#and i don’t want that to be a source of stress if so. i’ve offered to provide any and all reassurances that might help them

[transmechanicus]

Brb crying on this friday night

[katsukistofu]

USER KATSUKISTOFU, WRITE A HANTA SERO PIECE, AND MY LIFE IS YOURSSSS‼️🙏🫡

all eye wanted was you

contents ౨ৎ ⋆ s. hanta x fem reader. fluff. ★ sero reminds you of a few important things that your all-seeing quirk overlooks.

“So you’re not dating him?” The girl in front of you asks again to clarify. She’s either from General Studies or the Business course you think, you honestly don’t really remember and don’t care.

You heave a sigh. “You asked that already, I said no the first time.”

At this point you’d assume the conversation would be over, but of course she opens her mouth again.

“Then you wouldn’t mind if I asked him out, right?”

Your head’s starting to throb and you force your tone to be calm. “Sorry, but do you understand the definition of not dating—“

“Uh, yeah she would.”

A familiar voice speaks, and your eyes widen as you make contact with its source, your best friend. “Sero? What are you doing here?”

“Making sure people don’t have the wrong idea of us.” He offers you a sly grin, tugging you closer by the sleeve of your uniform.

“How is this making sure people don’t have the wrong idea of us?” You hiss, placing your hands on his unfairly firm chest to stop yourself from colliding with it. With a quick glance around, it seems like the girl is gone.

“Hmm.” Sero’s smirk only deepens on his pretty lips. He did this on purpose to have you alone to himself, didn’t he? “Didn’t see you complaining when we pretended to be together to get a discount for tatts.”

“Their prices for hypothetically single people were crazy!” Your cheeks burn as his fingers trail over a spot on the fabric of your school uniform.

The skin underneath burns as he continues to trace the almost exact pattern of your tattoo, like he has it memorized from when you both showed each other right after getting them done at the parlor.

Sero playfully fidgets with the hair tie on your wrist that he let you steal from him earlier as he continues. “Or when I told the waiter at that fancy restaurant you were my girlfriend and that he couldn’t give you his number, but we’d love to take the couple’s deal instead.”

“That’s different!” You protest weakly, sounding unbelievable even to your own ears.

“What, are you going to play with my hair, like how you always do when you get stressed?” He murmurs, gently tilting your chin up to force you to meet his eyes.

You curse as you realize he’s right, somehow your finger has already found its own way to twirl one of his dark locks.

Sero’s dusky eyes darken with a hint of hurt.

“How long are you going to keep pretending?” His voice is painfully soft.

“I don’t know, I’m just…“ You take shuddering breath. “I’m scared, I guess.”

“Scared of what?” Sero’s brows furrow. “Is it because of that rando? Because you could easily take her, I’ve seen you with some strong ass villains—“

You laugh and smack his bicep. “No, dummy! I’m scared because…” Your voice hesitates, and he hugs your waist tighter.

“Use your words, sweetheart.”

Your breath catches as he uses that tone. “Okay now you’re just being unfair.”

“Hey, I’ll beg if I have to.” He grins before faking a drop down to his knees.

You squeal as his strong arms take you with him, only to come back up and steady you, and he chuckles as you smack him.

“Okay, I’ll tell you! I’m scared because I don’t want to end up pretending like we don’t know each other when we break up. You mean a lot to me, and I think,” You mumble as your finger continues to play with a button on his dress shirt. “I think that would really mess me up.”

“You mean a lot to me too.” Sero’s eyes soften. “And if we break up.”

“Nothing lasts forever, Sero.”

“Let’s prove them wrong then.” He brushes his knuckles across your cheek with such tenderness that it hurts. “Baby, why are you so worried about a future that won’t happen?”

“Because I’ve seen it happen to people.” There’s a worried frown on your face as all your past visions from your Quirk flash through your mind. “One moment everything’s going fine, then it all falls apart. Fate runs its course. I don’t want that to happen to us.”

“Forget fate, I want you.” He cups your cheeks, and you huff as you’re sandwiched between his hands. “It’s hot when you get all Doomsday on me, but I think you’re overthinking it.”

You let out a giggle, realizing he’s right. Nothing is ever set in stone, and you knew that your powers would cause you to be predisposed to anxiously anticipate things, even ones far from your current time.

He’s always reminded you to breathe, like now.

“I want you to focus on the present in that pretty little head of yours, okay?” Sero’s warm, caramel voice tickles your ear. “Can you do that for me?”

“Okay.” You whisper from where your head’s tucked under his chin, clutching his uniform in your hands. “I really want you too.”

He breathes a relieved laugh into your hair. “That’s good. So I can say it now right?”

You bury a smile into his shoulder and his lips tug upward as well when he feels it. “Go ahead.”

Sero takes a deep breath.

“Can I be your boyfriend?”

The butterflies in your stomach flutter while you stand on your tip toes, and to your delight his pupils are blown out and his cheeks are already flushed before you even lean in to give them a kiss.

“Yes. In every future, yes.”

[augustinewrites]

alhaitham almost walks right past you in the hall, too engrossed in whatever he’s reading. it takes you gently grasping his wrist for him to look up, expression brightening briefly before diving right back into his papers. 

“is everything okay?” you ask when you notice the knot that’s formed between his brows. “i’ve hardly seen you all day.”

“i’m fine,” he tells you, which lets you know that he’s certainly stressed about something. he sighs, returning the correspondence to the envelope tucked underneath his arm. “i just don’t understand why dehya won’t accept the akademiya’s job offer.”

in his capacity as the acting grand sage, he’s been trying to get her in the akademiya’s employ for weeks, but the mercenary’s been as tough to wear down as the wall of samiel itself. “ah. still having trouble recruiting her?”

“i’ve already offered a generous salary, benefits, a signing bonus, even a housing stipend. she’d practically be working side by side with the general mahamatra.”

“well, working with the matra means she’d have to spend a great deal of time in sumeru city,” you point out. “that’s probably something she doesn’t prefer.”

“why not?” he asks (because while your man is smart beyond belief, he can be a little dense sometimes). “we have everything here.”

“that’s true, but we’re also quite far from aaru village,” you say slowly, hoping he picks up on what you’re implying. 

“i appreciate the geography lesson, but that doesn’t help me figure out how to hire–”

“i was trying to be obscure,” you press, drawing a breath. “because being in sumeru full-time means that she’ll have to spend time away from candace.” 

he stares at you blankly, waiting for you to elaborate.

