#we're trapped in a wait and see situation and I'm so scared.

[momentsofamber]

Under a read more because I don't want to accidentally trigger anyone or anything but cw for talk of accidental and in no way fore-planned animal poisoning. If this topic is upsetting to you, please do not click the read more out of guilt or any moral obligation, we will be okay! I just wanted to get my thoughts out somewhere. Please keep yourselves safe and with the knowledge that as of me typing this up the animal is still acting like his normal healthy self and has been looked over by someone with some vet training.

This is about our 3 year old cat, we'll call him Kol. ( I don't want to use his real name because my main blog has his name on it and that blog unfortunately has stalkers who could potentially find this blog and harass me if they connected the two because they have a history of finding new ways to harass me even when I turn anon off or hide my blogs. )

My partner has several plants in the house, gardening is a SpIn for him. In the fall he took any plants that had a chance of coming back in the next spring inside in pots and put them on his window sill. Up until today Kol has shown no interest in trying to get at his Dad's plants.

This morning around 6:30AM shortly before my partner woke up Kol climbed up on the windowsill and took a chomp out of a plant we believe to be an orange Day-lily. ( Originally we thought it was a Tiger Lily; we do not know for certain because it was one my partner transplanted into a pot from the side of our apartment complex towards the end of this past spring. But from googling the leaves they appear to be Day-lily leaves which look more like giant grass strands. )

Presumably Kol thought it was cat grass, because he loves grass ( he was a stray we took in and will still excitedly eat grass when taken outside on his leash ), and because his Dad does grow cat grass in the exact same pots downstairs in our kitchen. ( He has never been fed a pot of cat grass anywhere in the home except in the kitchen next to his dry food source. )

We are both more than aware that lilies are highly toxic to cats. I woke up a little after 8AM to my partner already trying to find ways to induce vomiting because we can't afford a huge vet bill. This was a no-go so we started making phone calls instead.

We called animal poison control. They took money from me for a phone consult, and then they advised us to take him to his vet. We called his vet, they said he'd need 48 hour care and supervision and they do not provide care past 6PM, so we should call a vet ER.

We do not have the funds to take him to ER (if you google it, lily poisoning treatment is upwards of 1K), we called animal poison control back, they basically said 'well call your vet and have them call us and we'll explain your situation', my partner called the vet back and the lady said the same thing, 'we can't treat the cat here, so I can't speak with that person, you need to take him to the ER.'

So now not only did I waste a payment of limited funds I already didn't have on calling poison control for advice I couldn't follow, we have no answers as to whether or not our cat is poisoned because he's not behaving strangely. He's still eating and drinking, interacting normally, he's not hiding from us. In fact he just keeps looking at us in confusion because of how panicked we are about him.

We did get a family friend with basic vet training to look at him. ( Not a licensed vet, but she took classes back in Poland before coming here on visa and becoming an RNA. She knows enough that she could be a vet assistant. ) She seemed to think he would be find as long as he made it past 12 hours without showing any severe symptoms because he was completely interactive with her, he responded promptly to her tests of his response time, he's still walking and jumping normally, and she felt around his stomach.

So right now it's just a waiting game. I've got delta wave music playing out my speakers because Kol LOVES delta wave and binaural music just as much as I do to help relax, and he's napping on my bed like he usually does during the day.

I'm just so scared. If anything happens to Kol, my partner is never going to forgive himself for keeping a lily in the house with a cat. And the whole reason he kept this plant was because I said Tiger Lilies are my favorite flower ...

My partner has already trashed the plant in frustration ( since I had already taken pics of it for poison control ) and removed all of the rest of his plants from his room altogether where Kol cannot reach them. If we lose our cat I'm afraid he'll never garden again.

Please, please, please, let our son be okay ... we cannot lose this cat ...

[pixelnrd]

On the eve of the new millenum, Ginger ran downstairs to inform her family of their potential impending doom. Having read all about it online, Y2K could posssibly be the biggest disaster they would face in their lifetime.

Her frenzied explanation of the situation as she tried to convince them all tospend their new years down in the basement caused confusion for the rest of the family. None of them understood why, and yet to appease Ginger in her heightened state they all agreed to go downstairs to Quincy's basement bedroom, which Ginger had turned into a temporary shelter.

'We all have to stay down here just in case, but I've got a whole cooler of food and beds for us all. It'll be fine! We just have to wait it out!' she insisted.

Once everyone realised that Ginger was trapping them all in the basement together, they were suddenly less compliant. But Jenny and Heather worried that Ginger might be right, so they decided that everyone should go along with it, just in case. Jasmine and Quincy were furious, and began to berate their sister for ruining their New Years plans. Everyone ate cold cereal for dinner and went to sleep on the floor.

Come the next day, having been trapped together in a basement for 24 hours, the tensions dissolved. Heather and Jenny woke up to find their near-adult children all playing video games together in their pjs, and talking to eachother with affection and kindness.

Ginger confessed to her siblings that she was scared of life once they left the basement. Even if things were all fine, and disaster had been averted, they were all about to graduate high school and go their separate ways for the first time in their lives. It scared her, leaving behind their shared childhood here.

'But Ginger, we're all still going to be friends,' assured Quincy. 'We'll always be in touch, even if we aren't living in the same house. We can always IM or email or text.'

'I thought you guys couldn't wait to get away from me, though,' confessed Ginger.

'No way! I'm going to miss you both,' said Jasmine, feeling sad too. 'Even if you guys drive me crazy, I love you both so much.'

It was like old times - being forced into the company of one another had broken down the walls they had all built up as they strove for individuality. Heather and Jenny smiled with happiness, seeing what kind and caring young people they had raised, who could put aside their differences to remember that they loved one another. They felt like they had got it right.

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever, friendship never ends 🎵

[missmarveledsblog]

THE BABYSITTING TRAP (18+)

Summary:  the gang made  a plan to set steve up and Y/n hopper up, did they expect it to go so well ?

Warning : smut , soft dom steve , praise kink , daddy kink , hair pulling   , spanking just steve unleashing his inner eddie to be fair . also everything nancy did and tension during season 4 we're just going to pretend it was us instead.  steve being fluffier than his hair . this is 18+ minors not welcome

As far as failed night go , he was starting to think this was possibly could be the best night of his life.  All he had to do was well  tell her how  he felt . which kinda was hard to do watching to move around her trailer wearing his t-shirt  making them popcorn  to watch a movie alone , together . the girl of his dreams , one that stood by everything , one who appreciated him .  little thing she would do told him as much  when they were hanging as group. she stop them teasing him about his failed love life , made sure eddie didn't eat his favourite snacks if he was running late , hell even having his favourite snacks there .  how she would actually listen to what he had to say during the whole upside down situation .  checking his wounds and making sure everything was healing  or cleaned properly.  how when he was pulled under water she was straight in after .. maybe shit he was idiot . the kids were right and it was right in front of him the whole time . he for once didn't think of his action , when she came over he helped her with placing the things down not before pulling her on to his lap and  cuddling her close , god her giggles made his day, a melody he could listen to on repeat he was sure of it .  " what has gotten into you harrington, not that i'm complaining  " her smile , that damned smile could make anyone's day brighter  . " something that took me way too long to do " he said proud his voice didn't squeak or waver  . " and what would that be " god he had the usually confident teasing yet kind and caring y/n nervous.  " taking that step   ,  a step we both wanted , to finally stop kidding myself and finally go after the girl i want so bad it physically hurts sometimes , making sure no one can take her away " he smiled leaning up and capturing her lips with his .  she wanted to punch herself the shit she  used to say about how ridiculous movie kissing was bullshit . she could literally eat her words with how wrong she was .  how his lips against hers felt like they were meant to be there . two puzzle pieces connect to reveal the whole picture. souls reconnecting after eternity searching for  each other , nerves coming to life , fire work the lot . 

Needing air they reluctantly pulled back , both shit eating grins on there faces .  " about time harrington i was beginning to lose hope " she sighed dramatically head falling against his chest. " hey you could have said something you know " he defended finger lifting her chin to make her eyes align with his . " maybe i was scared " she bit her lip which wasn't a lie  , she'd been the same telling the group they were seeing things .  " well i was was terrified , i mean imagine losing this beautiful , kind , sweetheart , kinda an asshole sarcastic woman and one of my best friends because i told her i love her so much it drive me insane" he bared it all everything he was feeling over the years . " wait love " she sat up looking at him fully searching his eyes  making sure it wasn't some stupid prank between him and the kids or eddie .  " love like full blown burn the world down for you love " he  repeated .  what words failed , actions didn't she crashed her lips against his  hungrily showing him how much she loved him , how he made her go on when she thought she couldn't , how he gave her the strength to fight when she felt weak . steve harrington held a place in her heart  since the moment she met him , those puppy brown eyes had her locked , hook , line and sinker .  she pulled the back of his neck in a bid to get closer , while her skin burned with a need  only he could satisfy .    a quick turn of positions and she was now straddling the man she dreamed about for so long .  steve kissed back harder like she was his only source of oxygen while his hands land on her hip pulling her closer .  like it was on instinct her hips rolled making the man  under let out the sexiest almost primal moan she had ever heard . it was surreal she had steve the hair harrington moaning beneath her .   " if we gonna do this baby girl then we are going to need that bed of yours " a husk almost whisper against her ear making her whimper. steve harrington made her  give out the neediest whimper  something she wasn't aware could happen.  " take me to bed steve " she moaned feeling his strain against his jeans . 

without be breaking the kiss , he lifted her effortlessly up off the chair , holding her steady as he kissed down her neck  the t-shirt he love seeing on  her was now in his way . she could feel her skin almost burn with desire pulling the shirt over her head showing  the pink lace bra hiding underneath . " i definitely died and now in heaven" he teased kissed down her chest as he hand pushed her bedroom door open and kicking it closed . laying her softly on the bed as she pulled her shorts off . " eager are we " he smirked seeing the lust blown eyes , kiss bitten lips and it was all for him .  " please steve fuck touch me , kiss me do something " she kneeled before him pulling him by his waist band .    "yeah i died and this is heaven " he growled pushing her on her back while giving her almost a bruising kiss .  licking , biting down her neck as he unclasped her bra sitting up to admire her , the dream he had were nothing in comparison to the real deal. " fuck you are so beautiful baby girl " his hand giving teasing pinches to her now hardened peaks .  " oh you like that huh baby" he grin bowing his head . at first it teasing kitten licks , before a hiss broken moan came from her lips feeling him sucking and  biting her nipples soft mouth making her core throb with a need . her panties drenched at the way he handled her in such as short space of time.  she felt a fire burn deeper when his kissing began to continue down her body .   even touch of his lips felt like her wildest dreams coming to life yet it still wasn't enough she needed more of him , all of him . " can i take these off"  he asked a false coyness lilt to his deep husky voice. " fuck yes please i need you " she whimpered . " oh baby girl daddy's gonna take care of you , be a good girl and sit back while i eat this little pussy of yours,  can you do that " fuck this was definitely a dream ." yes daddy i'll be good " .   she hissed feeling his finger sliding up and down painful slow yet not even where she wanted . " all this for me such a good girl ..mmm you taste fucking heavenly i knew you would my sweet beautiful girl " he moaned tongue swirling tasting her slick . never did he think he would have her  tasting so sweet on his tongue dancing on his taste buds it was safe to say he was already addicted. " mm fuck daddy " she cried feeling his tongue swirl around her puffy clit sending her head crashing against the pillow  the pulling his hair and her back arching at the sensation . steve harrington ate pussy like it was a five course meal and his last meal all in one . she felt her coil tighten and windup so tight she almost screamed when it snapped making his actions faster lapping up her orgasim . " fuck i'm doing that daily fucking hell baby you taste so good " he groaned wiping her juices from his face.  

