#without having to resort to mods

[greyias]

Screw it. I'm getting that armor. It's modding time.

[nomaishuttle]

it does suck some of the sdv mods like. they have a rly good idea and i want to have them in my game but the execution is like. weird

[pejite]

Hi! Today, I’m sharing a list of mods that I consider essential for playing historical gameplay in The Sims.

I often have friends who want to dive into the Decades Challenge but aren’t sure which mods to use or where to start. So, in this post, I’m going to share the mods I personally use and think are indispensable for creating that authentic historical experience.

Deaderpool's MC Command Center: This mod allows you to manage and modify many aspects of your game, including handling pregnancies, university careers, and enabling teen relationships so your Sims can marry earlier, among other features. You can also enable autosave and adjust the length of a Sim day.

Lumpinou's RPO: This mod enhances relationship dynamics and expands pregnancy features. It's extensive, with many modules, and once you've tried it, you won't want to play without it.

Pandasama's Realistic Childbirth: Offers multiple realistic childbirth options, including natural bed births and spontaneous labour, adding depth to your Sims' family lives.

MizoreYukii's Arranged Marriages: Allows you to arrange marriages for convenience. Parents can agree on marriages for their children, but breaking the arrangement won’t be easy.

Necrodog's Carriages and Horses: Adds functional carriages, enhancing immersion. While it doesn't work with the horses of Horse Ranch pack, it’s still incredibly useful.

Kuttoe's Enlist in War: It will allow your Sims to enlist in the war. Whether they live or die will be random, but if they survive, they'll receive the Veteran trait, a lifetime pension and some lasting traumas.

JaneSimsten's Regency Romance: Perfect for simulating the Regency era. It adds class differences, property ownership, etiquette skills, new traits and careers, events, and widowhood. Though inspired by the Regency era, it works well for later decades too.

SimKatu's Reading Animation Override: Changes the reading animations, with different ones for men and women, making your Sims’ reading time more immersive.

Zero's Deadly Dickensian Sicknesses: Introduces the risk of diseases like Tuberculosis, Typhoid Fever, and Cholera. It’s incredibly realistic with its contagion system.

Adeepindigo's Healthcare Redux: A comprehensive health mod that adds various illnesses and treatments, including tuberculosis and (early access) cancer. While Sims can buy modern medicines, many illnesses can be cured with natural remedies.

Adeepindigo's Simulated Endings: This mod will enhance everything related to your Sims' deaths, allowing them to take out life insurance and designate beneficiaries, arrange funeral preparations, and introduce stages of grief for your Sims.

MizoreYukii's Functional Broom: Adds a functional broom with its own animation, letting you keep your Sims’ homes clean without resorting to modern vacuums.

Triplis's Quit or Join School: In case you need your teens or childs to quit school.

The Kalino's Farm Animal Set: Expands your farm with more animals, including goats, sheep, ducks and more, in addition to the standard cows and chickens.

JaneSimsten's Write With Quills: Replaces your Sims' pens with quills, adding a touch of historical accuracy.

JaneSimsten's Sidesaddle Override: Allows female Sims to ride horses sidesaddle, as they would have in the past.

JaneSimsten's Parchment Computer: Replaces modern computers with parchment and quills, complete with their own animations—perfect for pre-typewriter eras.

Frankk's Language Barriers: More realism to sims being from different worlds.

Rs4ella's 1920s Grade School Homework Override: Changes the look of the kids' homework book to a 1920s style, but it works well for earlier periods too.

Xbrilliantsims's Toddler Bathtime Overrides: Replaces modern bath toys and sponges with more era-appropriate items when bathing toddlers.

Lunamoth's Historical Infant Carriers: Swaps out modern baby carriers for fabric slings, suitable for any historical era.

Lunamoth's Rope Pet Leash: Replaces the modern pet leash with a simple rope, making it look more appropriate for historical gameplay.

300yearschallenge's Historical Baby Bath Override: Changes the baby bath seat to a more suitable design, or you can opt for

Sassymissollie's Invisible Infant Bath Seat to remove it entirely.

JaneSimsten's 5 Day Work Week: Choose Your Own Work Hours: Lets you adjust your Sims' work schedules for a more realistic experience.

JaneSimsten's Marksmanship Skill: Adds a marksmanship skill, allowing your Sims to practise shooting and hunting, with the hunted animals available for cooking.

Littlbowbub's Ye Olde Cookbook: Enables your Sims to cook historical dishes, perfect for low-income Sims in older settings.

Basemental's Basemental Drugs: Although mainly known for adding drugs, it’s commonly used for its smoking features, letting your Sims smoke cigarettes and cigars like a proper Victorian gentleman.

MizoreYukii's Children/Toddlers Can Die of Anything: Allows your child Sims to die, useful if your storyline requires it.

Ayoshi's Phone to Notebook Replacement Mod: If phone elimination mods are causing issues, this mod might help. It replaces the mobile phone with a small notebook, which could pass for a mini Bible or an old-fashioned notebook.

JaneSimsten's Extra Cross-Stitch Patterns: Adds historically accurate cross-stitch patterns.

[xxxnightcorequeenxxx]

PSA To the Phantom, we have a Troll/Stalker!

Those who know me know this is somthing I won't typically resort to this, but today, I've reached the end of my long patience. ( one and half a year of patience) There is a Stalker/ Troll whose whole stick is trying to get people to draw Dani and Danny fan art. Thir asks will look like this. They will delete them as soon as you answer. I mod on a few Discord servers, so when I informed people on Discord that I had a digital stalker, someone reached out to me to ask me if this was them, as they didn't want to deal with what I had to put up with. That's how I got a hold of this:

On Deviantart, they try to get into people's good graces by subscribing and donating a dollar. (it's a tip you can do on DA, not required) They ask you to do art, and if you bite, They won't stop pestering you about it. Like you didn't do it fast enough, or you didn't do it. And if you do, they have a new request lined up the minute you post the last. So it's never good enough. They will try to monopolize your time, and you never get time to draw what you want to if you try being kind at first. One telltale sign that it's them is that if you reply to them, they will delete all their messages with you after your reply to avoid detection by moderators.