“haitham–” you say, pressing your hands together and glancing around quickly to confirm no one is within earshot. “dehya and candace are knocking boots.” 

he seems taken aback by what you’ve just whispered, pausing in his stride to process it. “wait, what?”

“it’s an old expression from mondstadt that means–”

“i’m familiar with the expression. i’m just asking why you’re so positive that they are having… relations.”

“because i just know. they have crazy chemistry. nilou sees it too.”

“do either of you have evidence?”

you hesitate. “no…”

“then you’re not positive. you’re only speculating.” 

“i’m not speculating,” you insist with a pout, crossing your arms over your chest. “i just know–”

“oh, like you just knew that kaveh was only going to stay with me for less than a month?”

“that’s different,” you argue. so what if kaveh’s been staying at alhaitham’s for more than six months? that was due to various, independent factors that had nothing to do with you. “but the way they are around each other–”

“gossip is an unreliable source of information,” he says flatly. alhaitham, as a rule, did not deign to entertain gossip. it was a premise built upon the unsteady grounds of conjecture, and he could not care less to waste his time surmising about other people’s personal lives. 

“but–”

“therefore, your advice is redundant.”

you take the files from under his arm, reaching up and smacking him on the back of the head with them. “my advice is always relevant. you can trust me on this.” 

alhaitham adjusts his headphones with a sigh, a pained but contemplative look on his face. He knows you’re right, and he knows that he’s hit a wall with this proposal. “fine. i will utilize your…advice, to adjust my proposal.” 

“that’s what i like to hear.”

the two of you continue walking in silence, yours smug and his pensive. then, after a moment, 

“you realize you just hit the acting grand sage, right?”

“oh please, you don’t scare me.” you meet his amused stare with open defiance, getting up on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his jaw, then his cheek, and finally his lips. “and when dehya accepts this job proposal, i can think of a few ways you can repay me.” 

_____

“you want to offer me what?”

“you heard me,” alhaitham shrugs, leaning back in his plush desk chair. “the akademiya is willing to offer you compensation of up to ten thousand gold for any and all travel between sumeru city and aaru village.”

alhaitham may be in charge of the entire nation at the moment, but he doesn’t quite feel like it when dehya is in the room. she leans forward, resting her elbows atop the highly important documents on his desk as she stares at him. “why would you do that?” 

“so you can stay in contact with your loved ones.” 

the mercenary scoffs at that. “alhaitham, come on. i know you’ve done your research. i don’t have any family in aaru village.”

moment of truth.

“i was actually referring to…significant others.”

dehya’s brows raise in surprise.

_____

when he returns that night, the first thing alhaitham does when he joins you in bed is take the patient files from your hands and place them on the nightstand.

you frown, reaching for them. “i wasn’t done with those.”

he doesn’t argue with you, instead climbing on top of you and caging you against the bed, a knee pushed between your legs. he merely chuckles when you push at his chest, cause you’re not really trying.

he simply chases after you, and any fight you had to get back to your work dissipates when he presses his lips to yours.

“oh…” you sigh, quickly looping your arms around him to drag him closer, patting your lips to let him deepen the kiss. you gasp when he moves down to press kisses to your shoulder, slowly trailing more up your neck, your jaw, the shell of your ear.  

“dehya must have accepted the offer then,” you breathe, your eyes beginning to flutter shut.

“part time only,” he murmurs. “but she signed on.”

you hook your leg around his waist, grinning “oh, so i was…what’s the word?” 

he nips at your ear in reprimand, only making you laugh as he mutters, you were right, under his breath. 

“oh, don’t pout, baby,” you tease, hands roaming the well sculpted planes of his chest. “let’s just—"

“if you say ‘knock boots,’ i’m going to leave you here and sleep on the couch.”

[pretzel-box]

Hello!! I dont know if your requests are still open but if they are can you do one where sebastian realizes his feelings for reader? If your requests are close you can ignore this i love your writing

Mesmerised

words: 1k

tags: love at first sight, sebastian crushes on you

authors note: I kinda made it into a first meeting scenario, where Sebastian falls in love with reader without knowing them

if you want a friends to lovers type of thing just send another ask❤️

One thing that Sebastian had quickly figured out in the Hadal Blackside was that resources were rare and had immense value. The best source for them? His own customers—unfortunate souls who met their end at the hands of nearly every danger the abyss had to offer.

He didn't need to worry about Pandemonium or Wall Dwellers; most visitors sent by Urbanshade died to mundane things like a brightly burning door or a gas leak in a pipe. To Sebastian, they were nothing more than loot bags, ripe for the picking. He never even had to stress about them getting their hands on the silly crystal. At this rate, they’d all be dead long before they got close.

Tonight, he was out on a routine scavenging run, roaming the dark hallways after spotting an angler rush by. His eyes, perfectly attuned to the darkness, quickly picked out a lifeless corpse lying on the wet ground. Poor guy, Sebastian mused with a smirk, must be embarrassing to die to something so simple. 

He didn’t waste time, immediately crouching down to collect the scattered belongings. Among the items, he found a blacklight in good condition. That would fetch a decent price. He was so absorbed in his task, so confident and sly about securing new items for his store, that he failed to notice a pair of curious eyes watching him from the shadows.

“It’s not healthy to look at things in a dark light,” a voice said, startling him. You turned on your flashlight, aiming it just low enough so as not to blind anyone. You'd learned that lesson the hard way with your now-deceased teammate.

Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat as you stepped into the dim glow, unbothered by his monstrous appearance. You were a striking contrast to the grim surroundings—calm, almost serene, as if this hellish place had nothing left that could surprise you. You offered him the flashlight, your expression unreadable.

“No need,” Sebastian muttered in his usual grumpy tone, not expecting to be caught in the act, especially not by someone like you. He raised one of his three arms, switching on his anglerfish lure to get a better look at you.

The soft, eerie glow illuminated your face, and for the first time in a long while, Sebastian felt something strange stir in his chest. You didn’t flinch, didn’t recoil in disgust or fear as most others did. Instead, you met his gaze with steady, almost curious eyes.

In that brief moment, Sebastian found himself captivated. There was something about the way you stood there, unfazed by the corpse, by him, by everything that should have sent you running. Your calm demeanor, your willingness to hand over your flashlight without a second thought, it all left him feeling... something. Was this what they called love at first sight?

He’d always thought it was nonsense, a ridiculous human sentiment that had no place in a world as brutal as this. But now, with you standing there, looking at him with an unreadable expression, he wasn’t so sure.

He cleared his throat, trying to shake off the unfamiliar feeling. “You’re awfully brave, aren’t you?” he said, his voice gruff but lacking the usual edge. “Walking around here alone. Don’t you know this place is dangerous?”

