#i doubt tumblr will fix this any time soon

[friendlyneighborhoodevilvillain]

I’ve been active on tumblr since 2012 and I’m now following 3000+ blogs. I want to sort and filter them finally but even though tumblr shows when they last updated, you can’t sort them by when they updated. How the fuck am I supposed to sort this.

[possible-eldritch-catboy]

ya know between twitter and tumblr I think one of the main things that keeps me from fully relying on this as a main habitable space, even for all its stress free meme perusal and lack of constant random twitter idiots popping up everywhere, is the fact that on mobile I can't access someone's main profile, mainly their pinned posts, very easily. I just have to hope I stumble across it at some point where I could break their dni on accident. that kinda sucks I am not gonna lie to u.

[eaterofman]

Yandere Coworker Harem x New Hire Reader: A Meeting with the CEO

Follow up to this post

Finally fed up with it all, you decide to leave... but you learn it may not be that easy.

Content Warnings: General creepiness, yanderes, financial manipulation, manipulation, power difference, gaslighting

AN: Holy shit the first part blew up, more so than any post I've ever made on tumblr... ever. Thank y'all, and I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations? Had to ignore a few asks since they were essentially the plot to this part, haha.

As nice as Jake is... it starts to wear on you. The seclusion from your other coworkers, Warren and Jax's constant attention, it all becomes too much. This was the easiest money you've ever made, but it almost felt... condescending in a way. Seriously, you feel like you haven't actually worked in months, just given simple tasks to complete so that Jax could praise you. Otherwise, you felt like you were just eye candy set in a pretty office. No more, you figure. You make up your mind to go back to HR, it's been a long time coming. They either fix it, or you're gone.

With your mind made up, you return to Leon. He'd been so kind before, surely he'd help, right? As you explain your problems to him, he nods and gently smiles. In your distress, you don't notice his hand moving to cover yours, massaging yours comfortingly. You welcome the comforting sensation, overwhelmed to the point of not really considering the implications. You look into his dark eyes as you finish, silently pleading with him for help.

"That really is something. I'm sorry to hear your experience with the company has been so distressing. Tell me, do you have any proof?"

His demeanor seems to shift instantly back to the colder man you remember from your first sight of him. His fingers rubbing gentle circles into your palm shift into a harsher grip.

"Proof? I-I mean, the cameras have probably caught something?"

You'd say there were eyewitnesses, but all of your other coworkers had been avoiding you. You barely even knew their names...

"Unfortunately, our cameras have been malfunctioning lately, I doubt they'd catch anything. Without any actual witnesses, I'm afraid I can't do anything for you."

"How can you say that without even looking? This place is insane- you know what? I'm just quitting. I can't take this anymore."

You try to remove your hand but he keeps it there. His gaze is suddenly ice cold. He lets your hand go after a few moments of tension, fingers lingering before you yank your hand to your chest.

"Ah, you could quit... but I'd really recommend against it. You'd of course have to pay the dues you signed in your contract, as well as any additional fees. I'm not in charge of finances, but my estimate would be somewhere around... 200 thousand or so?"

You gasp, blood running cold. 200 thousand?! You don't remember signing that, but you also don't recall really reading over the contract in your excitement. You try to think of a way out, surely there had to be some sort of loophole-

"Of course, there's always the option of asking the CEO to change your contract, but..."

You'd tuned anything after that out, insisting to meet with the CEO as soon as possible. Which, to your surprise, was almost immediately. Almost like he'd been... waiting for you? Leon himself lead you to the CEO's room, at the very top of the skyscraper your office resided in. As you're let in, you're met with the biggest office you'd ever seen. It composed of the entire top floor of the skyscraper, massive windows encircling the entire ornate office.

You really try to ignore the feeling that you're walking into a trap.

The CEO was patiently waiting for you. Like a king on a throne, he sat in the middle of the room in front of a surprisingly simple desk. You'd heard of the CEO, Kennedy Grey, but you'd never met him in person before. He had an air of sophistication around him, an older gentlemen with salt and pepper hair and a well trimmed beard. His suit was pristine and looked expensive, probably costing more than your entire yearly salary. He smiled, urging the two of you to sit. His eyes glanced over to Leon's, a slight smirk on his face as if the two were in on a joke you weren't.

"So, what brings you two here? I've heard very good things about you from Jax. Things are going well, I presume?"

You fidget, despite his welcoming tone, he felt oddly... menacing. Like you weren't supposed to disagree with him, even if he asked you a question. You begin to explain your issues, but are quickly stopped with a firm look of disapproval when you bring up the idea of leaving the company.

"Now now, we can't have that, can we? With your contract, that wouldn't be a very smart idea, would it?"

Before you can even respond, he simply continues to talk over you.

"No, no it wouldn't. And you've just been such a good worker, we'd just hate to lose you."

"Well, I was actually hoping we could talk about the contract, I just don't think it's fair-" you can barely get your thoughts out as he cuts you off again.

"Unfair? But my dear, you signed it. I'd just hate to get my lawyers involved... they're top of the line, y'know? Besides, you don't actually want to leave, you're just... stressed. What do you need, a paid week off? A bonus for your hard work?"

"No-"

"Well, now that that's done, let's get back to work, shall we? You'll have a bonus on your next pay-"

You've had enough of his condescension and interruptions, it's time for you to interrupt him.

"You know what, I'll take the lawsuit. You people are insane. You can have the money if you want, but I'm out of here."

As you get up, you find you can't. Leon has moved behind you, surprisingly strong arms holding your chair in, preventing you from moving. You look up at him in angered confusion, but he's sharing a look with Kennedy. You once again feel like you're missing an important part of an inside joke again. You try to struggle, but you're stopped as Kennedy interrupts.

"Apartment 101, Evergreen Apartments, right?"

"W-wha-"

"You know, I've been venturing into the rental market recently. Very profitable at the moment. I actually just bought a few buildings in your area, including your little apartment. Such a shame, you know you could do better, right? All you have to do is ask..."

He smiles at you as if this was a normal conversation to him, like he was doing you a favor.

"I guess that makes me your landlord now, if you think about it!" his smile turns colder, eyes crinkling like he's laughing at you, "That being said, I just don't see how you're going to pay for the rent increase without this job. I hate to do it, but it's a necessity, y'know? Cost of living and such."

He waves his hand like it's no big deal, like he isn't playing with your livelihood and threatening you.

"You could move out, of course, but well, word gets around, and I just don't know how the other investors in the area would react to your... history."

You feel dread well up in the pit of your stomach and tears in your eyes. He... has you. What could you even do? Moving out of the city would mean starting over, and that's if you could even find a place and a job to pay for said place, and paying for the lawsuit-

In your panic, you can only whimper, "I just... why? Why me? i don't understand-"

"That's the beauty of it all, you don't have to. All you have to worry about is coming in and doing your job. We'll handle all the rest."

You jump, having almost forgotten Leon was behind you in your panic. You go to open your mouth-

"Wonderful insight, Leon. Now that we're all on the same foot, let's get back to work, shall we?"

You can only numbly nod your head, too overwhelmed to continue fighting.

You're finally allowed to sit up and begin walking towards the door, trying to speed walk out of the huge room that somehow managed to feel claustrophobic. You just wanted out at this point, you needed somewhere to think.

As you step into the elevator, Leon staying behind in the office-thank god-you're interrupted one final time.

"Oh, and I meant what I said. If you ever need any assistance, anything at all, just come to me. All you have to do is ask."

[with-my-calamitous-love]

YOUR HEART WAS GLASS, I DROPPED IT ❆

katsuki bakugou x reader

on a cold winter night, you open the door for your warm, ex boyfriend katsuki.

part 2/2. i’m sorry tumblrs not letting me link anything atm :(

inspired by champagne problems

katsuki booked his flight home at night for a reason.

it was dark, meaning no one really would be out. he wanted to be alone and sit there in his hurt. he wasn’t sure what he hated more- the bustling crowds or silent sleepers. both of them had a clear absence of you.

the winter chill seeps into his bones as he waits outside your door. after the phone hangs up, we anxiously wonders if you’ll even answer it. its -26°, and he can only imagine your bundled up in there. its the place he left you standing before hoping on a plane and abandoning what he had with you.

he’s about to turn away, before he hears your voice. “get in here, it’s freezing.”

he immediately obliges, stepping into the familiar space. crimson eyes stare at you, noticing your different appearance. you’ve cut your hair and pierced your ears. theres an ache in his chest seeing you for the first time again. suddenly the apartment began to feel much warmer.

“your hair. its… shorter.” he awkwardly mutters like a teenage boy asking you to a dance.

“uh, yeah. i wanted a change.” you chuckle, no less uncomfortable than him.

he wants to take your hand, but he’s scared he’ll drop it again. your place was cozy, yet crestfallen. he remembered you told him you never particularly enjoyed living alone. you lead him to the living room. there, he sees your cats cuddling, slightly jealous of the companionship they share.

its here he notices that its still chilly, albeit not as cold as outside. he quickly clutches his hands around the warm cup of tea you bring him, taking in the mundane sounds of your apartment. leftovers on the stove, the dripping of the sink, and the soft snores of your feline companions.

“sorry, my heaters still broken.” you apologetically quip, sitting down next to him on the couch. katsuki mentally facepalms himself for that. he said he’d fix it for you before he left.

“yeah. guess i forgot about that.” he says, barely looking you in the eye. if he was gonna break up with you, leave you stranded and hop on a flight out of the country, you think the least he could do is make sure you stayed warm- but no.

“why didn’t you get it fixed yourself?” he asks, his usual gruff voice replaced by a particular softness for you.

you just shrug. “i don’t know. i never got around to it. winter came early.”

the both of you remember when you first got together. he told his family for a reason. he was so excited, saying he found the one. a few months later, no one was celebrating.

love slipped beyond his reaches the day he began doubting himself. he wasn’t good enough for you. becoming the #1 hero in his country only made him wonder more about his worth. he could barely give a reason towards the break up, instead spewing out that he needed to think things through instead.

“..how was your trip?” you break the silence, though you know the answer. his trip was great. the media wouldn’t shut up about it. about his parties and award shows, about the lives he saved and the talents he has. they particularly the people, more so the girls he was with. though you decided not to bring that part up.

he paused for a moment. he knew you would say something about it soon. he was being watched and photographed everywhere he went, which included a few girls who got some videos and pictures with him.

“it was exhausting, more than fun. you know all those girls only care about publicity and attention, none of it was real.” he sighs, taking a sip of his tea.

“i didn’t bring up girls.” you’re quick to remind him. though its nice how he’s so quick to assure any doubts you may have. “but… yeah. i figured as much.”

“you know nothing happened between me and anyone you saw, right?” he asks in a tone that makes it sound like it should be obvious- but its not. katsuki could have went home with someone else, done illicit drugs, drank and had unprotected sex, and it wouldn’t be any of your business.

“it… wouldn’t matter anymore if you did. we broke up before you left, remember?” you say.

theres nothing with katsuki’s memory. he thinks about that break up every damn night.

“um.. least you had kirishima with you.” you quip, just trying to lighten the mood. you get a genuine smile out of the blonde.

“yeah. shitty hair was annoying, as usual.” he chuckles fondly. only best friends can refer to each other like that.

shitty hair was also the guy that kept katsuki from doing something, or rather someone, he might regret. he knows his best friend and he knows where his feelings lie.

katsuki was midas. everything he touched turned to gold. and people adored him for it, revelling in the fame and fortune. but with that superpower comes consequences. not everything should b shiny and gold. sure, his midas touch on the chevy door looked beautiful, but you two could never actually drive it. your relationship shimmered and glistened, but it never went anywhere.

but for a moment, things were good. you’d laugh and smile with your group of friends- though after the breakup you believed you’d never say that word again. now, those friends have the nerve to deck the halls that katsuki once loved you in.

he never was ready, so you watched him go. neither of you just didn’t know the answer, even after begging him to stay on your knees.

you would have made such a lovely bride. what a shamed he’s fucked in the head. even though to him you were the real thing.

he still has your picture in his wallet. he wants to your hold hand dancing, and never leave you like he did ever again.

“…what happened to us, anyway?” he dares to ask, his whisper speaking volumes in the silence. he knows the answer. he knows why he did what he did. but you suppose he wants to know what you think.

“one moment you love me, and your promising to fix my heater… next thing i know, you’ve gotta think things through. and then you’re on a plane to los angeles.”

he flinches at that. kind of a dick move on his part, not explaining things and immediately fleeing the country afterwards. to be fair, it was a pr trip he had planned months before, but if that wasn’t the case he’d still book a spontaneous trip to alberta or somewhere, like the coward he is.

he feels the most guilt when you bring up the heater he said he’d fix. it wasn’t the only thing he promised you. he swore you’d always be loved, that you’d never be alone, and yet he couldn’t even give you a god damn warm apartment for the winter.

“i did love you.” he attempts to correct you, though you focus only on one word.

“did?” you ask, hesitantly.

he pauses again, realizing his slip up.

“…i do love you.”

you shake your head silently, eyes welling up with tears. one falls into your cup of tea. “don’t… don’t say that just to make me feel better, kats.”

but he’s not. he’s saying it because he means it. he’s saying it because he’s kept his mothers ring in his pocket, preparing for the moment he’ll make it your ring.

at this point, he can tell the cold is getting to you. your shaking slightly, your loose sweater respectfully doing nothing to shield you from the winter air. a broken heater neglected by a shitty ex-boyfriend is enough cold.

“you’re cold?” he asks. “no, i’m warm.” you answer sarcastically. its his fault for asking.

he debates on it for a moment. normally, he wouldn’t think twice before pulling you into his embrace. but now, he worries. he wonders if thats even what you want. his quirk keeps him warm enough, but you don’t have that. seeing your reaction to the bitter winter air pushes him to a decision.