So here are the usernames I know them by; Usernames of them on DA; DanielFentonPhantom DannyFenton2 DannyFenton3 DannyPhantom11 JacobFritzsching1 JacobFritzsching2 JacobPhantom1 JakeFritzsching JakeFritzsching1 The username of the stalker on Tumblr: JacobFritzsching1 & JacobPhantom

I've tried to block them multiple times, And I suspect DA staff have banned some of their accounts.

They don't understand no and stay away or that people have boundaries. I've reported them multiple times. They have been suspended multiple times (I was lucky enough to get this screenshot for a suspended account)

They have been bothering me since Aug 28, 2023 and the latest block for this person was today.

This is me reaching out to others in my discord communities over time for help, showing what it did to me mentally and why I no longer take art requests. (For the privacy of the other users, I've only included what needed to go in there with their usernames hidden.) The only other user by name than me is the stalker.

I lay myself bare to you phandom community so that you may not suffer silently by JacobFritzsching1 hand. I know I'm not his only target. I've stayed quiet and done what I could for a year and a half. They have not let up, and I fear they are driving good people out of the community through their behavior. I will confess to thoughts of wanting to permanently delete my stuff just to escape this stalker. But I'm not letting them win. I am a Phandom elder, I have been a phan since the show since it aired back in the day; some of you may know me by my old username Jeanette9a, some of you will know I'm sited as one of the earlier ones to keep DP ship names list that now exisits on Ao3, and I have to use my every connection and pull to see this troll/stalker not mess with more of my fellow Phandom community. That so be it. I will pull out my megaphone and scram their misdeeds to heaves, so they may never walk anywhere without people knowing who JacobFritzsching1 is in regards to the phandom. You wanted attention well, here you go may I hope you enjoy what you have sown.

---- If anyone else has more receipts about this person feel free to reblog with a me too and show the phandom just who JacobFritzsching1 / JacobPhantom is. Because I'm just one person finally speaking up. I don't expect people to believe me outright. Not without more people who can attest to their character. Here is another post about the same user that is by someone other than me:

[sims3alexsa]

Wintergreen world (beta)

Wintergreen is a charming Christmas town located in a picturesque mountain gorge. Here, amidst snowy landscapes, a magical Christmas market has unfolded, where you can find unique gifts and delicious treats. Guests are invited to enjoy snowboarding at the cozy ski resort, and after an active day, relax in stylish cafes with hot drinks. Don't forget to check out the toy and souvenir shops to take a piece of this winter fairy-tale world with you. Wintergreen is the perfect place to create unforgettable Christmas memories!

The world of Wintergreen was created as a vacation town for characters with the help of the Traveler mod. Here your characters will be able to enjoy a variety of Christmas activities.Thanks to the author douglasveiga, who shaped the snowman Frankie from Sims 2 in the world of Wintergreen appeared not only a wonderful animated snowman and a new radio holiday party, which is available on any music player in the town, to create a special Christmas atmosphere. Thanks to the creator @aroundthesims, and her wonderful set “winter fun station” your sims will be able to ride snowboards from a huge mountain at the ski resort.

There are sets of stor!

Installing the Wintergreen world:Install the Wintergreen world file to the following path:(x86) Program Files > The Sims 3 > GameData > Shared > NonPackaged > Worlds

Additional materials are divided into two folders ie folder “Packages” goes to your folder Packages and, respectively, the folder “Overrides” goes to your folder Overrides.For your convenience and numerous questions about the installation of fixes for sets of stor I installed them myself already in the necessary download folders.

Recommendations:

At the first boot in the world enter the code rozrabotkazhchik “testingcheatsenabled true” press the key “Shift” and click anywhere on the ground.In the options to change the time of year change to winter set the level of snow and temperature and play :)

Download World

Download (mirror)

Download CC

Download cc(mirror)

Acknowledgements:@aroundthesims;@Votenga;@douglasveiga;@martassimsbook;@arhitecturalsims;@Thefaery'sGifts;@Severinka;@potatoBalladsims.

Thank you for your work, without you I wouldn't have succeeded!

If you want to thank me, buy me a coffee.

Щасливого Різдва!

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; gyutaro

requested by ; mod / self indulgent

fandom(s) ; demon slayer

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; gyutaro

outline ; “dating hcs for gyutaro”

warning(s) ; mentions of canon-typical violence, but mostly fluff!

now this almost goes without saying, but gyutaro is not an easy person to be in a relationship with — and for more reasons than you might initially suspect

of course there’s the obvious suspect — that being the violent and cannibalistic nature he has as a demon — but that’s easy enough to work around as long as you’re not overly squeamish or just good at avoiding the areas you know your boyfriend and his sister tend to hunt

(after all daki is, as far as demons go, not that messy of an eater and very good at keeping things out of sight so their kills aren’t super hard to avoid running into from your perspective)

but that’s nowhere near as problematic as gyutaro’s massive inferiority complex and the intense outbursts of jealousy and possessiveness that result from it — which can sometimes turn into bloodbaths and maimings and screaming matches if you’re not extremely careful at keeping his temper in check

but, hey, at least he’s not the type to raise a hand to you so… it could be worse?

…

moving onto the lighter side of things

would sooner die than admit this but he has a massive soft spot for cutesy pet names — like ‘baby’ or ‘sweetie’ or ‘cutie’ or the like — and absolutely melts whenever you call him them. gets all flustered and faux-annoyed about it to, especially if you use them around his baby sister who will absolutely never let him live it down

words of affirmation is one of his main love languages… even if he cannot take a genuine compliment to save his life. he wants to believe it when you call him handsome and tell him how much you adore him, but after a lifetime of scorn and violence and being ostracised from his community he just can’t bring himself to fully accept what you’re saying — so he flusters and huffs and brushes you off and tells you to shut up… even if that’s the absolute last thing he wants to happen

gyutaro is extremely protective over you and is quite to resort to violence — or to have daki resort to violence on his behalf (which she’s always happy to do of course) — if he perceives someone as being a threat to you in one way or another

very much so touch starved and goes through a cycle of craving your touch like he craves blood to being repulsed by his attachment to you and avoiding you as much as possible

loves it when you play with his hair, but also hates how flustered it makes him feel

his favourite place to be kissed is anywhere on his face — especially over his demonic marks — and his favourite place to kiss you is the top of your head

he stares at you a lot… like a lot… usually when you’re sleeping and vulnerable but sometimes when you’re awake and just going about your daily life

if he had it his way you’d only ever be interacting with him and daki, at a push maybe also some of the humans that are doting on his sister when she’s in disguise, but unfortunately for him you do have a life outside of them that’s something he’ll just have to deal with (as you’ve told him multiple times exactly what will happen if he or his sister try to go after your loved ones and he is not about to ruin his relationship with you over this)

