#Overload Protection

[lenanie1008]

Electric chain hoist with super safety guarantee, a new choice for safe operation!

[havellsindia001]

Reliable Aspida MCB (C Curve) - Standard Electricals

Discover the Aspida MCB (C Curve) at Standard Electricals. Engineered for optimal safety and performance, this miniature circuit breaker offers reliable protection against overloads and short circuits. Perfect for residential and commercial applications, ensure the safety of your electrical systems with Aspida.

[rsindia123]

Enhancing Transformer Protection with Siemens 7PJ113 TRAFO Trouble Relay.

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[pddparthi]

Fluid Couplings: A Comprehensive Guide to Power Transmission

Introduction In the realm of mechanical engineering, a critical component for transmitting power between rotating shafts is the fluid coupling, also known as a hydraulic coupling. Unlike mechanical clutches that directly connect and disconnect shafts, fluid couplings rely on the interaction of a liquid medium to transmit rotational motion. This unique approach offers several advantages, including…

[victranova]

[babyanimalgifs]

Nothing will stop this dog from protecting his owner

(Source)

[elephantaday]

Day 987 of posting pictures of elephants.

Source: World Animal Protection US

[unfinishedslurs]

RIP Mike Wheeler’s heterosexuality

“Is being gay contagious?”

Steve stares at his phone groggily before putting it back against his ear. “…Mike?”

“Is it?”

“It’s three in the fuckin’ morning is what it is.” He rubs his nose, Mike’s words finally catching up to his brain. “Seriously, Mike? No it’s not fucking contagious, you’re not gonna get the gay disease or whatever from me. I promise you’ll keep liking girls.”

He’s a little hurt, even though he knows the question is innocent. They’ve been asking a lot of questions, like the inquisitive little assholes they are, but none of them had seemed like they weren’t okay with it. Until now.

“…that’s not what I meant,” Mike says. Steve realizes that his voice sounds shaky, even over the phone.

“Then what—“ he cuts himself off, realizing halfway through his bitching that there was only one reason Mike would call about this. “Oh.”

“Can you pick me up?”

“It’s three in the morning,” he repeats, even as he starts wondering where he left his keys. “Your mom…”

“Steve,” Mike pleads. “Please?”

He sighs. “I’m on my way.”

Mike is sitting on his doorstep when he pulls up, head in his hands. Steve doesn’t have to get out of the car, he stalks to the passenger door with all the vitriol of a boy with too many emotions to hold in, and wrenches the door open hard enough that Steve worries he’s going to break it.

“Watch it, noodle arms,” he says, trying to pretend this is normal. Maybe if he acts like it’s not well past midnight, Mike will relax.

It doesn’t work. Mike slumps in his seat, not bothering with the seatbelt. “Can you just drive?”

Steve drives. Doesn’t really know where they’re going, but it doesn’t matter. Just away seems to suffice.

He eventually pulls into a side road

“I’m scared to even touch another guy now! Because apparently hugging is gay when you’re older, and so is sleeping in the same bed, and telling your friends you love them, and…and I’m fucking scared all the time, ‘cause what if they’re right? How do they know? How can they tell by just fucking looking at me? It’s bullshit!”

“Shit, kid,” Steve says, heartbroken. “Shit. C’mere.”

He pulls him close, and Mike turns his face into the crook of his neck, shaking. His shirt collar starts to get damp.

“I don’t know what to do,” he cries. “I thought it was normal, I thought everyone was just…so scared all the time, and we just didn’t talk about it. But then you said that thing about being afraid and pushing it down, and I didn’t— I tried to ignore it. I tried so hard not to think about it, Steve, I swear I tried.”

“I know you did,” he says quietly. It hits him that he might be the only one who really gets it. Eddie gave up denying it long ago, deciding to evolve into something else for them to focus on. Robin’s a girl. Which doesn’t mean jack shit in most cases, because being a lesbian fucking sucks in a town like Hawkins, but girls aren’t as obsessive about it. Sometimes when they compare notes, Robin will just stare at him.

Mike shakes his head. “I don’t know what I did wrong,” he mumbles tearfully into his shoulder.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Steve says with a surprising amount of vehemence. He grabs Mike by his scrawny little shoulders, pulls him away so he can look directly into his bloodshot eyes. “Not a damn thing, do you hear me? There is nothing wrong with you, and anyone who tells you otherwise deserves a swift kick in the balls. Got it?”

Mike responds by bursting into loud, messy sobs.

Steve just keeps holding him, running a hand through his hair and soothing him gently, like he wishes someone had done for him or Robin or Eddie when they were young. Finally Mike pulls away, embarrassment starting to set in.

“Sorry,” he mutters.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Steve asks instead of a meaningless platitude he knows Mike wouldn’t accept.

Mike gives him a suspicious look. “I guess.”

“I’m scared too. All the time.”

“No you’re not,” Mike snorts. “You don’t need to make me feel better just because I’m a pussy.”

“I’m not joking,” he says. “Why do you think I dated girls? Why do you think I went through so many lengths to hide it? It’s fucking terrifying, man. But you know what makes it less scary?”

“Dating girls? Marrying a woman?”

“No.” He pokes Mike’s chest, right over his heart. “People. Friends who love and accept you. Friends who know what you’re going through, even.”

��Do you…” Mike chews his lip. “Do you think Nancy would be okay with it? With me?”

“Absolutely I do. She was okay with me, wasn’t she? And I was her boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but it’s different when it’s your family, right? Sometimes people don’t care if someone is… people don’t care until it affects them. Do you think Nancy is like that?”

He knows Nancy isn’t like that, but that's a talk they’re going to have to have themselves. “I really don’t,” he encourages. “I think she’d be really glad to know this part of you, actually. She loves you.”