“c’mere.”

maybe its the cold, the ache in your heart missing him, or some combination of both, but you don’t think twice before shuffling over to him on the couch as he wraps his arms around you. your head lays against his chest, listening to the rise and fall of his heartbeat and the warmth of his embrace.

god, he missed this. even the warmth of LA didn’t compare to holding you on a chilled night.

“you’re the worst.” you whisper, obviously still angry and heartbroken, yet still in his embrace. “i love you.”

those words feel like a confession. he takes it, both the proclamation of his faults and the admission that you still love him. both are true.

“i love you too, dumbass.” he says. “and i’m not just saying that.”

you perk your head up slightly, finally asking the million-dollar question: “..then why’d you break things off?”

he looks at you. he knows exactly why. but he’s not sure if he can break it to you yet. ultimately, he decides you deserve the truth.

with a sigh, he finally speaks. “i… i don’t know. i thought it would be better for you. i thought you’d be happier without me dragging you down, babe.”

you look into his red eyes and determine that he is, in fact, telling the truth- despite how fabricated it sounds. katsuki bakugou, the incredible #1 hero who was the best of the best, thought he wasn’t good enough?

yeah, thats exactly the case. because even through his heroic outside, katsuki wondered if you deserved more. or better.

he sees the confusion in your eyes and decided to explain his thoughts further. “i thought you’d be better off without me, with someone else. i thought you’d find someone better than me who didn’t have such a shitty personality, someone who you’d be better with.”

you shake your head, making sure he hears you. “i know you’ve been doubting yourself since you became #1… wondering if you’re good enough or not, but… i thought you’d at least know you’re good enough for me.”

its crazy to him how easy it was for his fears to die down if he had just talked to you in the first place. he’s learned his lesson.

so he nods, pressing a kiss and an “i’m sorry” to your forehead. you continue talking to him.

“you’re shitty, and you’re kind of an asshole.” you chuckle. “you’re also really sweet when it counts. you remember things about me. you fix things, i guess except for my heater… you’re good to me. you try. you try harder with me than with anything else in your life.”

he couldn’t help but smile a little at the truth in your words. even counting his time in UA, his relentless training to become a hero, katsuki tried the hardest to become better for you. “yeah. you make me wanna change.”

he presses his forehead to yours, just relishing in the newfound warmth. he’s happy, content.

“lets call it even.” you whisper, fingers intertwining with his. “i didn’t think i was good enough for you either.”

he almost scoffs at that. “you’re an idiot for thinkin’ that.”

you roll your eyes. “so are you.”

tags! 🫧

@dragonscribble @rayleeya @brisklofitea @saceaseeds

[ange11icyuri]

❝PICK A PILE❞

𖤐꒰ ♡ ꒱ ☠︎

•Tumblr grunge edition

Pile one Pile two Pile three

Choose accordingly to which picture fits you the best! That’s the pile for you!:) if you enjoy my pick a piles / think it’s accurate and would like a private reading message me and book with me now for cheap. It’s only 10-20$ bucks depending on if you’d like a detailed reading or a regular! Thanks! Enjoy the pick a pile!

what is going to happen for you

When it comes to love? & what advice does

The universe have for you in terms of love?

✧

PILE 1 .𖥔 ݁ ˖

For pile one I feel like you will be reconciling with someone in your life that you had a past connection with, maybe things didn’t work out in the past for whatever reason and the both of you needed to go your separate ways and have no contact for a bit to work on yourselves alone. It might’ve been hard for you but I do see one of the two of you reaching out and having a connection again with one another. This time I feel like things will definitely work out because I’m seeing that this person could be the one for you, maybe it didn’t work out in the past but things could definitely work out if you and this person try again. As for the advice I’m seeing that the universe is trying to tell you that it wasn’t your fault. Don’t doubt yourself in this connection. You can be loved..but most importantly you don’t need this person to fix you. You can be happy on your own which is why you had to have no contact with this person before having to reconcile with them. You had to learn to be on your own first and love yourself before having a stable connection with this person. (Vise verca) release any guilt you’ve been feeling because you can always start over and become a better person with this person together.

PILE 2 .𖥔 ݁ ˖

For pile two I feel like this section is clearly holding onto an ex, for whatever reason maybe you feel like you can’t let them go because of how many moments you’ve shared with them & I don’t blame you but if this person is making you unhappy more than happy and things aren’t working out then the universe is urging you to let go even if you might not want to. I feel like very soon you will definitely have a connection that has intense passion and chemistry..maybe something will change your mind and you might actually want to explore this new connection which might end up with you letting go or releasing your ex either by force or by you leaving. Allow your heart to feel passion and love rather than sadness and unhappiness. As for advice from the universe I feel like their trying to tell you to love yourself more in order to have happiness because if you don’t love yourself or put yourself first and make yourself a first priority it would be hard for anyone else to put you first if you can’t do that for yourself. Always practice self love and make sure to do things that would make you happy & in peace. It’s not going to be easy and might take time and practice but if you just try you’ll see how changed things can be. You never needed certain things in your life to make you happy. You can always let go and do things for yourself and make yourself happy once you can do that all on your own there will be so many more happier changes in your life.

PILE 3 .𖥔 ݁ ˖

For pile three I feel like the lot of you feel like you don’t deserve love or you just don’t feel like somebody could love you. If you’re having doubts or feeling insecure about being loved you have to trust the process and trust in the process that the universe is working in your favor to give you a love that’s meant for you. You don’t want to be unhappy in an unfulfilled relationship with only the bare minimum you want everything when it comes to love. You deserve love everyone does even if you feel insecure you will also have love too. Keep an open mind when it comes to your soulmate they might not be the type of person your looking for but they might be someone even better that will love you to the fullest and make you entirely happy rather than sad. Real love is worth waiting for so be patient because when this love comes everyone will be envious of the beautiful relationship / connections you have. In order to fully be healed and have better relationships in your life you have to be able to forgive those in the past no matter how hard they hurt you, if you want to heal properly and find a better love you must learn to forgive the people that caused you harm and forgive yourself too knowing that it isn’t your fault. You will be happier too. (For some of you people may have hurt you really badly in your past connections and maybe your choosing to work things out with them and you also have to trust in the process because this person is trying their best. You must learn to forgive them in order to have a better connection with them learn to trust them again even if it may be hard they really are trying their best and want to love you for the rest of your life. Make the effort as well)

Thank you for reading !!:)

🖤

[simmerianne93]

[Simmerianne93]Portrait_poses_07

Hello everyone!!! How are you today???

Have you missed me??

I took a small break after the beautiful Valentine's collab i did with my dear friends and mates Herecirm and Simmireen (which btw if you haven't seen yet, tho I doubt it, you can find a masterpost here) but i'm back with more poses for you all.

I can't end the month of love without publishing this little pack of wedding poses that I really wanted to bring for you all.

A couple of weeks ago I saw some references in pinterest (my dear friend to have ideas) and i was like "I need them in my life", so... here you have some funny wedding portrait poses for your sims' family portraits.

Although the process has been a little odyssey, because I tried to convert the bouquets from "my wedding stories" gamepack and I failed multiple times trying to fix them (unfortunatelly there is no way for them to work good ingame xD).... I looked everywhere, and I finally found a bouquet (with the stigmata bone assign that was what i wanted) that can be used for these cute poses i'm bringing and for some other slightly more dynamic poses that i'll bring in the future (I still have a couple of references that I loved and would like to recreate them because they are fun and not the typical poses of looking statically at the camera).

Anyway, I'll leave you with the descriptions of this beautiful wedding pack, celebrating love until the end of the month:

----------

What is on it?

6 couple poses (made with a female rig and a modified male rig) + 3 all in one.

--- What do you need?

Andrew poses player

Teleport any sim by Scumbumbo or Mccc by deaderpool.

Pocci's wedding bouquet 

Instructions in the original post.

PS: tomorrow I'll be publishing my "coming soon" post, so keep an eye to take a closer look to all the packs that are coming next month.

——

TOU

Do not claim my creations as your own.

Do not re-upload or modify my creations.

Do not make money of my creations.

Do not include my creations in Mods folders to download.

Please follow my Term Of Use.

——

Download it now here — [Early access until March 21 st, 2024]

——————

If you want to support me:  Patreon | Ko-fi

All my poses overview: Pinterest |  Wix | Tumblr

More in-game preview pics of all my poses: Instagram

My socials: Twitter |BlueSky

——————

I really hope you like them and I will say in advance: Thank you so much for use them.

@ts4-poses

[jiung-colors]

English is not my lenguage, I'll try to write correctly.

︵‿︵‿︵＼ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ／︵‿︵‿︵

Genre: fluff, first kiss, best friends.

Warning: mention of alcohol. (Red wine)

Pair: Taesan x Female reader

︵‿︵‿︵＼ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ／︵‿︵‿︵

It was a typical weekend, you met at Taesan's house, your best friend of a lifetime, watching TV together, like almost every weekend.

-What are we watching tonight, Hanie?- I asked turning to him, he smiles and winks at me.

-It's a secret...- he turns back to the fridge and takes a bottle of red wine. -Do you want a glass of it, Tn?

-Oh yeah, sure. I'll make you something light to eat while we drink, what do you say?- he nods, watching me as I approach him, taking the necessary ingredients to make a small snacks.

Once the dishes are finished, we sit in front of the TV, placing the glasses and the plate on the living room table.

-Do you prefer to watch something horror or romance?- TaeSan asked and I raised an eyebrow.

-Didn't you say you had everything planned?

-Yes, in fact I have already chosen the film in question for this evening, and it is a romantic film.- he takes the remote control and presses a few buttons.

-Oh yeah? And what is it about?

-Mhm, it's about two best friends, who meet when they are little, grow up as if they were brother and sister, everything goes smoothly until something between the two changes- he fixes the last things including the audio etc, while I remain staring into space while drinking my wine.

-mhm! It seems cute...but why does this story seem familiar to me? - I take a sip of my wine, while I notice a flush in his cheeks and a slight smile.

-mhm...who knows...mhm well, press play I'll go to the bathroom for a moment- He said getting up and heading to the bathroom. I follow his orders and press play on the remote. As soon as I see the content my eyes start to fill with tears. -EH?

On the screen, countless photos of us in kindergarten, middle school and high school are projected, while we were going out, studying... videos of different kinds until only one of Taesan comes on.

-oh...- he was completely without makeup, his hair was messy and he was in his pajamas, he initially looked at the ground but a few seconds later he looked up and we met eyes. I felt like he was right there in front of me, but not like always, something in his eyes was warm. -Taesan?- I turned to see if he had come back from the bathroom, but he hadn't.

-Tn, you know we've always been together for all these 20 years. We're inseparable now, we do everything together, we always go on vacation with our parents, we talk about everything, basically... we're never one on one side and one on the other. -he sighs. -Well, I don't know exactly when but I started to feel strange... I needed to see you more often, more and more, and it was uncontrollable. I felt sad when you told me you couldn't come to my house because you had a fever... It's more complicated than I thought... I'll make it short...this is embarassing...- he take a deep breathe. -Tn I've been in love with you since we were 14. I hope you don't hate me, and we can continue as always even if you don't hate me back. Thank you so much for everything.

The video stops and Taesan returns from the bathroom.

-Taesan...- the tears wouldn't stop falling from your eyes, and in less than two seconds you ran to Taesan to give him a hug. -Thank you Han, thank you so much.

-mhm?- he separates with a confused expression.

-I love you too Taesan, since I was 10, I discovered it before you- he laughs and resumes the hug. A tear of happiness falls from the eldest too.

After the hug we looked into each other's eyes and then we kissed.

︵‿︵‿︵＼ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ／︵‿︵‿︵

*sorry if this isn't that great, this is my first time writing here on tumblr, I'm a writer on Wattpad, but it's nothing special. I Write in spanish.

I hope you enjoyed the content and if you want more feel free to ask anything. If you have any doubts you can find the information in my profile.

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 17

Hello! I'm still trying to sort out the tagging problem, so until it's fixed follow the tag #ladykailithawrites and hope that Tumblr doesn't screw that up, too. I've reported my issue with the help desk and I hope to hear word back soon. Thanks to @goodolefashionedloverboi, @estrellami-1, and @just-a-tiny-void for trying their best to help me.

I'm going to try tagging in the comments, but it's going to blow them up (only five per comment)...apologies.

Throws cliffhanger at you and runs!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

***

Steve got to the tattoo shop and found Eddie waiting for him. He was leaning against the door to his van, arms and ankles crossed with his head down. Steve thought he looked like a sunning lizard on a rock. Though he supposed Eddie would appreciate a dragon comparison instead.

“Hello gorgeous,” he greeted, coming up to the van.

Eddie opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey, sweetheart. Thanks so much for offering to do this, you really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” Steve said softly. “It was shit that I was taking longer on that tattoo than it should have.”

“Did you get it worked out?” Eddie asked, following Steve to the front door of the shop.

“I got it to the point where the client was satisfied, even if I wasn’t,” Steve murmured. He unlocked the door and then bent down to unlock the metal screen that protected the shop from people breaking through the plate glass in the door and lifted it up to allow them entry into the Royal Pain’s lobby.

“Just let me boot up the computer,” he said, smiling at Eddie, “and then we’ll get started on your working on your tattoo.”

“You don’t have to set up your equipment?” Eddie asked, coming over to lean on the counter while Steve fiddled with their computer.

Steve shook his head. “That’s the best part of having apprentices, I can have them do that for me. And in this case, Argyle offered to set it up last night after work, while the rest of us went to your gig.”

Eddie grinned. “It looked like you were having a good time.”

“You know exactly what you did,” Steve scoffed. “That was a deliberate seduction and you know it.”

Eddie batted his eyes innocently. “I don’t know what you mean, sweetheart. That’s what I usually wear when I preform.”

Steve ran his tongue over his teeth slowly. “Oh, I don’t doubt that. It was the wink that killed me.”