(he’ll just take out his violent urges on the denizens and customers of the pleasure district instead)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

When the app tries to make you robo-scab

When we talk about the abusive nature of gig work, there’s some obvious targets, like algorithmic wage discrimination, where two workers are paid different rates for the same job, in order to trick occasional gig-workers to give up their other sources of income and become entirely dependent on the app:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

Then there’s the opacity — imagine if your boss refused to tell you how much you’ll get paid for a job until after you’ve completed it, claimed that this was done in order to “protect privacy” — and then threatened anyone who helped you figure out the true wage on offer:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/07/hr-4193/#boss-app

Opacity is wage theft’s handmaiden: every gig worker producing content for a social media algorithm is subject to having their reach — and hence their pay — cut based on the unaccountable, inscrutable decisions of a content moderation system:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

Making content for an algorithm is like having a boss that docks every paycheck because you broke rules that you are not allowed to know, because if you knew the rules, you’d figure out how to cheat without your boss catching you. Content moderation is the last place where security through obscurity is considered good practice:

https://doctorow.medium.com/como-is-infosec-307f87004563

When workers seize the means of computation, amazing things happen. In Indonesia, gig workers create and trade tuyul apps that let them unilaterally modify the way that their bosses’ systems see them — everything from GPS spoofing to accessibility mods:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/08/tuyul-apps/#gojek

So the tech and labor story isn’t wholly grim: there are lots of ways that tech can enhance labor struggles, letting workers collaborate and coordinate. Without digital systems, we wouldn’t have the Hot Strike Summer:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/02/not-what-it-does/#who-it-does-it-to

As the historic writer/actor strike shows us, the resurgent labor movement and the senescent forces of crapulent capitalism are locked in a death-struggle over not just what digital tools do, but who they do it for and who they do it to:

https://locusmag.com/2022/01/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature/

When it comes to the epic fight over who technology acts for and against, we need a diversity of tactics, backstopped by tech operated by and for its users — and by laws that protect workers and the public. That dynamic is in sharp focus in UNITE Here Local 11’s strike against Orange County’s Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa.

The UNITE Here strike turns on the usual issues like a living wage (hotel staff are paid so little they have to rent rooming-house beds by the shift, paying for the right to sleep in a room for a few hours at a time, without any permanent accommodation). They’re also seeking health-care and pensions, so they can be healthy at work and retire after long service. Finally, they’re seeking their employer’s support for LA’s Responsible Hotels Ordinance, which would levy a tax on hotel rooms to help pay for hotel workers’ housing costs (a hotel worker who can’t afford a bed is the equivalent of a fast food worker who has to apply for food stamps):

https://www.unitehere11.org/responsible-hotels-ordinance/

But the Marriott — which is owned by the University of California and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality — has refused to bargain, walking out negotiations.

But the employer didn’t walk out over wages, benefits or support for a housing subsidy. They walked out when workers demanded that the scabs that the company was trying to hire to break the strike be given full time, union jobs.

These aren’t just any scabs, either. They’re predominantly Black workers who rely on the $700m Instawork app for gigs. These workers are being dispatched to cross the picket line without any warning that they’re being contracted as strikebreakers. When workers refuse the cross the picket and join the strike, Instawork cancels all their shifts and permanently blocks them from new jobs.

This is a new, technologically supercharged form of illegal strikebreaking. It’s one thing for a single boss to punish a worker who refuses to scab, but Instawork acts as a plausible-deniability filter for all the major employers in the region. Like the landlord apps that allow landlords to illegally fix rents by coordinating hikes, Instawork lets bosses illegally collude to rig wages by coordinating a blocklist of workers who refuse to scab:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/10/company-that-makes-rent-setting-software-for-landlords-sued-for-collusion/?comments=1

The racial dimension is really important here: the Marriott has a longstanding de facto policy of refusing to hire Black workers, and whenever they are confronted with this, they insist that there are no qualified Black workers in the labor pool. But as soon as the predominantly Latino workforce struck, Marriott discovered a vast Black workforce that it could coerce into scabbing, in collusion with Instawork.

Now, all of this isn’t just sleazy, it’s illegal, a violation of Section 7 of the NLRB Act. Historically, that wouldn’t have mattered, because a string of presidents, R and D, have appointed useless do-nothing ghouls to run the NLRB. But the Biden admin, pushed by the party’s left wing, made a string of historic, excellent appointments, including NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, who has set her sights on punishing gig work companies for flouting labor law:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/10/see-you-in-the-funny-papers/#bidens-legacy

UNITE HERE 11 has brought a case to the NLRB, charging the Instawork, the UC system, Marriott, and Aimbridge with violating labor law by blackmailing gig workers into crossing the picket line. The union is also asking the NLRB to punish the companies for failing to protect workers from violent retaliation from the wealthy hotel guests who have punched them and screamed epithets at them. The hotel has refused to identify these thug guests so that the workers they assaulted can swear out complaints against them.

Writing about the strike for Jacobin, Alex N Press tells the story of Thomas Bradley, a Black worker who was struck off all Instawork shifts for refusing to cross the picket line and joining it instead:

https://jacobin.com/2023/07/southern-california-hotel-workers-strike-automated-management-unite-here

Bradley’s case is exhibit A in the UNITE HERE 11 case before the NLRB. He has a degree in culinary arts, but racial discrimination in the industry has kept him stuck in gig and temp jobs ever since he graduated, nearly a quarter century ago. Bradley lived out of his car, but that was repossessed while he slept in a hotel room that UNITE HERE 11 fundraised for him, leaving him homeless and bereft of all his worldly possessions.

With UNITE HERE 11’s help, Bradley’s secured a job at the downtown LA Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, a hotel that has bargained with the workers. Bradley is using his newfound secure position to campaign among other Instawork workers to convince them not to cross picket lines. In these group chats, Jacobin saw workers worrying “that joining the strike would jeopardize their standing on the app.”