You shrugged, your gaze never wavering from his. “Dangerous, sure, but I’ve seen worse. Besides, I’m not alone, am I?”

That simple statement caught him off guard. Not alone. Did you really mean him? The idea of someone seeing him as anything other than a monster, let alone company, was new. Unsettling, even. But it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

Sebastian straightened up, awkwardly holding onto the blacklight he’d just looted. “Well, you should still be careful,” he grumbled, trying to mask his flustered state. “Not everyone’s as... understanding as me.”

A small, almost playful smile tugged at the corners of your lips. “Noted. But I think I can manage.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but admire your confidence. There was something magnetic about it, something that drew him in despite himself. He found himself wanting to know more about you, to understand what made you so different from the others who came through his shop.

“So, what brings you out here?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation going, though his usual gruffness couldn’t completely mask the curiosity in his voice. “You don’t exactly look like the looting type.”

You glanced down at the corpse, then back at Sebastian. “Just exploring for something. This place has a lot of... mysteries. Thought I might find something interesting.”

“Mysteries, huh?” He couldn’t help but chuckle, the sound deep and rumbling in his chest. “You’ve definitely found something. Not sure if I’d call it interesting, though.”

Your smile widened just a fraction, and Sebastian felt his heart skip again. Damn it, what was wrong with him? He was a shopkeeper, a scavenger, not some lovesick fool. But there was no denying it—he was drawn to you, and he had no idea what to do about it.

“Maybe I’ll find something even more interesting next time,” you said, your tone light, almost teasing. “Who knows?”

Sebastian found himself nodding before he could think better of it. “Yeah... maybe.”

As you turned to leave, he couldn’t stop himself from calling out, “Be careful out there. And if you ever need... supplies or anything, my shop’s just down the hall.”

You paused, glancing back at him with that same unreadable expression. “I’ll keep that in mind,” you said, your voice soft but clear.

And with that, you disappeared into the darkness, leaving Sebastian standing there, holding a looted blacklight and wondering what the hell had just happened. 

“I should have asked for the name…”

For the first time in what felt like forever, Sebastian felt a strange flutter of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was something worth more than all the loot in the Hadal Blackside. And with such a cute prisoner in the hallways, he might feel generous enough to leave you the one or other discount. 

[timetoletmyimaginationfly]

Next Door Neighbor

Nanami Kento x Reader

(Song Inspiration: He Gets Me So High by beabadoobe I dig the beat to the music)

He waited patiently in front of the elevators in the lobby. He hoped that he pressed the button on time. It’s been three years and he still couldn’t get your schedule right.

“Hey neighbor.” Nanami turned around and softly smiled at the sight of you walking inside the building. “How’s work?”

“It was good,” he answered. “Light day. How about you?”

“Busy,” you answered. “We’re in the middle of this big project. I have to quickly finish this design by tomorrow morning. Ah, Kento-kun it’s so stressful.”

“You’ll do fantastic,” he said. “I’m planning to cook dinner. I’ll bring food over for you.” Your smile brightened.

“Thank you, Kento-kun!”

“I’ll make your favorite.” You blushed.

“Only if that’s okay with you.”

“I’ll be over in a couple of hours.”

It all started when he saw the pile of the boxes sitting in the corner of the lobby. He saw you grumbling to yourself as you picked up two boxes. He thought you were beautiful when you turned around with the boxes in hand. He couldn’t help but chuckle because you were struggling carrying the boxes to the elevator.

So, he went up to you and took them from your hands before you dropped it. You were surprised, thinking you were going to be excited that you were going to have help. But it surprised him that you rejected the offer, not wanting to take up his time. But he smiled at you, and he saw a hint of pink appearing on your cheeks. You gave in and he helped you for the next hour.

Nanami helped you unpack your things and helped you arrange your new place. You offered him dinner, and he accepted. And because you were new to the area, he ordered food and paid for it. You yelled at him and he didn’t mind. But as the few years passed, the two of you would help each other out and keep each other company.

He waited again at the lobby, waiting for you to return from work. It was his favorite part of the day. And he’s hoping that he could one day build up the courage to ask you out on a date. He could feel his heart skip a beat from the sound of your laughter. But once he heard the source from your laughter, his shoulders slumped.

“Thank you for walking me back,” you said. Nanami couldn’t help but turn around. You stood in front of a male who wore a business suit. He assumed a coworker. The man took a quick glance over at Nanami and frowned before he smiled at you.

“No problem,” he said. “Say, are you free this weekend? I would love to take you out for a date.” Nanami hit the up button for the elevator. He didn’t want to hear you accept the man’s date.

“I’m sorry,” you said, leaving him in shock. “You’re a nice guy but I honestly like someone.” The guy felt embarrassed. But he couldn’t be mad nor upset.

“I-It’s okay,” he replied. “Who is it? Someone at work?” You lightly laughed and shook your head.

“Just someone I’ve known for a while. I’ll see you next week,” you said. When you turned around, you smiled to see Nanami enter the elevator. “Hold up!” Nanami’s finger was already pressing the button to keep the door open.

“Good day at work?” he asked. You nodded.

“The project should be done soon,” you said. “I’m going to show you later, because I need and value your opinion.”

“Okay,” he said softly.

“Kento-kun, are you okay?” you asked. Nanami gave you a soft smile.

“I’m okay.” You frowned. You somehow feel like he was lying. “You don’t believe me.” You shook your head. “I promise, I’m okay.”

“Kento-kun, wanna come over for dinner?” Nanami smiled.

“You relax today,” he said. “Work on your project. I’ll make us dinner. I’ll knock on your door so you know it’s done.” You blushed and then nodded.

“Okay!”

Two hours passed. Nanami can feel his heart pound the moment he walked up to your door to knock it. He knocked it but he quickly walked back inside his place, hand against his heart. He cleared his throat when he heard the doorknob turn.

“I’m here!” you announced. Nanami watched you walk inside. By the time you walked closer to him, your eyes widened. “Kento-kun.”

He made sure everything was perfect. He hoped you like it. He watched you carefully walk around the dining table that he set up with dinner, flowers, chocolate, and candles. Nerves hit him hard since you haven’t said a word. The confidence he felt fell.

“L-Look, it’s okay if—“ He was surprised when you suddenly hugged him. His arms slowly enveloped you.

“I didn’t take you as a romantic, Kento-kun,” you said, words mumbled in his chest. Nanami chuckled. He slowly pulled away from the hug. He cupped your left face, softly stroking your left cheek. You couldn’t help but lean into his palm.