Eddie cackled.

“Okay, got the system up and running,” Steve said, standing up. “I’m just going to lock the door so people don’t think it’s safe to come in.”

Eddie nodded.

They went back to Steve’s room and sure enough Argyle had gotten everything laid out for Steve.

“I hope he decides to stay at the shop when his apprenticeship is over, because he does amazing work,” Steve said, pulling on the nitrile gloves.

“He seems pretty chill,” Eddie agreed, taking off his shirt. “Where’s he from? I can’t quite place the accent.”

“Southern California,” Steve said. “Came out here to help a friend get back on he’s feet and just ended up staying.”

Eddie got settled into the chair. “That was really nice of him.”

Steve shrugged. “He’s been a bit cagey about the friend, so I assumed it was a boyfriend and he didn’t want to out the guy. But he hit on and got the number of a girl that had applied for the apprenticeship at the same time. So I don’t know.”

“Could be the person involved was deep into drugs or alcohol and needed the help recovering,” Eddie suggested.

Steve hummed. “That’s a possibility. I wasn’t going to press because it really isn’t any of my business.”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, as curious as the mystery is, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.”

Steve agreed and then started up the tattoo gun, getting to work.

“Everyone is liking the tattoo so far,” Eddie assured him. “I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s all done.”

Steve smiled fondly. “I’m glad you’re liking it so far. The last big tattoo I did was of this big boobed chick on motorcycle, pinup style. I kept telling the guy it wasn’t my usual style and that having reference would make it better or to go to someone else, who’s style it was. But he insisted I do it.”

“I’m guessing it didn’t turn out great?” Eddie asked.

“That’s the thing though,” Steve said over the buzzing of the gun. “It looked amazing. He just thought it looked too cartoonish. Even though he’d approved the design, approved every step, he suddenly turned around and tried to sue me.”

Eddie winced. “Shit, man, I’m sorry. That sucks.”

Steve shrugged and huffed through his nose. “The asshole sued me so often the last time the judge awarded me money for the pain and suffering the guy was causing me.” He paused and hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I counter-sued, but the fact that the judge agreed with me and my lawyer over him and his lawyer pretty much sums up the whole ordeal.”

Eddie laughed. “That how you got your own shop in two years?”

Steve grinned. “Yup!” He smacked Eddie shoulder. “Now stop moving, you menace.”

Eddie settled down and let Steve do his work.

*

Steve and Eddie walked out of the parlor a couple hours later.

“Hey you want to go get some lunch?” Steve suggested as they parted ways to their separate cars.

Eddie grinned. “Hell, yeah! Where to?”

Steve suggested a diner nearby and Eddie agreed to meet him there. Eddie drove off, but as Steve was unlocking his car door, he thought he could feel the prickling of someone watching him. But when he looked around he didn’t see anyone that it could possibly be.

He shook his head. He was probably just imagining it. He got in his car and drove off.

*

Over the next couple of week, Steve would feel this twinge between his shoulder blades as if he was being watched, but whenever he would look around, he couldn’t spot anyone looking.

Robin smacked his arm one day after work and Steve spent five minutes looking around for the source of his unsettling feeling. “Stop it! You’re making me paranoid!”

“Come on, Robs!” Steve protested. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel it.”

She crossed her arms. “Yes I can, because seriously Steve, I can’t feel it. There is no one watching you!”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I think it’s time to switch over to the nicknames at work. I don’t want anyone using their real names at work.”

Robin sighed. She wanted to argue that that was a stupid reason to start using the nicknames but she also knew that he was as stubborn as a mule and unfortunately at times, just as stupid. “Fine. But you find me a better name then stewardess, but that makes me sound like a waitress or some shit.”

Steve laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll find you a cool name.”

“I’ll hold you to that, your majesty,” she groused, sliding into the passenger seat of his car.

*

The name Robin ended up choosing was Chamberlainne. A femininized version of chamberlain. Erica, Argyle, and Chrissy all loved it. Steve wanted to tell them about the person that was watching him, but as Robin didn’t think it was a big deal (or even a thing), she overrode him.

Their weekends were spent with Eddie and his band and Eddie was slowly coming out of his shell more and more. They were still at the more than friends, but not quite lovers stage and while there were times Steve wanted to throw in the towel and just give up, Eddie would flash him this goofy grin and Steve would fall in love all over again.

The week days were filled with teaching Chrissy and Argyle the ins and outs of the tattooing industry and getting more and more busy. It was honestly insane how busy they were getting. Hell, Steve was booked up for the next six months.

Robin was about ready to tear out her hair from how busy it was.

“I know we said we’d wait for July to get another receptionist,” Steve told Robin after a particularly busy day, “but we need one now. I’ll stop paying myself if I have to to cover the cost.”

Robin sighed. “You don’t have to do that, we have the money to hire one. I just haven’t had the time to set up appointments for interviews.”

Steve sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Train Chrissy on the phones to help lighten your load a bit so you can set that up. I’ll also ask around the other shops, see if I can’t find out why we’re getting this massive flux of people.”

Robin nodded. “I know it’s worse for you with Chrissy and Argyle only being apprentices and not full on artists to lighten your load, but with the money Erica is bringing in with henna being popular again, it’s been helping us keep up with the demand.”

*

Steve went to Hopper’s first. Hop would know the ins and outs of the scene better then he would. Steve was too new to really be apart of it, his style notwithstanding.

“Stevie!” Hop greeted. “Long time no see!”

They hugged each other tightly. “Hey, Hop. How’s things?”

“Busy as hell,” the older man groused. “I don’t know what it is, but a lot of the shops around here are just buzzing.”

“Mine, too,” Steve said. “I was hoping you would know the cause, but if you don’t know, no one does.”

“I think it has to do with current state of the world, if I’m honest,” Hop said warily. “When you can’t find permanence in any other aspect of your life, getting a tattoo can fill that void.”

Steve sighed heavily. “That could be it. How’s Eden working out for you?”

“I need to take you out for dinner for putting her in my path, kid,” Hop said, throwing his arm around Steve’s shoulders. “She is going to be amazing. A really good fit.”

Steve grinned. “I’ll hold you to that, old man. Steak dinner at Kincaid’s.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Eden peeked her head around a corner and gasped. “Steve?”

“Hey, Eden,” Steve said brightly. “I hear you’re settling in pretty good around here.”

She came out to the front of the shop. “Yeah. This place is exactly the type of shop I always wanted to work in. Thank you so much for suggesting I apply here.”

“It’s no trouble,” he said.

“I owe so much,” she replied. “I got the apprenticeship here and I got a great new boyfriend in Argyle.”

Steve laughed. “I’m glad things are working out great.”

“Yeah,” Eden said, “we’re even going on a double date with his roommate and his girlfriend.”

“That’s got be fun,” Steve said, trying not ask the question that had been burning in his mind about said roommate for weeks.

She shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess. Painfully shy according to Argyle, but his girlfriend more than talks for the both of them.”

Steve was biting his lip, just dying to ask who these people were. He looked at his watch. It was really getting late.

“I really should go and let you guys clean and close up.”

He hugged Hop and waved goodbye to Eden. He breathed a sigh of relief as the cool night hit his face. He had been so close to asking Eden about the elusive roommate even though both Robin and Eddie had warned him not to ask.

And maybe because he was lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice someone coming up from behind him as he struggled to get into his car.

***

Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

[chloecherrysip]

all the pain will change into a memory of when we were amazing (mario & luigi-centric post-movie fic, part 1!)

(My weekend got a little busier than I was expecting, but I was still DETERMINED to get this up today and hey, I succeeded!!! I will eventually post an AO3 version as well, so if you'd like to wait for that, you can (and I will of course link it here), but sharing on tumblr is just a little easier for me to start out with. :)

Remember that this is just the first part and there will be at least two or three more coming soon!! Like I've already said in other posts, this fic has become SO LONG that it needs to be split up a little just for ease of reading. The title comes from the song Casey by Darren Hayes, which for the record, is a song about siblings and really fits movie!verse Mario & Luigi's relationship, in my eyes. Also, just so you know, this part (and only this part) has some Mario/Peach moments as well! I hope you enjoy!)

+

It took roughly eleven hours to put Brooklyn back together. 

Not to how it was before, just to be clear. Not even close. Just enough that you could no longer tell right away that it had been subjected to a catastrophic tear between dimensions or alternate realities or whatever the two worlds were in relation to one another — who even knew? Instead, it looked more like it had suffered a few earthquakes in quick succession, or a hurricane closely followed by a tornado for good measure. Y’know, normal disasters.

It would no doubt require weeks of work to fix the cracked roads, replace all the crushed cars, reassemble the shopfronts enough to reopen and finally, finally get rid of all the black chunks of molten rock and huge mushroom stalks that were still being found in the strangest crevices and alleyways. But there was a lot to be extremely grateful for too. It was an outright miracle that Bowser’s airship had happened to crash down into the empty construction site mere minutes before the workers were scheduled to get started, somehow missing all occupied buildings. Everyone on the block was unhurt and accounted for, and they all still had a mostly-intact place to sleep that night. That, Mario reasoned, was more than good enough for now.

He’d jumped headfirst into helping with the emergency cleanup efforts as best he could, of course. It was the very least he could do after unintentionally causing the whole mess to begin with, and Luigi had jumped right in alongside him, ready to go. The star had worn off  — even if Mario was still seeing glimmering afterimages of rainbows in the corners of his eyes every time he blinked — but it seemed like there were some lingering aftereffects. They felt better than ever, every injury down to the slightest bruise or cut completely healed, an overflow of joyful energy humming pleasantly all through his core. Mario guessed it was some kinda mixture of leftover magic and his own adrenaline and relief, which probably could have kept him going strong for a long time all on its own. They’d actually made it home. They’d seen their parents and family again. His brother was back within arm's reach, smiling and solidly warm and safe. How could he not feel like he was on top of the world?

So they’d spent the rest of the day working with neighbors to clear debris and shattered glass, move cars safely out of the way that were too crushed to move on their own any longer, nail up boards to cover gaps where windows once were. There were various damaged water fixtures and pipes that desperately needed some TLC before they came entirely undone and caused more damage (thankfully, Mario knew two talented plumbers who were more than up to the task). And of course, there was the not-so-small matter of rounding up all of Bowser’s minions and stuffing them back through the pipe before they snuck further into the city and started causing mass chaos. Most of that went smoothly, thankfully (other than one notable incident of some Koopas messing around at a bowling alley and accidentally getting stuck in the ball return). The magician in the blue robe, the one with the wand, had vanished entirely, though. Luigi had been the first one to notice, nervously mentioning that he’d seemed important, like a second-in-command to Bowser. Mario didn’t like that one bit, but Peach reassured him that they would stay vigilant.

Speaking of Peach, she’d taken charge of the chaotic situation right away, her leadership skills shining bright in a way that left Mario quietly in awe. She’d personally overseen Bowser’s transfer and imprisonment back in the Mushroom Kingdom while also coordinating efforts on both sides of the warp pipe, DK and Toad providing support as they all passed back and forth between worlds several times throughout the day, transporting as much of Bowser’s broken-up airship back to where it came from as possible. Toad Town was still a mess from the invasion as well, and many of the Toads who’d evacuated needed to be helped back from the forests. Mario had only spent a little time there, but thinking about such a lively, cheerful place in abandoned disarray troubled him. He considered going back for a little while to help out there too, just to make sure everyone got home safe.

But the familiar warp pipe loomed before them, and Luigi’s smile strained. Mario, hand lightly pressed to his brother’s back, registered the sudden, new tenseness, the way his breathing became shallower, despite his best efforts to not let it show. And there was Mario’s answer. He wouldn’t put Luigi through that again, not so soon, and if Luigi wasn’t going, Mario wasn’t going — end of story. The thought of being an entire world away from him after everything they’d just struggled through, even briefly, was too much to handle. All day, that uneasiness had hung around him, the one wrinkle in his light-as-air happiness and boundless energy. He hadn’t even liked Luigi being out of his sight for too long as they worked on the cleanup, which he fully knew was silly and unreasonable. That was why he'd never breathed a word of the feeling outload, even when the discomfort settled in heavily like a bad stomachache.

It'll get better once a little more time goes by, Mario kept insisting to himself with a sure, stubborn forcefulness. What's there to be worried about? We made it, both of us. We're together. Everything's gonna be okay. It really is.

“Don’t worry! We’ve got it all under control,” Peach reassured him. “I promise. The Kongs are helping, and so are the penguins from the Ice Kingdom. We’re going to work with them to rebuild their castle as well. On the bright side, I think our alliances will be much, much stronger after this mess.” 

“Are ya sure?” Mario couldn’t help but press, interlacing his fingers tightly. “I dunno, I just feel like I need to do something. If it wasn’t for you, all of you, I wouldn’t have gotten to Luigi in time.”

“Oh, and like you didn’t do even more to help us?” She gave the brim of his cap a flick that was somehow both playful and graceful. “Mario, you and your brother stopped Bowser in his tracks. Both of our worlds are safe from him now because of you two. If anything, we owe you! Toad was already talking about organizing a parade, or giving you both a chest of gold coins!”

“What? No, no, who needs all that?” Mario insisted, his face flushing a little. “Besides, those coins won’t even fit in my wallet! There probably isn’t an exchange rate or anything here for ‘em. Just my luck.”

“I thought as much.” She placed a fingertip to her pursed lips, tapping lightly as she pondered. “What about a house?” 

“A whole house!?” Mario nearly choked on the air. “For free?”

Peach gave him an odd look and a shrug, as though it was perfectly reasonable in her world to offer someone she’d just met a few days ago real estate with absolutely no strings attached. “Why not? You and Luigi are always going to be known as heroes in the Mushroom Kingdom, you do realize. It's the least we could do. But…” She thought in silence for a moment longer and then smiled, the curve of it a little heavier, more subdued. “A house doesn’t do much if no one will be living in it, huh?”