" now i need to be in that pussy because i near damn came in my fucking boxers like a little virgin , can i fuck you my sweet girl " he smiled down seeing her blissed out face.  she couldn't speak all her mind consisted of was him and him needing to be inside her . " too cock drunk speak  that's ok daddy will take care of you " he growled teasing his cock through her folds coating him up ,underestimating his own control but slowly he began pushing in , feeling the softness of her walls  it was like she was made for him and him  alone .  she couldn't help the pleading and begging that flew out of her mouth nor if someone told her this would happen she'd laugh in their face yet here she was doing just that  .  " FUCK" she cried as he began to thrust hitting spots in her body she never knew where there ,  her nails  scraping down his back in a bid to pull him closer anyway she could but what surprised her most was when he pinned her hands above her head , fucking her into the mattress like it was his main goal in life  turning her on more that she even thought was possible . babbles and moans filling the room along with the filthiness spewing from the  mans mouth .  " daddy fuck just like that " she cried wanting to grab him but hell even the restricted movement made it better somehow. he let go of her hands gliding them down pinching her nipples as he passed them before he began circling her clit  . " we cum together baby i can feel it  " he growled as she clenched around . " now " his thrust sloppy then she felt his cum filling her up painting ever part of her cervix as she herself clenched down milking ever part of it .  " fuck that was...." she panted . " totally happening every chance we get .. i totally agree" he joked pulling out of her. " steve you know i love you too right .. so much it drives me insane " she leaned up lasily kissing him as he pulled her to his chest .  

bonus : 

" i'm not going in there but it's safe to say the plan worked and dustin is traumatise " robin nodded face in pure disgust. " who knew harrington was a kinky fuck " eddie smirked . " can we please just go " dustin whispered . " come on we can get the money of steve for therapy " robin led him toward eddies van . " HARRINGTON YOU ARE MY HERO " eddie yelled in . " munson come on before henderson barfs in your van " robin hissed. 

[soaringwide]

Pick a Card: How to attract love in your life? ❤️

Pile 1 > Pile 2 > Pile 3

Hey :p Welcome back to a new pick a pile love reading.

Today we're going to have a look at How can you attract love into your life. I'm going to look at where you're currently at, the things that work and the things that don't, practical steps you can take, and finally, the most probable outcome for the near future.*

*keep in mind that it's very hard with tarot to give a precise timeframe, which is why i say ''near future'', which might mean different things for different people. Also, the future is highly volatile and this might only be accurate for your present situation, and may be prone to shift if you make significant changes. As always, you are in control of your life so don't let a reading dictate what you should and should not do.

This is a general reading meant for multiple people so it might not resonates perfectly to your situation. Take what resonates and leave out the rest.

Ko-fi ★ book a reading ★ pinned post ★ instagram

PILE 1

Cards: 5 of Pentacles, the Sun, 5 of Cups, 9 of Cups, Strength, King of Cups, Ace of Cups, Page of Swords Reversed, the High Priestess, Ace of Swords, 8 of Cups, King of Pentacles, the Star, 5 of Wands, 4 of Cups, the Devil

You are currently trapped into a mindset of lack and feeling like you don't belong. You feel like there's something broken with you that stops you from getting the love that you long for. You believe that the warmth of love is being denied from you by outside circumstances and that you are unable to change that. Not the best place to be mentally and I highly empathize, I know how it feels…

What is blocking you is that you are spending a lot of mental and emotional energy feeling devastated for what you don't have. You may have known love in the past and you're idealizing that and feeling regrets over what you've lost. For some of you it might literally be because you wish you had this love back, but for others it could just be wishing for that sweet feeling again. It's also possible that, regardless of a past relationship or not, you are longing for a time in your past where things seemed more carefree and that you now feel somewhat broken. Feeling like things were so much more radiant and optimistic back then. I'm also getting that love might feel like the last thing in your life you need to feel fully accomplished and you're hyper focusing on that one thing, not seeing all the other good things going for you. There is this idea that you're waiting and waiting for the perfect occasion to show up while carrying these heavy feelings.

However, things are not fully bleak for you. You are extremely resilient and have spent a lot of time perfecting yourself. Despite your feelings of romantic lack, you keep working on yourself, be it your career, your passions and projects, or your own self. You keep things moving thinking that if love doesn't come, then at least you can make other areas of your life good. You're also able to set aside these heavy feelings in order to remain balanced. Like, you feel them, you're aware of them, but you don't let that submerge you and you keep living anyway. So you have what it takes to fix the issue, you just need to see it and start working on it.

Because the advice is that you need to release your defensiveness regarding love. I'm getting that you've learnt to be so firmly attached to this lack mentality and the failures you've experienced that it's making you shut down any possibility of romance. I'm seeing a pattern of starting to catch feelings and automatically cutting them off, distrusting them and retreating within yourself. I think this is a defense mechanism, which served its purpose for a long time but is now counterproductive. You may lack honesty with yourself and with potential partners because you fear showing your feelings, scared of getting hurt.

So it's natural that for what you need to embrace, a card of clarity and communication shows up. If you always hide how you feel to your love interest, most healthy people will not pursue you and instead back off not to bother you, since they think you are not interested. You must communicate how you feel and investigate the other person's wishes and feelings. There is also the need to be in tune with your own intuition and inner guidance, which seems to be muddied by your fears and unhealthy coping mechanisms. You must embrace tuning into yourself, where you will find the answer on what to do, because I really think you've go a strong personal guidance and you know who and what is good for you, and you can lean into and learn to trust that.

And it seems the practical steps you need to take at this present moment point at solving these issues first and foremost. You have unfinished emotional business that you need to leave behind. It's like it's cluttering your emotional life and there is no space for anything romantic to bloom. You need to make room for love in your heart by releasing these painful points we talked about earlier. The way to do that with the Star (feeling called to name the card so that you can look into it if you wish) is to embrace hope that things can indeed change for the better. Have faith that you can renew yourself and step into a new way of living. This card always reminds me of making a wish and believing it's going to come true, so have faith!

The near future cards point at you working on that. Breaking the chains that hold you down. It's a process that may look a little chaotic, and you'll go back and forth between not doing anything and pondering on what steps to take next, being indecisive, and then hastily trying out things in hope something is going to fit. I see that it's a learning process and you're going to need to find the right way to act. You are about to break those destructive patterns and make room for love to come into your life. I do not know when this is going to happen, but the work you'll be doing will make you happier and more balance so it's worth working toward for the sake of it. And all point at the fact that it's the best thing to do in your situation in order to attract love into your life.

PILE 2

Cards: 6 of Swords, 7 of Swords, King of Cups, the Lovers, the Magician, Knight of Swords, the Fool, 10 of Pentacles, King of Swords, King of Pentacles, Queen of Cups, the Hanged Man, Knight of Wands, the Sun, King of Wands, 5 of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles, Temperance

It seems you're currently in a post breakup phase, leaving something behind and wondering what's coming next. (if that's not the case, then that's not the pile for you). There is a sense of sadness and worry, but also hope for the future even though it is very uncertain. I'm getting that it's something quite fresh which will explain the current situation.

For what is blocking you, it seems you've been rendered very distrustful of love, and may even have been either cheated on, or betrayed in some way by the person you love(d). You have a hard time processing these emotions and it's stopping you from truly moving on. It's like you became disillusioned and don't trust romance anymore. You may feel angry and revengeful, bitter, in all cases, and it's coloring your view of love. Part of you is still looking over your shoulder at what once was, whether it's with regret and nostalgia or on the contrary with bitterness.

For what is going for you, it seems that despite that you desire a new beginning, a fresh start of some kind. You want to make a new relationship happen, one that will satisfy you in all aspects and that will be in alignment with yourself. I'm also getting that you're tired of being taken for an fool, fed up with giving your heart freely to someone who will stomp on it. I also see that you're determined to approach that with very upfront communication, seeking to be clear on your needs and boundaries, and that you are done with tolerating bullshit. It's also sort of like you want to get out of your current painful situation as fast as possible by finding something new, which does show up as a good thing however I'm getting the need for nuance here as you could be rushing too much as a way to run away from your feelings or perhaps get back at your ex by showing you don't need them.

You need to release this past relationship. It shows up as something that seemed like it was heading towards long term commitment, which makes it all the more painful. However, if things turned out the way they did that's because it wasn't built on solid foundations, and may not have been a good thing for you had it not blown off anyway. I'm also getting that this past-person probably embodied pretty authoritative traits, in a pretty tyrannical way, and it's leaving you, again, distrustful of future connections (or even of the whole gender of your ex partner). I think it somewhat robbed you of your own agency, made you feel weak and powerless, and there is a need to reclaim that power (you got ALL 4 Kings).

Which is shown in the next section with what you need to embrace. The cards point at the need to pick yourself back up and work on yourself, your abundance and security, which may mean focusing on other areas of your life for a while as a way to look in a different direction. Your heart also requires some attention and it would be beneficial to practice some self care, whether that means taking care of yourself from an aesthetical point of view (beauty, fashion, etc) or from a more holistic point of view (diet, exercise, meditation, etc). Make yourself beautiful for yourself and it may help you lift yourself up and feel better about yourself. This will allow you to shift your perspective, however, it will require some time and you will need to dive into it and think about the issue. You must understand that there is nothing more you can do to fix this past situation, and that it's okay to take time to think and embrace that moment of stagnancy that will help you give yourself space to heal and move on.

The idea of finding your power and sense of agency back is again shown in the cards that talk about the practical steps you should take. I'm getting that in order to do that, you need to focus on what makes you passionate about life, what lights your fire up and makes you want to pour your energy in. There is also the need to chill a bit and do things that seem fun and unimportant. Get silly a little bit, go out and enjoy the sweetness of life. Not everything is about romantic love and not only is it okay to do other things, it's also something you deeply need at this present moment to feel better. In all cases, push yourself to create some movement in your life and don't stay locked in alone, wallowing over yourself. I'm also getting the need to focus on things that are pleasurable, for your body and yourself.

For the near future when it comes to romantic love, I unfortunately think that for some time at least, you may still be alone and struggling with that fact, thinking you've been left with nothing and having a hard time processing your loss. You may want to take some steps towards new connections, but doing so very slowly and holding back a lot, so there won't be much progress on that side for a while. The focus will be mostly on healing yourself and focusing on rebalancing your heart. Trying to find hope and faith in love again. This whole process takes time but is very important in order to help you find healthy love again.

PILE 3

Cards: 9 of Cups, Queen of Swords, 7 of Pentacles, 6 of Cups, Ace of Wands, the Chariot, 4 of Swords, 4 of Pentacles, Page of Swords, 10 of Pentacles, the High Priestess, 7 of Cups, the Emperor, 6 of Wands, Justice, Ace of Pentacles, 8 of Pentacles, the Sun

You're currently in a phase where you feel ready for love. You've established a lot of things for yourself and you're in a satisfying place in life. Not perfect, nothing ever is, but you've grown a lot recently that's for sure. And when it comes to love, that's your wish and you're currently strongly waiting for the time to finally come to see that wish come true. It's the one thing that you desire the most at the moment and see it as a potential for great happiness.

For what's blocking you, I see that you are perhaps a tad too focused on observing that wish form, growing more and more impatient, and as a result getting a but tyrannical with your mind. Like, things don't go as fast as you want them to, so you second guess yourself and lot, get anxious and frustrated with yourself. There is a form of naivety here, as if you were not the most experienced in matters of love. It could also mean it's been a while you've been in a relationship and the memories of your past love are being triggered and coming back to the surface, making it hard to deal with them.

For things going for you, you've gotten a lot of action oriented cards, showing that you are determined and driven to see your wish come true. You don't want to wait anymore and are ready to make a move once the opportunity shows up. You trust that you are on the right path and are ready for things to pick up speed. However, this might make you get a bit restless when again the right opportunity or situation doesn't show up fast enough and it's a bit exhausting for you because you put a lot of pressure on yourself.

Another interesting message is one of getting out of hibernation in some way, which is shown in your past-to be released cards as well. It seems you used to have a tendency to hold onto your feelings and intentions, never making your desires and wants known, reacting by being very defensive and guarded, and i think you've not quite released that old pattern totally yet, but it's in progress. I think you still have a tendency to put a wall between you and your love interest by fear of getting hurt and you keep your cards close to your chest because you want to make the right move at the right time and you worry acting out of sync and ruining everything. This is making you a little too controlling and calculating and not in flow enough.

So it makes sense that one of the message of things to embrace has to do with getting in touch with your more intuitive side, as opposed to your analytical side. I think you still second guess yourself a lot despite knowing when a situation has potential and all this worry is making you go back and forth a lot and is causing tension. I think you need to embrace your desire for long lasting commitment, which for some reason you might be scared to accept, as if you thought wishing for it would mean being disappointed when you don't get it. You're so fearful of being disillusioned and not seeing reality clearly that you put everything into question and confuse yourself. You need to know that it's okay to not be able to read other people's intentions, you're not meant to. Things will get clearer as they progress. Also, it's okay to daydream about the love you desire, and you should do more of that. Explore things in the safe space that is your imagination and allow yourself to imagine what you want the future to be like.