“I overheard you talk to the guy in the lobby,” he said. “I felt as if I should confess to you somehow before anyone else does. But if you don’t feel the same way, I will respect your boundaries and—“

“I have feelings for you, too,” you said. “Ever since you helped me move my things to my apartment that day.”

“Th-That long?!” You nodded.

“I mean, I had a feeling you liked me but also I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

“Then, let’s go on dates and see where we hit off,” Nanami said.

“I would like that, Kento-kun.”

[light-purp-insect]

A Hesitant Rest (Zevlor BG3 x GN unspecified Tav)

Notes/warnings: SFW, fluff, domestic feelings, mentions of other companions, Astarion being himself at the end, not beta read, sleeping together (literally), slight depictions of anxiety, slight nudity (undressing in the company of another person), very light spoilers, possibly fast paced? (Read author's notes below for context), very little dialogue

This was just an excuse to write something in two days to finally put another fic on my blog, as well as hopefully an introduction for fans of Baldur's Gate 3 to send asks.

The fire of the camp was on its last embers, the bright hot orange ashes going into the sky but no crackle left. It made the little clearing have such little lighting, the only main source being an occasional lantern or candle left out near a tent before their inhabitant went to bed. That or Karlach’s internal workings giving a glow through the thin fabric of her tent, but that was always to be expected. Speaking of, I don’t even remember why I’m still up. It's not like anyone will attack us, I’ve noticed very few creatures are even interested in us. But then again, I couldn’t be certain. For all I knew, there could be a bear that wasn’t Halsin or perhaps a crazed Drow or–

You notice the dull red tip of a pointed tail of your tiefling friend, Zevlor, twitch back and forth. His eyes scanned the camp and the outskirts of the trees until falling onto you. You could see the initial shock of realizing you were awake melt into delight. The bowl of food next to him had gone cold a while ago, but so did yours. He motions for you to come closer with a hand, and you oblige without much convincing.

Eventually you find yourself on the ground next to him in silence. Your hand in his, more for his comfort than trying to be cuddly, his tail begins to become more alive. In particular his tail went from nervously flicking in the dirt to being pressed against your side and the tip swishing to pat your thigh.

“Have you been sleeping well?”

“I'm afraid not, dear.”

His voice sounded a little defeated. He had gotten older and the stress of the loss of several Hellriders still was fresh in his mind. In his mind he still felt terrible, no matter how many times you tried to convince him it wasn't his fault for having his mind essentially possessed. To be honest he wanted to sleep next to you, you knew how to handle him the best.

“I have a few extra pillows, would you-..?” He doesn't finish his sentence, hoping you would be able to take his hint. To reiterate his question, he points to his tent with a clawed finger and tilts his head slightly. Once again you oblige to his silent offers. With a slightly pained groan, he gets up from the ground and guides you away towards his tent.

Much like he had said, on the rather rudimentary mattress was a few extra pillows and an old woven blanket for the both of you. From the inside, he turns and closes the fabric flap to the tent and begins to shuck the light armor from his body. The old leather falls unceremoniously to a little corner as he stretches his back with another groan. His tail slowly swishing around behind him as he continues to undress, giving you some privacy as you do as well.

Within a short time, he has stripped down to his old and worn boxers, the hoary fabric ripped slightly along the waistband and one of the side seams had been hastily restitched quite a while ago. His once lean body had gotten softer in some areas from age, of course still having to be well maintained from his previous years of travels. He had a few pink scars littering his figure, but nothing that looked particularly gnarly or uncomfortable to live with.

Eventually he turned back to you, giving a small smile that made his nasolabial lines more visible. He had bathed next to you a few times, so you weren't anything especially new to see in little clothing. He hunkers down on the poorly made mattress and waits patiently for you to follow. “It's been a little while since I was last able to sleep next to someone.” He muttered before looking away.

When he felt the bed sink under your weight, he looked back up. His gaze softened every second you were close. He needed this, something to comfort him tonight. The two of you languidly lay your heads on the pillows, and Zevlor momentarily readjusts himself so he wasn't laying on his horns.

As the two of you lay under the covers, eyes closed and silent, you feel the dull edge of a clawed hand. Did Zevlor want to hold you? It wouldn't be anything particularly out-of-the-ordinary, after all you had been through with this adventure. From under the blanket you guide his hand against your side. He gives a thankful huff in response.

And then, something you hadn't even thought he would do had happened. You had a feeling he wanted some contact, but now he had his arms wrapped around you and cradling your head to his chest. He smelt like the leather of his armor and had the faintest hint of smoke, probably from staying by the fire for so long. The tiefling languidly entertwined the both of your legs together, finally finding the warmth he so desperately craved. And you let him, he deserved something soft for once.

“Thank you, darling.” He purred– not in a lustful or lecherous way, but an actual feline-adjacent pur. You could feel by the blanket that his tail was sleepily wagging, clearly delighted you would let him have this. A pair of lips press to the crown of your head and stay there. You finally speak once again, wanting him to hear your voice before he drifted off to bed. “You're welcome, Zevlor.”

-- -- -- --

As the pale elf came back to the camp from his feeding, he instinctively decided to check the tents of his other companions. Gale, Wyll, Karlach, Lae’zel, Zev– oh. Well, at least he wouldn't need to check your tent tonight. He grined at the awfully sweet sight of the both of you asleep in the other's arms. He had a feeling he would tease one of you later, but he would allow you to rest before so.

[breadbrioche]

frizzy

do hana x reader

➳summary: hana fixes your hair fail

➳warnings: mentions of anxiety and stress

➳word count: 1.1k

➳a/n: do hana my no.1 gf i love her so much and btw! her actress sejeong is releasing an album soon so please support it when it comes out!

A loud crash reverberated throughout the base, accompanied by a blood curdling scream. This was more than enough to alert Hana, pausing her training to inspect what was happening.

“NA JEOKBONG!” An accusing voice shrieked out.

Hana sighed in disbelief; what did he do now? The source of the noise led her straight to the bathroom where she witnessed you shoving the new counter against the tiled walls, completely vulnerable to your rage. Jeokbong could only whimper as you glared furiously at him.

Hana was quick to pull you away from Jeokbong, who gasped in relief as you exited his personal space.

“What happened?” Hana all but demanded, giving both of you a questioning look.

“I- I- I don’t know! I needed to use the bathroom but when I opened the door, they started screaming at me!” Jeokbong spluttered, cowering behind Hana as you glared daggered at him.