Mario considered that. Across the sewer room, the black of the warp pipe’s insides spread out behind Peach, vast and unending. “That’s…yeah, that’s true,” he said, his shoulders sinking a bit. “For now, don’t worry about doing anything for us, all right?” He swallowed around a strange, new lump in his throat. “Before anything else happens, I just really need to make sure my family’s all right.”

Peach nodded. “And I need to make sure mine is too,” she said, voice warm with understanding.

She shot a meaningful glance over Mario’s head, and he followed her gaze to where Toad and Luigi were sitting off to the side. Toad was excitedly talking, making big, bombastic gestures with his pan as though he was reenacting something. Luigi, for his part, looked a little bewildered but interested, following along as best as he could manage with lots of nodding. The strain in Mario’s chest eased.

“But you’ll both visit before too long, right?” Peach brought his attention back to her, her tone pointed. “There’s still plenty of beautiful places to see in our world. We barely scratched the surface! But we can start with a nice cup of tea in the castle, of course.”

Mario couldn’t help but smile widely. “Definitely,” he said. “And besides, I already made a promise to DK before he headed back. Me and my “stupid overalls” have to give him a rematch at some point. C’mon, how can I pass up a chance to kick his furry butt all over again?”

“And I want to come back and visit this world again too!” She added excitedly. “I want to know more about the bowling we saw, and video games, and — what did you call that one thing? A calzone? — and well, everything!”

Mario laughed outright. “Sure, come back anytime! Luigi and me know allll the best spots in Brooklyn like the backs of our hands. With us, you’ll never have a bad time, guaranteed.”

Some bright, delighted mischief flashed in Peach’s eyes. “And besides,” she said, “your mom said she would show me some of your baby pictures next time. I have to see that because I can’t imagine you without a mustache, honestly. It just doesn’t seem possible.” 

Mario’s laughter got less boisterous and much more strained in a big hurry. “Right, right,” he said, voice cracking. “Gotta remember to, heh, burn some of those before then.”

“Don’t you dare!” 

With more than a little reluctance, she waved over at Toad, signaling that it was time for them to say goodbye. 

“I’ve got to get out of this wedding dress already,” she joked, holding up the skirt so Mario could clearly see all the tears and scorch-marks and dark staining, all intermingled with white and glittering pink. On the top, she was wearing a new, light pink “I LOVE NY” shirt from a cheap souvenir store; Luigi had actually been the one to get it for her, having noticed that she was spending a lot of time standing out in the sun with her shoulders uncovered. At some point along the way, she'd also tied up her blonde hair in a messy ponytail to keep it out of the way. “What a disaster, huh?”

Mario honestly thought that she looked beautiful. But there was no way he could say that, and he also didn’t want to agree because that sounded rude. Thankfully, he had only had a few more seconds of mounting internal panic left to go on that subject before Toad and Luigi came over.

“Your brother’s just as cool as you are, Mario!” Toad brightly announced out of the blue, which in turn made Luigi jolt and blush behind him. “But I should have guessed! You guys are the SUPER Mario Brothers, after all!” 

“Hey, I coulda told you that a lot sooner!” Mario grabbed Luigi around the middle with one arm and squeezed tight, enough to make his brother wriggle with a hoarse, surprised laugh. “He’s always got my back!”

“Hey, hey, I’m flattered, but there’s no way I’m as cool as Mario,” Luigi insisted, grabbing and squeezing Mario right back, playfully poking at his stomach. “Are ya kidding? This is the best guy in the world, c’mon! No contest!”

"You c'mon! Who came up with using a manhole cover as a shield out of the blue, huh?” 

Luigi blinked a few times and then ducked his head down with a big, bashful grin. “Okay, maybe that was me.”

“Exactly.” He smushed his brother’s cap, ruffling his hair underneath. “What were you guys talking about, anyway?”

“Ohohoho, wouldn’t you like to know,” Toad insisted right away with a thick air of secrecy. He mimed locking his mouth with a key and then tossing it away, winking in Luigi's direction. “No need to be jealous, Mario. I can have two best friends.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Mario replied dryly.

“It was no big deal, r-really!” Luigi backed Toad up, a little too loudly. His eyes looked somewhat glassy, as though he was teetering on the verge of tears, but when Mario met his gaze full-on, worried all of a sudden, his brother smiled back, big and sincere and seemingly very happy. “We’re all good! Better than good! We’re great!”

Peach stepped forward, then. “You really made a difference when it counted most, Luigi,” she said warmly, taking one of his hands in her own and patting it. “Thank you again for that. I know you didn’t see the best our world has to offer, but I hope you’ll give us another chance soon enough.” 

Luigi, having stiffened a little at her touch out of sheer surprise, relaxed again. “Of course, Peach — I mean, Princess Peach. Your highness? Ma’am!” He gave her a salute with the other hand, for some reason. “I, uh, definitely appreciate it.” 

She let go of him and reached for Mario’s hand in turn. Out of the blue, he thought about kissing the back of it — she was a princess, right? Wasn’t that what people did in all the fairytale books? — but that was a silly idea, stupid enough to make the back of his neck burn from embarrassment. Instead, he simply held onto her tight for a long moment, reflecting her sweet smile back at her, his heart pleasantly fluttering.

Further down, Toad grabbed one of Mario’s legs and one of Luigi’s legs in both arms and hugged them fiercely at the same time, sniffling a little. They gave his head a few soft pats in return (and winced when he loudly blew his nose into their overalls). 

“See you around, Mustache,” Peach said softly. She took a small step backwards towards the pipe but didn’t let go of him, their arms stretching out further. “And don’t forget what we talked about,” she added after a beat, delicate, maybe even the tiniest bit hopeful. “What I offered…it’s always on the table, if you ever do decide you want it.” 

“I won’t forget,” he said in return, softer too. “Stay safe.” 

She squeezed his hand one last time, and then she and Toad were gone. The warp pipe’s signature sound bounced off the impossibly high walls of the room they were in until it was just a tiny echo. Mario took a deep breath. He turned to find Luigi beaming at him, eyebrows raised high and wiggling a little at the ends.

"Shut up," he sighed.

“What!? I didn’t even say anything!” Luigi insisted, even as he continued to grin.

“Yes, you did. I can read your mind.” Even Mario’s sternest do NOT go there, I’m serious look could never do much when Luigi was ready to do some ruthless teasing, but he tried it anyway as they started to trudge towards the stairwell at a much slower pace then when they’d first come down it. When had he started to feel so tired? A big yawn fought its way up his throat before he could continue. “I just met her! We’re friends. That’s all there is to it, thank you and goodnight.”

“Look, you can't prove a thing, but if I was saying something, well, I'd start with the way she was looking at you.” Luigi whistled. Mario pulled down the brim of his cap, if only to hide the sudden warmth creeping into his face a little better.  “She certainly seems like a princess with good taste, y’know?”

“All right, all right. Ya done?”

“As a matter of fact, I’m not! She’s already got a dress too, which is really convenient. After all, weddings are expensive—”

“Stop, Lu. You better not breathe a word of this back home! Cause you’re gonna get Ma and Dad all riled up too and then I’ll never hear the end of it."

“Are ya serious!? Oh, my poor, sweet, naïve Mario. They already smelled the blood in the water at least five hours back. They were talking about little blonde grandkids when you were in the bathroom and everything.” 

At least the long trek ahead of them out of the sewers would give Mario time for his face to cool down to a normal temperature again. “Great, great, just what I need,” he grumbled. “Now I gotta find a princess for you to get the heat off me.”

“W-What!?” Luigi sputtered. “I mean, I wish. But a kingdom only has one princess, right? And you’re the lucky guy.” 

“There wasn’t just one kingdom,” Mario mused. He was climbing the stairs by then, metal clanging with each step. “I betcha all the money I have that if I went looking around long enough over there, I could find a real cute royal out there who has a thing for the color green.”

He reached behind him to give Luigi’s shoulder a playful shove, only for his hand to meet nothing but air. Turning fully, he saw that his brother was moving a lot slower than he’d expected. He was still at the bottom of the stairs, clinging to the railing and blinking furiously, his gaze focused on nothing in particular. 

“Luigi?” Mario asked hesitantly. “You good?”

Luigi perked up at that and gave a thumbs-up. “A-okay!” He chirped, starting to climb. “I just — whew. I’m a little, uh, dizzy. It feels like that crazy star hung around for a while, eh? Like, we weren’t super-powered anymore, but nothing hurt, and I still had tons of energy to do whatever I wanted. But now…”

“Yeah, I’m definitely feeling that too.” Mario realized it more clearly, his breathing already labored after only climbing one flight of stairs. The injuries weren’t back, thankfully, but he was aching all over, a new heaviness creeping into his bones more and more. Luigi was hurrying to catch up with him, moving unsteadily. 

“Just go slow,” Mario called. “We’re not in a hurry. Be careful.”

It didn’t seem like Luigi heard him, still trying to talk as he climbed, huffing and puffing. “I mean, wow! We were running all over the place! We were fixing things! We were saving Brooklyn! But…huh. Something’s kinda weird.” His voice had dropped down into a mumble, so quiet and fast that Mario almost couldn’t understand him. “I’m having that pins-and-needles feeling, like my legs are asleep, but I’m still walking just fine. Right? Do I look normal walking? Be honest. I…I can’t tell.” He looked sleepy, and then he suddenly looked frightened, unfocused, as though he wasn’t even sure where he was at all. “Wait. Am I upside down? Mario…”

It happened so fast. With one last shuddery breath, Luigi’s eyes rolled back into his head. He started to fall backwards, about to topple down a nearly full flight of stairs. 

Mario’s heart seized. “Luigi!”

He covered several steps in one desperate jump. Somehow, he managed to get one arm around his brother and pull him back with every last scrap of strength he had left, crushing their bodies together. The other arm, he wrenched over and around the railing blindly, worn metal scratching and squeaking against him painfully as he struggled to hold onto it. For a long, agonizing moment, the fight against gravity seemed like it was going to be too much to overcome, and Mario, teeth gritted, mentally prepared himself to turn them around in the air so he would take the brunt of the long fall. But miraculously, his shoes found enough purchase on the steps, and his aching grip lasted just long enough for Mario to pull their combined weight back in the other direction. The two collapsed in a heap against the ascending stairs instead. 

Mario’s gasping breaths seemed like the only sound in the world, the echoes bouncing wildly all around.

“Luigi,” he finally managed to wheeze — quiet at first, then again, much louder. As gently and carefully as he could manage, he scooted up into a sitting position and turned his brother over onto his back, cradling him. He was still out cold. Mario patted his face. “Hey, Luigi. Come on, Lu, wake up for me, all right? I’m here. I’ve gotcha.” He patted a little harder, steadfastly ignoring the way his hands were trembling at that point. Every second passing with no change stretched on, an eternity and then some. “You’re all right, everything’s all right. Come on, Luigi, snap out of it…” 

Up close, Luigi looked extremely pale, sweat beaded along the line of his cap. How had Mario not noticed that before? He’d been too caught up with all the cleanup efforts, too distracted by Peach and Toad and the thought of that hypothetical house. How could he not see that Luigi was starting to struggle? What kind of brother was he? 

The kind that does something really, REALLY stupid because of pride or "destiny" or whatever you wanna call it. The kind that not only drags his brother down with him to do the stupid thing, but almost gets him killed because of it. 

Mario's shoulders sagged. He gripped Luigi tighter, pressing his little brother's face close to the crook of his neck, if only to try and desperately ground himself in the knowledge that he could feel him breathing still, at least. Their injuries were gone, it was true, but for Mario, it was suddenly like the star had just shifted the pain around instead. He could feel it pressing up from under his skin, a deep well that was ready to split him open all the way through if he let it.

It no longer seemed like he'd just been in a magical world on a whirlwind adventure, or that he'd defeated a spiked turtle monster with anger issues and saved Brooklyn in a glorious, technicolor blur. Now, he was just a small, ordinary man in a dark sewer room underground, exhausted and terrified and unable to help the person he loved most.

All of a sudden, Luigi jolted under his hands. “Noooo more flambé for me, thankyouverymuch, I’m-a good!” He shouted, the words slurred together to the point of being nearly unintelligible. With a handful of slow, very confused blinks, he finally managed to focus on Mario’s extremely relieved face overhead. “Waaaaaaait. Whuh happen?”

Mario bundled up all those sharp, aching feelings behind a new wall and regathered himself. No matter what, he was going to stay strong, stay in control. He needed to do that for Luigi’s sake. There was no other choice. “You went down like a big sack of bricks, ya lug,” he tried to joke, even as his voice cracked badly on the last word. “Nearly gave me a heart attack! Are you okay?”

Luigi considered this information, eyes unclouding bit by bit. “I’m sorry,” he finally said, soft, a little embarrassed. “Y-Yeah, I think I’m good. I, uh, don’t really know what happened there! It was like…it all just hit me at once, I guess.” 

“Yeah, no kidding.” Mario worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “When’s the last time you slept, bro?”

Discomfort crept into Luigi’s expression at that. He looked away from Mario, not able to meet his gaze for more than a few seconds at a time. “Well, I dunno if I — I was wandering around for a while, and then I couldn’t really sleep in that cage, y’know? All that lava made the metal real hot, so I had to keep moving to not get burned, and you have no idea how hard it is to nod off when there’s a creepy star laughing its head — body? — head off in the next cage over, and, and...well, I’m sure I got an hour here and there,” he scoffed lightheartedly, waving off the thought with a wobbly sweep of his hand through the air. “Nothing worse than those all-nighters in high school!”

