#what if the energy in readings is just giving you a snapshot of the energy you have and that energy is delusional

[thebloodredraven]

The "why are people criticizing romance tarot readers, I don't want to do shadow work readings" shit I saw on here a few months ago did a lot to my psyche, mostly make me realize I should not be consuming that content as much as I have been over the past few years.

I also learned that anyone who has a problem with doing shadow work or self reflection readings but obsesses over romance are probably suffering with limerence like me and that snapped me tf awake

Edit: also what the FUCK do you mean "if this pile just sounds like it's describing yourself, that just means your person is mirroring you!!" NO???? THAT MEANS YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE WHY ARE WE SAYING THIS TO IMPRESSIONABLE PEOPLE

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Oh, I'm A Mess... (Affinity Series)

Alpha!Bucky x Sweet Little Omega!POC!Reader

Alpha!Bucky x Sweet Little Omega!POC!Reader x Alpha!Steve

Wordcount: 7243

Summary:

You and Bucky have officially bonded! So why does Steve still smell so damn good to you? After getting injured on a mission, Bucky connects the dots and is able to shed some light on the situation. What could this possibly mean for the three of you?

Warnings:

Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Shameless Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Domestic Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Shower Sex, Naked Cuddling, Breeding, Protective Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Feels

Notes:

Hello, Hello, Hell-O, Once again I started out writing with one plan in mind and well my characters just said "NOPE. This is where we're going. Don't fight it." And thus this, a bit plot heavy, fic was born. Have no fear though, there still we be snapshots of just Bucky and his Omega, as well as some with just her and Steve. What can I say, the characters have officially taken over and I'm just here to transcribe it all to you. Happy reading! This snapshot was heavily inspired by GUESS IM IN LOVE by Clinton Kane. Give it a listen to set the mood if you'd like. Also the lyrics used are from Tears Dry On Their Own by Amy Whinehouse. I do not own any rights to this song and you should give it listen!

Bannner by @cafekitsune Divider by @firefly-graphics

The hearth is filled with a crackling fire, it’s soft amber glow filling the space with warmth as you lounge in your favorite pj's, wrapped up in a blanket cocoon. A pint of Ben & Jerry's in your lap and Supernatural playing on the flat-screen. Dean Winchester is truly the best distraction. Currently you're all alone in the house as The Avengers have been called away on a quick mission.

Having recently made your bond official, you decided to stay at Bucky and Steve’s for a while, so you can remain close to your mate. You had some paid time off you needed to use or lose at work anyway and this seemed the most appropriate way to utilize it. 

Your phone goes off, alerting you of an incoming text.

My Alpha 🐺: Hello my sweet little Omega. The mission’s over but it’s gonna be a bit before I get home. I have to go to the infirmary when we land. I got injured protecting a group of children. Just got struck with a stray bullet or two and a cut to the forehead. Nothing too serious that my Super Soldier serum can’t heal quick enough, but it’s protocol to get checked out after any injury in the field. See you soon babygirl. I love you 😘 Me: 😲 Oh my goodness Bucky! You better be okay! Get here as soon as you can so I can see for myself that you are still in one piece! I love you too ❤

This news turns your calm energy to one of anxiety. You begin to seek out items to make yourself a nest. A place you can find comfort and safety as you nervously wait for your Alpha to return home.

With your mating bond being still a little new, he can feel just how out of sorts you are and although he’s trying to send calming vibes down the bond you're still out of sorts. It’s increasing his need to protect you and is starting to put him on edge. He knows he can't get to you until he’s cleared by the doctor. 

Steve hasn’t left his side since they boarded the Quinjet. He didn’t sustain any injuries himself and is perfectly fine to leave. He’s only still here because he wants to make sure his best friend is alright. 

He turns to Steve sitting in the seat next to the exam table he is laying on. “Hey, would you mind heading home ahead of me and making sure my Omega isn't scared and alone while she’s stressed out over me. I can’t stand knowing she’s in that house by herself right now. I'm afraid my instincts will take over and I’ll bite someone's head off the longer I sit here feeling her anxiety through the bond and I can't get to her.”

The blonde agrees of course, wanting to make sure you're okay himself. “Yeah, no problem Buck. I’ll make sure to try and keep her calm as much as I can. You just get checked out and hurry home as soon as you're able to. I’ve got her til then, pal.”

“Thanks Stevie. Now go take care of my girl.”

Upon entering the house, Steve finds you sorting through the blankets in the living room. “Hey there, Doll. Buck sent me to check in on you. Said he could feel your anxiety through the bond. He’ll be here soon. He’s just waiting for the all clear from the Doc once she’s done with anyone with major injuries first.” 

You drop the blanket in your hand and rush to him, wrapping him up in a giant hug, happy to no longer be left alone with your treacherous thoughts. You just need to be held for a moment and he smells like Bucky since somehow his blood is on his undershirt. Seems he had taken off the top half of his uniform at some point. 

The urge to take his blood stained shirt is increasing the longer he holds you. You must have it for your nest. Taking a step back, you thrust your hands underneath the fabric, running them along his abs and up his chest until you can pull it off him. 

Steve stands there motionless, in shock from the unprompted groping you just gave him. He watches as you inhale a big whiff of their mixed scents through your nose, as you clutch the shirt to your chest and face. 

It starts to actually calm you. Which is interesting since you're newly mated and Steve is not your bonded Alpha. Maybe it's because Bucky’s always with Steve and they’ve known each other so long. Maybe it’s because you know what his dick tastes like on your tongue. Or it can be a whole other thing entirely. You’ll have to figure that out another time though, because right now all you care about is trying to stay calm until you lay eyes on your Alpha again.

Yes, Bucky reassured you it’s just surface wounds that’ll easily heal within the day but until you can visually check that he’s okay you're going to continue to feel unsettled. 

A now shirtless Steve, shakes himself out of his stupor and begins to try and relax, releasing calming pheromones into the air. You just want to go back to your nest and continue to perfect it until Bucky is back. So that’s just what you do. “Thanks for coming home to check on me Stevie. It means a lot. Really. I’m gonna head back into the room now though. Holler if you need me for anything.” 

From time to time, Steve ducks his head into the bedroom to check on you. He watches as you fidget with your nest, trying to get it just right. Seeing you like this is doing something to him he can't quite understand. It’s making him feel all warm and content, but also a bit melancholy. 

He’s really struck out in the love department throughout his life. No one seems to just fit for him. He’s very happy that his best friend has found his Omega though. You two really are perfect for each other. Even now, mated to Buck, your scent is still mouthwatering to him. Just your mere presence can soothe his overactive brain. He’s drawn to you like a moth to a flame and even though he’s not quite sure why that is, he truly enjoys the feeling. But that’s a secret he’ll have to keep to himself.

You lose yourself in constructing your nest until you hear voices filter in through the hall, right as Bucky’s thick scent hits you. “Where’s your shirt pal?”

You run out of the room, pausing once you reach the end of the hall and spot Bucky. Taking a visual account that he’s all in one piece. Other than a cut that is already healing on his forehead, he looks disheveled, but perfectly fine. 

“You're okay.” You whisper and run into his arms. Soaking the bond in relief and love. Burying your face in his neck, saturating yourself in his sandalwood and whiskey scent. You pull back to gaze into those soulful baby blues.

“Hi, babygirl.” He kisses your nose.

“Hi, Sarg.” You kiss the cut on his head. “I’m so glad you're back. But you look a complete mess.” He chuckles at you and squeezes your ass that’s cradled in his hands. “That so Omega?” 

You bite your lip and nod your head. “Mmhmm. Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

“As you wish, sweet girl. Night Stevie. Thanks again for checking in on her” You wave goodnight as your Alpha carries you off into the hall.

Steve watches your retreating forms with longing in his eyes and an ache in his chest until you're out of his sight. 

Someday I’ll have that. 

Bucky carries you through his room to the en suite, noticing the nest you made on his bed along the way and smiling to himself.

He places you on the counter as he reaches in and starts to warm up the shower.

You take your time undressing him and kissing every bump, bruise and healing laceration. “Keep that up Omega and we won't even make it into the shower. Now lift your arms up so I can help you out of these clothes.” 

You raise your arms and he steals a kiss after he removes your shirt. Tracing his fingers down your torso til he reaches your hips and taps them to let you know to lift them so he can remove your bottoms. He leaves a trail of kisses up your calves and thighs as he makes his way back up. With one more tortuous kiss he lifts you up and carries you into the large walk in shower, now filled with steam and sets you down underneath the waterfall spray.

You reach over and grab the shampoo off the built-in shelf on the wall. “You’re too tall for me to reach you all the way up there so I’m gonna need you to either bend down or kneel so I can get my hands on that scalp of yours.” 

He kneels before you.

With your breasts level with his face, he can't help but sneak a little kiss to your sternum as he wraps his arms around your hips. As you begin to massage and lather up his scalp, you feel the tension leave his body. The content purrs emanating from his chest send vibrations through your lower abdomen. You continue on this way for a few more minutes until it’s time for him to rinse. “Up and at em Alpha. Time to get all these suds out so I can clean the rest of you.”

With a dazed and tranquil look in his eyes, he pulls himself back up. Keeping eye contact with you until he tilts his head back and let’s the water wash away the white lather. As he’s rinsing his hair, you prep the loofah with his favorite soap. Once his head has returned to the upright position you begin to cleanse your Alpha.

You run the loofah along his strong torso and shoulders. Down his large biceps and forearms. Over his thick thighs and defined legs. Purposely ignoring the hardening length rising from his patch of curls. 

Kneeling before him you look up into the handsome face of your Alpha. “Turn around for me please, so I can continue on.” He gives you a little mischievous smirk and takes his time turning towards the wall, giving you his back side. 

You start at the bottom and make your way to the top. Soaping up his calves and the back of his thighs. Skimming over his taut buttocks. Taking your time to worship his strong back and lay kisses across his shoulder blades and scars before you lather them up. You slide the loofah down his arms, pulling yourself closer until your chest rests against his back.

You bring the suds to the rigid thickness standing proud between his legs. Taking your time to cover every inch and making sure you don't miss a single spot. 

You drop the loofah, to aide him in rinsing off his body. Your tiny hands wander over every dip and valley of skin you can reach until you wrap them around his girth and begin to stroke his length. He can't help but moan out at the feeling of you taking such good care of him.

He places his hands against the wall to maintain his balance as he gives in to the pleasure you're giving him.

You deepen the pressure but keep up the languid speed as you feel your Alpha’s breath begin to quicken, groaning out. “Fuck baby that feels so good.”

“Good. You deserve it Alpha. You’re a good man who does amazing things and will put his life on the line for others. Making you feel good is the least I can do.” You lay a kiss between his shoulder blades and increase your speed. 

His breath hitches in his throat and he lets out a deep growl, shaking your chest with its powerful tremor. Before you can even comprehend what is happening your back hits the shower wall and in one solid thrust, Bucky is deep inside you. 

You scream out from the stretch and utter uncontrolled ferality your Alpha just showed. 

“You wanna make me feel good Omega?” 

“Always.”

“Well nothing feels better than your tight little cunt wrapped around my cock as it takes a pounding.” 

Your eyes roll into the back of your head at his dirty words and deep strokes. 

“You have no idea how desperately I want to bury my knot in you right now, Omega." He skims his lips across the sensitive flesh of your exposed throat. "Unfortunately the shower is not the greatest place to be stuck together. What I can and will do though, is fuck you so deep and hard you cant help but turn into an incoherent mess.” 

All you can do is whimper, wrap your arms around his chest and hold on to his shoulders. 

You Alpha is nothing if not a man of his word. He starts fucking you so deep your seeing stars. Pulling orgasm after orgasm out of you, over and over again. You’ve lost track of how many times you’ve fallen over the edge. You have no idea how he’s lasted so long. Damn super serum.  

He couldn't be happier with himself, seeing that cock drunk look in your hooded eyes.

“Look at you, Omega. All pliant and fuzzy headed. Hind-brain taking over. Too bad were not in your nest, otherwise I would for sure be stuffing you full of my knot and fucking a baby into you.” His hips begin to speed up. “Fuck just thinking about you all round with my child growing inside you is making me wanna pop my knot right now and get a head start on our family. Would you like that, my sweet little Omega? Want your Alpha to breed you and keep you full until there’s no way you aren't pregnant with my child.” 

“F-f-fuck please Alpha. Please. Fill me up.” You mumble and slur out as your walls begin to clamp down on him as you reach the precipice of another climax.

“Fuck. You really do want that don't ya, Omega? Your little pussy is squeezing me so tight. Trying to milk me for everything I got.” His rhythm starts to falter. “That’s it baby. Fuck . Need you to come for me one more time and I'll fill you up. You can do it. Come on pretty girl. Come for me Omega. Come. Now.” 

That command was all it took for you to shatter and explode in tidal wave of pleasure. Taking Bucky along the ride with you. If it weren’t for your Alpha pinning your thighs to the wall and your arms wrapped around his shoulders, you surely would have collapsed to the floor. All you can do is cry out as he pulls back at the very last second and pops his knot against the outside of your entrance.

Your greedy pussy milks what length remains inside you for every last drop. Draining him dry as he bites down on your neck, reclaiming his mark into your supple flesh. Chest heaving up and down from the sure willpower it is taking him to not bury his knot deep inside you and making sure not a drop of his seed is wasted.

You take a moment to collect yourselves as the warm water continues to cascade down your skin. You’re placed back on your feet with a gentle kiss and satisfied purr. “Looks like we're both dirty again. You wash my back and I’ll wash yours. Deal?”

You lightly nod your head and laugh at your Alpha’s antics. “Deal. But no funny business. It’s been a long day and I just want to get clean, crawl into my nest and fall asleep wrapped up in your arms.”

“That I can do Omega.” He begins to clean you up as you do the same for him. Trading sweet kisses along the way. Once you’re both fresh and clean, you turn off the shower, dry off quickly and head off to bed.

It’s time for some skin to skin snuggles, just how you like them. No blanket could ever be as warm as your Alpha’s chest.

You’re starting to drift off when you feel Bucky move his arm as if he’s grabbing something. "Omega. What's Stevie’s shirt doing in here?"

You freeze for a moment before burying your head in his chest and rambling. “It smells like you even though it's mixed with his scent because your blood is on it and I don’t know why but I just had to have it in here. It just felt right, okay.”

He runs his flesh hand lightly up and down your back feeling you begin to slightly panic. “Omega, it's okay. I do have a question for you though.”

You swallow. “Yes, Alpha.”

He kisses the top of your head, sending reassurance through the bond. “Please answer me honestly if you can. I'm truly just curious. I know we're mated now, but has Steve’s scent changed for you since I placed my mark on this pretty little neck?”

You shift nervously. “Umm. No it hasn't. Every other Alpha’s has, but not his.”

He continues to rub your back. “Do you like the way he smells?”

You take a deep breath and answer honestly. No sense in lying to your Alpha. “Yes. I do. Even more so when it's mixed with yours. I can't explain why either. I'm so sorry Bucky. How can I be bonded to you and his scent still smells so good to me. I’m the worst Omega.” You can feel a panic attack coming on. 