“…I know,” he says, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t… we made this dumb no secrets pact the first time the Upside-Down happened, I don’t know why. It’s stupid. But…I don’t want to keep secrets from her anymore.”

[generalsmemories]

every time i see someone shit on the xianzhou story quest on twitter i die a little bit inside.

[tennessoui]

I'm begging on my hands and knees for more Twilight au, and those are words I never thought I'd say! Anakin being able to resist compulsion, and Obi-Wan seeming instantly obsessed, and poor Shmi! Pretty please 🥺🙏

hey!! sure! here's some more!

(2.5k)

Having a sheriff for a mom sucked a lot when he was a kid growing up in a small town. There was probably nothing Anakin was rebelling against more at eleven, at thirteen, at seventeen than the rule of law his mother represented. 

All things considered, she was pretty good at separating her home life from her worklife. It was Anakin who was bad at respecting the separation, Anakin who couldn’t keep son out of delinquent.  There’s only so many times he could be pulled out of wreckage and bars and buildings with Keep Out No Trespassing signs on them before he got The Sheriff at home and out in public.

He’d hated it growing up and had come to grudgingly respect it later and in fits and starts. His dad dying had, terribly and ironically, helped a lot. His mother had had a stroke just before and then Anakin had been faced with the possibility of being an orphan, and the terror of that had mellowed him out.

Sorta.

He still hates a lot of things about his mother’s job. Especially the fact that she’s the sheriff of a very small town.

And when people talk, she listens.

The thing about small towns is that everyone’s always fucking talking. And other people are always fucking lsitening so they can talk later. One big fucking community, which means when Anakin comes home from his weird doctor’s appointment with Dr. Kenobi, a few hours later because he took a detour biking along the edge of the seaside cliffs just to spit in the good doctor’s metaphorical face, Shmi Skywalker already knows more than Anakin ever planned to tell her.

Like, for instance, “Sheila says that Dr. Kenobi thought it would behoove you to spend some time at the local library volunteering.”

Anakin pauses, backpack half-slung off his shoulders. He hangs his stuff up slowly, careful to keep his tone very light. “Did Sheila say what I told him after he said that?” 

His mom’s silence is very loud.

“I don’t want to do i—”

“I asked the new librarian about it on my way home from the station. She thinks it’s a wonderful idea. Apparently we used to have a program like that in the forties but it died out during the war.”

“Mom, come on—”

“It’ll look good on resumes, saying you created and supported a local reading program.”

“Yeah, but I’m a bit too old to be applying for babysitting positio—”

“It’ll look good for me as well,” Shmi says in her sheriff voice. “Elections are coming up soon. It’ll be good, if my kid was involved in the community.”

Anakin’s glad that his back is still turned to the living room, where his mom is sitting. “Are you gonna run again?” he asks, paying special attention to his tone this time.

“Why wouldn’t I?” his mom replies. “I’ve been sheriff for a decade and a half.”

Anakin lets his eyes fall closed for a second, knowing that his face can’t be seen. This is how they end up half the time: Shmi’s ardent belief that she is invincible, going up against Anakin’s desperate desire for her to be so.

And they just don’t talk about it. As if they’re actually in agreement.

He knows how this is going to shake out.

“Do you have any plans tomorrow?” His mother asks.

Anakin’s eyes remain closed. “I guess so,” he says.

—--------

Mrs. Kenobi—call me Satine—is sort of scary up close. She’s tall. She glides between bookshelves. Anakin’s never met someone who glides before. And she’s so intensely, incredibly, blindingly perfect that Anakin would rather be anywhere but in her vicinity. There’s something incredibly unnerving about the symmetry of her face, the sharpness of her cheekbones. She’s obviously an absolute knock-out, just drop-dead gorgeous, but it makes Anakin’s skin crawl and his heart beat fast, but not in a good way or a normal teenage boy way.

Anakin tries to keep the unease off his face as Satine leads him through a tour of the library, a gentle hand on his forearm. That’s another thing Anakin doesn’t really like. She’s wearing satin gloves. He doesn’t know anyone who wears gloves anymore.

It’s just all a bit…unsettling.

“I put in a few words around the school yesterday afternoon,” Satine tells him. They pass by the mystery section, the fantasy section, and take a hard right into the young adult section. The shelves are smaller here, and Anakin feels rather stupidly gigantic as he and Satine walk through them. “To some parents picking their children up after school. They agreed it would be good exposure to bring them to the library for an hour or so of reading before supper.”

Anakin highly doubts it will be, but Satine hasn’t really asked him.

She sweeps past his figure and pushes open a pair of double doors with a flourish better suited for a Russian tsarina hosting an elaborate ball than a small town librarian showing off a small, cramped, and dusty room filled with padded seats and threadbare rugs.

And then, as if she has been waiting to put the last nail in the proverbial coffin, Satine adds, “A few students from the local high school will be here as well.”

“Sorry,” Anakin says, “are you saying I’m going to be reading to high school students? Can’t they do that themselves?”

After all, Anakin went to high school here. Academics hadn’t been too rigorously challenging, but they’d taught the fucking basics.

Satine raises one perfectly plucked eyebrow in his direction. “They’ll be volunteering as well.”

Oh. Right.

“It looks good on their college applications,” Satine waves a hand through the air and the words linger there. Anakin looks out the rather dirty window, jaw clenching. “I’ve already chosen a handful of books I think the young ones will enjoy.”

Anakin, committed to his fate, pads over to the titles placed carefully ontop of a short, stout side table. 

“Peter the Rabbit,” he reads off the top. “Peter Pan. Alice in Wonderland. Treasure Island. The Prince and the Pauper—look, you’re the librarian here, but don’t you have anything written this century maybe? Harry Potter, even.”

“These are classics,” Satine tells him, her nose raised into the air as if she has encountered something particularly foul-smelling. She turns away, presumably to return to the front desk so she can welcome half the fucking town inside the library so Anakin can read them fucking Anne of Green Gables and become a better person.