Today (July 30) at 1530h, I’m appearing on a panel at Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, CA, to discuss the wonderful, award-winning “Ghost Post” Haunted Mansion project I worked on for Disney Imagineering.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/30/computer-says-scab/#instawork

[Image ID: An old photo of strikers before a struck factory, with tear-gas plumes rising above them. The image has been modified to add a Marriott sign to the factory, and the menacing red eye of HAL9000 from Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' to the sky over the factory. The workers have been colorized to a yellow-green shade and the factory has been colorized to a sepia tone.]

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[aziraphales-library]

I'm dying to read Aziraphale annoying Crowley by being the cutest and one flustered demon being unable to help himself being so disgustingly in love with the angel 🥹🥹🥹 can you rec me some? pretty please 🍪💕

I just found this blog now by posting over at reddit: "Are there any fics where Crowley's deeply annoyed by Aziraphale's antics because he's so gd cute he wants to disintegrate? I'd read the hell out of it. Very canon. 😻" Lol. I'm willing to write something like this.... I actually might but wanna read it too 🥹🥹🥹

I know there's lots of these out there. This fandom is the most talented and plentiful I've ever seen :333

Thanks in advance xx

We have a #flustered crowley tag with loads of fics, so check that out. Here are more to add to the collection...

No sunglasses in the bookshop by ineffablegold (G)

The angel’s hands very briefly (but very surely) brushed on Crowley’s chest while he moved and spoke and wriggled oh so endearingly, right over his black shirt and the fallen angel could swear he saw stars again, like before the Beginning and like a flash there they were: nebulas all around him danced and exploded with colours. Crowley inhaled sharply and simply agreed with Aziraphale, no matter on what, he didn’t remember anyway. They’d be fine.

A Moonlit Masquerade by charlieiswritingthings (G)

“Say… How about we give dancing a try? After all, that’s one of the most important things about a masquerade, is it not?” Aziraphale tilts his head a bit, towards the direction of the dancers. His smile falters slightly when he hears what Crowley says next. “I don’t do dancing, Angel. You know that.” Crowley speaks with slight… almost annoyance, very obviously against the idea. Though, Aziraphale hasn’t given up quite yet. “Now, now. That simply won’t do. Let’s go have some fun together, shall we?” Aziraphale stands up, taking Crowley’s hand in his own as he begins walking in the direction of the dancefloor. A defeated sigh is heard coming from Crowley, and he’s forced to abandon his nearly finished glass of wine on the table.

Voicemails (from a Petty Demon) by sugardustedtulips (T)

“That’s it,” Crowley growled, taking large, bold strides toward the yellow Bentley in front of him, leaving the poor cherub blankly standing behind, ostensibly stunned. “What’s what?” Aziraphale asked, hoping he didn’t mean that he’d drive off without him. Surely Crowley wouldn’t be that petty. “I’m not talking to you for the rest of the day,” Crowley whispered matter-of-factly, hissing each sibilant as he punctuated his sentence by theatrically swinging open the car door.

Aziraphale makes the Bentley yellow. Furious, Crowley resorts to giving him the silent treatment. Of course, he misses the angel too much, and can’t help bombarding him with voicemails while locked in their bedroom.

A Midsummer Afternoon's Curse by cyankelpie (G)

(Aziraphale is the victim of a love spell, and needs Crowley’s help to break it. Which is a problem, because it’s very difficult for Crowley to focus while Aziraphale lavishes him with affection.) The rest of the sentence got knocked out of him by a large, off-white blur that flew out of the door and tackled him. “Crowley,” said a familiar voice, though the breathy fondness and affection in said voice was anything but familiar. “I knew you’d come.” Oh. It was Crowley. Crowley was the target of Aziraphale’s magical infatuation. Aziraphale wanted Crowley’s help ridding him of this newfound affection for Crowley. And Crowley, who somehow needed to be the level-headed one in this situation, was utterly fucked.

You Don't Need A Licence For That by WaitingToBeBroken (M)

Crowley works for the city council and is responsible for issuing licences and permits. Aziraphale seems to be hoarding them. Crowley should really reject some of those applications. And he will, once he is done pining over Aziraphale. Really, he will!

- Mod D

[brainrotactivated]

NEW INFO FOR FUTURE PROGRESS AU:

I FINALLY HAVE SOMETHING FIGURED OUT!!!! The idea is short I know, but I felt the need to have it written somewhere so I can come back to it and add more details!

So without further ado, let me explain...

{ How the 'infection' happened: }

-> A random virus was caught by a player during Sabre's leave. It could've been from browsing schetchy websites or accidentally pressing a random link, but that's not the point. The point is that it came from outside the game and didn't spawn inside the TSS server.

-> The Player (it could have been Sabre or an old acquaintance/ex friend of Sabre who still had access to the TSS server) used an antivirus to remove it (as one would to save their software), but some of the virus's code remained trapped inside the TSS server, because well... WE DON'T KNOW. The server has this weird thing where it manages to trap/adopt/"learn" things from the outside world/surrounding servers to better develop itself on its own without the need to use preexisting mods or have a player make these changes, which could explain why it's so unstable to begin with and the weird phenomena that happens within it.

-> The virus, under the laws/logic of the TSS server behaves as any normal virus (in a biological sense) would, except what it actually does is it absorbs Steve energy/"anomaly code" as an attempt to try and reform itself again.

-> The virus can't absorb anymore steve energy because of the illusion world protecting everyone from it, so it ends up manifesting itself physically as a last resort to break through the fake fabric of reality/ out of its 'enclosure'.

-> BOOM it ends up breaking the illusion (but doesn't reset the world like the reboot does). I'm still debating whether Sabre in this AU DOES end up figuring this stuff out or not AFTER Illusion Steve leaves.

HOW TO STOP IT: mix computer virus logic with TSS logic idk. (basically what Sabre did in the reboot, for example using an actual firewall to protect himself from it trying to catch him.)

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

That's as much as I got figured out for this, although I'm not sure whether the effects could be reversed in any way so the missing steves could reappear again... Chances are, it can be done, but not exactly how one would want them to come back? I feel like if the virus converted all that code into Steve energy back out (basically reverse the absorbtion process), it would instead accidentally creat a giant amalgamated Steve... (picture the amalgamate from Undertale for better reference).

.... Yeeesh, not great is it? I might make it canon though idk (Sabre would be the one to have done this obviously). We'd get a Frankenstein Steve for Halloween WOOOOO!!! (He'd be innocent though I promise, but it would start freaking tf out the second it wakes up, which is why I think Illusion Steve could be of help here to calm that thang deown.)