He pulls you in closer to his chest, lifts your chin with his metal finger and makes you look him in the eye. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, babygirl. You are not the worst Omega. And quite frankly, I’m not even upset. Rather intrigued, actually. If you're up for it, I wanna test something out.”

You shakily nod your head. “O-okay. What do you have in mind?”

“I’m going to ask Steve to come in here. I’d like to have him join us in the nest, if you're okay with that of course, and see if he’ll sleep here tonight. I know he’s a bit shaken by today’s events too. Is that ok with you Omega?”

Your brows begin to furrow as you think of him sleeping all alone after such an exhausting and your sure, emotional day. “Oh poor Stevie. I don't want him to sleep alone. Of course he can come in here. Technically his scent is already in the nest. Do I need to get fully dressed though? Our skin to skin contact is kind of important to me right now.”

He can’t help but smile at how adorable you are. “That’s all up to you babygirl. I mean the man’s dick has been in your mouth and he’s watched me fuck you more than once. I’m not going through the effort of getting dressed for the little jerk. If he’s uncomfortable he can figure it out.”

You shake your head and laugh at his antics. “You really can be an asshole sometimes. I’ll keep being naked then and just stay under the blanket cuddled up against you for now.” You kiss his chest. “You can go ahead and call him in.”

Bucky calls out and Steve peeks his head through the door. He's a bit taken aback by the feeling of happiness, lust and underlying longing he has as he gazes upon you two cuddled up in your nest. 

“You rang?” He hits you with that mischievous little smile of his.

“I found where your shirt went punk. It’s right under her pillow. Apparently our scents combined does something to her. Go figure. Anyway, I know you’re probably feeling out of sorts after today's mission and we don't feel like you should be sleeping alone. Wanna hop on in the nest and help me keep this little one warm and cozy?”

His eyes widened and his brows scrunch up. “What!? You just recently mated and you want me in your nest? Shouldn't my scent bother you now?”

You start to fidget in Bucky’s arms and look at the blonde. “I can't explain it but it's never changed for me when it comes to you. And he wasn't lying. Your scents mixed together makes me feel calm and safe. I’d really like it if you slept here tonight Stevie. No pressure though if it’s too weird for you.”

He scoffs. “Weird for me. My dick has been lodged in your throat. This is pretty tame.” 

“See told ya” Bucky laughs out as you smack him along his ribs. 

Shaking his head at his best friend he responds to you. “I’m more than happy to join you. There’s only one problem. I sleep in the nude and I’m sure you won't appreciate that.”

A coy little smile lights up your face. “I prefer skin to skin. Your level of comfort is up to you.”

He turns to your mate. “You sure about this Buck?”

Rolling his eyes at his best friend he replies. “Stop being a scaredy cat and just get in already Stevie. You can be awkward about it in the morning, alright pal.”

Not wanting to risk Bucky's temper, he undresses and climbs in behind you as you curl up tighter against your Alpha's chest. He keeps his distance though, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

Bucky can feel your distress thinking you’ve freaked Steve out. “You got something against cuddling up against my girl with me?”

“Huh?”

“You got in the nest, but are way the fuck over there. I’m not gonna bite your hand off.”

“Buck...”

“Fuck this.” He leans over you, grabs Steve’s hand and places it on your bare hip. 

You stiffen at the touch, until Steve scoots closer, his chest flush against your back, wrapping his arm around your waist.

“There. All better now. Get some sleep babygirl.” Bucky lets out a low purr along with Steve that begins to lull you right to sleep.

The next morning…

Bucky rouses first, as the sunlight reaches his eyes and sneaks out of bed to start some coffee. When he returns to the nest he finds you cuddled up against Steve with your head on his chest, a serene look across your face. He watches as Steve cracks his eyes open and just stares in awe at the sight of you curled up against him.

“You could wake up to that view more often ya know?”

Surprised by his words, Steve looks at his best friend. “What on earth are you talking about Buck? She’s yours. It’s your bite mark on her neck, not mine. This is the only time I’ll ever have this view. I’m just trying to savor it and imprint it in my brain, so I can revisit it when I’m all alone again.”

He softly strokes your cheek and hair.

Bucky can’t stand this pity party any longer. “You’re an idiot ya know that? She clearly has two mating glands and apparently two True Mates. How else would her scent not have changed for you when we mated like it did all the other Alpha’s on the team. And your scent hasn't changed for her either. She told us that just last night.”

Steve can feel himself starting to get agitated. “That’s ridiculous Buck. An omega with two Alpha’s is extremely rare. Don’t patronize me thinking I have a chance here. She’s yours, okay. I get that.”

“And I’m telling you that she might be yours too. What’s so wrong with that?” He inquires. 

“Yes please do tell me what is wrong with that, if that's the case?” You speak up.

Neither of them had noticed that you had awoken.

Steve looks down at you lying on his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with that IF that's the case. I just don't believe it is. I think my best friend and his omega are just feeling guilty that I’m all alone and keep catching them in the various stages of love. It’s ok guys. Really.”

You abruptly sit up.

“You think I pity you? That I'm just humoring you by letting you get close to me when I'm feeling vulnerable. That your scent doesn't provide me a sense of calm and safety just as much as my Alpha’s does. That I haven't been confused and trying to figure out why the fuck you still smell so damn good when I’m now mated to Bucky.” 

Your eyes begin to water. “You think I chose to have somehow fallen for my Alpha’s best friend too.” You slap your hands to your mouth with your outburst and turn to Bucky. 

“I’m sorry. This is just all too much. Excuse me.” You scramble out of the twisted bed sheets, running straight into the bathroom and locking the door, uncaring of your current state of nudity. 

Steve stares after you, mouth agape, as he processes your confession. Bucky just pinches the bridge of his nose. “Way to go, Stevie.”

The taunt shakes him out of his stupor. “How are you so calm right now? Your Omega just basically said she’s also in love with your Alpha best friend.”

Bucky just looks at him with a deadpan expression. “Keyword there pal…ALSO. She isn't any less mine or in love with me because her biology gifted her with two mates instead of one. We’re not typical Alpha’s, so it’s not that much of a stretch to think we wouldn't attract a typical Omega. Unless you're telling me you aren't drawn to her and want to be with her just as badly as I do.” He glares at him. “Now that would most certainly raise my temper.”

Steve lets out a huff. “So you’re telling me, that if I admit to you that I’m drawn to her. That her scent literally calls to me. That I’ve replayed that night we all hooked up together over and over and wish I had gotten a chance to at least have kissed her. That I live for the moments when it’s just the three of us here in the house, locked in our own little bubble, and I hate that I have to go to bed alone while she’s wrapped up in your arms. You're telling me, that saying all of that, doesn't make you want to punch me in the face?”

Steel Gray eyes meet the Cerulean ones of his best friend. Making sure that he focuses on what he is about to say. 

“If I hadn't seen first hand how she reacts to you and cares for you, yeah, you admitting all that shit would make me crazy. But I know my Omega. I see the sadness in her eyes that she tries to hide from me when you go off to bed alone when she’s here. Or the pure joy in them when you compliment her cooking after we’ve shared a meal. Hell she takes care of you as much as she does me. I’ve never seen her do that with Sam. Not that the asshole deserves it any way. He openly flirts with her just to piss me off.”

He stops himself before he gets too far off track. “I’m not going to tell you what to do here Stevie. Especially not with her most likely crying in the bathroom right now. What I will tell you though, is that I’m not willing to let her go even if she does have two True Mates and the other happens to be my best friend. I love her. She’s worth it.”

You’ve heard their entire exchange so far through the door you're resting against. Your tears have dried up and breath returning to normal. A warmth has spread through your chest at Bucky’s declaration. Even though you want to stay in here and protect yourself from further rejection you need to let your Alpha know how much you love and appreciate him. 

You stand up and grab one of his shirts from the hamper and throw it on. You’re feeling exposed enough and need a barrier to further protect yourself. You open the door and catch his gaze as he turns to you. Without sparing a glance to Steve you walk up to him and wrap your arms around his neck.

“God, I love you.” You pull his mouth to yours and lay a soul-deep kiss on him. Resting your forehead against his as you pull apart. “You’re worth it too, ya know. And I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me Alpha. Whether or not that includes some excess baggage. I’ll have to get back to you on that front though.” You place a soft kiss to his chin and turn around in his arms, you need his strength at your back for the next part. 

You take a deep calming breath and stare into the ocean eyes of the golden Adonis sitting on the bed before you. “I’m sorry for my emotional outburst, Steven. It wasn't fair of me to do that. Your feelings and desires are your own and I respect them. No matter how much those words stung I shouldn’t have reacted that way. Again, I’m sorry.” You turn back around and look up at Bucky. “Smells like the coffee’s ready. I’m gonna go get a cup and start breakfast. Eggs and bacon okay or do you boys need something more after the day you had yesterday.”

He knows what you’re doing. Trying to take care of him and take your mind off of the rejection you feel without distressing either of them about it. Damn sweet little omega. Even when she’s clearly hurting inside because of him she’s still taking care of both of us.

“Eggs and bacon sounds great babygirl. Anything else you feel inclined to make is a bonus.” He kisses your forehead and you shuffle out of the room. Leaving the awkward situation before Steve can even really respond to your apology.

“She could barely look at me other than when she said she was sorry. Which was unnecessary to begin with.” Steve barely manages to get the words past his lips. 

“Yeah, well. She’s trying to protect herself from feeling rejected further. I can bet she doesn't want you to feel obligated to try and make this work because she was upset. She would never want that.” Bucky clarifies.

This shocks him. “What? Rejected? I didn't reject her. I would never reject her.”

As coff escapes the brunettes lips. “Stevie. You told us that you think we're just feeling guilty and sorry for you instead of the possibility that she has two mates. Sounds like a rejection to me, pal.”

“No, no, no. That’s not…I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that I wasn't lucky enough to have something like that be true. Of course I want her as mine. I’d be a fool not to.” He can feel himself start to panic. 

“Well you're a fool who put his foot in his mouth and made her upset. Figure out what it is you want before digging your hole deeper. I’m going to ask you point blank and I want an honest answer. Do you want to be with her?”

Without hesitation he responds. “Yes.”

“Do you think she could be your true mate?”

“Yes”

“Does the thought of her being mine first bother you?”

“Surprisingly, no. You deserve someone like her Buck. She really is perfect for you. I would never want to mess that up. That’s the main reason why I hid my feelings.”

“Okay. Would you want to make us a bonded pack instead of just a bonded pair?”

“Yes. I would. I’d feel honored to be in a pack with you. It feels right.”

“Alright. Then you need to tell her that. I’m not the one who needs reassurance. Make it right with her and we’ll go from there.” He turns and heads out of the room. 

Steve quickly grabs his boxers from the floor, slips them on and follows Bucky out to the kitchen where they find you cooking, hips swaying as you sing along to Amy Whinehouse playing from the Bluetooth speaker on the island. Cant beat cooking and good music to brighten your mood up.

“Even if I stopped wanting you A perspective pushes through I'll be some next man's other woman soon I cannot play myself again I should just be my own best friend Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men He walks away The sun goes down He takes the day, but I'm grown And in your way In this blue shade My tears dry on their own”

You can feel their eyes on you as you finish cutting up the fruit and placing it in a bowl. You spin around to check on the bacon cooking on the stove. “You gonna stand there all morning gawking at me or are ya gonna help out?” 

They scramble to get into the kitchen. Steve beating Bucky just barely. “What can we do?”

You’re still having a hard time looking at him right now but you can get through this. “Um. Why don’t you grab me the eggs from the fridge Steven so we can get them cooked up and Sarg you can set the table while I finish up the bacon. Good?”

Bucky saddles up behind you, wrapping his thick arms around your waist and pulling you close. He runs his nose up your neck and whispers in your ear. “I know you're feeling some type of way right now babygirl, but please just try and let him remove his head from his ass. He’s just scared. I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you hear him out. Plus I’ll be right over there if you need me.” He kisses your temple and heads off to set the table, swatting your ass on the way for good measure. Cheeky Alpha.

As you're flipping the strips in the skillet, Steve hesitantly moves up next to you, an egg carton clutched to his bare chest. “Need a hand with cooking the eggs so you can focus on the bacon?” he tentatively asks. 

You turn to look at America’s Golden Boy and find an awkward and somehow withdrawn man standing next to you. Is this my doing? He looks so sad. Oh Stevie.

You give him a small smile. “Sure. I’d love the help. Hey Sarg, how do you want your eggs?”

“Are we having toast?” He queries.

“Only if you're making it.” You quip back.

“Then I’ll take ‘em sunny side up, extra runny please. Steve can manage not to screw that up.”

“Ha ha. Very funny Buck. What about you, Doll? Any particular way you’d like yours cooked?” He’s got all of his focus on you as he patiently waits for your answer.

“Scrambled will be just fine for me, Steve. Thank you.” You can feel that warmth starting to spread through your chest again the longer he stands beside you, bathing you in his citrus and cedar scent. 

“You got it, Doll.” He gives you that devastating smile of his and you can feel the threads hanging on to your bruised ego starting to fray. Stupid handsome Alpha messing with my hormones.

You continue to cook in silence. The only sound coming from the speaker on the island. You exchange small subtle touches as you pass over one another for this or that as you finish making breakfast and place it on the table. The tension has slowly built and you have no idea when or if it will break. 

Bucky sits at the head of the table with you to his right.

Surprisingly, Steve chooses to take the seat next to you instead of across the table. After a couple of awkward silent bites Bucky pipes up. “This is perfect, Omega. You're always taking such good care of us.” 

You feel heat rise to your cheeks at his praise. “I can’t take all the credit this morning. Steve helped out.” 

“Well it wouldn't have felt right if you did it all yourself. I’ll always help you out whenever I can, Doll.” He’s gazing at you with such an earnest look in his eyes. 

He reaches for your hand. “Doll, there’s something I need to say before I lose my nerve.”

He has all your attention now. “Go ahead. I’m listening.” You give his hand a little squeeze just as Bucky slides his hand onto your thigh and gives a squeeze as well. Just letting you know he’s right here with you if anything goes wrong. 

“I need you to know that I wasn’t rejecting you. I was feeling sorry for myself and on the defensive. I spoke out of fear and you got hurt because of it. It’s killing me inside that you could believe, even for a moment, that I wouldn't want you.” 

He intertwines his fingers with yours. 

“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in an Omega and it just so happens that my best friend got to you first. I’ve been harboring feelings for you for a long time now and had just come to terms with the fact that I would most likely end up a lone Alpha forever when your scent didn't change after Buck claimed you. That night we all hooked up was the closest I thought I would ever get to having you. And I didn't even get to kiss you.” 

You cock your head to the side. “You wanted to kiss me that night?”

“Oh little omega, I always want to kiss you.” There’s that confidence you love so much rising back to the surface.