“Don’t play the victim, you fucked up my hair!” You seethed, pointing to the pile of your hair scattered on the floor. Taking a second look at you, Hana noticed how your hair was considerably shorter.

And uneven.

“I didn’t even touch you, how would I have done that to you!” Jeokbong argued back with a pout.

“Because you have no regard for others and didn’t even knock to see if the bathroom was occupied! You made me cut too much off!”

“Then that was your fault then-“

With a growl, you lunged over Hana’s shoulder to try to grab at Jeokbong but she caught your wrists and held you back.

“Get out.” Hana told Jeokbong behind her.

“But I need to-“

“Use a different one. Just get out. ” Hana repeated while pushing him out the room, slamming the door in his face.

She turned back to see you sighing at your reflection, mourning the loss of your hair. You tugged at the blunt ends as you assessed the damage that had been done.

“How am I gonna fix this?” You whined, picking up the scissors from the sink and contemplating your next step. You thought that it was already shorter than what you were going for but maybe if you took off a bit more than maybe-

Before you could proceed, Hana’s nimble fingers plucked the scissors from your grasp.

“I’ll do it.” She assured you as she combed through your hair with her fingers. You protested but Hana didn’t listen, making accepting her offer your only choice.

In swift motions, Hana brushed out your hair and sectioned it She began to trim without hesitation which initially made you nervous but seeing how the woman went about things with a precision you deduced only gained from experience, you ultimately left the job in her hands.

When you were beginning to get used to the repetitive sound of the scissors snipping at your hair, Hana broke the silence while simultaneously handling your hair.

“Why did you want to cut your hair?”

You sighed. Why did you cut your hair? Evidently, it caused more trouble than it was worth - it didn’t even give you the feeling of catharsis that you were seeking, because of Jeokbong barging in on you.

“I don’t know.” You pathetically settled with.

Hana scoffed slightly. “You don’t suddenly just cut your hair.”

“I don’t know, I just felt like it!” You insisted but you felt the silent judgment from behind you. Her eyes were practically digging into the back of your head.

“Fine, maybe it was because I was stressed, okay?” you confessed, giving up. At that moment, Hana had full control over your hair and you knew better than to piss her off.

“These days, I’ve been feeling anxious over things I can’t control so I thought that I could do something that I actually had a choice in… Though, saying it out loud now, that was pretty dumb of me…” you force an awkward laugh as your ramblings trail off to try and lighten the mood you probably ruined.

Being met with silence, you winced slightly and turned your attention to the strands of your hair that coated the bathroom floor. However, you weren’t allowed time to feel bad about yourself as Hana’s hands grabbed your head, positioning your head up and making you look at yourself in the mirror.

“Don’t look down. I’ll mess up” she warned you.

You meekly apologised but apart from that, Hana didn’t speak, not addressing your answer to her question. All you heard was the opening and closing of the scissors.

“I’m the last person who should be saying this,” Hana finally said in a soft voice when she’s just about finished with your haircut.. “but you can just talk to us.” She gave your hair a brush before turning you around to look at you.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t feel how you feel but don’t keep it all to yourself. One day it’ll blow up and it will have worse results than just a bad haircut”

She gives you a warm smile as she makes final adjustments to your hair before spinning you back to face the mirror again. You see yourself but with a much more dignified hairstyle than hardly an hour ago.

“How is it? It’s nothing fancy - I just tried to even out the initial cut.”

Your fingers stroke the much softer ends of your hair, liking how it feathered out rather than ending abruptly. Once again, you were proven that there was nothing Do Hana couldn’t do.

“God, it’s way better than anything I could’ve done on my own! Thank you so much!” You exclaim with delight. You threw her into a grateful hug which elicited a surprised sound from the woman but returned the hug nonetheless.

“Like I said, I just did what I could do; you don’t have to be this happy about it.” Hana said, her words muffled slightly from her face being pressed against your shoulder.

“I’m not talking about just the haircut,” you replied. “I’m thankful that you cared enough to listen to my stupid ranting and give me advice, sorry about that by the way.”

“If you keep saying sorry, it’ll lose all its meaning.” She pointed out jokingly. “But I meant what I said. I’ll listen to your worries, even if I can’t do much more.”

Hana untangled herself from the hug to look at you seriously. “So next time, don’t try to hack at your hair so recklessly as a form of therapy.”

“Okay~” you sighed playfully, making Hana roll her eyes at you. She brushed off some stray hairs off your shirt before heading out of the bathroom, going to finally resume her training.

“Just make sure you clean all the hair off the floor or else Ms Chu’s gonna kill you.”

[soulrph]

my darlings, i’d be a very poor source of advice if i didn’t follow my own every once in a while! so with a heavy heart, i will be closing my inbox for the next few weeks while i focus on my own mental health and slowly getting to all the questions in the inbox. i’m going to offer a few quick words of advice here though, just to cover some bases!

1. having boundaries is not a bad thing. set them and do so freely. age limits, follower limits, blocking people who you’re not vibing with, just go for it. no hard feelings, no apologies. just set boundaries, make them known, and block anyone who crosses them.

2. you don’t want to be here 24/7. take breaks! take hiatuses! fight anyone who attempts to tell you that these things are wrong!

3. you are going to change. everyone does, and yet there are many who feel confused and hurt by these transformations. the thing is, we’re human beings. we will change, we will grow, we will adjust. you can’t force, control nor prevent these changes. all you can do is accept them, process how you’re feeling about them, and move forward.

4. if someone is sending you anon hate, you can actually block the IP address. the person sending stuff to you will no longer be able to send that stuff anonymously.

5. if you’re following someone and you’re sending anon hate to that someone, please seek therapeutic help. and stop following the people who inspire such intense feelings of hatred in yourself. do both. do both immediately.

6. you are not a bad person for blocking people. it’ll hurt for a bit, yeah, but you’re setting a boundary. there’s a saying. what’s for you, won’t pass you. it’s a nice saying. it makes the losses feel less confusing.

7. you are not a bad person for feeling upset or hurt or angry by stuff happening on the dash. stop thinking that you should only feel good things all the time. i’ve been on tumblr for just under eight years now, and let me tell you, it’s perfectly healthy to feel the negative things in life, too. i tried to be positive constantly, and it failed. i was a mess after it. 

8. there is a difference between vaguing and venting. don’t vague about people. if someone on your dash is not on the same level as you, block them. okay? you’re helping nobody. you’re actually causing an insane amount of stress by doing it. just address the person directly, or block them.

