity with explaining the why of things, they think because science explains mechanics it explains existence. Most will never question themselves or this idea because they don't even think about it. It's been the law since the Enlightenment movement and they don't have a strong opposition, so they function as if the scientific method has been a result of a long history of mistakes made by the dumb ancients and now they've arrived at the furthest point in an evolution of knowledge. That's not how History works. They'll never think about this if they keep othering other kinds of knowledge as simply irrational and never coming into contact with them. While trying to sound well researched they always prove the point that they're deeply prejudiced and know as much as everyone else, they're just human, or visor-using horses. And also that they don't know much about science or epistemological disccusion either, which is expected. Husserl and Feyerabend fought the loneliest battle and haven't yet been recognized.

They love to erase history as well, they'd hate to tell you that Newton was an astrologer, or that Galileo predicted his imprisonment by reading his own birth chart. They rather use him as their martir and act like if he was still around he'd be an astrology skeptic on youtube. The scientific method has always been used to enforce hegemonic power, they've always been wrong in countless occasions and ways, a lot of fields in science are not even tested by their own methods, but they're just very well accepted pseudosciences because they work to keep someone's pocket full and to keep hegemonic discourse (like psychiatry and some psychologies that are said to be more 'scientific' for example).

It's a delicate moment right now, when we have to defend science, vaccines and all, but you know, the more that academia distance themselves from other kinds of knowledge and try to hold on to their monopoly of power to dictate truth the more they're going to sound dumb af, the more they're going to be doubted, the more we're going to see a crisis in faith in science. Because they can't prove to have the biggest dick like they think they can, no type of knowledge is going to prove the other wrong, different methods stay in their own lanes.

#sorry for the rant #but you asked the question at the right time #epistemology #science #astrology #traditional astrology #history of science

[hello-nichya-here]

Why is the topic of curing disabilities/mental illnesses so controversial?

Simple: the conversation often excludes the very people that would suposedly benefit from said cures, and whenever we point out some pretty serious flaws in most people's ideas of how a "cure" for these conditions would work, we get yelled at and called ungrateful and/or stupid.

For exemple, plenty of organizations (like Autism Speaks) are always going on and on about how everyone needs to work together to find a cure for autism. Unfortunately, they do that while:

1 - Ignoring that pretty much any serious research into autism shows that it CAN'T be "cured" since it would need to AT THE VERY LEAST completely alter a person's nervous system (not just the brain, but every single nerve too), and that is sort of fucking impossible.

2 - Ignoring that autism is a genetic condition, and likely comes from anomalies in multiple cromossomes. Instead, they focus on stupid shit like soy milk, or vaccines, or something the mother did while pregnant supposedly causing it - things that have been proven false decades ago. Not only does that result in a HUGE waste of money, it often spreads misinformation about the condition (and does some serious damage, like a ton of diseases that had been previously erraticated coming back because of the anti-vax movement).

3 - Ignoring that plenty of autistic people DON'T WANT A FUCKING CURE. If you offered me a miracle cure for my anxiety, I'd take it, because this illness brought me literally nothing good ever. If you offered me a cure for my autism, I'd instantly reject it. Now, if I could get rid of just a few traits (like the sensory issues and meltdowns), I would accept it, but only if I was sure it would be JUST these traits that bring me difficulties, not stuff like hyperfocus or not liking it when people I don't know get too touchy with me.

4 - Trying to "cure" autistic people things like ABA "therapy", that was literally invented by the same guy who created gay conversion therapy and said that autistic people are not human, andwas proven time and time again to give patients PTSD + to not actually "cure" them, just make them mask their traits as much as possible, which led to many patients getting depressed and suicidal.

Now, you might be thinking "Okay, a cure for autism is a lost, pointless cause, but what about other stuff, like a blind person getting surgery so they will be able to see?"

That might sound much easier to do, but it can often be just as complicated. For some people, it would be just a few quick surgeries and then it's done, they can see for the rest of their life.

But say someone is blind because an accident that really damaged their eyes, to the point that, sure, maybe the surgery would be a complete, life-long success - or only help for a few years, then they'd be blind again, assuming it worked at all. And in some other cases, the possibility of complete, lasting success is just out question.