For the practical steps to take, there is a need to show up confident and strong, taking the lead instead of waiting for the other person to make a move. You know yourself and your boundaries and you can say what you desire. There is also the need to come up fair and honest, so don't hide how you feel, don't hide what you want, but honor your loved person with the respect that come with being upfront. Also, to answer your worries, go there with the confidence of someone who act as if they won, and by that I mean don't expect things to go wrong before you even know if they will but instead pretend victory will be on your side, because even if you're not sure, why automatically assume you're going to get rejected when you don't really know?

For the near future, I didn't go too in detail about your situation because I wanted to leave the message open, but I think for some of you there's already a connection in the making, and you're soon going to be handed a new piece of the puzzle that will make you see things in a new perspective and make things progress further. What it is I do not know, but the cards point at a phase of focused progress where someone or both parties are working toward a common goal. Again I can't say what that puzzle piece is, but there is a strong idea of that new way of seeing the relationship, or experiencing the relationship, that leads to a path where you'll be working toward something for this connection.

Finally, I just wanted to point out that the bottom of the deck was the Sun so it seems this is an auspicious time for you, so don't get too hung up in what doesn't work exactly the way you want and enjoy the ride!!

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.171 Happy birthday to ya

When it got closer to party time, Sophia and I moved the couch to the backyard for more seating options. Our parties always end up fragmented with some sims eating in the house and others on the patio. My goal is to keep everyone together, so hopefully this will help. We also moved the picnic blanket and put the portable crib outside to accommodate the little ones. Because we're friendly again, I invited Yasmine and her girls, but she declined. She doesn't know the other guests and didn't want anyone asking questions about Stacey. I completely understood but feel bad for her. This spellcaster business has really trapped her and the girls in their home.

Apart from my baby aging up, I'm most excited about having Dub and his family in our home for the first time. Between the deaths and parenthood, it's been super hard for us to connect lately. I guess I was naïve enough to believe it would be easier being in the same city, but life keeps proving it doesn't matter where we are. Life is going to life, and that's that. I suppose I'll have to be more intentional about hanging with him too.

"You got it smelling good out here, bro," a voice says from behind me.

That Henford accent is unmistakable, and I was so glad to hear it. I turned around and embraced him.

"Wassup, man! Did you find us okay? Welcome! Finally!"

"Right? Took you long enough!"

"Don't even play, man. You know how life is sometimes."

"Sure do. This house is nice! And the view!"

"Thanks. If you're able to stick around later, I'll give you the tour. Hey, where's Maia? Is she coming?"

"Yeah, she's running a little late. She's just finishing up a project for a client."

"Ahhh. See? San Sequoia has been good to you already. I'm glad her business is picking up."

There's no way Dub showed up alone, so I looked around for Tambara, knowing she couldn't be too far behind. I spotted her toddling across the yard, trying her best to catch up with her daddy.

"She's getting to be extremely independent these days," Dub said when he realized I was watching her. "She won't even let us pick her up anymore. I don't mind that so much, but waiting for her really slows me down."

"She'll get faster," I said, thinking about Desiree's determination. "Just give her time."

Tami and Desi look nothing alike, but I see glimpses of the immediate future in her proud face and wobbly gait. I want Desi to grow up and change the world, but I can't part with my little girl. At the same time, I'm anxious to see her continue to grow. I love watching her smash these milestones like the boss baby she is. Ugh. Fatherhood is just a melting pot of contradictions. How can I be happy and sad, proud and scared at the same time?

Tami finally made her way over to us, so I waved.

"Hey there! Do you remember me? I'm Luca. That's a pretty dress."

Her face lit up, and I knew it didn't matter if she remembered me or not. I was currently her new bestie. Flattery works at all ages, hee hee.

"What do you say when someone gives you a compliment?" Dub asked.

"I know," she shouted.

Me and Dub had a good laugh. She's so precocious, and I love it. Kids really do say the darndest things, and I can't wait to hear what Desi will have to say. Hopefully that's not a be careful what you wish for situation, heh.

"That's right, Tam," I said. "You better know it."

"How are you holding up?" Dub asked, wiping the smile off my face.

"I'm good. As good as I can be, rather. It gets a little better every day."

"I'm glad to hear it. I can't even think about what that's going to be like."

"It might sound morbid, but you should start thinking about it, man. It's the shock that's hard to get over."

"You play dollies with me," Tambara shouts.

That was probably supposed to be a question, but she's too excited about her new, big friend and it's too cute.

"Oh, no," Dub says to me. "You start that and she'll never let you go."

She's adorable, looking just like both of them. I hope she and Desi will like each other. It'll be a shame to have them fighting or snubbing each other when we hang out.

"You can play with Desiree later, okay?" he says.

"Speaking of... We should probably get this show on the road soon. Let me finish these ribs."

(makeovers and family photos below!)

Dub and fam by @mysimsloveaffair

[david-talks-sw]

Okay so I watched Inside Man on Netflix. It's interesting. More importantly, it's a masterclass in crafting likeable characters and how the POV we follow in a scene affects the way we see a character. Also, this somehow relates to the Star Wars Prequels, I promise! 😆

The moral of the series is that "everyone is a murderer, all it takes is a good reason and a bad day." The main characters are:

A vicar who - through a huge misunderstanding - has now locked his son's tutor in his basement and doesn't know how to get out of this situation, played by David Tennant.

A convicted murderer and ex-criminal psychology professor who solves crimes from his cell, as he waits for his execution, played by Stanley Tucci.

So a man who locked a woman in his cellar and a guy who murdered his wife. In any other movie, these guys are the villains. Yet, both of these characters are extremely likeable!

This is achieved through how relatably they behave in their relationships (kind, humble, humorous)...

... and through the emotion and/or charisma brought by the actors playing them (it's THE DOCTOR/CROWLEY and Stanley Friggin' Tucci)... but also through the amount of screen time they get.

We're with them for most of the show. There's other characters (the journalist, the trapped tutor and the vicar's wife) and subplots, of course, but they're our two anchors.

So when I'm watching David Tennant lock his son's tutor in his cellar and consider if he should free her - only to see him and his wife make things worse - I'm not thinking "you monster" like I do when I see Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs for example.

No, I'm thinking "goddammit vicar you're making things worse, it'll come back to haunt you, there's still a chance to turn back, please!" I'm rooting for him to make the right choice because I'm seeing him struggle and despair and hesitate throughout many scenes.

When I'm watching Stanley Tucci guiltily say he deserves death, after being so darn charming, humble and in clear possession of a moral compass, my instinct as a viewer isn't to go "he's right".

It's to go "aaaw, no it's fine, everyone makes mistakes."

And these characters remain likeable and/or relatable for a huge chunk of time... until, every once in a while, the show reminds you that, "remember, these guys are criminals."

"One of them's killed his wife then decapitated her, and the other one is contemplating murder, so they did/are doing evil stuff, they're the villains and you shouldn't grow fond of them."

Then it goes back to making you empathize with them again.

It's quite the emotional roller-coaster, very intriguing yet frustrating, which I have to guess is exactly what the show is going for.

But the point is: the amount of time we spend with these characters is partially what elicits this emotional reaction out of us.

If we consider the tutor's character:

For all intents and purposes, we should feel sorry for her, or full-on fucking love her. Objectively-speaking, she's:

smart but obviously scared,

we establish early on that she has a brave heart and stands up for oppressed women,

she thinks she's trapped by a pedophile or a man defending a pedophile, figures he'll inevitably try to murder her, yet manages to stay resourceful, determined and cool-headed despite it all.

She's an absolute superhero.

But that's not how the narrative frames her.

She's framed as an antagonistic force, in the vicar's subplot.

She may be the one tied up in a basement, but she's in control and the vicar is not. She's almost framed as being in a position of power (when she's really not), which leads the audience to view Tenant's vicar as an underdog.

When the vicar is trying to look for alternatives to end this situation so that he doesn't have to kill her, she's unhelpful,

and even starts pitting the vicar and his wife against each other.

Again, in-universe, she's scared shitless and in "fight-or-flight" mode. She's putting up a front because she's just trying to get outta this alive. She's the victim, here, not the vicar who captured her.

But as a viewer, you don't feel that, despite objectively knowing that. Why and how?

Because we barely see this character, compared to Tenant's vicar. So we have more time to grow to feel for him. There's "why".

Also 90% of what we do see of the tutor is her being aggressive, manipulative, sometimes downright merciless and we're seeing her from the POV of the vicar or the vicar's wife. There's "how".

Result: the viewer feels sorry for the captor and frustrated towards the captive.

This isn't a rational reaction, it's an emotional one (the goal of any visual artform being to get an emotional reaction out of the viewer).

Which means the series and Stephen Moffat effectively did their job.

How does this relate to the Prequels?

Well, a lot of people see the Jedi in a negative light in the Prequels, and Anakin in a more sympathetic one.

Even though the Prequels are about how a good man becomes bad, and even though the Jedi embody one of the major Star Wars themes (selflesness) as opposed to Anakin who clearly displays the anti-theme (selfish)... a majority of fans feels more for the latter than the former. Why?

Because the Prequels unintentionally do what Inside Man does purposefully. You react to Anakin like you react to the vicar. You react to the Jedi like you react to the tutor.

Simply put: Anakin has more screen time than the Jedi. And we don't just see him more, we see him struggle, we see him about what he knows to be morally right vs what he really wants, we see him be overtaken by his own fear...

... and just by contrast, that makes him more relatable than the Jedi, who have already overcome their character arcs and mostly all learned to keep their flaws in check.

The narrative doesn't intend to frame them as antagonistic. We do see them talk about how worried they are, we do see them emote.

And if you think about it, it's easy to see why:

their entire way of life is going to crap,

their values are being corrupted as they're forced to fight and die, alongside their clone brothers, in a war they wanted no part of,

they sense that the Force is close to the breaking point and that the galaxy's inhabitants are suffering on the daily.

But, for example, when Mace or Ki-Adi Mundi are shown expressing concern in the Prequels... as worried as they are, in-universe... out-of-universe, their measured reactions doesn't emotionally impact a viewer as much as Anakin's intense ones do.

So a big chunk of the audience will sympathize more with him than them. But like the tutor in Inside Man, the Jedi are objectively the victims and Anakin is objectively an unstable space-nazi who betrayed and destroyed them.

Just because we're not shown these characters be worried beyond just monotonously saying "I'm worried" doesn't mean they're not actually worried as Anakin is in Revenge of the Sith (if not more).

However we don't see it.

Because these three films aren't about the Jedi Order, they're about the Republic and about Anakin and about how each of these two beautiful things were corrupted (by Palpatine and by themselves) into becoming the very thing they stood against.

The Jedi aren't a factor in either of those two themes set up by George Lucas.

They became a factor when fans - who despite not liking the Prequels, still admirably chose to engage with the material - made the Jedi be more important to the narrative of the Prequels by re-framing these films as "The Failure of the Jedi".

Now, should Lucas have recognized that most fans wouldn't give two shits about why a Republic falls or the "matinee serial" format, and would've rather he focused on the Jedi, and developed them accordingly? Probably.

But good luck telling an indie filmmaker with a bunch of money how to tell the story he wants to tell.

Could Lucas have done more with the Prequels to highlight the fact that the Jedi are the underdogs of the story, not Anakin's oppressors? Yes.

But, firstly, he probably didn't think that was a point that needed explaining. And secondly, as he explained at Cannes, in 2002, feature films are a very limiting format to tell a story, especially one of the Prequels' scale. If it doesn't directly contribute to the story you're telling... it's gotta go.

A limited show would've been better to cover every aspect of the Prequels more in detail and avoid confusing the audience re: who they should be rooting for.

Which is why it's interesting, to me, that Stephen Moffat used his limited show to INTENTIONALLY confuse the audience! 😃

[ladybirdswritings]

BEAUTY AND THE HYBRID - Klaus Mikaelson Fanfiction

summary: a slip of burlap rope brings an unsuspecting woman to a bloodthirsty hybrid.

warnings: mentions of ab*se, stockholm syndrome, captivity, dea*h, and violence.

next chapter <3 | a03 | tag list

three

Painful throbbing, burning at my skull. It's warm, wet. The light filters through beige burlap weakly, making me squint. I try to sit up, but my body betrays me with its weakness.