[literaticat]

I don’t have any social media and there’s virtually no sign of me on the web. This might make agents and publishers suspicious. I just never got into it, I had a Facebook page years ago and shut it down or lost the login, can’t find it anyway. Twitter never seemed appealing to me and I feel told for the other ones lol. I would be open to seeing something up on request if I get an offer and I’ve thought about setting up a website but I think new social media might also make things look suspicious, so in the meantime how do I answer questions about why I’m not online when in 2024 people seem to think it makes you look like a weirdo. I also don’t feel comfortable having random photos of me online when it’s just not my style, I’m over 40 and just feel it’s not for me.

I am cracking up about "over 40" -- baby, you think that's old or something? LMAO. I'm probably older than you, and I muddle through somehow. Social media or whatever may or may not be for you -- but it's not about your AGE, it's about your personality.

It's OK if social media is not really your thing, nobody is asking you to be a social media superstar -- but it wouldn't hurt you to have SOME kind of social media presence once you have a book out, and you might as well start sooner than later, because that takes time to build.

IF you decide you want to dip a toe into social media, pick ONE platform. (I'd suggest BlueSky, probably -- there are lots of kidlit people on there, it's a very welcoming and easy community). Here's a post about how to get started for a Social Media Newbie. (Note that BlueSky didn't exist when I wrote it, so I don't mention that -- but if you want tips on BlueSky specifically, follow Debbie Ohi there, she is all about boosting kidlit people. And there is a whole feed that is all kidlit authors and illustrators, and there's a kidlit chat on Tuesdays -- there's stuff, is what I'm saying!) As I say in that post -- it doesn't have to be something that takes over your life. Try spending 15 minutes a day checking in, follow and boost authors you are interested in. If you read a great book, post about it. IF you have a cute cat, post about it. It doesn't have to be a source of stress, you don't need to post videos of yourself doing makeup tutorials or whatever -- just befriend some book people. They are nice!

The other good thing about starting a BlueSky account now is -- the whole site is very new. So it won't look weird AT ALL if you have a new account -- almost everyone has a new account!

[verdantlyviolet]

hi, i was wondering if maybe you could help / give me some advices ?

i’m a hellenic polytheist but i’m also disabled. because of that, i’m always exhausted, and i have almost no motivation, so i tend not to worship. it’s not good for me, because i feel better when i am connected to the Gods, especially when i have a daily routine. but i started uni in september and i’ve barely been able to do anything because either i’m busy, or my executive dysfunction stops me, or i’m so exhausted and in pain that i get lazy and choose to scroll on my phone in bed instead of honouring the Theoi. i really need to find ways to go back to connecting with them and building kharis, but i don’t know how to build a routine for that, and how to manage to actually do it ?

Firstly, congratulations on starting university! Uni is a huge endeavour and it's important to focus on your studies and do the best you can. That is a priority, and you should not feel guilty or torn over dedicating time to that. Secondly, I want to add that it's not lazy to only do what you're capable of. You said yourself you're in pain and exhausted, I'm not surprised if at the end of the day you are not more active. Our brains need time to decompress just like our bodies, and scrolling on social media is a way to do both.

We are allowed to have hobbies and enjoy them!

Now. Habits. There is a technique called habit stacking which is where you use a current habit or behaviour and build another into that. Do you brush your teeth regularly? You could choose to add pouring out a libation of water to the gods while you brush (you're already at a water source after all). Do you like to sit in the shower and close your eyes, enjoying the water? You could say a quick word of praise or pray to the theoi while you do that ("Glorious theoi, givers of good things, thank you for your abundant blessings" etc.). As you walk to class is there a flowering plant or water feature, something that looks pretty and reminds you of their beauty? When you eat meals, could you portion off a piece first in offering to the gods? When we stop to think, there are a million moments in every day where we could add the gods to our lives, and you only need to pick one or two.

A reminder I needed too: you can ask the theoi for help in times of need. Attending university, you could pray to Athena, maybe Hermes, and/or any other gods relevant to your course. You could also pray to Apollo, Asklepios and Hygeia regarding your disabilities.  This may help with the feeling of connection since it will be relating directly to things you live with every day.

I also want to try a little mindset shift here. Try not to focus so much on the idea that you need to build the habit of devotion, and instead focus on your love for the theoi. From "I have to find more time for this" to "I want to show them my appreciation." It's a small thing, but the stress of 'I have to I have to' really sucks out the joy. You are already accomplishing so much and should be proud of that, don’t be hard on yourself for one thing you’re not doing.

I hope my babble helped in some way. I encourage people to reblog or reply in the comments with any thoughts!

[tomyagape]

To my dearest,

my love, my everything, Marcellino.

Your beautiful letter brought tears to my eyes, and I can’t even begin to describe how much your words mean to me. These past four months with you have been one of the most incredible moments of my life. Time indeed flies, but every second spent with you is a moment I treasure deeply. I, too, wish we could stop time and live in our perfect little world forever, just you and me.

Your love and support have been my rock during these challenging days. Knowing that you are always there for me, offering comfort and encouragement, makes all the difference. Your understanding and patience mean everything to me too, especially when I’ve been overwhelmed and struggling. And your presence, believe me it's like a soothing balm to my soul, and I am truly grateful for your unwavering support and love. Truly am, thank you.

I know it hasn’t been easy, with me being so busy and sometimes distant because of the stress and exhaustion. But please know that even in my busiest moments, you are always on my mind and in my heart. Your love is a constant source of strength for me, and I draw so much comfort from knowing that you believe in me and care for me so deeply.

Your words about missing me and being patient touched me deeply, but really, it breaks my heart to think of you feeling lonely or waiting for me, but your patience and understanding show how incredible and selfless your love is. I want you to know that I miss you just as much and that your presence in my life is something I treasure beyond words. As you said, our bond is something truly special, something unbreakable. We have faced so much together already, and it has only made us stronger. Your love fills me with a sense of peace and joy that I have never known before. It is a love that I carry with me always, from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep at night.

Marcellino, please know that your repeated declarations of love never tire me. Each time you say you love me, it feels like the first time—new, exciting, and deeply moving. I love you with all my heart, my mind, and every fiber of my being. To infinity and beyond, my love. Nothing and no one can ever stop me from loving you.

Please don’t feel bad about waiting for me. I want you to know that I am here for you too, always and forever. Whether in this life or the next, my love for you is eternal. You are the best person in my life, my irreplaceable treasure, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thank you for being you, for loving me so completely and unconditionally. I love you more than words can express, Marcellino. You are my everything, now and always.