Is it that hard to imagine that some people would not want to risk the disappointment of it not working at all , or only working at first, then they'd end up blind again, forcing them go to the entire process of getting used to it once more after it was supposedly already over?

On that same kind of situation, there's also stuff like people getting MANY super complicated, super expensive surgeries that they'd take a long time to recover from and could have mixed results, like say someone who had a serious spinal injury - sometimes they'll be able to walk by themselves, other times they'll need a cane, and other times they'll need a wheelchair.

That kind of stuff can be a brutal process that would be very stressful, and once again, super expensive, and one could easily decide it's just not worth it, and just stick to being on a wheelchair all the time.

Since I mentioned money, that is unfortunately a factor many people ignore in pretty much anything related to medicine - if it is so expensive that basically nobody can afford it, then it might as well not exist.

There's also the problem of people spending all their time focusing on trying to find some miracle cure, and completely neglecting to do basic stuff that would assure disabled people would have a good life regardless. I lost count of how many "inclusive and accepting" schools I've seen (including the one I went to for most of school-life) or even HUGE hospitals that don't bother to have a fucking ramp or doors whide enough that would allow someone in a wheelchair to enter the room. Couldn't at least some of the budget from governments and charities go to that?

And to end the money talk, there's also the fact that some disabled/mentally ill people DO have money. So much money in fact, that they can just deal with life with barely any struggles, since there's a ton of people and resources they can turn to. Not that hard to imagine why they aren't spending every second of every day dreaming of a way to be cured.

And on that same vein, there's also situations like people who were born blind or deaf and plenty of them don't really want to be "cured" because... well, they might know other people's lives are different from theirs because of their disability, but they never really experienced the world in any other way, so what someone else could see as a tragedy or at the very least a really radical change in their own life is just some mundane shit to them. And even people who became disabled later in life can sort of go through the same if they are used to it and don't really see a point in trying to fix something that, if they're lucky enough to have proper support, isn't really a problem to them anymore.

Basically this topic could be way less of a mess, and more importantly way less condescending/ableist, if the goal was on helping each individual in whatever way would work best of them, instead of just lumping all the disabled and mentally ill into the same "tragic" group that can ONLY ever be "helped" by becoming "normal" so the rest of the world doesn't have to deal with the fact that some people are different and *gasp* that doesn't have to be the end of the fucking world.

#asks #ableism #autistic experiences #actually autistic

[west-tokyo-incidents]

Theme song to evil Musashi au that I may or may not write

//Lyrics//

Would you be upset if I told you we were dying?

And every cure they gave us was a lie?

Oh! They mean it when they say we're dead and doomed

And every single symptom brings us closer to the tomb

And who will take the credit for our swift impending fall

Because it's not my fault

Would you be impressed if I said that the dead would help us counting

Every single moment that we waste our time?

All the time we're spending vaccinating this disease

I just get dizzy when I think of all the ways we try to hide our maladies

We wine, we dine, and everything is fine

Because it's not my fault

Now you're upset because you finally got the notion

That everything you had is spinning down the drain

Oh! Do you mean it when you beg and pray and plead?

Your "Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me, give it to me-- all those things we need!"

And what, pray tell, will you whimper when your number will be called

You'll say "It's not my fault"

Go! Now! The others they'll await you

And every single one among the lot of you will have your turn

Ai, ai, ai, oh, oh, oh

Like moths that fly into the flame it always ends up so

You scream, "Not me! Take anybody else!

Because it's not my fault!"

I had a dream last night where everyone was trying

Subconsciously I knew it was a LIE!

And when I woke I knew it was time to pray

To make amends before the end, before my judgement day

I looked around, I stood alone, I knew what I had to say

I said "It's all my fault"

#ress talks #idk what to call this au #shrug emoji #ill name it later if i actually write on it #itll probably just be a one shot ngl #Youtube

[thesquidsink]

Daily #25

The paladin stood before me, righteous aura shining, the tip of his blade touching my throat. This was the biggest vulnerability in my plan - my curse upon the world was so heinous that it bred, in a select few, a far deeper resolve and devotion and faith than would normally be possible. The power of my curse had created its own enemy in stronger heroes than the world had ever seen.