"Apple please."

Soft hands shake me, a distant whisper echoing through my ringing ears.

"Birdie." My voice fails me, and my words are merely mouthed.

"I'm here, please get up."

She sounds so scared, but I can't remember why. Not now. The same soft hands gently pull at me, guiding me upright. This new position makes me yelp, pounding- drumming viciously at my skull in punishment for the shift. Blood rushes, making me dizzy. My body slumps backward, the floor is bumpy.

Small fingertips tug at the burlap till its ridded of. The light is unwelcome, I squint- eyes flooding with tears from the pain.

"Holy shit."

Birdie.

She has maneuvered her way onto her knees. Her brunette eyes are wide, urgent. Her palms, tied together alongside her ankles, press against the spot where my skull pounds most. When she pulls them back to analyze- they are stained crimson.

I wince.

She looks around urgently, but it seems as though there is nothing that satisfies her to help.

A van, we're in a van.

We hit a bump and it makes her fall back to the floor.

My gaze shifts toward the burlap sack once blinding me, it's all red. It's blood... my blood. I feel a drop of it fall down my temple.

Birdie struggles for a moment but manages to sit upright. As horrible as this situation looks, I cannot understand it. Not until Birdie speaks again.

"The case. Apple... they got the case."

I don't understand it at first. Birdie sees that when I furrow my brows... but it seems as though in an instant, it all floods back to me. The diner, The waitress, the case, the killers, and for some odd reason? The man with the piercing blue eyes.

Holy fuck. Holy. Fuck.

I can't stop it, I shake my bruised and bloodied head as my lips swell far too quickly for me to halt. They tremble, and my skull pounds harder as my tears begin to fall.

"Oh my god, oh my god..."

This is all my fault. We, my Birdie and stupid I, are trapped in a white van with vicious murderers all because of some mysterious case I had so I could afford Joel's meds.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

"Apple, hey its okay."

"Birdie did they hurt you? Tell me they didn't, oh my god..."

Her jaw is tense, she shakes her head immediately.

"No, they didn't I swear. They just bonked you. Really fuckin' hard.

I slump in relief. A very small amount of it.

My eyes close, images horrifying and unwelcome flooding my scattered mind. I breathe deep, the smell of my own blood nauseating me instantly. Still, I think of mom... I think of how she would handle this.

I center soon. Not because I am strong, but because in front of me is Birdie. My eyes open again.

"Okay. Okay, Birdie. We're okay, I'm gonna get us out of here, alright?"

She doesn't believe me, I can see it in those frightened eyes. If I believed in a force above, I would pray right now, beg him for all the answers I need. All I can think of is mom, and Joel.

Fuck. Joel.

His meds are in my purse, and he's just missed them. He's alone, he's worried.

The man isn't my biological father, he is Birdie's... but it never made him feel like any less of a dad to me... even if it was just one-sided.

But now? I've gone and fucked it all up, thinking I was going to save him. My tears threaten to poke at my gaze again but I stifle them, wincing as another droplet of blood travels down my sunken face. Down my cheekbone and jaw, dripping from my chin. My eyes watch as it falls, staining the lump in my pocket.

Birdie's gift...

Wait...

Birdie's gift!

"Birdie, listen... I need you to help me alright? Reach in my pocket and pull out the box."

She nods, doing so immediately with much struggle. Still? By some miracle she manages, even while bound by the burlap round her wrists. I instruct her to bring it to my teeth and I tug on the ribbon with them, using my nose to push the cover off.

"Holy shit, is this my gift?"

I smile sadly, "Happy birthday, Birdie."

She smiles back just the same. Birdie places the box in my lap and pulls the oak wood pocket knife with the engraving of a lightning bug upon it out from its olive box with cream ribbon. She shakily hands it to me just in time, just before another bump in the road sends her back on her bum.

My hands are weak, weak enough that it nearly makes me drop the gift from my grasp. One look at Birdie bound and it's enough to allow a shot of adrenaline to course through me. I meet my sister's suspicious eyes.

"Apple, it's a dull knife. We'll still be cutting by the time these assholes grab us again."

I shake my head at her,

"Birdie... the rope. It's burlap. Remember what Joel taught us in Haddonfield?"

A surge of remembrance and hope overtakes her gaze as she nods eagerly. Joel's voice echoes in my head.

"One cut, twist, pull, slam."

"I just need one good cut."

The knife is dull, very dull... but I am patient. I scrape the blade against the frayed burlap once, twice, thrice. No avail. Birdie frowns, knee bouncing as I repeat the same process four more times. The van is slowing now, just a bit. We gulp in unison.

"Try angling it more." She whispers, I nod.

Once, twice, thrice.

It's cut.

We both laugh in gratefulness and exasperation, and I glance upward to whatever imaginary or otherwise force looms above.

Please let this work.

Birdie and I speak and unison.

"One cut. Twist... pull... slam!"

I bring the burlap down on my knee in a quick motion and by some incredible grace? It snaps in two. We laugh again.

"Fuck yeah dude. Hurry!"

I create quick friction as I drag the blade back and forth upon the burlap on my ankles, once it's halfway split- I push both of my feet in opposite directions and the rope snaps again. My luck is slowly resurfacing.

I cannot control the hopeful tears that flood my eyes, I sniffle and wipe at them as I crawl to Birdie and begin working on the rope.

"Wait! Check the doors first."

She's right, we need to escape quick. Everything aches within me as I manage to drag myself to the metal doors at the very back of the van where we are caged. My luck once again dances in a joyous victory.

"It locks from the inside, bird."

She sighs in relief as I click the lock open.

"Some shitty kidnappers, huh?"

I smile at her humor, only to make her feel at ease but in actuality? I wasn't listening, only rushing back on all fours to keep cutting at the burlap rope. I make quick work of the wrists, as does she at breaking free. She flexes her fingertips happily.

"Just one more to go..." I whisper, cutting quickly at the burlap round her ankles.

"Okay bird, hard as you can, kick one foot out and one foot in." She nods, but god- she's small. Strong, but small. It doesn't work. Fear bites at the skin between her brows with a wrinkle.

"It's okay, its okay... again."

She tries harder this time, but the rope remains in tact. The van goes slower now.

"Fuck. Just go, Apple. Go!"

More tears flood me, fearful ones now. I grip her chin between by index and thumb, forcing her to look at my eyes. My voice is guttural.

"Hey. No, mm mm. I'm not leaving here without you, do you understand me? One more time, come on Birdie. Harder!"

She tries again, but nothing.

"Fuck!" I cry, sliding the blade back and forth upon the rope as quick as I can, as urgent as I can. Both of our eyes are wide, and even wider when we hear the doorknob to the front cab turn.

I drop the knife, not bothering with the stupid fucking thing any longer and I tug hard as I can on the rope, cutting up my palms red and splintered in the process.

We don't have time.

"Nonononono please, please god." I whisper.

The door opens.

"Hmm, maybe next time you start to play with my locks- you'll think about who's in control of them." The man, jet black hair and suited towers over us.

I push Birdie to the corner and grasp the knife in my unstable, sliced palms.

"Hey, get the fuck back!" I spit, but it only makes the man smirk.

"Oh how sweet and incredibly stupid of you. What a brave sister."

I yelp as he makes quick work of bending my wrist back in a direction it wasn't crafted to be in. The knife falls, clattering against the floor as the van speeds up again. Quickly, urgently for some reason.

"He's on us, El!"

"Then faster, you imbecile!"

My wrist is still bent, but the pain becomes white noise when I gaze up at the man for the first time since the diner.

I chill, immediately.

"You've been enough trouble... Stupidly so, you've made me hungry from all the work you've been."

Horrible, gray veins protrude from under reddened eyes. Sharp teeth emerging from that once perfect smile. Stalking me, prey.

My god.

He's a monster.

I shrink, hoping Birdie is smart enough to just close her eyes. She isn't.

"Die, motherfucker!"

She sticks him in the side with the pocket knife, yet I know my sister. She knows it isn't enough.

"Birdie!"

She ignores my cry, desperate and brave she is, pushing my body back with so much force I didn't know she could harness. I fall through the doors, the pavement greeting me harshly, slamming against me as my body rolls amongst it from the speed the van once travelled.

Birdie doesn't follow.

The same spot that throbs slams against cold road seven more times, till my vision is blurred and the concrete is flooded red. All of it hurts, all at once, so much so that I cannot pinpoint the pain anymore- only my exhaustion. I stop, eventually.

The sun mocks my unwilling eyes, meshing the clouds together to a mess of gray. A storm looming. My body betrays me once more, I can't bare to keep my eyes open any longer. I fight it still, weak, soft blinks before they fall shut.

I am fighting.

Birdie.

Voices. Distant but somehow close.

"My god."

Stiletto steps near me quickly, two fingers as icy as the palms upon me earlier press themselves against my neck. It's a woman, now. Another golden blonde, I think.

I part my lips, I can't speak. I can't cry out.

"It's miraculous Nik, for a human. She has a pulse. How on god's green earth did she survive that?"

Birdie. It's because of Birdie.

Boots near me upon the same pavement that bloodied me.

"Must be a miracle, Rebekah. Gather her, we need to regroup."

The fallen angel, the honey, that voice.

I'm exhausted. I can't listen any longer.

The voices are distant again, I am at peace.

[slvt4em1lyprenti2s]

The Jimmy Fallon Show

Originally posted on my Wattpad @MayaBishop_is_myWife Scarlett Johansson x reader

Fluff

Scarlett's POV:

Tonight I'm going on the Jimmy Fallon with my co-stars show to promote my new movie. I'm really scared for this interview in particular as I've planned to announce something very big and my fans will probably go mental. For a while now there's been speculation around who I'm dating, if anyone and for some reason they always think it's a man. Now, that's what I'm announcing tonight, why it's not a man and, who it she really is.

Y/N POV:

Tonight is the night. The big night. I'm so scared how people are going to react, I mean it doesn't really matter what they think because me and Scar are happy together but, I can't help worrying sometimes. I'm currently in my dressing room behind the scenes at the Jimmy Fallon Show waiting to be called on. My palms are sweaty and my throat is dry. I need to calm down before I go on stage so I make my way over to the only person that can help.

I get to Scarlett's room and knock on the door.

Scarlett - "Who is it?"

Y/n - "It's me."

She opens the door to reveal my panicked face. Knowing immediately why I was like this, she pulled me in the room and trapped me in her embrace. As we were hugging she stroked my head, careful not to ruin all the work the hair and makeup team just did and whispers to me softly.

Scarlett - "Hey, it's gunna be fine. You know half of our fans are lesbians anyway so, I'm sure they won't mind and if it's the press your worried about then stop because they're all idiots and I couldn't care less what they say."

Her grip around my waist tightened as she spoke. I felt safe in her arms and I just kept reminding myself that it would be fine because even if someone does make a comment that me and Scar will always have each other and plus, the rest of the cast is there as well and they'll never let anything happen. We're all super protective over each other because after years of filming the Marvel films together we're basically family.

Our moment is rudely interrupted by a knock on the door.

Producer - "You're on in five!"

That didn't help the situation that I was in but, I'm an actress no one would know I was scared. I'll literally but my brave face on.

Time skip to half way through the show:

Scarlett's POV:

Jimmy - "So, Scarlett there have been some rumors going around that you are dating someone, do you have anything to say about this?"

Scarlett - "Well, uhm, I don't normally address rumors much but this one is necessary. I am with someone."

Jimmy - "Oooh I feel like a school girl, talking about who we're dating, so, does this mystery man have a name?"

Okay, here it goes. I think to myself.

Scarlett - "Well they mystery woman, is sitting right next to me." 

  The crowd instantly starts cheering and Jimmy had a smile plastered on his face. I felt someone grasp my hand tightly. I already know who it is but, I look anyway and see my gorgeous girlfriend to my left beaming at me. I was really happy it was out there now. I didn't need to hide my emotions anymore it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. 

Y/N POV:

She did it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, people actually seemed happy for us. As the interview went on Lizzie and Florence kept looking over to see if me and Scar were okay like the protective people they are and Scarlett and me kept stealing glances at each other constantly. I was really glad we got it out there so we don't have to treat our love like a dirty secret anymore. I can finally not have to carry around the burden of not being able to kiss my girlfriend in public in fear of someone seeing. 