“You almost had a nervous breakdown because of those all-nighters,” Mario said. His grip on Luigi’s shoulder tightened, fingers winding snug in the green material. “And…what about food? Water? We’ve been go-go-go all day. I didn’t even think about…”

A brand-new sense of dawning horror came over Mario, sudden enough that he trailed off. He couldn't remember them ever taking a break, even sitting down in the shade for a few minutes. There'd just been so much to do, so many people in need of help, and the two of them had felt so good, laughing and joking and keeping up with no problems whatsoever. The time had flown by. But now...

“Pfft, who needs it?” Luigi said, extremely casually and extremely unconvincingly. He coughed, closing his eyes again for a long moment, resting his cheek sleepily against Mario’s chest. “Hmm. A guard gave me some sips a couple of times? And there was some weird bread. I think it was bread. Who even knows? It was stale like croutons. Not like the really good garlic ones Ma makes, though. These were like…like erasers or something. Blech.” 

A few sips of water and some "bread." A couple of hours of sleep, if that. Luigi was on his own, scared and struggling and eventually imprisoned in a maniac’s floating lava airship, for over two full days.

“Well, no wonder you passed out,” Mario sighed, rough and very quiet. He had to talk like that — any louder, and his voice was going to become too unwieldy. It already felt like someone had promptly stuffed his heart into a blender and cranked it up to the highest setting. “Speaking of Ma, she’s probably got a full spread out by now. I’m gonna get you home, you’re gonna eat until you pop, and,” he had to pause for a moment to swallow, his throat hurting, “and then you’re gonna sleep until you can’t anymore, okay? That’s what we’re doing.”

Luigi sighed too, his smile resurfacing. “Man, that sounds like heaven. What are we waiting for?” He started to sit up with newfound determination, only for the dizzying sight of the stairs descending down into the dark beneath them to make his motions distinctly more rubbery again in a hurry. He sunk back into Mario’s arms, breathing faster, eyes closed again.

“Just, uh, one more minute," he half-wheezed. "Nothing to worry about, I’m getting up right now, I swear, but…is it just me or is it really, really hot down here? Those burns I had, they’re all gone, which is great, but I can still kindaaaa feel them? Is that a medical thing? Or am I freaking out? Because, heh, it’s starting to feel like I might be freaking out, and not to toot my own horn but some might consider me an expert when it comes to the signs of freaking out—”

“Just breathe, Lu,” Mario interjected, gently but firmly, the way he always did when Luigi got lost in a thought process that wasn’t going to lead him anywhere good in a hurry. “We can wait as long as ya need. No rush at all.”

Mario pressed back the brim of Luigi’s cap so he could brush his hairline soothingly, wipe away the sweat. He leaned down, gathering Luigi close enough to bump their foreheads together so they could breathe in slow, deep unison. He’d done that little motion to Luigi their whole lives, an unspoken shorthand that only they understood. When his little brother was scared or anxious, touching foreheads was a way to make the world smaller, less overwhelming, if only for a few seconds. It was an easy way to say: who cares about any of that? Focus on me instead. It’s just the two of us. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.

(And he’d tried, hadn’t he? He tried, and he hadn’t been good enough this time, when it mattered most. Luigi had suffered because he couldn’t hold on tightly enough. Because he hadn’t fought harder, been smarter, pushed to move faster throughout every part of the trip. And at the end when he’d finally found his brother? It had just been dumb luck, really. He’d squinted up at all the cages at the right time through the haze of the lava heat, breathless from the climb and still half-focused on trying to stay in the air without plummeting, and he’d seen his brother fall, and his body had just reacted without any thought, desperation and adrenaline screaming in his veins, the only word in his head echoing out as faster, faster, FASTER. And if one little thing had gone differently — if he hadn’t found that specific powerup, if he hadn’t figured out how to use it properly, if he'd been looking anywhere else, if he’d misjudged the speed or simply missed his grab entirely — then that would have been it, and it would have been all his fault. The sight felt seared into Mario’s head, something he could see whether his eyes were open or closed. He saw Luigi tumbling in the air, terrified and yelling and out of control, hurtling towards the lava at full speed. Only this time, he couldn’t reach him, he couldn’t move at all, he could only watch helplessly and in horror as he—)

“Mario?” Luigi asked quietly. “Are you okay?”

Mario jolted back into the moment. He was breathing too hard, too fast; a tremor ran through him, bone-deep. Luigi was holding one of his arms, his eyes big and shining with newfound worry.

Mario smiled reassuringly for him, as easy and unthinking as a reflex. He took Luigi’s hand and wedged his fingers through his with a tight squeeze, resolving not to let go again until they were safely at home. That awful drowning feeling was rippling all through him, but he could keep his head above it if he focused hard enough, if he refused to let it sneak up on him again. He could do that. He would do that, no matter what it took.

With a slew of careful, slow-going movements, the two brothers finally stood up together on the stairs. 

“Don’t worry about me,” Mario said, and turned to lead the way. “C’mon. Let’s get out of here."

[writing-hat]

flowers to tend a wound

the glacier fic!! I finished it a while ago, and figured it would be best to post it on tumblr since it's something sweet and short <3 (and kind of messy sorry)

/!\ TW for wound! /!\ (and mistakes as usual cuz I never pay attention to that) and some mutual pinning (they can't confess they're stoopid)

this is around 2.9k words! Enjoy!

“Ah, Zane!”

The robot jolted, apparently caught off guard. This surprised Cole, who was used to a Zane always readied for any of the other ninjas jumping on him. But he had probably been distracted by cooking dinner, which wouldn’t have been too surprising.

Without turning around, the other sighed. “Cole. You startled me.” He straightened up a bit, humming at whatever he was cooking- it already smelled heavenly to Cole. “What is it?”

“Sorry. I just wanted to know if you had seen my cake leftovers?” Cole groaned, crossing his arms. “I have a suspicion on who might’ve eaten it, but I wanna be sure before I throw hands, since I got it wrong last time.”

A chuckle. “Yes. Jay ate it all.”

“Damn it, I knew it!” He threw his hands up. “Ever single time! And of course he left for a mission!” He shook his head, taking a seat behind Zane. “Why didn’t you go by the way?”

“I am needed here to cook.”

Well, Cole knew his friend. There was something else bothering him in his voice. Something that made it so he got surprised when the earth ninja came by. That made him curious, of course; he wanted to know if he could help him in any way- and if it was too much, Zane could always tell him he didn’t want to speak of it. “And?”

The nindroid sighed, before turning around.

Cole’s eyes widened. He had a tissue attached around his right eye. Something he probably usually used in the kitchen, pink, like his apron, with white hearts decorating the thing.

“You’re hurt?!” The earth ninja got up in an instant, restraining himself from approaching the other too fast. “What happened?”

“The Mechanic blasted my eye.” Slowly, he removed the tissue, letting the wound appear.

This time, he gasped, approaching Zane to get a closer look- not out of curiosity, but out of worry, because based on how the ice ninja had winced when revealing the missing parts to the cold, there was no way it didn’t hurt.

“When did that happen?!”

“During this morning’s mission. It’s…” He brought metallic fingers up, brushing over the wound. “It is still fresh, unfortunately.”

Cole raised his own hand to the hole, tentatively, waiting for something in the icy eyes to push him away. But nothing came up, so he slowly touched the skin, taking his fingers away as soon as Zane hissed at the feeling.

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I suppose some of my sensitive wires got touched.”

“Why hasn’t Jay fixed it up by now?” He grumbled. “Instead of finishing my cake.”

Zane’s lips twitched, tempted to chuckle, before he sighed, turning back around to watch over the meal- a curry, now Cole could see it, with rice already cooking on the other side of the stove. He could feel his stomach grumbling in hunger at the sight, but it was quickly dulled away when Zane brought him back.

“We lack materials. He promised he’d try to find some when coming back from the mission, but… I doubt there will be any. Pixal already asked Cyrus Borg, but it seems like there’s a limited stock of titanium everywhere. I said I could wait.”

Cole frowned, placing a hand on the robot’s shoulder to demand his attention. “But it’s bothering you. I can see that.”

Zane felt conflicted; he usually didn’t share what his troubles were to the rest of the team- unless they became too heavy for his shoulders alone. But thoughts, and worries about his appearance? This wasn’t something he talked about with any of them.

But he could never hide anything from the earth ninja. He wasn’t really sure how he was doing it, but it felt heart wrenching, every time he told him a half-truth. And when Cole looked at him, with concern, and a need to protect him… Zane was ready to give up his role, and fall into his arms to be protected.

This wasn’t something he was used to feeling. He shook his head, a sad smile stretching his lips. And that made Cole worry more; he wanted this current pain to go away. He couldn’t bare seeing him like that. “It is not… the most wonderful thing to look at.”

The hole was big, taking a whole quarter of the face. The dark blue liquid that made sure Zane could be up and running had clearly been cleaned off, but could still be seen inside- though it had stopped bleeding a while ago. Wires and strings were tangled, when they weren’t torn, probably sharing a pain that Cole couldn’t even begin to understand. The metallic skin around still showed some of the dark traces left by the blast.

“At the very least,” Zane spoke, wanting the attention away from his wound. “Jay said that he would help remove the sensitivity whenever he is back, if he doesn’t find the right materials.”

Cole realized he’d been staring, and took a step back. “Sorry. I just… I hate seeing you hurt like that.”

This time, the smile that appeared was a sincere one. “Thank you for worrying about me, Cole.”

The earth ninja smiled back, placing both hands on the ice ninja’s shoulders. “You’re welcome.” He hesitated, before pulling Zane in a hug. The latter blinked, clearly not expecting this out of all outcomes but, enjoyed it nonetheless, taking a few seconds, before letting his face relax, closing his eye as he hugged back Cole.

“…Do you need help with dinner?” The voice was hesitant, wanting to help, but knowing very well he couldn’t really do anything of use in that matter.

A quiet laugh made it to the black ninja’s ears. “Just to prepare the table, if you can.”

That stayed a win. He broke from the hug, a grin on his face as he looked at Zane. “Sure!”

They ate in a good ambiance. Jay kept trying to excuse himself to Zane, having not found any titanium for now to fix his face. The nindroid kept repeating that it was okay- though this seemed sort of useless with how the lightning ninja already felt guilty for this situation.

After sharing their meal of the night, with Cole still hesitant on hitting his best friend for eating his food earlier, Jay and Zane went to the ice ninja’s room, where a table stayed whenever the nindroid required repairs. He laid on his back there, letting his friend tinker and figure out what he could do to make the other feel better.

It wasn’t the first time he had to cut away Zane’s sensitive wires- the ice ninja asked for that to be done often, when the zone touched by the wound hurt too much to deal with it. Painkillers weren’t an option for him, so they did with what they had.

It started in a small silence, with Jay’s background music filling the room. Zane felt… anxious, of asking his friend about his feelings; he was still bothered by his lack of composure from earlier.

Well, bothered wouldn’t be the word, but he, for once, couldn’t place the right words on his ideas, and unfamiliar feelings.

“Something you wanna tell me?”

Zane sighed, grateful his friend could understand his emotions without needing him to speak up. “Yes. There is… something.”

Jay waited, but his friend had apparently said all that he could. “Something important then.” A whistle, as he reached for the tools he’d use to get rid of the sensitive wires. “What is it?”

“It’s about Cole.” He blinked, feeling the name escape him without wanting to. Unfortunately, his metal plates could display his blush, turning his face in a shade of blue. Ashamed, he looked away from the blue ninja, trying to figure out his next words. “Well, not Cole specifically. It is more about how I reacted with him earlier.”

There was an amused hum, making Zane’s eye twitch in annoyance. “And how did you react?”

Ignoring how his friend sounded, he huffed. “I usually keep my-” He had been about to say ‘feelings’. By the First Master of Spinjitzu, what was wrong with him?! “-troubles, to myself. But earlier, I could not keep my mouth shut when it came to the pain this zone brought.” With guilt, he added in a lower voice. “Nor the- aesthetic side, of this wound.”

“Because you want Cole to find you beautiful.”

Zane gasped, sitting upright on the table, looking at Jay alarmed. “What?! What- how can you say things like that?!”

Jay raised both hands, innocent-like, his hands still holding the tools. “What? Am I wrong?”

There was a self-satisfactory grin, on his face. One Zane found himself frowning at. In embarrassment. He didn’t answer his friend, instead turning his head away so his lone eye wouldn’t have to put up with the mocking face- earning him a snort.

The blue ninja shook his head. “Proof is here; you don’t mind me seeing you with your wires tangled and dangling from that hole in your face-”

“Of course! You’re my friend, and the one helping me out. I don’t mind showing you vulnerability!”

“So you don’t see Cole as a friend.” Jay snorted. “Noted.”

“This isn’t what I said! Stop twisting my words!” Zane crossed his arms, feeling his blue liquid pump fasted in his ears. “Cole is a great friend!”

“Oh, I’m sure he is.” Before he could answer to the taunt, Jay tapped the table. “Lay back down. I still need to get rid of a few wires, and clean the spot.”

Reluctantly, the ice ninja did as he was told, crossing his hands on his chest.

He didn’t like that feeling in his stomach. But at the same time… he sighed, closing his eye when he felt the tools come back inside of his wound.

They didn’t speak again, Jay still humming, apparently proud of the mess he was leaving behind inside of his nindroid friend. The latter still battled with his thoughts, trying to figure out how long, exactly, did he think he could lie to himself that way.

When the blue ninja brought a tissue up, to clean the zone, Zane sighed. “How would I even confess?” He swallowed thick. “How can I even be sure that he feels the same?”

Jay stopped what he was doing, blinking at the confused robot. “Wow.” He started. “Love really makes people blind, huh?”

His metallic lips thinned, not able to find something to say after that. But the understanding look of the blue ninja did manage to make him relax. Just a bit.

They made a few tests, Jay touching with a rod his wires, and all that was around. Effectively, Zane felt nothing. With a reassured sigh, he thanked his friend. For both the repair, and the talk.

He luckily didn’t need to precise for what.

“So it’s better now?”