BUT ANYWAY, I'd love to hear people's suggestions/opinions on this! I apologize for the lack of posts on this blog, I keep forgetting to set up drafts so I can write out my ideas instead of, y'know.. forgetting them completely. SO YEAH!!

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a good day/evening!! <3

[forsakenwitchery]

More re: swapping characters to Shadowheart.

Bonus Galeheart:

I originally went to this save to swap the toasting with Jaheira, but then I remembered Isobel was upstairs aaaaand the rest is history. Shads actually fits so perfectly here, like I wish we got more actual selunite scenes with her without having to resort to modding, but ah well.

[all my bg3 gifs] & [all my galeheart thingies]

[eclectic-sassycoweyes]

❄️Catch Me Before I Let Go❄️

A teaser of my coming 🎁 for the wonderful @ironheartwriter for the Tarlos Secret Santa gift exchange!

Dearest Lana - it’s me I’m your Santa in Secret (no more)!! I don’t regret to inform you of that, because it has been an absolute delight so far to think up something wintery and fun for you from the prompts you gave me! I do regret to inform you however, that I am running a bit behind😔

The Christmas Chaos simply caught up with me with unexpected intensity and I’ve had to ask the wonderful mods for an extension. I am doing my very best to be able to give you the fic in it’s finished form before New Year’s Eve!! To make up for it, and to hold you over until then, I have prepared this teaser for you including the above collage/mood board, and below a summary and a lil’ snippet to gift you on my posting day<3 I hope brings you both intrigue and enjoyment!

Best wishes for a happy holiday,

Your very own Secret (no more) Santa,

Mar💚🥰🤶

Summary:

As a former member of the school swim team and someone who generally likes to be in charge of whether his feet are moving or not, Carlos Reyes prefers water in its liquid form. As such, a ski resort should not be on his top ten spots to visit. He’s insistent to make an exception though, in order to treat his adventurous, snow-loving husband to some fun downtime before they embark together on the next big step for them, of parenting TK’s little brother, Jonah. He’s booked a cozy wooden lodge in the closest ski resort to Austin, and he’s going to be his most fun and adventurous self while also making sure that his husband is absolutely spoiled. There’s just a few things he hasn’t taken into account: 1) Carlos has never skied before in his life. 2) Carlos really hates doing things he isn’t already good at, especially if they include the risk of falling on your face and 3) One very annoying, and very hot, ski-instructor named Josh who is outrageously obvious in his flirting up a storm with TK.

-In which TK and Carlos go skiing for the holidays, Carlos grapples with the old notion of letting go of control, and has also convinced himself that he has something to make up for.

*****

On the third day Carlos is officially deemed ready to take on the real pistes. At least according to TK. And to.. Josh. Carlos knows it’s probably immature but he still has trouble accepting compliments from the ski-instructor without somehow taking it as the opposite.

Something about the chipper look on his face when he tells Carlos that he’s ‘doing super good’ or he’s a ‘really quick learner’ makes him feel five years old. Carlos might not know the first thing about skiing and yeah, they might have literally paid Josh for his advice and encouragement, but where does he get off telling Carlos what he is and isn’t ready for or that he just needs to try and ‘let go a little’? Ugh. It’s condescending. 

Yesterday Carlos finally managed to slide down the training hill without face planting or tackling any small children along the way, only to be met at the bottom with Josh giving him a way too enthusiastic thumbs up and saying ‘good job!’ Carlos’ own brain had unhelpfully applied the ‘buddy’ to the end of the sentence, making Carlos feel like he was a little kid who had just managed to actually kick the ball at soccer practice for the first time. Carlos had to muster up all his willpower to smile politely and grit out a genuine-sounding ‘thank you’. 

Josh seemed oblivious to the effect he was having on Carlos, and luckily so did TK - his happy smile and rosy cheeks and the hands that Carlos could just barely feel the pressure of as they gripped at his waist over thick layers while he kissed him with lips that felt cool and moist from the snow had quickly improved his mood and made him feel genuinely proud of his accomplishment. 

Despite this, Carlos feels a little less sure about whether he’s really ready for the real thing, especially now as they’re on top of the hill and looking down, the daunting stretch of it is looking longer and more steep than it had seemed from the foot of it. He’ll be fine, he tries to reassure himself. If nothing else, he believes in TK and TK believes in him. According to TK (and Josh but Carlos is trying to reach a state of cool indifference when it comes to him mainly by trying not to think about him too much) it’s good to try the real piste sooner rather than later, to experience the thrill of actually skiing so as to not risk growing tired and frustrated before you’ve even experienced the real fun of it.

Better to fall on your face a few times than to stay on the training piste the whole trip and go thinking you’ve had enough of skiing for good. Carlos is trying to be on board with that sentiment even though he really isn’t the type to normally throw himself into things without feeling like he’s at least prepared enough that the chances of success are somewhat high.

‘Learning by doing’ and ‘crack a few eggs along the way’ are not normally sentiments that resonate with him. He will be the type for those though, for TK. For his wonderful and adventurous boyfriend who has put up with Carlos being a sobbing mess half the time during the past few weeks, carrying the weight for both of them as they’ve embarked on the process of adopting his little brother, and with Carlos’ absent mindedness and late nights even longer. So at least for this week, he’ll be adventurous for TK while he does his best to treat him to everything he desires.

Besides, it’s not like they’re doing the biggest pistes just yet - the plateau they’re on constitutes the starting point to the smaller slopes and they’re doing the smallest one to start with. TK will be with him the whole way, probably bored as they slide slowly down the hill with Carlos pushing the front of the skis inwards to break the whole way. 

He’s already survived the trip up, gripping TK’s hand tight the whole way and trying his best to appreciate the view, mostly managing to appreciate the view of TK appreciating the view, as he found that looking down made him a little lightheaded and made his heart speed up in his chest uncomfortably. 

As Carlos refastens the buckles of his ski-boots (he’s already done it twice, once when they arrived at the pistes and put on their skis, and once right before getting on the ski-lift, images of his skis falling off on the way up and landing right on somebody’s head making him guilty of negligent manslaughter on account of not tightening his boots enough), Carlos ends his little pep talk by sternly telling himself to pull it together. He can do this. This is their second to last day on the trip, and TK deserves to have some fun too, instead of having to spend his whole trip in the training area with Carlos and all the children. 