Time skip to after the interview:

We just finished the talk show and now me and Scarlett are walking back to her dressing room hand in hand, chatting away about anything and everything that comes to mind. As we enter the room she closes the door and turns to look at me. She holds my gaze as she comes forward and grabs my hips. 

Scarlett - "I'm so happy we did that because now, I can do this.'

With that she pulled me in close and smashed our lips together in a passionate kiss. My arms were draped over her shoulders and her hand snaked around my waist protectively. Our bodies were flush against each other as our lips were still joined. Once oxygen became a problem we broke apart.

Y/n - "If coming out means we do that more often, we should totally com out more."

She giggled at my antics and pulled me in again. This woman is my one and only. 

[furiousgoldfish]

Hey goldfish :) It's 🌟 anon again (previous ask for reference: https://furiousgoldfish.tumblr.com/post/730639643605876736/hey-anon-from-this-post)

So things have changed quite a bit since the last time we spoke. Turns out we are in fact a system for one, and the host who was sending those asks has stepped down due to being extremely overwhelmed by being trapped in the situation we're in after realising just how bad things are. Bun still comes around to talk to our friends, and plans to return to being host once we get out of here, it's just too much for bun to be aware of how bad things are and still be stuck in this environment. In the meantime myself (the new host) and a couple of other alters are pushing forward with the plans to get out of here and holding down the fort, so to speak, until the day comes that we can get out of here. It's been a couple of months since this host change, and we've been doing alright so far.

Right now we're actually in the process of looking for a job! It's pretty hard, admittedly, considering that we don't actually have any qualifications (we were taken out of school when we were 9 years old) but we're hoping that something simple like just stacking shelves at the local supermarket won't require something like that. We're looking into it at the moment, hopefully it works out. Our long-term plan is to be able to learn to drive at least, so we can have more freedom, then start saving up to try and get our own place. One of the other alters here managed to reach out to social services to attempt to get help with finding housing, and we're just waiting on a reply from them. Assuming that works out, we might even be out of here in a year, which is really exciting!

Of course, with the potential escape so soon, it's starting to sink in that we...have no idea how to do a lot of things. Our mother refused to teach us anything because she was always "too busy", so we barely know how to make a simple sandwich (and even that's from one of our friends telling us!), let alone actually cook anything, and she has outright refused to teach us how to wash dishes, do laundry, or anything of the sort. That coupled with the fact we never got chores growing up means we have basically no life skills on top of the lack of qualifications, so there's a few of us who are terrified that we're going to fail.

I want to try and find something, at least, to help reassure those scared alters that we'll be okay, that we can make it out of here and stay out, but I have no idea where to start looking to try and learn anything, or even what to focus on first. Do you (or any of your followers) have any advice on where to start? Anything in particular I should be trying to learn now while we're still trapped here, to try and reassure the others that we'll make it?

Oh hey, glad to see you (or, the new host of your system) back!

So you are a system, god I am so sorry, that is one of the most extreme disorders you can have due to abuse and it proves that what was done to you was intensely cruel, inhumane and equal to torture. Kids don't develop something so extreme for no good reason, you had to become like this just to survive in your parents house. And they cut off our education, which sounds insane and illegal.

It makes sense for the old host to be overwhelmed, I remember when I realized how bad things are, I wanted to jump out of my own skin just not to be there anymore. I completely understand the old host's instincts to be inside where it's safer and to let others figure this out until you escape. I'm so glad you're planning to get out of there and to gain freedom, you deserve this and I believe you can make it out.

You're right that there's simple jobs that don't require much qualification, stacking shelves sounds great, I am guessing you could also do stuff like cleaning (what I do) or stuff that's easy to be trained for (I can't think of anything, I haven't done many jobs, if anyone can give recs in replies please do!)

I hope you do get out of there within a year! That does sound exciting, and even if it takes longer, as long as you keep trying you'll get there, I know sometimes it can feel impossible, especially when the abusers are onto you and work to sabotage you. Be sure to never reveal to them what you're up to!! Leave when they won't immediately notice! Don't let anyone know your location so you're safe from being discovered by them! The best safety from them you can have is them not knowing where you are or how to get to you, once these 2 things are accomplished, you are safe completely, and also you do need some income, but you already know all that.

I don't think I was even reading about survival skills back when I was living with abusers, because it just isn't the same when you can't immediately try out your new skills, the best way to learn is to try and figure it out on your own. I'd love to give you step-by-step instructions on how to cook, how to do laundry, how to clean, how to maintain your living space, how to organize and whatever else skill you want, but it's likely you wouldn't be able to try it out, and it would fade from your mind before you learned to use it. If you want I can still try and give you the instructions and you could save them for when it's useful!

There's a website I saw that gives step-by-step instructions to do any task, I want to link it here but right now I can't seem to find it, does anyone know what I'm talking about? It breaks down any activity to small steps that guide you trough the process, it was made for people who get overwhelmed by big tasks but do well with task broken down.

I do want to say that survival skills are pretty easy to learn and some of them super instinctive, and a lot is just about having confidence and the right information. I remember I got a lot of confidence from just learning how to tie a rope in different ways, I could make different knots, or create ladders or a swing using only rope, and that made me feel so smart and capable, even though I barely used it for anything except to show off.

I feel like I should do a basic instruction post about cooking, laundry, cleaning and maintaining living space and it would potentially make it easier to approach for a lot of people. I'll start on it now and you'll see it published a few hours from now.

You and your alters can definitely make it! If you can learn even skills that don't feel vital right now, like if you can sew a little pocket or make a cool knot, it will boost your confidence and give you a feeling on how exciting and rewarding it is to learn these things.

[heavenlyhoundoom]

Spanks vs Bites part 2.

(Spankulot and Toiletnator search throughout the first floor and hear someone trying to open the door.)

?: Please, let me out!

(They rush towards the door, and see that it was the guy who delivered the food.)

Spankulot: Are you okay, sir?

Delivery guy: Ah, it's a vampire, please don't bite me!

Spankulot: Don't worry, I'm a spank happy vampire who only spanks stuffed animals.

Delivery guy: So you're not gonna hurt me?

Spankulot: Of course not.

Delivery guy: Oh, thank God.

Toiletnator: Why are you here?

Delivery guy: I got lost in the building and by the time I found the exit, the building got locked down.

Toiletnator: Yeah, the building is on lockdown until the blood sucking vampire is caught.

Delivery guy: (scared) So we're trapped in here with that blood thirsty monster!?

Spankulot: Well, yeah- but please stay calm!

Delivery guy: Screw that, I'm running for my life!

(The delivery guy runs off.)

Spankulot: Sir, wait!

(It was too late, the delivery guy was gone.)

Spankulot: Too late...

Toiletnator: He's probably gonna be the first one to be bitten.

(Toiletnator and Spankulot continue their search. It cuts to Father searching for the intruder on the top floor.)

Father: I've never have to deal with a situation this serious before...

(A shadowy figure bolts across the floor, behind Father.)

Father: What was that!?

(Father turns around with a fireball in hand, ready to throw it at any potential threat, but there was nothing behind him.)

Father: Hmm, I guess it was just my imagination...

(Father goes back to his search for the intruder, suddenly, the same shadowy figure lands in front of Father and walks towards him.)

Father: It's- it's you!

(Father tries to escape but the door had been jammed by the shadowy figure.)

Father: I'm not going down without a fight!

(Father tries to fight back, but he's eventually overpowered and bitten.)

Father: Ahhhhh!!!

Toiletnator and Spankulot: Father!

[rubitheracoon]

A bit of a vent below the cut.

Idek if I want him to see this or not. But this is something I would go to him about it if it was the right time and place, but it isn't. So I'm going here instead.

Goose if you're seeing this you can look if you want to, but please don't if you aren't in the right mindset. I don't want to make you feel bad about your decision, if you do read it a like would be nice so ik you've seen it.

This relationship stuff is so new to me, every step I/we take is a new experience. This is hold is just another new experience that I have to hurdle through, and all of it will be worth it for the sake of our love. I just need to keep hurdling through so we can live together and love eachother again and be healthy together (This is a reminder I wrote to myself at the end of making this post and I put it up here)

Everytime I come home from school I feel like I'm trapped in my own mind

This house used to be my safe space where I don't need to worry about anything, but right now it's just a reminder of everything that's making me feel this way

I hate this

How do I get this anxiety away? how do I go back to being ok? I want to just be ok with this new change in my life, I want to wholeheartedly believe it'll all be ok in the end, that we will be ok. I want to have full faith that he will come back when he feels like he has everything under control and he feels like he has the time and energy so we can work on balancing our relationship with our other responsibilities.

I understand why we're on hold, we just couldn't hold a relationship when he was busy with work all the time and we barely got to see eachother, there was no better way around it and I understand that. I understand that he needs space and that I need to step back. I understand that this is for the benifit of our relationship, so we dont fall apart. I know that he still loves me, if he didn't then he wouldn't have put us on hold to sort his own problems out.

But I'm just scared, no matter how hard I try not to overthink it, no matter how much I try to be ok with it especially when I should be because I understand that this is the best option, I'm scared.

I don't know how long this will go for, I don't know how I should talk to him or when. I'm scared we might not be together again for months and months, I'm scared that we might not be able to figure something out and we'll have to wait until we can move in together. And if we have to wait a long time what if one of us fall out of love? I don't know what I would do if that happened.

We will barely get to see eachother, and I feel like if I ask him if we can hang out that will defeat the whole purpose of this break, I feel like if I say anything to him at all right now itll fuck it up.

I just want him to tell me what I need to do, because I just don't know how I need to go about this.

I want to see him but that defeats the purpose, I want to talk to him but I need to give him space, but for how long do I give him space? I need so much reassurance from him right now that he just doesn't have the capacity to give me.

I want so badly to just believe in him and feel ok and be ok with this and understand what I need to do to give him what he needs and understand where I need to step back and how to cope and just fucking be ok again.

My anxiety is torturing me all the damn time, I'm just constantly thinking about it no matter how hard I try not to. I need to have myself 100% distracted at all times which is why I hate being at home right now.

I got so used to spewing out unconditional love that I don't know how to filter it back again, I need to start from scratch because the coping mechanisms I had before we got together just weren't healthy, and this is an entirely different situation anyway. I literally have no method to cope right now aside from distracting myself. I don't know what to do because I don't know how to suppress my love for him again.

Fucking hell it's only day 2 what am I going to do with myself

Hopefully this is just my way of processing everything, and it'll pass.

[alirhi]

Finally caught somewhat of a break. I'm in a tremendous amount of pain even with my meds, but it's been a good day overall.

A few weeks ago, we had a small electrical fire in our bathroom, only we didn't know that's what it was at first. It tripped the outlet on the house, which shut down power to the camper and killed the fire before it could really catch. This happened every time we tried resetting the outlet and plugging the camper back in, until finally one of us was inside while the other fiddled with the power and loud buzzing was heard and bright blue light from sparks/flames was seen and we went "oh. okay, no touchy. got it." So we've been without even the minimal power we had for some time now, just one extension cord run from the house, through our kitchen window to a power strip we used to run lights, the space heater on colder nights, and charge electronics. It fucking sucked. We ended up putting the small appliances in storage, since we couldn't use any of them. no power to the outlets, and nowhere to put them near the power strip.

So anyway, that sucked ass, but we got through it, and a few days ago we talked to someone outside the entrance to Walmart who was asking for donations to help the homeless. I told him "sorry, we're in the same boat" and he asked if we need help. Sis and I explained the situation we're in the best we could, asking if he knew any electricians who would be willing to help for free, and he took sis's number and said he'd put out feelers online. Said he was pretty connected.

Dude wasn't kidding. The NEXT MORNING, someone called, and she was texting with him and setting up a time for him to come out and take a look. This afternoon, he replaced the bathroom outlet and faulty wiring that was causing the fire, cleaned out the crappy paper insulation that was feeding said fire, and was kind enough to do it all for free. He then gave me a quote for the cost of installing a 30amp outlet on the house so we could fully power this damn thing and have things like a working fridge and running hot water. It'll be insanely pricey, but when he broke it down for us, I realized he was still giving us the steepest discount he could. We'd mostly be paying for the (holy shit expensive) wire. Absolute sweetheart, as is the man outside Walmart who put us in touch with him. I'm so glad I didn't just scoot by with a "sorry, not today" when he asked if we wanted to donate.