I'd anticipated it, of course, and prepared accordingly, but over many decades it seemed I had grown complacent. Every other time, I'd managed to give my villainous monologue well before I had a blade at my throat.

"You have me - ah, geez," I said, pulling back as far as I could from the sword nicking my neck. "You have me at your mercy. I have no spell that can outpace your sword. I surrender. But may I please, o great hero, say a few last words before you end the scourge of the great necromancer?"

"No," said the hero, and their arm tensed.

"May I not repent before your lord, who grants all beings that right?"

The paladin hesitated, and backed off a finger's length. "Of course."

"Thank you, o generous one, may your -"

"Don't push your luck."

"Of course, of course." I licked my lips. My hasty test had determined that this hero wasn't the most patient of types. Where to begin? I needed to explain enough to be convincing, but not so much that the hero suspected I was stalling. I'd have to engage them in conversation, rather than pontificate. "Everyone is the hero of their own story. The curse I placed upon the world, to turn all people who died of violence, disease, malice, or another's recklessness, was of course devastating, for those problems ran rampant." I squinted at the hero's helmet; I could barely see their eyes. "Do you know why I did it?"

"To unite the world against a common enemy, to force us to set aside our differences and ally ourselves against you and the undead, blah blah blah, I've heard it before."

"NO, you fool!" The hero pressed their blade closer and I raised my hands higher. Too far. "Why did I curse only deaths by those specific means? Deaths by violence, disease, malice, or another's recklessness - but NOT by the zombies?"

The hero had stepped forward a pace, and now I could see the eyes. The hero frowned. They'd taken the bait; now to set the hook.

"No zombies come from disease if there is no disease. No zombies come from war if there is no war."

The hero's eyes widened. Yes, yes, it was working.

"A common enemy can be defeated, and then where does that leave you? What lessons do you learn from merely killing your enemy? Instead, in your panic to protect yourselves from the much more nebulous curse, I ended war overnight - but that was merely the stopgap. Since then, humanity has developed cures and vaccines for nearly all known diseases. You've improved education worldwide, not just to enhance intelligence, but also empathy and connection. You've eradicated poverty and improved support for mental illness."

The sword wavered, its point dipped. Yes, I had them!

"To protect yourselves from me, you've created a world where there is no reason to be selfish, where no one turns to crime out of desperation because there IS no desperation, where people help each other for fear that if they don't, they'll be eaten by zombies." I licked my lips. Now was the true test. Had I gotten through to this hero? Once again, I had to have faith. "But the transformation is not yet done. People still help and protect each other from their fear of me. But I need more time. If you kill me now, and break my curse, the threat is gone. I need to live long enough that no one, not a single soul beyond myself, will remember a world without universal empathy and support. When that day comes, hero, I swear to you that I will lift the curse myself and end my own life. Hero, I remain at your mercy. It is up to you."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was the first time a hero had ever been this close to me, had truly had me helpless. Every other time, I had a trick up my sleeve. Several tricks, actually. Backups upon backups, should my speech fail to convert the hero. I'd become too comfortable; I didn't expect anyone to make it this far. Now, only my words stood between the hero's blade and my neck. My honest, truthful words. I had faith in them, likely even more than the hero had in their oaths and ideals. But it wasn't up to me.

I waited. I held my breath.

The sword did not fall.

_________________________

Based on prompt:

#writing #daily writing prompt #writing exercise #writing prompt #dailyprompt #microfiction #creative writing #fantasy #daily #writing prompts #writing ideas #prompts #story prompt #daily writing prompts #necromancer

[kirishwima]

us @ our uni: hey we’ve been working in your hospitals for months now with 0 protection, could you maybe...possibly...consider vaccinating us same as all your other staff?

my uni: hoo? what? you want to be vaccinated?? to be SAFE??? ha!! well, if you insist, you must make a blood sacrifice at 3.33 am on a full moon, solve five demon’s riddles AND fight a cryptid behind a Dennis. THEN you MIGHT have a chance to behold the vaccine. MIGHT