Speaking of TK, Carlos rights himself and looks around for him. He didn’t want Josh to witness him neurotically double and triple check the buckles of his boots, not feeling sure that he would react nicely to Josh butting in to offer unsolicited advice or, God forbid, crouching down to help him tighten them. So he’d mustered up a confident smile and told himself and TK to go ahead and Carlos would find them.

 Now he’s kind of regretting that. Carlos might allegedly be ready to slide down the smallest of the ‘adult’ hills, but the thing is, he still hasn't completely mastered the whole ‘moving on purpose in a normal walking pace’-thing. He still feels like it’s the skis, not him, deciding when he’s standing still and when he’s moving (and if he’s honest, which direction he moves in). 

Spotting his husband and the ski instructor that Carlos is not currently sparing thoughts for, by the starting point of the slope they’re supposed to try first, Carlos starts slowly making his way there. Luckily they seem to be caught in conversation and Carlos hopes that it stays that way so he doesn’t have to be observed inelegantly and very slowly approaching them. Nothing more awkward than waving and then being stared down for five minutes while you’re sweating and fighting to get within talking distance.

Once Carlos is within hearing range, he picks up bits of their conversation. “Oh,” he hears Josh’s voice say, and Carlos swears he can hear, even from just that one word, that the ski instructor is flirting with his husband. “I don’t suppose they make calendars for those too..?” And at that Carlos has to stop walking to roll his eyes (he can’t do both at the same time). 

Not this again, he thinks angrily. He can’t believe he’s had to witness TK being the victim of this god-awful pickup line twice in the span of their less than five years long relationship and had to fend the guy off (leading to some spectacular sex the first time, but still). Can’t these idiots come up with something better?

Carlos picks up his pace, he needs to stop this conversation before it goes any further and show this Josh-guy, Mr. ‘I’m a hot and blonde ski instructor who probably never gets caught in my head and is a lot of fun’, who TK belongs to. Even if somewhere deep within himself Carlos is finding it hard to measure up at the moment.

Carlos is sweating and panting, his brows furrowed in concentration trying to make his legs move faster, his thighs protesting as he slides one in front of the other in quick succession, using his poles to try and make sure he’s actually causing a forward movement instead of just looking like he’s using the skiing machine at the gym. At one point he gives up and turns so his side is to Josh and TK, awkwardly lifting his skis to take broad steps sideways.

He’s already preparing what to say in his head. Maybe if he interrupts the exact same thing as last time, TK will find it funny and get that wonderful crinkly and shiny eyed laugh he reserves for Carlos’ jokes that always makes his chest feel two sizes bigger, and they can laugh about it later tonight and hopefully have a repeat of the spectacular sex it resulted in last time. 

Deciding he’s as close as he’s gonna get if he’s gonna make it in time before the conversation moves on, he turns towards them again. Trying to make it look deceivingly effortless as he closes the rest of the gap between them, he paints on his cockiest smile and shouts, loud enough to make sure they can hear him even though he’s barely within hearing range, “And his husband is a Texas R-“ 

Unfortunately he doesn’t get further than that because the thing that could absolutely not happen, happens. 

In his eagerness to interrupt the blatant flirting aimed at his husband, Carlos had accidentally turned his skis in the direction of the light downwards slope toward one of the bigger pistes, and, quickly losing forward momentum as soon as he didn’t give it his full attention, has now started to slide backwards. And this time he isn’t in the training area anymore and he won’t be caught by a fence. 

He sees TK’s eyes widen as his form gets smaller and smaller, and Carlos tries desperately to break, but he can barely break while going forwards, let alone when he’s going backwards, and he isn’t succeeding. In fact, he’s picking up speed, and a glance over his shoulder tells him he’s fast approaching the edge where the plateau changes to one of the steeper slopes.

In a last resort to prevent disaster Carlos lets himself fall ungracefully into the snow, but unfortunately, it’s too late. The concerned faces of people clad in ski suits of all colors swim in and out of his vision as he tumbles down the hill. The world spins dizzyingly around him like he’s the immobile center of a spinning snow globe depicting a ski-resort themed winter wonderland.

Through his dizziness, Carlos manages to send a prayer to the universe that he won’t bump into someone and cause some sort of mass casualty event, as he keeps tumbling for what feels like ages. At some point the tip of his left ski seems to catch on something causing a sharp pain to shoot through his ankle, making him cry out in pain.

The world spins a few more times and then he's landing on his back at what he assumes is the bottom of the slope. Squinting dazedly up at the clear blue sky he tries to catch his breath. Trying to move his leg which is bent at an odd ankle so he can sit up, he grimaces and lets out another cry as he’s reminded of twisting his ankle on the way down, the sharp pang settling to dull throb as he stops trying to move.

Turning only his head he sees the bright orange shape of TK in his ski suit zig-zagging down the hill at impressive speed. His hero, his wild heart, come to save him.

[sidesteppostinghours]

Rewires and Rerouting

another late oc kiss week,,, oops. day 5 though! abusing my computer science undergrad to jargon my way through 980-ish words of caine and @hyper-pixels mitchel being Nerds. i put way too much effort into the logic behind their prop circuit help

———

Caine has always preferred to work on circuitry alone. Delicate work requires focus and concentration, and there's only two outcomes when somebody else is in the room with him: they either get completely distracted by the background noise of the other person's thoughts, or the other person is Ortega, and suddenly their circuitry has bigger problems.

Three. Three outcomes. Because the man walking into their room doesn't fit neatly into either of those two.

"What is that?" Caine hears him less than feels him, the physical words quieter than the mental imprint of his mind. Mitchel slinks up on the headrest behind him, his head resting next to theirs. They don't have any idea how he's balancing on it, and he doesn't turn to find out. However he's doing it keeps Caine's hands free to move– that's good enough for them. They place an absentminded kiss on his cheek, eyes not looking up from the breadboard though Mitchel's hair itches his face. He doesn't bother to answer out loud, letting their own mental schematic fill him in on the details.

"Huh." Mitchel clicks his tongue, and not for the first time, Caine is glad at least somebody knows what they're thinking about. "Medical readings are gonna suck to collect in the middle of a fight."

Caine shrugs. It's probably true, but if they can get readings from a single good grip on the opponent, the information could be invaluable. They can feel Mitchel's eyes on him as he works, two pairs of striking green observing him as he wired and coded.