Sis also found a baby garter snake in the yard today with a crushed tail. He still gets around okay and the injury seems to be low enough that his organs are functioning pretty well (he peed on her hand lmao and chugged water when we put some out for him; I've never seen a snake drink before and that was cute as hell).

We called a wildlife rescue that's going to take him tomorrow and see what they can do to help him, so he's resting in a fish tank with some paper towels and the little bottle cap full of water. Absolutely enamored with lil sis lol. He was scared at first, which makes sense; poor thing was trapped, injured, and these huge stompy creatures were hovering over him and touching him. But then she got him free of the dirt and grass he was caught on and he slithered all over her arms and shoulders. kept trying to go up her sleeves to hide lol. I asked to hold him before he's gone (originally she was going to drive him to the rescue while I waited for the electrician, but it was too far away and she didn't want to drive alone) and he wasn't having it. Wanted to stay with her.

Even after we got him in the tank, he stuck as close to her as he could. While she was standing nearby talking to the friend who loaned us the tank, he was nestled in the corner under the towels, when we got him inside and she sat by him, he smooshed up against the side she was sitting at and kept trying to climb out to her. Now she's in her room (opposite side of the camper from the seat she'd occupied) and he's hanging out on the side of the tank closest to her room. Every time she gets near or walks by, he follows her the best he can. it's fucking adorable. Wants nothing to do with me, but that's okay. He's still cute and sweet and I hope he makes it through the night and they can help him tomorrow.

I'm so grateful we were even there for sis to see him trapped. We never go into friend's yard if we can help it, but she's got baby chicks and said we can play with them if we want, so naturally we both booked it over to the coop to see the cute fluffies lol. and there next to it was this poor little guy stuck and hurt and dehydrated and probably scared to death.

I feel so blessed that someone was able and willing to help us, and that we're able to help this little snake. I just keep praying... Mother above, please let him be okay. He's such a wee babe.

[bravelywego]

Tahirah, Nuriel, Arlyn and Rafaele nodded in understanding at James' explanation. "I see..."

Janne sighed in response to Oddette. "I promise that I'm not that scared of random snakes..."

Geist nodded. "Er...good luck, everyone."

Soon enough, the three groups used their teleportation crystals...

-----

Kamiizumi, Nadine, and Lena found themselves entering the area upon hearing Luciano and a now-healed-up Usama...well...arguing a bit.

Luciano threw up his hands briefly, scowling. "This is ridiculous, we should've just stormed the entire base already and defeated them all! We've been waiting forever for the enemy to just straight-up surrender!"

"Without our backup?" Usama sighed, shaking her head. "You told me about what happened when you and the others busted out DeRosa, Luciano! We can expect similar tactics from our foes here too."

Candace noticed the three first, waving at them. "Greetings. Thanks for coming along to help us out - and, er, sorry about Luciano and Usama, those two argue with each other half the time."

"As long as it doesn't get in the way of accomplishing our task, we should be fine," Kamiizumi reassured her. "What's the situation?"

Candace pointed up ahead. "We've already cornered all the dragon baddies within their base. We're trying to negotiate to get them to surrender - mainly because I really don't want to deal with more fighting. But, they're being hard-headed about not surrendering, so...."

"So...?"

Candace sighed. "I need you three to sneak into the building and start bashing heads. We already found a hidden entrance that the enemy did an embarrassingly horrible job of hiding, so you can use that to go through. We already got rid of all the traps."

----

Janne and Oddette found themselves staring at none other than Araceli Nemesis, who smiled a bit upon spottting them. She wore a surprisingly shiny dress, jeweled and elaborate, but there was some chainmail embedded into it for the sake of protection.

"Well, well, look who the cat dragged in. I presume the Countess told you what needs to be done?"

"More or less, yeah." Janne answered, facing her. He noticed several other armed people with Araceli, and there was also...a backup band nearby. "Where's the baddies?"

"Right up ahead." Araceli pointed at the base, before smiling at them. "So, tell me, what experience do you have with killing people while performing a musical number?"

"Er...none?" Janne blinked. "Why?"

"Why, we're going to bedazzle them to defeat them! We'll storm the base, start up the music, and defeat them while it's all going on." A chuckle left Araceli after. "And I'll have my precious friends pick off whoever's left standing, too."

"Friends...?" Janne immediately noticed a longer snake staring at him while perched on Araceli's shoulders. "Ah. I get it now."

Araceli hummed, nodding. "All I need for you two to do is to shoot down and stab anyone that tries to escape. Sounds pretty fun, right?"

----

Geist, James, and Mona found themselves in the midst of soldiers preparing for the battle ahead. Ariel had redressed in armor and a bit of fur lining to go with it, and he greeted the three as soon as he spotted them.

"Good timing," Ariel noted, before glancing down at Mona. "And you are...?"

Mona stared up at him. "Mona. I can use illusions and stab people." She held up her teddy bear. "And this is my friend."

Ariel looked like he was about to question why the heck Countess Tahirah sent a literal child to join them on the battlefield, but he decided not to ask after he heard about her abilities. "How elaborate are these illusions? Can they..." he paused, pointing at the base ahead, "Can they create the illusion of bad weather in a specific area, like surrounding that building?"

Mona nodded. "Yep. How bad do you want it to be?"

"Absolutely terrible. I want to strike fear in their hearts. The moment they start feeling helpless, it's all over for them." Ariel looked up at Geist and James. "I also heard from one of the spies I sent that there are some magical beasts locked in the base somewhere, so we'll have to be careful with handling them when we find them."

Geist raised a brow. "Are they dragons...?"

"Fortunately, no. There are, however, a bunch of golems, salamanders, and possibly a gryphon."

"That many creatures?" Geist stared. "Are any of those native to any places in Melodia!?"

"The salamanders can be taken back to the Anwara Region. The golems were probably summoned from who knows where, and the gryphons are usually in the mountains."

[ Yew Finds a Wild Janne and Geist! ]

[missmarveledsblog]

THE BABYSITTING TRAP PART 1 ( STEVE HARRINGTON X READER)

summary : when always being the babysitter has it's perks for once.   except their friends had plans for the two 

warnings: steve is a simp for reader , mutual pinning , scared steve

Friday night madness at family videowas definitely the least favourite activity steve harrington would count on his list . another would be stuck with the kids , he always found himself as the babysitter .saturdayhe was volunteered to looked after the lot since eddie and robinwere going to some concert he had no interest in ,nancy and jonathan had datenight ,evenhopper had a date night with joyce . " come on " he could hear dustin whiny tone before he even seen him pulling her into the store . Y/N Hopper and dustin's older cousin who mysteriously showed up the summer will byers went missing and arrived. though steve knew the real truth she was in the lab along with el . what was more surprising to find out chief jim hopper had one night stand with a henderson. another surprise was how beautiful she was and was no secret to the group of steve crush on the girl ...well except to her. " i'd say sailor costume was way better than this "she smiled up at boy . " you say that every time you come in here " he rolled his eyes . " its true though , please tell me you held that video or i'm leaving that kid in the car park " she pouted absolutely melting him from the inside. " what do i get in return " he asked feeling a little confidence. " i'll help you with the kids tomorrow night since eddie and robin are ditching us " she batted her lashes. " ok ok deal here you are " he smiled handing over the tape as she handed him the money . " Y/N fancy seeing you here sweetness " keith emerged even making steve jump. " hey ken sup " she smiled back hiding the cringe . " it's keith anyways what you say me and you drive in tomorrow i'll bring the mints" he wiggled his brows . " as appealing as that sounds me and steve are babysitting tomorrow night and any other night you happen to be free " she grimaced. " ook your loss babe " he scampered off with whatever was left of his ego . " your loss babe " she mimicked making steve laughed. " poor guy couldn't give him one date no " steve joked . " waiting on better offer " she winked going to pick out candy while dustin appeared . " ask her out seriously how many hints can a chick give you " he rolled his eyes . " wait what " . " you heard me,  here for the candy " he smiled dropping less then enough on the counter as he yelled to y/n he paid and to go . " wait no , ah shit " steve huffed putting it in the til watching them leave she gave him one last wave through the window then she was gone .

never in all his years of being the one left with the kids was he this nervous not even when faced with monsters or end of the worldsituations . And yet here he was wondering if he's clothes and hair looked good . He even had eddie and Robin sitting on his bed giving him advice . " you need to make a move dingus " she huffed bored and well blunt and to the point was her only advice . " yeah me and Robin didn't make up fake plans for you to screw this up harrington " eddie copied dramatically . " wait you both aren't going to some concert " he turned to the two . " nice going , no ok we're sick of the puppy dog shit , we thought it would happen during the whole vecna situation but nope so we are going to the movies with his bandmates and Vicki tonight so don't screw it up " she glared at the metal head before explaining. " what if your wrong and I make a fool of myself yet again " he sighed. " you think Henderson would help us if we were wrong " eddie asked honestly . " yes I would " steve deadpanned. " we're not wrong ok , now be yourself and get the girl and keep her this time " Robin pushed him out the door . " or one of us will take her instead I mean she's hot " eddie yelled after . " wanna raid his pantry " he turned to Robin.

Pulling up to dustin Hendersons was never as nerve wrecking . He had an argument with himself on whether to get flowers or not decided not to giving incase they were wrong , he felt they were wrong , he just hope this time it was him who was wrong . The first red flag was the quietness , he didn't hear the incessant chattering or dustin arguing with at least one or two of them . He was starting to doubt if he had the right day or not or if it was a prank just on him. Knocking on the door she answered wearing long t-shirt and shorts looking not long up after a nap . " shit didn't dustbin tell you they're spending day at the wheelers our services aren't needed today after all" she yawned stretching up leaving door wide open for him to come in . " no I guess he forgot .. I woke you up want me to go , I can come back when kids are back " he began to ramble. " or since all our friends abandoned us you can drop me home and we could hang out " she turned and smiled . " like your trailer just us " he asked almost shocked and little pitchy for his liking. " I mean only if you want to " she smiled brightly up at him earning a quick and fast yes . " let me grab my shoes " she beamed rushing to put them on along with grabbing her bag before walking out the door . " you not going ..ok this drive is gonna kill me " he mumbled eyes darting to wear her shorts hugged the globes of her ass perfectly . " what a good way to go " . " huh " she spun around head tilting in confusion . " its good we still get to hang out " he coughed trying to keep his voice steady . " yeah we haven't done that in a long ass time huh " she mused while he was lost looking at how her brows furrowed and her plump lips pursed . "Oh we can watch that movie I got last night " she giggled excitedly. " didn't you and dustin watch it " . " no he fell asleep before it started " she rolled her eyes. " well then we can watch it and rub it in his face " steve chuckled. " I love it " she clapped before jumping into his car .

It was hard to keep his mind off the fact he was sitting beside the woman of his dreams , going to her place alone being so close to her for whole afternoon . It filled him with both nerves and excitement. Even now it was hard to keep his eyes on the road while she was sitting beside him , slight bed head from her nap , the shirt ... wait was that his shirt. " is that my shirt " he asked confused. " dustin gave it to me" she looked at him confused. " I left it there after guys night sleep over " he chuckled hiding the fact he was screaming inside she was wearing his clothes . " well it's my shirt now, so soft and comfy " she sighed happily sending a shiver down his spine , she was gonna be death of him . Just hearing that come out her mouth made him short circuit . " ok looks better on you anyways " he smiled dreamingly at her . " you think" she looked down before seeing them pulling into the trailer park both waving to Wayne as they passed by . Pulling up outside her trailer or bain of hoppers existence he called it . Just as she got out the car she heard it . " who knew you be hotter in my clothes  " steve muttered thinking she couldn't hear him but she heard it as clear as she could hear the birds in the sky or the kids running around. Maybe the evening would be better than she thought.

Part two *

[thatcheesyler]

Gambling has it's perks

Summary: Cuphead and Mugman are about to lose it all at the casino, but Cuphead has a little trick up his sleeve. Can they beat King Dice at his own game? Read and see ;)

A/N: This is a sfw Cuphead tickle fic, if you do not like it, please dni. Enjoy! <3

--------------------------------------------------

You'd think that most people would quit once they'd almost lost everything in a gamble. But the cup brothers were certainly not most people, even after losing to the devil himself.