#im so tired yall #we begged our uni to ask if we can get vaccinated #since we've been working daily in the hospital too and have even had interactions with covid patients #they wouldn't even cover our antigen testing until the goverment mandated them to #now they said they'll vaccinate us #give us one day to register (so if u didnt get the email rip i guess) #THEN they say they need photos of our ID #photos of our health insurance #that we also need to then register with a czech health isnurance which fuck if i know how to do that #AND then register at the hospital that MIGHT vaccinate us-bc it's still not for certain??! #AND they now sent us another email saying students not from the EU just...can't get vaccinated. like #you do realise the majority of ur students arent from the eu right #oh and! they're giving us exactly 12 hours to do it all or else no vaccine for u #:)) just dont vaccinate us and go ffs #id just have gotten it back at my country #not fandom related #i wouldnt insist on it if they didnt have us go to the hospital daily #like its not safe for me NOR your patients??? #anyway just getting it out of my system before going to try and fullfill all their requirements orz #delete later #burrito talks

[midnightsunnyday]

Mammon: now don't forget they're not fully demon, so no leavin' em by themselves.

Leviathan: understood.

MC: and make sure to give them human baby food. We aren't sure if their digestive system can handle Devildom food yet *shivers* Diavolo knows I still can't.

Leviathan: affirmative.

Mammon: and make sure they go to bed before 8 or they'll get all cranky and start cryin'. Oh yeah, and all the emergency numbers are in the front pocket, as well as known allergines, sensitivities, updated vaccinations, play date numbers--

Leviathan: --I said I get it!

*baby begins to cry*

MC: oh no.

Mammon: it's ok, daddy's here. Whose gonna be a good lil' nugget for uncle Levi? You are. Yes you are.

*baby giggles*

Leviathan: wow, Mammon. You know, none of us thought you'd be too good at this parent thing, but you've really leveled up. Now if only you'd pay me back the money I--

Mammon: *already in car* can'thear yathanksforhelpingloveyabye.

*speeds off*

Leviathan: should've seen that one coming. So...do you like Resident Evil games or...?

*baby coos*

Leviathan: *smiles* you know, I think I'm going to like being an uncle.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me leviathan #obey me mammon #obey me mc #obey me headcanons #midnightsunnyday

[whydoiwrite]

will you give us your thoughts on the uswnt?

Only because it's gameday.

I'm convinced that there's a big part of Vlatko that both wants to and thinks he can complete this next cycle without a lot of the vets. I get the feeling that he wants to do it on his terms and sees some of the older players as not his creations. I think Alex and Christen should be in this camp. I think it's bullshit that he's calling in players who won't get vaccinated. I'm all for bringing in more practice players as often as possible because eventually, they will be the team, but I don't think they're the team now... yet... you know? 

Maybe I could get behind his plan if the USWNT was playing against actual opponents. His experiments serve no purpose when he can't see how these newer players will integrate and respond to real competition. Like France. Or Germany. Or Spain. Or shit Australia and Canada at this point. Like what are they learning playing Uzbekistan? And sure, there's something to be said about the competition that occurs within the team at camp, but what's the level at, really, without Alex and Christen (or Becky yes I know she's injured but still)? Like, I would want to see the results of some of these newbies going up against those players in a 1-v-1 situation. Let's see Christen just flat out embarrass a couple of them and then talk. Or Alex body someone off the ball. And all that aside, if I'm wrong and he has every intention of bringing some of them back into the fold... when???? He's cutting it pretty close chemistry-wise. We take for granted that they'll always qualify, but what about that play-in against Italy in 2010? Nobody thought we'd lose to Mexico, nobody thinks that now, but there have been some close games that never should have been close during Vlatko's tenure. I'm just not impressed with what he's doing. And while I think his target is a refresh of the front line, I'm still not confident that he won't try to replace Becky and/or Kelley before 2023. I don't know. My gut doesn't trust his gut. Also, I just really like the vets and really don't like change.

[dear-wormwoods]

how do you see the main 4 south park boys friendship being in the future?

I think things will definitely shift a lot over time! This post is based on the assumption that the events of the vaccination special won't be immediately retconned in Post Covid. The specifics are all so dependent on different 'what if' scenarios, though, so I'm just going to pick one possible headcanon and go with it, and that headcanon is: "Even though the boys will likely become friends again in the show, I think they'll drift apart and back together and apart again, etc, as they grow up regardless. Also Stan and Kyle will eventually get married."