“These are fucking boring,” he mutters to himself, flicking the cover of the first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz open. Publication date: 1900. “I’d rather be in Kenobi’s office getting lectured at.”

There’s a sharp noise of disapproval from the doorway, and Anakin’s head snaps up to see the tail end of a very heated look from the librarian before the door closes behind her.

He shivers, alone in the emply room, and it takes several long minutes for his heart to settle back into its normal pace. 

—----------

After the fourth kid sneezes, Anakin closes his book with a snap and stands from the very small chair they’ve got him sitting on. “Come on,” he tells the cluster of children he’s been assigned to. “We’re getting out of here.”

“Are you kidnapping us?” One of them, a snot-nosed kid who’d started the sneezing says, rubbing at her cheek beneath her glasses. “Cause mommy says that’s not allowed.”

“I’m not kidnapping you,” Anakin snaps back, barely holding in his natural follow-up to the sentence which is of course, I don’t want to be around any of you in the first place. “Also, just for future reference, you shouldn’t ask if someone’s kidnapping you after you already start following them.”

The girl scowls and reaches up her hand to hold onto Anakin’s. 

For the love of Christ.

“We’re just going to go into the main part of the library,” Anakin tells his children, all six of them. “They have windows out there.”

They have windows out there and they also have parents. Parents who absolutely should be doing other things with their lives and precious hour of extra freetime.

Parents who are clustered instead around the library’s front desk as the town’s newest librarian holds court.

“Is reading time over?” one of the kids asks him, turning his head to look up at Anakin.

Anakin thinks about it. “Do you want reading time to be over?”

The kid thinks about it back. “Yeah,” he decides. “You don’t do the voices good.”

“It’s a boring book,” Anakin tells the kid. “Voices aren’t going to make it better.”

“Voices always make it better,” another kid says. “They make everything better.”

“Oh look,” Anakin says. “Is that your father?”

He gestures vaguely towards the cluster of drooling middle-aged somethings focused on Satine.

The kid peeks around his thigh and then shakes his head. “No,” he says. “That’s Dr. Obi.”

“Dr. Obi!” The kid holding Anakin’s hand says, and she lets go.

Anakin gets a bad feeling about this, a feeling that only doubles when he turns around to see Dr. Kenobi sauntering towards him, hands tucked into the pockets of a long dark jacket that makes him look even more pale than he already is.

He scowls automatically as the man gets closer. “Dr. Obi.”

Dr. Kenobi spares him a look that’s far too amused for Anakin’s pleasure before he crouches down to the level of the kids. “Hello there, young ones,” he says, opening his arms to accept a hug from the traitor of a girl Anakin’s just spent thirty minutes reading to. “Are you eating all your vegetables? Even the brussel sprouts?”

“I like brussel sprouts,” one of the kids reports sounding proud, and that starts a cacophony of opinions about brussel sprouts from all around Anakin.

“Wow! One of mine just absolutely hates them,” Dr. Kenobi says. “She refuses to eat them, so you’re very brave, Michele.” He lets go of the girl and turns his golden-brown gaze up to Anakin. “And what does Mr. Skywalker think?” he asks, raising a hand for Anakin to take. It’s very obvious he’s asking for a hand up and Anakin is obeying before he thinks about it. He snatches his hand free almost too soon, but Dr. Kenobi doesn’t even have the grace to lose his balance and fall over. 

His hand is like ice in Anakin’s, and Anakin stuffs his fingers into the pocket of his jacket automatically a second later.

“Do brussel sprouts help with circulation?” he’s biting out before he can stop himself. “Cause you may need some then.”

Kenobi’s head tilts very slightly to the side as his eyes catch and hold onto Anakin’s. “Oh?” he asks lightly. 

“You’re cold,” is all Anakin mutters in return. He swipes his other hand against the back of his neck. “”S poor circlutation, isn’t it? Something in your diet maybe?” Dr. Kenobi blinks at him and then breaks into a wide smile. “I can assure my diet is very…circulation-mindful,” he says. “Blood health positive.”

Anakin’s mouth thins into a line. He guesses that’s what he gets for trying to give health advice to a doctor, especially a doctor like Kenobi who just so happens to be devastatingly attractive and also smart.

And also an asshole. And also married.

Speaking of which. “Are you here to fend off your wife’s admirers with a scalpel?” Kenobi’s eyebrows raise. “Young ones,” he turns his head away from Anakin, down to the children.

The strangest feeling breaks of Anakin the second Kenobi looks away, almost as if a strange pressure he hadn’t even realized had been building was suddenly dissolved.

The very small beginnings of a headache begin to thrum in his temples.

“Young ones, it’s time to find your parents, isn’t it?” Kenobi says, and like fucking magic, the crowd of six children around Anakin disperse, children swarming away from him towards the group of adults surrounding the front desk.

“Can you teach me how to do that?” Anakin blurts out, even though he’d meant to ignore Kenobi now that he doesn’t have to make nice in front of small kids. Not that he was really making nice in the first place. But now he definitely doesn’t have to.

Kenobi gives him a half-smile, eyes heavy-lidded. “It’s a special sort of skill that takes, above all else, much practice.”

Anakin scowls. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Does Kenobi think he can’t commit himself to something even as mundane as a fucking commanding persona? Does he think he doesn’t have it in him to be–-

Kenobi’s eyebrows go up again. “Has anyone ever told you that you are exceedingly defensive?” 

“You’re extremely nosey,” Anakin snaps back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t you have better things to focus on right now anyway?”

He gestures loosely towards Satine, who has started playing with one of the mother’s bracelets as the other woman stands and looks at her rather dumbfounded.

Kenobi follows his gaze and then lets out a huff of laughter. “Satine can take care of herself,” he says, even though it hadn’t really been Satine that Anakin was worried about.