Now, gambling with the devil's right hand man wasn't any less dangerous, but at least there was the possibility he'd give you a second chance. Well, only if you weren't cuphead or mugman. Speaking of them, right now they are pretty much betting their lives away for money, one wrong move and they could say bye-bye to their souls.

"Wait! Uh..King Dice sir, could me and my brother talk alone for a moment?" Mugman interrupted politely, not wanting to make the wrong choice. "Hmmm, I'll give you two minutes, but no cheating boys!" King Dice replied with a shit-eating grin. Mugman wasted no time in grabbing Cuphead's arm and running to a different room where Dice couldn't hear. "Mugsy! Whaddya doin', I was about to play our last turn!" Cuphead's whisper-shouted, angry but curious on what his brother had to say. "L-look Cuphead, I'm not so sure we should do this without a plan. I mean what if we get it wrong?!" Mugman couldn't help but stress out about their current situation. Cuphead still wanted to wing it, but he had to agree that blind luck had seldom worked for them in the past.

But just when Mugman was about to accept his fate, Cuphead had a little lightbulb moment. "Hey Mugsy! I got the perfect plan, listen to this" He announced, trying to keep his voice down nevertheless. The mug was intruiged and leant his 'ear' close to hear his brothers so-called plan. Inaudible mutters and mumbles were heard until they had it all figured out completely. Just in time too, as it had gone 2 minutes, "Boys! Time's up~" Dice called out. The brothers nodded firmly at eachother, walking back to the other room to greet their opponent. "Okay Dice, I'll play my turn now." Cuphead stated hastily, picking up the small 6-sided dice on the table. He was about to roll when....he stopped, "I-..I don't know if I can do this, I mean losing would just be- GET 'IM MUGSY!" All of a sudden, Mugman jumped up onto the table and swiftly pounced on King Dice, trapping his hands behind him. This earned a yell from the taller man, focusing so much on Mugman that he didn't notice Cuphead approaching. "Not so tough now, huh Dice?" Said man whipped his head around to the voice, instinctively bringing his knees to his chest out of fear. "Geez, King Dice sir, the Devil must treat you really badly if you're scared of us" Mugman pitifully remarked. Dice just sat silently staring at the floor, still partly afraid of what was to happen to him now. "Relax, Dice! Me and my brudda ain't gonna hurt ya!" Cuphead assured him, leaving Dice as confused as ever.

"*Sigh* Dare I ask what you're going to do, little nuisances." He wearily said. The brothers shared a 'should we tell him?' look before concluding that it wouldn't really change anything. "Well, hurtin' ya is against the rules, so we're gonna tickle ya to pieces instead!" Cuphead answered. Dice widened his eyes upon this and quickly grew nervous, knowing fully well how relentless children could be. 'What do I do?! How do I get out of this?!' King Dice's thoughts disappeared entirely as he felt a gloved finger gliding down his stomach. A twitchy smile was created on his face, gritting his teeth as Cuphead lightly scratched his ribs.

"C'mon Dice, where's that laugh~?" The cup teased, his brother still restraining their targets arms. What all three of them didn't expect, was for another voice to be coming their way.

"Heya, boys! I just thought I'd drop on by to make sure you two ding-dongs aren't dead yet!" It was the one and only Ms. Chalice. King Dice's jaw dropped to the ground upon her appearance, while the two 'ding-dongs' shared an overjoyed smile. "Chalice!" They shouted in sync, said girl making her way over to them.

"Wow, looks like you boys have this guy in a real bind, mind if I help out?" She offered, smirking fondly at Dice, who seemed to have stopped functioning. "I- wh- h-how-"

"Trust me fella, it's too long a story. Now, what exactly is goin' on here?"

"We don't wanna lose our souls so we're ticklin' Dicey here till he gives up!" Cuphead blurted out, making Dice groan and blush a bit. Chalice chuckled and knealt down beside Mugman, whispering something inaudible into his straw. The mug's face lit up, suddenly hoisting King Dice's hands above his head. Dice struggled against Mugman's surprisingly strong grip, but gave up easily as it was no use. "Alright, scoot over Cuphead, I wanna get in on this too!" Chalice said. The cup obliged, leaving Dice twice as scared as he noticed how thin and tickly her fingers looked.

"Hmmm, how 'bout you go for his underarms and I stick to his belly?" Cuphead suggested.

"Got it, Mugman are you gonna gonna be fine holdin' him?"

"Yep! I'm feeling particularly strong today!" Mugman replied, even though there was practically no struggle against his grasp. On the count of three, Cuphead and Chalice started poking and prodding every inch of stomach and armpit they could find. Giggles and snickers found their way out of Dice's mouth, his feet kicking a little.

"Hehehahaha, yohohuhuhu brahahats are sohoho dehehahad whehehen thihihis ehehehends!" He 'threatened', it lacked intimidation though considering he was being tickled silly. Dice squeaked when a certain cup lightly pinched his side, his face growing crimson red again. "Awww, your squeaks are adorable~!" (⚠️Not a ship!⚠️)

"Shuhuhuhut ihihit cupfahahace, yohou pihihehece ohof shi-ACK!! WAHAHAHIHIHIT NOHOHOHO, STOHOHOHOP!!!" Dice suddenly exclaimed as Chalice squeezed his hip repeatedly. "Better watch your mouth mister, or I'll make it ten times worse next time!" She said, giving one more squeeze that felt like a ticklish electric shock. Everything then went at a steady pace for a while until Mugman just had to think out loud.

"Hey guys, so people normally have ticklish necks, but since Mr Dice has no neck, wouldn't it be realistic if he was ticklish around the neck?" King Dice mentally gulped after he said that. After a recent 'makeup incident' with his playing cards colouring the pips on the underside of his head, both Dice and his cards learnt how ridiculously sensitive he was there. Both Cuphead and Chalice turned to look at where Dice's neck should be, wondering if what Mug said was true or not.

"Listen kids, I will let you go anywhere else you like. But please, do not touch that area." But his pleading only made them more interested. Mischief ignited their eyes, huge smirks forming on their lips. The last words he could choke out before they attacked were,

"Oh crap."

Soon thin fingers were dancing along the underside of his head, while some thicker fingers scratched and poked. Meanwhile Kind Dice was thrown into hysterics,

"WAHAHAHIHIHIT, WAHAHAHAHIHIHIHIT! PLEHEHEHEHAHASE STAHAHAHAHAP, IHIHIHIH CAHAHAN'T TAHAHAKE IHIHIT!!" He yelled, just hoping that at least one of them would stop. His wish technically came true as Chalice slowed down, slightly worried about going too far. She sighed and said, "alright, let's stop this now, Cuphead." Her friend obeyed, ceasing his hands.

Dice inhaled desperately and Mugman decided to let go of his arms, Dice immediately rubbed his tingling body.

"*huff* y'know, after all that *huff*, I don't give up and I wanna see who wins the bet. *huff*" He admitted, his smug attitude returning.

"Don't worry ding-dongs, I got this" Chalice reassured them. "Mugman, now!"

As fast as he could, Mugman pulled Dice's head really hard so that it popped right off his shoulders. King Dice obviously tried to grab it, but again to no avail as he couldn't entirely move without his head.

"Ugh, what now? Gonna roll me like a dice until I give up?- wait no don't actually do that, I'll be sick." Dice remarked, completely oblivious about the now exposed underside of his head. "Nope, it's just a little experiment to see if you'd change your mind!" Chalice explained. Without warning, she blew a big raspberry on the bottom of his head, and boy did he f*cking scream 💀.

"NONONONONO STAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHA!!" Uncontrollable laughter poured out of him, luckily it was a rather short raspberry. "Give up yet, Mister Dice?" Chalice asked cockily, Mugman popped his head back onto his body in the meantime. King Dice collapsed into a giggly puddle, holding his poor head. It took about 5 minutes before he had finally regained his breath and stamina. It was only then he admitted defeat, he also realized that Chips was staring wide-eyed from the other side of the room. Dice turned so red you'd wonder if his head was white in the first place. "H-....how long have you been here?" Chips grinned and replied "Oh, y'know, I saw like all of it. I won't tell, I promise boss." He surrendered his hands to show he'd keep the promise. "Good, 'cause you're fired if you tell anyone about this." Dice threatened, he was lucky the Devil didn't see though, he'd be teased for it every.single.day.

Chips kept his promise, but he took advantage of this discovery every chance he got just to mess with the Devil's number one.

In reality, Dice didn't mind one bit if it meant he got some bonding time with his colleagues. The Devil did find out eventually though, and, well, let's just say Dice was too tired to get up the next morning ;). (Stop I'm reading this again a while later and this line sounds so stupidly dirty, I'm so sorry 😭)

--------------------------------------------------

Okay, this took WAY longer than it needed to so I'm sorry for that but I hope you enjoyed this fic. Honestly though KD has gotta be one of the funniest villains ever 😂.

Have a lovely day/night <3

[captain-tch]

The Webs We Weave (Spiderman No Way Home x Reader)

When you're thrown into a universe that isn't your own, you're confronted with your past in more ways than one.

part 2: mirror image of grief

previous chapter

The alley was quickly replaced with a square box, with a glass wall facing out towards a room littered with things you couldn't even name. Your stomach dropped, seeing other cages similarly to yours lined up, some of them occupied.

"Welcome to the naughty corner." A voice from your left mocked. Your body turned towards the sound. A man with a dazzling smile waved at you. You gawped as you saw sparks of electricity explode from his fingertips.

"Wha- How -" The dread in your stomach grew stronger. You resisted the urge to vomit, tightly griping your mid section. This had to be a mistake. The stranger must have knocked you out, and this was what your subconscious conjured up. You were feeling trapped. Maybe this was your brain trying to untangle the mystery of your situation.

You spun around to see the stranger on the other side of the glass, sighing heavily. "We're going to need a bigger prison."

Prison? The ball in your throat was getting tighter. What did you do wrong to end up here? All you did was ask this stranger for a charger, and the next thing you knew, he somehow transported you here. He must have knocked you out.

A bubble of anger lit up your veins. You asked this man for help and he incarcerated you. He treated you as if you were a criminal - you were just lost, scared, and worried about what would happen next. You just wanted to go home, because this place certainly wasn't it.

"Hey - hey! Hey!" You threw yourself against the glass, slamming your hands against it. Each punch made your knuckles ache. The stranger didn't even flinch. "Just who the hell do you think you are, kidnapping me? I could get you arrested!"

"Try me. I can't commit a crime against someone who doesn't exist."

"Excuse me?" You delivered a stronger blast against the glass. "I exist, I'm right fucking here!"

"But you shouldn't be! You do not belong in this universe, none of you do." The man looked like he was on the brink of a breakdown. Even if the man was boiling your blood, you got one thing from this conversation. He confirmed that you were right. There was some relief to be found in that. At least now, you could try to work a solution to your problem. "You were only brought here because you know Peter Parker."

All sense of reassurance was robbed from you. It felt like the rug had been taken from beneath your feet. You were breathless, unable to speak for a few beats. A whirlwind of emotions surged through you. "Peter's here?"

"Not right now, no."

You tried to hide your disappointment. "That still gives you no right to trap me here."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" He waited for an answer.

You halted in your attacks, really taking this man in. His brown hair, with grey streaked through it seemed like a bold fashion choice, and the way he'd styled his beard screamed 'big ego' to you. You wanted more than anything to watch that smug smile drop from his face. "Someone with bad facial hair?"

"I'm Dr Stephen Strange."

"...And that means?"

Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. "Kids these days."

Under your breath, you muttered. "Men."

Stephen turned his back to you and left the room. You had never been so grateful to see the back of anyone before. The moment his foot steps faded away, you backed away from the glass, casting an assessing eye over it. There were no marks left from your beating, only the pulsing of your hand to remind you of your outburst.

A knowledgeable voice broke your concentration. "There's no way out of here."

Your eyes narrowed in on the voice. A man with curling brown hair, black googles. His features weren't the focus of your attention, your eyes zeroing in on the four metal tentacles protruding from his back.

The man who sizzled with electricity.

This man made octopus.

Your gaze slowly moved around the cages, taking in a man who appeared to be made out of sand, and a large lizard. It was only when it spoke did it click. He introduced himself as Dr. Connors.

You were reminded of your best friend, someone who you cared for deeply. He tested a serum on himself, evolving beyond the person you had grown to love. He died in your arms.

Vision blurring, you found yourself unable to speak. For a moment you felt a flash of relief, knowing that this wasn't a version of your best friend who survived the serum. At the same time, your heart sunk.