“I just wasn't allowed to. I knew my place and I would never do that to Buck. You're made for each other. So when he suggested that the one thing I crave for, could very much be a real possibility, I felt like a joke was being played on me. How could I be so lucky to not only have found a true mate but share her with my best friend. An omega with two mates was rare even in our day. I didn't want to get my hopes up for it to all come crashing down and I lose not only you but my best friend in the process.”

You push back a blonde lock that had fallen into his eyes back into place. “I get it. I do. That’s why I apologized for my outburst.”

He squeezes your hand in his and places the other against your cheek. “No, no, no. You didn't need to apologize. You had every right to feel that way. I’m just an idiot who was lost not only in his head but in the past as well. I might be this big strong Alpha now, but some of those old insecurities of the smaller me make an appearance from time to time. That was one of those times.”

He runs his thumb along the apple of your cheek. “What I’m trying to say, is that I’ve fallen for you too. It’s more than just being drawn to your scent. No matter how mouthwatering it is. You're sweet and caring. You never exclude me when you’re around and you treat me like a real person not some Superhero to be adored. You keep me grounded and I have never seen Bucky more like himself than when he started seeing you. If you're willing to try and Buck is truly okay with it, I would like to see where this goes. Ultimately I would like us to become a pack. I would want you to be mine as much as you are his. What do you say, Doll?”

You stare into those deep pools of cerulean, full of nothing but adoration and a hint of fear. Placing your hand against the nape of his neck, you pull him forward into a kiss. It starts off slow and sweet, quickly morphing into an inferno of need and passion. You pour everything into this kiss, uncaring that your Alpha is watching, until you pull apart, desperately in need of air. 

His eyes are lust blown and he’s sporting a dopey lovesick grin. “I take it, that’s a yes then.”

Bucky busts out laughing. He can’t help himself. “Oh, man. You really are still that skinny little awkward punk. All dopey eyed after one kiss from a Dame ya like.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Oh shove it, asshole. I remember you wandering around the house all love drunk when she kissed you the first time. You have no room to talk.” 

You turn to Buck with a slackened jaw. “You got all twitterpated after I finally let you kiss me goodnight? Awww, Alpha.”

Not embarrassed by it in the slightest he leans in towards you. “Damn right I did. That kiss was fucking magical. I’d never felt anything like it before.”

You place a sweet kiss on his lips and then turn to Steve and do the same. “I’m sure this back and forth ribbing between the two of you will never truly die down. So who’s up for movies and snuggles? I might even be willing to be talked into a little heavy petting.” 

You get up from the table, starting to clear the dishes, when Bucky stops you. “Omega let us do that. You are to relax the rest of the day.”

You place the plates back on the table. “Does that mean my movie marathon is a go?”

Steve wraps his arms around your hips and pulls you close, laying his head on your stomach as he gazes up at you. “Yes, little omega. We can have a lazy day full of movies, snuggles and most certainly some heavy petting. Buck and I just have to check in for a quick debrief with Tony, but we can do that over video in my office after we clean up breakfast. Why don't you go make the living room all cozy for the three of us and pick out the movies you want to watch and as soon as we’re done with business we’ll be all yours.”

You’re smiling from ear to ear, thankful this morning has turned around and excited to explore this new dynamic together. Who would have thought you’d have not one, but two True Mates. Best friends at that. You’re sure this ride is gonna be full of twists and turns but you can't wait to get started. 

“Just don’t keep me waiting too long.” You kiss his forehead as he releases you and then place one on Bucky’s cheek as he passes by, taking the dishes to the sink. 

You begin to walk into the living room, grabbing the hem of Bucky’s shirt you're still wearing. “Oh and boys. Clothing is optional.” 

You pull the shirt over your head and continue on your way, sauntering over to the couch, two sets of blue eyes locked on your bare bottom. You hear them both mutter simultaneously “Fuck” before a flurry of movement is heard. 

Knotheads.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Mira congrats on your milestone!! I wish I was good at coming up with requests… hmm… do you ever get more ideas for pomegranate ink? Maybe a scene of them much later in the future? I loved that fic so much ☹️ I hope they’re happy and living a super fluffy adorable life after all they went thru 💔 (can you tell I’m still heartbroken over JJK leaks) - @yutaleks

── CLOUDS

Synopsis: A snapshot of your life with Yuta Okkotsu, some time after the events of Pomegranate Ink.

Event Masterlist

Pairing: Yuta x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 1.9k

Content Warnings: hurt/comfort, kind of angsty, yuta is insecure, yuta is fundamentally different because of what he did for reader, spoilers for the ending of my ultra mega long fic pomegranate ink (which you all should definitely read)

A/N: on this blog we pretend like the jjk manga doesn’t exist and pomegranate ink is canon LMAO 😭 i haven’t thought much about what y/n + yuta’s life after the main story would look like hence why this is so short, but aleks i hope this heals your yuta-loving soul a bit!! ty for requesting and also being like. my first tumblr follower ever i’m pretty sure 🥹🫶🏻

Additional: part of my 500 follower event! see the event description and rules to make a request of your own.

Yuta was rubbing his eyes again. He did so frequently — it was a new habit he had picked up, ever since that final battle against Sukuna. They itched sometimes, he told you, because they were trying to see something they no longer could.

Ever since he had brought you back to life, Yuta had been a normal human. Like Maki, he couldn’t see curses, but unlike her, he couldn’t even sense them, their presences nor their effects. His movements were dulled and slow, and he was far clumsier than he used to be. You knew it frustrated him, the blindness, the childish tripping over his own feet when he was so used to having a sleek body that possessed the grace of a jungle cat.

It wasn’t just his cursed energy that had been depleted. His strength, too, was all but gone. His hands shook when he tried to hold his katana, and although he once was able to carry you around effortlessly, it was now a struggle for him to lift you even a few inches off of the ground for more than a couple of seconds. 

He had given up everything for you. You hadn’t understood the magnitude of it until you saw it in action — he was so prone to downplaying his suffering that you all had dismissed it at first. So what if he couldn’t see curses or use his technique anymore? That only meant he was safer.

But giving up a cursed technique was something unprecedented and new. None of you could have been prepared for what it would do to him. Ieri’s theory was this: because a cursed technique was engraved onto one’s brain and soul, the loss of that energy would immeasurably alter one, had immeasurably altered Yuta, permanently.

Once, his memory had been nearly photographic. Now, he was forgetful, requiring reminders about birthdays and anniversaries and appointments. He no longer seemed so deadly, either — there had always been a malevolent aura following him, a sort of viciousness to his otherwise-kind demeanor that made him so frightening, but now, he was so unassuming and gentle that it was impossible to imagine anyone cowering from him like they all used to.

His eyes bore the most significant shift. They used to be a blue like poison, sharp and dark and predatory in an uncanny way, but now, they were faded and gray, sensitive to the sun and entirely unable to see the world to which they had once belonged. He blinked a lot more, too, and Ieri suspected he might need glasses in the near future — not to see curses in specific, but just to be able to see at all.

“Stop that,” you said, pulling his hands away from his eyes before he could turn them bloodshot. “Ieri said it’s not good for you.”

“Sorry,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut so that the momentary pressure could relieve the discomfort. Resting your palms against his temples, you used your thumbs to soothe over his eyelids, kissing his forehead as you did so. “I’m sorry you have to take care of me. You’re the one who just came back from a mission.”

“It’s okay, Yuta. I don’t mind. It wasn’t a particularly difficult assignment; any curses left have gotten so weak that even an untrained first year could take them on and win. We should finish the clean-up job within the year,” you said.

“I should be out there, too,” he said. “I should be able to help. Maki can do it without a cursed technique, so there’s no reason for me to be like this.”

“Maki has a Heavenly Restriction. It’s a bit different than not having a technique or any cursed energy at all,” you said, as gently as possible. It was difficult for Yuta, who preferred shouldering the world’s burdens on his own, to sit back and watch as the rest of you fought and he stayed behind. Maki, Toge, Yuji…even Noritoshi and Elakshi had returned from their trip abroad to help in your efforts. Every remaining sorcerer had dedicated themselves to the cause, so that you could eradicate the remaining curses and then move on with your lives.

But Yuta Okkotsu was no longer a sorcerer. He was a normal person, and normal people had no place facing off against curses, especially when they could not so much as see them. In this manner, he was weaker than even your mother, who as of late had dedicated herself to running a charity caring for the displaced survivors of the Shibuya and Shinjuku incidents.

“I was the second strongest sorcerer in the world,” he said. “Now I’m nothing. I swore I would always protect you, and I can’t even do that anymore. You’re the one who has to look out for me.”

“You brought me back to life,” you said. “There’s nothing greater that you could do for me than that.”

He wrapped his arms around your midsection, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck, pressing his lips against your pulse. It was another new habit of his — now that he could not use cursed signature detection to constantly be aware of your continued existence, he had developed an obsession with feeling your heartbeat, that steady rhythm which reassured him that you were still alive.

“Do you resent me?” he said.

“Why would I resent you?” you said, running your fingers through his silky hair. “Yuta, what could you possibly have done that would make me resent you?”

“When you brought me back to life, you were unchanged. You didn’t become weak; if anything, it made you stronger. It wasn’t like that for me. Don’t you find me pitiful? I couldn’t even resurrect you properly. I had to give up so much to do it. You must find it humorous,” he said. “You must think of me as some half-rate sorcerer.”

“Of course not,” you said. “What you did was ten times as impressive as what I did. I had Rika helping me, and your own natural Reverse Cursed Technique, and of course the heightened emotions which fueled Composition. Beyond that, Composition as a Reverse Cursed Technique was designed for such feats. You had none of those advantages, and yet you still brought me back. That’s not half-rate; that’s the kind of thing that only happens in myths and fairytales.”

Something scalding splashed against your skin, and then you realized that his body was shaking in your embrace. He was sobbing, clinging onto you in a rare display of weakness. Yuta hated falling apart, and he hated falling apart in front of others even more, yet here he was, doing just that. He always told you that he was supposed to be the one that others relied on. He wasn’t supposed to be the one that crumbled, but of course, no one could say strong forever.

“Do you still love me?” he said. If he had held you like this a year ago, then his grip would have crushed you, but now, it was you who had to be careful with your power, with his softer body. “Y/N, do you still love me?”

“Yes, how could you question that?” you said. “I love more than anyone.”

“You loved Yuta Okkotsu,” he whimpered. “Yuta Okkotsu, special-grade sorcerer. Yuta Okkotsu, who was powerful enough to save you from anything. I’m not him anymore. I’m someone else. Someone weak and stupid, who can barely see and whose body always aches.”

“Hey,” you said, holding him at an arm’s length, using the hem of your shirt to dry his tears. “Hey, hey, look at me. Are you looking at me?”

His eyes, the soft color of clouds, settled on you. You weren’t sure what you had done to deserve that kind of trust, that kind of affection or devotion, but you did the best you could with it, holding his face in your hands and squishing his cheeks fondly.

“Yes,” he said.

“I didn’t fall in love with what you have up here,” you said, knocking on his head lightly. “Nor here, nor here.” This was accompanied by pinches on each of his arms. “What I cared about, what I still care about, is this.”

You placed your hand on his heart. He tilted his chin to gaze at it, and you took the moment to flick him, earning you a small whine.

“My heart?” he said.

“Your heart,” you agreed. “In all the world, I don’t think there’s any other that could claim to be its equal, and that’s a fact independent of your cursed technique or your strength. I’ll always love that heart of yours, Yuta. There’s nothing you can do that’ll stop me from doing so. Change your name, change your face, change everything else about you — I’ll recognize it all the same, and I will love it regardless.”

“Do you mean that?” he said.

“I’ve never meant anything more,” you said. “I love you for who you are, not for what you can do.”

“You really, truly are sure of that?” he said.

“How many times do I have to say it? How many words will it take for you to believe me? I love you, Yuta, I love you, I love you, I love you. Is that enough, or is there something else you’d prefer?” you said.

“There is,” he said. “There’s something else I want you to say.”

“What is it?” you said. “You only need to tell me, and I will.”

“I know I’m not strong or capable anymore. I can’t promise to protect you, and it’ll be more work on your part than anything, so I understand if you don’t want to do it,” he said. “It’s a terrible deal for you.”

“Huh?” you said. He avoided your eyes, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, velvet box, opening it and clearing his throat.

“I’m delicate now,” he said. “But if you’ll still have me, even in this condition, then…?”

“Are you proposing?” you said. He nodded shyly.

“I was going to wait to do it until after everything with the curses was resolved, but I don’t think I can wait any longer,” he said. “I guess I kind of got caught up in the moment. I’m sorry.”

I wouldn’t have before, he seemed to be thinking. Before, I would’ve been disciplined enough to deny myself that joy until the perfect moment.

You didn’t want Yuta to ever deny himself anything again, though. He had given you everything so that you could have a second chance at life; it was only fair that you spent the rest of that life with him. It belonged to him already, anyways. Every thump of your heart, every breath in your lungs, every thought in your mind…they were all his.

“Don’t apologize,” you said. “It’s perfect. This is perfect. Everything about it is.”

“Really?” he said dubiously.

“Yes,” you said. “Yes, it’s perfect, and yes, I’ll marry you.”

He swallowed, and then slowly, he slid the ring onto your finger, with all the painstaking care of a surgeon. Then he blinked up at you, frowning when tears of your own welled against your lashes.

“Is everything okay?” he said.

“It’s more than okay. I’m happy,” you said. “I’m so happy that I can’t help but weep. I never thought that I could be so lucky.”

You wished that you could tell your younger versions that the two of you would end up like this, that everything would work itself out in the best way that it could, that eventually, you would again find something like happiness. Maybe it was true that you both were different now — Yuta was missing his cursed technique, and you could never again simultaneously heal and fight — but you had made it. Somehow, despite everything, despite all that you had lost, you had made it.

In the end, what more could either of you ask for?

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Enhypen Personality Energy (August)

This reading will be based on strong personality traits they are showcasing for the moment, as we are complex creatures, that are ever evolving. I thought it was best to give a snapshot into what personality traits they present for the moment.

Heeseung (Priest/5 of Cups)-With these two cards it seems he is the type of person who really cares about helping others. Giving them encouraging words of wisdom. With the Priest card, he has the capability of channeling through spirit, if he believes in it or not, but he can tap into a source of wisdom that help lift others from a downward spiral. Also, in times of sadness, he can also find ways to lift himself up and encourage himself to move forward. This can also mean when he is feeling down. He may look to someone of strong faith and wisdom to encourage him as well.

Jay (Guide/9 of Cups)-The Guide card did fly out in reverse. I don't normally read reversals, but when they come out that way. I do consider it. The shadow aspect of that card is someone who tends to be guided by money, rather than their intuition, or spiritual advice. Hey, sometimes you got to chase the money. No judgment here. Anyway, Jay is someone who knows what he wants and does what it takes to get it. He follows his own path and isn't easily manipulated or guided by others. He might sometimes struggle to listen to others guidance to be honest. He seems like the type that has a list of what he wants and checks it off one by one, until his wish is granted.