He’s about to open his mouth to say so when Kenobi turns back to him. His eyes are piercing, a dark, captivating sort of gold. 

“Do you find my wife beautiful, Anakin?” he asks.

Anakin blinks. His headache is getting worse, which is probably down to what can only be a trick-question fashioned to look like a grenade lobbed at his feet. “I don’t think there’s a good answer to that,” he mutters, rubbing absently at his forehead. “What the fuck.”

“An honest answer is a good one,” Kenobi says lightly. “Tell me honestly.”

The words feel pulled from Anakin’s stomach, and he’s opening his mouth before he realizes it. “No,” he says. 

Kenobi’s eyebrows crinkle together. “No?”

Anakin curses his stupid impulse control. “She’s beautiful,” he adds quickly. “Really. But…it makes me uncomfortable.”

Kenobi’s lips purse, and then there’s something like disappointment in his eyes as he examines Anakin. “Ah yes,” he murmurs. “I’ve been told my wife can make countless young men feel rather uncomfortable. It’s normal in men your age, Anakin. Sexual ar—”

“Uncanny,” Anakin blurts out. He doesn’t mean to, but he also doesn’t want to listen to  Kenobi trying to lecture him on fucking arousal in the public library. When it’s not even relevant. “She’s so beautiful, it’s uncanny.”

“Uncanny.”

“Yeah, like. Monstrous.”

Kenobi’s mouth falls open, pink lips parted in what looks like honest surprise.

Anakin’s own eyes widen as it hits him that he’s just called Kenobi’s wife a monster to Kenobi’s face.

“Shit,” he says. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m going to go.” 

He throws a look at Kenobi, whose eyes are lit with something a lot like interest and then across the library to where Satine’s head is turned, cocked, and eyebrows up high on her forehead, as if she’s just heard everything he’s said.

He decides rather immediately that he’s going to take the backdoor exit.

[thatdesolatefander]

Did Friendship Always Involve Flowers?

Summary: After seeing a yellow rose in Virgil's room, the twins learn that Virgil loves the smell of flowers.

Roman isn't one to pass up a perfectly good opportunity to upstage his brother and earn Virgil's love at the same time. Besides, flowers never hurt anyone.

Prompt:  Rivals Roman and Remus fighting for Virgil’s attention (but he's dating someone else secretly) for @starlocked01

Word Count: 5,011

Read on AO3

Roman didn't think that he would ever fall in love with the boy next door, and he definitely never would have guessed that his twin would too. In fact, Roman used to dislike having anything to do with the weird neighbor kid who would hiss at him. When Roman and Remus moved in next door to the Storm family, the twins were young enough that they were forced into play dates with the neighbor kid, but old enough to be annoyed by it (aka, being hissed at for coming too close).

It took awhile for Virgil to warm up to the twins, but the three of them grew close despite their rocky start. The three became inseparable for a time. They would playing tags in the woods behind their houses and pretending to be superheroes were their two favorite games.

While Virgil was initially scared of the woods, he soon grew comfortable surrounded by nothing but greenery since Roman and Remus promised to protect him if anything dangerous would show up. When Virgil fell and skinned his knee, they paused their game to walk with Virgil back to the house. Then they helped to carefully place a bandaid on Virgil's cut.

Roman and Remus were far less united when they played pretend. Roman would be a grand hero always swooping in to save the day from whatever villainous scenario Remus came up with, and Virgil would be forced to chose a side. Some days, Virgil would pretend to be a hero fighting along side the mighty Roman. Other days he would stage a betrayal and join Remus in his quest to rule the world.

Don't worry, every so often Virgil would pretend to be on the side of evil and then stab Remus in the back. As Remus dramatically pretended to struggle for breath through blood filled lungs, Roman would re-knight Virgil as one of the heroes.

On the really interesting days, Virgil would stage three betrayals and end up a vigilante who ran by his own moral code, getting in the way of hero and villain alike.

The twins loved how despite being shy and reserved around most people, Virgil always kept the twins on their toes. It made their games much more fun if they didn't have to repeat the same boring story every time. Roman and Remus both loved taking Virgil's decisions and twisting the story to create elaborate plots. Especially if it meant they had to convince Virgil why their side was superior.

Their fun was born of the innocent and childish friendship of youth. In fact, when high school started Roman and Remus drifted away to new friend groups, Virgil was left to bounce between his two friends, unwilling to abandon either one. The three remained friends, but as their interests drifted, their games of pretend were left in the past.

During high school, Roman and Remus each started noticing new things about their childhood friend. The one who would be dark and mysterious if the three of them weren't already best friends. In fact, they both started purposefully keeping track of all the things that made up Virgil.

Roman and Remus knew that Virgil sewed on the large patches to his favorite sweater himself, but he still knew how to mend any clothing seamlessly. Virgil simply preferred the look of his plaid patches.

They realized that Virgil didn't drink caffeine since it made his anxiety spike, and the only tea he drank was an herbal chamomile and lavender blend before bed.

Roman adored the way Virgil's eyes would soften when his favorite song came on and how his eyes crinkled when he laughed.

Remus noticed the mischievous glint in Virgil's eye right before Virgil challenged one of the twins to a challenge Virgil was confident in succeeding in. Remus would always accept the challenge anyways simply so he could see Virgil's smug lopsided grin after he out ran Remus or tackled Roman into the dirt.

As his adoration grew, Roman told Patton about his feelings for Virgil. Patton was strangely hesitant. "Well, kiddo. That just sounds like you enjoy hanging out with Virgil? It doesn't necessarily mean something romantic has to come from it?"

Roman pouted as he flipped his hair out of his face with his hand. "Don't underestimate my love, Pat!"

Patton started twisting his hands together. "I'm just saying that there are some things about Virgil that you don't know yet. I know more about certain… aspects of his life than you do!"