"What did you to do that wound you up in the doghouse?"

Clearing your throat, you fought past the emotion trying to steal your voice. "Nothing."

~

While Stephen was gone, you were slowly losing your mind. You tried to talk to the other captives: it was like talking to a brick wall. Eventually you ended up climbing the walls, searching desperately for any crevice, any imperfection in your cage that you could take advantage of. You found the smallest crack, in the top right hand corner. Instantly you dashed towards it, uncaring of the fact that you were hanging upside down in front of a group of strangers.

"The hell are they doing -" You ignored the curious ponders of your fellow captors, pushing your fingertips into the crack.

You would escape.

You would go home, no matter the cost.

A tingling on the back of your neck made you try even harder. Your finger beds were starting to bleed yet you kept clawing, hoping to make the crack big enough that you could take advantage of it somehow. In retrospect, it didn't make much sense; in that moment, surrounded by strangers who now seemed to be looking at you with a hint of familiarity, you were dying to find an escape.

Thud, thud.

Your heart jumped out of your throat. Acting on pure instinct you jumped down from the ceiling, turning your arm and shooting a web at the glass. The sticky substance stuck to the window.

"Doctor Strange... is that who I think it is?" A young voice inquired.

You couldn't see beyond the webs, it disguising the owner of the voice.

"It's not you, if that's what you're thinking." Stephen sighed. You could detect the exhaustion in his voice. "They're a version of you. Therefore, they are not you."

"But if they're a version of me, aren't they like me?"

"What are you trying to get at Parker?"

Your breath caught in your throat. This was Peter Parker? He didn't sound like the one you had come to know, and after pulling the webs away from the glass, you couldn't help but stare. This child wasn't your Peter Parker. As you stared, the dots started to connect in your mind. The wanted posters. The man hunt against him.

Your blood turned cold. This was another version of you?

Now that the obstruction was gone, you could see that Stephen was holding a box, intricately designed with weaving lines. On the inside, was a glowing bundle of energy. Your attention remained fixated on the box, agitation at Stephen ebbing with each second.

"Wouldn't they be a superhero in their world? Wouldn't they want to do good?"

You wanted to object, to ask about the murderer posters you had seen. You kept your lips sealed though; he seemed to be the only person contesting your release. Not that it would hold much merit if the allegations were true,

"Parker, did you not listen to a word I just said?" You saw Stephen pinch the bridge of his nose. Your jaw twitched. This man was making a lot of assumptions about you that you didn't like. At all. "Just because they might have your powers, doesn't mean that they are like you."

"I'm standing right here." You offered, your words falling on deaf ears. Defeated, you rested your forehead on the glass, eyes darting between Peter and Stephen as if it was a tennis match.

"They don't belong here!" Peter exclaimed, gesturing towards you.

"You have no idea what they are capable of!" Stephen shouted, jabbing Peter in the chest. "They could be just as, if not more, dangerous than any of the people in this room."

"Says the man who kidnapped me."

A low whistle slipped past the electric man's lips. "Oh, they got you there, magic man."

"Did they do anything wrong?" Peter looked at you in the cage, your hair dishevelled, your knuckles bruised from pounding the glass. Compared to the others, you appeared to be as innocent as a fly.

Stephen shifted, unable to look Peter in the eyes. "They didn't do anything wrong, per se. Our meeting was purely coincidental but you have to assume all visitors from the other world are dangerous."

"Let them go."

"Peter, I can't do that."

"Just like you can't help cure the others? If we send them back to their own universe, they will die!" You reeled back at this new information. You must have been concentrating a lot on that crack to miss things like this.

"We can't do that - you have no idea what impact that will have on the timeline."

"We have to try." Before you could comprehend what was happening, a web shot out of Peter's hand, attaching to the box. It flew out of Stephen's hands.

"Think this through, Parker."

"I've already made up my mind."

"Then you leave me no choice."

In a flash of sparks, the two people disappeared from your sight. Your jaw dropped. In their wake were three people left standing in the room. A young girl with curly hair tucked a strand behind her ear, looking down at the floor. A boy similar in age seemed to be overly excited, looking at you all in the cages with a level of awe. Then there was the final man - his hoodie disguised his figure, his face shallow. He looked as though he carried the weight of many sins.

"Hey," you spoke up, pressing yourself against the glass. You weren't sure why but you felt a draw to the man. His woes seemed to match your own. "What's your name?"

The man pointed at himself, as if questioning who you were asking. After nodding, he confirmed his name was Norman Osbourne. He spoke it as if the name was meant to mean something to you; it just sounded like a normal name to you.

The introductions ended as shortly as they began. It was clear no one here was looking to make friends.

No sooner had they disappeared, did Peter appear again. There wasn't a sign of Stephen Strange.

"Let's get you all out of here."

~

It had never felt so good to breathe in fresh air. In the short dash from the Sanctum Sanctorum to the van your lungs cried in relief. You wouldn't be able to say how long you had been inside the prison; it had felt like years. You relished the feeling to stretch your arms out wide... only to hit the person standing next to you.

"Watch it." The tentacled man, who you had learned was called Doctor Octavius, snapped. Feebly you drew your arms back to your sides, muttering an apology.

With each bump in the road, the metal of his arms bit into you. You resisted the urge to chastise him for it, choosing to shuffle as far away as you could. You pressed into the side of Max, the man who's entire body conducted electricity. He gave you the stink eye.

"Ever heard of personal space?"

Your silent prayers were answered as the car came to a stop. Gratefully you practically ran out of the van, jumping out onto the concrete. Patiently you waited for the others to follow, dutifully following Peter and his Aunt May up to the apartment.

Peter was muttering under his breath how he could help cure the others. You honestly had no idea what you were doing there.

When you get into the apartment, you can't help but gawp. It was the fanciest home you had ever stepped foot in. The security system was impeccable, and everything looked incredibly sleek. Peter didn't waste a moment gathering together supplies, darting into another room to start his work. Norman followed his trail.

Awkwardly, you leaned against the counter. Everyone seemed to be in a state of pause, waiting for something to happen. You wanted to kill the silence: the moment you opened your mouth, one of the villains shot you a look.

You moved towards the room Peter was in, twisting your head around the corner.

"Anything I can help with?"

"We've got it covered, thanks."

You nodded, retreating back into the kitchen.

Aunt May looked at your knuckles, noticing the bruises starting to bloom. Her brows furrowed. Before you could say anything she had gone into the freezer, pulled out a bag of peas and gestured them towards you. Wordlessly you smiled your gratitude, pressing the peas to your tender hand.

"Is this a bad time to ask about the posters?"

Aunt May's face turned solemn as she wrung out her hands. "Peter's being framed for murder. It's complicated."

You nodded, the cogs spinning in your mind. You thought you had to deal with some shit; turns out his life was more of a shit show than yours. At the very least, you were appeased that this universe's version of you wasn't an actual murderer.

You drifted in and out of day dreaming. You didn't pay much mind to what was happening around you, just pressing the cold peas into your knuckles and relishing the hot flashes of pain that would ground you every few moments. The pain meant that this was real, that this was happening, that you were trapped in another world.

God, you wanted to go home. But this stubborn asshole wouldn't let you all leave until he cured the villains.

If you were being honest with yourself, you were ashamed to admit that you didn't care. Who said it would be guaranteed that they would die if they went back now? And how would curing them prevent their deaths when they returned?

Without realising, your mind drifted to your friend. If you closed your eyes now you could see his body being cradled in your arms, his pale skin a sign of what was to come. You could see how he fought to beat what he inflicted on himself.

If only he had come here to be cured instead. He wasn't a villain. He was your friend.

Peter cut off your train of thought. He ambled into the room, with Norman on his tail. He looked overjoyed with himself, and in minutes he had inserted a new chip into Doctor Octavius' neck. His body went limp.

Breath caught in your throat. Without realising you had stood up from where you were sat, staring up at the lifeless body now dangling in the air above.

You were about to go comfort Peter when you saw it. The smallest of finger twitches grabbed your attention. The movement only increased from there, and soon, Otto's eyes were opening. There was no trace of malicious in his expression. He seemed free.

"The voices... they've stopped." Otto turned to Peter, a beaming smile on his face. "Thank you, my boy."

A dash of hope shot through you. One had been cured, now there was five more to go. Hopefully, you'll be home by the time dawn breaks. God, you really prayed that was the case.

Peter was buzzing with excitement. He started tinkering, grabbing more supplies and preparing to cure the next villain. As the remaining villains ogled, a palpable change in the air took place. Your hairs stood on end, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

It only got worse as Peter stepped closer to Max, a device clutched in his hands. He pressed it into Max's chest, lights on it blinking to life each minute it was attached to him. Peter explained how it was draining him of all of his excess electricity, in turn removing his ability to control electricity.

You sensed it before it happened.

"You don't need to cure me. I am who I am." Max stood up from his seat defiantly, looking down at Peter from above. "You don't get to decide who needs to be cured. You're not a god. I like how I am."

"I'm doing this to save you -"

"Save me? Save me from what?"

"Max, calm down." You stepped forward, gently pushing Aunt May towards the door.

"What do you know? You can't tell me shit, you're not one of us, you're like him."

"He's trying to help you, let him do this and we can just go home."

"Is that all you care about? It's alright for you, little spiderling, you can go back home just how you were. But me," Max opened his arms wide. "I've gotten used to this life, this taste of power. And I just want more."

You couldn't comprehend how it happened. The next thing you knew, the apartment was shaking, the villains had disappeared, and you'd been thrown against the wall. Your head slammed harshly, and you fell to the ground. Glass pierced your hands. Debris bit into your cheek. Through the thick cloud of smoke you couldn't see anything.

Shouts from below drew you closer. Peter was being thrown through the apartment building by the Lizard. You rushed to the side of the building, uncaring about the wind whipping at your face. You pressed your palm to shoot out a string of webs.

Psst.

The web mechanism had broken. The device was sparking. Swearing colourfully under your breath, you pressed your hand against building wall. Swinging the rest of your body around, you found yourself clinging to the outside of the building, the concrete crumbling under your body weight.

"Oh f-"

The wall fell away. Gravity worked against you as you desperately thought of a plan, trying to avoid this cruel fate. The wind was whistling loud in your ears robbing you the ability to think.

"Y/N!" A web caught you just as you were four storey's away from the ground. You jolted upwards. The web started to break, unable to handle the pressure of you and the concrete. Heart in your throat, you detached yourself from the wall, clinging onto the flimsy rope. It fell quickly to the floor.

This was your natural state, yet you couldn't help the fear coursing through your veins. The web was fraying, ever so slowly. With the last bit of your strength, you used the web to swing to the nearest balcony. Your fingertips just caught the rail as the web snapped.

You ignored the blood stains you left on the rails, clambering over it tiredly and collapsing to the ground. The home sick feeling hit you like a truck - you wanted to go home, wrap up your wounds and fall asleep in your own bed. Instead, you were forcing yourself to stand back up, looking up at the direction of the voice.

Up above, you could see Peter fighting the Lizard. As you were watching, you saw him be thrown further down the building. You could reach him. You could help him.

Your pace was embarrassingly slow. Your head was pounding like mad, and you were fairly certain your hair was matted with blood. Your hands were so sliced you couldn't tell where the skin began. You knew your body would be a masterpiece of bruising colours, just by the pulsing ache creeping into your joints.

A loud explosion shook the ground. You stumbled, dodging any debris that fell around you. It sounded close. From the sounds of fighting, it didn't seem good.

You stumbled to the ground floor, weakly reaching out to the walls for support. The blood from your hands was smearing on the walls, marring the white. The smoke was so thick you could barely see, the stinging in your eyes robbing your sight further.

A gentle sobbing guided you out of the smoke. You fumbled out into the room, tripping over debris in your wake.

Peter was sat, his back to you. His shoulders were heaving up and down, he was cradling something close to his chest. A deep sense of dread rooted itself in your gut. You had heard that kind of weeping before. You heard it come out of your own mouth when you lost one of the people closest to you in the entire world. He was a mirror image of the grief you had endured.

Another step closer and you saw it. You saw the source of his tears. Aunt May lay in his arms, her eyes unseeing. Her body was limp. Your limbs felt like lead. She had been alive ten minutes ago. You had seen her smiling, laughing, and breathing.

Now, she was gone.

next chapter

marvel masterlist