Jake (Empath/8 of Wands)-Interesting combination. So, the Empath card is a card I created in this deck. It shows he is a very empathetic person. He feels what others are feeling and can sense things about others. But with being an empath, it can also be pretty draining energetically, so he should take time to himself to recharge. I am not sure he does, because with the 8 of wands. He likes movement and excitement. He doesn't seem like the type that likes to be bored. It seems he needs to do something. Which is why his energy mostly seems tired and exhausted when I read for him.

Sunghoon (Mediator/4 of Cups)-So, the mediator card comes up for him a lot! Not surprised it showed up again. So, I can say with a lot of confidence he is a mediator type person, no drama. He sees both sides of the argument, rarely if ever picks a side. With this 4 of Cups, it gives me no one can persuade him at all. Dude is crazy neutral and indifferent to a situation. So, if you are in an argument and want him to pick a side, yeah, not happening. On one end, it is good he can see the right and wrong on both sides, but someone he is close to may feel hurt when he doesn't just side with them. This 4 of Cups just gives me I don't really care about this argument. I just want my peace, move on. Sunghoon makes me laugh sometimes, but I also understand this energy.

Sunoo (Gossip/Knight Swords)- Okay, so now Sunoo, he got some interesting cards. Both of these cards are very chatty and talkative cards, so we know he is this type of person. He likes to gossip. He likes the tea. He might be sharing a lot of information with others right now. He might be careful not to overshare or say something that can hurt others. This energy just gives me someone who will spill your tea and secrets right now. On a good side, I can see this as he can be someone who can defend others from gossip, or maybe even himself.

Jungwon (Trickster/The Sun)-Interesting combo here as well. I don't think I ever saw him with the trickster card before, this one surprises me with him. This is kind of a prankster card. This card represents someone who does things differently from what has been done before, or someone who finds different ways to navigate things in life. He is a happy go lucky person. A positive person. He is lovey dovey and childlike with this Sun energy. I also see this as someone who enjoys the attention and spotlight. He radiates light to others. The trickster card can be some manipulating energy there to, so he may be careful of that. Maybe it just means he manipulates what he puts out there or expresses to the public, which kind of makes sense. The Sun card also gives me someone who only shows their outer shell, but doesn't like to go too deep.

Ni-Ki (Thinker/The Magician)-I really like this combo of cards. He's got a strong imagination and a lot of creative ideas. This boy has a crazy number of ideas, like I see this with him a lot in my readings. It seems he is always in his head, figuring out ways to put his talents to good use. The Magician shows he is very talented and possesses many skills to create what he wants, and that he has the tools to do so. And he is very confident in what he can do. He may have the tendency to overthink things that can stall him from taking action, but I think in the end he makes it happen if he believes in himself to do so.

[winxanity-ii]

SMELL LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

ship: gojo x fem!sorcerer!reader warnings: non-explicit word count: 3.2k a/n: Ah, this was cute for me to make 🥹 read 𝐎𝐇, 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐈𝐍'? to understand this. ★·.·´🇯‌🇺‌🇯‌🇺‌🇹‌🇸‌🇺‌ 🇰‌🇦‌🇮‌🇸‌🇪‌🇳‌ 🇲‌🇦‌🇸‌🇹‌🇪‌🇷‌🇱‌🇮‌🇸‌🇹‌`·.·★

You pushed through the throng of party-goers, a lingering feeling of bitterness coating your mood. The scent of a myriad of perfumes mingled with the more robust aroma of alcohol, forming a heady concoction that filled the air.

Colored lights danced on the walls, giving the entire space a dream-like quality. But it felt like the kind of dream that you’d want to wake up from—claustrophobic and too far removed from comfort.

All around you, bodies swayed to the rhythm of some pop song, the bass thumping like an anxious heartbeat.

A flare of bitterness darkened your mood, cutting through the sensory overload like a bolt of lightning. It was as if your mind wanted to remind you why you were here in the first place.

And just like that, you were propelled back into the memory that started it all.

🇫‌🇱‌🇦‌🇸‌🇭‌🇧‌🇦‌🇨‌🇰‌:

You sat across from Shoko Leiri in the coffee shop, your cup of black coffee long forgotten as she leaned earnestly over the table. Her eyes had a desperate sheen to them. "You know I don't have anyone else to go with," she pouted.

Skeptical, you cocked an eyebrow. "You're friends with Gojo, aren't you?" Your voice was sharp, a keen-edged blade of disdain. In your mind’s eye, the infamous GoShoGeta trio materialized—Satoru, Suguru, and Leiri, thick as thieves in any snapshot of the past.

She laughed, but there was a nervous energy to it. "Come on, Gojo won't be there," she reassured you, her eyes searching yours for acquiescence. "And Geto's probably holed up somewhere with his books, as usual."

Her words had sounded genuine enough then, making the reality of the situation even more biting.

That assurance seemed hollow now as you reached the kitchen. Your heels clicked on the tiled floor, each step a punctuation mark in your mental soliloquy of regret. The room was less congested, a quiet sanctuary in comparison to the madness outside.

There were a few stragglers leaning against countertops, engaged in hushed conversations or swiping through their phones.

You eyed the array of drink options, eventually settling on something simple—vodka mixed with a splash of lemonade.

You grasped the cup, the plastic cool against your skin, and took a sip. The liquid was both sweet and biting, an appropriate metaphor for the evening so far.

For a moment, just a brief one, you found solace in the quiet. Your shoulders eased, your grip on the cup lessened—until his voice snuck up on you, shattering the sanctuary you had momentarily built for yourself.

"Well, well, well, didn't expect to see you here," Satoru drawled. His voice was honey-smooth but carried a sarcastic undertone that you knew all too well.

Your scowl deepened, each muscle in your face pulling downwards as if guided by an invisible force. "The feeling's mutual," you retorted, eyes narrowed.

"Nice outfit," Satoru commented slyly, his eyes taking a brief tour of what you were wearing. You could feel his dark gaze moving up and down, making you all too aware of the shortness of your skirt. You tugged at the hem, mentally cursing Shoko for talking you into wearing it.

"Thanks. It's called 'dressing up,' you should try it sometime," you shot back, side-eyeing his casual attire, which seemed permanently locked between 'college dropout' and 'I woke up like this.'

Satoru chuckled, a sound that did strange things to your heart rate. "Why, so I can be as uncomfortable as you seem to be right now?"

Ignoring the jab, you refocused on your drink. But before you could take another sip, Satoru closed the gap between you, reaching over to toy with the end of one of your knotless braids. His touch sent a flurry of mixed signals through your nervous system—both unwelcome yet intriguing.

"Hands off," you snapped, swatting his hand away. "Don't touch what you can't afford."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Can't afford? You're underestimating me."

As he said this, he slouched down a bit, lowering his sunglasses just enough to lock eyes with you. The world seemed to pause, and for a moment, it was just the two of you in a universe of unspoken tension.

"I never underestimate. I just know your limits," you replied, holding his gaze. "Clearly, you don't know mine."

He grinned, clearly pleased by the sparring. "Well, isn't this party just full of surprises?"

With a roll of your eyes, you took that as your cue to leave. Ignoring the magnetic pull of Satoru's gaze, you navigated through the sea of faces and found an isolated couch.

It sat away from the pulsing music and swaying bodies, a lone island in this chaotic ocean.

Throwing yourself onto the cushion, you reached for your phone, swiping through an endless feed of photos and updates as if each flick could distance you from the present moment.

Your thumb paused on a particularly engaging article, the black letters against the white background creating a comfortable zone of disengagement.

But then, just as you’d almost forgotten where you were, Shoko's voice sliced through your bubble of isolation. "Come on, we're playing a game upstairs."

Her words dangled in the air like a challenge, a beckoning finger towards another layer of this maddening night. Could you really say no?

As soon as you reached the upstairs room, Shoko abandoned you to mix and mingle with the other attendees, most of whom you didn't particularly care to know.

You were left standing by the door, feeling as out of place as a cat at a dog show.

For a split second, you considered making a hasty exit—your mind screamed, Abort mission, abort!

While you were internally debating your next move, your eyes accidentally met Satoru's. He was manspreading in a plush chair, exuding an air of nonchalant confidence.

When he realized you were looking his way, he tilted his head and gave you a devilish smirk. Then, without breaking eye contact, he decided to speak across the room, loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"You planning on joining us, or are you just here for the decor?" he called out, making it painfully obvious that the only seat left was right beside him.

The room seemed to quiet down just a notch, awaiting your response.

Noticing you still hesitating by the door, Satoru gestured towards his lap with a grin that was far too pleased with itself. "You can sit here if you want," he added, his tone leaving you unsure if he was joking or serious. It was his way of daring you, challenging you to break the stand-off.

Your face felt as if it were on fire, but you refused to let him get the best of you.

Gathering your composure, you crossed the room and lowered yourself into the seat next to him, ignoring the clear invitation to his lap, all while maintaining a scowl. "I'm here because I was invited. That's how parties work, you know."

His laughter was soft, as if he was enjoying a private joke. "Ah, the complexities of social interaction. How ever do you keep up?"

You had to bite your tongue to keep from lashing out; as you settled in, something caught your attention—a subtle difference in the air, a missing layer of tension. His limitless Cursed Technique, something he almost always had active, was conspicuously absent.

Your senses, no longer numb to his annoyingly powerful aura, prickled at the realization. Why would he let his guard down, even for a moment?

Just as you started to puzzle over this new revelation, a bubbly voice piped up. "Alright, everyone ready to play Spin the Bottle?" announced a student you vaguely recognized from one of your classes.

Your eyes widened just a fraction and your posture automatically straightened into a rigid line. Spin the Bottle? Seriously?

Your eyes darted around the room, as if searching for an escape route, before finally locking onto Shoko across the space. Her eyes widened too, clearly sharing in your disbelief.

This was a real-life, are-you-kidding-me moment.

In the world of cliché teen movies you'd both binged on, it was always Truth or Dare, not Spin the Bottle. Truth or Dare was manageable, a game you could strategize around. But this? This was uncharted territory, an abyss of uncertainty that made your stomach churn.

Your eyes communicated every word you didn't say, shouting across the room, 'Spin the Bottle? Really, Shoko?'

Shoko shrugged, her lips curling into a half-grin, half-apologetic smile. You could almost hear her whispering a mental, 'Sorry, girl, not my doing', but her eyes held a glint of mischievous delight.

A wave of internal panic washed over you. Spin the Bottle? You'd never even had a boyfriend, and now you were expected to kiss someone in this room of all places? The notion seemed both laughable and horrifying.

As your mind raced, you stole a glance at Satoru. He looked utterly unbothered—his posture was relaxed, his eyes hidden behind his shades, but you could tell he was already miles away in his thoughts.

A few rounds passed, and with each spin of the bottle, your anxiety level ratcheted up another notch. You weren't the only one preoccupied with the spinning vessel. Hushed conversations bubbled around you—people not-so-secretly hoping the bottle would land on Satoru.

You couldn't blame them; he had this casual kind of hotness, an effortless allure that made him attractive even when he was being insufferably arrogant.

Your gaze kept shifting to Satoru, whose eyes you could feel on you every so often.

Just as your mind began to wander, imagining what kind of uproar there would be if the bottle landed on him, a pat on your shoulder snapped you back to reality.

Your face flushed, your eyes darting around to find everyone's attention on you.

"Y-yes?" you stammered, your voice barely above a whisper.

"It's your turn," someone said, pulling you from your mini life crisis. Your heart sank; there was no escape.

No big deal, it'll land on a girl and it'll be over quickly, you thought, attempting to muster up some courage.

Just as you reached forward to give the bottle a spin, you felt it—the shift in the room, the spike in attention, a palpable current of anticipation. And there, from the corner of your eye, you saw Satoru sit up a little straighter, his gaze now clearly fixed on you.

The room held its breath as you flicked the bottle into a spin, all eyes following its dizzying twirl, including yours and Satoru's.

For a moment, the world stood still.

Your eyes were fixed on the bottle, its neck accusingly pointing at Satoru as if it had been in on the universe's little joke.

A collective gasp enveloped the room, followed by a few snickers and excited murmurs. Your heart felt like it was trying to escape your chest, each beat a rapid thud against your ribcage.

Slowly, your eyes lifted from the bottle to Satoru.

He'd already pushed his sunglasses up onto the top of his snowy white hair, revealing eyes that were half-lidded yet intensely focused—on you. "Looks like fate has plans for us," he murmured, his tone teasing yet somehow serious, making you wonder what lay behind those words.

Satoru's gaze felt like it was piercing through you, laying your soul bare. A wave of vulnerability washed over you; it was as if he could see your every thought, your every uncertainty.

And damn it all, why did he have to look so good doing it? He was the epitome of relaxed elegance, from the tousled waves of his white hair to the cool confidence that radiated off him.

Even in a room filled with people, he was like a singular flame, undeniably drawing everyone's eyes to him, including yours.

Your eyes flicked back to Shoko for a moment, searching for some sort of lifeboat in this sea of awkwardness. She was biting her lip, visibly torn between horror and delight, yet she offered you a thumbs-up for encouragement.

Turning back to Satoru, you knew you had to respond. A simple nod, a sarcastic comment, anything—but your words were stuck, lodged somewhere between your racing heart and your speechless mouth.

Finally, you managed to find your voice. "Well," you said, trying to keep it light but feeling the weight of everyone's attention on you, "it wouldn't be a party without a little drama, right?"

In that split second of silence that followed, Satoru's hands moved almost of their own accord, gently cupping the sides of your face.

His touch was light but grounding, pulling your attention away from the crowd and back to the present—back to him. As he leaned in closer, his eyes searched yours for any sign of hesitance.

The room around you seemed to fade away, all chatter and laughter melding into an indistinct buzz. It was just you and Satoru in that moment, eyes locked and a hair's breadth away from a kiss.

He must have noticed the anxiety in your eyes, the slight quiver of your lips, because he stopped. His face was mere centimeters from your own, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off him. "Just look at me," he whispered, his voice a low caress that threaded through the tension within you.

His thumb gently brushed against the apple of your cheek, a comforting touch that pulled a sigh from your lips.

The kiss started off soft, a simple melding of lips, but then his mouth opened slightly and your heart pounded even harder in your chest. It was like a silent invitation, a threshold to cross into a new unknown.

Taking a shaky breath, you accepted the invitation, your lips parting as well.

For a fraction of a second, you felt his hands tremble against your face, as if even Gojo Satoru, the man seemingly unfazed by the world, had his moments of vulnerability.

Then, almost as quickly, his hands steadied, fingers gripping your face a little tighter, pulling you closer to him as if trying to merge your very beings.

His tongue met yours, a gentle exploration that sent electric tingles down your spine, spreading warmth through your body. It was intoxicating, the way he moved—confident but not overbearing, as if each swipe and caress were a question, a test to learn more about you.

And as you responded in kind, you realized you were doing the same—learning the textures and contours of his mouth, discovering a new side of him that no one else had seen.