Roman nodded his head sagely. "You are right, dear padre. I shall endeavor to learn even more about Virgil through observations before asking for his hand!" Roman said, puffing out his chest with his hands on his hips.

Patton lifted a hand towards Roman and then drew it back to his chest. "Thats, umm. Thats not what I really meant. Maybe you should talk to Virgil—" Patton tried to continue, but Roman had already ran off to grab a note book.

Logan looked up from the book he was pretending to read. "Let him try. Virgil most likely won't recognize Roman's attempts at courtship as anything sinister. Besides, they could be a, ahem, an 'it' couple? If they do end up in a romantic relationship."

Patton winced slightly. "I just don't think that Roman should be trying to date Virgil right now? Also, that flashcard is a little bit dated."

Logan sighed and took his glasses off to clean them. "Ah, I shall refrain from using it in that case."

Patton smiled over at Logan conspiratorially. "Anyways, Virgil kind of has a big secret that would make Roman trying to 'win him over' a bad idea."

Logan sighed deeply. "Its too late now. Roman can be rather single minded on the best of days. The best we can do is intervene if his actions start causing problems."

Patton groaned and put his head in his hands. "If you say so."

…………

Of course, once Remus heard of Roman's plan, he felt incredulous at not thinking of it first.

As always, he took his complaints to Janus during school lunch. "Roman has been awfully interested in Virgil's love life lately," Remus stated bluntly as soon as they both began eating.

Janus paused mid chew. Remus dramatically thunked his head down on the table with one arm thrown haphazardly over his head. Janus stared at Remus for a moment before finally swallowing his bite of mashed potatoes.

"I don't follow," Janus said, his cool demeanor showing that Remus' overly dramatic sighs didn't worry him at all. To further show his nonchalance, Janus began taking a long drink of the strawberry milk that came with his school lunch.

Remus sat up and rested his chin on one of his hands. "Well, dearest Jan Jan, Ro bro should know that I should get first dibs on our dear emo's heart!"

Janus choked on his milk. As he was busy sputtering (and was that laughter mixed in? The nerve.), Remus went on to list all the things he liked about Virgil. By the time Remus began describing how amazing it would be to see Roman's shocked face if Remus was the one to win Virgil over, Janus had an unmistakably amused glint in his eye.

Unperturbed, Remus ploughed on. "Y'know what would really win Virgie onto my side? A nice gruesome poem full of bloody imagery. His little emo heart would love it!"

Janus sputtered again, but he somehow managed to talk Remus down from that particular idea. Still, Remus was convinced that he knew more about Virgil than Roman.

Of course, this meant that Roman and Remus had to settle once and for all who knew Virgil better. It was their way of proving which twin was worthy to seek Virgil's hand in courtship. Remus was all too happy to grab his own notebook to keep track of their game.

Anytime one of them twins noticed something new pertaining Virgil, they would point it out, even if they were in the middle of a conversation with Virgil himself. It was pretty straightforward.

It annoyed Virgil, but he ignored it like it was just another one of the creative twins unique eccentricities. The twins loved to randomly challenge each other, and that never bothered Virgil before. But normally Virigl was able to join in their competitions.

In fact, Virgil quite enjoyed partaking in the strange challenges the brothers cooked up, so he was confused as to why their current game seemed to center around Virgil while still leaving him out. He would have felt lonely if he didn't have other people to turn to. When Roman and Remus started commenting on less and less things, Virgil assumed that the game was finally becoming boring to them.

Unluckily for Virgil, Roman and Remus were simply running out of things to point out about Virgil's day to day life, but they were still quite invested in who would come out on top.

Roman wanted to see the way Remus nose twitched with a repressed snarl every time he managed to catch something before Remus.

For Remus' part, he loved hearing Roman's huff of annoyance as Remus pointed out something seemingly obvious for the first time that both had forgotten to mention.

At times, their siblings annoyance was more fulfilling than learning more about Virgil was. Honestly, both Roman and Remus had never had a game that made it so easy to get a rise from the other before. Even if they were running out of things to point out, how could they leave their competition behind?

So with the twins drawing to a stalemate, Remus decided to get creative. While it was unorthodox, he realized that introducing several situations of his own design and seeing how Virigl reacted to them would be a great way to get ahead of Roman. At this point, Remus had less tally marks in his note book than his brother, and Remus was all to eager to fill his pages with lines.

In true Remus fashion, things quickly got out of hand. Remus started making Virgil uncomfortable in increasingly ludicrous ways just so he could mark it down. When Roman noticed, he would try to jump in and say what was bothering Virgil first so that he could add a tally mark instead.

This lead to Virgil trying to get his bearings after randomly experiencing whatever horrid thing Remus forced him to see, smell, or touch unexpectedly while the twins squabbling filled his ears . Virgil tried to patiently wait out Roman and Remus' newest game, he really did.

Sadly, Virgil's mental health didn't care about patience. After only two days of the new turn to the twins game, Virgil reached a breaking point.

Walking into the cafeteria, Virgil was faced with the daily decision of which friends to sit with. Neither group minded how much he bounced around, especially since Virgil tended to split his time rather evenly. Today, however, Virgil didn't care about fairness and he beelined for Roman's table.

Virgil really wouldn't mind sitting with Janus, but he was really tired of dealing with Remus at the moment. Also, Virgil was already feeling anxious and figured that if he couldn't have Janus help him out, Logan or Patton might also help him. So Roman's table it was.

Remus spotted him. Quickly, Remus lept from his seat and brought his tray over to Roman's table. A reluctant Janus trailed behind him, murmuring about switching tables being bad idea.

When Remus sat down, Virgil sighed but decided to stay. Then every single noise in the cafeteria hit him at once. Remus and Roman's voices were growing louder and louder so that they could be heard over the cacophony of the laughing cheerleaders a table over and the general chatter filling the cafeteria. There was forks scraping against trays, food being chewed, and the slurping of milk.