"What's the LCD there for?" Mitchel interrupts the silence building to reach his free arm over Caine's other shoulder and point at the small screen, the mess of wires pouring out of it overlapping the rest of the circuit. "It's just making things more complicated."

"Stand-in for the armor's HUD," they mumble, unfocused, resorting to speech more out of habit than anything else. "It's supposed to be complicated." That way he'll know how to interface the mod with the rest of the armor's system. Technically speaking, it should be more complex, but-

"-but that's useless if it doesn't work now. It worked without the LCD?"

A nondescript note of confirmation. They can feel Mitchel shift position, reaching a hand over Caine's head to tap one of the many colourful wires.

"You didn't ground the LCD right. That's the 5 volt, not the ground. This is gonna fritz on you."

Caine blinks. Rewires it. Uploads the code and watches the LCD blink "functional" at him.

He groans, rubbing his face as Mitchel shifts again to rest his chin on their head. They can feel his smugness, little pebbles of amusement in the back of their mind.

"And this took you how long to figure out?"

"That's not fair." They don't quite whine, but almost. How was he supposed to see that? The pins are all small and angles get funny when you've been working on one thing as long as they have. They debate pushing him off as retaliation, but his chin is a comfortable, familiar pressure on his head, helping them think.

Mitchel snorts. "Sure it isn't." A poke to their back. "What else you gotta connect?"

Caine considers it for a moment. Figuring out the wiring for the cooling can be left for last, when the energy drain for all the components are accounted for. It's the reader that's the problem, that has to be fitted into the hand, which means they have to make it work with the other systems in there. Inside their pocket, their phone buzzes. It has to be close to the surface of the palm, if not on it itself, which means-

"Your phone buzzed," Mitchel points out.

"I know," Caine reassures him.

"Open it. I wanna see who it is" Another poke, this time to his chest. Caine sighs, weary and heavy, before taking out their phone and squinting at the offending notification. Mitchel leans over to read it too, though there's no real need to when they're both telepaths.

...Oh.

It's a single message. From Chen.

'Are you free to walk Spoon with me?'

"Ignore it." The words are practically hissed out. Mitchel never liked Chen for understandable reasons, and liked him even less when he found out Caine had kissed him. Caine's been too busy to deal with what happened since then, and they suspect Chen's the same. Honestly, they're tempted to take Mitchel's advice and stuff the phone back into their pocket. That would be the safer thing to do. The smarter thing.

They mull over the decision before texting back a one word reply:

'Yes.'

"Cheese and rice, man!" They can't see his glare, but they can feel the irritation. "Why would you answer that?"

"I want to walk Spoon." That's part of the reason. They could use the walk anyway, a few things pop when he stretches, and the sound makes him wince.

"I'm going to steal that damn dog," Mitchel mutters, fuming enough to make Caine snort. Already, he is slinking off, landing on the floor without even jostling the chair he was resting so precariously on. Mitchel has always been lighter on his feet than Caine was. They plant another kiss, this time on the top of his head, before heading for their shoes. That's the nice thing about always keeping socks on– leaving is always faster.

Caine doesn't wait for him as they walk out the door, and Mitchel doesn't hesitate as he falls into step beside them. It's a familiar enough routine that, once they're walking, it's easy to slip into the same conversations they're used to, comfortable steps to retrace because it's Mitchel, and Caine doesn't think they could ever really be bored with him.

Now to wait and see if that's a good thing with Chen thrown into the mix.

[aita-blorbos]

NOTE FOR THE MODS: please don't post this until february! the source material only came out recently and i don't want to spoil anyone!

-----

AITA for trying to drop a tower into a portal?

I (F) was in charge of monitoring a tower's structural integrity. (This is necessary because the tower's alive, but that's unimportant.) The tower is of great importance and houses several hundred people, who live and work there. My job was to make sure that the tower stayed alive and functional, and to ensure the continued wellbeing of its inhabitants by overseeing their duties.

One day, I received the strangest message. It originated from somewhere I can't pinpoint, and it consisted of raw, overpowering thought. I found myself in a plane of bright light and endless, coloured connections sprawling everywhere. The place folded into me and latched onto my mind, pulsing knowledge and instruction into it. To say it was blissful would be an understatement; I felt so joyous and connected, a gleeful observer of the stage of physical reality, freed from restraints to laugh and cry and sing and dance forever. It was safe, it was peace; of this I'm sure, more than anything else in the world.

So, obviously, it was my duty to aid the wellbeing of the tower's inhabitants by sharing this with them. The best way to do that would be to open a portal to the plane I found myself intersecting with, and drop the tower in. I sent out calls to gather materials to fuel the portal's construction, and partially collapsed the tower so its innards could also be used.

This seemed to attract the ire of a team of the tower's inhabitants, who went down to see what was going on. I explained to them what I was doing, that it was completely safe and for the best. When they attacked, I fought in self-defense, making sure not to kill them but to try to assimilate them directly. One (NB) I managed to fend off and assimilate, and I assure you that they did not regret it - they could be reunited with their wife (who'd been assimilated earlier), which is what they wanted most. Another (F) requested a full explanation without a hint of malice, so I welcomed her to my state, where she stayed in joy until blown up by bombs planted by one of her friends (M).

I tried to reason with this group, but they were so stubborn and refused to yield, so I had to resort to fighting. Eventually, despite my best efforts, the portal-opening ritual was stopped. This, though, caused the tower to collapse completely. And, of course, so many inhabitants remained bereft of their true purpose.

I know how it sounds, but if you'd felt it you would have felt the same way I do, I assure you. There's nothing to fear; we come in peace. It's safe here. And I know that saying that makes me sound suspicious, but I haven't a shred of doubt that it's the entire truth.

AITA?

[fatphobiabusters]

Hi, do you by any chance know any fat athletes who ski/do wintersports? I got very spontaneously invited to go skiing with some coworkers tomorrow (I've never been before) and when I tried on skiing shoes they didn't really fit/the top couldn't be closed all the way, so I've just been feeling pretty meh about it, even though I know it's not my fault those things are only designed with thin people in mind.