Your head spun, not from disorientation but from an overwhelming rush of sensations—his taste, his scent, the sound of his soft exhale against your lips.

You could feel the room around you, hear the cheers and whispers of those watching, but in that instant, they were nothing but background noise, faded and distant.

And then, just as gradually as he had deepened the kiss, Satoru began to pull away. His grip loosened, but his hands didn't leave your face; instead, his thumbs lightly brushed your cheeks as if committing the moment to memory.

The room came back into focus, the cheers and applause snapping you back to reality. But even as you both pulled away, his eyes locked onto yours, holding a spark; you shyly looked away, feeling your cheeks heat up.

The game continued, the bottle spinning and stopping on various people, sealing more fates for the night. The tension in the room gradually eased, the atmosphere returning to its typical party vibe.

Eventually, the crowd dispersed, trickling downstairs to rejoin the larger festivities.

Hours later, exhausted but strangely elated, you found yourself slipping through the sliding doors to the back porch, eager for a quiet moment alone.

With a drink in hand, you sank into one of the cushy patio chairs and took a deep breath, the crisp night air a welcome contrast to the stuffy atmosphere inside.

You'd almost forgotten how to feel alone until you heard the door slide open once more, a familiar presence stepping out into the night. Without a word, Satoru moved to sit beside you. He was so close that you could feel the heat emanating from him, a palpable energy that seemed to seep into your bones.

"Nice night," he started, his voice low, as if not to break the spell of the quiet evening.

"Yeah, it is," you responded softly, your gaze lingering on the horizon, where the dark sky met the treeline.

"Did you have fun?" Satoru asked, a lilt in his voice that you couldn't quite place.

You turned to look at him, meeting his eyes—those damn sunglasses were finally off—and nodded. "I did. Surprisingly."

He chuckled. "Well, surprises make life interesting, don't they?"

"You could say that," you replied, smirking. "Though some surprises are better than others."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, spinning the bottle landing on you? That's like Russian roulette, but with kisses."

At that, he scratched the back of his neck, a flush coloring his cheeks that you found both surprising and endearing. "Well, about that bottle landing on me... I may or may not have had a little something to do with that."

Your eyebrows shot up, curiosity piqued. "Oh really? Do tell."

In response, he extended his pointer finger, and a small wisp of cursed energy materialized above it, forming a delicate, glowing ball. You watched, amazed and slightly incredulous. "You cheated at Spin the Bottle with cursed energy? Really?"

He grinned, the wisp dissipating into thin air. "Let's just say, I find ways to make my own luck."

You laughed, shaking your head. "You're unbelievable."

"And yet," he said, nudging you lightly with his elbow, "you wouldn't have it any other way."

You considered this for a moment, then sighed. "You're probably right."

At that, Satoru seemed to freeze, his eyes widening in genuine surprise. His face flushed a brilliant red that you hadn't thought possible for him, and his eyes dipped down for a moment. But just as quickly as the vulnerable look appeared, he cleared his throat and put on his signature smirk.

"Wow, did I finally manage to catch you off guard?"

His eyes narrowed playfully, the twinkle in them far from dimmed. "Caught off guard? Me? Never," he said, trying to regain his composure.

You grinned, taking in the rare sight. "Oh, don't even try. I saw that. The Gojo Satoru, flustered."

His eyes met yours, still twinkling despite his blush. "Well, you do have a knack for making things interesting, don't you?"

You chuckled, shrugging your shoulders. "Well, glad to know I can add that to my list of talents."

"And what a growing list it is," he mused, taking a step back but still locking eyes with you.

He stood up, stretching his arms before extending one toward you. "Shall we head back? People might start rumors if we're out here much longer."

With a teasing smile, you took his offered hand. "Oh, let them talk. But fine, let's head back."

With a final lingering glance at the peaceful night sky, you took his hand, and together, you went back inside, wondering what other surprises life—Satoru—had in store for you.

A/N: ignore my shameless self-insert depicting my delusions of this happening to me 💀💀

[purplesaline]

Symptoms of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

Hypoxia (dizzy within 10 minutes of standing up, may experience vision "grey outs" or black outs)

Standing too long may result in trembling (like what happens when your muscles are tired after a workout), cold sweat, feeling like you're about to vomit

Some people may faint

Arms above your head tires you quickly

You feel better if you squat down

You start sitting or laying down with your legs lifted (so they're higher than your heart) when you never did that before

Dry skin (if you had dry skin to start with now it's even dryer)

Intolerance to heat. Need to sit in the shower because standing is even harder than outside the shower

Slower healing

You get heartburn/acid reflux more often

Your feet/hands get cold even when it's warm out (secondary Raynauds)

Exhaustion/lack of energy. You're just tired all the time.

"Out of shape" you can't walk as far/do as much as you used to be able to

Frequent urination

Feeling worse after eating carbs (particularly refined carbs)

Exercise intolerance

Not an exhaustive list

If you read this list and found yourself relating to enough of those points to make you concerned, when was the last viral or bacterial illness you experienced? A lot of people who got covid will have developed POTS as a result. POTS can also be triggered by physical trauma, and AFAB folks are far more likely to develop it than AMAB folks.

If you have ADHD or are hypermobile you are more likely to develop POTS.

If you have hEDS you are more likely to develop it.

the majority of the symptoms we're aware of is a result of our blood vessels not properly constricting, which causes blood to pool in our lower extremities rather than return to our heart for redistribution. This causes the heart to pump harder in an attempt to get the blood returned.

My case is one of the more severe ones and my symptoms are constant rather than coming in flares, but to serve as an example just a 20 minute shopping trip to Walmart had my heartrate up to 200bpm. Luckily fainting is not one of the symptoms I experience.

This is also a disorder than can get more severe over time, so it's possible many people have had it since childhood but the symptoms were mild enough to not be noticeable.

POTS, despite having so many cardiac symptoms, is not actually a cardiac disorder, it's a neurological one that impairs the autonomic nervous system and is one of the listed conditions under rhe Disautonomia umbrella (welcome to the zebra club!).

It is not considered a lethal disorder, despite how frightening it can be to have your heartrate so high. The largest factor to worry about is if fainting is a symptom you experience, but other than the dangers associated with that POTS sufferers have a normal life expectancy. It's disabling for many people and inconvenient for those that aren't disables by it, but it's not damaging your heart.

If you think you might have POTS it can be helpful to have some data to bring with you when you talk to your doctor for the first time. A "poor man's tilt table test" is a great diagnostic tool that anyone can do with access to a heartrate monitor. If you already have a fitbit that can monitor your heartrate that will work just fine. It's not the most accurate but it will give a good enough general snapshot and should hopefully convince your doctor to take the next steps.

If you don't have a heartrate monitor yet one of the most accurate heartrate monitors available to the general public is the Polar H10 chest strap monitor (in fact the guy that did my official testing said it was the best one to get). It was about $100 CAD, so definitely not cheap, but it can be used with some VR games that track your heartrate if that's something you're into lol.

A blood pressure monitor is also something that can help eith diagnostics but they're unfortunately not the most useful as they weren't designed to be used when standing (which is when the blood pressure drops), and, well, I even managed to error out the hospital's blood pressure monitor because my BP dropped too low, so I wouldn't worry too much about getting one unless you want to have one hanging around a anyway. If you do decide to get one, Omron is an excellent brand and recommended by the guy who did my testing (there was one other one he recommended above that but I've forgotten the name of it).

If your adhd meds have stopped working as well as they used to

And you've experienced any of these symptoms I highly recommend you look into getting tested for POTS. I have a strong suspicion that the recent concerns about adulterated adhd medications is not actually a problem with the medication, but a result of POTS. One of the biggest reasons for a false negative on amphetamine drug tests is dilute urine, so with POTS causing frequent urination it's entirely possible to get a false negative even with a therapeutic dose of amphetamines in your system.

If you do take amphetamines your doctor may suggest your symptoms are caused by them, so if you do approach your doctor with data from a heartrate monitor I recommend taking a medication holiday first. A full detox is approximately 3 days, but even skipping a day will make a noticeable difference in the data.

If you think you may have POTS there are some things you can do right now to improve your quality of life.

Get more electrolytes. Gatorade, pickles, SALT

Compression stockings. The best ones are that go all the way up to your midsection—pantyhose style. Thigh high is pretty good too. Even just the sock style can help though so get what you're able to access. There are three main pressure levels, the second level will generally be what most people need, but if your symptoms are more severe you may need the highest level. Keep in mind these will be much harder to put on. Get yourself some of those gardening gloves with the rubber coating, they help a lot.

Pop a squat. This will immediately drop your heartrate back to resting rate and it will stay there as long as you're in this position (it doesn't work like this for normies lol)

Get yourself a shower chair and take cooler showers

If washing yourself is a major chore don't be afraid to use an electronic scrubber! I've heard there are some specifically for exfoliating but honestly I've just been using one meant for scrubbing my shower and put a soft pad on it. Works like gangbusters!

I'm running late so I'll leave it here, but my asks are always open if anyone has questions!

Take care of yourselves.

[oliviabutsmart]

Physics Friday #18: Sounds of the CMB - Baryon Acoustic Oscillations

Introduction: What Are BAOs?

It's time for colours!

Let's break down the term Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAOs) ...

A Hadron is a particle made of several quarks, a Baryon is a Hadron that contains an odd number of quarks.

Baryonic matter makes up a majority of the stable, visible matter in the universe. Both protons and neutrons are types of Baryons, so most Baryonic matter is, shockingly, atoms.

Acoustic generally has two definitions, one musicological and one scientific. Scientifically, any 'acoustic' thing involves sound. Specifically here, we're using it to discuss the production and propagation of sound.

Oscillations is a term very related to sound, if you read my posts on the mechanics of sound, oscillations, waves, periodic motion, are all the same phenomena.

Here, an acoustic oscillation is just a looping/repeated physical motion in a medium, like plasma.

Thus, putting everything together, a BAO is the physical motion in a plasma of hydrogen/helium, caused by the propagation of sound waves.

How do they form?

After the era of nucleosynthesis, but before the era of recombination, the universe was full of an opaque plasma of hydrogen/helium.

Sound waves require something that can create both a compression and expansion of this plasma, causing a pressure wave. A force that can pull things together and push things apart.

Thankfully, gravity is a great mechanism to pull things together. All that is required is a few thousand years, and some already pre-existing variations in density to get going.

So this plasma, in more dense regions, begin to pull more matter into those regions, creating a self-reinforcing cycle.

But how do we create the effect of expansion?

This plasma, is, well, hot. Very hot. And because it's everywhere, there's a lot of radiation being constantly emitted and re-absorbed.

When you begin to concentrate a lot of plasma into one location (thanks to gravity), you also concentrate the release of radiation.

Moreover, the speed the plasma accrues when it starts falling into the dense regions will also give it more energy, causing even more radiation to be released.

The effect is that in these denser clouds of gas, more radiation is produced. This produces a radiation pressure, which attempts to force atoms out of the dense regions.

Because of the every-where-ness of this plasma, the radiation pressure is strong enough to completely counteract gravity in some cases.

This generates sound waves, created by the constant tug-of-war between radiation pressure and gravity. These sound waves propagate throughout the early universe.

In Comes Dark Matter

Dark matter is predicted to represent a majority of the matter in our universe, because it is dark, it does not experience radiation pressure.

But because it still has mass, it does experience gravity. This means that the dark matter will stay within the denser regions without rebounding at all.

The dark matter within these regions are what allow regular matter to constantly fall in and out. Without it, the radiation pressure would blow apart the region and it'd become devoid of matter.

Freezing Things in Place

Suddenly, the universe cools to a point where, near simultaneously, matter cools to the point that it can exist as a gas rather than plasma.

Unlike plasma, gas does not absorb all forms of electromagnetic radiation. This is because electrons are now bound to their respective atoms.

This means that radiation pressure no longer comes into effect, and any radiation emitted at the moment of this cooling is free to travel across the universe.

The newly freed radiation is what we see in the CMB - but there's something important about it. It records a single snapshot of the current state of the sound waves propagating in the universe.

Imagine you have a high-speed camera and take a photo of a guitar string being plucked. At that very instant you can see the wave frozen in place, and can use that to determine it's properties.

Image Credit: Reddit

The remaining oscillations in the matter freeze too, allowing for the formation of our modern galaxy clusters, galaxies, and even stars.

How we Look at the Sound

Using the image of the CMB, we can measure the ripples of the sound waves using a Fourier analysis of the temperature gradients.

The temperature is used because it correlates to regions of high or low density, of course, the hotter a location is in space, the more matter managed to get in there, thus releasing more stuff.

A Fourier analysis is a very common technique in sound measurements. It takes any arbitrary mathematical function, and converts it into a frequency spectrum.

A Fourier analysis. On the top, the original signal, on the bottom, the signal's frequency spectrum Image Credit: The Mathematics of Waves and Materials Blog

We can conduct a Fourier analysis in two dimensions as well, we just perform two applications of the Fourier transform, but in two directions.

A 2D Fourier analysis. On the left, the original image, on the right, the image's 2D frequency spectrum Image Credit: Python Coding Block

We can then take this 2D image and plot it on a graph of the distance from the centre.

Applying the analysis and the plotting function to an image of the CMB we get this graph here:

Note that 'Multipole moment' is, for the sake of simplicity, a frequency spectrum Image Credit: Report of the Dark Energy Task Force, 2006

The above image is referred to as the power spectrum of the BAOs.

Adding constraints to Dark Matter/Energy

Dark Matter and Matter Density

The BAOs at the moment of them freezing become an incredibly useful measurement for the propagation of Dark Matter and Dark Energy.

Of course, dark matter is built into the equation, as they form a necessary component of the gravity force pulling things in. We can use the relative strength and period of the oscillations to estimate the amount of dark matter and it's ratio to Baryonic Matter.

Curvature

We can also use our graph for a second purpose: measuring the curvature of our universe.

You see, given the fact that our galaxies and galaxy clusters eventually end up forming from those regions of dense gas, and given that we know how 'far away' the CMB is (thanks to redshift).

We should know the approximate size of these dense gas regions in the CMB, given a certain curvature.

This will appear on our power spectrum as the shift in our graph, the location of our peaks along the x-axis.

In a universe that is hyperbolic, we should expect the density blobs to be small, and in a spherical universe, blobs that are larger. What we end up seeing is approximately a flat curvature.

Dark Energy

Now, thirdly, we can estimate the density of dark energy in our universe.

We can get this easily by measuring both matter density and curvature, as the two are related to the dark matter density.

But, we can also estimate it directly from analysing the power spectrum directly.

Dark energy affects the expansion of spacetime via the Friedmann equation, controlling for matter density, we can use the equation to quantify the Hubble parameter.

The size of the Hubble parameter, relative to our current Hubble constant, can be measured from the fact that the BAOs provide a standard measure of distance.

By analysing the power spectrum, we can effectively work backwards to derive a measurement for the Hubble parameter, and thus the presence of dark energy in the early universe.