Virgil wanted to cover his ears to block out the noise, but that would look weird. He started drumming his fingers on the table instead.

Remus zeroed in on this detail. Pulling his notebook out of his pocket, he loudly exclaimed, "Vee Vee taps his fingers when he is nervous." Roman groaned as Remus added a tally mark to his notebook. Both missed the way people turned to look at Remus' loud statement.

Virgil didn't. He could feel their eyes burning into him. Were they laughing at him? Virgil couldn't rule out the possibility. He nibbled his lip as he thought of all the awful things they could be saying about him. Its not like Virgil would be able to hear exactly what they said over the conversations taking place at his table.

"Oh, I know! Virgil bites his lip sometimes! Take that, Remus," Roman exclaimed, happy to not be falling behind. When he looked up, Virgil was staring daggers at him.

Virgil stood up and snatched his barely touched food tray from the table.

"Where are you going?" Patton asked, concern lacing his voice. Virgil didn't need his pity. He needed out.

Virgil really didn't want to cry right now. Not in front of all these people. So, he replied with a venom in his voice despite knowing Patton did nothing wrong. "I'm not hungry," he spat. Virgil could feel tears welling up into his eyes. Why couldn't Remus and Roman leave him alone for just one day?

Virgil rushed out the cafeteria, leaving all of his friends behind. He lengthened his stride, going as fast as he could without breaking out into a full out run. The last thing he needed was to get in trouble for running in the halls right now.

He didn't know where he was going, but somehow he ended up in a quite space underneath a stair well. It was out of sight of most passerbys, and also quite. Virgil hugged his knees to his chest, desperately trying to not cry and instead control his breathing.

It wasn't working well.

Thats where Janus found Virgil. Janus brow creased with concern and his voice was low and soothing, "Its okay, Virgil. You're safe here." Janus opened his arms, and Virgil eagerly jumped into them before breaking into sobs.

"Wh-what if people see us?" Virgil questioned through hiccups.

"Then they will simply see someone comforting their friend. Besides, we are out of the way. If someone does come, I'll scare off anyone that comes over here, my precious storm cloud. Nobody has to know until your ready."

"I only want you right now. None of the others," Virgil said, tears still flowing down his face. Virgil buried his head into Janus' chest, wanting to hide away from the world in his boyfriend's arms.

Janus' slight smile was soft in a way only Virgil ever saw. "Of course," Janus murmured into Virgil's hair while reaching a hand up to twirl a strand around his finger.

Janus continued holding Virgil, rocking him back and forth. When he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Janus started to pull away from his boyfriend, but Virgil clung to Janus' shirt. "Don't go," Virgil whispered, "Not yet."

When Roman came into sight, his gaze zeroed in on Virgil's face, taking in the black mascara trails running down Virgil's cheek from his red, puffy eyes. Virgil released his hold of the shirt, so Janus stood. He was ready to deliver on his promise.

"Get out of here, Roman," Janus hissed. His gaze was stone cold as he strode over and roughly grabbed Roman's arm, pulling him away from Virgil's hideaway.

As he was being ushered away, Roman turned to look at his friend who had curled up into himself in Janus' absence.

"I'm sorry Virgil!" Roman called out behind him. Guilt was clearly written in the way Roman tightened and relaxed his fist over and over, his hunched posture, and his sorrowful eyes. "Me and Remus will stop. I… I didn't mean to hurt you."

Virgil gave a small nod, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he wiped at one of his tear stained cheeks with his hoodie sleeve. At least Roman seemed sincere in his apology. It was a start. When Janus came back, Virgil once again threw himself into his boyfriend's arms, happy there was one person in the world he could fall apart in front of.

…………

Roman and Remus worked hard to regain their place in Virgil's good graces. It involved heartfelt apology letters, gifts being left on Virgil's door step, and the twins making themselves scarce so that Virgil could have some much needed space.

Roman and Remus almost wished that the others would give them space.

Patton gave Roman a long lecture about being considerate of others feelings. Logan supported each point with heavily researched data points. Roman tried to defend himself, but he could only look at the ground in shame when he saw Patton's disappointed face.

Janus had refused to speak to Remus for three whole days after the incident. He ended his silence by telling Remus that he would regret it if he ever made Virgil cry again.

Remus loved a good old ominous threat, but it was definitely unnerving how Janus refused to clarify exactly how Remus would regret making Virgil cry. The cold look in Janus' eyes made Remus that he wasn't kidding either, and Remus really didn't want to get fed to Janus snakes piece by piece before the police could even find his body.

It also helped that both twins actually did feel bad about hurting their friend. If Virgil had ever detected a lack of sincerity, he would have refused to forgive his once best friends. Thankfully, all their relationship needed was some time before it could heal.

After a week, Virgil knocked on the twins' front door with an offer to hang out and play video games. For a bit, things were almost back to normal. Roman and Remus stilled kept up their competition, but not in any way that Virgil could see (which was a big relief to everyone in both friend groups.)

Sometimes the twins would ask Virgil a random question only for Virgil to become a blushy mess. Clearly, Virgil had a crush. Roman and Remus had one question: which twin would Virgil choose?

After two days, Virgil was excitedly describing a new vinyl he had just bought as he swung his bedroom door open. He went over to his closet to pull the vinyl out, but Roman noticed a small jar on Virgil's desk. In it sat a pristine yellow rose.

Roman turned to Remus, face shocked, but the gears were already turning in his head. "Virgil keeps a rose on his desk now."

Remus' jaw dropped and Virgil whipped around to look at the offending yellow rose, clearly displayed. The jar even had a purple ribbon tied in a bow around it.