(Totally fair if you don't get to this before tomorrow/doesn't fit the blog/etc)

I feel for you about this. I tend to feel self-conscious in similar situations, especially when there's not much time to mentally prepare for the outing. There's so many ways that fat people aren't included in daily society, like the problem with those ski shoes. I haven't done a lot of research into fat athletes, especially winter fat athletes. The fat athletes I know of are the fat athletes I happen to find while looking at fat positive stuff in general. BUT you're in luck!

lainedubin is a fat ice skater on TikTok. I've posted them a few times to this blog. This is one of their videos. They don't ski, as far as I know, but they have amazing videos of their ice skating. They look so graceful, and I know that their TikTok is welcoming of fellow fat people who want to feel comfortable doing what this ice skater does.

I also did a search of some more fat athletes who do winter sports! This Instagram account seems to post a lot of fat people doing winter sports like skiing:

The account apparently posts to this Instagram now, so both accounts show fat people skiing. Although this seems to be a brand selling plus size winter gear, a lot of their videos I looked at just now are fat positive and encourage fat people to feel comfortable doing winter sports! They show a lot of examples of fat people skiing and snowboarding.

I found that Instagram account while reading this post about skiing while fat. I haven't read the entire post, but what I did read was fat positive. The post includes tips for fat skiers. Tip 3, "Don’t be embarrassed to ask for boots that fit your calves," may or may not be helpful for you. I'm not sure if you already have the skiing shoes and can't switch them for a different pair. If anything, I think tip 5 will help give you confidence:

I felt inadequate the first time I showed up to ski at the resort. I felt that my body size wasn’t designed for skiing and that my lack of knowledge at my age would prevent me from learning how to ski. I felt that others would judge my size and think that skiing isn’t for plus-size people. WRONG! We have a place on that mountain along with everyone else. I changed my mindset and recognized that I had to stop putting limits on myself. I’m not concerned what others think anymore. I just get out there and have fun. I am loving skiing and will continue to do it because I CAN and because I love it. I will continue to take up space on the slopes, and I hope that you will too.

Additionally, we have a tag for posts about fat athletes. I've kind of lost track if the tag is "fat athlete" or "fat athletes," but it's one of the two. This recent post of ours I hope will also give you the confidence to enjoy skiing without thinking about other people.

I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there and allowing yourself to take up space!

-Mod Worthy

[galerymod]

When the women in Iran rose up against the mullahs, they were abandoned by the Western world. Many of the women fighting for freedom have since been executed, tortured and imprisoned, as there was little interest in taking military action against the mullahs to stop the murder of these women.

The ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement has brought new momentum to the protests and raised awareness of women's rights in Iran. The international community has been monitoring the situation in Iran and calling on the government to respect women's human rights without interference.

But now that the Israeli president has launched an attack on Iran in violation of international law, based on claims that Benjamin Netanyahu has been repeating since 2015 that Iran will have nuclear weapons in a few weeks, which was obviously not true, since it was repeated in 2015, 2018 and every time since then.

14 July 2015

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the comprehensive accord was a "bad mistake of historic proportions" that would allow Iran to "continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region".

He has previously warned that Israel will do everything necessary to thwart the prospect of Iran developing nuclear weapons.

Let's be honest, if you give a presentation like that at school, no one will believe you have any idea about the subject. But in political propaganda, that's proof enough.

And don't forget to look evil so that people think Pete is going to steal your lunch soon. He's 90 per cent ready.

The United States of America is attacking Iran because a toxic right-wing politician has started a war and his country is now being bombed by the country he attacked. All the women and people who fought for their freedom by peaceful means needed the help of the superpower America, but that was probably not really in the interests of the previous government, and the Trump administration's interests are not motivated by good intentions either.

We abhor the mullah regime in Iran, let there be no mistake about that, but if international law no longer applies, then we cannot hold up a moral version of power against Putin. Then arbitrariness suddenly becomes the raison d'être of the state.

mod

We are in favour of violence as a last resort or as a means of coercion to prevent oppression and force the oppressors to the negotiating table, but not as a power play to remain in power.

Human rights are not negotiable. This applies to every state. One is not good because the other is even more evil.

[silvery-bluish]

#17, if you will 👀

pulls what is apparently a three and a half month old kisses prompt out of my inbox. hi. thank you for the ask. here is some sidestep era chargestep. (prompts here)

17- kisses as a promise, chargestep, your classic superhero-has-to-disarm-a-bomb scenario. 465 words.

“You’re not going to fit in there,” Arsinoe says, looking from the vent to Charge and back. Too much shoulder, height, bulk— even if he doesn’t have as much muscle as Steel does. He’s still not suited for crawling through narrow vents.

Even if there’s a bomb to be disarmed at the other end, the front door blocked by people they don’t have time to fight. If Sentinel wasn’t out of town, he could just get them in through the upper floors, maybe even just tear the bomb right out of there with wind, toss it high enough so it could explode without causing any damage. Without that option, and with Steel’s flight-capable armors too far away to be helpful in time, they’re forced to resort to alternative means.

His expression is downright mutinous. “I could fit,” and then a quick-switch into a wink. “I’m bendy, you know.”

They ignore that. He’s not that bendy, and they don’t have time to indulge turning red. “Give me a boost,” they say, “I’ll go. I know tech better than you, anyway. If you just zap a bomb, sometimes it still explodes.”

“You can disarm a bomb?” he asks, and they shrug.

“We don’t have time to argue this. Boost me, or I’ll start climbing you.” They might be small enough to fit through vents better, but that does also regrettably mean in this case they can’t reach the vent in the ceiling in the middle of the room without dragging a chair over. Or getting Charge to give them a hand up.

“If you can’t actually disarm a bomb, I’m going to haunt you forever,” he tells them, cupping his hands at the proper height for them to step into.

They step into the offered hands, but grab onto his shoulders for a second so he doesn’t immediately toss them. Quick-peck to his mouth, now that they’re at the right height for it. “We can both haunt Sentinel for taking the weekend off. I know how to do this, I promise. I’ve got this.”

Arsinoe isn’t about to let this be the thing that kills them. It would also make it impossible for them to get up there in time if somebody else tried to climb up the vent and got his ridiculous shoulders stuck.

Ricardo’s eyes are fixed on theirs, dark brown searching their face for another moment before he nods, setting his expression. “Going to hold you to that one,” he says, and then they’re being raised into the air with force that almost surprises them. Mod strength, right.

Then their hands are catching purchase on the inside lip of the vent, the tiny ledge that the cover used to be attached to, and they don’t have room to think of anything except the mission.