Conclusion

Surprisingly a shorter-ish post this time, good on me.

Anyways I'll probably take a break for next week, as it's Christmas. Outside of that, I don't really know what else to say.

Follow if you want more, gib feedback on my post, and comment/repost your thoughts!

See ya later!

[psychics4unet]

The Power of Tarot: What a Psychic Reading Can Reveal 🃏✨

Hey, 🌟

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads, unsure of which path to take? Or maybe you’re just curious about what the future holds? Well, you’re not alone, and one tool that has been helping people gain clarity for centuries is tarot! 🃏🔮 Tarot is so much more than just a deck of cards - it’s a powerful method of spiritual guidance that can help unlock the mysteries of your life. Whether you’re looking for insight into your love life, career, or personal growth, tarot can help shine a light on areas you might have overlooked or not fully understood. Let’s dive into how a psychic reading with tarot cards can actually work magic in your life! 🌱✨

What Can Tarot Reveal? 🤩

Tarot cards aren’t just about predicting the future - they’re about revealing hidden truths, providing clarity, and helping you better understand the world around you. Whether you’re looking for guidance on a specific issue or just want to get a feel for the energy in your life, tarot has a lot to offer. Here are some of the most common things tarot can help with:

Your Current Situation: Sometimes, we get so caught up in life that we forget to take a step back and evaluate what’s really going on. Tarot cards can give you a snapshot of your current situation, pointing out things you might not even realize are affecting you. Are there obstacles in your life that need to be addressed? Is there something you’re not seeing clearly? Tarot can bring your attention to these things in a way that no other method can. 🛑💥

Love & Relationships: 💖 One of the most popular reasons people turn to tarot is for insight into their relationships. Tarot can provide clarity on the current state of your love life, shed light on your partner’s feelings, and even show you where things might be heading in the future. Whether you’re in a committed relationship or just trying to understand your romantic energy, tarot can help you navigate the complex world of love. 🥰💌 And if you’re wondering if someone is the right one for you or if things are on the right track, tarot has a way of giving you the answers you need. 🧐💕

Career & Finances: 🏙️💼 Whether you’re thinking about making a career change or struggling with financial decisions, tarot can help guide you toward the right path. Tarot can show you how to align your passions with your career goals, what opportunities are available to you, and where your finances are headed. If you’re unsure about your next steps professionally, tarot can help you see the bigger picture and provide the guidance you need to move forward with confidence. 📈💵

Personal Growth & Spirituality: 🌿✨ Tarot is also a powerful tool for self-discovery. If you’ve been feeling disconnected or uncertain about your personal growth, a tarot reading can help you uncover hidden strengths, weaknesses, and untapped potential. It can help you connect with your higher self, offering insight into how you can improve your emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. 🧘‍♀️🌟 Whether you’re working through a tough time or just seeking personal growth, tarot is there to help you on your journey.

How Does Tarot Work? 🧐✨

Tarot works by tapping into the energy surrounding you, connecting your intuition with the symbolism of the cards. Each card carries a specific meaning, but the true magic happens when the cards are shuffled and drawn in a way that aligns with your question. For example, if you’re asking about love, the cards you draw might show you your emotional landscape, your past experiences, and potential outcomes. Tarot isn’t about predicting a fixed future, but rather offering guidance and insight based on the energy around you. The cards reveal what’s happening beneath the surface, allowing you to make informed decisions and take empowered action. 🌟💡

One thing that makes tarot so special is that it helps you connect to your own intuition. The cards act as a mirror, reflecting what’s already inside you, even if you don’t fully realize it. That’s why so many people find tarot readings to be so accurate - it’s not just about the cards, but about you and the energy you bring to the table. 🔮💖

Why Tarot Readings Are So Effective 🧠🔮

What makes tarot readings so effective is their ability to reflect the energetic patterns in your life. If something feels off, a tarot reading can bring it to light and help you figure out how to fix it. Tarot can also provide comfort and clarity during times of uncertainty, helping you see things from a new perspective and giving you the confidence to move forward. Sometimes, we just need a little nudge or reminder that everything is going to be okay, and tarot can give you that boost when you need it most. 🌈💪

There’s also something incredibly powerful about receiving guidance from an external source, like a psychic reader. The act of stepping back, letting go of control, and allowing yourself to receive information that may not come from your conscious mind is often when the most profound insights occur. Tarot readings have a way of cutting through the noise, getting straight to the heart of the matter, and giving you the clarity you’ve been searching for. 🌙💬

What Should You Ask Tarot? 🃏💭

The beauty of tarot is that you can ask it almost anything! Whether you’re wondering about your love life, career, finances, or personal growth, the tarot cards will provide the guidance you need. The key is to ask clear, focused questions. Instead of asking “What’s going to happen to me?” try asking “How can I improve my career situation?” or “What do I need to know about my current relationship?” The more specific your question, the more specific and accurate the reading will be. 🔍💫

If you’re feeling uncertain about your future or at a crossroads in life, tarot can help you find your direction. It’s not about telling you exactly what’s going to happen, but about offering you insight and guidance so that you can make empowered decisions moving forward. 🌟💡

How Can Tarot Help You Now? 🕰️

If you’re ready to get clarity or seek guidance on something in your life, don’t hesitate to try tarot! It’s a powerful tool that can help you gain insight into your current situation, your future, and everything in between. Whether you’re new to tarot or an experienced seeker, there’s always something new to discover with each reading. The cards are waiting to help you find your way! ✨💖

Have you ever had a tarot reading? What did it reveal about your life? Let’s chat about it in the comments! I’d love to hear your experiences and insights from the tarot. 🔮💬

Why Paid Psychic Readings Are Worth It 💸✨

While free psychic readings might seem appealing at first, there’s a significant difference between them and paid readings that can make a world of difference in your experience. Free readings can often feel rushed, lack depth, and may not offer the clarity you’re seeking. Many times, free readings are limited in scope or offered by readers who are just starting out, which means they might not have the experience or insight needed to provide you with a comprehensive or accurate reading.

On the other hand, paid psychic readings offer a level of commitment and expertise that free readings simply can’t match. A professional psychic who is dedicated to their craft will take the time to connect with you on a deeper level and provide you with a thoughtful, detailed reading that goes beyond surface-level answers. By investing in a paid reading, you’re not just getting a prediction - you’re receiving a personalized, in-depth look at your situation, with guidance that’s tailored specifically to you. Paid psychics can offer greater accuracy, sensitivity, and insight, helping you navigate the most important aspects of your life with confidence. 🌟💡

Plus, when you pay for a reading, you’re making an investment in your personal growth. A paid reading is an opportunity to get the support you need to move forward in life, whether it’s in love, career, or spirituality. By choosing a professional who is experienced and dedicated, you’re ensuring that you’ll receive a reading that’s not only accurate but also delivered with the care and attention you deserve. It’s about quality over quantity - and a paid psychic reading offers the quality you need to make informed decisions and gain a clearer path forward. 💖🃏

Got questions or need some insight into your life? I'm here to help with personal psychic readings! For just $7, you can get answers to up to 7 questions! More info at:

Stay curious, stay positive, and let the cards guide you! 💖✨

[talaofthevalley]

HAS SOMEONE SENT YOU YOUR DAILY DOSE OF POTASSIUM FOR THE YGO MEME? K (Yugo from Arc-V!!)

YUGO MY SWEET BOY YUGO

For anyone who hasn't been around a long time, Yugo used to be my Number One brainrot boy. I still love him dearly and get all giddy and squeaky over him, the fixation is just not turned up to the max anymore.

Why I like them/why I don’t I just love how.... easygoing he is? He takes being flown across dimensions by himself like he took a wrong turn somewhere. He's a smart boi who built a D-Wheel from scratch with his best friend as a pre-teen. He's introduced by crashing into a street lamp after another dimension jump and just Keeps Showing Up here and there, never knowing what's going on but always ready to throw hands or make friends. It's so funny. He's wears his heart on his sleeve and cries like he has nothing to be ashamed of. Yugo's just a joy to watch.

And despite being usually relegated to comedic relief, he's actually one of the strongest duelists in the show. Second ever time we see him he OTK's three Obelisk Force soldiers at once. And that contrast is v appealing to me.

What I like about their appearance His eyes.

Yugo has Such pretty eyes. Anyone who's read my Yugo-centric fanfiction knows I cannot keep myself from mentioning them. I love that his main colour is white! You don't see that very often for characters of his type. And his blue bang is v appealing, and I love taking snapshots when it moves. He's so expressive as well!

Also he's cute. You can't tell me he's not.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? He got to keep his name, thankfully.... Not that he was safe from weird spellings regardless who's Hugo. don't know him

OTP Dimensionshipping! I think it's very fun, and great to build AU's around. Inside it I like all yuboy pairs with Yugo except for Pawn, which I'm lukewarm on. It's just not my thing.

NOTP Don't have one. If a fic for a Yugo ship I haven't thought of or isn't invested in seems well-written and appealing to me, then I'll read it.

Favourite card they use Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. One of my favourite yugioh dragons ever. I adore the crystalline wings, the long tail in place of legs, and the colour scheme is so appealing. It's also so pretty in the anime.

Favourite moment they were in I can't choose help-

Okay so, I do have one I can highlight, that I don't think many would pick. But it's all of episode 54, which shows what happened to Yuzu and Yugo after they were teleported away at the Maiami championship. I think this episode is a good showcase of the Full Yugo Personality Package. All that's missing is a scene where he cries.

We see him being concerned but not very thoughtful, hotheaded when he gets seriously annoyed over Yuzu getting his name wrong. He's willing to talk and answer any questions Yuzu has if he can, and even takes mistaking Yuto for Yuri rather easily. He's a bit too eager when he gets an idea in his head, and when Yuzu breaks down in tears, he's quickly apologetic for being pushy. Doesn't tell her to stop crying, just gives her a handkerchief to wipe her tears, aplogizes and that it was his fault, and just... talks to her.

And he's so gentle?? He tells her about Rin, and it's so obvious that he loves his best friend so much. And Yuzu quickly calms down. He's just a very sweet, caring guy who can get too passionate sometimes. It's big "too good for this world" energy with Yugo, with 'this world' being the synchro dimension. It makes you wonder how bad his interactions with the Resistance in the Xyz dimension must have been for Yugo to be hostile enough to be labelled their enemy and even get a nickname among them, even if it's from people misunderstanding his name.

But then when the situation turns bad and they're discovered by Tops in an area they're not allowed in, he's immediately locked in and focused on Getting The Hell Out Of There with Yuzu. He knows when to get serious, and he doesn't mess around when it comes to the law enforcment of his world.

Least favourite moment Don't think I will ever forgive Arc V for destroying Yugo and Rin's D-Wheel. And for having Rin be the cause of it.

THEY MADE MY BOY CRY AND THAT IS ILLEGAL

[borom1r]

I have never had a tarot reading I'm down 👀

ayo???? honored to give u yr first reading holy shit skjdfhsdf

anyhow if u have a specific Thing yr curious about, feel free to send another ask— I just pulled three cards for general insight

we've got the Ace of Swords, Seven of Swords, and Knight of Swords (sword-heavy pull for you)

card one is the essential energy or heart of the matter and card two is an influencing factor; these two form a snapshot. Ace of Swords and Seven of Swords. there's some conflict that needs addressing, or will soon, and you haven't caught onto it yet. this deck's Seven card emphasizes the aspect of hidden deception, depicting the trolls' argument after Gandalf tricks them. something is causing injustice and confusion, and like the eagles, you need to cut clean and swift to the meat of it.

the third card, the Knight of Swords, is your guidance. the balance of the situation needs to shift. it's time to reexamine and make sure you're tackling things in a truly logical manner. considering the Seven, it's probably time for an outside opinion. if there's something that's bothering you, something that feels unjust, but you just haven't been able to tackle because you wouldn't even know where to begin— the Knight tells you to call on your allies and get a fresh set of eyes on the situation. they might notice something you've missed, and what seemed like insurmountable odds will suddenly turn in your favor.

[cyb3rtarot]

Hi 👋 I am here for your tarot game

I would like to know who is my future husband ? My other category is career

Hi! You got tails, a reading on your question; King of Cups, King of Swords, two of wands rx, 7 of cups:

Remember this is a snapshot of current energy and is subject to change based on free will!

Your future spouse is an emotionally mature person with a sharp mind. They have awareness and responsibility of their own emotional needs, therefore they can emotionally give to loved ones, and there's logical balance to their emotions. Well-rounded in their internal world, quite smart, not just in a book way! They have control of themselves with others since they know their emotional impact as well as what needs to be done/said. They don't seem to often get swept up in passion or rashness.

They could take a longer time to make decisions because their heart and head need to be in agreement. In a healthier expression, they feel secure where they are due to inner security, therefore they don't need to make big changes often. For example, they could take a long time to decide to move, do huge travel plans, or make changes of passion (like career) while they really decide on their own terms. They could have so many different things they can do or options available to them that there's no need for a lot of change. At less healthy expressions, they may get frazzled by many options or their desire to pick the right choice. They could be big on weighing pros and cons over and over, and this could contribute to feeling confused, muddled, or overwhelmed by too many possibilities when not combined with a recognition of their inner desires. People might not notice on the outside when they're chaotic internally. Overall, though, as they embody these Kings, their own self awareness and maturity will take them far and generally give them a level approach.

3 of 4 cards came out upright but then spun around as they landed: the King of Cups, King of Swords, 7 of cups. When you get to know your future spouse, they may be healing or developing things in their personality that requires a lot of introspection. Based on their own free will they may need to work through mental confusion and have self awareness to tell when they're embodying the healthier versions of their traits or beliefs. Their perspective on their past experiences or where they want to be in life/the world could be changing. However, the important message for you is seek people who are committed to embodying those healthier personality traits and being a good partner. You may, for example, be attracted to people who have emotional and logical intelligence like these Kings, but that in itself does not make them a good partner. Trust you can find a compatible person that embodies those traits maturely and kindly as opposed to just anyone who has some of these qualities. Don't settle for cruel partners or those who use up your energy + time in finding themselves.

Thank you for participating!

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Do You Know What Today Is?

Summary:

Alpha!Captain Syverson x Omega!POC!Reader "Sunny" Sweet little snapshot 13 years in the future…

Warnings:

Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Captain Syverson, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Mutual Pining, Mutually Unrequited, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Humor, Female Character of Color, POV Multiple

Notes:

Hello Heathens! When I originally wrote this it was around my 13th wedding anniversary 2 years ago and it had me in my feels. Lots of things change when you're growing a family together and I just wanted to put those feels somewhere. When I write Sy, more times than not he is heavily influenced by my own soldier husband, hence this little story. I hope you enjoy. Happy Reading!!!

Banner by @cafekitsune Divider by @firefly-graphics

Having securely strapped in your 3 year old and given her ‘just one more’ kiss on the forehead, you turn to give Leti a hug. “Thank you again for taking all of them tonight. We’ll be sure to pick them up before it gets too late.”