"I-I just like the smell of flowers! Can you guys get any more annoying? Get out!" Virgil sputtered, his face going pink, before promptly shooing both of the twins out of his room, vinyl now forgotten. Roman didn't care how strange it was since he had better things to think about: beating Remus in earning Virgil's love.

Roman knew that he could take advantage of Virgil liking flowers to earn his favor. This time, he vowed to start small in order to not overwhelm his dear friend.

Still, Roman took his time to put his plan in action. He had to wait until Remus made plans with Janus, but the wait was worth it. One day, a new horror movie released and Remus left school with Janus to watch it.

This left Roman free to finally walk Virgil home without his brother being in the way. Roman wasn't one to waste a perfectly good opportunity. On the way, Roman asked Virgil about what he thought of the dandelions and tulips that they passed, hoping to learn Virgil's opinion on various flowers.

Roman noticed the way Virgil's mouth ticked up on one side in small lopsided grin. Virgil honestly did like flowers, so he was all to happy to talk about the flowers that Roman pointed out. Virgil even pointed out several of the wild flowers along the trail that he also liked, but he was a bit disappointed that Roman also didn't know what they were called.

The next day Virgil opened his front door only for a purple tulip to be shoved into his face.

"Thank you…?" Virgil hesitantly told Roman before he retreated back inside to put the flower in a jar of water.

When Roman was with Remus alone, he made sure to inform him that sadly, purple tulips did not make Virgil a blushy mess the way the yellow rose had.

"I bet Virgil would like flowers I gift him more than yours," Remus taunted, waggling his eyebrows.

Roman knew that the game was changing once again, but flowers seemed like an innocent enough of a way to prove their love. Roman smirked, "Game on."

…………

Virgil was blindsided by the change. He mentioned that he liked the smell of flowers one time, and now his room is full of them. Honestly, did friendship always involve so many flowers? He wasn't sure since he couldn't think straight with the overwhelming (although delightful) smell of a hundred different flowers that have overflown from his room and to various vases in the rest of the house.

Since it was clear that this was more than part of their apology, Virgil considered the possibility that the flowers could be some sort of romantic gesture. Yet Janus reminded him that the twins didn't have a single romantic bone between them, so he brushed that worry off.

Surely friendship could include flowers sometimes.

Besides, there was a strangely competitive nature to the gifting. The twins were obviously trying to see who could get flowers that Virgil loved the most, but they had a strange way of measuring it. Every time Virgil invited them over, they seemed to compare whose flowers were the least wilted.

Virgil was even more confused at how Remus' flowers always seemed to last longer than Roman's despite Virgil only taking care of one of the flowers that had found residence in his home.

Janus said not to worry, but Virgil didn't trust that. Virgil grew even more worried when Janus went on to say that he had a handle on the whole situation.

"What situation??" Virgil cried. Janus shrugged, not caring to explain further. Virgil groaned in frustration and threw a pillow straight at Janus' face.

Janus laughed and threw a crumpled note at Virgil, who quickly unfolded it. On it was description of a series of trail markers. The ones that led to their clearing.

"Meet me at midnight?" Janus asked, blinking his eyes innocently.

Virgil snorted. Of course Janus would give out cryptic instructions that would involve Virgil trekking through the woods at night. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," Virgil promised.

…………

The reason Remus' flowers lasted longer was the arrangement he had with Janus. Remus was able to break in to Virgil's house using a key Janus somehow acquired as long as Remus never broke in illegally or unsupervised. It was the only way Janus was able to dissuade Remus from getting into the house through other means in order to win the bet with his brother.

But Janus had been so busy lately that Remus' flowers were wilting just as much as Romans were. So Remus decided to break into the house the old fashioned way. As he sneaked his way out of his own home, Remus saw Virgil slip out of his back door and head to the woods, only holding a note and a flashlight.

Remus ran into his house and shook Roman awake while repeatedly telling him to get up. After a couple of seconds, Roman blearily sat up, eyes still heavy with sleep. "Huh?"Roman asked while rubbing his eyes.

"Virgin snuck into the woods!" Remus cackled, "We should follow him. He might be setting up a place to confess his love for one of us~."

Roman, now much more awake, nodded his head vigorously. "Your right! Also, we can prove ourselves by protecting him from some unknown danger!"

The twins quickly threw on jackets and found their flashlights. Then they were out the door, their investigation afoot.

As they followed Virgil, Roman and Remus saw fairy lights begin to light up the path. Soon they stumble upon a clearing in the woods. A singular large oak tree sat in the center.

At the base of the tree stood Janus, a bouquet of yellow roses in his arms. Roman gasped in surprise, but the sound was cut off by Remus shoving his dirt covered hand over Roman's mouth.

Remus put a finger over his lips, signaling for his twin to be silent. The twins crouched behind some bushes to watch whatever was going on. They saw Virgil approaching Janus, wringing his hands together as he walked. When stopped in front of Janus, Virgil began rocking back and forth on his feet, saying nothing.

Clearly, Roman and Remus thought, Virgil was in distress. Why else would he feel so nervous? Nodding to each other, they were in silent agreement to intervene. Stealthily.

Roman moved to leave the bush, but his jacket got caught on a thorn. While trying to free his jacket, Roman yelped in pain as he accidentally stabbed himself.

"What was that?" Virgil asked, his eyes wild as he glanced around.

"I'll go check. It was probably just a bunny," Janus reassured, handing Virgil the bouquet and kissing him on the cheek. Remus was desperately telling Roman to get down so that he wouldn't be spotted, so neither saw the exchange. When Remus glanced up, he saw Janus start to come nearer in investigation of the noise,

Virgil's voice drifted over to the twins hiding spot as he trailed several paces behind Janus, "What if its a rabid animal?"

Roman was still fighting the bush to free his jacket, so Remus tackled Roman down, causing them to both get more entangled in the thorn bush. Of course, they immediately began squabbling—alerting Janus and Virgil to their exact location.