Zane nodded, having to turn his head around to face the earth master. The latter sighed, reassured, and raised a tentative hand to the wound. He hesitated, until the ice ninja nodded, and brushed with his fingers the metal, feeling the cold under his fingers.

The nindroid found himself disappointed he could not feel anything for now.

“How long before they get the supplies?”

“A week, at best.” He shrugged. “It’s okay, I am getting used to it. Although Sensei assured me I didn’t need to go on missions for now.”

Which meant he wasn’t allowed. Cole winced, feeling bad for his friend. He knew too well the frustration of staying behind when the others faced the action. They all did.

He must’ve felt so sad.

So, an idea came to him. One, he hoped, would help his friend get better. It wasn’t anything big, but, it could help him pass some time, and feel better about this wound.

“I have an idea. Do you want to try it?”

A tilt of the head, as the other considered it, before nodding with a soft smile. “Of course. Anything you can think of can help.”

Cole didn’t seem to notice the sentence, but Zane did. And he swore on the First Master he had never felt his circuits warms so quickly before under the weight of shame. Especially since, well, without being mean to the earth ninja, his ideas weren’t often good ones.

But he had a good feeling for this.

So when Cole offered a palm for Zane to take, he did so, gladly following him to his room.

In there, the nindroid was first completely blown away by the numbers of flowers, hanging from pots attached to the ceiling, or resting in vases conveniently placed on his desk, or in corners, near his record player, for instance. Zane blinked multiple times, regretting not having his other eye to take in more properly the breathtaking scenery, amplified by the beautiful rays of the sunset.

Cole let go of Zane’s hand, walking to a pot on his desk, where the sun was sure to hit first. Based on his sensors, those were fresh ones, most definitely taken care of carefully for the last two days. He grabbed a five of them, and turned back towards Zane, a shy smile on his face.

Zane could swear he was blushing, too.

“I was- if you let me try- I mean-” Cole bit his lower lip, looking to the side, not able to form the right words to ask for permission. Because now, when he looked at Zane, his idea felt nothing but dumb.

The flowers he had picked for this were yellow carnations. He had taken care of those for the last three days, thinking of Zane, and how he could make him feel better about the state of his face. A face, Cole found himself to stare much more then once. Because he found him beautiful.

And so, when the ice ninja had been concerned… he had thought this could maybe help lift his spirits up.

But now… Zane might think he was trying to cover up the inside of his face, instead of the wound. Which wasn’t the case at all.

And he felt dumb.

Delicate fingers came to touch his knuckles. Cole’s breath was taken away, and slowly, he lifted his head up to look at the one he had wanted to help. The one he wanted to love.

Zane was smiling to him, quirking an eyebrow. And Cole could swear the metallic plates had been tainted by some shade of blue. “Are those for me?”

Cole blushed, looking back at the flowers. With a small voice, he answered. “Y- yes. It was for…” He didn’t finish, still not feeling better about his idea.

The nindroid placed a hand on his cheek, letting the earth ninja take his time to look at him back. Once their gazes met, he closed his only eye, making Cole understand he was trusting him to try it out.

He took a deep breath, and slowly, placed the flowers inside the hole. Each time, he felt the nindroid shiver when the stem went too far, where his wires could still sense, but no sound came out, nor did he move away.

When he was done, he took a small step back, and cleared his throat. “Done.”

Zane opened his eye, blinked, and walked to the small mirror Cole kept on his desk. He grabbed it, and looked at the result.

The five flowers Cole must’ve spent hours upon hours taking care of now rested inside hole he had found nothing but deforming lately.

But now?

The sight was pleasant. Some sort of relief washed over him, and he sighed, finding himself not hating his appearance anymore.

Thanks to Cole.

He turned around, finding the latter fidgeting with his black coated nails, and looking embarrassed. Warmth filled his heart at the sight, and he walked back to the earth ninja. Before he could ask any question, and make Zane lose this boost of confidence, he kissed his cheek, softly.

“Thank you, Cole.” He shook his head, knowing he would’ve cried if he could at the beautiful gesture of care and worry. “Those are absolutely beautiful.”

Cole’s heart skipped a bit, and if he’d been blushing before, the ninja knew his cheeks must’ve been burning now. When the ice ninja noticed, he looked to the side, a sort of shy and silly smile resting on his lips.

Lips he found very much kissable.

So, gathering his courage, Cole placed a knuckle under the metallic chin. Zane’s eye met his own, and he swallowed thick, trying to find his voice again.

“May I?”

Zane blinked, suddenly feeling his emotions swirling and exploding his senses. Showing him how they both had felt for a while now. And a confirmation, that Cole’s heart had displayed the same constricted feeling. One that would hurt, and forbid them to move if they hadn’t done something about it.

A mutual pinning of some sort.

Love really makes people blind.

And once the realization struck? The feeling felt liberating.

With a chuckle, he answered. “You may.”

Cole smiled, and leaned forward. Zane did as well, shortening the wait for them both.

Their kiss felt amazing. It made them sigh, pressure and adrenaline coming back down to make their hearts beat faster. It was incredible.

It still felt so when they broke apart. With heavy breathing, they let their foreheads against one another, the relief bringing them both to release what sounded like silly giggles to their ears.

-------

some notes I gave myself when writing so you can see my process of writing

(Zane is so emotional my guys omg he would be a mess if he ever had to confess his love to Cole. at least me thinks.)

hope you enjoyed! see you around!

[thesensteawitch]

Message From Your Spirit Animal!

Pick A Pile Reading

(Left to Right--- Pile1, Pile2, Pile3)

Hey, Senstea Souls!

This collective reading is regarding a special message that your animal spirit wants to convey based on your current energy. In case of personal readings feel free to drop a message in my Tumblr inbox.

Take a deep breath and read.

Pile 1

Tarot cards- 10 of wands, 6 of swords, 5 of pentacles, 2 of pentacles, Knight of wands, 8 of swords, 9 of wands

Spirit animal- Cheetah

Hello, pile 1. It breaks my heart to say this but some of you have stopped believing that there's even a purpose in your life. Definitely, you're going through a burnout. There's only so much a human can take. You feel stuck and anxious. I hear, “Bandaids don't fix bullet holes...if you live like that you live with ghosts.” Your masculine energy is overactive. You have no idea how to stop working or thinking. Overproductivity is something you're definitely struggling with. You're barely managing things. You don't want to keep juggling. I feel you're stuck in a monotonous cycle that is eating you. Seriously drop every damn thing you're carrying. You NEED a break! If there's any victory then it must be done over our mind. You work so hard I do not doubt it. But please stop now. Only you can help yourself. The light and warmth you're looking for are not in the outer world or someone else's approval. It's within you. Your spirit animal is pretty clear about it. It's asking you to find that light within you. I see that you kept doing one task after another in the hope of something turning in your favor. But you're doing something terribly wrong! You must turn toward God/source/universe or whatever you believe in. Surrender. When nothing works out we surrender. Don't worry you're not going to miss out on anything! Whoever you are working with and whatever you are working on needs to be kept aside for some time at least. I also sense that you take all the responsibility even if your body doesn't permit it. You're being unfair to yourself. Answers will come to you just stop thinking. Don't push yourself to find the right way of doing things. When God's Will comes to play whatever you do turns out to be right. JUST REST FOR A WHILE. Connect with friends and family. Give time to your relationship with God, friends, family and most importantly YOURSELF! This is not the time to set goals and run toward them like crazy. Give space. You're not your work. I sense strong Aries and Leo energy in this pile. Let your work rest. Just focus on staying calm rather than hyperactive.

Appreciation Token 🌷

Pile 2

Tarot cards- Page of swords, The devil, 6 of cups, 9 of pentacles, The emperor, 3 of pentacles, Ace of swords

Spirit animal- Fire Ant

Hello, pile 2. I see that you guys are studying or working towards a goal. You are completely engrossed in it. But at the same time, I feel there is a disturbing emotion that you are ignoring but is bothering you. You are pretending that it isn't there. You need to take charge and heal the past hurt. You have become quite stubborn regarding this hurt and do not want to listen to the truth or your inner wisdom. Your spirit animal wants to tell you that whatever you are trying to achieve will soon be here but you better heal yourself from the past hurt or it might affect your decision regarding the blessing that is coming your way. You're sensitive pile 2 so don't try to show that you're not. Someone hurt you or tricked you and now you've become completely closed off to the purpose behind that pain and have just given yourself a narrative that is not serving your highest good. Heal yourself. Let go of the negativity and negative patterns to enjoy the blessings that are coming for you in the future.

Appreciation Token 🌷

Pile 3

Tarot cards- Page of cups, Page of pentacles, The hermit, Seven of pentacles, Five of swords, The magician

Spirit animal- Camel

Hello, pile 3. You guys have a calm and goofy personality. Some of you may be very creative and would love traveling. You have big dreams and hopes. Your imagination makes it easier for you to live in this world. You are also very comfortable in your company. Your animal spirit appreciates these qualities but is here to warn you about losing touch with reality. You need to be patient with yourself too. You cannot hurt others in the pursuit of finding your happiness nor you can let others steal away your innocence. Yes, only you may be able to do what is needed to be done. But you have to understand that it must be done the right way. You don't need others to achieve your dreams. Don't focus on what's no more there focus on what you still have and make the best out of it. Because you can! You have everything to manifest anything you desire. Just don't be in a rush. Find a balance between work and play. Also, take time to prepare, don't be overconfident.

Appreciation Token 🌷

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[twincaptains]

Obsequium Part I: Chapter One: Ford's September

TITLE: Obsequium Part I: Chapter One: Ford’s September PAIRINGS:  Dipford (Ford x Dipper), Bipford, (Bipper x Ford), regular Billford (Bill x Ford) Pinecest (Dipper x Mabel), Stancest, (Stan x Ford), and possibly others. Gotta see where this thing takes me. SUMMARY: It’s been four years since Ford emerged from the portal and reclaimed the Mystery Shack. Stanley, Soos, Wendy, Mabel? They’re all gone, but he and Dipper remain to destroy what’s left of Bill. Dipper and Mabel’s parents have since divorced, their mother living alone on the east coast and Mabel living with her father in Seattle. As the Mystery Twins enter their 17th year, things seem to be going poorly. Stan and Ford are still not speaking to each other, and that doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon. Meanwhile, Dipper is receiving a top-notch education from Ford – he’s already graduated from high school and has several bachelor’s degrees. Still, something is amiss … I wonder what that might be? Is it Dipper’s perpetual sweatiness and unignorable teenage shortcomings? Or is it the whispers that keep beckoning from the woods … Ford journals about it, and is a jerk. NOTES: I am posting to Tumblr for now, but eventually will be cross-posting to Ao3. I am in line to get an account, and should have one by the end of the month. So … this thing is gonna get pretty intense in fairly short order, so I suggest you look under the cut to see if there’s any triggering content on the road ahead that might bother you. I don’t want anyone to get invested and THEN get upset.

CHAPTER WARNINGS: Drug abuse, caregiver neglect OVERALL WARNINGS: Incest, sibling incest, minor, coercive control, mind control, caregiver neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, dubious consent (dubcon), body horror, suicidal ideation, food restriction, sleep deprivation, self-harm, drug abuse, being drugged, lost time, and I’m going to specifically going to warn for “Ford being cruel to Stanley”, because it made me upset when I wrote it so I want to warn for it. If I forgot anything, please let me know and I will fix it IMMEDIATELY. I will add more if anything else comes up.   Chapter Two is here!! Alright. Now that we’ve established where this is going … let’s get there.

FORD’S SEPTEMBER

-

Saturday, September 3rd:

Dipper returned late last night from his week-long sabbatical with his father and sister in Seattle, eager to begin his fourth year of study. By the end of this year, he should have his first Masters. He says that I should find his thesis both stimulating and hilarious, which I doubt but I commend him for the effort. He is a very capable student but is still held back by some of the unfortunate distractions a boy of his age typically deals with. He confessed to me before he left to visit his family that he'd been feeling quite lonely and isolated lately, which I understand, but unfortunately that's the nature of our work. He'll have plenty of time to make friends and enemies after we finish sealing all the cracks that Bill made in the fabric of this town. While I was annoyed that we had to halt our momentum so that he could fulfill familial obligations; it did give me some time to think about how to better mentor him. Another thing: while I never had an issue with being distracted by such urges; he's clearly struggling with his hormones. An acceptable problem for a boy his age to have, but it's really starting to get in the way of our work. He can't focus on anything for longer than a few minutes and the sweatiness is starting to become medically concerning. I've tried directing him to meditate or thinking about something else, which always works for me, but I forget that not everyone has my admirable levels of self-control and willpower. He is just a boy, after all.

In my dimensional travels, I'd encountered a device that would come in handy in a situation like this: A virtual reality helmet that can quickly and efficiently satisfy biological urges and clear away burgeoning curiosities. The problem would be obtaining one of the damn things; while I can easily find somewhere to order one on the VerseWeb, they don't ship to this dimension or take any of the currency I have. Furthermore, I can't just hand a teenaged boy a device like that without calibrating it first and making sure certain safeguards are in place -- and an off-the-shelf model just isn't going to be able to penetrate the plate in my skull.

 What I am able to do is find the schematics online, modify them, build my own and then download the software so I can calibrate it myself.

So, I did that!

The next time I notice him getting all twitchy and distant; I'll sit him down and present him with the OBSEC-8177, software version 3.2.9. He can go off and do whatever for about 15 minutes, and then hopefully become a more manageable student and more productive assistant.

Today we're working on some coursework, and then after the sun goes down it's out into the woods to track down the source of the whispers we both keep hearing.

-

Tuesday, September 6th: 

Our search for the whisperer was unfruitful, but it was at least refreshing. I'd been stuck in the house building the OBSEC the entire time Dipper had been gone. I sometimes forget the power of a good night walk, gets the blood pumping and the brain moving. I was able to have a decent talk with the boy, about where his studies are heading next and more about the important work we are doing.