Forever yours,

Alana

[larcenywrites]

Hey Lars! New here, but I adore your writing!

How do you think Tony would comfort you when you’re upset (whether it be sad, anxious, or overwhelmed) ?

Heya! Always glad to see new followers as well as old, especially since I’ve been in my writing slump for a while now x) I promise I usually write often, my brain just died or something around the end of May and I haven’t recovered yet 😭 but! I’m glad that what’s currently up is still being read and well-received!! Thanks for your kind words 🩵 and I hope I can make more for you soon 🤞

Also this became a lot oops

Tony isn’t a stranger to those kinds of emotions, if anxiety and/or being overwhelmed is the particular issue, but he likely has a different or perhaps even unhealthy way to manage it, or what comforts him might have the opposite effect on you! He’ll be just as stressed to see you upset, especially if you have a specific tic or behavior that lets him know it’s rough, be it pacing or sitting in the bathroom corner for a little while. Or maybe you’re just sad or down and have been laid up in the bed all day. But, he’s surprisingly able to approach the situation with plenty of calm and courage, just as with anything he faces, really!

His first instinct will be to ask what’s wrong, but that question is really more annoying than helpful, and he knows that firsthand :/

He doesn’t ever really leave you alone anyway, so you can guarantee that he’ll do just that, even if you do get standoffish, give him the cold shoulder, or straight up tell him to leave you alone. He wants to help!! He doesn’t wanna let you brood, at least not alone 😅 if he doesn’t think it’s anything too serious, when he comes to sit besides you, he’ll probably be a little dumb and mimic you, maybe you’re arms are crossed for example. If you grumble and turn away, he’ll grumble too and just scoot closer. He’s trying to make you laugh tbh, or maybe annoy you enough to finally have to talk out loud. He may ask what’s wrong, but so that he can also be upset about it! He’s persistent and annoying you is his love language, so eventually he’ll probably just end up on top of you. When he’s sad or anxious, he feels better when you’re on top of him! So maybe it helps when he also manages to twist and turn his way around you into your chest. You can’t ignore him now! If you still don’t wanna talk, he’ll still just lay there, and hopefully it helps that he’s there at all! If you do finally talk, he’ll try it best to talk through it with you, even if you just say “I don’t know” because he’s been there too! Even if you get shy about it, the best few days he’ll be working overtime, meaning: expect anything from silly post-it notes in the bathroom mirror and even in your underwear drawer, to roses left on his pillow or in the kitchen, or even cute little trinkets on the nightstand. He wants to cheer you up! And it still gives you a little space!

If the situation is a little worse, like the pacing or hiding in the bathroom, he’ll still come in and sit next to you, or if it’s pacing he won’t like- stop you, but he will say a few calm heys and hold ons and hold his hands out so you brush against them and maybe it encourages you to stop between them. In this case he will ask what’s wrong, and very tentatively take one of your hands, and try again when you pull away, just to loosely hold your hand. Obviously, you’re pacing here or hiding here because it’s a safe spot, so he won’t try to drag you out of it until he’s managed to talk you down a little, whether he knows the source of stress or not. He’ll play with your fingers and stop in the hopes that you’ll copy him, giving you something else to do that’s not as isolating or unhelpful. Even if you’d still rather sit there in silence, he’ll still walk you out if whatever that safe spot was, and instead offer a new spot, near him! Maybe he’s been in the lab or the office, he’ll keep the noise down, but it’ll probably help to be near a little more life and sound and have things to do and look at! Or maybe you two could hang out in the living room instead! He might be a little annoying in this situation, only because he might be offering various other things to do, like puzzles or games. If it was a lot and you just need to lay down (adrenaline from panic attacks or meltdowns can make for quite the energy crash!) then he’ll lay there with you and probably try to convince you to eat. He’ll even get your favorite treats delivered if you want! And tbh, he might try to immediately plan a vacation away for a few days, especially if you’ve been stressing like this in the same spots like the bedroom for a while now.

If you get anxious/overwhelmed in public, though, it might be a bit if a different story. But tbh it might not happen often? Later on, Tony isn’t much of a fan of crowds and all, so you probably don’t have to worry about that. He gets nervous out in public too! So you probably have little signals, like squeezing his/your hand or arm or something. You both probably can tell what caused the stress by now, from a line of people to dog sitting behind a bush, and can just lead one another away. But if it’s a place you can’t really leave, you’ve probably both scoped out the emptier parts of buildings or hallways beforehand to escape to.

[suicidememes]

Husband left his job about a month ago because it was just too much for him and was a toxic place to be and was just filling him with anxiety, we discussed it and I basically said I’d rather he was safe and healthy than have his pay check. And we’re okay but the money is a bit stretched.

Which obviously I knew was going to happen and I’ve prepared for that by putting extra away for the bills but Christmas is hard.

I can’t even tell anyone to make Christmas a bit easier cause his family don’t understand mental health over work and he doesn’t want to be lectured constantly by his dad who treats him like a kid still and cause him anxiety from a source he wouldn’t want to remove. So we have to just pretend that everything is normal but I’m a little stressed about it.

I vent to my mum but I don’t want her to feel like I’m trying to guilt her into giving me money that she doesn’t even have cause she will offer but that’s not what I want cause I already owe her and Grandad a load of money.

I know he’s looking for another job and he’s had several interviews but nothing has come of anything so far and I know he feels guilty about putting everything on my pay check so I don’t want to make him feel worse

I just need five minutes where im not worried about how we’re going to afford food for the week or whether putting the heating on for an hour is going to break us.

[qqueenofhades]

Don’t answer this is it’s too personal, but can I ask what history degrees you have, and how long (and how hard) they were? I’m currently a high school senior with absolutely no clue what I want to pursue in college, though I’ve always found history absolutely fascinating and I have no idea if that’s the thing for me (frankly, I don’t think I have the genuine patience for it) but a history minor, I think, would be really fun, and you’re saying that you’ve gotten jobs for it, and you’re incredibly smart, so. Thank you so much!!

Aha. I have three degrees (bachelor's, master’s, doctorate) and they took me 10+ years, $60k+ of student debt (which is not as bad as some others, but still not inconsiderable) and a lot, A LOT, of stress, effort, and total brokeness, money-wise. The PhD, which took me four years, is still the hardest thing I have ever done, and it is absolutely not something to do unless you really, REALLY want to. And yes, I have (as in the last few days) finally been offered a full-time university job that is relevant to my previous experience and qualifications, but still not as a permanent faculty member in my field of specialty. That might still come eventually, but I have been open over the last few years about how hard and soul-crushing that process was, how terrible the academic job market is, and how this isn't something you should do or commit to lightly.