Janus and Virgil paused, shock on their faces as they listened to the bickering.

"Is that…?" Virgil questioned, an eyebrow raised. Janus and Virgil walked over to the twins' hiding spot so that they could peer down at the entangled mass of limbs and thorny brambles.

"…What a pleasant surprise to see you out here," Roman said with faux surprise in a pathetic attempt to save some of his dignity. The twins were both squirming under Janus inquisitive gaze, and Virgil burst into amused laughter from seeing both of the twins' guilty faces.

"What are you two doing out here?" Janus demanded, his face neutral.

Roman had the sense to look sheepish. "We saw our worrywart go into the woods so we followed him just in case there was any danger."

"Besides," Remus chimed in, "Its clear that storm cloud over here has been keeping a secret about who it is he loves so I wanted to see if I could find any clues!"

Virgil was bewildered. This was not how his night was supposed to go, "How did you—but—Fine! You found me out. I… I have a boyfriend."

"Since when?" Roman and Remus asked in unison, absolutely flabbergasted that they didn't know. They each turned to look at their twin with suspicion, as if their other half was Virgil's secret boyfriend.

Virgil groaned in frustration. and the two twins snapped their gaze to him once again. Virgil felt the twins' eyes boring into him, and he began to feel embarrassed by his confession. Virgil hid his flushed face in Janus' chest, and Janus wrapped a protective arm over Virgil's shoulders.

Remus' brain blue screened.

The most Virgil likes being touched was while he wrestled Remus away from eating something inedible or taking the TV remote from Roman so that he wouldn't play yet another Disney movie. Virgil definitely didn't melt into people's arms, let alone Janus'. Besides, Remus remembered many times when Janus vented his petty complaints about Virgil to Remus.

It was not a pairing Remus would have ever guessed.

Roman was also seemingly unable to process this new information. "Wait. Who is it that you love?" Roman asked again, disbelief clear in his voice.

Virgil extracted himself from Janus arms just enough to turn to face the twins. His voice monotone, Virgil explained, "Roman, Remus. This is Janus. My boyfriend."

Roman and Remus jaws dropped simultaneously, and they looked more like twins then usual in their mutual shock. Virgil genuinely laughed at their expression.

Janus raised one eyebrow, "Sooo, do you want some help there?"

Roman tried to stand up on his own, but his struggling only got him more scratched. He went limp laid his head back in defeat.

…………

After both twins were untangled from the bush, the four friends decided to walk home together. Roman and Remus were both actively bleeding from several cuts and needed to get patched up. As they started on the trail back home, Roman mumbled, "At least we don't have to buy so many flowers anymore."

"Huh?" Virgil turned to him in confusion.

Remus sighed in a tired agreement, "Yeah, it was a hassle to keep breaking in to your house to keep mine fresher than Roman's for longer."

"You little cheater-" Roman growled in indignation.

Remus didn't pause his talking, "At least it makes more sense now why Janus knew how to break into your house."

"Janus taught you how to break into my house?" Virgil squeaked before looking accusingly at his boyfriend.

Janus shrugged nonchalantly. "It was better than him doing it unsupervised. Besides, it was hilarious to watch their flower competition get more extravagant as they fought for your affections without you ever acknowledging their efforts."

"I knew that flowers weren't normally a friendship thing," Virgil muttered angrily.

[oeuvrinarydurian]

I could use a loving, caring gesture like this today, myself. 

[elephantaday]

Day 1040 of posting pictures of elephants.

Source: World Animal Projection

[rosetyler42]

Been on a HT-Star VS kick, plus wanted to do more with the Van Dracula twins. Rewatched Starsitting and imagined this. XD Originally was just going to be Star and Dracula, but I added Mavis since I haven't done much with Drac and Mavis together either. Plus always fun to have her helping out with the lil monsters. Also, it's a fun Gryff-Puff-Slyth interaction.

Sorry, Drac and Mavis. I know you don't want to wake them, but they're SO CUTE, I don't know if Star can control herself.

Bonus:

Mavis: "Sorry about my dad. He can be a little...protective sometimes."

Star: "Nah, don't even worry about it! He doesn't scare me. It's nothin' worse than I've heard Globgor or Buffrog threaten ta do. He's even has a similar accent ta Buffrog! :D"

Note: Don't worry, Drac's just tired and protective dealing with his twins. While his threat is definitely "DAYUM DRAC"-worthy, no one was harmed here. That said...Ericka would be much the same way of SHE were in the room. XD ("I know they're cute, but resist the urge. You wake up my babies, and so help me, I will NOT hesitate to volunteer you to Wayne and Wanda for wolf cub diaper duty! >:C")

@lovelylivelyv @black-ak9 @hotelt-resurrection @serial-serializednovelreader @deathfangirl9 @heartsong1994 @wingingfromthezing @ebevkisk @kittyball23

[nartml]

I would burn the planet down for this man

[prettybbychim]

i read a fic recently and let me just say something

sensory tools do not need to be removed to “fully be present”

sensory tools do not mean you are not “living in the moment properly”

sensory tools make the moment tolerable so that you can live in the moment properly

i loved this fic otherwise, but this one comment left a rather sour taste in my mouth.

it was a violent slap to the face as someone sitting here day in and day out with their own headset on to dampen the noise of everyday life.

you can have alhaitham remove his headset. that’s not the issue.

this issue is making him out to be thoughtless and uncaring of others. an abnormality. that robot of a man blocking out the world because everything and everyone is needless and an annoyance.

this reflects right back on us.

alhaitham can fully enjoy an evening out with his friends with his headset. he does not need to take them off. know why? because if he did, it would all just be sound noise sound overwhelm pain get me out of here

again, i dare say, it makes the evening tolerable. so that he can be fully present, mentally and physically.

fuck right off with that ableist mindset