“Yeah there will be no picking them up tonight, Sunny. Dante and I decided to make tonight a big sleepover party for all the kids. Well mainly the older ones. I’m not so sure how well the toddlers can hang.” She chuckles out.

“Are you serious?” You ask bewildered.

“Of course we are. When’s the last time you two had the whole house to yourselves for a night that wasn't heat or rut related? It’s our gift to you.” She responds.

“Honestly I can’t even remember the last time I woke up on my own time without one of mine needing me for something. It would be nice to have a lay in with my Alpha. You’re sure Dante is ok with this? That’s a lot of energy for one night. With my 3 that makes 5 pups in one house.” You ramble out.

“I’m sure. You’ve taken ours so many times without hesitation. It’s the least we can do. Especially on your anniversary. You guys need some time to be mates. Just an Alpha and his Omega. If you end up pregnant again I want naming rights though.” She nudges your hip with hers.

“Ha ha. Very funny. Factory is closed, remember? During my c-section with Kaylee I had my tubes tied once she safely vacated the womb. My body couldn’t handle another pregnancy anyway.” Your mind wanders to the difficulties of that pregnancy for a moment. “How about we owe you one. Could even be last minute.”

“That sounds great to me. I better get going so we can grab stuff to make pizzas and lots of snacks. Maybe a movie or two. I don’t want to hear a word from you until after 10am tomorrow.” 

“What if I want to check on the kids?”

“They’ll be fine and you know it. If anything happens we’ll call. Promise. Enjoy your time with your Alpha. Turn off the mom brain for the night. Just be an Omega.” 

“Okay. I’ll try. Thank you again.”

“No thanks needed.” She hugs you one last time. “See you tomorrow, Sunny.”

You stand on the porch as you watch your sister in law drive away with your three pups in tow.

Sy will be home in a couple hours. Better get myself ready for my Alpha.

Sy’s POV

As soon as I open my truck door my nose is assaulted with the aroma of perfectly seasoned steak cooking mixed with my sweet little Omegas intoxicating scent. I step through the door and hear music coming from the kitchen, a normal occurrence. What isn't a normal occurrence is the lack of squeals and giggles followed by a torrent of little feet racing to the door to greet me.

Why is it so quiet? Where is everybody?

I take my boots off, place my keys in the dish and head towards the kitchen. “Sunshine, I’m home. Something sure smells good in here.” I cross the threshold and am met with a feast for my eyes. Standing in front of the stove, swaying her hips while humming along to the melody playing through the bluetooth is my gorgeous wife in a little black dress.

“Welcome home Captain.” She turns around to reveal the low plunge of her skin tight garment. The girls displayed like a snack just for me.

“Fuck, Sugar. Look at you. Where are the pups? It’s awfully quiet.” I take a step towards my Omega to embrace her but she stops me with a hand. 

“They’re over at my brother's place for a sleepover tonight. Go have a seat at the table please, Alpha.” She tells me. I'm curious about what’s going on, so I do as I’m told. Not before sneaking a grope to that glorious ass of hers though. “Your horrible at keeping your hands to yourself.”

I take my seat and face her. “Can you blame me? I’ll never have enough of you. Need ta get my daily dose in.” I watch as she turns off the burner and plates our food, setting it gently on the counter before grabbing her phone.

“Do you know what today is?” She asks me as she changes the song, sauntering over to stand between my legs. I’m not having any of that as I run my hands up her thighs and place her on my lap. 

I trace a finger along her neck, grazing my healed mark that I reclaimed more times than I can count over the last 13 years. “If I didn't already know that it was our anniversary, you playing Tony! Toni! Toné! certainly does the trick.” She beams down at me with that radiating smile I love so much. I pull her closer and place my lips on hers, finally getting the kiss I’ve been craving since I left the house this morning.

“Mmm. That’s better.” I place a kiss on her claiming mark, I’ll be freshening it up later if what I think is happening is going on. “So let me get this right. The kids are at Dante’s and we have the entire house to ourselves until tomorrow?”

“That would be correct, Captain.” She relays to me while stroking my beard, a favorite pastime of hers.

“So. If I wanted to place you on this table.” I lift her up onto the table and spread her thighs wide enough to fit me. I notice that my little Omega is going commando under her dress and my dick turns to steel in my pants. She’s already glistening, slick slowly escaping out of her sweet little pussy, making a mess amongst her thighs. 

A growl travels up my chest at the sight before me. “And devour this sweet little pussy til I’ve satisfied my hunger. Then bend you over it and fuck you til your screaming in pleasure as you come undone on my knot.”  I watch her eyes dilate as her chest begins to rise and fall. “You’re telling me, I can do all that without fear of interruption. I can have my fill of my Omega and no one can stop me tonight?”

I watch her swallow and squirm a bit. “Yes, Alpha. That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Don’t you want your meal first?”

I just chuckle and pull my chair closer to the table. “Oh Sugar. I’ve got my first course right here and I plan on licking it clean.” I dive in and drag my tongue from her entrance to her clit, gently sucking the little bundle before pulling back, spreading her lips and thoroughly enjoying every last drop of her essence I can capture on my tongue. I don’t plan on wasting one single minute of us finally having some true time alone.

Every whimper and moan she lets out, only eggs me on more. Only thing on my mind is reminding my sweet little Omega why I’m her big bad Alpha.

The following morning…

Sunlight drifts in through the stained glass window across from your bed, bathing the room in a rainbow hue, rousing you to an oddly quiet home. As you slowly open your eyes, they happen upon a pair of cerulean ones gazing back at you. “Still trying to make sure I’m not going anywhere Captain? I thought you got over the whole creepy watching me while I sleep thing.” You groan out, attempting to tuck yourself in further. 

He just chuckles to himself, shakes his head and pulls you closer to his furry chest, kissing your forehead. “Never Sunshine. I’ll never get tired of looking at the woman that I stupidly almost let get away.”

“I’m glad we both came to our senses before my mom tried to intervene. I don’t even want to imagine what that plan would have been like.” Smiling sweetly at each other, you enjoy the lazy morning vibes, running fingers through sex romped hair, caressing any exposed skin that escaped the one sheet that is covering you both.

The temperature in the room begins to rise the longer your fingers trek across flesh. At some point your lips find themselves tangled in a sensual makeout session. Sy rolls over further onto his back, pulling you with him to lay your body against his large naked frame. 

He starts to skim kisses down your neck, nipping here and there. “Omega. I kind of have a situation here that only you can fix.” He lifts his hips for you to fully feel his ‘situation’. “Imma need ta bury my cock in this tight little pussy and watch you ride me until the situation subsides.”

“Is that so Alpha?” You raise up into a seated position against his abs, reaching behind you to wrap your little fingers around his thick girth. “It does in fact seem like a very hard situation. It would be my pleasure to assist you.” You lift your hips up, canting them back until his bulbous head just kisses your weeping entrance.

With slow, controlled movements, you lower yourself down his length to the hilt. You give a cursory grind, eliciting a moan to escape as the coarse hair along his pelvis stimulates your clit. You take your Alphas hands and place them on your hips as you begin a languorous pace, completely giving yourself over to the sensations of lazy morning sex that you’ve been without for so long. 

Morning quickies in the shower have been more your speed as of the last few years. Although they scratch the itch, it’s nice to be able to just slow down and enjoy each other’s bodies without a time limit. So many things have changed over the past 13 years, your body seeing the most of it. Children, though blessings, really do take a toll on one's body. 

You look down at the still broad, but maybe a little softer round the middle, body of your Alpha, running your fingers through his soft tuft of chest hair as you take what you need from him. His ocean eyes stare back at you with so much love that you almost lose your breath.

He rises from the mattress, pulling you in close, so that your chests rise and fall together, as your hands roam and your lips dance a familiar tango. You have no idea how long you remain locked in that tight sensual embrace of flesh and lust, before the tell tale signs of an impending orgasm creep up on you. 

“Close.” You whimper out, clutching tighter to his shoulders. “Alpha, I’m so close.”

You feel his hands grip your hips, increasing the speed you are riding him. “That’s it ‘mega. Give it to me. Drench my cock so I can fill you up with my knot." He trails kisses along your collarbone, making his way to your claiming mark. "Gonna stuff you so full you'll be leaking out the sides.”

The combination of friction against your swollen nub mixed with the hot wet sensation of Sy's lips leaving open mouthed kisses along your overheated skin was the perfect catalyst for you to succumb to the mind numbing full body orgasm that had been slowly building.

You closed your eyes and rode each wave as they ebbed and flowed. A cacophony of mewls and wails, accompanied by your Alpha's name, exclaimed from your now hoarse throat. 

Allowing your body to guide you, your lips find space along the juncture between your Alphas throat and shoulder, leaving a mark of your own for all to see.

The feel of your luscious mouth clamping down on his flesh is the thing that pushes him over the edge. With a deep growl, you are impaled on his knot, tying you in place as he sinks his own fangs into your supple flesh. Drawing blood as he reclaims his mate. 

You can feel each twitch of his cock as he spills inside of you, filling you to the brim like he promised. Softly withdrawing from your collar, he licks along your freshly marred skin, aiding in its healing. 

Eyes glazed over, as you both revel in your post orgasmic highs, you can't help but run your fingers along his beard as you admire the Alpha you once thought you'd never get to have. Thankful that you both came to your senses when you did and how lucky you are to have a great man like him in your life. 

Sy caresses your back as he looks up at you with a brow raised. "What's that far off look for Sunshine?"

You can't help the beaming smile that plasters itself on your face. "I love you. That's all."

"Love you too Sugar." He pulls you down for a kiss as he lowers himself back down to the bed, keeping you laid across his chest.

You remain, locked together, basking in the quiet afterglow when your phone begins to ring on the nightstand. Sy reaches over and hands it to you. You watch Letis' name flash across the screen before you place it on speaker. You don't even get to utter a hello before she's speaking. 

“Glad you survived all that pent up tension. We better not see you until dinner at your mom’s tomorrow night. Kit told me to tell you that she decided that her, Scotty and Kaylee need another day and night of cousin time. Also your mother is coming over today to teach them how to make her homemade ice cream and apple pie. So enjoy another night of freedom.”

Before you can answer, Sy snatches your phone. "Thanks Leti! See ya tomorrow at dinner." He hangs up your phone and tosses it aside. "Oh you're in for it now Omega. Only time you're leaving this bed is for a bathroom break. I have lots of lost time to make up for."

With a smack on the ass and a deep growl you feel him harden inside you. "As soon as my knot deflates your going to my good little omega and present for me." 

The next afternoon…

Fresh from a nice, long, uninterrupted soak you find yourself gazing out the window as you let your mind wander. Unbeknownst to you, the gaze of your Alpha, leaning against the door frame, is set firmly on you as he takes in your relaxed state.

I haven’t seen her this relaxed in years. I can't have that. Gotta find the time to make sure she gets to reset and recharge more often. 

Your solitude is broken by a smooth baritone. “I’ll never get tired of seeing you in my flannel. Looks far better on you than me.”

“I beg to differ, Captain. I love the way the fabric stretches across your chest. Buttons holding on for dear life. It’s quite the sight.” You chuckle as you turn towards him. “I keep waiting for the day when one finally fails and exposes the expanse beneath.”

He strides towards you, a swagger in his step. “Your sweet little words are about to get you tossed back into that king size bed.” He grins and lifts you up into his arms. “But I know how much you miss the little monsters and your mother would kill me if I made you miss dinner. Learned my lesson the one and only time that happened.”

“Should have known better. Didn’t think you’d ever be on the receiving end like that huh?” You belly laugh. “She’s scary when she wants to be.”

“As much as it pains me to say this, let’s get dressed.” He walks you both into the closest to put proper clothes on. “It’s too quiet round here. It was nice to have you to myself but I have to admit I kind of miss the chaos.”

You breathe out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God, me too! Let’s go get our babies.”

Your mother’s house…

You’ve barely walked through the back gate before a squeal rings out. “Mama! Papa! Help!” Kaylee comes barreling towards you as fast as her little legs can carry her. “Unca ‘Te Dragon!” As if on queue your brother bounds around the corner, making his way over to you all. A roaring battle cry is heard before your two eldest, Kit and Scott, attack him from both sides, taking him down in one fell swoop. 

“Stay down if you know what’s good for you, Dante the Black.” Your daughter proclaims. “We brave adventurers shall protect the princess at any cost. Including ridding a Dragon of his head.” She mimicked slashing one's throat. 

Kaylee, now saved, strolls over to her siblings. “Tank you for saving me.” She bows. “Ook. Mama and Papa are here!” Three sets of eyes turn toward you, mischievous smiles affixed to their chubby cheeks.

“What’s with the smiles?” You inquire. “My children aren't this sweet.”

“Nothing.” They say in unison.

“Mmhmm.” You hum. “Come on. Let’s go see if it's time to eat. I’m starving.”

Your mother greets you with a tight hug, holding you at shoulder length to look you over. “Good.”

“Good?” You look to your husband, who also seems confused.

“Yes, good.” She nods her head. “You look thoroughly taken care of. You’re practically glowing. I’m sure if you hadn’t had your tubes tied we’d be welcoming a new pup to the family in 9 months.” She turns and walks toward the kitchen as you stare off, mouth agape. “Boys, put those muscles to good use and help me bring out supper.”

“Yes ma’am” They both say in unison. Before he heads off to do his task, Sy gives you a squeeze and leaves a kiss behind your ear. “She’s not wrong. Fucked out and relaxed looks great on you.” He gives you ass a little tap, walking off to assist Dante, with some extra swagger in his step. 

You're wrangling Kaylee into her booster seat, so she can eat with the ‘big people’. “Mama, why yo neck got wed spots? You hurt?” You look down at your observant little one. “No baby. Mama’s not hurt.”

Your mother enters the room followed swiftly by Dante and Sy. “That’s right Leelee. Your Mama is perfectly fine. Your Papa made those to show how much he loves her.” You give her a look of disbelief as all the adults bust out in laughter. 

Kaylee does not understand what’s so funny. “No funny. No laugh at Mama.” She chastises them, turning to her dad. “Papa. Want wed spots too?”

You all try your hardest to hold in the laughter as to not provoke the tiny terror. “Sorry, sugarplum. Those are special marks for Mama’s and Papa’s only.” She pouts. “How bout I let you have an extra scoop of that ice cream ya’ll made to prove how much I love you instead.”

Her face lights up at the prospect of more sugar. “Okay Papa. We good. Love you.”

You shake your head at your husband as you all sit down to eat. “Oh man are you in for it when she hits puberty. You got lucky with how easy going Kit is. Kaylee is going to run circles around you.”

“Well she is a mini you. I think I can handle it just fine.” He smugly states. “I did survive growing up around you after all. Hey Scotty, toss your Papa one of them rolls will ya.”

You run your hand along his thigh under the table, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “You’re lucky I love you so much. Otherwise I’d make you embarrass yourself at this table in front of your kids.”

You ignore his low growl as you fix a plate for Kaylee and yourself. With the look he’s subtly throwing your way, you know may be in for it later, once the kids are off to bed, and you can’t wait.