Of course, if you only want to minor in history and don't necessarily plan to make it a career, that is much simpler and indeed is something that I think you should absolutely do. I think learning at least some history should be a necessity for everyone, and it develops overall critical thinking and research skills, such as analysis, writing, critical comparison, close-reading, source work, etc etc, that are easily transferable to other academic contexts and life in general. So yes, I think that would be a good choice and something I would support doing. I just do think that a lot of people outside academia either have an excessively negative image of it, where it is all crusty old white men gatekeeping all the time, or an excessively positive image where it is a romantic job on some ivy-clad collegiate gothic campus and you'll probably have magical adventures. And I love me academia-based fantasy as much as anyone, but yeah, that is definitely not what it is like, and it bears thinking about in terms of what you want to do and how you want to go on with it. This is a direct result of my The Humanities Have Been Deliberately Destroyed By Late Stage Capitalism rant, that I won't go through again here, but yeah. It is HARD, and if not for great support of family and friends, I might not have been able to even finish my doctorate degree, much less be able to search for a university job for 2+ years in the middle of a pandemic and economic crash (I did NOT make it easy on myself).

Anyway: the work is worth doing and worth doing well, and I think a history minor at least is a good idea, even if you want to just see what it is like and whether you want to keep going. I just want to make sure you do, indeed, know what you are getting into.

[seikilos-stele]

This is one of those questions that I want to ask a lot of authors, because I curious how many answers will be the same (if any)

The the basic premise is Do You Control Fic or Does it Control You?

What I mean by this is broken down into a few sub questions

Do you watch a show or read a book & fic ideas just pop into your head?

Are you watching/reading something and you are unsatisfied with the plot, but love the characters, therefore, set out to fix it?

Do you intend to write fic from the start, so you go in search of inspiration?

Have you ever completely lost interest in the canon, but still love the characters/fic (therefore, no longer revisit the original source of the fic?)

As is usual, this is just a guide. Answer any which way you would like - long answers are always welcome!

Wow, I think all of the above, multiple times!

The first type, where fic ideas just pop into my head — that’s the most difficult to write. I mean, it’s the most difficult to follow through 😆 sometimes I’ll write the ideas down, but once I’ve moved on to the next episode or book, I lose interest. So out of all these, statistically, this is the one you’d see the least.

#2 — setting out to fix it. Of course! I’ve probably written like, hundreds of post-Bilbringi fics and fics set in-between the Legends Thrawn trilogy, where I wished there was more character development with Thrawn and Pellaeon.

#3 — intending to write fic from the start, going in search of inspiration. This, probably more than anything else. When I first started writing on AO3, I made a kind of arbitrary goal to write a fic for everything I read or watched. Luckily when the stakes are that low you can basically just open a blank document and write whatever comes to mind, and it turns out okay — you’re like, “This ain’t my fandom, I’m just strolling through.” You don’t care if people even read it, so you don’t stress about prose or characterization 😆 it’s very nice!

I do this for fandoms I actually like too, because I usually want to write every day, but don’t always have a current idea. So I keep lists of interesting prompts and ideas, that way I never run out of material. Some of them get so stale that I never end up using them, but it’s still nice to have them there!

#4 — this happened with Once Upon a Time. I thought it was a bad show straight from Episode 1, but I loved Robert Carlyle’s character, so I watched it for him. All the way up until Season 3! At that point, Mr. Gold’s character arc was taking too many exhausting dips and turns, and the show wasn’t up to the task of explaining why. I stopped watching, but I kept up to date with the show’s shenanigans, read tons of fics, and wrote somewhere around 40 or 50 myself.

(It’s funny — I did write a few tiny fics BEFORE the show went bad; but it’s only the fics I wrote AFTER that I saved)

There are some great fix-its for that fandom btw 😆 I was also a huge fan of SwanQueen (main character Emma Swan x main villain Regina Mills) but in S3 they introduced a straight romance for Emma that I couldn’t STAND, so I read lots of fix-its for them too. My own fics weren’t really fix-its; they were AUs, almost always hurt/comfort. The show offered us plenty of material for that!

* * *

Maybe also worth mentioning:

1) when you’re reading a nonfiction book, but you’re thinking so hard about your favorite show that you end up with 7 plot bunnies all stemming from that single nonfiction piece that has nothing to do with Star Trek or Gargoyles or—

2) the private fanfics that you never bother to write down but replay in your head with minor tweaks each night before you go to bed. All of them are write-able! Many people would probably like to read them! But they seem somehow off-limits to me 😆 like, no, I’m only allowed to write fics based off stuff I think of in the shower, or at my desk — in bed??? That’s blasphemy

[moonlatias]

🍞Blessed Lammas🍞

The holidays are basically showing off my cooking I guess lol

Best homemade bread I ever made, I’m pretty sure. All the kneading made the difference I guess. xD Went perfect with the potato leek soup we made. Yum~

Shared it with the gods and goddesses that brighten our lives, every day. No matter which face they show me, how they present themselves, what new lesson they decide to teach me that day… I am always filled with gratitude and love for them.

Also fulfilled a promise I made a while ago and never got around to (as I don’t drink all that frequently)—I offered mead to Thor, who has been super kind in delaying the constant rain and storms we’ve been getting all month so I can avoid getting rained on or can take a shower before the lightning starts, lol. Haven’t actually done anything seriously like sit down at an altar or anything like that, so I haven’t really had time to communicate deeply. But I honestly feel like he is super chill and fun and easy to reach out to, so I want to set some time aside to say hi a little more formally too! Sometimes I wonder—is it really him, or is it some entity simply answering to the name Thor just cause he’s my favorite storm god? Can I ever really know?

In the end, I feel strongly that all things stem from the same divine source—infinite, multi-faceted, and eternal—so ultimately, my prayers and thoughts and love all finds its way into the universe the way it needs to. I don’t really stress about it because I feel so comfortable and trusting of my gods, and know they want to help me.

It’s very nice to have this holiday happen when it happened, as I’ve been reflecting on the fairly eclectic and complex thing that is my spirituality, and on how I view diety and what my genuine connections to them are. It’s satisfying to want everything to fit into a perfect organizational package, with tidy connections and correspondences and relationships… but much to my brain’s dismay, that’s definitely NOT how my spirituality’s going.

And it’s beautiful. And I’m thankful. ❤️

(Ended up being a bit of a ramble, though it’s mostly cause I haven’t journaled in a while so I have a lot on my mind!)