Kenny and Kyle: I think there will be a good chunk of time around middle school where Kenny will be Kyle's only real friend. Up until now he's depended so much on Stan and Cartman for companionship and attention and never really branched out aside from like, David for one episode (it'd be nice for David to make a comeback but I don't think he will). I just don't see that really changing. He has a few less close friends, like Jimmy and the other boys, but he doesn't really hang out with them much unless it's in a large group. So I think he will put a lot more energy into Kenny than he has before, but Kenny just won't give him the same type of gravitational pull (for better or worse) that Stan and Cartman have, so he'll be a little lost without that intensity. That being said, Kenny is probably Kyle's healthiest friendship because it's NOT like that, it's just a normal friendship, but since Kyle is used to passion, it'll feel, to him, like his friendship with Kenny is lacking something. They'll be close up through the end of high school, though. I think that Kyle is the most likely of the boys to want to go far away from South Park for college and kind of cut ties with a lot of people out of a desire to start 'fresh', so I think he and Kenny will drift apart at that time. They'll hang out when Kyle visits South Park, but that will happen less and less frequently as he builds his own life somewhere else. However when they do hang out, it feels like no time has passed. It'll become that kind of friendship for a while - they won't talk all the time, they'll hardly see each other, but it'll feel natural when they do hang out. Once Stan and Kyle settle down with each other, Kyle will see Kenny more consistently again.

Stan and Kenny: These two will become closer in the wake of the vaccination special, but Stan won't NEED Kenny the way Kyle does because he will branch out and make friends outside of the main group. Stan will probably feel more comfortable talking to Kenny about his experiences with depression and alcohol than he would with Kyle, not just because Kenny is easy to talk to, but because Stan has always wanted to be the best he can be for Kyle and doesn't feel that pressure with Kenny. Although Kenny has a tendency to sometimes be passive aggressive about other people's struggles, since he has to deal with SO much more shit himself, so he might not always react in the best way when Stan is venting. I know a lot of people envision Stan and Kenny as drinking buddies in high school, but I think they'll each do their own experimenting more privately if that makes sense? Kenny will pick up smoking and experiment with drugs because he knows it will have no long term effects on him, but he'll refuse to enable Stan's behavior, and Stan will prefer to drink alone and won't want to enable Kenny's behavior. Stan and Kenny will remain close during their young adulthoods because neither of them will initially leave South Park. Kenny because he's cursed to remain in the town and can't afford to move or go to college even if he could leave, and Stan because he has no idea what he wants to do with his life until later. Side note: I think throughout middle, high school, and even into their 20's, Stan and Kyle will both use Kenny to get 'casual' updates on each other and Kenny will just be exasperated.

Cartman and Kenny: I don't really envision Kenny and Cartman being that close. I think Cartman will still hang out with Kenny because that's in the divorce agreement, but I don't think he'll bother much with Kenny outside of that. Cartman seems to be the one who is most interested in just inserting himself into an entirely new friend group. He'll keep Kenny around to make fun of, and they'll hang out, but their friendship won't really change much over the years. It'll remain emotionally distant and more based on getting into shenanigans together or playing video games. Cartman probably won't go to college right away, but he'll become an 'entrepreneur' with various amounts of success while everyone else is doing regular teenager/YA things. He'll leave Kenny in the dust as soon as he has any amount of spending money because he doesn't want Kenny to mooch off of him, as if Kenny would ever stoop so low. Like Kyle, I think Cartman will largely cut ties with South Park, but for different reasons.

Stan and Cartman: These two will never go back to being friends, if they could ever even be called that in the first place. Even if the group comes back together, I don't think Stan will put up with Cartman the same way he used to. Cartman will continue to be jealous of Stan, but whenever Stan and Kyle are on the outs there will be no real reason for Cartman to keep a close eye on him. As for Stan, he doesn't care about Cartman and has no desire to interact with him and rarely did even when they hung out every day. IF Stan and Kyle reconnect on a deeper level in high school, then Cartman will go out of his way to try to sabotage it and interact with Stan because of that, but if they don't reconnect until later on then I think Cartman and Stan will largely just ignore each other throughout high school. As adults, they'll have even less of a reason to keep in touch, especially because Stan doesn't use social media. Cartman will only get involved when Kyle is involved.