I try not to tell him too much, for one I don't want to overwhelm him -- he's been through a lot and even though he's quick on the uptake, he still has his limits. For another, even though he has not shown me any reason not to, I don't trust him. He was very easily deceived by Bill for promises much more foolish and pettier than what I was offered, and his general anxiousness leads me to believe that he'd have trouble keeping his mouth shut if he were ever faced with torture, or even a light interrogation. He just doesn't have the focus nor the tools to endure that kind of thing.

Speaking of, the OBSEC is going to make its grand debut this evening. It didn't take long for Dipper to get distant and distracted on me, and it's very clear where his mind keeps wandering. I fear that week with his sister did little to dial down his inner tension, if anything he seems more agitated than ever. If this trend continues, I may have to insist he suspend his visits with her after next year, when he'll no longer be subject to the tempestuous family court system.

My hope is that spending some time clearing out the chemical garbage clogging up his brain will be able to help him find a proper center so that I can start letting him know about what we're doing, here. When he's done erasing all the messages Stanley's left me on my answering machine in the last few days, I'll let him take the helmet for a spin.

-

Friday, September 9th:

Success! Dipper has been an amazing assistant and an above par student these last few days. The OBSEC was just the shot in the arm he needed to become fully grounded and invested in our work. We've been able to make substantial progress in expanding and fortifying the forcefield that will keep that rancid triangle out of here for good. In the meantime, it will give me some space to either figure out a way to repair the dimensional rift OR keep it so well guarded that it will never be in danger of breaking free.

For now, the only way Bill is getting anywhere near my lab (and the rift) is if he's invited.

And he won't be, simple as that.

I really can't emphasize enough how much Dipper has improved. I had him take another look at a quantum problem that he was having immense difficulty with before his break, and he was able to see past his snag and solve it almost immediately. He demanded several more to make sure he'd really gotten it, which I was happy to provide. He finally believes me that they're fun, enjoyable, and foundational for the rest of his education. We'd been stuck here for a moment, it was going to be impossible for me to move to the next phase until he understood these concepts. It seems he has found his footing now, and I have a feeling he's going to really like what I have for him next: xenostring theory.

Oh, to be young and naive again ... I'll never forget the way I felt when I started studying xenostrings for the first time. Sure, I was 43, but I still felt the same rush of excitement and thrill of discovery that I'd feel when riding roller coasters and educational dark rides as a red-faced teen. And after xenostring theory, then...

No, no. I don't want to get too ahead of myself. I'll end up rushing the boy through what should be a sacred experience that he needs to take at his own pace.

-

Tuesday, September 13th

I've been busy these last few days helping Dipper with the basics of xenostring theory, which he has taken to like a duck to water. I'm encouraging his enthusiasm, which I admit is a little bit mean, as that has set him up for failure.  However, the overall lesson his failure will teach him may very well be more valuable than what he's trying to learn.

What he doesn't know, and what most that get into the field don't understand at first, is that xenostrings abhor enthusiasm and infatuation. The harder you fixate on them, the more impossible they are to discern. Dipper needs to learn to become more detached from his core emotions so that he can better perform his work, and until he learns how to do that, the array I've requested him to arrange will refuse to hold its shape. He's threatening to stay up all night to try and get it to work, and I'm debating whether I should intervene. Sleep is necessary for thinking, yet his current frustration is going to make the eventual lesson that much more potent and memorable. I'll see how I feel about it when we pause for a nutrient break this evening.

-

Wednesday, September 14th

Dipper is still working on the xenostring array, undeterred. He requested some stimulant medication earlier this morning, as coffee just wasn't doing it for him anymore, and I relented and let him have some of the green capsules I picked up during my extended layover on Vulpis VII. This may have been a mistake, as he seems to be having some sort of episode over the collapsed pile of xenostrings on the lab floor. His vitals seem fine, so I'm not concerned as of yet. If he pulls any more of his hair out, I may have to force an antidote of some sort into him. I think the purple ones I got on Canis IV should work well enough, though I should probably leave him in the bathtub overnight if it comes down to that.

Still, the wailing, moaning and gnashing of teeth will all be worth it in the end. I think he's getting close to figuring out that he needs to care less about what the strings are and what they're doing, and more about the fact that the strings are just plain nifty. But not too nifty, nifty in the way a tabloid cover entertains you while you're waiting in line to buy more peanut butter.

I should wrap this up, I think he just tried to choke himself out. Maybe I should be watching him a bit closer.

-

Saturday, September 17th

The comedown from the stimulants wasted two whole days, and I learned to never trust the boy's stated tolerance levels ever again. I didn't have to give him any antidotes, but anything he managed to learn he did not retain. He's frustrated with me, but I'm more frustrated with him for missing the point entirely. He said he felt better this morning, at least, but instead of sending him back to the xenostrings I suggested we investigate the whispering in the woods again. It was particularly potent last night, to the point both of us were sure that we could hear it indoors. Neither of us can quite make out what's being said, but it doesn't seem to be hostile in any way. Almost... inviting. Which means it's probably hostile.

Dipper had the brilliant idea of staying in the area around the house and trying to catch the whispers on some sort of audio equipment. He says that some spirits prefer magnetic tape, others prefer more modern digital means, and luckily for us we have both. He says that he has software on his computer that can enhance and analyze the audio, if we manage to catch any, which would be extremely useful if that's true. I don't really have a grasp on what computers can and can't do in this world. They were never really my forte in the first place; I just brute force my way through and have someone else clean up my mess a little later. Those were the days before software came in neat little executables and instead needed to be manually programmed and engaged each time you wanted to use it. I'll leave all of that to him, he needs a genuine win after his week of abject failures.

-

Tuesday, September 20th

We certainly heard a lot of whispers, so many that we went out a second night. Dipper is arranging and analyzing the audio now, which takes a bit of time. He says that he's already managed to isolate some of what we were hearing, he just needs to finish scrubbing through nearly 20 hours of waveforms to see what else we've picked up. It's promising, to be sure! I just wish there was a way it could be done a little more quickly. He said if I knew how to use the computer even a little that I could cut his workload in half, but I have neither the time nor the desire to learn the ins and outs of that showy, anorexic rectangle he calls a computer. I have been spending my time doing something much more sensible: investigating the logistics of getting a restraining order on my brother.

He already knows not to come around here, I'll shoot him if I see him on the property again, but the phone calls are really starting to get to me. Sometimes up to twice a day, if the mood strikes him. I have no idea what he's playing at, I don't have the patience to deal with whatever con he's running. Probably just asking for money. I wouldn't know; Dipper has been dealing with these messages for years. They're just so ... incessant, lately. Sometimes I can hear his voice when I'm in the other room, and I'm just so sick and tired of it. It makes focusing on my work much harder than it needs to be.

-

Wednesday, September 21st

Dipper has insisted I stop researching restraining orders, pointing out that it would only antagonize my brother further. The best thing to do, if I really want to keep him at arm's length, is to let him babble into the void. He may be correct about that, but I am more correct.

I'll just pursue it the next time Dipper's not here. I think he's expected in Seattle for Thanksgiving; perhaps I'll find the time, then. Granted, a lot of government offices will be closed, but perhaps I can yell at one of those rectangular surveillance devices people call phones and it will tell me the information I need.

This is annoying and unnecessary!

-

Friday, September 23rd

Dipper presented his findings from our excursion last weekend to me today, and I have to say -- they're quite impressive. He managed to catch several instances of the voices we heard, but not all. It was fascinating because, as he said, some existed on the magnetic tapes that did not exist on digital devices running at the same time, and vice versa. Others, which we reacted to, did not seem to be picked up by the equipment at all. Dipper was able to enhance the audio and noticed that it sounded a bit like backmasking -- which inspired him to reverse the sounds using his software. To his surprise, we captured what is, without a doubt, intelligible speech. In plain English, each time it showed up in the recording, it was saying:

"You'll trip and fall right into me."

It sounds like a bad song lyric, if you ask me, but it seems rather ominous, doesn't it? The voice doesn't sound like Bill, but Bill can sound like anything or anyone. Is he behind it? His taunts to me are usually much more direct, there's no reference to my body odor which has me doubtful, but if it IS from him, what does that even mean? I'll trip and fall right into you?

Hardly.

HARDLY!

I'm more fortified than ever. There is no angle I have not considered. Any vulnerability he might exploit is either out of sight or out of mind. Dipper isn't foolish enough to be taken in by him again, and I'm not foolish enough to put him in a position where he might be.

Get over yourself, Bill. Trip and fall right into a bottomless ravine.

-

Sunday, September 25th

Unexpectedly, Dipper had an interesting breakthrough with the xenostrings! He had left them alone for a few days, and sure enough, when he returned to them, they behaved much better. He's figured out that they're responding to his emotional state, which I am impressed with. It took me quite a while to get there, given how frustrated I used to become when I didn't get something that seemed obvious to everyone else.

This breakthrough also happened to come after an unfortunately needed break in our work to tend to the property itself. The leaves are already coming down, and we need to stay on top of them before they get on top of us. Then there's the matter of trimming trees, seeing if any need to be knocked down, and just general maintenance on both the grounds and the house.

By throwing himself into physical labor, and by focusing on the task of decoding the whispers we captured last weekend, he managed to detach himself from his infatuation with the strings. Maybe I should work him a bit harder; it might stimulate further eureka moments for him.

-

Wednesday, September 28th

Last night was another notable one for whispers from the woods; though the message definitely has changed. Dipper and I are debating over whether it's Bill trying to mess with us in some way, or if it's some other creature trying to get our attention -- for nefarious purposes or not. We've found the more we ignore it, the more insistent it tends to be. Occasionally saying "Sure!" or "Whatever!" will get it to quiet down for a little while before it works its way back into a constant hissing in the background.

We haven't set up any equipment to try and record it yet, I'm waffling on whether we should engage at all. It seems aware we were able to figure out the first message, which is why there's something new for us to look at now. Something doesn't feel quite right about it.

I'm outside listening to them build, now. Dipper needed to take a break with the OBSEC machine, and I'm inclined to let him. That thing is a miracle, I'm finally working with the protege I deserve. It's kept him so focused and level-headed, much more able to follow my lead. We've made such progress in such a short time! I can't even begin to imagine where we'll be by the New Year.

The whispers sound even more different now, and louder than before. Probably insults I'm better off not hearing. Dipper did leave his recorders out here, though. Maybe I'll try and catch some of this, it might interest him when he gets back from putting his head on straight.

-

Friday, September 30th

"Don't be so sure."

"I'm closer than you think."

Nonsense. Utter NONSENSE!

The whispers are indeed different. Still backmasked, still desperate and pathetic.

I can't believe this, I'm almost certain it's Bill now. This is what he's spending his time doing? Trying to get me to play Marco Polo in the woods? I used to think that was fun, but I don't anymore. I have no idea what he's playing at, nor why he's able to project his voice so forcefully into the barrier I spent so much time meticulously crafting.

I suppose the makeup of the town itself is to blame. I can't get far enough under the house to fortify the bedrock of the property; he might be able to seep in via the groundwater. Running water is always a problem, and of course I live in the middle of a lush forest instead of the desert.

If I'm aware I'm being taunted, I can't be taunted. Dipper is similarly unimpressed, though he does seem a bit troubled by it all. He doesn't seem as interested in eating lately, which is a sign that he's thinking too much. I think he needs some extra time with the OBSEC, the stress of both his xenostring array and Bill being annoying might be testing his limits.

-

TBC In Part I, Chapter Two: Dipper’s September

[thescholarlystrumpet]

Tagged by @tawnyontumblr Thank you, luv! This is fun!

How many works do you have on ao3?

166 formatting is being weird without a sentence here

What's your total ao3 word count?

910,348 - ahhh approaching 1M!!

What fandoms do you write for?

Good Omens and (to a lesser extent) Hazbin Hotel right now. Past fandoms included Rumbelle, Whouffaldi, Buffy, and Avenue 5

Top five fics by kudos:

To Tell the Truth (Doctor Who) Whouffaldi moments woven between episodes. Mostly canon-compliant.

Lending a Hand (Good Omens) In his heavenly form he wouldn’t have had this dilemma at all because there was no corporeality with which to struggle. And on the other, much less ephemeral and much more literal hand, he currently had a very noticeable (and increasingly painful) erection.

Personal Assistance (The Thick of It/Doctor Who) Clara Oswald leaves behind teaching to enter the world of British politics. What better way to make a splash than by working for the infamous Malcolm Tucker? And if discovering a (mutual) attraction happens to catch them both off-guard.... well, that's just life, right?

The Babysitter (Once Upon a Time) Tumblr prompt: Mr. Gold forgets something at his house & goes back to go get it. When he arrives he hears his son's babysitter moaning and thinks she has a boy over. When he goes into his bedroom he finds her touching herself on his bed alone moaning his name.

None of Your Business (Once Upon a Time) “Well, it’s very nice to meet you at last, Angus.” She rolled his name around in her mouth as though she hadn’t been screaming it the night before. Mr. Gold tries to balance lust and trust with less finesse than he'd like to admit. Luckily, Belle can give as good as she gets.

Do you respond to comments?

I've made it a goal to try and reply to almost every comment. I'm grateful someone took the time!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh undoubtedly Silence is Golden. I made my self tear up writing that one...

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Almost all of them? But I will take this chance to pimp my Canon-based Buffy Season Six Fix-it! (Everyone lives!): Making the Pieces Fit

Only totally non-shippy fic in my repertoire and one of my proudest achievements.

Do you get hate on fics?

rarely if ever?

Do you write smut?

Bwahahahahahaha. Oh. Yes.