[blizzardrush]

( Hey everyone! Since Sons of Theseus is basically a fic, I wanted to make an author's notes sort of post explaining some of the things going on in it.

Directly under the cut will be a TL;DR so you can get up to speed with my muses' current main verses without reading SoT, though I'd appreciate if you did. Spoiler alert!

Anyway, let's get to it! )

Too Long; Didn't Read:

Bryan: After being trapped in a false reality for over a year, Fury had difficulty grasping if he was actually free of his perfect dream or still stuck. He found Dragunov during the eighth King of Iron Fist Tournament. Due to their shared history, Fury made him his basis of what was real or not. Sergei died during Azazel's rebirth, causing Bryan to rampage across continental Europe, Dragunov's corpse in tow, to the HQ of the Gold Raptors. He witnessed Sergei's resurrection and went with him to the Battle of Yakushima (after all, who was gonna stop him?). He panicked when he perceived Sergei on the brink of death again and intervened in Dragunov's fight with Victor. Sergei was only enacting a ruse, however, and attacked Bryan instead. Their tussle was interrupted by Devil Kazuya. When the dust settled, Bryan realized Dragunov is just as strong as he ever was, and thus knows now for certain that he is in the real world, and it is his for the taking.

Sergei: An attempt to give a graduation gift to his younger sister was hideously misinterpreted, causing him to lose his temper and have a painful coughing fit. He was dispatched to the King of Iron Fist Tournament to represent Russia and defeated Shaheen. Part of the Coliseum collapsed during Azazel's appearance. He was crushed under rubble and killed. At the instant of his death, the Gold Raptors captured a snapshot of his being down to the quantum level and reconstructed him, minus the cancer in his lungs and throat he did not know he had. The Major, leader of the Raptors, sent him to the Battle of Yakushima, where he fought with Victor. He feigned an injury to catch the Raven off-guard, but Bryan "rescued" him before he could follow through. Outraged at the lost opportunity, Dragunov attacked Bryan instead, stabbing him in the thigh. Devil Kazuya brought the entire battle to a fiery halt. Initially despairing over what he thought was a complete failure of his mission, Sergei realized that he had almost killed Fury without much effort. If he could do that fresh from the grave, then his future potential is limitless.

𓆚 | 𓅓

Stuff I Want to Mention:

The thread's title, Sons of Theseus, refers to the Ship of Theseus thought experiment: "is something still the same thing if it has all of its original parts replaced?" Both Bryan and Dragunov go through some hefty changes through the story. Fury gets his entire perception of reality rocked, deeply disturbing him for possibly the first time in his life. Sergei gets it worse -- he is literally rebuilt from the ground up.

There are two songs embedded in SoT: Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo, and Silent Running by Gorillaz. Both have lyrics relevant to the story.

Dead Man's Party:

I was hit by something last night in my sleep It's a dead man's party, who could ask for more? Everybody's comin', leave your body at the door Leave your body and soul at the door

Though I mostly used this song to go with the jovial atmosphere of Bryan's dream of Hollywood stardom, in his first post, he is hit by something in his sleep: Dragunov talking. The sheer shock of this is enough to snap him out of it!

Silent Running:

Stop, 'cause you're killing me You brought me back and made me feel free Rowdy waves and your energy You pulled me fragile from the wreckage Well, I got so lost here Machine assisted, I disappear To a dream, you don't wanna hear How I got caught up in nowhere again

This song was a HUGE inspiration for SoT as a whole. These lyrics practically happen. Why?

Because Sons of Theseus is fix-it fic. imo Bryan and Dragunov have a lot of potential. Yeah, I know, I get it, T8 isn't about them. But blizzardrush and unbrydledfury are! With any luck, I gave them a compelling narrative to go along with the canon story.

Speaking of which, the entire thing, like most of my fics, was the result of brainworms. I didn't get T8 right out of the gate, and though I tried to avoid spoilers, I heard that the losers of the KoIF tournament would be killed. Since Bryan and Dragunov are villains, I assumed they would likely be goners. How was I supposed to write them if they were canonically dead? This wasn't the case, of course, but I liked the idea of actually killing one of my muses. Sergei drew the short straw because I was having trouble deciding how his character was developing. Now he has a blank slate! What a lucky guy!

I didn't want his resurrection to be an ass-pull handwaved by oh the Foundation Raptors are ~*~spooOOooky~*~ military mad science, but then I remembered there is precedent for them doing shit like this :^)

Bryan being stuck in a lotus-eater machine was the result of much brainstorming about how to keep a nearly-invincible cyborg subdued for over a year. Turns out it's easy -- you just target the ego. Fun fact: the duration his black box reports was the length of time between that post and the last post I made on unbrydled :')

Finally, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference Bryan makes to a "thing in Vegas". He's talking about the three-way thread between him, Dragunov, and icecoldwilliams' Nina, in which they're chasing down a lost nuclear bomb before someone sets it off. I love continuity in my RP blogs; I feel like it gives them more weight.

So there you go! That wraps up SoT. Bryan and Dragunov are officially updated and back to regular programming.

Thank you for reading! <3 )

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Ateez Love Energy (August)

Okay, let's see what is going on in the love department for these boys this month. I will stress this is a snapshot of the energy. I can't give you full details of their love life, nor do I want to. I just tap into the energy at hand, to give some insight, let's go. I know love readings are the most interesting to people and I do enjoy doing these snapshot readings, so let's get into it.

Hongjoong (4 of Swords)-Well, this boy is just chillin'. He isn't worried or stressed about love right now. It could be he is fine doing his own thing. He is taking a break from love, or it is just not on his mind. If he is in a relationship, he isn't really too worried or occupied with it right now.

Seongwha (King of Pentacles)-Wasn't expecting this card from him, but I am not too familiar with this group, so who knows. He is the provider, stable, protective type of boyfriend. This indicates someone who can be hubby material. KOP indicates someone who is more focused on work and his career, so that would be his main focus. His career and providing money. This means he may want to be the breadwinner in relationships.

Yunho (9 of Wands)-Not surprised he is bringing fire energy here, but this energy is more kind of burnt out and done. He may not want to deal with the drama of relationships right now. He is also the type to build defensives and have his guard up in love as well.

Yeosang (2 of Pentacles)- He has the capability of balancing love and work is he needs to. It seems he is someone who likes to juggle different things in his life. If he is in a relationship. I don't see him focusing solely on that person. He would like to prioritize different things in his life. He will have a life outside of his love life. But he will make time for it when need be.

San (Judgment)- He is someone who would probably not judge or criticize his partner. He is someone who would try to help build up his partner up, to help lift them from despair or hurt. I always see this card like no matter what, I got your back, type of energy here. I am getting no judgment zone here, kind of cute.

Mingi (7 of Pentacles)-Hmm, thought he would be a bit wilder, but this is just a snapshot. He is someone who would like to build a slow growing relationship. He would be someone that will always be there to support his partner. This can indicate someone in a long-term relationship to me, but he could just want that. This energy isn't much fun but is a stable force in your life. He could be in a place right now where he wants something a bit more stable and steady.

Wooyoung (3 of Swords) Sweetie, who hurt you!? This is a card of hurt and sadness. Also, can indicate a 3rd party situation. He may feel a bit betrayed in love. I don't think he has the best outlook on love right now. Frustration and sadness here.

Jungho (7 of Wands)- This card always gives me stay out of my business. I laugh every time I get this card. He protects the person he loves. And he wants no one or any situation to get in the way of his love life. It would be hard to break him up with someone, unless that is what he wants. This card just gives me leave me be, alright I will leave you alone.

Interesting cards, this energy doesn't give me they have flourishing relationships, maybe except Mingi, but once again, this is a snapshot look.

[ajeckaea]

I hate when authors "update" older stories, or the stories are "updated" for them. I am specifically going to use Lois Duncan as an example, and more specifically, Down a Dark Hall.

This book was written in 1974, and "revised" by Duncan in 2011 to add cell phones, internet, and make other edits that were, as far as I can tell, supposed to make it more appealing to modern youth and reduce the likelihood of questions like "well why didn't they just use a cell phone".

The example I recall best, although it's been a couple years so I'm fuzzy on the precise details, is that one of the characters makes a comment about there being no ethernet hookup (possibly it was wifi service? but I'm pretty sure it was ethernet) in her room for her laptop.

I looked at that line and instantly said to myself "That was a landline telephone in the original version. I just bet it was a normal telephone." Because it just didn't fit quite right.

But I was reading this in January 2022. And teenagers in 2022 did not use ethernet cables with laptops when they wanted to connect to the internet for fun. They used wifi, but more than that, they used smartassphones. I also have a vague sense that there were references added to chat rooms or chatting applications in the book. Perhaps even MySpace.

The problem with "updating" technology and terminology, you see, is that in another few years it will be dated again--except now you've sacrificed the authenticity of the book. It's no longer a book from the 70s, but it can never be a book from the 10s. You've mishmashed it into an awkward chimera, and it's not better. It can never be its old authentic historical snapshot self anymore--it will always give off "hello fellow kids" trying-too-hard energy. You know that thing about putting new wine into old wineskins? Yeah.

And this is a me thing, I know, but here's the thing--if a book doesn't mention cell phones or computers, I don't miss them. In the absence of any hard historical references, the story just naturally settles into my perception as being set in Comfortably Ambiguous Time. In fact, unless the author clearly sets the story in the Modern Tech Age and brings up technology from the start, the first time a cell phone is mentioned it will jolt me entirely out of the story.

There were people who thought it was stupid and unrealistic that in 2005, highschool student Bella Swan didn't have a cell phone. I never once questioned it--highschool student Aje didn't have a cell phone until 2009.

This entire post was inspired by the fact that I'm rereading a book right now that was written in 1961, and I would never have guessed it was that old, because of Comfortably Ambigous Time. If you'd told me it was set in 1980, I'd have believed you. 1950? Sure. 2010? Absolutely. The lack of technology is not a stumbling block for me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that books should be left as they were written. It's okay that tech and slang were different. It's okay if the plot wouldn't work in a world where people keep 911 in their pockets. It's okay for books to be historical snapshots. That's what they are, and they should be left authentic. An authentic 70s book that reads like an authentic 70s book is always, always going to be better than a 70s book mutilated in an attempt to fit some later standard. Also, any reader who actually picks up a book and judges it negatively because its plot wouldn't work if set in the present day needs to be sent back to grade school until s/he learns how history works.

Some people being idiots is not a valid reason to mutilate books.

[runicmagitek]

Hi there Runic!

I was wondering your opinion on using Scrivner to draft fics vs using Word? Like pros and cons? (Some of the articles online are so confusing! >//<‘)

Thanks so much for the ask, anon! And also thanks for your patience; I wanted to give this some thought, hence the wait.

I primarily use Scrivener and have been using it for a little over a decade. I also use Word during the final phase of edits. I'll list some of my favorite features of each one, followed by the cons.

Scrivener

Organizing a story in Scrivener is where it shines the most. For a longer story, you can break things down by chapter and easily move them around as needed. For me, I use a single file for all my fics and breakdown folders by fandom, then by ships. The use of status markers and labels and custom meta-data, while initially daunting, are also super great to flag what state your draft is in along with any other indicators you wish to use. For me, I like marking if fics are for an exchange or a gift for a friend. I've even customized the meta-data so I can plug in potential tags and ratings as I go!

Snapshots is a neat function that makes a copy of your current file. I use it with each new phase of editing, in case I need to refer to an older version. It's super easy to switch back and forth between snapshots, plus there's a preview to show what has been removed or added from the last version!

There are a ton of compiling options for when you wish to export your story as a Word doc or a PDF or even for epublishing. I don't use this too often, but I have lots of friends who do and it makes proper formatting really simple.

There is a focus mode that removes all the UI stuff and just shows you the words. If this didn't exist, I wouldn't be able to write anything lolsob.

You can set target goals for each document or even the entire file. And if you have multiple documents in a single folder with word count targets applied, Scrivener will add them all up and give you a total target estimate. Really handy for planning out how long your story will be!

THERE IS A DARK MODE THEME.

Word

The grammar/spelling checker is a lot more robust in comparison to Scrivener.

Sharing your Word document and sharing notes/comments with beta readers is a LOT easier in Word. It's similar to how Google Docs works with leaving comments, replying to each other, and marking them as resolved.

Copy-pasting from Word into AO3's rich text preserves the formatting, whereas I've had a lot of wonky issues going from Scrivener to AO3.

Text-to-speech, while kinda weird, is a godsend when I want to read out loud a fic before posting, but don't have the energy to do so.

If you have Word, you likely have a Microsoft subscription, which means you have access to OneDrive, which makes for VERY easy backups. Plus you can get Word on your phone and work off that and your computer seamlessly at no extra cost.

THERE IS ALSO A DARK MODE.

Hokay, now for cons.

Scrivener

Scrivener is not free. It is a one-time fee of $60~. That said, if you participate in NaNo and win, you can get a discount code (I believe it's 50% off?)

It was originally made for Macs, but then a Windows version was developed. The team behind Scrivener is very small and it took… forever to get the Windows version up to speed with the Mac version. There are still some differences between the two, but thankfully both versions are on the same page. Jumping off of this, there is an iOS version, but no Android version.

If you wish to back up your Scrivener stuff, you can only really do that via a Dropbox account. Also, I believe it's not possible to open the same file on different computer types. So if you have two computers (one Mac and one Windows) and want to open the same file on both, it's not really going to work. In my experience, I've also run into issues getting things to sync and open when using two Windows computers. So if you're planning to bounce around different computers/laptops/etc., definitely keep this in mind.

On top of that, for every device you want Scrivener on? You need to pay for that.

Scrivener has got one hell of a learning curve, too. I've been using it for so long and am STILL discovering new ways to use it. It can be intimidating, even after you go through all the tutorials.

Word

This also costs money, but sadly is not a one-time fee AND you need to invest in a bundle plan instead of just getting Word. Home subscriptions range from $70 to $100 a year, depending if you're getting it just for yourself or for your family/friends to use too. For me, I use it with my boyfriend and we use all the programs a bunch, so it works out well for us. This might work for you too if you're interested in having access to things like Excel and OneNote and cloud storage. But if you just want Word, that's not really feasible.

I haven't experienced this because I've stopped writing novel-length stories in Word, but I've heard from friends that the program slows down after 30k words or so, which is unfortunate and frustrating.

Furthermore, you can't really transition from file to file in Word as you can in Scrivener. You'd need to manage the folders on your computer outside of the program.

Word isn't really designed for book formatting. You CAN do it, but it takes some extra work on your end to format things accordingly, whereas Scrivener has a bunch of built-in features to help with that.

Microsoft is A LOT bigger than the Scrivener team, thus there are frequent updates. And because of that, you need to perform more updates to the program and might even need to reacquaint yourself with features and UI changes.

I hope this helps! Regardless of which program you wish to use, I hope it goes smoothly and you have a blast writing your stories on it!