Kyle and Cartman: I think that Kyle and Cartman will go back to being 'friends' pretty quickly because they won't be able to really stay away from each other. Cartman won't be able to stay away because, well, he's obsessed, and has been shown to get bored without Kyle around before. Kyle won't be able to stay away because being around Cartman will be familiar to him and their back and forth will feel 'safer' than not interacting at all. I imagine them becoming close in middle school because Kyle always gravitates toward Cartman when Stan isn't active enough in his life. They'll be close to the point where Kyle will, stupidly, confide in Cartman about things he normally wouldn't, and Cartman will, for a time, be nice to Kyle because he's getting what he's always wanted - Kyle's undivided attention and vulnerability. I think Cartman will realize he's 'in love' with Kyle (or as close to it as he's capable of feeling) around this time and he might keep it to himself, he might not. If he does keep it to himself, I think he'll always hold a candle for Kyle and actively try to sabotage all of Kyle's other relationships as they get older, friendship or otherwise. If he doesn't keep it to himself, I think it's possible that he will be able to create the right circumstances for Kyle to actually give him a chance, but the relationship will turn sour quickly once Cartman has his claws in. He won't be able to maintain the niceness for long, and he'll revert back to his old ways. Kyle might put up with it for a time, but he'll eventually escape Cartman by moving across the country for college without telling him his plans. After that, he'll have his new life and won't feel beholden to Cartman anymore, which will make it harder if not impossible for Cartman to manipulate him into anything else. Cartman will then put all his energy into making money and eventually become wildly successful (I'm a big fan of the CEO of his own Time Travel Company thing, as y'all know) but he'll never fully get over Kyle and will always try to impress him and no one he dates or marries will ever be able to live up to the idea of Kyle he has in his head.

Stan and Kyle: Okay, this is the hard one because it just depends on so much. I basically see this going one of two ways - either they get together in high school and try to make it work long distance in college with some ups and downs, or they don't and end up reconnecting as adults somewhere down the line instead. Either way, the end game is that they're together. But in general, right at this moment I don't think Stan and Kyle are capable of patching up their friendship in a truly effective way - if they do become friends again in Post Covid, it will be the same as it has been and not really FIXED, because neither of them know how to talk things out. Because of this, I think they'll drift apart again in middle school - especially if one or both of them starts to feel something more than friendship, in that case avoidance will almost certainly happen because of the compounded confusion over that and pre-existing frustration. They might come back together in high school and confess their feelings in a dramatic fashion, they might not. If they do, Stan won't want to hold Kyle back from achieving his goals so Kyle will still leave Colorado for college and they'll try to do the long distance thing, which will result in a few breakups. Stan will eventually move to the city to be with Kyle and hate it because he prefers the small town life, and this conflict will drive them further apart and they'll start thinking it will never work out long term and feel really discouraged. They might break up again. This cycle will continue until they both learn how to properly communicate and compromise. If they DON'T get together in high school, I think things will be smoother. They will each have their own various relationship experiences, good and bad, and will have a chance to develop those much needed skills outside of each other. They'll both still be secretly jealous of each other's SO's and won't be as close as they could be because of it, they'll just be kind of surface-level friends for a while. Eventually something will happen in their late 20's or early 30's, like a death in one of their families, that will cause them to reconnect on a deeper level when they're conveniently both single and they'll talk about how they felt years ago and decide to give it a try. In this scenario, it will work out right off the bat and they'll live happily ever after.

I'm so sorry that was so long. I probably could've given a simple answer but I got into headcanon territory real quick. Another case of fanfic I will never actually write.

#asks #south park #kyle broflovski #stan marsh #eric cartman #kenny mccormick #sp hcs

[anastiel]

How do you think j/m deal with SO much time apart? Like, they said they haven't seen each other in better part of a year in that zoom, was denver con the first time they finally reunited you think?

I am not sure! I do think there's probably a lot of facetiming and phone calls. COVID took a toll on everyone in terms of distance for relationships. I am hoping though that now that they are both super vaccinated they'll be able to spend some quality time together outside of cons like they used to. :)

#anon #ask #cockles