Craziest crossover:

Not Just Watching Anymore - Buffy/Good Omens excuse to write an M/M/M threesome between Aziraphale, Crowley, and Giles :D

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, back in the rumbelle days, someone linked me to a site trying to sell my fic as theirs and we reported it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

If they did, no one ever linked back to me :(

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Working on one with @hakunahistata tho we've both been sidetracked by Bang fics, hehe. It's gonna be great to get back!

All time favorite ship?

Oof. I love all my OTPs but I'm definitely *deep* in Aziracrow right now and hope not to emerge any time soon.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

SO. MANY.

What are your writing strengths?

I get good feedback on my dialogue and characterization. I think I write pretty kickass smut most the time.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Background. What color are the walls? Where is the furniture? I have no fucking clue unless its relevant to the story. That table only existed when I needed the character to lean against it. It wasn't raining until that helped set the mood. Some people write exquisite scene setting and I am envious but writing it bores me to tears.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

One of my IRL besties can read a bunch of ancient languages and WILL side eye improper grammatical structure in fiction so I picture them giving me that look unless I do the really proper research (or ask them directly).

First fandom you wrote in?

unofficially HP but per my AO3, Once Upon a Time

Favorite fic you've written?

Ask me to cut my baby in half while you're at it, geez! But right now, I am proudest of For Loving One 

No pressure tagging: @voluptatiscausa, @naromoreau, @fishey-me @ineffabildaddy @she-makes-things @hakunahistata @nosferatini @zin-lynn-c and anyone from the @goodomensafterdark crew!

[quailfence]

Copy-pasting this post by @/somnolent-scout @yaytheprofessor and @landscaping-your-mind because OP has turned reblogs off

somnolment-scout

What's happening to AO3 right now?

As you may have noticed already, Archive of Our Own is currently down. This is temporary, but unfortunately.. we now know that this is much deeper than we thought.

AO3 is currently the victim of a DDOS attack orchestrated by "Anonymous Sudan"

[Image description: two images.

First image is a post from Anonymous Sudan, translated to read:

❗️The reason of our attack is simple: It's part of our campaign targeting companies registered in the United States. The operators of this site is "Organization for Transformative Works (OTW)" who are registered in the United States. In addition to that, we are against all forms of degeneracy and the site is full of disgusting smuts and other LGBTQ+ and NSFW things. We bring you the good news that we will continue attacking for hours on end.

The second image are two Whatsapp messages in the group Anonymous Sudan. The UI is in the cryllic alphabet. The first message is the same as the first image. The new message reads:

The attack will continue for another 5 - 24 hours. End description.]

Why? Because AO3 is home to thousands of LGBTQIA+ content and lots of NSFW content. They're doing this as an Anti-LGBTQ+ attack. If they're doing this for or from America specifically, we're not sure. But this is what AO3 is facing at this time.

What can we do?

Spread the word. Spread the fucking word. I'll be providing updates to my Tumblr page directly from the r/AO3 subreddit. I know that not everyone here is comfortable using Reddit, so I'm taking the blow for you. I cannot access Twitter though.

And please, whatever you do...

Stop using the Archive of Our Own website at this time.

The moderators, showrunners, and service providers all need to repair the damage done by this group. The amount of data flooding in from people trying to log in will cause more problems. Keep yourselves off of the website.

YayTheProfessor

[Image description: a Twitter thread from AO3 Status (@/AO3_Status). It reads:

The Archive is experiencing some issues (as many of you have noticed). We’re looking into it, please stand by!

We apologize for any distress caused, and we’ll do our best to be back soon! As we’re running on volunteer power, we can’t always act on server hiccups as quickly as we’d like. Thank you for your patience! 🫶

Very sorry we can’t give you your fanwork fix right now, or a time estimate for when AO3 will be back. Welcome to all our new followers, and sorry we had to meet like this. 😬 Please stick around for the happier updates! 🌸

It looks like the Archive is under a DDoS attack causing the servers to fall over. Our volunteer sysadmins are working on countermeasures. Please be patient with us, we’ll be back!

A DDOS attack is when an attacker attempts to knock a site offline by overwhelming it with requests: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack. Data is not compromised in a DDOS attack, so there is no need to change your password at this time.

A group presenting themselves as a collective of religiously and politically motivated hackers has claimed responsibility for the attack. Experts do not believe they are honest about their motivation, so we urge caution in believing any reasoning they provide for targeting A03.

landscaping-your-mind

Essentially:

The AO3 is a victim of a DDoS attack by a group called Anonymous Sudan, reportedly for hosting LGBT and NSFW content, however this is not confirmed and their reasoning is doubted.

A DDoS attack attempts to overload a system with a lot of requests, stopping actual requests from getting through.

This does not compromise any data, so changing passwords is not advised/necessary.

It is unknown when the AO3 will come back online.

Do not attempt to access the AO3 at this time.

@a-captions-blog

[strwberri-milk]

Hey Berri! How’s life?

Your work where kaeya loves his best friends partner, but what if the partner actually liked him back. But when the partner tells the best friend he gets kind of aggressive (I didn’t see anything against this in your rules but if it is by all means you don’t have to do this)

Thank you good [enter Timezone]

grr i was ust trying to bold the fucking warning for this request and then tumblr ate the ENTIRE thing i was almost done awefjwaofja anyway thank you for the request!! warning for violence - there's primarily yelling here, a reference to potential physical violence, and the partner doesn't like that you 1) want to break up w them and 2) like kaeya so theyre lashing out @ you

You had met Kaeya fairly soon after you and your partner started dating thanks to how close they were. He was nice and attractive, and you understood why your partner was a little hesitant at first to introduce the two of you to each other. Kaeya seemed to also respect your relationship, choosing not to see you without your partner and being sure not to do anything or say anything to you that could be misconstrued.

However, as time passed the two of you become a little closer. You considered him a friend of sorts and your partner was well aware of this relationship between the two of you. Since you never gave them a reason to doubt your loyalty, they never seemed to mind that you and Kaeya talked a fair bit.

Kaeya was always there for you when things happened, or if you needed a listening ear. You didn't realise how important this was quickly becoming when things in your relationship began going downhill. You were no longer as happy as the two of you used to be, attributing the issue to simply growing apart from your partner.

However, your partner didn't seem to appreciate this, telling you they'll do anything they can to make sure things get better between the two of you. You were willing to give them the chance, trying your best to really appreciate it but you found that it was much more fun to just spend your time with Kaeya.

At first, it was just a simple friendship but you slowly found yourself feeling more for Kaeya than just a simple, friendly affection. The second you thought you were feeling more for him you started to distance yourself, not wanting to do this to your partner even if you didn't love them the same anymore. You wanted to break things off before even entertaining anything else, and thankfully, Kaeya seemed to be doing the same thing. However, you knew you needed to speed things along and really get ready to break up with your partner, any affection you could have had for them was quickly being swallowed up by your memories of Kaeya.

You had no idea that somehow, Kaeya found the courage to confess to your partner about how he feels about you, but your partner didn't appreciate it at all. Kaeya knew that was to be expected, but he had no idea that it would almost end in a fight. He was lucky that his instincts were quick enough that he was able to end it before it began but he had a feeling things wouldn't go as well for you.

That made your partner come home cursing Kaeya out, and you knew then that there was no way Kaeya would ever be coming around anymore. You knew that anger was something you didn't want to be near, so you finally decided to broach the subject after thinking they let off enough steam.

"I'm breaking up with you," you say as soon as your partner comes through the door, giving them a hard look.

"What - why? I told you I was going to fix us!" they reply immediately, stepping forward to you.

"You have to give me a chance. I know I've done things that upset you, but you've done them to me too!" They're imploring at this point and you know you've already done this song and dance with each other before and you shake your head.

"I can't do this anymore. I don't love you anymore, and it's unfair of me to expect you to stay when I don't care about you the same."

You thought that was the right thing to say but clearly it wasn't. Their eyes flash angrily and you realise you should have waited for them to calm down more first.

"This is because of that prick Kaeya, isn't it? I knew I couldn't trust that guy." You furrow your brows.

"You two were best friends. What do you mean?" They just scoff in response, rolling their eyes.

"We were until that son of a bitch told me he's in love with you. Where does he get off on thinking that changes anything? You're mine, not his and we can be happy again. I know we can."

They grab your hands, pleading again with you.

"Please. I love you."

"I love Kaeya."

The words leave your mouth so easily it scares you, and when they let go of your hands you realise you're fucked. Thankfully, you were already closer to the door and if things escalated then you know you can get out.

Their reaction is immediate. You can barely understand them with the intensity of their anger, yelling and berating both you and Kaeya. They're calling both you and Kaeya nasty names, trying to get under your skin as much as possible.

You ignore them as you decide to go back into the house to grab a few things. They're mostly caught up in the adrenaline of their own anger, more focused on cursing you out than on what you're doing.

You're out of the house before they even realise what's happening, closing the door after you and going to a streetlamp and catching your breath. Without thinking, you dial the only number you think would pick up at this time.

"Hello?" a groggy voice replies, and you only just realise how long it's been.

"Hey. Sorry I just left [Name] and I didn't know what else to do. I just need a place to crash for a while," you explain.

You can hear his bed sheets rustling as he seemingly jumps out of bed, the jingle of his keys ringing quietly in the background.

"Are you okay? What did they say to you? Text me where you are and I'll be there right away."

"Kaeya, are you sure?" you ask hesitantly, biting your lip. "They told me you love me."

He falls silent at the revelation. Now he's sitting in his car, hands resting on the steering wheel as he tries to figure out what to say in response.

"Yeah. I do."

"I like you too," you blurt out. "And I don't know if you're okay with it but when things settle down I want to be with you."

It's a lot braver than you thought you could ever be and despite the situation, Kaeya laughs a little.

"We can talk about it in the morning. Let's just take our time for now, okay? I just want to make sure you're safe before doing anything else."

"Thank you." You can feel yourself tearing up, not used to being cared for in such a manner for such a long time.

"Hey, don't cry until I'm there to wipe your tears," he playfully pouts, keeping you entertained and smiling the entire drive over. When you're finally with him you find yourself content for the first time in a long time.

[octoxicash]

abandoning down all my twt accs for the forseeable future for real now, wiping my public accs art too sometime today

some thoughts on it bc i feel a bit emotional abt it? is that stupid? over twt?? . idk give me better things to think abt or draw in my inbox or smthn

my OctoXicAsh twt acc was literally my first acc under that name, ig besides my Splatoon 2 acc where i adopted it. like before that it was shit like. CattyKat or smthn. i know ShadowKat or UltimateKat was one at some point. that user is probably still out there somewhere on League or smthn. stupid shit shit like that but not ME yknow?. OctoXic / OtoXicAsh was like my first For Real Me usernames ever and obviously i still use it to this day. so that acc feels special to me ig

it was my first social media platform too (not counting Pinterest bc i didnt use it as a social thing and still dont) and i met my bestest of friends and my now boyfriend too thru the dsmp/mcyt boom in 2021. id say that was my first truely interactive fandom which is an cringeass shit to say at my grown age but my families were too poor to afford a phone for me til i was like 16/17 and before that i just,, wasnt a very adventurous kid on the computer. 2021 jump into twt and fanart was my first step outside of my own bubble, and during the pandemic it became a lifeline. and like. Elon buying twt sealed its grave, there was no doubt abt it but i was def one of those "i go down w my ship" people bc thats STILL my biggest acc by a LONG SHOT and i had made WAY too many great memories and friends to let it go. up until literally today, my priv twt OctoIsYelling is STILL essentially a massive groupchat for me an my friends in an acc form, interactive and communicative while still letting me be in my own page. its better than insta or tumblr in that sense and it was PERFECT before it went to shit

but now the site genuinely barely functions man. its slow and laggy and reloads constantly and eats my battery worse than SKY COTL. AN ACHEIVEMENT. the app just refuses to work at all if i have my phone plugged in for whatever reason and idk how to fix it. i thought it was a me problem for so long until 1 post talking abt it changed everything. like it GENUINELY DOESNT WORK. and it SUCKS. its plauged with adds for a subscription that no one reasonable would pay for and straight up hard alt-right politics. the bots are outrageous like its sooo bad its so bad i havent opened my dms on public acc in at least a yr. sorry if anyone tried to get ahold of me. the algorithm that used to be like at least half decent is now ALL doom and bait and SHIT, its not even rlly worth it to try n cultivate ur spaces now bc no matter what shit u dont want is being pushed in ur face. the transphobia is so unbelievably bad, and while ive done my best to fix my tl its still so ass. THEY TOOK AWAY TWT CIRCLES MY BEST FRIEND 💔💔💔💔 I USED TO USE THAT FOR SHOWING OFF ART FOR MY FRIENDS TO MY OTHER FRIENDS WITHOUT THE ONE WHO ITS FOR SEEING💔💔💔💔💔💔

despite all that keeps going wrong or being fucked over i still held on for so long but i just CANT in right mind stay on the site any longer when its actively feeding its generative ai. ive been small enough and lucky enough to where no one has targeted me and used my shit (that i know of) but now its completely unavoidable and its UPSETTING

i want my big friend gc that was my web of oomfs and moots back. bluesky has hope for me but theres no priv accs and im not comfortable enough to air out every thought i have publicly. idk when privs r coming there but i hope its soon :( i miss old twt so much and i only caught glimpses of it before it was bought out. im so thankful for my time there but i cant help but feel hurt yknow?

idk if anyone else understands me rlly bc ppl have just been so frustrated w the site/app and the cons have def been outweighing the pros, but i still loved my time there. i hope im making sense. it sucks. it feels too personal. thats THE OctoXicAsh and OctoIsYelling accs. that was essentially my journal. :(

i dont have the heart to deactivate my accs esp w the load of history i have on them i RLLY dont want it gone, but ill be wiping my art from my art acc and ceasing all activity on them indefinitely. probably forever. hell.

thank u for reading all that if u did. im feeling sooo fine abt everything in my life rn. everything is falling to peices lately but were sooo fine. we ball so hard